Originally posted by MadDog49er: This team continues to be schizophrenic. Less than a week ago, Smith and company proclaimed to the media that Smith needs to take more risks, throw caution to the wind, and toss the ball down the field. He promised he would take a "gunslinger" approach to the game.
Now, we hear from the Raiders game that the advice handed to Smith was to play conservative, to avoid making turnovers, to reign it in, to resort back to "smashmouth" football.
The end result was another ugly offense performance. So, now, we fly all the way across the country, play at 10 AM PST, against a winless team who will be desperate to gain their first win, and have had a bye week to prepare. We have seen that the Niners stink in eastern time zone games, and I expect another clunker this week.
Damn Singletary will probably wait until we are behind again before he finally unleashes the hounds. His continued conservative approach drives me absolutely nuts.
GO NINER'S
This damn team better come out aggressive & try to put this team away or we will be in trouble!
Matt Moore doesent scare me but Steve smith coming back does. Him and Moore have chemistry and he's going to be tough to cover, hopefully our D plays as good as they did last week.
After breaking down film of both teams, Scouts Inc. offers 10 things to watch in this week's 49ers-Panthers matchup.
1. Frank Gore may be back on track: The 49ers finally got a win Sunday, but the bigger story may have been Gore. He rushed for 149 yards, including a 64-yard scamper in the fourth quarter. Amazingly, that was his first run of more than 20 yards this year. Expect to see a lot of Gore.
2. Bring a heavy blitz package: Carolina has thrown nine INTs and given up 17 sacks. The 49ers have a good defense overall, despite their record. Expect them to throw the kitchen sink at Matt Moore (and possibly Jimmy Clausen).
3. The turnover battle: These teams have combined for 31 turnovers, so expect to see a few picks and fumble pileups. Simply put, whoever wins the category here has a good shot to win.
4. Stay at home up front: The Panthers are only averaging 3.9 yards per carry -- that's pretty weak given their two backs, but because Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams can get untracked, the 49ers need to remember to maintain gap responsibility. In short, don't let those guys reach second level. They can torch you, even with Patrick Willis back there.
5. Matchup to watch -- San Francisco RDE Justin Smith vs. Carolina LT Jordan Gross: Smith is an extremely efficient defensive lineman who plays the run as well as he folds the pocket. He's an excellent technician that reads blocks and leverages his way to the ball. He will be matched up against Carolina left OT Jordon Gross for most of the game; Gross has good footwork and agility. He's one of the better tackles in the game. This matchup will dictate a lot about how Moore performs at QB.
6. Play from a lead: The Panthers are awful playing from behind, especially with Steve Smith nicked. They need to do everything they can to get a jump on San Fran on the scoreboard. It sounds simplistic, but each team will attempt to force the other to put the game in the hands of their respective QBs.
7. Gamble a bit on defense: Carolina's ranked No. 27 against the run. They're winless. D-coordinator Ron Meeks needs to start trying some new things. Expect to see him roll out some stunts, blitzes and all-outs.
8. Watch Moore's steps on the drop: They need to keep Moore to mostly three-step drops. If he's not getting the rock out quickly, he'll get dropped by this defense. The Carolina O-line is not great overall (as noted above in the sacks allowed stat).
9. Be physical on the perimeter: Chris Gamble and the Panthers' corners are physical and can alter WR routes. If you disrupt chemistry between Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree and company, you can make this all about Gore -- that's not a great thing, but it takes away a key dimension of San Fran's offense in the process.
10. Matchup to watch -- Williams vs. Willis: This is just strength vs. strength. Williams hasn't been amazing this year, but he can be the man in any game. Willis is a sideline-to-sideline star. Watch out for how this plays out.
I think it's pretty simple. Play solid defense and Alex will need to make enough plays. If we score 20 or more points, I think we got this in the bag. 20 points for this offense is no easy task though.
I think the 9ers are a bit overrated. The only reason the national media picked the
49ers to win the division is because Kurt Warner retired and we play in the worst
division in the history of professional sports. The national media thought that
the NFC West was going to have 4 bad teams. And they thought the 49ers were the
least inept of those teams. Its not a fluke that the 49ers are 1-5, that record
reflects how bad the 49ers really are. The last place team in the NFC EAST is
probably much better than the first place team in the NFC WEST. And we are in last
place in the NFC West.
who did san fran beat in 2009 ARZ, DET, STL, CHI, JAX ,SEA: Pretty weak opponents.
I have been a niners' fan since age 8.
I think we win Sunday at the panthers 20-3, because their offense is that bad.
GO NINERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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