Bleacher Report - Articles by Jeremy Fain

Possible Shaun Hill Interview Questions

Jeremy Fain — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:39:55 -0400

The first question that I would ask Shaun Hill is:

“Shaun, would you mind if I called you Shaun “Sugar” Hill?

I have always been a big nickname guy.

Then I would make some small talk, basic stuff.

Where you from?

Are you married?

Do you have kids?

I mean, I would research him of course, but I would still want to ask him these things face to face.

Other questions that I would ask Shaun Hill include:

“Who is your favorite target?”

“What is your favorite play?”

“Which coach rides/yells at you the most?”

“Where is your favorite place to eat?”

“What kind of music do you listen to?”

“Is calcium hydroxide an acid or a base?”

“What is the speed of light?”

“What is the square root of 49?”

49ers' Most Effective Plays in '08

Jeremy Fain — Tue, 12 May 2009 03:27:26 -0400

I will Gore you with great Rathman.

In 2008, the most effective plays for the San Francisco 49ers were to run Frank Gore left, Gore up the middle, and Gore to the right.

Most of the runs came out of single back set. Often, there was shifting going on before the snap—tight ends stepping into the backfield, backs splitting out wide.

The offense was fun to watch.

In passing, there was success all over the field. It wasn’t consistent enough, though. They had a lot of success coming out, shifting players at the line, then using a tricky snap count to catch the defense unaware with the quick pass. That was an effective play over the course of the season.

I was never comfortable with the formation shifts that the 49ers made during games last season. The main reason is because of Vernon Davis and his inability to keep ice water in his veins. However, the formation shifts were part of Martz’s madness and I can’t question that because at least his offense was fun to watch. I would prefer Martz any day as opposed to a revolving door policy at offensive coordinator.

A part of me finds great comfort in knowing that Tom Rathman has returned to the 49ers organization as a running backs coach.

I can’t wait.

Cowboys and 49ers: 2010 NFC Champions

Jeremy Fain — Tue, 12 May 2009 02:03:46 -0400

I just got out, and I want to go back.

My realistic expectations for the 2009 Dallas Cowboys is nothing short of a NFC Championship appearance.

I will go so far as to make an even bolder prediction because as it has been said, prediction is for the ego, and my ego has been suppressed long enough. It’s time for the world to feel the wrath: The Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers will meet in the conference championship in the new year.

That’s right we are taking a trip in the way back machine, at least in terms of revisiting the rivalry between the Cowboys and 49ers.

I mean, it’s been a while since the two teams have played a game with nary a scent of playoff implications.

Frankly, I miss those days.

Pour out a little liquor…Not really, I don’t even drink. So save your liquor, or better yet drink up because this article only gets better and that’s not just the scotch talking.

Hey that reminds me, did you hear the one about the dog that walks into a bar.

The bartender says, “What’ll it be, partner?”

The dog replies, “Give me a scotch, and a bowl of toilet water.”

Gulp…

What’s it going to take to exceed these expectations?

Well, obviously the only way the Cowboys can exceed these expectations is by doing what any good general manager would do. And that is take hostage the 49ers organization days before the NFC Championship, or if you want to play it safe, maybe around Halloween.

As with an organization, taking someone hostage probably isn’t a good idea. Unless of course you are La Cosa Nostra, then do whatever you want.

So barring any serious jail time, other obstacles that could keep the Cowboys from a Super Bowl appearance would be injuries to key players, which could be said for any team.

The NFL is so dynamic, one second you think one thing and the next, a star quarterback is sitting in prison.

Greatest Team Ever: 1994 San Francisco 49ers

Jeremy Fain — Sun, 10 May 2009 00:04:05 -0400

First a disclaimer: I am a San Francisco 49er fan through-and-through. But I will write about, learn about, and live Dallas Cowboys if that means getting paid to do it—My football soul is for sale.

My favorite team of all time is without a doubt the 1994 San Francisco 49ers.

This team had it all. They had a left-handed quarterback, that is a relative of Brigham Young for Pete's sake.

Young was throwing to, arguably, the greatest receiver of all-time, in Jerry Rice. And opposite Rice was the great John Taylor.

Not only that, Young had a pretty good tight-end to throw to in Brent Jones.

People used to say that he ran like a deer, I'm still not sure if they were talking about Rice or Jones.

Oh, and did they have a great backfield. William Floyd was a complete bruiser, and Ricky Watters was a joy to watch on the field.

And the defense, oh, the defense. They had a linebacker that was the son of a former boxing heavy-weight champion in Ken Norton Jr.

More importantly, they had another linebacker in Gary Plummer whose mustache alone could bench press 225-lbs, 35 times.

The defensive line was anchored by one Dana Stubblefield, and the untiring Bryant Young.

Even the secondary was top notch, thanks to the wheeling-and-dealing of Eddie DeBartolo. Deion Sanders shut down half of the field when he played. And Merton Hanks, well, it was worth watching just to see him do the Hanky-Panky.

For those reasons, the 1994-95 San Francisco 49ers were the greatest team ever assembled, at least in my opinion.