[Finally a winning streak!] SF 49ers news/2005 edition

Citation :

Nolan makes no changes in backfield
COACH STICKING WITH RATTAY AT QB

By Dennis Georgatos
Mercury News

Despite the 49ers' offensive struggles, Coach Mike Nolan said Monday that he's sticking with Tim Rattay as his quarterback.

Though running back Kevan Barlow and fullback Fred Beasley again had problems establishing a rushing attack, the starting backfield also will remain in place, Nolan said.

``We're not going to change anything. We're staying with the same structure,'' Nolan said a day after the 49ers (1-1) lost 42-3 at Philadelphia.

Top draft pick Alex Smith, who was beaten out by Rattay in the preseason, saw his first NFL action Sunday, getting in for three plays near the end of the game. Nolan said he wanted to get Smith in earlier, but the Eagles maintained possession for most of the fourth quarter.

Rattay threw three interceptions, was sacked three times and finished with a 21.3 passer rating, lowest in the NFL on Sunday.

``It wasn't pretty, obviously,'' Rattay said after reviewing game film. ``You can't turn the ball over. The last one was tipped, so that was out of my control, but the other two were bad throws by me. I need to work on getting in a rhythm early on.''

Smith said his initial game experience was beneficial, even if it was brief. He also voiced support for Rattay, saying he shouldn't have to worry about looking over his shoulder.

``You're not instilling confidence that way and I wouldn't want it that way,'' Smith said. ``I could put myself in his shoes very easily and I wouldn't want to be playing like that. He's the man right now and he's going to continue to be so.''

Nolan said he believes Barlow, who has rushed for 56 yards in 24 carries, can become increasingly effective as the offensive line continues to jell and backup Frank Gore spells him.

(...)

Encouraging trip

The 49ers wasted no time trying to regroup from the Philadelphia loss, reviewing game film as they flew home and discussing the problems in their play and how to fix them.

``It was encouraging,'' said linebacker Jeff Ulbrich, who with several other veterans moved through the plane to talk with teammates.

``I was more interested in their mindset. Especially coming off a year like last year, you want to make sure no one is saying, `Here we go again.' It's not that situation at all. It's a new year and a new philosophy. It's a new approach.''

Linebacker Julian Peterson said the team would remedy mistakes made against the Eagles. ``We're going to come to play this week expecting to win. We are going to win,'' he said.

As for the Eagles, Peterson said he expects the 49ers to get one more crack at them.

``I'm looking forward to seeing them again,'' Peterson said, ``in the playoffs.''

On a pas fini de bouffer des courses au centre pour des gains pharaoniques de 1y... j'espère juste que Gore (ou même Hicks) touchera un peu plus le ballon.

MERDE!

Citation :

49ers place tight end Johnson on IR

Associated Press

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Tight end Eric Johnson, the San Francisco 49ers' leading receiver last season, was placed on injured reserve Thursday with a torn muscle in his left foot.

Johnson, who hasn't been healthy since before training camp, will miss his second full season in three years. The Yale graduate sat out all of 2003 after breaking his collarbone in the 49ers' first exhibition game, but had 82 catches for 825 yards last season.

"I can't believe it," Johnson said while on crutches in the 49ers' locker room, his foot in a protective boot. "I've just got to roll with the punches and come back better than ever this year. I think I went through a lot of this stuff in 2003, mentally coming to grips with not playing."

Johnson partially tore his plantar fascia during the summer, but thought he could rest up enough to return for Sunday's game against Dallas. He had just started a light workout Monday when he tore the muscle again while running a pass route.

Surgery probably wouldn't be helpful, since the muscle heals best on its own, but the recovery process will take at least three months.

Johnson's absence is another blow for the 49ers' offense, which has struggled in its first two games under new coach Mike Nolan. San Francisco (1-1) has managed just 359 total yards, scored three offensive touchdowns and controlled the ball for less than 45 minutes this season.

"We have a lot of offense that we haven't done or shown because Eric has not been a part of it," Nolan said. "It hurts, but he hasn't been with us this far."

The 49ers used veteran Steve Bush and rookie Billy Bajema at tight end in the first two games, but waiver acquisition Trent Smith might get his first chance to play for the 49ers on Sunday. Smith was dropped by Baltimore earlier in the month after spending his first two NFL seasons on the Ravens' injured reserve list with a broken leg.

Pour sûr, un gros frein à notre lente remontée. La meilleure arme offensive au tas, on va devoir compter sur le jeu au sol pour avancer et contrôler un peu l'horloge, autant dire qu'on est dans la panade.
A moins qu'un des trois TEs restants (Bajema le rookie, Bush le mi-FB, mi-TE ou T. Smith le gars qui a passé toute sa carrière à l'infirmerie de Baltimore) ne se revèle être un nouveau Gonzalez, on va pas gagner beaucoup de matchs.
Trop de pression désormais sur une défense inégale, ça va péter à un moment ou à un autre.

ouais ça fait chier grave
et dire qu'on a viré walker !!
on peut toujours repasser estes en TE. c'est son poste d'origine quand même !

enfin comme tu dis, si on compte sur l'attaque au sol pour gagner les matchs, on est pas dans la merde !!

ceci dit, ça va pas nous empecher de piler les cow girls , faut pas déconner non plus hein !!

Citation :

Woods placed on IR after having thumb surgery
Tuesday, September 27, 2005 at 15:37:08 PT
Source: 49erswebzone.com

According to 49ers.com, wide receiver Rashaun Woods had surgery to repair ligaments in his thumb on Monday. The injury took place last week but Woods was able to practice since then. The team placed the injury prone wide receiver on injured reserve for the season.

Combined with tight end Eric Johnson being placed on injured reserve, this leaves two open roster spots on the team.

During his career since being drafted last year out of Oklahoma State with the 31st pick overall, Woods has only had seven catches for 160 yards and one touchdown.

Il est vraiment... il est vraiment... il est vraiment phénoména-na-na-na-nal...

si c'était pas aussi grotesque , j'en pleurerais
décidément, ça ne s'arrange pas.
bon, bah ça va permettre d'activer Maxwell de la practice squad, logiquement

Autre news à confirmer: Rumph repasse CB et c'est Adams qui le remplace en safety . Rumph va donc être plutot NB et sera en compétition avec spencer et plummer.
et dire qu'on a viré carpenter!!
Je voyais arriver Nolan avec beaucoup d'espoir mais là ça commence à partir en sucette. On dirait que a un jumeau ou que est de retour mais déguisé !!

c'est donc confirmé. Rumph repasse CB mais c'est surtout parce que Plummer va passer une arthroscopie et sera out environ 6 semaines
et donc c'est adams

SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) - Thanks to Ahmed Plummer's ankle injury, none of the 49ers lost their jobs when San Francisco coach Mike Nolan shook up the defensive secondary. Two defensive backs did get new assignments, however, and more changes could be on the way.

Plummer will need arthroscopic surgery to remove a bone chip on his left ankle, sidelining him for up to 6 weeks, the 49ers' starting cornerback said Monday. A few hours earlier, Nolan switched positions for two of his top five pass defenders, moving nickel back Michael Adams to free safety and pushing Mike Rumph back to cornerback after a three-game stint at safety.

autres news sur la défense:

Nolan also plans to use Andre Carter, a converted defensive end, at linebacker more frequently in place of starter Jamie Winborn. Carter usually plays closer to the line of scrimmage than Winborn - effectively turning the 49ers' scheme back into a 4-3, after all the offseason ballyhoo about the switch to 3-4.

est ce qu'il sait ce qu'il veut, celui là !! il est arrivé avec sa révolution 3-4 et là machine arrière après trois matchs Je pige pas tout là

The 49ers' new 3-4 defensive scheme has allowed 101 points in the first three games, and Nolan puts the blame squarely on the secondary. Moments after losing to Dallas, he accused unnamed players of not trusting the defensive game plan and trying to make too many plays on their own.


quelle bonne ambiance !! ça fait plaisir !!

bon ça va !! on tire pas sur l'ambulance, hein !!

on resigne mcadley au lieu d'activer maxwell je pige vraiment plus rien là

Nnnnoooooooooooooooooooooonnnnnn pas lui....

Citation :

Call Winborn a former 49er; Rumph hurt, out

By Matthew Barrows -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Thursday, September 29, 2005

SANTA CLARA - An already reeling 49ers defense took a double jolt Wednesday when cornerback Mike Rumph was lost for the season with a foot injury and linebacker Jamie Winborn was sent looking for a new team.
Players arrived at work Wednesday morning surprised to find Winborn's locker empty and his nameplate removed. Later, coach Mike Nolan, who had hinted at a locker-room shake-up earlier in the week, told the team he was trying to trade Winborn, a former starter and one of the most popular players on the team.

"It's very unusual," friend and fellow linebacker Julian Peterson said. "In basketball, it's very frequent that you see people get traded during the season. For us, it's been kind of weird because it was the first time experiencing it."

The first indication that Winborn had fallen out of favor with Nolan came Sunday against the Dallas Cowboys when, for the first time this season, Andre Carter started ahead of him at outside linebacker and Corey Smith filled in as the primary backup.

Though Winborn remains under contract with the 49ers - he is scheduled to become a free agent at the end of the season - he has been advised by Nolan not to attend practice until he finds a new team.

Asked if he would cut Winborn if he can't be traded, Nolan said, "I'm not at that point yet."
[Bah... si son casier a déjà été vidé, on en est pas loin quand même]

Rumph, meanwhile, was injured during his first practice since being moved from free safety to cornerback. A team spokesman said the injury was identical to the one suffered by tight end Eric Johnson last week - a tear to the band of muscles on the underside of his foot. Like Johnson, Rumph was placed on the injured reserve list, ending his season.

That news came on the same day cornerback Ahmed Plummer announced he would have surgery to remove a bone fragment from his left ankle, a procedure that will cost him at least three weeks. That means either Willie Middlebrooks or Derrick Johnson will start at cornerback Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals' formidable receiving corps.

Middlebrooks, a five-year veteran, spent training camp with the 49ers before being cut Sept. 3. He was re-signed Wednesday. Johnson is a rookie who has received scant playing time this season.

"I'm looking for someone to take the (cornerback) job, seriously," said Nolan, who has watched his team give up a league-high 101 points through three games. "We've got to find another guy."

Rumph also missed most of the 2004 season after breaking his forearm Oct. 3 against the St. Louis Rams. He was moved to free safety during the offseason, an experiment that was declared a bust this week after he gave up several big plays in the team's first three games.

As for Winborn, Nolan said the linebacker's departure had more to do with Carter's and Smith's solid play than anything Winborn had done.
[pourquoi on le vire, alors???]

"This is not in any way - and I want to emphasize that - a reflection of anything that Jamie has done negatively," Nolan said. "This is not a discipline thing or anything like that. Jamie sees himself as a starter, which I would tend to agree with him ... but at this time it will not be here."

Still, the odd maneuver came three days after Nolan lashed out against players he indicated he felt were freelancing during the team's 34-31 loss to the Cowboys. Winborn didn't play much in that game, but the athletic linebacker has a reputation for overrunning plays and being out of position.

Peterson said Winborn, like any competitor, didn't want to give up his starting role. Asked if he felt that Winborn had landed in Nolan's doghouse, Peterson said he wasn't sure.

"I guess the coaches wanted something else," he said. "Jamie was a potential star, and 'Dre (Carter) is a star, too. So it's kind of hard to keep two great, talented guys like that."

Fullback Fred Beasley also has seen his playing time diminish under the Nolan regime. Beasley called Winborn a "locker-room favorite" and said he wasn't sure what kind of message Nolan was trying to send.

"But hey, they made a decision they thought was best for the team," Beasley said. "If getting rid of Jamie is best for the team, then we're all for it. I'm just an employee. I work for the 49ers. I don't make decisions around here. I've just got to do what I've got to do."

Nolan said several teams have inquired about Winborn.

Mais qu'est-ce qu'il fout, Nolan? On reprochait à Erickson d'être trop frileux dans ses choix mais alors là, c'est un peu radical.
Winborn... merde! Mon sleeper favori.

J'ai honte !!
je crois que je faire une retraite dans un monastère orthodoxe sur une montagne en gréce et méditer longuement sur la futilité de la vie terrestre..............

Franchement, on a encore une fois été minable.
31-14 contre les cards !!

l'attaque qui s'en sort avec un shut out !!
Il faut que ce soit Smith et johnson qui marquent sur des fumbles return.

et l'attaque des Cards qui se régale par la apsse.
Mc Cown qui éatblit son record . MSNBC dans un article parle de notre pathétique défense aérienne. je crois qu'ils ne pouvaient pas trouver mieux comme terme

parti comme ça on va pouvoirdealer le premier choix de draft l'année prochaine avec leinhart qui se profile !!

je suis dégoutté, je vais me mettre à suivre le PSG si ça continue.
heu non, faut quand meme pas déconner

Si vous voulez y a une redif du match sur SOP à 18 H (comme d'hab sur espn test)

Pourquoi prendrions nous un nouveau QB ?

Alex Smith va rester au moins pour 3 ans (dans le cas ou c'est une buze) et beaucoup plus si il cartonne

alors attendons ce dimanche pour voir ses vrais debuts...

Rattay restera un bon back up (mais j'aimerais bien voir Pickett à l'oeuvre)

Non, ce qu'il nous faudrait c'est un grand shut out corner ! un deion, un darrell...

ps: les 554y ne seront pas battus, Manning ne va jouer que le premiere mi temps (avec un rating de 141...)

Barlow doit casser la baraque depuis 3 ans déjà , que se passe t il?
y a t il une Oline a Frisco?
Vu les perfs des Qb et RB c'est pas dit.....

Donc ça y est, Smith est annoncé starter à la place de Rattay contre Indianapolis.
Je me pose quand même la question : est ce bien raisonnable ? Déjà, le rookie QB peut il faire mieux que Rattay (oui, je sais, les jaloux diront que Dilfer ou Testaverde feraient mieux que Rattay...), n'est ce pas dangereux de le lancer aussi tôt, avec une telle ligne offensive, et surtout contre une défense qui se fait plaisir comme jamais ?
Par exemple, à Cincinnati, lorsque Palmer a été drafté - bonheur et joie ! - c'était clair le rookie était là pour apprendre. Bon, c'est vrai que les Bengals étaient une rising team et que Kitna a fait la saison de sa vie au bon moment. Mais quand même...
Ou alors, c'est une stratégie vicieuse, on casse notre first round pour pouvoir drafter Leinart en toute sérénité. Parce que à part Green Bay, aucune franchise n'est plus ridicule en ce moment (Viks ?), le first pick nous tend les bras, et j'en démordrai pas, je voulais pas Smith cette année, je voulais Magic Matt l'an prochain !!

Aaaah ! un Superbowl SF-Cinci avec duel Palmer-Leinart........

Faire commencer Smith est une bonne idée

L'experience est primordiale et sur toute expérience nouvelle, règne la permanence d'un danger

Je le vois pas casser la baraque cette année (de meme qu'Eli Manning ne l'a pas casse l'annee derniere) mais je le vois fortement progresser.

en tout cas il est la pour 3 ans mini comme je l'ai deja dit !

alors arretez de rever sur leinart

moi je verrais plutot jimmy williams de virginia tech en first round

Daniel2d a écrit:

en tout cas il est la pour 3 ans mini comme je l'ai deja dit !

alors arretez de rever sur leinart

Entre nous je sais, mais on peut toujours rêver, ça coute pas cher et ça fait plaisir. Et si y a une franchise qui fait rêver, c'est bien les Niners non ?

Je ne suis pas d'accord sur l'idée de starter Alex Smith (je n'étais pas d'accord non plus avec le choix de San Francisco de drafter un QB en 1er choix à la draft, sans même chercher à trader, mais mon avis sur SF n'intéresse pas grand monde, faut croire...).

Ce n'est pas en une poignée de semaines qu'Alex Smith a eu le temps de constater ce qui l'attendait. Lancer un QB rookie n'est envisageable que s'il est entourré un minimum. A SF, il n'y a RIEN. Pas de jeu au sol pour le soulager. Pas de ligne pour le rassurer.

On ne peut pas demander à un mec sorti de la fac de porter le poids d'une attaque en perdition sur ses épaules. C'est exactement ce genre d'expérience qui peut faire perdre sa confiance à un jeune espoir.

Attention à l'effet Tim Couch!

Busanslash a écrit:

Je ne suis pas d'accord sur l'idée de starter Alex Smith (je n'étais pas d'accord non plus avec le choix de San Francisco de drafter un QB en 1er choix à la draft, sans même chercher à trader, mais mon avis sur SF n'intéresse pas grand monde, faut croire...).

Ce n'est pas en une poignée de semaines qu'Alex Smith a eu le temps de constater ce qui l'attendait. Lancer un QB rookie n'est envisageable que s'il est entourré un minimum. A SF, il n'y a RIEN. Pas de jeu au sol pour le soulager. Pas de ligne pour le rassurer.

On ne peut pas demander à un mec sorti de la fac de porter le poids d'une attaque en perdition sur ses épaules. C'est exactement ce genre d'expérience qui peut faire perdre sa confiance à un jeune espoir.

Attention à l'effet Tim Couch!

Ils vont lui briser sa carrière

Et puis, on peut penser ce qu'on veut de Tim Rattay, il avait au moins le mérite, euh, d'être là. S'il y avait un point URGENT à combler, c'était quand même le corps de receveurs, désert.
Une ligne, c'est plus compliqué, il faut du temps. Ou alors, il faudrait que SF choppe 2 bons linemen vétérans en free agent et en drafte un. Les mecs doivent travailler ensemble, c'est plus difficile de recruter progressivement pour une ligne O.

Et puis, quand tout va mal, ben il vaut peut-être mieux recruter une bande de vétérans capables de bien jouer tout de suite. La draft, c'est sage, mais c'est un cercle vicieux: mal entourrés, les jeunes joueurs n'avancent pas.

Une question aussi: où en sont les problèmes de salary cap? Ils payent pas encore Jerry Rice, quand même? Non parce que depuis quelques années, l'effectif doit pas peser bien lourd, mais le recrutement manque franchement d'ambition.

Citation :

Rattay frustrated by QB change; rookie Smith expects uneven road

VETERAN SAYS 49ERS COACHES GAVE NO HINT

By Dennis Georgatos
Mercury News


Alex Smith and Tim Rattay both expressed surprise Wednesday with the turn of events that made Smith the 49ers' starting quarterback.

Smith, the No. 1 pick in April's draft, was awarded the job Tuesday by Coach Mike Nolan and will make his first NFL start Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. Rattay, who started the first four games, said nothing he was told Monday during meetings with his coaches suggested that a change was coming.

``I wasn't expecting to lose my job, or think I was going to lose my job,'' Rattay said glumly. ``I'm frustrated, but I understand the deal.

``Nolan wanted to make a change, so that's what you've got to do. I don't want to be No. 2 and I don't feel like I should be No. 2. But I understand the role and I'm going to prepare and be a professional about it.''

In four games, Rattay had completed 56 of 97 passes for 667 yards (an average of 167 per game). His 70.3 passer rating ranked 27th among the league's quarterbacks.

Even so, Smith said he ``kind of figured things were going to stay the same.'' He described the prospect of his first NFL start as ``a dream come true,'' but offered a clipped response when asked if he was ready.

``It doesn't really matter right now,'' he said after taking snaps with the first team for the first time in six weeks. ``It's kind of an irrelevant question.''

In Smith's view, he's ready enough. He has learned by watching Rattay's successes and failures. He has gained experience in a couple of mop-up appearances. He has developed a sense of what to expect from NFL defenses while serving as the scout-team quarterback.

``It's not so much of an unknown for me on game day,'' Smith said. ``I think I'm much more prepared for what it's going to be like.''

Smith, 21, said he's going into Sunday's game with his eyes wide open, and he expressed both eagerness and realism about matching up against Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and an Indianapolis defense that has allowed the fewest points in the league.

``Probably they're going to take some shots, but that's nothing new,'' Smith said. ``When I'm the focus point of the defense, it gets me excited. It's a challenge and I have to step up to it.

``There's going to be some bad times. That's not unexpected. I'm going to keep swinging. That's all I can do. I'm a rookie. I'm going to take some shots and I'm probably going to get knocked down. I've just got to get back up and keep moving forward.''

That pluck is one of the reasons, with the 49ers floundering at 1-3, that Nolan returned Smith to the No. 1 job he had lost to Rattay in mid-August. At that time, Smith had looked overmatched and tentative.

``It was a combination of trying to learn a system and there were so many new things and then there was the speed of the game and it just got magnified,'' Smith said. ``I'm much more comfortable, much more confident in the system and in what I'm doing.

``The nice thing about being the scout-team quarterback the last few weeks is you just go out and play. You go out there against the No. 1 defense, and they're bringing pressures and they're bringing blitzes. I learned a lot, and I got to learn a lot from watching Tim from the sideline.''

Nolan made the switch amid widespread offensive problems that have the 49ers ranking last in the league in both first downs and time of possession.

Nolan said his guiding principle remains which quarterback gives the team its best chance to win. He added, however, that he would probably be more tolerant of Smith's mistakes because of his inexperience.

``As long as I see improvement, and Alex is doing the things that we need, I'd suspect we stay,'' Nolan said. ``I don't want to go back and forth; that's not what I'm all about.''

Pour moi c'est encore trop tôt mais bon... Espérons au moins qu'il ne va pas trop se faire démonter la tête par Freeney et ses acolytes.
Ce match va être une vraie boucherie...

de toute façon, que ce soit Smith ou rattay, ça sera une boucherie.
au mieux on va se faire éclater . dans le pire des cas, on se fera ridiculiser. le seul bon coté c'est que je suis sur que manig va me faire un max de point en fantasy dans la NCAA league.
faut positiver comme on peut, hein? car franchement, c'est dur d'être un fan des niners en ce moment.
je comprends mieux ce que vivent certains fans depuis des années (je ne citerai pas d'équipe, les intéressés se reconnaitront :lol!: )

Sinon, pour Rattay, sur le forum des niners, nombreux sont ceux qui penchent vers un trade d'ici au 18 octobre, peut être avec les ravens ou les bears ou les lions.

j'avoue que je ne serais pas contre, n'en déplaise à certains (hein 2C?