Week 3 - Hoping to put a blowout loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers behind them with a trip to the desert, the San Francisco 49ers saw those hopes vanish quickly on Sunday as rival Arizona bullied their way to a 40-point victory. Niners QB Colin Kaepernick entered the game with one interception in 154 career pass attempts versus the Cardinals, a mark he would surpass on the team's first two offensive drives alone. A career worst 67 passing yards and 4 interceptions highlighted a miserable day for Kaepernick who had two of his first four passes returned for a touchdown as Arizona jumped out front to an early 14-0 lead. The bleeding wouldn't stop there, however, as San Francisco was staring down a 28-point deficit before finally getting on the board via a touchdown run by Kaepernick, set up by an impressive 37-yard punt return from Aussie Jarryd Hayne. Unfortunately, the Niner offense would fail to muster up anymore points as they were blown out of the water, 47-7.
The loss marked the first time since 2005 that San Francisco has lost five straight on the road, all by double-digits as the 49ers were held to a measly 156 total yards on offense. As for Arizona who tallied 446 total yards, not since 1969 have the Cardinals registered back-to-back 40-point performances like they did in week's 2 and 3. Though Cards QB Carson Palmer threw his first interception of the season, the first pick of 49ers cornerback Kenneth Acker's young career, the 35-year old veteran threw for 311 yards and a pair of touchdowns in route to his 16th victory in his last 18 starts and 9th win in a row, the longest active streak in the NFL. Palmer had himself a rather easy day at the office as Arizona was able to turn their opponents costly mistakes into points, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal off of Kaepernick's four interceptions as the Niners were unable to find an answer for Arizona on either side of the ball. With a career-low quarterback rating of 16.7 for Kaepernick on Sunday, the 49ers have now been outscored 90-25 in their last two games and unless they make the needed adjustments quick, that number will only increase with a date with the NFL's best quarterback to follow.
With a forgetful performance from Kaepernick who was made a non-factor thru the air, Niners bell cow Carlos Hyde was also held in check by Arizona's suffocating defense which held the San Francisco running back to 51 yards on 15 carries and also stopped him in his tracks for a safety in the third quarter. Meanwhile, Cardinals backup running back Chris Johnson had himself a vintage performance while filling in for the injured Andre Ellington, rushing for 110 yards and 2 touchdowns to stymie San Francisco's run defense for a second consecutive outing. Speaking of vintage performances, Arizona's Larry Fitzgerald looked a lot like his old self for the second week in a row as he torched the Niners secondary from the slot position for 9 receptions, 134 yards and a pair of touchdown grabs after putting up three scores against Chicago just a week ago. With the loss, San Francisco falls to 1-2, while Arizona improves their undefeated mark to 3-0 while remaining atop the NFC Western division standings and one of only seven unbeaten teams in the league.
Week 4 Preview - Getting back into the win column will be no easy task for Jim Tomsula's 49ers in Week 4 as they play host to Aaron Rodgers and the (3-0) Green Bay Packers who so far this season look like the team to beat in the NFC. Coached by former 49ers offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy, the Packers have had limited success against SF over the past few years as Colin Kaepernick looks to improve his unbeaten mark to 4-0 against Green Bay, with two of those wins coming during the playoffs. Kaepernick and company are hoping a return to their home field of Levi's Stadium coupled with a meeting with a familiar foe will be the perfect ingredients to getting them back on track as they seek their first win since Week 1. San Francisco's offensive-line will have their hands full on Sunday as they face a Packers defense that is coming off a 7 sack performance on Monday night vs Kansas City and former 49ers QB Alex Smith.
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When the NFL's labor dispute was finally resolved on July 25, putting an end to the 18 week and 4 day long work stoppage, players couldn't wait to report to camp in anticipation of returning to the game they love. However, Tennessee Titans running-back Chris Johnson who's been one of the more electric players in the game over the past few seasons has been in no hurry to return to the football field and his team unless they plan on making him one of the wealthiest men in the league. Instead of joining his fellow teammates, Johnson has decided to hold out in hopes of a new lucrative and well deserved contract. And though the organization has made it clear that they plan on making their running back among the highest paid at his position once he reports to camp, the speedy back has something else in mind.
While running back's are listed as the 8th highest-paid position in the NFL, Johnson hopes to put an end to that and says he wants to be among the highest paid players in the game, seeking Quarterback money. For what it's worth, Johnson has the support of the Titans all-time leading rusher Eddie George who called the situation "uncalled for" saying Johnson is the team's best player and ought to be payed. Tennessee's general manager Mike Reinfeldt on the other hand has Titans owner Bud Adams in his corner who says he isn't interfering between the two and their talks, but noted Johnson's absence from camp that is costing him $30,000 each day he doesn't show up, isn't helping his case.
Entering his fourth year in the league, Johnson has made the Pro-Bowl in each of his first three seasons and is only two years removed from becoming only the sixth player in NFL history to rush for over 2,000 yards in a single-season when he eclipsed the mark by six yards in 2009. Despite his recent success, CJ is due to make a measly $800,000 in base salary this season which wouldn't even pay for the total of his fines once it's all said and done. With two years remaining on his current deal, there's no question the former NFL Offensive Player of the Year deserves a new contract, but refusing to negotiate at camp in person is only making matters worse.
If Johnson's holdout was to continue on into the regular season, not only would it spell doom for any chances Tennessee may have of making the Playoffs this year, but it could also severally hurt his production given he has to learn the playbook from both his new quarterback (Matt Hasselbeck) and head coach (Mike Munchak). Not to mention, a Titans team without their star running back would put a sizable dent in fantasy leagues throughout the interwebs granted he's considered by many as the number one overall pick as I took him last season. But if I'm Johnson, I'm calling the front offices' bluff for the sole fact that they need him to help fill seats more than he needs them.
You might recall that Johnson went as far as saying he wanted to be the first "black face" of the NFL following his standout 2009 campaign. And if he's still trying to accomplish that, the only thing the holdout has done during his journey is given him a black eye so far.
Although the issue in Tennessee has received the most buzz and criticism, Johnson wasn't the only one playing hooky this preseason. Among him was fellow running back Frank Gore of the San Francisco 49ers and wide-receiver DeShawn Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles, both of whom started off the preseason in holdout formation, but have since reported to team practices despite not yet signing a new contract.
Over or Under: A deal between Johnson and the Titans gets worked out before the start of the regular season. (Comment below)
Hold out, wait a minute! - Last season saw the breakout of one of the NFL's most electrifying players the game has seen in quite some time. Tennessee Titans RB Chris Johnson became just the 6th running back in NFL history to reach the highly coveted 2,000 yard mark last year and eventually set a new record for single season scrimmage yards with 2,509 surpassing the previous record held by Marshall Faulk (2,429). However, last year's recipient of the NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award doesn't plan to take the field next season without a pay raise. Johnson says he isn't pleased with his current contract and is asking for a new one. Something that's a lot easier said than done which is why Johnson plans to do what ever it takes to get his hands on a new one including skipping voluntary workouts.Selected out of East Carolina as the 24th overall pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft, Johnson signed a 5-year, $12Million dollar contract with the Titans. The speedy running back is under contract for a paycheck of $550,000 next season and is even threatening a hold out in hopes of a new deal. We seen San Francisco 49ers highly talented rookie WR Michael Crabtree do the same thing last season after being drafted 10th overall in last year's Draft and disagreeing with the contract his counterpart Darius Heyward Bey received from Al Davis' Oakland Raiders. After becoming the longest rookie holdout in franchise history in September of '09, Crabtree and the 9ers agreed to a six-year deal worth $32 million. Heyward Bey on the other hand signed a five-year deal worth $38.25 million despite being selected three slots earlier in the draft. As for their play on the field, Crabtree finished with 39 more receptions, 500 more receiving yards and 1 touchdown more than Heyward Bey.Johnson received some advice from former running back and St. Louis Rams great -- Marshall Faulk, the same player who's record of single season scrimmage yards was broken by Johnson. Faulk, also a hold out victim told Johnson to hold out for as long as he can for as much money as possible. But considering how big of a role Johnson played in last year's mid-season turnaround from an 0-6 record to an 8-8 finish, the team would be anything but smart if they didn't have their Pro-Bowl RB to start the season. But after the career year he had in '09, it won't be cheap. Believe it or not, Johnson isn't the only one who skipped out on the first of NFL OTA's (Organized Team Activities) to protest his contract. 2008-2009 league leading receiver and Pro Bowl WR Andre Johnson of the Houston Texans didn't report until three days after expressing his disinterest in his current deal which still has 5 years left on it. After ending his holdout of three OTA sessions, Johnson made an appearance where he stated, "Me sitting out is not going to help so I decided to come back."Washington Redskins defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth was also absent from OTA's just one year after the team made him the highest payed defensive player in the sport by inking a seven-year, $100 million contract just a season ago. Some leader he is...
