Mike Singletary’s Dilemma is Playoff Defense, Pop Warner Offense

I love Mike Singletary. I have been a fan of his since he destroyed opposing offenses when he roamed the field for the Monsters of the Midway.

I was thrilled when he was named Head Coach of the San Franciso 49ers and admire his great motivational and leadership qualities.

There is no chance the 49ers will ever have a poor defense with Mike at the helm. Offense, on the other hand, appears to be another story.

SINGLETARY COMMENTS ON 49er OFFENSE AFTER BEARS DEBACLE

“I thought [QB] Alex [Smith] did a good job.”

“I thought our offense did what they needed to do in order for us to win the game. Yes, we would have like to have gotten more points, and I think that will come.”

“I thought we did a good job running the ball. We felt that we could be effective running the ball, and it showed later on. And, because I felt our defense would do a good job against their offense, it’s the reason that later on in the game we decided to run the ball more and not take a risk in throwing the ball and run some time off the clock and put the game away. And, that’s pretty much it.”

With all due respect, Mike, what the hell are you thinking? The offense did not do what they needed to do to win the game.

They did everything they could to lose the game and it was only the heads-up play of the defense, combined with Jay Cutler’s horrible performance, that barely enabled the Niners to escape with a victory.

The play-calling makes the word vanilla look radical. It was pathetic, and I am disappointed to know that you think it was good.

Most 49er teams throughout history would have buried the Bears by three or four touchdowns, and Mike, I’ve seen every 49er team in history.

Let’s face it, Mike. Alex Smith lacks the natural instincts to be a consistent leader of a team. He doesn’t even believe in himself, how do you expect the rest of the team to fall behind your rather transparent praise of him?

As to running the ball, you continued to run the ball because you don’t trust Alex Smith, and I don’t blame you. Come on, Mike, for a man committed to honesty, your words of praise about him ring hollow.

I realize that you have few choices. Shaun Hill was only a shadow of the leader we came to love the past couple of seasons, and Alex Smith will never be more than Alex Smith. A pass is only a risk when you have a mediocre QB throwing the ball.

When the light bulb goes off in your head and you finally admit to yourself that this is true, the 49ers will have hope for the future.

Mike now faces a true dilemma. He has No. 7 sitting on the bench. Nate Davis is a big kid who can run the spread effectively. He makes quicker decisions than Alex Smith, has a stronger and more accurate arm, is more mobile, and plays with poise and confidence, something Alex has not done in five years.

His rocket arm is impressive and with receivers like Crabtree, Morgan, Hill and Jones, this talent is being wasted on the bench.

Naysayers and youthful Niner fans who know nothing about winning or consistency, see Alex Smith as a failed project and blame the team for throwing him in the mix too early. Maybe they are right.

They post on various forums that Nate should sit not only this season but next, too. They are scared to death to ruin another QB prospect the way they feel that Smith was ruined. Frankly, Scarlett, I don’t give a damn.

Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger, Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan, and now Josh Freeman, have all benefited from playing in their rookie season. Nate Davis is a man, not a little kid who has to be protected like the current QB. Give him a chance.

 

Mike, if you stick with Alex and your Pop Warner level offense, the playoffs will be out of reach and you will lose the support of many 49er fans who see the potential greatness in Nate Davis, and blame you and Jimmy Raye for the most boring 49er offense in history …and justifiably so. As it stands now, Mike, you will deserve all the criticism you receive.

Get Nate Davis in there running the spread with Crabtree, Hill, Morgan, and Jones, put Bruce out to pasture, and you will create some excitement in San Francisco. Until you do that, your Pop Warner offense will continue to be:

 

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Moral Victories Suck…

Yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers missed out on an opportunity to go 3-0 after a powerful defensive performance against Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. That performance went for naught on a desperation Hail Mary pass with two seconds to go. It should have never gone that far. With under 2:00 minutes remaining on the clock, the Niners shut down the Vikings and took over possession.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Raye choked and called three running plays in a row, allowing enough time for the Vikings to get the ball again and end the 49er hopes. How much does Shaun Hill have to do for the OC to trust him? He could just as easily installed Michael Robinson, his best pass receiver out of the backfield, to catch a swing pass or a fullback delay—ANYTHING, but three straight runs!

THOUGHTS:

~ Vernon Davis officially became a star today with his tremendous pass catching and great blocking.

~ Kudos to the front three on the defensive line of Isaac Sopoaga, Aubrayo Franklin and Justin Smith. Opponents are not going to enjoy trying to run the ball against this group.

~ It’s time to get Jason Hill out of the doghouse and back onto the field. The 49ers can use his ability to step up late in games when neededcould it

~ I don’t know about anyone else, but it was obvious to me (and my wife) that Frank Gore was limping BEFORE the game. He is suffering from a high ankle sprain, which is a nasty form of ankle injury that lingers a lot longer than the predicted two weeks they say he will be out.

~ It’s time to activate Kory Sheets and add some speed and the ability to get outside to the running game. Sheets is a liability as a blocker so he’ll have to be used tactfully.

~ It’s also time to use some of Michael Robinson’s athletic ability. Now in his fourth season, he has thrown ZERO passes, and has not been allowed to run the option. Come on guys, this kid is talented. Mix it up a bit. Vanilla is too bland.

Gary Mialocq
The SF 49er Observer

Copyright @ 2009
All Rights Reserved

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Moral Victories Suck…

Yesterday, the San Francisco 49ers missed out on an opportunity to go 3-0 after a powerful defensive performance against Brett Favre and Adrian Peterson. That performance went for naught on a desperation Hail Mary pass with two seconds to go. It should have never gone that far. With under 2:00 minutes remaining on the clock, the Niners shut down the Vikings and took over possession.

Unfortunately, Jimmy Raye choked and called three running plays in a row, allowing enough time for the Vikings to get the ball again and end the 49er hopes. How much does Shaun Hill have to do for the OC to trust him? He could just as easily installed Michael Robinson, his best pass receiver out of the backfield, to catch a swing pass or a fullback delay—ANYTHING, but three straight runs!

THOUGHTS:

~ Vernon Davis officially became a star today with his tremendous pass catching and great blocking.

~ Kudos to the front three on the defensive line of Isaac Sopoaga, Aubrayo Franklin and Justin Smith. Opponents are not going to enjoy trying to run the ball against this group.

~ It’s time to get Jason Hill out of the doghouse and back onto the field. The 49ers can use his ability to step up late in games when neededcould it

~ I don’t know about anyone else, but it was obvious to me (and my wife) that Frank Gore was limping BEFORE the game. He is suffering from a high ankle sprain, which is a nasty form of ankle injury that lingers a lot longer than the predicted two weeks they say he will be out.

~ It’s time to activate Kory Sheets and add some speed and the ability to get outside to the running game. Sheets is a liability as a blocker so he’ll have to be used tactfully.

~ It’s also time to use some of Michael Robinson’s athletic ability. Now in his fourth season, he has thrown ZERO passes, and has not been allowed to run the option. Come on guys, this kid is talented. Mix it up a bit. Vanilla is too bland.

Gary Mialocq
The SF 49er Observer

Copyright @ 2009
All Rights Reserved

Read more NFL news on BleacherReport.com

Fickle 49er Fans Flaunt Foolishness

It is well known that sports fans often favor the underdog, and become impatient with the status quo, wishing to replace their players with others, often lesser known or even less talented.

This is apparently the case with some 49er fans, especially the young ones.

In browsing through various forums and blogs I came across an interesting situation that will impact the coming season.

We know that Mike Martz often ignored the running game in favor of his outdated seven-step drop philosophy. Much has been made about the fact that Mike Singletary favors a “power running” game.

Many wrongly believe that this means the 49ers will be a run-first team, nothing could be further from the truth.

The difference will be that Jimmy Raye will direct a power running game that goes between the tackles, rather than outside the tackles like the “finesse” running game advocated by Martz.

Frank Gore will again be the featured back, and will have his personal bodyguard, Moran Norris, back at fullback leading him through the line.

It is expected that Glenn Coffee will be his backup at the No. 2 RB position as long as he can overcome the fumbling tendencies that hampered his college career. That leaves Michael Robinson, rookie Kory Sheets from Purdue, and the long dormant Thomas Clayton as the other backs.

Sheets is a speed burner who was plagued with fumbles throughout his college career. He also plays special teams as a kick returner, and may well be headed for the practice squad.

The point of this article is the rather bizarre opinions of some fans that Thomas Clayton should remain and Michael Robinson should be cut.

That, my friends, is insanity and demonstrates how little many fans know or understand about the game of professional football.

I often ask these fans what it is about Thomas Clayton that excites them enough to cut one of our most valuable players.

The answers are usually, “he has led the league in preseason for two years.”

It is my firm belief that they are infatuated with his body. The man looks like Tarzan, but plays like Jane.

No mention of the fact that Clayton sat on the practice squad the last two seasons and any of the other NFL teams could have picked him up for a loaf of bread, and not surprisingly none did.

Let’s compare their records.

Clayton runs a 4.63 40, the slowest of all the 49er RBs with the exception of Norris.

During his four-year college career, he gained just over 1000 yards and scored only seven TDs.

His senior year at Kansas State, he gained only 330 yards as the third string running back.

In his first two seasons with the Niners he has yet to impress the coaches enough to even set foot on the field. It is one thing to be a classic underachiever, but quite another to never have achieved success at all.

Michael Robinson was horribly mismanaged by Mike Nolan for two years.

Nolan didn’t like to play rookies and Michael was no exception. Like his new Offensive Coordinator, Jimmy Raye, Michael Robinson, led his team to the Big 10 Championship.

MRob as he is affectionately called, is a 6-1, 228 lb. powerhouse whom Penn State coach Joe Paterno referred to as, “the greatest athlete I have coached in my 55 years at Penn State.”

At Penn State, MRob was a standout on a losing team.

He was used mostly as a wide receiver, but also played a little halfback and a short time at quarterback prior to his senior year. It was then that Paterno inserted Michael, who had never played the position full-time before, as his quarterback for his senior year.

Robinson responded by leading his team to an 11-1 record, winning the Big 10 title and a victory in the Orange Bowl, and being named Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 17 TDs and ran for 8 more.

Throughout his career in college, he ran for 1,637 yards, caught 52 passes for 629 yards, threw for 3,575 yards and accounted, either by passing, throwing or running for 46 touchdowns.

He was also their best player on special teams.

In direct contrast to Clayton’s college career, Robinson achieved and then some. So, upon being drafted by the 49ers and despite his plea to be given an opportunity to at least try out for quarterback, Michael was put on ice by Mike Nolan who expressed his unwillingness to allow most rookies to even play with the classic statement: “Young players play young.”

So, Michael has been a standout on special teams, and has made a few memorable plays, despite being overlooked and woefully mishandled.

Since coming to the 49ers, Robinson has established himself as their premier special teams player. He has been the leading tackler and his blocking resulted in two kickoff returns for TDs, the first for Delanie Walker in a preseason game, the second, a great block that led to Tim Rossum’s opening kickoff return for a TD against the Arizona Cardinals.

In fact, Robinson threw two blocks to spring him.

In addition, Robinson is the Captain of the 49er special team. His inspirational play and leadership are well known.

Some fans complain that he is “not a real RB.” Well, he came to the Niners as a quarterback and has only averaged about two carries per game. It is well known that a running back needs several carries to develop a rhythm, and Robinson has never been afforded that opportunity. He has, however, made several impressive runs in his short stint at that position.

It is important to note that once Mike Singletary took over as coach last season, Robinson became a weapon receiving passes out of the backfield from the backup FB position, catching 17 passes for 201 yards, an 11.9 average per catch.

Robinson also took a few snaps last season from the Wildcat formation, and is expected to be the man behind center if and when Jimmy Raye utilizes that formation this season.

It is important to remember that the new running backs coach is Tom Rathman, who played with another No. 24 in the early 1980s, Harry Sydney, also a former QB who was instrumental in a playoff victory by throwing an option pass to Brent Jones. Tom has a long memory, and Robinson possesses similar skills to Sydney.

Because he is such an excellent receiver, blocker, runner and passer, as well as the best special teams performer, his versatility is important not only to Mike Singletary but to the front office as well.

He is under contract, long-term, and his versatility will allow 49er management to get creative if necessary. Let’s say the team decides to keep all four QBs or six WRs. This is where Robinson’s value comes through. He can be carried as both the No. 3 RB and No. 2 FB, thereby enabling the 49ers to fill five roster spots with only four players. They can then retain a Nate Davis or an Arnaz Battle thanks to Robinson.

Clayton offers no such options. He will be gone after the preseason.

<!–

digg_url = ‘WEBSITE_URL’;
// –>

Copyright @ 2009
All Rights Reserved

Fickle 49er Fans Flaunt Foolishness

It is well known that sports fans often favor the underdog, and become impatient with the status quo, wishing to replace their players with others, often lesser known or even less talented.

This is apparently the case with some 49er fans, especially the young ones.

In browsing through various forums and blogs I came across an interesting situation that will impact the coming season.

We know that Mike Martz often ignored the running game in favor of his outdated seven-step drop philosophy. Much has been made about the fact that Mike Singletary favors a “power running” game.

Many wrongly believe that this means the 49ers will be a run-first team, nothing could be further from the truth.

The difference will be that Jimmy Raye will direct a power running game that goes between the tackles, rather than outside the tackles like the “finesse” running game advocated by Martz.

Frank Gore will again be the featured back, and will have his personal bodyguard, Moran Norris, back at fullback leading him through the line.

It is expected that Glenn Coffee will be his backup at the No. 2 RB position as long as he can overcome the fumbling tendencies that hampered his college career. That leaves Michael Robinson, rookie Kory Sheets from Purdue, and the long dormant Thomas Clayton as the other backs.

Sheets is a speed burner who was plagued with fumbles throughout his college career. He also plays special teams as a kick returner, and may well be headed for the practice squad.

The point of this article is the rather bizarre opinions of some fans that Thomas Clayton should remain and Michael Robinson should be cut.

That, my friends, is insanity and demonstrates how little many fans know or understand about the game of professional football.

I often ask these fans what it is about Thomas Clayton that excites them enough to cut one of our most valuable players.

The answers are usually, “he has led the league in preseason for two years.”

It is my firm belief that they are infatuated with his body. The man looks like Tarzan, but plays like Jane.

No mention of the fact that Clayton sat on the practice squad the last two seasons and any of the other NFL teams could have picked him up for a loaf of bread, and not surprisingly none did.

Let’s compare their records.

Clayton runs a 4.63 40, the slowest of all the 49er RBs with the exception of Norris.

During his four-year college career, he gained just over 1000 yards and scored only seven TDs.

His senior year at Kansas State, he gained only 330 yards as the third string running back.

In his first two seasons with the Niners he has yet to impress the coaches enough to even set foot on the field. It is one thing to be a classic underachiever, but quite another to never have achieved success at all.

Michael Robinson was horribly mismanaged by Mike Nolan for two years.

Nolan didn’t like to play rookies and Michael was no exception. Like his new Offensive Coordinator, Jimmy Raye, Michael Robinson, led his team to the Big 10 Championship.

MRob as he is affectionately called, is a 6-1, 228 lb. powerhouse whom Penn State coach Joe Paterno referred to as, “the greatest athlete I have coached in my 55 years at Penn State.”

At Penn State, MRob was a standout on a losing team.

He was used mostly as a wide receiver, but also played a little halfback and a short time at quarterback prior to his senior year. It was then that Paterno inserted Michael, who had never played the position full-time before, as his quarterback for his senior year.

Robinson responded by leading his team to an 11-1 record, winning the Big 10 title and a victory in the Orange Bowl, and being named Big 10 Offensive Player of the Year. He threw for 17 TDs and ran for 8 more.

Throughout his career in college, he ran for 1,637 yards, caught 52 passes for 629 yards, threw for 3,575 yards and accounted, either by passing, throwing or running for 46 touchdowns.

He was also their best player on special teams.

In direct contrast to Clayton’s college career, Robinson achieved and then some. So, upon being drafted by the 49ers and despite his plea to be given an opportunity to at least try out for quarterback, Michael was put on ice by Mike Nolan who expressed his unwillingness to allow most rookies to even play with the classic statement: “Young players play young.”

So, Michael has been a standout on special teams, and has made a few memorable plays, despite being overlooked and woefully mishandled.

Since coming to the 49ers, Robinson has established himself as their premier special teams player. He has been the leading tackler and his blocking resulted in two kickoff returns for TDs, the first for Delanie Walker in a preseason game, the second, a great block that led to Tim Rossum’s opening kickoff return for a TD against the Arizona Cardinals.

In fact, Robinson threw two blocks to spring him.

In addition, Robinson is the Captain of the 49er special team. His inspirational play and leadership are well known.

Some fans complain that he is “not a real RB.” Well, he came to the Niners as a quarterback and has only averaged about two carries per game. It is well known that a running back needs several carries to develop a rhythm, and Robinson has never been afforded that opportunity. He has, however, made several impressive runs in his short stint at that position.

It is important to note that once Mike Singletary took over as coach last season, Robinson became a weapon receiving passes out of the backfield from the backup FB position, catching 17 passes for 201 yards, an 11.9 average per catch.

Robinson also took a few snaps last season from the Wildcat formation, and is expected to be the man behind center if and when Jimmy Raye utilizes that formation this season.

It is important to remember that the new running backs coach is Tom Rathman, who played with another No. 24 in the early 1980s, Harry Sydney, also a former QB who was instrumental in a playoff victory by throwing an option pass to Brent Jones. Tom has a long memory, and Robinson possesses similar skills to Sydney.

Because he is such an excellent receiver, blocker, runner and passer, as well as the best special teams performer, his versatility is important not only to Mike Singletary but to the front office as well.

He is under contract, long-term, and his versatility will allow 49er management to get creative if necessary. Let’s say the team decides to keep all four QBs or six WRs. This is where Robinson’s value comes through. He can be carried as both the No. 3 RB and No. 2 FB, thereby enabling the 49ers to fill five roster spots with only four players. They can then retain a Nate Davis or an Arnaz Battle thanks to Robinson.

Clayton offers no such options. He will be gone after the preseason.

<!–

digg_url = ‘WEBSITE_URL’;
// –>

Copyright @ 2009
All Rights Reserved

San Francisco 49ers and the All-American Football Conference (AAFC)

 

When World War II ended in 1945, the Bay Area was booming. Thousands of veterans were returning and opportunity was in the air. The vegetable gardens south of the city were bought up by Henry Doelger, whose thousands of side-by-side homes at Westlake Village inspired Malvina Reynolds to later write Pete Seeger’s song, “Little Boxes.”

People were hungry for football as many of the local colleges had disbanded their football programs during the war. The All-American Football Conference was formed the next year, 1946, with eight teams. They wisely placed teams in cities where the NFL already had teams to give them competition.

The AAFC consisted of the Baltimore Colts, Brooklyn Dodgers, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Rockets, Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Dons, New York Yankees, and San Francisco 49ers.

49ers fans affectionately regard Bill Walsh as the king of coaches. Well, fans, we had a guy in 1946 who had silver hair like Bill. In fact, his nickname was the Silver Fox. He was a brilliant coach who featured some of the most explosive offenses in football history. His name was Lawrence T. “Buck” Shaw.

Like Walsh, he came to the Niners after a very successful career as a college coach at Santa Clara. Buck spent six years there and amassed a 47-10-4 record that included two Sugar Bowl victories for the Broncos. The fact that they had disbanded their football program made Buck available to the Niners.

 

His AAFC Record as Head Coach

1946: In their inaugural season, Buck led the Niners to a 9-5 record, with Frankie Albert running the T-formation and passing to Alyn Beals, a great wide receiver who made All-Pro all four years the team played in the AAFC.

1947: The following season the Niners were also successful, posting an 8-4-2 record. Cleveland won the title for the second consecutive season and featured Otto Graham and Marion Motley.

Needing to improve in 1948 in order to compete with Cleveland, Buck brought in Joe Perry and Veryl Lillywhite to complement his running back tandem of All-Pro Johnny Strzykalski and the tough running Len Eshmont.

It worked. Lillywhite ran for a 59-yard TD in his first carry from scrimmage.

The Niners started out the season at 10-0, destroying most of their opponents. In those ten  games, the 49ers outscored their opponents by 376 to 142. The Niners averaged 37.6 points per game, scoring over 40 twice and over 50 once. They allowed 14.2 points per game.

The only problem: Cleveland also started out 10-0. In Week 11, the Niners faced the Browns in Cleveland. In a close and hard-fought game, the Niners made a couple of critical mistakes that resulted in a 14-7 loss. Beals dropped a wide open TD pass, and a fumble at the one-yard-line ended our chances.

The Niners took it out on the Brooklyn Dodgers the next week on the road to the tune of 63-14, and returned home to face Cleveland again, this time in the friendly confines of Kezar. The game was sold out two weeks in advance. I attended that game at the age of six.

In one of the greatest games ever played in Kezar, the Browns squeaked out a 31-28 win. They won the next week to finish the season undefeated, then defeated the Yankees in the championship game to become the only team besides the Miami Dolphins to play an entire season undefeated.

1949: The Niners continued to be an outstanding team, finishing the season at 9-3. They swamped the Yankees in the playoff game and lost to the Browns and Otto Graham again in the Championship Game, 21-7.

We finished our AAFC experience 38-14-2.

The next season the league merged with the NFL. Three teams from the AAFC were accepted into the senior league—the Baltimore Colts, the Niners, and the Cleveland Browns. The Browns immediately won the NFL title in their first season—1950. Since Cleveland already had a team, the Rams were relocated to Los Angeles. 

Buck Shaw continued to coach the 49ers through the 1954 season. His record as a Niner coach was 72-40-4. His teams scored 3003 points and allowed just 2167 points. Buck was then hired by the Philadelphia Eagles and led them to the NFL title.

 

NFL Sport Channel Latest

• Just How Far Would You Go?
• Sorry Rex, But It Isn’t Happening
• Super Bowl Predictions: Five Stat-Free Reasons Why the Eagles Will Reach The Super Bowl
• Seahawks Attempt to Turn Corner With Heavy Pursuit of Pete Carroll
• Bill Cowher Unlikely to Coach in 2010