Mike Singletary may not have gotten any sleep Sunday night. But he hopes he got the cure to his team’s offensive woes. After watching film of the 49ers’ first three losses, Singletary said he came to the decision to fire offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, an assistant he had staunchly supported publicly as late as Sunday afternoon. Singletary, who watched film by himself at the team headquarters Sunday night and, presumably,…
Niners fire embattled Raye
San Francisco 49ers coach Mike Singletary indicated changes would be coming after Sunday’s embarrassing 31-10 loss in Kansas City. Just not this one. Less than 24 hours after Singletary said embattled offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye would retain his job duties this season, the 49ers, off to an 0-3 start, have fired Raye three games into his second season. Quarterbacks coach Mike Johnson will become the offensive coordinator and offensive assistant…
Are the Niners just not that good?
The season-opening loss to Seattle could be written off as an aberration. And the last-second loss to the Saints was in, some ways, a relief – evidence that the Niners could hang with the big boys and would be just fine. But today’s loss raised serious questions. And it suggested that what happened in Seattle was no fluke. In two road games, the 49ers have lost by a combined score…
Gametime Live: 49ers vs Chiefs
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Live from Kansas City: Sunday’s key matchups
Greetings from Kansas City, where the rain recently stopped and it’s supposed to be dry tomorrow. The cab driver was right when he assured us this would blow over soon. He also filled us in on a traffic accident in Ohio years ago, why corruption makes it so hard to find a cab at the KC airport (this was confusing but shuttles are involved), his former career as a truck…
Areas of need get good news
The 49ers don’t have a proven punt returner who is healthy. They also don’t have more than one backup inside linebacker on their roster. But they did have some good news today. It appears rookie Kyle Williams, a possible cure for the punt-return woes, will play in his first NFL game and inside linebacker Takeo Spikes will most likely play in career game No. 174 on Sunday.
Rookie tips: Learn playbook. Don’t upset P-Willy …
Do you remember when Reggie Bush caught a screen pass Monday night and was flattened by Patrick Willis, who used his World Famous Human Flying Missile Routine to snap Bush’s head back and impale him in the turf? I wonder if Chiefs rookie wide receiver Dexter McCluster saw that play. And, if he did, I wonder if he was thinking: What was I thinking? Seven months ago, McClutser mentioned at…
Bowman looks like another draft gem
NaVorro Bowman got more than five tackles Monday night. He also got some assurance that his talent should be able to cash that fat check he wrote after getting drafted. Bowman, a rookie third-round draft pick, didn’t look like a 22-year-old seeing his first significant NFL playing time when he filled in for an injured Takeo Spikes at inside linebacker against the Saints.
Now hear this: Play-calling will be tested in KC
There were no problems with the play-calling system Monday night. But like so many things with the Niners, disaster could always strike on the road. Mike Singletary conceded they couldn’t completely exhale until they successfully survived Kansas City, one of the noisiest places in the NFL. Crowd noise was a contributing factor to the problems in Seattle. “I think the Kansas City game will be a good measuring stick for…
Run, Alex, run?
Alex Smith will never be Michael Vick. Or Randall Cunningham. Or — for our more “experienced” readers joining us today — Bobby Douglass. But he’s not a statue. He can move around. As a junior at Utah, he rushed for 631 yards, averaged 4.7 yards a carry and scored 10 touchdowns. So he can, as they say, make plays with his feet. It’s just that he hasn’t done it much…
Gore up middle. Gore up middle. And then …
The Mike Singletary day-after-game press conference today was another fascinating look into his mindset as he tries to figure out – quite openly – how to handle the media, the referees and other aspects of his job in his second full season. But we’ve discussed Singletary a fair amount in the past week, so I’ll leave that for the newspaper. As far as other issues …
Run over the rookie: Iupati leads improved line
Frank Gore said it twice. Maybe it was “60 Power.” Maybe it was “60 Counter.” Maybe it was both. After endlessly rewinding my tape recorder, I still don’t know. But the name of the play – or plays – isn’t the primary point. Gore’s point was this: They Niners repeatedly ran Monday night directly over rookie left guard Mike Iuapti and the first-round pick repeatedly resembled an earthmover. “The (offensive…
Alex Smith delivered when it mattered most
Down eight points. Just over two minutes left. Eighty-two yards away from the end zone. Great quarterbacks – Brady, Manning and, as we saw, Brees — routinely deliver in such situations. And on Monday night, for at least one drive, Alex Smith was unquestionably great. Let’s not get carried away. It remains to be seen if the Niners’ eight-play, 82-yard thing of beauty in their 25-22 loss to the Saints…
Pregame notes and scattered thoughts
Greetings from Candlestick where I must confess – my one week of NFL beat-writing experience has given me no insight into what will happen tonight. I can easily imagine the Niners looking lost and fragile and reprising their Stinkeroo in Seattle. And I can just as easily imagine them channeling their head coach, looking like a bunch of half-crazed Singletarys and pushing the Saints around.
Anyone have an adhesive for Niners’ O-line?
Bits and pieces from today’s Mike Singletary press conference and locker-room meanderings: • RG Chilo Rachal appeared on the injury report as doubtful due to the shoulder stinger he suffered against Seattle. Singletary said Barry Sims or Adam Snyder would start if Rachal can’t play. Snyder, in his sixth season, has started 54 games for the Niners at every position along the line besides center, including five at right guard….
If 0-2, Singletary won’t like the next question
A day after Who’s Yahoo! and the Rat Alert, I stuck with on-the-field issues in covering the 49ers Friday. But Mike Singletary’s media meltdown – a fascinating give-and-take Thursday with host Dennis O’Donnell during the taping of his weekly KPIX pregame show – shouldn’t be ignored. For those still unfamiliar with the interview (click here), O’Donnell opened with a reasonable line of questioning. O’Donnell said he respected Jimmy Raye, but…
Niners tried to go deep, line wouldn’t let them
After watching Sunday’s game it was fair to wonder if the Niners had any deep passes in their playbook. Of Alex Smith’s 45 pass attempts, 38 were described as “short,” on the official play-by-play. The good news? The 49ers wanted to chuck more balls downfield. The bad news? Their leaky offensive line didn’t let them.
Where’s Westbrook? RB still waiting to debut
It didn’t happen in Philadelphia. Or at Villanova. Or at DeMatha High School. Or, presumably, in whatever Pop-Warner, pee-wee or midget league he played in. Niners running back Brian Westbrook says he has never suited up for a football game, been completely healthy and not stepped on the field. Until Sunday. Westbrook was signed during training camp to help spell Frank Gore, but his debut in maroon and gold is…
Non-soap-opera news of the day
There were a few other issues discussed today besides Ratgate, which, I must say, was quite riveting. A sampling of other news: • Singletary remained vague on who will assume Ted Ginn’s kickoff- and punt-return duties. Rookie Phillip Adams seems like the likely candidate to handle the punts after his strong preseason, but Singletary threw out Dominique Zeigler as a possibility. He said Josh Morgan, Delanie Walker and Zeigler were…
Forget the rat, will Niners get plays called on time?
The Niners’ play-calling issues were made painfully evident during Sunday’s 31-6 loss to the Seahawks, two days before a Yahoo! story fleshed out those problems in further detail. So amid the dismissals of the Yahoo’ account today, there was a more important question to answer: Will the Niners futz around forever in the huddle on their first third-and-1 against the Saints?
