OFFICIAL Gameday Packers beat SF 49ers thread

[HarveyWallbangers]

Just in as I was watching the game at a family party. Just a couple comments

We really miss Burnett because we really don't have even one good safety when he's not there; it's not hard to figure out why I wanted Eric Reed so much
We really missed Hayward just as much

I know I've said this over and over and over....but Brad Jones is really sub par. He lost his jock strap on several key plays today; I am used to that.

James Jones seems to disappear against good competion; Jordy Nelson excels. Finely is still an asset. Lacy gives us another pop that has been missing in a while.

Overall this team played pretty well and how well we played San Fran on the road shows that we're one of the best teams in the NFC

That's the Bretsky that I know and love. I didn't think Brad Jones was awful, but I'm really down on McMillian this year. I thought he had a chance, but he looks like Atari Bigby 2.0. Without the occasional big play.

[pbmax]

I don't think Hyde is the big issue. McMillian was awful. We really do need Burnett. Sucks that a guy who played every snap last year misses the first regular season game. I really hope that he comes back 100% and stays that way. That being said, I wouldn't be surprised if that game is an NFC Championship preview.

Hyde had coverage in the middle on a number of catches, certainly on Davis down the seam. Agreed though on McMillan, he did noting but trail pass completions. He did force OK in the run. Not sure Jennings did anything.

Burnett would have better all around.

[pbmax]

Jones lost coverage on the TE when he had a run read PLUS the need to cover Davis. The Packers were a body short on that side and that is what the 49ers O specializes in doing. Making you commit and be a man short. Matthews crash into the backfield did not help, its a dangerous play against that team. Had he stayed put, that route to Davis is a tougher throw and Jones has more time.

Matthews in the backfield is a double-edged sword. He sacks Kap or tackles Gore for a loss its great. If they run the play around him, its an open field. I think they might have to rein him in a bit.

[Willard]

Bahk was not a disaster. Not bad for a first game--presumably on no sleep--and against a pretty good DE. I feel better about LT.

[Bossman641]

Let the doom and gloomers have their fun this week.

The run D looks much improved, the pass rush should be much better once they can pin ears back and not worry about the scramble, the nickel and safety play was horrible today and should be much better with Burnett and Hayward back.

This games reminds me of the Indy game from last year (one WR tearing shit up, an awful call [the Perry call last year vs the CM3 assessment this year]).

We caused no turnovers, lost the battle 2-0, blew shit left and right and lost by a FG.

[packer4life]

Let the doom and gloomers have their fun this week.

The run D looks much improved, the pass rush should be much better once they can pin ears back and not worry about the scramble, the nickel and safety play was horrible today and should be much better with Burnett and Hayward back.

This games reminds me of the Indy game from last year (one WR tearing shit up, an awful call [the Perry call last year vs the CM3 assessment this year]).

We caused no turnovers, lost the battle 2-0, blew shit left and right and lost by a FG.

Perfect game summary. This team is going places; this game is a speed bump.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Let the doom and gloomers have their fun this week.

The run D looks much improved, the pass rush should be much better once they can pin ears back and not worry about the scramble, the nickel and safety play was horrible today and should be much better with Burnett and Hayward back.

This games reminds me of the Indy game from last year (one WR tearing shit up, an awful call [the Perry call last year vs the CM3 assessment this year]).

We caused no turnovers, lost the battle 2-0, blew shit left and right and lost by a FG.

Good points. One correction though: we lost by a TD.
:)

I will say the next two games are big though. We need to win at least one game. Hopefully, two. After that, I think we'll be off and running. An 0-3 start would be difficult though.

[Freak Out]

Secondary seemed lost....a bunch. Should get better with the return from injuries....?? Hope so. Three man rush at the end destroyed the O-line....sad when you don't get a chance to throw the Hail Mary. :)
Considering we had a chance at the end to beat the defending NFC Champs on the road shows what heart and talent many of these guys have.

[pbmax]

Bahk was not a disaster. Not bad for a first game--presumably on no sleep--and against a pretty good DE. I feel better about LT.

Except for Peppers, its not going to get much harder. But it wasn't a clean game.

[Bretsky]

Jones lost coverage on the TE when he had a run read PLUS the need to cover Davis. The Packers were a body short on that side and that is what the 49ers O specializes in doing. Making you commit and be a man short. Matthews crash into the backfield did not help, its a dangerous play against that team. Had he stayed put, that route to Davis is a tougher throw and Jones has more time.

Matthews in the backfield is a double-edged sword. He sacks Kap or tackles Gore for a loss its great. If they run the play around him, its an open field. I think they might have to rein him in a bit.


Jones was lost a few times on coverage; otherwise he was just lost. The guy just doesn't make plays. He's a 1.5 Million Dollar Backup.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Secondary seemed lost....a bunch. Should get better with the return from injuries....?? Hope so. Three man rush at the end destroyed the O-line....sad when you don't get a chance to throw the Hail Mary. :)
Considering we had a chance at the end to beat the defending NFC Champs on the road shows what heart and talent many of these guys have.

Indeed. Jordy has height and jumping ability. It would have been nice to see if he could have outleaped everybody.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Most encouraging thing to me was 1) Rodgers had enough time to do damage against that defense, 2) those three big guys up front are stout.

[Bossman641]

Good points. One correction though: we lost by a TD.
:)

I will say the next two games are big though. We need to win at least one game. Hopefully, two. After that, I think we'll be off and running. An 0-3 start would be difficult though.

Haha yes you are correct, too much vodka.

I already predicted people would be jumping ship at the bye. I'm interested to see how RG3 looks tomorrow. The Bengal offense looked good today, though they were sloppy with the ball. THe DL didnt looks as good as I expected. Gresham/Eifert will be a big test for the LB/S.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Most discouraging thing: 1) pass defense. I'm hopeful that will get a lot better with Burnett and Hayward in the game. Jeremy Ross was bad also. I'm not sure he survives the week. Joe McKnight may end up being the KOR and Cobb or Hyde the PR in week 2.

[pbmax]

They were almost able to attack the secondary as you could tell McCarthy wanted to do last year. O line still gave up too much pressure when they went wide. I think that might be the time to run Lacy or Starks on a draw. Will be interesting to see what was working for them on the goal line when they started gashing them.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Haha yes you are correct, too much vodka.

I already predicted people would be jumping ship at the bye. I'm interested to see how RG3 looks tomorrow. The Bengal offense looked good today, though they were sloppy with the ball. THe DL didnt looks as good as I expected. Gresham/Eifert will be a big test for the LB/S.

Eifert is going to be a stud in this league very soon.

[Patler]

Jeremy Ross was bad also. I'm not sure he survives the week. Joe McKnight may end up being the KOR and Cobb or Hyde the PR in week 2.

Yup. If he can't be trusted to be the primary punt and kick returner, he serves very little purpose on the roster. However, if they let him go they almost have to get another WR on the roster. For a pass-happy team like GB I would be surprised to see them go with just 4.

[Badgerinmaine]

Cobb was used on a return after one of Ross's messups. They need him to stay healthy for the passing game, but...

[Bossman641]

Yup. If he can't be trusted to be the primary punt and kick returner, he serves very little purpose on the roster. However, if they let him go they almost have to get another WR on the roster. For a pass-happy team like GB I would be surprised to see them go with just 4.

How did Ross lose confidence on the PR? I didn't see him misplay a ball. Did I miss something? He had 2 questionable KR that I saw but thats it.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Yup. If he can't be trusted to be the primary punt and kick returner, he serves very little purpose on the roster. However, if they let him go they almost have to get another WR on the roster. For a pass-happy team like GB I would be surprised to see them go with just 4.

The Packers have done peculiar things. They could run with 4, and then call up Johnson or White if one of the 4 get injured. Unlikely, but possible. McCarthy isn't a knee jerk reaction kind of coach. Same with TT. Ross will probably get another week or two to prove his worth. Eventually, injuries may dictate how things go. The Packers are also short on RBs from what they normally have.

[HarveyWallbangers]

How did Ross lose confidence on the PR? I didn't see him misplay a ball. Did I miss something? He had 2 questionable KR that I saw but thats it.

More discouraging then the decisions to me is the fact he didn't look dynamic on returns. Last year, I thought he looked dynamic. I felt the same way after the last preseason game, but he made enough catches to stick on the roster. The way Charles Johnson looked was disappointing to me also. However, much of that might have to do with injuries. If Johnson were to show more in practice, it wouldn't be surprising to see him get the call at #5 WR--with others handling return duties.

[digitaldean]

How did Ross lose confidence on the PR? I didn't see him misplay a ball. Did I miss something? He had 2 questionable KR that I saw but thats it.

I think Ross' decision making on kr's out of end zone was suspect.

I would rather see him replaced.

[Rutnstrut]

You mean like losing in the Super Bowl?

How many really tough physical, come from behind games did they have that year. This team is golden when playing with a comfortable lead against mediocre teams. But when facing a really good team they can't cut it. They will still be a good team, best in the North. But they are far from being a gritty, tough, smash mouth team, and imo that's what's needed to dominate in the post season.

[digitaldean]

EDS was shoved around on run blocking. Sitton was a penalty machine today.

Safety play was absolutely freaking putrid. The SF receivers found so many soft spots in that zone today it wasn't even funny.

[Carolina_Packer]

It's too bad they had to rely on Bush in sub-packages today. He just doesn't have the feel for coverage. I like how they stopped the run fairly well, but they couldn't consistently either get pressure on Kaepernick or stay with the Boldin. McMillian looked like Atari Bigby in coverage today. Man they missed Burnett and Hayward today. Damn hammies!

[pittstang5]

After this game, I'm now more worried about next week than I was prior. The Packer D held Kap in check and didn't allow him to run free...BUT, he torched us through the air. RG3 can and will do the same thing next week. The secondary looked awful.

Someone talk me down of the ledge, but I see the same thing happening next week.

[gbgary]

I think Ross' decision making on kr's out of end zone was suspect.

I would rather see him replaced.

his blocking really let him down on the last kor. 27 ran right past several guys to make that tackle.

[billy_oliver880]

EDS was shoved around on run blocking. Sitton was a penalty machine today.

Sitton holding calls were so fucking weak. I am willing to bet if you watched any of the other linemen they were hold their blocks similarly.

[swede]

Sitton holding calls were so fucking weak. I am willing to bet if you watched any of the other linemen they were hold their blocks similarly.

I thought the first was cheap, trailing the play and all, but out in space where the refs could see it got ugly and there was a little jersey pull. Ref attention is drawn to the ugly and unusual, and Sitton needed to let go earlier; play was over. i didn't see the second.

[Upnorth]

If we had burnett and haywood I think we win. Unfortunately we did not have them. SF oline > was oline so I'm not worried about next week (yet)

[Freak Out]

Fire Slocum! Even if Masthay is a badass.

[swede]

I am about as calm as I have ever been following a Packer loss. The team leaves KNOWING they can beat those guys. There will be shake ups and players will be held accountable. We will lose another tough one, probably in Cincinnatti, maybe against the Lions. After that Burnett and Hayward will be back and the team. will. roll.

[pbmax]

How many really tough physical, come from behind games did they have that year. This team is golden when playing with a comfortable lead against mediocre teams. But when facing a really good team they can't cut it. They will still be a good team, best in the North. But they are far from being a gritty, tough, smash mouth team, and imo that's what's needed to dominate in the post season.

This team gets and keeps a lead on good teams all the time. Comebacks are just for people who prefer Choose Your Own Adventure stories. Being more impressed with a come from behind victory than a lead from wire to wire victory is proof humans cannot stand to be satisfied.

Gritty, tough and smash mouth is one way to win. Another would be to not be an idiot and hand San Fran yards and scoring opportunities and just be happy with outscoring them.

Losing twice to the Seachickens and to the Ravens in the Super Bowl doesn't make the 49ers any less tough or good. But it also means no team building tech is perfect.

[pbmax]

I am about as calm as I have ever been following a Packer loss. The team leaves KNOWING they can beat those guys. There will be shake ups and players will be held accountable. We will lose another tough one, probably in Cincinnatti, maybe against the Lions. After that Burnett and Hayward will be back and the team. will. roll.

You and me swede, you and me. And probably Harv and bossman.

But I am a wee bit concerned about Hayward. Burnett would help, no doubt about it. But I would like Hayward back as well.

[packer4life]

Sitton's 3rd holding call was ridiculous. I saw the replay and I was literally scratching my head. No idea what they were calling.

[VegasPackFan]

You and me swede, you and me. And probably Harv and bossman.

But I am a wee bit concerned about Hayward. Burnett would help, no doubt about it. But I would like Hayward back as well.

I'm the same. I feel better about this loss tan almost any in the past.

[Harlan Huckleby]

More discouraging then the decisions to me is the fact he didn't look dynamic on returns.

Yes. It looked like the first time he ever tried returning. Very tentative. Not all that fast.

I would probably give Ross one more game. I don't know why, guess I'm a softy.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Sitton's 3rd holding call was ridiculous. I saw the replay and I was literally scratching my head. No idea what they were calling.

I think it was two holdings and one paw to the face mask, right?

I thought the last holding call against Sitton was marginal, but not a bad call. Sitton was pulling on the guy's shoulder pad. Usually they don't call it, but I can see how the ref saw it as holding. On a slow-mo replay, easy to see it wasn't much.

[Rutnstrut]

Sitton's 3rd holding call was ridiculous. I saw the replay and I was literally scratching my head. No idea what they were calling.

You are correct, no hold there what so ever.

[swede]

What did you think of Neal's play out of the OLB?

I felt that he was doing nothing other than hand-checking and dancing with the OT, but I suppose they were supremely concerned that rushing wide would give Kap a running lane.

[Upnorth]

Neal did nothing, however bacteria was great for first start against smith. Could be a huge find.

[mraynrand]

That was a wonderful, exciting, interesting game. Too bad our guys didn't win. Observations:

Dr. Jennings looked like Mr Hyde
McMillian is a mess - not coming off his receiver to tackle Gore was just mind-bending inexcusable
SF exploited the weaknesses of the Packers to a tee. Find the replacements for injured guys and mercilessly go after them.
Packers D sacrificed a lot in the passing game to defend Kap and the run. It mostly worked out
Packer offense was excellent and horrible at the same time. What was it? 5 three and outs - that's asking for trouble.
Biggest disappointments? No, it's not McMillian and Jennings (we shouldn't expect that much) It was the lack of pressure from D. Jones and Perry.
Bacteria was not bad.
Cannot expect Packer O line to run block against a good d-line looking for the run (but so what; it's not that critical)
Not seeing another pro bowler next to Matthews at this point on defense

Not sure what else, except that to give up as much as the Packers did in TOs, field position, and ToP and be leading late is a very good sign.

All losses are bitter, but there is good reason for optimism

Going to need an injury free year for this team to compete for the championship.

[George Cumby]

Glad to hear folks are sanguine about this one. Didn't see the game but sounds like a fun one to watch.

North said it in another thread: we lose this battle but win the war.

[mraynrand]

Glad to hear folks are sanguine about this one. Didn't see the game but sounds like a fun one to watch.

North said it in another thread: we lose this battle but win the war.

we could, but I suspect the Pack will have to go ouchless the entire season to win it all. They have some pretty bad depth.

[George Cumby]

we could, but I suspect the Pack will have to go ouchless the entire season to win it all. They have some pretty bad depth.

Of particular concern to me is the early bye week. I prefer late byes to heal from a long season of injuries.

[Harlan Huckleby]

Biggest disappointments? No, it's not McMillian and Jennings (we shouldn't expect that much) It was the lack of pressure from D. Jones and Perry.

I wouldn't single-out Jones & Perry. Did Neal get a whiff of anything but offensive tackle? The whole pass rush stunk.

Face it, the Packers are Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews. But maybe those 2 and 51 guys is enough.

[mraynrand]

I wouldn't single-out Jones & Perry. Did Neal get a whiff of anything but offensive tackle? The whole pass rush stunk.

I didn't expect anything from Neal, so that wasn't disappointing.

[jmbarnes101]

I wouldn't single-out Jones & Perry. Did Neal get a whiff of anything but offensive tackle? The whole pass rush stunk.

Face it, the Packers are Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews. But maybe those 2 and 51 guys is enough.

I don't know that its just Rodgers and Clay, Jordy and Cobb are fantastic playmakers as well.

[Pugger]

Two stupid plays cost them a TD.


After the stupid play by Clay and the skirmish afterwards the head of officials is now saying SF should NOT have had another down. It should have been offsetting dead ball fouls and 4th and 2. SF then gets a free down and a TD instead of going for a FG in that situation. Had they gone up by 3 instead of 7 the entire tenor of the game would have been different. :?

[Pugger]

I blame MM. What the hell was he he thinking? Why give them another shot?

Fire McCarthy.

McCarthy didn't have a choice after those offsetting penalties after Clay hit CK out of bounds.

[Pugger]

Not really. They are only up 7...at home...and we gifted them 7 on a fumble.

I don't see how SF is dramatically better. Our OL is piss poor, and Rodgers hasn't been hassled all that much. Their vaunted run game is invisible.

Our Achilles' heel in that game was the back end of the defense. Our safeties in particular stunk out the joint.

[Pugger]

You know who the 49ers are? They are the Lions.

That was not a hold.

THANK YOU. The first penalty by Josh was hands to the face but the 2 holding calls were bull shit.

[steve823]

Man I miss nick collins

[Pugger]

I said that when the Cards let him go and I said it when the Ravens let him go. Why don't the Packers ever get someone like this, oh that's right TT doesn't need free agents.

We don't need WRs. Now if you're talking safeties that's another story...

[pbmax]

Bach - tremendous considering the circumstances. However, he and Barclay did not do well in space with wide rushes. And somehow gave up more pressure to a 3 man line than a four man line. Hopefully the latter was just a new experience in a game situation.

I am not mad at Perry, Neal, Daniels or Jones yet for the pass rush. They were clearly under orders not to let him escape on a run to the QB pass rush. Perry played one of those perfectly, tying Kap and the blocker in knots long enough for help to come. Neal and Jones actually caught Kap on another bail out of the pocket. If they can't produce a pass rush in the next 3 games then I will be worried. But not against this guy.

Matthews must have had a green light. He made two great plays but on one of his crashes they caught a long first down to the TE. Jones was the only other player around and I doubt that was his guy.

[Pugger]

Morgan Burnett is a huge loss. McMillian is not good. I think I'd take Banjo right now. I'd also take Hyde over Bush.

We now see why we paid Burnett and why Hayward was in the running for DROY last year. Hyde was in his first game. McMillan and Jennings should only play ST. :p

[Pugger]

thats why you cut his ass

i don't care if he is special teams god. he always ends up on the field on D, and he always fucks things up

If Burnett and Hayward played you wouldn't have seen Bush in there.

[pbmax]

From Bob's Gamer at JSO: http://www.jsonline.com/sports/packers/packers-secondary-the-weak-link-as-anquan-boldin-runs-roughshod-b9993280z1-222911691.html


"That (containment) is all we did," Jones said. "That guy's dangerous."

[Pugger]

That's the Bretsky that I know and love. I didn't think Brad Jones was awful, but I'm really down on McMillian this year. I thought he had a chance, but he looks like Atari Bigby 2.0. Without the occasional big play.

Jennings is just as bad. :p

[Pugger]

Except for Peppers, its not going to get much harder. But it wasn't a clean game.

But you have to admit it was better than we all feared it could have been.

[HarveyWallbangers]

Jennings is just as bad. :p

I don't think so. Jennings at least offers some coverage at times. McMillian is seldom good in coverage. He's supposed to be an in the box safety, but misses far too many tackles. He's a big disappointment to me. I had high hopes for him when we drafted him.

[Fritz]

I'm not quite giving up on McMillan, but it's clear he's not ready. I am very disappointed in his play.

SF was clearly better yesterday. The two turnovers were big, and the safety play cost the game.

I was encouraged by the second half running game, discouraged bye the second half defense.

Has anybody seen James Jones?

[3irty1]

Positives:

We had a remarkable first half all things considered. It was raining shit on the Packers with two STUPID turnovers and some help from the hometown refs in SF yet it was still somehow tied at half. The defense played well, and made them work hard for every yard. The offense pulled it together for a fantastic drive before half.

Bakhtiari and Barclay gave us solid games. MM helped them out a lot with the playcalling. Bakhtiari looks likely to give us the best LT play we've seen since Clifton.

Jordy Nelson can just be a jaw dropper. Finley responded very nicely to his own retardation and did some damage from an inline spot too although they never ran to the strong side from some reason. Cobb is a one man offense.

Brad Jones was always in good position and had a great day of tackling.

Pickett at 1-tech FUCK YEAH! Raji played well. Nice to see that Jolly hustle again! Love it when Capers brings the beef.

We were barely beaten by a good team. In fact despite their offseason losses and the fact that they've already had more injuries this year than last, I think this is the best version of the Jim Harbough 9ers we've seen. Kapernick does not seem to know that he's supposed to be a flash in the pan, he had some big time throws. Eric Reid was the best defensive player on the field yesterday. Looked like vintage Troy Polamalu.

Negatives:

Eddie Lacy was a disappointment and I don't want to hear excuses. He's quick and he's got power but with no balance to go with it he's just a guy who falls down violently on first contact. Poor vision on the run before his TD run, left some yards on the field. I understand its Bowman making a play but there are no excuses for a fumble ever. The jury doesn't stay out long for running backs so he had better show up next week.

File a missing person's report for James Jones.

Why in the name of Vince Lombardi's horned-rimmed glasses is Ross on the team? Guy is just a corn-studded turd.

Seeing as how Clay now makes the big bucks now I feel better about pointing out that when MM said last year that X% of FF in the NFL come off sacks and that's something we have to work on he was talking about Clay. Strip the ball Richy Rich.

No reason geriatric possession receivers should be putting up those numbers. Some of his yards were good throws, good cuts, and good veteran pushoffs but plenty of it was Boldin in the slot matched up against a linebacker or safety. In many ways this game was reminiscent of the Indy game last year, just the expectations going in were different.

Jerron McMillan needs to wrap up, especially if he's not going to cover.

Finley would make me pull my hair out except then I'd look like Finley which would remind me of Finley which would cause a positive feedback of rage that could only end in a school shooting. Finely causes school shootings.

Sitton and EDS were a tire fire. Clearly SF staff saw something holdy Sitton was subtly doing on tape and got in the ref's ear about it but the fact that MM couldn't do the same for Boldin's repeated nudge-offs is a negative on it's own.

[Fritz]

Good comments though I'm less down on Lacey.

[Upnorth]

+1 to thirty1, but I'm more bullish on baktiari. For his first start pulling a probowler he played excellent. Like I said last night we have hay wood and burnett we win! Also the third and six fourth and two hurt us bad.

[Harlan Huckleby]

McCarthy didn't have a choice after those offsetting penalties after Clay hit CK out of bounds.

Sorry, but I got a bug up my ass about that decision. You have 3rd and 6 versus 4th and 1 in the red zone. If you look at the game flow, Kaepernick is having little trouble passing on 3rd down. I'm not sure SF's chances of succeeding in 4th and 1 are drastically different from their 3rd down conversion rate. What's more, chances are good that they kick the chip-shot field goal on 4th and 1 anyway. Why, why would you give Kaepernick an extra shot at the end zone?

[pbmax]

One of the first two holding calls, Sitton was about to lose control of Smith and the hold of the shoulder pad and jersey (everyone's technique) was more obviously an advantage. Smith looked like he was about to disengage. But I have seen worse not called.

The other two he had his hand in the same place but was in control of Smith. Neither of those gets called except that the hole was wide open. Sitton was getting some movement on that guy.

McMillan: I am not sure how they worked this yesterday but I think Bush's presence meant JM stayed at safety while Bush was at dime slot corner with Hyde. When Burnett is healthy, JM would slide back there.

Hayward is out four weeks minimum at this point. He will need time and reps. McMillan could be called on for coverage until Week 6 unless they find a better option. Suggestions included House and Williams but I am not sure either has played slot before for the Packers.

Has anyone else, besides Bush, worked at slot corner beyond Hyde and Hayward?

[Harlan Huckleby]

The Packers were hurt without Burnett and to a lesser extent Hayward. But remember, San Fran was missing Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham. A wash?

[ThunderDan]

The Packers were hurt without Burnett and to a lesser extent Hayward. But remember, San Fran was missing Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham. A wash?

No, how does SF improve their passing game yesterday? They threw for 400+. You don't put in Crabtree and Manningham and magically throw from 500+ yards. We sucked at pass coverage yesterday.

[run pMc]

Felt pretty good at halftime considering Lacy's fumble and Finley's bobble.
Eric Reid makes our safeties look like hobos TT found on the street on the way to the game.
Thought Jarrett Bush was in the game too much, I assume they didn't play House more for a reason. Pass pro for Rodgers was pretty good considering the defense -- the tackles held up ok, but Bakhtiari does look small.
EDS was snapping the ball a half second after he lifted his head; Aldon Smith was timing that and jumped early once or twice, but Bahktiari did ok for a first game.
Sitton's penalties were costly and saw SF get away with a few holds.
The whole "extra down" controversy might have mattered but it wasn't as egregious as last year's Fail Mary, and frankly if this satisfies the season's requirement for a controversy I'm good.

The secondary lost this game -- Boldin and Davis were their threats and they couldn't stop them. How much of that is on the safeties?
Thought the defense had trouble getting set in their calls.
The no-huddle drive where they started to get *some* yards on the ground was impressive -- the Niners defense was on its heels.
Didn't see Datone Jones do anything. Perry was ok, Neal did not impress. Thought I saw more 3-DL sets but doubted wist cracked a smile. Looked like the Defense played a mush-rush to keep Kaepernick in the pocket, and the secondary let Boldin (who probably runs a 4.75 40 at this point) run wild.

A good game for the fans...tough to win Game 1 on the road against the defending conference champs. Going in, I thought SF was a more talented team so I'm ok if GB loses the first game of the season -- if they win the last one.

[Harlan Huckleby]

No, how does SF improve their passing game yesterday? They threw for 400+. You don't put in Crabtree and Manningham and magically throw from 500+ yards. We sucked at pass coverage yesterday.

A "wash" means the same, not worse. The Packers defense were missing two DBs, the SF offense was missing two WRs. And they were of roughly equal quality. Perhaps the result would be similar with everybody playing.

[mraynrand]

Sorry, but I got a bug up my ass about that decision. You have 3rd and 6 versus 4th and 1 in the red zone. If you look at the game flow, Kaepernick is having little trouble passing on 3rd down. I'm not sure SF's chances of succeeding in 4th and 1 are drastically different from their 3rd down conversion rate. What's more, chances are good that they kick the chip-shot field goal on 4th and 1 anyway. Why, why would you give Kaepernick an extra shot at the end zone?

totally agree, also for the reasons I put in the other thread. Shows total lack of confidence in the D.

[pbmax]

Its hard to be positive about a defense that surrenders 400 yards in the air. But, unlike last year where big plays completely deflated the D in the 2nd half and it looked like a surrender, they competed hard to the end.

They were still getting stops late and its not enough, but its better than last year's effort.

[mraynrand]

A "wash" means the same, not worse. The Packers defense were missing two DBs, the SF offense was missing two WRs. And they were of roughly equal quality. Perhaps the result would be similar with everybody playing.

That's always hard to say. I haven't gone over the tape, but the Packers claimed they were going to play "left to right" with d-backs, meaning everyone stays in their place and takes whomever they get. If mostly true, that's inviting SF to expose the hell out of their weakness by moving their strength (Boldin), which I believe did happen a lot. If Hayward and Burnett are in there, perhaps that doesn't happen, and if Manheim and Crabby1 are in there, maybe there still is not extra advantage.

It seemed the Packers played a reasonable amount of zone coverage (or at least less shifting) to prevent getting misaligned and unsound against the run game or the Kap game. That worked, but they may have sacrificed being able to match up with Boldin better (even so, Boldin made outstanding catches even with good single or double coverage).

[pbmax]

His offseason study did seem to pay off on keeping the D balanced. San Fran specializes in getting odd man match ups like the TE first down when Matthews went crashing into Gore and Jones could cover the TE. But that happened far less than last year.

[3irty1]

Its hard to be positive about a defense that surrenders 400 yards in the air. But, unlike last year where big plays completely deflated the D in the 2nd half and it looked like a surrender, they competed hard to the end.

They were still getting stops late and its not enough, but its better than last year's effort.

It seems to me that the defense gave up a game and a half worth of yards because they were on the field for a game and a half worth of minutes. The offense gave them back the ball more than their fair share through turnovers and 3 and outs.

[denverYooper]

It seems to me that the defense gave up a game and a half worth of yards because they were on the field for a game and a half worth of minutes. The offense gave them back the ball more than their fair share through turnovers and 3 and outs.

This is an excellent point. D held up pretty well considering they played a ton on a hot day. I thought it was going to get a lot worse in the 4th Q, frankly, because of TOP. But they continued to get enough stops to keep the game within reach.

[mraynrand]

His offseason study did seem to pay off on keeping the D balanced. San Fran specializes in getting odd man match ups like the TE first down when Matthews went crashing into Gore and Jones could cover the TE. But that happened far less than last year.

Another thing they did was to stay on receivers longer, until Kap was running for certain. Matthews did this once in coverage of Davis and I remember at least on other time. Instead of chasing Kap and allowing a huge reception, the run was limited to 5-6 yards (last year, Gore's huge reception came on a play like this where Wood pursued Kap too early).

[mraynrand]

I was disappointed Rodgers didn't see Lacy open underneath for a first down late in the game (perhaps second to last drive, not counting the 26second drive). Rodgers was rolling right, and Lacey came open - Rodgers threw deep to Jordy who was being interfered with by assomugga.

[pbmax]

I was disappointed Rodgers didn't see Lacy open underneath for a first down late in the game (perhaps second to last drive, not counting the 26second drive). Rodgers was rolling right, and Lacey came open - Rodgers threw deep to Jordy who was being interfered with by assomugga.

Remember when we all were worried he was Captain Checkdown? Now I wish he would.

[pittstang5]

I think Hyde needs a crash course in playing safety this week. I dont think Burnett will be able to play again this week. Not sure if Banjo is any better than McMillan yet.

[mraynrand]

Remember when we all were worried he was Captain Checkdown? Now I wish he would.

it's just a coulda woulda in an otherwise pretty flawless performance. It's too easy to take Rodgers for granted.

[Freak Out]

Can Banjo do worse out there? Also....where the hell is Madtown? Did he survive the game? Some drunk did fall to their death there btw....

[pbmax]

Can Banjo do worse out there? Also....where the hell is Madtown? Did he survive the game? Some drunk did fall to their death there btw....

re: Could Banjo do worse out there?

Answer: Yes, see Woodson in playoff game last year.

:)

[Pugger]

I was disappointed Rodgers didn't see Lacy open underneath for a first down late in the game (perhaps second to last drive, not counting the 26second drive). Rodgers was rolling right, and Lacey came open - Rodgers threw deep to Jordy who was being interfered with by assomugga.

Was the interference called? If not then the fault for that play failing lies elsewhere and not at Rodgers' or Nelson's feet.

[mraynrand]

Was the interference called? If not then the fault for that play failing lies elsewhere and not at Rodgers' or Nelson's feet.

It may have been one of those cases where both Nelson and Ass were making a play on the ball and contact was 'incidental' - Nelson also may have slipped. It looked bad, but Fox didn't show a replay or another angle. The point was that if Rodgers sees and tosses to Lacey, he's wide open and an easy first down. Bet Rodgers is kicking himself for not seeing or not going to him.

[denverYooper]

I thought Quarless had a decent game.

[bobblehead]

Its hard to be positive about a defense that surrenders 400 yards in the air. But, unlike last year where big plays completely deflated the D in the 2nd half and it looked like a surrender, they competed hard to the end.

They were still getting stops late and its not enough, but its better than last year's effort.

This defense was far better. We push rushed the passer to make him throw to beat us instead of run for 181 yards. We stuffed the RO, and Gore was rendered useless.

The D was handicapped by the offense putting them right back on the field too many times via turnovers and 3 and outs.

It wasn't "great" defense, but it wasn't as bad as it looked. We need Burnett back without a doubt, McJennings SUCKED!!

Edit: HOw many drives did Josh Sitton Kill by himself??

[pbmax]

This defense was far better. We push rushed the passer to make him throw to beat us instead of run for 181 yards. We stuffed the RO, and Gore was rendered useless.

The D was handicapped by the offense putting them right back on the field too many times via turnovers and 3 and outs.

It wasn't "great" defense, but it wasn't as bad as it looked. We need Burnett back without a doubt, McJennings SUCKED!!

Edit: HOw many drives did Josh Sitton Kill by himself??

I agree about the offense. Way too many 3 and outs. They did not hold up their end of the field position donkey nor TOP, either of which would have helped. TOs did not help either. It looked like a game with the Bears, only the Bears with an offense.