SB Nation - Eric Heitmann

49ers 20 - Jaguars 3: Hidden Nuggets

Fooch — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:28:23 -0000

I suppose that when you win games, the "hidden nuggets" are not quite so hidden. We remember the positives and forget some of the negatives. Nonetheless we'll keep people's spirits up with some of the positive minutiae from today's game. Also, after the jump we've got a whole assortment of post game press conference transcripts.

Vernon Davis
Not so surprisingly we're starting with The Disease. The tainted twosome (Davis and Crabtree) has been running wild lately, and Davis continues his breakout season. With his 3-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter, Davis tied the franchise-record for most touchdown receptions in a season by a tight end (9). With 6 catches on the day, Davis set a new single-season career-high with 57 receptions. His previous single-season high was 52 receptions in 2007.

Pass Rush
The defense certainly found it's groove against a Jaguars team that just couldn't get out of its own way today. The 49ers defense registered a season-high 6 sacks on the day, all in the second half. This marks only the second time since sacks became an official stat in 1982 that a 49ers defense notched 6 sacks in a half (vs. St. Louis on 9/8/96). Manny Lawson sacked and stripped David Garrard, with the fumble being scooped up by DT Justin Smith. Lawson now has 4.5 sacks on the season as well as 3 forced fumbles, which tied a franchise record for most forced fumbles in a season by a linebacker. Lawson became the first 49ers linebacker to register 3 forced fumbles in a single season since LB John Johnson and LB Larry Kelm each recorded 3 forced fumbles in 1993.

Additional random nuggets:

The 49ers offensive line did not allow the Jaguars defense to sack QB Alex Smith on any of his 41 attempts. This marks the first time that the 49ers did not allow a sack since November 10, 2008, at Arizona (QB Shaun Hill - 40 attempts).
QB Alex Smith set first half career-highs in attempts (29), completions (18), yards (169) and he tied a career-high for touchdowns in the first half with 2.
The 49ers were only flagged for 1 penalty on the day for 5 yards. It was the first time the 49ers only committed 1 penalty a game since December 2, 2001, vs. Buffalo. Only 4 other teams have committed only 1 penalty in a game this season, which is the fewest in the single game in the NFL this season.
RB Frank Gore extended his career-long streak of consecutive games with a touchdown to 5 with a 4-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter. He is the first 49er to score a touchdown in 5 consecutive games since WR Terrell Owens from November 4, 2001, through December 2, 2001.

Don't forget, after the jump we've got post-game press conference transcripts.

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Game Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
FINAL

Opening Statement:

"First and foremost, I'm very thankful. I thank God for our guys, I really do. I'm very thankful for how they continue to fight. I was very excited about this game simply because of the way we prepared this week. The thing that we wanted to accomplish - the thing that we have not done all year - is put a collective win together, where the offense is doing the things that they have to do, taking time off the clock, the defense holding them, or trying to get turnovers, trying to get something. Special teams did their part. I think today collectively it was getting headed in the right direction in terms of the way we have to win. It has to be a total team effort. We can't have the defense playing lights-out and the offense not executing. We can't have the offense doing a good job and our defense giving up big plays. We just have to continue to work together and, I guess, really come up with the team effort. That's what we're really preaching right now. That's the thing that we've got to have - a team effort. So, very excited about what happened today and our guys are working."

On whether if his season-long goals are still within reach:

"You know what, for me, all I know is everything is in front of us and we have an opportunity to continue to week-in and week-out just to try and win football games, just to try and find our formula as we go offensively and get in a rhythm. The best thing that happened this week... The absolute best thing that happened this week was I saw leadership on the offensive side of the ball in terms of, ‘Coach, this is what I think would work. This is what I think we need. Can we do this? Can we do more spread? Can we put it on us, the receivers. Not that we're going to lose our minds and throw the ball every down, but can we do that direction?' To me, that's leadership. That conversation could go to the parking lot, it could go in the bathroom, it could go to their homes, but it came to us. It came to me. [Offensive coordinator] Jimmy [Raye] and I sat down and talked about it, the offensive staff, the entire team, about what we need to do going forward. I think we just have to find our balance each and every week depending on what that team does. I thought today... I thought the offense handled it well. I thought our offensive line did a good job blocking for [QB] Alex [Smith], giving him the time that he needed. I thought our receivers did a good job. We just have to continue to learn how to finish, just close it out, close the game out."

On whether the 49ers are a better passing team than a running team:

"I would say, right now, I would think as far as the run is concerned, I think we have more playmakers in the passing game. I think for the first time in a long time we have a lot of playmakers that we can throw the ball to, as well as [RB] Frank [Gore]. I think if we continue to do that, the run will still be there. Like I said, week-in and week-out we have to find a balance that works for us and not go out there and lose our mind and put it all on Alex and the receivers and say, ‘Let's go get it done.' So, I think we have to be smart and every week to figure out exactly what we have to do to win football games."

On who was showing leadership on offense:

"Well, [TE] Vernon [Davis] would be the number one guy, Alex a close second. Even the young kid, as much as I hate to say it, [WR Michael] Crabtree. I keep telling him he needs to be quiet, but he's getting there. Good kid. Those guys are leading the pack."

On RB Frank Gore's value as a pass-receiver:

"Well, I think Frank definitely has good hands and he can catch the ball and hopefully more times than not he can make that first guy miss and make extra yardage. I think you when have to look at a [WR Michael] Crabtree and [TE] Vernon Davis and [WR] Josh Morgan down the field, then it certainly opens up an opportunity for Frank coming out of the backfield in check-down situations. So, I just think it all works together and our offensive line continues to be a work in progress. But we will be able to run the ball. Before this season comes to an end, we will be able to run the ball and we're working on it. But right now, we're trying to open it up as much as we can right now so there's not an overload somewhere else and make it work."

On TE Vernon Davis tying TE Brent Jones' record today:

"Vernon has been spectacular all year. You know, today, last week, week before that. I mean, pick a week. Vernon continues to work his tail off. He continues to stay after practice and do all of the extra work. He's still an excellent blocker. The thing I like about it is he's not all of the sudden becoming a good go-to guy. He also continues to work on his craft in terms of blocking. And, to me, he's still the best blocking tight end in the league. So, I'm very excited about where he's going."

On QB Alex Smith's performance today:

"I thought he did a good job. I mean, obviously, there are some plays he'd like to take back. It's a work in progress, but I'm very proud of what he's been able to do and the decisions that he's been able to make. He and Jimmy Raye continue to work together, continue to build a relationship. Alex continues to let Jimmy know, ‘Hey, this is what works. This is not as good.' So, I'm excited about that, because the more that relationship develops, the better our offense is going to become. So, I'm excited about that."

On how players are developing on defense:

"You know what, I do [see that]. [LB] Manny [Lawson] stepped up. I hate he missed the one ball. He had it, he was running before he had it, obviously. But we have a few guys on defense that are playing well. [LB] Takeo [Spikes], it was good to see him back this week. He adds a lot to our defense, he really helps [LB Patrick Willis], great mentor, but he's the guy on that defense that really makes it go. So I'm very excited about what he was able to do. [CB] Dre' Bly I thought did a nice job today. You know, a lot of experience, he has a better grasp of our defense. Going forward, he adds a lot to what we're doing."

On whether the defenses' season-high sacks were due to the hard work this year:

"You know, it happened for a number of reasons. Yes, those guys upfront have been working their tails off. I think [defensive coordinator] Greg Manusky, [defensive line coach] Jim Tomsula, [pass rush specialist] Al Harris, everything that comes down to the pass rush and trying to figure out the protection and how to get guys to the quarterback. They just continue to work at it. I think they have a great system in place, breaking down protection. [LB] Ahmad Brooks, I think, you'll see more and more of, getting him in the mix. It was great to see Manny Lawson just come off the ball and explode and make the play he did in the fourth period. [LB] Parys Haralson has been applying pressure all year. But I'm excited about what we're able to do and the other thing that makes it great is our offense was able to chew up the clock so our guys were fresh when they were going out there and that makes all the difference in the world."

On whether [LB] Ahmad Brooks has replaced [LB] Manny Lawson as starting nickel-pass rusher:

"He did start today, but it's one of things where you wanted to see what he had as a starter and I think it'll go back and forth. They'll both play a lot at that position."

On how good the 49ers defense was today:

"Well, obviously when you have a team like Jacksonville and they have three points coming in here with a lot of confidence, I think the defense did very well today. Of course, going forward, we want to continue to keep the pressure on and do all of the little things we have to do to keep them from marching down the field, and clamping down later on. I thought the defensive plan was really good today."

On whether the line judge didn't see him when he was trying to call timeout:

"I was going to go all the way to the huddle. I tell them that, ‘Whatever I have to do...' I mean, I'm yelling on the sideline and they always say, ‘Mike, just come all the way and do whatever you got to do to get our attention.' So, I was sprinting out there. So, whatever I have to do to do that, I'll do it every time."

On the Arizona Cardinals loss:

"That is very exciting. One of the things that I don't want our team doing is looking at what Arizona is doing, but you can't help but... If a situation works out like that, that's fantastic. We just have to make sure that we earn the right to look at what they're doing and we've got to take care of business on our side."

CB Dre Bly
Post-Game Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On his first start with the 49ers:

"It felt good. The first half, I didn't get much action or get dirty. I wanted to get going, just get a tackle to get going. But for the most part, it was good. Defensively, we played well. We were flying around, pressuring the quarterback, forced turnovers-and that's the 49ers defense that everybody have seen. And that's the defense we expect to be. We played well."

On the difficulties of playing the Jaguars offense:

"They had long drives, and they were trying to keep us off-balance, going no-huddle and trying to catch us in different personnel defensively. And throwing screen plays, getting the ball into [Maurice] Jones-Drew's hands, those little bubble screens to the receivers-all those things were trying to keep us off-balance. But, when our backs were against the wall...this is what you want as a defense, when your backs are against the wall, don't fold. We were able to keep them out of the end zone when they got close, and unfortunately for them, they missed that field goal-fortunately for us. The key is, trying to keep them out of the end zone, we did, and giving up three points-that's reaching all defensive goals at the end of the day. I don't know what the yardage looked like, but we have to feel good about the points we let."

WR Michael Crabtree
Post-Game-Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On being able to spread the offense against Jacksonville:

"We really did the same plays that we did last week, we just did a good job of executing our plays and just came up big when it was time to make big plays."

On talking to WR Isaac Bruce on the sidelines when the offense was making adjustments:

"Isaac is like my big brother on the field so I'm always going to talk to him about anything, every play, and every release that I did. I'm always going to be talking to Bruce.

On what he felt he contributed to adding to the team leadership on the field today vs. Jacksonville:

"Just by playing fast at practice is something that I preached to my teammates in college, so I just carried it on and brought it up to the NFL and it's working."

On describing the team's intensity and execution in today's game:

"I think that all three sides of the ball played good today. That's what it takes for a team to win and we did a good job."

On whether he feels that the team is in the playoff hunt with a 5-6 record:

"We just have to take one game at a time. This next game we really need to be focusing on that and trying to win. One game at a time."

TE Vernon Davis
Post-Game Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On the performance of the offense:

"Our playmakers made plays-we got the ball in the hands of our playmakers. And we've got a lot of them-you could see [TE] Delanie Walker made some plays. And that's what it's all about. Green Bay, when we played them, I saw how they got the ball in their playmakers' hands. Everybody had some nice stats. That's what you need in order to win."

On if he senses a change in the offense:

"I am, I am. But I still think we have to run the ball-we have to keep Frank [Gore] involved, because he is one of our playmakers as well. Everything will be all right from there."

On the playoff picture:

"We have five regular season games left. Our goal is to win each and every game. We can only do that by practicing hard and staying together. It's not over, we're still in it. Anything can happen."

On going for it on fourth-and-1 play in the second quarter:

"Coach [Singletary] believes in us. We always talk about how good our offense is, and we believe in him. So, it's fourth-and-1, he called a play. Then we have to go make it."

LB Parys Haralson
Post-Game Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On whether that was the cleanest game the team has played:

"I don't know if that was the cleanest game, but I know that we won and that's all that matters to me."

On whether it was the most mistake-free game:

"I guess it was a mistake-free game. Like I said, we've emphasized that during the week, not beating ourselves. We always emphasize that, creating some turnovers and not turning the ball over, getting off the field on 3rd down even though they are making some plays on us and basically just keeping them out of the end zone on defense and the offense scored some points to win the game."

C Eric Heitmann
Post-Game-Quotes November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On starting fast offensively:

"We talked this week about being more explosive as an offensive unit. We did spread it out a little more and put the game in the hands of the playmakers and they did some amazing things for us today. They made some really big plays for us. As an offensive line, we knew we had to pass protect. We knew they were going to be coming, going to be blitzing and we had to give Alex [Smith] time to get the ball into the playmakers' hands. Everybody stepped up today. It really was a great win all the way around."

On holding a large lead at halftime:

"We had a nice cushion going into halftime, but when you come to halftime you know that any NFL game can turn. So for us, the score was 0-0. We knew we had to come out in the second half, be physical, run the clock, make some more plays. I think we did that. The defense played great, the special teams played great and it was a great win."

On the importance of not turning the ball over:

"You have to play mistake-free, flawless-execution football if you want to win in the NFL, and turnovers are huge. If we are going to be successful as an offense, you cannot turn the ball over and we did that today. That's one of the main reasons why we won this game."

QB Alex Smith
Post-Game Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On if he felt that today was his most complete game ever:

"I don't know about that. Probably the best I felt out there. I guess I don't know, specifically speaking, it was the best I felt out there. Seeing things, reacting to it, making good decisions, and being accurate."

On his role as a leader:

"Yeah there's always been open communication, especially with [Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye]. I've always said that from the beginning. I think, it's just one of those things, the more you play the better grasp you have on what we're doing. As the quarterback, there is a little more insight that you can put in to talking with Jimmy on what we're doing and what I like and things like that."

On specifically what he likes:

"I mean we're talking details here, of things, you know, things we have in the game plan. Whether or not they're up or down and what situation you may like them in or not, things like that."

On his confidence level from earlier in the year:

"I was confident that, and this the NFL, confident that my opportunity was going to come at some point. That's just the way it works. I didn't know when it was going to come, how it was going to happen, the circumstances of it. I was confident that, yeah, this is the NFL and at one point or another I'm probably going to step out on the field and help the team win. I didn't know when it was going to happen but the important thing is that you're constantly ready, constantly standing ready because you don't know when it's going to happen."

On the plays:

"I don't know. I don't know if it's my bad, I think it's the open communication. You know, it's not that I'm marching up there like, ‘hey this is how...' it doesn't happen like that. It's just open dialogue. You're talking, ‘I feel a little better about this, and maybe that.' It's not like I would walk up there with a list of things I don't want."

On whether not he told Raye he wanted to emphasize certain plays:

"No, not like that. It's always changing. You know? It's based on what we see on film and what we like. It's a fine line there. Ultimately it's my job to go out there and play well. The little input I can have, that's up to Jimmy whether or not he wants to."

On if he backed Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye into a room:

"No, I can sense that and that's not how it happened. I can definitely tell you."

On if he felt that his input was well received and used:

"Absolutely. No question. Jimmy's always had an open door and I think, like I said, it's a combination of the more I play the more we're growing as an offense I think that the more input you have. The more comfortable you feel talking to him about things. Whereas before you're just trying to get your job done."

On whether or not he's more confident than before:

"Absolutely."

On why and how he shows his newfound confidence:

"I just feel better about seeing what I see out there. Understanding it, trusting it and pulling the trigger. If that makes sense, you know. Reading and reacting. What are they doing? Seeing it and pulling the trigger. Before, when I was younger, sometimes you don't see things clear, don't trust it and hold on to the ball a little longer. You're tentative, things like that. I have a better grasp of seeing things, reacting to them and cutting loose."

On how this resembled his days in college:

"I'm getting there. I look back on college and it's different. I think you're headed there. That feeling you get when you're in the center of, people talk about things slowing down but, for me it's really understanding what you're seeing, trusting what you're seeing and cutting the ball loose. Not second guessing yourself, not hesitating and trusting what you see and letting it go."

On how he'd like to play the offense the rest of the season:

"I'm a pretty firm believer that there is no formula, like that to win. You got to do what it takes to win the game and each week is different. Next week we might come out of I formation and run the ball forty times to win the game. If that's what the defense is giving us and that's what we think we can expose them doing then we got to do that. We've got to do what it takes to win the game on offense and I don't think you can say, concretely ‘this is what you have to do every single week to win a game.' Every defense presents different problems and we have to find a way to attack them and expose them where we think we can."

On the cause and affect between your input and the game plan:

"I don't think so. No."

On what Jacksonville's defensive did that dictated this style of offense:

"We just thought - we felt like that. Their starting corner was out, [Rashean] Mathis was out. We knew they were banged up back there with some young guys, and we felt like we could do some good things throwing the ball. No doubt about it."

On what he thought about TE Vernon Davis' catch and run on fourth down and the play call:

"I love both of them, looking back. I love it. I think that's the mentality you start to grow into on offense too. The more comfortable as a unit we get, the more confident we are. We want it. Let's throw the ball on fourth-and-short. Let's get after it. Vernon made a great play, a great play on the sidelines. That's this offense growing and being more confident."

On whether he smiled when he received the game plan earlier this week knowing the offense was going to be more wide open:

"We talked about it, but you still don't always know what that's going to look like come game day, how things are going to unravel, how the play calls are going to come out and the circumstances you might be in. I thought we did a great job today, top to bottom. I thought [Offensive coordinator] Jimmy [Raye] called a great game. We did a lot of good things out there. I still think we left a lot out there. That's for us to take a look on film and improve on."

On how much stringing wins together counts with Arizona losing today:

"To be honest, it's not really about putting - it's about winning one game at a time. You can start getting ahead of yourself thinking about streaks and doing too much. We were thinking about beating Jacksonville. I think that singular focus, that's one of the reasons I think you saw success today. When you start looking down the line in this game, you're in trouble I think. So, now it's move on. We've got to learn from this game and we play Seattle. So, it's moving on from there."

On whether he feels either meek or humble:

"I don't feel meek. I think that's a good thing to be humble, in my opinion. I don't think that's a bad thing. I don't want to be cocky, if that makes sense. You want to be confident, step out on the field and play the game, feel good about what you're doing. But, I'm always going to be humble. I've been through too many ups and downs to understand what it takes to win games in this league, and it's not about you. A lot of things have to go right. There are a lot of pieces in place around you to have a chance at success. You learn that along the way."

On how it feels to be starting again:

"It's been great playing again, no doubt about it. To sit out the amount of football I did, you lose that feeling. You forget it. You miss it, what it's like to go out there and compete on game day, to work together all week as a team for one goal on Sunday to go out there and play well and to be tested every week. You miss that feeling, so it's great to be back out there."

On which was his best throw today:

"It's hard to say from where I was at."

On which throw he was most proud of:

"I don't know. It might not have even been a completion. I thought maybe the ball in the corner - I didn't get to see it very well - the ball in the corner to Michael Crabtree. I got it up on time and I thought I put it in a good place. At this point, it's hard to say."

On whether he was hit at all today:

"No idea. No idea, handful of times I guess."

On whether the players comfortable telling the coaches what they see during a game:

"I think it's a fine line there. Coach is a coach. Player is a player. That's a big deal. That's what it is. I think, this week, you maybe saw some guys go up there and voice their opinion, but in the end, we're not putting the game plan together. We didn't call the plays. It's out job to go out there and execute them and make them work. It's that partnership, that relationship, that I think leads to success. I think you saw we had some more input this week, but in the end, I think it's our job as a unit. Coaches have got to put their game plan together and what they think we can do best to go out there and win. And, we've got to go out there and make it work. As players, it's our job to go out there and play well, in the end. As much input as we have, it doesn't mean anything if we don't make it work."

On having no sacks, no interceptions and throwing crisp passes:

"Well, I think it's a part of the growth of this offense. In the NFL, you have to be balanced. You have to be able to do it different ways to find ways to win. You're never going to be able to always impose what you want to do on a defense. You play good defenses in this league, and if they want to take away one thing, they're probably going to be able to take it away. You've got to be able to find another way to get it done. That's just the way it is. So, you have to be balanced. You have to be able to do things, have multiple looks, different personnels and you have to be able to attack defenses a lot of different ways in this league. I think that's part of the growth of this offense. I think we're taking a step, be able to throw the ball a lot , ball control and make good decisions and execute better in the passing game."

On whether this team could have done this in the season opener:

"I don't know. I have no idea. I wasn't back there. That would probably be a better question for Shaun [Hill], but I think we're fully capable of it. There's a learning curve with it. First year together doing things there's always going to be some type of learning curve."

On what he was thinking on the fourth-down play:

"Exciting, thinking about where I was going to throw the ball. To come up in the look they gave us, bringing pressure. They had a man on Vernon [Davis]. We took the shot. We liked the call. Obviously, at the time, I liked the call and I was going to be aggressive."

DT Justin Smith
Post-Game-Quotes November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On picking up a game in the division:

"We just have to take it one at a time. We can't really control what happens with them, we can only control what we do. Now we have to come back and get ready for next week."

On the defensive effort today:

"They just went to their no-huddle offense. Usually anytime a team goes to that you play a little deeper and they are able to move the ball. They did move the ball but when we really had to, we made the plays. They are a talented offense and we were able to get off a couple times and make them pay for it."

On the pressure the team applied on QB David Garrard:

"I think everybody got pretty decent pressure today. We mixed it up a little bit, but the biggest thing was getting them into predictable situations where we knew they were throwing the ball and that a screen or draw probably weren't a possibility, which have hurt us all year. So that was good."

T Adam Snyder
Post-Game-Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On the offensive line playing together in unison against Jacksonville:

"It's nice to have the ball in your hands at the end of the game and be able to kneel on it. It's something that we haven't been able to do the past eight or nine games, so to finish it out like that was nice."

On QB Alex Smith's performance against Jacksonville:

"I thought that he played great. He stayed clean and got the ball out when he needed to and we did well up front protecting him. Our backs were also good in protection. That's what we have to keep focusing on which is to keep getting better as an offense."

On the offense not beating themselves with penalties and turnovers:

"Those are huge when you win the game, you can see how it affects it when you don't have many penalties and turnovers. You get to keep the ball in your hands and keep moving the chains. It's a good thing for the offense."

LB Takeo Spikes
Post-Game Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On the pressure they were able to get on [QB David] Garrard:

"We had the opportunity to beat the 1-on-1s. We got 1-on-1s a lot and that's what it boils down to. All sacks are not going to come free so we have to beat the 1-on-1s."

On the team's mentality knowing that Arizona lost:

"It's truly a one at a time mentality. One eye is focusing on the next game and the other eye is focusing on the big picture. If we continue to do that, I think at the end of the day when we look back in December it's going to take care of itself, I guarantee you that."

LB Patrick Willis
Post-Game-Quotes - November 29, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Jacksonville Jaguars

On what led to the win:

"Our coaches during the week put in a good game plan. We knew that No. 9 [QB David Garrard] and No. 32 [RB Maurice Jones-Drew] basically ran their offense. We knew that we had to tackle well against No. 32 when he gets the ball and we knew they were going to try to come in and run it on us because that is what they like to do. We knew we needed to stop the run and once we stopped the run our offense started putting up points and we knew they had to throw the ball then."

On LB Takeo Spikes' post-sack dance:

"That means we are out there having fun. When he did that, I just knew the game was almost over. It is something the coaches talked about, don't go out there saying, "We have to win we have to win.' Go out there and have fun and let the chips lay where they are going to lay. Just go out there and have fun and that's what we were doing."

On tackling Jones-Drew:

"He is stout. When you tackle him you have to grab him. If you can get to his legs and stop his legs then you have him, but if you grab his upper body and have no leverage he is just going to keep on running."

49ers 10 - Bears 6: Postgame Notes and Quotes

Fooch — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 13:00:59 -0000

As hideous as much of this game may have seemed, there is of course a whole assortment of random notes to ponder related to the interceptions:

The 49ers defense registered 5 interceptions against the Bears. It was the first time a 49ers team notched at least 5 interceptions since September 14, 1997, vs. New Orleans (6 interceptions).
It marked the first time since September 7, 1986, at Tampa Bay, that five different 49ers registered an interception.
NT Aubrayo Franklin intercepted QB Jay Cutler on the goal-line. It is Franklin's first career interception and the first interception by a 49ers defensive lineman since DT Justin Smith on September 21, 2008, vs. Detroit. Franklin is the only NT in the NFL to record an interception this season.
CB Tarell Brown registered his first interception of the season, third of his career, and returned it 51 yards to the Chicago 14 yard-line to set up the Niners first touchdown of the game. The 51-yard return is the longest interception return by a 49er since LB Patrick Willis registered an 86-yard interception return for a touchdown at Seattle (9/14/08).
S Dashon Goldson picked off Cutler for his second interception of the season. Goldson is now tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
S Mark Roman notched is first interception of the season. It was his first pick since December 14, 2006, at Seattle, when he picked off Cutler in the fourth quarter. His interception and 27-yard return helped set up a 21-yard field goal by K Joe Nedney to push the lead to 10-6.
S Michael Lewis sealed the game for the 49ers with his first interception of the season. Lewis intercepted Cutler's pass in the end zone as time expired. It was Lewis' first interception of the season and the 12^th of his career.
In the Bears two trips to the red zone, both drives ended with 49ers interceptions.

After the jump we've got an assortment of post-game quotes from the 49ers...

49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Game-Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

Opening Statement:

"I thank God. I thank my family. I thank these coaches. I thank the players, and I thank our fans. Our fans were outstanding tonight. They had the place rockin'. It really makes a difference, so I'm very excited about that. As far as the team is concerned, just very thankful that we were able to go out there and do the things that we needed to do on the defensive side of the ball. Greg Manusky and the staff really did a great job coming up with a plan that was effective enough to get turnovers. We talked about turnovers all week. Turnovers on offense we want to eliminate. Turnovers on defense we want to encourage. I think we just have to continue. It's a work in progress. I think, when I look at the offensive side of the ball, we did not come out and do all of the things I thought we could, or hoped that we could. We thought we'd be able to run a little bit better - did not. We did just enough on the offense to win the game. I think the one thing that we did do well, towards the end of the game, I think our offense put a drive together and came up short at the end of it. But put a drive together and took a lot of time off the clock, gave our defense a chance to game-plan a little better and make some adjustments on the sideline before getting back in the game. Overall, good win and glad we were able to come away with it."

On what it means to him personally to beat the Bears:

"You know, in all honesty, and I mean this, the first time that we played the Bears when I was here and we went down there and got the snot kicked out of us, that was an overwhelming feeling. But for the Bears to come in here today and for us to beat them, in all honesty, looking at our schedule and the next team that we have, they're just another team on that schedule and I'm very thankful that we could beat them."

On whether he thinks his young team has come of age:

"I think, for us, we took a step. Anytime you're in a game against a good football team... I think we hung in there, we fought, we didn't lose our poise, we did some dumb things at times with the penalties. We have to continue to work to eliminate those because great teams don't do that and that's what we're aspiring to be. We just have a lot of work to do and I just think that our young guys did step up and I was very pleased with the way they fought and finished it."

On whether it was a relief to get his first win in five weeks:

"I'd hate to use the word relief, but trying to think of another one is kind of hard right now. So, I will say, yes."

On how much the short week affected the offenses:

"You know what, I really don't know. I can't answer that question, because I could say a lot of different things and it still would not be right. So, I don't know. I just think that both offenses had their issues, but it affects the defense as well. So it goes both ways."

On whether one can coach for five interceptions:

"You know what, I just think that, when you get five interceptions in a game... I think the thing that we talked about all week is the execution on defense and on offense, but I think in order to make those plays when you're getting interceptions and getting those kinds of plays, I think guys are doing little things. Sometimes, the offense just makes a bad play, and then there are other times when the offense... you're holding the ‘two shell' long enough and the guy thinks that he has something that he does not and when the ball is snapped we get a good pass-rush and all of the sudden, he's throwing the ball to a certain player because he thought it was cover-two and it was cover-three and he throws the dice. So, little things like that I think we have to continue to get better on."

On the fortitude of the defense at the end of the game:

"I was talking to one of the coaches in the locker room, and it's just the opposite of Minnesota. It's almost the same situation, almost the same play, but the outcome was different and positive on our side. So it's nice to have something fall for you. I think the guys are working their tails off and a lot of times when you're doing that, trying to make good things happen, then good things happen."

On whether what happened in Minnesota affected what happened at the end of this game:

"No, I don't think so. I don't think anyone was thinking about Minnesota, I think everyone was just thinking about winning the game."

On whether anything that they learned against Minnesota affected the end of this game:

"Not really. I think the only thing you can learn against Minnesota is that you really have to be flawless in that situation. When it comes down and you've got 12 seconds left in the game, the only thing you learn there is that everybody has to be where they need to be and when you get there, try to make a play. But tonight, it was just a matter of guys hustling, working their tails off trying to be in the right place at the right time and it worked out."

On what he was trying to do with this defensive game plan:

"I just think that in every defensive game plan that we have, the thing that you want to do is take away what they do best. They‘ve got some really quality players in the tight end, the Olsen kid [TE Greg Olsen] that they love to throw the ball to, [WR Devin Hester] is really dangerous, the rookie they have, number 13 [WR Johnny Knox]... In crucial situations, just trying to recognize, get our guys to recognize, this is when they're going to run the screen, this is when they're going to run the hitch. The screen is a huge play for them and we finally began to make some plays on that thing. I just think in every defensive scheme that we have, it's just trying to take away what they do very well and make them beat you left-handed, so to speak."

On whether he will give the players the day off tomorrow:

"Oh yeah, they'll be working."

On QB Alex Smith's performance:

"I thought he did okay."

On whether he was happy with the running game at the end of the game:

"That was very good to see, because that's exactly what I'm talking about, we just have to do it more effectively. But our offensive line is continuing to gel and I'm excited to get back and look at the film and look at why we couldn't run some of the other times in different personnel settings. Those guys are fighting and just really beginning to gel and continuing to work together so I'm excited to see that tonight."

On his decision to go for it on fourth-and-one:

"You know what, I will say this, that was not a very good decision. That was a bad decision on my part. So I'll say that first. Now, to answer your question, I want my offensive line to know that if we have a half a yard, I expect them to get it. So when I'm on the sideline contemplating, ‘should I go for this?', and I'm looking at them and I get the body language, ‘go for it, go for it', okay let's go. But after that play, I told them, ‘I believe in you and I want to know if we have a half a yard in the red zone and for whatever reason we decide to go for it, I don't see any reason in the world that I shouldn't expect for us to make it', but we're not there yet so that was bad on my behalf."

CB Tarell Brown
Post -Game-Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

On the importance of the win:

"It was definitely important. We had to get over that hump. It was important to come out strong in this game right here and like coach said, we had to take a step and that was the first step. We just have to keep it rolling and we just have to keep going."

On his interception that he had in the second quarter:

"He ran a double move, stutter comeback and I just tried to jump the route and slipped coming out of his break. I was just trying to make a play and do the best that I could for the team."

On the physical nature of the game:

"Two physical teams. We take our hats off to the Bears. They came out here and fought. We both were in a short week, by playing this Thursday and we both came out and fought hard. Nationally televised game and it was definitely a must-win for us and we got it."

On whether he thought he was going to take it back:

"I was just trying to make a play, like I said, the guys told me I should have stayed to the left side, but I was trying to bring back my running back skills."

TE Vernon Davis
Post -Game-Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

On whether it was tough to put an offense in on such a short week:

"It was tough because we didn't really have time to prepare like we wanted to, so we just had to dig into our pockets and use plays that we used in the past."

On his exchange with DE Adewale Ogunleye:

"I was just trying to get my team fired up. I just told him to get ready because we are coming hard and we are coming to win."

On whether there was a sense of relief getting this win:

"We have a lot of momentum now and that's what we wanted going into the next game. We wanted to win this game, get some momentum, get our confidence level high and continue to win."

NT Aubrayo Franklin
Post-Game Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

On the importance of winning the game:

"It was real big. We were on a four-game losing streak and we needed a win to get us back on track for a run to the playoffs."

On his interception:

"That was real big. I was pretty tired out there, we had been on a long drive. Luckily, God blessed me to get the pick. I tried to run with it but I didn't have any legs left to go anywhere."

On whether this win can spark the team going forward:

"Yeah, I think so. I think we got back to doing the things that we were doing to them earlier in the season on defense. We played like we did the first half of the season, creating turnovers and getting good field position for our offense. We had five turnovers and we came out with the win."

S Dashon Goldson
Post-Game Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

On his interception:

"We were in a man coverage. It was a combination route and I knew what they were going to run based on the alignment and I just made a good call. The nickel and I were doubling on the slot receiver, he released inside and I picked him up. [QB Jay] Cutler made a mistake throwing the football and I picked it off."

On the five turnovers generated by the defense:

"We came out there and showed what this defense is made of. In the beginning of the year in training camp, we stressed turnovers and every day we practice turnover drills. Today was a great opportunity for us, coming out at home after four losses in a row. We know what we can do and we showed it out there."

On the final possession of the game:

"After that penalty, I was telling them that we need to tighten up on D. We needed to win this game and to do that we needed to tighten up on defense at the end."

RB Frank Gore
Post -Game-Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

On the importance of the win:

"It's a great win. Both teams needed the win and we fought hard and we got a W and I'm excited about that."

On his touchdown run in the second quarter:

"Our line did a great job. I read it right and I scored."

On the physical nature of the game:

"It was physical. It was real physical. They came to play, but we kept fighting. When we needed to make plays, we made plays."

On the defense on the last drive:

"The defense did a great job. The defense did a great job all night and we won."

C Eric Heitmann
Post-Game Quotes November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

On the importance of winning the game:

"I think coming into this game this was definitely a must-win game for us. Our backs were kind of against the wall. For us to get back in the hunt for the playoffs, we had to win this one. I think as an entire team - special teams, offense and defense - we really came together and put a big win up for us today. It feels great to have a total team victory and I am going to enjoy this one tonight."

On the play of the offensive line:

"I thought we did well. But that fourth-and-inches play was very upsetting for me and the rest of the line. Overall though, I think we handled their pressure pretty well and we did some good things. Again, it was a total team effort today and I am proud of the way this entire team played."

On his thoughts while watching the Bears final drive:

"I had total confidence in our defense. They had been doing a great job all game and it was exciting to see them perform in the clutch. It was an exciting drive to watch and it was even more exciting when we got that interception."

S Michael Lewis
Post-Game Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

On winning the game:

"It feels great. These last couple of games we've gone into halftime with the lead, then somehow, someway, we lose the game. Those things hurt, and all week Coach Singletary was preaching, ‘Just take a step. We are a championship-caliber team, we just have to believe in one another and just go out there and execute.' And we did that today."

On playing after such a short week:

"It is very tough because Monday you're not as sore, but Tuesday is the day you feel the sorest from the game and Tuesday was a pretty tough day. Coach put together a great game plan and gave us an opportunity to get our legs back a little bit and got us prepared for the Bears."

On his interception:

"It was one of those there where our defensive back coaches, Vance Joseph and Johnnie Lynn, did a great job of telling us that [TE Greg] Olsen is their go-to guy in the red zone and they like to take the vertical route. On the play before the interception he kind of got underneath me, but luckily the quarterback overthrew the ball."

On whether this was a must-win game:

"It really was. Nobody was saying it, but we knew. These last couple of weeks the pressure has been on the defensive backs, and we took it upon ourselves to just step up and make plays. Every time we get a chance to meet together, we always talk about, ‘It's on our backs. It's on us.' No matter what happens in the front seven, it's always on the DBs to step up and make plays, and that is what we did."

S Mark Roman Player
Post -Game-Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

On his interception and what he saw from his vantage point:

"First of all, [S] Michael Lewis got a great jam on the tight end. The tight end was my guy and once I saw what he did, I got my eyes in the backfield and I couldn't believe he was about to throw the ball because I was in prime position to make the play."

On S Michael Lewis's interception at the end of the game:

"It's just a great feeling to have the kind of game that we had in the secondary and to finish with a play like that. It speaks volumes to the guys that are in the secondary. We are resilient group of guys. It's just exciting to come out and end the game that way because we always want the pressure is always on our backs. We know the pressure is always on our backs and it's good to just respond that way."

On what the secondary was doing to QB Jay Cutler to force him into those mistakes:

"You take your hat off to a guy like that because he truly believes in himself and as a football player, that's what you have to have. I wouldn't sell him short on that, but he was just trying to make plays at a time when you have to make plays. Our coaches put us in a great position to make plays and we made the plays. The calls were coming in, everybody was communicating well."

QB Alex Smith
Post-Game Quotes - November 12, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Chicago Bears

Final

On how great the defense performed today:

"Yeah, no question. Pretty self explanatory."

On whether or not the short week was an obstacle in preparing for today's game:

"The short week is tough for a lot of reasons, especially that. You try to have a lot of carry over in a week like this and not throw in a lot new. You really have one-practice day, that was Tuesday. The rest is kind of walk-through meetings and trying to get in as much as you can. Get in as much film study. There are so many adjustments to be made on the field for anything-protections, route adjustments so that all multiplies on a short week."

On whether or not he was intentional in passing to WR Michael Crabtree early in the game:

"I think that's just kind of the way the game went. For whatever reason, early on, I had some things up for him and you know, I think got away from it as the game went on. I don't know if it was a conscious decision, probably a better question for [Offensive Coordinator Jimmy] Raye."

On the offensive line:

"They played well. It's hard without looking at the film, but I thought they played well, especially there in the fourth quarter when we were running the ball. They had looks with against the run and still getting it done, especially [RB] Frank [Gore] back there making people miss, breaking tackles, making something out of not much."

On how the team finishes:

"I'd like to not have it that close at the finish, we did. I'm happy for the team, getting that done. Obviously, the defense played lights out. To do what they did in the fourth quarter to go four-and-out and get the holding call and do it all over again. They really played tough down there when the game was on the line. It was great to see."

On whether this was an example of the team finishing:

"There at the end there, that's for sure. Definitely, that's part of it. You're happy. That's the biggest thing. You put so much work into this, so much time and effort and you invest so much of yourself, as a team to see that payoff is nice."

On whether this was a big win going into next week:

"It's a step in the right direction. Now, I got that question earlier this week, that's the biggest game up to this point. This next week, that will the biggest game. That's how the NFL goes. It's a long season and a long haul. Every game is important. I think the important thing about tonight is getting us on the right track. Losing four in a row it kind of kills momentum. To reverse that and get us going back where we need to go is a big deal."

On his success with the hard count:

"It's something I never did early on in my career. I'm just kind of learning. It's a tool that can help you in situations. It helped tonight. On the third-and-long, we got the hard count and got the offsides. All of a sudden, you get hit and picked, and you get to do it over again and that's off the stat sheet. Anything that can help you and put you in a position to win."

On utilizing many different formations:

"I think the more you can do to give the defense trouble, run and pass, formation shifts. All of that where you have to give them to think about to prepare for."

On the 216 total offense yards:

"Absolutely, no question. We have to get better. It is a win. That's the great thing about it. We're definitely not content with that tonight. That's not where we need to be, especially down there in the red zone too. We need to finish down there. I think that was something that could have really changed the game."

On the key to running the spread:

"Run versus good looks, and when they come down you throw the ball, essentially. That sounds easy, but it's not that easy, especially in this league. It's a give and take. They're going to win some. You have to have patience and not waver from what you're trying to do."

On audible from run to pass:

"We definitely have it in our game plan and had plays out there tonight. You guys may not have seen it, but yes, we're going from run to pass, pass to run and getting things done."

On whether those audibles come out of shotgun as well:

"Yes."

Horse Tracks 11/12/09 - Hochstein replaces Hamilton as starting LG; Broncos sign CB Moulton to PS after losing D.J. Johnson

Douglas A. Lee — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:57:56 -0000

Good Morning, MHR Friends! Just to clarify my standpoint on the Krieger/Legwold columns I challenge below - I'm not disagreeing with the premise that the Broncos need more big plays out of their passing game; of course they do. However, the way they went about trying to prove their point was sloppy and incomplete...

DB - Week 10 - Wed: McDaniels - Broncos TV

DB - A Little Perspective - Jim Saccomano
"You have to look at the whole picture, all the time. Very tough to do, but that’s the challenge."

DB - Forward Thinking - Gray Caldwell
"Four players appeared on the Broncos' injury report on Wednesday. Josh Barrett (hamstring), Ryan Harris (toe) and Brandon Marshall (back) did not participate in Wednesday's practice. Ryan McBean (knee) had limited participation in the session."

DB - Getting the Ground Game Going - Chris Gentilviso
"The Broncos announced the signing of cornerback Rashod Moulton on Wednesday to their practice squad. That roster spot became available once the New York Giants signed cornerback D.J. Johnson off the Broncos’ practice squad and onto their active roster on Wednesday."

DPP - Briefing: Hochstein new starter, ahead of Hamilton - Lindsay Jones
"Running back Peyton Hillis was back at Dove Valley after spending several days with his family in Arkansas. His grandmother, Margaret Ann Justice, died Friday." Our thoughts are with #22 and his family...

DPP - Law willing to put off retirement for a nickel - Jeff Legwold

LTC - Right Track: Despite setbacks, Broncos strong at season’s midpoint - Brian Howell

LTC - Broncos’ recent slide no cause to say season’s been scrambled - Brian Howell

CBS4 - 'Terrible Towel' Doesn't Sit Well With The Broncos - Matthew Buettner
"One thing I noticed when they were walking off the field they had a huge crowd of people on their side by their tunnel. That doesn't sit well with me," said DE Kenny Peterson.

DB - Week 10 - Wed: Orton - Broncos TV

DB - Week 10 - Wed: Dawkins - Broncos TV

DPP - Krieger: Deep ball high on Orton's wish list
"I don't have the coach's game film, but it didn't look to me as if Polamalu and Carter were playing 35 yards off the line of scrimmage very often. In fact, we can document where they were the three times they intercepted Orton:" What a bizarre bit of research. As I recall it, 1 if not 2 of Orton's INTs came under duress. So how, exactly was Orton supposed to throw deep on these plays where (according to Krieger not watching film but considering where the actual INTs took place) the safeties were supposedly playing up? I'm baffled...

Next up - "That might help explain why more than half of the Broncos' pass plays this season — 54.7 percent — have gone for 10 yards or fewer, according to a breakdown by my colleague Jeff Legwold." This is also puzzling. You can't measure pass plays for aggression by looking at their result. You have to look at how far the ball was thrown. To wit, Kyle Orton has thrown 191 of his 269 attempts (71%) 10 yards or shorter, relative to the LOS. In 2008, Jay Cutler threw 380 of his 616 attempts (62%) 10 yards or shorter. When considering those players' personalities and skill sets, combined with the systems they play(ed) in, these numbers make sense to me. If Josh McDaniels wanted to chuck it downfield all day, he would have kept Jay Cutler.

DPP - Q&A: Orton needs new bodyguard - Jeff Legwold

DP - Woody's Mailbag: Tickets a hot topic

DPP - Analysis: Few big plays in Broncos' passing game - Jeff Legwold
"Most teams consider "big plays" to be runs more than 10 yards and pass completions more than 20 yards. In their eight games the Broncos have had 11 pass completions go for 21 to 30 yards, one play between 31 and 40 yards and one play between 41 and 50 yards." Come on Legwold - this is such incomplete research - these numbers don't mean anything without comparing the Broncos to the rest of the league!!! (I'm not saying his point is incorrect; I don't know the answer because Legwold didn't provide the proper evidence to support his theory!)

DB - Tough Night Under the Lights - Mark Cooper

DPP - Broncos game a big draw - Dusty Saunders

DPP - Numbers: Opposites attract

CSG - Poor running game creates turmoil on offensive line - Frank Schwab

CSG - Orton shaves beard in effort to help break losing streak - Frank Schwab

DB - Steelers Postgame: Report - Broncos TV
Sorry, Friends - forgot to post this link yesterday...

AP - Broncos' Low-Risk Offense Stuck In Low Gear - Arnie Stapleton

KDVR - Denver Broncos vs. Washington Redskins Preview - Chris Tanaka

TW - Was the 6-0 Start Just an Illusion? - Carlos Cagin

AP - Shanahan Chosen For Colorado Hall Of Fame

Redskins News

WP - Battered Redskins dig further down depth chart - Rick Maese

WP - Portis called 'very, very doubtful' for Sunday - Jason Reid

WP - Zorn rules out LJ; Haynesworth says he was fined - Cindy Boren

WP - Bailey's return puts new focus on old deal - Barry Svriuga

WP - Diesel fumes: Riggins has plenty of unvarnished opinions about his former team, the Redskins - Sally Jenkins

AFC West News

ESPN - Midseason AFC West Report Card - Bill Williamson

SDUT - No dash for cash - Kevin Acee

SDUT - Vick brings alarming talent - Chris Jenkins

KCS - Raiders won't gloat over Johnson's departure from the Chiefs - Adam Teicher

KCS - Goff will miss remainder of season - Kent Babb

SFC - Without Larry Johnson, Chiefs minus star power - David White

OT - Raiders DB Chris Johnson: 8-0 second half is possible - Steve Corkran
WOW.

OT - Raiders lineman Matt Shaughnessy improves despite adversity - Steve Corkran

NFL News

NFL - Quinn back at QB for Browns in Monday night game vs. Ravens

NFL - Bills QB Edwards will start vs. Titans, but ailing T.O. might not

NFL - Bengals' Lewis nixes Ochocinco's plan to send mustard to Steelers

NFL - Kampman played with concussion but absolves Packers of blame

NFL - League suspends Eagles CB Hanson four games for using diuretic

NFL Opinion

NYT - Thursday Matchup: Bears at 49ers - Mike Tanier

NYT - Looking at NFL Network’s Lineup of Games - Toni Monkovic

NFL - Manning-Brady duel leads a solid Week 10 list of matchups - Gil Brandt

FH - Dirty Dozen: Are Pats, Colts NFL's Best? - Dave Goldberg

FH - Coach Killers, Week 9: Packers ST - Tom Mantzouranis

SI - Marvin Lewis won't allow Cincinnati Bengals to rest on success - Paul Daugherty

NFP - Tavern talk: Phillips still has lots to prove - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Diner morning news: Quinn needs playing time - Mike Lombardi

NFP - Where is the love for Big Ben? - Matt Bowen

NFP - Wednesday whys: A string of losses for NFL - Andrew Brandt

NFP - Vick win is another issue for owners - Jack Bechta

NFP - ‘For cause’ termination: Last refuge of scoundrels - Robert Boland

NFL - Ware the key to Cowboys' resurgent defense

FH - Introducing an Athlete of the Rarest Kind - Kevin Blackistone

NFP - NFP senior position rankings - Wes Bunting

Midseason Awards, etc.

PFW - AFC midseason team reports
"Fearless prediction: Despite their thrilling start, the Broncos will have to fight off a late surge from the Chargers for the AFC West title and will finish just one game better than San Diego before exiting the playoffs in the second round."

PFW - NFC midseason team reports

SN - NFL Midseason Report: New Orleans dominates players' first-half poll
1. Josh McDaniels, Broncos (44) "I just don't think anybody expected that outcome from the Broncos in the first half. He just seems like a blast to play for and a great game-planner who puts you in great situations." — Bengals QB Carson Palmer

SN - NFL Midseason Report: 99 players provide take on league after 8 games
"I don't think anyone expected (Dumervil) to have this many sacks. He's played extremely well for them this year. He's given their defense a real presence on the edge." — 49ers C Eric Heitmann

SN - NFL Midseason Report: Tackling five big questions - Clifton Brown, Dennis Dillon, Vinnie Iyer and Russ Lande
Brown and Iyer expect the Broncos to keep sliding.

SN - NFL Midseason Report: SN's All-Pro Team - Clifton Brown

Y! - Midseason awards: Favre dazzles, Browns fizzle - Charles Robinson

FOX - Week 10 Cheat Sheet: NFL picks and predictions - Peter Schrager

FOX - NFL midseason report card: AFC grades - Alex Marvez

FOX - NFL midseason report card: NFC grades - Alex Marvez

ESPN - John Clayton looks at the best games of the second half

NFL - Best free-agent moves also were the most understated

USAT - Insider: Analysts' MVP picks split Brees, Favre, Manning - Jim Corbett

Titans 34 - 49ers 27: The always popular bright side of things...

Fooch — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 04:51:10 -0000

As many folks around these parts know, I try to look at the bright side of things. As I've said before, if the ship is sinking and I'm going down, might as well try and not be too miserable about it. Things aren't looking pretty for the 49ers right now, but there were some definitely positives in today's game. The 49ers passed along a press release of news and notes that I thought were worth sharing. Well, at least two of them were worth sharing. Also, after the jump we have all the post-game press conference transcripts for the 49ers.

Vernon Davis
Davis remains a work in progress, but we are finally witnessing the transformation of Vernon Davis from a lot of bark and very little bit, into a true playmaker. Davis recorded career-highs in both receptions (10) and receiving yards (102) and had his first career 100-yard game. This was only the third time in team history that a tight end caught ten passes in a game (Eric Johnson had the previous two). More importantly, Davis is 33 yards and 11 catches from career highs in both categories. He's one TD away from doubling his previous career high. And what might be the highlight from today? Davis pulling Josh Morgan away from a skirmish and telling him to use his head. My how things have changed.

Andy Lee
No matter how good or bad things have been these last few years, one man has always been there: Andy Lee. In what is becoming a regular occurrence, Andy Lee had another phenomenal day. And in fact, it might have been the best performance of his career. Lee had three punts today, finishing with a gross average of 56.7 (2nd best ever for him) and a net average of 53.3 (best ever for him). Oh and all three punts were caught or downed inside the ten yard line. The best starting field position on the 3 punts was the 14 yard line. As always, ANDY LEE FOR MVP!

Remember to check out the post-game quotes after the jump...

49ers Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

FINAL

Opening Statement:

"Obviously, after the game there's not a whole lot to say about the game. It's very obvious as to what happened. I don't think our guys quit. I think the guys played hard. We didn't play very smart in terms of giving the football away. We have a formula in terms of how we play, how we win games. The number one thing is we cannot turn the ball over, and that's the thing that basically killed us today. I'm sure there are a lot of other things you could come up with as to why we lost. Bottom line is turnovers for us."

On what he told the team after the game:

"Basically, we have to get out of this situation right now where we get a lead, we have to know that we're going to keep that lead, but we're not trying to maintain. We have to continue to gain. We have to finish games. It's as simple as that. When it came down to whatever else I was talking about, it comes down to finishing football games. And that is the thing that we're not doing. We're not finishing football games. If you go back to Minnesota, if you go back to Indianapolis, if you go back to the game today, take your pick, we're not finishing games. We have to finish games."

On whether the interceptions were QB Alex Smith's fault:

"No. I wouldn't say that at all. I thought Alex was playing well today, for the most part. When you get turnovers, obviously you can't say that, but I thought he made some good decisions. We just have to look at the film and kind of come away from it as to where the fault is. It looked to me that he was getting the ball where it needed to go. Whether the receivers could catch the ball or not, I don't know. I don't know if there was contact at the time of the ball getting there, contact before the time of the ball getting there. I don't know. I have to look at the film and see."

On how big of a blow this is to where he wants the take the team:

"Well you know, it's definitely frustrating to be at this point, but we do have eight games left. In my mind, as long as we continue to fight, as long as we continue to play the way we played today, we got a chance, if we take away the stupid stuff where we're killing ourselves. And that's really the bottom line."

On why he spread out the line and used two tight ends:

"You're asking me why I did it? You've been asking me all week why I wouldn't I do it. Now you're asking me why did I do it. You know what? It's as simple as this: we thought it would give us the best chance to win. For the most part, it worked pretty well. Alex has been doing a much better job in practice getting the ball out, finding his receivers, giving us a chance to run the ball as well, open things up. It's a good game plan if we execute it. Obviously, if you turn the ball over three or four times a game, it's not going to happen. We have to eliminate that and, once again, the gun's still pointed at us. We have to make sure that we go out and we play a complete football game without killing ourselves in the process."

On whether Alex handled the ball properly given his history of fumbles:

"You know what, what he did in the past, I'm going to leave it in the past, the whole lot about whatever he did in the past. All I know is what I saw today. I saw a quarterback throwing the ball pretty effectively, for the most part. As far as the fumbles are concerned, once again we have to look at it and we kind of go from there. But, to be honest with you, I have not... I'm a little bit surprised that he hasn't fumbled more. When you get a quarterback that's coming in new and not taken any of the snaps during the year, these are some of the things that you're going to have early on. I thought for the most part that Alex did a good job. I really did."

On whether it's desperation time for the 49ers:

"Desperation is a word I won't use. Preparation is the word I want to use. We just have to prepare better. We have to prepare, we have to game-plan. Coaches are doing a great job of coming up with a game plan to give us a chance to go out and win. Players got to execute. It's as simple as that. That's the thing that we talk about all week. Players have to execute. Number one thing: can't give the ball away. Give them nothing cheap. We're just not there yet. We don't have much time to sit around and contemplate whether we want to do it or not, we have to continue going forward and get it on the run."

On whether he was happy with the defensive effort overall:

"No. Anytime a team is going to take the ball down and score at a critical time, you're never happy. I mean if I said I was happy with that, then you need to replace me really quickly."

On what he thinks about being a couple of games behind the Cardinals:

"I don't care about the Cardinals. I care nothing about the Cardinals. I care nothing about anything else that's happening in the NFL. I don't care about that. The only thing I care about is this football team realizing that we can win games if we do not kill ourselves. It's as simple as that. I don't care about the Cardinals. Done."

On his assessment of the offensive line play today:

"You know what, the past two weeks I think they played well. I really did."

On whether the team can still achieve its goals:

"Absolutely. Absolutely."

CB Dre´ Bly
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On Titans QB Vince Young:

"Playing a scrambling quarterback, a guy who can run the ball and throw it, he is more of a threat and he played well today. We did have a chance to win the game, but we weren't able to pull away with it. It is frustrating, but like I said, we have to go back to the drawing board and regroup. We have a fast one next week and we just have to get ready for that game."

On the play of the defensive line:

"When you are playing against a guy who is as athletic as he is, for the most part, without watching film, they got pressure. But he is going to make plays. I can't really criticize anybody because we were all playing hard and flying around and trying to make plays. It just didn't go in our favor when we needed keys stops."

On Tennessee's explosive plays:

"We know [RB Chris] Johnson, he has been a threat all year. He has been doing it ever since he has been in the league. He is probably one of the fastest backs, if not the fastest in the league. The one thing he has done well, he can run inside and outside. We knew we had to close creases fast because he has the ability to take it the distance. Luckily, that big one was called back, but he is a fast guy and he can do a lot of great things when he has the football. He really made some plays today. We were really flying around defensively and were trying to make plays, but I have to tip my hat to those guys, they made more plays than we did which led to a victory for them."

WR Michael Crabtree
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On his assessment of the 49ers offense:

"I'm just doing my job. I'm just doing what I can control and what this team gives me."

On what he thought of the team's offensive performance:

"I think that we played alright but there's always room to get better."

On playing his first game at Candlestick Park:

"I love the fans. They gave me a lot of support and they gave the team a lot of support. Candlestick has so much history and I'm just happy to be out here."

On throwing some hard blocks on Tennessee's DB's:

"Yeah, I was just out there playing football doing all the things that I acquired [over the years]."

On what he feels the offense needs to work on for the rest of the season:

"We need to work on a lot of things. I'm not a coach so I can't really point it out. I'm a role player; I do my job and whatever coach has for me."

On the turnovers in today's game against Tennessee:

"There are turnovers in every football game, that's part of football. So we just have to suck it up and go back to the woodwork, work on some things at practice, and come back ready for the next game."

TE Vernon Davis
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On how he feels about the team right now:

"I feel good about the team. We have a lot of time, this isn't the end of the world. We just have to keep getting better in practice and learn how to finish games."

On what the team needs to do different to finish games strong:

"It all starts in practice. You practice how you play. Just get it corrected and don't look back. We need to keep our head straight and keep moving."

On the turnovers:

"We just have to pay attention to everything around us. We have to do what we were taught to do, which is protect the ball and make plays. Sometimes as a player you forget the little things, and we just have to do those little things."

RB Frank Gore
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On what happened to his right eye during the game:

"Somebody poked me in the eye under the pile."

On whether his eye injury affected his vision during the game:

"I was alright. But I wanted to win. I'll do anything to win. I told my boys that I'm going to stay out there and fight with them and that's what I did."

On what he can do as a team leader to help this team get ready for the next game:

"We just have to stop killing ourselves. The teams aren't beating us we're just beating ourselves. Once we take care of that, then we will move forward."

On what he thought of the game plan today and how it opened up for him:

"Yes, it was. We were moving the ball up and down the field. We just can't hurt ourselves. Anybody can hurt themselves in the NFL with turnovers and it's tough to win and that's what happened today. We had a great game plan and we showed that we can move the ball. We just hurt ourselves."

On whether there is a sense of desperation on the team after losing four straight games:

"A lot of our guys in our locker room know that we can play. We know what we can do on the field. It just comes down to two or three plays that really hurt us. The need for two to three plays is real big and it cost us the game. That's what's been happening the last couple of weeks and we've got to fix it. We have to fix it if we want to go forward and win."

LB Parys Haralson
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On whether the team can still accomplish its goals:

"We don't have any quit in us. We are just going to pull it together and get ready for Thursday. We aren't giving up on anything. We still feel that we can get accomplished what we want accomplished. That's what we are shooting for."

On whether it is good to play again so soon:

"You always want to play again. Once this game is over, you hate that it happened, but now we have a game coming up and you have to prepare for this one. You have to have a short-term memory when you're in this business. We have to put this one behind us and prepare for Thursday."

On how close he was to stopping Titans RB Chris Johnson on fourth-and-goal:

"I really won't know until I see it on film. I thought he was closer to the sideline than apparently he was and I left my feet too early. It is a play I have to make."

C Eric Heitmann
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On the turnovers:

"Of course I didn't get a really good look at it. What can you say except that it's unfortunate. You've definitely got to do everything you can to minimize turnovers in a game. Certainly, we had four. Certainly, four is too many. Everybody on offense plays a role. We've got to look at the film and do everything we can to make sure that doesn't happen again."

WR Josh Morgan
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On whether the team can still accomplish what it wants to accomplish:

"We can accomplish anything we want. Like we say every week, we just have to finish."

On losing the game on late turnovers:

"I think it is demoralizing with every loss you have. It's already hard enough to win without turnovers at the end of the game, the turnovers just make it harder on yourself. That is something we just have to correct as a team. It's not anybody's fault. The defense gets paid too, they make plays and they just had a good day."

On being 3-5 midway through the season:

"We just have to win all our games now. That doesn't put a crimp in anything. We're still out here playing football."

QB Alex Smith
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On how much responsibility he feels for the turnovers:

"I'm the guy back there making the decisions, and when you look at all four of them, the three picks and the one fumble when I was going to throw, it's tough to overcome that. No matter the game, or who you're playing or the opponent, it's tough to overcome."

On whether there were a couple of tough bounces:

"It kind of comes with the job. It does. When you evaluate the film or tomorrow when I go and evaluate my play, really look at what can you control, did you make the right decision, could you have thrown a better ball - things like that are really what you look at. The fumble, when I was throwing, I still haven't seen the replay of that. I kind of want to see what that looks like on film, if I could have done anything different."

On what was the most challenging aspect of the game:

"They give a lot of different looks on defense. They play a lot of different coverages. It's not like you're going out there and seeing three defenses. You're going to see an assortment of pressures and coverages and all kinds of stuff, things that are very unorthodox, things that not a lot of other teams do. Very unique. That was probably the biggest thing."

On the two interceptions to WR Josh Morgan:"

"The one over to the left, the safety rolled down and jumped the ball and made a play there. I'll look at that on film as well, if maybe I could have done something different - maybe a throw away there just to keep the ball. The second one was a comeback. It was the first play of the drive - try to get us going. It was a bang-bang play and somehow that ball gets popped up and gets taken back."

On whether this was a step back for him:

"The biggest thing is we can win those games. I think the biggest thing, like I said, when we come in tomorrow and look at the film, really evaluate my play. Really look at that. What could I have done differently? It's hard to tell just walking off the field and just reviewing it in my mind. You only see parts of what's going on out there. I think, obviously, there are some things I'd like to have over. That comes with any game, but I don't know at this point. It's probably too early to tell if I think it's a regression or not."

On how important his film study will be during this short week:

"I don't know if that's necessarily me, I guess. I think that's maybe more of some things, what are we doing as a whole? Coming around, turning around and playing on Thursday, there's probably not going to be a lot of time for that, not a ton of time to game plan. We're just going to roll it out there and play a little bit. Obviously, we'll have some new stuff in, and they will too. On such short notice, there won't be a lot of that."

On whether the short week is an advantage:

"It'll be nice in the sense that you won't have a lot of time to dwell on it. You have to turn around and go tomorrow. Tomorrow will be Chicago film, and we'll be going."

On whether he likes the two-tight end, single back formation:

"I think the mix helps, especially in the first half when we're mixing it up, and they're in the third quarter mixing it up and it's still a game. They're in the fourth quarter at the end and you're really in two-minute mode, make-a-play mode. Before that, when the game's even and you're really giving multiple things for the defense to think about. I think it's nice, especially with some of the runs we had out of the gun, I think looked good today. I think those are all things that can help us."

On how he would assess the state of the team after a 3-1 start followed by four straight losses:

"Anytime you lose four games in a row, that's tough. These guys put in so much work. We put in so much time. Especially to have a couple of close ones, last week to have a close one, to come in at half time and be up and be unable to finish games in the second half is hard but part of the deal. It's a long season. We have got to keep working, keep going. You can't feel sorry for yourself. You've got to learn from it. You can't dwell on it and get better. This is a long season. You've got to keep working. You definitely can't get down about it."

On whether the team can still accomplish what it wants to accomplish being two games back of the Cardinals:

"I think so. I think the biggest thing is we just need to focus on us, focus on Chicago. That's it. Not worry about the Arizona Cardinals or what they're doing or the rest of the division or anything else like that. We have a single focus, and that's get a win. Get a win on Thursday. Study this a little bit tomorrow and go over it and then on to Chicago. Then, that's it. There's no time to dwell on anything."

On WR Jason Hill:

"It was nice to have him out there. He and I got a lot of work together the first six weeks of the season, working out there on scout team together. I've got a lot of trust in Jason, and it showed up out there today. He's just one of those guys who just continues to keep working and working hard and waiting for his chance. I thought he did a nice job today."

On the touchdown to Hill in the back of the end zone:

"We were in the two-minute mode and down in the red zone. The call we were in, we were in the two-by-two and called a play, and I scrambled out to the right and he made a great play of first, sucking the DB up and then turning and running deep and made a nice play on the ball. That stuff's all important, scramble rules. Those things all can make the difference in a game."

On why the team has struggled recently:

"You could probably point to a lot of things. For whatever reason though, you've got to get over that hump. That's something that we need to do."

LB Patrick Willis
Post-Game Quotes - November 8, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tennessee Titans

On how the defense played today:

"It is hard for me because I know coming into this year we wanted the defense to be the forefront of this team. We told ourselves that despite what happens on the offensive side, we have to show up every game. They're making steps, and there is no reason for us to make it even harder for them when they are already trying so hard. We have to do better in our defense getting off the field and doing things necessary to give them more opportunities."

On the big plays by Titans RB Chris Johnson:

"You can't take anything from the guy. The kid is fast and he can run. There were a couple of times in there, actually I don't know. I don't want to say anything until I watch film as to the reason why he got loose. I just know that he can run. If you give him what he is looking for, which is the edge, he can turn and run like there is no tomorrow."

On the mindset of the team:

"We are still going to stay positive and we are still going to be for each other. Nobody is going to point their finger at one side of the ball, not at special teams, not at coaches. We are just going to continue to work, continue to fight as a team. We still have a lot of football left. It's not over until we play our last game. We are still playing to go to the playoffs. We just have to turn it around before it is too late instead of putting it in other people's hands. There is still a lot of football left. We know that November and December is when you make that push. Unfortunately today we didn't get it done, but we have a short week coming back on Thursday to play a good football team as well. It is a test for us to see how we respond."

Falcons 45 - 49ers 10: Notes and Quotes

Fooch — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 06:01:52 -0000

We've got a whole host of notes and quotes from today's game. Before the jump are the notes, after the jump are the quotes.

Forcing The Issue

LB Patrick Willis registered 2 forced fumbles in the third quarter. The 2 forced fumbles were the first of the season for Willis and the fourth and fifth of his career. It marked the first time that a 49ers player registered 2 forced fumbles in a single game since DE Chris Doleman recorded 3 forced fumbles vs. Carolina (11/8/98).
LB Manny Lawson stripped RB Jerious Norwood on a swing pass in the second quarter and the fumble was recovered by S Michael Lewis. It is Lawson’s 3rd career forced fumble and second this season. For Lewis, it is his first fumble recovery of the season and 9th of his career.

Long Play

The 61-yard completion from QB Shaun Hill to WR Josh Morgan is the longest career play for both players. Hill’s previous career-long was a 50-yard completion to WR Isaac Bruce at Arizona (9/13/09). Morgan’s was a 48-yard touchdown reception at St. Louis (12/21/08).

Career High

QB Shaun Hill rushed for a career-high 53 yards. His previous high was 45 yards rushing at St. Louis (12/21/08).

First Career Touchdown

RB Glen Coffee scored his first career touchdown on a 2-yard run in the first quarter.

NFL Debut

S Curtis Taylor, a seventh-round draft pick by the 49ers, made his NFL debut.

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Game Quotes – October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On whether he saw CB Dre’ Bly showboat:
"No, I didn’t see that. I just saw him basically not take care of the football. Not showboat."

On what he says to the team after a game like this:
"I’d say we have to go back and look at the film, obviously, as a staff. In a game like this I think our coaches, all of us, have to do a better job preparing the guys. Obviously, they were not prepared. Our players have to take their share of it as well. We did not play very smart today, so that’s basically what I say."

On whether today’s game makes him reassess his bye week plan:
"No. If I told them we’re going to leave, that’s when we’re going to leave and we will do the work that we had planned. We will do that and we’ll go from there. We’ll certainly look at the film and do some evaluation and make some decisions based upon that."

On whether he saw the result of this game coming:
"Absolutely not."

On what his message to the team was during the first time out:
"It was basically… We were sort of on our heels up to that time. Didn’t change the rest of the day, but I thought at that particular time, ‘okay, guys, let’s settle down. We’ve had a chance to see what they’re trying to do. Let’s do a better job preparing for that.’ Did not work."

On whether he thought the team was beyond this kind of result:
"Yes."

On whether this game is a setback:
‘You know what, I wouldn’t say setback I think, because we’re going to handle it the right way. The biggest thing for us is, when you don’t play well, when you’re not doing things on offense that you know you have to do against a team like this, when you’re not playing smart football on defense, a game like this is going to happen. So, yes, I think it’s one of those things that I did not think that we were capable of doing. As far as the setback is concerned, I wouldn’t use the word setback, I would just say it will be a wakeup call for some of our guys. Just as I said before the season started, we have to play great football. We have to execute on both sides of the ball. We cannot give the ball away. And at the same time, we have to execute on the defensive side of the ball. When we don’t do that against a good football team, this is going to be the result."

On whether this loss takes some luster off of the 3-1 start:
"Well, I’ll say this: the most important thing now is to do what we have to do after looking at the film, make the adjustments, make the assessments and get ready to go when we come back."

On why he was animated on the sideline:
"You know what, I’m not going to go into it. I won’t even go there because, it was just… Number one, I should not have done that. Even though the player was talking to me, I should not have said what I said. And it wasn’t anything bad, it was just something that shouldn’t have happened. As a coach, I just needed to overlook that and move on, but you get caught up in the heat of the moment."

On whether he thinks he needs to keep his composure better:
"I wouldn’t disagree. I wish that I was more… I wish I had more coaching etiquette, okay? I don’t. I love my players and when someone responds about my players in a particular way, I may do some things that I shouldn’t do. I have to get better at those things as time goes on."

On whether he knew the Falcons player he talked to from the sideline:
"No. I don’t even want to talk about it anymore. I don’t know the player. It was something I shouldn’t have done. We move on."

On why he used the timeout after the long WR Josh Morgan play:
"I can’t remember that. You’re talking about the play where [Glen] Coffee came on late? I don’t know what he was doing at that time. I don’t know where he was. I don’t know if he was getting something checked or whatever, but he was late getting on the field."

On what he thinks about S Michael Lewis’s concussion:
"Well, once again, this whole concussion thing is new to everybody and I think we just have to continue to evaluate and look at it for what it is and go forward from there."

On whether the team was overconfident:
"Overconfident… You know, the line between overconfident and confident, I think either you’re confident or not. But overconfident? I don’t really know if that makes any sense. When you get right down to it, if you’re confident to play a game and you come up short, and it’s just one of those things where, once again, when you play a team like today and you don’t execute. It’s going to come up."

On how he feels about QB Shaun Hill’s performance:
"Well, number one, I thought he was running for his life the whole game. I thought he did okay."

On whether he thought TE Delanie Walker was down on the kickoff return:
"I’ll just say this: sometimes your eyes can play tricks on you. I thought I saw him go down and the ground caught the fumble, but it’s all about game managing and if you don’t have a timeout to challenge it, you just have to let it go."

On why he used his timeouts at the end of the game:
"Yeah, I’ll tell you. To me, we may lose the game, but if I got three timeouts, I’m going to take every hit I can get – every one of them. Even though we didn’t hit the way I would like for us to hit during the game, I’m going to finish the game. That was basically the mindset. Whether it’s right or wrong, I don’t know about that, but I had them up there and if I could take one more time to hit somebody, I’m going to take that."

On whether he saw any lack of effort from his players:
"No no no no. I saw a lot of guys just not executing. But lack of effort? That’s something that we don’t do. We’re going to fight. We’re going to run the ball, but we did not do a good job executing that’s really the bottom line."

CB Dre Bly
Post-Game Quotes - October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On if he thought his interception was a touchdown:
"I wasn’t sure where Roddy White was. When I catch a pass like that, and I get a head-start, when it’s just me and the quarterback, I was gauging if I was going to cut back on the quarterback. And that’s when the dude stripped me."

On if he was showboating on the return:
"I did it when I caught the ball. I’m going to be me—that’s who I’ve been. I like to have fun when I play the game. When I make plays, I’ve made a lot, I express myself. But I had that ball tucked, and he got the ball. That was a great play by Roddy."

On if he knew Roddy White was behind him:
"I didn’t know where he was. I knew that I had to get on my horse, but I didn’t know he was that close to me. But when he stripped the ball, it wasn’t like I had the ball up here. The ball was right here, and the ball came out as I was coming to the ground. The ball was out when he hit my hand, and it came out. Like I said, I’ve made a lot of plays in this League, I have fun when I play, and that’s who I’ve been. I fumbled the football, I’m mad that I did, but I’m not going to beat myself up. I’ve just got to move on and get ready for next week."

On if Coach Singletary spoke to him about the fumble:
"He just said, ‘high and tight.’ We work on fumbling drills in practice, tucking the football and causing fumbles, and I fumbled the football. Predominantly, when I throw the football, I throw left-handed, but when I run with the football, and when I return punts, I always keep it in my left hand. So, probably the better thing for me to do, probably was to put it in my right hand. But, he made a great play. I have to give him credit. He was able to cause a fumble, and the ball came out."

On if the celebrating had anything to do with the fumble:
"I feel like if I would’ve had the ball like this, if he hit my arm, it wouldn’t have even been close, because I felt like I fumbled the football as I went down to the ground. Like I said, I’m going to be me. That’s who I’ve been my whole life, that’s who I was in college, I have fun. Dre is going to be Dre. I felt like I had the ball tucked at the time, and he made a great play. I’m going to be me. Like I said, I’m going to be me. I’m not going to change who I am."

RB Glen Coffee
Post-Game – October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On whether the disappointment of the loss outweighs his first career touchdown:
"Yeah it is because when I think about it I think about the loss instead of my touchdown. That is something that you have to watch the film then go back and correct the mistakes and try going forward."

On what went wrong with the offense:
"I don’t know. It was a lot of things. We shot ourselves in the foot a lot of times. It is something we have to evaluate tomorrow and just go from there."

On whether this is a setback:
"I don’t believe in setbacks. There are bumps in the road and there are things that can slow you down, but there are no such things as setbacks. You always improve. You can always take something from a loss. So it won’t be a setback."

On what he learned:
"A lot of things. I can’t specifically tell you right now, but there are a lot of things I can learn from today’s loss."

TE Vernon Davis
Post-Game Quotes - October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On the lack of composure for the team in today’s game:
"As far as preparation I think that we did a wonderful job. We prepared as much as we could all week long. The defense looked good, the offense looked good and we were ready for the game but we came out here and made a few mistakes and they got the momentum and the whole game changed. We started getting penalties. It was a lack of focus, we lost our focus and we can’t do that. When the game changes like that we’ve got to do the same thing that we did in Minnesota – keep on trucking, keep on going, the offense has got to click, and the defense has got to click. We just have to be as one. "

On wishing that he could play instead of having a bye week:
"I wish that we could play. I’m ready to play, I don’t want to take off, I’m sure that most of my teammates feel the same way. I’m sure that they don’t want to take off, they want to play because we lost – it’s as simple as that."

On the impact of this loss continuing into the season:
"It’s definitely a gut check. We have to come out from the start, we’ve got to be clicking and we can’t take any plays off, can’t get penalties, we’ve got to be cautious of the mistakes, protect, block and do everything that we’re supposed to do to get the play done."

C Eric Heitmann
Post-Game Quotes – October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On what head coach Singletary told the team at half time:
"That we just need to wake up and play 49ers football, that is essentially what it was. We weren’t getting it done. One of our goals as a team is always to start fast, and we weren’t doing that. That is something we had to correct, and we had to correct it right at that moment. I think for a while we responded. We had another setback, and apparently we couldn’t come back from it. We have to do a better job of keeping our composure when we fall behind."

On the first-down struggles:
"I can’t really say that until I go back and look at the film. All I can say is that I think we are inconsistent on first down. Sometimes on first down we were able to get a completion, we were able to run like how we ant to run; other times we were stopped. We have to be more consistent on first down. We also have to keep the game tight too. If we are not able to do what we want to do on first down it is tough for us too."

QB Shaun Hill
Post-Game Quotes – October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Hawks

On whether there were other things besides the score that agitated him during the game:
"I was not agitated with my teammates or players or anything like that. I was agitated with myself at times. I was agitated with myself at times, agitated with the way things were going perhaps. Most of that frustration was towards myself."

On what he could have done better:
"When we see the film, I’m sure we’ll find more, but I know I left a few plays out there. When you lose a game like this, you’ve got to look at the quarterback first."

On why the team wasn’t in many third-and-short situations:
"Any offense wants to play ahead of the chains, without a doubt. Third-and-longs are difficult to convert in this league. That’s something we know, and that’s something that we strive hard to get ourselves into, manageable situations on third down. Today, it was difficult to get into those situations."

On whether the fact that the team has not scored two offensive touchdowns in the same game is a red flag:
"We’re always concerned about mistakes. That’s the way we play. I don’t think there are any red flags, no. We’re going to continue working our tails off and keep doing what we’ve been doing. We have the right mindset. We have the right work ethic. These things, we’re going to get fixed, without a doubt."

On what he was able to take away from this game:
"Hopefully, everybody has a bad taste in their mouth and won’t forget that. We, as a team, made some uncharacteristic mistakes that we haven’t done most of this season. We came out of character a little bit today, and we know that’s something that we need to fix. I hope, like I said, people have this taste in their mouth and won’t forget it."

On whether this loss puts a damper on the quick start to the season:
"Accomplishments, I don’t feel like we’ve – it’s five games into the season. It’s a 16-game season. There are no accomplishments handed out after five games. What we’ve accomplished is we’ve come together as a team, nobody can separate us, we fight and we’re going to play 60 minutes. Things didn’t work out for us today. Like I said, we made mistakes today that we haven’t made earlier in the year. We’ll continue to stay with that. We’ll be a team. We’re going to come together and continue to work hard."

On late hits:
"I don’t know. That’s part of the game. When you have two groups going at it like that, that kind of stuff is going to happen, without a doubt."

On whether him being agitated with himself affected his performance:
"If I get agitated, I get agitated for a short, brief moment. I’m able to let things go like that. Generally, I do a pretty good job of hiding frustration. Unfortunately, today, it came out once or twice. Those are things, obviously, that you guys saw and noticed. So, I need to do a better job at that because those are things I don’t want to show."

On his confidence in being the quarterback of this team:
"My confidence is high. I know that this game was uncharacteristic for us. I know what we have in that locker room. I know the talent. I know the ability. I know the intestinal fortitude of this team. I have a lot of confidence in us and what we’re doing here. This game will not shake my confidence in this team at all."

On whether the Atlanta front seven did anything differently that caught the team by surprise:
"Luckily, for us, [QB] Alex [Smith] and I and [QB] Nate [Davis], we started looking at some of the stuff they’ve done last year. Coming into this game, we knew it was a bye week for them. We knew that they were going to give us something that we hadn’t seen. We looked at that stuff. I know the o-line looked at a lot of that stuff. They brought a different game plan in here today than we’d seen in previous games, and we kind of anticipated that and we had answers for it. We had some miscues. There was a different guy a lot of times, like I said, including myself. We had an idea of what they were going to do and that they we’re going to do something different, and the things that they did we have actually seen."

On what Atlanta did today that it hadn’t done earlier in the season:
"They played a lot of man early. They brought some pressures that we haven’t seen from them much this season. The big play to Josh [Morgan], that was a pressure we haven’t really seen much of. We saw it in the San Diego game, preseason game. Saw it last year in a game. I believe it was the San Diego preseason game, but it was also in the San Diego game last year. I may be mistaken on the preseason game it was in. But, like I said, we’ve seen that stuff. We were prepared for it. We were prepared for something different than they played in the first three games. We just weren’t able to attack it enough and execute well enough against it."

On whether the bubble for the team burst:
"No. It goes back to what I said about our confidence. Our confidence isn’t shaken. Our bubble has not burst. We knew coming in, as a 3-1 team, that we weren’t all the way there. We knew that. We know that it’s a 16-game season, and we have to continue to improve every week. We know that. Those things aren’t going to change, no matter what our record is, no matter what happened the week before. Those are the things we live by, and those are the things that we’ll continue to do."

LB Manny Lawson
Post-Game Quotes - October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On how the Falcons were so successful on offense:
"I think they took our minds off things, with simple motions, kind of mess with our keys and whatnot, and they just exposed it."

On if the Falcons are the best team they’ve played this season:
"You know what, I don’t…they’re a good team. They’re a good team."

On if the team lost their composure:
"Yeah, we lost our composure, as far as Dre [Bly] showboating, I don’t think he was showboating. I think he just made a good play in getting the ball out. And Coach Singletary getting into it with Harvey Dahl, I mean, that’s just a coach looking out for his players. I don’t blame him at all."

WR Josh Morgan
Post-Game Quotes - October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On whether or not he was in sync with some of QB Shaun Hill’s passes:
"Yes. Of course he has to throw some of them quickly because of the pressure. I don’t think that I was ready for them but, everything else we were pretty much in sync."

On head coach Mike Singletary’s message to the team during the time out in the first quarter:
"He just told us to pick it up. We came out here and we started slow and he just told us to pick it up and come together as a team on defense and offense. He told us to pick it up and go out here and play 49ers football."

On whether or not he was surprised on how slow the team came out to start the game:
"You’re always surprised, but you don’t really want to make any excuses. We just have to do better. We’ve got this bye week coming up so we’ve just have to work harder in practice and get this thing back on track."

On whether a loss like this was expected:
"No, not at all. We expect to get better every week so, we came out expecting to build on last week, we didn’t do that. We came out here and probably had the worst game mentally that we could have had. We just have to get back in the film room, get back to practice, stay together as a team, and get better."

On whether having a bye week so soon may be detrimental to the team for the remainder of the season:
"I look at all of it as positive. I try to turn anything into a positive so we’ve got time to fix things and work with things. I think it’s better that we have time to let this sit in our minds because when we come out and play the following game, we’re going to be angrier when it’s sets that much longer. You’re not going to dwell on it but you’re going to remember that feeling –we got embarrassed today, so you never want to feel that way again."

LB Takeo Spikes
Post-Game Quotes – October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On how he evaluates this game:
"I didn’t even have an idea, never saw it coming. Whatever could have gone wrong, it did times two. One bad thing happened and then it started compounding on top of each other and before you knew it you blink and you look up and we were up by two touchdowns."

On whether he thought head coach Singletary calling them over to the sideline would help:
"He just told us to settle down and understand that we have to take it play by play and this was the type of game that it was going to be. He felt that and we were just trying to make a play and we never could."

LB Patrick Willis
Post-Game Quotes – October 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers vs. Atlanta Falcons

On what they did on offense:
"They came out and they did what we thought they were going to do with formation shifts. They did a lot of things to keep us thinking and anytime you are thinking about it, it slows you down."

On how physical their offensive line was:
"I give them credit, they won the game. We can’t take that away from them. As far as them being physical, I didn’t think they were the most physical team we played. They played well, but at the same time there was a lot of cheap stuff in there. I feel like that’s football and that’s what it is. Sometimes you see that much stuff going on, you say, ‘Wow, where was the unsportsmanlike conduct stuff.’ But, they won and that’s what it is."

On how difficult it was to contain their offensive weapons:
"They have a good offense. They have some special players on that offense. If they get the opportunity to make the plays, then they are going to do it and I feel like today we gave them the opportunities. That’s something that we can’t do as a defense if you want to be in the top three and we gave them opportunities and they took them and made things happen on them."

Golden Nuggets: [insert MC Hammer pun here]

Ninjames — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:02:15 -0000

UPDATE: I don't have any official links yet but Adam Schefter is stating via Twitter that Crabtree and the 49ers reached an agreement this morning and the holdout is over. The only link I have at this time is Adam Schefter's Twitter account. (Twitter.com)

Gooood morning folks, James here with your Nuggets for the day. Apologies once again for my absence but I should be good now--I'll endeavor to not miss another day of these the rest of the season. Though I have to admit, I doubt I can take many more days like yesterday. I spent all day refreshing every page I could find, sending text messages to the few people I know who are "in the know" and even more texts to the people who knew people "in the know." I stressed and made my phone calls and what is the stunning conclusion we're greeted with? MC Hammer. I like... man. Can I really summarize what's happened yesterday? From what I know WR Michael Crabtree and his agent met with the 49ers in a hotel and as far as I could tell it went well, Maiocco missed an arm tackle, Barrows couldn't find the hotel and MC Hammer is too legit to quit. Pretty fantastic, right? I'm just going to get right to the links. Enjoy, folks.

Why don't I start off with the coverage from here at Niners Nation with the first post on the Michael Crabtree goings-on as well as the second. (NinersNation.com)

Maiocco, who was in the mix, has a pretty good summation of the days events. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here's even more on that from Maiocco, as opposed to just some notes and quotes. (PressDemocrat.com)

Yes folks, I said it. MC Hammer was present during the whole... negotiations. I'm honestly.. confused. (ProFootballTalk.com)

The 49ers were happy for the meeting with Crabtree which seemed to go relatively well. (MercuryNews.com)

Here's a good, early preview of our opponents on Sunday, the Atlanta Falcons. Yes, we do indeed have a game to be looking forward to, 49er fans. (49ers.com)

Coach Mike Singletary has some words for the o-line, with no praise being directed at either LG David Baas or RG Chilo Rachal. (SFGate.com)

The 49ers get a bit of praise in this "Around the NFC West" article. (Scout.com)

The team is still lagging behind on the offense, but I'll take it if the defense continues to put up some touchdowns. (Yahoo.com)

Go back to last year, what kind of defense did the 49ers have? Most will tell you it was a 3-4 hybrid, but even more will tell you they have no idea what the [site decorum] that means. Point is, it didn't work and it's amazing what a return to simplicity has done for this defensive unit. (SFGate.com)

The 49ers and Raiders looked similar coming into this season--I'm happy to say that nothing of that sort holds true today. (MercuryNews.com)

Here's the October 5th edition of Singletary's Notebook. (49ers.com)

In case you missed it, the 49ers released WR Dobson Collins from the practice squad. Maybe it's because they're fully healthy at WR or maybe... (49ers.com)

In case you were wondering--Michael Crabtree's foot is just fine, he showed that after juking Maiocco out pretty convincingly. (PressDemocrat.com)

For the love of all that is holy--head over to this thread and shut these Falcons fans up. Also, head over to our own trash talking thread here. (TheFalcoholic.com)

Of course is loud mouthin' badassery isn't your thing (please don't mod me I dearly love that word, thaaank you) head over to the more poised and generally informative threads for 49ers related questions as well as Falcons related questions. (TheFalcoholic.com/NinersNation.com)

The Falcons are in dire need of their rushing attack to pick up--forgive me if I'm thinking it's not going to happen come Sunday against the 49ers. (TheFalcoholic.com)

Samuel Lam has some insights on the Crabtree situation--a good point is raised in that Parker coming all the way out to San Francisco, a very uncharacteristic thing for him, could be a good sign. ... Get it, a good sign? Ehhh? (Examiner.com)

Here's a couple (late) post game reactions from the Rams game, loving the line about Shaun Hill being incredibly lucky He does seem to be, no? (49ersFancast)

And with that, my dear readers, I will leave you with something.. Something from a man who is indeed... too legit. Too legit even, to even think about quitting. So legit, in fact, that to the very core of his soul he is utterly incapable of even considering the notion of quitting.. I give you all, in all his splendor and glory, MC Hammer.

Colin Cole Allows a Hole Emmitt Smith Would Envy

John Morgan — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 22:32:56 -0000

This hole? Zombie-Curtis Enis could run through it.

How does a running back rush for 80 yards on the first play of the half? How does a team fail to adjust when that same running back broke a 75 yard run in the first half? Seattle didn't really adjust. It was again eight in the box. Kelly Jennings was manning the right end, making Seattle borderline nine in the box. The starters, minus Lofa Tatupu and Josh Wilson, were in. That means Craig Terrill, but Terrill did his job. He was first off the snap and he drove back right guard Chilo Rachal. Everyone else, oh boy...

Colin Cole bears the most blame, but he wasn't embarrassed the way Patrick Kerney was. Poor, poor Patrick Kerney. It's early but, Kerney might have stepped over that cliff this season. Plays in which he's looked flat bad are beginning to outnumber plays he's looked good.

Let's take this step by pitiful step.

1. San Francisco is set two wide receivers left, tight end right and offset "I" right. Seattle is 4-3 under, so that Aaron Curry is shaded just to the right of slot receiver Josh Morgan.

2. Morgan motions in to the right tackle, but then reverses and aligns at left tight end. This is where things start to crumble for Seattle. The Seahawks shift left to the motion and then attempt to reset on the right. They can't get back into position before the snap.

3. At the snap, Curry and Will Herring read run and rush the line to control their gaps. Every 49er but Josh Hill stays in to block. Ken Lucas stays with Hill.

4. Left guard David Baas engages and blocks out Cole. This is essential, because it is Cole's gap that San Francisco will target. Baas is able to single block Cole allowing center Eric Heitmann to pull into the second level. Heitmann briefly reach blocks Cole, but it doesn't slow his pull. Cole is effectively blocked out by one offensive lineman.

5. Cole is moved hard to the offensive right and Gore's cutback lane stretches from Terrill, right of center, to Curry struggling with (and being held by) Morgan outside of the left tackle. The hole is as large as three to four football players aligned shoulder pad to shoulder pad.

6. Herring is lost in the pile. For good measure and without a better assignment, Heitmann piles on, tracking him into the scrum and shoving to the ground. Staley pulls out and blocks David Hawthorne.

7. Kerney is unblocked. He is standing in the hole before Gore can receive the hand off. It's a tough hole to defend and Kerney has not support, but he most slow or redirect Gore if he can't get a hand on him.

8. He doesn't.

9. Gore is untouched into the third level. Jordan Babineaux takes a bad angle towards Gore, but, again, what can he do?

10. What he does is attempt to flush Gore towards Lucas, the only other defender with a chance to stop Gore.

11. Gore expertly threads between Babineaux and Lucas. He angles towards the sideline to position Lucas and then cuts in. That puts Hill between him and Lucas and clears the lane to the end zone.

Kerney is awful on this play, but the huge hole, the literally superfluous lead blockers and the speed and force Gore is able to take into the third level starts with Cole's inability to hold the center. Even Kerney's failure is partially attributed to the gigantic hole he had to fill. And that hole is Colin Cole's responsibility to prevent from forming. He is the nose tackle, the true nose, playing over center -- the zero gap, and it is his responsibility to contain the push, hold the point and prevent the offensive line from being ripped through like tissue paper.

Craig Terrill Lifts Darryl Tapp's Quarterback Sack

John Morgan — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 01:44:40 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Darryl Tapp does something cool ten times a game. In his coaches eyes, that can't overcome the two inches God didn't give him.

Browse more photos »

The first quarter ended quietly. Craig Terrill sacked Shaun Hill and forced San Francisco to start the second quarter punting. The Seahawks looked to be in it, and maybe if things had broken differently they would have been. But things didn't. Things broke in Matt Hasselbeck's body instead.

Jimmy Raye dialed up a play-action pass to fullback Moran Norris. Deon Grant descended on it and tackled Norris in the flat for no gain. It was a fruitless ending to a futile play call.
Raye then attacked Seattle's center, but this time Seattle stopped him. Red Bryant gave David Baas a hard push off the snap and Baas recoiled clear into Norris. Frank Gore adjusted, but the disruption made the route too long to the hole and unblocked Cory Redding closed from the left and tackled Gore after a gain of one.
Then came Guitar Hero's sack. He didn't do poorly, per se, but he wasn't the star despite recording the stat. Terrill was over center and he battled a double team to a draw. He kept Chilo Rachal and Eric Heitmann out of his body and that allowed him to disengage and wrap Hill when he scrambled.
The star was, is, Darryl Tapp. Tapp was playing right end in Seattle's pass rush line. Beside him was Redding. Redding got a great jump off the snap and that allowed Tapp to move forward and then laterally, stunting towards a sagging pocket. Baas dropped his double team of Redding and engaged Tapp. Or tried to. Tapp met Baas with a swim-spin-swim and ran past him and towards Hill. That flushed Hill out of the pocket and into Terrill's arms. My words don't do the move justice. It was cool.

The Overmatched Colin Cole and the Undisciplined Red Bryant

John Morgan — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 20:10:23 -0000

The Crawl, the MASH unit following the team from city to city, are good distractions. Think long enough about the misfortunes of Seattle and the decisions of its fearless leader and you might forget the Seahawks were kicked around by the 49ers. There is no one player that undermined the Seahawks -- nix that, it was Colin Cole. And Red Bryant. So it was two. One overmatched. The other undisciplined.

San Francisco drove 60 yards on it opening drive. The mechanics of how have all the excitement and complexity of a bull pushing around a stag. Seattle was badly overmatched at the point of attack. It wasn't Craig Terrill. It wasn't only Cole, Red Bryant was bad too. But it was mostly Seattle's newest free agent journeyman turned starter. As much as I love and praise Brandon Mebane, a team's interior run defense should not fall apart minus one man.
Bryant showed an interesting mix of good physicality and poor gap discipline. On the fourth play of the drive following a encroachment penalty on Cory Redding, Bryant weathered a double team and got a body on Frank Gore. He was too deep for it to be a good play, but he held long enough to stop the first. San Francisco converted it on the next play. Cole tackled Gore after five yards. It was second and one.
Ken Lucas showed his versatility, first camping under an underthrown pass by Shaun Hill. Hill has no arm. That, along with a funky delivery, has made him a journeyman quarterback despite his quick read and good decision making. On the next play, Lucas caught Gore in the flat with an ankle tackle and brought him down after two.
That brought up a third and long play that Seattle should have had no trouble defending. Seattle went nickel and keyed on Vernon Davis. Davis was double covered, Curry on the defensive right and Wilson on the left, at least nominally, but neither Josh Wilson nor Aaron Curry actually covered Davis. Both were transfixed on Hill. Davis cut right and away from the two and it took Seattle's entire secondary and Redding to tackle Davis after 15.
That play was worse than it seemed. The 49ers were gouging Seattle's interior line. Bryant held against the Niners double teams, but dropped his gap, flowed too far offensive left and Gore cutback right for an easy six.
Bryant did it again on the next play. He attempted a spin that got caught halfway by Chilo Rachel. He was facing the wrong way when Gore blew past him.
Center Eric Heitmann had no problem single-blocking Cole out of the action on the next play, but a gaping hole and lead blocker was busted by pure talent. Curry hit right tackle Adam Snyder pulling through the hole and knocked him back and through Glenn Coffee for a loss of two. Coffee staggered sideways and Kerney finished the tackle.
Will Herring did his coverage thing. He broke on a short pass to Michael Robinson and was running him into the backfield before he could make a field move. It was Lofa Tatupu's zone, but Herring made a faster read and was faster to his man. Tatupu wasn't 80%. I doubt he was 50%.
Seattle put in its pass rush line: Darryl Tapp, Craig Terrill, Redding and Kerney. Kerney edge rushed Snyder, swam to his outside shoulder, paused briefly as Snyder shaded to catch up, and then swam to his inside shoulder to clear and sack Hill. That sack was pure skill and savvy.

The drive resulted in three points, but the writing was on the wall. The Seahawks coaches were doing all they could to fortify the interior. They cycled Cole and Bryant and sometimes teamed the two, but Cole couldn't hold and Bryant didn't know how to consistently. Jimmy Raye makes no bones about attacking the interior. Seattle proved they couldn't stop him.

49ers Unofficial Official 2009 depth chart

Fooch — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:24:24 -0000

At some point this week (I'm guessing), the 49ers will post what they consider their "official" depth chart for 2009. For now the site says the official depth chart hasn't been released.

The good news is that we do have an unofficial depth chart that seems likely to be pretty close to official. In that game release I received from the team, it includes a page with the unofficial depth chart. A couple weeks ago it would have meant a lot less in terms of week 1 starters. At this point though, even with a couple signs potentially in the offing (a TE and RB/FB), we probably have a pretty good take on it. I'd imagine most of us could write this on our own, but it's still worth posting what the team is saying.

The one thing I still find particularly interesting is that they only list one player at nose tackle (Aubrayo Franklin) with no backups. I'm curious to see how the team rotates players in to keep Franklin fresh. Will we see a line of Smith - Sopoaga/Balmer - Sopoaga/Balmer on occasion? On nickel it will be just as interesting. Maybe go Smith, Sopoaga, Balmer, McDonald? Just one of many things we'll find out on Sunday.

Underline: rookies
Italics: drafted rookie who has yet to sign
[player]: injured

Offense

Pos.	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
WR	Josh Morgan	Arnaz Battle	Jason Hill	Michael Crabtree
LT	Joe Staley	Barry Sims
LG	David Baas	Tony Wragge
C	Eric Heitmann	Cody Wallace
RG	Chilo Rachal	Tony Wragge
RT	Adam Snyder	Tony Pashos
TE	Vernon Davis	Delanie Walker
WR	Isaac Bruce	[Brandon Jones]	Micheal Spurlock
FB	Moran Norris
RB	Frank Gore	Glen Coffee	Michael Robinson
QB	Shaun Hill	Alex Smith	Nate Davis

Defense

Pos.	Starter	2nd	3rd
LDE	Isaac Sopoaga	Kentwan Balmer	Ricky Jean-Francois
NT	Aubrayo Franklin
RDE	Justin Smith	Ray McDonald	Demetric Evans
SAM	Manny Lawson	Marques Harris
TED	Takeo Spikes	Scott McKillop
MIKE	Patrick Willis	Jeff Ulbrich
WILL	Parys Haralson	Ahmad Brooks
LCB	Nate Clements	Tarell Brown	Marcus Hudson
RCB	Shawntae Spencer	Dre' Bly	Allen Rossum
SS	Michael Lewis	Reggie Smith
FS	Dashon Goldson	Mark Roman	Curtis Taylor

Special Teams

Pos.	Starter	2nd	3rd
P	Andy Lee
K	Joe Nedney
H	Andy Lee
PR	Allen Rossum	Micheal Spurlock	Arnaz Battle
KR	Allen Rossum	Micheal Spurlock
LS	Brian Jennings