Zone Read: Eagles-49ers, the Day After
CAN SOMEONE PLEASE EXPLAIN…
1. What happened on the 55-yard touchdown from Colin Kaepernick to Frank Gore?
“If the running back stepped up and blocked, which he did, I could be the free guy [to rush],” said rookie Marcus Smith II. “But since the play broke down, he just leaked out and he was the open guy. So I’ve just gotta stay there and stay home.”
I have a hard time crushing Smith on this play. Kaepernick scrambled and bought time, rolling to his left. He then somehow threw all the way across the field to Gore. Smith was supposed to be accounting for the running back, but it was an improvised play by Kaepernick.
The bigger issue was the tackling attempt by Earl Wolff.
“At first, I kind of wanted to push him out of bounds,” Wolff said. “And then I noticed he wasn’t as close as I thought he was, and I just tried to wrap him up. Didn’t do a great job. Last year, I made that play multiple times.
“I’m there to make the tackle. I’m supposed to make the tackle, so I take the blame for that.”
2. What Kaepernick was thinking calling timeout in the fourth quarter?
The 49ers set up with a 4th-and-2 from the Eagles’ 43. The offense acted like it was going for it, but really San Francisco was just hoping to draw the Eagles offsides.
When Kaepernick saw that wasn’t going to work, he called timeout. Jim Harbaugh was irate on the sideline. Presumably, the head coach’s preference was for Kaepernick to take the delay of game penalty since the 49ers were going to punt anyway.
Had the Eagles ended up taking the lead with under two minutes left, that wasted timeout would have been a definite talking point among 49ers fans. As it turned out, it didn’t really end up mattering.
@SheilKapadia That look Harbaugh gave CK said it all. pic.twitter.com/Thw2eez1ME
— Chris S (@reddog2188) September 28, 2014
THE NUMBER THAT MATTERS: 5 – That’s how many first downs the Eagles had with 6:35 left in the fourth quarter. You won’t see many full-game drive charts uglier than this one: The Eagles averaged just 3.8 yards per play and were shut out completely in the second half. It wasn’t just the run game, either. Nick Foles averaged 4.5 YPA and completed 21 of 43 passes (48.8 percent). An all-around horrific performance for the offense.
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THE BEST OF 140
I’m not a coach but they should’ve used the run….. I mean Shady is there — Joel-Hans Embiid (@JoelEmbiid) September 28, 2014
I just love that he was watching.
CARY WILLIAMS IS GOING TO BE SO TIRED.
— BountyBowl (@bountybowl) September 28, 2014
I didn’t get a good look at a replay of the holding penalty, but that was costly. Later, Cary Williams got beaten by Michael Crabtree for a 25-yard completion down the sideline on third down. One week after complaining about the Eagles’ practice habits, Williams had his share of issues.
Steve Smith: “I’m 35 years old and I ran by those guys like they were schoolyard kids.” — Jeff Zrebiec (@jeffzrebiecsun) September 28, 2014
I know this has nothing to do with the Eagles, but we all need a little more Steve Smith in our lives. That guy is the best.
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