Preseason week 1: The Good; The Ugly; The Same Old from Last Year

Originally posted by mfe8092:
Im sorry folks, but this team CANNOT win with Alex Smith as quarterback. All I ever hear is the Smith apologists make excuses for him year in and year out. The oline, his age, bad fielding, coaches.

Do you not see it.....he is a BUST. And although it didnt bother me that his putrid play got the likes of Nolan and Singletary out of Ninerland, Id hate to see him ride out a quality coach like Harbaugh because "he's a nice guy".

Same old Alex.....failed again.

Never heard that take before . . .

what time is harbaughs presser? i want to hear what he says.

Plus, if the Saints have no respect for our QB play, why not just play straight up and beat us like the Niner defense played. You blitz when you're worried about giving an opposing QB enough time to pick you apart.

It's a lot bigger deal that the Niner defense played straight up and beat their 1st string offense than it is that they pulled out all the blitzes after a week of practice, fully knowing that the Niners or no team would have been prepared for that. Plain and simple - just a complete dick move. Their defensive coordinator should be ashamed of himself. Can't he beat the Niners straight up without tricks? Is their defense that bad?

Great game for the Niners. Who cares about preseason wins?? You want to be able to show your team all they did wrong. Give them stuff to work on. This game did that.

Originally posted by GNielsen:
I think everyone should be very excited by Aldon Smith and the defense as a whole. The Niner defense played straight up - they could have responded with a bunch of blitzing, but they didn't. They beat the first team Saints offense hands down with no tricks. This is a very encouraging sign. They were playing without a number of starters and they just shut Drew Brees and the Saints offense down.

Good points, and I have missed your comments! When this team gets up to game speed we will be able to be judgemental...but not yet.

Originally posted by GNielsen:
maximil15, historically, nobody does a lot of blitzing in the preseason. Ask around. This season, teams didn't even have the time to start working on blitz protection packages. This might be good for the Niners to get a slap in the face right off the bat. All they were doing during the first week was installing basic formations and learning the plays. Blitz protection is always later in the process. Everyone knows this. That's why what the Saints did was such a no-class stunt. But, I expect the Niners to get a LOT better at handling the blitz by the time the regular season starts.

i agree, it was good for the niners, wake up call!

Im just glad we aren't going 4-0 in preseason

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by maximill15:

Originally posted by CrownJP:
I am guessing you didnt watch the game ... And if you did you do not understand anything about the QB position or how an offense operates successfully ... You see its quiet simple really, if you have no time to throw the ball you can not make quick enough adjustments, because you are rushed and that is what causes him to throw the ball behind and low .... if he has time he generally plays well ... just because you have blind hate for Alex doesnt mean you can just be blind to the fact that the OLine did nothing to block anyone ... I mean i read these posts about Alex this and Alex that and all of these arm chair QBs who sit back and say he sucks and he shouldve just done this or thrown it here or there ... How many of you have even played QB??? Do you even know what it takes to move in the pocket or to have 3-4 people in your face as you throw??? More then likely you do not ... you sit there and ignore the fact that he had A) NO TIME TO THROW THE BALL and B) HE HAS HAD 5 F**KING PRACTICES WITH HIS OFFENSE ... My God People .... Step back off the ledge

Yeah you are right I didn't watch the game... I didn't fault smith for being hit/ sacked did I? No! That was VD blowing assignments and Anthony Davis not being able to handle speed rushers. Oline looked terrible, and they were unprepared but that doesnt change the fact when smith had time (and he did on 5 or so plays) he looked terrible! Theres always an excuse for smith, but THE FACT IS, HE ISNT ACCURATE! Pass to VD, ball at his feet (incomplete), Pass to Edwards, behind him (incomplete) Pass to either Walker or VD (not near anyone, but that was prob walkers fault). Good qb's are pressured too, but they remain calm and step up and still get off an accurate pass, smith can't do it. Point remains smith has no pocket presence, no accuracy, and once he gets flustered he has no composure.

As I recall, Alex was at fault for 2 passes. One of the first passes that fell low to VD (and VD was even motioning for Alex to put it a lil higher) and the Braylon Edwards slant that was behind him (one of if not his last pass attempt). Everything else was on the OL, IMHO.

On the first pass that was low to VD, Smith had the DE in his face with his hands up. He was forced to throw off his back foot and appeared to be throwing around the hands of the DE who was taking away the lead in the throw.

Okay, I'll have to look at it when I get the chance. This is what I get for judging the play after only watching it once live.

Oldman you were correct in your review of Smith. You know that I personally have been one of the most outspoken "Smith Hater" on this board. IMO, there were 4 pass attempts by Smith yesterday that he was not pressured.

1- First play of the game. dj43 placing blame on anyone but ALex is laughable. Vernon had a few steps on his defender, and ALex threw it at the Davis' feet. That was 100% on ALex. He had time and an open man, and his throw was extremely inaccurate. 0 for 1 on plays that should have been made.

2- 3rd and 8 on our 4th offensive possession and Smith throws behind Braylon. Again, there is little pressure and ALex made a terrible throw. Again, this is 100% on ALex. He is now 0 and 2 on plays that should have been made.

3- 2nd down on our 5th offensive possession and Smith hits Braylon on a screen. Very nice pass. Hits Bray in stride. ALex is now 1-3 on passes that should have been made.

4- 3rd and really long on the same possession. ALex hits a screen pass under no pressure with the D dropping back into long distance coverage. Easy pass to complete, and he did.

So IMO, (after taking out #4 which a 10 year old could complete), ALex went 1 for 3 in passes that should have been made. Every other drop back ALex made can be thrown out the window because of line issues. I know its only game 1, but it frightens me that this could be a foreshadowing of the season. ALex has thrown inaccurate passes for 6 years + 1 preseason game. I really hope he can flourish in this offense, but I just dont think his accuracy is good enough.

Originally posted by 80sbaby24:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by maximill15:

Originally posted by CrownJP:
I am guessing you didnt watch the game ... And if you did you do not understand anything about the QB position or how an offense operates successfully ... You see its quiet simple really, if you have no time to throw the ball you can not make quick enough adjustments, because you are rushed and that is what causes him to throw the ball behind and low .... if he has time he generally plays well ... just because you have blind hate for Alex doesnt mean you can just be blind to the fact that the OLine did nothing to block anyone ... I mean i read these posts about Alex this and Alex that and all of these arm chair QBs who sit back and say he sucks and he shouldve just done this or thrown it here or there ... How many of you have even played QB??? Do you even know what it takes to move in the pocket or to have 3-4 people in your face as you throw??? More then likely you do not ... you sit there and ignore the fact that he had A) NO TIME TO THROW THE BALL and B) HE HAS HAD 5 F**KING PRACTICES WITH HIS OFFENSE ... My God People .... Step back off the ledge

Yeah you are right I didn't watch the game... I didn't fault smith for being hit/ sacked did I? No! That was VD blowing assignments and Anthony Davis not being able to handle speed rushers. Oline looked terrible, and they were unprepared but that doesnt change the fact when smith had time (and he did on 5 or so plays) he looked terrible! Theres always an excuse for smith, but THE FACT IS, HE ISNT ACCURATE! Pass to VD, ball at his feet (incomplete), Pass to Edwards, behind him (incomplete) Pass to either Walker or VD (not near anyone, but that was prob walkers fault). Good qb's are pressured too, but they remain calm and step up and still get off an accurate pass, smith can't do it. Point remains smith has no pocket presence, no accuracy, and once he gets flustered he has no composure.

As I recall, Alex was at fault for 2 passes. One of the first passes that fell low to VD (and VD was even motioning for Alex to put it a lil higher) and the Braylon Edwards slant that was behind him (one of if not his last pass attempt). Everything else was on the OL, IMHO.

On the first pass that was low to VD, Smith had the DE in his face with his hands up. He was forced to throw off his back foot and appeared to be throwing around the hands of the DE who was taking away the lead in the throw.

Okay, I'll have to look at it when I get the chance. This is what I get for judging the play after only watching it once live.

Oldman you were correct in your review of Smith. You know that I personally have been one of the most outspoken "Smith Hater" on this board. IMO, there were 4 pass attempts by Smith yesterday that he was not pressured.

1- First play of the game. dj43 placing blame on anyone but ALex is laughable. Vernon had a few steps on his defender, and ALex threw it at the Davis' feet. That was 100% on ALex. He had time and an open man, and his throw was extremely inaccurate. 0 for 1 on plays that should have been made.

2- 3rd and 8 on our 4th offensive possession and Smith throws behind Braylon. Again, there is little pressure and ALex made a terrible throw. Again, this is 100% on ALex. He is now 0 and 2 on plays that should have been made.

3- 2nd down on our 5th offensive possession and Smith hits Braylon on a screen. Very nice pass. Hits Bray in stride. ALex is now 1-3 on passes that should have been made.

4- 3rd and really long on the same possession. ALex hits a screen pass under no pressure with the D dropping back into long distance coverage. Easy pass to complete, and he did.

So IMO, (after taking out #4 which a 10 year old could complete), ALex went 1 for 3 in passes that should have been made. Every other drop back ALex made can be thrown out the window because of line issues. I know its only game 1, but it frightens me that this could be a foreshadowing of the season. ALex has thrown inaccurate passes for 6 years + 1 preseason game. I really hope he can flourish in this offense, but I just dont think his accuracy is good enough.

Haha, so you just... take it out because "a 10 yr old could do it' ??? I was fairly with you till that cherry-picking move.

dtg_9er, thanks for the kind words! And, you're absolutely right. Hey, if they can't handle a blitz by the start of the regular season, I'll feel a lot differently about it, but right now, I'm not sure they've even spent hour one working on that aspect of the game. The thing that gets me about the Saints is that everyone knows that no team has had much time to work on that facet of the game. That was one of the worst no-class stunts I've ever seen in a preseason game - the equivalent of a hazing or something like that. Very, very weak.

Originally posted by 80sbaby24:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by maximill15:

Originally posted by CrownJP:
I am guessing you didnt watch the game ... And if you did you do not understand anything about the QB position or how an offense operates successfully ... You see its quiet simple really, if you have no time to throw the ball you can not make quick enough adjustments, because you are rushed and that is what causes him to throw the ball behind and low .... if he has time he generally plays well ... just because you have blind hate for Alex doesnt mean you can just be blind to the fact that the OLine did nothing to block anyone ... I mean i read these posts about Alex this and Alex that and all of these arm chair QBs who sit back and say he sucks and he shouldve just done this or thrown it here or there ... How many of you have even played QB??? Do you even know what it takes to move in the pocket or to have 3-4 people in your face as you throw??? More then likely you do not ... you sit there and ignore the fact that he had A) NO TIME TO THROW THE BALL and B) HE HAS HAD 5 F**KING PRACTICES WITH HIS OFFENSE ... My God People .... Step back off the ledge

Yeah you are right I didn't watch the game... I didn't fault smith for being hit/ sacked did I? No! That was VD blowing assignments and Anthony Davis not being able to handle speed rushers. Oline looked terrible, and they were unprepared but that doesnt change the fact when smith had time (and he did on 5 or so plays) he looked terrible! Theres always an excuse for smith, but THE FACT IS, HE ISNT ACCURATE! Pass to VD, ball at his feet (incomplete), Pass to Edwards, behind him (incomplete) Pass to either Walker or VD (not near anyone, but that was prob walkers fault). Good qb's are pressured too, but they remain calm and step up and still get off an accurate pass, smith can't do it. Point remains smith has no pocket presence, no accuracy, and once he gets flustered he has no composure.

As I recall, Alex was at fault for 2 passes. One of the first passes that fell low to VD (and VD was even motioning for Alex to put it a lil higher) and the Braylon Edwards slant that was behind him (one of if not his last pass attempt). Everything else was on the OL, IMHO.

On the first pass that was low to VD, Smith had the DE in his face with his hands up. He was forced to throw off his back foot and appeared to be throwing around the hands of the DE who was taking away the lead in the throw.

Okay, I'll have to look at it when I get the chance. This is what I get for judging the play after only watching it once live.

Oldman you were correct in your review of Smith. You know that I personally have been one of the most outspoken "Smith Hater" on this board. IMO, there were 4 pass attempts by Smith yesterday that he was not pressured.

1- First play of the game. dj43 placing blame on anyone but ALex is laughable. Vernon had a few steps on his defender, and ALex threw it at the Davis' feet. That was 100% on ALex. He had time and an open man, and his throw was extremely inaccurate. 0 for 1 on plays that should have been made.

2- 3rd and 8 on our 4th offensive possession and Smith throws behind Braylon. Again, there is little pressure and ALex made a terrible throw. Again, this is 100% on ALex. He is now 0 and 2 on plays that should have been made.

3- 2nd down on our 5th offensive possession and Smith hits Braylon on a screen. Very nice pass. Hits Bray in stride. ALex is now 1-3 on passes that should have been made.

4- 3rd and really long on the same possession. ALex hits a screen pass under no pressure with the D dropping back into long distance coverage. Easy pass to complete, and he did.

So IMO, (after taking out #4 which a 10 year old could complete), ALex went 1 for 3 in passes that should have been made. Every other drop back ALex made can be thrown out the window because of line issues. I know its only game 1, but it frightens me that this could be a foreshadowing of the season. ALex has thrown inaccurate passes for 6 years + 1 preseason game. I really hope he can flourish in this offense, but I just dont think his accuracy is good enough.

what about the deep ball to delanie? Was that a wrong route on the TE?

In this game, the Saints employed regular season defense...Gregg Williams is known for his all-out blitzes. Obviously, the Niners didn't expect to see it in the first preseason game. You could say that's dirty pool...and it is, in a way. However, you have to be ready to make adjustments in the midst of a game. The offense isn't there yet...and that shouldn't surprise anyone. They simply haven't had the reps to get the offense ready to take on teams like New Orleans. In a way, though, this could be a blessing in disguise. That the OL was overwhelmed this early gives the coaches plenty to work with, and should pay dividends down the road. Anyone expecting the offense to be anything except a work in progress was simply dreaming. To say "same ol', same ol'" isn't fair or realistic, either. The biggest difference in this year's team is Harbaugh...unlike Nolan or Singletary, he'll get the offense on track because that's his thing. He knows Fangio will take care of the defense, so he and Roman will get the O functional...teams like SF are doubly handicapped because they have a new coaching staff and new schemes the players will have to master. That's just not going to happen overnight...but, it'll happen. Alex didn't play well...but, the OL really set him up for failure because they couldn't pick up the Saints' blitzes. Harbaugh did the right thing giving CK the rest of the snaps...I'm sure Colin learned a lot about the speed of the game and how much he and the rest of the O still have to learn. I watched the KC-Bucs game and I can clearly see why Harbaugh's so high on Josh Johnson...he was decisive, accurate and showed some very nice athleticism when flushed from the pocket. I'd be very surprised not to see him in a Niner uniform for the 2012 season. I'd urge some patience as Harbaugh gets his team ready for the regular season...there's a lot to fix, and again, maybe the Saints did JH a favor with the defense they showed. They can fix the problems NO exposed sooner rather than later.

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by 80sbaby24:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by maximill15:

Originally posted by CrownJP:
I am guessing you didnt watch the game ... And if you did you do not understand anything about the QB position or how an offense operates successfully ... You see its quiet simple really, if you have no time to throw the ball you can not make quick enough adjustments, because you are rushed and that is what causes him to throw the ball behind and low .... if he has time he generally plays well ... just because you have blind hate for Alex doesnt mean you can just be blind to the fact that the OLine did nothing to block anyone ... I mean i read these posts about Alex this and Alex that and all of these arm chair QBs who sit back and say he sucks and he shouldve just done this or thrown it here or there ... How many of you have even played QB??? Do you even know what it takes to move in the pocket or to have 3-4 people in your face as you throw??? More then likely you do not ... you sit there and ignore the fact that he had A) NO TIME TO THROW THE BALL and B) HE HAS HAD 5 F**KING PRACTICES WITH HIS OFFENSE ... My God People .... Step back off the ledge

Yeah you are right I didn't watch the game... I didn't fault smith for being hit/ sacked did I? No! That was VD blowing assignments and Anthony Davis not being able to handle speed rushers. Oline looked terrible, and they were unprepared but that doesnt change the fact when smith had time (and he did on 5 or so plays) he looked terrible! Theres always an excuse for smith, but THE FACT IS, HE ISNT ACCURATE! Pass to VD, ball at his feet (incomplete), Pass to Edwards, behind him (incomplete) Pass to either Walker or VD (not near anyone, but that was prob walkers fault). Good qb's are pressured too, but they remain calm and step up and still get off an accurate pass, smith can't do it. Point remains smith has no pocket presence, no accuracy, and once he gets flustered he has no composure.

As I recall, Alex was at fault for 2 passes. One of the first passes that fell low to VD (and VD was even motioning for Alex to put it a lil higher) and the Braylon Edwards slant that was behind him (one of if not his last pass attempt). Everything else was on the OL, IMHO.

On the first pass that was low to VD, Smith had the DE in his face with his hands up. He was forced to throw off his back foot and appeared to be throwing around the hands of the DE who was taking away the lead in the throw.

Okay, I'll have to look at it when I get the chance. This is what I get for judging the play after only watching it once live.

Oldman you were correct in your review of Smith. You know that I personally have been one of the most outspoken "Smith Hater" on this board. IMO, there were 4 pass attempts by Smith yesterday that he was not pressured.

1- First play of the game. dj43 placing blame on anyone but ALex is laughable. Vernon had a few steps on his defender, and ALex threw it at the Davis' feet. That was 100% on ALex. He had time and an open man, and his throw was extremely inaccurate. 0 for 1 on plays that should have been made.

2- 3rd and 8 on our 4th offensive possession and Smith throws behind Braylon. Again, there is little pressure and ALex made a terrible throw. Again, this is 100% on ALex. He is now 0 and 2 on plays that should have been made.

3- 2nd down on our 5th offensive possession and Smith hits Braylon on a screen. Very nice pass. Hits Bray in stride. ALex is now 1-3 on passes that should have been made.

4- 3rd and really long on the same possession. ALex hits a screen pass under no pressure with the D dropping back into long distance coverage. Easy pass to complete, and he did.

So IMO, (after taking out #4 which a 10 year old could complete), ALex went 1 for 3 in passes that should have been made. Every other drop back ALex made can be thrown out the window because of line issues. I know its only game 1, but it frightens me that this could be a foreshadowing of the season. ALex has thrown inaccurate passes for 6 years + 1 preseason game. I really hope he can flourish in this offense, but I just dont think his accuracy is good enough.

Haha, so you just... take it out because "a 10 yr old could do it' ??? I was fairly with you till that cherry-picking move.

Come on man. Thats not cherry picking. I took it out because those kind of plays on third and really long are not defended and not rushed. It was similar to a running play (people were discrediting Gore's 7 yard run on third and long too). You want it included. Fine. ALex was 2 for 4 on passes that should have been made. Either way, unacceptable.

Originally posted by maximill15:
what about the deep ball to delanie? Was that a wrong route on the TE?

Couldnt tell you if that was the wrong route....but after watching the play 5 or 6 times, I think it was more a "Alex was rushed and had to try to make something happen" kind of play. He threw it into coverage. Wasnt the most accurately thrown pass, but there was nothing there.

I don't know what your priorities were for a first preseason game, but these were mine: (1) no injuries to key players, (2) how does our first round pick look? Aldon Smith looked great and is unlikely to be a bust, and (3) how do the free agent players look? Dante Whitner will improve the team immensely at safety, and David Akers hit a perfect FG. Braylon Edwards looked good in limited time, and there was not enough Jonathan Goodwin to judge.

I'm satisfied. For the rest, preseason doesn't mean squat.