49ers and Falcons prepare for Week 5 battle
It probably didn't look like a very important game to many before the seasons began, but the Falcons, 49ers contest at Candlestick Park this Sunday afternoon is indeed a matchup of playoff contenders. Mike Singletary, to no surprise has San Francisco playing solid defense while QB Shaun Hill guides the Niners offense. Atlanta, led by former Boston College signal caller, is looking for their first road victory of 2009.
The gold rush is back on.
After years of coming up dry, the San Francisco 49ers are finally panning out again at 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS. It’s been a long time coming for this once-proud franchise – five Super Bowls, 17 NFC West titles, and 22 NFL playoff appearances since joining the league in 1950. But all that success dried up after Steve Mariucci was fired as head coach after the 2002 season, following an apparent power struggle.
Ah, power struggles. Sharp handicappers know that success starts at the top. Things started going sour for San Francisco ten years ago when beloved former owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. got wrapped up in legal problems and eventually ceded control of the team to his sister Denise and her husband, Dr. John York. Bill Walsh then handed over the GM reins to Terry Donahue in 2001. York fired Mariucci and supported Donahue, and things quickly fell apart from there.
Now the Niners are under new management. York’s son Jed is now in charge of daily operations as team president, Scot McCloughan was named GM before the 2008 season, and Mike Singletary is the head coach. All three changes have been met with positive reviews among NFL owners and insiders. According to one unnamed owner (as quoted by Michael Silver at Yahoo Sports), “Jed’s unborn child is already a better owner than his old man.”
Fans of the Atlanta Falcons have had more than their share of off-field drama over the last few years. Owner Arthur Blank was left with egg on his face after the Michael Vick situation and the implosion of coach Bobby Petrino. But he responded well by hiring former New England Patriots scout Thomas Dimitroff as his new GM for 2008. Dimitroff hired Mike Smith as coach, the Falcons went 11-5 (9-7 ATS), and Dimitroff was named NFL Executive of the Year.
That sets the stage for Week 5, when these two revived franchises will meet at Candlestick Park (4:05 p.m., FOX). The Falcons are coming off a bye week at 2-1 SU and ATS, with victories at home over the struggling Miami Dolphins (+4) and Carolina Panthers (+6). Atlanta’s first road game was two weeks ago in Foxborough, where the Patriots (-4.5) prevailed 26-10 and were surprisingly effective at containing QB Matt Ryan, keeping the hotshot sophomore out of the end zone while Patriots RB Fred Taylor romped for 105 yards and a TD at the other end.
San Francisco’s defense is performing even better than New England’s after four weeks. Greg Manusky took over from Singletary as co-ordinator following the latter’s promotion and switched from ex-coach Mike Nolan’s hybrid defense to a more conventional 3-4 scheme. Linebacker Manny Lawson is thriving in this scenario. He was left on the back burner last year after missing most of 2007 with a torn ACL, but Lawson has been excellent on the pass rush in 2009, making 11 tackles in San Francisco’s narrow 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings (-7 at home).
While Lawson mans the perimeter, Patrick Willis has quickly become the best interior linebacker in the NFL. He picked up 2.5 sacks on Kyle Boller in last week’s 35-0 neutering of the St. Louis Rams (+9.5 at the Stick), but Willis is better known for his run-stuffing abilities. He’s seventh in the league with 37 tackles, and the Niners are ranked third in the NFL in defensive efficiency against the run according to Football Outsiders. The ground game is a problem area for the Falcons right now; Michael Turner has managed just 3.5 yards per carry this year, down from 4.5 last year in his first full season as a No. 1 tailback.
The very early betting odds for this matchup have San Francisco as a 2.5-point home favorite with a total of 41. Consensus reports showed 58 percent support for the Falcons off the bye with 87 percent pounding the over
It probably didn't look like a very important game to many before the seasons began, but the Falcons, 49ers contest at Candlestick Park this Sunday afternoon is indeed a matchup of playoff contenders. Mike Singletary, to no surprise has San Francisco playing solid defense while QB Shaun Hill guides the Niners offense. Atlanta, led by former Boston College signal caller, is looking for their first road victory of 2009.
The gold rush is back on.
After years of coming up dry, the San Francisco 49ers are finally panning out again at 3-1 SU and 4-0 ATS. It’s been a long time coming for this once-proud franchise – five Super Bowls, 17 NFC West titles, and 22 NFL playoff appearances since joining the league in 1950. But all that success dried up after Steve Mariucci was fired as head coach after the 2002 season, following an apparent power struggle.
Ah, power struggles. Sharp handicappers know that success starts at the top. Things started going sour for San Francisco ten years ago when beloved former owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr. got wrapped up in legal problems and eventually ceded control of the team to his sister Denise and her husband, Dr. John York. Bill Walsh then handed over the GM reins to Terry Donahue in 2001. York fired Mariucci and supported Donahue, and things quickly fell apart from there.
Now the Niners are under new management. York’s son Jed is now in charge of daily operations as team president, Scot McCloughan was named GM before the 2008 season, and Mike Singletary is the head coach. All three changes have been met with positive reviews among NFL owners and insiders. According to one unnamed owner (as quoted by Michael Silver at Yahoo Sports), “Jed’s unborn child is already a better owner than his old man.”
Fans of the Atlanta Falcons have had more than their share of off-field drama over the last few years. Owner Arthur Blank was left with egg on his face after the Michael Vick situation and the implosion of coach Bobby Petrino. But he responded well by hiring former New England Patriots scout Thomas Dimitroff as his new GM for 2008. Dimitroff hired Mike Smith as coach, the Falcons went 11-5 (9-7 ATS), and Dimitroff was named NFL Executive of the Year.
That sets the stage for Week 5, when these two revived franchises will meet at Candlestick Park (4:05 p.m., FOX). The Falcons are coming off a bye week at 2-1 SU and ATS, with victories at home over the struggling Miami Dolphins (+4) and Carolina Panthers (+6). Atlanta’s first road game was two weeks ago in Foxborough, where the Patriots (-4.5) prevailed 26-10 and were surprisingly effective at containing QB Matt Ryan, keeping the hotshot sophomore out of the end zone while Patriots RB Fred Taylor romped for 105 yards and a TD at the other end.
San Francisco’s defense is performing even better than New England’s after four weeks. Greg Manusky took over from Singletary as co-ordinator following the latter’s promotion and switched from ex-coach Mike Nolan’s hybrid defense to a more conventional 3-4 scheme. Linebacker Manny Lawson is thriving in this scenario. He was left on the back burner last year after missing most of 2007 with a torn ACL, but Lawson has been excellent on the pass rush in 2009, making 11 tackles in San Francisco’s narrow 27-24 loss to the Minnesota Vikings (-7 at home).
While Lawson mans the perimeter, Patrick Willis has quickly become the best interior linebacker in the NFL. He picked up 2.5 sacks on Kyle Boller in last week’s 35-0 neutering of the St. Louis Rams (+9.5 at the Stick), but Willis is better known for his run-stuffing abilities. He’s seventh in the league with 37 tackles, and the Niners are ranked third in the NFL in defensive efficiency against the run according to Football Outsiders. The ground game is a problem area for the Falcons right now; Michael Turner has managed just 3.5 yards per carry this year, down from 4.5 last year in his first full season as a No. 1 tailback.
The very early betting odds for this matchup have San Francisco as a 2.5-point home favorite with a total of 41. Consensus reports showed 58 percent support for the Falcons off the bye with 87 percent pounding the over