A running theme of the Mike Singletary era has been his reliance on 5 specific keys to victory, which he calls "49ers Formula for Success."  It's been discussed over and over again by the beat writers and was featured early in yesteday's game on Fox.  It's brought up repeatedly in practice so clearly these are things he strongly values.  Singletary's keys to victory are:

1. Total Ball Security
2. Execute
3. Dominate the trenches
4. Create great field position
5. Finish

I'm thinking that as long as Singletary is running things (and as long as he doesn't change them), the morning after a game will involve a run down of his 5 keys to victory and how the team performed in each area.  I'll even throw out arbitrary grades.  Feel free to do the same.

Total Ball Security
Given the weather, ball security figured to be a big issue.  In the end the 49ers fumbled the ball four times and the Bills fumbled twice.  The good news is that the 49ers only lost one of those fumbles.  Given the nasty, rainy weather it's not surprising that there were ball security issues.  At the same time, one problem that continues to appear is on the center-QB exchange.  This is at least the third game where Heitmann and Hill have had an issue.  For the most part they've been able to recover the ball, but it's something that needs to be addressed.  I'd say all things considered, for Total Ball Security, the team probably deserves about a B-.  It'd be worse but I'll give them a pass becaus of the weather.

Execute
As Barrows wondered, what does this mean?  On offense the team executed quite impressively on their opening drive but struggled to execute much of anything the rest of the way.  Nothing really got going for them so I'd suppose that's not "executing."  The defense gave had issues with bending, but in the red zone they absolutely executed.  The 49ers have done fairly well in not giving up touchdowns in the endzone.  That proved huge given Rian Lindell's field goal struggles.  Special teams certainly executed as Nedney drilled an important 51-yard field goal and Andy Lee continued to drop punts inside the 20.  All in all I'd say offensive execution is probably a C+ or B-, defensive execution gets an A (the red zone defense makes up for Marshawn Lynch running wild in my opinion) and special teams execution gets an A+.

Dominate the trenches
On the offensive side of the ball, there was not a whole lot of domination.  Frank Gore simply could not get going, averaging a mere 2.8 yards per carry.  Given what Gore has proven he can do, I consider this as much an offensive line issue as anything else.  Shaun Hill was sacked 3 times but on the scoring drive he was provided enough time to make some big throws.  Offensively I'd give the team a C+.

On the defensive side of the ball, the 49ers didn't get a ton of pressure on the QBs, but they definitely got it when they needed it.  It certainly helped that Losman more or less created the pressure for the 49ers by running around when it wasn't necessary.  Marshawn Lynch had a big day running the ball, which would indicate poor performance in the trenches.  The good news on that front though is that when the Bills got into the red zone they couldn't punch the ball in.  Once again, the red zone domination of the trenches more than makes up for the earlier struggles in that regard.  Defensively I'd give the team a B.

Create great field position
Since losing Allen Rossum, Delanie Walker has done a decent job on kick returns but nothing spectacular.  Nate Clements is back on punts and had one small return.  Clearly the team misses Allen Rossum.  Hopefully he'll be back for the Jets game.  The 49ers started inside their own 20 twice and in Bills territory twice although that was due in part to turnovers and not due to the return men.  All in all, I'd give the team a B-.  Nothing special but no mistakes.

Finish
In winning the game, this section brings kudos to the defense.  The defense bent quite often this game, but always finished things when the Bills got into the redzone.  More importantly, the Bills got the ball three times late in the game with a chance to score and the defense stepped up big time.  The first time the Bills drove to the 49ers 7 and turned it over on downs thanks to some timely pressure.  The second time the Bills started on the 49ers 25 thanks to a big Parrish punt return and a personal foul.  A 3 and out later and the Bills missed a field goal.  The third time was the Bills final possession in which Losman faced a ton of pressure and couldn't make the necessary plays.

Again, the defense's red zone performance is what makes this an A performance.  The offense struggled, but for the most part they didn't do anything too stupid.  In a knock-down, drag-out battle sometimes thast's all that's necessary.  The offense will obviously need to put points on the board against the Jets, but as long as they can avoid turnovers, I think better weather will lead to improved offense.

It might have been a little ugly.  No, check that.  It was a LOT ugly.  The 49ers were 3-27 in their last 30 in 10am starts and West Coast teams had not won on the East Coast all season.  Well, that has all changed in what has to be the biggest win of the season for the 49ers.  The 49ers 3 wins prior came against the Lions, Rams and the Seahawks...not exactly titans of terror.  A win against a team desperate for a playoff spot is always a good win, especially when it comes on the road.

As many pointed out in the thread, there was a lot of bad in this game.  Shaun Hill and Eric Heitmann continue to have trouble on that Center-QB exchange.  Vernon Davis continues to make stupid plays.  Mike Martz continues to make some rather stupid play calls late in the game with the lead.  And of course, the defense continues its bending style, although there was no breakage today.

However, I think that one paragraph is enough coverage of the negatives for today.  When you get something so rare as an East Coast win, you have to be pleased, no matter how it happened.  Each unit made mistakes, but they also found ways to win this game and that should be accounted for.

Offense
Shaun Hill was not wildly impressive, but this might qualify as a Hill special: no killer turnovers and doing just enough to win the game.  Frank Gore really struggled getting anything going, but he kept on grinding it out.  He had a couple of solid runs in that first scoring drive and for the most part they did what they could to have him dictate the tempo of the game.  What's really impressive is that the 49ers were outgained by 145 yards and ran quite few less plays, but were only out-possessed by 1 minute.

The highlight of the game though had to be Isaac Bruce absolutely schooling Leodis McKelvin on the first drive, including a touchdown reception that left McKelvin holding Bruce's jockstrap.

Defense
As ugly as the defense was at times, they did enough to prevent the Bills from getting into the end zone, whether it be Balmer's pass deflection or some really key sacks of J.P. Losman.  Marshawn Lynch had a field day, but never got into the end zone.  Fred Jackson is considered one of the under-the-radar impressive guys but he really did nothing and was stood up behind the line of scrimmage on several plays.

As has been stated, if the team is going to stick with the 3-4, a monstrous nose tackle like Terrence Cody is a must in this upcoming draft.  A big guy taking up two offensive linemen would be the ticket for opening up more of a pass rush.  Thankfully J.P. Losman did that for us today.

Special Teams
Joe Nedney had a big 51-yard field goal late in the first half, but more importantly was the play of Andy Lee.  He continues to be just an absolute stud on punts.  He didn't have any particularly stand out punts (like the 80+ yarder) but I think his play deserves extra recognition.

Coaching
As Grumpy Guy mentioned late in the game thread, Mike Singletary moved a step closer to dropping that interim title.  And as everybody pointed out, and I agree, Mike Nolan's 49ers would have lost this game.  Even when things started going a bit haywire, the team maintained its composure and I attribute that in part to the veterans and in larger part to Coach Singletary.

We'd probably all prefer to see the 49ers win blowouts and take care of business early.  At the same time, there's something satisfying about your team gutting out a tough win on the road.  As much as I'd like to see the 49ers shock the world and storm back to take the NFC West, I'm not holding my breath.  The team just needs to show me continued improvements.  Even with all the mistakes, going on the road and beating a .500+ team is an improvement no matter how you look at it.

I'd like to close though by presenting game balls to Rian Lindell and J.P. Losman.  Lindell shanked a pair of field goals off the uprights and the first miss may have led in part to Dick Jauron's decision to go for it on 4th down later.  Maybe that had nothing to do with it, but it certainly wouldn't surprise me if it did.  Leaving six points on the board was huge.  As for Losman, he single handedly created a pass rush for the 49ers.  When Edwards was in, even though he was throwing ugly incompletions, he seemed to have time in the pocket.  Losman, on the other hand, seemed to get impatient and get happy-feet.  A few moves and he was running into his own linemen and 49ers defensive linemen much of the second half.  Whatever though, I'll take it any way I can get it.

Thanks to everybody who took part in the game thread.  It was a stomach-churner of a game, but we certainly do enjoy a win and it's always fun shanking somebody else's playoff chances.  Participants are listed after the jump and as always, check out the SB Nation NFL Hub at the link in the graphic for your up to date league info.

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Date: November 30, 2008
Time: 10:00am PST
Location: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, NY
Records: 49ers (3-8) Bills (6-5)
Bodoglife.com Spread: 49ers +6.5; Over/Under 43; Money Line: 49ers +240, Bills -280 - 49ers cover for the win and it goes over
Weather: 38°, 60% chance of rain/snow, Wind ESE 15mph
TV Broadcast: FOX - Ron Pitts, Tony Boselli, Charissa Thompson
Radio: 107.7 The Bone, 680/1050 KNBR - Joe Starkey, Gary Plummer, Rod Brooks
Spanish Radio: KIQI 1010-AM, KATD 990-AM - Fernando Arias and Ambrosio Rico
Bills Coverage: Buffalo Rumblings

Streaming Video Options

Sports Bar Thread

Week 13 Prediction Contest - Remember that if you don't get predictions in for the morning games you can still enter predictions for later games and get credit.  You get credit for any predictions entered by kickoff of the given game.  So, if you forget today, you can still predict the MNF game.

Injuries
49ers: Probable - LB Patrick Willis (hip), WR Jason Hill (groin); Questionable - WR Arnaz Battle (foot), WR Josh Morgan (groin), CB Walt Harris (hamstring); Out - FS Dashon Goldson (knee), KR Allen Rossum (ankle)

Bills: Questionable - DE Copeland Bryan (foot), LB Keith Ellison (ankle), TE Derek Schouman (hamstring); Doubtful - S Donte Whitner (shoulder); Out - CB Jabari Greer (Knee), LB Teddy Lehman (hamstring), TE Robert Royal (hamstring), DE Aaron Schobel (foot)

Numerous injuries have cropped up that might leave us with some new faces out there for the 49ers.  Walt Harris finds himself questionable, which means we might get to see Tarell Brown make his first career start.  If Harris is a no-go, that could also mean a boost in Reggie Smith's playing time.  You never like to see injuries, but I've reached a point where I want to see what more of the young guys can do.  Tarell Brown has shown talent in the secondary but if he's going to become a starter, we need to find out sooner rather than later.

It's going to be a tough game, particularly if Buffalo gets hit by a potential snow storm.  The Rams win aside, the 49ers have to be desperate for a W.  Of course the Bills are probably even more desperate to get a winning streak going.  They're 6-5 and trailing in most of the tie breakers.  I think it's time for the 49ers to put a serious crimp in the Bills playoff plans.

GO NINERS!

EDITOR'S NOTE 3:40PM: Just got back to SF so it's time to get this to the front page.  Thanks to howtheyscored for putting up the previous post.  Make sure you get your predictions in.

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving.  I've sufficiently recovered from my food coma to get the games together for this week's prediction contest.  I was not surprised that we saw some lopsided outcomes in the Turkey Day games, although the Philly-Arizona outcome did catch me by surprise.  I actually thought the Cardinals could win that one.  Guess Donovan McNabb isn't completely done yet.

We've got a continued big slate of games.  With the Bears and Vikings squaring off, Green Bay needs to beat Carolina to capitalize on one of the two above teams losing. 

So, let's get to the games:

49ers @ Buffalo - Sunday 11/30 1:05pm

Jacksonville @ Houston - MNF 12/1 5:30pm

Chicago @ Minnesota - SNF 11/30 8:15pm

Carolina @ Green Bay - Sunday 11/30 10:00am

NY Giants @ Washington - Sunday 11/30 10:00am

Pittsburgh @ New England - Sunday 11/30 1:15pm

Best of luck in what look to be a tough set of games yet again.  Should make for an interesting weekend.

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The Buffalo Bills and San Francisco 49ers are set to square off tomorrow morning.  It's looking like a tough battle for the 49ers who are looking to spark some consistency.  In anticipation of the matchup, Brian of Buffalo Rumblings and I have gotten together for a little cage match debate surrounding four of the game's key personnel matchups.

Which blogger - and by extension, which community - is right?  Take a gander, gather your thoughts, and let's duke it out in a Bills/49ers blogger cage match.

MATCHUP #1: Bills C Duke Preston vs 49ers NT Aubrayo Franklin
Fooch: You could probably stick me at center and at worst the matchup would be a push.  That term (push) is fitting because Aubrayo Franklin gets none.  As big a guy as he is, his technique is simply insufficient as a starter.  The nose tackle in the 3-4 needs to get some push off the snap to open up holes for the pass rushers.  If the 49ers decide to stick with the 3-4 next season, I really would like to see them draft the big Alabama nose tackle, Terrence "Mount" Cody.  The pass rush has been a huge weakness for the 49ers because it affects every aspect of the defense.  As long as they aren't getting much form their nose tackle, it will remain a problem.  Advantage: Bills

Brian Galliford: Fooch says that Franklin gets no push; I'll retaliate with the fact that Preston doesn't get push, either.  This is the battle of the stoppable force and the moveable object, folks.  I like the way that Buffalo has been running of late, so I feel comfortable with this matchup, but due to the mediocrity of these two players, I'm betting that both fan bases will be remarking how their respective guy will have just had their best game of the season after this one.  Advantage: Bills

MATCHUP #2: 49ers CB Nate Clements vs Bills WR Lee Evans
Brian Galliford: There isn't a team this year that has given Evans single coverage - and he's still averaging nearly 20 yards per reception.  He is, quite clearly, the best pure deep threat in the league.  Lately, teams have tried to take Evans out of the game to force Buffalo to beat them elsewhere, but I can see things going differently this week with Nate coming back to Buffalo.  If the Niners think that Nate can take Lee one-on-one all day, Evans is going to put up big numbers.  I pray Nate is singled up on this guy, particularly early in the game.  Advantage: Bills

Fooch: In a straight man-to-man battle, Clements would be able to contain Evans.  He's shut down the likes of Larry Fitzgerald and Calvin Johnson and I think he can do the same with Evans.  Clements had a bad day last week against the Cowboys, but a lot of his problems were in the support he was supposed to get from the safeties.  If the 49ers coaches are smart (no sure bet), I would hope that they would realize Clements should just cover his man 1-on-1 and avoid any cutesy over the top help from Mark Roman or Michael Lewis.  If they let Clements just cover his man straight up I think he'll be fine.  The same can't be said for Walt Harris... Advantage: 49ers

MATCHUP #3: Bills LB Paul Posluszny vs 49ers RB Frank Gore
Fooch: Gore is coming off an ugly game against the Cowboys in which he was clearly frustrated with his role.  Mike Singletary called this a "black and blue" game and I'd like to think this means a heavy dose of Gore.  Gore is not one to have back-to-back poor performances, and I'd hope that standard holds.  Part of the problem in the poor performances has been his offensive line.  Gore can make things happen, but if the line gets no push at all, it makes life a lot more difficult.  I think my prediction is based more on expecting an improved o-line performance.  Advantage: 49ers

Brian Galliford: First thing's first - anybody who thinks that Posluszny has disappeared over the past couple of games is mistaken.  With 9 tackles in the past two games, statistically, yes, he's been largely absent.  But Cleveland spent a large amount of time getting blockers on Buffalo's best run defender, and Kansas City ran the ball a whopping 13 times.  Poz is still Poz, folks.  With that said, Buffalo's run defense is suddenly a concern again, and Gore is precisely the type of back that Buffalo struggles with most.  Advantage: 49ers

MATCHUP #4: 49ers RG Chilo Rachal vs Bills DT Marcus Stroud
Brian Galliford: Stroud has really returned to form over the past three games, even though the Chiefs gashed Buffalo last week on the ground.  He's back to his near-dominant form, and he's going to pose big problems for the vastly inexperienced, yet highly talented Rachal.  Stroud should do well against the run, and when Shaun Hill drops back to pass, the Bills are going to run a lot of stunts in an attempt to get defenders clean past the rookie right guard.  Advantage: Bills

Fooch: The 49ers inserted the rookie Rachal into the starting lineup this past week.  Although he didn't get any penalties, Coach Singletary was quick to point out that he "played like a rookie."  However, they're going to keep running him out there and get him acclimated to the league.  Most people thought he came out too early after his junior season.  Unfortunately, his mother and father have some medical issues and he felt he had to leave at the point he did.  It's a shame, but he's shown that he's not completely out of his element.  At the same time, a veteran like Stroud will prove a strong test for him.  I'd imagine he'll struggle against a seasoned veteran like Stroud, but hopefully he'll show improvement over the course of the morning (well afternoon for you guys).  Advantage: Bills

***

OK, Bills and 49ers fans.  Respect is the name of the game, but trash talk is a must (unless, of course, you're too down on your team to get cocky).  Who's right?  Who's just a "homer"?  Thanksgiving makes me forget about the coming weekend of football, but now it's Friday and time to get back into game shape.  Let's hope the Bills loaded up on just a little bit too much tryptophan.

Happy Thanksgiving to everybody.  Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because of great good, football and little to no responsibilities.  I'll probably be away from my computer the entire day so I thought I'd schedule an open thread for all the games if anybody is meandering through Niners Nation on Turkey Day. 

Today's games, times and television network:

Tennessee @ Detroit - 9:30 AM PT/12:30 PM ET - CBS

Seattle @ Dallas - 1:15 PM PT/4:15 PM ET - FOX

Arizona @ Philadelphia - 5:15 PM PT/8:15 PM ET - NFL Network

None of this week's prediction contest games are going on today, so still plenty of time to get all your picks in.  Enjoy football and have a happy Thanksgiving.

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Thanksgiving is tomorrow but the 49ers did get a practice in today, which means time for the first injury report of the week.  As you'll see, it's a good news/bad news report for the 49ers.

San Francisco 49ers
Out: S Dashon Goldson (knee), KR Allen Rossum (ankle)

Did Not Participate in Practice: CB Walt Harris (hamstring), LB Takeo Spikes (not injury related), LB Patrick Willis (ankle)

Limited Participation in Practice: WR Arnaz Battle (foot), WR Josh Morgan (groin)

Buffalo Bills
Did Not Participate in Practice: DE Copeland Bryan (foot), LB Keith Ellison (ankle), CB Jabari Greer (knee), LB Teddy Lehman (hamstring), TE Robert Royal (hamstring), DE Aaron Schobel (foot)

Limited Participation in Practice: S Donte Whitner (shoulder)

Maiocco indicated Harris, Spikes and Willis are all more than likely going to play.  The bad news comes in the form of Allen Rossum being ruled out.  He has been one of the best kick returners in the league and losing him is definitely a blow to the 49ers.  Based on this past week, Delanie Walker will likely be the guy returning kicks.  If he's active I wouldn't mind seeing Reggie Smith get a shot.  He returned punts at Oklahoma so why not give him a shot at that since he's not doing much else?

The good news is that Battle and Morgan have both returned to the practice field.  Given the cold weather I'm not optimistic that Morgan will play.  He's got a groin injury and as with hamstrings I don't imagine cold weather is all that good for them.  And I'd like to see a little bit more of Dominique Zeigler, which would be tough if Morgan and battle were 100%.

The season is flying by and we find ourselves with only two weeks left in all four Niners Nation Fantasy Football Leagues.  What makes it more intense is that the last two weeks of the season feature strictly divisional matchups.  So, if you're only a game or two back of the division leader, all is not lost.  With that in mind, I thought it was time for an update from all of our leagues.  Thanks to the respective commissioners for their insights.  Due to the length, two of the leagues recaps are after the jump.  Also, you can click on the link for each league to see the current standings (no need to log in there to see them).

Niners Nation #1
Only two teams are eliminated from playoff contention.  For those that have a bone to pick with him, howtheyscored is one of them at 3-9.  Swiss Cheese brings up the rear of the league at 2-10, thanks in part to a dynamic running back duo of Jamal Lewis and Edgerrin James.  The fact that he's been starting Derek Anderson all see makes me think he hasn't signed in lately.  Or he knows of some strategy that we don't know.

As it currently stands, your division leaders are myself (Frank the Tank @ 7-5), Revival At The 'Stick (9-3 and clinched a wildcard berth) and peckerwoods (9-3 and clinched a wildcard berth).  The two wild card teams right now are The Czars at 8-4, RhymeSayers at 7-5 and ChocoPaco49 at 6-6.  There are three teams sitting at 6-6, one at 5-7 and one at 4-8 all still alive for playoff spots.  The first tiebreaker for all playoff spots is best head-to-head record.  For those in the same division the next tiebreaker is best divisional record.  After that it goes to most average points per game, followed by hardest schedule (record) and then hardest schedule (points).

I've always found that points scored is a better indicator of a team's value since record can be benefited by a timely schedule.  Peckerwoods stands as the #1 seed and as highest ranking team it's not surprising.  They've ridden the likes of Jay Cutler, Clinton Portis and Anquan Boldin straight to the top.  Our most "fortunate" projected playoff team would be ChocoPaco49, who has scored fewer points than four teams behind him.  He squeezed out an upset of Peckerwoods this past week in a down week for them.  Peckerwoods is averaging 105.87 points a game, but had their worst week of the season with 74.6 points.  They better hope it's not a trend.

With only two playoff spots sewn up, things are getting crazy.

Niners Nation #3
Well, with the fantasy playoffs drawing nearer and nearer, the spots for the final 6 playoff positions are as clear as Ozzy Osbourne on Vicadin. In Division 1 it has been a roller coaster of sorts. As myself, StrictlyFootball, has stayed on top since the beginning, a huge streak of wins has swung forty9ers3298 into playoff contention. Some may wonder how he has accomplished such a mighty feat, I'm sure juwperman is, but when you look at his roster it is plain to see. Thanks to a twin combo of Matt Cassel and Brett Favre, a stable of WR's that have come on strong as of late (Houshmanzadeh and A. Gonzalez), and claiming opportunistic kickers and defenses, he has been able to march through his opponents.

In Division 2 Whole11Yards was a late pick/back-up drafting genius. He grabbed A. Rodgers, Matt Forte, and A. Johnson. While he did miss with Bulger and S. Jackson, his smart early picks in P. Burress and K. Winslow and free agent acquisitions as the season progressed has made him competitive in every match-up this year. NikeToledo I think had the misfortune of having his team placed under an unlucky star. Even though he is piratically in the top 3 for every league leading stat, he has fallen victim to running into hot teams at boiling hot times. Fanachimes is an interesting case, barring M. Turner, his roster is not that hot, but because of continuous constant play from every position. he has been able to maintain a flow of close, if not over, 100 point games. He's like the Redskins, when you have reliable production from every position you're going to be a competitive team.

Division 3 A.K.A. The NFC South. I believe Albertoleecho is either a hacker or a psychic because he just seems to get points out of players that don't jump off the page. He just seems to know when S. Smith or K. Orton or M. Lynch will have a good game or be bad. Sometimes you look at his roster before Sunday and go, "Wow, this doesn't seem like a difficult match-up." Then when Tuesday rolls along, wham-bam and Bob's your uncle, he beat you by thirty. He's the devil, he is. Wth3hoya and Rainer both seem to have good consistency and have some big play-makers, but both seem to have this uncanny ability to catch the crap bug. Let me explain. Usually on a fantasy team if one player plays poorly another player will have a breakout game, well unfortunately for these two managers it seems that when one player goes down, every other player goes down too. So either their in the stratosphere of points or are in the dumpsters. But don't you worry their good days far outshine their bad ones. Lastly I would like to give a shout out to Mikemcwolf and Sam2323 who never quit on their teams even when their playoff hopes had passed them by.

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The 49ers continue a tough road trip at Ralph Wilson Stadium.  The 49ers are coming off a loss at Dallas that was rather ugly, but also revealed some positive steps forward.  Not a lot, but some.

The San Francisco 49ers travel to Buffalo this weekend in what will be only the 10th meeting between the two teams. The series dates back to 1972 and the Bills hold a 5-4 overall advantage over the 49ers. The 49ers have only traveled to Buffalo on three occasions, with the last being a 26-21 loss in 1998. The last time the two teams faced one another was in 2004 when the Bills beat the 49ers 41-7 at Candlestick Park.

The 49ers enter this week’s game following a 35-22 loss against the Dallas Cowboys. In that game, QB Shaun Hill completed 21-of-33 passes for a career-high 303 yards with two touchdowns and one interception for a passer rating of 100.9. It marked his fifth career game with a passer rating of over 100.0 in seven games of action with the 49ers, including five career starts. WR Isaac Bruce recorded his 42nd career 100-yard receiving contest after catching eight passes for 125 yards and his fi fth touchdown of the season. The 49ers defense held the Cowboys to just 2.6 yards per carry, and enter this week’s game having not allowed a 100-yard rusher in nine games.

Gore enters this week’s game ranked tied for fourth in the NFL for yards from scrimmage with 1,191. His current pace would give him 1,732 total yards on the year.

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As you've probably noticed, we've had some new features appearing on Niners Nation.  As much as howtheyscored and I enjoy being your dual source for 49ers information, additional help was needed to get you all the information you guys want and deserve.  So, thanks to some volunteers and quasi-draftees, we've got an assortment of new features to go with some of our longer running features.

Golden Nuggets - Our man ninjames has taken on the tough task of providing Golden Nuggets on a daily basis.  It can often be a somewhat thankless task, but I imagine people enjoy being able to come to Niners Nation in the morning and get their dose of daily links to start the day....kind of like that first cup of coffee.  Also, ninjames has been kind enough to donate some prizes for the prediction contest.  He has donated a $50 giftcard to NFLShop.com and two copies of Blitz: The League 2 (likely for XBox).  There is a chance for more prizes, but for now big thanks go out to James.

Florida Danny's Statistical Reviews and Previews - I'd spent much of the last two years trying to find somebody to be the Niners Nation "stats guy," and all it took was stumbling across a comment of his in one of Maiocco's game day blogs.  The general schedule going forward is usually going to be a Wednesday Review of the previous week's game (that's when updated DVOA stats become available) and a Friday Preview of the upcoming game.  Depending on scheduling the Review and Preview might be off a day.

National Review and Preview - I envisioned part of Niners Nation's expansion to include national coverage of the NFL as a whole.  We all love the 49ers but we also love football and it's useful to get an idea of what's going on around the league...even if it's about the dramatic increase in safeties.  Josh in Hollywood will be posting his National Preview on Friday morning and his National Review Monday morning.

49ers Year-by-Year - Howtheyscored continues our run through every season in 49ers history.  We're at 1965, meaning a mere 14 years until Joe Montana's rookie season.  These early years are worth checking out to see where the 49ers came from.  There were solid seasons but the 80s were a sort of emersion from the desert.

Going Forward - Salary Cap Writer
We're always on the lookout for other features people might have in mind.  One feature I've been looking to develop for quite some time is a salary cap database/feature writer.  The salary cap plays a huge part in any team's performance and it'd be nice to have a specialist here interested in this area of the 49ers and the game as a whole.  My pie in the sky vision would be developing an independent site with a salary cap database for the 49ers and then having the developer of that site also writing features about the salary cap here at Niners Nation.  I'd even be willing to foot the bill for the domain name (maybe 49erssalarycap.com?).

In reality I'd imagine that might be a little difficult to pull off.  If we can't pull off the separate database, at the very least it'd be interesting to have somebody write feature stories about the salary cap in general and its application to the 49ers in particular.  So if you're interested in something like this in any capacity, you can either email me at ninersnation@gmail.com OR leave a comment.  The same holds true if you have thoughts on other features for the site.  We've been adding a lot of features lately, but I think it's all for the better, so any recommendations are welcome.