Tweet
By Tim Sullivan
Inspin.com/WagerWeb.com contributing writer
A wave of optimism rushed through the Bay Area about six weeks ago. The
rebuilding 49ers, all of a sudden, looked revived. Refreshed even.
Coach Mike Nolan's crew was in the midst of a three-game winning streak
at the time, and just like that, the Niners were at .500. And -- perhaps
a bit of a stretch -- they may have even been looking toward the
playoffs.
Then, reality hit. Hard.
They lost three in a row and now, as they sit at 5-8, they have been
reduced to spoilers in the NFC. Thursday night, they get a chance to knock the
Seahawks down a few pegs as the two NFC West rivals meet in Seattle on
the NFL Network. The Seahawks are -9.5 on WagerWeb.com.
"I would hope that it inspires some guys. For some guys, it inspires.
For some guys, it doesn't," Nolan said of playing in front of a
primetime audience. "Sometimes you don't know who they are. The veteran
guys who, over the years, have a track record of responding well in
primetime we already know about. For some of the young guys, they
didn't even have primetime in college. They had to wait for a bowl
game."
Tonight is very much like a bowl game for the Niners. Quarterback Alex
Smith, running back Frank Gore and wide receiver Antonio Bryant
certainly make up a solid offensive core for the future and they'd like
nothing more than to show the league they're here to stay.
"We just have to stay the course, as we always say to these young guys.
Keep working on them," Nolan said. "It's not going to happen overnight
with the young guys. We knew that. But we've shown the ability to play
consistently. We've shown the ability also to do the opposite. From my
standpoint, we have to maintain focus throughout the entire game. We
can't drop off. The fewer guys making mistakes, the better chance we
have for success."
The Seahawks (8-5), coming off a loss, will do everything in their
power to prevent that from happening. If Seattle is truly going to take
a run at defending the NFC title, the Seahawks better start fine-tuning
things in a hurry.
"We can win the division with a win here. They know that," Seattle
coach Mike Holmgren said. "Really we have to become a more consistent
football team, that's the bottom line. We have not been as consistent
as I would like. But yet having said all that, and going through the
ups and downs so far this year, we have what we want in front of us."
The same might be said about the 49ers ... next season.
DINGED-UP DOLPHINS: Miami coach Nick Saban has battled through an
unexpected season and survived. Shouldering heavy expectations, and an
even heavier set of injuries, Saban has his team refocused and ready,
like the 49ers, to be spoilers.
On Sunday, Miami (6-7) meets the Bills (6-7) in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Buffalo is -1 on WagerWeb.com.
The bigger news, however, is who won't be with them. Running back
Ronnie Brown (hand) is out and wide receiver Chris Chambers (knee) is
questionable. And earlier this week, after placing quarterback Daunte
Culpepper (knee) on injured reserve, Saban pulled journeyman Shane
Matthews out of retirement.
Not exactly the roster he had envisioned back in August, huh?
"It's unbelievable," Saban said.
But with the mediocre Jets (7-6) and struggling Colts (10-3) on tap to
finish the season, the opportunity is there to finish strong.
"It's going to be important that our guys have the right mindset,"
Saban said. "It's a challenge for all of us."
EXTRA POINTS: Doug Gabriel, who fell out of favor with New England
after just three games, is back with the Raiders, who are hurting at
wide receiver given Randy Moss (ankle) and his shaky status. Gabriel
looked as if he was developing a solid rapport with Tom Brady. He even
caught five passes for 83 yards in a 31-7 win over Minnesota Oct. 30,
before he clashed with Bill Belichick. That was the end of his run. The
Raiders, glad to take him back, play the Rams on Sunday. Oakland is
-2.5 on WagerWeb.com. ... Giants cornerback Corey Webster (turf toe) is
practicing with the club this week and should play against the Eagles
Sunday at the Meadowlands. The Giants are -5.5 on WagerWeb.com. ...
Vikings running back Chester Taylor (ribs) is questionable for the Jets
game Sunday in Minneapolis. He sat out last week. Minnesota is -3 on
WagerWeb.com.
WagerWeb Football
Inspin.com/WagerWeb.com contributing writer
A wave of optimism rushed through the Bay Area about six weeks ago. The
rebuilding 49ers, all of a sudden, looked revived. Refreshed even.
Coach Mike Nolan's crew was in the midst of a three-game winning streak
at the time, and just like that, the Niners were at .500. And -- perhaps
a bit of a stretch -- they may have even been looking toward the
playoffs.
Then, reality hit. Hard.
They lost three in a row and now, as they sit at 5-8, they have been
reduced to spoilers in the NFC. Thursday night, they get a chance to knock the
Seahawks down a few pegs as the two NFC West rivals meet in Seattle on
the NFL Network. The Seahawks are -9.5 on WagerWeb.com.
"I would hope that it inspires some guys. For some guys, it inspires.
For some guys, it doesn't," Nolan said of playing in front of a
primetime audience. "Sometimes you don't know who they are. The veteran
guys who, over the years, have a track record of responding well in
primetime we already know about. For some of the young guys, they
didn't even have primetime in college. They had to wait for a bowl
game."
Tonight is very much like a bowl game for the Niners. Quarterback Alex
Smith, running back Frank Gore and wide receiver Antonio Bryant
certainly make up a solid offensive core for the future and they'd like
nothing more than to show the league they're here to stay.
"We just have to stay the course, as we always say to these young guys.
Keep working on them," Nolan said. "It's not going to happen overnight
with the young guys. We knew that. But we've shown the ability to play
consistently. We've shown the ability also to do the opposite. From my
standpoint, we have to maintain focus throughout the entire game. We
can't drop off. The fewer guys making mistakes, the better chance we
have for success."
The Seahawks (8-5), coming off a loss, will do everything in their
power to prevent that from happening. If Seattle is truly going to take
a run at defending the NFC title, the Seahawks better start fine-tuning
things in a hurry.
"We can win the division with a win here. They know that," Seattle
coach Mike Holmgren said. "Really we have to become a more consistent
football team, that's the bottom line. We have not been as consistent
as I would like. But yet having said all that, and going through the
ups and downs so far this year, we have what we want in front of us."
The same might be said about the 49ers ... next season.
DINGED-UP DOLPHINS: Miami coach Nick Saban has battled through an
unexpected season and survived. Shouldering heavy expectations, and an
even heavier set of injuries, Saban has his team refocused and ready,
like the 49ers, to be spoilers.
On Sunday, Miami (6-7) meets the Bills (6-7) in Orchard Park, N.Y.
Buffalo is -1 on WagerWeb.com.
The bigger news, however, is who won't be with them. Running back
Ronnie Brown (hand) is out and wide receiver Chris Chambers (knee) is
questionable. And earlier this week, after placing quarterback Daunte
Culpepper (knee) on injured reserve, Saban pulled journeyman Shane
Matthews out of retirement.
Not exactly the roster he had envisioned back in August, huh?
"It's unbelievable," Saban said.
But with the mediocre Jets (7-6) and struggling Colts (10-3) on tap to
finish the season, the opportunity is there to finish strong.
"It's going to be important that our guys have the right mindset,"
Saban said. "It's a challenge for all of us."
EXTRA POINTS: Doug Gabriel, who fell out of favor with New England
after just three games, is back with the Raiders, who are hurting at
wide receiver given Randy Moss (ankle) and his shaky status. Gabriel
looked as if he was developing a solid rapport with Tom Brady. He even
caught five passes for 83 yards in a 31-7 win over Minnesota Oct. 30,
before he clashed with Bill Belichick. That was the end of his run. The
Raiders, glad to take him back, play the Rams on Sunday. Oakland is
-2.5 on WagerWeb.com. ... Giants cornerback Corey Webster (turf toe) is
practicing with the club this week and should play against the Eagles
Sunday at the Meadowlands. The Giants are -5.5 on WagerWeb.com. ...
Vikings running back Chester Taylor (ribs) is questionable for the Jets
game Sunday in Minneapolis. He sat out last week. Minnesota is -3 on
WagerWeb.com.
WagerWeb Football