Yea it still hurts. Now that people have had time to spew some venom, I thought we'd take time to actually look at a few aspects of the game. Please keep in mind that site decorum is back in effect in this thread. If you feel the need to swear, head over to the initial recap thread. There is a lot to discuss about this game, so I'm just cherry-picking a few topics. We'll have plenty more starting first thing tomorrow morning (7 or 8am pacific). Also, just a reminder that our SNF thread for Vikings-Cardinals is here.
Referees
People say teams shouldn't make excuses, but for once I'm perfectly fine at least complaining about officiating. In the end the blame for the loss lies with the team, but that does not mean the referees get a free pass. The referees were absolutely atrocious in this game. The biggest problem with the officiating was not that they were so bad, but that they were so one-sided in their bad calls. It started with the horrific no-call in the end zone involving Delanie Walker and proceeded throughout the game. It was downright embarrassing at times. Again, it's not the final blame for the loss, but it's most definitely worth complaining about.
Vernon Davis
I think Dub4lif3 had the best reaction to Vernon Davis's performance today: "Vernon...you let our season slip through your sometimes great hands." Vernon Davis is so close to being the clear-cut best tight end in the league. He can make huge plays, he can handle most any defender. If he could just go over some of the mind-numbing mistakes, Vernon could be such a monster. Some will argue the stats he puts up are enough, but when you're taking points off the board, I have to hold that against you. If he wants to be the best tight end in 49ers history (a very distinct possibility given his current development), he needs to be bringing down those game winning touchdown catches, pure and simple.
Game Management
This felt like a Mike Nolan speciality. When the team blew all three first half timeouts in the first 9 minutes of the game, things definitely were not feeling right. When you use a timeout before the first play of the game, something is clearly not working. The 49ers have come across as a disorganized team too many times this season. I definitely think this falls on Singletary, but I'm certainly not saying we need to find a new coach. That would be ridiculous. Mike Singletary continues to learn how to be an NFL head coach, and some coaches take longer than others to figure this out.
Ross Tucker
I know this is a bit petty, but Ross Tucker is an atrocious announcer. Just absolutely awful. And Chris Myers should go back down to the sideline.
Playoffs
Obviously the team is not mathematically eliminated. An Arizona loss tonight does keep some small hope alive. Personally I think the 49ers playoff hopes are on a respirator, with the Philadelphia Eagles ready in two weeks to pull the plug. While Atlanta was under-manned today, Philly looked really good on offense, and I just don't see the 49ers going in there and pulling the upset.
However, with the Cardinals coming to town next Monday night, I suppose some folks will stay excited about playoff chances. I'm not prepared to start thinking about the offseason too much at this point, but I realize the position the 49ers now find themselves. So I guess that puts me in some kind of football purgatory.
You can discuss more than just these topics of course. However, in terms of front page posts, I'm thinking tomorrow morning will be an Alex Smith-related post. I'm going to hold off on the game management issues in more depth until the Singletary approval rating post on Tuesday.