49ers-Seahawks Post Mortem: Coach Singletary Speaks

The San Francisco 49ers conducted their usual morning after press conference with head coach Mike Singletary. That link takes you to TV49 where the 49ers post all the necessary videos.

We’ve had an ongoing discussion over at Niners Nation about the press conference. The best line might have been by sigma who stated that Mike Singletary has mastered the art of the understatement.

The general concern right now is that the coaching staff doesn’t appear to understand what the problems are. They talk about how the team will work its tail off, but when you don’t know what the problem is, that might not always help. It will be a long week for 49ers fans as we head towards next Monday Night’s big battle with the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints.

San Francisco Sputters Out On Both Sides Of The Ball

This was not a good game for the 49ers. They came out strong on both sides of the ball, and seemed to sputter out from then on. Defensively, they opened up with a Nate Clements interception on the first pass thrown by Matt Hasselbeck. Offensively, they drove down the field on a few occasions and went for a few fourth down conversions, of which they only converted one.

Alex Smith had a strong command of the offense and inspired a lot of confidence for the 49ers — for the first few drives. The defense stepped it up with some good stops — for the first few drives. After that, though, the 49ers had a steady course set for beating themselves.

Wide receiver Michael Crabtree will receive a lot of grief from coaches after this game. He was called out this preseason, reportedly for his lack of practicing and dedicating himself to the team in the offseason and lack of playing in the preseason by team captain Vernon Davis. It's clear now that Crabtree needed those reps, because he made mistake after mistake.

He consistently lined up wrong, drawing the ire of quarterback Alex Smith and fellow receiver Josh Morgan. He also dropped a pass that was put right into his hands in the second quarter that would have been a first down and feasibly preventing the Seahawks from scoring before the half ended.

The special teams units for the 49ers were clearly struggling. On punt coverage, kickoff coverage, kick returns and punt returns, they lacked leadership, order and consistent playmaking. It was clear that veteran Michael Robinson was missed on the unit, and if the team is to survive in all three aspects of the game, one of the players currently on the roster will need to step up.

As I type this, Mike Singletary is very late to his press conference. Next week, the 49ers have their home opener on Monday Night Football against the New Orleans Saints.

San Francisco 49ers List Three As 'Out' On Final Injury Report For Week 1

The San Francisco 49ers have released their final injury report for their game against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday without many surprises.

C Eric Heitman is still out with a broken fibula, LB Ahmad Brooks will miss the game due to a lacerated kidney and rookie WR Kyle Williams is out with a toe injury. None of the three players list as “Out” practiced this week.

Other 49ers on the injury report included CB William James who is listed as doubtful with an ankle injury as well as LB Diyral Briggs, who was listed as probable after full participation in Friday’s practice.

San Francisco head coach Mike Singletary also said in a Friday press conference that T Barry Sims, T Alex Boone and CB Tramaine Brock will be inactive for the game.

For a more in-depth look at the 49ers Week 1 injury report, refer to Niners Nation.

49ers-Seahawks: An Ignominious Look At The Recent Past

The fine folks over at Field Gulls put together a look at the 49ers-Seahawks rivalry, focusing on games they find entertaining, while 49ers fans would find it cringe-inducing. Consider this more of a masochistic post for Bay Area fans.

Their choice for the #1 game was a Seahawks win in 2003 that propelled them into the playoffs. Their #2 choice would easily be my choice for the toughest 49ers loss, at least in the recent past. That game was last December’s 20-17 loss that basically cost the 49ers a playoff spot. Let’s hope the team can avenge that loss this year.

San Francisco 49ers At Seattle Seahawks: Can The Rookies Handle The Noise?

The 49ers have two rookies starting on their offensive line. They also have their starting center, Eric Heitmann, who is a team captain and offensive line captain, out for the game with an injury. It will be those two rookies' first real NFL action in week one against the Seattle Seahawks.

Qwest Field is one of the most hostile stadiums to play in for veteran offensive linemen, let alone two rookies and a backup. It was a unit which made the odd mistake here and there in preseason, but largely looked more disciplined as time went on. Their first real test will come in the first game of the 2010 season.

Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis need to go into Sunday's game confident and concentrated. Joe Staley, Chilo Rachal and David Baas will be facing the test too, of course. The noise of the stadium is tough on veterans as well, and in week one, it can lead to quite a few false start penalties. The 49ers probably can't take very many of them, either.

Quarterback Alex Smith will look to show a lot of his doubters that he is a leader and deserves his new-found captaincy. The defense is a strong-point and will look to solidify the notion.

For the Seahawks, their roster is re-shuffled throughout its foundation and the verdict is out on basically every position. More skepticism and question marks linger for them than most every team, and it appears they could go either way. We'll have to see on Sunday. Check back soon for a full preview in the coming days.