Saw Mad Max with the kids the other day, and Road Warriors (0-5) these guys aren’t. In a familiar turn though, the home 49er defense was stingy and tough as it rattled and shook (and was hosed by a shit call) and stuffed the vaunted AZ Cardinals offense. This one saw the defense make plays time and again, including an 8-play ‘drive’ from the 3 yard line punctuated by 3 (!) PI calls. The laundry was flying all over the place, and the Niners got their share of bad ones. They were pretty much legit, but my beef with those calls is Vance McDonald got called for offensive PI on a play that looked exactly like what Eric Reid got called for on Larry Fitzgerald.
Like the Chicago and AZ games last year, these calls played a big part in determining the outcome of the game. The worst however, was the roughing the passer penalty on Quinton Dial. On a clear shot where Dial led with his shoulder, he sacked Palmer. A typical straight ahead play. Alas, the laundry came out and dinged Dial. So, instead of 3rd and 18 from the AZ 24, it was 1st and 10 from the AZ 47. This lead to AZ keeping the ball for an extra 5 minutes, and the game-winning touchdown. On that same drive, Palmer clearly got the snap off after the play clock had expired, so the play should have been blown dead. Instead, he connected on a 34 yard pass down the middle to set up the Palmer score.
Sure, whining about the refs is all verboten and shit, but fuck that. The refs were atrocious. After a penalty on the Niners for 12 men on the field early in the game, it took the refs 6 minutes to determine the correct down as beleaguered ref Pete Morelli ran around putting on and taking off his headphones trying to figure out the down and the distance. As it was, they got it wrong. What should have been 1st and 5 from the 10 turned into 2nd and 3 from the 8. AZ lost a down and ended up kicking a FG. As Bruce Arians said, “I mean, they can’t count to three.”
The second FG by AZ was marred by another stupid display of ineptitude. On a pass where the AZ WR went OB and came back and caught the ball, a flag was thrown for illegal catch. The refs mistakenly gave AZ another down. It didn’t matter as they didn’t convert that one either, but things like down, distance, and basic penalty enforcement should be easy to figure out.
Throw in the bad roughing call, and the insane laundromat posse on the goal line, and you have a shit-fest. As is becoming more and more apparent, the refs and the league are ruining this sport with stupid rules (explain ‘football-move-after-a-catch’ to me again. 2 feet down, and getting hit OB, and the ground can STILL cause an incomplete pass?) and the random enforcement of PI, roughing, illegal use of hands, and many other penalties leaves me to think the refs and the league are looking to control some aspects of the game that should not be in their control.
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
The game? Well, like we all saw, Gabbert showed that he can hit the short passes, but struggled with the deep balls. He underthrew every deep pass as Smith and Boldin did well to fend off defenders, but did well on the shorter routes, and kept plays alive by rolling out and finding guys. He threw a pretty mindless pick early on, but ran the offense well for the most part. 25-36 for 318 is a solid day.
The run game showed a little as Shaun Draughn looks like he should stick around. The D was great. But the point to all this is, what will it mean for the future? At least for Jed, that is. Are these moral victories enough to keep the QB in place (maybe)? The head coach (no)? The GM (FUCK no)? The owner (hell to the fucking no!!!)?
Alas and alack.
I agree about the refs far to many flags. Someone’s gotta teach our DB’s how to play in close without obstructing the WR’s while the ball’s in the air.
Yeah, I agree, but the call on VMcD (which had NO bearing on the fucking play) was identical to what Reid got called for on Fitzgerald. It just seemed like a call to kill our drive. As was the call on Dial to extend AZ’s drive.
Where’s that pic of the banner flying for Jed’s removal? That should on top of this blog. Send him back to his mommie now!
Hah! There you go, Nippy.
The check is in the mail.
Nice pic……that banner looks damn good!
Yes! Mommie should mutually agree with Jed that he should get a mall job perhaps shinning shoes for the Xmas crowd. He certainly is miscast as an owner of an NFL team. That banner is a perfect suggestion.
Got to say I agree with the players coming out en force maujure and saying they got jobbed by the refs.
Dial neither led with his helmet nor directed the contact at Palmer’s head. Seeing as the dynamics of the human body being as they are, it is geting to be harder and harder to define the target zone of where to hit the QB.
What I find odd is an NE defender speared Osweiler in his exposed ribs by leading with his helmet. No flag. It’s like the NBA. If you are a star you get the call. A la Fitzgerald in the end zone. If not, you get the shaft. A la Dial.
The refs were horrible but what good does it do to “come out en force” against them? Seriously, when has that ever had even a tiniest influence? All it’s going to do is get guys fined. Nothing ever happens to the refs and they will continue to suck shit.
All part of the problem,Flav. Like arguing balls and strikes, it gets you nowhere. But eventually it will drive change. Robot umps or replaying these game-changing penalties, change will happen.
19-0
Tough, tough game at the Vivint Smart Home Arena (is that a name, or what?). Curry’s 3 broke the tie in the last two minutes. Another 3 by him missed and the Jazz had a chance for the lead with seconds left. Missed shot, rebound knocked around and eventually pulled down by Steph, who got fouled going down the court.
106-103 and it was closer than that.
19-0
I think the Spaminator got my description
Oops, it did then it didn’t; Never know, it’s a killer.
Great warrior game. A grind-out win in a hostile environment.
23 in a row.
Well waddaya know. Pete Morelli and his crew were relieved of their officiating duties this weekend.
http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/12/1/9826778/pete-morelli-officiating-crew-pulled-from-week-13-game-due-to-49ers
So bad they had to go.
Ahhh, fuck. Well, they were pulled from the more ‘important’ Sunday night game. Nee: The bigger audience. They’ll get a backwater game (Titans/Vikes, Raiders/Saints?) instead.
Send them deep into Cajun country without a paddle and rowboat. Let the critters get acquainted with them up close and personal.
Tom Slick (and Boomer Esiason) speaks his mind on the refs:
http://kdvr.com/2015/11/30/tom-brady-boomer-esiason-decry-officials-after-patriots-loss-to-broncos/
This is getting to the point where the shadier aspects of the money involved with betting on the game come in to play. Kill one late drive with a bullshit call and you have changed the outcome of a game.
new thread is up.