Hey football fans, if you've ever dreamed of being an offensive coordinator start checking Craigslist-- the 49ers are about to lose their offensive coordinator Mike McCarthy as McCarthy is about to be named Head Coach of the Green Bay Favres. You might know McCarthy as the offensive coordinator for the 32nd ranked offense. more ›

Say this for Al Davis, while other teams spend their off-season whining and moaning about the salary cap, paralyzed by numbers and arcane cap legalisms, the Raiders aren’t. After officially signing one of the best receivers in football, it’s looking like the Raiders are going to make their next big move and sign free agent running back, LaMont Jordan. Jordan, Curtis Martin’s backup on the J-E-T-S, is the best running back available on the free agent market, or at least the best one not smoking the kind green and dabbling in holistic medicine. Although his numbers aren’t great, many people in New York felt he should have been starting instead of Martin, one of the best and most underrated running backs in the league. This will bulk up one of the worst running attacks in football and one that was bound to get infinitely better just in having Moss playing. The best part of the move? Unlike other free agent signings, Jordan is neither old, over the hill, or a malcontent. Is Davis losing his touch? more ›

In the "Um, yeah, but Rich Gannon's practically a member of AARP and Kerry Collins is a chump" department, agent Dante DiTrapano is confirming the news (which will stay unofficial until the trading period opens on March 2nd) that Minnesota Viking Randy Moss is going to become part of the Silver and Black Attack. He'll be joining recently re-signed Jerry Porter in what looks like on paper as a pretty impressive wide receiver package -- we wonder if designated 'franchise player' Charles Woodson will pine for time on the offensive side of the ball still. more ›

Well, we're damn glad this season is over. Best performance of the year goes to Cal, even if they did get upset by Texas Tech in San Diego last week. Fact is, this is Cal we're talking about here. Why is nobody accusing them of choking, of not being able to handle the pressure of big games? Because they have no history of big games to compare with! The fact that Cal got to the Holiday Bowl, even if they were then somewhat embarrassed by the Red Raider's run-and-gun attack, means that the program is twenty times better than it has been for the last thirty years. What SFist finds ironic is that this season for Cal has been nearly a mirror image of the Texas Longhorns' season last year -- snubbed by a bigger bowl, Texas went to the Holiday Bowl only to lose to the underdog -- and since we're superstitious to the extreme, we're willing to bet all comers one expired AC Transit transfer that Cal wins the Rose Bowl next year. Stanford, well...good luck, boys! more ›

Weekly football recap. more ›

The Oakland Raiders manhandled the Buccaneers, beating them far more mercilessly than the 30-20 score would indicate. This was obviously a payback game for the humiliating loss they suffered at the hands of the Bucs in Super Bowl XXXVIII. The game was marked by moments both bitter and sweet - sweet to see longtime Raider Tim Brown catch his 100th touchdown in Oakland, bitter when former league MVP, Quarterback Rich Gannon, went down with a cracked vertebrae, likely sidelining him until November or December. Luckily backup Kerry Collins looked good negotiating Norv Turner's offense, and will lead the Raiders against the Texans in Houston next Sunday. more ›

Weekly football wrap-up. more ›

Special Tuesday afternoon edition. It's an exciting time for football fans, as the NFL preseason was wrapped up and the college season got off and running. In case you were busy at the beach, out of town or catching up on chores, EssEffist will be here to second guess coaches and players at the beginning of each week with a wrap-up of the weekend in pigskin. The much-hyped Cal Bears opened the season strong, rolling over Air Force 56 to 14. They're currently ranked 13th in the coaches poll and some early season wins could get them into the top ten in short order. EssEffist would like to point out that if you have to lose a game, Cal, lose it early - it's the end of season polls that count. Stanford, currently unranked, trounced the hapless San Jose State Spartans 43 to 3. Ouch. Turns out the Spartans lost six players to Academic decertification just one day before the game. EssEffist didn't even know that the Spartans were good enough to bother cheating. The 49ers managed to preserve their win-free preseason by losing to the Chargers 31-15 at home. If the 49ers were to move to LA (and, presumably, change their name), now would sure be the time to do it. They might have sullied their record with a win if two of three touchdown passes would have counted - instead, all three were discounted due to penalties, and EssEffist thinks the receivers coach wishes he still had T.O. around to blame. They gear up for the Falcons next Sunday. The Raiders squeaked past the Rams 28-24 over in Oakland, finishing the meaningless games at three and one, with all three of their quarterbacks making appearances. It looks like the starting job will go to Rich Gannon next Sunday in Pittsburg even though Kerry Collins has looked strong as a field leader. more ›