49ers 2007 Campaign: Looking forward

So in light of the amazing show of awesomeness the 49ers put on display Monday, I thought why not look at the rest of the schedule. I'm no longer angry at the team, but have been upgraded to just "put out." As such, I may be a little snippy in this post because I honestly think this team could go 2-14. Will they go 2-14? I pray that doesn't happen, but suffice it to say, it's not out of the realm of possibility.
vs. St. Louis
Some of my friends have said this is the last game they should win. I disagree and think even though it's a home game, they could get taken behind the woodshed on Sunday. The Rams are showing signs of life for the first time on offense. More importantly, even if they have a crappy defense, it really won't matter against the inept offense the 49ers possess. By Sunday I'll probably be selling myself on the 49ers, but I really wonder if we can crack double digits in points the rest of the season. After Monday it sometimes honestly seems like we'll never score again.
@ Arizona
They've put up no fewer than 10 points in any game this season. If you combine the 49ers point totals for Weeks 4, 5 and 10 (bye week NOT included), you get 10 points total. You do that math. After a 3-game stumble, Kurt Warner got the Cardinals offense going against a solid Detroit team (didn't know when I'd ever say that again) and while I like our defense, if we hold them to 17 like we did in Week 1, I'm thinking we'll lose. Speaking of Week 1 (and Week 2), is anybody else baffled how we won those games considering the state of the offense now? Did our crappiness not emerge enough at that point?
@ Carolina
I really actually am excited to see Steve Smith match up against our secondary. I'm not so excited to see our offense take the field. There was some arguing about the on-side kick, but I say MORE! How about you fake to the normal side and then kick to where you've got 2 or 3 guys and really catch them off guard. Normal offense doesn't work, so let's mix in some special teams. And go truly Madden on them and go for it every 4th down. I think our defense needs to start every drive 30 yards from their own end zone.
vs. Minnesota
It seems like Adrian Peterson will likely miss this game as he is out possibly out 4-6 weeks (although some reports say he could be back to practice sometime next week). Chester Taylor was a force to be reckoned with before, so I'm not really sure what to expect come Week 14. If Adrian Peterson is out or still rusty, this is actually a winnable game if the Vikings defense doesn't show up, as they failed to do Sunday at Green Bay. This could also end up being a miserably bad game to watch as one team wins 3-0 or 6-3. I think this is your lowest scoring game of the year (in terms of combined points).
vs. Cincinnati
They may be team turmoil right now, but the fact that they have an offense makes them a likely L. Now that you add Chris Henry to their receiver corp and match him up with Shawntae Spencer, I could see our defense struggling a little bit.
vs. Tampa Bay
They'll have Pittman back to go with an emerging Earnest Graham and we get to see fan-favorite Jeff Garcia back in the house. He's signed to a 2-year deal so don't expect him back in the Bay Area in 2008. While the Bucs aren't a powerhouse, they've been solid this season, sitting atop the NFC South at 5-4. I don't see the 49ers doing so well against contending teams this year.
@ Cleveland
This was a sure win in August and even into early September. No way we could lose to the Browns, right? Now I don't think we can beat them. The Browns have passed the stage of being a flash in the pan and are officially a contender for a playoff spot. How will the 49ers do against contenders? See above. Although, if we were ever going to break out on offense, this would seem to be the game considering the Dolphins scored 31 points and the Rams scored 20 without Steven Jackson. More importantly for the Brady Quinn contingent here at Niners Nation, a chance to steal Brady Quinn and stash him in with the luggage on the flight home. If Derek Anderson has been named to the Pro Bowl there's no way the Browns will miss Miss Quinn.
So not quite as many specific W/L predictions as I had planned but I think 3-13 is a safe bet. I'd say we're bound to win at least one of those games, but that could very well turn out to be an exaggeration. Considering the MNF performance, I truly wonder if we score anything more than field goals the rest of the year? Maybe I'm exaggerating a bit, but I think it goes to show what we can expect.
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45 comments
Comments
Hmmm
See, it's like a mirror. Where 2-7 is like 7-2. And 1-8 is still 1-8. It's like a mirror box.
It's a house of cards, though. I house of reflective cards shaped like a box. But the glue isn't dry yet. So don't shake the mirror box card house. Don't ask it how.
by howtheyscored on Nov 14, 2007 1:37 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Don't bogart that joint, HowTheyScored
by Bob In Pacifica on Nov 14, 2007 6:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Miami win?
by Fooch on Nov 14, 2007 7:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
well....
by GoninerZ21 on Nov 14, 2007 11:57 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
2-14
by wjackalope on Nov 14, 2007 7:37 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
49ers vs. 49ers
by Fooch on Nov 14, 2007 7:42 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
49ers vs 49ers
by jfainsf49 on Nov 14, 2007 7:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Story of Our Lives
We will score touchdowns, but in the garbage time of each of those games. We will be a stepping stone for most of those teams, just a morale booster on the way to a real football team.
Anyone offended by watching a team of men get paid to get spanked, close your eyes now.
by LA49er on Nov 14, 2007 9:02 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Staley
This is poor draft management. Does this team forecast at all?
by MattMiller on Nov 14, 2007 9:22 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Not really.
by sfgfan on Nov 14, 2007 9:29 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I'm also not bothered
The only thing about it that bothers me is that the Patriots punishment included being stripped of their first round pick, but somehow they get to keep this one? Absolute joke of a punishment.
by howtheyscored on Nov 14, 2007 10:45 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Well.
by sfgfan on Nov 14, 2007 11:02 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I don't think they
by wjackalope on Nov 14, 2007 10:46 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
top-5 pick
by Fooch on Nov 14, 2007 10:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
If..
by sfgfan on Nov 14, 2007 11:00 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Secondary...
Oh, and I agree about Joe Staley - he's going to turn into a good lineman for years to come, so I have no problem with the trade/pick. The one thing you can't question about Nolan has been his drafts... he's done an amazing job when it comes to that.
by jaytierney on Nov 14, 2007 9:36 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
While I agree..
by MattMiller on Nov 14, 2007 11:19 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
Dude...BAJEMA!
by Fooch on Nov 14, 2007 11:26 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Nolan
I am really excited about Lawson and Davis still, mistakes and injuries be damned. Lawson reminds me of Julian Peterson, but Peterson didn't blossom until later in his stay with the 49ers. Davis was a physical freak of nature, but was generally raw in the sense of what an NFL tight end is. Staley, this year's second first rounder is somewhat raw as well, but is very physically gifted.
As I've pointed out numerous times, while I may have preferred someone other than Alex Smith, I don't hate the pick. I like Alex Smith, and I still think he can be just as good as Leinart will be. Will the 49ers be able to help guide him to that level? Well, that remains to be seen.
It's hard to project what's coming out ahead of time. Who's to say Leinart wouldn't have gotten injured? Who knew if Vince Young was coming out. Who even knew much about Cutler before that season?
This year in particular, who would have thought they had a shot at a "can't miss" prospect? Everyone (including the media) thought the 49ers would at least be a middle of the road team, which I feel is where Staley is justifiably worth (middle of the first round). No one could have forseen a potential top 5 pick.
by sfgfan on Nov 14, 2007 11:28 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree
by wjackalope on Nov 14, 2007 1:51 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Cutler
Peterson was an immediate impact as a rookie, while Lawson struggled to find his place in the 3-4.
Now, I'm not saying these players cannot become Pro Bowlers. I just think that we should have seen glimpses of what the future holds in Smith, Davis, Staley and co. up to this point. Smith is in year three, which is the year that most QBs grasp the offense and the game slows down for them.
It's easy to blame the coaches, but the players play, not the coaches.
by MattMiller on Nov 14, 2007 11:41 AM PST reply actions 0 recs
In all fairness
by sfgfan on Nov 14, 2007 12:04 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
how bad is bad?
I think a couple of those games they have maybe even a 30% chance of winning, so I suspect they will win another 1 or 2, on sheer luck alone.
According to FO, SF has the 32nd ranked Offense and 30th ranked defense.
They currently have the 3rd worst overall DVOA (worst is 2005 niners), and 5th worst offense of DVOA era (I think goes back to about 1996)
The punt team is BY FAR #1 (and that's not just volume, boys!)
by zenbitz on Nov 14, 2007 12:42 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
yeah punting!

(yeah, using it every chance I get)
by wjackalope on Nov 14, 2007 1:53 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
More on Smith's Injury...
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/default.asp?item=699956
"Finally, Smith admits shoulder and forearm have been killing him"
I love this bit in particular...
"After all, the problems with Smith's shoulder and forearm have created two other potentially long-term problems for Smith: 1) His mechanics appear messed up as he tries to conpensate for the injury; and 2) With his poor play since he returned to the lineup, Smith's confidence has taken a major hit, as well."
As I said earlier, Nolan questioning Smith's toughness and basically forcing him to return early from the injury is when I officially stopped supporting him. Nolan seems like a really good guy, but he needs to go...
by jaytierney on Nov 14, 2007 2:13 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
Hmm.
In any case, it was Smith's call on whether he could have played. It was his call on when he felt comfortable enough to throw. You can't fault a guy for wanting to help his team.
I'm interested in when Nolan actually called out Smith's toughness before he got back on the field. If you could point out these instances, that would be great.
by sfgfan on Nov 14, 2007 2:24 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Toughness
Smith is basically covering for his coach when he says the decision was all his. Sure, it was his decision, but clearly there was pressure.
by jaytierney on Nov 14, 2007 2:57 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I think it was the game before Smith came back
Nolan was wrong. Either he's completely incompetent to see how badly his quarterback is playing or he's lying about Smith's condition because he realizes he's screwed up carrying two backup quarterbacks who can't play at the NFL level.
This is the most important part. Quarterbacks get injured. This says that McNolan did not prepare for the season. We can argue about Dilfer, but once upon he did actually quarterback in NFL games. If Hill is incapable of playing quarterback why is he on the team? Perhaps the coaches who can't coach the first string are incapable of coaching the third-stringers.
This one is all on Nolan. He rushed Smith back, and he apparently did it because there is no one else capable of playing quarterback. I don't know if Smith is further injuring his arm, but he certainly can't throw accurately now. That's McNolan's fault. The lying only compounds it.
by Bob In Pacifica on Nov 15, 2007 6:47 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
I agree
by jaytierney on Nov 15, 2007 7:33 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Confidence
by jfainsf49 on Nov 15, 2007 7:59 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Bee-Rows
He followed that up with saying
Barrows also tries to make the differing opinions between Smith and Nolan seem like a coach-player "disconnect," which I didn't appreciate too much.
by sfgfan on Nov 14, 2007 2:40 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
You can't see the disconnect?
by DraftQBin2008 on Nov 14, 2007 7:08 PM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Read it again, Sam
by howtheyscored on Nov 15, 2007 12:56 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Huh?
What is is. I'm not following the Niners because they're good or even entertaining. I'm following now to try to figure out the train wreck. I think the problem is with the engineer.
by Bob In Pacifica on Nov 15, 2007 6:51 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Miscommunication != disconnect
Alex hasn't admitted to anyone that his problem goes beyond soreness. That is what he tells doctors, and subsequently is all Nolan knows. So yeah, Alex is at the bottom of the page, while everyone else is at the top.
by sfgfan on Nov 15, 2007 8:48 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Huh?
by jaytierney on Nov 15, 2007 9:13 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
As I pointed out in another thread...
Now if Alex told team doctors that his soreness didn't seem normal, then something else may have been done. Team doctors, like regular doctors, are at the mercy of their patients. If you don't tell your doctor your foot hurts, is he ever going to consider treating it? If you break your bone, and they cast it up so that it heals, but you feel pain after it healed, will they know that?
Nolan (as with most head coaches) are at the mercy of team doctors, and what the team doctors know of the player. Obviously, Nolan could have pushed the issue, but as I said, a "sore" Alex Smith who could still move and make some throws is better than any of their other options.
On a side note, this carrying on of one discussion in multiple threads sort of sucks. Some of us have had to repeat arguments in multiple places, and links to one article are appearing in each, trying to make the same point.
by sfgfan on Nov 15, 2007 9:23 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
To go on...
And I don't blame Smith for now basically throwing Nolan under the bus in return. Nolan has pretty much been telling the press that physically his QB was fine, when anyone paying attention could see otherwise. I think Smith is at the point where he realizes his career is at a major crossroad and knows Nolan is too clueless on the offensive side of the game to help him. Nolan has set him up to take the fall to save his own ass and I think Smith has had enough. He was subtle, but his interview yesterday implied a hell of a lot more than was actually said.
by jaytierney on Nov 15, 2007 11:12 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Words
That is what I mentioned yesterday about not liking what Barrows wrote. I'm as big a Kawakami hater as their is, as well. It's one thing to report what's going on, it's another to influence the opinion of the public through your writing. I guess it's a part of their job, and I'm a fool for wanting just a report.
by sfgfan on Nov 15, 2007 11:41 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Nolan has lost the team
by DraftQBin2008 on Nov 14, 2007 7:05 PM PST reply actions 0 recs
always the optimist
by howtheyscored on Nov 15, 2007 12:54 AM PST up reply actions 0 recs
Here's the problem:
Meanwhile, the Niners can't get pressure on the other QBs. The only thing that they can do is increase the blitzing and leave the DBs out there by themselves and hope that between Gore and Dilfer they get a couple of scores.
Nevermind.
by Bob In Pacifica on Nov 15, 2007 6:54 AM PST reply actions 0 recs

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