American Football Spectacular: At Least Pinatas Have Candy
If there is something that American Football Spectacular learnt hard about in the preceding two weeks, it is squandered opportunities. In the last two games, your San Francisco 49ers have received gift-wrapped double-digit leads, and managed to lose both games. 1 - 3 is a helluva lot different from 3 - 1, or even 2 - 2. Jeez, guys, 2 - 2 at the very least! Both games were imminently winnable, there for the taking. Yet through lack of coaching adjustment, and for want of a run game, the games against both Dallas and Arizona bled away. Such agony for a fan to watch. After all, we're the underdogs, we're not supposed to be doing well, so when a winnable game against a superior team presents itself, you've got to take that, like a small child attacks a fun size Three Musketeers bar. 'Tis the season. Got a costume picked out yet? Post it in the comments section. This Halloween, AFS may dress as an astronaut. A drunken astronaut.
O, the Dallas game. "Aw, we almost had them!" AFS lamented to our esteemed friend DJ Burrito.
"No you didn't!" DJ Burrito cried out as he leaned forward, his dark eyes sparking, "[Your Niners] had that game won, and you let them back in!"
'Tis truth. Had the Niners been able to grind down the clock through a run game, and kept the 'Boys not-so terrifying offense off the dang field, there simply wouldn't have been all that time handed to Parcells. Your Niners could not close the door. And so it was.
Dateline Mexico City. The biggest crowd in NFL history saw your Niners hang two defensive touchdowns on the loosey-goosey Arizona Cardinals due to AZ's sloppy play. Then, in front of all those folk, the Niners just let it go. The DBs could not stay with AZ's receivers if QB Josh McCown was given any time to deliver the ball, and the Niners' offense... well, the offense could not accomplish anything. Anything. Zero offensive points. To accomplish nothing is a beautiful thing if you're a Buddhist seeking Nirvana -- but to an NFL offense, to get nothing is the height of failure. And speaking of nothing, when's the last time you saw The Neverending Story? That was an odd little film right there. Enjoyable.
Anyways, the pattern was like this for the Niners: get the ball on offense; fail to produce; punt; have the defense pushed around despite their best efforts; get scored on more often than not; receive kickoff; repeat. Agony, slow agony.
What can be improved? Well, indeed, due to injury there's a huge-ass deficiency in the defensive secondary. The schemes that slowed those wacky Rams in the first week are harder and harder to run as the injured list grows. The Cards didn't hardly bother to run with all the success they were having in the air. It was hurtful to watch. And next week the Niners' D faces their worst case scenario as the vaunted Indianapolis Colts' offense rumbles into town. We feel for the mothers of SF players who have to watch this one. We only hope for the best. Soldier on, brave Niners. Bind your wounds and adjust your formations. Things can only get better from here.
Next on your American Football Spectacular: Despite the best efforts, of the refs, your Raiders win!