Niner Noise » Michael Crab holdout

Niners Pick Cutler Five Times, End Losing Streak

Eric Melendez — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 19:59:42 +0000

Michael Lewis secures 49ers win

The win was ugly but it was a win nonetheless and ended the 49ers four-game losing streak. Thanks to Bears quarterback Jay Cutler for continuing his best impression of Bret Favre by trying to pass into tight spots and throwing five picks. Much of the credit has to go to defensive coordinator Greg Manusky who drew up a game plan that attacked what the Bears do best which is the pass. Even though Cutler threw for 307 yards the 49ers defense executed Manusky’s game plan to almost perfection as the 49ers leaned on their defense to win the game. Tarell Brown, Mark Roman, Aubrayo Franklin, Dashon Goldson and Michael Lewis were the five Niners to intercept Cutler. Let’s hand out some game gold nuggets.

OFFENSE

The offense only gets one gold nugget because the lone bright spot on offense for the 49ers was the lone touchdown scored in the game by running back Frank Gore who rushed for 104 yards. Other than Gore the offense was not very productive. I thought Alex Smith was going to have a career game passing for over 300 yards but he only managed 118 passing yards completing 16 of 23 passes with no touchdowns and one interception. Only one turnover for Smith which is good but for the 49ers offense to score only one touchdown on the five picks shows more that the 49ers offense is still developing with Smith and the spread formation rather than the Bears playing a good defensive game. As unproductive as Smith was he was able to lead a drive in the fourth quarter that ran 6:14 off of the clock. The 49ers did not get a score but running off almost half of the fourth quarter proved to be the key to the 49ers win. Cutler drove the Bears down to the 49ers 1-yard line with eight seconds left on the clock. Had the bears offense had more time for one more play could have been the difference between a 3-6 record and the 49ers imploding and a 4-5 record and the 49ers still being in the hunt for the playoffs.

With wider receiver Isaac Bruce inactive due to an ankle injury the 49ers went with youth at wide receiver with Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan and Jason Hill. The 49ers Faithful saw for the first time the future of the 49ers at wide out and although they did not have a big game the trio is something to look out for the rest of the season. Crabtree lead all receivers with four receptions for 48 yards, Morgan had three receptions for 24 yards and Hill had just one catch for five yards. Not spectacular but all three wide receivers have huge potential in the 49ers new offensive philosophy.

Singletary decided to go for it on 4th-and-1 on the Bears 46-yard line in the third quarter with a QB sneak up the middle. The 49ers could not gain the needed yard and the Bears took over and eventually got a field goal. Singletary was shown talking to his offensive line after the play probably asking why can’t five 300 plus pound men move the line of scrimmage one yard forward. He then probably followed up with some encouragement. But not getting a first down is a cause of concern. With 49ers only up 7-3 in the third quarter the offense needs to capitalize on a play like that. If the Bears would have scored a touchdown on the drive that followed the 49ers would still have their losing streak.

DEFENSE

This is the first time I have given out five gold nuggets but the defense deserves it not only for the five interceptions but also because they were the reason why the 49ers pulled out the victory. The offense was only able to convert one touchdown out of the five interceptions which going forward the Niners need to do a better job of but once the defense was given a 7-0 lead they never looked back and forced Cutler to throw five picks. The two biggest picks of the game were the two times the Bears reached inside the 49ers five-yard line and both ended in interceptions with the last one securing the Niners win as time expired. Cutler is known to throw picks but the 49ers defense were quick to react to passes by breaking them up. There were two other almost interceptions as the 49ers secondary did a great job of covering the Bears receivers and limiting WR Devin Hester to seven receptions for 48 yards and TE Greg Olsen to seven receptions for 75 yards. Once again the 49ers front line stopped another great running back. Matt Forte only managed 41 rushing yards on 20 carries and averaged a messily 2.1 per carry. The 49ers could not keep Forte in check in catches as he led the Bears with 8 receptions for 120 yards. Overall this was the best game defensively played by the 49ers this season as they came into the game with five picks all season and doubled their total to ten by the end of the game.

SPECIAL TEAMS

Usually kicker Joe Nedney and punter Andy Lee are automatic on special teams. However Nedney missed a 39 yard field goal on the 49ers first possession of the game which could have been the difference between a win and a loss had Cutler thrown a touchdown in the final seconds. Special teams always gets overlooked even when they play well but when they could have cost you the game the glaring mistakes are front and center. Pro Bowl punter Lee had been playing well punting the football inside the 20-yard line 19 times so far this season but he did not have a good game last night. Before the Bears final push to try to score a touchdown to pull out the win Lee punted after the 49ers ran 6:14 off the clock but booted it into the end zone. Normally Lee is great at placing his punts where he wants to but he was off yesterday all game. The return game was nothing special yet again. Punt returner Brandon Jones only had one return for 4 yards and kickoff returner Arnaz Battle had 2 returns for 24 and 26 yards.

COACHING

Three game gold nuggets go to defensive coordinator Manusky for drawing up a great game plan for the Bears and for getting his defense prepared in only three days. Manusky called the right blitz’s at the right time and had his safety’s stay back most of the game to keep the Bears from throwing a deep pass which the 49ers have given up numerous times this season. For a defense that had not had a turnover since October 11 to get five picks all while not recording a sack is a step in the right direction for the D.

Singletary and all of the 49ers coaching staff did a great job in getting their team prepared during such a short week after coming off of four straight losses. The short week could have been the reason why both offenses yesterday had such a poor performance but that did not translate to the defense for either team. Kudos to Singletary going for it on 4th-and-1 in the third quarter but a better play could have been called by Jimmy Raye than a QB sneak up the middle. Raye continued his use of the shotgun and spread formations which is good for Alex Smith when running the offense. Even though Raye had his offense run off over six minutes off the clock in the fourth I think he was too conservative on the drive as he called ten rushes and only one pass in the 49ers final drive. We got the win so I guess it does not matter but I was having visions of week three and the Vikings getting the football back with plenty of time to score the winning touchdown after conservative running plays forced the 49ers to punt. Again, the receiver was in the back of the end zone waiting for the winning pass to be caught but this time the Niners had safety Michael Lewis covering the receiver and picking off the pass ending the game in favor of the 49ers this time.

Next up

@ Green Bay. The 49ers will look to take advantage of the nine days off they have now and until week 11. The Packers lost last week against the Buccaneers in a demoralizing loss that gave the Bucs their first win of the season. The Packers will play the resurgent Cowboys this weekend at home so there is a high possibility the 49ers could be facing a team on a two game losing streak. Not sure if that is good or bad for the Niners but with so much time off between now and week 11 Singletary should be able to draw up a great game plan to start a 49ers winning streak.

GAMEDAY Week 10: Bears vs. 49ers

Eric Melendez — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 20:36:22 +0000

Chicago Bears (4-4) vs. San Francisco 49ers (3-5)

Bill Walsh Field at Candlestick Park

…5:20 PM (PST)

The 49ers take on the Bears in the second installment of the NFL’s Thursday Night Football. The 49ers will be looking to end their four game losing streak as they face off against a Bears team coming off a blowout loss to the Cardinals at home. The Bears have lost three of the last four games and will look to stay in contention in the NFC North with a win tonight. All eyes will be on the tonight’s contest as it is the lone game being played and most of the NFL nation should be watching, if you have the NFL Network. The only other time the Niners are the only game is December 14 when they play against the Cardinals at home on Monday Night Football. The other story behind tonight’s game is head coach Mike Singletary facing his old team the Bears when he was a player. If you were to ask Singletary he would probably say the game is no different than any other game even if it is against his old team. You have to think in the back of Singletary’s mind he wants to win this game badly not only to end the four game losing streak but to beat his old team.

With a short week and only three days in between games for the 49ers and Bears, tight end Vernon Davis got the trash talking started yesterday saying the 49ers can “destroy” the Bears defensive line: “I think we can destroy their front. I don’t see anything spectacular about their front line.”
Being the team captain Davis was trying to provide motivation to his team suffering through a losing streak. Not that the team needs motivation but the Davis has a point. The Bears defense is not what it has been in past years especially with Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Urlalcher being out for the season among the other injuries suffered on defense. With the way the Bears played against the Cardinals last Sunday giving up five touchdown passes there is hope for the 49ers passing game. 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye should continue to open up the passing with shotgun and spread formations which is not only good for quarterback Alex Smith but the passing game should be able to gain a lot of yards and put up points on the scoreboard. Smith should have his biggest game of the year. The 49ers will not put up points like the Cardinals did, 41, (come on it is the 49ers we are talking about and they are not playing the Rams), but they should be able to score 30 points. Smith will need to make better decisions than he did against the Titans and limit his turnovers if the 49ers want to win the game. Smith could have a 300 yard passing game with most of the passes will be caught by the tight end Davis who will be covered by Bears linebacker Lance Briggs and safety Al Afalava. Afalava is a good cover safety but with the size, speed and agility of Davis he should have over 100 yards receiving and one touchdown. When an offense spreads out its formation it usually means the running back does not get a lot of carries or yards. Raye will never go away from running the football, especially when you have Frank Gore in the backfield, but with the wide receivers spread out and the defense covering, holes will open up for Gore. The best thing Gore has been doing well this season is finding an open hole and running for days to the end zone. With Davis, wide receivers Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan and Jason Hill the Bears secondary will be forced to cover the receivers while not blitzing on passing downs. This will help the 49ers offensive line who have struggled this season. The Bears will get their hurries on Smith and this is when he needs to limit his mistakes by throwing to the hot route or check-down option. The Bears defense gives up an average of 119 rushing yards per game this season and Gore will be looking to break that average and should have at least 100 yards rushing as the Bears are struggling to stop the running game.

On the defensive side of the football for the 49ers is where the game could be lost. Bears quarterback Jay Cutler had a good passing game against the Cardinals as they had to play catch up the whole game passing for 369 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Devin Hester is becoming a reliable receiver for Cutler and 49ers corner back Tarell Brown will get most of the assignments against Hester. Hester will make his plays but the 49ers need to limit his touchdown passes for them to pull out the win. I say this is because Bears tight end Greg Olsen will continue his great play from last week when he caught three touchdown passes. The 49ers defense for some reason cannot cover tight ends to save their life. They have given up games to Tony Gonzalez, Owen Daniels and Dallas Clark. That will continue with Olsen. Running back Matt Forte will have under 100 rushing yards as the 49ers D have been doing a good job stopping the rush. Another cause of concern for the 49ers is that they have not had a turnover since Dre’ Bly’s interception in week five against the Falcons in which Bly fumbled the football back to the Falcons during the return. Turnovers and the points scored off of them by the defense was partially the reason why the 49ers got off to their 3-1 start. It is no coincidence that the 49ers are 0-4 since their last turnover. For the Red and Gold to win at least one fumble or interception will be needed.

Special Teams might be an issue for the 49ers tonight. The kickoff and punter return rotation has currently fallen to forgotten wide receiver and offseason free-agent signee Brandon Jones on punts and to Michael Robinson on kickoffs to limited success. The Niners offense needs all the help it can get from the return team but has failed to gain any big yards this season in the return game. Where it really could become an issue for the special teams is in the kickoff and punt coverage. Anytime you have Hester returning kickoffs and punts the potential is always there for a touchdown. Bears wide receiver Johnny Knox has taken most of the kickoff returns this season and has one touchdown. The 49ers return coverage needs to be perfect.

Injury Report

49ers:

Out: CB Nate Clements (shoulder), RB Glen Coffee (concussion), T Joe Staley (knee)

Questionable: WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)

Bears:

Out: S Kevin Payne (back); LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee); RB Garrett Wolfe (back)

Prospectors Prediction

Bears 23 …..49ers 35

The losing streak ends tonight at four 49er Faithful. With the play of the Bears D and with the 49ers playing at home against Singletary’s former team the 49ers will be riding high for a victory and will quickly put points on the board early so in the second half they can avoid having to come back down from a big deficit. There will be a lot of passing in tonight’s game. Alex Smith will have a career game.

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Midseason Niners Still Have Long Way to Go

Eric Melendez — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 22:38:18 +0000

For every one or two steps forward the 49ers have made this season they seem to take three steps back. We were sold by head coach Mike Singletary and GM Scot McCloughan that this year’s version of the Red and Gold would be different than the past. Having gone through seven years of futility and no winning records I bought into what Singletary was selling. Everything was there for the Niners to succeed but for every progress there has been regression. We had drafted a prolific wide receiver in Michael Crabtree. We know what ensued after that and have only had Crabtree for three games but he has contributed. Could you imagine what he would be doing now if he had been in training camp?

Shaun Hill was named the starter before the season and like his predecessor he lost his job. I thought Hill gave us the best chance to win especially with Alex Smith being out of football all of last year due to shoulder surgery and that fact that he had little or no confidence being a quarterback because of his ups and downs as a starter and the feud he had with former head coach Mike Nolan. I thought Smith was done as a starter in the NFL and labeled him the newest number one draft bust. Fast forward to week seven with Smith starting the second half against the Texans and looked as if we actually had that number one pick QB. Smith looked average against the Colts, not leading any scoring drives in the second half and against the Titans he had four turnovers and four sacks. But could you imagine what those three games could have turned out to be like had Hill been the starter? Hill hated being labeled a game manager but really that is what he was. Hand the ball off to Frank Gore, if you do drop back to pass release it after three seconds and don’t turnover the football! Hill accomplished all of this in the first four games with a 3-1 record. However even in those four games the offense was ugly and most importantly the offense did not need to come back from big deficits. Even though he has made mistakes and has not won any games this year for the Niners Smith is the starter for the rest of the season and maybe the future for the 49ers. A lot depends on how he does in the second half of the season. Could you imagine what Smith could have been doing if he was named the starter early in the season?

Singletary took his time hiring an offensive coordinator in the off season. He interviewed many and got rejected by one, Scott Linehan who is the Lions current play caller. The 49ers play the Lions in week 16 at home. Eventually Singletary settled on Jimmy Raye who is veteran of the NFL and has experience. Most importantly I think he was hired because of his age, 63. The 49ers need stability at offensive coordinator and hiring a well seasoned play caller in Raye provides that. I highly doubt he will be offered any other coaching jobs no matter how well he does because of his age. Singletary and Raye wanted to install a run heavy offense that worked at first but when it came to having the offense score two or more touchdowns the offense failed. Hill does not have a deep arm and with his lack of mobility and the poor play of the offensive line was reasons why much could not get done in the passing game. Now with Smith as the starter Raye is adapting to his skills and using more spread formations with both runs and passes. Smith has a deeper arm and great mobility, he just needs to be able to put it all together in one game. The Bears game on Thursday will be a good test. Could you imagine what the 49ers could have been like right now had Raye opened up the playbook earlier?

There is certainly a pattern to the 2009 49ers half through the season; they start off games well and get a flow going but they lack the ability to finish games in the second half. Certain decisions could have been made earlier like realizing that you don’t have a good offensive line so running the football all the time won’t work especially if Gore is not in the backfield. The defense has been scorched for big plays this season but has played well over all. The offense does no favors to the defense by constantly sending them back onto the field after three and outs. The 49ers are almost there and while everyone thought this was a playoff bound team it has become evident that more work, experience and gelling is needed.

Prospectors Prediction

The rest of the way the 49ers have four games at home and four games on the road. They have a good chance to end their losing streak at home against the Bears on Thursday but will have to travel to Green Bay in week 11. The Niners will be coming off of nine days rest so the potential for a winning streak is high. The next three weeks are the Jaguars, Seahawks and Cardinals whom the Niners are capable of all beating. But with the play of the Niners in the first half a loss or two will be bunched in between there. Most likely the Cardinals at the Stick in week 14 because they are undefeated playing on the road. The Eagles will poise an up hill battle and the Lions and Rams should be automatic wins.

The Niners will close in on the Cardinals in the NFC West but those early losses will prevent us from the playoffs. Final record 8-8.