SB Nation User Blog: howtheyscored

49ers' Year-by-Year: 1990

howtheyscored — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 02:15:23 -0000

In this week's edition of the 49ers' Year-by-Year, we follow the 49ers through their 1990 season. Coming off of their second consecutive Super Bowl victory, the 49ers were looking to be the first team in NFL history to win three in a row. Their success during the '80s had transformed the team into a dynasty, but how would the '90s treat the franchise? Read on to find out.

Date:	Opponent:	Score:	Record:	Opponent's Record:
Sept. 10	@ New Orleans Saints	W: 13-12	1-0	0-1
Sept. 16	Washington Redskins	W: 13-26	2-0	1-1
Sept. 23	Atlanta Falcons	W: 13-19	3-0	1-2
Oct. 7	@ Houston Oilers	W: 24-21	4-0	2-3
Oct. 14	@ Atlanta Falcons	W: 45-35	5-0	2-3
Oct. 21	Pittsburgh Steelers	W: 7-27	6-0	3-4
Oct. 28	Cleveland Browns	W: 17-20	7-0	2-6
Nov. 4	@ Green Bay Packers	W: 24-20	8-0	3-5
Nov. 11	@ Dallas Cowboys	W: 24-6	9-0	3-7
Nov. 18	Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W: 7-31	10-0	4-7
Nov. 25	Los Angeles Rams	L: 28-17	10-1	4-7
Dec. 3	New York Giants	W: 3-7	11-1	10-2
Dec. 9	@ Cincinnati Bengals	W: 20-17	12-1	7-6
Dec. 17	@ Los Angeles Rams	W: 26-10	13-1	5-9
Dec. 23	New Orleans Saints	L: 13-10	13-2	7-8
Dec. 30	@ Minnesota Vikings	W: 20-17	14-2	6-10
Playoffs:
Jan. 12	Washington Redskins	W: 10-28	15-2	11-7
Jan. 20	New York Giants	L: 15-13	15-3	15-3

Head Coach: George Seifert

Key Losses: G Bruce Collie, DB Jeff Fuller, DB Tom Holmoe, DB Tim McKyer

Key Additions: RB Dexter Carter, DB Eric Davis, DE Dennis Brown

1990 was Paul Tagliabue's first full year as commissioner of the NFL, and he went straight to work. The length of the season was increased that year from 16 weeks to seventeen weeks, though the same number of games would be played over the longer period. Perhaps more importantly, though, and extra wild card was added to the playoff race, meaning that 12 teams rather than 10 would meet in the postseason each year.

For the 49ers, the franchise was overdue for an inevitable turning point. After winning four Super Bowls in a decade, the 49ers were well-entrenched in one of the most impressive dynastic runs in league history, but they had been forced to commit a significant amount of money to do it. By 1990, the 49ers were fielding a team of battle-hardened veterans and expensive superstars, and the total cost was more than they should have been able to afford. In fact, at that point, Eddie DeBartolo, Jr., was losing roughly $10 million a year in order to keep the team's core together. Salary cuts would be an absolute necessity, and a rebuild was imminent.

However, coming off of two consecutive Super Bowl wins, nobody within the organization was willing to commit to any drastic money-saving measures if they meant sacrificing the team's chances at a third. No team in league history had ever won three Super Bowls in a row, and everyone in the organization, including DeBartolo, wanted to see that change even more than they wanted to see a profit on the season. Suffering mostly minor losses, the front office committed to keeping as many key contributors as they could. The most painful loss was that of Jeff Fuller, who had suffered a spinal injury in the middle of 1989. He never played again.

When the season finally began, the front office's unwavering commitment to winning was richly rewarded. After eeking a win out of New Orleans in the first week of the season, the 49ers just got stronger and stronger. First, they torched the Redskins for almost 500 yards, while John Taylor alone racked up 160 yards receiving - the third highest total of his career. Not to be outdone, Jerry Rice hauled in over 170 yards just one week later as the 49ers notched an easy win against Atlanta before taking a bye week.

San Francisco would taste adversity for the first time during the fourth game of the season. Falling behind to Warren Moon and the Houston Oilers, it took a fourth-quarter comeback to salvage the victory in Houston. But despite the final score, the 49ers still felt the sting of loss in this game. Roger Craig tore a ligament in his knee during the course of the game, and though he continued to play, he wouldn't be truly effective again that year. Because of the injury, Dexter Carter became more and more involved in the offense. This also meant that opposing defenses would no longer have to respect the 49ers' running game.

But, at least in the short term, that didn't seem to bother the 49ers one bit. At 4-0, they marched into Atlanta, where Joe Montana threw for 476 yards and six touchdowns, both franchise records at the time. Montana would remain stellar while the 49ers systematically took Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Green Bay, Dallas, and Tampa Bay apart to reach an undefeated 10-0. This was the best start to any season they had ever had, and it tied them with the New York Giants for the top spot in the entire NFC.

And then the unthinkable happened. The 4-6 Rams came into San Francisco and handed the 49ers their first loss of the season. The 49ers and Rams had been the two dominant teams in the division for many years and had faced each other in countless meaningful games, so it stung when Jim Everett, Flipper Anderson, and Cleveland Gary, behind a strong defensive effort, beat Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Brent Jones, John Taylor, Charles Haley, Ronnie Lott, and more by double digits to break up the perfect season.

Luckily, the Giants also lost that week, perfectly setting up the two teams' meeting on week later in San Francisco. And in a game that featured so many of the 49ers' greatest offensive stars and so many of the Giants' greatest offensive stars, including Phil Simms, Mark Bavaro, Mark Ingram, and Otis Anderson, it was the defenses that won the day. In a true knock-down, drag-out defensive scrimmage, the 49ers won simply by virtue of keeping the Giants out of the endzone. The final score of 7-3 would be by far the lowest combined total the 49ers played in a game all season. And with the victory, the 49ers owned sole-possession of the best record in the NFC.

They would only lose one more game all season, a 13-10 game against the 6-8 Saints, and their 14-2 record would carry them to homefield advantage throughout the playoffs.

After waiting through the wild card weekend, the 49ers finally got to start the playoffs on January 12 against the Washington Redskins. Like most teams during the regular season, the Redskins simply had no answers for the 49ers' many offensive and defensive weapons. Forcing the Redskins into multiple costly errors and turnovers, the 49ers made it easily into the Conference Championship game, where they would again face off with the New York Giants.

The second matchup between the 49ers and the Giants would prove to be similar to the first. Though not as low scoring, the game was another battle of defensive wills. While Mike Cofer and New York placekicker Matt Bahr traded field goals through three quarters, both offenses struggled to make any progress. Finally, in the third quarter Montana took advantage of one of New York's only defensive gaffs all day to find John Taylor for a 61-yard touchdown pass and a tenuous four-point lead.

The Giants closed the score to 13-12 in the fourth quarter before the 49ers poised themselves to finally put the game away. While driving late in the game, Joe Montana took a vicious blindside sack from Leonard Marshall that knocked him out of the game completely. More than that, the hit broke Montana's hand and bruised his sternum. The injury would have been devastating to the 49ers chances had they not had Steve Young waiting on the bench.

Young promptly completed a huge 25-yard pass to Brent Jones, and while the loss of Montana continued to sting, there was a sense that the game was already reaching its final stage.

Then, with slightly less than three minutes to play, Roger Craig fumbled the ball and Lawrence Taylor recovered it. The Giants marched down the field to secure the winning field goal and knock the 49ers out of the playoffs, crushing the team's hopes for a three-peat. The fumble appropriately capped off the worst season of Roger Craig's career. It would be his last play as a 49er.

Historical Profile: Tony Morabito

Born in 1910, Tony Morabito received his education at the University of Santa Clara before forging a career as an executive in the lumber hauling and trucking industry. His work in experience in shipping, spurned by advances in cross-country travel, eventually sparked an idea in his head: that it would be financially realistic to own a football team in the western United States. Enlivened by this idea, he spent five years in the early 1940s petitioning the NFL for his own franchise.

Year after year, the NFL denied his dream. In 1945, he would finally get his chance. Though the NFL was still unwilling to grant the lumber man his own team, a new league had formed. And behind the backing of $25,000 of his own money, the fledgling All-America Football Conference gave him a franchise in San Francisco.

Morabito was an emotional, dedicated, energetic, hands-on owner who spared little expense to see his team succeed. These qualities would prove to be as bad for the image of the team as they were good for the success of the team. While he went out of his way to make sure the 49ers had some of the best coaches and players in the league, from legendary coach Buck Shaw to star players like Frankie Albert and Joe Perry, he was also a terrible ambassador to the media.

Morabito was deeply suspicious of the media and remarkably sensitive to even the slightest public criticism. He picked fights, attacked individuals, and even kept a list of members of the media who he was currently holding a grudge with. This list was reportedly as long as 24 people at various periods. The problem wasn't necessarily that he picked fights with the media, but more that he alienated potential revenue streams. Newspapers wouldn't run stories on the 49ers. Radio stations wouldn't cover 49er games. Fans suffered for this, as it was often difficult to follow the team without actually going to the stadium once a week during the regular season.

But for all of the problems with his public persona, Morabito was loved by many of the people who knew him personally - and, most importantly, his employees.

By the 1950s, Morabito was almost fanatically dedicated to seeing his team win a championship. His passion and energy, and the subsequent stress brought on by both, proved to be a detriment to his health, though. In 1952, he suffered a heart attack and doctors warned that another, more severe one was only a matter of time as long as he didn't change his lifestyle. Despite urgings to get out of football, Morabito said, "I'll take my chances."

His problems with the outside world only became worse after his heart attack. He publically insulted the NFL commissioner. He physically chased another owner around the locker room, trying to fight the man. He was not, in short, helping his health issues.

In 1957, it came back to haunt him. While watching the 49ers play the Bears at home on October 27^th of that year, he suffered another heart attack. Despite the fast action of team trainers and medical personnel, he was declared dead on arrival at Mary's Help Hospital. When he died, the 49ers were trailing in the game. After the team was told f his death, they came back to win.

Then coach Frankie Albert said tearfully after his death that, "the 49ers could never find a better owner, even if they got President Eisenhower."

Primary References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990_NFL_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Morabito
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1132924/index.htm
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1990.htm

Glenn Dickey, San Francisco 49ers: The First 50 Years. Turner Publishing Inc. 1995

Open Extra Innings Thread

howtheyscored — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 02:51:02 -0000

Anything but a walk-off hit or bust!

I though you learned your lesson about the jump stuff last time. Jerk.

Gameday Number 2

howtheyscored — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 01:34:46 -0000

Run hits.exe

Run runs.exe.

You fool. Now don't you feel stupid for scrolling up to see what was written under the jump? Just do yourself a favor and skip straight to the comments next time.

Open Gameday Thread IIIIIIIX

howtheyscored — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:03:02 -0000

More photos » by Morry Gash - AP

Milwaukee Brewers' Seth McClung watches Prince Fielder hit a stupid home run in stupid town, Wisconsin. He can barely contain his excitement, which resides in his mouth.

Browse more photos »

When life gives you Prince Fielder Home Runs, make Prince Fielder Home Runs-adeohcrapwhatthehellIhatethisgame.

49ers Year-by-Year: 1989

howtheyscored — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:28:17 -0000

This is a brief historical recap of the San Francisco 49ers 1989 season. 1989 ushered in a new age for both the NFL and the 49ers, but how would it affect the product on the field? How could George Seifert possibly fill the shoes of Bill Walsh? 1989 would end up being one of the most memorable years in 49ers history. Read on to see why.

Date:	Opponent:	Score:	Record:	Opponent's Record:
Sept. 10	@ Indianapolis Colts	W: 30-24	1-0	0-1
Sept. 17	@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W: 20-16	2-0	1-1
Sept. 24	@ Philadelphia Eagles	W: 38-28	3-0	2-1
Oct. 1	Los Angeles Rams	L: 13-12	3-1	4-0
Oct. 8	@ New Orleans Saints	W: 24-20	4-1	1-4
Oct. 15	@ Dallas Cowboys	W: 31-14	5-1	0-6
Oct. 22	New England Patriots	W: 20-37	6-1	2-5
Oct. 29	@ New York Jets	W: 23-10	7-1	1-7
Nov. 6	New Orleans Saints	W: 13-31	8-1	4-5
Nov. 12	Atlanta Falcons	W: 3-45	9-1	3-7
Nov. 19	Green Bay Packers	L: 21-17	9-2	6-5
Nov. 27	New York Giants	W: 24-34	10-2	9-3
Dec. 3	@ Atlanta Falcons	W: 23-10	11-2	3-10
Dec. 11	@ Los Angeles Rams	W: 30-27	12-2	9-5
Dec. 17	Buffalo Bills	W: 10-21	13-2	8-7
Dec. 24	Chicago Bears	W: 0-26	14-2	6-10
Playoffs:
Jan. 6	Minnesota Vikings	W: 13-41	15-2	10-7
Jan. 14	Los Angeles Rams	W: 3-30	16-2	13-6
Jan. 28	N Denver Broncos	W: 55-10	17-2	13-6

Head Coach: George Seifert

Key Losses: HC Bill Walsh, C Randy Cross, TE John Frank, ILB Riki Ellison, DE Dwaine Board, DE Jeff Stover

Key Additions: ILB Matt Millen, LB Keith DeLong

Before the 1989 season, longtime NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle announced that he would be retiring. Rozelle had been one of the key figures in the history of the league from almost the exact moment he took the office. He had presided over unprecedented league growth, including massive expansion and huge entertainment deals. He had been the face of the league for almost 40 years, and now that responsibility would fall on somebody else. That person would end up being Paul Tagliabue.

Rozelle wasn't the only league icon to step aside that offseason. 49ers' head coach Bill Walsh had struggled with his commitment to his position for what seemed like most of the decade. By the time the 49ers won the Super Bowl in 1988, he was mentally exhausted by the non-stop requirements of the job and emotionally exhausted by the highs and lows of the game itself. Having made his decision, he moved swiftly. Within three days of the Super Bowl victory, he met with Eddie DeBartolo and made his decision official with the team's owner. DeBartolo considered interviewing Jimmy Johnson for the position, but Walsh already knew who he thought the new head coach should be, and DeBartolo trusted his opinion.

George Seifert had already been in talks with both San Diego and Cleveland about their vacant jobs, but on his way to interview with the Browns, he got a message the Carmen Policy wanted to speak to him. That was all that he needed to hear. Seifert returned to San Francisco without ever reaching Cleveland. The coaching change was announced the next day.

The coaching announcement overshadowed the loss of a number of players who had played key roles for the team over the last few years, including Randy Cross, Dwaine Board, Jeff Stover, and John Franks, who retired at 27 to pursue a career in medicine. Another reason that these moves made little noise was that many of these players had already been supplanted on the depth chart by their replacements and, simply put, would not be missed.

The remaining players had a mixed reaction to the move. Some welcomed the change, while others were deeply sad to see him go. Still others, including Ronnie Lott, were maddened by what, to them, felt almost like a betrayal. All of them, however, felt a single, common desire, though: to prove that they could win without Walsh sitting behind the curtain. In a sense, they were the underdogs again, and all eyes would be on the defending world champions.

And the defending world champions put on a show. Opening the season with three road games, the 49ers pounced on both the Colts and the Buccaneers. Though the final scores were close, the 49ers only trailed once during both of these games, briefly during the first quarter in Tampa Bay. The game in Philadelphia wouldn't be so easy.

Jumping to an early lead against the Randall Cunningham led Eagles, the 49ers found themselves trailing by the end of the first quarter, and remained down by almost two touchdowns in the middle of the fourth quarter. And that's when Joe Montana came to life. All in all, the 49ers scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter alone - all touchdowns and all to different receivers. Montana's 428-yard, 5 TD onslaught was too much for the Eagles, and the 49ers won by a score of 38-28.

If only homecoming could have been so nice. In the 49ers' home opener against the division rival Los Angeles Rams on October 1, all of the offense ran out. Jerry Rice was held to fewer than 100 yards receiving for the first time that season and the running game was ineffective. The Rams offense wasn't much better, but they had the benefit of scoring the only touchdown of the game, and that proved to be the difference maker.

But San Francisco was determined and dominant in a way that they hadn't been since 1984. After more late game heroics by Montana afforded them a victory in New Orleans, the 49ers wouldn't let anybody get close for weeks. Even just days after the Loma Prieta earthquake, playing a "home" game against the Patriots at Stanford Stadium while Candlestick underwent repairs, the 49ers were unstoppable. They had gone 15-1 in 1984, and the way they were playing now, a similar record was not out of the question.

A surprising loss to the Packers on November 19 ensured that they wouldn't finish the season with the same record as 1984, but it was little more than a hiccup, as the 49ers rounded out the remainder of their schedule with more and more impressive wins almost by the week. They marched into the playoffs after shutting out the Chicago Bears - a team that they had shared many bitter games with over the course of the decade.

And on January 6, the 49ers welcomed the Minnesota Vikings to San Francisco - another team that the 49ers had paired against in bitter postseason contests over the last few years. And aside from the taste in the mouths of Vikings players and fans, nothing would be bitter about the most recent matchup. The Vikings played much the same kind of football that Bill Walsh had deciphered a year before, and the 49ers took advantage of all of the same tendencies and weaknesses. The rout eventually, mercifully, ended by a score of 41-13.

Next would be the Rams. During the regular season, the Rams had handed the 49ers half of their total losses for the season. The division rivals were extremely familiar with each other, and neither would be willing to give an inch to the other. But the 49ers knew how to take an inch or two from their familiar foes, and by pressuring Jim Everett into bad throw after bad throw, the 49ers once again made it look easy.

The defending champs were back in the Super Bowl. Their opponent: the John Elway led Denver Broncos.

At this point, as good as Elway and the Broncos were, nobody expected anything but a 49ers victory. Many people had the 49ers winning the game by 14 points. In private, Bill Walsh admitted that he believed the difference would be greater than that. The most simple way to put things is that Denver matched up poorly against San Francisco in just about every category. Denver would struggle to generate any kind of pass rush. They would falter in coverage - but against Jerry Rice and John Taylor, what team wouldn't? They would struggle to even move the ball on offense. The game ended up being more than a blowout. More than a rout, even. The 49ers decimated the Broncos on January 28^th, 1990. Montana threw for almost 300 yards and five touchdowns. Jerry Rice racked up almost 150 receiving yards and three touchdowns of his own. Roger Craig and Tom Rathman combined for more than 100 yards on the ground and three rushing touchdowns. Meanwhile, John Elway barely eclipsed 100 yards through the air and managed two interceptions to no touchdowns.

The 49ers won their second Super Bowl in a row, this time by a commanding score of 55-10. It was the most lopsided Super Bowl in league history.

Historic Profile: Paul Tagliabue

Paul Tagliabue took over as commissioner of the NFL during the 1989 season, on October 26. He remained in that station for the next 17 years, until September of 2006.

Born in 1940, Tagliabue played basketball at Georgetown University under an athletic scholarship. Ho would not pursue a career in sports, though, and in 1965 he graduated from the New York University School of Law. His law degree would take him far, as he caught on as a lawyer for the NFL, a position that would eventually lead to his commissionership.

Under Pete Rozelle, the NFL had become a huge success. Between league expansion and unprecedented media deals, he almost singlehandedly turned the NFL into one of the most successful sports leagues in the nation. If there was any area in which his tenure had been a failure, it would have to be that the league was always at odds with the players while he was in charge, resulting in no fewer than two major strikes and continued unrest.

Tagliabue continued the successes of his predecessor. In early 1990, he announced a new, four-year television deal that was the largest in history at that point. The NFL only grew into a more and more profitable entertainment industry as a result. He also made sure to oversee league expansion, and oversaw the creation of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Carolina Panthers in 1995.

But more importantly, he succeeded where Rozelle had failed. Under Tagliabue, the NFL experienced almost unheard of labor peace. In 1993, the NFL signed a seven-year collective bargaining agreement. From that point on, labor unrest would never be a serious issue for the NFL, for at least the duration of his tenure.

In 2009, Paul Tagliabue was elected into the NFL Hall of Fame. It's hard to argue that anybody could have been as important to the history of the league as Pete Rozelle, but it's just as hard to argue that Paul Tagliabue could have done a better job than he did during the 17 years that he was the commissioner of the NFL.

Primary References:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989_NFL_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Rozelle
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1989.htm
http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.jsp?player_id=267
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Tagliabue

Glenn Dickey, San Francisco 49ers: The First 50 Years. Turner Publishing Inc. 1995

Halos Heaven Discusses Thomas Gallo

howtheyscored — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 06:18:06 -0000

Halos Heaven Discusses Thomas Gallo

I debated whether or not I wanted to post this, because of the likelihood that I would just spew uninformed rage. They're doing a better job of discussing it at Halos Heaven than I would have done, so I'll direct the link there rather than to the actual article I read.

I only post because I think there are people who would like to know how the exceedingly tragic Nick Adenhart saga is progressing.

49ers Year-by-Year: 1988

howtheyscored — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:04:46 -0000

This is a brief historical summary of the San Francisco 49ers' 1988 season. The 49ers had just been catapulted out of the playoffs by the Vikings, and the health and longevity of Joe Montana was as much as question as ever. How would they deal with the devastating loss? How would they handle the growing controversy surrounding Stave Young, Joe Montana, and the starting job? What can you learn about Kezar Stadium that you didn't already know?

Date:	Opponent:	Score:	Record:	Opponent's Record:
Sept. 4	@ New Orleans Saint	W: 34-33	1-0	0-1
Sept. 11	@ New York Giants	W: 20-17	2-0	1-1
Sept. 18	Atlanta Falcons	L: 34-17	2-1	1-2
Sept. 25	@ Seattle Seahawks	W: 38-7	3-1	2-2
Oct. 2	Detroit Lions	W: 13-20	4-1	1-4
Oct. 9	Denver Broncos	L: 16-13	4-2	3-3
Oct, 16	@ Los Angeles Rams	W: 24-21	5-2	5-2
Oct. 24	@ Chicago Bears	L: 9-10	5-3	7-1
Oct. 30	Minnesota Vikings	W: 21-24	6-3	5-4
Nov. 6	@ Phoenix Cardinals	L: 23-24	6-4	6-4
Nov. 13	Los Angeles Raiders	L: 9-3	6-5	6-5
Nov. 21	Washington Redskins	W: 21-37	7-5	6-6
Nov. 27	@ San Diego Chargers	W: 48-10	8-5	4-9
Dec. 4	@ Atlanta Falcons	W: 13-3	9-5	5-9
Dec. 11	New Orleans Saints	W: 17-30	10-5	9-6
Dec. 18	Los Angeles Rams	L: 38-16	10-6	10-6
Playoffs:
Jan. 1	Minnesota Vikings	W: 9-34	11-6	12-6
Jan. 8	@ Chicago Bears	W: 28-3	12-6	13-5
Jan. 22	N Cincinnati Bengals	W: 20-16	13-6	14-5

Head Coach: Bill Walsh

Key Losses: LB Milt McColl, K Ray Wersching, T Keith Fahnhorst, TE Russ Francis, DB Dana McLemore, C David Quillan, LB Todd Shell

Key Additions: K Mike Cofer, DL Pierce Holt, LB Bill Romanowski

Prior to the 1988 season, the St. Louis Cardinals relocated to Phoenix and changed their name to the Phoenix Cardinals. The rest of the league remained without major change.

For the 49ers, controversy was brewing. After steamrolling the league during the regular season in 1987, the 49ers had fallen to the Vikings in the playoffs with barely so much as a whimper. The loss had been deeply embarrassing for the team, but was particularly notable for the performance of Steve Young, who replaced a struggling Joe Montana in the second half and played more than admirably in what was by then a hopeless cause anyway. That, combined with his stellar performances from his late season appearances planted a seed in the minds of the coaches.

They lost a number of players at the end of the year, but many of them had been relegated to the bench prior to 1987 to begin with, so while the losses hurt the team's depth, they had next to no impact on the starting roster. In that same vein, the team's offseason was a notably quiet one. They brought Mike Cofer in from New Orleans and used their three top picks to draft defensive linemen Danny Stubbs and Pierce Holt, and linebacker Bill Romanowski.

Much more important was something that happened at a press conference as the exhibition season was getting under way. When asked about the state of the team Bill Walsh mentioned, in what may or may not have been a poorly worded statement, that there might just be a quarterback controversy on the team. From that moment on, Steve Young and the continued quality of his play would be a major point of contention.

But of course, Montana remained the unopposed starter for the time being. And with good reason. In the season opener against the Saints, he threw three touchdowns on the way to a 34-33 victory that wasn't as close as the final score. Unfortunately, he tweaked his elbow during the game, and Walsh decided that Young would get the start in week two while he rested the injury.

Against Phil Simms, Bill Parcells, and the New York Giants, Young was effective. But the game was tied and too tight for comfort at halftime, and Walsh turned the game over to his star to try to put away a victory against one of the best teams in the league. The game remained tight, but ultimately the move paid off as Montana found Jerry Rice late in the game to take a three point lead that would end up being the difference. Controversy aside, the 49ers were 2-0, and Joe Montana was the reason why.

But that didn't mean he was invincible, and the team lost their first game the following week. Any questions from that game would be answered in the next, though, when the 49ers and Montana dismantles the Seahawks 38-7. Then, after handing the Lions a loss the following week, the 49ers welcomed the Broncos into Candlestick.

The game conditions were absolutely disastrous, and as both teams struggled to move the ball through the air, Walsh turned to the speedy legs of Young to try to gain the advantage. The result: a costly interception that led to Denver's winning field goal.

A similar situation would occur two weeks later in freezing conditions against the Bears in Chicago. Again, Young failed to deliver as the team lost 10-9. A pattern was becoming clear: Montana was winning games, and Young was not.

Unfortunately, another pattern was also rearing its ugly head - that of Joe Montana's back. While recovering from dysentery over the course of the week, he began to have back spasms. He wouldn't be available against the Vikings, and Young would get the start. The media and the fans had a field day over the implications of that.

And for the first time that season, Young delivered. After a deeply uneven first half, Young led the team on three scoring drives in the second half. The first capped by a one-yard Roger Craig touchdown run, the second by a 73-yard John Taylor touchdown reception, and the third by a play that would turn out to be one of the defining moments of Young's entire career. Trapped behind the line on the Vikings' 49-yard line, Young suddenly, somehow found daylight and, breaking tackle after tackle in a spectacular display of agility, speed, strength and overall athleticism, began a sprint to the endzone that nobody who watched the game would ever forget. The score put the team ahead 24-21, and that's the way it stayed.

Montana was still hurting and Young played again the next week in a game that required nothing short of a total defensive collapse to lose. Even though Young had played well, the loss was enough to force Walsh's hand, and Joe Cool was back in the driver's seat. The results were no better, and the player's held a meeting a few days later to discuss the season.

Whatever they discussed, it worked. They won all of the next four games, and all by a wide margin. For the first time all season, the 49ers that had dominated much of 1987, the 49ers that the fans had grown use to watching over the last half-decade were back. By week 16, they had clinched the division and a first-round bye, and their loss to the Rams was only significant in that it lifted Los Angeles into the playoffs over New Orleans.

The 49ers' first playoff game that year couldn't have been scripted better. The Vikings were coming to town, and they had a big chip on their collective shoulder from the game earlier in the year that Young had almost single-handedly taken from them. The 49ers made them eat that chip, though, and much like the Vikings had embarrassed San Francisco the year before, the 49ers embarrassed the Vikings this time around.

Which brought the 49ers out to Chicago. Earlier in the season, the 49ers had lost to the Bears in Chicago, and many believed that history would repeat itself. That was not to be so. Where the 49ers had struggled to move the ball in the icy cold of their first matchup, it was the Bears who slipped up in this game - quite literally in some cases. On one such play, Jerry Rice took a short pass the length of the field as two would be tacklers slipped in pursuit on the slick playing surface. This game, like the game against the Vikings, wasn't close, and the 49ers coasted into their third Super Bowl appearance in less than a decade. And just like their first, they would be playing the Bengals.

The 49ers were big favorites going into the game, but for three solid quarters they - and the game - failed to live up to the billing. Both teams slogged through a slow, sloppy, low-scoring affair that featured stalled drives, fumbles, interceptions, and field goals. Then, in the third quarter, Cincinnati kick returner Stanford Jennings took a kickoff back 93 yards for a touchdown that changed the game completely. It focused both teams, and suddenly the game was exciting again.

The 49ers countered almost immediately with a decisive touchdown drive of their own. Battling and scrapping through the fourth-quarter, the Bengals finally regained the lead on a field goal with a little over three minutes to play. Time was running out for the 49ers and the Bengals buckled down.

But Montana, Rice, Craig and the rest of the 49ers saw things differently. In one of the most memorable drives in 49ers history, the 49ers marched down the field. And on a drive highlighted by critical receptions from stars Jerry Rice and Roger Craig, it was ultimately John Taylor who caught the winning touchdown pass with less than a minute to play. There would be no more scoring, and the 49ers won their third franchise championship.

Historical Profile: Kezar Stadium

Kezar stadium began in 1922 as a $100,000 donation from Mary Kezar to the San Francisco Park Commission to build a memorial in honor of her family. When the city added its own contribution to the fund, construction on Kezar began. Originally an all-purpose stadium, Kezar hosted everything from track and field to motorcycle racing to soccer and boxing matches.

Ultimately, the 49ers would come to call Kezar home when they first started playing 1946. They would continue to play there through 1970, after which they would move to Candlestick. But the 49ers weren't the only professional football team to call Kezar home. The Raiders, of all teams, played their first season in Kezar as well. That union was short-lived, though, as Oakland moved a few more times in the ensuing years in search of greener pastures.

Located on Frederick street, Kezar Stadium seated 60,000 spectators, and it was this capacity that allowed for the stadium to house the most attendees ever at a high school football game, as 50,000+ came out to watch San Francisco Polytechnic battle it out with Lowell High School on the field.

The stadium was demolished in 1989 in a project that called for it to be rebuilt at a considerably smaller capacity of 10,000. Other improvements were made to the stadium during this process, but in the end the Kezar that fans had grown up in while rooting for their San Francisco 49ers was gone, and gone forever, a vivid memory for some and a simple footnote in the franchise's history for others.

Primary References:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/198901220cin.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_NFL_season
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kezar_Stadium
http://football.ballparks.com/NFL/SanFrancisco49ers/oldindex.htm

Glenn Dickey, San Francisco 49ers: The First 50 Years. Turner Publishing Inc. 1995

Starring Aaron Rowand.

howtheyscored — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 04:52:49 -0000

Starring Aaron Rowand.

49ers Year-by-Year: 1987

howtheyscored — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:20:33 -0000

This is a brief historical recap of the San Francisco 49ers' 1987 season. 1986 hadn't been a disaster, unless you hold yourself to the standards that the 49ers did. They had eeked into the playoffs and eeked out shortly thereafter. Thanks to key injuries, they had been exposed on the offensive side of the ball (of all places) and - worse yet - couldn't be sure how long Joe Montana's somewhat precarious health would hold up. How would they deal with it? Read on and find out.

Also, the Player Profile section has been replaced by the new Historical Profile section. This week I have taken the time to profile a former player. Go figure.

Date:	Opponent:	Score:	Record:	Opponent's Record:
Sept. 13	@ Pittsburgh Steelers	L: 17-30	0-1	1-0
Sept. 20	@ Cincinnati Bengals	W: 27-26	1-1	1-1
Oct. 5	@ New York Giants	W: 41-21	2-1	0-3
Oct. 11	@ Atlanta Falcon	W: 25-17	3-1	1-3
Oct. 18	St. Louis Cardinals	W: 28-34	4-1	2-3
Oct. 25	@ New Orleans Saints	W: 24-22	5-1	3-3
Nov. 1	@ Los Angeles Rams	W: 31-10	6-1	1-6
Nov. 8	Houston Oilers	W: 20-27	7-1	5-3
Nov. 15	New Orleans Saints	L: 26-24	7-2	6-3
Nov. 22	@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W: 24-10	8-2	4-6
Nov. 29	Cleveland Browns	W: 24-38	9-2	7-4
Dec. 6	@ Green Bay Packers	W: 23-12	10-2	4-7-1
Dec. 14	Chicago Bears	W: 0-41	11-2	10-3
Dec. 20	Atlanta Falcons	W: 7-35	12-2	3-11
Dec. 27	Los Angeles Rams	W: 0-48	13-2	6-9
Playoffs:
Jan. 9	Minnesota Vikings	L: 36-24	13-3	10-7

Head Coach: Bill Walsh

Key Losses: G John Ayers, NT Manu Tuiasosopo, DE Jim Stuckey, HB Wendell Tyler

Key Additions: T Harris Barton, TE Brent Jones, DB Darryl Pollard, QB Steve Young

By 1987, the peace that had been made between the Player's Union and the owners following the 1982 strike had begun to peter out. As the players became more and more aware that, despite salary increases aided by the payroll transparency that 1982 had won (and, ultimately, the USFL), many of the same issues were still plaguing them. Owners were making unheard of sums of money from entertainment deals and stadium revenues, while continuing to hold almost complete control over the fate of a player's contract, while the players were struggling with being unable to control their careers while being burdened with the promise of inadequate severance or pension pay when those careers didn't work to an owner's liking.

For the 49ers, they were faced with a number of harsh realities that the 1986 season had thrown at them. In 1986, Bill Walsh had known that he needed to rebuild an aging defense, but it was almost taken for granted that the offense would be alright. But with an aging offensive line and the reality that Joe Montana came a shoulder-to-the-back away from never playing again, it was clear that there were still major question marks on offense to address.

For the offensive line, Bill Walsh looked to in-house options. He had stockpiled a group of young lineman including Bob McKittrick, Bruce Collie, and Jesse Sapolu, and he understood the long-term importance of getting these players on the field. But always unsatisfied to stand pat when it came to an area of trouble, Walsh also looked to the draft to rebuild his line, and he brought in young Harris Barton to take the reigns at right tackle.

He also understood that starting tight end Russ Francis was getting older and that backup John Frank had aspirations beyond football that might interfere with his career, and he drafted Brent Jones to keep a deep talent pool at the position.

Most importantly and perhaps most difficult was a decision to make at quarterback. Walsh knew that he couldn't count on Montana's health to hold out forever. He missed significant time in 1986 with his back injury, and nagging injuries had hampered him throughout his career, even contributing to a playoff loss in 1985. To ensure against the unthinkable, Walsh manufactured a trade with the Buccaneers to bring Steve Young into San Francisco. In much the same way that Montana's mobility years earlier had convinced Walsh to bring him in over Steve DeBerg, it was Steve Young's mobility - one which greatly outshone even Montana - that attracted Walsh.

But after all that, the 49ers opened the 1987 season looking bad. They lost convincingly to the Steelers in week one, and would have lost to the Bengals in week two except for a miracle fumble recovery and a last-second desperation play that saved the game.

And then the Player's Union went on strike. Though not completely united in their conviction, the Union was at least united in their actions. The strike caused the third week of the season to go unplayed, which would have continued in subsequent weeks if not for the league's insistence on at least playing games. The following week, the league schedule continued as drawn up, except that the teams themselves were virtually unrecognizable, being filled with replacement players. Many teams did not believe these games would count against their records. These teams were wrong.

But the Union was unprepared for a lengthy strike and with dissenting opinion even within their own ranks, the strike quickly began to fall apart. By the third week of the strike, many players including Joe Montana had crossed the picket lines to get back on the field. By the week after that, the strike was all but over with a proposed resolution from Gene Upshaw that basically called for everything to remain the way that it had been until further notice.

The time off had done the 49ers good, though. For a team that was so unified and functional from the ownership down to the very last player, the strike had not caused much internal strife with the 49ers. This is not to say that there was no tension. It was a long time before the players felt particularly comfortable with each other again, but the positive in-house environment that started with the DeBartolo's meant that any strife the 49ers were facing was less than just about any other team in the league.

And that unity paid off when regular play resumed. For the rest of the season, the 49ers appeared as close to their dominance from 1984 as they ever had. It was the kind of dominance that picked up steam as the season rolled on, and that was so unstoppable by the end of the year that the team won their final three games by a combined score of 124-7. And that was largely without Joe Montana, as Steve Young got the start in all three games.

With a first round bye and a second round matchup against the 9-7 Minnesota Vikings, the 49ers were heavy, heavy favorites to win the game and many people's clear-cut pick to win the Super Bowl. Instead, the game would be something of a disaster. The team came out flat and Joe Montana played particularly poorly. The Vikings had an answer for everything the 49ers did, and jumped out to an easy 20-3 lead by halftime. Intolerable of Montana's struggles, Walsh looked to Steve Young to salvage a game that was already essentially lost. Walsh valued Young's legs as much as his arm, and believed that he would be able to make plays against Minnesota's pass rush that Montana never could.

He was right. Young played exceptionally well and, if not for fighting a nearly insurmountable uphill battle, he might have salvaged the game yet. As it stood, his performance couldn't dent the Viking lead, and all it brought the 49ers was, undeservedly, a playoff loss and, unexpectedly, a quarterback controversy.

Historical Profile: Wally Yonamine

In the new and improved "Player Profile" section, we will now see a "Historical Profile" section. In today's case, you won't notice much of a difference because Wally Yonamine was, after all, a player. However, with the new format I won't feel obliged to profile players from the season being summarized, nor will I feel obliged to profile players. In the future I have plans for a profile of Kezar Stadium and more than one member of the Morabito family.

To start the new segment, though, I thought it would be prudent to go back as far into 49ers history as I dared. Wally Yonamine wasn't significant for the 49ers or for the league as a player. He was significant as a precedent, being the first Asian American athlete to play professional football. The 49ers had broken not the color barrier, but a part of the color barrier that had remained untouched to that point.

Wally Yonamine only played one season of professional football, in 1947. A running back for the 49ers, amassing a total of 74 yards on 19 carries, he never amounted to much on a football field. A two-sport athlete, he actually broke his wrist playing baseball in 1948, and the injury ended his football career. The 49ers released him and he devoted himself to baseball full time.

As a baseball player, Yonamine made a much more significant impact. Though he played for a San Francisco Seals' minor league affiliate, Yonamine was a longshot to make the major leagues and ultimately signed a contract with the Yomiuri Giants in Japan.

Again, his impact was felt: Yonamine was the first American to play baseball in Japan since World War II.

But when it came to baseball, Yonamine was good. A star in the Japanese league, Yonamine helped to revolutionize the way the nation played. He almost single-handedly introduced sliding on the basepaths to the Japanese league and, subsequently, the tactic to slide through second base to break up a double play. He led an extremely distinguished career as a player in the Japanese league, and went on to follow that with an equally distinguished career as a coach, manager and scout.

In 1994, he became the first American to be inducted into the Japanese Baseball Hall of Fame.

And it all started with one almost insignificant season with the 49ers. Go team.

Primary References:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1987_games.htm
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1153/is_n8_v111/ai_6710058/pg_6/?tag=content;col1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_NFL_season
http://www.baseball-reference.com/bullpen/Wally_Yonamine
http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/Y/YonaWa20.htm

Glenn Dickey, San Francisco 49ers: The First 50 Years. Turner Publishing Inc. 1995

49ers Year-by-Year: 1986

howtheyscored — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:10:29 -0000

This is a brief historical recap of the San Francisco 49ers' 1986 season. Following the disappointment of the frustrating 1985 season, how would the 49ers respond in 1986? What exactly did Bill Walsh do in the draft that made it stand out even against a history of great drafting? With Joe Montana's career on the line, what would come of the team? And why, exactly, haven't I figured out how to fill the gap left by the now defunct Player Profile?

Date:	Opponent:	Score:	Record:	Opponent's Record:
Sept. 7	@ Tampa Bay Buccaneers	W: 31-7	1-0	0-1
Sept. 14	@ Los Angeles Rams	L: 13-16	1-1	2-0
Sept. 21	New Orleans Saints	W: 17-26	2-1	1-2
Sept. 28	@ Miami Dolphins	W: 31-16	3-1	1-3
Oct. 5	Indianapolis Colts	W: 14-35	4-1	0-5
Oct. 12	Minnesota Vikings	L: 27-24	4-2	4-2
Oct. 19	@ Atlanta Falcons	T: 10-10	4-2-1	5-1-1
Oct. 26	@ Green Bay Packers	W: 31-17	5-2-1	1-7
Nov. 2	@ New Orleans Saints	L: 10-23	5-3-1	4-5
Nov. 9	St. Louis Cardinals	W: 17-43	6-3-1	2-8
Nov. 17	@ Washington Redskins	L: 6-14	6-4-1	9-2
Nov. 23	Atlanta Falcons	W: 0-20	7-4-1	5-6-1
Dec. 1	New York Giants	L: 21-17	7-5-1	11-2
Dec. 7	New York Jets	W: 10-24	8-5-1	10-4
Dec. 14	@ New England Patriots	W: 29-24	9-5-1	10-5
Dec. 19	Los Angeles Rams	W: 14-24	10-5-1	10-6
Playoffs:
Jan. 4	@ New York Giants	L: 3-49	10-6-1	15-2

Head Coach: Bill Walsh

Key Losses: WR Freddie Solomon, HB Joe Cribbs, FS Dwight Hicks, FB Earl Cooper, DE Fred Dean

Key Additions: DB Tim McKyer, DB Don Griffin, OLB Charles Haley, FB Tom Rathman, DE Larry Roberts, T Stave Wallace, WR John Taylor, DE Kevin Fagan

In 1986, the NFL continued to push further and further into the world of modern technology. The league adopted an instant replay rule by which an independent official in a booth would stop the game to review crucial or controversial plays. Only this official could decide which plays were reviewed, and he could take as much time as he wanted to review them. When he made his ruling, he would radio to the field officials, who would announce the call. The system was innovative and state-of-the-art, but it was also new, and deeply flawed. The most glaring flaw would emerge often over the next few years, as game after game suffered obnoxiously long delays at the whim of this special official.

The 49ers were also in something of a transition period. It's strange to say about a team that won the Super Bowl two years earlier and made the playoffs the year before, but the 49ers were actively rebuilding by 1986. The offense, as it had been, was in fantastic shape. Even with the retirement of Freddie Solomon and the decline of Wendell Tyler, it was likely to continue to be in fantastic shape as long as Joe Montana, Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, Dwight Clark, Randy Cross, ~~Bubba Franks~~ John Frank, and an assortment of role players and developing talent continued to produce anywhere near the level that they were so clearly capable of. And since the unit was fairly young as a group, any fears to the contrary were strictly irrational.

Where problems were cropping up was the defense. The 49ers defense had been exposed in 1985. After facing a small amount of turnover the previous offseason and a number of key injuries during the season, the need for youth and depth on the defense was made plainly obvious. And the problems were only getting worse. Eric Wright was continuing to struggle with an injury he suffered toward the end of 1985.

Walsh was aware that part of the problem with the defense was that many of the veterans were in decline. He made it a point to give them a chance to retire when he saw their careers coming to an end with the team, and many did just that. Other players, who didn't share these views, would have to be dealt or released. 1986 was only the very beginning of this. Fred Dean retired during the offseason, and the team said goodbye to Dwight Hicks, who would play one more season in the league with Indianapolis.

Meanwhile Walsh began to look at the draft, and he must have taken a good, long look at it because, though it was considered a weak draft class by many, he managed to fill a number of holes with excellent talent. With his first pick, which ended up being in the second round after a trade, Walsh made what was arguably his worst pick of the draft by selecting defensive end Larry Roberts. Roberts would only be a regular contributor on the team for the next eight seasons. After that, Walsh caught fire, drafting Tom Rathman, Tim McKyer, and John Taylor all in the third round. McKyer, even, would start for the team that year. Then, in the fourth round, Walsh picked up Charles Haley, Steve Wallace, and Kevin Fagan, all future starters. Later on, he would select Don Griffin in the sixth round, who would join McKyer in the defensive backfield as a rookie starter.

It was one of the single best drafts in NFL history.

Then, the unthinkable happened. The 1986 season started on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs were an extremely poor team, and the 49ers treated them like one on their way to an easy 31-7 victory. However, bad news awaited the team after the game. Joe Montana would need surgery on his back. Montana had played through back pain for most of the previous two seasons, and the fatiguing effects of the injury had begun to show by the end of 1985. Now, with the surgery, he would likely miss the season. Many were worried about his career. In the meantime, this meant that the 49ers would have to turn to backup quarterback Jeff Kemp.

The Kemp era began roughly. Though he played capably against the Rams in Montana's stead, he didn't have Joe's cool and threw two key interceptions in the eventual loss. But he was far, far from a disaster as a replacement, and actually ended up stringing together three consecutive victories following the loss, putting the 49ers at an almost unthinkable 4-1 on the Montana-less season.

But Kemp wasn't Montana and the 49ers couldn't play losing teams every week. That reality set in against Minnesota when, again, even with a strong effort from Kemp, the team simply couldn't close the deal, eventually losing in overtime. And then the unthinkable happened.

While playing Atlanta to a rare tie, Kemp went down. It seemed as though the 49ers' hopes would rest in the hands of third-stringer Mike Moroski.

Amazingly, Moroski played capably in Kemp's stead, at least insofar as the expectation for a third-string quarterback are concerned, defeating the Packers in his first start. The reality is that this victory had as much to do with the Packers being a terrible team as it had to do with the quality of any of the offensive players (as none played particularly well), but the win was still a win and, somehow, the 49ers were sitting pretty in the division at 5-2-1.

Even better than that, the team doctor had cleared Joe Montana to practice. Following a surgery for an injury that had been slated to keep him out for the season at a minimum, Joe Montana was ready to be back on the field after only seven games. Walsh wasn't so eager to test his star quarterback's back, though, and held him out that week, a loss to New Orleans.

Montana's return against the St. Louis Cardinals was a triumph. Throwing for three touchdowns and over 250 yards, he looked as sharp and as crisp as ever. And the team responded by scoring more points than they had all season in the 43-17 victory.

It wasn't all Montana magic after his return, though. Over the next three games, the 49ers looked again like a flawed team, alternating between losses and wins while struggling to find the offensive rhythm that would complement the surprising proficiency of their newer, younger defense. But under Montana the team had always been resilient, and after struggling to 7-5-1, they finished off the season by winning three in a row - including a critical game in the final week of the season against the Rams. A loss would have kept them out of the playoffs. The win pushed them through.

The playoff run in 1986 was a short one, though. Coming up against the New York Giants, who they had defeated in the playoffs in 1984, and lost to in the playoffs in 1985. The Giants had become one of the absolute best teams in the league and the 49ers, despite the sheer talent of their core players, were still trying to rebuild. The game was a disaster. Joe Montana was knocked out with a concussion, again putting his future in jeopardy, and the 49ers were humiliated 49-3.

New Section:

There is no new section. I've had a very stressful week, and I didn't have the time or, more accurately, the inclination to really figure it out. I'll absolutely have this issue resolved for next weeks installment. As before, any and all suggestions are welcome.

Primary References:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/sfo/1986_games.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986_NFL_season
Glenn Dickey, San Francisco 49ers: The First 50 Years. Turner Publishing Inc. 1995