Tag: NFL

Did Trump play a role to keep Kaepernick out?

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick talks during a news conference after an NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016, in Los Angeles. The San Francisco 49ers won 22-21. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

By: Ana Kieu

Did the NFL collude to keep Colin Kaepernick out? The obvious answer is that he’s a distraction, but the hardest question is how all of this happened.

Before the San Francisco 49ers hosted the Green Bay Packers in a preseason game last August, Kaepernick refrained from standing up during the national anthem, choosing to kneel on the sideline. His refusal to stand stirred the pot and bothered a lot of people including veterans. However, there are some gray lines when it comes to the idea of not standing because it can signal a lack of allegiance to the nation he currently resides in.

Kneeling wasn’t the only thing Kaepernick has done that generated controversy. He also spoke out about the reasoning behind his protest. A number of African-American athletes have spoken out about the higher rates of police violence in black communities, including Kaepernick. He said that he protested the crimes against people of color in the United States.

Kaepernick doesn’t want to show pride in the American flag because the country oppresses people of color. To him, the protest is more important than the sport of football. He dislikes how there are dead bodies laying in the streets and officers are getting paid leave instead of receiving prison time. He could care less if he receives approval, he just wants to stand up for what’s right.

The 49ers mentioned that the national anthem will always be a special part of the pregame ceremony. It’s an opportunity for people to honor their country and reflect on the great liberties they have as citizens. They respect traditional American principles as freedom of religion and freedom of expression. That being said, they already said that Kaepernick could make his own choices so his actions are technically not illegal.

As Kaepernick waits for a job opportunity, he’s continuing to do charity work. Shortly after he began his protests, he announced that he would donate $1 million of his salary to help organizations that assist troubled communities. He has a section on his website, Kaepernick7.com, dedicated to the donations he has made so far. He has also donated shirts, hats, shoes and books to men’s shelters and orphanages such as the Know Your Rights Camp.

Here’s the question: Why is Kaepernick still unemployed?

Kaepernick’s inability to get signed during the 2017 NFL free agency has surprised even his own teammates. He has been a free agent since March 3. That’s not good news considering the fact he can play at a professional level. He led the 49ers to Super Bowl XLVIII against the Baltimore Ravens in the 2012 NFL season.

Kaepernick has 72 touchdowns and a 59.8 pass completion percentage along with 12,271 yards gained in 69 career games. He has seven touchdowns and a 58 pass completion percentage along with 1,374 yards gained in six postseason games. These numbers aren’t too shabby. Yet, he remains out of the league while several quarterbacks have found new jobs such as Brian Hoyer, Case Keenum, Geno Smith, Josh McCown, Mark Sanchez, Matt McGloin and Nick Foles.

President Donald Trump criticized Kaepernick last August. He described his refusal to stand for the national anthem as a terrible thing. He also suggested that Kaepernick should find a country that works better for him. Despite the negativity, Kaepernick has continued his protests, which might’ve affected his job search.

Perhaps the government has played a role in telling Roger Goodell and the NFL what to do about Kaepernick. This isn’t the typical case of unemployment. The 29-year-old has made millions in his career. Goodell said that NFL teams just make decisions based on the level of talent a player might have. He respected Trump’s comment because everyone’s going to make comments. There’s nothing he can do about Trump’s comments.

Kaepernick’s not only a distraction, but his play has been questionable in recent years. So he’ll just have to play the waiting game before he receives another contract.

Summary of 49ers’ moves in 2017 NFL Draft

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From left to right, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch poses for photos with draft picks Reuben Foster, Solomon Thomas and head coach Kyle Shanahan at a news conference in Santa Clara, Calif., Friday, April 28, 2017. (AP Photo/Jeff Chiu)

By: Ana Kieu

The San Francisco 49ers obviously made a lot of moves during free agency, but here’s the lowdown on what the team did when they were on the clock in the 2017 NFL Draft in the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This was the first time the draft was held in Philadelphia since 1961.

The four-day long event was the 82nd meeting in which all of the NFL teams selected brand-new players. The entire draft was held in an outdoor theater on the Rocky Steps for the first time in league history.

April 27, 2017
On the first day of the draft, the 49ers selected Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas in the first round with the third overall pick. Thomas stands at 6-foot-2 and weighs 273 lbs.

With this pick, the 49ers chose defensive linemen with their first overall picks for the third consecutive draft. In 2016, they picked DeForest Buckner in the first round with the seventh overall pick. In 2015, they picked Arik Armstead in the first round with the 17th overall pick.

The 49ers took Thomas over LSU running back Leonard Fournette, LSU safety Jamal Adams and Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen.

Thomas was born in Chicago, Illinois. He spent five years in Australia as a child, but ended up returning to the United States. He attended Coppell High School in Coppell, Texas. He finished his high school career with 78 tackles and 12.5 sacks. He was ranked as a four-star recruit.

Thomas committed to Stanford University in 2014. He redshirted in his freshman year. He played in all 14 games in his sophomore year. He started all 13 games in his junior year. He was named to the First Team All-Pac 12 and won the Morris Trophy that year. He finished his college career with a team-leading 62 tackles, 15 for loss and eight quarterback sacks.

The 49ers made a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, upgrading their defense by selecting inside linebacker Reuben Foster in the first round with the 31st overall pick. Foster is six-foot-tall, weighs 229 lbs and has an arm length of 32 3/8 along with a hand size of 10 1/4. He lost 20 lbs last year. He played college football at Alabama as an inside linebacker.

Foster is definitely a star. He was considered the No. 1 inside linebacker of his class. He won the Butkus Award at the end of the 2016 season. ESPN regarded him as a four-star recruit. He finished his college career with 115 tackles, 13 for losses, and five sacks.

Foster attended Troup County High School in LaGrange, Georgia. He played in the 2013 Under Armour All-America Game, earning Defensive MVP Honors with six tackles and 2.5 for loss.

April 28, 2017
On the second day of the draft, the 49ers added a new piece to their secondary, selecting Colorado cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon in the third round with the 66th overall pick.

Witherspoon played at Sacramento City College in 2013 before transferring to the University of Colorado Boulder. He played at Colorado from 2014 to 2016. He finished his college career with 71 tackles and three interceptions. He also earned second-team All-Pac-12 honors.

Witherspoon attended Christian Brothers High School in Sacramento, California. He played just one season of high school football.

The 49ers had the next pick, but they traded their 67th overall pick to the New Orleans Saints for a second-round pick and seventh-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft. The Saints used that pick to take Tennessee running back Alvin Kamara.

There was a plot twist that turned a peaceful night into an indecisive frenzy.

The 49ers traded back into the end of the third round, moving up to the 104th overall pick to select a new quarterback. They sent the 109th and 219th overall picks to the Minnesota Vikings.

The 49ers selected Iowa quarterback C.J. Beathard in the third round with that pick. He stands at six-foot-two and weighs 219 lbs. He’s the grandson of legendary NFL personnel man Bobby Beathard.

C.J. finished his college career with 17 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He completed 58.6 percent of his passes last season.

April 29, 2017
On the third day of the draft, the 49ers selected Denver Broncos running back Kapri Bibbs in the fourth round with the 121st overall pick. They also took Denver’s fifth-round selection with the 177th overall pick in exchange for the 49ers’ fourth-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Bibbs carried 29 times for 129 yards last season. He caught two passes for 75 yards, including a 69-yard touchdown catch-and-run against the Oakland Raiders. He wasn’t selected in the 2014 NFL Draft.

Bibbs contributes to the 49ers’ depth as he joins running backs Carlos Hyde, Tim Hightower, DuJuan Harris, Mike Davis and Raheem Mostert.

The 49ers traded up to the 121st overall pick with the Indianapolis Colts to draft Utah running back Joe Williams. They gave them the 143rd overall pick in the fourth round and 161st overall pick in the fifth round.

The 49ers selected Iowa tight end George Kittle to compliment Beathard.

Kittle played at Iowa from 2013 to 2016. He finished his college career with 48 receptions for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Kittle attended Iowa City West High School in Iowa City, Iowa, Cedar Falls High School in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Norman High School in Norman, Oklahoma. His father, Bruce, is a former college football coach who also played at Iowa.

The 49ers selected Louisiana Tech wide receiver Trent Taylor in the fifth round with the 177th overall pick. Taylor finished his college career with an NCAA-best 1,803 yards, 12 touchdowns and 136 passes, averaging 10.5 yards on 17 punt returns in his senior year. He ranked fifth in career receptions with 327. He ranked second in college football in receptions.

Taylor attended Evangel Christian Academy in Shreveport, Louisiana. He finished his high school career with 107 receptions for 1,650 yards.

The 49ers selected Ole Miss defensive tackle D.J. Jones in the sixth round with the 198th overall pick. Jones started all 12 games in his senior year, finishing with 30 tackles, three tackles for losses and two sacks.

Jones spent his final two seasons at Mississippi after he was listed as a top-five junior college prospect at East Mississippi Junior College. He recorded 40 tackles and four sacks in his first season after transferring to the SEC school.

The 49ers selected Utah pass rusher Pita Taumoepenu in the sixth round with the 202nd overall pick. Taumoepenu recorded nine sacks last season. He was an honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection. He tied for third place in the Pac-12 with three forced fumbles and tied for fourth in the conference in sacks.

Taumoepenu was born in Euless, Texas on March 9, 1994. He moved to Tonga with his family when he was three years old. He learned how to play rugby. He eventually went to Provo, Utah to become an all-state pick with 25 sacks in his senior year. The NCAA had some issues with the splitting of his high school career between two countries, but he ended up playing in seven games as a freshman.

The 49ers used their final pick of the draft to select Miami defensive back Adrian Colbert in the seventh round with the 229th overall pick. Colbert played his first three seasons at Texas before transferring to Miami. He finished his college career with 48 tackles, two interceptions and four passes defended.

Notes
The 49ers selected 10 players during the 2017 NFL Draft. They have up to seven players to add to the 90-man roster as undrafted rookies.

Aaron Hernandez saga may just be getting started

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In this still image from video, Aaron Hernandez, right, listens beside defense attorney Ronald Sullivan, Friday, April 14, 2017, in court in Boston, as he is pronounced not guilty of murder in the 2012 shootings of two men in a drive-by shooting in Boston. (WHDH-TV via AP, Pool)

By: Ana Kieu

It’s obvious that former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez was a criminal who has done a lot of bad things, but the saga surrounding his death may just be getting started. Hernandez was a rather strange man — very talented, yet very secretive and reserved. He was a man of mystery.

Aaron’s two murder trials clearly affected him, but they also affected his family. They haven’t openly commented since his debatable death. They just put up a sign on the door of their Connecticut home that said “no comment.”

Aaron’s older brother D.J. served as a graduate assistant for the Iowa Hawkeyes’ football team. He tried to land a full-time position, but was unable to do so. He was also willing to coach at the Division II level. Many teams were hesistant to hire him because they wanted to avoid the negative publicity. Aaron’s murder trials affected everything from job opportunities to finding dates. Today, D.J. wants a fresh start and now goes by his middle name Jonathan. He currently runs a roofing business named High Rise Roofing in Wylie, Texas.

Aaron’s father Dennis Hernandez passed away on January 6, 2006 after suffering complications from a routine hernia surgery. He was a custodian at Bristol Eastern High School in Bristol, Connecticut. He enjoyed watching both of his sons play sports. He also enjoyed spending time with his family and friends. Aaron may have been affected by the sudden death of his father. After all, he was only 16 years old at the time.

Following Dennis’ death, Aaron’s mother Terri Valentine-Hernandez married Jeffrey Cummings, who had a criminal record that included drug charges and domestic violence. He attacked Terri with a knife after a night of drinking. He made cuts on her cheek, shoulder and wrist. He went back to prison. Shortly after the violent incident, Terri filed for divorce.

Terri also dealt with problems of her own. She was arrested for getting involved in a gambling ring when she was simply trying to provide for her family. As a result, no charges were filed against her.

Aaron committed suicide by hanging himself with a bed sheet in his cell at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Lancaster, Massachussetts. Kyle Kennedy was Aaron’s alleged prison boyfriend. This controversial statement was released just days after Aaron’s death.

The war of words got quite heated between the two lawyers. Kennedy’s lawyer Lawrence F. Army Jr., said that Aaron knew the 22-year-old man before either of them went to prison. Army also said that Aaron wrote a note that said “I think I’m going to hang it up, lol.” three weeks before hanging himself.

Meanwhile, Aaron’s lawyer Jose Baez said that he never wrote a suicide note to a prison boyfriend. Baez slammed the rumors, claiming that they were just malicious leaks used to tarnish a dead person. He only confirmed the two letters that Aaron wrote to his fiancee Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez and their four-year-old daughter Avielle.

Aaron’s funeral was held on Monday. The following day, his lawyers asked the court to dismiss the murder conviction. Under the law of Massachussetts, his conviction could be vacated because he died before his appeal was heard. He might’ve killed former Boston Bandits linebacker Odin Lloyd to conceal his bisexuality. As bad as it sounds, it’s understandable if he was bisexual and wanted to hide it from the NFL. It’s arguably the most homophobic sports league among the players, coaches and fans.

Kennedy broke his silence Thursday. He said that he missed his friend Aaron and would like to send his condolences to his mother, fiancee and daughter.

Court records also broke the details on Aaron’s home Thursday. His home in North Attleboro, Massachussetts, is worthless. However, there was an offer made by an undisclosed buyer that was worth $1.3 million. The home includes a pool, a sauna and a movie theater.

Jenkins-Hernandez and Avielle currently live in a condo in North Providence, Rhode Island. It seems like she chose Hernandez over her sister, who dated Lloyd before the time of his death. She’s an unmarried widow now, which is a horrible thing. Her daughter will probably get bullied when she goes to school.

There seems to be no end in sight when it comes to the Hernandez saga.

As of right now, best-selling author James Patterson is currently working on a “true crime story” about Hernandez. Patterson is best known for the Alex Cross series of novels. His upcoming book will be in stores in early 2018.

Family holds funeral for Aaron Hernandez, many questions remain unanswered

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Defendant Aaron Hernandez listens during his double murder trial in Suffolk Superior Court, Wednesday, March 29, 2017, in Boston. Hernandez is on trial for the July 2012 killings of Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado who he encountered in a Boston nightclub. The former New England Patriots NFL football player is already serving a life sentence in the 2013 killing of semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, Pool)

By: Ana Kieu

Aaron Hernandez was a former New England Patriots tight end who was convicted of killing semi-professional football player Odin Lloyd in 2013. Lloyd played for the Boston Bandits as a linebacker. As a result, he was sentenced to life in prison without parole. He was also indicted for killing both Daniel de Abreu and Safiro Furtado in 2012, however, the judges acquitted him of a double homicide.

Despite having dug himself in a hole, Hernandez remained vehement. How did all of this happen?

Aaron was the son of custodian Dennis Hernandez and school secretary Terri Valentine-Hernandez. He was born in Bristol, Connecticut. He attended Bristol Central High School, where he played for the Rams, starting as a wide receiver before shifting to a tight end. In his senior year of high school, he was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Connecticut after recording 67 receptions for 1,807 yards, 24 offensive touchdowns, 72 tackles, 12 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and four blocked kicks on defense. He also set the Connecticut record with 376 receiving yards in a single game and 180.7 receiving yards per game.

Hernandez’s beautiful life no longer existed. His father died from hernia surgery complications when he was 16. His father was only 49 years old. This moment possibly changed his life forever. He became a quiet person who kept to himself. He opted to play football at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, instead of his initial plan to follow his brother D.J.’s footsteps at the nearby University of Connecticut in Storrs, Connecticut.

Hernandez played college football under head coach Urban Meyer. In his freshman year, he started three games with the Florida Gators, finishing the 2007 season with nine receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns. In his sophomore year, he started 11 out of 13 games, finishing the 2008 season with 34 receptions for 381 yards and five touchdowns. In his junior year, he led the Gators with 68 receptions for 850 yards and five touchdowns. He also won the John Mackey Award as the country’s best tight end in 2009.

Hernandez forwent his senior year to enter the 2010 NFL Draft. He finished his college career with 111 receptions for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns as a Gator. He was drafted by the Patriots in the fourth round with the No. 113 pick in the draft. He signed a four-year contract with a $200,000 signing bonus on June 8, 2010. New England also drafted tight end Rob Gronkowski the day before.

In 2010, Hernandez became the youngest active player on an active roster in the NFL. He finished the season with 45 receptions for 563 yards and six touchdowns. In 2011, he wore the No. 85 on his jersey, but ultimately decided to wear his college number of No. 81. He was named a Pro Bowl alternate. In 2012, he signed a five-year, $40 million contract extension with a $12.5 million signing bonus.

Hernandez’s career was great, but his life slowly went downhill. In 2012, he was indicted for the double homicide of de Abreu and Furtado, but was eventually found not guilty. In 2013, he murdered Lloyd, the boyfriend of his fiancee’s sister. He was charged with first degree murder and five gun charges. These incidents weren’t only wrong, they were also really unbelievable. How could a successful man commit such crimes?

Yes, Hernandez experienced grief after his father’s death, but there are still other possibilities surrounding his personal life that never separated from the workplace. He committed suicide by hanging himself with a bed sheet in the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, Massachusetts on April 19, 2017. He left three suicide notes behind. His fiancee, Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, demanded that the Massachussetts district attorney must provide copies of the notes. The family received the notes just moments before his private funeral at the O’Brien Funeral Home in Bristol.

Was Hernandez bisexual? Many sources say that he had an alleged male lover in prison. He apparently seduced a 22-year-old armed robber named Kyle Kennedy. We don’t know if this actually happened because his sex life was discreet. If he was bisexual, it’s understandable why he tried to conceal his sexual orientation. The NFL is arguably the most homophobic sports league. Football is a very macho and masculine sport. Despite defensive end Michael Sam becoming the first openly gay player in the league, the homophobia hasn’t ended.

Whether or not Hernandez was bisexual, this provided a twist in the aftermath of his death. The NFL cannot probe about sexual orientation in the hiring process, but gay-hate crimes are common and I wouldn’t be surprised if he did hide his sexual orientation. He seemed like a shy, reserved person. Whatever happens, happens, but one thing’s for sure — he wasted his talent and threw away a career with a plethora of golden opportunities.

Raiders look to slow down Rodgers, Packers

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

photo credit: sportsworldreport.com Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rogers

OAKLAND — At 6-7, the Raiders have a chance to reach the .500 mark this late in the season for the first time since finishing 8-8 in 2011 but it will be a tall order with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers visiting O.co Coliseum Sunday for Week 15.

Kickoff is at 1:05 p.m. PDT with rain predicted for the forecast. This the first meeting between the two teams in Oakland since 2003, as each of the previous two match-ups occurred in Green Bay.

After a 1-4 stretch in November when the Packers found themselves behind the then first place Minnesota Vikings in the NFC North, Green Bay (9-4) has won back-to-back games and have overtaken Minnesota, who have dropped back-to-back games in December.

If there is ever a game where fans can see two exceptional quarterbacks that are eerily similar in playing styles, then the battle between Chico’s own Rodgers and Fresno’s own Derek Carr is the game.

Both quarterbacks are tied for fourth in the NFL with 28 touchdown passes, while Carr has the advantage in passing yards (3,313 to 3,175), Rodgers has thrown four less interceptions (five to nine) than Carr.

Seven of Carr’s nine interceptions have come in the fourth quarter. Fourth quarter interceptions have been Carr’s Achilles’ heel this season.

Carr and the Raiders had -12 yards of total offense in the first half, but turned things around in the second half with two touchdown passes to lead Oakland to a shocking 15-12 victory in Denver last Sunday.

Carr completed just 12 of 29 passes for 135 yards. His 41.4 completion rating was his lowest for any game this season.

Oakland held a very good Broncos’ offense to just 34 yards rushing, and have held eight of their last 11 opponents under 100 yards rushing. Dissecting the Raiders’ run defense further, they have yielded an average of 55.7 yards rushing per game in the last three games.

Amari Cooper, Oakland’s talented rookie wide receiver who came into the game with a team leading 920 receiving yards, was held without a catch against Denver’s tough secondary. Cooper might be hitting the rookie wall this late in the season, has been dealing with a foot injury this week.

The real story from Oakland’s victory in Denver was the tremendous play from defensive end Khalil Mack.

After being quiet in the first half, Mack was a house on fire in the second half tormenting Denver’s maligned offensive line by recording five sacks, seven tackles (six solo) and a forced fumble while being named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. It was Mack’s third straight game with at least two sacks.

Mack, who leads the NFL with 14 sacks, is just two sacks away from Derrick Burgess’ franchise record of 16 sacks he set in 2006,  will have the Packers’ full attention Sunday.

Rodgers and Co. are coming off a 28-7 home victory over the down-trodden Dallas Cowboys in Week 15.

Green Bay’s signal caller completed 22 of 35 passes for 218 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas. The two-time NFL MVP has his lowest completion percentage (61.2) and passer rating (97.5) since becoming the team’s full-time starter in 2008.

Rodgers is hoping that facing Oakland’s 28th ranked pass defense (271.5) will improve those numbers, but Rodgers must be aware that Oakland has gotten to the quarterback as the defense has recorded 19 sacks in the last five games.

Rodgers has been sacked 31 times this season, fourth-most in the NFC.

Sunday will also be the first time that current Raiders’ safety Charles Woodson and Packers’ wide receiver James Jones face their respected former teams.

Woodson, 39, was released by Green Bay in 2013, returned to Oakland and has found the fountain of youth.

The 18-year veteran who helped Green Bay win the Super Bowl in 2010, has played steady this season tied for third in the NFL with five interceptions and ranks first with four forced fumbles.

Jones, who was released by Oakland last year after leading the team with 73 catches and six touchdowns, is tied with tight end Richard Rodgers for the team lead with seven touchdown catches, and second on the team with 660 receiving yards behind fellow wide receiver Randall Cobb’s 737 yards.

Jones’s 18.9 yards per catch leads all NFL wide receivers with 30-plus catches.

 

 

 

 

 

Raiders, Crabtree agree to extension

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By Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Michael Crabtree was going to be a sought after free agent at season’s end and the Oakland Raiders didn’t want to see that happen, by locking up Crabtree to a contract extension Wednesday according to an NFL.com report.

The two sides agreed to a four-year deal worth $35 million with roughly $19 million guaranteed. Crabtree signed a one-year, $3.2 million contract this past offseason after spending his first six years in San Francisco.

The deal is expected to be signed soon, according to ESPN’s Adam Kaplan who first broke the story.

Crabtree is on pace to have career highs in catches and touchdowns. The 28-year-old leads The Silver and Black with 66 catches and seven touchdowns, while pacing second behind rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper’s team-leading 920 receiving yards with 760.

Oakland (5-7) who are coming off a 34-20 home loss to division-rival Kansas City in Week 13, travel to Denver to take on the Broncos Sunday.

 

49ers holding out hope that they haven’t played their last game at the ‘Stick

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By Morris Phillips

The NFL’s hottest team is about to hit the road for the playoffs.  And while the 49ers might be plenty comfortable at Lambeau Field on Sunday for their meeting with the Packers, and just as comfortable in Charlotte to face the Panthers the following Sunday, the team and their fans wouldn’t mind a final farewell at the ‘Stick on January 19 for the NFC Championship Game.

And what might the odds be that the 49ers could play one more game at their home for the last 43 seasons and become the first No. 5 seed to host a conference championship game?

Probably right around 5 percent.  But here’s how it could happen:

The 49ers would have to beat the Packers on Sunday, after the Saints go into Philadelphia and knock off the NFC East champion Eagles on Saturday.  Then the Saints would have go into insanely noisy Century Link Field, and beat the top-seeded Seahawks, when they couldn’t pull off the feat on December 2, losing 34-7.  The next day the 49ers would have to turn the tables on the Panthers, reversing the result of their November 10 loss to Carolina at the ‘Stick, 10-9.

Yes, four playoff games, four road winners, and at least one extremely unlikely result in a New Orleans upset of the Seahawks.  And now you see why the feat has never been accomplished, although the 2010 NFC playoffs in which No. 4 seed Arizona became the lowest-seeded team to host a conference championship came pretty darn close.

The scenario has just as much to do with the Saints as the 49ers, so in taking a closer look let’s start with Drew Brees and the Saints.  The Eagles have been installed as an early 2 ½ point favorite over the Saints on Saturday, mostly because New Orleans—3-5 on the road in 2013—has been far less formidable team in away games than they have been at home in the Superdome.  But the “over-under” is 55 points, the highest number of any of next weekend’s four games which portends a shootout.  And the Saints, Brees and Coach Sean Payton could tip the scales with the experience factor as they have plenty more of that then Nick Foles, Coach Chip Kelly and the youthful Eagles.

If the Saints win there, then they go into Seattle (regardless of whether the 49ers win or not) where they would hope to take advantage of a weakened Seahawks’ secondary as well as a Russell Wilson-led offense that has struggled to make plays down field in recent weeks.

If nothing else, the Saints collectively have a long memory.  They visited Seattle in the 2011 wild card round as defending Super Bowl champs and fell 41-36 to the 7-9 Seahawks.   If beating a good team three straight times (over three seasons) is extremely difficult than maybe, just maybe, the pressure might be on Seattle.

With the narrow win over the Cardinals on Sunday, the 49ers improved to 17-7 on the road in three seasons under Coach Jim Harbaugh.  That’s the best such mark in the NFL over that span, and really illustrates what a difficult opponent the 49ers will be come next week.  Also factor in a league-best six-game win streak heading into the playoffs and the relative health of the team after a September and October littered with missing pieces and you can see why the 49ers have been installed as the early favorite over the Packers by 2 ½ points.

Following that the 49ers would get the Panthers and Cam Newton in Charlotte where they haven’t been to the playoffs since 2008.  The 49ers would enjoy the edge in experience here as well although they would be unlikely to be favored.  But the Panthers could be without receiver Steve Smith, and for sure they won’t have the surprise factor they enjoyed when the two teams met the first time in San Francisco.

Sound plausible?  Sure it does when you—insert the old football axiom here—just take it one game at a time.

Raider report: Lack of inexperience reason for Raiders big loss in KC

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–The Oakland Raiders who suffered a pretty humilating defeat at the hands of their division rivals the Kansas City Chiefs this last weekend. They lost big 56-31 that is the most points the Raiders have ever given up in a football game. It was done in dramatic fashion the Chiefs jumped out to a big lead they were up 21-0 just in the first quarter.

The big story in the game it was not only the 56 points but who scored them, five of those touchdowns were scored by the Chiefs Jamal Charles the tiny running back for the Chiefs and four of them on receptions. He became the first running back in NFL history to catch four touchdown passes in a game.

Scoring five touchdowns puts him in pretty rare company as well, five touchdowns is a huge accomplishment no matter what and at the NFL level it’s very, very rare and only three people have scored six touchdowns n a game and Charles might have had a shot at that becuase he had five touchdowns with 12 minutes left in the game he had a shot at it but he mostly sat on the bench from that point on.

Charles sat because the Chiefs were up by so much looking at it from the Raiders side this was a rough, rough loss, they were out of this one from the very beginning they really had no chance and what we’ve seen in the last few weeks is that the Raiders are falling apart on the defensive side of the football.

The Raiders have had a real tough time of it not only did they lose this game to the Chiefs last week they got hammered by a very bad New York Jets team they gave up 37 points to a Jets team that have had one of the worse offenses in the league. They lost to Dallas, Tennessee, you have to go all the way back to week 11 when they beat Houston and as we all know now is probably the team that’s going to get the number one pick in the draft that’s how bad they are.

The Raiders have had a really rough run it’s kind of disappointing their defense played really well in the first half of the season it was surprising and one of the reasons why everybody had low expectations for the Raiders was their defense. They’ve had a lot of new guys on the team and not necessarily all new but they had a lot of inexperienced guys some of them were rookies.

These were guys on the Raiders that have really never been starters at this top level and the Raiders had so little room under the cap they had to get what they could and for the most part that meant bargain basement shopping and early in the season they did a good job of motivating these guys in keeping offenses on their toes, the defense was surprising.

The Raiders face the San Diego Chargers on Sunday the 29th for their next game with a 1:25 PM kickoff at Qualcomm.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for Sportstalk Radio

Ball bounces 49ers way in 33-14 win over Tampa Bay

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Image

By Morris Phillips

It’s the one thing million of fans, 106 football players and 48 coaches gathered and paired on any given Sunday can’t control.  Given the effort, passion and countless film study that goes into a NFL game, it’s confounding and frustrating to all involved.  And while you may get used to it, it doesn’t get any easier to endure.

Yes, it’s the unsolvable mystery of the bouncing football. On Sunday in Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, the football took a cruel bounce on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Bucs suffered through a rough first half in which the defending NFC champs controlled the football and the scoreboard, leading 17-7 at the break.  But with a much better third quarter, Tampa Bay trailed just 20-14 after Mike Glennon connected with receiver Tim Wright on the first play of the fourth quarter.

But instead of continuing their surge, the Buccaneers collapsed while the 49ers and the mysterious bouncing ball took over.  Incredibly, Tampa Bay would have the ball for just 105 seconds in the fourth quarter and go on to fall to San Francisco, 33-14.

The 49ers continued their march to the playoffs, winning their fourth straight and improving to 10-4 with two games remaining.  The Bucs failed to continue their late season surge—they had won four of five after opening the season with eight straight losses—and fell to 4-10.

But back to the critical play; the Bucs trailed 23-14 after the 49ers responded to Tampa Bay’s surge with a 17-play drive and a Phil Dawson field goal that gave them a two-score margin once again.  That meant the Bucs needed a big play to regain momentum.  So Head Coach Greg Schiano dialed up the reverse on the ensuing kickoff, but watched it go horribly wrong.

“We were going to run a reverse if the opportunity presented itself in the right way,” Schiano recounted.  “It didn’t, yet we still ran it.  We made a mistake.”

“I don’t think anyone planned for it to go that way… that wasn’t the way it was supposed to work out,” Eric Page—who handles both punt and kickoff return duties for Tampa Bay—said.  “It was going smooth in practice, and we knew it was going to be open.  When I looked back, I thought he had the ball… then I saw him fall.”

“Him” was rookie Russell Shepard, who took the handoff from Page, going left to right.  While the play may have worked in practice, in the game, 49er Kendall Hunter had it sniffed out and was in perfect position to tackle Shepard after only a few strides.  Shepard—without having a chance to completely secure the ball—tried to make a big step in attempt to elude Hunter.  But he plant foot slid, and suddenly he was on his way down, face first.  That’s when the football, operating with a mind of its own, popped up directly into Hunter’s hands.  The 49ers’ backup running back then saw his momentum take him and the ball into the end zone for the back breaking score.

Shepard, who was waived by the Eagles at the end of the pre-season, then picked up by Tampa Bay, where he’s stuck for the entire season, became the goat.  But afterwards, he wasn’t shirking responsibility or placing blame on the power of the randomly bouncing football.

“I’ve got to secure it,” Shepard said.  “I have to be able to secure the ball.  Unfortunately, at a tight point in the game, it happened.  I have to give our offense an opportunity to come out and have a game-winning drive.”

Colin Kaepernick continued his strong play since the return of Michael Crabtree with a 19 for 29 performance, 203 yards and touchdown passes to Crabtree and Vernon Davis.  Repeatedly in the first half, Kaepernick dropped back to pass, but used his legs and strong arm to make plays.  First, Kap scrambled and threw for a 17-yard pass play to Crabtree that picked up a first down along the sideline.  Then another scramble bought time and Kaepernick found Crabtree for a 4-yard touchdown that put the 49ers up 7-0.  Later in the half, the third-year signal caller showed off his arm on a 52-yard pass and score to Davis.

“It was a heck of a throw,” Coach Jim Harbaugh said of the big pass play.  “We had really good protection on the play, but the way Vernon extended and ran that ball down, I mean it looked like Willie Mays running down a long fly ball to center field.”

Glennon didn’t have much early success and didn’t get hardly any touches in the fourth quarter.  In between, he was passable, finishing 18 for 34 for 179 yards.  But Glennon felt the pressure from the 49ers’ front four, getting sacked four times.  The Bucs’ run game didn’t provide much support either; two backs combined for just 39 yards rushing on 12 carries.

Former 49er Dashon Goldson got an opportunity to face his team of the previous six seasons but didn’t have much of an impact.  Goldson was in on five tackles, but didn’t have any of his signature run support plays against Frank Gore, who finished with 86 yards rushing on 22 carries.

Gore went over 1,000 yards rushing on the season with the performance, the seventh time he’s reached that milestone in his nine-year career.  Gore joins an elite list of 20 littered with Hall of Famers who also achieved seven 1,000-yard seasons.  The incredibly durable back also made his 42nd consecutive start against Tampa Bay, the longest such current streak in the NFL.

Davis’ touchdown catch was the 52nd of his career, and he became the first tight end in NFL history to register two, 12 touchdown-catch seasons.  Davis also made a touchdown catch for the fifth consecutive week even as the ending—into the wall at the rear of the end zone—wasn’t much fun.

“I didn’t know their wall was right there,” Davis said.  “As soon as I looked up, the wall was right there.  It just knocked the wind out of me a little bit.”

The 49ers return home for the season finale and possible final 49ers’ game at Candlestick Park on Monday night, December 23.  After that, the 49ers conclude their regular season in Glendale against the Cardinals on the following Sunday.

 

Raiders report: Raiders face struggling Jets with interchangable quarterbacks

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by David Zizmor

ALAMEDA–The Oakland Raiders are hitting up the New York Jets at the New Jersey Meadowlands at the opportune moment because the Jets were playing pretty well for the early part of the season they were kind of a surprise team. They won five games and everyone was saying “wow they’re not as bad as we thought, we thought the Jets would be one of the three or four worst teams in the league.”

They’re actually saying a lot of the things that the people were saying about the Raiders that they were surprised that they were winning games. The Jets have in the last several games kind of sunk back to that their in the five worst teams in the league mode. Jets quarterback Geno Smith he’s at least shown flashes of being a competent quarterback in the last four games.

Smith has really kind of regressed they haven’t had any of the offense it’s been all down to the point where last week he was benched for backup quarterback Matt Simms and Simms has never started for any NFL team. Smith might be back this Sunday against the Raiders in the starting line ups.

Smith certainly has the talent he could do some damage and the way the Jets are playing right now there’s no reason to think he’s going to come out and torch the Raiders. Smith is just not playing that well and the Raiders defense is solid enough that they should be able to pressure him and slow him down. To be honest the Jets have one the least impressive set of skill players in the NFL.

That’s not including the quarterback position you just look at the running backs, the wide receivers, the tight ends, the Jets really have nobody of note. Jets wide receiver Santonio Holmes is back he’s someone you can’t sleep on but nobody else. They don’t have any depth at wide receiver, their tight ends are no names, their running backs are in and out of the line ups with injuries.

The guys who are in there aren’t particularly good and while the Raiders defense isn’t fantastic they have proven they can stop lousy teams which you saw in Houston a couple of weeks ago and the Jets are on par with that Houston team if not worse. If the Raiders can go in on this one and expect to be in the game it’s never easy to win on the road in the NFL so I don’t expect this to come easy.

The Jets have show they can play good defense and Jets head coach Rex Ryan last week Ryan is particularly good at troubling young rookie quarterbacks we’ve seen it time and time again where rookies and inexperienced QBs go in against the Rex Ryan defense and he completely baffles them with different looks and presenting his players in odd ways that confuse the young quarterbacks.

David Zizmor covers the NFL for Sportstalk Radio