Washington Redskins-New York Giants: Osi Umenyiora’s Play of the Day

The Play of the Day is a weekly Washington Redskins feature throughout the 2009 NFL season. It takes a critical play, a turning point, or a play that is representative of a larger theme and examines it in-depth. Similar to NFL Matchup on ESPN, the Play of the Day is intended to provide insight and knowledge by breaking down a key play from the Redskins previous game.

This week, the Redskins were down 10-0 to the New York Giants with 2:26 left in the second quarter. They had a 1st-and-10 on their own 47-yard line with a chance to cut into the Giants lead before halftime.

That’s when Osi Umenyiora stripped Jason Campbell of the football and returned it for a touchdown.

Note: All the images in this slideshow are my original creation and copyrighted material. Please do not use them without express written consent, implied oral consent, or imagined telepathic consent of the author. Well, really just the first one.

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Fragile Ground: Packers Win in Spite of Running Woes

The three most important stats from the Packers-Bears game on Sunday night:

1. The Packers’ defense held Chicago’s offense to 13 points.

2. The Packers were plus-4 in turnover margin.

3. The Bears’ most powerful offensive force, halfback Matt Forte, was held to 55 yards on 25 carries, an average of 2.2 yards a carry.

When those three stats are taken into account, this question arises: why did a team that did so well defensively need a game-winning 50-yard touchdown in the final two minutes?

The answer lies on the offensive end. In my article, I’m going to talk specifically about the ground game, which, with the exception of one quality series in the second half, left much to be desired.

The stat line for Ryan Grant: 16 carries for 61 yards (a 3.8 yards per carry average) and a touchdown. On the surface, not a bad outing, but the stats don’t tell the whole story. There are a few positives and a few negatives to take away from this performance.

On the positive side, Ryan Grant is not running like the Ryan Grant of a year ago; he’s fighting for extra yards, breaking tackles, and in general seems to have a greater fire for the game. He wasn’t able to break the big run in his first game, but he seems poised to, which is good news considering he only had six runs of 20 or more yards last year, as opposed to 11 the year before. Add that John Kuhn is quickly becoming the Packers’ most solid blocking fullback since William Henderson, and Grant looks likely to improve on his 1200-yard season the year before.

The main factor holding the running game back is the game plan, which is very pass-heavy. Including quarterback runs and sacks, the offense called 35 passing plays on Sunday night, as opposed to only 19 runs.

There may be extenuating circumstances: this game was close, so there were fewer runs than there would be in a game in which Green Bay was winning handily. Also, you would expect to see a greater emphasis on the run later on in the season, as the weather in Green Bay and elsewhere slowly deteriorates and passing becomes more difficult.

But there were several plays on third and short where Aaron Rodgers was lined up in the shotgun with an empty backfield. Mike McCarthy’s game plan will likely be the main hindrance to Ryan Grant and the running game.

All told, I would expect about a much better looking season for Ryan Grant, even if he doesn’t see that large of a corresponding jump in his numbers. I’d expect around 1300-1450 yards and eight to ten touchdowns. Those numbers, however, are highly dependent on him seeing enough carries.

A note of caution to Mike McCarthy: last year’s Arizona Cardinals proved that you can make a Super Bowl without running the ball, but no team has ever won a Super Bowl while having the No. 1 quarterback in terms of yardage that season. You aren’t going to win games if you’re regularly out-gained by more than 125 yards and beaten in time of possession, as was the case last night. To put it simply (and in rhyme), if you want to win it all, you have to run the ball.

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BREAKING NEWS: Jeff Garcia To Philadelphia, A.J. Feeley To Carolina!

A familiar face is back in Philadelphia, while a true journeyman has landed a job in Carolina setting up a week two frenzy of media hoopla.

Jeff Garcia has rejoined the Philadelphia Eagles as they weigh their options against Donovan McNabb’s injuries, while the Panther made a bold move to sure up the No.2 spot that was previously thought to be solid in acquiring A.J. Feeley.

For many Eagles fans, the memory of Garcia filling in last year was more positive than negative, and considering Vick is unavailable, and Kolb is all but useless, this move makes more sense than powdered sugar on funnel cake.

For the Carolina Panthers, the move is bold and logical, but it is also one that will undoubtedly make for a minor QB controversy going forward. But let’s not forget, football teams make moves that help them, not pander to the media or fan base.

Feeley is not considered to be a top QB, but he does posses the skills that are a bit better than anyone else taking over the helm in Carolina. In the event Delhomme has another outing like he did in Philly, Feely could show himself to have some initial worth.

The Eagles take on the high flying New Orleans Saints, while the Panthers entertain the Atlanta Falcons in the first divisional showdown between the two.

The Eagles could have more success utilizing the services of Garcia before the Panthers show any fantasy worth in Feeley.

This whole situation comes at the end of a huge interest in Feeley by as many as four teams: Carolina, St. Louis, Philadelphia, and New England.

Yes, I said New England, and it doesn’t make sense to me either but, moving on.

St. Louis pretty much either fell off the map in the race to sign Feeley, or just simply wasn’t interested enough. Garcia is the most unexpected turn for the Birds top date, let alone for the old greybeard himself; no-one saw this coming.

The implications in regard to Fantasy are still up in the air.

Philadelphia is still on the fence about McNabb at the time of this article, but even if McNabb plays he won’t be worth a squirt, making Garcia an intriguing player to watch.

Feeley is more of a top tier waiver wire guy. John Fox has already said Delhomme will start against Atlanta, but if he fails Feeley is the man. Add him to the waiver now just to be safe.

For coverage on the NFC East, and the Garcia effect, visit my post on Tuesday (which will be updated Tueday morning) and remember, the waiver wire is your friend.

 

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Forte and Bears Rushing Attack Will Get Back on Track

Rookie sensation Matt Forte was a bright sport in an otherwise abysmal Chicago offense last year. In 2008, he rushed for over 1200 yards and eight TDs. His quarterback at that time was Kyle Orton, not Jay Cutler.

So what does this mean for Forte? Will there be an encore or will Forte be an afterthought as Cutler—the gun slinger—fires the ball all over the field?

The Bears and Forte opened their season against their arch nemesis and long time rival, Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field.

The Packers switched to a 3-4 defense this past offseason and hired Dom Capers as their defensive coordinator. How successful Forte would be against this attacking style defense could provide some insight as how he will fare the rest of the season.

Some 25 rushes for 55 yards later Forte had a respectable performance against a good defense and from the looks of things, one getting better. A 10-yard scamper in the third quarter allowed Forte to muster just over two yards per carry.

Does this mean Forte will struggle throughout the year? Hardly!

Forte will have a slow start. He, along with the offensive line will have to gel together fast so Cutler and his band of unknown receivers can develop some sense of chemistry and start producing.

Forte will also face some on the leagues’ most stingy defenses. Week Two brings the defending Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. Week 15, the Bears travel to Baltimore to face Ray Lewis and Co.

Furthermore, the Bears play in the NFC North; i.e. the Minnesota’s tandem of Kevin and Pat Williams. Plus, the Bears will face the Pack again.

However, as the Bears do face these staunch defenses, they do play teams who are weak against the run—Cincinnati, Seattle, Cleveland. (The Browns gave up 180 yards in Week One.)

For Forte to be successful, center Olin Kreutz, guards Roberto Garza and newly acquired Frank Omiyale, and tackles Orlando Pace and Chris Williams must open some holes and run block.

Jay Cutler must settle down in the pocket and go through his reads and make the smart play. He cannot throw the ball against his body and into the middle of the field where it becomes a jump ball.

Lastly, the receivers must get on the same page as the quarterback. When Desmond Clark and Earl Bennett cut off their routes, even Tom Brady cannot prevent throwing easy interceptions.

These interceptions will prevent Forte from producing and taking some of the pressure off Cutler.

Forte will gain his 1000 yards and the touchdowns will come. There will be games with under 70 yards rushing. There will be games with over 125.

Forte must be patient especially against the Steelers, Ravens, and Vikings. If he is, the long runs will come.

 

Prediction

12 TDs

1375 yards

 

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Cincinnati Bengals Week 1 Play-By-Play Analysis

Roy Williams prevents huge run on first play by Buckhalter.

 

Geathers on nice run stuff.

 

Marshall drops screen pass

 

No pass rush, nice coverage by Crocker.

 

First play of the year is a run up the middle for no gain.  Imagine that.

 

Second play is run off tackle for no gain.

 

Good pass protection; 18 yards to Slim over the middle.

 

Nice pass to Chad on medium slant route.

 

Benson shows nice vision by bouncing the run to the outside for a good gain; brought back by Chad’s hold.

 

Coates drops bullet pass.

 

Benson with nice off-tackle run.  Good blocking.

 

Good pass-protection; slightly errand pass; Coles gets fingers on it but no catch; fourth down & punting.

 

*Drive was killed by holding penalty.

 

Poor punt; first one ever.

 

Boring 6-yard run; Tank with a good tackle.

 

Rivers with great pursuit on outside run; no gain.

 

Odom with deflected pass; forced to punt.

 

Cosby with good punt return after fielding on bounce; one ankle tackle away from a big one.

 

Palmer with lots of time on play-action, finds Chad on the sidelines on a great play that was brought back b/c of an ineligible man down field.

 

Benson with a strong, power run on Whit’s side; puts head down and blasts for extra yards.

 

Another nice run, this one in gap between Livings & Cook. 13 yards on last two runs.

 

Coles drops easy first down catch, nearly leads to a pick.  Fourth down and forced to punt.

 

Awesome fake-punt/wildcat thing to Leonard for a first down.  Awesome.

 

Play-action on first down; wanted to go long; Palmer scrambled a bit, but kept his cool and found Benson on a check off to the sideline; Benson juked a defender and gained a good chunk of YAC.

 

Bubble screen to Caldwell for 6 or so on a play that Housh used to run.

 

Run behind Livings for two.

 

Stretch run to Leonard for nothing on an awful play-call.  Fourth down. 

 

*The two play-actions on first down were great on this drive, as was Leonard’s fake, but running a stretch run on third & 2 on the 11-yard line in the red zone to our “power back”, makes no sense here.

 

Huber can’t catch a slightly below average snap on FG try; loss of like 50.

 

Fanene sacks Orton on play-action by beating RT on the outside.  Decent juke-move to get to him

 

Dhani over-pursues on pass across middle to Marshall.  Roy cleans up.

 

Geathers knocks Clady on his ass, flushes Orton out of pocket and Odom cleans up for the sack.  Fourth down.

 

Cosby runs straight for yardage; doesn’t dance.

 

Palmer to Chad on sideline for nice gain, but Chad opts to run to the middle of the field instead of going out of bounds and picks up big yardage.   He looks explosive and more willing to get hit.

 

End of 1^stQuarter; Bengals crushing in yardage and TOP, but holding call, dropped third down pass and botched FG= no points in three drives. 

 

Collins gets beat by A. Davis on sack, right after the big play to Chad; momentum ruined.

 

Benson on nice cut-back for 7 or so; good vision.

 

Long pass attempt broken up by rookie corner back.  Slightly under-thrown but good try.

 

Ok punt by Huber.

 

Crocker ankle tackles Gaffney on screen for no yards.

 

Orton play-action, Pat Sims pursues,  goes deep to Marshall, nice coverage by Hall, through Marshall’s hands though it would have been a very difficult catch.  Roy Williams was a step slow.

 

Pass deflected by Geathers, Dhani tackles Gaffney, fourth down.

 

First-down check-off pass to Benson for 7.  Good decision.

 

Run for zip up the middle.  JJ didn’t get enough of his man.  Denver knew it was a run even though it was a soft delay run. 

 

Coates sneaks out of backfield for good yardage.  I worried about him fumbling as he rumbled for a good 10 or more yards after the catch.

 

Benson showed speed turning the corner on first down off-tackle run.  8 yards, Gus Johnson got excited.

 

Quick, backward screen to B. Scott that was sniffed out from the get-go; loss of 6 and questionable play-call.  Andre Davis was not having it.

 

*Again, the play design to Coates, was actually very good (even though I don’t like throwing to him), but when B. Scott checked into the game, the Denver defense perked up and followed him outside on the screen.  I understand that they want to use him, but it’s still important to remain sneaky and not so deliberate on their play-calling.

 

Palmer moves well outside of the pocket and finds Coles on the sideline for a first-down.  Palmer looks really good on the run today; not freaking out.

 

Benson up the middle for 3.  Not bad.  Fans don’t like it, but you need some of this for a variety of reasons. 

 

Benson up the middle for nothing.  You don’t need it that much; bad play call.

 

Palmer to Chad on slant with 1-on-1 coverage with Champ; Champ get’s there sooner, tips ball up and Chad wimps out on jump ball and allows an interception.

 

*Fourth squandered drive.  Could at least be 12-0.

 

Maualuga on nice take down for no gain on run.  Waited for runner to come to him.

 

Rey on good pursuit to sideline on bubble-screen; Roy pops Royal on clean up tackle.

 

Awesome pass coverage by B. Johnson on third down.  He’s good at that. 

 

*I like Zim putting Johnson in there on passing downs.

 

Benson up the middle for nothing.  Poor play-call.

 

Reverse to Chad who looked more scared than dangerous.  Palmer didn’t make a good block.  Weird play for 8 yards.  At least it’s different. 

 

*They shouldn’t run that play again for at least 3 weeks so it doesn’t become predictable the way it use to be.

 

Benson up the middle who fought for a first down.

 

Benson on nice off-tackle behind Whit for 6 yards.  Whit blocked two Broncos on the play.  Whit moved to right tackle for that play.

 

Quick out to Benson for nothing. 

 

Bad pass to Caldwell; behind him. Dunno if it was intentionally thrown that way.  Doubt it.  Have to punt.

 

Average punt.

 

8 yard Buckhalter run.  One of the longer runs for Denver on the day.

 

Tank on good wrap up but still a first down.

 

Pat Sims gets back down field on screen and makes nice tackle to keep screen from developing.  The big guy can move.

 

Great coverage near the sideline by Hall on B. Stokely. Quickness looks fine.

 

Royal converts third down on shifty screen.  B. Johnson cleans up.

 

Orton has lots of time and finds Gaffney wide open on sideline against zone.  No pass rush and soft zone=big yardage.

 

Leon Hall knocks ball loose for incompletion.  Almost a fumble that woulda been a touchdown by Ndukwe.  Almost.

 

Tank Johnson smothers Moreno for no gain on run.

 

Good from 48 to end half. Their guy has good range.

 

Bengals look good at the half but have no points.  They’re getting yardage, and look great on defense but they keep stalling when it matters most. 

 

Bad pass to Chad on screen.

 

Check off to Benson for 6 or so.  Good hands on the catch.

 

Quick slant to Chad on hot read for first down.  Nice on both ends.

 

Play-action, Palmer wanted deep ball settled for check off to JJ who dropped it.  Good play call.

 

Quick pass to Foschi.  Don’t know why he gets passes and not Coffman.

 

Great pass-protection (especially Coates); great throw, dropped pass by Coles.  Fourth down.

 

Good Punt.  Brad St. Louis on tackle.

 

Odom tackle for loss. (the guy slipped)

 

Nice drag down by Geathers.

 

Good prevent on third and long, Crocker makes tackle.  Fourth down.

 

Awful punt for Denver.

 

Benson on nice run behind B. Williams for 6.

 

Palmer sacked, Benson missed block.  Loss of over ten.  Haggen with the sack.

 

Palmer sacked again.  Collins gives up second sack.

 

Great punt by Huber.

 

Roy on good run support.

 

Dhani misses tackle to allow Graham’s first down.

 

Pitch play to Moreno and Roy knocks him silly and causes fumbled that was ruled down.  Huge hit.

 

Rey misses tackle and allows gashing run by Buckhalter.

 

Rey unloads on Marshall.  Love this guy.

 

Fanene tackle for loss on hand off.

 

Roy on decent coverage on strange third down play by Denver.  Incomplete.

 

Pitch play to Benson that loses yards on first down.

 

Terrible pass to JJ that was very close to a pick that would have been a TD.  Really stupid attempt under pressure.  Needs to throw out of bounds instead.

 

Caldwell almost makes it to a first on completion, but no.   Punt.

 

Scheffler wide open in zone coverage; good gain of 25 or so.  I hate zone coverage.

 

Dhani on nice run stuff.

 

Rey so close to first sack on ankle tackle.  Orton scrambles for 3.

 

Stokely drop.  50 yrd fg.

 

Caldwell not a good return. 

 

Beautiful play-action roll out play, Palmer throws on the run, hits Chad in stride for about 20 yards.  Brought back for off. PA.   Nice play-call; good looking play design.

 

End of third quarter.  Bengals still have stat advantage but some player mistakes are killing them.

 

Caldwell over the middle. Good game for him.

 

Brian Leonard on shovel pass.  Nice play-call again.

 

Short throw to Caldwell on third down no good.  Not a great decision.  Punt.

 

Roy on nice tackle to Hillis for a short passing gain.

 

Rivers on big hit to force incompletion. 

 

Marshall gets easy receiving third down conversion. 

 

Rey with nice run-stop for nothing.

 

Bengals pass rush leads to holding call.

 

Roy misses on safety blitz; Orton buys time and makes first down completion.  Gotta make that sack.

 

Roy on safety blitz up the middle, Buckhalter catches check off and runs for long first down.  B. Johnson misses tackle.  Brought back from holding call.

 

Odom with a huge sack.  Inside pass-rush move, squeezes through and pushes Broncos out of FG range  with sack.  Huge.

 

THE DRIVE:

 

Run up the middle for three.  Fans hate it.  Gives them room.

 

Quick slant to Chad for first.

 

Hand off to Benson for loss.  Awful play call.

 

Great throw to Chad for a first on a long hook route. Nice protection.

 

Benson with a big off-tackle run for over 20 yards.  Weird two fullback formation; great block by JJ and Whit.

 

Palmer play-actions, finds no one and settles for a three yard scramble.

 

Caldwell on hook route in the slot over the middle.  Housh-like again.

 

Dump off to Leonard for good yardage.

 

Caldwell on quick out route for seven.

 

Caldwell on curl route just short of goal line.

 

Benson TD on power run.  JJ with good block.

 

Joseph with great pick but just out of bounds.  Should have been challenged. 

 

Shit happens.  Bengals lose.

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Cincinnati Bengals Week One Recap: Stuff Happens

After the stunned silence and the eruption of outrage, after the philosophical musings about the mysterious ways of the universe and after letting it go with a sigh and a beer, we can talk about what happened yesterday in a serious, analytical tone that has nothing to do with hexes or of team ownership.

 

Outside of the tip, that was brought on by natural defensive instincts and a hailstorm of bad luck, the Bengals’ game-plan was solid. 

 

The defense shut down the run, made tackles, and got pressure. They looked fast and hit hard, forced lots of punts and maintained field position as well as anyone could ask.  The Bengals’ defense is the strength of the team and they proved it yesterday.

 

The offensive game-plan had some questionable moments—like a stretch-play hand-off to power-back Brian Leonard for no gain on 3rd-and-2 from the 11-yard line—but also had lots of play-action, some quick slants and outs, a weird fake-punt/wildcat run, and, a personal favorite, the shovel pass.  The run game wasn’t glamorous, but Benson got big chunks of yardage late in each half. 

 

The pass-protection seemed good enough; the lone exception coming from back-to-back sacks due to missed blocks by Benson and Anthony Collins. Carson Palmer appeared comfortable in the pocket and moved well when flushed out. Penalties, dropped passes, and a botched field-goal prevented the Bengals from scoring in the first half, not the coaching, bad quarterback play, or the game-plan. 

 

Laveranues Coles is not going to drop passes all year long the way he did in Week One.  The penalties can be cleaned up, and the rookie punter can relax after getting his first game, and first blunder, out of the way. 

 

The point is, if the Bengals stick to the game-plan they showed against Denver, the wins will come. The offense looked a little rusty and they definitely have a few bolts to screw down before they start to click, but there is too much firepower to silence this arsenal all year.

 

It’s been a long time since a Bengal team had been defined as physical, but this lot looks pretty hard-nosed. Many fans already feel deflated after losing in such a ridiculous manner, and it was one helluva horse-pill to swallow, but what I’m seeing from this year’s Bengals is distinctly different from what I’m used to seeing from a Marvin Lewis-coached team. 

 

As demonstrated, we’re not going to win all the time, but I bet there won’t be many blowouts on the Bengals’ schedule this year.  If nothing else, we’re going to see this team fight.

 

Mojokong—sometimes you just have to laugh it all off.

 

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San Francisco 49ers: Why Week One Victory Makes Niners Look Scary Good

If your generic bandwagon sports fan asked your typical die-hard follower of the NFL the following question: “What matchups are the hardest for a NFL team to win?”  The answer would probably include at least one of the following: road game in a loud stadium, inter-divisional game, and a game against the defending conference champions.

Well, the 49ers opening win on Sunday was on the road, in a loud stadium and against the defending NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals.  Now, considering that the overwhelming majority of NFL analysts on all marquee media outlets still underrate the 49ers, you would think their “upset” over Arizona would have been all over SportsCenter.

But then again, even with an upset, we all know about ESPN’s east coast bias probably getting in the way.  After all, the Patriots and Bills play on “Monday Night Football” tonight, and that game is what ESPN will be focusing on all day long.

However, it is pretty safe to say that the Patriots are the heavy favorites to win tonight’s matchup.  To the contrary, on Sunday afternoon in Arizona, despite the Cardinals being the defending NFC champs, there really wasn’t a favorite because the matchups between Arizona and San Francisco are always a coin toss.  But even though neither team dominates the historical head-to-head record, Arizona is a team on the hot seat this year, trying to prove last season was no fluke.

Coincidentally, the expectations going into Sunday’s game were that Arizona’s Kurt Warner would hook up with receivers Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin for big yards through the air.  And it was also expected that Frank Gore would go over 100 yards on the ground for the 49ers.

Yet, as the old saying goes, “on any given Sunday” something unexpected can happen.  The unexpected that happened in Arizona on Sunday was that the 49ers came away with a 20-16 victory with Frank Gore amassing just 30 yards rushing on 22 carries.

With Gore stuffed all game long and quarterback Shaun Hill not exactly being the Brett Favre of the ’90s, it is crystal clear who won the game for the 49ers.

Mike Singletary’s smashmouth defense held Arizona’s lethal offense to under 300 total yards and won the turnover battle 2-0 with two interceptions off Warner.  However, the interceptions were not just great individual plays, but were team turnovers as both were due to an intense pass rush by outside linebackers Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson who got in Warner’s face all game long.

Combined with the intense pass rush that the 49ers haven’t shown in years was the absolute dominating play by middle linebacker Patrick Willis.  The former defensive rookie of the year and former Pro Bowler is in just his third year out of Mississippi, but is already considered by many as the best linebacker in all of football.  Against Arizona on Sunday, Willis led the team with 13 tackles, 11 of which were solo tackles and a huge leaping interception that gave his offense starting field position inside Cardinal territory.

Just to put those numbers in perspective, the next highest tackle total by a 49er defender was five total and four solo.  Essentially, when a play does not go as an incomplete pass, Patrick Willis is making the tackle.

Albeit, as good as Willis performed on Sunday, the entire squad chipped and played their roles.  Along with the aforementioned Lawson and Haralson, cornerback Nate Clements came up with the San Francisco’s second interception and made quality tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Not only that, but first year starter Dashon Goldson at free safety enabled 49er fans to see how strong safety Michael Lewis can punish tailbacks when allowed to sniff the run.  In years past, Lewis would have to sit back and compensate for former starter Mark Roman’s poor coverage abilities but on Sunday, the former Eagle looked like a shadow of his former self, stepping up to put hard hits on opposing runners.

And, finally, defensive end Justin Smith deserves much more credit than he has received over his career.  Playing for a much-maligned Bengals defense and of recent, a poor 49ers defense, has made Justin Smith a name most NFL fans would not be aware of.  But despite being the only legitimate force on the 49er defensive line last year, Smith managed seven sacks and started out this season with a game-ending sack of Kurt Warner.

Now in his ninth year in the NFL, Smith has recorded 51.5 sacks in 128 career games and in those nine seasons has missed just one single game.  Add that to the fact that Smith almost never comes off the field, and you have one of the most underrated defensive ends in football.

With Smith and the rest of the defense clicking right out of the gate (as shown by the 49ers shutting down one of the best offenses in the NFL), the rest of the league ought to be fearful of the dominant style of football the 49ers defense can bring into a game.

The 49ers held Boldin and Fitzgerald to just eight catches, 90 yards and one touchdown between them.  And the touchdown to Fitzgerald would be the only trip the Cardinals made to the end zone all game long.  Just one touchdown against the 49ers defense?  Who saw that coming?

Now the defense won the game, but the winning score was on the right shoulder of Shaun Hill.  On the game-winning drive, Hill went 9-13 for 72 yards and threw the winning touchdown pass to Frank Gore.  It was Hill’s ability to find the open receiver that overwhelming lead to the go-ahead score as Gore ran just twice for four yards on the drive.

This was not the way the 49ers were supposed to win this game.  Struggling to run the ball, scoring only field goals on their first few possessions, and then letting Arizona find a groove and score 13 unanswered points to take a 16-13 lead was not the formula for a 49ers’ victory.

Yet, despite all that, the 49ers won their season opener on the road, in a hostile environment, against the defending NFC champions.

Now, the fact they came away with this opening week victory without firing on all cylinders shouldn’t go overlooked.

Despite being held to 30 yards on the ground, Frank Gore did score both 49er touchdowns.  Although he still contributed big time in the victory, one thing is certain: Gore is not going to be held to 30 yards very often.

Imagine how dominant this 49er team can become when “Frank the Tank” starts rolling over opposing defenders.  The sky is the limit for this team.  Along with Gore prone to eat up yards on the ground, the much-maligned Vernon Davis seems like a much more mature team player.  Combine that with the fact new coordinator Jimmy Raye’s system is geared towards the tight end, opposing defenses are going to have to game plan for Vernon’s game changing ability as a receiver.

Plus, if the defense can stay healthy, there is no reason why they can’t keep up their dominant play from week one all season long.  Especially with a “no-nonsense” type of coach in Mike Singletary, the defense should be making big plays all season.

With a stout running game and a dominating defense, all quarterback Shaun Hill needs to do is continue limiting the interceptions (zero in Week One) and make the throws when needed.  If he can do that, the 49ers are a team that the rest of the league ought to look out for because if they don’t, the 49ers will “hit them in the mouth.”

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Richard Seymour: How Does He Fit Into Raider Defense?

Ok Raider nation… All is looking well, we just got an outstanding defender and five time Pro-Bowler to help bolster our questionable d-line.

But one problem. How does a 6’6” 310 pound 3-4 defensive end fit into a 4-3?

I’m sorry but this trade really threw me off.

Do the Raiders play Burgess at D-end? Well at his size he will likely only be used in running situations and that doesn’t bode well for him if he really plans on being the guy on top of the QB.

If he does play D-end he will likely take over Jay Richardson’s spot being subed out for Trevor Scott on passing downs.

Does he play the 3-technique D-tackle spot. He’s an ideal build, but that job is already taken by Tommy Kelly who actually does a pretty good job.

If he were to play that would send a definate message to Kelly. With Kelly and Seymour rotating in at the 3-technique we would definately get max production out of the position. Only problem is we are still neglecting the one or zero-technique nose-tackle that we’ve been forgeting to address for so many years.

Nose-tackle maybe?

I say pretty unlikely. Seymour doesn’t have the build to play the nose and his talents may end up wasted if hes put there. He is too tall and too good of a pass rusher to play the position. But hey, if I’m wrong that would be pretty nice as we are still missing a true nose-tackle.

Is it possible we could be transitioning to more of a 3-4 defense? Its starting to seem more realistic every day. We have the linebackers especially with Ricky getting reps in the middle. We have the D-ends Tommy Kelly and now Richard Seymour.

Greg Ellis no doubt can play line-backer in a 3-4. We seem to be blitzing more than in the past. But still, were missing that all important nose-tackle.

With our defensive personnel why not run a hybrid defense if only to throw offenses off a little.

So Raider-nation if you think you have an explanation on how Seymour fits into our defense please enlighten me.

Though I guess we are likely to get a glimpse of how he will be used tonight.

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Breaking News: Panthers Sign QB A.J. Feeley, McCown Headed To IR

ESPN.com is reporting that the Carolina Panthers have come to terms with free agent quarterback A.J. Feeley and have placed Josh McCown on injured reserve, ending his season.

The Panthers reiterated Monday that Jake Delhomme was the team’s starting quarterback despite his atrocious performance on Sunday afternoon. 

Delhomme threw four interceptions and lost a fumble that was recovered for a touchdown in the Panthers’ 38-10 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.

McCown was hurt while playing for Delhomme, who was pulled in the third quarter. 

His official injury is a sprained left knee and foot, but he was in a boot on Monday and was walking with the assistance of a crutch. 

He was placed on IR later in the day.

The signing of A.J. Feeley gives the Panthers their best option at backup quarterback in recent memory. 

The signing of David Carr before the 2007 season was supposed to provide the team with a solid option to challenge Delhomme, but he ended up being a major bust when he was thrust into action following Delhomme’s season ending Tommy John surgery.

Matt Moore and Josh McCown were heading into their second season as the Panthers’ backup quarterback tandem, a duo that has been criticized for not pushing Delhomme to get better. 

Despite reports from Panthers training camp that Delhomme had improved his footwork and accuracy, nothing of the sort showed up on Sunday. 

Feeley’s last regular season action was in 2007.  He played in three games and threw for 681 yards and five touchdowns to go along with eight interceptions.  In  his career, he’s thrown for 4,070 yards, 27 touchdowns and 29 interceptions in 23 games.

It is likely that Feeley will be the number two quarterback, and Moore will remain the team’s third and emergency quarterback.

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Baltimore Ravens Have New Standards for Offense

A day after they set a team record for total yards of offense, the big question in Baltimore is whether the Ravens’ offensive philosophy has shifted.

One game into the season, it’s too early to tell, but it’s not an unreasonable question. Not when a team typically known for its defense throws for 307 yards and runs for another 198, gains a franchise-best 32 first downs, and scores five touchdowns, not one off of a turnover.

“This is a new year, a new offense, a new mentality, [and} everything starts over,” said wide receiver Mark Clayton. “And we are kind of reformed or remaking ourselves and to be able to throw the ball down the field, it’s fun, one, and its puts points on the board, two. The last time I checked, the team with the most points wins. That’s our goal is to score every time.”

Fans in Charm City saw something in the season opener they hadn’t seen since the days of Vinny Testaverde—a potentially prolific offense.

Quarterback Joe Flacco completed passes to seven different receivers. Running back Ray Rice ran for 108 yards all on his own, while Clayton, tight end Todd Heap, and running back Willis McGahee all did their part to quiet the murmurs that the Ravens needed another receiver.

“Everybody talks about how we don’t have weapons,” said head coach John Harbaugh after the Ravens’ 28-24 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. “I think we have weapons, if you want to use that term. We have really good players who can make play, and those guys made plays.”

The offensive line play was a large part of the success of the passing game. With the additions of right tackle Michael Oher and center Matt Birk, Flacco’s protection became that much more effective, and it showed against Kansas City.

Flacco threw the ball 43 times on Sunday. He likely won’t be expected to do that every week, but it’s clear that offensive coordinator Cam Cameron believes in his second-year quarterback and will continue to gauge his ceiling.

As Flacco develops so will the offense. And if he continues to play as he did against the Chiefs, Baltimore may very well be amidst a philosophy change.

Flacco was inaccurate at times, and did throw an interception, but remained poised and led his team to a game-winning drive in the last three minutes of the game. But like many successful quarterbacks, Flacco is a perfectionist.

“We have to continue to get better,” Flacco said. “We didn’t really convert some of our drives into touchdowns early on in the game. As long as we continue to get better, we look at what we can correct, we go in there and look at the film and just start working towards San Diego.”

And in San Diego lies the Ravens’ first true challenge of the season. Generally regarded as one of the most talented teams in the NFL, Flacco will have to contend with a constant pass rush from outside linebacker Shawn Merriman, as well as an effective secondary featuring Quentin Jammer and Antonio Cromartie.

Flacco’s teammates are confident he can handle the challenge.

“I think there’s going to be many more [big games] to come,” said Todd Heap. “We just saw the emergence, we just saw the beginning of what [Flacco’s] capable of. We’ve been seeing it all offseason, we saw it all last year, and I’m glad to see it starting to come to fruition for him.”

Baltimore’s strategy against the Chargers will reveal much more about the Ravens game plan for 2009. But it’s already clear that if throwing the ball is the best way to win, the Ravens will be prepared.

“That’s been a goal of ours,” Harbaugh said. “Maybe that’s what [everyone] saw—figuring out more ways to attack people in the passing game. We’re going to try to keep expanding on that.”

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