Week 13 Review: Dreadful loss dents 49ers playoff hopes

The San Francisco 49ers slipped to a 19-3 loss to the NFC West rival Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, here were review the Niners' performance in a defeat that severely damaged their playoff hopes.

It was not a happy Thanksgiving for the 49ers.

On a night of celebration across the country the Niners gave their fans little to be thankful for as they produced an anaemic offensive display in an embarrassing loss to the Seahawks.

A smash-mouth contest was anticipated from a rematch of last season's NFC Championship game, however, the meeting was instead dominated by Seattle.

The defense played well, yet this was an encounter that will be remembered for the offense's failure to get anything going against a defense that had supposedly suffered a drop-off in play from the Seahawks' 2013 Super Bowl winning campaign.

Defeat leaves the Niners at 7-5, a game back in the race for an NFC wildcard spot and more than likely needing to win all of their last four games to have a chance of earning a postseason berth.


The Good

Yet again, pretty much all of the positives from a 49ers standpoint came on the defensive side of the ball.

San Francisco's defense kept the Seahawks in check for the majority of the game, with the only touchdown of the game coming after a Richard Sherman interception had gifted Seattle a short field.

The pass rushers consistently pressured Russell Wilson, sacking him four times, but unfortunately the Seahawks signal-caller was able to consistently use his ability to scramble and buy time to pick apart the 49ers with passes to the open man in the flat.

Nobody in the secondary played particularly badly, while inside linebacker Chris Borland put up another sound showing, recording 16 tackles to take his tally for the year to 87. However, the simple fact is that the defense was not able to do enough to make up for the abysmal play of  the offense.

And the fatigue of the defense was evident in the second half as Seattle running-back Marshawn Lynch wore them down to ensure that the 49ers gave up 100 yards to an opposing rusher for the third time in four games, an indignity that this unit did not deserve to suffer.


The Bad

Everything about the San Francisco offense was bad, this was a night where nothing worked but the really frustrating thing for the 49er fans is that it was not surprising.

Greg Roman's group has been medicore throughout 2014, however, Thursday night served as a nadir for this offense.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick gave further credence to the argument that he is not developing as a pocket passer by tossing two terrible interceptions to Sherman, who celebrated the turnovers with his usual humility, in a mistake-ridden performance.

Kaepernick made bad reads, displayed questionable accuracy and looked far from worthy of the six-year extension handed to him in the offseason.

None of the receivers nor tight end Vernon Davis - whose woeful year shows no signs of abating - were able to get anything going, and the struggles of the passing offense allowed the Seahawks to turn the 49er running game into a complete irrelevance, with Frank Gore gaining just 28 yards on the ground.

In the offseason the 49ers made additions to the offense that had many believing that this unit could develop into one of the more explosive groups in the league.

That has not happened and Thursday night's showing confirmed that nobody is scared of a 49er offense that should be far, far better.

Next Up

The 49ers have room for a maximum of one loss down stretch but, if we're being realistic, they cannot afford any slip-ups in the race for a playoff place.

Jim Harbaugh's men now make the short trip to Oakland to take on the Raiders for a 'Battle of The Bay' in which they figure to be heavy favourites.

Having seen the Raiders in person at Wembley this season, I can say firmly that the Raiders are not a good football team. however, they do possess some young and hungry players, particularly on defense.

The Oakland defense - despite shipping 52 points to the St Louis Rams - is unlikely to be daunted by the prospect of facing the San Francisco offense, which will need to be vastly improved at the O.Co Coliseum in order to avoid a shock setback that would effectively end the season for the 49ers.

The Mystery of Michael Crabtree

Wide receiver Michael Crabtree has always divided opinion among the 49er faithful. Here Paul Kadwill breaks down his performance in the final year of his contract with San Francisco.

There have been few players in 49er history more enigmatic than Michael Crabtree.

The 2009 first-round pick has been both hero and somewhat of a villain to the faithful fanbase, providing a highlight reel worthy of any primetime TV show in his time with the 49ers, but also plenty of angst with holdouts, pouts and other actions that have left people with plenty of questions as he heads towards free agency at the end of this season.

So, with his initial six-year, $32million contract coming to an end in a few months, how is the Dallas-born Crabtree performing in his audition year, and how does it compare with the rest of his career?

Below is a table outlining the most relevant data from his six years with the Niners. The data is compiled from the first 11 games he played in each year, aside from 2013 when he only played in eight games due to injury.  For comparison, the 2013 statistics have been adjusted to show theoretical data if Crabtree had played 11 games that year.

What the data seems to back up is that 2012 was indeed Crabtree's best year with the 49ers.  He had highs in TDs, lows in drops, the best catch percentage of his career by far and this all culminated in him achieving his best Pro Football Focus passing grade.

The 2013 season saw Crabtree gain his most yardage over the period that we are looking at.  This may be due to the fact that he only played from Week 7 onwards due to an injury, so perhaps teams were more focused on the clear-cut number one receiver Anquan Boldin, thus leaving Crabtree matched up with less talented defensive backs and less double coverage.

Comparing 2011 onwards with pre-2011 data allows us to see that under the Harbaugh regime, Crabtree has been a better performer, who has averaged more receiving, more YAC (Yards After Catch) and more touchdowns. I guess this is hardly surprising given the offense employed by former head coach Mike Singletary and offensive co-ordinator Jimmy Raye.

So, what about his performance so far in 2014?  Has he been woeful and off the radar as parts of the media have claimed? Even the man himself has complained about being "the third option" on many passing plays.

Looking at his 2014 statistics it is easy that he is not actually 'the forgotten man', as he has been targeted 78 times so far. This is the joint second most amount of attempts thrown his way since his NFL career began. His catch percentage and yardage are all there or thereabouts too, and the four touchdowns he has caught stand as his second highest tally in any 11 week stretch of a season that he has played in.

The glaringly obvious difference from 2014 to any other year, though, is the nine passes he has dropped this year. Is this due to the types of balls thrown his way?  Or is he busy thinking about running into space after the catch before he's actually caught it securely?  Maybe its just bad luck? Or perhaps, his growing frustrations in amongst a plethora of decent receivers are impacting his game?

It's hard to be certain, but the facts don't lie. Simply put, Crabrtree is not as safe a pair of hands as he has been in the past.

Whilst there is no denying that Michael Crabtree is a decent wide receiver - and the facts show that he is having just a good a year as he has done in the past - it is also clear that something is different about the former Texas Tech man in 2014.

With a handful of quality, experienced receivers, young talent waiting for opportunities and an offensive system that is not as pass-happy as others in the league, I believe it will be unlikely that we see Crabtree in a Niners uniform next season.  This is underlined further by the fact that he will probably be asking for the money of a top wide receiver but, in my view, does not provide enough value for the 49ers to justify such a contract.

Although it is impossible to know anything that is going on behind the scenes, the issues that are creeping into his play on the field along with a handful of odd remarks to the media - which go against what any of the other receivers are saying publicly - suggest to me that Crabtree has his mind elsewhere.  

Next stop Dallas, 2015?

This Week in 49ers History: Week 13, 1947

Ahead of the Niners' crunch Thanksgiving clash with the Seattle Seahawks, Paul Kadwill has delved into archives to take a look back at the franchise's first ever Turkey Day encounter.

First of all I would like to wish all of you who are celebrating a very happy Thanksgiving!  In honour of Turkey Day, this week we shall be going all the way back to 1947 for the 49ers first Thanksgiving Day football game.

Nearing the end of only their second ever season of existence, the 49ers made the cross-country flight all the way to a frigid Ebbets field in Brooklyn, New York, to face the Dodgers. Yes, you read that correctly, the 49ers were playing against the Brooklyn Dodgers, who had also been formed when the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) first started in 1946.

An earlier team had gone by the Dodgers moniker and played in the NFL from 1930 to 1945, however, they had no ties to the AAFC Dodgers.

Following a 15-year spell in the league, the owner of the NFL Dodgers accepted a franchise offer from the newly formed AAFC for its inaugural 1946 season, changing the team's name to the New York Yankees.

The Yankees - the original NFL Dodgers - and the AAFC Dodgers merged in 1949 to create the Brooklyn-New York Yankees, before folding along with the AAFC at the end of the season.

After becoming the first major professional sports team on the west coast, the San Francisco 49ers enjoyed a successful first year of life, finishing the 1946 season in second place with a 9-5 record that included an impressive away win against the champion Cleveland Browns.

In 1947 they were looking to go one further and play for it all in the AAFC championship game.

The Morabito brothers, owners and founders of the 49ers, were able to keep the majority of the ‘46 team around to play in 1947.  In addition, San Francisco added several players through the draft, the most important of which was Wally Yonamine, who had his biggest impact off of the field.

Wallace Kaname 'Wally' Yonamine was born in Hawaii to parents who originally came from Japan.
He became the first Asian professional football player when he joined the 49ers in 1947. A 5'9" running back/defensive back, Wally picked up 74 rushing yards and 40 receiving yards to go with his 270 yards gained on kick and punt returns.

Yonamine retired from professional football season due to a broken wrist sustained playing baseball, a sport that defined his life just as much as football. Wally had the same cultural impact in baseball as he had in football, becoming the first American to play in the Japanese pro baseball league and earn a place in the Japanese hall of fame.

He spent the majority of his baseball career, 10 straight years, with the Yomiuri Giants.  Originally known as the Tokyo Giants, the most popular team in Japan wear the same colours as their San Franciscan counterparts after copying the New York Giants when the Tokyo team was first established in 1934.

The 1947 AAFC season began with three straight wins for the 49ers, however, the rest of the season was marred by inconsistency and their hopes of reaching the championship game came to an end with a Week 11 loss to the Browns.

Playing for pride, they came back in Week 12 to put together a dominant performance against the Chicago Rockets, winning 41-16 in the windy city.

San Francisco entered Week 13 with a 7-4-1 mark, meanwhile the Dodgers headed into an encounter that attracted less than 10,000 fans at 3-8-1, with their only victories coming against the Rockets and the Baltimore Colts.

The Game

In the brisk autumn wind in Brooklyn, the visiting 49ers found early success through their running game as the Dodgers endured difficulty in attempting to stop the potent three-pronged rushing attack of Len Eshmont, Norm Standlee and Johnny Strzykalski. Part way through the first quarter, after gashing the hosts with multiple power runs, 49er fullback Norm Standlee bruised his way into the end zone from nine yards out.

Former Stanford star Standlee was originally drafted by the NFL's Chicago Bears in 1941. He finished fourth in the league in rushing yards in his rookie year before being sent to war with the US Army. Upon his return Standlee was signed by the 49ers and served as their first fullback, scoring eight rushing touchdowns in 1947.

In reply, Dodgers were as anaemic as their season record showed. Tailback Bob Hoernschemeyer was Brooklyn's leading passer and rusher in 1947 but, although 22-year-old put up pretty impressive numbers that year, he was far more of a running back that a quarterback.

Hoernschemeyer's deficiencies as a passer were highlighted during the Thanksgiving game as he struggled to generate any sort of a rhythm through the air and instead relied on his legs to move the Dodgers upfield against a 49ers defense that ranked as the fourth best in the AAFC and had few problems in manhandling the hosts straight from the kick-off.

In the second quarter 49ers signal-caller Frankie Albert completed the longest touchdown pass of the team's brief history. Dropping back and surveying the field, the diminutive passer found left-halfback Len Eshmont - scorer of the Niners' first touchdown the year before - who took the ball 60 yards for the score to put the visitors up by 14.

Again the 49ers stifled anything that the Dodgers tried on offense, forcing them to punt after a quick three and out. The San Francisco backfield once again set about tearing apart the Brooklyn defense, pushing the ball all the way down to the Dodger one-yard line, Strzykalski did the rest and made it 21-0 at the half.

Ebbets Field was beginning to look even more sparsely populated as the second half got underway, with many patrons deciding that they had endured the New York winter climate enough for one day and making the journey home for their turkey dinners.

The Dodgers, to their credit, stiffened defensively in the second half, determined not to give away mich to a 49er ground game that had dominated the previous 30 minutes of play.

They succeeded in that task as the third quarter ended scoreless, and the fourth looked poised to end the same way until Hoernschemeyer drove the Dodgers down to San Francisco's five-yard line, setting up fullback Mickey Colmer - Brooklyn's leading scorer on the season - to bundle over for a touchdown that helped the hosts avoid a shutout.

That was little more than a consolation for the Dodgers, though, and the clocked ticked down to signal a Thanksgiving victory for the 49ers, who could then go off to enjoy the festivities in the Big Apple. The three-headed monster in the San Francisco backfield amassed over 300 rushing yards and accounted for all 21 points scored by the Niners.

In addition to his eight rushing touchdowns, Standlee put up 585 yards on the ground in 1947. Strzykalski scored eight total touchdowns (five rushing, three receiving) and totaled an impressive 906 yards rushing and 1184 yards from scrimmage.

The versatile Eshmont completed the season with almost as many receiving yards as rushing yards, going for 303 yards through the air and 381 yards on the ground. After he succumbed to infectious hepatitis in 1957 at the age of 39, the 49ers set up the Len Eshmont award, an annual honour given to the player who best exemplifies his inspirational and courageous play and stands as the most coveted prize given out by the team.

For a detailed biography of Wally Yonamine, click here.

49ers Thanksgiving Day game results

1947 - 49ers 21, Brooklyn Dodgers 7
1966 - 49ers 41, Detroit Lions 14
1969 - Dallas Cowboys 24, 49ers 24
1972 - 49ers 31, Dallas Cowboys 10
2011 - Ravens 16, 49ers 6

For a full NFL breakdown of every Thanksgiving Day game ever played, click here.

Week 12 Review: Niners continue winning run amid offensive struggles

The 49ers made it three wins in a row with a 17-13 victory over the Washington Redskins on Sunday, here's our review of the action from Levi's Stadium.

Torture. It is a word that has been used regularly by fans of the San Francisco Giants baseball team in recent years to describe their close games. However, the 49ers are proving just as good at putting their supporters through the mill this season.

After squeaking by the New Orleans Saints in overtime and then beating the New York Giants 16-10, San Francisco's offense once again struggled, allowing Washington to keep things close despite a hugely impressive performance from the defense.

Indeed, the 49er offense committed three turnovers in an anaemic showing, but rallied late to seal triumph with a four-yard rushing touchdown from rookie running back Carlos Hyde, a score that marked his fourth of the year.

The success keeps the Niners in the thick of the playoff race at 7-4 with five games remaining in a tight NFC conference.

The Bad

This was not a pretty game for the 49ers by any means but, since I'm more of an optimist, I want to try and focus on the positives. With that being said, we cannot just skip over some pretty poor play from San Francisco, the majority of which came from the offense.

Once again the offense struggled to move the ball consistently after Colin Kaepernick's 30-yard touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin on the Niners' opening drive.

The turnovers, which came courtesy of fumbles from tailbacks Hyde and Frank Gore and a Kaepernick interception on an ill-advised throw in the third quarter, were disappointing. However, it was  the lack of rhythm and the stagnant appearance of Greg Roman's unit that was most worrying.

Gore and Hyde were unable to get anything going on the ground, while a Washington secondary minus starting cornerback David Amerson and depleted further by in-game injuries to Tracy Porter
and E.J. Biggers, frustrated the passing attack until Kaepernick hit form in the fourth quarter to drive the Niners down the field and set up Hyde's winning score.

I could spend all day lamenting the failings of certain players, particularly tight end Vernon Davis and right tackle Jonathan Martin, who played particularly poorly in place of the concussed Anthony Davis. However, as this is an optimistic look back at Sunday's game, it is time to focus on the good.

The Good

While the offense continues to endure difficulties, the 49ers' injury-hit defense goes from strength to strength.

Aside from allowing Washington running back Alfred Morris to rush for over 100 yards and a touchdown, this was another dominant performance from Vic Fangio's group, with the Niner defense consistently pressuring Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III - sacked five times in the game - and keeping a talented group of wide receivers in check.

Outside linebacker and pass-rush specialist Aldon Smith built on his encouraging showing in his return against the Giants by bullying Washington left tackle Morgan Moses, finishing the game with two sacks, two quarterback hits and one hurry.

Smith combined extremely well with rookie edge rusher Aaron Lynch in harrying Griffin. Lynch recorded his fourth sack of his maiden year in the league and would have had another if not for a helmet-to-helmet tackle penalty called on free safety Eric Reid.

Fellow rookies Chris Borland and Dontae Johnson also put up strong performances. Inside linebacker Borland unsurprisingly leading the Niners in tackles and Johnson earning the best Pro Football Focus (subscription required) grade of all the San Francisco defensive backs.

But the game-winning defensive contribution came from the oldest hand on the 49er defense as veteran defensive lineman Justin Smith sacked Griffin, forcing the ball into the arms of outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks and ending any hope the Redskins had of pulling out an upset win.

Although it was the defense that kept the Niners in a position to win the game, there were some positive performances in the other two facets of the game.

On special teams punter Andy Lee had something of a bounce back display after a difficult few weeks. The four-time All-Pro averaged 50.3 yards on his six punts, two of which pinned the Redskins inside their 20-yard line.

Wideout Boldin was responsible for the majority of the offense's output, catching nine passes for 137 yards and his touchdown.

Boldin made a couple of key receptions on the drive that led to Hyde's score, including a 29-yard catch and run on a dart from Kaepernick in which he bounced off a helmet-to-helmet hit from Washington safety Ryan Clark that drew a penalty to put the Niners deep in Redskin territory.

That play was pivotal in deciding the game and it also served as further evidence of the character of Kaepernick. The 49ers signal-caller, who finished 20-29 for 256 yards with a touchdown and an interception, showed no fear in threading the needle to find Boldin in a high-pressure situation, coming through in the clutch once as he has done so many times already in his NFL career.

San Francisco's unity has been called into question on more than one occasion in 2014 but, although their recent wins have been ugly ones, it is clear at this stage of the season that the 49ers have stacks of character on both sides of the ball that should serve them well down the stretch.

Next Up

Up next for the Niners is their biggest game of the season so far as bitter NFC West foes the Seattle Seahawks (7-4) visit Levi's Stadium on Thanksgiving night for a match-up that could well determine whether Jim Harbaugh's men reach the playoffs.

A win will see the 49ers gain separation from the Seahawks in the wildcard race and put further pressure on the Arizona Cardinals atop the West. Defeat, on the other hand, would leave San Francisco in a precarious position at 7-5 ahead of a tough four-game run to finish the regular season .

The Niners have opened as one-point favourites for this huge encounter. It will take all of their resolve to ensure that they emerge victorious and gain a measure of revenge for last season's NFC Championship game loss in Seattle.

Safeties in numbers: A comparison between Donte Whitner and Antoine Bethea

We haven't had a chance to put up a preview for today's visit of the Washington Redskins. However, we do have some Sunday reading from you courtesy of Paul Kadwill, who has compared the performance of strong safety Antoine Bethea with that of his predecessor Donte Whitner.


Free-agent safety Antoine Bethea has put up impressive numbers in his first 10 games with the San Francisco 49ers. He has done so with little fanfare and his contribution has gone largely unnoticed by the media, who dedicated plenty of coverage to his predecessor Donte Whitner.

But how do the two players compare?  Have the 49ers seen an improvement in play from the safety position since Bethea has come in, or should they have given in to Whitner's demands and handed him a lucrative contract?

Lets take a look:

Both players are very similar in stature with Bethea slightly taller but Whitner a tad heavier. They each put up 40-yard dash times of 4.4 seconds at the scouting combine and entered the NFL via the 2006 draft. Whitner was the eighth overall pick while Bethea had to wait until the sixth round, when he was taken with the 207th overal pick, for his call-up into the pros.

Bethea, who is just under a year older than Whitner, signed a four-year $23million contract, with the 49ers after Whitner had departed to join the Cleveland Browns on a four-year $28million deal.

Analysing the first 10 starts in San Francisco for Bethea against the first 10 starts in Whitner's last two seasons with the 49ers, it is easy to see that both players have played almost the same number of snaps in each season.  This validates the comparison of their statistics, along with the fact that the data for both players comes from them playing in the exact same defensive system and are under the tutelage of the exact same coaching staff.  For the most recent two seasons both strong safeties also worked with the same free safety in Eric Reid.

The overall Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade for each player jumps out immediately as being quite drastically different. In 2012 Whitner had a quite awful -3 overall grade. A year later and this had changed to 9.1, possibly due to the fact that he was in the final year of his contract and was auditioning to the league in order to get the best contract possible at the end of the 2013 season.

Bethea has a staggering 15.2 overall PFF performance grade after his first 10 games, an increase of over 50 percent when compared to Whitner in the previous season.

Whitner's pass-rush grade for 2013 is slightly higher than Bethea's, but this is of course not the main requirement of a safety. When looking at the pass coverage rating Bethea's grade in that area is almost double that of Whitner in 2013, his strongest year with the Niners, although the Cleveland native does have a slight edge in run defense.

Former Indianapolis Colt Bethea also trumps Whitner in terms of tackling, compiling 12 more tackles than the ex-Buffalo Bill did in his contract year. That's a 30 percent increase in tackles from the strong safety position for the 49ers in 2014.

There may be a number of reasons for this increase, it may show that Bethea's decision making is better than Whitner's. Indeed, Bethea has displayed an impressive ability to put himself in a position to make the tackle and makes the move to get into the vicinity of the ball carrier quicker than Whitner.

Equally, with All-Pro inside linebackers Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman sidelined, there is perhaps a greater possibility of opposing ball carriers to get to the second level - although the play of Chris Borland has greatly aided the San Francisco front seven - and therefore the need for a safety to tackle is higher.

Sadly there is no way to find out what proportion of tackles made are against backs or receivers in order to help clarify this.  However, this does not detract from the fact that Bethea has a significantly outperformed Whitner as a tackler.

In 2013 Whitner had the least number of missed tackles through the first 10 games of all three seasons worth of data that we are looking at. This could be down to it being a contract year again, or it could be partly due to the difference in opposition played in each year, however, in each of the three seasons neither Whitner nor Bethea missed too many tackles so this is somewhat of a moot point.

Taking all of the available statistics into account, it is abundantly clear that Bethea has been an upgrade on Whitner at the strong safety position. In virtually every category Bethea has so far outclassed Whitner and in many he has been significantly better.

Paired with the numbers we have seen, it is the fact that Bethea was signed for $5million less than what the Browns paid for Whinter. A better player for less money? Signing Bethea is proving to be a trademark astute move from general manager Trent Baalke. Additionally, the fact that he was signed on the first day of free agency shows that Baalke and the 49ers had been following Bethea closely during the 2013 season and had already decided to pursue him as a replacement for Whitner before the free agency window opened.

Bethea may not have the same outspoken persona as Whitner or make as many big hits, but he has replaced his predecessor with a quiet, professional demeanour and has been superior on the field in virtually every way.  He is a genuine contender for the 49ers' defensive MVP award and another fine addition to an already super-talented defense.

This Week in 49ers History: Week 12, 1984

As part of his series looking back at the Niner games from years gone by, Paul Kadwill recounts a Week 12 clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from a 1984 season that lives long in the memory of 49er fans.

Way back 30 years ago this week the 49ers were nearing the end of one of the most successful and dominant seasons in NFL history.

Fuelled by the feeling that they had been robbed in the previous year's NFC championship game against the Washington Redskins, when two controversial penalties cost them the game, the 49ers went into 1984 with a steely determination to right a gigantic wrong.

After losing starters to the upstart United States Football League, head coach Bill Walsh plugged the gaps in the defense with a mixture of draft picks and brought in veteran nose tackle Manu Tuiasosopo from the Seattle Seahawks. Several existing players were missing during preseason as they negotiated new contracts, with star pass rusher Fred Dean not returning until part way through the season.

With the new additions fitting in seamlessly and the holdouts returning, the 49ers onslaught began to pick up speed with each passing week. Barring a narrow defeat to Pittsburgh in Week 7, San Francisco had dominated each game and were winning by increasingly impressive margins.

By Week 12 they were sitting atop of their division with an 10-1 record after demolishing the Browns 41-7 in Cleveland the week before.

The next team to try to stop the steamrolling Niners were the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  Entering Candlestick Park off of a close win against the New York Giants, the Buccaneers were at 4-7.  What their record failed to illuminate was that in the majority of their losses, the Bucs had run their opponents extremely close all the way to the final whistle and  were not a team to be taken lightly.

The 1984 season also marked the year that the Buccaneers acquired the rights to a certain left-handed quarterback from Brigham Young University by the name of Steve Young through the NFL supplemental draft. Young, however, had already signed a lucrative contract with the Los Angeles Express of the USFL and decided to honour the contract. This was short-lived, though, as the LA Express folded during 1985, allowing Young to join up with the Bucs.


The Game

It was clear from the outset that the Buccaneers had done their homework before arriving at Candlestick Park.  Throughout the first quarter of play, the Buccaneers stifled the much vaunted 49er offense, allowing some yardage whilst at the same time not allowing any big plays or any threats to the red zone.

In a surprise to everyone, they managed to keep the 49ers scoreless in the first quarter, which was something of a result considering that the hosts had put up so many points throughout the season and in the previous week against Cleveland.

But the Bucs were receiving the same treament from the 49er defense, who also employed the 'bend but don't break' philosophy.

Part way through the second quarter the deadlock was finally broken after a well constructed drive led by 49ers quarterback Joe Montana.  Moving the ball all the way down to the two-yard line with a classic West Coast offense display of dinks and dunks, it was left to second-year running back Roger Craig to carry the ball into the end zone after some aggressive run blocking by the offensive line created a nice hole from him to attack.

Ex-49ers quarterback Steve DeBerg, famously supplanted from his starting role by Joe Montana, was behind center for Tampa Bay. On the first drive after the home team went ahead, DeBerg moved the chains for the visitors with several passes including some to speedy receiver Gerald Carter. The 49er defense firmed up however, forcing Tampa to settle for a 27-yard field goal.

The Buccaneers looked as if they may have finally succumbed to the powerful 49er offense, when on the next drive they were again picked apart by San Francisco. This time it was the backfield duo of Craig and Wendall Tyler that did the majority of the damage.

Again the 49ers pushed all the way inside the Tampa five-yard line and from three yards out, wide receiver Freddie Solomon took a reverse into the end zone for a rushing touchdown.  San Francisco led 14-3 and floodgates appeared to have opened.

Tampa Bays offense refused to throw in the towel, however, and again DeBerg was finding success through the air against his former team.  The final drive of the half ended when DeBerg found his tight end Jimmie Giles for a nine-yard score to cap off an exciting second quarter.

The adjustments made by the Niners began to pay dividends at the start of the second half as a DeBerg pass was intercepted. San Francisco's tandem of running backs took advantage, grinding the visitors down before Tyler punched the ball into the end zone from the one-yard line.

DeBerg displayed his veteran experience and was not rattled by his previous interception, connecting with Carter, his favoured target of the day, for a nine-yard score. Carter would finish with 166 receiving yards and a touchdown.

At that point Tampa was far from dead and buried with a four-point deficit with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter. Attempting to put the game away Walsh once again leant on his tailbacks, however, this time the Bucs were able to keep the Niners out of the end zone, forcing San Francisco to kick a 39-yard field goal and give the hosts a 24-17 lead.

Yet there was still time for Tampa to come back and eradicate the 49ers' one-score lead. Nerves were soon jangling as DeBerg led another menacing drive that looked destined to end in paydirt. However, with their backs against the wall and the game on the line the 49er defense came up big by picking off the Buccaneers' signal-caller for a second time to secure a dramatic victory.

The 49ers had defeated their former quarterback and with the win moved to 11-1 on the year. They won all of their remaining regular season games and finished with a 15-1 record.

During the playoffs San Francisco dominated the New York Giants and the Chicago Bears on the way to a Super Bowl matchup against the Miami Dolphins.

The Dolphins were led by young superstar quarterback Dan Marino, who broke both the single-season passing yardage and the single-season touchdowns records in 1984. Miami finished with a 14-2 record and accrued over 500 points in a single season for the first time in their history.

Build-up to Super Bowl XIX was dominated by the hype surrounding Marino, with many newspapers and TV stations already crowning him and the Dolphins champions. However, Montana spearheaded the 49ers to a famous victory in front of a home crowd at Stanford Stadium - just a few miles from the city by the bay - sealing a 38-16 success for San Francisco, a scoreline that flattered a Dolphins team that went scoreless in the second half.

Marino, sacked four times and intercepted twice, was visibly frustrated throughout as what proved to be his only shot at Super Bowl glory slipped through his fingers.

Review: Defense puts up giant showing to rescue Niners again

In an attempt to get more content on the blog we will now by posting regular game reviews. Here we look back at Sunday's win over the New York Giants.

In Short

Just as in the Week 10 success at the New Orleans Saints, the 49ers' defense showed up big to secure San Francisco's sixth win of the season with a 16-10 victory in New York. Vic Fangio's unit intercepted Giants quarterback five times, with rookie linebacker Chris Borland snagging two.

Borland's second pick came in an impressive goal-line stand in the fourth quarter and effectively sealed the game for the Niners, whose offense struggled to points on the board in a disappointing display.

Colin Kaepernick's 48-yard strike to Michael Crabtree was the Niners' only touchdown of the day in an offensive performance that saw San Francisco consistently struggle to finish drives down in the red zone.

The failings of the offense kept Manning and the Giants in the game right to the end but thankfully this depleted defense, which welcomed back outside linebacker Aldon Smith, stood firm to preserve a result that takes the Niners to 6-4.

The good

Most of the good this week came from the defense and in particular Borland, who continues to exceed expectations in filling the role vacated by the injured Patrick Willis.

Borland once again displayed his outstanding nose for the football by building on his pivotal overtime fumble recovery with his pair of interceptions, undercutting the route of the Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. for his first in the second quarter and then diving to catch a tipped ball from cornerback Dontae Johnson to make the game safe in the fourth.

The former Wisconsin Badger also had 13 tackles, including two for a loss, taking his tally to 47 in just four stars as he furthered his case for the Defensive Rookie of The Year award.

Fellow inside linebacker Michael Wilhoite also picked off Manning, as did safety Eric Reid and corner Chris Culliver.

Culliver's interception was just reward for his best showing of the season, in which he allowed just three receptions for a mere 35 yards. The former South Carolina Gamecock also gave the ball he picked off to Jim Harbaugh on the sideline in a show of support for his head coach.

On the edges the returning Smith and rookie Aaron Lynch gave the New York offensive line all sorts of problems, the pair combining for 15 quarterback hurries while Lynch posted his third sack of an impressive first year in the league.

Up front Ray McDonald, who has earned more attention for his off-the-field difficulties, was the highest rated 3-4 defensive end by Pro Football Focus, however, there were some strong performances on the other side of the ball.

Crabtree, after complaining last week about being "a third-down receiver", had by far his best game of the campaign, his touchdown serving as a fine example of his abilities after the catch as he caught a slant pass and broke a couple of tackles to sprint into the end zone.

For the second straight week the offense was controlled largely by running back Frank Gore as the Niners focused predominantly on the ground game.

San Francisco's all-time leading rusher put up 95 yards on 19 carries, yet on the whole it was another disappointing day for the offense. 

The bad

Gore's fumble on the opening drive set the theme for the day for the 49ers from an offensive standpoint.

Indeed, it was a day of miscues and missed opportunities down inside the Giants' 20-yard line for Kaepernick and crew, for whom punching the ball into the end zone proved an extremely difficult task. 

Four times the Niners were held to field goal attempts, one of which ended in failure due to a botched snap, by one of the worst defenses in the NFL and at this stage of the season that is unacceptable.

The New York defense played well with their backs against the wall versus a San Francisco offense that did not always execute perfectly.

But, in my view, the problem once again surrounded the play-calling.

Despite Gore's success in running on the Giants, offensive coordinator Greg Roman seemed unwilling to stick with the rushing attack in the red zone even with his starting running back averaging five yards a carry versus a run defense that gave up 350 yards on the ground to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 10.

Gore continues to show time and again that he still has the legs to carry the ball 25 to 30 times a game but was afforded less than 20 attempts, while deputy Carlos Hyde was handed the rock on just nine occasions in spite of his key contribution to the defeat of the Saints.

I understand the need for a balanced gameplan to keep defenses honest. However, there was an obvious formula to beating the Giants on Sunday and Roman did not commit to it fully.

San Francisco's undermanned defense has played phenomenally well this season and continues to bail out the offense. But if Roman's group does not turn things around then there will come a time when it will prove too much for the Fangio's unit to overcome.

The Ugly

It was a scrappy game at MetLife Stadium but the ugliest thing on display was the attitude of outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

Brooks reportedly "benched himself" after just 12 snaps in protest against playing as part of a rotation with Lynch, who has outperformed him this season, and Smith.

Harbaugh has since insisted that the issue has been resolved and Brooks will play in Week 12. I sincerely hope that is the case as Brooks is a solid run defender, however, he may have to resign himself to the fact that the Niners' pass rush is far better with Lynch and Smith on the field.

The incident does not say much for the mentality of a player who was said to have reported back after the offseason overweight and one who was apparently the subject of trade talks between the 49ers and the Cleveland Browns.

San Francisco need as many healthy bodies on defense as it can get but it will be interesting to see what the future holds for Brooks - slated to earn $6million in 2015 - beyond this season.

Next Up

The Niners return home in Week 12 to host a Washington Redskins team that dropped to 3-7 with a 27-7 home loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 11.

Nose tackle Glenn Dorsey is likely to feature for the 49ers after being activated to the 53-man roster at the expense of Ian Williams, who has been sent to injured reserve due to a fractured fibula. 

San Francisco have opened as eight-point favourites for this encounter and will be expected to further their playoff hopes against an opponent slumping to another disappointing campaign. 

But Levi's Stadium has been far from a fortress in the Niners' opening season at their new home and Harbaugh will probably need more from his offense versus a defense ranked 10th in the league if they are to avoid an upset akin to the losses to the Chicago Bears and St. Louis Rams.

This Week in 49ers History: Week 11, 2006

Ahead of the Niners' with the New York Giants, Paul Kadwill delves into the archives to take a look at a memorable Week 11 clash from years gone by.

A more recent trip back in time this week as we go back eight seasons to 2006 for a Week 11 battle against the Seattle Seahawks.

The 2006 season was the 49ers' second with head coach Mike Nolan at the helm. Nolan was looking to improve on his debut year with San Francisco, which saw the Niners finish 4-12. Taking charge of coordinating the offense was Norv Turner, who had been let go as the head coach for the Oakland Raiders after the end of the 2005 campaign.

Turner remains a well respected and experienced coach and much was expected of him during his tenure with the 49ers, although his system - much aligned with the ‘Air Coryell’ system of the 1980s - was markedly different to the West Coast offense that San Francisco had been famous for in the past.

The previous offensive coordinator, Mike McCarthy, left San Francisco after the 2005 season to become the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. McCarthy was the last connection to the original West Coast offense coaching tree of Bill Walsh.

On offense, the 49ers had little in the way of experience but they had some promising young players who would mature through 2006 and beyond, many of whom are still enjoying successful careers today. Frank Gore and Alex Smith were both entering their second year for the team whilst the 2006 draft saw tight ends Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker join the team.

Defensively, the 49ers were somewhat weak although they were still fortunate to have one or two ageing veterans to rely upon including cornerback Walt Harris and linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, while the consistently brilliant Bryant Young served as the final tie to the the team that won Super Bowl XXIX.

When Mike Nolan was brought in to try to turn the team around, one of the most important factors was his defensive prowess. In order to improve the performance of the defense, Nolan looked to bolster the core of the unit through the draft and drafted two linebackers who would provide useful service for several years, namely Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson.

Lawson showed flashes of promise and proved to be a steady if unspectacular player for the 49ers. By contrast, Haralson became a stalwart of the 49ers defense as it developed into a competitive unit and it was only when the current crop of even more talented players arrived that Haralson would see diminished playing time before moving to New Orleans.

In the first 10 weeks of the 2006 season San Francisco had compiled a 4-5 record with a trend for winning by small margins but losing by large ones. Their worst loss of the season came at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs, who thrashed the Niners 41-0 at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 4.

Meanwhile, the Seahawks were coming off of a Super Bowl appearance in 2005 after comfortably winning the NFC West with a 13-3 record. They started 2006 with three wins in a row and, by the time they travelled to Candlestick Park, Seattle stood at 6-3.

The Game

After the 49ers did nothing on their opening drive, Seattle quarterback Seneca Wallace looked set to put points on board as he leaned heavily on running back Shaun Alexander to move the Seahawks down to the San Francisco 44-yard line.

But Wallace then quickly turned the ball over, throwing a deep shot that was intercepted by safety Keith Lewis.

On first down the ball was handed to tailback Gore, who eluded the defensive line and broke into the open field, only for cornerback Marcus Trufant to bring him down but not before a gain of 51 yards. 

Quarterback Smith then found tight end Eric Johnson for 18 yards but a delay of game penalty on third down proved costly as the Niners were forced to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Joe Nedney.

Following another Seahawks three-and-out the Niners were pinned back at the six-yard line after a booming 57-yard punt. Yet once more Gore was able to move the hosts away from their own end zone, although this particular drive stalled just after the 49ers' 20-yard line.

Losing two yards on their first play of the subsequent drive, the Seahawks called for another pass downfield, obviously still confident that their receiving corps could beat a 49er secondary that had failed to shine in 2006. Once again they were proved wrong, though, as Harris intercepted a ball meant for Deion Branch.

The 49ers took over on Seattle's 40 yard line and immediately looked to build a commanding lead.
Smith found wide receiver Antonio Bryant for 16 yards, a play that moved them up to the Seahawks 24-yard line.

With the Seahawks defense rattled, wide receiver Bryan Gilmore gained 10 yards on a reverse play and the 49ers were knocking on the door of the Seattle end zone. Three plays later on third down, Smith found Arnaz Battle for a nine-yard touchdown to put the Niners up 10-0.

It was not just the Seattle defense that was rattled. After two interceptions and barely any production, the Seahawks offense struggling too. Another quick three-and-out and the 49ers attack was on the field again.

Frank Gore continued to feast on the Seattle defense, rushing for 20 yards on first down. Not to be outdone, Smith hit Battle for 23 yards and the offense was rolling. Gore came up with another huge play, with a 23-yard rush taking the Niners down to the Seahawks three-yard line.

Newly drafted fullback Michael Robinson moved the ball another two yards before Alex Smith 
scampered into the endzone on a quarterback keeper to increase the lead to 17-0.

The already hyperactive home crowd was sent into delirium on the very next play after the resulting kick-off as Wallace completed a short pass to tight end Jerramy Stevens, who gained 18 yards until he was met by Mark Roman. The 49er safety dislodged the ball, which was then scooped up by Lewis and returned 23 yards to the Seattle 31-yard line.

Several players later and the Niners found themselves seven yards away from the end zone in the final seconds of the first half. Smith attempted to get the ball beyond the goal-line, however, his pass to Battle was completed one yard shy, forcing Nedney to knock through an 18-yard field goal to give San Francisco a 20-0 lead at half-time.

On the restart of the second half it soon became apparent that the Seahawks' half-time adjustments had made a difference. Alexander led the visitors into Niners territory before Wallace a 38-yard touchdown pass to Branch to cut the gap to 13 points.

Both teams then traded punts prior to another 50-yard run on first down from Gore, who exploited a gaping hole created by left guard Larry Allen, the 35-year-old former secured a Pro Bowl appearance after a fine 2006 campaign.

The latest big run by Gore moved the 49ers onto the Seattle 30-yard line and it looked as if the success seen in the first half was set to return after a fruitless third quarter.

Yet it wasn't to be, the drive came up 13 yards shy of paydirt, leaving the Niners to settle for a Nedney field goal that was blocked as the momentum swung in Seattle's favour.

The visitors could not take advantage, however, the Seahawks forced to punt again as the game entered the fourth quarter. Still, Seattle would not have to wait long to get the ball back following another unsuccessful 49ers drive that saw a 43-yard pass from Smith to Bryant wiped out by a holding penalty called on Jonas Jennings, handing Seattle the ball with a little over eight minutes to play.

Wallace found his rhythm again and, after being aided by an illegal contact penalty on the 49ers, hit a 41-yard touchdown pass to wideout Darrell Jackson. Seattle, who looked to be dead and buried after the first two quarters, were now just six points behind with nearly seven minutes still on the clock.

San Francisco's offense was on the field for just another three plays before turning possesion back over to the Seahawks, who now had the chance to take the lead. After picking up 11 yards, the Hawks were on their own 28 when Marques Douglas came up with a huge sack that lost the visitors 10 yards.

Facing 3rd and 20 on their own 18, Wallace found Branch for 19 yards to make it 4th and 1. With the game on the line Seattle went for it. Wallace handed off to Alexander who was hit instantly by future Hall of Famer Bryant Young for a 1 yard loss. The 49ers took over on the Seattle 36 as the two minute warning sounded.

At the restart the 49ers were looking to eat up the clock and therefore handed it off to the red-hot Gore, however, his luck then evaded him as Lofa Tutapu forced a fumble that was recovered by Seattle to give the Seahawks another chance to try to complete the comeback.

Wallace was immediately sacked by Roderick Green for a nine-yard loss on the very next play and then tossed an interception to Harris.

San Francisco ate up a further 40 seconds of clock before going for a field goal, but the 27 yard chip shot missed. Once again, though, Seattle could not take advantage of the Niners' miscues and after three straight incomplete passes, had one final chance to save the game on fourth down. 

Wallace found Mack Strong for 13 yards but the fullback was stripped by corner Marcus Hudson, who recovered the ball to ensure a 49ers win.

The victory elevated the 49ers to 5-5 and allow the team to pull closer to Seattle in the NFC West standings.

Frank Gore finished with a mammoth 212 yards rushing on 24 attempts but did not score a touchdown. Gore ended the season with 1695 rushing yards and a trip to Hawaii for the Pro Bowl. His counterpart Shaun Alexander put up just 37 yards rushing in the game as he was shut down by the much maligned 49ers defense that served as the main reason why the Niners pulled off the upset triumph over their enemies.

Extra special praise went to Walt Harris for his pair of interceptions. Harris also went to the Pro Bowl after a strong campaign.

The 49ers would finish 2006 with a 7-9 record, two games back from the NFC West champion Seahawks. Although third place in the NFC West was not what they had hoped for, the Niners had achieved their best record since 2003.

Where is Justin Smith?

The 49ers' defense has impressed this season despite the absence of a number of key players. However, one veteran has not exactly caught the eye in 2014. Here Paul Kadwill asks the question: where is Justin Smith?

It's a question that some fans have been going onto social media to ask their peers this season, as the 49ers' defensive line has been proficient, sometimes excellent but somewhat unspectacular compared to recent years. In the eyes of many, defensive end Justin Smith is not standing out during games like he has so many times in the past.

Are there any reasons for what we are seeing, or indeed, not seeing?

It's no secret that the 49ers have enjoyed a marked defensive improvement ever since Smith was signed away from the Cincinnati Bengals before the start of the 2008 season.

Justin has arguably been the most dangerous defensive player in the league over the past few seasons, especially since teaming up with outside linebacker and pass-rush specialist Aldon Smith, with both receiving countless hours of media attention because of their standout play.

This, however, has not been the case in 2014, although the spotlight has understandably moved away from the right side of the 49ers' front seven following Aldon Smith's nine-game suspension, which was handed down before the start of the season.

But is the Justin Smith effect still being felt by opposing offenses or has his impact been reduced since his tag-team partner has been absent?  Is age finally catching up with the man known as 'The Cowboy.'

Let's compare the first nine games of the past three seasons to analyse Smith's play and see if there has been any drop-off in his output this season. Although there are many variables that influence these statistics, looking at nine weeks worth of data for each year enables us to get a pretty good feel for how the 35-year-old has been performing.

During 2012 both Justin and Aldon Smith started all nine highlighted games. For the first nine games of 2013, Aldon Smith started only games 1-3 and 9 after voluntarily entering a rehabilitation centre and missing five weeks in between. Therefore just over half of the 2013 games we shall look at were played in by Justin without his defensive partner and has had to do the same for nine games this year.

(Note:  All data and grades are obtained from profootballfocus.com. For an explanation of the PFF grading system, please see here: http://www.profootballfocus.com/about/grading/ )

The first trend that jumps out is the marked decrease in the number of snaps played by Justin Smith over the course of three seasons.  There is a difference of 130 snaps through nine games between 2012 and 2014. Smith's increased age would strike most as the obvious reason for this, however, the fundamental factor behind this drop in playing time is the increase in quality found throughout the depth chart of the defensive line.

The 49ers now have the confidence to be able to insert any defensive lineman into the game at any point and to know that they will do their job.  This is not just a luxury for Vic Fangio, Jim Tomsula and the other coaching staff, but it is also something that Justin himself is taking advantage of, whereby he is happy to sub himself out for a play or two in order to catch his breath without worrying about a drop in the quality of play of the defensive line.

That added strength in depth may very well behind the drop in tackles made by Smith over the years. With an abundance of talent around him now, tackles can come from anywhere along the line, from any linebacking position or indeed, from the secondary. There may well be some reduction due to age, but upon watching film this does not appear evident.

The ability to be able to take a breather and to rely upon teammates is also leading to improvements to Smith's game in other areas.
 
His overall snap and tackle counts may be down but his quarterback pressure statistics for the last two years are noticeably higher than in 2012.

In the 2012 campaign 3% of all plays that Smith was in resulted in some form of quarterback pressure, a number that increased to 6.5% in 2013 and stands at 5% through the first nine games of 2014 despite the significantly lower snap count.

I believe that during 2013 a lot of this improvement was as a result of Aldon Smith temporarily leaving the team. This motivated Justin Smith to take over the responsibility of pressuring the passer on his own whilst his teammate was rehabilitating, leading to monster 2013 statistics. However, such effort was never going to be sustainable.

This year's data also shows an increase on the 2012 figures - although not to the same level as 2013 - when both he and Aldon were playing.

The fact that Smith has put up impressive quarterback pressure numbers despite playing his lowest number of snaps in three years goes a long way to proving that allowing him to take regular rest breaks during games has enabled the veteran to be more effective, a theory that is further supported by his defensive grade for all three years.

Smith's run defense grade for this year is astronomical while his pass-rush grade is also very impressive, although nowhere near that of 2013, when he stepped in and filled some of the void left by Aldon Smith's absence.

It is also important to recognise that many of traits that allow Justin Smith to play in the NFL are intangible. His most prized talent is the ability to occupy two offensive linemen simultaneously, which has been a huge factor in the success of Aldon Smith and other pass rushers on the team. If this ability could be numerically summarised, there is no doubt that Justin Smith would be at the top of the league in this category.

After analysing Justin Smith's performance from 2012 through to Week 10 of the current campaign, I believe the statistics show that, despite the decreasing praise from those in the media, there has NOT been any drop-off in production from Justin and that actually he has improved significantly in many areas

At 35 years of age and with one more season left on his current contract, we may not see 'The Cowboy' perform his heroics for very much longer. From what we have seen so far this year though, he will not be fading away gradually.

Win marred by Willis news, but Niners have good reason to be confident

The world of sport can be extremely cruel, a fact that 49er fans are learning the hard way in 2014.

All was right with the world on Tuesday, the Niners had bounced back from the bizarre Week 9 loss to the St Louis Rams with a thrilling overtime success over the New Orleans Saints and Aldon Smith, who will hopefully be the saviour of San Francisco's struggling pass rush, returned to practice following his nine-week suspension. 

Then we were hit with the news that the emotional leader of the 49ers, inside linebacker Patrick Wills, is to undergo surgery on a toe injury sustained in the Week 6 win over the Rams and will miss the rest of the season. 

It initially felt like a gut-punch but, while the loss of Willis cannot be understated, there is no reason for San Francisco supporters to panic over the immediate future of a defense that ranks second in the NFL despite playing shorthanded throughout the season.

Stand-ins Michael Wilhoite and Chris Borland have performed admirably in the absence of Willis and NaVorro Bowman, whose return to practice from that gruesome knee injury in the NFC title game loss in Seattle appears to be edging closer. 

Borland in particular has been superb, amassing 35 tackles in the last two games and recovering the Drew Brees fumble in overtime that set up the game-winning field goal from Phil Dawson, making a case for playing ahead of Wilhoite when Bowman makes his comeback.

Whether Borland could potentially displace Willis, who will be 30 when he returns to action, is a debate for another time but, with he and Wilhoite playing above expectations, perhaps the bigger news on the defensive side of the ball is that nose tackle Ian Williams has a small fracture in his left leg and will be out for a few weeks.

Williams will not need surgery but his absence, with Glenn Dorsey yet to be activated following his return to practice, places pressure on second-year lineman Quinton Dial to perform.

Tramaine Brock is also expected to miss Sunday's visit to the New York Giants due to a hamstring problem yet, despite all the injuries, the defense is the unit I find trusting the most to deliver.

Instead the worry surrounds an offense that continues to struggle to put points on the board in the second half, an issue that no game-saving 51-yard bomb - no matter how impressive - can hide.

The re-emphasis on the running game displayed in New Orleans is a plus yet the fact remains that this group has failed to perform for a full four quarters throughout the season.

Luckily the Giants rank last in overall defense and have been pitiful against the run. You can never afford to be complacent in the NFL, but this looks to be the perfect matchup for the Niners to regain their confidence and consistency.

This Week in 49ers History: Week 10, 1966

Apologies to Paul for once again uploading his 49er history piece after the actual week for which it was intended. This fine look back at a classic clash with the Chicago Bears is still worth your attention, though, and Paul will be back with more ahead of Week 11 - Nick.


In the year that is synonymous with the soccer World Cup in England, the San Francisco 49ers were coming off of their strongest season for several years.

The team posted a 2-12 record in 1963, which was their worst in franchise history. Over the next two years they started to gradually rebuild and finished 1965 with a 7-6-1 record, good enough for fourth in the Western Conference of the NFL.

In 1966 the 49ers were looking to push forward with their ascent in the league standings and attempt to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 1957.

Quarterback John Brodie was in his 10th season with the Niners, whose running game was spearheaded by 23 year-old Ken Willard. The sophomore player, a first-round pick in 1965, would finish the season with over 1100 combined yards and made the Pro Bowl for the second straight year.

It was the emergence of Brodie as a successful quarterback, alongside the addition of Willard and John David Crow into the backfield that had led to the turnaround of the team's fortunes during 1965.

Defensively, linebacker Matt Hazeltine was the star for the 49ers. In his 12th year in the league and with the team, the California native would have one of his most successful seasons, providing exemplary leadership and consistent play as well as scoring the third touchdown of his career on a 22-yard fumble recovery in an epic Week 5 win against the then-undefeated Green Bay Packers.

That win against the Packers gave the Niners their first win of 1966. After such a promising preseason following on from the improvements seen in ‘65, the 49ers opened the new season with a tie against the Minnesota Vikings, which – after a bye week – was followed up by consecutive losses to the Baltimore Colts and the Los Angeles Rams respectively. The season that had promised so much was already on the verge of being a write-off.

The turnaround began with that win over Green Bay and by Week 10 the 49ers' record was 4-3-1. Not what they had hoped for, but San Francisco had at least reversed the poor form that had blighted them at the start of the season.

Week 10 saw the 49ers play at Wrigley Field, Chicago, against the conference rival Bears.

Chicago were still under the guidance of legendary coach George Halas, who had coached them to the World Championship in 1963, a triumph they had since struggled to replicate.

The Bears did have several standout players on their roster, many of whom would go on to become legends in their own right.

Running back Gale Sayers racked up over 1200 rushing yards in ‘66 on an offense that also included tight end Mike Ditka, who of course would go onto coaching glory with the Bears after retiring from playing pro football. Meanwhile the defense feature a phenom at linebacker by the name of Dick Butkus.

On a muddy, cut up field and in a damp, brisk lake wind that took the temperature below zero, the 4-3-1 49ers faced up against the 3-4-1 Chicago Bears in front of over 47,000 frozen and sodden fans at Wrigley Field.

The game

The home team were first to open the scoring when Ralph Kurek went in from three yards out early in the first quarter but the 49ers hit back immediately thanks to the brilliance of Brodie who, unaffected by the frigid weather, manoeuvred San Francisco down to the one-yard line for Willard to smash in for the tying score.

However, the temperature began to take its toll during the second quarter, with the teams trading field goals as both offenses slowed down to knot the scores up a 10-10 at the half.

Entering the second half Brodie was able to find more success against a Bears defense that seemed intent on focusing solely on the 49ers' rushing attack. Brodie took advantage of the soft secondary play and again led the Niners down to the goal-line, where Willard did the rest once more to give the visitors a seven-point advantage.

That proved to be the only score of the third quarter and so the Bears had 15 minutes left in the game to make a comeback in front of an increasingly agitated home crowd.

They duly obliged with the first big play of the game as Bears quarterback Rudy Bukich found Sayers for a 43-yard touchdown. Sayers had been a bright spot for the Bears during the game, rushing for 87 yards, but it was his long touchdown catch that was the highlight.

As turgid as the Bears passing game had been all game, the long touchdown seemed to break the ice off of Bukich and no sooner had Chicago pulled level than they went ahead, this time with a 32-yard touchdown pass caught by Jim Jones.

The 49ers defense, which had been relatively stout up to that point, was on the brink of being blown wide open after allowing 14 points in the space of a few minutes. San Francisco's offense had to take action fast to try to take the pressure off of their reeling defensive comrades.

With a mixture of Brodie passes and rushing gains by both 49er backs, the team rallied and worked their way into the red zone , only for the drive to stall and force the Niners to settle for a Tommy Davis field goal.

After holding the Bears on their next offensive drive, the 49ers got the ball looking to regain the lead but instead they went backwards with a penalty and a sack before a disastrous seemingly put San Francisco on the brink of defeat.

Backed up on their own 11-yard line, the 49ers fumbled the ball, which was scooped and returned for a touchdown by Bears defensive end Ed O’Bradovich, with the missed extra point putting the hosts up 30-20 with time ticking away.

Undeterred, Brodie led another methodical drive into Bears territory, relying heavily on third-down conversions from Willard and leaning on wide receiver Bernie Casey to put the 49ers in position to strike again from the one-yard line for the third time. Without hesitation, 49ers head coach Jack Christiansen called for another Willard run and the 219lb former North Carolina Tarheel broke the plane of the goal-line for his third and final one-yard rushing touchdown of the game.

Following the extra point, San Francisco were still behind 30-27. Was there enough time left to finish the comeback?  The defense made sure there was with another stop, giving the offense the chance to complete the turnaround late in an enthralling encounter.

Utilising Casey yet again, Brodie guided the team down the icy field. This time, however, he couldn't repeat his previous accomplishments and the drive was halted 44 yards from the end zone. On came Davis into the Wrigley Field gusts, which were in full effect when the ball was placed down

The kick was long enough but was being buffeted by the wind.  With inches to spare it bobbled in between the goalposts secured a dramatic tie.

For the 49ers, it was the first time in their history that they had tied two separate games within the same season, while the Bears tied their second straight game after they had finished all square with the Detroit Lions during week 9.

John Brodie finished 28-56 for 327 yards, with no touchdowns and one interception.

Ken Willard rushed for 56 yards from 17 carries and three touchdowns.

Sixth year 49er wideout Bernie Casey enjoyed a career day with an incredible 12 catches for 225 yards. Casey would leave the team after the ‘66 season, spending two years with the Rams before enjoying a long and successful acting career, appearing in a variety of TV shows ranging from  “Streets of San Francisco” to “Star trek: Deep Space 9” and movies such as “Guns of the Magnifcent Seven” and the critically acclaimed football movie ”Brian's Song”, where he played Chicago Bears team captain J.C.Caroline.

The 49ers went on to finish the season with a 6-6-2 record, good enough for fourth place in the Western Conference. The Bears finished just one place behind San Francisco and with one more loss, at 5-7-2.

In 1966 San Francisco showed that they had the makings of a decent offense and finished sixth in the entire league in offensive scoring, however, their Achilles heel was once again their defense, which on average allowed more points per game than the team's offense scored.

Thanks for reading,

Paul Kadwill

This Week in 49ers History: Week 9, 1988

The 1988 season was a lot of things for the San Francisco 49ers. It was eventful, stressful, rewarding in the greatest way and bittersweet, all in just a few weeks.

Coming off of such a dominant 1987 season, the stinging playoff loss to the Minnesota Vikings was still being felt throughout the team and organisation. Team owner Edward DeBartolo Jr was known for many positive qualities, but a lack of patience and a strong will to win sometimes got the better of him. After such a disappointing playoff exit, his desire to win it all was now at unfathomable and almost unbearable levels. This translated into intense, constant pressure upon the shoulders of the man that 'Eddie' had entrusted to get results: head coach Bill Walsh. In 1988 the relationship between owner and coach grew increasingly strained.

Adding to the tension was the growing controversy at the quarterback position. Joe Montana was still the incumbent starter and had shown countless times that he was a quarterback for the ages, however, his health was a cause for serious concern.

Following a trade for promising left-hander Steve Young at the start of 1987, Montana was under more pressure to perform after sitting out virtually all of 1986 with a back injury that almost ended his career. He excelled during the '87 season only to underperform in the postseason defeat to the Vikings and was replaced in the second half by Young, who performed well on the big stage and in 1988 he was eager to gain more playing time.

Both quarterbacks would start games throughout the season as Montana's health issues lingered and Walsh tried to decide on the most suitable player for the role. In several games both players featured, with each enjoying various levels of success. The competitive tension between the two signal-callers was palpable throughout 1988 and this no doubt furthered the strain on Walsh.

Despite all this, by Week 9 of the 1988 season the 49ers had a 5-3 record going into a hotly anticipated rematch with the Vikings at Candlestick Park.

Hot off of dumping the Niners out of the '87 playoffs, Minnesota had started the new season brightly and also had five wins to their name. The grudge match was well balanced both in terms of season records and the talent possessed by the two opponents, who were each among the top scoring teams in the league.

The build-up to the contest was heavily affected by Montana's fitness problems. Early on in the week it was announced that Joe was suffering from dysentery and there was a very real chance that he could miss the game, with the situation then made worse when it became apparent that Montana was also battling crippling back spasms, news that came as a grave concern to the 49ers

after the close call of 1986.

As a consequence, Steve Young would finally get to start for the 49ers versus the team against whom he had shown such promise in the previous postseason.

The game

The first quarter of the game can be summed up with one word: Edgy.

Neither team was able to find a way through the opposing defense in the opening period, resulting in a scoreless start to the game that was finally broken in the second quarter when Vikings quarterback Wade Wilson scrambled in from two yards out. Wilson, picked by the Vikings in the 1981 draft, would have his only pro bowl season in 1988.

The 49ers responded with a 30yard field goal by new kicker Mike Cofer. The second-year player was picked up by the team before the 1988 season after the retirement of 10-year 49er veteran Ray Wersching.

Throughout the first half it was apparent to the entire stadium that Steve Young had yet to find his rhythm. With the offense struggling to click, no doubt a result of playing with a quarterback who was so different to Montana, the boo-birds gradually began to fill The Stick with negative outbursts directed at the young triggerman, which continued as the teams entered the locker rooms at half-time with the score 7-3 in Minnesota's favour.

After adjustments were made during the interval, Young managed to ease into the game more successfully and moved the offense into the red zone. Running back Roger Craig did the rest, crossing into the end zone from a yard out to give the 49ers their first lead of the game.

The relief was short-lived, however, as Pro Bowl receiver Anthony Carter, who up until this point had been virtually absent in the game, lit up the scoreboard with a 67-yard receiving touchdown that restored the Vikings' advantage.

Not to be outdone and with his confidence growing, Young found wideout John Taylor for a 73-yard score. A big-play target renowned for his incredible hands, Taylor went on to be selected for the 1988 Pro Bowl.

The Niners took a 17-14 lead into the fourth quarter but running back Rick Fenney rumbled in from 12 yards for the Vikings to seemingly put the visitors on the way to a repeat of their playoff success.

As the clock wound down the tension inside the stadium mounted as the 49ers attempted to engineer another lead change, and the home fans would not be disappointed as Young – with his team down four points with five minutes remaining – drove San Francisco down the field before taking his first steps on the way to NFL glory.

On a passing play which required primary target Mike Wilson to run a curl pattern, Young took the snap and flowed back from the line. Immediately he saw that Wilson was covered and, under immense pressure from an aggressive Vikings defense, the 49er offensive line retreated almost as quickly as the mobile and athletic Young.

The crowd expected a sack as Young stumbled backwards after making contact with center Randy Cross as the pocket collapsed around him, however, the 49ers' quarterback somehow remained on his feet and with a Madden-esque spin move evaded the hands of a a defender and reeled out to the right side of the line.

In an instinctive move, Young took off and slipped away from two further defenders as he made his way to the left side of the field. Escaping the grasp of yet another Viking he sprinted up the field with strong blocking from his team-mates, however, with the goal-line approaching he began to stumble

With 5 yards to go until the end zone, it looked as if Young would quite literally fall short of the plane but, summoning up all of his effort, he dived and crossed the threshold for the touchdown.

Young had evaded at least five Viking defenders and rushed 49 yards for a spectacular touchdown. It was the third time the 49ers had come from behind in the game and Minnesota never recovered, San Francisco earning revenge by a 24-21 scoreline.

This win took the 49ers to 6-3 but they lost the next two games and looked set to miss the playoffs with a 6-5 record after 11 games. Lesser teams would have crumbled under the increasing pressure that Walsh and San Francisco faced, however, the Niners rallied and qualified for the postseason with a 10-6 record, setting up another rematch with the Vikings in the divisional round.

Once again the hosts emerged victorious with an emphatic 34-9 triumph before convincingly beating the Chicago Bears in the NFC Championship game and then famously winning Super Bowl XXIII on the final drive with a touchdown pass from Montana to Taylor.

It was to be the final game as head coach for Walsh. After several more years of quarterback controversy, Montana would left for Kansas City and Young took the reins, leading the 49ers to a fifth NFL title with success in Super Bowl XXIX.

As a bonus, here are some random facts about the two kickers that were mentioned in this article!

Austrian-born kicker Ray Wersching is a certified accountant and even practiced accountancy during the NFL offseason. As well as having held numerous 49ers records, Wersching was also famous for having a superstition that meant that he couldn't look up as he ran onto the field to kick a field goal!

Mike Cofer spent five seasons with San Francisco from 1988 to 1993. After retiring from football he had a short stint in NASCAR, racing in the 2002 Truck Series.

Thanks for reading,

Paul Kadwill