Wednesday, September 24, 2014

Poor officiating, play calling costs Niners second straight

For the first time since the start of the Jim Harbaugh era in San Francisco, the 49ers are below .500. Their 1-2 record could easily be 3-0 if not for two key factors that have haunted the 49ers in each of their last two games -- penalties and the disappearance of the Niners offense that is still seeking its first score in the fourth quarter this season. For Colin Kaepernick and company, the story has been: play dominantly in the first two quarters, only to roll over and play dead in the second half where they've been outscored 52-3 through the first three weeks of the season. This is evident to the +43 point differential the Niners own in the first half of games where they've outscored opponents, 59-16.

After allowing a field goal on Arizona's game opening drive, Kaepernick led the 49er offense on consecutive 80-yard touchdown drives in each of their first two possessions by finding Michael Crabtree in the end zone for one and handing it off to rookie running back Carlos Hyde on the other. San Francisco took a 14-6 lead into the locker room at the half where they would appear to leave their offense and the ability to score like they've done so often this year. Even without one of his favorite targets in Pro-Bowl tight-end Vernon Davis, Colin Kaepernick managed to have a nice game throwing the ball, completing 29 of 37 pass attempts for 245 yards and a career-high 78.4 completion percentage, but it came at a cost. The 49ers QB ran the ball a total of 12 times, three times more than running backs Frank Gore and Carlos Hyde combined and as a result, abandoned a key component that the San Francisco offense thrives on and is when the 49ers are at their best. Just the latest not so brilliant decision by Niners offensive-coordinator Greg Roman. All-time 49ers rusher Frank Gore who saw only six carries for 10 yards on the afternoon, watched much of the game from the sidelines and was none to pleased about the team's pass-happy offense and chose not to talk to the media following Sunday's game.
And then there was the officiating which for the second straight week proved to be a thorn in the side of the 49ers who lead the league in penalties and were penalized another nine times for 107 yards. One penalty that proved to be costly among the countless other bogus calls called on defense, was one called against Niners receiver Anquan Boldin who was tacked for unnecessary roughness which knocked San Francisco out of the red zone. They eventually had to settle for a field goal attempt which was then blocked, preventing the Niners from scoring in the fourth quarter for the third time in as many games this season as Jim Harbaugh's team was outscored 17-0 in the second half. A number of other penalties were called on multiple clean hits on the quarterback that were called otherwise, giving Arizona good field position throughout much of the game. Filling in for the injured Carson Palmer, Cardinals backup QB Drew Stanton logged his second straight game without a turnover, throwing for 244 yards and a pair of TD's, both to rookie wide-out John Brown in the 23-14 win. For Arizona who enters Week 4 atop the NFC West at 3-0 and with a BYE week, the victory snaps a four-game losing streak to the Niners and marks just their second win vs San Francisco in 11 tries.

Week 4 Preview: Turning the page to next week, the 49ers return home to Levi's Stadium where they hope to win their first game in their new home. It won't come easy, however, as Jim Harbaugh's club welcomes Chip Kelly's 3-0 Philadelphia Eagles. Having been a shell of their first half selves in all three games this season, San Francisco can ill afford another performance in Week 4 as it just so happens that Philly is the best second half team in the league thus far, having outscored opponents by 50-points after halftime. Oh and just to throw it out there, referee Ed Hochuli who will be in charge of officiating next week's game will be leading an officiating crew that averages 19.5 penalties a game this year... One name the 49ers will have a close eye on entering the game will be their very own Vernon Davis who sat out of Week 3's loss with an injured left ankle. Without Davis in the lineup, the 49ers are 0-4 under coach Harbaugh.


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Friday, September 19, 2014

49ers fold late, spoiling home-opener vs Bears

The Chicago Bears who had not beaten the San Francisco 49ers on the road since their lone Super Bowl season in 1985, had the odds stacked against them after falling behind early on Sunday night as the 49ers kicked off the grand opening of their new home -- Levi's Stadium. Facing the Bears for the first time since his coming out party in Week 11 of 2012 when he shined in place of the injured Alex Smith on Monday Night Football to eventually win over the starting QB job, Colin Kaepernick followed up a flawless Week 1 performance vs the Cowboys with one of his ugliest outings yet. Out of the gates, however, the Niners had all things working for them as they forced a three and out on Chicago's opening possession before blocking a punt which set up an easy touchdown as Kaepernick connected in the end zone with Michael Crabtree.

Hoping to crash the party, things didn't look good early for Bears QB Jay Cutler and company as Chicago was unable to put anything on the board offensively for almost the entire first half. A Phil Dawson field goal and a rushing touchdown from Frank Gore gave the 49ers a 17-0 lead as San Francisco threatened to take a big lead into the locker room at the half despite two turnovers by Kaepernick. It took them until the last minute of the first half, but the Bears were able to wake up on offense and exploit San Francisco's rookie cornerback Jimmy Ward who was outmatched by the much taller and stronger Brandon Marshall as the Pro Bowl wide-out came down with three of Jay Cutler's four touchdown passes on the evening. 
A second field goal by Phil Dawson to open up the start of the second half gave San Francisco a 20-7 lead. But where Cutler excelled in the second half, showing poise and patience, Kaepernick crumbled. The Bears, who entered the game with a record of 3-140-1 all-time when trailing by more than 16 points on the road, rallied behind a pair of 4th quarter turnovers by the 49ers QB to score 21 unanswered-points in the second half to pull out the comeback win, 28-20. By no means did Jay Cutler have a monstrous day throwing the ball as he finished with only 176 yards passing, but he managed to play mistake-free football and capitalized on good field position whether it was created by penalties (there were 26 of them overall, 16 by SF) or on turnovers. Kaepernick, who was near perfect in the season-opener, was anything but in prime time as he finished with 248 passing yards, 64 yards rushing, 1 touchdown, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble.

After allowing more than 100-yards rushing to Dallas' DeMarco Murray in Week 1, the 49er defense were lights out in defending the run, holding the Bears' Pro-Bowl running back Matt Forte to only 21-yards on 12 carries and even did a good job in containing Chicago's stellar receiving tandem in Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery who combined for only 95 yards on 8 receptions. But it's where three of those passes hauled in by Marshall were caught. Bears tight-end Martellus Bennett also caught a touchdown pass from Cutler, spoiling the debut of Levi's Stadium.
Week 3 Preview: With little time to lick their wounds and prepare for their next game, the 49ers will take a trip to the desert where they'll meet the (2-0) Arizona Cardinals who currently sit in first place in the NFC West with both San Francisco and Seattle being tagged with losses in Week 2. Despite the absence of Quarterback Carson Palmer who will also sit out vs the 49ers in Week 3 while nursing a shoulder injury, Arizona had no trouble on the road where they defeated the New York Giants, 25-14 behind backup QB Drew Stanton. Hoping to get back in the win column, the 49ers will look to make Stanton's second start of the 2014 season a rough one. 


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Monday, September 8, 2014

49ers Make Home in Dallas, Rout Cowboys 28-17

With a sub-par preseason in the books and an offseason that saw multiple suspensions issued, the San Francisco 49ers were more than ready to get the 2014 regular season underway. Their first test would be a visit to Jerry's World to take on Tony Romo and the Cowboys in Dallas where the 49er faithful made their presence felt, filling nearly 40 percent of the stadium according to some reports. Entering the game, many believed that with the 49ers depleted defense as some put it, that Romo and the Dallas offense could take advantage and exploit an area that San Francisco has excelled at since the start of the Jim Harbaugh era. That would be far from the case, however, as the Niner defense looked just fine in the season-opener with a few kinks to address. 

What would ultimately be a long day for Tony Romo and the Cowboys offense, started off on a bad note from the get-go as Dallas was called for a false start penalty on the first play of the game. It would be a sign of bad things to come as 49ers linebacker Dan Skuta stripped Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray of the ball just two players later as cornerback Chris Culliver recovered the loose ball and returned it 35-yards for the easy score. Dallas' offense would put together a more successful drive their second time around with Romo leading his team down the field for a field goal to make it 7-3 in favor of San Francisco, but it would be the lone bright spot for the Cowboys in the first half and would be the closest they'd get on the scoreboard the rest of the game. A pair of first quarter interceptions thrown by Romo would dig too big of a hole for the Cowboys to climb out of as 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick capitalized on both turnovers by finding his tight-end Vernon Davis in the end zone in what would be a flawless first quarter for Kaepernick who recently signed a new multi-year contract. 
San Francisco would need only four plays on offense to light up the scoreboard for 21 first quarter points, the most points in an opening-quarter since December 18, 1995 when they hung a 21-spot versus the Minnesota Vikings. With second year Pro Bowl safety Eric Reid hauling in the first Romo interception and Patrick Willis coming up with the second, Parrish Cox who was called upon to fill in for Chris Culliver who left the game with a concussion, would intercept Romo at the start of the second quarter for a third and final time. More sloppy offense by the Cowboys would result in points for the Niners as rookie running back Carlos Hyde scored his first career touchdown with a 4-yard run to give his team a 28-3 lead heading into the half. The 49ers would fail to put anymore points on the board with kicker Phil Dawson missing from 37-yards out, but they would have all that they needed. 

Taking their foot off the gas on defense, the 49ers allowed touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter to help Dallas pull within 11 where the game would end, 28-17. Colin Kaepernick who finished the game with 201 yards passing and 2 touchdowns, completed 16 of 23 pass attempts while playing mistake-free football. Tony Romo on the other hand threw for 281 yards with 3 interceptions and 1 touchdown and was unable to find his top two targets in Dez Bryant and Jason Witten who combined, tallied only 69 yards on 6 receptions and were kept out of the end zone. DeMarco Murray ran for over 100-yards and a touchdown, but it was his early miscue that prevented him from having a phenomenal afternoon. Anquan Boldin led all receivers with 99 yards on 8 receptions and both Carlos Hyde and Frank Gore proved effective in the run game. With 66 yards on the day, Gore became only the 29th player in NFL history to rush for 10,000 yards in a career. 

Week 2 Preview: For Jim Harbaugh's team who improved to 4-0 in season-openers, Week 2 will see San Francisco host the Chicago Bears on Sunday Night Football in the 49ers brand new stadium -- Levis Field. Chicago (0-1), expected by some to win the NFC North this season, is coming off an upset loss at home in overtime to Buffalo in the season-opener. 


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Thursday, September 4, 2014

Niners 2014 Preview

With the NFL's preseason officially in the books, the San Francisco 49ers can now focus their attention on the regular season and the Dallas Cowboys who they'll be facing in the season-opener this Sunday as the Quest for Six begins once again. Entering his fourth season at the helm of the Niners, head coach Jim Harbaugh enters the year with the highest winning-percentage among active coaches at 36-11-1 during the regular season. Having coached his team to the NFC title game in each of his first three seasons in the city by the bay, making it to a Super Bowl two seasons ago and coming up short while losing to the eventual Super Bowl champs all three years, Harbaugh and company is hoping that this will be the year that they get it done.

With defense being the focal point for the 49ers since the start of the Harbaugh era, its the offense that created all the buzz over the offseason. And after signing quarterback Colin Kaepernick to a new six-year, $126 Million contract ($61M guaranteed), could you expect anything different? Already with a number of viable targets to throw to for the 26-year old QB, 49ers GM Trent Baalke wasted little time before making sure the guy who he and coach Harbaugh believes to be their franchise quarterback for many years to come, was spoiled with another receiver. On Draft night, the 49ers acquired wide-out Stevie Johnson from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a conditional fourth round pick in next year's Draft. Another pair of receivers will who be joining the team this year is rookie Bruce Ellington who the 49ers took in the 4th round of May's Draft out of South Carolina and the return of former 49er Brandon Lloyd.

Though Kaepernick has already shown an unparalleled talent which makes him equally as dangerous both running and throwing the ball, coach Harbaugh believes he can be even better and that a breakout on top of what he's already accomplished is on the rise. Then again, why wouldn't he, granted Kaepernick was the first offensive player coach Harbaugh ever drafted in the NFL when the 49ers took him in the second round, 36th overall in 2011. There's no doubt, however, that the Niners offense is at its best when their run game is clicking on all cylinders. And with Frank Gore showing no signs of slowing down last year, rushing for over 1,000 yards for the third consecutive season and being named to his fifth Pro-Bowl, we can expect much of the same from San Francisco's ground attack. Gore's workload might not need to be as heavy this season, however, with backup running back Carlos Hyde showing during the preseason that he'll be ready when called upon. The rookie out of Ohio State was selected in the second round, 57th overall and was the top ranked running back on most boards in April's Draft. Marcus Lattimore who sat out his rookie season all of last year is currently on the PUP list and is hoping to make his NFL debut this season as well, leaving LaMichael James' role in question.

As good as San Francisco's defense has been in each of the last three seasons, they'll be without a number of key players when the season kicks off come Sunday. NaVorro Bowman, Aldon Smith, Glenn Dorsey and Ray McDonald (pending suspension) are just a few of the names Vic Fangio's defense will have to do without for the first half of the 2014 season. Bowman, who's still recovering from tearing the ACL and MCL in his left knee during the NFC Championship, isn't expected to be ready until around Week 9. Glenn Dorsey who suffered a torn biceps is expected to miss at least eight games while Aldon Smith faces a nine game suspension for his involvement in an incident at an L.A. airport and a DUI charge dating back to 2013. Meanwhile, Ray McDonald was the first player to be hit with the NFL's newly adopted rules against domestic violence which will cause him to miss six games. But with his suspension still pending, McDonald appears to be in line to start the season-opener. Though it may sound like the 49ers have a depleted lineup defensively, it just means the next group of guys will have to step up. Rookie linebacker Chris Borland who impressed the coaching staff during the 49ers preseason finale victory over the Texans will be called upon to fill in for the injured Bowman, while Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial are next in line to fill the void left by Smith and Dorsey.

There was also some positive news just in time for the regular season as guard Alex Boone who was displeased with his current contract, ended his holdout with a new 2-year deal. Boone is definitely a player coach Harbaugh wanted to have on the field given he's started every game in each of the past two seasons.

With San Francisco's schedule none to easy this season based off of the defenses they'll be facing in their own division alone which includes the always friendly trip to Seattle and road games @ Denver and New Orleans just to name a few, I see the 49ers finishing the season with the same exact record they did a year ago at 12-4. Whether or not that'll be enough to dethrone the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks from the NFC West throne is anyone's guess. But regardless if they have to make the playoffs by way of a division winner or with a wild card berth, I'm sticking to what I predicted immediately following February's Super Bowl by predicting a 49ers-Colts Super Bowl. The Chargers are another team I was strongly considering and could very well represent the AFC in the big game as well. 


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