Recap of 49ers vs Lions

By Kalen Patrick

In a very convincing manner, the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 27-19. If you had read my Preview for the game I had predicted a 27-17 victory for the Niners so I would say I wasn't too far off. Similar to the Packers game, I feel the score was a lot closer than the actual game. Stafford lead a late desperate TD drive to bring the score a whole lot closer. Literally from start to finish I feel the 49ers were comfortably in control. Alex Smith finished off the opening drive with a great over the shoulder pass to Vernon Davis for a Touchdown. That opening drive was incredibly impressive. The teams went back and forth, the Lions made the score 7-6 after Kendall Hunter fumbled the return after the Lions first Field Goal.

LED BY ALEX SMITH, THE 49ERS OFFENSE IS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

Not long after, 49ers RB Frank Gore burst in for a 1 yard TD run, a drive that started with a Dashon Goldson INT, followed by 2 key penalties against the Lions (running in to the kicker, and then Defensive PI in the endzone). The score was 14-6 and from then on out the Lions never really got any closer. The 49ers closed it out in the 4th quarter when Alex Smith connected with Vernon Davis again, this time, Vernon made some nice moves to get in the end zone.

Some of the key things I want to mention is that Alex Smith was incredibly impressive yet again. For the 2nd straight game he threw for 2 TD's without an interception. He was 20-31, and if you look at the tape of his 11 incomplete passes, I remember 5 of them being very poor drops by the receivers and another 2 being "catchable" balls. For example, when Alex Smith passes to Vernon deep and he couldn't hold on. Despite all of this, after week 2, Alex Smith has the #2 QB Rating in the NFL and is showing yet again, hit ability to not turn the ball over, but is making more plays with the improved weapons he has.

ANOTHER BIG GAME FOR 49ERS TE VERNON DAVIS

The 49ers did an excellent job at exploiting weaknesses in the Detroit defense and they were able to run the ball with relative ease. It seemed like every time Gore got the ball he got big chunks of yards (5.2 YPC) and Hunter although seeing limited action did a good job too (4.6 YPC), the 49ers gashed the Lions in the run game and out gained them 148 - 82 yards. Obviously Vernon Davis had a great game, and for the 2nd week in a row, Michael Crabtree made his presence felt. He was key down the stretch picking up multiple 1st downs and keeping the ball out of Matt Staffords hands.

DASHON GOLDSON HAD A POLAMALU TYPE GAME

Overall the defense yet again had another very good game, you know your run defense is amazing when you feel the Lions ran well, and then you look at their stats and they averaged only 3.2 YPC. In pass defense the 49ers played a lot of Cover 2, and I have to credit the Secondary for doing a great job, especially Dashon Goldson who seemed to be every where. Not only did he pick off Stafford but he did an excellent job in run support, covering a lot of ground and making some big stops for the defense.

The Lions O-Line did a great job in stifling the pass rush, Stafford seemingly had a lot of time to throw back there. The nickel front four (Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald) really didn't have their best game. And even then, Aldon Smith had 2 sacks and essentially made the Lions pass game look average at best. This defense is legit and it's going to be hard for any team to score on them consistently.

Anyways, another very convincing victory for the 49ers, and rightfully sit atop my updated Power Rankings which can be viewed on the side bar. Check back for a preview of the Week 3 match up when the 49ers take on the Vikings in Minnesota.

Over and Out.

Week 2: 49ers vs Lions Preview

By Kalen Patrick

Two years ago this would have been one of the least anticipated games of the week, fast forward to 2012 and this is now a marquee match-up as we get week 2 in to full swing. Both teams are coming off wins from Week 1, the Detroit Lions escaped their home opener with a sloppy win against the lowly Rams, while the 49ers entered Lambeau Field and dominated the Green Bay Packers. There are going to be some very intriguing match ups in this game, with the abundance of talented football players on both teams. Here are some key battles that will be taking place:

49ers Offensive Line vs Lions Defensive Line
The latest injury report for the game has the Detroit Lions likely to be missing 3 of their 4 starters in the secondary. Safety Louis Delmas and CB Chris Houston are Doubtful, while CB Bill Bentley has been ruled out. We saw what Alex Smith was able to do against a more talented secondary in Green Bay (20-26 211 Yards 2 TD and 0 INT, 125.6 QB Rating), if he (Smith) gets ample time in the pocket, the 49ers now have the talent at WR to really exploit the Lions weak secondary. Smith is looking extremely comfortable in the 49ers offense now, even getting sacked 4 times last Sunday he never looked out of rhythm. Alex Smith is playing at a level we have never seen from him, he has (including playoffs) attempted 241 consecutive passes without an Interception.

LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP ENDED IN A DRAMATIC 49ER VICTORY

The Lions D-Line has a very tough challenge ahead of themselves, they can't count on their coverage to bail them out on passing plays, they will also have the unenviable task of trying to shut down the 49ers run game. They should expect Frank Gore early in the game, then a lot of Kendall Hunter in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, and just as they are getting worn down, I'd expect the 49ers to use a heavy dose of Gore again to pick up good consistent chunks of yards in the 4th quarter.

Suh, Fairley and Corey Williams will have be at the top of their game to allow edge rushers Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch wreak havoc on the outside. Even if they do pressure Smith a lot, he has shown the ability to take the sack rather than force a throw into coverage. Jim Harbaugh has no problems with this and trusts his defense to win him the game. The Lions D-Line will need to have an A+ type game for 60 minutes.

Matthew Stafford vs 49ers Pass Rush
In Week 1 vs the Rams Stafford threw 3 INT's in the game and the Lions still won. If he does that against the 49ers, I give the Lions 0.01% a chance of victory, and that is only because anything is possible in Football. The 49ers run defense is so good and the Lions have a serious lack of talent at RB, that this game is going to be on the shoulders of Matt Stafford. However, the 49ers Pass Rush has been relentless since Vic Fangio became the Defensive Co-ordinator, and you can bet guys like Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald are licking their chops at all the long developing passing plays the Lions incorporate into their offense.

WILL THERE BE ANY POST-GAME DRAMA THIS TIME?

Stafford is going to be making throws with pressure in his face, and if they Lions want to have any chance at winning, they better hope those passes end up in the hands of guys like Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Nate Burleson. Ultimately, we all know that Calvin Johnson is going to get his catches and yards, and maybe even a TD or two, but the game will come down to the "other" guys making plays for the Lions. Along with the Lions D-Line having the game of their lives.

I think that with the game being in San Francisco, on a most likely cold and windy Sunday Night at Candlestick, I like the 49ers chances of coming away with a victory. I hate guessing scores, but if I had to I would say the 49ers win 27-17. The 49ers are just too complete of a team, too talented and playing at such a high level, that it will be incredibly difficult for ANY team to win in San Francisco on a night game. We all remember what the 49ers did to the Steelers on Monday Night Football last year. That's it for now, check back Monday or Tuesday for an in-depth recap of the game.

Over and Out.

Which Draft had the Best QB Class? (2005-2010)

By Kalen Patrick

So I was just browsing over the previous few seasons drafts, and noticed quite a lot of big names in the 1st round. What I thought was interesting was maybe comparing each year and see which one looks the best. I left out the rookies this year, while guys like Andy Dalton and Cam Newton have been very impressive, 8 games just isn't enough of a sample size in my opinion. So here are the candidates?

2005 - Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith, Jason Campbell

SO MUCH HOPE AND PROMISE AT THE TIME

2006 - Jay Cutler, Vince Young, Matt Leinart
2007 - Jamarcus Russell, Brady Quinn
2008 - Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco
2009 - Matthew Stafford, Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman
2010 - Sam Bradford, Tim Tebow



What year to you jumps out to be the best of that whole bunch? Between all those QB's only 1 has a Superbowl Victory (Aaron Rodgers). In my opinion immediately you gotta wipe out 2007. Jamarcus Russell was a colossal bust and Brady Quinn will be a #3 QB at best.

The next year that I would take out would be 2006. Leinart is barely in the league any more. While Vince Young has an impressive W-L ratio, it looks like personal issues and what not will keep him from ever being a consistent starting QB, as for one Jay Cutler? The guy has talent, serious talent, but he is way too erratic and is over confident in his abilities. So now we have 2 down.

Before this season I would have gone with 2005 (will explain later), but now I will go with 2010. Tebow doesn't look like an NFL QB, still has a super slow wind up, he can make throws, they certainly are not pretty. He reminds me of Shaun Hill a lot, Hill had some solid games for the 49ers and Lions. Unfortunately Tim Tebow is such a big name, it will be hard for him to fly under the radar as a backup QB. As for Sam Bradford? Yeah the dude has talent, but overall it's hard to come away too impressed after 22 games. He has a 75.3 QB rating and in his last 11 games he has only thrown 4 TD's to 9 INT's. I don't know whether this is sophomore(ish) slump, or the NFL figuring him out or what. But those numbers are concerning.

Now I will have to go with 2009 (yes! shock! horror!) but hear me out. Mark Sanchez has average at best numbers. Luckily he has played for teams with awesome defenses and running games. He hasn't been asked to do much and even with that he can't display good numbers (like Alex Smith this year). Josh Freeman was looking to be a future stud, but this year has been nothing short of a disaster for him. His incredibly inconsistent play has held the Bucs back this year. I will admit Matthew Stafford is playing stud like this year, but Stafford alone is not enough to carry this group.

Next comes 2005. Now this group includes the QB's of the 2 teams with the top records in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are 8-0, and Alex Smith and the 49ers are 7-1. Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL right now and Alex Smith is now playing at a level never thought possible for him. He has 10 TD's with only 2 INT's. He has been very efficient (64.1% Completion) with a very respectable 97.3 QB rating. Then finally we have Jason Campbell, Mr. Mediocre. Well  I think we can all see what the loss of Campbell is doing to the Raiders now, essentially since he has gone down, the Raiders have been humiliated in back to back games against division rivals Kansas City and Denver. You have Jason Campbell in those games, and I bet they win one if not both.

THESE QB'S HEADLINE THE MOST SUCCESSFUL QB CROP IN RECENT YEARS

So that leaves 2008 as the winner and lets face it, Matt Ryan and Joe Flacco have had nothing but success since coming in to the NFL. Leading their respective teams to impressive records, multiple playoff appearances and many more to come. Both of these guys, while they can be shaky at times, in general are very capable and going to be good for a long time. I think it's only a matter of when not if one of these guys is hoisting a Lombardi trophy. And there we have it, so let's sum up the rankings:

1 - 2008
2 - 2005
3 - 2009
4 - 2010
5 - 2006
6 - 2007

Break Out Players - 2011 NFL Predictions

By Kalen Patrick

Every year there are players who just seem to take the league by storm and no one saw them coming. I remember predicting Frank Gore to have a break out 2006 season and he ended with 1695 rushing yards that year. Last year both Arian Foster and Peyton Hillis were huge Break Out players, also Michael Vick was quite a surprise too. So the plan here is to predict who I think will break out this year and then re-visit and see how my aim was. So lets get this started.

Matt Stafford QB Detroit Lions - This guy would already be a rising superstar were it not for his injuries, this year I predict him to play more or less the entire season and possibly lead the Lions to the playoffs. He has all the tools and talent in the world, he is a leader (watch the Lions - Browns game where he dislocated his shoulder and came right back out to throw the game winning TD and 2-point conversion). Not only does he have the talent himself, but he also has more than ample talent around him, of course there is Calvin Johnson who is a top 3 WR in the NFL, he also has some other nice options in the passing game with Nate Burleson, Bryant Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Tony Scheffler. Also rookie Titus Young the WR from Boise State is the perfect slot receiver. Stafford has been in Scott Linehans offense for a few years now and I see a big year for him.

MICHAEL CRABTREE - 49ERS WR

Michael Crabtree WR San Francisco 49ers - The 3rd year is always the year where WR's are gonna show their true colors. Crabtree has put up more than solid numbers, in only 27 games with the 49ers he has 103 REC, 1366 YARDS and 8 TD's. All this with a super conservative defensive minded HC dipping his thoughts in to the offense way too much. Now Crabtree is gonna be under the tutelage of HC Jim Harbaugh, and according to many experts, Crabtree's skill sets are tailor made for the West Coast Offense. I'm definitely not saying he is gonna be Jerry Rice Part 2, but he will have a big season, I'm thinking 1000-1100 YDS, 8-12 TD's and in the conversation for a pro-bowl selection.

James Laurinaitis MLB St. Louis Rams - A natural born leader who coming out from Ohio State had all the qualities you look for in a great linebacker besides for elite athleticism. So many of these guys get overlooked in the 1st round and then have the instincts to just be great. Another example in Brandon Spikes in New England. I see Laurinaitis is his 3rd year with Coach Steve Spagnoulo having a HUGE year. The rams have the outside rushers, they have a good line in front of him, it is his chance to explode on to the scene and put him in the discussion with the likes of Jon Beason and Brian Urlacher.

Joe Haden CB Cleveland Browns - It's rare for a rookie CB to have a good year never mind a great year. I see Joe Haden as the next elite CB in the league. I imagine in 2 years time Haden will be in the thick of the discussion with Revis and Asomugha as the top CB in the league. As early as next year I predict offenses game planning away from him. The Browns added a stud DL in the draft and if their pass rush can improve and force opposing QB's in to mistakes. Expect some nice numbers from Haden.

JOE HADEN, SOON QB'S WILL LEARN THEIR LESSON

There we have it, 2 players on offense and 2 players on defense. Let me know what you guys think of my predictions and give me feedback on who you think will be the breakout players.