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The All-81 recap returns after an all-nighter

We brought together all our resources last night and early this morning. Every staff member here at Instant 49ers was under orders to stop what they were doing and shift all focus toward compiling the all-81 list. Here's a look at the 49ers' 34-6 victory over the Green Bay Packers -- as Mike Nolan might say -- from an individual standpoint.

But before we get there, here are a few items to supplement your reading, straight from the pages of the PD:

"Niners dominate the Brett Favreless Packers on both sides of the ball"

"The pass rush is looking pretty good at this stage of the exhibition season"

Columnist Lowell Cohn writes about the performances of Rodgers, Smith and O'Sullivan

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And now onto the 49ers' player-by-player breakdown of last night's game.

OFFENSE

3-Wright: DNP, coaches decision.

11-Smith: With the agonizing week he endured in his personal life, it had to be difficult to remain focus on his job at hand. . . Completed 5 of 12 passes for 62 yards . . . He threw the intermediate pass with a lot of zip, but Zeigler, Morgan and Hill all made nice catches away from their bodies to pick up some yards. . . Stepped up in the pocket and did not put enough air under the ball on deep pass to an open Morgan. Ball was underthrown for an incomplete pass. . . . Overthrew Hill in the back of the end zone from 7-yards out - a play Smith later said he "can't miss." . . . Niners scored 10 points in his three series.

13-Hill: Entered in the fourth Q and really wasn't given much of a chance. . . . He completed just 2 of 5 passes for 21 yards. . . Led team to a field goal on his first drive. . . On a three-and-out, he completed his only pass - a screen play that would've gone for big yards if blocked properly. . . . Team scored three points in his two possessions (not including final play kneeldown.)

14-O'Sullivan: Started at QB. . . Did a good job of throwing the ball before receivers made their breaks. . . On interception, he locked onto Vernon Davis and telegraphed where he was going with the ball. Charles Woodson made the interception, but LB Brandon Chillar was in position in front of Davis, too. . . . Put teammate DeShaun Foster in perilous situation with a swing pass that enabled CB Pat Lee to deck an unsuspecting Foster. . . . On very next play, he stepped up in the pocket and did not set his feet, but he got enough on it to complete the ball to Morgan about 35 yards down the field. Morgan turned it into a 59-yard TD. (The ball was thrown more inside than O'Sullivan wanted it, but it safely got there.) . . . All in all, his best was really good and his worst was really bad. . . Completed 8 of 17 passes for 154 yards with one TD and one INT. . . Has committed three turnovers in his 10 exhibition-game possessions. . . Niners scored 14 points in his six drives last night.

15-Ortiz: Entered the game for a couple plays as part of the two-minute drill at the end of the first half . . . No catches . . . Also played on cover units.

17-Zeigler: Read defense perfectly and was ready to receive quick slant from O'Sullivan vs. Packers blitz. The play picked up 13 yards. . . . Reached back to make nice catch of Smith pass in the third quarter for 7 yards and a first down . . . . Made tough leaping catch at sideline of Hill pass before getting sandwiched by CB Pat Lee and S Aaron Rouse. . . . Finished with four catches for 42 yards.

18-Lelie: DNP, calf. With Josh Morgan's emergence, his roster spot might be slipping away.

19-Rabb: DNP, coaches decision.

21-Gore: Started at RB. . . . Played three series . . . Created some missed tackles at the line of scrimmage. . . Nice move to make safety Nick Collins miss close to the line of scrimmage on 14-yard run . . . Finished with 29 yards on six carries.

24-Robinson: DNP, knee.

29-Foster: There was not much room to run, but he somehow got the ball over the goal line for TD on fourth-and-goal from the 1. . . . Carried 11 times for 37 yards . . . Rookie CB Patrick Lee laid him out on incomplete swing pass. Foster did not return for the second half, but he was not on the preliminary injury report afterward.

33-Clayton: Played entire second half . . . Whiffed on block attempt of DE Michael Montgomery, which forced Smith to roll out and throw the ball away. . . Generally, does not break many tackles, but he did slip past some contact on 7-yard gain in the third quarter. . . . Carried 11 times for 25 yards, and caught one pass for 5 yards.

44-Norris: Saw action on just one snap in the first half, as he's behind Keasey on the depth chart. . . Lined up at FB and hit the right spot along the line on a 1-yard TD run - his only carry of the day. . . . He played a lot of special teams.

45-Keasey: Started at FB. . . . Hustled down to cover first-Q punt at the 9-yard line . . . Did a good job of mixing it up as lead-blocker for Gore and Foster. . . Got back into the game in the fourth quarter . . . He carried once for 1 yard.

46-Walker: Played H-back mostly with the first unit. . . In the second half, showed some improved blocking skills, completely riding fourth-year DE Michael Montgomery out of one run play . . . Another nice block on LB Abdul Hodge on Clayton's 7-yard run. . . . Caught one pass for 1 yards and took one handoff for just 1 yard.

47-Bajema: He did not hold block on DE Jason Hunter long enough, allowing him to get through and hit Hill as he was throwing (Hill completed the pass anyway). . . Moved around a lot, playing an H-back spot. . . He played in the first half in short-yardage run situations, and the 49ers struggled in those spots.

48-Cooper Wallace: Was on the field for Rossum's punt return for a touchdown. Did well to avoid a penalty for illegal block in the back. . . . Did not see action on offense.

49-Finley: Blocked 15 yards backward by Packers FB John Kuhn on Jordy Nelson's 56-yard kickoff return. . . . Entered at TE in the fourth quarter, with no passes going his way. . . . Got knocked down and out of the play on Nelson's 58-yard return in the fourth quarter. . .

59-Cody Wallace: Nothing bad to say about his performance. He held his ground and did a nice job getting his body on LB Tracy White on Clayton's 7-yard run . . . He has shown great improvement since the first week of camp.

60-de la Puente: Nice work one-on-one vs. DT Daniel Muir to allow Smith to deliver 27-yard pass down the field. . . . Performed very well in run and pass games.

61-Toledo: Rebounded from a poor performance last week to play well. Did not allow DE Jason Hunter to get anywhere near Smith on a 27-yard pass downfield. . . . Left game at start of fourth quarter.

62-Rachal: Had some good plays, but there were some blemishes, too. . . Allowed QB pressure from Muir, who put good heat on Smith to lead to a third-down incompletion. . . . Missed a kick-out block on a 1-yard Clayton carry . . . Got low and opened the hole for Norris' 1-yard TD run . . . Got out front on screen pass to Clayton but he could not make the block on LB Abdul Hodge, who stopped the play for just 5 yards on third-and-8.

64-Baas: DNP, pectoral

65-Sims: Held up extremely well in pass protection . . . Helped open the hole on the right side of the line for Norris' short TD plunge. . . . Solid 1 1/2 quarters of work before leaving game midway through the fourth quarter.

66-Heitmann: Started at C. . . . Did a good job of peeling off double-team blocks and then getting down the field to block linebackers. He got out front to push Nick Barnett backward on Foster's 8-yard run . . . He continues his strong camp.

67-Reuber: Entered game midway through the fourth quarter at RT . . . After struggling last week, he did OK in this game.

68-Snyder: Started at LG . . . Made an improvement over last week, but still not where he needs to be. . . . Had good position on DT Johnny Jolly until he was flung aside, allowing Jolly to stop Foster for 3-yard gain.

69-Wragge: Started at RG . . . Got to the second level to take LB Brandon Chillar out of the play on Gore's 14-yard run . . . More than held his own in pass protection and in the run game. . . . Should still be in the mix for a starting job when Baas returns.

74-Staley: Started at LT . . . Packers DE Cullen Jenkins beat him on an inside move to force O'Sullivan to abandon the pocket, a play on which he gained 5 yards on a first-quarter scramble. . . Lined up on right side on unbalanced line and his block helped Gore gain 14 yards . . . He showed considerable improvement from last week's game against the Raiders.

75-Jennings: Started at RT. . . Did a very strong job against Aaron Kampman, one of the top pass-rushers in the league. . . . Missed cut block on blitzing LB Brady Poppinga, who stopped Foster for no gain on the play . . . Called for false start. . . All in all, another very solid showing.

76-Pruneda: DNP, coaches decision.

77-Patrick: Newcomer entered game at LT at start of fourth quarter . . . Did not allow pressure from Hill's blind side.

78-Booker: DNP, coaches decision.

81-Colvin: Smith looked for him on a fade route on fourth-and-2 from the Packers' 8. Bush tied up Colvin with the ball in the air for a PI call and a first down. . . . Could've done a better job of going to get the ball on an incomplete pass near the goal line in the fourth quarter. . . . Finished with no catches.

82-Johnson: DNP, hamstring

83-Battle: DNP, hamstring

84-Morgan: Started at SE . . . First catch came in traffic for 3 yards to give the 49ers a first down on a third-and-2 . . . Made nice over-the-shoulder catch on corner route, resulting in 22-yard gain. . . . Showed strength to brush aside CB Jarrett Bush's attempt at a jam at the line of scrimmage, he then released and got open down the field for a 59-yard TD catch from O'Sullivan. . . Made nice out-and-up move on Bush in third quarter, but Smith couldn't get the ball to him . . . Nice leaping catch to pluck Smith pass out of the air. . . . He's in the starting mix even when all the veterans get healthy.

85-Davis: Picked two first downs on the first drive when he caught third-down passes of 14 and 15 yards. On the later, he turned a short pass into a good gain when shrugged off the attempted tackle of Brandon Chillar at the sideline. . . . He got into his man quickly in the run game but did not always hold his blocks.

88-Bruce: Started at Flanker. . . .Two passes were thrown his way One was thrown behind him; the other could have been PI called on Charles Woodson. . . . Played three series before retiring to the sideline.

89-Hill: For the first time there was some run after the catch, as he caught a 17-yard out near the sideline and cut back inside to gain an extra 10 yards. . . Caught Smith pass thrown behind him for 19 yards . . . Did not get off the ground very high to try to haul in Smith's high pass in the end zone. . . Made a lot out of nothing on an end-around that went for 14 yards . . . Finished with two catches for 46 yards.

DEFENSE

22-Clements: Started at LCB . . . Broke up pass on quick slant to WR Donald Driver. Packers complained, but PI call did not come. . . Tight coverage on Jordy Nelson on third-and-goal play forced Rodgers to throw it away. . . . Played 1 1/2 quarters.

23-Hudson: Entered with the second unit late in the first half. . . Good coverage of Driver on deep in for an incompletion . . . Upended rookie TE Evan Moore to cause a fumble in game's final minute. . . . Also made a tackle on special teams.

25-Brown: DNP, hip.

26-Roman: Started at DB . . . Wore the radio device. . . Had one assisted tackle in a quiet night of work.

27-Harris: Started at RCB . . . Blanket coverage on Driver on third-and-5, stopping him for 4-yard gain . . . Solid game, as his coverage downfield also helped the pass rush get to Aaron Rodgers.

28-K.Lewis: Great angle on punt coverage to make stop on Will Blackmon's 1-yard punt return . . . Very active on special teams . . . Entered game with the second unit. . . Credited with two tackles.

30-Strickland: Did not start but saw action with first-team defense in sub package. . . Made perfect read to jump a route in front of WR Jake Allen, however he could not hold onto the Brian Brohm pass . . . Broke up two passes and added a couple tackles.

31-R.Smith: Plays wing on punt coverage. But nearly responsible for a blocked punt when he failed to get a body on his guy in the first quarter. . . Good awareness to stop Jordy Nelson shy of the first down on third-and-9 . . . Ran stride-for-stride with WR Taj Smith on deep route late in game. . . .

32-M.Lewis: Started at SS, and moved to the line of scrimmage almost as a linemen. . . Didn't see a lot of action come his way. No tackles.

36-Spencer: Started at CB as 49ers opened with six DBs. . . Had a huge hit on QB Aaron Rodgers off a corner blitz to force third-down incompletion . . . Called for illegal block on punt return . . . Took advantage of the new rule in which receivers must get two feet inbounds. He showed awareness to knock WR Jake Allen out of bounds before he get both feet down to prevent a first down - a really good play.

38-Goldson: Started, as the 49ers opened with six DBs. . . . Played in the base defense with the second unit. . . Closed quickly on James Jones after the catch to hold him to no gain . . . A diving interception - it would've been a good one - slipped through his hands and hit the ground. . . Showed his ability to come up and smack people. . . Credited with four tackles and added another on special teams, though he needs to get under control better when running down on coverage units.

40-M.Curry: Saw a lot of action in the fourth quarter . . . On fourth-down play, he timed his hit of WR Taj Smith perfectly to break it up . . . Had good coverage on one play but a good pitch (QB Matt Flynn) and catch (Nelson) beat him for 13 yards.

41-Parker: Allowed Nelson to get outside of him on long kickoff return in the fourth quarter. . . . Got down the field to down Schmitt's punt at the 2-yard line. . . . Played safety alongside K.Lewis in the fourth quarter. . . Credited with just one special-teams tackle.

43-Baker: DNP, thigh.

51-Spikes: Did not start. Entered game on 49ers' third defensive series. On first play, he bit hard on a run fake and allowed TE Donald Lee to get behind him. It would've been a 7-yard TD pass, but Lee dropped the ball. . . . Showed uncertainty in pass coverage . . . Came back into the game at the start of the second half . . . Finished with one tackle.

52-Willis: Started as lone ILB . . . Closed quickly to stop Brandon Jackson for no gain on dump-off pass from Rodgers. . . Finished with three tackles.

53-Ulbrich: Did not start but entered game after two plays . . . Knows the defense better than Spikes, so it looked like he played quicker than him. . . Credited with two tackles.

54-Green: Started at ROLB . . . Entered the game ahead of Tully Banta-Cain on the depth chart. . . Played DE on a four-man line in passing situations. . . . Recorded a half-sack while working against LT Chad Clifton.

55-Haley: Wrapped up return man Brandon Jackson nicely to stop him at the 25-yard line on a kickoff . . . Made open field tackle on Lumpkin, tripping him up by his shoestrings. . . . Made fumble recovery of teammate Grant's fumble late in the game. . . Credited with three tackles and an assist on special teams.

56-Thomas: Lined up at the "mike" position in the second and played a lot of special teams. . . Recorded two tackles on defense, including a nice display of his speed to run down Lumpkin for keep the gain to 5 yards . . . He also had two tackles on special teams.

57-Grant: Was victim of pancake block on Nelson's 58-yard return in the fourth quarter. . . Played "ted" linebacker in the fourth quarter. . . . Picked up fumble but lost the handle of it himself (though it was recovered by a teammate.) . . . Finished with three tackles.

58-J.Moore: Played OLB in the fourth quarter, but did not make anywhere near the impact he did a week ago against the Raiders. . . . Credited with one tackle.

60-W.Curry: Entered at RDE late in the first half with the second-team defense . . . Beat Packers RG Jason Spitz for a sack shortly after entering game. . . Pushed out of the picture while Noah Herron ran through vacated hole for 14 yards . . . Finished with three tackles, including one for a loss.

61-Ramsey: Entered at RDE in the fourth quarter. . . Did not get much penetration in pass-rush. . . . Finished with one tackle.

62-Holmes: Lined up wide left and scooted past block attempt from TE Jermichael Finley to pursue from the backside for a stop of RB Kregg Lumpkin for just 2 yards. . . . Got fantastic pressure on third-string QB Matt Flynn against rookie RT Breno Giacomini to arrive just a split-second after teammate Banta-Cain sacked the QB.

76-Cohen: Did not appear real solid at the point of attack in his limited third-quarter action. Got pushed back several yards on one run play. . . Credited with no tackles.

78-Ellison: Played LDE in the fourth quarter. . . . Didn't get far off the line against RG Tony Moll, but he was there to recover the fumbled forced on a Banta-Cain sack. . . Showed some spark with a couple of tackles.

90-Sopoaga: Pushed past RT Mark Tauscher and chased Rodgers to opposite side of the field on first-Q incompletion. . . Jumped offside, but continued on to make a tackle behind the line of scrimmage (obviously, the play was nullified). . . Was not credited with any tackles.

91-McDonald: Started at LDT . . . Worked over Spitz to get half-sack. . . Absolutely destroyed Spitz on a bull rush to get a full sack when the Packers had a second-and-goal from the 7 . . . Certainly, one of the defense's top performers in the first two exhibition games.

92-Franklin: Did not start, as 49ers opened with four-man D-line and six DBs, but came into the game after a couple plays. . . .Played 11 snaps, lined up at the nose in a 4-3 scheme seven times and in 3-4 on four plays. . . . Was not very active, but did draw a double-team from C Scott Wells and RG Sitton that left other 49ers pass-rushers singled up, contributing to a sack. . . . Was not credited with any tackles.

93-Fields: Entered late in the second quarter as No. 2 NT . . . Nice push up middle against C Scott Wells to collapse pocket and lead to a Curry sack. . . . Alertly recovered fumble on bad center-QB exchange in the third quarter . . . Credited with two tackles.

94-J.Smith: Started game at RDT in a four-man line. . . Played 16 snaps . . . Lined up at five different spots - RDE (6), ROLB (4), RDT (3), LDT (2), LDE (1). Credited with one tackle, a half-sack and one QB hurry. . . . On his final play, he lined up at LDT and beat RG Josh Sitton, a rookie fourth-round pick, to get a half-sack.

95-Banta-Cain: Entered in late in second quarter at OLB. . . Got off TE Donald Lee's block to stop Vernand Morency coming around the left side for 1-yard gain . . . He was in the game in the fourth quarter, which is never a good thing for a veteran. But he was going up against former first-round pick Daryn Colledge, who was playing LT. Banta-Cain destroyed Colledge twice, forcing two fumbles. The later was recovered by the 49ers. . .

96-Balmer: Entered late in second quarter . . . Was never particularly effective getting off blocks, but his effort is not a problem. He plays hard, but his technique needs to be refined. . . . Credited with two tackles.

98-Haralson: Started game at LDE in four-man line . . . Showed good energy in getting after the passer. . . . No hurries, no sacks, but he did have one tackle.

99-Lawson: Rushed the passer off the edge and beat a back assigned to block him as part of a five-man rush that netted him a half-sack. . . . Credited with one tackle.

SPECIALISTS

2-Schmitt: The lefty had a good day as a punter and a kicker. He made a 30-yard FG. . . . He had two punts, landing one at the 12 and the other at the 2. . . . His net average on those two punts was 38.5 yards. . . He also made two tackles on kickoff returns to save a couple potential touchdowns. . . A very strong showing for the kid to show his versatility . . . He enabled the 49ers to create a roster spot at another position by handling the backup duties at both kicker and punter.

4-Lee: Averaged a gross 37.3 and a net 34.7 on three punts. Also flawlessly handled all the holds in the kicking game.

6-Nedney: Negotiated tricky wind on a typical Candlestick night to make a 49-yard FG attempt in the third quarter.

20-Rossum: Rather than take the touchback, he tried to return one punt from the 5. He made it to the 13. . . In the third quarter, he let a similar punt bounce into the end zone . . . Showed his explosiveness and creativity (a basketball-like spin move) when he returned a punt 67 yards for a touchdown late in the game.

86-Jennings: His snaps were on the mark, as usual.

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Comments | Add Comment

Posted By: John (18/08/2008 10:57:22 AM)
Comment: Hey Matt, sorry to nit-pick but Daryn College was a second round pick (I believe 45th overall). Great article and thanks for the info.

Posted By: JR (18/08/2008 6:39:08 AM)
Comment: Matt, you rock!! Looks like some tough choices on who makes the squad: K. Lewis is a demon on speacial teams, but may be outplayed on D by Hudson who is younger. TBC, J.Moore, Cohen, Ellison, Lelie look to be goners. Morgan is a given, if not a starter, but Ziegler is impressive (catches everything)and may get picked up by another team. He makes it if they keep 6 Wr's and Colvin is a better bet for PS. Wragge should start ahead of Baas or Snyder. The OL still needs to gel and looks to be lumbering in general. Pass rush was a pleasant surprise. MacD looks awesome and will help as much as J. Smith in putting on pressure. JTO is the starter, like it or not, because Martz and Nolan like his "command of the huddle". Funny how Montana had command of the huddle without being fierry, a term attributed to JTO. Command/respect comes with performance and JTO's perfromance has been marginal at best. The O will struggle this year folks with whomever is QB.

Posted By: lenm (18/08/2008 12:13:57 AM)
Comment: Re: Morgan, he is really pretty unique for a reciever. He is supposedly very strong and fast and has very good hands and runs good routes. Many recent recievers have had only a few of those skills but the one that shocks me is his ability to get separation. Something no one could do last year. His combination of assets may rival TO's if he can build his body as did TO. Physically he can handle any db. I have never seen any guy even TO get open as well as Josh. From all I have seen I think he could darn near carry an offence by himself. He can catch the first down passes and break the short passes and scare the defense with the long ones. By the way his buddy Royal seems the only competiton as best rookie reciever. His 220 lbs look pretty tough as he seems to be the one handing out the lumps. Some guys like TO are exceptionally strong even for guys as big and as well built as they are and Morgan seems like one of those. If so this next year might be scary for dbs after a year of weight training etc. TO changed from blocky to greyhound like and much quicker after his first year and if morgan does the same he is going to be the next TO. I think Josh has better hands and a better route runner and I think separates better and I suspect is more reliable in a clutch situation. All in all we are fortunate as I think guys like him show up rarely as we found out the last five years.

Posted By: TDilvr (17/08/2008 11:21:18 PM)
Comment: Matt thank you so much. Above and beyond. Beerows is saddened.

Posted By: lenm (17/08/2008 11:03:56 PM)
Comment: I am wondering if the comments about Lawsons pass rushing is valid. I have this feeling he was just too lean and lacked power and now looks much more like guys like Jason Taylor and other tall lean rushers. He looks much beefier especially on top. His skinny legs probably never will change much but I think he could use more of those squats. I am going to watch him with interest this year.

Posted By: Jersey Niners Fan (17/08/2008 9:35:54 PM)
Comment: Matt, my mother has written for the New York Times and you have the best work ethic of any journalist I've ever encountered. Try and keep it up after you become famous, will you?

Posted By: samr (17/08/2008 8:38:24 PM)
Comment: Matt - Thanks to you and your staff of thousands (which I assume includes your wife and 2 kids and any animals in the household) for the excellent run down on the performance of each Niner who saw action last night. Seriously, you really go beyond the call of duty. Now go get some rest and enjoy your kids before heading for Chicago. If the Niners do well there I'll begin to believe there is hope.

Posted By: Rich, DE (17/08/2008 7:10:25 PM)
Comment: Loved seeing the McDonald play where he destroyed the Packer's offensive lineman. That was awesome.

Posted By: mike in MD (17/08/2008 6:13:55 PM)
Comment: Jon in SoCal..agreed Wragge looks real solid. Didn't spend much time checking out Snyder. Staley looked good too. If Snyder is struggling like you say (might have to check the DVD again) yes, Wragge to LG & Baas to his regular position. Baas needs a solid year but it could be another Heitman situation & he'll need the full year to get 100% back to form. Just missing one piece on the OL & that's another OT. My #1 wish at this time for next year is Oher as our 1st pick. OLine would be finished PERIOD. I wish we could get all these guys in permanent spots. We'd have many options with an OT like Oher coming onboard.

Posted By: Indiana Jim (17/08/2008 6:10:32 PM)
Comment: Matt, I don't know how you see so much to write such good blurbs about every player. It's brilliant man, it really is. Great job.

Posted By: SF_Dan (17/08/2008 4:19:47 PM)
Comment: I dont care if JTO is playing with one arm and one leg. Who cares if he looks someone off or not? (and yes Lou you are right about the offense, less progressions) Who cares if he slightly underthrew Morgan (he was stepping up and threw off one foot) Who CARES? Does your QB move the ball and put points on the board. All that matters. JTO may not have a laser arm but he can make all the throws b/c he is (unlike Smith) extremely accurate with the ball. He throws it before his receivers break, also something Smith does not trust himself to do. The deep out over the shoulder to Hill on third and three = there should be no questions about the intermediate routes.

Posted By: Lou (17/08/2008 4:10:16 PM)
Comment: Hey Jon in SoCal: I thought in the Martz offense there are no progressions. The decision on whom to throw to is dependent solely on what the coverage is and it's the QB and receivers' job to recognize the coverage and know where the ball is supposed to be, a la the JTO-Zeigler quick read on the blitz. I may definitely be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Martz even said this is how his offense works in an interview posted on Matt's blog. However, I agree with you, at this point, I haven't seen JTO do much looking off.

Posted By: VINCE (17/08/2008 4:07:29 PM)
Comment: One more thing, does JTO even have the arm for a Martz offense with its intermediate and deep throws? Even the 35yd throw to Morgan was underthrown.

Posted By: Frank (17/08/2008 4:02:00 PM)
Comment: Matt, there's something fishy about that 4th down TD by Foster. He was stopped almost a yard short of the goal line, the play appeared to be over and next thing you know the ball is just over the goal line. Would you take a close look and see if any money changed hands just before Foster sticks it over...

Posted By: VINCE (17/08/2008 3:59:34 PM)
Comment: Matt, I understand why everyone is calling for JTO to be the starter but isn't it unfair until you atleast give Smith a chance with the no.1's for 2 quarters like JTO has had? Smith has been given too few snaps and especially with the 2nd string OL and WRs. Do you see him getting a shot this week? Thats a whole lot of money riding the pine. I just don't feel totally confident having JTO as the QB. He doesn't just throw picks he throws really bad ones. Do you think the coaching staffs mind is already set?

Posted By: Razoreater (17/08/2008 3:42:33 PM)
Comment: Are you kidding me? O'Sullivan looked like what he is, a 3rd string journeyman. Smith should be our starter and if he has a leadership issue as some have suggested get him the Montana course on dvd. Manusky has done an outstanding job. Quite gratifying whipping GB as we did. Let's see if against Chicago we can back it up with another beat down.

Posted By: Jon in SoCal (17/08/2008 3:22:16 PM)
Comment: Just watched the game on NFLN in the Southland this morning. OL is starting to look better in protection and it is showing. One thing I noticed about JTO is that even though he lets go of the ball early, he tends to lock into one receiver. I don't see any scanning or checking off. Watch the game closely. Smith played OK. The throw to Morgan was pretty bad. The throw to Hill was high, but Hill just can't climb the ladder to get that ball. While Smith has got to make a better throw, Hill has to get up. Morgan looked great and we can say goodbye to Lelie. Although our OL looks better, they are HUGE, I would like to see them lose a little weight to get back some of the quickness. When the QB's were rolling out, they were waddling out to protect them. No more OL escorts down the field for the RB's. Snyder better pick up his game. Wragge is playing so well they may have to move him to LG when Baas come back, if he is at full strength. I like Schmitt, he had to big tackles and wasn't burned like most kickers.

Posted By: LodiGrapePicker (17/08/2008 3:13:03 PM)
Comment: Matt, a big thank you for all the news and updates. Like I said earlier, I was going to miss the game (visitng Italy) and the only good up to date news comes from this site. Thanks for keeping us fans informed. Sorry I missed what sounds like a great game.

Posted By: Rich, San Ramon (17/08/2008 3:07:47 PM)
Comment: Matt, I don't know how you get it done, but THANKS!

Posted By: See ya in '09 (17/08/2008 2:43:39 PM)
Comment: Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports is reporting Alex Smith will be named the starting QB for the season.

Posted By: Mel Kipper (17/08/2008 2:42:04 PM)
Comment: What I learned for the GB game: McCloughan did a helluva a job in the 2007 draft. 1.11 Willis - Pro Bowler - Starter 1.28 Staley - Future Pro Bowler - Starter 2.10 Traded to Colts - Became A. Balmer - Starter '09 3.12 J. Hill - Jury still out ahead of Lelie - 4th WR 3.34 McDonald - Stud, Playmaker in the making - Starter 4.5 J. Moore - Jury Still Out 4.11 Traded to Pats - Part of Staley, can live with it 4.25 Traded to Seattle - D. Jax, worth the chance!?! 4.27 Goldston - Playmaker in the making - Future Starter 4.36 Cohen - Jury Still Out, not looking good 5.10 Brown - Looking good - Nickel Corner 6.12 Clayton - Good 6th Rounder JTO vs. A. Smith: need to remember that neither did much against GB starting defense. By the time JTO got going it was a mix of 1's and 2's and least we forget that GB had the following watching the game: Packers notables who will not play tonight: RB Ryan Grant, WR Greg Jennings, LB A.J. Hawk, DT Ryan Pickett, DE Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, DT Justin Harrell. Must admit I'm biased for Alex and think he should play with the 1's in the preseason, but haven't the 1's been on the sidelines healing. Thus what are we really talking about- the 2's OL held up well against GB and Walker isn't ordinary 2 TE thus I come to the conclusion who cares who gets the start, but let Alex play more than 1 quarter. I can live with JTO being the starter come September and if done properly Smith the 2 and sure that he'll get his opportunity this season, but will he be ready and prepared?

Posted By: Transporter (17/08/2008 2:23:17 PM)
Comment: That meant not going to SB 09...

Posted By: Transporter (17/08/2008 2:21:41 PM)
Comment: Matt- Question? Snice you have seen the 49er's up close for many years. What is your take on last night game. Do you see the Team taking on the look as a Team that is starting to get the experience of playing together that shows on the field. From my vantage point this seems to be the case. Just wondering if you see anything different from the past few years... Even though this was pre-season. Green Bay has a very good Team to start with and was this a good test for the next step. I'm thinking that we get to the SB for 09. I'm thinking that we just might see being more constant on most weeks. Thanks Again...For your blog and all of your efforts...

Posted By: SS (17/08/2008 1:42:01 PM)
Comment: For those of you who ahven't seen the MErcury....."I can explain it better than Urban Meyer, Smith's old college coach at Utah. Yesterday I looked up an old interview I did with Meyer in 2006. At the time, Smith was making big-time progress under Norv Turner. I asked Meyer what the biggest difference was in Smith's rookie and second seasons. "His release,'' Meyer replied. "When he's getting rid of the ball fast, he's devastating, and it's a sign that he's comfortable in the system. I could tell he was paralyzed a lot last year because he was holding the ball for so long. You just can't do that in the NFL." Smith, he said, had held the ball too long early in his college days, too. Meyer said the quarterback needed to analyze every detail in his head before he could do it with his arm. "Yes, there are other smart guys playing football, but Alex is off the charts," Meyer said. "He is the smartest player I've ever coached, and I've coached a lot of smart players. He's ridiculous. He's an extremist.""

Response: You must be referring to this blog item I posted exactly a month ago: http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=2238168. --Matt M.

Posted By: MonsterLove (17/08/2008 1:16:32 PM)
Comment: My friend and I were at the game and watching our QB's eyes before the snap. Alex Smith looks at the defense before the snap on a pass and doesn't on a run. If we can see that, the defense has to. I hope the coaches look at that.

Posted By: crimsonkhakis (17/08/2008 1:09:21 PM)
Comment: One thing though: It seems like Martz is handing the job to JTO.. It's only fair that Smith at least get a shot of playing with the 1st team next week before making any kind of educated decision on who the starter is... I mean, if this is in fact a "competition"!

Posted By: crimsonkhakis (17/08/2008 1:03:34 PM)
Comment: Thanks for making my Sunday hangover more tolerable :)

Posted By: SS (17/08/2008 12:57:03 PM)
Comment: There were many reassuring things about last nights game including with Alex Smith. There are actually receivers getting open and AS is making the correct reads which is an improvement. I am an Alex Smith homer but even I think JTO is clearly winning this competition. The wird part for me is the AS was very accurate in college and threw an amazing deep ball (Norv Turner agreed)-so not sure what has happened

Posted By: Crency (17/08/2008 12:55:35 PM)
Comment: Yeah, what Mike said

Posted By: Will (17/08/2008 12:50:10 PM)
Comment: Again, the 81-player analysis is appreciated. QUESTIONS: Can most of O'Sullivan's shortcomings be remedied with experience as a starter? Do you think that Alex Smith has been given enough of an opportunity working with the 1st team offense to win the starting job?

Posted By: Cleveland Mike (17/08/2008 12:44:48 PM)
Comment: Matt-Great job as usual. Thank You so much. Better than the NY Times on a Sunday afternoon. As far as JTO......I have seen him before as Steve DeBerg. Just too many turnovers. Leapin Shamrocks........this kid is DeBerg all over. And I am partial to the Irish.....daughter Shannon and grandchildren Patrick and Molly. JTO belongs in Disney's flick....Darby OGill and The Little People. Hope I am wrong so I will hold onto me shamrock.

Posted By: Randy in Santa Rosa (17/08/2008 12:34:44 PM)
Comment: Excellent, Thanks Matt! I'm proud of the team last night, even if it's only preseason... Definitely looking forward to Thursday =)

Posted By: Dustin (17/08/2008 12:23:06 PM)
Comment: Its playing on the NFL Network right now.

Posted By: mike in MD (17/08/2008 12:18:13 PM)
Comment: thanks Matt..great, great work. And thanks to the whole staff there. We eat this stuff up! Awesome blog.

Posted By: Yo ancientniner (17/08/2008 12:18:06 PM)
Comment: It's on NFLN right now, but it's the fourth quarter.

Posted By: ancientniner (17/08/2008 12:12:31 PM)
Comment: Any chance NFL network will replay the game this week? Seems years since we had a complete game.

Posted By: Dirk (17/08/2008 12:11:20 PM)
Comment: Clayton. I think we will cut him and place him on the practice squad to run with the scout team. Suppse the other teams will allow us to keep him there.

Posted By: NinersFanInTexas (17/08/2008 12:10:20 PM)
Comment: Outstanding analysis Matt. Thank you for putting in all of your efforts so that we can read your moneyballer blog. Excellent stuff!!! Its very much appreciated.

Posted By: 49ersBrazil (17/08/2008 12:06:52 PM)
Comment: Matt, thanks for you usual awesome coverage. Do you think Ziegler has a good chance of getting to the 53-man roster? Or do you think he ´s going to spend another year with the practice squad? I may be wrong but he had a good pre-season last year and he is doing it again now..

Posted By: Dustin (17/08/2008 11:37:02 AM)
Comment: Matt, great work as usual. Question, seems like that Holmes kid has a ton of upside. What are his chances of making the cut? I know you posted recently that the team could lose him if they put him on the practice squad.

Posted By: jeremy (17/08/2008 11:19:28 AM)
Comment: Defense looked great!

Posted By: Graham (17/08/2008 11:17:29 AM)
Comment: Matt, just want to thank you for all your hard work. You are the best!

Posted By: jkc (17/08/2008 11:04:47 AM)
Comment: Awesome. As always, thanks for the great work and dedecation.

Matt has MOVED! Check out the NEW 49ers blog at pressdemocrat.com/49ers

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