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49ers season ends with a loss to the Seahawks

Published

8 years ago

January 1, 2017

Santa Clara, CA – The 49ers did everything they could to end the season on a high note. A season riddled with injuries, controversy and in the end, another head coach on the chopping block. But this time he was accompanied by General Manager Trent Baalke who was also shown the door.

Chip Kelly is the second head coach to finish the season 2-14 in his first year. Bill Walsh also record the same record his first season. Kelly gave his best and understands this is a business in the end. Nonetheless after a compelling first half, San Francisco fell 25-23 to the Seahawks in their season finale.

“I’m supposed to meet with [Owner] Jed York after the game,” Kelly said. “We were 2-14, that’s how I would analyze the season. It’s a bottom line business, we didn’t win enough games.”

The 49ers had some miscommunication on opening drive which led to a fumble and Seattle kicking a 31-yard field goal. Colin Kaepernick was sacked on the first play. By the next he handed off the ball to Shaun Draughn, in that process Bobby Wagner forced a fumble.

“You’re going to have those ups and down in the game,” said Draughn in regards to his fumble. “You just have to put that behind you and keep the next play in your view.”

The duo quickly recovered from their mistakes and on the next series Kaepernick led his offense down field in 7 plays for 75 yards with Draughn rushing in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown making it a 7-3 game.

To start the second quarter, Draughn rushed in for another 1-yard touchdown extending the 49ers lead 14-3. Steve Hauschka kicked a total of 4 field goals, his second field goal of the day came after the Seahawks failed to convert on third down.

But another mistake by San Francisco proved costly and the Seahawks took advantage. DuJuan Harris rushed up the middle and Ahtyba Rubin forced him to fumble. Frank Clark picked up the ball and rushed for 27 yards setting up Luke Wilson 11-yd touchdown.

“We gave up two-thirds of their yards in the first two times they had the ball it seemed,” Seattle head coach Pete Carroll said. “And then the guys adjusted beautifully. I thought the 49ers played tough as hell today, they were in it all the way and battled in all three phases.”

The Seahawks were back in the game down by one. Russell Wilson went deep to Jimmy Graham for 42 yards. That setup Thomas Rawls 1-yd touchdown giving Seattle a 19-14 lead to end the half.

The 49ers offense collapsed in the third with Kaepernick getting sacked for the third time today. San Francisco defense held the Seahawks to a field goal in the third while the offense struggles continue.

The 49ers got lucky when Nolan Frese fumbled out of bounds late in the third and into the end zone for a safety. While it looked like San Francisco’s defense had given up, they held them to field goals in the second half.

The 49ers however were able to trim the lead late in the fourth when Kaepernick connected with Garrett Celek in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown making it a 25-23 game.

But too little to late for San Francisco as time ran out. As the team prepares to head into the offseason, they reflected on the year and gave their thoughts on the latest transactions that overshadowed their season and final game.

“You want to build that camaraderie and know who your going to work with every single day,” said Navarro Bowman. “Going through so many [coaches] in a short time is tough. So you have to be a professional and understand that’s apart of this lifestyle. Whatever happens the guys who are here will go out and represent this team well.”

“I appreciate Chip Kelly and what he’s done as far as coming work every single day and making sure this team stays focused and being resilient,” Kaepernick said. “Not very good circumstances on as far as how our team was playing win-loss record wise. I appreciate him working his tail off in making sure this team was prepared.”

Notes – The San Francisco 49ers announced that both Trent Baalke and Chip Kelly have been relieved of their duties. The organization has begun its search for the team’s next general manager and head coach.
49ers Chief Executive Officer Jed York will address the matter at 10:00 a.m. Monday morning in the Levi’s Stadium auditorium.

“I have informed Trent and Chip of my decision to pursue new leadership for our football team,” said York. “These types of conversations are never easy, especially when they involve people you respect personally and professionally.

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Oakland Post: Week of November 20 – 26, 2024

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of November 20 – 26, 2024

Published

10 hours ago

November 22, 2024

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PRESS ROOM: Clyburn, Pressley, Scanlon, Colleagues Urge Biden to Use Clemency Power to Address Mass Incarceration Before Leaving Office

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Mass incarceration remains a persistent, systemic injustice that erodes the soul of America. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country.

Published

1 day ago

November 21, 2024

Oakland Post

Read the letter here.

Watch the press conference here.

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman James E. Clyburn (SC-06), Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), and Congresswoman Mary Gay Scanlon (PA-05) led 60 of their colleagues in sending a letter to President Biden urging him to use his executive clemency power in the final months of his presidency to reunite families, address longstanding injustices in our legal system, and set our nation on the path toward ending mass incarceration.

The lawmakers hosted a press conference earlier today to discuss the letter. A full video of their press conference is available here and photos are available here.

“Now is the time to use your clemency authority to rectify unjust and unnecessary criminal laws passed by Congress and draconian sentences given by judges,” the lawmakers wrote in their letter. “The grant of pardons and commutations and the restoration of rights will undoubtedly send a powerful message across the country in support of fundamental fairness and furthering meaningful criminal justice reform.”

Mass incarceration remains a persistent, systemic injustice that erodes the soul of America. Our nation has the highest incarceration rate in the world, with nearly two million people locked in jails and prisons throughout the country. The extreme use of incarceration has resulted in one in two adults having had an incarcerated family member. People of color are disproportionately put behind bars, along with individuals from low-income communities, LGBTQIA+ folks, and those with disabilities. The bloated prison system reflects and emboldens biases that undermine the ideals of our nation and diminish trust in the rule of law. Mass incarceration attacks the most vulnerable Americans, thereby destabilizing families and inflicting intergenerational trauma.

In their letter to President Biden, the lawmakers praised the President’s efforts to create a fair and just criminal legal system by pardoning people convicted of simple marijuana possession and LGBTQ+ former servicemembers and urged the President to use his clemency powers to help broad classes of people and cases, including the elderly and chronically ill, those on death row, people with unjustified sentencing disparities, and women who were punished for defending themselves against their abusers. The lawmakers also outlined the fiscal toll of the growing mass incarceration crisis.

“You have the support of millions of people across the country who have felt the harms of mass incarceration: young children longing to hug their grandparents, people who have taken responsibility for their mistakes, and those who simply were never given a fair chance,” the lawmakers wrote. “These are the people seeking help that only you can provide through the use of your presidential clemency power.”

Joining Representatives Clyburn, Pressley, and Scanlon in sending the letter are Representatives Joyce Beatty, Sanford Bishop, Shontel Brown, Cori Bush, André Carson, Troy Carter, Yvette Clarke, Jasmine Crockett, Valerie Foushee, Al Green, Jahana Hayes, Steven Horsford, Jonathan Jackson, Pramila Jayapal, Henry Johnson, Sydney Kamlager-Dove, Robin Kelly, Summer Lee, Jennifer McClellan, Gregory Meeks, Delia Ramirez, Jan Schakowsky, Robert Scott, Terri Sewell, Marilyn Strickland, Bennie Thompson, Rashida Tlaib, and Bonnie Watson Coleman.

The lawmakers’ letter is supported by the American Civil Liberties Union; Center for Popular Democracy; Last Prisoner Project; Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law; Death Penalty Action; The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls; The Faith Leaders of Color Coalition; Second Chance Justice of MCAN; JustLeadershipUSA; FAMM; The Episcopal Church; The Bambi Fund; Free Billie Allen Campaign; People’s Coalition for Safety and Freedom; Prophetic Resistance Boston; and Families Against Mandatory Minimums.

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Tennessee State University Set to Debut the First Division I Hockey Team at An HBCU

THE AFRO — “I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” said Duanté Abercrombie, the head coach of the Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey team, in a press release courtesy of TSU Athletics. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”

Published

2 days ago

November 21, 2024

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By Mekhi Abbott
Special to the AFRO
mabbott@afro.com

Tennessee State University (TSU) continues to break ground on a historic journey to become the first historically Black college or university (HBCU) to field a National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I ice hockey team. Alongside some assistance from the National Hockey League (NHL), the NHL Players’ Association and the Nashville Predators, the TSU Tigers have already named their official head coach, unveiled their jersey and received their first official commitment from a student-athlete.

TSU held an official press conference to announce the plan in June 2023. Their first official season as a sanctioned Division I program is planned to commence in 2025-26. On April 18, TSU named Duanté Abercrombie as the head coach of the Tennessee State Tigers ice hockey team.

“I am incredibly excited to embark on building this program, supported by God, my family, TSU students, alumni, and all those eagerly awaiting this moment,” said Abercrombie in a press release courtesy of TSU Athletics. “I firmly believe that one day, TSU will be recognized not only as a powerhouse on the ice but also as a program whose student-athletes leave a profound legacy on the world, enriched by the lessons learned at TSU.”

Abercrombie was raised in Washington, D.C., and was mentored by hockey legend Neal Henderson, the first Black man to be inducted into the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Abercrombie attended Gonzaga College High School and graduated from Hampton University, where he was a track and field athlete prior to retiring due to an injury. After college, Abercrombie briefly played professional hockey in both the New Zealand Ice Hockey League as well as the Federal Hockey League.

After his career as a professional hockey player, Abercrombie moved onto coaching, including stints with his alma mater Gonzaga and Georgetown Preparatory School. In 2022-23, Abercrombie was a member of the coaching staff for NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs organization.

“We are no longer doing club play in 2024-25. We are going right into D1 play for 2025-26,” Nick Guerriero told the AFRO. Guerriero is the assistant athletic director of communications and creative content at Tennessee State.

On Jan. 19, TSU got their first official commitment from an ice hockey recruit, Xavier Abel. Abel played at Drury University and scored 12 goals in 34 games, including three game-winning goals. Abel was recruited by Guerriero.

In July, the Tigers got their second commitment from forward Trey Fechko. In October, Trey’s brother Marcus Fechko also committed to Tennessee State. Since, the Tigers have also signed forward Greye Rampton, goaltender Johnny Hicks, Grady Hoffman and four-star forward Bowden Singleton. Singleton flipped his commitment from North Dakota to Tennessee State. Guerriero said that TSU has a “few” other recruits that they are waiting to announce during their November signing period.

“I think it’s important to invest in these unorthodox sports for Black athletes because it allows Black children to have more opportunities to play sports in general,” said Zion Williams, a 2024 Gettysburg College graduate and former collegiate athlete. “The more opportunities that children have, the better. They won’t feel like they are boxed into one thing or sport.”