49ers announce 2016 schedule

The 49ers just released their regular season schedule for 2016. How many games do you think they will win?

Week 1. Monday, Sept. 12. vs. Los Angeles Rams. 7:20 p.m. ESPN.

Week 2. Sunday, Sept. 18. at Carolina Panthers. 10:00 a.m. FOX.

Week 3. Sunday, September 25. at Seattle Seahawks. 1:05 p.m. FOX.

Week 4. Sunday, October 2. vs. Dallas Cowboys. 1:25 p.m. FOX.

Week 5. Thursday, October 6. vs. Arizona Cardinals. 5:25 p.m. CBS/NFLN/Twitter.

Week 6. Sunday, October 16. at Buffalo Bills. 10:00 a.m. FOX.

Week 7. Sunday, October 23. vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. 1:05 p.m. FOX.

Week 8. BYE

Week 9. Sunday, November 6. vs. New Orleans Saints. 1:05. FOX.

Week 10. Sunday, November 13. at Arizona Cardinals. 1:25. Fox.

Week 11. Sunday, November 20. vs. New England Patriots. 1:25. CBS.

Week 12. Sunday, November 27. at Miami Dolphins. 10:00 a.m. FOX.

Week 13. Sunday, December 4. at Chicago Bears. 10:00 a.m. FOX.

Week 14. Sunday, December 11. vs. New York Jets. 1:05. CBS.

Week 15. Sunday, December 18. at Atlanta Falcons. 1:05. FOX.

Week 16. Saturday, December 24. at Los Angeles. 1:25. FOX.

Week 17. Sunday, January 1. vs. Seattle Seahawks. 1:25. FOX.

This article has 134 Comments

    1. Yikes! That is a brutal schedule… I would also expect around 5 or 6 wins and wouldn’t be surprised if we got fewer than that.

  1. 3-13 unless something rediculous happens in the draft, like Montana, rice, Taylor, jones, Deion, Haley, Norton, Dean And Lott come walking through. Otherwise, oh boyyyyy!!!!

    1. That sounds about right even if Kelly improves the team relative to last year.

  2. 8-8. Split with seattle, cards, rams. Win Falcon, TB, Bears, Bills, saints. I one upset i have not accounted for

  3. I am betting on Chip and Company to won 3 more games than JT. Our team was a mess last year. Just having a healthy team with RBs and a oline that will pratice together should be better.

  4. Aside from an awful 7:20pm Monday, 10am Sunday one-two punch for the second year in a row, the timing of the schedule isn’t that horrible.

    Silver linings…

    – The 49ers are probably going to lose to Carolina anyway. Might as well make that one the throw-away game.

    – I like bye weeks right in the middle of the season.

  5. Chip Kelly’s 49ers will go 11-5 in 2016, barring injury, and make the playoffs.

    W – against the Rams at home, Kelly’s 49ers come out blazing.
    1-0

    L – at Carolina on a short week, this one will be tough.
    1-1

    L – on a difficult back-to-back, 49ers travel up to the Clink to get their annual beatdown.
    1-2

    W – back home, 49ers easily handle the pathetic Cowboys.
    2-2

    W – in the first sign of real change, 49ers take down the division’s defending champion Cardinals at Levi’s.
    3-2

    W – it doesn’t matter that this one is in Buffalo; the 49ers are now looking good and Rex Ryan is a joke.
    4-2

    W – dirka dirka dirka
    5-2

    W – at Levi’s this game won’t be as close as it would have been down in the Bayou. 49ers see their new coach beat the coach they really wanted.
    6-2

    L – the Cardinals get their revenge at home, but this one is closer than people think, and the league is now taking Kelly’s young, dynamic 49ers team seriously.
    6-3

    L – even though Kelly’s Eagles beat Belicheat’s Patriots at home last season, the 49ers will lose to Brady in Brady’s backyard at Levi’s. Brady will get up for his homecoming.
    6-4

    W – joke team
    7-4

    W – joke team
    8-4

    W – joke team
    9-4

    W – joke team
    10-4

    W – joke team
    11-4

    L – the 49ers, now 11-4, still can’t beat Seattle when it counts, even at home
    11-5

    1. Now I know how Rocket felt last year, when I was predicting the 49ers would have a good season.

    2. Pork I’m not sure if you’re aware of this but when you write a team’s record you list the WINS first. It appears you wrote yours backwards.

      1. This just in… Jared Goff and Carson Wentz both hurt turn their rotator cuffs in a charity pogo stick competition when they bumped into eachother and fell on their respective shoulders. Film at 11.

      2. Good ol’ 8-8 Jeff Fisher has no clue about this. It’s called the “dumpster fire strategy”.

    1. Kelly’s got ideas but his hurry up offense may turn out to be a hurry up and get off the field offense without some talent. I have no confidence in Baalke drafting or acquiring offensive talent. The one issue dominating our future offfensive roster involves a very talented person who has not been able to show it lately and it sure seems that we would like to be rid of him. We’ll see.

    2. According to Barrows the source of that story is close to the Eagles and that Chip and Trent seemed fine at the 49er Pro Day. On the other hand, Matt thinks all the ingredients are present for such a conflict.

  6. Looking ahead, if the 49ers miss out on one of the top QBs this year, I for one am looking forward to seeing how Brad Kaaya, Deshaun Foster and Luke Falk go in the 2016 college season.

  7. If we start two and o. We will see all those 49ers fake fan s come back. They were as bad as JT was a coqch.

  8. Sometimes I wonder who owns who. Do the York’s own the 49ers or do the Seahawks?

  9. The year before the Niners won their first super bowl, they were 8-8. I said to my son that next year they were going all the way. He said, “Dad, you are voting with your heart.” Next year, they won their first super bowl. I cite this to support my prediction of 12-4 record for this year, the 49ers losing weeks two and three, week ten and week 17.

        1. We’ve got a new coach who is going to install the hurry up and get off the field offense with the talent Baalke gives him.

  10. 3-13 or 13-3

    my vote is for 3-13

    Baalke should draft all OL this draft and the QB of the future with a top 3 pick next year.

    1. Tough to argue much with the espn game by game. Because of “on any given Sunday” it could go plus minus 1 win.

  11. There is some talent on this team just not enough to make a strong statement this season.

    I’m prepared for a 5-6 win season and 7-8 wins will be considered a vast improvement imo.
    We are not going to a playoff team for at least 3-4 years. What I need to see is Baalke/Kelly putting the pieces together in building a strong core of players that can be the foundation for the next 7-10 years.

    And speaking of building a core, this also applies to the FO. Baalke and Kelly will need to coexist and be on the same page for there to be continuity and structure within the organization. If these two allow their egos to get in the way this team will never find any semblance of identity.

    At the moment we are starting from the ground up so even though my 49er emotional fandom would like to say 10-11 wins, the reality is 5-6.

    1. 3-4 years until the postseason AES? Wow, you must not be a fan of Chip Kelly. It should never take 4 years to rebuild any NFL roster. If, by the end of Chip’s 2nd season, this team hasn’t vastly improved, it’s time to discuss big changes.

      Trent and Chip have 2 full seasons get this team turned around. If they aren’t looking competitive by the end of the 2017-18 season, Chip and Trent better be very nervous about their job security!

      1. 49reasons,
        Even if could get to 9-10 wins by Kelly’ second season, and that would be (imo) a vast improvement, it still may not be enough to propel us to the playoffs in our division.

        So unfortunately, I’m thinking 3-4 seasons to become a viable and hopefully perennial playoff team. But again, I’m looking at 3-4 year time-frame to be the building blocks for consistent playoff runs (with SB’ sprinkled in) for the next 4-8 seasons.

      2. Looking competitive and being competitive are two vastly different things. So they look competitive at the end of the 2017 season and things don’t go well for them in 2018. That sounds like the 2014 team. They certainly looked competitive going in.

        Suddenly it’s three or four years.

  12. Considering the Niners have the hardest schedule with Seahawks, Cards and a Goff led Rams team in their division, this will be tough sledding.
    However, if the Niners manage to hold onto Kaep, Chip figures out how to utilize Hayne and they trade back twice in the draft, they might win 8 games. If not, they will be in the hunt for the first pick next year.
    If they lose badly, Baalke may be mutually parted, so there might be a silver lining to this fiasco.

    1. Week 1. Los Angeles Rams. W (New QB jitters for the Rams)
      Week 2. at Carolina Panthers. L (A replay of the Pittsburgh game last year)
      Week 3. at Seattle Seahawks. L (I wish this game was later in the year.)
      Week 4. Dallas Cowboys. W (Dallas is older and slower at every position)
      Week 5. Arizona Cardinals. W (Niners always play these guys tough at home)
      Week 6. at Buffalo Bills. L (10 AM PST start on East Coast. Tough..)
      Week 7. Tampa Bay Buccaneers. W (Bad east coast team coming west)
      Week 8. BYE
      Week 9. New Orleans Saints. W (Another team getting older and slower)
      Week 10. at Arizona Cardinals. L (Unless Palmer gets injured by this game)
      Week 11. New England Patriots. L (Brady is still the man)
      Week 12. at Miami Dolphins. W (Miami is not a good team)
      Week 13. at Chicago Bears. W (Ditto)
      Week 14. New York Jets. W (double ditto)
      Week 15. at Atlanta Falcons. W (triple ditto)
      Week 16. at Los Angeles. L (Rams will be hitting on all cylinders by now)
      Week 17. Seattle Seahawks. W (Losing streak against Cheating Pete is over)

      11-5. Fifth Seed.

      1. Rick, I like your optimism, but being more realistic, even if the Niners improve, the other teams will also improve. Miami, Chicago, Tampa and Atlanta filled holes during free agency, while the Niners sat on their hands. Saints will fix their defense with the draft, Cowboys still have that stout O line, and the Bills have ROMAN. (jk).
        Seahawks and Cards are 2 playoff teams, and the Rams just got a QB to go along with a great RB and all those first round defenders.
        After last season, I will be more circumspect about rosy predictions. I said 10-6, and the next day Aldon imploded. This year, I will say 6 wins with Gabbert, and 8 wins with Kaep. I will also say that they will go 4-12 if they draft a QB in the first round.

        1. Seb: I was throwing out a rosy scenario based on my conviction that Kap should be a perfect fit in a Kelly offense.

          If we shore up the O line (Davis returns, we draft someone like Josh Garnett, the Outland Trophy winner from Stanford), get a stud defensive end (Deforest Buckner) with the 7th pick and pick someone like WR Charone Peake in the 3rd round you could have a vastly improved team which should be competitive in the NFC west.

          The key is get Kap to move past the bitterness and go all in with Kelly. If Kap won’t come on board, then we are a 4-12 team with at least three years or rebuilding ahead of us.

          I just don’t think Kelly or Jed want a three year rebuilding project. I am convinced that is why they did not release Kap before the April 1 deadline. They wanted to at least get Kap in the building and get him in the same room as Kelly to see if things could be worked out.

          I agree that they should not force Kap to stay if he does not want to. That would be counter-productive. I am just hoping that things could be patched up. Probably wishful thinking on my part by stranger things have happened.

      2. Rick,

        Is it your expectation that the rest of the NFL will be so surprised if the 49ers go 10-6, they’ll just give them an extra win? Check your math, you laid out a path to a 10-6 record.

    2. Laterals, Seb, don’t forget the laterals! Also, Chip has to be sure to have his QB look one way and throw the other, right?

  13. The 49ers are going to win somewhere between 4-6 wins in 2016. They will go into next season with promise of better things ahead, and by the end of that 2017-18 season, they will have the look of a playoff contender, and enter Chip’s 3rd season with serious playoff aspirations.

    1. BAALKE FIDDLES AS ROME/49ERS BURN, RAMS SHOCK NFL WORLD WITH TRADE IN PREPERATION TO KICK 49ERS AS_ OPENING ON MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!

      Sakamoto: 49ers’ Kickoff 2016 Season By Facing Los Angeles Rams On ESPN

      1. Nice to watch a team whose FO gets it, not wasting their PSL’s holders time and money with the Tomsula, Sings, and Nolans of the NFL bargain basement dumpster finds.

    2. Sounds like a poor version of the team going into the 2014 season with three divisional championship games behind them.

  14. My thoughts, based on what is known and rumored at this very early juncture:

    I think the 49ers may surprise the Rams out of the gate, especially if the Rams are starting a rookie QB. If so, it will be like the game against the Vikings last year and give many fans some false hope. After that, any hope generated by the first game will likely wane. I think 6-10 or 7-9 (depending on what Cowboys team shows up) are both realistic, with 8-8 as a possibility. I would be surprised with anything above 8-8 unless things change dramatically between now and the start of the season.

    Week 1, Rams – W (Like the Vikings last year)
    Week 2, at Panthers – L
    Week 3, at Seahawks – L
    Week 4, at Cowboys – ? (Depends on Romo’s health, I suspect)
    Week 5, Cardinals – L
    Week 6. at Bills – W
    Week 7, Buccaneers – W
    Week 8. BYE
    Week 9, Saints – L (although a W does not seem impossible here)
    Week 10, at Cardinals – L
    Week 11, Patriots – L
    Week 12, at Dolphins – W
    Week 13, at Bears – L
    Week 14, Jets – W
    Week 15, at Falcons -W
    Week 16, at Rams – L
    Week 17, Seahawks – L

    1. This scenario looks reasonable when you just consider who we are playing but there is one thing that troubles my about this and others that have been posted. Last year the 49ers won only one game on the road (and they should have lost that one). It’s hard to see how they turn that aspect of their game around at this point. You have them winning 3 games on the road (maybe 4). With the demands that Kelly has recently placed on his defense and his starters, they will likely wear down as the season progresses, and our improvement is very heavily dependent on rookies who will be added in the draft, I think we will be very lucky just to equal last years road record. Let’s hope they get the turf at Levi’s finally fixed and that we can get some kind of home field advantage back again. Hard to be optimistic at this point.

      1. Whine

        Kelly’s 2015 Eagles defense spent 32 seconds more per game on the field than Tomsula’s 2015 49ers defense.

        If Tomsula’s offense had scored as much as Kelly’s offense, the 49ers record would have been 8-8.

      2. To have a home field advantage don’t the fans have to actually be in their seats and make noise at the right time? Looking at the seat license map of Levy’s makes me wonder where the home field sound effects will ever come from.

        1. HT – From my view the 49ers have had the home field disadvantage since Levi’s opened up. Last year we beat the Vikings (a fluke), Ravens, Falcons and Rams at home.Besides the fluke win over the Vikings, the other three games were won by a combined 9 points. Even in Harbaugh’s last year we won 4 games by a total of 15 points. Sorry, I can’t see where any optimism for 2016 is coming from.

    2. Early predictions are a bear. I predicted a winning record last year… before Aldon Smith turned into a pumpkin, Anthony Davis “retired” and Kilgore’s injury setback.

      Not only is the schedule difficulty extreme, but a re-run of last season’s absurd travel situation. For second year in a row the 49ers will play a 10am east coast game after a 7:20pm MNF opener vs. team that’s had 9 days rest.

      I’m guessing the 49ers will improve and still go about 5-11.

      1. I have to agree because my most probable number is also five. ;-}

        Last year to took two gifts to reach five. Maybe this year the 49ers can do it without gifts, or if they get two gifts again, maybe they reach seven.

    3. I agree. After enduring the Rams, Panthers and Seahawk pass rushers, Romo may be more horizontal rather than vertical. I think Jerah will grab Cook with their second pick after selecting Jack or Ramsey with their first.

        1. Hey HT. I am not on here regularly right now (the pre-draft period is my least favorite time of year on this blog), so I did not see your question.

          I am basing my speculative musings on Gabbert being the starting QB this year with a rookie (mid-round pick, I suspect) as the backup. I just do not believe that Kap will be on the team when training camp starts. And even if he is, I am not sure it changes much at all.

  15. And even though I rooted for Kap, I felt bad about the cast of no nothings the front office teamed him with…Damn, what a nightmare for Kap. Imagine getting crushed every time you line up behind center having Baalke chalk up run plays from the 1940’s shoving the OC away, prior to coaching up the DB’s….What a hideous organization, and Yet, Jed still does not have a clue in what he’s got in Baalke or Kelly.
    Kelly will stubbornly stick to his no huddle offense, similar to what the Bengals invented in the 1980’s, but they had Boomer Esiason at QB, and Joe Montana’s first QB coach, Sam Wych drawing up the plays…The NFL, courtesty of Vic Fangio, (who Jed fired for even hinting at bringing in a WCO coach) shut down Kelly, so 49er fans, get ready for shut down Sunday’s…By the way, if you haven’t figured it out yet, those three and outs come quickly, so Baalke’s definitely drafting D first to give his D a breather.

    A big reason why the Eagles’ defense got so bad so quick

    By Dave Mangels  @Southern_Philly on Dec 5, 2015, 1:59p 46
    http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2015/12/5/9851284/philadelphia-eagles-defense-high-tempo-defense-offense-bill-davis-chip-kelly

    1. One caveat, If Kelly can find a QB who can win games instead of the rash of game managers fans have had to endure over the years, curtail his no huddle some what, I give the 49ers a fighting chance, otherwise, it’s no rest for the D, and we know what that means, Rams 40-49ers 14.

    1. Chipster now knows what Harb’s and Kap were dealing with…What hellhole San Fran has become.

    1. World Wide Echo Chamber 3, 49ers 0.

      Amazing how a comment by Eagle friendly Baldinger becomes a cottage industry.

      1. Best to ignore such team reports in the national press during this dead season.

  16. Could the Chipster be taking a page out of Machiavelli’s playbook before the draft to get his players, not Trent’s.
    Causing Palace drama by making Trent look bad to two coaches may be more than Jed wants.
    Or, Jed could be sending out tweets again before firing Trent.

  17. If Kaep can get over his case of the yips the 9ers could win between 8 and 11 games. Some players can get over the yips in one off season, for others its the end of their careers [see Mackey Sasser]. If Kaep is unable to over come the yips and Gabbert starts I see them winning between 5 and 7 games. If Kaep is done I would rather see them Draft Hogan start Gabbert in the first game then slowly work Hogan into the line up like Walsh did with Montana.

    1. It would be great if CK’s sitting in those position meetings, thinking “dang, this offense is perfect for me…”

      1. Have you ever been behind a porous line, thought you heard footsteps behind and turned around but no one’s there?

        As you quicken up your reads, you hit the towel boy in the knees, because you’re sure there’s someone there.

        Fear of the sack, fear of the sack, I’ve got a constant fear that someone’s always near….

      2. Hightop,
        The Yips are when an athlete gets a mental block where they can no longer do a very simple task that they were proficient at before. In baseball it where a catcher can no longer make the throw back to the pitcher see Macky Sasser or a 2nd basemen cant make the easy throw to first see Steve Sax. In golf it where a golfer starts missing 5 inch putts. In basketball its where a life time 85% FT shooter suddenly starts missing 70% of his FT’s. I believe Kaep got the yips last year or late in the 2014 season and could no longer pull the trigger on his passes, he started short arming them into the dirt and when he tried to correct he began sailing balls 20 yards out of bounds. Some athletes get over the yips but it has ended the careers of others. If Keap can get out of his own head I think he can return to his level of play of a few years ago.

          1. The yips are a little like being an alcoholic, you can get past them / it, but they’re / it’s always lurking around the corner.

  18. Well,

    Is it possible Baalke floated his draft list past chip, filled with Baalke’s ACL injured WR’s, and “on paper he has tremendous upside,” picks? All of us have questioned Baalke’s 2012 draft, he’s far from perfect.

      1. Signing Muhammed of NYJ allows the 49ers to concentrate on a top tier offensive lineman, then QB in the mid rounds.

        While there are a handful of other names who will go late on day two or early on day three, the closest thing to a cluster the 49ers have after this point would be towards the end of round five and beginning of round six, when names like USC’s Cody Kessler, Stanford’s Kevin Hogan and Louisiana’s Jeff Driskel are expected to come off the board. If the 49ers can’t get a quarterback of the future in this year’s draft, one of these three might be a good player to target to bolster the position

  19. I will be on record to say that the Chip/Baalke friction is vicious gossip. There is no reason for Baalke to be mad at Chip, and Chip publicly ceded any personnel decisions to Baalke.
    Balldinger hits below the belt and it is just a smear attacking Chip from his old boss through his toady.
    I will also state loud and clear that Chip should work on his people skills, but don’t we all?

  20. Chip is a horrible coach for a rebuild

    Chip is a great coach for a rebuild.

    Chip will train young men just out of college to be diligent professionals. Eating right. Training right. Not taking plays off. Be in great shape. Buy into a team mentality.

    The problen is chip offense is a dainty offense and not a bill parcels. Or harbough. Or singltary. Or tomsula. Or Nolan. Smash mouth power game.

    If Baalke fills team with chip players. And chip doesn’t work out. Then chip is out. And Team is left with another complete rebuild in 2-3 years.

    If Baalke doesn’t give chip, chip type players. Then chip won’t succeed. End result chip and Baalke will be gone.

    If Baalke gives chip, chip like players. He better pray they succeed. If not both chip and Baalke are gone.

    All eggs are in the chip bag.

    1. Chip did take a 4-12 team and turned it around to 10-6 and the playoffs, so he does have a decent track record. The only Caveat is that the Eagles team had talent, but they did not succeed. This Niner teams lost half their talent and most of their leadership.

  21. The Cowboys (including Jerry Jones) will fly to Berkeley to work out Goff this weekend. So much for “we’re not drafting a QB at 4.”

    1. I hope there is some validity to Barrows article. If the 9ers could get Wilkerson and still keep a 1st rd pick [#20] it would be the absolute steal of the draft.

      1. Depends on how you look at it Coach. Are you ok with paying Wilkerson like Miami paid Suh? That’s what’s it going to take to get him under contract long term. There is also the belief that the talent drops off after the first 12-15 picks, so going to 20 puts them squarely in that 20-40 range where all the talent is believed to be comparable.

        I like the idea of Wilkerson, but I can’t help but think spending that kind of money on a DL is not a wise idea. It hasn’t worked out well previously.

        1. Rocket,
          I don’t think money is an issue with the 9ers and I think Wilkerson is as better than any D linemen they would get with a top 5 pick so to me its like trading #7 for a top 5 pick as well as #20.

          1. Wilkerson is a great talent and would definitely help the team, but is a DL worth the amount of money generally paid to Franchise QB’s? Yes the 49ers have the money right now, but is it worth the cap hit for a non QB is my concern. You don’t see DL, especially non primary pass rushing DL, getting paid like QB’s very often and I think there is an obvious reason for that: they don’t impact the game like a QB. I wouldn’t be upset if the Niners made a move like this, but I also don’t think it’s a move that would help them a whole lot as far as wins and losses. You would still need to find a QB and other key additions besides Wilkerson.

            1. He’s worth more than Kaep. Defenders like Wilkerson are high impact players. They aren’t worth the same money as the best QBs, but imo they are worth as much as an ok starting QB like Bradford.

              1. Fair enough Scooter. As I said I wouldn’t be upset with the move, I just don’t think you pay the position that kind of money. As Suh has shown in Miami, DT’s don’t equal wins.

              2. A key thing to consider, rocket, is the 49ers are unlikely to need to commit big QB contract money to their QB for the next 3-4 years at minimum, assuming they are looking to the draft for the QB solution. They can afford to spend big money on other positions in the interim.

              3. Good point Scooter. Most of the contracts are for 5 years so Wilkerson’s would be coming to an end before they (hopefully) had a QB to give big money too.

        2. Are you ok with paying Wilkerson like Miami paid Suh?

          I’d be okay with paying him more because he’d be worth every penny.
          …and somewhere in America is a man named Trent Baalke running to get a paper bag due to hyperventilating because a 49ers fan mentioned spending a good chunk of change.

      2. Strictly by chart, a trade back from 7 to 20 fetches a 28, a late first rounder. It would also garner roughly 2nd rounders. The 49ers could fetch the Jets 2017 first, or their 51+2017 second.

        Then add the Wilkerson variable. Wilkerson’s a one year rental. A sign-n-trade agreeable to Wilkerson would have to be worked out in advance. The 49ers have more leverage because Wilkerson’s going to be a free agent after 2017. Its not like the Niners are a Wilkerson agent away from a super bowl.

        I wouldn’t do a straight 7 for 20+Wilkerson trade.

        If the Jets want to trade up for Goff or Wentz, Baalke should soak them for everything he can. I’d demand at least the jets 20+51+Wilkerson for 7.

        If the Jets refuse, ask for at least their 50+51+2017 2nd rounder.

        1. Sorry about the typos.

          Correction 1: The 49ers could fetch the Jets 20+ 2017 first, or their 20+51+2017 second.

          Correction 2: If the Jets refuse, ask for at least their 20+51+2017 2nd rounder.

        2. 49ers don’t make the trade without negotiating a long term deal with Wilkerson. He’s not a 1 year rental, and the 49ers are in no position to get any value from a one year rental.

  22. Week 1 vs. Lambs: Win
    Week 2 vs. Panthers: Loss
    Week 3 vs. Seachickens: Loss
    Week 4 vs. Cowgirls: Loss
    Week 5 vs. Cardinals: Loss
    Week 6 vs. Bills: Win
    Week 7 vs. Bucs: Loss
    Week 8 BYE
    Week 9 vs. Saints: Win
    Week 10 vs. Cardinals: Loss
    Week 11 vs. Patriots: Loss
    Week 12 vs. Dolphins: Win
    Week 13 vs. Bears: Loss
    Week 14 vs. Jets: Win
    Week 15 vs. Falcons: Win
    Week 16 vs. Lambs: Loss
    Week 17 vs. Seachickens: Loss

    6-10. But much improved compared to last year in terms of competitiveness.

    1. Nick, I believe you’re right:

      Tim Kawakami Verified account 
      ‏@timkawakami
      I’ll repeat: If he’s high in the 1st round, Baalke’s history is to draft LB or OL, then if he needs a QB, he does that the next selection.

      Jay Pires ‏@jayp849 · 2h2 hours ago

      @timkawakami Seriously, anyone who expected him to go QB at 7 hasn’t followed Baalke’s career. Not his style at all.

    2. Steele, what about trading Gabbert for Wilkerson straight up? Both get to keep their first round picks. Niners have tons of cap space. Of course, that means Kaep is still on the team.
      However, if Rams think an untested rookie is more valuable than a SB QB with a 4-2 road playoff record, they may think very highly of Goff, and consider him the last piece to the puzzle. Still, giving up and 2 firsts and 2 seconds for an unknown just made Gabbert a good deal since he is the starting QB of the Niners. Even Kaeps’ trade value was raised by such a blockbuster deal. Niners should insist on at least a second, but also ask for a conditional 5th next year as insurance in case Kaep leads them back to the SB.

      1. Seb… I don’t think the Jets would do that straight up.. We would have to give up Gabbert and a 2nd or 3rd… I don’t think the leauge is to high on Gabbert. So a superstar for a serviceable scrub just won’t due! Apparently the Jets want something like the Titans just got

  23. The Rams-Titans trade insures the 49ers are stuck with Gabbert this year. Kaep will be traded.

    A Gabbert led 49ers are, at best, 6-10.

    That trade also ensures that Baalke will go defense with their 1st pick.

    1. I think first off the Titans GM deserves a tremendous amount of credit for the value he got for that number 1 pick. SF in the same position was unable to trade out of it.
      The trade takes away interest in trading down and perhaps some of the value as both QB’s will likely be gone in the top 5.

      1. Good take.

        Silver lining. If both QBs are gone at 7, that means one of Tunsil, Ramsey, Jack, Buckner or Bosa will be at 7. I’d sit tight and take BPA.

        The remaining trade-down bait is Stanley. Moving back would fetch the Titans 15+44. 15+37+44 is alot of draft power that can easily be moved up if combined with 68 or 105.

      2. Jason La Canfora – Continue to hear TEN is working hard to move back into the top 10, and w/ teams expecting Rams to take Goff, Browns very open to move down

        Tenn needs an OT. I doubt they trade up at chart value. The Browns could accept less for the 2 pick. They could grab Tunsil there.

  24. I see a 4-12 season. It’s hard to go through and pin point which games are wins or losses, but this was really a 2-3 win caliber team last year that got lucky and won more than they should have. There are some mediocre teams on the schedule but the Niners are one of the worst teams in the league so some of those games will likely be losses.

    1. On any given day….”
      Forty niners 9-6

      Now, let’s get some trades put together…both up and down time’s running short, and other teams ready….

      1. So your strategy is for the Niners to only play 15 games Oregon? That is interesting but if they don’t show up for the 16th I think the league views that as a loss.

    2. rocket, looking at last season I would agree. I would have trouble seeing a single win, although you’d have to allow for flukes. However, this year’s squad is likely to score more points just based on the facts that the oline play began to improve in the latter part of the season and we will have, presumably, a better and more productive scheme. (And this doesn’t factor in the possibility that the oline play gets a lot better — due to a draft pick or trade, for example — we have a full season from Hyde, and other possible improvements, such as from Hayne and Smelter.) Then I figure Baalke will bolster the DL and ILB situation through the draft, at a minimum. So I can see us win 6-7 games. But I think it’s too early to call that.

      1. George,

        The thing about the NFL is every team faces the same hurdles and experiences for the most part. What sets the good teams apart is usually a mixture of top end talent and Coaching. No matter how much you think/hope the Niners will improve this season, opponents like the Bills and Bucs are thinking the exact same thing and both were better than the Niners last year.

        Here’s how I come to my conclusion on 4 wins:

        1) New Coaching staff. It’s not easy to get off to a good start with a new Coaching staff. Not impossible as with Harbaugh, but it’s an obstacle.

        2) Not much change in the core talent from last year. The Niners did nothing in FA to improve the team. Players they draft for the most part will not impact the team enough to improve their win/loss record this season. Down the road, hopefully a lot of players in this draft will help the team become a playoff contender, but this year most will not.

        3) QB issues. I’m not a Gabbert believer. He has given me no reason to believe he can be anything other than an average to below average player. That is his legacy from College through the pros. He’s a guy that puts up mediocre numbers and is usually on the losing side of the game. What makes his job even harder is the fact the Niners don’t have many weapons to help him. We have no #1 caliber WR, no #1 caliber TE and a bunch of players who haven’t done much of anything.

        4) Oline. This is still a question mark at best and a terrible unit at worst. They lost their second best OL to FA and added a player who has graded out as one of the worst in the league to replace him. There is a chance Beadles could turn back the clock and find previous form, but there is just as much of a chance he doesn’t. Add to that the fact we have question marks at every position but LT, and there is not a lot of reason for optimism here. Maybe Tiller will continue to improve, maybe Brown can play a reasonable RT. I don’t know, but if I’m looking at this from an unbiased perspective, there is little reason to think this Oline will improve as much as it needs to anytime soon.

        5) The schedule. It’s not kind to put it mildly. Even the lesser teams on the docket are as good or better than the Niners, and they have to face many of them on the road.

        There are other concerns like Kelly’s relationship with players, the DC’s less than impressive history and Hyde’s inability to stay healthy, but I think this covers why I don’t see more than 4 wins this year.

        1. This is very well reasoned and presented. If there is little to no improvement in the offense this coming year, sure, four wins could be it, even fewer.

  25. In the past teams could draft a player, then shop that same player later during draft.

    Is this still legal? It really got confusing for players that got a congratulatory call, only to realize 30 minutes later they were traded. Its kind of mean.

    I’m asking because some mocks show the 49ers trading down to 15 with the Titans, the Titans selecting Ronnie Stanley. Chart says the 49ers would garner the Titans 15+44.

    But what if Baalke selected Stanley at 7… and just before 15 was up, offered to trade Stanley for more than 15+44?

    1. I don’t think it’s something teams like to do Brodie, but there is nothing against it as far as I know.

  26. Even though time slotting is an issue, Lady Luck tells me this team makes significant progress over the 2015 team not difficult to achieve. The win- loss thing is highly dependent on Kelly’s ability to manage the game. If Kelly’s game skills are similar to Harbaugh’s the current players are not good enough to not overcome that deficit like Harbaugh’s teams were, however, a well orchestrated game plan hitting on all cylinders might well give the team 8 wins. Good luck guys.

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