Tuesday, August 30, 2011

In Praise of Scott McKillop

As you've no doubt heard, the 49ers made seven cuts on Tuesday morning to get down to the league-mandated 80-man roster limit. On the chopping block were:

WR Tyler Beiler
G/C Donovan Edwards
G Nick Howell
WR Kevin Jurovich
LB Scott McKillop
P Sam Paulesu
RB Seth Smith

No one on that list was surprising, and that in and of itself is a shame in a couple of respects. We'll start with the sad story, and then the depressing one.

Kevin Jurovich was signed late last season as an undrafted rookie out of San Jose State and had a decent enough showing during training camp and the preseason to make the practice squad. No one thought much of him, but when you factored in how disappointing Ted Ginn was in his first year with the club and how then-rookie Kyle Williams didn't do anything either, missing almost the entire season with injuries, then Jurovich's chances for a roster spot in 2011 didn't look quite so hopeless. And then came the players-only minicamps in June at his alma mater. Jurovich not only had the steadiest attendance there of anyone on the team, but he was looking pretty impressive by all accounts. If he wasn't an NFL wide receiver, he sure as heck was doing a pretty spot on imitation of one. You'd have to think, given his form at the time, that if there wasn't a lockout and teams were having regular minicamps and OTA's, that Jurovich would've turned a few heads with the new coaching staff.

Unfortunately for him, life is all about timing. Whatever mojo he had in June completely deserted him in August and it has to be said that Jurovich simply choked away his opportunity. In the practices we saw, he dropped passes, ran bad routes, was visibly aired out by wide receivers coach John Morton a couple of times, and just generally looked like one of the worst players in camp, which is saying something when you're one of 90 guys vying for spots on this team. I don't know if he'll get a shot in any other team's training camp in the future, but this may well be it for Jurovich as a professional football player.

Then there's the story of Scott McKillop. A two-time All-Big East player at Pitt and the recipient of the Big East Defensive Player of the Year award in 2008, when he had 126 tackles, 16.5 tackles-for-loss, four sacks and an interception for the Panthers, McKillop looked like a steal when the 49ers drafted him in the fifth-round of the 2009 draft, even if he was a bit undersized.

McKillop was behind starters Patrick Willis and Takeo Spikes, obviously, but he was a tremendous special teams performer as a rookie, recording either 31 tackles, if you believe the team's bookkeeping, or 19 if you go by the NFL's. There was a possibility that he would be groomed to be Spikes' replacement once his deal ended, or that at the least he'd be in competition with NaVorro Bowman in the seasons to come. Of course, the ACL and patella tendons he tore in his left knee on Aug. 4 of last year changed everything. Not only did McKillop miss all of his second season, but his recovery was slow to the point where he's still not running 100 percent and he has to wear a bulky brace.

McKillop didn't even see the field the first two preseason games, and it was easy to see why. He was hobbled in practice and just not moving very well. The thought was that possibly the team would try putting him on IR for a second straight season while he made a full recovery.

Then, out of nowhere, McKillop finally saw game action against the Texans, and not only played, but played well, even though he wasn't running any better. He led the team with seven tackles, making plays both on special teams and from scrimmage. He looked like the guy we saw in 2009, even though he wasn't fully recovered.

What makes this a sad story to me isn't McKillop's injury -- those happen all the time in this business -- or even that the rehab has been more complicated than expected.

No, to me the troubling aspect of it is that I truly don't believe McKillop's hobbling gait had much to do with his release. I think even if he was healthy, he was never really in the team's plans.

While the transaction wire will record that McKillop was officially given his walking papers on Aug. 30, I believe he was actually a goner much sooner, on Aug. 3, when the team signed free agent Blake Costanzo. Special teams coordinator Brad Seely was signed away from Cleveland and Costanzo was his guy, his kickoff team kamikaze. Costanzo had a good enough season two years ago to make the Sports Illustrated All-Pro team in that capacity.

What Costanzo is not, however, is a guy who can play from scrimmage in any way, shape or form. He may be listed as a linebacker, but that's just a technicality. You could just as easily list him at tight end, cornerback or nose tackle, for all the field time he sees on downs 1-3.

The prevailing wisdom for most of training camp was that the "competition" for the eighth and likely final linebacker job was between Costanzo, the special teams guy; and Keaton Kristick, who's the better linebacker. The coaches never seemed to consider the possibility that, in McKillop, they already had someone who's just as good on teams as the former and a superior linebacker to the latter. It didn't matter because he's not Seely's guy and he's certainly not Harbaugh's (I doubt Jimbo was gonna watch 2009 film of some special teamer). He was a Scot McCloughan draft pick, and thus there was nobody in the building left to make his case.

Again, as with Jurovich, it's a case of shitty timing. The only difference is that McKillop has actually shown in games that he can play, and his nose for the football is a quantifiable skill that shows up on film. The guy had seven tackles but I doubt it would've changed his fate if he had 27. The decision on him had been made some time ago. For all we know he's the one who requested his release, rather than take the IR option, if one was even given. Harbaugh said they cut him now so he can hook on somewhere else, and whether that was his idea or McKillop's, it's the right thing to do if he has no future here. The guy is an NFL player. If he can ever run as he did before, he may even be a decent NFL player.

I think what I'm trying to say is, Costanzo better really have a solid year on special teams.

Monday, August 29, 2011

49ers-Texans Review: Oy Vey

As miserable to watch as it was for you, at least you didn't have to cover the game, so consider yourself lucky. Also, you didn't have to watch the replay on TV to relive the experience, so consider yourself smart, for having a more sensible job than I do.

Obviously any discussion of the game must begin with the offensive line, and boy, does Jim Harbaugh have to be alarmed after witnessing that horror show on Saturday. At least against New Orleans the team had the excuse that they hadn't practiced their blitz pickups much yet and that they were surprised that Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams attacked them so aggressively for an opening preseason game. Houston, however, didn't do anything fancy at all, unless you consider simple line stunts and twists exotic fare. Coordinator Wade Phillips played it pretty vanilla and seldom blitzed at all.

As painful as it is to read, the truth of the matter is that the Texans whipped the 49ers up front with just an ordinary four man pass rush. On their first series, left tackle Joe Staley got overpowered by Texans linebacker Connor Barwin, a serviceable player who had all of 3.5 sacks last season. Staley had at least 40 pounds on Barwin, yet he was still knocked backward like some string-bean. On the next series both Staley and left guard Mike Iupati stood by and played "I got it, you take it" with defensive end Antonio Smith, another average guy who had four sacks last season. Their Smith destroyed your Smith on 2nd-and-1, and poof went that possession.

Then the offense really started playing badly.

Colin Kaepernick checked into the game after two series, just as Harbaugh promised he would, but not before the second-string defense (save for nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga and corner Carlos Rogers, who needed the reps) got eviscerated by Texans QB Matt Schaub. I really don't know what Harbaugh was expecting to happen fielding a bunch of backups against one of the most prolific offenses in football, but Houston had little trouble moving down the field. Schaub is a master at the play-action pass, and he was able to sucker the linebackers on bootlegs time and again to find his tight end and the backside receiver open again and again.

Actually, all things considered the backups didn't fare too badly, as they only allowed one touchdown in three series. Safety Madieu Williams forced a fumble out of Texans running back Derrick Ward (the second straight game Williams has been involved in a turnover) that Ricky Jean Francois came up with and the next possession Larry Grant got his helmet on the ball after a catch by Texans tight end Owen Daniels, and this time C.J. Spillman scooped up the loose ball. You're not supposed to be trailing 24-7 at half time when your defense gets three turnovers -- the 49ers only points of the game came when Schaub threw a screen pass on the first play from scrimmage right to Ahmad Brooks, who he somehow didn't see even though Brooks was standing directly in front of him -- yet there we were.

Harbaugh said his guys were "violated," which sounds pretty unpleasant. Maybe he should ask the fans who had to fork over regular season ticket prices for that mess whether they felt violated. Kaepernick forced a ball intended for Braylon Edwards into double coverage and Troy Nolan, the safety underneath, zoomed through a maze of dazed 49ers linemen for a 73-yard touchdown.

It didn't matter which line combination Harbaugh tried. Adam Snyder started at center, but Jonathan Goodwin got the majority of the snaps there. Snyder played a couple of series at right guard while Chilo Rachal sat. Ditto Alex Boone for right tackle Anthony Davis. No quintet could prevent the onslaught of pressure the quarterbacks faced. Somehow five blockers AND a running back there for blitz pick up weren't enough to keep four pass rushers at bay for longer than a second or two. Forget the five or seven-step drops, it was all the 49ers could do to get passes off at three steps. The Texans defensive backs saw this and pressed, chocking off the short routes and disrupting the rhythm of the patterns.

Smith checked back into the game and threw an interception himself because he got decked by his namesake right as he was about to step into a throw. Goodwin just stood there and watched the guy go right past him. Maybe he was expecting the pass to have been thrown already, I'm not sure.

In the second half the Texans tacked on a couple of field goals with their backups, but they'd clearly taken the foot off the gas by that point and were mostly running the ball. What was the point? They'd already proven anything that can be proved in a preseason game.

Much like the Saints were two weeks ago, they're on an entirely different level than the 49ers. Their offensive line didn't let Schaub get touched and they were able to take advantage of the 49ers aggressive linebackers in coverage. Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman and Ahmad Brooks all have the speed and athleticism to cover people, but not the experience and certainly not the instincts just yet. As for Patrick Willis, I thought it funny at the time a few weeks ago when defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said the biggest hole in the All-Pro game was his poor technique as a blitzer. Kind of an odd statement to make about a guy who had six sacks last season playing for a conservative defense that didn't blitz very often, no? I suppose Fangio has the right to fudge a little bit, but Willis, like the rest of these linebackers, struggles in coverage more than anything else.

The positives in the game were few and far between, but here goes...

- RB Kendall Hunter again looked slippery out there, when he wasn't met immediately in the backfield. He's definitely had a better preseason than Anthony Dixon, and more suited to be a three-down back should Frank Gore go down, but Dixon is still the guy who figures to get the 3rd-and-inches/goal-line carries that will piss off fantasy owners of Gore to no end.

- WR Kyle Williams only had one catch, but he showed off his YAC skills again. I believe he runs the slant route better than anyone on the team, though we haven't seen Michael Crabtree run it yet, of course. Williams can also return kicks and punts and will be a useful guy on hot routes when the other team is blitzing. He's not a deep threat though. He's more quick than fast.

- DE Demarcus Dobbs had another sack, and that makes three quality performances in three preseason games. As an undrafted and unheralded rookie from Georgia he was one of the biggest long shots to make the team, but he's likely secured a roster spot as Justin Smith's backup.

- LB Scott McKillop Had six tackles in a half in a "where'd that come from?" performance. It was McKillop's first game since tearing his ACL and patellar tendons in his knee early in training camp last year. He was still wearing a bulky brace and not running very smoothly, but he does have a nose for the ball.

- P Sam Paulescu had a busy and productive night, averaging 50 yards on eight punts, with a long of 61. He even forced a fumble. Paulescu still has no chance to make the team because he'll be cut as soon as Andy Lee's hip heals, but he put good film out there for the 31 other teams.

- Coach Jim Harbaugh also singled out LB Larry Grant, S Madieu Williams, rookie CB Chris Culliver and rookie NT Ian Williams as guys who had good games.

And the bad... (quarterbacks and linemen not included, because it's understood they were all awful collectively)

- Rookie WR Ronald Johnson had a terrible game. The sixth-round pick from USC got his first extensive playing time of the preseason, and he fumbled two punt returns (losing one) and dropped the only pass thrown his way. At this point I'd say he'd be fortunate to make the practice squad.

- FB Moran Norris had another brutal night as a lead blocker. I'm starting to think maybe, just maybe he won't make the team. The one advantage he's had over rookie Bruce Miller, besides experience, is that he's supposedly the better blocker. But if he can't even do that, then what's the point of having him out there over the kid who's a better athlete and more of a threat as a receiver? Maybe they don't have to waste a roster spot on two fullbacks.

- CB Tarell Brown couldn't do much in coverage against Andre Johnson. It's hard to fault him here - I mean it's Andre Johnson - but still, he couldn't have helped his case to be a starter once Shawntae Spencer returns from injury.
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The 49ers have to cut seven guys as I understand by Tuesday to get to the 80-man roster limit.

Here's a guess:

RB Seth Smith
WR Joe Hastings (looks like Michael Cera, but with blond hair. Super skinny dude.)
G Nick Howell
T Kenny Wiggins
LB Monte Simmons
CB Phillip Davis
CB Anthony West

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Game Preview Vs. Texans: This Time It Counts Slightly More (But Still Not A Whole Lot)

Saturday promises to be a fairly interesting tilt, as far as preseason games go, for a few reasons. For several years now the 49ers and Houston Texans have been kindred spirits of sorts, with the front offices of the franchises and the respective big-name players insisting to their fan-bases during the endless off-seasons that their long wait would be over and a place in the postseason tournament would be assured at long last. The fans, the silly little gullible fools with disposable income that they are, kept believing these charlatans.

Houston has been done in over the years by a wonky offensive line, butterfingered running backs, a pass rush that poses no threats outside of Mario Williams, and a defensive backfield that typically ranks near the bottom of the league; a veritable thirty-secondary, if you will. (You're welcome.)

The 49ers, on the other hand... well you're more familiar with their problems. Coaching, Alex Smith, poor drafts, Alex Smith, a piss-poor offensive line, Alex Smith, an alarming lack of team speed on the perimeter, Alex Smith, a pass rush that poses no threats outside of Alex Justin Smith, and of course, Alex Smith. Oh and Michael Crabtree is allergic to preseason games, but that's only because he hates Alex Smith.

Still, it could very well be a fun match-up of two teams who swear This Is The Year and offer a contrast in playing styles and philosophies. Add to it the fact that the Texans and 49ers visit each other about as often as they visit a meaningful January, and the game offers enough angles -- barely -- to keep our attention until the Giants get a runner in scoring position at least.

So of course Jim Harbaugh wants to ruin everything by going to his backups early, throwing Colin Kaepernick to the wolves and giving Xavier Omon carries in a game even earlier than Xavier Omon will feel appropriate. The official reason is that he wants to test the mettle of his backups against the Texans' starters.

The real reason is everyone at 4949 Centennial Blvd. has grown tired of listening to Frank Gore bitch about not wanting to risk his unsigned-beyond-2011 body unnecessarily. Just to not make it seem totally obvious, they'll probably rest Vernon Davis too, because hey, he's also good at football.

Then there's that whole Kaepernick thing. It's probably dawned on Harbaugh that there is a chance, however slight, that Alex Smith may not turn into Joe Montana v. 2.0 despite all this wonderful new coaching he's getting. Or maybe he's realized that even if Smith revives his career, the whole thing will be moot in short order as soon as Anthony Davis or Chilo Rachal have an ole moment. Really with them it's not a matter of "if" but rather "when," "really? That soon?" and "How about you fellas try standing in front of somebody for a change?"

So in that regard, it's probably smart business to give Kaepernick some run with the ones, just to give him an idea of how very much his life will stink come October or November. I guess that is important.

What is more important, however, is making sure the starters are ready to play against Seattle in two weeks when these puppies begin to count, and I don't think a half against the eminently pliant Raiders was enough to accomplish that. The New Orleans Saints are a whole different species than Oakland and for all we know the Texans, who come into tonight's game with 11 sacks through two contests, may be too. I think not-so-young Alex and his offensive line need as many snaps against Houston's starters as possible. Instead of heading to the bench after a couple of series, the 49ers should play the game as seriously as they can, and I wouldn't fault Harbaugh if he politely asked counterpart Gary Kubiak to keep his guys in there the whole four quarters if he can.

If Harbaugh insists on treating this game like his starters have nothing to prove, that sends a dangerous message to me for two reasons. Either he's as arrogant and overconfident as the last joker with the whistle was; or worse still, he's been so unimpressed by the erstwhile starters he inherited from the previous regime that he's already looking ahead to full-fledged rebuilding mode in 2011.

Now that that's all out there, by all means enjoy the game.
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Guys to Watch:

QB: See above.

RB: I don't think Xavier Omon is a serious threat for a roster spot, not until I see him get work with the first-string line, but if he has another solid all-around outing as a runner/receiver/blocker and Anthony Dixon falters in a couple of those departments, it could get interesting.

FB: I think Bruce Miller already won a roster spot, by hook or by crook. He'll have to have a truly disastrous showing to lose it now. You know, kind of like the game Moran Norris had against Oakland the other day. I'm curious how their playing time will be divied.

WR: As earnest as offensive coordinator Greg Roman sounded about sixth-round pick Ronald Johnson's roster chances, I remain skeptical. Lets see how much he plays tonight, and whether he does anything outside of special teams. Dominique Zeigler also needs to show up in a big way to have any chance of preventing the team from ordering several thousand pallets of Edwards #17 jerseys. Speaking of which, Edwards against Texans CB Jonathan Joseph might be a good match-up for a series or two. Youngsters Chris Hogan, Lance Long, Tyler Beiler and Kevin Jurovich all need to show up on the stat sheet to make their cases for spots on the practice squad.

TE: The third tight end job is rookie Konrad Reuland's to lose. At this point he'd need a Pascoenian effort to give it away, with challenger Nate Lawrie turning into Mark Bavaro circa 1986. Also, it wouldn't kill Delanie Walker to do something.

OL: As much as we may wish it to be true, Rachal and Davis are not fighting to keep their starting jobs. That ship has sailed until a few weeks into the regular season at least. Against all odds Adam Snyder has managed to hold off Jonathan Goodwin in their battle for the starting center spot despite the fact that Goodwin is more talented, experienced and most important of all, compensated. If he still comes out ahead on the cards after tonight, then I'll finally buy it, shrug my shoulders, and admit before god and country that I guess Snyder is the guy. Joe Staley is in no danger of losing his job, even though his backup Alex Boone has been the most impressive lineman in camp, but it would behoove him to have an uncomplicated showing against Mario Williams, just because. As far as the backups go, G/C Tony Wragge, who played superbly against Oakland, and rookie seventh-round pick T Mike Person may be competing for the ninth and last offensive line job. Person would be in no danger either way because a practice squad slot would be waiting for him, but Wragge has no such protection. Among the third stringers, Stanford rookies Chase Beeler and Derek Hall look like they have the best shots for practice squad spots.

DL: Four jobs secure and three kids playing for two paychecks beyond that, with ends Will Tukuafu and Demarcus Dobbs trying to hold off Ian Williams. But that could just be my imagination; it could just as easily be any combination of the two and the other guy as the underdog. Again, there's no real loser here, as the seventh guy will either find a home on the practice squad, or, even better for his wallet, a spot on somebody else's 53-man roster. The part I'm curious about is how Isaac Sopoaga will hold up against the interior of the Texans line. If Arian Foster becomes as much of a non-factor as Gore will be, then I'll venture that maybe Aubrayo Franklin won't be missed so much around these parts after all.

LB: One last chance for Aldon Smith to claim the starting job from Parys Haralson outright before he gets it for good in October anyway. Beyond that Ahmad Brooks and NaVorro Bowman have to continue being "arrow up" in Harbaugh-speak, and one of them might have to cover Foster or tight end Owen Daniels, which should be interesting. As far as the backups go, inside 'backer Keaton Kristick will have to have one whale of a game to show he's more valuable than special teams ace Blake Costanzo. Also, we continue to wonder if Scott McKillop will ever get on the field. It seems cruel to let him wear the uniform if he won't.

CB: Another chance for Tramaine Brock and Tarell Brown to play everyone's favorite home game "Guess who's the starter and who's the nickel back." Will they both start in this one or is Carlos Rogers feeling up to playing? Either way, somebody is gonna have to deal with Andre Johnson and that doesn't figure to be a pleasant experience. Third-round pick Chris Culliver can make things interesting from a role standpoint if he does something, but as far as roster guys go the only one playing for his livelihood is Phillip Adams, who has to show A) he's fully and healthy and B) far more deserving of a job than Brock. While it's true that Brock still has practice squad eligibility and Adams doesn't, I don't think he'd survive waivers if the Niners took that step. Have you SEEN some of the corners people are trotting out there?

S: The five guys who'll make the club are set, even Reggie Smith, who's still on the mend. Chris Maragos, Curtis Taylor and sixth-round pick Colin Jones are all playing for practice squad slots, although "playing" might not be the right word since the coaching staff hasn't given any of these guys much of a chance at all from scrimmage. Not that any of them practiced worth a damn back when practices were open, but whatever.

ST: Sean Paulescu will handle the punting duties while Andy Lee heals up, and his sole objective is to put good film out there for the 31 other teams who won't cut him next week. In the return game Johnson and Adams can really help themselves if they can do something.
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Today's song on my iPod typically enjoyed by a 13-year old girl:

"Labour of Love" by Frente! (Well, it would have to be a girl who was 13 twenty years ago, but I digress. Frente's voice is goddamn adorable.

"If you want to find me, call me/I'll be far away from the cars and guitars and everybody."

Friday, August 26, 2011

Harbaugh's Dress Rehearsal Flip-Flop

You know, I'm beginning to think the ol' ball coach the Niners got isn't too fond of us media folk. I know, I know, I'm probably just being hyper-sensitive and paranoid, but it sure is darn to get a straight answer out of Jim Harbaugh.

Ask him about injuries? He doesn't like that. He cuts those off, quick.

Ask him if so-and-so stunk last night? You'll get some version of "those are your words, not mine, and I strongly disagree with them, the mistakes were a combination of things..."

Ask him if all the defensive starters he didn't re-sign could be interpreted as some kind of house-cleaning? Oh, that got a rise out of him.

Ask him to compare this player to that player? He doesn't like to do comparisons.

Ask him who's winning a position battle in camp? Good luck with that. He won't tell you, because to say someone is "winning" means that, by the transitive property, someone else must be "losing" and Jim Harbaugh will not have any losers on his football team. He won't diminish any player, past or present.

You'd think an innocuous question about player rotations for the upcoming preseason game would get a straight answer out of him. What's the harm in letting people know which people will play which quarters? The game doesn't count.

Well, last Sunday, in a conference call with reporters, Harbaugh said that the team would ramp up as the preseason went along, so he'd treat the fourth one as the most important, not the third. As you're probably aware, that would be highly unusual. Teams typically treat the third game as the "dress rehearsal for the regular season, with starters playing the entire first half and maybe even a series or two in the third quarter, before giving way to the backups. Conversely, the final preseason game is complete unwatchable dreck. No starters play, ever, and the entire exercise is an excuse to sell beer and hot dogs, and decide MAYBE a roster spot or two for guys who will never play in the regular season unless there's an injury epidemic at their position.

The cliche is that last game helps decide 4-5 roster spots, but it's more like 1-2, and you know it's a blatant farce in that regard because the league deadline for making final roster cuts comes usually 24 hours after the preseason finale, offering practically no time for coaches to even evaluate the tape where they would supposedly basing their decisions on.

So yeah, like I said, it certainly sounded unusual when Harbaugh said he'd treat the fourth game as the most important one in his conference call. Was he really going to play his starters for a half against San Diego's third-stringers? How embarrassing would that be if the 49ers guys didn't dominate in that situation? How much criticism would he get if a guy like Patrick Willis or Vernon Davis got hurt in that game (knocks on wood)?

On Tuesday, Harbaugh backtracked and said he'd treat the third game the same way everyone else does. Alright, order was restored. Maybe he just misunderstood the question during the conference call. Maybe he slept on it and realized the folly of his ways. Whatever the case may be, normalcy was at hand.

Until Thursday, that is. When asked if Alex Smith will play the whole half, here was Harbaugh's response:
“No, I don’t think that’s the way it’s going to go. I think [QB] Colin [Kaepernick] will get in fairly early, and I’d like to see Colin play with some of the ones after two series. We’ll see how it goes. Sometimes you have to see how long was the first series, how long was the second series? But fairly early into the game. The idea of playing some of our twos and threes more in this game is also the way that we’re leaning going into this ball game, not so much the traditional way of playing the starters for three quarters like has been historically done in the third preseason game. And the reason for that is there are guys that are fighting for their life, their football life, and we want them to have the ability to play in the game, but also to see them against other starters, see them against the Texans starters. So we’ll make some evaluations based on that in this ball game, and then we’ve done that in practice this week, more of an emphasis to get our key backups in a roll where they can compete.”

Harbaugh said his main concern in these games is player evaluation, in terms of who's going to make the team, so he wants to give the bubble guys extensive time here, even against the Texans starters, to really see how they measure up. That's all well and good, coach, but it's something you should've done last week against Oakland.

Because the offense had such long drives in the first half against the Raiders, the starters wound up playing the whole half. As a result, the second string played almost the entire second half, with a sprinkling of third-stringers here and there. That's how this third game was supposed to go.

Instead, Harbaugh probably realized he hasn't given his young guys and practice squad hopefuls nearly as much time as he should've, and now he's pressing. He's not lying when he says he needs to evaluate them, and you can only tell so much from the practice field.

However, his plan is problematic for two reasons:

1) The ultimate goal still has to be preparing the guys you're gonna rely on to win you games in 2011 -- your starters. You had no off-season thanks to the lockout, no minicamps, half your starting defense introduced themselves to one another about eight minutes ago, and all three units of your team are trying to absorb all new playbooks. Oh, and your offense has a new center and a new receiver, two positions that kind of take a wall to ingratiate themselves to the quarterback.

In case you forgot, Mr. Harbaugh, your team -- mostly your offense -- played like hot garbage two weeks ago at New Orleans. Yes, you've taken many steps since then and the whole operation looked better from what little we got to see of practice, but whatever success was had against the Raiders has to be tempered by the fact that, let's get serious, they're the Raiders. There's a considerable drop-off in class between New Orleans and Oakland.

My feeling, and that's all it is, is that the starters need considerable more work against other quality starters, to really see where they stand and what they have to work on. You may have heard that the 49ers haven't lit the world on fire these past few years. I hardly think they can afford to rest on their laurels and arrogantly assume everything is hunky dory with the first string. The Texans have 11 sacks through the first two preseason games and they're the first 3-4 defense the Niners will face. They figure to be a considerably sterner challenge for the offensive line than the Raiders were. On the other side of the ball they've got Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, Arian Foster and Owen Daniels -- an attack as explosive as anybody's -- and you'd think they'd be a good measuring stick for a Niners starting defense that has played very well so far.

I won't presume to guess how Harbaugh truly feels about his second and third string players, but whatever valuable evaluation he hopes to get out of them against Houston's starters will likely be a disappointment for him across the board. I'm not at all sure San Francisco's starters can match-up with Houston's, let alone their backups. Comparing two's against other two's makes more sense and is more practical besides.

2) Does this mean Harbaugh will actually follow through on his earlier stated intention of playing his starters in that fourth preseason game? How pointless would that be? It seems like the ultimate lose-lose situation.

I've already mentioned the possibility of some front-line player getting hurt in that game. Obviously, that's the worst case scenario. But suppose the starters play three series and get out to a 10-3 lead against San Diego's backups. Great. What does that prove? Is such a scenario supposed to inspire confidence in anyone, from the players to the coaches or even the fans? Or, even worse, suppose the starters don't play well against the Chargers' scrubs and are down 7-0 after two series. Then it's panic bells, a whole week of sports-talk radio campaigning for Colin Kaepernick to be named the starter and no momentum whatsoever going into the season opener against Seattle.

All very bad.

So here's what to hope for, outside of the fairytale that everyone -- first string, second string and third string -- will play great against Houston, regardless of who they have on the field:

Hope that Harbaugh was just yanking our chain and that it will be standard operating procedure on Saturday. A half for the starters and then none at all next week. If you haven't seen enough of your bubble guys so far, too bad. Hope you guessed right on whatever evaluations you've made so far. Make the rest off the fourth game. The world won't spin off its axis if you pick Mike Person over Tony Wragge.

Basically, hope for a flip-flop of a flip-flop of a flip-flop.

It would be a bad time for Harbaugh to be on the level with us now.
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Much has been made about the supposed friction between Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree. They took little shots at each other in June (Smith sticking up for Crabtree afterward and saying his own comments came out wrong). On Wednesday Smith seemed to make a sharp contrast between Crabtree and new receiver Braylon Edwards, when he described at length how impressed he was by Edwards' work ethic and dedication and then noting that he hadn't thrown a pass to Crabtree since June.

Well, your ace reporter here would like to point out that Smith and Crabtree were spotted chatting amicably at their lockers for a couple of minutes on Thursday. In fact, I dare say their conversation would've lasted even longer if the ultra-private Crabtree didn't notice us staring at them.

Harbaugh re-arranged the lockers so that there's a defensive player between every two offensive players and vice versa. It's all "kumbaya," hokey, high-school, "Remember The Titans" nonsense, of course. One of Harbaugh's favorite phrases is "The team, the team, the team," and if you believe in the rallying power of that kind of thing, more power to you.

But Harbaugh admitted he's the one who organized how players would be rooming together in camp (example: pairing the aloof Crabtree with the most gregarious guy on the team, tackle Joe Staley) and I'm sure it's no coincidence that Smith and Crabtree's lockers are so close to one-another. They won't be able to avoid each other even if they want to.

Incidentally, the locker separating them belongs to corner Tramaine Brock (who wasn't around during the aforementioned chat). When I mentioned the locker setup on Twitter, one follower responded "A cornerback between Alex Smith and a receiver, how appropriate."

It got a round of laughs in the media trailer, always a mean feat against a bunch of jaded comedy snobs.
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Tonight's song on my iPod that is typically enjoyed by a 13-year-old girl:

"Coin-operated Boy" by The Dresden Dolls.

"This bridge was written/To make you feel smitten/With my sad picture/Of girl getting bitter."

Until next time...





Wednesday, August 24, 2011

53-Man Roster Through Two Preseason Games

Because why not, everyone else is doing it. I'll check those out after I write this to see where we disagree.

QB (3): Alex Smith (BOOO!), Colin Kaepernick, Josh McCown

Comments:
They've already released Jeremiah Masoli and at this point McLeod Bethel-Thompson (McBLT) is still on the roster just as injury insurance. I don't think McCown will see any time against the Texans, but probably will in the preseason finale at San Diego that you can all feel free to skip.

RB (3): Frank Gore, Anthony Dixon, Kendall Hunter

Comments:
Xavier Omon has had a couple of strong fourth quarter performances in the preseason, but Dixon hasn't done anything to warrant losing his job and it's telling that Omon still hasn't gotten any reps with the first or even second unit. Until he does, I can't champion his cause.

FB (2): Moran Norris, Bruce Miller

Comments:
There's no doubt that Miller is the better athlete and the more natural fit for the west coast offense, but his experience at fullback has been all of one month. I think he has a very good chance of making the team because of his potential and the contributions he can make on special teams, and if I absolutely had to pick just one fullback to make the roster, I'd pick him. Norris is still the experienced veteran though, and despite his brutal game Saturday against the Raiders, I'm not quite writing him off yet. I just can't see Jim Harbaugh trusting a rookie making a position switch to block for Gore and Smith.

WR (5): Braylon Edwards, Michael Crabtree, Joshua Morgan, Ted Ginn, Kyle Williams

Comments:
I feel very good about those five. I had my doubts about Ginn and Williams early on, but the former has been a consistent performer in camp and is still their top return man, while the latter runs perhaps the best slant routes on the team, is as good at running after the catch as anyone, and has shown that he can stay healthy, for now. Beyond those five, there are 6th-round pick Ronald Johnson, who barely played last week, Dominique Zeigler, who just came off the PUP list on Monday in his recovery from an ACL tear last Nov. 29, and undrafted rookie Chris Hogan from Monmouth. Hogan was really turning some heads before he suffered an ankle injury on Aug. 9 and he just returned on Monday. I suppose the team could keep six guys, with Johnson the likeliest to be sixth, then Zeigler, then Hogan, but you gotta make cuts somewhere and for now I have only five here.

TE (3): Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Konrad Reuland

Comments:
The Reuland/Nate Byham battle would've been interesting, but Byham tore his ACL early in camp and will be on IR. The writing was on the wall for Colin Cloherty, who didn't play at all on Saturday despite being healthy. Veteran Nate Lawrie might be the superior blocker, but Reuland is younger, faster, cheaper, and he knows Harbaugh's system, having played under him at Stanford.

T (4): Joe Staley, Anthony Davis, Alex Boone, Mike Person

Comments:
Only question here is whether Person will make the team or whether they'll go with just three guys, but given Staley's injury history, I think four is a good number to be safe. Person has played well enough in the games to make the team.

G (4): Mike Iupati, Chilo Rachal, Daniel Kilgore, Tony Wragge

Comments:
I had my questions about Wragge, but he had a dominating game against the Raiders. That was as good as I've ever seen him play, and his body looks sloppy than past seasons. I'd be pretty surprised if he was cut, given that he can play center too. I'd bet on Person not making it before Wragge.

C (2): Jonathan Goodwin, Adam Snyder

Comments:
I still think Goodwin will win the starting job. Snyder will be the sixth man who will be the first off the bench at all three inside spots, and he can play right tackle too, if need be (though not well).

DE (4): Ray McDonald, Justin Smith, Will Tukuafu, Demarcus Dobbs

Comments:
Pretty inexperienced crew around Smith, but here we are. Dobbs has played well enough to deserve the job over fellow undrafted rookie Ian Williams, who's more of a nose tackle anyway. However, I think Ricky Jean Francois would be the first guy off the bench in event of injury at all three spots along the defensive line. Harbaugh referred to him as a fourth starter the other day.

NT (2): Isaac Sopoaga, Ricky Jean Francois

Comments:
Again, I think Dobbs beats out Williams for the sixth defensive line spot, though I'm sure the coaches would like to keep Williams around on the practice squad. He got some good penetration during what few plays he got against the Raiders.

OLB (4): Ahmad Brooks, Aldon Smith, Parys Haralson, Antwan Applewhite

Comments:
For a while I really thought Haralson would be a candidate to be cut (I even mentioned him in a radio interview as the guy who'd be the most surprising name), but the more I think about it, there's really nobody else on the roster who's better. He doesn't make that much money and can still be a rotation guy, or even a starter in name only while Smith gets most of the playing time.

ILB (4): Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Larry Grant, Blake Costanzo

Comments:
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio said a special teams guy would have more priority than the fourth inside linebacker, so Costanzo, who was with special teams coordinator Brad Seely at Cleveland, gets the nod over Keaton Kristick, who looks to have improved this season. Scott McKillop really suffered a gruesome injury last year, not just an ACL but other ligaments and tendons as well and he's been hobbled in camp. He's practicing, but doesn't look right, and hasn't played in the preseason games. I wonder if they'll try IR'ing him again. That's really his only chance to stick around.

CB (5): Carlos Rogers, Shawntae Spencer, Tarell Brown, Chris Culliver, Tramaine Brock

Comments:
Fangio did say the other week that Brown and Brock are competing for the last spot, suggesting that the team would keep only four corners, but Spencer's hamstring injury has lingered on and on and I don't think he'll be healthy anytime soon, so they'll need four other guys just to be safe. Phillip Adams, who fractured his ankle late in the season, doesn't look fully recovered just yet. His straight line speed is fine, but he's a bit stiff in his lateral movements. It's sad for him because he doesn't have practice squad eligibility (nor does Dominique Zeigler, for that matter). If it does come to a choice between Brown and Brock, my guess would be Brown, who played better against the Raiders and is the superior special teams performer.

S (5): Donte Whitner, Dashon Goldson, Madieu Williams, Reggie Smith, C.J. Spillman

Comments:
Fangio said he's got five NFL safeties and these are the five he mentioned. The impression I got is if there's a decision to be made, it will be fewer guys, not more, but it doesn't figure to come to that. Curtis Taylor, who's gone on IR twice in two seasons, still has practice squad eligibility despite having played 12 games already in his career. As do Chris Maragos and sixth-round pick Colin Jones.

ST (3): K David Akers, P Andy Lee, LS Brian Jennings

Comments:
No, I don't quite see Sam Paulescu making it. He seems like a great guy though.

Practice Squad Guess:

WR Chris Hogan
- He's big, tall, fast and can jump. The closest thing on the roster to Braylon Edwards.

WR Ronald Johnson - They won't let go of a draft pick that quickly.

C Chase Beeler - The only pure center on the team besides Goodwin.

G/T Derek Hall - Another Stanford guy getting reps on the third string.

FB Jack Corcoran - I've been impressed with him as a lead blocker.

DT Ian Williams - The closest of anyone on this list to actually making the team.

LB Keaton Kristick - Only played in six games last year.

S Colin Jones - Ditto the Johnson comments. Could be Taylor or Maragos, but Harbaugh isn't married to those guys.

I would also think the Niners will pick up a young quarterback from somebody's cut list that they can look to develop and use as a scout team guy. Somebody mobile.

POSTSCRIPT: Maiocco has both Johnson and Kristick making it and only eight offensive linemen, with both Wragge and Person missing out. I can't see the Niners keeping less than nine guys there. Also, he has Williams over Tukuafu, which is certainly possible.

The SB Nation guys don't have Wragge either, and also no Norris (from Fucillo's keyboard to Jim Harbaugh's ears) and no Dobbs. They do have Johnson, Ian Williams and Adams. Six corners? Can't see that.
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Scouts Inc. released their list of the Top 200 Players of the 2011 season (the link is for those of you with ESPN insider) and six 49ers were on it.

11. Patrick Willis, 25. Justin Smith, 111. Vernon Davis, 114. Frank Gore, 117. Donte Whitner and 129. Mike Iupati.

Smith seems a few slots too high, but he may be the best 3-4 end in football, so it's a minor quibble. Davis and Gore at 111 and 114 though is a joke. Davis in particular might be a top-50 guy or top-75 at the absolute worst. Gore is one of the seven or eight complete backs in the league that can do everything, and with him durability is the only issue. Whitner's fine where he is, but he'd be higher if he could've held on to a few interceptions that clanked off his hands last year in Buffalo (he'd be making a lot more money this year, too). I'm kind of floored by Iupati's ranking. I don't get that at all. He had a nice enough rookie year but certainly nothing earth-shattering, and doesn't seem to have progressed any to my untrained eye. In fact, you could argue that he was the 49ers worst lineman against Oakland on Saturday -- and I believe I just did.

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Tonight's song on my iPod that is typically enjoyed by a 13-year-old girl:
"Rockstar" by Nickelback.

Screw you, I like the lyrics. Plus how can you argue with a music video that's got Wayne Gretzky in it?

"The girls come easy and the drugs come cheap/we'll all stay skinny 'cos we just won't eat."

Until tomorrow...

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Why Lowell Cohn Was Wrong

Because why not start off this blog with a critique of a longtime columnist who's twice my age and a thousand more times accomplished?

I consider myself a fan of Mr. Cohn. I wouldn't presume to say we're friends, but I've worked alongside him numerous times and I get along very well with his son Grant. Lowell calls me "Dookie" (short for "Duke of Earl" as in Erler.) As with any columnist, I don't always agree with Lowell, and I found myself not just disagreeing but agitated to the point of not being able to sleep for a bit about a blog post he wrote last Saturday in the wake of the 49ers-Raiders preseason game that we both covered.

Here it is, in its entirety:
SAN FRANCISCO — You know a good quarterback when you see one. Alex Smith doesn’t have the look — not yet. Will he ever?

He did some nice things against Oakland on Saturday night. I would be a real stick in the mud if I didn’t say that.

On the 49ers’ first drive, Smith hit Vernon Davis as he was supposed to with a nifty pass to the right and Davis caught the ball as he was supposed to and ended up with a 14-yard gain. It was all very professional.

Later on, Smith connected with Joshua Morgan for 32 yards and after that he hit Braylon Edwards near the sideline for a 32-yard gain, Edwards snagging the ball with one hand and clutching it into his body.

You looked at Smith doing that and you thought, “He’s not so bad after all. And why is everybody giving this nice man a rough time?”

There was one problem, though. With Smith there’s always one problem or sometimes more than one. Mixed in with all those good things Smith did a not-so-good thing.

He took the ball in the shotgun formation and stared at Davis. He stared at Davis a long time. The coaches have told him not to stare at one receiver, but gee whiz, he just can’t help himself. If the play was a cartoon, a big black arrow would have pointed at Davis’ helmet and the words INTENDED RECEIVER would have floated above Davis’ head to let everyone know Smith was going his way.

Maybe the Raiders saw the arrow — in this case an invisible arrow. They most definitely saw Smith’s eyes beaming in Davis’ direction. Raiders’ defensive end Matt Shaughnessy eyeballed Smith eyeballing Davis — call it the Double Eyeball Maneuver. Shaughnessy stepped in front of Davis and snagged the pass. That goes into the record book as an interception or, if you prefer to be colloquial, call it a pick.

As you can imagine, there was considerable discussion of the pick postgame. Smith, the most honest man alive, said, “I didn’t see the guy.” That sure would explain the play. Smith should have realized Shaughnessy, a defensive end, was dropping back in coverage. That’s what he said, and he will do that next time. And he meant it.

Harbaugh, who may or may not have a way with words, explained the play this way: “We talked about it. We feel it’s a correctable thing. I know what happened. We have to do a better job with our eyes.”

It’s that last sentence that stays with you, the phrase “our eyes.” It’s like Harbaugh and Smith share one pair of eyes. “Coach, can I borrow the eyes tonight?” Or maybe Harbaugh has the better set of peepers when it comes to seeing the field and wishes he could pop his eyes into Smith’s head on football Sunday.

The whole eyes thing and the pick make you wonder about Smith. He is a mixture of good and bad, always has been. In life that’s an OK mixture. How often have you heard wise people say, “No one’s all good or all bad. People are a mixture.”

But football is more demanding than life. As unfair as this seems, football doesn’t tolerate a mixture. It requires quarterbacks to be good all the time. It’s not like a quarterback — say, Smith — can throw a few good passes and then he gets the license to really stink out the joint and throw a brain-numbing, drive-murdering pick.

Even though Smith did good stuff when he did the good stuff, his passer rating was 61.7 for the mostly two quarters he played. A quarterback rating of 61.7 is considered low, although not as low as the turf inhabited by an earthworm or a mole. In school, a grade of 61.7 is a “D-minus,“ and that isn’t so hot. By contrast, Raiders’ starting quarterback Jason Campbell had a quarterback rating of 105.7 until Ahmad Brooks knocked him out of the game.

This is not to say Campbell is a superior performer to Smith — well, actually it is to say Campbell is a superior performer to Smith.

You may think I’m mean. You may think I’m being hard on Smith, not encouraging him for doing well some of the time in an exhibition game. You may think I owed him an atta boy. It doesn’t work that way. The burden of proof is on Smith — now, finally, and forever.

There are three main problems I have with this column.

First of all, after checking the TV replay multiple times, I strongly dispute the notion that Smith stared at Davis the whole way. If anything, he threw the pick because he didn't stare at him enough. If you look at this clip, particularly the second half of it with the end zone view, you'll clearly see that Smith kept his eyes down the middle of the field to look off the safeties. Only at the last instant did he look at Davis before releasing the ball, assuming with the safeties out of the play that Davis would be all alone. If he stared at him the whole way, as Cohn suggests, he would've seen the ultra-rare sight of a defensive end, in this case Matt Shaughnessy, dropping 15 yards down the field and toward the sidelines to take the out route away. Was it a poor read from Smith? Absolutely. But suggesting that Smith made the rookie mistake of staring down a receiver the whole way is at best lazy writing and at worst agenda-driven writing, a case of seeing what you want to see instead of what actually transpired.

Secondly, Cohn brings up Smith's final rating - 61.7 - to draw his "D-" conclusion. It's cute, but again either thoughtless or willfully misleading. Smith had all of 13 pass attempts and three of his five incompletions were flat out drops of passes he put right on the receivers' hands.

Thirdly and most important of all, Cohn ignores the fact that Smith had virtually no chance to boost his stats with touchdown passes because of the six goal-to-go plays the team ran on their first and third drives, Jim Harbaugh, cognizant of not wanting to reveal any of his good plays in the preseason, called simple runs up the gut. The one pass attempt Smith had, it was a play-action with one receiver option, Joshua Morgan. Smith felt Morgan was covered, so he threw the ball away.

Now, lord knows Smith has deserved plenty of criticism for his play over the years. But I think we can agree that one of his strengths has been as a red zone passer. He's very effective there. He either throws touchdowns or the team kicks field goals. He doesn't turn the ball over in those situations. He led the league in passer rating last season -- something like 118, I think -- and had nine touchdowns and no picks in red zone situations. I'm gonna give him the benefit of the doubt and say he might have produced at least one touchdown there in a normal circumstance if given the opportunity.

Cohn punishes Smith in his column without ever clarifying that he had but one goal-to-go pass attempt and never explains how a different non-Smith quarterback could've produced multiple touchdowns on drives one and three where Smith did not. He all but blames the botched up field goal on Smith.

In my opinion, there are two main facets of quarterback play: Making the right decision and making an accurate throw. I contend that on Smith's 13 attempts he executed 25 out of 26 possible times. He made the right decision 12 of 13 plays, with the only obvious exception being the interception, and he made an accurate throw all 13 of his plays. Even on the pick, if Shaughnessy wasn't there, the ball was on a direct trajectory to Davis. It was a bad decision, but not an inaccurate pass.

I gave Smith a "B" for the game, knocking him down a full letter grade for the interception. Otherwise it was very hard to find any fault with him. He read the Raiders defense, he stood tall against their blitzes, and he made the right decision and the accurate throw time and again. To me, that's progress, as much as we can assign progress to a preaseason game against the Raiders. I don't blame him for not putting more points on the board because his hands were tied by the coach (and wisely so, considering the circumstance).

I suspect Cohn in his heart of hearts probably thinks Smith had a "B" game as well. However he is a columnist, and the job of the columnist is to be interesting and provocative. If you want an honest assessment of how so-and-so played, look to the beat writers, whose jobs are to be objective. Columnists look for angles, even ones they don't necessarily believe.

I think Cohn didn't write that Smith had a "B" game because he doesn't think that is interesting enough to warrant a column. It wouldn't have gotten as much reader reaction, positive or negative, as writing that he stunk.

Well you know what? People have written "Alex Smith stinks" columns since 2005. No one in their right mind has any expectations of him. Everyone assumes he'll always stink. So to my way of thinking, writing "Alex Smith stunk" IS the boring column.

You want to be original? You want to be provocative? Explain to your writers that while you saw good things A, B, and C, that it doesn't mean squat because you still saw X, Y, and Z. That as long as X, Y, and Z exist Smith will always let people down. Make it clear that while Smith played well in this game, you still think he'll be poor when it matters. At least then you're stating a critical opinion, which is your aim, but still being honest about the game you watched in the context of its own vacuum.

Otherwise, why even go to the game? Seriously, Cohn could've written this column by looking at the box score, and if I didn't personally see him in the press box, I would've assumed that's just what he did.
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Apropos of Nothing

Only two weeks in and I already feel the EPL is over. Goddamn Man United is gonna win it again. They just toyed with Tottenham on Monday. It was 3-0 but could've been 6-0. They're just too good.

I mean, they decimated a decent Spurs side with Javier Hernandez, Dimitar Berbatov, Ryan Giggs, Park Ji-Sung, Rio Ferdinand and Michael Carrick all out of the starting 11. All six of those guys probably could've started for the Spurs and if not, then at least for most of the other teams in the league.

What hope does anyone else have? Liverpool won at Arsenal, but they're not very deep. The Gunners are selling off their guys left and right -- ownership problems Ratto tells me. Chelsea are supposedly close to getting Luka Modric from the Spurs in last gasp hope that he'll be able to get Fernando Torres goals when all others have tried and failed. Manchester City? Yeah, right.

I don't know what bothers me more, that it already seems like a foregone conclusion that the Red Devils will win again or that in spite of myself I found myself in awe of their quality and style while watching the game on Monday. Heaven help me they really played beautiful, attractive football. How am I suppose to hate them if they keep doing that?

I'm sure Alex Ferguson will think of something.
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Tonight's song on my I-Pod that is typically enjoyed by a 13-year-old girl:

"Give the Jew Girl Toys" by Sarah Silverman.

"What does Jesus have to do with you?/You've got as much to do with Jesus as you do with Scooby Doo."

Alright, enough for the first day. Time for bed, as I haven't slept for 36 hours because of magazine duties. I'll write something more Niners specific tomorrow.