49ers 3, Seahawks 19: Grades

SANTA CLARA – Jed York can’t blame Vic Fangio for this one — the 49ers’ defense gave up just one touchdown. It was the offense that failed to show up for the third game in a row. Here are the grades.

KAEPERNICK: Z. Worst game of his career. His passes were inaccurate, his downfield vision was poor and he forced passes to covered receivers. Is there any doubt which team has the better quarterback?

RUNNING BACKS: F. Frank Gore looked old. The 49ers wish Carlos Hyde was Marshawn Lynch but he isn’t. Hyde runs angry but he doesn’t make people miss like Lynch does. I don’t care if Lynch refuses to talk to the head coach or the media — I’d want him on my team. He’s ferocious on game days and that’s all that matters. I saw him walking out of the stadium by himself listening to headphones and mouthing lyrics, which was sort of strange. I’d still want him on my team. The 49ers absolutely should sign him this offseason.

WIDE RECEIVERS: F. Stevie Johnson was supposed to be the Niners’ secret weapon against the Seahawks’ defense, something about him playing well against them in 2012. Johnson caught three passes for 28 yards. Some weapon. Anquan Boldin, Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd combined for 34 receiving yards. Maybe the Niners should acquire a wide receiver who actually can beat one cornerback on the Seahawks? Too bad Trent Baalke whiffed on the greatest wide-receiver draft class of all time earlier this year.

TIGHT ENDS: F. Vernon Davis caught two passes and seemed to avoid getting hit at least once.

OFFENSIVE LINE: F. Dominated in every conceivable way. Jonathan Martin and Alex Boone both gave up sacks, and Joe Staley committed two penalties.

DEFENSIVE LINE: B. Gave up 4.6 yards per carry, but did not give up any rushing touchdowns. Justin Smith and Tony Jerod-Eddie each sacked Russell Wilson one time, and Tank Carradine recorded two tackles for losses.

LINEBACKERS: B-. The outside linebackers played well. Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks both sacked Wilson one time. The inside linebackers weren’t great. Chris Borland made 15 tackles, but missed at least two, and was not fast enough to run down the Seahawks near the sideline. Neither Borland nor Michael Wilhoite could stop the passes to the running backs in the flat. NaVorro Bowman and Patrick Willis would have stopped those plays.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: B+. Shut down the Seahawks’ wide receivers. Perrish Cox and Chris Culliver made a heroic tackle in the second quarter, dragging Tony Moeaki down at the 1-yard line, and the 49ers’ defense ended up holding the Seahawks to a field goal on that drive.

SPECIAL TEAMS: F. Perrish Cox fumbled a punt in the second quarter. The 49ers should have replaced him weeks ago. He’s a bad punt returner.

COACHES: D. The defense gave up only one touchdown – always an outstanding accomplishment in the NFL. The offense had the worst game plan in the history of game plans, and the half-time adjustments were nearly as bad. Greg Roman kept calling deep passes for slow receivers. Every deep throw was a wasted down. The Niners’ best offensive plays were defensive penalties by the Seahawks. If not for those penalties, the Niners would have had just 11 first downs. And even with those penalties, the Niners couldn’t score a touchdown. Greg Roman is coaching himself out of the league.

This article has 378 Comments

  1. I saw him walking out of the stadium by himself listening to headphones and mouthing lyrics, which was sort of strange.
    ————-
    Why?

    1. Grant, what are the odds Fangio is the next HC? If you think about it, the best part of Harbaugh’s teams have been the defense. Would Fangio want that job? I always enjoy his press conferences. So much more info than Harbaugh.

      1. But if he was the head coach then he wouldn’t be the DC. And … he would still have to hire an OC. He’ll stay wit Harbaugh.

  2. Why do I get this feeling that this game marks the beginning of the end of the Harbaugh era?
    Maybe it’s Jed’s tweet. But probably it seems that the Romanbaugh coaching tandem has run into an offensive brick wall. So much talent and so little production — and the contrast with the defense is painful.

    1. Mood,
      Perhaps it was Harbaugh that made a strong pitch in convincing young Jedi York to go with Kap over Smith because Harbaugh felt at the time that CK was going to take this team to the promise land.
      Jed (like many others) may be having a bad digestive case of buyers remorse. It will be interesting to see what type of action he takes in the next few days.

      1. Has always been my opinion that Harbaugh convinced Jed to go with Kaepernick over Smith. Think Baalke was of the opposite opinion. That’s why Smith got to leave and not be a backup to Kaepernick. Believe that’s where the Harbough vs Baalke competition entered high gear

      2. A constant diet of crow can give bad digestive buyers remorse…hence the uncomfortable look on the face of Jim Harbaugh during pressers…

  3. A defense that gives up over 150 yards rushing and 8.5 yards per pass attempt is not above average.

      1. They gave up 4 drives of 50+ yards. Wilson made them look silly, and Lynch pummeled them for 5.2 yards a pop.

        They were average just like last week.

        1. You are so lost. Arizona is playing great defense this year and lost by the same score. Defense is #2 overall by total yardage. Defense is not dominant for sure, but if you thought the defense was the problem tonight, you should not write a blog anymore

            1. Your the guy who sticks up for roman. Stop w/ the false equivalency! Defense was good, even for all the terrible circumstances they were put in by their offense. I’m starting to suspect your GRos adulterous paramour of a minion who takes out feelers for blog sentiment.

              1. Sure.

                It’s about execution. I don’t blame Fangio for the failed blitz call that led to a 63 yard completion to Tony Moeaki just like I don’t blame Roman for Kaepernick’s interceptions or Brad Seely for Cox’s fumble.

          1. “Arizona is playing great defense this year and lost by the same score.”

            They also gave up scoring “drives” of 14 and 2 yards.

            Every scoring drive given up by the 49ers tonight was 40 plus yards.

            The defense was average.

        2. That’s fine, the Seahawks had a good game plan going after the inside linebackers, but the defense was better than average. Seahawks have a good offense, they’re going to get yards but. the defense still held them to 19 points and forced 4 three and outs even with 3 turnovers. That’s a good defensive performance.

        3. Lol didn’t even see the “they were average last week” comment. The defense gave up two scoring drives last week, if you think the 49ers have been average on defense you haven’t been watching other teams play football.

          1. They gave up 125 yards to Morris. The only difference the last two weeks is Bob Griffin III is a horrible QB and Wilson decent. Especially when you allow him to move around like they did tonight.

            He made the 49ers D look like Rocky Balboa in that scene when he’s trying to catch a chicken.

            1. Read up above, yards are meaningless, points matter. Washington put up 10 points that weren’t handed to him. You hold any NFL team to 10 points and it’s at the very least an above average performance.

        4. U do support a terrible OC and shouldn’t be writing blogs if u cannot understand are single biggest issue. Also, the Niners D, beaten by an overall better team, played well considering it was on the field most of the game and gave up the fewest rushing yards to the Hawks in 3 weeks. Which is when they became the actual Seahawks again.

          Our offensive schemes remain inconsistent and ineffective. Putting an average OC with a slightly above average QB does not and will not assure long term success. Most folks saw the Roman problem last year and it should have been addressed then. He should never have come back. Thankfully, he will not survive the week.

      2. It’s not going to get any better when they go to Seattle to play the Seahawks in two weeks. I’ll bet kaepernick is already having some nightmares about that game:-)

    1. You are flat wrong. To have your offense and special teams give up 3 turnovers and for the O to constantly go 3 and out and only give up one touchdown and 19 points overall is a solid performance, especially with two of your best defenders on IR.

      I hope Fangio is the next head coach.

      1. Ok. If you say so.

        They opened the second half allowing an 11 play, 65 yard drive. The offense then went down for a score on a 12 play drive of it’s own and the defense responded by allowing a 10 play 52 yard scoring drive.

        They were average.

          1. Seattle held the ball for 18 minutes in the second half. The 49ers D could not get themselves off the field to give the offense the ball when they were behind. That’s not above average defense.

            1. It’s a short week. The offense couldn’t move the ball, the defense had a few mental lapses.
              Seattle might have had a few too, but we have the lesser qb who was so inaccurate and making the bad reads the whole game, this was not a fair fight.

              Roman did not help matters by not sticking with the run. Hyde rips off. Nice 10 yard run. He then calls a pasS, and since kaep holds the ball way too long, and refuses to throw it away, takes a sack and now they are 2nd and long.
              When the team ran the ball on 3rd and 20, that showed they had no confidence in the offense, and how kaep was seeing the field.
              They did the same with smith too.
              Nothing lasts forever,
              Their chance was two years ago.

            2. Have you ever heard of defenses getting tired because the offense can’t stay on the field for more than 3 downs?

              1. When they gave up a whole 3 points?

                Have you noticed no one is agreeing with your assessment that the defense is just average?

              2. I agree with him. They were on the field a lot because they couldn’t get off the field themselves. They routinely left RB’s uncovered in the slot, missed numerous tackles, left players wide open for easy completions. That was not a good defensive performance.

        1. I read what you wrote, you thought the defense played average. I have read a lot of what you have written on this blog and respect your knowledge but I have to say here you are just wrong, the defense played above average. Only one team this year gave up fewer points to the Seahawks and that team scored three time what the 49ers did. No way that defensive performance was average. Seattle has played 12 games and only one team allowed fewer points. So all other 11 teams played below average???

          1. Jacks a freakin buffalo! Bred offa country corn and using udders like h20 fountains..I usually hate a crude postmortem but Imma make an exception for this loss. Aside from balke, Rathman & fangio, York needs to fire everyone in that building

          2. Jack is the same clown who said he’d take kap over Montana and young. I stopped listening to his mumbo jumbo after that.

              1. Good comparison Jack. It’s also what the Giants were to Smith if we need a more recent example. Personally I think they are stubborn with the gameplan when they play Seattle. If they went in with a similar gameplan to what the Hawks use against them, I think they’d be much more successful. Seattle just dinks and dunks them to death, capitalize on blown coverages and don’t turn the ball over. I realize the Niners are a down the field passing offense, but you have to adapt to what the defense is giving you.

              2. Rocket I don’t agree that it’s game planning. I think the last 5 meetings go back to the level of urgency. 4 out of the last 5 Id say SEATTLE has played like they are out to prove something. They are way more competitive, hungrier type team. They will win the Super Bowl again.

              3. I don’t disagree with you on that Prime. Seattle usually looks more ready to play than the Niners do when they meet. Hell most teams the Niners play look more ready than they do. They always seem to take awhile to get the engine running.

                Gameplanning is a big issue imo though. As I mentioned in an earlier post they can’t seem to address the problems their approach has against that defense. They are reliant on the running games effectiveness and a flawless game from the defense in order to get a win and if that doesn’t happen you get what happened last night.

            1. I shouldn’t say every team looks more ready than they do though. They have done pretty well with their first quarter possessions more often than not I think. It just seems like they struggle to get a rhythm at different times of the game.

          3. “No way that defensive performance was average. Seattle has played 12 games and only one team allowed fewer points. So all other 11 teams played below average???”

            Look at it this way. The 49ers overall defensive grade from PFF was a -5.4. Only 4 Seattle opponents this season have had a worse overall defensive grade.

              1. That’s not surprising. Seattle’s offensive grade for the year isn’t that far behind the 49ers.

              2. That’s their defensive grade for the night. Less than the 49ers +2.2 overall against Washington.

    2. The defense didn’t play its best game, but it was good enough to win if the offense came to the party. They had some breakdowns, in particular at LB.

      The offense was simply horrendous. Again. I hate to say it, but I am starting to think a QB should be a high round pick next year. Give Kaep some proper competition. Not saying they should move on from Kaep (yet), but bring someone in that if things go pear shaped with Kaep, they have a succession plan in place.

      1. Your QB lacks mental toughness and what Crabtree said in reference to CK only tells me the team does not support him. When a defense is suffocating you don’t have to score a lot of points.

    1. Great Link Jack. I know Crab takes a lot of heat on this blog but he looks like he wants to win a lot more that Harbaugh Roman or Kaep

  4. Loved how the clock was under 8:00 in the 4th quarter and there is no sense of urgency by the coaching staff. Hairball really outdid himself tonight in terrible clock management. Maybe time to reboot. Start with showing Hairball & Roman the door. A new coach will take one season to look at Krapernick and say “JESUS THIS GUY SUCKS!”. Then we will cut Krap in after the 2015 season starting the franchise completely over. Guys like Justin Smith, Frank Gore and Patrick Willis may all go in the next year or two as well. Lots of work to be done in the O-line as well.

  5. One of the worst performance by the 49ers team in front of national TV. It is an insult to see the Seachicks eating Turkey on the 49ers homefield. The Niners should start testing Gabberts and see what he can bring to the team. The Kaepernick’s test is over (2 NFC championship, 1 Superbowl loss) Roman should be fired and Tom Rathman to be an interim OC

    1. Kaep only won 1 NFC and loss the SB to the Ravens. And he’d loss the NFC to the Seahawks who went on to win the SB. maybe you’re referring to the 2 WEST division title:-)

  6. Sherman accounts for 20.6% of Kaps interceptions. I’m sure Kap’s ego has seriously been wounded big time by Sherm !!!

    So much for Kaps GREATNESS !!! Harbal is probably kicking himself in the rear making that comment to the media.

      1. funny, coming from ESPN since half of their show is “so-and-so just tweeted blah-blah-whogivesashat”

        York’s comment, whatever his platform, is correct. That is not an acceptable performance, and it is a shot across the offensive coaching staff’s bow. Harbaugh will be gone, as he’s too loyal to Roman… a guy who has made less of more for the past 3 years.

        Baalke’s daughter’s comment was hilarious. My crew has been saying as much since the first few games of the season.

  7. Gore may be looking old, but Lynch is under contract for another season with Seattle. So look elsewhere for Gore’s replacement. And yes, Seahawks looked awesome eating turkey on your ugly logo… GO HAWKS!!!

    1. That was the network’s decision. I thought that was not a good idea. I have never seen that kind of thing before at any game and that was disrespectful to the opponent.

    2. Sorry but lynch will not be with your team next year. They are trying to ride him one last time but his exit is 100% assured.

  8. I am so terribly upset and disappointed.

    what happened at the end of the first half? CK taking his time with no regard to the game clock which was ticking away. It was like he did not want to attempt a 2 minute drill.

    we have no receiving weapons who warrant a double coverage so why not crowd the box and single cover the wrs.

    seattle struggles with speed – tyhilton, desean jackson, jamaal charles . niners have little to no speed on offense. i guess VD before his castration. ellington maybe has speed , but never sees the filed.

    roman is horrible, but we have known that for some time. JH is is boss . both need to go. need to find an offensive minded HC and oC and throw enough money at fangio so he stays.

    like i said before, baalke must recuse himself from drafting Offensive skill players. We need help at WR and TE. bring in an expert.

    15-21 is were we will be drafting next year. Let’s start thinking about mocks.

  9. Well, if we don’t make some changes, then this organization doesn’t care about winning. I wouldn’t mind kicking OC and HC to the curb. Let’s find something that can spark some fire under these guys and play some ball, get someone who will actually call plays that aren’t obvious. Put #7 on the sideline, if he isn’t going to help this team win then he doesn’t deserve to play.

    It’s time to fix things now than wait and watch this season crumble worse. We don’t play with a killer instinct, we play conservative, we call some of the dumbest plays. I wouldn’t mind seeing more hyde, Jonathan Martin needs to go. Borland played good but lacks the speed. I wouldn’t risk bowman coming back this season, it’d pointless and might as well let him rest of for next year.

    I do not want gabbert playing, Josh out played him in preseason, unfortunately we may be stuck with #7, idk if our other options are better, but this season has been a rough one. After finally getting back to the winning ways, and being so close to winning it all, we fall back down to reality. Everyone progressing and our offense still sucking. What more do we need to see before changes take place? Pathetic

  10. Well, let’s be honest. That was CK’s worst game, but I think we expect too much from a QB who has not shown much improvement from year to year. The Niners won’t make the playoffs .

    1. He needs to go or at the minimum have legitimate competition to prove he’s worth it ( he’s not )

  11. I know everybody wants to pile on Harbaugh and Roman, but they ain’t throwing passes. Collin Kapernick is just too inaccurate a passer to be a successful quarterback. I’m a niners fan and will always pull for them and root for whoever is playing quarterback, but it may be time to look for other options.

    Great with a capital G? Not so much.

    It pains me to say but Wilson is a joy to watch, he can run and when he does pass his passes are right on the money. He is very accurate.

  12. Correction, I should have said, from the total of Kaps interceptions thrown todate, Sherman accounts for 20.6% of those interceptions.

    Last year, I remember Sherm calling Kap “a mediocre QB”. Sherm has proven hi point!! And Harbal called Kap a “Great QB” !

  13. #7 is to blame also. But the HC and OC are to blame as well. We’ve had these problems since the beginning, no changes. They “simplified” playbook, yet nobody is on the same page. #7 makes a few decent plays but when it comes down to it, his one man read, or his force passes is on the coaches not coaching him up as a player. I would boot all 3 if I had the power. We need a QB who will read defenses, make the correct passes. I’m not saying they have to be perfect, every QB has its bad games, but when it’s consistently bad, why have the coaches stuck with it? Why have they stayed with the same game plan and not changed up how we play? All is at fault. I’m just done seeing this type of play.

  14. Colin “Sack ‘n Pick” – living “up” to his moniker…
    4 sacks and two picks (and zero touchdowns).
    Hmm; 16 completions… that is an average of
    four per quarter (to augment the 47 yards rushing*)
    * total gained by Hyde and Gore.

    Coach Harbaw: when you shook Pete Carroll’s hand
    after the game did it feel as though you were eating crow
    instead of the traditional Thanksgiving turkey…???

    I am the Super Bowl monkey and I approve of this message.
    As someone posted earlier tonight, stop with the pregame
    warmup goofball antics – no more Leave It To Beaver, okay?
    (put the ball down & stop slapping the shoulder pads, willya?)

  15. Jed, I appreciate the apology. Now please fire Roman, and request to Harbaugh to sit CK for the rest of the season.

  16. Blaming Kaep is shortsighted. Give me a name of a QB that is head and shoulders above kaepernick outside Brady, Rodgers, Manning and Luck and, maybe, Ryan and Wilson. Kaep is a top 10 QB in this league, like it or not, and he is also paid accordingly.
    Sometimes you just have to recognize that Seattle defense is just incredibile (see how well manning, brees played against them).

    Biggest problem with the 9ers is the offensive line. Too many penalties, whiffed blocks on run plays, Martin & Boone being abused in Pass Protection.
    This year 9ers have been a good team, just not a great one. They will finish probably 10-6 but, hey, 70% of the league is worse than this team. Keep calm.

      1. Eric Davis just said on nfl am that Kaep is not at fault. He said that they were out coached and Sherman said that he knew what was coming. This tells me what needs to happen to Harbaugh and Roman

        1. Kap was at fault for a lot of it imo, but he wasn’t alone. This is on the offense as a whole including the Coaches.

    1. Kap is top-10? Just behind Bob Griffin, eh? Check the stats, he’s not effective. He still hasn’t figured out how to throw the ball away. He is fast when outside of the pocket, but not elusive when in it. He doesn’t look off safeties or make pre-snap reads. He doesn’t throw receivers open and is inaccurate more often than not.

      All the potential in the world, but he’s been terrible this year.

  17. I for one am happy to see what resulted tonight? Why? It has nothing to do with blindly following your team off a cliff like a leming. A few of us on here have consistently been saying that both Harbaugh and Roman need to go. We keep getting running out of here every time we voice that opinion talking about how life was in the Erickson, Nolan, Singletary era. Well I have news for you. Harbaugh has lost this team and some of us saw this coming well before the season started. Hate to say “I told you so” but it need to be said. The comments after this game are universally of the opinion that Harbaugh and Roman are hugely ineffective if not grossly negligent. So I’m going to say it anyway. I TOLD YOU SO, and so did several others here. I would love to see Harbaugh and Roman canned mid-week and Fangio or Tomsula promoted as an interim until a final decision can be made in the offseason.

    1. got that right my friend. And what did CK do to rally the team? throw picks, get sacked, couldn’t run, WRs slow or whatever…I hope CK goes with Harbaugh and Roman. 3 stooges.

      Coaching gets a double Z for my grade.

  18. Bos1477,
    For me, the problem is the way we lose games. I know the blame falls on many laps.
    The offense has not been able to find any continuity throughout the season and the playcalling has been Jimmy Raye(ish) at best. If our defense was middle of the pack we would be having blow-out loses and the boo-birds would have been in full force long before today.

    Seattle is our stepping stone to the next level and if we can’t conquer whatever it is that keeps us from beating them we will only be bridesmaids for years to come because they have a solid all around and well coached team with a pretty good young QB.

    I know that like many here I have been starved for a winner and Harbaugh and Co has provided that. But having winning seasons don’t mean much to me if we can’t get past our hated nemesis the c-hawks.

    We are approaching Marty Shottenheimer territory – winning high percentage of games in the regular season, but never able to reach the pinnacle of the highest goal.
    NFL owners eventually tired of Shottenheimer’ MO and unless Harbaugh can win a big game on the biggest stage his star may lose it’s shine sooner than later.

  19. The worst part of the game was watching Kaep’s poise just shrink into the night. It was going to be a hard fought game and he clearly wasn’t seeing the field at all. The Seahawks studied him and baited him into certain reads.
    Eventually in the 2nd half it seemed like Kaep didn’t even try to go through progressions, which he doesn’t do well anyway. He just threw it to the first read regardless. Or he would scramble.
    He made small improvements this year but this game set him back.
    We’ll see how he plays in two weeks. He played well for a half, and then it fell apart in the 2nd half.
    We keep talking about Kaep’s upside. This may be as far as he goes until he figures out the mental side.

    1. Fan,

      I do not always agree with your more hyperbolic comments, but I tend to think similarly with respect to the offense and Kap. I especially like your last sentence:

      “We keep talking about Kaep’s upside. This may be as far as he goes until he figures out the mental side.”

      I never would have guessed that the mentally tough, hyper-competitive but happy kid I watched here would be the surly, indecisive player we have seen too much of this year. I always thought his mechanical issues would be his biggest problem in the NFL. I never expected him to exhibit the mental fortitude issues.

      Last year, it was clear he was overthinking everything the first half of the year. This year, he appears vacillate between overthinking and being reactionary, with almost no middle ground.

  20. It’s easy to make a list of who to get rid off. That’s a no brainer – literally.

    A more interesting question is who do you get to replace them.

    Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator are really a combination deal at the moment.

    If you replace Harbaugh with Vic Fangio then you also need a Defensive Coordinator. That’s worked in Seattle, so you also need an Offensive Coordinator and both Coordinators need to be selected by Vic Fangio. Has Vic planned for the day when he would get a head coaching job in the NFL?

    One possibility, but not the only possibility, is that Vic is an average Head Coach that’s good with the press. Since his choices for both Coordinator positions could wind up being average too, where are we then?

    Vic Fangio only worked with Harbaugh for one year at Stanford so he might be willing to stay if the new head coach is someone that he can work for.

    A secondary question should be about Baalke and how good is he at drafting dynamic offensive play makers. Would his record attract an up and coming Offensive Coordinator? What is his record in finding dynamic offensive skill players? Who are they?

    Dumping the quarterback is always a popular choice. Who have the 49ers found to play quarterback since Garcia was dumped by the front office? The best of the bunch after Garcia have lived with constant criticism.

    So, get rid of the current guy at no financial cost to the team, and then face the problem of who is good enough at spotting top five talent and what would it cost to sign that talent? What you are looking for is a guy with the 1995 Superbowl talent of Steve Young or the 1985 talent of Joe Montana. Who’s going to find that guy.

  21. Does Baalke’s daughter’s Tweet mean anything about what Baalke himself is saying at the family dinner table?

  22. Remember how I said that the team should’ve waited for another year to sign Kaep to an extension because I believed that he needed another under his belt without the amplified expectations of said extension?

    1. He is on a year to year contract and can be cut every year without any financial cost or cap cost to the 49ers. By keeping that in mind, you can avoid being lumped into an unpleasant group of ill informed complainers.

      1. How exactly am I complaining? I said before and I’ll say it yet again that I want the kid to succeed. But I also believed then and now that the extension wouldn’t allow him the time to work on his craft before the fans start complaining. The contract and the team’s history demands a lot, and I didn’t think Kaep was ready for that yet. Another year under his belt and he could have been,.

        1. Colin was being scapegoated last year too. It’s worse this year because the overall team strength is way down this year. Do you think Seattle would have had running backs and tight ends wide open with Bowman and Willis playing? And that’s leaving out the fact that we couldn’t keep Wilson in the pocket.

          The quarterback is always going to take the blame for the entire offense. He certainly did his share last night but there were other major problems like the offensive line.

          I was just making the point that bringing up an extremely team friendly contract as part of the problem isn’t relevant, and I expect more from you.

          It’s not a biggie. Enjoy.

          1. Team – friendly or not, certain areas of the fan base will expect Kaep to live to the contract extension. How they determine how exactly he is supposed to live up to it is hard to say, but based on what happened with our previous QB, I’m expecting things to get ugly fairly soon.

            1. You are right.

              They expect him to live up to the exaggerated ~$120 million dollar contract they think that they heard or read about somewhere. They want to see the $120 million dollar man every time he takes the field. They get mad and scream, holler and spit. They are embarrassed and feel violated when NBC arranges for Wilson and Sherman to eat turkey and brag on their field and there logo.

              I don’t know about you, but eating cold turkey wings in a grass field has never appealed to me.

  23. Without fast and wide ranging middle linebackers, or defense was not good enough to stop Seattle grind and pound offense. The Seattle defense was never allowed our offense to mount the slightest threat of a comeback.

    As they pointed out on the broadcast, you can’t throw inside to the guy defended by Thurmond because his eyes are always on the quarterback. If Kaepernick hadn’t thrown one of the three passes low, Thurmond would have had three interceptions instead of two. I’m not sure if throwing outside would have worked because Thurmond had the receivers covered, but maybe he wouldn’t of gotten the two interceptions.

    It feels to me like Kaepernick has been coached to throw into single coverage and that Smith was the teaching example that he is supposed to avoid. He’s got a perfect training film based on those three plays to teach how not to throw into single coverage. I hope his coaches make use of it before post season.

    I played point guard in the military and in a contractor’s league in Germany. I was slow, short, and not quick enough to drive the lane very often, but I don’t recall ever putting the ball on the defenders side of the guy I was passing to — especially on a fastbreak.

  24. Niners sucked tonight. The D played well enough for a decent O to get a win. Still, I think the Jed tweet was in bad form and liked Daddy Cohn for calling him on it. For a long time I have found the cold war between the 49er front office and Harbaugh puzzling. The Trent Baalke vs Harbaugh struggle reminds me very much of the A.J. Smith vs Marty Schottenheimer situation with the Chargers some years back. I really hope team Jed & Trent realize that despite the Niners’ failings this year, they are unlikely to find a better head coach then Jim Harbaugh. Sadly Jed’s tweet suggests that isn’t how they see it. I fear Jed is going to learn the hard way that head coach is the job that matters more than any other in the NFL.

  25. Disheartening loss. Really tough.

    Agree with J. Hammer that the D didn’t play as good as expected. The challange was that the offense played like toilet water. Seattle is the new kryptonite for this team.

    I understand fan frustration but running Harbaugh/Roman/Baale/Kapearnick out of town and not having sound replacements is a sure recepie for disaster. We’ve already witnessed that in the past when Mariucci/Garcia were shown the door.

    The expectations of the team and fan base are incredibly high, but people should be realistic if we don’t want this franchise to implode.

    Our receiver core is playing poorly, and I think VD has given up, Kap needs to work on his accuracy, the O line needs to play consistently and with authority. The D is missing their ILB.

    What is the one thing the Niners can do to bring more success in the coming weeks? If you get rid of someone (Roman for example, who is the replacement and why is that an upgrade).

  26. This is sadly no longer an elite football team, a crushing defeat that will probably see us miss the playoffs, With all the outside noise swirling around the team, This does feel a little the “end is nigh”

    I watched Kaeps first start against the Bears in 12′ before last nights game, the difference in play is stark. I hate to say it but the QB whisperer may just have coached Kaep away from what would have made him great.

  27. Lets put the blame where it really belongs, Jackass Jed, the rich boy who breaks his toys.
    You have an owner who has never had a real job in his life, but mommy and daddy gave him two major jobs to do, right the 49ers ship and build a ballpark, and the results are decidedly mixed, with potential to really slide downhill. And let’s not forget the taxpayers gave him nearly a billion dollars to get the stadium done.
    How did Larry Baer get the jewel by the bay done in a town like SF, using mostly corporate funding? Well he had real talent, a work ethic and many years of real-world experience, he didn’t get it handed to him!
    For all Harbaugh’s flaws, his hiring gave the franchise stability and credibility. Jed then proceeded to undermine him, and I agree with Kawakami that the players sensed this and it really has hurt the team on the field this year. Also agree with Cohn sr. about the tweet, and I agree with him on very little generally. That tweet is just the beginning of Little Jed’s campaign to fob off responsibility on others, don’t be fooled, he is not our little sympatico buddy!
    He is the problem, and he is the one guy who can’t be fired.

    1. Please itemize to the round 100 million where the billion dollars in tax payer money came from. If you’re right then a lot of people are going to jail. Or, maybe you’re just blowing hot air to make yourself feel smart.

    2. You’re 100% correct, that was the whole reason for abandoning SF. Santa Clara’s elected officials agreed to let their taxpayers foot the bill, for a stadium to be built in their town. SF wanted the venue to be privately funded, and the Yorks were not having it, they want public financing. So the Yorks left the city, & the history that was the 49ers in San Francisco.

      1. Do you have a source where it shows how a little town like Santa Clara came up with a Billion dollars and donated it to the 49ers? Surprise me.

        What Santa Clara did was assume an $850,000,000 building loan, plus interest and fees which is assumed by the City’s Stadium Authority. The 49ers will pay the lone, but if they go out of business the city will be stuck with paying the balance due. Another $200,000,000 came from the NFL and it will be paid out of the 49ers income from road games. I don’t know if the City of Santa Clara is responsible for a debt held by the City’s Stadium Authority. I also don’t know what the chances are that the 49ers will go bankrupt during the life of the loan which is funded by three different major financial institutions.

    1. I hate that my QB made this a–ho– look good once again. I really y hate that the D played their hearts out and looked pissed. The offense found a way to throw this game away and were all laughing on the field and sidelines like this game didn’t matter. Our season us loss unless we win out.

  28. The team sucked for more than a decade. Harbaugh and company made it relevant for the last three years. Now we are back to Singletary country. And that is where we will remain for the foreseeable future. It is possible they will indeed go 8-8 this year and then it’s losing seasons until the Yorks sell the team which many not be for a long while. Welcome to the west coast Buccaneers…

  29. Hate to say it but it looks like the Seahawks are back. Got rid of their cancer and returned to their style of offense, Lynch running hard and Wilson making plays. The D back to last years level. They are nowhere close to a supremely talented team it just seems that they play faster and are more energized than everyone else. Arizona managing to win the division and forcing Seattle to go the wild card route might be the only thing that stops Seattle from returning to the Super Bowl.

  30. Not to be forgotten is the importance of next weeks game. The 49ers are tied all time in head to head competition with Oakland at 6 wins each. Raider loser fan jerks used to remind me all the time that they the advantage over us. Of course they used the word DOMINATION when describing our head to head meetings. The 49ers have won three straight and four of the last five to pull even in the all time series.

    As bad as the Seattle loss hurts and the truth that it reveals about the 49ers it is very important for this team to bounce back and beat Oakland.

  31. How is it that r youngest, perhaps fastest WR doesn’t even get a chance (Patton). Does he really look that bad in practice that he cannot beat out old slow, uninspired receivers.

    1. Boldin is the man, Crabs is really good, so is Johnson. The only question is if Patton plays over Lloyd. I would like to see Patton, but I’m sure we’ll find out next year. FYI, he’s 4.5, not a blazer. Our WRs are actually pretty good, but you wouldn’t know it b/c the guy throwing them the ball has a habit of putting the ball to the wrong side, high or short

  32. I could not sleep at all last night. I drank too much bourbon last night. Our defense did their job. Let’s be honest, they were on the field majority of the game. They held the the SeaS**ts to 19 points. You realistically could not as more from the defense. On the down side, Borland is great tackler, he needs to put that same effort into pass coverage. I do not know who was supposed to be on the backs, but if I had to guess it was Borland and Wilhoit. The fact that they continuosly let the backs run free out of the backfield was terrible. That should have only happened once. It didn’t. At the end of that, no questions ask our defense did what they needed to do.

    Whew, this offense is piss poor. They have not followed the 6 P’s of preparation. As I said after last week, I do not know what needs to happen. Kaep looked terrible. He was not accurate. He had players who were open, he did not throw an accurate ball. Our receivers are not fast. They do not get separation, when they did, Kaep didn’t deliver. Our running backs, had very few running lanes to run through. Our offense line got crushed. I watch a clip on ESPN of J. Martin getting lifted off of his feet back in Kaep. Staley played awful. It was a total failure for everyone involved in the offense.

    On the what I believe is the ultimate problem. The coaching staff. Yes the offensive play callers did not set this team up for success. Running the ball into a brick wall over and over was the absolute worse idea ever. The fact the we never tried to run around that wall says a lot about the play calling. They never once, at least I didn’t see it, ran outside. Never tried. I don’t know if Ellington was available, even if he was Im sure we would have not used him, but he should have been in the game. I think this was the game all of us would have like to have seen him play. He creates a mismatch for seattle. Stevie Johnson has had some success against him, I don’t feel he was utilized for our benefit. Kaep should be rolling out and running, we see none of that. To wrap it up, we have the weapons on offense. Our coaching staff is not calling plays to put us in position to win. Yes the QB played AWFUL. The coaches have to get better at call plays. Our offensive plays do not build on top of each other. There is no flow. There has to be change. I don’t know what change, but something needs to be done.

    1. Last night was rough for sure KY. We had expectations this year. Time to admit that we are just not that good.

      We are still good enough to beat 80% of the league, but the Top teams are our measuring stick. Last night we weren’t just beaten, we were embarrassed. Until further notice the Hawks own us.
      Last night we looked like a team without a plan.
      Special teams- we have no return specialist to speak of. Cox is not a return man. Hyde is not a return man and neither is Ellington. We lack a home run threat there and never addressed it.
      Wr- How long has this offense yearned for vertical speed. Last year’s draft was right with WR and we didn’t address it.
      Last night I saw a defense desperately fighting to keep us in the game. While they were our best unit, they were not close to good enough against a very average Seahawks offense. They gave up too many big plays period.

      Our special teams were an embarrassment. To watch Seattle’s punter fumble the ball and still be able to compose himself and get the kick off without a hint of pressure was embarrassing. Cox’s fumble let the air out of the stadium.
      offensively we have dealt with a poor offensive line, lack of speed at Wr, inconsistent Qb play and head scratching play calling. Given all that, we still have the talent to win, but not with an OC that fails to give our boys an identity. Roman was flailing last night and it ended with Sherman eating turkey on our field. Very telling that Baalke’s daughter tweeted that Roman has to go. Someone’s head has to roll, hope they have the guts to do it.

      1. It’s always the play calling — never the QB. How many good quarters has Kaep played this year Bay Area Summer’s Eve Spokesperson?

        I’m guessing 4. Two in the Dallas game, and two in the Rams game, the one they won, and not the one where he fumbled on the goal line.

      2. I agree except that Baalke and York failures were also on exhibit last night. You provided an excellent list of Baalke failures and York’s failure speaks for itself.

  33. Not sure I get Jack’s point. The defense played average and so the offense took the night off? One thing that’s clear from the talk here. The 49ers problem is not the offense, it’s not the defense, it’s not Kaep, it’s not Roman or Harbaugh, it’s not a general lack of talent, it’s not…whatever. I think the clear issue from management’s point of view is that nothing changes. We just need to execute is a saying that is OK for dealing with the press. But team owners do not often accept just keep on keeping on as a strategy. Something needs to change, and that something right now is with the offense and not the defense.

  34. Let G-Ro go coach high school football. Until he goes, we don’t truly know how intellectually challenged Kap is at QB. I suspect he’ll still prove to be mentally over-matched, but Tweeter Jed already forked over the contract so Kap isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. They are woeful and pathetic on offense.

    1. These brainless comments about the most owner friendly contract since free agency started are really really dumb. Kaepernick’s contract can be terminated at the end of each and every season without any cap or dollar cost to the 49ers. Forget the contract. It’s not relevant.

  35. Kapurnicus at the postgame press conference…
    some kind of sartorial savant/wannabe hipster…

    does he not grasp/understand that Russell Wilson’s
    classy ensemble (jacket, shirt, tie) is always in style…
    whereas flashy lapels, razor-cut squiggle-thang head,
    and predictable miscue (headphones but no necktie)
    is soooo 1994 metrosexual (“I am my own love interest”)…?

    Polar opposite of Coach Harbaw’s SET YOUR JAW X3…
    (let’s leave that one alone, okay?)

  36. Roman is terrible and I’ve wanted him out ever since the super bowl loss… But the biggest problem on this team is the total lack of speed on offense, and until that’s addressed this team will never win a championship

    1. NYniner,

      Exactly. I’m not sure why everyone else doesn’t realize this. I guess only the real fans are smart enough to realize it isn’t our QB’s fault. Roman is the problem and always has been since Colin took over at QB. Our receivers aren’t fast enough to get open so our QB has nobody to throw to. Combine that with Roman’s bad play calling and we have a recipe for disaster. It’s not our QB’s fault and people need to realize that.

              1. From the ouside it looks different. The other guy isn’t the one double posting and calling people summers eve the day after thanksgiving. Football people.

              2. I said Kaep was progressing, and he can’t get to his 2nd reads and is inconsistent.
                Bay called me a troll.. There you go.

      1. What? Kaep played a terrible, terrible, game. He failed to see many times open receivers, made bad decisions, and when he did make the right decision, the throw was so terribly off target I began to wonder if he was hurt.
        He has been consistently “not good enough” for most of the season, and while there are lots of other problems, the QB play is the most glaring one.

      2. Bay, your boy kaepernick just don’t have it. to be an elite QB ion the NFL. You’re always on the defense with this dude. Man, if Alex smith was the QB in the SB that Kaep loss, the 49ers would’a won the SB:-)

  37. I had a dream last night the niners cut CK, traded a couple 1st round picks and Borland and took marcus Mariota in the draft

    1. … and then Mariota was chased out of town before he had stated three full seasons. Sure, I can see it too.

  38. The experiment in turning Kap into a pocket passer is now officially a flop. I now believe Kap will never become a pocket passer. He is who he is. Good legs, and a rocket arm., but lacking accuracy. You can win with such a QB but not with the game plans Roman is creating.

    For the rest of the season, take the wraps off Kap and let him use his best asset, his legs. Kap used his legs in the NFC championship game and the Niners nearly won. Kap was a pocket passer last night and we all saw what happened.

    If you absolutely want a pocket passing drop back QB, then bench Kap and put in Gabbert. It will mean tanking the season, but at least you will have a QB more suited to the game plan. What they are doing to Kap is unfair to him as well as the team.

    I am starting to believe that the reports of Harbaugh leaving at the end of the year are correct. The players know he is a lame duck and they realize they will be playing in a different system next year if they are even here. Not a recipe for success as a team.

    1. Did York’s tweet clarify the situation for you? The only way Harbaugh can leave is if they fire him, and York sounded like that was the plan last night. Like is father, I expect that he hasn’t a clue who should be the next head coach except that he should be a “yes man” for Baalke.

  39. “You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take”
    – Wayne Gretzky.

    Somehow #7 is bewildered by this quote….. He has “shots on goal” confused with “pass attempts in Richard Sherman’s direction.”

    1. Those weren’t great plays by Sherman, just really poor decision making by Kaep. Remember how Grant made the remark that Kaep is bad throwing left? He’s also bad throwing right!
      The first INT was just a horrible throw. 5 yards in the wrong direction. The 2nd INT was Kaep pressing in the 4th, no understanding of the moment. It was first down. He drops back, steps up and instead of going through his progressions he runs out of the pocket and into trouble. He could have throw it towards Great America but instead forces a throw to Johnson. who was going deep.
      Ball Game. End of Season.
      I always said I wanted Kaep to play better. Since the bye game and the Denver beat down, the team won but Kaep didm’t make the big leaps that was needed. The offense barely squeaked by. We finally scored a 4th quarter TD against the Skins. The Skins!

      After yesterday’s game — well it’s pointless to think he’s going to figure it out anytime soon. He needs to go wander the earth, go learn some kung fu like Uma Thurman in Kill Bill, and come back older and wiser. Maybe the Kung Fu master can break his habit of dropping his eyes to look at the rush, and can tie his legs to keep him in the pocket!

    2. Pass attempts that are thrown to the inside when Sherman is playing inside technique and never takes his eyes off the quarterback. Has anyone coached him not to do that? The biggest complaint about Smith was that his 100% not thrown passes were never intercepted.

  40. Lesson for #7:

    1. The first time you try to steal Mike Tyson’s wallet he gives you a strong verbal warning.

    2. The 2nd time you try to steal Mike Tyson’s wallet he punches you in the face.

    3. The 3rd time you try to steal Mike Tyson’s wallet he bites your freaking ear off!!

  41. I’d recommend if you get a chance to hear Tim Ryan’s take from KNBR this morning. He does believe Kaep is much of the problem, and much of the “49er receivers can’t get separation” thing is an illusion, that since Kaep is a one-read QB, the secondary receivers know they won’t get the ball thrown to them and they give up on their routes and jog through them. He noted one play where Boldin just stopped 2 yards past the line of scrimmage, just gave up.

  42. Funny thing is, as bad as Kaep was, people will start making excuses for him now that they’ve had 24 hours to think it over.

    Oh, the stadium wasn’t loud enough.
    Roman’s not using him correctly.
    Poor kid was fed too much turkey before the game.

    Kaep will be saved in the court of public opinion once again. Trust in that.

    1. Not everything is Kaep’s fault (the return of bad Crabtree, underachieving Davis, and a sieve – like OL to name a few), but it is on him that he hasn’t taken the next next necessary to be a quality QB.

      1. Exactly. But I think that some strong minded coach (who could that be) also implanted the thought that you can always throw into single coverage even if your accuracy isn’t quit what it should be, and the irritating dude out there on defense is Sherman. That’s the same Sherman that Harbaugh either didn’t want or who Baalke vetoed because he knows more about defensive backs than Harbaugh.

    2. Sully,
      I’m one of CK’ biggest fans and have not made excuses for his deficiencies. But to put it all on him is ridiculous. While he MUST take the highest amount of the blame, some of it should be distributed to the O-line, WR’s, RB’s, and Roman.

      Last night’s game was sheer frustration on many levels, but the truth is that the offense has been broken for some time now. Last night it was only exposed on the biggest stage. We put too much expectation on this team because of all the talent we have especially on offense, but at no time this season has that talent really found continuity and chemistry.
      The QB handles the ball more than any player on the field but that can’t be put solely on Kap.
      Kap may not be the answer for this team, but benching him for a different QB will not miraculously bring about offensive chemistry because the QB is only part of the problem and not the only one.

      1. 1. I’m not putting this game, or season, all on Kaep.
        2. I’m not suggesting benching Kaep…I’m suggesting that we finally accept that he’s not our QB for the future and begin making other plans. Mariota has Kaep’s body and Wilson’s dedication. We need to go all out for him.

        1. He’s expected to be drafted with the first pick Sully. The team would have to mortgage their next couple of drafts in order to even have a slim chance of getting him.

        2. Sully,
          At this stage in Kap’s career, it’s hard to defend him.
          But I’m not ever completely sold on many college QB’s unless it’s a Luck, P.Manning or Stafford. And even Stafford has not been a slam-dunk.

          Mariota might become a top NFL QB with passing/running and ability, but so was Akilei Smith many years back, and just recently RGIII. High draft picks based on their college resume’ who never reached their potential. If we want a QB that has the ability to pass/run CK is that QB having achieved records in those categories in college.
          Can Mariota have the patience needed to become a pocket passer in this offense?
          We just don’t know.

          1. Midwest, AES, you are both correct. Here’s what I love about Mariota beyond the obvious physical ability…

            He studies. He does the work. His O-Line is decimated this year and he still stands in. Tough. Humble. A winner. The other QBs in this year’s draft–Winston, Cook–are miles below him.

            Now, if Jax and the Raiders like Mariota more than the young QBs they have, I’d make a much smaller trade for Carr or Bortles in a second.

            1. Sully,
              Here is a line from Walters Football regarding Mariota.

              8/27/14: “There is no denying that Mariota has a great physical skill set and is a tremendous athlete with rare mobility. He is a dangerous running threat. Mariota needs work to develop as a pocket passer for the NFL, but he has the arm, size and height to live in the pocket. Mariota needs to continue to refine his footwork, throwing mechanics, ball placement and field vision. However, the redshirt junior is a natural at throwing on the run and has big-play ability.”

              This is just one college football study report, but this is the general consensus among most pre-draft analysis.
              Mariota’ QB attributes are a mirror image of CK’s coming out of college. Do we go with a CK clone and hope that he can develop as a pocket passer faster than Kap or do we look to draft a QB with good athletic ability but is a pocket passer first mindset type?

              The hard part is finding a college QB that has been very successful playing in a pro-style offense. Most of the big college QB’ of today don’t use a pro-style offense.

              Aaron Rodgers (we whiffed on), and Ben Rothlisberger we great college QB’ who could operate in a pro-style offense.
              I’m not to sure that there are those types coming out next draft year.

  43. This was such a piss poor performance by the offense. I have doubts that we can even beat Oakland next game. I thought the defense played remarkably well considering we no longer have an offense that can get first downs, that can control the ball. The offensive blame goes to every member of the offensive staff and the players. I hate to say this but Alex Smith is a better quarterback then CK is right now. I am beginning to think that CK has reached his potential and will have flashes of greatness but is stuck in mediocrity for the most part. Unless there is some dramatic improvement from CK in the next four games I will be on board with drafting another QB. Harbaugh and Roman have a lot to think about and see if they can right the ship before it sinks into the depths of complete ineptitude. Right now unless the Lions, Hawks, Cowboys screw up big time I don’t see the Niners making the playoffs.

    Grant your right Parrish Cox is not a returner. One of his most glaring mistakes as a returner is when he isn’t going to catch the ball he doesn’t run away from it. One of these days that ball is going to take a bounce and hit him for a fumble.

  44. Eric Davis on NFL AM just made the statement that Kaep has a lot of improvements to make BUT our offense was very predictable. He said DB’s know our WR’s route based on our formations and the ways the receivers run the routes. Supposedly on Sherman’s second interception, he said he knew the receivers rout based on his stutter step. Based on that he sat down on the route. Sounds more like a scheming issue.

    1. What Davis forgot to mention is that Kaep can become predictable as well, especially when he continues to overlook wide open receivers, stares down his target, and goes to Crabtree in crunch time no matter what.

  45. Today’s war weaponry consists of drones and high-tech stealth aircraft. The Greg Roman offense is centuries behind in offensive technology…..One ancient weapon was called “boiling oil.” Way back in the day when intruders tried to scale the walls of cities or castles, boiling oil would be poured on them. This was effective back then but would be silly today……..Niners need to scrap this outdated “boiling oil” mentality. It’s time to start over and develop moon-based missiles…….You catch my drift York?

    1. Crab15,
      Earlier this season someone put out a graph that showed Jimmy Raye having more success n the redzone than Roman.

      If that’s true, then we are not using boiling oil, we are using marshmallows. There’s no way that this offense with this much talent should ever be mentioned in the same sentence with Jimmy Raye – shameful indeed.

      1. AES – I have to say Jimmy Raye and Roman are equally as bad but in different ways IMO.
        Yes…..that is shameful.

  46. I know this teams offense was bad early in the year. I new as long as roman was calling the plays we were in trouble.I thought being the biggest game of this year at home we could play well and still be in the race.I saw a team give up in denver,almost lose in n.y. with only field goals ..up to 3 minutes against a sorry redskins get a touchdown to win the game and this embarrassing loss on a national holiday–eating turkey on our field. Roman has to go now—kap I believe is very gifted but ,isnt a very smart guy.After all ,he;s played enought to check down , and move this offense to score touchdowns vs. field goals.Its sad that i have to worry about the raider game.Oh by the way coach, if theres 8 minutes left in the game WHY go to a huddle.

  47. Ugly game all around and I’m glad my Thanksgiving dinner was consumed before I watched this mess. Nobody played well last night imo and that was a piss poor effort by a team that looks like they are all but done.

    Kap is an easy target after this one. He played a poor game, threw inaccurately and made poor decisions on where to go with the ball. Seattle has his number, no other way to say it.

    As bad a Kap was, some of it was again due to receivers not being open a lot of the time, and the only thing that was working were short passes which for some reason the offense didn’t stick too. You have to be patient against this defense and move methodically down the field. They count on offenses getting impatient and the Niners did that regularly.

    Again the running game was inconsistent and the difference in putting drives together and punting the ball away like it’s been most of the time against Seattle.

    Anyone thinking the defense played a good game last night, needs to watch it again. There were blown coverages all over the place that led directly to points for the Hawks. Wilson didn’t throw a ball more than 15 yards in the air all night by my calculation and didn’t have to. 160 of his passing yards were YAC yards. The defense didn’t cover RB’s in the flat leaving easy completions and first downs. The biggest play of the night came on a broken play where Wilson should have been sacked but instead he is able to throw it to a TE with no one within 10 yards of him who then runs down the sideline. Another big night for Lynch and you have a dominant Seattle win.

    ST’s had a chance to make a big play when the Punter dropped the snap in the first half but there was nobody near him so he was able to kick it anyway and then Cox fumbled it on the other end.

    Just a comedy of errors and a really demoralizing loss for this team.

    We really saw a stark difference in Coaching in this one. Seattle just ran the ball and threw short passes and were content with that. The Niners kept trying to pick up big yards downfield instead of going with a short passing game and they struggled. One team knows what it needs to do to have success while the other stubbornly tries to do what it wants when it isn’t there.

    As much as many on here want to dump the QB, it’s not the magic bullet that will help this team move the ball on that defense. Harbaugh and Roman have not been able to figure out the Seattle defense since they arrived 4 years ago. You know what they say about doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.

    Still a slight chance they can squeak into the playoffs if they win 3 of the final four and get a lot of help, but it’s remote.

    Last but not least, Jed really finished the night off wonderfully by tweeting that the effort was unacceptable. Nothing like the owner starting even more controversy for the media to play with. Then the GM’s daughter tweets out that she can’t wait to see Roman fired.

    The entire organization from the top down looks bad today.

    1. Kaep’s not the answer. He has limitations and the coaching staff has been trying to either work on expanding his game, or hiding what everyone in the league knows — he’s inaccurate, and can’t get past his first read most of the team. The difference is the QBs. Russell has NO ONE to pass to, and somehow he gets it done.

    2. Well said, Rocket. I think you can add the “rolls of the ball” too into the equation. Like you said, the punter dropped the ball but for some reason nobody was even around him and on the other end Cox fumbled the ball. And on top of top, that played should have been replayed if the referee did not miss the call for an ineligible man down field.
      Also, Wilson fumbled the ball twice and the ball just never found a Forty Niner player. It was a like a perfect storm, again.

    3. “Harbaugh and Roman have not been able to figure out the Seattle defense since they arrived 4 years ago”

      Rocket, this is the biggest puzzle to me. I’ve seen the Rams and Cardinals at times have success against that defense in the last few years but this team just cannot move the ball against them. Why do you think is that?

      1. ricardo,

        That is the million dollar question. I think it’s a case of forcing what you want to do instead of doing what you have to do more than anything. Teams that have had success against the Seattle defense have done so for the most part with a short passing game and an effective running game. Up until last night, the Niners had been able to run the ball well enough at home against Seattle to win tight games. They couldn’t run it consistently last night and the passing game couldn’t over come it. This offense is predicated on the running game working and when it doesn’t, they usually don’t win.

        1. Thanks, Rocket. I think Jim is a great coach and his records speaks for itself. And I think it’s crazy to even think of getting rid of a HC that has gotten his team in NFCCGs in his first three years and working again on a winning record. Having said that, he needs to show the fans something that he is capable of overcoming the biggest rival of this team in this division. There’s enough talent on this team to have success against the Seahawks.

          1. That’s what i’d like about you ricardo, you never give up. You keep saying having a success against the Seahawks with the talent that we have. Question is, Why can’t they win against the Seahawks? And what’s your excuse when they go to Seattle and get blown out by the Seahawks in two weeks?

    4. After a loss like that, I think everyone is still in knee-jerk reaction mode, but this isn’t the first time we’ve been humiliated by the Seahawks and its not the first time the offense has stunk this season.

      Earlier in the year there was some debate on here as to whether the 49ers should let Harbaugh go at the end of the season. I appreciate it is hard to replace a good coach, but with the consistent issues on offense the past few weeks I think it may be time. The 49ers offense has been worked out. And some of the offensive players don’t appear to be playing like they believe they can make it work.

      Kaep is playing at a career low right now. He’s inaccurate, indecisive, and when he does make a decision it is often to force the play (with some very mixed results). To make matters worse, the running game is completely stagnant, receivers aren’t winning their individual matchups consistently, and the OL is still having some struggles.

      This offense has too much talent on it for this to happen, and even if you are an ardent Kaep basher and coach forgiver, the coaching staff need to be held accountable.

      The harsh reality is that things could well get worse before they get better. It will be difficult to replace Harbaugh. And there is a very real chance that Kaep will not be suited to running another style of offense that places greater requirements on the QB to read the play both before and after the snap. There may be a rebuilding period required.

      The good news is that the 49ers have some young talent on this team. There may be a rebuilding period, but if there is it may not be a lengthy one if these young guys keep developing.

      Anyway, that is my knee-jerk reaction after yesterday.

  48. From Matt Barrows:

    This won’t be popular with the Fire-GRO crowd, but 49ers offensive woes are systemic. Dunno if Roman keeps his job but he’s just a piece of the problem. Harbaugh, John Morton, Solari, et al. to blame, too.

        1. From most rumors I’ve read, Jed favors Tomsula to be the next HC and if that’s true he hasn’t learned anything from when he hired Singletary based solely on his admiration of the man. I like Tomsula as a position Coach, but the last thing this team needs to do is name him HC and start the carousel of OC’s again.

        1. Yes Crab is right, but don’t you think HarHar has known that for a few weeks now?
          Or SHOULD have known!

          1. Of course he knows, but he’s not able to make the plays for these guys. For example, Lloyd is open on the first interception if the ball is thrown towards the sidelines but Kaepernick is inaccurate and hits Sherman between the numbers instead. That’s not on the coaches play calling.

            1. I’m not so sure if it isn’t on the coaches Jack.
              You have to play with what you got, not with what you want.
              Does Kap look that much different in practice?
              He doesn’t look that different in his games, bad throws, overthrown balls, sometimes a dash of brilliance or a splash of luck, just no consistency.
              Who could he learn from to manage a game……….

              1. It’s the lack of consistency from Kaepernick that makes play calling so difficult. He’s like a box of chocolates.

            2. During the broadcast, Collinsworth made a comment after Wilson completed his pass on the sidelines to a WR for a first down.
              Kaep threw to a well covered Miller in the end zone when he had a wide open Hyde in the flat for an easy first down.
              Didn’t we have this discussion last year during the NFCCG, with a wide open Patton? And why isn’t he playing?

    1. I agree with Barrows. It’s easy to point the finger at Roman, but it’s not just one guy here. The Coaching across the board on the offensive side of the ball has to take a share of the blame.

    2. That is what is troubling to me. The systemic problem seems to point to Harbaugh given that he is the head, but it doesn’t make sense.

      The players talk of execution mostly though there does seem to be a tinge of animosity in the WR/TE core: “scheme”, “I just play the game”, “you see me out there, you tell me” and the like. Is it Kap they have a problem with, the O line, the coaches? Puzzling.

      It is easy for us to want Roman to be the scapegoat of all that ails our beloved tea, but I think the complexity of the issue is multi-layered.

    3. I haven’t been thinking about how Harbough ran the offense at Stanford and with the 49ers. If you can physically force your will on the opponent it works. Maybe it can lack focus when the talent is balanced.

  49. The window for a championship has officially closed. Its not drama, over reaction but once again the reality of the NFL game. Teams build up, go for it and either get it or don’t. We failed. The switch at QB has not worked. Only because the offense as a whole has not progressed. That starts with Baalke, Roman and Harbaugh on down to the QB and the skilled positions.The reason I don’t blame the offensive line is because they were drafted to play in a power running scheme. Since Kaepernick has taken over, the 49ers switched gears and have become an unknown offense.
    I don’t think canning Harbaugh is the right move. I think he has to be willing to make a move in philosophy and offensive scheme. Otherwise start the rebuild.

    1. Let’s call a spade a spade. The luck ran out against an elite defense. CK was horrible. I’m not sure what direction they need to go in, but Kaepernick has not shown any progress in being able to compete and lead against good defenses. He can against the lesser likes but SEATTLE showed what type of QB he really is.

  50. If you need to fire anyone, fire ME as a fan. I go to games on the east coast, the Niners roll. I come out for games in the Bay Area, the Niners stink up the joint, it doesn’t matter who’s the coach – Walsh, Seifert, Mariuchi or Harbaugh. For the sake of the team, no more west coast games for me.

    1. Sorry to hear that ribico. I’m glad stubhub messed up our 7 tickets and we ended up watching at home.

    2. Now you are a guy who actually calls a spade a spade.

      Our son was gifted a ticket to the game. The seat was in a $65,000 seat license block with a food court dedicated to that block of seats. I blame both of you.

  51. Just read this tweet from Eric Branch. Pretty eye opening stuff:

    #49ers last 39 full drives (3-plus games): 21 punts, 7 turnovers, 7 FG, 3 TD, downs

    1. One of things you wrote earlier Rocket stays with me. The Seahawks are a disciplined and patient team. One of the thugs that made Walsh’s WCO great was that they took what the defense gave and were methodical in working the ball down the field. Yesterday’s game plan looked like that but it was the Seahawks running it.

  52. One other note. P. Carroll knows how Harbaugh thinks and is well familiar with his play calling style.
    Carroll has known since the day Harbaugh was hired as 49ers coach what type of players he would need to draft or FA sign to counter Harbaugh and Carroll’ plan has worked.

    I’m of the opinion that Carroll just has the formula to beat Harbaugh.
    This is why Harbaugh needs to let Roman go. Carroll owns our offensive game plan.

    If anyone doesn’t think Carroll is not consumed at owning Harbaugh, explain to me why so many 49ers players end up in Seattle.

    1. AES, the weird part is, Jim dominated Carroll’s USC team but somehow it has been different in the NFL.

      1. ricardo,
        Exactly! Being handled by Harbaugh in college is the reason why Carroll has studied and figured out Harbaugh in the pros. Harbaugh’ style has not changed much since his days in college. But we must also consider that Harbaugh had Andrew Luck as his QB.

        Harbaugh’ game plan was exposed in college by Oregon countering with speed over muscle. Carroll has followed Oregon’ strategy by using a faster style of play to counter our muscle.

        Seeing our current offense against the c-hawks reminds me of the 49ers vs cowboys in the 80′ – 90′ where they were just faster than us at almost every position.

        Last year’s championship game against Seattle was the tipping point for our offensive game planning imo. When we decided to harness CK from running in the 2nd half rather than stay with what was working in the 1st half, it put our offense right in the position of playing right into Seattle’ hands.
        That 2nd half “conservative throw-back” style of play in the championship game has been on sad display this season and stunted what should have been a multi-facet type offense.
        Just imagine what someone like Chip Kelley would do with this offense. Yes, Kap should receive his share of the blame for underachieving, but the playcalling has not put him and many of our weapons in position to succeed. There is no reason why this offense looks like it’s playing in sand.

  53. Its well understood Harbaugh leaves the defense alone. Its Fangio and Tomsula’s sandbox. Harbaugh doesn’t meddle with the defense at all.

    Its a different story on offense. Harbaugh is intimately involved. He QCs every Roman play before relaying it to CK.

    I’ve been disgusted with the offense like many here, but I’m not as sure who is the source of the problem.
    – How often does Harbaugh change or Roman’s plays?
    – To what extent does does Harbaugh involve himself in the game plan?
    – Does Harbaugh place restrictive parameters on what Roman does?

    Before I yell “Fire So-and-So”, I need to know more about decision flow between Harbuagh and Roman.

    One thing is certain… there is now a “book” on the 49ers offense.
    1) Stack the box.
    – If its a run, use the extra man to penetrate or fill a run lane.
    – If its a pass, blitz the extra man or use him to spy CK.

    2) Dare CK to throw over the top.
    – Cover WRs tight.
    – Stay in the line of sight between CK and the WRs.
    – 49er WRs usually don’t have the speed to blow bye. When they do, CK usually misses the WR.

    The run will get stuffed all year until the 49ers show they can kill 9-in-the-box with gouge passes.

    1. “– How often does Harbaugh change or Roman’s plays?
      – To what extent does does Harbaugh involve himself in the game plan?
      – Does Harbaugh place restrictive parameters on what Roman does?”

      Man, I would love to hear the answers on those questions.

  54. O.K.
    So the game was a real stinker…what happens next? For all of the criticism I’ve seen on here, I don’t see any ‘realistic’ suggestions offered yet. Here’s my read: The Oline is made up of some of the best linemen in the NFL…they are asked to defend the pocket for 5 seconds each play. CK doesn’t stay in the pocket, so where are they supposed. defend? That we don’t have speedy WR’s is baloney….we have all the ingredients we need at WR…LLoyd and Johnson at WR, Boldin in the slot, and Crabtree as 4th receiver. You don’t NEED blazing speed at WR, you need good hands and good route-runners. In that I believe we all agree that CK doesn’t read progressions, rival defenses double up on one or two receivers, leaving #3 or #4 totally alone…THEY ARE OPEN. If I were Trent Baalke, I would be screening every FA QB available, and also the practice squads for QB’s with the potential to operate a Pro-style Offense and bring in some young guns to learn for the rest of the season in-house. Bench CK, and bring in the next man up. Harbaugh has had his run and failed…Bring in Masula as interim HC, Jeep Chryst as OC. They are experienced in NFL coaching, and they already know the system and the players. No, we probably won’t make the playoffs, but if the playoffs only mean another embarrassment like yesterday, I for one can do without it. Thanksgiving was the end of the game….

    1. My realistic suggestion? Fire up the time machine!
      – Chuck a 4th rounder on Martavis Bryant (or fill in your fav WR)
      – Convince Boone and Vernon not to hold out.
      – Give Kendal Hunter the day off that very day he got hurt
      – Get rid of LMJ. Use the roster space to retain Winston or find a decent return man.

      Seriously, players matter. O-line continuity is a mess. It will help when…
      – Ellington returns
      – VMac returns (brick hands be we need his blocking)
      – Anthony Davis returns

      Speaking of “return”, will VD ever return to earth? Did he have a nervous breakdown after the NFCCG.

  55. Bring in Steve Young, when there was an offense. At least he knows what one is like, and what will work. These guys look like they are running a HS Football team offense, with very little imagination. This team went downhill when Kaep was too ‘valuable’ to run, then, the team went to long passes or long pass routes with slow receivers, or a running play up the middle. Let Steve Young do the QB’s and offensive scheme. Jerry Rice the receivers. Ronnie Lott the secondary, and somebody from the dynasty teams to do the Line’s and LB’s, and maybe a Jon Gruden to raise a little hell.

  56. The 49ers were what was on the Seahawks menu, and they weren’t even the main course. They were just the appetizer. The main dish was served on the 49ers logo, where the champions devoured their victory turkey. It was demoralizing, humiliating and embarrassing. The Seahawks are mentally and physically tougher, and on their way to carving out their own dynasty. I think this is what we are witnessing….

    Can you remember how it used to be
    We were so proud and free, so free
    Strong and mighty powerful and true
    Can you remember

    Now all around us pestilence and greed
    Famine, hate and war
    It surrounds us like a black disease
    Just take a look around us

    In spite of every upright intention
    We live and die by the sword
    It’s second nature, and so the question is
    Can we learn or will we burn

    The fall of the empire… What have we done
    The fall of the empire… It’s the dawn of the setting sun
    The fall of the empire… can this race be won
    It’s the fall of the empire… or has the end begun

    Will the mountains crumble to the ground
    Will the earth stand still
    Will we rise a mushroom cloud
    Will the mountains crumble

    Can we heed a lesson from the past
    And put aside our hate
    Or will we blow ourselves to kingdom come
    tell me is it too late

    Inside of every aronination
    There is hope that lies within
    It’s second nature, and the question is
    Can we learn or will we burn

    The fall of the empire… What have we done
    The fall of the empire… It’s the dawn of the setting sun
    The fall of the empire… can this race be won
    It’s the fall of the empire… or has the end begun

    1. Maybe because they are always on the field, worn out because our offense cannot sustain a drive for more than 5 minutes!

          1. Not sure why you’d want to look at the last 4 games. They had a +9:58 time of possession advantage over NY, and :10 last week over Washington. The last time they’d been behind in T.O.P before last night was against New Orleans, and that was by only 2:14.

        1. And a defense that hasn’t had it’s stars for enough time this year. If you can’t keep Wilson in the pocket where he has to throw over people then Seattle can be comfortable all night with field goals. Why risk it when you can keep Kaepernick locked in the pocket with no room to move.

          Then there is the bonus dropped coverage that gave up most of Seattle’s big gains. The defense was better than our offense, but they didn’t disrupt the Seattle game plan at all. Seattle just played for safe field goals.

    2. The run D’s been pretty good considering they are missing the first and second string NTs. Dial’s been doing admirably, but he’s a bit tall for an NT. Ian’s gone, but hopefully Glen will be back for the RayDuz game.

        1. Maybe Wilson would have been contained in the pocket more and his wide open outlets covered better if Bowman and Willis had been healthy and playing. That’s reality, and has nothing to do with excuses. Right 100%.

          Maybe Seattle even game planned for that difference in this year’s defense. It looked like it more than once.

  57. Regular season and Postseason combined Colin Kaepernick has a Passer Rating of 50.6 in five games vs the Seahawks.

    In all his other games not against the Seahawks he has a Passer Rating of 96.7.

    Has a team in the past had a 49er quarterbacks number as much as the Seahawks have Kaepernicks?

      1. The difference is that Dallas and the Giants were conference rivals and not division rivals like the Hawks.

        1. When you get to the conference championship, it doesn’t matter which division appointment hands you your lunch. The Rams and Atlanta gave Walsh fits every once in a while. Someone had to or Walsh would have had ten conference championship games in his resume. Walsh was in three Superbowls and Montana played in all of those wins. Walsh and Montana failed to get to the playoffs or failed to win the first playoff game five times that I’m sure of. Not counting the first two seasons, they went to and won the Superbowl three times. After the first Superbowl win, they certainly lost their share of important games with Walsh coaching and Montana playing.

  58. Have to agree with Jack about the defense. They’ve been above average but not elite. For me it started with the Denver game. I was steamed when Aaron Lynch was congratulating Manning on the field during the game; should’ve waited until after the game. BTW: I’m a big Aaron Lynch fan; he’s had a great rookie season. But that was just a graphic example of what seemed to be an acceptance by our defense that Manning was going to roast us for his touchdown title.

    I think the only thing we can do with CK now is to let him play instinctually and not force pocket passing on him.

    Friends who watch the game with me here in Seattle (ugh!) know I’ve been calling for Roman’s head since early 2012.

    BTW: What exactly is Mangini doing for us as the tight end’s coach?

      1. Yeah, that’s true. But how many times did Wilson throw the ball to a running back or tight end who in Matt Barrow’s words “popped free from the line of scrimmage”. You would think after the second time, they might adjust.

        While Borland has done a very good job, we sure missed the speed of Bowman and Willis last night.

      1. Hmmm. Hope you’re kidding, but you just might have something there. Mangini is supposed to be a defensive genious, but I believe all of his time at SF has been spent as an offensive consultant in one capacity or another. It might just be possible that they view him now as a head coach with a good knowledge of both sides of the ball. Not sure I like that thought.

        1. Or is it just possible that Mangini switching coaching positions this year (from offensive consultant to tight end coach) is the real reason the team’s offense sucks. Say it ain’t so.

          1. You know, the more I think about it, maybe this isn’t so laughable. Wasn’t it someone on this blog who said we need to hire an offensive consultant (I think it was Grant). Well, Mangini had that role last year, but doesn’t this year. Yeah, our offense wasn’t great last year, but it seemed better than this year.

        2. To continue this train of thought – wouldn’t it be funny if York fired Mangini instead of Roman in order to back up his tweet from last night.

  59. And now Greg Cosell, who studied the game film from last night (how many of you did?) is putting the problems on the limitations of Kaep, saying it is completely unfair and misguided to blame the coaches, pretty much echoing what Tim Ryan said this morning. He said that there were open receivers, but Kaep just flat-out did not see them. I respect the opinions of many of you, but I have to consider these opinions and perpective over fan-loyalty…

    1. But ultimately, doesn’t it all come down to coaching? If you have a limited player you have to find ways for him to be successful. Or you have to find a different player. It was these coaches that promoted him over Alex Smith.

  60. What happened to all the talk about the 49ers being a meritocratic organization? Brooks blowing up on the sideline, then apologizing and subsequently getting more playing time than Aaron Lynch is just one example of the lip service paid that concept by the 49ers.

    The more I think about it, I wonder if Harbaugh’s effusive support of his players isn’t coddling them too much. The pre-Madonnas (word that someone else posted, LOL) like Crabree and Vernon need to have there cage rattled. Fangio or Tomsula would probably do it, but they are relegated to the defense only.

  61. I’ve been reading the blog for about 18 months and appreciate the intelligent comments from the posters (not the blogger). While I’ve often thought about posting, last night’s game pushed me over the edge. I guess I’m hoping that “talking about my feelings” will provide some therapy. LOL.

    Since I’m new to the blog, I’d appreciate it if someone could point me to how I can change my avatar. Thanks.

      1. Thanks, Mid. For a moment there I though you were going to include the word “dysfunctional”. :)

  62. Here’s a question I’d really like to get some perspective on. People have been saying and Maiocco confirmed it today that Harbaugh is the gatekeeper for the offensive play calling.

    Is there really enough time to have Roman call a play, Harbaugh change that play and then get the call relayed into Kap? If not, then are Roman’s plays essentially “rubber stamped” by Harbaugh. Or if there is potentially enough time, is that one of the reasons why there were delay of game penalties (although those penalties haven’t seemed to happen the last couple of games).

    1. There’s plenty of time. They are in constant communication. It’s not like a play finishes and then they say, “ok what do you think about this Jim?” Harbaugh has stated that he changes the calls from time to time.

    2. There should be enough time, but as we’ve seen the past almost 4 seasons, no matter who is playing QB there often seems to be little to no time on the clock when they are at the LOS. They have been a leader in Delay of game penalties and have to use TO’s far too often when they have the ball. There has been an issue in this area from day one and while I don’t see it as much this season, it rears it’s ugly head at times.

    3. I’ve never played team football. But it seems to me that it would be a lot easier to call a play from the box where Roman sits, which has a birds-eye view, than to try to call a play from one of the sidelines, which has a field level view. If that is true and if it were me, I would probably defer to the guy sitting in the box.

      1. I’d agree. In my experience I often deferred to my coach upstairs, but there would be times I’d say this is what I want and we’d go from there.

        I don’t think there’s anything really unique about what they’re doing.

    1. Crab15,
      Let him sign on with the Lingerie Football League, he could hit women every Sunday.
      I know that was horrible, sorry couldn’t resist.

  63. I have rooted for the Niners since 1981, but am not the fan many of you are, because I turned off the television after Seattle made its second score. Even then it was easy to see the offense was outclassed big time. (Btw, it’s interesting Seattle beat us by the same score they beat Arizona the week before. Kudos to them. I think we will finish at 8-8. If we don’t make the playoffs, I hope they do and repeat as SB champions. Some of you will excoriate me for this, but so be it. Remember, gentlemen, it is sports, and that the better team deserves to win. That’s what I was always taught, and that’s what I have taught my kids.)

    Anyway, I think that, at this stage, and I never thought I would ever say this until now, it’s clear the Harbaugh regime has done the best it is going to do and that someone else should lead the team. I put none of this on Baalke. It’s certain coaches and certain players.

    1. George, agree with you in principal. But living in Seattle, if Seattle repeats, it might be preferable to nick a vein than deal with the blowhard, pompous Seahawks fans.

    2. Good logic George.
      I’ve tried to back away from the team on many occasions because I find myself far too involved and sometimes carrying loses to bed and losing sleep – no bueno.

      You have been a fan since 81, but I have followed this team since the early 60′ having watched them play at Kezar Stadium when I was just a snot-nosed kid.
      My affinity with the team just goes to deep. If there was a word to describe my connection to the team it would be: Addiction.

      But you are right, it’s only sports – but dogonit, I’m in too deep : >)

        1. Bay,
          I might be beyond repair. I left from a family outing last night with about 10 minutes left in the 4th Qtr and didn’t see the end of the game. But hearing that Sherman and Russell were seated on the 49ers logo eating turkey after the game only strengthened my ardent fandom. To me that was almost tantamount of someone burning the American Flag. Well ok, not that bad. But shameful nonetheless imo.

          A 49er or group of 49ers players should have flipped the table over!
          Anyway, see what I mean Bay; I’m too far gone.

    3. There are rabid 49er fans that would wish the same fate on Seattle, winning the Superbowl, which would put them at a disadvantage in next years draft and in cap management. That’s how one makes coffee with lemons. Enjoy.

      1. For the purposes of the draft I can deal with Seattle making it to the championship game – but for the love of god, don’t let them repeat.

        1. “but for the love of god, don’t let them repeat.”

          That’s right! I know this will sound stupid but if comes down to us tanking the last game against the AZ to deny the Seahawks winning this division, I’m all for that. Seahawks going on the road in the playoff might stop them on winning again.

    4. I would want them to win the division and lose- the basis being that they wouldn’t get close to the Lombardi trophy yet earn the tougher schedule next year.

  64. In 5 starts against Seattle, Colin Kaepernick has a 16.1 QB rating, and 4 int’s when throwing against Richard Sherman.

    1. You mean 4 receptions for Sherman… the way Kaep was throwing them to him you’d swear he was the WR!

    2. Seems like Kaepernick doesn’t really fully understand the concept of “risk/reward”. That understanding would probably mean he would need to become more of a game manager.

    3. Kap couldn’t have hit Sherman any better. Great accuracy on those throws.

      Welcome to the blog cubus.

      1. Rocket you don’t think this guy is a first time poster do you?
        He says he’s been reading for 18 months and is now posting for the first time. He goes from not posting at all for 18 months to 15 posts in one day? Right? And now the troll is post start watch.
        if I’m wrong then I apologize.

        1. Bay. You’re wrong, but it does seem like I’m getting 18 months of “wannabe” posting out in one day, LOL.

  65. Question on finding individual posts within the blog. As the number of posts increases it becomes more difficult to find an individual recent post especially if it is not at or near the end of the string of posts. I thought the “Recent Comments” section on the right hand side would assist by allowing one to click on a recent comment resulting in navigation to the comment that is often buried in the middle of the string of posts. That doesn’t seem to work. Is there a way to do this?

    1. Got it figured out. I didn’t notice that the links are actually somewhat lower on the right hand side of the blog.

  66. Caleb Jones out of U of A will be steal in the draft this year if he comes out. 6’3″ 215 lbs transferred from Texas. Big athletic and determined to excel

  67. After getting some sleep , i still cant get the image of Dick Sherman eating Thanksgiving turkey on our logo. It was humiliating & embarrasing. Im done with Kaepernick. Ive seen all i need to see. The guy just has not improved enough. He proved yesterday that he is just not accurate. Although Romas definitely has his prints on this game , It doesnt matter what the play call is if the QB cant read the D & make an accurate throw. No fundamentals. I expect major changes in the offseason.

  68. I know this is late, but I’m wondering if part of the poor performance by the team in the Washington game was due to Colt McCoy’s knowledge of our offense, especially since he is a QB.

    Also, it looked like Dobbs had a very good game for the Seahawks last night. It would seem reasonable to me that part of the reason is that he has knowledge of our offense and the guy he is facing on the other side of the line.

    I don’t mean to imply that these were the reasons we lost. There’s no question our offense sucks. I’m just wondering how much impact they might have in a game.

  69. CK will never be a great QB, he is athletic but so was Jamarcus russell. Perfect example was the throw to Miller in the endzone that should have been picked. He had Carlos Hyde underneath with tons of room he probably scores, at the minimum picks up a 1st. It doesn’t matter how hard you workout or how great your work ethic is, if you cant read a D it really doesnt matter. I really think he is regressing, and someone needs to be brought in to challenge him.

  70. You’re paying a guy 15 million a year to be 25th in the league in passing. And has tons of talent around him. Last year it was no receivers, what is it this year?

    1. Um, bad O-line play along with injuries. WR’s uncharacteristically dropping passes. A TE that has gone from All-Pro to possibly All-Washed-Up. And some questionable OC playcalling.

      But hey, who’s counting right? Why not put it all on Kap.

        1. Even if you got the first pick for him, there is no way to know that the QB you pick would be better or if he is, how long that would take. While you are wishing on a star, how about going back to the Andrew Luck draft with a number one for Kaepernick? If we are going to distort reality then that’s a deal I would make.

          Enjoy.

        2. Prime,
          I’m not happy with CK’ slow (very slow) progress but NO I would not trade him for a #5 pick because I’ve seen what Kap can do when he’s playing at a high level. Watching his game (opening game of the season) against the Packers last year was like watching the making of an elite QB. Then he hit a wall somewhere along the way – and has had trouble overcoming it since.

          The problem is that CK has been very inconsistent with most outings being average at best. But at the same time, I ask myself how another QB’ would be able to have success with our O-line given the issues it’s had throughout the season.

          I agree (as someone mentioned) that we need a good backup QB that forces CK to improve his craft.
          McCoy was, and now Gabbert are emergency Band-Aids in case Kap is injured, but were not signed to push CK. Kap had the worse game of his young career Thursday night which of course was highlighted because it came against our hated nemesis on national TV.

          I want to see how CK performs going forward after such a crushing loss. This we be a good barometer for me because I want to see him play with fire and a sense of urgency. If fails to do that, then I will have to rethink my opinion of him – and sure the Org will as well.

  71. The best defense in the NFL is giving up an average of 1.7 touchdowns per game. Giving up only one TD in an NFL game is always very good. Always.

    1. True. And the worst run defense in the NFL gives up an average of 145 yards per game. Giving up over that is not above average. Never.

  72. Some of the Alex haters ridiculed him for throwing 11-16 for 108 yards, on a cold windy day in KC when they played Seattle. Well the Chiefs won 24-20. Seattle was behind most of the game, even pulled ahead, but Smit and KC pulled ahead and got the win.
    Alex is not a great QB by any means, but he did more with his 108 yards then Kaep, who got garbage stats at the end of both halves of last night’s game. And the KC wrs are the worst in the league.

    1. Fan not sure why people don’t get it with CK. The only reason we can’t beat Seattle is because he has turned the ball over. Alex wasn’t spectacular but he didn’t give games away.
      As soon as I seen the first INT to Sherman, I knew it was over. He looked lost after that.
      The only way CK lasts in the NFL is if he plays in a system like Chip Kelly’s. He’s not a good fit for a grind it out ball control system that the NFC West is becoming. All our division games come down to turnovers. What does CK do, turn it over!

    2. Seattle wasn’t Alex’ kryptonite, it was the NYGiants.
      But the Alex Smith ship has long sailed away from SF – glad he found a team where he can blossom.

      Right now, CK’ kryptonite is Seattle. But I’m giving Kap the game in Seattle in a couple weeks a chance to redeem himself with a big win.
      If he does, Kap will survive to play another season. If he has another stinker, the Org will need to make some tough decisions.

      1. Hmmm…Seattle, Arizona, Rams, Bears and others….it is not just one game…it is more of the same: inability to read an NFL defense.

      2. I don’t think anyone wants Alex Smith back AES. We want a QB similar to Alex that does not gift games away like Colin Kaepernick does with all the turnovers. The lost fumble to the Rams and the two INT’s to Richard Sherman. You just cannot do that and expect to win. How many times has the defense saved him this year?
        Everyone keeps talking scheme. That’s baloney. The Seahawks have done nothing special each time they have beat the 49ers. They just play physical defense, run the ball and don’t turn it over.

        1. And their quarterback is allowed to run around like a chicken with it’s head squarely on it’s shoulders.

        2. Actually, Wilson hasn’t played clean football in the last two games against the Niners. In the NFCCG, he turned the ball over twice and one of them inside the 5 yard line. Last night, he fumbled the ball twice but the ball just never found a forty niner player. The problem is, CK has turned the ball over more :(

        3. FDM,
          Yes and no.
          Yes, Alex made less mistakes.
          No, Alex was not going to take us to a Superbowl.
          btw, Alex had a better defense than Kap.
          But like I said last night, at this point I’m not convinced that CK is the answer either.

        1. OREGON,
          You might be right about that.
          But the problem with getting rid of Kap and Harbaugh may set this team back to another dark age pre-Harbaugh era.

          I don’t see a QB on the horizon that can immediately come in and keep this team above 500 and beyond. A new coach will dump the present offensive game plan and incorporate something new which may or may not prove successful.

          But if Harbaugh decides to leave, the Org will have no other choice.

      3. CK’s kryptonite is defenses and having to make reads. I went through the All-22 from the Seattle game and it’s disheartening to how many plays he left on the field. It’s not Roman’s fault that CK doesn’t know what to do when the first read is not there, and he starts to run when there’s no one around him.

  73. Hey Grant,
    I think the Philly vs Seattle game should be a good one. Philly is a scoring machine, even with Butt fumble Sanchez at QB. Let’s say Sanchez holds his own the rest of the year and Philly has some post season success. Would you take either Sanchez and Foles and have them challenge Kaep for the starting QB next year?
    Do you see anything from Gabbert? What’s his contract? Kaep was the Harbaugh’s QB. If he goes, would the ned coach even want to try get him to be a pocket QB? They benched RG3, and he was a 1st round pick!

  74. Wow, I was surfing the web for Harbaugh to Michigan possibilities and what do I come across? A high school QB who is has verbally committed to Michigan, named Messiah DeWeaver.
    What is the world coming to man? I understand many parents think their children are God’s gift to the planet, but do they have to make sure the entire world knows it? I’ve seen kids named Prince, King and Queen but really……Messiah?? C’mon man!!

    1. Someone is bound to name their kid God…..It’s coming fellas.

      BTW, TGIF!!! …Time to get to your favorite watering hole for an adult beverage.

      1. Crab15,
        There was a basketball player named God Shammgod that played college basketball for Providence back in the mid to late 90’s.

    2. Are you unfamiliar with boy’s names in Catholic Latin America? Jesus pronounce hay – sus, is very popular. Felipe Alou managed the Giants, and at one time Felipe was a member of the Giant’s “brothers only” outfield in the majors. One member of that outfield was his brother Jesus Alou.

      1. ht – I hear ya bro but hay-sus (Jesus) is way different to me than the names I mentioned…..I thank God for the S.F. Giants success, it gets me through the Niners struggles. :-)

    1. Hammer – You had to rub it in didn’t you? :)
      Hundley played remarkably similar to how #7 played last night. In fact, entire UCLA team was a clone of Niners.

    2. Maybe the UCLA coach has been devoting too much of his attention to this blog. I was so convinced that Stanford had no chance that I forgot to set up the DVR. Then I wasted a lot of that time here.

      How can anyone explain how a power house like UCLA could let a team with no offense and only a “better than average” defense run all over them. Since I didn’t see the game maybe Stanford didn’t run all over them, maybe the passed all over them without their only dynamic player.

      Anyone know if the game will be rerun?

  75. The 49ers rushing game has dropped from 4.2 ypc to 3.6 ypc since Daniel Kilgore was lost for the season.

  76. Ck single-handedly lost the last 3 in Seattle and this one in San Jose (aka) Santa Clara and I fear when the 49ers finally get good enough again The Seattle team will be no more , I wish people would stop calling it a rivalry , the Hawks own the Niners period I want Harbaugh and Roman gone and CK never liked any of them

  77. In 264 drop backs with Daniel Kilgore the 49ers offensive line gave up 19 sacks. In the 182 snaps since he was injured they have given up 18.

  78. From CAM JONES on the SF GATE blog. Funny and sad, and possibly a good plan!

    On December 14, the next time the 49ers play the Seahawks in Seattle, Kap should just call in sick and tell the coaches he has a dentist appointment.

  79. Having put myself through re-watching the game, here are some of my thoughts:

    – Kaep, as we all already know, was atrocious. The two INTs were just the tip of the iceberg. Inaccurate, indecisive, forced balls into coverage, and didn’t see guys that were open.
    – Once again there was little room afforded the RBs. Hard to make many yards when you are getting initial contact at or before the LOS.
    – Defenses are daring the 49ers to beat them through the air by playing the run hard. It also appears that whenever the 49ers run, the D knows it. They are all over it. Something tipping off the D about whether it is run or pass?
    – The receivers really struggled to create much separation. The Seahawks DBs were all over them, and seemed like they knew what they were going to run.
    – This offense sorely needs a true deep threat WR to open up the field – a guy that DBs feel the need to play off of.
    – End of the day, not only is execution a big issue, but the offense just appears to be predictable for opposing Ds.
    – On defense, there were a number of breakdowns that led to chunk yardage plays. Others have already noted the high YAC, which was largely a result of the defense mucking up assignments and letting guys go free.
    – For the most part, the run D was reasonably solid up the middle. For the second straight week the big run plays came on outside runs. Need to a do a better job disrupting these plays, maintaining gaps, and making the tackles when in position to do so.
    – Borland makes a ton of tackles, and is good for a few tackles for a loss a game, but he does have a tendency to let himself get caught in the trash and taken out of a play. Rookie still has some things to learn.
    – Wilhoite is an ok backup.
    – Tank got extensive work yesterday, and it was a mixed bag. He had a couple of good plays, but I also saw him ridden 5-10 yards downfield a couple of times. For someone that is meant to be known for his strength, that was a surprise to see. Appears he still has some learning to do regarding leverage.

    1. Either tipping off or predictability. Something.
      The Niners looked OK in the game against Dallas. The Laws of Juju suggest I should repeat what I did and watch every Niners game in my Bro T Road jersey from the Tiki Lounge in South Kihei. I’ll consider that.

  80. I think the key to the 49ers future is to give Fangio whatever salary he needs to stay at DC. Then force Kaepernick to accept a backup QB’s salary or trade him to Washington, the Jets, or whoever bites for whatever draft pick they can get.

    Hopefully Mark Sanchez takes the Eagels to the NFC championship, forcing a QB controversy. GRAB Nick Foles if that happens! If not, draft 2 QBs with high picks, one of which came from dealing Kaep.

    1. Excellent observation and I agree with you completely. Not sure if Nick Foles is the right QB for 49ers, but someone who will stand and deliver instead of the scared arm-tattoo fool we have right now throwing balls to the other team in triple coverage – while multiple tight ends and backs are open underneath. Why the heck is Kaepernick not seeing the open guys underneath??? Joe Montana got 4 Super Bowl rings throwing 5-8 yard passes. Someone please tell Kaepernick he’s NOT Payton Manning.

  81. I actually thought that the 49ers would open things up in spread and utilize Davis for once- even when Seattle gave up almost 200 on the ground. The reality is, Seattle looks as we should- solid run game, scrambling quarterback making plays with his feet, short passes/screens… the exception being that we should be using VD down the seams (if he were up to par).

    I supported Roman to date, and I respect the professional opinions, but I think we just got out-coached as Sherman alluded to in suggesting that they were predictable.

    Whatever the case, the next few weeks will prove a lot as there is going to be a lot of tension moving forward in all levels of the organization. I am glad I wasn’t there in person last night- hope you weren’t MD as that would make for a long drive home (prices on the secondary market tanked too, and will be ugly moving forward- and for those wanting to complain about pricing, my Warriors seats from two seasons ago have doubled in price).

  82. Firstly, why would anyone take anything Dick Sherman says at face value, without at least questioning what he said?

    The guy is a proven to have a complete lack of class. So I think anything that jack ass says has to be taken with a huge grain of salt.

    If the Seahawks knew what patterns the 49ers WR’s were running, wouldn’t it be pretty stupid of Sherman to share that with them? It would be like a poker player revealing an obvious tell to another player. It’s idiotic. You save that kind of info for future use.

    So, either Sherman is lying to further humiliate the 49ers, or he’s stupid. For all of Sherman’s many short comings as a human being, being stupid doesn’t seem to be one of them.

    1. Thursday night’s game was bad, really, really bad. On many different levels.

      To distill the 49ers’ horrible performance down to any one of Kaepernick’s play, Roman’s playcalling/gameplan, Roman’s/Harbaugh’s palycalling/gameplan, the defense’s inability to stop the run, the defense’s inability to corral Wilson to prevent big plays, or any other single issue just isn’t reality.

      The humiliation the 49ers inflicted on themselves was a team effort.

      The first question is, is this a one season slump, after performing at a high level for three years? It’s hard for a team to succeed at a high level, year after year. Even in the 49ers run of winning four SB’s, they had years of substandard play, let alone missing the playoffs all together.

      The second question is, if the 49ers move on from any, or any combination, of the principals involved, can they do better?

      If the offense doesn’t show any life the rest of the way, and it’s not heading in the right direction, then maybe it is time for a change.

      Whatever they do, please, please, don’t promote Tomasula. By all accounts, he’s a great guy, great position coach, and seemingly, a pretty good interim coach (albeit, for only one game), but he’s never been a head coach. DON’T DO IT!!!

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