Game one of the Jim Harbaugh era was a resounding success for the nascent head coach and the revamped coaching staff. I was especially surprised at the defense’s consistent pressure from a fairly basic set. The Niners didn’t blitz much, and therefore had good downfield coverage for the most part. The DBs were solid most of the time as well, and Rogers had a nice breakup in the end zone. Seattle, though, started going downfield more in the 2nd half, and they moved the ball much better in the 2nd half rather than the 1st. To the tune of outscoring the Niners 17-3 on offense. Fangio has spent enough time in the NFL to know his way around a defense, and he had to be happy with the results. Seattle has a very young line, and the Niners had their way with them.
The offense on the other hand was restrained to say the least. Seattle was intent on not letting Gore beat them, and they held him in check all day, minus a couple good runs. The passing game was dinks and dunks most of the time, and the red zone offense was bland to say the least. No mistakes by Young Sir Alex, but one TD in five trips to the red zone isn’t the way to dominate opponents. The one thing Smith has shown in his career is his taking care of the ball in the red zone. To the tune of 30 TDs to one pick.
The return game? Well what can you say? Ginn scored 2 times and iced the game for the 49ers. The Niners gave up a punt return for a TD, but it was called back due to an illegal block in the back. One that actually sprung the return, so there you go. You take your chance and hope it doesn’t get called. The Ginn TD on the kickoff return was critical to the game as the Seahawks had cut the lead to 19-17, and the Niner offense had mustered only one decent 2nd half drive (for yet another FG). A bit galling was the 6 shots the offense had inside the 10 (due to a roughing the kicker call on a made FG) to score a TD, yet couldn’t. This team has too many weapons to not try things a little bit more risky than Gore left, Gore right, Gore up the middle. I understand getting the lead to two scores, but Seattle ended up getting a TD in about 45 seconds.
All in all a solid effort. Going forward, they need to get this offense up to a higher speed. Sure, they played it safe due to their opponent, but Dallas, while not a top-tier team, is better than Seattle in many different ways. This will be a truer test as to how far this team has progressed in this compressed timeframe. As The J-E-T-S showed, Dallas can be thrown on. VD should get some heavy action, as well as Braylon Edwards. So, bombs away . . .
Forty Niners Forever 
Well, as I posted before the Seattle game, I consider Dallas the biggest game of the early season, perhaps the year. And therefore, Smith’s. I do not anticipate a “vanilla” offense, I think we’ll see a much more aggressive game plan- this will be a huge game for Smith, he needs to beat a pretty good team and I think he’ll need to do it in the air.
Alright, I’m gonna pipe in here.
1) Spit does add valid stuff sometimes. He even displays a sense of humor, as do others. It is not all anti-Smith-all-the-time dribble. But apparently he is easily provoked, and then sometimes goes into boring (to me anyway) mode.
2) The gay stuff is fucking boring. The macho shit is fucking boring.
3) Anything relating to whether Smith is good or not is beyond fucking boring, unless the boring is boring a hole through my temple with a GD ice pick. It’s been talked about, hashed around, over and fricking over.
4) And people do need to lighten the fuck up. And if you can’t lighten up, then please, whatever you do, continue to make overstated, gross generalizations about EVERY SINGLE person who has ever said ANYTHING on Chuck’s blog, being certain to categorize them as ALL one way or ALL the other without any sense that there can be subtle differences in people’s expression of their own PERSONAL opinion.
Boring.
Easily provoked? I’m a model of self control. I’m going to lay the greatest beat down in the history of FF on your team this week for hurting my feelings.
So now this dipshit says that having an opinion other than what he holds on Smith is “squashing debate? ” Why don’t you everyone know your position on everthing so all can get in line with the Spit Way. I called it- Blog Nazi.
Let’s change the subject, shall we? Let’s talk secondary. Dez Bryant, Miles Austin, Witten …. I can’t even remember who their running back is anymore. Carlos Rogers better bring his A game. I wonder if it’s Reggie Smith or Dashon in this one? Williams played well enough on Sunday to enter into the conversation, but there were two blown coverages. Can’t have blown coverages against the Cowboys. And we must punish Tony Romo.
I am soaking in the realization that freedom of speech on blogs is a very good thing. However, being repetitive, threating, and tedious is not. It sounds like there is history here that is likely to remain for a long-time. For people like me who have been “insane” for years, it’s kinda like water off a ducks back. I like reading both of you guy’s posts. Twin, being an Alex Smith hater myself doesn’t mean i don’t respect your opinion.
We almost certainly will have a few blown coverages. Too many new guys playing in the secondary. So it will fall to the pass rush to try to tear Romo’s head off before he sees them, and the offense to hold up its end.
Its not an impossible game to win, but it’s abundantly clear that the Cowboys should be favored. Hopefully JH and Fangio can cook up some witches’ brew to befuddle them for 60 minutes.
So, we done?
Cool.
Everyone the world over has their opinion regarding Alex. Ranging from smelly turd to a diamond in the rough who needs some coaching up.
We are at game one of the 2011 season. Howz about we hold off on the Smith debate until the bye week. Game by game, or even play by play dissecting of Smith and his foibles is akin to shoving flaming bamboo shoots under one’s fingers and toenails.
Spit, love the passion, but you’ve been all over the Smith argument. The ONLY reason you have been spewing your shit lately is because Twinfan had some good things to say about him. Leave it at that. You ain’t changing his mind. He ain’t changing yours.
Spare the rest of us the constant back and forth. It’s as boring as last year’s offense.
So a simple motherfucking “played well” should launch this days old spiel? Bullshit, In stating an opinion on how the game went, an OPINION on QB play is hardly out of line. I’m not going to abide being attacked over a totally non-offensive and totally supportable post. I thought Smith played well. BFD. For the sake of the blog, you guys should try to keep your boy Spit under control. I have zero intebntion of taking shit from him.
Well, they should call me then ’cause I have some witch’s brew that leaves me in constant befuddlement. 24/7/365.
Jesus fucking Christ. J.T. O’Sullivan, worst QB in 49er history. Move on
The criteria was three years at qb. Would you like me to rehash said parameters?
Alex didn’t fit your own rigged criteria, pal.
From MM’s offensive analysis:
“Gore takes the hand off toward the left side against a nine-man box.”
“Against an eight-man box, Gore takes the handoff and starts out toward right guard. ”
“Against 10 men in the box, Hunter tries to run off right guard.”
I wonder what freedom Smith has under Harbaugh to call audibles? We are going to keep seeing the entire population of small countries in the defensive box and our running game will be crap — until we can make them pay.
I’m not going to have Spit’s bullshit prevent me from having opinions. Keep his ass in line and you’ll be shocked at how well it goes.
Anyway, Seattle closed to two because of a *defensive* lapse, Ginn didn’t *save* Alex, he helped the TEAM win the game, just as McDonald did, Lee did, Akers, and yes: Smith. Until it’s clearly understood that it is not Smith’s win or loss, but the team’s, you just ain’t getting it.
Good luck with that. Letting it go means you gotta stop your infatuation with Alex. Talk about something else, unless ….. you can’t.
STFU, Tyler. Tyler? How does a Mom know that early? One of life’s little mysteries.
I think Barley is really, really fuckin’ with me. His strategy is to drive me deep into Dennis insanity territory so I don’t set my roster. It’s geneous. Right now, because of prior conversations, I can’t wax philosophic about 8, 9 and 10 in the box. Fuck me. I can literally feel the screws in my head coming loose from the pressure build up. I’ve been neutralized. Must …… recover……
Here’s another tidbit from MM.
“The 49ers converted just 1 of 12 third-down attempts, but seven of those were called run plays.”
Can’t put those on our QB (see how I cleverly avoid using his name, avoiding any provocation). I hope he has the green light to audible. I mean — 3rd and 2, running play called, Dallas has ten men in the box? Personally, I don’t want a run there. Chance of success is poor.
DE – FENSE……. Bump, bump……. DE-FENSE!
OK, it’s time there was a new whipping, uh, man, here so yeah, let’s change the subject to the utterly worthless malingering Diva, Michelle Crabtree,.Her dramatic show in the back of the end zone has been nominated for a Day Time Emmy.
I think it was justified. No offensive passing touchdowns in a game where wide receivers are wide open in the end zone? Speaks to poor vision if you ask me. Crabtree should get a medal for speaking his mind. It’s the true tweets from Willis and Roddy White, and the frustration in Crabtree that show certain realities.
I disagree. Crabtree has not earned the right to criticize shit. He is a pussy who has not worked hard enough to suit me.
If Frank or even VD wants to throw a hissy fit, I’ll consider. Crabs? They have something to get rid of that, don’t they?
Whether Alex is good or not, I hate me the Crabs.
You never earn the right to criticize anyone. Crabtree is definitely immature. But it doesn’t change the fact that his antics point to a bigger problem, and in a world of spin trying to sell Alex, I find Crab’s antics refreshing. Why? Because they are honest.
I’m surprised MC played as much as he did, and that Williams was inactive. My opinion of Crabtree right now is not that he’s a bust, but he may well be on his way to being one –even if that is because he can’t stay healthy. Year three. 1st round pick at 10th. He should be fully ripping it up. He’s not. The diva stuff is BS, IMO. But he’s not delivering, any way you cut it.
I think they should activate Williams and give MC more time to get healthy, and practice (ouch, that word!).
+1 for the Williams shout out. Play the guys who have earned it.
I’m totally down with Williams. Starting Crabtree was curious. I think there’s something in the wind with Crabtree’s contract.
Crabtree is interesting. Up until this year, can you really blame him for anything? A young wide receiver under Singletary and Raye? But his immaturities point to certain unnamed problems on this team. That’s why I like him. Right now, Crabtree needs to start getting into shape, buying in and toning up his body. He’s not a bust, but he’s certainly not worth 5.5 million a year. I’d be willing to bet the Niners hit him with a request for a pay reduction. I still like the kid, but he needs to workout. He needs to spend a lot of time in the gym. Right now, he’s a flabby kid with no work ethic because his former offensive coaches were idiots.
Even if that was true, he shouldhave been workign hard to impress JH. Instead, he took another paid holiday and still seems to be playing, ‘it’s all about me’.
Hate his ass.
Yeah, but he did have surgery. I’m sure in this day and age you can fake surgery, but I think there’s some validy to his surgery. What Crabtree should have been doing on the PUP was spend the entire time in the gym and classroom. Right now he’s a goldbrick. At the end of the year he’ll either have started to work on his conditioning, or he’ll be asked to take a pay cut. I guarantee you one thing, though – if he hits the open market, he won’t be making even 3 million a year. The Niners have some leverage over Crabtree already.
The uninformed didn’t realize that there was no time to throw to Michelle.
The diva label is totally justified. Gosh, you don’t like that? Too fucking bad, sometimes players get unfairly labeled, don’t they?
There’s never enough time when your footwork and delivery are slower than a twinfan Neuron.
Thanks, I was hoping I could keep you online long enough for the remote key logger to get the info it needed. Shopping Spree!!!
There’s nothing “curious” about Crabtree, he’s a lazy POS who caused at least three of the early interceptions last year with his lazy routes.
don’t you mean sharks with lazers?
Wow, I go away to write a post, and there’s 30 more responses . . .
NEW POST > > >
“Hey, let’s be careful out there . . .”