This is the 3rd straight division game for the Niners in the semi-interrupted path to the playoffs. This on paper looks like a game that should be a good old fashioned stomping. The Rams are a fairly non-descript team with what was thought to be a up-and-coming QB, Rookie of the year, SAm Bradford, and all-world RB Steven Jackson. Well, things ain’t going well. After firing Mike Martz in 2006, they’ve gone through Joe Vitt, Scott Linehan, Jim Hanslett, Steve Spagnulo (10-38!), and now Jeff Fisher.
After his rookie success, Bradford has struggled with injuries and inconsistency. The defense has been a continual work in progress, and the Rams promising 3-2 start has devolved into a 3 game losing streak.
Trap game? Looking forward to the 7-1 Bears next Monday night? Well, I don’t think so. I think we see a good dose of running down their throat, and play action. A methodical dismantling similar to the AZ game.
Forty Niners Forever 
12th man wins with 7 point spread looks like
Excuse me, Phil. But I had it 3-2 St. Louis. That’s a 1 pt. spread last time I checked. But I suffered a concussion today, so my math could be a little foggy.
That would be a pretty boring football game = a field goal and a safety for the lone highlight. Ok how about an honorable mention?
What hasn’t bee discussed are the fake punts and how the Forty Niners didn’t defend them properly. Their coaches picked up a flaw that left a Ram’s gunner wide open and that play had the effect of a turnover in the second half. The fake in the first half was such a suprise because it was
done from their own 10 yard line. Cost the Forty Niners a FG chance in a tight game at the end of the first half.
This would seem to validate Grump’s point about playing the odds- going for it on 4th down, etc. It worked to perfection on those two plays. Plus maybe Fischer was sending the message “Two can play that game Harbaugh”.
“I’ve never heard of a tie in football,” Goldson said. “Where’s everybody going? Did somebody quit? Forfeit?”
I want that stupid mook off of my football team right fucking now. He never heard of a tie in football? What rocks to they find these fucking morons under? I’m going to go concuss that Jethro Bodine dumb motherfucker myself. Thin the fucking herd.
There hadn’t been one in 4 years in the NFL. BTW, a 3-2 prediction gets you dumb motherfucker mook of the year- oh wait, in a tie with “Qua”.
Niners continue their pattern of 2 wins followed- by a loss, a loss and now a tie- a bad games. I thought the pattern would be broken this week by a win but the KO of Alex changed all that I guess. Kap played pretty well considering. He’s going to be alright and hopefully we get Alex back for the Bears. Otherwise = another dogfight.
As I understand it, tie games count for 1/2 win and 1/2 loss for each team.
And Phil, though I missed the score by 8 total points I think I should be declared the winner for 2 reasons.
1) I nailed the Niner score cold
2) I was decidedly worried about this game as my post indicates:
“Flavor: Niners 24 Lambs 16. I’ve been picking the Niners to win huge each week but I just don’t see it this week. I think we start a little slowish and just sort of sludge our way to a victory (hopefully). Niners 24 Lambs 16”
Therefore, i am declaring myself the winner of your weekly game unless I hear otherwise from the commissioner (that’s you). 🙂 🙂 🙂
You know Flav I considered both those points and it caused me no end to anguish, physical, mental, emotional. In the end I had to defer to Chuck’s edit that the the winner is the one who gets closest to the point spread. I’m just a humble scribe (altho highly paid) working here for Unca. Best take it up with him. I hear a bottle of the good stuff has been known to change his mind…
Yeah, you had the most misgivings re the game,. Flav. After seeing the Gaints puke on their shoes vs Cincy, I got worried myself.
Game of the Week, or game of the weak?
Shit, the D gave up ~460 yards. Cappy got some meaningful playing time, and after a shakey start, held himself together pretty well. A little unsure a few times, but otherwise did pretty well, and should have led the team to victory in OT. Fisher made some very bonehead calls, and Smith should have gotten down on that scramble. That may have not been the initial hit, but that one was brutal, and only helped things along.
Whoever thinks Smith isn’t tough hasn’t been through anything like that.
He *was* down. The hit was technically “legal” but it was also dirty, Dunbar intentionally lowered his helmet to insure a hit to Smith’s head.
In that case Mr Fischer will likely have stirred up a hornets nest in our Defense with Bradford, Amendola having big fat targets painted on they’re backs. Supposed to be how Fischer coaches sez Eric Davis who played for JF.
Everyone here keeps saying look how they are winning with a strong running game, and yet you all bitched and moaned about Singletary and Nolan inability to use the pass. Well Harbaugh has not changed one thing on offense! The Niners management and coaching staff fool us fans into thinking they were going to open up the passing game. Well it has not happened. Tha Niners are a mirror image of the Ravens. Who coaches that team again?? Depend on the running game and your defense. But when the Niners fall behind by say 14 points and have to rely on the passing game they still go conservative, screens and the 3-5 yard pass. When am I going to see the Niners spread the field. At least when Singletary was coach and the Niners were so far behind that is yforced the Niners to pass, he would then throw out 5 wide receivers. I have not seen Harbaugh do that yet!! The Niner passing game is still the joke of the league.
It’s a joke if the only benchmark is total yardage. And if that’s the only benchmark, the benchmark is a joke. For some reason efficiency is considered a dirty word. BTW, when they fell behind by 14, they pulled to 14-7 featuring a balanced attack culminating in a TD pass to Crabtree. In looking for culprits yesterday it would be special teams and a defense that gave up over 450 yards. Both QBs and the offense in general played well enough that this should have been the win most anticipated. IMO.
Totally agree but those passes were down the field, and Smith was the QB. Once Kappy came in it was run and pass only if they had too! Why not spread the field with Kappy in there? It would have opened up Kappy’s running ability. This is not rocket science here. Other teams do it!! I believe A Luck did some pretty nifty running recently. No Mike this falls on the coaching staff for not having a plan other than the run, kick out the Buffalo game and you have a mediocre passing attack, at best.
Kevin, whatever you say. Even Fear is entitled to his opinion. They’re 6-2-1, they would have been in the Super Bowl last year but for two muffed punts and Harbaugh is is the same as Dumb and Dumber? Whatever.
Will Fangio let Amendola run free past the line of scrimmage next meeting? Head scratcher that one. Dude almost beat us first play in over-time…running free. Knock him off his route early and often.
Irish Kevin, they’ve all had the same starting QB and RB to work with. They all knew who gave their teams the best chance at putting points on the board. But we do now have the run blocking in place to make it a very big weapon.
It’s odd to see how fast some folks are dissing Kaep’s off-the-bench performance against Alex’s eight year experienced look.
How about he gets a week or two of first team reps before we judge anything.
But some signs you look for are ability to avoid pressure while keeping focus downfield and capacity to extend the play when blocking breaks down. And Kaep shows he’s already way ahead of Alex there. He made several nice passes and ran a pretty good two-minute to get the tie. His awareness on his TD wasn’t bad either. Very promising for the long awaited passing game I’d say.
Not to diss Smith but I’d say there’s been a lotta “long awaiting” for the Forty Niners- O, D, ST for past several years. It’s great having Kap as a backup to Alex. Not bad for his first game action. There was nothing gimmicky about his TD run, his other runs, some of the passes.
I thought Kap did very well in his first rime actron and said so. But it’s beyond the Valley of the Absurd to even suggest he’s anywhere close to ready to be the starter. He showed he is a back up who can keep the team competitive. Nice job yesterday.
Health permitting Alex is the starter, agree
Kaepernick fumbled the ball twice and the Forty Niners were extremely lucky to recover those loose balls..
Yeah he’s pretty raw
On his first series. How about the rest of the game?
Decision making has a ways to go = see next post by Chuck. But His legs are great and the strike to V Davis was v. good.
One thing that Kappy almost blew was the pass right before the FG to tie the game. he threw the ball to Williams while Moss was supposed to drag the defenders to the end zone. 2 didn’t bite, so if Williams catches that ball, time runs out and the Niners lose. Other than that, and the fumbles, he did dderseve to win the game in OT.