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2009 NFL First round draft order: 1. Detroit Matt Stafford QB, Georgia
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49ers turnover hapless Lions 20-6 It could have been worse. Many players and fans wonder why it wasn't. The San Francisco 49ers used field position and six Detroit turnovers to post a 20-6 win and keeping alive hope of a .500 finish to the 2009 season.
There were a lot of positives in this win. The six turnovers continued a trend of the big play capability of head coach Mike Singletary's defense. The 49ers also took another step toward getting back to being a winning team. San Francisco did not score after any of the turnovers. That seems hard to do, but the 49ers could not take advantage of the field position. Not even a field goal, but they won which is still the most important part. San Francisco did a much better job of mixing in the run with the pass. Frank Gore only had 78-yards rushing, but the 49ers gave it to him 28-times. Gore also went over the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth season in a row. Frank scored on a short touchdown run a play later to make it 20-3 San Francisco with a minute left in the third quarter. The 49ers defense would not let Detroit get anything going. San Francisco forced three fumbles and picked off three passes. The Lions (2-13) took the lead in the first quarter when Jason Hanson hit a 27-yard field goal. Detroit had a first and goal at the San Francisco nine yard line, but the 49ers D held. San Francisco's offense could do nothing with three first half turnovers. Takeo Spikes recovered a fumble at the 49ers 44. That drive stalled six plays later when Gore could not get a yard on 4th and one from the Lions 24. Patrick Willis set up the 49ers offense late in the first half when he intercepted a Drew Stanton pass and returned it to the Detroit 37 with 1:42 left in the half. 10 plays later Ricky Schmitt, subbing for the injured Joe Nedney, had a 28-yard field goal blocked after San Francisco could not convert on 3rd and goal from the 10-yard line. Schmitt hit 33 and 39-yard field goals to give the 49ers a 6-3 lead at the half. Alex Smith did not light it up against Detroit. Smith finished the game 20 of 31 (230-yards_ one touchdown and no picks. Gore led the way with 81-yards receiving on four receptions. The 49ers improved to 7-8 and they play the St. Louis Rams in their season ending contest. If they win it will be the first time San Francisco did not lose more then they won since 2002. It would also mark the second year in a row that the team has improved under the coaching of Mike Singletary. Sure a few plays here or there and the 49ers would be headed to the post season.
What went up came crashing down in loss at Chilly Philly San Francisco gave themselves hope last week with their pounding of the NFC West Division leading Arizona Cardinal's, forcing a team record five fumbles and seven turnovers. The turnover bug bit back at the 49ers in the playoff ruining 27-13 loss to Philadelphia Sunday. San Francisco quarterback Alex Smith did not have a good game at. He threw three interceptions in the first half and the 49ers had a fumble lost, all in the first half. Down 7-3 San Francisco was on the move, deep in Eagles territory. Smith hit tight end Delanie Walker on a little eight yard pass over the middle at the Eagles ten. Walker was stripped of the ball and Philly's Asante Samuel recovered at the Eagles six. That was as close as San Francisco got to taking the lead all day. Donovan McNabb led the Eagles on a 94-yard march to that ended with McNabb scrambling in from the eight nine plays later to put Philly up 14-3. Alex Smith could not find his stride at all. He finished 20 of 37 for 177-yards passing three picks and a touchdown. Tailback Frank Gore had a good day . The Eagles have had San Francisco's number the past couple of years, but Sunday the 49ers were in the game until midway through the fourth quarter. In the end it was too much McNabb and DeSean Jackson. McNabb finished with 306-yards passing one interception and two picks. Jackson caught six passes for 140-yards and a score. McNabb hit Jackson on a 19-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring in the first quarter. San Francisco answered back with a 51-yard Joe Nedney field goal. The 49ers held up until Walkers fumble in the second quarter. San Francisco would play catch up the rest of the way. Their was one good thing that came out of the loss to the Eagles. Running back Frank Gore seems to be back on track. He went over the 100-yard mark for the second game in a row. Gore ran for 107-yards on 16-carries (a 6.7average) and a touchdown. Gore 107-yards marked the first time anybody has rushed for more then 100-yards against the Eagles in 24-games. It is hard to believe, especially for a back that is one the verge of topping the 1,000-yard mark for the 4th year in a row, but it mark the first time Gore has had over 100-yards in two straight games since 2006. The big hole San Francisco dug themselves in the first half came back to bite them in the second. Philly scored 13-second quarter points and they were all short drive started by 49er turnovers. Samuel's was in the middle of the first two. After the fumble recovery, Samuel's picked off Smith and returned the ball 18-yards down to the San Francisco 28. The 49ers defense held and forced the Eagles to kick a 22-yard field goal. That gave San Francisco some hope. If the 49ers defense would have rolled over and gave up a touchdown late in the first half it would have taken all the air out of the 49ers sails. Smith's last pick was by far his worst. He over threw a wide open Gore while being dragged down by a defender. Trying to make a play Yes, but a good quarterback must knew when to hold on to the ball and take your chances on the next down. That has showed to be one of the hardest things for a quarterback to do. Tracy White set up the Eagles at the 49ers 29 with 24-seconds left in the half. Once again the 49ers defense held up, forcing another short David Ackers field goal. Down 20-3 at the start of the third quarter the 49ers did make a game of it, outscoring the Eagles 10-0 in the third. Joe Nedney kicked a short, 25-yard field goal and Smith hit Josh Morgan from 12-yards out to make it 20-13 Eagles with a whole quarter of football left to play. The Eagles responded to the challenge and controlled the ball taking a 27-13 lead when LeSean McCoy scooted in from two yards out with 11:32 left in the contest. The 49ers could get nothing going the rest of the game and they will once again miss the playoffs. The 49ers started out 3-1, but lost too many close games in the end to make the post season. San Francisco still has a lot to play for. Winning their last two will improve their record from last year to this one. That is a good sign for any coach. It was also give them an 8-8 record.The two teams they play are both 2-12. Detroit comes calling this Sunday before the 49ers head off to St, Louis to play the Rams in both teams season ending contest. They are both teams San Francisco should beat and the team wants to head into the off season on a good note.
49ers let season slip through their fingers It was right their for them. The new look San Francisco 49ers were airing it out and scoring points with Alex Smith looking like a real NFL quarterback. Heading into their big NFC West match up with Seattle the 49ers knew a win would set up a huge tilt against division leading Arizona next Monday night. Instead San Francisco is 5-7, three full games behind Arizona 98-4) with four games to play. Every game is a playoff game from here on out. The 49ers next two games are the biggest of the year. After Arizona San Francisco heads out to Philly to play the red hot Eagles. If the 49ers can beat those two teams the schedule gets a lot easier. San Francisco closes out the season with games against St. Louis and Detroit. Frank Gore has been the forgotten man in the 49ers news passing style offense. Gore's carries have gone way down in the past few games. Head coach Mike Singletary has reversed his word on running the ball down people throats all season long. The best example of this came against Seattle a team Gore has lit up in the past. Two of Gore best games of his career have come against Seattle, but in the 49ers loss last Sunday to the Seahawks Gore only ran the ball 9-times for 25-yards. Gore rushed for 202-yards in a 49ers win against Seattle in the teams first meeting this year. That was just the latest outbreak Gore has had against Seattle. He came into the game averaging 160 yards from scrimmage in his previous seven games against Seattle. His career high of 212 yards in 2006 came against the Seahawks. Sunday San Francisco never went to Gore to see if he could move the ball. Sure Alex Smith threw for a career high 310-yards and two touchdowns, but the 49ers gave the Seahawks a break by going away from Gore. They gave the Cardinals a break and Arizona made San Francisco pay by going out and pounding a good Minnesota team on Monday night Football to all but wrap up the NFC West with four games left in the season.
San Francisco must right ship to make post season This season started out so well. San Francisco was doing everything it needed to do. They got off to a 3-1 start and they were in first place in the NFC West.
The 49ers lost their fourth game in a row and they are doing everything they can to keep the wheels from falling off. What could have happen. Head coach Mike Singletary seemed to be pushing all the right buttons. San Francisco's offense has not been lighting up the score board this season, but they were putting up some points. San Francisco's defense had only one bad game all season when they gave up 45 in a loss to Atlanta before giving up 34 in their 34-27 loss to Tennessee Sunday. Both of those games came at home and the Atlanta loss started the four game losing streak. San Francisco needs to stay away from the AFC South division. They have lost to three of the four teams in that division. All the games were close. First Houston got past San Francisco 24-21. Indy was next, coming back from a 14-3 hole to win 18-14 and now Tennessee. The 49ers are still missing that knock out blow. They can't put teams away when they get the chance. San Francisco led in every game they have lost except against Atlanta San Francisco has attempted to fix that problem with the signing of wide receiver Michael Crabtree after the rookie from Texas Tech held out half the year. Crabtree has come in and become San Francisco's best receiver not named Vernon Davis. Crabtree has 14-catches in three games with no touchdowns. The 14-catches would be leading the team during that span if Davis did not grab 10 against Tennessee Sunday. Not bad for somebody who missed all of training camp and the first five games of the season. The 49ers best passing threat is still Vernon Davis, but that will have to change if the 49ers are going to make it back to the top of the heap. Sure you need a good tight end and Davis has been perhaps the best one in the NFL this year at getting down field and he is in a four way tie for most touchdown this season (7) in the NFL. A tight end will not stretch the defense like a deep threat on the outside will. Wide receiver's keep safety's honest and without somebody being able to get down the field teams have been able to compact the box and stop the 49ers running game. San Francisco is at a cross roads in their season. A 3-5 record is not a death blow to their playoff hopes. Only two of the losses are in the NFC which will help a team like the 49ers trying to get what looks like a wildcard spot in the NFC playoffs. Next up is Chicago. The Bears are treading water at 4 and 4, but they have giving up more points then they have scored. Chicago's defense is not what it once was. The Bears have given up over 40pts in two out of their last three games. Cincinnati put up 45 in a win and last week Arizona rung up 41 on the Bears. Chicago has only beaten one team with a winning record, 17-14 over Pittsburgh. That could be bad news for the 49ers, who at 3-5 is just the kind of team Chicago has feasted on all season. Chicago will also have the advantage of playing against a beat up 49er squad. San Francisco and Chicago play Thursday night and it will be San Francisco's third game in 12-days. This game is as big as a playoff game for San Francisco. A win and they are just one game under .500 and right back in the mix. A loss will leave them with a 3-6 record with just seven games left to play.
49ers come up just short against Indy San Francisco looked good early in their 18-14 loss to the Colts Sunday. It was the 49ers who jumped out in front early behind the running of Frank Gore and the passing of Alex Smith. Smith, just re-inserted back into the starting line up tossed a eight yard touchdown pass to tight end Vernon Davis with 33-seconds left in the half to put San Francisco up 14-6. The touchdown finished off an impressive 89-yard, seven play drive. Smith had six competitions to four different receiver on the drive. San Francisco went to the hurry up, shotgun offense and it worked to perfection. But they never went back to it the rest of the game. The Colts showed just how good they are by marching 48-yard from their 39 to the 49ers 13 leaving a second for kicker Matt Stover to kick a 31-yard field goal. The 49ers defense played well enough for the team to win. They held Indy to under 20pts while not allowing Peyton Manning to throw a touchdown against them. Manning had been sacked just twice coming into the game, but San Francisco got to him three times. You have to take your chances with that. It was not enough for the 49ers to win Sunday however. The Colts did get a 22-yard touchdown pass for starting tailback Joseph Addai to Reggie Wayne on a half back option on the first play of the fourth quarter. Addai was an All American quarterback in high school and he threw a pass that only Wayne, who made a diving catch at the back of the end zone, could catch. San Francisco could not get anything going on offense in the second half and that cost them the game. The 49ers were shutout in the last two quarters. San Francisco touched the ball twice in the third period. Their first drive ended at their 44 when Michael Crabtree fumbled after a short gain. Their next drive was three plays and a punt. The 49ers got the ball twice in the fourth quarter and both of those drive were stopped by sacks on third down. After Gore's 64-yard burst in the first quarter the running game could not get much going. Gore carried the ball just 13-times (93-yards). If you take away the 64-yarder Gore gained only 29-yards the rest of the game. the fact that he only ran the ball 13-times was kind of surprising considering the low scoring nature of the game. Rookie Michael Crabtree continues to impress. He led th the team in receiving with six catches for 81-yards. He has come on fast since he ended his holdout. Joe Staley, San Francisco's best offensive lineman, hurt his knee on the first play of the game and he will miss at least six weeks. The 49ers defense took a hit as well. Cornerback Nate Clements will also miss several weeks with a broken shoulder bone. It was bad news to top off the 49ers three game losing streak. San Francisco is now 3-4, but in second place a game behind Arizona who is 4-3 and they maybe starting to show signs of being the class of the division. San Francisco returns home for a two game home stand. The woeful Tennessee Titans come through Sunday before the Monsters of the Midway (Chicago) blow through nest week. The 49ers have to get back on track and if they want to win the NFC West and return to the playoffs for the first time since 2002, a win against the 1-6 Titans is a must.
San Francisco get pounded by Falcons 45-10 The game was going bad enough. San Francisco was already down 35-10 with just over nine minutes left in the 3rd quarter when cornerback Dre Bly stepped in front of a Matt Ryan pass and headed towards the end zone some eighty yards away. For some reason Bly, a 11-year vet, thought the only person he would have to beat to score a touchdown was Ryan, running towards him. Bly started to celebrate, putting his right hand behind his head a la Deion Sanders. Atlanta wide receiver Roddy White, a thorn in the side of the 49ers all game, came from behind and stripped the ball from Bly. Falcons ball. White caught 8-passes for 210-yards and two touchdowns. One touchdown catch, a back breaking 90-yarder that broke open a 14-10 game, came on a little out pattern that White caught before flipping cornerback Nate Clements over, off his back and then Roddy raced the remaining 89-yards for the score. That made it 21-10 and San Francisco never recovered. Atlanta scored the last 31-points of the contest. The 49ers could not stop the run very well, giving up 97-yards and three touchdowns to starting tailback Michael Turner. There was no last second miracle in this one. Nothing to feel good about in a loss that gave the 49ers an indication of just how far they have come in their quest to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2001 season. Head coach Mike Singletary saw the writing on the wall early and called a first quarter timeout to give one of his pep talks. Atlanta scored on White's catch and run a play later. 49ers starting quarterback Shaun Hill was 15 0f 38 for 198-yards no touchdowns and a pick. Starting running back Glen Coffee did get into the end zone but that was in the second quarter to make it 14-7 Atlanta. Coffee finished the game with 12-carries for 45-yards. Singletary had to get away from his game plan of pounding the ball down teams throats with the run because San Francisco was playing catch up the whole game. The 49ers have now lost two of their last three games and they do not have a win outside of the NFC West this year. That could be a problem since San Francisco does not play another NFC West team until Dec. 6th when they head up to Seattle. The 49ers have a bye this week before taking the field again against Houston on the road. They will be in Indy the week after that and they will not return home until Nov. 11th when they entertain winless Tennessee.
49ers bounce back, slam Rams This was a total team effort. After a scoreless first quarter the 49ers special teams picked everybody up with the first points of the game.
Josh Morgan catches this 24-yard toss from Shaun Hill for a touchdown in the 49ers 35-0 blowout of the Rams Sunday. San Francisco punter Andy Lee got the ball rolling with a high hanging punt in side the Rams 10-yard line that St. Louis kick returner Quincy Butler let bounce hoping it would go into the end zone. The ball did, but not before hitting Butler in the leg. San Francisco's Scott McKillop fell on the ball for a touchdown and the rout was on. It was something like a dam breaking, but it did not happen all at once. The McKillop touchdown was the first leak in the Rams defense. That hole was plugged up, the 49ers did not score the rest of the half and the game was being played down at the winless Rams level. The 49ers seemed to be in a daze from the Brett Farve miracle pass of a week ago. Halftime came with the 49ers up 7-0 and a tongue lashing awaiting them in the locker room at half time. Head coach Mike Singletary lit into his team during the break and they responded both offensively and defensively. Each unit scored twice in the second half. The 49ers offense would get things going with their first score, a Shaun Hill to Vernon Davis 13-yard TD and the 49ers were up 14-0 with seven minutes left in the 3rd quarter. The 49ers defense got in on the act three plays later when middle linebacker Patrick Willis jumped in front of a Kyle Boller pass and took it to the house for a 23-yard touchdown return. The game was a full fledged dam break by then and the Rams did what most bad teams do, roll over. Shaun Hill tossed a 24-yard Td to Josh Morgan to make it 28-0 early in the fourth quarter and San Francisco's defense closed things out when defense tackle Ray Mcdonald scoped up a Boller fumble and rumbled 11-yards for a touchdown. All three teams scored for San Francisco (Special, offense and defense) for the first time since 1997. The shutout was the teams first since a 2002 blanking of New Orleans. Patrick Willis was a man among boys against St. Louis. He was all over the place collecting 2.5 sacks, eight tackles and that pick six. He is fast becoming the best in the business. The 49ers running game had it's moments. Rookie Glen Coffee rushed the ball 24-times for 74-yards in his first start in the place of Frank Gore. Singletary kept up his plan to run the ball with a steady dose of Coffee and it started to pay off in the second half. It has also helped open up the middle of the field for tight end Vernon Davis. Davis caught his third touchdown of the season and he is getting better and better every week. It can take a couple of years for players to catch up to the game in the NFL and Vernon, now in his third season in the NFL, has come into his own. Davis led the team with three receptions for 43-yards and his touchdown. Shaun Hill was effect, in not spectacular. He was a workman like 14 of 24 for 152-yards and two TD's. San Francisco did not turn the ball over in the victory. next up for San Francisco is their last home game in almost a month. Atlanta comes to town Oct. 11th and the 49ers will not play another home game until Tennessee comes calling Nov. 8th.
San Francisco does everything but win in Minnesota The 49ers came into their NFC match up with the Minnesota Vikings looking to improve to 3-0. The 49ers came away 2-1 after Brett Farve pulled a rabbit out of the hat to beat San Francisco with a late second pass to the back of the end zone. It looked like San Francisco would be sitting pretty atop the NFC after getting the ball back with the lead and less the three minutes remaining in the game. The 49ers could not run out the clock and they gave Farve two seconds too many to try and win the game. Try he did. Farve calmly drove Minnesota into range before putting away San Francisco with a highlight reel play. Take the snap, make a man miss, step up in the pocket and then throw a laser beam to a wide receiver cutting across the back of the end zone. Farve's pass, a game winning 32-yarder was caught by Greg Lewis who then made sure to get two feet inbounds. That was just the last in a series of plays that prevented San Francisco from starting 2009 3-0. Tight end Vernon Davis had his best day as a 49er with seven catches good for 96-yards and two TD's. The 49ers will do good if they just chalk this one up to the game and move on. The 49ers have a great chance to take control of the division if they can get past the Rams who hit San Francisco Sunday for a NFC West tilt. The winless Rams are the kind of team the 49ers need to beat if they want to be considered as a contender in the NFC. San Francisco has beaten the Rams 15-straight games. The 49ers will not have services of Frank Gore and rookie Glen Coffee will get his first start in the NFL. Gore was hurt early in the 49ers loss to the Vikings. Coffee got his feet wet with 25-carries good for 53-yards in Minnesota last Sunday. Coffee will go from one of the best defense's (Minnesota) to one of the worst (St. Louis). The Rams rank 27th in the NFL at stopping the run. The Rams appear to be the perfect team for Coffee to go up against in his first start. It took Coffee a while to get warmed up in Minnesota. Glen did break loose for runs of 12 and 13-yards in the second half, but life in the regular season is a lot tougher then in pre season. Coffee was one of the NFL's best in pre season. 49ers can't be looked at as a lock against anybody right now. A win and San Francisco will have a win against each NFC West squad this season and early control of the West. The 49ers will have to contend with Rams tailback Steven Jackson, a big bruising runner with speed. San Francisco starting linebacker Patrick Willis, one of the best in the game, recently said Jackson "might be the best running back I have faced in my three years in the NFL". That is high praise from somebody who has made a living at taking people down and just a week after chasing around Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson. Jackson has been the only threat St. Louis has had this year. Steven has rushed for over 100-yards in his last two games and he will be a handful for Willis and the rest of San Francisco's D. The Rams will have a new look at quarterback. Former Cal star Kyle Boller will be under center when the Rams take the field against San Francisco Sunday. One person who should be happy to see the Rams come to town is 49er starting quarterback Shaun Hill. Hill had the best day of his NFL career last year against the Rams finishing the game with three TD's, two passing and one rushing on 15 of 20 passing (215-yards) and no turnovers in a 49er rout.
San Francisco braces for one two punch in Minnesota The San Francisco 49ers will get an early season match up that already has playoff implications. A win and the 49ers are 3-0 and among the elite in the NFC.
Too early to stick out your chest. Yes and no. Head coach Mike Singletary can stick his chest out with the best of them, but he is the first to let you know that good start won't mean a thing if you do not finish strong. There are two different season each year in the NFL. The first eight games are a glimpse of what could be. The last eight games are when champions step up to the plate. To beat Minnesota San Francisco will have to stop Adrian Peterson who has helped the Vikings score 61pts in two games, third best in the NFL. AP has been a one man wrecking crew. He had 180-yards and three TD's in Minnesota's week one win over Cleveland. AP hurt his back against Detroit in week two, but still managed to gain 93-yards and score a touchdown. Peterson comes into the game tied with San Francisco's Frank Gore with four rushing touchdowns to lead the NFL. If his back does not slow him down then 49ers starting middle linebacker Patrick Willis will do his best to. The two met once before, during their rookie season in 2007 and San Francisco was able to do something nobody else has done before or since. Shut AP down. Completely. Peterson had just 3-yards on 14-carries. That was in a year in which he rushed for 1,341-yards. He was also without the services of quarterback Brett Farve. The 49ers will have to have a team effort on defense if they are going to hold AP in check. They will also have to watch out for Farve who might get a chance to throw the ball more with AP having a sore back. Farve has had to do little else besides turn and hand the ball off to AP this year, but if San Francisco can hold Peterson down Farve might have to carry the team on his back. That could be a case of pick your poison. The 49ers were able to beat Farve in his first welcome back tour last year when he was with the New York Jets. That was without the services of AP. The loss to San Francisco started a downward spiral to the Jets season. The Jets started 8-3, but finished 9-7, missing the playoffs. Farve was playing hurt and he did not have anybody to turn to when his arm went bad. Minnesota ranks last in the NFL in passing yard per game (139.5-yards a game) after two games. They are second in the league to the Dallas Cowboys in rushing a game (168.5-yards a game). The 49ers have to get some more production from their passing game. San Francisco is not that far ahead of the Vikings in passing yards per game. They rank 29th in the NFL in passing (179-yards a game) and they lack a deep threat to help ease the congestion at the line of scrimmage aimed at stopping Gore. Isaac Bruce showed he can still get down field, catching a 50-yardbomb against Arizona week one, but he does not have that in him game in and game out. Bruce leads he team with eight catches for just 109-yards. that's an average game for most other teams number one receiver. San Francisco will have to do something about that. Is there a chance they can sign first round pick Michael Crabtree. If they did how much would he help. The chance that he will get hurt goes up everyday he sits out. Second year wide receiver Josh Morgan has yet to show the game he had in the pre season of his rookie year when he looked like the best wide receiver on the field every game. He did not get much run last year because of an injury, but with Crabtree holding out, Morgan has gotten his chance to shine. Morgan has just three catches for 38-yards in the first two games of the season.
49ers start season 2-0 San Francisco rode the back of two long Frank Gore touchdown runs to a victory over the Seattle Seahawks in an early season NFC West tilt that left the 49ers all alone in first place. Gore became just the second back in NFL history to have a pair of touchdown runs longer then 75-yards in the same game. Frank joined Barry Sanders who did it in 1997 against Tampa Bay. The first of Gore's long jaunts, a 79-yarder in the first quarter put San Francisco up 10-0. The second, a 80-yarder in the third quarter put the game away. The 49ers will now try and build on their 2-0 start with a game against the Minnesota Vikings on the road before heading back to the City by the Bay to face the St. Louis Rams. The win left San Francisco all alone in first place in the NFC West and a two game lead on the rest of the division.
After a Joe Nedney field goal put San Francisco on the board first, Gore really got things going when he took the hand off on what looked like a simple little dive play up the middle. The result was anything but simple. Gore weaved his way to a 79-yard score in the first quarter. Gore was un-touched as he bolted through the line and into the secondary. Gore's performance came on the heels of his 22-carry, 30-yard game last week in Arizona. Gore did score twice in that game as well and he now has 4-touchdowns which's leads all NFL running backs after week two. Head coach Mike Singletary could not have written a better script as to how the 49ers offense would work once the games counted in the standings. The only thing that went wrong for the 49ers in the game was Gore hurt his ankle in the fourth quarter and he did not return. The 49ers defense would not let Frank's big day go to waste. They knocked out starting quarterback Matt Hassleback late in the first half when linebacker Patrick Willis hit him in the back at the goal line. Back up and Sacramento native Seneca Wallace came in and threw a touchdown pass on the first play, a one yarder to Julius Jones to make it 13-10 49ers at the half. The 49ers defense shut out Seattle the rest of the way. San Francisco only had one sack and one pick in the game, but their defense did not let Seattle's offense get in any kind of rhythm all game. 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill was an effective 19 for 26 for 144 yards with no TD's or interceptions. He did what he had to do in order for San Francisco to win the game. Hill could not get the ball down the field very much. He completed only five passes to wide receiver's in the game. Isaac Bruce caught four of them and Arnaz battle caught the other one and they combined for only 36-yards. Shaun worked well with tight end Vernon Davis in the first half. Davis had four catches for 35-yards. Gore led the team with five catches for 39-yards. On San Francisco's first play of the second half they sent Gore the middle once more. It was even better the second time. 80-yards later the only person Frank had to dodge was the referee who was in the way. Nobody from the Seahawks came close to getting a hand on Gore. That score made it 20-10 49ers and it forced Seattle to throw the ball. Being 2-0 is nice but San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary knows there is a lot of football left and nobody will care about the 2-0 start if they do not make the playoffs. "Were not satisfied with being 1-0, 2-0 and Wow we had a great start. We want to be a team that really makes a difference in this year's playoffs, championships, whatever. That's what we are going for." said Singletary after the game. The win was big because it means that the 49ers have beaten what many people thought were the two best teams in their division. Winning you division is the quickest way to the playoffs. Next up is a road game against another NFC foe. The Minnesota is also 2-0 and they feature a great running back of their Adrian Peterson who has been off the chains so far this year. The match up between two of the best backs in the league could be overshadowed by Vikings QB Brett Farve who is looking to go deep into the playoffs with this Vikings team.
So far so good, 49ers open 2009 with road win in Arizona If you were to tell San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary that running back Frank Gore would rush for 30-yards, starting quarterback Shaun Hill would get sacked four times and lead the 49ers to punts on five of their six second half drives, he would most likely have said maybe we will get our first win of the season next week. The 49ers could not open any holes for Gore and the offensive line did not protect Hill very well, but the name of the game is to score more points then the other team and San Francisco did that, beating the defending NFC Champion Cardinals 20-16 in Arizona. Despite rushing for only 30-yards Gore did score twice, the last time with 7:26 left in the game to put San Francisco up 20-16. All the 49ers had to do now was hold off one of the highest scoring offenses from last year. San Francisco went into their season opening game with Arizona with all the intentions of starting their season at 1-0. So far so good as San Francisco's defense came up big at the end to hold off Arizona. The 49ers did a lot of things right in the first half holding the high powered Cardinal O to just 16-points. San Francisco held Arizona's two all pro wide receivers to just eight catches for 90-yards and a Larry Fitzgerald touchdown in the game. That touchdown tied the game and it was a part of 13pt Cardinal run that put them up 16-13 at the start of the fourth quarter. The 49ers answered Arizona's last points of the game with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took over seven minutes off the clock. The drive was capped off with a three yard TD pass into the flat to Frank Gore, on third down. Quarterback Shaun Hill was at his best during the drive. He was 9 of 13 for 77-yards and the touchdown. San Francisco had the ball six times in the second half. Five drive ended with three plays and a punt. San Francisco won despite not being able to do what they wanted to do. Run the ball down Arizona's throat. Not that they did not try. Frank Gore ran the ball 22-tmes for 30-yards. Not what he or the 49ers had on their minds. True to his word Singletary stayed the course and kept feeding Gore the ball. In the end it was the arm of Hill that won the game. San Francisco even got to the quarterback, sacking Kurt Warner three times, the final sack by Justin Smith to end the game. The 49ers went the entire pre season without a real sack and the pressure was a sight for coach Singletary's sore eyes. San Francisco jumped out to a 13-3 lead behind two Joe Nedney field goals and a Gore six yard touchdown run with 2:23 left in the first half. The Cardinals answered back with a drive that ended with a short, 29-yard field goal as the first half ended. Arizona tied the game when Warner hit Fitzgerald with a five yard touchdown pass with 4-minutes left in the third quarter. The Cardinal's took the lead with a 43-yard Neil Rackers field goal less then a minute into the fourth quarter and it look like they had finally found a rhythm on offense. The 49ers offense was anything but hot up until then. San Francisco gained just seven yards in three second half drives while the Cardinals had scored three out of the last four times they touched the ball. San Francisco went four of four on third downs during the game winning drive. That was a change from the first half when San Francisco was just 3 of 12 on third down conversions. With San Francisco up 20-16 midway through the 4th quarter it was up to the 49ers defense to close it out. The Cardinals could not moe the ball, but Arizona got one more chance when a punt pinned the 49ers at their two yard line. San Francisco could not move the ball and was forced to punt from the back of the end zone. A good punt return set up Arizona at the 49ers 38-yard line with 3:11 left in the game. A couple of penalties on Arizona set them back, but it all came down to a fourth and six from the 49ers 34. San Francisco defensive lineman Justin Smith came up with the big play, crashing through the right side of Arizona's line getting all in Cardinal quarterback Kurt Warner's face, forcing an in completion. The 49ers got the ball back with just under two minutes but could not run out the clock. No matter. San Francisco had got the edge in field position and after sending Gore into the Cardinal defense failed once again to net a first down a Andy Lee punt pinned Arizona at their 12-yard line with 43-seconds left to play. A 25-yard completion to Fitzgerald gave Arizona a first down at their 46 with eight seconds left in the game, but Smith broke through once again and put Warner on his back side to secure the win. San Francisco will now return to the bay area to open their home season with a game against a Seattle team that beat St. Louis 28-0. A win and San Francisco will be 2-0 with a jump start on the rest of the division.
The Mike Singletary era is set to jump off Sure Samurai Mike has been making noise on the San Francisco 49er sideline as a head coach since he threw starting tight end Vernon Davis off the field last year at the start of his head coaching career. After conducting his first training camp coach Singletary feels comfortable with the players he has heading into the season opener against defending NFC Champion Arizona next week. There are still questions to be answered, like who is going to be the go to wide receiver and who is going to put some some pressure on the quarterback. San Francisco also address another one of their needs when they signed tackle Tony Pashos to fill the gap left by Marvel Smith's retirement last week. Pashos started all 16-games last year for Jacksonville without missing a snap. That signing was bad news for rookie linebacker Diyral Briggs. The un drafted rookie had played his way onto the roster only to get cut days later. San Francisco has moved on despite the fact that Michael Crabtree refuses to sign a contract. He is the lone remaining first round draft pick to sign a contract in 2009. It is becoming more and more clear that Crabtree might not play this season. San Francisco heads into the season with pretty much the same group they had last year. The 49ers were 13th in passing in 2008 with 3,379-yards through the air. That was more yards then the defending Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers had last year, so the 49ers can throw the ball with the best of them. Or can they. Pittsburgh has a good running game and it is a model San Francisco wants to follow. The team that led the league in passing, the New Orleans Saints, finished 8-8 and missed the playoffs last season. San Francisco quarterbacks combined to throw 21-touchdowns to 19-interceptions in 2008. That figure has got to improve for San Francisco to win this year. Starting quarterback Shaun Hill had 13-TD's to 8-picks last year. Plus 5 is not bad, but the team needs to protect the ball to make up for the lack of a down field threat on offense. Second year wide receiver Josh Morgan will get his shot with the holdout of Crabtree. Morgan had a great pre season his rookie year but got hurt at the start of the regular season. Now he will be starting opposite veteran Isaac Bruce as they attempt to compliment the 49ers ground game and tailback Frank Gore. Singletary has let it be known that he wants to run the ball. If he has a healthy Gore San Francisco will be able to control the ball and limit the times Hill has to throw the ball. Running the ball is a time tested method of winning in the NFL. When you can run the ball it opens up all kinds of other options with your offense. If Frank Gore can hit the 1,500-yard mark or more this year San Francisco has a good chance of making a playoff run in the weak NFC West. Arizona should be good this year but who knows about Seattle or the Rams. The 49ers schedule starts with five NFC teams right off the bat. Conference games count as two when it comes down to tie breakers and making the playoffs. Three of the five will be against NFC West teams so getting off to a good start will be a must for the 49ers. A losing record in their first five games will give San Francisco an uphill battle to make the playoffs. There were a few surprises Saturday when the 49ers cut 20-players to get down to the NFL roster limit of 53-players. Good camps could not prevent rookie tight end Bear Pascoe, fullback Brit Miller and tailback Kory Sheets from getting let go. It looked like Pascoe was a lock to make it and Sheets played well when he got a chance to run the ball. Stanford rookie defensive end Pannel Egboh and wide receiver Dominique Zeigler were also waived. The 49ers came out with their practice team squad of six players. Dominique Zeigler, Joe Jon Finley, Khalif Mitchell, Alex Boone, Dobson Collins, Kory Sheets and Brit Miller were all practice squad additions. Shaun Hill out to make his coach look good
San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary took all the suspense out of the 49er's quarterback competition by naming Shaun Hill the starter when they take on the defending NFC champion Arizona Cardinals in the opening game of the 2009 NFL season. Hill responded by tweaking his back in practice.
Hill says he is fine, but with Alex Smith smarting with a sprained thumb, San Francisco's quarterback battle looked like it went from who is starting to who is healthy. Hill has gone 7-3 in the regular season games he has started during his career. His pre season numbers this season have been modest at best so far, but this next pre season game will be a preview of what the starting unit will be and of course everybody wants to look good. They play in Dallas against the Cowboys and Hill wants to come in and move the ball. Shaun wants to show the rest of the team that he is a quarterback that they can put their trust in. All Singletary wants is somebody to turn around and hand the ball off to Frank Gore. Of course there is more to winning then running the ball. Hill will have to work with a wide receiver corps that will not inspire fear in many defensive backfields. It took Hill four years to just get into a game for Minnesota who drafted him out of Maryland in 2002. he played in just one game before San Francisco picked him up before the 2007 season. Shaun has been an effective starter throwing for 18-touchdowns to only 9-interceptions during his time under center for San Francisco. That is a ratio that Singletary can live with. Can Hill kept his mojo rolling. Teams will now have a better idea of what he can and can not do so Shaun will not sneak up on anybody this season. A lot of Hill's wins have come at the end of the season when San Francisco was all but out of the playoff race. Can Shaun help get San Francisco off to a good start and keep them in a playoff race. If Alex Smith is smart he will take the time to improve his game so when he gets another chance he will be better prepared to play quarterback in the NFL. San Francisco not only has to sit down a player they are spending millions on, I will bet they have noticed the player they passed on was one of the best QB's in the NFL last season. Aaron Rogers thrived in his first year under center for the Green Bay Packers. The 49ers picked Alex Smith over Roger's with the first pick of the 2005 draft.
Alex Smith misses out on chance to start San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary stayed true to his word and gave former number one pick Alex Smith a chance to start when the 49ers hosted the Oakland Raiders in what did not seem like a pre season game. That can happen when two teams just a few miles apart play one another. It was more then just a meaningless game to Smith as well who had a chance to show the bay area that he should start under center when the 49ers open the season at the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. San Francisco called a roll out for Smith's first pass play in over a year to help him get back into the groove. Smith was unable to get the offense moving and he was just 3 of 9 for just 30-yards passing. Smith had one interception that was not his fault, but it was like the 49ers passing offense was on sleep mode while Smith was in the game. Alex has never been a fast starter. In his second year with San Francisco Smith showed some promise by leading the 49ers on a couple of comeback wins the last half of the season. He played great in the fourth quarter of those games, but he started them slow. Alex seems to be a pretty good closer of games. Give him a good defense and he can win close games in the fourth quarter. In a quarterback competition you can't wait for a chance to shine in the fourth quarter. You have to produce right now since you only have two or three drives to make your mark. Alex did not and to make matters worse, neither did Shawn Hill who was 3 0f 7 for 20-yards. If Smith would have played well he could have gotten another start in San Francisco's next pre season game at Dallas. It will be the third pre season game and it is usually a snap shot of what the regular season starting line up is going to look like. Coach Singletary was also looking for better play from his defensive line. They did a decent job against the run, but if JaMarcus Russell did not trip and fall to the ground in the first quarter, the 49ers would have gone two straight games without a sack. There was some pressure put on Oakland's QB,s but nothing came close to resembling a sack. There was hope that 2008 first round draft pick Kentwan Balmer, a defensive tackle, would make more of an impact. It did not even seem like he played. The 49ers will have to figure out how to put more pressure on the quarterback. Teams try to not show their plays and scheme's in the pre season, but if San Francisco is still holding back some of their blitz packages it seems like they should break them out against Dallas. Can you imagine Arizona's quarterback Kurt Warner getting all the time he needs to wait for the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL to get open, and it doe not take long for either Larry Fitzgerald or Anquan Boldin to break free. It could get ugly and with the way Nate Clements has been playing at cornerback, San Francisco's D-line has got to get to the quarterback. How about Justin Smith, San Francisco's big time free agent singing of a year ago. Smith also plays defensive tackle and he was brought in to get to the quarterback. He has not played up to the millions he signed for and San Francisco needs , but he did have the third best season of his career last season with 73-total tackles and seven sacks. The 49ers will have a a good test trying to chase around the Dallas Cowboys stable of running backs next week when they hit the road for the first time and play at Dallas Aug. 29th.
No nonsense Singletary getting tested after first NFL draft Maybe it was too good to be true. Somehow, someway ultra talented split end Michael Crabtree fell spot after spot until the San Francisco 49ers turn came around at the tenth pick of the first round at the 2009 NFL Draft.
It does not look like Shawn Hill will have the services of Michael Crabtree this year after the rookie stated his was willing to sit out the entire season if he did not get the money he wanted What was going to be Michael Oher, turned into Michael Crabtree and it looked like San Francisco came away with the steal of the draft. A funny thing happened on the way to training camp and the passing game the 49ers have been craving ever since Terrell Owens left town. Crabtree demanded a lot of money. Top five money in fact and San Francisco's dreams now appear to have turned into a nightmare after Crabtree came out to say that he is willing to hold out all season and re enter the draft unless he gets the money he wants from San Francisco. This will test the mettle of coach Singletary who famously stated he wants players who want to win on his team. It seems like Crabtree wants to get paid first, as everybody does, before he wants to win. He might be a top five talent, but coming off a broken foot he is lucky San Francisco bit at the tenth pick of the draft. Nobody has seen Crabtree run or work out and who knows just how healthy he really is. Few people are laughing at Oakland Raiders boss Al Davis now after throwing him under the bus for passing Crabtree and selecting Darrius Heyward-Bey instead at wide receiver. To lose a first round pick for the season would be terrible. San Francisco needs to move on, they have issues at quarterback and offensive line. The defense needs to make more big plays and develop a pass rush. The last thing that was going to be on their mind was the wide receivers. Coach Singletary might be on phone right now trying to work out a trade with anybody who will listen. How good does Crabtree think he is. Getting paid top ten money is pretty good in an environment where jobs are hard to come by. Sure somebody will will draft Crabtree again next year if it comes to that, but how high would he be rated after sitting out a year. His foot would be healed, that's for sure. Nobody really can tell if it is healed now because he has not worked out with the team yet. This whole thing is out of coach Singletary's hands and he has done a good job of keeping his focus on the players he has in camp.
San Francisco comes up big time in the 2009 NFL Draft The ball keeps rolling down hill for the San Francisco 49ers who made one of the biggest splashes of the 2009 draft when Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree fell into their laps at the number 10 spot of the first round. Crabtree will be the first top flight receiver the 49ers have had since TO roamed around Candlestick Park. He will have the experience of two hall of famer's, Isaac Bruce on the field and Jerry Rice off the field to help guide the prized rookie. The 49ers 2009 draft filled a couple of holes, but they did not get the pass rusher they craved heading into the draft or any offensive lineman. San Francisco had a busy second day with six picks Sunday. The 49ers got running back Glen Coffee of Alabama, linebacker Scott McKillop of Pitt, Davis of Ball State, tight end Bear Pascoe of Fresno State, safety Curtis Taylor of LSU and defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois. San Francisco has lacked somebody who could put pressure on teams secondary and get them away from run stuffing positions near the line of scrimmage. That will help Frank Gore who will in turn help the passing game. Nobody is quite clear on who will be under center for San Francisco when they open the season at the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. Shawn Hill has compiled a 7-3 record as a starting quarterback in the NFL and he played well last year, but head coach Mike Singletary is looking for more constant play from his quarterback position. Both Alex Smith and Shawn Hill showed up for the 49ers rookie and free agent mini camp in Santa Clara when they did not have to. Each quarterback needs as much time with the team running the offense as possible. The 49ers have yet another offensive coordinator. This time Jimmy Raye will try and ignite a 49ers offense that needs a boost. Coach Singletary has made it clear that he wants to run the football. Frank Gore could be ready for another big year like the one he had in 2006 when he rushed for a career high 1,695-yards. Gore has slipped in the past two seasons. He rushed for 1,102-yards two years ago and 1,036-yards last year. Both good numbers, but Gore, Singletary th e rest of the team and their fans would not mine if Frank got back up around the 1,500 - 1,600 yard mark. Coach Singletary knows Gore can't take all the punishment by himself and he brought in three back during the draft to help out. In comes Glen Coffee, Thomas Clayton and Kory Sheets to compete for the back up spot behind Gore.
San Francisco pulls a rabbit out of a hat , beat St. Louis 17-16 The 49ers looked like they were going to lose their NFC West match up with the Rams. Starting quarterback Shaun Hill had spent most of the day throwing the game away. The Rams, losers of nine in a row, were up 16-3 with 11-minutes to play and some how lost the game. When Hill finally woke up out of his slumber, he led the 49ers for two late touchdowns. Isaac Bruce made a grand return St. Louis, a team he helped put on the map as a part of the Greatest show on turf years when the Rams won a Super Bowl. The wide receiver's touchdown with 4-minutes left made it 16-10 Rams. Bruce became the 5th player in NFL history to reach 1,000 receptions with the TD. San Francisco won without the services of running back Frank Gore who missed his second game in a row due to a hurt ankle. Hill finished the game 18 of 34 with three picks, two touchdowns and 216-yards passing. He also had a team high 45 of San Francisco's 83-yards rushing. His second touchdown, a 48-yard pitch and catch with 1:22 left in the game to rookie split end Josh Morgan sent San Francisco to the victory. San Francisco has won three of their last four and the 16pts they gave up to the Rams were the most points anybody has scored against the 49ers since Dallas beat them 35-22 Nov. 23rd.
49ers show they are for real Defense was the name of the game the first quarter and a half. The games first seven drives produced four punts and three fumbles. San Francisco looked like they were up to their old tricks at first. A promising first quarter drive came to an end at the Jets 26 when running back Marcus Robinson fumbled the ball over to New York. San Francisco got on the board first by way of a fumbled. Tackle Joe Stanley recovered a Jason Hill fumble in the end zone for a 7-0 49er lead. That held up until Brett Farve rushed two yards for a touchdown down to tie the score at seven in the second quarter. San Francisco closed out the half with a 15-play, 74-yard touchdown drive. Frank Gore finished it off with a four yard TD pass from Hill. Gore would leave the game two plays into the second half when his ankle was rolled up on at the bottom of a pile after a short gain. Shaun Hill made his only mistake of the game in the third quarter when he was picked off at the Jets at the Jets 35-yard line. That led to Thomas Jones rushing for a 17-yard touchdown that tied the score at 14. Jones finished with 56-yards rushing. His touchdown was his franchise tying 12th on the year. It would be the last points the Jets would put on the board. The 49ers did a good job of containing Brett Farve. He was 20 of 31 for just 137-yards passing, zero touchdowns and one pick. Anytime you can keep Farve out of the end zone it will give you good chance of beating him. San Francisco sacked Farve three times while forcing him out of the pocket of a number of other times. Coach Singletary has now lead San Francisco to three wins in four games. Sure the season is over and teams can play relaxed when the pressure to stay in the playoff race is not on, but the 49ers have the look of a team that is really improving. san Francisco re-took the lead on a Joe Nedney, 32-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. The 49ers closed out the Jets when Hill hooked up with Bryant Johnson on a three yard TD pass with six minutes left in the game. San Francisco continued it's rampage through the AFC East, beating the Jets after knocking off Buffalo last week. New York's loss created a three way tie for first in the AFC West. The Jets, Miami and New England are all now 8-5 with three games left in the season. New NFL Hall of Famer, former sack artist Fred Dean was honored at half time. Dean was joined by by some of his fellow 49ers Hall of Fame members: Ronnie Lott, Bob St. Clair, Jimmy Johnson, John Henry Johnson and Dave Wilcox. "I had a flashback when I first showed up here today," said Dean, who played five seasons (1981-85) with the 49ers. "I looked at what was going on, on the field, and it was exciting. I would just want to say thank you to all my friends and loved ones." Next up for San Francisco is a two game road trip to Miami and St. Louis before returning home Dec. 28th to play Washington to close out the season. TO shines against former team It did not start out bad for San Francisco in their game against the Dallas Cowboys down in Texas. The 49ers drove the ball deep onto Cowboy's territory twice early in the first quarter. The defense was playing well and the offense was moving the ball. San Francisco turned two first and goal's into only six points with two Joe Nedney field goals. You could sense a storm brewing after San Francisco's second field goal of the game. A Tony Romo to Terrell Owens 75-yard touchdown pass put the Cowboys up 7-6 and just like that the Boy's were in business. The light switch that turned on for the Cowboys turned off the 49ers juice. San Francisco did not wake back up until a desperate fourth quarter come back that fell short. The 49ers did not score again until the 8:23 mark of the 3rd quarter when Joe Nedney hit another short field goal, this time from 35-yards out. That stopped a 29-0 run by the Cowboys. If there is one that I have noticed about the coaching skills of coach Singletary is that he always seems to give his team a chance to win at the end. This game was no different. San Francisco would close the gap to 32-16 when quarterback Shaun Hill hit Isaac Bruce with a 18-yard touchdown pass with 8:20 left on the clock. The 49ers then caught Dallas off guard with an onside kick that San Francisco recovered. First and ten San Francisco and we had are selves a ball game again. Not so fast. Cornerback Nate Clements was off sides on the play, on the other side of the field away from where the play was going. It was the end to a miserable day for Clements who was beaten on TO's 75-yard TD in the second quarter and many of Owens 213-yards receiving in the game. San Francisco lined up and went with the onside's again, this time to Clements side of the field, but the surprise was gone and the Cowboy's were ready for it. Dallas turned the short field into a field goal to put the game away. San Francisco could never get anything going on the ground and that hurt them in the middle part of the game when the Cowboys pulled away. Tailback Frank Gore finished the game with just 26-yards on 14 carries, a 1.9 per carry average. Without a running game, the 49ers had a hard time protecting Hill in the pocket. He passed for 303-yards, but he was sacked four times, including twice in the red zone in the first quarter that were big factors in San Francisco having to settle for field goals early on. Coach Singletary has improved the team in his short term as head coach and I am sure teams around the NFL have taken notice. He will have a job next season. The only question is where.
San Francisco takes a big step forward, pounds Rams 35-16 Fans of the 49ers have seen some pretty positive signs since Mike Singletary took over as head coach of San Francisco. First he showed balls by kicking his starting tight end of the the game. Then down in the desert, San Francisco played the division leaders to a stand still before coming up just short of a victory that would have put them back in the race for a NFC West crown. San Francisco returned home and simply pounded the hapless St. Louis Rams 35-16 in front of a disbelieving believing, but very happy crowd at the 'Stick. The win marked the first victory in the head coaching career of Singletary and it stopped a six game losing streak for the team. Coach Singletary's decision to replace J.T. O'Sullivan with Shaun Hill is looking better and better. after throwing the game away in the second half of the 49ers loss to Arizona a week before, Hill was great in one of the best first half performances in team history. No, Hill is not the second coming of Joe Montana, but he did lead the team to 35 first half points, including 28 in the second quarter. The game was so out of hand in the second half that all San Francisco had to do was manage the clock in the second half. Hill finished the game with three TD's, two passing and one rushing on 15 of 20 passing (215-yards) and no turnovers. Giving the ball up has been the 49ers main vice this year. Frank Gore got the party started with his first of two touchdowns in the game when he went in from five yards out to make it 7-0 49ers in the first quarter. The Rams answered back with a Josh Brown 24-yard field goal. San Francisco ran away and hid from St. Louis the rest of the half. First Hill hit tight end Vernon Davis from two yards out before Gore smashed in from a yard out to make it 21-3 49ers. Hill took matters into his own hands, flipping in from a yard out with 3:32 left in the half. San Francisco would take advantage of a Mark Bulger turnover to score once more, this time a Hill to Bryant Johnson one yard pass with :35 second left in the half. San Fran went into the locker room up 35-3 and the game was over. Two Josh Brown field goals and a touchdown with two minutes left in the game was all the rams could do to get back in the game. Coach Singletary has been in charge for three games now and San Francisco has played better in each game. They have played only one team with a winning record and with four of their last six games on the road, the 49ers will see were how good they can be. Next up for the 49ers are road games against a couple of desperate teams, Dallas and Buffalo. The Cowboys are reeling with the injury to their starting quarterback Tony Romo. After starting the season 3-0, the Cowboys lost 4 of 6 games before knocking off Washington last week. Romo missed three games with a broken Pinky, but he came back to play against Washington. Dallas, now 6-4, is trying to keep pace with the Super Bowl champion New York Giants who, at 9-1, are trying to run away from the rest of the NFC East.
San Francisco shows a pulse against Arizona The 49ers were given little chance to beat the first place Arizona last Monday Night. The Cardinals have been reborn under quarterback Kurt Warner. Warner finished 32-of-42 for 328 yards and three touchdowns without an interception in Arizona’s sixth consecutive home victory, fourth this season Warner has used his arm to help put Arizona (6-3) in a place they have not been for years, if ever. In first place with control of the division. San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis are all 2-7. New starting quarterback Shaun Hill played great, mistake free football for much of the game before three second half turnovers left the 49ers a yard short of a victory. San Francisco jumped out to a 7-0 lead when kick returner Allen Rossum took the opening kick off 104-yards for a touchdown. That is the start head coach Mike Singletary wanted after the meltdown against Seattle. The Cardinals answered back with a field goal, but San Francisco, behind Hill upped their lead to 14-3 when he played pitch and catch with Josh Morgan on a 31-yard touchdown pass the first play of the second quarter. That seemed to spark Arizona. The Cardinals went 78-yards in just four plays scoring when Warner hit Anquan Boldin with a 13-yard TD pass to make it 14-10 San Francisco. Coach Singletary has preached he wants a tough, hard nosed squad and it seems to have struck a cord with the team. Vernon Davis showed up for the second time this season catching his first touchdown of the year. It was his only catch of the day and it put the 49ers up 21-13 right before the half. You could feel Arizona starting to question themselves. Some of those questions were answered with the help of Shaun Hill who turned into Dolly Madison in the second half, you know apple turnovers. Hill, making just his third start in seven NFL seasons threw for two touchdowns in the first half but lost a fumble and threw two interceptions in the second. He finished 19-of-40 for 217 yards. His first INT was returned returned by Karlos Dasnby to the 49ers five yard line. That set up a Warner to Boldin TD pass that gave Arizona their first lead of the contest with 4:16 left in the ball game. This is were the 49ers have rolled over and died the past few years. Not with Coach Singletary at the helm. San Francisco played their way into having two chances to retake the lead. Hill would make one more mistake, throwing an interception while falling to the ground. Hill scrambled to avoid the rush, but just before he crossed the line of scrimmage, Shaun tried to flip the ball to tailback Frank Gore. Gore had turned to block down field and the ball went towards Adrian Wilson who made a diving interception in Cardinal territory. San Francisco would force a punt and one more crack at getting a win. they came about as close as you can get to scoring after Shaun Hill to Jason Hill 14-yard pass set up San Fran at the 1-yard line, 45-seconds left in the game and zero timeouts. What happened next could have cost the 49ers a shot at winning the NFC West. Twenty five seconds ran off the clock before the 49ers could spike the ball and stop the clock. Gore was then stopped at the one yard line before a hand off to Michael Robinson up the middle was stuffed by half the Cardinal's defense. San Francisco comes up short against New England 30-21
49er Quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan threw two of his three TD's in the first, but New England was able to make the adjustments to pull away from the 49ers. This game was was decided on third down. New England was 8of 17 on third down while San Francisco was just 1 for 6. You can not win if you can't sustain many drives and the 49ers failed to do just that. he 21pts they scored came at the beginning and the end. In the second and third quarters New England was putting up points while the 49ers were going three and out. San Francisco held the ball for 7-minutes and 2-seconds combined in the second and third quarters. New England had the ball for 22-minutes and 58-seconds over the same two quarters.
Big Mike The transformation is complete. Mike Singletary has gone from being one of the greatest linebackers the game has ever seen to head coach of a once proud franchise. Can he turn around the down slide San Francisco has been in for years. Mike will command respect from the players and he has been groomed for just this since he joined the 49ers coaching staff in 2005. Singletary was courted by several teams to be a head coach the past couple of season's. Mike Nolan had his chance to make a mark. The 49ers finished 7-9 in 2006, just one game out of a NFC West division championship. It was the closest to the playoffs San Francisco got with Nolan as head coach. Nolan was done in by his own coaching that year when he kicked a field goal instead of going for it on fourth and short in a game against the St. Louis Rams. San Francisco would go on to lose that game and an 8-8 finish would have been good enough for a NFC West championship. If Singletary is to succeed he will have to get better play from his quarterback. J.T. O'sullivan led the world in turnovers starting the first seven games of the season. After watching J.T. fumble twice before tossing up a pick six just before the half, Singletary benched him in favor of Shawn Hill.
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That one loss, a heartbreaking last second miracle courteous of Minnesota quarterback Brett Farve was a sign of things to come. 
