Falconized

49ers QB Shaun Hill found himself on the ground more than once on Sunday as the Falcons routed San Francisco.


Sports In The Bay
By Felicia and Eddrick


The 49ers high flying season crashed down to earth yesterday after a stunning 45-10 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. The vaunted Niners defense came up short and was unable to stop Atlanta's 35 point outburst in the first half. The Niners had done a good job controlling the football during the first four weeks of the season but committed three costly turnovers which they were unable to overcome.

One thing to keep an eye on is how the team will recover from some disturbing lapses of discipline and focus. Rookie RB Glen Coffee was not on the field after a long catch by WR Josh Morgan and caused the team to use a timeout. That proved costly later on when the Niners were unable to challenge a play that might not have been a turnover. TE Vernon Davis and QB Shaun Hill were not quite on the same page during several plays. CB Dre Bly attempted to channel Deion Sanders after an interception and fumbled during a crucial moment (click here for his comments). And most interesting was the behavior of Coach Mike Singletary who appeared to lose his composure several times on the sidelines.

The Niners have a bye week before heading to Houston to play the Texans. They still control their division and can erase this ugly loss with a win at Texas. The play of the offensive line must improve if they are going to take the next step to being a consistent and winning team. QB Shaun Hill has been sacked sixteen times this year and has yet to reach 1000 yds passing for the season. The running game is not clicking at all. In five games they have rushed for 531 yds, but 30% of that total came on two long runs by the injured Frank Gore. Lastly, third down efficiency (28.2%) remains among the lowest in the league and must improve to complement a pretty good defense. The addition of WR Micheal Crabtree to the offense is encouraging, despite his long holdout. But if the play of the offensive line does not improve he will not get the opportunity to show what he was brought in to do.

Thanks to Ryan Leong of the Bay Area Sports Examiner for the Dre Bly quote!