Apparently, those of you who were really mad are in pretty good company...
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/13627669p-14470132c.html
The 49er unfaithful
Coach Mike Nolan points the finger of blame at players who ignored their instructions
By Matthew Barrows -- Bee Staff Writer
SAN FRANCISCO - The words were a bit cryptic, but the message Sunday was clear.
Following the 49ers' 34-31 loss to Dallas in which his team blew a 12-point, fourth-quarter lead, a seething Mike Nolan blamed the breakdowns that fueled the Cowboys' comeback on a lack of "trust," a word he used repeatedly in a postgame rant.
"When you call a defensive or offensive play, a player can do what he's supposed to do or think he knows better and do what he wants to do," the coach said through a clenched jaw. "I'm getting a clearer picture of who's a part of this and who possibly will not be a part of this."
Whether that meant changes in the starting lineup or even to the 53-man roster was unclear. "There might be," Nolan said when asked about pending roster maneuvers. The coach declined to point out the plays that miffed him most or those players who were bucking the team concept.
What came through loud and clear is that Nolan won't tolerate the same losing attitude that hung like a persistent fog over last season's dreadful squad. And if that means shaking up the team, so be it.
"It's unacceptable to lose that game," he said. "We're not a 2-14 football team. When all of a sudden you start thinking you're a 2-14 football team, that's an OK performance. I want our players to know that is unacceptable."
Nolan has reason for concern.
The 49ers (1-2) followed a script that seemed ripped from 2004, racing to a big lead, only to lose it in a flurry of second-half mistakes.
After last week's rotten performance at Philadelphia, quarterback Tim Rattay looked sharp and in command early against Dallas (2-1).
On the 49ers' first possession, he led an 11-play drive that he capped with a 15-yard touchdown pass to a diving Arnaz Battle. After the Cowboys cut the lead to 7-6, Rattay answered with an 89-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Lloyd. The play, in which Lloyd outran the Cowboys' secondary for the final 50 yards, was the longest in both players' careers and the sixth-longest touchdown strike in team history.
But it was a missed opportunity at the end of the first half that was the difference in the end.
Ahead 21-12, the 49ers seemed poised for another touchdown when Kevan Barlow took a short pass to the Cowboys' 1. Barlow, however, was stuffed for no gain on first down, and on second down Rattay fumbled the snap and fell on the ball.
With 30 seconds left, the 49ers seemed to have enough time for one more pass in the end zone. Instead, Rattay was told to spike the ball, which he did with 18 seconds remaining. At that point, Joe Nedney kicked a 20-yard field goal.
Nolan afterward said a typical play takes about 18 seconds and he wanted to come away with at least three points.
"I thought it was too risky," he said of a third-down pass.
The 49ers continued to squander opportunities in the second half.
The fourth-quarter woes that plagued Rattay last season - he had 10 turnovers in the final period a year ago - reappeared with two more interceptions. On the first, the ball was tipped at the line of scrimmage and hauled in by linebacker Al Singleton. The second came in the final minutes after the Cowboys had taken their first lead.
Trying to rally the 49ers with just one minute remaining, Rattay tried to force the ball to receiver Otis Amey on a slant. That pass also was tipped and fluttered into the arms of Dallas linebacker Dat Nguyen.
Afterward, Rattay was asked if this was the most disappointing loss of which he has been a part. "Absolutely," the quarterback said. "I didn't make any plays at the end. I take full responsibility for this loss on the offensive side."
(Edit: Im joking)
