Thoughts on the Arizona game and looking ahead...

First off, I want to say how well prepared this team was, they seemed so calm and focused for the job at hand. I know that is expected but after years of Nolan and Erickson you appreciate this more. I really loved the way Singletary handles the team and talks to the guys on the sideline, when Shuan Hill called that timeout he didn't get bad just gave him a little tap on the head and talked to him. He knows how to communicate to players and he knows how and when to motivate players.

The defense played great, I kept thinking they would wear down and at some point Arizona would just keep driving down the field but for the most part, the 9ers were great on D.

Parys Haralson put on the best pass rushing clinic by a 49ers player since....Chris Doleman

The secondary played GREAT. Shawntae Spencer I mean you never heard his name, he just locked down his guy. Nate Clements came to play, he was great in pass coverage and made some great tackles. Dre Bly also played very well as the 3rd corner and T.Brown came in made two nice plays, our CB depth is really good. Dashon Goldson you can see the talent in this kid, he closes in a hurry. Michael Lewis also played a very solid game.

Justin Smith was his usual self and I thought Manny Lawson and Ray McDonald played pretty dam solid.

Patrick Willis, well he's Patrick Willis (best LB in the NFL)

Okay so our offense.... I wasn't expected us to dominate but jeez I thought we would run the ball better. Man our O-Line got dominated, Snyder played awful, Baas and Rachal had a tough time and I still maintain Eric Heitman is an overrated center. Staley played okay but you can't have one O-lineman playing okay. Can we improve? I think it can only get better but how much better? Do these guys need more time playing together and it is a new scheme for them.... I don't know, I think Pashos will replace Snyder at RT at some point but other than that, this is the best we got. Baas has to step up and Rachal has to become more consistant, he has the talent but he needs more playing time.

Shuan Hill played pretty poorly but also had a gutty performance and the guy seems to find ways to hang in there and give us a chance to win. I mean he wasn't helped by our running game or o-line either.

I thought our receivers stepped up when they needed to, Bruce made some key catches, Josh Morgan played well and Arnaz Battle made a big 1st down catch.

Also kudos to Vernon Davis who looks like a totally differen't player. He didn't have a big game catching the football but he did make some key catches and he seems to play more calm and under control and doesen't bump his chest and yap everytime he catches a pass.

We got to get this O-Line fixed and get the running game going, I said I thought we would win some games ugly this year but I assumed we would do it running the ball a little bit better and we need to run the ball better if we are going to compete for the NFC west title.

I know its early but if we can beat Seattle on Sunday, I think it sets up in pretty good shape and I would think we would be in it all year long.

Man if Haralson keeps playing the way he played for this game all year long, can anyone say pro bowl?

Originally posted by ApatheticIAm:
Man if Haralson keeps playing the way he played for this game all year long, can anyone say pro bowl?

He certainly played like one on Sunday, he could have easily had 3 or 4 sacks. The way he was abusing a former top 10 pick in Levi Brown, I mean it was a thing of beauty. Haralson put on a clinic, he really uses his hands well and knows how to slide underneath blockers. Really impressive, this kid has gotten better each year and now in his 4th year he is looking like a dominant pass rusher.

I will also say this, I think Arizona has a very good defense. They added Bryant McFadden who is a very good young corner (a starter on the Steelers superbowl team last year) to an already solid secondary that features Dominque Rodgers-Cromartie who late last season was playing like a pro bowl corner in his rookie season and the safeties Adrian Wilson (one of the best) and Antrell Rolle (playmaker) our very good. Plus they have two pro bowl players in Darnell Dockett and Karlos Dansby and Calais Campbell is looking like a future pro bowler so don't discount the Cardinals defense plus it was very loud and the Cards D-lineman were beating our O-lineman in the snap count for the most and had a step on them.

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:

Originally posted by ApatheticIAm:
Man if Haralson keeps playing the way he played for this game all year long, can anyone say pro bowl?

He certainly played like one on Sunday, he could have easily had 3 or 4 sacks. The way he was abusing a former top 10 pick in Levi Brown, I mean it was a thing of beauty. Haralson put on a clinic, he really uses his hands well and knows how to slide underneath blockers. Really impressive, this kid has gotten better each year and now in his 4th year he is looking like a dominant pass rusher.

Pro Bowl

Originally posted by ApatheticIAm:
Man if Haralson keeps playing the way he played for this game all year long, can anyone say pro bowl?

15 sacks

MM says that Pashos will be getting worked into the rotation:

http://twitter.com/MattMaiocco

Originally posted by 49erRider:

Originally posted by ApatheticIAm:
Man if Haralson keeps playing the way he played for this game all year long, can anyone say pro bowl?

15 sacks

Gotta say the same thing for Justin Smith. The guy is an absolute beast. He was destroying their OL the whole game.

With that said, I really LOVE Mike Singletary's game instincts. He sensed the defense wearing down late in the game, and calls a timeout so he can talk to them. It reminded me of something a basketball coach would do. I also loved watching the players come off the sideline just to listen to him too. It was right at that point in the game, that the team started to will their way to the victory.

Originally posted by baltien:
MM says that Pashos will be getting worked into the rotation:

http://twitter.com/MattMaiocco

thank you snyder pissed me off yesterday as well as the whole oline

It it just me or does it seem like Alan Rossum has lost a step?

Originally posted by baltien:
MM says that Pashos will be getting worked into the rotation:

http://twitter.com/MattMaiocco

So much for O-Line chemistry

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:
It it just me or does it seem like Alan Rossum has lost a step?

Isaac Bruce has lost 2 steps. The reverse the did early in the game was a huge indication. I think the whole damn defense made it to the other side of the field before he got there.

Originally posted by miked1978:

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:
It it just me or does it seem like Alan Rossum has lost a step?

Isaac Bruce has lost 2 steps. The reverse the did early in the game was a huge indication. I think the whole damn defense made it to the other side of the field before he got there.

Maybe he has lost two steps but he still makes corners look clueless at times with his double moves and he still makes big catches on 3rd downs.

The one thing I really worry about is whether we would have won the game if Arizona hadn't shot themselves in the foot with so many bad penalties.

They really saved our bacon on O and D a few times. With our inability to convert more consistently on offense, those penalties easily were the difference in the game.

Without them, at least a couple drives on offense that got us points, probably don't and the Cards likely get at least an extra field goal or two, if not a TD.

And obviously one TD or a FG would have changed the game.

We need to get our O clicking better so that we score those extra few points and don't need freebies from the other team to do it.

Otherwise we will likely be on the wrong end of some very similar scores this year.

But I have to say I was impressed that for once WE weren't the team who lost composure and that we too advantage of when the other team did. And we definitely won the 4th quarter, which bodes well to Sings conditioning program.

Though twice in the 4th, with 5 minutes to go and later with 1 minute to go, we could have ended the game if we could simply have run the ball and converted a first down or two, which is supposed to be the strength of our team, imposing our will in the run game, especially late in games. But both times we went 3 and out on very short drives that gave the Cards every chance for one big play that could have changed the game.

That really worries me. If there is anything I would expect our team to be able to do, it would be to run the ball late in the game and chew up some clock. And we couldn't do that at all, even (especially) when the game was on the line.

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:
It it just me or does it seem like Alan Rossum has lost a step?

one of his returns was pretty damn entertaining tho, they cornered him and he shook two of them before back tracking and gaining 6 or 9 yards haha. in all honesty he didnt really have too much room to make returns, their kickers were keeping the ball high so their coverage team could get there before rossum got the ball