49ers Scouting Report:
FMQB enjoyed his first outdoor football experience this past weekend at the legendary Candlestick Park. A place that had seen Joe Montana and Steve Young lead 5 teams to the Super Bowl. The legends of The Catch, The Catch II, and The Catch III. It was definitely a cool atmosphere and we had great seats even though a majority of the action happened on the other side of the field. The 49ers first two drives were methodical, moving the ball down the field at a good pace with little trouble. But they came away with a FG and a another try was blocked. Victor Cruz had a sweet TD in the 2nd quarter, and his salsa in the endzone was even better! The Giants ran away with it in the 2nd half, kicking an additional 3 FGs and getting a rushing TD. Surprisingly Randy Moss was the Niners leading receiver! Overall, if you look at the stats it was a pretty close matchup. But the story of this game was Alex Smith’s interceptions. He threw 3 of them, and that killed the 49ers. Because of this, the 49ers looked awful. Definitely fun to watch a future hall of famer run the Giants down the field.
One thing I would like to pay attention to the rest of the season, is the fact that Colin Kaepernick is getting more and more playing time. And not only in the Wildcat, he threw it 7 times on Sunday, and ran an additional 2. This gave him 1/6 of the offensive plays the 49ers ran. To be honest, the only time the 49ers looked good was when Kaepernick was in there. They also threw him in there on several red zone opportunities. Watch for this QB drama to unfold the rest of the year, especially when Alex Smith continues to struggle.
Fan Rivalry:
For not being in the same division, the fan rivalry between the 49ers and Giants was pretty heavy. Reminded me of the Cowboys vs 49ers rivalry of the 90s. In 2003, the Giants were up by 24 in a playoff game before the 49ers put together the biggest playoff comeback and won. Last year, these teams met for the NFC Championship and the Giants eeked one out. The Giants fans traveled really well, as there were seas of blue amongst the red. A lot of jarring went on between fans, something I had never really seen before. Check the quotes of the week later on for some funny examples.
Gangbangers:
Speaking of fans, wow did I feel out of place at the 49ers game. First off, it didn’t help that the security person literally asked the woman behind me if she had a weapon before letting her through, but there were a lot of sketchy people at the game. I saw more tattoos on necks and what looked like gang tattoos than I have ever seen combined in my life. I wouldn’t be surprised if fans had killed more people than points the 49ers put up. It felt like we were with a bunch of gangbangers. But even with the rivalry and jarring, fans seemed generally nice. This was until we found out later that a fan got stabbed outside of the stadium….
What’s with the Broncos?
By halftime of Monday night’s game, the Broncos were staring at 2-4 and a disappointing season ahead. But they came back and had one of the most amazing comebacks in recent history. Guess who owns the top 2 comebacks in Monday Night Football history? Peyton Manning. I distinctly remember watching the Colts come back against the Buccaneers (once again on the road) down by 21 with only 5 minutes remaining. Monday night’s was equally impressive. Teams win in the 4th Quarter, and this is when the Broncos play their best football (ring a bell from last year?). Broncos have outscored opponents 79-6 in the 4th Quarter! Their 3-3 record doesn’t remotely show the strength of their team. Look at broncos losses, Atlanta (came back and had a shot to win), Houston (came back and had a shot to win), and New England. They’ve only lost to the toughest teams in the NFL. They also have had a crazy tough schedule to start off, and it only gets easier from here, playing only 2 teams with a winning record in their last 10 games. Broncos could dang near run the table!
Stat of the Week #1:
Russell Wilson as a rookie QB has already defeated Tony Romo, Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton, and Tom Brady.
Stat of the Week #2:
Only teams in the AFC have a record over .500. Three teams in the NFC West along have a record over .500.
Stat of the Week #3:
The Chargers’ second half possessions ended in fumble, punt, interception, interception, interception, fumble.
Quote of the Week #1:
“Niners are Whiners” little 8 yr old Giants fan in front of a crowd of fifty 49ers fans
Quote of the Week #2:
“Fair catch, that’s how we do it boys” the insane Giants fan behind me rooting for a play that didn’t need to be
Quote of the Week #3:
“Niiiiinnnnnnneeeeerrrrrrsssssss” 49ers Fan
“Only one Champion in this house man” Giants Fan yelling back on Fisherman’s Wharf
“Dad, I think you’re outnumbered” Giants fan’s daughter
Quote of the Week #4:
“So you must like the Minnesota Twins EEEHHHHH?” Canadian fans behind us who followed the stereotype of adding Ehhh to every sentence!
By the Way:
The “Niiiiiiiinnnnneeeeeerrrrrssssss” cheer they did was seriously annoying. Like more annoying than the Vikings first down horn. It sounded like all the air was escaping a dying moose.
Order Restoring Itself:
Remember after Week 3 and all those no-name QB’s were atop the Stats sheet? Things seem to be turning themselves around, take a look at 6 of the top 8 in yardage: Brady, P Manning, E Manning, Ryan, Brees, Rodgers.
Fantasy Focus of the Week:
A few weeks ago, FFMQB took over a fantasy football team and has impressed by going 2-1 with a team she didn’t draft. This week, yours truly and FFMQB had their first matchup against each other, and I refused to help her out leading up to the week. Low and behold, the football gods smited me by allowing two players on my bench to score over 30 points. Result of the matchup? A TIE!!! Probably saved a lot of agony in the FMQB and FFMQB household…
Fantasy point of Week 7:
There are 6 teams on bye this week, good luck people. In one league, I have 7 players on BYE, OUCH! My entire bench is on bye now.
Contending team to be a surprise this year:
Dolphins- Let it be known that in Mid-October, FMQB is picking the Dolphins to make the playoffs. When you look at it, Miami is 2 FGs away from 5-1. Ryan Tannehill is looking strong, running a no-huddle offense. And they’re playing in the most overrated division in football. Patriots still squeak out the division, but the Dolphins should turn it on in the second half.
Bears- Not too much of a surprise here, but I did pick the Bears to win the Super Bowl. Now more and more people are hopping on this bandwagon. Strong D with an improved offense will push the Bears at least to the NFC Championship.
Teams to Fizzle Off:
San Francisco– I have been off the 49ers bandwagon since before the season, while many picked them to win the Super Bowl, I didn’t even pick them to make the playoffs. And the 16 points scored in their last 2 games are starting to prove my point.
Baltimore- I still like the Ravens making a run in the playoffs, but it’ll be hard to overcome injuries to Ray Lewis, LaDarius Webb, Haloti Ngata, and Ed Reed.
Cardinals– It was a fun run while it lasted, but the Cards have lost 2 straight.
Vikings- Mentioned it earlier, but they’ll start off strong and fizzle with an impossible schedule at the end of the year.
RGIII Run:
Crazy run by RGIII to put the nail in the coffin for the Vikings. He apparently thought about running out of bounds for that play! (quota met for the week)
Upset of the Week:
Cleveland over the Colts on the road.
Game of the Week:
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati
NY Jets at New England
Baltimore at Houston
It has been 24 days since our last arrest, approaching the record!
FMQB 