SB Nation - Patrick Willis

Golden Nuggets: Bad taste in the mouth, to be sure..

Ninjames — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 11:00:42 -0000

Gooood morning everyone. First off, thanks to Fooch for covering for me yesterday, something came up and there was just no way I'd be able to get the Nuggets up in time. Back today though, and my disappointment from the loss on Sunday is numbed by the fact that we've got a game coming up in just a couple of days (also maybe because of the fact that I've been playing Modern Warfare 2 until my eyes bleed) and I'm just looking ahead to that game. If this game doesn't go well, it's time to stop thinking playoffs and start either thinking A) Coaching staff or B) quarterback because something is not going right in 49erland. When the approval ratings topic goes up this week I'm going to be voting "no." Because I do not approve, this loss was unacceptable and we can't take many more of them. I suppose I'll just get to the links right now.

Mike Singletary remains optimistic. The 49ers are at crossroads right now, and optimism wont get us everywhere. We need to win, not feel like we can win. (SacBee.com)

Barrows has a 49ers midseason report card. I haven't read it yet, but I'm willing to bet there wont be a whole lot of As. (SacBee.com)

This team needs to regroup in a hurry, the Bears come to Candlestick on Thursday. (Yahoo.com)

There were some fireworks in Singletary's press conference yesterday--namely with one writer in particular. (SFGate.com)

That writer was Lowell Cohn--somebody I've disliked immensely for about five years now. Just putting that out there. (PressDemocrat.com)

The game against the Bears will be just like any other game the 49ers have played under Singletary. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here's yesterday's edition of Singletary's Notebook. (49ers.com)

Titans coach Jeff FIsher had nothing but good things to say about Patrick Willis. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here's The Wrap Up for the Titans game. (49ers.com)

HB Glen Coffee wont be playing on Thursday, he's out with a concussion. (ProFootballTalk.com)

Coach Sing says this is when he's at his best. (49ers.com)

Maiocco has his video recap of Sunday's lost to the Titans. (PressDemocrat.com)

The blame for the loss is being attributed to the four turnovers the 49ers made--and with good reason, it's where the blame should be. (SacBee.com)

Makes me wonder... are the Titans a better team than the 49ers? I don't really know. I guess so. (SFGate.com)

TE Vernon Davis is close to his personal best season already this season. (SFGate.com)

How about some post game reactions? Always good stuff, here. (49ersFancast)

Mike Singletary press conference transcript: 49ers not interested in Larry Johnson

Fooch — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:10:18 -0000

Ok, so Mike Singletary didn't say it would NEVER happen, but when asked about Larry Johnson, Singletary said:

On whether the 49ers are interested in RB Larry Johnson:
"Right now, I hadn't even thought about it. No. No. Not right now."

The 49ers do have a need for running back depth, but it's not happening with LJ. He actually doesn't clear waivers until tomorrow afternoon. The 49ers would be looking to wait until after he clears waivers, meaning he'd basically have 2 days to learn even a little bit of the playbook. Also, the Texans are bringing Johnson in for a workout, and the Redskins haven't ruled out trying to sign Johnson (if he clears waivers). I'd imagine he'll be locked up before the end of the day tomorrow.

Earlier today I mentioned I was looking for info on Jason Hill in the press conference. We didn't get a completely clear answer, but Singletary did address the wide receiver position.

On why WRs Josh Morgan and Jason Hill played so much:
"I think right now, we have to meet as a staff and really look at our receiving situation. It's a good situation, we have a lot of talent there. We just have to figure out the right combination of time for all of our guys."

On how much he will play Bruce in the future:
"I think it makes sense for us to get together as a staff and really figure out the best thing that we need to do going forward and we will do that. We will do that this week and we will do it today."

On what he saw from [WR] Jason Hill that this was the game he wanted Hill to play:
"Practice. I mean, Jason Hill - I just saw it in practice. He's a guy that could have really gotten a bad attitude and said, ‘Hey, forget it. I'm out here. I was out here last year, I was making plays. It didn't happen. This year, maybe I need to go somewhere else.' But, he's a guy - we've talked a few times. I know [wide receivers coach Jerry] Sullivan has talked with him as well. He's had a tremendous attitude out here and just busting his tail trying to make plays. He's got all the DBs mad at him because he continues to make plays. What he did in the game did not surprise me. I'm very excited about what he was able to accomplish."

Not exactly clear-cut information, but the writing is definitely on the wall for Isaac Bruce. He's had an amazing career, but it looks like his time is winding down.

Feel free to use this thread to discuss Monday Night Football as well.

We have the complete transcript after the jump...

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Press Conference November 9, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

Opening statements:

"Good afternoon. First of all, obviously this is not the most exciting time in the world right now. I would say the biggest thing is we just have to continue working we just have to continue going forward. In the loss we had yesterday, it was unfortunate some of the things that happened in the game. The things that we talked about all week, doing the things we needed to do, going out and playing together. The offensive line, for the most part, did a decent job. Obviously there was one sack there, [T Adam] Snyder's guy came underneath. It was just a good pass rush, the one that caused the fumble by [QB] Alex [Smith]. But overall, I thought the offensive line did a good job. I was very encouraged when I came in and looked at the film last night. The running backs, Frank Gore ran hard. I thought our receivers did a good job of blocking downfield. As far as Alex is concerned in terms of throwing the football, I thought Alex did a good job of throwing the football. I thought the first turnover he had, throwing the ball to [WR Michael] Crabtree, the ball just takes an unlucky bounce back and the guy was able to come back and make a pick. That doesn't happen too often. The second turnover that went to [WR] Josh [Morgan], I thought there were a couple of things that could have happened there. Josh could have made a little better play on the ball coming back to it. I thought the defender got there a little bit early, but we didn't get that call. Other than that, I think Alex had one play that was really on him and they did a good job defensively. He thought it was Cover 4, and basically the DB came off and Alex was trying to get the ball there on time and the guy made a nice play. When I look at the offense, for the most part, unfortunately it was one of the better offensive performances I have seen since I've been here. If you take away the turnovers, we have a chance to really have a good offensive game and have some excitement and momentum going forward. But it didn't happen that way. We did have the turnovers, and I think that is something we have to continue to work on. Outside of that, what do we do going forward? You have four losses and obviously that is not where you want to be, but it is where we are, dealing with reality. I think the most fortunate thing we have right now, the blessing that I would call, is we have a coaching staff that is continuing to work their tails off putting our guys in position to win. We have a young team that has to continue to fight, stay together and execute consistently. The guys are playing hard, that's not even a thought. I have had questions about, ‘Do you think they will start bickering in the locker room?' and those sort of things. No. We won't have that, haven't had that. That won't start. We have eight games left in the season and we have to go out and do the very best we can to win those football games. Other than that, questions."

On whether Smith was locking onto receivers too early:

"I really don't think so. I really don't."

On whether Smith and Morgan have chemistry together:

"I think it could be a combination of things. I think Josh is still maturing into a receiver. He is going to be a great receiver one of these days, it just hasn't happened yet. But, he is working his tail off to get there. That's where it's at. You just have to continue working at it."

On the injuries suffered Sunday:

"[RB] Glen Coffee has a concussion. He will probably be out this game. [S] Michael Lewis has a quad strain. That will be day-to-day this week. [S] Curtis Taylor has a shin contusion. [RB] Michael Robinson had a little bit of a stinger. [CB] Tarell Brown, a rib contusion. [G David] Baas had a little bit of a stinger. [TE] Delanie Walker, a little bit of a knee sprain. I think that will be a day-to-day thing but I think he will be okay for the game. [RB Frank] Gore, eye contusion. Anything I say just add contusion onto it and you'll be in good shape. [TE] Vernon Davis, shoulder contusion."

On why WRs Josh Morgan and Jason Hill played so much:

"I think right now, we have to meet as a staff and really look at our receiving situation. It's a good situation, we have a lot of talent there. We just have to figure out the right combination of time for all of our guys."

On whether WR Isaac Bruce was injured against the Titans:

"He has a sore ankle. He has had a sore ankle for a few weeks, a couple of weeks. Nothing big, but just kind of a little bit of pain there. He is trying to work through it. That's all it was."

On how much he will play Bruce in the future:

"I think it makes sense for us to get together as a staff and really figure out the best thing that we need to do going forward and we will do that. We will do that this week and we will do it today."

On the play of Davis this season:

"Vernon Davis, he has been the same since the beginning of the season. He has worked his tail off. What he is doing now is just the investment he made in the offseason. He continues to get better and he is going to help this team win a lot of football games. He is committed, that's why he is a captain. He is the example that everybody on this team wants to look to as a guy who is doing it right. He is just really working his tail off and he is making a difference in the team."

On Davis' blocking:

"Normally, when a guy is doing something well and he starts doing something else well, what he was doing well originally drops. He continues to get better as a blocking tight end. He is one of those guys, you put another 20 pounds on him and he would be right there doing a heck of a job blocking those ends and tackles and everything else. He is just an extraordinary athlete and is beginning to put all the tools together. He continues to work out right out there on the field before practice, after practice, getting it done. That's why Vernon Davis is successful and he will continue to be so."

On the challenge of running out of the shotgun:

"The shotgun is just one of things where it depends on how much flexibility you have from your o-line. You can run traps, you can run power, you can run basically the same things. It is just a matter of it has to happen a little quicker. There's not much of an illusion to it when you have the fullback. It makes it different because you are keying on that lead guy. I just think that we have to see is how much of the shotgun look that we will keep going forward. We will expand it depending on who we are playing, depending on what they are trying to do to us. If we have to loosen up the front seven if they are trying to load up the box, maybe we do that. But we just have to wait and see."

On whether he liked the shotgun look:

"I like the things that work. I don't really get into a look or whatever. I look at, how many yards and how effective is it? How did it fit with our personnel and what we are doing? It is certainly something we have the tools to do. We have Vernon here in the tight end spot, and we have three wide outs. We have Gore in the backfield. Those are some great weapons to be able to use. I just think we have to really focus on cutting down on some of the other things we are doing that takes away from that because I think it is a powerful thing going forward."

On Titans RB Chris Johnson:

"Obviously, what you saw there was real speed. I don't know if there has ever been a running back as fast to the edge. Sometimes when you look at something on film, you go, ‘Okay, right. We will get him.' I thought for the most part, our defense did a pretty decent job, there were just a couple of times where he got out. When you look out there and see a guy turning the corner and Patrick Willis is running after him, you don't see that too often. Patrick is going to catch that guy. And he did, a few times. That is credit to him. But the guy made some good plays. They blocked on to us. We didn't do a great job getting off blocks yesterday. They did a good job staying on the blocks yesterday. It is just one of those things, I thought we had to do a better job getting off blocks and we didn't."

On whether the 49ers are interested in RB Larry Johnson:

"Right now, I hadn't even thought about it. No. No. Not right now."

On how the losing stretch is weighing on him:

"Do you mean is it one of those things where it takes me to a place? I will put it like this, as a football coach, I am very thankful to be doing what I am doing. But, there are a lot of guys waking up this morning where they are in a job that they don't want to be in and they are doing something and they wish they could be doing something else. I get up every morning, trust me, it is testing at times in this job, but I love this job and I love what I do. I feel that I am the luckiest man in the world to do what I do. Everything that comes with the job, just like you with your job, sometimes you have things that upset you, things that you wish were going another way, but this where it is at. In these moments, this is when I am at my best because in these situations, you just have to rise above and you have to put your best foot forward. You have to be positive. You have to look at where things are and just call it what it is. I can't get lost in the reality of the four losses. It's not something that you want. It's not something - it's not a place that you want to be, but that's where it's at. So, for me, it's just getting ready to, coming in this morning, being excited, talking to the coaching staff, having the coaching staff, ‘Hey, let's go. Let's get ready. Call your guys. Let them know we're on. Be ready to go tomorrow when they come in.' We're setting the game plan in place today, and let's get ready to go tomorrow. On that question, the thing that I want to do is I want all of you to understand this: If you talk to me after a game, nine times out of 10, if we lose the game, it's very rare that I will be sitting back and kind of being philosophical or whatever. I'm going to be ticked. OK? You can call it stress, you can call it whatever you want to call it. For me, it's human. It's just human. You guys in the media, it's just one of those things that, I don't ever think I'm going to have the right etiquette to stand up here and pontificate like some of the other coaches can do. That's not me. I'm a football coach, and I'm real, and what you see is what you get. All I can tell you today is that we've got eight games left, and we've got the right coaches, we've got the right players, we've got the right vision and we just have to go forward. Sometimes, that's all it is, nothing more, nothing less."

On the process of him deciding to become a coach:

"I'll take you through this: I think everything happens for a reason. I think, first and foremost, I told you before that I didn't want to coach, for all of these kinds of reason. I thought, as a player, at least you can go out there and hit somebody. At least you can do that. But, as a coach, you're dealing with guys, and they have to go play. And, you've got to go over there and you've got to make sure that you're doing all the right things on the sideline. But, I think all of the things that I thought before, getting into coaching, is what it is. It's in practice. What you do in practice, nine times out of 10, that's what you're going to get in the games. What you practice on, that's what you should do in the game. I think, for me, that's the best gaze that I have going into any game that we play in. That's why we have practices that are intense at times, in terms of making sure that every little detail is worked out and you still see at times we come up short. But, the guys are headed in the right direction. The guys are - there's not one eye, not one set of eyes in the room last night blinking. All the guys are looking at me and we all agree, you know what? Here's another game. You take the gun out and you point it at yourself, and we're shooting ourselves. We just have to go forward and expect the best and understand that the best will come because we will not see it any other way. I will not compromise. As far as coaching as concerned, it is what I love to do, and I was hesitant to get into coaching because of some of the - I'm standing up here today for this kind of thing because I hate losing. It's as simple as that. No one loves losing, but I hate losing, absolutely hate it - especially when you've got a team that can win. So, that's where I'm at with that. But, I absolutely love what I do."

On whether he wanted to coach the Chicago Bears:

"I wanted to coach at whatever place that wanted me. I didn't know where I was going to coach. And, it's like I said before, when my wife and I knew that we were going to be coaching, we put our house up for sale. We didn't know where we going to be coaching. We didn't know what level we were going to be coaching, had no idea, had no clue. We just knew we were going to be coaching. So, in terms of where we wanted to coach, I just felt that as we prayed, wherever the Lord would have us go, that's where we wanted to go. Where we ended up going, that's where we were going to coach, and we were going to coach as hard as we could and as long as we could."

On what changed in his mind that led him to want to coach:

"What changed in my mindset as I want to coach? It's a hard thing to explain. When I said my wife and I, we prayed about it, that's what we did. We felt that through prayer there were certain doors that were open and then we had to field the right fit and the right situation that came about. And that came, which was from Baltimore, and that's where we went. As far as all of the other things, I think everything that's happened in my life has prepared me for moments like these. I can't lie to you. I would love to come in and have it be we're 6-0, we're 7-0 and we're going forward. ‘Wow, what a brilliant guy. Wow, where has he been.' But, it's not like that. But, I would much rather have it this way, where you come in and you start off right, you know you can do it, and then all of a sudden all these changes. You're changing the quarterback. You start finding out about yourself. You start finding out about the people around you and you start finding out what you're made of. And then you come back together and the thing starts working again. Then you feel better about what you've accomplished and you feel better about the people you've been around because you've been exposed. There's nothing that exposes you like a tough time. There's nothing that exposes - you don't get to know people until you go through tough times. You don't get to know your spouse until you go through tough times, or kids. So, I would much rather have it like this because when it does swing around, we'll be enjoying it a lot more, and it'll be much more of a richness to it going forward and an appreciation for it because it doesn't come easy. There are a lot of little things that have to work right in order for the big thing to really come into fuition. So, I feel good about that. I feel good about these next eight games. I feel good about these next eight games. I feel good about the situation we're in and I feel good about our guys having to work through some things, as well as our coaches, to climb back up again and get ready for that next one and let's go."

On what makes him think his team will turn it around:

"You know what sir? I don't know where you're from, and I don't know what you really meant by that. I understand that you're not my players, thankful that you're not my players. I do want to win. But, let me say this: You have to know guys that you spend days with. You have to know guys that you spend hours with. It's just like you when you're at home. I don't know how much time you spend with your kids, but it's important that when things happen, you know, you have a pretty good idea of how your kids are going to respond. If you tell me that one of my kids slapped you or one of my kids spit on you or something like that, I've got a pretty good idea of who it would be because I know them. I would say, ‘OK, that was Jackie.' Or, ‘You know what? That was Brooke.' When I think about our guys or when I'm talking about our guys, I know them. I know them, and when you spend as much time with these young men and you know what they're made of, then you have a pretty doggone good idea of how they're going to respond. That make sense?"

On whether he contacted the Bears before he decided to get back into coaching:

"Well, I'll put it this way: When I knew we were going to be coaching, the thing that I did was I called Dick Jauron, who was then at the Bears, the head coach. And, I told Dick Jauron exactly this, I said, ‘Coach, my wife and I prayed about it, we've decided that we're going to be coaching. I'm not asking you for a job, but I am telling you that this year, in the very near future, I will be coaching. I don't know where, don't know when.' And, that was it. He said, ‘Well, Mike, good. Let me get back to you and see what's happening here.' And I said, ‘Once again, I understand, I'm not asking. If there's something there, great, but let's just not do something just to do it.' So, he got back to me eventually and just said, ‘Mike, the way things are here, it just looks like it's going to be a tough situation to work out.' I said, ‘Fantastic. I thank you.' And he just let me know that I'm not supposed to be there. So, that was it."

On whether he has any particular emotions coaching against the team he played for:

"Not in particular. I'm just excited for the game. But, not emotions outside of the emotions that I have for any other team."

On the positives and negatives of playing the game on such a short turnaround:

"I think, whatever positives and negatives we have, it's the same for the other team. So, it really doesn't matter a whole lot. We've just got to get ready to go."

On what he saw from [WR] Jason Hill that this was the game he wanted Hill to play:

"Practice. I mean, Jason Hill - I just saw it in practice. He's a guy that could have really gotten a bad attitude and said, ‘Hey, forget it. I'm out here. I was out here last year, I was making plays. It didn't happen. This year, maybe I need to go somewhere else.' But, he's a guy - we've talked a few times. I know [wide receivers coach Jerry] Sullivan has talked with him as well. He's had a tremendous attitude out here and just busting his tail trying to make plays. He's got all the DBs mad at him because he continues to make plays. What he did in the game did not surprise me. I'm very excited about what he was able to accomplish."

Titans vs. 49ers: 5 Questions with Niners Nation

Jimmy — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 16:30:29 -0000

Talk about the change back to Alex Smith. Did his time on the bench help him become a better player?

I think the bench this season helped him become a better player. The last two seasons were riddled with shoulder injuries and a fairly dysfunctional relationship with Mike Nolan. After the season, Smith had to decide whether to leave town or renegotiate his deal with the 49ers. Smith decided to stick around claiming unfinished business. I think one could get an idea of his mental toughness, especially considering how much money he had put away in the initial contract, and the fact that he could have sat and learned for a couple years somewhere else.

Sitting to start this season might have ended up being the best thing for him. He was on yet another offensive coordinator, but after Hill won the job, Smith was able to sit back and learn the playbook without the pressure of being shoved into the starting position right away. He came in two weeks ago in the loss at Houston and put together some of his best football as a pro in one half. He struggled at times last week against Indianapolis, but showed some of the signs of continuing to step forward. It's been a long, strange trip, and it will be interesting to see how this plays out over the course of the season. He's got the talent, and maybe it's all finally coming together for him.

What do you see as Mike Singletary's strengths and weaknesses as a coach?

His strengths are actually rather varied. He's a great motivator, having worked as a motivational speaker before starting his coaching career. He seems to know what buttons to press with his players, with Vernon Davis being the perfect example. Davis has always been a cocky, and sometimes immature, player and Mike Nolan seemed to let him get away with it. Singletary sent him to the locker room his first game as head coach and Vernon Davis has behaved himself ever since. More importantly, Davis has become a team leader (named co-captain) and his on-field performance is matching his bragging.

When Singletary took over, and again at the beginning of this season, he seemed to be stating that he had a plan and the team was going to follow that plan. Many might view him as a bit stubborn because of that. In reality, he's shown an ability to be highly flexible without being too reactionary. He gave Shaun Hill plenty of time to make plays, and finally pulled the plug. He initially was going to slowly work Michael Crabtree into the lineup, but after a bye week filled with great practices, he named him a starter. Both moves have worked out fairly well. Singletary has a fairly good sense of timing in that manner.

The biggest weakness is in his game management. And it's not that he's always bad, but rather he shows a lot of inconsistency. The team has had issues with timeouts and play-calling issues. A lot of times blame could fall to the players or assistant coaches, but the buck does stop with the head coach, so Singletary takes the blame. Other than that, 49ers fans still love Mike Singletary. He's slowly building himself into a great coach, but as with any new coach, it takes time to fully understand the way things operate.

The 49ers defense has been very good against the run so far. Do you think they will be able to shut down Chris Johnson? What scheme will they use?

The 49ers are a swarming style of defense. They are consistently attacking and this aggression has allowed them to contain some great running backs. The big plus for them has been that most of their defensive players are solid open field tacklers. Of course, losing Nate Clements for the next two months hurts them as I strongly believe he's one of the best (if not the best) at tackling running backs in the open field.

However, the team still retains guys like Patrick Willis, Michael Lewis, Aubrayo Franklin, and many others. If they can continue their attacking ways, I think they certainly have the potential to stop Chris Johnson. Johnson has proven to be human at times this season. If I had to make a prediction, I could see Johnson finishing with 80 or so yards but on 20-25 carries so not a huge ypc.

I keep reading about how weak your offensive line is. Is this true? Where is the biggest weakness in the line?

The offensive line has had a whole bunch of problems due to a combination of poor play and injuries. The team's week 1 right tackle was demoted a couple weeks ago and actually moved to right guard to split time with the existing right guard. The player who replaced the RT subsequently injured his shoulder and was lost for the season, so the former RT had to move back last week. Then, LT Joe Staley, a staple on the line in just his second season was lost this week for 6 weeks with a shoulder injury. Barry Sims played well against the Colts and Dwight Freeney, but we'll see if he can show any kind of consistency this week. The right side has been the primary weakness, but given the two tackle injuries and subsequent shuffling, it's kind of hard to tell what exactly the biggest weakness is at this point.

Write the headline in Monday morning's Tennessean.

I'm not all that creative so we'll go something simple like, "Chris Johnson runs into 49ers wall." Earlier this week I posted about how the game would come down to the battle of Chris Johnson versus the 49ers rush defense. I'm thinking (hoping?) for a 49ers win and I think it will come down to the 49ers taking care of business against Chris Johnson.

A big thanks to Fooch for doing this. As always, head over there for his questions with my answers.

49ers-Titans: It's all about Chris Johnson

Fooch — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:15:25 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Browse more photos »

I'd be intrigued to hear what others have to say, but I'm of the impression that the most important thing the 49ers need to accomplish this weekend is shutting down, or at least containing Titans running back Chris Johnson. If the 49ers can contain Johnson, the Titans will need to have Vince Young making plays. Of course maybe that makes Vinsanity the ultimate x-factor in this game. For now though, let's focus on Johnson.

Chris Johnson has obliterated any possibility of a sophomore slump as he is on pace to easily surpass his very impressive rookie season. Johnson currently leads the NFL with 824 yards, averaging a robust 6.9 yards per carry, and also leading the NFL with ten rushes of 20+ yards. Needless to say, Chris Johnson is rushing with a lot of confidence and is taking aim at 2,000 rushing yards. So there you have an irresistible force.

On the other side of the field, the 49ers roll out a rushing defense that leads the league in yards per carry allowed at 3.2. Often times this can be due to an abysmal pass defense. The 49ers pass defense has issues, but it's certainly not abysmal. Football Outsiders updated their unit rankings (Florida Danny will have more on that this week) and at this point, the 49ers rank third against the rush and 11th against the pass in terms of DVOA. So while the 49ers defense might not be #1 like Chris Johnson is #1, it is certainly turning into the proverbial immovable object.

So, as the classic question asks, what happens when the irresistible force meets the immovable object? Vince Young or Alex Smith could certainly go wild and be the difference-maker in this matchup. But I actually think this game comes down to who can win the matchup of Chris Johnson vs. 49ers rushing defense.

In looking at the matchup, it's certainly hard to bet against a guy like Johnson. I certainly don't doubt Chris Johnson's ability, but I also think some of his numbers can be questioned at least a little bit. For example, this past week he put up 228 yards...against the Jaguars. It's a great number, but it must be put in context. The two previous games he put up 128 yards in a 59-0 loss to the Patriots, and 34 yards in a 31-9 home loss to the Colts. The Patriots number is probably the most misleading given that it was 45-0 at the half. One might be able to infer that the Patriots were not exactly playing the toughest rush defense. I could be wrong, but when you lose by that matchup, I'm less inclined to be impressed by the numbers.

After the jump we look at the 49ers rush defense against quality running backs...

The 49ers rush defense has faced some solid running backs and done a fairly solid job for the most part. Here's a quick rundown of running back performances against the 49ers rush defense this season:

Player	Carries	Yards	YPC	Long
B. Wells	7	29	4.1	15
T. Hightower	8	15	1.9	6

J. Forsett	5	35	7	14
J. Jones	8	11	1.4	7

A. Peterson	19	85	4.5	35
C. Taylor	6	16	2.7	8

S. Jackson	23	79	3.4	15

M. Turner	22	97	4.4	33
J. Norwood	12	44	3.7	14

S. Slaton	18	67	3.7	31

J. Addai	20	62	3.1	13

This isn't exactly a scientific breakdown, but overall the 49ers have done a solid job in containing some quality running backs. Each player requires a bit of context, such as Michael Turner having three rushing touchdowns. However, if the 49ers can hold down Chris Johnson, I think things will be fine.

The 49ers certainly have the weapons and scheme on defense to do battle with Johnson. Obviously we know the players here. Patrick Willis, Michael Lewis, Aubrayo Franklin. Of course, the loss of Nate Clements will actually hurt a bit in the rush defense. Clements does a great job in open field tackles on running backs, so the team will have to overcome that. However, even without Clements, this is a swarming defense that is quick in attacking the ball-carrier.

So given all that, will the 49ers defense be able to take care of business this Sunday? Or do you think they can win even if Johnson runs wild? Feel free to throw out predictions on Johnson's performance if you'd like. Whatever his final yardage total, I think it will really come down to that yards per carry. If he's gashing the defense for 5 or 6 yards a carry, it could be a long day. But if he finishes with 100+ yards on 30+ carries, well then it's not as big a deal.

The San Francisco 49ers and the 2010 Pro Bowl

Fooch — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 20:04:24 -0000

A couple weeks ago we had a FanShot or FanPost go up mentioning that Pro Bowl balloting had begun. I've always found Pro bowl balloting to start incredibly early, but what are you going to do?

I mention it now because of the 49ers-Titans game release I received yesterday. Aside from all the statistics and background information I posted earlier today, it had an interesting little feature I thought I'd post here. On the first page, the 49ers had their "Pro Bowl Watch," which included six players to keep an eye on. Some of the names listed are not surprising at all, but there were a couple that caught me off guard, particularly the last one. Here's what the 49ers PR department had to say:

TE VERNON DAVIS - Davis is having a career-year, leading the NFL with a career-high 7 TD rec. He is also leading the 49ers with 32 rec., 375 rec. yds., and 7 TDs. Davis is on pace to set career-highs in both receptions as well as receiving yds.

LB PATRICK WILLIS - Willis leads the 49ers with 75 tackles, 6 TFLs, 2 INTs and ranks second on the team with 2.5 sacks. He is the only player in the NFL to register at least 2.5 sacks and 2 INTs. According to game-book statistics, Willis ranks 4th in the NFL in tackles.

NT AUBRAYO FRANKLIN - Franklin is the force in the middle of the 49ers run defense and leads the defensive line with 43 tackles and 4.5 TFLs. He has also set a career-high with 2.0 sacks. Franklin has helped limit opponents to an NFL leading 3.2 yds. per carry and the 2nd-fewest rushing yds. allowed (594).

P ANDY LEE - Lee leads the NFC and ranks 2nd in the NFL with a 41.6 net punting avg. He also ranks 3rd in the NFC and 4th in the NFL in gross punt avg. (48.0). He also ranks 2nd in the NFL with 23 punts over 50 yds.

RB MICHAEL ROBINSON - Robinson ranks 2nd on the team with 15 special teams tackles and has led the team in special teams tackles in three different games. He was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2008.

LB SCOTT MCKILLOP - McKillop has been a special teams standout in his rookie season. He leads the team with 19 special teams tackles and also registered a special teams fumble recovery for a touchdown vs. StL.

While the Pro Bowl can certainly be a pointless exercise, we'll still keep track of potential 49ers Pro Bowl options. A little national exposure never hurts and if a youngster like McKillop scored a spot, well that'd be pretty impressive.

Mike Singletary press conference: Injury updates

Fooch — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:02:18 -0000

Mike Singletary conducted his weekly Monday morning press conference earlier today. After the jump I've posted the transcript. The injury information is probably the bigger info. As was indicated, Nate Clements and Joe Staley are both expected back at some point this season. Staley has a sprained knee that apparently is NOT an ACL tear, so he should be back sooner rather than later. When we get a better idea of things we'll get info up.

As for Clements, it's possible his injury is similar to that of Brandon Jones, as opposed to the broken scapula of Tony Pashos. Jones missed a month and a half, although his timing was worse because of training camp. If Clements could in fact rehab this injury in-season, he seems to be in a better position to get back on the field and make a legitimate contribution (instead of fielding a punt at the 5-yard line!). Singletary indicated they would want Clements back in time for the playoffs, so it's also possible this is longer term than Jones' injury, but shorter than Pashos. Either way, Singletary was quick to say he thinks Tarell Brown is ready to start.

The other big discussion was of course around the offense. Someone pointed this comment out, and I thought it was worth pulling out:

There's not one iota that I'm wavering here or there, whatever. Jimmy knows there are some things going forward that he has to learn about our players, what they can and cannot do. At the same time, look at our plan in terms of, ‘This is who we are as an offense.' It's a work in progress and we just need to keep moving forward, keep getting there.

There's one other comment I wanted to get some thoughts on. Singletary was asked about the offensive line and he specifically complimented the right side of the line. I'm curious what people thought overall. I know there were a variety of comments about the o-line, but I suppose we could focus them in here. Smith faced a decent amount of pressure, but he also was able to expand the pocket a bit and buy some time. Maybe that makes the line look a bit better, I don't know.

After the jump is the complete transcript...

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Press Conference - November 2, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

Opening statements:

"Hello ladies and gentlemen. To start with, we have [T] Joe Staley, sprained knee. We will know more about that later on today. [CB] Nate Clements, fractured scapula. We will have to learn more about that toward the end of the day. [DT] Demetric Evans, that is a shoulder, a sprained shoulder. We will see more about that as well as we go on today. Anything other than that - obviously it was a tough game. We felt that was a game we had prepared to go on the road in a tough environment and come away with, obviously did not. It is more the things we did than the things they did, which is what we talked about. We had to execute. There were too many things that happened during the game. The penalties, you can't do that on the road. It's just not being smart. The thing with [WR] Josh [Morgan] in the end zone, I didn't know about. I saw the touchdown, I saw [TE] Vernon [Davis] doing something and I walked and turned and started talking about something else. Next thing I knew there was a penalty and I said, ‘Wait a minute, you have to be kidding me.' But, I didn't see all the others taking pictures and all that. That's just not very smart. So that's on us, that's on me. Maybe it's a good thing I didn't see, I probably would have overreacted or something. That is just something we can't do. Yesterday was a classic case of an immature team shooting themselves in the foot. We are a good football team, it is those games - and we have had two for sure, three, but I really don't count that last week - it is just one of those things when you are playing those kinds of games, those teams have experience, those teams know where they are going, they know exactly what the heck they are doing and they are executing. We have to get to that point and we will. We will because where we want to go, we have to. It is a simple as that. I will open it up for questions."

On whether his familiarity with broken scapulas helps him guess how long Clements will be out:

"You know what, the only thing I can say about that is everybody is different in their healing process. [WR] Brandon Jones actually came back a little quicker. He came back maybe in six weeks, something like that. He was probably really ready in five. Everybody is different, everybody heals different. The crack could be one degree or another and I really don't know enough about it to answer that question intelligently, so I am going to stay away from it. I don't know. We will just have to wait and see."

On whether he still expects to make the playoffs:

"Absolutely."

On how much it would help if Clements is around while he is injured:

"We will not put him on IR. We will not do that because, Lord's will, if we are in the playoffs I want him to play. He has earned the right to play."

On whether CB Tarell Brown is ready to become a starter:

"Oh yeah, he is ready. He is ready."

On whether he thinks he should have opened up the playbook more:

"Obviously when you look at the game, or when you look at any game, and I'm being very honest about it, I'm not trying to be funny, you can go back and say, "Maybe we should have done this, maybe we should have done that.' But when we looked at our game plan going into the game, once again there were some things execution-wise that did not take place and didn't happen. When you are dealing with a quarterback making the first start of the season, when you are dealing with a wide out that is going to be a great wide out at some point in time that maybe every now and then has a mishap here and there, when you are dealing with an offensive line still trying to gain continuity, that whole thing, when you are dealing with a new coordinator - we are still coming together. It's not quite halfway through the season yet, but hopefully here real soon, those things, we will get a handle on it. We are not there yet, obviously. You saw it yesterday. It is too easy to sit back and say, ‘Well man, the answer was: just go ahead and put him in the spread and let him go.' It's not as simple as that. I'm sure people are talking and I'm sure everybody has a bit of advice here and there. But at the end of the day, I think the most important thing is we know where we want to go, we know what we have to do in order to get there and I know yesterday was frustrating. It is frustrating for us as coaches. It is frustrating because the execution just was not there. When you start looking, not only was the execution not there, some of the little penalties, some of the little setbacks here and there, it's a frustrating thing. You think it is frustrating for you to watch? Try being a coach and coaching it. It is very, very frustrating. But at the same time, I am very confident. Yesterday's game, okay, we lost a game. But at the same time we know why we lost the game. We're not sitting here talking about guys moping and complaining. We don't have those issues. We are not complaining about guys not hustling, not giving 100-percent effort. We don't have those kind of problems. We have problems, not problems, issues, where guys want to do it and they want to be there, but it takes time. It takes a little bit of time when you have that quarterback and you put him in there for the first time. Continuity means something and we just have to get there."

On the criticism that offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye is getting and whether he supports him:

"I 150-percent back what he's doing, absolutely. There's not one iota that I'm wavering here or there, whatever. Jimmy knows there are some things going forward that he has to learn about our players, what they can and cannot do. At the same time, look at our plan in terms of, ‘This is who we are as an offense.' It's a work in progress and we just need to keep moving forward, keep getting there. I do believe that we got better yesterday in certain areas. I think when our players look at the film, they will be very frustrated themselves because it is everything about what we did. The reason that we didn't win that game was because the San Francisco 49ers, we shot ourselves in the foot. It had very little to do with the Indianapolis Colts. And when our team, being as young as they are, when they look at that, they are going to be frustrated walking away from it and come back and be man enough and be the team that has character enough to say, ‘Okay, that's enough of that. At some point in time you just get, ‘Okay, that's enough of that, let's go. Enough of this, enough of that, let's go.' Hopefully, we are at that point right now, where we are ready to take that step and eliminate the foolish plays. Hopefully we are ready to step into the next realm. If we want to be a playoff team, which we do, if we want to be that team, then okay, it's on us. It's not the other team. It's us, so we have to make that decision to make sure that we do everything that we can as players and coaches to say that's it, let's go, let's play the game, let's execute, let's win."

On whether they talked about running spread formations in the second half more and why they didn't use it:

"I think there were a number of reasons. The first reason is when you go into a game with a game plan and I think obviously in two minute situations, some teams have a two-minute situation where it's a great two minutes whether it be [QB] Brett Favre, whether it be [QB] Peyton Manning or however the thing goes, but at the same time it's the amount of exposure that the coaches have had to [QB] Alex Smith. It's the amount of exposure that Alex Smith has had to the offense, leading the offense. You don't want to put him in a situation where, ‘Okay, is Alex really ready to do that?' You take a step back. ‘Is our offensive line really ready to do that?' Once you do that then there are some things that are not happening, which you say, ‘Well, maybe it's the core of your offense.' I think going forward, there's a trust issue there and there's also using wisdom and making sure that if we are going to put them in that situation, why are we putting them in that situation, when do we put them in that situation and is Alex really ready for that? Do we do something to hurt him? That's not something that I want to do. I think Alex, what he's doing right now, he's taken advantage of some opportunities that are there and we are finding out more and more, what routes he throws really well, what he feels really comfortable with. I think as we go along here in the next week or two, it gives us a better idea, when we see in practice, what he can and cannot do, what he really feels comfortable with. Sometimes a guy looks comfortable doing something and it looks so easy, but at the same time, we just want to make sure that this time around, we want to do everything that we can to put Alex in the best situation to be successful because it looks like he is developing very quickly into that quarterback that can be a special quarterback. We are excited about that. We are excited about what we are seeing, but at the same time, don't want to lose our minds. At the same time, we don't want to get greedy, but we want to make sure that he is playing his best football and we want to put him in the best situation to do that."

On his evaluation of Smith's game based on the film:

"I thought Alex did very well. I was very pleased to see him make some throws. I was very excited and anticipated this game for him because I knew the rush was going to be coming at him. I knew that it was just a situation where he wasn't going to sit back there and be comfortable and he got outside of the pocket a few times and he made some good decisions, made some really nice throws. Outside throws, up the field throws, post throws, I thought he made all the throws that he needed to make and he just needed to be more consistent. I thought he handled himself very well in pressure situations and I thought he did a good job."

On whether he was surprised at how much Indianapolis targeted [CB] Shawntae Spencer:

"Not really. I think in this situation, when I look at Shawntae, No. 85 [WR Pierre Garcon] was a guy that they've been going to more and more, becoming more and more a part of their offense and you look at the guy on the other side, [WR] Reggie Wayne. Reggie Wayne's been hurt a bit. He didn't practice a whole lot last week. So I think you are going to go towards the healthy guy."

On whether the next two home games are as must-win as they get:

"In my mind, every game is a must-win. Obviously, we haven't done that, but every game is a must-win because in the final analysis, it's very frustrating to have lost the four games that we have, but I don't look at, ‘Well, the next two games, we've got to...' No, I don't look at it like that because when you do the math, it just comes down to winning the games that we need to win in order to win the division, that's our first goal. I'm not going to lose my mind and say, ‘If we lose the next two, we're done. We might as well pack it up and go home.' I'm not going to say that. I don't anticipate losing the next two. What I anticipate is us staying where we are and staying together and continuing to move forward, getting better each week. We didn't win yesterday, but I know we did get better. For me, it's just very important to stay focused on the goals. For us, ‘Oh, man we've got to win this game. Don't start getting tight.' I don't do that. Just focus on this game that we have this week, the Titans. I'm not going to go into all the other stuff. We have the Titans coming in here this week. Let's go out and do the very best that we can to win the game."

On whether he does the math to determine how many wins this team needs to win the division:

"I do a lot of math on my own when I am sitting in my office, but I'm not going to go in there to my team, to a bunch of young guys that haven't been to the playoffs in seven years and say, ‘Guys we have to get these next two or we are done. These are must-win games.' No. No. I know what we have to do, the coaches know what we have to do, but to a young team, this is all they need to look at: the Titans. Let's look at that. Let's take where we have been so far and sketch it out here to help them understand exactly where we are and the opportunity they have at hand. That is all they need to focus on. Guys, let's win this one, and we will move on from there. And as we move along the road and we mature from there, our guys can continue to see some of those things we talk about come to pass, which they have. As you start to see those things we can talk more of a big picture. But right now, we just have to be focused on the Titans as a team."

On whether the offensive line got better against the Colts:

"I thought our offensive line did better, particularly the right side. I thought the right side of the offensive line did a much better job communicating. They practiced that way this week and I thought it showed in the game against a defensive line that was coming. I thought that [RT Adam] Snyder and [RG] Chilo Rachal did a good job."

On whether or not the team might be geared more toward becoming a passing offense:

"I look at it this way, when I say that I want to be a physical team I want to be a physical team running the ball and I want to be a physical team throwing the ball. I want our receivers to be knocking the snot out of somebody. I want our offensive linemen running down the field hitting somebody. To me, that's physical. I have always said, throwing the ball last year, when [former 49ers offensive coordinator] Mike Martz was here I'm okay with throwing the ball as long as we're not throwing it to the other team, I'm okay with that, but it has to go to our guys and we have the confidence in our quarterback, and our quarterback has confidence in our offensive line, and has confidence in a relationship with the receivers to throw that ball, I don't care about that. I care about winning, that's important to me. I'm not tied up into ‘well, I'm this,' no, I'm not. I want to do whatever we have to do to win and that's what I'm looking for everyday. So that's where I'm at with that."

On whether he is disturbed about the progression of the running game at this time:

"No, I'm not disturbed. I think that rather than coming out of that game being disturbed about that running game, I'm really encouraged by the quarterbacks play and his decision-making, I'm encouraged by our offensive line and the ability to lose probably our best offensive lineman and still compete and do a good job against a very effective pass rush. I'm encouraged that our receivers did a pretty decent job catching the football. I'm encouraged that our defense, even though we didn't get off consistently on third downs, I'm encouraged that our defense played pretty decent in holding a quarterback that will probably maybe in the running, if you check on it, for the MVP of the year. I'm encouraged that four times that [Colts quarterback Peyton Manning] gets into the red zone, he's not scoring a touchdown. I'm encouraged about a number of things coming out of yesterday, but once again I want you to make sure that you understand that I am not in any form or fashion talking about moral victories. You asked me a question and I'm just answering that question. I don't get discouraged. The only thing that I'm discouraged about yesterday - more frustrated than discouraged, is some of the little silly things that we did on our behalf to shoot ourselves in the foot that inhibited our chances of winning a football game on the road against a good football team."

On whether WR Isaac Bruce is one of the best eleven players on the field at this stage in his career:

"I will put it this way: Right now, Isaac Bruce is one of the guys that we count on to win. As far getting into is he one of the best eleven and all of those things, I'm going to say that he gives us a chance to win and in certain situations he is one of the best eleven on the field, and in other situations he isn't. That goes for a number of our receivers and I think that we just have to continue to evaluate our team and our talent and this team right now is going through some changes. You're seeing new guys step up and young guys stepping up and some other guys stepping back and it's going to continue to be that way. I believe in the best eleven guys on the field and whoever that is, that's who is going to be out there."

On LB Patrick Willis' play improving without having the helmet radio:

"Absolutely, I think that if you ask him that I'm not quite sure what he would say, but I think that it certainly allows him to go out there and play and handle what's in front of him rather than trying to get the calls behind him, particularly in a game like that when the quarterback goes down the field so much. Little details and little things like that you have to have that can make tremendous difference in the game so I think it freed him up a bit."

On how S Dashon Goldson did with the use of the radio helmet:

"I thought that he did fine. For the most part, I thought that he did fine."

On whether CB Nate Clements was injured on the punt return:

"He did, I did talk to him last night about that, yes."

On how the offensive line will be affected with the absence of T Joe Staley:

"Obviously, we're going to miss Joe Staley, but in terms of how it is going to affect our offensive line, which in essence is how it is going to affect our offense, you find a way to win. You find a way to work around it. But obviously he will be missed because we think a lot about Joe Staley. I'm hoping he will be back real quick because he helps us tremendously. But at the same time, I know our offense will continue to get better and we just have to continue to work around it and do whatever we have to do."

On the progression of [WR] Michael Crabtree:

"Crabtree right now, I think he is finding that not being in training camp, he can understand now some of those things. He has such an incredible desire to do great, but at the same time his body is still trying to catch up, but he is getting there. He is a work in progress. Every now and then something comes up, there is maybe one play a game, or something like that, where he is a little bit off here and there and uncertain. But overall, I think he has been tremendous overall."

49ers-Colts Thursday Injury Report and practice transcript

Fooch — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 23:32:00 -0000

A day later and the Colts non-practice list continues with a couple of small additions. No further word on Reggie Wayne, although Colts President Bill Polian said he still expects Wayne to start on Sunday. This will make tomorrow's final injury report all the more interesting. I still see no reason not to expect Wayne on the field, but it's something to pay close attention to. We'll definitely have some kind of update tomorrow afternoon. After the jump we've got post-practice press conference transcripts for Manusky and Raye.

49ers
Did not Participate in Practice
SS Reggie Smith (groin)
LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder)
DT Aubrayo Franklin (not injury related)

Limited Participation in Practice
DE Ray McDonald (ankle)

Full Participation in Practice
CB Marcus Hudson (shoulder)
RB Michael Robinson (shoulder)

Colts
Did not Participate in Practice
RB Donald Brown (shoulder)
DE Dwight Freeney (knee)
DT Eric Foster (shoulder)
WR Anthony Gonzalez (knee)
CB Marlin Jackson (knee)
K Adam Vinatieri (right knee)
WR Reggie Wayne (groin)
TE Jacob Tamme (hamstring)
LB Ramon Humber (illness)

Remember to check out Manusky and Raye transcripts after the jump...

Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky
Post-Walk Thru - October 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On the assignment of facing the Colts:

"Peyton [Manning's] a very good player, has been for a number of years. He's like a coach out there. He knows exactly what he's doing. We've got to do our job."

On Manning:

"Just from quarterback-wise?"

On how Manning plays:

"All those Pro Bowls. He's a talented guy. I have the utmost respect for him. He's played a lot of football in this league. He's like a coach, actually. He's out there coaching up his guys, and he's doing a good job of it week-in and week-out. He's been doing that since his second year in the league."

On preparing for all of Manning's signals and changes pre-play:

"I think you've got to kind of just sit back and watch what he's doing and take it from there. He's seen thousands of looks, and we're just going to try to play our defense and hopefully everything will work out."

On how much of the signals are for show and how much are actual adjustments:

"I'll tell you the truth, I'm not in their meetings. I don't know. Maybe it's show. Maybe it's not. He continues to do that, and it gets defenses a little bit flustered because they think one thing is coming and another thing is coming. He does a good job of it. He handles the pace and execution pretty well."

On whether he warns his guys to stick with the play and not pay attention to those signals:

"I think you've got to. He'll change calls at the line of scrimmage, which he always has. Everybody knows that. You've just got to adjust and overcome it."

On whether he anticipates being in nickel or dime often:

"Yes, pretty much because of their 11 personnel package that they have."

On whether all those adjustments happen after the helmet radio is turned off and whether the team has to counter-adjust on their own:

"Yes, I think Peyton has been with Tom Moore there a long time. They feel comfortable with Peyton taking control of it and rolling with it. I don't know how much they use the headsets. Peyton needs to look and see what he's looking at on the field and then go on from there."

On whether FS Dashon Goldson will counter what Manning does at the line, in terms of adjustments:

"You've got to move around. You've got to move around the safeties and show them - you can't show them. You've got to play your defense though. That's what you've got to do. You've got to go in there and have confidence in what you're playing and going through with it each and every snap."

On what changes with Goldson having the green dot on his helmet and calling the plays in the huddle:

"I think it just helps him out a little bit on the back end from a communication standpoint. [Secondary coach] Vance Joseph will be talking to him a little bit about certain situations. I think that will help us out, at least on the back end."

On who talked to LB Patrick Willis:

"Vance."

On the writing on his arm on game day:

"It's just is for personnel and stuff, personnel that they put in the game and sometimes they don't signal. So, I don't know where else to put it. I don't have another place so I just put it one my arm."

On whether that's something he's always done:

"Yes. Pretty much."

On whether you can fool a quarterback like Peyton Manning or whether you have to out-execute him:

"I'd love to fool him. I think both. I think you've got to out-execute him. He's a talented quarterback. He's seen all the looks. He knows what Cover 2 looks like. He knows what Cover 4 looks like. He knows what man looks like. He's pretty good at it and he's talented. He's been doing that for a long time. So, I'd love to."

On the Colts playing in 11-personnel most of the time:

"A little bit of 12, a little bit of 11, some 22 as well. They're mostly 11 personnel, I think, for the majority of the game. That's what we're going with."

On 11-personnel:

"Three wide receivers, one tight end and one back."

On 12-personnel:

"Two tight ends and two wide receivers."

On whether he gives the play to Vance Joseph, who then calls it in to the player:

"Yes."

On how that is different than hand signals:

"I think it's a situation where you can give them a little bit more information, ‘Be alert to such and such' based upon situations that teams have had in the past. So, you can give them a little bit more information. With [LB] Patrick [Willis], taking that out of Patrick's hands and putting it into Dashon's gives Pat a little bit more freedom to get the closed call, get all that thing settled down and playing the game. Letting Dashon do it is a good thing."

On LB Takeo Spikes' status:

"We'll see today. We don't have practice until later on today, but it seems like he'll be going."

On why CB Shawntae Spencer guarded Texans WR Andre Johnson last week:

"Well we just played left and right. That's what we did. We played left and right and the majority of the time, [Spencer] was on that side. So, that's how it kind of worked out."

On who is grading as the team's best pass rusher:

"I think [LB] Parys [Haralson] is a violent guy. [LB] Manny [Lawson] - I'm just talking from a linebacker's perspective. [LB] Ahmad [Brooks] looks like he's been picking up his game. We'll try to get a little bit more reps out of him. [DT] Justin [Smith] is a pretty good guy inside. Across the board, the more we can get pressure on the quarterback, that's what we're looking for."

Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye
Post-Walk Thru - October 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On whether the offense has changed philosophically with QB Alex Smith:

"None."

On whether that was a no:

"None."

On whether quarterbacks with different talents change the offense at all:

"No."

On what WR Michael Crabtree does for the offense:

"Well, I think he played well in his first outing last week. I think he was somewhat of a - he had some chemistry with Alex Smith, obviously, because he had been here the week during the bye and they had thrown together, and he demonstrated an ability to catch the ball when he's in close confrontation with a defensive back. He has good burst off the line of scrimmage. I think it will help our perimeter game, which will, going forward, be necessary because of the effectiveness of the tight end inside. So, I think what he showed or demonstrated in the game Sunday will help us on the edge and the horizontal stretch of the defense will give us another avenue, another outlet to be able to get the ball and make them defend the whole field."

On whether the team becomes more pass-oriented with Crabtree and TE Vernon Davis:

"I think so. I don't want to give you a misguided opinion that - what we were striving to do all along is to create balance. More passes or more of a running, whatever that connotation is, I think the apt description of where we would like to go with the changes that we've made, which will take some time to achieve more balance."

On whether the team will go with more of a spread look:

"Maybe, but if you remember the game, that's what we opened the game in Sunday with [QB] Shaun Hill. We opened the game against Houston in three wide receivers, a tight end, one back and spread. We went three-and-out and punted the ball. We could. I think it depends on the opponent that we're playing. We're not going to be stubborn and try to jam a square peg into a round hole. But, that would be something that we would mix in because of the people that we have. We would mix that, and it wouldn't only be the way it has been in the past, only a third-down part of what we do. It could become a part of what we do early on as we see the opponent that we're playing, if it fits the plan that we have going forward."

On whether the implication of "square peg and round hole" is not trying to force the run:

"Yes."

On if he believes the team can still run the ball against eight-man fronts:

"Yes, I still think there are some elements of the run that you can still have. I think that the illusion of what happened in the second half of the Houston game has everybody, or most people, thinking that we've discovered this new Mecca or utopia kind of deal. I have to remind you, Alex Smith has been here all along, and the direction that our intent was to go was to help that position and our team with [RB Frank Gore]. That hasn't changed to the extent that we would become a one-back football team and create some other problems for ourselves that, outside of the locker, we are aware of that may not be apparent to the defensive teams that we're playing."

On what QB Alex Smith changed in the game when he came in:

"He was the life. What he did, what he infused in the psychic of the team offensively, the way he threw the ball and the way Frank was able to, in the second half, get some openings in the running game, I think we have to be careful to understand the structure and the circumstances of it was a 21-0 ball game when he entered it. His first drive, and maybe even his second drive, went for scores. Then we had a backed up situation and we had to punt. Then the third time he was in it went for a score. Then we had the ball with 1:38 and one timeout and a chance to put the ball in and get the game into overtime or win it. There was a foul on the preceding kick and we started at the 5-yard line, which made it a little more difficult. The things that he did, have to be weighed a little bit with the score and the time of the game. Not minimizing what he did, because that is a half of football that most quarterbacks in the NFL would love to have."

On what Smith brings that Hill did not:

"He is more comfortable in a drop situation, throwing the ball to all areas of the field, horizontally and vertical. I don't know if they knew that before they saw him play because they didn't have any tape on him to prepare for him because all they had seen was Shaun. To flip the script and go play different than they had practiced in preparing for Shaun Hill, all of a sudden they were playing with a guy that is comfortable reading out their entire play and playing to his strengths, which is throwing the big ends, throwing the ball up in the vertical crease and throwing the ball to the boundary. It was a little bit different for them."

On whether he would like continuity at the quarterback position the rest of the season:

"It seems like since we started there has been a different back, a different wide receiver, a different quarterback, a different tackle, a different guard. There has been a different something all the time. I think continuity, different form the way you all think and the way you all see it, continuity is very important to playing offensive football. Familiarity and continuity are things you are striving to get. So to answer your question, I would like to see us get to a point where we have a functioning five guys that have played together and are working cohesively together, a healthy situation in the backfield, wide receivers who have been here and have some cohesiveness and coordination with the quarterbacks. Going forward, that is what we hope to achieve. That would be nice."

On what the Colts defense presents:

"They present a defense that prides itself on rushing the quarterback. They play the run on the way to the quarterback. They are structured and built to play with the lead and they are in a building where they have an advantage with the noise and the snap count, so it has a bunch of problems that it creates. They have two defensive ends that are truly outstanding rushers. They have a perennial Pro Bowl guy on our offensive left and they play on the artificial surface inside where they have a little bit more of an edge because of that. So, we'll have a bit of a challenge ahead of us trying to be able to negate and slow that down and do the things that we want to do to attack them the way that we'd like to."

On whether it is a priority to get QB Alex Smith acclimated with two minute situations because of the delay of games during the Houston game:

"It was a problem on Sunday, yes. He wasn't the only problem. He hadn't had a competitive two-minute situation since awhile back because during this time of year, you get one on Thursday and a half of one Friday, you have to let the starting quarterback get those, but also in there, was a wide receiver that had no idea, that had not been in a two-minute situation before. He didn't know the alignments and calls and had to be coached through some things. Some formation things got screwed up, but we have addressed that this week and hopefully going forward, we will be a little bit better operating in that situation, but it was a problem last week because there were some people there that hadn't physically, even though they'd heard the words, hadn't physically been in that situation before and Alex hadn't had one - if I had to go back and check, I think since probably the week that we played Dallas, in the exhibition season."

On the final delay of game and the timeout was called:

"Critical. That's the mechanics of it. If you notice, [Coach] Sing on the sideline, asked the official for the timeout and I think Alex saw that and turned to walk and didn't turn himself to Mike Carey and asked for the timeout and this official, if you don't turn and get your hands over your head and ask for it, you didn't get it. So that was a critical point. At that point, there was 47 seconds to go. On third down we clocked the ball on the chunk play. Prior to that, we were operating in a three down deal with one timeout. It was third-and-six that went to fourth-and-six that went to fourth-and-11, which was the difference between us converting and being able to add on and get the ball in a position to kick. We should have used the timeout because the time was more important at that point than the timeout. The coach asked for the time from the boundary which he's allowed to do and that wasn't acknowledged and then when Alex saw the clock and turned and saw Mike doing [timeout signal] to the official, he didn't turn to Mike Carey and ask for it, so we got a five-yard delay and that five was big because now you are trying to convert fourth-and-11 as opposed to fourth-and-six."

On them taking a chance downfield on 4th-and-11:

"Yes, you had to throw it. You had to try and get in the air and hope to make a play. Then we would have been in another clock situation and then trying to get to the boundary to be able to get into range that we could get our kicker on the field."

Week Eight: 49ers v. Colts Preview

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:22:49 -0000

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

13 days ago: FILE - In this Oct. 25, 2009 photo, Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Reggie Wayne celebrates after catching a 6-yard pass for a touchdown during the first quarter of an NFL football game against the St. Louis Rams in St. Louis. On Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009, against San Francisco, the Colts can become the eighth team in NFL history to extend a winning streak to 16, but players and coaches take no satisfaction in those who might suggest it's the equivalent of a "perfect season." (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

Browse more photos »

The 49ers and their fans are a chippy bunch. Their mentality going in is to suggest that the Colts "have not beaten anyone," and that the 49ers are just the kind of "tough" team that will tame the paper tiger Colts. The problem with this thought process is the Colts have indeed beaten quality teams, one of which is the 49ers division rivals: The Arizona Cardinals. The Colts walked into University of Phoenix Stadium on a short week not long ago and beat the snot out of Kurt Warner and his Red Bird teammates.

So, unless the 49ers feel their division is lunch meat, it's pretty safe to say that the "they haven't beaten anyone" phrase is a load of moose crap. For more info debunking this, check out this article at 18to88.

Also, with the 49ers defense allowing players like Matt Schaub to throw 4 TDs in one game and letting Matt Ryan drop 329 yards and 2 TDs on them at home, then talking tough while you are traveling to face Peyton Manning and the Colts offense is probably not the best strategy.

And while it might be fun for fans to say "the Colts haven't played anyone," the silliness of that statement is further dismissed because players like Peyton, Reggie Wayne, Joseph Addai, Dallas Clark, Dwight Freeney, Robert Mathis, Bob Sanders, Kelvin Hayden, Matt Stover, and Gary Brackett have all been there, done that. They most certainly have "played someone" in their careers, and all have big, shiny rings to prove it.

When you look at these teams, the Colts are NOT a good match-up for the 49ers, and if the 49ers think that by changing certain aspects of their defense this will give them an edge, they've got another thing coming.

Make no mistake, the 49ers must win this game. They were blown out at home three weeks ago by the Falcons and were beat on the road by the Texans last week. If they lose this game against Indy, they drop three in a row and lose ground against the Cardinals. 49ers coach Mike Singletary is a proud guy, but I get the sense that sometimes he lets his pride and his emotions cloud his thinking. During the Falcons game, some Atlanta players were saying Singletary was trash talking to them during the game. The Falcons responded by slapping Singletary and the 49ers in the face with a 45 point butt-whipping. Singletary apologized afterward for his remarks to Atlanta Falcons guard Harvey Dahl, which redeems Singletary somewhat. However, head coaches trash talking opposing players during games is not the kind of example the head man for a franchise should set. Just my opinion.

For two games now, the 49ers pass defense has been exposed. Matt Ryan shredded them four weeks ago, and after a bye week of preparation, the Texans Matt Schaub went crazy on them. To fix their defense, the 49ers coaches are taking the defensive playcalling duties away from stud linebacker Patrick Willis and giving them to free safety Dashon Goldon. SF hopes that this change will free up Willis to make more plays, and aid in getting plays in quicker to counter the Colts no-huddle offense.

Having the defensive backs get the calls before Indianapolis quarterback Peyton Manning is finished with his famous presnap gesticulations is vital for the 49ers if they are to have a fighting chance against the Colts' No. 1-ranked passing offense.
"It's one less thing that Pat will have to think about," coach Mike Singletary said. "If there's a mistake back there (the secondary), nine times out of 10 it's going to reveal itself on the scoreboard. If it's on the back end, it's hard to recover."

You all might recall that the Seattle Seahawks attempted a similar change on defense prior to playing the Colts in Week Four. Seahawks coaches changed the way the players received defensive calls in an effort to confuse Peyton Manning and prevent him from making pre-snap reads of the defense.

The result was a 34-17 route of the Seahawks in Lucas Oil Stadium. Peyton had 353 yards and 2 TDs in that game.

So, while Colts fans like me are very flattered that teams like the 49ers are so scared of Peyton Manning that they will change their defensive playcalling, the changes underscore my personal feeling that the 49ers know this Colts team is a very daunting match-up.

The 49ers scored only 10 points on the Falcons defense and 21 points on the Texans. Both those defenses are inferior to the Colts defense, which surrenders an average of 12.8 ppg and pressures the QB with greater efficiency. The 49ers have once again turned the QB reigns back to Alex Smith, a wise decision because Smith does indeed provide them with the best option. Smith's first start as a pro was actually the last time these two teams faced each other, back in 2005. The Colts absolutely rocked Smith, but the two teams back then are very different than the teams now.

For Indy to beat the 49ers, they must do the following:

Stop the run. The 49ers cannot complete with the Colts throwing the ball. Even with the impressive Vernon Davis and the dynamic rookie WR Michael Crabtree, SF needs to run the ball and play "keep away" to have a shot. If the Colts stop the running game early, as they have done is virtually every game they've played this year, it will force SF to throw the ball to keep up.
Pressure. Alex Smith has all the physical tools to succeed in this league, and he can use all those wonderful skills somewhere else. On Sunday, Dwight Freeney should routinely tattoo his number to Smith. The 49ers do not have an impressive o-line, nor do they score a lot of points. Pressure on Smith will force him into mistakes, which the Colts can capitalize into turnovers.
The Colts offense is a machine, and the 49ers do not seem to have the kind of defense that can stop it. Again, players like Willis are amazing. I like Nate Clements, and I think Singletary has done a very good job getting these guys to play together (something former coach Mike Nolan was unequipped to do). The 49ers are pretty decent stopping the run, but the Colts should still generate a decent ground game to help set-up their passing attack.
Pierre Garcon. I'd like to see the kid bounce back after a bad game against the Rams. If Reggie Wayne plays (and I think he will), Garcon will match-up well against the 49ers secondary.

This is one of those games that will test the mettle of our Colts. The 49ers NEED this game, and everyone knows it. However, the Colts treat all their opponents the same, and are starting to get healthier on defense. With Bob Sanders back and likely to see even more action than last week, look for the Colts to pressure the 49ers early.

Regardless, this should be a great game between two very storied franchises. You can check out some Fan Post previews at SB Nation's 49ers blog, Niners Nation. i must admit, Fooch and his crew at NN are some of my favorite football bloggers. They really do a great job over there and I very much like the community they have.

Keep an eye out later today for my interview with Fooch, and be sure to see his Five questions for me over at Niners Nation.

Golden Nuggets: Liking the extension

Ninjames — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 10:15:16 -0000

Morning folks. Once again we have a good bit of news coming out of 49erland. The Niners made some changes and I did nothing all day but sit and reflect on said changes. Unfortunately right now I'm in a bit of a hurry so I'll keep my amazing and thoughtful commentary to a minimum. The most notable of the news concerns CB Tarrell Brown, who received an extension despite doing... well, nothing this season. Still, he's my favorite defensive back on the team and I've been clamoring for him to get more playing time so we'll see what happens. I've got more news for you concerning the safeties and of course some articles about quarterback Alex Smith and more than likely a couple more concerning WR Michael Crabtree. So without further ado, how about some links?

Maiocco feels that his initial prediction for the 49ers may not hold up. He's definitely second guessing himself. That prediction? That the 49ers would go to the playoffs. Ouch. (PressDemocrat.com)

The 49ers signed OT Chris Patrick to the 53-man roster and also signed a TE to the practice squad. (49ers.com)

CB Tarrell Brown got an extension, it was for three years and a good amount of money. Good luck to the kid. (49ers.com)

Here's yesterday's edition of Singletary's Notebook. (49ers.com)

Alex Smith has been waiting patiently for his chance to start. He is more confident and mature these days. Call me unconvinced. (Yahoo.com)

He's got unfinished business. Well, I certainly hope he can finish it. (49ers.com)

FS Dashon Goldson will be wearing the radio helmet on Sunday, not Patrick Willis. Interesting choice, if you ask me, but I'm suspicious by nature. (MercuryNews.com)

Because I'm awesome, I recapped some of the recent 49ers moves, find it here. (NFLTouchdown.com)

Were the 49ers better off with Allen Rossum on the team? Well he's a [site decorum] sight better than Micheal Spurlock and Arnaz Battle, that's for sure. (Examiner.com)

Be sure to check out the game center for Sundays game. (NFL.com)

The offense is striving for balance as a unit. (49ers.com)

Could Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree be the revival of the 49ers this season? I hope so, I'm about to lose a whole lotta hope. (CBSSports.com)

Here's Maiocco's player-by-player review, along with dispelling some myths about the team's performance. (PressDemocrat.com)

Hey, it's the guy who scares the crap out of me: Dwight Freeney, and he's got a fastball. (SacBee.com)

I hate linking to this guys' articles. I don't know if he even knows what he's talking about because I never read beyond the first few sentences, I learned better than that a long time ago. Still, I suppose some of you might like him. Something or other about Alex Smith. (SFGate.com)

The Niners defense is riding on a Smith as well as the offense--Justin Smith. (SFGate.com)

Some of the 49ers players made their World Series picks. Baseball is about the only sport I don't really pay attention to. (49ers.com)

Once again if you have any questions for Colts fans head over to the thread here, and check out the thread over there and answer any questions they may have for us. (StampedeBlue/NinersNation.com)

How about um.. an injury report, to finish? (NinersNation.com)

Golden Nuggets: Looking for an o-line, any o-line..

Ninjames — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:57 -0000

Well, maybe not the Packers o-line. Anyway, the 49ers made some moves yesterday, though I'm not sure how to take them. Or rather, I'm not sure how I feel about losing T Tony Pashos to IR. I mean of course it's never good to see somebody hurt but at the same time I feel that he wasn't playing so well at RT and his promotion to starter came because he was simply there. Still, does this mean Barry Sims gets the start? If so, I doubt I'll even watch the Colts game because I have zero faith in him whatsoever. Still, the team did promote a certain linebacker to the active roster, a certain linebacker that I happen to think can be really good when it all comes down to it. So I've got some links for you, should be a good day news wise but I'm still not optimistic about the game on Sunday and I doubt I will be at any point.

The 49ers lost Tony Pashos to injured reserve yesterday with a shoulder injury. (PressDemocrat.com)

They then signed a tackle from the Chief's practice squad who I've never heard of. (SacBee.com)

LB Marques Harris was released yesterday as well, and the 49ers elevated Diyral Briggs from the practice squad. This move I have a small bit of optimism for, seeing as how I believe Briggs can be a great LB of the future. (49ers.com)

Here's a look at the 49ers wide receivers, or rather, who the receivers will be for the future of the franchise. (SacBee.com)

There are those who think QB Alex Smith can play. There are those that think he will be very good. Then there are those like me and well.. I'll not get into it. (NFL.com)

I mean, it really will be hard for me to adjust. Can Alex be a different quarterback this time around? We'll see. (SFGate.com)

How about some Insight on Indy? A look at the team that the 49ers are playing on Sunday. (49ers.com)

Here's The Wrap Up for last Sunday's game against Houston. (49ers.com)

QB Shaun Hill says fellow signal caller Alex Smith has improved over the four years he's seen him. (PressDemocrat.com)

The team seems to be playing it safe with S Michael Lewis, which is a good thing to me. He's a good player with good instincts and I'd hate to lose him for the season and possibly his career by throwing caution aside. (SFGate.com)

What all do the 49ers have to worry about? A lot more than just the quarterback situation, it seems. (MercuryNews.com)

There's a bit of an update on the 49ers new stadium, but I didn't take the time to read this article, I confess. I just don't follow it with much interest, is all. (MercuryNews.com)

Why don't you head over and answer any questions Colts fans have for us Niner fans at SBNation's resident Colts blog? While you're at it, if you have any questions for them head over to their thread at NN here. (StampedeBlue/NinersNation.com)

Why not head over to NFL.com and do some pro bowl voting? Of course if you feel like any 49ers deserve it, vote for them, I try to keep mine realistic. I voted for TE Vernon Davis, ILB Patrick Willis and C Eric Heitman. I hate this though, how early this voting is. It's pretty much a joke at this point, but oh well. (NFL.com)