***SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS VS. DETROIT LIONS GAMEDAY THREAD ***

Originally posted by SportsFan:
More on ESPN first take. Mangini thought we were a bit of a mirage as well. When over his coaches talk segment where he reviews film and says Alex got lucky on the last TD because he mis-read the coverage. Also when they were predicting our final record he said 10 - 6 or 11 - 5. So I guess we are going 5 - 5 over the next 10 according to him.

Haters gonna hate.

Why would anyone put any value into what that guy has to say? It amazes that ESPN keeps hiring these idiots who failed at the highest levels, Mangini, Millen, etc.

WOW. 5-1. Who would have thunk it. I won't discuss the Harbaugh handshake thing other than to say that Schwartz is a whiny little b*tch. It pisses me off that the handshake is what has gotten all the attention. Moving on...

1) Gore: OK, he's still pretty good. ;-) 3 consecutive 100 yard games. After the first 3 weeks he was averaging about 3 yards a carry. He's now up to 5 yards per carry and is on pace for 1442 yards.

2) Aldon Smith: Jeez, this guy doesn't even know how good he's going to be. his hands are SOOOO quick. Once he actually learns how to play OLB, he's going to be a MONSTER.

3) Alex: I'd be lying if I said that some of the throws he made in this game didn't worry me a bit. Some of those high thrwos were reminding me of games i the past, but to his credit, he hit the TD pass when he absolutely needed it. He was also on the road in a noisy stadium with some monster D-Linemen bearing down on him. Hopefully his trajectory points back up after the bye. We need this guy to keep improving throughout the year.

4) Willis and Bowman: Best ILB tandem in the NFL. Add Brooks and Aldon and I think we are looking at something Vic Fangio has seen before....in New Orleans. Ricky Jackson, Sam Mills, Vaughn Johnson, and Pat Swilling. This SF LB unit has the potential to be THAT good.

5) Crabtree: Not yet the huge breakout game, but he is inching closer to it. He bailed out Alex a few times with leaping grabs. Give the guy props for some serious hands.

6) Ginn: I love it. While not contributing much as a receiver, he's become a game-changer as a returner. While not scoring since week 1, he is CONSTANTLY breaking off 20 or 30 yards to setup great field position. HUGE.

7) Akers: GREAT FA signing. The guy is MONEY. ANOTHER 50+ yard Field Goal to take the lead at the half. That was HUGE.

8) Culliver: Watch out for this guy. He was on Calvin Johnson most of the day...and played WELL. This is a rookie who is supposed to struggle and in back-to-back weeks he have really played well.

9) O-Line. WOW. I mean...WOW. You are going to give up sacks against a wide 9 set. Its almost a given...but they DOMINATED the interior of that line. Suh was a complete non-factor. All the false starts weren't that great, but not unexpected. The first one was total BS tho...Walker was in motion and the defender jumped across which made Davis jump. What was more annoying than the call tho was the announcers being completely unaware that it was a BS call. All they could say was "Harbaugh is upset" or "Wow, its loud". That first play could have really set the tone for the line, but it didn't (the Sack-fumble).

10) Harbaugh-Roman-Fangio: Its really, really nice to have coaches who are actually playing a big part in WINNING a game. Even when something doesn't work, its CLEAR that there is a thought process behind it. LOVE IT!!!

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by HessianDud:
well, Delanie Walker--who knew what the playcall was--said that when he saw the defense he knew the ball was coming to him. I'll take his word over some pundit.

I agree and with the pressure Smith was under all game he was wise to get the ball out as soon as possible. Yes, he might have been able to wait on Crabtree but I like the way things turned out!

Edit: if he had waited it could have been a sack.

it was a good play, and it was the right play. anyone who says otherwise is just looking for reasons to hate.

no way in the past we would have been close to winning that game.

Great time to be a niner fan!!! Go Niners!!!

Originally posted by SportsFan:
More on ESPN first take. Mangini thought we were a bit of a mirage as well. When over his coaches talk segment where he reviews film and says Alex got lucky on the last TD because he mis-read the coverage. Also when they were predicting our final record he said 10 - 6 or 11 - 5. So I guess we are going 5 - 5 over the next 10 according to him.

Haters gonna hate.

Well..

IMO games I think we will lose.
Ravens
Steelers

Games that could go horribly wrong.
Sea in SEA
Was in WAS.

At worst, I don't see us losing more than 4 games over the 2nd half of the season.

Originally posted by Otter:

Originally posted by dj43:
Smith was uncharacteristically high with his passes in this game but that is what happens with pressure in the face of the QB - he can't step into the throw and it sails. He had three easy drops which made things more difficult, however, with the game on the line, he threw a perfect pass to Walker for the TD. That is what a good QB does in a pressure situation.

We have all been waiting to see how he responded in a BIG game with the outcome in the balance, now we have seen it. WINNAH!

Smith was off target, mostly due to the pressure from the Detroit D. But that is what Smith has done historically, he has been inaccurate in the face of pressure. I would not call his passes uncharacteristically high, as that was exactly his tendency in prior years. I hope this game is more of an anomaly this year, rather than a return to form.

It was good to see him come through in the clutch at the end.

Gotta agree with this. He's never been very accurate throwing "off balance".

Where was VD in the game...was he even playing? Sry I had to ask I didn't see/hear him much --none-- in the game

(I watched the game through stream live because I was out of town... the quality wasn't so good...but I enjoy every bit of niners)

Originally posted by g60nx:
Where was VD in the game...was he even playing? Sry I had to ask I didn't see/hear him much --none-- in the game

(I watched the game through stream live because I was out of town... the quality wasn't so good...but I enjoy every bit of niners)

I have had this problem with VD, unless the gameplan is designed around him, it seems like he disappears..

Originally posted by mkmsn0:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by mkmsn0:

Originally posted by Psinex:

Originally posted by mkmsn0:

Originally posted by Psinex:
Ginn's returns are a bit part of our win. We got good field position all game long. Don't you fools forget that when you try to diss Ted.

Yes, but Ginn's non-killer instinct are also a part of why the game was so close. Dropped ball in the first quarter, not laying out for the TD catch, running out of bounds instead of diving for the first down marker...

Seriously dude. You give Patrick Willis a pass failing to break up the ball in the end zone, but don't let go of Ted Ginn coming up a yard shy with another down to get the 1st...followed by a completely inept run. You guys just pick up Ted Ginn and Alex all the time.

Ginn helped us get good field position all game long, kept our punts deep in Detroit territory, making it harder for them to score.

I didn't give anyone a pass, and I don't know where you're getting that from, I haven't commented on this game until now and another post about FOX coverage... I think it was a blown call by the ref... Willis had just as much control of that ball as the receiver, which is why he was able to strip it. BUT it wasn't the best coverage, either.

I'm not picking on Ginn, just pointing out what is pretty obvious about the guy... doesn't have very good hands aside from returns, doesn't really go after the extra yardage, and doesn't give that extra effort on offense. Is he a great return man, yea, but we also needed him to step up as a receiver this game, which he absolutely did not do.

When we set unrealistically high expectations we get disappointed. In this case, Ginn had already shown before he came here, that beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was not the pass receiver his draft status would indicate. The 49ers got an excellent return guy for a 5th round draft choice. Yesterday Ginn proved he was worth the price.

So go ahead, be disappointed he is not more than you wanted but he is everything the 49ers wanted in the trade.

Yea, I'm sorry about that, I am completely wrong here... Seeing how two of our top 3 receivers are injured AND we don't have a lot of depth at receiver, it's unrealistic to expect Ginn to step up and catch a ball or two, fight for a few extra yards when he has the ball, and lay out for a catch in a tight game, arguably the biggest game of the season so far. What the heck was I thinking? That this is the game of football or something?

Now, if you actually read my post, you would see that I agree he is a great return man, but we needed him to step up this game as the receiver he is listed as on the depth chart.

I don't intend to start a lengthy argument (don't have time) but I agree, he SHOULD do those things but he has proven throughout his career that he DOESN'T do those things. That is why he was only worth a 5th round pick.

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by g60nx:
Where was VD in the game...was he even playing? Sry I had to ask I didn't see/hear him much --none-- in the game

(I watched the game through stream live because I was out of town... the quality wasn't so good...but I enjoy every bit of niners)

I have had this problem with VD, unless the gameplan is designed around him, it seems like he disappears..

Actually, I think they kept him in to block...ALOT.

Originally posted by dj43:
I don't intend to start a lengthy argument (don't have time) but I agree, he SHOULD do those things but he has proven throughout his career that he DOESN'T do those things. That is why he was only worth a 5th round pick.

Yes, I would really like him to be a better receiver but that hasn't happened, so Edwards is coming back and Ginn will drop back where he belongs...returning kicks and being a third or later option.

I was at the game yesterday and that place was unbelievable loud - terrific venue to watch a game. Tough not to get rattled under those conditions. Near the end of the 3rd quarter it looked like the niners were taking over; few mistakes here and there caused that not to be the case. With all my cheering I don't think I made many friends with the Lion fans sitting around me...I was going nuts!!

As a side note, the Lion fans were great in the post game tailgating.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by g60nx:
Where was VD in the game...was he even playing? Sry I had to ask I didn't see/hear him much --none-- in the game

(I watched the game through stream live because I was out of town... the quality wasn't so good...but I enjoy every bit of niners)

I have had this problem with VD, unless the gameplan is designed around him, it seems like he disappears..

Actually, I think they kept him in to block...ALOT.

This could be the case, as my stream kept freezing up this week, so I couldnt zero in on everything.

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by unst4bl3:

Originally posted by g60nx:
Where was VD in the game...was he even playing? Sry I had to ask I didn't see/hear him much --none-- in the game

(I watched the game through stream live because I was out of town... the quality wasn't so good...but I enjoy every bit of niners)

I have had this problem with VD, unless the gameplan is designed around him, it seems like he disappears..

Actually, I think they kept him in to block...ALOT.

This could be the case, as my stream kept freezing up this week, so I couldnt zero in on everything.

This,
I really didn't see VD running routes