Spring Break
Bay Area NFL teams mired in mediocrity
SPORTS COMMENTARY
Matthew Kimel
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Sports
The San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders have a lot in common going into the 2008 NFL season. Both teams are unlikely to win half of their games, have a consistent starting quarterback or have a highly effective passing game.
On a positive note though, the Bay Area teams should both finish with a better record than last season.
In 2007, the 49ers were expected to be a playoff contender, yet they finished with a 5-11 record, the third worst of all NFC teams.
In 2008, it doesn't seem like the 49ers will be able to register more than seven wins. Although 7-9 isn't a projected winning record, it is an improvement. With two games against the St. Louis Rams and one against the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco has three freebies on its schedule.
At the beginning of the preseason, nobody knew who the 49ers starting quarterback was going to be come opening day.
J.T. O'Sullivan was chosen to be the starter for the Red and Gold over Shaun Hill and Alex Smith, head coach Mike Nolan said in a press conference on August 22.
O'Sullivan, a sixth-round draft pick out of UC Davis, entered the league in 2002 and has yet to start a single NFL game, even though he has been a member of the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions.
In NFL Europa, a league that folded in 2007, O'Sullivan led the Frankfurt Galaxy to World Bowl XII and World Bowl XV, and was selected as the Co-NFL Europa Offensive MVP in the 2007 season. O'Sullivan and the Galaxy lost both World Bowl games.
Even with his European credentials, it's hard to imagine that O'Sullivan will be able to succeed against stiffer competition in the NFL.
More likely than not, O'Sullivan will lose the starting job before Week 3, though it's difficult to predict whether it will be Hill or Smith who replaces him. Smith started in seven out of 16 games last season, five of which ended in losses for the 49ers.
On a positive note though, the Bay Area teams should both finish with a better record than last season.
In 2007, the 49ers were expected to be a playoff contender, yet they finished with a 5-11 record, the third worst of all NFC teams.
In 2008, it doesn't seem like the 49ers will be able to register more than seven wins. Although 7-9 isn't a projected winning record, it is an improvement. With two games against the St. Louis Rams and one against the Miami Dolphins, San Francisco has three freebies on its schedule.
At the beginning of the preseason, nobody knew who the 49ers starting quarterback was going to be come opening day.
J.T. O'Sullivan was chosen to be the starter for the Red and Gold over Shaun Hill and Alex Smith, head coach Mike Nolan said in a press conference on August 22.
O'Sullivan, a sixth-round draft pick out of UC Davis, entered the league in 2002 and has yet to start a single NFL game, even though he has been a member of the New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings, New England Patriots, Carolina Panthers and Detroit Lions.
In NFL Europa, a league that folded in 2007, O'Sullivan led the Frankfurt Galaxy to World Bowl XII and World Bowl XV, and was selected as the Co-NFL Europa Offensive MVP in the 2007 season. O'Sullivan and the Galaxy lost both World Bowl games.
Even with his European credentials, it's hard to imagine that O'Sullivan will be able to succeed against stiffer competition in the NFL.
More likely than not, O'Sullivan will lose the starting job before Week 3, though it's difficult to predict whether it will be Hill or Smith who replaces him. Smith started in seven out of 16 games last season, five of which ended in losses for the 49ers.
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