Last Sunday, the 49ers' defense were basically bent into any shape that the New Orleans Saints offense felt like bendin' them into. Want to run? Sure. Want to pass? Sure, as a change of pace. And so it was. And then the game ended.
A gentle domination on the field, if you will.
Even with main go-to receiver guy Joe Horn hurt, and new go-to guy Marques Colston inactive for the game, the Saints were never forced away from the main thrust of Head Coach Sean Payton's gameplan vs SF: run the ball down the 49ers' throats.
And hoo-boy, did they ever, handing off 41 times for 190 net yards rushing.
When they weren't running, QB Drew Brees had plenty of time to throw underneath the coverage, completing short passes at will. Guess the Niners were trying to prevent deep stuff, so Brees took what the defense gave him.
And as for the heralded RB Reggie Bush? Well, he made it look like everyone else was four steps slower than him as he hopped, spun, juked, and scooted past defenders like he was a 11-year old kid running through all the old folks at a picnic two-hand-touch game.
The Saints' offensive line had great success against pretty much any desperate blitz the 49ers threw their way, allowing only one sack and dictating the flow at the line of scrimmage. It's the best that a Saint o-line has looked since the future Hall Of Famer Willie Roaf roamed the New Orleans Superdome. Any quarterback with a reasonable head on their shoulders could have beaten the Niners with the way that line was playing. The 49er pass rush simply wasn't.
Then a whole bunch of guys got hurt. Native San Franciscan DB Donald Strickland got concussed. Keystone MLB Derek Smith -- who had already been playing with only one eye (one eye!) -- pulled or tore a hamstring. Other MLB Jeff Ulbrich was playing with a big ol' cast on to protect his thumb. The best Niner cornerback Shawntae Spencer couldn't play with an injured ankle. Rookie LB/DE Parys Haralson is on injured reserve.
Saddest of all, former stalwart SS Tony Parrish didn't suit up and was waived from the 49er roster after the game since he was unable to fully recover from broken leg that ended his 2005 season.
"My reaction is disappointment that my time in San Francisco had to come to end like this - it's not exactly the way I pictured it," Parrish said to the Merc. "But it rarely happens that people get to leave a city exactly the way they want."
So bad were the personnel issues for the Niners in New Orleans, that practice squad player Hannibal Navies saw a whole bunch of playing time at linebacker. We hope he had at least some fun going to New Orleans and playing American football for living. It must be some fun.
But it's no fun to watch the 49ers get mooshed around like assenting clay.
When you build an NFL defense, "pliable" is one of the words you ain't aiming to embody.
Next up on your American Football Spectacular: You giving a contribution to helping the Gulf Coast recover from Hurricane Katrina. Cool, yeah? Here's that link to give.org so you can do exactly that. Thanks.
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