Bears Game Notes

coffeeman · Nov 20, 2012

spacedoodoopistol said:
Do the Saints still blitz as much under Spagnulo? I thought the idea was that he's the exact opposite of blitzmaster Gregg Williams?

Not as much as Gregg Williams did but over the last few weeks, Steve Spagnuolo has blitzed more then usual. He uses more of the zone blitz as opposed to the man to man blitz.
The Saints defense has struggled but they are playing better as of lately

ChrisPozz · Nov 20, 2012

PFF had Aldon Smith rushing the passer 22 times last night. They gave him credit for SIX sacks, 2 other hits on the QB, and had 0 hurries. He played 47 snaps (the SF leaders played 59). He played the run 22 times, rushed the passer 22 times, and dropped into coverage 3 times. According to them, he got some form of pressure on 36% of his rushes last night.

ChrisPozz · Nov 20, 2012

49ers Blog and Q&A: Notes: Aldon Smith sets MNF record with 5 1/2 sacks

"I think I have a thing for night games," said Smith, who also stood out in a Monday Night Football game against Pittsburgh last year. "I love playing at night, I love the lights."

ChrisPozz · Nov 20, 2012

Scout.com: 49ers vs. Bears: Thumbs up and thumbs down

ChrisPozz · Nov 20, 2012

Harbaugh considers Kaepernick's 'hot hand'

"I don't think one game can be called a 'hot hand,'" Kaepernick said.

Bemular · Nov 20, 2012

ChrisPozz said:
PFF had Aldon Smith rushing the passer 22 times last night. They gave him credit for SIX sacks, 2 other hits on the QB, and had 0 hurries. He played 47 snaps (the SF leaders played 59). He played the run 22 times, rushed the passer 22 times, and dropped into coverage 3 times. According to them, he got some form of pressure on 36% of his rushes last night.

It will be interesting to see if PFF will hold their line on Aldon vs. the official NFL #'s

ChrisPozz · Nov 20, 2012

Aldon Smith leads strong defensive showing

ChrisPozz · Nov 20, 2012

Notebook: Smith Leads the Charge on MNF

Akers Bounces Back

David Akers missed a game-winning overtime kick against the St. Louis Rams last week, but bounced back with two makes on Monday Night. Akers connected on 32 and 37-yard field goals in the first half, and another 32-yard make in the fourth quarter giving him at least one made field goal in every regular season game of his 49ers career.

“It was a little bit better day than last week,” Akers said. “A good way to get back on the horse.”

The veteran kicker was also pleased by the coverage units who matched up with former teammate and special teams standout Blake Costanzo.

“Blake was making plays,” Akers said. “We knew he was a great player and we knew we needed to focus on him as well. It was a great win on special teams. I thought Andy (Lee) punted the ball great and the coverage units did a great job.”

According to Akers, the 49ers use more directional kicks than normal.

“The ultimate job against Devin Hester is not letting him score a touchdown,” Akers explained. "We went to a pop-kick, we went to directional and I don’t normally do that. We just tried to get their returns out of synch a little bit.”

It worked. Hester was held in check for most of the night, highlighted by a 9-yard loss on a second-half punt return. Both Anthony Dixon and Tramaine Brock did an excellent job of tackling the talented returner for a loss.