Thanks

Credit goes to JimmyPage from 49erholics Anonymous.

Bush tied Joe Horn’s franchise record by scoring all four of the Saints’ touchdowns and gained 168 total yards Sunday as New Orleans beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-10.

Most of Bush’s gains were modest, but his stunning acceleration, fancy footwork and leaping ability were evident in all of his touchdowns and numerous drive-sustaining plays. He finished with 131 yards on nine receptions and 37 yards on 10 rushes.

San Francisco was as close as 14-10 early in the third quarter after Alex Smith connected with Antonio Bryant for a 48-yard score. But Smith was done in on two subsequent passes intended for Bryant, both of which were intercepted by Mike McKenzie and led to 10 points for New Orleans.

That left Smith to watch Bush do the types of things he had seen many times before when the two were high school teammates in San Diego.

Bush’s first touchdown was a 1-yard dive over the pile, although the gain that set that up was even more impressive. The 2005 Heisman Trophy winner turned a short pass out of the backfield into a 14-yard gain by badly faking out a first defender on a stutter-step, then carrying a band of tacklers on his back down to the 1.

His second score came when Bush bounced outside and used his speed to gain the corner, stepping inside the pylon for an 8-yard touchdown run.

His slippery moves helped him snake through traffic for his third touchdown on Brees’ shovel pass on a third-and-goal from the 5.

Then he hurt the Niners by turning a short pass into a 74-yard gain to set up his fourth TD, a slicing 10-yard run in which he dived and stretched to reach the goal line while apparently getting the wind knocked out of him. After crouching for several seconds, he rose and jogged to the bench as the crowd chanted his name.

Missing leading receiver Marques Colston, who was inactive with a sprained ankle, and Joe Horn, who aggravated his previously injured groin on his first catch of the first quarter, Drew Brees failed to reach 300 yards passing for the first time in six games. He finished 17-of-28 for 186 yards.

The Saints also chose to run the ball more after taking the lead early in the second quarter, with Brees even adding a drive-extending 16-yard scramble in the third quarter.

Deuce McAllister rushed for 135 yards on 27 carries and the Saints rushed for 190 yards as a team.

The 49ers went ahead on Joe Nedney’s 29-yard field goal, finishing off a 13-play, 64-yard drive. Kick returner Michael Lewis helped New Orleans respond quickly. His 47-yard return near midfield set up a seven-play scoring drive capped by Bush’s first score to make it 7-3.

Bush’s second TD made it 14-3 at halftime.

After Bryant’s long touchdown, the 49ers caught the Saints napping and converted a clean, uncontested onside kick. But on the next play, Bryant fell down on a pass intended for him, allowing McKenzie to step in front for the interception. McKenzie returned the ball 54 yards to the San Francisco 6. The Niners forced a fourth-and-goal from the 1, and the Saints settled for John Carney’s 19-yard field goal and a 17-10 lead.

McKenzie dived in front of Bryant for his second interception on a long pass deep into Saints territory in the fourth quarter. That set up Bush’s long run and final touchdown, which made it 31-10.

Smith, who was sacked four times, finished 14-of-28 for 171 yards. The Saints’ held Frank Gore to only 40 yards rushing and 28 yards receiving.

There is concern about the impact the injury will have on the remainder of Johnson’s season. The club believes it is an MCL injury, which is not a significant injury, but something that could take three weeks or so to heal. And with five games remaining in the regular season, the club might have a decision to make.

Source: [John Clayton]

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Antonio Bryant was arrested Sunday night on suspicion of drunken driving, resisting arrest and speeding after he was pulled over for driving more than 100 mph on Highway 101 and then became “belligerent,” police said today.

A San Mateo City police officer saw Bryant, 25, in Redwood City just before midnight Sunday driving north on the freeway in a 2005 Lamborghini at speeds “well over 100 mph,” Capt. Kevin Raffaelli said. Bryant got off the freeway at Kehoe Avenue in San Mateo and stopped on a side street, Raffaelli said.

“He was initially contacted for reckless driving and excessive speed … but officers noticed signs that he was under the influence and tried to get him to cooperate,” Raffaelli said. “He was extremely uncooperative and belligerent to officers.”

Based on “objective signs” that he was intoxicated, the officers attempted to arrest Bryant for driving under the influence, he said. But the wide receiver “became combative,” Raffaelli said, and refused to get into the police car.

“He ultimately had to be restrained and placed in the car,” Raffaelli said. “He was pretty verbally abusive and derogatory.”

The exchange was recorded on audio tape, he said.

The officer who first spotted Bryant’s car was unable to catch up to it, Raffaelli said. A second officer saw the car a few minutes later and pulled it over near Kehoe Avenue.

Ultimately, eight officers and two sergeants responded to the scene of the arrest, Raffaelli said.

Bryant was booked into San Mateo County Jail in Redwood City at 2:50 a.m. Monday and was released four hours later, according to jail officials. Bail was set at $5,000, but Bryant was released on his own recognizance.

The San Mateo County district attorney’s office has not made a decision about what charges, if any, to file against Bryant. He is scheduled to be arraigned Dec. 28 at 9 a.m.

The 49ers issued a statement today saying, “We are aware of the off-field situation involving Antonio Bryant. Due to the nature of the incident, the 49ers are withholding further comment at this time.”

Gore rushed for a franchise-record 212 yards, and San Francisco’s maligned defense stopped the Seattle Seahawks three times in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the 49ers’ third straight victory, 20-14.

Alex Smith passed for 163 yards, threw a TD pass and rushed for another score for the 49ers (5-5), who went scoreless in the second half. But they still hung on to snap a six-game losing streak against their NFC West rivals, the defending conference champs.

Arnaz Battle caught a TD pass and Smith rushed for a score as San Francisco jumped to a 20-0 halftime lead. But the Niners’ first three-game winning streak since 2002 wasn’t secure until its defense—which has given up just 30 points in its last 3 1/2 games—stopped Seattle’s final three drives with a fourth-down tackle, an interception and the clock running out.

Gore broke Charlie Garner’s team record of 201 yards on a 17-yard romp in the final seconds, but only after he fumbled to give Seattle (6-4) its second last-minute chance.

Seneca Wallace passed for 239 yards and hit Deion Branch and Darrell Jackson for long second-half touchdowns, but he threw three interceptions. And the Seahawks got little boost from having Alexander and Matt Hasselbeck back in uniform.

Alexander, the reigning league MVP who hadn’t played in two months, managed just 37 yards on 17 carries in his first game back from a broken foot. Hasselbeck, who hurt his knee last month, dressed but didn’t play behind Wallace, who threw the interceptions but was mostly solid.

The 49ers first tackled Alexander on fourth down at the 36 with 1:52 left, ending a disorganized drive. But Gore, who fumbled four times in four games earlier in the season, coughed it up on the next play.

Wallace then threw his third interception directly to cornerback Walt Harris. But San Francisco’s Joe Nedney, who had never missed a field goal shorter than 30 yards before blowing two in this game, hooked a 27-yarder with 34 seconds left.

But the Seahawks ran out of time, with Wallace failing to get them over midfield on four plays.

Gore, the second-year pro from Miami whose injury history scared off other teams in last year’s draft, passed the 1,000-yard mark in his breakout season, gashing the Seattle defense for repeated long gains. The Seahawks’ tackling was atrocious, prompting several furious sideline tirades by coach Mike Holmgren.

Battle caught a 9-yard TD pass after Wallace’s second interception, and Smith scored on a 1-yard lunge later in San Francisco’s 17-point second quarter. Running mostly behind linemen Larry Allen and Jonas Jennings, Gore picked up 130 yards in the first half.

Seattle opened the second half with a scoring drive ending in Branch’s 38-yard TD catch. The teams traded punts until Wallace spotted Jackson down the Seattle sideline with 6:40 to play, throwing a 41-yard TD pass to pull Seattle within six points.

At halftime, the 49ers held an official retirement ceremony for receiver Jerry Rice, who signed a one-day contract before the season with the club that was his home for 16 of his 20 record-setting NFL seasons.