I was at the game yesterday and actually liked some of the things I saw. Obviously the offensive line cannot protect the passer, but the Niners were able to run the ball. I especially liked the effort Gore showed on his runs. Barlow got boo'd after several of his "waddle to the line and dance" efforts. They yanked him on a 3rd and short for Gore (much to the cheers of the crowd) then put him back in after the 1st down. He did run harder later, but I think Gore needs to play more, and so does the team according to a player whose family I'm acquainted with.
The guy callng the offensive plays needs a$$ beating!! If this is a return to the Walsh (Gilman) "West Coast" offense, then where are the quick slants to the wideouts? We know Smith can only count on 2 seconds to get the ball off with our O line....where are the quick passes? When a screen pass did well in the 4th quarter for Barlow, the idiot ran the same play (1 yard loss) to Gore on the next play!!! Against Dallas he ran the end around to Battle twice on 3rd and long. 3 yard gain and 2 yard loss. Geeezzz!!
I liked the on-side kick to start the 2nd half, although my bet is they were going to do it at the opening kickoff, but won the toss. Nedney made a beautiful wedge shot kick and we recovered and went on for our only score. But why try it again right after scoring? Moves like this remind me of the early Walsh teams. A trick every game, just for fun. But not the same trick twice in a row.....c'mon.
We need a real nose tackle to run the 3-4. A Gilbert Brown-Michael Carter 6'4" 330lb'er to get some pressure up the gut. We have yet to get any push up the middle on the QB and Peyton (Best QB in the game IMHO) and even Bledsoe two weeks ago were able to take all day and make 15-25 yard passes on their 3rd and 4th reads. How about a trade??? Maybe Barlow and Rattay for a nose tackle??
I was not thrilled with the Alex Smith draft. I didn't know much about him and really would have preferred they trade the pick to help the overall team. Unfortuntely, the other teams weren't thrilled with the draft either and no one wanted to trade up to pay top dollar for Smith or anyone else available. That being said, I liked a lot of what I saw from him. He got hammered several times and bounced right up. He has a gun for an arm and can move well. The fun of this season will be watching him grow as a quarterback. The only way for him to improve now is to play. If we can keep from losing more guys to injuries, we'll pick up 3-4 more wins this year. Not a great season, but something to build on.
It was also really great to see the 49er alumni on the field at half time. I actually choked up a little seeing John Brodie. The last I heard he was lucky to be alive after two massive strokes, but he was there along with Ken Willard, Len Rhode, Joe Perry, R.C. Owens, and many many other great former 49ers. The loudest cheers were for the alumni from the 80's and 90's particularly Jesse Sapolu, Eric Wright, and Keena Turner. Fyi Montana, Clark, Lott, Rice, Young, Jones, and many others were not present.
Rant Warning: Ok I'm whining here, but I was really hoping for a flyby from the Blue Angels. Didn't happen......