The 49ers are going to beat the Rams tomorrow (1 Viewer)

[azcards33]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

2) 49ers offensive philosophy - I believe that the 49ers will run the ball alot this week with Frank Gore, which will allow play-action, mis-direction, and the passing game to open up for Alex Smith. I think that Norv Turner and the 49ers offense are gonna try to chew up the clock and move the chains using the running game, thus taking pressure off of Alex Smith, and again, opening things up for him downfield as well.

3) Defense - The defense limited Edgerrin James to minimal yardage on the ground last week, and I believe that if they can hold St. Louis' Steven Jackson to roughly the same amount of yards, they'll be in the game and should have a great chance of winning

My prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 21

 

[Big Score]

3) Defense - The defense limited Edgerrin James to minimal yardage on the ground last week, and I believe that if they can hold St. Louis' Steven Jackson to roughly the same amount of yards, they'll be in the game and should have a great chance of winning

I agree with you on points 1 & 2 azcards33, but even without McCollum, Pace and the rest of the Rams O'line should NOT be confused with the Cards O'line.

 

[LongDrivethenFoozle]

Not that big of an upset if you've followed what Nolan is doing with the 49ers. It will be an exciting game....and the score will bring alot of "football package" viewers who normally wouldn't watch. Fantasy starters will shine in this one.

 

[azcards33]

3) Defense - The defense limited Edgerrin James to minimal yardage on the ground last week, and I believe that if they can hold St. Louis' Steven Jackson to roughly the same amount of yards, they'll be in the game and should have a great chance of winning

I agree with you on points 1 & 2 azcards33, but even without McCollum, Pace and the rest of the Rams O'line should NOT be confused with the Cards O'line.

I'll give you that, much better line than Arizona'sI also think though that the 49ers defense is gonna be able to create just enough of a pass rush to force Bulger into turning the ball over once or twice

 

[Wheelhouse]

3) Defense - The defense limited Edgerrin James to minimal yardage on the ground last week, and I believe that if they can hold St. Louis' Steven Jackson to roughly the same amount of yards, they'll be in the game and should have a great chance of winning

If Steven Jackson is held in check like Edgerrin was - then yes, I believe they (SF) will win. I just don't anticipate Jackson being held in check.

 

[cobalt_27]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

 

[azcards33]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

You're kidding, right?you obviously need to spend less time online tracking your fantasy players' performances and simply going through box scores/game logs, and attend more NFL games or watch more games on TV

I don't have the time to do your year-by-year historical analysis for you and i'm sorry, on the other hand though, you've probably got plenty of time to do it yourself

why don't you go ahead and get on that and tell us all what you come up with

 

[Gopher State]

My prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 21

I hope you're not putting money on that.

very

 

[fridayfrenzy]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

You're kidding, right?you obviously need to spend less time online tracking your fantasy players' performances and simply going through box scores/game logs, and attend more NFL games or watch more games on TV

I don't have the time to do your year-by-year historical analysis for you and i'm sorry, on the other hand though, you've probably got plenty of time to do it yourself

why don't you go ahead and get on that and tell us all what you come up with

Sports teams with blue and yellow jerseys win on the road, moreso than at home.I don't have the time to look it up, but I know this from watching sports and lookng through box scores. So until you prove me wrong, I am right.

 

[azcards33]

2) 49ers offensive philosophy - I believe that the 49ers will run the ball alot this week with Frank Gore, which will allow play-action, mis-direction, and the passing game to open up for Alex Smith. I think that Norv Turner and the 49ers offense are gonna try to chew up the clock and move the chains using the running game, thus taking pressure off of Alex Smith, and again, opening things up for him downfield as well.My prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 21

I guess you weren't impressed with what they did to Denver's running game. So, SF offence is better than Denver's offence? ETA: "offence"

Did you even watch this game?Denver's offense looked completely inept and couldn't get in any type of rythme at all. Offensive line was getting blown up, receivers dropping very catchable ballsI think their offensive struggles had alot more to do with their own lack of preparation, execution, and game-planning than it had to do with the Rams defense overwhelming or dominating themThis isn't the first time that Denver has come out flat in an opener either, just look at last year when they opened the season at Miami and played a stinker there as well

 

[Willowdoc]

2) 49ers offensive philosophy - I believe that the 49ers will run the ball alot this week with Frank Gore, which will allow play-action, mis-direction, and the passing game to open up for Alex Smith. I think that Norv Turner and the 49ers offense are gonna try to chew up the clock and move the chains using the running game, thus taking pressure off of Alex Smith, and again, opening things up for him downfield as well.My prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 21

I guess you weren't impressed with what they did to Denver's running game. So, SF offence is better than Denver's offence? ETA: "offence"

Denver had 160 yards rushing on 25 carries ie 6+ yards a carry. And they weren't garbage time runs. Plummer was horrid, but St. Louis couldn't stop the run.

 

[azcards33]

Here are 3 relevant recent examples for you:

The 2003 San Francisco 49ers went 7-9, they were 7-1 at home and 0-8 on the road:

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2003-sf

The 2003 Arizona Cardinals were 4-12. All 4 of their wins were at home and they played opponents alot closer at home than they did on the road

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd2003.htm

The 2005 San Francisco 49ers were 4-12, 3 of their 4 wins came at home

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2005-sf

 

[Big Score]

2) 49ers offensive philosophy - I believe that the 49ers will run the ball alot this week with Frank Gore, which will allow play-action, mis-direction, and the passing game to open up for Alex Smith. I think that Norv Turner and the 49ers offense are gonna try to chew up the clock and move the chains using the running game, thus taking pressure off of Alex Smith, and again, opening things up for him downfield as well.My prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 21

I guess you weren't impressed with what they did to Denver's running game. So, SF offence is better than Denver's offence? ETA: "offence"

Denver had 160 yards rushing on 25 carries ie 6+ yards a carry. And they weren't garbage time runs. Plummer was horrid, but St. Louis couldn't stop the run.

Yeah bringing up the Rams run D, was not the best counter point. In fact, the rushing yards allowed by the Rams D + the M. Bell TD, only serves to firther solidify azcards33's 2nd point.

 

[the rover]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

You're kidding, right?you obviously need to spend less time online tracking your fantasy players' performances and simply going through box scores/game logs, and attend more NFL games or watch more games on TV

I don't have the time to do your year-by-year historical analysis for you and i'm sorry, on the other hand though, you've probably got plenty of time to do it yourself

why don't you go ahead and get on that and tell us all what you come up with

classic azcards. making up stats that don't exist, and then refusing to even attempt to back them up. don't bother to factor in things like injuries to SF's offensive line, or the fact that Gore is no longer a secret and Haslett will be stacking the box.

 

[the rover]

Here are 3 relevant recent examples for you:

The 2003 San Francisco 49ers went 7-9, they were 7-1 at home and 0-8 on the road:

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2003-sf

The 2003 Arizona Cardinals were 4-12. All 4 of their wins were at home and they played opponents alot closer at home than they did on the road

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd2003.htm

The 2005 San Francisco 49ers were 4-12 last season, 3 of their 4 wins came at home

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2005-sf

were those "young teams"? how did their home winning percentages stack up against the rest of the league? what is the criteria for your "young team" analysis? how does it compare to the performance of NFL teams, as a whole, at home?anyone who even considers listening to this guy needs to go check the FFA for his NCAA thread.

you can win boatloads.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

the argument that maybe STL defense really isn't that good because DEN got blown out in MIA last year, too is a little indirect...

a more direct look at the rams defense would suggest it OUGHT to be better (though not necessarily as good as they looked sunday against hapless broncos, leading NFL with +5 turnover differential)...

haslett as coach & defensive schemer vastly superior to marmie... it isn't even close...

new players (glover, witherspoon, chavous & fakir brown via FA & hill in draft) appear to be impact additions...

holdovers like little & atogwe seem to be playing better...

imo the STL defensive improvements are not a mirage & they will go from close to last in 05 to somewhere around middle of the pack (with upside) in 06... a massive improvement for them, & maybe enough to propel them to playoffs if offense comes around...

one thing i don't necessarily disagree with you on is i see SF being greatly improved on offense this year (not as sure about defense... they did give up 31 which was more than average last season, but they won't face high octane ARI offense every week)... smith looks better, gore looks good, davis is real deal (not sure how effective he will be this week, though)... i could see this being close game, but expect rams to win, unless they fail to score a TD again (i find this scenario unlikely, but red zone offense has been sputtering since pre-season)...

i actually think key to game will be if bulger gets untracked... if not, SF can stack defense against jackson...

but i don't think STL defense will be cause of their losing if it goes down that way...

of course, the rationale of one of your points... young teams don't play well on road... if this were true, would be a wash... as STL being a road team isn't really young, especially on offense...

 

[azcards33]

Here are 3 relevant recent examples for you:

The 2003 San Francisco 49ers went 7-9, they were 7-1 at home and 0-8 on the road:

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2003-sf

The 2003 Arizona Cardinals were 4-12. All 4 of their wins were at home and they played opponents alot closer at home than they did on the road

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd2003.htm

The 2005 San Francisco 49ers were 4-12 last season, 3 of their 4 wins came at home

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2005-sf

were those "young teams"? how did their home winning percentages stack up against the rest of the league? what is the criteria for your "young team" analysis? how does it compare to the performance of NFL teams, as a whole, at home?anyone who even considers listening to this guy needs to go check the FFA for his NCAA thread.

you can win boatloads.

come on, dudewith the salary cap hell that the 49ers were stuck in during those years, are you really going to question whether or not those were young teams?

The 2003 Arizona Cardinals team was the youngest in the league that season, which is how they are relevant

 

[azcards33]

Here are 3 relevant recent examples for you:

The 2003 San Francisco 49ers went 7-9, they were 7-1 at home and 0-8 on the road:

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2003-sf

The 2003 Arizona Cardinals were 4-12. All 4 of their wins were at home and they played opponents alot closer at home than they did on the road

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd2003.htm

The 2005 San Francisco 49ers were 4-12 last season, 3 of their 4 wins came at home

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2005-sf

were those "young teams"? how did their home winning percentages stack up against the rest of the league? what is the criteria for your "young team" analysis? how does it compare to the performance of NFL teams, as a whole, at home?anyone who even considers listening to this guy needs to go check the FFA for his NCAA thread.

you can win boatloads.

The bottomline and the point i was trying to make that is if a young team is going to win, it's going to be at home moreoften than it is going to be on the road

 

[Uruk-Hai]

2) 49ers offensive philosophy - I believe that the 49ers will run the ball alot this week with Frank Gore, which will allow play-action, mis-direction, and the passing game to open up for Alex Smith. I think that Norv Turner and the 49ers offense are gonna try to chew up the clock and move the chains using the running game, thus taking pressure off of Alex Smith, and again, opening things up for him downfield as well.

My prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 21

I guess you weren't impressed with what they did to Denver's running game. So, SF offence is better than Denver's offence? ETA: "offence"

Do you write "cheques" too?

 

[imeimex]

I came into the preseason thinking that both Smith and the 49ers were terrible, but after watching them more closely I believe they will surprise a lot of people.

My question for this game is the loss of the offensive lineman for the 49ers. I am pretty sure that Allen and someone else are out. I like the way that Norv Turner has been calling for a lot of rollout passes for Smith so maybe this won't effect him as much, but I think it could hurt Gore's production. What say you AZCARDS?

 

[Bob_Magaw]

another reason i think that how the rams defense looked can't be entirely attributed to lack of preparation by DEN...

STL had at least a little to do with how plummer looked... little had like two sacks & a FF (or two?) in first quarter... while little has had a few up & down seasons (with some rough off-seasons), if he can recapture his 01-03 form, he is a monster & one of top pass rushers in NFL... kirwan in his column thinks he is back & has realistic chance to lead league in sacks...

INTs to hill & chavous looked like bad decisions thrown into the teeth of coverage... but the INT to brown was a spectacular individual effort by witherspoon to dive & tip the ball... i don't think there will be any doubt much longer (if there is now) that spoon is BY FAR best MLB the team has had since they let london fletcher depart in FA to bills...

 

[the rover]

Here are 3 relevant recent examples for you:

The 2003 San Francisco 49ers went 7-9, they were 7-1 at home and 0-8 on the road:

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2003-sf

The 2003 Arizona Cardinals were 4-12. All 4 of their wins were at home and they played opponents alot closer at home than they did on the road

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd2003.htm

The 2005 San Francisco 49ers were 4-12 last season, 3 of their 4 wins came at home

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2005-sf

were those "young teams"? how did their home winning percentages stack up against the rest of the league? what is the criteria for your "young team" analysis? how does it compare to the performance of NFL teams, as a whole, at home?anyone who even considers listening to this guy needs to go check the FFA for his NCAA thread.

you can win boatloads.

The bottomline and the point i was trying to make that is if a young team is going to win, it's going to be at home moreoften than it is going to be on the road

again, you have no proof to back up your claim. of course it is more likely that a team will perform better at home. that's called "home field advantage." maybe you've heard of it. it applies to all teams, regardless of how old their players are.

 

[cobalt_27]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

You're kidding, right?you obviously need to spend less time online tracking your fantasy players' performances and simply going through box scores/game logs, and attend more NFL games or watch more games on TV

I don't have the time to do your year-by-year historical analysis for you and i'm sorry, on the other hand though, you've probably got plenty of time to do it yourself

why don't you go ahead and get on that and tell us all what you come up with

Translation: I don't have a link because I'm pulling this theory out of my white, pasty ###.

 

[cobalt_27]

Here are 3 relevant recent examples for you:

The 2003 San Francisco 49ers went 7-9, they were 7-1 at home and 0-8 on the road:

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2003-sf

The 2003 Arizona Cardinals were 4-12. All 4 of their wins were at home and they played opponents alot closer at home than they did on the road

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd2003.htm

The 2005 San Francisco 49ers were 4-12, 3 of their 4 wins came at home

http://www.jt-sw.com/football/pro/results.nsf/Teams/2005-sf

Please demonstrate their youth (e.g., rank of starter's age compared to league average).Please also characterize the base rate of home wins versus road wins. Most teams win more home games versus road games, so the implication you're advancing isn't entirely a novel concept.

If you can demonstrate that these teams were (a) younger than the league average, (b) that their home Ws exceed the league average, (c ) that other "young" teams had a similar pattern, not the opposite, then you might have a case. Otherwise, you're just blathering old wives' tales without a smidge of support to back up your point.

 

[TheWick]

I think it will be a close game...the 9ers pull out all their tricks against the rams. But I don't think Gore will be able to move the ball much with their line even more hurt than the Rams.

 

[thecatch]

49ers did beat them at home last year, and this squad is much improved over that one. If everything breaks right for SF, they could very well win this one too, but i would consider it unlikely.

 

[Limp Ditka]

49ers did beat them at home last year, and this squad is much improved over that one. If everything breaks right for SF, they could very well win this one too, but i would consider it unlikely.

SF has beat them 3 of the last 4 times at home.As much as it pains me to back a loser (azcards, not the 49ers) I would be willing to put a couple of units on the 49ers tomorrow. Its a great bet getting 3 and if I were up on the early games, I'd probably be betting the money line too.

 

[hawaiiankrush]

Predicting the niners to win---

 

[toxicbees]

I'm not going to go so far as gurantee a win, but I do feel the niners have a good chance to win this week. I think they played really well last week, and if it wasn't for those two costly fumbles by Gore and Davis they probably would have won. If they can build on the momentum they created from last week, they'll be hard to beat at home. It's going to be a beautiful day in SF tomorrow and the crowd is going to be loud.

As for the offensive line, LT Jonas Jennings might actually play, he's a game time decision. Larry Allen is out a couple weeks, but I think either Wragge or Baas (2005 2nd round pick from Michigan) will more than fill the LG position. Also, after both Jennings and Allen left the game last week, I honestly thought the line continued to play well.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

I think the 49ers have a good shot to win this game. Certain people are laughing at the prospect of the Rams losing this game, yet they lost to the 49ers TWICE last year.

I think, if nothing else, it should be a close game contested well into the 2nd half.

 

[ItsOnlytheRiver]

STL homer here. The Ram's D is getting really over rated. The line looked OK, but for the most part they just made plays when it mattered. Maybe that is a sign or maybe it was luck, but let's not get carried away. STL's D is still looking pretty crappy.

 

[sentr]

Not that big of an upset if you've followed what Nolan is doing with the 49ers. It will be an exciting game....and the score will bring alot of "football package" viewers who normally wouldn't watch. Fantasy starters will shine in this one.

Nolan is changing the losing mentality for the Niners and has the team heading in the right direction for sure. He is a hard core S.O.B. and has a "no B.S." mentality. As a Niners fan since 1982, this is very exciting. For the first time in nearly 10 years, we are on the road to building solid, long term success again. Within 2 years we will be back in the playoff hunt and already have some very solid, young talent to contend with each week. We are DEFINITELY not the worst team in the league any longer, and far from it. I could not say that for the past 3-4 years............As for today's game, I would not be surprised if the Niners won-- I expect a tightly contested game either way.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Looking good so far. Sometimes I think people still have '99 Rams on the brain.

 

[Limp Ditka]

Predicting the niners to win---

Still laughing?

 

[thecatch]

49ers just need to run the clock out now

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Game over man, game over!

 

[azcards33]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

You're kidding, right?you obviously need to spend less time online tracking your fantasy players' performances and simply going through box scores/game logs, and attend more NFL games or watch more games on TV

I don't have the time to do your year-by-year historical analysis for you and i'm sorry, on the other hand though, you've probably got plenty of time to do it yourself

why don't you go ahead and get on that and tell us all what you come up with

classic azcards. making up stats that don't exist, and then refusing to even attempt to back them up. don't bother to factor in things like injuries to SF's offensive line, or the fact that Gore is no longer a secret and Haslett will be stacking the box.

are my concepts and theories still so hard to believe?

 

[shredhead]

My prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 21

49ers 20 Rams 13 Good prediction.

 

[Cowboys#1]

:thumbsup:

well done.

 

[Judge Smails]

Rams played like crap at SF last year too..This wasn't hard to predict. But props anyway..

 

[trader jake]

props on calling your shot

 

[glen5839]

I bet this game

honest admission: huge Niners homer

 

[DPRugby]

Nice call. I was at the game and it really looked and felt like the Niners played much better than the score indicated. A couple plays go the other way (gore's fumble, the roughing penalty) and the 49ers could have won by 17 points.

 

[cobalt_27]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

You're kidding, right?you obviously need to spend less time online tracking your fantasy players' performances and simply going through box scores/game logs, and attend more NFL games or watch more games on TV

I don't have the time to do your year-by-year historical analysis for you and i'm sorry, on the other hand though, you've probably got plenty of time to do it yourself

why don't you go ahead and get on that and tell us all what you come up with

classic azcards. making up stats that don't exist, and then refusing to even attempt to back them up. don't bother to factor in things like injuries to SF's offensive line, or the fact that Gore is no longer a secret and Haslett will be stacking the box.

are my concepts and theories still so hard to believe?

No. We'd just like data to back up your concepts/theories. Congrats on the call, but I have yet to see you produce any support for your theory about young teams and home wins. You might be right, you might not. But, there should be some statistical analysis that confirms or disconfirms this, no?

 

[RoarinSonoran]

What's that saying? Sometimes even a blind squirrel can find a nut.

 

[5Rings]

 

[pettifogger]

Good call, azcards.

 

[Bri]

yeah good call

 

[Aaronstory]

as an aspiring sports journalist/sports handicapper there are a couple of things i want to point out in regards to Sunday's Niners/Rams game:

1) The NFL's younger teams, as the 49ers are, historically struggle to win on the road, but play much better and have an easier time winning at home. I think that throughout the season, this will be the case for the 49ers

You're kidding, right?you obviously need to spend less time online tracking your fantasy players' performances and simply going through box scores/game logs, and attend more NFL games or watch more games on TV

I don't have the time to do your year-by-year historical analysis for you and i'm sorry, on the other hand though, you've probably got plenty of time to do it yourself

why don't you go ahead and get on that and tell us all what you come up with

 

[King of the Jungle]

My prediction: 49ers 27, Rams 21

I hope you're not putting money on that.

I hope youd did. Nice call (azcards).