David Garrad meet Patrick Willis. On the run all day with some fumbles. Defense dominated. Nuff said.

Juan and I watched the game in my parent’s living room back in the Bay Area and gleefully ate Thanksgiving leftovers and enjoyed a much needed win… Juan’s looking a little fat after coming back from Vegas and Florida. Thanksgiving and the following days weren’t kind to him either… Get on a Stairmaster, Juan.

As the look and attack of the Niner offense has changed over the past few weeks, Alex Smith finally seemed to get comfortable on Sunday and probably played his best game of the year. His passes were crisp and he managed the game admirably… These are big words of praise from me, a notorious Alex Smith hater. He completed 65% of his passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns. Zero turnovers. Nice.

The fact Smith was able to pass the ball 41 times and not commit a single turnover is amazing. This is a stark contrast from what we’ve seen from the Niners this season, in terms of passing the ball and moving towards a shotgun offense, leaving the run and the durable Frank Gore behind. Singletary must not be as hardheaded or naïve as we thought, since he’s allowed for this transformation to happen.

Having said that, this is a pass happy league, particularly a shotgun happy league, which calls for an aggressive pass offense to be successful; hopefully the Niners can make this necessary transition smoothly. I don’t know if Jimmy Raye is that type of offensive coordinator though. He was hired to play the run game Coach Sing wanted to establish, but clearly that hasn’t been executed well enough. Unfortunately, he may need to be released at the end of the year and replaced with a pass oriented coach… Too bad we let Mike Martz go. He’s the shotgun master; the mad scientist behind the Greatest Show on Turf. Maybe he’ll want to come back, especially since we fired him this past offseason. Yeah right. Eighth offensive coordinator in eight years, here we come! This instability has been extremely detrimental to Niner success in recent years.

Please, let’s establish some continuity in the organization. I love the pass and am graduating from college in a few weeks. I’ll be unemployed and in need of a job. I can come up with some killer schemes. Give me the job… and a new quarterback. I’ll gladly hold that job for many years to come. I mean the team owner, Jed York, is only 29.

Vernon Davis is a legit player, now worthy of his top 10 status, and a deserving of his first Pro-Bowl. Smith has used him well and is his go to receiver, especially when he feels the pressure or goes across the middle. Vernon presents a threat down the seam and across the middle few defenses can match. His speed and size at the tight end position are unrivaled and with the help of a better quarterback, he could become one of the all-time greats.

Get back on the field, Vernon. This type of schmoozing will get you nowhere.

The addition of Michael Crabtree at the receiver position has been impressive. His ability to sense his surroundings and natural talents in the open field makes him dangerous every time he touches the ball. You feel like time stops for a second when he makes a catch and has room to run. He’s looking to be a true playmaker in the NFL and is already showing obvious glimpses of his quality only six games into his career. Juan and I expect big, BIG things out of the man who’s neither a crab nor a tree in the coming years.

So good Josh Morgan wants a piece of the Crabtree

Along with these two standouts, the Niners also employ Josh Morgan, Brandon Jones, and Jason Hill as other ball catchers. They get slammed for being too slow, but I see it differently and think they are solid athletes that can create mismatches. Even fullback/tight end Delanie Walker is extremely capable with the ball in his hands. They just have been hinders by sub par quarterback play and questionable play calling. Alex Smith isn’t asked to do much. He completed 27 passes on Sunday, but only threw for 232 yards, which shows that these are short, easy passes he’s making. These receivers can take advantage of that and actually make Smith look good.

Putting Smith in the shotgun minimizes his room for error and gives him more time to find an open receiver. This is vital for a line that can be susceptible to giving up sacks and a quarterback prone to throwing interceptions.

The Seahawks are coming up this week and it will be interesting to see how Jimmy Raye structures his game plan. Gore needs to get the ball in his hands, but he can be another threat coming out of the backfield and catching passes as well. Teams will continue to stack the box and defend the run until the Niners prove they can pass the ball effectively. This past Sunday showed the Niners might have it in the arsenal, but we’re not totally convinced.

The familiarity of the shotgun and the weapons at Smith’s disposal should give Jimmy Raye reason to open it up. The season might depend on it.

Jimmy Raye: Fugly.

This has been a big week. After leaving me a few weeks ago to deal with a Russian problem, the Dominican Dandy has finally returned.

What were you doing, Juan? Where did you go?

You went to Vegas? And won the money you needed? Good job. I’m glad you made it out ok. I was worried for a bit. Having said that I don’t think a compulsive gambler should gamble to pay his debt.

But that couldn’t have been it. You were gone for a while. I saw you on television with Bob Costas. I knew you were good, but you really like talking about how good you actually were. You’re so vain. I didn’t know you went to jail as a youngin in the Dominican. Bob Costas really does his research.

So why did you go to jail?

You lost a baseball game? El Jefe Rafael Trujillo must’ve been a mean dude to put kids in jail for losing a baseball game… I guess he was a dictator. Maybe he just loved the team so much that he couldn’t bear the thought of you losing… At least he wasn’t Versace suit wearing Charles Taylor. You probably would’ve been dead.

Nevertheless, you were great on TV and I learned a lot. Maybe I should be interviewed to tell some other stories about you.

What else happened on your trip?

You went to Florida. What did you do there?

You met up with Tiger… Oh no. I see where this is going. What happened? Tiger is mum on the situation, like always.

Where it all went down.

You don’t remember. Come on. Tiger has offered us nothing, except saying it was his fault. You were there. Don’t play with me. Tiger and this event are both extremely mysterious in their own right. We just want to know.

Why did Tiger slam into a tree and fire hydrant he’s driven past for years? What was Juan doing there? How did Tiger end up in the middle of the road with cuts on his face, in a pool of blood, completely disoriented?
Tiger is the most iconic athlete playing any sport today, but one of the most reclusive. In a time when most celebrity-athletes take advantage of their status and are very public about their lives, Tiger is an anomaly. Maybe we can learn something about el Tigre from this mysterious event.

Gotta love the Tiger.

For thirteen years, Tiger Woods has never made the news for anything other than being the greatest. No steroid allegations. No strip club stories. No skeletons. Other than regularly acting like a child and swearing like a truck driver on the course, he’s pretty clean and the example of how our superstars should carry themselves off the field, court, or course…

One night of drinking with Juan and it all goes downhill.

Problem child.

You’re a bad influence. Always getting into trouble. Corrupting the sacred Tiger. If he was dead like the initial reports I would’ve been really angry, Juan. Probably would’ve stayed inside, skipped school and work to watch his funeral. You should be ashamed. Everyone is going to be mad at you, except Jack Nicholas. He’ll probably send you a bouquet of flowers for keeping his records intact.

Really though, Tiger needs to come clean about this incident. He’s been superhuman his whole life and now actually seems to be like the rest of us. He actually bleeds red blood. Amazing. I thought it was green. This was too public of an incident and people actually thought something horrible happened to him.

Why did this happen? Juan doesn’t remember and Tiger won’t talk. Where do we go?

Now go to bed, Juan. No dinner tonight. You leave for two weeks and don’t even call. You should know better. Also, no more hanging out with Tiger, he’s not familiar with your antics and you’re probably the reason all this happened.

Why not?

Gore played well and did exactly what he needed to do, plus the defense picked off five passes from Cutler’s not so golden arm. It was an ugly game, but it’s a win that puts the Niners at 4-5.

This weekend will be a difficult one for the 49ers in the Frozen Tundra of Lambeau. Thankfully, I’m not sure it’s Tundra Time since it hasn’t hit 10 below yet.

Looks chilly

The Packers are fielding a solid 5-4 team this year that has at times failed to prove itself in some of its most important games, including two tough losses to the Vikings. You want to talk about tough losses to the Vikings…

They have a great quarterback, receivers, and defense that the Niners will have to contend with. The Niners’ defense will need to play at the top of their game again to keep this potent Green Bay Packer offense in check and keep the game close enough for Alex Smith and the offense to steal a few touchdowns and pull off the upset.

It is really stressful when you need to put everything into your defense. Even though defense wins championships, they don’t win games. Offense wins games and gets you to the playoffs. The Niners need the offense to break out and win this game. I feel like it’s going to come soon though… I’m looking at you Michael Crabtree. I think we all feel like he’s about to burst out, effectively christening him as a legitimate NFL playmaker.

It's time to do it on the fielddd

Gore plays a solid game and may break a big run or two, but it’s not enough. And I know Vernon Davis is tied for the lead in touchdowns, but he’s a tight end and doesn’t give you that playmaking ability. He gives you the reliability of a soon to be Pro-Bowler. Crabtree has that playmaker quality in him and eventually he’s going to go for a huge day, even with crummy Alex Smith under center. Hopefully, something happens this weekend in that area of the game, because the 49ers will need to score to win.

I believe the Niners have a great chance to win this game. The most important unit on the football field is the offensive line and the Packers are packing one of the absolute worst in the NFL. Packer quarterback Aaron Rodgers is one of the best passers in the league and has some amazing receivers, but the line has struggled, resulting in Rodgers being one of the most frequently sacked quarterback in the league.

This bodes well for an almost dominate Niner front seven or eight that has disrupted quarterbacks and offenses all year. If they can get to Rodgers, they can win the game.

Speaking of Aaron Rodgers, he was the second quarterback taken in the 2005 NFL Draft. Who was number 1? Alex Smith. Oh God. So you’re telling me the Niners could’ve drafted a guy from Northern California, who was all nice and polished coming out of Cal under the tutelage of quarterback maker Coach Tedford, but instead we took some joker from Southern California like Alex Smith out of Utah? Puhhhhhhhlease. I’m fuming as I write this…

That's not me.

So mad I could take a baseball bat… Woah. Easy does it. Don’t want to do anything irrational. Right, Juan.

If the Niners lose this game because of Smith’s awful play, I will be heartbroken. We passed on one of the best quarterback in the NFL for Alex Smith. I can only dream of how good the Niners would be if we had a top-notch quarterback like Rodgers. Super Bowl? No doubt.

I’ll actually be a little upset while watching this game, thinking of what could have been.

Juan is still on the run. Don’t worry though, he’s still alive and actually sent me a messenger pigeon with some important information. I guess he’s in Vegas trying to pay off his debt, which is probably a bad place to try to pay off a debt… I can’t believe it but he also sent me a score for Sunday’s game. Juan’s prediction is 17-13, San Francisco.

Oh, I like it.

On a side note… Brett Favre and the Packers almost ruined my childhood when they knocked a great 49er team out of the playoffs three years straight in the mid 90s. They are the killers of childhoods and I resent them for making my eighth, ninth, and tenth years of human life dreadful. Thankfully in 1998, the Niners broke the Packer curse and Terrell Owens caught one of the greatest touchdowns in Niner history, beating the Pack in the final seconds of their fourth consecutive playoff matchup. I cried, my dad cried, Terrell cried– a lot. He actually hasn’t stopped crying since. It was emotional after three years of hell, but the Niners did it.

Here’s to winning in Lambeau and not really breaking any curse in particular, except for the curse Alex Smith brought to my beloved 49ers when he entered the league as the number one draft pick and proceeded to be terrible…

I worry about him, but as I so eloquently stated in my last post, he’s an animal who took out a bigfoot for food when we were in a precarious situation in the middle of winter, lost in the Sierra Nevadas. So because I’m alone and previewing the Niners Thursday night matchup with the Chicago Bears I thought I should make some calls and bring in the Bears’ legendary two-time Super Bowl champ, Jim McMahon. He will give us his pick for today’s game.

Welcome Jim. How’s it going?… Great. So, I’m good friends with your wife’s family back in Redwood City… Yeah, they’re good… How’s Casey? Ohhhhh he’s packing on the pounds… Yeah, his body definitely grew into his large head. Was his head always so big? I mean, we’ve only been friends for about 10 years now, so I don’t know what a little Casey was like… It’s always been big. Well, I’m not surprised. He did have a dirty rat tail and bleached hair so I guess that explains a lot. Maybe he was trying to compensate or distract people from seeing such a big head? Let’s get on with it, Jim…

Jim McMahon made history in 1977 by going to BYU as a Catholic, getting drunk before games, playing hungover, and never adhering to any of the rules or regulations of the university, or really any social norms. But he was a two-time All-American and set most of the BYU quarterback records, which explains why they never kicked him out. Where are those strict Mormon rules? I thought they are no joke about that sort of stuff…

Fitted with his trademark headband, sunglass, and stupid smirk.

Jim then parlayed his success at BYU into a productive career in the NFL…

Note Jim in the sunglasses and Coach Sing actually smiling on the right.

What was Coach Singletary’s line in that?

Anyways, this is a must win game for both the Bears and the Niners. The Niners come in with a deceptive 3-5 record, while the Bears are hanging in there at 4-4.

The Bears boast a solid passing game with Jay Cutler at quarterback and not much else. He’s got a golden arm and can throw the ball with the best of them, but is surrounded with inexperienced receivers. The one bright spot for the Bears would be tightend Greg Olsen, but with Patrick Willis and the linebacking corps it will be difficult to get him the ball. Also, the Bears have been embarrassed on defense the past couple of weeks. In their last three games, the once dominant Bears defense has struggled immensely, surrendering over 500 rushing yards alone. Last week was the tipping point when the Cardinals’ 32nd ranked rush game beat the Bears for over 180 on the ground.

The defense has been so bad; Vernon Davis opened his notoriously big mouth for the first time this season, tweeting he doesn’t like anyone on the Bears defense and that the Niners will dominate the Bears defense when it comes time… I wonder what Coach Sing thought of that one?

This should bode well for a Niner offense that’s proven it needs to run the ball effectively to win games. I think this is starting to sound redundant, but the result rests in Frank Gore’s hands. Singletary will put the game on Gore’s shoulders and load up on the run, especially with some glaring problems on the Bear defense. While Gore has struggled a bit this season, we should look for him to bust out and rack up lots of yards. Last week clearly showed the Niners simply aren’t ready to be a pass team, especially with obvious poor quarterback play and protection.

Still, it is difficult to stay away from the pass when you’ve got the likes of VD and soon-to-breakout-rookie star Michael Crabtree. If Smith gets the ball in their hands they will make plays. VD is a terror for linebackers because of his speed and defensive backs because of his strength. If the Niners are to pass, Smith should look to Davis across the middle all game… Hopefully the Chicago defense doesn’t try to kill Vernon on every play for his choice tweets about them…

Aside from the game, it will be the first time Singletary goes against his former team. It’s almost a crime Singletary doesn’t coach for the Bears, but their loss is San Francisco’s gain, making it a crime I’m happy committing. He’s up there with some of Chicago’s all-time greats, including Jordan and Walter Payton… Sorry Jim, you just don’t make the cut…

I hope Chicago fans squirm when they see Sing on the Niner sideline. Sorry Jim… Well let’s get to it. What’s the score?

45-13… Jim, be serious. That’s not going to happen… You’re serious?

Fine. I’m going to give my own prediction. 27-20, Niners.

Break the losing streak. If the Niners lose it will be all your fault, Alex. Pick it up. You can’t be this awful.

We once got lost is the Sierra Nevada in the middle of winter and just when I was desperate enough eat him, he found a bigfoot lost in a blizzard. He then knocked the bigfoot out cold with his trusty baseball bat, carved him up right there with his hands and teeth, made a fire and shelter, and we feasted for the next few days. He kept us both alive and soon after, led us off the mountain and back to civilization… What do you think about that, Johnny Roseboro?

Anyways, I’m sure he’s fine. Let’s get on to another wrap-up of the 49er game this past Sunday.

The Niners again failed to play a complete game this week and paid for it with their fourth consecutive loss 34-27, making their record 3-5.

The Niners had the lead again going into half, 17-10, but lost control in the second half and gave Vince Young and the Titans their second win of the season. This loss is especially disheartening because of all the errors the Niners committed and inability to dominate a Titans team that was clearly inferior.

Addressing the important points from the pregame, I said Alex Smith would have to make plays for us to win and the Niners passing game would need to step up to win this game. Smith definitely made some plays alright… He tossed three interceptions and fumbled the ball twice, one of which was lost. Most of the Niners turnovers led to scores for the Titans and it was our undoing. When Smith is forced to make plays and keep control of the game, he seems to get worse and it showed in a disastrous fourth quarter.

The honeymoon has been over for years now and we are sick of you. You said you'd change, but you haven't. I'm sorry Alex, but I think we should see other people.

VY on the other hand looked just as bad. He can’t throw the ball, makes poor decisions, isn’t as great of a scrambler as we all have thought, but still managed to make plays when he needed to, even if luck had a lot to do with it. The most obvious example of this was his 30 yards pass to Justin Gage on third and long in the fourth quarter. This was the turning point and effectively decided the game. The drive ended with a Chris Johnson touchdown run on fourth down, which put the Titans up for good.

Pretty awful. I’m glad Juan wasn’t around to see the game.

The Niners defense played well and dealt with a lot of pressure throughout the whole game, because of the offensive woes and penchant for turning the ball over in horrible situations. They faced tough field position all game and went up against the NFL’s leading rusher, Chris Joshson.

Johnson ran for 135 yards and two touchdowns. He is really good at what he does and is lucky enough to look like the Predator.

What else is there to say? They look like brothers.

Still, one man shouldn’t be able to beat a whole defense. The defense is supposed to be better than this, Patrick Willis is the best linebacker in the NFL, but he can’t make every single tackle.

The inconsistency of this Niner team is really troublesome. They haven’t won since drubbing the worst team in the NFL, the Rams, and have dropped two games behind the Arizona Cardinals. They need to fix the leaking very soon or the ship will go down big time.

Even after their fourth straight loss the team still seemed upbeat and confident as Patty Will said after the game, “We’re just going to continue to work, continue to fight as a team. We’ve got a lot of football left.” I believe everything P Will says, I would trust him with my unborn child’s life, but how long can the Niners keep this up? The team has totally bought into Singletary’s philosophy and does everything he’s asked of them, except win. The spirit of the team has to be down after losing so many close games due to poor quarterback play and constant pressure on the defense. They can say how positive they are after every game, but if the inconsistency continues we might see the wheels fall off and the thoughts of a playoff team might end up as a four or five win team.

Looking ahead, big Thursday night game at Candlestick for the Niners this week against the Bears, Coach Singletary’s former team. Hopefully we spank the sorry Bears and get back to our smash mouth type of football. Give to Frank, who had a good game against the Titans, and hope the offensive live blocks. Something needs to happen.

That's how we're starting to feel, Chilo...

Questions for next week and beyond…

• What are we going to do about the quarterback? This was the biggest question of the offseason and it’s back in the spotlight. Smith isn’t that good. We all need to accept the fact that he is a major bust, one of the worst number 1 picks of all time, and just get over it. He showed us what we’ve all know him to be and turned the ball over four, almost five times, crippling us and taking us out of our game. Contrary to general thought, I believe the offense, not the defense needs to protect the lead. Keep possession, add scores, pad the lead, and not put pressure on your defense. Shaun Hill had his shot and just isn’t strong or talented enough to make plays. Sooner or later, Coach Sing needs to start thinking about getting rookie Nate Davis some snaps. Davis is young, but very skilled and showed some potential in the preseason. If the Niners continue to lose with Smith, they should look to Nate Davis and try to start anew. Who knows, maybe he’ll be a breakout rookie like Joe Flacco for Baltimore, Matt Ryan for Atlanta, or even Josh Freeman, who led the previously winless Bucs to their first win of the season on Sunday. The problems at quarterback is an emergency and without quality play from the QB, you’re destined to lose. Hopefully Jimmy Raye can come up with a gameplan that will suit Alex Smith and not put too much pressure on him like on Sunday against the Titans. Obviously, my suggestion along with the suggestion of Niner Nation to open up the pass game sort of backfired on us. Clearly, the offense isn’t ready to open up like that. It’s really sad, because we have really good receivers, but no one to get them the ball.

• How much can the defense take? They play so hard and are led by the best defensive player in the NFL, but still can’t catch a break. Other than the Atlanta game, the defense has been playing like an elite NFL unit. Luckily, the Bears are weaker on the offensive side of the ball and should be a nice change of pace for the Niners, especially after four straight weeks against teams with high-powered offenses and Chris Johnson. One thing they need to do is generate turnovers. They’ve struggled to score on defense and get turnovers that were so vital in the first four games of the season. Get back on it, defense.

This past week was supposed to be a must win; the Niners didn’t win, so this week will have to be the must win. Can’t lose too much ground on the Cardinals. A few more losses like this and we’re out of it.

Now if I could only find Juanito.

It’s going to be a battle of the forgotten top first rounders, Alex Smith and Vince Young, who have returned from the dead to give their respective teams some energy in the last couple of weeks. The Titans won their first game of the season last week with Young under center. And while they’re physically different, they play similar games and have experienced similar struggles and criticisms throughout their young careers. That said, I’m sure both would love to go back to college.

Since the Niners game plan is quite predictable, run with Frank Gore, the Niners must pass the ball. This will require Alex Smith to do more, but with talented receivers at his disposal, he can and should perform. After attempting twice as many of passes than runs last week, Coach Sing and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye must trust Alex enough to open it up again against one of the worst pass defenses in the league. Although, they might need to if the Titans come out and focus entirely on Gore.

VY on the other hand will be expected to do much less. He has the NFL’s leading rusher, Chris Henry, and will most likely give it to him, especially with inept receivers on the outside. The Niners defense is stingy on the run though and must force Young to pass the ball. Screens to Johnson and letting VY convert with his feet on 3rd down could kill the Niners, but strong play from outside linebackers Parys Haralson and Manny Lawson can stop this threat. They’ve both been absent the last few weeks and will need to play at their highest level to contain Chris Johnson.

Ultimately, Juan and I believe both teams will take the run away and force each others quarterback to make plays. The team who can stop the run effectively and disrupt the quarterback will give themselves the best chance to win. VY is a bit of a headcase, much like Juan, and will struggle passing the ball for big yardage. I’d rather have Alex Smith and the 49ers receiving corps in this match up any day. Hopefully, the 49er offensive line will step up and protect Smith…

That said, Juan thinks the Niners and Titans are very similar teams, with similar personnel, but that the Niners edge them out in most skill positions and have a defense fast enough to keep up with Vince Young… So, what’s the score?

You don’t want to give it? Why?

Sure, you’ve been off recently, but don’t worry about it. It’s not like you’ve been putting money down on these games… You have?

$15,000 down! With the Russian mafia? Get out of my house… You can’t even pay for groceries and you live on my couch for free. Now you’ve got all this money to gamble?

The Russians after Juan...

Hold on… What’s your call? I need it…

24-13, Niners win. Great pick, Juan.

Now get out before these Russians knock me off because I’m associated with you. And pay me after you pay them. I want my rent and money for food…

I don’t want to hear it. Leave and make that money…

I don’t know how… You’re 71, figure it out.

It should've ended when Obama sent this bird to Fox...

As someone who watches Fox News, along with MSNBC and CNN, Rupert Murdoch’s style of sensationalist and tabloid reporting is obviously prominent on the channel and it adds to the madness. They take pride in being the watch dog of this administration and their following is large enough to organize and have the mainstream notice, seen with the Tea Parties and Townhalls of the summer. They compare it to liberals against Bush and call the left hypocrites.

The investigations into Van Jones, the Rev. Wright, and Anita Dunn are great examples of attacks that have nothing to do about policy or the current state of the nation, but just unrelated stories used as deterrents to real issues.

Sure, Fox claims to be fair and balanced, which it’s really not, but the same could be said for all of cable news. MSNBC is guilty of the same type of slant as Fox News, but instead supports most of the actions and stances the left takes. It’s the left version of Fox, but actually presents real news and analysis that’s actually rational and factual. CNN on the other hand is, well, CNN.

Despite all of this against Fox News, it’s still is a valued news source by many and has the highest ratings of all news channels, which they will tell you every chance they get, especially Bill O’Reilly.

They are too much that it’s laughable. Some of their commentators are so out of touch with the world and can make no sense. Glen Beck cries on television every episode about fascism and Hannity wastes time talking about socialism.

Juan says there's no crying in baseball. Quit it, Glen.

The conservative view is an important one, but when organizations get away from the issues like Fox and devotes everything to attacking and then playing the victim, you lose credibility. Fox News has been losing credibility for awhile now and it’s because of the outrageousness of the channel. They need to take lesson from MSNBC and just focus on analyzing the news without an agenda. Form an opinion, but don’t sacrifice the facts and news the viewers deserve.

That said, this is an difficult battle for Obama and a fight not worth fighting. He is completely alienating the people who describe him as “Nixonian”, which is exactly what Fox wants. The media exposed Nixon as a criminal and Fox wants to do the same so badly with Obama, it’s pitiful. They don’t understand what America is facing and want Obama to fail. There is no need to truly and factually analyze his policies, when everyone around him is a socialist trying to take away the Second Amendment. People see a caricature of Obama on Fox.

I understand the danger with inaccurately reporting the news, but this is something the administration can’t worry about. Let the media attack and regulate each other. I love watching MSNBC call FOX out. It’s funny to see them get exposed. We don’t need the White House to let us know the deal with FOX. It’s all pretty obvious.

This gets in the way of actually reporting and analyzing the news. These news channels are too crazy and lose focus on what’s important, which distracts us from what we need to know… Maybe that’s what the government wants?

I don’t want to hear about any conspiracy theories, Juan….

You’re crazy. Absolutely nuts…It’s not that complicated. Do you like Fox?

Juan doesn’t necessarily like Fox, but loves Imus in the Morning, a show that starts at 3am west coast. Juan stays up all night to watch Imus…

Yeah you do, you stay up all night to Imus at 3am… He’s so stupid in that hat. Ha, look at that hair!

Like last week, this was a game of two halves and the Niners failed to capitalize on their momentum heading into the second half after leading 14-9. Alex Smith couldn’t keep the offense moving and was shut out in the second half, only amassing 87 yards of total offense. Addressing the inconsistency, Coach Singletary said, “We’re a young team, and we have to learn how to win these games.” Frank Gore echoed Sing’s feelings, “We just have to learn how to finish.”

Juan thinks they should figure it out soon or risk not making the playoffs.

In addition to Smith’s second half troubles, Frank Gore struggled to build on his 64 yard first quarter touchdown and ended the game with only 91 yards total on 13 carries.

Vernon Davis scored another touchdown and Michael Crabtree looked solid again with six catches for 81 yards, which makes Juan and I believe the Niners are, indeed, working on passing the ball more. The past two weeks have especially indicted the run first philosophy is not longer in effect with Gore only having 26 carries total the past two weeks.

This is a very talented Niner team and the defense played to their abilities, but they still couldn’t pull it out. They dominated up front on the defensive line and really disrupted Manning’s play, sacking him three times and stopping the run with relative ease. Manning still threw for over 300 yards, but the fact the secondary was able to pitch a shutout against the most dangerous passer in the game is a positive.

This isn’t a moral victory, though. They are much better than their 4-3 record suggests and have lost three games by four points or less, including the Brett Favre fiasco in Week 3, but overall this team is way too inconsistent to have a shot. The Niners can win the NFC West, but by the looks of it on offense, the defense is going to have to take us there.

Nevertheless, consistent play by the offense, which has plenty of weapons, is the key. They don’t have to play out of their minds every week, but well enough to take advantage of the game if the defense is able to keep them in it, like this past weekend.

Next week the Niners play a 1-7 Titans team at Candlestick and can win. Coach Sing will have the team ready to break this three game skid and get back into winning form. Apparently this past week or the last three weeks hasn’t got Singletary or the rest of the team down.

Pick it up. Juan is getting frustrated and annoyed with the inconsistent play.

Questions for next week:

1. How will losing two of our best players hurt us? There’s no Nate Clements and left tackle Joe Staley is out with a sprained knee. Hopefully the secondary will be fine and not get burned by a questionable Titans pass game, but losing Staley is the dagger. He’s the Niners best all around offensive lineman and plays one of the most important positions on the field. His loss may be significant, especially on a suspect Niners offensive line.
2. Will Frank Gore get it going again and play to his All-Pro caliber? His season thus far has been somewhat overrated. Although he’s been behind an inept o-line and hampered by injury, he is crucial to the team’s success. The Titans may have a great defense on paper, but it has rarely performed this season and been exploited on a regular basis by most of the teams they’ve played, including a 59-0 loss to New England and 31-9 loss to Indy. This should be a great opportunity for Frank to break out again.
3. Which Titans team are the Niners going to see? So far the Titans have been the biggest disappointment in the NFL, but they’re still scary because of how good they should be and were last year. Their defense can be as stout as any, but haven’t really shown it at all this season. They earned their first win this past Sunday behind newly appointed quarterback Vince Young and a huge 228 yard, two touchdown performance by running back Chris Johnson. The Titans are practically the same team that went 13-3 last year. The Niners can’t be sidetracked by the 1-6 record and look past these Titans.
4. What is Alex Smith going to do differently? He played a good first half against the Colts, but struggled in the second. His one interception was offset by the touchdown pass to Vernon. He should look to Crabtree more often and get him into the end zone along with Josh Morgan, who is fully capable to haul in catches by the bunches. Smith also looked good in the pocket. His presence and footwork in the hole was good to see after being out of the game for almost two years. This is going to be vital for his success and his own personal health from getting hammered by the rush while dealing with a struggling offensive line. Hopefully he can continue to build on his relative six quarters of production and truly take the reins of this Niner team.

If Alex Smith doesn’t perform and deliver this weekend against a 1-6 football team, Juan thinks he should be the starter. I might actually agree with him.

The Niners will travel to Indianapolis this weekend to face a tough Colts team, led by arguably the best player in the NFL, Peyton Manning. Manning is putting up huge numbers again (114.5 passer rating, 15 touchdowns, 1880 yards, 4 interceptions) and may be having the best season of his Hall of Fame career. Even with some of his primary offensive targets injured like Reggie Wayne and Anthony Gonzalez, Manning is still burning everyone, which is bad news for an underperforming Niners secondary.

Who will Manning pick on this week…Shawntae-tayyyy Spencer? Hollywood Dre Bly? The 80 million dollar man, Nate Clements? Probably all of them. They all look pretty vulnerable. If the secondary doesn’t step up for this game, we could be in for a long afternoon. Stopping Manning is all that matters. But stopping Manning is close to impossible and similar to my last post about the challenges in Afghanistan.

The run defense needs to put some pressure on the quarterback and as good as the rush can be, the Colts protect the passer as well as anybody. On our side, we need Patty Will, possibly the best defender in the NFL, to generate that pressure and take Manning out of his game.

This man is a bad bad man. Look at those pink gloves.

If you pressure the quarterback, you give yourself a chance to win. Late audibles before the snap and blitz packages should be our focus, without giving anything away. Manning is so smart at the line and knows everything about every team, so this will be a difficult task. He reads the defense better than anyone, which explains most of his success.

Clearly, the defense is going to have to win this game for the Niners. The defense is solid, but the last two weeks may have exposed us and Manning is aware of this. They have to keep the game close and within striking distance for the offense. The Niners can’t play the Colts game and expect to match them in a shootout.

Speaking of the offense, Coach Singletary has gone with Alex Smith at quarterback. His three touchdown performance last week earned him his first start in over two years. Oddly enough, Smith made his first career start against this very same Colts team in which he threw four interceptions and zero touchdowns for an 8.5 passer rating. Wowza. I remember that one. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again.

Is Sing going to open up the passing game now? Smith has a strong arm and has a good rapport with Vernon and Crabtree. Smith has been helping Crabtree learn the offense and has worked with him almost exclusively during summer workouts and in practice. Maybe they will make a nice pair.

Still, this is Alex Smith and he’s been nothing but a disappointment for the Niners. He seems like a good guy just not a good passer.

Also, the offensive line has problems. Smith will need protection against an aggressive rush from the Colts’ line to have any success on Sunday.

Like I said last week, the offense can only go as far as Frank Gore takes them. Keeping possession and owning the clock is the best way to beat Manning. Although, in Week 2 the Colts had the ball for less than 15 minutes and he still threw for over 300 yards and two touchdowns for the win, so maybe not.

The Niners need to score and come out aggressively on offense. The Colt defense isn’t amazing and the Niners can take advantage of Indy’s weaknesses. Hopefully a week after coming back from injury, Frank can find his groove again and make do with his soft line. Maybe they can work in more of the Wildcat, adding an extra blocker for Frank could help. He looked decent running that offense last week.

Alex Smith has a lot to prove and I hope he comes out strong and makes me sound foolish, along with all the other Alex Smith doubters. There are lots.

Easy now. We can't have anymore of this.

I’d like to be wrong about Smith, but with the o-line the way it is and his penchant for tossing interceptions, I find it hard to put my faith in him.

Consistency is still a problem with this team. Hopefully the Niners can get back on track this Sunday.

So Juan, what’s your prediction?

31-24, Colts.

Ah, really?… I thought you were a Niners fan?… You just don’t see it happening this week?… Fair enough…

I always think the Niners can win, but some games are easier than others. This is not an easy game.

Come on Niners. Please, we need a win.

I was shocked because I honestly didn’t know he could read and his English a little is bad… Oh, you’ve been practicing? Good job…

It looks like a bill was signed into law on Wednesday with stipulations that would pay active members of the Taliban to switch sides. They would also receive jobs and amnesty from the US government.

Juan and I don’t know what to think of this.

These people are supposed to hate us. They’re supposed to be fighting for their faith and everything important to them, and the US government thinks it can offer incentives for them to leave it behind. I don’t think the government can offer them anything. They wouldn’t get into something like this if it wasn’t for the long haul.

If these people do in fact leave, they will forever be seen as traitors to their cause and the spiritual struggle they may face for leaving a fight for their religion against the Great Satan is something a bill and diplomacy can’t gauge. Also, who’s to say those who change sides are truly with us. This could be a risky situation and important information could be leaked to the opposition disclosing American operations or troop locations.

Juan and I think the Taliban has some sort of dignity and respect for themselves. They need to believe in what they’re trying to achieve.

Apparently, there was a similar plan in Iraq that actually proved to be quite successful seeing 90,000 Iraqis switch sides, but this is Afghanistan and the wars are different.

This country has never been conquered. Afghanistan has been fighting occupation for over 3,000 years. Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan couldn’t take over Afghanistan. This place is worse and more rugged than Iraq and Vietnam combined.

What Juan?… No way… You’re only saying that because you’re from the Dominican Republic and share an island with them… You’re so immature. Let me get back to what I was saying…

Afghanistan is almost hopeless. How do you win in a county that’s been doomed and at war in someway from the start? We can’t just up and leave because we’ll definitely lose all the progress we’ve made towards democracy, if in fact we’ve made any at all. The Taliban will take over and Sharia Law will be back in effect faster than the time Juan charged the mound. Eventually, it will become a terrorist state and being sandwiched between Iran and Pakistan won’t help the situation. Those are two of the most unstable countries in the world. Thank God Afghanistan is in the middle. That’s like being in the middle of Juan and another famous nutcase, Campy Campaneris…

On top of that, the country has one of the most corrupt governments in the world… Juan wants me to point out that one place behind Afghanistan is Haiti at number 177. We get it, Juan… Back in August, current president Hamid Karzai was accused of rigging the elections resulting in a November 7 run-off. The first elections were riddled with voter fraud, low voter turnout, and very little security. What’s going to happen on November 7? Probably the same thing that occurred in August. Our expectations for success in Afghanistan should be very low…

It’s already been eight years and instead of making a decision on the 40,000 troop surge, we’ve come up with a gimmick to convince “moderate” Taliban members to stop fighting. I don’t know if you can even be moderate in the Taliban. I think they’re all pretty extreme, hence the term Islamic extremism or Juan Marichalism.

Would you ever switch sides, Juan? Play for the Dodgers or join the Taliban?

You wouldn’t? Thank God. I don’t think I could see you in that Dodger Blue.

This is what a traitor looks like.

Hold on… if they gave you a Ferrari? I don’t think they have those in Afghanistan. They probably don’t even have roads. That’s why we use humvees and helicopters to get around there…

You don’t care? You just want your car?

Look, I don’t think they do that and you’re starting to sound crazy. You’re not even American… Fine. Leave… I don’t care. Go to Afghanistan and join the Taliban.

I doubt they even like Dominicans.