Bay Area Buzz 9/26: Giants Clinch, A’s Struggles, 49ers’ Penalties, Raiders’ Injuries
Bay Area Topics
Giants Clinch
"Having already clinched a playoff spot due to Milwaukee’s loss earlier in the day to the Cincinnati Reds, the San Francisco Giants left nothing to chance, defeating the San Diego Padres, 9-8, Thursday night, in a shootout at AT&T Park. San Francisco took a 6-0 lead after five, allowed San Diego to explode for eight runs in the sixth and seventh innings, and then came back to score three times in the bottom of the seventh inning to record the improbable 9-8 victory. Tim Lincecum earned his 100th career win by throwing two pitches to close out the top of the seventh inning."
–Mark O’Neill, Around the Foghorn
A’s Struggles
"The Oakland Athletics, for weeks now, have been terrible. They’ve gone 27-37 in the season’s second half, with a 12-17 record in August and an even uglier 8-15 mark in September. Yet thanks largely to some atrocious play by their AL West rivals in Seattle, the A’s are about to clinch their third straight playoff berth anyway.Still, few people seem to be taking Oakland seriously as a World Series contender. Some of that disrespect comes from simple math: By having to play an additional one-game playoff just to get to the American League Division Series, the A’s face a tougher climb than MLB’s six division winners. But much of the disdain for Oakland’s chances stems from an overemphasis on momentum. If the A’s have stunk up the joint for most of August and September, why should anyone believe October will be any different?Because there’s no evidence to suggest that how a team plays heading into the postseason has any correlation with how it fares in the postseason. That’s why."
–Jonah Keri and Neil Paine, FiveThirtyEight
49ers’ Penalties
"COWBOYS GAME: The team was penalized nine times, including three in six plays on linebacker Ahmad Brooks in the Cowboys opening drive, which resulted in a 29-yard field goal. After looking at them again, all of Brooks’ flags were warranted.Then it got slippery. Tight end Vernon Davis was caught for holding, but the officials missed a viscous facemask penalty on defensive back J.J. Wilcox a split-second before Davis supposedly held him.Additionally, the last four penalties, including the one on Lloyd, ranged from just plain bad to highly questionable. They include a bad call each on safety Craig Dahl and cornerback Jimmy Ward for illegal contact, and a questionable holding call on guard Joe Looney.The mindless penalties on behalf of the 49ers included consecutive illegal use of hands calls on Brooks (he went to the facemask of the blocker each time), and an off-sides penalty on rookie Chris Borland on a kickoff. Borland was right next to kicker Phil Dawson and was still ahead of him when Dawson kicked the ball.FOR THE RECORD:11 penalties5 legitimate2 stupid on the players’ behalf4 missed or questionable calls.BEARS GAME: One could write a novel on the 16 flags dropped on the 49ers in this one. In the idiotic category, you have the needless hurling of a player well after the whistle by safety L.J. McCrary on a kickoff and a forgotten snap count by tackle Joe Staley, which resulted in a false start.In the damning category, you had the questionable holding call on Boldin, which negated a 54-yard touchdown by running back Frank Gore, which could have been useful in the eventual 28-20 loss. Here’s the rundown:FOR THE RECORD:16 penalties11 legitimate5 missed or questionable3 stupid on players’ behalf including Colin Kaepernick’s racial slur.CARDS GAME: Only nine penalties were called in this game against the 49ers, however they eventually killed the 49ers chances of winning. The Boldin head butt denied the 49ers a first down at the Cardinals’ 6 with Arizona ahead by six. A legitimate clipping call on right tackle Jonathan Martin and a blocked 45-yard field goal denied the 49ers points on the drive.Two roughness penalties on quarterback Drew Stanton, including one highly questionable one by Patrick Willis gave the Cardinals 30 free yards and then was followed by a broken coverage on rookie wide receiver John Brown’s 21-yard scoring pass.Penalties in the second half, were just part of an overall implosion by the 49ers.FOR THE RECORD:Penalties: 9Stupid penalties: 3Missed or questionable: 2Our conclusion? Of the 36 flags, nearly a third (11) were bad or questionable. Eight were of the what-were-you-thinking variety, which left half as garden variety penalties. The upshot is the 49ers have to be more disciplined, have greater knowledge of rules and accept when there is a bad call and move on."
Raiders’ Injuries
"It appears the Oakland Raiders will have at least one healthy starting linebacker Sunday against the Dolphins in London.Miles Burris practiced Friday for the second straight day and it looks like he should be fine to play. He was in a walking boot earlier in the week.While Burris appears set to play, the Raiders will be without linebacker Sio Moore for the second straight week with an ankle injury. He has been ruled out of the game. Linebacker Nick Roach is questionable to play. He hasn’t been cleared for full contact after suffering a concussion Aug. 22 at Green Bay."