Tag: Aldon Smith

Aldon Smith out for at least one game; 49ers seek damage control

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ALDON1

That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary

ANAHEIM–Things seem to get tougher for the San Francisco 49ers after losing their second straight game last Sunday to the Indianapolis Colts 27-7 and after losing the proceeding week to the Seattle Seahawks now to make matters worse the NFC Champions are losing their star linebacker Aldon Smith due to driving under the influence of marijuana possession. 49ers CEO Jed York announced that Smith would miss at least one game this Thursday in St.Louis against the Rams.

York said that Smith who is in rehab for substance abuse in accordance with the NFL’s policy on abuse program is for this Thursday’s game and could miss more games. Smith released a statement Tuesday from the 49ers offices in Santa Clara, “first off I want to apologize to the team, the organization, my family, and everybody I let down, I also wanted it to be known that this is a problem and it’s something that I will get fixed, and I’ll do everything in my power to make sure that this never happens again. I also wanted to let everybody know I’m sorry.” said Smith

Smith a starter at linebacker had five tackles in the game versus the Colts last Sunday at Candlestick Park was arrested two days before Sunday’s game last Friday when his truck hit a tree. In spite of the arrest the 49ers allowed Smith to play and Smith after the game had to address concerns to his teammates and to the media. York feels everything will work out in the long run for Smith, “our opinion is if your sitting someone down and paying them to sit down when they’re going to seek treatment in the future we didn’t feel like that was the appropriate punishment. We’re not trying to circumvent what the NFL will do. This is about making sure that Aldon has the opportunity to work on something to get better, and he knows he has our support and hopefully he has everybody’s support in something that is going to be very difficult. I think Aldon is going to take steps on his own I’m not worried about that” said York.

Playoff bound A’s have everything going right: A’s General Manager Billy Beane believes in this new thing this Cybermetrics, he goes by on base percentage, he goes by what a guy can do and the A’s have very good scouting people never give credit to the A’s they get no respect from the east coast but they get terrific scouting. Here’s Jed Lowrie last year he was hurt all time they saw that he could be a good player, guess what he’s having a great season.

Lowrie’s got around 40 doubles, for A’s Eric Sogard it’s been Eric who? in places like in New York, Sogard is terrific at second base and Brandon Moss is leading the team in home runs and Yoenis Cespedes from Cuba in his second year with Oakland has been hurt still got about 25-26 bombs, so you have a team here that it’s almost written that they’re going to win, and they can win the ALCS too.

What impressed me the most about the A’s was the young pitchers like the Dan Strailys, Sonny Grays, Tommy Milones, A.J. Griffins, Jarrod Parkers, this is a very young pitching staff these guys are 23 and 24 and 25 the only guy whose over that age is Bartolo Colon whose 40 and by the way in a couple of days on Wednesday Colon here in Anaheim is going to try and beat his old team the Angels with his 18th game of the year and not to forget in 2005 Colon won the Cy Young Award for the Los Angeles Angels and Colon is a candidate for a Cy Young Award.

These A’s are really a big story and yes the Giants were on top and they had taken the air out of the room the last three years with two World Series. Everybody expected them to make the playoffs this October at least and there were doubts about making another World Series. In the A’s case I really have no prediction and this team could go all the way. They can blow up or go all the way in this series against Detroit. The A’s have a lot of confidence this year that is the difference.

Fans now just joining A’s playoff movement: There is a new corp of A’s fan that has joined the A’s playoff movement as it’s “move over season long die hard fans” time. You know the old saying “everyone loves a winner” and it’s true in the Bay Area you have the factor that the band wagon truck is getting filled with fans. A couple of months ago that my neighbor Bill whose a good guy who I saw with an A’s hat a brand new A’s hat and I asked him “what are doing with that?” and he used to wear a Giants hat now the Giants are terrible and the A’s are exciting but nobody knows their names but their playing like a unit and that’s what happens the Bay Area has a lot of those fans.

The Bay Area is not Boston or it’s not New York and when the Mets are in the World Series you won’t find Yankee fans there. In Northern California you have that mentality and a lot of people now are flocking and going to the A’s and their going to sell out all these post season games and their going to sell out and their going to open the upper deck and I’ll tell you what the Coliseum is not a pretty park like AT&T but people go there to see baseball there’s no garlic fries, there’s no coke bottle, there’s no baseball theme playground, this is just baseball folks.

It’s Ironic that the A’s don’t market this team yet their going to draw pretty well this year but not as good as they should but closer to two million fans. By the way the Angels are going to draw over three million and the Angels and the Yankees are the only teams in Major League Baseball in the last 11 years that have drawn three million or more every year. So congratulations to the A’s what else can you say.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the Spanish radio voice for Oakland Athletics baseball and does News and Commentary each week for Sportstalk radio

49ers’ list of problems grow in loss to the Colts

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iBy Morris Phillips

Unlike their trip to Seattle, getting pushed around for four quarters was just one of the 49ers’ problems on Sunday.

Losing troubled, defensive standout Aldon Smith indefinitely, scoring just 10 points in their last eight quarters, and the growing distance between the team and a return trip to the Super Bowl would be other major issues the reigning NFC Champs didn’t see themselves dealing with following a 27-7 loss to the Colts, and the first ever back-to-back losses under Coach Jim Harbaugh.

But deal with them they must with another critical football game coming up Thursday night in St. Louis.

“Haven’t been getting those drives, making those big plays. Too many three-and-outs,” Frank Gore said of the 49ers. “We aren’t getting those types of rhythms.”

“There wasn’t enough opportunity to make plays,” Harbaugh said. “It was a combination of that. Not having, the players not having the opportunity to make them and not making them.”

In fact, encouraging signs following the thrashing at Candlestick may total just one: Gore looked like his old self, gaining 82 yards on 11 carries. Given that, the 49ers managed just six first downs via the run, and quarterback Colin Kaepernick looked anything but poised, completing less than half of his 27 pass attempts and getting sacked three times.

If the evaluation of a Super Bowl team starts with a roll call of its super players, then the 49ers are going to have to get their bull horn fixed: Vernon Davis has an injured hamstring and didn’t play, Patrick Willis looked ordinary coming in and left in the third quarter with a groin injury, Gore was present, but not a difference maker, Justin Smith needed help, Kaepernick couldn’t make plays downfield, and Aldon Smith could miss at least a month to deal with substance abuse issues.

Worse yet, coming in all the performance-inhibiting issues seemed to be saddling the Colts. The AFC South champs were without six starters, hadn’t protected franchise quarterback Andrew Luck in either of the first two games, and were attempting to break in newly acquired running back Trent Richardson on the fly.

But after the 49ers’ defense committed penalties on the first two plays of the afternoon, Indianapolis marched right down the field and Richardson found himself in the end zone on his first carry as a Colt less than four minutes in.

By the fourth quarter, the 49ers’ defense caved in, allowing two Indianapolis touchdowns in a game that was still winnable with the team trailing just 13-7. Ahmad Bradshaw—the guy the Colts thought they had to replace with Richardson—tore up the 49ers with 95 yards rushing on 19 carries, even better than his performance against the supposedly staunch San Francisco run defense in the NFC Championship game two seasons ago.

Maybe most telling, the 49ers have won just five of their last nine games—after winning 23 of 32 under Harbaugh—and don’t look nearly as imposing as they did in Week 1 against Green Bay or as dominant as they did last year near mid-season. The seven turnovers surrendered over the last two weeks have been an issue, but maybe not as a big an issue as the team’s mediocre play.

Think things don’t change overnight in the NFL? Think again: the Redskins and Steelers are 0-3, Giants, Falcons and Packers are 1-2 and the Dolphins are undefeated at 3-0. If you’re the 49ers, change is bad and not making plays is worse.

The ball is still in the 49ers court, but they’ll need to find answers before challenging the Rams on Thursday in St. Louis.

49ers look to rebound against Colts after sobering loss

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By Gabe Schapiro

Last week the San Francisco 49ers (1-1) were hit with a reality check in the form of the vaunted Seattle Seahawks squad. This Sunday they will look to regain their composure when they face off with the Indianapolis Colts (1-1) at 1:25 PM, back home at Candlestick Park. The Colts are a considerably easier task, but they are a young and improving bunch that can’t be underestimated either.

In what was expected to be an intense dog fight between two division rivals, last weeks matchup was ultimately dominated by the Seahawks, who sent the 49ers packing with a decisive 29-3 victory. The game remained close up until the third quarter where Seattle began to pull away, and the fourth quarter where they hammered the win home. Against what may be the best defensive unit in the league, the San Francisco offense couldn’t get anything going. In uncharacteristic fashion the 49ers turned the ball over five times, with Colin Kaepernick being responsible for four of them (three interceptions, one fumble). The bright sides were few and far between, but Kaepernick did manage to make a few good runs after last week primarily relying on his arm, rookie safety Eric Reid hauled in his second interception in two games, and overall the defense held up better than the 29 points allowed would indicate.

While it may be hard to remember after an ugly outing like that one, the 49ers remain one of the most talented teams in the league. The Seahawks may present problems in the future, but for now they need to set their sights squarely on the incoming Colts.

Indianapolis is coming off of a close loss to the Miami Dolphins, 24-20. They are led by sophomore quarterback and former first overall pick Andrew Luck. He is young but in many ways plays with wisdom beyond his years. His primary weapons are Reggie Wayne, T.Y. Hilton, Colby Fleener, and running back Ahmad Bradshaw. Through two games their offense is right in the middle of the pack, tied for 15th in the NFL in yards. On the defensive side of the ball they have struggled a bit, ranking 23rd.

While the Colts present an easier task, unfortunately San Francisco will be heading into the matchup having to deal with a few of fresh injuries.

In last weeks loss the previously mentioned Reid suffered a concussion in the second quarter. It is not initially believed to be serious, but with concussions it is hard to know for sure. He will need to pass the NFL’s concussion protocol before being allowed to practice and play again. Should he have to miss any games, Craig Dahl will replace him in the starting lineup.

Star tight end Vernon Davis suffered what is currently being called a hamstring strain, but he is still undergoing further testing to assess the severity of the injury. It is not yet known if he will be able to play this weekend, but if he can’t rookie second round pick Vance McDonald will likely be asked to take on a larger roll in the offense.

More seriously, starting nose tackle Ian Williams suffered a broken ankle in the first quarter, and has been placed on injured reserve, ending his season. Glenn Dorsey, signed this past offseason from the Kansas City Chiefs, will be starting, and played well last week in relief of Williams.

All three potential losses to the lineup are concerning, but thankfully the 49ers have better depth than most, and should be able to adjust accordingly.

This week look for San Francisco to try and re-establish their offense early and often. After an electrifying opener from the likes of Kaepernick and Anquan Boldin, both were almost entirely held in check by the Seahawks. In addition, Frank Gore has yet to really get it going this year, but he will now be facing a Colts defense who has allowed the fourth most rushing yards during this young season.

Game Notes: The 49ers have signed FB Owen Marecic, formerly of the Cleveland Browns….Aldon Smith has 3.5 sacks through two games, leading the team…Eric Reid has both of the teams interceptions.

 

49ers vs Packers, week 1 preview

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By Gabe Schapiro

As the now famous song goes, are you ready for some football? The games that count are finally upon us. Football fans everywhere officially have plans for at least the next 17 Sundays, Mondays, and the occasional Thursday. For the San Francisco 49ers (0-0), the hopeful journey back to another Super Bowl run begins this Sunday at 1:25 PM at Candlestick Park, where they will be taking on the Green Bay Packers (0-0). The matchup is a rematch of last year’s divisional playoff round, where, in a game featuring almost nothing but offense, the 49ers eliminated the Packers on the back of a record-breaking 181 rushing yard performance from QB Colin Kaepernick.

Green Bay, the reigning NFC North Champions, went 11-5 last season, but lost some veteran leadership this offseason. Most notably, WR Greg Jennings and S Charles Woodson were lost to free agency, and WR Donald Driver retired. They still feature a high-powered offense, however, led by the newly anointed highest paid player in the NFL, QB Aaron Rodgers. His receiving corps of Jordy Nelson, James Jones, and Randall Cobb remains strong, TE Jermichael Finley is a coverage headache, and new second round draft pick Eddie Lacy from Alabama should give the team a better running threat then they’ve had in years. On the defensive side of the ball they aren’t elite but they have talent, headlined by OLB Clay Matthews, DE B.J. Raji, and their first round pick from this years draft, DE Datone Jones out of UCLA.

They present a very tough opening week for San Francisco, but it’s one that they matched up well against last season. The 49ers have their stout defense returning, one that allowed just two touchdowns in four preseason games. The Packers weak link on offense is their offensive line, one that the likes of Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Justin Smith and company hope to take advantage of to give Rodgers some trouble. The San Francisco offensive attack, especially with Kaepernick leading the read-option, was one that Green Bay simply had no answers for. They’ve had an offseason to learn and adjust, but whether they will be able to slow down the dual-threat that Kaepernick brings to the table remains to be seen.

Beyond Kaepernick, the 49ers final 53-man roster consists of several weapons that the Green Bay defense will have to account for. At receiver, hoping to pick up the slack for the injured Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham, they have the new additions of Anquan Boldin through free agency and their fourth round pick Quinton Patton. Boldin is a battle-tested veteran who already appears to have an established chemistry with Kaepernick. Patton, who due to a finger injury only played in two preseason games, has already shown flashes of his explosiveness and potential. Of course, the immensely talented Vernon Davis is back at tight end, as well as the workhorse Frank Gore in the backfield. Davis had a down year last season, but flourished in the playoffs, and Gore has been the definition of consistency through his career.

These two historic franchises both appear to have the pieces in place to be strong contenders again this season. One way or another, it should prove to be an awfully entertaining game as this rivalry intensifies.

Game Notes: This week the Packers added two recently cut 49er quarterbacks, Scott Tolzien and Seneca Wallace…The 49ers traded LB Cam Johnson to the Colts for a future seventh round draft choice, and signed WR Chris Harper, a fourth round pick this year, from the Seahawks practice squad.