49ers 14, Broncos 33: Grades

This article has 160 Comments

1. I would give the QBs a B-, Hoyer a C and Beathard a B.
   OL – Fair grade. OL is more than just C and Gs. The pass protection was there.
   LBs – You’d think Foster had a dead shoulder after all the speculation on here lately.
   DBs – Reid played well, but cautious on a few plays and got dragged to the end zone. The box S has to be able to make that play in space.

2. Jeez let’s see , Cohn here thinks he knows how to install discipline better than Kyle ….

   I wonder who I’d listen to more , benching players won’t help . Even Harbaugh didn’t do that . You chat so much crap it’s amazing

   1. Was just going to say the same thing!

3. Kyle Shanahan should give Jim Harbaugh a call to get advice on how to correct the penalties? Why, because Harbaugh is such an expert at keeping penalties under control? Are you serious, Grant?

   In 2011, the 49ers (under Jim Harbaugh) had the 6th most penalties in the NFL that season.
   In 2012, they had the 7th most penalties in the league.
   In 2013, they had the 10th most penalties. Hey, looks like they’re getting better!
   Nope. In 2014, they had the 6th most penalties.

   Those figures don’t support your portrayal of Harbaugh. Not only that, have you even seen the way Harbaugh throws tantrums on the sidelines during games? If I’m not mistaken, Harbaugh has received some unsportsmanlike conduct penalties for acting like a petulant child. And you paint him out to be the grandmaster disciplinarian? Let’s not forget how Harbaugh let Aldon Smith play an entire game against the Colts, just TWO days after Aldon was arrested for driving drunk and crashing his vehicle into someone’s front yard. Why didn’t Harbaugh hold Aldon accountable then and bench him then?

   Seriously, Grant. I know the bay area media worships Harbaugh just because he did an ice bucket challenge with y’all prior to his final season in San Francisco, but you should stop putting him on a pedestal. Harbaugh has never won a championship, at any level, as a player nor a coach, in his lifetime. He’s the most overrated coach in NFL history. Harbaugh realized that his style of coaching is no longer effective with professional football players, and that’s why he orchestrated his own firing and ran back to coaching in college.

   Kyle is better off avoiding that loser.

   1. Interesting stats Master. Thanks for posting that as it helps put things into perspective.

   2. Great point on Harbaugh. I’ll never forget this.

      http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/01/13/anquan-boldin-got-on-jim-harbaughs-case-about-15-yard-penalty/

   3. Exactly! Jim Harbaugh was notorious for letting the play clock wind down and getting delay of game penalties. Talk about discipline. The team is young and hungry. Some are just playing aggressive and end up holding on plays and you want that. Seattle was notorious for that. Should Kyle give Pete a call? This was a terrible report.

   4. Exactly! How many players that got into trouble that he kept on the field anyways. Jim doesn’t know how to maintain discipline. He even threw tantrums on the sideline when a play didn’t go his way. What a great coach huh?

   5. In addition to his father, Kyle has the Bill Walsh archives at his disposal.

   6. Well said and very true. Though early still we are headed back to the top.

   7. Thank you for the research. Facts are far better than opinion or conjecture.

   8. ‘That is why he orchestrated his own firing’. That is a little revisionist history.
      .
      No, Jed chose a suit over a coach, contrary to what Madden advocated. He said it was much easier to replace a suit, than a coach, and boy, was he right.
      .
      Baalke stabbed JH in the back so much, he looked like a pincushion. They kicked him to the curb, but luckily, his alma mater came to the rescue.
      .
      Some will diss JH, and he is not perfect, but he also took a downtrodden dispirited and under achieving Niner team, and revved it up so they went to 3 NFCC Games in a row, and he brought the Niners back to relevance by getting back to the SB. JH and his winning was the catalyst to getting that stadium built.
      .
      ‘Worst coach in NFL history’? Maybe you are forgetting Rod Marinelli who had a winless season. Rod Rust who went 1-15, or Les Steckel who went 3-13.
      .
      Even looking at the Niner HCs, JH was light years better than Erickson, Nolan, Simpletary, Tomfoola and the Chipper.

      1. Yes, Harbaugh had a big hand in his dismissal. Let’s see you try to exclude your boss from a company (team) meeting by implying that he is not man enough, and see what happens to you. Harbaugh wanted out and practically dared York to fire him by being a complete jerk to work with. Then Harbaugh agreed to a “mutual departing,” only to turn around and act like he was a victim. He’s a crybaby who, to this day, still hasn’t moved on. He needs to grow up.

         Also, I didn’t say he was the worst coach in NFL history. People act like he’s won a championship or two. Best coach ever or something. He’s not as good as a lot of fans and the media make him out to be.

         1. No, JH already knew he was going to be fired, so he just acted like he did not care. If he wanted to keep his job, he would have been more diplomatic.

            1. Say what you will about Harbaugh good and bad. The one thing he was brought in to do and failed at, was develop a QB.

               He started to with Smith than his ego took over.
               That’s the story of his coaching career.

      2. Reading comprehension isn’t your thing. He said Harbaugh was over-rated.

         And Baalke didn’t ‘stab him in the back.’ Even the Harbaugh-supporting, Baalke-bashing Kawakami admitted Harbaugh was a huge part of the problem the origins of which came from when Baalke refused to draft Owen Marecic (Stanford) and Harbaugh threw a snit-fit and started to work against Baalke instead of manning-up and moving on.

         Also, FWIW, fighting is his thing. As a player he constantly fought with coaches and team-mates. And at every place Harbaugh has ever gone, the people have been glad to see him walk out the door despite his winning.

         1. Baalke did not stab JH in the back?
            .
            Sounds like you are another Baalke shill. Next you will be saying that Baalke did not stab Kaep in the back.
            .
            Frankly, I think those 3 other coaches were way over rated, too.

   9. It has occurred to me in the past and recently…. that Grant doesn’t have any idea what he is talking about.

      He writes mostly click bait junk.

      1. Says Mrs. Nate Davis.

   10. I agree that Harbaugh is often overrated and you make some good points, however there is no evidence he “orchestrated his own firing”. Harbaugh was fired because he and Baalke didn’t get along. If they had got along, even with the losses of his last season, Harbaugh would not have been fired. And I would hardly call him a “loser”.
       For instance, a number great NFL coaches have never won a superbowl. Bud Grant is rated as the third most successful NFL coach overall behind only Don Shula and George Halas. He’s in the pro football hall of fame. But he never won a superbowl. Garsh, what a loser!

       1. He made it difficult to work with him. What do you expect to happen to you if you try to exclude your boss from a company meeting by implying that he is not a man, in front of his other employees.

          Jed should’ve fired Baalke along with Harbaugh though. They both deserved to get canned together.

          Bud Grant is the “third most successful coach behind Shula and Halas” only if you count the 102 wins that he had as a coach in the Canadian Football League. He’s never won a Super Bowl, true, but he did win the 1969 NFL Championship, before there was a Super Bowl. It was his combined CFL and NFL coaching career, along with that NFL Championship, that put him in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also, he won 4 CFL Grey Cup championships as coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Harbaugh has never won ANY kind of championship, at any level, in any league, not as a player nor as a coach. Please don’t compare Jim Harbaugh to Bud Grant.

   11. Yah ….. uh NO, Jim Harbaugh is not someone to consult with in regards to reducing penalties. It always amazes me how quickly people forget the bad, in order to validate the good, which by the way is a hallmark of the human psyche. Harbaugh’s tenure as the 49er HC was fraught with penalties, including on the first offensive play of Super Bowl XLVII, which set the tone for a sloppy first half of football. In fact the incessant delay of game penalties actually became a running joke during the Harbaugh era. Not to mention all of the wasted timeouts in order to avoid costly penalties and key points of the games, and one time out in particular that may have ultimately cost the 49ers a 6th Lombardi Trophy.

       That said, I agree with Grant that it is time for Kyle to make a change, and make some sort of statement in regards to the lack of discipline that is killing any kind of progress this team is trying to achieve. I can accept the fact that this team is probably a year or two away, in terms of talent, from competing for a playoff birth. What I cannot accept is sloppy football as a result of a lack of focus, discipline, and/or accountability. I realize that this is a very complex offensive scheme, with a lot of motion, and moving parts. But constantly having guys lined up incorrectly at this stage is simply unacceptable. And the carelessness in which these guys are protecting the football, particularly last night, is as alarming as it is frustrating to watch.

       By the way Grant, using the 49ers official media backdrop for your video was another nice touch. And your post game video did not disappoint.

       1. Thank you. Just have to make sure my phone is connected to the stadium wifi next time. It’s always something!

       2. Also, I am alarmed by what is happening specifically in regards to these QB laterals to the RB’s. Something is a miss, whether it’s lack of experience , lack of focus, or simply that these RB’s don’t have good enough hand-eye coordination, this is something that either needs to get fixed, ASAP, or removed from the playbook entirely.

4. I’m starting to get it Grant with the Live Periscopes. Good job and agree

5. They need a killer run blocking guard and a way better cornerback than Robinson.
   To me those are the biggest issues.
   I think Hyde and Arik are prime candidates that would make sense to try and trade for those 2 upgrades. Pass protection is decent but man they need run blocking and the corners are gonna get lit up. Until they have a solid cornerback and better run blocking this team will suffer…..offensive genius or not. This defensive line also needs to show more -3 first round picks and zero sacks tonight. I know no Buckner but still. Was underwhelmed by D line because that’s supposed to be the biggest strength. Kittle is a stud.

   1. Robinson is barely 22 years old. He’s raw as hell – but seems very hungry and I have no doubt he will be much more polished as a player by years end.

      1. That’s a good point WillyBird! Rashard had all of 15 games of experience at LSU, before he was drafted, and he didn’t even start a number of those games. Plus, he hadn’t played since midway through the 2014 season, so he basically missed the final year and a half of his college football eligibility prior to being drafted.

         What Robinson has is length, quick feet, quick hips, good make up speed, as well as excellent top end speed, and maybe most importantly of all, the kind of personality that all the top CB’s possess – confidence, and a short term memory when it comes to moving on mentally from one play to the next.

6. The offensive line didn’t give up penetration I have to quibble with.

   The offensive line gave up more penetration than a [name of nationality] [censored] on a [censored] in the middle of a [censored] . It got so bad, a Bronco defensive lineman actually intercepted a hand off. Lost count of all the TFLs.

   Many 49ers had turnovers, but Joe Williams seems to be the ongoing fumbler. Ball handling is a major issue for him. That has to be fixed before he can ever get major reg season snaps.

   1. The OL was C- at best. Adequate pass protection for the most part, but had some issues with run blocking on a number plays.

   2. Bodie2- I think the “Good pass protection” comment was in reference to the first team O-line. The things you mentioned were not committed by them. That fumble was not Williams fault. He never had possession of the ball when the defender knocked it out of his hands. Even if someone has a history that should not dictate how we evaluate them on any particular play.

      Oh! Grant. While it certainly looked like the ball hit Tarts legs, A different angle (from behind the player) replay clearly showed it bearly grazed his right rib cage.

      1. willtalk

         +1 ….good information

      2. willtalk – Thanks for the info. I’ll give Williams a pass on that one.

         Williams does need to get ball security down. He reminds me of the good/not so good of Wendell Tyler. Suddenly he can be upon the 2nd level of the defense in a blur. A threat to take it to the house on every play. Be he needs to tuck that ball.

         The pass pro (especially on play action) was OK. Grant’s offensive line grades did not mention starting unit only. His “penetration” comment (and my response) was about run blocking. More complete quote: But the run-blocking could be an issue. The offensive line didn’t give up penetration…

   3. Are you saying the turnover last night was Joe’s fault Brodie?

      I agree with your take on the interior of the OL, especially the backups. Not that the starters on the OL are playing particularly well (because they are not!), but man, guys like Norman Price, John Flynn, Andrew Lauderdale, John Theus or even Gary Gilliam, none of these guys look like they are even qualified backups at the NFL level, and I am not even sure I would sign them to the PS.

      The OL has got to be the number one priority for ShanaLynch moving forward right now. Because, until they get that fixed, I don’t care whether Kyle is game planning or not, this team isn’t going to be competitive offensively. I agree with Grant, I highly doubt Kyle can game plan his way around an OL that is playing this poorly, especially in terms of run blocking.

7. No focus after first punt gaffe.oline worries me alot.no push it seems.no way they get rid of McDonald, for all the talk he plays with the 1s every week.Kittle along with Paulsen got blown up on multiple run blocks,Kittle also has weak hammy,Mark my words will be a problem all year.he did make some dbs miss to get TD.cut Barkley,keep extra wr,Te got to just keep grinding I thought there was some good stuff just lacked focus.

   1. Robinson is going to get plenty of game action vs the pass. This scheme will have him on an island against the other teams top WR every week. Things should be a little better when rangy FS Jimmie Ward returns. Still, Robinson’s ability to tackle the ball carrier against the run and pass has to improve right away.

   2. McDonald played with the firsts because Kittle was not full-participant in practice as recently as 4 days ago according to RotoWire. But until Kittle had the pair of injuries to his hamstring, he was the one playing with the firsts.

8. Other than Grant’s misplaced advice for Kyle, the overall analysis was correct. The o-line pass protection and run defense were only real positives. The penalties and fumbles remain a legitimate concern. Shanahan needs to address it before It bleeds into the regular season. Difference between a 5 win or 9 win season.

   1. Anyone else suspect that the pass protection looked good only because the Broncos sat so many defensive players, including Von Miller?

      1. That could be part of it. But believe it or not the pass protection of the o line last year was about average. It was their run blocking that was atrocious. For example Trent Brown is very good at pass blocking, perhaps one of the 5 best tackles at it. The problem is you could also make a highlight reel of him completely whiffing on run blocks.

      2. Balthazar- Your comment about the Bronco’s sitting Von Miller would have more weight if the Niners O-line also didn’t look good in Protection in the scrimmages earlier in the weak. Brown handled Miller really well in the scrimmage.

9. Well, seems Reuben’s shredded shoulder held up Grant?

10. There is room on the reality bus that has this team winning 4 games max. No one driving this bus was fooled by a starting QB who is a career backup, a running back who lowers his shoulder and is out 4 to 6 weeks, who also has no vision, and a secondary that would struggle to cover Alabama’s receivers.
    The good news is that when teams are up so many points that they run the ball to kill the clock, this defense will be on point. The bad news is that will be when the team is down 24 points in the first half.

    It will start with a team week one that is the most aggressive down the field attacker. These corners will be tested early and often. The team should orchestrate a trade for a premier shut down corner. Cleveland could be willing to part with theirs.

    The 49ers are heavy at Strong Safety, TE, WR, and RB. Arik Armstead could also be moved off of a deep defensive line. Joe Hayden should be bought while there is money laying around to spend. Malcom Butler could be pried from NE, or if Lynch can leverage his friendship with Elway, the 49ers may be able to get Chris Harris Jr.

    Buckle up, the 4 wins might not come as easily as we’d all hope

    1. The Niners, with glaring weaknesses at DB and OL, will be lucky to win 4 games. They might win only one, depending on whether Chicago comes to play or not. Next offseason, via the draft and/or free agency, they’ll need to pick up at least 2 OL and 2 DB. At least they’ll have a few extra draft picks to work with. And still quite a bit of cap room.

       The problem with the flaws is that they won’t get any offensive rhythm with a very weak running game, and the weakness of the defensive backfield will negate whatever advantage they have with their front 7. In fact, they might need to play nickel or dime all game if they don’t want to get repeatedly torched by any halfway competent QB. So they’re likely to be behind in nearly every game they play, with no means of catching up, since play action won’t work.

       1. The more preseason games you watch over the years, the more you realize there is NOT a lot of correlation between what you during these games, and what you see during the regular season, with the possible exception of game #3. If I had a dollar for every season I was fired up because the team looked outstanding during the preseason, only to watch them fall flat, and struggle early in the regular season, I’d be a wealthier man. And this is especially true for the teams that sport superior coaching, and coordinators, because game planning, and play calling is so very important in the NFL. It’s simply not possible to draw conclusions, and make assumptions, based on the first 2 games of the preseason.

          That said, I do have some concerns at this point and time. I’ve got concerns about the OL in particular. I think Hoyer is a serviceable veteran QB who has a firm grip of Kyle’s offense, and I think the 49ers current crop of RB’s and WR’s are a clear upgrade over the last couple seasons. I can say with certainty that this team will be better against the run, and they have also improved their pass rushing. They have an incredible young talent in Reuben Foster, and Bowman’s return should lend some stability to this group, but their are certainly some questions in the defensive backfield. The jury is still out on this group of Special Teamers. And I have no doubt that the 49ers have a great young HC and offensive coordinator. Of course, they have to get the penalties fixed and stop turning the ball over, but I suspect they will as guys settle into their roles.

          So what does it mean? I think it means this team has a decent enough chance at reaching .500 this season, if they catch a few breaks and avoid a rash of injuries. I don’t think it’s realistic to turnover a roster to this extent, at the same time you are installing new schemes and new systems on both sides of the football, and expect to make the postseason. I seriously doubt this team will start fast this season, but I am holding out hope that they improve as the season wears on, and I like the way the schedule sets up for them late in the season, so I have hope that the team finishes this season strong and brings some momentum into ShanaLynch’s 2nd offseason.

    2. I have been saying 4-5 wins for some time

11. Mistakes, the affliction of losers. Last year was much the same. Its really hard to evaluate when so many mistakes are present.

    Hoyer played okay – the pass to Goodwin was behind him but very rarely are passes right on the money, Goodwin should of caught and put that ball away.

    Hyde – is who we thought he was

    CJ – I love the way he stands in the pocket. His presence is uncanny for a rookie.

    McDonald – some say he is the best TE we have, if that’s true the position is in trouble.

    Defense – last year I saw problems with the D in pre season, this year I see some improvement.

    All and all the team seams better then the last two years. I think the more the team plays together the better they will become. Right now this team is about mistakes and hopefully they get rectified. I am not down on the team like so many are and I do believe the Niners are on to something.

    1. I’m with you UC.
       9 wins is highly optimistic but the team has greatly improved. They have had several good chunk plays this preseason and they are still learning the offense.
       Last year I was thrilled if they could string 2 first downs together. This year I expect the O to be improved… with much more improvement next year.
       The D looks much stouter against the run. Which should keep us in games against teams with poor qb’s.
       I hope that the D line will emerge as a true strength and the receiving and linebackers will be solid, only needing 1 player to cement them as strengths as well.
       All in all its nice to see some clear weaknesses and that won’t just have to say everything.

    2. UC
       The D looked a little better than this time last year, but the tackling wasn’t good, guys didn’t finish. Disturbing.

       1. You know Bro, the tackling did suck and will continue to do so until they practice it. I was just doing a generalization to the overall performance of the D. Improvement yes but lots more to go. This defense should be better then what it has shown in the last couple of training camps, the talent by ‘draft status’ is there but as of yet they are not up to snuff but it ‘seems’ to be getting better.

12. Grant, didn’t the Niners get two sacks? Tartt got the one on the safety blitz, but Pita also got one with a swim move.

13. I must have watched a different game. The offensive line was terrible that’s why the running game was so bad. I think you just make these things up to get everybody agitated. You’re a strange one Grant. And I can tell from the press conference to the coach deeply dislikes you. The coming year should be very interesting.

    1. Grant Cohn : Kyle Shanahan = Stephen Colbert : Donald Trump?

    2. It doesn’t fit Grant’s narrative that it’s all Hyde not fitting Kyle’s system. The OL was bad for the 1’s last week too and of course Hyde may not fit though his last 3 runs seemed to show he’s was getting into a rhythm. But run blocking is still a huge issue for this team.

14. The penalties are ALWAYS touchy in the preseason. There are 2 reasons I justify it with. 1st everyone is getting back into football. It is better for the refs to flag all hand checks, flinches, jersey tugs, and contact. It sends a message to teams that the parameters are stricter than they truly are. Whixh brings the second caveat. When the season starts some of these calls will go unflagged. It is easier to move the strictness of the line out rather than in.
    This team has plenty of upside. This isnt like the laat few years of a downward trajectory. It will take time to right the ship. Even if the team only manages 4 wins it is still a rising team with solid coaching and a young nucleus.

    1. Through two games, has any other team been flagged nearly as much as the Niners have? Even on Bolden’s runback for a TD, I thought I saw two incidents — a block in the back and a hold — that could easily have called back that play. Maybe the refs were taking pity on the Niners by that point?

       1. The Broncos announcers were complaining about the number of Broncos penalties. Apparently they had 7 offensive holding calls in the first PS game. Maybe it’s just a thing with teams that have just had complete coaching staff turnovers and not a complete failure on Shanahan’s part as per Grants agenda.

15. My takeaways:

    1. Bethard: Next step, putting Hoyer on the bench…
    2. Kittle: I think many of you saw why I’ve been so high on him. He could well be one of the biggest steals of the draft.
    3. Harold: Strange game. No stats, but started. Are you really challenging Brooks?
    4. Robinson: Working your way to a demotion?
    5. Reid: You showed the nay-sayers. Five tackles and a pressure on the blitz. In just three series.
    6. Jerome: He’s found money. He’s why you dredge through all the chaff of UFDAs and low-round picks.
    7. Goodwin: Broncos couldn’t cover him, but you have to catch that ball.

16. Grant has sarcasm down to an art–would be a strong poster on this blog… Bad answer! Etc, etc. Not to worry, 9ers got spanked, we learn, we work to adjust, we move on. Grant seems personally insulted that Kyle didn’t suspend the presser and conduct a multimedia seminar on the theory and practice of discipline–while passing around trays of gourmet finger food at the same time (gratis of course). Maybe a TED Talk would’ve been better received.

    By the way…I watched the game via a Denver TV feed (KUSA 9News). You should have heard the play-by-play guy and the color/commentator guy rail on and on about the Bronco’s penalties and how Bronco coaches were not paying attention to discipline.

    Kyle and staff continue to grow…will others?

    1. Preseason is in full effect. Still to be seen is whether any of this will be part of the regular season or simply part of adjustments to new schemes, personnel, coaching, alignments etc.

       Everyone still is getting used to real time game realities. It remains to be seen what this team is capable of, though it looks like CJB and Kittle may just be real deals. Jerome may also be a baller. Robinson is going to ok but he is a lot like Ward was at the beginning.

17. Beathard will get his chance at some point during the season.

    Kittle looks like a future star for this offense.

    Until Robinson shows he can turn and located the ball, while attacking it at it’s highest point, he’s not a shut down corner.

    Hyde’s vision for the cut back lane is 20/40.

    As for what to do to hold players accountable. I would use Grant’s method, but I would also add a rep on The Hill for each mistake.

    1. I think if I were HC, I would consider the following strategy. I’d review the film and see if I could find a guy that most likely wasn’t going to make the team and who was responsible for a number of flags. If so, I would release him now and allow a rumour to spread that he was released because of his lack of focus in the game. Big stick approach, I know. But it might be a jolt to the players who are now used to a HC who doesn’t “punish” them for mistakes.

       1. Penalties and turnovers are always a problem. ST penalties in preseason are guaranteed to be a problem year after year. To extrapolate to an over-all lack of team discipline is simplistic, misleading, and, as always, provocative.
          Grant spent a few years skewering Harbaugh, and has been martyring him since he left; bigly. I’m also curious where Grant’s great insights into leadership come from……
          Business leadership/management experience? No.
          Military leadership experience? No
          Team sports coaching experience? No.
          Team sports player leadership? Uh, no.
          Civic group activities leadership experience? Not that I’m aware of.
          But Grant feels free to question the HC’s leadership abilities. He seems to,think he has a better idea of how to be an Owner, a General Manager, a dugout Manager, a Head Coach, a Coordinator than anybody else.
          Nothing new, I’ve come to expect it and I keep coming back for the raucous fellowship, but we know what we’re going to get on this site.

          1. So, are you recommending that Shanahan do anything with regards to the “lack of discipline” or are you saying that at this point there is nothing to be concerned about or ………

             There’s a lot of rookies and UDFAs. When these guys were in college they were often coddled. They were their college team’s top players and they never had to be concerned about being demoted. Sure they got yelled at but very few had to be concerned about a demotion. Now they are out in the real world, where the level of competition is much higher. Nothing will be handed to them and, I think for many, an adjustment in thinking has to be made. IMO, it’s better to be a bit harsh now, then to not let them know what the issues are and suddenly these guys find themselves cut from the team.

          2. After listening to Grant’s periscope session, I agree that the best approach is probably the one that BW used: namely a military chain of command type discipline approach where the HC chews out the position coaches and it trickles down from there.

    2. I agree that we are likely to see Bloom County on the field sometime this season. Don’t worry about Robinson, he will be fine in due course as was Ward. Hyde had a tough outing but then so did all the rest of the RBs.

    3. Until Robinson shows he can turn and located the ball, while attacking it at it’s highest point, he’s not a shut down corner.

       Robinson is the opposite of a shut down corner. He’s a shut up corner. As in shut up any talk of being a shut down corner.

18. Preseason Penalties? Check this…

    From SBNation…

    After the 49ers punted the ball late in the third quarter, the field was swarmed with flags. In total, five penalties had been committed on the play, and referee Pete Morelli needed so much help in making the calls that he nearly started laughing.

    Pete Morelli, glad that he got through with the speech of a call said, “With all that, it’s an offset.”

    These were the penalties on the play:

    Receiving team (Denver) – Holding, No. 46
    Receiving team – Holding, No. 81
    Receiving team – Block in the back, No. 80
    Receiving team – Personal foul, No. 2
    Kicking team (SF) – Holding, No. 18

    Morelli probably won’t have to worry about this happening during the regular season, with more experienced players playing within the rules.

19. Hoyar needs to show me something. Kap was unable to score in preseason. Hoyar needs to play or just let CJ take over. I do not blame him for the turnover except the one he committed. C is a good grade. I still believe we will go 7-9.

    1. Kap was benched for shoulder soreness, so he was not allowed to score, or even compete.
       .
       Thinking that the Niners are going to let a green rookie lead the team, and expecting success, is delusional.
       .
       Sure looks like Hoyer is going to pull a Gabbert, and bench himself. Posters would diss Kaep and point to all the Niner losses, but then they should do the same with Hoyer. Hoyer threw a pick and gave the ball away, just like his playoff game.

       1. ”Kap was benched for shoulder soreness, so he was not allowed to score, ”
          So that’s why the offense scored less per game with Kaep at qb than it did with Gabbert? Good to know. ?

          1. That was during the preseason.
             .

             1. Someone should have told him that was only meant for the preseason then. Stupid coaches.

                1. No, it was all Baalke. Chip actually liked Kaep, and let him play.

                   1. http://i.imgur.com/WTDnnwE.gif?noredirect

                   2. No. It was, despite taking the offense to 22.2 PPG, Gabbert was a turn-over machine because he took stupid risks and had poor ball-security. Kaepernick played like a crappy Alex Smith and took no risks. Hence is laughably-misleading QB rating.

                   3. Looked like Gabbert just pulled a Gabbert. Had a player wide open to win the game, and threw a grounder.

                   4. Sounds more like Kap. Oh wait, Kap don’t play football anymore.

             2. That was during the regular season in both 2015 & 2016.

20. I actually can see some positives in this team. That being that at least more than one of the position groups are strong and can be ignored in the rebuild. If the aim was to win this season or next then it would be a problem. However, if a team has along term plan to build a solid contender for multiple years then they are right on schedule. It was unrealistic to expect the team to be solid across the board this early considering how weak the roster was.

    You guys are still looking from the perspective of fans who are used to evaluating a team season by season. Sure there are plenty of weak spots, but they still have a lot of cap space and future drafts to deal with them. Right now they are still in the process of evaluating players to see what they actually have to work with. This coming season means very little in terms of wins and loses. The same can be said for the next season as well. By the third season they can begin to be held accountable for success or failure. As weak as pass defense appears to be we should not expect a lot of wins at least early on.

    It appeared to the announcers, and it made sense to me as well, that the team played a lot of players that were farther down the depth chart to give them a final shot to move up. That fits into the scenario of the team being more concerned with evaluating what they have rather than winning or even establishing game rythme. We also need to remember that this front office is evaluating everyone they have. That is very unlike the situation that most teams face were they already have the major portion of their roster set. Thus their evaluation period will require a longer duration than it normally does. Then add the fact that they are also installing new offensive and defensive systems that most of the players are unfamiliar with. That adds to the difficulty of player evaluation.

    1. “I actually can see some positives in this team.”

       I was beginning to think I was the only one!!

       1. You’ere not alone, I see positives too. Only two games into the preseason.

       2. The problem is, there was a sprinkle of positives, but the negatives were a deluge.

    2. Will, you mean we shouldn’t see playoff caliber play from player 1 to player 90 by the second preseason game of a team in a multi-season rebuild. That’s crazy talk!

21. We also need to remember that this front office is evaluating everyone they have. That is very unlike the situation that most teams face were they already have the major portion of their roster set.

    Very good point Will.
    However, I’m sure they were hoping for fewer mistakes so that they could get a better evaluation.

22. Harbaughs team got a delay of game call in the Super Bowl on second down that cost them that game. Further old Harbs never figured out playcalling discipline & clock management. Shannys problem is lack of talent and installing a complex system with a shallow talent pool. As far as last night, the Broncos looked sloppy with many penalties as well, but their talent was deeper and better.

    1. Yes! As I noted in an earlier post, the Denver broadcasters were livid over Bronco penalties and miscues. You would have thought the Broncos were a JC team from SE Kansas. Of course, they embraced the 33 points scored…

23. Harold looks slow, weak, and too often takes an A to B line to the QB. Harold is another Manny Lawson project he looks like a football player but…

    1. More like Todd Kelly

24. Typo:
    ” Shanahan seemed worried at the about the run game at his post-game press conference, as he should be. “

25. Most of these Grades are too high. You’re not being objective at all and are padding the players you like specifically Hoyer.

    This is not a good team right now. It’s still bereft of talent at many positions. The offensive line is going to struggle as is the secondary. The offensive line is looking fine against the pass because DC’s aren’t calling up blitz packages or stunts.
    They’re struggling against the run because that’s just the defense playing defense and the offense line showing that it can’t compete. I suspect that a motivated team behind a coach they believe in can win more then two games but it wont be much more then that.

    1. *edit* “They’re struggling against the run” to They’re struggling in the run game…

    2. The secondary actually looks better than expected. The only player who is struggling is Robinson.

       1. Only player? Reaser sucks too (been calling for his head the last couple years). Stands around hesitantly while player with ball runs past him. His coverage skills leave much to be desired as well.

          1. True, but Reaser isn’t a starter.

             1. I thought he was still competing with Dontae Johnson opposite Robinson but good news if he isn’t.

                1. Maybe the best 2 CBs are Dontae and Ward.

       2. Very unimpressed with Robinson’s tackling or lack thereof. Two weeks in a row he’s had a whiff that’s led to a 1st down.

          1. Number one rule of Defensive Club? Tackle. If you can’t tackle, I can’t have you on the field.

26. Its not that he didn’t like the question. He doesn’t like you. He should count his blessings he only has to deal with one arrogant Cohn instead of two.

27. At least I won’t have to worry about Super Bowl tickets this year.

28. Wow, just wow. I knew who asked the question, but was blown away with the response. If a media guy is able to rattle a HC and get him mad so easily, imagine what an opposing team will do. Refusing to answer a question is following in Chip’s footsteps, and we all saw how that ended.
    .
    KS should not go emo on a reporter. KS should read what Bill Walsh wrote about the subject of conducting interviews, and follow his advice. KS should be calm, answer the question fully, be polite, and be in control. He should appear unflappable and imperturbable. Bill Walsh said to never let them see you sweat. KS was the antithesis of that goal. KS should expect hard questions, and if he cannot handle them, especially after a loss, he may not have the temperament to be a HC. Yes, KS is young and green, but I sure hope he learns from his mistakes, or he will keep repeating them.
    .
    So I will give KS a little more advice. He should realize that a person ‘s true character is not revealed when everything is fun and rosy, but when it is hard and difficult. Adversity is a test, and he did not shine. He should be polite, and expect hard questions. Going emo is the last thing he should do. He should be contrite and honest. He should be more succinct, and not give out long, drawn out responses. He should keep his answers short and sweet, and possibly use self deprecating humor to lighten the mood. He should admit if he does not have an answer, and promise to get back with the questioner later with the answer. He should accept all responsibility, and ask for help if he is foundering. He needs to be able to handle adversity, and make quick adjustments, on the field, and in the PC. He needs to be more professional and inspire people with his leadership.
    .
    This was his first PC after a loss, so I will cut KS some slack. However, I expect to see some improvement. Grant was just doing his job. I hope KS can do his job, too.

    1. You sure you weren’t watching an old JH press conference? I watched Shanahan’s postgame PC and have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.

       1. Watch it again, and see how he answered Grant’s question.

29. If you take away hoyers interception/fumble both which were kind of flukey I thought he played a really good game.

30. Thanks Master for the stats on the so called great Jim Harbaugh. I agree with your assessment. Definitely among the most overrated NFL coaches of all time. He’s an over zealous, self absorbed prick, and when it came time to actually “WIN” a SB Championship, he asked his inaccurate passing, but tremendous running quarterback to pinpoint pass three consecutive times from the 5 yard line for the win. Worst play calling in SB history, up to that point. Carroll’s ignorant call in the Seahawk’s loss to NE was par with those dumb calls. Even before the ill fated pass calls, he took out Gore after his brilliant run and put in light weighted LaMichael James on first down and had him run up the gut against that Baltimore goal line defense for 2 yards. Head scratching idiocy. Then he turned around and did the same the next year in the CG!! Why he is held in such high esteem around here is beyond me.

    1. Juan, I will defend JH, because of the HCs we had before him, and after him.
       .
       I kinda like SB coaches, and it was not all his fault that they lost. Some QB who you have a low opinion of did not have a good game, and the officiating made me grind my teeth.

       1. Transferring your idolatry from CK to JH now?

          1. It certainly is not towards you. You, I consider something I need to scrape the bottom of my shoe off of.

             1. Perfect response! Classic Seb! A simple question answered with a slur, as per usual. What is it about you that you have a need to have both heroes (Kap, JH) and villains (Baalke, Jed, Paraag) in your fantasy world? How those dinner rez coming at French Laundry by the way?
                Now when do you start crying victim?
                Chatty Cathy on an infinity loop.

                1. BT, you tried to set me up with that question, and I just answered it as truthfully as possible.
                   .
                   Seems you like to dish it out, but cant take it.
                   .
                   Like clockwork, you spew your snark, but if you cant stand the heat, stay out of the FL.

                   1. Hahaha. Stay out of there? I’ve been there for dinner. Have you?
                      That’s advice for TK who challenged a billionaire to a bet, then whined about having had to pay up.
                      Keep the comedy coming….

                   2. Comedy? Insanity BT. This guy has marbles between the ears

                   3. You proved my point!

                2. It’s the Narcissism that creates need for heros and villains! Delusions

                   1. East, you are like a yappy little poodle. Try saying something, instead of being obnoxious.

                   2. Says the yappy narcissist!

    2. Juan, you gave yourself away when you called him a self absorbed prick. Don’t let your emotions overwhelm your brain. His record at 4 head coaching jobs speaks for itself. There are a lot of very talented people that I personally don’t like but their talent and success is a completely different thing.

31. New regime, new coaching staff, lots of new players, young team trying to bond, identify their leaders, etc. All the previous hype now seems premature. Yes, it’s preseason and yes they’ve shown some promise but those predicting 8 or 9 wins are setting themselves up for disappointment I think.

    I do agree next week will be a nice test to see if they can avoid the repetitive penalties and mistakes… Should also give us a good idea who will be starting the regular season. But if they continue to stumble over themselves my prediction of 6 or 7 wins this year may have been a tad optimistic. The Niners have the right structure in place but players like Staley, Bowman, Hoyer and the other vets need to take the bull by the horns and start enforcing accountability within that locker room.

32. Totally agree that the coaching staff needs to be held accountable for the ridiculous amount of penalties in just 2 games. Really hope Kittle can win the starting TE job over McButterfingers now that he’s healthy and can participate more

    1. “preseason games, with new players, new scheme, new coaching staff, new GM”

       Held accountable? What do you want? Jed to give them both a wedgie?

33. Well Seb, I’ll respect your opinion of JH, but Kaep, and you have stated this many times, and I agree, actually had a pretty good game up to that point and could have been the hero if Harbaugh had used his strengths instead of his weaknesses in that last possession. He asked him to do something he was incapable of doing, maybe trying to be cute and outsmarting the defense. He instead played right into Baltimore’s hands. Furthermore, If Kaep had the ability to survey the field, a deficiency that is well chronicled, he would have seen Davis and Boldin wide open in the left side of the end zone, but in his habitual habit of focusing in on only one receiver, almost exclusively on the right side of the field, he missed an opportunity to win the game. The blame sits right in Harbaugh’s lap. As for the refs, I think they should have called holding on Crabtree on fourth down, but asking a ref to make that call on the last play of the SB is probably wishful thinking.

    1. I sure wish JH could have called a play that let FRANK GORE have the ball. He would have willed himself into the end zone to score that game winning TD.
       .
       I totally agree that the first handoff should not have been to flyweight LMJ. Just SMH.

    2. I was thinking more of that double bear hug of Bruce Miller so the Raven KO returner could run through that hole. That was the officiating that most made me grind my teeth.

34. Grant: *Reports say Lynch and Elway are talking trades. Most fans appear to agree that OG and CB are the 9er
    positions that need help the most! Who, in your opinion, should the 9ers trade for (names), and the 9er player(s) they should trade?

35. Hey Grant,

    Did anyone ask what was up with Ahmad Brooks playing into the middle of the 3rd quarter?

    1. No. I’ll ask Shanahan today during his conference call.

       1. Actually, Shanahan said Brooks and Harold are competing for a starting job.

36. Two things I learned that relate to this article last night…. Grant is an idiot for throwing Bowman and Rueben Fosters shoulder out into the compost pile so early. Both looked good.

    But hey, haters going to hate.

37. As bad as the 9er O looked last night they weren’t half as bad as KPIX’s camera work. It ruined the game for me, I hope they do something before next week. I think the 1st team D was very good I believe they would have pitched a shut out in the 1st half if not for the TO’s.

    1. The camera work was awful. And what’s with sideline interviews during play? Reminded me of a girlfriend that only asked me questions or walked in front of a TV when the ball was snapped. During non-action she was transfixed to the TV. But as soon as the QB said “hut” I was peppered with relationship questions.

       1. So…how did it all work out?

38. I just rewatched last night’s game. At 12:30, I’ll go on Periscope and share my thoughts.

    1. I’ll be there, or be square

39. ‘So far’ I like Hoyer, he seems like he is a good QB not great but a good journeyman QB. At this point I am okay with the guy and can win some games with him. (more then most of you think).

    CJ – Boy oh boy I have hopes for this guy. His pocket presence is really good. You don’t teach that you either have it or you don’t. Time will tell if he can read defenses or throw accurately consistently with varying types of throws, and he needs to learn real time football. My hopes he doesn’t have to play this year other then end of a few games when the Niners are blowing out their opponent. Just let him learn. I am not claiming he is the coming of ….. just got my eye on the guy.

    Mistakes – seems like regardless who the coach is, this team for the last few years have done everything right to beat themselves. I sure hope this changes.

40. Bill Walsh wrote- Finding the Winning Edge.
    .
    I would recommend reading every word, but the salient point for this blog can be found in Chapter 17, page 381, Working With the Media. It is a must read for anyone wanting to avoid the pitfalls.
    .
    I hope KS reads it. He may have read it, but he obviously forgot what was written.
    .
    ‘ On occasion, the relationship between a high profile executive and the media not only appears to be somewhat hostile, but in fact adversarial. Nevertheless, it is critical that the executive in charge conduct all dealings with the media in a professional and responsible manner.’ BW.
    .
    He also stressed that one should be prepared, anticipate getting tough questions, and have a defensive and offensive game plan for the PC.
    .
    I especially liked his story about Howard Cosell.

    1. And for Sebbie, a quote from Dr Seuss… ““If things start happening, don’t worry, don’t stew, just go right along and you’ll start happening too.”

41. One last thought Seb. Though I think your right that Gore would have been a good call, but thinking about that makes me think of “The Fumble”, when Roger Craig got stripped and lost the ball in that 1990 CG. Why not avoid a hand of and possible mishap and call the same play they called at the end of the Rams game last year. The old “Student body right”. If Kaep was willing to give his body up in a rather meaningless end of season game, I’m sure you would agree that he would have done the same there and scored. I do. One thing he is not is a wimp. He’s a tough guy and I truly think he would have scored from three yards out. What a career changing call that would have been. He would have most likely been the MVP of the game, passing for 300 yards or so and scoring the last winning TD. Oh my! Oh well, hindsight is 20/20 and we can all “what if” and “woulda, shoulda, coulda” ourselves to death. Definitely one of the most disheartening finishes of a game in my life, right up there with game 6 of the 2002 World Series, and of course the first year of my season tix, 1972, when they coughed up a 28-13 lead with under 6 minutes remaining against Dallas. I cried.

    1. Juan, maybe you do not remember, but that last drive is indelibly burned into my psyche. I remember JH calling a time out just before Kaep strolled into the end zone. Of course, that would fit your narrative on how bad JH was.
       .
       Yes, I too, was at the Giants game. I was dismayed that Joe went down, but was elated when Young completed that pass to Brent Jones. Roger Craig had only 4 fumbles all season, but will be forever remembered for that last fumble that thwarted a Threepeat.
       .
       I had a co worker who was a rabid Raider fan, and just could not bring myself to talk back when he talked smack about that game, I was so disheartened.
       .
       That 6th game was painful, too. I wonder if Dusty had put in Shinjo, he would have got to the ball instead of Lofton in center, and they might have won the series. Still, he wanted to let Lofton celebrate on the field, even though he could not run fast. Shinjo was a much better defender.
       .
       I remember watching that Niner Dallas game with my father, and it was noteworthy because that was the only time I had ever heard him swear.

42. I don’t trust Grant’s opinions on the TE’s. He projected Paulson as the TE1 and thought Vance would get cut.

    Also Rashard Robinson played well week 1 because he got an INT. He did not play great this week but he was matched up against a good WR.

43. How would one grade the condition of the turf? Looked awful on TV. C-?

44. My takeaways:
    – This team plays like it is still struggling to pick up the new scheme. Lots of silly mistakes that usually indicates players are focusing on something other than the little things – like where am I supposed to be now? It could take awhile for players to just start playing, especially on offense.
    – Despite the many errors, the team did show some potential. They can move the ball. They can stop the run. Its not a good team, but once they cut back on the errors it probably won’t be a bad team either.
    – But I am worried about what will happen if this team starts the season poorly. I don’t know that there are the players on this team, or coaching staff, to push through a poor start and stay positive, keep playing hard. If this team loses heart, it will be a very bad team.

    1. I agree with most of what you say Scooter. The one thing that should be obvious is that this team is paper thin. Injuries will make this team really bad.

45. Grant, correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought Shanny said he cannot use any of the plays he calls in preseason. It stands to reason that could be why we haven’t seen any deep plays. Especially given that’s what he likes to do in his offense. Push the ball down the field. With respect to Hyde, his vision is not his calling card. The hole has to be more defined, and I think that was the case in those more productive runs….

46. I can totally see why most nfl fans can’t stand our niner base. U dudes on here bashn Harbs….What a joke. Harbs and Kaep brought us excitement that we hadn’t seen in over a decade, u typical fans bash away….but I will always regard them highly. They made watching Sf games fun again……

    1. Reed, it is a tough crowd here, but sometimes, in all the snark, the other posters may say something intelligent. Sometimes.
       .
       Speaking of Kaep, I am wondering if the Niner FO can see that the present Niner QBs are limited, and Kaep could give them the best chance to help them win games. Immobile QBs are just sitting ducks, and with the Panthers, Seahawks, Rams and Cards for the first 4 games, they may need to retain Barkley as a replacement player.
       .
       They bailed on Bruce Ellington, and he just caught 4 passes for 96 yards for the Texans. They cut Zuttah, and he just signed for 8 mil back with the Ravens, They should have traded Zuttah, and gotten something for him, instead of nothing, but they never read these posts. Maybe their assessment skills are deficient.
       .
       Of course, they may be content to lose, just to get a chance at a franchise QB. However, if Kaep comes back, and leads them to a non losing season, the Niners could concentrate on getting a starting O lineman, and a tall fast WR. Maybe even a shutdown corner.

       1. Seb says “However, if Kaep comes back, and leads them to a non losing season, the Niners could concentrate on getting a starting O lineman, and a tall fast WR”

          If only you could channel that stubbornness into something meaningful. I guarantee you’d be a billionaire. Unfortunately, you are just donkey stubborn.

          1. Prime. maybe you should take a hint from the rest of the blog. They are so sick of all this bickering, they are engaging me in a civil tone.
             .
             You are the one who needs to grow up, and the ad hominem screeds just make you look pathetic. I am trying very hard to stick to football, so maybe it would be best for all concerned if you would just ignore my posts.
             .
             Name calling just defines you.

             1. Hee haw!

47. Most fans can’t stand the Niner base? According to who dreed, you? Lol! Regard them highly all you want. That’s your opinion. Good for you. In a shocking development, some may differ with what you think! Most fans!!!! Where do people come up with this nonsense?! Show some facts to be back up that ridiculous statement! Jeesh

48. Did anyone get a good look at Donte Johnson last night?

    1. He did better than Robinson.

49. Scooter and east, you are both right on the money. The team is about as deep as a puddle so any major injuries could be devastating. Having said that, they’ve pretty much turned over the roster so depth will take more than 1 year.

    1. Juan, I wish to respectfully disagree. Lynch has signed 25 FAs, and every one of those players are battle tested, and battle hardened veterans. They have a ton of depth, and the 53 cuts are going to be painful.
       .
       Maybe you are thinking of Baalke, who signed only Beadles. Last season, they ended up with 4th string cut players, and the record mirrored the talent.

       1. Quantity and quality are different things. They’ve cut quite a few of those FA’s already and we’ve had some injuries like Smith. We’re thin a OL, ILB, Safety.

          1. Wilson, you waste your time arguing with this guy, he’s the world’s expert on everything! Heck, he can even read medical charts!

             By way of rebuttal I have but two words: Jeremy Zuttah!

             Somehow, I expect Baalke, PM or Jed to bear the brunt of the blame but perhaps his newest whipping boy KS might get the lashing.

             Of course he may resort to his usual name calling too!

             1. Thanks east, I reply once then move on. Hardly arguing.

             2. No, I respect Wilson too much to call him names, and we have had a history arguing, too, but eventually agreed to disagree.
                .
                I value his opinions, and did not automatically go ballistic, but let him have the last word.

50. Shanahan’ offense does not have an easy learning curve.
    I don’t expect to see a sync’d and smooth running offense until the second half of the season. I’m still going with 4-6 wins.
    We will see a couple of wins in the first half of the season but the bulk of our wins will come in the second half.

    This entire season will be one for setting the building blocks for the future. By the 3-4 game of the season we will begin to see personnel changes. Questionable players like Hyde, McDonald, Robinson, Tartt, Ward, Bowman (hated to put him on the list) and yes, even Hoyer will be defined by then.
    Most of the posters here knew coming in that the new regime would need 2-3 years along with a few drafts to make this team a 8-12 game winner again.
    Every player on the team is learning new schemes on offense and defense – this transformation won’t happen after a couple of preseason games or even the better part of the season.
    I’ve adopted a personal word for the 2017 season: Patience

51. C for the TEs seems pretty harsh. Kittle’s TD ought to at least get them a +. The way the rookie kept his head after nearly stumbling, stayed, in bounds, and trucked the D was Gronkish.

Comments are closed.