San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith returned to the starting lineup for his third career start and in the first half of the game against the Arizona Cardinals things looked like they were going to be much different.

Smith came out on fire in the first half, looking nothing like the guy that struggled miserably against the Colts and Redskins in his only other starts before injuring his knee. Smith completed 11-of-12 passing attempts in the first half, while also showing some good velocity on his throws. I was getting pretty happy, as was the crowd, because Smith was proving why we took him with the first overall pick.

My happiness would not last long.

A crazy thing happened to Smith that has also been plaguing the rest of the team. Halftime.

I have no idea what the team is doing in the locker room at halftime but it seems like all season when they come out for the second half they forget they have 30 minutes of football left. Smith only completed 5-of-12 passes in the second half and threw another three interceptions. Smith’s totals in three games this season make me sick to look at. 385 yards passing, zero touchdown passes and eight interceptions is worse than I ever imagined for the rookie from Utah. What happened to Smith being mobile? I know I bought into all the hype that Smith would also be able to make some plays on the run. Smith looks far from mobile and I don’t know if the knee injury is to blame but a mobile quarterback does not get run down by 300 pound defensive tackles on multiple occasions while scrambling. Patience is what all 49ers fans need with Smith including myself but sooner or later that patience will run out.

This game was not as close as the 17-10 score. When the Cardinals had the ball, they were throwing it all over the field but they could not get the ball in the end zone and a terrible running game is a big part of that problem. The sad thing is the 49ers running game was even worse than the Cardinals. I expected good things from the 49ers run attack in this game as Kevan Barlow was not going to play. 49ers running backs Frank Gore and Maurice Hicks did nothing in this game, which all 49ers fans have grown accustomed to from Barlow.

The 49ers defense did a good job of not letting the score get out of control. Safeties Michael Adams and Keith Lewis came up with big interceptions to stop drives by the Cardinals that surely would have led to some points. Lewis had the best game of his short career, also blocking a punt in the third quarter that led to a 48 yard field goal by Joe Nedney.

It is pretty clear what a couple of really good receivers can do for a quarterback. Kurt Warnerhas come back from the dead ?” for the second time ?” to have a pretty good year and it is mostly due to the awesome Cardinals tandem of Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. Warner threw for 354 yards on 29-of-45 passing. These kinds of numbers have been the norm for opposing quarterbacks when they face 49ers defense and it shows as the team is ranked dead last in pass defense.

Boldin showed in this game why he is one of the most dangerous receivers in the league. If Boldin had not missed some time because of an injury, he would be putting up some ridiculous numbers. Boldin won the game for the Cardinals by bouncing off a three would-be tacklers for a 54 yard touchdown reception. Boldin is so strong that the attempted tackles barely bothered him before he burst down the sideline. During one part of the game, the Fox telecast showed a clip of Smith and USC’s awesome running back Reggie Bush playing together at Helix High School in San Diego. It had me dreaming of next season when hopefully the two will be playing together again. Many people say the 49ers should trade the pick down and get a bunch of players. That’s a horrible idea. We traded down in the 2003 draft only to take Rashaun Woods. Look how that turned out. Woods cannot even get on the field. Bush is one of the best players to come out of college in a long time and could turn this franchise around even with a terrible offensive line.

Before I end this blog, I have to pay special attention to offensive tackle Kwame Harris.

Harris is the worst player ever to put on pads in the NFL.

The miserable part is Harris was actually a first round pick. Not one game goes by that he does not make five bone-headed mistakes. Harris holds, Harris misses, Harris stares into space.

It’s the same story every week and fans have begun to boo Harris on each of his mistakes. Harris does not belong on the 49ers or in football for that matter.

The 49ers have four games left in the season, three of which will be on the road, starting next week in Seattle against a tough Seahawks team. I hope to see Smith have a full game similar to his play in the first half of this week’s game against the Cardinals and maybe just maybe he will throw his first touchdown pass. I just hope he can play good games down this final stretch to bring some kind of momentum into next season similar to what Eli Manning did with the New York Giants last season which has paid off for that team this season.

Sunday, Nov. 27

Road woes continued for the San Francisco 49ers as a troubled third quarter in Tennessee doomed the team in their 33-22 loss to the Titans.

In close to two full seasons, the 49ers have won all of one game on the road. The way the team plays on the road compared to at home is laughable. Winning has not really happened at all anywhere for the 49ers as their record now falls to 2-9 but at least the games are close at the friendly atmosphere of Candlestick (refuse to call it Monster) Park.

At least this week on the road, the game was not over quick. The 49ers waited until they exited the locker room after halftime to play like third-graders as opposed to getting blown out from the first snap of the game.

The 49ers went in to halftime with a 14-9 lead and momentum. The defense had not allowed a touchdown and in fact scored one of their own on a 61 yard interception return by cornerback Shawntae Spencer. The offense got in the end zone as well for the second straight week on a one yard run by Kevan Barlow.

All the good feeling of the first 30 minutes of football was put to rest in the third quarter.

Tennessee quarterback Steve “Air” McNair went all Alcorn State on the 49ers re-living his glory days by throwing for three touchdowns in the first 11 minutes of the second half. McNair would finish the game with 343 yards passing in the game. It was the type of aerial assault that most people had expected from the Titans this year with the plays being called by new offensive coordinator Norm Chow, formerly the offensive coordinator of the college football juggernaut USC Trojans.

The 49ers defense really took a step back in this game to the way they had been playing early in the season when every quarterback was torching them for over 300 yards. It is even worse for this team as they really do not have much offense to speak of and rely heavily on a good defensive effort each week.

As I thought the fourth quarter last week by the 49ers offense against the Seattle Seahawks was a mirage and the offense went back to its usual poor play. Quarterback Ken Dorsey struggled against a poor Tennessee defense that has proven throughout the season it has issues. As for the running game, I am not sure what more to say about Barlow. Barlow was against outplayed by his backup Maurice Hicks. Barlow ran for a whole 40 yards on 14 carries good for an average of 2.86 yards per carry. Hicks on the other hand only touched the ball six times for 30 yards and an average of five yards per carry. On any good team, Barlow would be a practice squad player but here in San Francisco he is our main guy and highly paid. It is painful to watch Barlow dance side to side on each carry only to fall straight down on the line of scrimmage…

The unfortunate part of this loss is this was a very winnable game against a very beatable team. Tennessee came in with the same poor record of 2-8 as the 49ers. They are a team very much in transition with old stars like Eddie George, Jevon Kearse, Samari Rolle and Derrick Mason gone and new stars trying to emerge. Sounds really familiar to the 49ers right? The problem is Tennessee is even further along in their rebuilding process than the 49ers and the gap seems to be larger than some thought.

A terrible thing happened in 49ers history before this game even started. The 49ers best offensive threat, kicker Joe Nedney, was going to have to miss this game against the Titans with an injury and they needed to sign a replacement. The replacement, as I watched it flash by me on the bottom line of ESPN in the middle of the week, was none other than Jose Cortez. I thought wait a minute-what-no-really-yeah- that Jose Cortez. The same Cortez that sucked for the 49ers once already in his career, the same Cortez that sucked for two other teams just this season, the same Cortez that almost got eaten by Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Larry Allen this season in a game against the 49ers and the same Cortez that forgot he was a kicker and taunted the crowd at Candlestick after the Cowboys won, was officially coming back to the 49ers. Now, I know it is the holiday season and the spirit of giving is filling the air, but I would really like to know what crazy person was responsible for bringing Cortez back. Cortez has proven he cannot make even easy field goals during his career in the NFL but for some reason that has not stopped three teams from giving him a paycheck this season. Cortez missed his lone field goal attempt in this game against Tennessee and let me be the first to say goodbye Mr. Cortez and hopefully the 49ers front office doesn’t lose their minds again and bring you back a third disastrous time.

The rest of the season now for the 49ers is a race with the Houston Texans to see which team is going to finish with the worst record in the league. Right now the Texans have the upper hand with a 1-10 record but the race is sure to culminate in the last week of the season when the two teams face against each other. Hopefully some bright spots can happen for the 49ers as the end of the season draws near because it has been a tough season to watch.

Sunday, Nov. 20For three quarters of football against the NFC-West leading Seattle Seahawks, it was the same old San Francisco 49ers offense that has been stinking up the NFL.

It was 49ers kicker Joe Nedney doing the only scoring, netting four field goals in the first 45 minutes. It looked as if the 49ers were going to extend their streak of not scoring a touchdown to five games and then something brilliant happened.

The 49ers’ offense came alive for the first time in weeks.

Quarterback Ken Dorsey, back from an ankle injury and starting his second game of the season, was actually throwing the football. I was in shock when I saw that the game plan was not two-yard runs on every play. The 49ers made this game very interesting in the end. The fourth quarter belonged to the 49ers and although they would go on to lose to the Seahawks 27-25, they gave the team from the Great Northwest all they could handle.

Early in the fourth quarter, Dorsey ended the dreadful streak when he connected with wide receiver Brandon Lloyd on a 22-yard touchdown pass.

With the clock running down in the game, the 49ers got to within two points on a touchdown dive by running back Maurice Hicks. They had a chance to tie the game on a two-point conversion but Dorsey’s attempted pass to wide out Johnnie Morton bounced on the turf and ended any chance of overtime.

Dorsey had the best performance for any 49er quarterback this season. He did not make any mistakes and threw for 249 yards on 18-of-29 passing. Dorsey also possessed a great chemistry with with Lloyd that the offense has been dearly lacking.

Lloyd thrived as throwing plays were actually called in this game. The catches Lloyd makes continues to amaze me. He makes the most acrobatic catches of any receiver in the league. In this game, he made a couple of highlight-reel catches with one-hand that I have come accustomed to seeing from him. Lloyd can be inconsistent at times and most of his problems this season have been from the lack of throwing directed his way. If Lloyd can get the starting quarterback each week to throw the ball like Dorsey did in this game, he has shown that he can be dangerous.

If I were running the San Francisco 49ers, the next move I would make after acquiring a whole new offensive line would be to give under-achieving Kevan Barlow his pink slip and show him the door. You do not pay a back $20 million for him to have a couple of good games all season. The more typical type of game that Barlow is accustomed to is the one he had in this game for the Seahawks. Barlow ran the ball 12 times for 21 yards. Third-string running back Maurice Hicks was thrust into action with second-stringer Frank Gore on the inactive list. Hicks made the most of his time running 11 times for 83 yards including a 50-yard sprint that would never come from the legs of Barlow. Hicks outperformed Barlow last season and he proved he can do it again. A third-stringer should never out-perform your best player if that player is any good and the 49ers front office should see that Barlow is a joke.

I really hope next season Barlow is not on this team because I am tired of watching his act.

Mr. Reggie Bush, you have a call on line one, its the San Francisco 49ers and they want to select you with the first overall pick.

The defense did not play that great or that bad in this game. I knew Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander was going to get his 100 yards on the ground and some touchdowns. Alexander is the best player in the NFL at any position and should be the MVP of the league this season. I have no idea what the Seahawks management is thinking in not signing this guy up for the next ten years.

Most people were predicting Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to have a monster game and for the most part he did not. He threw for 233 yards and a touchdown but did not came through with the big game most thought he would. One of the guys that I think the 49ers should think about starting at cornerback in the future is the rookie out Washington, Derrick Johnson. Johnson has had a nose for big plays all season and has the experience from playing in the Pac-10 in college. Johnson broke up a big third-down throw by Hasselbeck late in the game to give the 49ers their chance at a comeback.

Next week the 49ers travel to the land of Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley, the state of Tennessee. The Titans will play host to the 49ers. This is going to be a very winnable game for the 49ers and hopefully they will be able to eliminate their road woes for one week.

Sunday, Nov. 13

Chicago lived up to its billing as the windy city in Sunday’s game and the San Francisco 49ers offense looked like it got blown out of the stadium before the game began.

I do not want to hear 49ers head coach Mike Nolan put a positive spin on the outcome of this game; there is nothing good that can come from an ugly 17-9 loss to da’ Bears.

The passing offense was again non-existent. Starting quarterback Cody Pickett completed just one pass the entire game and that did not come until the second half. I understand that the wind was part of the problem but this is just crazy. Nolan and offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy just look flat out dumb in their play calling. Running on all three downs is not going to do anything, let alone against the No. 3 defense in the NFL in the Bears.

I can flat out say I was very embarrassed in this game when the 49ers were given the ball on the 2-yard-line following a botched punt by Bears punt returner Bobby Wade and could not cash in for a touchdown. Wade fumbled three punts and the 49ers did nothing with them but get field goals by kicker Joe Nedney. The 49ers have now gone three straight games without a touchdown and I do not see an end in sight to this team record they have now set. The paltry offense also is first in the league in three and outs on offense which tells me I would rather have USC or Notre Dame’s offense any day before this supposed offense.

The amusing thing to watch in this game were the kickers for each team. This game was ultimately decided in the kicking game. Bears kicker Robbie Gould got his first field goal attempt swept away by the wind and his second attempt was knocked down during the snap by the wind. The 49ers Joe Nedney enjoyed a little more success hitting three of his four field goal attempts but the one he did miss was costly. Prior to the end of the first half, Nedney got his field goal attempt knocked down by the wind and Bears cornerback Nathan Vasher picked it up and scooted and NFL-record 108 yards down the field for the touchdown. This score definitely demoralized the 49ers much like last week when the New York Giants scored before the half last week.

The 49ers defense has continually progressed the past three weeks and the way they have played they should win. They allowed Bears third-string running back Adrian Peterson to run for 120 yards and a touchdown following the injury to second-string running back Cedric Benson who gained 50 yards. The 49ers defense was much better in the passing game where they have suffered more of their damage this season. They only allowed Bears quarterback to throw for 67 yards. This unit bent but did not break and they are not the reason for the loss.

Nolan and McCarthy are going to need learn how call something other than a two yard run by the pitter-patter runner Kevan Barlow if they want to score at some point the rest of the season. I think they are not giving Pickett enough credit. He can throw the ball but the coaches are insistent that he not throw the ball. The coaches and the offense should be ashamed of there performance in this game because I know I am.

I will not be holding my breath next week for a touchdown as the NFC West-leading Seattle Seahawks come to town. I am just hoping for maybe five pass completions by whichever quarterback starts for the 49ers.

Last year’s first overall draft pick Eli Manning can finally say he has won on the road as a starting quarterback in the NFL following a 24-6 win by his New York Giants over the San Francisco 49ers.

The game was a lot closer than most expected and even closer than the score indicates. The 49ers had their chances in this game to beat a talented Giants team that is now 6-2 and a power in the NFC.

For the second week in a row, the 49ers defense played excellent football. The Giants have excellent playmakers in Manning, running back Tiki Barber, tight end Jeremy Shockey and wide receivers Plaxico Burress and Armani Toomer. The 49ers defense held Barber to just 71 yards on 21 carries. I thought this was a tremendous accomplishment as Barber was just coming off a game against the Washington Redskins in which he rushed for over 200 yards.

The turning point in this game happened as the first half was about to come to a close. The 49ers was definitely playing inspired football as they shut down the 265- pound beast running back the Giants like to use in close situations in Brandon Jacobs twice, once on a fourth down. With less than 20 seconds left in the half, the Giants decided they would try to convert on another fourth down with the monster truck Jacobs in the backfield. Anticipating another run, the 49ers stacked the line of scrimmage to stop the big man Jacobs. The Giants tricked the 49ers defense running a play-action pass as Manning calmly delivered a strike to Shockey for a 32 yard touchdown to make the score 10-0. The score took the momentum away from the sound play of the 49ers defense.

I pretty much cannot take the poor offensive line in particular tackle Kwame Harris any longer. Someone needs to tell me why Harris was drafted or plays in the NFL? Harris could probably get a holding call on every play but the refs would feel bad so they threw the flag on him only half of the game. Not to be outdone, fellow tackle Anthony Clement got his share of holding calls to ruin big plays for the 49ers offense too.

The best play of the game and one of the best catches you will ever see was made by 49ers wide receiver Brandon Lloyd as he skied high in the air and pulled down a ridiculous catch with one hand at the 49ers three yard line. Of course because this is the 49ers and the worst offensive line in history, the play was called back on a holding call by one member of the terrible tackle tandem, Clement. 49ers head coach Mike Nolan should clearly see that a need in the off-season will be a whole new offensive line that knows how to block and not hold. It’s pathetic to watch these guys ruin countless plays.

49ers quarterback Cody Pickett became the fourth quarterback to start for the team in five weeks. I like Pickett and was happy to see him get a start. I thought the plays that were called were conservative as the team gave him limited times to throw the ball. Pickett has good arm strength and can get the ball down field but it seemed he was not allowed to as Nolan continued to try and run the ball to no avail. I am bored to death and sick of this Baltimore Ravens style offense. Every once in awhile, throw the ball downfield. I know we have a Pop Warner offensive line but utilize the shotgun formation if you have to scare the defenses with a pass.

Running the ball in this game was really not an option for the 49ers. In true Kevan Barlow form, the running back had a terrible afternoon following a good outing last week. Barlow ran the ball 10 times for a mere four yards. Even if he has a good game or not, I still think the better back on the roster is Frank Gore. Gore continues to look more explosive when he gets the ball in his hands. On one play, Gore broke off a nice 22 yard run that led to a field goal. Nolan continues to believe Barlow is a good back because every blue moon Barlow will have a decent game. If Gore had the opportunities that Barlow is getting, Nolan would see the difference between a poor running back and a good running back.

The NFC Central-leading Chicago Bears will be the opponent in week 10 and it will be tough again to score for the 49ers against a very good defense. Joe Nedney better get his leg warm because the team is going to need it to win. It is going to take about four to five field goals to beat the Bears, unless for some reason the 49ers go crazy and score a touchdown.

Sunday, Oct. 30

The San Francisco 49ers defense surprisingly led the way in a shocking 15-10 win over the upstart Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

New Buccaneers starting quarterback Chris Simms, thrust into action because of injury to Brian Griese, proved to be the perfect remedy for the 49ers defense. Simms looked confused the entire afternoon, throwing two interceptions and fumbled on a key possession late in the game. Simms did manage to pass for 264 yards, but that number is inflated due to the 78 yard touchdown pass caught by wide receiver Joey Galloway. Galloway did most of the work on the play tip-toeing his way down the sideline for the score.

Running the ball was not an option for the Buccaneers as that element of their offense was effectively shut out of the game. Highly-touted rookie running back Carnell “Cadillac” Williams could only muster a mere 20 yards on 13 carries on the ground. Five sacks were also recorded by the defense with the ageless wonder, Bryant Young, coming up with two of those sacks, bringing his season total to eight. Young also forced that critical fumble by Simms late in the fourth quarter. As a whole, the 49ers defense held the Buccaneers offense to a total of 275 net yards. That mark is well below the 49ers defense’s average of 453 yards per game. Coming into the game, the 49ers defense was on pace to be the worst defense ever, but this game went a long way in proving that they are better than that distinction.

This game also proved that there is one good fantasy player on the 49ers roster, kicker Joe Nedney. All of the points scored by the 49ers came via Nedney’s foot. Nedney nailed five of his six field goal attempts to keep the Buccaneers at bay just long enough to win the game. Nedney is one of the better kickers to play for the 49ers and does not make me for one minute miss the past of Jose Cortez, Jeff Chandler and Owen Pochman.

Running back Kevan Barlow ran with authority from the start of the game against the great Buccaneers defense. Barlow ran for 101 yards on 26 carries to pace the 49ers offensive attack. Rookie running back Frank Gore did a nice job giving Barlow some rest at a few points in the game, rushing 10 times for 40 yards. The Buccaneers came into the game as the number one defense against the run only giving up an average of 62 yards per game. The 49ers running attack doubled that mark and then some, finishing the game with 158 yards total rushing. A performance like this running the ball is something that the 49ers should be proud of and build on.

Success running the ball did not translate to success passing the ball for the 49ers. Third-year quarterback Ken Dorsey became the third quarterback to start a game for the 49ers subbing in for Alex Smith, who was out of this game with a sprained knee. Dorsey would not be the third quarterback to end a game for the 49ers as he suffered his own injury in the fourth quarter when he apparently injured his ankle and had to leave the game. With Dorsey out, in came the fourth quarterback to appear for the team this season, former Washington Huskies standout Cody Pickett. Pickett had just made a tackle during punt coverage on special teams when he was told he would finish the game at quarterback. Pickett completed his only pass for 10 yards and ran twice for 12 yards, one good for a critical first down on the final scoring drive. Just a few weeks ago, Pickett was fourth on the depth chart at quarterback and in this game he led the team while the San Francisco crowd chanted his name.

This game was definitely an upset as the Buccaneers had only one loss and the 49ers had only one win. The defense needs to use this game a bench mark of how they should play each week. The passing game definitely needs to improve as this offense does not remind me of the 49ers but more like the Baltimore Ravens. Do not get me wrong, I like watching this team run the ball well. I just wish we could pass the ball effectively or at least a little bit like 49ers fans have come accustomed to see over the years. Hopefully, Alex Smith will be back under center to get the passing game going but if not Pickett might not be bad option even if Dorsey is healthy to go.

The 49ers might be able to start a little winning streak as the New York Giants come to town in week 9. The Giants are 5-2 and in first place in the NFC East. The Giants are a good team but since Eli Manning was named the starting quarterback, they have failed to win on the road. If the Giants continue their road struggles and the 49ers play inspired football as they did against the Buccaneers, they could have another upset and their third victory of the season.

Sunday, Oct. 23

The last time the San Francisco 49ers traveled to the Atlantic coast this season to face an NFC East opponent they got destroyed and in their second trip this season things were not much different.Their first trip to east was for a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, a game which they lost 42-3. This week the 49ers traveled to the nation’s capital to face the Washington Redskins and the Redskins went nuts on offense as most teams have on the 49ers this season. The game was out of control following the first quarter and the game ended 52-17 in favor of the Redskins.

Defensively the 49ers did not have an answer for the Redskins. Quarterback Mark Brunell continues to look like the guy that led the 1996 Jacksonville Jaguars to the AFC championship game. Brunell has chemistry with his wideouts Santana Moss and David Patten that is similar to the chemistry he had with Jimmy Smith and Keenan McCardell. Moss caught five passes in this game for 112 yards and a touchdown, while Patten only had two grabs but both in timely situations for 56 yards. Brunell only threw the ball 20 times, completing 13 of those tosses for 252 yards and three touchdowns.

That stat line smells like success for fantasy owners with Brunell.

Redskins running back Clinton Portis did not score a touchdown in the first six weeks of the season. He made up for his lack of touchdowns in this game, getting in the end zone three times. He added 101 yards on the ground on just 19 carries. The backup to Portis, Ladell Betts, also got close to the century mark in yards gaining 92 yards on 12 carries.

It was simply a track meet for the entire Redskins offense when they touched the ball and the 49ers defense was carved up again.Offensively the 49ers continue their search to find an identity with new starting quarterback Alex Smith. Coming off a terrible performance in his first start in the NFL, Smith did not make as many mistakes in this game but still struggled in passing the football. He only threw one interception as well as fumbling once but that is light years better than the five turnovers he had against the Indianapolis Colts. He failed again to register over 100 yards in passing, throwing 92 yards on 8-for-16 passing. One thing Smith can take from this game is he improved from his last game, even if it was a slight improvement.

The bright spot in this game for the team and the offense came in the first quarter. Smith showed on one play he can throw the ball down the field to a wide receiver when he hit Brandon Lloyd on a 43 yard strike. Running back Kevan Barlow capped off the drive with a 17 yard touchdown run. The touchdown trimmed the lead to 14-7 by the Redskins. Nothing good would come from the 49ers offense until the fourth quarter when the game was well out of hand with a score of 52-7.

Although the game was out of hand, I like the fact the 49ers head coach Mike Nolan stuck with Smith and that the team did not give up. Smith led the 49ers on a drive of 46 yards on nine plays that ended with a Joe Nedney field goal.

On the next 49ers possession, rookie running back Frank Gore showed why he has a promising future, busting out a 72 yard touchdown run. Gore finished the game with 89 yards on nine carries. Barlow on the other hand finished with 54 yards on 14 carries. Nolan has said before that Gore knows how to attack holes better than Barlow and it continues to show. We should see a little bit more from Gore to see how special of a back he can be. Gore was the backup to Portis at Miami University while Portis was there and then Gore became the starter in his senior season. Most running backs from “The U” turn out pretty well in the NFL and maybe Gore is the next great back to come out of that system.

The game ended a week that started with such promise for this 49ers fan. Former starting quarterback for the 49ers and my personal-favorite punching bag Tim Rattay was traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. I really am going to miss all the bone-head throws that Rattay made but it was the right thing to do. Smith knows this is his job for sure now and his play will get better with the experience.

Oddly enough, Rattay and the Buccaneers come to town in week 8. The Buccaneers traded for Rattay because their own starting quarterback, Brian Griese, was lost for the season with an injured knee. Right now, Chris Simms is slated to start at quarterback for the Bucs but it would not surprise me if Rattay gets the nod. Hopefully, the 49ers defense can prey on the mistakes that are bound to happen from Rattay if he gets in the game.

Sunday, Oct. 23

No. 1 overall draft pick Alex Smith was named the new starting quarterback of the San Francisco 49ers earlier in the week and his first test with the offense was a performance to quickly forget.

The highly improved Indianapolis Colts welcomed Smith to the NFL with four interceptions, one returned for a touchdown by linebacker Cato June.

The offensive line played in its usual miserable way and Smith had barely anytime to think when he dropped back to pass.

The good news for Smith is he escaped this game alive. The thought of Colts all-world defensive end Dwight Freeney mauling Smith had bothered me all week. Freeney and the Colts defense were able to get some hard shots in on Smith but in the end, he was able to withstand the punishment.

The Colts defense made throwing to receivers impossible for Smith. The Colts use a cover two scheme on defense, which is designed to shut down the opposing wide receivers. Shut down they did, as the only wide receiver to catch a pass was Johnnie Morton, one time for 14 yards.

The Colts are clearly the top team in football this season. Their offense has not played as great as they did last year and the fact is they do not have to as the defense appears to be building up to the level of Colts head coach Tony Dungy’s former team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Two-time MVP quarterback Peyton Manning threw for a ridiculous record 49 touchdowns last season. Seeing as the 49ers defense had allowed four straight quarterbacks to throw for over 350 yards, I was expecting Manning to tear up the team. The 49ers defense answered the bell for this game only allowing Manning to throw for 255 yards on 23 of 31 passing, one late touchdown and two interceptions, one by linebacker Derek Smith and another by defensive back Bruce Thornton.

The 49ers secondary has been ravaged by injuries to starters Mike Rumph and Ahmed Plummer and really hung tough with the Colts great receivers. Not one receiver had more than 75 yards receiving and the touchdown catch was made by little-used Stanford product Troy Walters.

The game was really a reverse of the way the 49ers defense has been playing all season. In the first four games, the defense was being hurt mostly through the air and has been able to stop the running game of the opposing team. In this game the biggest weapon of the Colts offense was dangerous running back Edgerrin James. James was the first back to run for over 100 yards on the 49ers defense this season, netting 105 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown.

49ers running back Kevan Barlow clearly had his best game of the season and was the only offensive weapon for the team. On only 18 carries, Barlow was able to run through the defense for 99 yards. Barlow was also the top receiver on the day netting 29 yards on three catches.

For the first four weeks of the season, I heckled old starting quarterback Tim Rattay. Much to my dismay, new starting quarterback Smith played much worse in this game than Rattay had played in the first four games of the season. The decision to switch to Smith is still the right one as he has much more upside than Rattay. The 49ers are in for another long season and Smith needs to go through these growing pains in the offense now not later. Hopefully sooner rather than later Smith will figure out how to excel in the NFL and these days bad days will be a thing of the past. Smith has the tools to be a great quarterback; he just has to learn how to use those tools, just as all the other rookie quarterbacks have had to learn before him.

A good thing for the 49ers is that next week serves as their bye week. The bye week will allow for the team to clear their heads after losing four straight games and give Smith some much more needed time in practice with the offense.Sunday, Oct. 2

The San Francisco 49ers traveled to a foreign country and the defense put up the same terrible results it was giving in the United States.

The Arizona Cardinals came to Mexico and did what they could not do twice last season in the U.S. ?” beat the 49ers by a score of 31-14.

A beating is exactly what the defense took, albeit after a very good start in the first quarter. After the first 15 minutes, the 49ers defense remembered they could not defend a passing play.

For the fourth-straight game the 49ers allowed an opposing quarterback to throw for over 350 yards. This time it was Cardinals backup quarterback Josh McCown. McCown, only in the game because of an injury to Kurt Warner, shredded the defense for 385 yards and two touchdowns.

The game, played 7,347 feet above sea level in Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, started off with a bang for the defense as linebacker Derek Smith recovered a fumble in the end zone for a touchdown on the first play form scrimmage.

49ers rookie cornerback Derrick Johnson returned another Cardinals fumble 79 yards to make the score 14-0. The 49ers were doing great and the offense had barely touched the ball.

The 49ers offense did not do much when they did get the ball on offense. The main problem was the depleted offensive line. They could not block anybody or anything. I think the referee might have got a hit on quarterback Tim Rattay part mid-way through the second quarter.

When Rattay did have enough time to pass he looked like the backup he should be. I do not expect this guy to be Joe Montana or Steve Young but he is not even close to another quarterback that used to wear number 13 for the 49ers, Steve Bono. Rattay only threw for 126 yards on 11-of-21 passing and an interception that looked like he coordinated with Cardinals defensive back Robert Tate.

Tate, signed by the Cardinals on Thursday because of their own injury problems, made another big play on defense in the fourth quarter to solidify the victory for the Cardinals. Running back Frank Gore caught a pass and the ball was nailed out of his hand by the pursuing Tate for a fumble, which the Cardinals recovered.

In a country where soccer is king, it was the foot of the Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers that provided much of the scoring. Rackers connected on all six of his field goal attempts and alone outscored the 49ers.

Wide receiver Brandon Lloyd was the lone offensive star for the 49ers. He had his second straight 100-yard receiving day catching seven balls for 102 yards. He continues to be the best player for the 49ers and is coming into his own in his third season in the NFL.

No. 1 draft pick, quarterback Alex Smith, got his most playing time of the season entering the game with 8:29 left in the game. I liked what I saw from him. He did not set the game on fire, only throwing for 34 yards on 6-of-10 passing, but he gave me some hope that at a point in the future the quarterback position will be solid for this team. He showcased his strong arm on a couple of plays that the scouts said he had and once he can get the experience he needs at this level, he should be a special quarterback.

If McCown, a backup quarterback with the Cardinals, can tear up the 49ers secondary the way he did on this evening, it is just scary to think what two-time Most Valuable Player Peyton Manning will do when he comes to San Francisco with his Indianapolis Colts this Sunday.

As a die-hard 49er faithful, all I can hope for next week is that Rattay and the 49ers offense play out of their minds and out-score the potent Colts offense. That will be their only chance because if the last four games are any indication, Manning will throw for 500 yards.Sunday, Sept. 25

It is too bad that football is played for four quarters because the San Francisco 49ers would own a 2-1 record, rather than the 1-2 record they find themselves with following another heartbreaking loss.

For three quarters of football, the 49ers outplayed the rival Dallas Cowboys in every facet of the game. It seemed that the stars were lined up perfectly for 49er fans this week. The pathetic and hated Oakland Raiders had already gone to 0-3 with their loss against the Philadelphia Eagles and the 49ers stormed their way to a 31-19 lead against the Cowboys entering the final 15 minutes of the game.

The fourth quarter is when the good day for 49er fans ended. The Cowboys rallied to score 15 unanswered points in the final period to win the game 34-31. Cowboys wide receiver Keyshawn Johnson sealed the victory with a touchdown conversion reception with 1:51 left.

My favorite punching bag Tim Rattay ruined his good game by throwing two costly interceptions in the final quarter to help out the Cowboys in their come-from-behind victory.

Rattay started off the game hitting Arnaz Battle for a touchdown and then hooked up with top receiver Brandon Lloyd for two scores including an 89-yard strike that gave the momentum to the 49ers until the fourth quarter. Rattay finished 21-for-34 for 269 yards with those three touchdowns and the two costly interceptions.

Lloyd was the offensive star for the 49ers on this afternoon. Lloyd only had four catches but put up plenty of mileage on those catches with 142 yards. He showed there is plenty to his game than fantastic catches.

Safety Tony Parrish had a good game for a defense that had a third-straight poor outing defending the pass. Parrish intercepted two passes, one for a touchdown in the second quarter. If the rest of the secondary could have played like this the entire game, the outcome would have been different for the 49ers.

Cowboys quarterback Drew Bledsoe carved up the secondary for 363 yards, which marked the third game the 49ers have allowed the opposing quarterback to throw for over 350 yards.

The running game was a little bit better but still nothing to be excited about until there is a change made. Kevan Barlow showed again that he should not be starting amassing only 65 yards on 12 carries. The man who should take his job, Frank Gore, ran for 42 yards on 7 carries. Gore, a University of Miami product, is going to be a great back in this league when given the opportunity. At one point at Miami, Gore ?” before he got hurt ?” started over Buffalo running back Willis McGahee.

The game also added some comic relief in the second quarter. Cowboys kicker and former 49er Jose Cortez missed an extra point following a Bledsoe six yard touchdown run. After the missed extra point, Cortez and lineman Larry Allen were caught by the cameras fighting with each other. Allen, a Sonoma State graduate, is about three times the size of Cortez but it did not stop Cortez from trying to Allen’s helmet off his head. If you did not catch this in the game, you missed one of the funniest scenes I have ever seen.

The 49ers have a good chance of evening their record to 2-2 next week as they travel to Mexico City to face the 0-3 Arizona Cardinals. The game will be the first regular season game out of the country and the Cardinals might have to play the game without their starting quarterback Kurt Warner, who suffered a severely strained hamstring. Either way, the 49ers will have to play hard for four quarters to win, something that did not happen this week against the Cowboys.

Sunday, Sept. 18

Nothing good came from the San Francisco 49ers’ trip to Philadelphia to face the Eagles in the second game of the season as the team took a big step backward with a 42-3 loss.

Former 49er and current Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens effectively ended the game in the first minute with his 68-yard touchdown reception. The game marked the first time Owens has faced his former teammates. The game was a complete misery the rest of the way.

Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb tied his career high with five touchdown passes. Every time McNabb went back to pass he had loads of time and any receiver he wanted to throw to open. McNabb suffered a bruised chest in the first game of the season and was not completely healthy but it sure didn’t not look that way. McNabb finished the game 23-for-29 for 342 yards through the air and a near perfect passer rating of 155.4.

In contrast, 49er quarterback Tim Rattay looked pathetic. Rattay threw three interceptions and looked awful on a handful of passes. He was worse than the average quarterback I called him a few weeks ago in this very Web log. Rattay’s numbers in the first half were 2-for-9 for 13 yards passing and those three interceptions, numbers McNabb’s mother could best. Those numbers were a big reason the score was 28-0 at halftime. The Eagles have a stellar defensive unit but Rattay sure did make them look good. Rattay did do a little bit better in the second half but only because it was garbage time.

The play-calling on offense for the 49ers was terrible. The team continued to try and run the ball on first and second down when the Eagles weren’t having any of it. When the game was starting to get out of hand, the 49ers decided to keep running the ball and get no yards. There were many three and out possessions for the team on this day.

The man getting the ball on the majority of those carries was Kevan Barlow and he again could not muster many yards. He rushed for a mere 34 yards on 10 carries, the same 3.4 average he accrued last season.

Even the four good things that I saw from the 49ers in this game did not turn out very well as everything went the Eagles way in this game.

The first was an amazing one-handed catch by Brandon Lloyd. It was another great catch for the acrobatic catch specialist but unfortunately short of the first down.

Owens got lit up on a catch he made over the middle by 49er safety Mike Rumph and it was by far the most excited I got in the game. It was one of the hardest hits I have seen Owens take and I was hoping it would knock him out of the game. Owens is unfortunately built like a tank and got up having made the catch for the first down.

McNabb did make one mistake, fumbling the ball in the red zone on a nice defensive play by 49ers defensive end Marques Douglas. Douglas stripped the ball away from a scrambling McNabb and recovered the ball. The 49ers offense then proceeded to have another three and out possession making the turnover useless.

First overall pick and 49er backup quarterback Alex Smith made his first appearance of the season late in the game for one series. He only threw one incomplete pass that was and scrambled away from a pass rush for a three yard gain. I applaud the coaching staff for putting him in the game, but the problem was it was far too late. We should have seen what Smith had the entire second half as the game was already out of reach at half time.

49ers faithful should not hang their heads that much after this game. The Eagles are a very balanced team. With the McNabb-Owens soap opera apparently a non-issue, the Eagles represent the elite team in the NFC. The outcome did not turn out the way we wanted but the 49ers need to move on and forget about this game as the rival Dallas Cowboys come to town in week three.

Sunday, Sept. 11

The 2005 National Football League season cannot get off to a much better start for me and other San Francisco 49er fans.

The 49ers pulled off a 28-25 upset victory over the St. Louis Rams at Candlestick (I refuse to call it Monster or 3Com) Park. New head coach Mike Nolan did not have to wait long to get his first win in the NFL.

With the win, the 49ers stand alone atop the NFC West ?” at 1-0. Hey, I know it’s early but I’m soaking up all the positives following a horrendous 2-14 2004 season.

The turning point in the game came by Sac State’s own Otis (formerly known as Fred) Amey in the second quarter. Amey, on the first punt return of his NFL career, weaved his way through the Ram defenders and waved goodbye to them as nobody was able to catch him on his way to a 75 yard touchdown.

Amey’s brought the crowd to life and gave the team a swagger they lacked last season.

There were a few notable stars in the game for the 49ers other than Amey that I want to point out as well.

I have criticized Tim Rattay for being average and I will be the first to say that Rattay played a good game. He looked comfortable in the pocket and made far fewer mistakes then I saw from him last year finishing the game 11-for-16 with 165 yards passing, two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The offensive play calling in this game was awesome. Following the Amey punt return, the 49ers recovered an onside kick that nobody expected. Wide receiver Arnez Battle lined up at quarterback and completed two passes for 27 yards. Rattay even lined up at receiver for a play. I hope these exciting plays continue to be apart of the playbook in games to come.

The whole 49ers defense stepped up huge in this game. They were able to pressure Rams quarterback Marc Bulger all afternoon, recording seven sacks, their highest total since 1998. The Rams were stuffed in the red-zone on multiple occasions and had to settle for field goals.

Bryant Young and Julian Peterson were two defensive stars that stood out. Young got three sacks in his first game at defensive end, having played his entire 11-year NFL career at defensive tackle.

Peterson looked like the same guy that he was before tearing his Achilles tendon last season. Peterson finished with two and a half sacks and continually was flying around the ball making plays. It was exciting watching Peterson and the rest of the defense play with enthusiasm and believing they could win the game.

Having said all these good things, the 49ers still almost lost this game in the fourth quarter as the Rams scored 13 points to cut the 49er lead to 28-25. Nickel cornerback Mike Adams wrestled away an interception in the closing minute to secure the upset for the 49ers. Without the interception, the Rams were getting close to at least field goal range to tie the game.

The one big disappointment of this game was the miserable play of 49er running back Kevan Barlow. Barlow had 14 carries for 22 yards and a fumble that led to the Rams first score in the fourth quarter. Backup Frank Gore looked like he had more to give to the running game than Barlow did on this afternoon.

The 49ers will need their running game to win other ball games and cannot simply rely on the pass. Barlow better come around soon or his starting days in San Francisco and my fantasy team are numbered.

The 49ers will play against old friend Terrell Owens and the Philadelphia Eagles next week in a game that should be interesting to say the least.

Thursday, Sept. 8

San Francisco 49ers football enters a new era in 2005 under the watchful eye of first-year head coach Mike Nolan.

The 49ers will definitely be better this year than the horrendous 2004 installment in which the team finished with a 2-14 record, which was the worst mark for the team since 1979 and the worst record in the NFL last season.

The one silver lining that is given to a team that finishes with the worst record is the No. 1 pick in the draft. The 49ers chose wisely and selected Utah quarterback Alex Smith.

Smith is smart, agile and possesses a strong throwing arm that scouts loved during workouts. Smith also is a proven winner having led Utah to an undefeated record last season culminating in a Fiesta Bowl annihilation over Pittsburgh.

The 49ers did one stupid thing in naming Tim Rattay the opening day starter over Smith to begin the 2005 season. There is no point in starting Tim Rattay. 49er faithful saw what Rattay has to offer when he started last season. Rattay is an average quarterback with limited mobility and is better suited as a backup. Smith’s backup

I don’t see the point in drafting Smith No. 1 overall and giving him loads of cash ($49 million) just to sit on the bench and have a view of the game. The only way for Smith to get better is by playing on the field.

ReceiversThe 49ers receiving corps is young and exciting.

Brandon Lloyd is an acrobatic receiver on the brink of stardom. Lining up across the field across from Lloyd as the other starter will be Arnaz Battle, but I will be pulling for Sacramento State product Fred Amey to play there. I think Amey is a great receiver that can contribute now for this team. The fourth-most receiving yards in Division I-AA history is not a fluke, the guy can play at any level and in time the team will see that too and promote Amey from fourth on the depth chart to second.

Smith to Amey for a touchdown just has such a good ring to it.

BacksStarting running back Kevan Barlow was supposed to be much better than what he showed last season. He had the lowest yards per carry average in the NFL last season for starters with a paltry 3.4. Some of this is not Barlow’s fault as his offensive line was terrible last season. The 49ers get back former pro-bowl center Jeremy Newberry for an entire season and a mountain on the left side of the line in newly-acquired tackle Jonas Jennings.

If Barlow cannot get the job done again, third-round pick Frank Gore looks more than capable waiting in the wings

DefenseThe defense is a much more veteran group of players than the offense. Barring injuries that have hurt the defense in past seasons, the group is one of the better units in football. Nolan brings his 3-4 defensive scheme over from the Baltimore Ravens where he served as the defensive coordinator.

The linebackers play a pivotal role in a 3-4 scheme and the 49ers have one of the best groups in football anchored by All-Pro Julian Peterson. Peterson causes havoc when he plays, which wasn’t much last year due to a ruptured achilles tendon.

The secondary was also ravaged with injuries last season as veterans Ahmed Plummer and Mike Rumph missed most of the season. This season both are back with Rumph moving over to safety from cornerback. Teams will not be able to throw on the 49ers like they did last season with these two back on the field.

The first test of the season will be against the St. Louis Rams this Sunday at home. I will be watching and yelling at Nolan to get Smith and Amey in the game.

Look for Matt’s blog after every 49ers game this season on www.statehornet.com