NFL Week 3

Yesterday I saw what I truly hope was the worst play I’ll see this season, at least as a 49ers fan.

Actually, I saw two – the first is the more obvious one, but the second has a more troubling component to it.

It was the third quarter and the 49ers were on the 1-yard line of the Eagles. After getting stuffed twice, Frank Gore got the handoff yet again and went flying into the Eagles line. Literally, he had to fall forward and he should have crossed the goal line. Instead, he fumbled, on the goal line for the second time in as many weeks. (Let’s call this Huge Problem #1.) So, no touchdown. The Eagles recovered. (Huge Problem #2.) Gore injured his abdomen on the play. (HP #3.) The Eagles picked up the ball and ran it back 100 yards for a TD, largely untouched because the 49ers assumed the play was dead. (HP#4…and 5, when you consider the attitude of the 49ers.) Stud rookie TE Vernon Davis got slammed to the ground on the play, hurting his leg and putting him out of action for at least a month. (HP# 6.) Oh, and with the Eagles defense scoring, that also went against my fantasy team, but I’ll ignore that here.

Does it get worse than that? Perhaps if Andy Reid had unleashed anthrax on the field, but it’s hard to see a single play having any worse effect on the team.

The other horrific play – or lack thereof, as we shall see – occurred at the end of the first half. The 49ers had been completely outplayed and were down 21-3, but had crossed into Eagles territory at about the 40-yard line. On 3rd and 1, Dave Dorfler and I looked at each other and said, “End zone.” That’s a Bill Walsh move, and one you make because you have confidence you can get the yard later if you still need it. And even if they hadn’t gone endzone, a sideline play would have sufficed. There was just under a minute on the clock and the team had two timeouts.

Instead, they ran the ball up the middle against a defense stacked to defend a run…up the middle. And they didn’t make it. And then, nothing. Looking exactly like what they were – a team that didn’t know what to do in that situation – they let the clock run down to the minimum, then called a timeout so they could PUNT.

Here’s the thing – why not go for it? No one rationally thinks the 49ers are a playoff team. Who loses by throwing the ball, even if it’s up for grabs? Sure, the Eagles later did run a turnover back 100 yards (see above) but the likelihood of that is so nominal. Going for it is important not just because of the potential scoreboard outcome but because it tells your team you believe in them enough to take a chance. Instead, the team acted scared. Not impressive, not in the least.

From a Pick ‘Em perspective, this week was a bit more of a dud. Two pushes is never fun, but on the flip side, nobody lost those matchups, right? That created a bit more of a squeeze, and it will all come down to the Monday night game. If the Falcons win, [TEAM] wins, and if the Saints win, the victory goes not only to the entire city of New Orleans, but to [TEAM]. (OK – that purposely says [TEAM] because I can’t seem to access the pages from work. I’m assuming there’s just an issue with Yahoo! Sports, because otherwise Wells Fargo has blocked it from accessing it, and that’s just too sad to bear.)

Yes, I’m a little caught up in the significance of tonight’s game, even if I do have mixed feelings about using federal and state funds to repair the Superdome. It just seems like there are probably some other expenses worth attending to. I also really am not happy that – at least on last week’s Inside The NFL, owner Tom Benson got credit for bringing the team back, and they showed him in a press conference announcing it – on December 28. Four months after the hurricane, Benson made a statement announcing he wouldn’t move the team out of the city – and he gets credit for this?

But putting that aside, as well as the fact that much of New Orleans is still in a horrible state, it’s great that football is back in town. It does mean a lot, even if it shouldn’t, and it has been nice to see how the team has played over the first two weeks. Folks in Miami are wondering why they signed Daunte Culpepper instead of Drew Brees, a thought that a few years ago would have seemed ludicrous. If the Texans blew it by not drafting Reggie Bush -- and they did – the benefit of that is that his celebrity is massively needed in New Orleans, so that’s a good thing. I’m looking forward to seeing what he can do against a Falcons defense that isn’t too shabby.

How bad do you feel for Chris Simms? He was teased and abused enough in the press about being a wimp that he played with a ruptured spleen. That’s just wrong and I’d feel bad about it if I wasn’t such a jerk already. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers did take Carolina to the end of the game, but they really look horrible. Both of my Super Bowl picks looked better yesterday, each making it to a glorious 1-2. If I end up being right – and god knows, that won’t happen – it will be one for the ages.

OK, more tomorrow.