49ers 2016 season grades

SANTA CLARA

The 49ers lost another game, but who freaking cares, right? We all knew they would lose again, even though the Seahawks gave up in the fourth quarter and put in their backup quarterback with nine minutes left. The Niners still couldn’t beat them. So, forget this game. Let’s take a step back and grade the entire 2016 season.

QUARTERBACK: D-plus. Colin Kaepernick transformed himself from a one-read, inaccurate, aggressive downfield passer who really would rather run the ball into a one-read, inaccurate, conservative check-down Charlie who really would rather run the ball. What an amazing transformation. Kaepernick is the most interesting bad quarterback of all time. I salute him for that.

RUNNING BACK: B-plus. Carlos Hyde carried the ball a career-high 217 times and averaged 4.6 yards per rush – 11th best in the league. But, he also missed a game during the middle of the season with a shoulder injury and missed the final two games with a torn MCL. He’s too injury-prone to depend on. The 49ers need another talented running back.

WIDE RECEIVER: C. Torrey Smith, Jeremy Kerley and Rod Streater all are decent wide receivers the coaching staff either misused or underutilized. They should have had better seasons. Quinton Patton, who started all 14 games he appeared in, never should have played at all. He’s terrible.

TIGHT END: B. Vance McDonald is a promising young tight end who led the team in touchdown catches with four and averaged 16.3 yards per reception – 10th best among NFL tight ends. He also missed five games with injuries.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B+. Gave up 42 sacks, which is a lot, but many of those sacks were the result of Kaepernick holding the ball too long or running into pressure or sliding to the ground in the pocket and sacking himself. In the run game, this group was effective, especially right tackle Trent Brown who may be a Pro Bowler down the line.

DEFENSIVE LINE: C. These guys were flat-out awful the first-eight games of the season. That’s when the coaches made them play a two-gap defense, meaning they had to passively hold their ground while trying to catch the offensive linemen directly in front of them. But during the second half of the season, they improved after the coaches finally let them play a one-gap defense and aggressively penetrate the opponent’s backfield. Rookie DeForest Buckner will be effective for a long time as long as he plays in a one-gap defense.

LINEBACKERS: F. Four inside linebackers ended the season on the Injured Reserve List, and the team’s top pass-rusher – Aaron Lynch – was fat and slow when he wasn’t missing games due to suspension or injury. Can’t depend on him.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: D. Strong safety Antoine Bethea should retire, and so should free safety Eric Reid, who seemed timid before tearing his bicep and missing the final six games. Young cornerbacks Rashard Robinson and Jimmie Ward played well at times, although both suffered multiple injuries and, like the other young promising players on the roster, don’t seem durable enough to count on for the future.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C. Inconsistent in every way. The team must find a new kicker, plus a new kick-returner and punt-returner for next season.

COACH: F. Chip Kelly took over a five-win team and underachieved. He also created a culture that accepts losing, led practices that were half-hearted and silent, allowed raucous singing and laughter in the locker room during a 14-loss season, groomed players who improved more at ping pong and corn hole than football, assembled a coaching staff that doesn’t know what gap integrity is, implemented an offensive scheme that tires out his own players on both offense and defense, made excuses instead of halftime adjustments, specialized in blowing early leads, never learned the value of huddling and showed he’s just not fit to coach in the NFL. He deserved to get fired.

GENERAL MANAGER: F. Only one year after hiring Jim Tomsula – one of the worst head coaches in league history – Trent Baalke hired Chip Kelly, who was even worse that Tomsula. That’s Baalke’s legacy – the man who hired two of the worst head coaches ever. He’s also the man who alienated Jim Harbaugh, the best head coach the 49ers have had since George Seifert. And he’s the man who could have replaced Harbaugh with Adam Gase, but reportedly decided against it presumably because he wanted to be the star of the franchise and didn’t want to compete with another high-profile head coach. And he’s the man who couldn’t draft to save his life or sign big-name free agents. He deserved to get fired.

CEO: F. Jed York fired Trent Baalke at least three years too late, which cost the franchise Jim Harbaugh and at least $30 million on replacement coaches who each lasted just one season before getting the ax. York deserves to get the ax as well, although he probably never will. What a shame.

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat’s website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.

This article has 340 Comments

  1. All warranted grades but now it’s a new era and fresh start. The building already smells better.
    Now who are we going to hire?

    1. “… already smells better”? How so? The GM/HC Search Committee consists of York and Marathe. That’s better? Neither of them has a clue how to interview, evaluate or select an appropriate candidate for either job. I’d like to be but am not hopeful.

  2. York failed, Baalke failed, and the Chipper failed. The big thing is that you and your father also failed. You couldn’t get rid of Alex Smith soon enough and you touted CK as the savior for the team. How wrong could the both of you be. I am still upset about Harbaugh not giving the team back to Smith. CK blew the Super bowl and it was all down hell from there. I only hope that some right decisions can be made this time. Eddie made some big mistakes when he first took over. He managed to correct them and lead this team to greatness. Is it in the Yorks to do the same?

    1. Grant, of course I will differ with your QB grade. While I concede they could have been better, I think it should be a C-. The WRs should be a C-, too, and the TEs dropped too many passes to warrant a B. Maybe a C+.

      I agree with your other grades, especially the CEO and GM grades.

      1. Seb just want to remind you that it was you advocated for Kelly. It was you who said Kelly would rejuvenate Kap. Make him a dual threat. That a storm would come again. Oh how foolish you look now!

        1. Prime, I did not figure on all the injuries, or Baalke thinking that he could go cheap, and not expect cheap results. His ACL pick did nothing this year, either.

          Wish Kaep had a Julio Jones or Dez Bryant to throw to, and the O line gave up 42 sacks. They would have given up more, but Kaep used his mobility to avoid them. Grant says that Kaep waited too long, but I did not see wide open receivers, so that may have been a factor in him holding on it too long.

          Chip did get Kaep to play well, especially in the first half. Too bad he could not sustain the coaching by making adjustments.Other than the Bears game, Kaep seemed to improve , so with OTAs and a solid TC throwing to his receivers to sync up, he will do well, no matter where he lands.

          1. Sounds like a whole lot of excuses to me. The reason I can never take you serious and think you are cluesless because you never ever address Kaps flaws. Like he has none and it’s everyone else’s fault.
            It doesn’t matter now. You and your boy are history now!

            1. There you go again. I had harshly criticized Kaep initially for his protests, and thinks he has so many flaws I wrote a 10 point plan on ways he can improve.
              I have conceded many times that he could have played better and had made mistakes.

              What I am not is an unrelenting hater like you are.

          2. Sebster..

            How could you possibly not see balky going cheap? His entire stewardship has been one of thrift-and that comes from the York’s. Thats how he’s kept his job, despite his incompetence–he does the York’s bidding-he’s cheap.
            Montana used to throw productively to Mike Shuman-remember him? And Shuman might not start on this team!
            Ol’ wind-up is being sent out to pasture……perhaps at “Marty’s Top O’ The Hill”!!!!!!!!!!!

      2. Just out of curiousity what are we using for a grading scale?
        Is Kaep being individually graded or against other qb’s?
        If you grade him agasint other qb’s…
        The ones that are obviously better are in no particular order.
        Tom B.
        Ben R.
        Russel W.
        Drew B.
        Joe F.
        Andy D.
        Andrew L.
        Alex S.
        Derek C.
        Phillip R.
        Dak P.
        Eli M.
        Kirk C.
        Matt S.
        Aaron R.
        Marcus M.
        Jameis W.
        Cam N.
        Matt R.
        Carson P.
        Carson W.

        That puts 21 players ahead of him and in the category with the following players

        Tyrod T.
        Ryan T. *
        Ryan F. *
        Blake B.*
        Sam B.
        Matt B.
        Brock O.*
        Trever S.

        QB’s that CK was clearly better than this year.
        Robert G. *
        Jared G. *

        The * denotes the starting qb’s I believe CK was better than this year.
        So I would argue Ck was 26th rated qb this year, which in my opinion places him in the D- to F range.

        1. Shoop,
          Good work, but it only confirms with we all know – Kap has been on the decline for 3 seasons.
          There was a stat I read about a week ago (forgot the source) that had Kap putting up better numbers than most QB’s you listed. The reason I forgot the source is because it was ridiculous.

          I’ve always been a fan of Kap because he grew up in my neck of the woods here in the valley and have treated his ascension as a small town boy makes good category, but my love for the team usurps any player(s). That said, it’s time to move on from Kap and many other players on the team that no longer produce.

      3. I can’t believe it !

        Our old “game manager” managed another game winner yesterday……Well, that’s the best news I’ve heard today….

        1. Best news I heard was Baalke getting the boot.

          Kinda sad Chip was fired, but it is to be expected for the HC of a 2-14 team.

        2. The guy who beat the Seahawks the last four times he’s faced them won another game yesterday, and his team won the AFC West.

          CK7 was the best backup quarterback in the league, and Alex Smith was better than CK7, then and now. No way does Smith throw away a SuperBowl in the first quarter.

  3. Grant,
    You were generous in your grades.

    I look forward to the next few months. I don’t trust Jed to make a good football decision and trust him even less when Paraag is helping him. Who knows, perhaps they will get lucky. Once they make the hiring decision I hope they can stay out of the building.

  4. He was a college quarterback while playing in the NFL. Colin Kaepernick, the most interesting bad quarterback in the world.

    Keep kneeling my friends.

      1. Or even more correctly, Colin Kaepernick is the most dis-interested quarterback in the world.

      1. He’s an athletic guy who thought he didn’t need to work on the fundamentals of the QB position. It caught up to him.

        1. +1 Prime.

          There was a time when Colin found success thanks to his athleticism and the novelty of the zone’read at the NFL level. Yet Colin coasted on his athleticism and refused to work on the fundamentals of quarterbacking. Colin was more interested in building his biceps than he was building knowledge of how to read and beat NFL defenses. There was a time when Colin’s pure athleticism was enough to get the leagues most talented roster into the postseason. There was a time when Colin was actually interesting and fun to watch..

          That was, until he decided he wanted to become a political activist who’s never even participated in the democratic process or cast a single vote.

          I was one of Colin’s biggest supporters until I realized just how disingenuous he truly was. If I had to use a word to describe who Colin Kaepernick is as an individual, the word would be FRAUD! He’s a fraud as an NFL QB and a fraud as a civil rights activist.

          What a waste. Hasta la vista Colin, don’t let the door hit you in the ass on your way out!

          1. Best comment! I still believe if Kap had been chosen over Gabbert to start the season, we would have never seen his “protests”. Dude was sulking and wanted attention.

    1. Shouldn’t be any problem finding a replacement for Kap considering the NFL is teeming with competent starting QBs looking for a job, and the colleges are churning out competent NFL QBs faster than the league can use them… Absolutely no problem here…

  5. I’ll give Kap a D+ because he didn’t have may TOs.
    WRs- D- They were really bad.
    TEs were good at blocking but had drops and struggled to get open. I give them a C-.
    OL gets a C. I agree with the rest of the grades.

    You nailed it with Kelly. You have been spot on about Chip from the beginning.

    Good work all season Grant. Have fun at Jed’s presser.
    :-)

  6. I’m sorry, but I have no faith whatsoever that Jed will pick the right people. He has the fecal touch and should not be allowed to have any say in who the GM and coach should be. He should hire a proven exec., let him make the choices and Get. The. Hell. Out. Of. The. Way!!!

  7. Well, at least that train wreck of a season is over and the team can start afresh in 2017.

  8. I would ask Jed York why he thinks the fan base should trust him to get it right after screwing that component up since “mutually” parting ways with Jim Harbaugh.

    1. Check this out in the USA Today article that Jed York the MIdwest Dynasty left out, ever since 2003 for the 49ers:

      Will Brinson ✔ @WillBrinson
      49ers win totals since 2003:

      7
      2
      4
      7
      5
      7
      8
      6
      13***
      11***
      12***
      8***
      5
      2

      ***Jim Harbaugh was the coach

  9. Jed’s back in the saddle again. Will the situation get worse? If any family can find away to kill something that is already dead its Jed and his parents the owners of the worst franchise in all of sports. Good luck and peace to Mr. Kelly.

  10. Officially official: 49ers GM Baalke confirms he’s been fired
    By Eric Branch Updated 2:21 pm, Sunday, January 1, 2017

  11. You’d be surprised how many of these injured players would be active if the team was winning or better yet, in the playoffs.

    Injuries also occur from playing half hearted, another result of losing and losing early. Im sure a handful of the injuries were a result of trying to stay healthy…kind of ironic

  12. I’m optimistic about the searches for GM and HC because the FO still has Gamble. While I admit to not knowing a great deal about Gamble, at least he is a football man. So, I am hopeful that at least Gamble will be involved in the search and not just Jed and Paraag. I’m hoping even more that they will hire a President of Football Operations first and then conduct the search.

        1. My first choice:
          Trent Kirchner-GM
          Darrell Beavel-HC
          Gus Bradley-DC

          2nd choice:
          Scott Pioli-GM
          Josh Mcdaniels-HC

          3rd choice
          Mike Shannahan-GM
          Kyle Shanahan-HC

          1. GMs sounds good, but with Bevell we most likely won’t have much of an offense. A lot of Hawks fans really dislike Bevell. Don’t know enough about Bradley to comment.

            2nd and third choices look good.

          2. Prime I am surprised at your pick of HC. Seems like you’d want a traditional offense since you hate our running QB. Bevell plays a lot of the same stuff the 49ers have the past 5 years. It’s not a traditional offense. I’d a thought you’d want a passing offense like Bree’s, Rodgers or Rivers.

            1. Wilson, Bevell has been very good at adapting the Hawks passing offense as Russell Wilson has evolved his game. They are passing more and running the ball well. All in all, they are pretty balanced. For years they had Lynch and they played to that strength. Now this year he has been able to put together an offense that uses the strengths of the personnel. That’s what you want in a HC. Tailor everything to the strengths of what you have and what they do well.

              Chip Kelly was unsuccessful here in SF because he had no talent. But he was also limited in what he could do with Kaepernick. I think anyone coming in as the new GM and HC would recognize this. That’s why its better to start this new regime with someone they feel they can grow and evolve with.

      1. I will say that I think we need more of a “disciplinarian”, if I can use that term than the last two coaches we had. We need a HC that holds people accountable and we need to bring in FAs that hold others accountable.

        We both hate yet respect the Hawks. Look at how Frank Clark got after that rookie for a stupid play. While I don’t necessarily want to see that kind of loss of composure during a game, that spirit is what we need.

    1. Cubus, the problem there is Gamble will see himself as a candidate for the GM job. So wou,d be difficult to involve him in the search… unless they promote him to a role of say Team President where the GM would answer to him.

      1. Yeah, that occurred to me Scooter, but I’m expecting him to be a professional. I guess the real issue is whether or not Jed considers him a candidate. If he doesn’t then Gamble stays and acts the part of the professional or leaves. If he is, then you’re right, he wouldn’t participate in searching for others. We need that Team President of FO.

  13. If Kaep is still on the team next year I will no longer follow the worst organization in football. Been a fan since 1959 but I have just about had enough with York and his classless way of doing things. FK him.

  14. This is getting like Al Davis annual firings. Maybe Jed will bust out the old overhead projector.

  15. Grant..couldn’t agree more however be careful..Kap wasnt bad because he was a one read athlete who made up for lack of reading defenses by running the ball,it’s because he’s black..Everything bad that happened to gimme is because he’s black..a victim..who needs accountability now a days when you just pull out that good ol race card?Just blame the color of your skin instead of getting out in the world and doing something right?It’s the new American way..the Obama way

        1. No ones offended, you’re the only one making things about the color of people’s skin. Relax

            1. Really? speed says “Kap wasnt bad because he was a one read athlete who made up for lack of reading defenses by running the ball,it’s because he’s black.”

              So what about Wilson, Mariota, Prescot, Winston and Bridgewater? Skin color has nothing to do with this. You’re embarrassing yourself and you don’t even know it.

              1. They don’t sit down and complain about everything..most of those kids actually grew up poor and with no hope and made it..meanwhile the privileged white kid from Turlock complains about everything..whah whah

              2. You’ve made up your own narrative. You and Darren have your right to free speech even if it’s stupid.

              3. Wilson,

                I bet there’s a whole bunch of other things Speed Kills doesn’t know, too.

      1. Is that the black lives matter blimp in your profile picture?or the Democratic party blimp?

          1. Funny how a liberal hack like yourself assumes I’m a nazi..I’m mexican born and raised in an area you would have gotten slapped around..oh doesn’t fit your Obama agenda do i?Spoiled little rat

            1. Simply put I am not a liberal, but I can see racism pretty clearly. It doesn’t matter your skin color to hate another person for theirs. You’re an angry dude.

    1. He never once claimed to be a victim, instead he claimed to represent people without a voice. You are a racist asshole.

      1. Racism..?You mean speaking the truth?let me guess..you give you’re kid a participating trophy after his team goes 0-12..oh the Obama jerry brown ideology runs deep here..just like the real world ..show up late to work every day..gets fired cause he’s black..what?Hired for a job you can’t do?fired me..cause I’m black..oh liberals liberals..there everywhere..where are the great men of this country who defeated the Nazis and built the golden gate bridge?long gone..America and the 49ers are doomed…yeah I’m racist..Mexican born and raised in East San jose..I just don’t dry about everything..I was raised to hold myself accountable and make it on my own..no I should just sit back and cry like Obama preaches how I was a poor Latin kid from San Jose and everyone owes me everthing right?like Kap….oh wait he’s not from the ghetto..he was raised by a white family and his black father abandoned him….oooooh the truth hurts

        1. The more you post, the more idiotic you make yourself known. Take to heart these words from a great American – better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt.

              1. Sorry I can’t sit around and read historical quotes all day..I have to work so Obama can take half of my check to pay for losers like you to have health insurance

              2. You must make a lot of money to get taxed 50%.

                Nearly everyone on this forum is a hard working American. We all go to work just like you and pay taxes.

            1. Guys, Speed kills is just trolling. Ignore him. Nobody could be this stupid for real.

              1. Hey Seb, yes he did. He let a pass sail on him but, other than that, he looked pretty good for his first regular season snaps as a pro. I love the way he uses the pump fake to his advantage. The kid doesn’t seem to be lacking in confidence. We’ll see. He certainly looked better than McGloin. I’d love to see Connor get the start next week.

              2. Saw some of the game flipping back and forth, and Cook looked raw, but had potential.

                Considering he had few reps, he did OK.

      2. And your a stupid asshole. Go find a pink safety pin and a box of tampons to plug that hole below your nose.

        1. I would but there is a shortage on tampons since hillary Clinton lost..seems all the poor oppressed little sissy in America have bought them all

    1. I know, I know. Kaep will make the most here if he stays, and I think that Baalke was the biggest obstacle in his staying. Since Denise likes him, he will be given a fair chance to compete.

      Prime just shot himself in the foot by crowing about Baalke leaving.

      1. You think the new GM is going to consult with Denise on personnel matters? Verbose or dumb as crap?

              1. Hey Waterboy Seb, my NFL is about 16 games, the end, nothing to look forward to in the playoffs as they’ll probably give it to NE to stroke Brady’s phony ego. I rather have the Steelers myself. I see NFC Atlanta or Seattle.

  16. Guess all those pundits and talking heads on NFL and ESPN networks know more than we do since they nearly all predicted this awful-2-14 season. Maybe I’ll listen more closely next year.

    1. Wilson, I’ve been thinking the same thing for the last couple of months. During the offseason the prevailing chatter was how these talking heads all have an east-coast bias and have little deep knowledge about the 49ers. Like you, I will be listening more closely next year as well.

      1. We get full of ourselves sometimes. At least I do. It’s easy to think like you said that the national media doesn’t know our team like we do. We get myopic.

          1. Full of hard work, ethical treatment of people, justice, fairness, compassion and an honest life.

    2. Not me. I will be cautiously optimistic, as always. I want the Niners to win more rings, but with this turmoil, will only hope for 6 wins next season. Last season, I wanted a no losing season, but if the planets had aligned and Kaep starting the first game, I was wishing for 10 wins and a chance at the playoffs. Obviously, the planets were in retrograde.

      Niners need a GM who will spend money to get better, rather than save money and be content to lose.

      They need to make the draft more democratic because the coaches need to select players they want to coach. Hopefully, the ACL strategy will be abandoned. They should trade back to get quantity, and hopefully hit multiple home runs.

      1. So you’re going to ignore the experts even though they were right? All
        For some romantic optimism?

          1. That just makes you romantic about the 49ers. I knew we were bad and watched any way. Different strokes I guess.

            1. Wilson, even though this team did poorly, I still will root for them to win.I was dismayed when the defense crumbled, but was more mad at Baalke than the team.

              Of course, there were games when I did not have much faith in a victory, like the Pats game, but I am not going to let some Vegas bookies ruin my day. I let the Niners do that.

      2. You didn’t wish, you predicted 10 wins with Kap. Then when he lost the starters job by getting beat out by Gabbert, you proclaimed Kap would win 8 out of 10 once he got the job back? How did that fair ya?

        1. He wasn’t alone in predicting 10 wins. Some other regulars did the same. I predicted 4-12 at worst and 6-10 at best. I was wrong. Some predicted come back player of the year or pro bowl for Gabbert. Sheer lunacy. A lot of those posters labeled the rest of as haters and negative who predicted that low of a win total. They’re pretty quiet now.

          1. Anyone who vouched for the Kelly Kap combo to win 10 games had not seen enough of Kelly in Philly as well as watched Kap’s regression over the past 3 years.

            1. What about the people who vouched for Kelly to win 10 games with Gabbert? Don’t let them off the hook.

            2. Seriously Prime what are you going to do when CK is gone? Will you keep bringing him up even when he leaves? I’d prefer you hate someone new on this new future team.

              1. I’d prefer you shut up and follow a sport more suited to sissys like yourself..maybe you should try soccer

              2. Nope. Kaep was 17-22, 77% for 215 yards, 1 TD and no ints. He had a QBR of 122.

                I am not wrong at all about Kaep. If given a better supporting cast, I expect he will do even better.

                If he has a decent defense, he might even win games.

              3. Speed really? Try harder, I am sure no ones ever played the tough guy card here and threatened sissy soccer players before.

              4. Wilson, everyone’s a tuff guy when they are hiding behind a computer screen, am I right? This Speed kills joker can only one thing: A sexually frustrated closet homosexual with a tiny ding dong, lashing out at those he sees as more manly than himself.

              5. Wouldn’t you be angry Wilson, if you felt as inadequate as Speed kills feels about his manhood. We should probably feel sympathy for this guy. After all, here he is trolling a blog about a sport that he probably knows very little about, but represents everything he wishes he could be.

              6. 49 I have never interacted with this joker before. I had not idea he’s cut from the same clothe as Darren. I will take HT’s advice and just stop. He’s clearly angry about something and hates a lot of people.

          2. My 7-9 prediction looks pretty bad now. I didn’t think the D would be this bad and I thought Gabbert would be a decent game manager. Better luck next time #80.

        2. Sorry Prime, your recollection is about as hazy as your football knowledge.I did not say emphatically that they would win 10 games. I started with an 8 game expectation, and said that if everything went well, and there were no setbacks, they might sniff the playoffs if Kaep started the first game. Do not know where you got that 8 out of 10 prediction. Maybe I said they would have to win 8 out of 10 to have a shot at the playoffs, but did not flat out predict 8 wins. I was predicting 8 wins from the first game, not after Gabbert lost his games.

              1. What I want and who they hire are two different things. I think stay away from Holmgren and elder Shanahan. I think a lot of the suggestions here are good. Let’s see if Jed can land any of the top candidates. Just because their good scouts doesn’t mean they’ll be good GM’s.

              2. Wilson is headed to bed..with dreams of communism dancing in his head.He put on his whoopee Goldberg pajamas and Obama socks on.he will be reading his Malcolm x book before bed then have horrible nightmares about what a horrible oppressed country he has to live in…where black millionaires cry about racism and there’s no hope..then he’ll wake up to a book by Michael Moore and eat pancakes shaped like the twin towers and realize how horrible Muslims are treated in this country..then him and his friends will.stop traffic on the bay bridge so all those racists going to work will pay by sitting there for hours while Wilson and his unemployed buddies chant he’ll no we won’t go..then they’ll follow it up by dinner and a movie in Berkeley with Colin kapernick..he will be doing a seminar on how.horrible it is to be black in america..handshould up don’t shoot exercises.and then how he survived to cold hard streets of turlock…real Americans here people

              3. Yep Speed pegged me. Man you’re amazing that you got all that from a football forum because someone disagreed with you.

          1. Smoking marijuana affects short term memory. Just deny like you always do. Fact is you pumped Kaps tires all year only to have them leak out the back.
            Now my team does not have to be set back any longer with a flash in the pan QB and whose limited in an offense where its one read and run. I win and so do all real 49ers fans.

            1. I hope Kaep stays, and cannot help it if you lack the assessment skills to see that he gives the Niners their best chance to win. Maybe they will draft a QB, but anointing an untested rookie as the next franchise QB from this draft class just means you are delusional as I think you are.

              1. Do you really hope? Fingers crossed Kap stays?
                Rid the stench at 4949 and start anew.
                Sorry Sebnnoying, your hero is out!

              2. Baalke is gone, so the stench is already dissipating.

                Hopefully, the new GM will be smart enough to realize that Kaep is an asset, and will give him the proper weapons to throw to and a coach who is smart enough to utilize his skillsets.

              3. Why stick with a product thats been in decline since 2014?Cut the cord Seb and think logically for once. Kap is done in SF. Boo hoo!

      3. Ha!

        You said Kap would take us to 10 wins!! Seb, what have you seen in the last 3-4 years that makes you think Kap has grown as an NFL starting QB?
        Who does Kap make look better????

        And puhlease!!!! Don’t blame someone else for Kaps lack of growth……….

    3. I called our season 3 and 13 in 2016 and I was right. Though we finished 2 and 14. Next year is 0 to 2 wins.

  17. The firings proceeded by leaks to National News Organizations is a 49er way of doing business. The leaks also show that Paraag Maratha is back in the saddle. I wish Jed had cleaned the stables completely.

      1. Leo & Mood
        Yes, disgusting. Neither leak was advantageous to the team in any way other than hubris. The disinformation about the Gase hire was particularly abhorrent and juvenile and suggests a fragile psyche desperately struggling for legitimacy in a skeptical world. Alas I think the stench lingers in the building.
        I don’t think Jed has the cajones to hire that right folks at Prez or HC; he’d be scared or jealous of them. Would a guy like Bill Cowher work for Jed? Not sure. Pollian would know the ropes and insist on ground rules before taking the job. So Jed would counter to try and save face and Pollian would walk.

  18. Three names for new Niner head coach.

    1.Chris Petersen
    2.Chris Petersen
    3.Chris Petersen

  19. Well well well…… I’ve been gone for the whole 2016. It looks like nothing is different except Baalke is gone!!! And the same people are arguing in here, lollll
    This is my take on whom should lead this team next.
    Steve young for president, mike Shannahan and Kyle for GM/HC, Kubiac for OC/ QB coach, Rex Ryan or Fischer for DC. ???there you go!
    Experience, pedigree and deep 49er roots!!!

    1. Big, you’ve been gone for the whole 2016? You haven’t heard? We’re going to the SuperBowl!

      1. Ribico..don’t you have some political rays to go to loser?shouldn’t you be painting a black lives matters poster?The rest of decent Americans have to wake up and go to work tomorrow and keep the lights on ..the water running and the roads working so spoiled little sissy like you and kap can complain how racist and terrible this country is..lol..you hippie

        1. Speed, FO with your racist trolling. Talk football if you want, it leave the rest of that crap for your stormfront threads.

  20. My Choices (which won’t happen):

    President: Steve Young
    GM: Elliot Wolf
    HC: David Shaw

    Will it happen? Unfortunately, No.

  21. I would hope that Jed consults with some knowledgeable football people who can give him options on choosing the next GM and HC.
    People who could be valuable in assisting with this are Steve Young and Tony Dungy just to name two.
    Both are very intelligent and have been around the league (as football analyst) for some time now to know which GM, HC and Asst. Coaches could make good candidates for the 49ers.
    Jed cannot (hopefully he understands this) be allowed to make this decision on his own.

  22. Caserio and McDaniels might be a good combination. Grant likes Pioli and Shanahan.

    I will go with Holmgren and Fangio, with Helfrich and Don Brown as coordinators.

      1. Grant,

        I’m sure you have your own set of pertinent questions. However if I could take the liberty of suggesting a few issues to which some of us would like answers:
        (1) Who are the people involved in the GM and coach search? If Jed and Paraag are involved, what about their depth of football knowledge that supposedly makes the qualified to conduct this search?
        (2) Jed mentioned a search for both GM and coach. Normally, the President of Football Operations hires the GM who in turn hires the coach. Why is Jed putting himself in the coach hiring path?
        (3) There are two dominant philosophies / schools of NFL football (1) the branch close to the classic WCO (as in Ted Thompson and his people) and (2) the Parcells-Bellichick branch. Why has the Niners stayed from the first group?
        (4) Why has Jed not involved the players and personnel people from the glory days of the Niners at high positions in his team?
        (5) Why is every major action of the preceded by leaks even though the coaching staff have now been turned over multiple times (and now the GM)?

        Hopefully the beat writes will be inspired by Murph of KNBR (after Harbaugh’s firing) in skewering the Boy with the Golden Spoon. Not sure if this clown will take questions, though.

        1. Don’t hold back Mood. LOL
          Problem: Rich guys aren’t used to making justifications. They’re bad at it.
          They don’t believe they’re wrong; just unlucky. We will be dissatisfied with their offerings. Do we keep watching? Short term-yes.
          Long-term? We’ll see. Yes at first, but then, ………we’ll see….

  23. The GM/HC search will have a lot of viable combinations. Jed better not stick us with Gamble and a overrated coach like Ryan or Fisher.

  24. I’m not a fan of Kaep’s game but he performed better than I expected this season. I agree with Seb that with a better supporting cast he could have done pretty well.

    Despite that, with a new GM and new HC I think the team needs to move on from Kaep. Don’t want any of the negativity that has permeated the 49ers the past few seasons to continue. And Kaep has been at the centre of a lot of negativity. Fresh start, and that means Kaep has to go.

    1. Scooter, I am just pushing Prime’s buttons. I do not think Kaep will stay now that Chip was fired.

      It might be best for all concerned for everyone to get a fresh start, like you said. Kaep will land well because this league craves QBs.

      However, with 6 HC jobs open, the Niners will be getting the dregs again, so look towards another 5 year rebuilding plan.

      1. Seb I dont have buttons to push because all my wishes are coming true. Next we will bid adieu to old wind up!

        1. In your dreams. Jed is terrified that Kaep will go to a Western division team and haunt him.

          1. How much worse can our record get against Western division teams? You worried he goes to the Rams and then we are completely shut out?

            1. Yup. Rams have a good defense and Gurley is a good back. Rams are talented enough to beat both the Cards and Seahawks. All they are mainly lacking is a good QB, and I suppose Kaep would relish the chance to pay back the man who stabbed him in the back repeatedly.

      2. One of the benefits of hiring a GM and HC in the same year is you have an opportunity to attract a tandem. There are less GM spots open, so if they get a good one, they may also get a good HC candidate to come with him.

        Lets just say I think the 49ers chances of landing a decent HC increased considerably with the firing of Baalke.

        1. Interesting. Can you provide an example or two of where that (attracting a tandem) happened in the past? Thanks.

            1. It seems reasonable. But to be honest, I don’t understand why people think the Shanahans will come as a package deal. Most organizations shun nepotism unless they are very small businesses. Plus a GM needs to do what is good for the team and that might mean firing the HC at some point in the future. Finally, the Younger might not want to live any longer in his father’s shadow.

            2. I think it is more important to have everyone on the same page, all rowing in the same direction. Baalke was a megalomaniac who meddled with the coaching. He totally lacked the people skills needed to make things work smoothly. Niners need to go back to relationships like Bill Walsh had with John McVay. Both men working towards a common goal rather than juvenile immature tantrums with leaks and smears.

      3. I don’t know Seb. A good GM will bring a good head coach. Don’t forget, this is the same guy that gave balkee all the control as a GM. The next GM will salavate at that opportunity. Plus salary cap money. And a new head coach will reap the rewards of said money and a high draft pick. Not saying we will go to the super bowl next year but with the axing of Kelly n Trent, the new regime will have plenty to come to. I will even bet you a virtual coca cola, that we get a good tandem, not a run of the mil 1st time gm, or a HC nobody wanted. like our past 2 guys

        1. Steele, I think that Jed may repel more good candidates than attract them.

          Maybe he should hire Carmen Policy to do the search, and just stay out of the way.

  25. So the Niners can and will talk to McDaniels during the bye week. But no word of them talking to Kyle Shanahan. Little Shanny could be out of the running already.

    1. I’m kinda of torn #80 i really don’t care which one they hire I just want my 49ers to win!!! I’m tired of this BS!

      1. I’m torn too Truth. I think Kyle Shanahan is the best potential coach but McDaniels coud bring Garopollo with him. Jed shouldn’t make the GM decision on his own. He can pick the brain of his uncle, Holmgren, and former players like Young,

        I hopeful that we get back to our winning ways. Go Niners!

        1. Yup that’s all I want for the 49ers so I’ll be glued to the tv for the next two weeks or longer. Go Niners!

  26. Hopefully Grant will ask Jed if there going to carry over the 40 million of cap space to next season.

  27. ONE of my fears is that Jed is doing this without checking the market first, without having a plan of action. He and Paarag will blunder thru this with serious candidates politely declining and be left having to offer the jobs to the dregs. All the while telling us they got the candidates they wanted from the beginning.

    1. I am expecting that the word is out, and Jed will be rejected by many competent people, who will go to other teams instead. Then Jed might be forced to promote Gamble and hire back Chip since the players like and respect him. Or Jed may continue to hire failures and the dregs for another losing season.

      1. Oh look there is Seb once again wishing failure on Jed & on the team he claims he is a die hard for!
        Are you the scornful POS ever? Get over yourself!

      2. >>Then Jed might be forced to promote Gamble and hire back Chip since the players like and respect him.

        Earth to Seb….. earth to Seb. More likely is the cross field backward pass on every single punt return in the 2017 season.

        1. Just wait. Once every good candidate treats Jed like he has rabies, Gamble may look better all the time.

          Chip is getting paid, anyways, Jed might be cheap enough to do it.

        2. Trickeration? They are just doing something I advocated. Since it worked for a big gain, maybe they should do it more.

  28. 1-grades I agree with. The only thing I would add is if you think Carlos Hyde is too easily injured to be dependable. So is Vance McDonald.

    2-whoever the niners want as a coach Denver and elway will get. The only way we get that guy is by giving them more power. Which is actually a mistake. Despite what many people suggest. Most coaches who want more personnel power struggle in that role and are spread thin. Narcissistic power grabs rarely work. Unless you find that once in a generation type person

  29. You’re completely full of crap on the Harbaugh alienation. The man is an ***hole and has alienated himself everywhere he’s gone.

    Nobody at USD had a nice thing to say about him as a person and they were happy to see him go. Same with Stanford. Yeah he won games, and they liked that, but nobody misses him and temper-tantrums and wild emotional swings.

    So not only was he causing his own problems (something he’s done everywhere he’s gone) with management, but he’d lost a lot of players in the locker room according to Alex Boone and some players who refused to be named.

    The final straw may have been when he attacked York in a meeting telling him the meeting was “for men only,” thereby emasculating him in front of the entire team. You can’t do that and expect to survive anywhere you work.

    And despite the revisionist history of this piece and Harbaugh’s interviews of his wanting to stay, multiple beat writers (even the useless **** Kawakami) had reported Harbaugh also wanted out. So whatever you might think of Baalke and the firing of Harbaugh, it’s time to stop treating Harbaugh as if he wasn’t a major source of the problem. The man is a cancer.

    Yeah he wins football games on loaded teams. He’s not a negative coach like Singletary. But he’s no great football mind.

    You saw that at the end the superbowl with his idiotic play selection and personnel groupings. You saw that in 2014 when he couldn’t figure out how to win without an elite defense to prop-up his sorry *** QB and crappy offense. And you saw that in college where, until he hired Fangio to give Stanford an elite defense, he 17-20.

    1. Bah, the revisionist history is another thing that is full of it. That Men Only quote was made after Jed told him he was being fired. It was just a parting shot, and it is so true. Jed is a boy among men.

      Building and operating a team is like making sausage, you like the finished product, but would get sick if you saw it being made.

      JH may have not been the most diplomatic person in the world, but he does not suffer fools gladly. He won with Fangio because he attracts good coaches. Chip managed to attract O’Neil, and you wonder why the Niners turned out the way they did?

      JH turned around 4 programs, and CAN attract talent, so he is successful. Jed and Baalke has successfully destroyed the team JH built, so they are a million times worse than JH.

      Trying to defend Jed by tearing down JH, just confirms how little football you know. Biggest mistake Jed made was choosing a suit over a coach.

      1. Well, not surprisingly, you are completely incorrect about the context of the ‘for men only’ quote. Your a fanboy about Harbs and Colin. You in particular would hate working for Jim Harbaugh. He’d make you cry.
        Steve DeBerg > Colin Kaepernick.
        Moses’ take on JH is shared by more than a few on here.

        1. Harbaugh is a helluva football coach who does one thing extremely well….win.

          Yes, his personality is tough for some to deal with. But if people want to tear him down, they may as well rip apart Bill Walsh while they’re at it.

          That bum was 2-14 his first season in SF. Sure he won the SB in ’81, but he only won 3 games the following year. His teams were trashed by the Giants in back to back playoffs by a combined score of 66-6. He had the best record in the league in ’87 but flopped in the first playoff game that year.

          His second stint at Stanford? Woohoo, won a Blockbuster Bowl with Denny Green’s guys and then failed miserably with 7 wins total the next 2 seasons.

          And how about that Gio Carmazzi draft pick. That was a beauty wasn’t it.

          1. Jack, you’ve seen his pattern. Walsh maintained a dynasty. Harbs doesn’t stay anywhere long enough. Michigan is his Home Plate, he should hang to be the next Bo. Let’s stay tuned.
            I said after Sing, ‘I hope they hire Harbaugh. I’m glad I don’t have to work for him.’

              1. Distemper on my part I guess not to see that.
                Interview on espn2 now.
                No seperate Prez, just GM &HC
                (Lowell I think) asks if Jed should be fired. He answered what he could, it doesn’t work that way. Surprize!
                We can wish, but it’s wasted words.

        2. BT, I would crawl on my hands and knees to Michigan to get an opportunity to work for JH. He knows football and is a master motivator. Going to 3 NFCC Games in a row is a feat very few HCs have ever done. I can take on a whole blog spewing expletives, JH may be salty, but I can take it.

          Steve Deberg did nothing. He never even sniffed the playoffs, much less have a 4-2 road playoff record or make it to a SB after only 10 games.

          Niners are 7-25 since JH left. Maybe you are content with those numbers, I am not.

    1. Don’t get me wrong, Jed did trust the wrong guy, but at the same time, he has not interfered with the GM or his duties. One case Is, he knew he was going to fire balkee weeks ago, but he still let balkee sign extensions. Whoever he hires, I truly believe that he will let that GM run the team. He might show up and run his mouth but I don’t see him interfering with football ops. He stands behind his top executives but he doesn’t tell them what them what to do. That’s one way I see him completely different from Dan Snyder. A guy he has been compared to.

      1. Do we know that?
        There was a rumor that stated Gase and Baalke had agreed in principal to take the job and that Jed then dropped the bombshell, stating the Jimmy T. needed to be his Defensive Chordinator, which of course scuddled the deal.

        1. There is also a rumor that Gase had the job but Trent turned him down. There is also said rumor the hue Jackson had the job but Trent also turned on Him at the last minute

      2. Letting Baalke do those signings was just a nail in his coffin. How brilliant is it to sign a player known for stone hands to a 35 mil deal, then see him go down to injury the next day?

        1. Understand that Seb. But it also shows that Jed stays out of the way of football ops. Just me thinking out loud but the new GM will have free rains. Hopefully he’s not balkee esque. And as slot of people know, I used to go to bat for the man. Boy was I wrong, and a moron.

    2. Wow, what have they been watching? Nobody in their right mind would want to work with Jed, just to destroy his career. They would EXPECT to have leaks about being fired before the last game. It has been done 3 times in a row.

      1. Just let me be clear sir. So your saying it’s ok to work for a boss, as long as they don’t leak they want to go in a different direction, because I’m not performing? Leaks come out of every organization, every guy that’s been fired, was leaked that they were getting fired. Every guy that’s been retained, it was leaked that they got retained. Even kubiak was leaked that he was retiring. Oh no we can’t work for elway. He leaked team 1st info. Just sayin

        1. Sorry, but the Niner leaks were and are infuriating. That is no way to run a business. Very few other organizations would support or tolerate the amount of leaking that the Niners gush forth, because it is very detrimental to the team.

          Kubiak info may have been leaked, but it was done after he himself sat down with Elway and hashed things out. I did not hear of any leaks before he coached his last game. Elway did not stab him in the back.

          1. That’s not true. It’s been out for days and maybe weeks that kubiak was stepping down. That’s called a “leak”. Why, because kubiak didn’t say it, it came from “team sources”. I’m not arguing Jed is a screw up. I’m arguing that a good GM will want to come here and not be scared off by “leaks” of getting fired. Get over it. Oh by the way happy new year Seb!!

  30. Grant ..

    If I were attending Jedsters PC, today ..
    I would ask him this ..

    “How do you respond to those who say.. that
    you should hire a President of Football Operations ..
    (to run the show) .. while you should stay out of the way..
    and only write the checks.. as the best way to
    make the 49ers competitive again ..?”

    1. A follow up question: what good are you doing the organization by continuing to offer leaks to the media? It would appear that approach undermines the winning culture of SF and its dynasty, making SF a much less attractive place to coach. Do you plan to continue to leak news in the future?

  31. Reasons NFL coaches might like the 49ers opening.
    1. The 49ers are hitting the reset button, so expectations should be low and they should be given a few years to build a team of their choosing (providing they dont go 0-16).
    2. They should have the full backing of their GM as he will most likely want his hand picked coach to do well.
    3. They will have a high draft pick this year and most likely next year.
    4. They will have a ton of cap space to bring in “their” guys as they should have a good working relationship with the GM.

    Reasons they might not want the position.
    1. The constant leaks are apparently coming from up on high, so they must realize they either have to deal with an owner who is willing to sabotage his staff or the organization as whole as such an infestation of rats that everyone needs to be replaced.
    2. They will have to deal with an impatient, seemingly meddlesome owner who is not a football guy.
    3. Their may be much better jobs available. Denver, has a ton of defensive talent, SD has a quality QB, Los Angeles has a young moldable qb (if you liked him coming out) and several quality defensive players.
    4. The 49ers don’t have much talent at all. The new coach will have almost nothing he can use as a building block.

    1. We all know that Baalke’s buddy Paraag is the leaker, so just expect more leaks until he is gone. That is his MO, and he just considers it business as usual.

    2. Shoup,
      But the 49ers have a storied history and if the next GM/HC can get them over the hump they stand a good chance of putting their name in stone. If there is a coach with the cajones who is willing to take on a ‘mission impossible’ challenge, he need look no further than the 49ers.

  32. The observation Kelly essentially used Gabbert as a model to improve Kaep is something I failed to see. Thanks Grant.

  33. This is why I think Mike Shanahan is what we need. He is West Coast and will not put up with Jed’s crap. Remember he put up with Davis and Snyder. He would be one of the only guys out there that would have complete control of the football matters. Further he has connections to bring in good management structure and coaches. Also the alumni-Young, Jones and Hanks have been pushing for Shanahan for the last two changes now. Last Shanahan is the man responsible for our last SB and also the brain that drafted Cousins in the same draft as RG 3 which I believe is more qbs drafted in 4 rounds in one draft than we drafted In 5 years.

    1. MS was run out of Denver, and his handling of RGIII should give one pause before handing him the keys.

      I would prefer Holmgren over MS, to get that Walsh connection.

      1. Run out of Denver after 2 Super Bowls-Id take that! Drafting a QB like Coudins in the same draft as the owner pushed him to take RG 3 I think shows MS qualities. Who wouldn’t want a guy that drafted a QB that nearly threw for 5000 yards??

        1. MS insisted on playing RGIII even though he was injured, so he was injured even worse.

          Yes, he won a couple SBs, but that did not stop them from running him out of town, anyways.

          MS clashed with Snyder. What makes you think he would not do the same with Jed?

  34. Here is the list per Maiocco:
    The 49ers appear to be looking for a coach-general manger combination.
    McDaniels, 40, served as Denver Broncos head coach in 2009 and was fired after 12 games in 2010 after his teams compiled an 11-17 record. He returned to the Patriots in 2012 and has served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach on Bill Belichick’s staff the past five seasons.
    Cable, 52, was 17-27 from 2008 to ’10 in a tenure with the Raiders that was marked by controversy, including an incident in which he allegedly broke the jaw of an entry-level assistant during an altercation. Cable also serves as assistant head coach with the Seahawks.
    Lynn, 48, interviewed with the 49ers for the position in the past. He took over as Buffalo offensive coordinator early in the season after Greg Roman was fired. Then, he became the interim head coach after Rex Ryan’s firing last week.
    Marrone, 52, reportedly interviewed for the 49ers head-coaching job in 2015. Marrone served two seasons as head coach of the Buffalo Bills in 2013 and ’14 before opting out of his contract. The Bills went 15-17 in Marrone’s two seasons.
    Joseph, 44, is in his first season as defensive coordinator of the playoff-bound Dolphins under head coach Adam Gase. He was an assistant secondary coach with the 49ers from 2005 to ’10.

    Not a single winning option. Be careful what you ask for. At least Kelly had a winning season before coming to this dumpster fire. Now it is more of the same BS. Lots of fools gold. Let’s be honest, even Seb is a better option at this point.

  35. having been around a while, when the team gets this bad, i like to think of the player(s) who will still be on the roster when we’re dominating our division again. Bryant Young went from SB winner (1994) to playoff team (2002), but it’s unfortunately a rare feat in the NotForLong league where careers are so short. maybe Hyde has a Gore-like long career…maybe Ward is an effective DB for many years…sorry folks, that’s all i’ve got for now, just clinging to hope as a member of the Faithful.

  36. Rank available coaching jobs:

    1) LA Rams-better market, more d, better owner to work for
    2) LA Chargers-same as above with better QB
    3) Denver –better everything-management, defense, deep at QB especially if Paxton Lynch works out
    4) Possible Colts if it opens up–Andrew Luck, cap room –this may be # 1 especially for the QB and a better owner to work for for both the GM & coach.
    5) Jacksonville Jaguars –better more patient owner. Better QB even though he may not be great at least you can work with him and draft another guy.
    6) Buffalo- its cold but owners are more patient as they put up with Rex for more than 1year. QB closet is about as bad as ours and the weather sucks, but East Coast candidates would rather be there.
    7). Our job is the worst because of the owner. He is young, untrustworthy, a leaker, and his dad is even worse. What other franchise has fans not show up that have committed to $100k psl’s? This is so bad and I only see it getting better if the ownership group agrees to a division between management and football operations.

          1. What’s the over/under on number of times York brings up the past that he wasn’t a part of in this presser?

    1. I knew Chip wasn’t all bad. Hard, when you’re taking the blame for the cooking but didn’t have any say in the ingredients.

        1. It would not surprise me if Kelly lands in New England on Belichick’s staff in some capacity.

      1. What about someone like Merton Hanks as a pres/spokesman? Has high level league experience and someone the media would like like Bob Myers

  37. this board thinks snap fingers and over come Garappolo. Doyou think Bellicek with 39 yr old Brady is letting 25 yr old Garapollo go anywhere. If you’re Garp, why on earth would you sign with 9ers over Pats to go to dysfunction , a new system and a total rebuild. You can turn in your clipboard for an SB ring in NE.

    Or we can stick with Kaep. He’s back, did you see him take care of the Ram’s? He dominated the Rams. Beating the Rams is like me dunking on an 8 foot rim and saying I’m ready for the NBA. GSW boys, meet me in the Hamptons, tell me why I should join….

    Get real everyone. Jed has created a sespool of a franchise, who will want to swim in the wastewater?

  38. Farewell Chip we barely knew yee. Farewell Trent we knew you all to well.
    Now to the future. What does Jed need to do:
    1. Hire a president in charge of football operations. Names that come to mind Steve Young, Merton Hanks or Steve Mariucci if John York doesn’t hold a grudge (probably won’t happen because of Jed’s ego)
    2. Hire a GM. If Jed doesn’t hire a pres who leads the search? we will very likely end up with Tom Gamble and who knows he may be the man for the job.
    3. Hire a HC, my only prerequisite for the job is no college coaches without ample NFL experience. So no Chris Peterson and no PJ Fleck. Also no old NFL retreads.
    4. Hire a DC who is a 4-3 coach. I believe there is much more talent on the defensive side of the ball and it all fits a 4-3 scheme better than a 3-4. The talent along the D line (when totally healthy) is pretty good. Buckner, Armstead, Dorsey, Jones, Dial, Lynch and Blair. At MLB Bowman and Brooks at WSOLB Tartt and Armstrong SSOLB Harold. There are a number of young DB’s to build around Robinson, Ward, Reaser, Redmond and Brock.

    5. Answers on offense, IDK your guess is as good as mine. Get rid of CK. Hire a great O line coach. Hire an offensive minded HC.
    6. Spend freely in FA. especially on D, I believe that the D might be just a couple of big signings away from being very good. Pass rusher, SSOLB and or shut down CB.
    7. Draft well. I think they should trade back at least once, picking up a QB in the mid to late first possibly Kizer out of ND.

    Well lets hope Jed shocks us all today and announces his search for a President in charge of football operations.

    1. Paraag ain’t gonna let that happen… he’s VP of football ops going for pres and has the entire York family in his pocket! Their trusted agent as Harbaugh would say… We can always hope I suppose but….

    2. Good solid post. Agree on no failed retreads, but the Good ol’ boys network may have blackballed the Niners with Jed in charge, so only a young hungry college coach would want to come here.

      Now that Baalke is gone, I expect more FA signings, and since they will abandon the ACL strategy, maybe they can do well in the draft.

      Jed shock us? He does that all the time, just not in a good way.

  39. Ballard from KC would also be a good choice for GM (personally hoping for Trent Kirchner) but I doubt it happens if York sticks to his yes-man only policy… From all accounts Ballard is very smart and predicted to make for an outstanding GM but the York’s yes-man requirement has trumped all to this point.

    1. It’s hard to know how much credence to lend to a report like this Andrew. If it’s true, the blame ultimately falls on Jed, since common sense says he should have fired Baalke long before the 2016 draft.

      That said, what an idiot Trent Baalke must be!

  40. I bet York is going to say the huddle is going to fix what ails this team! York is the most classless owner in all of football.

  41. Am I the only one who is worried for Beth Baalke? 24/7 with that Anal Retentive Obsessive-compulsive? Pray for that poor woman.

  42. Culture, culture culture culture. All I could think when looking at Jed that slime mold is a culture, too.

  43. On the positive side:

    Trent Brown and Buckner, plus injured maybes, cap room and early draft choices.

    On the other side: No GM; no coach; intellectually dis-interested, immature, owner; NO QB; No cover corner to scare a receiver; overall weak O-line and D-line; slow team speed; nobody special on special teams; a corporate stadium built for multiple non-football events that does not put fan noise onto the field like SeaHawk’s stadium; a non San Francisco team; and non San Francisco fans.

    The San Francisco Forty-Niners may be best served by NFL dissolution. The kid literally killed the golden goose.

  44. Matt Maiocco pushing for McDaniels and Caserio if the goal is to turn the team around as quickly as possible. Those two would hopefully be able to bring Garoppolo with them per MM.

    1. Both Cable and McDaniels first run as HC left some troubling questions. They’ve both done well since. HC experience helps, but I wonder about temperament. Cable’s work with the Seattle OL reminds of McKittrick getting the most out of his OL talent.
      Stylisticly, Cable reminds me of Tomsula and McDaniels reminds me of Kiffin.

      1. Tuna: Yes, I agree with you. But I was looking for a response from Grant, or anyone else, about the York’s being too cheap to hire the best available talent. Also, will Jed be willing to spend enough cap money to make a difference? And how will that affect his ability to attract the best GM & HC? I have seen little written on this aspect.

  45. Not sure you thought through this phrase:
    “…improved more at…corn hole than football…”
    Go down to the locker room and say this and see what reaction you get. A 300 pound lineman might demonstrate it for, er, I mean ON you.

  46. As part of a post mortem on Chip, I wonder if some of his sports science stuff doesn’t miss something. Running 18-22 year olds until their tongues drag is one thing. I noticed about 26 that I had to train harder to keep a level of stamina than I had at 20. So does that regime work as well with 22-32 year olds? The larger college squads compared to the 46 play into it as well. Chip’s pregame warmups were characterized as ‘almost a full practice.’ They start out ok and then fade.
    Now the Niners were 2nd Half underachievers under Tomsula as well, but maybe Chip’s concepts are better suited for younger athletes who recover faster.

    1. BT, have you ever seen soccer players run for 90 minutes??? Some of them are in their 30’s
      Football players have so many breaks in the game, they rarely are active for more than 30 seconds in a row……

      1. Soccer players don’t run all out most of the time either. They also aren’t involved in repeated collisions with other players.

      2. Sure Dee, I get your point, but if you watch closely, those soccer guys are coasting when the ball isn’t close to them. Guys are running triathlons in their 40s. You can condition, but 300 pounders going 110% 80 plays a game and with limitations on practice time, it’s a challenge. They have weights work and PT and film room and practice, and then work on their cardio.

        1. Soccer players move with the play, are in constant motion, maybe not running all of the time but a constant motion.
          Football players use bursts of action followed by rest. More like interval training compared to endurance training for sports like basketball and soccer.
          Of course there’s not the violent physical assaults that football players deal with, but there is no reason a healthy 26-30 year old couldn’t keep up with a 20 year old, except poor endurance.

      3. The run for 90 minutes thing is a myth. Most soccer players stand around until the action comes their way. Then they fall down and pretend to bee hurt. Bunch of pansies…

  47. So, after watching Jed’s end of season autopsy a couple of things stand out:

    He continues to use empty phrases and buzzwords to try and gloss over the fact he isn’t willing to do what needs to be done to truly “change the culture.”

    Marathe is back in the inner circle after previously being banished to MLS which explains why all the leaks exploded over the weekend.

    I suppose anything is possible, even Jed somehow stumbling into a good hire, but the obvious point I take from this is: Jed continues to delude himself into thinking he can do a job he isn’t qualified for.

    1. Where’s the ‘plan’ Eddie referred to? What’s new or different? Sounds like SOS to me.

    2. Marathe never left Jed’s inner circle. He was just restricted to drawing up contracts as far as the Niners were concerned.

      Jed is one of those guys who learns the hard way, and very gradually. This year he learned not to say that he wants a championship banner every season (he’s seen enough of banners flying over Levis I guess) and that the GM and HC must be tied at the hip. He’ll learn a little more from the next failure unless he gets real lucky. He’s still not willing to step out of the way of the football people.

    3. At this point I think it’s faulty logic to blame Marathe. He is kept around by Jed and therefore Jed is ultimately responsible. If Marathe is continuing the leaks… perhaps we have to consider he is doing it at Jed’s behest.

  48. From 49erswebzone:
    York also contradicted an earlier report by Pro Football Focus that the team would hire a general manager first. That will not necessarily be the case. York said that he is open to hiring a head coach first or so whatever makes the most sense.

    You would make a great zombie Jed York because you are already brain dead.

    1. I has hoping Jed would say something like “we have a GM in mind with a clear vision of what kind of team he wants to build. We will reveal his name later…”

      Instead he hints there might be an HC hire first? Not saying that never works, but I’m not happy Jed continues the York tradition of firing staff without a clear replacement lined up.

      1. “we will explore every possibility, every avenue…” sometimes means “we have no idea what we will do next.”

        1. Jed has had two to three years to find someone to take charge of football operations. I don’t think Jed or John have ever been looking for someone to fill that role, and I would be stunned if they did that now.

      2. With regards to whether the head coach will be hired first or not, imo, Jed is simply leaving his options open, because he knows that the team is not going to be able to dictate terms to the top talent available. For example, if McDaniels is the guy they want and he agrees to take the job if he can pick the GM or possibly be the GM as well, the team wants to leave itself open to that possibility. IMO, they are simply trying to keep all options open so that they have as big a pool of top candidates as possible. Jed and his team know that the 49ers will not be the top choice of the best candidates and are therefore willing to make concessions. This might bite them in the *ss later on, but I don’t think they have much choice at this point in time.

        Now with regards to the other stuff, Jed is still delusional. The fact that he and Marathe are going to largely be responsible for the search fills me with dread.

        I did like hearing that the team will spend whatever it takes to be successful (salary cap, etc.), but simply throwing money at a problem is rarely the solution. Money and intelligence/experience – best chance; money alone – rarely enough.

  49. Why is Caserio and McDaniels so high up on the wish list? I can see Caserio…New England has proven over the years to make some solid picks. But the Bill Belichick coaching tree …..are you serious! I ranted against Tomsula and Chip Kelly…. I’ll rant against McDaniels. Reminds me too much of Norv Turner….a top notch offensive coordinator who never panned out as a head coach. I would be less skeptical of McDaniels if he had more head coaching success even if it were at the college level. Sorry, I think it would just be another epically bad decision if this is who they hire.

    1. Caserio/McDaniels were always my top preference, so don’t worry. They won’t get hired….

  50. ‘We are going to spend whatever it takes to win.’
    ‘We are not spending money just to spend money’.

    Which is true?

  51. If the team hires the head coach first there will be no reason to expect anything but what we’ve had the past couple seasons. Hiring the coach before the GM is so fundamentally wrong that for it to even be suggested as a possibility shows that York still, despite any outside influences or consulting still has no clue how to build a football team.

    If the team does in fact hire their coach first you can completely write this team off for another 3+ years at least.

    1. I’m thinking that maybe they decided to do it this way because of last year. I think it’s pretty likely that a number of potential candidates did not want to even talk to the 49ers because they did not want to work with Baalke. So, this year they won’t set any parameters so that they can get interviews with as many top candidates as possible. After that they’ll see how it shakes out. I don’t think it’s a bad plan if that’s what they are thinking. But with the inexperience of both York and Marathe, who knows…..

      1. Doesn’t mean it was the right way to do it.

        By the way, Seattle hired a failed NFL coach who’s record was 33-31 and had been fired by his first NFL team after only one season.

        Know anyone else with a similar first 4 years in the NFL?

        1. Carroll also had nine seasons at USC to reflect and grow. And yes, Seattle handled things correctly.

  52. Both Jed and Trent, when asked uncomfortable questions about the past, fall back on “You can’t look back.”

    Do either of them learn from their mistakes?

    I don’t see any hope that Jed will hire a top football guy to find his next GM and coach in that order. After spending 68 49er years with consistent hope for what’s coming, these past two years have been a hope killer.

    Evidently, Jed doesn’t think hiring a coach first is a bad idea for someone of his experience.

    1. Sir, take heart. Maybe Jed will pull a Costanza, and do exactly the opposite of what he thinks should be done.

  53. I think we should also give Baalke credit for what he did do.
    He’s been here 12 years, first as a scout up to a GM. When JH came, that team was picked mostly by Baalke scouting and draft, I think he even got us JH. After that he got us the best rehab center for injured draft players, made sure he himself would get fired by hiring JT, proved that our Yorkie is not up to his job and showed us that a GM needs to have less power and can’t be installing yes-men in order to keep his job.
    That’s nothing to sneeze at!

  54. The famous 3 stooges in suits each toting a rock..we all know that famous Chip intro shot…can someone creative out there photoshop that or make a GIF where they fumble simultaneously..cuz they all fumbled figuratively, might as well make it literally…I’m simply disgusted with Jed after this arrogant, entitled Son of an Owner’s presser…

  55. Generally agree with, but you can not be a one-read and check-down passer. A check-down means you have a second or third receiver. Chip’s offense doesn’t have progressions, and therefore doesn’t have check-downs. So Krap is just a one-read passer.

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