Empty Promises from an Empty Suit

My last post after the Philadelphia loss called for the firing of Mike Nolan. After a heartless performance against the Giants this past weekend it was obvious that the players no longer believed in the system or Mike Nolan. Can Francisco played one of the sloppiest games I have ever seen.

The Niners looked like a team that was throwing their hands in the air. The players were not focused and played with no enthusiasm. It was as if they didn't care. Mike Nolan was to blame. He is the person for laying out the game plan and keeping the team focused.

In today's NFL it is a surprise that Nolan made it the 3 1/2 years that he did. Realize that he was in his first head coach position and he also had all player personnel decisions as the GM of the organization that is until the end of last season. I think he knew it was coming. A storied franchise like the 49ers and their fans can only see their team lose so many times before heads roll.

So in a game that involved a blocked field goal returned for a touchdown, a ball kicked out of the end zone for a safety, six sacks, three turnovers and a running back that gained 1 yard per carry, the result was expected for these types of errors and now the King is dead.

Long live the King, or should I say long live Mike Singletary. Coach Singletary has been an assistant the entire time that Nolan has been there and I am not sure what he will do that is different but it doesn't matter because if he does well then great. If he does poorly then the Niners hire someone else.

Singletary played the game with an intensity not yet matched. He would stare down a quarterback with a ferocious tenacity. If he can get his players to play with the same fire then we might see something special in San Francisco. That being said here is the remaining schedule and it will not be easy to turn things around.


Sun 10/26 Seattle 4:15 pm
bye
Mon 11/10 at Arizona 8:30 pm
Sun 11/16 St. Louis 4:05 pm
Sun 11/23 at Dallas 1:00 pm
Sun 11/30 at Buffalo 1:00 pm
Sun 12/7 NY Jets 4:05 pm
Sun 12/14 at Miami 1:00 pm
Sun 12/21 at St. Louis 1:00 pm
Sun 12/28 Washington 4:15 pm

The above teams have a combined record of 28-28. The Niners can realistically win 5 out of the remaining 9 games but they would need to win 6 to keep from having a sixth consecutive losing season.

A couple of things can happen for this season. The Niners could turn things around and make something out of this season or they could tank and pick up another high draft pick, you know like Alex Smith. Good luck Singletary, you will need it and I will be routing for you.

Finally.....

After 60 straight games the Niners have a 300 yard passer. That is the equivalent of 3 and three quarters of a season. I am not ready to anoint JTO as the next coming of the great one but thank you football Gods for bringing an offense that wasn't offensive BACK to San Francisco, even if it is for only one game.

JTO settled in and threw for 321 yards in a 33-30 overtime win against the Seattle Seahawks. There unfortunately will be comparisons to Alex Smith at least this first season but the closest Smith came to 300 was a loss to the Eagles. I liked Smith unfortunately he never panned out and with the great QB lore of yesterday in Niner history it is easy to get anxious for another legend. In his three years he never panned out. As smart as the kid is I would be glad to have him on the team at a much lower salary though.

In the Seattle game JTO made some great decisions but in the two games with him at the helm I have some concerns. Mainly the number of sacks he has taken 12 in just two games. Some analyst say O'Sullivan is holding the ball too long which may be true but after watching the game I think it is a combination of poor blocking and the length of time JTO is holding the ball. One thing is for certain at this pace JTO might reach the dubious record set by David Carr.

One thing I will admit, Alex Smith has never had real help. No wide receivers and no go to options. So enter Issac Bruce, he had a whopper of a game 10 catches for 153 yards and helped set up the game winning field goal in overtime. Bryant Johnson had six catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Going forward these two must be more consistent though. And where is Vernon Davis. Why doesn't Martz use him more like Kellen Winslow or Jason Whitten?

The defense gave up a lot of points. The pass defensive however performed excellently picking off Hasselbeck twice both resulting in TD's and held Hasselbeck to 50% completion. The run defense however was terrible. They allowed Dallas reject Julius Jones to rush for 126 yards and the front four were pushed around all game long. I see a first round draft pick coming.

Ultimately I am satisfied with going into Seattle and escaping with a win but if the Niners are to become a playoff team they must become more dominant on both sides. Nedney should have won the game at the end of regulation and defensive had an opportunity to ,ake this game a blowout. Nolan cannot teach the team how to shut opponents down it must come naturally and the longer this team plays together the more likely the killer instinct will develop.