QUOTE: “As the true object of education is not to render the pupil the mere copy of his preceptor, it is rather to be rejoiced in, than lamented, that various reading should lead him into new trains of thinking.” -- William Godwin
The Arizona Cardinals are a tough team to understand and to accurately predict how they’ll play. Normally, they play well on the road, but Monday night they were in a very giving mood — turning over the ball seven times to the 49ers. The Cardinals looked sensational a week ago in beating the Minnesota Vikings, but they came to San Francisco and laid a huge egg to the same team that beat them in the opener. Strange, right?
Even watching the game, I was mixed in my evaluation of them. I thought their defense looked faster and better coordinated than in the past and seemed to dominate the line of scrimmage. But then they would appear soft, miss open-field tackles and allow Frank Gore to take over the game. This team must test the patience of head coach Ken Whisenhunt, but he appears to have adjusted to the inconsistencies and keeps moving forward to the next game. What good will it do for the Cardinals to harp on this loss? They must look ahead and understand that being inconsistent is what defines them as a team.
The one highlight I noticed about the Cardinals is the emergence of running back Beanie Wells. His size and speed, along with his running skills, have given them the kind of back who can make this offense more explosive, assuming they play consistently. And we know that’s a huge assumption.
As for the 49ers, they left the field with a great win but couldn’t have felt good about the play of their quarterback, Alex Smith. After watching the game live (and I’ll watch it again later on tape), my sense is that the 49ers ought to draft a quarterback next year. They can’t count on Smith being the man, especially if he plays as inconsistently as he did last night. His accuracy was off, and he wasn’t quick-minded or sharp with his decision-making. He never matched the speed of the game with his play — something that always worries me about him. His inconsistent play and poor decisions make me think he will always be a marginal starter.
The one shining hope for the 49ers was wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who clearly is the real deal. When he gets the ball in his hands, he’s very difficult to tackle and shows explosive power. He’s going to be great.
The Cardinals have to feel fortunate they play in the NFC West, which has only one other team that can compete effectively. The Seahawks and Rams are in rebuilding modes, and it seems like the 49ers have been rebuilding for five years — which helps them compete, at least at home. So the Cards can get away with their inconsistent play and not risk a playoff spot. But it does affect their seeding, which would put them in the fourth spot. If the playoffs started today, the Eagles would host the Cowboys in a rematch of the final game of the season.
Speaking of the Cowboys, how can they not make a move for a new field goal kicker? I realize they love Nick Folk and have time and money invested in him, but he’s costing them games. What message does this send to the team if you don’t at least try to bring in a new kicker? Do you think if Bill Parcells was in Dallas that Folk would still be the kicker? I’m not suggesting the Cowboys outright release him. Just give him a break and let someone else take over. Do you think the team has confidence in him right now? Hardly.
There are two courses of action the Cowboys can take. The first would be the easy one: Cut their 53rd player, sign a kicker and not dress Folk. The second would be to go for it on all fourth downs in the 40-yard range, realizing that Folk is 4 of 11 this year and their odds of converting on fourth down are better. This would make them unconventionally dangerous as play callers and might spark their offense.
For his career, Folk is a 72-percent kicker inside the 40. Prior to this season, he missed only one kick in that range, so you can understand the Cowboys’ patience. But this is a critical time and it calls for a critical decision.
A change in kickers might keep every Cowboy on edge, left to wonder if they might be replaced if they play badly. That kind of pressure is what the Cowboys need. They must understand the urgency of the matter. Jobs and careers are at stake, and unless you can do your job, you’re replaceable. The time is now.
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To read more about San Fran's victory over the Cards, including a discussion of Niners rookie Michael Crabtree, check out this article from Bleacher Report.
The 49ers will have two first round picks, but might they be better off going after someone like Kyle Orton or Jason Campbell, then using those picks for the defensive backfield or a pass rusher, as a way to more immediately improve their chances?
Way too quick to judge on Alex Smith. He wasn't exactly playing against the sisters of the poor last night. Didn't AZ's defense just dominate Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson last week? Wasn't everybody raving about their D-line? Did you think he had a lot of time to throw last night? Did you see a lot of open receivers?
Did he play great? Of course not, and if he threw in Adrian Wilson's direction one more time I was going to kill someone, but he played well enough to win and made the big throws when he had to? The two TD passes were perfect reads and perfect throws. The team went 9 for 15 on 3rd down, including 5 for 11 when he threw the ball. Think that might have had something to do with winning?
How about the two key 3rd down throws he made to ice the game on the next to last Niners drive? You know, the one that started with 7:39 to go in the game. What happens if the Niners go 3 and out there? Think the Cards explosive offense could be dangerous there? Instead the Niners burn 5 minutes off the clock thanks to Alex Smith's 3rd down conversions and the game is over.
The guy can't impress anybody. He plays great in a very hostile environment last week and his WRs drop numerous TD passes that cost them the game so he's a bum. This week he plays decently against a top team but doesn't put up big numbers so he's a bum.
Do you know the guy is only 25 years old? (Only 2 years older than Mark Sanchez by the way)
Michael,
I thought the Cowboys had the former USC kicker Dan Buehler. Shouldn't they just let him kick?
"...If the playoffs started today, the Eagles would host the Cowboys in a rematch of the final game of the season..."
Actually, if the playoffs started today, both NFC wild card games would be week 17 rematches:
Dal- Phil
GB- Ariz
The Packers would have to play two straight games in Glendale, while Dallas-Philly flip week 17/wild card game locations.
Mike, I actually agree with your take on Alex Smith and what the 49ers must do to make the playoffs. But as a 49ers fan, it's not that easy. With Jake Locker returning for his senior year, it limits the talent pool at the QB spot in the draft. Do you consider Jimmy Clausen or Sam Bradford franchise QBs or an upgrade over Alex?
"[Alex Smith's] inconsistent play and poor decisions make me think he will always be a marginal starter."
Mike, I agree, but what if that's all they need from the QB position? Their D is set up to be very very good in the years to come and they have a fantastic RB in Frank Gore (and a very good backup). They don't exactly need Peyton Manning back there.
"The Arizona Cardinals are a tough team to understand and to accurately predict how they’ll play." As a Lions fan I feel confident in predicting that no point spread is too high for the Cardinals to cover next week. Any chance they let off the gas last night knowing they have the Lions and Rams up next?
The Niners played a lot of team ball in that game, you could see everyone knowing their job, and being confident in themselves and one another.
Their coach knows great defense, and his emphasis on execution has players finishing plays really strong on big hits.
As for the Cards, Wells and Hightower both made me their fan for improving in their protection, but Singletary had players bring it so even a good range of play becomes a weakness for the Cards. It's about execution and the Niners had it down.
Wells still lacks great elusiveness, and when a team is playing full speed and hits you that hard, the ball comes loose when you lack that elusive factor.
Alex Smith has some moments where he throws a ball and you wonder where it was supposed to go. He's still a work in progress, but the smarts are usually there. The Wilson pick was on the wideout for not running the route across the zone defender's face, but a passer still needs that inherent sense of locating and reading routes based on coverage.
The Niners improved, if a team gets better that's a good thing. The day you stop growing, you start dying(/Mikeael Lombardi). My favorite item was Gore's final double digit carry. They were gashing the Cardinals defense running the Isolation/Power(an pulling guard leads upfield on the inside of a formation). The Cards adjusted and began to step down hard with that blocker so the run had to spill out for fast players to run it down. The Niners changed with that in the final drive.
They put a good receiving tight end to H back, the line didn't move over with it. The tackle blocks down to double team an inside hole, the guard is supposed to lead up into that. The Cards end steps down hard with the tackle, so the H back flattens and replaces him as a blocker. Suddenly the Iso block pulls out to lead the way for a good carry. It was a subtle adjustment to one of football's most fundamental techniques, and it was executed with precision.
The line got movement off a double, the double man's blocker got replaced with a down block instead of a trap(great leverage item), the puller got depth around that to lead the play outside instead of trapping inside-out. It creates some wicked reads on the force and run contain players, by using their own coaching against them.
Singletary is about the fundamentals, and his team commits to it like that across a spectrum of game situations, that's a tribute to intensity. Against a division foe, that is greater evidence of everyone buying into the plan.
This team might be more in line with the Niners of an earlier era. The tough days of Y.A Title come to mind, most football pursits would love such a comparison. Everyone wants to see the next Joe Montana, but the new Niners team is kind of unique in what it can do defensively. This team still has to get some things accomplished for reaching post season, their coach expects nothing less.
If they can make it there playing their new brand of football, it
*Mike / Michael
I cannot believe you're throwing Alex Smith into the trash right now. Yes, he made some mistakes, and yes, he was inaccurate on some throws, but he made plays when he needed to make them. He's the first 49ers QB since 2003 to throw 2td's in four consecutive games.
The Cards have an improved defense, it's not like he played average against cupcakes, Arizona has talent on that team.
Now, like some other posters have stated, he's only 25 years old, and he's had a new OC every single year he's been in the league...if you do not believe that has hindered him as a QB, then you lose credibility. Alex deserves to be the starting QB, without a competition, next year...only then can you truly evaluate him and his potential.
When he came into the league, he was on one of the worst teams in NFL history, and again, changing OC's didn't help. Then he got hurt for two years, and is finally healthy. He didn't have the luxury of spending a lot of time practicing with his WR's in TC, and then not at all for the first half of the season.
Usually I like your stuff Mike, but I think you're way off base here. Not to mention, who are the Niners going to draft? You make it sound like you can pick anyone and they'll be better, but forgive me if I'm not in love with that idiot Claussen, or Broken Bradford. If anything, they should let Alex play out next year, and if they really need a new QB after that, at least Locker will be available...or maybe Nate Davis will pan out....you're just really jumping the gun.
S1RWeeze, you commented that the Niners don't need a Peyton Manning because of the promising defense and Frank Gore and the running game. Take a look at this site's Power Rankings and name the QBs for the top nine teams. No caretakers here, no game managers. Now, once a decade a team with an "all-time" defense can make its way to a title, but the teams that compete every season must have a top QB. Niner management, like every team, must constantly look for that franchise quarterback and move on it.
The team went 9 for 15 on 3rd down, including 5 for 11 when he threw the ball
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Dec 15, 2009
11:32 AM
Any personnel issue with the Cowboys must be viewed from the aspect that their Owner/"GM" is a part-time personnel man who does not delegate decision making within the organization. Jerry is busy selling events in the new stadium and won't elect to solve an obvious need for the team that would highlight his own error. The same thing happened last year with the backup QB. Brad Johnson was horrible in pre-season and was obviously completely done as an NFL QB yet the Cowboys did nothing and paid for it when Romo got hurt last year.