Well, the new regime got off with a bang yesterday as the 49ers wore down and dismantled the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football. Tales of the 49ers demise may just be a little premature. Then again, it was only the Vikings. The 49ers defense does what they usually do to AP, and that’s shut him down. Mangini and company disguised coverages, and blitzed from off angles to confuse and befuddle sophomore QB Teddy Bridgewater.
The offense was nigh unstoppable, except by themselves. The 1st half saw a lot of yards, but a lot of penalties. The opening drive was thwarted by a holding penalty deep, and the rest were done in by various other problems. Carlos Hyde pretty much stamped his entry into the NFL as one of the top backs in the league (for a week anyway) by gaining 168 yards on 26 carries for gaudy 6.5 yards a carry and 2 touchdowns.
Yes, we are a running team. But this run game is vastly different than last year as Greg Foerster, master of the zone blocking scheme ran very well against some stacked lines when we had 3 TEs in there, and also when we had 2 WRs in there. Cutback lanes were wide open, and Hyde took big advantage of that.
The passing game, and Colin Kaepernick especially, looked a lot more comfortable in the pocket this year as compared to last, and made most of the plays he needed to. He read through his progressions very well, and made the correct calls to run when he needed to. As I’ve been saying all offseason, we moved Kappy around in the pocket, and even ran play action (!) on 3rd and 1 for an easy toss to Hyde for a 1st down. Kappy’s numbers weren’t gaudy, but they were efficient. 17/26 for 165, 0 picks, 0 TDs. The difference being the Niners converted some tough 3rd downs (5-12 ain’t great, but it beats 1-9). An issue in previous seasons. Red zone offense was 2-5, but 2 drives were killed by holding penalties.
What can you say about the defense? What I saw as a strength for the team was pretty much dead on. Bethea, Tartt, Bowman, Carradine, and Lynch all had sacks. Tremaine Brock had a pick, and the defensive backfield played a very solid game all around. Even though Bridgewater is very mobile, the Niners contained him well, and the coverage was solid even as Teddy broke contain to buy time.
The problems? Well, Special teams were an early disaster. Blocked FG, muffed punt, and a punt return TD called back by 2 blocks in the back. However, Pinion boomed all his punts, and mashed all his kickoffs deep or out of the end zone. Penalties were a big problem early as well. They had 6 penalties in the first half, but only 1 in the 2nd half. So whatever Tomsula said to ST coach McGaughey and the players seemed to get them in focus.
All in all a solid game by the new coaching staff and team. Certainly you have to think this team at least for now looks pretty good.
Irish Kevin, our intrepid man-on-the-scene, shot this opening ceremonies video. Thanks, Kev!
Forty Niners Forever 
Now the awkward segue onto the football field…
“We’re better off with Alex Smith than Peyton Manning”
That’s Chuck’s epitaph. And it also could be scribbled onto Berger’s, the 12th Man’s, TF’s and numerous of you other unintelligent mook’s tombstones as well.
You people wouldn’t know what a good QB looked and smelled like if Joe Montana came over, introduced himself, and then proceeded to squat and take a huge dump on your incompetent and soon to be “India Inked” foreheads…
You people make me fucking sick.
That’s a picture I would rather not have to think about. It had to be Montana, why not Unitas, or Starr, or anyone besides Montana.
Simple, Winder. Joe’s the best of them all.
Even *I* know that.
“Alex Smith vs Peyton Manning? Shit this has Dennis losing everything he owns written all over it…..”
It was close. But Alex Smith > Peyton Manning for all I own when money’s on the line?
Fuck you people and fuck Alex Smith! You people ain’t takin’ my last “Three fiddy.”
Winder, I think I mentioned this story to you and everyone else here before maybe a time, or two, or three or four hundred times before. But it’s worth another go regardless…
During our Niners’ first SB run in 81′, I had the utmost pleasure and honor of attending and watching *in* person *each* and every goddamn one of those home games beginning from preseason and continuing throughout the regular, postseason and culminating in the SB that year at Pontiac, Michigan.
I was just a little 15 yo punk who truly didn’t know shit from shinola. But I knew I was at Super Bowl XVI that year. You know how I knew that? I sat in Section 111 Row 45 and Seat 35 and looked over at Mom in Seat 34 and said, “Mom, I can’t believe we’re really here. She said, Dennis. We’re here. We made it. We’re at the Super Bowl.”
Please do me a favor. Don’t spoil it. Don’t tell me who won.
Yeah Dennis how about feeding those ducks. Quack!
Do you know the difference between a mallard and Alex Smith?
A mallard can actually fly in the air and remain silent. Whereas all of Alex Smith’s passes “Quack!” when they take flight.
A comedian should never laugh at his own jokes…
Manning didn’t want to come here Dennis, so all that talk is just your mental masturbation. Your area of expertise. And any feeb knows Peyton would not have survived behind our line back then. Count the rings Peyton has won for Denver, dumb-ass.
You do a disservice to all fans by being such a humongous dick. No one cares. Feed the ducks and fuck off. Or feed the fucks and duck off. Just get over the fact that Peyton didn’t come here you fucking twit. No one cares. And yes we were better off with Alex, because the team would be even less stacked now with players had we signed Manning to a $95 mill deal.
News flash. Denver isn’t winning the super bowl with Manning. Boo hoo. Let’s see if you can manage to injure yourself lying down.
You ain’t a 49er fan. you are a fucking whiner. You are the guy that fans of other teams hate because you think you are entitled to a team that always wins. Sorry pal. Life doesn’t work this way and neither does football. If you can’t take the bad with the good, then you are a fair weather fan. They won when you were a boy? Yay! Now throw a hissy fit because they don;t win every year.
Childish. You act like the lemmings on Skeebers blog.
BIGGER NEWS FLASH — Manning would have come here except Harbaugh wouldn’t give him the keys to the Ferrari. Instead, Jimbo in all of his “brilliance,” chose to keep Alex under his control and drive *his* Pinto.
And, BTW. That was four fucking years ago. I’ll be the first to admit that Manning looks like a broken-down-39-year-old-quarterback sucking on fumes…guess what? That’s what he is nowadays. But please guess one more time? Manning’s *still* knows the game and plays it better today than a 31-year-old Alex Smith.
If you don’t believe me, John Madden said the same in so many words just now on KCBS.
You and every other humongous dick on this blog do a disservice to us 49er fans for “just accepting” today’s QB play.
THE BIGGEST MOTHERFUCKING NEWS FLASH EVER…
Our 49ers aren’t winning the Super Bowl with Colin Kaepernick.
Maybe Dennis, but he already got closer than Manning over the same time period.
Are you telling me with a straight face that if Manning came as a package deal with Harbaugh we wouldn’t have one at *least* one Super Bowl?
And don’t for one fucking minute listen to Chuck’s bullshit that Manning would cost us the signing of other players. There was plenty of room underneath the cap. And there’s always ways to fudge and finagle those accounting lines.
And you know goddamn well Peyton would have restructured his contract after the first year he was here and we won the Super Bowl.
Just listen to you fucking people: Alex Smith > Peyton Manning. You people need to be lobotomized and then castrated to ensure no further progeny think alike.
Mooks. The whole fucking lot of you. Nothing but fucking mooks.
And, Chuck. I saw what you just did there by adding adding extra lines to your previous comments w/o making a brand new comment.
Guess what again? IT’S STILL ALL A BUNCH OF HORSESHIT!!!
You know what you are, Chuck?
I’m outta here. I have to go work now. And by “work,” I mean volunteer down at the center. That’s what I do now. Not looking for a pat on the back, I just want to give back. With all my bitchin’ and moanin’ throughout life I’ve come to realize that I’ve been pretty lucky.
Not as lucky as some, but luckier than others. And that ain’t half bad.
Which is more than I can say for Alex Smith. 😀
Waaah! I’m a fan! They owe me wins!!
Pathetic. The only work you’ve ever done is work the system, Dennis. If not FOR Harbaugh we win the Super Bowl 3 years ago.
Accpeting QB play is V -speak for being a huge pussy who feels to team owes them something for supporting them. Poor pathetic bastard. manning is a good QB who hasn’t won nearly enough in the postseason. He’s the Atlanta Braves of football.
New thread is up. And your poor shtick is getting old and played. Hit the bricks, fuck-o.
New thread is up.