"Scary" Barry Rodriguez Productions (BRP): 49ers WIN SLOPFEST OVER RAMS 23-13

Vs.

Candlestick park , San Francisco - As closure looms near , the San Francisco 49ers triumphed over the St.Louis Rams in an exceedingly sloppy game of football. The Rams were penalized 11 times for 105 yards and the Niners 9 times for 85 yards ! There was no flow to the contest. It was uninspired football !

Frank Gore

Michael Crabtree

The vibe at the stadium parking lot , in the stadium and on the field was less than urgent . Even though the 49ers needed this game to stay in the playoff chase there seemed to be a lack of focus. In the back of every fan's mind was the fact that the Niners weren't here to stay. So they like the team were just running out the string until the end.

Phil Dawson

As usual with the Niners lackluster offense , the only score was on a Phil Dawson field goal from 32 yards out. The return of Michael Crabtree had an auspicious start. He was flagged twice just in the first quarter. Once for an illegal block and another for offensive pass interference. I guess he was just trying to inspire his teammates !

Greg Zuerlain

In the second quarter the Niners scored on another Dawson field goal from 43 yards and a 3 yard touchdown run from Frank Gore. This put the score at 13-0 in favor of San Francisco. Greg Zuerlain booted a field goal form 43 yards out to put the Rams on the board. The first half wasn't exactly a rip roaring contest. The Niners offense looked good in spots only to be stifled by penalties. St.Louis played terrible and the 49ers should have scored at least three touchdowns instead of field goals ! The halftime score was 13-3 .

Vernon Davis

The second half was more of the same sloppy play. St.Louis'es only offense in the third quarter was on another Zuerlain field goal from 34 yards out , putting the score at 13-6 . With Kaepernick and the offense in a state of confusion the Niners managed only a Dawson field goal from 24 yards out to extend their lead to 16-6 in the period. A great 60 yard pass play complements of Michael Crabtree was wasted when two plays later Frank Gore fumbled the ball away.

Colin Kaepernick

Up until the fourth quarter it was just a battle between two bad offenses and two decent defensive units. Mid way in the quarter faced with a fourth down in their end of the field the Rams attempted a fake punt play that failed miserably . The Niners took over on downs and shortly thereafter Kaepernick threw a short pass to Vernon Davis who rumbled in for a touchdown . This was from the 17 yardline. With the 49ers lead extended to 23-6 the games outcome was a forgone conclusion.

The Niner coaching genius than employed the dreaded " Prevent " defense. This defense consisted of letting the inept Ram offense take all the shots they could. It just proved that their offense was worse than the 49er's offense ! It was just ugly ! This went on until St.Louis finally scored a touchdown with less than a minute on the game clock . At one point the Niner defence was penalized for having twelve men on the field. The majority of the fans had left early in the quarter.

The takeaways from this game : Kaepernick still doesn't know the playbook , the offensive line sucked when it counted , there was a complete lack of imagination in the play calling and the Niner defense alone can't win a game ! This game did not signal the resurgence of Kaepernick as a play maker. He still seems confused out there ! The Niners will be hard pressed to beat a well disciplined unit like the Seattle Seahawks.

These few remaining games are a sad postscript to professional football in the San Francisco bay area. When the sun sets on Candlestick park it will mark the real end of San Francisco football. The mood in the stadium parking lot was just focused on fun not any team vibe. Everyone knows its all over so why pretend ? After the game I watched trash blow across the parking lot , just like the fond memories of the San Francisco team are being blown away with the bay winds.

Gavin Newsom

In 2014 , when the San Francisco 49ers , named after members of a long ago gold rush play in Santa Clara, the break with tradition will be complete ! The rich history of the team means nothing to the nouveau riche who will inhabit the luxury boxes at Levi stadium. The local descendants of those who farmed the chicken ranches and fruit orchards will reap the rewards of the team's past glories. Thanks again to ex San Francisco mayor Gavin Newsom ! It couldn't have happened without you !