Month: December 2017

4 Keys To Victory: Niners VS Yams Round 2

By Niner Faithful

First of all this week I would like to start off by saying Happy New Year!!!!! May the Lord bring you health, wealth and happiness in 2018. Now that that’s out of the way, on to football. It’s here, week 17, the last game of the season. And while this season may not have brought us that 6th trophy to put in the trophy case at 4949. It has brought us hope for the future but more on that next week. This year we close out the season by playing the (I can’t believe I’m saying this) playoff bound LA Yams. As we all know in the week 3 meeting between these teams we lost 41-39 (but we all know Trent Taylor did not push off). The Yams have already said they are going to rest most of their starters, now that doesn’t mean this will be an easy game by any means. But it does mean that a winnable game became even more winnable. After beating the Jags last week the Niners are on a 4 game winning streak for the first time since 2013 and are looking for our first 5 game winning streak since 2013 as well. So let’s keep the streak alive. Here are the last Keys to victory for the 2017 season.

 

  1. Stay humble and hungry

The Niners have had a lot of success lately. The type of success that can start to make you think that you have arrived and lose focus. Now we all know that Kyle Shanahan and his staff are going to do everything in their power to make sure that doesn’t happen. But it’s up to the players to take that message to heart. And with the Yams sitting most starters a little bit of complacency can creep in and that’s the last thing we need.

 

  1. Stay healthy

We all know the story of this season as far as injuries are concerned. It started in Training camp with Malcolm Smith and has continued throughout the season with 20 players ending the season on IR and what seems like every player missing time this year due to injury. There would be nothing worse than if someone were to go down with an major injury, because that would likely mean they would miss some of the offseason program if not the whole year. So staying healthy is important not only for winning this game but next season as well.

 

  1. Do not get swept in the division

Although we have won 4 in a row and 5 out of our last 6 we have yet to beat a division opponent all year (in fact the only losses we have had since week 9 have been to teams in the division). The Niners have never loss every game in the division since the realignment in 2002. We have already set a franchise record for most losses to start a season I don’t think we want to set a new one for losses in the division.

  1. BEAT LA for the bay

Being from Nor Cal any team from So Cal is a hated team (although I am a Lakers fan). You hear the BEAT LA chant no matter what stadium you are in throughout Nor Cal. And with the Yams being our longest rival beating them is going to make our 6th victory even sweeter.

I can’t believe that the season is over. It just seems like the draft was yesterday. I am very blessed to have to opportunity to write for sports elite and for all my Empire brothers and sisters. I hope you have enjoyed reading my blogs as much as I have had writing them. And although my keys to victory won’t be back till next year I will still continue to write blogs every week. So till next week GO NINERS!!!!! BEAT LA!!!!!

Thank you for reading my blog please make sure to like NINER FAITHFUL RADIO on Facebook and Twitter and Tune in every Monday at 3 pm PST Here’s the link for This Monday Jan 1st

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4 Keys to victory: Niners VS Jaguars

By Niner Faithful

It’s finally here the last home game of the 2017 Season. It seems like only yesterday everyone was getting already for Week 1 my how the time flies. For the final home game of the year Jimmy G and the Niners will face their toughest challenge of the year in the Jacksonville Jaguars. Jacksonville comes to Levis with the number 1 defense in sacks, points allowed, and passing defense to go with the number 1 rushing attack on offense. This will be the 5th time the Niners and the Jags square off with each team winning 2 games. This is the biggest game at Levis since maybe the Thanksgiving game in 2014. We need this win and to do so here are this weeks 4 keys to victory.

 

  1. Protect Jimmy G

The Jags have the number 1 sack defense with 51. Former Cardinal Calais Campbell has put up monster numbers with the jags and is second in the league with 14.5 sacks. Jacksonville isn’t just a one trick pony      Yannick Ngakoue isn’t far behind with 11 sacks on the year. Unlike Tennessee last week Jacksonville doesn’t have to blitz to get to the quarterback only blitzing on about 15% of snaps which means they can get to the QB with only four down linemen and can use 8 men in coverage. Jacksonville maybe coming into town with top flight corners but I promise you a lot of their success has to do with success up front.

 

  1. Run the ball

If there is an area of weakness on Jacksonville’s defense it’s their run defense. Their rush defense is 19th in the league giving up an average of 115.2 yards per game and 4.5 yards per attempt. If the Niners are going to win this game they must have more success running the ball than they did last week when they only had 51 yards total. Because if they don’t the Jacksonville d line will pin their ears back and it might get ugly real fast.

 

  1. Protect the football

Jacksonville is not only the number one defense in points, sacks, and pass defense they are also number 2 in the league with 20 interceptions. Jimmy G was lucky last week because if it wasn’t for two unbelievable plays by  Marquise Goodwin he throws 2 picks. One would have ended the game and ended his our streak. We must protect the football this week. Turnovers can make this game get ugly real fast.

  1. No more Robbie Gould show

We all love Robbie Gould he has straight ice water in his veins. But enough is enough we must turn those field goals in to touch downs because I can almost grantee that 6 field goals will not cut it this week.

 

Jimmy G has created a lot of hope for the future of our beloved Niners.  A win against Jacksonville to close out the home schedule would allow Levis to start building those memories that made The Stick so special (I’m not saying it would be the same yet,  but it will be a start and be the first real big win at our new home) not to mention make it a very  Merry Christmas. So enjoy some eggnog while watching the Red and Gold and have a very Merry Christmas GO NINERS!!!!!

Thank you for reading my blog please make sure to like NINER FAITHFUL RADIO on Facebook and Twitter and Tune in every Monday at 3pm PST Here’s the link for This Monday Dec 25th

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4 Keys to victory: Niners VS Titans 

By Niner Faithful

This week the Niners face off against former Niner Delanie Walker and the Tennessee Titans at Levis stadium. It’s the Niners second straight game vs. an AFC South team. This will be the 14th time the Niners and Titans have faced each other with the Niners holding an 8-5 advantage in the all-time series. The Niners are favored for only the second time all year. The Niners will face three teams in three weeks that are playing for their playoff lives so, this will be a great test for our young team and, can give us a signature win that can pay dividends for years to come.

 

  1. Stop the run

The Titans want to run the ball no doubt about it. They have all different kinds of ways to do it as well. Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray both have over 500 yards rushing, 100 rushing attempts, and they both have 5 rushing TDs as well. This will be a unique challenge in that the Titans have a true one two punch in the backfield like the Niners haven’t faced all year. As the Titans run game goes so goes their offense so, a commitment from everyone on D to stopping the run will be the biggest key to victory this week.

  1. Run the ball

In all three of our wins this year we have had more rushing attempts and yards than the team we are facing that week. That’s leading to us winning the time of possession which of course leads to our defense being on the field less, which means they are able to play faster which leads to our offense getting on the field faster. As you can see rushing not only yards but attempts have a huge trickle down effect on the whole team so, I would think we’ll see a lot of Carlos Hyde and Matt Breida this week.

  1. Stop Delanie Walker

Former Niner Delanie Walker has turned in to the legit number 1 tight end Jim Harbaugh thought he could be when he tried in vain to convince Trent Baalke to resign him after the 2012 season. He leads the Titans in both receptions with 63 and receiving yards with 718 and is second on the team with 2 TDs. Delanie was not shy about saying he feels he’s a mismatch for Reuben Foster and how he feels former Niner GM Trent Baalke was at fault for the Niners fall from grace. And although Trent is no longer our GM you can bet Delanie is still motivated to play his best this week.

  1. Create Turnovers

The Titans are 26th in the league with a -6 turnover differential this year. Marcus Mariota has thrown 14 picks and Titan ball carriers have lost 6 fumbles this year. There are going to be opportunities this week to get some turnovers and give our offense as many opportunities as possible with the football. And pad our turnover stats on a team that has turned the ball over pretty consistently this year.

There is no doubt that Jimmy G has brought a buzz and excitement to the Niners we haven’t seen in a while. I never go into a game thinking we don’t have a chance, but especially not since Jimmy G has started. And I’m not going to start now I say we beat the Titans and show all the haters that the Rise of the Empire is coming faster than everyone thought.

Thank you for reading my blog please make sure to like NINER FAITHFUL RADIO on Facebook and Twitter and Tune in every Monday at 3pm PST Here’s the link for This Monday Dec 18th

http://tobtr.com/10456947 GO NINERS!!!!!

4 Keys to victory: Niners VS Texans 

 

By Niner Faithful

This week the Niners travel to Houston, TX to face the Houston Texans in the last 10am game of the year. The Niners and the Texans have only faced each other only  3 other times with the Niners holding a 2-1 advantage. The Niners haven’t played in Houston since they lost 24-21 in Michael Crabtree’s first game back in 2009. It should be a fun game to watch and not only because it’s a winnable game. The Niners have a new buzz around them because of Jimmy G you can see it in the way we played last week. Lets hope that we can get our first consecutive road wins for the first time since 2014 ( New Orleans and New York) Without further adieu here are this weeks keys to victory.

 

  1. Stop DeAndre Hopkins

Hopkins is easily Houston’s top receiver. Hell some would argue he’s one of the best in the league. He has 77 catches for 1,084 yards and 9 touchdowns this year and is coming off a game where he caught 8 out of 14 targets for 80 yards. The Niners corners have been doing better since the trade of Rashard Robinson but this is going to be their biggest test all year.

 

  1. Stop Jadeveon Clowney

Without maybe the best defensive player in the league J.J. Watt Jadeveon Clowney has really stepped up. He has 9 sacks on the year placing him in a tie for 8th in the league. What makes Clowney so dangerous is the fact that he lines up all along the d line, so you can bet they will line him up inside where we have struggled all most of the year. He’s the type of player that can wreck your game plan, so we have to stop him or its going to be a long day.

  1. No self-inflicted wounds

Last week the Niners had 4 accepted penalties in the red zone and 2 that helped the Bears stay on the field. Houston is a more talented team than the Bears, so if we hope to win we can not shoot ourselves in the foot and hope to overcome it like last week.

  1. Score in the red zone

The only major offensive issues last week (besides penalties) was going  0/5 in the red zone. If the Niners want to become a better team and score points this must change.

There are 4 games left in this season. That is plenty of time for the players and some of the couches to prove that they are worthy of being a part of this organization going forward. Plus winning games this year is going to pay dividends down the road.

Thank you for reading my blog please make sure to like NINER FAITHFUL RADIO on Facebook and Twitter and Tune in every Monday at 3pm PST Here’s the link for This Monday Dec 11th

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4 Keys to victory: Niners VS Bears

By Niner Faithful

The Niners travel this week to Chicago to play the Bears. This is the third year in a row that the Niners have headed to Chicago to play the Bears in week 13. Overall the Niners have a 33-31-1 series advantage, but the teams have split the last two games. The Niners losing in the snow last year 26-6. The biggest storyline going into the game is the first start in Red and Gold for Jimmy Garoppolo, who grew up 30.4 miles away from Soldier Field in Arlington Heights, Illinois. On paper this looks like a game the Niners can and should win (although we all know how that’s gone this year). With that being said here are this weeks keys to victory.

 

  1. The weather

I know people say football is a no excuses business, but when there is a snow storm it’s kind of hard for that not to affect your play. The weather should be a lot milder this year compared to last year, but you never know. If the weather changes it shouldn’t effect Jimmy G after playing in New England the last 3 years, but it might affect the other skill positions on the team. Running the ball is always important, but will be even more so if the weather changes.

 

  1. Protect Jimmy G

The Niners have had problems protecting the quarterback all year-long. Last week it finally caused an injury when C.J. Beathard had to leave the game for the final 3 plays. With Trent Brown being a game time decision and his back up going on IR this week some of the pressure is on Jimmy G to make quick decisions. Because if something happens to Jimmy G there are more long-term consequences for the future of the franchise.

 

  1. Stop the run

The Bears offense has left much to be desired all year-long. They rank 29th in points scored, 29th in total offense and 21st in passing offense. Rushing offense is the only category they are ranked in the top ten (8th). With the Niners ranking 30th in the league in rush defense you can bet the Bears are going to try to run it down our throat so stopping the run game will go a long way into helping us win the game.

 

  1. Score early and often

The Bears rank middle of the league in all defensive category’s so scoring often might be a challenge. But with the Bears offense ranked 8th in the league in rushing. Jumping out to a big lead maybe the best way to make sure the Bears don’t try to run the ball down our throats and wear out our defense.     

 

Although Jimmy G is limited in his knowledge our playbook, we should be able to see some offense and reasons to believe his the future at QB.

Thank you for reading my blog please make sure to like NINER FAITHFUL RADIO on Facebook and Twitter and Tune in every Monday at 3pm PST Here’s the link for This Monday Dec 4th

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Saints Fans!!! Stop Thinking Brees lost it!!! Alvin Karama and Mark Ingram Helped him!!!

By Tim Crouch

Has Brees lost it? No!!! Is he the same Brees? Yes!!! Is his arm still there? Let’s look at what he has done this year compared to last.

2017 through 11 games

Regular Season
71.3 comp %
3,029 yards
16 TD
5 INT
104.1 rating

2016 Through 11 games

Regular Season
71.7 comp %
3,587 yards
26 TD
8 INT
109.2 rating

2017 through 11 games: Attempts 373

2016 through 11 games: Attempts 456

That’s 83 less attempts in 2017. I’m not saying his arm is the same, but when we needed him, he was there.  Was he part of the reason we lost vs Rams? Yes, but not the total reason. We have to look at the line and wide receivers. His stats look similar but with fewer attempts than last year during this time. He has a running game thanks to Alvin Karama and Mark Ingram. The duo has been excellent for Drew Brees. He has to be thanking Sean Payton for them.