Alex Smith Deserves Better Than Lazy Narrative; Week 6 Picks

Here's the thing: It was stupid, pointless and self-serving for Brett Favre to suggest on the radio, as he did a couple weeks ago, that his successor Aaron Rodgers fell into a perfect situation with a loaded roster. Favre came off petty, jealous and desperate for attention. He never should've said it or fallen for his interviewer's trap. Here's what Favre should've said about Rodgers:

"He's amazing, he's incredibly talented, I saw first-hand how hard he works at it and how dedicated he is and Packers fans will enjoy watching him play for a long, long time."

That would've been the truth.

However, what Favre said was also the truth, and that's largely been ignored because he said it.

It's been fashionable for some time to view the 49ers decision to draft Alex Smith with the first overall pick of the 2005 instead of Rodgers as some epic blunder, and to view the two players through the same historical prism that we use for Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf or Michael Jordan and Sam Bowie. Smith has by-and-large been thought of as one of the all-time draft busts.

It's a label that was never fair to Smith and one that never fit. There was no logical reason for him to play as poorly as he did. He was smart, athletic, an extremely hard worker and very coachable. He handled himself well in the locker room and with the media, unlike the petulant Leaf. He was everything an organization would want in its quarterback six days a week and every off-season. During game days though, it just didn't work.

While many bay area football fans wanted the team to draft Rodgers because he was a local kid who played at Cal, many talent evaluators preferred the more athletic Smith. The two were neck-and-neck in many attributes, but ultimately Mike Nolan (who had current Packers coach Mike McCarthy on his staff) chose the mild-mannered Smith because he was less likely to challenge him and defy his instructions. Rodgers was more arrogant and cocky, the way most star athletes are.

That Rodgers is a better player than Smith is not up for debate. What is interesting though is the Shakespearean tragedy of their career arcs. Whereas Rodgers had every advantage possible, Smith has had nothing but obstacles.

Rodgers came from a pro-style offense at Cal and was more ready to play right away. Still he got to sit for three seasons and learn behind Favre, to really hone his craft mentally before he ever had to step on the field. Smith played in a gimmick offense at Utah under Urban Meyer and couldn't have been less prepared for the pro game. He was the guy who should've grown intimate with the bench for a couple of years. Instead he was thrown on the field virtually straight away and asked to lead what was basically an expansion team in terms of its roster. It was no surprise given all that, that he threw 11 interceptions before connecting on his first touchdown pass.

Smith desperately needed good coaching, and stable, patient leadership. Instead he's had nothing but chaos. Time has robbed fans of their memories from 2006, the last season before this one where they weren't ashamed to admit that Smith was their team's quarterback. Under offensive coordinator Norv Turner he was improving practically at a geometric rate, and particularly looked good toward the end of the season. Unfortunately for him, Turner took the San Diego job and Smith was saddled with a parade of jokers at coordinator and the next four years. It was borderline criminal what Nolan did to him in 2007, first sticking him with Jim Hostler and then questioning Smith's manhood and ordering him to play with a separated shoulder. The injury robbed Smith of two seasons and nearly ended his career.

Rodgers on the other hand has played for McCarthy, who serves as his own offensive coordinator, his whole career. He hasn't had to crack open the playbook in years because nothing has changed. He's also gotten to throw to Greg Jennings, Donald Driver, Jordy Nelson, James Jones and Jermichael Finley for years whereas Smith's had to endure a revolving door of receivers, all of whom were less talented than their Green Bay counterparts.

Imagine if the roles were reversed and Rodgers had to make do with Nolan as his coach and no one around him. How often would they have butted heads and how quickly would've Nolan shipped him out of town while he still had the authority to do so? Don't forget, Nolan wasn't fired midway through the 2008 season for the way he ruined Smith. He was canned because he proved he couldn't win with Mike Martz and J.T. O'Sullivan either.

Contrary to popular opinion, Joe Montana and Bill Walsh weren't the best of pals and "Joe Cool" would often scream ten-letter unmentionables involving a synonym for a chicken and the function of a vacuum cleaner at his coach after Walsh offered him coaching points on the sidelines. And Walsh actually knew what he was talking about. Imagine how a guy like Montana would've reacted toward the inept Nolan or the clueless Mike Singletary, and it starts to sink in why it wouldn't have been the paradise you all daydream about with Aaron Rodgers in the red and gold. There's no way he would've saved the Nolan 49ers because they were beyond saving from him, from Montana, from anyone. You couldn't write a screenplay about the level of dysfunction at all levels the organization had without it sounding like some cliched cheesy sports movie fiction.

While we're in the realm of the Hollywood narrative, it's become accepted as chapter and verse that Smith, who's third in the NFL with a 104.1 passer rating and has led the 49ers to a 4-1 record, has somehow experienced a career transformation under Jim Harbaugh, the first credible offensive coach he's had since Turner. It's a popular theory, but it's also lazy and wrong. Smith, who showed flashes of potential in a series here or a quarter there in his two seasons since returning from injury, seemed to have finally turned the corner in the second half of the 2010 season, and stopped throwing the ball to the other guy.

Over his final six appearances he threw for eight touchdowns to one interception and in his last ten starts overall he's completed 159-of-263 passes (60.5%) for 1,986 yards, with 15 touchdowns and two interceptions. Has Smith improved under Harbaugh? Unquestionably. Was Smith, ridiculously underrated even before Harbaugh'd hire? Absolutely.

Because of injuries and benchings, Smith who started in the NFL three years before Rodgers did, is still the less-experienced player. He's made 55 starts to Rodgers' 57, counting playoffs. His football card says is in the midst of his seventh season, but really it's more like his fourth, and he's progressed the way you'd expect a fourth year starter to, slowly and steadily. He just needs what Rodgers has had -- good teammates, good coaching and stability with both.

So yes, it's true. Rodgers did fall into a good situation.

But you know what? So did Jim Harbaugh.

Week 6 Picks

Philadelphia at Washington (+2): The Redskins are leading the NFC East at 3-1, are third in the league in both total and scoring defense, have had two weeks to rest and prepare coming off their bye, and have the motivation of being underdogs at home to a 1-4 team. So of course I like the Eagles, quite possibly the dumbest team in NFL history, to win. Eagles 27, Redskins 20

San Francisco at Detroit (-5): I’d like the 49ers more if they had Morgan and Edwards, but they’re gonna be shorthanded at receiver. I also have questions about that offensive line on the road. The Lions have outscored their foes 109-23 in the second half this season. Lions 27, 49ers 17 **TWO STAR SPECIAL**

Indianapolis at Cincinnati (-7): You gotta give the Colts credit -- they've turned this tanking thing into a science. Every week they manage to blow games late and it totally looks authentic and like they're trying to win. I really hope the Emmy people have been paying attention. The Bengals, meanwhile, have inexplicably fielded one of the best defenses in the league so far. Bengals 20, Colts 17

Carolina at Atlanta (-4): So many people are expecting an upset here that it no longer seems like an upset. And here I was, feeling bold and original. Julio Jones will be out for the Falcons, which means they're right where they were when the playoffs started last season, with three losses and no ramshackle secondary. Good thing they'll have all those draft picks to shore up that area of need, right? Panthers 30, Falcons 27 **THREE STAR SPECIAL**

St. Louis at Green Bay (-15): On paper this seems like an uneven match-up. Fortunately for the Rams, games aren't played on paper, they're played on the field, where on any given Sunday, anybody can beat anybody. Unfortunately for the Rams, the only Sunday they wouldn't be totally obliterated on the field by the Packers would be Oct. 30, when Green Bay will be on their bye week. Packers 37, Rams 13

Buffalo at New York Giants (-3): The Bills like to give up yards by the bushel and collect turnovers. The Giants like to collect yards like it's going out of style and to give the ball away. These two should get along swimmingly. I wish I could buy stock in "Chris Berman will pick a 20-19 score for this game on his lame-ass Swami predictions." Bills 24, Giants 23.

Jacksonville at Pittsburgh (-13): Signs your market doesn't deserve a a pro team No. 731 -- When your beat reporters keep asking the opposing coach during a conference call about a playoff game four seasons ago. Mike Tomlin, who has led the Steelers to a Super Bowl win and a Super Bowl loss since losing a wild card game to the Jags, was rightly annoyed to have to field questions about that game. Why not just ask him if the Jaguars should've taken Warren Sapp instead of Tony Boselli in the 1995 draft while you're at it? Steelers 26, Jaguars 10

Cleveland at Oakland (-7): Normally this would be a trap game, but the Raiders figure to still be inspired, for obvious reasons. The Browns figure to be slow, talentless, and largely spazzy at quarterback. Raiders 27, Browns 13 **FOUR STAR SPECIAL**

Houston at Baltimore (-8): The Texans will be without their best players on either side of the ball in Andre Johnson and Mario Williams and may be missing Arian Foster as well. The Ravens are well rested and Joe Flacco has played well in the odd-numbered weeks, so that's good enough for me. Ravens 27, Texans 16 ** FIVE STAR SPECIAL **

Dallas at New England (-7): Or as I call it, "The Meteor Bowl." Who I will be rooting for will largely depend on the results of the morning's Eagles-Redskins tilt, but either way I'm not sure how much of Cowboys-Pats will resonate with me since blood will be gushing out of my eye sockets. I was thinking what would be the best way to ruin the day for both fan bases and to make Skip Bayless' head explode, and I figured it out: Have Tom Brady and Tony Romo make out on the 50-yard-line after the game. Obviously, this would make me like both of them way more. Patriots 34, Cowboys 30

New Orleans at Tampa Bay (+5): No LeGarrette Blount for the Bucs, who couldn't even sell out this game. They should just combine with the Jaguars and Dolphins to form one super Florida franchise that no one will care about. And by "super" I mean maybe a 10-6 record and a wild card birth. I look for Josh Freeman to bounce back and keep this close, but, ultimately, Drew Breeeeeeeeees. Saints 27, Buccaneers 24

Minnesota at Chicago (-3): An intriguing match-up between one quarterback who gets slammed to the turf routinely and another who likes to drill footballs to the turf like he's Michael Vick, but with worms instead of dogs. An upset pick for the Vikes, who are "arrow up" in Harbaugh parlance. Vikings 20, Bears 16

Miami at New York Jets (-7): Brandon Marshall promised that he would be so intense for this game that he'll get ejected by the second quarter, and he's just nuts enough where I believe him. I'm guessing he meant for it to sound inspiring to teammates, but instead he comes off looking a loon. The Jets, meanwhile, have all kinds of problems but would need an all-time stinker from Mark Sanchez to keep Miami in the game. Jets 23, Dolphins 10

Last week's W-L: 8-5
Season W-L: 51-26
Week 5 Vs. Spread: 5-7-1
Season Vs. Spread: 31-43-3
Week 5 +/- Points (All games count as one point unless specified): +6
Season +/- Points: -12

The Definition of Coaching, Morgan on IR, Week 6 Power Poll

Coach Jim Harbaugh and his staff are getting a lot of credit, deservedly so, for the 49ers 4-1 start, but I think it's important to not get it twisted. He and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, defensive coordinator Vic Fangio and the rest of the assistants are coaches, not miracle workers. What they're doing is teaching their players, putting them in the best tactical position to succeed, taking advantage of their strengths and minimizing their weaknesses while at the same time exploiting the weaknesses of their opponents.

In other words, they're doing their jobs. They're coaching.

What Harbaugh and his staff are doing is getting the players to play to their potential, not over it. For the most part this is how Trent Baalke, and Scot McCloughan before him and Mike Nolan before him, envisioned these guys performing when they drafted them. The 49ers have been a bad club for a long time and thus they've accumulated a lot of high draft picks. They've had the opportunity to draft the biggest and fastest guys year after year. Finally they have the coaches to take advantage of that talent; the right teachers and strategists who can mold these lumps of clay, all these weapons at their disposal, the right way.

This roster is not the Bad News Bears or the 2008 Detroit Lions. There's a lot of talented guys here and there was a reason this team was the prohibitive division favorites in 2009 and 2010. Some folks may look at the 4-1 record and the way they dismantled Tampa Bay as proof that Harbaugh is Bill Walsh reincarnated. I think it's proof of how in over their heads Nolan and Mike Singletary were and how spectacularly this team underachieved while they were in charge. Even an average NFL coaching staff would've been sufficient to get this team in the playoffs in the sorry NFC West the past couple of seasons.

Now don't get me wrong, I think Harbaugh is a good coach. But he fell into a perfect situation. The 49ers were so mismanaged the past few years that they suckered the national pundits into this false narrative that the team was void of talent, when really most first-time coaches would kill to come into a situation this good.

Look at the linebackers. Who's got a quartet like Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman, Ahmad Brooks and Aldon Smith? All those guys are athletic as hell and can run with anybody. Safety Dashon Goldson is a heat-seeking missile when he's right and hits as hard as anybody. Justin Smith is as good as any 3-4 defensive end in the league.

Offensively, Vernon Davis is a mismatch against every team in the league. No linebacker can hope to run with him. Michael Crabtree was drafted in the top ten because he had no holes in his game in college. He wasn't elite in any category except getting in and out of his breaks, but he had great hands, good leaping ability, good speed, good run-after-catch skills, etc. Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis were picked high because they're massive bulldozers who can move and get out on the second level on pulls and traps and screens.

General manager Baalke deserves tremendous credit as well, not just for his 2011 draft class, which has yielded immediate contributors in Aldon Smith, Kendall Hunter, Bruce Miller and Chris Culliver, but also for the numerous free agent signings after the lockout that have patched holes and legitimately improved the club, such as Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner and Jonathan Goodwin.

Finally, the guy who deserve some real kudos is a fella by the name of Alex Smith, but that's a story for Friday.

Morgan’s Unfortunate Injury

WR Joshua Morgan suffered what Harbaugh described as a broken bone in his lower right leg during Sunday’s 48-3 wipeout of Tampa Bay and had surgery to repair it the following day. Harbaugh said he will be out for “an extended time” and it was revealed Wednesday morning that Morgan would be placed on injured reserve and lost for the season. It's a bad break (no pun intended) for Morgan, who is without question one of the most popular players on the team by teammates and media alike. His contract is up after this season and his future is in limbo, depending on how well he's able to recover from his injury. Morgan led the wideouts with 15 receptions for 220 yards and seemed well-suited for Harbaugh's West Coast Offense, where he ran the slant patten well and excelled at gaining yards after the catch. He was also an excellent blocker on the perimeter, and the running game will suffer in his absence.

The story surrounding the injury was the timing of it. The score was 41-3 at the time with around four minutes to go and the offense at the Buccaneers’ 20-yard-line. Harbaugh decided to go for it on 4th-and-2 and rookie QB Colin Kaepernick passed it to Morgan, who caught the pass and then had his leg rolled up on by a defender while trying to work his way into the end zone.

Harbaugh defended the decision, saying, "The thought process was to make a first down, get back into running the clock down to the point where you can take a knee. There is no second team on a 46-man roster, offense, defensively, or special teams. You kick the field goal, you expose the kicker. You take a knee, now the defense is back on the field, you don’t want to put your defense back there. Next option is throw a short pass, which we did. Try to get the first down and now you’re taking more time off the clock. Run the ball, you’re still, in my experience, more times offensive linemen are rolled up on a run play than a pass play. Really, you’re trying to dodge bullets at that point. The intent is to get the clock down to where you can take a knee. This occasion, we didn’t dodge it."

All well and good and it sounds very convincing. The problem is I'm sure Harbaugh had a plausible quote to explain why he went for two when he was already up a thousand points against USC, prompting Pete Carroll to ask him "What's your deal?" too. This just in, coaches lie to the media. While Harbaugh is right that there is an injury risk on every play, there was no need to play Morgan in that spot because there was no need to use a three receiver formation in that spot because there was no need to pass in that spot. Harbaugh was running up the score, which is standard operating procedure for him.

Inject him with sodium pentathol about why he passed there and I'm guessing Harbaugh's answer would be something more along the realm of "Because eff them and eff you, that's why."

Which would be awesome, by the way.

****************************************************************************

49ers Sign WR Swain

With Braylon Edwards still a couple weeks away from returning from his knee injury, the 49ers needed a fourth receiver, so they signed free agent Brett Swain, 26, who is 6-1 and 200 pounds. Swain, who was drafted in the 7th-round by Green Bay in 2008 out of SDSU, played two seasons for the Packers, and saw time in all 20 games for them last season, catching six passes for 72 yards in the regular season and leading the team with three special teams tackles in their Super Bowl win over Pittsburgh. Swain is mainly known for his special teams work, so it will be interesting if he will supplant Kyle Williams as the fourth receiver once Edwards returns to active duty, because of his prowess in that area. As you surely know by now, the 49ers place a huge emphasis on special teams, and their dominance in that phase of the game under coordinator Brad Seely is a big reason they’ve started 4-1.

***********************************************************************************
49ers Statistical Rankings, presented without comment:

49ers Offensive Rankings:

Rushing: 117.2 YPG (12th); Yards Per Carry: 4.0 (T-20th); Rushing Touchdowns: 6 (T-4th);

Passing: 183.0 YPG (29th); Completion Percentage: 66.7 (5th); Yards Per Attempt: 7.8 (T-10th);

Passing Touchdowns: 7 (T-15th); Interceptions: 1 (T-1st); Sacks: 14 (T-24th);

QB Rating: 104.8 (3rd); 3rd Down Percentage: 33.9 (22nd);

Yards Per Game: 300.2 (27th); Scoring: 28.4 (7th)

49ers Defensive Rankings:

Rushing: 76.4 YPG (T-4th); Yards Per Carry: 3.6 (7th); Rushing Touchdowns: 0 (1st)

Passing: 264.0 YPG (23rd); Completion Percentage: 58.0 (11th); Yards Per Attempt: 7.2 (T-12th);

Passing Touchdowns: 7 (T-11th); Interceptions: 8 (3rd); Sacks: 12 (T-11th);

Fumbles Forced: 5 (T-7th); Fumbles Recovered: 5 (2nd);

3rd Down Percentage: 35.3 (11th); Yards Per Game: 340.8 (13th); Scoring: 15.6 (2nd)

49ers Special Teams Rankings:

Kickoff Return: 32.5 Avg (2nd); Kickoff Return Allowed: 21.3 Avg (5th);

Punt Return: 11.8 Avg (11th); Punt Return Allowed: 8.5 Avg (13th);

Field Goal Percentage: 83.3 (T-19th); Net Punt Average: 47.5 Yards (2nd)

Giveaway/Takeaway:

Giveaways: 4 (T-1st); Takeaways: 14 (T-2nd); Plus/Minus: +10 (2nd)
*******************************************************************************
Power Poll:

1) Green Bay (5-0): The gulf between them and number two is probably as wide as between number two and number 20. They fall behind 14-0 to a fired up Atlanta team in their dome and couldn't be less rattled. For a lot of good teams with high-octane offense, a 14 point deficit wouldn't be the end of the world and maybe they'd come back and win a shootout with the Falcons 38-35. The Packers simply didn't allow another point and won going away, intercepting Matt Ryan twice and making him, and Atlanta, look rather ordinary. (Which they are.)

2) Baltimore (3-1): They improve their standing while resting. New Orleans plays too many close games against too many blah teams for my liking. Good test coming up against the Texans at home (but without Andre Johnson and Mario Williams).

3) New Orleans (4-1): The Saints defense may be better than you think. They lead the league in completion percentage allowed, and are up there in yards-per-attempt and sacks too. The guys they've given up a ton of yards to (Aaron Rodgers, Matt Schaub, Cam Newton) everybody struggles against. The offense remains as daunting as ever and Drew Brees is as good in the two-minute drill as anyone. Real interesting game coming up at Tampa.

4. New England (4-1): They held the Jets to 255 yards. Does that mean their defense is turning it around, or do the Jets really stink that badly? There's no way a quarterback like Mark Sanchez should be held to 166 when he only takes two sacks and throws no picks. Offensively, the Pats remain as indefatigable as ever and continue to frustrate fantasy owners with their revolving running back situation. They've got the Cowboys at home in the Meteor Bowl on Sunday.

5. Detroit (5-0): I wonder if Alex Smith watched that game Monday night with all that noise and the heat the Lions front four was bringing and all those false starts by the Bears offensive line. I'd be chugging Pepto Bismol if I were him watching that, wouldn't you? Jahvid Best ran for 163 yards against Chicago, but you'll forgive me if I need more convincing with him. How big of a lead would the 49ers need to have on Sunday for you to feel comfortable? Detroit has outscored their foes 109-23 in second halves.

6. Buffalo (4-1): Two impressive wins over New England and Philly, but I see a couple of bad omens. First, their defense can't stop anybody. Sure, they're getting turnovers by the bushel, but that kind of thing comes in chunks and the Bills don't have the pass rush to keep that going. Second, the Eagles held those receivers in check pretty easily in the second half. Buffalo's entire offense was pretty much Fred Jackson running and catching it. With Donald Jones sidelined a good long while, the receiving corps is Stevie Johnson and not much else. They test their mettle against another NFC East foe at the Giants.

7. San Diego (4-1): Slowly starting to put it together. Once they get Antonio Gates back, they'll be their usual unstoppable selves on offense (pre-January). Defense is another story, but their schedule is cake. They get to rest up this week.

8. San Francisco (4-1): For the first time since 2002, the 49ers are in the upper quadrant of the NFL. Hey, they've earned it. They had their starting safety tandem playing together for the first time and the results speak for themselves. Rookies Aldon Smith and Chris Culliver are coming on. The inside linebackers are beasts. As are the tight ends. And the running backs. Alex Smith is playing out of his mind. Who are these guys? They win at Detroit, and cue the Sports Illustrated cover story on Harbaugh.

9. Oakland (3-2): Most impressive win of the week, at Houston. Raiders have a lot of pieces and if they get any decent play from their secondary, they're very tough to beat. Can't punish them too much for losing to two teams above them in the rankings. This looks like the best offense they've had since they went to the Super Bowl and the defense played as hard against Houston as I've ever seen it. Trap game at home vs. Cleveland or will they be able to keep up that intense emotion of Al Davis' passing for the home fans?

10. Houston (3-2): Just brutal, losing their best player on offense and defense. At least Andre Johnson is only going to miss a few weeks. Losing Mario Williams for the season is a game-changer for them. Maybe -- maybe -- they'll still win the division, but the defense is about to go "arrow down" in Harbaugh-speak in a major way. And now they have to go to Baltimore. Oy vey.

11. Pittsburgh (3-2): Got healthy against an over-hyped Tennessee team and Big Ben and his receivers showed just how irrelevant Rashard Mendenhall is for them in the grand scheme. There's only a dozen or so running backs that truly matter in the NFL and he's not one of them. Pretty much a "bye" at home with the Jags now.

12. Washington (3-1): They have one loss and that was on the road against a team that had to convert a 3rd-and-21 to beat them, so that deserves some respect. The Redskins have a legit defense, with two bookend pass-rushers, a great middle linebacker and a hard-hitting safety. Offensively they have a three-headed running game, Santana Moss and a couple decent tight ends. The specter of Rex Grossman looms over it all though.

13. New York Giants (3-2): Boy did they blow that one against Seattle? I guess it makes up for the game they had no business winning the week before at Arizona. Like their New York neighbors, the Giants have surprisingly struggled to run the ball, putting too much stress on Eli Manning. Their pass-rush keeps on keeping on, but that defense comes and goes. Bills up next, can't lose two straight home games, can they?

14. Cincinnati (3-2): I respect their defense, even if I don't get how they're doing it. Cedric Benson, A.J. Green and Jermaine Gresham are all talents and rookie Andy Dalton is everything I thought he'd be. Comeback to beat Bills deserves respect and now they get the Colts at home to go to 4-2?

15. New York Jets (2-3): You wanna kill them, but look who they've lost to: at Oakland, at Baltimore, at New England. It's fairly rare in the first place to have three straight road games, but not one twinkie in the bunch? Rex Ryan shipped out malcontent Derrick Mason to the Texans, but until the Jets figure out how to run the ball and stop the run like they used to, they'll be an average team. Looks like a reprieve on Monday night against Miami, but imagine the media crush if they drop that one. Remember, Jason Taylor said Mark Sanchez is worse than Chad Henne.

16. Dallas (2-2): Injuries at receiver and defensive back, but the stats say they should be a top-tier team. Is it all Tony Romo's fault that they're not? No, but it's fun to pretend, right? The good news about their game at New England is virtually nothing could happen that would leave me unhappy outside of a 56-56 tie where both quarterbacks break every single-game passing record in the books.

17. Tennessee (3-2): I finally believe in them and they go lay an egg at Pittsburgh. They might still luck into a division title because of Houston's injuries, but only if Chris Johnson starts playing worth a damn. I know they're stacking the line against him, but Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson have figured it out lately, haven't they? They get a bye to lick their wounds and watch everyone else beat the crap out of one another.

18. Tampa Bay (3-2): Scheduled loss at San Francisco, but 48-3? That's just an embarrassing, immature lack of effort by everyone involved. Losing Gerald McCoy is no excuse to stop tackling. It was shameful how they let the 49ers run student body left, student body right with no impediment like USC. That's not supposed to work in the NFL. Letting Gore get off-tackle runs where he's not touched for 10 yards against eight man fronts seems wonky too. Now they're home against the Saints, which will tell us what the NFC South is all about.

19. Atlanta (2-3): They lose to Green Bay 48-17 in the playoffs and trade pretty much all of their draft and next year's too for Julio Jones to beef up their offense... and then score 14 against the Packers. But hey at least Aaron Rodgers only threw for infinity yards against them instead of the infinity + 5 he had in January, so progress. Now they get Cam Newton in their fast track at home. Good luck with that.

20. Carolina (1-4): Speaking of which, this seems as good a spot as any for the Panthers. Their offense won't let them get blown out, and eventually they'll play some crap teams, right? As you've no doubt deduced, I'm picking them to upset Atlanta.

21. Minnesota (1-4): They do everything pretty well except for throwing the ball. I'm not gonna kill them for that. Could totally see them winning at Chicago. Donovan McNabb usually plays well in his hometown.

22. Chicago (2-3): If Michael Vick's offensive line was as bad as Jay Cutler's, he'd voluntarily go back to prison. My word are they awful. The rest of the team though? Meh. That's what Minnesota-Chicago has become: A big bowl of "Meh."

23. Philadelphia (1-4): If their coach had a brain and if they had some linebackers and if they could tackle and if their receivers would stop carrying the ball like it's a skunk and if their line blocked somebody and if their QB stopped throwing it to the other guys and if their backup QB just shut his yap and if their corners actually ever pressed their receivers and if their defensive coordinator was actually a defensive coordinator; if all that actually happened, then maybe these guys wouldn't suck ass. HUGE game at Washington.

24. Seattle (2-3): Two wins in their last three and a two-point loss in between. Undrafted Doug Baldwin out of Stanford is third among rookies in receptions behind only A.J. Green and Julio Jones, who were both among the top six picks. The Hawks also found Brandon Browner, a corner out of the CFL who's 6-4, 220 and set a franchise record with a 94-yard return against the Giants. Now Tarvaris Jackson rests his strain pectoral and the coaches try to figure out if they're going forward with Clipboard Jesus.

25. Kansas City (2-3): Two game winning streak against two previously winless teams. Not that impressive, but Matt Cassel is on fire. So much easier for a QB to look good when he doesn't have those annoying running backs always asking for the ball. They're on their bye week, not that anyone will notice or care.

26. Cleveland (2-2): They had a week off to get their stuff together, but sounds like there is still dissension between Peyton Hillis and his teammates. No, I don't think this ranking is too low for them. Win at Oakland if you're unhappy.

27. Denver (1-4): I'm rooting for Tim Tebow to go 0-for-90 in the next three games with 40 interceptions, 20 fumbles and 30 sacks. Not because of any ill will I bear him, but rather because I'm morbidly curious how far Skip Bayless could stretch reality to make excuses for him. I'd have to defenestrate my television if Tebow can actually play.

28. Arizona (1-4): Way to show up on the road, gang. Kevin Kolb is a total spaz in the pocket. Darrell Dockett continues to be one of the most overrated players in the league. Rookie Patrick Peterson, a corner, looks like a safety. Safety Kerry Rhodes has broken his foot. Good times.

29. Jacksonville (1-4): I can't think about them for more than ten seconds without getting sleepy. Or maybe it's because it's 6:08 a.m. and I haven't slept. Have fun in Pittsburgh, Blaine.

30. Indianapolis (0-5): Finding new and creative ways to lose every week. You'd think they'd stop trying one of these weeks. Blah game at Cincinnati.

31. Miami (0-4): Well, they haven't been embarrassed yet. As long as they run the ball and keep punting it, they should be in the game with the Jets.

32. St. Louis (0-4): Dead last in scoring at 11.5 points per game. That's bad. 31st in points allowed at 28.3 per game. That's also bad. Their next three games: at Green Bay, at Dallas, vs. New Orleans. That's bad, bad, and bad. In conclusion: They're bad.

49ers Throttle Bucs But Needlessly Lose WR Morgan

SAN FRANCISCO -- 49ers Coach Jim Harbaugh was wrong three times on Sunday afternoon.

1) He went for it on 4th-and-2 from Tampa Bay's 20-yard-line with four minutes to go and a 41-3 lead, instead of kicking the field goal. In fact, he didn't just go for it; he called a pass.

2) After the game he speculated that receiver Joshua Morgan's injury wasn't too serious, even though Morgan's left foot was badly twisted underneath him in similar fashion to the injury that befell San Francisco Giants star catcher Buster Posey on May 25th and ended his year. Morgan needed assistance from teammates to get off the field and was helped onto a cart. A couple hours later CSN Bay Area reported that Morgan fractured his ankle, which likely means he'll be out for the season.

3) In the otherwise cheery postgame presser, Harbaugh gave a reporter (okay, me) some guff for mispronouncing Ricky Jean Francois' name during a question. "It's Ricky Gene, get the pronunciation right," he chided. One would think the "Francois" part would be a dead giveaway of the French roots of his nose tackle's surname, but nonetheless, I went to the Jean Francois himself in the locker room who assured me it is in fact pronounced Zhahn-Frahnswah, not Jeen-Frahnswah.

Whatever. Harbaugh's a football coach, not a linguistics professor. I don't care if he calls Jean Francois "Ndamukong Suh," really. It's his room. And it's hardly the first time he's been condescending to the media when the facts were clearly not on his side. As fans and colleagues have told me ad nauseam, as long as the team is winning, nobody will ever care how Harbaugh acts or speaks.

However, while mistake No. 3 was trivial for Harbaugh the first two certainly weren't, and it casts a pall on an otherwise perfect 56 minutes for the coach, where he made, I'm sure, literally hundreds of correct decisions in guiding his team to a remarkable, stunning, merciless 48-3 win over previously 3-1 Tampa Bay.

Let's focus on the good stuff first.

The Buccaneers came into the game no doubt filled with confidence. Their coach, Raheem Morris, referred to his team as "The West Coast Killers" based on their wins at Arizona and against these very same (well mostly same) Niners last season. He boasted about his squad's confidence on the road playing in hostile environments. The Bucs had won 9 of their previous 12 away games. In last year's meeting with the 49ers, San Francisco came into the game with a two-game winning streak, just like this season. Tampa Bay whupped them up and down the field, winning easily 21-0 and handed the Niners their first shutout at home since 1977. The Bucs defense had six sacks of starting QB Troy Smith that day and hounded him into a 51.5 passer rating, while their guy Josh Freeman had two touchdown passes, no interceptions and a 117.9 QB rating.

However, not everything was hunky dory with the 2011 Bucs, even though they'd won their past three games. For one thing, the schedule was stacked against them. They had to play on Monday night this week and then fly cross-country to face the 49ers, so they didn't have too much time to recover or prepare. Also, Freeman hasn't been the same guy so far this year. Last year he was sensational, with 25 touchdowns, just six interceptions, and a 95.9 rating as a second-year starter. He came into this game with three touchdowns, four interceptions and a 81.1 rating.

As the game unfolded, it because quickly apparent that 49ers QB Alex Smith (11-of-19, three touchdowns, no picks, 127.2 rating) is not very similar at all to Troy Smith except for their shared last name. Smith sliced and diced through the Bucs on the opening possession and hit tight end Delanie Walker on a perfect pass in between three defenders to make it 7-0.

Freeman, meanwhile was very similar to the guy he's been throughout the first four weeks of this season (minus the fourth quarter heroics this time), rather than the one who starred last year. He threw two early picks; one that was returned 31 yards by Carlos Rogers for a touchdown to make it 14-3 and another to rookie Chris Culliver that led to another score to make it 21-3 and the rout was on.

Smith, who didn't have to do much on this day, only showed off one other time. He was red hot to open the third quarter too, hitting Michael Crabtree on a slant on 3rd-and-14 for 15 yards, then Morgan on a bubble screen for a 24-yard catch-and-run and then Vernon Davis over the middle for 23 and a touchdown to make it 31-3.

Mostly though, the 49ers ran and ran and ran it some more. They ran shotgun draws that surprised the Bucs and from jumbo formations with six linemen (right guard Adam Snyder was lining up at fullback) and three tight ends that didn't. It really didn't matter if Tampa Bay knew it was coming or not, particularly after they lost defensive tackle Gerald McCoy to an ankle injury late in the first quarter. The more lopsided the score got, the less resistance the Buccaneers offered.

Frank Gore (20 carries for 125 yards) found wide running lanes between the tackles the first three quarters, and then rookie Kendall Hunter ran a series of student body sweeps and tosses left and right for 65 more yards of his own on nine carries. All in all, the 49ers had a season-high 213 rushing yards, with their backs often not getting touched until they were 10 or 15 yards down field.

The domination of their offensive line didn't just extend to the run game however. Smith wasn't sacked once all game and I can't even remember him being hit. Everyone up front did a great job, but tackles Joe Staley and Anthony Davis in particular deserve kudos for their work.

Defensively there wasn't much to quibble with either. Harbaugh noted how quickly his secondary reacted to the ball, how they read routes and how they got their hands on so many passes. Culliver, the third-round pick with prototypical size and speed but only three games of cornerback experience in the SEC, looked like the real deal and Rogers put the kibosh on his butterfingers reputation with an interception in his third successive game. He never had more than two in any of his previous six seasons in Washington. Also, free safety Dashon Goldson laid out Bucs receiver Mike Williams with a ferocious hit in the third quarter, causing a fumble. It was the first time all season that both starting safeties -- Goldson and Donte Whitner -- played at the same time, and the results speak for themselves.

The front seven stuffed LeGarrette Blount (10 carries for 34 yards) even without starting nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga, who missed the game with a staph infection. Jean Francois was superb in relief and the 49ers extended their streak of not allowing a 100-yard rusher to 27. They also had three sacks, pretty much all of the "coverage" variety, with first-round pick Aldon Smith collecting two of them. He now has 3.5 on the season, which leads the team and trails only Denver's Von Miller among rookies.

In short, the 49ers were the much better team in every facet a football game could be measured. They won all three phases, controlled the line of scrimmage and thoroughly out-coached and out-executed the road weary Bucs. Harbaugh and his assistants deserve all the credit in the world, not just for having the team absolutely prepared for this game, but also in a big-picture sense, as their fingerprints on the team are easy to see everywhere.

The 49ers, even without the benefit of mini-camps to install the new offensive and defensive schemes, look for all the world like runaway division champs and one of the seven or eight best teams in football. It's taken virtually no time at all for Harbaugh to change the culture of the locker room and to turn Smith into not just a serviceable quarterback, but a good one. Again, they deserve full credit for that.

However, two things can be equally true, and the facts remain Harbaugh totally screwed up the end game.

He tried to run up the score, because it's what he does. It was the same way at Stanford, when he went for two with a billion point lead against USC late in the game, prompting then-Trojan coach Pete Carroll to ask him "What's your deal?"

As Harbaugh said in last Monday's presser, he's "moody and complicated." Part of this complication extends to being a bully when he knows the other team has given up and quit. He doesn't know how to win gracefully and he feigns surprise when people ask him why he enjoys stepping on the opponent's throat and twisting his heel.

"You've got to play," he said. "You can’t take a knee with four minutes left in the game. It could have been a run. Josh was competing; I think he's going to be okay. [QB Colin] Kaepernick is competing; he's got to get to work. We're not taking a knee with four minutes left in the game."

Nobody was asking you to take a knee, coach, and I understand that Kaepernick needs "work" though I'd question the value of that work in a 41-3 game against a defeated team. But that's what downs 1-3 are for. On 4th-and-3 it's just good form to kick the damn ball.

The thing about Harbaugh is that unlike previous 49ers coaches, he's repeatedly demonstrated that he's capable of learning, even though he'd never admit, ever, that he made a mistake in the first place.

The media suggested that mayhaps right guard Chilo Rachal wasn't playing too well? Harbaugh insisted that he was, then benched him in favor of Adam Snyder, who's been tremendous.

Some of us wondered why Kendall Hunter wasn't playing when Gore was struggling early, and voila, Hunter has gotten a lot of work the past three weeks and prospered.

Harbaugh was questioned why he kept a field goal on the scoreboard in a loss to Dallas instead of taking the penalty and accepting what would've been a 1st-and-10 at the 22-yard line in the fourth quarter.

Against the Bucs he gleefully pulled an Akers field goal off the board and accepted a Tampa Bay penalty early in the fourth quarter and then had Smith throw in the end zone to Davis to make it 41-3.

So rest assured that when the grave results do come in on poor Morgan, that Harbaugh won't admit he erred, when his efforts to impress the AP Poll or whatever he was attempting to do cost him one of his best receivers and most popular players inside the locker room. I'm guessing the next time the 49ers are administrating or receiving a whipping, he'll be more conservative and that the explanation he'll offer for his change of heart will bend the truth severely, similar to the way Morgan bent his ankle.

Morgan got needlessly hurt last year too at Kansas City, when Mike Singletary called a pass on the final play with the 49ers trailing 31-3. Morgan scored a cosmetic touchdown to make it 31-10 at the gun and Singletary sent his message -- that he's a terrible coach who could care less about his players' safety.

Maybe next time a 49ers coach calls a pass play in a blowout, Morgan will just fall down.

49ers Look To Snuff Out "West Coast Killers;" Week 5 Picks

As you've no doubt heard, one of 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh's trademark inspirational catchphrases is to ask the team after wins, "Who's got it better than us?" where afterward, the team answers, in unison, "Noooooo-body."

The origins of it come from Harbaugh's humble beginnings, where his father would use the saying to rally the family when times got tough. Harbaugh took the rhetorical to heart and adopted it as a coach to lift up his team's confidence, knowing full well that on most day's his players weren't the most talented ones on the field.

So it's a bit odd then, that these days when Harbaugh asks his charges who's got it better than them, the answer they yell back at him is damn close to the truth. According to the gang at Football Outsiders, the 49ers are currently the second-likeliest team to make the postseason, at 89.1 percent, trailing only the 4-0 defending champion Green Bay Packers. Our local gridironers have a two-game lead against division mates Arizona and Seattle and a three game advantage over the preseason NFC West favorite St. Louis Rams, who, in their decimated condition, wouldn't even be favorites in the Pac-12.

The Cardinals and Seahawks next games are both on the road, which has not been nearly as hospitable to them as it has to the 49ers this year. The Rams, meanwhile, get the reprieve of a bye week, but have to visit the aforementioned Packers the Sunday after that, meaning they're a mortal lock for 0-5 (kind of like how the 49ers were at Philly, but mortal-er).

Your Niners, on the other hand, are at home against the wholly annoying Tampa Bay Buccaneers, a squad who dominated them at the 'Stick last season to the tune of 21-0. Then, as now, San Francisco entered the game on the heels of a two-game winning streak and full of confidence. The difference is the last couple of seasons they had a coaching staff that was exposed as lazy, arrogant and under-prepared when times were good and now they have Harbaugh, who might tell his players they're not half bad after wins but spends the rest of the week tirelessly chewing over every last detail like some hyperactive badger. The next time he takes an opponent lightly will be the first, and he's got enough guys on the roster who remember all too well the pounding they took from these Bucs.

Another key difference is this time Harbaugh will have Alex Smith under center, whereas last time they had to make do with Troy Smith. The Buccaneers coaches quickly discovered that the latter was next to useless once you took the play-action pass away from him and the Troy Smith Era, which began with much promise, quickly faded into a footnote in 49ers lore.

You know what? It's aggravating to keep writing "Alex Smith" and "Troy Smith" over and over, so for the purposes of this preview, Alex will now be referred to as "Utah" and Troy will be "Ohio," kapis?

Our Utah is far more accurate -- albeit in a dink-and-dunk fashion -- than Ohio ever was and he's as red-hot (97.7 QB rating, 8th in the NFL) as he can ever possibly be. I dare suggest that it's been fairly established that if he gets a modicum of protection, that Utah can string a few completions together and move the chains.

Therein lies the rub, of course. The Bucs defense had six sacks when they visited a year ago and that was against, again, Ohio, who is a wee bit more mobile than Utah. The 49ers offensive line actually had an encouraging game against the Philadelphia Eagles in that they allowed "only" three sacks, though to be fair to them they dominated Philly's smallish front in the run game.

Harbaugh already benched the main culprit in right guard (now ex-right guard) Chilo Rachal, so now the weak link is right tackle Anthony Davis, who gave up a hat trick of sacks to Eagle end Jason Babin -- and was fined 25 large for a pair of leg-whips -- and who struggled mightily in these teams' previous engagement. His match-up will be Michael Bennett, who had a pair of sacks himself in Monday's win over Indy.

Even more foreboding is the other side of the ball, where nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga picked the wrong week to come down a staph infection. Ricky Jean Francois, who admitted he's not big enough or fast enough to be an ideal starter, will start in his place. Jean Francois was memorably rag-dolled as a rookie against the Packers and said that game woke him up and made him realize he needs to prepare as though he's going to be a starter every week and to focus on his technique to make up for his physical limitations.

Jean Francois and veteran linemates Justin Smith and Ray McDonald will have to be at their best occupying blockers, because the Bucs will be perfectly happy to stubbornly hand the ball over and over to LeGerrette Blount, whom safety Dashon Goldson aptly described as "a load." Blount is bigger than both of the 49ers inside backers, Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, so it would probably be a good thing for him to not have a head of steam when he encounters those gentlemen. And heaven forbid if it's left to the defensive backs to bring Blount down, because he's the type of galoot that tempts corners across the land to make, as Deion Sanders cheerfully puts it, "a business decision," i.e. getting the heck of the way and preserving one's body in order to be able to cash checks in the future.

The Buccaneers are troublesome because while they're not world beaters, they're not bad at anything. Their defense has talent at all three levels, especially at corner with Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib. Their defensive line features three first round picks and a fourth guy, Da'Quan Bowers, who would've been if the medical people weren't convinced his knee ligaments are about as stable as ramen noodles.

On offense they've got Blount, a great young, athletic line in front of him, a pair of big, mobile tight ends in Kellen Winslow Jr. and rookie Luke Stocker, a top-shelf 3rd-down back in Earnest Graham and of course, QB Josh Freeman, who's the closest thing the NFC has to Ben Roethlisberger, without all the off-field unpleasantness. Freeman isn't Michael Vick, but he can take off and run it when need be, and as Goldson pointed out, he delights in lowering his shoulder into defensive backs instead of sliding like quarterbacks are taught. He also has a pesky habit of saving his best for the fourth quarter.

In short, the Buccaneers, who've dubbed themselves "The West Coast Killers" for their success at Arizona and San Francisco last season, are precisely the kind of team that Harbaugh would love to coach, right down to their backup QB Josh Johnson, who played for him at the University of San Diego and whom he's quite fond of. There are scores of reasons to pick them to win.

However, I'm going with the home side. They've got Harbaugh, they've got Utah, and a couple of talented kids in the backfield in rookies Kendall Hunter and Bruce Miller that the Bucs didn't have to face last time. I think the flight out will sap Tampa Bay just a bit, as will having a short week to prepare for the Niners because they played on Monday night. The 49ers are nobody's idea of a "scheduled loss," but the scales do tip in their favor.

If they wind up winning this one, the ushers might as well hand out "2011 NFC West Champion" T-shirts in the stands. Who'd mind that?

Nooooo-body.


Week 5 Picks...

Philadelphia at Buffalo (+3): The Eagles are a desperate team and going on the road is probably the best thing for them right now after two home disappointments have turned most of their rabid fanbase against them. The defense figures to have problems stopping Fred Jackson and their pass rush takes a hit too without Trent Cole, but I don't see that Bills secondary or so-so pass rush bothering Vick and Co. too much either. Eagles 30, Bills 20 **TWO STAR SPECIAL**

Kansas City at Indianapolis (-3): Both of these teams have played better than their records would indicate the past two weeks. Even though the Colts are on a short week, I like 'em here against a Chiefs team that got destroyed the last time they went on the road against a dome team. I think they'll have some issues in pass protection against Dwight Freeney and Robert Mathis. Colts 20, Chiefs 13

Arizona at Minnesota (-3): For two teams that are a combined 1-7, this is an oddly compelling game. On one hand, Larry Fitzgerald always plays well when he goes back to his home state (he was a Vikings ball boy). On the other, if Donovan McNabb has any pride at all, he'll play well against Kevin Kolb, who Andy Reid decided he was worse than when he shipped off from Philly to Washington. I'll give the tiebreaker there to the team who's at home, has the better pass rush and the better running back. Vikings 27, Cardinals 20

Seattle at New York Giants (-10): The last time Seattle visited the east coast, they got positively slaughtered by a Pittsburgh team that's had a whale of a time stopping anyone else they've played. Good enough for me. Besides, this is as hot as Eli Manning and the Giants are ever gonna get. Giants 31, Seahawks 10

Tennessee at Pittsburgh (-3): Mini-upset special, just to see how real this Titans team is. Their pass rush looks fearsome, and Ben Roethlisberger is a bit gimpy with a bad foot and he's playing behind a beat up line. The Steelers have also been having trouble stopping the run and Chris Johnson is starting to heat up. Also, I want to see if Matt Hasselbeck can keep up his hot streak. Titans 23, Steelers 20

New Orleans at Carolina (+7): With Cam Newton going absolutely insane, the Panthers at home seems like the obvious pick with the points. I'm going the other way. I think Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams will have a little something for the rookie and I happen to believe the Panthers defense, who are without their two best linebackers for the season, is terrible. If Pierre Thomas and Mark Ingram can't run through them, then Drew Brees will simply pass over them. Saints 41, Panthers 24

Cincinnati at Jacksonville (-3): What an ugly game. I'm kind of surprised the Jaguars are favored, to be honest with you. I'll go with the team with the better defense, the slightly more experienced QB, and the better receivers. Bengals 20, Jaguars 13 **THREE STAR SPECIAL**

Oakland at Houston (-6): Both teams can run it, but I think the Texans can stop it better. Their defense has been excellent at home and they have a multi-pronged pass rush led by Mario Williams. I don't think they're gonna miss Andre Johnson too much this week. Texans 30, Raiders 20

Tampa Bay at San Francisco (-3): I've always liked the 49ers to win this game, even before the season started and I had them being a 7-9/8-8 second-place team. I think the Niners, coming off a two-game winning streak last season, badly underestimated the Bucs (their arrogant coaching staff was prone to doing that, unfortunately) and Tampa Bay took advantage of Troy Smith defensively. I think the Niners match up pretty well against these guys, even though their run defense will take a hit without Isaac Sopoaga. I see the offensive line having a good showing at home and the defense holding on for dear life. 49ers 24, Buccaneers 20.

San Diego at Denver (+4): The Broncos allowed 49 points at Green Bay and the fans are gonna riot soon if they don't see some reason for encouragement, either from the defense or in the form of Tim Tebow under center. Kyle Orton has a good thing going with receivers Eric Decker and Brandon Lloyd and I think they're gonna keep it close if not win outright against an underachieving Chargers squad. Chargers 29, Broncos 27

New York Jets at New England (-9): The Jets offense is in shambles, but they're playing one of the worst defenses in the league. The Patriots offense is a juggernaut, but the Jets are almost impossible to pass against. I'm gonna take the wimpy way out and feel very stupid about it midway through the second quarter when New England is up three touchdowns. Patriots 27, Jets 20

Green Bay at Atlanta (+6): I don't like the Packers here, I love them. I know it's stupid, juvenile stuff, but I think Aaron Rodgers was legitimately offended that Roddy White had the gall to suggest the Falcons were the better team last year and that the playoff win was some kind of fluke. Rodgers was in an ornery enough mood after Brett Favre's comments earlier in the week that he came into a stacked team and should've won a Super Bowl earlier. Packers 41, Falcons 20 **FIVE STAR SPECIAL **

Chicago at Detroit (-6): The last time the Lions played at home, they won by 45. I don't think they'll blow out the Bears, but Matthew Stafford and the gang will get off to a quicker start than they have been and Chicago's offense couldn't run away from them anyway. Lions 27, Bears 17 **FOUR STAR SPECIAL**

Last week's W-L: 11-5
Season W-L: 43-21
Week 3 Vs. Spread: 9-7
Season Vs. Spread: 26-36-2
Week 3 +/- Points (All games count as one point unless specified): +4
Season +/- Points: -18

Defensive Injury Woes, A New Guy on the Practice Squad, and the Week 5 Power Poll

There’s bad timing, and then there’s losing your nose tackle right before the Buccaneers come to town. Isaac Sopoaga has reportedly come down with a staph infection (per Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee) and wasn’t practicing on Wednesday. That’s the kind of thing that typically lingers for a while, and I’d be pretty surprised to see Sopoaga practicing anytime soon or playing on Sunday. I’m guessing they want to keep him quarantined from his teammates.

The 49ers haven’t allowed a 100-yard runner since a November game at Green Bay when Ryan Grant did the honors, but Tampa Bay’s LeGerrette Blount is precisely the type of big, physical burly back that you need Sopoaga for. It’d be one thing if they were facing a guy like Shady McCoy with the Eagles, who spends most of his time outside of the hashes anyway, but Blount is a between-the-tackles runner who likes to punish defenders and wear them down over four quarters. We know the 49ers aren’t likely to blow out anybody with their offense, so expect the game to be tight the whole way through. They can’t afford to get fatigued and stuck on the field during long stretches of the final quarter.

Ricky Jean Francois will likely start in Sopoaga’s place, and while he’s an athletic guy, he’s not as strong on the point as Sopoaga is and has been known to be rag dolled at times by opposing linemen. With DE Will Tukuafu on Injured Reserve because of a wrist injury he sustained at Philadelphia, it appears that both DT Ian Williams and DE Demarcus Dobbs (the preseason sensation) will be making their regular season debuts on Sunday. If Sopoaga’s ailment is as serious as feared, then you can expect the 49ers to sign another defensive lineman. Having just five able bodies there is playing with fire, and there aren’t any others on the practice squad.
****************************************************************************
The 49ers are also a bit shorthanded in the secondary. Tramaine Brock apparently aggravated his broken hand against the Eagles or in practice leading up to the game, because he has already been declared out for this week. Shawntae Spencer missed practice with a toe injury and it remains to be seen if that’s serious enough to keep him out this week. Rookie Chris Culliver, who did okay against the Eagles playing in the fourth quarter, may be forced into an extensive role on Sunday.

Safety Donte Whitner who missed almost two full games with a hip injury, practiced in full on Sunday, so at least the Niners are getting healthy there.

***************************************************************************
Tukuafu’s injury enabled the 49ers to promote rookie safety Colin Jones, who’s pretty much just a special teams guy, onto the active roster. That meant they had a vacancy on their practice squad, which they’ve filled with receiver John Matthews.

Matthews, 25, is the standard 6-0, 200 and played for Jim Harbaugh at the University of San Diego during the 2005 and 2006 seasons. He had 195 receptions for 3,615 yards and 50 touchdowns in his collegiate career, but interestingly enough, had his best year as a senior (102 catches, 1,478 yards, 21 touchdowns) in 2007when Harbaugh had already left to coach Stanford.

Matthews was signed by the Colts as an undrafted free agent and has also spent time with the Jaguars and Dolphins. From what we saw in practice Wednesday, he was on the scout team, impersonating Tampa Bay receiver Arrellious Binn.

I guess for a perennial fringe guy like Matthews, being on the scout team is a case of Binn there, done that. (HEY-O).
*********************************************************************************
Power Rankings (I hate the Eagles edition)

1. Green Bay (4-0): That game against Denver was every bit as easy for them as it looked on the schedule (good thing this genius took the Broncos to cover). When a guy is wide open, Aaron Rodgers hit him. When a guy was mostly covered, Rodgers darted the ball into a tight window. Other times, when he felt like it, he just ran with it. All in all they had 49 points and he accounted for six touchdowns. I know it’s early, but I’m starting to question if they can be beaten if all their main parts are healthy.

2. New Orleans (3-1): I think you can forgive them a little bit for not exactly putting their best foot forward at Jacksonville. C’mon, it’s Jacksonville. Who could possibly get up to play that outfit? Tight end Jimmy Graham continues to emerge for them, and Brees has Darren Sproles to throw check downs to, and Lance Moore and Marques Colston for short stuff and Devery Henderson and Robert Meachem for long stuff and quite frankly I’m just not buying that they only scored 23 points because of something the Jaguars did.

3. Baltimore (3-1): On one hand they had three defensive touchdowns and the usual awesomeness from their running back tandem of Ray Rice and Ricky Williams. On the other hand, Joe Flacco continues to alternate good games with horrific ones and he’s completing less than half of his attempts, which in this day and age is unheard of. The good news is, they might not need him to throw a pass to beat half the teams in their schedule.

4. Houston (3-1): They’ve played superbly on defense in three of four contests, and they would’ve won at New Orleans if the offense hadn’t spazzed out in the red zone all Eagles style. Arian Foster has returned to form at last, but now they’ll miss Andre Johnson for a month, and they don’t have nearly the depth at receiver they had at running back. What they do have, however, is too good tight ends and a quarterback who excels at play action, so I don’t think they’ll miss Johnson as much as people think.

5. New England (3-1): Anyone who says Tom Brady and Wes Welker are putting up video game numbers has never played Madden on “All-Madden” mode. That shit is way hard. Meanwhile, on defense the Patriots don’t even pretend to try anymore until they’re in their own red zone, kind of like how the Niners played at Philadelphia, but every week. Still, I’ve got an annoying feeling that Brady will figure out the Jets defense this week more than Mark Sanchez will stop being terrible.

6. Detroit (4-0): Being able to throw just any old pass to Calvin Johnson anytime you want is a nice luxury to have, but at some point I’m thinking that falling behind by three touchdowns to mediocre teams on the road is going to hurt them. I can’t say I have any confidence in their secondary, but at least those guys have shown they have ball skills when they are within the same zip code as their guy.

7. Tennessee (3-1): I can’t deny it any longer, Matt Hasselbeck is just playing out of his mind. Also, the defense hasn’t missed Jason Babin one bit. They just toyed with Colt McCoy, letting him have as many 3-yard completions as he pleased, and were happy to knock the stuffing out of those poor receivers. No Kenny Britt? No problem, Hasselbeck just threw to Nate Washington and Lavelle Hawkins. Interesting roadie coming up against a banged up Steelers team.

8. Tampa Bay (3-1): The thing about the Bucs is that while they’re not flashy, they’re not really bad at anything. They hang around, keep things close with their young talented defense and ample doses of LeGerrette Blount, and then have Josh Freeman win it for them late. If you’re a Niners fan, aren’t you nervous on Sunday with anything less than a 17 point lead going into the fourth quarter?

9. San Diego (3-1): Hard to get much of a read on them. They’ve played three terrible teams and at New England. No games against those 8-8 to 11-5 range teams that we can use to give us some kind of idea. All I know is they’re still missing Antonio Gates, that Malcolm Floyd has been terribly disappointing and that Takeo Spikes’ sack dance was all kinds of wrong.

10. New York Giants (3-1): Has Eli Manning put together a three game stretch like that since January of 2008, you’re asking. Why yes. He does it pretty much every damn October. Derek Jeter and Mariano Rivera have the flashy reputations for this month in New York, but Manning has just been a beast over his career (21-4) in October. December, of course, is a different story. For the record, I think the dead ball call at the end that won them the game was the right one.

11. New York Jets (2-2): They’re like the Ravens, but less so. I’m starting to think Shonn Greene belongs in that pile alongside Jahvid Best, Reggie Bush and Marshawn Lynch as guys who are way worse than backups like C.J. Spiller and Toby Gerhart. Yet, that defense, man, that defense.

12. Washington (3-1): Speaking of defense, I’m all aboard on the Redskins. They’ve convinced me that they’re legit. Great pair of ends in Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo, a super middle linebacker in London Fletcher, and a destroyer of worlds in safety LaRon Landry. Three decent backs, a pair of tight ends and Santana Moss on offense. If Rex Grossman can’t make them look terrible, then they must be pretty good.

13. Buffalo (3-1): Pretty inexcusable loss at Cincinnati. When you have a 17-3 lead on anybody you should win, but when it’s a rookie QB? What gives, Bills? Ryan Fitzpatrick looked very ordinary, and apparently didn’t get the memo about just throwing to whoever Nate Clements is on. No, that’s unfair to Clements. He did try that. Just a bad day all around. As you might guess, I’ll be following their game against the Eagles pretty closely. If they don’t score 30, then the party is over, yes?

14. San Francisco (3-1): Not sold yet. Oddly enough, I’m more encouraged by the offense than the defense, even though I like the front seven a lot. It’s just troubling how easily teams with good quarterbacks move the ball between the 20’s on them. I mean, why even bother calling a running play against the 49ers at all? And shouldn’t a defense facing so many pass attempts have more of a consistent pass rush? If they manage to beat the Bucs, you might as well print up those division champ T-shirts.

15. Dallas (2-2): Nothing in the NFL is more enjoyable than watching a Tony Romo meltdown. Nothing. What made it particularly surprising was that their offensive line was playing annoying well and Ndamukong Suh never got a chance to find out if Romo’s head was a screw top. Romo just threw up (in both senses) three balls into coverage for no reason whatsoever, after spending the better part of three quarters hitting one open receiver after the next. Also, the Cowboys have a rookie kicker who has a filthy habit of booting every kick right down the middle like he’s facing arena league goal posts. I don’t want to live in a world where Dallas has a better kicker than Philly.

16. Oakland (2-2): That game against the Patriots should’ve been closer, and it was Jason Campbell’s fault that it wasn’t. Also, as someone who didn’t watch the game really carefully, I can only assume Campbell was also the guy assigned to cover Wes Welker, yes? 19 points seems a tad low for a team with 504 yards, and they let the Pats run for damn near 200 on them, which is mind-boggling. It’s one thing to get shredded by Brady but…

17. Pittsburgh (2-2): I made the roster update in my Madden game for the Max Starks signing before the Steelers actually signed him. Sometimes you can see these things coming.

18. Chicago (2-2): Even with Matt Forte running for 205 yards, they really had no business beating Carolina. I hate literally everything about their passing game.

19. Atlanta (2-2): I don’t get the sense they can beat anyone remotely worth a damn, but just for shits and giggles, let’s see how they do with the Packers coming to town on Sunday. This is why they drafted Julio Jones, right? I want to see if that investment, where they surrendered pretty much half their draft, plus a first rounder next year, was worth it instead of taking, oh, I don’t know, a defensive back let’s say.

20. Cincinnati (2-2): I can’t quite figure it out, but they seem to have an excellent defense. I need to watch them more to get a handle on it. It won’t be next week though, because their next game, at Jacksonville, promises to be particularly ugly. Also, I like A.J. Green more than Julio Jones, just because.

21. Philadelphia (1-3): A 15-place drop in the Power Rankings and it should be 25. What an abomination. Can’t stop a running game when you know they’re gonna run. Can’t manage more than three sacks on the 49ers woeful offensive line. Can’t stop turning it over in the red zone. Can’t kick field goals. Can’t keep people healthy. Can’t draft worth a damn anymore. Buffalo game should be a real blast.

22. Arizona (1-3): Anyone notice that Patrick Peterson, the No. 5 overall pick of the draft, has been awful at corner so far? I know, I shouldn’t pick on a rookie so early. But remember, there were warnings that he was too big to play corner and that he needs to be a safety at this level. Something to keep an eye on.

23. Carolina (1-3): They throw the piss out of the ball, and now they’re starting to run a little bit with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, too. Pretty soon they’re gonna be impossible to play against. Fortunately, the defense blows.

24. Cleveland (2-2): Secretly terrible. They’re bad at everything. Also, their quarterback is a dink who dinks. 350 yards on 40 completions and 61 attempts? That’s just goddamn awful. Whispers of locker room problems too between Peyton Hillis and some of his teammates.

25. Seattle (1-3): Say what you want about them, it’s all true. But they do have a pulse at home.

26. Jacksonville (1-3): Kinda good on defense. In case you haven’t noticed, I’m so fed up with the Eagles I’m bumping up the rankings of any team that can stop somebody.

27. Denver (1-3): Eric Decker? Brandon Lloyd? Pretty good. The rest of them? Not so much.

28. Kansas City (1-3): Back-to-back not terrible performances deserve a bump. I have no idea how they ever move the ball anymore.

29. Indianapolis (0-4): They still haven’t quit. But they will. Oh yes, they will.


30. Miami (0-4): With Chad Henne out, they’re starting Matt Moore. Not that anyone will notice or care. “Suck For Luck” fully underway.

31. Minnesota (0-4): Because they’d find a way, somehow, to lose to each of the 30 teams above them, that’s why.

32. St. Louis (0-4): I can’t believe an offense coached by Josh McDaniels is struggling this terribly. It’s almost as if Tom Brady had that success on his own or something.

A Note About the 49ers Offense

It’s true that the 49ers came into the game ranked 32nd – dead last – on offense, but I came away from the Bengals game more encouraged, not less. If you’ve been paying attention, you’ve no doubt noticed that every week Jim Harbaugh has been given Alex Smith and the receivers more rope. Smith is getting more attempts and still completing passes at a high percentage. By hook or by crook Kendall Hunter and fullback Bruce Miller have been incorporated into the offense, which has totally given the backfield a dynamic dimension it had previously lacked. It may not seem like much, but it’s nice to have a fullback that can gain 10 yards on a swing pass and a speedy halfback you can run toss plays with. Smith has always been comfortable with Vernon Davis, but now he’s starting to link up with Michael Crabtree and Joshua Morgan. You saw the difference not having Chilo Rachal in there made for the line. In a few weeks Braylon Edwards will return and that will be another weapon on the boundary and in the red zone.

What I’ve always liked about Harbaugh when watching his Stanford teams was that you could see that he had a vision and a plan, both in the short term (single games) and the long term (the season). The guys he recruited all fit together so beautifully and Harbaugh was a mastermind at maximizing everyone’s strengths and minimizing their weaknesses; and for adding new wrinkles week after week to surprise his opponents.

I feel like that’s what’s going on with the 49ers now. Finally the team is running an offense conducive to Smith’s strengths. Finally they have a running back in Hunter to give the backfield a thunder-and-lightning dimension when for so long their idea of understudies were glorified goal line backs like Anthony Dixon and Glen Coffee, who were just bigger and slower than Frank Gore. The way Hunter is being used now is how Brian Westbrook should’ve been used last year, but the inept coaching staff had him chained to the bench.

More importantly, Harbaugh understood right away the parameters of what he had to work with, with his offensive line, his quarterback, and his receivers. His line can’t hold their blocks for long, the receivers don’t have much straight line speed and the quarterback is naturally reluctant to throw long as it is. Why force this group to run a vertical passing offense like previous regimes did, when none of the personnel is suited for it?

Instead, in Edwards, Morgan, Crabtree, Davis and Ted Ginn, the team has a nice collection of guys who can run hitches and outs and in cuts and the occasional slant to get six or eight yards at a time and keep the chains moving. It looks horrific on 3rd-and-16, but as long as the line isn’t committing a penalty or giving up a sack and the receivers aren’t dropping passes, it works. The more rhythm and comfort they gain playing within the system, the more consistently it will continue to work.

You don’t see many teams stopping the Cardinal offense now, do you?
Of course the key to it all looking easy is the running game, and it’s impossible to deny that the Eagles run defense is 15 kinds of awful. Again, the more comfort and trust Smith and the receivers earn, the less predictable they’ll be, which will open up more running lanes. It all fits together.

Smith finished the Eagles game with a 112.1 passer rating, which was a career high for him in a road start. His 291 passing yards were the most he’s ever had in a win. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the team also ran for 164 yards when he put up numbers like that.

Dreamy Second Half For The Smiths; A Nightmare For The Eagles

Maybe the worm is starting to turn for the long downtrodden 49ers.

Looking at their remarkable rise-from-the-grave 24-23 at Lincoln Financial Field, there was about a dozen ways the Eagles should’ve scored far more than 23 points. After all, the way Philadelphia moved the ball between the 20-yard-lines all afternoon was so effortless, so breathtakingly easy, awe-inspiring and frightening all at once. You watch it and it’s impossible not to notice that team just has a whole other phylum of athletes at the skill positions.

The thought occurs that perhaps those Miami Heat comparisons were apt. That team was just unstoppable and devastating on the fast break. Every turnover was an automatic transition dunk. But when they were forced to play in the half court, they got bogged down…

Well, think of the red zone as the Eagles’ half court, and the comparisons fit well. By my count the Eagles were in position to score at least a field goal in nine of their 12 possessions. They finished with two touchdowns, three field goals, two missed field goals and two fumbles.

Compare and contrast that to the 49ers, who had six scoring opportunities, and that’s counting two 40+ yard field goals that were certainly no gimmes (and they wound up being missed and blocked). The Niners cashed in with three touchdowns and a field goal on the other four.

That, to me, is the story of the game – That the 49ers were the tougher, both physically and mentally, in money territory, and whole heck of a lot smarter. You look at the box score and you see they had no business winning the game. But at least they were going to make the Eagles beat them instead of beating themselves. Or maybe just stick around in the game long enough to wait for the Eagles to shoot themselves in the foot.

Whatever, they’ll gladly take it. The Niners won road games on back-to-back weeks for the first time in a decade (Nov. 18 at Carolina and Nov. 25 at Indianapolis, in the 2001 season) and it also happened to be their last pair of consecutive wins during 10 a.m. PST starts as well. Usually this team has been absolute dog meat during those early starts. Remember the Kansas City game last year? Or the Green Bay one? I’d say that decision by Jim Harbaugh to spend the week in Youngstown, Ohio between these two games worked pretty well, and lord knows I didn’t miss the Santa Clara commute.

In producing their biggest comeback win since Oct. 20, 1996 against the Cincinnati Bengals, where the 49ers rallied from a 21-0 deficit to win 28-21 (in a game where the hero was the immortal Ted Popson with eight receptions for 116 yards and two touchdowns), the 49ers got clutch second-half performances from their three most prominent Smiths as well as some standout performances from Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, Michael Crabtree, Joshua Morgan, Vernon Davis, Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, NaVorro Bowman and Ray McDonald.

Turnover differential has been a running theme for them on this young season, and again the 49ers won that battle, collecting three Eagles miscues while surrendering the ball just once themselves. None of their takeaways led to points, but they all prevented the Eagles from scoring.

As a result of this momentous win, the 49ers own a two game lead on everyone in their division; a claim no other team can make. Also, while the Niners are home next week (albeit against a tough Tampa Bay squad), their division foes all travel on the road. The 0-4 Rams are visiting the 4-0 defending champ Green Bay Packers, so that’s 0-5 right there. Seattle will fly cross country to take on the suddenly hot (and lucky as hell) 3-1 New York Giants. Arizona goes to 0-4 Minnesota, but that still looks like a toss-up game to me, with that Vikings pass rush on the turf.

You can’t exactly say that “NOOOOH-BODY” has it better than the 49ers, but there aren’t many teams in a better spot right now.
***************************************************************************

Offensively, Alex Smith had a first half similar to the one the week before against Cincinnati. There were a few first downs, a couple of forays into enemy territory, but ultimately not much of anything on the scoreboard and a whole lot of frustration. As has been the case for darn near a calendar year now, he made a point of not throwing it to the other guys, but was just inaccurate and flustered enough – a high throw to Crabtree here, a low one behind Davis there – to fizzle drives.

The marked differences between today and the Bengals game – pretty much the only reasons to have a speck of hope in the second half – were that Smith and Crabtree were able to establish a connection early enough in the game to make you think there was a spark there, and, more importantly, the Niners were able to run the ball a little bit with Gore and Hunter.

Finally, in the third quarter the dam burst and everything came together for Smith and the fellas in successive, quick touchdown drives.

The first was set up by an improvised play where Smith was rushed to his right and found an uncovered Hunter at the line of scrimmage who scooted for 44 yards. A couple plays later Smith caught the Eagles in a safety blitz and hit Morgan on a slant for an easy 30-yard catch-and-run. Morgan spoke frequently in training camp about watching tapes of the 49ers West Coast Offense of the 80’s with Joe Montana throwing 5-yard slants to Jerry Rice and John Taylor for 80-yard touchdowns, and that’s exactly the kind of play that had him so excited about being in this offense.

The meat of the second score came on a long Smith pass to Crabtree where he toasted much-hyped Eagles free agent signee Nnamdi Asomugha for a 38-yard gain. Three plays later he found Davis in a mismatch with linebacker Jamar Chaney for a 9-yard touchdown to make it 23-17. Smith finished the third quarter a Tom Bradyesque 9-for-9 for 178 yards, two TD passes and a perfect 158.3 QB rating.

The fourth quarter was oddly anticlimactic for Smith, in a way. After a missed 39-yard field goal by Eagles rookie Alex Henery gave the 49ers their first chance to take the lead, they weren’t able to capitalize. Smith took a sack on third down when right tackle Anthony Davis inexplicably decided to double team Cullen Jenkins instead of worrying about left end Jason Babin, who had already beaten him for two sacks. Babin had a free run at Smith, who saw him in time to secure the ball at least before absorbing the blow. On the sidelines Smith had a look on his face like he knew they blew a golden opportunity and the game was lost.

However, fate was kind to them and once more Henery missed a kick – this one a 33-yarder. On the ensuing game-winning drive Smith completed 3-of-4 passes for just 13 yards while Gore and Hunter did the majority of the work. Harbaugh called a risky toss play to Hunter on 3rd-and-7 from the Philadelphia 26-yard-line that worked beautifully. If that play was stuffed you better believe he’d be ripped the next day – deservedly so – for not having more faith in Smith. Gore scored on the next play on a tough inside run from 12-yards out to give the 49ers the lead they would not relinquish.

Gore was questionable to even play in the game after injuring his ankle the week before and not being able to practice much of the week and didn’t even start against the Eagles. Yet he had runs of 40 and 25 yards in addition to his 12-yard touchdown and finished the game with 15 carries for 127 yards. He came into the game with just 148 yards on 59 carries – a 2.5 yards-per-carry average (he’s boosted it up to a respectable 3.7 now).

The left side of the offensive line – Staley and Iupati – deserve a ton of credit, as they were monsters all game. Not only did they neutralize Trent Cole and keep Smith’s backside clean, but they were dominant in opening up all kinds of holes for the backs. Staley was a force on those sweep and toss plays, and Iupati was nimble and powerful in pulling and trapping on inside runs to the right. Also, Harbaugh deserves a ton of credit for seeing that it just wasn’t working with Chilo Rachal and benching him for this game in favor of Adam Snyder, who played quite well. Heck, even Davis, who was a disaster in pass protection with those three sacks allowed and two tripping penalties, did a credible job in the run game against the soft, undersized, and far too pliant Eagles front.

Defensively, I can’t be quite as generous with the plaudits. These guys struggle against quality QBs. Who doesn’t in today’s NFL?

Justin Smith had the clutch play at the end, forcing the fumble from Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin when he was already scooting forward into field goal range. Dashon Goldson was Johnny on the spot to scoop up the fumble before sliding out of bounds. Yet, even though nobody played a truly outstanding game – I’d say Bowman came the closest – just about everybody had their moment or two in the sun.
Eagles coach Andy Reid had a considerable role in this disaster of a game for Philly, but he saw quickly that the Niners planned to take LeSean McCoy away come hell or highwate and adjusted his plan to have Vick throw early and often. Like I said, it looked beautiful and easy in between the 20’s.

• In addition to his forced fumble, Justin Smith chased Vick around a handful of times and pressured him into some hurried throws. He also brushed hands with Smith early in the game, causing Vick to dislocate a finger in his throwing hand.
• Rookie Aldon Smith had the first 1.5 sacks of his career, hit Vick three times and was generally the team’s most consistent pass rusher and just missed a couple more sacks. A game like this will get him more playing time.

• Ahmad Brooks had a couple of his usual bonehead offsides penalties, but he was also relentless in pressuring Vick and got a few licks in.

• Ray McDonald got in on a sack with Aldon Smith, missed another sack on the play that wound up being a touchdown pass in the first quarter and got a couple hits on Vick.

• Isaac Sopoaga didn’t have much to do since the Eagles never ran, but he got to block some on offense in the full house backfield.

• NaVorro Bowman made at least three plays in this game that Takeo Spikes wouldn’t have had a prayer of making. He tackled Vick and McCoy in the open field on a pair of third down plays and bothered Vick on a few well-timed blitzes in the red zone. I mean this sincerely: He’s been the 49ers best player this season and he’s playing as well as any inside linebacker in the NFL right now.

• Dashon Goldson led the team with 10 tackles and really popped a couple of people. He had that big fumble recovery and he wasn’t responsible for any of those long ones to DeSean Jackson from what I saw.

• Carlos Rogers has a rep as a finesse corner, but he was used a number of times on corner blitzes and forced Vick into a few bad plays. He also picked him off on an early bomb attempt to Jackson, giving him interceptions in successive games. He was toasted in zone coverage a few times, but I’m not sure how much of it was him. The Niners were doing some screwy things back there.

• Tarell Brown shouldn’t be starting anymore. People are going right at him every game. The best thing I can say about his game is he dove at Jackson’s feet in the third quarter to hold him to “only” a 61-yard gain instead of a 86-yard touchdown. Who knew at the time it would lead to a missed field goal attempt by the Eagles?

• Chris Culliver got extensive playing time as a fourth corner in place of Tramaine Brock, and wasn’t too bad. He was in four tackles, so the Eagles went his way quite a bit, but they were short completions.

• I think Reggie Smith might have been the worst 49er in this game. Yup, even worse than Anthony Davis. They need Donte Whitner to get healthy. The defense still hasn’t played a game with Whitner and Goldson together.