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Next »Monday Morning Quarterback
Post game: Packers
Two observations as the 49ers continue to sink in the west. First, Anthony Davis did a fine job on Clay Matthews. Secondly, Mike Singletary has changed. He's no longer a firecracker on the sideline. Ever since the Denver game in London, Singletary has been much more calm.
The loss is attributed to a lack of touchdowns in the red zone and a another disappointment by the defense. For yet another game, they couldn't stop the Packers when they had to, even though Green Bay doesn't really have a head-lining runner.
Other observations:-The 49ers were jumping outsides because Aaron Rodgers was rocking out of his stance. Singletary pointed it out to the referees, but far too late.
-Singletary said he at no point considered taking Troy Smith out of the game. "He made enough plays for me to keep him in," Singletary said.
-Singletary was asked if he's now coaching for his job. He said he coaches for his job every week.
-Pretty good job by kicker Jeff Reed, who made his field goals despite the swirling winds.-Troy Smith only completed 10 passes, and the wind might have been a factor, although it didn't seem affect Aaron Rodgers.
| December 05 2010 at 01:29 PM
Raiders-49ers film review
-NaVorro Bowman gets beat too often in small spaces. Last week he over ran Eagles quarterback Kevin Kolb, and on the Raiders first drive, he was juked by Michael Bush and Jason Campbell. As KNBR's Ted Robinson said this is not the time to develop young players. The 49ers should be playing their best players, and Bowman just isn't there yet.
-Mike Singletary said he thought the officials were calling the game too tight. That seemed to be the case with the holding call against Josh Morgan in the first quarter. Morgan kept his hands inside but was still whistled for the penalty against Stanford Routt.
-Singletary also said the tackles didn't play that poorly. On the first pressure allowed by Joe Staley, he was looking outside when he got beat to the inside. You wonder if he expected inside help. On another pressure given up Anthony Davis's man, Davis was actually helping Chilo Rachal, who completely lost his man. Davis then tried to pop out on his man. David Baas whiffed on defensive tackle Tommy Kelly and then allowed a blitzer to come throw on a draw to Frank Gore. Under these scenarios, the outside guys are getting blamed for the faults of the inside guys.
Read More 'Raiders-49ers film review' »| October 19 2010 at 10:33 PM
Mike Singletary's Monday follow
It came right at the end of Mike Singletary's Monday news conference. It was small, but unmistakable. Mike Singletary smiled. Singletary also said it was good to see his players having a good time at the end of their lone victory this season Sunday against the Raiders, particularly when defensive linemen Isaac Sopoaga went in as a fullback towards the end of the game.
At the same time, Singletary knows he and some of his players are in a precarious position. When asked if there's a feeling his team is out of woods win Sunday's win, Singletary almost scoffed and then said, "I think it's important with all our players to understand we are fighting for our lives right now."
Mike Singletary's use of Isaac Sopoaga wasn't inspired by the Fridge.
Here are highlights of what Singletary said:
-Tight end Vernon Davis will have an MRI on his knee, which he injured on his 17-yard touchdown pass. Davis went back into the game, and Singletary said the MRI is precautionary. Davis has been the 49ers best player this season, and they can't afford to lose him.
-Other injuries are day-to-day according to Singletary: DE Justin Smith (cut hand), CB Nate Clements (leg contusion), LB Manny Lawson (rib contusion), and Parys Haralson (calf bruise).
-After looking at the film, Singletary, surprisingly, said the offensive line played well. He said the breakdowns at tackle were due to play design and were not physical breakdowns. "It looks like the tackles are not doing their job," Singletary said. "That's not the case."
-Singletary said he never considered removing Alex Smith from the game despite his struggles in the first half. They were pictured by CBS cameras having an intense conversation on the sidelines. "I just continued to tell Alex to stay focused, you'll be OK. Be patient" Singletary was concerned Smith might get rattled with the catcalls and the chants for his removal. 'We are not here to please anyone," Singletary told him. We are here to win."
Read More 'Mike Singletary's Monday follow' »| October 18 2010 at 12:55 PM
49ers-Eagles film review
-I'm on him every week, but on the opening TD drive, Chilo Rachal missed at least three blocks and got driven back into Alex Smith's grill on the 7-yard TD pass. I just wonder if Rachal is healthy.
-Takeo Spikes is playing like a man possessed. He looks to have twice the passion of Patrick Willis.
-Gore lost the ball on his first fumble because Josh Morgan was unable to get a block on the linebacker. He had a free pass to Gore.
-Nate Clements missed a jam on DeSean Jackson in the second quarter and then stayed with him and knocked down the pass. Clements, other than the fumble, has been excellent in the past two games.
-Willis over pursued on McCoy's 29-yard touchdown run and was easily blocked.
-They showed a graphic on Andy Reid's 12 years in Philly. His teams have averaged 4.4 yards per carry, second highest in league history. It goes to show you how potent the run can be out of the West Coast offense and it shows you that running to set up the pass is folly. Meanwhile this year and last, the 49ers are among league leaders in pass attempts because they are always playing from behind. It seems paradoxical, but if you want to run, you have to be pass oriented. Reid's teams pass 59 percent of the time. That's the only way you eventually get to the run. The 49ers haven't learned that since they ditched the West Coast with the firing of Steve Mariucci. Read More '49ers-Eagles film review' »
| October 12 2010 at 07:25 PM
49ers-Falcons film review
The Falcons didn't play well. This was a trap game for them, playing a winless team at home after a rousing victory over the Saints. The 49ers couldn't take advantage. I believe Mike Singletary is right; Alex Smith didn't play that bad. He did make some mistakes and when does, he really gets punished for them. He played better than Matt Ryan.
Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson did mix up his personnel groups more than Jimmy Raye. On first and second down, Raye would go almost exclusively with either two tight ends or two running backs or both. Johnson often went with three receivers on those downs and saw the Falcons' weakness in defending the run out of those formations, and he exploited it.
Vernon Davis was a beast against the Falcons.
There were times when Smith completely fooled the Falcons with play-action and no one came open down field. You just wonder about the receivers ability to get open. Here are some other observations.
-The defense put Patrick Willis near the line of scrimmage, unlike last week and that makes a difference. This defense just seems to play better when they are in an aggressive posture.
-Vernon Davis made a tremendous play carrying a linebacker 6 yards into the end zone on his slip screen for a touchdown. Anthony Davis made an athletic block on the cornerback on the play.
-On third down, offensive coordinator Mike Johnson went with two tight ends and two receivers. He would then split everyone out, sometimes that included running back Frank Gore. Read More '49ers-Falcons film review' »
| October 05 2010 at 06:37 PM
Alex Smith continues to get Singletary's support
Mike Singletary continued his unrelenting support for Alex Smith during his Monday media session. Singletary repeatedly said Smith "did a decent job" despite two interceptions and a 65.6 passer rating.
-Tight end Delanie Walker's left ankle injury appears to be fairly long term. The 49ers won't even re-evaluate the injury until later in the week.
-Singletary was complimentary of Taylor Mays' first start and so were the players. Dashon Goldson said Mays was assignment sound.
-Smith was still lamenting his two interceptions yesterday, saying again how costly they were.
-Nate Clements still would have tried to score if he had to do it all over again. But he did say on his interception return in which he fumbled, that he needed to keep the ball high and tight.
More later.
| October 04 2010 at 12:53 PM
Better days ahead?
Mike Singletary said at his weekly news conference that neither Joe Nedney nor Nate Clements will be up for the season finale in St. Louis. Also, guard Chilo Rachal will undergo an MRI on his knee today, after he wrenched it yesterday in the win over Detroit. Singletary wouldn't name a replacement if Rachal can't play. His options are former fourth-round pick Cody Wallace and veteran Tony Wragge. Wallace is a former fourth-rounder with potential but no experience and who has mostly been working at center. Wragge is a known quantity and there wouldn't be much drop off from Rachal but Wragge doesn't have Wallace's upside.
Singletary also said the 49ers went into yesterday's game with a plan to run the ball with Moran Norris stationed at fullback, and yet the 49ers tried to pass it 27 times and only ran it seven times in the first half. Much of that was a response to the Lions, who stuffed eight in the box. We saw the result, only six points and a scattered performance from Alex Smith.
Dashon Goldson is now starting to read the quarterback.
"That's not acceptable," Singletary said when asked why six turnovers didn't turn into more points on Sunday. "Our offense is evolving. Going into this last game hopefully we can put it all together and have a great game."
With that comment, Singletary probably just stumbled upon his theme for the week. As far as the big picture, Singletary is also looking forward to the off-season and to reviewing his offense.
"I think we'll have a lot more answers than questions," he said. Presumably, the 49ers won't have a quarterback competition in training camp, they won't have a new offensive coordinator for the first time in eight summers, they'll know whom to develop as their top receiver (Michael Crabtree), they'll know they have an established weapon at tight end. They have the beginning of an offensive identity.
Singletary was also asked to assess his offensive line this year. "I think our offensive line really worked through some things," he said. "You look around the league, you have lines that have been around for two years together, three years together."
Read More 'Better days ahead?' »| December 28 2009 at 12:51 PM
Game Analysis - not pretty
Typically when you look at the tape of a game, the loss doesn't seem as bad. Not so with this one. It's hard to isolate who had the worst game, but here are some candidates.
Free safety Dashon Goldson-Constantly took bad angles and allowed too many completions to Tony Gonzalez.
Linebacker Manny Lawson-Looked like a bewildered prep player. He was so good at setting the edge, but he was totally lost in this game, constantly charging upfield and allowing runs right beneath him. He was often fooled by play-action. Mike Singletary said players started to press and wanted to make plays on their own. Put Lawson in that category.
Cornerback Nate Clements-He followed (or should I say chased) Roddy White all over the field and we all know what happened - eight catches, 210 yards and two scores. Sometimes Clements has a complete collapse; he did the same thing last year in Dallas and Terrell Owens got him for over 200 yards.
Nose guard Aubrayo Franklin - Usually so good in the middle, this time he was cuffed around and then failed to get set just before Michael Turner went past him for a 1-yard touchdown run.
Josh Morgan needs to be more consistent.
Linebacker Takeo Spikes - Got sucked inside too often and allowed Turner to get outside.
Linebacker Ahmad Brooks - Took a set back this week. He had a penalty and really bit on an outside fake by Matt Ryan. He started running to the outside to chase what he thought was going to be a pass to the flat, not noticing his teammates running the other way to try and tackle Turner who gained 9 yards.
Cornerback Dre Bly - Enough said.
Tight end Vernon Davis - Reverted back to his old self by constantly miscommunicating with Shaun Hill. Commentator Daryl Johnston picked up on it right away and pointed out three times when Davis didn't turn his head around right away on a hot read. I asked Singletary and Hill about this and they said it's not always on Davis to turn around. It depends on the protection, the call and coverage. Also on the first miscommunication, Hill was trying to hit Isaac Bruce on a short route and Davis was clearing for him. But the ball landed behind Davis making everyone believe he messed up. Nevertheless, Davis was tentative running his routes all day. How much of that is coaching?
Running back Glenn Coffee - Coffee suggested during preseason that the pro game was actually easier than college. He might not think that any more. For the most part his pass protection was good, but the team had to call a timeout when he wasn't on the field following Josh Morgan's 61-yard reception to the Falcons' 2; Coffee obviously thought Morgan had scored. Singletary was right when he said the game is too big for him at times, in fact, too much of the time. If Frank Gore gets hurt again, the team would be better served with Michael Robinson at tailback.
Wide receiver Isaac Bruce - Where has this cat been? No catches Sunday and you have to wonder if he no longer has the speed to get open. I really don't think that's the case. I think it's just a slow start and the massive disruptions on the offensive line, are causing his timing with Hill to be thrown off.
Chilo Rachal - He gave up three pressures, one that resulted in a sack near the end of the game after barely 2 seconds. He gave up the sack to Jamaal Anderson, who played horribly two weeks earlier in New England. Against the Rams, Rachal whiffed on a guy who had been just called up from the practice squad; he whiffs entirely too often and now it would be surprising if he wasn't benched.
Quarterback Shaun Hill - He was really ticked off after the Anderson sack. Hill was actually ticked off all day even when he was going through his cadence at times. It reminded me of his second start against the Buccaneers two years ago when he went 11 for 24. He looked really uncomfortable that day but at least that time he threw three touchdowns. The lack of pass protection is finally getting to him.
Wide receiver Josh Morgan-Morgan might be good for the occasional big play, but can he be relied upon consistently? He's not fast, and doesn't catch the ball well enough to be a no. 1 at this stage of his career.
| October 13 2009 at 11:53 AM
News of the day
A newsy Monday to be sure, here are the highlights:Dre Bly took the very unusual step of apologizing to the media for his showboating antic in yesterday's 45-10 loss to Atlanta. Bly addressed the media at Mike Singletary's Monday morning news conference. Several times during his mea culpa, Bly used the word "inappropriate" to describe his actions and that included his hand by the helmet maneuver when his team was down 35-10 to the Falcons in the second half of Sunday's game and for his comments after the game when he said, "Dre has got to be Dre."
Allen Rossum was released.
Bly's main message was to apologize for bringing any negativity to the team. Bly went to coach Mike Singletary Monday morning to apologize. Singletary said he didn't realize that Bly had put his hand behind his head during his interception run back, but he caught it on television Sunday night. Singletary said he didn't need to approach Bly, because Bly came to him first.
CONCUSSIONS: On a much more serious note, the 49ers have two players with head injury concerns. Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich hasn't played since sustaining a concussion while covering the opening kickoff against the Rams. Ulbrich will undergo a battery of tests at Stanford this week to determine what his next course is going to be.
When asked if he would like to play with his kids and die as a old man, Ulbrich said, "I would like to do that. I have to take all those considerations into account to make my decision."
Ulbrich, who's now the longest tenured active 49er along with long snapper Brian Jennings (10 years each), said the game has changed.
"It's evolved. Players are bigger and faster, but I don't think your skull gets any thicker and I don't think your brain gets tougher," Ulbrich said.
The 49ers also have to be concerned with safety Michael Lewis who sustained his third concussion since the preseason opened.
ROSSUM GONE; MORE CHANGES POSSIBLY COMING: The team released veteran kick returner Allen Rossum and will now leave the return chores up to Arnaz Battle and Delanie Walker. Despite Walker's controversial fumble on a kickoff return; Singletary praised his return ability.
Singletary also said changes might be coming, particularly at right guard, where Chilo Rachal resides. Rachal gave up two pressures in the first half alone. Rachal and right tackle Tony Pashos also got mixed up on their assignments during a crucial sack in the second quarter after the 49ers recovered a Falcons fumble. The sack took them out of field goal range and the game turned from that point. On the sack, the Falcons only rushed three and got to Hill at the three-second mark.
The options are to go with the man who Rachal replaced last year, Tony Wragge or to move Adam Snyder inside to right guard. It all begs the question, "Who is the right guard?"
PREPARATION: Singletary blamed himself and his coaching staff for not preparing the team. While Shaun Hill and Alex Smith did additional research on the Falcons coming out of the bye, the coaches should have done the same thing. Then, maybe, they would have seen that Atlanta has the capacity to blitz and play man coverage with lots of blitzes.
With the 49ers strong run emphasis, teams are apt to change their defensive approach. The Vikings were predominantly a cover 2 team but against the 49ers they went with eight men in the box and played more man coverage.
| October 12 2009 at 01:59 PM
The day after
So what are we left to think after the 49ers' 45-10 head slap by the Falcons? The loss seemed most stunning to the 49ers themselves and particularly to head coach Mike Singletary. In his postgame news conference, Singletary said he never expected the blowout and he believed his team had established a standard that would have made such shattering losses no longer possible.
The 49ers firmly believed they were the better team going into Sunday's game. That's why Singletary showed his players a clip of the American relay team from the Beijing Olympics. Viewed as far more talented than the rest of the field, the relay team faltered because they dropped the baton. Singletary's message was to remember to execute the small details.
Mike Singletary's coaching powers will now be tested.
The 49ers never got to the small details because they were overwhelmed by the big details of the Falcons superior offense, defense and special teams.
So instead of getting a new standard established as a solidly good team in the NFL, what Singletary might have done in his first four games is lift the team up by his Herculean acts of motivation, discipline and hard work. It's possible that the immensely rigorous training camp made the players believe they had been forged into a better team.
That might be true, but what's also true is that they're the same group that went 7-9 last season and they are still adjusting to another new offensive coordinator.
The Falcons proved to be far more agile in the preparation. Over their bye week, the Falcons ditched their defensive identity as a zone team and installed a blitzing, man coverage scheme. Even though they were unfamiliar with such a style they pulled it off magnificently and flummoxed the 49ers as a result. That's quite a feat for a team in only their second year under head coach Mike Smith and with five new starters on defense.
Part of the switch in tactics included playing a five-man, two-linebacker, four-linemen defense against the 49ers predominate use of their twin tight-end offense. The 49ers never seemed to get comfortable with that adjustment, particularly tight end Vernon Davis, who reverted back to his old ways of tentative route running.
The one not startled by the switch was quarterback Shaun Hill. Like a couple of research nerds in white lab coats, Hill and fellow quarterback Alex Smith scoured video from the 2008 Falcons searching for changes the Falcons might adopt during their bye week. They discovered that Atlanta at times blitzed and played man coverage last season, and Hill and Smith figured they would try it again.
The problem is Hill knew it, but the rest of his offense didn't and a quarterback can only do so much if the rest of his offense was unprepared.
From that standpoint the 49ers were clearly and thoroughly out-coached.
So what the 49ers may have discovered is that there are limits to the Singletary philosophy of just playing basic football and allowing the other team to make a mistake. If the other team is talented and if they throw something completely different at the 49ers, they can knock San Francisco out of their comfort zone and the stunning results were all there, exposed in the soft autumnal light of a glaring 45-10 loss.
| October 12 2009 at 10:25 AM
Veteran 49ers writers Kevin Lynch and David White analyze the stats with an insider's insight.
By Kevin Lynch, David White, Read Bios
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