Category: NFL

San Francisco 49ers Podcast with Joe Lami: High anticipation as Garoppolo get first start in front of home crowd in Santa Clara

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) stands on the sideline during an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

SANTA CLARA–Jimmy Garoppolo is making his first San Francisco 49ers starting appearance in front of the home crowd at Levis Stadium this Sunday at quarterback. Garoppolo made his 49ers debut in front of the home crowd against the Seattle Seahawks on Sun Nov 26 after starter CJ Beathard got injured and Garoppolo was inserted in the final moments of the game in a final drive and got that touchdown that wowed the crowd.

It’s the last two weeks of the season that the fans are really charged up about with Garoppolo throwing two straight wins on the road in Chicago and in Houston. Now the 49ers can possibly put together three straight if they can get by the Mighty Tidy Tennessee Titans this Sunday. A win would improve their record to 4-10.

Joe Lami is the 49ers beat writer who does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

Surging 49ers hope to keep streak going; host Tennessee in week 15

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Photo credit: @WBLZSports

By Jeremy Harness

Despite the fact they have owned one of the worst records in football this year, the San Francisco 49ers were known to be one of the most upbeat, positive teams in the NFL on a weekly basis–all because of the simple fact that there’s a new regime in place with a fresh outlook on the game.

The 49ers have seemed to have hit a nice stride these days, particular after a 26-16 win on the road against the Houston Texans, giving the team their second win in a row and their third win in four games, after losing their first nine games of the season.

The only thing that could be considered a negative is that they appeared to have blown their chance to get the top pick of next year’s NFL draft.

Looking forward to Sunday, the 49ers face an uphill battle against the 8-5 Tennessee Titans, a team that’s shooting for a playoff spot at this point, something that the 49ers don’t plan to see for another couple of years.

For the 49ers, the two keys remain the same: hope and improvement. Those two are as strong as ever right now. The team’s new quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, has won his first two starts with his new team, and this Sunday marks his first home game as a starting quarterback.

Despite their record, the 49ers have remained competitive in most of their games this year, and under different circumstances, the team could be much closer to .500.

However, the 49ers’ injury report has grown a bit from last week, as tackle Trenton Brown didn’t practice Wednesday due to a shoulder injury, while tight end Garrett Celek (knee) and safety Adrian Colbert (thumb, thigh) were both limited in practice.

Another addition to this list is safety Eric Reid, who has a rib injury and a knee ailment. He has been dealing with both injuries for most of the season. He was limited in practice on Wednesday.

Headline Sports with Tony Renteria: Carr says put it all on me for loss to KC; Sapp says he didn’t sexually harass; Costas is headed to MLB Hall

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Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) talks to referee Carl Cheffers (51) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo. After falling flat in Kansas City to lose control of the AFC West, the Raiders aim to regroup for the final three games knowing their playoff hopes are slim. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel, File)

On the Headline Podcast with Tony Renteria:

1 The Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr last week in Kansas City said “put it all on me” taking the responsibility for the critical loss which some say cost the Raiders a post season opportunity

2 Carr explained he put too much into preparing and then go out and lose saying that he did not play his best

3 The latest on the NFL Network sexual harassment scandal has suspended analyst Warren Sapp denying the claims against him that he urinated on wardrobe stylist Jami Canton’s office floor in front of her saying “this isn’t the bathroom” Sapp has denied all accusations of sexual harassment and is currently on suspension from the NFL Network

4 Bob Costas of NBC Sports is headed to MLB’s Hall of Fame Ford C Frick wing. Costas said that this awards means more to him than any other award that he’s ever received

5 With two wins under his belt 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has the 49ers organization believing in themselves with their next opponent the Tennessee Titans coming to Santa Clara will this be another test or has Garopplo already passed the test

Tony Renteria does Headline Sports each Thursday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

It’s now or never for Raiders as Cowboys come to Oaktown for primetime battle in Week 15

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Photo credit: @RAIDERS

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

OAKLAND — The Oakland Raiders will host the Dallas Cowboys in a primetime game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Sunday night. This will mark the end of Oakland’s home schedule for 2017. Kickoff is set for 5:30 p.m. PST.

The game will be Oakland’s third appearance on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. They’ve played the Washington Redskins in Week 3 and the Miami Dolphins in Week 9.

For those who are interested, the Raiders are 1-1 on Sunday Night Football so far this season.

A loss to the Cowboys would officially eliminate the Raiders (6-7) from any postseason consideration, which was not what Oakland was hoping for coming into this season after making the playoffs for the first time since 2002 last season with a 12-4 record.

In Week 14, the Raiders fell flat on their faces losing to the Kansas City Chiefs, 26-15, at Arrowhead Stadium.

Starting quarterback Derek Carr was mediocre at best, throwing for 211 yards on 24-of-41 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions for a 60.1 quarterback rating. The Raiders offense was stuck in the mud for most of the game as Kansas City’s 30th ranked defense held Oakland scoreless through three quarters, while limiting the Silver and Black to just 268 yards of total offense.

On Oakland’s first five possessions of the game, the Silver and Black punted the football four times and Carr threw one interception. Starting running back Marshawn Lynch led the team in rushing, registering seven carries for 61 yards and one touchdown. Lynch rumbled for a 22-yard touchdown with 8:51 left in the game to break the scoring seal for Oakland, who were already trailing 26-0 at this point.

Shockingly, the Raiders ran the football just 11 times against Kansas City, who are terrible in stopping the run. Teams are averaging 124.8 rushing yards against the Chiefs this season.

Tight end Jared Cook was Oakland’s top receiver, leading the team with 75 yards on five receptions and one touchdown. Wide receiver Michael Crabtree had a team-leading seven receptions for 60 yards.

The Raiders’ defensive unit recorded three sacks for the second straight week, two registered by outside linebacker Bruce Irvin. In Oakland’s past two games, Irvin has recorded an NFL-high five sacks during that span and is second on the team behind defensive end Khalil Mack (8.5) with 7.5 sacks. Mack and middle linebacker NaVorro Bowman each recorded a sack.

Bowman also led the team in total tackles (11) and had one pass defensed, while safety Karl Joseph recorded his first interception of the season–just Oakland’s second interception of the season; Bowman has the other one–off Chiefs’ starting quarterback Alex Smith.

Dallas (7-6) defeated the New York Giants, 30-10, at MetLife Stadium in Week 14. Starting quarterback Dak Prescott threw for a career-high 332 yards on 20-of-30 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions for a 137.1 quarterback rating.

Entering Sunday night’s game at Oakland, Dallas will have their first regular season visit since 2005. Prescott has thrown for 2,752 yards with 21 touchdowns and just nine interceptions for a 91.6 quarterback rating.

The second-year quarterback is on pace for his second-straight 3,000-plus yard passing season.

Wide receiver Dez Bryant is Prescott’s top receiver and could feast on Oakland’s weak secondary this week. Bryant leads Dallas in receptions (61), receiving yards (712) and receiving touchdowns (six). 10-time Pro Bowl tight end Jason Witten remains a red zone threat, ranking second on the team with five receiving touchdowns for 457 yards on 52 receptions.

With stud running back Ezekiel Elliott serving a six-game suspension, the Cowboys are powered by backup running back Alfred Morris. The sixth-year pro has racked up 485 yards on 97 carries and one touchdown.

Defensive end Demarcus Lawrence is the big star of the defense, leads the Cowboys with 13.5 sacks this season. Lawrence has the ability to quickly get to the quarterback and with Oakland’s once stout offensive line giving up more sacks this season with 17 (after surrendering just 16 sacks all of last season), Carr must be on high alert for No. 90 on Sunday.

Defensive tackle David Irving is second on the team with 7.0 sacks this season, while safety Jeff Heath leads the Cowboys with 52 tackles. Eighth-year middle linebacker Sean Lee is second behind Heath with 51 tackles. Heath also leads the team with three interceptions.

Following Sunday’s game, Oakland will travel east for a Christmas Eve against the Eagles in Philadelphia next Sunday. Philadelphia (11-2) has clinched the NFC East Division and are looking to lock down the NFC’s top seed, but will have to do it without franchise quarterback Carson Wentz.

Wentz tore his ACL in Philadelphia’s 43-35 victory against the Rams in Los Angeles in Week 14 while diving into the end zone on a hit from Rams’ linebacker Mark Barron.

San Francisco 49ers Podcast with David Zizmor: Jimmy G getting props from everywhere suggestions that Niners should offer him NFL’s biggest contract

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) smiles after a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Houston Texans, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in Houston. San Francisco won 26-16. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

By David Zizmor

SANTA CLARA–After thoughts that the San Francisco 49ers possibly could go 0-16 and that all changed after the 49ers picked up their first victory when starter CJ Beathard led the Niners out of the desert for a minute on Nov 12th at Levis Stadium but quickly went back into the wilderness of losing after dropping another game to the Seattle Seahawks at Levis on Nov 26th. When Beathard was injured in the closing moments of that game and had to leave to the cheers of 49ers fans. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan called out then back up Jimmy Garoppolo who threw a touchdown in his first series. That brief audition  was enough to get Garoppolo a start the following week in Chicago.

Garoppolo put on a show in Chicago hitting his receivers against a Chicago defense that kept the 49ers from moving into the end zone but enough where Garoppolo could get a couple of scores in and ended up edging the Bears 15-14. Then there was last Sunday in Houston Garoppolo taking charge of the 49ers offense for the second straight week this time throwing 20-33 for 334 yards a touchdown and one pick. There have been calls already for the 49ers to pay Garopplolo the NFL’s biggest contract to date. He just might get the deal too.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

That’s Amaury’s Podcast, News and Commentary: NFL Network’s Sapp, Donavon, and Faulk all suspended for sexual harassment on studio stylist; A’s Coliseum stadium site maybe their only choice but still like downtown

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AP File photo: NFL analyst Marshall Faulk speaks during a pre-game show before an NFL football game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Houston Texans, Thursday, Sept. 14, 2017, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/Frank Victores)

On That’s Amaury’s Podcast:

1 NFL Network has suspended three former NFL players turned analyst, the three analysts were accused of harassing Jami Cantor a wardrobe stylist for the network. NFL Network analyst Warren Sapp came into Cantor’s office and make up studio and urinated in front of her saying that Cantor’s office shouldn’t be a toilet. NFL Network analyst Donavon McNabb had been texting Cantor explicit messages. Marshall Faulk had been asking Cantor about her sex life and had sexually assaulted Cantor.

2 The Oakland A’s are being very tight lipped about what their next move will be for their new stadium site. A majority of the media including myself have written that the A’s need to consider the Oakland Coliseum site because of it’s easy access to BART and lots of space for retail, development, housing, and near the Oakland Airport.

The A’s and team president David Kaval had stated even before exploring the Laney College site seriously that the A’s are not considering the Coliseum location because developers, retailers, contractors, and housing developers do not want to develop in East Oakland because it’s isolated industrial neighborhood location and most of the employees and neighbors are not around at night after ball games. Kaval still wants a site in downtown Oakland hopefully he and the A’s can find a location they want and get a new stadium project going.

Kaval was contacted by Oakland Coliseum Authority Executive Director Scott McKibben who asked him when the dust settles if he could meet with him to discuss the Coliseum site. Kaval told him “the dust has settled there’s nothing to talk about” end of conversation.

Amaury does the News and Commentary Podcast each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

 

49ers Win Second Straight 26-16 For First Time Since 2014; Jimmy G Compiles 334 Yards

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Houston Texans inside linebacker Brian Cushing (56) reaches up to sack San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

By: Joe Lami

San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback, Jimmy Garoppolo, is starting his career with the Niners with a 2-0 record after the team beat the Houston Texans 26-16 on Sunday.

Garopollo is beginning to get the Niners rolling, as they’ve won back-to-back games for the first time November 23, 2014, where the Red and Gold strung off three straight victories.

Garopollo stepped up his play against the Texans, improving on his output that beat the Bears. He finished with 334 yards, one touchdown and one interception for a rating of 92.2 in the victory.

Garopollo’s lone touchdown came at a pivotal time in the third quarter with the game tied at 16, as he found Garrett Celek from six-yards out.

San Francisco’s other touchdown gave them a 10-3 lead in the second quarter as Carlos Hyde hammered it in from the two-yard-line.

Both of San Francisco’s scores were set up by big plays. Before Hyde’s touchdown, Garopollo kept firing it to Kyle Juszczyk, who gained his longest receptions of the season of 29 and 31 yards at the time.

Celek helped set up his own touchdown as he caught a ball for 61 yards, bringing it down to the red zone. He finished the day with 67 yards, but he didn’t lead the team.

Marquise Goodwin is beginning to gain chemistry with Garopollo as the speedy track star was able to catch for 107 yards, leading the way for the Niners.

San Francisco’s ground game was once again split between Hyde and Matt Breida. Hyde carried the ball 14 times for 78 yards, while Breida had 12 carries for 27 yards.

For the second game in a row, San Francisco’s defense was the brightest spot, doing a great getting off the field on third down, holding the Texans to 23% conversion while also recovering one fumble.

The front-seven were able to get to the quarterback position all day, totaling seven QB hits and putting Tom Savage in the concussion protocol after his hands were seen shaking in the second quarter.

Savage wasn’t doing all that well anyway, with six passes for 63 yards. His replacement, T.J. Yates, threw for 175 yards and two touchdowns.

The defense once again showed up to play, and for the second time in a row, their offense matched them to get the win.

The climate is changing in Santa Clara after the Niners have three wins in their last four games. Things are turning around and the Red and Gold Faithful are beginning to notice. It’s not inconceivable for the Niners to get on a roll. They hope to show off the new found confidence to the faithful when they host the Tennessee Titans.

Raiders’ offense a no show in Kansas City

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Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) has works with referee Carl Cheffers (51) and umpire Bill Schuster (129) during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. The Kansas City Chiefs won 26-15. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

By Joe Hawkes-Beamon
SRS Contributor

With the chance to move into sole possession of first-place in the AFC West, the Raiders (6-7) didn’t put up much of a fight against their bitter rival the Kansas City Chiefs (7-6), losing at Arrowhead Stadium 26-15 Sunday afternoon.

The two teams came into the game tied atop of the division with identical 6-6 records, along with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers, who host Washington Sunday, face the Chiefs in Kansas City next Saturday night.

The Raiders’ defense pressured Chiefs’ starting quarterback Alex Smith all day, sacking him four times, two by linebacker Bruce Irvin. Oakland also recorded just their second interception of the season by safety Karl Joseph, but the unit wore down as the Chiefs controlled the clock for 36:30 of the game. Kansas City racked up 408 yards of total offense, 268 of those yards thrown by Smith, who completed 20-of-34 passes on the day.

Chiefs’ starting running back Kareem Hunt rushed for 116 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown.

Oakland’s offensive unit mustered just 268 yards of total offense Sunday.

Kansas City jumped out to a 26-0 lead before Marshawn Lynch’s 22-yard touchdown run put the Raiders on the board with 8:51 to go in the game. Lynch finished the game with 61 yards on seven carries as the Raiders ran the ball just 11 times in the game.

Starting quarterback Derek Carr completed 24-of-41 passes for 211 yards one touchdown and two interceptions with a 60.1 passer rating for the game. Kansas City sacked Carr three times. In Carr’s last game against Kansas City on Oct. 19, he destroyed the Chiefs passing for 417 yards on 29-of-52 passes with three touchdowns and no interceptions and a 101.2 passer rating.

“It sucked,” Carr said via the Raiders’ official website. “It wasn’t good enough. And you put it all on me–don’t you blame one coach, one player.”

Oakland’s loss falls squarely on the offense, not just on Carr.

In the first half, Oakland had five possessions: four punts and one interception and were shutout through three quarters. The Raiders made just four first downs and were out-gained offensively by Kansas City, 362-110 yards through three quarters. The offense looked unfocused and lacked creativity against the NFL’s 30th-ranked defense in the Chiefs.

Tight end Jared Cook led Oakland with 75 yards on five receptions and a 29-yard touchdown catch down the middle of the field from Carr to trim Kansas City’s lead to 26-13 before Carr found wide receiver Michael Crabtree on a quick-slant route for a two-point conversion late in the game.

Crabtree finished with a team-leading seven receptions for 60 yards. To illustrate the Raiders’ struggles on offense Sunday, can be traced to a play in the third quarter.

On second down from his own 5-yard line, Carr launched a pass deep to Crabtree that fell short of the wide receiver. After diving for the football, Crabtree rolled over and remained seated with his shoulders slumped. It was a play that Carr and Crabtree connected on quite a few times last season.

“We had some opportunities we just didn’t connect on,” Carr said. “And that just can’t happen. There’s no easy way to go through this one. This one sucked.”

Wide receiver Amari Cooper, who missed Oakland’s 24-17 win over the New York Giants last Sunday with a left ankle injury, tried to give it a go Sunday, but didn’t look nowhere near healthy. Cooper re-aggravated the injury after being rolled up from behind on a downfield block for running back DeAndre Washington on a running play in the second quarter.

Cooper finished with zero receptions against Kansas City after posting career-highs in receptions in a game (11) and receiving yards (210) and two touchdowns against the Chiefs on Oct. 19.

This loss greatly hurts Oakland’s chances at making the AFC playoffs in back-to-back seasons. The Raiders finished 12-4 in 2016.

“We obviously came in with high hopes,” Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio said after the game via the San Francisco Chronicle. “Everything we wanted to accomplish in our season was in front of us. It was a big day and a big moment. And we did not play well.”

Next Sunday, the Raiders host the visiting Dallas Cowboys at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on NBC’s Sunday Night Football in the team’s final home game of 2017. The Cowboys (7-6) kept their playoff chances in the NFC alive with a dominating win over the New York Giants, 30-10, at MetLife Stadium.

Cowboys’ starting quarterback Dak Prescott overwhelmed the Giants, passing for a career-high 332 yards and three touchdowns and no interceptions on 20-of-30 passing.

Kickoff for the prime-time game is at 5:25 p.m. PT.

Raiders lose to Chiefs 26-15, playoff status takes a hit

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) makes a catch against Oakland Raiders cornerback TJ Carrie (38) during the first half of an NFL football game in Kansas City, Mo., Sunday, Dec. 10, 2017. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

By Jeremy Kahn

With a chance to move into first place in the wild AFC West, the Oakland Raiders laid a big egg against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Kareem Hunt ran for 116 yards, as the Chiefs jumped out to a 26-0 lead on the Raiders on their way to a 26-15 victory over the Raiders at Arrowhead Stadium.

With the victory, the Chiefs moved into first place in the AFC West as they broke their four-game losing streak.

Alex Smith threw for 268 yards and Charcandrick West scored a touchdown as the Chiefs held the Raiders off the scoreboard until nearly midway through the fourth quarter.

Marshawn Lynch finally got the Raiders on the board with 8:51 remaining in the game, as he scored on a 22-yard run through the Chiefs defense.

This was the Chiefs’ 14th win in their last 15 games against opponents from the AFC West, a division that the Raiders and Chiefs shared last season.

Derek Carr threw for 211 yards on 24-for-41 passing with a touchdown and two interceptions. In their last meeting, Carr threw for 417 yards and three touchdowns, including a touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree on the final play of the game.

Harrison Butker helped out huge with his right foot for the Chiefs, as he kicked four field goals on the brisk Kansas City afternoon.

After the Raiders finally got on the board with the Lynch touchdown, they successfully recovered the onside kick and converted it into points.

Carr found Jared Cook on fourth down for a huge touchdown, and the Raiders completed the two-point conversion to get within 11 points.

Smith found Albert Wilson for a huge first down on third down. However, the Chiefs were unable to run out the clock.

Carr and the Raiders got the ball with 2:45 remaining in the game, and he was pushing his team to drive down the field. However, the comeback came to crashing halt, when Steven Terrell intercepted Carr’s pass to essentially end the game.

NOTES: Amari Cooper was able to play after sitting out the week, as he recovered from a concussion and a sprained left ankle. Cooper was forced to leave the game in the second quarter with a right leg injury.

The Raiders return home for their final home game of the season against the Dallas Cowboys on December 17.

San Francisco 49ers Podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers rally around Garoppolo shows lots of confidence going into week 12

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San Francisco 49ers Jimmy Garoppolo (10) drops back for a pass during an NFL football game against the Chicago Bears Sunday, December 3, 2017, in Chicago, IL (Terrell Lloyd via AP Images)

San Francisco Podcast with Joe Lami:

1 Jimmy Garoppolo San Francisco 49ers quarterback showed what he was made of last Sunday at Chicago’s Soldier Field without even throwing a touchdown and he was able to drive the offense down field to get former Chicago Bear now 49er Robbie Gould to kick the winning field goal

2 This team’s has been building on positive vibes since Garoppolo was able to throw a touchdown pass after coming into the final moments of their loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Nov 26th

3 Although it was a close game 15-14 in Chicago last Sunday what didn’t show up on the score was the confidence the offense had for Garoppolo

4 The defense has to get some credit too holding the Bears to just two touchdowns to get by with that win

5 The 49ers match up with Houston Texans this Sunday Joe tells us who he likes in this one

Joe Lami does the 49ers podcast each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com