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2B Daily News – Friday, October 26, 2012 49ERS Sacks in eyes of defense SANTA CLARA, Calif. (AP) — The pass rusher in Aldon Smith is getting a little more excited than usual this week. That's a feeling spreading throughout the San Francisco defense as the 49ers prepare for Monday night's game against the Arizona Cardinals, the only NFC West team to beat the Niners dur- ing coach Jim Harbaugh's two seasons here. Despite another strong season from Smith, the 49ers aren't sacking opposing quarterbacks at the same rate they did last year. But that hasn't prevented San Francisco from leading the NFL in both total defense and passing defense. There could be plenty of opportunities for sacks against the Cardinals, who have strug- gled all season to protect quarter- backs Kevin Kolb and John Skel- ton. So of course it's thumbs up for us.'' co's entire sack total. The 49ers have only three sacks in their past three games and rank 23rd in the NFL in sacks per play — the team's lowest standing in 12 defensive categories recorded by the league. Smith has half of San Francis- The 49ers had 42 sacks in 2011, and the havoc created by their pass rush was a key to the team's defensive success. Smith burst onto the scene with an impressive rookie season, but the 49ers also got a consistent push up front from their bookend defensive tackles, All-Pro Justin Smith (7 1/2 sacks last year) and Ray McDonald (5 1/2). That pair has been dropped 35 times in seven games, by far the most sacks allowed by any team in the league. Skelton, who will start Monday's game, was sacked seven times in last week's loss to the Minnesota Vikings. That's something that hasn't gone unnoticed by Smith, who set a franchise rookie record last season with 14 sacks and leads the team with 5 1/2 this year. ''We'd all like to have more sacks,'' Smith said Thursday. ''Seeing other people have suc- cess getting sacks, I mean that's what I do and that's what we do. have combined for only a half sack so far this season. Outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks (three sacks) is the only 49er besides Aldon Smith with more than one sack this year. Justin Smith and McDonald want to sink their teeth into, that's not the measure of a good pass rush. And right now to this point, I haven't seen pass rush as being a weakness for us.'' Aldon Smith still has been get- ting his sacks. He was particular- ly impressive during a three-play sequence in the final two minutes last week against Seattle to help the 49ers finish a 13-6 victory over the Seahawks that left San Francisco (5-2) a game ahead of Seattle (4-3) and Arizona (4-3) in the division. With the Seahawks back deep in their own territory, Smith over- powered Seattle offensive tackle Breno Giacomini to sack quarter- back Russell Wilson for a seven- yard loss. Two plays later, with Seattle But the lack of sacks belies the strength of San Francisco's pass rush. The pressure up front has been good with Justin Smith and McDonald combining for 47 quarterback hits and 68 pressures even though they haven't been taking quarterbacks to the ground. ''We're ranked (first) in pass defense, and pass rush is part of pass defense,'' defensive coordi- nator Vic Fangio said. ''So, although we don't have the sack numbers, which a lot of people facing 4th and 17 from its 4, Smith again was pushing Giaco- mini back into Wilson in the end zone before guard Paul McQuis- tan peeled back to help. McQuis- tan was flagged for a chop block on Smith, and the 49ers were awarded a safety that Harbaugh declined since the ball went back to San Francisco with 43 seconds remaining. ''I think teams are a little bit more prepared for us than they were last year and quarterbacks are getting the ball out faster,'' Smith said. ''But all in all we're hurrying throws and we're creat- ing a lot of pressure, so we're doing our job.'' Raiders insisit they don't play dirty Until recently, the plan seemed to be working. That's why several Oakland players were caught off guard by comments made this week by Chiefs linebacker Tamba Hali, who told a Kansas City newspaper the Raiders are a ''dirty'' team whose players ''cheap shot'' opponents, and said it was a tradition in the games between the AFC West rivals. A few years ago that might have elicited a more profound reaction from the Raiders, but this is clearly not the same franchise it was when late owner Al Davis was calling the shots. ALAMEDA (AP) — After the Oakland Raiders set NFL records in 2011 for penalties and penalty yards, rookie coach Dennis Allen made it a top priority to field more disciplined team. defensive back Michael Huff and fullback Marcel Reece laughed. ''If somebody's talking about you, you're doing some- thing right,'' Reece said Thursday. ''We play hard, we don't play dirty. Obviously divisional opponents are going to feel it a little more because it's a rivalry.'' Hali's comments came on the heels of Oakland's two most penalized games of the season. The Raiders had 12 penalties in a loss to Atlanta on Oct. 14, then picked up nine more in Sunday's win over Jacksonville. They had 19 total through the first four weeks. Allen brushed off Hali's comments while players like GIANTS (Continued from page 1B) plate, maybe still lost fol- lowing a five-day layoff after an ALCS sweep of the Yan- kees. Cabrera hopped up and twisted away after third baseman Pablo Sandoval, who homered three times in the opener, snared his early line drive. Bumgarner had some- thing to do with the Tigers' troubles, too. Bumped from the NLCS rotation after two poor post- season starts, he returned with a flourish. The left-han- der struck out eight and looked as sharp as he did in the 2010 World Series when, as a 21-year-old rookie, he stopped Texas in Game 4 on the way to a championship. This game was scoreless in the seventh when the Giants went ahead, right after actor Tom Hanks — a former peanut vendor at the nearby Oakland Coliseum — sang ''Take Me Out to NHL (Continued from page 1B) NHLPA executive director Donald Fehr said Wednesday night that the league's dead- line was bogus. ''We are and continue to be ready to meet to discuss how to resolve our remaining differ- ences, with no precondi- tions. For whatever rea- son, the owners are not,'' he said. ''At the same time they are refusing to meet, they the Ball Game'' on the field. Pence led off with a sin- gle and Fister departed, get- ting lots of hugs in the dugout. Rookie reliever Drew Smyly walked Bran- don Belt on a full-count pitch and Blanco's bunt loaded the bases. infield back up the middle, and had no play at the plate on Crawford's bouncer. The Tigers kept their Pence added the insur- ance run the next inning with his flyball off Octavio Dotel. Fielder and the Tigers came up inches short of tak- ing an early lead, the result of yet another alert play by second baseman Marco Scu- taro and a dubious decision by third base coach Gene Lamont. to lead off the second, Del- mon Young followed with a double and when the ball rattled around in left field, Lamont waved the burly slugger home. Even with no outs, Lamont sent him. Fielder was hit by a pitch Scutaro, in the middle of are winding the clock down to yet another arti- ficial deadline they cre- ated.'' divide between the sides over how to deal with existing player con- tracts. The union wants to ensure that those are all paid in full without affecting future player contracts. Bettman expressed a willingness to discuss the ''make whole'' provisions on existing contracts, but only if the economic portions of the league's There is a major almost every Raiders coach. Allen and general manager Reggie McKenzie talked extensively about the need to be more disciplined. Reducing penalties has been a primary concern for Before the recent backslide, Oakland had been just that despite a rough start in the standings. The Raiders (2-4) have 40 penalties but only three have been for unnecessary roughness and they've been whistled only once for roughing the quarterback. That's a significant reduction from 2011 when Oakland had 10 unnecessary roughness calls, five roughing the quarterback penalties and four flags for unsportsmanlike conduct. So is this a kindler, gentler Raiders team? ''I wouldn't go that far,'' Huff said. ''I don't think we're Oakland set single-season NFL records for penalties (163) and penalty yards (1,358) in 2011 and historically is among the league leaders in that dubious category. Hali, whose Chiefs host the Raiders on Sunday, doesn't NBA Commissioner to retire in 2014 David Stern spent nearly 30 years growing the NBA, turning a league that could- n't even get its champi- onship series on live prime- time TV into a projected $5 billion a year industry. Confident the NBA is in good shape and certain he has found someone who can make it even better, Stern is ready to end one of the most successful and impactful careers in sports history. Stern will retire as com- missioner Feb. 1, 2014, 30 years to the day after taking charge of the league, and be replaced by Deputy Com- missioner Adam Silver. ''I decided that things are in great shape and there's an organization in place that will ultimately be led by Adam that is totally pre- pared to take it to the next level,'' Stern said Thursday during a press conference following the league's board of governors meeting. It's hard to be any better than Stern, perhaps the model sports commissioner. Name an important poli- NEW YORK (AP) — time,'' Silver said. cy in the NBA — drug test- ing, salary cap, even a dress code — and Stern had a hand in it. A lawyer by trade, he was a fearless negotiator against players and referees, but also their biggest defend- er any time he felt they were unfairly criticized. ''For all the things you've done for the NBA and for sports generally, I think there's no doubt that you'll be remembered as the best of all-time as commissioners go and you've set the stan- dard, I think not even just for sports league commission- ers, but for CEOs in any industry,'' Silver told Stern sitting to his left on a podi- um. dirty. I just think we play physical, aggressive football, like it's supposed to be played.'' believe much has changed even though Oakland has made sweeping changes in just about every corner of the franchise. ''It's a tradition,'' Hali told The Kansas City Star. ''The Raiders, they come in, they cheap shot, they hit you. I'm not saying names. It is what it is. We've got to be ready to play and keep our composure, stayed poised and be able to get this win. every big play for the Giants this month, dashed across the diamond, caught Blan- co's relay and unleashed a strong throw to the plate. All-Star catcher Buster Posey made a swipe tag to Fielder's backside, just as the Tigers star slid home. Umpire Dan Iassogna had a clear look and made a demonstrative call — out! Fielder immediately popped up from his slide and pleaded his case with two hands. Tigers manager Jim Leyland rushed out and pointed to the plate. At sec- ond base, Young yelled, ''No!'' replay review, it wouldn't have helped the Tigers. Because TV replays showed Iassogna, working his first plate job in a World Series, got it right. But even if there was There was no dispute that Fister somehow avoided a serious injury moments later. With two outs in the Giants second, Blanco lined offer are accepted first by the union. Bettman refused to say whether the 50-50 split in the proposal would come off the table if a full season isn't played. negotiate publicly,'' he said. ''I'm not going to This lockout, the third of Bettman's tenure as commissioner, began Sept. 16. The 2004-05 season was lost in the last work stop- page. a shot up the middle that hit Fister on the right side of the head and deflected on the fly to shallow center field. effect from the blow — in fact, some in the crowd won- dered whether the ball per- haps glanced off his glove because Fister stayed on his feet. Only when fans saw replays did groans echo around the ballpark. Fister showed no visible Jeff Jones and a trainer went to the mound, and Fister insisted on staying in the game. He walked the next batter to load the bases, but retired Bumgarner on a popup, starting a streak of 12 straight hitters set down by Fister. Leyland, pitching coach winced was Oakland pitcher Brandon McCarthy, who sustained a skull fracture and brain contusion after being hit by a line drive last month. Among those who ''I'm not watching but did just see the replay. Cer- tainly hope he's ok,'' McCarthy tweeted. NCAA AP Top 25 Schedule Thursday's result Clemson 42, at Wake Forest 13 Today's game No. 16 Louisville vs. Cincinnati, 5 p.m. Saturday's games No. 1 Alabama vs.No. 13 Miss. St., 5:30 p.m. No. 2 Oregon vs. Colorado, Noon No. 3 Florida vs. No. 12 Georgia at Jacksonville, Fla., 12:30 p.m. No.4 Kan.St.vs.No.15 Texas Tech, 12:30 p.m. No. 5 Notre Dame at No. 8 Oklahoma, 5 p.m. No. 7 Oregon State at Washington, 7:15 p.m. No. 9 Ohio State at Penn State, 2:30 p.m. No. 10 USC at Arizona, 12:30 p.m. No. 11 Florida State vs. Duke, 12:30 p.m. No. 17 South Carolina vs.Tennessee, 9 a.m. No. 18 Rutgers vs. Kent State, 12:30 p.m. No. 19 Stanford vs.Washington St., 3:15 p.m. No. 20 Michigan at Nebraska, 5 p.m. No. 21 Boise State at Wyoming, 12:30 p.m. No. 22 Texas A&M at Auburn, 4 p.m. No. 23 Ohio at Miami (Ohio), 12:30 p.m. Stern told owners of his plans during their two days of meetings, and the board unanimously decided Silver would be his successor. Owners will begin negotia- tions with the 50-year-old Silver in hopes of having a contract completed by their next meeting in April. Stern, who turned 70 last month, became commis- sioner on Feb. 1, 1984. He has been the NBA's longest- serving commissioner, establishing the league's brand around the world, pre- siding over team expansion and overseeing the establish- ment of the WNBA and the NBA Development League. Seven franchises have been added along the way and the league has seen a 30- fold increase in revenues. Stern insisted the NBA have a presence on social media, and the league and players have more than 270 million likes and followers on Face- book and Twitter. ''There are all kinds of other business metrics we could look at that would define David as one of the great business leaders of our MLS WESTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA y-QUAKES 19 6 8 65 71 42 x-Seattle 15 7 11 56 51 32 x-Salt Lake 17 11 5 56 46 35 x-Galaxy 15 12 6 51 58 47 x-Vancouver11 13 9 42 35 41 FC Dallas 9 13 11 38 40 45 Colorado 10 19 4 34 42 50 Portland 8 16 9 33 33 55 Chivas USA 7 18 8 29 22 56 EASTERN CONFERENCE WL T Pts GF GA y-Kan. City 18 7 9 63 42 27 x-D.C. 17 10 6 57 52 42 x-Chicago 17 11 5 56 45 40 x-New York 15 9 9 54 54 46 x-Houston 14 8 11 53 48 39 Columbus 14 12 7 49 42 43 Montreal 12 15 6 42 45 50 Philadelphia10 17 6 36 37 42 N. England 8 17 8 32 38 44 Toronto FC 5 20 8 23 35 60 NOTE: Three points for victory, one point for tie. x- clinched playoff berth y- clinched conference —————————————————— Wednesday's result Sporting Kansas City 2, Philadelphia 1 Saturday's games San Jose at Portland, 3:30 p.m. New York at Philadelphia, 10:30 a.m. New England at Montreal, 11 a.m. D.C. United at Chicago, 1 p.m. Houston at Colorado, 6 p.m. Vancouver at Real Salt Lake, 6 p.m. Sunday's games Toronto FC at Columbus, 1 p.m. Chivas USA at FC Dallas, 4 p.m. Seattle FC at Los Angeles, 6 p.m. Stern said he decided on his plans about six months ago, having guided the league through a lockout that ended nearly a year ago. He didn't want to leave until the labor deal was complet- ed or until he was confident there was a successor in place, and both are done. Silver has been the league's No. 2 since 2006, and both Stern and league owners praise his abilities. ''I don't know what else to say other than to recite what I told the owners yes- terday in executive session,'' Stern said. ''I told them that it's been a great run, it will continue for another 15 months, that the league is in, I think, terrific condition.'' Stern is the one who got it there, taking over what was a second-rate league with little-to-no TV pres- ence — the NBA Finals were on tape delay in the early 1980s — and making basketball one of the world's most popular sports. ''A couple of things that stand out to me is that David has been, in my estimation, the type of commissioner that has set the standard not only for the NBA but for all of the sports,'' said Min- nesota Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor, the outgoing chairman of the board of governors. ''We have done so many wonderful things in the organization. The mar- keting, leadership, the brand recognition, going interna- tional way before our times, and David has led that.'' Taylor said there's been a ''40-fold'' increase in rev- enues from the league's national TV contract, and that the average player salary will have had grown from $250,000 when Stern took over to $5 million by the end of the current collec- tive bargaining agreement. Stern was the league's outside counsel from 1966- 78, then its general counsel before becoming executive vice president of business and legal affairs from 1980- 84. He replaced Larry O'Brien to become the league's fourth commission- er, getting a boost in taking the game mainstream with the popularity of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird, and soon Michael Jordan. NFL AFC West WL T Pct PF PA Denver 3 3 0 .500 170 138 Chargers 3 3 0 .500 148 137 RAIDERS 24 0 .333 113 171 Kansas City 1 5 0 .167 104 183 East N. England 4 3 0 .571 217 163 Miami WL T Pct PF PA Houston 6 1 0 .857 216 128 Indianapolis 3 3 0 .500 117 158 Tennessee 3 4 0 .429 149 238 Jacksonville 1 5 0 .167 88 164 North WL T Pct PF PA Baltimore 5 2 0 .714 174 161 Pittsburgh 3 3 0 .500 140 132 Cincinnati 3 4 0 .429 166 187 Cleveland 1 6 0 .143 147 180 NFC West WL T Pct 49ERS 52 0 .714 Arizona 4 3 0 .571 Seattle 4 3 0 .571 St. Louis 3 4 0 .429 East WL T Pct N.Y. Giants 5 2 0 .714 Philadelphia 3 3 0 .500 Dallas 3 3 0 .500 Washington 3 4 0 .429 South WL T Pct Atlanta 6 0 0 1.000 N. Orleans 2 4 0 .333 Tampa Bay 3 4 0 .429 Carolina 1 5 0 .167 North WL T Pct Chicago 5 1 0 .833 Minnesota 5 3 0 .625 Green Bay 4 3 0 .571 Detroit 2 4 0 .333 —————————————————— Week 8 schedule Thursday's result Tampa Bay 36, Minnesota, 17 Sunday's games Oakland at Kansas City, 1:05 p.m. Atlanta at Philadelphia, 10 a.m. Carolina at Chicago, 10 a.m. Indianapolis at Tennessee, 10 a.m. Jacksonville at Green Bay, 10 a.m. Miami at N.Y. Jets, 10 a.m. New England vs. St. Louis at London, 10 a.m. San Diego at Cleveland, 10 a.m. Seattle at Detroit, 10 a.m. Washington at Pittsburgh, 10 a.m. N.Y. Giants at Dallas, 1:25 p.m. New Orleans at Denver, 5:20 p.m. Monday's game San Francisco at Arizona, 5:30 p.m. Open: Baltimore, Buffalo, Cincinnati, Houston WL T Pct PF PA 3 3 0 .500 120 117 N.Y. Jets 3 4 0 .429 159 170 Buffalo 3 4 0 .429 171 227 South