some quick thoughts

[bvanthielriceyoung]

-oline played pretty good. they got some help with the playcalling(lot of quick throws) but still had good protection. This wasnt the case last week or in Baltimore. Good to see they can correct it. Although a little concerning that they go to shit some weeks.

-this isnt just about the pittsburgh game, but I'm starting to believe that Crabtree can be a number one receiver. Hes playing really well lately. His numbers would be A LOT better if he had a better QB, more specifically one that can hit the deep ball more then 1 out of 25 times. I've said it before, the number one attribute and underated talent of a receiver is their ability to get open. Crabtree has shown that he can do this consistently. It seems like every week Crabtree is beating a guy deep or for a big play that would go for a TD but Smith misses him.

-As for Alex Smith, he had a pretty good game. Some nice short and medium throws. Had some good reads. I really wish he could get the long ball down. This really holds us back and leaves so many plays and points on the field. We would be a whole different team if we could connect on these. His touch passes are very questionable too but does seem to make the occasional one so not as big of an issue but one nonetheless.

-Bowman really isnt playing close to the level that he was at the beginning of the year. Not sure what the problem is but just not near as dominate lately. Still plays pretty good in spurts but was looking like an absolute stud at the beginning of the year.(was somewhat close to Willis's level)

-Aldon Smith - not much has to be said. Absolute beast and huge piece to have for our team in the future. This pick turned out to be a grandslam.

-Kyle Williams continues to show that he has the ability to be a very good receiver in this league. I like him a lot and should be on the field quite a bit. Lots of potential here.

-Andy Lee we need to sign him to a contract extension. For how our team plays with our limitations on offense, he really is a huge piece to our team. Sounds odd because he is a punter but he can change the outcome of games.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

This is as good a place to mention it as anywhere: they called a reverse chop on the Steelers tonight. And it's just a terrible, terrible call.

Overall thought this was a good game. Might have a chance to post some more in-depth thoughts later.

 

[Flyingiguana]

that long ball to crabtree, seemed like smith was throwing to a spot and crabtree was too far inside. those two never seem to be on the same page.

i'm hoping vernon can make plays like he did today. against any other team i think he would picked up a lot more yards.

williams on punt returns is making me hold my breath. he doesn't seem too comfortable out there.

 

[xJuicex]

Oline played fantastic.

 

[bvanthielriceyoung]

that long ball to crabtree, seemed like smith was throwing to a spot and crabtree was too far inside. those two never seem to be on the same page.

i'm hoping vernon can make plays like he did today. against any other team i think he would picked up a lot more yards.

williams on punt returns is making me hold my breath. he doesn't seem too comfortable out there.

Yeah Vernon Davis had a nice game. And like you said, I think he couldve had a lot more YAC against almost any other team. Some really good plays by the Steelers in miminizing the damage he did.

 

[wartyOne]

Quick thought #1: air is awfully lite. That's "lite" and not "light."

Quick thought #2: Roethlisberger says "Fuck that hurt," a lot when he plays the niners.

Quick thought #3: Beer good. Yay.

 

[bvanthielriceyoung]

Quick thought #1: air is awfully lite. That's "lite" and not "light."

Quick thought #2: Roethlisberger says "Fuck that hurt," a lot when he plays the niners.

Quick thought #3: Beer good. Yay.

 

[dredinis21]

-oline played pretty good. they got some help with the playcalling(lot of quick throws) but still had good protection. This wasnt the case last week or in Baltimore. Good to see they can correct it. Although a little concerning that they go to shit some weeks.

-this isnt just about the pittsburgh game, but I'm starting to believe that Crabtree can be a number one receiver. Hes playing really well lately. His numbers would be A LOT better if he had a better QB, more specifically one that can hit the deep ball more then 1 out of 25 times. I've said it before, the number one attribute and underated talent of a receiver is their ability to get open. Crabtree has shown that he can do this consistently. It seems like every week Crabtree is beating a guy deep or for a big play that would go for a TD but Smith misses him.

-As for Alex Smith, he had a pretty good game. Some nice short and medium throws. Had some good reads. I really wish he could get the long ball down. This really holds us back and leaves so many plays and points on the field. We would be a whole different team if we could connect on these. His touch passes are very questionable too but does seem to make the occasional one so not as big of an issue but one nonetheless.

-Bowman really isnt playing close to the level that he was at the beginning of the year. Not sure what the problem is but just not near as dominate lately. Still plays pretty good in spurts but was looking like an absolute stud at the beginning of the year.(was somewhat close to Willis's level)

-Aldon Smith - not much has to be said. Absolute beast and huge piece to have for our team in the future. This pick turned out to be a grandslam.

-Kyle Williams continues to show that he has the ability to be a very good receiver in this league. I like him a lot and should be on the field quite a bit. Lots of potential here.

-Andy Lee we need to sign him to a contract extension. For how our team plays with our limitations on offense, he really is a huge piece to our team. Sounds odd because he is a punter but he can change the outcome of games.

Here are my thoughts to what you said.

OL, I totally agree with you on this.

Crabs, I don't think he has that game changing ability to be a legit #1, still needs to work on consistency with his hands, but I truly believe he could be a great #2. I think that Kyle Williams needs to play a lot more and frankly, he should be permanently placed in the starting lineup. I like that kid a lot! And a six round pick at that. He seems to be a good route runner and IMO, the most natural pass catcher of our entire receiving corps.

Alex Smith is inaccurate for sure, but unless there is a clear cut upgrade, I am cool with his production. He manages the game well and although he's not sexy with his numbers, he just consistently gets the job done. He seems to be making better and better decisions as each game passes. He's no Montana but the guy is showing some moxie and intelligence out there.

Bowman, I really believe that Willis is a beast and that Bowman's success is directly linked to Willis being on the field. If you noticed, Bowman's production has gone down about the same time that Willis was out of the lineup. Don't get me wrong...I think Bowman is a good LB, but without Willis, I don't think he produces at a ProBowl level.

Aldon Smith is Demarcus Ware v2.0, end of story. That kid's handwork is beyond impressive. He was just simply THROWING Max Starks around as if Starks were the one that was outweighed by 70 lbs. Constantly getting inside the pads with force and consistency with great speed on the stunts and his long ass arms are seriously disruptive!

Lee, another 7 yr contract. Nuff said.

Now for a couple of thoughts of my own. I have 100% faith in EVERYTHING that Baalke and Harbaugh are doing now. Baalke knocked it out of the park with Aldon, Culliver, and Hunter in this draft and I have to believe that he had something to do with the Kyle Williams 6th rd pick as Williams doesn't seem like he was a "Sing guy". Harbaugh saved those defensive pass rushing stunts, offensive screens and bootlegs for the team that he thought he needed to save it for most. This proved to me that this offense is definitely a work in progress with intelligent exploitation as it's rally cry. Defensively, I love the aggression that the entire defense plays with. I can't remember the last time I had so much fun watching our defense fly around.

 

[CalamityX11]

Andy Lee MVP!!! Harbs even called him out, get that man franchised!!! franchise him i say!

Super efforts by the OL and Smith, he manages the game, and doesn't give the Def a chance to force a TO. He was quick(playcall) and decisive with his passes and it worked.

Running game was a lot better this time around.

VD, so happy to see you dominate that TD drive. Beautiful!

 

[imac_21]

that long ball to crabtree, seemed like smith was throwing to a spot and crabtree was too far inside. those two never seem to be on the same page.

i'm hoping vernon can make plays like he did today. against any other team i think he would picked up a lot more yards.

williams on punt returns is making me hold my breath. he doesn't seem too comfortable out there.

The one down the sideline? Crabtree was too far inside for the spot Smith was throwing to because Smith's "spot" was 5 yards out of bounds.

 

[threelittleturds]

As to Crabtree being a #1 WR. I agree that getting open is a big part of that.. but so is making the catch when you're not wide open. The kind of stuff Fitzgerald and Megatron do is what makes them true #1s, constantly coming back to the ball and fighting for it in crowds to come down with it.

Rice would do that too, he could simply get open with route running like Crabs is doing now... but Rice would also adjust to the ball in the air and fight for catches in crowds... Crabs needs to add that to his WR ability before I start thinking he's a #1.

Especially with Alex Smith as the QB, adjusting to poorly thrown balls is way more valuable than getting open with great route running.

 

[imac_21]

As to Crabtree being a #1 WR. I agree that getting open is a big part of that.. but so is making the catch when you're not wide open. The kind of stuff Fitzgerald and Megatron do is what makes them true #1s, constantly coming back to the ball and fighting for it in crowds to come down with it.

Rice would do that too, he could simply get open with route running like Crabs is doing now... but Rice would also adjust to the ball in the air and fight for catches in crowds... Crabs needs to add that to his WR ability before I start thinking he's a #1.

Especially with Alex Smith as the QB, adjusting to poorly thrown balls is way more valuable than getting open with great route running.

This is true, however, I can't think of a time where Crabtree was really asked to make a tough catch in traffic. Smith doesn't seem to be willing to force balls in. Whether that's a lack of trust in his receivers, or in himself, or just an extremely cautious approach, it hinders Crabtree (and the other targets) opportunity to prove they can make that tough catch.

 

[threelittleturds]

This is true, however, I can't think of a time where Crabtree was really asked to make a tough catch in traffic. Smith doesn't seem to be willing to force balls in. Whether that's a lack of trust in his receivers, or in himself, or just an extremely cautious approach, it hinders Crabtree (and the other targets) opportunity to prove they can make that tough catch.

Good Point... Crabtree doesn't get a chance to prove that he can do the stuff I talked about because Smith rarely makes those passes. Heck, the only one I can think off the top of my head that would qualify was that pass to Edwards that got picked off at the end of the 1st half in the Ravens game. One that, for whatever reason, the WR needed to adjust and come back to it while fighting through a defender for the catch.

 

[iHATEdodgers]

The one down the sideline? Crabtree was too far inside for the spot Smith was throwing to because Smith's "spot" was 5 yards out of bounds.

Ha. That's true. However... if you notice Alex was fading to the left away from an oncoming defender which imo is why the ball also drifted to his left out of bounds. I'm not trying to absolve him of any blame - but that throw was a bit more difficult than I thought it was at first glance... I think Alex made it more difficult by fading to the left, he could have hung in there and made a more accurate pass (possibly) but he probably would have taken a big hit to his throwing shoulder so I can't blame him for that. Generally though he has been inaccurate deep down the sidelines.

 

[iHATEdodgers]

Good Point... Crabtree doesn't get a chance to prove that he can do the stuff I talked about because Smith rarely makes those passes. Heck, the only one I can think off the top of my head that would qualify was that pass to Edwards that got picked off at the end of the 1st half in the Ravens game. One that, for whatever reason, the WR needed to adjust and come back to it while fighting through a defender for the catch.

Crabs did drop that one in the redzone on a quick slant (I think) I can't remember who it was against now... maybe the Giants... would have been a probable TD. Generally though maybe Smith is a little gun-shy because of all the tipped INTs from last year.

 

[Cut My Red I Bleed Gold]

Oline played fantastic.

Yep they stepped it up for sure. It looked like Smith would get the steelers to show what they were about to do by working the snap cadence to suck them in close to the line of scrimmage giving blitzers less room do work with. That coupled with the short pass attack with multiple looks really helped alleviate the prior problems we had with the Ravans and Cards.

 

[spacedoodoopistol]

A. If I saw the phrase "he only has 5 INTs" as often as I see "he refuses to take chances" it would be easier to take, but negative nancys only want to focus on one side of that equation. He IS being very cautious with the ball, but that trait does have a significant upside....especially on this of all teams.

B. I do give credit to the OL, they played well, but I was definitely surprised at how creaky that Steelers D is. I've just hardly watched them play this year, but between Harrison's absence and a bunch of old guys, that LB corps wasn't the vaunted Steeler attack last night. If it weren't for Polamolu the Niners offense might have had a much bigger night....the guy is just a force, single-handedly destroyed a good play call to Gore in the flat that probably could have scored, and just made big tackles all night.

 

[MW49ers5]

As to Crabtree being a #1 WR. I agree that getting open is a big part of that.. but so is making the catch when you're not wide open. The kind of stuff Fitzgerald and Megatron do is what makes them true #1s, constantly coming back to the ball and fighting for it in crowds to come down with it.

Rice would do that too, he could simply get open with route running like Crabs is doing now... but Rice would also adjust to the ball in the air and fight for catches in crowds... Crabs needs to add that to his WR ability before I start thinking he's a #1.

Especially with Alex Smith as the QB, adjusting to poorly thrown balls is way more valuable than getting open with great route running.

Nailed it! Well said, Three!

IMO, Crabtree is just an average, blue-collar, book-route running type of WR. He hasn't shown the ability to adjust his route or his body to get open, to beat a defender or to defend a pass. If Crabtree does have the ability to become a threatening #1 WR, it is well hidden.

When Smith throws his bad passes, or, if Smith were to ever to (intentionally) throw a jump ball to Crabtree, I have MUCH more faith the defender will either defend or come down with those passes before Crabtree, and that perception will have to change as well.

 

[MW49ers5]

Good Point... Crabtree doesn't get a chance to prove that he can do the stuff I talked about because Smith rarely makes those passes. Heck, the only one I can think off the top of my head that would qualify was that pass to Edwards that got picked off at the end of the 1st half in the Ravens game. One that, for whatever reason, the WR needed to adjust and come back to it while fighting through a defender for the catch.

Actually, Crabtree has been in quite a few of those situations. Just this season.
There was the "Go" in Detroit - dropped,
The "Go" in Philly that hit him in the hands,
The "Go" vs. the NYG in which he did precisely the same thing Edwards did vs. BAL - ran himself out of the play only to watch the defender establish position and get the INT. Fortunately, there was a defensive penalty which "No-Played" the INT.
The effort on the fade vs. the NYG was not a thing of beauty.
The jump ball vs. Arizona that was nearly picked.

And there are more.

I thought Crabtree played basketball, but if he didn't then, if I were him, I would go see a basketball coach and work on developing rebounding skills and techniques.

Something else other #1's have besides exceptional physical agility is the ability to raise the level of concentration while in traffic - Some, #1's are as or more likely to drop a wide open pass as opposed to one in traffic.

There are three things every receiver should be looking to do on every pass in close quarters; catch it, defend it or draw a PI call. Crabtree is not very good at any of those - just yet.

 

[deep9er]

-oline played pretty good. they got some help with the playcalling(lot of quick throws) but still had good protection. This wasnt the case last week or in Baltimore. Good to see they can correct it. Although a little concerning that they go to shit some weeks.

-this isnt just about the pittsburgh game, but I'm starting to believe that Crabtree can be a number one receiver. Hes playing really well lately. His numbers would be A LOT better if he had a better QB, more specifically one that can hit the deep ball more then 1 out of 25 times. I've said it before, the number one attribute and underated talent of a receiver is their ability to get open. Crabtree has shown that he can do this consistently. It seems like every week Crabtree is beating a guy deep or for a big play that would go for a TD but Smith misses him.

-As for Alex Smith, he had a pretty good game. Some nice short and medium throws. Had some good reads. I really wish he could get the long ball down. This really holds us back and leaves so many plays and points on the field. We would be a whole different team if we could connect on these. His touch passes are very questionable too but does seem to make the occasional one so not as big of an issue but one nonetheless.

-Bowman really isnt playing close to the level that he was at the beginning of the year. Not sure what the problem is but just not near as dominate lately. Still plays pretty good in spurts but was looking like an absolute stud at the beginning of the year.(was somewhat close to Willis's level)

-Aldon Smith - not much has to be said. Absolute beast and huge piece to have for our team in the future. This pick turned out to be a grandslam.

-Kyle Williams continues to show that he has the ability to be a very good receiver in this league. I like him a lot and should be on the field quite a bit. Lots of potential here.

-Andy Lee we need to sign him to a contract extension. For how our team plays with our limitations on offense, he really is a huge piece to our team. Sounds odd because he is a punter but he can change the outcome of games.

after going thru the Ravens and Cardinals, yeah good to see the O-line (and supplemental protectors) weren't "miscommunicating". agree the protection was better overall, so there's some scheme improvement for sure. no doubt James Harrison helped a lot, so not getting ahead of ourselves.

Alex Smith looked comfortable last night, guess he's seeing more of the defense and reacting accordingly? he's much better on quick throws - three steps and out. his medium routes looked better too, not quite accurate enough for YAC's, but i'll take it.

to be nit picky.......there were a few plays where Alex got out of the pocket AND had time to throw. i'd think most times this results in a big pass play? he has to take advantage of these opportunities.