Overall thoughts on the Texans games

Originally posted by ObePwnD:
Here's my thoughts: After watching Hill deep throat the first-half of the game and then Smith damn near save the day, I'm not so convinced anymore that Raye is a complete idiot. In retrospect, the receivers were getting open all the while, it's just Hill has no vision, and doesn't go through his progressions. If you don't do that, you won't find the open man consistently. Plain and simple, he's scared to throw the deep ball because he knows his limitations.

Smith showed what could be don't in this offense with the proper QB running it. Sing said he had to review the tape, but we know that is just a formality. Smith is driving the car now. My hat's off to Alex Smith, I guess you learned something while riding the pine.

Raye knows what he is doing, he just didn't have the freedom to call the kind of plays that he could with a qb with a live arm in there. You do not last 30+ years n the NFL without knowing your job, all these guys b***hing about Raye are just flapping their gums. Hill was the limiting factor of the offense, as today clearly showed beyond a doubt.

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:
We were not very well prepared to play this game, pathetic coming out of a bye the way we opened up and really the whole game, poor clock managment, bad penalty's, just sloppy. Im starting to question if Singletary is a good HC. I know he does a good job of motivating these guys but obviously we do not have a good X's and O's coaching staff and the bad clock managment and use of timeouts reminds me of the Nolan days...


Okay lets start at QB, Shuan Hill was obviously a big problem and slowed the offense down. I know backup QB's usually come in and have some success as the oppossing teams have not prepared for that guy and the Texans did play soft in coverage for the most part but it is obvious Alex Smith is a better QB than Shuan Hill. He can make throws down the field, I mean Shuan Hill is useless if the team is down by more than 10pts as he cannot move the ball down the field.

I thought Alex Smith played pretty dam well. He made a few really, really nice throws down the field and also did a nice job of stepping up when he had pressure on him and making the throw. Now, can he keep this up now that teams know he is our QB? We'll see, but I am a lot more excited/confident with Alex Smith as our QB going down the stretch than I am if Shuan Hill was.

Vernon Davis- The guy is now a pro bowl player. He is so deadly over the middle and he and Alex Smith seem to have a chemistry. VD has finally arrived as a premier tight end in this league and a legit playmaker.

Michael Crabtree- Amazing! I was expecting this kid to play 20-25 snaps and have a catch or two and instead he played in what? 50 snaps and he had 5 catches for 58yds and three of those catches were really nice. This kid is going to be special, really reminds me of Michael Irvin out there.

Josh Morgan- Stepped up, much better suited to play in the slot and Crabtree is going to make him better and better.

O-Line: They did a decent job in the 2nd half pass blocking as the Texans knew we were throwing as they were going all out as pass rushers. Rachal played awful and was benched for good and Pashos got hurt and I got to say, Snyder and Sims played okay on the right side together in the 2nd half. I thought Staley for the most part did a solid job on Mario Williams, mostly one on one.

I don't know if it was the Texans just went soft or what but with Alex Smith in there our offense moved the ball and Raye showed he can be a little more creative. I hope this continues.

Defense- They played alright, you can't pin the loss on them at all but for the most part they could not make a play and get off the field when needed. We need that premier or at least very good pass rusher. Justin Smith played his tail off as usual and man was he active. Ahmad Brooks with a sack! I hope Spikes will be back in there next week. I hate the zone defense man, Owen Daniels killed is in zone.

ST's- Pathetic, the way we are juggling guys in and out is really effecting are special teams. Also, Arnaz Battle as PR is just not going to cut it.


Overall: There is some hope as Alex Smith looked good and at least we get to see what he can do (I don't think there is anyway Singletary does not keep him in as starter) for the stretch run and we can decide if we do have to go QB next year. I hope Alex countinues to play well and with him, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan, we have something to get excited about on offense.

Bottom line though, we are not a playoff team. I don't see us winning the division, at best I think we go 8-8 and it's not just the offense, our defense is not all that great either, it is solid but not as good/great as we need it to be.

There is some hope though, Alex Smith if he plays well would be huge, Vernon Davis and Crabtree, 2 1st rd picks (one should easily be a top 10) now the question is do we have the right HC and OC? Again I have been a big Singletary fan since day one, but man I was dissapointed how sloppy, unorganized and really unprepared this team came out today coming out of a BYE WEEK!!!

Jira,

Excellent analysis. A very good read.

I think Singletary has to face reality; this isn't a power running team because he says it is and has a tough camp that make his players more physical. This team cannot impose its will on any opponent with the current personnel at the LOS. This has become even more so now that the Niners have played a number of games and teams have film about their limitations.

Singletary's personal philosophy is going to conflict with 49er capabilities and unless he truly and totally surrenders control of the offense to Raye and Smith, you'll see the same predictable boring play-calling. If Singletary didn't want a passing team then he should kept more linemen and RBs instead of 7 WRs. Crabtree, Bruce, Jones, Morgan, and Davis can be formidable with decent QB play. Smith is much more mobile than Hill which makes him a little more effective with our current OL because he can attack the deep middle of the field when he buys a couple extra seconds with his feet.

The question is will Singletary submit? I think the team could have been prepared but are we seeing verification of what coordinators who interviewed here indicated? Can Singletary, regardless of opposition, be telling his coaches what he wants without understanding the limitation of his personnel? I'm starting to wonder if that's the case. I recall him telling Martz "I want to run the ball" - well that's nice, but how? Is it effective?

Singletary has to ask himself if he wants to win or if he want to win using a particular philosophy. The latter will require a couple of off-seasons.

Thank you. I think Singletary's biggest mistake(s) thus far, have been firing Martz and hiring Jimmy Raye as OC. That being said, lets see what Raye can now put together now that he has a QB who can actually throw the ball down the field.

Marts never used Vernon the way he is being successfully used.

Originally posted by Memphis9er:

Originally posted by ObePwnD:
Here's my thoughts: After watching Hill deep throat the first-half of the game and then Smith damn near save the day, I'm not so convinced anymore that Raye is a complete idiot. In retrospect, the receivers were getting open all the while, it's just Hill has no vision, and doesn't go through his progressions. If you don't do that, you won't find the open man consistently. Plain and simple, he's scared to throw the deep ball because he knows his limitations.

Smith showed what could be don't in this offense with the proper QB running it. Sing said he had to review the tape, but we know that is just a formality. Smith is driving the car now. My hat's off to Alex Smith, I guess you learned something while riding the pine.

Raye knows what he is doing, he just didn't have the freedom to call the kind of plays that he could with a qb with a live arm in there. You do not last 30+ years n the NFL without knowing your job, all these guys b***hing about Raye are just flapping their gums. Hill was the limiting factor of the offense, as today clearly showed beyond a doubt.

I think you may be right. I mean look at what he did in KC as OC, The Chiefs were in the top 10 in total offense two out of his three years there. Grbac threw for over 4,000yds one year, Gonzalez established himself as a pro bowl TE with Raye as his OC and even guys like Derrick Alexander had their best seasons with Raye as his OC. I don't think Raye is a total dud or stupid, I just think Hill limited his playcalling and a bad o-line did not help.

I will add this, I think Alex Smith makes the O-Line look better because he can get away from the first guy and step up and make the throw. It seems like Shuan Hill just freezes or goes sideways when he has pressure on him and does not have the ability to make a throw when he is being chased or under pressure.

Originally posted by ttime1:

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:
We were not very well prepared to play this game, pathetic coming out of a bye the way we opened up and really the whole game, poor clock managment, bad penalty's, just sloppy. Im starting to question if Singletary is a good HC. I know he does a good job of motivating these guys but obviously we do not have a good X's and O's coaching staff and the bad clock managment and use of timeouts reminds me of the Nolan days...


Okay lets start at QB, Shuan Hill was obviously a big problem and slowed the offense down. I know backup QB's usually come in and have some success as the oppossing teams have not prepared for that guy and the Texans did play soft in coverage for the most part but it is obvious Alex Smith is a better QB than Shuan Hill. He can make throws down the field, I mean Shuan Hill is useless if the team is down by more than 10pts as he cannot move the ball down the field.

I thought Alex Smith played pretty dam well. He made a few really, really nice throws down the field and also did a nice job of stepping up when he had pressure on him and making the throw. Now, can he keep this up now that teams know he is our QB? We'll see, but I am a lot more excited/confident with Alex Smith as our QB going down the stretch than I am if Shuan Hill was.

Vernon Davis- The guy is now a pro bowl player. He is so deadly over the middle and he and Alex Smith seem to have a chemistry. VD has finally arrived as a premier tight end in this league and a legit playmaker.

Michael Crabtree- Amazing! I was expecting this kid to play 20-25 snaps and have a catch or two and instead he played in what? 50 snaps and he had 5 catches for 58yds and three of those catches were really nice. This kid is going to be special, really reminds me of Michael Irvin out there.

Josh Morgan- Stepped up, much better suited to play in the slot and Crabtree is going to make him better and better.

O-Line: They did a decent job in the 2nd half pass blocking as the Texans knew we were throwing as they were going all out as pass rushers. Rachal played awful and was benched for good and Pashos got hurt and I got to say, Snyder and Sims played okay on the right side together in the 2nd half. I thought Staley for the most part did a solid job on Mario Williams, mostly one on one.

I don't know if it was the Texans just went soft or what but with Alex Smith in there our offense moved the ball and Raye showed he can be a little more creative. I hope this continues.

Defense- They played alright, you can't pin the loss on them at all but for the most part they could not make a play and get off the field when needed. We need that premier or at least very good pass rusher. Justin Smith played his tail off as usual and man was he active. Ahmad Brooks with a sack! I hope Spikes will be back in there next week. I hate the zone defense man, Owen Daniels killed is in zone.

ST's- Pathetic, the way we are juggling guys in and out is really effecting are special teams. Also, Arnaz Battle as PR is just not going to cut it.


Overall: There is some hope as Alex Smith looked good and at least we get to see what he can do (I don't think there is anyway Singletary does not keep him in as starter) for the stretch run and we can decide if we do have to go QB next year. I hope Alex countinues to play well and with him, Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree and Josh Morgan, we have something to get excited about on offense.

Bottom line though, we are not a playoff team. I don't see us winning the division, at best I think we go 8-8 and it's not just the offense, our defense is not all that great either, it is solid but not as good/great as we need it to be.

There is some hope though, Alex Smith if he plays well would be huge, Vernon Davis and Crabtree, 2 1st rd picks (one should easily be a top 10) now the question is do we have the right HC and OC? Again I have been a big Singletary fan since day one, but man I was dissapointed how sloppy, unorganized and really unprepared this team came out today coming out of a BYE WEEK!!!

Jira,

Excellent analysis. A very good read.

I think Singletary has to face reality; this isn't a power running team because he says it is and has a tough camp that make his players more physical. This team cannot impose its will on any opponent with the current personnel at the LOS. This has become even more so now that the Niners have played a number of games and teams have film about their limitations.

Singletary's personal philosophy is going to conflict with 49er capabilities and unless he truly and totally surrenders control of the offense to Raye and Smith, you'll see the same predictable boring play-calling. If Singletary didn't want a passing team then he should kept more linemen and RBs instead of 7 WRs. Crabtree, Bruce, Jones, Morgan, and Davis can be formidable with decent QB play. Smith is much more mobile than Hill which makes him a little more effective with our current OL because he can attack the deep middle of the field when he buys a couple extra seconds with his feet.

The question is will Singletary submit? I think the team could have been prepared but are we seeing verification of what coordinators who interviewed here indicated? Can Singletary, regardless of opposition, be telling his coaches what he wants without understanding the limitation of his personnel? I'm starting to wonder if that's the case. I recall him telling Martz "I want to run the ball" - well that's nice, but how? Is it effective?

Singletary has to ask himself if he wants to win or if he want to win using a particular philosophy. The latter will require a couple of off-seasons.

Thank you. I think Singletary's biggest mistake(s) thus far, have been firing Martz and hiring Jimmy Raye as OC. That being said, lets see what Raye can now put together now that he has a QB who can actually throw the ball down the field.

Marts never used Vernon the way he is being successfully used.

He used him as the teams 6th offensive lineman.

Could someone that recorded the game look at the last play of the game. A niner was behind all the secondary and Alex was attempting to get it to that Niner but it looked like Alex might have been hit as he was throwing or could not step up. Someone please review and get back to the board. thank-you in advance

Originally posted by leakyfausett:
Could someone that recorded the game look at the last play of the game. A niner was behind all the secondary and Alex was attempting to get it to that Niner but it looked like Alex might have been hit as he was throwing or could not step up. Someone please review and get back to the board. thank-you in advance

I think it was Vernon Davis but he could have been free because the Texans guys were breaking on the ball. I did notice Gore was wide open in the flats, not sure if he could of gotten the first down but it would have been close.

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:

Originally posted by leakyfausett:
Could someone that recorded the game look at the last play of the game. A niner was behind all the secondary and Alex was attempting to get it to that Niner but it looked like Alex might have been hit as he was throwing or could not step up. Someone please review and get back to the board. thank-you in advance

I think it was Vernon Davis but he could have been free because the Texans guys were breaking on the ball. I did notice Gore was wide open in the flats, not sure if he could of gotten the first down but it would have been close.

Did it look like Smith was hit as he was throwing?

I just found some video on Fox and VD is behind the coverage but David Bass is bull rushed into Alex and it looks like it really took something off the throw. Another second and VD might have been celebrating his 4th TD. The O-line just can't seem to come up big when we need them.

Originally posted by leakyfausett:
I just found some video on Fox and VD is behind the coverage but David Bass is bull rushed into Alex and it looks like it really took something off the throw. Another second and VD might have been celebrating his 4th TD. The O-line just can't seem to come up big when we need them.

no link it didnt happen

If the Cards hold on, we will be two behind after next week. They play Carolina and the 49ers get plowed at Peyton's Place. Ugh!

Originally posted by LeftBankeNiner:
If the Cards hold on, we will be two behind after next week. They play Carolina and the 49ers get plowed at Peyton's Place. Ugh!

Pretty much there goes the division. Either way we have to find out what we have at quarterback and let Alex Smith start the rest of the season.

Originally posted by PatrickJira411:

Originally posted by LeftBankeNiner:
If the Cards hold on, we will be two behind after next week. They play Carolina and the 49ers get plowed at Peyton's Place. Ugh!

Pretty much there goes the division. Either way we have to find out what we have at quarterback and let Alex Smith start the rest of the season.

We're not even at the halfway mark, and everyone is giving up on the division? This isn't over yet. Every week there are surprises. Did you think Arizona was going to beat New York? I didn't. And I'm sure there are more surprises to come. Screw the division. We just have to focus on winning games and the rest will take care of itself.

Originally posted by lamontb:

Originally posted by matt49er:

Originally posted by lamontb:
One thing for sure this o line has to get it together. this is one of the worst running blocking o lines I have ever seen in my life. They aren't creating any holes. Smith and Vd played great. This team really needs a stud defensive pass rusher. Special teams was horrible. This team has to put a punt/kick return specialist in their top tier acquisitions list.

The OL is def the problem of this offense/team. if we could just get some decent blocking for Gore the O could be dangerous with all the playmakers in VD/Crabtree/Morgan

True and it's the entire o line.(Heitmann playing well) Folks keep just blaming it on the RG and RT but the left side is just as bad if not worse when it comes to run blocking. Staley isn't getting any push, and on that 1st drive it appeared that he just forgot all about blocking Mario Williams. And a lot of this has to be blamed on management. They let Smiley walk and for years continue not to address the RT position. JJ was glass they didn't have to wait til he was gone to try to replace him. Then they replaced him with more glass. Pashos is a bum also. So in all honesty what can we really expect out of that position? Nothing coaches can do and the players playing are back ups caliber.

Staley is clearly the best lineman on the team and has done well against some of the best out there,there's nothing wrong with him he just needs some help.

On that first play you're talking about he went up field-not sure if it was his fault or it was a busted play or both

I was at the game and the pass protection for Hill in the first half was atrocious. I dont know if he even had a pocket that didnt collapse within one second. Unfortunately for Hill, he is the type of QB who cannot scramble or improvise. I noticed in the second quarter that the offensive line coach was in the o-line's grill showing them photos of the defensive fronts and what not. Must have worked because the protection for Smith was great compared to what Hill had to work with in the second half. Also Smith did a great job of getting rid of the ball and and not taking a sack on at least two occasions whereas Hill probably would have eaten the ball and taken a sack on those plays.

The coaching staff is costing us. Singletary has got these guys together and motivated but that's not enough. We do not look like a well coached team. To come in off a bye and do nothing in the first half and have your back-up QB who wasn't getting reps be more effective is sad. Nearly a dozen penalties! Well caoched teams don't do that. On those two delay of game penalties the plays were late coming in. On one of them you could see Smith glaring at the sideline, holding his hands by his ears and waiting. After he got the play, the huddle was already around him, he called the play immediately, and didn't have the seconds to get it off. Inexcusable.

Both the Minnesota and Houston games were so close that any small difference would have tipped things in our favor. You could say that difference should or could have come from anywhere but coaching should help not hurt you. In Minny the play calling killed us. In Houston we didn't need much more to be in field goal range. Take away that last delay penalty and we likely convert a fourth and five, spike it, make a completion, and let Nedney take a shot at the tie.

It is easy with hindsight to second guess but you don't see the coaching staffs of winning teams hurting their teams so much. There are plenty examples like not having a time out to challenge with in Atlanta. I don't want to start listing them. I just believe with better coaching could easily be 5-1 and I am having a hard time accepting it. I don't want a new staff. I just want our current one to improve. Singletary is still a rookie coach. I'd like to think he and his staff can.