Kyle Williams Wins the Roger Craig NFC Championship Achievement Award!

WTCG · January 22, 2012 1:07PM

10 points directly coming off of Kyle Williams mistakes. Amazing how one goat on the roster can torpedo a season.

In kiddie football your coaches teach you one fundamental rule: HANG ON TO THE FOOTBALL!

Oh yes, I'm thoroughly ticked off.

perkdog · January 22, 2012 1:49PM

You should be ticked off, that guy completely cost SF the game.

The last Fumble could have happened to anyone, misfortune or whatever you want to call it the defender hit it just right and the ball was knocked loose but that Punt Return when the ball clearly hit his knee and he walked away was one of the worst plays ive seen in a long time, that idiot should have been getting as far away as possible from that ball.

WTCG · January 22, 2012 1:59PM

This is what happens when the normal punt/ kickoff returner (Ted Ginn) is out with injury. In both plays he shouldn't have been less than 10 yards away from the ball. The OT fumble was in field goal range. There's the season in a nutshell.

I wasn't at today's game but I was at the Roger Craig fumble game in the 1990 NFC Championship which killed the race for the 3-peat. After that game Roger Craig was run out of town straight to the L.A. Raiders. I was in grade school back then but I still have bad memories from that afternoon.

Connecticoin · January 22, 2012 9:09PM

Didn't they have anyone else who could return punts? The Patriots use Edelman, Welker and Woodhead (I think one other as well) so if one of them starts stinking up the field, then Belechick would use one of the others.

perkdog · January 23, 2012 12:21AM

<< Didn't they have anyone else who could return punts? The Patriots use Edelman, Welker and Woodhead (I think one other as well) so if one of them starts stinking up the field, then Belechick would use one of the others. >>

Williams was probably their best option, aside from that fumble and that moronic punt return he did get them in good field position on a few of his returns.

PowderedH2O · January 23, 2012 5:16AM

I was at the Roger Craig game too. I don't look at them the same way. Roger Craig was a big part of why the Niners won as much as they did. Plus, he got hit pretty well by a legendary defense to force the fumble. The Giants still had to drive 30+ yards to get into field goal range (which they did). Yesterday, Williams fumbled twice. Once he wasn't even touched and just let the ball hit his knee. In both cases, the Giants were already in scoring position. I felt sorry for the kid, but if he was that crappy of a punt returner maybe Harbaugh should have put somebody else back there. Even if just to make fair catches.

digicat · January 23, 2012 6:16AM

It's the Kyle Williams NFC Championship Achievement Award now.

Roger Craig accomplished a lot of good during his career, helping the Niners to 3 Super Bowl victories. If he showed up at Candlestick, he'd be treated as royalty. His fumble wasn't the defining play of his career.

For Kyle Williams though, those two fumbles ARE his career.

ziggy29 · January 23, 2012 7:20AM

<< It's the Kyle Williams NFC Championship Achievement Award now. >>

Yep -- but only for the NFC, since the AFC equivalent is already engraved with Earnest Byner's name.

57loaded · January 23, 2012 7:50AM

<< 
Roger Craig fumble game in the 1990 NFC Championship which killed the race for the 3-peat. I was in grade school back then but I still have bad memories from that afternoon. >>

i still have bad memories, too. i know you remember that Joe was knocked out and Steve Young came in..so you have a "this is what happens" scenario, too.

what DID happen was a play was called 90-O(?) or something like that it was designed for a handoff from a right handed QB. There was an alternate play 91-O(?) for a left handed QB...but it was never run during regular season or practice. Young's hand-off was somewhat twisted and not as clean as it should have been.

ask Gruden he was on the 49er sidelines working as a "quality control" coach under Holmgren and knew it was the wrong play for Young to execute.

Williams did make a bonehead play earlier in the game, still i think he's a goat, just like Craig.

ziggy29 · January 23, 2012 7:54AM

<< what DID happen was a play was called 90-O(?) or something like that it was designed for a handoff from a right handed QB. There was an alternate play 91-O(?) for a left handed QB...but it was never run during regular season or practice. Young's hand-off was somewhat twisted and not as clean as it should have been. >>

These sound like plays named by Morgan Dollar aficionados...

WTCG · January 23, 2012 8:19AM

<< 

<< 
Roger Craig fumble game in the 1990 NFC Championship which killed the race for the 3-peat. I was in grade school back then but I still have bad memories from that afternoon. >>

i still have bad memories, too. i know you remember that Joe was knocked out and Steve Young came in..so you have a "this is what happens" scenario, too.

what DID happen was a play was called 90-O(?) or something like that it was designed for a handoff from a right handed QB. There was an alternate play 91-O(?) for a left handed QB...but it was never run during regular season or practice. Young's hand-off was somewhat twisted and not as clean as it should have been.

ask Gruden he was on the 49er sidelines working as a "quality control" coach under Holmgren and knew it was the wrong play for Young to execute.

Williams did make a bonehead play earlier in the game, still i think he's a goat, just like Craig. >>

I'm a lot less analytical about the Roger Craig incident. On that drive his one and only objective was to hang on to the football and run down the clock. At that time Craig was an experienced veteran who should have and could have made necessary adjustments from a righty handoff to a lefty handoff. If I recall the handoff from Steve Young was clean and Roger Craig had clean, undisputed possession of the ball. The defense went after the football and after the hit it came loose.

Roger Craig had many great years with the 49ers but that one play basically erased years worth of good memories.

PowderedH2O · January 23, 2012 8:53AM

Earnest Byner is not that different from Roger Craig. He had a nice career. He DID win a Super Bowl (and actually scored a touchdown). I'm sure we will never forget that fumble, but Byner went on to have many more good years in the NFL.

digicat · January 23, 2012 9:03AM

<< Roger Craig had many great years with the 49ers but that one play basically erased years worth of good memories. >>

I forgave him. That mistake didn't re-define Roger Craig's standing with me.

<< Earnest Byner is not that different from Roger Craig. He had a nice career. He DID win a Super Bowl (and actually scored a touchdown). I'm sure we will never forget that fumble, but Byner went on to have many more good years in the NFL. >>

Heh, I actually had to do a google search on "Earnest Byner" to help me remember what he did.

If it's on another team, it usually takes something along the lines of Leon Lett's gaffes to make me remember it forever.

57loaded · January 23, 2012 9:15AM

<< 
I'm a lot less analytical about the Roger Craig incident. On that drive his one and only objective was to hang on to the football and run down the clock. At that time Craig was an experienced veteran who should have and could have made necessary adjustments from a righty handoff to a lefty handoff. If I recall the handoff from Steve Young was clean and Roger Craig had clean, undisputed possession of the ball. The defense went after the football and after the hit it came loose.

Roger Craig had many great years with the 49ers but that one play basically erased years worth of good memories. >>

i only discovered this trivia and comentary a few weeks ago..

it did look pretty clean to me, too. that he had full possesion. and i agree with your last statement above 100%, regardless of who what where when and why. i still almost cringe when i hear his name...and i shouldn't. the Super Bowl had three-peat written all over it, even with Steve Young at QB, instead of Joe.

ziggy29 · January 23, 2012 9:30AM

<< Earnest Byner is not that different from Roger Craig. He had a nice career. He DID win a Super Bowl (and actually scored a touchdown). I'm sure we will never forget that fumble, but Byner went on to have many more good years in the NFL. >>

True. Of course, Byner was only 25 when he famously fumbled; Craig was 30 which is a little long in the tooth for most featured backs.

Toro · January 25, 2012 4:25AM

<< Roger Craig had many great years with the 49ers but that one play basically erased years worth of good memories. >>

You must be a tough person to make happy. I suppose the other three NFC Championships and Super Bowls are bad memories now?

digicat · January 25, 2012 5:15AM

Any weakness becomes a target on the football field, but players don't usually brag about it. This time though...

<< "The thing is, we knew he had four concussions, so that was our biggest thing, was to take him outta the game," said Jacquian Williams, who forced the second fumble, in overtime, to set up New York's game-winning field goal.

"He's had a lot of concussions," said Devin Thomas, who recovered both fumbles. "We were just like, `We gotta put a hit on that guy.'" Later in the same interview, he told the Newark Star-Ledger that teammate and backup safety Tyler Sash "did a great job hitting him early and he looked kind of dazed when he got up. I feel like that made a difference and he coughed it up." >>

What do you think would happen if these guys said the same things about Payton Manning next year? Just remove "concussions" and insert "neck injury."

WTCG · January 25, 2012 5:31AM

<< What do you think would happen if these guys said the same things about Payton Manning next year? Just remove "concussions" and insert "neck injury." >>

In an interview earlier in the year Brian Urlacher said something about doing that to players he knew had injuries and got some heat for it.

WTCG · January 25, 2012 5:36AM

<< 

<< Roger Craig had many great years with the 49ers but that one play basically erased years worth of good memories. >>

You must be a tough person to make happy. I suppose the other three NFC Championships and Super Bowls are bad memories now? >>

Just like customers of the airlines and service industry, people never remember the countless positive memories and dwell on the memorably negative ones. Right or wrong that's just what happens.

At least with Roger Craig we have those three other Super Bowl performances to fall back on. Kyle Williams, not so much.

firstbase23 · January 30, 2012 7:54AM

It should actually probably be called the Preston Riley Postseason Torpedo award. Since he fumbled the onside kick against Dallas in '72.

digicat · March 5, 2012 3:46AM

<< << "The thing is, we knew he had four concussions, so that was our biggest thing, was to take him outta the game," said Jacquian Williams, who forced the second fumble, in overtime, to set up New York's game-winning field goal.

"He's had a lot of concussions," said Devin Thomas, who recovered both fumbles. "We were just like, `We gotta put a hit on that guy.'" Later in the same interview, he told the Newark Star-Ledger that teammate and backup safety Tyler Sash "did a great job hitting him early and he looked kind of dazed when he got up. I feel like that made a difference and he coughed it up." >>

What do you think would happen if these guys said the same things about Payton Manning next year? Just remove "concussions" and insert "neck injury." >>

Notice that the coverage of the Saints' "Bounty System" tends to focus on the fact that Favre was one of the targets.

I'm not sure which is worse, or if they're the same:

Player 1: "Lets hit the guy with the history of concussions and see if we can take him out."
Player 2: "$5k to the man who knocks the other team's guy from the game. $10k if he leaves the game on a stretcher!"

Kyle Williams Wins the Roger Craig NFC Championship Achievement Award!

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