Posted By: Haroon Ansary (21/11/2007 9:08:30 AM)
Comment: There are so many "Why?' & "How come?" comments a fan can make...but it's useless. i DON'T THINK WE'LL WIN ANOTHER GAME THIS SEASON. Hopefully that will bring about some changes. Dennis Green, Bill Cower, Bill Parcells...heck George Seiffert for all I care...we need help. We need a new coach & a new offensive coordinator PRONTO! Players is one thing, but when your captain is sailing your ship into the bottom of the ocean, there's nothing a group of talented players can do about it.

Posted By: mikes (14/11/2007 2:33:45 PM)
Comment: michael robinson to qb. PLEASE!!!

Posted By: nosetackle supreme (14/11/2007 11:28:46 AM)
Comment: Time to play Shaun Hill?!?

Posted By: global49ers (14/11/2007 4:46:55 AM)
Comment: it was three rookies plus dwight hicks. Niners have huge following in england. Have emailed our lousy owner several times telling him how hapless he is.

Posted By: PAPERBAGHEAD (14/11/2007 2:55:11 AM)
Comment: Last year Nolan said "with Norv Turner I don't have to worry about the offense". Now he does and obviously has no clue. The offensive game plans makes absolutely NO sense. It's as if they tack plays on a dart board and use a dart to pick them.

Posted By: clucas6305 (14/11/2007 12:32:26 AM)
Comment: Oneniner (4:55), the first Super Bowl team started a defensive backfield of four rookies just off the top of my head. Fact check it, maybe I'm wrong. What year was Joe in? 3rd? Pretty young. Smith has not shown one single glimmer of adequacy let alone greatness. Youth is not the problem. Poor coaching and not having much talent IS the problem.

Posted By: Stratos (13/11/2007 10:17:12 PM)
Comment: Nolan and company must go. There is no excuse for the Niner tradition to be trampled by amateurs who cannot come up with a offensive game plan. We need innovators, not pretenders. Nolan has done a fair job with the Defense, but we can't even be competitive anymore. We need to get a real coach, Parcels, Johnson, or even Green, heck I would rather give Steve Young a shot, couldn't do any worse than Nolan.

Posted By: ladale (13/11/2007 9:18:15 PM)
Comment: Please, please, please, please, get rid of the 3/4 with the big fat tackles who couldn't take their own pressure, let alone sack a Q.B. A Q.B. who can make the quick simple passes. A receiver with at least a threat of speed. Activate, use, take advantage of Shaun Hill, Jason Hill, 4/3 defense, tampa two, or something. It is not rocket science. When will we stop catering the smart golden boy with the 40 million dollar guaranteed contract who has only one throw, that off target fast ball. We are losing anyway, lets give peace a chance. Give us something to hang our hats on.

Posted By: Autopump (13/11/2007 8:00:55 PM)
Comment: I can't wait to see who the Patriots select with the (our) first or second pick in the draft. Good trade boys.

Posted By: darklord (13/11/2007 7:32:00 PM)
Comment: there is zero excuse for what we saw on Monday. As the head coach, you can and should take over any area of the team that warrants change. How the heck could anyone watch that offense 7 weeks in a row and not take it over? simply answer, he does not know one thing about it andn that is not acceptable for a head coach. I defended Nolan up to this point in time, but by not acting he is appartently unable to do better

Posted By: SF Phil (13/11/2007 6:39:26 PM)
Comment: Well at least the rest of my trip to Seattle had some excitement. Thanks for saying hi at the airport, Matt. My observations: The factor that drastically changed since last year is the loss of an experienced, strategic, and successful offensive mind. Turner is gone and not coming back. The 49ers need to find an above-average coaching mind that has a track record of developing quarterbacks. If we don't find one for next season I believe Alex Smith's career is soon to be a failure. His footwork looks bad, his passes are off-target, and his reads are increasingly slow. Unfortunately there are so many factors working against Smith that it can't be said he is in a winning situation. Should he make some plays? Definately. Can anyone improve and win when the only pillar of knowledge and tutelage leaves town? Certainly not. Nolan doesn't offer much to the offensive scheme, Hostler is in a trial-and-error situation, and the quarterback coach hasn't shown much. Time for a real offensive mind to try to salvage this wreck. I wouldn't mind a backup plan of Plummer or Simms next year, either.

Posted By: SC Rick (13/11/2007 5:12:30 PM)
Comment: This blog has turned into a rant, maybe that's OK as our team is realllllly bad with not much hope of pulling out. Is this therapy? Lots of exclamations for people to be fired. 1) York "he's the owner, we can't fire him. While I disagree that he is at fault, the effect on his pocketbook will be felt. You can see it now, the crowd at the park has changed, not so many season ticket holders, replaced with folks that seem more content to get drunk and start fights. In my opinion York seems to have provided Nolan all he's requested. You can blame York for two possible things, if you think the Nolan choice was bad from the get-go is one, the other is for letting him stay in the job too long. Personally I don't agree with either; York has learned to become a descent owner. 2) Fire Nolan, York has demonstrated the ability to part ways regardless of remaining $ on contracts, however, I agree with articles within the past couple of weeks in that he gets one more year, and that the power he has next year may have limitations (lose the GM spot). 3) Fire Hoss, OK with me, although I blame Nolan more for either a poor initial decision or lack of direction. 4) Bench Smith, start Hill. I'd like to think that Hill couldn't be as bad as Smith, but the guy has been in the NFL for 6-years and has NEVER thrown a pass. Once Smith is benched and Hill is just as bad, should we bring in Cody? Like it or not, Smith is our QB for the 2007 season. OK, I want to blame the coaching, at all levels, but what I also saw last night was lack of execution, this is something that has plagued us all year. A few weeks ago when it was obvious that Smiley was having a bad game I just knew that Nolan would step in, tell him to sit down for the day, and get Baas in there. This is the type of thing that gets me the most "the apparent lack of action. I figured Nolan had this capability when he showed in his first year, when he cut Winborne. I hope that Nolan figures it out and is able to improve the team's performance so that us-folks won't be riding his butt all off season. Winning is a great healer.

Posted By: sdniner (13/11/2007 5:08:51 PM)
Comment: I think Jerry Sullivan should call the plays. It wouldn't hurt since Hostler doesn't seems to be getting know where with the offense. Heck, at least Jerry called the plays in Arizona, not to say they were good, but it might be a step up from where the Niners are at.

Posted By: niner (13/11/2007 4:05:01 PM)
Comment: i may be confused but didnt the whole anounncing team indicate that Smith was harassed all night long? NOnolan just said his last placed (worst) OL did good? NObaody can be that insane. Now i know he's just crook in a suit guy trying to con us! e lousy years of pitiful line play and 2 pathetic senior bowls and the OL and coach are good?

Posted By: Gary (13/11/2007 3:20:53 PM)
Comment: We spent upmpteen millions on a kid from Utah and gave him the keys to the Niner future. He doesn't have it -- plain and simple. Jerry Rice tried to tell us that but we wouldn't listen. Then we drafted another QB, this one from a BIg 10 school that in his only year at QB went 11-1, ran for 8 TD's and passed for 17, and had a QB rating of 127.17. HIs team, playing tougher competition than Utah, won the Big 10 title and the Orange Bowl title and Michael Robinson was the Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year. Mike Nolan seems to think that Alex has better credentials and qualifications for the QB position. MRob wants a shot at QB. He believes in himself (unlike Alex), and has performed great for us wherever we use him. Robinson is a shotgun QB. That's why the so-called experts, those same guys who told us how great Druckenmiller and Leaf would be, decided that he couldn't make it in the NFL as a QB. Those same brilliant experts convinced Nolan that Smith would be the answer. Smith played for that perennial power, Utah. So, the experts say MRob should be a running back and expert Nolan listened. Why? Because he's a black QB that is not a pocket passer? Pocket passers get killed when your OL is weak. MRob's mobility and power can cure a lot of ills that Smith is not equipped to deal with. The guy's a great athlete. Any true Niner fan wants to see an end to this madness and giving MRob a shot won't hurt. The season is toast and so is Alex, Nolan and Hostler. MRob could surprise and save us a wasted top round draft pick next year. I've seen him play QB. He's very good, and unlike Smith, is a leader at that position. He directs his teammates. Smith looks like a 6th grader. How many of you critics have ever actually seen Michael play QB? IT'S TIME TO GIVE HIM A CHANCE. What the hell do we have to lose???

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 1:55:12 PM)
Comment: Mike ...."We put teams away when the opportunity came during the games."....I agree but do me one favor, go back and look at the roster of those niner teams and tell me how many of those teams had this much young players, playing the main positions?....cmon give credit where it is due "beat Denver & swept Seattle"....those were not exceptions they were wins by Coach Nolan and his team. Nolan is the future niner football.

Posted By: mike in MD (13/11/2007 1:34:58 PM)
Comment: oneniner...you have to be joking right?? When's the last time you saw Nolan outcoach ANYONE in a game? And if you're able to think of one, maybe two, was it a team w/a winning record? This season that's absolutely "no." OK last year we beat Denver & swept Seattle...those are the EXCEPTIONS. Being last in the league in ALL Offensive categories is not the 49ER way. Having ongoing false start penalties game after game, a QB who can't read a blitz coming to check off to a hot receiver, having very little creativity on Offense, calling unnecessary & wasted timeouts...all are not the 49ER's way of running ANY type of Offense. Nolan's on his 3rd year now & we're no where near having an explosive smooth running Offense that we're known for. Going for ugly games as a strategy to try & win them & relying on some luck for a victory is not the 49ER way. We put teams away when the opportunity came during the games. So what if his father was a Niners HC....Nolan got his coaching experience mainly w/Baltimore who also doesn't know anything about Offense. Mike has no ties w/any of the Coaches from the Niner's past & has captured no influence there. He's Ultra Conservative even many times on Defense where he backed off the CB's & played a "bend not break" style of D, dropping off the LB's & 2 gapping the DLine protecting against the run on obvious 3rd down passing situations which made no sense whatsover resulting in big plays &/or the converting of 1st downs. And I guarantee you if it was BWalsh or GSeifert who had any player be it a VET or anyone who couldn't do their job after a couple of games they would be BENCHED. They wouldn't be allowed to play the entire season (a la TBC, Smiley, Heitman, Allen &/or JJ.) Coaching wise back in the days if Hostler was the OC he would have been dropped no later than the Bye week, GUARANTEED. It doesn't take a much to see he's WAY over his head on this job. Yes...Nolan clearly doesn't know what 49ERS FOOTBALL is all about.

Posted By: http:// (13/11/2007 1:15:43 PM)
Comment: Did anyone hear the Ralph and Tom show last week where Tully Banta-Cain stated that during practices, if the offense does not run a play appropriately, they go to the next play without running it again until it is run properly. If this is true, then it is no wonder the offense plays so poorly. The Niners are definately in need of an overhaul. Alex Smith cannot recognize defensive alignments or blitzes to make adjustments. He is still not healthy. He throws off his back foot or as MNF pointed out locks his front leg forcing the throws to sail on him. Moran Norris blew several important assignments that cost the Niners points, if he can not block a linebacker get him out of there. The defense at times is just as confused as the offense. The Niners get caught with 12 men on the field during the Seahawks hurry up offense, DB's out of position, poor tackling and pursuit angles, big D linemen that couldn't overpower or outrun a little old lady constantly 4-5yards downfield and as heard by MNF sidline reporter... arguing and chaos on the sideline.

Posted By: johnl (13/11/2007 1:08:46 PM)
Comment: Worst game ever -- to be sure -- but let's not give VD a pass here. He may have been held in to block, but he wasn't making his blocks. It was his whiff that got Smith hit on the first third down, and his guy regularly came thru unblocked. Plus, he continues to get at least one motion penalty a game. Finally, he has yet to break a single tackle in the NFL. Great potential, yes. But right now he's almost as bad as anyone (including Smith). The biggest culprit, though, is the inept coaching staff -- primarily the "inability to change or grow in the job" guy, Nolan, the entirely (and painfully) predictable -- "Hey, let's surprise them with a run up the middle on fourth and short" -- Hostler, and whoever claims to be coaching the most atrocious OL (five guys/five cabs) in memory. It's a surprise they only lost by 24.

Posted By: Parker (13/11/2007 12:51:25 PM)
Comment: Agreed weary9er. Keown sums it all up for us and even puts a pretty bow on top. The card reads "Sell the team to someone who cares."

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 12:50:00 PM)
Comment: Mike in MD "I think you have had too many crabs"...."Nolan CLEARLY has no idea what 49ERS FOOTBALL is all about."....nolan' dad was a niner coach, he grew up as a niner and you think you know better than nolan what niner football is about?....ok, for the haters your solution is to fire nolan, dismantle the team and start over...what a bunch of jokers.....where are you going to get this new players from?......You guys forget if not for Mcnolan we won't have the salary cap to even consider upgrading through FA....I am not saying the niner situation is acceptable, but in life you need to struggle to have real success, and we don't have the experience as a team to bring in a new HC, Nolan is staying, and A. Smith is a young QB that will grow. It's one thing if he his making dumb mistakes, like throwing interceptions like the other young QB's (see cutler, Losman, grossman) or like the old vets that fumble everytime (see Mcnair, warner), his problems can be fixed by good coaching (jaws couldn't even call A. Smith a bust, and you guys think you know better).

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 12:46:23 PM)
Comment: Will someone please take oneniner's computer away? He truly is an idiot. Possession receiver with size? How many of those do you need? Why don't we just write a formal letter inviting all the safeties around the league to live in the box? Alex smith for another 4 years? - What sign has he given you to hang your hat on? Has he showed anything at all to give you a glimmer of hope? Anything? Even the most delusional franchise and owner in the league would not stick with a bottom 5 quarterback for 7 years! I tried to stick with him as long as I could and admittedly was a Smith apologist, but clearly after that MNF embarrassment, he is well on his way to the Couch, Carr, Akili Smith, Mier, and Leaf echelon of quarterbacks. Even the eternal sunshine-blowing Nolan said the season may dictate Alex's future after the game.

Posted By: Utah 9er (13/11/2007 12:44:34 PM)
Comment: Is there a way to watch the press conference online?

Posted By: weary9er (13/11/2007 12:42:59 PM)
Comment: everyone should read Tim Keown's piece: http://www.49erswebzone.com/content/news/view.php?id=11967 He makes a number of points that add up to arrogance and ignorance being the real villains of this story. These belong to the coaches and the ownership and not Alex Smith. Let's keep the blame where it belongs.

Posted By: Jfresh (13/11/2007 12:29:16 PM)
Comment: Fire them All: There is talent on this team. Look, the ST was horrible in years past, but with a guy WHO KNOWS WHAT HE IS DOING (everest) the ST has done dramatically better. You can even say that with the D (especially the first 2 games, AZ/STL whom both were still healthy), but they need help from the O. NOW LOOK AT THE O? All that talent, and this is what Hostler produces? Nolan is to blame for hiring Hostler,but he should not be fired for this though. Hostler needs to go!

Posted By: mike in MD (13/11/2007 12:26:40 PM)
Comment: Nolan CLEARLY has no idea what 49ERS FOOTBALL is all about. What we're seeing is a total disgrace to the tradition Bill Walsh set for this franchise. We have no business playing on a National stage on Monday nights or even being on an NFL football field. We look like a damn JV high school team out there on Offense. I'm not one who wants to get set back & start over but after seeing the garbage that's being put out on the field this ENTIRE season it's better to do that IMO. I give credit to Nolan & McCloughan in upgrading our talent pool & doing an awesome job of repairing our salary cap situation. They had their share of busts (BWilliams, TJacobs, TBC, AFranklin [last 2 getting paid as starters but don't have that ability]..jury's still out on ASmith & VD is starting to come along) but overall our talent is much better. I think Nolan has taken us as far as his ability can take us. BYoung, Gore, Manny, Clements (who we attracted by selling him that we were a legit up & coming team) Willis, Staley & other promising Rooks...don't deserve this disaster. It's better to do some major overhauling to clean out the stench of losing & rediscover what a Professional NFL team should look like. Players like VD, MLewis, & Staley grew up being Niner fans & didn't envision reaching their dream of playing for their favorite team looking like an absolute joke w/incompetent Offensive coaches. Hopefully York can hire a superior GM. We need a new HC & staff that can find what the 49ER way is all about again. Also without getting back on track who would want to come to an organization like this & how are we going to attract any prime FA's to supplement our team?

Posted By: Mike G. (13/11/2007 12:09:34 PM)
Comment: Sorry Nolan. he is a good DC, but like Norv Turner as a head coach he is not. Also, eventhough he is under contract he can be let go with still paying the extra 2 years he has left. I say fire Nolan, and the whole coaching staff, and start off. You hire Steve Sarkasian (what the raiders couldn't do). He brings in Ken Zampese as his OC. Tim Lewis, or Jerry Gray as his DC, and go back to the 4-3. Then you trade Alex Smith to let say the Bears, or any team that needs a QB to move up to get Andre Woodson, or draft Eric Angie from Tennessee in the 3rd round.

Posted By: aachleon (13/11/2007 12:09:12 PM)
Comment: Let's not forget how bad ir was of Norv to leave us hanging. Keep Norv out of the picture, get rid of Hostler and bring in a fresh face next season.

Posted By: FIRE THEM ALL (13/11/2007 12:03:46 PM)
Comment: Why Does McCloughan always get a free pass? Who has he drafted in the 3 years worth a crap besides Gore? NOBODY. Why does Nolan get a free pass on defense? He spent all that money bringing in guys on defense, and my grandma could put together a better gameplan and get more pressure on the QB. Yes it's true Hostler and Alex Smith are awful, but the other guys are just as responsible for this mess of a team - this is the worst organization in the NFL - horrible talent evaluators, horrible coaching staff, mediocre talent, and horrible stadium. Great to be a Niners diehard fan.

Posted By: Weary9er (13/11/2007 12:00:44 PM)
Comment: Danny in gainesville, you must be writing in your sleep. In the pyramid of blame, the Yorks are at the top, or the bottom, however you prefer. Ownership, sets the tone for the organization or should. The Yorks, except for Jed, are completely clueless and should not own any team except a fantasy tiddlywinks team Because there is no remedy for ownership incompetence, it will work out that we will have no stadium, either here in the City where it belonged or in the South Bay, where it might have carried on. Now it looks like we'll have a management in paralysis and denial and no good plan going forward from here. We are at the bottom, nothing less than addressing the situation as it is will get us anywhere.

Posted By: TT (13/11/2007 11:59:33 AM)
Comment: First of all, for those of you who still talk about Norv Turner - wakeup and do the math. The 49ers passing streak is 22 games long and they have played 9 games this year. THE LAST 13 GAMES THE 49ERS PLAYED WITH NORV TURNER THEY HAD LESS THAN 200 YDS. NET PASSING!! Oh, and did anyone see Rivers play over the weekend. Norv is really doing a great job with him. CONGRATULATIONS MATT! I wanted to be the first to congratulate you on your new job as ESPN's statistician - they are paying you right?

Posted By: Jake (13/11/2007 11:57:26 AM)
Comment: My question to all of you who think Nolan shouldn't be fired or Smith shouldn't be let go, Do you think Nolan will ever get another head coaching job in the NFL again? Do you think Smith will ever be an All-Pro QB in the NFL with another team? Matt, I would be interested in your answer as well.

Posted By: Chris (13/11/2007 11:56:39 AM)
Comment: People, why are you even getting bent out of shape by what OneNiner says, that's like getting mad at a kid that rides the short yellow bus... Anybody that has been a real niner fan for at least 10 years would never think this is acceptable, that Nolan is our head coach or Alex Smith is a capable qb. Erickson had a way better offense with far less talent and Erickson isn't an nfl head coach. Alex Smith is going to play 4 more seasons? You believe that I have some swamp land real estate to sell you. I will make a not so bold prediction right now and will take wagers... Alex Smith will not even make through the middle of next season and that is a promise and if Mike Nolan losses his job and we hire a coach who is actually a winner Alex Smith will never play another starting snap for the 49ers or any other nfl team. He is the worst starting qb in the league and it is not even close. OneNiner shouldn't you be in school little boy, don't you have a pep rally to go to? Also, the yorks are trying to get a stadium built and have no chance of that happening if they keep putting this garbage on the field that's why Nolan might get axed after the season or they will put an experienced gm in place that has personel control and control over Mike clueless Nolan.

Posted By: FloridaFan (13/11/2007 11:56:02 AM)
Comment: Hi Matt, There are alot of opinions I agree with on this blog, but I won't add to them because I know it's not a message board. I wanted to ask you 3 questions. The defense is doing very well considering the circumstances (except for Derek Smith), could you see a scenerio where we fire Nolan and Hostler, but keep Manusky on as the D-coordinator? On most teams, the media would be talking about the terrific job he's doing as a first time coordinator? Second, in that scenario, can you see them keeping Scott M. as G.M. because I believe, with the exception of Brandon Williams and Tully Banta Cain, he has done well in bringing in talent. Finally, without a doubt, Jason Garrett of the Cowboys is going to be a Head Coach next year. If they don't fire Phillips and hire him, do you see the Niners being interested in him? I know that move would bring alot of fans back to the support level we enjoyed during this past off-season and be an excellent football move. (Just like they did with the late Dick Nolan.)

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 11:54:45 AM)
Comment: I am sorry jake, we are both on two diff. spectrum,....you say "Mike Nolan will not be the coach of this team for the next four years let alone 4 months, same can be said about Alex Smith"..= WRONG, "the 49ers will be out of San Francisco within 5 years" = WRONG AGAIN....i can't relate to your comments or your point of view at all.......if you can't see the talent on the team, its obvious you will never see it, so i rather not waste any more time debating with you.

Posted By: Jake (13/11/2007 11:42:31 AM)
Comment: Oneniner, What stockpile of "Young Talent" are you referring to that Nolan has created????

Posted By: Tim from Modesto (13/11/2007 11:41:10 AM)
Comment: Just a thought...is this team really any better off than when we had Coach Erickson? Remember, Coach Erickson never had the weapons at his disposal that Nolan currently has, and that goes for both sides of the ball.

Posted By: Midwest49erFan (13/11/2007 11:35:59 AM)
Comment: Wow, after reading some of the comments posted here; I guess I am not as upset as I once thought. I've seen some lousy football over the years and last nights performance ranks right up there. The problem I see is the overall attitude of the organization. I know nothing is fixed over night but it's been three years and yet were still discussing is Alex Smith the guy. The coaching staff (from the surface) appear to be treating Alex Smith as if he's going to identify all the challenges he faces on the football field and somehow fix the issues on his own. If the problem is his mechanics and the way he's throwing the football then work on that. If he's not comfortable with the plays then change them to something that works for him. No one walks in the door with the blueprint on how to win, they are taught how to and if the 49ers think Alex Smith is going to figure this out on his own then we all better start looking for something else to do on football Sunday.

Posted By: Midwest49erFan (13/11/2007 11:32:41 AM)
Comment: Wow, after reading some of the comments posted here; I guess I am not as upset as I once thought. I've seen some lousy football over the years and last nights performance ranks right up there. The problem I see is the overall attitude of the organization. I know nothing is fixed over night but it's been three years and yet were still discussing is Alex Smith the guy. The coaching staff (from the surface) appear to be treating Alex Smith as if he's going to identify all the challenges he faces on the football field and somehow fix the issues on his own. If the problem is his mechanics and the way he's throwing the football then work on that. If he's not comfortable with the plays then change them to something that works for him. No one walks in the door with the blueprint on how to win, they are taught how to and if the 49ers think Alex Smith is going to figure this out on his own then we all better start looking for something else to do on football Sunday.

Posted By: Darth (13/11/2007 11:30:11 AM)
Comment: After reading some comments. I just want to point out that VD is a great blocker but he should not be making up for the O-lines lack of protection. He should be moved to receiver. Now the Kerney sack and fumble had nothing to do with VD. Mo Hicks had outside containment. VD was man up and blocked the person in front of him. It was Mo Hicks who failed to see what everyone in TV land saw and that Kerney stacked the line on the outside. That is highschool football basic containment. Instead of Blocking him he helped VD block the same guy. It is the lack of Offensive coaching that is killing this team. We may not have the best talent but we do have talent. Norv was able to get these same guys to move the ball because of coaching. Not because he is some savior. He took on the hole O. He Not only called the plays he made sure the players and the postion coaches knew how to run those plays and made sure everyone was on the same page. I don't think half the O is reading the same book. Also the same position coaches were turned down for the OC job resentment?. I will let the Yorks decide the fate of Mike Nolan but he whole O-Staff need to go.

Posted By: carrollgrad (13/11/2007 11:27:13 AM)
Comment: Matt - Quick question: Is there anychance the Niners can get their first round draft pick back from New England? With their season pretty much over, it might be worth drafting another QB in order to bring some serious competition for Alex Smith. What do you think?

Posted By: Hampshire 9er (13/11/2007 11:25:02 AM)
Comment: Extremely well said Houston 9er. Matt, I feel really strongly that this is a valid point. The current 9er team is not even fit to wear the uniform, let alone carry the initials BW that are so precious to all of us who care about this franchise. What we should learn from this total debacle is that the organisation should never appoint a defensive-minded coach again. It is not our ethic; it is not common to our appreciation of this great game. We want our team to be a metaphor for innovation - for ideas, inteligence, imagination. That is the 49er way. This is the legacy of 'BW'. Narrow-mided percentage play is an anaethema to everyone one who really cares about the Red and Gold.

Posted By: Chris (13/11/2007 11:24:51 AM)
Comment: In all my life watching sports I have never seen excuses made for an athlete like Alex Smith... He's played bad since hurting his shoulder? does everybody have amnesia, he was just as awful before hurting his shoulder, look at the numbers... In fact, Smith hasn't had one good full game in three seasons, not ONE. Only one good half against the Seahawks last year, is that the expectation for a #1 overall pick? Disgusting. It's so obvious that A Smith is a complete bust it's not even a question, he can't do simple things that qb's are taught on a high school level, just look at him during a game, he looks like a goofy lost lamb. Even his teammates know he is a bust and they have no confidence in him but they don't want to get in trouble for going public even though Darrell Jackson and Vernon Davis almost did last night. The guy can't even throw a 5 yard out pattern, he just throws it into the ground and he can't hit guys wide open for touchdowns, it's either underthrown or overthrown (he did the same thing last year 16 tds 16 ints are not good numbers people). Face reality people and judge with your eyes not your blind faith, this guy is an obvious bust that isn't even nfl backup quality, stop drinking the Nolan Koolaid and face the facts... Oh yeah, 20 games without reaching 200 yds passing, this kid is a straight up bum.

Posted By: razoreater (13/11/2007 11:20:37 AM)
Comment: run, do not walk to your nearest therapist-you are in denial!

Posted By: Weary9er (13/11/2007 11:15:12 AM)
Comment: Matt, Last night was the 49er's final exam. We flunked in every way possible and now there's nothing to do but address the problems from the top down. I can't listen to idiots like oneniner who seem unable to grasp reality. There was no moral victory last night! It was a moral defeat as well as a loss. Steve Young had it right, it was the worst embarrassment I've seen in years. The main gist of the commentators was that no one knows what's wrong with this team. That is bloody impossible, that no one knows what's wrong. It's about time someone with some credibility had the nerve to come out and pinpoint the problem, there seems to be a reluctance to name names. it's time,Matt, for an "I accuse" type column (hats off to Emile Zola) that spells it all out.

Posted By: Parker (13/11/2007 11:14:35 AM)
Comment: Commissioner Goodell steps up to the podium... "Eh hem... With the 30th pick of the 2008 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select... Colt Brennan, Quarterback, University of Hawaii." Sound far-fetched? Not likely. He runs the WCO, gets rid of the ball quickly, great rhythm, and is a consummate leader. Want proof? It's been reported that his teammates even wear his jersey # during practice.

Posted By: firstdown (13/11/2007 11:04:16 AM)
Comment: I'm sorry to say, but I don't think there is much you can do for Nolan. This is sinking ship and he's responsible for it. Not Hoestler. If Hoestler isn't capable of calling games, Nolan should've known that before he hired him. Nolan's biggest undoing however is going to be Alex Smith. The guy he picked #1 has been anything but...regardless of the turnover of OC's...it is inexcusable as it is unexplainable that in his 3rd season taking almost every snap, Smith stil doesn't have a 300 yard game. Look around...you got teams like the Bills who can put a rookie like TRent Edwards out there and throw for 200+ yards...and this was supposed to be a rebuilding year for them. I think we fire Nolan at the end of this year for one reason and one reason alone, this is probably one of few seasons that the 49ers can replace Nolan with both his GM and headcoaching titles...with a capable replacement...one of 3 actually, Bil Parcells, Bill Cowher or Jimmy Johnson. I nominate either Marty Morinwheg (endorsed by Steve Young), Bill Callahan or Steve Sarkisian for the OC position. I think we trade for either Losman or Edwards, whoever the Bills don't keep and draft another QB...and trade our 1st round pick from the Colts for a veteran WR like Steve SMith. Just a thought.

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 11:02:40 AM)
Comment: Chuck in Penngrove..."NOLAN IS GOING NO WHERE, HE HIS OUR COACH AND WE ARE ROLLING WITH HIM. and A.SMITH IS GOING TO BE THE QB FOR 4 MORE YEARS."......if you think that statement is inaccurate, tell me why i am wrong?....You obviously don't know what the niners are doing if you think nolan will be fired. Most of you are just ANGRY because Nolan and Smith are going NOWHERE....I am HAPPY we have nolan, sure things have not worked out this year, get over it, nobody thought we are really contenders, our hope was all based on prayer and luck. Nolan has loaded the team with young players that will make a diff. in a couple of years. Sure, i am pissed we suck now and he his not using the talent, but the future looks great. I rather suck with young talent than suck with old vets (see miami, rams, ravens)

Posted By: chris (13/11/2007 11:01:20 AM)
Comment: you know it's bad when in your fantasy league, other players are picking up the defense for the team playing the niners! It's happening every week.

Posted By: FLNiner (13/11/2007 10:55:45 AM)
Comment: I feel bad for Nolan, Turner really screwed him over.

Posted By: FLNiner (13/11/2007 10:55:02 AM)
Comment: When the coaching staff sucks this much you can't correctly evaluate talent because by that measuring stick Gore is a bust this year and a prowbowler last year and we all know he's got talent. Alex Smith either really really sucks or he's still injured and therefor shouldn't be playing. Either way it's bad coaching to blame.

Posted By: samr (13/11/2007 10:42:42 AM)
Comment: "Every cloud has a silver lining" --- next week it's St. Louie's turn and I have Steve Jackson on my fantasy team.

Posted By: jscrilla (From SFGate.com) (13/11/2007 10:35:31 AM)
Comment: New Niner Team Names: LA Riot, LA Nip/Tucks, LA PDs, LA Exhausted Celebrities, LA Sextapers, Orange County Chopped Ups, LA Santa Ana Winds.......what do you think Dr. (90210) York?

Posted By: Houston 9er (13/11/2007 10:34:23 AM)
Comment: I find it ironic and sad that the 49ers are fielding potentially the worst offensive team in the history of the NFL with one of the biggest draft busts playing qb in the same year we are attempting to honor the genius offensive innovator and finder of great QB's of all time in Bill Walsh. They should remove the BW from the helmets. This team doesn't deserve to be associated with the great coach.

Posted By: ruliff (13/11/2007 10:32:44 AM)
Comment: Hey Matt Hopefully you are finding some time to recover from what had to have been one of the worst performances since covering football. A few questions: 1) who is the young guy always in Smith's ear when he comes off the field? I know Hos is upstairs now so is it the Q coach? I did see one conversation with Dilfer towards the end- how much support is Dilfer really providing? 2) How can fans gain a better understanding of who is ultimately responsible for draft picks and free agents? Is there a way for reporters like yourself to provide more transparancy on how successful key leaders of the organization evaluate "new hires"? I realize it is by commitee most of the time but who should shoulder the blame for decisions like Jennings and Smith and Banta Cain? Thanks Matt for the most comprehensive coverage on the most catastrophic situation to plague Bay Area sports since well...a long time

Posted By: Chuck in Penngrove (13/11/2007 10:31:02 AM)
Comment: Dear Oneniner, You are getting hysterical and remind me of the kid that did the Britny Spears video. "NOLAN IS GOING NO WHERE, HE HIS OUR COACH AND WE ARE ROLLING WITH HIM. and A.SMITH IS GOING TO BE THE QB FOR 4 MORE YEARS." C'mon, nobody has been so unrealistically optimistic since Pollyanna. I do admire your ability to deny the true state of the Niners. I wish I could ignore their reality like you. They have the worst QB in the League. The worst offense I've ever seen and a staff that is totally confused. The team is in disarray. They have no future and all we are left with is the past. Will the last one out of here please turn out the lights?

Posted By: oneniner is a complete MORON (13/11/2007 10:22:21 AM)
Comment: oneniner you are an idiot if you blame frank gore. im sorry if 5.5 YPC without an oline doesnt satisfy your needs. norris was swallowed alive, and our oline didnt get any push. gore was the one who was upbeat after the timeout showing emotion compared to the other apathetical players. you dont think nolan had anything to do with the play calling on 4th down? just becaue hostler is the OC doesnt mean he runs the show: NOLAN DOES...especially on such a crucial play. if nolan sees something he thinks can better help the team he would override hostler or at least hint to him what he wants to call (remember against the rams when they ran the ball like 8 consecutive times at the end, nolan was the one who hinted "you know we can run the ball" or something like that and it and hostler has to listen to him...) both share the blame, nolan failed at hiring an OC (regardless of how much time there was) and he has failed as a head coach. and STOP posting the same thing over and over about nolan staying 2 years and smith 4 your posts are about as predictable and the 49ers offense. and every time you post something you sound like an ignorant 8 year old boy (blah blah blah)..you definitely have the brain of a toddler. and get your facts right, the challenge should have come on the battle catch in the 3rd quarter IDIOT not on the one where the incompletion was ruled a catch at the end of the half, why would we challenge that play? did we want to give back the yards? bad play calling or not the players didnt do anything except drop balls and over/underthrow targets. STOP PREDICTING SUCCESS, you look like a complete fool when you predict victories theres a difference between being optimistic and being stupid. "we promise you will have the last laugh" its good to know you think you are part of the coaching staff/team. so stop posting with your elementary arguments repeating the same thing because you are obviously blind.

Posted By: Houston 9er (13/11/2007 10:15:13 AM)
Comment: Here's a quote from Tim Keown in an article on ESPN about Alex Smith. The article is about how coaches don't utilize talent properly in the NFL. I thought it was interesting. Enjoy... There is no reason, right now, to believe Smith will ever be considered anything other than a horrible drafting blunder by a team that couldn't afford one. But most of the blame seems to fall on Smith -- he doesn't have the right instincts, he doesn't have the arm strength, he doesn't have the savvy to lead a team. In other words, Smith will be considered a bust forever, but the lack of creativity and intelligence will earn the 49ers coaches another job after they're inevitably fired from this one.

Posted By: allen49stars (13/11/2007 10:13:47 AM)
Comment: Worst loss of the year! This season has to be one of the most bizarre I have ever been a fan of. You have had tons of injuries: Oliver, Lawson, W. Harris, Jennings, Smiley, A. Smith, Gore, V. Davis, D Jax, J. Hill, etc. The passing of Dick Nolan, Gore's mom, Bill Walsh. Rookie OC & DC. It has been doomed from the start. Why didn't we try to get vet players like S. Rice, Tank, G. Ellis, that DT from Atlanta, does the front office really think we don't need upgrades? We just need to ride out the season and call it a day. New OC next year, some good F.A. and some good rookies. McNabb might be available with a couple more losses in Philly. I still vote for Derek Anderson, he will be on the bench next year!

Posted By: Jake (13/11/2007 10:11:42 AM)
Comment: My prediction is that if York fails to get this stadium deal done for the 2012 season the 49ers will be out of San Francisco within 5 years. Los Angeles, Oklahoma City, Virginia will be in their future if the deal is not done.

Posted By: Rame (13/11/2007 10:10:58 AM)
Comment: Nolan has to do something to change the current situation. If he doesn't, and things continue as they are, I can't imagine he'll be back next year. If I were head coach of the 49ers, these are the first things I'd do: 1) Fire Hostler, or at least demote him to quarterbacks coach, and promote one of the other coaches to OC. 2) Fire the offensive line coach. They can't pass protect, they can't run block, they had, what, three false starts in a row? Total disorganization. Looked like high school JV out there. 3) Sit Alex until his shoulder is right (surgically or otherwise) and he can hit the broad side of a barn - twice in a row. 4) Bring in another QB to compete with Dilfer (and eventually Alex). How about Andrew Walter? Jake Plummer? Doug Flutie...? Michael Robinson....?

Posted By: Rich, San Ramon (13/11/2007 10:09:41 AM)
Comment: If Steve Young is so smart, why did he predict the 49ers to go 8-8? If he failed to recognize that "no one in the building knows what it is supposed to look like" before the season, why should we trust that he knows what the heck he's talking about today? The only time Young was in the same positon as Alex Smith, he was in Tampa Bay and he failed miserably. You know how to make Alex Smith great like Steve Young? Trade him to New England, hand him a championship team & coach, put the silver spoon into his mouth like it was for Steve Young.

Posted By: greywolf447 (13/11/2007 10:06:00 AM)
Comment: Matt, Does Hostler know how to call a scren pass? Isn't it the OC job to get it in the hands of your playmakers? Let's see Gore had 17 touches and Vernon didn't have a ball thrown his way until the 4th qtr. I believe he only had two balls thrown his way. With this being said do you think that Nolan would consider letting Hostler go mid season? I know that it isn't all on him but his play calling has not gotten any better. he was lucky to get the job. He only got the job because of the terrible timing of when Norv took the Chargers job. So I think we should let hostler go and let see what see what Jerry can do, or even Pete. Then if they don't show promise then hire a new OC at he end of the season. What do you think???

Posted By: Niner Job (13/11/2007 10:05:18 AM)
Comment: Long time fan, first time comment. It's really a shame regarding Alex's performance because he seems like an alright guy. Unfortunately, however, during the games the look on his face often looks like a kid who's unhappy because the detailer isn't finished with his Porsche yet. In most of the games this year, it seemed that if the starting QBs on each sideline were swapped during the national anthem, the 49ers would/could have won the game. I can't imagine how the team goes into the next year with Smith as the starter. He should be shut down for the year immediately - and allowed to get whatever surgery or treatment he needs. A quasi-legit veteran should be brought in in the off season to try to right the ship, and Smith should be given the chance to compete as the backup for 2008.

Posted By: Rame (13/11/2007 10:03:28 AM)
Comment: Cower quit the Steelers so he could be closer to his family in North Carolina. Unlikely he'll want to move out here.

Posted By: Parker (13/11/2007 10:02:51 AM)
Comment: Will someone please hit the reset button on this franchise and wake me up from my hibernation on Draft Day 08?

Posted By: Jgcool (13/11/2007 9:48:44 AM)
Comment: I am been a Head Coach and an Offensive coordinator for 5 years and I would like to state that there is one problem with the forth niner offense and that is the Offensive coordinator. Here are my reasons: 1) They say you play how you practice and practice makes perfect. The offensive coordinator runs the offensive practice and if the team is not executing well it is because they are reping the plays enough times where they run them mistake free. 2) Player are different and you should pick you offense based on the player you have. Alex smith is not a short passing game QB he takes to long to get rid of the ball. 3) When you are calling plays in a game you are trying to do two things: ONE read the defense call you offense based on there personal TWO you are trying to setup big play with base plays. For instance last year we ran, ran, and ran then play action throw the ball down field. Since we are trying to pass more the throw this year they are not respecting the run and are just blitzing. In conclusion get an offensive coordinator that 1) know how to run a practice. 2) Run an offense suitable to Alex smith capabilities. 3) Know how to call plays in a game. Thanks Joe G

Posted By: Jason (13/11/2007 9:48:30 AM)
Comment: Jaworski pointed out very clearly what is causing most of Smith's accuracy problems. Mechanics! And again you can't help but bring up the fact that you have an OC and QB coach that have never played the position. How can they expect to know there is problem with Smith's mechanics when neither of them have thrown a pass in a competitive situation. I think its safe to say that the offensive staff is going to get blown up much like the defensive staff did last year. But it won't really matter cause you can only blame so much on coaches. When its all said and done the players still have to play.

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 9:41:42 AM)
Comment: Nolan failed to use a "red flag" to challenge whether Battle obtained a 1st down = I saw nolan motion to the ref that he wanted a timeout and that there was 1 second on the clock, obviously that play was wierd and i doubt the ref would have given us one second or even reveiwed the play. .....ON THE 4TH DOWN ..i agree Nolan shouldn't have called the timeout but then again what diff. does it make, it was 4th and inches, we should still have made it after 3 timeouts, i actually blame Gore, he his acting like a spoiled kid, he gave up the play before it was called, which brings it to huss, he should have called a FREAKING QB SNEAK...."But I'm sure Hostler is to blame for that right?"...who else, he his the OC, he sees the field better from the booth, he his responsible for the offense....."This is not the 1st time Bad Play-Calling has plagued us."...dude who do you think is calling the plays?

Posted By: mike in MD (13/11/2007 9:40:33 AM)
Comment: This is a half knee-jerk reaction...that's it for me after this sorry pathetic shutout game. I'm OFFICIALLY OFF the Nolan wagon. There has to be a major house cleaning & shake up because the losing mentality has set in. Still mostly business as usual week after week & the players seem like their brainwashed by Nolan all becoming "yes" men...where's the fire?? Where's the guy(s)/Vet(s) that stands up & says this is BS & either calls out the coaches (privately in-house/locker room) & if they can't fix the Offense say f*** it & the D takes it upon itself to tear it up the best way they can until their burned out if they already haven't reached that point. The Coaches aren't preparing this team properly especially Hostler & Nolan on the Offense. Where the h*** is VD?? He didn't catch a pass until the 2nd half??? He was starting to get it together after his knee injury & now we stop calling plays for him when he's our #2 weapon after Gore? Lelie..the coaches can't decide to keep him in the game week after week. They already know his weaknesses, but his speed to stretch the D is needed for this Offense. Where's JHill? We get his feet wet a couple games ago & now we put the brakes on. ASmith..played terrible. Is he still injured, maybe we have no choice but to play him. He underthrew DJax on the deep route which could have been a TD & overthrew some open WR's just like in previous games killing drives. Getting a solid backup QB s/b a priority this off-season. Dilfer has to go. Why the h*** is TBC still playing, he should have been benched a few games ago. He has no business starting..he's a huge BUST. The Steve Young comment is right on..it's multiple problems & the entire organization that needs looking at. I agree w/mostly what Craig said but not quite yet w/Alex being a total bust. That's getting close though & we do have to draft another QB in the later rounds to challenge & push Alex & get him a legit long-term OC. My sympathies to Coach Nolan for his father but at this time he NEEDS TO GO. If not NOW, definitely after the end of the year. He doesn't have the intelligence to run this team properly, outsmart opposing Coaches during gametime, or have the aggressive mindset to attack our opponents Offensively especially & even OVERALL during the game in general. He doesn't have any creative tactics. He's way too rigid & unable to make proper adjustments in the game nor personnel wise on who & how he s/b using them. HE IS NOT THE RIGHT MAN TO BE OUR HEAD COACH. IMO..we need a football minded owner but I don't think York will sell this team. So we need a superior GM who will choose preferably an Offensive minded HC who can put together a fresh competent solid coaching staff. Keep McCloughan at least at his current position. Fire Hostler & Warhop IMMEDIATELY. Is Sullivan worth keeping? If we can find an upgrade I think he should go as well. We don't have the dominant NT for the 3-4 so without that Willis is better for the 4-3. What do we do since Manusky specializes in the 3-4? If we keep the 4-3 can he learn & be effective w/that? Everest on ST's is a keeper.

Posted By: Windex666 (13/11/2007 9:35:18 AM)
Comment: If there isn't some kind of spark by the end of the season from young Alex, I think the 49ers should cut their losses and admit he wasn't the right guy. I was previously hard on the recievers for dropping balls, but I clearly see it's Alex's fault. He exposed Delanie Walker to big hits in the last two games and recievers short arm passes because Alex Smith can't put the ball in a good spot for his recievers. Its not all the overthrown passes that bother me, it's the passes that lead the recievers to take big hits while exposed, reaching for a poorly thrown ball...I personally watched Heath Shuler play and he had 10x the skill Alex Smith has. Heath was a huge Bust, but he looked like more of a QB than Alex Smith does. ONENINER, THE GLASS IS HALF EMPTY. OPEN YOUR EYES.

Posted By: P'Nelly (13/11/2007 9:34:28 AM)
Comment: If Alex is still hurt, it's time to start thinking about 2008 and sit him until he's healthy. While he is on the bench we can see if Shaun Hill can be a #2. Also we need to see if J. Hill and McCoy can help down the road, along with giving Vernon the opps to be "The Man". Nolan's biggest challenge the rest of '07 is to have the younger guys continue to buy into the system. Maybe Norv will get canned in SD and come back as OC in '08...keep the faith!

Posted By: Joshua (13/11/2007 9:31:32 AM)
Comment: A good point has been brought up.. What about Bill Cowher next year?? -My own personal thought is he is too defensive minded to fix our current ailments without a major change in OCs. Plus I dont think he leaves the East Coast region.

Posted By: SF Fan (13/11/2007 9:31:10 AM)
Comment: I hate to say it but Alex Smith has to go. Even Steve Young said at the end of the game that even if the team is horrible you want to see at least a few plays from Smith...there was nothing.

Posted By: Big M (13/11/2007 9:25:57 AM)
Comment: Matt, I read you're blog/articles almost daily but I rarely post. I hope I can get you're opinion on this. Do you think Hostler is trying too hard? I'm a young high school football coach and this past year was my first year coaching varsity line and after evaluating myself a few weeks in, I realized I was "over-coaching." Sometimes, you feed the players to much and you try to outsmart everybody when the bottom line is the players need to just go out and outplay everybody. All the talk this past offseason about how he added new wrinkles and we were going to open it up and add some West Coast philosophies, well, I think Hostler is just trying way too hard and he needs to just play it simple and let the players play smash-mouth football. Your thoughts?

Posted By: Josh T (13/11/2007 9:24:31 AM)
Comment: Numberonefan, You bring up a great point. Jaws mentioned that Smith locks his knee which naturally brings his shoulders up. Isn't it obvious Smith is doing this to protect his right shoulder? And if so, why does Nolan continue to point out that he doesn't think a sore shoulder is the reason for Smith's inability to throw a decent pass? It's almost as if Nolan knows exactly what the problem is so he claims the opposite just to prove to everyone that he is a tough coach who won't make stupid excuses. But therein lies the truth again: Nolan is not a tough coach. If he were he could admit at a press conference that his team has been playing horrible football and start taking responsibility instead of trying to dump it on his quarter back who had a GRADE III separation!!!!!! That's no small injury. I don't think Nolan needs to go but someone does need to kick his ass.

Posted By: Marco from Stockton (13/11/2007 9:24:00 AM)
Comment: Julian Peterson said it is clear Alex Smith is injured. So this is a franchise in denial of reality like everything else and that is why I am mad at the Yorks. It is the embarassment of their leadership in 8 years. Quite blaming anyone but the Boss. That is how it is supposed to work. The Boss sets the tone and demands sucess. The players know. We are stuck in that dump at the Stick. Everyone else has beautiful stadiums and we are no closer to having one. I can't stand the Cowboys, but look at Jerry Jones. They are building a crown jewel of a stadium. Quest field is amazing in Seattle. The Cards have a great stadium. Meanwhile we are stuck with this franchise owner having a team for his kids. You don't inherit your way to sucess, you earn it. Don't think they won't move this team if they have the chance. We can't do anything about the Yorks but stop buying tickets. Try selling your seaon tickets for just face value. Nobody wants them. Nolan is what he is. I am not going to knock him when he just lost his dad, but this team isn't moving forward.

Posted By: Berger (13/11/2007 9:18:49 AM)
Comment: I think I finally figured out the main problem for the 49ers. We rarely play with rythm. When we get a little, Nolan calls a time out. It's like he is afraid these young guys are going to screw something up so he has to remind them how to execute. Isn't that what practice is for? Problem is, when he stops play, he loses the rythm. Also, the play calling seems to be reactionary and lack direction, so therefore, never gets a good rythm going. Anybody who has ever played sports understands how important rythm is, this coach doesn't seem to have a grasp of this phylosophy. What do you guys think? Am I off base or on to something?

Posted By: Haroon Ansary (13/11/2007 9:15:21 AM)
Comment: Here's the problem oneniner, Hostler should not be the center of attention. He is a distraction, a tool, a rock you use to keep a door open. He WILL be gone! However, what he's doing is taking attention away from the real problem...Nolan! Exmp: During the game last night, Nolan failed to use a "red flag" to challenge whether Battle obtained a 1st down. Instead he called a time-out on 4th down. WHY!? You use the challenge for the spot of the first down & if you're wrong, what happens!? You burn a time-out. But I'm sure Hostler is to blame for that right? Both Nolan & Hostler are captains on the Titanic! Do you even watch Niner games!? This is not the 1st time Bad Play-Calling has plagued us. Hostler!...come on...be serious.

Posted By: Rich, San Ramon (13/11/2007 9:14:08 AM)
Comment: The only way to be competitive in 2008 is to hire a play-calling HC that has enough national cred to instill confidence into the offense and who will retain the defensive staff. The shelf life of Smith & especially Gore is too short to leave Nolan in place and give him a shot with a 4th OC. Mike Martz, Jason Garrett, maybe Russ Grimm. Such a shame, because Nolan and Norv could have built something powerful together.

Posted By: Jake (13/11/2007 9:13:32 AM)
Comment: It's obvious that people like StonerLab, oneniner, and Danny in Gainesville have never been to Monster Park recently to see a 49ers game is they think all is well and good with 49ers ownership. The place is a DUMP just like this organization right now. You guys must have missed the 80's and 90's version of the 49ers organization under proper ownership. Oneniner, sorry to break it to you but Mike Nolan will not be the coach of this team for the next four years let alone 4 months, same can be said about Alex Smith. Also, James Hardy is not even close to the top receiver in the draft. Manningham from Michigan, Arrington from Michigan, Henry from Kansas are all WAY BETTER to name just a few.

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 9:07:33 AM)
Comment: Haroon, what part of my comment is challenging you mentally?.....I will say it again..NOLAN IS GOING NO WHERE, HE HIS OUR COACH AND WE ARE ROLLING WITH HIM. and A.SMITH IS GOING TO BE THE QB FOR 4 MORE YEARS.

Posted By: we suck (13/11/2007 8:59:06 AM)
Comment: A correction to Alex's stats: he was actually 11-28 for 69 yards (team net passing of 49 yards!). The 45 yarder before halftime wasn't a catch and doesn't count in my book. It also takes away a first down, making this a new low for the team. We are witnessing the single worst offense in the team's history, and quite possibly in league history. There is no way anyone involved with this offense should keep their job. Unfortunately, I don't think York will clean house. I think the best we can hope for is a new OC, which would be 4 in 4 years. Is it any wonder Smith sucks?

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 8:58:23 AM)
Comment: Thanks Danny in Gainesville for making some sense. Hostler is the one to blame. For A. Smith mechanics/fundamentals and the no confidence in the offense.....cmon guys what did we expect from "a rookie OC"

Posted By: Haroon Ansary (13/11/2007 8:56:16 AM)
Comment: Hey oneniner...you realize that we're talking about football right? San Francisco 49ers, right? YOU CAN'T BE SERIOUS?

Posted By: Paul (13/11/2007 8:48:46 AM)
Comment: Matt, can you please take a good, hard look ahead to next year? Can you do an in-depth article addressing the following: Unrestricted, restricted, exclusive rights free agents and your thoughts on re-signing them Position-by-position analyis...the achievers and under achievers...who has earned the right to be on this team next year.... Your "road map" for this team to forget this tremendously disappointing season and become truly competitive again Thank you! Paul

Posted By: Danny in Gainesville (13/11/2007 8:48:19 AM)
Comment: why do people keep blaming the yorks for this? did the yorks decide to put battle in the shotgun on 3rd-and-4 from inside their own 10? did the yorks commit retarded penalties like a delay of game in a 2-minute offense and a 12-men-on-the-field penalty in a 2-minute defense? did the yorks drop pass after pass? did the yorks call the plays that resulted in ZERO points on drive after drive that started in SEA territory? did the yorks prepare (or fail to prepare) the offense in practice? did the yorks decide to totally ignore the run every F-ING game, and replace it with gimmick plays, even though there's a guy named frank gore (the #1 RB in the NFC last year) out there running for over 4 ypc? obviously, the answer to all these questions is NO. you can't put this debacle on the yorks. focus your anger on the real problem...HOSTLER! the only thing different between last year and this year on O is the pop warner offensive coordinator. all the problems stem from that. all the frustration stems from that. alex is frustrated he has an idiot for a mentor and play-caller. frank is frustrated the idiot abandons the run every game. vernon is frustrated the idiot has him staying in to block rather than being the focal point of the pass O. the receivers are frustrated that the idiot only calls plays involving go routes and out routes. the OL is frustrated that the idiot calls plays that exploit their weakness (pass-blocking for 7-step drops), rather than those that accentuate their strengths (run-blocking and quick-hitting pass plays). the only way you can blame the yorks is if you blame them for hiring nolan, who hired hostler...and even then, nolan had no choice but to promote someone from within his staff because norvell left them high and dry at the 11th hour...so, everyone, it's not the yorks...it's hostler!

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 8:46:56 AM)
Comment: its either you are a fan of the team or not. If you are then you understand our time is coming soon, so it makes no sense to rant over dumb stuff, sure you can critic the performance and personnel, but cmon it has been 9 weeks of criticism. Enough is enough. Common sense should be included in your comments....FIRST. NOLAN IS GOING NO WHERE, HE HIS OUR COACH AND WE ARE ROLLING WITH HIM FOR AT LEAST 2 MORE YEARS. SECOND. A.SMITH IS GOING TO BE THE QB FOR 4 MORE YEARS. Love it or Hate it...there are 31 other teams you can cheer for. Leave Nolan, A. Smith alone we will be back next year, niners never give up. We promise you we will have the last laugh.

Posted By: Numberonefan (13/11/2007 8:40:15 AM)
Comment: Matt, Ron Jaworkskis(sp???) mentioned that Alex Smith's mechanics are not correct. "He (Alex) locks his left knee before he throws and the ball sails." Do you think that Nolan and staff know about this? If not, can you mention it to them!!

Posted By: Paul in Alameda (13/11/2007 8:39:52 AM)
Comment: Direct and informative as always, Matt. While it is true Vernon Davis should have been utilized more as a receiver, he should have been focusing more attention on blocking effectively as well. He clearly let Kerney go free on one of Seattle's sacks/fumble recoveries. Another time, from the other side of the line, Vernon released for a route when there was a blitz overload on that side. Should he have stayed in to block or at least make a chip block before releasing? Was he thinking "team" at that moment? Do you every want to tell a player during an interview to just play...let the coaches, good or bad, do their jobs while the player does his job? If you do, please tell Vernon and Tully just that.... Thanks, Paul

Posted By: Oneniner posts way too much (13/11/2007 8:39:16 AM)
Comment: Hill and Lelie don't play... that has been everyone's point on this blog. We need to get speed on the field and use it properly. We don't need a big guy with 4.58 speed. How about this for a receiver: 6'5, 250 and runs a 4.3 in the forty? Oh wait - we have one of those and his name is Vernon Davis. I bet you Vernon Davis would be a probowl player this year if he was on any other team in the NFL. You and your coach seem to think he is better served to block for career underachievers like DJack and Lelie. Oneniner - go sell crazy someplace else. Your act is over.

Posted By: razoreater (13/11/2007 8:34:36 AM)
Comment: matt, when will nolan be fired?

Posted By: Jon in SoCal (13/11/2007 8:34:14 AM)
Comment: Who's our QB Coach? I thought it was his job to help Alex work out his technical issues. It's more than the locking the knee thing. it's holding onto the ball too long, sloppy 3-5 step drops that turn into 7 step drops and not sliding around the pocket. Is it because his mentor is Trent Dilfer, too? That isn't Hostler's fault. Hostler sucks, let's run into 7, 8, 9 man fronts. What happened to the quick slant v. man to man coverage? eat that up. I understand Davis' frustration. let's get him out into the pattern, because he certainly doesn't block as well as he should. So many mental errors. false starts (12 man included @ qwest) penalties, missed blocks. That is coaching, Nolan is going to have to burn the house down soon!

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 8:31:36 AM)
Comment: blah blah blah....Nolan is going to be the coach for the next 2 years, Smith is with us for the next 4 yrs.....calling for nolan to get fired or benching A. Smith is like trying to impeach GW Bush, get over it, it's never gonna happen.......we have a speed guy in hill/lelie, we don't need another one...James Hardy is 6'5", 218, runs a 4.58....and did i say he has the best hands in the draft.

Posted By: Haroon Ansary (13/11/2007 8:23:51 AM)
Comment: Well folks...where do I begin. 22 consecutive games with under 2000 yds passing. Joe & Steve are not going to come into that locker room & put on a uniform. We are a disgrace to the league & to the franchise. Not only will we not win another game this season, but there are talks of Nolan returning next year. Really!? Hasn't this team suffered enough for the past decade? What will it take for so-called fans & the rest of the league to acknowledge how horrible we are. Critics and analysts are bashing the Miami Dolphins & St. Louis Rams for their poor seasons. At least those teams are willing to compete! We better make some changes soon, starting with the coaching, and moving down to personnel, or this teams going to relocate fast!

Posted By: tgflynn (13/11/2007 8:23:30 AM)
Comment: There are some legitimate excuses for this season, Nolan's family issue, Hostler being thrown into the O.C. position at the last minute, unfortunate and devastating injuries from training camp until now. But it seems it gone way beyond the point of fixing without drastic action. Finger pointing and namely calling is pathetic and counter productive. Nolan and Hostler must go and someone new must come in and do a complete reassessment of the team and its problem. I might suggest they take a look at Jim Mora in Seattle he has a good mind and solid experience.

Posted By: mad9erfan (13/11/2007 8:22:11 AM)
Comment: To all that blame Alex for this mess is crazy and should find another sport to watch. Hill for Smith? Yea right! NOT EVEN TOM BRADY OR MANNING would look good under Hostler's offense. Gimme a break!

Posted By: Oneniner MUST GO (13/11/2007 8:20:56 AM)
Comment: Oneniner - You finally did yourself in - you are Mike Nolan and you are a complete MORON: "We need a possession receiver with size" Are you kidding me? That is all the 49ers have. What on earth do you think Battle is? This team needs a speedster, game breaking wide receiver to stretch the defense. Our very problem is that we have a stable of possession receivers that CANNOT get separation from anyone. What on EARTH team have you been watching? This has been there biggest problem all year and you think we need ANOTHER possession receiver? Why do you think the fans cry for Lelie so much? Because he is a speedster that can stretch the field. You must go. Please please please fire yourself from this blog then fire yourself from head coaching this awful team.

Posted By: jfresh (13/11/2007 8:18:05 AM)
Comment: Jake: I agree. I spent $1000 bucks for tix because I felt with the talent we could get to the playoffs. Man...did I get screwed. I could have saved $1000 and watched our beloved niners on clear HD. It hurts to know I put a "g" York's pockets. YUCK!!!! Eddie......save us!!!!!!!!

Posted By: ZURDO (13/11/2007 8:16:08 AM)
Comment: My 5 cents worth.... just 3 thoughts. 1. York has nothing to do with this. All he could do was spend and he did, no question about that. 2. Honestly, I do think we lack passion and we need a complete change in direction. Changing the OC is not the answer, we need to rock the core. HC and offensive staff at least. 3. PLEASE SOMEONE DIAL COWHER'S NUMBER RIGHT NOW.

Posted By: jfresh (13/11/2007 8:09:01 AM)
Comment: I don't even know why Hostler still has a job. We can cry about the players not executing, but how can anyone execute a game plan like that, let alone they don't practice plays to perfection. Jawarski said that Alex's front leg (left) locks up and causes Alex's shoulders to raise, causing inaccuracy and the ball to float. Lets see if this OC and QB coach corrects that and if this helps Alex. I don't blame Alex. I actually feel sorry for the kid because he has potential and this OC is destroying his career in front of our very eyes. We need an experienced OC!

Posted By: StonerLab (13/11/2007 8:05:55 AM)
Comment: Okay I have several takes & will try to be quick with them. Jake, you're in "Fantasy Land" when you talk about trying to get rid of York with your stupid plan, Stop it! Medford is right on in regards to York, he doesn't play nor call plays. York HAS shelled out alot of money on players who McNolan thought would help. For the most part they have clearly whiffed! Craig had great takes, it's time to blow-up the whole thing after the season & start over from the HC all the way down his staff. Because they connot do any worse, "Rock bottom" seems to be a different meaning every week & I don't mean that in a good way. It's more like a "black hole" where the team continues to "free-fall". Bench Alex regardless if he's healthy or not & start Hill because he can't do any worse.

Posted By: steve (13/11/2007 7:56:59 AM)
Comment: Matt, after that nightmare last night, the first question you ask is about his dad. Thumbs down bigtime!

Posted By: niner (13/11/2007 7:44:26 AM)
Comment: we have the luxury as fans to be wrong, but also to say things professional writers back off from for the sake of thie careers. Nolan was set up for failure by the ownership. Thy couldnt get anyone decent to even interview after they fired their playoff coach (mooch)after some kind of temper tantrum. Donahue was too busy playing tennis so the team had no talent. He hires a guy with little qualifications and no credentials ( never been a gm or HC) who picks a shotgun qb for his first pick. ( no shotgun qb has ever made it) and then hires a rookie OC and some unknown qb coach. His coaches on offense are like inexperienced or the dregs of losing teams (arizona, new orleans etc..) It is doubtful that any owner other than ours, would allow this pitiful charade to continue. All the bloggers can whine until heck freezes but truth be told, it all starts or fils , from the top. (York really should get a minority owner like Young, take the hundreds of millions and let him build up the team)

Posted By: Joshua (13/11/2007 7:40:36 AM)
Comment: Matt, Im hoping you'll give us some more of your insight on the short-comings of the team soon. I know its depressing, but for us east-coast guys, your blog is pretty much where we turn for the accurate information.. What is your OPINION on Alex Smith?? Do you think the comparison made to Rick Mirer on MNF last night is accurate? (Insert Pipe Dream Here) Could anything be gained by bringing in a new QB coach? Say, Steve Young? He obviously still has the heart for the team. Lastly, does Jeff Ulbrich gain a starting spot since only he and Pat Willis played with any emotion last night? Thanks! Josh

Posted By: Rammer Jammer (13/11/2007 7:30:52 AM)
Comment: Matt-When ESPN.COM offers you a job, take it! You shouldn't be covering this madness.

Posted By: oneniner (13/11/2007 7:29:39 AM)
Comment: well another season gone. lets talk draft....there isn't a great 3-4 DT in the first round, maybe a good DE, We need a possession receiver with size. James Hardy from Indiana fits, and of course we have to start looking for a new OC, the good thing is we have time to find one.

Posted By: Houston 9er (13/11/2007 7:25:03 AM)
Comment: Jake, I agree with you. I think Norv is over-rated as an OC. He's definitely good but he's not the end all be all of OC's.

Posted By: Jake (13/11/2007 7:21:19 AM)
Comment: The ONLY way to get rid of the owner is to stop attending games and quit buying tickets. If we hurt York in the pocket book and he loses money he will sell the team because he doesn't care about football, he just cares about making a profit with this team. This "Faithful" slogan is such BS and says it all. Be "Faithful" because of everything that happened here before I owned the team and keep paying me money every year even though we SUCK every year. That is "Faithful" it's moronic! The guy is stealing from a fan base that developed way before Eddie D's Knappy Headed sister married this idiot! He is taking advantage of a tradition that means everything to us as fans to make money no matter what damage he is causing to the organization. VERY, VERY SAD! I hate Tagliabue, he killed this organization by running DeBartolo out forever when he could have just suspended him for a year for something that wasn't even football related anyway!

Posted By: LodiGrapePicker (13/11/2007 7:18:09 AM)
Comment: It seemed to me that Nolan didn't care about this game. His mind was somewhere else (I can't blame him for that). Not going for the field goal and going for it on 4th and 1 AND 4th and 7 was idiotic. It was just reckless coaching. Any points on the board would have been good. Instead, we get a shut out. The worse part about this is that it seems to remain business as usual in Ninerland. Sickening!

Posted By: Jake (13/11/2007 7:13:12 AM)
Comment: I'm TIRED of hearing how great Norv Turner was. Our offense could not throw the ball under him either, the most points we scored in a game was 26 at Denver in OT, and we had a 7-9 record. The guy is NOT a genius as he has proven everywhere he has been a head coach. I'm also TIRED of Vernon Davis telling everyone how open and how great he is, the guy has been a COMPLETE BUST! He doesn't create separation with his so called "great speed", he has terrible hands, and I've never seen him break a tackle to pick up extra yards! It is time for Marty Schottenheimer to bring this organization stability and a proven winner and a guy who will bring in a top of the line coaching staff!!!

Posted By: johnP (13/11/2007 6:59:56 AM)
Comment: Funny you mention the idea of a salary cap for rookies. I was thinking that New England will get a top 3-5 pick from the Niners, and will be forced to *pay* for the player they get. It is usually something like that which sets the law of unintended consequences into motion.

Posted By: stop kidding yourself (13/11/2007 6:48:44 AM)
Comment: The sad thing about this team is there is no relatively easy fix. No matter what anyone says the 49ers are back to square 1. This team isn't going to win under Nolan and it isn't going to win with Alex Smith. The talent level of the team is middle of the road at best and the coaching and development of players if you go by the performance in games doesn't exist at all. This is the worst team in the league and everyone is to blame from the owners straight on down. It will be awful for years to come and will never improve until the team is sold and the organization is completely gutted. It's hard to look at reality on this one, especially if you have been a fan for the better part of your life, but you're wasting your time if you think anything different.

Posted By: Rules Change? (13/11/2007 6:34:13 AM)
Comment: Matt, this season is obviously done (and has been for a long time) and the reason is obviously the offense. The D plays well when it is only out there half the time. As for why, the only thing that has changed is the coordinator so I guess that would be a good place to start. I am not one to ask for Nolans head, he was handcuffed by the Chargers hiring Turner so late and no one would allow us to speak to any of their coaches. Is there any talk in the NFL about changing something to address this issue? The second thing that needs to be addressed is the rookie contacts. I really don't know if Smith can be a good QB (at this point I would settle for just below average) since he has had many things going against him with the revolving door at the O-coordinator and a head coach that can't help on that side of the ball. Is there any talk about somesort of rookie cap similar to the NBA. Right now if you draft high and miss (especially a QB) your franchise is done for the next five years due to the salary this unproven 22 year old is making. I understand that has to go by the union but is there even any talk about it? I would thing the veterens would be for it because it gives a bigger peice of the pie to them.

Posted By: AthensNiner (13/11/2007 6:30:32 AM)
Comment: Hey Matt, As always, love your work. I watched a web clip from NFL Network where Terrell Davis was showing some of the breakdowns in the pass protection scheme. Whose responsibility is it to teach the players the correct protection scheme(ie Warhop, Hostler, etc). Also, I noticed that, during a play where the Niners sent both corners on a blitz, the Seattle receivers basicly stopped at the line of scrimmage and turned into the qb as a hot route. Would you agree that this is something the Niners receivers either don't do or don't do well? Thanks as always.

Posted By: Houston 9er (13/11/2007 6:16:20 AM)
Comment: From a spectators point of view, intelligence doesn't appear to be one of Vernon Davis's God given talents with all his false starts and missed blocks. Are the 9ers concerned that Vernon's pea sized brain will prevent him from ever becoming a capable NFL TE?

Posted By: LaQuanda Randall (13/11/2007 5:44:53 AM)
Comment: Thanks for your work Matt. It is very disappointing and depressing to watch the 49ers this year. The offense simply hasn't had rhythm or production since the loss of Norv Turner. I don't place all the blame on Hostler; however I do feel that he's too inexperienced to run this offense. As far as Smith, I think the confidence was lost before the shoulder injury. I believe that losing Norv set him back tremendously. The team will not get Norv back, so the only thing to do is either remove Hostler from his post (maybe promoting Sullivan) or immediately replace him with a more proven OC at the end of the season. It felt horrible to watch the sidelines last night and see Nolan suffer through that game. Just a day after losing his Dad, he had to endure the entire country witnessing just how bad his football team is. I think that the 49ers may be the worst team in the league at this point. I don't think they could beat Miami and the Rams put up 37 points in their first win on Sunday. I guess we'll see next week.

Posted By: Medford (13/11/2007 5:21:41 AM)
Comment: Im sorry but York has nothing to do with the 49ers problems right now. It all has to do with coaching. Is York in the booth calling the plays? Is he coaching up the oline? Is he telling the CB's to play 15 yards off the reciever? NOPE!!! He gave full control to Nolan and Scott M. they spent money. They just dont know how to pick coaches. NORV TURNER SCREWED US!!!! Thanks Norv

Posted By: buzz tietjen (13/11/2007 5:20:45 AM)
Comment: Thanks Matt-sad and disheartened by the 49ers(I can only imagine how coach Nolan is doing!)...Fundamentals out the window(see alex smith yes but he is not alone) .. and no pacing(see alex smith et. al)-this team drags ...somebody needs to light a fire under em'-toooo slow-and dispassionate- somebody needs to get p o'ed(for instance when your quaterback is on the ground roughed up and strewn needlessly by his jersey..ah where are you guys?

Posted By: Scott (13/11/2007 4:25:55 AM)
Comment: Thanks as usual for your insights Matt. 2 questions please: 1) The 49ers have one of the top receivers coaches in the NFL. Why hasn't he been able to develop receivers to get open & catch balls? It's been different guys for 3 years with the same poor results. 2) Why do you think the 49ers continually run the ball up the middle and not mix in more off-tackle runs, sweeps, etc.? No matter how good Gore (and the line) might be, if opponents know where he's going to run, the 49ers will struggle.

Posted By: Marco from Stockton (13/11/2007 4:16:02 AM)
Comment: The York years continue. What can we say? They are a bad football team and their only two wins could easily have been losses. I am not buying any excuses.

Posted By: Craig (13/11/2007 3:15:34 AM)
Comment: My sympathy to Coach Nolan and his family concerning his father. Concerning football: 1) I keep saying this, you should hope the team keeps losing the rest of the season because that is what it will take for York and the 49ers organization to wake up and make huge changes on the team.... 2) QB Smith is an absolute BUST.... the media is way to easy on him!!! Smith needs to come off the field and put QB Hill in there who cannot possibly do any worse than 6 first downs against the Seahawks (6 first downs... long-time 49er fans are used to getting that in the FIRST drive of a game). After the season, Smith needs to cut..... the guy is simply the worst starting QB in the league. The team needs to draft a QB with one of its top three picks and also pick up a free agent QB to start next season. 4) Offensive Coordinator and QB coach both need to get fired ASAP (for a TV announcer, Ron Jaworski, to have to explain the mechanical flaws with QB Smith's delivery is absolutely embarrassing). 5) The OL coach is simply pathetic in how unprepared the offensive line is EACH week... no clue how to block when a blitz comes..... he needs to be fired along with Heitman. 6) Not only do we have the WORST set of quarterbacks in the NFL but so are the WR's (Hill is the only one to keep at this stage, just given his potential) and WR coach needs to be fired. 6) once we go 2-14 vs. the expectations of winning the division and then give our top three 1st round choice to Patriots for a stupid trade last year, Coach Nolan needs to be fired as well (why? read the earlier part of this sentence again which Nolan is 100% responsible for). Clean house. Media is too easy on this team.

Posted By: Dennis (13/11/2007 3:09:22 AM)
Comment: I finally got to see a 49ers game (i live en Denmark, where they only air three or four games each week), and must say that i was a bit dissapointed. I've been reading a lot about the teams troubles and the playcalling, and i have to admit that the playcalling looked to me like a beginner playing Madden - a lot of long throws mixed with trick-plays. No wonder they end up with third a long allmost every time :-(

Posted By: foreveryoung49ers (13/11/2007 3:06:54 AM)
Comment: Okay that's it for the season, we need 4 wins more than the seahawks. When will the 49ers go in evaluation mode with the players and bench some soon to be gone starters? Which Top QB's and WR's will be out there in Free Agency? At least we need one of each for more competition!

Posted By: tgflynn (13/11/2007 2:03:26 AM)
Comment: There has been a lot of talk about the mechanics of Smith throwing the football. You brought up his footwork, and I agree he did look very awkward on the pass play you talked about. He himself said he has been pushing the ball not throwing it since his return from inury. Now Ron Jaworsky said on MNF, that he locks his left leg at the knee causing his shoulders to rise usually resulting in a pass that too high. This also rings true of his passes lately. I personally thought he was very accurate in the first to games but it's embarassing to watch him lately. My question is doesn't he have someone working on the mechanics with him. I read where Tom Brady has had his own personal qaurterback coach/guru for quite some time and still goes back to him year after year.

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (13/11/2007 1:36:15 AM)
Comment: What I really can't understand with Mike Nolan is his reluctance to experiment. Shifting formations, razzle-dazzle nonsense isn't NFL football. When you've become proficient at something then throw in a wrinkle. Does anyone in the league get surprised by an onside kick when they face us? Can we change personnel once in awhile? We need to work on some staple offensive plays, hopefully those we can practice OFTEN during the week and run them until we're stopped. We seem to search for stupid solutions while the clock is ticking and still look befuddled. Do we ever run slant plays in practice? I think Alex is too slow to pull the trigger and that can be corrected with some grueling repitition I'd think? I truly feel bad for B.Y. in all of this. He's got to counting the days for this circus to end.

Posted By: Traj (13/11/2007 1:17:33 AM)
Comment: I think that Michael Robinson should become the QB. Use his legs and some of his arm to ward off defenders when the offensive line breaksdown.

Posted By: Traj (13/11/2007 1:04:33 AM)
Comment: As off target as Smith gets at times, in the last few weeks, it has been the worst of the worst. He has to be injured. There cannot be another explanation. He has been a winner in high school and college. 13-0 season at Utah. I think he has been mishandled. Vernon again asking to be used as a pass catcher? This season is lost and the team may be lost now as well.

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (13/11/2007 12:55:40 AM)
Comment: Matt with comments such as those shared with you like TBC and VD do you get the impression the coaching ranks are in denial? Nolan to Hostler especially? Why is it so obvious to all of us that the same 'Business as usual' attitude isn't getting it done, yet nothing seems to change? I'm beginning to feel like this is a lame duck staff waiting for the axe to fall just as it was under Donahue/Erickson. Are you able to obtain any feedback from the defensive side of the staff? Singletary and Manusky must feel like their guys are getting hung out to dry by this offensive ineptitude. Something has got to give and the sooner the better, if VD has to point this out during games what goes on all week in prep? Especially for a Division rival. This is an embarrassment.

Posted By: dan (13/11/2007 12:54:34 AM)
Comment: Great blog Matt! When will Nolan have the guts to bench underperforming players i.e. A. Smith, D. Smith, D. Jax, Battle? Do you think its time other players like Jason Hill get a fair shot?