SANTA CLARA–The Niners are no longer undefeated, and with only a one-game advantage on the Seattle Seahawks, they need to get back down to business this weekend with the Arizona Cardinals in town. Arizona’s season is beginning to slip away, thanks to a quick three-game skid that finds them at the bottom of the NFC West.
The 3-6-1 team is better than their record indicates as we saw two weeks ago in Thursday night’s 28-25 Halloween scare. San Francisco can’t afford to take Arizona lightly, a team that they haven’t beaten at home since 2014, Levi’s inaugural season.
This time of year, injuries will always be the key storyline. San Francisco struggled on offense against the Seahawks without George Kittle and Emmanuel Sanders. A slight dip to their third-down conversion seemed to be the difference between a win and a loss, and the 49ers could be without their top two targets again this weekend.
Sanders, who sustained a rib injury in Monday’s loss, has yet to practice this week and appears to be out on Sunday. He’s shown quick chemistry with Garoppolo and owned Arizona in their opening meeting, catching seven balls for 112 yards. The sure-handed receiver will be greatly missed, especially after Monday’s nine-drop debacle.
Meanwhile, Kittle practiced for the first time on Thursday since sustaining his knee injury against the Cardinals. He was limited, but it was a good sign to see him back on the practice field in Santa Clara. His status for Monday is still questionable.
On top of possibly being without their top two targets come Sunday, Matt Breida’s ankle injury will keep him out the next couple of weeks, as he reaggravated it on Monday. The 49ers’ offensive attack could look greatly diminished against the Cardinals, which should scare those that realize it took everyone to win the first time around.
San Francisco finished with 411 total yards in their win against the Cardinals, and if you take out Kittle, Sanders, and Breida, they’re left with 142 yards. Taking away 62% of their total offense is going to be challenging to overcome. They’ll need to find more production out of Tevin Coleman and Deebo Samuel to battle for a win. Samuel is coming off his breakout game, catching eight balls for 112 yards.
On top of the critical skill position injuries, the Niners will go back to being without Joe Staley, who broke a couple of fingers in Monday’s loss. Insert Justin Skule, who’s been a great surprise sliding in for Staley’s absence earlier in the year. The sixth-round rookie did a fabulous job defending Garoppolo’s blindside.
If Kyle Shanahan can game plan once again around all these injuries, San Francisco should be okay. They’ve shown different ways to win all season, and this Sunday could be his biggest test yet. With zero wiggle room atop the NFC West, now is not the time for a monumental slip-up.
photo from sfgate.com: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) passes against Seattle Seahawks defensive tackle Quinton Jefferson (99) during the second half of an NFL football game in Santa Clara, Calif., Monday, Nov. 11, 2019
On the 49ers podcast with Joe:
#1 San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that Joe Staley who returned to action on Monday Night Football after missing six weeks will be out again another two weeks after injuring his finger. Staley had surgery Tuesday.
#2 49ers right tackle Mike McGlinchey said that Staley’s finger ballooned out and Staley had been having issues with the finger before he re-injured it on Monday night.
#3 The 49ers put defensive end Ronald Blair on injured reserve and re-signed pass rusher DaMontre Moore. Moore is joining the team after Blair tore his ACL on Monday night.
#4 Look for defensive linemaen Arik Armstead and Solomon Thomas who played inside they could end up outside and according to head coach Kyle Shanahan they could get a few more snaps.
#5 The 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals at Levis at 1pm on Sunday Joe set this one up.
1. Football: SJSU came up just short at Hawaii 42-40 on Nov. 9th.
2. Football: SJSU’s next game will be at UNLV on Nov. 23rd.
3. Men’s basketball: SJSU opened the season with a 79-71 win over Hofstra on Nov. 6th.
4. Men’s basketball: SJSU dropped home opener to Portland 72-57 on Nov. 10th. Also, do you think SJSU’s game at #21 Arizona on Nov. 14th was a revenue game?
5. Men’s soccer: SJSU couldn’t complete comeback in regular season finale at Seattle University in 3-1 loss on Nov. 9th.
sfgate.com photo: Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones Jr. (11) catches a touchdown pass against Oakland Raiders’ Daryl Worley (20) and Karl Joseph (42) during the first half of an NFL football game in Oakland, Calif., Sunday, Nov. 3, 2019
On the Raiders podcast with J Hawkes:
#1 Joe talk a little about the job that the Raiders pass rusher Benson Mayowa the one head coach Jon Gruden refers to as Benny and the Jets. Mayowa has seven sacks tied for 11th in the NFL.
#2 Mayowa said 2019 has been a grind but he said he’s shown flashes and credits his line mates for the coverage
#3 Defensive end Dion Jordan said he’s glad to be back at his first practice on Wednesday. Jordan is coming off a six game suspension in 2014, suspended all of 2015, didn’t play in 2016, he did play 17 games over the 2017-18 for Seattle, and was suspended for ten games for using Adderall this season.
#4 Asked on Wednesday if head coach Jon Gruden would consider sending someone to Atlanta on Saturday for Colin Kaepernick’s workout Gruden said he didn’t know and that he was focused on the upcoming game with the Cincinnati Bengals.
#5 Joe just because the Bengals are 0-9 you know what they say about any given Sunday could this be a contest or a rout for the Raiders.
The San Jose Sharks won their fifth in a row Saturday, defeating the Anaheim Ducks 5-3 at the Honda Center. Sharks goals came from the usual suspects: Tomas Hertl (2), Evander Kane, Brent Burns and Logan Couture. Martin Jones made 29 saves for the win. Rickard Rakell, Jakob Silfverberg and Max Jones scored for Anaheim, while John Gibson made 30 saves. Tomas Hertl has now scored in five games in a row. Regrettably, he left the game late in the third after a collision.
After the game, Sharks captain Logan Couture talked about Hertl’s contribution to the team: “He’s playing tremendous. You hate to say you get used to it, because he’s playing at such an elite level but the way that he’s been playing these last two years, three years, however long it’s been, he’s been at that level and he’s getting better, so he’s a big piece of this team for sure.”
Asked about the injury, Couture said: “Anything to the knee doesn’t look good but from what I’ve heard, he’s okay.”
Sharks head coach Peter DeBoer said: “I thought in the third we found another level. You know, our entire team, we talked between the second and the third, that we had an opportunity to win this game if we could get some more guys going.”
To that end, they made some line changes after the second period: “I think we needed some type of spark. I thought Hertl’s line was productive, I thought especially in the second period, I thought some of other lines were kind of vanilla. So we moved some things around, we regrouped between the second and third and I thought we came out with a good push.”
Anaheim struck first, just 1:09 into the first period. Rickard Rakell scored his sixth of the season with his team’s first shot of the game. A failed clear by Radim Simek took a bounce and ended up on Rakell’s stick as he was crossing the blue line. He skated in and took a quick shot from the top of the circle, beating Jones on the far side. An assist went to Jakob Silfverberg.
Tomas Hertl tied the game at 6:44 in a 2-on-1 with Barclay Goodrow. The play started when Marc-Edouard Vlasic broke up a 2-on-1, at the same time getting the puck to Timo Meier, who found Hertl breaking into the neutral zone. The puck wound up crossing the line between Gibson’s skate and Hertl’s stick blade, and the official did not see it. It was not until the next stoppage of play that an official review caught it. Assists went to Goodrow and Timo Meier.
A few moments later, Sharks defenseman Dalton Prout and Nicolas Deslauriers fought after a hit on Brenden Dillon. It was Prout’s first game back after being injured in the Sharks’ first game of the season in Las Vegas.
Tied at the end of the first, the teams were also very close in shots on goal (11-10 Sharks) and face-off wins (9-8 Ducks).
The Sharks got into penalty trouble early in the second period. Kevin Labanc was called for hooking at 4:18, followed by Melker Karlsson being called for a face-off violation as that first penalty ended. The Sharks managed decent short-handed attempts in each of those penalties and got lucky on a couple of plays before killing off almost four minutes short-handed.
The Sharks were back on the penalty kill at 12:30 after a tripping call to Brent Burns. 30 seconds in, Jakob Silfverberg pushed a puck under Martin Jones after a great cross-ice pass by Ryan Getzlaf forced the Sharks penalty kill to switch sides in a hurry. Assists went to Adam Henrique and Rickard Rakell.
The Sharks got a their second power play of the night at 13:56 when Max Jones was called for hooking Barclay Goodrow. They had a couple of good chances at the end of the power play, but could not push the puck through the melee in front of the net. No shots were recorded for the power play.
Tomas Hertl tied it again with a hard wrist shot from the faceoff dot at 18:28. Timo Meier had collected the puck from the below the goal line and found Hertl with a quick pass after a long shift on offense. The second assist went to Brent Burns. It was Hertl’s 10th goal of the season.
At the end of the second, the teams were still close in shots (11-10 Ducks) but now Anaheim had a heftier 9-6 lead in face-off wins.
The Sharks had their third power play of the night at 6:42 of the third. It did not start well, allowing two good short-handed rushes by the Ducks. Momentum shifted when Brent Burns gathered up the puck in the defensive zone. After a giving the power play time to set up, he carried the puck end to end and took his shot from the slot. It went off of a defenseman and past Gibson to give the Sharks their first lead of the game. Assists went to Evander Kane and Erik Karlsson.
Soon after, Dalton Prout was called for hooking. In the second minute of the power play, the Sharks had their own short-handed chance. Logan Couture carried the puck into the zone with Evander Kane on the other side of the ice. Couture waited until Kane was in shooting position to make the pass and caught Kane with a pass just above the blue paint. It was Kane’s 12th goal of the season and Couture’s 15th assist.
Anaheim answered with a goal at 15:50. Max Jones took a harmless-looking shot off the rush but it deflected off of Radim Simek’s body, bounced under Martin Jones and into the net. Assists went to Carter Rowney and Sam Steel.
The Ducks pulled their goaltender with just under two minutes left. Nick Ritchie, the sixth Anaheim skater, had a great chance just after taking the ice, but it went off of the post. In the final minute, Gibson was back in the net for a face-off in the Sharks’ zone. Just as he was preparing to leave again, Logan Couture stole the puck skated out on a breakaway. With a couple of quick moves, Couture got Gibson moving and then shot the puck underneath him.
At then end of the game, the teams were still very close in shots (35-32 Sharks) and face-off wins (51% Ducks).
The Sharks next play on Saturday in San Jose against the Detroit Red Wings at 7:30 PM PT.
photo by sfgate.com: The San Jose Sharks Dalton Prout belts the Anaheim Ducks Nicolas Deslauriers in a first period brawl in Anaheim on Thursday night.
By Pearl Allison Lo
ANAHEIM — The San Jose Sharks won their first game versus the Anaheim Ducks this season 5-3 Thursday, as Anaheim played their 1000th home game capping a six-game homestand.
It was the first win out of four if you count the preseason. Both teams came in with four-game streaks in opposite directions, the longest of each at the time in the NHL.
The Sharks’ Tomas Hertl had a pair of goals, making it six in his last five. However, Hertl went into the locker room after he turned and Anaheim’s Sam Steel ran into him before the midpoint of the final frame leading to speculation on his true status.
Logan Couture said he has talked to Hertl: “He’s okay”#SJSharks
It was the fifth straight win for Martin Jones in net as well, and he relayed, “Our mindset’s been ‘defend first’, and that’s when we score more goals.”
With the exception of the Nashville Predators game, the Sharks have had at least four goals in each game during their points streak.
San Jose scored in all situations, even-strength, short-handed and on the power play.
The Ducks got things going early with a failed clearing attempt by Radim Simek as he inadvertently then ended up blocking Jones’ view. Rickard Rakell chose the far side of the net from the right faceoff circle for the 1-0 advantage at 1:09.
The Sharks got a call in their favor when after review, Hertl was credited with a goal at 6:44. Barclay Goodrow took the initial shot which Hertl picked up. Goalie John Gibson saved Hertl’s attempt with his right leg blocker, but Hertl was able to push the puck enough against it until the puck crossed the goal line.
#SJSharks Tomas Hertl extends his goal streak to 5 games, longest of his career. Team record is 6 games, accomplished 4 times (twice each by Owen Nolan and Patrick Marleau). #SJSvsANA
Timo Meier broke his career high streak with assists in now five straight.
At 7:33, Anaheim’s Nicolas Deslauriers and Dalton Prout engaged in a fist battle. Prout had just returned from a conditioning assignment with San Jose’s affiliate, the Barracuda.
There was 26 minutes and 16 seconds of a stalemate until both exchanged goals in the second as well, five minutes and 28 seconds apart.
The Sharks had three straight penalties in the second and the last cost them as Jakob Silfverberg scored 21 seconds after it. Rakell shot from beyond the right faceoff circle with Adam Henrique jabbing at it and Silfverberg finding the ultimate success 13 minutes into the middle frame. Before the goal, the league’s lead penalty kill had shut down 14 straight tries from teams. It was also a rare special teams goal for the Ducks.
Hertl continued with his hot hand to re-tie the game as the right faceoff circle saw more action. The puck glanced off Gibson as it landed in a similar fashion to Rakell’s goal.
In the third, special teams worked in the more dominant team’s favor as both teams got penalties but the Sharks racked up two more goals off those.
San Jose head coach Peter DeBoer echoed, “I thought in the third we found another level, our entire team.”
Ryan Getzlaf and Rakell had short-handed attempts shots stymied by Jones before Burns gave the Sharks their first lead at 8:05 with fancy stickwork down the slot.
Anaheim had three missed shots on the power play preceding Couture’s feed to Evander Kane one minute and five seconds later. Kane had sped up the ice before he tallied as Gibson stretched in the other direction.
The Ducks pulled to within one in a Jones versus Jones battle at 15:50. Max Jones’ puck went off Simek and through Jones’ five-hole.
The Sharks’ captain Logan Couture clinched the game when he won a breakaway attempt at 19:21 when Gibson just got back into the net.
Up Next: San Jose will head back home for two games, starting with the Detroit Red Wings Saturday at 7:30 pm.
Foster Sarell will return to his home state when Stanford takes on Washington State on Saturday in Pullman at 1:30 pm PT.
“It’s the east side of Washington and I’m a west side guy,” said Sarell, who was recruited by the Huskies and hails from Graham, a town of just more than 23,000. “If it was up at UW, I would definitely feel a little more. I know lot of people that go to school there (WSU), so that will be fun playing around people I grew up with my whole life.”
Sarell and Drew Dalman are the lone upperclassmen on a Cardinal offensive line that has been hit hard by injuries. The rest of the starters are true freshmen.
“It’s definitely gotten better as we’ve progressed,” Sarell said of the line’s cohesion. “Just trying to understand each other’s tendencies and how we see things.”
The good news is that the same group will start for the fourth consecutive game. Sarell will line up at right tackle for the seventh straight contest; Jake Hornibrook goes at right guard for the fourth-straight game; Dalman, the only member of the unit to start every game, makes his 10th-straight start; Barrett Miller draws his sixth straight start at left guard; and Walter Rouse goes for the ninth straight week.
“I feel really comfortable having Jake next to me and having Barrett and Walter on the other side,” said Sarell. “It’s not going to be perfect but what we’ve got right now has done a good job.”
Sarell appeared in 14 games as a freshman in 2017, but was limited to three last year due to injury. He has missed one game in 2019 and wants to keep it that way as the Cardinal (4-5, 3-4 Pac-12) looks to right the ship from last Saturday’s final play loss in Colorado against the Cougars (4-5, 1-5 Pac-12).
While David Shaw, the Bradford M. Freeman Director or Football, complimented the play of Dalman and Sarell this season, both continue to refine their crafts and provide daily advice to the freshmen.
“A little bit,” said Sarell. “It’s just naturally going to happen because they’re young and haven’t been through the ringer like Drew and I have. But I actually really enjoy it because I love the young guys that are with us. They’re super-cool, awesome kids and to be able to coach and help them in any way possible only makes me better.”
Sarell said the toughest part was losing Henry Hattis for the season against Washington.
“When Henry went down, because of how close I am with him, my heart ached for him,” Sarell said. “That stuff hurts because you are brothers and you care for them. But in terms of an athletic mindset, it’s always the next man up.”
Sarell had high praise for run game coordinator and offensive line coach Kevin Carberry for his positive attitude and constant adjustments.
“He’s coached so well with what he’s had to deal with,” said Sarell. “There haven’t been many games where the offensive line has played together consecutively. He’s done a great job handling that and coaching us. You can tell he just loves ball and doesn’t care who’s in there. He’s just going to coach them as hard as he can.”
What makes Carberry special?
“He brings the juice and is a high-energy man,” Sarell said. “That’s great to have because sometimes you have those days where you are just mulling around, and he comes out firing. He coaches hard and you can tell he cares for us and loves the game. That makes you want to push yourself and love the game as well.”
INJURY UPDATE
Paulson Adebo and junior tight end Tucker Fisk sustained injuries against Colorado and are out “for a while”, Shaw said. Malik Antoine and K.J. Costello are doubtful; and Curtis Robinson is probable.
Costello took a hard hit against the Buffaloes, but was cleared to return and threw a fourth quarter strike to Simi Fehoko, which resulted in a 79-yard touchdown. Costello, who has missed 3 1/2 games this season, hasn’t practiced this week.
Davis Mills returned to practice last week and could’ve played against Colorado.
“He’s looked really good,” Shaw said Wednesday night.
Additionally, Shaw said Trevor Speights will not play this season but remains hopeful Devery Hamilton will return.
CRAMMING FOR COUGARS
Stuart Head said preparing for the WSU offense can be stressful. The task will be made tougher without Adebo, the Pac-12 leader and tied for fifth in the FBS in passes defended with 14, and Antoine.
“It’s probably the most hectic preparation week in the whole season, for the DBs specifically,” Head said. “We like to invite that challenge for ourselves – they always have the leading passer in the country and a great group of receivers. We know we can affect the game in a positive way if we’re prepared and ready on Saturday.”
The Cougars’ quarterback Anthony Gordon leads the FBS with 3,794 passing yards. His closest pursuer has 3,198 — a difference of 596 yards.
DIFFERENT STYLES
While Cougars head coach Mike Leach is outspoken, quirky and loves putting the ball in the air, Shaw is more even-tempered and believes in a balanced attack. That said, they’re more similar than you think.
“Commonalities-wise, we enjoy the game, we enjoy the chess match on game day,” said Shaw. “My call (play) sheet is 10-times bigger than his. But when you watch them, you don’t see that because he’s the master adjuster. He’ll say he’s got five pass plays in a game, but they look like 25, because he’ll call one and then tag a receiver and do something different. The manipulation on that 3-by-5 card is always different than it seems.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
RALSTON MEMORIAL
A public celebration of former Cardinal head coach John Ralston will be held on Monday, November 18, at 4:30 pm PT at Stanford Memorial Church. Limited parking is available near the Campus Oval, and a shuttle service will run between the Stanford Faculty Club (439 Lagunita Drive) and Memorial Church starting at 4 pm PT.
Ralston revitalized the Stanford football program and guided the team to consecutive Rose Bowl victories in 1971 and 1972. Known for his outgoing personality, relentless work ethic, innovative play calling, organization and positive attitude, he coached at Stanford for nine years from 1963-1971 and compiled a 55-36-3 record. Before his arrival, the team had recorded five straight losing seasons.
In the late 1960’s, Ralston changed Stanford’s offensive philosophy from a power running game to a pro-style passing attack. Recruiting local quarterbacks Jim Plunkett from James Lick High and Don Bunce from Woodside High, Ralston won consecutive Pac-8 titles in 1970 and 1971.
Plunkett engineered the upset of Ohio State (27-17) in 1971 and was named Stanford’s first and only Heisman Trophy winner. The following year, Bunce took the reins and helped Stanford shock Michigan 13-12.
Prior to Stanford’s Rose Bowl triumph in Pasadena in 1971, the program’s last visit was 1952, when it fell to Illinois (40-7). Stanford’s most recent Rose Bowl win was 1941, when it defeated Nebraska (21-13).
“Growing up on the West Coast in a football family, John Ralston was one of those iconic coaches to me,” said Shaw. “His name was synonymous with teaching, positive energy and class.”
Photo credit: gostanford.com
A member of the Stanford Athletics Hall of Fame, Ralston was a linebacker at Cal from 1947-50 and played in the 1949 and 1950 Rose Bowls for legendary head coach Lynn “Pappy” Waldorf. Ralston graduated from Cal in 1951.
Gifts in Ralston’s memory can be made to a new fund established in his name at Stanford University to help support leadership development and education.
NOTES
To bolster the secondary, Shaw said Zahran Manley and Nicolas Toomer could see playing time. Manley has appeared in five games. “They’re great young corners,” said Head. “Whoever we put on the field will be ready.” … Shaw said 25 players have missed significant playing times due to injuries – only two with similar issues. “It’s been one of those crazy years,” Shaw said … Asked what he expects from his team in the final three games, Shaw said, “Effort and execution.” … Saturday’s weather forecast calls for partly cloudy skies and a temperature of 50 degrees … Kickoff for the 122nd Big Game against Cal on November 23 at Stanford Stadium has been set for 1 pm PT.
QUOTE
“We go from triage to gameplan.” — David Shaw
The San Jose State men’s basketball was in the desert to take on the 19-ranked Arizona Wildcats at McKale Center Thursday evening. This was the Spartans and Wildcats first meeting since 1984.
SJSU was welcomed by Arizona, but the warm welcome ended sooner than later. The Spartans’ starting lineup featured Brae Ivey, Seneca Knight, Christian Anigwe, Eduardo Lane and Craig LeCesne. The Spartans won the possession and the tipoff and first half in Tuscon, Ariz. went underway. The Wildcats had an early 5-3 lead at the 15:08 mark during the first media timeout. The Spartans’ Richard Washington knocked down his first 3-pointer to tie the score 8-8 at the 14:09 mark.
— San Jose State Men’s Basketball (@SanJoseStateMBB) November 15, 2019
Arizona led 17-10 at the second media timeout with 9:54 left. However, SJSU’s Ralph Agee made the most of his minutes early with 4 points and 3 boards.
— San Jose State Men’s Basketball (@SanJoseStateMBB) November 15, 2019
Arizona built up their lead, 29-16, at the final media timeout of the first half with 3:01 left. The Wildcats kept going at it, taking a 39-17 lead to the locker room at the halftime break.
Things weren’t any better in the second half for the Spartans. The Wildcats led 40-22 at the first media timeout at the 15:52 mark. Then, SJSU scored the first 7 points of the half as they continued to chip away in 40-24 deficit.
The Spartans went on a 9-0 run, but it came to an end on a 3-ball, but LeCesne converted on the ensuing possession at the 13:18 mark. Yet, SJSU was optimistic as they tweeted that they were still in it, despite a 43-28 deficit.
The Wildcats responded with a run of their own. Soon enough, Arizona was in the driver’s seat with a commanding 61-29 lead with 8:12 left to play. The Wildcats won 87-39.
With the loss, SJSU fell to 1-2, while Arizona improved to 3-0.
The Spartans return home to host the Simpson Red Hawks on Sunday, November 17 at 4 pm PT.
photo from tmz: Seeking work in the NFL Colin Kaepernick will be trying out his handwork this week in his quest for an NFL job.
On Headlines with Tony Renteria:
#1 Washington is one of the NFL teams that will be taking a look at quarterback Colin Kaepernick for his tryouts to get back on an NFL team. It was mentioned that Washington might not be interested in Kaepernick because they have rookie Dwayne Haskins as a team starter.
#2 49ers host the Arizona Cardinals next. It’s just one day less to rest as the 49ers are coming off that tough loss on Monday Night Football to the Seattle Seahawks. After a loss like that, how quick do you see the 49ers regrouping?
#3 The Oakland Raiders just edged out the Los Angeles Chargers on Thursday Night Football last week 26-24. The Raiders’ Derek Carr threw for 218 yards and went 21 for 31 with one touchdown.
#4 The Sacramento Kings are believing in themselves. They have won four of their last five games and are getting great offensive production from Bogdan Boganovic, Buddy Heild, Nemanja Bjelica, and Harrison Barnes.
#5 After former Houston Astros pitcher Mike Fiers said that the Astros were stealing signs during the 2017 season and 2017 World Series, how far down does the Astros’ credibility go down from here?
