From: marshall@force.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com (Bob Marshall)
Subject: 49ers/Giants
Reply-To: marshall@force.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com
Organization: LMSC, Sunnyvale, California
Date: Mon, 7 Sep 92 02:00:48 GMT

The 49ers opened the season with a convincing 31-14 victory over the
New York Giants in New Jersey. If this game is indicative of the way
the 49ers are going to play this season, then they are going to the
Super Bowl. Everything clicked. Rickey Watters gained 100 yards on
the ground, plus a few nice pass receptions. John Johnson intercepted
a pass and returned it for a TD. Tim Harris had three sacks. The
special teams looked good, especially on kick returns (the punting
was only marginal, and Cofer did miss a makeable 48-yard field goal
short). And the maligned secondary played a great game, except for
some soft coverage after they built a lead.

The big news of the game is that Steve Young suffered a mild concussion
on the 49ers' first possession. He took a tremendous helmet-to-helmet
hit and went down like a shot. Steve Bono came in, and I immediately said 
"Watch this, he's going to hit Rice with a TD pass on his first play".
Voila! Bingo! Unfortunately Rice left too soon, and Cofer ended up 
missing a field goal, so the 49ers came up empty. Young returned for
the next series and led the 49ers to a touchdown, throwing a three-yard
pass to Rathman. After that series, however, Young did not return, 
although he did remain on the sidelines, in uniform, and did not take
his helmet off (which I thought was strange - if my head was hurting
I think I'd get rid of that thing right away).

Bono added fuel to the QB controversy by coming in and going 15-22 for
187 yards and two TDs (both to Rathman, who had three TD receptions on 
the day; Rathman had not had a TD reception since 1989). Bono looked very
cool and confident out there.

On top of the first motion penalty on Rice, which nullified his TD catch,
he also had another motion penalty which nullified a 51-yard completion
from Bono to Taylor. Seifert was really pissed on the sidelines (don't
know if he was pissed at the refs or at Rice, but Rice clearly jumped);
this prompted some great lines by Madden about Seifert's sunglass holders.
Madden was saying that it's a good thing the rope ran behind his neck 
instead of in front of it, otherwise he'd probably stangle himself.

Watters was phenomenal. He got yardage out of situations where it looked
like nothing was there. There were several sweep plays where I am used to
seeing Dexter Carter string the play out waiting for something to open up,
and then end up running out of bounds, but Watters cut the ball upfield
and gained good yardage each time. Finally, I think Dexter is where he
belongs, on the bench.

The 49ers showed a little imagination, which is unusual for them. On
fourth and goal from the one (going for it in this situation is
imaginative enough as it is) they ran a reverse to Rice; great call,
pretty good execution, except that two guys got left unblocked somehow,
and Rice got stuffed at the one. Even though the play failed, I was
glad to see them go for it, and I was glad to see them try some
razzle-dazzle for a change.

There was a strange call involving Tim Harris. After each of his three
sacks, Harris pulled out his six-guns and shot them. Nothing was said
the first two times, but after the third time he was slapped with a
15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. What kind of call is that? It
was OK the first two times, but not the third time? The whole rule is
ridiculous in the first place, but if you can't even call it
consistently it's a real joke.

I haven't heard any more reports on Young. I suspect that he was held
out of the remainder of this game as a precautionary measure. My guess
is that he will start next week.

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Bob Marshall                     \\     "It ain't age
Lockheed Missiles & Space Co.     \\     That makes me look this way
Sunnyvale, CA                      \\    It ain't the years, boys,
marshall@force.ssd.lmsc.lockheed.com\\   It's the miles"
"I tell the truth 'cept when I lie"  \\     - Chris LeDoux
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Newsgroups: rec.sport.football.pro