49ers can’t overcome their own mistakes in loss to Panthers

SANTA CLARA — False start on the beginning of the Kyle Shanahan Era.

The 49ers lost their first game under their new head coach 23-3 to the Carolina Panthers Sunday afternoon. The 49ers played well at times — better than the score indicates — but they committed so many mistakes, they never gave themselves a legitimate chance to win.

Click here to read the rest of my game story.

This article has 54 Comments

  1. 1. Shane Beadles is the weak link on the line followed by Brandon Fusco, get them outta there.
    2. Foster injury hurt us. Ray Ray Armstrong is not a starter
    3. Goodwin HAS to catch those deep balls
    4. The first game of the season often can be wonky. We looked good last year in chip kelleys offense and put up monster points, it meant nothing.
    5. Hoyer has to get better and play like he practices
    6. Niners need to install turf. Speed kills, but speed is faster on turf, Atlantas offense did better in turf stadiums, grass is for ground and pound. I saw our players especially on defense on the ground entirely too often.

    I rest my case

    1. 7. Zane* maybe I’d get his name right if he didn’t play like a complete non-entity.
      8. Great interception by Tarrt, but he still takes bad angles to the tackle.

      1. 6. Sod is better for player’s health. The sod gave way, so Foster’s leg did not break like some feared.

  2. The team was gutted and repurposed with other parts, and so the rebuilding process is ongoing. Rome wasn’t built in a day….

  3. I’m gonna hold my response on the draft picks until later in the season. the story will go something like this… ‘all I have to say is some level play makers need to step up. Otherwise we are just losers. Prime time player make prime time play in prime time. Even role players can make a play and hold assignments.’ That dropped pass in the beginning of the game is a perfect example.

  4. That’s a pretty fair description of the day. There were some promising things, but simply waaaay too many silly mistakes for a mediocre team to overcome. Need to iron some things out quick smart. But if they do so (and can find a way to improve the interior OL play) this looked like a team that can compete most weeks.

      1. By week 5 when we’re losing games by 15+ points regularly you’ll see this team for what it really is. Bad.

        1. I will see the team as I have been, and that is going through a rebuild. Shanahan’s offense takes time to learn, as evidenced by how the Falcons struggled with it during Shanahan’s first season as their OC.

  5. “The 49ers played well at times — better than the score indicates — but they committed so many mistakes, they never gave themselves a legitimate chance to win.”
    ——————
    A rusty Cam Newton is the only thing that kept the score from being much worse. You’re making it sound like if they just reversed these few mistakes that this suddenly becomes a winnable game but that just wasn’t the case. They were outplayed in almost every way by a mediocre to poor team.

    There isn’t enough lipstick in the world to make this pig look pretty.

  6. My Take: Horrible interior line play = hampered run game = no play action = no pass game = no cool high tech Shanahan offense = worn out 2nd half defense = collapse.

    The offense is based on run and play action. No run, no play action. And we can’t run because the guards are terrible.

    Other thoughts….
    – PFF says D line got few QB pressures. Wonder if moving Armstead, who previously had one of the leagues better per-snap pressure rates ) outside (and dropping to 270 lbs) was a good idea. Better to have some position redundancy than waste talent.
    Hard to tell where I watched the game at sports bar. How did he look at his new spot?

    – Really glad Foster seems to have avoided the dreaded “season ending” injury. I’m not buying that he’ll be ready for the SeAdderal SeaRoids.

    – In Foster’s limited snaps, he looked fantastic. There were multiple plays where I thought Foster had the sideline to sideline speed to shut down if he were still on the field.

    – Newton had a bad game. Missed seeing wide open receivers. Not accurate. Don’t expect Wilson to cooperate next Sunday.

    – 49ers face great interior defenders in the next two games. Is Tomlinson ready? Wheels could fall off the season early.

    – 49ers avoided the dreaded week 1 win. Now we can go on to dominate the remaining 15 games.

    1. – No excuses, but two blatant head-to-head hits on Hoyer went uncalled. I hope Shanahan makes some complaints to the league office.

  7. Of course, no one will give me credit for originally focusing on reducing the unforced errors, but I have been steadfastly and repeatedly emphasizing their importance.
    .
    Glad Grant is finally doing that. By reducing the self inflicted wounds, the Niners may at least become competitive.

    1. Typical look at me post you would expect from our boy wonder.

      I am disappointed that the offense was miserable. But I like that the defense was pretty decent.

    2. All credit to you. None of the coaches or people on this blog would have ever suggested that maybe mistakes are not a good thing.

  8. Mistake #1 naming Hoyer the unquestioned starter at the beginning of otas. it should have been an open competition. Hoyer sucks! They should have kept Barkley. He couldn’t have done any worse than Hoyer. [a couple turnovers]
    Mistake #2 not trading Armstead. He is the new Tank playing in the wrong system.
    Mistake #3 starting Tartt at free safety should of started Jerome or Colbert.
    Mistake #4 leaving Beatles in .
    Mistake#5 going for 4th downs instead of playing field position. They were still in the game at that point.

    1. Fact check #1 Barkley could not even beat out a third round rookie, so saying he could not have done worse than Hoyer is ridiculous.
      Fact check #2 The entire defense is adjusting to a new scheme, so singling out Armstead makes little to no sense.
      Fact check #3 Tart is currently the best option with Ward sidelined.
      Fact check #4 Tomilson was inactive and Garnett is on IR, so Beadles is the best option.
      Fact check #5 You have no way of knowing if it would have turned out better for the team.

  9. The team would have played much better, if not outright won, if Kaep were the QB today, you know, duel threat and all. Meanwhile, Hurricane Irma is a conspiracy, Big Foot is real, Climate Change is a hoax, and the Moon landings were all staged.
    ;>)

  10. Seb let’s treat this loss like the typical Socialist spoiled brats you are..It was everyone else’s fault not the Niners

    1. Hey, I’m a typical socialist spoiled brat and this one was all on the Niners, from HC all the way down to gateraid boy and girl.

      Seb is in a venn diagram that consists of a single circle.

  11. There were parts of the game that I was excited about. I was happy to see the West Coast Offense back where it belongs. Early on the accuracy and timing seemed to be fine until the one deep drop. It all seemed to loose momentum & go downhill from there. Also I hope Hoyer doesn’t have an issue with getting into the end zone. Inside the 10 in the 4th quarter he should have been driving the ball into the end zone and not playing cute & safe. If that becomes a problem then expect CJB sooner than later.

  12. Funny seems like all the spoiled kids who grew up with no consequences are always crying bout racism..yet I’m a first generation. Mexican American who’s been through cya state sponsered tattoo removal ,sleeping in a car when I was 15 and I think Kap and all liberal idiots crying about how bad this country is are a bunch of idiots..Guess what I just started working,quit blaming everybody and live a comfortable life now..Yet spoiled little rich boys..no matter what color like Seb and Kap talk about racism..Would you like another spoon full of sugar ?You liberal hacks..Keep crying about all the values that gave spoiled little punk like you the right to protest

    1. You think you are entitled to spew insults at me and say I am a spoiled punk?
      .
      Guess what? I have worked hard all my life, and have earned the right to have free time to post about a team I love. The fact that you wasted money getting tatted just shows how little you know. Then you claim you accepted government help to get them removed? Quit being the spoiled brat punk freeloader. Glad you have a job, so my taxes do not have to go to help you.
      .
      You do not have a clue, and I suggest you become more educated before spewing your hate. Non violent protest is a cornerstone to every social gain this country has ever known. That is what made this country great. Attacking peaceful protest is a typical reactionary response, and it hinders progress.
      .
      You better watch out. ‘Ol Trumpty Dumpty may want to round you up and send you back to Mexico. He does not like rapists.

    2. Diesel, you’d include our president as someone crying about how bad this country is, right? Otherwise no need to “make it great again”, right?

  13. Watched Rogue One after that horrendous debacle to quell my damaged soul…
    Here’s my observations of the day….
    At least after week one-
    McVay>Shanny
    Adams>Thomas (what has he done seriously)
    Rogue One >Force Awakens
    In all seriousness we knew the guards were the weak link and that’s why they did the late trade. Hoyer is not my fave and he’s not the best under pressure, but without a run game teams respect, the shanny system goes into the toilet. Horrible play calling at times and the 4th down tries were all Ill advised. He’s got an ego-same problem in the Super Bowl….he still hasn’t learned.
    Saleh was better today-and the D with Foster out there was pretty good except for the fact we got no QB pressure….3 first rounders??? Thomas was a mistake. Should have drafted Adams.

  14. I think the team would have played even better than if Kaep were at the helm today if Joe Montana, Steve Young, Jeff Garcia, John Brodie, YA Tittle, Steve Bono, Shaun Hill, or Trent Dilfer were quarterbacking the team today. Unfortunately, all are FORMER Forty Niner quarterbacks who are OUT of football, including Kaep, and DIDN’T play today so nobody will actually ever know, right? Meh………

    1. Juan, now you see what happens to an immobile QB. Maybe Kaep could have eluded the pass rush, and Kaep is accurate when throwing on the run.
      .
      The play action passes fooled no one, as Grant points out.
      .
      Do not bank on Kaep not playing all season. The Texans are not happy with their QB.

        1. East, Kaep may have also avoided those sacks, used his speed and mobility to roll out to buy time, discombobulated the DBs who would freak out that he may run past them to score, and leave the receivers wide open for an easy TD. Kaep did that a lot, too.
          .
          Your boy Hoyer decided to hold onto the ball and get sacked, even when confronted with 4th down. You cannot run away from that reality.

          1. Dream on Keap walked into many a sack because of his pocket unawareness. He isn’t a decent QB which is why he isn’t hired by coaching staffs. People have figured out his and RG III style of play and neutralized it. And because he has not stepped up his game he cannot grow as a QB. Move on. The rest of us have.

            1. By the way, Hoyer is not “my boy”. He is, however, he 49ers QB so I want him to succeed unlike you who champion your boy all the time no matter what (even though deep down you really are a hypocrite about that too).

  15. “From @PFF, 49ers LG Zane Beadles allowed sack, QB hit and four hurries while finishing with the lowest grade of any guard so far in Week 1” – Maiocco

  16. Grant you’re being to nice to KS. This loss is on him and his OC.
    Oh wait, he doesn’t have an OC.
    He doesn’t have anybody to yell (except for Grant) to the team about fundamentals caus he’s trying to do everything himself! He’s out there without anybody telling him what to watch out for. Instead we get some bone headed playcalling, penalties and sideway passes to Hyde!
    The game plan should have been to rattle Newton in the first half, instead they were rattling Hoyer.
    Barber says it best; ‘The point is that Shanahan might be a genius of Xs of Os, but when your Os aren’t as good as the other guy’s Xs, you’re probably in trouble. ”
    Especially when you don’t have a good OC!

  17. No one promised us a rose garden this season. Add O-line next off season and see where SF is at. There is a reason Shanny and Lynch got 6 year contracts…. SF goal this season is to IMPROVE SOMEWHERE, SOMEHOW each game… coaching included….

  18. The stain of Balke and York will linger on this franchise for several more years. Too many draft/trade busts will haunt the team for several more years…. How many of 2016 49ers roster would have started for any other contender? Impossible to replace them all at once, so they are stuck with the least worse duds for awhile longer…

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