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17 Oct 2011

MMQB: The Surprising San Francisco 49ers

In this week's MMQB, Peter King writes about things that happened in Detroit other than the post-game handshake and the 49ers' good record in 1 PM Eastern games. He also joins the F-word bandwagon. That's F****, as in B****, as Aaron Rodgers could tell you. Panthers owner Jerry Richardson's new job is also mentioned.

Posted by: Tom Gower on 17 Oct 2011

35 comments, Last at 18 Oct 2011, 9:35pm by PatsFan

Comments

1
by andrew :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 11:11am

Um... that's the same commercial they already show (with "The Go Team", same song) with different people on the bus. Been showing it for what, a year or two already?

The same song was used in a commercial for the world cup in 2006 iirc.

3
by RickD :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 11:46am

Well, it's different in the sense that it going to be the Panthers instead of the Bears or the Falcons.

14
by WeaponX (not verified) :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 2:45pm

If only Coach Rivera could get the Panthers team to "play 60" on Sunday...

2
by Sophandros :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 11:37am

"I think Mike Florio and I are getting the hang of nailing each other pretty good on Friday night"

That's a disturbing image...

-------------
Sports talk radio and sports message boards are the killing fields of intellectual discourse.

4
by MilkmanDanimal :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 11:50am

So . . . in consecutive weeks Harbaugh has gone for it on 4th and 2 up 38 points with four minutes left in a game, and then smacked another coach hard enough on the back to almost cause a fight.

Is there a formal award handed out at the end of the season for Douchebag Coach Of The Year?

6
by bravehoptoad :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 12:44pm

Did you see the replay? Schwarz was more upset about losing than about a handshake.

8
by Karl Cuba :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 1:00pm

I think the whole thing is hilarious. I love that the media will now spend the next week talking about a playground spat instead of heaping praise on the 49ers' resurgency. I don't think that Harbaugh will have planned it that way but I think it could help attenuate any overconfidence from a young team that's just won a huge game and now has a week off when Mr Soft is known to lurk around.

9
by zenbitz :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 1:08pm

how is going for it on 4th and 2 worse than kicking a field goal? Too close, can't punt. 4 minutes left, can't kneel. Just running a play.

10
by MilkmanDanimal :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 1:24pm

Threw on 3rd down, then threw on that 4th down play. Throwing, up 38? Considering Josh Morgan was lost for the season on that 4th down play, did it not seem excessive?

12
by Eddo :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 1:59pm

Well, if you concede that running an offensive play there is OK, then whether it's a run or a pass doesn't really matter. The goal is to get the first down, so anything that leads to that end is perfectly appropriate.

20
by claude balls (not verified) :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 6:28pm

Not with Kaepernick at QB. If you want to give the guy some meaningful experience and see what he can do, you don't just have him handoff.

23
by sundown (not verified) :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 7:34pm

You know, that's a point I seldom seem made but it's 100% correct. I'm frequently amazed by how starters are left in so long in NFL games. Everybody complains about injuries and bemoans having to put in the untested backup when they occur, but you'll routinely see the starter finish games that are out-of-reach for most of the fourth quarter. If it's a loss I guess it might be to avoid a QB controversy, but in wins? I'd think having the starter safe on the sidelines while the backup runs real plays against a first-string defense would be a win-win.

27
by MilkmanDanimal :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 8:41pm

The irony being that, on said 4th down play, they wound up having a starting WR lost for the year due to injury.

33
by Alex (not verified) :: Tue, 10/18/2011 - 7:45am

It was about getting your rookie some reps with the first team offense. You never know. Combined with just wanted to run out the clock the rest of the way (probably to ironically avoid injuries as I suspect defense and running plays generate the most injuries overall statistically but have nothing to support it other than some personal reasoning), ironically because Morgan was hurt and lost for the year on the play.

13
by chemical burn :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 2:13pm

I saw that all happen and the only person that deserves a douche award is Schwartz. He over-reacted like a child - no, like a drunk teenager. That guy seems like a giant tool. Harbaugh seemed excited and a rough slap on the back shouldn't have been too much for little lord fancypants - who apparently taunted Harbaugh during the game. (And running up the score accusations in the NFL are bush league - whatever one team wants to do to win is legit, if you don't like it stop them. If a play or a coach has any pride, they wouldn't want an opponent to lay the kid gloves on them for even one second.)

15
by Jimmy :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 3:22pm

Agreed. Schwartz can't have forgotten that he has Megatron and that every team tey play knows this and like the rest of the league know that when it comes down to just chucking the ball to him 25 yards down the field time they might not be able to stop him. They came back from 21 points down in the second half LAST WEEK. Why would anyone take their foot off the gas against this team?

16
by chemical burn :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 3:43pm

He's referencing the Bucs game in terms of running up the score - and he's a Bucs fan, which probably colors his view of the legitimacy of Harbaugh's actions in that case...

22
by sundown (not verified) :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 7:29pm

Schwartz would be my pick for d-bag coach of the year after this incident. Takes a real tool to taunt the other coach during the game, then go nuts over a slap on the back afterwards. The only thing that "almost caused a fight" was his being such a bad sport.

5
by are-tee :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 12:16pm

"The Raiders need a quarterback now, and if I were them, I'd...try to wrest Kyle Orton from Denver."

Would the Broncos really trade Orton to a division rival?

7
by justanothersteve :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 12:47pm

Only if he's of equal usefulness as McNabb to the Redskins.

24
by sundown (not verified) :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 7:38pm

"Would the Broncos really trade Orton to a division rival?"

Normally I'd say "no way" but I also didn't anticipate them essentially giving Brandon Lloyd away. Two weeks ago, the company line was that Orton was the starter even though he didn't have a contract for next year because he gave them the best chance to win now. Today, a #1 receiver is suddenly a luxury they can live without because a 5th/6th rounder was available for him. That towel got thrown in on the season awfully quick.

11
by GlennW :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 1:53pm

> "I liked it better when coaches wore suits."

Yeah, because a suit jacket, tie and hat were the only things that kept George Halas from murdering an opponent, official or maybe even one of his own players, right there on the sidelines...

17
by hubcap (not verified) :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 4:43pm

"Would the Broncos really trade Orton to a division rival?"
===
Don't do it Oak-wend! It's a twap!

18
by Thok :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 5:56pm

Mike Nolan: suit wearing and not particularly good NFL coach
Jim Harbaugh: not suit wearing and seemingly decent head coach

I know which one I want coaching the Niners.

19
by tuluse :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 6:15pm

I don't like how coaches are basically not allowed to wear suits. They should be abler to wear whatever they want.

I think Lovie rocks his leather jacket.

21
by Independent George :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 7:00pm

I'd love to see Belichick in a suit with the sleeves cut off.

35
by PatsFan :: Tue, 10/18/2011 - 9:35pm

No idea if it's true, but I've read that BB cuts the sleeves off as a protest against being forced to wear NFL-licensed apparel on the sidelines and that he'd rather wear a suit if allowed to.

25
by sundown (not verified) :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 7:47pm

I find it funny how differently the various sports approach coaches' attire.

MLB insists they wear uniforms, which I find bizarre. Like an overweight old guy looks good in a uniform?

In the NBA suits are the unwritten rule and you'll see articles written about guys who (gasp) decide against wearing a tie or skip the suit jacket. Much more flattering than a uniform, but I don't see how it'd be a problem if a guy wanted to wear a sweater or a team polo.

The NFL is basically in between, which seems to make me the most sense. But I don't get why the league would care enough to legislate against a guy wearing a suit all the time, like the great Tom Landry did. Just another example of how I think the NFL is a bit TOO image conscious, to the point of legislating the tiniest, most mundane things.

26
by Viliphied (not verified) :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 8:25pm

It's not about image, it's about $$$. Reebok pays a ton of money to the NFL for them to require the coaches to wear their officially licensed apparel.

28
by dbostedo :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 8:55pm

Not that it matters anymore really, but I think the adoption of the manager uniform was because of some dual "player/manager" guys in the 50's - 70's. If you go back far enough before that, though, (like pre-1940's) a lot of baseball managers wore suits as well. (Of course, so did a lot of the fans.)

34
by GlennW :: Tue, 10/18/2011 - 10:48am

Baseball managers and coaches also spend a lot of time on the field, including working out the players before the game. It also doesn't make much sense to have the base coaches dressed in suits and wingtips during the game. The manager himself could easily delegate all such duties and do the Connie Mack thing, but in general baseball managers/coaches being in uniform is pretty sensible.

29
by tuluse :: Mon, 10/17/2011 - 9:37pm

I don't think its an unwritten rule in the NBA, I believe it is a directive handed down from Stern.

30
by Kyle D. (not verified) :: Tue, 10/18/2011 - 12:01am

A suit or sport coat is required by the NBA. Ties are optional. Though that doesn't explain why the NFL would be fine with coaches wearing sportswear--and getting paid handsomely to do so--while the NBA would want coaches to look like they came from a business meeting when they're rubbing shoulders with sweaty guys in tank tops.

31
by rots (not verified) :: Tue, 10/18/2011 - 2:49am

re: trading orton - i think tebow is a kick ass late round fullback and not remotely a starting nfl QB and i would still trade orton to the raiders for some eye patches and a hubcap and feel like we got hte better of the deal.

32
by fmtemike :: Tue, 10/18/2011 - 5:09am

Re coaches unis: the baseball thing far predates the 50s-70s. By 1920 Connie Mack was the only manager wearing street clothes, and he, like Halas, owned the team. And yes, the only reason NFL coaches cant wear what they'd like, and what would look better, is the sponsorship deal.

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