WEEK 7 Recap: Be Careful What You Ask For

My freshly typed game notes for week 7. Note: every paragraph break signifies a commercial break, hence my jabs at FOX after one sentence paragraphs.

Today's Notes are brought to you by the words "NO", and "PRESSURE". Watch for them, particularly in reference to the 49ers' alleged pass rush.

WEEK 7: 49ers @ Panthers

QUARTER THE FIRST, in which I'm still feeling that Pennant Winning Buzz

Panthers win the toss and receive. Short kick, bobbles it and that gives him a seam to the 34. Run stopped for no gain, "49ers run defense has been good this season." LOL broadcasters. I realize this is this broadcast team's first 49er game this season. To Wit: DeAngelo Williams' second run is outside left for 11 and a first down. Play action, no real pressure, Moore runs and slides at the 48. Smith stops the run for 1 yard, 3rd and 6. Panthers burn a time out.

No pressure, but it's thrown away anyway, 49ers force a punt. Ted Ginn doubles back like you're not supposed to do and makes it work, forced out by the punter (?!) at the 26 (!?). And FOX.

Play action pass on first down! Incomplete downfield to Davis. Gore up the middle and finds a big hole for 20 yards, Tim Ryan mentions running out of a 3 wr set, which I didn't notice until the replay. Nice. Play fake, deep over the middle to Davis, and the defender just manages to hold onto his leg and trip him up at the 1. YES YES. Tim Ryan calls it clever. Indeed. 1st and goal, PLAY FAKE AGAIN, Davis wide open on the bootleg. HELL YEAH. Nedney converts. WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

Second kick is also short and slightly bobbled this time, and again run out to the 34. Promo for the world series, GO GIANTS! STill feels good to see that. Short RB pass in the left flat for 2 yards. Run up the middle, good move by Williams saves them from a loss, 3rd and 4. Steve Smith catch over the middle and across midfield for a first down. Play action, no pressure, Smith is wide open but the pass bounces off his hands. Draw play gets 8 before Patrick Willis makes the tackle, 3rd and 2. Short pass converts again, no pass rush again. Nate Clements makes a good ankle stop to make a potential big run only be a 2 yard run, Willis finishes the tackle off. Screen Pass, 49ers smell it out and tip it. Panthers run? on 3rd and 8, stuffed for nothing, Panther fans with the BOOOOOOOs this week, can't blame them, their pass game has been working very well. 47 yard attempt, but Kasey is one of the best ever. 7-3 with 5:40 left.

Kickoff to the back of the endzone, Ginn kneels, and FOX.

2TE shotgun set, Gore inside handoff, not quite as far this time, 2 yards. Gore again off right tackle, second efforts his way for 6. 3rd and 2. Gore dives and converts. Gore again, this time wrapped up for a loss of 2. WESTBROOK SIGHTING, but 2 rb and 3 wr confuses themselves, 49ers call time out. Screen to Gore gets about 10. Short out pass just beyond the marker to Crabtree, out of bounds for a first down. Dixon in for Gore, Smith holds the ball a long time, DEEEP Pass to Morgan but he can't keep his feet in. Gore inside, second efforting his way for 5 yards. Wragge in for Staley on the line? Smith throws incomplete to a blanketed Ted Ginn. Broadcasters mentioning this and Rachal as two early OL injuries. Steve Smith juggles the fair catch but holds onto it. WORLD SERIES PROMO, HELL YEAH. Deangelo Wiilliams runs for 8, that'll probably end the quarter, and does.

QUARTER THE SECOND: in which I'm still feeling a bit of bomb to VD buzz (or is that itch?)

Play action, Moore has forever to throw, but Williams drops the sure first down pass. Lucky. 3rd and 2. Deshawn Goldson comes up on a run blitz and cuts down Williams in the backfield and they force a 3 and out, yay. Ginn runs up to field it, finds himself surrounded, and goes down at the 40. FOX.

Staley back in, Gore outside left for about 4 yards. Smith short pass to Gore hits him in the hands and FLIES, ball has been doing a lot of that in this game, falls harmlessly luckily. 3rd and 6. Make that 3rd and 11, thanks. Panthers drew that with a variation of the stand up defense. Smith steps up out of a rush and fires incomplete downfield to Ginn. Oh well. Punt rolls right to Steve Smith who gets to the sideline and then runs well for a disappointingly good return.

Panthers start at their own 47. Pass, No Pressure Again, this time their receiver holds on to the pass, first down at the 33. Williams runs outside, 49ers slow him down for a loss and punch it out! It rolls backwards and the 49ers try to scoop it up but settle for falling on it. Clements stripped the ball out. Yes! 1st down at the 44. Play fake to Gore than pass in the flat to Gore, 34 yard line. Hitch to Crabtree, might have actually been a lateral, he gets 7. Play action again, short pass for first down to Crabs, spund and thrown down roughly by the defender and got up a litttle slow. Gore inside left, finds a big hole, first down to the 12. Yes. Dixon in for Gore, forced out for a big loss as he's stopped and goes backwards, okay, that's enough of that nonsense, Gore back in. 2nd and 16, pass to Byham? Not sure about bringing him in to receive. Short pass to Morgan, he makes one guy miss, gets back inside the 10, but shy of the first down, here comes Nedney. He puts it through. Disappointing stall, but good enough.

Nedney's line drive bounces in the endzone for a touchback, and FOX MUSIC. Frickin' Fox.

Steve Smith with a medium length pass for a first down at the 40. Stewart runs right for 4. Play fake, QB runs backwards and throws a pass to Smith for a gain of 1. Pass incomplete, Mays flagged for interference even though the ball was uncatchable (and Tim Ryan says it may have been tipped), but we get no replay showing THAT. Bah. Stewart runs for 3. Stewart up the middle for 3 again, Williams has DISAPPEARED in the wake of that fumble, but he wasn't playing as well as this Stewart guy anyway. 3rd and 4, NO RUSH again, pass is dropped, and they flag the 49ers for PI again, and Singletary is on the field in protest, no replay to show us how bullshit this is. Williams back in, cut down for a loss by Goldson on the run blitz again, and he fumbles again but they say he was down. I guess he was. Hitch to Smith, 3rd and 3. Short pass and forward progress is another first down. Ugh. Panthers should never run the ball again, 49ers not doing much against the pass. Stewart bottled up for nothing. Play fake, NO PRESSURE, db Clements falls down, and the receiver, David Gettis, is wide open for the tying touchdown. UGH. Surprisingly, no commercial break. Ginn takes the kick deep in the endzone and kneels. Gore runs for 7, and we wait for the 2 minute warning. Beasties Sabotage as bumper music? Cool. When that song was new, the 49ers were a Super Bowl team and the Panthers Did Not Exist. Wow, it's been a while.

Crabtree makes a catch and shakes a tackler off and runs for 18 but does not get out of bounds. Smith hurries up, runs forward and makes an ill advised lob to the sidelines, 2nd down 1:27 left. Screen pass, or maybe they just can't block the rush, is batted down. Panthers can actually get pressure, and Alex throws it away. Lee bombs it into the endzone. Short pass by the Panthers for 9, again 49ers generate no pressure. Short pass to Gettis for a first down, Panthers call time out. Tim Ryan talks about Manusky's 3-4 defense and not blitzing a lot, because he "trusts" them to generate pressure, this game LOLs at that, but on cue, Clements comes on a blitz and gets a sack! Panthers run the clock out, we are tied at HALFTIME.

HALFTIME

QUARTER THE THIRD, in which nothing is put under pressure, ever.

Ginn takes the kickoff 4 yards deep and kneels yet again. Pass to Davis incomplete, could been intercepted by a guy who broke on it well. Gore up the middle for a first down but its going to come back, they call Davis for holding. Smith is sacked by a player he never saw coming, even though he was from the front side, Anthony Davis was a turnstile on that play, Smith is being checked on by the trainers, and Carr is warming up as we go to break, Irony.

Alex walking off holding his left arm, well, here's Carr. He hurls it with all his might and it is underthrown to Davis. LOL Well, You Wanted Carr. There he is. 4th and 28, Lee punting out of the end zone, good kick, Smith fields it at his own 45 and is tackled for a loss by Delany Walker, who should be doing this instead of playing on the offense, which he was doing earlier in the year.

3 yard run. Play fake pass for a first down, despite the fact that the Panthers were in a jumbo set and only had a couple receivers going out. By the way, again, NO PRESSURE. That's today's key phrase, keep it in mind, it'll be on the exam. Williams runs for a couple. Lawson called for a netural zone infraction, even though he got back onside, THEN someone moved. Lame. 2nd and 2, first down run. Smith charges into the backfield and they finally call something on Carolina, false start. Play action, no pressure, DEEP, but Taylor Mays breaks up the pass to Steve Smith in the end zone. Steve Smith being looked at by the trainers, perhaps a cramp or he tweaked his knee.

Smith on the sideline as we come back for 2nd and 15. Run to Stewart wrapped up by Abreu Franklin for a gain of 2. 3rd and 13, here comes a pass, uh oh. Screen pass, so this time the lack of rush is a good thing, nobody open, Moore throws it at someone's feet. Kasey in to attempt a 55 yarder. I was just about type about how he used to be able to hit these, and he hits it easily, ugh ugh.

Ginn runs it out this time, and is tackled at the 19. And David Carr is staying in. Well, be careful what you wish for. False start by Mr. Rookie Anthony Davis, #76. Well, good to see the team digging a hole for Carr to welcome him in to the game. Gore runs for 3 yards. Smith out for the game with a shoulder strain, his left shoulder is the one he got separated in 07 that caused him to miss a year and a half. Pass to Gore makes it 3rd and 6. No back set, blitz, Carr throws high for Ginn and incomplete. Punt returner runs into his own man and is tackled right away.

Smith's shoulder is wrapped in ice and his jersey is off and the ballcap is on. Pass is of course complete, a blitz comes way too late, 2nd and 4, 49ers doing for Matt Moore what Ric Flair used to do for Broomsticks and Brian Pillman. Patrick Willis penetrates and breaks up a play, leading to a run being stopped for 1 yard. 3rd and 3. Can we stop a pass please? Of course not, pass complete for 14 and a first. Williams runs for 6 across midfield. Panthers rookie receivers also looking good against the 49ers poor pass defense. Run stuffed, 3rd and 2. Here we go again. Offside, automatic first down. Pass, no rush of course, pass to Steve Smith way overthrown. Steve Smith draws a personal foul tacked on after the end of a short run, 3rd down and 23, still gotta like Panthers chances here, short pass to Smith complete at the 40, FUMBLE, 49ers recover. Bad series for Smith, Shontae Spencer recovers, and we're going to break, hopefully not to return to a challenge.

GORE~! for 18 off the left side, into Panther territory, first down. Pitchout to Gore, he runs behind Second Tight End Byham for 8. WESTBROOK SIGHTING. Westbrook reverse to Morgan, following lead blocker DAVID CARR for the first down, and he knocks a dude down, hah! Frank Gore up the middle for 10 and another first down. It apparently does not occur to the Panthers that a team might run more with the backup QB in. I won't tell them if you won't. Delany Walker is in on offense, but luckly doesn't get the ball, this time Gore has nowhere to go and loses a yard. Westbrook carries up the middle, nothing. 3rd and 13. Everyone could see that blindside hit coming but David Carr, he just gets the ball thrown as he is hit, incomplete, and that will end the 4th Quarter.

QUARTER THE FOURTH, in which our fate hinges on David Carr, God Help Us All.

Nedney in to tie the game (fingers crossed). 38 yarder is through and good, we are tied back up. Delany Walker WRAPS UP YOUR SOUL at the 11 yard line on an ill advised return out of the endzone. Nice. Taylor Mays cuts down an outside run for a gain of 3. Tim Ryan calls for trickeration on the Panthers part, pointing out how well it has worked against the 49ers all year. This time the 49ers get pressure on the play fake, hit Moore low as he throws and is almost intercepted. Panthers call timeout as the clock expires and Moore limps off the field.

3rd and 7, of course the rookie is wide open for an easy first down. #11 is "having his best day as a pro". Of course he is. (Brandon LaFell). Panthers run for a couple yards. Play action pass, LaBoy is held, can't get there, Moore throws it right to RAY MCDONALD, WHO RUNS IT ALL BACK FOR A TD ON HIS FIRST CAREER INTERCEPTION, nice block by LaBoy on the return, way to sit on that screen, Ray, and way to avoid stepping out at the 5. 20-13 49ers. YES.

Delany Walker with another big tackle inside the 20 on the next kickoff. Swing pass to Williams, he makes one man miss before Patrick Willis brings him down after a gain of 8. Play action with #88 Rosario wide open AGAIN of course, first down. Stewart runs into a wall for 1. Stewart cut down by Clements off the right side for 1. 3rd and 8, 3rd and = the 49ers defemse at their most vulnerable. Actual pressure from McDonald, pass is incomplete although the receiver comes up with the ball in his hands, no replay or review. Ginn fields the punt and gets a decent return, 10:15 left, he was tackled hard, getting up slowly as we go to break.

And the Panthers figure out the Frank Gore thing, he has nowhere to go and loses 4. Gore thrown for a loss on 2nd down, Tim Ryan says "they do not trust David Carr." Gee, ya think? 3rd and 18, Carr in the shotgun, Gore runs for a few yards, they will punt. Morgan is called for a personal foul for reasons unknown, as FOX is too busy showing highlights to stay with the action, oh here's the replay, and it is a dubious call at best. Andy Lee punts, two blatant blocks in the back by the Panthers and after Smith goes out of bounds they finally decide to flag the second one of them, further downfield, so as not to inconvenience Carolina too much. Play action, Haralson takes a bad angle, Moore runs away and spikes the ball outside of the tackle box, I hate that that's not grounding, protection schmotection. Play action, absolutely no pressure, deep bomb to Gettis at the 17, Clements was TOASTED. Williams runs left for 5. Williams runs up the gut and gets 1.5, please keep running Panthers, 49ers can stop that. 3rd and 4, I can feel a TD pass coming, 49ers haven't stopped the pass all day long. Blitz, screen pass, nice tackle by Willis, bullet dodged. Maybe not, 4th and 9 and the offense stays out. NO RUSH, but GETTIS DROPS A SURE TD, NOW BULLET IS DODGED. Lucky, Lucky, Lucky. 5:34 left as 49ers take over on downs.

Short drop, Carr sacked for a loss of 5. Gore runs out to the 19, 3rd and 7. Wow, that pass hit a leaping Gettis in the chest, how'd he drop that. Lucky. Panthers call a time out, they have one left. Passing down, uh oh. Pass incomplete to Ginn, who slipped and fell. Ginn looks around for a flag, none comes nor should it, he just slipped. Lee on to punt again. Smith runs backwards and is dragged down by Manny Lawson on the punt return. Refs call holding penalty, re-kick. This time Ahmad Brooks tackles Smith after a minimal return. 59 yard punt by the team MVP. 4:30 left. 1st and 10 from the 37, 9 yard pass to LaFell. 49ers still making these rookie receivers look like all pros. Gettis catches for a first down at the 50. 9 yard pass to LaFell, 49ers are in a soft shell, aka a PREVENT. UGH. Pass is blocked at the line by LaBoy, faking out the cameras. 3rd and 1, 3:13 left. False Start by the Panthers line. Make that 3rd and 6. Doesn't matter of course, as Rosario the TE is open again for a first down. Pass incomplete, and here comes another bullshit flag on the 49er secondary, illegal contact, nonsense. Short passes to the back Williams by the Panthers, two in a row where he makes cuts instead of going upfield, and the 49ers stop him short of the first down. Two Minute Warning.

3rd and 2, 1:59 left. Drop back, NO FUCKING PASS RUSH ARGH, this time Gettis does not drop it. We are tied again. 49ers just lost their chance to win this game, I gotta think. Ginn takes it nine yards deep in the endzone, their kickoff specialist has been BOMBING IT all day. 49ers do have all three of their timeouts left, for what its worth, and Tim Ryan puts over Nedney's range. Carr completes a pass (!!!) to Morgan, who slips a tackle, gains 22 and gets out of bounds. Handoff to Gore surprises no one, gets 1. Slowest no huddle offense ever, horrible, and a Staley false start to boot. Horrid. Carr's pass intercepted, and Crabtree barely remembers to touch him down. Game over. 1st down at the 43, of course LaFell catches a deep bomb because there is NO FUCKING PASS RUSH. Now the Panthers will run the clock out with Williams. Williams hurts his leg on the run though, stopping the clock as the Panthers have to use their last time out. Stewart runs across the 20, 49ers call time out. Matt Moore has passed for a career high, of course he has. Panthers run up the gut, 49ers call time out. 43 seconds left, and here comes the game winning chip shot for Kasay. Only 37 yards, I am reduced to praying for a bad snap or a block or some comparable miracle. Prayers go unanswered. :39 seconds left. Ginn needs to return this no matter how deep it is. He does, slips, and goes down short of the 20. :35 seconds and one time out left before doom. Carr throws a short nothing pass to Davis, ball spiked, 3rd down with :18 left, horrible. Pass over the middle to Davis at the 43 and the 49ers have to use their last time out. Incomplete pass to Morgan, and it's hail mary time with a short range QB, wonderful. Pass intercepted and dropped, :03 seconds left. And the game fittingly ends on a short pass to Gore where he tries to hook and lateral but he has no one to go to. There is a gratuitous illegal formation penalty called to add insult to injury. Even though it was the Panthers who have 12 men on the field. We have a REVIEW of the last play of the game. The guy running off was only the 11th, and it would just been offsetting fouls and a game over anyway, so this was just a big waste of time before declaring the Panthers the winner.

So, 49er Faithful, still feel like chanting We Want Carr? I hope so, because now we've got him.

And we're off to London with DAVID CARR as the QB. Don't let them back in the country. Quarantine them so they don't infect the San Francisco Giants with their loserdom.

"We Want Carr! We Want Carr!"
Oh you do, do you?
(Note the alcoholic beverage.
Also note alcohol consumption
impairs judgment ability.)