Week 13: Thoughts after re-watching the game...

1) K. Williams: Kyle WIlliams needs more playing time.

2) Crabtree: Finally turning into the player I thought he was. He's just getting better and better.

3) K.Williams: Oh yeah, Kyle WIlliams needs more playing time.

4) Grant: I have to say that I was worried when WIllis went out that the Rushing TD record would fall (and almost panicked at the end of the game when the Rams almost got the ball on the long pass at the 1), but he came in and they didn't miss a beat. Its nice to have depth. Now that could change if a team can gameplan to isolate him, but he filled in very well.

5) Alex: He still misses some wide open receivers at times, but the guy is really playing well. If Davis catches the ball he has ANOTHER TD. If Crabtree catches the quick slant in the 1st quarter he may have ANOTHER TD. All that is wrong right now is fine tuning. We'll see if they can figure this out before January. This is really nit-picking tho. Statistically (QB Rating), this was the best game he's ever played.

6) Aldon: Holy Sh*t. Just........wow. That Bull Rush was amazing. He didn't just get the 2 sacks. He was pressuring ALL DAY. He is just getting better and better every game. How many other players have 9.5 sacks through 12 games and only play in the Nickel?

7) Gameplan: God I love Harbaugh and Roman. Its not working? Try something else. Can't move the ball up the middle? Ok, lets run End Arounds to Ginn, Walker and K. Williams (that guy needs to play more). We can't throw deep? OK, watch us. Love it.

8) Goldson: I have to admit that in the past he hasn't exactly been my favorite player. I always thought of him more as a guy who would deliver the big hit but not much else. I was wrong. He is playing his way into a pretty good contract right now....and maybe a Pro Bowl.

9) Rogers: When the Niners lost Nate Clements, I was concerned not because of his coverage ability, but because of everything else he brought to the table. Run Support. Just being an all around good football player. Lost in his 5 INTs is the fact that Rogers is one of the reasons the Niners are so good against the run. He will come up and hit...HARD.

10) NFC West Champs: I'm happy that they have it, but the NFC West has never been my goal. The 'hawks won it last year at 7-9, so how can I get too excited about it. Don't get me wrong, I'm happy that they made the playoffs, but to me this is really just the first step. If they advance in the playoffs...well....thats a different story......


Oh...and PS: Kyle WIlliams needs to play more.

Seriously.

The guy just makes plays everytime he's on the field. Yes, he's small, but he is SOOOOO quick. He's got great hands and catches everything close to him. Right now, if I'm playing a playoff game and I have my choice between a healthy Edwards or WIlliams, I still take Kyle. I think he's gonna have a big role on this team in the near future.

Couldn't agree more. Can you rewatch it again and do the OL? Kidding.

Originally posted by Joecool:
Couldn't agree more. Can you rewatch it again and do the OL? Kidding.

LOL. Not much to say.

Right side still having issues.

Since this is a pretty positive piece, I'll throw in some cold water.

11) Right side of the line continues to struggle. Going back to Thanksgiving, Davis has had his two worst games of the season back to back. Snyder too looked slow off the ball and struggled to get leverage. A better coaching staff than the Rams would've attacked this area more creatively, a la the Ravens.

Besides Willis's hamstring, this is the biggest area of concern going into the postseason.

Originally posted by johnnyredneat:
Since this is a pretty positive piece, I'll throw in some cold water.

11) Right side of the line continues to struggle. Going back to Thanksgiving, Davis has had his two worst games of the season back to back. Snyder too looked slow off the ball and struggled to get leverage. A better coaching staff than the Rams would've attacked this area more creatively, a la the Ravens.

Besides Willis's hamstring, this is the biggest area of concern going into the postseason.

Yeah, but Snyder was also playing hurt. There were a few times you could see him trying to stretch out that hamstring after a play.

As for Davis....I really do think he'll be fine. He's still learning. He actually played MUCH better against Long in this game than he did against Long last year.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by Joecool:
Couldn't agree more. Can you rewatch it again and do the OL? Kidding.

LOL. Not much to say.

Right side still having issues.

Yes but the right side of most teams is usually weaker and is it just me or have we played some top level front 4's throughout the year?

Hopefully the recent struggles of Davis at RT are due to his ankle injury instead of a drop in skill

Originally posted by Joecool:

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by Joecool:
Couldn't agree more. Can you rewatch it again and do the OL? Kidding.

LOL. Not much to say.

Right side still having issues.

Yes but the right side of most teams is usually weaker and is it just me or have we played some top level front 4's throughout the year?

Not just you. Ravens, Giants....pretty good lines.

Also, long had 10 sacks coming into the game from the right side. The Rams suck, but Long has played well this season.

#4 - Larry Grant - can you believe they inserted him and he took over Willis playcalling? Wow, that means he studies like crazy as a back-up. You have to love a guy that dedicated. I'm not worried about him being game-planned by another team. He is not as fast across the field as Willis or Bowman, but he may actually be better filling the hole in terms of thumping the lead blocker, shedding him, and forcing the runner off course. That guys a baller.

#6 - Aldon Smith - I was concerned that teams had figured him out and his production was way down. My concern was that he is a bit light and teams had learned to deflect his rushes. I was hoping that an NFL offseason could see him add some power to his game. BUT HOLY COW, that kid has power to. And the way he sets it up is fantastic - credit that to the coaches. He starts his rush with a slight threat to the inside or outside of the linemen (which have to respect his speed), as the lineman leans and bends his arms to unleash the hit on Aldon, he turns right into them and beats them to the punch with a blast from his longer arms. That is absolutely amazing technique from a rookie!! Staley was right, those long arms and his strength are a huge weapon. He simply RAN the tackles right back into the QB. AMAZING.

I think that bull rush should be number 1

Originally posted by johnnyredneat:
Since this is a pretty positive piece, I'll throw in some cold water.

11) Right side of the line continues to struggle. Going back to Thanksgiving, Davis has had his two worst games of the season back to back. Snyder too looked slow off the ball and struggled to get leverage. A better coaching staff than the Rams would've attacked this area more creatively, a la the Ravens.

Besides Willis's hamstring, this is the biggest area of concern going into the postseason.

Goodwin and synder need to be upgraded

My only quarrel with the game was the wildcat call on 3rd down in the Red Zone. That call makes absolutely no sense to me. People say we may not have a full red zone offense installed yet, but we have a wildcat formation to run down there?

Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating in the least. They are coaches for a reason, but still a wildcat?

Besides that great game all the way around VD was still productive, Crabtree looking better and better, K. Williams needs more playing time, Ginn looking solid, OLine playing o.k, and our defense is amazing.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Yeah, but Snyder was also playing hurt. There were a few times you could see him trying to stretch out that hamstring after a play.

As for Davis....I really do think he'll be fine. He's still learning. He actually played MUCH better against Long in this game than he did against Long last year.

I agree - I actually think the right side is a little banged up, but will be okay. Frankly, the left side was allowing run penetration today quite a bit. I'm pretty skeptical Staley is the real deal at LT -- I think he has maxed out his talent.

9) Rogers: When the Niners lost Nate Clements, I was concerned not because of his coverage ability, but because of everything else he brought to the table. Run Support. Just being an all around good football player. Lost in his 5 INTs is the fact that Rogers is one of the reasons the Niners are so good against the run. He will come up and hit...HARD.


I love the hit on Norwood(?) that made him to a flip in the air and land hard. LOL @ Rams for thinking they could run on us.

Originally posted by HearstFan:

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Yeah, but Snyder was also playing hurt. There were a few times you could see him trying to stretch out that hamstring after a play.

As for Davis....I really do think he'll be fine. He's still learning. He actually played MUCH better against Long in this game than he did against Long last year.

I agree - I actually think the right side is a little banged up, but will be okay. Frankly, the left side was allowing run penetration today quite a bit. I'm pretty skeptical Staley is the real deal at LT -- I think he has maxed out his talent.

I'm also thinking it's injuries. With the style we play, a first round bye is probably going to be more important than to anyone else.