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When: Mon. 11/29 -
8:30 pm ET ESPN
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Satellite Radio
Mon. 11/29 - 8:30 pm ET - SIRIUS Ch TBD
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Televised: Mon.
11/29 - 8:30 pm ET - DirecTV Sunday Ticket - ESPN Ch
206
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Overview
Last Game
Meet the Niners
Cardinals Roster
Cardinals
vs. Niners Matchups
Overview:
The Niners Started off abysmally, but Mike
Singletary managed to right the ship at least to the point where
they won three games. Which puts them in a statistical tie with
the Cardinals who haven't played very well and have lost 5 in a
row. Both are 3 & 7.
Last Game:
The Niners were shut out by Tampa Bay 21 - 0.
First Quarter
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TB won the toss, started on its own 23 and
punted 7 plays later (after Freeman was sacked by Willis). SF
started on their own 28. A 14 yard completion from Troy Smith
to Gore and a roughing the passer penalty set the ball up on
the TB 42, but on the next play, Morgan fumbled after catching
a pass from Smith. TB recovered and started from their own 38.
SF held them to 3 & out. Niners started from their own 20.
Smith was sacked on the first play, and SF went 3 & out. TB
started out again from their own 38 and ran Blount 3 straight
times (followed by an "and out") turning the ball over to SF
on downs at the TB 47. Once again, Smith was sacked on the
first play from scrimmage. A 15-yard Smith scramble helped
move the Niners as far as the TB 37, but their drive stalled
and they were forced to punt. Touchback. TB started from their
own 20 and picked up a first down a play or two before the
quarter ended. First Quarter Score: Tampa Bay 0 - San
Fran 0.
Second Quarter
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Tampa Bay mixed in short passes with runs
by Blount to eventually cap a 14-[lay drive with a 6-yard TD
run by Cadillac Willians. Tampa Bay 7 - San Fran 0.
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Ginn returned the ensuing kickoff 30 yards,
and SF started from their own 39, going three & out. TB's ball
on their own 21. They picked up one first down before their
drive stalled and they were forced to punt from their own 38.
Niners started from their own 31 with 4:47 til halftime. They
too managed one first down before finally punting from the TB
44. Bucs got the ball back on their 10-yard line with 1:23
left til halftime and ran out the clock. Halftime
Score: Tampa Bay 7 - San Fran 0.
Third Quarter
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Niners returned the 2H kickoff to their
own 32 and Smith immediately hit Morgan for +17, but - after a
14-yard completion to Del Walker offset a holding call
on Baas a few plays earlier and then followed by an offsides
call on TB moved the ball to the TB 33, but that's as far as
they could get. They punted to the TB 6-yard line. Tampa Bay
dinked and dunked their way out of trouble, mixing runs by
Blount with short passes. A 22-yard pass completion to Stovall
moved the Bucs to the Niner 23 & helped set up a 41-yard FG
attempt. But it was wide-left. Niners took over at their own
31, but an illegal shift penalty forced them into a 3 &
out. Bucs got the ball back on their own 34. Freeman hit Mike
Williams for +33 and then Blount ran up the middle for +16.
Final play of the five-play drive was an 8-yard TD pass to
Mike Williams. Tampa Bay 14 - San Fran 0.
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Niners returned the KO to their own 26 and
reached their 35 in two plays as the quarter ended.
3rd Quarter Score: Tampa Bay 14 - San Fran 0
Fourth Quarter
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SF picked up a first down and moved to
their own44 before turning the ball over on downs. TB then
went 3 & out. SF got the ball back on their own 18. On the
second play from scrimmage, Smith pass intended for Morgan was
picked off and returned to the Niner 7-yard line. A defensive
holding call on R Smith helped set up a one-yard scoring pass
from Freeman to Penn. Tampa Bay 21 - San Fran 0
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The Niners were 21-points down, on their
own 31 with 8:18 left (We know that feeling). A 23-yard
completion from Smith to Morgan and a 7-yard completion to Del
Walker helped move them to the TB 39, but they couldn't get
any more done and turned the ball over on downs. TB got the
ball back on its own 39 with 6:19 on the clock. A 26-yard run
by Cadillac Williams was partly offset by an 8-yard running
loss by Blount. They finally punted to the Niner 9-yard line.
3:01 left to play (& no timeouts left). Smith picked up one
first down on a scramble and another after a roughing the
passer flag, but he also got sacked twice during the 9-play
possession and gave up the ball on downs on their own 47 with
0:38 left on the clock. One knee. Game Over.
Final Score: Tampa Bay 21 - San Fran 0.
Highlights/Lowlights
If This game looked
like your basic "war of attrition" marked by a lot of 3 & outs.
The difference was that, while Tampa Bay was good at playing
close-to-its vest "small ball", but punctuating it with a few big
plays, the Niners weren't as consistent nor were they able to come
up with big plays when they needed to. Especially noticeable was
the number of times SF failed to convert on 4th & short.
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TB led 20 to 11 in first downs.
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They were 7 for 14 in 3rd down efficiency
(vs. SF's 3 for 120.
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SF was 0 for 3 in 4th down conversions
(though it seemed a whole lot more)
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TB gained 50% more net yards than did SF
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TB picked up 162 net yards rushing on 42
carries. (SF gained 71 on 18)
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SF lost one fumble and one interception.
(TB was turnover free).
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Smith was sacked 6 times.
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Neither team was penalized much (3 apiece)
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TB was 3 for 3 (therefore the SF defense
was 0 for 0) in the Red Zone.
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TB clearly won Time of Possession 36:24 to
23:36
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Smith (16 for 31, 148 yards, 0 TD's, 1
Interception, 6 sacks) had a 51.5 Passer Rating.
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Gore was held to 23 yards on 12 carries.
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Niner QB Smith was the top ground-gainer,
scrambling 5 times for 45 yards
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Gore, Morgan & Del Walker were the three
top Niner receivers with 5, 4 and 3 receptions respectively.
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Lee averaged 37.8 yards per punt (30.0
yards net)
Meet the Niners
The Niners were the preseason darlings of
the NFC West, but came out of the starting blocks dead-last.
They've returned from the dead (at least somewhat) winning 3 games
and winding up a couple of games behind Seattle, a game behind StL
and tied with the Cardinals at 3 & 6. During those tumultuous days
of early season, HC Mike Singletary lost patience with his QB's in
a manner somewhat parallel to Ken Whisenhunt's reaction to the
Cardinal QB situation. A combination of injuries and bad play
caused Singletary to pull the trigger - first on Alex Smith and
then his backup Hill. He's currently going with former Ohio State
standout Troy Smith (who had escaped in the offseason from a QB
logjam in Baltimore). What you see in Smith thus far is a
potential playmaker who can beat you with his feet, but hasn't yet
figured out the pro passing game - at least to a point where he
can help his team win consistently. We're not sure what's going on
at the WR position, but apparently, Crabtree didn't play last week
and their go-to guy is Quincy Morgan. Neither did their TE star
Michael Crabtree. But there's always thumper Frank Gore to help
them grind away on the ground. We can't help but wonder out loud
whether Gore's paltry Tampa Bay numbers were mainly due to the
absence Crabtree and Davis, which in turn allowed Tampa Bay to
load up against Gore.
Defensively, the Niners have Pro Bowl LB Patrick
Willis and a solid, seasoned secondary, but (like the Cardinals)
there comes a point where - when the offense doesn't carry its
share of the load, there comes a time in each game and during the
season where the defense begins to buckle a little. That's my take
on the Niners.
Season Stats
|
49ers |
Opponents |
TOTAL FIRST DOWNS |
165 |
188 |
FIRST DOWNS
(RUSHING-PASSING-BY-PENALTY) |
52-101-12 |
53-115-20 |
THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS |
43/132 |
49/133 |
FOURTH DOWN CONVERSIONS |
6/11 |
2/6 |
TOTAL OFFENSIVE YARDS |
3,137 |
3,282 |
OFFENSE (PLAYS-AVERAGE YARDS) |
602-5.2 |
639-5.1 |
TOTAL RUSHING YARDS |
958 |
1,068 |
RUSHING (PLAYS-AVERAGE YARDS) |
244-3.9 |
289-3.7 |
TOTAL PASSING YARDS |
2,179 |
2,214 |
PASSING (COMP-ATT-INT-AVG) |
193-333-11-7 |
217-328-8-7.2 |
SACKS |
22.0 |
25.0 |
FIELD GOALS |
11/13 |
19/22 |
TOUCHDOWNS |
18 |
23 |
TOUCHDOWNS
(RUSHING-PASSING-RETURNS-DEFENSIVE) |
5-11-1-1 |
6-15-0-2 |
TIME OF POSSESSION |
29:05 |
31:26 |
TURNOVER RATIO |
-6 |
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Niners "go for it" on fourth down (11 times)
almost twice as often as do their opponents(6 times)
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This is reflected by only 13 field goal
attempts (vs. 22 by their opponents0
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They're minus-6 in net turnovers
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Other than that, they're not way behind
their opponents in any statistical area of play (though they
are a little bit behind in almost every area).
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Alex Smith had a 75.0 passer rating (59.1%
completion-rate, 9 TD's/9 Picks, Sacked 13 times). Troy Smith
has a 98.0 passer rating (57.7% completion-rate, 2 TD's/1
Pick, Sacked 11 times)
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However, Alex was sacked 13 times in 242
attempts (or once every 18.6 plays) whereas Troy's been sacked
11 times in 78 attempts (or once every 7.1 plays)
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Frank Gore has gained 801 ground yards for a
4.0 yards/carry average. The two "Smith brothers" have each
carried the ball 12 times.
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Top three Niner receivers are a RB with 46
catches (Gore), a TE with 38 catches (V Davis) followed by 36
26 19 WR's Crabtree (36), Josh Morgan (26) and Delanie Walker
(18)
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Nedney's the FG kicker and perfect from
inside the 50 (& 2 for 3 outside the 50).
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Lee outpunts his opponents in gross yardage
by nearly 4 yards per punt.
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Ted Ginn Jr. has returned 2/3 of all Niner
kickoff returns (24.1 yard average/no TD's/Longest Return:
61-yards).
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Patrick Willis, as usual, has the highest
number of tackles by far with 91 tackles. Following Willis is
Spikes (62), Clements (54) and Goldston (53)
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Justin Smith leads the team in sacks (5)
followed by Haralson and Willis with 4 apiece. Former Cardinal
Travis LaBoy is next with 3.
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Although the Niners gave up 6 sacks last
Sunday, they're still close to their opponents with 22 sacks
(vs. 25 for the opposition)
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Shawntae Spencer leads the team with 3
interceptions followed by Nate Clemons with 2.
Quarterbacks
01 Smith, Troy QB 6-0 217 26 4 Ohio
State
11 Smith, Alex QB 6-4
217 26 6 Utah 05 Carr, David QB 6-3 216 31 9 Fresno State
The Alex Smith trial may have gone the route of Matt Leinart. He
was replaced by the "other Smith" (Troy) after Game #7 (I think it
was due to the combination of an injury and the luxury of a Bye
week) and hasn't seen action since - Niners stopped a 1 & 6
early season skid, and have gone 2 & 1 under Troy's leadership. He
gives the Niners more mobility at the position with which to make
plays. Troy has a 98.0 passer rating (compared to Alex's 75.0).
But, while Alex was sacked ed once every 18.6 plays, Troy's been
sacked once every 7.1 plays. Troy has rushed 4, 3 and 5 times in
the 3 games he's played. (He's also been sacked 0, 5 and 6 times
in the three games he's played in).
Running Backs
21 Gore, Frank
RB 5-9 217 27 6 Miami (Fla.) 20 Westbrook, Brian RB
5-10 203 31 9 Villanova 24 Dixon, Anthony RB 6-1 233 23 R
Mississippi State 44 Norris, Moran FB 6-1 250 32 10
Kansas
Frank Gore, in some ways, continues to carry this offense. He's
basically a smashmouther with enough speed to break it when given
an opening. Opposing tacklers had better bring their big boy wrap
up techniques to avoid being blacktopped. We had expected more
from former Eagle Westbrook who has continued to make appearances
throughout the season but whose running attempts per game and
receptions per game have both ranged from 1 to 2.
Wide Receivers
15 Crabtree, Michael WR 6-1 214 23 2
Texas Tech
19 Ginn Jr., Ted
WR 5-11 180 25 4 Ohio State xx
Hill, Jason WR
84 Morgan,
Josh WR 6-0 219 25 3 Virginia Tech 17 Zeigler,
Dominique WR 6-3 185 26 2 Baylor
10 Williams, Kyle WR
5-11 186 22 R Arizona State
Crabtree has played in every Niner contest,
but has ranged a high of 9 catches (vs. Philly) to 1 catch in 2
other games. Morgan has appeared in every game with number of
catches ranging from 1 per game (in 3 games) to 6 vs. New Orleans.
Tight Ends
85 Davis, Vernon TE 6-3 250 26 5 Maryland
46 Walker, Delanie TE 6-0 242 26 5 Central Missouri
82 Byham, Nate TE 6-4 268
22 R Pittsburgh Davis is
2nd leading receiver with 38 catches. He's appeared in every game,
with catches ranging from a high of 8 (vs. Seattle) to a low of 1
(vs. Denver and Tampa Bay). With Troy Smith throwing the ball,
Walker has seen more action (with 4 catches vs. StL and 3 vs.
Tampa Bay).
Offensive Line
74 Staley, Joe
LT 6-5 315 26 4 Central Michigan
65 Sims, Barry T 6-5 300 35 12 Utah
68 Snyder, Adam T 6-6 325 28 6 Oregon
77 Iupati, Mike LG 6-5 331 23 R Idaho
64 Baas, David C/G 6-4 330 29 6
Michigan 69
Wragge, Tony G 6-4 310 31 6 New Mexico State
76 Davis, Anthony RT 6-5 323 21 R Rutgers
75 Boone, Alex T 6-7 328 23 1 Ohio State
62 Rachal, Chilo RG 6-5 323 24 3 USC
Four Niner linemen (Heitmann,McKillop,Patrick, C Taylor, are
listed as "being on reserve" (I assume it's due to injury). The
Niner starting five(staley, Ipuati, Bass, Davis and Rachal is
fairly well respected, though rookies Iupati and Davis are still
experiencing growing pains and Heitmann's replacement (Baas) seems
to get penalized a lot for a 6 year veteran. Niners have given up
11 sacks in the past 2 games, and Gore ran for yardage in the 20's
last week.
Defensive Line
90 Sopoaga, Isaac LDT 6-2 330 29 7
Hawaii 91
McDonald, Ray DT 6-3 290 26 4 Florida
92 Franklin, Aubrayo NT 6-1 317 30 8
Tennessee
95 Jean Francois, Ricky DT 6-3 295 23 2 Louisiana State
94 Smith, Justin RDT 6-4 285 31 10
Missouri 93
Evans, Demetric DT 6-4 275 31 9 Georgia
Niners consider their Front
Three to all be DT's (Makes sense to us). Smith leads the team in
sacks (with 5). It appears as though the Niner DL is morphing into
more of a "big front three" that occupies blockers so that
"Singletary's Guys" can flow to the ball, blitz the QB and make
plays.
Linebacker
99 Lawson, Manny SLB 6-5 240 26 5
North Carolina State
55 Brooks, Ahmad LB 6-3 259 26 5 Virginia
59 Gibson, Thaddeus LB 6-2 243 23 R Ohio
State 51
Spikes, Takeo TLB 6-2 242 33 13 Auburn
53 Bowman, NaVorro LB 6-0 242 23 R Penn State
52 Willis, Patrick MLB 6-1 240 25 4
Mississippi
57 Kristick, Keaton LB 6-3 234 22 R Oregon
State 98
Haralson, Parys WLB 6-0 255 26 5 Tennessee
54 LaBoy, Travis LB 6-3 250 29 6 Hawaii
Lawson and Haralson were originally brought
in by Mike Nolan as hybrid "rush LB/DE's, but seldom were healthy
enough to appear on the field at the same time. Spikes and Willis
are arguably the best inside tandem in the NFL, with rookie Bowman
already making his presence felt. Ex Cardinal LaBoy is a spot
pass-rushing specialist.
Secondary
36 Spencer, Shawntae LCB 6-1 190 28 7
Pittsburgh
25 Brown, Tarell CB 5-10 193 25 4 Texas
35 Adams, Phillip CB 5-11 193 22 R South
Carolina State
22 Clements, Nate RCB 6-0 205 30 10 Ohio State
31 James, Will CB 6-0 200 31 10 Western
Illinois 26 Brock,
Tramaine CB 5-10 197 22 R Belhaven
23 Mays, Taylor SS 6-3 230 22 R
Southern California
30 Smith, Reggie S 6-1 200 24 3 Oklahoma
38 Goldson, Dashon FS 6-2 200 26 4 Washington
27 Spillman, C.J. FS 6-0 199 24 2 Marshall
Spencer leads the Niners with
three interceptions. He and Clements are as solid a cornerback
pair as you'll find anywhere. Mays is up for Rookie of the Year. I
don't knowa whole lot about Goldson.
Special Teams
09 Andrus, Shane K 5-10 190 30 1
Murray State 06
Nedney, Joe K 6-5 220 37 15 San Jose State
04 Lee, Andy P/H 6-2 180 28 7 Pittsburgh
86 Jennings, Brian LS 6-5 242 34 11 Arizona
State
19 Ginn Jr., Ted KR/PR/WR 5-11 180
25 4 Ohio State
Nedney is quietly having one of his best years of a 15-season
career. Lee tends to outpunt opposing punters. While Ginn hasn't
done much damage thus far this season, he is one of the most
dangerous return men in a group that includes Sproles, Hester,
McCluster and our own LSH.
Coaching Staff
Mike Singletary
Head Coach
Mike Johnson Offensive Coordinator
Greg Manuskyl Defensive
Coordinator
Kurt Schottenheimer Special Teams Coordinator
Singletary is a bit "old school" (and like most people close to
the NFL scene, I like it). But he does seem to have
Diva-like qualities that oblige him to do controversial things and
make controversial statements that he later has to modify to the
press. He presumably came in to change the culture of the team,
and I think it would be hard to find anyone who didn't visualize
these Niners as a gritty Singletary Team" (compared to the
smarter, more finessy Niner teams of the Bill Walsh, Joe
Montana era). Niners are under relatively new ownership, and it's
unclear how much say Mr. York has over game-to-game strategy and
personnel decisions (Translation: Replacing Alex Smith with Troy
Smith).
Cardinal Roster
QB - 03 Anderson, 06 Hall, 19 Skelton,
Anderson continues to show improvement,
but hasn't yet tightened up his game to a point where we're
starting to win games. He seemed to be throwing before the break
more often, but he also continued to miss wide open receivers at
points in games where big plays have to be made. We don't expect
to see Hall anymore this season, and in fact, if Anderson were
injured, we'd expect to see Skelton before we saw Max (because
presumably the more prototypical, but raw Skelton would have had
the better part of a full season under his belt).
RB -
34 Hightower,
36
Stephens-Howling (KR/PR),
26, Wells, 31 Wright,
This continues to be a banged up group of
RB's. Beanie is starting to get healthy (and play that way). Hightower
continues to be effective in certain
situations (like snuggling up to the outside edge of the pulling
guard to get outside for nice yardage), but he still struggles
inside because he "can't make his own holes" the way Beanie can or
outrun speedy LB's to the outside the way LSH can.
FB - 45 Mau'ia
Mau'ia is our main lead blocker (though Wiz
will use an offensive or defensive
linemenor two in key short-yardage situations).
WR - 15 Breaston,
12 Roberts, 80
Doucet
WR -11 Fitzgerald, 14 S Williams, 18 Komar
The Fitz-Breaston-Roberts Trio
continues to look better and better. A healthier Doucet would make
this a formidable quartet, but he typically gets laid out like a
mummy after a big hit at some point in every game.(Fitz's hands
have lost 5 - 10% of their Velcro this year. Cards haven't
needed Williams as much as they did earlier in the
season. Roberts continues to improve and emerge as our #4 (&
possibly our #3) guy.
TE - 89 Patrick,
83 Spach,
81
Dray
Patrick shows flashes (as does Dray), but
let's face it - TE is not the dominant position it is on some
other NFL teams. Spach is the best blocker of the bunch, and will
occasionally come up with a key catch, but continues to be penalty-prone
(& it drives us nuts).
LT- 75 L Brown,
LG-
66
Faneca, 70 Hadnot
OC- 63Sendlein,
62
Claxton,
(70 Hadnot)
RG-
76
Lutui
RT -
73
Bridges, 74 Batiste
This unit is not horrible and is beginning to run block better, but
lacks the consistency you'd expect from a Russ Grimm-coached line. Just once,we'd like to see this unit take over a
game and allow us to run the ball down the other team's throat.
I still believe that both coaches and fans are kidding themselves
that the Cardinal O-line "isn't really
that bad." The lack of consistency and reliability is part of
why the Cards can't put away opposing teams.
DE - 93
Campbell
NT - 97 B Robinson, 98 Watson,
92 D Williams
DT - 90 Dockett, 78 Branch
Campbell has not been playing to 2009 standards, Robinson gives us
a somewhat smallish and softish middle and Dockett has been
playing hurt. Branch has performed beyond expectations and Watson
and Williams provide needed bulk. The lack of a more physical
presence on our Front Three is one reason why opposing QB's have
time to throw deep and why we can't stop teams from stealing games
from us in the 4th quarter.
OLB1 - 55 Porter
ILB
51
Lenon,
52 Obiozor
ILB-
54 Hayes, 58 D Washington,
56 Walker,
OLB2
-
53
Haggans
It looks though Will Davis (broken fibula)
is done for the year, but the good news is that Haggans appears to
be back. Lenon has been up and down this season - sometimes in
position to make
big playsl, but at other times flowing to the wrong gap on running
plays. Hayes adds a physical presence vs. the run, but is a liability in coverage.
We don't begrudge him the right to stick up for himself or his
buddies, but we wish he'd be a bit more careful about (fairly or
unfairly) getting flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct. Sometimes I
feel Porter is playing lights-out, but at other times have
questioned whether he's more talk than action. Washington can be
trusted when he's in there, but still has a ways to go on the
learning curve.
RCB -
28 Toler,
37 McBride,
30 M Green
LCB-
29 Rodgers-Cromartie,
27 Adams, 20
Jefferson
SS- 24 Wilson,
22 Ware,
41 Abdullah,
40
Tillman
FS- 25 Rhodes,
49
Rash Johnson
These guys continue to have problems covering big, physical wide receivers.
Until we stop their "big guy", they will continue to repeatedly
"do it to us." This week we draw Crabtree and Vernon Davis. (Have
a nice day)! Toler hurt his foot. He and DRC haven't lived up to
their preseason hype. Jefferson saw action last week and did a
great job covering a speedy WR deep. Rhodes may be having the best
season of any Cardinal defensive player. Adrian Wilson is
beginning to frustrate us. He did seem to bring more juice to our
last game vs. KC, but even then, we caught him grabbing at
thin-air trying to tackle a runner and take a wide, looping,
circuitous route to the passer; which - since there was no way
he'd ever reach the QB in time; nor be available to help out deep
- effectively took himself out of the play (which, as it turned
out, was one of those deep completions behind our coverage). The
key to the rest of our season, to a great extent, rests here.
K-04
Feely P- 05 B
Graham,
H - 05 B Graham
LS-
82 Leach
KR -
37Stephens-Howling
PR -
12 Roberts, 15 Breaston,
37Stephens-Howling
Feely's done what's been
asked of him. Graham's production has fallen off of late.
Stephens-Howling (aka LSH and "The Hyphen") has proved he's the
"real deal", but he's still healing some lingering
ouchies. The only reason he shouldn't make the Pro Bowl as a
returner is because of the abundance of dramatic kick returners
(like Leon Washington or Devon Hester). Roberts is looking
better and better.
Cardinals vs. Niners Matchups
Cardinals
Injuries Cardinals (a) placed Will Davis
(broken leg) on IR and (b) released RB Alfonso Smith (who was then
re-signed to the PS) , while (c)
re-signing WR Max Komar and (d) elevated DB Marshay Green from the
practice squad. We also understand that Clark Haggans is finally
ready to roll. They added defensive lineman Jeremy Navarre (who's
6-3 279 out of Maryland.
Coach Ken Whisenhunt says both cornerback Greg
Toler (foot) and defensive end Calais Campbell (ankle) will be
game-day decisions and were among six players listed as
"questionable" (The others were WR Steve Breaston (knee), RB LaRod
Stephens-Howling (hamstring), LB Clark Haggans (groin) and NT Dan
Williams (toe). DT Darnell Dockett
(shoulder), WR Early Doucet (head), CB Michael Adams (ribs), LB
Reggie Walker (hamstrring) and S Kerry Rhodes (hand/back) are all
probable. Although LB O Brien Schofield is getting more and more
involved, Wiz cautions that we shouldn't see the rookie be in for
a significant number of snaps just yet.
49'ers Injuries
K Joe Nedney (knee), CB Williams James (concussion at
practice) are doubtful. S Dashon Goldson (ankle) is questionable.
T Joe Staley (fibula) is out
Niner Passing Attack
vs. Cardinal Pass Defense
Troy Smith is a more mobile, less easily rattled QB than was
Alex Smith. He has a varied assortment of targets available to him
- with his TE's (Davis & Walker), RB (Gore) and WR's Crabtree and
Morgan to occupy the Cardinal secondary. (& there's always the
somewhat less than effective but ever dangerous home-run threat in
Ginn). The Niner offensive line is talented, but has two rookies
(albeit good ones) on it and starting LT Joe Staley (fibula) is
"out." This unit has given up 5 and 6 sacks in their
past two games (Perhaps the Cardinal pass rushers can pick up
something on the game tapes).
The Cardinals never got close to Cassell last
week. I'd have to take a closer look, but it didn't seem as though
Billy Davis was pulling out every bizarre weapon from his bag of
tricks - they were wreaking very little havoc in the KC backfield.
With all the time in the world in which to operate, Cassell did a
good job of slicing and dicing the Cardinal secondary (Once again
it was the big #1 receiver - Bowe - who ate our lunch in
coverage). Going strictly according to past pattern, this figures
to be a big Monday night for Crabtree unless Davis and the
Cardinal offense come up with answers.
Niner Running Attack vs.
Cardinal Run Defense So goes Frank Gore, so go the
NIners., Last Sunday, he gained 23 yards on 12 carries
(Think he's going to be out for blood, Monday night)? The key to
stopping Gore is attacking him in the right gap - i.e. if you
don't attack him, he will blacktop you as though you were on
roller skates. If you don't wrap him up, he will drag you for
extra yardage. But if, in your aggressiveness, you attack the
wrong gap, he's long gone. The presence of Hayes should be
helpful, but we have to hope this will be one of those weeks where
Paris Lenon is flowing to the right gap and blowing things up.
Cardinal defenders have had games where they've
kept opposing RB geniis locked up in their bottles. But there have
been other contests where a big opposing RB has eaten us up alive.
We like our run defense better when Dan Williams is in the middle
and Alan Branch is protecting the left side at DE. One point of
vulnerability may be Dockett, who (though the heart may be strong
and the mind willing) may be still too banged up to hang tough
against the run.
Cardinal Passing Attack
vs.
Niner Pass Defense
Two weeks ago, I was convinced that Derek Anderson had "hit the
plateau" and that the plateau wasn't at a high enough level. My
chief concern - he couldn't throw prior to the break and was
hitting his receivers too late for them to avoid being blown up or
running for enough yards after the catch. But Derek suprised me
and seemed to do a better job of hitting his receivers on time and
on target. Problem was, however, that in too high a percentage of
the time, he'd miss a wide open receiver - often enough to prevent
us from staying in games let alone eventually winning them.
Anderson and Cardinal receivers seemed to be on
the same page more often last Sunday, and the receiving unit is
healthy enough that we can put out four receivers on the field all
at one time who can go get it. (Five if you include Steven
Williams).
Working with multiple receiver sets is important
when you're playing the Niners, because Spencer and Clements are
Pro Bowl caliber corners but the depth is questionable, so we may
be able to exploit this by having Fitz, Breaston, Roberts & Doucet
out there all at one time. Another reason for going with 3 or 4
receivers is that it might prevent Rookie of the Year candidate
Taylor Mays from moving up into the box to stop the run. Because
of the presence of Mays, this may not be a good week to be
throwing a lot to our RB's or TE's. While the Niners aren't known
for their ferocious pass rush, both Bridges and L Brown will have
their hands full keeping pass rushers like Justin Smith, Paris
Haralson, Manny Lawson or Travis LaBoy from getting in Anderson's
face (And don't be surprised if the Niners don't occasionally
shoot in Patrick Willis
Cardinal Running Attack
vs.
Niner Run Defense
The Cardinal running attack appeared to perk up,and
Beanie Wells started to look a bit healthy (& frisky) last
Sunday vs. the Chiefs. Then he suffered a shoulder stinger. The
thing about Beanie is that - when no hole appears - he sometimes
can create his own ones to bull his way through. Hightower (whose
strength is getting to the edge and riding the outside shoulder of
the seal-off blocker) is not powerful enough to make his own
holes. LSH has a different answer - when there's no hole inside,
he's quick enough to bounce outside.
Niners are fairly tough vs. the run (giving up
under 4 yards per carry). Patrick Willis is one of the best pure
tackling machines in the NFL. He already has 91 tackles to his
credit, with the year barely half over. SS Taylor Mays isn't
exactly chopped liver either.The Cardinals should continue to dial
up more running plays for two reasons: (1) to keep pass rushers
honest and (2) because one of these days, the running attack is
going to take off (i.e. if we don't try to run the ball, how will
we ever know)?
Special Teams
Nedney and Feely are like two peas in a pod as kickers. Graham
hasn't been as sharp in the second quarter of the season as he was
during the first four games. Lee usually outpunts his opposing
kicker by an average of 4 gross yards. Ginn is downright scary in
the return game (but so far this season, he hasn't broken anything
spectacularly long). If LSH is healthy, he could represent a key
advantage for the Cardinals.
Final Word
The two teams are tied for last in the NFC West, but have
reached the 3 & 6 marks coming from opposite directions - the
Niners have won 2 of their last 3 games. The Cardinals are trying
to put the brakes on a 0 & 5 skid. Both teams are feeling the
pain. Singletary (true to form) "apologized" for losing a shutout
by TB last week. Whisenhunt - ever the engineer - is trying to
keep his team focused on"doing the things we know will make us
successful." We should benefit from home field advantage
(hopefully avoiding most of the fan-loudness miscues that caused
us to commit 11 penalties last Sunday in KC).There will be some
expanded commentary on my blog, but the gist of it is: "How much
do you love playing football?" Do you love it on every play? " Do
you love each series you play?" "Each quarter?" "Each season?"
"How much do you love it?" '
The team that loves football the most will win
Monday.
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