Sorry, everyone. With preparations for Labor Day Weekend and other matters, there is no episode for this week. However I promise to come back next week with a review of the Raiders and Chargers games, plus discuss all the other newsworthy matters, including who gets cut and who stays?
For what could be Brett Favre’s final appearance in Candlestick Park (unless the Packers win the North and the 49ers end up hosting the Vikings in the playoffs), it was a less-than-memorable affair. He played 4 snaps and was ruthlessly driven to the turf by Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes on a 3rd Down play. He also didn’t look too happy about it. I think that will be the highlight of this game for most 49ers fans. Myself, I hope we face them again.
During the early portions of the 2007 campaign, KNBR radio host Ralph Barbieri was often heard exclaiming, “Free Alex!” Barbieri saw what the rest of fans saw in the Monday Night opener against Arizona, the Week Three matchup in Pittsburgh, and even multiple games from last season. When time was of the essence, Alex Smith could move the ball. Whether it was running the two-minute drill or running with his legs, they were able to move the ball. Most of the time the playcalling of Jim Hostler, restrained by the take-no-risks approach of Mike Nolan, kept the 49ers from gaining any reward in the scoring department.
In 2009, an offense was installed that played more to the strengths of Shaun Hill. The trouble was, when it came time to move the ball downfield quickly, Hill’s limitations were clear. The offensive line lacked the ability to push the other team off the ball with any level of consistency. Unable to force the defense to respect the run, the 49ers often found themselves playing catch-up. In games like the ones versus Atlanta and the first half versus Houston, it became clear that a change was needed.
Apologies for the late nature of this post. I wanted to take a day to get past the emotion, and make sure I was looking at the result logically before posting my reactions.
Not much to write here. My opinion on things happening this preseason. QB competition, Glenn Coffee, Defense and more. Email 49ersfancast@gmail.com, or call the voicemail line at 206-666-2826.
Someone recently asked in the comments on Maiocco’s blog what the scoring drives looked like with Hill at the helm, essentially thinking that the average was above ten plays per drive. So I looked up the stats and post them here for discussion. I’ve included a couple missed Field Goal tries because the drive numbers are worth throwing in since it wasn’t Hill that missed the Field Goals.
Understand, this is all just a fan’s opinion. I’m going to try and predict who I think the 49ers will re-sign to the team, and who I think they’re going to let go.
Tight end Billy Bajema – Not Returning
Since Singletary mentioned picking up a Tight End in the draft, it’s safe to say Bajema is not coming back. He’s easy to replace, and you can save cash not paying him veteran compensation.
Defensive lineman Ronald Fields – Not Returning
The 49ers expect Kentwan Balmer to move up the depth chart, and Fields doesn’t play all that much. Plus with the idea that the Niners may pick up a couple down linemen in the draft, it makes sense to let Fields go.
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while, this will hopefully come as good news to you. If you’ve been directed here, you likely have heard through various other channels about the new podcast coming. We plan to have our first episode February 19th.
I have long felt that the 49ers fan community needed a fan podcast that was a) regularly updated, b) had professional audio quality, and c) reflected the opinions of the fans. To that end, the 49ersfancast has a few clearly defined goals:
With five weeks to go, let’s check in on reports from Niners Training Camp, and how things are progressing on the four things I wondered about last week.
The Quarterback Competition
Yes, let’s jump right into the fray with this one. According to all reports, J.T. O’Sullivan appears to be the sharpest quarterback in camp. Everyone knows it’s his season of experience under Martz’ tutleage that gives him this instant credibility, but what does this mean for Hill and Smith?
Both are still in the mix, but it appears Shaun Hill is not impressing anyone. The last two days have found Hill running the “third team,” which is more of a live tackling drill, and an attempt Sunday morning at running the first team found him leaving early, nagged again by his sore shoulder. It does seem that the Shaun Hill experiment may have run its course. As for Alex Smith, no one is accusing him of not grasping the system, he’s just not as fluid as O’Sullivan. Smith’s touch on his deep balls is getting better, as well as his timing. However, he is not releasing the ball quite as quickly as he might need to if he’s going to be the starter. Another suggestion is that O’Sullivan’s attitude is more take charge, while Smith’s is that of the quiet pupil.
There are two sides to this coin. One is that when you have the kind of investment you have in Smith, you bring in Martz to salvage that investment. You give him the first team snaps. You give him the most aggressive teaching. You call him the starter and you get the team lined up behind him. This is Smiths’ first real opportunity to build upon the mild success Norv Turner helped him to. They now have two legitimate threats at Wide Receiver and a coach that knows how to make the offense work. The other side is that by throwing Smith to the wolves right off the bat, he never spent time on the sideline learning, getting hungry for playing time. I have to think that O’Sullivan working with the ones has a lot to do with that. The coaches lighting a fire under Smith.
As far as O’Sullivan goes, you can make the leap that Martz loves the guy, and has wanted O’Sullivan to start all the while. You can say that the coaches are concerned that Smith isn’t getting it quickly enough, and that’s why O’Sullivan is getting so much work now. But with the snaps getting split between three guys, how can they possibly expect him to get it any faster? What did they think was going to happen? Best case scenario for Alex Smith, Martz wants him to feel snubbed so that he’ll assert himself more in camp. If he still needs more time, I can see O’Sullivan going out as the starter until, say, after the BYE week. We still don’t know how O’Sullivan can do when the defenses are allowed to tackle and are no longer barred from laying a finger on him. We also anticipate a very tough October. Anything can happen, and if it takes Smith sitting on the bench again to make his career here work, then so be it. Worst case scenario for Smith is O’Sullivan is declared the starter, and Smith is sent packing. If that were to happen, it would be one of the saddest stories in the NFL, of a #1 pick given virtually no legitimate chance to succeed.
Justin Smith and Manny Lawson
Word is that Justin Smith is one of the most ferocious guys on the defense, getting himself into the backfield regularly. The defense appears to be taking shape with this hybrid mix of the 3-4 and 4-3. According to Mike Nolan, you have Smith as the wildcard on the right side, with Ray McDonald, Aubrayo Franklin and Isaac Sopoaga finishing out the line. Manny resumes his place at LOLB, with Willis and Ulbrich the other linebackers. We expect Smith to alternate between the three-point down lineman and upright outside linebacker, depending on what they want to do. This should give fits to opposing offensive lines provided Smith is a threat in coverage, and it appears he’s holding his own.
I wouldn’t expect him to cover too many tight ends with Manny on the field, and mainly cover zone gaps. How this affects Tully Banta-Cain’s role remains to be seen, as Banta-Cain appears to have slimmed down and become more agressive on the edge. As for Manny Lawson, his activity has still been somewhat limited. He appears to have his explosiveness back, as he’s making incredible vertical leaps to knock down passes. Everything people say suggests Manny will be back in a big way.
Vernon Davis
The key to Vernon’s training camp is the extra work he’s putting into his development. When he’s not in team or individual drills, he’s fielding passes from somebody. After practices he’s getting Kyle Wright some work on an empty spot of field, running routes and keeping his hands busy. Mike Martz continues to be impressed with his speed and his blocking ability, and as long as Davis can latch onto balls thrown his way, he’s going to get a lot of work. The only trouble is Delanie Walker is impressing Martz just as much with his ability to catch. The suggestion is that Walker will be the possession guy, while Davis will be more of a downfield tight end in the vein of Brent Jones. Either way, Vernon seems to be on track for a successful outing this season.
No, that great sucking sound you hear out of San Francisco is not the field at CandleComSter muddying up for a classic Niners and Cowboys matchup. That actually is about 30 miles south in Santa Clara, and it defines the season for the 49ers right now.
There’s dustup down at 49ers headquarters between Quarterback Alex Smith and Mike Nolan. Apparently Smith is frustrated that it is being reported he is 100%, and simply lacking confidence. On the other hand Nolan said something to the effect of, “I’m sore, but I don’t talk about it. I’m sure Derek Smith’s eyes are sore, okay?”
While not the most high-road approach he’s ever taken, can you blame the guy? His team is 2-7, the latter number all in a row. His quarterback was hurt, is hurt, and probably will be hurt. His dad just died the day before his team became a national embarassment. No one can seem to get a handle on the problems they face, so do you think his nerves might be a little bit shot?
Nolan has been saying Smith is fine, it’s just about execution and confidence. This is precisely the thing that most people have been saying. Don’t let anyone fool you that they knew all along that Smith’s shoulder was still bothering him because it is somehow “obvious.” People posed the possibility that maybe he was still hurting, but by and large the belief was that he was healthy, and was merely a colossal bust.
This started with Smith himself. He is the one who told reporters it’s just about playing through the pain. He is the one who told us it was steadily improving. He is also the one who told us that his forearm was sore after he threw a ton after resting a week.
It is time for some intellectual honesty. Anyone who said, “well he’s probably still hurt,” was lambasted for making excuses! If Smith were to come out and say that he wasn’t playing well because his shoulder was hurt, how many people would make fun of him with pseudo-whining and talk about his toughness? I don’t know, like, all of them? Even Nolan himself is playing that angle, and is roundly criticized for it.
Was Smith really blaming Mike Nolan, or perhaps himself as well? When he speaks of being reported as 100% but lacking confidence, that line has been spoken by so many people on so many levels. Again, he himself has been saying he was getting better and it was all about getting his confidence back. It can still be frustrating when you’re the one doing the reporting.
However, it is possible he’s simply repeating the line from his coach: “That was the frustrating part, when, all of a sudden, ‘He’s 100 percent but lacks confidence,”‘ Smith said, paraphrasing some comments Nolan made last month. “Frustrating. Back when I think it was the Giants week? That’s where it comes from.” Ah, yes. The week where he could have come back, but Nolan himself implied that he didn’t have confidence in Smith returning.
Did this light a fire under his quarterback’s butt? Probably. Is this why he refused to stay out of the Saint’s game, to prove his toughness to his coach? Is Mike Nolan out of bounds here, or is Smith? Is it Nolan’s insistence on toughness, or is it Smith’s thin skin getting the best of him? Probably a little of both. Nolan said that Smith was fine medically, as far as the separation was concerned, but not ready to play. Smith, watching Trent Dilfer play, was insistent upon returning to help his team, but also show that he was going to work through this.
Then you throw in Darrell Jackson’s little drama queen show in the locker room. After the Seattle game he comes into the locker room and tosses his helmet, then sits there in his uniform pouting until his little friends the media smell blood in the water. Instead of being a man and requesting an audience, he figures if he pouts long enough it will be very dramatic. So he throws a little tantrum complaining about his quarterback’s play, saying to utter his name would not be “politically correct.”
By the way, how often does Darrell Jackson drop a pass? plenty! I gotta call not B.S., but T.O. on Darrell Jackson and say he is a hypocritical dirtbag. I hope he gets traded away yesterday. We could always take our 4th round pick back.
Ultimately this is the “Come to Jesus” moment the team needs. Mike Nolan was on his way to speak to Smith after the press conference yesterday. Both of them need to apologize to the other, and that’s okay. These things happen in losing locker rooms! The fact that it hadn’t happened yet says a lot about character, that thing we hear so often about. Now that it is happening, the air must be cleared. At this point I believe Mike Nolan will have a choice set before him. He will have to choose between Alex Smith or Jim Hostler.
You see, the injury is not the biggest problem here, the losing is. Why are we losing? It’s not the Special Teams and it’s not the defense. The Offense is the offensive thing here, and it comes down to Jim Hostler. His track record is one year as QB coach with the Jets, where he and Chad Pennington did not get along. The fact that he and Frank Cignetti played DB in college is not an issue. I played Safety, Defensive End, Tight End and Fullback in High School. Big deal, I know, but anyone can learn what they need to know about any position and coach it well.
The fact that the offense is not prepared to play in any game is the issue. The fact that Hostler thinks himself a creative coach because he lines up Arnaz Battle at quarterback is the issue. The fact that we are 8-1 when Frank Gore gets 20 or more carries, and he has yet to get 15 carries is the issue. When Jim Hostler speaks he is quiet, kind of wishy-washy and sort of slimy.
To save his job, to save his quarterback, to salvage his season and save his team… Mike Nolan has to fire Jim Hostler. It has to happen now before things get worse. He has to make his choice.
That way, we can make ours.
