Greg Cosell spoke on KNBR Monday afternoon. He explained how the 49ers’ offense should attack the Packers’ defense. Here’s what Cosell said.
Q: What do you see as the key matchups in this game?
COSELL: We spoke about one, and that’s the ability to limit Rodgers when he gets outside the pocket. If he breaks down your defense that way and starts making explosive plays, you’re in trouble.
I think that the 49ers have to attack a bit on offense in this game. They have to be selective, but they have to attack. These teams played Week 1. I know it was a long time ago, but the Packers really struggled physically against the 49ers O-line in the run game. So you don’t want to abandon the run game. But I think it’s hard to play these games thinking you’re going to win 13-10 or 17-13.
That doesn’t mean you come out and toss it all over the yard because that’s not who the 49ers are, and you can’t totally step outside of character, but I think you’ve got to be selective with your shot plays and you’ve got to score touchdowns. It sounds cliché, but you know what I’m saying.
Q: Should the 49ers should show something new in the pass game?
COSELL: I would love to see them get Vernon Davis matched up against A.J. Hawk or a safety. You’ve got to game plan those shots. You can dictate those matchups and I think you have to try to be proactive with those.
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My head will explode if I see Kap overthrow Vernon again. I’ll be equally pissed if VD doesn’t give a serious effort to make plays in the playoffs this year. His form is off in the passing game and he almost seems disinterested. VD says all the right things. However, he’s the highest paid tight end in the NFL. He can’t have games where he doesn’t have an impact. If he can’t perform in this years playoffs, he made need to be on the trading block next year. It makes no sense to me that someone of his size, speed and experience, doesn’t know how to create space for himself and get open. I’ll never understand why he jumps to catch passes that he doesn’t have to jump for. I wish he’d rely on his hand to catch the ball more so than his body. For as well as VD did in the playoffs last year. I think this year is critical. VD has evolved into an amazing blocker. However, you’re not the highest paid tight end in the league for your blocking. We need VD to make plays in this offense, especially with the injuries we have at WR.
VD is a huge question mark. It’s been all season long. No one knows if it’s the system or VD. He’s either not a good enough route runner to get open, or Johnny Morton sucks. One or the other.
On another note, anyone notice that Clemons on Seattles line is done for the year. He accounted for 12 sacks I believe. That’s a huge impact.
Yup crappy fedex field=Torn ACL and meniscus. Seahawks missing a huge part of their D.
Vernon is a physical freak, but he definitely has to be utilized in a specific manner for him to be effective. He isn’t a Jimmy Graham/Rob Gronkowski/Tony Gonzalez TE. Those guys are built like power forwards, Vernon is built like a body builder. They don’t have quite as much straight line speed as Vernon but they have a much larger catch radius. Davis has tremendous straight line speed but is somewhat one dimensional in the passing game. Of course, he is a superior blocker compared to those other players.
good call, BigP, Vernon is a beast and i’m glad we have him, but some tight ends act like black holes for passes, hoovering up anything in their vicinity, but VD is not that kind of pass catcher. his hands and ball awareness are ok, not great. a good weapon, but not the destroyer of offenses.
The thing about those guys you mentioned is that they all have other guys that can make explosive plays in the passing game and/or elite QB’s to sustain drives. Crabtree makes plays with his YAC and rarely gets over the top, while Gore is almost exclusively an in between the tackles runner. We are still below average on third down which makes it hard to sustain drives. If I was a DC i would rather take my chances with Kaep/Smith sustaining drives and bottling Crabs in open space than having VD move the chains 30 yards at a time.
I think the main issue with Vernon is his lateral movement and ability to decelerate/ accelerate into and out of cuts. He just isn’t sharp making cuts, and rounds off a lot of his routes. This makes it easier for defenders to anticipate where he is going, and thereby reduces the effectiveness of his straight line speed.
Vernon isn’t a great hands catcher, and he doesn’t have the massive frame of a Jimmy Graham or Rob Gronkowski. To be a continual threat in the passing game he needs to be able to get open reliably, and for that he needs to be quicker in and out of cuts (ala Tony Gonzalez, Shannon Sharpe, etc). I’d suggest Vernon needs to trim down his upper body a little to improve his lateral movement.
But I think it’s hard to play these games thinking you’re going to win 13-10 or 17-13.
Where does that come from? The 49ers won the Week 1 game 30-22.
Greg Cosell = POS. He might as well have said we didn’t win “fair and square” in Week 1 since Green Bay’s WR’s were getting out physicalled by our DB’s.
Cam Inman has posted an short interview with Jeff Garcia, who gave his thoughts on the upcoming game against Green Bay:
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/49ers/2013/01/07/former-49ers-qb-talks-about-kaepernick-49ers-chances-vs-packers/
Clarification: Garcia’s interview was with 95.7 FM (KGMZ)
He will always be one of my personal favorites in a SF jersey. Not the strongest arm or accuracy but the heart of a lion.
Great at escaping and making a play. Very underrated QB.
Johnny Manziel is the second coming of J.Garcia.
AES
Manziel already shows the patience in the pocket JG never had. For all the great plays that he made there was an equal amount of jittery feet fleeing the pocket when it wasnt necesary folowed by a short hop throw at the WR knees. That said I liked Garcia and didnt think we should have gotten rid of him seting off our QB troubles
The most profound part of what Cosell said is the last answer:
COSELL: I would love to see them get Vernon Davis matched up against A.J. Hawk or a safety. You’ve got to game plan those shots. You can dictate those matchups and I think you have to try to be proactive with those.
This is something we’ve talked about on here for weeks and it still amazes me that they haven’t figured out a way to get VD more involved. This guy is a huge part of this offense when it’s at it’s best in the passing game and there are ways to isolate him on a good matchup like Hawk or one of the Packer Safeties. It doesn’t have to be a seam route or deepsideline either. Let him run a TE screen, or just have him drag late on a shallow route and get the ball in his hands. He is a matchup nightmare on LB’s and S’s and they have to figure out how to make it happen.
I think at this point in the season we all understand that Vernons lack of participation is a limitation on the part of the coaching staff….
Bring in Turner next year who understands how to spread the ball around, including to the backs.
A guy that got Gates involved every week. When do you hear the excuse that we can’t get the ball to, (Whitten, Gates, Gonzalez, Gronk, Hernandez ) because they are focusing on taking them away. Such a sad excuse.
Norv Turner?
What makes you think that he would scrap his digit system offense to come here and run Harbaugh’s BWO/pistol offense?
Or do you think Harbaugh would ditch his offense to install Turner’s system?
Norv Turner is an unrealistic proposition.
I agree with Claude. Norv is a hell of a offensive coordinator, but his system is completely different and would break the continuity that we have going.
Bay
I’m pretty sure that under Harbaugh and Roman, Stanford ran a pretty TE-oriented offense. Celek and Delanie have been getting open, but not Vernon. Why? Coaching, or some other reason?
Stanford’s TE’s can run routes and catch with their hands. Vernon’s gotten better but he’s not a natural hands catcher and his best routes are ones where he can simply run away from the defense: corner, seam crossing etc. He’s a much improved blocker though. That comes from willingness and want to, something Vernon has never lacked.
Completely agree Grimey.
@BigP…
Continuity of what we have going? Please enlighten me and a whole lot of other 9er fans where the ‘continuity’ comes into play….the offense displays flashes of ‘continuity’, but its far from regular….I don’t consider winning two and losing one, continuity……. We’re all so quick to point the finger at GR for the marginal showing by the ’9er offense, when in reality, JH is as much to blame, if not more, than GR…..according to JH, the play call comes down from GR and he has the option to let the play run or change it…..in either case, JH has culpibility in the anemic offensive showing….IMHO
55niner,
I don’t know what you are talking about. I said it would break the continuity they have because it would be a new offensive coordinator and a new offensive system. Turner runs a completely different offense, changing the offensive system would break the continuity.
Maybe he is not a huge part of the offense. I think that maybe Vernion Davis has become a very easy matchup for defensive coordinators.
It seems that teams have found a very easy way to nullify him in every game. Thye are simply putting bracket coverage on him with a LB and or DB/safety overtop. The fact is he is not a great route runner, not a leaper in the air for balls and at the TE position, your limited to the middle of the field or sometimes the sidelines.
The question is do you revolve your offense around a TE? I wouldnt but he has been productive and most certainly they need to utilize him more. However, he may have reached his ceiling in this style of offense.
Grant’s dad wrote a great article about how JH handled the switch, comparing how Pete Carroll went all in with Russell Wilson at the beginning of the year, and how JH waited for a concussion before he replaced Alex. JH is a better coach then MS but has a similiar conservative philosophy.
I don’t see why you would bring in Norv Turner, who runs a digit system, same as Jimmy Raye.
JH is much more intelligent that Singletary. JH has a power run team and I think he knows with the addition of CK at QB he needs to get more dynamic in the passing game.
If Roman doesn’t go, then Johnny Morton certainly needs to be replaced.
That’s a crap comparison and one that Lowell only made because he doesn’t like Harbaugh. Or because he likes to be polemic. Or both.
It was easy for Carrol to go to Wilson once he saw he was the better QB because Flynn never played a snap for the Hawks. And almost never played in the NFl.
So it’s not like he was giving up much leaving him on the bench.
As for Harbaugh, as much as he liked Kaep (his hand-picked QB), Smith was coming from a very effective season in which he led the team to NFC Championship Game.
And he was even better this pre season, and confirmed that by playing like maybe a Top 5 QB in the league, or close to that.
So it was totally injustifiable to start the season with AS on the bench. Even if Harbaugh tought Kaep was the better player (which I think he did), he needed a break to make/justify the switch.
Which he got with AS’s concussion and Kaep’s great MNF game.
77
But in all fairnes to PC his decission was easier to make. Flynn was unproven and T Jackson sucks so going with Russel wasn’t that brave. Had he replaced a winning QB in the middle of the season he would have raised a lot more eyebrows. Had JH replaces AS in the begingng of the season that would have been risky as well since AS took them to the NFCCG the year prior
Allan,
Well said. The circumstances in Seattle and the position of the head coaches in relation to the presumptive starting QB’s was totally different. Smith was the starter at the outset of this year, and it wasn’t really even a discussion.
Rocket,
I disagree with the premise that an offense can always “dictate match-ups”. If a defense is willing to sell out to take a particular player out of the game (eg. ensuring VD is covered underneath with help over the top), then there’s nothing the offense can do about it, except…….start throwing to the stud all-pro WR that’s enjoying having the focus of the defense on the tight end.
It’s no coincidence that Crabtree’s exploded as VD’s numbers have dropped. 49′ers are simply taking what the defense gives’em. Crab keeps it up, defenses will have to adjust, and either Vernon will have less attention, or somewhere else will be neglected. They can only put 11 defenders out there.
Angus,
We’ll have to agree to disagree. An offense can create matchups that work in their favor in a variety of ways(motion, quick screen, delay into the pattern, picks etc). There is no excuse for a TE with Davis’ skill to be invisible during a game, especially with the attention a defense has to pay to the Niner running game.
Buahahahahaha. Mike Singletary interviewing for Bear Head coach position. LOL. Can you say, “courtesy interview”.
If he could get Norv Turner as his OC, that might not be a bad move, PR wise at the very least.
FDM,
you think that cat is going to change his stripes? Control freak to the max. Won’t let coaches do their jobs. Predictable as hell. Strategery? Right up with with George W. Bush Jr. Dropping his pants was his form of motivation. Singletary is a cro magnon man.
FDM,
We are talking about Dingleberry, the khaki dropper extraordinaire.
Who knows? Maybe he learned something from his face-plant with the 9ers.
I’m sure he learned to keep his pants on, but he still needs to learn how to coach.
Bay,
I dont think it was a joke. I think Singletary would add a lot to that defense. I think Sing would ignite the fan base. I think he has adjusted his ways and like any intellegent person, learned from his mistakes here. I like the idea that someone just posted with the addition of Norv Turner. Remember, Turner could also help sing. Norv has been a head coach. Sing has definitely helped Leslie Frazier. And I firmly believe Sing learnef a lot from Frazier as well. Frazier is the opposite of Sing.
If the bears are gonna hire Singletary why didn’t they just keep Lovie? What they need is an O-coodinator , an o-line coach, some young playmakers on defense, and some decent linemen.
Lovie Smith was fired for failing to build an offense. He was a defensive coach and a highly respected former coordinator. Singletary has never been a coordinator. He is a motivational speaker masquerading as a NFL coach. He lacks the skill set and the knowledge to be an effective NFL head coach. Singletary’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t know that he lacks the skill set and the knowledge to be an effective NFL head coach.
That’s what I’m saying BigP, it’s a step backwards. Singletary’s biggest failure here was not successfully building an offense.
@ BigP:
Singletary’s biggest problem is that he doesn’t know that he lacks the skill set and the knowledge to be an effective NFL head coach.
I tend to agree with you. It seems Singletary is an example of the Dunning–Kruger effect.
Grimey,
I agree. I personally think that Singletary has no business being the head coach of an NFL franchise. I think people forget just how bad he was and how arrogant he became at the end of his tenure. “We’ve set out to win the division. We’re going to win the division, I promise you. Remember me when we do.” Could it be anymore about him? The guy is clueless. Here is a clip of one of Singletary’s halftime speeches: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L3TKPwznuY
Claude,
Lol, indeed. We were discussing the Dunning–Kruger effect a couple of weeks ago as it related to politicians.
ROFLMFAO! “You laughin now biotch?!” I’m wiping tears outta my eyes BigP.
Big P,
Like any adult, one tends to learn from their mistakes. Sing is no idiot. He seemed to have gotten the Vikings linebackers and defense to respond to him. They were a pretty good defensive team.
They also shut us down completely on
offense. He’s not perfect. None of us are. But most of us learn from our mistakes. I find it hard to believe he couldnt either. He certainly h
Jordan,
I agree with you that people learn from mistakes. I’m sure he has as well. I just don’t think Singletary is qualified to be a head coach in the NFL. He has never been a coordinator. He is a glorified LB technique coach. He shares the LB coach duties in Minnesota. He certainly looks the part though: http://www.sfexaminer.com/files/blog_images/MIKE%20SINGLETARY.jpg
23 jordan says “Like any adult, one tends to learn from their mistakes”
Does this apply to honoring your bets?
Who said he was intelligent??? Singletary is a bully and a thug hiding behind his religion. He’s dumb as a box of nails and a paranoid delusional creep…
@ I.P.
That’s why the video posted above by BigP is soooo hilarious.
Grimey,
Hahaha…..”Repeat after me biotch!”
BigP,
Singletary has never been a coordinator. He is a motivational speaker masquerading as a NFL coach. He lacks the skill set and the knowledge to be an effective NFL head coach.
Nailed it. The Fire and Brimstone speeches only get you so far. A HC has got to have a sense of what to do in every given situation and Sing couldn’t do that. He was Coaching from a players mentality which is why we had the dropped pants, the Hill and the Nutcracker drill. He was in way over his head and it’s because he didn’t learn how to be a Coach by paying his dues and learning all aspects of the game. He’s still the crazy MLB with the eyes popping out ready to rip somebodys head off. Great for a MLB, not so good for a HC.
FDM,
Where you been little guy? Over that Alex thing yet? I guess not.
FDM, good to see you posting again. Good times.
I hope Bears do hire Singletary…..That’s one less team to worry about in NFC for atleast 4 games next season.
BigP,
OMG, that was friggin’ hilarious!!
I have to admit, when we hired Singletary, and he was going off about “Physical with an F!” I was absolutely loving it – trash talking my buddies like it was 1989 again!
Alas, it didn’t take long for me to start wondering if it was all bluster. The product on the field was so bad, and he wanted to be a great coach so badly, it was kinda sad.
Mike singletary inteviewing anywhere = Como se dice ‘Rooney rule’ en Espanol? But in the case of the bears its also a nice story for the fans.
Speaking of KNBR..has the 9-12 show even mentioned that Notre Dame was stomped and squished by ‘Bama?
They fear Bob’s wrath THAT MUCH?..I guess they do.
Washington accusing the Seahawks of playing dirty I hope the Commissioner watches these games and steps up.
Seattle is a very dirty team. Just watch how the CBS grab and tug and pull on WRS way past the 5 yard line.
Washington should check themselves and their dumbass coach before calling other teams dirty. It’s funny to me however that analysts keep saying “Seattle plays with great energy”. HELLO! Adderall anyone?
Ha! “Look at his incredible focus throughout the play!” “What great concentration, vision, and mental quickness!” And some idiots didn’t understand how adderol could be considered a PED…
It’s a PED till you get spun.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kxDvTaP-SU
BOS9er,
Your rationale for the necessity for everyone to be on HGH and steroids is that they need to, to protect themselves, as everyone they’re playing against is on HGH and steroids???
Hah! That sounds like your gun control debate.
The NFL should be ashamed of itself for it’s avoidance of this issue. No north american sports have any sort of effective PED control regime in place, especially the NFL.
I say this as an avid cyclist, who constantly gets his heart broken by the latest doping scandal in that sport, but it’s the only sport with any sort of effective PED control system in place.
Well…..that got posted in the wrong spot. While I’m here, it’s my understanding that Adderall is used by nfl players as a masking agent, not as a PED in and of itself.
If they want the “mental quickness” edge, they’ll drink a couple of strong coffees, which tons of athletes do….it’s more effective.
Should we read into the fact that the kicker competition went to Candlestick park and only Cundiff and the holder were there? No Akers.
I think Harbaugh has probably already seen what he needs to see from Akers at the stick.
NFL ball looks doped up to my eyes. These guys are on some form of crank, pain meds and who knows what else. Ya want to get a pulitzer, get a plumber to hitch into the toilet system in the locker rooms and send the pee out for analysis. I’m sure it would contain a substantial amount of illegal drugs…
IP
Ur probably right but I DONT CARE. Without HGH half the league would be on IR by week 3. This is modern day gladiators. Blood sport if u will. I want to see Ray Lewis play and if that means he has to shoot horse steroids or whatever to get out there do it. Im all set watching 5th stringers play XFL quality football if we ban Toradol,and all the other “goodies”. I dont really care that much that Sherman and Browner are juiced i just wish the refs would call pi.
As an ex-doper who knows firsthand what crank and its friends do to your body long after you use it, I guess I do care…
IP
I meant as a fan and as a consumer Im not gona have that “Joe Buck fake indignation” that people are using PED in football. Obviously i wouldn’t want my friends or family to take it but if PED gets Justin Smith back from injury in 4 weeks as opposed to 12 then im all for it. Urlacker said that he would continue taking Toradol (i know its not a ped) even though he knows it can cause long term damage. Those who take HGH know the risks but choose to take it anyway.
I was speaking from a fan standpoint that im not gona put an asterisk next to B Browners Int or Merriman’s sacks like MLB has done to BB and the other “cheats”
Angus
I think you misunderstood me. I didnt say that players take it “in self defense” because everybody is doing it. I was saying that Football is inherently such a violent sport that without the Toradols and the Ped’s everybody would just get injured all the time. Even with the Ped’s (now) people get injured and miss time all I meant is that “time mised due to injury” would increase significantly and that the Quality of the play on the field would decrease.
Cyclists dope to shave seconds off their time. NFLers dope to be able to get up from bed in the morning and heal in time for Sunday (or thursday) for our entertainment
Lewis Black on Lance Armstrong
I mean look what doping did for him. This is a guy who had cancer in his lungs, his brain, his testicles, he went through chemo, and lost one of his balls for Christ’s sake and he’s getting double the oxygen out of every breath.
The question shouldn’t be, ‘Was he doping?’ The question should be, ‘Why aren’t all of us doping?’
If the 49er defense can’t pressure Rodgers it won’t matter what the offense does. They’ll find themselves in a hole early. They aren’t a come from behind offense so it’s going to be a long night for the 49ers.
I think you throw a wrench into GB’s preparation by starting Alex Smith over Kaepernick. I know it didn’t work earlier in the season, but now that Kaepenick is better seasoned, I’d bring him in on specific formations and allow him to run with some freedom to pass the ball.
You’d cause a little bit of uncertainty for GB’s D and we all know that Alex Smith has already beaten GB once. You have two great Qb’s why not pull all the stops out when you have nothing to lose?
Seriously,
who would even think about bringing in a QB who hasn’t played a snap in 8 straight weeks. Jeezus that makes us sound real smart as a fan base. Especially with cheesehead fans coming in here to talk trash.
Their fans are focused on winning, and we have wackos talking about bringing in the backup QB…..
Bay,
I thought it was a good idea! ( sarcasm) LOLOLOL.
@ Matt:
I’m not touching that topic with a ten foot pole. Good luck.
I was wondering, however, whether your background gave you any insight into Justin Smith’s triceps injury. If he wears the same type of brace that Ray Lewis wore, what is the likelihood that he can play without tearing the tendon completely? Can he play effectively with a partially torn triceps? What can/can’t he do with his left arm with that injury and wearing that brace?
I agree Bay, however, I think the psychological gains from starting the first series with Smith would benefit the team intially. Then, you could allow Kaepernick the freedom of running the ball as if he were the second back. I believe Webb exposed GreenBay’s lack of discipline and aggressive pass rush. Just a hypothetical though :)
@ Claude, The MOI is two fold here. The initial problem is the bone spurs which cause inflamation and limit the range of motion. Then with a distal tear to the tricep tendon, you lose elbow extension strength. It’s been my experience with this injury that the patient is unable to extend their hand above their head against the pull of gravity.
I believe the brace is going to be a precautionary device only meant to prevent a full tear and any auxillary motion to the arm.
I know it has been reported it’s a matter of how much pain Jutin Smith can deal with on whether or not he will play, but that’s only about 20% of the problem. The major problem here is the partial distal tear of the tendon.
The brace isn’t going to work as a tendon. It’s only going to prevent a range of motion. Justin Smith won’t be able to extend the arm out. He’ll be able to use it as a hook in the running game but not as a punch in the pass rush.
Even using it as a hook, I believe the NFL has rules regarding braces. Though it’s classified as a brace, it’s probably better thought of as a cast with no range of motion.
His effectiveness in the game is going to really come down to how well he can use that brace as either a club or a hook. I believe that is what he is “practicing” this week.
Matt,
No chance in hell of your Alex Smith idea coming to fruition but that was an informative post about the obstacles Justin Smith will face this weekend. Thanks for the info.
@ Matt:
Thanks for the explanation putting Smith’s injury in context. It was very helpful. I have been frustrated by the lack of articles from the SF media regarding Smith’s injury and how it is likely to affect the way he plays. I know they are at the mercy of the 49ers/Harbaugh with regard to the information provided by the team, but it didn’t seem like anyone was doing any research to figure out what the injury might mean within the mechanics of playing on the interior d-line.
Anyway, thanks again.
Nice job Matt on the explanation of injury.
Matt,
Yes, I for one am very interested in how effective Justin Smith might be using his arm and brace as a giant club, repeatedly and viscously bludgeoning hapless lineman into submission, and beyond….
Matt
Can you send that explanation over to Mike McCarthy post haste? Extremely informative.
Matt,
Why you are at it, how about bring back Brandon Jacobs and Braylon Edwards. These guys already know the playbook pretty good. Oh wait you can’t never mind.
I deserve all the sarcasm and shots for that Alex Smith comment. It was a ludicrous idea based on too much time to think about it and not enough sleep. Thank you though to all of you for keeping it light hearted.
At some point the 49ers will need a 3 yard pass on 3rd and 7. When that time comes Alex will be ready, never fear.
EXACTLY lol. But the Smithers will say he’s one for one with a good QBR…
@ msc:
Let it go, man; let it go.
Who keeps bringing up Alex Smith?
It’s no coincidence that Crabtree’s exploded as VD’s numbers have dropped. 49′ers are simply taking what the defense gives’em. Crab keeps it up, defenses will have to adjust, and either Vernon will have less attention, or somewhere else will be neglected.
This.
I’ve had trouble believing that VD’s production is simply due to his own play, or that the coaches would somehow deliberately exclude him, or at least so without provocation. I do have doubts about Morton. Our WR corps has been lacking for a long time. I also have doubts about Roman, but have to appreciate our O is evolving with CK as QB.
But I also agree with the posters above regarding VD’s innate receiving skills. He’s strong and fast. Check. He does not have gifted hands. Ball has to be nestled perfectly in stride, pretty much. Wish it were otherwise.
It is disappointing, and makes for nervous anticipation, going into the playoffs with a WR corps that is so thin, and unassuming. Crabs deserves credit for stepping up his game. But GB can put their secondary on target for VD and Crabs, and that leaves not much else. Walker gets open a lot, but as we ll know that is a coin flip on whether he’ll catch it or not. I gotta hope that there are no drops this Sat. I don’t expect much from AJ.
Vernon has already proven what he can do come playoff time. Nuff said. He’s the last person I’m worried about showing up on game day. Our receiving core might seem thin, but compared to last year when we had to resort to starting Brett Swain, we’ll be alright. Brett Swain haha what a joke.
Sando’s got some interesting thought’s about Vernon’s production.
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/87967/the-search-for-vernon-davis-part-one
http://espn.go.com/blog/nfcwest/post/_/id/88034/the-search-for-vernon-davis-resolved
Matt,
You mentioned a psychological gain if AS started the game, but failed to fully detail your motives.
I personally don’t see any psychological advantage at all with your proposal.
I remember when there was a outcry of complaints when CK came in for special packages early in the season while AS was still the starter.
And the complaints rained down even when CK was successful about 80% of the time.
The biggest peave was that the offensive rhythm was being disrupted when CK was sent in. Even though, as I mentioned CK produced on a high percentage and as Harbaugh asserted, “CK provided a spark to the offense.”
While CK’ upside provided a “spark” (as Coach noted), what spark would AS provide if he started. There is (have to admit) no spark to AS’ game. There are many strong facets to AS’ game, but spark (as Harbaugh refers to it) is not one of them
If AS had to play, I would prefer to see him play at the back-end of the game if we have a substantial lead. He may have an advantage over CK in managing and protecting a good lead.
There’s no psychological gain there, but it would certainly put AS in an area that suits his strength.
I for one was one that didnt like the rotation thing and still dont, CK is the QB, he plays all the snaps.
AES,
I’d rather have Alex continue to protect tge bench and his shiny new free agent contract for next season. Lol.
I.P. Daily says:
January 8, 2013 at 12:28 pm
“Who said he was intelligent??? Singletary is a bully and a thug hiding behind his religion. He’s dumb as a box of nails and a paranoid delusional creep”…
Singletary was not head coaching material and we all knew that going in. At the very outset the majority of posters felt that all Sing had to do was be a motivator and bring his intense energy to the locker room.
I said at the time of his hiring, that he would have to surround himself with very good coaches and coordinators. Not being able to keep Martz on board and bringing in Raye worked to his eventual doom.
His players never quit on him and had high respect for him. Even VD, who would likely have the best reason to distrust and dislike Sing after being embarrassed on TV, has said that Sing provided a turning-point in his career.
Calling him a bully, hiding behind his religion, and dumb as nails, should be prefaced as this being your own opinion of him.
That certainly was not the opinion of his players, and that stands out as more important in my book.
AES,
Singletary is as dumb as nails, calling the QB, just one of the guys, and just one position showed that.
Neal,
Obviously, Sing did not have the articulation and tact when voicing his comments. But AS during Sing’ tenure is not the same AS that Harbaugh constructed.
Sure, Sing didn’t know anything about QBing, but he did nothing to help himself with the hiring of Raye.
The one season that Martz was here, he obviously did not see enough in AS’ game and started J.T. O’Sullivan.
Like I said, Sing may not have used the best tact in describing the QB position, but looking back at the QB corps he had to work with, he may not have been too far off when he said the QB position was not high on priority.
>>The one season that Martz was here, he obviously did not see enough in AS’ game and started J.T. O’Sullivan.
Actually, it wasn’t so much Alex’s game that Martz didn’t see enough in, it was his shoulder injury that he did see.
“Alex, when I had him, he was just not right,” Martz said. “He missed a lot of throws that he normally wouldn’t miss. I knew there was something wrong. I didn’t say anything to him. And eventually he realized it, and that’s when he had his (shoulder) surgery.”
–MMartz
Yeah, yeah, I know. Alexcuses…. so retro, right?
Thanks Rib, AS was indeed coming off shoulder surgery. But the QB pickings were slim especially given the fact that JT was the starter.
As you will appreciate AES, now that Crabtree is fullyhealthy, he is very good. Same as we have seen with Alex the past year and a half, once healthy and in a very suited system for him, he was very good.
@ AES:
Smith wasn’t just coming off of surgery, he was still injured. That’s why he had to have more surgery.
Thanks Claude, I stand corrected on AS’ injury. Was AS out for the entire 2008 season?
I’ll need to do a better job at finding facts (lol).
AES,
Yes he was out for the entire 2008 season. He also played 3 games in 2007 before the shoulder injury. That means almost 2 season lost due to injury. That’s why I smh when people continually refer to Smith’s career as 6 years of being a bust. It was interrupted by a serious career threatening injury that blew up two years of his career. When he finally got healthy, he replaced his buddy and has gotten better every season since. There are a lot of biased opinions that cloud the reality of Smith’s career, which is the main reason I continually point out flaws in Smith haters reasoning.
He hasn’t been great by any means, but if you put his career in the context it really deserves to be – including the Coaching and injury setbacks- you see the guy improved every year he was on the field playing. Not just when Harbaugh came in, but every season.
Great points Rocket.
I hope AS finds success in the next chapter of his playing career.
Any suggestions as to where he could flourish?