"Do you remember bein' promising?" -- Trouble by Engine 88.

Continuing the tour of pain through the ex-members of the NFC West, this week the 49ers visit the the wreckage that once was the Atlanta Falcons.

* San Francisco vs. Atlanta
Sunday, November 4, 2007. 1:00 PM, PST.
Week 09
The Battle At The Bottom Of The Barrel

This game can be one of two things to the Niners in past-tense: it can either be the turning point where the team righted itself and put smidge of fear back into the NFC West title race, or it'll just be part of the conversation come the 2008 NFL Draft as SF picks within the top 5.

Photo via the Chron.

If you didn't watch last week's game against the Saints, be glad. Oh, horrors. The offense simply could not function, and the defense's faults were exploited. The 49er team was gently torn-in-two on both sides of the ball, like the Saints were pulling apart a soft oven-warmed sourdough roll.

No improvement since the previous week's 15-33 bastinado at the hands of the New York American football Giants. Nothin'. The problem continues to be the offensive play-calling, since there's been nothing but upgrades to the players on that side of the ball over last season's squad. The play-call is Offensive Coordinator Jim Hostler's responsibility. And, much like our current presidential regime and US foreign policy -- this important responsibility should be given to someone who can actually do the job. We haven't seen such a stubborn, fool-headed way of running an offense since, well... last season's Raiders.

This must end. The offensive unit is bringing down this entire franchise on-the-field. The best that can be said for all this adversity is that the team has held morale and stuck together better than could be expected in the face of blown expectations. And punter Andy Lee is distinguishing himself as being one of the league's best. O'course, he's getting plenty of practice.

The defense has far better personnel than last season's overmatched, undermanned sieve, but they can't get any rest on the sidelines when the offense is going three-and-out over and over again.

Now, the Falcons... yeah, the whole sad Mike Vick thing. Fine. Yeah. You already know that part.

The Falcons aren't much responding to rookie Head Coach Bobby Petrino. Dissent is rife. Confidence is low. The perpetual bad-situations-magnet John Joseph "Joey" Harrington Jr is their quarterback (thanks, Scott), CB DeAngelo Hall pulled a whaaaaaa-tantrum out on Petrino mid-game in Week 4, and Atlanta just cut the contract of one of their better defensive linemen, DT Grady Jackson, for reasons that change depending on who you ask.

It's just a big ol' mess. Atlanta is one of the few few NFL franchises that Niner fans can look at today and say "Pshew, boy am I glad I'm not a fan of that team!" And then, assumingly, turn attention back to the wine and cheese. Mmm.

Next up on your American Football Spectacular: Finally, it's time for the big showdown. The Patriots' we-are-gods douchiness versus Indy's we're-with-God douchiness. Only one can walk away from this matchup with the pole position on the AFC playoff homefield advantage. Thank gawd the TEX/OAK game didn't sell out. Raise a Mickey's Big Mouth for SFist Jon, it's New England versus Indianapolis at 1:00 PM -- the most anticipated regular season NFL game since the 1990 SF/NYG battle wherein both teams went into the game with their record at 10-1, and the Niners came out 11-1. But gawdamn; we know how that season ended. Stop laughing, Joon.