Ugly.

by: Chris Sullivan

Well guys, I just got back from the game. It was ugly. That was a game that we should have utterly controlled. I think there were a number of bad calls, but this is a game that we should have won. There were some positives, there were some negatives. This is a shoot-from-the-hip analysis, I have not re-watched the game, and saw it all from the end zone.

The Bad:
1) Logan Payne is out for the season. That is our fifth Wide Receiver out, third lost to the IR in as many weeks. I defy anyone to name a time where an NFL team has been so depleted at a single position. Mind blowing.
2) Our secondary. What the hell was happening there? Every single time the 49ers needed a big completion, they got it. Ab. so. lute. ly. in. ex. cuse. a. ble.
3) Turnovers. There was a fumble by McMullen that was absolutely inexcusable -- are you carrying a football or playing hot potato, assclown? Two interceptions by Matt, one off a deflected pass and a great play by the DB (or LB, not sure who made the pick) and another that was arguably McMullen's fault, but that was again, from my perspective and not from seeing any replays. We are now, I believe, -4 on our turnover ratio.
4) Penalties. As I said before, I think a lot of these were ticky-tacky, and the "pass interference" in the endzone on Grant's interception was arguably the game. Nevertheless, we made a lot of stupid mistakes and we will not win games going forward if we continue to do that. You can't give the refs the opportunity to make BS calls against you.

The Good:
1) John Carlson. The rookie stepped up today, big time. Hell, he stepped up last week too, but undoubtedly he was the most reliable, solid reciever today. I believe there was one time he was targetted that he didn't come down with the pass. He led the team in recieving with 6 for 78 yards, a great personal effort.
2) Lawrence Jackson and the front seven. LoJack had 2 tackles, 1 assist and 2.0 sacks in just his second game. In total, the Hawks snagged 8 sacks, much more in line with what we expect of these guys.
3) Julius Jones. 127 yards and a touchdown. He ran hard, he avoided tackles, and he always fell forward. A very impressive game for Jones, and precisely what we expect from a runner.
4) The Offensive Line. It was much less offensive than last week (get it?!!?!). Opened up decent holes for JJ and protected Matt fairly well. A vast improvement over last week, vast. VAST.

The Confusing:
1) Matt Hasselbeck. I know, I know, he's Matt. All his WRs are out. He's got a lot on his plate, and the plate keeps getting cracked and dented... still, he has looked rusty the last two weeks, especially in the first half. Today he finished with a QB rating in the mid-40s, due largely to those interceptions that weren't totally his fault. He was 50% again (he was near there last week). Carlson is clearly a guy he trusts, and I think Payne was too. Payne is gone. Bobby and Deion are out next week almost for certain. Wallace is injured--hopefully not badly. Matt needs to prove for the 1000th time that he is the leader of this team. We did not lose because of him in anyway, but next week there can be no rust.
2) What will the next week hold in store for us? There will be more roster moves, and there will be another veteran WR added, most likely. Will Samie Parker come back?

Remember guys, keep the language clean in this post, the R-Rated stuff is for the last one. If you're not ready to discuss, keep it in the previous post. Thats what its there for.

The Sky is not falling.

END