GORE 'EM

Nolan took his lumps about his defense Monday and Tuesday but he wasn't shy about mentioning the lopsided time of possession and the lack of action for Frank Gore. Nolan talked about this at his Monday news conference and more stridently on his radio stint Tuesday on KNBR's Morning Show with Murph and Mac.

Along with saying his defense had to stop the opposition on third down, Nolan also said, "The offense needs to stay on the field longer. We were able to run the ball better than we thought we would be able to going into the game. If we had had more opportunity we would have been able to show it."

He's right. I don't see the Patriots enough to know if they use their goofy two-lineman, three-linebacker and six defensive-back alignment all the time. They used it a lot against the 49ers, even against the 49ers' two-receivers looks. This defense is basically begging the 49ers to run. It would be interesting to see if Miami's "wildcat" formation was used against this defense two weeks ago when the Dolphins upset New England. The wildcat puts three (or four receivers out there if you count the quarterback) with a direct shotgun hike to the running back who then takes off. The 49ers used the wildcat once against the Patriots 2-3-6, and Frank Gore gained an easy 7 yards. Why not keep using it until the Patriots prove they can stop it?

(sfgate.com)