SB Nation - Kevan Barlow

San Francisco 49ers vs. Indianapolis Colts: A Prospector's Guide

Fooch — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:00:37 -0000

Well, as some of you pointed out, we've truly come full circle. Alex Smith makes his first start in two years, but more interesting is the fact that he made his first career start in the last matchup between these two teams. Smith was 9/23 for 74 yards, 0 TDs and 4 interceptions in that start. Let's hope for something just a little bit better than that.

The 49ers travel to Indianapolis to face the Colts in what will be the 42nd meeting between the two teams, dating back to 1953. The last time San Francisco traveled to Indianapolis was in 2001, when they defeated the Colts, 40-21. QB Alex Smith made his first NFL start the last time the two teams squared off in San Francisco, in 2005.

The 49ers look to snap a two-game losing streak after falling to the Texans, 24-21, in Houston last week. After trailing 21-0 heading into the second half, Smith entered the game and sparked the 49ers offense in what was his first action in 28 regular season games. He completed 15 of 22 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns, all of which were
caught by TE Vernon Davis, who set a career-high with the three scores and became the first 49ers tight end to record 3 receiving scores in a game. Davis now leads the NFL in touchdown receptions with six.

The 49ers have a perfect 3-0 record against division opponents this season and enter this week’s game having won 8 of its past 13 contests, dating back to 2008.

49ers-Colts Connections
Coaching Connections
• 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye coached alongside Colts defensive line coach John Teerlinck with the Los Angeles Rams in 1991.
• Colts Senior OL Coach Howard Mudd was OL Coach for San Francisco in 1977 while Raye was WR coach. Mudd played for San Francisco from 1964-69.
• Special Teams Coordinator Ray Rychleski served as the position coach for TE Vernon Davis at Maryland (2003-05).

Players
FORMER COLTS - Offensive line coach Chris Foerster served as tight ends coach for the Colts from 2002-03 ... Secondary coach Vance Joseph played with the Colts during the 1996 season ... Director of college scouting David McCloughan was drafted in 1991 by the Colts with the 69th pick overall in the NFL Draft ... Director of Pro Personnel Tom Gamble was a college scout for the Colts from 1998 - 2004.

FORMER 49ERS - Colts DB Terrail Lambert spent training camp with San Francisco after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2009.

INDIANA TIES – 49ers WR coach Jerry Sullivan served in the same capacity at the Indiana University in 1983 ... 49ers tight ends coach Pete Hoener was an offensive coordinator at Indiana State from 1978 –1984. Hoener also served as offensive line coach at Purdue University from 1989 – 1991 ... 49ers QB Nate Davis played at Ball State in Muncie, IN.
from 2006-08.

CALIFORNIA TIES – Colts DB T.J. Rushing played for Stanford University from 2002–05.

TARHEEL BRED – 49ers CB Dre’ Bly played and Colts C Jeff Saturday were teammates for two seasons at the University of North Carolina (1996-97).

TROJAN TIES - 49ers G Chilo Rachal and Colts DT Fili Voala were teammates at Southern California from 2005-07.

PANTHER PRIDE - 49ers LB Scott McKillop played with Colts LB Clint Session at Pittsburgh from 2004-06.

Series Highlights
Matchups: 41
Series Record: Colts lead series 23-18
49ers Away Record vs. Colts: Colts Lead Series 1
First Meeting: 11/29/53, 49ers win, 38-21
Last Meeting: 10/9/05, Colts win, 28-3
Current Streak: Lost 1
Longest 49ers Win Streak: 5 (10/26/69-9/10/89)
Longest Colts Win Streak: 13 (11/4/62-10/13/68)
Most 49ers Points: 45 (12/13/53), 45-14, at San Francisco
Most Colts Points: 45 (11/22/59), 45-14, at Baltimore
49ers Shutouts: None
Colts Shutouts: None

INDIANAPOLIS 28, SAN FRANCISCO 3
At San Francisco, CA, October 9, 2005

The San Francisco 49ers stayed on par with Indianapolis for three quarters of the game before a 14-point 4th quarter pulled the Colts to a 28-3 victory. Rookie QB Alex Smith made his first start, finishing with 9 completions and 4 INTs. He was also sacked 5 times and lost a fumble on one of the sacks in the 4th quarter. The first of his three 1st half INTs was returned 24 yds. for a TD by LB Cato June early in the 2nd quarter. Head Coach Mike Nolan did credit Smith’s mobility as a factor in the 49ers ability to open up the running game. RB Kevan Barlow paced the 49ers with 99 of the team’s 133 yds. on the ground.

Indianapolis took its first possession and marched 72 yds. in 7 plays before RB Dominic Rhodes scored on a 6-yd. run for a 7-0 lead. The Colts had a chance to go up 14-0 early in the 2nd quarter, but LB Jeff Ulbrich forced Rhodes to fumble at the 1-yd. line. The ball rolled into the end zone where S Mike Adams recovered for a touchback. Smith was intercepted on the 49ers next three series, including June’s 24-yd. TD return. Down 14-0 with just over two minutes to play in the 1st half, LB Derek Smith intercepted a QB Peyton Manning pass to give the 49ers a first down at the Indianapolis 47-yd. line. The 49ers scoring threat ended when Smith was intercepted by the Colts when he attempted to hit WR Arnaz Battle at the Colts 15-yd. line.

The 49ers tried to swing the momentum in the 2nd half with a successful onsides kick that was recovered by RB Terry Jackson at the San Francisco 41-yd. line. A 2-yd. run by RB Frank Gore on a 4th-and-1 play from the 50-yd. line, combined with a 20-yd. run by Barlow, helped set up a 30-yd. FG by K Joe Nedney for the 49ers only points of the day. The 49ers failed to convert their second attempt at an onsides kick on the kickoff following the FG, allowing the Colts a first down at the San Francisco 39-yd. line. CB Bruce Thornton stayed step-in-step with WR Marvin Harrison on the next play and intercepted a pass in the end zone to prevent a TD. Alex Smith threw his 4th INT of the game on the next series after the 49ers reached the Indianapolis 37-yd. line. The Colts scored 14 points in the 4th quarter to put the game out of reach. RB Edgerrin James scored on a 4-yd. run to start the 4th quarter, and then Manning connected with WR Troy Walters on an 18-yd. TD pass to make it 28-3.

2009 Statistics

49ERS (rank)		COLTS (rank)
3-3 (2nd NFCW)	Record	6-0 (1st AFCS)
22.2 (t-17th)	Points per game	29.8 (2nd)
272.0 (29th)	Total Offense	402.5 (4th)
98.3 (22nd)	Rushing Offense	91.7 (27th)
173.7 (24th)	Passing Offense	310.8 (1st)
29:32 (18th)	Possession Avg	28:57 (22nd)
20.3 (15th)	Points allowed/gm	12.8 (2nd)
291.7 (14th)	Total Defense	324.8 (9th)
88.8 (6th)	Rushing Defense	111.8 (19th)
179.8 (21st)	Passing Defense	236.0 (6th)
13 (t-20th)	Sacks	16 (t-8th)
47.6 (5th)	Punting Avg (Gross)	44.5 (17th)
+4 (t-8th)	Turnover Differential	+4 (t-7th)

The Top Five Second Guess New York Jets Roster Moves This Decade

John B — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 17:09:36 -0000

More photos » by Stephan Savoia - AP

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Second guesses are pointless. There's nothing less constructive you can ever do than look back at the past and complain about something that didn't happen. You can always make the right moves with hindsight. Hitting 100% of your decisions is impossible. With that said, today we're going to look back at the five most questionable roster moves or non moves the Jets have made this decade. Who ever said fans have to be rationale or spend time productively?

On this list, I have only included moves that have hurt the team that frustrated me at the time.

5. The Vilma trade:

I know the talking points. People say Jonathan Vilma is better in the 4-3. I think the team gave up on him in the 3-4 too soon. Part of his problem was the lack of supporting talent. It's tough to play linebacker when linemen are blowing Dewayne Robertson off the ball and getting to you easily. Vilma would have had much more room to operate if he ever got the chance to play behind Kris Jenkins. I get that David Harris is a better inside linebacker in the 3-4, but there are two inside linebackers in the scheme. Jon's life would have been easier next to Harris. Opponents would have had to make Harris the focal point instead of Vilma. Look at how successful opposing tight ends were against the Jets in 2008. Do you mean to tell me the Jets wouldn't have been better with Vilma and his cover skills in the lineup instead of Eric Barton? Barton wasn't the reason Gang Green was so good against the run.

4. The Pete Kendall fiasco:

The offensive line was one of the biggest question marks entering the 2006 season. It ended up being one of the team's primary strengths and one of the foremost reasons Gang Green had a surprising 10 win Playoff season. Kendall was a source of stability starting between a pair of rookies. During the offseason, the Jets had plenty of cap room. Kendall asked for a $1 million raise. A year earlier, Kendall reworked his deal when the Jets were in trouble with the cap. Instead of rewarding Pete by quietly giving him a raise, the team took a hard line and turned it into a public standoff. Kendall kept taking shots at the front office in the media. Eric Mangini stripped him of his starting spot and made him stay in the rookie dorms at training camp. Eventually, the Jets traded Pete to Washington for a fifth round pick. The team had no replacement at left guard. Adrien Clarke took over the slot and played brutally. He was out of the league the next year. The line took a major step back. The team went 4-12 and had to give Alan Faneca a megadeal during the offseason to address the position. If only the Jets had been willing to pay that $1 million, they could have avoided this.

3. The Justin McCareins trade:

The Jets needed a starting wide receiver. Terry Bradway gave up a second round pick for a guy who couldn't catch a cold and got progressively worse in each of his four seasons in New York. The same offseason, Baltimore was willing to part with a second round pick for Terrell Owens.

2. Bryan Thomas over Ed Reed:

It's tough to go crazy over misses in the Draft. Great players get passed over by a lot of teams. It's impossible to tell who will turn into a great player and who will be a bust. The Jets' first round pick in 2002 made no sense at the time, though. Gang Green had struggled to find quality safety play for years. The front office tried everything from signing a proven veteran like Steve Atwater and even trying to convert a college quarterback, Scott Frost. Nothing worked. Reed was the top rated safety in the Draft and fell to 22. I would understand it if the Jets looked to address another positon, but they took a defensive end, Thomas, even though they already had a pair of promising young defensive ends starting for them, Shaun Ellis and John Abraham. I think drafting by need is usually a mistake, but this was a case where best player met need. The Jets went instead to a position at which they were sent. Reed has a Defensive Player of the Year Award and five All Pro selections. Would he have been as good developing with the Jets instead of with the surrounding talent on the Ravens? Maybe not but how great would it have be to see Reed and Kerry Rhodes lining up next to each other?

1. Not trading for Randy Moss:

Nobody ever thinks of this, but the Jets were a very logical fit for Randy Moss after the 2006 season. They were an up and coming team after a surprising Playoff run. It looked like they were emerging as a legitimate challenger in the AFC East after an upset win in Foxborough in the regular season and a competitive showing up there in the Playoffs. What the Jets lacked was a gamebreaking player on offense. The Raiders were ready to give Randy Moss away. Moss wanted to go to a contender. The Jets had a ton of cap space. Moss played with Chad Pennington in college. Talk all you want about Chad's arm strength. He can get the ball 40 yards down the field. It doesn't matter how badly the ball is thrown. Moss can readjust and outleap anybody on a jump ball. Gang Green had a stable locker room after a Playoff year. The Jets could have annouced to the league they were contenders by making the bold splash of trading for Randy. Instead, the team traded for Thomas Jones and picked up assorted journeymen to fill out the roster. There was no bold move that offseason. The coaching staff and front office seemed to get arrogant. The Jets didn't have a ton of talent in 2006, and the men in charge thought the surprising run was due to coaching, not a ridiculously soft schedule. They thought they could turn any group into a winner. They were wrong. Moss went to New England and blew the gap between the teams wide open once again. The Jets gave up a fourth round pick for Kevan Barlow but wouldn't for Randy Moss.

What move or non move since 2000 frustrates you most? Have I missed something that should be here? Am I being too hard on the front office on some of these?

49ers All-Time Running Back

Fooch — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 19:00:14 -0000

The re-vote on the #2 wide receiver has resulted in an even bigger percentage lead for John Taylor. The ballot will remain open, but I think we've reached a point where we can call it for JT. Today we move on to another offensive position, running back. Last go-around Roger Craig ran away with the race, even over a Hall of Famer like Hugh McElhenny. Given the apparent age of many of our readers, it's not too surprising that even Frank Gore finished with more votes than McElhenny.

When we had the first vote on running back I made a point to mention a couple of things: First, Joe Perry is in the fullback balloting, even though he is currently the franchise leader in career rushing yards. The offense ran a bit differently back in those days, but for simplicity's sake, I went with him at fullback. Second, Frank Gore is still a youngster, but I felt he has done enough in is brief career to merit recognition on the ballot. I have to admit, I was heartbroken though that I held off Kevan Barlow. I don't know if I'll ever forgive myself.

Roger Craig (1983-1990): Not a whole lot needs to be said about the man who is #2 in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns, #3 in receptions and #9 in receiving yards. Before Marshall Faulk, there was Roger Craig. In 1985, Craig became the first running back to finished with 1,000 rushing AND receiving yards. The previous season he became the first player ever to score three touchdowns in a Super Bowl. Roger Craig went to 4 Pro Bowls and was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year in 1988 as he finished with 2,036 total yards. Craig still stands as the only running back to ever lead the NFL in receptions in a season. He finished his career with 13,143 total yards and 73 total touchdowns.

Hugh McElhenny (1952-1960): McElhenny was the 49ers first round pick in 1952 and was immediately a hit on the field. He won Rookie of the Year, along with back to back Pro Bowl and 1st Team All Pro appearances his first two seasons. Over the course of his career, McElhenny went to six Pro Bowls and finished his 49ers career with 4,288 rushing yards, 2,666 receiving yards and 50 total touchdowns.

Garrison Hearst (1997-2003): I don't know of anybody who doesn't like Garrison Hearst. One big reason is this short little run. Hearst finished his time with the 49ers with 5,535 rushing yards. That number would have likely been quite a bit higher if not for the nasty broken ankle he suffered against Atlanta on the first play from scrimmage in the Divisional playoffs. He developed the necrosis condition that led to Bo Jackson's retirement and seemed finished, although the 49ers kept him on the roster. Two years later, Hearst came back and rushed for 1,206 yards, winning his second Comeback Player of the Year award. The next two years saw him slowly phased out of the offense, replaced by the immortal Kevan Barlow.

Frank Gore (2005-present): Gore has only been a 49er for four years, a starting running back for three of them. In that time he has set the 49ers single season rushing record and twice led the team in receptions. His most impressive stat might be the fact that he became the first 49ers running back with three straight 1,000 yard seasons. Gore currently stands #5 in the 49ers all-time rushing list. Considering he's 4,248 yards out of first place, Frank the tank is definitely getting within striking distance of the #1 spot. A decent season by Gore will move him past Garrison Hearst, while a 1,500 yard season would move him into third place all time. I'm guessing he won't reach Roger Craig's receptions by a running back number, but considering how active he has been in the passing game, Gore could easily finish his career challenging Roger Craig as the best running back in team history.

Poll

Who should be our All-Time Running Back?

Roger Craig

642 votes

Hugh McElhenny

48 votes

Garrison Hearst

76 votes

Frank Gore

130 votes

896 votes | Poll has closed

Can the Arizona Cardinals Afford Pass on a First Round Running Back?

Hawkwind — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:58:13 -0000

For those of you that have been around ROTB for any length of time, you know we've covered the Arizona Cardinals inability to run the ball ad nasuem so I won't bore you with the same old stats (like we were the worst rushing offense in the league last year, ok I tried). Moving forward something must be done to improve the running game and upgrading the running back position seems like the most pressing need. It seems like a forgone conclusion that the Cardinals will emerge from the draft with at least one running back and the only real question is how early they'll call his name. Many fans and draft-niks alike fully expect the Cardinals to take the best available running back with their first round pick while others are clamoring for a middle round pick. With that in mind, here's a historical look at first round backs versus their counterparts chosen in later rounds.

First some explanation of what we're about to discuss. I disregarded past two drafts so that each player would have three full seasons of stats to dissect and I went back as far as 2000. That leaves us with seven years of draft history and ~~136~~ 135 ( we won't count Dante Hall as a RB, even though he was one in college) running backs to analyze. In an effort to be somewhat concise (not my strong suit) we won't cover each and every back individually. I took some liberties in determining whether each player was a 'successful' or 'unsuccessful' pick but I tried to be somewhat fair across the board. Basically I looked at each and every back and assigned a 'grade' to their careers so far (0-4). Here's a quick breakdown of the grading system:

Zero: Very little or no impact on their team's running game
One: Strictly a role player and minimal impact
Two: Backup RB at best
Three: Borderline starter and somewhat lengthy career
Four: Front line starter and/or franchise back

I'm sure we could quibble about the grades of individual players (whether they're a 3 or 4 or a 2 or 3), but I tried to be consistent with the rankings. The end result hopefully will give us some kind of indicator as to how long we can wait in the draft before selecting a running back capable of becoming at least a productive player, if not starter at some point in the future.

As a quick disclaimer, I did not consider special teams contributions or return ability since we're looking for a starting-quality running back.

For those who were hoping to read a story supporting the use of a middle round pick on a running back, you might be disappointed. The likelihood of drafting a starting-quality running back drops every round after the first round in the past seven years. Here's the average grade for each round:

Round 1: 3.227
Round 2: 2.571
Round 3: 1.833
Round 4: 1.222
Round 5: 1.000
Round 6: 0.556
Round 7: 0.208

Now, does that mean that quality backs can't be found any later than the first round? Of course not, but it's much more likely to find a starting running back in the first round than any other round in the draft. For those that are still skeptical, here's a year by year look at the running backs selected from 2000 to 2006.

2000 Draft: Overall there were 23 backs selected in the 2000 draft, including five first rounders, but this wasn't a particularly great year for backs. First round backs included Jamal Lewis, Thomas Jones, Ron Dayne, Shaun Alexander and Trung Candidate of which three of those (Lewis, Jones & Alexander) become starting quality backs (worthy of grade 4). After the first round though, the only notable names include third round pick Reuben Droughns (graded 3), fifth round pick Sammy Morris (graded 2) and sixth round pick Mike Anderson (graded 3).

2001 Draft: Overall there were 18 backs in this draft including three first rounders, but this was a good draft for backs in the middle rounds. The first round backs included LaDainian Tomlinson (4), Deuce McAllister (4) and Michael Bennett (2), but starting quality backs also emerged from later rounds. Of the backs who graded out with a 4, Travis Henry was drafted in the second and Rudi Johnson was selected in the fourth. Of the backs who graded out a 3, Anthony Thomas and LaMont Jordan were second rounds picks and Kevan Barlow was a third round pick.

2002 Draft: This was a great year for all of those who'd prefer to wait until the middle rounds. 22 picks were used on running backs but both, William Green and TJ Duckett, didn't live up to the billing and there were out shined by a solid class of middle round picks. Clinton Portis (2nd rounder) and Brian Westbrook (3rd rounder) both graded out as a 4 and Chester Taylor (6th rounder) also graded out as a 3. This was one of the only years when the first round didn't have the highest average.

2003 Draft: The trend from 2002 didn't bleed over to 2003 though. Fifteen backs were drafted but none were better than the two that came out of the first round, Willis McGahee and Larry Johnson. The only other backs of note were third rounders, Chris Brown and Justin Fargas and fourth rounder Domanick Williams. Overall this was a pretty bad year for backs as nine of the fifteen backs graded out as a one or zero.

2004 Draft: A decent year for running backs produced 17 backs, including three in the first round and three more in the second round. The first round backs are headlined by Steven Jackson but Chris Perry and Kevin Jones have been disappointing to say the least. In the second round, Tatum Bell, Julius Jones and Greg Jones have all been decent players in the league. Michael Turner was also a gem out of the fifth round and Derrick Ward made a name for himself out of the seventh round.

2005 Draft: A big year year for running backs produced 24 picks, including three of the top five picks in the draft. Unfortunately though, those high first rounders, Ronnie Brown, Cedric Benson and Cadillac Williams, haven't been consistently productive so far and have been out done by backs selected in later rounds. Backs who graded out as a 4 include third round pick Frank Gore and two fourth round picks Marion Barber and Brandon Jacobs. Other notable backs include J.J Arrington and Darren Sproles, both of which were graded as a two.

2006 Draft: The final year that we looked at produced 17 running backs and so far has been a very deep year for backs. First rounders include Reggie Bush, Laurence Maroney, DeAngelo Williams and Joseph Addai, of which three of the four (Bush, Williams and Addai) grade out a a three or better. Quality backs were also found in the second and third rounds though when LenDale White, Maurice Jones-Drew and Jerious Norwood were selected.

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So what, if anything, can we conclude from all this data? First, in nearly every year there is a first round bust at running back (Ron Dayne, William Green, Chris Perry, Cedric Benson and Laurence Maroney) and there is always a back or two who emerges from the middle rounds who turns out to be a quality starter (Reuben Droughns, Rudi Johnson, Brian Westbrook, Chester Taylor, Justin Fargas, Michael Turner, Frank Gore etc). But, I think we can also see that the most likely round to draft a running back with the potential to become a future starter is the first round. After all for every Westbrook and Gore, there are two Brian Calhouns or Manueal Whites or Quentin Griffins. So what do you think? Is it worth the risk to wait until the middle rounds to select a running back?