Posted By: ninerindallas (30/07/2008 10:44:32 PM)
Comment: Does anyone else suspect that maybe mike nolan like copped a cheap feel offa' MikeInSac, i mean this guy has a real personal beef...lol...isn't it funny that the people that blame Nolan and the Yorks for not keeping an o.c. around and thus causing instabilty are the very same people that what to chage coaches and owners. a new head coach would most likely result in an entire new staff on both sides of the ball, new owners means that they would need a baseline buisness model so they wouldn't be spending the amount of money the yorks are. Stadium issuse's aside, i would like to give a pat on the back to the Yorks themsevles. not only have they let loose of the checkbook recently, but they haven't just given up on Nolan, personally i would rather have long tenured def minded head coach {what was that guy in pittsburg's name again????} i hope these posts are stored somewhere so at the end of the season after we make the playoffs, the ones who knew {Me} can publicly mock and laugh at the stupity of those {MikeInSac} who think they can monday morning this francise into a dynasty overnight.

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (30/07/2008 10:07:56 PM)
Comment: Mike in MD and other level-headed long time 9er fans. Relax. Nolan knows D, I won't take that from him. He is vanilla on O, has had a revolving door at OC, but short of his lack of game management and media presser skills, he does seem to have a good core of character guys that show up to work together. Martz will need time to get everyone in sync with the necessary timing his offense demands and that I'm afraid may take until week 4 of the regular season. Until then, the D will dominate, the running game will mask inadequacies early, and we'll gain momentum each week. Right now, work, work, work and get it right. Timing is everything with Mad Mike. Manusky and Singletary will carry the load until the O fires on all cylinders.

Posted By: Change (30/07/2008 8:38:24 PM)
Comment: Just a little info for everyone. Since Nolan took over, only 10 teams in the NFL haven't made the playoffs, obviously the 49ers are one of these. But of the others (Bills, Dolphins, Browns, Texans, Raiders, Lions, Vikings, Cardinals & Rams) all changed coaches within 4 years except the Browns. So all the other teams with playoff droughts as long as the 49ers have made efforts to change. While out here in Niner-land, we just want to keep giving time to a coach who has yet to tickle even 8-8.

Posted By: randm (30/07/2008 8:26:02 PM)
Comment: I was at Monday's pm practice and I'd have to say that I was much more optimistic about the season before I saw practice. A lot of dropped balls, a lot of passes that just didn't look good. I did see a couple of nice catches from the receivers but overall the offense looked bad. Zack Kessey dropped about four balls alone. He looks like a linebacker that was converted to fullback. I know it's early so I'll cut them some slack. I guess this is what we have this season so I might as well get behind them and hope for the best.

Posted By: Dummy Police (30/07/2008 7:37:59 PM)
Comment: I see we have the same cast of Dummies,oneniner and his cast of idiot clones,this all falls on Mike Nolan and ownwership to hell with all the O.C. changes.Mr Nolan hired these guys and John York hired Mike Nolan if we were to use the excuse of 4 in 4,that would mean that Nolan would never be held accountable if that pattern continued.Yorks hired Nolan who had no head coaching experience,so therefore Nolan had no staff no one who had a history of sticking by his side(remember how hard it was for him to get his staff together)he had no one with a commitment to him,therefore they had no problem leaving so when the opportunity arose to leave they left or they werent qualified. Now we have Mike Martz who i have all the confidence in to get the offense rolling,but realistically Martz will either be head coach here within 2 years or he will be gone.as far as the messy practices lets not panic

Posted By: http:// (30/07/2008 7:37:44 PM)
Comment: It's no wonder that coaches trend towards closed practices thru TC...including the press and fans. So much micro-coaching from a bunch of nincomepoops...None of you know what the h e double hockey sticks your talking about including the reporter. Not even the second week of practice and all this hand ringing already. Stop it.

Posted By: Giovanni Carmazzi (30/07/2008 7:26:16 PM)
Comment: The funny conclusion is that it may be smarter to have an offensive minded coach, since a coaching change on the defensive coorindator side of the ball is preferable to change on the offensive side. The problem is that several coaches I can think of come in touted as offensive coaches and end up excelling at defense and vice versa.

Posted By: BrodietoParks (30/07/2008 7:18:13 PM)
Comment: So Mike in Sac so what you are saying our first two OCs should of stayed with the Niners and pass up a headcoaching job or better yet we should of kept Hostler. I guess Holegram and many many other coaches the Niners groomed should of all stayed with the Niners? Give me a break. You blame Nolan for everything cause he is the headcoach. So if for some reason the Niners do very well this season does he get the credit. The answer is no on both counts. He has put togeather a good talented team compared to where we were even 10 years ago when TO the biggest whinner of them all. You make valid points for sure. You also make some bad points also. Sounds like you and Nolan come from the same family. You both have some good ideas and some bad ones. So all you whiners out there if firing Nolan is going to get us to the Super Bowl this year then lets do it other then that shut up and quit the whining.

Posted By: 9erman in memphis (30/07/2008 7:14:39 PM)
Comment: guys yall don't need to panic. hell it's still earlie do you expect them to learn the offense like superman? no it's a learning process for all the offensive players. the ball will roll their way you just wait and see. hey matt do you think sullivan can run the offense since he already know the offense in detroit?

Posted By: Mike in Sac (30/07/2008 7:01:30 PM)
Comment: My point is exactly the turnover in the staff and the resulting four systems. Who hires the coaches? Nolan? Who is clueless about offesne, Nolan. Who runs the ship? Nolan. Get my drift of where the blame should fall? Nolan.

Posted By: Mike in Sac (30/07/2008 6:57:56 PM)
Comment: In that last post when I was referring to assembling his team I meant coaching staff.

Posted By: StonerLab (30/07/2008 6:56:01 PM)
Comment: Mike in Sac, You mentioned Bono saying how competetive Young & Montana were in practice. This 49er offense is no where near what those guys did but that's just the point isn't it? how can you possibly compare the 80's offense to this offense? The Bill Walsh offense only got better becuase they had continuity...I'll say it again CONTINUITY with the offense & at the QB position for a long time & they were constantly evolving & making the offense even better like a fine bottle of Cabernet. This offense has been thru 4 offensive schemes in 4 years, say what you will about that & call it an excuse but I know better. That situation is not good for a veteran QB much less a young QB like Alex. And that point cannot be denied, I don't care what anybody says.

Posted By: Mike in Sac (30/07/2008 6:54:40 PM)
Comment: Jon, I actually just turned down a great job opportunity. Sometimes it is not about the money but finishing what you started. Key to a good team, finding people committed to a job and that will stick around and not run for the bigger and better deal at first chance. Nolan needed to make sound decisions on the offensive side of the ball when he assembled his team, and in retrospect now knowing his deficiency in running an offense, well, it is a big deal to keep turning over coaches; just look at our finished product.

Posted By: oneniner (30/07/2008 6:41:27 PM)
Comment: typo....1 training camp with Martz can't fix everything

Posted By: Mark (30/07/2008 6:39:49 PM)
Comment: As much as I like Nolan and what the 49ers are doing with players ie. the Draft and Free Agents I would have to say the ownership SUCKS. It is apparently the worst in the league. In saying I think Nolan is a good coach. I would also say that if Eddie D was still owner Nolan would have been gone LONG AGO. This team will not be a contender again until Dork moves on and someone else takes over that treats this team as more than a hobby.

Posted By: oneniner (30/07/2008 6:38:54 PM)
Comment: if Nolan is fired the new coach is going to change the team, we might end up re-building personnel, probably thru FA, we will be just like the other losers out there grooming talent and trading them cuz of personnel changes.......i like what i see on the team, i want them to stay in ninerland, i don 't want them to leave cuz a new coach is trying to lay his own plan down . We just need more time.......1 training camp with Martz can fix everything.

Posted By: oneniner (30/07/2008 6:30:52 PM)
Comment: wow...Mike in Sac......I am wit you 100%. ..it does suck!!!. whinning is not the answer we just have to go with the flow and stick with the McNolan plan........we are better off now because of the Mcnolan foundation, most teams don't have this much young talent, its obvious if given "time" things will turn out well, the "what hav you done lately" mindset is growing.......we need at least 2 more seasons under nolan/martz to get this ball rolling...........

Posted By: mike in MD (30/07/2008 6:30:24 PM)
Comment: Mike in Sac..nice insight on the practices. I didn't know the passing was that extreme...40/41 completions, OMG we're no where near that. That is one thing that worries me. I remember Sapolo & others on the O say they used to run plays over & over & OVER until it was practically perfect. That's so lacking with us right now, we need to somehow get that back. When Martz finally installs his Offense I wonder if he's that type once everyone starts to really grasp, absorb, & hopefully become very skilled on some of his playbook. This is like a crash course right now learning his Offense. I predict it will take 1/2 the season to get comfortable with it & get consistent positive results. Man I miss the Master. RIP Bill & thanks again for some of the absolute best times in my life.

Posted By: jon (30/07/2008 6:16:56 PM)
Comment: hey mike from sac. i dont understand how u can sit there and complain about nolan be a huge part of how bad the offense is. if someone chooses to leave the team for a better job, how can you blame him? im sure if a better job opportunity came your way, you wouldn't hesitate to take it. regardless of what your boss says to you. unless of course you are an idiot. 4 OC's in 4 years is ridiculous, i agree. but to blame nolan for it, even for most of it is just plain stupid.

Posted By: Mike in Sac (30/07/2008 5:59:49 PM)
Comment: Time to panic, probably not, but time to be pissed about the 49ers, absolutely. This afternoon Steve Bono was interviewed by KNBR and he was asked about Joe and Steve, and what he saw from them in practice. It went something like they had very high standards; with a comment about the guys going 40-41 in passing drills. The ball never touched the ground and receivers being in the right spot. Maybe even a few asses getting chewed if there were screw-ups. This team is still so bad. It starts with ownership and flows right down to Nolan. None of us seem all that worried about the defense because we have had some continuity and there is decent talent (I think the D can be good assuming they are not on the field for 40 minutes and playing from behind all the time), however on offense it is a whole different ball game. Lets face it we are playing a game where we have to score to win and we can't score. This ridiculous carousel of offensive coaching is finally coming to haunt us (four schemes in four years you are joking right? Expansion teams don't have that much change). Nolan is reaping the rewards of not being able to keep a staff together on the offensive side of the ball, never mind this idiot knows nothing about offense so that makes it even worse. Bono talked about how being in the same system for so long made things very easy, however in a year where he played up north where they did not run a WCO he was freaking lost. Personally I am coming to the conclusion Smith never had a chance, nor will Hill. The amount of change that has been forced on these guys has to be unbearable and this all falls on Nolan. Dammit this sucks!!

Posted By: BrodietoParks (30/07/2008 5:56:13 PM)
Comment: Over many years I have watched the Niners and I have never seen a bunch of winers and ill imformed fans. Many of you dont even understand football. Bring back Garcia are you kidding me. Hill a starter thats just as bad. A fan supports their team win lose or draw and if you dont like the team find another one. I too have questions about Nolan and Smith but they are running the show and I will stick by them till they are gone. Do the fans no what practice is? Its the time to work out the problems and deal with the mistakes. Keeping stats for practice - come on Matt your better then that. So what I am saying for all you winers your just as bad as the team your crying about.

Posted By: mike in MD (30/07/2008 5:50:54 PM)
Comment: Sounds like this could be a temporary information overload to some of the players. What do you think Matt? Martz hasn't finished fully installing his offense yet right? I'm thinking at first (& still) these guys are psyched to bury last season & to hear a SB caliber OC coach them who knows what he's talking about. Finally an attacking creative offense commanded by a real GENERAL & their soaking it up. I sense, though I could be wrong, but it seems like some of the guys hit a wall & could be saying to themselves in the back of their minds...whoa, when does this end? Another set of new pages of the playbook to learn & incorporate today?? When is this Offense finally going to be fully inserted? 3 WR sets mainly, 2 TE's, 4 WR's..with the amount of plays & variations for each one. Then there's the teaching of the WR's how to correctly/exactly run an accurate timing route, different pre-snap motions for deception & creating mismatches, the playmakers having to understand how a particular D is going to play them & what their options will be, + hot reads...when does the MM playbook end? From what I understand many of the O-guys have much more homework than usual on a regular basis. There's A LOT to grasp. We all knew there were going to be "growing pains" & this is that 1st bump with MANY more to come. But it's the start of what I hope & think will be a very improved Offense. Can't wait for pre-season to show us where were at. Keep the faith all, Martz is hungry for this & so are his troops. Go Niners!!

Posted By: oneniner (30/07/2008 5:25:16 PM)
Comment: this cowards will change their screen names wen smith start putin up big numbers......Toby - Brett Favre 2006 stats were 100% identical to A.Smith 2006 stats....nobody said brett favre sucked.....that is why i hav the view i do........if you use your brain maybe you would have sensible opinions too....

Posted By: StonerLab (30/07/2008 4:59:53 PM)
Comment: Matt, Look what you've done in posting this article. You've started a BUSH FIRE!, Wow....man, people need to take a deep breath! As I stated before Martz's offense is very complexed & it WILL take time for the offense to obsorb everything. I also agree with most of the 49er Empire about Alex taking all the 1st string snaps not because of just taking more snaps but building chemistry with the 1st string offense specifically the O-line & RB's. That's where I have the problem with Nolan. I've said this before but I'll say it again, who is Nolan kidding if he thinks anybody other than Alex is going to be the starting QB come week #1? And if Nolan has any common sense if he goes along with that theory than why not have Alex taking most of the snaps with the 1st string? Matt, your thoughts?

Posted By: dave in boise (30/07/2008 4:55:16 PM)
Comment: Matt, Please change the title of your post to "Niner Defense Dominates Practice" so these guys can go back to a normal routine. Also, your shirt reminded me of the Rio Vista tournament circa 1985. We're goin' to Rio baby.

Posted By: SonocoNinerFan (30/07/2008 4:55:01 PM)
Comment: For those who've played football at any level you know that there will be bad practices from time to time, especially early during two-a-days. It's hard to keep the fire burning and a high level of concentration twice a day every day. Don't fret . . . they'll be fine.

Posted By: NJM (30/07/2008 4:52:44 PM)
Comment: I officially bestow the first annual "Susan Powder Award" to Coach Mike Nolan of the San Francisco 49ers. (For god's sake, man, STOP THE INSANITY!) I'm giving 20-to-1 odds to every person on this blog -- Maiocco included -- who believes Nolan will actually name Hill starting QB for the first regular season game. Come on y'all, don't be shy, step right up and place your bets... Be the first to say you believe Nolan will proclaim the No. 1 pick in the 2005 NFL Draft -- and his first ever pick -- a bust, less than a year after some 300-pound slob ended his season in game three (for all intents and purposes). So, why might you ask, does Nolan win the coveted SPA? Because when I read in this blog that he's having Smith practice with the second team (while JT runs the first team) -- because it would be "unfair" to Hill while he's icing his shoulder -- I have to believe the man has lost his freaking mind -- especially considering how bad practice evidently was today. One would think you'd like to get Smith all the first-team reps he can get at this point... (Question: Is Goldson not allowed to practice with the first team while Roman sits out? Because Matt has reported that Nolan is calling that a "competition" too...) Listen, if I'm Alex Smith, I'm in the phone to my agent tonight demanding a trade. This has become the ultimate clusterfudge and I wouldn't blame him one bit if he wanted out of the nuthouse Nolan has created. Who out there disagrees with this assesment? Anyone?

Posted By: rad (30/07/2008 4:44:24 PM)
Comment: GAVIN NEWSOME IS TO BLAME ANY TWOSOME NEWSOME AND HIS PRO GAY PRO ILLEGAL IMMAGRANT BULLCRAP ARE BLEEDING THIS CITY DRY. LORD HELP SAN FRAN SICKO IF I WAS YORK I WOULD MOVE THE TEAM TO ANYWHERE BUT THIS CURRUPT CITY!!!!!! CERESBRAD

Posted By: Randy in Santa Rosa (30/07/2008 4:41:03 PM)
Comment: Nice post, Joe is San Jo!

Posted By: Nick (30/07/2008 4:37:10 PM)
Comment: This QB competition is getting old real fast. Martz has a complex system as noted and one QB (Smith)who will be the starter, needs to get more reps than the back up (Hill) The longer this "competition" drags out, the longer it'll take for our offense to click. And what's with not giving Smith more reps with the #1 unit when Hill was "resting" oh, let's make it fair to Hill because his arm is sore. Big deal. Smith is throwing with an surgically repaired shoulder, and he ain't "resting" I like what Nolan's done, but for the most part, he's a complete joke on certain things.

Posted By: Homer J (30/07/2008 4:30:14 PM)
Comment: Oneniner, i agree with you.. i would like to see what most of these haters were doing when they were 21-22 years old (smiths 2nd year).. I will assume something of very little responsibility.. so with that, almost 3k yards and 16/16 touchdowns to interceptions on one of the worst teams in football with UN-argueably the worst WR corps in football is pretty impressive.. there is a reason it was smith and o'sullivan running the offenses today, and i really wonder if it was because of hill's "tired shoulder".. all i can say is hopefully all of you smith haters have your backup screen names picked out already so you can "get on board" when smith puts up solid numbers.. Its going to be really awkward in these comment sections come September/october..

Posted By: Giovanni Carmazii (30/07/2008 4:28:03 PM)
Comment: My sense, even from last year, is that the 49ers have worse practices than other teams in the league. "You play like you practice" eventually came out of someone last year if I remember correctly. This team will either get its act together or fall into total disfunction. Should be fun to watch.

Posted By: Graham (30/07/2008 4:27:24 PM)
Comment: Worst practice you've ever seen, Matt? Good thing it wasn't on the day of the most important practice in franchise history. Is this really to be expected? I can't get a straight answer.

Posted By: Jake (30/07/2008 4:26:19 PM)
Comment: Joe is San Jo, It's been 6 seasons now since this organization has done anything relevant in the league, How much longer do you want to wait??? If this new stadium doesn't go through and giving the economy in San Francisco right now they may be in Los Angeles sooner than you think. The Raiders too!

Posted By: AF (30/07/2008 4:26:09 PM)
Comment: I find it interesting that people are complaining about some of us wanting to FIRE NOLAN already...its like they've been in a cave for the past three years (or longer) and still think Steve or Jeff is our QB. Pull your heads out of your butts!

Posted By: Jake (30/07/2008 4:23:24 PM)
Comment: I have exactly ZERO EXPECTATIONS for this football team this season, I just hope they aren't the worst team in football and hopefully will be halfway exciting to watch. Trent Dilfer was BRUTAL to watch week in and week out last season.

Posted By: littleken (30/07/2008 4:23:20 PM)
Comment: Is it just the office being very bad? Are the defense and special team bad too?

Posted By: Randy in Santa Rosa (30/07/2008 4:18:40 PM)
Comment: The thing I worry about with Alex Smith is his leadership abilities (or lack of). Guys want to play for someone that shows that fire, confidence, leadership, etc, especially in the huddle. If you read the Lowell Cohn article from a couple days ago, you get the sense that Alex may never be that guy. Oh by the way, anyone want to buy an Alex Smith home jersey (XL)? ;-)

Posted By: Joe is San Jo (30/07/2008 4:16:42 PM)
Comment: So, out of 13 practices ( counting the skipped practice on sunday) they had one bad one. And now, THE EARTH IS CRUMBLING ALL AROUND US!!! Hey yea, lets fire Nolan & McCloughn and maybe we can get back Erickson, cause yea, things were SSOOOO much better with Donapew and Erickson around. Hey I know, Lets just do away with the 9ers as an orginization all together, make them move to L.A burn the history and lets all become Raider fans!! Cause, now, they got thier stuff together over there. Lets see what transpires at the end of this season then lets pass judgement, panic and Pee Pee our panties. Untill then, RELAX... enjoy the ride, instead of getting butt hurt over every little speed bump.

Posted By: stampede (30/07/2008 4:07:18 PM)
Comment: Amen Randy in SR, can I get a witness?

Posted By: Dino (30/07/2008 3:53:20 PM)
Comment: I don't get it. Why are people blaming A. Smith or thinking we're better off without for the team having a bad practice. Clearly things are not better with O'sully at QB. How can we blame A. Smith for receivers running the wrong route or O'sully taking the snaps, or the team not having energy on the field? Martz's complex offense is probably a bit too much for the entire offense to handle, not just for A. Smith. I'm not saying Smith is our savior, but let's wait past day 6 for TC before calling him a bust.

Posted By: RealFan49 (30/07/2008 3:48:00 PM)
Comment: "worst practice I've ever seen","fire nolan now","idiot nolan for allowing a training camp competition" No overreaction from a bunch of haters there. Oh no. Except for Randy :-)

Posted By: Bryan from Mt View (30/07/2008 3:47:14 PM)
Comment: Matt, Love this thing, read it every day!!!, Thank You for your work. My question is about coach Nolan. I will leave wheather or not he can coach to others but I'm interested in your opinion about how he handles the press. He seems to make some statements that are not well thought out. Example was yesterday or the day before in his post practice press conferece. When asked about the number of reps he said something to the effect that it was not the number of reps that count but the quality. In answer to the very next question he made reference to the number of reps the team was getting and how important it is to get as many as possible. Because I do not follow other teams nearly as closely as I do the 49ers I'm wondering: Are his press skills closer to the top coaches or the bottom coaches in the NFL?

Posted By: Toby (30/07/2008 3:44:49 PM)
Comment: oneniner, just so I understand you, and there is no misunderstanding, you said "did you forget he had a good season in year 2". Can you tell me exactly when 58.1% completion %, under 3000 yards passing (2890), 16 TDs/16 INTs, a rating of 74.8 and an average of 180 yards a game became a "good season". No wonder you have the views you do, you don't know any better, you don't know what good QB play is.

Posted By: Steve from Brick New Jersey (30/07/2008 3:15:51 PM)
Comment: Did Sulli haver any positives?

Posted By: mj (30/07/2008 3:08:25 PM)
Comment: i would rather be optimistic, but we are never going to get as comfortable as we need to in this offense if we continue to share the qb load...especially when alex cant get first team reps with s. hill sitting out.

Posted By: oneniner (30/07/2008 3:05:01 PM)
Comment: Nevyn - if yu read my previous posts, i wrote it could a blessing in disguise if A. Smith is familiar with the second team....you are a little late, i already stated that point........"Alex is getting as much practice as he ever did before".........you don't need a break...you need a BRAIN....what part of splitting reps dont yu get.....he wasn't spillting reps with dilfer the last 3 yrs so how could he be getting the same number now that the whole world know he his in a "competition"..........."3 years of data demonstrate that that is not at all a given"...who is this buffoon?....did you forget he had a good season in year 2, where he was assured the job, got majority of practice reps, it wasn't a perfect success but it was better than what anyone hoped for, keeping in mind the level of talent we had on the field......what part of the 2006 season did you not get?

Posted By: Randy in Santa Rosa (30/07/2008 2:54:02 PM)
Comment: Bring on the whiners. One bad practice and the sky is falling. Geez, these whiners are so predictable.

Posted By: PDX Mike (30/07/2008 2:50:45 PM)
Comment: Hey Matt, was O'Sullivan the QB with the first string all morning or did he switch with Smith? Was the ugliness with both QB's at the helm? I'm not concerned that the offense will be unproductive; I have confidence that Martz will pull the right levers. I am, however, curious that they may might have over estimated J.T.'s comfort with the system. If the team took a step back with him at the helm; that does not bode well for the 3rd QB. With the injuries that we had at that position last year, the fact that Hill is already wearing out his arm and the fact that the Martz system has a history of exposing QB's to hits, there might be major issues as the year rolls on.

Response: O'Sullivan took the final 10 snaps with the first team, excluding the botched snap. Hill took the run snaps earlier in practice, as well as the eight first-team snaps in the pass portion (that included a double-reverse play and a draw play). --Matt M.

Posted By: tim (30/07/2008 2:38:23 PM)
Comment: Matt, was the practice terrible because it was JT throwing the ball or was it that bad with smith too?

Response: It was bad all the way around on offense. --Matt M.

Posted By: mv49ers (30/07/2008 2:32:28 PM)
Comment: NOLAN NEEDS TO END THIS RIDICULOUS COMPETITION, NAME SMITH THE STARTER AND ESTABLISH CONTINUITY. HILL IS A SOLID BACKUP AT BEST WISH NOLAN WOULD'VE PUT HIM IN INSTEAD OF DILFER LAST YEAR SO THERE WOULD BE NO SUCH THING AS THIS STUPID COMPETITION. NOLAN HAS SEALED HIS FAITH WITH THE WAY HIS HANDLING THIS QB COMPETITION

Posted By: LodiGrapePicker (30/07/2008 2:30:16 PM)
Comment: This is what Nolan thinks???...Nolan said, "By a long shot, I would expect this offense to be better than all three." This sounds like a complete slap in the face to Martz, Smith, and the entire Offense. So, Nolan thinks the Niners can move from the 32nd rank to the 30th, or maybe even the 28th?? Is this what how he aspires for the team to perform. Maybe I misread the tone that it was presented in, but it sure sounds like a crap thing to say. I agree with the earlier post that said start the "Fire Nolan and promote Martz" idea. with Nolan running the ship, the Niners are stuck in mediocrity.

Response: I think you misread the quote. Nolan said he expects this offense to be way better than the three previous 49ers offenses, including the one that ranked 26th in the league in 2006. --Matt M.

Posted By: IL Giacomo The Great (30/07/2008 2:21:58 PM)
Comment: Hey Matt, Any chance the 9ers could use a 6'2 205 wide receiver who runs his height in the 40 yard dash? Just wondering because I'm not exactly "employed" these days and I could probably add some much needed depth at the wideout position.

Posted By: susweel (30/07/2008 2:06:26 PM)
Comment: Idiot Nolan needs to stop messing around with this so called "QB competition". He needs to name Alex as starter so they can build some chemistry. Nolan by far is worst coach Ive ever seen. You could put him on the Pats and that team probably wouldnt make the playoffs.

Posted By: Nevyn (30/07/2008 2:04:55 PM)
Comment: Give me a break, oneniner. Your post assumes that if Alex is assured of his job and gets a majority of practice reps, then success is assured, and 3 years of data demonstrate that that is not at all a given. Alex is getting as much practice as he ever did before, and while half of it is with the second team, those receivers could end up on the first team in relatively short order considering the age and/or contracts or those above them. So even if Alex were the definite choice, him working with them is not in the least a bad thing.

Posted By: Mike in SF #2 (30/07/2008 2:01:33 PM)
Comment: MM - Is it a full practice this afternoon or just Special Teams work? I'm interested to see how they rebound. Thanks for your tireless efforts on keeping us more than informed. Nolan certainly isn't winning over the fans with all this "being fair" business.

Response: Yes, it's a full practice, but they won't be in pads. --Matt M.

Posted By: Toby (30/07/2008 1:59:56 PM)
Comment: Alex Smith doesn't need to be comfortable, he needs to produce.

Posted By: oneniner (30/07/2008 1:47:16 PM)
Comment: Coach is really gambling with this competition B.S.....we need A. Smith comfortable ASAP.....stop f..kin around coach nolan

Posted By: Jake (30/07/2008 1:47:16 PM)
Comment: Matt, What did you expect? This offense has SUCKED since Jeff Garcia left after 2003. Until the 49ers get quality play at the QB position, it will continue to SUCK no matter how many times they get the ball in Frank Gore's hands. Memo to Management, if Tampa Bay gets Brett Favre and cuts Jeff Garcia, get Garcia's agent on the phone quickly 49ers!

Posted By: AF (30/07/2008 1:40:05 PM)
Comment: That wasn't the FIRST dumb thing Nolan's said today. I still can't get over "being far" in the QB competition... Instead of FIRE NOLAN, how about PROMOTE MARTZ chants instead?