Tag: San Francisco 49ers

FDA approves Radicava, 49ers legend Dwight Clark may try new treatment

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Former San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Dwight Clark runs onto the field before the start of the “Legends of Candlestick” flag football game Saturday, July 12, 2014, in San Francisco. The game between former San Francisco 49er greats and a team of former NFL stars captained by Hall of Famer Dan Marino is the final one to be played at Candlestick Park. The park, which opened in 1960 and was also the home of the San Francisco Giants baseball team until 1999, is slated for demolition in the next year. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

By: Ana Kieu

For the first time in more than two decades, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved a new drug for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The FDA announced on Friday that Radicava, also known as edaravone, has been approved for use in the United States. The other only drug used to treat ALS is called Riluzone, which was approved in 1995.

Various tests conducted in Japan determined that ALS victims who received edaravone experienced a lower decline in their daily level of functioning compared to those who received a placebo. Edaravone creator MT Pharma said that the drug can reduce the decline of physical function by 33 percent.

Deputy director of the FDA’s neurology products division Eric Bastings said his federal agency learned about the use of edaravone to treat ALS in Japan and filed a marketing application with the drug developer. Bastings also mentioned that his agency was pleased that people with ALS have an addition treatment option.

ALS is often called Lou Gehrig’s disease. Gehrig was a well-known baseball player who retired on June 21, 1939, due to the condition. The New York Yankees retired his No. 4 and he became the first player in MLB history to receive that honor. He played for the Yankees as a first baseman from 1923 to 1939. He passed away in his home in the Riverdale neighborhood of The Bronx, New York, on June 2, 1941, at the age of 37.

In 2014, ALS returned to the spotlight, thanks to the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge. The campaign was all over social media. Many people posted videos of themselves dumping cold water on their heads. In just eight weeks, the ALS Association received $115 million dollars in donations. These donations helped fund important developments in ALS research.

The CDC says that 12,000 to 15,000 Americans have ALS. The majority of these sufferers first found out they had the disease between the ages of 55 and 75. For the most part, sufferers live two to five years after discovering they have it. Conversely, ALS is a little more common in men as opposed to women. Nobody knows what causes the disease, but 5% to 10% of all ALS cases emerge within families. People with ancestral ALS live an average of one to two years after symptoms appear.

ALS Association President Barbara Newhouse commended the approval of Radicava. Newhouse thanked the FDA and MT Pharma for working together to speed up the approval of the brand-new ALS treatment. She hopes the announcement can signal the beginning of a new chapter in the fight against the disease.

Radicava is an intravenous infusion that must be prescribed by a doctor. The drug is administered in 28-day cycles and its cost is $1,000 per infusion, which amounts to almost $150,000 a year for ALS treatment. MT Pharma will offer co-pay assistance for insured patients. They also mentioned an unnamed program to help help uninsured patients who meet certain requirements.

MT Pharma announced that Radicava will be available in the United States this August.

There has been no word from Clark yet on whether or not he’ll consider using edaravone. Clark was diagnosed with ALS on March 20. Edaravone can slow down the progression of ALS when started early. He has said in the past that he would fight like hell against ALS so there’s a chance he’ll use this new drug to battle his condition.

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.

A whole bunch goes right: big, fourth quarter propels 49ers to win over the Rams, ending 13-game losing streak

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By Morris Phillip

Down one, the 49ers went for two. Just one of the memorable moments in a second half on Saturday that eclipsed all the forgettable football San Francisco has endured over last three plus months since the team’s last win.

Colin Kaepernick’s designed run on a two-point conversion with 31 seconds remaining lifted the 49ers to a 22-21 win over the Rams, snapping the franchise-record 13-game losing streak with one bold stroke. Amazingly, Kaepernick’s game-winner was merely the capper to a fourth quarter like no other for a team that hadn’t shown this level of resolve at any point in recent memory.

“It worked out for us,” Kaepernick gushed. “It felt amazing, a feeling this team had been looking for for a long time now. It is something this team can build on.”

That the 49ers played so poorly for most of the afternoon, punting on eight, consecutive possessions at one point, then trailed by two touchdowns with 10 minutes remaining, made this victory improbable. And that conclusion was obvious without factoring in how decimated the 49ers were on both sides of the ball.  In fact, when starting running Carlos Hyde was felled by a vicious tackle at the fourth quarter’s outset, the team’s offense was without its starting running back (Hyde), its top receiver  (Torrey Smith), two of its top three tight ends (Vance McDonald, Blake Bell) and all five, presumptive starters on the offensive line.

But somehow in the face of all this inertia, the 49ers and Kaepernick surged, and the Rams collapsed, due to equal parts disinterest and fatigue.  Kaepernick even overcame his well-publicized pattern of poor, second half play, finishing 28 of 38 passing for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

“I thought he did a good job,” Kelly said of Kaepernick.  “We hade a whole new group up front.  There was some growing pains for some of the young guys as they were getting their first snaps up there.”

The 49ers struck first, capitalizing on an interception of No. 1 overall draft pick Jared Goff. Tremaine Brock made the pick, and set up the San Francisco offense with a 38-yard return.  Two plays later, and despite a penalty for too many men on the field on the initial play, Kaepernick connected with Hyde for a 19-yard scoring pass.

But as the afternoon wore on, and the punts by both teams quickly added up, the 49ers proved for more generous than the Rams.

 

Defenseless: 49ers scorched by Ryan, Freeman in 41-13 loss to the Falcons

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By Morris Phillips

With laser-eyed focus reminiscent of Joe Montana, and athletic superiority last seen in the being of Jerry Rice, the purposeful 49ers marched into the Georgia Dome on Sunday intent on slaying the NFC South-leading Falcons.  Armed with a bullet proof gameplan carved from the genius of Chip Kelly, and led by the fleet-footed Colin Kaepernick…

And thus begins the story pro football journalists assigned to cover the NFC West bottom-dwellers have been yearning to write for more than three months.    But the occasion of such poetic license has yet to come to pass for those chronicling the exploits of the San Francisco 49ers.

So instead–and for a franchise-record 13th consecutive week–the San Francisco game recap strikes a far different tone, beginning with a desultory, first quarter in which the 49ers spotted the Falcons a three-touchdown lead prefacing their 41-13 loss.

The Falcons moved a game ahead of the Buccaneers in the NFC South with the win, and control their playoff destiny.  Meanwhile,  the 49ers moved two weeks closer to a date with Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer and others in the small circle of top-tier NFL draft prospects.

Atlanta scored touchdowns on each of their first three possessions, and only a Devonta Freeman fumble at the 49ers 1-yard line in the second quarter prevented the Falcons from scoring five consecutive times.  Still, the Falcons led 21-0 after one quarter, and 28-13 at the half.

Matt Ryan threw a pair of touchdowns, and Freeman rushed for three more as the NFL’s highest scoring team cruised without top receiver, Julio Jones.  Along with the win, the Falcons established a new, single-season, scoring record with 469 points, surpassing the 448 scored in their 1998 Super Bowl season.  Against the 49ers, the Falcons scored over 40 points in a game for the fifth time this season.

That’s a really good offensive football team,” said Kelly, who saw his 49ers surrender 40 points in a game for the sixth time this season. “It’s a team that could make some hay in the playoffs.”

The 49ers’ ability to field a competitive lineup to counteract Ryan, Freeman and the Falcons’ offense was compromised when inside linebacker Gerald Hodges Jr.  was suspended prior to the game for a breach of team rules, with no other disclosure by the team regarding the nature of the offense.  Then with Nick Bellore set to start inside opposite Michael Wilhoite, Bellore was felled by an elbow injury three plays into the game.

That set in motion a revolving door at Bellore’s spot that included linebacker Ahmad Brooks, safety Antoine Bethea and backup safety Vinny Sunseri.  The lack of bodies at the inside linebacker’s spots put the team’s historically porous run defense at even greater risk, and the Falcons pounced.

Freeman rushed for 139 yards along with his three scores, and became the 11th back to surpass 100 yards against the 49ers this season.  The Falcons, fresh off their 42-14 thrashing of the Rams, totaled 550 yards of offense, including 248 on the ground.  Along the way, the team’s worst showing in a season in terms of rushing yards allowed zoomed past the record of 2,363 yards with two games yet to play.

Offensively, the 49ers weren’t good enough early to counteract the attrition on defense.  Kaepernick connected with Blake Bell in the second quarter to narrow the Falcons’ lead to 21-7.  Later in the quarter, Kaepernick connected with Rod Streater for a 5-yard touchdown pass, but the extra point was missed, and the 49ers would get no closer.

Kaepernick finished 20 for 33 passing for 183 yards, and he was sacked three times.  The 49ers’ offensive woes after halftime continued.  They managed just 85 yards total offense after halftime, with only four first downs.

The 49ers travel to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve, with the mandate to beat the similarly-challenged Rams, the only team they’ve beaten in 2016.  Gametime on Saturday is 1:25pm.

49ers can’t close the deal, lose 23-17 to the Jets in overtime

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By Morris Phillips

SANTA CLARA–This time, with the finish line in sight, the 49ers fell short in a most agonizing manner.  That they lost for a 12th consecutive week is-at least for now–a completely different story.

According to Coach Chip Kelly, the game against the Jets devolved into a battle of attrition.   Coming in, Kelly’s 49ers were already without stalwart tackle Joe Staley, a critical piece to their protection packages and their running game.  Then during the game, center Daniel Kilgore, tight end Vance McDonald and receiver Torrey Smith were all lost to injuries, further weakening a 49ers’ offense blessed with a 17-3 halftime lead, but running out of steam fast.

“Yeah, that’s on me as the play caller, but I just really wasn’t confident,” Kelly explained, when asked if his play calling grew too conservative in the 49ers’ painful 23-17 overtime loss to the Jets.   “You lost Vance, you lost Torrey.  You’ve got two new guys in there on the offensive line.  I was making sure we were good with protection.   They were bringing a lot of zero blitzes.  You’ve got to get the ball off quick.”

Whether the ball got off quick, or not, it wasn’t done effectively. Colin Kaepernick responded to his benching the previous week by starting fast, completing his first seven passes as the 49ers turned a pair of lightning-quick drives into a 14-0 lead.  But the rest of Kap’s afternoon didn’t go well.

How poorly? Check the descending numbers:

The 49ers managed just 47 yards in total offense after halftime.  After an 11 of 15 first half, Kaepernick was 4 of 11 in the second half, and none of the four completions went for a first down.

Kaepernick was 0 for 3 passing in the third quarter.  One of those misses was actually a drop by Blake Bell on the half’s first play, a well-thrown pass by Kaepernick that would have gone for a big gainer had Bell held on.  Kelly referenced the drop in his thoughts on how things bogged down after halftime.

The 49ers managed just 22 yards offense in the fourth quarter.   Kaepernick threw for only 17 yards after the break. And with the game tied in the final minute, the 49ers gained just three yards on their final possession of regulation, forcing a punt that could have set up the Jets for a game-winning field goal.

Overtime gave the 49ers one, final shot, but they did little.  After Carlos Hyde’s final carry went for 25 yards, and provided hope, the 49ers gained just eight yards on their last four plays.  Two of those four were in completions from Kap’s arm.

Did the Jets turn the heat up at halftime, make a telling schematic change?  Actually, no. This was all on the 49ers.

“We didn’t do much, we stopped the run,” Jets’ coach Todd Bowles admitted. “We put some pressure on (Kaepernick) on third down.”

“We didn’t really make any adjustments,” Leonard Williams, a member of the Jets’ highly touted, but underproductive defensive line, said. “It was a matter of finishing.   That is what we did in the second half.”

In fact, as the Jets were taking advantage of the 49ers wilting defense, they were leaving the door open as well.  On the game’s final possession in overtime, the Jets quickly crossed midfield, then put kicker Nick Folk in position to win it.  But on 2nd and eight, from the 49ers 23, the Jets committed a critical false start penalty that cost them five yards.

But the reprieve was short-lived for San Francisco.  Bilal Powell, on for the injured  Matt Forte (who departed after just three carries in the first quarter), gained nine yards on the next play, then 19 on the final play, as he broke several tackles on his way into the end zone.

Powell finished with 145 yards on 29 carries, neutralizing the 193 yards rushing produced by the 49ers’ Carlos Hyde.

He did a gentleman’s job,” Bowles said.  “If it wasn’t for him I don’t know if we would have even won this game.  He single handedly, from my point of view at least, broke every tackle he could break.  He caught every ball.  He ran.  He blocked.”

Defensively,  the 49ers got strong games from Aaron Lynch and DeForrest Buckner, who contributed to the 49ers’ six sacks of Bryce Petty, making just his second NFL start.  But like their teammates, the pair looked gassed at the finish.  Time of possession went decidedly to the Jets 41 minutes to 24.

The 49ers travel to Atlanta next week where they will meet the NFC South-leading Falcons.  The Falcons had their way on Sunday, leading the Rams 42-0 in the third quarter, before settling for a 42-14 win.

49ers not much better with Kaepernick than without in blowout loss at the feet of the Bills

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By Morris Phillips

Kap—or no Kap—the 49ers have significant work to do.

The addition of the team’s best-known player into the starting lineup on Sunday in Buffalo did little to change this stark reality: after getting throttled 45-16 by the Bills, the 49ers have dropped five consecutive games for the first time in more than a decade.

With Kaepernick, the 49ers aren’t any closer to being a playoff contender, or a significant player on the lesser landscape of the NFC West. In fact, with Kaepernick or the benched Blaine Gabbert, the 49ers maybe greater impacted by the loss of defensive leader NaVorro Bowman.

On Sunday, it sure appeared that was the case. Overshadowing what Kaepernick did or didn’t do was the 312 yards rushing the 49ers’ defense surrendered to the Bills, including 140 yards and three touchdowns to LeSean McCoy, who seemed to be mystery in cleats to a number of lunging San Francisco defenders.

“To get the ball run on you like that, when you know they’re going to run, we just have to stop making the same mistakes, stay in our gaps, make the tackle,” safety Eric Reid said.

“There were a lot of missed tackles today just from my vantage point on the sideline,” Coach Chip Kelly said.

Here’s some historical perspective on all the juking and dashing the Bills did on Sunday: the 312 yards was the biggest total the Bills had enjoyed in a game since 1992. The 49ers had allowed more than 312 yards only once in their franchise history, in 1958.

The 49ers found themselves in a competitive game at the half, trailing 17-13. Kaepernick had a hand in that, hooking up with Torrey Smith on a 53-yard pass play that gave the 49ers a brief 10-7 lead in the second quarter. Kaepernick also had some success running the ball, but in the end his impact as starter was miniscule. The 49ers failed to convert 12 of their 15 third and fourth-down opportunities, and Kaepernick failed to complete half of his passes (13 of 29).

Defensively, things started respectably as well. The 49ers had some success with their pass rush against one of the league’s least productive pass offenses. But after Bills’ quarterback Tyrod Taylor was sacked and stripped of the ball by Arik Armstead, the Bills stuck to the run for the remainder of the first half.   Among the bright spots, Armstead and rookie DeForest Buckner combined for three sacks and two tackles for losses.

McCoy rushed for more than 100 yards in the first half for the second consecutive week. The Pro Bowl back suffered an injury scare before halftime, bumping knees with the 49ers’ Nick Bellore and taking several minutes to return to the Bills’ bench. But McCoy continued his onslaught in the second half, and got ample support from Taylor and backup Mike Gillislee, who scored the games’ final points on a 44-yard run with 5:40 remaining.

The 49ers played without Jaquiski Tartt and Jimmy Ward, thinning their secondary. They also lost corner Rashard Robinson to injury during the game. In Ward’s absence, rookie Keith Reaser made his first NFL start.

The 49ers return home on Sunday to host the Buccaneers, and will face the Saints a week later, also at Levi’s Stadium.

 

 

“Oh, Oh, Where’s the O?”: 49ers outclassed by Cam and Carolina in 46-27 loss

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By Morris Phillips

Two weeks into the 2016 season, the 49ers appear to be an improved club under new coach Chip Kelly.  But in the NFL, real credibility begins and ends with star players.

On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers had star players, the 49ers did not.

Cam Newton, the league’s MVP in 2015, threw for 353 yards and four touchdowns as the Panthers raced past the 49ers, 46-27 in Charlotte.  One week, after the 49ers shut out the Rams in Santa Clara, they were competitive but outclassed by Carolina and their biggest stars: Newton, tight end Greg Olsen, and intuitive linebacker Luke Kuechly.

Newton had never thrown for more than 353 yards in a game and won.  In his 80th NFL start on Sunday, he accomplished that feat after throwing a pick on his initial throw of the day.  While the Panthers and Newton gifted the 49ers with four turnovers, which were turned into 20 points, Carolina’s quarterback never relented, hurting the 49ers with deep passes and his legs at critical spots.

Olsen, as good as any pass-catching tight end the 49ers have ever had, came up with five catches for 122 yards, including a career-best 78-yard catch and run that put the Panthers ahead for good, 14-10 in the second quarter.

Kuechly, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year two seasons ago, led the Panthers with 11 tackles and a fourth quarter interception that helped quell a late Niners push for respectability on the scoreboard.  Most importantly, Kuechly’s efforts stalled the 49ers’ Carlos Hyde, who ran for just 34 yards and lost a fumble in the third quarter.  Hyde, the closest thing the 49ers have to a star player, saw his eight-yard run in the first half rank as his longest of the afternoon.

The 49ers were saddled with a short week of preparation and the cross-country travel, but played competitively in spurts.  They led 10-7 in the second quarter, and got within 34-27 in the fourth.  But the counters to those two high points, were telling.  Trailing just 17-10 at the half, the 49ers went three-and-out on the initial two possessions of the second half, and fell behind 31-10 after three quarters.

After Gabbert and the offense fashioned a response, pulling within seven points of the Panthers with 7:51 remaining after a 75-yard score on a pass to Vance McDonald, things fell apart.  Gabbert threw picks on each of the team’s next two possessions, and the Panthers pulled away, scoring the game’s final 12 points.  Along with the picks, Gabbert had a star-crossed day, missing several open receivers, often missing high on deeper routes, and throwing too low on the shorter routes that were frequently contested by the active Carolina back seven.

A closer look of the Carolina turnovers, including former 49er Ted Ginn’s muffed kickoff return that set the 49ers up on the Carolina 1-yard line, showed just how generous the Panthers were, and how stingy they were outside those moments.   On the possessions following the three Carolina fumbles and Newton’s early pick, the 49ers gained a cumulative 67 yards and turned those possessions into 20 points.

Outside those moments of largesse, the 49ers struggled.  Gabbert finished 17 of 36 passing for 243 yards, many of those missed throws leading to Bradley Pinion punts, especially in the telling second and third quarters.  The offensive line held up, allowing Gabbert to be sacked just twice, but beyond McDonald’s big play and Torrey Smith’s 28-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter, the 49ers had no big plays.

The longest play of the day outside the two long touchdowns?  Shaun Draughn’s 18-yard run play.  The 49ers longest pass play outside the two big plays?  A pair of 13-yard receptions by Rod Streater and Jeremy Kerley.

Meanwhile, Newton aired it out, showing off his big arm with the results to match.   The big hits Newton suffered in the opener at Denver didn’t completely disappear, but the quarterback got solid protection up front and made plays.  The 49ers’ defense, while not powerless, had a difficult time keeping up.

“We had over 500 yards of total offense so we obviously did something well,” Coach Ron Rivera said.

The 49ers travel to Seattle next week to face the equally frustrated Seahawks, who managed only a field goal and lost 9-3 to the Rams in their home-opening return to Los Angeles.

Who was that? No-name 49ers come up big in 17-16 upset of the Falcons

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Celek

By Morris Phillips

The 49ers’ game plan for beating the six-win Falcons was probably more nuanced, but the short version appeared to go something like this:

No. 47, you shut down Pro Bowl-caliber receiver Julio Jones and No. 24 you outdo NFL rushing leader, Devonta Freeman.  And by the way, No. 24, you’re our new starting running back.

Talk about an effective plan: the 49ers came up with the 17-16 victory, their first over a team with a winning record, after losing six of their last seven games.

Shaun Draughn, No. 24, was sitting on the couch with his wife, one-year old son and four-year old daughter when he received a phone call from the 49ers that prompted him to catch the first thing smoking to the Bay Area.  Seven days later, Draughn, who was released by Cleveland after spending the first six games of this season with the Browns, had an inkling that he was about to get good news, but he sure didn’t know how or when he would get that news.

So how did the 27-year old Draughn find out he was starting in place of the injured Carlos Hyde?

“When Tom (Rathman) walked up to me on the sideline before the game and said I was starting,” Draughn said.

Desperate times call for desperate measures and the 2-6 49ers certainly qualified heading into their home game with the Falcons.  The team was riddled with injuries, especially in their offensive backfield and secondary, and they had effectively parted ways with their “franchise” quarterback in Colin Kaepernick by announcing that he would be benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert.

So in stepped Draughn, a free agent who, according to him, has been cut by eight different teams in his brief, nomadic NFL career.  Marcus Cromartie, No. 47, was briefly a member of the San Francisco practice squad before he was promoted to the game-day roster this week.  Cromartie’s dramatic ascension came so fast that his name doesn’t even appear on the team’s roster on the gameday flipcard.

But with little notoriety—and in addition to a pair of curious, late game decisions made by Falcons’ head coach Dan Quinn–Draughn and Cromartie made big contributions that were integral to the outcome of the game.

Draughn contributed 92 yards in offense from scrimmage, running and catching, and Cromartie matched up with Jones frequently on a day that the powerful receiver was kept out of the end zone and his team scored just 16 points.

Gabbert didn’t empty the playbook with his 15 for 25 passing performance, but he threw a pair of touchdown passes to Brent Celek in the second quarter and used his legs—ala Kaepernick—in the second half to help make a 17-point offensive output somehow stand up for an improbable victory.

“It wasn’t pretty at times, but our defense played well,” Gabbert said.  “Got a big stop for us at the end and we found a way to move the chains there at the end to kill the clock.”

Quinn’s controversial decision may have been the key component to an unlikely outcome.  With the Falcons facing 4th-and-goal at the 1 with three minutes remaining in the game, Quinn decided to forgo a shot at a touchdown that would have given them the lead, instead opting for a 19-yard Matt Bryant field goal that drew them within a point of the lead.

Quinn’s rationale?  The former Seattle defensive coordinator decided to put faith in his defense, hoping they could force a three-and-out that would give his offense the ball with enough time to drive a short field for a game-winning field goal.  Afterwards, in explaining, Quinn pointed out that his offense had been exceptional with little time on the clock, as they were in the first half, needing just three plays to cut into the 49ers 17-6 lead with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Freeman.

But Quinn, upon the prompting of his coaches and television spotters upstairs, had squandered one of the Falcons three time outs challenging a spot that gave the 49ers a first down midway through the fourth quarter.  What prompted the Atlanta brain trust to question the spot wasn’t clear: television replays didn’t offer an angle that would have given conclusive evidence to justify overturning the call.  In fact, without a replay angle from a Skycam above the players, it would be difficult for a team to justify a challenge based on traditional camera angles that offer little more than a pile of bodies on a fourth-and-short play rather than a conclusive look at the football.

Given a chance to close the game out, the 49ers did, running Kendall Gaskins four times and Gabbert once on a nifty, five-yard scramble.  Gaskins, another new 49ers’ face, contributed a big eight-yard run and the 49ers picked up not one, but two first downs to finish the game, leaving the Falcons’ offense on the sideline.

Defensively, the 49ers surprised by shutting down Freeman, who entered with 709 yards rushing to lead the entire NFL.  Cromartie sent an early message by dropping Freeman for a four-yard loss in the first quarter.  On the day, the Falcons rushed for just 17 yards on 14 attempts, considerably lower than the 111 yards rushing the 49ers had allowed on average in their first eight games.

After the game, Falcons’ offensive lineman Ryan Schrader acknowledged that the 49ers’ frequent blitzes—often with NaVorro Bowman shooting between the guard and center—disrupted the timing of the Atlanta offense.  The Falcons one-dimensional attack did little outside of Matt Ryan’s 303 passing yards.

The 49ers have a much-needed bye week to get reorganized before they travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks on November 22.

49ers offense listless and battered in 27-6 loss at St. Louis

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Crushed

By Morris Phillips

The NFL’s lowest scoring offense sure did produce a bunch of storylines on Sunday.

Points?  Not so much.

The 49ers again packed their dullest picks and smallest shovels for a trip to St. Louis that saw them score seven or fewer points and lose for the fourth time in eight games.  Fans were once again treated to a three-hour spectacle featuring Colin Kaepernick running for his life that was near rock-bottom on the entertainment meter.

The haul was especially meager even by current 49ers standards— three sacks of Kaepernick, three 3rd down conversions (of 17 opportunities) six points, 10 punts and 11 first downs—and the Rams deserve much of the credit for that.  But the 49ers saw much of their ability to operate dissipated by injuries.  Anquan Boldin and Carlos Hyde were inactive due to injury, and Reggie Bush, tabbed as the team’s starting tailback and punt returner this week, left in the first quarter when he was slipped on the concrete behind the team’s bench following a return.

The injuries did stop there: later in the game rookie Mike Davis departed with a hand injury and tight end Garret Celek suffered a concussion.

Afterwards, Coach Jim Tomsula offered familiar, terse responses to increasingly pointed questions.  Even Rams Coach Jeff Fisher felt compelled to excuse the 49ers’ offensive effort, no doubt in response to the lack of emotion at the Edward Jones Dome in what has typically been one of the NFL’s most spirited rivalries.

“What we did today was not good enough, and that was me,” Tomsula said.

“In fairness to them, it’s hard to overcome the loss of Anquan and Carlos Hyde, and then Reggie goes out.  And they had a couple of other issues out there,” Fisher said.

The Rams improved to 3-0 in the NFC West and their 4-3 record is their first winning record in the month of November since 2006.  Super rookie Todd Gurley led the Rams with 133 yards rushing on 20 carries, one of which Gurley took to the house—71 yards through a gaping hole in the defense that allowed him to score untouched.

Gurley has topped 125 yards in all four of his NFL starts, a first, and his 566 rushing yards surpasses Billy Sims’ total of 539 yards in a rusher’s first four NFL starts.

Tavon Austin, the Rams’ speedy wideout closed the scoring with a 66-yard screen pass and run in the fourth quarter.  Austin also scored right before halftime on a speed reverse at the goal line in which he reached out to contact the ball with the pylon as fell out of bounds.  That score, after Phil Dawson kicked his second field goal for the 49ers, put the Rams up 20-6 right before halftime.

The 49ers made news before the game by cutting Jarryd Hayne, the pre-season sensation that became expendable when Hyde was declared out of Sunday’s game.  Hayne had struggled to hold on to the ball once the regular season commenced, but he was released solely for the purpose of the 49ers adding an inside runner for Sunday’s game.  With Bush getting the start, the 49ers had just rookie Mike Davis and practice squad call-up Kendall Gaskins in reserve.  Gaskins took Hayne’s spot as the supposed power back the 49ers coveted, but Gaskins and Davis combined for just 11 yards rushing and Davis first three carries produced two yards and a safety when the rookie was tackled in the end zone in the first quarter.

Boldin was on the 49ers’ sideline but out of uniform when he took a shove a Rams’ special teamer after a punt play ended on the San Francisco sideline.  Boldin’s action drew a penalty highlighting the team’s frustration and dysfunction.

Along those lines, Tomsula, Kaepernick fielded questions after the game about whether the team’s starting quarterback should be benched in favor of Blaine Gabbert.  Reports surfaced that key members of the team have contacted the coaching staff in hopes of having them consider a change at quarterback.  Tomsula refused to even address the questions, but Kaepernick did have a response.

“Whether they make that change or not is their decision,” Kaepernick said.  “But I’ll give this team everything I have every week.”

The 49ers return to Levi’s Stadium on Sunday to face the NFC South leading Falcons.  Of course, Atlanta will be smarting when they face the 49ers after they were knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten at home by the Buccaneers on Sunday.