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2007 NFL First round draft order: 1. Oakland Raiders (2-14) JaMarcus Russell QB, LSU
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49er O remains funky in loss to the Ravens The shine from San Francisco's 2-0 start is starting to fade after the 49ers 9-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens Sunday. The loss dropped them out of first place for the first time this season and it also put them under .500 at 2-3. Quarterback Trent Dilfer had one bright moment in the game for San Francisco. That came in the third quarter when two of his passes covered some 60-yards, the final 23 on a toss to Arnaz Battle for a touchdown. That made it 9-7 Ravens and it brought the home crowd to its feet after watching their offense sleep walk through the first half of the game. San Francisco's first half offense stats were like a horror movie. 38-yards, zero passing and just one first down. San Francisco could thank their defense for this still being a game. The 49ers were down just 6-0 at the half. Once again the D gave the team a chance to win. Steve McNair was 29-of-43 for 214 yards, and Willis McGahee rushed for 88 yards behind a patchwork offensive line and caught seven passes for 48 more, but the 49ers kept them out of the end zone. San Francisco played their way into a chance to win the game. The 49ers put together a 40-yard drive to set semi automatic Joe Nedney up with a 52-yard field goal attempt with 2:37 left in the game. It went wide right along with San Francisco's hopes of winning the game. The loss put San Francisco a game back of the Arizona Cardinals who stand alone in first place after winning their second game in a row. Once again San Francisco could not get the running game on track. Tailback Frank Gore was held in check against the Baltimore defense. Gore was held to 52-yards rushing on 16 attempts. Gore means so much to the 49ers offense. A great running game helps keep the defense honest. It also opens up the passing game, but with the state of San Francisco's running game, teams do not pay much attention to the 49ers passing attack. Bryan Gilmore led the team in receiving with 42-yards and that came on one catch in the third quarter. Once again Darryl Jackson did little to get open and create a target for San Fransico's quarterback, this time Trent Dilfer. With no tight end Vernon Davis to stretch the field, teams have been letting the DB's cover one on one on the outside which allows them to stuff the box at the line of scrimmage to take away the 49ers one true offensive threat. Running back Frank Gore. Middle linebacker Ray Lewis and Co. were as good as advertised. They came into this game expecting to win the game and this is from a defense that has given up points this year. Every teams D has seemed to get right playing San Francisco. This was the fourth out of five games that San Francisco failed to gain at least 200-yards of offense. Trent Dilfer made his first start as a 49ers and he did what he could. He was 12 of 19 passing, but he could not move the team down the field. San Francisco did the best they could to feature Gore and get the rushing game going. The Ravens might not be the best team to try and work out the kinks against. They might not be the shutdown bunch of their Super Bowl title of a few year ago, but they are still a proud veteran group that has Ray Lewis on it. Ray, Ray came to play. "If we get the lead, we won't lose this game. I just think it shows the character of our team." said Lewis after helping his team improve to 3-2 in 2007. The 49ers can not go on like this. They have a playoff defense and with the state of the NFC West, a little offense would go a long ways towards a division title in 2007. This race has the feel of 2006 when the 49ers missed out on a division title by a game. If they repeat that, games like the one against Baltimore will be remembered as the one that got away. You can look at San Francisco's season two different ways. Either you see a glass that is half full or you can see it half full and leaking water. Nobody is going to run away and hide from the rest of this division. A .500 record just might be good enough to win it in 2007, but San Francisco will need to average more then the 12.6 they are scoring through ther first five games of the year. That will not beat many teams in the NFL. SF's sorry offense just might get one player in the Pro Bowl at the end of the season. Punter Andy Lee had a great game with seven punts for a average of 51.6 yards a punt. Lee helped give the 49ers an advantge in field position the whole game. His longest punt went 74-yards and he added kicks of 64 and 54 yards in the game. Twice his punts pinned the Ravens at the two yard line. The 49ers could not take advantge of Lee's punts. There was some good news Sunday. Alex Smith threw for about ten minutes before the game, much sooner then anybody thought he could and he said he felt fine afterwards.
Seattle shows San Fran who's boss Seattle won the division in 2006, but they were swept by the 49er's which did not sit well with the Seahawks or their head coach Mike Holmgren while adding drama to this early season match up of the NFC West's two top teams. San Francisco running back Frank Gore had a career day against Seattle in 2006, rushing for over 200-yards in the City by the Bay. San Francisco might have taken a step backwards after their lackluster 23-3 loss to Seattle. Both teams came into the game at 2-1 and looking to take early control of the NFC West. The 49ers lost starting QB Alex Smith on the third play of the game when he was sacked by D-lineman Rocky Bernard, separating his shoulder. He will be out at least three weeks leaving the job up to back up Trent Dilfer. The 49ers were hoping that Dilfer could come into situations like this and provide leadership and move the ball. San Francisco's D played well, but bad field position and the offense inability to move the ball wore the defense down. San Francisco's biggest problems came from their offensive line. They allowed six sacks on the day. To make matters worse San Francisco fumbled the ball five times, losing one while Dilfer threw two interceptions. All of that made for quite a homecoming for Seattle head coach Mike Holmgren who grew up in the bay area and coached at Oak Grove in San Jose. "I just was very disappointed in how we played last year. Shoot, this is my home, where I was born and raised and taught school and all those things, coached here. At the very least, I want my teams to come down here and play well." Former 49er first round pick Julian Peterson had quite a home coming of his own with three of Seattle's six sacks. The Seahawks came into this game with a playoff type attitude and the 49ers were not ready. When the O-line was not giving up a sack they were committing nagging penalties. Eight of the nine flags thrown against the 49ers were on the O-line. It is hard to blame just the offense, this is a team game, but you have to score more then three points in this league to win. Frank Gore could not make up for the loss of Alex Smith. Gore could find little room to run, finishing the game with 79-yards on 16-carries. Playing from behind the whole game, San Francisco could never fed Gore the ball and let him get into any kind of rhythm. Dilfer put the ball in the air 33-times, only completing 12 of the for 128-yards. That will not work for San Francisco if they are trying to win. Fans want head coach Mike Nolan to open up the offense, but that is hard to do when your O-line plays like the 49ers did against Seattle Sunday. Seattle out gained San Francisco 371-yards to 184. San Francisco did a nice job of holding Seahawks running back Shawn Alexander to 78-yards on 25-carries, but they had trouble with Seattle's passing game. Deion Branch caught seven passes for 130-yards and Bobby Engram (4-catches, 53-yards) and Marcus Pollard (2-catches, 23-yard) caught TD passes for Seattle. The Seahawks QB Matt Hassleback passed for 281-yards in the game. Once again Darryl Jackson failed to make an impact on the game. Gore led the team with three receptions for 42-yards. Jackson had three catches for only 38-yards. Jackson leads the team with 14-receptions for 204-yards and zero TD's. It is not a good sign when your leading receiver does not have a touchdown through the first four games of the season. San Francisco hosts Baltimore Sunday before the meat part of their schedule arrives. A bye week will follow the game against the Ravens then it is five road games in seven weeks, including four in a five week span. The last three weeks of Oct. San Francisco will settles things with the rest of the NFC West. A trip to Seattle Oct. 12th will be followed by a home game with St. Louis and a road game against the Cardinals. San Francisco is hoping that Smith will be back by then and that they can stay afloat until he returns.
Offense sputters in Pittsburg San Francisco's defense played as well as they could against the Pittsburg Steelers Sunday. They held the Steelers to field goals instead of touchdowns keeping the game close into the fourth quarter. Down 20-9 with 12-minutes left in the game 49ers QB Alex Smith seemed to get into his late game mode going 4 of 4 until Steelers pressure forced an in completion and a sack to move San Francisco out of field goal range. Three at that point would have made it a eight point game. San Francisco had chances to put up more points, but three Joe Nedney field goals were all they could muster up. Pittsburg answered with a long drive and another field goal. The Steelers were in the business of answering San Francisco all day long. The 49ers opened the game with a nine play 68-yard drive to go up 3-0. Pittsburgh's Allen Rosum returned the ensuing kickoff 98-yards for a TD. It was that kind of day for San Francisco. Pittsburg finally put San Francisco away when DB Brain McFadden returned an interception for a touchdown to make it a 29-9 Steelers lead with four minutes left in the ball game. It was the first interception of the year for Smith who did a good job every where except the red zone against Pittsburg. Also missing was Frank Gore. The 49ers tailback did not have a productive day. Gore finished with 39-yards (14-carries) rushing and two receptions for 12-yards. The Steelers did a great job of containing Gore in the game. Alex Smith did a good job early of getting tight end Vernon Davis in the game. Davis had a 31-yard catch that help set up San Francisco's first field goal. He led the team with four catches for 56-yards. Most of Davis catches came on the teams first series of the contest. The rest of San Francisco's wide receiver's remained a non factor in the offense. Darryl Jackson has not busted as much as a single grape during the teams first three games. Jackson had four receptions (69-yards), but he has yet to be the big play split end San Francisco had hoped he would be when they signed him this past off season. San Francisco fell to 2-1 and they have another division rival coming up next. The Seattle Seahawks looks to be the 49ers main competition for a division title and the Seahawks hit town next week. SF improves to 2-0, beating St. Louis 17-16 The 49ers came out and played the best defense they could play on St. Louis opening drive. Three plays and three quarterback sacks were followed by a Rams punt. Photo by James Taylor
Five plays later Torry Holt caught a short TD pass and it was 7-0 Rams, just like that. The 49ers got a huge break of their own on special teams. St. Louis punted the ball down to the 49ers 26, but a penalty forced the Rams to punt again. On the ensuing punt they committed a running into the punt returner penalty giving San Francisco the ball inside the Rams 40. San Francisco used play fakes and roll outs to quickly move inside the red zone. A 20-yard pass play to tight end Vernon Davis made it first and goal San Francisco. Frank Gore took three plays before scoring on a 1-yard run at the start of the second quarter to make it a 7-7 game. Alex Smith looks much better when he is on the move. San Francisco got back to letting him out and move around in the pocket against the Rams. Smith only threw for 127-yards, but he was 11-17 with zero interceptions. He fumbled once but Smith managed the game well and he did not make any big mistakes. He left that up to the Rams.. The 49ers played an almost carbon copy, but better version of the Arizona Cardinals in the Rams. Wide receivers Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt are two of the best in the business. Tailback Stephen Jackson and QB Marc Bulger form one of the highest scoring offenses in the league. The Rams out gained San Francisco 392 to 186 and Rams QB Marc Bulger threw for over three hundred yards passing. St. Louis came right back with a long drive that stalled inside the 49ers ten yard line. San Francisco linebacker Patrick Willis had another great game and he nearly intercepted a pass in the end zone on third down forcing the Rams to kick a short field goal for a 10-7 Rams lead. It was a 13-7 game with five minutes left in the third quarter. San Francisco dodged a bullet when Holt fumbled inside the 49ers ten with six minutes left in the third. The ball bounce through the end zone giving the ball to the 49ers at the 20-yard line. The 49ers responded with a TD drive that was capped off with Frank Gore busting through the line on 4th and 1 from the Rams 43 and out running the secondary for the touchdown. It was just what the doctor ordered for San Francisco and it put them up 14-13 after getting dominated in yardage and time of possession. That is why he is a big time back. He gets better as the game goes along. Gore finished with 81-yards on twenty carries and two TD's. He rushed home to Florida after the game to tend to his mother's funeral service. She died last week at the age of 46 from a Kidney illness. The Rams retook the lead with a field goal before their special teams gave it up again. This time Dante Hall fumbled a punt with five minutes left in the game and Marcus Hudson recovered it for the 49ers setting San Francisco for the winning field goal. The Rams had one more chance, but they could get no closer then a 56-yard field goal try by Jeff Wilkens on fourth and three with 59-seconds left in the game. He just missed short and San Francisco had their first 2-0 start in nine years. Winning inside your division is the best way to make the playoffs and the 49ers have a 2-0 start plus one on the road. The win also put the Rams in a 0-2 hole to start the season. Few teams make the playoffs after starting out the season 0-2.
A win is a win is a win When it comes right down to it, all that matters is getting a win. That is what San Francisco did Monday night on Bill Walsh Field at Monster Park. Doing their best to give the game away, the 49ers won 20-17 over Arizona.
San Francisco was this close to losing their season opening game to Arizona Beating Arizona had the extra value of being a division win and that is the best possible way of starting off the season. It did not look like either team wanted to win the game the first three quarters. It was a 13-10 snoozer heading into the fourth quarter when both teams decided to give the fans some of their monies worth. Alex Smith and the 49ers offense was really offensive in the first three quarters. San Francisco tried to pound the ball with Frank Gore to set a tone for the game. Gore, San Francisco's franchise back, missed the entire pre season schedule due to a broken hand. That is not a bad idea. Two players that missed the whole pre season, Randy Moss and LaDainian Tomlinson both had a big first game of the year. LT never plays in the pre season and the 49er's were hoping that Frank Gore came out the same way. An interception by Walt Harris on the games first play set up San Francisco deep in Arizona territory. Frank Gore scored two plays later and it was seven zip San Francisco. Two Joe Nedney field goals would be all the scoring San Francisco would do until the final seconds of the game. In between there was a lot of two yards and a cloud of dust followed by a punt. Not the exciting brand of football both teams boosted of. Each roster was stacked with playmaker's, but it was the defense for both teams that dictated the action. Signing Nate Clements appears to be money well spent by the 49ers. Clements and Harris combined to shut down one of the games top receiving tandems in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Boldin and Fitzgerald combined for seven catches for 42-yards. Far below their averages. Boldin came through when his team needed him the most, beating Clements for a TD with 6-minutes left in the game that put Arizona up 17-13. It looked like the knife to the back of San Francisco's hopes of winning the game. The 49ers offense had been sleeping since Gore ran his way in from six yards out early in the first quarter. Somehow, someway the 49ers drove 86-yards in the games final minutes to score the winning touchdown. Arizona had held San francisco to just 30-yards of offense in the second half until the last drive. Alex Smith is working with a new offensive coordinator (again) and a new go to receiver and it showed Monday night. Gone was the free flowing roll outs that put Smith in a comfort zone last year. The man that made it happen for Alex is now showing the San Diego Chargers how to play offense. Norv Turner moved on to head the Chargers. There they were, 1st and ten on their own 14 with just over three minutes left in the game. Their last three drives had resulted in three plays and a punt. Something happened to Alex Smith. He became the coolest person in the game. Just about every throw was on the money and he felt the pressure, getting away before getting sacked, things he did not do the first three quarters of the game. The 49ers did just about everything they could do give the game to the Cardinals on their game winning drive. Alex Smith ran for 25-yards on 4th and one. This was after Darrell Jackson dropped a sure touchdown pass with 1:37 left. Smith's jaunt was the longest play of the game for San Francisco and it set them up at Arizona's 20. San Francisco gained only 196-yards of offense, almost half on the final drive. Just when it looked like the 49ers would win the game, they tried to give it up again, but the ball did not bounce the Cardinals way. Smith hit Battle in stride at the five, but just before he crossed the line Arizona Safety Terrence Holt stripped the ball and it bounced into the end zone. Darrell Jackson recovered the ball, but it came back to the one yard line because the player who fumbled has to recover it in the end zone. San Francisco crossed up everybody in the building by calling an end around to Battle who skipped into the end zone for the winning score. Arizona would throw an interception when they got the ball back and it was over. Rookie linebacker Patrick Willis shined in his first real game of his career. His 11-tackles led the team and he showed why the 49ers took him so high in the draft. He was all over the place. San Francisco held Arizona to just 261-yards of total offense, an improvement over the last four game when the Cardinals moved the ball up and down the field against San Francisco. This was head coach Mike Nolan's first win in five tries over Arizona. A defensive minded coach, Nolan was pleased that his defense had a big hand in the victory. The only Cardinal to have a good game on offense was Edgerrin James. James rushed for 92-yards and a TD. He needed 26-carries to get those 92-yards which shows that San Francisco made him work for it. A mark of a good quarterback is pulling the game out at the end. That is what Smith did. His throws to Jackson and Battle were money with the game on the line as was the scramble on 4th and 1. Alex is improving. He might not be as well rounded as people would like, but he is a winner and the team has improved since he got there. They were the worst team in the league when he got drafted. Sure San Francisco has a rocky road ahead of them with Mr. Smith at the helm, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. As long as the defense keeps improving, San Francisco will be alright. Frank Gore getting back up to speed will help a little/ Ok, Gore will help a lot. The rust showed, but as the season goes on he will improve and the pounding he did not take in the pre season will help in December and hopefully the playoffs. In the NFC West, anything is possible. San Francisco was a game away from winning the division last year.
Alex Smith continues to struggle against playoff teams San Francisco got their pre season off to a good start. Alex Smith moved the ball up and down the field against Denver and the Oakland Raiders. They were at home and against non 2006 playoff teams. Road trips to Chicago and San Diego did not go as well for Smith and his offense. I have a feeling that Frank Gore, the 49ers injured tailback would help out a little, but that did not matter the first two playoff games. Gore led the NFC with 1,695-yards rushing last year, but he broke his hand the first day of practice and has not played a down in the pre season. The Bears and Chargers are on a different level, even Chicago who will have to deal with QB Rex Grossman all year ran through San Francisco, especially when Chicago was on defense. 49er fans have to hope that Smith learned a lesson in his brief time against San Diego, because the Chargers pretty much shut down the 49ers first string offense. Smith threw a pick and fumbled the first two times San Francisco had the ball against San Diego.
San Francisco gets down to business The 49ers head out to a recent house of horror's in Chicago's Soldier Field to play the Bears in their third preseason game of 2007. The Bears have pounded San Francisco in Chi Town lately, scoring all different kind of ways. It will be just another preseason game for the fans of the teams, but for players trying to make a team, this is the biggest game of the year. Cuts come after this weekends games. A new rule put into affect a couple of years ago allowed teams to keep players a week longer than before giving them longer time to check a player out. That grace period is up. You had better have your A game for this one. Alex Smith looked like he had his A game against the Raiders last week. He led his team to points once again, a vast improvement from two years ago when points were few and far between for Smith led drives. Last year he played the whole season and got better and now, with the talent he has split out wide to go along with Frank Gore pounding away in the running game, San Francisco is on their way back. Of course we still have a few weeks before any of that matters. The starters will play the entire first half and come out for a drive or two in the third quarter. That does not leave much time for the back up to impress and guys jobs are on the line. This is one of the toughest times of the year. All the time and effort players put into training for a chance to make a NFL roster and it comes down to a couple of minutes in a preseason game to see if you will make it.
Smith looks good in opener Alex Smith now has experienced wide receiver's who can help him out by running good pass route's. Jackson showed that by getting inside of Pro Bowl cornerback Champ Bailey in the first quarter for a 18-yard catch that had regular season written all over it.
Michael Robinson punched it in to make it 10-7 49ers. San Francisco's running game was on point as well against Denver. Robinson and Maurice Hicks combined for 55-yards on nine carries in place of injured starter Frank Gore, out for the preseason with a broken hand. San Francisco's offensive line looked good in the first half. They protected Smith while opening up holes for the running backs. The 49ers have not had an offense with this much potential in years and it is up to Smith to make it happen. San Francisco's first string D played like it had crisco on their hands and sleeves as Bronco player's broke tackle after tackle in route to a quick touchdown drive the first time they had the ball. Travis Henry broke the goal in the arms of the 49ers 80-million dollar man, cornerback Nate Clemens. Not the start many fans thought would be the strong point of the team. San Francisco had trouble against the run, Denver rushed for 183-yards in the game. True the D-line was without Bryant Young, but Henry and Mike Bell rumbled for 101-yards between them in the first half. Poor tackling was only half the problem. The 49ers got beat at the point of attack allowing Denver running backs to get into the defensive backfield. The 49rs gave up the most points in the NFL last year and still came close to winning the division. A little improvement on D could spell an end to the 49ers playoff drought. The offense looks like it is turning the corner under a more confident and relaxed Alex Smith. Bring Gore back into the picture when his hand heals and the 49ers will be hard to stop. Lets not get ahead of our self's. They still have to go out and make plays when it counts, during the regular season. The starting defense has time to work out the kinks. The Raiders come to town Saturday night for a date with the 49ers. Game time for that one is 7pm. This will be as close to a regular season game as there can be in the preseason and the fans hype should help both teams gets ready for the real deal in Sept.
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49ers mix it up in the 2007 NFL Draft San Francisco continued to bolster their defense by selecting Mississippi linebacker Patrick Willis with the 11th pick in the first round of the draft. Willis won the Butkus Award as the nations top linebacker last year. He was also the SEC's defensive player of the year in 2006. Willis can play different positions, but he 49ers have plans for him at the middle linebacker position. He has the speed to cover tight ends down field. The 49ers went the trade route to obtain their next pick of he draft. San Francisco traded away their first round pick in 2008 to move up and draft Joe Staley, offensive tackle from Central Michigan. Staley is big 6'5", 302lbs and fast. He was clocked in 4.7 seconds in the 40-yard dash. He started his freshmen year in college at tight end before moving to tackle his sophomore year. That tells me he is very nimble on his feet and he can keep up with the speed rushers out there lurking in the NFL and his size should make him strong enough to block people. San Francisco went for a playmaker with their third pick of the draft. Home grown Jason Hill, a wide receiver,out of Washington St. Hill graduated from the City's own Sacred Heart Cathedral. He scored 32 career TD's while at WSU. Looking to improve their scoring and big play ability San Francisco pulled off a trade with division rival Seattle acquiring wide receiver Darrell Jackson in exchange for a couple of draft picks. Jackson comes to San Francisco after leading Seattle in receiving yards (963-yards) and a career high 10 TD's before a turf toe injury cut short his season. Jackson best year was in 2004 when he caught 87-passes good for 1,199-yards and seven TD's. After getting Jackson, San Francisco turned their attention to the defense using five of their last six picks on that side of the ball. In comes Ray McDonald, defensive tackle from Florida, Jay Moore, a defensive end from Nebraska, Dashon Goldson, a safety from Washington Joe Cohen , a defensive end from Florida and Terral Brown, a DB from Texas. Thomas Clayton, a running back from Kansas St was the team final pick of the draft. San Francisco can now go about improving on their 7-9 record from last season. Head coach Mike Nolan like the new look of his team in the three day mini camp in Santa Clara. They seem to have a lot more speed this year and if their trend continues, they have improved both years under Nolan, look for the 49ers to contend for the NFC West against Seattle this year. They could have won it last year, but youth on the field and sometimes conservative coach got in the way of what could have been a remarkable turn around by a team that was 2-14 a year before winning a division title. San Francisco opens up the vault trying to get back to the post season Have money, will spend it. That must have been the San Francisco motto going into the free agent signing period. They made a big splash by throwing eighty million dollars at shutdown corner back Nate Clements over eight years. San Francisco is hoping Clements can catch a bunch of interceptions the same way he caught this mega deal. Clements will line up across from 2006 pro bowl corner Walt Harris next year. If those two can click it will have a domino effect on the rest of the defense. A pair of shut down corners will allow more man to man coverage which in turn frees up linebackers to blitz and safeties to help with run support. San Francisco got help at the safety with the signing of Michael Lewis, an aggressive run stopping DB who should fit in with head coach Mike Nolan's scheme on putting pressure on the line of scrimmage. The 49ers now pocess one of the top defensive backfields in football, on paper. Showing some love to the offense, San Francisco got former Bronco wide receiver Ashlie Lelie to sign with the club. They are hoping Lelie fills the void that was created by releasing 2006 leading receiver and only true deep threat in Antonio Bryant after a disruptive season in San Francisco . Nolan is hoping that he is not trading one problem for another one. Lelie has had a few run ins with his coaching staff when he was in Denver and he has never lived up to the billing he got coming out of the University of Hawai'i . This will be Lelie's second shot at being a team's number one option when they throw the ball. Ashlie was traded to the Falcon's in August and he failed to get on the same page as QB Michael Vick, catching only 28-passes good for 430-yards. The big play potential is there. Lelie is leading the NFL in yards per reception among active players. Gaining 17.1-yards every time he catches a pass. Teaming him up with running back Frank Gore and tight end Vernon Davis could give QB Alex Smith the tools he needs to put up some points in 2007. San Francisco was five or six plays away from not only making the playoffs, but winning their division last season and the team stood far from pat. San Francisco re-signed a couple of veterans from the 2006 squad. Punter Andy Lee was targeted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, signing him to an offer. San Francisco matched the offer; bring back Lee for a fourth season. It must be a good time to be a punter. Lee got seven million over six years after having the best season of his short career. Lee was the seventh best punter in the NFL last year (44.8 per punt). The 49ers can ill afford a bad kicking game. On a team that had so much trouble scoring points last year, San Francisco ranked near the bottom in every major offensive stat there is last season and scoring points will be key to any chance of the team reaching the playoffs next year. The team lost the services of back up tight end Eric Johnson, a free agent that signed on to play for the New Orleans Saints. Johnson, a seventh round pick by the 49ers back in 2001, had his best season in 2004 (82-receptions, 825-yards and two TD's) Hurt in 2005, Johnson saw the writing on the wall with the emergence of second year pro Vernon Davis, the tight end San Francisco drafted in the first round last year. It has been a very productive off season for San Francisco . If they can replace the loss of offensive guru Norv Turner, now coach of the San Diego Chargers, The 49ers will continue their improvement since hitting rock bottom at 2-14 two years ago.
Frank wants to get paid It's not like Frank has been working for free since joining the NFL. The third year pro is coming off a year in which he was third in the NFL in rushing and he led the NFC with 1,695-yards rushing. Not bad for a player who started out the season fumbling in the first four games of the year. San Francisco has shown that they want Gore to be the franchise back and now Gore wants to be paid like it. San Francisco saw the potential in Gore which prompted them to release running back Kevin Barlow before the 2006 season. Gore responded by having one of the best season's rushing in 49er history. Frank almost rushed the team into the playoffs with games like his 212-yard performance against Seattle in a 49er win that got them back in the playoff hunt. Gore's 5.7-yards a carry was the most of any back in the NFL that had over 1,000-yards rushing last year. If San Francisco wants to help keep the heat off third year QB Alex Smith they will have to address the Gore issue. They are dealing with super agent Drew Rosenhaus, the notorious agent that has brokered some of the biggest deals in sports history. Gore has three years left on a five year deal he signed as a third round pick coming out of the University of Miami . Gore has sat back and watched Rosenhaus wheel and deal the last week and now he wants some of it for himself. Rosenhaus got a six year 32-million dollar deal for Bills running back Willis McGhee as will as more money for Jacksonville 's Fred Taylor and the New York Jets Thomas Jones.
San Francisco gets even against Seattle
The 49ers threw their hat into the mass of contenders in the NFC playoff race with their victory over first place Seattle. Frank Gore is doing his best to put the offense on his back and carry them to the playoffs. Against Seattle he was almost unstoppable. His 130-first half yards took him over the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his NFL career. Gore did not get into the end zone. That seems like it would be hard to do, but QB Alex Smith ran for a TD and he passed for another touchdown in the victory. Seattle looked like they would take the lead in the first quarter, but safety Keith Lewis picked off Seattle QB Seneca Wallace at the 49ers eight yard line. Gore began to take over from there. He busted loose for a 51-yard run out to the Seahawks 41 that led to a Joe Nedney 39-yard field goal. Alex Smith would do his thing in the second quarter. First he finished off a drive by hitting Arnaz Battle for a nine yard touchdown making 10-0 49ers. That drive was set up by the first of two cornerback Walt Harris interceptions. The 49ers pick off Wallace, a Sacramento native, three times in the win. After forcing a Seattle punt, San Francisco drove 74-yards in just five plays the next time they had the ball. Gore highlighted the drive with runs of 20 and 23-yards. His 23-yard gaunt got the ball down to the Seahawks three. A play later Smith bootlegged it out to the right, rushing for a one yard touchdown. It was the first rushing TD in the NFL for the mobile signal caller from Utah. Smith was 19 of 25 for 193-yards passing and zero interceptions. Smith might not be lighting it up passing wise, but he is learning how not to throw a game away. Playing good defense also helps and for the 3rd week in a row San Francisco played good defense. If this keeps up then the 49ers will be playing great defense. San Francisco led Seattle 20-0 at the half. They welcomed Seattle running back Shawn Alexander back to active duty by holding him to 37-yards on 17 tough carries. "I did not fell good until the second half. It took my a while to get my rhythm back." said Alexander after playing on his first game since week two. Seattle's passing game heated up in the second half as well. Wallace threw two second half touchdowns, one a little five yard swing pass that Deion Branch turned into a 38-yard touchdown and the other a 41-yard pitch and catch that from Wallace to Darrell Jackson that made it 20-14 San Francisco with 6:24 remaining in the game. San Francisco had a chance to score more points at the end of the first half. Arnaz Battle just missed a second touchdown reception, getting ruled out at the one making it fourth and goal with a few seconds left in the half. Coach Nolan decided to kick the field instead of going for it. DB Walt Harris ended Seattle hopes with this 4th quarter interception. It was his 2nd of the game
Reliable Joe Nedney gave Seattle one more chance when he hooked a 27-yard field goal try with 34-seconds left in the game. The kick would have put the Seahawks away, but San Francisco's defense made sure the 49ers got the win. They picked off Seneca three times while holding the Seahawks to only 70-yards rushing. . Walt Harris did more then pick off two Wallace passes. He teamed up with D-linemen Marques to stop Shaun Alexander on 4th and one from Seattle's 37-yard line. late in the 4th quarter. Frank Gore made his only mistake of the day, fumbling the ball right back to Seattle on the next play. Two plays later Harris made his second pick of the day and San Francisco was on their way to a win.
San Francisco beats Detroit 19-13 San Francisco got off to a hot start and they rode it to a road victory at Detroit Sunday. Frank Gore busted loose for a 61-yard touchdown the first time San Francisco had the ball and the 49ers never looked back. Gore would rush for 159-yards, 148 of those came in the first half. A new 49er record. Once again Joe Nedney reminded everybody why a good kicking game is so important. He made all four of his field goals in the 49ers win. San Francisco jumped out to a 13-3 lead in the second quarter. It could have been more. San Francisco drove deep into Lions territory a couple of times, but they could only come away with two Nedney field goals. It was much of the same in the second half. Gore had to leave the game after suffering a concussion in the third quarter. San Francisco got a break in the second quarter when QB Alex Smith ( 14-of-20 for 136 yards with a fumble) threw the ball directly to Lions DB Stanley Wilson, who nothing between him and a touchdown but open field. Photo by James Taylor
San Francisco will see how much they have learned when Seattle comes to town Sunday. The Seahawks are two games ahead of the 49ers and they would like nothing more then to beat San Francisco and bury them further back. Since giving up an NFL record 41 first half point to Chicago, San Francisco has only allowed a total of 16 points in two and a half games. Not bad for a defense that was last in the NFL in a number of area's before the streak. I know that Detroit and Minnesota are not scoring machines, but the 49ers are hanging in the pretty tough. Anytime you can shut down teams in the NFL you are doing something. San FRancisco had 315-yard of offense in the game, including 198-yards rushing. They held the Lions to just 71-yards rushing (251 total) and they forced four turnovers. Alex Smith gave Detroit another chance when he fumbled the ball in the third quarter. Lions QB John Kitna hit Dan Campbell from nine yards out to cut San Francisco's lead to 16-10. That was as close as Detroit would get. The two team exchanged field goals the rest of the way and the 49ers had themselves a little two game winning streak. Against NFC teams no less. Winning inside your conference is still the best way to make the playoffs and if San Francisco can slow down Seattle, then who knows?. So far every serious playoff contender has pounded the 49ers. Maybe this will be the week that trend ends. The way San Francisco's D has been balling the last two weeks and with a banged up Shawn Alexander and Matt Hasselback trying to use this game as a comeback from injury game, Seattle could be ripe for a loss.
San Francisco no match for LT and the Chargers
San Francisco, Calif. 10/15/06 The San Diego Chargers (4-1) had their highest output of the season scoring 48 points to shred the San Francisco 49ers, 48-19. Behind running back LaDainian Tomlinson (71-yards rushing and 64-yards receiving), the Chargers exploded down the field for five touchdowns in their first six possessions. Tomlinson rushed for three first-half TD's and Philip Rivers threw for two more to go into the locker room up 35-19. The improving Niners (2-4) moved the ball on offense well in the first half against one of the leagues elite teams. Quarterback Alex Smith, who has been maturing each week, finished with 214 yards (20-of-31), 2 touchdowns and an interception. But it was the defense that made the difference in this contest. The Niners got blanked in the second half, while they gave up another 13 points to the Chargers. Defense has been their Achilles heel thus far this season as they are worst in the league in points scored against them (194). “We don't have a strong pass rush,” said Coach Mike Nolan. “The bright spot is that we can stop the run.” The Chargers were held to 87 total yards on the ground, but Tomlinson finished with 4 touchdowns on the day, included a 1-yard goal line leap over the 49ers right line to slam the door shut. It was the Rivers' ariel attack that carved through Monster Park like a sculptor. In his fifth NFL start, Rivers' finished with a career-high 334 yards including touchdown passes to Antonio Gates and Vincent Jackson. “I feel more comfortable each week,” Rivers stated. “With teams focusing on L.T. it will open up the field more for our passing game.” The Niners did feel a slight window of opportunity when they cut the lead to nine (28-19) with 3:12 left in the first half. They forced Rivers into an intentional grounded which ended a safety. Instead of a momentum swing, it was the last time San Francisco scored. On their possession after the safety, Alex Smith threw an interception to defensive end Luis Castillo. The Chargers, with just under 3:00 minutes in the half, took full advantage of the gift, driving 35 yards for a touchdown while chewing up the clock leaving 33-seconds before the break. That was the final jolt that swung the tide as San Diego never let the 49ers back up for air the rest of the game. A bye week follows with a game in Chicago against the defensive minded Bears. It could be cold and windy in Chi-Town and after the Bears were nearly knocked off by Arizona in their last game, over looking the 49ers should not be a problem for Chicago. Story by Brendan Anderson
San Francisco are kings of the Bay after beating the Raiders at home San Francisco took advantage of five Raider turnovers, including four interceptions in the win. The 49er's also got a defensive touchdown, coping what Philly did to them a couple of weeks ago. It was not the 98-yard variety that the Eagles Mike Patterson busted the 49ers with. It was a 12-yarder on what looked like a incomplete pass. Raiders QB Andrew Walters threw tailback Lamont Jordan a swing pass that Jordan batted down. It was backwards, but Jordan just walked away. That is where Melvin Oliver came in. He scooped up the ball and looked at the ref before bolting for the end zone. That made it a 31-13 49er lead and Oakland was finished. Just one week after doing nothing against Kansas City, San Francisco's Alex Smith threw a career high three TD's, two to Arnaz Battle and one to Maurice Hicks, who ran and dove his way into the end zone on a 33-yard play. That was in the third quarter and it put San Francisco ahead 21-13. Oakland had gone into the half with a lead for the second week in a row only to come out in the second half and blow it. Down 13-6 coming out of the half, the 49ers stopped Oakland cold on their first series of the second half and then rookie Manny Lawson raced in and blocked Shane Lechler's punt, setting San Francisco deep in Oakland territory. Alex Smith hit Battle for the go ahead score and the 49ers would not look back. That blocked punt was the beginning of series of drives the Oakland should soon forget. Their first five drives of the second half against San Francisco went blocked punt, interception, interception, fumble, interception. That is a lot of love to give another team and San Francisco took full advantage of the charity, scoring 24pts to take command of the game. Cornerback Walt Harris had a day to call home about. He had three of the four San Francisco interceptions on the day. Two from starting QB Andrew Walters and one off Marques Tuiasosopo, who came in and replaced Walters in the second half. Tuiasosopo threw two picks as well.
He did not put the ball on the ground one time despite carrying the ball 27-times for 134-yards. "We are improving as a team each week. Last week we came out a little sluggish against KC, but we got back on the ball today against Oakland. When we got behind, we all knew that we could come back and win the game. The second half should what kind of team we can be." San Francisco can be the type of team that can beat the bottom feeders of the NFL. That is a good thing because when head coach Mike Nolan took over the team two years ago, San Francisco was a bottom feeder looking up. Next week the high flying San Diego Chargers will hit town in the battle of California. Ok, it might not be the same as the Battle of the Bay, but it will be another test for the young 49ers. The was one bright spot for Oakland. Walters hit Randy Moss on a 22-yard scoring pass with 52-seconds left in the half. It was his 100th TD reception of his career.
Philly a little too much for the 49ers to handle For two and a half quarters it looked like men playing with boys. Brian Westbrook had a 71-yard TD run and a four yard TD reception in the first half as San Francisco got booed off the field at halftime losing 24-3.
The 49ers would show the home fans that you can knock them around a little bit, but you will not knock the fight out of them. Alex Smith is showing signs of being the leader San Francisco was hoping he would become. He over came some poor throws early against the Eagles, bouncing back to show he has learned a lot since last season. "Their a pressure defense, we are a young team, and I am a young QB. I always expect people to come after us, and come after me to see how I handle it." said Alex after the game. It is common to get a little jumpy when you are getting hit by a Eagles pass rush that was in Smith's face all day. Alex found his rhythm in the 3rd quarter and the 49ers offense began to put points on the board. Rookie tailback Michael Robinson got into the act with two TD's, his second made it 31-17 Philly. If Gore would have scored from the Eagles one instead of giving up the football allowing Patterson to do his thing, we would have been looking at a tie ball game after Robinson's second TD. San Francisco was clearly out playing Philly in the second half and a repeat of what happened against the Giants last week passed across the minds of a few players I am sure. "Coach Reid went over a couple of things during practice last week and they came into play today against San Francisco" said Brain Westbrook after his 163-yards of total offense and three TD's help put away San Francisco. It was a Westbrook eight yard touchdown run with 13:27 left in the game that finally let the Eagles take a deep breath. The score at that point was 38-17. Last week the Eagles got up big against New York and fell asleep, something they were in danger of against San Francisco. Westbrook's TD calmed the team down and their D did not let the 49ers back into the end zone until Smith hooked up with tight end Eric Johnson with 10 seconds left in the contest. "It was a good bounce back. I was very proud of the team for the attitude that they brought here to San Francisco. It was good to see the offense and defense both start fast and finish the game." said Eagles head coach Andy Reid.
This day belonged to D-Linemen Mike Patterson, who with over 60 friends and family in the building (he is from California) made like a DB with his 98-yard TD gaunt. Said Eagles QB Donovan McNabb afterwards, "We did not know that he could run a 15-second 100-yard dash. We all thought he was slower then that."
49ers treat home fans to a victory It took Smith until the final game of his rookie season to throw a touchdown pass. He has thrown one in every game since. He had 11 interceptions before that TD pass against Houston. He has not thrown a pick in the regular season since either. Smith has two TD's and no picks through the first couple of games into the season. It might not seem like much, but last season Smith could not throw five passes in a row without one of them coming close to getting picked off. This year he has the services of one Antonio Bryant, a second round pick of the Cowboys in 2002. Bryant and Smith clicked right away in the preseason and against the Rams the duo hooked up for a 72-yard pitch and catch in the 3rd quarter to give the 49ers a lead they would not give up. Frank Gore had a career day running the football for San Francisco. The second year back out of Miami carried the load with 29-carries for 127-yards. That included a 32-yards touchdown run early in the 3rd quarter to get San Francisco back even at 10 with St. Louis. San Francisco's D had quite a day themselves. They sacked Rams QB Marc Bulger six times giving up only 185-yards passing to the high octane Rams. Their top two receivers, Torrey Holt and Isaac Bruce had only 107-yards plus one TD between them. Rams running back Stephen Jackson did rush for 103-yards on 22-carries, but he did not get into the end zone. Rookie defensive lineman Manny Lawson led the sack parade with two for San Francisco. DB Chad Williams also had two sacks from the outside keeping the Rams off balance all day. The 49ers know they can beat the Rams. They did it twice last season. Next up for them is a 1-1 Philly team that got embarrassed at home in a loss to the New York Giants. Up 24-7 in the second half, the Eagles somehow managed to lose the game. For a team that has a chance to go to the Super Bowl, losing a game the way they did can't sit well with them or their fans.
He has been on fire the first two games of the season. He is 51 of 80 (63%) for 644-yards with five TD's and only one pick. San Francisco will have their hands full, but remember just last year the 49ers beat a Tampa Bay team on their way to a division title. Alex Smith looks like he is starting to figure out how to play in this league. Signing back up QB Trent Dilfer was a great idea. He has been a leader on the team while giving Alex a veteran to learn from. Look at how Dilfer went over to talk to Antonio Bryant when Bryant was showing up Smith after a high throw in the first half. A bad situation was avoided and the two were on the same page later in the game when Smith stepped up in the pocket and hit Bryant behind the Rams D for a 72-yard touchdown. After Philly, San Francisco plays at Kansas City before hosting the Raiders and San Diego. KC and Oakland look like winnable games for the 49ers. San Diego might be a stretch, but going into their bye week 7 San Francisco could be at 3-3 or even 4-2. Story by Eric Taylor
49ers fall in the Desert to Arizona It started out pretty good for San Francisco. Second year QB Alex Smith hit rookie tight end Vernon Davis for a 31-yard TD pass and just like that San Francisco had their first lead of the season. Turnovers would soon doom the 49ers effort in Arizona. Frank Gore started the downward spiral when he fumbled at the 49er 20-yard line. Three plays later new Cardinal running back Edgerrin James was in from the one tying the game at 7. Brought in during the off season to help bolster the Cardinal running game, James (73-yards, 1TD) helped open the Cardinals brand, spanking new stadium with a win. No more days playing under a sun that cooks the ground to over 90' on a regular basis. Now they have a great environment to play in. That well help you sign veteran free agents who will want to go to an organization that will treat them well. It looks like money well spent. Arizona got 21 first quarter points and they held on for the win. San Francisco was also looking to cash in on their investments. Alex Smith showed he has improved since last season by passing for 288-yards (23 of 40) and one touchdown with zero interceptions. Down 21-7 after the first quarter, Smith and tailback Frank Gore would not let San Francisco get blown out. Gore rushed for 87-yards, two TD's and he had 83-yards receiving out of the backfield. Cardinal QB Kurt Warner got back to his old Ram days by passing for 301-yards and three TD's against the 49er D. The Cardinals went up 34-24 with just over one minute to play. The 49ers would not go away. A 44-yard Joe Nedney field goal closed the gap to 34-27 with 36-seconds left in the game. San Francisco then recovered an onside kick, and after hooking up with wide receiver Antonio Bryant for a 25-yard completion, two passes into the end fell incomplete and the Cardinals had their win in the bag. San Francisco opens their home season next week when they entertain another NFC West team, the Rams, Kurt Warner's old team at Monster Park. Game time for that one is 1:05pm.
49ers ready themselves for the regular season San Francisco book ended their preseason with a nice little win over San Diego. Trent Dilfer looked good when he ran the second team offense in the second half, but this game was won by a 49er D that continued to show their big play ability. Safety Mike Adams made a great juggling interception that he kicked up in the air to keep it alive. San Francisco had a defensive TD called back in the win. With an offense that still struggles the defense will have to carry San Francisco a lot this season. Each unit knows they have to carry their own weight for the team to have a chance this year. Running back and 4th round pick Michael Robinson has played his way into the rotation with San Francisco. The rookie got most of the snaps against San Diego and he looked good. He was able to run the ball between the tackles. He started as Penn St. QB last year, but it has been no problem for him as he enters his first season as the 49er's second string running back behind second year pro Frank Gore.
San Francisco hits the road for their 2006 season opener. A division game only adds to the drama. They will face a retooled Arizona team that has added running back Edgerrin James and draft pick Matt Leinart among others letting the league know that the Cardinals mean business in 2006. San Francisco opens with three NFC match up's in a row. Home games against the Rams (9/17) and Philadelphia (9/24) follow their game against Arizona. You have to win games in your conference to go to the playoffs and the first three weeks will give the 49ers an idea of what they have. They can beat both Arizona and Saint Louis and a 2-0 start going into their game against Philly is possible.
San Francisco gets off to a good start in 2006 It might have just been your run of the mill pre season game between the 49er's and the Chicago Bears, but to 49er QB Alex Smith, this was a step towards living up to his #1 draft status. A bigger, faster Smith had perhaps his best day as a pro leading the 49ers to a 28-14 win in both teams pre season opener. New offensive coordinator Norv Turner will try to do to Smith what he did to Troy Aikman back in the early 90's, turn a losing #1 pick into a hall of famer. Aikman had a little more help in Dallas then Smith will have in San Francisco, but Turner has already made an impact on the young Smith who looked like a NFL QB Friday night against the Bears.
Smith played almost the entire first half against Chicago, hitting on 16 of 21 pass attempts for 137-yards, no TD's but most importantly, no interceptions. By the time Smith left the game, the 49ers had built a 17-0 lead against the team that gave up the fewest points in the NFL last season. It was a big improvement from last season's 49er offense that was last in the NFL in offense. San Francisco was also last in D and that looks like it might change in 2006 as well. The 49ers first ten points of the game were set up by a ball hawking defense that forced a fumble of their own while taking advantage of a gift from the Bears. LB Jeff Ulbrich scooped up a Rex Grossman fumbled snap and broke loose for a 32-yard TD. This was all a welcome sight to head coach Ted Nolan and the rest of the 49er coaching staff. Bryant Young looked good in the middle of San Francisco's D-line and the coverage was all over everything that came out of Bears QB Rex Grossman's hand. The Bear's QB of the future time has come. Rex has been hurt since he became a pro and the talent he has might get lost in the shuffle if he can't stay on the field. He was just 3 of 11 passing (47-yards) in just over a quarter's worth of play. Chicago signed Brain Griese as insurance. He is damaged goods as well, but if he stays healthy, he is a proven winner. Rex missed 13-games last year with a broken ankle. Griese lit up the 49ers with 134-yards passing (6 of 7) and two TD's.
He got most of the action with the first team because starting tailback Kevin Barlow nursed a hip injury to the tune of a single carry in the game. San Francisco brought in wide receiver Antonio Bryant to replace Brandon Lloyd in the off season. That looks like a great move. Bryant and Smith seemed to be on the same page from the first snap. Bryant caught five passes for 54-yards. A local kid made a return home and he had a pretty good game for the Bears. Wide receiver Rashied Davis (San Jose St.) had 77-yards on five catches, including a 41-yard TD in the third quarter. that made it a 21-14 game. #1 pick tight end Vernon Davis is big and fast, but he did not get a ball thrown his way the short time he was on the field. That should change as the season goes on and if he can catch then the millions the team paid him will be well worth it.
San Francisco searches high and low for help The 49ers need help all across the board and they drafted as such taking a tight end, and QB they hope to turn into a running back, two wide outs, one line backer, one DB and two defensive ends. Head coach Mike Nolan gave his young QB Alex Smith some help by selecting tight end Vernon Davis out of Maryland with the sixth pick of the 2006 NFL draft. Davis is big enough to help block, but fast enough to get up field and put pressure on the defense. Three of San Francisco's first four picks were on the offensive side of the ball. San Fran showed the D some love when they took Manny Lawson, a defensive end out of NC St. with the 22 pick of the 1st round. Brandon Williams, a split end out of Wisconsin was their 4th round pick and in one of the more interesting picks of the draft, they took QB/running back/split end Michael Robinson out of Penn St. Robinson played all three positions at Penn St. He helped turn the team around last season under center as their QB leading the Nittney Lions to a 10-2 record after a few years of losing. He is a leader and San Francisco is hoping that he can become a play maker in the NFL. Parys Haralson, a line backer out of Tennessee, was their 5th round pick. San Francisco used four of their last five picks for D. After taking wide receiver Delanie Walker out of Central Michigan in the 6th round. Marcus Hudson, a DB out of NC St. joined the team in the 6th round followed by Melvin Oliver a DB out of LSU (6th round) and Vickiel Vaughn a DB out of Arkansas in the 7th round. The 49ers coaching staff has a lot to work with starting next week with a short mini camp so everybody can get to know each other.
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The 49ers Brandon Williams fumbled the punt and the Rams recovered at the 49ers 25.
San Francisco would get a field goal out of it and Smith would follow that up with a touchdown set up by Smith hitting Arnaz Battle for a 26-yard gain down to the Bronco's one.
On offense, the 49ers got a career day from tailback Frank Gore.
Things went from bad to worse early in the third when a Frank Gore fumble at Philly's goal line led to a Eagles record 98-yard TD return by D-linemen Mike Patterson to make it a 31-3 game.
San Francisco will have to figure out a way to slow down Philly QB Donovan McNabb. 
Robinson
rushed for 53-yards on 12-carries and two TD's against San Diego.
Second
year pro Frank Gore had a good game against the Bear's rushing for 49-yards
on ten carries and one TD to go along with 5 catches out of the backfield. 
