49ers 31, Rams 17: Grades

The 49ers dismissed the Rams 31-17 in St. Louis Monday night. Here are the 49ers’ grades.

KAEPERNICK: A. His best game this season. The Rams stopped the 49ers’ run game and forced Kaepernick to win with his arm. He did. His deep 80-yard touchdown pass before halftime hit Brandon Lloyd in stride. On the opening drive of the second half, Kaepernick converted a third-and-12, anticipated an opening downfield and fired a 16-yard pass to Boldin before he made his break. Three plays later, Kaepernick rolled to his left and flicked the ball 25 yards off his back foot to Boldin in the back of the end zone. That was the game-winning touchdown. Only Kaepernick makes that play.

RUNNING BACKS: C-. Didn’t have many holes to run through. The Rams had six tackles for losses. Frank Gore had 38 rushing yards on 16 carries, although he had a 7 yard run, a 6 yard run and a 9 yard run on the 49ers’ touchdown drive to start the second half. Neither Gore nor Hyde pushed the pile and picked up a first down on third or fourth and short. Colin Kaepernick was the 49ers’ best short-yardage back. He picked up three yards on a quarterback sneak on fourth and 1 in the first quarter.

WIDE RECEIVERS: A. Whenever the Rams’ defense played zone coverage it seemed Boldin caught a pass right in the middle of the field for 9, 10 yards. He was just outstanding. Brandon Lloyd ran a perfect double-move on his 80-yard touchdown before halftime, got Janoris Jenkins to bite even though there were just 14 seconds left. Jenkins could have conceded the short stuff and the 49ers probably wouldn’t have scored on their final drive before halftime. Lloyd made Jenkins look like a chump. Michael Crabtree made rookie E.J. Gaines look like a chump on Crabtree’s 32-yard touchdown catch. He ran a triple move – to the post, to the corner, back to the post. Gaines spun around like a dreidel.

TIGHT ENDS: F. Vance McDonald was miserable, fumbling the one pass he caught. Somehow, Vernon Davis was worse. He committed a false start penalty, dropped two passes and batted away what would have been a touchdown pass to Vance McDonald, who was open. Davis seemed out of it.

OFFENSIVE LINE: B-. Could not move the Rams’ defensive line in the run game, couldn’t move them before or after Mike Iupati left with a concussion. But the 49ers won the game passing the ball, and the offensive line gave up no sacks.

DEFENSIVE LINE: A. Shut down the Rams’ starting running back, Zac Stacy. Held him to 17 yards on 8 carries. Tre Mason gained 40 yards on 5 carries. He was the Rams’ best running back, but they didn’t stick with him.

LINEBACKERS: A-. Ahmad Brooks committed an illegal hands to the face penalty that negated a Dan Skuta sack on the Rams’ first drive. But Brooks also had two sacks and two quarterback hits. Skuta had two sacks, one quarterback hit and a tackle for a loss. They were everywhere. Maybe Skuta should play more snaps with the Nickel defense on passing downs. Aaron Lynch didn’t do much in this game. Patrick Willis left with a toe injury. Chris Borland replaced him and made two tackles.

DEFENSIVE BACKS: A. Antoine Bethea was terrific. He had a team-high seven tackles and one sack. Perrish Cox was very good. He gave up a 42-yard catch to Jared Cook on third-and-five early in the game, but Cox broke up two passes and played well at Nickel back after Jimmie Ward left with a thigh injury. Dontae Johnson ended the game with a pick six.

SPECIAL TEAMS: A. Jimmie Ward blocked a punt, and Andy Lee pinned the Rams inside their 20 yard line four times.

COACHES: A. Vic Fangio overwhelmed the Rams’ inexperienced quarterback in the second half. Early in the game, Jon Gruden compared Austin Davis to Drew Brees. In the second half, Davis looked like Blaine Gabbert. Fangio figured him out. On offense, Greg Roman exploited the Rams’ cornerbacks. We learned last year they can’t cover double moves. Michael Crabtree used a double move to catch a long pass against them last season at Candlestick. Jeff Fisher didn’t correct the issue and Roman made the Rams pay.

This article has 384 Comments

    1. I saw a lot of empty seats last night. This might be the last time we play the Rams in that dump. With a dwindling fan base, look for the Rams to move to Los Angeles next year. Bring it on. We’ll still beat their a$$ no matter where they play.

  1. I disagree with all the grades. CK should be B Plus even though he’s a C Plus player. Crabtree and Davis did not have an A game. I urge all the teams to keep doing what the Rams did. So what if it made CK pass? I’d do it over and over so Gore can’t run with the ball.

      1. Adusoron, there was a bet for the person that will reply to this moron and you might have lost that one :)

    1. Jim relax, they got a W and that’s what matters. You don’t sound like a
      49er fan, you sound more like a Hawk fan despite what you profess.

      If you are looking for a philosophy change in these two teams it will not happen anytime soon — we’re both run the ball first and that gets the passing game going. And if you look around the league, most contending teams have beefed up their defense since the SB, become more physical, and started running the ball as well as passing.

  2. The grades seemed fair. I would have given the coaches a B. I just didn’t like the play calling early in the game. I also didn’t like the fact that HARBAUGH chose to go for 2 fourth and 1’s in that 4th quarter.

    Grant says, “Vernon Davis was out of it!” Vernon Davis is out of it and should be out of the lineup. He’s not with this team right now. At least McDonald is trying!

    1. You don’t like the 4th down decisions because they failed. When something fails we all want to go back and call it a mistake, just like we heap praise on decisions that were successful, regardless of how sound they actually were. Judge decisions based on the factors that led to the decision, not the outcomes they produce.

      The first 4th down wasn’t really even close – up 10 points, adding another 3 makes virtually no difference in terms of giving you a better chance to win, adding 7 clearly does. Plus, the price of failure is especially low when failure means giving up the ball on the opponents 1-yard line. Having the ball on your own 1 sucks. On average it probably leads to more points for the defensive team. Going for it in that spot is a definitive win-win.

      The second 4th down is a closer decision, but still a clearly correct one. Assuming we ignore punting (which would be pretty pointless given field position) the decision is again between kicking and going for it. Again, the 3 points helps you virtually not at all as a 10 point lead is nearly as good as a 13 point lead. Going for it gives you a chance to essentially close out the game with a conversion, while giving the ball up does give the Rams good field position, but still forces them to drive down the field and score (which given how strong the Niners defense was playing at the time would be no easy task) AND likely requires a successfully recovered onside kick.

      In each case the upside was (essentially) closing out the game, the alternatives were pretty unappealing, and the downside was a steep uphill battle for the Rams.

      If you want to question something, maybe question the specific play calls, or the execution of those plays. But the *decisions* to go for it were solid.

      1. No they weren’t. They were unlike HARBAUGH would normally do. He’d normally kick every time. It failed both times and luckily our defense managed to hang on for the win.

        1. Saying “no they weren’t” isn’t an argument. Neither is saying the decisions were un-harbaugh-like. Whether it’s in or out of character for Harbaugh to make those decisions has no bearing on whether or not they were good. Literally every coach in the league is overly risk-averse when it comes to going for it on 4th down. I’m not sure, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Harbaugh – despite being a very good coach – is even a little behind the curve in that regard.

          And again, that the conversions failed has almost nothing to do with whether the decisions themselves were sensible.

        2. There is no question in my mind that we should ve taken the points. That game was just a word game last night. The way we defended them in the 2nd half and with the injuries we had, I felt like the field goal was a safe play. It puts them in a position to have to score two touchdowns to beat us. They have a great field goal kicker and their offense got over on us a couple times in tge game and Collier was getting beaten like a drum. In addition to that, the injuries on defense were mounting. We played the 2nd half without Willis and our rookie nickel back. I definitely feel like we should ve taken the field goal and I said it befoe. I was in shock to see us going for it both times. It’s almost as if Harbaugh wanted to keep the defense on its toes and to kepp them playing bulletproof like they had in the 2nd half.

          1. At that point even with the backups in the 49ers defense was dominating, having given up only 19 yards on 17 plays in the half.

          2. 23J

            2 TDs would have been needed to beat either the 10-point lead we already had or the 13-point lead you wish we had taken.

        3. “Safe” is a tricky word.

          Is 13 points safer than 10? Sure. Is it *that* much safer when your opponent will very likely need to recover an onside kick either way? Not really. You know what actually is a lot safer though? A 17 point lead. A 17 point lead is game over.

          When you evaluate a decision you have to consider the opportunity cost of the option you’re not choosing. In this case, going for it on 4th and Goal from the 1 gives you a chance of closing out the game immediately – that’s a huge upside; kicking costs you the opportunity to do that. Kicking also costs you all the benefits of sticking your opponent on their own goal line (possible safety, blocked punt, good field position, more time off the clock etc). Going for it costs you a virtual lock 3-points, and the chance to make it a more difficult 2 score game. Given that those 2 scores will still have to sandwich an onside kick recovery, in my opinion, you’re giving up a lot more in the first scenario than the second.

          The goal is always to maximize your chance of winning, which isn’t necessarily the same thing as maximizing the points you score (though in this case going for it does both) or the success rate of the play you choose. The FG *succeeds* way more often than going for it (probably something like 95% vs 45%) but that doesn’t make it safer – even it if feels that way.

          1. (Hmm, meant for this to be posted lower down. Still getting a handle on the reply hierarchies…)

      2. Sound analysis TheAwfulDin. And of course the first replay to your analysis proved the nature of those who complain. Two for one. ;-}

      3. TheAwfulDin,

        Exacty, image last week fake punt …had it went wrong, everyone would be calling for JH’s head.

      4. Kick the 3 and the rams need two touchdowns to beat us…
        so your saying that it’s as easy to get a touchdown than a field goal?
        what about when they got the three to pull into within 7…What if they recover the onside then get a lucky throw? Lucky throws happen all the time!
        No…Harbaugh should have taken the points. We won this time but you gotta take the points!

      5. I disagree slightly; it wasn’t a terrible decision (they were in driver’s seat at that point and neither choice would have been bad), but I do think that the field goal was the safer, more sound decision. A 13 point lead is much safer than a 10 point lead.

        Now, I do agree with you that the downside was small (a 10 point lead with the opponent pinned inside their 1 isn’t a bad place to be), and had the play succeeded, you likely hear little to no criticism. Valid points. Had Hyde punched it it, it’s a 17 point game and it’s out of reach. But the run game had been ineffective all day; they should have dialed up a play action or bootleg if they’re going to go for it, in my opinion.

        Had they simply taken the three, then the Rams need two touchdowns. That’s a significantly higher bar than a TD and a field goal. When we got them to 4th down, they were able to kick the field goal and then attempt the onside. Had we taken the 3, they would have had to go for it. The game could have been effectively over there with a stop.

        But it wasn’t. And Stevie Johnson got drilled pretty badly on the ensuing onside kick. I know it’s not entirely fair to criticize with the benefit of hindsight like that, but if they had taken the field goal, that likely never happens. Hopefully Stevie is okay.

        1. Euclidite: I didn’t see anything wrong with going for it, however it was as you say questionable running it up the gut the last play. The Niner’s have not been that successful doing that and the other team knew it was coming. Last week against the Eagles they were much more successful running out side the hash marks. Hyde is not really a power runner who can push the pile. He is very good breaking tackles when he gets a little space. It seems to me that this staff spends too much time trying to prove their preconceived perspectives right. This offensive line just can not open any space against a stacked front.

          1. Yes. While there is debate to be had over whether going for it was right or wrong (definitely there are good arguments both ways), I think we can all agree that if we were going to go for it, that wasn’t the play to do it with.

            1. Saw a poster on ninersnation ran the scenario through a win probability calculator. The numbers he came up with:
              -99% if we get the TD
              -96% if we kick the FG
              -91% going for it and failing

              The decision to go for it wasn’t bad. Kicking the FG wouldn’t have been bad either; we were in control, and both choices were quite valid, in my opinion. We didn’t hurt ourselves terribly. It comes down to whether you’d prefer a shot at 99% (with the risk of falling to 91%) or an almost guaranteed 96%. There are good arguments both ways. I’d still take the FG, but can’t fault anyone saying go for it.

    2. Jordo, I agree that was un-Harbaugh like. Just goes to show he should tune out the “too conservative, no killer instinct” noise that gets bandied about. AwfulDin makes a point in FG’s doing little to change the two score aspect, though the extra 3 would have forced StL to go for TDs both times rather than having them kick the FG and us needing to hold on by the skin of our teeth with a depleted defense to avoid the tie.

      1. My main point was that in that situation, every game that I can remember from Harbaugh coaching this team, he’s always taken the points. If we weren’t in range on the last 4th and one, then he would punt. Going for it instead of taking points, is not something we’ve seen very often from Harbaugh. I wanted him and felt like he should ve kicked on both occasions. Thank goodness it didn’t come back on us.

        1. As it turns out they had two field goal opportunities which would have out them up 16 points had he done the conservative approach, but I’m betting he was playing two hands on the first attempt.
          1. You all have pointed out if you don’t make it. They are in a bad spot. If you do. The game is pretty much done

          2. The point I’m not song made her is Harbaugh wanted an offensive TD in the 4th. Still zero TDs in forth quarter. Pick six doesn’t count.

          That’s also way I would Not give coaching such a high grade. C+seems in order. They were supposed to beat the Rams and it barely happened and the second half and 4th Q scoring is still an issue.

      2. I am one of the biggest cheerleaders in the “no killer instinct” crowd. And I actually loved the fact that he tried to put his foot on their throats. Not excited about the execution of the plays, but I LOVED his decision. The way the defense was playing in the second half you have to think harbaugh had FULL confidence in them to stop anyone. Jack is right he was sending a message to stl and his team, and probably fans like me who question his guts. I’ll say this if it’s in Seattle and that chance comes up again. Take the points. In fact is probably lobby for them to take the point every game for now on since our offense can’t get 1 stinking yard.

    3. I liked the aggressiveness in going for it on 4th down. Put the game away right then and there and leave nothing to be decided. I think that is what many have wanted to see from Harbaugh. The problem is the play calls; not the decision. The Niners continue to just load up the beef and try to power their way through for short yardage and they get stopped regularly. Time to try something else, but I like the attitude of going for it.

      1. Completely agree rocket.

        Ironic really. All the fans that get up in arms about Harbaugh not being aggressive enough, playing it safe with a lead. Then when he does go aggressive he gets criticised for not taking the safe option.

        Personally I thought going for it was a good move, both times. As Jack said, sending a message to the team (and the Rams) that he has faith in his offense, and also has faith in his defense if they get stopped. Harbaugh said last week about the fake punt that worked that you can’t play scared. At the time I thought that was some nice words, but not an attitude that Jim often takes in close games. He can be very conservative, as we all know. Hopefully this is a sign he is starting to see the benefits of being more aggressive with the lead, and try to put games away.

  3. Colin: A … His smartest game. Had several smart throw aways.

    Running Backs: B- … A statistically awful game, but the Rams were in the backfield all day. There just weren’t any holes. They get a B- for not fumbling. Note to Roman: More bootlegs three weeks from now

    Receivers: A … The deep WR corp saved the day…. literally since the RB’s and TEs got zip zone. Experience showed as they calmly too Rams defenders apart.

    Tight Ends: F … No need to explain.

    Defensive Backs: B … Played A after the 3rd qtr despite Ward’s injury.

    Special Teams: B+ … Did not win every encounter. Ellington looked shaky at times. Overall SS played smart. Well coached. Ward got hand on the ball.

  4. Game Planning: F, to do this to a team that’s 29th vs. the run is very classless. ONly did it to appease the National Audience.

  5. Denver vs Niners will be a shoot out.. Denver should win cause there at home and are a lot healthier then the niners. With that being said, kaep is making his climb to ELITE status and don’t be surprised if he out duals manning. This team is battle tested and knows that all the pressure is on Denver considering the health of the two rosters.. Niners are making there move now!

    1. Denver will throw a ton. They have zero running back depth….. If we control clock and can run the ball, we will win….

      1. Bay, we do not have the healthy personnel to keep manning on the sideline. We must out dual manning in this game like we did against Brady a couple years ago..

      1. MWN: I remember when you niner fans said “oh we could have beat them in the SB too.” Interesting statement when you lose your division get beat in the playoffs. However, this is your big chance now on a big stage and the Broncos are better this year than last. Let’s see what you can do and if you lose, don’t blame it on penalties or bad calls or injuries (everone is having probs right now) I’m looking forward to this game.

  6. Here’s a question for the guys …

    Wasn’t Gregg Williams suspended for life ..
    due to his role in “Bounty-Gate” ?

    1. I believe it was an indefinite suspension, but he got to reapply for coaching status and it was approved a year or so ago.

      1. E and Adusoron …
        thanx for the reply.. but if that’s the case .. then
        Goodell has lost any credibility he might have had ..

        This is the guy who told his players to ..
        ” .. twist Frank Gore’s head off…”
        (among other things) ..

        This guy should never be allowed
        anywhere near a football facility …

        And to think… We’ll see him again at Levis, later
        in the season….

        And Goodell saying that Aldon’s 5 week self-imposed
        suspension (last year) .. would be taken into account … he hits
        him with another 9 weeks …

        Nope … Goodell should be the one to go !
        and he should take Gregg Williams with him … !

        / rant

    2. Mr. “affect the head” should have been suspended for life. Imagine being Crabtree, on the field, looking over at the jerk who instructed his team to take out your ACL, possibly ending your career.

      I know one thing… in any future concussion suits vs the NFL, the plaintiff should point out Williams continued employment with the Rams.

        1. Looks like V davis is the source for Deon Sanders. I’d change my avatar mid. The guy is a leader of none. He couldn’t even march to his own drum.

          1. Matt,

            Where did you hear that from? I’ve felt like that and have been expressing it for weeks now. Look at Vernon ‘ s play yesterday. Easily the worst game of his career. That’s not by accident.

            On a positive note, I saw Vernon throwing some crushing blocks last night.

  7. Carrier should replace Vance Mac on the depth chart. Carrier has proven he can make tough catches in traffic.

    Niners cant put the game away. They need to work on a 4 minute drill. Rams, as bad as they were, had a chance to tie at the end and the D bailed us out. Same thing happened against the eagles.

    What’s up with getting stuffed on 2 4th and 1s ?

    Hopefully our injuries are minor and we get healthy before the denver game.

  8. Grant, not every banning is about “censorship”. Sometimes for a particular poster, the combined weight of the negative effect they have on threads and disdain they have for the community can and should play into the decision to ban. There are certain personalities that are poisonous to a community and bring out the worst in others, and you have one of those cases in spade here.

    Think about it before you lose more of your more valuable members.

    1. Your assuming Grant sees any of us as valuable ;) Most forums have a user agreements that state expectations. There’s nothing like that here so it makes it hard for anyone to hold anyone else up to standards except common courtesy. Right now he’s just being stupid and excessively annoying. I doubt he’ll get banned until he does offensive things. I agree he’s wrecking the reason we come here just not sure we’ll see any change.

      1. I came here today to see him melt down. I think it’s hilarious, only because the guy knows nothing about football. He’s a comedian.

      2. Made a blatantly homophobic comment, but all Grant did was erase it. To get banned from this site you have to insult Grant or his family directly. Those are the unwritten rules of the game. Morons and bigots are more than welcome here.

        1. Prime has spoken about my wife, kids and made ethnic slurs at me.
          All bannable offenses. You are correct all he did was erase….

          1. But it’s okay to challenge people to fights in parking lots, degrade someone’s mother, make homophobic remarks towards me and others consistently?
            If you are going to cry wolf, stop and take a look at that fat face and skinny calves in the mirror before you open your mouth!

            1. The word fanatic already implies he’s got a few loose screws. You’re prime time man, you are above the trolling moron!

          2. Bay: I didn’t see Prime’s comments but In comparing the two of you Prime does not just attack someone for no reason. My guess is you got back what you dished out. Cry Baby! Put that too music, Razor..

  9. I guess you didn’t see the same game I did Grant. Chris Culliver was horrible again. He can’t cover and he can’t tackle. My suggestion would be give Dontae Johnson a chance and let Culliver sit for a while.The coaches were more than ridiculous with the running up the middle again and again, even though it was getting stuffed again and again. Was this stupidity, stubbornness or a combo of both? Didn’t take a field goal because of it too and gave the Rams a chance right up til the INT. Peyton Manning is licking his chops while watching Culliver on film during film prep.

    1. Yes, Culliver has been consistently bad on coverage and tackling: should be replaced. And yes, Ellington is fast but not instinctively a punt returner and should be replaced by the John Taylor cline, Quinton Patten.

      1. Ellington’s not great but holding his own. Top 10 in avg KO return yardage, middle of the pack in avg punt return yardage. Unless he starts developing butterfingers, I don’t think those numbers warrant a demotion.

    2. PHD, “Culliver was horrible again.”

      Yeah he really was. Again. He makes one good play and then five or six bad plays or non-plays. Culliver seems to me to be a liability rather than an asset. Cox on the other hand has been awesome.

      Jack, can you post Culliver’s PFF grades and league rank for us?

    3. I didn’t think Culliver was horrible other than biting on the run fake on 3rd and one. Cox gave up a big play too; it happens. Not sure why he’s the pee on today but I guess everybody gets to take a turn.

      The secondary has been very good for the most part which is surprising given the turnover we had in the offseason.

  10. I agree with the grades for the most part. Kaep had a spectacular night. He slung the ball around like everyone wanted to. He stepped up in the pocket and made throws. He bootlegged, scrambled, and still made decent throws. He ran when he needed to but did not take the hits. The Rams stacked the box and dared him to throw, he made them pay. I’m happy with the guy. Im also happy with the trajectory of his improvements. Only things I would ask for is to stop throwing the ball in the air to random spots when in trouble. The play I’m talking about is the horse collar call that he got. Throw the ball away or take the sack. Also, when there are 8 people in the box we should look to audible to a sweep or a pass. We have to make teams pay for doing that.

    RB: they did what they could. The box was stacked and there was very little room to be had. I expect to to do this more often because they know when Gore gets going we typically win. They are going to continue to force Kaep to win with his arm. My only wish is when it’s fourth and one, hit the whole hard and get that one yard. I understand Gore patience and the way it benefits us. Sometimes you have to put your head down and get that one yard. No complaints, the Rams sold out to stop the run.

    WR: What can you say about these guys. It seemed Crabtree was a bit upset at first. Kaep did miss him on some throws, but I think the catch/touchdown made up for it on the double move. What about Lloyd? That guy was so happy. Makes me feel good to see guys like him excited, not only for himself but everybody. Stevie made some good catches. And Boldin, dudes a hall of famer. Day in, day out, just put the ball in his vicinity, more than likely he’s coming down with it.

    TE: SHEESH. I don’t know what to say about these guys. Davis did look out of it. He looked bad. Almost to the point where I felt sorry for the guy. Somethings not right there. McDonald has to tighten up his hands. I was mad that Vernon messed up his TD catch. Once again, dudes not there. I’m not why Carrier doesn’t get in the game more often, but they should look into making him AT LEAST 2nd string TE. He’s performed better than both. Go with the guy, who has the hot hand.

    OL: No complaints. You don’t move 8 people in the box. It just doesn’t happen. They have you outnumbered and there’s very little you can do. I expect Kaep to start making the adjustments so we can make teams pay for doing that. The pass blocking was of the most concern. I could care less how many sacks the Rams have. They have one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. Our O line kept Kaep upright for the most of the night. He had major succes through the air, none of that happens with the big boys up front.

    DL: they shut down TE Rams’ running game. It doesn’t matter to me that the coaches didn’t go back to the RB with the hot hand. The DL shut it down, go pressure on the QB, and help the LB’s and the secondary.

    LB: Did a good job as well. They filled gaps, got sacks, and stood tall in coverage for the most part. I did not know we had the 2nd ranked defense coming into last nights game. It’s mind blowing with all the injuries we have.

    CB: Cox, I think is making a statement and a name for himself. He’s showing that hard work pays off. Many in his position would have given up, but here he is becoming a staple one of the best defenses in the NFL. Beathea, I was a bit worried about picking him up. I gave him a hard time when playing for the Colts. I’m glad he’s here now. Hopefully he can give some small tips to the defense about Peyton. Ward made some plays, Johnson had a TD, our defense is looking good for the future.

    This is our yr. It is my belief that only a major injury keeps us from winning it this yr. The coaches have to be smart with their coaching strategy. When teams crowd the box, spread them out. On defense, we just have to maintain until wk 10 or 11, then go balls to the wall. Aldon Smith and Navarro Bowman will take a few weeks to get back into football shape. But that peak will come right as the playoffs start.

    1. Vernon seemed to play in a fog. Speculating it’s painkillers. I agree with you about Carrier. VM lacks credibility as a pass catcher.

      1. It seems like something. Some days he on, the next day you’re wondering what’s wrong with him. Hopefully he gets it together for Sunday, we will need him.

  11. Can we talk about the fact that Culliver is terrible? He was a safety in college? Like public safety, because that kid has no desire to tackle or get physical. I looke forward to Brock taking his job. Heck, even Cook can get physical.

    Every time I see that dudes face, I see pretty boy. Maybe he’s a homophobe because he is soft himself.

    1. He plays very tentatively. One one play on a screen pass he waited in place for the receiver to cover a lot of ground rather than meeting him half way. I think a lot of posters on this site are correct about him being afraid to hit.

  12. Looks like the Rams DC played bountygate on the 49er defense and maybe it just helped Denver.

  13. I’m anxious to hear what’s up with Willis. If he’s got turf toe and misses a few weeks like Brock, that’ll hurt. I know he’s a tough guy and will be out there if he can, but if he’s got a bad foot, he has to sit and get it better.

    Looking back to preseason, I thought one of the more interesting questions was whether Wilhoite or Borland would start at inside linebacker. The unexpected answer to that in week 7 could very well be “both”.

    1. Good analysis, Jack …
      the only thing you swung and missed on .. was
      your final score prediction …

      Perhaps a little more faith in your team woulda helped ..

      Dontae Johnson .. ??

      Who is this guy ?

    2. Some of your best work Jack. I love the PFF grades mixed in.

      Surprising to see the OL grade so low against the pass. Kilgore seems to be one of the more consistent linemen this season thus far. Staley has looked phenomenal. Boone finally looking closer to his midseason form.

      I’m hoping Kap builds off this performance. He looked very comfortable in the pocket and made some great plays with his feet while still looking down field. I didn’t see much hesitation or happy feet, he was just in the zone. We’ll need that against Denver.

      1. Kaep didn’t play frenetic, which I think helps. He played an efficient game, workman like. That’s what we need. Now he needs to build some consistency.

        Let’s also keep in mind the team was down 14-3, and for once we caught some breaks on some really bad officiating calls. (That was not PI on Cook.)

        Brandon Lloyd’s TD was a gift from the gods and turned the game around.

        I liked Kaep’s performance, but let’s not forget that he almost threw a horrible pick on the first pass — That was for you Grant!

        And he also threw one up for grabs when he was being taken down.Take the sack dude. We got lucky on the horse caller, and that the refs forget that Staley isn’t allow to touch the ball.

        1. Fan,

          He got consistent protection in the pocket and that is the difference between a good and bad performance from a QB most of the time. Your hero in Seattle had a terrible game because they didn’t run the ball enough and Dallas didn’t let him escape the pocket like most teams do. As I’ve said repeatedly to you, it’s not all on the QB. The Oline and playcalling play a huge role in the success or lack there of.

          1. Rocket,
            Russell Wilson is not my hero. He’s the guy I want Kaep to keep up with. Dallas won the time of possession. They were the worst defenses last year but now they rely on that dominant run game.

            Just because Kaep had a good game against a weak opponent, we should get ahead of ourselves. The positives are that we can see he has plenty of good targets to throw to.

            Before the season began, I called Brandon Lloyd as the intangible WR. Stevie Johnson was a great pick-up too. If you look at Kaep’s throws. There were within 10 yards. Quick reads and passes. That’s good.

            Kaep doesn’t have to be all world. He just has to trust the scheme and play call. Not too many 2nd read he really didn’t have to this game.

            1. Kap has done just fine with second and third reads. It’s been mentioned by me and many others, including those who do this for a living. Time to get over your belief he can’t do it and accept that he can, and is doing it right now.

              Adding talent at WR has been great, but the key to all of it is giving Kap time in the pocket. If they can do that then everything else will fall in line.

              1. If he can do it all, then why were they behind 14-3, and weren’t doing anything until that fluke TD to Lloyd. And if you watch the play, look at that big wind-up for a throw that he had.

                He played a nice solid game but he still has a long way to go. There are some commentors who say he’s all world, and others who look at the tape and say how he still struggles to do certain things. Part of the reason the O-line. He had a nice game against the Rams. The positive was that there was no running game. There are plenty of WR weapons, we should expect this is the type of output from Kaep. No excuses.

              2. Our QB hits on an 80 yard bomb seconds before halftime, and it seems like you can’t even get excited about that. Instead, you call it a “gift from the gods” and a “fluke”, and choose to criticize his windup on a throw that traveled about 45 yards in the air and hit the receiver in stride. I shall henceforth call you since77; I cannot call anyone who does that a Fan.

              3. Tim from seasons past has morphed into 77. A bunch of passive-aggressive backhanded compliments/grumbles against our QB. But without Tim’s bible-thumping, so that makes 77 slightly more tolerable than Tim.

              4. Fansince77:

                That was much more than a “nice solid game.” The Rams sold out to stop the run, which put the game in Kaepernick’s hands, and he delivered. By any measure, statistical or otherwise, Kaepernick had an excellent game.

                As for the TD to Lloyd, Kaepernick immediately recognized the Rams’ coverage mistake and took advantage of it. There was nothing fluky about it.

                I don’t think you’re a troll, but I do think you stubbornly refuse to admit you have been wrong about Kaepernick … which, ironically, makes you like the guy who has labelled you a troll and wants to ban you.

              5. As I’ve been saying for awhile now, Fan is doing the same thing towards Kap that the Smith haters did before him. Grudging acceptance when he has no choice and quick to point out anything that can be construed as negative. It’s been obvious Kap has been going through progressions when given time yet to fan he hasn’t progressed at all and the focus is on a half in which he threw all but one of his ints. This latest post is just more of the same. A beautifully thrown 80 yard TD is a fluke. Smh.

                As to his delivery, read this article and learn something fan.

                http://www.science20.com/science_20/science_colin_kaepernick-101295

              6. Rocket,

                What the heck is science.com? We’re not talking science but football. Why don’t you go to knbr.com and pull up the podcasts of what Greg Cosell and a few others have to say about Colin’s delivery. Just because you don’t like Cosell doesn’t dismiss his 20 years of experience.
                Why don’t you pull up the SI article that talks about the 2011-2012 QBS and listen to what their observations are on what Colin has to do to become a better QB.

                And why don’t you watch that game again, and see how often Gregg Williams blitzed from the 8 man front, and how there was only one read on most of those plays, and then watch how Colin shuffles his feet that throws off the rhythm on some plays when he didn’t have to.

                And then go back to the old Niners tapes of Joe and Steve, and see how they move in rhythm to the steps.
                This is what he needs to work on to get better.

                Claudey Balls — Colin had a good game. It was a good read on his part. Even with the team down 14-3, he was making nice reads and throws. However, the offense didn’t hit its stride until after that play. And practically all announcers, even the homers on CSN Bay Area though the CB was in an idiot to go for that double move.

                I gave him the credit based on what my criteria for his play should be. He’s got a lot to work on. These were still 3 come from behind wins. The good part is they came from behind and won.

              7. Fan77
                This is why its relevant: The funky delivery is only a detriment if it slows down his reaction time of when he sees a WR open until he releases the ball to said receiver. if for instance he had a slow baseball delivery that robbed him of a few 10ths of a second then by the time he released the ball the “window” would be closed. But due to his arm strength and his eye recognition as the linked video shows he gets the ball off just as fast as anyone, funky delivery or not.
                As for cossel, he criticizes everyone, no one more so than Alex smith and his percieved flaws. in fact i have yet to see someone who is “perfect” in cossels eyes. The fact that you refuse to admit that CK is getting better is what people are getting on you for. No one says that Ck is a finished product yet and maybe his progresion is not as fast as you would like but ignoring his progression at all is disingenuous on your part

              8. Bos49er,

                I had high expectations that Kaep was going to be alot better then last year. He’s marginally better. One good game against the Rams, doesn’t erase the mis-steps against the Bears, Cards, and to some extent, the Eagles.

                It’s ironic and hypocritical, i think, that people go easy on Kaep and hard on Alex. I didn’t make excuses for Alex either, and would have been happy with a trade for Peyton Manning after the loss to the Giants. Turned out Smith was better then we thought and had a pretty good 2012 before he got hurt.

                Cossell gives his opinions on every QB, and you’re right, he’s tough and everyone. But he also brings up fundamentals. He says Kaep is a tease, he wow and marvels in one series, and then has you shaking his head in another.

                The reason I liked his game on Sunday, even if it was against the lowly Rams, is that he played within the game, didn’t try to force or do too much. It’s not about the big wow plays, but doing all the small little ones to move the chains. Kinda like — I dunno — Alex Smith.

                I saw the Sports Science article when it first came out. The problem with the big wind up is sometimes the pass does not require hi velocity, but tough and accuracy.

              9. Why do you keep giving Fan exactly what he wants? His comments on Kaepernick are nearly identical to those another commenter used back when Smith was the QB.

                Let him ramble and just ignore him. All you’re doing is beating your head against the wall.

            2. Part of the reason Dallas dominated the time of possession was precisely because they stopped Wilson and the Seattle offense cold.

              He had 9 first downs the entire game. It was embarrassing.

        2. Fan77: A guy on ESPN seemed to think that that was a result of a badly run route by Crabs. Sometimes we observers tend to always blame the QB for a badly run or broken route.

    3. You guys should be making your replies to Jack on Webzone. He deserves the acknowledgement where he is doing the work.

          1. You got it, Leo … but
            the guy just can’t take a hint ..

            Wish he’d make like a tree ..
            and leave !

            1. Nay, I like it here. This is how a forum should be run. Forums that take everything so seriously is why they are unpopular. But this forum is GREAT!

            2. hey MW, did you know when I save money on Geico that a tree does make a sound when it falls down? Thought I’d let you know.

  14. greg roman F 3rd and one –15 yard pass to boldwin double covered 4th and one three times up the middle with a stacked defense–no turnovers by kap was the key fially doing some blitzes fagio –A

  15. great team win, kap showed great leadership

    was that the same Vernon Davis that held out for more $$$$? hahahahaha,

    the fewer players we have like him, the better our odds of winning it all…as well as keeping coach

    ….those two 4th down calls instead of going for the points were the 2 worst calls of the Harbaugh era…..reminded me of Nolan, no thanks coach….points are gold in the NFL

    Go Niners

    1. I find it very sad a 49er fan like you loves the antics of Harbaugh and the off the field stuff with CK. THe performance is smoke and mirrors and you bought into it! The Rams deserve an F in every category of the game. QB they have is awful next to the coach, O, D, only decent player is the K they got.

      Much as I hate Harbaugh’s antics, the 2 4th down plays were GREAT. Wrong play though, but still, to go for it shows GUTS.

  16. my view is that the first 20-25 minutes of Niner play was bad enough that no unit or person deserves a full A, but otherwise i think these grades are pretty much on. we still have a lot of things we need to clean up if we want to prevail consistently against quality opponents.

    1. Hey fesnyc ..
      the Niners just lulled the Lambs into a false sense
      of security … (just to keep ’em off guard, doncha know) ..
      and then .. they lowered the boom on ’em

      1. But if your opposition ranks 29th vs the run, should’ve ran the ball. Even if I would’ve hated it, logic would’ve said you run the ball. THat was a classless win from the 49ers.

  17. Just saw the Steve young and ck stats after their first 29 games with SF.
    Spooky close. That’s encouraging to me. I’m case some didn’t see them.
    Ck w-l
    21-8
    Yards…
    6261
    TD-int…
    41-15
    Rushing..
    1,004
    ———-
    Young
    19-10..
    Yards…
    6,113
    TD-int…
    43-15
    Rushing….
    1,223
    ———–
    For kicks I’m putting up Alex smiths last 29 games, because his first wouldn’t be fair to the man. This is his last 30 starts as a pro. It’s 30 for smith because it’s exactly 30 because since he played last for us it’s been exactly 30 games. * on the record due to the tie vs at Louis.
    Smith
    19-10…
    Yards.
    6,099
    TD-int….
    44-16
    Rush….
    669.

    If ck can become consistent we may have the next HOF qb wearing the Red and Gold.

    1. Now that’s a legit comparison. I truly believe a lot of Kaeps bad rap comes from more things off the field than on. He’s not that prototypical franchise QB. As far as his gun slinger was, he said he was a fan of Brett Farve(who I hated as a child in the 90’s). I think he’s right on track. He has a lot of talent he needs to learn how to harness.

      1. A lot of Kaeps bad rap comes from the Alex Smith haters within the 49er fan base. Most fans do not watch enough of the games of other teams to be able to make a sensible evaluation of their players. They get a lot of their info from the fan base itself. The ,loyal to Alex, negative hate from the 49er fan base itself played a major part in the negative national perception.

        I am not saying that that was the only source. You are always going to have the usual anti group. Fans of other teams that think running other QB’s down makes their QB’s better. The large group of fans that think you have to be a pocket passer or you are not a real QB. Then there are those that are using Kaep as their target for all their frustrations about the moral collapse of our values. His hip hop dress tats etc. provide a displaced target for all their frustrations. All these negative agenda’s add up. Now add to that a large group from your own fan base and you really have a problem. Kaep has just become a convenient target and outlet for a lot of negativity most of which is unrelated to actual football.

  18. Greg Roman continues to frustrate with his redzone play calling. He is so predictable that it places our offense at a huge disadvantage. Plus, stop with using our running backs to gain a single yard. We are terrible at short yardage. We have the best running QB in the game. He will always pick up one yard on a QB sneak. Tom Brady can’t run and he always picks up a yard. Why more coaches don’t get that, is crazy to me. A 3rd and 1, QB sneak is almost indefensible.

      1. How many times have you seen a QB get hurt during a QB sneak. Not a lot. Also, we don’t seem to have any issue with Kaep running around ten other times during a game. Still one of the highest % 3 and 1 plays in the NFL.

    1. Get a memo out to seattle: They got to win out, no ifs and buts. They got to be the De La Salle of the NFC West. WHatever plan you had for Dallas, burn it and don’t use it again. I was the one that voted for Wilson over CK.

      1. Jim: Yep burn it and stick with that run game until we get it going and get in our rhythm. That was the problem with both those games.

      1. I feel bad for you Jordan. When they get rid of Harbaugh, I’ll be looking forward to hearing you scream about every little bit of wrong the 49ers did.

      2. 23J Troll

        Well know in advance I will shove your upcoming loss to Denver down your throat then.

        1. Mary ..

          the other side of that coin would be ..

          will YOU be here to take your lumps ..

          WHEN .. the Niners beat Peyton ?

          (oh yeah… Niners will sweep the SeaChickens this year as well, too)

          1. MW: won’t say anything here. Thank god I have more important things in it besides football. Besides I don’t expect to repeat.

        2. Some trolling fanboi of our sworn enemy comes in here and calls one of our longtime posters a troll? Pretty dbag move, even for a sqawk fan.

          So what? Were you banned from all of the sqawk sites?

          1. Lol I was thinking the same thing. Same old DS. Making up names and wasting space.
            Flood another teams page and doesn’t even root for coach ” Harbaw” and the Niners. Who’s the troll? Smh

        3. Mary,

          That is hilarious! I’m a troll but you’re the lost Seabastard fan that is on the Niner site posting daily. Think about that for a minute and let that soak in……. Get lost, and the Your brother Jim Moron with you. By the way, Russell Wilson 125 yards passing. You could hear a rat pee on cotton in the sound box this past Sunday. Were you in charge of the wave that day??? Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

  19. That was as poor first 29.30 min as the 9ers have played in a while but since the JJ blown coverage it was all rolling our way. In true cardiac fashion they couldnt have just finished them off in the early 4th and made us sweat but ultimately the D stepped up. VDavis cant seem to get out of his own way. From the 6 yard pickup on 3rd and 8 to the false start to the drops and my favorite the pass breakup on the Vance potential TD he just seems in a fog. And i dont think its physical because he was laying some vicious blocks out there (especially the wham on quin in the 3rd quarter). I was a bit surprised by the 6 run and 16 pass attempts in the 1st half but seeing how the rams sold out to stop the run i guess thats understandable. I also wasn’t a huge fan of throwing long on 3rd and <2 when CK overthrew (first boldin then crab) why not run a bootleg? CK is fast enough to get to the edge and pick up 3 yards. Overall i like the fact that we are going 3 and 4 wide more often as the extra WR seem to make up for the minimal production we get from the TE in the passing game. I agree that we need to get carrier more targets as he seems to be our best receiving TE.
    Ultimately CK came through when we needed him and our backups on D hel;d their own. I for one liked cox in the slot when ward gor hurt and when TBrock comes back would mind seeing the cully brock cox CB combo

  20. I want to thank the 9ers for a very entertaining evening and my 3rd win in a 3 team parlay. Its been a profitable year so far but now the bad news. On the road with a short week and numerous injuries if the spread goes below 7 the Broncos are one hell of a bet. [not that i would bet against the 9ers]

  21. Gonna be a blowout. Way to many Key injuries to compete with that team at home. I hope I’m wrong but we don’t rush the passer well and Denver doesn’t let manning get hit, and of someone does come through he will throw it. I called this loss at re beginning of the year and I don’t think it changes. :-(

    1. Way to stay positive. I know about the injuries and the short week on the road, blah, blah … This game will surprise people. I’m calling it 38-24 Niners.

      1. Glad you’re so positive. Losing the whole core of the best lb crew in the game is going to take a toll vs a very explosive and tricky offense.
        Sorry I keep it real.

    2. NineerMD: Not that many teams blitz anymore. But the constant threat of it (and 9ers have a good D-Line) disrupt Manning’s rhythm. If any part of your defense is weak, it’s your secondary. They need to stop those WR mid-field with no YAC. Gore should run, run run and Kaep converts 3rd and short (protect the ball) Coaches s/b watching Seahawks recent win.

  22. – TEs… VD is coming off injury, and had a rough one. Oh well. Vance is cursed, he seems like he has all the tools, but sh-t just goes wrong… on the fumble, he was making a huge play and the defender put his shoulder right on the ball. His talent is there, though. Just needs to keep his head up.

    – RBs… got the yards that were there for the most part. Rams stacked the box, and holy smokes, Aaron Donald is a specimen. So strong and quick, he was really disruptive against the run. They shut down the run because they sold out to stop it. Yes, they were 29th v run, but that also comes with being behind in games. Their front 7 talent is good, and they had 8 or 9 in box all game, which left their DBs in single coverage for the…

    – WRs… a pleasure to watch true pros. Crabtree, Boldin, Johnson, Lloyd. I love the depth and skill set. When Kap gets time like he did last night, those guys will get open and make plays.

    – OL… tough sledding against the run, but great job pass blocking across the board. I barely noticed Martin, which is refreshing.

    – Defense was great after the first quarter. If the stupid penalties are eliminated, they don’t give up any points on that first drive.

    – Kap… A+. He killed it with legs and arm. No delay of games, and kept the team going when we were down 14-0.

    – Coaches… y’all get an A for going for it multiple times on 4th down. Those were the right decisions, even if execution wasn’t there. I would have gone play action out to the FB/TE in the flat given the penetration up front, but hindsight is 20/20. Also happy to see Gore not taking unnecessary hits at the end, and the subs getting some good reps in 4th quarter.

  23. I see a few negative comments about Culliver in here. I’m surprised anybody is saying any of our DBs aren’t doing a great job. We have one of the highest ranked pass Ds in the NFL, and while the pass rush did a good job yesterday the secondary hasn’t always had the luxury of a pass rush forcing QBs to hurry their throws. Through the first 6 weeks the secondary has been nothing short of exceptional, when you consider how maligned they were heading into the season. Cox, Bethea and Reid have all been excellent. Even Jimmie Ward has been good ever since he got mauled by Marshall in week 2, and he was strong again yesterday until he got injured. And Chris Cook and Dontae Johnson have also been good when called upon.

    Now, in saying that, when Brock comes back 100%, Culliver is the guy I would probably replace. But not because he’s been bad. Its just that Cox has been so good. It really comes down to whether they prefer Brock to Culliver.

    1. Remember you and I were among the few saying they believed the secondary would be better, while the majority were convinced otherwise?

      1. Sure do, razor. I remember many a discussion in the lead up to the draft about why the 49ers didn’t need to draft a perimeter CB early, and following the draft many a discussion as to why the 49ers secondary wouldn’t be as bad as most were saying.

        In saying that, I didn’t dare dream they’d be playing this well through the first 6 weeks. I thought the competition in camp would help elevate some of the CBs play, but the way Cox has stepped up has really helped turn the secondary into a good unit.

    2. Scooter i agree with you completely. I wrote here at the end of the exhibition season that the 9ers are set for DB’s for the next 10 years. I think Kenneth Acker is still around and the DB we drafted this year and red shirted [his name slips my mind] is another quality player. We wo’nt have to draft a DB for a while, as long as the cap does’nt become a problem.

      1. If they can re-sign Cox, then I agree with you. That will give them Brock, Cox, Johnson, Acker and Reaser heading into next season, with Ward as the nickel and backup safety. At safety Reid, Bethea, Ward and McCray.

        If anything, they might want to draft/ sign a safety.

      2. Reaser is the other cb we drafted.yeah we starting the youth movement in the defense..I love it..

    3. People do not understand how difficult playing defensive back can be. I would argue playing CB or NB is the 2nd hardest position on the field, especially in man coverage. You add the fact that you aren’t getting a pass rush, it makes the job that much harder.

    4. I agree Scooter and said something similar earlier today regarding how strange it is that some are taking shots at Culliver. He got faked out on the 3rd and 1 play, no question that was a mistake, but other than that I thought he, and the secondary as a whole for that matter, were pretty good and have been for most of the season. This Davis kid was coming off of 3 straight 300+ yard games and the defense shut him down after the first couple of drives. The standard of approval around here is unrealistic some times.

  24. I had made up my mind before half-time that if CK brought the team back for a win after being down by 14 points that he would warrant an A+.
    Personally, I had a strong sense that the team would come back and win this game in the 2nd half.

    A few things came to light after the game.
    1. The confidence I had in Kaep and the defense.
    2. Kaep’ improvement in resisting running and showing patience in the pocket.
    3. The teams turn-around of now playing their best ball in the 2nd vs the opposite in the first three games of the season.

    Vernon Davis will be ok. He was coming off an injured back and looked to be playing at less than 100%.
    There is NO WAY I believe that VD is dogging it because of lack of catches or the contract issue.
    How could dropping two passes advance his cause for a bigger paycheck?
    Also, his all-out blocking attack on the opponent more than proves to me that VD has not quit on this team.
    His chances will come. This team is loaded with so many offensive weapons that each player will just need to be patient and stay ready for their turn.

    VMac is the player I’m concerned about. Unless he becomes a better blocker than VD his spot on the team will diminish. I really pushed for him to be the surprise player coming into this season, but he is almost invisible during games and we saw what happened when he was given a chance.
    I have no problem with Carrier getting a little more playing time. What he lacks in blocking he more than makes up for in pass catching.

    1. Well 4-3 going into the bye weeks not so bad if we can come back healthy and soon after that we should get Smith, Bowman and Dorsey back. We may have to do it from a wild card spot but a fully healthy 9er team could wreck havoc in the playoffs.

      1. I wouldn’t mind just sitting him for precautionary reasons. Our team is reminding me of the Giants team the last time they won the Superbowl.

    2. he dreaded sprained toe. Hopefully it’s not as bad as Brock’s, but these have a habit of lingering for a long period of time. Time for Borland to step up. May also see Cox as the Nickel this week depending on the severity of Ward’s quad injury.

      1. Fangio knows how to defend Peyton Manning, and I expect this game to come down to a field goal….

        1. The Broncos will attack the Niners’ defensive backs.

          The Rams had relative success when they were passing the ball in the first quarter. But then you looked closely and realized that a Schottenheimer was calling the plays, and you just knew they were going to sit on a lead (14-3)and go to the run. By the time they went back to the pass they were far behind and the Niners were blitzing them non-stop and had Davis running for his life.

  25. Seahawks bye week will be a distant memory come Thanksgiving. Those guys will be dragging butt by then and the Niners should be reasonably fresh. Not worried about the Cards. They’ll fade. Still and all would love to see a win in Denver because one of my sisters lives there and I’ll never hear the end of it if the Niners lose…

    1. Have faith, ghost ..

      Kaep will have another notch in his helmet at the end of this one..
      One by one, you’ll watch him beat all of the
      “elite” QBs … Rogers .. (how many times ?) ..
      Brady .. and I’m thinkin’ Peyton will be the next victim …

      Just because Kaep normally doesn’t partake in shootouts ..
      I’m confident in his ability to win that way, too

      1. Thanks MW. My sister loves to rub it in because we both left the Ohio farm at the same time — she to Golden CO and I to the Haight Ashbury. I had more fun…

    2. Ah! … the Hashbury …

      Damn.. I missed it way back when it was jumpin’ …
      (I was on the other side of the world at the time)

    3. 0/2 to Seattle easy. Seattle is a very angry team. Dallas stole that win from them. Seattle is not losing the rest of the way. If Palmer stays healthy for Arizona, things look great for them. Sorry 49ers, better luck next year.

    1. Wow, MW, easy for you to say ‘troll’, but it’s way easy for me to see ‘Spam’ from all these 49er motivational Kurt Angle like stories of the few, the proud, and the faithful. Well, fix the coach, fix the QB, and I’ll be glad to be one of the faithful again.

  26. Lmao nothing makes me happier on here than watching trolls post 30 times with no response. Desperate for a bite.

      1. This guy is a popular Bay Area blog troll by the name of Darren.

        He used to frequent ESPN.com. SFGate, and a whole host of other blogs trolling the Niners.

        He is, in reality, a jealous Raiders fan and has no life. Zero.

        1. he also mentioned (a couple threads ago)
          that he couldn’t access 49ers.com to watch the vids …

          Dollars to donuts he got banned there …

          Grant ..
          do us all a favor, please

    1. CK7 looks elite when they stack the box 8 strong and he’s got 4 WRs to throw to.

      They can’t stop him.

      I also think Lloyd is the missing ingredient our passing attack our offense has missed since Moss retired – an outside deep threat who will force safeties over the top to one side of the field and open up the middle underneath.

      Except, unlike Moss, Lloyd can actually get open and separate from his man for the big play at this point in his career.

      I like him better as our X receiver on the outside matched one on one than Crabtree. He compliments Boldin and the rest better.

      1. Oh yea, those two have given defenses a new wrinkle to agonize over. They will start to fear that play, consequently creating better opportunities for others….

        1. Razor, I thought a deep threat X receiver was the key ingredient in our passing options in 2012 that we missed in 2013 with Moss gone (also Walker leaving didn’t help).

          I am beginning to feel like our vertical passing game is being under-emphasized considering who we have at QB with Kaepernick and at WR with Lloyd. There was a reason that Davis had 13 TDs last season – Kaepernick loves the deep threat.

          With Vernon injured this year we haven’t had one now except for Lloyd. Would love to see both those guys 100 percent together on the field.

  27. New “report” put now that the front office told Gore his starting job was in jeopardy and he had to earn his starting spot. I guess this just shows the 49ers are really hated or really relevant in sports talk.
    Not that I would have a problem with this if true, I think every player should earn their spot. I guess it went something like this.
    Frank you’re aging and will earn 6 million next year you will have to earn your starting job.. Idk what to believe anymore.

    1. Outright lie that Baalke denied. Why would the FO be so stupid as to cut Gore this season with an unproven rookie in Hyde and a recovering Lattimore? Unless they believed Hunter could carry the load their entire plan would have been beyond stupid.

      1. Simple, b/c when a RB gets to be 30+ he’s on the down side which he will be later on in the season and salary cap money.

    2. MD..
      I read that a couple days ago, but didn’t think it
      plausible enough to post it here ..

      My first thought was ..
      Neon got as much milage as he could with the
      “Harbaugh toxic locker room” bs ..
      that he made this one up, too ..

      Honestly… I’ve never liked him ever since he played that one
      year for the Niners.. and just “happened” to get to a Super Bowl ..
      then .. when he got dumped and traded to the “Girls” ..
      he told everyone who would listen ..

      “.. The only reason the Niners went to and won the SB… was because of me ..”

      I bet Neon was his “source” in the locker room ..

      He’s the one who’s toxic !

      1. Sanders wasn’t dumped. We were in cap hell for the 1995 season and couldn’t afford him. Also he was an important ingredient in the 1995 Superbowl, and very important in getting the 49ers to the party.

        The fact that you don’t like him has nothing to do with Sanders talent and effectiveness. He also made a significant contribution to Dallas winning the next two Superbowls.

    3. MD,
      I also heard that story a couple of weeks ago.
      I brushed it off as nonsense because if true, it would be a black-eye for the Org to treat a player that has been the heart and soul of this team through the dark ages to it’s current success.

      I agree with Ramon that it also made no player personnel sense with so many questions regarding the other players at the position.

      Frank Gore has been the target of many sports reporters and posters who have tried to write his professional obituary for the last 2-3 years.
      I’m not denying or confirming that rumor, but I just don’t see a team telling their consistent 1,000 rusher that he has to earn a job.

  28. I have an idea. Let’s show Grant our solidarity and our desire to have JIM MORA banned from this blog. Every active member of this blog needs to add a +2, +3, +4, +5 and so forth underneath this post. It’s becoming more and more difficult every day to sift through his ignorant nonsense on a daily while trying to enjoy our blog. Show Grant that we are all in favor of having this clown banned.

    Here’s my starter. #1

    1. Of course you would be the one to instigate this petition. He’s stealing your thunder on being the biggest tool here!

      1. Fan: I don’t think Grant will do that. He knows their demands won’t end there. Next they will try to eject Grant b/c he doesn’t “know” about football and they are offended by the articles he writes.

          1. I’m just a 49er fan that doesn’t like the circus Harbaugh brings, but then again, this is today’s fan that likes the lower expectations the 49ers bring: Legacy tarnished with McDonald playing, winning by running and not passing the ball. CK being something that he’s not. Before we get on the CK did great, remember, Rams got no QB,no D, no O, no coach. Never mind the Rams were up, the 49ers always have a tendency to play mind games. This win to me was a little stunt to appease the national audience. We’ll see what the Rams do in the rematch, but I expect no less from the no QB they got. If this QB the Rams have wants to make like Warner, he needs to win, not lose the game to his rival. Then we got the York family that I do not like in either the parents or the kid in Jed.

            And I don’t understand why speaking up for ALex Smith makes me a troll. Here is a man that turned it around, took us to the playoffs, and held to blame for the loss to the Giants. You don’tplay certain opposition twice for they have game footage on what was done to beat them. The same scenario will come up vs. Dallas if dallas keeps this up. Harbaugh did nothing more but lie to SMith and dealt him out.

            Grant runs a terrific forum. LIke I said, there are other sites if you people can’t handle the truth. I’m not on those sites to bother you or take away your joy. I’m even trying to take your joy away for you take what is said seriously and you can’t even sink my battleship in your replies as they sound like 5-year olds and then you put up fake sites, implicate who I am. Hey, been done on the forums before, I pay no attention so either live with it, or move on and take an opinion.

            1. Jim, just continue to be yourself and express your opinion b/c that is the purpose of a forum. I enjoy reading your comments.

              1. LOL, I’m just waiting until he changes his opinion of you. We’ll see what you have to say about him being himself when that happens.

        1. Or a troll who has used different names in the past and a troll nobody could stand here before, or a troll who hates Harbaw” because he didn’t pick smith, or a troll who was a man, woman or alien at one point, or a troll who’s fat and plays video games all day, or simple because they’re a supposed Seahawk fan who cruises 49er sites and calls 49er fans trolls. Trolls like you come at bargain basement deals DS/Mary. GTFO

          1. Spaceborn: You guys aren’t very intelligent. Because, as Grant already knows, Jim and I post from entirely different states and IP addresses, as did this DS character. You guys really need to get a life outside of this blog. One more observation: Grant is the moderator and as such s/b treated with respect. As Jim said and as I second it, stop acting like spoiled demanding children.

            Now, since Jack posted that Seattle Times article on the Seahawks and Scooter posted about the rugby player, I will be posting Seahawk articles or division mates. Pass them up, that’s your choice
            .

            http://www.sbnation.com/nfl/2014/10/14/6971489/nfl-power-rankings-week-7-2014-cowboys-seahawks

        2. I can’t speak for demands Mary, but its fine to have divergent opinions on the forum but one particular person is well beyond a divergent opinion and into shear lunacy and unproductive conversation disrupting the board.

          1. Wilson: I don’t even know which poster you are referring to, but I don’t post much and miss many of the comments. But if it’s Prime, I enjoy his posts; he’s never angry and is knowledgeable about football. But this is a forum and there will be differing opinions. I bypass those I don’t wish to read.

    2. +9
      (although its most likely that this post will be so far down the thread that no one will remember what its about: to recap ban Jim Mora for trollery)

      1. BOS, I think there was a few #8s… yours should be 11 or 12 by now. ;)

        How about a poll to request a different forum platform – one that actually supports threading? Who’s with me!

    1. On any day, lotstosay, any day….

      Rams have given us major headaches in the past. Most recent past includes first 2 quarters of Monday’s game.

  29. On another note, why has Carlos Hyde looked so average lately? It seemed like when he made his cuts behind the lead blocker, he always chose to run straight into Laurinitis and get stuffed instead of cutting away from him. Was this just poor vision? It also seemed like he didn’t break many tackles. What does the game tape say?

    1. The tape says rookie.

      On the other hand I would ban anyone who posted a +n due to childishness. Cheers.

    2. Hyde isn’t and never was a push the pile power runner. When he gets into space he becomes dangerous and capable of breaking tackles. He doesn’t run low enough to get the leverage necessary to push the pile. The Niners actually need to see about getting that type of short yardage back for next season.

  30. So almost half the defensive starters are injured, including three of the four best and the top CB, yet the defense remains strong. There is depth throughout the roster. Youth has been brought in to replace players ready for more expensive deals, if need be.

    Is there anyone who still questions Baalke’s ability?

    Also, what would Seattle’s defense look like without Thomas, Sherman, Wagner, Bennett and Avril. Not to good, I’d guess. Hell, they don’t look that good now.

    Are the Seahawks starting to remind anyone the ’85 Bears? “The Best Defense Ever”, a limited QB, a HC who relies on his coordinators, One SB and then good night now. They may pull out of it, but maybe not.

      1. Michael: I don’t see them going away b/c they are too good at drafting and developing talent. Last year they set the standard for the best defense in a long time. Can they repeat, doubtful if Brady and Belichick haven’t done it since 2005. But Seahawks will still be a contender as long as Carroll remains coach.

        Actually, it will be more interesting to watch the drama unfold with Harbaugh — will he or won’t he be the coach next year? If he’s not the coach I wonder if Jon Gruden would be in the conversation.

    1. exgolfer:

      Is there anyone who still questions Baalke’s ability?

      But … but … but he can’t draft WRs! And his ego prevents him from admitting and correcting mistakes. And the OCD! Don’t forget OCD! It will be the ruination of this team!

      1. I question his overall draft results. Definitely a mixed bag. This years draft could save him. If his results don’t improve though, he will not be here much longer. We have had unprecedented opportunity.

        2012 – Absolutely train wreck (please don’t waste time arguing)

        2013
        1 18 Eric Reid – Pro Bowl caliber (having sophomore slump)
        2 40 Cornellius Carradine – Huge disappointment to this point.
        2 55 Vance McDonald – Disappointment to this point.
        3 88 Corey Lemonier – Potential bust.
        4 128 Quinton Patton – Who know???
        4 131 Marcus Lattimore – Looking more and more like wasted pick.
        5 157 Quinton Dial – Cannot make it on the field consistently.
        6 180 Nick Moody – ST
        7 237 B.J. Daniels – Cut
        7 246 Carter Bykowski – Made team.
        7 252 Marcus Cooper – KC starter

        2014
        1 30 Jimmie Ward – Definite question mark at this point.
        2 57 Carlos Hyde – will be solid starter
        3 70 Marcus Martin – will be solid starter
        3 77 Chris Borland – will be solid contributor
        3 100 Brandon Thomas – ?
        4 106 Bruce Ellington – Has not shown the explosion expected.
        4 129 Dontae Johnson – Potentially the best pick.
        5 150 Aaron Lynch – Potentially the best pick.
        5 170 Keith Reaser – ?
        6 180 Kenneth Acker – ?
        7 243 Kaleb Ramsey DT – ?

        1. On the current picks you’re making a lot of assumptions like on Ward for sure. He gave up some TD’s against a great WR and has played well since then. Why don’t we pick on D Johnson since he’s given up at least one if not more TD’s as well too? As well as Reaser, Aker, Thomas, Carradine, Dial, Ellington. I think people’s expectations often have more to do with perceived bust than reality. Should rookies come in and play like 5 year veterans. P Willis is the exception. Players take time to develop. Very few jump right in and perform at a high level. You also have to take into account some of the trades and pickups Baalke has aquired. A Smith for a bunch of picks and the acquisition of Llyod, Boldin, S Johnson, and Bethea.

          1. So a) read and b) understand what you are reading. Both players currently have the potential to be the the best pick from this particular draft. That would mean that at some point in the future, one of them will not be and other might be. However, it could also be someone else entirely. The key word in the sentence, is potential.

        2. @ DaNiners

          2011
          1 7 Aldon Smith-Fastest ever to 30 sacks potential HOF at his current pace
          2 36 Colin Kaepernik- Starting QB arguably top 10 future pro bowler
          3 80 Chris Culliver- Starting cornerback on a top 5 pass defense
          4 115 Kendal Hunter- solid backup when healthy will be brought back
          5 163 Daniel Kilgore- Starter on a top 10 offense
          5 182 Ronald Johnson- Out of the league bust (is there a 5th rd bust??)
          6 190 Colin Jones- solid ST contributor traded for a draft pick now on Panthers
          7 211 Bruce Miller- starting FB on a top 10 rushing team (arguably top 5 FB)
          7 239 Mike Person- Cut, Curently on Rams roster
          7 250 Curtis Holcomb- Cut out of football

          Undrafted Free Agents

          Demarcus Dobbs- Solid rotation player on a top 5 defense

          Ian Williams- Starting NT on a top 5 defense

          DROPS MIC AND WALKS OFF STAGE

          1. *picks up BOS’s microphone*

            Not to mention in 2013, engineering the Alex Smith trade that resulted in:

            the two second-rounders the 49ers got from the Chiefs were moved around in a total of five deals and resulted in the 49ers obtaining defensive lineman Tank Carradine, outside linebacker Corey Lemonier, inside linebacker Chris Borland, running back Carlos Hyde and wide receiver Stevie Johnson.

            http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/12/final-results-of-alex-smith-trade-a-windfall-for-49ers/

            1. In my haste to get off the stage I forgot to add.

              Traded an Effin 6th rounder for Anquan Boldin

              Quick run this guy out of town

          2. Aldon Smith, needs to clean up act
            CK needs to clean up act around the media needs better QB numbers
            Culliver, needs to go, bad antics off the field
            K Hunter, possibly gone, injury prone, might be drafting another Rb
            Kilgore, good pick
            R Johnson, unknown
            C Jones, ST, unknown
            B Miller, so far, Gore hasn’t complained about his best FB replaced.

          3. Right, currently Baalke has been successful in 1 of 4 drafts. That is not to say that 2013 and 2014 will not be, but there are a lot of question marks in each.

            1. Math is hard.

              Baalke has presided over 5 drafts (2010-14), not 4. 2010 and 2011 were successful; 2012 was not. It’s far too early to evaluate the 2013 and 2014 drafts in any real meaningful way (especially given the talent already on the roster), but the early signs on Reid, Ward, Hyde, Borland, Lynch are good.

              Breaking down the drafts into separate pieces and rating each one individually isn’t a particularly useful way of evaluating Baalke’s record of talent acquisition. First, it ignores free agency and trades, two other ways in which a GM can improve the team’s talent. Those happen to be two areas in which Baalke has excelled (e.g., Whitner, Rogers, Boldin, Johnson, Bethea, Lloyd).

              Second, picking over an individual draft doesn’t give you any sense of the big picture. You miss the forest because you are obsessing over individual trees. When you step back and look at the 49ers’ roster, you’ll see what is arguably the most talented roster, top to bottom, in the league, a roster with no glaring weaknesses and with an enviable mixture of experienced and young talent. While nothing is guaranteed, the 49ers appear to be better set than just about any other team to handle the not-so-distant departure of older talent (e.g., Gore, Boldin, J. Smith, Brooks, Willis).

              I’m not saying Baalke is perfect. No one is. But, if I may use a baseball metaphor, his batting average is much better than any other GM I can think of. Seriously, how many GMs have done better than Baalke in the past 5 years? How many teams are as talented as the 49ers? How many of those teams are as well equipped to transition from current leaders/starters to the next generation? You can maybe make the argument for Seattle, but that’s about it.

              Look at it this way. The 49ers’ defense has been playing without 6 starters from 2013 (Dorsey, A. Smith, Bowman, Brock, Whitner, Rogers),
              and it still ranks 2nd in the league. Although a lot of credit for that goes to Fangio and the other coaches, it also says a lot about the team’s talent level. I can’t think of another team that could absorb so many losses and still play at such a high level. Can you?

              The idea that you would only give Baalke a B- or a C says a lot more about your ability to assess talent and your understanding of what it is that GMs do than it does about Baalke’s actual performance.

              1. First, we are only discussing drafts and not FA, or signing of our own players. Stay on point. Ultimately, you win in the league through the draft. Giving Baalke credit for Scot McCloughan final draft is horses**t. The guy was let go in late March 2010 and the draft was in April. Teams have their board basically set months before the draft. Baalke was just following the plan at that point. Hell, Singletary had more to do with our first two picks than Baalke did.

                We’ll see what happens after this season. I think Harbaugh will leave regardless of whether we win or lose the SB. I think our coaches are making good backup’s look much better. Is Borland an eventual starter? Is Carradine capable of being a dominant 3-4 end. Is Dial? Is Lynch going to continue to improve and become Brooks eventual replacement? Is Hyde, really the heir-apparent to Gore (still a valid question). Is Ward able to make the transition to slot corner (he is not great so far, but it’s early)? If all these are yes answers, Baalke will have a “A” grade. If they are not, you will have a hard-time convincing anyone he should continue as GM. That seems like pretty simple “math” to me.

              2. DaNiners

                First, we are only discussing drafts and not FA, or signing of our own players. Stay on point.

                Says who? You’re the one who suggested that Baalke’s continued employment was somehow in danger. Since GMs are judged and retained or fired based upon their teams’ overall improvement in talent (or lack thereof), and not just on their drafts, your suggestion necessitated an examination of Baalke’s overall performance. I can understand why you don’t want to include those areas, however, because they severely undermine your argument. That said, they are very much on point, your gratuitous insult notwithstanding.

                Giving Baalke credit for Scot McCloughan final draft is horses**t. The guy was let go in late March 2010 and the draft was in April. Teams have their board basically set months before the draft. Baalke was just following the plan at that point. Hell, Singletary had more to do with our first two picks than Baalke did.

                Unless you worked for the 49ers in 2010, that paragraph contains a whole bunch of unfounded assumptions. McLoughan’s departure was announced more than 5 weeks prior to the draft. You have no idea when the team actually told him to leave. Do you think it was not in the works for some time prior to that? Do you think think it happened the day they announced it to the press?

                In addition, given the rumors surrounding his termination, it takes a huge assumption on your part to conclude that McLoughan left the 49ers perfectly prepared for the draft and that Baalke merely had to follow McLoughan’s “plan.” Or is there some resource I am not aware of which reveals that teams routinely fire GMs 5 weeks before the draft when the GMs have everything in good order?

                Moreover, Baalke was the Director of Player Personnel at that time. To conclude that he wasn’t intimately involved in setting up the team’s draft board requires us to pretend he had some other job.

                Do you have any basis for the claim that “Singletary had more to do with our first two picks than Baalke did” or is that just another unfounded assumption? The only reports I have read about that draft suggesting that Singletary influenced any pick were related to the selection of Taylor Mays. But if you want believe that Mike Singletary, who didn’t recognize Patrick Willis’ talent and who insisted on the drafting of Taylor Mays, was responsible for the selection of Anthony Davis and Mike Iupati, I can’t stop you; it’s a free country. But, do you really think that strengthens your argument or gives you credibility?

                With regard to your last paragraph, you correctly note a number of legitimate questions. Given Baalke’s track record to date, however, I am confident that the majority of those questions will be answered favorably for the 49ers. By contrast, what can you point to that would justify a negative prediction?

                I also note you have conveniently failed to answer the questions I posed to you. You failed to identify those GMs you think have done a better job than Baalke and those rosters you think are so much more talented than the 49ers. I don’t blame you for that failure, however, because I can’t do it either.

                But then again, that’s the point, isn’t it?

              3. Claude,

                Thanks for doing all the work. I feel like the guy who farted, right before getting off the elevator.

        3. If his results don’t improve though, he will not be here much longer.

          That’s a remarkable combination of delusion, inability to place Baalke’s results in proper context, and ignorance of Jed York’s absolute confidence and faith in Baalke.

          1. York is going to evaluate Baalke harder than any owner in the league. Why? Success. York said it recently, we play for Super Bowls. That is how we judge ourselves. That is how Niner fans judge success. The fans that didn’t live through the success of the 80’s and 90’s, they don’t really get it. They think they do, but they don’t. They didn’t live it. York did. He expects more, and I expect more.

            If Baalke’s drafts don’t improve this team, or keep us competitive, he won’t be around that long. Simple as that. Currently, I give him a “B-ish”. You take away 2011 and it is probably closer to a “C”.

            I would be curious to see what GC would give the Niners last 4 drafts combined. I mean, you actually have to toss our an entire draft (2012) basically. That’s tough.

            1. Here’s what the 49ers have done since Baalke was named GM in 2011:

              2011: Landed Jim Harbaugh, the hottest coaching prospect on the market.

              2011: 13-2 – lost by 3 in overtime of NFCCG
              2012: 11-4-1 – lost by 3 in Super Bowl with a chance to win at the end
              2013: 12-4 – lost by 6 in NFCCG with a chance to win at the end

              Yeah, I don’t think Baalke has anything to worry about. You wish you had his job security.

              1. Interesting, considering I have been with my company 13 years and zero concern about ever being let go, how would he have better job security exactly?

            2. Baalke is given a lot of credit and rightfully so. But if it comes down to choosing between Baalke and Harbaugh, I’d still take Harbaugh.

              This isn’t baseball where 30% is considered success. Baalke has more stirkes than homeruns :)

              1. A lot of duds get drafted, league-wide, every year. Me wonders if there is breakdown somewhere on current NFL GM’s draft hits and misses and where Balke stands in comparison. Considering the recent team success that Claude details, I’m betting he is among the tops. Come on, internet you have this, right?

              2. Although these represent the singular opinions of the journalists writing the articles, here is a sampling

                sporting news power rankings: #6

                bleacher report (for 2014): #2

                rotoworld (NBC sports): #5

                Balke is definitely a guy on the bubble. SMH.

              3. Smh.

                And who has a better batting average than Baalke? Who has hit more home runs?

                By the way, you might want to brush up on your baseball knowledge. All batters have “more strikes than homeruns. “

            3. I would add that it is easier to be more successful when you have top ten picks rather than drafting later. Ironically TB has had more success with his later round picks than his early ones. One other thing to consider is how many picks you had to work with and in what rounds they were. You are always going to have some whiffs but the odds should be less the higher the pick.

        4. DaNiners

          This is arguably the deepest and most talented team in fooball and I encourage you to look at the record of other teams you think might have drafted better. You won’t find a better draft record in the leage since Baalke took over.

          Just because a player like Carradine isn’t playing does not mean it was a bad pick. What it means is the depth ahead of him is good and he can’t get on the field because he doesn’t play ST’s.

          This team has as much young talent as any in the league and we see that when they have to step in due to injuries.

          1. Remember when the 49ers played Manning, and kept him out of the end zone for 45 minutes? Forced them into 4 field goals, with they’re only TD coming from Addai. This defense is better on the back end, and Fangio is quite familiar with Manning. I like an upset here….

            1. I’ll be at the game. Most expensive stadium I’ve had the opportunity to visit so far.
              Bronco fans are talking g about a 20 point win….. My final score is 30-27 Niners.

          2. Look, Carradine was drafted and expected to be an impact player once he was healthy. Simple as that. Right now, he remains a disappointment. Lemoneir was not drafted with the same expectations, but clearly has not improved over last year. In another year, you can probably come back and see, look at these guys!. Right now, you can’t.

            1. Carradine was drafted with the expectation of being the heir apparent to Smith. Last year was a write off and was expected. This year Carradine looked good in Preseason but hasn’t been able to crack the lineup due to the guys in front of him being ST’s players and pretty good backups on the DL in their own right.

              You are trying to base draft success on how quickly players are getting on the field and completely missing the fact they are behind good and in some cases, ProBowl caliber starters. Talk to me when they take over and we see how good they are playing every snap.

              The bottom line is you could go through every team in this leagues draft history over the last 5 years and not find one who has done a better overall job in the draft than Baalke. You also won’t find many who have hit on FA’s like he has either.

              2012 was an anomaly; not the norm.

              1. Carradine was drafted with the expectation of contributing as soon as healthy. He was a top 20 pick until his injury. You don’t draft guys in the second round, who should have been drafted in the first, with the expectation they are not going to be studs. Baalke is a “B” with 2011 and a “C” without it. 2012 was extreme, yes, but that does not give him a pass. He whiffed on AJ and actually made GC look smart, which is tough to do. If we don’t have a few pro-bowlers come out of these last tow drafts, with the number of picks, something is wrong. You cannot win in this league with just slightly above average players at key positions. If Bill Polian can get fired, Baalke can get fired. One horrific season is all it takes for any of these guys.

              2. DaNiners,

                How do you know when the 49ers expected Carradine to contribute? Maybe YOU expected him to contribute in some set amount of time, but both he and the 49ers have said that he needs to learn his assignments better, and that he is in the process of doing so.

                Besides that, as pointed out above, Carradine happens to be behind a couple of pretty good D linemen. Justin Smith and Ray McDonald. Ever hear of them?

        5. Draft position is rarely mentioned when evaluating a GMs ability to select players. Below are (standard) chart values of 49ers drafts 2008-2013.

          Year – Chart Value
          2014 – 1,718
          2013 – 2,041
          2012 – 1,031
          2011 – 2,363
          2010 – 2,800
          2009 – 1,600
          2008 – 1,463

          Makes the horrible drafts like 2012 look not so horrible (though still pretty dang bad). Takes (just a little) shine off the 2011 draft.

          Note: These points do not include draft slots traded to following seasons.

      2. Ex…. I’ve been a huge supporter of both Baalke and Harbs.. Claude says he can’t draft receivers. Although sacracaric that is my only ding on his resume….
        The only problem I will have with him will be of he let’s a damn good coach and his staff walk. I’d bet the shift of this franchise will not be a good one. You can’t let a good coach walk away. Period!

        1. Ninermd:

          Before it goes any further, I did not say Baalke can’t draft receivers. I was making fun of those who think AJ Jenkins conclusively defines Baalke’s ability to evaluate WRs.

          1. They seemed to have also to have misjudged McDonald. He is also a receiver. I don’t think you put everything on TB. Their seems to be a problem within the staff it self in respect to evaluating receivers. One of the things any top guy is supposed to do is to bring in people who are good at the things you are not good at.

            1. Excellent point and a key question about Baalke.

              You would think after watching the NY Giants draft fantastic receivers year after year, that you might want to a)grab one of their guys b)try and emulate some of what they are doing (ala Seattle and big CB). Baalke seems to use the same long arms, big hands with WR and frankly, that doesn’t always work. Small, quick receivers have just as much success in the current game, as do tall, long receivers. Just depends on the scheme, but clearly we cannot draft WR’s for our scheme.

              1. EX ny Giants WR? you mean like Mario Manningham? he didnt really work out too well even before the injury. I would also suggest that for a run heavy team that only threw about 20-25 times a game drafting wideouts wasn’t hight on their needs list, surely AJJ was a bust but the jury is still out on Patton and Ellington

    2. >>Are the Seahawks starting to remind anyone the ’85 Bears?

      2013 Seahawks more like ’85 Bears. This year’s Seahawks? More like the ’86 Bears – defending champs, decent record, but won’t make it out of the playoffs.

      1. This isn’t ground-breaking news. Brady and Belichick haven’t repeated since 2005 and the 49ers haven’t done it in 20 years. SMH

        1. Here’s a tip. Don’t be shaking your GD head if you are behind enemy lines. You’re liable to get it blown the F off.

        2. Mary,

          That may be true, but what I’m saying goes farther than that. I believe the Seahawks will decline again next year and fall back into the back, just as the Bears did after winning their one, lone SB.

          I know you’ll object, but the Seahawks are on the verge of massive losses due to cap concerns and don’t really have replacements ready. Good luck.

          Percy Harvin and his massive cap number for a very average WR (averaging 7 yds per catch) aren’t going to look so good next year, even if he does bust a long, rush, punt or KO return every now and then.

  31. Wow… rain. It’s raining pretty good in Sactown so much so that the Harley is in the garage and I drove the truck to work. Amazing. I average 500 miles a year on the Dakota, mostly to go to Costco or the dog park. First time I didn’t ride the SG or the Wide Glide to work since April.

    Anyhow, Niners seem to get stronger and stronger as the season goes on. Hope this year continues that path.

    1. Rained on me last night in the North Bay too. Can we all agree that we need rain? Do trolls like rain? Let’s ask BAF.

  32. So what’s the game plan with Willis out? Who’ll cover Julius Thomas? Not worried about the run game much, Wilhoite and Borland will be fine there and the Bronco’s don’t have a functional run game. Do they move Wilhoite over to the Mike spot? Or does Borland play there? We’ll be in nickel most of the day with Cox at slot and possibly Johnson and Cook on the field a bunch. Johnson is good but inexperienced against D Thomas and Sanders. Anything we can learn from the Bronco’s game against the Jets last week?

  33. This is the week when playing all of the young guys up against starters in the preseason will pay off.

    1. I am not worried about the secondary as much as I am how they might use Julius Thomas to exploit our ILB’s lack of speed and coverage ability. Borland runs a 4.8 and Wilhoite a 4.7 40. Thomas would be a challenge for Bowman and Willis. I am interested to see what Fangio comes up with.

        1. And thats why Bowman dropped to the 3rd Rd. Suposedly his pre draft adviser told him to pack an extra 7-10 lbs on to that frame which led to a “slugish” performance at the combine. Good thing too we ended up getting a beast. And to think I thought they should draft Brandon Spikes instead Ugh

          1. I currently live in Denver and the media here is on the Bronco’s case about no running game and playing poorly in the 2nd half of games. The Bronco’s have shored up their run D and have a mid ranked secondary. They certainly are better than last year. More than every we need to keep manning off the field and control the game through the clock. Can we run on the 4th ranked rushing team?

            The preseason is meaningless except that all those young players got playing time.

    2. Uh, we didn’t do that great in pre season, and didn’t Manning carve out the secondary? HE’s going to do it again, in Denver none the less. I got Denver by 21 easy, and I’mnot a troll. I’m a faithful fan with optimism and hope CK will throw 300 yards.

  34. I’m excited for the opportunity Manning is goingto have to break the record. Just 2 TDs are needed. J Thomas should have a huge game vs. the 49ers. If Manning is smart, he’ll throw to him 10-15 times. Denver should use multiple 4 wides to spread the 49er D. THis is going to be a great weekend for me as I just want to see Harbaugh out of there.

  35. I’m looking for advice, I’m going to the Ram game Nov. 2. We will be leaving from Santa Rosa. Has anyone taken the wine country charter bus? If so how long does it take to get out of the lot? At what time [approx] can we expect to get back to SR? Has anyone driven to Moutain View and taken the valley transit to the game? How long does it take to get back to Mountain View after the game? Any suggestions are appreciated.

    1. You’ll hit Petaluma traffic going to the game. Way back should be OK. You’ll def. hit the Santa Clara traffic. I would guess 3 hours there, 3 hours back. Good luck, but taking the bus is way better then driving.

    2. From Mountain View Caltrain station to the stadium via VTA Light rail is great on the way in. It only takes about 20 minutes from Mtn View Caltrain to the stadium and the 49ers have ticket machines setup right at the VTA station so you can step right off the train and be in your seat in about 10 minutes.

      But you have to wait close to an hour and a half to get on a train after the game. The great minds at VTA have decided that they need to verify tickets before letting people on the trains after the game. Bear in mind they don’t verify tickets before letting people board on any other day at any of their stations. But for some reason they are afraid that 49er fans will try and jump the train without tickets. This means that about 30,000 people have to pass through fare check points all at once which takes close to an hour and a half. Why they don’t sell only round trip tickets on game days so they don’t need to collect tickets from 30,000 people after the game is beyond me. Maybe some genius at VTA and 49er offices will figure out that what they are doing is alienating their customers. They probably don’t care.

    3. Coach,

      I live in Novato and go 880 to 237- I drive as CalTrain etc is too long of a trip, not sure about charters though. It takes us about 80 minutes there and 90 coming back (we park in Red Lot 8 – on the golf course). I sold my tickets to that game and if my friend doesn’t commit to buying my parking pass I’ll sell it to you for $25 (face is $40).

  36. Dodging bullets from the bounty hunter Williams. Willis does not have turf toe and not believed to be a long term injury. Iupati looking good, and Ward/Johnson also not believed to be long term. Sources: Harbaugh on morning radio show….

    1. Igot a bridge to sell you if you believe that from Harbaugh. If Willis’s toe is OK, he’s stillout about 4 weeks if it didn’t break. THank God I don’t listen to Harbaugh.

    1. Better then sitting in traffic like you do polluting the air. you live in the Altamont little fella that gets heavy at 5am?

  37. After the 1st inning, the Giants became Lackey intolerant … until the Cardinals Choate in the 10th inning.

  38. I’ve seen a lot of people discussing what type of defense we will run with our starters out. When I was in college I played OLB for a small school. I was undersized to play MLB but I wasn’t afraid of contact and I could could cover slot recievers. Blitzing was a blessing and a curse. More blessings than curses. I had the speed to get by lineman pretty easily. And being smaller allowed to use rip moves effeciently. The downside, when a lineman got his hands on me and latched on I was done. I believe they should use an extra DB in one of the OLB positions. You send this hybrid player to the wide side of the field or the side of the field with the most recievers. He can cover the 3rd WR In trips formations, he’s faster to cover more space in his drops, and blitzing off the edge means he’s going to get to the QB faster. It’s different for the person in that position but if they have a nose for the ball, it can work beautifully.

    1. Interesting idea KY, but do we have the bodies for that substitution? We were probably going to play a lot of nickel and dime to begin with. Whats Ward’s status for the game? He’s out, right?

      1. That’s my only thought process. I don’t know which person would be good for that role. You do need to be a solid tackler. If we still had Donte Whitner he would be perfect.

    2. We’ll probably see a lot more dime than usual this week. Both because the Broncos will run multiple WR formations and the fact we are probably better off covering Thomas with a DB than one of Wilhoite or Borland.

      1. Ward will have a solid game. Now it will be interesting to see if Brock plays, what that means for Cully. If Brock is full go we could see him take Cully’s spot, but then I’d wonder if we’d see Cully on the outside in the nickel situations or if it will be Brock/Cox/Ward???

        Wish we had P-Dub but I’m excited to see Borland in his first start.

  39. @CamInman
    #49ers heading out to practice, and looks like Anthony Davis, Stevie Johnson and even Tramaine Brock may be out there

    Very good news. We’ll need everyone of these guys, and brock could provide a lot of help in the secondary.

    1. Update:

      Back at #49ers practice are CB Brock, RT Davis. In no-contact jerseys are CB Culliver, NT Williams, DT TJE. No Iupati, Willis, Ward, Stevie

  40. Colin Kaepernick through first 6 weeks:

    2014: 119-186 1456 yards 10 TD 4Int Rating of 97
    2013: 90-161 1121 yards 8TD 5Int Rating of 81

    If you don’t see improvement perhaps you should change your screen name to Stevie Wonder.

    1. Yeah, but stats are for losers, didn’t you hear Jack? He still has tattoos, how could he possibly be better?

    2. Extrapolated:

      completion percentage (current) = 64.0%
      yards passing = 3,883 approx @ 242.7 per game
      TDs = between 27 and 33, so….lets say 30 (this one is hard to calculate)
      Ints = 14.3 so 14
      yards rushing = 1,075 approx @40.3 per game with a 5.26 yd per carry average

        1. Point being — Kaep had nothing to do with that win!
          It’ was Kaep’s fault that the air traffic was all messed up last Saturday when I was trying to get out of town to get away from your Kaeperlickers. No wait — that was Obama. Why couldn’t Kaep get into Secret Service? Because he sucks! If he had to knock out an intruder attacking the president with a football, he would suck because he has that big long wind-up. And if there were two or three intruders, we are totally screwed because he wouldn’t know which one to hit, because he can only do one read. But you know what? If the intruders came after him instead of Obama, he would get away because lord knows he can run.
          All jokes man. It’s all jokes wednesday and then we go back to throw back thursday, which is ripping on Alex Smith!

            1. Prime!
              I said CK had a really good solid game! And now peeps are giving me a hard time that I didn’t say he was all world. Sorry man, ain’t smoking that stuff until I see more consistency – and truth be told — wins it all.

              1. I know what you are saying and those guys have put CK on pedestal because of past history on this blog, not because of performance. For them it’s still about Alex.

                CK did play well but now needs to just show some consistency from week to week. Best advice for CK, no turnovers, take what the defense gives you and don’t try and be the hero!

              2. He had a solid game. No turnovers, and seem to get in to the flow. The Rams couldn’t put any pressure but at the same time, there were a lot of fast 3 step reads, with passes to Boldin and Johnson. Johnson is a huge difference. Lloyd has to be respected, even if he doesn’t make a lot of plays.
                If he doesn’t play Hero or Kobe ball, we’re in good shape, because he’s not there yet. Yeah the pedestal and statue in his honor had to come down.
                Hopefully he builds on this and gets better. We said that last year too.
                Denver has 4th ranked Defense and Peyton will move the ball on the Niners. So he’s going to get less chances. Will be interested to see if they try to run more, or spread them out. Von Miller and Ware are tough edge rushers.

              3. This will be a bench mark game on the road against one of the best. Lots of injuries to contend with though.
                It’s not just about CK anymore because as we have seen, it’s a great team when all the parts are moving. No one star, but a collection of them. Now yes, CK has to elevate his game every week. Like I said, no hero, gangster style football. Smart, cerebral, athletic fast play from the kid, that’s it!

              4. In his last 10 regular season road starts Kaepernick has thrown 18 touchdowns and 1 interception.

  41. So the 49ers will be getting some reinforcements back in the near future, meaning some guys currently on the roster will need to be let go. The 49ers have an abundance of WRs, while the Giants just lost their #1 WR (Cruz) for the season. Could there be a potential trade in the offering?

    1. I don’t see it happening- who would they part with?
      Now sending Lemonier/Moody to the Raiders………..

    1. I remember you mentioning him actually. As much as I hate to admit it, he’d probably be going to the best situation with that coaching staff.

      1. he’ll play guard on end tackle

        (guard gatorade bucket on the end of the bench
        and tackle anyone who tries to steal it)

        Cheatin’ Pete won’t be interested in him Mary..
        unless, of course he’s loaded with PEDs

        1. As an avid rugby league fan I can attest that Hayne is an exceptional athlete – strong, fast and elusive. I think he’d make a good punt/ kick return specialist. It will be interesting to see if whichever team gives him a chance (if any team) tries to coach him up at any other position.

          1. Scooter: We have an Aussie on our team now, Jesse Wilson. He grew up playing rugby and basketball, where he was a DT and nicknamed the “Monstar.” In the States he went to U of Alabama and was drafted by the Hawks in 2013 but has been injured.

            Several teams are interested in Hayne, I’m sure. As you know he visited Seattle and we’ll have to see what happens. PC/JS are very high on this guy. We do need a good PR that’s for sure!

            1. Yeah, Jesse “Tha Monstar” Williams. He’s actually from my home city. He made headline news here when he was drafted.

            2. Oh, I said Jesse Wilson — meant Williams. Guess I got Wilson on the brain. Hope he gets healthy. Apparently he’s injured his knee twice in practice and never played a game. He has a SB ring but that’s small consolation.

  42. MWN: You’re comparing the Seahawks to those thugs known as the 49ers. I hear you have to be on probation to join the club. Haha. Save your judgment.

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