With three NFL preseason wins under their belt there was every reason to think that the San Francisco 49ers would phone in their final exhibition game against the San Diego Chargers. And thats exactly what they did"the Chargers scored at least six points in every quarter against the Niners reserves en route to a 26-7 home victory.
San Diego's 19 point margin of victory allowed them to easily cover the pointspread as -3 home favorites. The 33 combined points the two teams put on the board went UNDER the posted total of 36.
The game was such an exercise in irrelevance that Chargers coach Norv Turner called for an onside kick to open the contest in order that his team could practice the situation in real world game conditions. San Diego would recover the onside kick, and then quickly score on a 39 yard touchdown pass from QB Billy Volek to Kassim Osgood. Afterwards, Turner explained the unusual opening kickoff play call:
"It's something we may need in a game. It's something you've got to practice. I would hate for a critical situation to be the first time we did it in the regular season. We got a chance to work on it."
The Niners starting offense"including QB Shaun Hill"got to play for one series before turning things over to the backups. Hill said that even the minimal bit of playing time was important:
"We moved the ball a little bit. We weren't able to get any points, but it was good to at least get out there and run some plays and get things started out there. I was happy that I got the opportunity and I think the whole offense felt that way. We think it was important to get some work tonight. We've got a long weekend off, so we were excited about it."
The backup offense score the Niners only points of the game, as third string QB Nate Davis hit Jason Hill for a 21 yard touchdown pass right before halftime. In addition to their opening drive score, the Chargers got a late game touchdown pass from former Clemson University QB Charlie Whitehurst to go with four Nate Kaeding field goals.
The Chargers will start their regular season next Monday night on the road against their hated rivals the Oakland Raiders with San Diego installed as a -9 road favorite. The Niners will get their 2009 season underway on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. The Niners are a +6 road underdog in that contest, with the total set at 46.
San Diego's 19 point margin of victory allowed them to easily cover the pointspread as -3 home favorites. The 33 combined points the two teams put on the board went UNDER the posted total of 36.
The game was such an exercise in irrelevance that Chargers coach Norv Turner called for an onside kick to open the contest in order that his team could practice the situation in real world game conditions. San Diego would recover the onside kick, and then quickly score on a 39 yard touchdown pass from QB Billy Volek to Kassim Osgood. Afterwards, Turner explained the unusual opening kickoff play call:
"It's something we may need in a game. It's something you've got to practice. I would hate for a critical situation to be the first time we did it in the regular season. We got a chance to work on it."
The Niners starting offense"including QB Shaun Hill"got to play for one series before turning things over to the backups. Hill said that even the minimal bit of playing time was important:
"We moved the ball a little bit. We weren't able to get any points, but it was good to at least get out there and run some plays and get things started out there. I was happy that I got the opportunity and I think the whole offense felt that way. We think it was important to get some work tonight. We've got a long weekend off, so we were excited about it."
The backup offense score the Niners only points of the game, as third string QB Nate Davis hit Jason Hill for a 21 yard touchdown pass right before halftime. In addition to their opening drive score, the Chargers got a late game touchdown pass from former Clemson University QB Charlie Whitehurst to go with four Nate Kaeding field goals.
The Chargers will start their regular season next Monday night on the road against their hated rivals the Oakland Raiders with San Diego installed as a -9 road favorite. The Niners will get their 2009 season underway on the road against the Arizona Cardinals. The Niners are a +6 road underdog in that contest, with the total set at 46.
About the Author:
Ross Everett is a respected freelance writer who covers travel, poker and sports handicapping. He is a consulting handicapper for Anatta Sports where he is responsible for providing daily free sports picks. In his spare time he enjoys fine dining, fencing and scuba diving. He lives in Southern Nevada with four dogs and a pet coyote.
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