Niners halt six-game slide and get first win under Singletary

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11/16/2008 - San Francisco, CA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Shaun Hill threw for two touchdowns and ran for another score, and Frank Gore rushed for two more TDs, as the San Francisco 49ers crushed the St. Louis Rams, 35-16, at Candlestick Park to give interim head coach Mike Singletary his first triumph with the club.

Hill tallied 213 yards through the air, barely missing his career-high of 217 yards, on 15-of-20 passing for the Niners (3-7), who saw their six-game slide become history. Gore racked up 106 yards on 18 touches, while Bryant Johnson and Vernon Davis had TD receptions. Isaac Bruce had one catch for 20 yards in the first game against his former team.

Marc Bulger was an 34-of-53 for 295 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions for the Rams (2-8), who have dropped four straight contests. Antonio Pittman gained 95 yards on 14 carries, while Donnie Avery grabbed a career-high nine passes for 93 yards. Dane Looker had a touchdown grab and Josh Brown made 3- of-4 field goal attempts.

The Rams were given a couple of bad breaks in the first half as left tackle, and former number one pick, Orlando Pace went down with an apparent knee injury. Right guard Richie Incognito also left with a strained shoulder just before halftime. Neither player returned to the game.

On the second drive of the game, the Niners needed just four plays to open the scoring. A five-yard touchdown run from Gore capped the 34-yard with 6:37 remaining in the first quarter.

The Rams countered with a 24-yard field goal from Brown to make it 7-3 early in the second, but San Fran had an answer.

San Fran started at its own 31, and on first down Hill hit Bruce for a 20- yard gain. Hill then hit Johnson for a 42-yard gain down to the St. Louis seven. Three plays later, Davis hauled in a two-yard touchdown to give the home team a 14-3 cushion.

On the Rams second play of their ensuing drive, Bulger coughed up the ball and Parys Haralson recovered at the St. Louis 16. It took Gore four plays to find paydirt, the finale a one-yard score.

"We have to find a way to score touchdowns when we get the opportunity," said Bulger. "We came out fast, but weren't able to capitalize completely on our opportunities. We didn't execute. It's up to us to make the plays."

Following a Walt Harris pick, Hill ran in a one-yard score to close out a seven-play, 60-yard drive that made it a 25-point game.

"We know the second half of the season we need to have a sense of urgency and we'd love to have started it last week, but it just didn't work out so we had to start it this week without a doubt," said Hill. "So it was great to get that (first) win for Coach Singletary and hopefully get this ball rolling."

On the heels of a Nate Clements interception, Hill connected with Johnson on a fade route in the left corner of the end zone late in the second quarter to make it 35-3 heading into the break.

The Rams have been outscored 75-3 in the first half over the past two weeks.

Brown hit a 48-yard field goal late in the third quarter, and then nailed a 44-yarder as time expired to make it 35-9.

Bulger hit Looker for a two-yard score late in the fourth frame to account for the final margin.

Game Notes

Bruce spent the first 14 seasons of his career with St. Louis (1994-2007) before being released after 197 games with the team in the offseason and signing with the 49ers. He caught 942 passes with the Rams, posting 14,109 receiving yards and 84 touchdowns -- all franchise records...The Rams have been outscored 116-25 over the last three games.

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After all the trouble that’s ensued since Braylon Edwards allegedly punched one of LeBron James’ homeboys in the face at a club, the Cleveland Browns have sent away their last remaining player of worth to the New York Jets. This is a great move for Dirty Sanchez and all, but it’s even better for the Knicks. Now Donnie Walsh can say, “You get to haunt Braylon Edwards with your posse if you sign here!” next summer.

Putting that aside for a moment, the move is a clear indication that the new-look Jets are gunning for the Super Bowl this year. I don’t think that New York thought that Dirty Sanchez was going to be such a rock star. With a 75.2 passer rating that was killed against the Jets, Sanchez is doing an admirable job of managing games and putting the Jets in a position to win. The defense has been the major story in New York thus far, but the acquisition of Braylon Edwards makes this offense loaded with talent that can dent any defense…as long as Dirty Sanchez continues his meteoric rise.

Thus far, Edwards has been a non-factor in the NFL piling up just 139 receiving yards on 10 catches. He has yet to find the endzone, and with the Browns mired in the most unsexy quarterback controversy of all time (Anderson vs. Quinn...yawn), there going nowhere fast. Edwards is two seasons removed from a career year which saw him catch 80 passes for 1,289 yards and 16 touchdowns when the Browns were the spread killing monsters of 2007. In 2008, injuries slowed the receiver down to just 873 yards and three touchdowns though he played in all 16 games.

So that being said, we really don’t know if Braylon Edwards is just a flash in the pan, or a legit threat. At 6-foot-3 and 215 pounds, he is a prototypical receiver. But he’s also shown a strange, and unwarranted, talent for dropping passes. Lining up opposite Jericho Cotchery, a speed demon with 23 catches, 356 yards and a single touchdown, may give Braylon the open looks he needs. A change of scenery may also rejuvenate the star receiver.

In return, the Browns will receive Chansi Stuckey, online football betting a special teams player you’ve never heard of and a pair of draft picks. That’s a tall order for a guy whose only real value right now is in his name, and it shows no promise to the Browns that they can rebuild around those acquisitions. Braylon was the only reason to hope for the Browns to go 3-14 SU this year. Without him, they don’t have a single guy on offense that can scare any team.

For the Jets, it’s a response to the pounding that they took at the hand of the Saints. Thomas Jones and Leon Washington have averaged around 4.0 yards per carry each on the ground, but striking a fair balance between the passing and rushing attacks in New York has been a struggle. You have to believe that the trio of Dustin Keller, Jericho Cotchery and Braylon Edwards will give Sanchez the weapons he needs to unleash through the air. Theoretically, that would open up holes for the rushing game. But the proposed public option health care plan works in theory too. We need to see the proof in the pudding before we start loading up mega bucks on the New York Jets to take the AFC.

The one wrinkle in this whole thing is that Braylon could very well be suspended by the league for disciplinary action due to his “brawl” with LeBron’s friend. If that’s the case, the Jets may have to bench him for a few games leaving them with a somewhat depleted receiving corps for a few games. Also, this is a guy who gets in fights with people at clubs. New York may not be the best place for him. Just sayin’.

The Jets have a long week before they meet the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football Betting in a virtual pick ‘em game. Braylon’s excess baggage may be a distraction, and his curiously low production may be what we should be expecting of him overall, but for the Jets, taking a chance to strike gold is well worth it. At the end of the year, they can simply just blame it on their rookie quarterback.

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