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Groupology event from Anna Piranah:
The software is at my.groupol.ogy, but you’ll need a private invitation in order to participate in this multimedia event that will feature videos, Candlestick memories, photos and live chat during the game. If you’d like to participate, please send email to anna@ekage.com).
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And Candlestick’s . . .
Here we are at Week 16, and there are still 18 teams still in the running. That means only 14 teams have been eliminated, and 10 teams are fighting for the last 4 spots. Crazy thing is, the Niners can still land the #1 seed, the 2, the 5, the 6, or they can be eliminated from the playoffs entirely. The unlikely scenario of the Niners gaining the #1 seed got a huge boost from the suddenly sleepless in Seattle. The 12th Man couldn’t help the suddenly anemic Seattle offense out of their malaise, and they suffered a beat-down at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals. A team themselves on the edge of the playoff hunt. Carson Palmer did all he could to give Seattle chances by throwing 4 interceptions, but it mattered little as the AZ defense kept Russell in check to the tune of 89 net yards passing, and 103 yards rushing (71 for Lynch). If it wasn’t for the picks, this should have been easier for AZ, but Seattle has to be reeling a bit right now. They’ve lost 2 out of their last 3, to division rivals no less, and have another division foe in St. Louis next week.
So, as this applies to the 49ers, don’t take your foot off the gas. Win tonight and clinch a playoff berth. Don’t leave this shit up in the air. I sincerely didn’t give AZ much of a shot, but AZ played godawful on offense and still won fairly easily against the vaunted Seahawks and their 12th man. Seattle went nowhere all day, and were 2-13 on 3rd down conversions. This brings to mind the earlier Niner game in Seattle, which they won handily. Or did they? That game, the Niners were missing Mario Manningham, Crabs, VD got hurt midway thru the 2nd quarter, Ian Williams was chop-blocked and broke his ankle, Willis was hobbled by a groin injury, Miller dropped a TD pass in the 1st quarter, and Kappy missed an open VD and was picked off early. Throw in the 5 turnovers, and you have a recipe for failure. Yet, for all that the Hawks had a 5-0 lead at the half, and a 12-3 lead at the start of the 4th quarter. This is where the game got away, as the Niners kept forcing the ball in the air, and the defense got gassed due to our 38 second drives, and Seattle scored a couple late TDs.
I hope the 49ers just play the game tonight and don’t get caught up in all the history around the Stick, the hoopla, and the circus atmosphere for the game tonight. It’s hard enough to win in the NFL without a shitload of distractions. And there are quite a few tonight. The Niners should be able to run on these guys. And if TB proved anything, it showed that we CAN run against 9 in the tackle box. But that was with Bruce Miller. He’s out, and the run formations look to be different with Boobie Dixon in the backfield with Gore. Still and all, Atlanta is travelling across the country amid a completely failed season, and shouldn’t put up too much resistance. The recipe is the usual. Get on top of them early, and put them away. I’d love to see Colt McCoy get into the game by the end of the 3rd quarter.
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
Fucking cocksuckers!
Man if that was the “Hands” team…. fuck.
Not good onside kick
We had to figure they’d try an on-side kick. Why was Bowman out there to give it the “whiffffff.”
Did we fire Harbaugh yet?
Falcons have the momentum now, after we held it most of the Half.
Either someone makes a play for us, or this will at least go to OT and it could end right here.
This has to be the worst fucking game in Candlestick history. Even though the 9ers are going to win. 😉
Bowman redeems himself!
See? Didn’t I tell you?
Even Hollywood would blush at THAT shit!
what a fucking way to shut her down. Fantastic. Night, lady.
PLAYOFFS! Sweet, Bowman was the guy who missed the onside kick.
Hahahaha sweet
Bowman nice hands!
Exactly right. His hands made the play. He took it in stride and took off at full speed because he could handle the ball falling into his hands. Unbelievable play.
Matty Ice just got his dick frozen off.
Yep lol
Ball rolled over the back of the WRs helmet right into NaVorro’s hands, in stride.
The shade of Jimmy Johnson was guiding that one.
Hail Mary time now
What are you looking at? Ugly all day
Beats a pretty loss
Ha ha yes indeed, philippinefan
Cheers Kev, see ya next week my friend
Bye, bye Candlestick (sniff).
Maybe.
All out blitz finally rattled the Ice. He was unpressured too much of the time. FINALLY PRESSURE
Brock’s coverage made it all happen – Ryan tried to force it and paid the price.
He saw the blitz coming and Brock was fighting for the ball from what I heard
Del, are you alive? Conscious? Sober? Not stroked out?
Fuck! what an ending.
Feeding the ducks (dynasty)
GO FALCONS! Whup them carpetbagging Panthers!
And a decimated team traveling cross-country to play for nothing came within a fumbled reception of beating us at home. Except for one play as spectacular as it was lucky the coaching and a lot of execution was far below par.
Thats true we were asleep till 3rd Q
NF, I’m still dubious about our chances in January with a dysfunctional passing game. Sometimes, though, all you can say is it’s better to be lucky than good!
It was an exciting finish and it came out in our favor but I really expected us to look more like a championship team tuning up for the post season.
Take a look at the AZ game. You think they wanted to lose? A win is a win is a win.
I thought Atlanta would run a couple times down there. And Ryan should have taken the sack on the pass that was intercepted. We were lucky on the play, and I’ll take it but Ryan should never have thrown that pass,IMO, Thank goodness he did.
Yep finally dialed up a blitz and Ice got happy feet (arm). Where was our pressure most of game??
Finally coach Mike Smith loses one on the west coast
Well NF, when Kaeps was saying oh fuk it and did his thing they did look like a SB quality team. Then the coaches took the ball out of his hands and ran the ball! That back fired, they scored a TD so then they went all conservative on D and damn near lost!!
Kevin, not sure why you say Kaeps says f*** it or f*** Roman whenever he throws the ball and it’s Roman or Harbaugh holding him back when we run but whatever. Roman and Harbaugh aren’t on the field and CK7 gets two plays to choose run or pass on most downs. So it’s pretty much CK7 and how he reads the defensive front or the safeties and his decision to go with the play called or the alternate.
Funny how teams ahead at the end of a game always tend to guard against a big play isn’t it? Number one rule of defense is don’t give up the big play. And everything they do is predicated on that. The flip side of risky blitzes and aggressive coverage is being able to play catch up and we aren’t that good at it.
Well, the Last series there were 3 runs no passes. How many times have they run the ball and got the kind of yardage they got on those three plays, that was rare!! That was all Harbaugh not Kaeps, Harbaugh WAS trying to run out the clock!!
10 point game. No one had it that close among us pigskin prognosticators. AZ is going to be tougher and we need better play from CK and the D. Crab and Boldin catching the difference in this one. How important is the Crab to us??
The problem wasn’t really the offense, even if it was anemic at times, the lack of pass rush was flat terrible. Not that we should blitz all day, but they couldn’t do anything til the pick. Mike, to say they shouldn’t throw there is ludicrous. They moved up and down the field throwing the ball.
Yeah what was that? Finally brought 6 (I think) on the TO pick six by Brock/Bowman. Asking for trouble and we paid for it with long completions by M Ryan some for TDs
Playoffs!
Yahoooooo!
In other words, if this offense scores 27 points, it should be enough. Atlanta with all their injuries has no business scoring all these points.
Agree thats the most our D has given up since Colts fer duck dynastys sake. Twice our pts allowed on D
Yeah, it would have been a real clusterfuck to lose this and go into AZ with a do-or-die situation.
I agree Chuck. O was not exactly a well oiled machine but did score 27. Another aspect is that a pro-bowl D can be expected to score and get TO for their O. Rogers dropped an easy one for instance.
Good win.
27 is right at our average for points scored. Agree the D gave up 24 and put “no” pressure on MR. Not sure why we let him have all that time to throw.
Not many teams will beat the Niners if they score 27.
None have this year except 1st Seahawks who put up 29 in a beat down. GB put up 28 and lost by 6 I believe. We would have tied Indy wit 27. “One” is not many youre right.
Well, some teams simply match up well with others. I don’t know. Too much Candlestick? Maybe Nolan was itching for revenge. Whatever the fuck, the Niners put no pressure on Ryan all game. He was pitch and catch all day. He can fit shit into windows when he’s got no pressure. Kap was under constant pressure, but he still needs to do a better job of feeling it. He walked into a big sack, and gave up on some plays early. All in all though, he wasn’t the problem.
And Gruden was right about the jumbo package. It didn’t work. Well the 1st play of the game worked, and it didn’t work the rest of the night. Like he (and I have said, and Bergs has said) spread the field and run from a 3-4 WR formation. V McD continues to unimpress. Fucking Bear Pascoe is still in the league and we cut him 7 years ago.
And WTF is going on with VD? He was playing like he was blind.
WR made some nice plays today, TE not so much.
Heard he was poked in right eye
Niners didn’t throw into the end zone again IIRC.
If VD had been looking for the ball, he would have caught one in the end zone. Instead it went right through his hands. Boldin has proven time and time again to be invaluable. Crabs is rounding into shape nicely. Manningham is down again, and Osgood caught a ball. I even saw Patton in on a play. Baldwin? Bum shoulder?
I guess he was close to the goal line. What I was thinking is that the Niners by design don’t throw end zone from the redzone. I can’t recall the last time a pass was caught in the back of the end zone for instance.
Boldin played well again. I will be surprised if he can be signed for next year though, he will want paying.
Haven’t seen anything from Baldwin that makes me think he can play for the Niners. Not a good fit?
Crabtree last week? As far as Baldwin goes, who knows? Other teams use 4-5 WRs a game. I don’t think we’ve had 5 different WRs catch passes all year.
It baffles me. Maybe Kap doesn’t get to his 3rd read, or I don’t know. Smith would check down to 6-7 different guys a game. It took 15 weeks to get a 3rd pass catcher a TD.
Form, function, or what? I mean, we are winning, but just strangely. VD seemed to have completely lost his shit. Catching OB, not looking for the ball, and a clean drop on a 20 yard pass.
define wife, lol.
tippy toe side of the endzone.
One things for sure McD ain’t getting the ball thrown his way many more times if he can’t catch it. Damn.
He’s got to stay on his damn feet.
It’s better to be lucky than good. But one must be good to be lucky! Great win for a last game.
exciting, winning game. Fitting send off.
Random9erfan was a no-show at the game blog. I guess bullit pulled the plug on another character who he ain’t.
Yeah, I wonder if he bemoans his leaving at Skeebs blog.
IIRC he felt the same pity for the wrongs being heaped on poor TDTommy here. If he had any sense he would pick a fight with one of these sham guys, call him names and dog him constantly.
Lol exactly NF, he could blast baloney all day long at the straw man, parry the pitiful, outraged responses, look like a hero/genius/guru whatever, arouse our pity for his victim, garner double the attention and none of us poor saps would be any wiser. Fuck I may try it myself….
Did he leave Skeebs crib? OMG now what??
Chuck will soon post a new thread so this is garbage time on the blog and I want to post something for Del Mar because its been a hard day for him what with a Niner win and all. This is football related and on a subject near to Dennis’s heart: Peyton Manning.
At: http://www.49erswebzone.com/podcasts/ Pin or Pull: How the Run Game Got Its Groove Back
2 dudes, hosts Oscar and David, discuss the MVP award starting at the 1:06: 40 mark.
Oscar asks:
Buy or Sell? = Agree or Disagree? MVP award. Should there be a conversation on who should win MVP other than Peyton Manning? Should/could anyone else be deserving of winning MVP this year?
David:
No, disagree = “Sell”. There’s no one in the history of the NFL who’s doing what Peyton Manning is doing right now. He is far and away the MVP, the offensive MVP, the best quarterback this year, the best offensive player to put on cleats, the biggest forehead in the NFL, the best commercial producer ever, the best Papa John pizza maker; there is nothing this man fails at. Everything he does he does exceptionally including having a giant forehead. No one other than Manning should get a vote for the MVP award. Period. Fire them.
Okay Del Mar. You are not alone. This was not copied but painstakingly transcribed by yours truly.
What a way to get into the play-offs. To sit there Gumby shouldered and then a moment later looking for penalty flags knowing how the officiating crew was looking like they were on the take, then a moment later seeing no penalty flags resulting in total jubilation! The Pick At The Stick!!!
I was out with friends watching the game. When Bowman picked him off you would think we won the SB, place erupted. Looked like a bunch of kids at Chuckie Cheese jumping about.
No more Stick!………. BLEEP!
Maybe.
Something interesting to me that has come out post game was Kap ignored the play called by the coaches and went with Gore asking for the ball. This is a big step in the right direction for Kap. He put on some big boy pants and did what he thought best ignoring the coaches. It’s about freakin time Kap!
Bodes well for the future too since it worked out well with Gore getting the TD.
I agree.
There comes a time in every players career when he gets enough confidence to let his instincts take over. That was potentially a huge moment. His QB draw sounded like an audible too. Another changed call.
I saw the same as you on the draw, he audibled and pushed Gore to the side to lead block. I’ve been waiting for Kap to make some decisions for himself. Good confidence boosts for him and the coaches.
All year it has looked like Kappy has been reacting to things instead of controlling things. I think he is still getting his head around the mental side of the game. Little things like that draw give me hope it is starting to come together.
Where’s Dennis? Too much eggnog?
New thread is up.
The QB draw did look like an audible. If so, it is a good sign. He’s the one at the line. He needs to have more than just 2 options.