The Red and Gold are back and better than ever, football fans.
It won't be long until we start to get familiar with QB J.T. O'Sullivan (#14) and WR Josh Morgan (#84). In fact, they're already making headlines.
After watching these two studs perform in the preseason, I'm beginning to get an eerily familiar feeling. Butterflies are in my stomach with pins and needles simultaneously perforating my sensory organs.
It's the same feeling I had during Terrell Owens' first training camp with the Niners. The same feeling I developed during Jeff Garcia's inaugural year as a pro. It's been a long time.
Start getting used to it, folks. Things are looking up for the San Francisco 49ers. And it's all because of two unheralded players who are rising faster than anyone could have expected.
O'Sullivan, a six-year veteran bench warmer who came out of UC Davis, is quickly becoming a household name in the Bay Area with his stellar performances so far in the preseason. He had a perfect passer rating of 158.3 against the Chicago Bears, going 7-for-8 while passing for 126 yards with one touchdown in limited playing time and engineered three scoring drives en route to the Niners' 37-30 victory. Against Green Bay, he went 8-for-17 for 154 yards and one TD, leading the way to two scoring drives en route to a 34-6 Niner win.
It seems like a hundred years ago since the 49ers last posted two consecutive 30+ point outings, and although it's only the preseason, much progress has already been made.
O'Sullivan looks a lot more patient in the pocket than Alex Smith, and he is a hundred times more precise and accurate on his passes. Maybe it's because J.T. learned under new offensive coordinator Mike Martz while they were both in Detroit, and maybe it's because O'Sullivan had a chance to be tutored by the great Brett Favre.
Whatever the case, J.T. has earned the right to start, and Shaun Hill has proven to be good enough to be his backup. Meanwhile, the much maligned Smith has come to the reality that he is now considered the biggest quarterback bust in the NFL since Ryan Leaf. Too bad they don't give cash refunds in the NFL because I'm sure Niner management kept its receipt.
The 49ers have traditionally been known for developing wide receivers into stars after selecting them late in drafts. We all know about Jerry Rice and T.O. Now we're about to find out about Morgan, who was drafted in the sixth round out of Virginia Tech, and has so far produced nine catches for 182 yards and an impressive 59-yd TD in about four quarters of play through two games.
The unheralded Morgan has shown the ability to catch the short slant and turn it into a long gain. He's gone deep and scored, showcasing his 4.47 speed. And above all, he's proven that he can quickly grasp Martz's complicated offensive playbook, run routes with precision, and possess tremendous hands. I don't want to jump the gun too soon, but if everything falls into place and if Morgan continues to improve, we might end up getting another dose of that familiar San Francisco treat.
And I haven't even mentioned the rest of the 49ers' talented and well-balanced receiving corps that includes future Hall-of-Famer Isaac Bruce, future All-Pro TE Vernon Davis, Bryant Johnson,Arnaz Battle, Ashley Lelie, Jason Hill, and the surprisingly solid rookie out of Baylor, Dominique Zeigler. San Francisco is stacked in this position and with Martz Madness invading the Bay Area, there is reason to be optimistic about a playoff berth in 2008-'09.
O'Sullivan and Morgan are already getting rave reviews from experts and analysts around the league. The Niners offense seems revived, and All-Pro RB Frank Gore should benefit tremendously from the all-around balance.
With a young and improved defense that's getting more and more time playing together in order to generate some cohesion, I wouldn't count out the 49ers to win the NFC West. They picked up highly regarded DE Justin Smith to anchor the frontline on Mike Nolan's 3-4 scheme. And with All-Pro LB Patrick Willis only getting better, the Niners are definitely on the upswing. The defense garnered six sacks against Green Bay last week, the first time in a long time I've seen the pass rush this intense. It will only make Nate Clements' and Walt Harris' job that much easier on the corners, which will in turn allow hard-hitting safety Michael Lewis to roam free and deliver punishing hits a la former Niner greats Ronnie Lott and Tim McDonald.
And did I forget to mention return specialist and former Pro Bowler Allen Rossum, who's already returned a punt for a touchdown this season? Right away, the 49ers' special teams unit is already looking spectacularly special.
Indeed there is reason to be excited, for this could be the year the 49ers shock and rock the National Football Conference.
JOKERSWILD... I hope Gore is fully recovered from his injuries. I expect him to be a beast this year and challenge Adrian Peterson for the NFC rushing title.
dangerousfatman... for the Niners, it's sad that their defensive unit hasn't been respectable for about 12 years now. But having Patrick Willis, who reminds me of a combination of Mike Singletary and Ken Norton Jr., is a great place to start. At least for the Bears, they had the league's best defense not too long ago.
Yeah, that last play where the Bears scored was terrible. The Niners' D had a mental breakdown and shouldn't have let the Bears score on a pass like that. As a DB, you just can't let a guy jump over you so easily and outhustle you to the ball.
BleedPRPL&GLD... LOL! That's why I'll never have a girlfriend from SF. You may never know where (s)he came from.
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on August 22nd at 5:04 PM.
I watched the game with the Bears and found myself wondering "I thought the niners stink? Where is that world class Bear Defense?" Either the Bears defense is overrated or the Niners have something going.
I LIKED when the Niners' selected Morgan; I thought when they drafted him, he was going to be one of the steals of the entire draft. He was IMO a mid-second round pick STOLEN in the sixth round. He's shown more heart than the other receivers the Niners have save for Isaac Bruce. I think the Niners will show marked improvement, and with the return of Manny Lawson their defense will be much better.
J-DIZZ,
I've always liked J.T O'Sullivan. I had a chance to see him early in his career down here on the Bayou. The Saints are known for developing young QB's and shipping them off elsewhere. examples are Marc Bulger and Jake Delhomme.
J.T. just might prove to be another one of these QB's that started here and ended up having a nice little career for another team. Good luck for the season.
Hey, I doubt your Laker homerism if you have no favorites in your blog page. There are at least 5 bloggers on Fox who write about the Lakers ad nauseum. What gives, "fan"?
beefsupreme... thanks for the heads up, I'll take a look.
NiqueD... The problem with the Bears has never been defense. Sooner or later, if the offense keeps putting up lackluster numbers the defense will get tired of backing them up. The Bear have failed to address their QB situation and that has got to irritate Beares fans.
jon464... I've been waiting to see what Manny Lawson is capable of doing. I'm glad he's back in the mix. The Niners' defense, I believe, will be strong this year.
Gambitxxx... Why is it that the Saints ship off these QBs? Delhomme would have been a great fit for New Orleans.
Edclinch... Success creates its own luck. The Niners are on their way.
As far as my Laker homerism, do you honestly believe that I need to have "favorites" in order to justify my faith? Give me a break. Take a look at my archives and you'll see nothing but Lakers. If you came to my house and saw how many ticket stubs I've possessed since the eighties, I'm sure you wouldn't be doubting.
BTW, back in 2002 and 2003 when Larry Burnett (and before him Stu Lantz) used to host the 570 KLAC Lakers Line before Matt "Money" Smith, they gave away Lakers tickets for anyone who'd be able to answer the Laker trivia after each game. Put it this way... I won so many times that Larry told me I had to stop participating in order to give other people a chance. And then at the end of the season, I won the grand prize which was an all-expense paid trip to Hawaii.
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on August 23rd at 1:44 PM.
First off J-Fizzle, your niners are still a long way from success. Your new QB has yet to prove that he can even tie his shoes on Sunday. Every year the niner faithful become more and more eager to watch their team fail miserably. The days of your dynasty are dead, and it will take a lot more than wishful thinking to bring them back. When you can manage a .500 season then, and then only will you truly become honest with yourself that you are still a decade away from a super bowl appearance. Defense wins championships, and the niners have more depth at ball boy then they do on the defensive side of the ball. This will be the year that you finally join me, and start rooting for a winning team, not a long lost dynasty that died with Michael Jackson's skin color.
965 i bet u cant name 3 guys on our d and u say we have no depth.i know people will b sick if he niners get back to being perenial playoff contenders.but its gonna happen.we have been building this team scense 05.we are loaded everywere but qb,but now with JTO we can b a dangerous team 9-7 at least.go niners.
SocalSooner956... yeah dude, and is that why your Chargers decided to hire a 49er, Norv Turner, to lead your bunch?
Like they say, "Bird of a feather flock together". so based on your silly comment I guess that means both of us are aassed out.
Speaking of "ball boy", I guess that's what Shawn Merriman will be doing now that he can't play. Defense does win championships, and I fully expect San Diego to not have any this year.
5 Rings 78... That's what I'm talkin' about dawg. You say 9-7. I say 11-5. If SF beats the Patriots at Candlestick in Week 5, they're going to win the division. It's as simple as that.
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on August 23rd at 4:46 PM.
Niners will finish last in their division this season.
And by the way, I wasn't aware that Jerry Rice (first round) and Terrell Owens (third round) were considered late round draft picks. Although I suppose that by now, anything below the top 10 is late round for the 9ers.
Your WR is going to showcase his 4.47 speed? Are you serious? That's barely faster than most tight ends. Actually, Vernon Davis ran it almost a full 1/10th of a second faster.
And Mike Martz sure seemed to help in Detroit, particuarly the running game. He was only fired because he didn't run often enough, but I'm sure he'll help Frank Gore get the rushing title. Learn some football. J.T. O'Sullivan hasn't done ####, so why you would say he's gonna lead the 49ers to an 11-5 season is beyond me. Especially because EVERY team in your division got healthier and better.
Last edited by poolboy87 on August 23rd at 5:15 PM.
thanks for the trash talk. I appreciate it. I've been waiting for people like you to enter the dungeon. You are now on my target list. Remind me to remind you after Week 5. BTW, who's your team and let's see what kind of horse s-h-!-t I can throw your way.
J-Diz,
You poor delusional fool! You've obviously spent too much time baking your brains in the California sun if you think that JTO will amount to anything more than a hill of #### this year. And if you think that Gore will ever rush for more than 80 yards a game, unless it's purely accidental (like if Martz winds up in the ICU in a coma). I, on the other hand, am ecstatic that The Lions finally woke up and got rid of the 2 lowest common denominators on the team. Good luck to the niners, they're gonna need it.
Frank Gore will be a top 5 rusher easily this season. Martz will give the ball to him, because he knows that Gore can score any time he touches the ball. This situation he's in now reminds me alot of when he was with the Rams. He has a great running back, a solid group of receivers, and an unproven quarterback. Do you remember Kurt Warner? I do recall that he was labeled as a "journeyman" before he led the Rams to a super bowl. I also seem to recall that Marshall Faulk wasn't doing too bad rushing the ball either. The problem with the Lions was they had no running back, they had a decent qb, and spent way too many picks on WRs. They wouldn't have been able to run the ball anyway, so why not pass it every down? At least then there's a chance for something good to happen.
i agree with everything but with jto he's only starting because nolan is trying to save his butt, everyone is hard on alex smith but from the begining his college head coach said he would only excel when he master a system and how is he supposed to do that when it gets yanked out from underneath him every year, nolan may know how to run a defense but the only thing he knows about running a team is how to run it into the ground no wonder why john york kept him around
Last edited by davidsj78 on August 23rd at 11:46 PM.
J-Dizzle
There's a lot to be optimistic about but at the same time you can have to be somewhat pessimistic with regard to the starting QB position.
The play if anything has been than stellar.
Unless Nolan can find some real consistency with the team . Then there'll be problems for the team throughout the season.
ok so im not going to be as bad as some people and call you delusional or anything but as a Seahawk fan every year the 9ers, the rams, or the cards are supposed to compete and for 4 or 5 years they have come up short. i wont blatantly say you have no chance but its going to take a lot more to de-thrown the hawks then a first year starter and a lack luster defense. i will say that you guys have the pieces in place and the next few years are scary for the NFC west
Oh man, hold me up I cant stop laughing. First of all where'd you get a name like J-Dizzle? Did you buy some Snoop Dog bubble game and thats the name that was on the wrapper? Dude you are delusional. You call THAT group of receivers talented and well balanced? Battle is a #3 at best, Bruce is merely a possesion reciever at this point and Bryant Johnson hastnt even stepped on the field. I'll give you the defense but when they have to spend 52 minutes on the field each game, its a moot point. And Allen Rossum? Please. you say he returned a punt "this seson" but what you mean is "preseason" and its not the same. Lastly JT O'Sullivan. I used to live in Davis. And he was a household name, but it was as a jack@$$ with a massive ego. A little much for a D3 school. Hope your havin fun on the crazy train Dizzle. Next stop, 2-14.
davidsj78
You make a valid point. As everyone on the planet knows, the Lions have been pitiful for years. But as a diehard fan for over 50 years, I know a loser when I see one, and the 49er's, with Martz and JTO in command, will be Losers, with a capital L. Period.
J-Fizzle...
Week 5? Are you kidding me? When you get your salad tossed week five you can come back on this board and apologize for your ignorance. As far as the chargers a concerned, defense will not be an issue. Yes Shawn will be missed, but we are deeper at line backer than you are at water boy, and that is saying a lot.
5-Rings....
Thank you, you made my point for me, I cannot name 3 guys on your d. Thats exactly what I am trying to say. You have the most expensive bench in the league. Every year you get all excited about some new un-proven player that is supposed to lead you back to the promise land, but there is a greater chance of hell freezing over than that happening any time soon.
I didn't know there were as many Niner haters as Kobe haters.
All you haters who call me delusional are fans of the Lions and Cardinals. Now tell me, fools... what has your team done in the last 30 years?
You guys keep hoping and praying that your teams will somehow find a way to reach the big dance.
You're nothing but squirrels tryin to catch a nut in the Sahara.
Pay attention and watch the game you i-d-i-o-t-s. Go ahead and undermine, underestimate, and underappreciate what San Francisco has goin' here. Don't ever forget that this franchise has tradition just like the L.A. Lakers. Which means that they're used to excellence and being on top of the food chain.
Although San Francisco has been mediocre the last 10 years, the team has also gone through a change in ownership and management, which has severely imnpacted the development of the franchise's personnel. But we've been making huge strides lately.
Go ahead and talk your s-h-!-t though. I'll sit here and enjoy watching these unheralded players shock the nation. At the end, you punkass #### will be the ones eatin' crow.
All you guys remind me of Laker haters and Phoenix Suns fans. After my Lakers did what they did this year, Suns fans left these blogs like homeowners in foreclosure and Laker haters continue to eat their own ####.
boderlion i agreed i don't like jto i think he's joke and as i stated before the only reason he has the job is because nolan wants to save his job, but with are stronger defense we will compete in are weak division well the lions will strugle with a weak defense
dizzle bizzle... a return is a return, be it 50 yards or 80. Point is, no one caught him.
If the Niners sign Vick, it might be fitting. The best CHINATOWN is in San Francisco, and they serve dog there.
Nice name by the way.
davidsj78... Now give me three distinct and qualified "football related reasons" why you think JTO is a joke. The way I see it, the only joke in NorCal is a guy by the name of Smith. He's been a clown going on 4 years now.
1. O'Sullivan has never started an NFL regular season game in his career.
2. He may have been mentored by some unquestionable great football minds but just the pedigree does not qualify another of being great...see Brian Griese, Jay Fiedler, and soon to be added Aaron Rodgers.
3.Chicago of all places found that Sexy Rexy was a better quarterback not once but twice!
can you come up with three football related reasons why you think O'Sullivan is the real deal? Without using "the passing genius" Mike Martz and over inflated preseason stats? Btw can't argue that O'Sully gives you a better shot than Smith and his little girl hands.
1 - while playing 2 years in nfl europe, O'Sullivan maintained a qb rating over 100.
2 - both years JTO played in nfl europe, he took his team to the world bowl.
3 - was named co-mvp of nfl europe in 2007.
4 - holds the NCAA division 2 record for touchdown passes in a game, with 6.
besides that, have you watched the man play? yes i know he hasn't done anything in the nfl but that's just because he hasn't been given the opportunity. watch and see what he does this year.
Last edited by beefsupreme on August 24th at 10:16 PM.
beefsupreme... you beat me to it. that's why you are the 49er Fan Group moderator. Thanks for giving your three reasons.
Dynamo, here's some additional to tickle your fancy.
1) O'Sullivan has been mentored not only by Favre, but by Delhomme and Brady as well, and they've all been to a Super Bowl. After going through this type of education, you're not going to come out dumb. See: Steve Young.
2) ""He's got very good command of the offense" said his coach. Naming him starter was unanimous among all 49er coaches. This means he's NFL ready.
3) The Bay Area has been home to some notable athletes known by their first initials. J.T. is scheduled to follow suit:
i was hoping somebody would bring up NFL europe stats...how many good qb's have come from nfl europe and had any success? through my search i couldnt find anybody worth note. having said that, why should i take that this guy did well in a sub-standard league means anything? so he tossed 6 yds in D-II ok good for him that has no bearing on his play so far.
Have I seen the man play...twice in the preseason. he lit up what i consider an old, overhyped bear defense and put up backup numbers against a stout Green Bay defense.
moving on, now i must clarify that i have nothing against o'sully and happen to believe he will turn into a fairly competent qb while san fran finds their next guy. and i expect that in about two years at the latest san fran will be a strong wild card team. but to think that this "joe" automatically put this building team in the playoff hunt his first season following the smith-fiasco is quite a far cry and as the majority of the naysayers are saying "delusional"
btw it doesnt help your teams fan base reputation with fools like coolslayer shouting "gold rush is back" im all for being optimistic but lets be realistic the 9ers have a stuggle on their hands just to get to .500
1. you have one two my two possible three so if i go by the odds its not likely o sullivans pedigree will amount to anything
2. you know who else had good command on the offense according to his coaches? brian griese, joey harrington, hell even charlie frye "had good command" of a sorry browns offense...so you see it doesnt necessarily mean anything because the coaches say he has command
3. thats not really football relevant because their initials dont make them players...
you asked: "how many good qb's have come from nfl europe and had any success?"
Several former NFL Europe quarterbacks, including Jake Delhomme (2003 NFC champion), Kurt Warner (2 time NFL MVP) and Brad Johnson (2 pro bowls), have gone on to success in the NFL.
Last edited by beefsupreme on August 24th at 10:43 PM.
i knew of delhomme and i can hardly call that success. ill give you kurt warner. brad johnson is a reach. my point still stands that not very many come through and do anything and i measure sucess beyond one or two good years talk to me when you have perennial success.
no i call four straight titles success, perenial playoff contenders success. winning one nfc championship doesnt equate into much success. but since you mention in the seahawks did fail to win the super bowl and i was disappointed.
and zero superbowl wins well the 49ers are tied for most in nfl history and the only nfl team with zero superbowl losses, and not to mention there 10 years of 10 wins or more
Dynamo... Indeed, your Seahawks have been the class of the NFC West the last several years now or since Holmgren took over, so you have bragging rights as far as that goes.
As far as Sullivan is concerned, I wouldn't be saying that the Niners are a potential playoff team or division winner if he wasn't performing. That's why I'm saying, watch out for him. He's never been given the chance. His best opportunity was in Minnesota where Tice liked him a lot but soon after Tice was fired and there went O'Sullivan's chance. He's now finally getting his time and he's proven to be consistently solid.
And the Niners, albeit its the preseason, are doing things they haven't done in a long time, like back to back 30 point games. The offense, for the very first time since Garcia and Owens, looks like it has a rhythm to it. It's in sync.
I know the Seahawks are solid year in and year out, but they have never impressed me to the point that the Niners wouldn't be able to catch them. Can you honestly say that Matt Hasselbeck has gotten better since your Super Bowl year? I'm not so sure. And now what with Shaun Alexander out of the mix? How does your offense all of a sudden adjust and respond, while other teams in the division have a nucleus that's been growing year after year without significant changes (ie, Arizona, StL).
Last edited by J-DIZZLE on August 24th at 11:30 PM.
The Niners, as I recall, swept Seattle two years ago. And that's with Alex Smith!! Your best pickup in the last three years has been Julian Peterson, and he's a former Niner who became expendable because he demanded big bucks and just like that we replace him with Willis and Lawson.
It will be a fun and interesting divisional race, that's for damn sure.
Matt Hasselbeck has improved since the Super Bowl. Last season he had his best season breaking all sort of personal records of his. That was without Shaun Alexander. You could say we haven't had Alexander for the last two years and we've managed to still take the division. As for 2006, our secondary was 28th in the league. Our defense was horrible that season. In 2007 the Seahawks secondary totally turned around. 1st in the NFL in passing TD's allowed and 2nd in the NFC in passing yards allowed. Only two starters remain from that 2006 team. But the Seahawks are returning most of it's 2007 defense. Peterson was a great pick up, but so was Brian Russell and Deon Grant.
As for JTO. I remember alot of hype surrounding Alex Smith too. The jury is still out for me on JTO. I will say he looked good out there though. I'm not a huge believer in Martz, but the Yorks are trying to make things familiar for him. Besides JTO, Bruce is out there teaching the young guys and M.Faulk working with Gore sure helps Martz in getting this team spun up quickly. One has to think if this is Nolan's team anymore though.
UC IRVINE graduate and proud to be an ANTEATER. My claim to fame is having played against the likes of Tayshaun and Tommie Prince, Jacque Vaughn, and Charles O'Bannon, plus getting dunked on by Schea Cotton in a CIF second round match in the nineties.
WIDELY KNOWN on FOX as one of the most biased LAKER HOMERS in blog history, highly criticized for hating on the PHOENIX SUNS fan base, and has been told on more than one occasion that LAMAR ODOM isn't worth the suit he's wearing.
Believe that "excellence is not an act but a habit."
Believe that the things you do and the things you don't do, they all send a message.
Believe that in order to know the world one must first know thyself.
And believe that it's the journey not the destination.
Finally, as the great Bruce Lee once said, "Man - he is constantly growing and when he is bound by a set pattern of ideas or way of doing things, that's when he stops growing."
This is the Way of the Dragon. Embrace it.
