I am devoting this thread to both teams b/c of Jerry Rice.

Had Rice been on the Bengals, I'd have put the Official Bengals Thread

Once football season begins, I'll be chatting up the greatest WR to ever play in the NFL, bar none.

Consider the following ALL-TIME records:

#1 in number of receptions
#1 in yardage receiving
#1 in overall TDs,
#1 in receiving TD

Ngw for post-season play
#1 in receptions
#1 in yards receiving
#1 in receiving TDs

Now for Super Bowl - career
#1 in receptions
#1 in yardage
#1 in receiving TDs
#1, tied, for overall TDs (along with Emmitt)

Now for Super Bowl - 1 game
#1 in receptions
#1 in yardage
#1 in receiving TDs

1987 NFL MVP (very rare for a receiver to get this)
1989 Super Bowl MVP
3-time Super Bowl Champion (1988 vs Broncos; 1989 vs Bengals; 1994 vs Chargers)

any questions as to his greatness? These are stats even no one else in football can compare at his respective position (QB, RB, etc)

One player can surpass Rice --- and that is Randy "I play when I wanna play" Moss

But, in order to do so, Moss has to maintain the excellence he has attained for 10+ more years!!

It won't happen

One player can surpass Rice --- and that is Randy "I play when I wanna play" Moss

But, in order to do so, Moss has to maintain the excellence he has attained for 10+ more years!!

I think that "T.O." has a chance as well as you will never see moss go over the middle, and take the big hit...

What about Harrison? I know he doesn't get the press the other guys do, but he puts up numbers!

Originally posted by radioheadfloyd
What about Harrison? I know he doesn't get the press the other guys do, but he puts up numbers!

I forgot about my other team the colts, the "spurs" of the nfl, and now marvin got someone on the other side of him too...dangerous... and a solid back if he can stay healty

the problem with Marvin Harrison was clearly shown in the playoffs when the Colts got blistered in last year's playoffs (forgot who they play).

Harrison depends on his speed, which is helped by artificial surface.

In last year's playoffs, played on the road, Harrison's speed was negated.

In time, we'll see how far Harrison gets.

Remember Sterling Sharpe? Herman Moore?

Both were considered to be right up there with Rice..... not any more.

Originally posted by podstock
the problem with Marvin Harrison was clearly shown in the playoffs when the Colts got blistered in last year's playoffs (forgot who they play).

Harrison depends on his speed, which is helped by artificial surface.

In last year's playoffs, played on the road, Harrison's speed was negated.

In time, we'll see how far Harrison gets.

Remember Sterling Sharpe? Herman Moore?

Both were considered to be right up there with Rice..... not any more.

I don't that has anything to do with it, when you advance in the playoffs, you play against better defensive teams and when you don't have anyone on the other side of you, it makes it easier for teams to key in on you...

what would rice be like if he was the only WR on a team, he has always had a stud on the other side, and yes I do like Rice and think he is a great WR...

Gi -- I disagree

Rice has had good receivers, but not great ones. The 49ers system allowed Rice to catch 5-yard passes and run like hell, which he did very well.

In Rice's rookie season of 1986, he had Dwight Clark and Freddie Solomon, both on the downswing of their careers.

Then came John Taylor, a very capable, dependable WR. That was from about 1987-1992 or so.

Then came a smorgsberg of useless receivers like J.J. Stokes, who was so full of himself, he never dedicated himself to the game.

Terrell Owens came along about 1996 or so....well after Rice had already assured himself a spot in the Hall of Fame.

And yes, I agree that in the play-offs, teams tighten up their defense...yet, Rice continually came up with the big plays.

Look at last year's Super Bowl....Rice still managed to score a TD, about 6-7 catches, for about 80 or so yards. Not bad for a 40-y/o.

What did the other WR, Tim Brown, do? he had 1-2 catches. And this guy is also headed to the Hall.

Rice performs, and still does.

Harrison has a long long way to go.

Same for Terrell Owens, who is just spectacular.

moss cant do it if you ever watch espn what espn's sportscentury on rice his work ethic is outrageus. i like moss a lot but like you said plays when he wants to and now that hes double and triple covered and the vikings have no one else to make up for it its going to stay that way

I would give my left arm and leg to spend a day working out with Jerry Rice.

That's not to say I will finish the training routine for the day; but at least I can say to the doctors and nurses in the Emergency Roon (where I'll be half-way through training with Jerry) that I was done in by the greatest to ever play in the NFL

lolol

I am a HUGE fan of the raiders There for im behind Tim Brown befor ANYBODY else now i admit Jerry Rice is the Greatest EVER...But i was wondering where you people rank Tim Brown on the all-time WR list..It is a fact he is headed to the HOF but i would like to know where you people rank him....I rank him at 2nd next only to Jerry Rice....

www.freewebs.com/joshsautographs

I would also like to know why you rank him at the place you do?

i say T.O. has a better shot at being close to Jerry Rice than Randy "bad boy" Moss

Tim Brown, as soon as his career is done, will be headed to the Hall....
but no way is he #2

Terrell Owens and Randy Moss alone are each better than Tim Brown, assuming both players continue at their pace for a total of at least 10-12 years.

Same for Marvin Harrison

Tim Brown is a great one; but there are many ahead of him

cmon can u forget about harrison he is one of the beast in the game as well as his qb

Marvin Harrison sure didn't do well in the playoffs last year, did he?

And as for Manning -- how many games in the play-offs has he won in the last 3-4 years?

here's a hint: Manning's won as many play-off games as you or I.

well, it looks like Jeff Garcia's hurt shoulder will prevent him from playing much as the preseason begins.

He took some snaps today, and threw some short passes in practice, but nothing much more

8/9/03 update: Raiders 7, Rams 6

In the first game of the preseason for the Raiders, they won simply b/c the Rams couldn't convert the extra point after scoring their TD.

Rice didn't play (I was watching and hoping he would; but since it's the first game, I suppose there's no sense in having him play against borderline players hoping to get a big hit on Rice to make impression on their coaches so they don't get cut).

Brown didn't play either..and Gannon wasn't doing much.

Warner had a BAD outing, and looked every bit as if he just isn't yet prepared, throwing an interception, and being sacked twice.

But, it's just the 1st preseason game...so no biggie.

Can't wait til next Thursday --- Raiders vs 49ers on ESPN!!!!

8/28/03: Cowboys 52, Raiders 13

yes, you read it right.

Cowboys TORCHED the Raiders, who again played lacklusterly.

The offense was on the field for 15 plays and that was it for the main starters.

Meanwhile, Parcells had most of the regulars playing for 3 quarters.

Cowboys scored on a long bomb to Galloway...then on the next possession, Gannon's pass was deflected off Jerry Rice, and was caught by a Cowboy's defender who then ran it in for a TD.

It was all downhill from there.

It will be interesting to see how the Raiders play next Sunday night at Tennessee.

boy, the Raiders look old and slow.

yikes!!!

9/7/03: 49ers 49, Bears 7

This game is practically over (5+ minutes left in 4th quarter)....

This has been a dominating game by the offense, defense and special teams...but the Bears didn't put up much of a fight, so not sure just how good the Niners are right now.

Tremendous special teams plays, including a blocked punt by backup wide receiver Brandon Lloyd; a tackle, strip and recovery all in one by Williams on a punt. Both led to TDs by the Niners.

Owens had a typical 7 catch 100 yard game; but no TDs.

Ahmed Plummer had 2 INTs with 1 TD; defense had 3 INTs, and a bunch of sacks on Kordell, who had a BAD game.


Garcia had an OK game, 19 of 35 for 225, 2 TDs, and 1 INT (this gave the Bears their only TD of the game as the Bears only had to go 20+ yards).

Next game is VERY VERY IMPORTANT: at St. Louis next week. Warner is in the hospital with a concussion after the NYG beat the Rams.... we could be seeing Bulger next week. Bulger killed us last year in his NFL starting debut.

Raiders got hosed by the refs in the Titans loss, what else is new?

agree..but then again,

the Raiders did have over 150+ yards in penalties.

it's one game....hopefully, the Raiders will get the win next week over the Bengals.

If we lose, that's the end of our season.

It's one thing to lose to a play-off caliber team at their stadium.... it's another thing to lose to the Bengals - at home or away

i hope the 49ers can stop the rams this week, the way they will have to do it is by stuffing marshall faulk like the giants did last week and frustrate martz so he doesn't let faulk run more.

yea, I agree!

Giants had a tremendous game plan. But, they have better pass rushers than the Niners do, unfortunately.

If we cannot put pressure on Bulger, he will destroy our inept secondary, esp. poor Mike Rumph - who actually seems to be a little better this year.

I thought the plan was to turn Rumph into a safety, much like what the Niners did for Ronnie Lott. Rumph is good...but not as a CB, b/c he has trouble turning that hip fast; thus, he's vulnerable to double moves. Which is how he got killed last year.

bieing a person whom bleeds black and silver....yes rice is the best wr to play the game(probably the best all around athlete to play in sports not excempting *air jordan* as we all know fb is the REAL sport....can't wait to watch them nov. 25th at kc(this is my 8th year in a row)....maybe i'll post a few pics. of the game and auto session! by the way those "other" wr's are only as good as thier QB...so that would all depend on manning?haha...garcia?ummmm....culpepper?who knows.........joe

I think Rice would be even greater had he been with Elway or Marino, QBs who could throw deep

But, I wouldn't trade anything in the world for a Montana-to-Rice pass

and a Young-to-Rice pass.

Those were tremendous combinations!!!

rice would have been AWESOME with marino...he really never had any GREAT wr's to throw to......joe

hmmmm,

Marino had Mark Clayton and Mark Duper, and those were two of the best duos in football history

49er's lose to the rams

Rams 27, 49ers 24, OT

boy, I sure hope NFL soon changes the rule, so both teams at least have a chance to touch the ball once in OT before "sudden death".

I don't see why, in overtime, each team can't be given ONE opportunity to score a TD and an extra point. After that one possession (assuming both teams score a TD and convert an extra point), the next score wins.

It's been proven that in OT, the team who gets the ball first wins 65% of the time. Tagliabue was going to address this situation this past summer....but nothing happened.

Anyways...49ers played the Rams pretty well, with Jeff Garcia driving the 49ers down the field, in Joe Montana-like fashion, on the last drive of the game with just 3 minutes left, that resulted in a TD pass to Terrell Owens for a TD.

Earlier in this drive, Garcia threw up a lame duck pass, and a Rams CB dropped it....Garcia and the 49ers drove the length of the field for the final score to tie it in regular session.

This game was chocked full of 49ers and Rams errors.

Owens missed 2 49ers possession due to a slight concussion after being blasted by Aeneas Williams

Garcia missed a 49ers possession due to a concussion that turned out to not be a concussion...not sure I understood that, but the 49ers doctor cleared both to play.

Niners did a great job corraling Faulk, but Bulger did a great job, going 15-17 in the second half.....looks like Bulger will be keeping the QB starting position, based on Martz's comment after the game.

I was very disappointed in our performance, but given the fact that the Rams destroyed us the last 3 years (we are 1-7 against them)....today's game was not too bad. A loss is a loss, however.

Next game: at home vs Cleveland Browns, who are 0-2, after giving up 295 rushing yards to Jamal Lewis of the Ravens!!!!!

Raiders 23, Bengals 20

boy, this game sure sucked, as the Bengals pretty had good control of this game.

After getting off to a great 10-0 start, the Raiders went totally passive. Or perhaps, they're just old and slow, esp. Rich Gannon, who couldn't hit the ocean with a pass, as he overthrew the open receivers.

Bengals did a great job, and almost pulled out a victory. As a matter of fact, with the score 13--13 with about 4 minutes left, Kitna and the Bengals were on the Raiders side of the field when he threw a pass that Buchanon jumped into the receiver's route, intercepted it, and returned it 83 yards for a TD.

One would think the Bengals would quit; being down 20-13 with only 3+ minutes left....but Kitna drove them the length of the field for a TD.

But, Gannon came back and drove them the length of the field, helped by a pass interference call by a CB on Jerry Rice, and Janikowski kicked a GW field goal.

This was an UGLY UGLY win.....and the passing game was just in shambles!

Rice 4 catches for 40 yards.... I think Gannon had something like 175 passing yards total.

bad game....but we won, nevertheless!

well, what do you know? 49ers kicked out the kicker Jeff Chandler, signed some guy the NY Giants once had.

And Cedric Wilson, the main goat in the Sunday game, apparently is still on the team.

man, I was expecting the Niners to cut this reserve 3rd / 4th string WR.

yes Gannon is SLOW (he may need glasses-i don't know) whish al would let tui. play! guess gannon has to REALLY flop for that to happen! like you said though "a win is a win"...i'm really glad they don't play KC next week!(they looked good) i had to sit in arrowhead last year when they lost to the chiefs...it wasn't a pretty sight! ON TO THE BRONCOS!...........joe

releasing there kicker jeff chandler all ready due to inadequate confidence levels in him is pretty sad.. Yeah hes missed a one extra point and one field goal.. but its pretty sad when youd rather keep your offense out on the field rather then kick a field goal

weird idea but hey thats the 49ers for ya

kckiller and pr0phet

kckiller --- yup, I'd be rooting for Tuisasosopo to be in there. He's mobile, and he's been on the sidelines for the past 3-4 years, and it's time to let him play a bit. Gannon is just incredibly slow this year....perhaps it's my imagination? And he's been over-throwing or under-throwing Jerry Rice left and right.

Pr0phet --- the 49ers said that part of the reason Chandler was kicked out was that he didn't have a strong enough leg to kick the ball into the end zone on kickoffs. Last Sunday, not one kick by Chandler reached the end zone; all were at the 2-3 yard line or more

if they don't let tui. play he's gonna leave! his contract should be up after 4 yrs. Gannon is always slow at the begining(except a few years ago when they won the first 8 and lost the last 8)(he almost looks cunfused at times?) As for chandler...i would think the 2-3 yard line is a PERFECT spot! (no touchbacks)...ON TO DENVER!....joe

Since this is a Rice thread in a card netsite, I thought some of you might enjoy the pics below:



http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL113/1161059/2281071/28756309.jpg



http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL113/1161059/2281071/26489743.jpg

oh, hey!!!! wowowwowow!

What is that?

And how do I go about getting it?

I assume your talking about my Niner sets, Pod. Answer to question is look on eBay every day for 6 years, keep your checkbook handy, & click quickly when you see the "right" card(s)! LOL.

I'm basically a Starting Lineup fig collector. The cases were my design (local acrylics shop fabricated them) for displaying SLUs.
Then I got hooked on very scarce game used Montana/Rice/Young cards. (Plus Gord Howe in hockey).

Glad you liked them; I have a bunch of $$$ & more time in those sets.

If someone wants one or more cards identified/described, please LMK.

ahhh!! I see.

Boy, someday, I am gonna make a montage similar to the one you have in those pics.

that's just spectacular!!

rofl.. I think you left pod in awe rat. Thats a mega awsem display there.... YOu mentioned about SLUs.. check ur pm box on something

Jay

49ers 12, Browns 13

Tremendous performance by Kelly Holcombe (later found to have broken leg post-game), as he led them on an 80+ yard drive in the last seconds of the ball game to beat the Niners with a TD pass to Andre Davis (2nd TD of the game).

boy, the Niners sure sucked the whole game. 4 lousy stinkin' FGs

at least this FG kicker is a keeper!! boy, what a tremendous leg -- how come he's unemployed for the past year?!?!

And Owens wasn't used much, even though he caught 7-8 pass for about 80-90 yards.

boy, with the Browns focused on stopping the run (after what Jamal Lewis did to them last week), Niners should've torched them via the pass

sad sad game for us Niners fans!!

1-2, and going to MN next week to face the 3-0 Vikings, who listed Culpepper as doubtful b/c of 3 tiny broken bones in his vertebrae with a back injury

I expect quite a few false starts from the offensive line, what with the MN dome being amped up with artificial noise, in addition to crowd noise

Denver 31, Raiders 10

a lousy stinkin' game with the Broncos torching the defense for 3 quick scores in the 1st quarter.

never seen a defense look so lost as the Raiders were in the 1st quarter.

hell, even the Bengals have a better defense

and the Raiders have to bench Gannon.
He may be the NFL MVP....but he is incredibly slow this year!!!

wonder if he has an undisclosed injury???? He barely moves out of the pocket, doesn't run the ball when WRs are covered...

time for Marcus Tuiasosopo

Jerry Rice - 4 catches for 61 yards,,, I prefer seeing Tui throw to Rice!!!

It's not that Gannon is slower, it's the stupid O-line letting anybody and everybody through less than a second after the ball is snapped. Gannon nor any other quarterback is going to stand a chance if they get less than 3 seconds to throw the ball.

Gannon is slower.

I prefer Tuiasosopo -- more mobile, much quicker.

stop blaming the offensive line.

quarterbacks always get all the credit, but none of the blame.

Gannon has performed horribly all this year

Gannon sure didn't look too slow today did he? This win will spark the Raiders comeback and they will now take control. I'd like to see their defense show up from now on also because I don't think they can make it against the Chiefs and Colts with the way they've played.

Actually, Gannon did look slow, as usual. Did you notice that, even with open running lanes, he still sits and waits for open receivers....or else is sacked?

But, what a tremendous comeback by the Raiders, being down 14 points with 6 minutes left......

But great Raiders defense, along with a predictable "let's hand of to Tomlinson" offense helped give the Raiders the ball in the last 6 minutes....

And Gannon hit Whitted on a fabulous audible call; and then Garner ran 24 yards on a draw play with just about 1 minute remaining!

A TREMENDOUS call; I didn't even think about the draw, and by the looks of the Chargers defense, they didn't either.

Chargers got the ball in the OT first, but couldn't score (teams that get the ball first win the OT 68% of the time)....and Gannon went to work with Rice, including a very sweet 29-yard catch by Rice. Janikowski kicked a 46-yarder, and that was it

34-31 (same score by which USC lost to Cal in 3 OTs, hahahahaha)

Rice had 7 catches for 118 yards....but still not TDs this season!!

It seems reversed this year with Brown getting the TD catches and not Rice. How about Doug Jolley though, he's proving to be a very valuable player on the field. I sure can't wait until Porter gets healthy again so Gannon can have another weapon. I'm willing to bet that the passing game will blossom again with Porter in the lineup. I've noticed a lot of double teams on Brown and Rice with single coverage on Whitted. The only problem is that Whitted isn't that great and isn't going to draw away the defense from Rice and Brown. I'd still like to see Fargas get more carries even though it's unlikely due to Wheatley getting more touches as of late.

Well, I am still hoping more passes get thrown Rice's way.

Brown's game is predicated on his speed, and now that he's lost 3 steps....he's not getting open as much. Rice was never a speed burner; he just was able to outrun the CBs

Yea, I'd like to see Vargas touch it more...but right now, I'm content with Garner...Vargas has lots of years left.

Let's hope they do better this coming week!!

this weekend should be a doozy!!

Raiders play at Cleveland (who happened to beat my Niners)... let's hope that Gannon starts throwing more passes to Rice, and starts trying to be more like a Pro Bowl QB, rather than an old dude who isn't very mobile!! Raiders are 2-3, and already well behind the 5-0 Chiefs, not to mention the 4-1 Broncos, who have already defeated the Raiders

Niners play against division leading Seahawks, who have a TREMENDOUS defense, and are leading the NFC West!!

Niners got out to a 17-0 lead vs Mariucchi's Lions, and sort of didn't do much after that, winning 24-17. Wasn't such a pretty game!

ugh!

10/12/03: Browns 13. Raiders 7

who'd thunk the Raiders couldn't only score 7 points, and that occurred in the early 1st quarter, after a fumble by Green on Browns' 25 yard line

other than that one possession where the Raiders scored, it was a useless game.

how much longer willl the Raiders keep Gannon in there? It's very apparent that this dude just doesn't have the skills he once had. If you give him all day, Gannon will make the right throw. But, in football, you don't get all day to throw the ball. Sometimes, you have to make the plays out of nowhere.

I've been calling for Tuiasosopo to come in and start!!!

by the way, Rice didn't get a pass until about 9 minutes into the 4th quarter!!! before that, only 2 passes came his way.

Raiders tried running play after running play, all unsuccesful, and refused to pass....until it was too late.

And with about 27 seconds left, and the Raiders driving, Rice made a great catch, had his knee on the ground before going out of bounds, and it was ruled no catch!

Replays showed his knee was in bounds!! But refs didn't over-rule the play!

Browns defense was just awesome, coupled with a sh*tty offense by the Raiders, who are 2-4, and head to play K.C. on MNF next week!!

I'm very disappointed with the Raiders play this season. I really thought that they were going to make another run at a Super Bowl, but things don't seem to be falling into place. I'm not ready to give up on Gannon yet because I don't believe it's all of his fault. The O-line has been shoddy, the defense can't stop the run once again, and there are some key injuries. I think that Jerry Porter being out has really hurt the passing game because the defense has been double teaming Brown and Rice and know that the Raiders don't have any other deep threat. Every football commentator i've heard has said that the Raiders need to throw more deep balls to be effective and one even said that Tuiasosopo would suffer the same fate that Gannon has this year so it wouldn't make sense to bench him yet. I'm just going to keep praying that they can pull out of this funk and make a run for the playoffs. If they can recover and dominate there is still a chance that they can finish 11-5 and a remote possibility of 12-4.

I want Tuiasosopo out there b/c he is more mobile than Gannon.

For one reason or another (perhaps an undisclosed injury), Gannon is running.

He just stays in the pocket, and either throws the ball, or gets sacked.

Every open running lane is ignored.

something is wrong.

If they can't beat Chicago and Cleveland, I don't see how they will match up with K.C. and Denver

10/19 update: Niners 24, Bucs 7

In a game ladened with turnovers (Niners had 3 or 4 interceptions, not to mention a fumble recovery), the Bucs basically self-destructed on offense, as Brad Johnson had a terrible passing game.

Mike Rumph had his first career INT, on a wobbly, lame-duck pass that came right to him. Julian Peterson also had an INT after Jamie Winborn deflected a pass, that was then bobbled by WR McCardell, and then caught by Peterson. Rumph also caused a fumble by one of the Bucs WR.

Terrell had a pretty good game, with 6 catches for around 152 yards, and a beautiful 75 yard TD after catching a short pass -- reminded me of Jerry Rice on that play!!

Terrell dropped 4 more passes that were fairly catchable for a player of his caliber, and would've had 3 total TDs, and over 200 yards receiving...but no complaints from this Niners fan!

But the most important part of this game was the Niners RUSHING game, where Hearst (despite another fumble) ran for about 115 yards, and Barlow had 75 yards. Overall, the niners had 200+ yards rushing as they pounded the vaunted Bucs defense all game.

wow!!

Bucs 3-3
Niners 3-4, next game is at Arizona, without Emmitt playing.

Hey podstock! Looks like ur puttin a lot of time and effort into this thread and I give u a big pat on the back. I'm glad to see other crazed raiders fans out there like me -lol- I REALLY REALLY hope Oakland can put KC back in their place. If Da Raiders can win tonight watch out cuz they will have a head of steam and probably mirror last years 4-loss-in-a-row skid that ultimately ended with a super bowl berth. It smells like upset in the colliseum tonight. :D I will be rooting hard with my raider sweatshirt on tonight! Hope to see you continue to update this post and GO RAIDERS!!!!

One observation you forgot, Pod.

Pochman needs to go. We haven't had a solid kicking game in years. He's absolutely pathetic!!!

oh man, no kicking.

Hell, me and my weak leg could do much better!!

when was the last time we had a good kicker -- Ray Wersching (sic)???

in the 1980s, kicking was a luxury, since Montana, Craig, and Rice mostly scored TDs, and FGs really weren't necessary...

but man, lately, we've needed every freaking point we can get.

Pochman did GREAT in his debut...but yesterday was just horrific.

Heck, his kicks were so low, I could've block them

Monday Night Football: Raiders vs. Chiefs

What a finish! Raiders were less than 1 foot away from the tieing the game with time running out. At first i thought Gannons backup was really dissappointing, but he should some skills towards the end. I was really rooting for the Raiders, man. This was an important game.

-harris-

I am happy to see Gannon leave (perhaps the Raiders will start Tuiasosopopo next week?)

Gannon is old, and slow, and cannot make plays when the pressure is on. The Bucs showed how to defend Gannon (pressure him right up the middle)

and he's been useless this entire year.

Put in Tui; at least Tui throws the ball to Rice often

As for today's game, it was too ugly to describe, esp. the Buchanon muff punt that led to the TD for the Chiefs with about 6 minutes left.

Tuia did a good job on the last drive with 2 minutes remaining...but, man, we needed that 1 yard BADLY!!

Well, I'm thinking that Tuiasosopo will get the start next game with the comments that Callahan made about gannon being in question. I thought that Tui sucked on his first two possesions but then changed things around and looked very good in the fourth quarter. I didn't like that stupid Dan Marino fake spike play though because it cost us 5 more seconds off the game clock and almost ended up in an interception. If not for that play I think that the Raiders would of had time to score. Ultimately though it was the Buchannon fumble that cost us the game.

remember that Tuia has been with the Raiders for 3 years, and in those 3 years (this year included; although he may have been here longer, not sure), with Gannon as the starter,

Tuia has played only a few more minutes than you or I

so, naturally, the first few possessions he is playing will be bad.

Don't forget, Joe Montana (who I feel is the best ever QB) didn't exactly always have great games

10/26/03 update: Arizona 16, 49ers 13, in OT

just an ugly ugly game, and thank goodness it wasn't on TV here in S. CA

1 week after beating the Super Bowl champs, the Niners go into lowly Arizona and lose!!!

Niners were down 13-6 midway through 4th quarter when QB Garcia ran in from the 4 yard line for a TD, only to be stuffed and fumbled at the 1-yard line.

the ball bounced up and into the hands of OL Kwame Harris, who barreled his way into the end for a tying TD

Then, with about 2 minutes remaining, Niners kicker Pochman missed a chippy 35-yard FG that wasn't even close to going in.

The Cardinals kicker missed a 50-yarder as time ran out.

then in OT, Pochman stupidly kicked the ball out of bounds, giving the Cardinals the ball on their 40-yard line, eventually leading to a game winning OT FG

Pochman cost us the Seahawks game, with 2 missed FG and 1 missed extra point

he is gone soon

10/31/03 update:

1. Pochman, the kicker for the 49ers who missed the extra point, resulting in a 1-point win for Seattle; and who missed a 35-yarder at end of regulation, then kicked ball out of bounds in OT to give Arizona ball at the 40-yard line, and Az promptly marched down for a FG......is now replaced by Todd Peterson.

Niners have had 15 kickers in the past 9 years...ugh!!

2. Garcia is out for the 49ers, his back having flared up, and there goes the 61 game started streak....Rattay in; Owens likes Rattay b/c he'll throw to Owens even in triple coverage.

3. Gannon out for 2-4 weeks due to shoulder problem (yay!!); Tuiasosopopo now in -- Rice should see more passes thrown his way; Tuia looks for Rice a lot!!

4. Charles Woodson went off on Coach Callahan, uh oh!

A great game against the RAMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Rattay was awesome

11/2/03 update: Raiders lost to Detroit -- score irrelevant!

ugh!! what a sh*tty game

first, after being down 3-0, Rice catches a ball in teh 1st quarter, is stripped of the ball, and a Lions player returns it deep into Raiders territory

second, Tuiasosopo has a terrible game, before tearing his MCL

Raiders offense was pretty OFFENSIVE

Their defense wasn't too bad, allowing 23 points....but the Raiders are in disarray and the season is most likely over. The only accomplishments left is to see if they can derail K.C from their perfect record.

Rice had a fairly good game, with 8-9 catches for about 80-90 yards. Still no touchdowns!!!

11/2/03: Niners 30, Rams 10

boy, was I surprised at the score and how well we dominated Rams, esp. after we laid an egg at Arizona!!!

Started well, with an incredible 95-yard TD kickoff return right at the outset by Wilson, the goat of the Rams game last time we played at St. Louis (remember, he was the one who forgot to go out of bounds deep into Rams territory, time ran out, and we couldn't kick game winning field goal).

the running game was tremendous!! I think Barlow had over 100 yards.

the passing game wasn't too bad, esp. given that it was Rattay's first start for Garcia....and he found Owens on a TD, Lloyd for an incredible TD catch, and same for Tai STreets -- 3 TDs overall. Not a bad game!!!

defense was just spectacular, esp. in giving up 10 measly points to the Rams, who can score 10 points in 2 possession!

now 4-5, but still 2 games behind Rams, and 3 behind Seahawks. Looks like we may have to pray for the wild card spot

11/9/03: Raiders lose to Jets 27-24 in OT

as usual, the team that wins the coin flip in OT wins, and that's exactly what happened, as Pennington and the Jets drove down the field for a chip-shot FG

but, this was the Raiders fault!

They had an 8-point lead late in the 4th quarter, only to see Pennington throw a spectacular, Joe Montana-like touch pass to Sowell for about 40+ yards or so....and the Jets scored a TD in the following plays, then converted a 2-point play.

boy, the Raiders spent the entire game running...at one point, they had 36 rushes and 4 passes.

Rice had 3 pass receptions and 37 yards, and one wicked but fair hit to the stomach...the hit resulted in both players being down for 1-2 minutes in pain!

oh well...not only are the Raiders out of the playoffs, but Rice hasn't even caught a TD pass.....is it too late to trade him to Tennessee or Indianapolis or Carolina?

11/16/03 update: Raiders give the Vikings their 4th consecutive loss after being 6-0, and end their losing streak

Raiders ran and ran and ran some more

wow, Rice had 1 stinking catch for 20 yards; Brown had 1 catch (and 1 dropped TD reception)

It wasn't televised here in LA except for the last 4 minutes when the Bucs/Packs game ended early

but saw the highlights, including a bad Culpepper pass in the 1st quarter that resulted in Buchanon running it back for a TD

Charles Woodson shut his mouth and played well, holding Moss to 4 catches for 25 yards! hell, Moss gets that in 1/2 of a quarter

boring game; I don't think Rice comes back to the Raiders next year - he's not been used much at all

Raiders now 3-7

11/23/03 update: Chiefs 27, Raiders 24

a very close game, but the Raiders defense couldn't hold the Chiefs on a 4th and 14, and that resulted in a last second FG. Buchanon played ridiculously way off the WR, who caught the ball for a 15 yard gain and a 1st down, edging the Chiefs closer to that FG

Wheatley had a beautiful TD run in 2nd half, carrying a couple of Chiefs with him into end zone

best part of the game: Jerry Rice catches and runs in a 47 yard pass for his first TD of the season!! yea!! Only 2 catches for 51 yards in this game, but it was fun to watch!!!

Rice adds to history with his 1500th catch of his career.

while Rice is slowing down, he's still an effective possession receiver, on a team like Indianapolis, for instance!

here's hoping he plays 1-2 more years

11/23/03 update 20-10 Packers!

Jevon Walker 66 yard TD from Favre early in 1st quarter, who had 3 INTs, including one by Parrish and Rumph

but Ahman Green had 27 carries for 154 yards, and basically dominated!!

Owens had a sub-par game
Rattay had his worse game of the 3 starts he's had, as he was sacked 4 times, and had INT

SF has not won at Lambeaugh since early 1990s

Niners now 5-6

and looks like out of playoff running!

Hey what do u kno 49ers and raiders both lost today i was pullin for da raiders and 49ers today tho

Originally posted by dtownlions33
Hey what do u kno 49ers and raiders both lost today i was pullin for da raiders and 49ers today tho

One the one hand, I was fortunate, b/c the 49ers/Ravens game wasn't shown here in Southern CA, instead, i was watching Colts/Pats and Rams/Vikings....so I missed my 49ers getting slaughtered 44-6.

It wasn't the 6 points we scored that's surprising; it's the 44 we gave up ---- yikes!!

put back Tim Rattay!

11/30/03 update: Broncos 22-8 over the hapless Raiders.

I watched this game in misery. Why?

First possession, Raiders ran every single play...nothing happened except a punt.

Second possession, see above

Then Santiago blocked a punt for a safety and Janikowski kicked a FG for a 5-0 Raiders lead.....and that was it. Broncos basically dominnated from there on, with Portiss running 27 times for about 170 yards and 2 TDs

Raiders basically ran every single chance they got in the first half; as Rice had 2 throws his way with no catches; Brown had one catch and Porter had no catches

Rice had 2 catches overall for 27 yards; Brown had that 1 catch for 22 yards, and Porter had about 4-5 for about 50 yards

Rice deserves better than this. He was open for big gains on 2 different occasions, and Mirer didn't see him (which is why Mirer is a 3rd string QB)

I hope Rice demands a trade to an offense that throws the ball - oh, like Indianapolis (despite the astro-turf)

boy, this is a very slow year for Rice....who still commands double teams even in this game!

wow, a disappointment loss for oakland and san fran...wut happened?

well for one thing it seemed garcia was still showing effects from his injury and for da raiders i just don't kno probably the QB isn't gannon. Well da raiders got creamed by the steel curtain of pittsburgh. and the gold rushers of 49 r opening a can a whoopa$$ on the cards

Great Game for Garcia today...

He showed everyone why he IS a starter

well yea they played against the CARDS!

Originally posted by dtownlions33
well yea they played against the CARDS!

not to mention they played at home.

I believe the niners lost to the Cards at Phoenix

either way, this win isn't all that impressive, and same for Garcia's performance.

he should've been doing this against Baltimore last week, win or lose

12/7/03 update:

Pittsburgh 27, Oakland 7

not much to say about this game; Raiders are so bad that they aren't even shown on TV here in Southern CA,.

All that matter is Rice got 2 stinking catches for 27 yards. He deserves better than this, and I hope he makes a request to leave, as the Raiders will be rebuilding


As for the Niners, they score 50 against the Cardinals at home..but again, I didn't get to see it on TV

the main point is that Niners are 2 games out of the last wildcard spot, with only 3 games to play...so chances are slim and none

oh well!

12/14/03 update: Raiders upset the Ravens, 20-12

there's not much to say about this game, primarily b/c I didn't get a chance to see it;

however, ESPN showed the Jerry Rice TD catch, one of only 3 catches for Rice for 48 yards. So I am happy!!

Ravens TE Todd Heap had a great game, with 6 catches, 93 yards and a TD

Jamal Lewis had 125 yards on 24 carries, but more importantly no TDs

I am rooting for Bengals to overtake Ravens for the playoffs. Bengals currently are tied, but since they beat the Ravens, they are technically ahead

12/14/03 update: 49ers score 38 points, but lost to Bengals 41-38, the first time ever that the Bengals gave up 35 or more points and still won the game.

Like the Raiders game, this Niners game wasn't on TV here in Southern CA, so I didn't get a chance to see it..

great game by owens and garcia...but their playoff chances are over.

12/21/03 update: Niners upset the Eagles in OT, 31-28, for their first road win of the season

a TREMENDOUS GAME by the niners, esp. since Terrell was out for most of 2nd half and OT

this was a well-played game by both teams, offense and defense.

For the Eagles: great punt return for a TD by Westbrook; fairly good game for the WRs

For the Niners...oh, boy, their rushing game was ON! over 200 yards rushing, with about 135 by Kevin Barlow, and just as importantly, he didn't fumble!

Brandon Lloyd, a tremendous rookie, made an outstanding TD catch, and also a 2-point conversion.

But the player of the game was Tony Parrish, who started the game intercepting McNabb's first pass.....and then in OT, with the Eagles having the ball first on their 27 yard line, Parrish intercepted McNabb again and returned it to the 4-yard line

and Niners proceeded to kick the game-winning FG!

wowowowowowowowow!!

Parrish, gotten from Chicago when Lance Schulters left for TN, now has a league leading NINE INTS!!!!!

what tremendous hands, and ability to read the QB!!

Niners are out of the playoffs, though

I still hold out hope that Jerry Rice will end his career back in a Niners uniform, something that Montana / Lott / Craig did not do.

being a pats fan.....i think rice is a great wr alltime best but i think marvin harrison has a chance to be a great player to...we wouldnt know here in new england...lol we love our pats but no star recievers..we dont need any cuz we play as a team and die like one lol go pats..........

Originally posted by jonsportscardz
being a pats fan.....i think rice is a great wr alltime best but i think marvin harrison has a chance to be a great player to...we wouldnt know here in new england...lol we love our pats but no star recievers..we dont need any cuz we play as a team and die like one lol go pats..........

Oh definitely, Harrison (along with Torry Holt and Randy Moss and Terrell Owens) is amongst the top 4-5 WRs in the game today

But, Harrison's game depends on his speed. Soon, in a few years, he will lose that speed, and then depend on his experience, guile, and hard work. Can he continue to play at a high level once he has to become a possession receiver?

right now, only Randy Moss has a chance to get near Rice's record...it remains to be seen if he has the desire and motivation to do so. Moss' first 6-7 seasons are better than Rice's first 6-7 seasons. But, a big part of that is due to Moss starting in his rookie season, whereas Bill Walsh didn't play Rice much in his rookie year. If Moss can keep up this pace, in 16-17 years, he can match what it is taking Jerry Rice 19 years to attain.

Jerry says he's coming back next year, to some team, Oakland or otherwise.

I don't think Oakland wants both Rice and Brown...and I hold out hope and a prayer that Rice gets back to the Niners

Terrell Owens is out for game #16, with a broken collarbone. He is due a HUGE contract, and demands it.

I say, and most Niners fans would agree, that we keep Tai Street, Brandon Llyod, and let Terrell go. We could use the money we would pay Terrell to get other players on offense and defense.

Note that the Niners won their first road game of the season AT Philadelphia, and this was with Terrell out most of the game.

please please please please, 49ers organization, re-sign Jerry Rice, and use him as the possession WR, alongside speedy deep-threat Brandon Lloyd!!

12/22/03 update: Packers destroy / man-handle / annihilate the Raiders. Score irrelevant - game wasn't close.

I loved 2 things about this game:

#2: Brett Favre played like the Hall-of-Famer that he is, as he had a 154 QB rating for the game, highest in his career for a game (158.3 is a perfect QB rating), threw 4 well-placed deep TD bombs, and had 311 passing yards by halftime. Favre was just a monster tonight, and this despite learning his dad died the previous day. What a TREMENDOUS game. Never seen him throw better than today.

and, of course, #1

JERRY RICE!!

God bless veteran backup QB Rob Johnson and esp. rookie QB Tee Martin -- these two backup QBs threw almost exclusively to Rice once they got into the game late in 3rd quarter and all of the 4th.

As a result, Rice had 10 catches for 159 yards.

Rice showed what I knew all year long -- if you throw it to him, he will catch it.

Coming into this game, Rice had a sub-par year, with 52 catches for about 600-700 yards. That's PATHETIC!! and shows just how bad the offense is.

but, this was a FANTASTIC game to watch, esp. with Tee Martin.
Martin completed the first 4 passes of his career, and all 4 were to Jerry Rice

wooooohooooooooooooooo!!!

I am praying that the Raiders start Tee Martin next week vs. the Chargers!!!

I don't know why the Raiders didn't use Rice more often in the first 14 games of the season...b/c he finally had a breakout game in game #15!!!

10 catches, 159 yards

as reliable as can be!!!!!

i would also looooooooove to see rice as a 49er for one more super bowl run....

I'm a huge fan of TO and the Niners. However, I too believe it's time for him to move on. I love the chemistry Garcia/Rattay have with Lloyd. I'm hoping Jerry decides he wants to finish his career where he belongs, with the Niner family. With the defense improving every week, this team could go deep into the playoffs and make another run at a Super Bowl as soon as next year with the right pieces in place. Those pieces, in my opinion, being Garcia, Rice, Lloyd, Streets and Barlow on offense.

you're forgetting hearst...lol....

dont you think we can ship him somewhere for help at other positions...

robertson played good in limited time yesterday

I love Garrison, but it's time for Barlow to be the man. That'd be nice if we could get some help with the offensive line or corner.

i think that we needed our te back....eric johnson

Originally posted by leftyshan
I'm a huge fan of TO and the Niners. However, I too believe it's time for him to move on. I love the chemistry Garcia/Rattay have with Lloyd. I'm hoping Jerry decides he wants to finish his career where he belongs, with the Niner family. With the defense improving every week, this team could go deep into the playoffs and make another run at a Super Bowl as soon as next year with the right pieces in place. Those pieces, in my opinion, being Garcia, Rice, Lloyd, Streets and Barlow on offense.

Lefty....Rice didn't want to leave the Niners (or at least that's what I thought).

It was Mariucchi nudging him out.

There would be NOTHING finer than to see the Niners in the Super Bowl, with Jerry Rice

I believe Rice, barring any injuries, has 3-4 years left.

did anyone see tonight's MNF?

Raiders finally had QBs, specifically Tee Martin, who were looking to throw it to Rice

While Tim Brown not only has lost a step, he also has been dropping passes.

Rice still has those reliable hands!!

as for Terrell -- it would've been great to see Terrell, Rice, and brandon Llyod

that's two deep threats, and a possession receiver in Rice

Given that Terrell, at age 31 or so, demands a huge contract now that the old one is out, he's not worth $10M or whatever that figure is. Use the money to get 2 above-average players

Terrell in his prime isn't even 1/2 a Jerry Rice.

Let him go

Originally posted by leftyshan
I love Garrison, but it's time for Barlow to be the man. That'd be nice if we could get some help with the offensive line or corner.

again, I agree

I hope Barlow works this off-season on holding the ball more in towards his body rather than out in the open, where every defender can punch it away.

We could use the money from not signing Terrell on some good OL or CB

I think we need more help on OL

Originally posted by podstock
Lefty....Rice didn't want to leave the Niners (or at least that's what I thought).


I agree he didn't want to leave. What I meant is I hope he wants to come back after they showed him the door. I think he will. Especially after seeing Joe come back for his number being retired. I too would love to see Rice, TO and Lloyd together. I just think it's time to move on. He's causing too many distractions lately, not to mention the fact that he's dropped a ton of balls this year. If you've ever heard him interviewed, football's not his passion like it is for Jerry. His first love is basketball. He plays because he's good at it. We need Jerry's passion for the game and his leadership back.

Originally posted by podstock


did anyone see tonight's MNF?

Raiders finally had QBs, specifically Tee Martin, who were looking to throw it to Rice



I thought Tee Martin looked good. I hope he gets a legitimate shot at QB next preseason. He can move around and do some things out of the pocket. However, I wouldn't get too excited. It was against a prevent defense that was leaving the middle of the field wide open for Jerry to just sit there. :D

Originally posted by leftyshan
I thought Tee Martin looked good. I hope he gets a legitimate shot at QB next preseason. He can move around and do some things out of the pocket. However, I wouldn't get too excited. It was against a prevent defense that was leaving the middle of the field wide open for Jerry to just sit there. :D

awww, com' on!

cut me some slack.

This is one of Rice's worst year statistically, and I have been in misery!!

so, seeing Tee throw every single pass to Rice, and seeing Rice catch 10 for 159 yards

that made my season

I am hoping the Raiders play Tee Martin next week vs the Chargers

what do the Raiders have to lose in playing Tee?

1. if Tee has a bad game and Raiders lose, that's a higher draft pick
2. Tee is the future; Mirer and Rob Johnson are hanging on by a thread, hoping to get as much money as they can before going into the real work place
3. Tee gets much needed experience.
4. both teams are totally out of the playoffs, so no quabbles about playing your best game and winning to help a team that needs to get into first place.

If Callahan, Al Davis, and the Raiders are smart, they start Tee Martin!!

of course, I want to see Rice catch another 10+ catches for 150+ yards and some TDs

lol

The Raiders need a higher draft pick so they can take either roslisthberger or Eli Manning...

Originally posted by great_one_55
The Raiders need a higher draft pick so they can take either roslisthberger or Eli Manning...

I agree...or even Ryan Dinwiddie, if he leaves early.

hmmm, who won the Heisman? lolol....

anyways, right now, if season ended,

San Diego and Arizona both have 3 wins (AZ needs a QB badly; but Chargers already have Drew Brees, and it's too early to give up on Brees).

Atlanta, Detroit, NY Giants, Oakland and Cleveland have 4 wins (Atlanta doesn't need a QB; neither does Detroit. Not sure about Cleveland and their QB situation)

so, the worst teams of 2003 that need a QB are:
AZ
NY Giants (need a replacement soon for Collins)
Raiders
Cleveland (still have to deal with Holcombe and Couch).

So, in short, Raiders should get a good shot at the QBs if they lose to the Chargers!

Yet another reason to play Tee Martin, who threw the first 4 passes of his NFL career this past Monday night!!

Jerry Rice back in a 49ers uniform??

((oh, but how I wish and fantasize that this may come true))

here's an article from www.sacbee.com/sports


49ers Notes: Garcia would welcome Rice finishing with S.F.
By Jim Jenkins -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 a.m. PST Thursday, December 25, 2003

SANTA CLARA -- If Jerry Rice has had his fill of the Raiders, 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia would welcome the NFL's career-leading receiver back to San Francisco.
Garcia, as are most people, is wondering whether Rice, at age 41, wants to continue playing next year. And, if he does, does he want to finish his career with a fourth season in Oakland? Or would he consider a chance to return to his roots and retire as a 49er?

After the Raiders fell to 4-11 with Monday night's 41-7 loss to Green Bay, Rice indicated he was leaning toward playing at least another season because he didn't want to wind up his career in a negative atmosphere. The Raiders are expected to begin a roster overhaul with an emphasis on youth after Sunday's season-finale at San Diego.
Garcia sees brighter circumstances for Rice rejoining the 49ers, who are 7-8 entering Saturday's final game against visiting Seattle and might have been back in the playoffs but for a few narrow defeats.

"It would be great to see Jerry retire as a 49er," Garcia said. "He spent so many positive years here, did so much for this organization. Whether he wants to play another year obviously has yet to be determined. That's something he's going to think about, but I remember him as a 49er. I know he was rejuvenated in many ways by going over to the Raiders and having some successful years there. But if we can have him finish here, that would be awesome."

Rice left the 49ers following the 2000 season because he was being unseated as the primary receiver by Terrell Owens. Owens, however, may not be back next season. He was formally placed on season-ending injured reserve Wednesday after fracturing his left collarbone in Sunday's game at Philadelphia.

Loopholes in Owens' contract allow him to test the free-agent market after the season. The 49ers also may make little or no attempt to re-sign Owens, given the progress of younger receivers, Owens' flare-ups with Garcia and coaches, and the likelihood the four-time Pro Bowl selection will seek a megabucks contract.

Owens' injury may take four months to fully heal. Whether that discourages would-be suitors remains to be seen.

12/27/03 update: 49ers lose 24-17, to Seattle

the article below summarizes my feeling about the Niners football season

--------------------
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2003/12/28/KNAPP.TMP

Season encapsulated in one act of timidity
Gwen Knapp

Great teams can make magic in 7 seconds. On Saturday, the 49ers had 7 seconds to make something, anything. They're not a great team, but then again, they didn't need magic. They were only 12 yards from the end zone, with nothing to lose by throwing a pass, by taking a small chance. They were on second down with an entire half of football left -- an entire half, plus 7 luscious seconds.

They made nothing of those 7 seconds. The 49ers aimed low and got what they deserved.

A 29-yard field-goal attempt clanked off the right goal post. The Candlestick crowd booed, but not as loudly as it had a few seconds earlier, when the offense left the field and Todd Peterson lined up for the kick.

The second round of boos had a tone of resignation, a "we told you so'' quality. The first round was deep and loud, pure scorn. The failed kick didn't rankle as much as the dearth of ambition it represented.

Great teams can make magic in 7 seconds. The 49ers aren't even a good team. They have great statistics, but great statistics don't make magic. They don't even put a team into the playoffs in a year when playoff qualification is cheaper than hosiery at a garage sale.

The 49ers lost to the Seahawks on Saturday by a touchdown, by the 7 points they didn't try to score at the end of the first half. They finished their season at 7-9, a year after they went 10-6 with a sickly defense.

The franchise is mystified by its record, and by "mystified,'' I mean blaming the kickers. They're deserving scapegoats, but the fault certainly doesn't belong exclusively, or even largely, to with pseudo-soccer players who happen to cash NFL paychecks.

Yes, a lot of little things, including the toes of Jeff Chandler, Owen Pochman and Bill LaFleur, added up to that 7-9 record. But there's a larger picture here, and it shows a season that was an across-the-board football failure.

"We're a better team than we showed today,'' quarterback Jeff Garcia said, an assessment that applied to the whole season.

Player by player, the 49ers really are better -- too talented and committed to be 7-9. But the front office and the coaching staff did not put together a strategy that made everything work. As a result, the 49ers found ways to lose, the same way that champions find ways to win.

Those 7 wasted seconds at the end of the first half Saturday were one more little thing, and they were everything. The timidity of attempting a field goal in that situation defied every promise that was made to 49ers fans at the beginning of this season.

When Dennis Erickson was hired as the head coach in February, he and the management that chose him vowed to turn out a more aggressive team than the one so cautiously tended by Steve Mariucci.

Yet those 7 seconds on Saturday were almost as egregiously squandered as the infamously forsaken 50 seconds in last season's playoff loss to Tampa Bay. In fact, in some ways, this episode was worse. Mariucci thought his team was so overwhelmed that it needed to recover its senses rather than go for a big play at the end of the first half. It was not the way to coach a playoff game, but Mariucci did have a point. The way things were going that day, a deep pass was very likely to yield an interception.

More than that, though, Mariucci and the 49ers had something to lose in those 50 seconds. They were one win away from the NFC title game. This year's 49ers would have risked nothing by throwing into the end zone against the Seahawks. Their season was going to end on Saturday no matter what they did. They might as well have done something bold. And really, how daring was it to go for a touchdown in that situation?

Erickson said he decided to kick because a penalty two plays earlier had pushed the 49ers from the 2 yard line to the 12. If they'd still been at the 2, he would have run a play, probably a fade route.

But it's not asking much of an NFL receiver to run a route of 12 yards in less than 5 seconds. It's certainly not asking much from a quarterback of Garcia's caliber to make all the necessary decisions in less than 5 seconds. In fact, on the previous play, an incomplete 12-yard pass to Tai Streets, just 5 seconds had peeled off the clock.

Another incompletion would have left time for Peterson to come out with 1 second left. Plus, the 49ers had a timeout left, an insurance policy. And still they didn't take the chance, the tiny, inconsequential chance.

They may have earned a slightly higher draft pick by calling on Peterson prematurely. But they weren't playing for draft position these last two weeks, when the playoffs were out of reach. They were playing for pride, for a .500 record. Instead, they have a 7-9 record, which could leave them worse off than the Chicago Bears, who started their season with a 49-7 loss to the Niners, completely outplayed and outclassed. They will enter Sunday's finale at 7-8.

It's all very mystifying. And then again, it isn't.

Well put. :cry:

Lefty - you know what's amazing?

how can a team ranked #3 overall in offense and #3 overall in defense have a losing record????

12/28/03 update: Raiders complete a miserable, inept season the only way possible - losing to the lowly Chargers, 21-14, as the Raiders offense did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING.

Rice had a lousy stinkin' 2 catches for 14 yards.

Tee Martin wasn't the starter (why not?!?!?!)

Here's hoping Rice leaves the Raiders and finishes out his Hall of Fame career with the Niners!

Joe Montana didn't
Ronnie Lott didn't
Roger Craig didn't

please, Niners organization.....sign up Rice as your other starting WR, as a possession WR, with Brandon Lloyd as the starting WR that is the deep threat, and Tai Streets as the 3rd WR if you go to 3-wide out!

Originally posted by podstock
Lefty - you know what's amazing?

how can a team ranked #3 overall in offense and #3 overall in defense have a losing record????

The way I see it is we lost about 6 games that we should have/could have won. The 1st game against St.Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Arizona and Seattle both games. Most, if not all of those games, we were in control throughout. Wilson cost us one and the kicking game...........I don't even want to get into that. The offense got off to a slow start in my opinion, but the defense was there all year with the exception of the Vikings game. I believe we'll be back in the playoffs next season.