Week 8: Broncos @ 49ers (Wembley Stadium)

[JMD]

I'm having a tough time picking this game, however I'm going with the 49ers in a close one.

[av7]

Quote: Originally Posted by jth1331

Hey, he did have 1 playoff win in 2005! :P But he also took the Broncos to the playoffs nearly every year. 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005 and the team was in contention every other year but 1999 and 2007. He was a very good coach, but the team needed to move on and get a new identity, which I feel every team must face at one point or another. I will say he is a horrible GM, his drafts were terrible and free agent signings were as well.

Forgot about that season, gift wrapped AFC Championship

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by RJTurneR

I'll take your word for it as you have defiantly seen more Troy then I have. So could he be an NFL starter, maybe for the 49er's, down the road? One bad/very bad season can cost a coach his job. But who else can Denver turn to right now if McDaniels fails as a HC?

When he first got a chance (really just spot starting his rookie year and the end of Flacco's rookie year) he showed some promise. Since then you still see flashes, but the offense always seemed to stall with him in there. His accuracy was shaky at best and you just wonder what kind of control he had of the huddle, or grasp of the playbook bc something was causing the offense to stall that you couldn't see from just watching on tv.

As a player, he's got great mobility and his throws look effortless. He's got a great head on his shoulders and great leadership qualities. The 9ers have a perfect team for his skill set so this very well could work out. I'll be tuning in to see how he looks, for sure. Hopefully he's more accurate than he has been. He seemed like he regressed during the preseason so maybe he just needed to settle in, and getting that monkey off his back (he's been trying to get traded where he could get a shot to start) helped.

[fsquid]

I say why the hell not. They have to go 8-1 the rest of the way to have any chance at the division anyways. Why not throw him in there and see.

[goh]

Quote: Originally Posted by wwharton

People have been giving Troy Smith waaaay too much hype lately. And this is coming from someone who wanted him to start the season ahead of Flacco a couple of years ago. I've seen as much of Troy Smith as you can see since that time, and I think people's hopes are up a bit high. Alex Smith, Carr and Troy Smith are all in the same category. The light could still come on for any of them and they can show consistency with their talent. But so far, all we've seen is flashes and more disappointing moments than great ones... that includes Troy Smith. Right now he's just the latest back up QB that everyone wants to see bc the guy in front of him isn't doing that great of a job. If Carr is the #2 he deserves to take the top snaps for the week and come in as the starter.

I'm expecting him to do better than Carr and Alex did.
Carr had his shot last week. No better than Alex. 5/13 60 something yards and a pick.
If Troy can run for 20-30 yards and throw for the same ~180 they did without throwing the game away or getting sacked 8 times then that's fine. If he throws for 300 yards with 3 passes over 30,runs for 50-60 and has 4 TD's that's great but that's not what I'm expecting. If he goes out there,is 2/9 with 2 INTs well then might as well run the entire game from the Wildcat with Gore and Westbrook.

[DaSmerg]

LoL Goh. No doubt.

Just a YaY about TS coming in. Could this mean [finally] a change in coaching philosophy and taking some chances?

[wwharton]

Quote: Originally Posted by goh

I'm expecting him to do better than Carr and Alex did. Carr had his shot last week. No better than Alex. 5/13 60 something yards and a pick. If Troy can run for 20-30 yards and throw for the same ~180 they did without throwing the game away or getting sacked 8 times then that's fine. If he throws for 300 yards with 3 passes over 30,runs for 50-60 and has 4 TD's that's great but that's not what I'm expecting. If he goes out there,is 2/9 with 2 INTs well then might as well run the entire game from the Wildcat with Gore and Westbrook.

If he goes 300 in the air, 50 on the ground and has 4 tds then I'll be SHOCKED, lol. But they could run wildcat all game with Smith back there, honestly.

[RJTurneR]

Against Denver's Run D? I could see Smith hitting 100+ yards just by using his feet. Won't happen, but it's not impossible. I can see Gore having a nice game.