Heitmann is better than either Baas or Rachal, and yet I have not seen criticism of either of the two guards in this game, or virtually any game.
These two are the golden children, who can do no wrong. Give up 5 sacks in a game? It doesn't matter, let's talk about the two times Heitmann did not lift his opponent through the goal post.
This is the silly "board favoritism" that makes our board a joke. There are probably about 5 objective analysts who write on this board, and the rest are so biased that they find other players who outplay their "superstar" on a weekly basis, and beat the drum for the center's removal day and night. This is plain and simple foolishness.
Where are all the "Baas should be replaced with Wallace" threads? Where are the, and heaven forbid if this ever happened, "Rachel should be benched for an unproven 4th round draft choice that has never been activated for one NFL game".
The inequity, and partisan viewpoints, are completely out of control. And I will whack them day and night until it ends.
Just this week, Barrows, in his blog, said that Heitmann is having one of the finest seasons of his career. I tend to believe him, since he actually talks to coaches, scouts, etc. I tend to believe the stat showing the Niners run efficiency up the middle as NUMBER 3 in the NFL.
MATCHUP TO WATCH
49ers center Eric Heitmann vs. Cowboys nose tackle Jay Ratliff
49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz says Ratliff is the best pass rusher from the nose-tackle position he's ever seen. The statistics back up that claim. Ratliff has six sacks on the season – more than any 49er – and leads the Cowboys' defensive linemen in tackles. On the other side of the line is Heitmann, one of the 49ers' three team captains. The center, a native of Katy, Texas, is having one of the best seasons of his career.
Heitmann Having One of the Best Seasons of His Career
I tend to believe that after watching more than 50 snaps on this Sunday, in which Ratliff, one of the best young DT's in the NFL, is dominated for the vast majority of the game, that even though Heitmann did not pancake his opponents at the goal line, which very few centers around the league do, he did a good overall job in the game.
Meanwhile, Singletary declares that Rachal had a bad game. And the board response: Crickets. Baas had a bad game? Crickets. It is solely Heitmann's fault. That is a joke. Admit it. This is a joke, and a bad one. Heitmann allows no sacks. No mention. He still sucks. Joke. Joke. Joke. Hill stinks at the goal line, cannot throw a completion. Crickets. It is all Heitmann's fault. Moronic logic.
If I did a power ranking of my "favorite" 49ers before this season began, Heitmann would not be high on the list. I generally do not get excited about centers. But after hearing all of this mindless drivel for over three months now, I decided to watch his play, and compare it with other centers around the league. Since I go to a sports bar every Sunday, with 6 TV's in front of me, I have the opportunity to watch centers every week. Let me tell you, those who are skeptics. Heitmann is doing just fine.
So, he doesn't lift guys off the ground, and throw them through the goal posts. Who else on our line does? What other center in the league does this? Why is it always Heitmann, who alone is supposed to be the strongman of the group? He is always singlehandedly picked on whenever the Niners' offense struggles, and this is a farce.
I have never said Heitmann is perfect. But he is very good at what he does, and to state it any other way is a joke.
I will ask the skeptics again. Watch the tape. Read what coaches have to say. Look at the stats. Remove your biases.
Wallace? Wragge? Baas at center? What are you guys smoking? That is a flat out joke.
Wow! Look at Baas push the guy down the field. I'll just ignore the fact that he allowed three sacks in the game, because he is a "mauler".
Here is what Maiocco said about Heitmann versus Ratliff pre-game:
C Eric Heitmann vs. NT Jay Ratliff: Heitmann will not be able to handle Ratliff alone, so he'll need to have good communication with guards David Baas and rookie Chilo Rachal. You can bet Ratliff will want to take advantage of Rachal's inexperience to split those double-team blocks. Ratliff has been outstanding this season, racking up six sacks on the season. He had two sacks and three QB pressures last week against the Redskins.
Maiocco's Pre-Game Thoughts on Heitmann versus Ratliff
Note: 3-4 NT's get doubled a lot. So, don't throw down the "if he was a star, he'd always single him" card. That would be silly. The miscommunication between Heitmann and Rachal led to the one and only pressure by Ratliff in the game. Much better performance than the 2 sacks and 3 pressures performance of the week before.
[ Edited by MadDog49er on Nov 26, 2008 at 10:28:46 ]