Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (22/10/2007 5:35:44 AM)
Comment: Matt, Thank you for taking the time from your busy game day routine to stop yesterday.My friend Bob's 12C tailgate is an institution at the Meadowlands.My son Evan and I were glad you made it,it was pleasure meeting you, I'll copy you on the pix ASAP. Sadly, the 9ers were no nowhere near as impressive. With 2 weeks to prepare for this game I think we looked as vanilla as ever, just a few new people in a few differnt places. We constantly throw the deep sideline patterns and rarely attack the LBs with short dump offs. VD had a clean seam route early, couldn't haul it in and I don't recall seeing another attempt all game afterward. We motion too much and get no results on the ground. If Frank is starting to create doubt in the offensive play calling I can't help but think this team is about to regress. It's time for some youth movement changes on the OLine, which I saw during the game yesterday. Give Kwame a little time inside now and see how he looks. I'd start there and see if we can create some momentum. Defense spends too much time on the field, this 3 and out offense is painfully inept, and we're nowhere fast.

Posted By: austrian niner (22/10/2007 1:10:32 AM)
Comment: Nolan started with the offense: Smith, Davis, Baas, Snyder in his first draft. He said the offense takes longer to develop.Then he built his 3-4 D spending a ton of York-money. And now we have a D that gets pushed around (thank god we have some of the best MLBs and CBs in Willis and Clements) and an offense that cannot score or doesn ´t want to score. Could it be the team is working against the coaches? Do they want new playcallers? Please York...elevate Mike Singletary. He seems to care. Nolan looks just as helpless out there as Erickson did, only Erickson couldn ´t do much with his contract and salary cap issues, while Nolan actually was able to spend money. Penalties are coaching mistakes. Prepare the guys for snap counts for god ´s sake. Audibles are a must when you expect 11 passrushers. Calling 5 step drops with that rush is silly and ignorant. Every fan reading the nfl.com statlines can call better plays to counter that: screens, slants. How many screens and slants did we call and how often did screens hurt us yesterday? G watch film Nolan and react. FAST!

Posted By: esco (21/10/2007 7:32:05 PM)
Comment: To me it looks like Nolan has lost control of his team. The ship is sinking right in front of his eyes, and he watches emotionless from the sidelines and does NOTHING---sorta like George Bush when he was informed that terrorists crashed a plane into the WTC---he kept reading his book the kids!! I want a HC that is not afraid to bench players who obviously should be benched at half-time(e.g. Allen, Smiley, Jackson, TBC). I want a HC who breathes some fire up in your ass when you are KILLING US (e.g. Dilfer, B.Moore, Smiley). Glad to see some offensive adjustments, but like others have said...it shouldn't have taken 6 games to get Leslie in the game. The next adjustment that Nolan should make is trading in his suit and tie for some sweatshirts and sneakers. Not many bright spots in this loss.

Posted By: Blade (21/10/2007 6:32:35 PM)
Comment: i agree paul,but if the coaches see the o line is not blocking maybe they should rotate other ploayers in there,us fans and oposing teams coaches have been telling nolan for several weeks to start lelie he finally does and he had a decent day not puting smith in was a good decision he may have been killed,

Posted By: chiefy (21/10/2007 6:29:02 PM)
Comment: Until now I've patiently tolerated the Niners struggles. I've given the coaching staff the benefit of a doubt. But that's all changed for me now. Nothing less than blood will do. I need to see some consequence from their poor showing. Either the OC goes, or I'm thinking it's Nolan that has to go. I like Scott. He's got a great eye for talent, but let's get real. Penalties point to coaching and this scheme sucks putty balls. My God does this suck! @#$%^!!!

Posted By: BHF (21/10/2007 6:10:43 PM)
Comment: I think on the Dilfer sack/fumble returned for a Giants TD,that Dilfer got to throw to his HOT receiver immdediately when he sees that the Giants blitz 7.

Posted By: Paul (21/10/2007 5:58:00 PM)
Comment: Enough with the coach crap.These guys are professional athletes, catch the ball when it is thrown to you. Hold on to the ball when you run, do not jump off sides... This is the stuff we teach to our kids when they are ten years old! What do you want the coaches to do, put a cattle prod up their a....These guys need to get their s... together and play the game!

Posted By: shobbrobb (21/10/2007 5:36:23 PM)
Comment: 13 YEARS?....13 YEARS!!........13 FREAKIN YEARS......I NEEDS MY MEDS!

Posted By: Offense Sucks (21/10/2007 5:12:13 PM)
Comment: Here is the "all telling offensive stat of the year": the 0-7 Rams and 0-7 Dolphins have scored more points than the Niners! If the Niners played either of these teams next week, they'd probably lose 33-3!

Posted By: Ty (21/10/2007 4:27:09 PM)
Comment: I was impressed with how hard it was for the Giants D to bring down Vernon. So if it's so tough to tackle him, why does he seem to shy on the big break-out pass (albeit not the best throw) when only the safety is poised to hit him? You're tough VD -- make that catch and lift the offense.

Posted By: 16280 (21/10/2007 4:09:53 PM)
Comment: I agree that VD should catch that ball but Trent Dildo lead him back to the defender and made the catch harder to make. If he leads him away from the safety he catches it in stride and maybe scores. Nice to see Lelie just run straight down the field and make a big play. They should have been doing that a few times a game all year. Nolan will probably bench him next week. Djack, TBC, Franklin look like free agent busts. Clements, Lewis and Lelie (given a chance) look good. That about matches the draft results..50-50 and sums up Nolan, some good some bad and we'll be lucky to be a.500 team. Average mediocre results don't warrant a head coach job in the NFL. You can't escape the fact that we are an epically bad offense. Nolan picked his guys and coached them into this mess. To me he's proven what he's capable of, directing a losing effort. Time to go.

Posted By: Tired (21/10/2007 4:07:19 PM)
Comment: The problem is not with Davis. Yes he drops alot of balls but, guess what, so did another great player. Rice had big drops the first year or two but they kept throwing him the ball because they knew they had talent and they developed it. There is no mentorship on this team. I am glad to see that our coaching solution is to make our offense even sillier with all the movement. The problem is not with our formations it's with the play calling. The lack of responding to what the defense offers. IF the entire defense lines up on the left side it likely suggest that's where the pass rush is coming from. Perhaps an audible to a quick three step drop with a slant pattern from the receiver would do the trick. Yes it would be nice if Vernon would catch the wide open pass for a TD. Yes if would be nice if Trent does not thrown an INT every single game he has ever played. Yes it would be nice if Gore learns to handle the ball but with all that being said we are loosing because of play calling and penalties. Adding a lot of movement with formations does not help with either of those problems. Good coaching will however decrease penalties and improve play calling. Nice to see Lelie get open so many times. Maybe we could get him the ball. How come it took to long to figure out that this kid can play?????????????

Posted By: Chirag (21/10/2007 3:36:58 PM)
Comment: i know not a lot of people arnt talking about it, but vernon sure drops a lot of passes for someone who complained about not getting the ball...if you're going to complain you better catch the ball when its thrown your way (like matt said it would have been an easy TD 19-14 game, instead a couple plays later its 26-7)...6th overall picks arnt afraid to get hit like VD was on that play.

Posted By: niner (21/10/2007 3:36:32 PM)
Comment: people who defend the offense (line) warhop, hostler, and nolan dont watch game tape. The team is poorly coached and their excuses make no sense. ( its the medias fault, not the ol?)The only time the niners have been offensively on the bottom of the nfl in 37 years is now and with Joe Thomas. (But at least Eddie D was pissed off and trying to change things)the offense reflects the O coaches who reflect on the clueless HC who reflect on a hopeless owner.

Posted By: Bill Walsh (21/10/2007 3:34:32 PM)
Comment: The rebuilding process inherited by Mike Nolan is CLEARLY still ongoing in SF with no collective direction or hope in sight. Niner fans can still root for the Raiders though hahaha...

Posted By: razoreater (21/10/2007 3:29:36 PM)
Comment: we need someone to come in and clean this mess up and the sooner the better

Posted By: Blade (21/10/2007 3:07:35 PM)
Comment: hey matt sorry we're all letting our frustration on your blog but dang we have to let it out somehow does nolan know we are getting sick of this?does he care?is he planning on coming up with a gameplan maybe reach 500 this year something anything?

Posted By: Embarrassed (21/10/2007 3:02:54 PM)
Comment: In my earlier post, I forgot to mention that Dilfey had said that this was going to be a "Signature Win". It ended up being a "Signature Loss", which if you think about it... is very true! They lost it in the grand (and typical) style of the Raven's West!

Posted By: Larry B (21/10/2007 2:50:08 PM)
Comment: Has anyone seen Tully Banta-Cain go full speed once this season? Holy moly, what a waste. "Alligator-arms Vernon Davis." Hind sight is 20/20, but would anyone else like to have our 2006 draft pick back? Boy, with the poor play at nose tackle and the resulting rushing D problems - Haloti Nata would look great on that D line. Memo to Nolan: please play the guys that want to put an effort in like P. Harylson, David Baas and the others who care. Jonas Jennings, Smiley, Banta Cain, and some of the other slackers - hit the road. I am ususally the most myopic of Niner fans, but this is unbearable.

Posted By: Rich (21/10/2007 2:42:42 PM)
Comment: Penalties and turnovers are what mostly cost this game. Niners had more passing yards than Giants. Total time of possession almost equal. Although awful, they at least moved the ball, produced first downs, and scored. There are positive things to build on. Take away the turnovers and penalties and this is actually the best the Niner offense has done this year with moving the ball. Still not good but getting better.

Posted By: mike in MD (21/10/2007 2:38:52 PM)
Comment: ...and it took us until now to run a counter running play..well somewhat, it was Norris/FB pulling instead of a guard for a good gain. The turning point was Frank fumbling when we had the momentum & were driving & ahead in the game. I just wonder if our Offense is responding any to Hostler's plays & designs in practice. Do they have any confidence there? Or is there doubts in his gameplanning & during practicing of the execution of the plays & proper scouting/preparation vs the opponent? The offensive players don't look alive for the most part during games. Like I said there were some good things. On this game it looked to me like the pass opened up the run. Gore finally had a few decent holes to run through because we loosened up the D. Bright spots...Lelie catching some balls & stretching the D. Plays to VD though he dropped that wide open field to run after the catch in the middle. That counter run play. It didn't look like a cohesive offensive game plan but this was our change "to let it loose" & "get away from the defensive mindset" game. Maybe in time Hostler will begin to get some confidence from the O-players. We are stuck w/Hostler right? Nolan's made his decision...now Hostler has to put it together. We're sink or swim w/him so buckle up people. We should have been where we're at now since the beginning of the season. We played a Giants team who's legit in the NFC on BOTH SIDES of the ball & who are on a roll right now. Our being so behind on Offense & giving up the turnovers made us look awful. I hope we can get Alex back & be able to build on the good things we saw from the Offense.

Posted By: razoreater (21/10/2007 2:37:23 PM)
Comment: this is the best u could do with 2 weeks to prepare?since when does allen overule the coach in substitution?singletary as interim coach till we can hire a proven offensive mind to take over next year-if we're gonna stick with alex why not consider urban meyer?

Posted By: Marco (21/10/2007 2:34:07 PM)
Comment: The O Line stinks and I have to put the blame on Nolan & Scot McCloughan. How could the have misjudged them so badly? I am glad we got Joe Staley because he is the best as a rookie. Clearly we need more talent at O-lineman Norv wouldn't have make a difference. Don't forget, Norv didn't do such a great job last year in passing yardage per game. Actually they stunk.

Posted By: Embarrassed (21/10/2007 2:20:45 PM)
Comment: I have a great business opportunity... I going to sell barf bags with the 49er logo on them. I need to strike while the iron's hot though... as in several weeks, there will be tumble weeds blowing around the 'stick! I gave up on the game (again) half way through the 4th quarter and went out. When I hit the car, sirius radio was on and the game was being broadcast by WFAN in New York. THE ANNOUNCERS WERE LAUGHING AT THE NINERS! OH, HOW FAR WE'VE FALLEN. THE NINER HQ IS A TOILET AND IT'S TIME TO FLUSH IT, WITH ALL HANDS ON DECK... WHERE'S EDDIE D WHEN WE NEED HIM??

Posted By: AF in WC (21/10/2007 2:03:16 PM)
Comment: 1) OL line: Allen and Jennings are liabilities, especially Jennings; at least LA is scary. JJ is a waste of money, cut his ass now. Staley-Snyder-Bass-Smiley-Harris is starting to look good to me. 2) WRs: How long did it take to get Lelie in the game?! Why wasn't he starting instead of D-Jax? Vernon Davis can't block. Put Bajema in at TE and line Davis and Lelie outside. It couldn't be worse. 3) RBs: Do we only have two rushing plays? What happened to sweeps, counters, pulling guards, trapping? How about play action? DO WE HAVE ANY OF THESE TYPES OF PLAYS IN THE PLAYBOOK? I don't even want to ask about a half-back option... And the fullback? Someone look up Tom Rathman's career highlights and forward them to Hostler. 4) QB: Hey, maybe I'm still drunk from last night's pub crawl but Dilfer wasn't as horrible as I thought. I'd still rather pull Steve Young out of the studio to be our backup (hell, our starter) but Dilfer is still better than Hill WHO IS NOT A ROOKIE. FFS, he's been in the league 6 years and has seen one pla and has never thrown a pass. And you want him to start instead of Dilfer. 5) Playcalling: Ok, it was an improvement but when you're starting with an Ivy League offense, can you go anywhere but up? Please see comments under RBs but also applies to WRs. No slants, no crossing patterns. Someone buy the OC a copy of Madden 07 and a PS3 so he can see what a decent playbook looks like. 6) Headcoach: Listen up, Mike, when you make a big frakking deal about wearing a suit and tie AT LEAST PICK A TIE THAT ISN'T FUGLY. Something that says power, not bedtime. I won't even mention how bad your coaching is. Sorry for the rant, but I started this season so hopeful and am not sooooo depressed. I can't believe I'd rather watch the Cowboys that my beloved Niners.

Posted By: come on nolan (21/10/2007 2:02:24 PM)
Comment: COME ON NOLAN? don't you think making some halftime substitutions would have helped? Get that O-Line out of there....All due respect to the Giants D-Line, but come on...make some g-damn halftime moves...I would've benched most of the o-line to send a message to them....as far as I'm concerned, this is what has to be done....wake up so we can salvage the season...come on nolan?

Posted By: mike in MD (21/10/2007 2:02:00 PM)
Comment: My immediate after game reaction: We're so way behind on the learning curve on Offense since game 1. Yes, we got hosed big-time by Norv leaving us last minute. Nolan chose his best shot sticking w/continuity w/Hostler but he isn't panning out & taking too long to learn how to become an OC & do this job. Nolan's at fault for holding him back & it took Nolan 5 games to realize he was playing not to lose & not until now did he realize it & give Hostler independence. This LATENESS has cost us huge on offensive development & finding our identity. We should have started the way we played today, which there were some good things, since the 1st game but w/Smith. By the 2nd-3rd game we should have had a good feel for which personnel to use on Offense...NOT AFTER 5 GAMES. Lelie obviously made a difference. VD has to keep the ball fed to him & has to make the catches. We have to stay on constantly scheming for him to get the ball on every game. Don't stay away from your bread & butter in Gore but don't run 5X in a row or on 3rd & 12's. Don't be afraid to play the Rooks if they have talent. JHill should absolutely be in the rotation. By this Bye week the OLine had not been getting it done. Baas & Snyder should have been in & Allen rotated to keep fresh. Warhop needs to get his sh** together. My main point is where we are today is where we should have been in the 1st or 2nd game of the season. Maybe Alex wouldn't ever have been injured & this Offense could have become something substantial & consistent by now. But w/all the LATENESS & FUMBLING/BUMBLING in coaching & not seeing the problems MUCH EARLIER we are just so behind now that it's going to cost us extra games to figure out this Offense. If we didn't get an OC during the Bye, we should have got a Consultant to help Hostler/Nolan. So far I'm convinced we'll need a legit OC as the #1 priority in '08 & seriously consider a new OLine coach. All the problems are on Offense in which Nolan needs legit established expertise 100% here. The comment on Staley being a bust is pure B.S. ...a rookie is allowed to make mistakes & have 1 bad day esp vs a 14-yr Vet future HOF as another poster said. Give the guy some slack. It's onto game 7 now & this is where we should have been in game 1 or 2.

Posted By: 16280 (21/10/2007 2:00:48 PM)
Comment: OK vdix, Mr. Positive, what do you have to say? There would be no blog if all we can say is positive. 4 game losing streak and getting worse by the week. Nothing positive about being a loser. Come on dude, bring on the kissie hearts and flowers with your version of how this piece of crap team is a good thing.

Posted By: Jeremy (21/10/2007 1:59:16 PM)
Comment: 1. Welcome to the Hot Seat Nolan! One of the worst coached teams I have ever seen. 2. Welcome to the All Bust Club Mr. Vernon Davis. The guy cannot catch. 3. This team STINKS! 4. Hey Frank Gore. Time to earn your money and step up like "Great" RB's do. WAKE UP FRANK!!! 5. Shaun Hill must be the worst QB in the history of the NFL if he can't even get on the field when Dilfer and Smith play ahead of him. (stole that from Damon Bruce) 6. 49ers reminded all the season ticket holders that they all got ripped off AGAIN!!!!!!

Posted By: 49erFanInCan (21/10/2007 1:58:05 PM)
Comment: chill out shobbrobb ... its obvious we are missing Alex and that the offense overcompensated for the heat they were getting from fans and the media about the offense... dont forget to take ur med 2nite!

Posted By: oneniner (21/10/2007 1:54:32 PM)
Comment: this is depressing....the only that can make this day a lil good is if the rams get their first win.

Posted By: shobbrobb (21/10/2007 1:36:24 PM)
Comment: 13 YEARS?.....13 YEARS!!!!!!!!13 FREAKIN YEARS!!!!SINCE THE LAST CHAMPIONSHIP! MY GOD AND FAR DOES IT LOOK TO THE NEXT ONE?...I GOT A GOOD IDEA WHY DONT THE FAITHFUL GET TOGETHER AND DUST OFF SOME OFF THE OLD TAPES FROM THE GOOD OLD DAYS EVERY SUNDAY IN STEAD OF WATCHIN THIS CRAP!

Posted By: shobbrobb (21/10/2007 1:28:41 PM)
Comment: WOW!!!!!!IM SPEECHLESS.....WHERE DO I/WE START? IVE READ MOST OF THE POSTS AND EVERYONE IS RIGHT!!.........WOW!!!!!!!......PLZ NO MORE SUGARCOATING FAITHFUL NO MORE HOW IT COULD BE OR WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN,NO MORE EXCUSES.THIS TEAM IS NOT GOOD BUT,ITS ALL WE GOT SO WE NEED TO RAISE ALL THE HELL WE POSSIBLY CAN.........WOW.......

Posted By: Traj (21/10/2007 1:28:17 PM)
Comment: I'm a Niner fan first, but why am I enjoying Raider football? Because they give themselves a chance to win every week. When I watch the Niners, I am thinking "Just stay close!" I never used to think that way even during the Mariucci era. This is half a team: only the defense is competitive.

Posted By: Wesley Brooks (21/10/2007 1:21:15 PM)
Comment: Why do we stink so bad, I love them to death but they make it miserable to watch them, i liked nolan, but now I really think we need to start looking in a different direction we are headed for a 2-14 season with no first round pick. We might be worse off than we Erickson left. I can truly say only the rams and dolphins maybe worse than us.

Posted By: Santa Cruz Ryan (21/10/2007 1:20:29 PM)
Comment: Losing the line battle on both sides of the ball. Y'all are gettin too excited much too quick, next week Smith will return, if the lines can perform and we keep turnovers down, our D will keep us in most games, let's hope things start to click with our boys, its a 17 week season, it matters how you finish not how you begin, we do need to get started before it is too late

Posted By: allen49stars (21/10/2007 1:19:20 PM)
Comment: This is ridiculous! How did the O line become the worst in the NFL! Im not sure we would have won if we had Tom Brady! Dilfer still sucks.

Posted By: Wesley Brooks (21/10/2007 1:19:14 PM)
Comment: Why do we stink so bad, I love them to death but they make it miserable to watch them, i liked nolan, but now I really think we need to start looking in a different direction we are headed for a 2-14 season with no first round pick. We might be worse off than we Erickson left. I can truly say only the rams and dolphins maybe worse than us.

Posted By: vdix (21/10/2007 1:18:59 PM)
Comment: Some of the comments here are making me puke. Here is a good addage: if you don't have anything good to say, don't say anything at all.

Posted By: 16280 (21/10/2007 1:18:39 PM)
Comment: Man when Matt throws in the towel before the game is even over you know the "we totally suck frustration factor" is at an all time high. If Nolan was a samuri he'd have to commit hari kari for disgracing the 49ers. Fans should start to boycott to send the message to ownership that being a perennial loser is not OK. Get a real coach and GM.

Posted By: Wesley Brooks (21/10/2007 1:17:51 PM)
Comment: Why do we stink so bad, I love them to death but they make it miserable to watch them, i liked nolan, but now I really think we need to start looking in a different direction we are headed for a 2-14 season with no first round pick. We might be worse off than we Erickson left. I can truly say only the rams and dolphins maybe worse than us.

Posted By: nan (21/10/2007 1:07:01 PM)
Comment: TRENT DILFER SUCKS, WHAT A LOSER, ALWAYS WILL BE A LOSER ALEX SMITH NEEDS A NEW MENTOR. JOE MONTANA WHERE ARE YOU WE NEED YOUR EXPERTISE, PLEASE COME AND MENTOR SMITH

Posted By: Mike W (21/10/2007 1:04:08 PM)
Comment: Matt, Nolan and McCoughlin need to be held accountable for this disaster. In a league of parity and mediocrity, we continue to regress. Having Dilfer as a #2 QB and "mentor" to Smith is just laughable! The guy had zero talent in his prime, let alone now. As for our futile attempts to play a 3-4, doesn't Nolan realize we're at least 2 drafts away from having the type of personnel required to run it effectively? This whole season is a disgrace and I want you and other reporters to press Nolan on it. If he bashes Ann Killion in the press conf again, he'll be exposed for the clueless bully he is.

Posted By: Nan (21/10/2007 1:01:48 PM)
Comment: Put the rookie in, Dilfer sucks. The rookie can't be any worse than Dilfer. I am a die hard fan, but there comes a time when even the dieharders can't stand it

Posted By: 16280 (21/10/2007 1:00:59 PM)
Comment: We are so non-competitive we get to watch Tim Rattay, ex 9er throw a TD. Where is Oneniner, the Nolan cheerleader. Had enough yet? I'd take Art Shell and the B&B guy now.

Posted By: wsmith (21/10/2007 12:58:29 PM)
Comment: How is this team better than the piece of crap that Erickson had to compete with? Zero confidence we will ever win with Nolan. His draft picks are mediocre, and his coaching is awful.

Posted By: Blade (21/10/2007 12:57:06 PM)
Comment: dilfer is not all the problem the o line wasnt blocking again,lelie looked good that was a bs call on him if anything shoulf have been deff PI but it's almost official we're 2-4 i dont think firing nolan will fix all but we need to do something now.

Posted By: charles (21/10/2007 12:56:59 PM)
Comment: Tim Rattay just threw a TD pass in Washington!!! LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL

Posted By: Eric V (21/10/2007 12:55:38 PM)
Comment: Good Afternoon Matt. I am glad I did not buy a ticket to this game. I am the same gentleman that said that the o-line needs a new look. You made the comment to me about the people whose livelihoods depend on this game have made the right decision about the o-line feel this is the best group of linemen to start. Guess what, I do not agree with you. Do me a favor, send a message to Mike Nolan for me. Start Baas & Synder, bench Jennings & Smiley! We have lost to playoff teams thus far, but I still expected more out of this line. Kwame Harris can do no worse then this line is playing right now.

Posted By: Tigerlaw (21/10/2007 12:54:24 PM)
Comment: After a BYE we came out sloppier than ever. The team is so far beyond broken right now the only hope for improvement needs to come via BABY STEPS. Next week lets see the following: (1) No more illegal shift/procedure penalties (2) No false starts (3) No delay of games. Our offense is having enough difficulty earning 10 yards...lets not ask them to earn 15.

Posted By: Chirag (21/10/2007 12:53:57 PM)
Comment: we dont deserve frank gore. as for dilfer, you would expect him to get some sort of a sense of where the rush is coming from and just throw it away (being a vet) but he loves holding on to the ball. and finally: is it too early to call jackson a bust? we give another game away with stupid penalties, TOs and kill drives with inexplicable dropped passes. it was sad to hear the broadcasters say the niners reached a season high yardage total...219 yards (at the time)...even kerry collins did better singlehandedly.

Posted By: Dean (21/10/2007 12:53:15 PM)
Comment: Matt, Make sure your seat on the ride back home to SF has a barf bag! Safe trip !

Posted By: grant (21/10/2007 12:52:56 PM)
Comment: MATT, YOU NEED TO ASK NOLAN FOR SOME ANSWERS AFTER THIS GAME. US FANS WANT SOME ANSWERS. COACH NOLAN OWES US THAT MUCH. can I hear an amen?

Posted By: Mike in Sac (21/10/2007 12:51:31 PM)
Comment: SEVEN TURNOVERS!!!! This sucks...I would rather look at young guys try than old retreads fail. How about this; JENNINGS, ALLEN, DILFER and JACKSON, all gone. Move Snyder and Bass into the lineup and get a couple more rookies to back up. Wragge looked good last year when he played so we still have some depth. Sorry to say, but can't aford Simley, hell he is stinking it up anyway. Start Lelie or Hill with Battle. Draft another Rookie QB in the 3rd or 4th round. Oh yeah...A NEW HEAD COACH MIGHT BE NICE AS WELL. I AM TIRED OF ALL THESE OLD HARD HEADED COACHES LIKE BISHOP HARRIS, SULLIVAN and NOLAN. This my way or the highway shit does not cut it with guys who are immensly talented and paid big money. Damn I am so tird of futility. Other teams plug guys in off the street and get produciton out of them. We can't even get production out of guys who have been with the team a season.

Posted By: marco barontini (21/10/2007 12:50:31 PM)
Comment: Coaches always say that you have to earn playing time. Well, Nolan should be forced to earn be allowed to wear a suit. Right now, he should be coaching on the sidelines in only his boxers!!!

Posted By: Jake (21/10/2007 12:49:07 PM)
Comment: Trent Dilfer is A LOSER!! ALWAYS HAS BEEN! That is why he was cut after being the quarterback on a Super Bowl winning team. What a FRAUD! CUT THIS IDIOT TOMORROW!!! He is SOFT!!!

Posted By: Dean in Virginia (21/10/2007 12:45:18 PM)
Comment: Jake: Do you suppose Staley is the first rookie to be schooled by a future HOFer?

Posted By: Aaron (21/10/2007 12:45:00 PM)
Comment: We suck. (I totally glossed over the note that Kwame was inactive cause I was half asleep when I read that this morning. My bad.)

Posted By: RK in LA (21/10/2007 12:44:54 PM)
Comment: This game is so bad, FOX was showing it in LA and pulled it off to go to a more competitive game.

Posted By: Mr. President (21/10/2007 12:43:57 PM)
Comment: Nolan's rebuilding plan kinda reminds me of GW's decision to go to war. At first, everyone's on board, but soon the faithful have seen that there's essentially no real plan in place, and the losses keep mounting, and our leader keeps misleading us with "it's not this, it's everybody" BS, and the whole "we need to stay on course" BS...Admittedly, I was one of those fools who bought into Nolan, but I can see that he's taking this team no where. 1 step forward, two steps back. Maybe York IS a genius afterall. He didn't hire a coach, he bought himself time with the fans.

Posted By: RMagnus (21/10/2007 12:42:51 PM)
Comment: "Firing Nolan is the answerto all the 49ers problems? Get real" Quite right, it isn't. But keeping him around doesn't seem to be doing much good either. Listen, the guy might be a good defensive coach, he might even be the best defensive co-ordinator in history ...he might. But as a head coach, he's lousy. Maybe worse.

Posted By: Cyrus (21/10/2007 12:41:28 PM)
Comment: Awesome, the game just got thrown off of Fox down here (OC) b/c we couldn't stay in the game.

Posted By: SB from SF (21/10/2007 12:39:16 PM)
Comment: Why is Dilfer still in the game??? Again, if anyone is wonderng why Alex Smith has not progressed is because Dilfer is his mentor. To this point he is -46 in turnover to touchdown ratio in his career. Time to rebuild again & Nolan needs to go. He's lost the team - 2 weeks to prepare and the Giants on a short week and this is what we gets??????? They are terrible and it's down to the coaches 1st and crap players.

Posted By: grant (21/10/2007 12:36:02 PM)
Comment: Shockey should teach Vernon a thing or two about catching passes. Vernon needs to learn that he'll always be Hype unless he makes a damn catch.

Posted By: kart (21/10/2007 12:34:43 PM)
Comment: Harris is inactive today

Posted By: 16280 (21/10/2007 12:34:41 PM)
Comment: F'n A, Baas & Snyder are in! They are actually blocking and giving some protection. Crap, just when you see a glimmer of hope Dilfer kills us again. Can we please cut him. Totally worthless. How many turnovers has he given up today 4? More dumb penalties. Dumb coaching = dumb players. Fire Nolan.

Posted By: Dirk (21/10/2007 12:33:03 PM)
Comment: All those turnovers are a perfect excuse for Nolan. Now he can safely return to his 'kneel down three times and punt' type of offense.

Posted By: Mike Nolan's Mom (21/10/2007 12:32:24 PM)
Comment: Fire Mike now. If he couldn't ever clean up his bedroom, how do you expect him to clean up this team??

Posted By: GaryinUK (21/10/2007 12:30:52 PM)
Comment: Finally Nolan pulled the trigger (or donkeys!) and got Jennings out of there.

Posted By: Jake (21/10/2007 12:30:19 PM)
Comment: Dean in Virginia, YES, FIRING NOLAN IS A START!!! This is PATHETIC!! HOW MUCH MORE DO WE HAVE TO TAKE???? Staley is a COMPLETE BUST!!! New England can thank us for giving them a top 5 draft choice!! WHO has fallen further, the 49ers or Nebraska Football??? This team SUCKS and NOLAN NEEDS TO GO!! He is a Dan Reeves reject, that is all you need to know about the guy!

Posted By: Mike Markovsky (21/10/2007 12:27:22 PM)
Comment: Matt, at some point he Niner coaching staff must take responsibility for the train wreck that is the SF season. I've heard the bull about "the plan is sound, now the players must execute". That is getting old. if the players are the problem, so is the "GM" side of Nolan's job and the preparation side of all of the coaches' job descriptions. I'm sick of hearing "stay the course"! The course sucks - so does the team AND THE COACHING STAFF! You can't blame the Yorks for this disaster...

Posted By: Mike Nolan (21/10/2007 12:26:22 PM)
Comment: Sorry folks, my suit looks nice, but I can't coach my way out of a paper bag. Fire me now. I suck.

Posted By: SMK (21/10/2007 12:26:05 PM)
Comment: @aaron: no way, he's inactive ;)

Posted By: weary9er (21/10/2007 12:25:21 PM)
Comment: The defense earns praise for gritty play against a very good team that wouldn't be a bad model for us to copy- get guys to wall off the quarterback from the D! Good concentration by Staley and Lelie..let's see more!

Posted By: Sickening (21/10/2007 12:23:56 PM)
Comment: The Niners look pathetic in every aspect today. Poor offensive, coaching, special teams, and defense. Nothing positive in this game to build on at all. Time to look forward to next year (seems like I have been saying that for 5 years now). I've got better things to do then watch this team look like fools on the field. Looking ahead I see possibly 2 wins out of the remaining schedule. I'll follow them through this blog site, but not on TV. Over and out for this season.

Posted By: Coop (21/10/2007 12:22:59 PM)
Comment: Tiger, i've got to agree. the play that allen was injured, the next play hos calls is a run to allen's side. Why???

Posted By: 16280 (21/10/2007 12:20:35 PM)
Comment: The ONLY smart thing Nolan did was to not put Alex Smith in. No way he takes the pounding the G Men are putting on Dilfer. Nolan has to go. He's coached this talented group of players into a pathetically weak team. We need help in a few areas still but no excuse for this level of under achievement. A .500 record will take our division. What a joke.

Posted By: Tigerlaw (21/10/2007 12:15:45 PM)
Comment: Hostler has no clue what he is doing as OC. He has no overall game plan...does he want to pound the ball...throw deep...create mismatches and free up VD? No...he just randomly calls plays. He insists on using 7 step drops and isn't doing anything to maximize our offensive weapons.

Posted By: Dean in Virginia (21/10/2007 12:14:56 PM)
Comment: Firing Nolan is the answer to all of the 49ers problems? Get real...

Posted By: Aaron (21/10/2007 12:11:49 PM)
Comment: Staley is really struggling today. Any chance we might see Kwame?

Posted By: mike in Md (21/10/2007 12:06:32 PM)
Comment: ..just as I clicked the mouse VD's wide open in the middle. He has to make that catch..keep feeding him though. Nice catch Lelie, finally. Don't get to careless...pick your spots. Dilfer has to be able to read the D..he should have redirected the RB, Jennings can't block 2 rushers. When the Offense does anything I usually always see the D come alive. Nice sack..Moore & Willis...& Norris kick block. Let's get it on offense!!

Posted By: Rich, San Ramon (21/10/2007 12:04:25 PM)
Comment: Niners offense playing against the Giants reminds me of my 8 year old playing against me in chess.

Posted By: grant (21/10/2007 12:04:05 PM)
Comment: what a pathetic football team this is. This is ALL on Nolan. Seems to me he's focusing too much on picking nice guys and forgets that nice guy will not win games and make plays on the field. The lack of discipline is all on the coaches.

Posted By: Mike in Sac (21/10/2007 12:03:31 PM)
Comment: Oops...I meant the pick would go to the Pats and was going to make reference I thin we are almost as bad as the Dolphins. I am so frustrated I can't think!

Posted By: marco barontini (21/10/2007 12:02:38 PM)
Comment: Why is Jonas Jennings not pulled. He was a bust signing. Admit it and move on. Adam Snyder is more athletic with longer arms. Nolan and Warhop should be relieved of duties, and Singletary should be made interim coach. Just to make it worse, our top 5 pick in the upcoming draft belongs to New England. Happy times!!!

Posted By: Aaron (21/10/2007 12:02:26 PM)
Comment: Why can't we figure out what to do when the defense rushes more than 6 guys?

Posted By: GaryinUK (21/10/2007 12:00:39 PM)
Comment: Is Nolan afraid to pull "big name" players that are playing poorly? i.e. Jonas Jennings & Larry Allen

Posted By: Danny in Gainesville (21/10/2007 11:59:24 AM)
Comment: i guess we're back to the 41-3 road losses of 2005. i really never thought losing norv would have such an impact. the offense looks absolutely lost. two weeks to "fix things" and they look like a JV offense. the play-calling has been better today, but the execution is horrible and there are dumb penalties left and right. that's a lack of preparation, and who's in charge of preparing the O? hostler. nolan needs to can his ass tomorrow.

Posted By: 16280 (21/10/2007 11:58:53 AM)
Comment: Finally a vertical pass to Lelie!!!!How hard is that??? Pierce for Niner MVP. Nice O line play. Great idea to leave the NFL sack leader unblocked. Another TO for Dilfer. Mix in a few more dumb penalties. This coaching staff has to go. Lelie again. Why are the fans smarter than Nolan? You think if we had New England's coaching staff we'd be so pathetic?

Posted By: weary9er (21/10/2007 11:55:22 AM)
Comment: Another breakdown in protection, Matt and Giants get a defensive TD, as if they needed it! Vernon Davis should have caught that ball and now the 9ers might as well play for draft position, imo. This season is over as far as the playoffs are concerned.

Posted By: John York (21/10/2007 11:55:00 AM)
Comment: Enjoy the Mike Nolan era while it lasts. He can't draft, he can't coach, he flat out sucks. All he can do is talk big and dress pretty.

Posted By: SpinMD (21/10/2007 11:51:17 AM)
Comment: How interesting. Ashley Lelie gets in the game and catches a 47 yard pass. Can I virtually slap Nolan on the side of the head and spout DOH?

Posted By: mike in MD (21/10/2007 11:46:10 AM)
Comment: REPEAT...we need to get the ball to VD more. That's playcalling to create plays for him & half-time adjustments. Is Lelie in the game? I haven't seen any WR stretch the field yet & that's him....

Posted By: Mike in Sac (21/10/2007 11:45:02 AM)
Comment: It could be worse...it is...we will probably finish with a terrbile record and a good pick, oh wait. The pick has to go to the Dolphins because we had to have Joe Staley becasue he was the key to this years Super Bowl run. This whole season really just sucks so far.

Posted By: 16280 (21/10/2007 11:43:40 AM)
Comment: Two weeks of game planning and practice and this is what we get? Has Lelie been in the game, I haven't heard his name called? Boy we sure fixed all those problems. I can't recall ever seeing a team execute this poorly. Dilfer is a team killer. Maybe Hill can at least make a handoff, not trip on his own feet, and throw the ball to our guys. Both O and D lines are getting bitch slapped. This team is a mess, a total train wreck.

Posted By: Blade (21/10/2007 11:32:46 AM)
Comment: fair weather fan?um no highly frustrated yes,disappointed yes,and you forgot to mention not only do we have to stop the mental stuff we need to stop the giants and score ourselfs its now 19-7 giants.i hate to be critical but we're poorly coached on both sides of the ball today if u guys are drinking the koolaid then let me have a sip cause this is getting old.

Posted By: John C (21/10/2007 11:31:19 AM)
Comment: Glad to see we're once again utilizing Vernon Davis against a team who can't defend the TE.

Posted By: Dean (21/10/2007 11:21:41 AM)
Comment: Is Andy Lee for real?

Posted By: Andrew` (21/10/2007 11:17:07 AM)
Comment: Hey you guys it could be worse...at least were not the Dolphins

Posted By: Donald (21/10/2007 11:12:19 AM)
Comment: Is Hoss in trouble?

Posted By: Santa Cruz Ryan (21/10/2007 11:11:41 AM)
Comment: I'm with Joe on this one, Blade you are ridiculous, care to be a bigger fair-weather fan? Stop the run, stop the turnovers and continue the progress on offense and we can easily take this game.

Posted By: Aaron (21/10/2007 11:08:47 AM)
Comment: Shouldn't Madison have picked up a delay of game or taunting penalty for running around with the ball and waving his arms?

Posted By: Blade (21/10/2007 11:04:34 AM)
Comment: well if joe is a *niners fan* he can't be watching we havent had a winning season since 02 thats five years and now it's 13-7 giants.

Posted By: Joe (21/10/2007 11:02:05 AM)
Comment: The real question is what happened to the Niners defense?

Posted By: Joe (21/10/2007 10:51:48 AM)
Comment: What a pathetic bunch of fans...behind 6-0 and giving up..sad...You guys don't deserve a good team.

Posted By: Joe (21/10/2007 10:49:39 AM)
Comment: Who is that quarterback? And what did they do with Trent Dilfer?

Posted By: Dirk (21/10/2007 10:49:02 AM)
Comment: Impressive drive. This is becoming interesting.

Posted By: Dirk (21/10/2007 10:34:26 AM)
Comment: Hope the INT gets the team going. Otherwise we will loose big time.

Posted By: Blade (21/10/2007 10:32:52 AM)
Comment: omg derick smith you are a god today!!!!!now lets see if the offense can move a lil

Posted By: Blade (21/10/2007 10:25:10 AM)
Comment: hey matt this is embarrissing have someone pass a message to nolan he should take a tunnel and the rest of this crappy team with him whats the point of finishing this game.

Posted By: Aaron (21/10/2007 10:23:49 AM)
Comment: Holy cow that was pathetic.

Posted By: Aaron (21/10/2007 10:20:54 AM)
Comment: Not a great opening drive, 7 points might have put this game out of reach for us. Matt, regarding Jason Hill I have to say I am baffled. 2 weeks ago Nolan wanted to get him in the lineup but he wasn't healthy, now that he is healthy he's no longer good enough to even dress? Since we haven't added any players, and haven't exactly seen any breakout performances what gives? It gives one the impression that our coaches don't really know who our best players are, and that they are just kind of winging it on offense. I know they want to give Lelie a chance this week, but why does that mean Hill can't play too?

Posted By: Santa Cruz Ryan (21/10/2007 10:19:11 AM)
Comment: I'm not likin how that first drive went...both the DBs and LBs need to be much better in coverage, we're giving 5 yards of comfort to each Giant. We also need to get more pressure on Eli and force him into bad decisions. I have much more faith in Manusky and that changes will be made than the offense tho at this point.

Posted By: Blade (21/10/2007 10:17:21 AM)
Comment: 6-0 it's over infact i'm betting a blowout.

Posted By: outnabout (21/10/2007 10:12:34 AM)
Comment: I guess the d is a little jumpy today?????

Posted By: 5decadefan (21/10/2007 10:04:41 AM)
Comment: Today (and next week) we will see if a tiger can really change his stripes. Matt, we at home rarely know which substitutes come into the game. If it's not too much of a problem, could you sort of keep track of Lelie's chances today? Thanks for all your great work.

Posted By: mike in MD (21/10/2007 9:22:01 AM)
Comment: Nice piece on Manusky. I hope Hostler can turn it around today. A few questions...are JHill & TBrown fully healed yet? Any 1st impressions on WR LeRon McCoy? How's Atiyahh Ellison looking? Last...has anyone asked Nolan or Hostler why we don't run our highly successful counter run play from last year & why we don't pull our guards more (at all)? Thanks Matt..hope you have better luck on your return flight. C'mon Trent & the Niners, concentrate & let's have a good game fellas!!

Response: Brown and Hill are healthy. I really haven't seen much from McCoy, so I don't have anything to offer. Ellison has yet to get in a game, but he's doing well enough in practice to hang around. --Matt M.

Posted By: Dean (21/10/2007 9:19:56 AM)
Comment: Matt, From your vantage point, do you see Hoss on the field or in a booth today?

Response: He's on the field right now during warmups, but I'm told he'll be in the box. I'll update that when the game begins. --Matt M.

Posted By: oneniner (21/10/2007 9:11:51 AM)
Comment: this should be easy, of course we will win this game...