Raiders vs. Steelers - Tom Cable Day After Press-Conference - A Different Raider Team

I may have been a bit overzealous on Sunday when I suggested that the Raiders should win this game and if they didn’t then they are not as good as their recent win streak suggested.  After all they were playing arguably the best team in the AFC.  I should have expected a result like this especially with the Raiders traveling across country and playing an early game.  That never works out for the traveling team.

Cable said in his post-game press conference (transcript after the jump) that Jason Campbell will be the starter against Miami.  I’m glad that he didn’t go back to Bruce Gradkowski.  I am sure many Raiders fans think Bruce should be the starter but that’s the story of the backup quarterback.  According to fans, he should always be the starter.  Almost assuredly, had Gradkowski been the starter the result would have been the same.  Pittsburgh is a good team and they are not easy to beat at home unless you’re the 2009 Raiders, but that wasn’t really easy.

Just like Cable said, I expect the Raiders to bounce back.  I will even go as far to say that they will beat the Miami Dolphins next week.  The first reason is that Miami doesn’t have a good quarterback and they are in a state of flux but more importantly this Raider team is not like the past year’s Raiders.  This is a good team that can win on the road and has an identity, something the team across the Bay does not.

A final note is that Richard Seymour was fined $25,000 for his hit on Ben Roethlisberger.  He will not be suspended for his action even though Steelers linebacker, James Harrison, thinks so.  Last time I checked, Harrison wasn’t suspended for his dirty play.  So why should Seymour?  Someone should ask Harrison that….

49ers vs. Buccaneers: Mike Singletary Day After Press-Conference - Singletary Puts a Nail in His Coffin

It is pretty clear at this point that Mike Singletary should be fired.  Yes, I said it.  After yesterday's press conference, in which he could give no real answer to any football related questions and in fact forgot why he made the decisions he did in a crucial part of the game.  His last hope was today in his press conference to take the blame for their ineptness in hopes that it could possibly motivate the players.  This is the last motviational tool that Singletary has left and it's clear he sees the writing on the wall.  His opportunity to be "one of the greatest coaches" is closing.

The only reason Singletary still has a job is ironically the reason that he is failing at his job.  He has no talented coaches on his coaching staff that are capable of becoming a head coach.  But that's the way he wanted it.  Singletary never wanted a coach that would get up and leave at the end of the season--he wanted guys that would be around for a while, guys who would be loyal.  That decision has made it very hard for Jed York to fire Singletary because their is no potential replacement on staff.

But just like Singletary was hired minutes after the regular season was over, that is the way he will be fired.  Expect Jed York to get started working on his next hire before Singletary's office is even empty.  York will need to make a big splash in his coaching hire, by the way I think he will, if he hopes keep the seats full and the support for a new stadium moving in the right direction.  

I have posted the transcript for Mike Singletary's press conference after the jump.

Head Coach Mike Singletary

November 22, 2010

San Francisco 49ers

Opening Statement:

“Injuries: [WR] Josh Morgan, shoulder sprain; tight end Vernon Davis, ankle sprain; [S] Dashon Goldson, ankle sprain, leg contusion. Existing injuries, I think you already know about; [T/G] Joe Staley. I think [CB] Will James will be coming back this week; [K] Joe Nedney, don’t know yet.

“The thing that I want to say to you is I am very thankful to be the 49ers head coach. We’re working to get where we need to be. Obviously, we are not there yet. My job is to lead, to motivate, and prepare. Win football games. Did I lead yesterday? I think so. Did I motivate through the week? I think so. Did I prepare? Did we prepare our players? Obviously not as well as we should have because they didn’t execute as well as they could have, and that’s on us and that’s on me, as the head coach. As you look at our team, in particular as we talk about the game yesterday, why we lost the game? That would be on me. That would be on me when our receivers don’t run the right route, that’s on me. When we have a turnover, that’s on me. Anything that happened in the game is on me because it all ultimately comes back to me. I understand that. When I make a decision in the game, in terms of having to call a timeout because I decided against punting the ball after telling our coordinator at a third-and-five, and our quarterback ended up scrambling and it’s fourth-and-three or something like that, I told him if it’s fourth-and-one, we’re going to go for it. It ends up being fourth-and-three, and I still decide to go for it. ‘Do you have a call for fourth-and-three, can we do this?’ ‘Yes.’ That’s on me. That’s on me. Fourth-and-three, I figured it was a critical time in the game. I wanted to make sure that we had the right call. The call that we had was for fourth-and-one. Fourth-and-three is a bit different. Had a pretty good call, did not execute. The other situation in the game where we have a fourth down situation and the question was why did I not kick a field goal. There are a number of reasons I would not kick a field goal without [K] Joe Nedney being on the field in that situation. Number one, because of the weather. Number two, because it’s a 51-yard field goal. I did not want to put us in the situation where the punter – where the field goal kicker that I don’t know a lot about – put us in a situation where we could possibly get it blocked, or miss it and have them be in good field position. I did not want to do that. So I elected to punt the ball, and trust our punter, because we have an All-Pro punter. Trust our defense, because our defense plays pretty well, and try and force them to make errors. So on those two, fourth-and-three and fourth-and-whatever, that was the situation for those. Any other questions that you might have from the game, just understand in terms of whose fault was it for this, whose fault was it for that, it is all on me. If you have any questions about that, just before you even ask the question, just put ‘the head coach’ and that will be acceptable. Now, any other questions that you might have?”

On his comment in the locker room that he would look at which players were and were not playing, and whether there are examples of which players were not playing:

“Did I say that to you yesterday? I didn’t say that to you? Okay, then I don’t want to address that then. I’m going to address it with the players.”

On whether he has made a decision on who will be the quarterback against Arizona:

“Yes. Troy Smith is going to be the quarterback.”

On why he brought up being accountable after this particular loss and not other losses:

“Because the question came up yesterday. For no other reason. If you had asked me in any other loss that we had, I would say I’m accountable for that. But yesterday the question was asked, whose fault was it? And I said it was me.”

On whether he is accountable for the 3-7 record and whether he is doing a good job:

“I will put it this way. You have to go through every game and you’re going to say am I doing a good job? Obviously, at 3-7, no. I wouldn’t say – I wouldn’t even dare to say I’m doing a good job. But it’s not over yet. I think the most important thing for me is that we have a game coming up Monday night. And a few more after that. But particularly, the one that I’m excited about is the one on Monday night. Ask me after that game if I do a good job. And that’s what I’m excited about.”

On his thoughts on the NFC West division:

“The only thing I’m going to say about that is I feel very fortunate to be in a situation where we play Monday night in Arizona, and I want to do everything that we can. I want to focus only on that game. Everything that we’re talking about, everything that is possible, is dependent upon that game. So that’s what my focus is going to be.”        

On whether this is a playoff team:

“Is this a playoff team? If we win. If we win.”

On whether the team is playoff-worthy:

“If we win.”

On whether he went back and saw that it was a better game than the stats showed with regard to QB Troy Smith and why he decided that Smith will start against Arizona:

“I just think that Tampa Bay had a couple of games of film on him and game planned some and just really took away some of the things that he had done well. There were still opportunities to make plays in the game, but fewer of them, and we just did not execute properly. And that’s really the bottom line.”

On whether Smith needs to do a better job of getting the ball out so he is not taking sacks:

“I think we have to do a better job with him, and just doing a better job at making sure that we keep him out of situations that can be tough. I think we have to get back to the focus of doing what he does well, and making sure that we keep it that way.”

On whether there is a concern that Smith struggles when he has to operate inside the pocket:

“I think there were plays that he had – when he was in the box, there were opportunities to make plays as well, and he has made plays in the box. So there’s not a concern – we’re not overly concerned about that, no.”

On his thoughts on the right side of the offensive line with T/G Chilo Rachal and T Anthony Davis and whether they can play at a winning level:

“I think Davis continues to make strides and every now and then he does what a rookie will do, as an offensive lineman, has a breakdown here or there. I think Chilo, for the most part, is playing pretty decent football, but every now and then will have a breakdown. So it’s just something that we have to continue to work at. I think week-in and week-out, there are offensive lines that – you know, very good offensive lines – that have breakdowns. We just have to continue to work at it.”

On whether T/G Chilo Rachal is a better choice at right guard than T/G Adam Snyder:

“I think, as the coaching staff, when we look at it, we have to make the final decision from week to week. This is the business where you’re trying to win football games. Chilo is not playing just because we like him; just because he’s the only guy we can put there. He’s playing because we feel he gives us the best chance to win. Does he have breakdowns? Yes. You just have to continue to get better.”

On whether the amount of the time the defense was on the field took a toll late in the game:

“Absolutely.”

On whether the defense was tired:

“Yes.”

On whether T Barry Sims earned another start with his performance on Sunday:

“I think it’s something that we have to look at and evaluate more closely this week, and overall, I thought he did a pretty decent job.”

On whether he currently has the staff to prepare for the future and whether he will look for outside help:

“No, I don’t think looking for outside help is really necessary. We’ll work with the people we have and we just have to get better.”

On whether opposing defenses have known what’s coming at the line of scrimmage from the 49ers:

“I’m not sure; that’s the first time that I’ve heard that. You know, if they were getting tipped, well, good. Like I said before; sometimes when you have young guys, that can happen from time to time. But I think overall it’s just a matter of our guys continuing to get better down the stretch here.”

On whether he will be more hands-on in his preparation and what he will change moving forward:

“I don’t want to start sounding like I feel that I felt going into the game we were not prepared. You know, every week, you have a preparation time for a team and you prepare for them. You really don’t know what they’re going to do game day; that’s something that as you look at it you have to make adjustments as you go. Sometimes with a young quarterback, you just want to make sure that you’re giving him every opportunity to step in and win football games. If they’re doing something a little bit different; if the other team’s trying to work on something to take away something that you’ve done, then you just have to continue to play that chess match during the game. I’m not going to say that I felt that we were just really not prepared, no. We were prepared for what we felt they were going to do, and once they did some things a little bit differently, then we tried as best we could to counter those things. So this week I would just make sure that we continue to look at the things that work in our favor. On the offensive side of the ball they’ve been working their tails off to get the best plan possible. You know Troy is working his tail off to try and make sure that everything we’re talking about; everything he needs, you know he’s here day and night. So I’m, I’m confident that we will get where we need to go.”

On the team’s performance with in-game adjustments on both sides of the ball:

“I just think that some games a team just has your number, or things just don’t work the way you want them to work. There are going to be some games that you have. I don’t care who is supposed to be the best team in the league right now, they’re going to have a game where somebody just has you’re number, and yesterday was ours.”

49ers vs. Buccaneers: Post-Game Press Conference – “Go back and watch the film”

What an embarrassment.  For the first time since 1977 the San Francisco 49ers were shutout at home.  The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the 49ers 21-0.  With a loss such as this we get to enjoy an excellent press conference by the 49ers fearless leader.  I've posted Singletary's transcript below and more quotes from the players after the jump.

I have to wonder if the head coach does not have some sort of bet with the other coaches on how many times he can answer a question with the phrase "go back and watch the film." Mike Singletary’s response to ever “football” question seems to be “we just have to go back and watch the film.” He says it so much, that I had a hard time not laughing while watching it on TV. Out of the sixteen questions he was asked, nine of them had responses that included going back and watching the film.

Head Coach Mike Singletary
 Post-Game Quotes - November 21, 2010 
San Francisco 49ers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On how much the loss is a setback to the progress this season:

"Well obviously a big setback, something that we expected to come out here today and play well. Did not. But we'll just have to get back and watch the film and look at the things that we need to do and correct and go forward."

On whether they expected to run the ball and why they couldn't:

"You know, I have to look at the film on that. But yes, we did expect to run the ball. We tried early on, to see if we could run, and you know, it just didn't pan out. Why we didn't run? I'm not sure."

On assessing the quarterback situation today and moving forward:

"Well, once again, we have to look at the film. Obviously it's something that we have to address, something that we have to look at to see what was the miscommunication, the fan in the pocket, was it them, were they doing things to not allow him to get outside and try and make plays? We just have to look at it."

On whether they were too conservative to open the game:

"I won't say that we were too conservative. I just think that it was hard to get in the rhythm early on. We didn't make many first downs so there was no - it wasn't like it was an ongoing thing. You had a chance to get a rhythm going, and I think that's one of the problems in this game."

On whether it was a matter of time before defenses found a way to contain QB Troy Smith better:

"Well, you could say yes you know that defenses are going to try to do that, but at the same time, if you look at the film, you just have to - we know that there were plays there. We just have to look at it and try and figure it out where we can put him in better situations or try and not allow a defense to come in and dictate what we're doing."

On the discussions before the fourth down play at the beginning of the fourth quarter:

"The time when we decided to go for it? We just made the decision, after talking to the coordinators leading up to it, just made the decision to try and go for it and pick it out."

On what happened when it didn't look like TE Vernon Davis was looking for the ball on the incompletion:

"Miscommunication, obviously, between the quarterback and Vernon on that play. So once again, just have to look at it and see exactly what the heck happened."

On his thoughts during the play when they went for it on fourth down:

"I think at that time we felt like we had to play, that we could pick it up, and that's why we went for it, obviously."

On his thoughts during the punt when they were on the Tampa Bay 33 at fourth down:

"Obviously I guess we felt we wanted to pin them back, and maybe having a new kicker, the thought process was how about we just go ahead and try to put it on the defense."

On the decision to have S Reggie Smith play most of the game and not bring in S Taylor Mays until the end:

"I just think we - Reggie got in a rhythm, and he was playing pretty well, and just didn't want to disrupt that."

On whether the team was over-confident about their talent level and ability to win games:

"You know, I think talent level, I'm not mistaken on that. Leadership, I think sometimes when you have inconsistency at the quarterback position that that injury can cause you to have an issue. And what I mean by inconsistency, you get one, you get hurt, you get another one, you come in and play for a couple of weeks there, and he's doing pretty well, and at the same time you're trying to feed him the offense as fast as you can, so there's a lot going on. But I just think that right now we just have to - we're still in it, I think we just have to continue to fight it and work through where we are. As far as [QB] Troy [Smith] is concerned, I just think we have to continue to look at the things that he does well, things that he doesn't, and just have to stick with it."

On Tampa Bay RB LeGarrette Blount:

"LeGarrette had a pretty good day. I thought he was what I thought he was coming out of college, he's a big guy that can run the ball. And he just shoved it up in there, just pushing and shoving and moving the pot."

On whether it would have made a difference if T Joe Staley and T/G Adam Snyder were healthy and able to play today:

"It definitely would have made a difference, particularly Joe."

On the quarterback situation moving forward:

"I've got to look at the film. We understand right now, Troy is really trying to learn everything as quickly as he can. We understand that there's going to be some limitations that hopefully we felt that we can overcome them going forward. I think we just have to continue to look at it. And once we look at the film we'll be able to figure out how we want to do that."

On how much of the team's performance is on the head coach and coaching staff:

"Well you know what, it always starts with the head coach, always. So that's something that we're all in this together. It is not, put it on the team, put it on - it always starts with the head coach. I'm very much aware of that, and that's something I take into consideration and something that I always look at."

On the fourth down time out and whether that was because the decision was being made too late:

"Yes. It was made too late. We took a little too much time trying to figure out exactly what we wanted to do, exactly if we should go for it, and once we decided to go for it, it took a little too much time to make the call in the huddle and get going."

Rams-49ers: Mike Singletary Day After Press-Conference - Troy Smith to Start Against Buccaneers

No real surprise here but in his media session Mike Singletary announced that Troy Smith would be the starter against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.  He was not ready to give Troy Smith starter status for the rest of the season and said it is week to week.  Pretty smart by Singletary since Smith is playing really well now and it is not known whether he can sustain his success.  This also allows Singletary to go back to Alex Smith if things unravel.

I am still not buying Troy Smith is the 49ers savior at quarterback.  So far the wins have not been impressive as a whole and I would like to see a full game of this outstanding play.  Not just a second half. 

With all that said, I wonder if Singletary is ready to admit that the quarterback is the most important part of a football team?  After all, the 49ers are 2-0 since Troy Smith took over...

I've posted the transcript for Singletary's media session after the jump.

Brian Sabean: Pablo Sandoval Needs to "Get His Act Together"

In his annual media session to discuss the upcoming offseason, Brian Sabean had a message to Pablo Sandoval.  His message was that he either "get his act together" otherwise he can expect to see himself in the minors.

Pablo Sandoval, who was courtside at the Warriors game last night, will have another Camp Panda this offseason but this time it will be a less publicized event.  He is set to work with trainers in San Diego and then is expected to report to Spring Training in January.

Bruce Bochy said he had a post-World Series meeting with Pablo and he is comfortable that Pablo understands what is at stake. 

Sabean also said that he contacted the agents for both Aubrey Huff and Juan Uribe and will try to work out some deals.  Huff has made it clear that he would like to come back to San Francisco but is likely looking for a three-year deal.  Now, whether the Giants are willing to offer that is another story.  The Giants have a lot of talent in the minor leagues and may not want to block that talent by signing veterans like Huff and Uribe to deals longer than two years.

The top offensive free agent is likely going to Carl Crawford and teams like the Red Sox and the Angels will have some interest.  Sabean said that the Giants will have interest as well but only if Crawford is interested in the Giants.  He made it clear that he doesn't want to be used as leverage for Crawford to get more money from another team.

Sabean wants to get more left-handed and hopefully more athletic.  That likely means that Jayson Werth is not in the cards for the Giants and that could also mean Adam Dunn is not either.  Dunn would be a nice left-handed bat if there was an opening at first base but he is not known for his athletic prowess.

Broncos-49ers: Mike Singletary Day After Press-Conference

In today's press conference there is no official announcement yet from Mike Singletary, but all signs are pointing to Troy Smith starting the San Francisco 49ers next game against the St. Louis Rams. Currently, the 49ers are on a bye, but Singletary said today that offensive coordinator Mike Johnson will be giving Troy Smith the basic game plan for the Rams.

On whether QB Troy Smith will be the starter for the Rams game:"Possibly, yes.  Right now, yes."

The topic of whether the 49ers would pick up Randy Moss was brought up to Singletary.  At the time of the media session Moss had not been waived so Singletary couldn't discuss it but it is the opinion of most that the 49ers would not be interested.

On whether the 49ers are interested in claiming wide receiver Randy Moss:“Well I think, is he still under contract? [Yes] Can’t talk about it. See, you’re getting me in trouble there [laughing].”

At this point Randy Moss has been waived and so has linebacker Shawne Merriman.  If the 49ers are interested in either then we should find out tomorrow after 1pm when the waiver claim period is over.  It seems that most people think that the team would not be adding either player.

Finally, the 49ers placed offensive lineman Eric Heitmann on the IR which ultimately will make room on the roster for recently added Thaddeus Gibson.

The entire transcript of Singletary's media session is after the jump.

Broncos-49ers: Troy Smith Named Starting QB

Big news of the day is that quarterback Troy Smith will start for the San Francisco 49ers against the Denver Broncos. Alex Smith is expected to be out for about 2-3 weeks with an injured shoulder and Troy Smith is expected to be the quarterback. Troy Smith leapfrogged David Carr who was listed as the #2 quarterback last week but after an ineffective performance in the second half of last Sunday's game Mike Singletary decided that Troy Smith "gives the team the best chance to win."

Not that I'm a huge fan of David Carr's but it's a bit unfair to David Carr to not give him an opportunity. Watching the game, I don't think he was given the opportunity to make plays. At that point of the game, Singletary had gone conservative and unfortunately for David Carr it cost him a chance to make some plays.

Troy Smith is not the answer for the 49ers, and just in case your asking neither is Nate Davis. But, he has the upside that the other quarterbacks, including Alex Smith, doesn't have. If the 49ers weren't so hard-headed about their chance to make it to the playoffs then they may play Davis. Unfortunately, they are not realists and for some god awful reason think they can actually make the playoffs.

Don't expect to see anything but a lot of running the ball up the middle. I'm sure that Singletary saw what the Raiders did running against the Broncos defense on the ground and thinks they will be able to do the same. The difference, the Oakland Raiders have creativity in their offense.

I've posted both the transcript for the Mike Singletary and Troy Smith media sessions after the jump.

Raiders-Broncos: Tom Cable Day After Press-Conference

After beating the Denver Broncos pretty bad yesterday the Oakland Raiders players got their first victory Monday.

It looks like the injury report will be filled up again this week for the Raiders as they did not get out of the game without some players injured.  As usual we will have those updates posted tomorrow.

Right now Raider nation is sitting high on Darren McFadden and his incredible game.  I've heard some say he should be named the league MVP which is a bit overzealous.  Fans need to remember that he ran over the one of the worst run defenses (#15) in the league.  I am really looking forward to see what happens this week against the Seattle Seahawks.  If McFadden can have a huge game against them, I think we may finally see him turn into an elite back.  Currently, the Seahawks are rated #2 against the run on defense.

The entire Tom Cable press conference transcript is after the jump:

49ers-Panthers: Mike Singletary Day After Press-Conference

No regular press-conference today for Mike Singletary due to the time difference and since the Bay Area media hadn't made it out to London yet, Singletary sat down with the London media.  He probably preferred it that way.

A lot of questions about playing in London and not a lot of questions about his playoff guarantee or whether he would promote Nate Davis from the practice squad.  It's my guess that we will hear about the severity of Alex Smith's injury tomorrow but I would venture to say that he is out this game and maybe a couple of weeks after that.

Head Coach Mike Singletary

Monday Press Conference (London) - October 25, 2010

San Francisco 49ers

On his thoughts about playing in London:
"I think it's great. For us, it's a nice chance to kind of get away, regroup and rethink. I think it came at a good time."

On whether he's worried about the travel right after the game having an impact on the players:
"No, not at all. I think the fact that we came over right after the game, the guys will have a chance this week to kind of get caught up, relax a bit and get used to the environment. I think it will be a plus for us."

On the NFL having teams playing internationally and whether it is a bonus to the league or a disruption to the schedule:
"It depends on the way you look at it. I think for us, it really works to be a bonus for us. I think it really gives us a chance to kind of get away from the hustle and bustle of the NFL. To come over here and think through some things, look at maybe some changes you need to make, it gives you a chance to slow down the pace a bit. Like I said, the environment here is a great environment for us."

On whether QB Alex Smith will play this weekend:
"As of right now, we have to get the X-Rays and see what the doctors are thinking at that time and get a feel for it."

On what his chances are:
"I'm not a doctor, so we'll have to wait and see."

On whether Smith is at the doctor right now:
"No."

On having lost close games and what needs to be done to overcome those close losses:
"We're going to figure it out this week. It's important for us to continue to try and put the pieces in place that give us the chance to get over the edge. You hate to be at this particular time trying to figure it out, but we are in the first half of the season still, so we still have a chance to have a good season and accomplish some of the goals that we wanted to accomplish at the beginning of the season. On one hand, you look at close games and you say you're not that far away. On the other hand, you look at the record and it's just not very exciting right now. So, you're at that place where we have to get over that edge, we have to get over that hump, to get where we need to be. I think this week gives us a great opportunity to take a step back, smell the roses a bit and put the pieces in place that we need to put in place to get there."

On whether it is a mental thing to win close games:
"I think for us, we're still maturing. I want our guys to mature faster. I want us to get there yesterday. I feel that this week will be a pivotal week for us. I'm excited to see how we respond on Sunday to some of the changes we'll make this week to try and get better."

On what he expects this Sunday at Wembley Stadium:
"Excitement. I think football is a great game. We're playing in a great atmosphere and hopefully they really get into it. So, it should be very exciting."

On what went wrong against the Panthers:
"Too many big plays. We weren't detailed enough in our coverages. We had some mix-ups on the offensive line. A few guys got hurt, so the continuity wasn't there. I guess to sum it up, too many mistakes to overcome."

On whether it is an advantage financially for the NFL to play games internationally:
"I'm not sure, in terms of the financial gain one way or the other. I think more than anything, it's the exposure. I think the NFL is a tremendous game. I think having a game here really gives the NFL a lot of exposure. I think it gives the people here - it's a two-way street, the fans here have a chance to see the game. In what you call ‘futbol,' I think there are some similarities. The fans could get very excited about it and want more of it. We're hoping that is the case."

On the feeling of having a franchise in London:
"It would depend on the team. That would be really interesting. It could be a good thing. It could be dependent on if the team is young. It depends on if it's a mature team, if it's a young team. I think if you had a mature team here, it could possibly work, and work to their advantage. I'm not trying to sell you on it, but I do believe it would have to be a veteran team, it couldn't be a young team."

On thinking back to his playing days, and whether this could be a disruption to play internationally:
"As a player, I didn't really care. I didn't care where we played. We showed up, let's play. We can play in the street, play in the park, I didn't really care. It really didn't matter to me."

On whether the players are embracing the scenery and atmosphere:
"I think so. I think coaches and players alike. This has really come at a great time for us. I think we're going to take full advantage of it and get the things done that we need to get done to get on track Sunday, and head into the bye week and get ready for the rest of the season."

On the decision to travel to London early in the week rather than at the end of the week:
"I always believe that we want to give the guys a chance to get acclimated. If you're going to come for just a couple of days - we know it's a business trip and we know that we're coming here to win a football game, but at the same time, we have a younger football team. I wanted our guys to be able to come and get a taste of the culture, and at the same time, get a feel for the environment. The weather and the whole nine yards, and just be settled by the time the game starts. I think it was a great decision."

49ers-Panthers: Mike Singletary Post-Game Press Conference - Singletary Always Good for a Laugh

Matt Maiocco asked the best question of the entire press game conferece.  He asked Singletary if he ever thought about the fact that since they keep losing to bad teams that it is possible they are not that good.  No surprise but Singletary doesn't think that's possible.

Another hilarous moment came when one of the media members asked him that is Smith couldn't go then would David Carr be the starter.  His answer of course was:

"I don't know, going to have to take a look at the film."

That answer is Singletary's default answer.  It basically means I don't have no clue, and I have to talk to people who actually understand how to coach football.

One more quote that I wanted to share before I post the video.  When asked if the 49ers can make the playoffs, Singletary of course said:

"....I still believe we can go the playoffs, I still believe we can get those things done, we just need to get the right things in place and go from there."

The entire video is after the jump:

NLCS: Tim Lincecum Media Sitdown Before Game 5

No matter what happens today, Tim Lincecum will be on the mound tomorrow for the Giants. He could be pitching the clinching game for the Giants to make it to the World Series. 

He sat down with the media and had an interesting pre-game news conference.  Lincecum talks about the wigs, Bengie Molina, and the fans. 

Q. You always hear players this time of year saying everybody's got something, some nick or this or that, and I'm wondering physically how do you feel now compared to some of your other seasons at which juncture?
TIM LINCECUM: I feel fine right now. I don't know. In comparison to the rest of the year, I feel I've gotten stronger as the season has gone on, especially since August when I changed up everything. But, yeah, I feel good.

Q. You hear pitchers talk about sometimes high-stress innings, and I don't know if you subscribe to the idea that that can take something out of a pitcher or not, but the way this team has played all year, and particularly in the playoffs not scoring a lot of runs, is this something that you guys are used to by now as a staff?
TIM LINCECUM: As a team we're kind of used to it. We know we're going to play those close games and every run is going to matter and every 0 is going to matter, too. So, yeah, it's one of those things where I think we're more comfortable kind of in those close games, and sometimes you'll see those games where you get a big lead. They start to nick away at you and you get relaxed and it starts to hurt you. I'd say we play really well under those high-stress games, those really close ones.

Q. I'm sure you're very happy for your former battery mate who was doing rather well in this postseason too. Could you talk a little bit about what Bengie Molina meant to you and the other young pitchers for the guys to leave it open to what you guys are today?
TIM LINCECUM: Bengie has kind of been there since I've been there, obviously. So getting to work with him, helping me find a lot of my pitches, giving me feedback on how things are going throughout each game, throughout each pitch even. But, yeah, he's definitely molded me into a better pitcher. He's the one calling me the pitches and I'm the one agreeing, and obviously I get the last say and everything. But if it hadn't been for him reading all the batters, knowing how the batters swing, he's a seasoned vet that knows a lot about every single guy that comes up. So he takes care of the stuff that he doesn't want us to necessarily worry about.

Q. Going into this second a time, it was so hyped up a few days ago, Lincecum-Halladay. Now that there have been some other good pitching matchups in the series, is there a good feel going into the second one between the two of you?
TIM LINCECUM: As far as us, I think we're just approaching it like a regular game. Kind of worrying about today right now as a matter of fact. So we'll worry about tomorrow tomorrow.
But as far as I'm concerned, I'm just getting prepared for tomorrow regardless if we win or lose. Just approach it like any game. Like I've been here twice, I guess, just try to take it relaxed and poised and keep myself together.

Q. What's your impression the way Bumgarner has handled his season and his other postseason start?
TIM LINCECUM: He's done really well. I mean, I remember coming up as a rookie everything kind of overwhelmed me, got to be too much at times. But for him, in this heightened atmosphere, I think he's taking it as well as anybody else. It's like he's been here before.
He's pitching well. He's pitching within himself, not trying to do too much. And he's had good results and he's given us a chance to win.

Q. How conscious are you and your teammates of the Giants history here in San Francisco? A lot of good players but never winning the World Series. Is that something that you guys are all aware of and is it surprising when you think about all the great players through the years?
TIM LINCECUM: When you bring it up, it's surprising because we have had so many good teams, a lot of good pitching. A lot of good hitters. It's just about putting it together at the right time and maybe just right now is ours. So we're just taking it as it comes and trying to make the most of each day.

Q. Going back to your first matchup with Halladay, what do you take out of that game, and how much of a difference do you think the different ballpark will make?
TIM LINCECUM: Obviously people see this park as a pitcher-friendly park. So you try to pitch to the confines of it. It's obviously got a hard porch out there in right field that we can use. Balls have a hard time getting out there. So just pitching like you would anyway. Keep the ball down in the zone, quality strikes. And everything else will kind of take care of itself.

Q. Fewer whistles?
TIM LINCECUM: Yeah, I think so.

Q. Have you allowed yourself to consider that you might be pitching for a World Series berth tomorrow?
TIM LINCECUM: I mean, it's crept in the back of my mind, obviously, just because I've never been here before and those are the things that people dream of. I'm sure everybody in here has. Or as far as my teammates go. So at the same time not getting too ahead of ourselves and, like I said, worrying about today.

Q. Can you talk about how much it's meant to you the way you've been embraced by Giants fans in the city? And the second part, also, first time you saw the wig?
TIM LINCECUM: The wig?

Q. One of the fans wearing the wigs.
TIM LINCECUM: Yeah, this city is -- taken me in kind of like -- I wouldn't say a son, just because I'm not that young. But just as one of their own. Even in my mistakes and my faults and things that I've said wrong or done wrong, they've accepted me and still rooted us on and rooted myself on. So can't say enough about the city. It's been great to me, the opportunities I've had here, the way people have embraced me. It's been great. It's a lot different than home.
And the wig, I don't know. I've seen a lot of them and, I don't know, they asked me how close it was to resembling my hair and I gave them the okay, but I don't know how close it is.

Q. Any extra sense of pride that the four starters in this postseason rotation are all homegrown products, all four of you starting the postseason are homegrown, coming up through the organization?
TIM LINCECUM: Yeah, just goes to show the philosophy that this organization has gone by, being aggressive in the zone having the strike zone, building around pitching.
And it's shown. I mean, it's gotten us here and the games where we haven't scored a lot of big runs, pitchers are coming up big, and games where we have a rough outing or something like that, obviously the offense is picking us up. Like I said, we're built around defense and pitching. We've done both of that. So everything else has just been just extra and great.

Q. I know how focused you are on the Phillies tomorrow. But I'm just wondering if there's -- in some corner of your brain somewhere, in the last couple of days, you've thought how the heck would I pitch Bengie knowing he knows you and you know him?
TIM LINCECUM: Obviously I've seen him just save my butt a few times in games with home runs on low pitches and just funky pitches, pitches out of the zone. So I don't know. Maybe I'll just throw them right down the middle and maybe I'll get away with it. We'll see.

Q. For two of these three games here you've really been able to keep this Phillies lineup under wraps. Any surprise at that when you know how potent they can be or pride in that that you've been able to do that?
TIM LINCECUM: It's been great. We know what we're capable of. We're really relaxed at home. We have a lot of confidence here. And that goes back to how we played and the fans obviously make it a lot easier here, too. They're up every inning. Every other batter, even. So we feel at home. Like I said, we feel relaxed and I think it allows us to play better baseball. We know what it takes to win, and we play our West Coast type of baseball really well here.

Q. Back to the part where you're talking about how the city's embraced you after the last two wins, the games you pitched, has there been any reaction differently on the streets or here among the staff in the stadium?
TIM LINCECUM: No, I mean, it's just kind of been the regular thing. I've gotten used to just pulling out of the stadium and fans continue to stand there with their signs and rooting us on, win or loss. So you see how much they believe and how much confidence they have in us as a whole, and their hopes and beliefs are just in us. That's great. It's fun to be a part of and it's an exciting experience for all of us. And I get to share that with the city is a big thing.

Q. The Phillies have obviously gotten a lot of attention for their top-flight pitching and you guys are built on that philosophy, too. Did you as a staff take that as any kind of challenge to show that you guys are a pitching-oriented team, too?
TIM LINCECUM: We just worry about ourselves. When I was asked about the heightened -- the Halladay-Lincecum matchup, I was like I only get to face him two times in the game. He got one hit off me (laughter). It's not those kinds of things you worry about. Obviously, you get excited because obviously you're going to take each run as it comes and each run is more exciting because you're getting it off such a big-name pitcher like that. So I think it makes the series a little bit more exciting knowing that any potential night something crazy could happen between any of the pitchers, and we got exciting at-bats in the lineup as well. So it's fun and exciting to see what will happen.

Phillies-Giants NLCS Game 3: Post-Game Quotes

Matt Cain pitched his best game as a San Francisco Giant in one of the biggest games of his career to give the Giants a 2-1 series lead of the Philadelphia Phillies.  Cain defintely had his best stuff today and it showed.  It also helped that he didn't get squeezed like what the other two pitchers were dealing with in Philadelphia.

Below are the transcripts from the post-game press-conferences with Matt Cain, Bruce Bochy, and others.

Matt Cain - Starting Pitcher

Post-Game Quotes - October 19, 2010

San Francisco Giants vs. Philadelphia Phillies

Q. Bochy came out to talk to you before you pitched to Victorino at the end. Seemed like an important moment. What did he say to you? What was going on?
MATT CAIN: Just asking how I was feeling, just kind of instilling that he had confidence in me. It didn't sound like he wanted to take me out of the game, but he was trying to -- we've got confidence in you, make your pitches and we can get this guy out.

Q. I asked Bruce about managing and he made all the right moves and Aaron came in today and Renteria. The group of ballplayers, do you guys respond to what he says? I mean, managing is so tricky. I'm just wondering what the feeling is about Bruce in there. 
MATT CAIN: It's great. That's the reason that he has the job. He does a great job of getting the right guys in at the right time. And we respect anything that he does.

Q. Right before the start of the fourth inning, it was right after -- it was the previous inning, Victorino got a hit. I saw the umpires talking to you along the baseline, what was that about?
MATT CAIN: Just asking a couple of questions about if I was set and the right situation, stuff like that.

Q. You probably know that starting lineup at the Phillies came in with pretty good numbers against you and a couple of those guys really good numbers. What was different today with your pitching against them specifically?MATT CAIN: Just trying to focus on making my pitches and getting in the pitching counts where I'm ahead and trying to make them a little more defensive. That was my goal today. And that's what we just kept trying to do from the start to the end.

Q. Following up on that, Chase Utley in particular has had really good numbers against you in his career. Seemed like you threw him a lot of change-ups today. Was there a thought process behind that and why was it so successful?
MATT CAIN: Just trying to keep the ball down. Once you elevate the ball to any of the power hitters is usually when they take advantage of you. That's where he's taken advantage of me before. So I was just trying to keep the ball down to him.

Q. How do you compare this game to the other good games you have pitched, especially the last couple of years in this park?
MATT CAIN: Just in general, all the games I've pitched.

Q. How you compare this game to the games you've pitched, right up there?MATT CAIN: I would say this has probably got to be -- this has got to be the top one, really, to be able to pitch in the postseason is great and to be able to go out there and throw the ball, throw the ball well and help your team win, you know, is a great feeling.

Q. Having already thrown in the postseason once this year, were your emotions a little more subdued at the beginning of this game?MATT CAIN: Yeah, I think they were. With going through all the introductions and all that stuff, I think you kind of get used to it a little bit, because sometimes you get your nerves going, your routine is a little different. We've been through a couple of the introductions and having the postseason start before, throwing against the braves, I think definitely using that experience today was definitely very helpful.

Q. Sometimes you hear guys say you just have to treat it as another game. Is it just another game in a postseason?MATT CAIN: You like to try to think of it that way. But it's not. There's a lot more pressure on you. But you find your ways to think of little things, whatever it is to be able to think of it as another pitch or another starting day, just go out there and stay to your plan and try to stay to your strengths.

Q. So much was made of Halladay, Oswalt and Hamels coming into this series, did you guys feel any bit slighted at all just knowing how well you as a staff have pitched over the past six weeks?MATT CAIN: No, we knew this was going to be -- and we still feel like it's going to be a close matchup every day we go out there and pitch against these guys. So we're just taking that one game. We'll come out there tomorrow and do the same thing.

Q. As somebody who has been here longer than anybody else at what point did you start thinking maybe this team had a chance to be what they're doing now?MATT CAIN: You know, we felt confident with ourselves in spring. We had a great spring. We came out of spring hot. We felt we hit a bump in the road. When we started hitting bumps in the road we came out of those quicker than we used to, I think that's when we started noticing that we were a team that was going to do things right for the season.

Q. Along the same lines, with the Phillies rotation, this is seven quality starts in a row for you guys. Do you think you sort of made a point? And did you have that sort of in mind coming into the postseason?MATT CAIN: Well, that's our goal to go out there every time, all of us, as a rotation, want to go out there and stay in the game as long as possible. And our biggest thing is to be able to stay in the game seventh, eighth inning, try to get wins, especially playing in this ballpark sometimes you've got to stick around to get those extra wins.

Q. Charlie Manuel said in the past when you've pitched against the Phillies you often maybe got too aggressive with your fastball, and you avoided that today. When you were looking back on past starts against them and getting ready for today, was that a conscious decision to get away from that?MATT CAIN: You know, not really. I mean, I'm a guy that's usually going to throw a lot of fastballs. But I think the biggest thing was really making sure the location was better than the previous times. I think that's really the main goal today was to go out there and try to keep the ball closer to the knees and stay at the bottom of the strike zone.

NLCS: Madison Bumgarner Will Pitch Game 4

Nothing is changed as far the the Game 4 starter from the Giants perspective.  Madison Bumgarner is still a go.  In the media session before the game Bruce Bochy talked about Bumgarner and reflected on his first start this season:

What did you see out of Bumgarner in his first start?
I saw a kid that went out there and competed very well. Had good stuff. He was throwing hard. I've said this so many times about him since we brought him up here, for a 21-year-old kid, I just love the way he carries himself. He handles himself out on the mound, keeps his poise and competes very well. But he has good stuff to go with it and did a great job in that game.

Bumgarner also sat down with the media today and discussed his first start among other things.  Here is a transcript of his session:

Q. Now that you have a few days to look back on it, was your first start in the postseason any different at all than a regular season start? Did it feel different when you took the mound each pitch, the atmosphere?
MADISON BUMGARNER: It was definitely a good atmosphere in Atlanta. Didn't have quite as many people as the first night, but they were loud and they were into the game for sure.
I feel like I try to just keep telling myself to relax and to step back and take deep breaths and don't let the game speed up and get away from you.  I feel like we're able to do pretty much the same thing we did all year.

Q. I know you personally haven't had a whole lot of success at AT&T Park, but if you take your personal record out of it and look at being back home for Game 3, 4, and 5, and the advantage that AT&T Park provides to you with the fan base, et cetera, what can that mean for you guys here?
MADISON BUMGARNER: It's always nicer for us to play here at home. I mean, it's easier to play at home, I think. But for the success thing you're talking about, I don't think it has anything to do with the park or pitching here. I think I just hadn't had much luck, the games I've threw here.  And also there's been some good games that were close, 2 to 1, 1 to 0, losses for me. I think it's just the way things worked out. But I'm definitely comfortable pitching at home, too.

Q. You've told me a couple of times that having pitched in your high school state championship kind of prepared you for this. And people sort of look at that and go: Really? Can you see why people might find that a little funny?
MADISON BUMGARNER: Yes, it's definitely nowhere near the stage it is here. It's not anywhere close. But at the time, when you're in high school, you know, that's the biggest game you played in your life at that point in time.
So, I mean, I think the way you feel before a game like that then, when you're that young and in high school, kind of is the same feeling now, even though it's not even -- you don't compare the stage we're playing on here to high school, obviously. But I think inside it's kind of the same deal.

Q. What does it say to you that Bruce Bochy put the confidence in you to pitch Game 4 of both of these series, especially over a guy with the experience of Barry Zito?
MADISON BUMGARNER: It's a huge honor. I feel blessed even to have an opportunity to pitch in this series and the last one, too. It's pretty awesome to get to do this. And I'm looking forward to it. But that speaks a lot. And it's a good feeling that he has confidence in me and our team does also.

Q. Can you talk a little about last year and, you know, your velocity dropping, a lot of people were curious about what happened, and the spring wasn't that great. And how did you get yourself back to where you needed to be by the middle of this year?
MADISON BUMGARNER: Well, it was just a little bit of mechanics got off a little bit and it wasn't where I needed to be. Took me a while to fix it because I never really worried about mechanics. I didn't ever focus that much on them. I never really had to.  And when something like that happened, I wish I would have now because it took a long time to fix. But I was trying to find anything, every week I had a different answer for what was going on. We just couldn't figure it out. And finally started making some adjustments this spring. And finally I feel like I got to where I needed to be probably in probably August, I guess, the end of August. Took a while to fix.

Q. You're young enough to probably have watched a lot of the guys on the Phillies on TV when you were growing up. Were there any of those guys, Utley, Howard, Victorino, you enjoyed watching while you were younger?
MADISON BUMGARNER: Just about all those guys. They've got a great team. They're good. So I watched -- I like to watch good teams growing up. I didn't really have a favorite team or favorite player, I just liked watching good pitchers, good hitters, just good teams in general.  And definitely have seen a lot of those guys. So it's fun to get to play against them now, when I watched them growing up, like you said.

Q. Your first day up here in the Majors this year we asked you about the blowup in Sacramento. And I remember that you said that will never happen again and that you'll find ways internally to make sure that never happens again, and I'm just wondering in the starts you've had here, was there ever a time when you had to tell yourself: Serenity now, serenity now?
MADISON BUMGARNER: Even before the game, before all that happened down there, there was times where there would be bad calls or anything happened and I know not to let it bother me and to just go on to the next hitter. Just for some reason that day I wasn't able to do it.  So I don't know what the real answer is. I mean, I let my emotions get the best of me, I guess. And I think it's better it happened down there than up here. So it's obviously good to get it out of the way, and now going forward I'll know how to handle it better.

Q. So now you'll still do now what you did before that day?
MADISON BUMGARNER: Yeah, I feel like I do a better job of it now since that time, though. Something happens, it's a lot easier to step off and just relax and move on after seeing what can happen.

Q. The Phillies, as far as their lineup, been a lot more patient in this series. Kind of changed their philosophy. How do you plan on attacking that lineup tomorrow?
MADISON BUMGARNER: You know, I'm going to go out there with the same game plan I normally do. Just go out there and try to throw strikes and get ahead of guys. So if they want to take pitches, I don't know what their game plan will be. It might be different. They might be swinging early. They might be taking.  So it's hard to say. So I'm just going to go out there and try to throw quality pitches each time, see how it goes.

Q. There was a time in June and July where you were mentioned a lot in some trade rumors. How aware were you of some of that stuff and how much of a blessing was it that you're still sitting here today?
MADISON BUMGARNER: I didn't really pay any attention to that stuff at all. I think it's easy to get sidetracked. So I just tried to stay focused on what we're doing here and definitely glad I got to stay here.
I don't know what the talk was, but I'm definitely glad to stay here. This is where I want to be. So I'm glad it worked out that way.

Q. I want to ask you about your conditioning and if you think any changes in your conditioning had any impact on last year to this year, and also if you had to do anything special to get yourself to last through this entire season more than you ever pitched?
MADISON BUMGARNER: The only thing I've done is just stay the same really. I hadn't changed anything from the first year to last year to this year. It's been pretty much the same routine. Maybe some deviations to kind of line it up, make it more fun some of the days. But same stuff. Same workout routine. Same running.  One thing I hadn't done is taper off at the end. I've tried to stay on the same level, and I feel that's why it's helped me to stay in shape here to the end of the season.

Raiders-49ers: Tom Cable Day After Press-Conference

With Bruce Gradkowski possibly out another week and Jason Campbell scheduled for an MRI on his knee, it could me Kyle Boller time.  Kyle Boller, who is the Oakland Raiders third quarterback says he is ready if Tom Cable calls upon him.

“I always take the approach that it’s your job--it doesn’t matter what position you play or what position you are on the depth chart to be prepared, because you never know when your time’s coming.  I’ve done a pretty good job with watching tape and staying in the game plan, because it’s also our job to help out the guys that are in there. And they need you to know what’s going on.’’

Tom Cable discussed the quarterback situation but was not willing to name a starter for this weekend:

Is it too early to tell who QB will be this week or have to wait and see how Bruce comes out of it?

"We’ll need to see both come Wednesday, see where they’re both at and then we’ll make a decision and go with it.

Issue with Campbell’s health or is that not an issue? 

"Just see where he’s at, he’s pretty sore today. So let’s just see where he’s at come Wednesday."

Is there a scenario where Kyle could be the starter this weekend? 

"Oh, absolutely, absolutely."

 ***

In his news and notes section, Jerry McDonald talked about his interaction with first round pick Rolando McClain.  Apparently, he is not willing to talk to the media.  I find it interesting that McClain is refusing to talk about the status of the team but I can understand if he is not accustom to this amount of failure being that he played at Alabama and won a lot of games.

McDonald did bring up the fact that Louis Murphy was having similar problems after playing for such a good Florida Gator team.

***

Tom Cable's press conference is after the jump or you can watch it here below.

Raiders-49ers: Mike Singletary Day After Press Conference

With a win against the Raiders yesterday it definitely makes the press conference less interesting.  The big headlines of the press conference was the discussion of using defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga as fullback in short yardage plays.  Matt Barrows first mentioned it yesterday in his post-game notes.

The play that is used for Sopoaga is called "22 Ice" in which Sopoaga is known as "The Ice Truck."  When asked about it today Singletary it was his decision to add it in the playbook earlier this year.  He remembered the play from when he played for the Bears and it wasn't inspired by his former Bears teammate William Perry.

According to Singletary, the idea started here with Bill Walsh when he put former offensive lineman Guy McIntyre in the backfield.  Singletary thought it was a great idea at the time and thought it would be good to add to their playbook.

***

Singletary was asked about the intentional grounding call that wasn't.  "We're going to reach with very firm arms and try to get an idea what the heck is the rule, because I'm a little bit perplexed on that now."

The entire press conference is after the jump and if you want to watch it the link is below to CSN's video.

Mike Singletary's Press Conference

Raiders-49ers: Post-Game Quotes

Another week and another verbal exchange was required to get Alex Smith going.  However, this time it was not the head coach.  Alex Smith got into it with left tackle Joe Staley right before the 91-yard drive that lead to the Michael Crabtree touchdown.  

Alex Smith went up to the offensive line to settle them down after another failed drive and that's when the yelling started.

"We got a first down, but then we put ourselves in a a bad situation, and I think those guys were pressing a little bit.  I came over to just get them to settle down.  Those guys were really fired up and jacked up."

Joe Staley thought it was a good thing and it showed on the next drive the 49ers went down the field and scored a touchdown.

"It wasn't like he was pointing the finger at us, and we weren't pointing the finger at him. We just knew as an offense that we could not just keep dragging along. We had to start executing. We were challenging each other. It was all positive."

That wasn't the only conversation that took place.  Alex Smith had another one with Mike Singletary that wasn't as animated and according to Singletary did not have anything to do with a potential benching.

"Really it was just keep pressing, keep doing what we have to do, don't force it, and it will turn out fine."

Smith was on SIRIUS NFL Radio with Rich Gannon (thanks to ESPN's Mike Sando for the transcript) and did agree with the assessment by Gannon that he would prefer not to have the repetitive discussions with Singletary.

"It's something I've gotten used to at this point and I'm ready for, but you're exactly right. "As a quarterback, when you do have a three-and-out or things do not go right, you are the first one to know. You know more than anyone out there what went wrong and what needs to be corrected and don't necessarily always need to hear it when you come off to the sideline. It's something I have gotten used to at this point and can deal with."

49ers Offense: Mike Singletary the Reason for the Offensive Failure

Offensive coordinator Mike Johnson met with the media yesterday and after reviewing the transcript and writing that last blogpost I decided to spend some time watching these 49ers highlights, or low-lights, from the Sunday night game against the Eagles.  After watching a couple videos I came across the video of the first TD after Mike Singletary rips Alex Smith.  You know, the one where all of a sudden he became a different quarterback.

Funny thing is that Alex Smith and Singletary are saying that it was because Alex let it fly after that.  Well, that's not exactly it.  After Singletary ripped Smith on the sideline, 13 out of 15 plays were run out of the shotgun.  You know, the formation that everybody in the world knows that Smith is successful in except Mike Singletary and the offensive coaches.  In those 13 plays, Smith was 11 for 12 in completions and threw two touchdowns (videos of both drives are below) and in the first drive of the game where they marched down and scored a touchdown Smith was 5 for 5 that drive with the touchdown throw coming out of the shotgun.

The reason that the 49ers offense hasn't change since the firing of Jimmy Raye is not that Mike Johnson lacks creativity, it's the fact that Mike Singletary won't get out of the way.  Whether Johnson wants to fully admit it or not, he is doing exactly what Singletary wants and that is to have Frank Gore on the field all the time and run the ball as much as possible.  It is only when the 49ers are down that they let Alex Smith pass the ball.

Singletary even admits that he still has control over the offense in his press conference on Monday:

On Offensive Coordinator Mike Johnson’s scheme:

“I think [offensive coordinator] Mike [Johnson] was trying to follow through with what we had talked about during the week. This is not a game that we wanted to go in and just throw the ball all over the place. We wanted to try and formulate a balance, and as the game got going, you know, there were a couple of things that were there, as we thought they would be, but for one reason or another it did not happen. But I think as we go forward, Mike is still getting situated and still getting his feet underneath him as well. So I’m sure that he’s learning too. So hopefully going forward there will be a better mix.”

Mike Johnson isn't as willing to say the same thing but he admits that Singletary is involved:

On how much control he has over the game-plan and whether there is truth to the perception that he is being held back by what Singletary wants: 

“It’s all perception. It’s all perception. And I think, like I said, going forward you will see a different style, slightly. But we have a core philosophy that we believe in, that coach Singletary believes in. But I think you will see a better balance of all the things I’ve said earlier. And I think going forward you’ll see that.”

Mike Johnson is right, it is all perception.  But remember, "perception is reality" and the reality is the 49ers offense is not creative, and is very predictable.  All the teams know that they are going to run the ball up the middle for the first play of the game if not the first drive.  I guarantee you that the Oakland Raiders will put eight men in the box against the 49ers in the first play.  

I would like to see the 49ers come out in shotgun formation, and throw the ball to start the game, not just run the ball up the middle like they do 66% of the time they run the ball.

If the 49ers want to win a game this season, Mike Singletary is going to have to be kicked out of offensive coaches meeting.  His 1985 vision of how to win football games is archaic.  In 2010 teams pass the ball to setup the run, not run the ball to setup the pass.

The first TD drive after the Smith/Singletary blowup:

The 2nd TD drive:



Mike Johnson's entire press conference transcript is after the jump.