This week sees us turn the clock back a decade to a classic encounter between the 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals. The 2004 season can be used as a benchmark for bleakness. But, there were flashes of excitement too, including this game.
The 2004 campaign was the second and final year for head coach Dennis Erickson, who was looking to guide his team to the playoffs after going 7-9 in 2003.
But the 49ers lost a number of key players prior to the season, with Jeff Garcia, Terrell Owens and Garrison Hearst all leaving for pastures new.
Garcia was let go primarily because the team were suffering serious issues with their salary cap.
However, Erickson's style of offense was a significant departure from the west coast offense in which Garcia had thrived under head coach Steve Mariucci.
After a drop off in performance from Garcia in 2003, long-time backup Tim Rattay was given the starting job for the new season. Halfway through 2004, however, Rattay was put on injured reserve and second-year player Ken Dorsey served as signal-caller for the rest of the term.
The turbulent relationship between the team and Owens led to the wide receiver eventually leaving for the Philadelphia Eagles after a trade with the Baltimore Ravens was blocked by the wideout's camp.
After a couple of tense weeks Baltimore received their second-round pick back from the 49ers and Owens was off to the Eagles for a fifth-round pick and defensive end Brandon Whiting, who tore a knee ligament during the '04 season and never played for the 49ers again.
Hearst was one of the most exciting running-backs in franchise history but sadly his time was severely impacted by a horrific injury that led to him being diagnosed with avascular necrosis and missing two seasons.
He gallantly returned and posted another 1,000 yard rushing season in 2001 but was never the same after the injury. Hearst finished the 2003 season with 748 rushing yards, yet by then had been supplanted by Kevan Barlow and duly retired after a short stint with the Denver Broncos following his release from the 49ers.
The 49ers' 2004 draft was very much hit and miss. San Francisco's first-round selection, wide receiver Rashaun Woods, proved to be a disaster, although guard Justin Smiley and cornerback Shawntae produced several years of solid service.
The team also signed defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga, who also went on to be a starter but only after missing his entire rookie season through injury.
But the real steal of the 49ers draft came with the sixth-round selection of punter Andy Lee, who remains one of best in the league at his position and is still an integral part of the current side.
San Francisco started the 2004 campaign with narrow defeats but were then on the wrong end of a 34-0 drubbing by the Seattle Seahawks, which was followed by a 24-14 loss to the St Louis Rams in a scoreline that flattered the 49ers.
Those results left the 49ers 0-4 going into the Week 5 matchup with the division rival Cardinals, their worst start to a season since going 0-7 in 1979 and not what the fans who had witnessed the glory days were used to or expected.
The Game
After a scoreless first quarter a familiar pattern began to emerge when Arizona put the first points on the board with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Josh McCown to Freddie Jones.
The 49ers replied with a 37-yard field but the Cardinals extended their lead before the half with a second touchdown pass prior to the two-minute warning.
Getting the ball back, the 49ers put together a tidy drive using their two-minute offense but the chance to score a touchdown was halted by an Arizona sack with the 49ers on the Cardinals 14 yard line, leaving the Niners to settle for another three-pointer.
The 49ers retained possession to start the second half with the hope that a score on their first drive would put them back into contention for their first win of the season.
This was not to be the case, though, as the Cardinals forced a three and out. However, the San Francisco defense also stiffened and was rewarded as Arnaz Battle returned an Arizona punt for a 71-yard touchdown.
A two-point conversion attempt was unsuccessful and the score did not swing the momentum in favour of the 49ers, with the two teams trading punts consistently in the third quarter, giving Lee plenty of opportunity to hone his craft.
The Cardinals managed to find a spark on offense heading into the fourth quarter courtesy of rookie wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who hauled in a 35-yard pass to move Arizona within 10 yards of the end zone and set up tailback Emmit Smith for the score.
Smith's touchdown left the Niners facing a nine-point deficit, which was increased further when Fitzgerald caught his first career touchdown for 24 yards as the Cardinals capitalised on a poor punt from Lee after Rattay was sacked on the first play of the 49ers' drive.
Down 28-12 with 8:19 remaining after another anaemic performance, the 49er offense suddenly found life, Rattay hitting Barlow, tight end Eric Johnson and receivers Brandon Lloyd, Curtis Conway and Cedrick Wilson to move San Francisco down to the eight-yard line.
Finally Rattay was able to put the ball into the end zone, finding Johnson on fourth and goal before a successful two-point conversion cut Arizona's lead to 28-20.
Now it was the time for the porous San Francisco defense to step up. Looking to run off the clock Arizona started with a run but were held for no gain. On second down, Josh McCown had his pass fall incomplete to Larry Fitzgerald, setting up a huge third down with 10 yards to go.
Troy Hambrick caught a McCown pass but was stopped valiantly by linebacker Brandon Moore before the first-down marker, giving the Cardinals little option but to punt.
The 49ers started their drive from their own 28 with 2:48 left. After a critical third-down conversion by Barlow, San Francisco stopped the clock with 2:14 remaining in regulation and on their own 40-yard line.
On the ensuing play Tim Rattay scrambled all the way to the Arizona 45-yard line for a 15-yard gain, with just enough time for the 49ers to use another time-out before the two-minute warning.
Next Rattay saw a six-yard pass to Johnson turn into an 11-yard gain courtesy of a face-mask penalty on Arizona and then survived potential disaster as center Eric Hetimann fell on a fumble from the quarterback after he had been sacked by Bertrand Berry.
It did not take long for Rattay to regain his composure, hitting Conway for 14 yards, a completion that led to a 23-yard touchdown to Brandon Lloyd, who then successfully added another two-point conversion to tie the game at 28-28 and send the Candlestick Park crowd into raptures.
The Cardinals had less than a minute to try and seal the victory but were forced to put after a drive in which McCown was sacked by Dwaine Carpenter
Starting on their 39-yard line, the 49ers looked to have been held to a quick three and out on their first possession after opting to take a knee and send the game to overtime, yet a 15-yard roughing the passer penalty on Arizona's Darnell Dokett crucially kept the drive alive.
A 23-yard pass to Johnson moved the Niners down to the Cardinals' 16-yard line, only for the tight end to be flagged for holding on the next play.
Two carries for 12 yards from Kevan Barlow negated that penalty yardage, setting up Todd Peterson for a 32-yard field goal attempt to win the game following a Cardinals time-out.
Peterson made no mistake and knocked it through the uprights to seal the Niners first win of the 2004 season.
Rattay finished the game 38 of 57 for 417 yards with 2 touchdowns, while Lloyd had five receptions for 56yds and a score.
However, Lloyd was outshone by the superb Johnson, who put up a magnificent 13 catches for 162 yards and a touchdown.
Any glimmers of hope found in this game were sadly short-lived, as the Niners failed to win again until the return match against the Cardinals in Arizona, which was to finish in another 31-28 overtime win in Week 14.
With a 2-14 record, the 2004 San Francisco 49ers were afforded the first overall pick of the 2005 NFL draft, which they used, somewhat surprisingly, to select Alex Smith over local-boy and Niners fan Aaron Rodgers.
Prior to that drama Erickson was removed from his post as head coach just two years into a lucrative five-year contract. He was replaced by Baltimore Ravens defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, the son of Dick Nolan, who had enjoyed reasonable success as the 49ers head coach during the 60s and 70s.
Thanks for reading,
Paul Kadwill
No comments:
Post a Comment