The 49ers did not look good last Friday Night as they shouldn’t have even been as close as they were in this football game.  They can thank Delanie Walker for keeping the Niners in striking distance as he returned a kickoff 101 yards for a TD in this game.  Alex Smith looked lost as usual as he completed 12 of 17 passes for 146 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions.  Shaun Hill also had a night to forget as he completed 6 of 10 passes for 69 yards with 2 interceptions.  Thomas Clayton led the way for the Niners in the running game with 53 yards rushing on 8 carries (6.6 ypc).  Michael Robinson was also busy in this game with 12 carries for 39 yards (3.3 ypc).  WR Jason Hill was the leading receiver for the 49ers in this game with 4 grabs for 57 yards (14.3 avg).  The 49ers finished up with 90 yards rushing in this game on 23 carries (3.9 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 27 passes for 205 yards.

Takeo Spikes led the Niners in this game with 6 tackles.  The Chargers finished up with 113 yards rushing on 28 carries (4.0 ypc) and they also completed 21 of 38 passes for 175 yards.  The 49ers finished the preseason with a 2-2 record.

The 49ers are apparently warming up to Mike Martz’ offense as they held onto the football last night for 37:35 while rolling up 425 total yards of offense.  J.T. O’Sullivan is looking more and more like the starting QB of the 49ers.  He completed 7 of 8 passes for 126 yards with a 37-yard TD pass for WR Jason Hill.  Alex Smith followed O’Sullivan in the game and he did not look good.  Smith completed only 6 of 17 passes for 83 yards with a 12-yard TD pass to WR Dominique Zeigler.  Smith also carried the ball 1 time for 10 yards on the ground last night.  Shaun Hill finished up last night strongly for the Niners completing 6 of 7 passes for 60 yards.  Thomas Clayton was very busy last night leading the Niners in rushing with 81 yards on 18 carries (4.5 ypc) with a TD run.  He also caught 2 passes for 20 yards last night.  Frank Gore also was impressive last night with 51 yards rushing on 8 carries (6.4 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 19 yards (9.5 avg).  Fullback Zak Keasey was very involved in the offense last night also as he carried the ball 4 times for 22 yards (5.5 ypc) and caught 2 passes for 12 yards.  2nd year WR Jason Hill was impressive with 4 catches for 94 yards (23.5 avg) last night with a TD grab.  Fellow WR Dominique Zeigler also was busy with 6 grabs for 61 yards (10.2 avg) with a TD grab.  Vernon Davis only caught 1 pass last night but it was a 40-yard strike from J.T. O’Sullivan.  The 49ers finished up last night with 160 yards rushing on 35 carries (4.6 ypc) and they also completed 19 of 32 passes for 265 yards.

Safety Michael Lewis led a below par effort by the Niners with 4 tackles last night.  The Bears finished up with 109 yards rushing on 22 carries (5.0 ypc) and they also completed 14 of 28 passes for 204 yards.  The Niners were lucky that the offense played keepaway as the Bears moved the football well against them last night.

The San Francisco 49ers dominated the Packers in all three facets of this game.  J.T. O’ Sullivan had a decent game for the 49ers as he completed 8 of 17 passes for 154 yards with 1 TD pass (59 yards to WR Josh Morgan) and 1 interception.  O’Sullivan also carried the football 2 times for 11 yards (5.5 ypc).  Alex Smith once again looked puzzled as he completed 5 of 12 passes for 62 yards.  Shaun Hill didn’t do much completing 2 of 5 passes for 21 yards against the Packers.  DeShaun Foster led the Niners in rushing with 37 yards on 11 carries (3.4 ypc) with a TD run.  Frank Gore pitched in with 29 yards rushing on 6 carries (4.8 ypc).  Thomas Clayton pitched in with 25 yards rushing on 11 carries (2.3 ypc) against the Packers.  Rookie WR Josh Morgan was outstanding Saturday Night for the 49ers as he caught 5 passes for 114 yards (22.8 avg) including a 59-yard TD reception from J.T. O’Sullivan.  2nd year WR Jason Hill also had a solid game with 2 receptions for 46 yards (23.0 avg) and he also carried the football 1 time for 14 yards.  WR Dominique Foxworth also had a solid game with 4 catches for 42 yards (10.5 avg).  The 49ers finished up with 118 yards rushing on 35 carries (3.4 ypc) and they also completed 15 of 34 passes for 237 yards.

The defense was outstanding for the 49ers in this game as they sacked Packers’ QBs six times in this game.  Linebacker Tully Banta-Cain led the way for the Niners with 5 tackles and 2 sacks.  The Packers finished up with 101 yards rushing on 23 carries (4.4 ypc) and they also completed 18 of 31 passes for only 81 yards. 

Allen Rossum also made a huge mark on special teams in this game for the Niners.  Rossum returned 6 punts for 86 yards (14.3 avg) including one that he returned 67-yards for a TD.  This was complete domination by the Niners who should bottle this play up and use it when the games count.

The San Francisco 49ers are not likely going to let Mike Nolan be the head coach after this season if the team doesn’t start winning.  In three years in Frisco, Nolan is only 16-32 (33.3%) and that just won’t get it done.  The only thing that Nolan has going for him in San Francisco right now is that he looks sharp in a suit.  With Mike Martz as the new offensive co-ordinator at least the offense should be funner to watch in 2008.  But, Nolan better keep looking over his shoulder as Martz was a very successful head coach for the Rams and might have an eye on his job.

35-year old Joe Nedney kicked well last season for the Niners in his very limited opportunities.  Nedney played in 15 games for the Niners last season and he connected on 17 of 19 field goals (89.5%).  He also made all 22 of his extra point attempts last year.  Look for Nedney to score a lot of points for the Niners in the new offense.  Nedney has now played in 136 games in his NFL career and he has connected on 199 of 252 field goals (79%).  He also has made 261 of 264 extra points (98.9%) in his career.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON:  B