Dallas, coming off a dismal 6-10 season, and an embarassing loss to the J-E-T-S on Sunday night would seem to be ripe for the plucking. Tony Romo tossed a game-ending INT in the last minutes, and fumbled and stumbled his way (5-12, int, lost fumble) to an epic 4th quarter meltdown which led to Nick Folk’s game winning 50 yard FG with 27 seconds remaining after Romo get them to a 14 point lead to start the 4th.
Dallas gained 340 yards through the air, so this looks to be a huge indication of how well our newly formed defensive backfield has coalesced. Witten, Romo’s favorite target, should be jammed at the line constantly. Knock him off his routes early and often. However, it’s hard to double him when they have Dez Bryant and Miles Austin waiting to catch balls. Regardless of Romo’s meltdown, Dallas has a strong passing game, but did give up 4 sacks that caused two Romo fumbles.
Bringing the pressure is going to be key. The Niners were able to get away with a fairly vanilla defense vs Seattle. The Niners were just blowing their O line away for the most part, so blitzing wasn’t used much, or needed much. The hope is that they dial up some different looks (like say Willis getting some backfield action) and get some unblocked guys in the backfield. Romo gets as skittish as a kitten when under constant pressure, hitting him early would help. The last time these guys played, the Niners were able to get pretty consistent edge pressure, but AF had one of his weakest games in his time here, and couldn’t push Stepnowski back, so Romo was able to step up and hit passes downfield.
Safety work is aslo big. Whitner and Williams played pretty well most of the game. Rogers had a nice breakup of a pass in the end zone, and Williams was wrongly called on the hit he laid on McCoy to break up a pass down the middle. Don’t know if Goldson even gets back in the line up after what they showed. There were only a couple times that the coverages were blown, and one of them went for a 55 yard score.
Offense? Well, we’ll see. Dallas gave up a lot through the air, and the Jets didn’t run much anyway. Keeping DeMarcus Ware in check looks to be a tall order. Getting a decent run game going woukld go a long way to helping out the offense as a whole. As the Jets showed, these guys can be passed on. But Dallas WILL bring pressure. VD needs to get his ass open, and Edwards should get some shit thrown his way. Crabs should be passed up by Kyle Williams very soon. Morgan? He’s a strong 3.
All in all, this game is a strong test for this young Niner team. Win, and they’ll be the toast of the NFL, for a few hours anyway. Lose a tough one, and they’ll still gain some recognition. Lay an egg, and the little attention these guys get will fall off the map. This game, more than last week’s game, will be determined by the QB play. Give Smith some time, and crowd Romo, and these guys can win this.
Chuck: he’s had the many opportunites because he’s been liked by every coach- the problem until Harbaugh was that they didn’t know what to with him. They repeatedly insisted on shoving him into the “I” and throwing only on throwing downs. Like the pitcher who always throws fastballs in fastball counts, they got roughed up for it.Harbaugh will not go that route, there were already 4 or 5 plays that we virtually never saw before, and there will be more. Damn right Harbaugh won’t go conservative, he’s no idiot- look at the Green Bay game I cited- do you think for a second Harbaugh lets a team take a 3 TD lead and only throws the ball 7 times? Think again..
If Smith makes mistakes to cost ballgames, he’ll get the shit. But if they lose games because of a stodgy, Jimmy Raye type offense, it will come squarely down on Jimbo, he has no fucking goodwill built up to the extent that the fans are giving him a fucking pass for running the Nolantary “O”. As the year goes on they’ll want the WCO offense they remember- and they’ll love the hell out any QB who runs it successfully.
Getting the stadium is predicated on the Niners being successful no matter who is at QB. As of now, it’s Harbaugh’s job to make Alex successful. Can he do it? Well, you never know. Stranger shit HAS happened. As with all the Brodie talk, sometimes guys get their shit together later in their careers. Sometimes the right circumstance presents itself. Plunkett was forever surrounded by shitty teams (NE, SF) until he got to Oakland (or LA, I can’t remember). Does this mean Smith suddenly becomes a winner? Hah! I wouldn’t bet on it, but like I said, this is the 4th Smith-phoenix to rise from the ashes of another lost season.
We will see soon enough. If we know anything, the team as it stands right now is a solid if unspectacular middle-of-the-pack team. As we all know with (sorry, V) parity, teams can turn shit around pretty fast just by a few tweaks here and there. An offense that develops into a half-way effective unit would go a long way to becoming a solid slightly formidable football team. God forbid Smith develops into a decent starter. Another thing that could very well happen. Then what?
2 year deal.
Then, this city is headed for a disaster of biblical proportions. Old Testament, real wrath of God type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies! Rivers and seas boiling! Forty years of darkness! Earthquakes, volcanoes… The dead rising from the grave! Human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together… mass hysteria!
Look at Jimbo’s ratings his first 5 or 6 years.
He’s already “decent”. Now people name their dogs after him, or their daughters. when it’s their sons, Alex wins.
They win one more game and they could already be out of the Luck sweepstakes. Hope there’s no one thinkiing they ever had a chance.
Luck ends up inOhio. Which team is undetermined, but it’s Cleveland or Cincy. . . .
If Peyton Mannings inury/surgery is as serious as some report, don’t count out NE in the Luck sweepstakes.
Regarding the stadium, I just don’t think Harbaugh will ever turn Alex into a Super Bowl contender, or human highlight reel. Alex Smith doesn’t have the vision, he’s too slow of foot, his delivery is really slow, he telegraphs his passes, still has radar lock and he isn’t mobile. I’ve read Unca and Grump’s saying because of Brodie there’s still hope, but they’re wrong. Harbaugh will improve Smith’s play because of play calling and better articulation of what to do against certain defenses, but he isn’t going to build a new quarterback out of Alex Smith parts. Alex Smith will improve but not enough to bring a new stadium.
The stadium gets built if Harbaugh and Baalke find a dynamic quarterback true fans can get excited about. The Niners need an Aaron Rogers, Mike Vick, Phillip Rivers-type to push the stadium through. Granted, those guys don’t grow on trees, but that’s exactly what the Yorks need to get their stadium deal done. Just dumping Alex Smith would go a long way towards raising more capital.
NE, or Indy?
whoops, yeah Indy
ANY stadium deal is 5 years off. It’s not like there’s a make-or-break date coming up. Santa Clara was destined to fail, and the pproposed plans have already proven to be deeply flawed in design and infrastructure.
That is, unless the Yorks suddenly decide to sell to Larry Ellison, and he builds a stadium in the fog over SF. If this team has a new stadium here by 2016, I’ll be amazed.
The Stadium that the “Worst QB in the History of the Niners” killed.
Scott Bull has nothing to do with this, dumbfuck.
Scott Bull didn’t have the necessary requirements to make my competition, dumbfuck.
Blah blah blah. Yer giving V a run for his inane money.
How insulting….. to V. He’s a mental giant compared to me. His insights are second to none. I can only hope to channel half his brilliance.
With the way the economy is the stadium is toast, unless it is funded like AT&T. There is no public funding available, see Sacramento Kings as an example. So unless some private investers come up with a plan, it is not happening.
http://www.csncalifornia.com/pages/ninersvideo?PID=hXWM2-yQRpZTmcNZvMltVEcg3Ra7qJ1mr20Ntd
Only guys in the Bay Area tellin’ it like it is!
I’m not sure if this was a typo, but I just read that Crabtree is limited by “feet”. Not a foot, but “feet”. Fuck that dude. Once he actually does something at this level, other than cry like a girl at the back of the enzone, I will pay attention to him again. Otherwise, gimmie me some Joshua Moranua. And by the end of the year, should he steer clear of The Santa Rita Jail, Edwards is going to be a very cool story for us in 2011.
All of you are still bunching your wet panties about Smith and his deficits and Harbaugh and the vanilla offense. But, the same concern needs to be applied to the defense. It’s not like they were running any complicated shit. The Dallas O is infinitely more complicated than the Seattle…..whatever the hell that was. We can beat Dallas if Fangio goes crazy-aggressive-blitz-Ninja-kamakazi on those fuckers. Romo is in desperate need of a Jessica Simpson blowjob to calm his frailed nerves but that will not be coming his way. He’s fucked this weekend, as long as we put pressure on him.
And after the defense wins the game for us I can’t wait to read all about how Alex Smith was responsible for losing it for us. Except for the fact that we won the game……..
Flavor I’m with you regarding Crabtree at this point. How is a WR ever going to establish timing and chemistry with his QB if he’s constantly absent from the Pre Season slate?
He’s a perfect fit for a WCO because he’s got the ability to snatch and go. His issue is running the routes to perfection which he and Alex can’t seem to master.
It’s somewhat of a nice position to be in for Harbaugh & Fangio. No one knows what to expect.
All valid opinions here, (save the testosterone), but I think we all agree that this is a brand new system with new Staffers and live ammo.
Harbaugh impresses me as a guy who like the challenge of being the underdog. He will rally his soldiers and give them each a set of marching orders to master. Alex as the Field General, will have Jim in his ear and around his neck, every step of the way. Something Alex has not had since his arrival.
I don’t sell our guys short, because I think they all feel the enegy Harbaugh is radiating.
I predicted a 6-10 Season, I’m looking for a competitive effort and, small steps each week as they attempt to master the vision Jim and Vic are teaching.
I want to see our guys wearing the same chip on their shoulders that Harbaugh is. Find matchups every week that you think you can win and attack them.
It’s a chess game. Calculate and execute.
Even though that ‘bring the house on every play’ on defense strategy sounds real good and probably works in Madden games more often, in the real world it’s risky and even reckless.
One of the tent poles of defense is don’t give up the big play. Real DCs play with realisitic expectations and recognize the risk of getting burned on a blitz that doesn’t get there. Especially when their offense is not the high-powered move the ball down the field in a hurry type.
We played a lot of man free defense against the ‘hawks and won most of those battles up front with our pressure guys.
The trick is in bringing the blitz when and from where least expected. A zone blitz here and there with the lineman dropping into shallow zone coverage. Some gaming with a lineman-linebacker, stunts up front but rarely twice in a row and always trying to minimize the risk.
Somebody should man Witten when he releases. Who is that man with Manny gone? SS? With Willis on the first guy out of the back field they could kill us with crossing routes in man and in the flat zone the blitzer vacated.
OLB? There goes the five man pressure. It almost demands more zone, at least underneath, but that seemed to slow us down against the Seahawks. Probably a situational mix works best here but are we proficient enough to make it effective?
A few misses and you’re too far behind without enough time to catch up and find yourself going to a bend-don’t break to prevent more scoring .
Let’s hope the front pressure guys can keep Romo contained and rattled without depending on too much blitzing. On his back a few times, too.
NoFear,
I agree with you to an extent about blitzing being reckless, but I also believe in being aggressive in every aspect of football. The minute you play conservative is the minute you’ve accepted a death of a thousand small cuts. To me, blitzing isn’t all or nothing, but more like good play calling of offense. When do you blitz? When do you sit back? and when do you go all man coverage?
I just re-watched the Niner / Seattle game again, and Navorro Bowman and Patrick Willis spied Tavaris Jackson a lot. The Niners rushed 4 with Willis or Bowman pretty much standing at the line waiting for TJ to commit to something. It was obvious they weren’t rushing because TJ was scanning the field in the pocket and our spies weren’t looking for backs – they were focused on TJ runs. Now if the Niners can defend Seattle with six, it doesn’t mean they can defend Dallas with six, but Dez Bryant is injured. If he doesn’t play, I’d double Witten and Austin and make Choice beat us. Make it a Frank Gore vs Choice game and we have a chance. The other scenerio that I think works is bring the house at Romo because of his recent failures. Either way, we have a much better chance if Dez Bryant is out.
It’s Felix Jones you mook.
You don’t pay much attention to detail. I bet you’re a wizard when it comes to following instructions. Move over Gandalf. For it is Spit — Lord of the Mooks.
We’ll see Fangio mix it up some, but with Dallas just having rebuilt its offensive line (2 rookies I believe), I’d expect the basic defensive game plan will be to try to get pressure on Romo rushing four straight up. If we do that, Romo will struggle, and we very possibly could win. I only see Fangio blitzing on every down if the front four in the nickel cannot get it done.
If we do not get pressure… well, I don’t like the odds of their Dez and Austin and Witten against our CBs and safeties. Our guys seem adequate, but both of those guys are pretty good.
the big problem coming up is the dallas pass rush ! harbaugh has done a good job so far with our 0-line ! imho we looked pretty good up front for the first time in years !
i hate to say it but don’t be surprised if we struggle protecting the QB this week . we still have a new center , two rookies from last year and raw rachal as four of our five starters! add a new system and it’s pretty early to have to face a front seven like dallas’!
It is not only the new guys who worry me. Joe Staley has been pretty erratic the last year. He looked pretty mediocre against the Texans, even their second stringers. Now he’ll be looking at DeMarcus Ware. Joe had better bring his A game Sunday.
i think staley will do ok. and at least with harbaugh as HC we’ll be smart enough to help account for ware and give joe as much help as we can against him . i would be surprised if staley doesn’t give up at least one sack to ware one on one … we just have to find ways to offset ware’s impact (sack/pressure) on the game !
Or he can bring his D game and get Alex killed. I’m okay with that.
Spit, only you would think that Bill “Ispit in your Face, steroid boy Romanoski, is great sports analyst. I would not give Bill’s opinion one grain of believability
dude what did you expect … his name is SPIT !
of course he like romanowski !
LOL
Romanowski’s the only dude not afraid to lose his job. All other guys are company men. I think the Green Room is designed to let players speak their minds. I think it’s a great idea. I think Eric Davis is a little compromised by his radio gig.
Well, a hallmark of the Nolanuskytary defense was the underneath zone. Sometimes it worked (see NO and Atl last year), other times, it was riddled by big TEs running drag routes and screen plays out of the backfield (see KC and the 1st Seattle game last year). The key to Witten is to hit him on the line and try to keep close. Allowing him to come clean off the line is usually a recipe for Dallas moving the ball down field with ease.
As far as the pass rush goes, McDonald was fairly impressive against Seattle. Haralson even looked good at times. Dallas retooled their line as well, so the hope is the Niners can get pressure from the front 4 (they usually go 4-3 in passing situations). Soap HAS to get a push up the middle to keep Romo from stepping up. Still and all, I’d love to see a couple surprise Willis blitzes. Preferably blind-side blitzes. The man coverage and safety work was good as well. BUT Dallas brings more weapons to the table, and a better QB. Dallas’ run game is fairly non-existent, so the focus should fall on Romo and pressure. Watch the screen though.
As has been said, this is a big challenge for Harbaugh and Co. A win, or even a close loss, would do a lot for vaildating these guys in a hurry. Our O line needs a great day to keep DeMarcus Ware under control, and at some point, the Niners need to get Gore going.
Comcast Sports Net had some interesting side bets:
Over/under on Ware sacks at 1.5.
Which team has more sacks?
Who would have more catches? Witten or VD?
The Niners are getting 3 points. Over/under is 42. That’s pretty high. The Niners need to hold up their end.
Dallas and the OVER and you can thank me later.
With my requisite 20% gratuity. But of course…
A close loss would do nothing except bring out the “same old” cries. I see it as a game they need to win.I don’t buy that Harbaugh has some extended honeymoon. It lasts as long as Smith plays well or until he dumps him.
Cool pics from the SF Gate
http://tinyurl.com/4xvtmmf
Very cool,Kevin. Thanks.
I had some of those guys on my old blog as past players of the day.
Guess I should restart that . . . .
Apropos of nothing, but the pic I found for McDonald (I have to link to those) is from the same game I took the pic of Brooks sacking Stanton . . .