Month: November 2013

49ers to be tested against the tough Carolina Panthers

Published on by gabeschapiroLeave a comment

By Gabe Schapiro

This Sunday at 1:05pm the San Francisco 49ers (6-2) will be taking on the Carolina Panthers (5-3) at the friendly confines of Candlestick Park. This matchup features two teams who have been on a roll over the past few weeks. The 49ers have won five straight, and are in second place in the NFC West, just one game back of the Seattle Seahawks. The Panthers had a shaky start, but have hit their stride, rattling off four wins in a row, putting themselves in second place in the NFC South, one game behind the New Orleans Saints.

San Francisco is coming off of their bye week, but two weeks ago they easily dismantled the Jacksonville Jaguars, coasting to a 42-10 victory. The 49ers quickly put the game out of reach, mounting a 28-3 lead by half time. San Francisco stuck with what has got them here, and did most of their damage on the ground, rushing for 221 yards as a team. Frank Gore ran for 71 yards and two scores on 19 carries. Colin Kaepernick had two rushing touchdowns of his own to along with 54 yards on seven carries. For good measure, Kendall Hunter also got in on the action, compiling a team-high 84 yards on the ground on just nine attempts. On the defensive side the 49ers suffocated the Jaguars offense, not letting them ever get much of anything going. The highlight was a Patrick Willis forced fumble that Dan Skuta returned for a touchdown.

The Panthers should present a much more formidable opponent. On offense they have their own electric duel threat at quarterback in Cam Newton. His primary weapons are running back DeAngelo Williams, who is having a solid but not great season, tight end Greg Olson, who is leading the team in receiving yards, and old reliable Steve Smith, who isn’t the dominant player he once was, but still poses a threat. Their defense is easily their biggest strength, however. Young linebacker Luke Kuechly has been fantastic, lead the team in tackles and tied for the team lead in interceptions. Pass rushers Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy have consistently been giving opposing quarterbacks a hard time. As a unit they have allowed the second fewest yards and second fewest points per game in the NFL.

Sunday’s contest is a classic case of strength meeting strength. The 49ers have the fourth best rushing offense in the league, and they will be going up against the league’s best rush defense. Expect San Francisco to stick to their game plan, however, and go with a ground and pound approach. Depending on their success, however, they may need Kaepernick to air it out more than he has in recent weeks. Carolina’s defense hasn’t been as strong against the pass.

Mario Manningham and Aldon Smith are both expected to be active. It remains to be seen how limited they will be initially, but they could provide a big boost in what could be a tough week.

Sharks drop fourth straight

Published on by Ivan MakarovLeave a comment
Vancouver Canucks' Brad Richardson (15) is congratulated after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)
Vancouver Canucks’ Brad Richardson (15) is congratulated after scoring against the San Jose Sharks during the first period of an NHL hockey game on Thursday, Nov. 7, 2013, in San Jose, Calif. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

By Ivan Makarov

SAN JOSE, CA – Counting last year’s playoffs, San Jose Sharks have beaten Vancouver Canucks in nine straight games. The streak came to an end on Thursday night as Sharks were defeated 4-2 and have lost their fourth game in a row.

Sharks fell two goals behind in the first half of the game, and while correcting some of the weaknesses in their game, they were unable to execute a come back.

The scoring in the game got off to a quick start as both teams exchanged goals early on. Sharks scored first on a strange bounce around the net. Joe Thornton was passing the puck along the boards inside Canucks territory but it bounced off the top netting, and into the goal off the Vancouver’s Roberto Luongo’s back. Canucks responded with a tying goal by Brad Richardson who scored from close range after Sharks turned the puck over inside their zone.

Sharks defensive woes continued when Mike Santorelli made it 2-1 for the visiting team by scoring yet another goal in front of Antti Niemi that saw Sharks defense got caught in the middle of the change and could not stop a developing fast attack by Vancouver.

But Sharks responded only a minute later with Mike Brown scoring his first goal in the Sharks uniform after a breakaway attack and a great pass from James Sheppard that found him all alone in front of Luongo. Brown put the puck high and say Luongo’s blocker to tie the game at 2-2.

Sharks continued to struggle on the defense, and allowed what was perhaps the most embarrassing goal of their season so far at the end of the first period. In a situation that appeared safe Jason Demers was on his own blue line but bobbled the puck while trying to pass it to Scott Hannan. It was easily intercepted by Alexandre Burrows and in the confusion of all and scrambling to get the puck back Sharks defensemen fell on top of each other, allowing Chris Higgins to face Antti Niemi all alone and put the puck into the net, giving Canucks 3-2 lead going into the first intermission.

Second period did not start any better for San Jose, as Canucks doubled their lead on a goal by Zack Kassian on a redirect from Kevin Bieksa shooting all the way from the blue line. The goal made it 4-2 and forced Sharks to switch their goaltenders as Antti Niemi headed to the bench and got replaced by Alex Stalock after allowing four goals on 12 shots.

Stalock’s presence improved Sharks focus and their play on defense. Having only put 11 shot on goal in the first two periods, it wasn’t until the third that San Jose picked up their game offensively. They held the puck more, and started winning the battles in the tight areas. As their play improved, so did the play of Roberto Luongo who was on time to the puck and poisoning himself well each time.

With two minutes remaining in the game, Todd McLellan pulled the goaltender for extra skater in the zone. That helped generate chances, but none of them were realized by the Sharks, and they lost yet again.

After three home games in a row, the Sharks will travel to Canada where they will face the Jets, Flames, Canucks and Oilers with the last stop in Chicago before returning to SAP Center for five game home stand in the second half of November. It may be a good time to get on the road again where coaches can spend more time with the players, address some of the bad habits that are starting to creep into the team’s play, and simplify their game, as they do when playing away from their home crowd.

Stanford beats Oregon 26-20

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

Stanford beats Oregon 26-20

The Stanford Cardinal dominated play for most of the game. The defense held Oregon in check while the offense controlled the ball for most of the game. Oregon looked like a defeated time but came to life in the fourth quarter. The Ducks scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter. They recovered an onside kick and the big play of the night for Oregon was when they blocked a field goal and Oregon

capitalized to bring them within six points of the lead. It was definitely nail-biting time at Stanford Stadium but the Cardinal held on for the win. The game smmary follows below.

The Ducks took the opening drive from the 18 yard line down to the 48 yard line of the Ducks . A false start cost the Ducks a 3rd and short yardage and they were forced to punt. The Cardinal went three and out on their first series of downs. The Cardinal punted but the Ducks returned the ball to the Cardinal 28 yard line. Good field position for Oregon. Mariota made a great pass down to the 7th yard line. First and goal for the Ducks. Stanford’s defense held at the four yard line and Oregon decided to go for it but

Mariota’s pass was incomplete and Stanford took over on downs. So far Stanford’s defense has stopped the Oregon running game forcing the Ducks to go to the passing game and Mariota’s passes have been hurried.

Stanford scored the first touchdown of the game with 2:36 left in the first period. Stanford took the ball over on downs at their own four yard line and took the ball 96 yards for the score. The key play was a 47 yard pass from Kevin Hogan to Michael Rector. The Cardinal had a first down at the 12 yard line.

Tyler Gaffney carried it to the two yard line then scored on the next play. Stanford had the ball for over six minutes. The Cardinal had the ball for 8:53 and Oregon had it for 6:07 in the first period. Stanford leads 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.

The Cardinal took a 14-0 lead with 11:26 left in the second quarter. The key play on the drive was a pass interference call on the Ducks that put the ball on the Duck 16 yard line. Gaffney took it to the eleven and quarterback Kevin Hogan ran it in to the end zone for the score.

Stanford’s defense stopped the Ducks on the Stanford 2 yard line. The Ducks started the drive on their own 18 yard line end drove the ball down the field. Mariota completed a pass to Bralon Addison on fourth down to move the ball to the Cardinal 11 yard line. On the next play Mariota completed a pass to De’Anthony Thomas but he fumbled the ball and Shayne Skov came up with the ball for Stanford at

the 2 yard line. Stanford drove the ball all the way down the field from their own two yard to the Duck two yard line with 11 seconds left in the first half. Stanford tried two passes but the clock expired but Oregon committed a defensive penalty and since the half can’t end on a defensive penalty Stanford had one more chance to score. The ball was on the one yard line but the Cardinal decided to go for a field goal. The kick was good and Stanford led 17-0 at the half Stanford dominated play in the first half racking up 15 first downs to Oregon’s seven. The Cardinal converted eight out of ten third down plays and had the ball for almost 21 minutes compared to Oregon’s nine.

The Cardinal returned the ball 57 yards on the kickoff to the Duck 37 to start the third quarter. The drive stalled at the Duck 17 yard line and kicker Jordan Williamson made a 34 yard field goal to put Stanford up 20-0 with 12:34 left to play in the third period. The Ducks were driving, trying desperately to score, but Stanford’s defense came up big forcing Marcus Mariota to scramble and forced a turnover at the Cardinal 28 yard line. The Cardinal drove 64 yards and held the ball for 7 minutes and 33 seconds. The drive was stalled by an offensive penalty so Jordan Williamson was called o to make a field goal. Williamson converted and Stanford led 23-0 with just 1:31 left to play in the third period. Stanfordheld Oregon to three and out and the Cardinal has the ball with excellent field position with 1:07 left. The period ends with Stanford leading 23-0 and they have the ball on the Duck 21 yard line to start the fourth quarter.

The drive stalled at the eight yard and Stanford was called for a five yard penalty. No problem. Williamson kicked his fourth field goal of the night to give the Cardinal a 26-0 lead with 11:40 left to play in the game. Oregon got on the board with 10:11 left to play. The Ducks’ De’Anthony Thomas took the ball back to the 40 yard line on the kickoff and then the Ducks went went 60 yards in five plays. Stanford leads 26-7 but Stanford has the keep the Duck offense in check if they want to win the game. The Ducks tried an onside kick but Stanford recovered and had the ball at the Duck 48 yard line. Kevin Hogan converted a huge third down play to give Stanford a big first down at the 37 yard line. Stanford took the ball to the 23 yard line. Williamson’s field goal attempt was blocked by Oregon and returned for a touchdown.

Oregon failed to convert the two point play and now trail Stanford 26-13 with 5:08 to play and Oregon has just one time out remaining. Oregon tried another onside kick and this time they recovered but were penalized 15 yards due to a personal foul. The momentum has definitely shifted in favor of Oregon.

Mariota connected with Chance Allen at the one yard line. Oregon had it at third and one but the Cardinal defense forced a fumble by Mariota and they lost eleven yards. Oregon recovered and Mariota threw a touchdown pass to tight end Pharaoh Brown. The extra point was good and Oregon now trailed by just six points 26-20 with 2:12 left in the game. The Ducks tried another onside kick but Stanford recovered the ball this time. Stanford ran out the clock and won the game 26-20. It was the second year in a row that Stanford has beaten the vaunted Oregon Ducks.

Game notes- Stanford rushed the ball 66 times for 274 yards while Oregon managed just 62 yards on 24 carries. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota completed 20 passes on 34 attempts for 250 yards while Stanford’s Kevin Hogan completed just 7 passes on 13 attempts. Stanford was 14 for 21 on third down conversions while Oregon converted just three times on ten attempts. The big story of the game was time of possession. Stanford controlled the ball for 42 minutes and 34 seconds compared to Oregon’s seventeen minutes and 26 seconds. Tyler Gaffney carried the ball 45 times and broke Toby Gearhart’s school record.

Stanford improves to 8-1 overall and 6-1 inCalifornia Trojans.

the Pac-12. Oregon is also 8-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play. Stanford travels to Los Angeles on November 16th to face the University of Southern

Jerry Feitelberg
jyf1938

New York State of Mind: Raiders invade MetLife Sunday

Published on by jhawkes51Leave a comment

By. Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Looking to put behind that 49-20 beat down at the hands of quarterback Nick Foles, and the Philadelphia Eagles at O.co Coliseum last Sunday, the Raiders will visit MetLife Stadium for the first time when they take on the New York Giants Sunday. It’s the second straight week that the Silver and Black will face an NFC East team.

There is no question that Oakland’s (3-5) defense was embarrassed by Foles, who tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes, but they have to put that performance behind them. Rookie cornerback D.J. Hayden is still trying to chase down Eagles wide receiver Riley Cooper.

Even with Giants quarterback Eli Manning struggling this year throwing the ball(2,167 YDs, 10 TDs, and a league-leading 15 INTs), Oakland needs to be real careful because the younger Manning brother has a propensity to have a big when his team needs one.

With running back Darren McFadden hurt once again (boy, has that been the norm for his career in Oakland), expect backup running back Rashad Jennings to get the start Sunday.

Jennings picked up his first 100-yard rushing game since 2010 against the Eagles, racking up 102 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown. The bruising running back also showed his versatility in the passing game, with 74 yards on seven catches.

New York (2-6), are coming off their bye week.

After starting the season 0-6, the Giants have won two straight games and are playing better, especially against the run.

In their last game (coincidently against Philadelphia), the Giants held the Eagles to 48 rushing yards. New York will look to stop Oakland’s ground game, particularly quarterback Terrelle Pryor by having middle linebacker Jon Beason spy on Pryor throughout the game.

The Giants know that Pryor is the key to Oakland’s offense and are going to throw everything (including the kitchen sink) at him. New York is currently ranked 28th in the league defensively, ninth against the run.

After sacking Ben Roethlisberger five times and collecting two interceptions in a 21-18 nail-biter in Oakland two weeks ago, the Raiders sacked Foles only twice, but allowed him to pick apart the defense. Outside of his seven touchdowns, Foles finished 22-of-28 for 406 yards passing and a perfect quarterback rating (158.3).

Oakland must get back to what they do best: get after the quarterback. The Raiders have sacked the opposing quarterback 23 times this year. Manning has been sacked 19 times this year.

Something has to give right? Giants are a 7.5-point favorite Sunday.

Bulls get shutout by Reign

Published on by philliptorres2013Leave a comment

By: Phillip Torres

November 6, 2013

Sports Radio Service

ONTARIO, CALIFORNIA-The San Francisco Bulls (2-5-1-0) were shutout 2-0 to the Ontario Reign (4-0-1-2) on Wednesday night at Citizens Business Bank Arena. The Reign played stellar defense and received outstanding play from goaltender Michael Hutchinson, who blocked every shot that went his way.

The Reign put their first goal on the board with just 3:36 remaining in the opening period. The game was a defensive show as the second period went scoreless and headed into the third and final period at 1-0 Ontario.

At the end of the second period, the Bulls were outshot 16-13 by the Reign.

Dan DaSilva scored the final; goal of the game with just 19 seconds remaining on an empty netter. The Bulls had the opportunity to score with a couple of power plays, but failed to find the net.

Phillip Torres covers the Bulls for Sportsradioservice.com

Stanford vs Oregon preview

Published on by Sports Radio ServiceLeave a comment

by Jerry Feitelberg

Stanford vs Oregon State

Well fans, the biggest game of the year in the Pac-12 is upon us. The Stanford Cardinal football team has a record of 7-1 and will be facing the high-powered offense of the Oregon Ducks who are undefeated with a record of 8-0. The Ducks are ranked second in the nation and will be looking to

get revenge for losing to the Cardinal last year. The Stanford Cardinal went to to Eugene and upset the Ducks 17-14. The Cardinal then played UCLA for the Pac-12 crown and went on to the Rose Bowl

and beat Wisconsin. If the Ducks win Thursday evening, they will be favored to be Pac-12 champs

and perhaps play for the BCS crown this year.

The Cardinal lost tight end Zach Ertz and running back Stepfan Taylor to graduation and the

Cardinal offense , while good, still has to grind out the yardage. The Ducks , on the other hand, move the ball up and down the field and it will take a strong defensive effort by the Cardinal to stop them.

The Cardinal uses a gap plugging 3-4 defense and they are very physical. The defensive line will be bolstered by the return of big Henry Anderson and place kicker Jordan Williamson will be returning after recovering from an injury. The Cardinal has to stop Heisman Trophy candidate, Marcus Mariota in order to win. That will be a tall order but the Cardinal has stopped UCLA’s Brett Hundley and Oregon State’s Sean Mannion.

The game is sold out and game time is at 6pm PT at Stanford Stadium. The gNation will be watching two teams from the Pac-12 ranked in the top ten. Don’t miss it.

Will the Raiders ground game help the offense against Giants?

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment

Raiders Report

by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA– I don’t think you could look at the Raiders and say they’re going to win any particular game I know that the Giants have had a tough season so far they’re only 2-6.The Raiders are just 2-5 this is a long road trip, it’s a cross country game at the Meadowlands for this Sunday it’ll be a tough one.

While New York is not having a good season the Raiders are not in a position to take anyone for granted the Giants might not be the best team in the league but they still have quarterback Eli Manning whose a two time Super Bowl winner. They still have some very good skilled position players most notably Victor Cruz. This is not a team the Raiders can take lightly no matter what their record is.

The Raiders are going to especially feel a little embarrassed by what happened last week by the Eagles at the Oakland Coliseum losing 49-20 you have to feel bad about it. You got to forget about it, you can’t let that carry over to the following week. The Raiders have to take this one as it comes and take their opponents that is in front of them and play those guys.

The Raiders go into this game and try to regroup, they’re perfectly capable of hanging with this Giants team and New York doesn’t have a great offensive line right now. The Raiders on defense have been pretty solid last week not withstanding. So the Raiders can take advantage of the Giants offensive line they could make some headway in this game this coming Sunday.

What got the Giants into trouble all year is Manning was forced into throwing bad passes and giving up interceptions. Last time I looked Manning had ten touchdown passes on the year but 15 interceptions which is just awful especially for a guy of his pedigree. So the Raiders can go into the Meadowlands and make some noise but a win is not guaranteed by any stretch.

The other problem the Raiders have is their offense is sputtering a bit Raider quarterback Terrelle Pryor had that great 93 yard run against the Steelers on October 27th at the Coliseum but the offense is struggling right now they have injuries up and down the offensive line. Running back Darren McFadden is injured, the receiving core has really not come together.

So it’s really Pryor, Running back Rod Streater and occasionally Denarius Moore shows up, that’s about it there’s really been no kind of offense and Rashad Jennings had a decent game last week but that was mostly garbage time. So a running game without McFadden is a question mark as to if Pryor continues to go to the playbook.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for Sportstalk Radio

49ers looking forward to getting receivers back healthy

Published on by lleonardbwLeave a comment
49ers report by David Zizmor
SANTA CLARA–The San Francisco 49ers came off a long tiresome trip from London back on October 27th and then the next week they had a bye and then went to Nashville to play the Titans on November 10th and won that one. The bye week gave them a chance to get readjusted to the time change and not just day light savings time but the nine hour time difference between San Francisco and London.
More importantly the 49ers had a chance to rest and get healthy if you look at this team over the first nine weeks of the season they had a lot of injuries to deal with primarily in the receiving core where the bulk of their injuries occurred and it took a real toll on this team. Anquan Boldin did very little in the first half of the season.
Coming out of the bye week looks like Mario Manningham will return to the 49ers as a healthy wide receiver and just this week Michael Crabtree returned to practice and if he can return by the end of the month or even the beginning of December that’s a real feather in the cap for the 49ers. Nobody was sure if Crabtree would be able to make it back in the regular season.
In the playoffs Crabtree is ahead of schedule to make post season from his Achilles tear and it looks like he might play by next Thanksgiving. You get all these guys back it really starts to round out this squad and they’ve had a lot of injuries on the receiving core with Boldin being the only wideout whose been successful this season. Boldin and Vernon Davis have been the two main components of the passing game.
You could add Manningham and Crabtree to that mix and you will have a potent offense after that. For the last six weeks the 49ers have been relying on a rough and tumble ground games which they’ll continue to do no matter what. Once you get Crabtree and Manningham and Boldin and Davis altogether that’s a much tougher offensive passing team to cover.
That would make that offense that much more dynamic for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick who will have lot more options for the passing game and it gives the 49ers a lot more play calling. They run that pass, they can focus on getting the ball to the receiver, rather than having to focus on new guys. They would have a lot more options and make it difficult for the defense in covering them.
Getting the wins in the last several weeks have been great, the 49ers have a chance now at getting healthy and to get that pass down field advantage hopefully. On the defensive side of the ball you have Glenn Dorsey recovering from an injury, he should be back and healthier. Aldon Smith is coming back from his rehab and he should be able to play this coming week.
The 49ers tangle with the Saints in the Superdome this Sunday.
David Zizmor covers the NFL for Sportstalk Radio

Cal young and deep, seeking another NCAA tournament berth

Published on by moepeaLeave a comment

By Morris Phillips

Under Mike Montgomery, the Cal Bears have performed better than expected more often than not.  And this season–which starts Friday at Haas Pavilion against Coppin State–the Bears could make a fifth NCAA appearance in six seasons with the iconic, 66-year old coach working his closely calculated magic.

But before Cal surprises the experts and makes a run at UCLA, Arizona, Washington and even Stanford—all teams picked to finish above the Bears in the Pac-12—a bunch of new faces have to be transformed into Montgomery-endorsed, floor-ready players.

Five of those faces are members of a heralded freshman class led by Jabari Bird of Richmond, who figure to give the Bears a much-needed infusion of talent and depth.  Three others—Christian Behrens, Garrett Galvin and Kahlil Johnson—have all been in the program for at least a year but haven’t seen any significant time.   And while Montgomery doesn’t necessarily need any of the eight to start, he does need most of them to play roles off the bench.

But if you know Montgomery, none of that will take hold until the chosen players have gained the coach’s implicit trust.

Don’t adhere to defensive principles?  Take a seat.  Don’t know a credible shot from a bad one?  Sit right here.  Making too many mental errors?  Yup, Montgomery’s yelling is directed at you.

“You’re after trying to play the game right, and get out where guys are playing at game speed, tiring faster, adjusting to the tempo, adjusting to the other team, adjusting to the way the game’s called, all the things that have to happen,” Montgomery said after Thursday’s exhibition against Humboldt State.   “And as I say, we have eight guys that haven’t played basketball.  So all of those people have a different learning curve and we have to get them up to snuff as quick as we can.  The freshman group is going to be a pretty good group but there’s going to be growing pains.”

At 6’6” Bird brings eye-popping athleticism and size to the wing spot, but oft-injured Ricky Kreklow appears to be ahead of the freshman at least until Bird can establish efficiency with his offense.  6’3” Jordan Mathews can shoot it, so he appears to be in the rotation, but he better impress Montgomery with an ability to guard Pac-12 quality guards.

Kameron Rooks—at 7’0”—is the Bears’ biggest player, but it appears the Bears will go small for now when one of the starting posts—Richard Solomon and David Kravish—takes a breather.  Sam Singer’s a shooting guard-sized playmaker, but just like Rooks he needs a lot of growth on the defensive end first.

“They really haven’t played in any college games yet,” Solomon said.  “So it’s still that learning curve that we have to get around.  But they’re ready to work, ready to learn, do things and they’re picking up… not as fast but… they’re still picking things up.”

Montgomery’s success lies in his ability to get his teams to pay attention to details and not have mental or physical lapses.  Those that continue to make mistakes sit and heady players get big minutes.  And no nationally-ranked recruit like Bird gets a pass.  Until Montgomery feels a player is a mentally in tune, that player sits.

“I’m trying to say to them that we’ve got to have a standard for how we play the game,” Montgomery said.  “There will be times that we play as hard as we can that we don’t win.   We can’t pick and choose when we want to play hard.”

Justin Cobbs knows what Montgomery demands and he will have the ball in his hands in most critical situations.  The senior guard paced last year’s team in scoring along with NBA draft pick Allen Crabbe.  Cobbs has recovered from a foot injury and is poised to start the season after performing well in the exhibitions and early practices. 

The Bears appear well-stocked at the wings with Kreklow, Mathews, Bird and last year’s starter, Tyrone Wallace.  Where they could be thin is up front with Kravish and Solomon as they only experience players.  Physical interior players might even have an advantage against the two holdovers, neither of whom are wide bodies.

Christian Behrens and Rooks will get time behind the two posts.  Behrens has seen injuries rob him of playing time in his first two years, but this season the junior is healthy and should assume the role of first interior player off the bench.   Singer will back Cobbs, and Kreklow could start now and then become an indispensible reserve once Mathews or Bird get acclimated.