49ers 13, Cardinals 19: Grades

SANTA CLARA

Here are the grades for the San Francisco 49ers’ 19-13 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

GABBERT: C. Played scared in the first half, and threw short of the first-down marker on third down all game. Badly underthrew a deep pass to Quinton Patton – a better pass would have resulted in a big play. Instead, the result was an interception. In the third quarter Gabbert played better, completing seven passes in a row. But, he reverted to the Old Gabbert in the fourth quarter. On third-and-10 with the game on the line, Gabbert took a sack instead of throwing the ball away. Next play, Gabbert threw an 18-yard pass on fourth-and-20. He is who we thought he was.

RUNNING BACKS: B. Starting running back Shaun Draughn gained 86 yards from scrimmage. He is surprisingly explosive and agile for a guy who was on the street this season.

WIDE RECEIVERS: B. Anquan Boldin outperformed Larry Fitzgerald and caught eight passes. Torrey Smith caught just two passes and committed three penalties.

TIGHT ENDS: A-. Vance McDonald dropped a pass early in the game, but redeemed himself by catching six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. He is the 49ers’ best red-zone threat.

OFFENSIVE LINE: C. Created very little running room after the first drive, but gave up only two sacks.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A-. Allowed only 70 rushing yards only one week after giving up 255. Didn’t generate much pressure, though.

LINEBACKERS: A-. Starting outside linebackers Aaron Lynch and Corey Lemonier each hit Carson Palmer twice, although neither sacked him. Starting inside linebackers NaVorro Bowman and Michael Wilhoite were in the zone against the run, although Wilhoite committed a penalty on a pass play in the end zone.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A-. Gave up zero touchdown passes and allowed a passer rating of just 80.3. Coming into the game, Palmer had thrown 27 touchdown passes, and his passer rating was 108.6.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C. Bruce Ellington fumbled a punt which the Cardinals recovered.

COACHES: C. Eric Mangini was fantastic. Geep Chryst was not. He coached scared. Called quick passes on third down instead of max-protection plays which would have given Gabbert time to throw past the first-down marker. Head coach Jim Tomsula wasn’t much better than Chryst. Tomsula got his players to play hard, but not disciplined. The Niners committed 13 penalties—one a result of Torrey Smith standing too close to the field and knocking into an official. Never would have happened under Jim Harbaugh.

This article has 400 Comments

  1. Gabbert looked much better than a C, especially when grading on a curve because the Cardinals pass defense is top 4.

    1. Also the “threw an 18 yard pass on fourth and 20” should be a criticism of the route, not the quarterback.

      1. exactly. here is anquan boldin’s statement: “There’s a clock going off in your head and you have to break or else they’ll get to the quarterback by that time,” Boldin said. “I tried to get as deep as I can and make a break on it.”

        it takes two to tango, can’t blame gabbert alone. but grant is on a mission to take down gabbert. grant can’t stomach any little success that gabbert achieves. gabbert was serviceable and actually moved the offense. everyone can see that…but grant is blurred with this single point agenda (TAKE DOWN GABBERT).

    2. Grant is just starting to set it up so he can take down the latest niner QB in a few weeks. Like daddy like son.

    3. Agreed, tkamB,

      Grant writes like he wants Gabbert to fail. The weak O line and floundering receivers make it difficult for a strong performance by any QB. In my opinion. Gabbert continues to improve and puts this team in a much higher position than Kaep could have, especially at this point in the season. They can’t really win much of anything but, when the season is over, decent head coaches and quality free agents might look at this team and say, “hey, I could go there and make a difference, a big difference with serious playoff potential”. Sorry Jim and Geep, ya gotta go but the rest of this team is slowly building on something special. No doubt, Mangini is beginning to impress .Press box view and coordinating position shows promise.
      Keep it up.

      1. Next week he will say we should sign Gabbert to a 10 year extension now,he is the best QB in the league right now

    4. Agree, how do you give them a C. Gabbert threw for a career high 300+ yards and a had a QB rating of 94 and completed nearly 70 percent of his passes against a very good defense.

      Thats a C? With that RB and offensive line? Rediculous. A an easy B performance.

  2. Gabbert played well against a very good defense. His movement in the pocket was outstanding. A C for that performance is absurd. He wasnt great but he was good. He deserves a B to B+

    1. He completed 70 percent of his passes and had a 94 qb rating. He outplayed Palmer for christs sake and did against a far superior defense. Grant is a hater.

  3. “He is who we thought he was.”

    Well, depends on the person I guess. Most people thought he was completely incompetent. He’s shown he is at least a competent QB over 3 games, albeit not a good QB. He can move the team, and get some points on the board, despite not having much of a running game to support him. Just don’t ask him to win you the game without help. Perfect backup QB material.

    You said it yourself the other day – the poor pocket QB play of Kaep has meant all Gabbert needed to do was show he wasn’t incompetent from the pocket for fans to be happy with him… for now.

    1. Scooter:

      The announcers said something that stayed with me. They said that this is the first game Mangini has called from up in the booth instead of down on the field. When you’re up in the booth it’s much easier to see the entire field and get perspective on what is happening. I’m hoping this helped him call a better game and he will start calling defensive games from up in the booth.

      1. You could be right, cubus. If he decided to make that switch you have to think he did it because he thought he’d be afforded a better vantage.

        In saying that, the 49ers have yet to give up more than 20 points in a game at home this season. It could just have been a carryover of a D that has mostly played well at home all year. Now if only they could fix up their road woes…

      2. Mangini doesn’t have a lot of pieces to work with, but every now and then the Niner defense looks impressive. And they played with fire and emotion.
        The Niner offense is slightly less dysfunctional with Gabbert under center. There’s no rhythm to the play-calling.
        Gabbert is not horrible, also not great. Better then the guy he replaced but I’m not convinced he’s the answer, but it looks like he can at least do the job.

        He does have a pretty quick release though, and can scramble and make plays. I don’t think he played scared at all. He just made quick reads for check downs. In the 2nd half he took deeper drops and they did a lot of play-action.

        The O-line held up pretty good against a good solid defense.

        Jimmy T is not a good coach. He should go. Give Mangini a chance. I doubt anyone better will take the job.

        1. The same Mangini who allowed 255yds last week? Why don’t you let him win on the road in Chicago next week and in Detroit as well as Cleveland before we hand him the job. He would be an upgrade over JT.

  4. Gabbert played pretty well today. Seems like you are holding a persona lgrudge against him. He turn down an interview or something? 69 comp %. 8.8 YPA, with virtually no playmakers on offense. That’s at least a B performance.

  5. “He is who we thought he was….”

    15 yard penalty for unnecessary snarkiness.

    Solid B+ for an excellent performance against a usually dominant defense. And you can lose the royal “we” junior… ;- )

  6. Gabbert’s grade is about right. However, the game plan is too conservative. They need to throw more on 1sr down and try to throw 15-20 yards down the field in the 1st half.
    I also think they need to use Miller more.
    Hard to judge BG in total because of the play calling.

  7. “He is who we thought he was”

    LOL. Dude throws for over 300 yds for only the second time in his career so I doubt he’s playing like anyone thought he could.

    1. Agree, Jack. He still makes a boneheaded throw or two a game and he shouldn’t have taken that sack, but he’s still substantially better than Kap. But sometimes I wonder if I’ve become too used to Kap’s subpar performances these last couple of years and maybe I’m being too kind with Gabbert.

          1. Grant, a C GRADE for Gabbert is just plain stupid! For once in your life, can you simply let your eyeballs do the evaluating? Blaine Gabbert didn’t simply outplay Palmer statistically. When you consider what Blaine is working with, you realize how much more accomplished his performance was.

            He’s playing behind a worse OL, his receiving corp is worse, and he is handing the ball off to a RB who wasn’t even on the roster to start the season. Factor that into his 94.4 Passer Rating, and what you end up with is not a c grade!

            And if you don’t understand that the 4th down pass which came up 1.5 yards short of the first down to end the game, was on Boldin and not Gabbert, your covering the wrong sport. SERIOUSLY!

            Gabbert has to trust that his veteran WR is going to get to the marker to make the first down. Anyone who knows anything about football knows that’s Boldin’s mistake, not Gabbert.

            GRANT, YOU ARE WHO WE THOUGHT YOU WERE!

            1. He should not have taken the late sack. I’ll give you that.

              But, once again, your lack of football knowledge is hampering the quality of your blog!

          2. Grant, et al.

            I think it’s a little odd to be ripping Blaine Gabbert. He looks highly functional in the pocket, and has been delivering the ball mainly on time and on target. He misses some deep throws, on which he appears hesitant to really wind up and chuck it, but remember, this is his 3rd start in the last 2 seasons. Plus, his WRs are trash (Martavis Bryant would have been nice) and his OL and OC are amongst the worst in the NFL. I want to see him given an opportunity to play a full season with the benefit of decent protection, WRs, and playcalling and a full offseason to prepare as a starter.

            Also, given that Pittsburgh gave up 39 points to Seattle, we might want to revisit last week’s impression of the 49ers defensive output.

            All is for naught, however, if Jed fails to fire Baalke and Tomsula, which he won’t do. I used to think Tomsula was like Arians in demeanor, and that that mattered, but then I realized that Arians is a QB and offensive mastermind, and that Tomsula is a mouth-breathing grunter, and little else.

            With $60M in Kaep room next offseason and a high draft pick, Jed should have already fired both Baalke and Tomsula and placed a big banner ad out, and hired the equivalent of Jerry West to consult on the team’s next hiring moves.

          3. Whats odd is you not giving him his credit while riding your daddies horrible legacy as if its a good thing.

          4. It is odd how people want to defend the starter that was second string.

            It’s understandable from the standpoint that Gabbert is better than Kaepernick, and certainly looks much, much more like a winning “Niner Quarterback,” known for being cool under pressure (Brodie and Montana).

            But the bottom line for a quarterback to be “B” or better is to threaten the better team’s chances of victory in a way so signficant that it makes you wish the quarterback was somebody else.

            These “threats” from the past are “B” players in losses and “A” players in wins. not the top five, but just hard to deal with nightmares. Remember the Chris Millers and Bobby Heberts. Those type of players can make you crazy, and they are “B” in close losses and “A” in wins because they threaten to take the game away from the better team.

        1. Most things in life are relative Grimey. The standard for Gabbert right now is Kap, but at some point it will switch to Brady, Rogers, etc.

            1. Considering the circunstances, I think ok is really good.

              I’d like to see him have a better OC, a decent running game, and a full offseason to build chemistry with the O (and also a playbook tailored to his strenghts) before pass any judgments about his future.

              But right now he looks like he might be able to be an above average QB down the road with a decent supporting cast.

              The problem is that people still expect him to revert to his Jax days at anytime.

              If he was a draftee that sat for 2-3 years and now was getting the chance to start, people would be pretty excited about the potential for development.

          1. Palmer is one of the best QB’s in the game right now…. and Gabbert performed better than he did yesterday.

            Next.

              1. “Palmer led his offense to 19 points with no running game.”

                They got 6 points on scoring drives that covered a whopping 19 and 31 yards. Impressive.

              2. That’s a weak counter-argument Grant. The refs stole a down and his lunch money too!
                Gabbert is playing well with the hand that he’s been dealt. He’s going to be inconsistent until he gets a few more games.
                Palmer outplayed Gabbert because he made the clutch throws when he had to. Even with the gimme no delay of game penalty, and he was stumbling, that was an impressive throw. Gabber’s deep throw was under thrown.
                Gabbert is a work in progress, much like Kaep, but he’s on the upswing, where as Kaep was all regression.

        2. When you’ve been chewing on a turd even a dried up overcooked steak tastes like filet mignon. Give their taste buds time to realize their still eating turds.

        3. He’s a much maligned backup QB who walked into a dumpster fire behind one of the worst OLs in football and Shaun Draughn as his running back and has performed competently to keep the team watchable while still losing games to keep the 49ers rising in the draft order. What isn’t there to be happy about?

        4. Its a heckuva lot better than 2 pick sixes on the first 2 passes. Its a matter of perspective.

        5. I’m glad he didn’t throw two pick sixes to open the game against this same team like our previous starter did. What about you?

      1. I think fan expectations of Gabbert (which were mostly very low) and Kaep’s poor play have meant that we the fans are happy with decent QB play from Gabbert.

        I’ve not watched the game, and a C grade may be harsh, but from what I have read of the game it sounds like he made quite a few bad throws and mistakes, along with some good plays. If we had expectations of good QB play, we’d probably be pretty harsh on him for the mistakes and less inclined to give him props for doing what any decent starting QB is expected to do.

        1. I don’t understand how you’re judging him without having watched the game. Gabbert played well, does that mean he’s a long term starter? No. I don’t understand why people are so hesitant to acknowledge that Gabbert’s been playing well. He outplayed Palmer in this game with a much weaker supporting cast and against a much tougher defense.

              1. Read the comment in its entirety again. Its a statement on how we would judge him if we had expectations of him being a good QB. Not a judgement in and of itself. It was designed to address cubus’ question about whether he is being too kind on Gabbert.

              2. “we the fans are happy with decent QB play from Gabbert.” This isn’t a judgment of his play? But I don’t feel like arguing semantics, if you didn’t mean to judge his play then whatever.

              3. The only intended judgement of him was in my initial post in this thread. “He’s shown he is at least a competent QB over 3 games, albeit not a good QB.” And that was meant to read not “necessarily” a good QB. It was my response to Grant regarding him being what we thought he was, and that I don’t think that is accurate as most people thought he was incompetent.

                I have watched 2 games of his and based on what I have read of this game it sounds like that remains a fair statement.

                My comments about “we the fans are happy with decent QB play from Gabbert” is just a statement/ observation. Gabbert doesn’t need to do much to impress people other than be decent. His first two games are testimony to that. If he plays better than that, fantastic.

              4. Scooter, if you look at the stats, Gabbert was 25/36 for 318 yds, 8.8 yds per pass, 1TD, 1 Int, with a 94.4 rating, and several WR drops.
                That deserves at least a B- grade.

        2. Not true. He did more, with less, than Carson Palmer.

          If you went into the game blind, not knowing which QB was having an MVP type season, and which is starting his 3rd game in 2 years, you would have been forgiven if you couldn’t tell the difference.

          So yes, a C GRADE is harsh, and just plain stupid. Grant basis part of his thinking by blaming the wrong player for a crucial mistake. The 4th down throw that came up 1.5 yards short, was in fact, BOLDIN’S fault. not Gabbert.

          That makes your grade for gabbert, STUPID, with a capitol S!

      2. Of course we have Cubus.

        I really couldn’t care less what grade Grant gave him, I just don’t think anyone thought Gabbert could play at the level he did today is all. Go back and read the comments from before each of his starts. Full of doubters and all he’s done is improve each week.

      3. No, your being toot kind to Chryst. Gabbert isnt a Hall of Famer, But i look at Playcalling, and it is poor-as it was in San Diego where he came from. Who put him there rather than Gase????? Baalke.

        1. Greg Roman would be gold for Blaine Gabbert. In fact any right minded OC would be good for him!

          1. That shows how little you do know about the game.

            First off, the 7 yard pass on a down that needs 8 is on A) The OC for calling routes that run short of the sticks & B) the WR for running a route just 1 yard short. Its quite possible that the ONLY player open, or with potential to be open, is the underneath WR/RB/TE. Defenses are letting that be open and taking chances with a 1 on 1 scenario between wr and db as to if it gets a 1st down. If the QB goes to the guys who are running past the sticks, usually they are being doubled or have safety help over the top, so its a pick or an incomplete pass.

            But lets not let reality get in the way…because real life is just like Madden.

            1. Maybe you have selected memory, but I remember Alex throwing those checkdown passes that may have been completions, but seemed to always be just 1 yard short so they would have to punt.
              Funny, there were many other QBs who seem to throw the ball past the sticks for a first down, and I hope their OC told them to do that, so now you are saying that Alex’s OCs were purposefully setting him up to fail.
              Go ahead and believe your narrative. I am just remembering past history that was burned into my memory because I was so frustrated that the Niners could not make a first down, and always seemed to come 1 yard short.

            2. Thanks MJ! It feels good to know that I am not the only one who realizes GRANT’S reasoning is flawed.

              I put 95% of the blame on the WR, and 5% on the OC. I think the play was designed to get passed the sticks, Boldin simply misjudged it.

              What people who understand the fundamentals of the game do know 100% for certain, it’s not GABBERT’S FAULT!

              So where does that leave Grant?

          2. throwing 7 yards when you need 8 is a little different than throwing 18 when you need 20. I would explain it, but I doubt it would make a difference for you.

        2. Jack

          He’s light years better than Shaun Hill ever was, and far better than Alex was at 26. The best comparison is Alex, though, and yet Blaine is doing this with 1 season as Geep Chryst as his QB coach and 1 season with Steve what’s his name, and with Harbaugh as the coach in name only for 1 season. If it is to be believed that Harbaugh is a QB whisperer (I still don’t buy it), then what Gabbert has shown in 3 games since getting the chance to revive his career (without Harbaugh) is far better than what Smith accomplished in the same circumstance with Harbaugh.

          1. Razor

            Carson Palmer is one the NFL’s best throwers of the deep ball and the Cardinals have the fastest and most diverse WR corps in the NFL, not to mention a stable of good RBs and an offensive play-caller who is the envy of the league.

            That is what Blaine should aspire to be (Carson) and what the 49ers should aspire to get him (Arians/Gase).

            I, for one, am jacked to see the Chicago game. It’ll be interesting to see Chryst/Mangini juxtaposed against Gase/Fangio.

      1. How many Razor? Try 8.07 yards per attempt. That’s good enough to rank 11th in the NFL in “downfield” throws!

    2. Do they give out effort earned TD’s if you rack up a certain number of yards because otherwise what difference does it make if he threw 300 or 30 or 500?

        1. Well alright now, I can appreciate that you just gotta let a guy know what angle were looking at this from. :)

        2. Grant & Jack

          I’d be interested to see what you might come up with if you could play GM for this upcoming offseason, given the 49ers amazing $60M in play money.

  8. Normally I do not comment on others opinion because everyone is entitled, but I just have to wonder if Grant had one to many libations or is he intentionally antagonizing the reader. Typically Grant’s comments have a far better sense of logic, but to a degree this article is a Hodge-podge of contradictory statements and tripe-sorry Grant. Perhaps the Bleacher Report is calling.

    1. Not sure where you’ve been. Grant always seems to have an ax to grind. He is a petulant child with a keyboard and a blog built by Maiocco and he’s not afraid to use it.

        1. And a six point loss vs a 40 point loss the last time they played this same team. For a rebuilding team, I’ll take that every time.

        2. How is it we can read Barrow’s, Lynch, Maiocco and Inmann’ work and not get a sense of immature, petulance and anger like we do with Grant Cohn?

          1. Because, God bless him, Grant was raised by and grew up with the legendary Emperor of Snark, Lowell Cohn. And Grant still lives under the same roof as Lowell, I believe. Their articles often read as though they’ve been devised at the same dining room table.

            Wouldn’t really care for a world that scoffs at Lowell Cohn. I’m still hopeful Iggy can age as well as dad.

        3. Grant was handed the keys to this blog because of his daddy, much like Jed. He’s writes emotional articles like he’s posting a Facebook comment. I’ve bitten my tongue for the time he’s babysat this blog but long for a return of maiocco or even barber. Anyone with an ounce of credibility. You’d never hear a professional like maiocco use words like “pathetic” in the play by play of the game like Grant did today.

        4. Grant

          Admit that Baalke’s abject failure to draft or acquire competent WRs is affecting any and all 49ers QBs’ capacity to put up points.

          (But don’t mention Brady in comparison, because he’s the only QB in history to be anywhere close to Montana).

          1. Gabbert’s top-three receivers played well yesterday, as did his top-two tight ends. #Gabbertscues

        5. 13 points ….. Against one of the best defenses in the league without a good offensive line and with a RB who was watching the NFL at home three weeks ago.

          Grant, are you seriously this obtuse? I would think someone who only has a job writing for a very small paper because of his daddy might be able to respect an actual good accomplishment. Because your journalism would earn you a D- at best.

  9. 3 games under Gabbert and the offense is averaging 14 points a game. What did the team average before Gabbert? 14 points a game. It would actually be less if they hadn’t found a way to score 17 against that awesome Falcons defense.

    There have been five games this season where our QB has posted a QBR of 90 or higher and we’ve lost 4 of those games. Efficient play from the QB doesn’t equal wins with this team. Until this offense comes up with a playmaker we’ll continue to be a 13 points a game team.

    Thankfully our GM is brilliant at drafting offensive playmakers.

    1. CFC thanks for being someone around here who is reasonable on this. Gabbert played fine but the results aren’t any different. It may be less painful to watch for now.

      1. It may be less painful to watch for now.
        ————–
        There is a certain value to that when you are just trying to get out of a season without slitting your wrists. Still, 13 points a game makes ya want to go watch Basketball.

        1. Gabbert, does just enough to get us beat. Sound familiar ? Bill Walsh said the same thing about Steve DeBerg …..just my 2 cents

        2. Im telling you–watching Baalke make four years of horrible picks, watching this coaching staffs product does make me want to slit my wrists!!!!!! I need to drop the 9ers on Sunday……….

      2. In the 3 games before Gabbert took over they averaged 11.3 pts and had a 6 point and 3 point game.

        Also, Baalke traded away Vernon Davis before Gabbert was able to take over…..

        1. Vernon Davis? They traded Vernon Davis, the touchdown machine? A travesty that Gabbert didn’t get to utilize him….

            1. No need for a sarcasm font if the readers have half the insight they profess to have. This was plenty sarcastic.

        2. In the 3 games before Gabbert took over they averaged 11.3 pts and had a 6 point and 3 point game.

          Also, Baalke traded away Vernon Davis before Gabbert was able to take over…..
          —————–
          Why use 3 games to make your point? The two games preceding the switch we averaged 3 points a game but the two games before that we averages over 20 points a game so, you can make those numbers work anyway you want them to.

          Yea, I’m sure Gabbert is really missing those 3 catches for 40 yards each game. Or maybe it’s the TD every 2.5 games that he averages that Gabbert is really going to miss the most.

          1. “Why use 3 games to make your point?”

            Only to use the same number of games, and those last couple are why Gabbert took over.

            The Davis part of the comment was a poor attempt at sarcasm.

    2. Huh. Like the defensive play had nothing to do with those close losses either. Thank you for the valuable insight, CFC

    1. CK PPG average includes a healthy Hyde for several games , junk time production versus steelers and the shareece wright/Ravens game.

          1. That’s what Rollo just said. My point was they suck regardless of QB. I don’t know why people are arguing this.

            1. They just took one of the best teams in the conference to the wire. It was a vast improvement over their last meeting imo.

              1. “Who cares if they look better losing?”

                When a team isn’t going to the playoffs all that really matters is showing improvement and building for the future. They’re doing that.

              2. “Who cares if they look better losing?”—
                A team not going anywhere but in the process of evaluating players.

      1. Taking a sack on 3rd and 10 to make it 4th and 20 needing a TD to win the game… it that’s not exactly smart QB play.

          1. As Vice President Biden would describe the difference between Colin and Blaine at the podium. “I mean Blaine, he’s articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy”….

        1. The 3rd down play was atrocious.Geep has to have a better play. I don’t fault Gabbett there. On the 4th down I do but it never should have gotten there.

    1. I know you weren’t high on Gabbert when he got the nod over CK, but how would you have graded him today?

      1. He deserved a B. There was a lot of drops and no run game after the 3rd Q.
        Gabbert’s a game manager that has some athleticism but won’t go deep cause his accuracy there is spooked. Sound familiar?
        Now we need to draft a s realQB 1st overall, works under Blaine for 2 years and then becomes the franchise.
        We deserve this outcome!

        1. Prime there’s no 1st overall worthy QB’s in the next draft. If we pick one that high we’ll be wasting a pick and you’ll just start criticizing him when he doesn’t perform to those expectations.

          1. Wilson we draft let’s say a Connor Cook and he sits behind Gabbert for 2 years while the organization rebuilds at offensive line, defensive line, OLB with a good long term coaching staff, we could be back in the playoffs by 2017.

      2. Cubus
        Man I cop to that; I was way down on Gabbert. Dismissive.
        After the first game he played I allowed that he’d exceeded my expectations. He seems to keep improving, and I get a sense the fellas like him; that’s huge.
        I’d give him a B.
        I liked that he owned his f.u. on the sack late.
        VMac was being interviewed post game and talked about the offense “clicking.” I had to laugh. 13 points? Keep working boys. But I think his and their optimism speaks to the dysfunctional funk they were in. This is soooo much better! That’s not 100% CK, but it wasn’t working at all.

        1. Their offense clicks for about three drives per game. That’s not gonna get it done, especially when they go on the road and forget to bring the D.

          1. Agree. You’re going to play some good defenses. 13 points doesn’t win. You have to get 24 points even with a good Defense.

  10. Grant, I think your grade for Gabbert was too harsh, and The RB grade too light. Gabbert deserves a B- because he did not have a run game and he kept the Niners in the game until the last minute. Remember, everyone was predicting a blowout. Gabbert did throw that Int, but he also threw another TD to Vance. Draughn was pretty mediocre. He ran 6 carries for 12 yards in the second half. I would give him a C+ because he did have that 19 yard run.

    1. The only reason it wasn’t a blowout is because the defense came to play today. The cards avg. 33 points per game on offense, they only scored 19 today.

      The 49ers offense on the other hand scored 13 points against a defense that gives up an average of 21. but yeah, go ahead and give the O credit for not getting blown out.

      1. “The 49ers offense on the other hand scored 13 points against a defense that gives up an average of 21. but yeah, go ahead and give the O credit for not getting blown out.”

        This is a great point to consider how we played. It looks better but its still subpar.

        1. Considering they were expected to be blown out, it was a smashing success.
          Gabbert went up against the #5 defense and put up over 300 yards. He is better than mediocre.

              1. Grime, you act as if the team with the 2nd worst record in the NFC was supposed to beat the the one with the 2nd best.

                They were competitive, I’ll take that in this miserable season.

              2. It is all relative, but let me spell it out to you. Being subpar may mean any losing effort, but when in the last game, they blew them out by 40 points, losing by 6 points is a major improvement. So to me, it is not sub par.

              3. GrimeTime November 29, 2015 at 6:22 pm

                “The only reason it wasn’t a blowout is because the defense came to play today. The cards avg. 33 points per game on offense, they only scored 19 today.”

          1. Seb, when other NFL offenses are putting up 21on average on this defense every week our performance no matter how much an improvement it was from the past QB, is still sub par when we put up 13. Gabbert played like a B for a 49ers QB right now, compared to the rest of the NFL, well it was subpar. It doesn’t take away from his improvement, but lets keep it in perspective.

  11. Tomsula coaches scared. He cares too much and that’s why his team is too comfortable. There is no urgency and maybe that’s why they are 3-8.
    The players deserve more hardness. Harbaugh went too far, Tomsula not even close. He has to go.

    1. Prime:

      The Tomsula offensive game plan really is pretty easy to understand once you keep in mind this statement that Tomsula made (paraphrased somewhat): “You can’t be afraid to punt.”.

  12. I give the whole team a C for competence. Afterall, isn’t that what they’re striving for this season?

          1. This is where it get’s blurry, how do you know that was called as a short pass and it isn’t simply how the QB played it. Have we gone back and watched the film on those third and longs to see if there were other routes that didn’t develop or get open?

            You criticized Roman for the same thing and here we are with a different OC and a different QB and you’re still saying the same thing. Maybe it isn’t the play but the players.

            1. Maybe the better term than scared is safe. Tomsula plays it safe in every which way. Bruce Arians plays to win. Win the down, win the distance, go for it big when you have an opportunity.
              One of the things Jim Harbaugh did really well when he had a great defense in 2011 and 2012 was he could afford to play chess. Tomsula does not know his personnel well enough to devise a scheme to suite their strengths. So they just play it safe because the lack of talent and coaching intelligence dictates that’s the easy thing to do when you are incompetent. Play vanilla offense and pray your defense holds. Well as we seen this entire year, the defense can only hold so long before in wears down or starts to commit penalties because of frustration and fatigue.
              We might be the worst team in football but a lot of that is on poor drafting. But I think its fair to say that with a different coaching staff, this team would be .500 at the very least.

          2. Those 3rd down passes that went well short of the mark have me scratching my head. I agree… its scared, timid football. I was POd.

            The Cards DBs love to play physical… above their actual weight lass (a compliment). They want you to check down. You challenge these guys deep. I’d have way more respect if Gabbert tossed a pick 6 on that last play.

            Those last three or four plays of the game were more mindless 4th qtr game management. There was plenty of time to throw passe other than low percentage back shoulder fades to Smith (where have we seen this before?).

            Nolan-Sing-Harbs-Tomsula all stink when it comes to decision making late in games.

            1. I bet $1000 that each of those 3rd down plays had a receiver that was deeper that just wasn’t open. Whether he forces it in for an incompletion or an INT or fires it 5 yards short of the first down the result is the same.

              1. The way Gabbert quickly tossed those short 3rd down passes, it really looked like the first option. If they were check downs, than Gabbert’s much better at going through progressions than I thought he was.

              2. If those were his first read then the coaching staff needs to trust him more if they want a proper evaluation.

              3. Brodie I haven’t seen the coaches film yet so you and Grant could very well be correct but I just have to give an NFL coordinator more credit then to assume that he’s calling plays that only have short route options on third and long.

          3. Scared yes. But if not for that horrible call on the sack by Dial, this game could have had a different outcome

        1. CFC

          WTF do you ever contribute to this blog? How can you POSSIBLY argue that Tomsula doesn’t coach scared? It’s the perfect description of his approach, and it makes perfect sense, given that he is a DL guy. Harbaugh also coached scared, and Sing before him. Who doesn’t? Well, Belichick, Carroll, and Arians are 3 examples. That last 1st down pass on the final Cardinals drive of the game by Palmer yesterday was a prime example of aggressiveness working. One could point to the Seahawks’ last minute gaffe in the Super Bowl as an example of the mindset not working. Frankly, I don’t think Carroll is in Arians’ league though; I think Arians is the 2nd best HC in the NFL.

            1. Never said that. Not taking the 3 off the board and accepting the 15 yard penalty against Dallas in 2011? Yeah, I still hold that against him.

  13. Vance McDonald dropped a pass early in the game, but redeemed himself by catching six passes for 71 yards and a touchdown. He is the 49ers’ best red-zone threat.
    —————-
    Vance McDonald is our best red-zone threat. Well if you ever needed an answer as to why we suck in the red-zone there you go.

    1. :-P

      I will say though, if McDonald keeps playing like he has the past two weeks, he’ll actually be worth keeping next season. Again, much like Gabbert, he’s just playing ok, but compared to what we are used to from him that is a massive improvement.

        1. I had to laugh when he talked about how he and Osweiler have developed chemistry quickly, after having 6 catches last week. Sounded very similar to his comments about having the handcuffs taken off him after Kaep’s first start. What a douche.

      1. I like Vance. If only he could catch the ball consistently. He blocks like a lineman and runs good routes.

  14. I’d give Gabbert a B+ today, C is much too harsh. He looks solid. If he keeps this up, Niners can draft a franchise lineman like Bosa in the first round.

  15. 1. We need a true #1 receiver. We have several #2s and a few 3s who are probably really 4s.

    2. Having said that, if gabbert hit TS in stride on the 40 yard pass play , it would have been a TD.

    4. Having said that, I think gabbert played pretty well overall.

    5. Will wonders ever cease , vance mac catches a td 2 weeks in a row. He almost lost a fumble near the end, but it rolled out of bounds. Kudos to bell also. ALso, let’s get Busta some action. He is a big kid and surprisingly agile -nice leaping td grab in preseason game 4.

    6. We may want to hang onto draughn. I think we need a 3 headed rushing attack next year. Hyde is not going to be a 250 carry back . The dude gets hurt a lot. We need draughn and also a quick/speed back like gio bernard.

    7. D played pretty well . Dial sack/penalty was total BS. We need a replacement for whilhoite. I like Purcell. I dont like tank .

    8. wish we would have drafted honeybader. He was on our radar.

    9. Ward sucks. The dude cant cover.

    10. Numerous empty seats. Does Jed even watch the games? Has he ever attended? York is not a traditional NFL owner.

      1. You know, we might have some TE weapons next year of Busta can get healthy and perfect his blocking.

  16. I’m pretty sure the DL got some pressure. Not sacks but pressure.

    The DBs were pretty good. But I think they need to be downgraded a notch or two for giving up big plays which led to scores.

    I thought Gabbert played a bit better than a C. Sure he missed some throws and made some mistakes. But he also moved the ball down the field pretty well and made a couple big plays; even ran for a 10 yard 1st down. He threw for over 300 yards. I’m thinking more like B- to B range.

    As for Mangini and Tomsula. I think I detect Tomsula’s hand in the defense’s improved run defense performance. I know if I were a head coach who used to be a good D-line coach and my team gave up 200 yards the previous weak; I know where I’d refocus some of time.

    1. AFFP:

      What’s your overall impression of BG? Bridge QB assuming we draft a rookie QB in the 1st or second round, or do you think he could develop into a bonafide starter.

      1. I’d say he’s a competent starter. (which is more than I thought he was before this season).

        I know everyone wants an all star QB really, really badly. But most teams only have competent QBs and some of the league would love to have a competent QB (like the Niners a month ago). So IMO it makes drafting a QB not so urgent. Sure if a hot prospect came to you and the value was there jump on it. Otherwise draft for value in other areas of need (Offensive line? DLine? Corner WR?). I do think QB should be addressed in the first 3 rounds of the draft.

        I would have said RB depth was a huge area of need. But I’m pretty happy with Draughn.

          1. i see a strong runner with a bit of explosiveness that makes the most out of what the O-line blocks and the the defense gives him. Is he a #1 feature running back? No. But I think he’s a good solid back up and spot starter.

  17. Conservative game plan kept us in it because defense played well. refs were terrible. Opened up the offense some in second half. Hard to tell if Gabbert checked down to much without looking at the coaches 22 film. Since Gabbert has been in i notice not so much talk about how bad the O line is? I think were a year away from being more consistent . You know York is sold on Balke right?

    1. It didn’t hurt that Frosty the Snowman Rucker was out, along with 2 other defensive tackles, Redding and Stinson….

  18. I have to give Baalke a little credit for signing Gabbert. I think Baalke is horrendous at managing the draft. You don’t get to pick Jimmie Ward and AJ Jenkins in the first round and have people respect you. But when a blind squirrel finds a nut you have to acknowledge the achievement. Gabbert has been a great signing. Having a backup QB of Gabbert’s caliber is much better than the old days of JT O’Sullivan or David Carr.

  19. By the way, if a TV show ever dropped the mic and walked off the stage The Leftovers did it with last weeks episode. Holy cow what a ride!

    Lindelof’s writing is nothing short of intimidating in it’s brilliance.

  20. Grant, you are right on the money re the coaches. Chryst called several 3rd down passes that were well short of the marker. He also seemed to forget Bruce Miller existed. Weird, especially when you realize Celek was hurt.

  21. Does anyone know if Hyde is coming back this season?
    Like to see the Offense open up some more and see what BG can do.

    1. Unless the opposing team is playing in its first game of the season it probably doesn’t matter. He’s a one game wonder.

  22. I think a C for Gabba Gabba is kind. He was scared through most of the game and when the defense handed him the game on a platter all he had to do was take it. Take it. He has not the instinct of a winner when it counts. When it counts people! He has taken the blame for the loss when the game was in his hands – and so he should

  23. List of quarterbacks who have completed 69% of their passes for 300+ yards at 8.8+ yards per attempt against the Cardinals since start of 2014 season:

    Blaine Gabbert
    Matt Ryan

    C performance sounds about right.

    1. ESPN has him at 55.8 QBR. That’s basically a C.

      Completing passes to your back in the flat on 3rd and long is good for your completion % and gaining 8 empty yards, but not for converting 3rd downs and winning the game.

        1. When you word it that way you make it sound like it is all Gabbert’s fault. How many of those were due to overly conservative play calling, i.e. a short pass requiring the back or WR to pick up 3 to 5 yards for a 1st down.

      1. ESPN’s QBR also thinks Brian Hoyer has had a better year than Tom Brady, one of the worst stats in football. Also running backs had 5 catches in this game, take those out and he’s still 20/31 for 283 yard, his yards per attempt actually rises to 9.1.

  24. Don’t know why some are saying he should have thrown that sack away.
    I don’t know who played qb in their lives but if he threw it up its a IG. I can’t imagine how fast the NFL defenses are, but he didn’t have time to get away from them to throw it away on that play. He was sacked in the pocket.
    And the last throw was on the receiver. It’s not easy seeing where they are 20 yards downfield with defensive lineman breathing down your neck. That’s on Boldin.

    I think that first sack made him and GC scared. It sucks when we are close because the coaches call timid mistake free calls to stay close it seems.
    Like I said last week. Bad teams always have something go wrong for them to lose. It’s rare they put a full team effort into winning. Today it was bonehead penalties SOME from the refs!
    Today Is the perfect example of what I was saying yesterday. DE, ILB, and some help with the o-line. Pressure all day in palmers face and look how the secondary looked. Pressure always makes the secondary look good. Rebuild the lines!!!!
    And get a coaching staff that can outsmart the opponent most of the time.

    1. Aside from the penalties what doomed them was the silly mistakes.
      The muffed punt and Brock’s dropped INT were responsible for 6 points.
      In the end, that + the refs were too much to overcome for a team that is not very good.

    2. Bad times find a way to lose. I agree with you on that. Yeah the penalties were bad, and it was fun to watch the game at the Sportsbar with a lot of Niner fans in from out of town who were livid on all those penalties.

      They Torrie Smith penalty, while it sucked was well deserving. The Quintan Dial one, that was a joke of a call.

      Right now the defense will have its moments. They look like they have some players and Mangini was crazy with those blitzes. Win some. Lose some.

      Did Kaep really lower our standards that far that any decent looking QB play seems like a gift? And yeah I’ve been complaining for well over a season and a half.

      Gabbert doesn’t look that bad, but end of the day, he’s leaving a few plays on the field. It’s going to happen. He’s a back-up that’s playing his way into being a starter. At least he has the tools and it seems like experience will make him better not worse.

    3. Md, Gabbert did all that study, and he must have read that accepting a sack on third and long just makes it fourth a longer. Usually, they have a dump off pass target, to avoid the sack, but Gabbert should have employed the third down bomb play. He should have thrown a jump ball at the goal line and hope Torrey either catches it or draws a PI penalty.

  25. Bottom line: Gabbert is not a QB that you play if you want to contend for a title with. So … why would anyone want him to be QB in 2016?

  26. I think he played solid and like other people have said with a horrid oline and a Rb that was on the couch a few weeks ago. All the FA dollars need to go to building a dominate oline.

    1. Cute article Grant, but it doesn’t surprise me. This is a weak minded team, and I think it starts at the top….

              1. Gotcha. Should have read Grant’s article before responding to Razor. Now my takeaway is, weakness at the top? They did plenty of this under Harbaugh too. But maybe that’s not the top he was referring to.

    2. Grant

      Why are you SO petulant? The officiating was embarrassingly poor, even by NFL standards, and the entire officiating crew was by far the most incompetent of the 7 units operating on that field yesterday.

      I wouldn’t say the loss is their fault, but I haven’t seen such ridiculous flags as those thrown on the Cardinals’ final scoring drive since Brooks turtles Brees.

      Life goes on, but this was a really, really poor look for you. Be better. Thanks.

  27. You guys sound like Gabbert was the only player on the field. This is — what? — his third game starting since years in the weeds. Given a whole season and summer camp with a decent OC and a serviceable line, he’ll be a very good QB. Hopefully with a decent team and not York’s Loserville Follies. Put him in Denver, heck even Cleveland, and he’d shine…

  28. Gee, even though the refs gave the game away, the players have no right to question their calls? That penalty on Boldin was a phantom call. That roughing call was total BS. It was a textbook sack. Dial did not bury his face mask into his solar plexus and drive him into the turf. He hit with his shoulder pad and kept his head up so any contact to the face mask was not a direct blow and was incidental.
    The incompetent officiating is deciding games and calls into question the integrity of the game. The officiating was so clueless, they could not get the proper down right.
    However, Grant is defending the putrid officiating and calls the griping unwarranted whining.
    The worse thing is that Arizona committed penalties, but the refs ignored them. They should have called a delay of game penalty because the play clock showed 00, but the refs favored the Cards and swallowed their whistles.

    1. seb ..

      agree on the roughing call …

      my thought after seeing the flag ..
      was reminiscent of the Brooks call
      against Drew Breese … only … that
      call … decided play-off standings in the NFCW …

      Total BS …

      The answer ?? …

      Roger Goodell should hire these guys
      full time !!

      1. MWN , the whole officiating system needs reform. Full time refs are a good start, but the replay challenge system is too convoluted and arcane. I would like every play to be subject to review and challenge, with the over riding goal for them to get the call RIGHT.
        A better definition of what a catch is would also help.

        1. Now that would greatly increase the number of commercials and NFL income. It might reduce the audience.

    2. The NFL, if they bother, will point out this week that the initial contact point isn’t enough if the helmet still makes contact with the QB’s head. In this case, the helmet came up under Palmer’s chin and his head snapped back. Good target, bad slide up, head snaps back and the flag is thrown as the NFL wants.

    3. Refs probably saw Palmers askew helmet and figured Dial must have knocked the crap out of him. Ummm, the helmet that looked exactly the same after Palmers spike.

  29. Gabbert had decent games back to back against the #4 and #5 defenses (with an off the street running game) and you guys are moaning like he didn’t look like Tom Brady. SMDH.

      1. Also, maybe one of these days their running game will feature backs somewhat higher than 5th string too.

  30. Grant sez :

    “….Vance McDonald dropped a pass early in the game,
    but redeemed himself by ……”

    Yeah .. color me surprised, too …

    I confess ..
    I haven’t been much of a fan of his, either ..

    Wonder if he’s been getting intimate
    with a juggs (machine) .. lately ?

    1. After watching game, reading article and comments I’ve concluded that Gabbert does not deserve a C but rather a B minus minus. I will make changes to his gpa, maybe now he will get into med school.

      So we have an average to slightly below or slightly above average QB. He can solidly win 8 games, maybe 7 or 9. Probably 6.

      This whole exercise for me was great. Now I know for sure we won’t win a super bowl. Before today I wasn’t sure.

      Now let’s debate if tomsula is a horrible coach or more of a horrible horrible coach.

      Next we can talk about how mangini is a slightly Above or below average DC.

      I’m soooo pumped to figure these things out.

      What I do remember is harbough was
      Above average, that fangio was above average and roman was above average for run game and below average for pass game. What else I Remember is that one or two small coaching changes and not ridiculous drafting could’ve still left us with a competitive team and coaches in place to go through a rebuild.

  31. D’y’all see the shot on Ostweiler? Lead with the helmet, and……….nuttin’.
    But Dial is a bad, bad, man.
    kma
    40 out of 50 guys in a bar know what a catch is.
    But the league and its refs don’t.
    40 out of 50 guys in a bar know what a clean hit on the QB is. But the league and its refs don’t.

    1. I posted an article about this recently. From crew to crew they call the games differently. Good coaches should have scouting reports on the officiating crews as well.

    2. On that Osweiler hit…the defensive player didn’t hit him in the facemask, it was his chest so no penalty.

      Dial hit Palmer on the bottom of the facemask so it’s a penalty.

  32. Nothing wrong with Gabbert. He is a solid game manager and perfect bridge to Jared Goff. Goff will sit for a year and then take over. Gabbert will back him up afterwards.

    1. I doubt that the 49ers will have one of the top two picks on the draft. Probably will not get the chance to pick or trade for him.

  33. “He is who we thought he was.”

    No sh#%. I wouldn’t mind him as a backup but he isn’t the guy to move this team towards being a contender. He is exactly who I knew he was. People were so into dumping on Kaep that they became delusional about this guy. In many ways, he’s the QB the ownership deserves; a top flight QB would be a threat to the front office. The three-headed, no talent ass-clown that is York/Baalke/Maraathe don’t want players with leverage.

    *You know when Bill Romanowski is leaking b.s. for the front office, things are close to hitting rock bottom.

    1. You knew Gabbert was capable of a +300 yard game despite having done it only one time previously in his career?

      1. I knew Gabbert was capable of throwing for one TD and not winning the game. Like I said, I think he has proven he can be a viable backup. I haven’t trashed him at all. I like the guy but I don’t think he is the QB of the future. Today did nothing to change my mind. If anybody is happy with him as their starter, they are content with mediocrity. I’d rather keep searching for a great QB. If he can keep the seat sufficiently warm until that day arrives, so be it.

        1. “I’d rather keep searching for a great QB.”

          So would 3/4 of the NFL. I agree he’s not a “franchise” guy, but they could be in a lot worse situation than they are now. Gabbert is a nearly perfect “Parcells” type QB.

          1. He’s a QB that can manage a game by dinking and dunking. Sure it could be worse, but it should be better. I’m tired of QB’s who’s best qualities are not losing the game. Invest in the position until you have your guy and then keep investing in the position. I said that when Smith was the starter and I said it when Kaep was the starter. I have no interest in defending or criticizing Gabbert’s performance, it is exactly what I expected. They beat Atlanta and lost to Seattle and Arizona, which is what I expected.

            My post was in response to Grant’s comments. The guy sounds like he’s jumping off the Blaine Train not long after hopping aboard with his Seattle prediction. “He is who we thought he was.” Really? He thought he was capable of leading the team to victory in Seattle a week ago. What happened?

            1. I thought the defense was capable of leading the Niners to a victory in Seattle. I never said the offense would score more than 16.

  34. I’ve thought about this a little bit longer. I think b minus minus was too generous. I’m going with c plus plus

    1. And I think tomsula is just a horrible coach not a horrible horrible one.

      I wonder if mooch will come back to be tomsula’s OC

  35. Grades.Fans get an A for hiring a plane to fly that banner over the stadium “Jed & 9ers need to mutually part ways”. How many NFL owners had fans today so disdainful they hired a plane to show their displeasure. It’s kind of a big deal.

  36. Having now watched the game, here are my thoughts:

    – Lets start with Gabbert. He was very good at times, but also made some costly mistakes. Overall though, quite a good game by #2.
    – He was mostly pretty accurate, and did a good job avoiding pressure for the most part when needed. He continues to play above what most of us expected from him, and with a better team around him looks like a guy that could be a decent starter.
    – But, there were some negatives.
    – The INT was well underthrown, and with a little more air under it could have been a big gainer to Patton. He also underthrew a couple of other balls which could have been big gains. In general, his downfield throws were a bit off both this game and last week. Something he needs to work on.
    – The two sacks came on 6 and 7 man rushes. The first one he couldn’t do much about, as it looked like the receivers were taking too long to come open. The second one though he had to get that ball out. With the blitz and on the camera angle available it looked like he had a free receiver to his left in the flat. At best he should have hit him, at worst he should have thrown it at the receivers feet to avoid an INT if there was a lurking defender and avoid IG. Taking the sack there was very costly.
    – He also didn’t convert any 3rd downs. However, watching the plays, it looked like a lot of them were on the play call and not Gabbert – Gabbert appeared to be taking his first read. Some of them you could see the players downfield were intentionally out there to block, not run routes. That is on Geep. Bad and extremely conservative play calls on 3rd down.
    – On the failed 4th down conversion at the end, Boldin has to get the proper depth. Cutting in when he did made it an easy stop for the DB. That was more on Boldin than Gabbert.
    – Only scoring 13 points is a negative, but as I say above I think some of that can be placed on Geep’s conservative 3rd down play calling. Some of it can also be put on some negative plays in the running game on 2nd down. On the first drive they should have scored a FG at least, but prior to Gabbert’s first sack which took them out of FG range was an absolutely disasterous attempt at blocking by Tiller that led to a big loss by Draughn. Draughn had another big loss on 2nd and 1 in the second half which stalled another drive when it was 13-13. Not all Draughn’s fault on that one either, though he didn’t help matters by trying to take both wide when they were clearly blown up rather than minimising his losses.
    – All in all, some positive signs for the offense, but Geep Chryst is a major limiting factor.
    – On D, that was pretty darn solid across the board. The run D was excellent, with the DL doing their job in the trenches and the LBs and safeties coming up hard to make stops for minimal gain. Excellent work.
    – While they only came away with one sack, they were able to generate a bit of pressure and more importantly got Palmer to throw out of rhythm. Much like they did to Matt Ryan. Good job by Mangini with the pass rush and blitzing.
    – The coverage wasn’t amazing, but it was decent and good enough with the pressure being applied. The young secondary played pretty well, and the LBs were actually decent in coverage too.
    – Not wanting to single one player out, but I know he came under some scrutiny during the game. Ward gave up the 34 yarder to Nelson, but he actually didn’t do much wrong on that play. Just a good throw and catch. Other than that there was little he did wrong, and had pretty sound coverage. The surprising thing for me was his speed. He didn’t give Nelson much space on that 34 yarder, and he had excellent coverage downfield on Brown a couple of times. Two noted speedsters. He also defended Fitzgerald pretty well.
    – On STs, Ellington’s muffed punt return was costly and gave the Cardinals a cheap 3 points. With the 49ers missing out on points in their first drive due to back to back negative plays, that was a six point turnaround. Should have been 3-3, which would have changed the complexion of the game.
    – On the 34 yard catch against Ward, that should have been a DoG penalty. A costly miss by the officials.
    – But lack of discipline by the 49ers gave away a lot of critical penalties of their own devising as well. Combined with the errors above, they only have themselves to blame for this loss. The game was there for the taking. Oh well.

    1. Scooter is better at these than that other commenter that used to write stuff, ole what’s his name ; )

      The one deep throw that kills me was the post to Smith. Wide open and underthrew him by a mile. At least it was a completion, but should have been 6.

      1. There were two throws he really missed. The pass to Smith, like you said, and there was also a slant for 3rd down.
        The Niners didn’t complete a 3rd down until late in the game.

        The team has potential but won’t get there because the coaching is suspect. There weren’t too disciplined either with Harbaugh.

        The Niners lost that game plain and simple. Brock dropped a gift INT and that was 3 points.

        For an offense that is struggling, that’s not good. And the Torrie Smith running into the ref, well he was in the yellow box.
        As for the all those PIs, it was a joke but they were calling it tight. The sad part was they weren’t calling it both ways.

        Gabbert was solid though. He didn’t miss as many plays as Kaep, but when Kaep when does make plays, it’s usually a laser throw or a crazy improv play like Russell Wilson.

        Now that there’s a competent QB who at the very least is average, Chryst’s play calling is on the spot. If Greg Roman was still running the offense, this team can put up points.

        O-Line is playing better now that they know Gabbert is going to get rid of the ball.

        1. Gabbert getting the ball out quicker than Kaep has made a huge difference for the offense. Check out Jeff Deeney’s stats on Gabbert vs Kaep under pressure – night and day.

        1. Agreed Grant. Bad miss.

          Wilson, are you referring to the throw down the right sideline that Patton dived for? That was a little overthrown, but not much, and if he doesn’t put it out there as much as he did he would have given the DB a chance at it.

      2. Thanks Jack, very gracious of you, but I disagree. Really miss your post game analysis.

        For me there were two throws he would really like back. The Smith one you pointed out, if he leads him then that could be a TD. He had Mathieu beat well and truly. But the INT to Mathieu was a really disappointing play for me too. Not just because it was an INT, but because he missed a great opportunity for a big play.

    2. This may have been a loss, but there were victories, too. Tomsula had the players fired up and ready to play. They did not give up on the season, and with better offensive coaching, could have won the game. The Niner D showed up and played Niner football. Too bad the refs screwed them royally. They held a 9-2 team to less than 20 points even though they were averaging 33 points per game, and CP did not throw a TD pass.
      I agree, Chryst called a bad game, but the Cards defense was #5 in the league, so it was tough sledding.
      Too bad they did not take my advice and go for it instead of settling for field goals. Oh well, some day, they may finally learn their lesson. ;p

      1. Seb, what I did notice is that Draughn was having some success early running the ball when they had 3 WR sets going, and had less success when they went back to 1 and 2 WR sets. Spreading them out, as you have asked for.

    3. Glad you had a chance to view the game Scooter,primary sources over Cliff Notes always. Per usual enjoyed your reasoned thoughts. From my perspective BG is much better than who “we” thought he was and with a better supporting cast and O C could actually develop into a winner.Do I want to crown him or say he is our long time guy -not necessarily but the situation the team is in is affording him a chance to earn a shot at those goals as he says “one day at a time”.

      1. Agreed hightop. He’s playing his way into a starters gig next season. It may not be a long term starters gig, but until they find someone better the job will likely be his, and so far deservedly so.

    4. In general, his downfield throws were a bit off both this game and last week.

      That’s who he is.

  37. the wisdom of Coach Harbaw (QB whisperer)…
    Kaep is done. (stick a fork/scalpel in him…)
    Check it out: Kansas City has won five in a row.
    Their differential (points for minus points against)
    is 67…. the fifth highest in the NFL.
    And Alex Smith is throwing touchdowns.

    So much for the kissing of the bicep…. Quack.

  38. Final thoughts on Gabbert.
    So he is 3 games in and seems to be doing a little better than expected.

    But while most here are measuring him according to Kap’ standard Gabbert should be measured in the win/loss column.
    The way CK was playing it seems that all Gabb had to do to be better was simply make a couple accurate throws, stay in the pocket longer and make some reads which he’s done.

    So, now that Blaine has established himself as being a better QB than Kap it’s now time to shift gears and aim at a new challenge: Winning games.

    It’s becoming increasingly likely that Gabbert will not need to look over his shoulder when he makes a mistake to see if Kap is warming up on the sidelines.
    This is now Blaine’ team. And while there are some positives that I’ve seen in his game, I want to see some wins. If Kap would have lost these last couple of games with this same starting roster he would have been dismantled by the media and this site.
    Gabbert needs to be held to the same expectations.

    Winning games is ultimately what the 49ers are about.

  39. Blaine Gabbert to me is a good QB. Good enough only if there is all world defense behind him and with a play caller that can set him up for success and get him out of trouble. He is exactly what Alex Smith is. A game manager with some potential. Franchise QB, no but could be a very valuable asset while we groom another.

    Defense: what more can you ask when the offense gives them no help and yes, the officiating did not help. Some very bad calls but some very undisciplined play as well.

    Coaching: better preparation but the offense is still not able to contribute. Play calling, creativity, scheme, not NFL calibre. You put a coordinator like Norv Turner, Adam Gase, Josh McDaniel on the 49ers and its a different team.

    1. Gabbert right now looks like he’s a middle of the pack QB. He needs a few more games and could improve. In time he won’t take as many check-downs.

      Alex right now is a solid 2nd tier QB. He does just enough in game these days. And he does make some nice throws. He also misses a few deep balls that would make him a lot better.

      Gabbert is going to be here next season for sure. Who is better out there that we can get? A top flight OC can work with Gabbert. Not sure who he had in Jacksonville.

    1. Yes, and not just because he beat him on Saturday.
      But give JH a couple of years and a bumper crop of recruiting and the distance between the two can get much closer.

      1. In college, absolutely. I don’t think that Bilichick would get many wins if he coached at the College of the Ascension bereft of any talent.

        But, Urban Meyers is just a better coach than Harbaugh. Watching the game on Saturday had me seeing flashbacks of Harbaugh’ lack of time management and his inability to make adjustments.

    2. He’s a better college coach. I’m not sure that he would succeed in the NFL. College is about recruiting. The NFL is about drafting.

      1. The main difference between college and pros is the players. In college they only have scholarships and no individual power. In the pros they’re millionaires with power. A lot of college coaches can’t deal with egos bigger than their own if they’re not holding all the power.

    3. I wouldn’t say Meyer is a better Coach. That will be determined by the results going forward when Harbaugh is playing with players he recruited rather than the previous Coaches players. A 4 game swing in one season with players you didn’t recruit is a pretty good showing by a new HC. Meyer is a great Coach though. He’s won everywhere he’s gone.

  40. We all heard that most OCs didn’t want to come here. We assume it’s because of Jimmy T. I wonder it Kaep had something to do with it too. They could have seen him as a project, or a one read QB, and they wouldn’t be able to run more complex schemes.

    1. No, they did not want to come here because of Jed. They would be set up to fail and lose their job, so it was not a long term employment opportunity.

    2. They fired Harbaugh after three NFCCG’s in four years. They also spent a year stabbing him in the back before his dismissal. Gase wanted the job and thought he had it until York made the offer contingent on him accepting Tomsula as his DC over Fangio. We could have had Gase running the offense and Fangio running the defense. Instead we have Chryst and Mangini because York handpicked the worst HC in the NFL, who he claimed could win more games than Harbaugh.

      I believe Kaepernick was one of the reasons he was interested to begin with. Gase has done a great job with Jay Cutler, who was last years NFL whipping boy. He’s proved that he knows how to work with QB’s and develop a strong relationship with them. That level of competency is threatening to Jed. Gase knew it was the wrong situation as soon as York mentioned Tomsula over Fangio and immediately withdrew his name.

      1. Do you think an OC would be interested in remaking Gabbert? Or Kaep if he was still on the roster?

        1. I don’t think any OC would take a job where his success would be contingent on him remaking Gabbert. That’s what it comes down to because Gabbert will never be the coaches first choice. I believe Kaep is a talent that many coaches would love to work with, but those coaches know that he needs a fresh start with another team. The bigger issue is that the York’s aren’t the type of owners that talented coaches want to work for.

          1. I do think that an OC coming in would be ecstatic about having a guy like Gabbert be a stop gap while he is able to develop his own guy/draft pick. This offense is not that bad. It needs a dynamic player at the WR position to repalce Boldin. Kilgore back at center and a replacement at right tackle and Draughn as a back up to Hyde might be good enough to make them legit.
            The problem with this offense is it also need someone who can be more dynamic in the play calling and overall scheme.

            1. Stop-gap, yes. Ecstatic? No. The offense is dead last in the league. That is the definition of bad. They need a HC with an offensive mind, in my opinion. OC’s often have short term agendas and can derail a teams growth if they take off after a year. Think of Alex Smith. Nolan was always at the mercy of his OC’s and he couldn’t maintain any continuity. It was a revolving door. I think they should go after Kyle Shanahan. He’s a bright young mind with a strong commitment to running the ball.

              1. I beg to differ. KS is not lighting up the league at Atlanta, and his stubbornness is only second to his father.
                Many say he rode on the coat tails of his father, and the Niners are a prime example why nepotism does not work.( John-Jed)

              2. Ecstatic in the sense that he has something in which to work with. Gabbert is functional, NFL capable. Colin Kaepernick would be the equivalent of having a rookie or worse.

          2. I don’t think an OC will come in to coach Kaep, because he’s Harbaugh’s guy. Unless that coach is Chip Kelly. Kaep is not a traditional QB. He could be a back-up and then work his way back into a starter, but he’s got a lot of issues.
            Gabbert is still raw, he’s show some skill, it’s just matter of how far coaching can take him now. Can he be 2nd tier?

            The offense is not putting up numbers but looks decent. There’s no RB to count on to take the pressure off, and no solid WR outside of Boldin.The TEs look promising. I think Denver was running a solid two TE multiple set look.

            The talent level is not elite, just good. The CS overall make them mediocre.
            We’re in the same boat when Singletary was in charge. Just medicore. A solid CS can make them competitive.

            If Jed really is competing for a SB, it’s hard to see how Jimmy T is a guy that can take you there.

            Alex Smith was two fumbles away. I think Gabbert looks to have more physical talent. He’s got a great release.

            1. Give this offense a clone of Tavon Austin/Jarvis Landry, a healthy Carlos Hyde and Draughn tandem, and a play caller like Josh McDaniels or Sean Payton and the Niners are 6-5.

        2. Fan77,
          Any potential OC will have a better idea after the season regarding Gabbert.
          We’ll all know by then if he is our Blaine – Train or “Blaime” Gabbert.

      2. I agree with BigP. Coaches are not scared off by personnel because most come in wanting to add guys who fit their philosophy anyway. What turns prospective HC’s off is the working environment and level of control they will have over the roster and decision making. The biggest obstacle to attracting a top level HC candidate is the FO. Most HC’s don’t want to be told who will be on the final roster and want strong input on personnel decisions. The 49ers currently have a setup where the GM dictates to the HC. That is a turn off especially when the HC candidate looks at the record of the GM. On top of that any prospective candidate knows the owner is intrusive and thinks he knows more than he does. He also knows that if he has a disagreement with anyone in the front office, rumors will start to fly that paint him in a negative light. These things are a major deterrent to acquiring a top notch HC and the only way to change the perception is to clean house and put somebody else in charge of running the football operations. Jed needs to stay out of day to day football decisions and let qualified people run his team for him. It’s that simple.

    3. Hogwash! (regarding Kap). The 49ers are a storied franchise, it would be foolish to pass up on a opportunity to coach here – unless like in Gase’ case, the FO doesn’t give you the freedom to bring in your own asst. coaching staff.

  41. Gabbert looks like an outstanding back up QB. He needs to show me quite a bit more for me to start thinking of him as the 49ers QB of the future. He can start by beating a solid defense on the road this week. I would like to see him put together a game where the O scores 28 points or more without a much help from the defense. Either way the 9ers need to draft a QB this year and I am more and more sold on Hogan in the early 3rd rd.

    1. Coach, my sympathies. Thought ND had won that game. Too bad Hogan pulled a rabbit out of his hat.

    2. Hogan’s one of the more overlooked QB candidates. He doesn’t have the wow properties of Goffs pocket footwork or Lynch’s stature… but Hogan’s sneaky physical, is in a more pro ready offense, is accurate and has improved since last year.

      1. If Jed does not go cheap, maybe he could lure Shaw to come to the Niners and reunite with his QB, assuming Hogan is available in the draft.

      2. B2W,
        The guys over the Pac 12 network were profusely commenting on how Hogan might be the least respected QC in college.

        Hogan flies under the radar (no fault of his own), but the kid get’s results.

    3. “I would like to see him put together a game where the O scores 28 points or more”

      You do realize that the 49ers have scored 28 points or more in only 3 of 27 games since the start of 2014 right?

      1. Jack and thats why we need improved QB play and I’m not sure Gabbert improves us enough to be the future of the franchise. I do believe he makes one hell of a backup and or space holder.

    4. Old Coach,

      Hogan seems like a career backup to me. Just my imo but he lacks special traits needed to be a good starter at the pro level. He’s a lot like what we’re used to seeing around here: a steady QB who can thrive if the other components are strong and playing well around him. I want a QB who is a difference maker no matter what is around him. Hard to find obviously, but I don’t want to settle for mediocre anymore.

        1. When they’re wide open 2 yards downfield? Relatively yes. Look at the passes Palmer completed under pressure.

      1. Grime Time are you serious? Are any throws in the NFL easy? How many drops by WR’s has he had in 3 games?

  42. Gabbert throws a much more catchable ball than Kaep, which is why marginal receivers like McDonald are showing sudden improvement, but a guy such as Boldin seems unaffected; Boldin catches most everything.

    Walsh used to tell Montana that there was an optimal catch zone that he needed to hit for a receiver to make the most of a route. Walsh also said there’s no other QB in the history of the NFL he’d rather have. While watching Gabbert, I remembered this about Montana, and love the way Gabbert’s throws seem to appear so catchable, compared to Kaep. Then, watching the game last night, I realized just how phenomenal Tom Brady is, and that he, like Montana, throws optimal balls.

    Montana and Brady are the 2 best QBs ever because of their understanding of what Walsh preached; not only accuracy, but supreme accuracy to an optimal catching position.

    Brady is better than Rodgers in that regard, and it’s what makes Brady the 2nd best ever.

    1. Joe not only threw with touch, he would hit his receivers in stride so they would gain yardage after the catch.

  43. The 13 49ers on the field penalty in the red zone should have been enforced as a live play and resulted in 1st and 5 for AZ, instead of 2nd down from the eight. They ended up kicking a field goal. Big break for the Niners.

      1. The refs threw a flag and hit Brock in the face, that’s why he dropped the gift interception!

    1. Refs blew that call. They should have waited until the snap of the ball before throwing the flag. Many times there would be a player sprinting off the field before the snap so they are not caught with 12 men on the field. Those refs were just flag happy and totally biased against the Niners.

  44. I have a feeling that Chryst is going to be the new scapegoat. They’ll unfortunately give Jim Tomsula one more season with a new OC.

    But seriously, who thought that Geep Chryst was going to work out as an offensive coordinator? He was part of the problem this whole time! He played a large part in our vanilla passing attack these past 3-4 years and also designed plays in the red zone, which was one of our biggest weaknesses as a team.

    Who in their right mind decided that this was the guy that deserved to get a promotion and lead our offense? Roman >> Chryst all day long.

    If you’re going to promote a DL coach to the HC position, you better get someone that is an offensive expert to handle that side of the ball. We all know that Tomsula doesn’t know offense if it hit him directly in the face. Better hire someone that does.

    Chryst can’t even coach a QB out of a wet paper bag, but let’s hand him the keys to our offense!!! Roman, Fangio, and Harbaugh were holding this team back from winning it all! Tomsula and Chryst will get this ship turned around! 11-5! – Jed York

    1. Chryst was chosen because Kaep really wanted him. Now that Kaep is gone, Chryst may not have any job security.

  45. One of these things would be enough to prompt major change from most owners. It’s just another day at the office for Jed.

    1. Inflatable penis with York’s name on it.
    2. Fan funded airplane banner dissing York.
    3. Coach farting at the podium during press conference.

    Jed reminds me of the Myth Busters episode in which they polish a turd. They got it smooth and shiny, but eventually came to the conclusion that it was still just a turd.

    1. BigP, I mentioned that first statement, and the mods removed it. Guess they like you more than me. ;p

  46. Scooter summed up the game beautifully as always. Well done.

    I have Fan and Prime constantly hounding me to admit I was wrong about something I wasn’t, but I will admit I was wrong about Gabbert. By the end of his time in Jax he looked like a shot player who wasn’t looking at anything other than the rush anymore. I figured he’d crumble once he started to play regularly again but he hasn’t. He’s played pretty well and is a big step up from where Kap was most of the season before he was benched.

    In saying that however, there also needs to be a reality check when looking at this in the long term. Gabbert being a competent QB is great, but we need more than that from the position long term. I think we have become so jaded by the current state of the franchise that we are looking for anything positive to latch on to, and Gabbert is the latest example. Gabbert could probably win some games with the early teams we had under Harbaugh. Great defense, dominant running game and a QB who makes enough plays to eek out close hard fought victories. He is essentially Alex Smith to a degree, but the problem is the 49ers didn’t win with Alex until the other areas of the team became dominant, and that is the issue you face with a QB who doesn’t do anything other than not make big mistakes and put up enough points to win a close defensive battle.

    Gabbert is playing much better than Kap did earlier this year, but the point totals are essentially the same. We can blame that on Chryst to a degree because the play calling has been conservative to the extreme for most of the year, but it’s also on the QB making plays when they are there to be made, and we still don’t have that guy, at least based on the first 3 games we’ve seen from BG. He has 5 more to show whether he can be a difference maker rather than a caretaker, but right now I agree with those who have said he looks like a good backup/bridge QB to the guy we hopefully draft next year.

    The defense continues to be schizophrenic playing great at home and horrible on the road. I’m really not sure how the discrepancy between home and away can be so drastic but it continues. Some of that can be chalked up to the youth of many of the players, but some has to be put on the Coaching and preparedness of playing at home vs. on the road. Something is missing in this area and needs to be figured out in a hurry.

    Overall the team is playing just well enough to lose close games at home to good teams and get blown out on the road by good teams while losing to every team. The observations I’m reading on here are in some ways similar to the start of the Singletary era when they would often play hard and lose, but because they didn’t get embarrassed it was seen as a positive. I don’t want to go through that again personally. No matter how you lose it’s still a loss. There are no points for style in this league and consistency is the most important detail. This team is woefully inconsistent from week to week, cannot score points and plays a simple conservative brand of football. Changes have to be made or we are looking at another run like we had between Mooch and Harbaugh.

    1. Rocket, it takes a big man to admit he was mistaken.
      Nice insights.
      Actually, I was very entertained with your repartee with Fan, Kinda brought back memories. In the end, you guys were talking over each other and the salient points were lost in the kerfluffle.
      However, I wish to disagree about your comparison of Gabbert to AS. Apples and oranges. Gabbert at his age is way better than AS when he was 26. AS has finally evolved into a decent QB, but it took a lot of adversity and hard knocks to make him what he is today. I think Gabbert is a good QB and his accuracy throwing downfield passes makes him superior to AS. AS did not throw a pass over 20 yards for many years, but I have seen Gabbert deliver the ball downfield with authority. Gabbert is not perfect, and has been errant at times, but he was recently only the backup, and did not have the luxury of all those first string snaps to his receivers in the TC and preseason.

    2. You advocated ad nauseum that #7 was capable of winning games. That he was a franchise QB in which to build around. That he was the future. Correct?
      As we have witnessed he won a lot of games with a stellar defense. Now the organization can’t get rid of him fast enough because he’s been exposed for the real type of QB he is.
      The type of QB I said he was all along and the one you argued he wasn’t.
      You will stick to saying he was good and won a lot of games and show stats that highlights this. My arguement with you is those stats never showed his true skill set to play the QB position. He took over a team at a time where every moving part was exceptional. Coaching, depth, play calling and lack of film on him by other teams.
      Well now those moving parts no longer exist. Those stats are meaningless. He hasn’t been able to win games. He’s actually been more of the cause to the losing in the early part of the season. So yes, you were wrong in saying he was the future because at one time he won games and had staggering numbers. That all now is a flash in pan. What I said from day one!

    3. Prime,

      You advocated ad nauseum that #7 was capable of winning games. That he was a franchise QB in which to build around. That he was the future. Correct?

      Wrong. This is why I have continually said both you and fan are arguing based on strawman scenarios. I have stated clearly many times what my thoughts on Kap were and provided stats only to show that he wasn’t a piece of garbage who needed to be dumped while he was winning football games for this team. I never once said he was a franchise QB or forecast that I thought he would be great in the future. My views were and still are based on what is happening in the present. I supported Kap for the same reasons I supported Smith before him: Winning games. That’s it. If I see a QB is helping the 49ers win games I will support him. I have never been a Kap apologist; that is something you guys made up so you could have an antagonist to rail against. I’ve always looked at Kap as a developmental prospect from day one and stated before every season that he needed to improve as a pocket QB to be the long term option here. What I didn’t do was come in here and whine constantly that he didn’t look like a prototype, or was surly and wore hip hop clothing and didn’t talk the right way. I don’t care what a player looks or sounds like as long as he is helping my team win and Kap did that. If Gabbert becomes a player that helps this team win I’ll support him too because that is all that matters to me.

      1. True Scooter, but both Seattle and AZ are giving up more than 20 points a game so it is still underwhelming in regards to what we are getting from the offense.

        This week they face a defense giving up 24 per game so we’ll see if that makes a difference.

        1. He’s faced two of the top defenses in the league in 3 games. Now I’m calling Seattle that because let’s face it they own is and look like world beaters when playing us.
          I’m on the Gabbert train for a couple of reasons.

          He is far more efficient than our last two in just three games.
          Now he’s a vet but not really a playing vet. I think his sideline stint has helped him get over the ghosts of jax and learn the NFL.
          I think naturally he has some rust and has a chance to work on some of his mistakes. Yeah we’ve been desensitized ?? By bad qb play and mediocre qb play.
          But I guess I’m taking a different approach at this. I think most see him as a vet/ backup like a hasselbeck or Sanchez. I don’t I actually see him kind of like a rookie with experience. I think this because he has the tools there is no doubt about that, and with his time away from under center he strived hard to get where he’s at and improve that has clearly been shown. So I have to hope he will get better with the parts he lacks in. I think the kid is hungry and wants to be a great. We can pick a handful of mistakes but we haven’t seen 300 yard games to often with this o-line and coaching. Sacks are down. You give this kid a stout o-line and running game with a very solid defense and special teams for short fields and I think he’s money in the bank. Sorry guys I can’t see him as the ol broken down or solid backup until game 16 is complete.
          He’s working with garbage and is making the smell
          Tolerable. Choo choo mutha****s!
          :-)

          1. Oh and Rogers doesn’t win his title without that defense. Hasn’t had one that good since and can’t buy a Super Bowl.
            Brady? Same thing. His defenses won those rings.
            Manning? His one Super Bowl. Same thing. So don’t underestimate a qb benefitting from a very good defense.
            Look where it took Alex and ck.
            A tad bit better qb wins 3 straight Super Bowls.
            I’m still going to yell BUILD THAT DEFENSE AGAIN AND THE O-LINE. Get the cerebral qb that can make throws further than 20 yards won’t always use the checkdown, won’t always not use the checkdown, one who will not throw to many ints,
            And has legs that can move.
            That man is Gabbert!
            Because let’s face it. Wasting a #1 with this franchise and all
            Of the holes it has to fill would be a wasted pick! And a waste of talent!

      2. So Rocket you only support QB’s who win games? What about a guy like B. Gabbert who is starting to find his way? Do you not support him because he is 1-2? I think they have someone they can build around temporarily.

        The point about Kaepernick was a lot of people didn’t think he was franchise worthy. A quarterback whom the team could build around because his skill set was limited.

        1. FDM,

          As I said, if Gabbert shows he can help this team win games I will support him. What I have seen in the first 3 games does not lead me to believe he should be the long range starter for this team, but if he keeps improving and starts to win some games I’d be happy to be wrong on that too.

          The Kaepernick topic has become so convoluted I don’t think anyone truly remembers what was being discussed while Kap was leading this team his first two years, but I personally believed Kap to be a long range project when he was drafted, and I think his early success may have actually hurt him in the fact that he was then thrown into the fire without truly learning how to play the position.

          The biggest issue with the Kap detractors was the fact they were calling for him to be removed while he was winning, and without a true option to replace him with. I was all for going after Manning when he was available and wanted the Niners to draft Bridgewater if he fell to them. Those are not suggestions I would support if I was a Kap apologist. I like to see the team play well and win. I don’t really care who it is as long as it is happening.

      3. Rocket, notice how I only mentioned Fan? Prime is far more odious, tries to put words in your mouth, then gets all personal.
        Being a died in the wool Faithful Niner Fan and a staunch admirer of Kaep, I will defend him against the recriminations and screeds thrown at him. These are just my opinions, and do not have access to medical records, and just rely on my observations in a deductive manner to come to my own conclusions.
        Kaep became injured. In his first game, Kaep was smacked down hard. He landed on his left shoulder and his head whipped back. When hit so hard, the first thing to do is stay down and assess the damage. What did Kaep do? He sprang up as if nothing happened and ran back to the huddle. That was an instinctual reaction. Why did he do that? Because he knew that if they ran the concussion protocols, he probably would have been declared ineligible and told to sit. Kaep is a fierce competitor and wanted to play so badly, he would ignore injury to stay on the field. He won his first game, but the second game, he lost his running back.
        In the Steelers game, he was hit hard again, due to the poor play of the offensive line. The Steelers dominated the first half and put the game away. In the second half, they gave up the short passes that dink and dunk down the field, and allowed Kaep to use up the clock and move down the field. So Kaep was statistically doing well, but lost the game after taking another bruising hit.
        Then came the Cards game. Kaep looked slow and confused. Those big hits took their toll. His shoulder, injured in the first game, did not heal to any appreciable degree. Kaep had his worst game of his life. The O line let the pass rushers a have free pass and a free path to Kaep. He threw a pick six on his first pass. The worst possible outcome for any quarterback. Usually, when something catastrophic happens, you try your hardest not to repeat your mistake. The coaches I am sure were saying those exact words. So what happens? Kaep does it again.Another pick six in his first 2 passes, with his O line looking like turnstiles. It seemed as if he was playing in a fog, and could not remember what he just did. Classic CTE. Any other explanation just ignores the symptoms and downplays the dangers of CTE. Isn’t it interesting that no football player, pundit or coach ever mentioned the possibility? It was and is a conspiracy of silence because it might affect the bottom line. It is reprehensible that the NFL is so grossly nefarious, they have squelched calls for NFL players to have baseline head scans because it might draw attention to the problem, My proof is that they are so greedy, and so indifferent to the problem, they schedule Thursday Night Football with only 3 days rest. Kaep threw another pick, because he was trying his hardest to show that the first 2 passes were an anomaly, but they were an affirmation.
        Then came the GB game, and Devey lets Mathews run by him with a full head of steam, and smack Kaep to the ground hard. The injured shoulder probably just sprained, became a full tear. You could see it in Kaep’s eyes. He was in extreme pain. Kaep, being the warrior he is, gutted it through the next couple games, but everyone could tell that he could not throw the ball with any accuracy, He was missing open receivers. He even missed an uncovered receiver. That tunnel vision is a classic symptom of CTE.
        Finally, they bench him, so he takes stock of the situation, and realizes that he cannot play and he is hurting the team. He gets a second opinion, and discovers extensive damage. It is in the best interest of himself, and of the team, for him to have surgery to fix the problem. However, many posters were downplaying the injury, called him a quitter and malingerer, and even said he faked it. They said it was in the non throwing shoulder, so whats the big deal? Dumping on an injured player just shows no class.
        I hope Kaep heals fully. The time off will help his mental state, too. I hope he gets that brain scan so they have a baseline to compare with his future scans. They are paying him millions, you would think they would want to protect their investment.
        I hope Chryst finds a mission or crusade so he can mutually agree to part with the Niners. I hope the new guy can accentuate Kaep’s skillsets, and stop forcing him to be only a pocket passer. I would not blame Kaep if he felt betrayed, because he signed that deal with the assurance that the lower salary would allow the Niners to pay for and keep talent on the team. However, Baalke went cheap and let talent walk away, thus breaking his promise.
        Still, I do want Kaep to lead the Niners. If he walks, he could end up on a division rival, and haunt the Niners for years. Maybe Jed deserves that for screwing things up so badly, but I want the Niners to win more rings, and a healthy rejuvenated and motivated Kaep would just be another Haley situation.
        Jed should dump Paraag and Baalke, and install football savvy people like Carmen Policy as president and Mike Holmgren as GM. Tomsula should admit he is in over his head, and gracefully step down. The Niners should hire Seifffert or Mooch as head coach, to finish the year, and they could reward loyalty by allowing Tomsula to become the DC, or D line coach if he prefers.
        Jed should channel Bill Walsh and grab another Stanford HC to lead the team next year. David Shaw would make a great Niner Head Coach. they could even draft Kevin Hogan to groom and develop as an eventual replacement for Kaep, but only after Kaep wins a couple rings.
        I know I will be accused of being delusional, but I would rather be bold and delusional than meek and resigned to losing.
        I apologize for the length of this post and invite anyone and everyone to ignore it if they want to.

        1. Seb,

          Kap is done here. He could possibly go somewhere else and have success but the well in SF has been poisoned. He didn’t develop the way that was hoped and the FO and Coaching staff have moved on it appears. We can go on and on about reasons why or how it could have been different but it won’t change anything.

          Prime and I get into it once in awhile but often agree on things too so it’s just life in the world of fandom.

          1. The Rams would want him in a heartbeat, and if Wilson or Palmer went down due to injury, Kaep with those defenses would be formidable.

            1. Great defenses or not Sebyanah, if a QB cannot read a defense, be accurate what does it matter? Or are you blaming the non-throwing shoulder on those inabilities?

          2. You can basically boil it down and simplify the positioning like this:

            Prime and I — Kaep sucks
            Rocket — Stats and his W-L total say otherwise
            Jack Hammer — Kaep = Mark Sanchez

            In the end, he’s on the bench. You can say stats, you can say Mark Sanchez but in the end it goes back to how he is playing the position.

            Would we keep a kicker who keeps making the extra points, but is 50/50 on FG?

            1. Fan,

              I disagreed with your opinions when Kap was leading this team and winning games. I did not disagree with your assessment when he stunk this year or at times last year. Sometimes he was good and other times he was bad, and that was a major problem because inconsistency is not what you want from the starting QB. That got progressively worse from about mid last season through the beginning of this season, but did not take away from the fact prior to that Kap was doing what needed to be done to win and was rated highly under every measuring tool available. This is not a black and white debate here which is why I shake my head when you two continue to paint it that way.

    4. It is worth keeping in mind he has played the Seahawks and Cardinals in his 3 games. They may be averaging the same amount of points as when Kaep was at QB, but he’s not had the privelege yet of playing against a D like the Giants.

      1. But I don’t mean that as an argument against what you are saying. I agree, so far he has shown he could be a decent backup/ bridge QB. Lets see how he goes over the remaining five games.

      2. Odious? I’m sorry Seb but I guess the truth hurts when people call you on your BS. Because that’s what your posts are all about, BS. But you continue on your rants about #7, soon he will be on another team and I pray you follow him to that teams site!

              1. That I find hard to believe. Might be because you have these rose coloured glasses on with 2 ginarmous #7’s on each lens! Keep trying though Seb, you will eventually getting it!

    1. Grant

      How can you say Smith>Gabbert with a straight face? He’s better now? Today? Sure he is.

      Yes, because he’s had the luxury of working with Andy Reid for 2+ seasons. Don’t be so sure about Gabbert. You might end up looking silly.

      1. I agree with it because believe it or not Smith throws a better deep ball. That’s all that separates them for me.

        1. I’m surprised that Gabbert shows potential. Kaep was so bad a fried chicken sandwich could have done better than that guy.

          We’re only 3 games into the Gabbert restoration. He face two top 10 defenses and held his own. He didn’t put up a lot of points but at the same time he really didn’t look that bad. It took him awhile to get going in both games but there’s alot more to work with, adjust then to fix.

          Alex Smith continues to be a mystery. He does win now, doesn’t make a lot of mistakes, maybe too cautious but I think that’s just his personality. He’s in it to win it and doesn’t care about stats. He’s gotten better in KC. Not sure if that’s Andy Reid. I always think that Alex’s projectory was the Buffalo game when the team won 45-3. He was playing well, and then the next AZ game he went 18-19. He’s just not very flashy.
          He played pretty steady during their 5 game win streak. Sometimes Andy calls a good game and he looks good. And sometimes Andy doesn’t and he looks pedestrian.

          But why are we talking about Alex again? Oh yeah — Who’s better, Alex or Gabbert? I dunno. Does it matter? It’s not like we’re talking Brady or Brees.

          This season sucks. Bright spot has been Gabbert, maybe MacDonald looking like he can play, and that schizophrenic defense.

      2. Gabbert has thrown three picks in three games. Smith threw only five in 2011. He doesn’t make many mistakes. Gabbert does.

        1. Lmao… And throwing 3 yard dump offs. Alwx smith throws a better deep ball? Lmaooooooo!!!!
          And grant… I remember the time Harbaugh let smith turn it loose vs NY. And he was picked 3 times?
          Lost his job after that and is still cpt check down in KC. Trust me I watch those games.
          Alex smith lives off of his receivers legs.

          1. Smith didn’t lose his job after the 3 pick NY game.

            He actually followed that game up with some of the best play of his career and never would have lost his job if he knew how to slide correctly. Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story though.

    2. Alex also has a better offense to lead and a better defense to help him win games.
      Gabbert leads a team that is at the bottom of both offense and defense in the league.
      Gabbert’s main running back was a couch potato a few weeks ago.

  47. Jeff Deeney @PFF_Jeff
    Arik Armstead did not get any snaps in base defense yesterday, all snaps were either in dime or short yardage.

  48. Here’s a fun statistical nugget:

    “Blaine Gabbert averaged more than 11 yards per attempt inside the painted numbers and his only touchdown Sunday. However, Gabbert averaged fewer than 4 yards per attempt and threw an interception on throws outside the numbers. The Cardinals have 8 interceptions on passes outside the numbers this season, tied with the Jets for the most in the NFL.”

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