American Football Spectacular: Regarding Adversity
It was painful to watch. We knew this was an outsized match when we saw in ahead on the calendar. SF vs PHI. Crap. We knew. This is part of what being at the bottom reaps; sometimes you must face those stronger than you on your path when you are not ready for them. This is indisputable. And it hurt. Oh, did it hurt. The points kept coming, and your 49ers simply could not respond in kind.
Across the Bay, in Oakland, your Raiders were visited by one of their closest enemies, the Kansas City Chiefs. As expected, neither team could properly defend against the other. Yet, through this morass, the Raiders had opportunities to put KC away. Their own efforts -- and in one very important case, the referees' efforts -- prevented them from reaching their goal.
Adversity. All must face it. It's a question of what one does with it. The true test of a person is how they get up after being knocked down. And indeed, both of our Bay Area American football teams were knocked down this weekend.
By SFist Christopher Rogers, contributing
"From personal experience, I know that adversity is sometimes some of the best experience you have," head coach Mike Nolan said in the Chron. "This is certainly an adverse situation for our football team. As we all know, one game does not determine a season, and our football team knows that as well."
Coach has a good head on his shoulders, and he's got the team pointed in a good direction. But this was a battle few thought we could see through to victory. Overmatched on the field, the Niners couldn't force their upstart will upon the defending NFC champs. They couldn't reach the pre-wounded Donovan McNabb. They couldn't defend against the Eagles' anemic-but-for-T.O. passing attack. They could make no headway against the Philly D-line that was pushed around by the Falcons' who-dey offensive line the week before. Too young, not ready, not enough; our 49ers were pulled apart. The best that can be hoped is that learning took place. A grimness of purpose instilled. No one wants to be on the short end of one of these events. The goal is to be the team that metes out such judgment upon lesser teams. The NFL's system is built to be cyclical, unlike Major League Baseball. All will rise and fall, as long as there's competent leadership, and right now, our Niners cannot compete with those riding the crest. That's fine. It's part of what must be done. We will rebuild. And we will meet them again.
"Whether it is one game, whether it's a season or whether it's a career, when you face adversity, what are you going to do?" Nolan asked. "That's the important thing in going forward." Right on, Coach.
As for your Raiders, this week was to be when things got on track. We knew that the Week 01 game against the Patriots was to be an anomalous game, for New England is no ordinary football franchise, and regular plans of engagement do not apply to them. But the Chiefs are a flesh-and-blood American football team. They have simple strengths and weaknesses that they can't conceal. You can see them coming, and they come as no surprise. So, when the two teams met on Sunday night, they met head-on. 'Twas a struggle.
Oakland's defense, to their credit, prevented KC from converting a 3rd down until 'round 4:30 in the 2nd quarter. But then again, on their first drive, KC converted two 4th downs in mashing their way to a touchdown with their running game. The Chiefs had to fight for each yard, with immobile QB Trent Green running(!) for a first after having gripped his ribs in pain on the previous play. The Raiders struck back with LaMont carving through the middle of KC's depleted D-line. A dashing 40+ yard breakaway TD as called back on a penalty. Yet LaMont acquitted himself well when he had the ball in his hands.
Yet regarding the passing game, AFS gnashed our teeth and cried out aloud at Kerry Collins' decision-making processes: throwing foolishly long on second downs, and completing passes well short of the marker on third downs. Ugly and awful. Yet when everything works, it can be so sweet, as when Moss caught a post and galloped past Surtain and Knight on his glide into the end zone. It was beautiful, fantastical, almost unfair. Like an 8th grader playing with the 5th grade kids. Seemingly effortless. And therefore, it becomes agonizing to think that the OAK passing game personnel's potential isn't being properly deployed.
We must mention here that Moss had another touchdown catch unjustly negated by a pass interference penalty called late by a ref who wasn’t in position to make the call that he did. This lends further credence to the widely-held theorem that refs call Oakland games tighter than any other games, period. In the final summation, on the final 4th down play for the Raiders, Jerry Porter tore through the Chiefs' coverage in the end zone and created himself an opening... but Collins missed him with his throw. Game over.
Next week the Raiders go to Philly to face the Eagles who, as mentioned, scattered the Niners to the wind. This does not bode well, yet this challenge is merely the next piece of adversity that the Raiders must face. 'Tis challenges that force us to push our own limits, to grow, and to become more than we assume we are. Adversity. Otherwise, there'd be no call to get out of bed at all.
Next week on your American Football Spectacular: Hubris in Philly, the Cowboys come to Candlestick, some stuff about collegiate American football, and later, AFS spends the rest of the day munching Milanos in bed.