49ers’ backup plan stuck in reverse

This is my Monday column.

Trent Baalke has to be swallowing hard this morning. Blaine Gabbert, the quarterback Baalke acquired to back up Colin Kaepernick, has a passer rating of 17.6 through two exhibition games.

Trading for Blaine Gabbert was Baalke’s worst decision as an NFL general manager, worse than his decision to draft A.J. Jenkins or to trade for Jon Baldwin or to invest in a red-shirt draft choice like Marcus Lattimore who may not even pass physicals after a year of rehab. Getting Gabbert was worse than all of that.

Gabbert could be the worst quarterback in the NFL. He makes the 49ers’ previous backup QB, Colt McCoy, look like Jeff Garcia.

The 49ers owe Gabbert more than $2 million this season. It’s guaranteed money.

You almost can understand why Baalke traded for Gabbert. He was the 10th pick in the 2011 draft. He’s tall, he’s fast, he’s smart and he throws hard. Gabbert failed on the Jaguars, but they were horrible and he had a different offensive coordinator every season. The beginning of his career mirrored the beginning of Alex Smith’s career. If Jim Harbaugh could turn Smith into a good QB, Harbaugh could do the same with Gabbert, right?

That probably was Baalke’s logic. Too bad it was flawed.

Harbaugh didn’t turn Smith into a good QB – Smith already was a good QB. Smith lacked confidence from playing six seasons on a terrible 49ers’ team. Harbaugh helped Smith get back his confidence, but Smith always could play.

Not Gabbert. Despite all of his talent, he never was a good quarterback, not even in college. His final season at Missouri, he threw just 16 touchdown passes. Smith threw 32 TD passes his final season at Utah. Gabbert’s predecessor at Missouri, Chase Daniel, threw 33 TD passes his final season at Missouri. Gabbert wasn’t half the quarterback Daniel was. Daniel currently is the Chiefs’ third-string quarterback. He may not make their final roster.

Gabbert has no ability to throw downfield. He completed 30 percent of his pass attempts that traveled more than 15 yards past the line of scrimmage in college. Abysmal. Gabbert has attempted five passes that traveled more than 10 yards downfield the past two exhibition games. The result: zero completions and two interceptions. Double abysmal.

Harbaugh and the offensive coaches have been struggling just to get Gabbert into the flow of a game and to experience any semblance of success. The 49ers went almost exclusively with a three-step-drop short passing game for Gabbert Sunday against the Broncos. Still, he completed just 57 percent of his passes. He averaged 2.9 yards per pass attempt. After a dozen dinks and dunks, Harbaugh let Gabbert throw deep. Interception.

Backup quarterbacks are critical. Starters get hurt. Jay Cutler missed five games last season. The Bears won three games in his absence because they had Josh McCown, a good backup quarterback. Now, McCown is the Buccaneers’ starting quarterback – they signed him this offseason. Baalke signed McCown in 2011 and cut him a few months later after training camp. Whoops.

Gabbert cannot keep this 49ers’ team or any team in contention. If Kaepernick gets injured, the 49ers’ season is over. Gabbert cannot back him up. Neither can the 49ers’ other quarterbacks, Josh Johnson and McLeod Bethel-Thompson. After Sunday’s shutout loss, Harbaugh said the 49ers will not go out of the organization for another quarterback. They may have the worst backup quarterbacks in the NFL. Even the Raiders have better backups.

Kaepernick has not missed an NFL start due to an injury but that doesn’t mean he’s injury-proof. Quarterbacks get injured and miss games all the time. Tom Brady has missed games. Peyton Manning has missed games.

Baalke should have traded for Michael Vick instead of Gabbert. Or Baalke could have traded for Mark Sanchez – he would have been a better choice than Gabbert. The Eagles traded for Sanchez this offseason and he’s completing 81.8 percent of his passes in the preseason.

Or Baalke could have drafted a quarterback. Jim Harbaugh said David Fales was one of the five best quarterbacks in the draft. He was available in the sixth round. Baalke could have drafted him. Baalke drafted injured cornerback Keith Reaser instead. Reaser tore his ACL last year and will spend his rookie season on I.R. Fales is with the Chicago Bears under Marc Trestman where he is likely to develop into an excellent quarterback.

The best Baalke can do is wait until next year to get a better backup. It’s too late to fix this problem now. The 49ers have to protect Kaepernick at all costs and hope he misses no games.

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

This article has 244 Comments

  1. “Fales is with the Chicago Bears under Marc Trestman where he is likely to develop into an excellent quarterback”. What makes you think this?

  2. And I read that they offered Boone a contract that would make him the 12th highest paid O lineman. And he turned it down.

    Thinking like a fan… I say don’t trade him and let him sit the whole year out.

    Thinking for the team…. I’d say trade him away and wipe your hands clean of the loser!

      1. It does not matter how much they offered him and how it would be paid. He is under contract and he should have shown up to work. No other way around it..

  3. The obligatory weekly “mushroom cloud” article. Gabbert’s looked pretty bad, but Grant sure knows how to expand that into an event that is going to bring the 49er franchise to its knees.

    I’m ready to fire Baalke. Who’s with me?

  4. I love the comparison between Gabbert and Alex Smith back when they were in college. I was a HUGE fan of Alex Smith when we drafted him out of Utah. I give Alex Smith credit for everything Urban Meyer has accomplished BUT that’s also where Alex Smith’s failure begin. Name one QB Urban Meyer has produced that has succeeded in the NFL, you can’t and probably never will. His offense is a college offense. I often say Alex Smith was the 1st Tim Tebow. Tebow only perfected what Smith started. You can make a legit argument that Tim tebow is one of the best collegiate football players ever but where is he now. Smith was good in college but he was TERRIBLE when he first got to the NFL. He was the BEST QB out of all the terrible QB’s the niners tried to replace him with. Harbaugh gave him more than just confidence.

  5. Fales could develop into a very good QB, but right now he’s the 4th best on the Bears roster. How would that help the 49ers current situation?

    1. David fales is the 4th QB behind Jordan Palmer and jimmy clausen! LMAO!!!! How can anyone take you and your dad serious when you guys talk football.

        1. That’s easy to say after 2 pre season games. I guess everyone was forgetting how bad Alex smith was for 6 years. Blaine has been in 4 systems in 4 years. It takes time especially more then one off season on a new team to improve. He has been horrible to say it kindly but I believe in Jim’s ability to make him a capable back up. And by the way if lose kaep are season is done but so is everyone’s else if they lose there starting QB.

          1. CKelite: Yes it would take more than one season to correct what was wrong with Blaine- This is what makes this move by TB totally absurd. The 49ers need a viable back up this year not a developmental QB that they pay 2 mil for and have to keep on the active roster because he is not eligible for the Practice Squad. What part of moronic move don’t you understand. I have constantly tried to tell people on this site that TB is a smart guy but with a psychological flaw that distorts perspective and is responsible for him making moves like this. The guy is OCD. Jim sure did a good job when he tried to make McCoy a viable back up didn’t he. Harbaugh is as much of a QB whisperer as Tedford was at Cal.

            1. Ya Tedford was brilliant at cal. Lol! He really developed quite the pro QBs at his time there. Other then Rodgers enlighten me on the other QBs that he has developed? Your really going to compare tedford with haurbaugh. LMAO.. You lost any creditability in your response. What back up did you have in mind that wouldn’t cost much? If we are relying on our back up we screwed period even with an upgrade there.

              1. My reason in bring in Tedford was as an example of how someone can be acquire a label that doesn’t manifest in reality. My point about Gabbert being a bad move was not that any alternative might not also not turn out well, but that with Gabbert other alternatives are not even explored. No other QB would even think of signing with the Niner’s ( except for Johnson) because they know they face the handycap of competing against Gabberts guaranteed 2 mil. The Niner’s pretty much painted themselves into a corner to sink or swim with Gabbert in that respect. For someone with a modicum of intelligence this is really a dumb move. This painting themselves into a corner and limiting their options has been a pattern. Why would any other capable vet QB even consider signing with the team under these conditions. Forgot his name but remember the Vet who signed last year and just left camp once he realized he was not being dealt a straight deck. Capable QB don’t want to be used as camp fodder.

              2. Seneca wallace was the vet last yr..but yeah I know what u mean..if im a free agent Qb,rb or Wr..I wouldn’t want to come to the niners either..No chance to really start..Or get in..They locked into Gore..he’s gonna get the majority of the snaps,Wr’s are crab,boldin then everybody else..The offensive playbook is complicated..so they want guys who know it and are familiar with it..Josh was here before..mcblt was here last season.crab and boldin know it..Gore knows..Players struggle sometimes not because they suck..but they trying to catch up with the playbook.doin it The niner way..

          2. There is no comparison. He throws more INTs than TD’s, and that has been his whole pro career in a nutshell. Alex was never this bad…You’re the one who’s forgetting. Interceptions were never the problem with Alex. He was the opposite…too timid, checking down before scanning the field, etc. And since he had all the physical tools it was relatively easy to fix his problems once his confidence came back.

    2. Big fan of Fales but no way I agree he’s the 4th best on Bears. He’s not getting any real meaningful reps, he’s a future guy for them down the road so nobody knows what he is as far as NFL speed goes.

      As for 9ers, this is a huge problem. Guys they should try and pick off other squads without spending money. Raiders don’t need McGloin who I like very much and wasn’t given enough of a look. We could trade someone minor for him.

      BJ Daniels might be available soon to pluck back from SEA, I would have him fight it out with JJ for #2.

      The fact that Tampa wants Boone, might be able to get Mike Glennon through this route which might be worth it.

      I would rather give Tebow chance over Gabbert and I’m not joking, that’s how little I think of skills for Blaine. All his passes are behind, high, never leads WR. NFL just too fast for him still after all these years.

      1. Lol, yeah the bucs are gonna trade potentially their starting qb for a problem lineman. Get real.

  6. Absolutely, positively, should have drafted a young QB. Instead they drafted all these cornerbacks, which are very good, but now will have to let a couple go for nothing. Baalke is becoming a bad GM, and if the Niners struggle to make the playoffs, it should not be on Harbaugh but him. In fact, my guess is Harbaugh walks any way after this season.

    1. Boy aren’t you a collection of positive comments. We drafted CB’s because that is what we needed. I was on the fence about Ellington, but he panned out. Might end up being a stud. The Hyde pick was genius.

      As for QB, they took a risk. If the risk pans out it’s a bold move. Unfortunately it doesn’t work out all the time.

      Your negativity is cancerous to this room FDM. I’m fired up for the season to begin. It seems like for you, you can’t wait for bad stuff to begin happening so that you can rant about it….. Must be fun being you.

      1. That’s what I like to hear. Let’s get Gore a Super Bowl ring so he can ride of I to the sunset.

      2. “Your negativity is cancerous to this room….”

        Kettle meet Pot. Pot meet Kettle.

      3. No Bayareafanatic, just a realist. You keep your head in the sand and pretend your hero is what you imagine he is. I will look to see he if can continue to have more touch on his underneath throws, less velocity on deep throws.
        As for management, Grant is right, they butchered the back up spot with the signing of Johnson and the trade for Gabbert.
        You want to look at the positives, yeah they drafted all these corners, and now will have to release a couple for nothing. Again, Baalke should have packaged all those draft picks and moved up in the 1st, get a bonafide WR or defensive end, but no, he didn’t. That’s positive alright.
        As for being me, it could be worse, I could be you on here fighting with everyone and or people telling me I have a football opinion relevant to a rodeo clown.

      4. I was on the fence about Ellington

        Is that how you remember your reaction? You really are delusional. Smh.

      5. ” The Hyde pick was genius” He was the top-rated running back by many teams, and the niners made him highest drafted running back. How is this genius?

        1. He wasn’t the highest drafted running back… Sankey and Hill were taken ahead of him.
          Also, their were plenty of reasons not to have done this… Hunter, was coming back, as was Lattimore (or so it was thought at the time)… and Cody Latimer was on the board… a highly rated prospect at a need position.

    2. Absolutely, positively, should have drafted a young QB. Instead they drafted all these cornerbacks, which are very good, but now will have to let a couple go for nothing. Baalke is becoming a bad GM, and if the Niners struggle to make the playoffs, it should not be on Harbaugh but him. In fact, my guess is Harbaugh walks any way after this season.

      FDM,

      Drafting a young QB is not going to be the difference as to whether this team makes the playoffs. I’m not saying they shouldn’t have drafted one, but anybody they drafted was going to be a late round flyer and wouldn’t have been much of a factor this year imo. As it is they drafted 3 CB’s, but one will be on IR and come in next year, while the other two have a very good chance to make the team and make a contribution this season as CB’s or on ST’s.

      Drafting a young QB can wind up being a total waste of a pick as well due to the fact many don’t pan out, and even more never see the field in the regular season for the duration of their contract. It would be great to have a better backup QB option right now, but there’s few teams in this league that are in any better shape in that area than the Niners are. Baalke is one of the best in the biz. I’m not sure why he’s so under appreciated here with the way this team has performed, but to each his own.

      1. Drafting a developmental QB this year was too late. It should have happened last year. But they thought they had the guy in McCoy. The problem with the front office is that they always spend time and effort trying to correct their previous mistakes and that keeps them from acting in the present in respect to the teams best interests. They are were still trying this year to solve last years problem at back up QB. Last years developmental QB could have been this years back up. I would love to go to war against some of you posters. You lack of tactics would make it very short one. In respect to drafting so many CB’s it’s their policy to throw a bunch of picks against the wall and hope one of them sticks. The problem is what happens when muliple picks are no longer available. TB constantly shops for bargans because if they pan out it makes him look good. If he goes for need then he seems to strick out. Injured players are bargans but the Niner’s have needs that were not met because of those picks. Why do you think other teams don’t pick those same injured players. Because they have pressing needs to fill and can’t afford to gamble.

        1. Willtalk,

          How often has that scenario you just described arisen? When has the team suffered because the front office has tried to fix a prior mistake? Trading for Stevie Johnson is a clear example of doing something for the team now wouldn’t you say? They also did draft a QB last year, but lost him off the PS. That’s what happens when you have a good roster and no room to put 3 QB’s. They will likely only go with 2 QB’s this season and still have a hard time keeping everyone they want. That is the product of having a good roster with a lot of young talent to develop.

          The last point you threw out makes no sense. Nearly every pick Baalke has made the past two years has a chance of making this team. The only need they have that has not been met is backup QB and that is not even a sure thing yet. The reason he can pick injured players and give them time is because he has built one of the most talented teams in the league and has acquired extra selections while doing so. He is not robbing the team of talent when making these picks; he has simply found another way to keep young talent on the team for a year until they need them. Please fill me in on the needs this team hasn’t filled, I’d love to see it.

          1. rocket:

            Clearly, if a GM doesn’t experience success on every single one of his moves, he’s not very good at his job.

            1. Yeah you’re right. We need a GM that is infallible. Anything less is unacceptable. Screw Baalke, we want perfection.

      2. rocket:

        Baalke is one of the best in the biz. I’m not sure why he’s so under appreciated here with the way this team has performed

        Yeah, all commenters (almost all) seem to have accepted that they don’t have what it takes physically to play in the NFL, but some can’t bring themselves to admit that they don’t have what it takes, mentally, experientially, and/or training-wise to be a GM in the NFL. They have fooled themselves into believing that they know enough about the game to do the job competently, so when they disagree with something Baalke does, they feel comfortable second-guessing him. Never mind the actual results, they know better.

        1. But claude, just imagine how much better off the 49ers would be if we let the collective wisdom of this blog run things!

          1. Scooter:

            I know. The 49ers would be going for their 9th Super Bowl title (and 4th in a row) this year.

        2. But that’s what fans do Claude. Otherwise we would bow down to every decision made and accept it as right, only because that’s not our profession? If sports were like that, there would be no fans, and with no fans, no money, and with no money, no athletes or franchises. So my friend, second guessing is actually what keeps this thing going.

          1. FDM:

            We’ll have to agree to disagree. Second-guessing someone with Baalke’s track record is pretty unreasonable. Yeah, he’s going to miss on some moves, but he’s hitting significantly above-average.

            People are tying themselves in knots over the back up QB situation. If that’s your biggest complaint, then things are pretty good.

            1. The backup QB decision/dilemma is complete hindsight. Getting Gabbert for a 6th round pick was a steal considering his original draft status. My problem with Baalke is the philosophy of acquiring more and more picks each year and not move up and use the surplus to acquire a 1st week starter/playmaker.
              The team is deep, young, set up for years. This was the year to use those picks and get a bonafide impact player they need.

              1. FDM:

                Even with the reduced compensation for rookies under the CBA, a Top 10 draft pick is going to cost more against the cap than numerous later picks combined. The 49ers clearly would rather spend big big dollars on experienced players, particularly their own, than on rookies. They round out the roster with relatively low priced draft picks. It’s a reasonable philosophy in a salary cap league and one that seems to be proving successful.

              2. Also, didn’t Baalke use a 3rd to move up for Reid in the 2013 draft? Didn’t he use a lower pick to move up for Kaeprnick in 2011? And Davis in 2010?

                Is your complaint simply that he didn’t trade up this year?

              3. I understand the reasoning behind the acquisition of picks and salary cap ramifications for top 10 picks, BUT, with a roster deep in talent, youthfulness, and a ready to win demeanour, the 49ers could have used an over the top playmaker to make their championship run a little easier.

              4. FDM:

                Yes, they could have, but then they would have been without Ward and Hyde, perhaps one of the third rounders, plus next year’s 1st. I can understand why you would have made that trade, even if I wouldn’t have. Why do you seem to have so much trouble understanding why I Baalke didn’t make it?

              5. Claude lets not pretend to know what the compensation would have been. The point is when a team is on the cusp, has depth, and the resources to get a player to get them over the hump while being in that position for 10 years, you make a bold move.
                You cannot say the 49ers would have mortgaged the future because the future is now and with the surplus of depth and picks, it would have been a move well worth it. Why cant you understand that the organization would have been well served making that kind of move?

      3. Rocket, your starters in the secondary are Culliver, Brock, Reid, and Bethea. Your nickel and dime is Ward and or Cox/Spielman. That means a combination of Acker, D.Morris, D. Johnson, P.Cox/Spielman, Dhal,McCray, C. Cook is getting stashed and or cut. That’s a lot of talent unused.
        Packaging some of the picks to move up in last years draft was what Baalke should have done. You don’t acquire picks only to not use them. That’s business 101.

        As for not drafting a young QB, why not? Even if he was an understudy, it would create better competition, something the organization could use as future trade bait if he developed well. I know its hindsight but JJ and BG have been poor decisions on Baalke’s part.
        Baalke started out his tenure of the 49ers GM really well, has had great drafts. But all is not roses. You could point to a number of bad decisions in the last 12 months he has made.

        1. So many people seem to hate Baalke’s approach of adding more players at a position than you can keep, and letting them compete for a spot. Not every draft pick will work out, nor every FA acquisition. To make your team strong top to bottom you need account for the fact that some guys won’t pan out. The downside is that occasionally you will let a guy go at the bottom of the roster that ends up being decent somewhere else, and occasionally you will strike out on all guys you bring in for a position.

          1. Scooter: Using this approach would make sense if you didn’t have needs in other area’s. Each team only has so many resources to work with and must attempt to prioritize and utilize them to maximum efficiency. They idea of throwing a bunch of draft picks against the wall and hoping some of them stick does not qualify in that respect. When TB and Jim took over they had a pretty solid roster and had the luxury of taking high risk high reward choices. That would include drafting IR to in order redshirt them to the next year. Most other teams did not have that luxury so they pretty much had their choice. Once other needs come into play that type of stratagy comes with a cost. The Front office/ Coaching staff has not made the transition from the former to the later. There are just too many holes in this roster due to injuries etc. for them to be able to afford whiffs on draft gambles. During the last few seasons the team has made very bad use of their available resources the consequences of which are beginning to show. As you stated you need to have backup plans for when picks and other acquisitions don’t pan out. That doesn’t seem to have happened at QB. The reason that they had to put so many resources at WR this year is because the made bad decisions at that position last year. It is an example of having to compensate for a previous mistake. They are locked into this type of pattern and next year they will have to compensate for the mistakes made this year at QB and other positions that they didn’t address because the were compensating at CB. A good GM does not get themselves into a cycle of correcting mistakes.

            1. I meant to write CB instead of WR at the end of the last post in respect to the resources use in this seasons draft.

            2. willtalk,

              They corrected the AJ Jenkins draft mistake by trading a 6th round pick for Boldin and drafting Patton.

              They haven’t thrown picks against the wall, in fact it’s the exact opposite. They’ve drafted players that can make the roster which is why the past two drafts look to be outstanding.

              Again I ask you: what other needs and positions did they not address and where are your examples of the team following a pattern of making these mistakes?

            3. The team signed Gabbert, Johnson, McBLT and Faulkner at QB. They did attempt to fill the backup QB spot. As you said, there is only so many resources available to do so, so they used a combination of low cost FA pickups, a trade using a low round draft pick, and UDFA to fill the hole. They had other positions that needed to be sorted in the draft, including OL, LB, WR, and especially CB which was and is in a massive state of flux. They filled all their holes.

              Now people are saying Gabbert is not as a good a what the 6th rounder they used on him could have provided in the draft. Please, how many 6th round rookie QBs are going to come in and save the day? Would they truly be better than Gabbert or Johnson? Doubtful. Some are saying they should have used a high to mid round pick on a QB – but you don’t want to be going into the draft needing to use a high pick on a QB that is just going to be a back up. They made the right choice going for an experienced QB to back up Kaep. Time will tell whether they made the right choices as to which ones to get.

        2. FDM,

          There isn’t a GM in this league who doesn’t make mistakes and Baalke is no exception, but his hits far outweigh his misses. As Scooter said, not every move is going to result in a positive outcome, but the more chances you give yourself, the better the odds of hitting on it. Last year he did trade a 3rd round pick to move up and get Reid. Excellent move in hindsight. Not sure what other picks you wanted him to package but it’s hard to do with late round picks which is why you don’t see that very often.

          Only two players from last years draft are no longer with this team (Cooper and Daniels) and every player in this years draft has a shot to stick on this roster in some capacity. What is the problem you see? That is called hitting a home run in the draft where I come from.

          The CB’s in my opinion are likely to be:

          Brock
          Culliver
          Cox
          Cook
          Johnson
          Acker

          The Safeties:

          Reid
          Bethea
          Ward
          Spillman

          They might even keep Morris as a ST’s player instead of Ventrone. They don’t have to lose much of their young talent in this area at all and fact would have to part with 3 of the players you just listed at most. Dahl and McCray are not big losses and McCray may be a PS candidate. Dahl might make it due to being a vet and ST’s player but that would come at the expense of another player at another position most likely.

          As I said to Willtalk in an earlier post, drafting a young QB is as big a crapshoot or more than drafting another position. You are talking about drafting a player who is going to be stuck behind a young QB you just signed to a big extension and who will get minimal reps once the season starts. There’s a reason why that job usually goes to a veteran player. Even if the young QB you draft does look good in the limited time he has to play, he doesn’t help you on the field unless your starter goes down. Ryan Mallett was taken with a 3rd round pick and hasn’t played in the regular season. That 3rd round pick could have been better used in hindsight don’t you think?

          There’s no perfect way to do things but Baalke is pretty much as good as it gets and anybody thinking he’s a problem or isn’t very good at his job is delusional. Just look around the league and compare him to others and you’ll see very quickly why York loves this guy.

          1. Never stated that the back up had to be acquired through the draft. The problem in not addressing the problem was not having the luxury of having a developmental QB at the third QB position. The emphasis became entirely at who would be the back up. The didn’t think that McCoy was the guy so they couldn’t have a pure developmental QB at the third position but needed another guy to back up a shaky McCoy. That’s why they played musical chairs at that position after the 53 man cut down and cut Danials. This year they have put themselves in the same position.
            I don’t think TB is suited for his job. So you are calling me delusional. You exhibit the tendency of someone who when they can not comprehend something discount it as being irrational. Before you begin to throw around words like delusional you might try to get a better understanding of what the word means. The ultimate of arrogance is when everything beyond ones comprehension is labeled and defined as delusional. Just because you don’t recognize something doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. TB has a lot of good attributes. The problem is that his OCD will often negate and sabotage his strengths. It took Cuban quite a while before he recognized the destructive traits of Donny Nelson. Owners are not always the smartest tools in the shed when it comes to hiring GM’s or coaches. It takes a while of trial and error for them to finally catch on- that is if they are capable of doing so. The fact that York loves this guy is the very reason he would not be objective and blinded to his faults. I should know better than to get into a discussion in area’s that people know so very little about. Some people just want to think everything is hunky dory until the floor drops out beneath them. Much like everyone thought our economy was just fine.

            1. No, he called you delusional because you maintain with great conviction the false belief that Baalke isn’t very good at his job despite all the evidence to the contrary. That’s pretty much the definition of delusional thinking.

            2. willtalk,

              There is nothing you have stated that I don’t understand, and to suggest that is the epitome of arrogance. I’ve read your pseudo-psychoanalysis of Baalke and it is not worth the time you took to post it. You don’t know the man, have never talked to him, any of his colleagues or friends, and yet you think you can come up with a diagnosis of OCD based on an article that described how he pulled weeds out of cracks in cement while he was waiting for somebody. Then you finish off by deciding that OCD is a detriment to success and he his no longer suited for the position.

              Your reasoning as to why Baalke is not suited for his job are myopic and ignorant. You ignore the fact he’s been one of the best GM”s in the draft since the day he got the job and focus on behavioral patterns you think he exhibits. That is delusional.

              Here’s what you are not grasping: The Niners have a 26 year old QB they believe is their starter for the next decade. They want a veteran backup in case of injury which is why they have brought in veteran options the past two years. They are not interested in having a developmental #3 QB taking up a roster spot which is why they let Daniels go last year so they could proceed with 2 QB’s on the active roster. My guess is they plan to do the same this season which is why it made no sense to draft a rookie they couldn’t count on as a backup. You can debate whether the strategy is sound but to formulate this theory you have, and decide the GM isn’t suited for the job is nonsense and a clear example of Claude’s post about armchair GM fans thinking they know more than they do.

              The facts are pretty clear: this incompetent GM has built a team that has gone to 3 NFCCG’s and a SB. I wouldn’t call that hunky dory; I’d call that some damn good work worthy of praise, not scorn.

              1. First of all TB did not build this team. The majority and strength of this team was there before he became GM.

                You were the one who does not understand my point about Gabbert. I never said that the Niners should or should not get their number 2 through the draft. I stated that if they wanted to do so the time to have done so should have been addressed prior to this draft I actually agreed with those who felt this was not the draft to get a back up. Only a developmental QB they could stick on the practice squad.

                I am well aware of why the dropped Danials and their rational for having two QB’s on the active roster. They did however replace Danials on the practice squad with a player closer to being game ready which they would not have done if the felt confident in McCoy. An example of a roster move made to correct a mistake made. The mistake being that McCoy was a viable backup. They put Their new addition on the practice squad because McCoy was not eligible. Two QB plan makes sense but you have to have a trusted agent and reliable #2 QB which is why putting all the eggs in the Gabbert basket made so little sense. The guy was a gamble and you just don’t gamble with the # 2 QB if he is all you are going to have as back up. You gamble with your #3 or developmental QB which is what Gabbert appears to be. But you don’t pay 2 mil for a developmental QB that is under contract for only one year.

                As to my reasoning on TB. I have been posting my rational for sometime. You would have to put all those posts into context. TB is not alone. Most people are in positions they are not really suited for. The problem is that most people do not recognize that until everything starts to unravel. Then they are still clueless as to why. He might still be better at his job than the majority of GM in the NFL. but that does not change the fact that he acts on emotional blind spots that often seem to superceed his intellectual reasoning abilities. The guy is very intelligent which is why some of his decisions would make no sense outside of that context.

    3. FDM- Baalke might be a good GM if a team was in a different stage of development. He would be good for an early talent building stage but not the stage the team is in now. Part of his MO is positioning for the future rather than the present. He doesn’t want to tie his hands as a GM with less picks. But this comes at the price of the present. His actions are geared not for the teams benefit his own image as the draft ninja. He would not be very good on a team that had a lot of holes to fill and fewer picks to do it with. His good picks are ones that other teams have bypassed for various reasons such as injuries. But when you look at higher picks that were picked for need his record is not that good. The area’s that he excels are no longer provide an advantage to a team that just needs to fill a few holes ( acquiring multiple draft picks) so he appears less effective. Is he a horrible GM- No! But he is really not the brilliant GM that some of the Niner fans have made him out to be. Both him and Harbaugh fell into a good situation so neither of them is as good as the initial results made them out to be. I do think Harbaugh is a much better coach than TB is a GM. Jim has his flaws as well but I actually like Harbaugh as a coach. I also suspect that Harbaugh might walk away because he wants more control and doesn’t like dealing with TB. Some of you say TB built this team. That is laughable. He played a part in it, but not as the GM. The only one who actually built a 49er team was Bill Walsh. And neither Jim or TB are in his league.

      1. But when you look at higher picks that were picked for need his record is not that good.

        Yeah, Aldon Smith’s lack of production has been disappointing. Same with Eric Reid, Mike Iupati and Anthony Davis. And Jimmie Ward certainly looks like he has no future in this league.

        Since he took over, Baalke has missed on one high pick – AJ Jenkins. And he moved on from that pick after one season (so much for your assertions that (a) Baalke’s ego leads him not to admit mistakes in an effort to save face and (b) the team spent too much time trying to develop Jenkins).

        Your assertions repeatedly ignore the actual facts. How deep do you plan to dig this hole?

  7. Ah yes…and it comes back full circle to Fales. You sly dog you.

    Yes Fales was our ticket to the big game. Great job Baalke!

        1. From today’s Seattle Times sports (“analysis”):

          Keep: Russell Wilson, Tarvaris Jackson, Terrelle Pryor
          Cut: B.J. Daniels

          Also in the Headlines: “Broncos shred 49ers in Levi’s”. I even saw a SeaHawks fire engine yesterday – yup Green/Blue. Sickening…

    1. I was half-joking. I do think come the final roster cuts we will cut JJ and bring someone else on and stash him at #3 on the depth chart. Muck like that Skelton move last year.

      Pryor’s not a bad option. Ponder’s a possibility if cut, but I have no idea what’s going on there if being cut is even an option for the Vikings.

      1. Skelton was not an answer last year. All they are doing is hoping Kaep doesn’t get injured while they keep pushing the problem on the the next season. The musical chairs they played with the roster last season was a perfect example of a front office and coaching staff scrambling to correct previous errors in judgement. What you have is a rookie college coach who never had to worry about a 53 man roster limit and a rookie GM who always had oversight bumbling around in an attempt to put together a viable roster. Neither of them know what they are doing in this respect.

        1. Oh wow. Okay I’m just going to insert Claude’s comments right below this. It seems to fit very nicely:

          Claude:

          “Yeah, all commenters (almost all) seem to have accepted that they don’t have what it takes physically to play in the NFL, but some can’t bring themselves to admit that they don’t have what it takes, mentally, experientially, and/or training-wise to be a GM in the NFL. They have fooled themselves into believing that they know enough about the game to do the job competently, so when they disagree with something Baalke does, they feel comfortable second-guessing him. Never mind the actual results, they know better.”

          1. I know I don’t have the expertise to be a GM in the NFL. That doesn’t keep me from recognizing blatant mistakes. If I know they are blatant and would not have made them than the existing GM should also have known. Listen Leo- I recognize patterns of behavior. I am very good at that and have prognosticated many area’s utilizing that talent. Historical outcomes gives me confidence in those abilities. It’s much like some QB see the entire field and others are just one read. Survey the field and you can predict outcomes. Reading defenses is just predicting patterns. There I put it in football context. Whether its in respect to personalities ( microcosm) or entire societies ( macrocosmic) the rules and results are the same. There has always been a difference between coaching and playing. Just because someone can not play does not mean they can not recognize the flaws of those that are playing.

        2. What you have is a rookie college coach who never had to worry about a 53 man roster limit and a rookie GM who always had oversight bumbling around in an attempt to put together a viable roster. Neither of them know what they are doing in this respect.

          You forgot the part where, under those two bumblers, the team went 13-3, 11-4-1 and 12-4 and appeared in 3 NFCCGs and a Super Bowl.

          I can’t believe I’m writing these words, but you, sir, are more full of crap than bay.

          1. The roster that they took to that record was one that previously existed. Harbaugh was a much better coach than the guy he followed. I am not saying that Jim or TB do not bring something to the table. Only that they do not know how to build a viable 53 man roster. They musical chairs of last year and the roster this year is proof of that. They had a lot to begin with but once injuries and drafts to replace that core team came into play the results were not good. I am saying that Harbaugh and TB both being rookies and having similar personalities and thus blind spot negative traits were not a good match. Either one would have done better if they other was someone with more experience who could mitigate their blind spots. I am not even saying that they could not learn but that might be at the expense of the team. Just revisit where this team stood at the end of the first season under Harbaugh. Did anyone envision that they would have the roster problems they have now? They were loaded with quality players and future pick. Can you pollyanna’s explain what happened between now and then?. I will be waiting for your explainations.

            1. Can you pollyanna’s explain what happened between now and then?. I will be waiting for your explainations.

              Yeah, the team went to the Super Bowl and then to the NFCCG with regular season records of 11-4-1 and 12-4. Oh, the bumbling.

              Besides the back-up QB position, where are all these roster problems you keep telling us the team has?

              1. They still do not have a viable back up QB. They have had multiple seasons to address that issue. They also have a problem with the offensive line. They have had to put mulitiple resources into the CB position this season. Resources that could have been utilized elsewhere. Look the team is not that bad off. My concern is less the condition of the team but the process that the frontoffice/coaching staff has use the last two seasons. True there have been a lot of injuries and other factors involved but mistakes like Colt McCoy and Gabbert and the AJ circus were unnecessary. Not the draft of AJ ( mistakes happen) but spending the time to try to turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse and not going after alternative receivers while relying on unknown production of injured players hurt the Niner’s last year. While the injuries have been a major part of their problems, the misuse of resources has contributed in not having them available now for these types of emergency’s. All those draft picks frittered away so they can be thrown against the wall to see if they will stick- misuse of picks. All this depth that is supposed to be there seems to be an illusion. They need to be able to evaluate their talent better so they can make choices for their roster quicker. Harbaugh always declares he is happy with a the quality of talent at a position, stays put and it becomes a problem during the season. Last year he was happy with the wide receivers he had in training camp. He was also happy with McCoy. This year he is happy with Gabbert. Seems like a pattern to me.

            2. Just revisit where this team stood at the end of the first season under Harbaugh. Did anyone envision that they would have the roster problems they have now? They were loaded with quality players and future pick. Can you pollyanna’s explain what happened between now and then?. I will be waiting for your explainations.

              This team is better than the one in 2011. There is more quality and depth across the board than that team had. As I have asked you repeatedly and Claude just did as well: what exactly are these roster problems you keep talking about?

              1. Is the defense better? Is the QB depth better? Is the offensive line better? Is the running back depth better. Gore and Hunter vs Gore and Hyde- Remember Hyde is still a rookie and hasn’t played yet. Gore is also much older and not the player he was. WR corp does appear to be better. The special teams were excellent that year. The team set a new NFL record for takeaway vs turnover rate that year as well. I don’t really think comparing the teams is what I was referring too. I was referring to the long term prospective of the team. What they had in respect to the prospective loses via age and free agency vs the resources available to replace the pieces. The future looked much brighter than it does now.

            3. “I am not saying that Jim or TB do not bring something to the table. Only that they do not know how to build a viable 53 man roster.”

              Really? 14 of the 22 players that are slated to start this season are guys Baalke has either drafted or signed since he took over as GM.

              1. Perhaps build was the wrong word to use. I meant more along the line drafting in respect to having to cut down to 53 players. Drafting players is not necessarily efficiently building a roster. He had a huge amount of draft picks to work with the last few years with very few holes to fill. They made some good decisions as well. I just feel they wasted a lot of resources which will come back to hunt them. This is allowing the usual mistakes that are made in the draft. Those are not always avoidable. They did make a lot of mistakes that were real head scratchers and which were avoidable. When they had to make cuts last season they seemed confused as to who to keep and who to let go. They used two roster spots to work out trades for the two LB for which they only got two seventh round picks and lost players off waivers that were definately worth more than seventh rounders. They could have worked out trades before the dead line which would have given them much more bargaining power and open up the two roster spots as well. I just don’t think they consider all the variables in respect to drafting and cutting down to a final 53 man roster.

        3. Claude, Jack,
          My post didn’t appear where it was intended. I meant for it to appear after the 97th post made today by that gasbag “Willtalk”.

          1. Bar None:

            It would improve the site greatly if we could always identify the comment to which a reply is made, as is done at NinersNation. For whatever reason, the people maintaining this site won’t set things up that way.

  8. Top 10 things that occur with Blaine Gabbert as the backup QB:

    10. You finally find a reason to not any preseason games.
    9. You bet on how many interceptions are thrown and not touchdowns.
    8. You starting thinking that Tony Romo doesn’t look so bad after all.
    7. You see in the news that Justin Smith is denying that he was a Missouri
    Tiger for fear of having an actual connection with Blaine Gabbert.
    6. You are rooting for the opposing defense to sack Blaine Gabbert so you
    don’t have to see him throw.
    5. You notice that Jim Harbaugh has a bottle of antacids on the podium at
    each press conference.
    4. You start wondering if the Jets would be willing to trade Geno Smith to
    the 49ers.
    3. You receive a 10 page letter from Trent Baalke with him repeatedly
    apologizing that he traded for Blaine Gabbert.
    2. You declare that the term BLAINE GABBERT is now an example of
    swearing.
    And finally…
    1. You actually start to believe that Tim Tebow is worth a look.

  9. Maiocco has a new column out on Boone. Clarifies some things if true. For example, if they had offered him what Brandt reports, he would have accepted it, and that, as I understand MM, the sticking point is that they offering that kind of money but insist that he play out the last two years of his current contract.

    http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/holdout-boone-49ers-remain-apart-contract-stalemate

    If this is true, it seems to me that if J. Martin pans out, Boone’s may be in real trouble, because it sounds like the team will not be pushed around and of course they have his rights for another two years. If they end up trading him, it will be on their terms, that is, if he wants to leave he will have to accept their trading partner.

    1. *the sticking point is that while they are offering that kind of money, they are insisting that he play out the last two years of his current contract.*

      1. this was my scenario:

        say he gets an offer for a 2 year extension. 2 years for $10M. A $3M signing bonus and $3.5M a year salary in 2016 and 2017. So great, he pockets $3M but he has no other assurances because he’s still making just $2M in salary this year and only $1.2M next year. So he’s still expendable and under paid even with an extension. and truthfully, I don’t think the Niners would offer this much of an extension.

    2. The Boone situation is exactly what I figured it was in that Boone wants his final two years ripped up and replaced with a new contract. That is not going to happen. The team likely would give him more money up front based on adding a couple of years onto the deal but they aren’t going to rip up a contract with two years remaining on it. They won’t set that kind of precedent.

      If this is true and Boone is hell bent on sitting out until he gets it, he is not going to show up until week 11 or will be traded. His agents have used this tactic before and all it does is lose the player money and waste a year of his career. Good luck Alex.

      1. rocket; With no loss to the new agent because he gets nothing from the old contract anyway. It’s Boone who takes a financial hit if the tactic doesn’t pan out. Boone is kind of stupid if he doesn’t consider his new agent and advisor has nothing to lose and everything to gain by this hold out.

        1. willtalk,

          My guess is Boone has been talked into believing that the money he is scheduled to make this year is not worth playing and possibly getting injured for. The problem with that is he wastes a year of his career in his prime and makes virtually nothing when all the fines and missed game checks are added up. This is the nuclear option for agents to use when wanting new contracts for their clients and hardly if ever works.

          He’s the one who loses the most in the end which is unfortunate because he’s become a pretty good player through working hard and changing his attitude. This is a losing proposition for him.

          1. Rocket I think this is Boone positioning himself to become a tackle instead of guard. He will make way more money with a position change. The only way this happens is via trade.

  10. Josh Johnson had a bad week this week. He had a decent one last week. He won’t make the team because he won’t get in after Kap this week. They keep trying to force feed us Gabbert. Josh is better and we’ve seen him perform in this offense.im sure he’s outplayed Gabbert in camp. That 2 million won’t allow Gabbert to get cut. Grant is right. Trading for a bum with a 2 million dollar guaranteed contract was a clown move. It wasn’t like Gabbert was a mystery. He stunk before he got here.

    1. Josh had the perfect opportunity to get into the picture yesterday. He didn’t take advantage of it. It may not have mattered. He’s probably going to get cut regardless. His contact isn’t guaranteed for 2 mil.

      1. Hey guy, who cares about Josh Johnson? That ship has sailed 6000 moons ago. He is nothing but a guy wearing a hat on the sidelines and scout team player Monday to Saturday.

    2. Gabbert may suck, but he’s played in the NFL, he is going to be further along than any rookie. He’s not a bad project. It’s still a little early. The Niners never look good in Preseason, and that bothers me but it’s the truth.

      I don’t agree that a rookie could come in and play and compete

      Josh Johnson can’t even shine in the 3rd string.

      Its funny sometimes, because last year BJ daniels to me looked like a perfect back up and they let him go.

      I think Harbaugh and company plays it way too safe in the preseason. It’s good to have your players healthy, but let the team show some rhythm out there and make some plays. Get in the flow like Peyton got too the other night. Isn’t Peyton more in danger of being hurt than Colin?

  11. eh, it’s preseason. While I’m pretty certain that Gabbert is bad at this point. This being preseason, I’m guessing he’s not this bad. Preseason has lots of moving parts in terms of personnel being tried out and not necessarily the best options at their positions, non-adaptive play calling (ie. plays are usually called with the intent to put the offense/QB in the best possible position to execute vs. simply calling plays to see how guys execute). while many of Gabbet’s passes looked off their mark; behind the receiver or too high..etc….on the other hand if the pass hits the receiver in the hands, he should catch it…so I’m pretty certain that Gabbert isn’t doing the receivers any favors but they’re not doing him any favors either.

    I guess what I’m saying is that it’s not all Gabbert’s fault. the offense has been one big cluster***ck with Gabbert front and center. but a cluster***ck takes a team effort.

    and I don’t think missing on a back up QB…even for $2M is nearly as bad as missing on the 2012 first round pick.

    1. Re your last paragraph: Spot on. Besides, why do the complainers always bring up the money? It’s the draft pick that’s more important, and it was just a 6th. When they announced the acquisition, I was one of the ones who thought he’d become the 3rd QB, not the 2nd, so it surprised me they thought he’d be that good that early. He still has time, though.

      1. If money isn’t that important we will see if Gabbert gets cut even if he keeps stinking it up. Money can also be carried over to the next year so yes it is important. If they have to carry Gabbert even though he stinks they might as well not have vet back up at all and just carry a rookie at less cost.

        1. Gabbert’s money is getting paid whether he’s on the roster or not. It should have no bearing on whether they keep him though. Neither keeping him or cutting him saves them any money at this point.

          1. Keeping him saves face. Don’t underestimate the role of ego in making business decisions. Just look at the Veterans health scandals. People in positions of authority like to hide mistakes and are not to shy about letting someone else take the fall. That was all about not looking bad. CYA.

            1. Sure. That’s possible. Baalke sure didn’t have any trouble off-loading AJ Jenkins though. Getting rid of him before the start of his 2nd season was unheard of treatment for a former 1st rounder. They alsmot always get at least 2 years to prove themselves.

              Baalke doesn’t strike me as one to keep a player to save face.

              1. Show me a #1 pick that looked as bad as AJ did his first season and through training camp that was kept. It’s not like he was a change of position project. What they expected him to do was get stronger and it was obvious that wasn’t going to happen so once they had the opportunity to shed at least on year of his contract Baldwin was non cap hit cutable this year AJ was not.they took it. They never actually cut AJ. Contract hits make a big difference when it comes to roster decisions. That’s the corner that they have painted themselves in with Gabbert this season.

                You are wrong about Baalke. His self image (ego) is very important to him and a major driving force for him. Ego is an externalized compensation for insecurity. ODC is also a coping mechanism for insecurity. It all points in the same direction. He is intelligent so he does have the potential to learn and overcome.

              2. Willtalk:

                Numerous commenters have refuted your unsupported assertions with documented facts, yet you continue to tell us that we are the ones who are wrong. Perhaps it’s time to turn that magic mental health diagnostic lens upon yourself.

  12. Geez Grant every time I think you’ve maxed out on the hyperbole meter, you take it up another notch. There is no way trading a 6th round pick for a backup QB is the worst decision Baalke has ever made. Letting Marcus Cooper go was worse imo along with what we now know about AJ Jenkins. There is also the fact Harbaugh was completely on board with the move. He raved about Gabbert and talked about how he had wanted him at Stanford etc., so this is as much on Harbaugh as it is on Baalke.

    Then there’s the simple fact that they are in the same position they were last year. McCoy was awful a season ago, and this team likely would have been dead in the water if he had played. Most teams will be in big trouble if they lose their starting QB, it’s part of the game.

    If I remember correctly, both Vick and Sanchez were released not traded, and Sanchez sat on the unemployment line for awhile before the Eagles picked him up. They may have been better options than Gabbert possibly but they weren’t coming here. Vick signed for 5 mill which he wouldn’t have sniffed in SF, and Sanchez was a disaster the past couple of years. They took a shot at a QB that has all the physical ability in the world but is lacking mentally in the hopes Harbaugh could coax better play out of him. So far it hasn’t happened, but there is still time and if it washes out so be it. It’s a 6th round pick and 2 mill, hardly a crippling move for the franchise.

    And get over the Fales fixation already will ya? He’s this years Tyler Wilson for you. Seek help.

    1. while I don’t necessarily completely agree with Grant on Gabbert (but yeah, he does suck);

      to be fair, the issue with Gabbert isn’t the cost of a 6th round pick. it’s the $2M in guaranteed salary that eats up valuable cap space that is the issue. McCoy stuck too but at least he took a big pay cut.

      1. The two million has little effect on the team this year affp. They have plenty of cap room available right now and any vet back up QB was going to eat up at least 600 grand or more. The money is not an issue and neither is a 6th round pick in a year they made 12 selections. Grant is again going over the top with his hyperbolic writing style.

        1. rocket:

          Grant is again going over the top with his hyperbolic writing style.

          Yeah, but this time, he’s writing something most commenters agree with, so it’s different from most of his prior hyperbole.

          1. Very true Claude, so instead of being called a clown, he is revered by the masses for this round of hyperbole.

          2. Most commenter agree on what Claude herve villechaize. Quit appointing yourself the leader of the window lickers. FDM and Prime don’t want to be led. Dopes don’t want a leader.
            While we can all agree that Gabbert has been terrible, he also is our only true veteran QB. It is what it is. I liked JJ a lot in the past. He’s not grabbing the opportunity. Having said that, what team doesn’t drop off immensely when the starter goes out?

            1. Can someone translate bay’s comment* for me? I’ve read it three times, but still don’t understand what he’s trying to say.

              ————————————
              * Specifically, the first four sentences.

              1. Ill give it try: Translation: “Im a baseball guy, trying to learn the game of football so I just basically have verbal diarrhea when it comes to forming an opinion about something I have no clue about.

        2. They have about $9M in cap space right now with Iupati, Crabtree and Aldon’s contracts to consider for extension. They’re not going to resign all three and they’re probably taking a wait and see with Aldon. But right now even with a $10M bump in salary cap next year (which would be a huge bump) the Niners would be very close to the cap without any cuts or restructuring. So rolling over that $9M will come in very nice and another $2M would be a big deal for next year too.

          1. affp,

            The most they would have saved with another vet QB would be about 1.3 mill. That is not going to be the difference in whether they sign a player to a long term extension or new contract. It is a very small amount in the context of the cap and any QB signed to the vet minimum would not solve the back up dilemma anyway.

            1. I’m not sure why I’m making Grant’s argument for him…since I don’t think Gabbert is as bad as he’s shown (but he still stinks).

              I don’t think you understand how tight the Niners situation is predicted for the 2015 Cap. IF the Cap goes up another $10M…again IF…the Niners will be right at the Cap…GIVE OR TAKE A FEW HUNDRED THOUSAND $. The Niners have $9M to work with this year and next to resign some players or sign players in 2015 free agency. So yeah…$1.3M would make a big difference in the grand scheme of things.

              1. I’m not sure why I’m making Grant’s argument for him…since I don’t think Gabbert is as bad as he’s shown

                No, he’s worse.

              2. “I’m not sure why I’m making Grant’s argument for him…since I don’t think Gabbert is as bad as he’s shown”

                that literally makes no sense. do you have anything to back up your statement or is it just an emotional reaction to Gabbert’s poor preseason play?

              3. let’s try again,

                “I’m not sure why I’m making Grant’s argument for him…since I don’t think Gabbert is as bad as he’s shown (but he still stinks).

                No, he’s worse.”

                that literally makes no sense. do you have anything to back up your statement or is it just an emotional reaction to Gabbert’s poor preseason play?

              4. affp,

                I know how up against it they are next year and I’m telling you 1.3 million is not a difference maker. That amount can easily be created with the release of a low roster player or contract restructure. That will not have any bearing on whether they resign the guys you mentioned. It is a drop in the bucket,

              5. @rocket

                $1.3M is about 14% of the projected cap space in 2015

                that’s a player or another $1M towards resigning a guy. If you took a $1M off of someone’s signing bonus, do you think they’d still sign?

                i never said anything about solving the back up QB problem. it’s just the solution they have in place is an expensive one. two ways to look at it. Gabbert can only get better. Or anyone else they sign would be better.

              6. affp,

                I don’t know how to say this any clearer: 1.3 million is easy to find/create for cap purposes. That 1.3 they could have saved with a different backup QB is not going to have any lasting effect on the team whatsoever.

                They took a shot with Gabbert, and he may or may not work out, but the bottom line is, the move will not hurt them going forward other than not having a good option at the position.

              7. Rocket: In response to you saying that Gabbert was TB worst mistake- I don’t know if that is true either but what I find troubling about it is that it repeats the mistake that was made last year with McCoy. I don’t know who’s choice either McCoy or Gabbert was but TB has to approve of picking up the two mil contract. The idea of limiting themselves to and relying on a player who has yet to show anything appears to follow the same pattern that manifested itself in every one of their failures. As I stated before I look for patterns. Nothing wrong with making mistakes if your learn and don’t repeat them.

                The thing with Gabbert just makes little sense. They needed a back up QB not necessarily for the season but someone who could come in for a while and minimize the damage. That was not a luxury since it affects how the team is free to get the most out of kaep. If Gabbert were to show him self competent his value would go up and he would sign for more next year either with the Niner’s or another team. They would basically have him for one year at 2 mil. If he was not competent than he not only would be a liability at the two but he would be a waste 2 mil. For him to be worth their effort he would have to improve and become a different QB during training camp. That is the only scenario that makes sense. They would have had to believe that Jim and his staff were so competent and the Jag staff so incompetent that Gabbert only needed one training camp with Jim to become a good QB. This again is another example of a pattern this group exhibits. The seem to believe that any problems that players have is only because they have not been exposed to their superior coaching. They think they can fix flawed players problems. That kicked them in the rear with AJ, McCoy and seems to be doing so with Gabbert. A blind spot that locks them into a negative pattern of behavior.

            2. Rocket: You are rationalizing. The fact remains is that Gabbert not being a viable back up does impact the team this year. They had to play safe with Kaep most of last year and that affected his efficiency. The two million by itself means little but in context with the other effects it has it creates big problems. The two million pretty much guarantees Gabbart on the roster. If they cut him not only will they have to pay Gabbert the 2 mil but also the replacement QB’s salary. It was a really stupid move that mirrored last years move with McCoy. They do this all the time. Get a player with flaws believing they can fix those flaws. The main thing is that the QB problem has not been solved two years running. That is just another area that resources will need to be directed to next season at the expense of another area of need. Bad long term planning.

              1. willtalk,

                I’m not disagreeing with the premise that this could be a bad move; I’m disagreeing with those that say this is one of the worst mistakes Baalkes ever made, and also with those who say he makes too many mistakes.

                Neither statement is true, and other than the backup QB situation this team has good depth across the board.

              2. Will I hear you, but how was last year any different? I agree with 23J, I think that Josh is better than he’s shown and he also has NFL experience. He may be the guy. But he needs a shot with the number twos. However none of these guys will take us to the promise land if Kaep goes down.

                Having said that, who on the Seahawks is a backup that can take them all the way if Wilson goes down?

              3. Rocket the philosophy that Baalke has employed to acquire as many picks as possible, draft them, and then create competition is fine. Its when the abundance of picks in the cupboard could be used to address specific needs. For instance this year, whatever the cost, the 49ers could have moved up and got a legit WR or DE.
                Now I understand the draft is not a science, but my point is like you said, the 49ers are deep everywhere so why not go get a play maker that can take you over the top over a Seattle? Risking future picks to win now wont hurt a young and deep team will it?
                Baalke is thinking too much into future years when this team is or was ready to win now.

              4. FDM,

                They currently have one of the best WR cores in the league and a number of good young DE’s. It’s fine to want them to trade up to draft somebody, but that takes picks and somebody willing to trade down. There is also the fact that this was called the deepest draft in the past decade and a draft where you wanted as many picks in the first 4 rounds as possible. The Niners just made 7 picks in those 4 rounds, and 12 overall. It appears likely that at most 2 may be released and even that is not probable with Acker possibly beating out Morris and Ramsey being put on IR.

                Who do you believe was worth trading picks away to move up for keeping in mind that doing so in the 1st round would also take a 1st round pick in 2015 to accomplish?

              5. Rocket: This is in respect to your response to FDM where ever that might be- perhaps farther down. The wide receiver corps is deep now, but one also has to consider what happens after Boldins and Crabs contract runs out. Lloyd is also only here for one year. The point about drafting for future is that you have players for some time on their rookie contracts which helps you cap wise else where. You not only want to draft for replacements in the skill positions but also for starting talent to replace players who will want big contracts to stay. It might have not been a bad idea to draft a top WR which would have paid more dividends down the road. Top Wr cost more than most other positions so having someone on their rookie contract is a better financial advantage.

            3. The team has had to restructure Vet contracts so they had enough room to sign rookies. 1.3 in that context does matter. In fact 1.3 million wasted is a big deal. It could also impact the amount of money was available to sign a needed free agent. It could also be added to the existing amount to be able to upgrade the kind of free agent available for signing. Rocket you are not considering the all the possible scenario’s. This is possibly why you also can not see the mistakes TB has made. You just don’t recognize all the possibilities that were missed along with the cause and effects of his decisions.

  13. Phillip Rivers vs Colin Kaepernick.

    The Chargers are optimistic;
    the sharks smell blood in the water.

    Niner fans say, “find the accellerator”…soon.!!

    1. Most folks come here to be social, but you come here to be anti-social. This fact says alot about you as a person, none of it good.

    2. Didn’t I tell you to bring some new material for once in your freakin’ life you ignorant little troll? Or is that too hard for Mr. Monkey to handle?

  14. Regarding Gabbert, wouldn’t we all like to see him play behind the first team offense to see how that went? That’s the only way to truly tell. Or has he already done that? I turned the game off early.

  15. My observation on Blaine Gabbert is that he has the measurables to be a good NFL QB. He lacks all instincts for the position. We used to call those guys Coach Killers. Coaches fall in love with the size and arm strength without paying enough attention to the fact that they just aren’t good players. Gabbert could complete passes when the plays required no reads and he knew where he was going before the snap. When Gabbert was asked to do a 5 step or 7 step drop, read the defense, and then deliver the ball according to his reads he failed miserably. He may have made the right read on the one interception but he put the ball behind the receiver which caused the Int. A good pass there is completed but Gabbert couldn’t deliver. I’m not sure that type of problem can ever be fixed. It certainly can’t be fixed before the season starts. I go back to what I was saying at draft time. The jury is still out on Trent Baalke. He has hit some home runs but he sure has struck out quite a bit on his picks. He could be the Dave Kingman of NFL GM’s.

    1. hey Houston,,
      I once witnessed Dave Kingman hit a grand slam ..
      in the very first inning ..

      as it turned out .. it was the only thing that happened
      in the game !

      .. but ..
      I know whatcha mean

  16. The weekend after the first preseason game I had a visit from an old friend of mine that I’ve known since childhood. We went to the same grammar school, same middle school and high school where I played football with him. We went to the same college where he played football, but I didn’t. He ended up being a late draft pick by the Seahawks and played there for two seasons before an injury in camp kept him out the next season before the 49ers gave him a shot in ’81. He didn’t have a great season in SF, having caught only one pass for 5 yards before again suffering an injury and was then released prior to the playoffs and Super Bowl though all the other players chipped in and gave him some playoff money because he was a well-liked teammate.

    At any rate, I was telling him about this blog (he doesn’t participate in blogs, football or otherwise) and brought it up on the computer for him to read the comments from 49er fans about the recent game against the Ravens. I can’t repeat his comments because they wouldn’t pass the PG rating, but I have to say it was quite enlightening to hear a former NFL player commenting on fans negatively much the same as we comment about players on here. Guess it works both ways.

    1. >>it was quite enlightening to hear a former NFL player commenting on fans negatively much the same as we comment about players on here.

      Spaceborn, you don’t have to be an NFL vet to draw that conclusion from some of the commentary here.

  17. The only thing Blaine Gabbert is good at backing up is toilets. He is not an NFL player, and there is very little chance he ever will improve. The move to get him was, and continues to be a huge mistake. Trading an 8th round draft pick would have been too much for him.

  18. Smh at some of the comments before me. Baalke is not perfect, and an honest person can list a few mistakes (by clear consensus) without too much trouble. However, that said, every GM makes mistakes. Searching the history of every GM and the general “hit rate” on picks by round shows that the job is very tough.

    Baalke has managed to build and sustain one of the best rosters in the league. He is a whiz at getting good draft compensation and maneuvering through the draft. He is also very good on draft day, 2012 notwithstanding. He clearly has an eye for talent, particularly on defense. He also admits mistakes quickly and moves on (see AJ Jenkins).

    I submit that most of the people on here that don’t like Baalke either have unrealistic expectations of any GM, or have a basic philosophical disagreement in some fashion, leading them to categorize defendable decisions Baalke has made as “mistakes.” One example of this would be the 2014 draft debate over whether Baalke should have burned picks to trade up for potential superstar WRs Mike Evans/Odell Beckham vs. staying put and getting 7 players in the first 4 rounds in a deep draft.

    I also privately wonder if the ease of executing trades in the Madden video game have created an underclass of Armchair GMs who think the job is easy.

    1. Adusoron: I think some of us can differentiate between typical mistakes and boneheaded moves. There are also differing philosophies in respect to managing styles as well. I don’t know the comprehensive abilities of the people you are used to dealing with but not everyone is a good candidate for your patronizing. The last draft was defensible and might actually turn out positive although there still could have been an improvement on the use of assets. The Gabbert move is not defensible precisely because it mirrored a problem that existed last year with McCoy. Mistakes to me are not important. What is important is if those mistakes are repeated or if they represent a pattern reflective of a blind spot in perception. That is the problem I have with TB.

      1. Willtalk: I disagree with your statement about a “blind spot.” Baalke defers all QB decisions to Harbaugh because that is Harbaugh’s specialty. This has been reported by others, and even the Gabbert decision has been cited as an example of Harbaugh and Baalke “working better together” post-Browns drama.

        Your quibble, assuming facial validity, exists with the coach. I think then analyzing from that rubric, your claim fails. Harbaugh has clearly established his track record over time in identifying, developing, managing, and even reclaiming QBs. Harbaugh wanted Gabbert and thinks he can fix him. Baalke agreed to make the trade because they concurred on Gabbert’s reclamation prospects.

        I also disagree with your additional statement about better managing the 2014 draft assets. Granted, nobody perfectly allocates resources and there are always more optimal allocations (but that assumes access to perfect information, which nobody has). If you believe the draft assets should have been better used than the picks Baalke selected/traded, please share your analysis with me (and the blog). Keep in mind that a difference in asset allocation, once again, will probably disclose a difference in philosophy, which is very hard to evaluate for superiority in a short term vaccuum.

        1. It might be true in respect of Harbaugh making the QB decisions. I know that TB has over ruled him on other roster spots before. I don’t necessarily buy the QB whisperer myth. There were entirely too many changes during the season in respect to QB being signed and released to be reflective of a coach who is a great evaluator of QB talent. Tedford had that moniker at Cal and the last few QB’s he produced seem to regress rather than get better. It’s a lot different in college. You can recruit as many as you can get and just watch and see which one’s develop. Not so in the NFL. Your choices and final roster is limited. Harbaugh seemed to change his mind too often this last season in respect to roster addictions and cuts. How many of those were him or TB who knows. I want to believe but am having doubts about Harbaugh being a QB whisperer. He sure didn’t have much luck with McCoy or any of the other QB’s that were brought in as back ups. Smith was still the same QB what changed was the system around him.

        2. Adusoron: It wasn’t just how the draft assets were used but how they were acquired. Baalke picked up two seventh round draft picks in trades for two excess LBers. To do that he kept them on the 53 man roster for the first week to allow him to work out those trades. Those roster spots came at the expense of players who were released on waivers. Gray and Cooper were players who were claimed off waivers. Cooper everyone seems to know about so I will discuss Gray. Gray was Harbaugh’s developmental H back. They gambled and thought they could sneak him through waivers. This was stupid because he was claimed by six teams. The Niners attempted to replace him by claiming a big wide receiver from the Sonics to convert him to their H back. They had to keep him uncut-able on their 53 man roster for the required time even though from the start it appeared that he wasn’t going to pan out. When Miller was injured at the end of the year they had no one to fill his role. That was what Gray was intended to do. Ok you say they gambled and lost. What did they gamble for- a seventh round pick that they eventually just threw against the wall to see if it would stick. Seventh rounders are worthless. Most of the time you can sign those players as free agents. The odds of someone grabbing a seventh rounder you want is minimal. TB was wheeling and dealing for worthless draft picks and it cost him valuable players. The assets that were wasted in this case were Gray and Cooper not the seventh round picks. Cause and Effect.

  19. u-hhh … excuse me .. guys …

    I’m looking for the BGFC …

    (the Blaine Gabbert Fan Club) …

    am I in the right place ?

    1. Depends. Does it look like a landfill with a sign at the entrance that BLANIE GABBERT’S CAREER?

    2. >>am I in the right place ?

      MWNiner, if K starts stinking up the new joint, you never know… After all, this is the fanbase behind the WE WANT CARR chant.

  20. Cardinals feel that Darnell docket tore his acl at practice today. Carted off the field.

  21. Matt Barrows on Looney: “…he is often the last lineman to fire out of his stance, and that gives the defender a jump on the play.” I hope this isn’t Chilo 2.0 time.

  22. I think everyone needs to chill out. Baalke brought a washed out Dorsey and an undrafted Williams last year instead of resigning the NT. A lot of fans decried that move and it worked out.

    My guess is we will have Gabbert on the roster and may bring in a vet QB.

    The O line is still gelling and should be fine. The CBs look real solid, the LB will be fine once the season starts.

    We have a stud in Ellington and Hyde and the rest of the WRs are very solid.

    The Niners will be fine.

    1. Eastcoast9er- So if we keep Gabbert on the roster and bring in a vet to be the back up that means we have to carry three QB’s on the active 53 man roster. Means another spot lost to a good player who will be claimed off waivers. The whole idea was that Gabbert was supposed to be the back up and the developmental guy was carried on the practice squad. This is precisely the problems that are created by this type of move. If Gabbert does develop during the year he is a free agent next season and the Niner’s have nothing to show for it by carrying him on their roster this year. Unless you think that Gabbert turns into a superstar and gives the Niners a home town discount to resign him. He is a high cost one year loaner with no actual present value. It’s a lose lose for the Niner’s.

      1. There might be things that we don’t know. For instance, what if they know that Gabbert is terrible. Even though Jack puppet suggested otherwise. But what if the backups are worse. Maybe the Niners are not panicking because they have their eyes on another teams discard.

        Regardless, Baalke whiffs occasionally but overall he’s really good at what he does. I think he was questioned for a while because of his lack of success with WR’s. Patton and Ellington will make up for that.

        We all think that the Patriots are so great, then why have they not had huge success with their backup QB’s? Because they are really really hard to find. Baalke bringing in Gabbert was bold. Now that we got a whiff first hand, it smells stale. But it wasn’t for lack of trying…..

              1. Too much ado about too little.
                JM will get some minor fine and he’ll probably remember to avoid it in the future, but it looked to me like he was responding to some trash talk from the Washington bench.
                A fine seems silly to me, but there’s precedent for it.
                Anybody remember Cutler flipping off his OC? Ha

    2. EastCoast wrote: “The Niners will be fine.”

      …….unless Kaep gets hurt, in which case the Niners will be screwed and will have no chance to make the playoffs, especially coming out of the NFC West. This is the main point of Grant’s article, one of his better reads BTW.

  23. “Trading for Blaine Gabbert was Baalke’s worst decision as an NFL general manager, worse than his decision to draft A.J. Jenkins or to trade for Jon Baldwin or to invest in a red-shirt draft choice like Marcus Lattimore”

    That is simply a ridiculous statement. The measure of a decision should be a function of its cost and its benefit. AJ cost us a first round pick, Gabbert did not, Lattimore did not, and Baldwin was simply a savvy move to get rid of the AJ repercussions one year faster.

    WR was the most glaring hole in our roster when AJ was drafted, and he was a huge miss.
    In fact, Baalke made a bigger mistake than Gabbert that same year, namely LaMichael James in the 2nd round – bust 2.0.

    Gabbert has stunk thus far in preseason, but it’s early and the consequence of his poor showing is marginal (cap hit) unless Kaep gets hurt. It’s not easy being a GM, and Baalke has done an enviable job, but AJ is his biggest miss. Gabbert could end up to be a worse player than AJ, though unlikely , but given the cost, AJ was clearly the worse decision.

    1. Eddy Dee: Never was a fan of AJ from the beginning. TB ignored red flags that were in black and white in the scouting report. But I still could see his rational for making that move. He compounded the mistake by attempting to turn that sows ear into a silk purse the next preseason instead of addressing the existing WR depth problem until it was too late. With Gabbert he repeated the same mistake that was made with Colt McCoy. They brought them both in to be the back up QB not a developmental QB. Taking the 2 mil guarantee that came with him put the team into a position that would impact their choice of back up. They brought in Johnson but he is not really competing equally with Colt. That two mil makes a big difference. He is going to get every opportunity to show he was worth the contract much like AJ was given the opportunity to prove he was worth his pick. With AJ those reps took away opportunity for others to be evaluated and that refected itself in the crappy WR corp the Niners ended up with. It will be the same with Gabbert. Harbaugh will say he is satisfied with the players he has until it is too late to bring in players who will can actually compete for that position. It becomes not about choosing the best players but attempting to rationalize a bad choice that has already been made.

  24. From Matt Maiocco:

    “Practice squads expected to expand from 8 to 10 per team, reports @AdamSchefter. P-squad players must first pass through waivers unclaimed.”

    Good news. Won’t stop teams poaching some guys the 49ers cut, but gives more leeway to hold onto young guys at a few different positions.

  25. So we keep 3 QBs. I don’t understand as many on the blog cry about the niners looking so bad, presumably some of these players should not make the roster.

    I just place greater trust in the professionals than on fickle fans who last year blasted Baalke for not trading for Gordon (how would that decision have panned out). Some fans wanted to outright cut A. Smith too.

    I just know it has been a long summer and everyone is yearning for the quest for 6. The season has to play out and we have a really strong roster. Are the QBs stinking it up, yes but C. McCoy was just in for a few plays all of last year

    Colin going down would be disastrous, but that would be true if J. Smith went down too. He is the key defensive player.

    Crabtree was hurt last year and even with a depleted and awful core of WRs (not A. Boldin who some thought was washed up before the season) we were 1 play and two injuries (Iupati and Bowman) from making the Super Bowl for a second year straight.

    Sorry if I don’t join the chicken little gang just yet. I want to see the Niners win the real games, when they count.

    1. Eastcoast: I have lived long enough to not learn not to trust the experts and professionals just because they are labeled as such. You would be surprised at how little is actual competency and more BS than you would imagine. The story of ” The Emperors New Clothes” is a metaphor for our time. People go along with BS just because they are conditioned to think that those in charge must know better. It is good to know our own limitations but it is also good to know those of others as well.

      Oh if they would have traded for Gordon early on they would have probably won the Superbowl. He was able to play last year. Would it have been worth a second to win the Superbowl?. I for one am not that sure it would have been a bad trade. He may still win his appeal and not have to sit the entire year.

  26. With the number of injuries that are happening they should also increase the 53 man roster. Also increase the active game roster. I would also allow each team to designate a developmental player who is immune to being poached of waivers and could be put directly on the practice squad. That would allow teams to develop players that would not be ready to play but not lose the time they have put into that players development. Players such as Okoye.

    1. The developmental player could still be offered by other teams to join their 53 man rosters just as now. But at least that would give them the opportunity to stay with a team which they feel was in their own best developmental interest.

      1. That could work. At the moment if a player is signed off waivers they have no say in the matter – they have to go. Whereas a player on the PS can decide to stay on a team’s PS rather than sign for another team’s 53 if they feel staying is the better option.

  27. Wow, Grant. I agree with you that we have a potentially disastrous situation at QB. That said, I am now–and seemingly always am–amazed at the incessantly negative tenor of your writing. In many cases, you simply state the obvious and then use it as an opportunity to criticize the team, but you also make comments that imply that you somehow knew better all along when all you are really doing is using hindsight (20-20) or making claims (David Fales) with no substantive evidence to support them. Don’t get me wrong–I get frustrated with the team sometimes because I am a fan and I love them and want them to do well, but the effort you put into finding and writing about potential or imagined “sky is falling” scenarios is unparalleled.

  28. I don’t know who is responsible for it, but to my mind whoever it is who has not made any changes to the coaching staff shares a lot of the blame for the 9ers coming up short the last three years. John Harbaugh fired his OC in the middle of the season then won the Super Bowl. Jim is 0 for 3 against John. Just a coincidence I suppose.

    1. Actually changes to the coaching staff are what got us to this point of success.
      2008 7-9
      2009 8-8
      2010 6-10
      Too many of you are agreeing that these guys are winning with a roster that TB and JH didn’t build. (Its not true either, like Jack pointed out 14 of 22 starters they selected) Look at what the previous coaches did with a roster they built. Nothing good.

      Do we need more production of the offense? Yes But without this coaching staff and their selections we were doomed to more 7-9 seasons or worse.

  29. Off topic:

    Wife and I picked out a new pup this weekend. A doberman, she’s 2 days old in these photos. Her name will be Circe(sur-see) Gonna be a hard 8 weeks to wait to go back and bring her home;

    Pardon the grumpy looking head shot, when I took the photo I didn’t expect my ugly mug to show up.
    http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f257/4evrnyt/038.jpg

    http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f257/4evrnyt/041.jpg

    http://i49.photobucket.com/albums/f257/4evrnyt/044.jpg

    1. Very nice. I’ve always been a Rottweiler man myself, but I’ve always liked that breed. Very intelligent and nice to look at.

      1. My brother is a rotty man. We also have a 1 year old RottenDoby, Doby/Rott mix. Doby head with a rott body, she was a rescue.

    2. Man, I LOVE Dobies. I have a Golden (12), a Shiba Inu (15) and a Woodland Terrier (8) now. I rescue old dogs. But in my last years there will be a Dobie around the house.

      Other dog that is outstanding is a Greyhound. Very cool critters…

      1. I like the way Shibas look. Good for you for opening your home to such deserving souls.

  30. Anyone catch the Manziel game on the Manziel network…if you missed it you can catch the highlights on ESPManziel.

    Can the media at least try to be a little more subtle on their man-crushes? Is the league not exciting enough on its own?

    Well at least it’s better than the Michael Sam hero story.

    1. It’s tiresome. Remember Favre? Tebow? Cam? RG3?
      Some things are too compelling not to dwell on, like Peyton’s free agency or the train wreck that is A. Hernandez, but dang.
      My wife asked the other day as the tv explained for the gazillionth time about PI calls, “Do they think fans are stupid?”

      1. Ha! The answer is yes they do.

        And at the end of the day they are talking about the QB competition between a nobody and a kid who is obviously in way over his head, to a team that has been insignificant for quite some time and it doesn’t look like that’s going to change anytime soon.

        I mean I’d understand if it was the battle between who’s taking over for Brady, or Brees, or Manning. But it’s the freaking Browns!

        Okay I feel better now, I’m done.

        Thank you.

  31. There is very little doubt that if Kap goes down, the season for the 49ers is done.

  32. Bleacher Report has an article that says that 49er players are upset with contracts and practice routines. This team is in shambles and they play like it! 2 weeks before the start of the season. We are in trouble.

    1. Oh no not bleacher report!!!

      Let me guess you’ve heard everything on the internet is true…and let me guess a bit further, if I asked you “where’d you heard that”…you’d say…. “the internet.”

      1. Leo,

        Only time will tell. However, I do know that this team has issues right now. The hell with Bleacher Report. I know what I’m seeing during games. I know we have a holdout, coaching contract issues, QB issues. Health issues with several players. This team is fractured.

        1. You mean the same issues the other 31 teams are faced with on a yearly basis. You think 1 contract hold-out, a few injuries, and a coach willing to put contract discussion on hold until next season are big, concerning, and unique issues? Every team has something going on, its a league full of over-paid egos.

          And if our only QB issue is figuring out who’s going to be behind our star QB, than I’m sure a majority of teams would be willing to trade places with us at any moment.

          Come on man you must be joking.

          1. Thanks Leo Balke! Haha. Time will tell. Your fanhood jades your view. I’m a Niner fan too. However, I’m a realist. Have a good day.

        2. Things could be worse. Much Worse. Here in NY, you have the Giants, who having hired a new OC and his installed offense, the first team has produced no points and no pass completions over 10 yards in 3 preseason games.

          “The Giants’ offensive woes are so widespread, it is hard to summarize the futility. The new offense requires different modes of communication, changed terminology, a quicker tempo, and an altered scheme of pass routes and blocking structure. The Giants do not seem to have mastered any of these tasks.

          Adding to the challenge is a starting unit of 11 that includes, depending on the formation, five or six new starters.”

          http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/18/sports/football/preseason-wind-down-not-for-a-giants-offense-that-needs-a-lot-of-work.html

          Meanwhile, the Jets secondary is decimated. One starting CB out for the season, the other gimped up, they’ve resorted to having to start safeties at CB. But hey, they have a competent backup QB.

          NY teams may not win more that 6 games combined this season. Which is good news for Niners when they show up to play the Giants in November.

          1. The G-Men will be just getting their stuff together come November; could be dangerous.
            Jets and other teams suffering for CBs. Niners won’t get any CBs through waivers to the PS. They may have to gamble with other guys to save some room.
            Niners could probably get all 3 back up QBs through if they were eligible for PS, LOL!

      1. I’ve heard its been the opposite Jack. Harbaugh has made practices less intense and with less physical contact. Maybe one of the reason we have seen a slow start to preseason games. What have you been noticing at practice?

      2. So Boone and Davis aren’t happy about their contracts? What a revelation.

        Some players don’t like practice? Stop the presses.

        Yawn nothing here but regurgitated info from two months ago and a declaration made by players across the league every year at this time.

        Gotta love these fringe websites.

        1. I watched a retrospective on Lombardi. Jerry Kramer talked about their practices. Current NFLPA wouldn’t believe it.
          Anyone remember the old Up Down Drill? Super old fashioned but an outstanding conditioning exercise. Vince put his guys through it every practice, including two-a-days. I did ’em in HS. When I encountered them at Perris Island I went “Oh, yeah!”

          1. Oh nevermind….I just got it. Marine huh. I doubt football conditioning comes anywhere near marine basic training.

        2. I found it pretty amusing, especially when discussing the money issue. Let’s see Boone is likely on his way out the door for a decent draft pick, Davis has reported and is having one his best camps, Crabs is playing for a contract and from what we’ve heard may get one soon, and Harbs has tabled his contract negotiations.

          We’re doomed!!!

    2. Is this latest media hit piece more accurate than “Colin Kaepernick committed sexual assault” and “Aldon Smith is getting charged with false bomb threats in LAX” and “Aldon Smith could get felony convictions and 4 years in jail?”

      I’m sure some players hate being worked hard in training camp. It’s tough work. Also, we all know Davis, Boone, and potentially others think they should be paid more. Harbaugh’s contract is not yet settled, but it will be one way or the other. How is this any different than any other offseason surrounding a successful team?

      I think this is just another piece looking to make news off of some fairly standard NFL offseason stuff. Next.

      1. As we all know but can sometimes forget, media people get paid to sell papers or draw people to their stations/websites. You can’t blame them for this, and it’s entertaining sometimes, but you have to take what they say with a grain of salt. But if there is some truth in it, unlikely as I think it is, I’ll chalk it up to “really too bad, but that’s what happens sometimes, what can you do?” and move on. As you say, “How is this any different than any other offseason surrounding a successful team?” Seattle’s off-season parallels ours to an extent.

        1. Yeah, you definitely have to take things with a grain of salt. Per Matt Maiocco’s chat today:

          Comment From mike
          Jason Cole reported today about Niners players being upset with niners organization, pay, Harbaugh etc…have you heard similar things or are reporters grasping for stories?

          Matt Maiocco CSN: I know of one player right now who is not happy with his pay. And he did not report to camp. I always hear grumblings, but it’s not necessarily widespread.

  33. Well, we did have a wet fog this morning in the Bay Area. Drizzle and falling fog is kinda like the sky is falling I guess.

  34. I’m still wondering just how … CFC
    got 3 links in one post ?? … (@ 8:41 above)
    (This is a first !)

    Btw. CFC … cute dawg …congrats !

  35. 49ers got rid of BJ Daniels and Scott Tolzien, replaced them with McCoy and Bethel- Thompson. Those two back ups faired better than the two that they replaced them with. Now Gabbert. Hopefully Gabbert can get something going.

  36. Grant I appreciate these break down analysis that you provide. Is this a glass half empty perspective on Blaine Gabbert? I sure hope so. But so far he looks worse than Colt McCoy did last year and lot worse than a glass half empty.
    And thanks for the David Fales perspective. Fales’ college numbers were off the chart compared to Gabbert’s even though Gabbert has those darn “measurables”.
    Fales is the number 4 in Chicago and so far getting no preseason reps. They are wealthier than 49ers in back up QBs. So they can afford to take there time with him. But take note as he is the one wearing the head set from beginning to end of the games. He is being groomed.
    As bad as the current crop of QB backups are for 49ers, could Fales have been any worse and yet unlike them come with hope and promise for down the road?

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