Niners tame Lions as Harbaugh and Schwartz engage in Mortal Kombat

The San Francisco 49ers (5-1) notched yet another come from behind road win on Sunday, and in the process dealt the Detroit Lions (5-1) their first loss of the season with a 25-19 victory at a raucous Ford Field. Alex Smith put the Niners ahead for good with just 1:51 remaining in the 4th quarter when he hooked up with Delanie Walker for a 6 yard score on a dramatic 4th and Goal situation. Smith's TD to Walker capped an impressive stretch going back to the second quarter where the Niners rallied from down 0-10 to outscore the Lions 25-9 in the final 3 frames.

The most impressive part of the win is the way that the 49ers dominated the Lions in the trenches, playing a smash mouth style of football personified by their fiery coach Jim Harbaugh. Make no mistake about it, this is not the "physical with an F," run into a wall repeatedly and punt style that was the trademark of the Mike Singletary era. This is a smart kind of dominance, physical toughness tempered by cerebral calculation.

You hear talk across the Bay from Raider's coach Hue Jackson about wanting to create a bully in Oakland, well Harbaugh's Niners are also a bully, but they're a bully that will beat you up just to steal and finish your algebra homework because it's fun. The Niners aren't physical with an F, hell they aren't even physical with a PH, the Niners are physical with a PhD.

Of course it's easy to play smash mouth football when you believe your coach is willing to literally smash the opposing coach in the mouth, as was evidenced in the post game "handshake" between Harbaugh and Lions' coach Jim Schwartz. Harbaugh's post game mea culpa claimed exuberance leading up to a firm handshake, while Schwartz claimed he felt dissed and ignored. Deliberate or not, you can judge for yourself after watching the video below. Anyone familiar with Jim Harbaugh's track record knows he's a passionate guy, but he's also shrewd as they come, and loves his guys to play with an edge harboring an "us against the world" mentality. So after the fines, sound bytes, and pomp and circumstance, what remains is a Niners team sitting atop the NFC West at 5-1, and a Niners coach that just stole Jim Schwartz's homework.

video courtesy of Sports Grid

49ers sign Brett Swain, adding depth at receiver, special teams, and grunge metal bassist

Matt Maiocco at CSNBayArea.com is reporting that the San Francisco Forty Niners have signed former Packer wideout, special teams player, and "high motor guy" Brett Swain to a one year deal. The move comes after receiver Josh Morgan underwent what is likely to be season ending surgery for a leg fracture he sustained during last Sunday's romp over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Swain logged a total of 6 catches for 72 yards all of last season for Green Bay, but appeared in all sixteen games for the Packers as a cog on their special teams unit.

A source close to the Niners (i.e. me sitting 3" from my TV on Sundays) was quoted as saying that "Swain was able to distinguish himself at yesterday's tryout from veteran wideouts like T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Chris Chambers and Brian Finneran by demonstrating a sense of angst and social disenchantment through sludgy and distorted guitar riffs."

One can only hope that Swain's melancholy yearning for freedom may help him find soft spots in zone coverages. He will likely enter Sunday's matchup against the Lions as SF's 4th wide receiver.

The buc stops here: Niners roll Tampa 48-3

The 49ers turned in their most complete effort of the young season this afternoon in a 48-3 throttling of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Candlestick Park. The offense hit on all cylinders, paced by 2 TDs from all-pro tight end Vernon Davis. Frank Gore helped break the will of the Tampa Defense scoring a TD and logging his second consecutive 100+ yd rushing game. Gore's recent success has helped ease some concern about the Niners' nonexistent rushing attack early on in the season, a change which seems to have coincided with Adam Snyder's insertion into the starting lineup at right guard. Niners QB, Alex Smith, managed the game with the ruthless efficiency of an Asian accountant, going 11/19 for 170 yds and 3 scores. The same could not be said for Bucs QB, Josh Freeman, who at times seemed confused by San Francisco's blitz packages and zone coverages, even surrendering a pick-six to Carlos Rogers early in the second quarter.

The win is significant for the 49ers on many fronts, keeping them two games ahead of division rival Seattle, avenging last season's shutout loss to the Bucs, and validating last week's come from behind victory over the dream nightmare team Philadelphia Eagles.