Well, the Niners proved, in front of a national TV audience, that they can hang with the big boys by thoroughly pounding the vaunted Pittsburgh Steelers into the Candlestick turf. At least when Big Ben is a little off time. His ankle was pretty balky, and that resulted in some errant throws early, to the tune of 2 picks in his first 2 drives. They were actually moving the ball well on both their inital drives. The Niners had struggles of their own early. Alex was off target on some big plays that would have given the team an early 14 point lead, but they settled for FGs, and a 6-0 halftime lead. They burned a ton of clock however, and did keep the ball out of Worthlessberger’s hands in the 1st half.
The 2nd half started out shakily on offense as the team continued to stop themselves with penalties and missed opportunities. Pittsburgh was able to sneak in a 51 yard FG to close the gap to 6-3 in the 3rd quarter. Then, on perhaps the biggest drive of his career, Smith guided the team to a huge TD by going 5-5 for 89 yards. 3 of the 5 went to the oft-maligned Vernon Davis for 53 of the 89 yards, including the TD. The best part of the drive was play action on FIRST down. Something this team tries to do too often is pound it down close. The play action worked to perfection, and the Niners scored easily.
Pittsburgh then went no-huddle to try and get a quick score, but the defense held, and Suisham missed a 48 yard FG attempt. Harbaugh went a little too conservative for me here, and ran 3 times. The kicker being a 5 yard loss on 1st down. At this point he was really leaning on the defense. And it was at this time (the start of the 4th quarter) that the defense really took over. Aldon Smith had been close all game and had an early sack wiped out by a terrible illegal contact call that would have set up a 3rd and 32. As it was, it didn’t matter. Smith and McDonald finally broke through with a sack and caused a fumble that Justin Smith recovered. With the help of a leverage penalty on yet another FG attempt, Frank Gore ran off left tackle for a 5 yard TD, and the game sealer. The 49ers added 2 more sacks by Aldon Smith, and a nice pick by Tremaine Brown on a deep ball.
All in all, the game went about as well as can be imagined. The offense, after some fits and starts, came through in crunch time. The defense was spectacular in that they shut down Pittsburgh’s vaunted deep passing game. Their running game was nonexistent. Pittsburgh did gain a lot of yards through the air by going underneath, but most of the time Pittsburgh was starting drives from inside their 10 yard line. All World punter Andy Lee pinned the Steelers deep repeatedly, and Pittsburgh rarely got into scoring position.
The only negative was Ted Ginn’s ankle sprain. It looked pretty bad, but the x-rays were negative. The bigger deal was Harbaugh giving Braylon Edwards the night off as a healthy scratch. He said Brett Swain was fine as the backup guy. There’s a ringing endorsement for Braylon. I’m sure Ginn will sit the Seattle game out, so one would think Edwards should be ready to play.
Forty Niners Forever 
POTD, ‘Dog! You got any pics of the game?
Oh yeah! Got the lites out pick, how do I post them here?
I’d be shocked if Braylon Edwards catches 4 balls over the next two games. If the guy’s knee is still screwed, then OK, but if he’s healthy, I don’t get why he’s such a dud, unless he’s just done. In some respects, it’s amazing this team scores as much as it does with a receiver corps that is worse than mediocre. It’s 22nd in avg yards/catch with 11.5 and tied with Cleveland for 25th in receiving TDs with 15. For perspective, Tampa Bay has 14 receiving TDs and Indy has 12. Green Bay has 40 and New Orleans 37…
Well, it’s a work in progress. These guys aren’t going to put up huge numbers, but they do get some points. I think they are still trying to get in synch, even after these 14 games. Crabs is finally coming around, and Williams is getting better. Ginn is a wash, and he’s out for at least this Seattle game. Morgan’s loss is still haunting these guys as Morgan was the best hands guy on the team. I had high hopes for Edwards, but he’s pulling a Carlos Beltran and mailing it in at this point. A shame. He could be a factor, but the fact Harbaugh sat him without any apparent injury leads me to believe he’s dogging the practices and isn’t all in. VD’s big game is good to see. I was beginning to lose hope that the guy could get open and make plays downfield.
How does this play out? Well, I certainly hope they throw more down close. And not fade routes to short guys. Play action and chip routes out of the backfield work. The play to Gore would have worked had not Palamolou gotten in the way. And the pass that Smith threw behind Williams was on Williams. If Smith leads him, it’s a pick. If Williams sits in the open area of the zone (by stopping), it’s an easy catch. That kind of recognition by KW can be fixed.
Morgan is missed because he was easily our best blocking WR. But i’ve never heard anyone praise his hands…
Compared to Ginn, VD, and Walker, he’s Freddy fucking Biletnikoff.
He’s caught almost everything thrown at him this year – you cannot say that about a lot of other guys on the roster. Morgan’s only weakness is he does not have a breakaway gear. He’s strictly short to medium stuff.
Niners are eerily reminiscent of the 2010 Champ Giants, with all world defense, and low scoring offense. Willis and Co. are the Lincecum and staff, with the Niner’s scoring offense being a little worse, ranking wise in the league, than the Giants were in terms of scoring. I think the Giants were 16 or 17 in scoring, or somewhere in that area…
49ers are 14th in NFL in scoring. (of 32)
Morgan is a lot like Mike Wilson. He’d be a nice 3rd option with better guys around him. Unfortunately, they have what they have. Which isn’t very much. He was the de facto #1 guy. Crabs is slowly coming around, Williams as well. Ginn? No. But by far the most reliable WR on the team is Morgan. Again, that ain’t saying much, but until they restock this team this offseason (and Morgan is likely gone anyway), Morgan was the best they had.
What I liked about the Receiving core this game was they got first downs. none of this 2 yard catch and get tackled, it seemed like theywere consistantly 6-10 yards from the line and catching passes and getting the first down
I like Morgan, dont get me wrong. And i think he’s already more productive than mike wilson ever was for us. I just dont think losing him was that huge. Crabs has stepped up nicely. And it looks like williams is finally going to get a chance. Vd and Walker give us something most other teams can’t give you. All in all, i think Smith has a decent enough receiving core going forward for the rest of the year.
Walker caught nada against Pittsburgh, he’s not caught a pass now in 2 games, maybe 3. Or maybe one ball in 3. He’s not in the loop, offensively….
What I REALLY liked seeing was Williams run an 8 yard route on 3rd and 6. Too many times Ginn would run 5 yard routes on 3rd and 6.
Too bad he isn’t 4″ taller, but Williams is solid. Glad he’s getting more and more looks. Knowing how far to run the route, and where to break it off is lost on some of these guys.
Wilson lasted 10 years on the Niners. No, he didn’t put up huge numbers, but it’s pretty touch when you have Rice and Taylor as the guys in front of you.
The problem with losing Morgan was simple: it put Ted Ginn on the field at WR. Williams is passing him now, but for much of 2011, with Braylon hurt and ineffective, Ginn was a starter. And that is not good.
Going forward, we need a real weapon like a Sanu, Crabs on the other side, Williams in the slot, with Morgan the main backup and 4th WR. Let Ginn do what he does on ST.
Yep exactly grumpy, we wound up with Ginn playing WR sorta. Traded a reliable set of hands for…. Braylon tapered off and now he’s sitting, absorbing a ‘wake up call’ from da coach.
WR is an area we’ll see upgraded for sure. Also RB me thinks.
Keep your eyes on a WR from Rutgers named Sanu. If he comes out as a junior he would be worth considering.
He’s the guy I’m hoping for , too, Bergs, if he declares.
I’ll be checking closely on his combine 40 time. He seems to be one of those afterburner guys. Slow off the line, incredible acceleration once he gets moving. Kind of like Sydney Rice, or for a better example, Jerry Rice!
You know, I could use me some Rice right about now…
You girls both should cite your source….. (Spitblood page 69).
These 49ers had a shitty game against the Cards….it happens to all teams….
Monday night….watching everybody warm up…you could tell the 49ers were gonna be sharp.
The coaches threw in a couple plays they haven’t used before (screen, play action then going the other way to Davis) and the line was blocking like a fucking dance troupe performing at the Russian ballet…they made their blocks and got after it. they were in the zone.
Now, they just have to let that sink in and get in that zone every game from now on.
The fullback made some key blocks.
Alex Smith was beautiful. His passes were on target. OK, he missed a couple…who doesn’t?
Still some drops but Smith was dealing to the Steeler Defense….not making mistakes, grinding them down. It was bloody good.
In the 2nd half he answered their offensive thrusts with a determination and professional cool I thoroughly enjoyed. It was not Joe Cool…it was a disciplined “not gonna be denied” cool. He got his offense confident and they performed.
And yeah, the coaches called some plays that nobody had seen for awhile if ever this season.
And they went with the guys who were hot…like Williams, Hunter, Davis…over and over.
Andy Lee was the best I have ever seen, the control he kicked the ball with was incredible. He put it like a pro golfer. The coverage was ferocious. As was all the kick coverage.
The hit Delanie Walker layed on one guy on that kickoff return made everybody flinch.
The Defense played like it was life or death on every play. Still, the Gimp QB was a tough S.O.B., I personally think the guy is a creep but he is a great QB and tough. He made his throws and Wallace # 17 is an animal. They couldn’t score though, and that is what it is all about. Between Andy Lee burying them in bad field position and the physical beating the 49er defense layed on them, the Steeler offense went down like one of those Tyronasaurus Rex Dinosaurs in the King Kong movie after the ape beat them to death and broke their neck.
If the 49ers play their game, like they are capable of, the rest of the way, they will win the second seed and beat New Orleans at the Titanic…errr I mean Candlestick park. Then the Super Bowl.
Candlestick Park showed up. It is a mess and the bathrooms are well, Eddy said it best 25 years ago, a pigsty. People have no egress, it is over crowded and broken but…..it has one more Championship run left in her….she still scares the opponents, just ask the Steeler’s and their fans.
I would like to share some of my photos here if anyone can tell me how to post them here.
Thanks
What a great eye witness report. We got it all- the, uh, shitty bathrooms, the ferocious defense, the offensive creativity, an inspired OL effort, our punter Lee, a determined hard ass performance by Alex, Delanie and the special teams boys, the freakin’ crowd. We got it all!
Chuck email NinerDog- let’s see some photots!
They finally through a screen against the Pittsburghers, like I’ve been yelling for, and it went for 27 or some such. Duh. Howse about a coupla more of those, please…
Second that!
Money, big BIG MONEY, will be thrown at successful assistant coaches from winning franchises by desperate NFL teams. Think Piggsburgh, Think the 2011 SF Forty Niners. Think Jim Tomsula for head coach of the Piggsburgh Steelers:
“San Francisco’s defensive line coach Jim Tomsula, who served as interim head coach after Mike Singletary was fired in 2010, is a candidate for the head coaching position at Pitt, according to a report.
Tomsula has either interviewed or will interview for the job, a source told Kevin Lynch of the SFGate.com.
Read more: Report: Tomsula a Pitt candidate
SO PEOPLE- so much for the previously expressed (here) notion that “we got a bunch of talented career assistants; they ain’t gonna go anywhere”. REALLY?? For a million bucks? For a million fucking US Bucks even I would get off my ass and move to Pittsburgh. You think Tomsula won’t??
No, he will certainly he will. We gotta face to raiding of our talented coaches by deperate teams with Big Bucks.
Seems to me that they are talking about University of Pittsburgh. Their coach just bolted to Arizona State. That job is rumored to be going to the current FIU coach.
Huh? Hey maybe we can keep a few around for a couple years while we rack up Super Bowls…maybe
“Tomsula has either interviewed or will interview for the job, a source told Kevin Lynch of the SFGate.com”
You do not need a United Nations translator to understand the above which simply means: “Mr. Tomsula creamed in his drawers upon being presented the opportunity to become the Head Coach of a premier founding member of the NFL for $10 Million per year”. Then he said “Where do I sign?”
Maybe true, but I can’t imagine the Steelers wanting to pat with Mike Tomlin. He has been as good as any coach in the league since they hired him.
Yeah I think you got it right Bergs, dang it…
Yeah, it’a a college coaching job Tomsula is being courted for.
‘Dog, do you have a Flickr account? Or some other pic sharing site?
If not, try emailing me the pics at:
unca_chuck@yahoo.com
Asked of Harbaugh at the presser:
Do you think that Alex is the long-term quarterback for the 49ers as the starter?
“I do.”
And wouldn’t he be? He’s still young and he has a rating over 90 in his first year in the WCO. There’s no reason not to presume he’ll get better and better.
As to the Pro Bowl- there are lot of good QBs in the NFC now. As the third QB, Manning, Romo, Alex, Stafford, Ryan are all deserving. I’d go with Stafford.
Isn’t Stafford hurt again?
Hugh Douglass just gave the 49ers huge props talking about playoff scenarios on ESPN. Alex still isn’t being given enough credit, he pointed to the early misfires in the red zone, but he is saying no one wants to face that defense. Especially Green Bay with all their injuries to their front line.
Thing about GB is, Aldon Smith can play most of that game, as GB doesn’t run well or much. He will wreak havoc on Rodgers given the shot.
What these guys don’t see is the fact that the 49er WRs (and TEs and RBs) leave a lot of shit on the ground. Guys Like Mike Wallace of Pittsburgh, any given GB WR, and countless others MAKE difficult catches. They HELP their QBs by making one-handed grabs, and such. 49er WRs DROP easy ones, let alone fail to adjust to passes that aren’t perfectly accurate. The 15-20 that have been dropped would equal about what? 250 yards? VD and Ginn alone dropped 2 balls that would have netted 140 yards and 2 TDs. The one call-back on the iffy chop block was 75 yards and a TD. So you could easily say they’ve left 500-600 yards on the ground.
In other words, I think Smith has had a lot more passes dropped than he has thrown bad ones. And, again, the pass to Williams in the end zone was on Williams. If Smith leads him, it’s a pick. If he sits in the clear area, it’s a TD. I’ll cut Williams a little slack, as he’s young and still getting used to this. He can be taught what to do in that situation. Given the fact that there was little preseason, and the WR injuries, Smith is doing about as well as can be expected.
As well as can be expected? Well above what you expected , Chuck.
Hey Chuck, for what ever reason I couldn’t email to the yahoo address but I did post some pictures on the FB UncaChucks NinerPage so if you can retrieve them there that will work.
I have some more of the game but they are a little shaky and out of focus…but I have some pregame of Alex throwing to Harbaugh, as he always does before the games that I have seen.
I was using my phone camera so they are small. I will download them to the FB page a little later.
I am going through some tough economic times like we all are but one thing that is helping me remain joyful and loose during all this, are these 49ers. Their success gives me just enough respite from overthinking my problems, so I can be grateful about the things that are really important.
Merry Christmas! and Happy Hand Grenades! Go 49ers!
Weird. I’ll get ’em from FB. . .
Great post dude. We’ve all been there. Hang in there. Go Niners!