49ers x Week 1 x Cold as Ice

Favored to win the NFC West this year, the San Francisco 49ers began the 2010 NFL season, facing off against their northern neighbor and division foe -- the Seattle Seahawks. With Seattle winning the coin toss and selecting to receive, the 49er defense which has been the teams cornerstone for the past several seasons, forced a turnover on the very first play from scrimmage. Cornerback Nate Clements intercepted a pass from Seahawks Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, resulting in a 49er field-goal on their first drive. After a dominant first quarter in which the San Francisco offense outlasted the opposition in time of possession -- 13 minutes to 2 minutes, things began to get ugly quick for the 49ers.

Following a sizzling start for 49er QB Alex Smith, completing nine of his first 10 passes, San Francisco looked like they were in the drivers seat in what would be an easy win. But after two failed 4th down conversions early in the first half, including one in the redzone, the 49ers had to settle for field-goals as they led the game 6-0. Seattle answered back by marching down the field and scoring on a 1-yard run by Hasselbeck. Smith then froze, missing 12 of his next 21 pass attempts, including an intercepted pass ran back for a touchdown. Prior to the start of the season, coach Mike Singletary went on record during training camp saying, "I want a defensive line with bite." Instead, it was San Francisco's d-line that was bitten.

Within the opening minutes of the second half, the 49ers found themselves down by two scores before allowing a total of 31 unanswered points in route to a 31-6 loss. The run game which serves as a strong point for this mediocre 49er offense, played little to no effect on the game. There was no sign of the explosiveness we've all grown accustomed to seeing from RB Frank Gore, as he was held to only 38 rushing yards on 17 carries. With so many blown opportunities in week 1, there's tons of holes to point at and blame for the loss. But after the first quarter, I think it's safe to say the team played poorly as a whole. One thing I don't get however, is why coach Singletary decided to go for it on 4th down twice in the early going with the lead, but not late in the game down by 21+ points.

Not only does the loss for the 49ers result in a disappointing start to the 2010 season, but it also means a bright beginning for the newly hired Pete Carroll. As Carroll was congratulated by his peers, he was also thanked by an unlikely source, none other than coach Singletary who went on to say, "Thank you for kicking our tails, it was good medicine and we're going to take it." It's obvious the 49ers have some fixing to do after week 1, but it'll be hard to bounce back in week 2 as the 49ers head to the Bay Area for their first home game of the season as they host the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Hopefully honoring one of the Football Hall of Fame's newest members and the greatest of all-time -- Jerry Rice will serve as some encouragement to get the team back on track and in the win column.

Throwback Thursday x Samurai Mike

In one of my most recent posts, I briefly described 49ers head coach Mike Singletary's pro career as a linebacker. So I thought who better to dedicate a Throwback Thursday to, than the man of the hour -- Mike Singletary himself. Throughout his successful 11-year career with the Chicago Bears, Mike Singletary was a pro-bowl linebacker 10 of those 11 seasons and was known as "The Heart of the Defense" in the mid-80's while the team was dubbed the name "The Monsters of Midway". Singletary was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998, and helped the Bears win Superbowl XX. The 2-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year was ranked number 56 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.

Singletary began his coaching career with the Baltimore Ravens in 2003-2004 as an assistant coach and became an instant hit once the 49ers fired head coach Mike Nolan midway threw the year. The management and fans fell in love with his 'Go Hard or Go Home' mentality as the team finished the season 5-4 under his leadership. The 49ers front office liked the way Singletary went about doing business and offered him a 4-year $10 million dollar contract as 49ers head coach. Now that he's all cozy in the Bay Area, he'll have to face the team he once had a Hall of Fame career with.

IT'S BACK x FOOTBALL SEASON

Finally, it's back! Usually around this time of year I have the same feeling for football season. I love to watch the sport and will sit threw whatever game no matter who's playing, but the season is a little more enjoyable when your teams competing. The first week has been an eventful one, but nothing comes before my beloved 49ers.

This past Sunday marked the beginning of a new era - The Singletary era. After taking over the team midway through the season last year where former head coach Mike Nolan left off, Coach Mike Singletary made an instant impact. It didn't take long before he made it clear that winning was not a top priority, but the only priority. With his strict play he brings that 'win or go home' mentality and that's what everyone including myself likes about him. The city of San Francisco is advertised via billboards with coach Singletary and a few of his popular sayings which came soon after his Niners coaching debut that ended in a 34-14 loss to the Seahawks. The loss also led to a temper tantrum filled interview where Singletary went on to rant "I WANT WINNERS!" From then on he stamped the team with a bit of attitude that had victory written all over it and helped turn the team around. San Francisco held a record of 2-5 upon his arrival and finished the season 7-9, 5-4 under Singletary.

And this past Sunday was no exception. The Niners were in Glendale to take on the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals. The offense wasn't the most electric, but it didn't have to be. The defense held it's ground and shut Kurt Warner down forcing him to throw two costly interceptions. Did I forget to mention they did it all without an unsigned Michael Crabtree? This Sunday the Niners will make their home debut against their division rival - Seattle Seahawks. Or the Seattle Seachickens as we like to call them.