49ers training camp report: Day 10

SANTA CLARA – Here are the highlights of the 49ers’ sixth padded practice of training camp.

THE GOOD

1. WR Torrey Smith. Faced Niners’ No. 1 cornerback Tramaine Brock three times during one-on-one drills in the red zone, and beat him all three times. First Smith beat Brock with a fade route to the back pylon. Next Smith beat Brock with a double move – first in, then out. Finally Smith beat Brock with a quick out route. Through 10 training-camp practices, Smith has not lost to Brock during one on ones. Smith clearly is better than the Niners’ best cornerback.

2. WR Jerome Simpson. Caught a first-down pass from Colin Kaepernick on fourth-and-four, and caught a touchdown pass from Blaine Gabbert a few plays later. On the touchdown grab, Simpson ran a fade route and beat cornerback Marcus Cromartie.

3. TE Vernon Davis. Made two touchdown grabs – first during seven on sevens, then during an 11-on-11 red-zone drill. On the second touchdown catch, Davis, who’s 6’3”, was being covered by Tramaine Brock, who’s 5’9” ¾. Davis ran right down the middle of the field, Colin Kaepernick threw the pass high and Davis grabbed it over his shoulder for the touchdown. Brock had no chance to stop it. After the play, Davis spiked the ball and shouted, “Come on, Brock!” then laughed and patted Brock on the helmet.

4. CB Shareece Wright. Intercepted a Blaine-Gabbert pass intended for Quinton Patton during one on ones. Patton ran a fade route to the back pylon, Wright read the route all the way and turned his head just in time to make the interception. Chris Culliver, the cornerback Wright replaced, never would have turned his head and found the football on that play.

5. QB Colin Kaepernick’s short passes. Kaepernick completed 10-of-14 passes during 11-on-11 team drills. Of his four incompletions, one was dropped, one was intentionally thrown away, one was batted down and one was underthrown.

THE NOT SO GOOD

1. QB Colin Kaepernick’s deep passes. First play of 11 on 11s, Kaepernick faked a handoff, rolled to his right, set his feet and threw deep to tight end Vance McDonald, who was running a corner route toward the left sideline. Kaepernick’s pass hung in the wind and died, forcing McDonald to slow down, break back toward the line of scrimmage and dive for the pass. He almost caught it, but the ball touched the ground. By my count, during 11 on 11s Kaepernick has completed just three-of-17 deep passes through 10 days of training camp.

2. WR Quinton Patton. Caught one short pass and dropped one during team drills, which is par for the course for Patton, who never makes a big play during practice.

This article has 172 Comments

  1. I assume Vernon’s TD catch against Brock was a long pass from Kaep? Seems strange to see you saying his deep passes were a negative if he has one bad pass worthy of being mentioned and he also threw a TD strike…

        1. I see Hayne got some ‘atta boys’ from Wrathman in pass blocking drills. Seems he stoned Moody. Well done mate!

          1. wonder what they’ll do with him if he actually does well in preseason games. Given he’s got no experience, if he looks pretty good in preseason you’d think teams will take notice and appreciate he has upside… might make it difficult to try and stash him on the PS.

            1. Actually, if they feel he’s capable of handling KR/PR duties while getting in the rotation at running back, I could see them releasing Hunter….

              1. I don’t understand the situation with Hunter. I guess his past injuries are what is keeping him from being on the field?? I thought there was a lot of optimism this year for him. Maybe one of his past injuries takes a turn for the worse at the beginning of the season and they stash him on PUP/NFI.

              2. No. If Hunter is healthy, he will be a perfect complement to Hyde, and he has good shifty moves but also can hit the hole. I think they are being cautious with him, and will showcase his talents in preseason games, but then shut him down and save him for the real games.
                I like Hunter and think he can average over 4 yards a carry.

              3. Hayne can spell Ellington and keep him healthy. He’s also a bigger, more physical runner who can catch out of the back field. I don’t see a role for Hunter if Hayne can convince his coaches. I don’t believe he has to be spectacular in pre-season, but he’ll need to show steady improvement while making plays, and limiting mistakes….

            2. I think Hayne will have to be spectacular in preseason to make the team. If that happens, then it will be interesting to see how they go about adding him. Does he take one of the spots designated for ST’s, or does he replace one of the RB’s like Hunter as you guys have suggested? I would guess he would be a ST’s guy mainly and take the place of somebody like Millard or Bellore as he could also play on coverage teams.

              I haven’t heard of any setbacks with Hunter and it appears Tomsula is just being cautious and saving him for the regular season. That would be my guess anyway.

              1. Understand it’s a guess. But I would think a guy like Hunter would need the work since he was out last season and they are installing a somewhat new offense. I suspect there is more going on. Maybe Grant could ask a specific question regarding Hunter.

          1. I checked up on some deep passing stats. A cording to a couple sites that track such stats, Kap ranks about the same as Andrew Luck in deep passing (ball traveling in air over 15 yards) and in the same conversation as Brees and Big Ben. He beats out Brady by 5 percentage points. Not too shabby. So, in the spirit of Allen Iverson, we’re talking about practice here.

              1. Kaep did much better the previous season in completing long passes than he did last year. Was it lack of time to throw or slow receivers? Perhaps! While last season might have seemed to be an abaration in respect to long passes, what does concern me somewhat is how attempting to ” put more touch on passe” might affect his ability to throw long. Grant mentioned the effect of the wind on the ball. That was never a factor when he threw bullets. I suppose it does take time to learn to adjust touch passer considering the winds affects. Perhaps even the other changes in mechanics might have some affects with an adjustment period.

              2. And, this was against defenses that were loaded up against the passes. Now, they have Gore. Which means Luck’s deep passes will have plenty more frequency. Bottom line: Luck does everything better than Kaepernick does.

            1. Josh—–These statistics suggest what we already know about the 49ers. THEY ARE A RUNNING TEAM WITHOUT PASSBLOCKING TALENT…BAALKE DOES NOT KNOW THE PASS GAME.

              So your probably asking what do these stats really mean?..Since I took statistics in college I’ll break it down to the lowest common denominator for those of you who seek to constantly put Kap in the best possible position with a pass here or there…

              These stats mean that Kap threw 53 less passes of 20 or more yards than a top 10 deep thrower (Stafford), 29 less than Rogers, 39 less than Manning all in the category of 20 yards or more…Had Kap thrown more passes his percentage per throw would risk a lower rating, and 53 less than a top 10 passer or others I left off the list is an enormous attempt deficit that does not at all favor Kap.

              https://www.profootballfocus.com/about/pff-signature-stats/#DeepPassing

              1. For the 2012 data, why aren’t you looking at the % of throws that were deep passes versus absolute number. CK had the second highest percentage of attempts that were deep passes (surprisingly he was second to RW), but had the highest accuracy rating of all QBs. He was also tied for the lowest number of interceptions resulting from his attempted deep passes. And yes he did have the lowest number of attempts by a fairly wide margin. However, given that the 49ers reached the SB that year, my conclusion would be that he judiciously chose when to throw deep and when not to. I would definitely like to see that Kaep again.

              2. Correction: If you don’t include RGIII, then he had the lowest number of attempts by a fairly wide margin (33 attempts by Kaep, 36 by RGIII and then the next lowest number of attempts was 51 by Tannehill).

      1. Grant why is it that multiple reports from others that cover the 49ers say that vernon post pass was over 20 or more! While you are trying to tell us it was 10! Get the facts right grant c’mon man.

        1. Also sounds more like vance Mcdonald dove caught the pass then hit the ground but had control!

      2. Uh, Grant, there’s like video, and stuff. It very clearly wasn’t a 10 yard pass.

        http://www.49ers.com/video/videos/Camp-Highlight-Kaepernick-to-Vernon-Davis-for-Six/0b354579-9bc1-46d3-a1cc-9c6780fd2a95

        So, I absolutely reserve the right to insist that none of this matters at all, but you really seem to be wolfing again. While every other beat reporter said this was clearly Kap’s best day of TC, you’re still unable to leave him off the “bad” list. We all know you don’t like him, but c’mon. You’re basing this on:

        MOST GRANT-FAVORABLE SCENARIO:

        1) He went 0-1 on deep passes yesterday.

        VIDEO EVIDENCE SCENARIO:

        2) He went 1-2 with 1 TD on deep passes yesterday

        LEAST GRANT FAVORABLE SCENARIO:

        3) He went 2-2 with TD on deep passes yesterday (given that across reports you’re the only person who is definitively saying the McDonald pass that opened 11-11 was incomplete; others either say it was complete or could or could not have been complete (hard to tell).

        Even in you’re most favorable scenario, if you’re reporting about TC yesterday (which you are), you’re being an unreliable narrator.

        1. The deep pass to McDonald was not good. McDonald was wide open and he had to come back and dive for the pass. If the pass hit McDonald in stride he would have scored. And the pass hit the ground.

          The pass to Davis was an intermediate pass over the middle in a red zone drill.

          If you want to be generous and call both of those deep completions, which they weren’t, Kap still is 5 for 18 on deep passes in camp.

      3. Grant, I much appreciate your summary of practices and “The Good” and “The Not So Good” highlights. To me, this has been invaluable in following the tone and momentum of the team as it pieces itself together. Thank you.

  2. Yea, that was my criticism of Cullivers’ play on the field. He never developed the ability to turn and locate the ball, attacking it at it’s highest point. A corner who is unable to do that is really a just Safety….

    1. Really would be something if the guy they signed to replace Culliver for peanuts (in football terms) turned out to be the better player for our defense.

  3. Hopefully all those Patton fan boys can come to accept he’s just not any good! It wasn’t the coaching staff holding him back he simply isn’t any good ! Jason hill 2.0

      1. What I want to know is where he is listed in terms of nickel CB. Is he still the nickel CB when fully healthy, or has Johnson taken that spot now?

          1. Did he really lose it (if indeed that’s the case) or was that the plan all along. Fill a need, get him experience with the idea he may need to move to safety at some point going forward….

    1. Chris Biderman @ChrisBiderman
      That depth chart is created by the PR staff, and is a pretty good representation of how practice reps have been divided.

  4. From the tweets I read on 49erswebzone, eveyone expect the OL and secondary had a good day. Kaep completed five TDs to Boldin, Bush, Davis, and Bell.

  5. It’s strange that I don’t see the deep ball issue reflected in any other beat writers. I’m not saying that you’re making stuff up, I just wish I had some confirmation from a beat writer that didn’t have a history of talking trash about players, and generally inserting himself into his reporting inappropriately. No offense. It’s a data point. I’ll see if there is agreement elsewhere.

    Thanks for the effort.

      1. But today he was 0-1 and the ball got caught up in the wind and was almost caught right?…Still makes the “not so good” list? Seems odd.

      2. It seems that he’s working at what everybody wants which is a throw that has more arc on it unsuccessfully on the deep ball. Almost everyone here has pointed out how his long throws have been on a rope. Its a hard thing to learn new motions after a lifetime of doing it another way. Will be interesting to see how he develops. If he’s that inconsistent the safeties will creep up.

    1. Grant isn’t the only one who has mentioned Kaps struggles with the long ball. A few have pointed out he has overthrown receivers on deep routes.

      1. It seems like Kaep is having, overall, a nice camp because the WRs are making the good list. Someone has to throw them the ball!

        He should be able to throw a deeper ball though. Just chuck it up there and let Torrie Smith come down with it.

        The WRs seem a lot better this year. If Carlos Hyde can be a cow bell, Offense might be decent if Kaep can play to his ability, which is slightly above average.

        1. A simple offense is all that’s required for CK at this stage of his development. Roman and Harbaugh got way too ambitious last year with thinking Kap could do more.
          For me, all eyes on Geep and the play calling!

          1. Agree Prime. I said earlier with regards to Kap working with Warner, if Kap can just make the short throw that would be a huge improvement. In golf they say that while drives are for show (and putts are for dough), 70% of golf is the short game. I think the same can be true of passing in the NFL. While we’d all love to see some completed deep passes, the short pass can get us there as well.

              1. Cubus,

                While I understand what you’re trying to say, the “drive for show and putt for dough” axiom has been proven wrong.

                While it’s true that a huge percentage of strokes are in the short game, if a player drives poorly, a good short game is rendered irrelevant.

                Just as a player who drives it well and has great iron play, will see those skills rendered irrelevant by a poor short game.

  6. Fosty one mans opinion here…we gotta let the beat guys absorb looks and information and provide perspective that is reasoned…if they are reactive in the moment we will not be able to rely on their in-season stuff…I hear you, but cross check with national guys that are in town is a way to look at daily events…

    1. Yeah, I’ve read they were working just outside the red zone, and the pass hit Vernon around the 5 yard line. It may not have been a 20+ yard pass, but it certainly sounds like it was more than 15.

      1. Perhaps. I was in the end zone and action was coming toward me, so it was tough to tell exactly how long the pass was. It looked like they were in the red zone.

        1. Grant: I know you’re tough and can take criticism, but I just want to be clear that I wasn’t criticizing you. I would expect that different beat writers/people would see things differently, especially since you don’t have the ability to review film.

          1. He took a page out of his fathers, book and looked at the play from the end zone perspective. Other posters can derive info from the sidelines, but the EZ perspective allows the viewer to see the holes and how the plays develop.

        2. Highlighting the impact of different viewpoints, Chris Biderman agrees with you that it was a red zone drill, while Matt Barrows is the one that says the play started outside the red zone.

        3. Further highlighting the impact of different viewpoints, this from Matt Maiocco regarding the bad downfield pass from Kaep:

          “Offensive plays of the day: The best play of the day happened on the first snap of 11-on-11 drills. Kaepernick lofted a 40-yard pass after a play-action fake toward tight end Vance McDonald, who got open against the coverage of Shareece Wright and Dahl. McDonald sailed out to make a diving catch and he appeared to maintain control after hitting the ground.”

          1. Good effort by McDonald. I thought the pass hit the ground. If he hit McDonald in stride it would have been an easy touchdown.

            1. I think I mentioned in a previous thread that the writers position in respect to their field of vision will also impact how they see a play. I was guessing that you were not all in the same spots watching the action. This seems to validate my earlier assumptions.

        4. Cubus and Scooter,

          You guys are too nice. If Grant was just some guy at practice, I could understand your generosity.

          If this was an isolated oversight by an otherwise diligent and objective reporter, I could also understand your generosity.

          Unfortunately, Grant is neither.

          Grant has been questioning CK’s ability to throw deep. Somebody asked Grant if VD’s over the shoulder TD catch in the seam was a deep pass. The definitive answer came that the throw was only ten yards. There was no qualification given with the answer, but now that there is pretty solid evidence that Grant got it wrong, we’re hearing about bad angles and the like.

          BTW, there’s nothing wrong with Grant having a bad angle on any given play, but why couldn’t he just say that initially, instead of giving an incorrect answer, that just so happens to align with his narrative?

          1. “You guys are too nice”.

            Optimist: Somebody has to be on this blog.

            Seriously, though, at the time I posted I only had Matt Barrows’ report available to me. While Grant might be overly critical of CK, contrast that with the 49ers.com TC reports, which are about as rosy as you can get. Again, I read multiple reports to try and get a true picture.

          2. It wasn’t a deep pass. You can see that in the video. It was a 15-yard pass over the middle.

            1. In fairness to you, Grant, there were no yard lines in the video, but the ball was lofted, in the air for a long time (looked like 25-30 yards in the air, to me), and the defense was trailing the play.

              Yard lines or not, the pass was clearly close to 20 yards and was thrown with touch over the defense.

              From your terse answer indicating the pass was only ten yards, one was left to infer the pass wasn’t close to being deep, didn’t look anything like a deep pass and couldn’t be looked upon to be even a small, but still encouraging play.

              From the video, it was clear to see none of those things you led us to believe about that play is true.

              My point is that, unless all the other beat writers are conspiring to misrepresent what’s happening in camp, you too often leave out important info that would weaken your narrative. That’s not good reporting.

              BTW, there’s nothing wrong with qualifying an answer to a question. Always certain and often wrong is a bad combo.

              1. I was off by five yards. It was a 15 yard pass, although it probably traveled 20 yards in the air because Kap was behind the line of scrimmage. Sure it was an encouraging play, and I wrote about it. But it wasn’t a deep pass.

              2. Grant,

                Has Millard shown up at all in camp? I haven’t heard any mention of him from anybody so I’m wondering what they are doing with him and how many snaps he gets in practice.

              3. He has shown up, but he’s been quiet. He catches one or two passes in the flat per practice.

      2. Scooter,

        Just outside the red zone – 5 yard line = much closer to 20 yards than 10.

        Additionally, what’s more important, is that the throw sounds like a touch throw over the defense, on a short field.

    2. Cubus,
      Same as it ever was.

      This phenomenon demonstrates why “eyewitness” testimony isn’t the most reliable. It’s many times hard to sort out the conflicting reports. In this case, however, the outlier is clear.

  7. Grant, can you ask Simpson the next time you have a chance if he has heard anything from the league in regards to the offense that caused him to be released from the Vikings? I’m just wondering if he will be suspended for the first few games or not.

  8. Not liking Patton and his drops.
    Can we have two GM’s?
    Seriously let Baalke draft the defense and someone else draft the O. They can flip for first pick and alternate.

    1. The only way Patton might make the team is because Ellington is hurt. That kid might be a china doll!

    2. Players have their good days and their bad days. Can not go by one day. The problem with Patton seems to be that he has not had enough good days to make people think the bad days are flukes. I have stated in the past ( but I could be wrong ) that people over evaluated his abilities because compared to Jenkins in his enthusiasm and ability he shone.

    3. So you’re really complaining about the second to last pick in the 4th round (not counting compensatory picks)?

      I thought any WR selected almost in the 5th round range would be a long shot by definition. But if you think this is evidence the Baalke can’t draft Offense, that’s ok.

      But it might show that Pete Carrol (Chris Harper – 4th round) and Bill Bellichik (Aaron Dobson – 2nd and Josh Boyce – 4th round) can’t draft offense either. Because they selected even less productive WRs earlier than Baalke.

  9. Grant

    Do I remember Kaep being one of the most potent/effective/efficient deep passers in the NFL during his first season as a starter, after Alex was benched, and on his way to the Super Bowl?

    What is your personal take on why, if true, Kaepernick has regressed? Is your take consistent with the consensus of your peers?

  10. This is an unexpected statement from Kevin Lynch, but at the same time we really haven’t heard much about Reaser and Acker during TC:

    “Practice-squad cornerback Marcus Cromartie is the 49ers’ second-team right cornerback over second-year draft choices Keith Reaser and Kenneth Acker. Cromartie looks particularly good guarding deep passes.”

    http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2015/08/12/top-10-developments-in-the-first-week-of-49ers-training-camp/#photo-674737

    1. Thanks for pointing this out, cubus. Cromartie has exceptional measurables and it’s great to see him developing so quickly. (UDFA, 2 years out from UWisconsin.) In addition to the development of Johnson, perhaps he was another reason they released Cook. Have to give Baalke a lot of credit for making CB a position of young depth.

  11. “Chris Culliver, the cornerback Wright replaced, never would have turned his head and found the football”

    Dead on. When Cully turned his head to locate the ball, its like he slammed the breaks on.

  12. Is Brock really our best corner? Seems like Wright is better in practice. Is Wright getting reps against Smith, Davis, Boldin and Simpson?

    We still are hearing so little of Acker and Reaser.

    I thought it was humorous that on another site the writer pointed out Dahl was also in coverage on Davis’s TD. Figures.

    1. Would like to hear more about the bubble position battles than the obvious Torrey Smith Good, Kaepernick Bad updates. How about Acker and Reaser compared to their group? How about the OLB group, who’s stepping up? What of the bubble positions on the DL, TJE and Okoye? Never hear much about them?

    2. In games, Brock would have good anticipation and intercepted a bunch, so he is still a big play guy.

  13. Recent revelations about the huddle under the Harbaugh regime are astounding to me. I’m an old dude from the days when the QB called the plays, so I’ve got certain prejudices. I don’t know if Walsh would have adopted it if possible in his day; possibly. I’d rather have accountability.
    When asked what was the key to his play-calling success in his Two Minute Drills, Johnny U. said it didn’t matter what play he called in the huddle; it was about calling it with conviction.

    1. I expect my quarterbacks to call their own plays (without a game plan) and also play either linebacker or safety. Now them were the days! My middle name is Albert.

    2. BT,

      Another of the growing list of things that needed changing from the way JH did things.

      The question is, was JH so good in other areas, that he could overcome those shortcomings, or was (is?) the roster that good?

      1. I’m a Harbaugh fan and am looking forward to see how he does at Michigan. But I have to say, the more I read about how he conducted practices coupled with the maddening DOG penalties (which were never fixed over a 4 year period) plus apparently wearing down the players, I’m beginning to wonder what makes him such a good coach. His record speaks for itself, but what are the ingredients in his magic sauce.

      2. With regards to the roster, the roster may have been very good when Harbaugh took over with the 49ers, but was that true at San Diego State and Stanford?

        1. JH had Luck, literally. After Nolan and Singletary, JH looked like Vince Lombardi resurrected. His style was old school. He was a disciple of Bo, with the 3 yards and a cloud of dust, and he won, which covered up the flaws.
          However, JH was also trending downward, and once they were out of the playoffs, the glaring weaknesses could no longer be tolerated. Relatively speaking, his practices were brutal and the injury ridden season may have been the result of JH and his philosophy.
          Coach Tomsula, on the other hand, has seemed to correct mistakes, is more flexible, is more of a people person, is less paranoid, and it is a salient point to acknowledge that there are a lot fewer injuries this TC.

        2. Harbaugh was good enough to convince Luck to come to Stanford. They didn’t find Luck under a rock in the Quad.

          1. If you’re being cute, fine. That’s a good oldie.

            On the chance that you think Harbaugh was lucky to recruit of Luck’s caliber out of Texas he wasn’t. He was persuasive and he had a very intelligent father and son to persuade.

      3. Optimist-
        Great question. I don’t know the final answer, but I agree there’s an equation there of good/neutral/(and a few)bad things that JH brought to the team. His bottom line was great in terms of getting wins, with his team’s only mediocre year being injury racked (wrecked). The drama notwithstanding in ’14, the injuries took their toll. So, imo, Harbaugh’s time in SF was a net plus, plus, plus (3 trips to playoffs).
        That was then.

        1. Cubus and BT,

          I’m wondering the same thing. I do believe JH is, at least, a very good HC, but all of these clearly counter productive procedures he used are baffling.

          1. At the risk of plowing well-plowed ground again, it’s been shown several times now that he wears out his welcome. His unorthodox approach seems to be good for turning around programs. He comes in, has a commanding approach and shakes up the status quo and that includes the way he handles his practices. The rah-rah messages work initially to get everyone fired up and believing. I’m guessing, it’s probably mostly his force of will plus unwavering optimism that he can build a winning program that resonates with players moreso than the actual physical implementation of a sound turnaround plan. But it’s just as likely that I don’t understand the actual turnaround plan that he uses to engender success.

            But over time, with the same players, the whole approach begins to lose its efficacy. If what I am saying is about right, then his approach should work at the college level because of player turnover. Unfortunately he wears out the administrations as well thus giving him a short shelf life at the college level as well.

              1. Grimey,

                I’m not a WSJ subscriber. Is there another way to read the article?

              2. Optimist:

                I just clicked on the link and was able to read the article – I too am not a WSJ subscriber.

              3. Cubus,

                I’ve tried to open it both on my computer (PC) and phone (iPhone), and on both I see the first few lines and then a solicitation to subscribe, or to log on, if already a subscriber.

            1. Cubus,

              That’s where my optimistic side wants to go, not to mention, there most definitely is a logic to that line of thinking. It’s also why I think the 49ers will surprise this year.

      1. I was hoping we would sign Shaky. He can play virtually any spot on the O-line.

      2. Everybody was going crazy about Pears at RT but the problem seems to be Marcus Martin and Brandon Thomas.

        If they could provide average to good play at C and RG the Oline might just be ok enough.
        That a 6th round rookie is pushing for playing time over those 2 guys doesn’t sound promising.

        1. To me, Martin is a head scratcher. He was the top rated center in the 2014 draft. I would have thought that playing center is harder than playing guard because you have to ensure a successful snap first before focusing on the blocking assignment, whereas with the guard position you can focus your attention 100% on your blocking assignment.

  14. You know what’s crazy is that all the other writers; maiacco, barrows etc all have great reviews on how well keep played today. Amazing they must of not watched the same practice. Apparently kaep threw 6 tds today.. I guess that sucks.

  15. Practices are subjective. If they are focusing on red zone passes, it by definition will not be long passes, they will be medium passes. long passes are hit or miss, so they are less accurate than 15 yard passes, where the completion percentage should be high.
    If a reporter focuses on completion percentage, Kaep may be struggling to him. But if another reporter focuses on TDs, and Kaep has 5 in practice, then Kaep is shining.
    Both viewpoints may be right.

    1. Ordinarily, I would accept the “two things can be equally true” line, but Grant has shown that he is biased and will leave out information (often significant, and, sometimes, essential information) to prove his point of view correct. Therefore, pretty much everything he writes needs to be taken with a boulder of salt.

      1. “taken with a boulder of salt.” – LOL
        Every once in a while one of us turns a good phrase on this blog. Hehe.
        Even so, I think witness accounts are bound to vary. There is some occasional cherry picking of data to fit a p.o.v., but that’s not uncommon, and rarely goes unchallenged here.

        1. Dude, you rolled your eyes at my Radnich punch line, but you think Boulder of salt is hilarious? You have an interesting sense of humor.

          1. You may have me confused with another poster as I don’t recall your Radnich punchline, let alone reacting to it. No big deal though, humor, like art and music is subjectively appreciated; beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

            1. Common sense has to prevail at some point….NAH.
              Dont know if that was directed at me, but it came right after my Lee Steinberg / Garry post.

              1. BT,

                Thx and you’re right about the reports, but when I try to triangulate on various issues with the 49ers, a certain reporter often ends up outside the standard deviation. What’s troubling is the omittied / different info almost invariably supports his narrative du jur.

              2. CK’s innaccurate deep passes isn’t my narrative. Geep Chryst referenced CK’s inconsistent deep passes yesterday.

              3. No, it was a joke to Scooter meant in the general sense about our Rumpus Room.
                He and I were disagreeing with some who we felt were reading too much into Coach’s semantics. Other posters had agreed with your take. It’s just expressing a different take on it. The Nah! Comment was joking at the totality of our group. I’m fairly direct, not too much hidden meaning. I think Tomsula was then and is generally also direct.

              4. Grant,

                I’m not saying that CK is throwing the deep ball well this off season. I am saying that your account of CK’s performance, or that of other players that you’re on at any given moment, often differs greatly from other beat writers. I’m also saying that those differences almost invariably dovetail perfectly with your current narrative(s).

                It’s too bad, because sometimes you’re on point and I like your “good” and “the not so good” format, too, but your selective use of stats and information gets to be too much.

              5. I am sorry for the misunderstanding, I do tend to deviate from the subject (and the norm), so pardon me for just being frustrated with this site and its setup (and lack of editing). I thought the comment was directed at me, and see that it was not.
                Coach Tomsula freely admits he is not the most erudite individual, so I cut him a ton of slack, and just hope he improves as he gets more comfortable doing it. I definitely am not saying he is a bad man for saying that. He is a good man, who will learn and get better. Like we all should.

              6. Mr opt, no it was not. That was the other day when some one drove a Bentley 143 mph. Garry used to get razzed every day for his Bentley, but it just shouted to the world that he could afford a Bentley and us peons had to drive Toyotas. Got old quick but it is a standard riposte when ever they tangled with Garry.

  16. I enjoy reading Grant’s articles because he isn’t afraid to say what he thinks and observes. Maiocco might as well be on the team payroll; likes to follow the company line. If he strays, he won’t stray too far. Also enjoy reading Matt Barrows.

    1. I agree. The Matts do have juicy tidbits to impart because they have unfettered access. I like their writing style and they do a good job painting a picture.
      However, I may be the Niners most ardent fan, but I also do not appreciate being rosily scenarioed. I like hearing about them, warts and all.

  17. I got tired of reading all these reports about how Kap was so great but his play often hasn’t matched all that media hype. Thanks Grant for providing some insight.

  18. Well, so far, he seems to be accurate. The other reporters can also be accused of bias in the homer direction. I think GC tells it like it is and does not sugar coat it.
    This offseason has been difficult, and many fans may expect the Niners to win less than 8 games. I just want the truth, good or bad.
    i agree, he does seem a little formulaic, but that is what they all do. At least he is not obnoxious and unctuous like Kawakami.

  19. And three full throated defenses of G.C. by unregistered users all show up within 3 minutes of each other. Two even under the same username despite being entirely different posts (beyond being throated defenses of G.C.). Oops.

    Never change, man. :)

    1. I beg to differ. Most posters know me, and know that I can be the biggest optimist with rainbows and unicorns.
      It just seems to me that GC cannot emerge from his father’s shadow, and a lot of the criticism is colored by the sins of his father. I HATED Lowell. He infuriated me, but I also read every word. I firmly believe that the Niners were so successful partly because they wanted to prove LC wrong.

  20. Article on PFT today quotes an anonymous source in Jets’ locker room as saying Geno deserved to get slugged in that incident. Hmmm. I usually don’t like unnamed sources (you mean it? Own it), but I do not see any players jumping to Geno’s defense; deafening sounds of silence.
    One commenter said in jest that Geno threw the first punch but that it was high and wide.

  21. My take is either it’s going to be Staley/Boone/Looney/Martin/Pears or Staley/Boone/Martin/Thomas/Pears depending on pre-season performances….

    1. I still like- Staley, Thomas, Martin, Looney and Boone. However, it seems to be trending to Staley, Boone, Martin, Thomas and Pears.

      1. Getting me dizzy. How about Staley, Mathis, Martin, Thomas and Boone? Doubt it will happen, though.

          1. His price might be coming down. What if they can get him for a “prove it’ type of contract? The other side of the coin is their apparent shift to giving their younger players the opportunity to play, so it might be they actually have zero interest in him.

            1. I predicted he might go to Carolina because J Martin retired so there is a need there, but now I am thinking about Arizona who just lost a lineman. Mathis will go to some team that has lost a lineman and is desperate.
              Heck, Oakland needs a better O lineup, and they have plenty of cap space, too.

              1. True. Yet Baalke is not one to overpay, and Davis stated that he would feel fully recovered and wants to return, so a replacement would be for one year. I think Mathis is looking for 2 years, 4 mil, Not sure.

              2. It’s a given that Baalke wont over bay.

                “Davis stated that he would feel fully recovered and wants to return”

                I think there is an “if” that belongs in what Davis said, otherwise he wouldn’t have retired.

  22. Gutierrez:

    The ‘hit’ of the day came courtesy of Vernon Davis, who simply ran over inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman in a red zone drill while running a pattern. Bowman did not take kindly to being trucked and stared Davis down with his arms outstretched and hands up, as if to say, “What’s up?” In fact, Bowman looked a step behind on the day as he continues his comeback from a devastating left knee injury. Coach Jim Tomsula said Bowman is slated to play on Saturday but you have to wonder if the Niners give him the weekend off to get his legs under himself.

    Oh, and left outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks simply looks like an unstoppable beast. At times; > )

  23. Some of you guys should go back and read some of your own posts.
    .
    I mean, you’re bending over backwards to defend Kaep’s character over ONE PASS that may or may not have been a 20-yarder.
    .
    Maybe Grant had this particular one wrong…but c’mon, as it pertains to his abilty to deliver the long ball with accuracy on a consistant basis, the opinion that Kaep’s overall performance thusfar in TC is lacking seems be shared by other writers.
    .
    And they’re actually at the practices–we aren’t.
    .
    If you guys enjoy fluff pieces, I suggest you read NBC Bay Area.
    .
    I don’t always agree with Grant’s opinion…but at least he has one to disagree with.
    .
    .
    .
    ~ALOHA~

  24. Hunter, Ward, Wilhoite, Lynch, Kilgore, Wheeler, Ellington, Anderson, Bellore, Smelter not traveling to Houston per Inman….

    1. I wonder how JT’s known entity works out? That’s a lot of guys not making the trip. I guess we’ll get to see a lot of 2-4’s in certain positions.

    2. I’m excited to see Davis, Haybe and Gaskins Saturday.

      I’m expecting a sloppy game vs a team that might be a little more jacked due to Hard Knocks Syndrome. All fine as long as everyone stays healthy and we get a good look at the new guys.

  25. I really want to see how the run game evolves. Hayne is intriguing as a Swiss army knife type player. He can run and catch, but the blocking skills are yet to be determined. On ST play on kick offs and punts, it will be interesting to see if his rugby skills translate from the pitch to the field.
    Hope to see the no huddle with quick snaps, and no wasted time outs. Maybe a Tolbert TO.
    Hope to see a more mobile and unpredictable pocket, and passes with touch.

    1. “Hayne is intriguing as a Swiss army knife type player.”

      When we talk about a SAK type player, it is usually referencing that role Delanie Walker played. I don’t see how Hayne is intriguing as that type of player, at least not right now. He’s playing as purely a RB on offense.

      I would have thought the potential SAK type players on this team are McDonald, Bell, Carrier and Millard?

      1. Hayne can be a RB, catch the ball, block, return punts, return kickoffs and even cover on ST. Sounds pretty versatile to me, like a SAK.
        I concede DW was labeled that and he was a TE.

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