bye bye playoffs

because of a weak, BS block in the back call on a punt return. Instead of having the ball at mid-field, they got it at the 5, and it screwed them the entire half

There are four more games left, and given the way the turnout of some of the games has been today (e.g.: Oakland over Pittsburgh, Washington nearly over New Orleans, etc.), it would not be farfetched to poke at the possibility of a team like Indianapolis or New Orleans suddenly losing all of the next four games. However unlikely, it is still a chance. Whether or not it is hopeless optimism is entirely in the eye of the beholder.

I agree with some of the other unofficial coverage on this website pertaining to the atrocious officiating by the officials today. Some of the calls really were outstanding, in the sense that they were so obvious when they happened that it frustrated not just the fans, but clearly frustrated Mike Singletary and the rest of the players on the field. For instance, I thought it was simply remarkable how a defensive pass interference call wasn’t called on a dropped touchdown pass to Delanie Walker on 4th & 1. The very next play (yes, literally), the officials neglected to call a safety when the 49ers defense clearly tackled the Seahawks’ halfback in the inzone. Later, another pass interference call was not made when Michael Crabtree was tagged before the ball even came in his direction in the inzone.

Spilled milk, however. The real reason the 49ers can’t finish games is because, in my opinion, of a stubborn tendency on the part of the offense. It has seemed to me that whenever they find success with a certain something, they simply abuse it to the point that the offense’s style becomes very predictable. This is probably why the Seahawks seemed to get progressively better versus the offense in the second half of the game. Whatever happened to versatility? Whatever happened to creativity? All of these things have seemed to been completely thrown out the window since the departure of Steve Mariucci.

It seems they want to be either a passing or running offense, despite examples set by Joe Montana and Steve Young, that versatility is what wins games, and especially championships. How about an alternation between Pro-Set, I-formation and Spread style offense, rather than either or?

“Hitting people in the mouth” should remain the formula for the 49ers defense. The offense clearly needs something along the line of versatility.