The closer we get to this game, more and more I have a sinking feeling about it. I can’t quite put my finger on it, but this game is shaping up to be a stumbling block for the 49ers. Their red zone offense hasn’t been all that stellar lately. They are coming off Patrick Willis’s injury (although Larry Grant did a great job coming in), and now Carlos Rogers is nursing a knee injury which may or may not keep him out ot Sunday’s game. And, I think the Niners give up a rushing TD this weekend. Not that that’s that big a deal, but I think the team is due a let-down against a team that is seriously gunning for them.
The good news is, the Niners can score on this defense. And it is very similar to Pittburgh’s defense. So this is good practice for what we’ll see from the Rusters. Ray Horton, AZ’s 1st year DC, coached under Dick LeBeau for 8 years in Pissburgh. The Niners moved pretty well on them 3 weeks ago, but could have scored a lot more. What is key IS getting on top of them early, and getting TDs rather than FGs. Force them to throw all the time and the game is over.
That being said, this game could easily turn on a big punt return. Peterson’s been lighting it up, but we handled him well by not punting much last game. I hope they prove me wrong, but I’ve got a bad feeling about this one . . .
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
I think this game is a toss up. Az is playing well, it’s in their house, we’ve got some injured and banged up guys. I’m gonna say 19-16 Niners win but the score could easily be reversed…
.Arizona is poor against the pass and lower half against the run. We certainly should be able to move the ball on them.The unknown factor is Kolb, who can light it up-for either team. We’re tied with them on total sacks- we’ve had some problems protecting. That could be the diff- who protects better,,
I’m sticking with my 26-24 win prediction. They get 3 TD’s to our 2 but Akers out kicks them 4-1 on FG’s. The last one I might add comes with no time remaining after Smith rallies to FG range in the last 2 minutes.
I imagine the game will have me drinking heavily.
Well, the recent problems protecting had a lot to do with B Miller and then Adam Snyder getting hurt.
I think they’ll be better this game. Our red zone issues are a concern as well.
Alex is 17 for 40 ( 7 TDs ) in the Red Zone, and they don’t run well there either. But they don’t turn the ball over and as frustrating as those FGs are, with a lot of low scoring games, you can’t just spit on them, Kendall Hunter deservedly has received a lot of ink, but I”d like to more of Dixon in short yardage situations,..Frank runs sideways too often when he needs to just stick it..
Well, I said it last week. they need to practice throwing the ball down the field, 20 yards or greater. If the receivers can hang on to the ball, the red Zone miscues won’t be as big a problem. IMO. I think the Red Zone is also where alot of dropped passes are happening. Most teams can stop the run in the red zone, especially within 5 yards of the goal line. So being able to catch the ball is something the recievers need to get better at.
40 passes in the red zone? I know there’s a couple picks in there as well. I wouldn’t think we’d thrown that many by half.
I think Edwards will help a lot down close. He’s the biggest WR we got. Why we don’t throw to VD inside the 20 baffles me. The Niners don’t seem to have very many TE plays drawn up for the red zone. Walker’s game winning TD vs Detroit notwithstanding.
1 pick.
Well, I know there’s the one that Ginn handed to the guy on the 5 yard line.
Wasn’t there another down close? The one at the end zone at the end of the half wasn’t it. And it wasn’t the one to Edwards that he broke the wrong way on. I thought Smith threw one that was down near the goal line after the Ginn bobble.
I’m not lying, he’s thrown 1 pick in the RZ- a huge fucking deal was made of it You can research it yourself, you know
http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/alex_smith_the_red_zone_and_cost_benefit_decisions/8608927
He misread the LB or something. Oh well.
Either way, they need to get the ball in the end zone. Points are points, and i don’t see a major problem with this until the playoffs. More than likely the Niners will be playing NO and they can’t leave points in the red zone against them.
OK, the play started on the Giants 24 yard line, not the red zone per se, but the pick was on the 16.
Ginn again. I can’t remember which one was the gift pick.
The passing game needs the QB, line, and receivers to all do their part.
Thus far in 2011, Alex has less to be embarrassed about than the others. The line has had a couple of epically awful games, and Ginn, Crabs, VD and Braylon have all had some major fuckups.
Just need to keep working on it.
Let’s be just be clear, he’s thown one pick in the red zone. Why do you want to argue with stuff I’ve looked up? This isn’t a prediction, it’s a fact.
Just one, baby!
Much of this is Harbaugh as a coach. The strength of this team is on defense. The offense needs to play ball control, avoid mistakes and we will win most games. So Jimbo is cautious in the Red Zone. He’ll take the TD if it’s there, but he is happy to take the FG if it’s not, and not make a big mistake. So far, his strategy is hard to argue with – 10-2 speaks for itself. Alex has reinvented himself as a guy who will hardly ever rack up 300 yards, but he won’t give you many cheap points off turnovers, either. He doesn’t have the yardage totals some guys have, and he isn’t having the kind of insanely great season Rodgers is having, but he is doing pretty good for a guy who was almost kicked to the curb 12 months ago. The only question in my mind is whether you can beat NO or GB with that approach, or whether you have to open it up. We’ll see what Jimbo thinks in January.
Roman said yesterday about Smith and the Red Zone
“Today, offensive coordinator Greg Roman was asked about Smith’s decision-making in the red zone. How does he balance avoiding turnovers and chucking the ball into tight spots?
“I think Alex has done a really, really good job,” Roman said. “A lot of times after the fact he’ll say thing that just makes perfect sense. Alex has a great sense of where we are in the game and a feel for what we need, making cost-benefit decisions ”
We know he’s accurate down there ( 79 percent last year). So It’s obvious based on Roman’s comments and Smith’s 17-40 this year, that he’s having to throw the ball away a lot.
Settle down Mike. He threw a pick from the 24. Not the red zone, but close. Can’t I point out facts? I’m not ripping Smith here. I’m just saying they need to score more when they get close. They have gotten very conservative down in the red zone lately. Some of which has to do with guys like Ginn giving the ball away. And the fact that Williams is too hard to find down close to the end zone. Like I said earlier, I don;t know why VD isn’t an option more down close. Do they not trust HIS hands as well? Maybe they just don’t want to take chances. This is all well and good until they DO play a team like NO.
Getting Edwards back should help for just throwing a corner fade. He should be able to out jump most CBs. And, the thing is, it’s not like it’s a big secret that they would TRY a fade in the corner of the end zone . . .
I’m totally settled down, he’s thrown one in the Red Zone. NFL doesn’t have a stat for “close to Red Zone” or “Red Zone per se”.
If you want to point out facts, do so correctly. He’s thrown 3 between the opponent’s 20 and 50, 1 between his own 20 and 50, 0 inside his own 20.And ONE IN THE RED ZONE.
I never thought you were ripping Smith, *I* pointed he was17-40. It’s no BFD, I corrected that he’d thrown two picks in the Red Zone.
Sweet Bay Jesus. Twinfan is the ultimate bitch.
Baby
I see one of the of mental deficients is back.
Sorry, but it’s still just one, Sally.
niners 20 retardinals 10
Alex Smith has very average stats. Overall, Smith ranks as the 15th or 16th best quarterback in the game in the game right now. People point to ratings, but there’s a lot more to it. If you look at all of Smith’s stats, you get a clearer picture. Total attempts, 20th – yards, 27th -sacks, 2nd – touchdowns, 13th. These are very average or pedestrian numbers for a quarterback on a team with the second best record in football. Harbaugh knows calling Smith a game manager is a slight, but that’s exactly what Alex Smith is. If Smith is able to gamble and not take sacks, his INTS go up and his qb rating drops significantly. If he has to throw the ball more, passing more like the other big boy quarterbacks who aren’t game managers, Smith will have to throw the ball into coverage like Manning, Rogers, Brees and Brady do, but Smith’s throws (because they are so weak) will result in INTs if he throws into coverage, not the pass intereference penalties the other “good” qbs get. A perfect case in point is the Baltimore game where Smith threw an INT in the end zone when the 49ers really needed those points. So, Harbaugh doesn’t have Smith throw that ball much, Smith’s qb rating improves yet again and David Akres becomes a folk hero. It’s the formula to win with a game manager. The numbers back it up. And let’s not forget Vic Fangio not being able to blitz with Alex Smith at the helm, but that’s a whole nother story.
Two things make 49ers fans feel good – The term – “Any Given Sunday,” or the name Trent Dilfer. 49er fans believe that with a game manager, because of these two factors or ideas, can win a Super Bowl. It makes them feel good, but it’s foolish. Any given Sunday works during the regular season, but not during the playoff because it’s here the franchise quarterback shines. In today’s NFL, the quarterback must string together at least three good games against the best competition in football during the playoffs, and in the case of the New York Giants a few years ago, it’s sometimes four games. Alex Smith can’t put together one good game against tough competition. Four? No chance. And regarding the Trent Dilfer model of game managing quarterbacks winning Super Bowls, that’s deader than Elvis. Why? Because the quarterback who takes advantage of all the rule changes, wins. It’s that simple. If you can drive the ball deep down field to a wide receiver who demands a double team, you’re going to have a chance. There are no new rule changes that help or protect Frank Gore. It isn’t Frank Gore verse Aaron Rogers, it’s Alex Smith verse Aaron Rogers. Because of this, we have no chance. And I’ll bet anyone, anything the 49ers don’t win a single playoff game this year. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?
No, you dumb fuck- it’s Aaron Rogers against our #4 defense and Alex Smith against their #31 defense.
Vic Fangio can’t blitz with Alex Smith. Blitzing speeds up the game. If the qb beats the blitz, like Eli Manning did when Dashon Goldson blitzed and Hakeem Nicks scored, it forces Alex Smith to answer. Most of us saw Jim Harbaugh telling Alex Smith, “It’s time to answer” when Flacco threw a touchdown to his TE, but Smith wasn’t up to the challenge. Not in big games. It’s one thing when Eli Manning is down by two touchdowns. It’s another thing when the game is even money. You think Vic Fangio left his blitzing playbook at Stanford, or put them in the broom closet in Santa Clara? Fangio loves to blitz if has a good quarterback like Andrew Luck. He showed that at Stanford. With Alex Smith, you have to slow the game down and play bend but don’t break defense. Winning is a formula. For the 49ers to win, Fangio can’t blitz. The 49ers have to play bend but don’t break – Harbaugh has to limit Smith’s attempts and David Akres has to be money. This all well and good during the regular season. It’s fun. It gets us wins. But you take that weak ass shit into the playoffs and it’ll get swatted away like a Matumbo rejection. Game Managers – can’t win with ’em in today’s NFL. You’ll see. The 49ers won’t win one playoff game with Alex Smith at the helm.
This is the best defense Fangio has ever had in his multiple tenures as a defensive coordinator, yeah it really seems that Smith has hindered his defense, you fucking idiot.
This is an ignorant rant. Your biases are showing. There is no football IQ here just silly ‘look at me blather’.. Ignore..
Chuckles, Spitfuck is back, with the same spiel as last time. Look, he demanded my address when I posted a positive comment about Alex- I don’t need that much, send me his IP address and I guarantee the motherfucker won’t be back…
Don’t worry. he’s gone. Again.
He can keep setting ’em up. I’ll keep knocking them down.
Dang that was quick. I just voted ‘thumbs down’ above and before it was posted-moron was gone, lol
Chuck– you might want to start editing posts by that dumb fuck. He spends hours writing a few paragraphs. Just edit it with “banned by moderator” or anything really: “I’m a dumb fuck”. You do that consistently and he’ll give up
That is the 3rd IP addy I’ve banned. The last timne I deleted his posts, it looked like Twin was arguing with himself…
Chuck, you can worry, but remember the 49ers hate the Cards just as much as they hate the 49ers.
The team will be up.
One stat that concerns me is that the Cards have only allowed 4 or 5 TDs in the last 63 drives…their Defense is improving and getting better fast.
Consequently this is just the opponent the Niners offense needs in order to prove they can bust the door down and score TD’s once again.
It will be up to the OLine to keep Campbell and Dockett, and Joey Porter out of the backfield and off Alex Smith when they are in scoring position.
I will be interested in seeing what plays they call…if they are gonna use Edwards and the fade or Walker or Williams on the slant or Crabtree on the out. Keep Davis in to block Porter like he did in Miami. I’m still pissed he dropped that long one last week.
I wonder if they will even go there and instead just try and pound it. If they do that I will know that they are saving the best for the playoffs.
The OLine is getting banged up but everybody’s is. Iupati has some neck probs, Snyder is still feeling the hammy and Davis has that sprained/sore ankle….that being said, I don’t know what plays will make your offensive line more productive when you call them. Straight ahead blocking might be what they call to be the answer for the short term.
Alex was pretty smooth and deceptive on his plays featuring the “fly” sweep to Ginn last week. We might see more play action this week ‘cuz of the hard charging Dockett and young Campbell. Wilson bites on the run fake so that could be all Smith needs to go long.
One thing I am confident of, Smith is gonna throw it where it ain’t gonna get INT’D.
What I want to be more confident of is will the receivers catch it.
Exactly. If there’s anything that bothers me a lot it’s the drops. Williams is about the only one (not named Morgan) that has solid hands.
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