That’s Amaury’s News and Commentary podcast: Ex-49er Sherman facing domestic violence charges; Oakland City Council to take vote on A’s ballpark plan Tuesday

Former San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawk cornerback Richard Sherman seen in photo during Super Bowl 54 vs. the Kansas City Chiefs on Feb 2, 2020 at Miami Gardens Fl (AP file photo) 

On That’s Amaury’s podcast:

#1 Former San Francisco 49er cornerback Richard Sherman said he was prepared to fight police after Sherman’s wife called them after he drank two bottles of hard liquor Wednesday morning. Sherman said he was going to kill himself. Sherman tried to leave the house but his wife tried to stop him from leaving.

#2 Sherman left his house and crashed his vehicle and attempted to break into his in laws house and fought police who later used a police dog to arrest Sherman. This is very unusual behavior by Sherman who has never been in any kind of trouble like this before.

#3 Talking about the Oakland A’s situation MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the A’s are near the end of being rooted in Oakland as the Oakland City Council votes on Tues Jul 20th. A’s president David Kaval is prepared to fly to Las Vegas after the vote to look for a location for the A’s new stadium.

#4 Shouldn’t Manfred had done what past Commissioners have done and give a buyer a chance to purchase the A’s and keep the team in Oakland before allowing the to move. Owner John Fisher said the team is not for sale but there should be some constitution in the baseball by laws that says the team must be put up for sale before being allowed to move.

#5 If the A’s move out of Oakland they’ll be taking a very rich history with them. Two that come to mind the A’s three straight World Series wins from 1972-74 and the A’s three straight World Series appearances 1988-1990.

Amaury Pi Gonzalez is the vice president of the Major League Baseball Hispanic Heritage Hall of Fame Museum and does News and Commentary at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

Kicker Gould’s game-winning field goal boots 49ers past Rams, 23-20, in LA

San Francisco 49ers kicker Robbie Gould (4) is mobbed by his teammates after kicking the game winning field goal against the Los Angeles Rams in the fourth quarter on Sun Nov 29, 2020 (photo from sfgate.com)

By Joe Hawkes
Staff Writer

LOS ANGELES — Heading into Week 12, the Los Angeles Rams sat atop of the NFC West while the San Francisco occupied the basement of the division.

For the first 2 1/2 quarters of Sunday’s game, it looked like the roles were reversed. For a second, the Rams appeared to regain the upper-hand before the 49ers would finish off the season thanks to Robbie Gould’s 42-yard field goal as time expired for a 23-20 upset victory in their first game at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.

The win for San Francisco completes a season sweep over Los Angeles. It also gives the 49ers a four-game winning streak over the Rams and snaps their three-game losing streak. The 49ers improve to 5-6 on the season and remain in the hunt for a playoff spot in the NFC.

Three of the 49ers’ most important players returned to the field Sunday, each making big contributions to the win.

Wide receiver Deebo Samuel who missed the last three games with a strained hamstring, had the biggest play from scrimmage for the 49ers in the first quarter. Samuel turned quarterback Nick Mullens’ short pass into a 33-yard pick up on the 49ers’ third possession of the game.

Three plays later, one play after a 26-yard gain from Samuel, running back Raheem Mostert rushed for an 8-yard touchdown slipping down the left sideline to give the 49ers a 7-3 lead.

Mostert who was making his return to the lineup for the first time since Week 6 (against the Rams), finished with 43 yards on 16 carries.

The offense was noticeably different with both Samuel and Mostert in the lineup. Samuel finished with career-highs in catches (11) and yards (133).

Mullens, albeit a bit shaky for most of the game, made plays down the stretch to put the 49ers in position to win. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 252 yards, no touchdowns and one interception that resulted on a tipped pass by Rams game-wrecker Aaron Donald that fell into the arms of Jordan Fuller.

Donald was essentially a non factor in the team’s first meeting, but was wrecking ball in today’s game.

With the 49ers holding a 17-6 lead midway through the third quarter, Donald split between right tackle Mike McGlinchey and rookie center Colton McKivitz and forced a Mostert fumble. Cornerback Troy Hill scooped it up and returned the fumble 20 yards for a touchdown to trim San Francisco’s lead to 17-13.

On San Francisco’s next possession, Donald sacked Mullens on first down for a loss of eight yards that led to a three-and-out. On the Rams’ next drive, rookie running back Cam Akers ripped off a 61-yard run to setup first-and-goal at the 49ers’ 6-yard line. Two plays later, Akers barrels his way into the end zone for a 1-yard score to give the Rams their first lead of the game, 20-17.

San Francisco’s offense committed three turnovers and finished 3 of 14 on third downs but it was the play by the defense, forcing four turnovers and the returning Richard Sherman that put the 49ers over the top.

Sherman, who hasn’t played since Week 1, made his presence felt early in the game when he intercepted Rams quarterback Jared Goff in the first quarter. Sherman would finish with a team-high seven tackles.

The front seven made life difficult for Goff all day, creating great pressure from defensive tackles Javon Kinlaw and Kevin Givens that allowed defensive end Kerry Hyder to feast.

Hyder recorded two sacks off Goff, who threw his second interception of the game in the third quarter to Kinlaw where the rookie returned it 27 yards to give the 49ers a 14-3 lead. Hyder leads the team with 7.5 sacks this year.

For the second time this season, the 49ers didn’t allow Goff to crack 200 yards passing as the Rams’ signal-caller finished 19 of 31 for 198 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions and one fumble.

In the first matchup against San Francisco, Goff completed 19 of 38 passes for 198 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in San Francisco’s 24-16 on Oct. 18.

Goff entered Sunday’s contest after putting up 376 yards and three touchdowns (with two interceptions) on 39 of 51 pass attempts in the Rams’ 27-24 win over the Buccaneers on ESPN’s Monday Night Football at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.

Safety Jimmie Ward forced two fumbles on the day, each recovered by Givens and Hyder.

Defensively, the 49ers held the Rams to 308 yards of total offense and 4 of 13 on third downs.

The 49ers are set to host games against the Buffalo Bills on Dec. 7 and Washington on Dec. 13 but due to a ban on contact sports by the Santa Clara County Public Health Department that was announced Saturday, San Francisco doesn’t have a venue as of yet.

Possible locations include Arizona and Texas according to multiple reports. Those are also the sites of the 49ers’ two final road games. The 49ers are scheduled to play at Dallas on Sunday, Dec. 20, and at Arizona on either Saturday, Dec. 26, or Sunday, Dec. 27.

Packers and 49ers tangle for NFC title, trip to Super Bowl LIV

ninerswire.com file photo: San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo will match up against Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rogers in the NFC Championship at Levis Stadium on Sun Jan 19

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

SANTA CLARA, Calif — For the second time this season, the Green Bay Packers and the San Francisco 49ers will meet at Levi’s Stadium for a game. But this time, there’s much more at stake for both teams than just a win in the standings.

To the victor, the NFC Championship and a ticket to Super Bowl LIV in Miami, Florida for a chance to play for the Vince Lombardi trophy against the winner between the Tennessee Titans and Kansas City Chiefs from the AFC will be punched.

First class.

To the loser, the harsh reality that your season is over smacks you in face immediately.

Instead of basking in the glow of winning the NFC Championship, you’ll return to your team’s headquarters to clean out your locker room, hug your teammates (possibly for the last time as teams change rapidly in the NFL each year), and go your separate ways for the offseason.

The end.

In the first matchup back in Week 12, the Packers took a beating at the hands of the 49ers, losing 37-8 at Levi’s Stadium. The Packers weren’t just outplayed by the 49ers, but were embarrassed in front of a nationally televised audience on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.

49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo played almost flawlessly in that game, throwing for 253 yards on 14-of-20 passes and two long touchdown passes (a 42-yard strike to rookie wide receiver Deebo Samuel in the second quarter, and a 61-yard deep ball to tight end George Kittle).

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers had one of his worst showings of his career, finishing with 20-of-33 passes for just 104 yards — setting a record for fewest passing yards by a quarterback with at least 20 completions. His 3.15 yards per attempt is the lowest of his career.

San Francisco sacked Rodgers five times that night. Linebacker Fred Warner was all over the field, registering a team-high 11 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble against the Packers on the game’s opening moments. Warner’s performance led him to be named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Don’t expect a replay of Week 12 in this matchup as both teams are playing a elite levels at the most important time of the year.

Sunday’s NFC Championship Game in the South Bay, which kicks off at 3:40 p.m. PT, will feature two teams that finished 13-3 in the regular season, won the NFC West and North Division titles respectively, and earned first-round byes to open up the playoffs as the top-two seeds.

Last Saturday, top-seeded San Francisco (14-3) opened up the divisional round by dismantling the Minnesota Vikings (11-7), 27-10, in dominating fashion. It was the 49ers’ first playoff win in six years.

The returns of defensive starters, Dee Ford, Kwon Alexander and Jaquiski Tartt, San Francisco’s defense looked re-energized and ready for a big day, made life difficult for Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins, sacking him six times and limiting Minnesota’s offense to 147 yards on the day, the fewest in a playoff game in the Super Bowl era (1967).

“People keep disrespecting us. At the end of the day, all you can do is go out and execute,” said Richard Sherman, who registered his third career interception in the playoffs. “It felt good. That’s what we look like when we’re totally healthy.”

The 49ers stonewalled Dalvin Cook and the Vikings’ rushing attack, holding Minnesota to just 21 yards on 10 carries (9 carries for Cook, 1 carry for Alexander Mattison). Cook finished the game with 18 rushing yards on nine carries.

Offensively, the 49ers leaned on a punishing running game that ran right through Minnesota like Ex-Lax led by running back Tevin Coleman’s 105 rushing yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. As a team, the 49ers ran 47 running plays and gained 186 yards on the ground.

Garoppolo, who made his first career start in the playoffs, threw a touchdown on the game’s opening drive, and mostly watched his defense wreak havoc on Minnesota for most of the game. He finished 11-of-19 passing for 131 yards.

The second-seeded Packers (14-3) was able to outlast the Seattle Seahawks, 28-23, at Lambeau Field Sunday night that advanced Green Bay to their third NFC Championship Game in six seasons.

In that game, it was a vintage performance by Rodgers with his array of throws and spectacular completions throughout the game. Rodgers and wide receiver Davante were so locked in against the Seahawks, connecting eight times for 160 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s one of those feelings that starts to creep up in warmups, when you really feel like you’re locked in,” Rodgers said, “and I was glad it translated to the field.”

Rodgers finished 16-of-27 passing for 243 yards in his 17th postseason start, has thrown 38 touchdowns passes in the playoffs. That’s good for fifth all-time per Elias Sports Bureau.

Running back Aaron Jones found the end zone twice, while rushing for 62 yards on 21 carries.

Green Bay’s defense sacked Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson five times on the night, two apiece by linebackers Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith (no relation).

The 49ers and Packers have met in the playoffs seven times with the Packers holding a 4-3 advantage. The 49ers have won the last two playoff matchups.

 

49ers defense thump Vikings, roll into NFC title game with 27-10 victory

sfgate.com: Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8), is tackled by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, center, during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, in Santa Clara, Calif

By Joe Hawkes
SRS Contributor

Santa Clara, Calif — In the first ever NFL playoff game at Levi’s Stadium, the 49ers defended its home field in dominating fashion, outlasting the visiting Minnesota Vikings 27-10 on Saturday afternoon in the NFC Divisional round for their first playoff win in six years.

With the win, the top-seed 49ers (14-3) advance to the NFC championship game for the 16th time in franchise history where they await the winner between Seattle and Green Bay on Sunday in the other NFC Divisional matchup.

In his first playoff start, Jimmy Garoppolo threw a 3-yard touchdown to wide receiver Kendrick Bourne for an early 7-0 lead. Garoppolo marched San Francisco 61 yards in eight plays after its defense forced Minnesota (11-7) to punt on their opening drive.

Garoppolo wasn’t spectacular, finishing 11-of-19 for 131 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

“A lot of things to clean up, but we played well enough to get the win,” tight end George Kittle said. “That’s all you can ask for. Playoff football, anyone can win and we just made more plays today.”

Kittle had just three catches for 16 yards in the contest.

As a group including Kittle, San Francisco’s pass catchers (wideouts Deebo Samuel 3 catches for team-leading 42 yards, Bourne 3 catches for 40 yards, TD; and Emmanuel Sanders 2 catches for 33 yards) combined for just 11 catches for 131 yards and a score.

Minnesota quickly responded, tying the game up at 7-7 on a 41-yard touchdown throw from quarterback Kirk Cousins to wide receiver Stefon Diggs. 49ers cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon, who had struggled in coverage down the stretch of the season, had great coverage on Diggs, but slipped at the 19-yard line and Diggs ran into the end zone.

But that would be Minnesota’s best highlight of the day as San Francisco would hold the Vikings to 147 yards of total offense. San Francisco’s offense racked up 308 yards total.

“The 49ers I felt were the better team today,” Cousins said after the game. “We didn’t do enough offensively to give ourselves a chance to win the game. It hurts now. Mike [Zimmer] said he was proud of the way the team fought this year, but right now, it’s just so raw. We’re kind of focused on this game and falling short. I thought the 49ers were a good team. They earned the number one seed and home field advantage throughout the way they played this season.”

San Francisco would retake the lead for good, behind the first of two rushing touchdowns by running back Tevin Coleman. Coleman capped off a 10-play, 53-yard drive with a 1-yard plunge to give the 49ers a 14-7 lead.

“Those guys did very well,” Coleman said of his offensive line. “They moved the guys back so I had clear holes to run through. So, yeah, they did a real good job.”

Coleman finished the game with 105 yards on 22 carries.

Following an interception by linebacker Eric Kendricks inside the 49ers’ own territory, Minnesota added a 39-yard field goal by kicker Dan Bailey to cut the lead to 14-10 at halftime.

On their first possession of the third quarter, San Francisco stretched its lead to 17-10 behind a 35-yard field goal by kicker Robbie Gould.

After Richard Sherman intercepted Cousins inside Minnesota’s territory on the Vikings’ next possession, Coleman gave the 49ers a two-score lead with his second score of the game, a 2-yard run that increased San Francisco’s lead to 24-10.

It was Sherman’s third career playoff interception. Sherman has intercepted Aaron Rodgers, Cam Newton and now, Cousins.

Defensively, San Francisco overpowered Minnesota’s offense all day limiting the ground game and their play-action attack. Running back Dalvin Cook couldn’t find any running lanes, rushing for just 18 yards on nine carries.

“That was the No. 1 emphasis all week,” Bosa said of the Minnesota running game. “We knew we were facing probably the best back we’ve faced all year with Dalvin, and we knew we had to earn the right to pass rush. So, that’s what we did. We took the run as serious as we could, shut it down and then we ate.”

Bosa had a great start to his playoff career, registering two of San Francisco’s six sacks on the day. The returns of defensive Dee Ford, linebacker Kwon Alexander and safety Jaquiski Tartt proved to be vital for San Francisco’s defense, that looked like its dominating self from earlier in the season.

“It was huge to have those guys back,” defensive lineman Arik Armstead said. “They’re leaders on our team, talented players, they make big plays for us. We were missing some pieces out there, but to get those guys back, we hit back on all cylinders.”

At one point, the 49ers held the Vikings’ offense without a first down for 27 minutes of game time. Minnesota had mustered just seven first downs, compared to 21 by San Francisco. The 49ers held the Vikings to 2-of-13 on third downs and dominated time of possession (38:27 to 21:33).

“We were playing good the whole game,” Armstead continued. “They got us early with the touchdown. We just locked in. We knew what they wanted to do which was run the ball. It starts with that, stopping the run. I think we did a good job with that. I saw they only had twenty something yards. Once we did that, we were able to get after the passer. When you do that, you can have a complete game and shut people out.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Garoppolo ready to make some plays against San Diego on Thursday Night Football

Photo credit: @49ers

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 188 yards, a touchdown for 14 completions out of 20. It was a game that was called Jimmy G’s on track game after struggling the first few weeks of preseason. Garopplo has looked much better in camp.

#2 The 49ers signed former Arizona Cardinal cornerback Chris Campbell, the 49ers waived offensive lineman Dillion Day, the 49ers will be without Jason Verett, K’Waun Williams, Ahkello Witherspoon, and Richard Sherman for Thursday Night Football against San Diego.

Join David for the 49ers podcast each Wednesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers to end season in L.A. against a successful Rams team

Photo credit: ocregister.com

On the San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami:

#1 The 49ers were able to hold a 9-7 lead at half time against one of the best teams in the NFC last Sunday the Chicago Bears (11-4). Do you view this as progress after the 49ers had won Denver and Seattle in previous weeks at Levis’s Stadium?

#2 Going into a game like that, where the Bears know how to protect both sides of the ball, the 49ers to play a game like that head coach Kyle Shanahan really had to have had a great game plan.

#3 The Bears did shutout the 49ers in the second half of that game last Sunday. Did it appear to you that quarterback Nick Mullens and the offense did everything they can to get some head way on offense?

#4 San Francisco 49ers (4-11) safety Marcell Harris said his late hit on Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was not intentional. The hit drew an unnecessary roughness and sparked a brawl that saw 49ers’ cornerback Richard Sherman getting ejected from the game plus two other players.

#5 The 49ers end their season against the Los Angeles Rams (12-3) at the LA Coliseum this Sunday. The Rams are another team having a glory season. Can the 49ers play spoiler again?

This is the final 49ers podcast for the season. Join Joe Lami for the NHL podcast each Friday at  http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Late hit by 49ers’ Harris sparks brawl at game’s end; Bears come back with 2 TD’s and shutout 49ers in second half

photo still from sbnation.com: The San Francisco 49ers and Chicago Bears scrum after a late hit by 49ers safety Marcell Harris on Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky in the closing minutes of Sunday’s contest at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara

On the 49ers podcast with David:

#1 San Francisco 49ers (4-11) safety Marcell Harris said his late hit on Chicago Bears (11-4) quarterback Mitchell Trubisky was not intentional the hit drew an unnecessary roughness and sparked a brawl that saw 49ers’ cornerback Richard Sherman getting ejected from the game plus two other players.

#2 The Bears are noted to being one of the NFC’s best, a first-place team in the NFC North Division and heavy favorites to be beat the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium on Sunday. They did that 14-9, but they had to be concerned in the first half as the 49ers captured the lead going into halftime by two points 9-7.

#3 The Bears scored two touchdowns, shutting out the 49ers in the second half. The key touchdown for Chicago came in the third quarter with 4:14 left in the quarter when the Bears’ Jordan Howard carried for a two-yard touchdown to get the Bears over the top for good.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each week at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: 49ers on track, can they take out the Mighty Bears this Sunday at Levi’s?

Photo credit: ninerswire.usatoday.com

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 Joe, the 49ers have worked hard for their victories in their last two games both home games against Denver and Seattle. Taking the Denver game first, George Kittle’s record setting first half certainly set the tone, didn’t it?

#2 Nick Mullens has been throwing for yards and touchdowns and helping keep the scoring ahead of the opponents.

#3 Against Seattle, 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman has been all things anti-Seahawks and how much of an impact has Sherman been in stopping the Seahawks last Sunday?

#4 After getting these two key victories at home at Levi’s Stadium, how much does that set the tone going into next season?

#5 This Sunday, it’s Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears the NFC’s North Division first place team at 10-4.

Joe Lami does the 49ers podcasts each Friday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

49ers podcast with David Zizmor: Sherman and Mullens made the difference in the 49ers victory against Seattle

@49ers photo: San Francisco 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman seen in the 49ers locker room after the 49ers three point win over Sherman’s former team the Seattle Seahawks on Sun Dec 16th at Levis Stadium in Santa Clara

On the 49ers podcast with David:

49ers cornerback Richard Sherman was thrilled to face his old teammates again the Seattle Seahawks last Sunday in a game the 49ers won by three points 26-23. The game in overtime saw the Seahawks  hit for a holding penalty and it took out the Hawks 32 yard drive and first down that ruined their comeback stopped by the Sherman and the 49ers.

49ers quarterback Nick Mullens had a busy afternoon with 20 completions in 31 attempts for 237 yards and two touchdowns in rainy weather at Levis Stadium. Kicker Robbie Gould hit a game winning field goal Mullens was not intercepted by the Seahawks defense not once.

David Zizmor does the 49ers podcasts each Tuesday at http://www.sportsradioservice.com

San Francisco 49ers podcast with Joe Lami: NFL is cracking down on lowering helmets as a weapon; 49ers’ Sherman says the new rule is idiotic

Photo credit: @SportsCenter

On the 49ers podcast with Joe:

#1 The NFL imposed a new rule about lowering helmets before making contact. Are the players upset by this new rule?

#2 Regardless of player position, the penalty of lowering helmets will be 15 yards and a game ejection, which the league ruled that the helmet is used for contact with another player that could cause serious injury, including a concussion.

#3 The change was made after the league observed 33 preseason games and after 50 helmet penalties, which have been assessed.

#4 The 49ers’ cornerback Richard Sherman said the new rule is idiotic, saying “there’s no way you can tackle the way they are asking people to tackle and play football.”

#5 The 49ers play week three in Indianapolis Saturday, which means the 49ers will see a lot more starters in the first half. Joe talks about what will be expected of the starters on Saturday.

Join Joe Lami for the 49ers podcasts on Fridays at http://www.sportsradioservice.com