What started out looking like a beat-down of a demoralized Cowboys team, and Tony Romo in particluar, turned out instead to be a gutty victory by Romo and the dreaded Cowboys. the game hinged on a couple plays. As the 1ast half was winding down, Dallas faced a 3rd and 9. romo missed on a deep ball, and apparently forced a punt. However, Brooks was lined up in the neutral zone for a penalty. On the subsequent 3rd and 4, Romo hit Austin on a short slant that Whitner just flat missed. So, after outplaying Dallas through the first 28:10 of the 1st half, the Niners caved in at the wrong time, and gave Dallas 7 to close the half. To make matters worse, the Niners got the ball with 1:48, but had no timeouts. Thus, the clock ran out on them.
The 2nd half seemed to devolve into a field possession battle for Harbaugh. After Kitna killed a Dallas drive by throwing a pick into the end zone, Smith returned the favor, and Kitna then drove Dallas downfield for the tying TD. The niners inexplicably then left DeMarcus Ware unblocked for a 7 yard sack on the ensuing possession. Punt. Kitna was again picked off on a tipped pass that Brock caught. Smith made a great read on singl;e coverage on Walker split out to the right, and hit him for a 30 yard score. The Niner D stiffened , and forced another Dallas punt on Romo’s return. After the punt and the penalty, the Niners had excellent field position. So, naturally, the Niners run up the middle a couple times, and Smith scrambled for 12. On the enuing 55 yard FG, Dallas was assessed a 15 yard penalty for leverage. Harbaugh said he trusted his defense with a 2 score lead at that point. Unfortunately, there were 11 mintues left . . .
The aggravating thing is, with the game in hand, the defense gave up a ton of short passes to Austin and Witten. The TD to Austin was a very good play, but the whole drive was pitch and catch. The pressure that was there all day evaporated. At that point, the D should have been fairly fresh, but after the subsequent 4 and out (they threw a slant!), the D was gassed. At least they kept Dallas out of the end zone.
The OT was more of the same. 7 yard run. 8 yard sack. 10 yard pass on 3rd and 11. It got overturned anyway after Harbaugh called a timeout, thus allowing the replay to happen in the 1st place. They should have just went ahead and gone for it. Dallas wasn’t going to challenge. Chalk that up to inexperience. These guys have to plan for contingencies like 4th and short, and how to get a play off quick. Same thing with the illegal formation call. Harbaugh chewed the ref’s ear off while the play clock ran down and forced a time out.
Way too much Gore. Way too much Ginn. At some point soon, Harbaugh has to trust Smith and the O line with a game that is more committed to passing. After everyone screamed for more passing than the Seattle game, the Niners threw the ball 4 more times. Not exactly the offensive juggernaut most envisioned. Yes, it’s early. Yes, they are learning on the fly. Yes, this is the safe approach. The problem with playing it safe in the NFL is that usually bites you in the ass. Just ask Miami’s defensive coordinator, or Minnesota’s linebacker coach . . .
Forty Niners Forever 
“Yes, this is the safe approach.”
Well, you know what they say — Safety First. How about Danger First.
Too much Gore (and Mt. Moran). I know our OL has some serious problems, but I still think they can scheme enough to open it up and pass the GD ball MUCH more than they are. First half, I thought they were getting this. But then as has been said ad nauseum, they played not to lose. The tried to hang on to a lead. Ahead by 7. With a full half to go. I’m sure if it wasn’t for the fact that this philosophy is what we have had to suffer through as fans for several years, it wouldn’t be so hard. We almost beat them. But there are only so many “almost beating them” games we can take when it is so arguably apparent that our own wussy approach is what holds us back. I want to see Smith throw the ball. A lot. If there are picks, so be it. Sink or swim. It’s a passing league.
A big reason there was too much Ginn, they had VD blocking on Ware, So the three best receivers were not involved in the passing game as receivers ( Diva, Edwards, Davis). Ginn’s error on the 10 yard pass when they needed 11 was crucial. BTW, I’ll repeat this again, it is totally on the receiver to get to the marker, everyone knows that. The pass wasn’t “short”, the route was. Anyway- they need to figure out a way to block the top pass rushers without putting their best receiver on them..
That play was overturned, Twin. Because Harbaugh called a timeout. Dallas wasn’t going to challenge. It wasn’t until the TO that the refs took a look. They should have lined up and gone for it. Play for the win at home. Instead, they waffled, and called a timeout, and the play was overturned.
I know what fucking happened. The GD pernt was that three “go to” guys were not in the passing game. A receiver other than Ginn gets to the marker and catches the fucking ball,.
I understand using VD for Ware. However, there were a couple times that Ware come in unblocked. Unfathomable you don’t account for him. much like Witten catching all those underneath passes. They NEED to rethink that underneath zone. At least with the TEs. Even WITH Lawson that shit didn’t work most of the time. The whole 4th quarter was underneath shit to Austin and Witten.
Willaims has shown a lot in his very limited action. My hope is he gets 1st team reps all week, and they use him more. Ginn is Ginn. He’s not a very good WR.
I don’t know that I’d call it a “lot”.
Maiocco claims that looking back at the game, VD was in blocking in pass pro about ten times.
Obviously he ran patterns the rest of the time, and was just covered most of those times.
Maybe the real key is that the O-line cannot block a real pass rusher. Even with help from a back. If so, it’s going to be a long year.
You guys are all splitting hairs and not seeing the bigger picture. There was huge improvement straight across the board yesterday from all areas of the team. Yes, Alex was sacked and he threw an INT. Yes, the Niners used more Gore than we’d like, and yes, our secondary still leaves a lot to be desired. But the Niners are now a competitive football team. When was the last time the Niners were in two games on consecutive weeks? I mean really in those games, all the way to the end…. and this week against a good team.
Alex Smith played really well. I was rooting for the guy. He completed short passes, made some amazing deep throws, escaped the pocket and made plays. There were times when he could have been more athletic and escaped the pressure, but his play was a huge, huge improvement. His throws to Williams and Walker were money.
Just look at the Gore runs as Harbaugh’s way to buy time. Harbaugh wants to win the time of possession game. He wants to keep the ball out of the oppositions hands so maybe Fangio and his dbs can figure out some things. Harbaugh wants to keep the ball and grind it out so next week he can install more offensive plays to build on. And run blocking helps a young offensive line get after the d line and wear them down. We all want to see ’em open it up wide and rev the engine to the bolts rattle loose, but it’s a process.
The Niners played well. That was a good game, and Harbaugh’s quickly getting us into position to compete against anyone, and compete for the division. Running the ball with Frank is a large part of that. If he only runs for 40 yards, but the Niners have the lead and win the time of possession game, I’m okay with that. Harbaugh will learn how to keep it more aggressive in the second half – and how to make the right adjustments. They need time to learn how to play together.
Actually, Spit, we won the ToP in the first half, and LOST it in the second half when we running. It was actually about 2-1 in favor of the Cowgirls.
The reason is simplicity itself: you CANNOT dominate Time of Possession if you do not get first downs. We got three the whole half, and I think that’s counting the first play TD to Walker.
Take a closer look at Gore’s rushing for the year:
Negative yardage: 7
No gain: 4
1 yard: 8 (one was a one-yard TD run)
2 yards: 6
3 yards: 7
4 yards: 1
5 yards: 2
6 yards: 1
7 yards: 3
8 yards: 0
9 yards: 1
10 or more: 2
The average for the year is 2.5. His long is 16. His median is 2.
Now we all know his average will rise, as it always does. Frank breaks those long ones every few games.
And that does not mean shit. And here is why.
Suppose that 16-yard run was instead a 99-yard TD. Immediately, his average rises to a very respectable 4.5.
His MEDIAN, however, is still only 2.
Running Gore into the line is a recipe, far more often than not, for second and long, then third and long. Then 4th and punt.
I don’t blame Frank for this as much as the way the 49ers continue to use him. Using Moron Norris as a lead blocker is a total failure. Running gore exclusively up the middle: failure.
Spread the line, and use gore as a one-back in the spread. Or throw short to him.
Change SOMETHING… because this shit ain’t working.
So that means VD went out 14 times, and caught 2 passes out of those. You have to think he was doubled. With Dallas getting pressure from their base D, that leaves plenty of guys to cover our wideouts.
Which leads back to trying to create mismatches by bringing in more WRs. I mean, why can’t we do what other teams do to us with regularity? Run 2 deep to open up the underneath passes to either the slot guy or a TE. It doesn’t have to be a 7 step dropm, and wait for the play to develop, just a 5 step, qucker pass. Like Dallas did all through the 4th quarter.
Splitting hairs? Spit, look at last year. The Niners were in the NO game, the Atl game, the Philly game, and the Carol game. KC, GB, TB, and SD games were the only ones that got really out of hand early. Philly, NO, and Atl made the playoffs last year.
I see too much the same. Game mamagement. Not being the aggressor.
Yeah. it’s early. But the Niners were supposed to unveil their passing attack THIS game. I know. We are limited by our sieve-like front 5.
How about we try it vs a shitty team like Cincy? If we do the same-old same-old, I’m gonna be very disappointed. Unless we get like 240 rushing yards . . .
Chuck,
If it wasn’t for terrible free safety and secondary play in general, the Niners win this game. The Niners lost not because of play calling or Alex or Frank, but because of their terrible secondary that must be addressed this off season. I don’t think Goldson, Spencer or Reggie Smith can help. I think our secondary is just really, really bad.
We were never in any of those games you mentioned last year. Why? Because I didn’t believe we could win. The Saints? Please. When a fan knows the team will lose, that team sucks. This year, right now, under Harbaugh, the Niners could win any game, and it’s likely they win the division. That’s the big picture. That’s what people should take from this game.
Deion had a great line about Smith on the NFL Network – Harbaugh was getting Smith fired up by punching him before the game and Deion said some boxer (can’t remember his name) couldn’t wake Smith up. Players know…..
This goes back to the play calling. In the 2nd half, it was bad. The Niners refuse to try and get teams out of packing the tackle box. This kills the run game AND the short passing game. Granted, this is because of the problems the Niners have in pass pro, but shit. Roll Smith out. Do more than have him stand like a statue behind the line. The 2nd half was all 2 yard run, 8 yard sack, 5 yard completion.
Yer worse than Dennis, Spit. Deion? The humble holy man, or the biggest fucking self-promoter in human history? He’s a fucking tool of the highest order. How many more collage kids are going to take his ‘advice’? He’s up there with Reggie (burn in hell) White who asked God where he should sign when he was a free agent, and God told him, “Go for the money. Go to Green Bay.” He had the audacity to say he was going to help the disadvantaged youth of (hyuk) Green Bay,Wisconsin. You, know, that hotbed of urban strife and decay.
I have no idea what you’re talking about here. None. I’m lost. Please provide me with some sort of summary or cliff notes.
Deion = Satan . . .
Meanwhile, back at 4949 Centennial Blvd. we get this from the HC:
“We’re going to stick to our guns. I feel we’re on track.”
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. At least Harbaugh didn’t say “let me look at the tape . . .” Cincy, Philly, TB, and Deeetroit.
Have to win on the road in Cincy. The others will be VERY tough. Only TB is at home.
3-3 is possible, but a hard row to hoe.
” there was huge improvement straight across the board yesterday from all areas of the team ”
“If it wasn’t for free safety play the Niners win this game.”
god i thought i would ever say this but … SPITBLOOD is right !
the most encouraging thing here is that we’ve managed to look like a real NFL team for … gasp… three weeks in a row (including preseason !)
over the last ten years with erickson , nolan and sing we would ave fallen apart in this one and lost 30-17 !
” Alex Smith played really well. I was rooting for the guy.”
ok , who kidnapped SPIT and is posting in his place ?
CHUCK
We’re going to stick to our guns. I feel we’re on track.
I really don’t understand all the negativity I’m reading on the blogs and in the papers. I mean, it’s like everyone’s lost their minds and I’m the only sane person around. And seriously, that’s not good.
The 49ers just took the Dallas Cowboys into overtime and really should have won that football game. Did anyone have the Cowboys as a win at the start of the season? I didn’t. At the beginning of the free agent period, when the Niners were cutting everyone, nobody thought the Niners would beat the Cowboys. Here Harbaugh is with what’s really been two months with his players and he has the team on track to win the division. They’ll be some surprises along the way – this year we’ll win some games we should lose, and lose some we should win, but the end result is that the Niners are a vastly improved team over the Nolan and SIngletary teams prior, and Harbaugh is learning on the job. What’s not to like so far? What’s to criticize? We all knew we’d have holes. I didn’t anticipate our secondary being this bad, but like we’ve all read, it’s a process to not only evaluate what we have, but also what we need.
Give Harbaugh and his coaches some time. A complete turn around doesn’t happen over night.
ok skeebers and bullit … i know spit is a bit of a knucklehead , but go ahead and untie him and give him back his computer ! i mean enough is enough now guys !
please don’t intimidate him any further !
GRUMPY
don’t forget dallas has about the best front seven vs. the pass in the game ! we knew going in our youngsters like a.davis , iupati and rachal would struggle ! throw in a new center and staff/system and this game was a real challenge !
to me the biggest bummer was that this game wasn’t later in the year after we had a little more time to get it together on offense !
at least now that we don’t have vanilla nolan or singleminded singletary coaching , so solari can work a little of his magic with our 0-line (and will have us playing much much better imho !)
The history of the last four years is, if you run Gore into the middle of the line behind Norris, you will have Three and Outs over half the time. You will lose the ToP battle. And you will lose the game.
If you want to run with Gore, you need to be a little more creative in how you do it. Otherwise, you’re going to get the same results. Work in Hunter a little more too to take advantage of his speed to the edge.
And, we have to start trusting Alex. Whether for better or worse, this team will only go as far as Alex takes us this year. Open up the offense with at least a hint of the spread, and let him do what he does better, if not best. Alex is your QB. Let him throw the ball when it is NOT Third and long.
If we keep pounding square pegs into round holes, we might NOT win this division, regardless of how utterly crappy it is.
yup , more hunter and dixon please !
Yesterday had some encouraging moments. The pass rush out of the base D is much better than last year. Until it wasn’t. The ‘boys started on UDFA and one 7th round guy. They kept our rush at bay for most of the game. The DBs played better than last year. Til they didn’t. The play calling was a little too vanilla. The outcome was a little too last year.
I’m sorry. I wish that for one brief shining moment we stop trying to run up the middle with defenses doing nothing but putting 10 guys in the box. I know Harbaugh is hamstrung by the lousy protection, but THIS IS WHY we need to roll Smith out. Get him in space. Let his roll-out ability buy him a little time. Put 4 WRs in. I’m seeing the same goddamn formations I got sick of last year.
I hate to keep saying ‘it’s early’ and I know it is, but there is not enough take-no-prisoners attitude for this offense. Cincy is a game these guys should win with ease, but they are going to play it close to the vest, and see where it gets them. Versus Seattle it served them well when Ginn scored two ST TDs. Yesterday it didn’t serve them well when the offense stagnated to nothing in the 2nd half.