Blaine Gabbert named starting QB for Week 11

San Francisco 49ers head coach Jim Tomsula has named Blaine Gabbert the starting quarterback for the Week 11 game against the Seattle Seahawks, according to 49ers.com.

This move is not a surprise. Gabbert earned a second start with a strong performance and a win over the Falcons. Going back to Colin Kaepernick now would have been a catastrophic mistake.

This article has 456 Comments

  1. Good for him, he deserves another start and maybe for the rest of the year.
    But what if he plays poorly in Seattle? Will they put CK back in the starting lineup?

    I hope they don’t do this QB carousel crap.

    1. Depends how bad he plays. Turnovers, uncertainty, pouting will all lead back to Kap. Then again I would like to see Kap giving one more chance at Seattle in Seattle. Would that not be a a great story?

      1. Only if the story is not just one game, but CK actually turning his carrier around. Otherwise keep him on the bench so he doesn’t get injured to protect the contract.

        CK having the light turn on and be consistently good is a long shot at this point.

          1. Dont forget about injuries. Gabbert was not sacked, but was knocked out of the game for a couple snaps. Seahawk pass rush is light years better than Atlanta’s. Kaep may be needed to play.

            1. Injuries can and will happen at any position, but let’s be clear, Gabbert is a big, strong kid. 6’4′ 240 lbs, and mobile (4.61). He is no more likely to get hurt than Kaepernick, probably less so due to the fact that, unlike Kap, Gabbert he has clearly developed that internal clock every QB needs to have, and he gets rid of the football in rhythm.

    2. Another sign that the suits are making all football decisions and a reason why the 49ers are Plutonium to bright young coaches:

      Trent Baalke during Tomsula’s initial press conference: “I think somewhere in there he said, we’re going to run the ball.”

      ‏@mattbarrows #49ers fullback Bruce Miller says QB decision will be “up to coach and management.” Said he expects GM Trent Baalke will be part of decision

    1. The chain of command through Paraag, Jed, Baalke to JimmyT may be too long to sync with post game or Monday morning press conferences.

  2. This probably is a best case for Gabbert, the team and QB7. QB7’s mental fortitude comes into question when facing off with the Seahawk’s 12th man. QB7 will be invaluable on the sideline telling Tomsula what works and does not in that environment. QB7 should be of some comfort to Gabbert in his new role as quarterback consultant and mentor much like Kurt Warner.

  3. This next game is Gabberts chance to remain the starter for the rest of the year. Kap has struggled mightily his last three starts against Seattle. If gabbert looks competent then he’ll keep the job. If he looks just as bad then kap will get his job back. It’s as easy as that.

    And Grant, going from gabbert to kap is a “catastrophic mistake” is an exaggeration of “catastrophic” proportions considering this season was a disaster that started before training camp.

    1. I’m not so sure about that. I think Blaine would have to play worse than Kaepernick has traditionally played in Seattle. And it’s hard to imagine anyone playing worse.

      I have been in Kaepernick’s corner since he took Alex Smith’s job, and I don’t think the league has seen the last of him. That said, barring injury, I think he is finished as a 49ers QB.

      As for Gabbert, he could turn out to be exactly the type of QB the teams needs moving forward. He’s got experience, and he’s a physical prototype NFL QB. He seems to be humble as well.

      The 49ers need to draft a potential starting QB with similar play styles in the upcoming draft, (I would like to see them draft Lynch), and let them compete. Name Gabbert the starting QB for 2016 and let a rookie watch and learn the nuances of the position. And if everything goes as planned, let them compete to be the starter for 2017. With all of the salary cap space, combined with a favorable draft (lots of picks, and hopefully sitting to 10) a competent GM can turn this team around real fast!

  4. He clearly deserved it. I wonder if Tomsula’s quote “We’ll discuss it internally” translates into, “I have to ask Trent Baalke what we’re going to do.”

  5. Just watched the game on tv. And first off it was great to see Purcell in there finally. Didn’t notice him yesterday.
    Second thing. Our offensive line is still garbage. From the center to the RT. They were still getting pushed around and missing blocks yesterday. They owe Gabbert a huge steak for making them look OK. Ck would have been sacked or fled the pocket on at least 5 of those plays.
    Third… After watching the game on TV I can only say this. Gabbert better get a little more accurate, receivers better catch balls including juggle fingers McDonald.
    And they must form a running game in two weeks. IMO with this line and the way Gabbert is a bit off on some throws, our receivers will be tense vs that secondary, and they will be covered tight, and I don’t think Gabbert has the accuracy to throw over 20 yards in very tight Windows. I would love for the guy to blow up, because I love an underdog story. But I think Seattle will be his last start. I’m guessing he will look just as bad as CK does vs those *^%#]**
    I really hope I’m wrong, but it’s likely his true skills will come out in two weeks and we will know why he is a backup.

    I also don’t trust the play calls which will not help him at all. If and that’s a BIG IF they attack seattles middle with short passes and establish a good running game they will have a chance and I’ll gladly take that I’m wrong, but let’s face it. This staff is horrible and can’t outthink opposing defenses.
    Seattle with another blowout. :-(

    1. Gabbert is playing with house money. The expectations are so low, and Kaep has played so bad, especially against Seattle.

      Gabber can’t do any worse and he showed that he knows how to run an offense. That carried over into every aspect of the team.

      Maybe Kaep isn’t the scapegoat but was actually the problem. Gabbert is going to miss throws, he hasn’t played in so long but he looked like the team can now run more plays.
      On the 3rd and 4 to ice the game, I don’t think the end would have pinched if Kaep was the QB, they would guard against Kaep bootleg. When Gabbert ran the boot, it was a surprise.

      Also, while Gabbert wasn’t all the way dialed in, he made a variety of throws and he throw maybe 5 bad passes out of 25. Kaep was going so bad he was 4 good passes total. Just look at the shakedowns that Gabbert through to a practice squad RB. Kaep wouldn’t have thrown it because he doesn’t trust anyone but Boldin.

      The Niners are going to win a few more games with Gabbert, and lose the same ones that Kaep would have lost.

      1. I thought Gabbert’s best throw of the game was his third and last completion to Patton on the sail route. Back shoulder throw, the ball was in the air before Patton turned his head around, and he gave the defender no chance to make a play on it.

        That play showed anticipation and trust in the WR that you rarely see from Kaep. Gabbert threw Patton open.

        1. Patton has made a few good catches. I’m surprised we didn’t see any WR screens. That’s an easy pass to throw. We might see a few against Seattle. I won’t why we don’t see Ellington in the game either. He had two good RAC in the NYC Giants game.

        2. I felt like the TD to Celek(I think it was his first but can’t re-watch the game atm) was also one of his better throws. He threw it before Celek had made his break, I commented at the time that Kaep would have waited too long and the defender would have probably been in position to make a play.

          1. Yeah my biggest issue with Kaep was his footwork, and big-windup, more so then his bad accuracy.

            Even when he through the TD pas to Celek in the Giants game, he was a big late.

            The first TD pass to Celek was off play-action and he had to loft it over a jump ILB in the corner. 2nd TD was a Vernon Post type pass.

            Kaep would have thrown it hard, or into the dirt.

            I’m sure Gabbert left some plays on the field, just not as many.

          2. Good point CfC. I think it may have been the second one you are thinking of though – the first one was off the play action at the 1-yard line and Celek was open before Gabbert threw (while narrowly avoiding a flailing Marcus Martin who was being thrown backwards in Gabbert’s general direction), but the second one he showed nice anticipation and timing on the stick-nod route by Celek.

        3. “Gabbert threw Patton open” – excellently expressed! Wished I’d thought to put it this way. Now, I’m hoping Tomsula has enough sense to practice our guys all this week and the next that we might have a real shot at defeating Seattle in their house . . .

        4. “Gabbert threw Patton open” – excellently expressed! Wish I’d thought to put it this way. Now, I’m hoping Tomsula has enough sense to practice our guys all this week and the next that we might have a real shot at defeating Seattle in their house . . .

        5. “Gabbert threw Patton open” – excellently expressed! Wish I’d thought to put it this way. Now, I’m hoping Tomsula has enough sense to practice our guys all this week and the next that we might have a real shot at defeating Seattle at their house . . .

  6. The line is bound to be bad when the QB holds the ball too long, don’t know the spot where he is supposed to be on his drop, and worst, reading skill is not mastered. Guess CK been wasting his time instead, chasing other ppl’s girls and worrying about his “street looks” instead of getting his PhD in QB’ing like he’s supposed to with $100+ mil contract sitting there on his desk collecting dust! Good riddance.

  7. Okay I’m calling it now — I bet we see a couple of deep throws to Torrie Smith against Seattle. Defense should hold up against their mediocre Defense.

    Let’s see if that guy was worth the 40 million.

  8. The writing was on the wall and I approve of this move. Two weeks for BG to prepare for a tough test. Patton and Ellington on short crossing routes is the key to breaking down their D. Ty Hilton , Desean Jackson and the little Rams surf receivers killed the seahawks. Speed is their kryptonite. Then play action fake to hyde and hit TSmith with a bomb.

    1. All fantastic ideas and true. Now will the call for those plays and can they execute? That’s been the problem for awhile now.

  9. One thing Gabbert did in the game that Kaepernick has struggled with for 4 years is the back shoulder throws. Gabbert completed at least four. Perfectly thrown. They are a staple for any NFL franchise QB. Gabbert may not be one of those…yet (as we have no idea what his upside could become now), but he did many of the things that you have to do to be a successful NFL. Seattle will tell us everything we need to know about Blaine Gabbert and his future as a Niner signal caller.

    1. I wasn’t sure if these were true back shoulder throws. I think his best past was the 3 and 6 pass to Jerome Simpson on the sideline, who dropped it. It was back shoulder, the only place he could throw it. I’d love to see what the all-22, and if Gabbert was making throws in rhythm.
      Would you take an efficient Gabbert, who plays like Alex in 2011, and maybe the defense somehow becomes top 5 again? I was really impressed with the DBs. I was wondering what happened with the starters. Tart looks better then Read. And Cromarte plays with a chip.
      50-50 on Dontae Johnson. Jimmie Ward is not a slot CB, but looks to be a solid Safety.

      Hopefully Armistead doesn’t make us regret missing on Marcus Peters, and the Niners get a CB, a LB, an OL, a 3rd rd QB, and they can be competitive. Seattle will come back to the pack next year. Carson Palmer will be one year older in AZ, and the Rams don’t have a complete offense. Can Gabbert develop past Foles? Then the Niners could get the division.

      Will be interesting to see how far Carolina gets this year. If Cam can get them over the hump. GB looks spotty this year. Maybe they miss Jordy after all.

      1. Reid started the year a bit slow, but I think he has been better than he’s being given credit for the past few weeks. He’s been pretty good, albeit without making many notable plays. Tartt does make more conspicuous plays though, and I agree he looks a better talent.

        Ward is fine as the nickel CB. He continues to grade out positively according to PFF most weeks. Like Reid, he just doesn’t make a lot of notable plays though, so he goes unnoticed.

        Johnson could be a very good CB if he just had better lateral movement. He does a good job using his length. But I always feel nervous he’s going to get beat by hard breaks out of routes.

        1. Armistead has graded out well in limited opportunities. He continues to collapse the pocket and has held up well in the running game. I hate to say it, but Baalke may have done well with this pick. Defensive lineman often take a few years to hit their stride, Armistead looks very promising in early days. It will be nice to be able to substitute regularly and give the starters a break without a falloff.

        2. About time somebody mentioned Jimmie Ward. He has arrived. I think he makes a great (not good, GREAT) slot CB, and a nice chess piece as a defender. He has always been a very good tackler for his size, and instinctive as well. The jury is still out whether he can hold up as an in the box safety, but he has really developed into a solid CB/S hybrid.

          And, it’s only one game, but I think Cromartie will make a very good backup to Ward in terms of Nickel Corner. Johnson has always impressed me, and if Reaser develops, this team is looking set at CB IMO.

      2. Carolina finally has a decent line to give Cam time to throw, and their defense is solid all around.

  10. Scooter, I took a look at Carson Wentz and I have to say I wasn’t very impressed. He doesn’t hit receivers in stride, stares down his targets at times, and has a good but not great arm. I also didn’t see him challenge a good pass rush and overcome it.

      1. I’m not sure if he would be a treasure on this team. I hate to say it, but I believe the Combine will tell us whether he has the arm and skillset to be a starter in the NFL.
        Overall, I’m not impressed with the incoming QB class.

      2. Scooter I like Wentz. I hadn’t paid him any attention but the little I did see was pretty decent. I watched just a few snippets but what I saw appeared to be a good feel for pressure in the pocket as well as a strong arm especially while moving. I saw him scramble hard to this right and fire a rocket for about 30 yards dead on target. I always like seeing a QB that has experience under center and I got a good laugh when his under center stance reminded me of Marino although only in appearance. As Marino got older and his knees got worse he would open his stance while under center and you always knew which direction he was going to turn after the hike by which foot he opened up. Wentz also stands under center with a staggered stance but he doesn’t turn that direction each time, it must just be more comfortable for him that way. Anyway, I’ve only watched a little but I’ll be adding him to the list for sure.

        1. Yay, I’m not the only one!

          I think we should start a poll – Carson Wentz: Trash or Treasure?

          So far:
          – Trash = 1
          – Treasure = 2

          1. I was more following your analogy in regards to Wentz Scooter. I think he’s a good prospect with a chance to be to be an average starter, but I also believe his skill set wouldn’t be a good fit for our offense and the play – makers on it.

              1. Nuh-uh. I never once said he was trash. That came from your analogy. ;-P
                What play – makers? How about Smith at WR who deep threat ability has hardly been used for example. I haven’t seen any highlights where Wentz hits a receiving target in stride; it’s been mostly stop-and-go routes which generally negates the deep threat.
                You missed what I saying in regards to the offense. I wasn’t saying we have a good one but that the makeup of it wouldn’t benefit Wentz.

              2. Own the trash call Mid. Own it!

                Surely you know how badly this forum handles maybes and grey areas. ;-)

              3. LOL Good point about the gray areas, although I did say we’d have a better idea of what he could bring to the table after the Combine.

              4. JedYorkTheDork A.K.A. MidWestDynasty November 9, 2015 at 7:12 pm
                “I’m not sure if he would be a treasure on this team.”

                “Nuh-uh. I never once said he was trash. ”

                When the only two choices are treasure and trash and you say you don’t think he’s a treasure then yea, you get marked down as a trash. :)

              5. When the only two choices are treasure and trash and you say you don’t think he’s a treasure then yea, you get marked down as a trash. :)

                I don’t believe in just having just two choices in regards to a prospect or player because it takes out the average card out of the equation (which is what I see out of Wentz).

          2. I haven’t seen enough to make a call on trash or treasure, but he could be a decent late round pick to develop. Baalke will certainly be interested based on the school he comes from.

    1. I’m hoping his wrist is fine come Senior Bowl time (and that he accepts). Will get a better feel for how he performs against better players.

      1. I like to assess draft players from the Senior Bowl because they are going up against elite college players. I think that is how Tartt stood out.

  11. Matt Johnson will be the steal of the draft in whatever round he is drafted. He certainly won’t be a 1st, so I’m still hoping he falls into the 49ers’ lap. I really think he might be the best QB in the draft.

    1. “[Bowman is] 27-years old, but he moves like Ray Lewis when he was in his mid-thirties.”

      Exactly why they should try and play him more the way the Ravens played Lewis towards the end of his career. Having him running 50 yards downfield in coverage is ridiculous. Using him as more of a pass rusher and short zone guy better suits where his skills are at in the passing game these days.

    2. You forgot to mention that Matt Ryan is currently in a slump, the Falcons defense is one of the weaker units in the league, and Freeman isn’t the versatile back that can effectively gash the 49ers D. There’s also the fact that Roddy White has been all but phased out of the Falcons offense and a key piece in their starting TE didn’t play due to injury.
      It was a good win, but it was one against a weakened pretender that could still make the playoffs given how bad the most of the teams are.

        1. Look at their opponents and tell me that ranking is legit or that it’s been inflated because of the opponents.

          1. Their ranking is what their ranking is. You go be the rank or then everything become subjective. Yes, it will be more accurate and the end of the season.

        2. They’re still the one of the best defense in the NFL. Watched out for Seahawks team when their offense start points on the score board. We got to remember they got between twice in the 4th quarter against goods teams that they should’ve beaten. We’ll all see what this hawks team is made out of after they play AZ in Seattle.

        3. Guh, an undefined stat is meaningless. They are ranked 10th in yards given up per game.

          Guess where they ranked in sacks; 31st

          Do you think their defenses inability to get to the QB helped out or offense in anyway this past weekend?

            1. For a team that is averaging 14 points a game that sounds like a good day to me.

              The bigger point is that Gabbert was untouched the entire game. Give Kaepernick that same pocket and he would have scored 17 points too.

              1. Yeah, remember the rumor that SF hand-picked Atlanta for the switch? Maybe they scouted that lack of pressure. New guy has a chance to get off to a good start. CK might have put up 17 with better protection, but then that might delay the inevitable switch. All guesses.

              2. Kaep would have been sacke a couple of times. He doesn’t have any pocket awareness. The O-line didn’t just get better overnight. And Kaep wouldn’t have made those check-down passes.

                If you put any competent passer in that pocket, you may have a similar no sack day. But you put a QB who holds the ball forever and has a long big wind-up and can’t read the defense, then you’re going to get some sacks.

                If Gabbert was the QB, the Niners would still have lost against PIT & AZ.
                Kaep had a good game in NYG, so that loss was on the Defense.

                They might have beaten GB, and SEA, and been competitive in STL.
                I mean, if Kaep hits Torrie Smith, the Niners are ahead in that game.

              3. The Falcons hit him three times and hurried him 16 times. Kaepernick was getting sacked 24.1 percent of the time he was pressured.

              4. You and Grant both took that literally, I should have been more specific and said he went un-sacked. It’s all I meant.

        4. Lets look closer at defensive ratings. Pass ratings to be specific from the 49ers opponents:
          Pass Defense:
          SEA #2
          STL #4
          MN #6
          AZ #7
          Big Drop
          ATL #19
          GB #23
          PIT #26
          BAL #29
          NYG #31

          Sacks:
          STL #2
          GB #5
          PIT #7
          BAL#9
          SEA#11
          MN #14
          Big drop
          AZ #27
          ATL #31
          NYG#32

          I think these stats speak more to what happened in the ATL game that the overall 10th place ranking Grant is listing. 19th in passing and 31st in sacks says a lot. Their ranking is mostly based of their run D. SEA is #2 and #11 its an entirely different situation for our passing offense. They have a great secondary and good pass rush. AZ has a weak pass rush but a good secondary, if Gabbert has time against AZ he could be effective. Lets see if he can beat the pass rush in Seattle and their great secondary. They’re not unbeatable, but they lose mostly because of their offense and we didn’t play well letting Lynch run for well over 100yds and we got burned again on scramble drill type plays.

    3. Grant, Bowman played inspired football yesterday, and I think he was quicker. Maybe the two went hand in hand.

  12. Stevie Johnson just showed why he isn’t with the 49ers with that dumb spiking of the football.

  13. Anybody else think Fluker is going to be a FA at the end of the season?

  14. Kaepernick will never start here again as long as Gabbert stays healthy. Gabbert’s fundamentally betterl and has all the tools, but what’s even more encouraging to me is that he’s started only about 30 games in the league and it’s all been behind bad olines. Give him a good line, a healthy Carlos Hyde, and receivers who catch his passes, and we might have exactly the guy we need. I still don’t think we can beat Seattle or Phoenix, though.

    1. George- ‘As long as Gabbert stays healthy’. With the Seahawks and Cards coming up, that is a big assumption.

          1. So someone answer why wouldn’t they have experimented with their starting QB and more Oline options but rather wait till the 2nd string guy is in there? Seems like a colossal risk? Are they more willing to let the #2 guys get injured with inexperienced players? Were they willing to risk #7’s health? Were they just letting the fan base get sick of Kaep? Did they not see enough in practice from the young players? Its not far fetched to try and get the fanbase off your back. Here in Denver Elway let Tebow play and it slightly backfired on him. It eventually worked out when they got Manning.

              1. They starting tinkering in the GB game with Tiller. Seems like that’s not much tinkering. This week they made a lot more changes Brown, Pears to Guard and Tiller playing more. Seems like they are really slow to me in moving away from the veterans handed to them by the GM.

              2. Not enough tinkering. They needed to make big changes, because the O line had collapsed like a house of cards, and Kaep was beaten like a pinata. Their only success was to succeed in destroying Kaep’s confidence until he was skittish and shell shocked.

  15. I like B. Gabbert as the 49ers Qb. But against the Seahawks stout defense it ‘s going to be a lot tougher against this great Seahawks defensive team. Gabbert might complete a couple pass to smith, but it’s unlikely he’ll have the same luck he had against the Falcons. The Falcons didn’t have the pass rushers like the Seahawks who will surely pressure Gabbert all day.and he won’t be able to sit in the pocket and get the looks like he did against Atlanta. Seahawks wins 30-10.

  16. Jeff Driskel is my pick for qb in the 2016 draft. Transferred from Florida to Louisiana Tech. Could be had in the 5th or 6th, or perhaps higher if he continues to play well. I also like Louisiana Techs running back Kenneth Dixon. A very tough runner. Not top end speed, but fast enough with good shake to make people miss. One cut and he is gone. He is about to break the all time college record for scoring touchdowns, currently has 83.

    http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=119328&draftyear=2015&genpos=QB

    1. We don’t want anymore running Qb like CK in shot gun mode. Paxton Lynch 6’6 from Memphis state is a very Athletic accurate passer from the pocket and NFL caliber Qb. Another is Conner Cook 6’5 from Michigan State very talented and athletic good passer NFL ready Qb. And last Jared Goff 6’5 from Cal and Carson Wentz from North Dakota state who is probably the Dark horse in the draft. Might be that good as well.

      1. Driskel can and does run, but does most of his passing from the pocket. Louisiana Tech runs pro sets as well as a spread offense.

        1. I agree, selecting a QB after the first few picks for O linemen and pass rushers, may be the best strategy.This draft is not touted as having a bunch of pro ready franchise QBs.

  17. Glad the Niners have stopped trying to fool people with the worst kept secret at 4949 Centennial. Gabbert deserves the starting job with his past performance, and Seahawks were going to assume he plays, anyways.
    How to defeat the Seahawks? Look at the SB and see how Brady made those quick passes to the RBs and TEs.. The West Coast offense principles that use short passes to control the ball, and keep their offense off the field.
    Gabbert should beat the crowd noise with running the hurry up with quick snaps, and the Niners should script plays for down and distance so they can run plays quickly and keep the defense from substituting.
    The Niners should counter the defense’s team speed by doing counters and end arounds. They should counter the stacked box by spreading them wide with 4 receiver sets, and do the quick bubble screens to avoid the pass rush. Niners should avoid Bennet and Mebane, and run right at Irvin and Sherman.
    Niners on defense should contain Wilson in the pocket, and maintain the edges so they can squeeze the pocket with Wilson in it. Like Tony Jerrod Eddie, the Niner defenders need to get a hand in the air so Wilson will have a hard time trying to throw over the defender.
    Niners can win if they stay disciplined and stop shooting themselves in the feet.

    1. The 49ers defense can probably do it to Qb’s like Ryan, but it’s unlikely they would be able to hold Wilson in the pocket with his elusiveness. This guys didn’t just win a SB a couple years ago if his not multi-talented this guy can throw a pass with some velocity and accuracy as well. And rarely this guy misses when he sees his receiver is open and he can buy time with his running abiltiy.

    2. Seb,

      I don’t believe end arounds work very well against fast defenses, unless they’re prone to over pursuit (which Seattle usually isn’t).

      1. I guess I just do not want them to to run into the teeth of the defense. Maybe the end arounds could be reverses.

          1. Sweeps, fly sweeps, bubble screens, pitches, tosses, passes to the flat, double reverses or something else. I want them to attack the edges.

        1. Running into the teeth of their defense is how teams beat them.
          Gore use to kill them with runs between center. He could never run outside and still gashed them with big chunk runs, especially late in games.
          It’s going to take slow and methodical drives to beat them. And mistake free. Wear down the clock and wear them down. Oh and throw on that other CB. He’s a serious liability for them.

          1. I am sorry to burst your bubble, but the Niners may have tried to run into the teeth of their defense, but have not had much success.

            1. My bubble is still
              Floating and yes they did have success when gore was here. Role the footage!

            2. d, just like Marshawn Lynch has been a thorn in San Francisco’s side, Gore has put up big numbers against Seattle over his career. His 1,364 career rushing yards against the Seahawks are his most against any one team, and his 5.33 yards per attempt are the most against any one opponent Gore’s played at least six times. He’s had some extremely productive individual days against the club, as well:

    3. Why does everyone think Seattle is unbeatable? Look at their record. This just in. They lost some games!

      The Rams beat them Foles. Seattle has Kaep’s number. There’s really no book on Gabbert in Geep Chryst’s offense. A one game sample. The regression to a one read offense just made it easy for smarter defenses to what to take away.

      Now the Niner can actually try to run a gameplan. It will still be a low scoring game. They’re cabable of putting up 10-14. The defense can play with purpose, get some rest.

      I don’t expect the Niners to be great, just competitive, room for improvement.
      Those 3 DB came out of nowhere. Keep playing Cromarte. He looks good.

      1. Not unbeatable, but we may not have the elements to beat them. STL is #2 in sacks #4 in pass d and 13th against the run. We’re not even close 20th in run, 28th in pass, and 20th in sacks. We have to score at least 14-17 and our defense will have to stop Lynch. Gabbert could make us more competitive but the rest of the team has to show up too.

        1. If you look back at the first game on a short win, that game was over after they scored on the first TD. The offense was that lost. Now it looks like they can at least try to run a game plan.

          Switching to Gabbert, the Niners will use more 3 step drops, if they’re smart. SEA owns Kaep. Gabbert’s a better pocket passer and will enable them to go beyond the one read nonsense.

          SEA is a better team, and they’re playing at home, so they’re big favorites will most likely win.

          I’m just looking forward to a more competitive game, and not have to roll my eyes every bounced pass. And don’t have to pray for the safety of the trainers who might get hit by an errant pass.

          Say what you want about Gabbert, he looks like a player playing hungry, and the team will respond to that.

        2. True…. But look at the TOP and how long our defense has been on the field. Especially in those 3 point games. They wore down in the second half. With Gabbert they have a CHANCE at slowing the game down with short to intermediate passes and running down their throats. They are not good at stopping physical running games. In fact they should have the same record as we do.

      2. It took Atlanta a half to adjust to what the Niners were doing offensively and shut it down. If Geep actually changes some things up over the bye to give a different look on plays the Seahawks have seen, they could possibly make a couple of plays against that D, but there is little doubt Pete will figure things out in relatively short order and shut it down.

        1. That’s where Gabbert MUST hit a deep pass to one of the speed guys. They will eventually take away the short game.
          All they had to do was wait for ck to throw 20 yards or run or get sacked. Alex smith could never scare anybody past 15 yards, this is where Gabbert can separate himself from the last two qb’s.
          Just be accurate with short and long throws. Something we haven’t had since Young!

          1. Gabbert has way more upside then Smith. He has a really quick release. The only person stopping Gabbert was Gabbert. If he gets a few more games, he could potentially be David Carr.

            He was playing with a bunch of scrubs. If he can get rid of it quick, to slow the rush, it can get interesting. I think it really comes down to what kind of game plan Chryst comes up with.

            I have low expectations, but I think Gabbert is going to surprise. In the ATL game, I had said I expected him to throw for about 200 yards and a couple of picks, but I also see him being more efficient.

            For the Seattle game I expect he’s going to have a decent game. The O-line feels like they just have to execute their assignment as best they can, and the ball is coming out. With Kaep they never knew where he was going to be and he just held the ball way too long.

            Also Seattle knew he wasn’t a threat to throw, with Gabbert there’s not enough sample size. I think the ATL game showed that Gabbert could run a more complex offense, and Seattle knew what to take away from Kaep to make him un-dimensional.

            Gabbert will make a mistake or two, but it won’t kill the team. They’ll lose, but it will be competitive.

            The Niners are not going to the play-offs, but I think it’s reasonable to see them get to 6-10, maybe even 7-9, which would be amazing given all the players they lost.

            The secondary, always the weak spot, could potentially have some players.
            I thought Cromartre played a pretty good game. Taft is and Ward are going to be solid safeties. Hopefully one can develop into Earl Thomas.

            1. The league hasn’t studied these replacements yet.
              Ive seen it thousands of times. New player comes in and impresses his first start.
              I’ve only seen a handful of diamond in the rough players take advantage of their lucky break. Hopefully we’ve got the lottery. But I’m not holding my breath. NFL teams usually find weaknesses and expose them once they do.
              As of right now I don’t see Gabbert as a long term option and if he is and we saw the best we’re going to see, (which isn’t bad) but not elite. They’ve gotta go heavy on the defensive side of the ball in the draft ad FA. If you’re going to have another game manager you better have a lights out defense and running game.

            2. Fan its not a more complex offense, its the same offense just executed. You’re still putting a lot of stock in one game. You said he wouldn’t kill us. 2 INT’s would kill us against the Hawks. Our recievers who dropped passes last week against the 19th ranked secondary will have a really tough time getting open and have nearly every catch contested against the 2nd ranked pass d this week. Gabbert could play well, just don’t go over the top. This isn’t a Kaep vs. Gabbert thing from me. You’re putting too much on one player when our whole team has to deliver. Being on the field all game isn’t just about the offense. Its about the defense stopping Lynch. If they can’t do that then there on the field partly due to their own ability and play. The game should be closer than last time.

  18. Since the Niners are expected to lose at CLink, we need to come up with some “innovative” plays where both Gabbert and Kap are on the field at the same time, and send them to the Geepster. Here’s one: put Kap in shotgun with Gabbert in stack formation as a WR on the left behind Boldin. Kap takes the snap throws a quick lateral to Gabbert who, with Boldin protecting, lofts one across the field to a streaking Torrey Smith on a go route on the right side of the field leaving Sherman in the dust. Touchdown!

    1. Ok, Seb, um, I mean Mood, that play should be good for at least two scores against the Seahawks.

      1. Ha ha — I must say that I have been inspired of late by seb to recommend that the Niners take chances. Or maybe I’m watching too much college ball.

        1. How about a triple reverse off of a statue of liberty from our own one yard line. In order to set it up the opening kick off returner should kneel at the one. Opening with a 99 yard touchdown will kill the Seahawks moral and we’ll walk over them for the rest of the game.

          1. I’m willing to testify under oath that I didn’t read Seb’s post at November 10, 2015 at 5:18 am before I posted above. ;-}

    2. I like how you think. Niners should go bold and try all sorts of plays to stop them from stacking the box and daring the Niners to pass. Do a reverse, then fake the reverse.
      Flea flickers, hook and lateral, even the statue of liberty.

      1. I’m pretty sure Mood was joking. I’m also pretty sure the Seahawks would notice two QB’s being in the field and easily make the required adjustments. Trick plays are easy to defend, if you know they’re coming.

            1. They would key on Kaep, so maybe he could be a decoy and draw defenders away from the point of attack.

              1. I doubt it Seb. They would just assign the usual single defender to shadow him.

              2. If Kaep lined up at WR and went in motion behind the Gabbert, every defender would have an eye on him. He would be the perfect decoy.

              3. No he wouldn’t Seb because that would place a DB on him that could easily jam him at the LOS. They would also know that Kaepernick is just a decoy since he has never been used as a receiving option.

              4. Hard to check a player who was in motion before the snap. If they ignore him like you say, Kaep could get the ball while rolled out in space and either pass it or run.

    3. Mood
      Did you break into your Chateau Margeaux stash last night? Oh well, I guess if you can’t supersede them with skill we can baffle them with bull#*%¥.

    1. Trade?? Who in their right minds would take on that contract? He’s getting released in April. SF has zero leverage before that.

  19. PFT reports the 9ers signed T. Cadet, a RB. This sort of reminds me of Walsh’s first two years where he ran open casting calls for DBs in hopes of finding anyone who could play. He hit on only one, Dwight Hicks, then his third year started 3 rookies.

    1. “Number one, he’s a real smart player,” Payton told reporters of the 26-year-old Cadet. “He’s exceptional as a receiver. His ability to run routes other than just from the running back route tree, he is someone that can jump in the receiver line and run out-routes and run comebacks and actually has experience doing that.”

      1. BTW, Razor, best regards on the birthday of Uncle Sam’s Mischievous Children.
        Dress Blues, gym shoes, and a light coat of oil.

      2. Arrg!! Baalke is scraping the bottom of the barrel for saints RBs who have shown NOTHING, yet keeps sitting Hayne, who has skills and showed during the preseason that he can make players miss him so badly, they fall down. SMH.
        Pete Carrol was intrigued with Hayne’s potential and brainstormed with his coaches on all the ways he could be utilized. Hayne is quick and fast. Gaskins is big and slow. Hayne showed good pass catching skills. The Niners should elevate Hayne and put him in positions to succeed. For the life of me, I do not know why they did not pitch the ball to Hayne so he could get the ball with space to make moves.
        last time, they cut Hayne, and his replacements went for 10 yards on 15 carries.
        Niners do not want to win if they sheathe their weapons.

        1. Don’t you think if Hayne could play the kind of RB they needed he’d be on the roster? He has a skill set but he wasn’t getting the job done.

          1. Hayne is on the practice squad, so the logical progression is to elevate him to fill a need, but Baalke grabs rejects from the Saints and Browns instead.
            Hayne did fumble, but if they rejected every RB who has ever fumbled, there would be no RBs in the league.

            1. He’s not elevated because he can’t fill the need no matter how much you insist he can. If he could have filled the need he would have played when Hyde went down. He needs time to develop. These other RB’s actually know how to play RB in the NFL. Hayne was given a shot and it was determined he needs to learn more. If he’s so great why didn’t another team pick him up?

          2. With McCray out, they should elevate Hayne and make him a gunner. He has good speed for his size, and has also shown that he can help on ST.

            1. Couldn’t agree more. I can’t figure it out either but it seems this is where they wanted him all along. After his preseason performance he would have been grabbed up if we didn’t put him on the 53. Now with 2 muffs and a fumble no one will touch him. But when all was said and done he moved the ball forward. He was all we had in the Cards game.

              1. Heck, they could save Dawson’s leg and have him kick off. Hayne could punt, too. Hayne, if given a chance, could be the spark this team needs. Draughn last game had that one nice run, but mainly was stuffed every play. If Hayne is in there, he can get those tough yards, but if he springs it, he could go all the way. Hayne as an outlet receiver would be effective, too.

              2. Hayne is not chopped liver. He was the MVP of his league. Won lots of awards and accolades. When he made that Texan defender fall on his face after receiving a punt, I knew he was special.
                Who knows, if Gabbert and Kaep both go down before that beastly pass rush, Hayne could be better than most other players except for Bell.

              3. Rocket, I know you jest, but Hayne is masterful when it comes to laterals.
                Too bad the coaches do not have the intelligence to be able to draw up a play that uses the concept of laterals.

              4. Seb,

                What is your fixation with laterals? Do you realize an “incomplete” lateral is a fumble?

          3. One thing to think about with Hayne is that I believe he was close to having the maximum # of games on the active roster allowable without becoming ineligible for the PS the next year. Its possible that not only do they not think he is ready, they are also wary of ruining any chance of having him on the PS again next year.

      3. Yet he was so mediocre he could not crack the lineup of a flailing Saints team who need RBs in the worse way.

    1. You aren’t the only one having trouble with that: Brady, Unitas on one hand, and Carmozzi, Druckenmiller, Leaf, Harrington, Couch,…….

    2. I like him based on his current value, but the clips available in the second link you provided show of Hogan’s weaknesses: spotty accuracy, throwing very risky passes, and staring down his target.

    3. I asked this question earlier, but it didn’t seem to generate any interest, so I’ll ask it again. Would there be any synergies if Shaw were hired as HC and the 49ers then drafted Hogan as the QB?

          1. Shaw might leave Stanford if he gets a good offer that’s also a good NFL situation. Neither of those things will come from the York owned 49ers. Shaw is very tuned in to what went on there with Harbaugh, and in his own right, he knows how the NFL works.

            1. One caveat is that if Jed hires a top NFL “brain” and gives him full power to run the football operation with strong financial support from the bean counters, the situation might change. A whole new group of candidates could become available.

              Will the York parents allow that?

  20. I believe that regardless of how Gabbert plays in 2 weeks he will be the 9ers starting QB next year. I’m hoping they draft Kevin Hogan if they can get him in the 2nd rd or later. Anyone have any predictions on where Hogan will go in the draft?

    1. Mood,OldCoach,

      Anything is possible but Hogan looks like a career backup at the NFL level to me. That’s just my view of it based on where QB’s have been drafted and what kind of ability they showed at the College level, but Hogan doesn’t have special athletic talent that gives him an edge at the pro level. He could be a Ryan Fitzpatrick type if all goes well imo.

      I’d say he would be a day 3 pick, but I said the same thing about Grayson last year so I’m hardly the authority on where guys will be drafted.

      1. Rocket before the final 3 games of last year and his performance so far this year I would have agreed with you, in fact I thought he might be a UDFA. I believe his performance this yr has moved him up in the draft to maybe a 2nd or 3rd rd pick. I say let Gabbert play next year while our new O line develops, Hogan is a pocket passer who will need a quality O line in front of him. You are right he isn’t a “special athletic talent” like say,CK but he could possibly be a quality pocket passer.

        1. OldCoach,

          Anything is possible no doubt about it. I’d prefer to have a situation where they could take Hogan as a second QB on day 3 along with one in the first round, but that would be based on a new Coaching staff and many other factors that have little chance of happening. Hogan has played well this year no doubt about that. If not for that strange game at Northwestern they’d be firmly in the playoff picture right now.

          1. Hate to say it fellas. And I’m sure you know this, but no matter who they may draft as a qb it won’t matter if they have this current staff of coaches.
            Jed and Baalke have a huge decision to make on where they want this franchise to go.

            A…. Ground and pound game managing qb play, with a dominate defense again.

            B…. Elite style qb who makes receivers look good with a middle of the road defense and running game. (Like the raiders are looking right now)

            This will hugely be impacted on the coaches they out in place. In today’s NFL it seems you can’t build a team with an elite passing game, running game and defense. It’s all going to depend on the staff. And sadly I don’t see them getting anybody who fits their “yes man” mentality to lift this team out of the dumpster.
            The biggest signing this offseason will be the head coach. And hopefully GM.
            They nail that, and then we could possibly get excited about draft day.
            Sucks to say, but I think our team is going to have another decade of darkness. :-(

      2. A couple of points:

        First, Hogan sub-par play last year may be ascribed to him being distracted by his Dad’s terminal illness (he passed away in December, I believe). Additionally, the O line came together only in the last 3–4 games.

        Second, Hogan has done well against Pac-12 defenses while operating with a playbook comparable to NFL playbooks. There are other QBs who are more athletic than him and have more accuracy on some of the “NFL throws”. However, the current climate of QB training in the NFL (or lack thereof) will ensure that many talented QBs will never reach their potential.

        1. Can’t the 49er coach/teachers train Hogan like they did with Smith and Kaep?

          Oops! Can you say, Come on, man to yourself?

  21. Each time I watch the video of Harbaugh taking a swipe at Chryst and Tomsula I always think to myself; Aren’t you the one that coached him for his first three years? How come he didn’t learn to do it then?

    1. I don’t think it was much more than standing up for a former player in the face of mounting criticism personally. My guess is he was just trying to give Kap some support in some difficult times.

      1. I wont say that that isn’t the case completely Rocket but I very much doubt that it was the primary motivation. The comment came after Kaepernick was benched and not after the play.

        My main point is really to the thoughtlessness of his attack though. You can’t call out the coaching of a player that you personally had the most time coaching. If he was supposed to know what to do in that situation then it was Harbaugh and his staff that should have originally taught him what to do. So Harbaugh’s comments really were more of an attack on himself and his own staff then the current regime and I’m finding humor in him not realizing that.

        1. CFC,

          I get what you’re saying and Harbaugh does bring some of that on himself with that comment, but with what we’ve heard about Harbaugh wanting to make a change at QB coach last season this may be a shot at Geep for not doing a better job both as QB Coach and now OC. Either way I think the core of it is Harbaugh coming to the defense of a former player who is getting criticized from every angle right now.

          1. I’d agree that Harbaugh would never throw a former or current player under the bus but I just don’t think defending Kaepernick was his primary motive. Agree to disagree.

        2. You’re the only person who looks at it that way. Harbaugh made a jab at the entire organization and the staff that replaced his. You know, the staff that York felt could be more successful than Harbaugh’s. Harbaugh was a very successful HC in San Francisco and he’s having immediate success at Michigan. The dude is a winner. Tomsula isn’t having success, has never had NFL HC success and won’t ever be hired as an NFL HC after his tenure with the 49ers is finished. It may have been unnecessary, but he wasn’t attacking himself. He isn’t their coach. He was their coach and he took them to the playoffs in 3 out of 4 years, two NFCCG’s and a SB. He was known for winning. His replacement is known for creating colloquial phrases on the fly, sweating profusely and farting at the podium.

            1. I disagree especially since York is the one who believed that the coaching staff was the true reason the team went 8-8 last season.

              1. It’s a stupid comment because it’s not like he doesn’t have blind spots.

                Special teams gaffes have cost 2-3 championships.

              2. Again I disagree Jack. York went out of his way to indicate that Harbaugh and the previous coaching staff was the true reason the team missed the playoffs which clearly wasn’t true.
                It was the perfect tweak.

            2. His comments are exactly what I would expect from Harbaugh, regardless of intent. I don’t mean that in a snarky manner towards you, Jack. I agree with your statement. It’s just typical Jim Harbaugh behavior. It will grow old in Ann Arbor in about three years at which point he will return to the NFL and he will win again. Four years later….

              1. It’s Harbaugh being Harbaugh — continuing to pile up work count in a Niner fan blog almost a year after leaving the organization. I gotta hand it to him.

    2. I don’t recall a WR ever being that blatantly open when Harbaugh was here Coffee.

      1. Not the point Mid. Harbaugh tried to suggest that it wasn’t Kaepernicks fault because he wasn’t properly prepared for that situation. Harbaugh had 3 years with Kaepernick, how come he never prepared him for it then?

        1. It might not be the point, but it also doesn’t change what I said either.

        2. Harbaugh said WE coach our quarterbacks… If he were really being critical of the current coaching staff he would be implying that the current coaching staff taught Kaep not to change the play when he saw an open and uncovered receiver or, even worse, to not even look. I think his comment is being mis-interpreted. I think Mood is correct in that it was a typical Harbaugh general, non-answer statement that the reporters and fans could over analyze while serious people go about their jobs.

          1. One caveat is that if Jed hires a top NFL “brain” and gives him full power to run the football operation with strong financial support from the bean counters, the situation might change. A whole new group of candidates could become available.

            Will the York parents allow that?

          2. We don’t know what 49ers Quarterbacks are allowed to change when they are well inside their own five yard line, and no one is going to tell us.

  22. Michigan is hit with an unsportsmanlike
    conduct penalty: Intent to deceive.
    Lining up a man wide who appeared
    to be running off the field. And guess what?
    Coach Harbaw is “bewildered” by the call.
    Too many olives in the bucket…or not enough?

    I am the Super Bowl Monkey and, and, and
    Harbs Has No Ring, okay? bewildered…!!!

    1. The fact that you’re holding onto this sheer stupidity is disturbing to say the least.

    1. I’d love to see it play out that way but I doubt it. Goff will be taken higher than that after all the testing.

    2. That’s an old article since most of the teams are listed as playing only eight games.

      1. It’s dated 11/9, but you are correct in that it doesn’t take into account the games just played this past weekend.

  23. I would be intrigued if upon releasing Kaepernick, the Rams sign him to a one year deal to see what Garcia can get out of him….

        1. Not really a fantasy when you consider that our DC was an offensive consultant two years ago and then the TE coach last season.

      1. The Rams defense, their running back and the fact Kaepernick would get an opportunity to proove the 49ers were fools gold twice a year, makes me think if given the choice, he’d pick the Rams….

        1. I agree did the Rams re-up Napoleon dynamite at qb? Everyone is so quick to jump on kap. He has shredded so many teams in the nfl. Remember when he went into New England all the times he torched Green Bay. Has won 4 playoff games. Everyone wants him gone. It should be TB gone his drafting has been horrible. His fa signings even worse. Hopefully baalke is fired and some talent is brought in. I just love everyone saying kap sucks he is done. When he took us to a Super Bowl. Whomever is the starter next year if not kap is going to be a huge downgrade. Bank on it

          1. The more I think about it the more it makes sense kap being a ram. That dominate defense, dominate rb, they can draft more talent on the offensive side of the ball. They will get kap on the cheap cause of the year he had. They would be the 2012/2013 niners 2.0

        2. My 1 cent, if Kap is looking for long term success he needs to sit behind a vet QB, watch and learn. A team like the Cardinals, and a coach like Arians.

          If Kap wants to return to bicep kissing, Rex/Fisher/Chip/Todd Bowles will do just fine. He’ll run, throw a few missiles, some errant, some possibly caught….have one to one and half season of fun…..

          1. I think you are right and that is precisely why we have the Kaep we have today. He was not prepared properly and they relied too much on his unique specialties.

          2. That’s wishful thinking. He’s too old. He’s always had bad mechanics. It’s almost a joke to her Chris Ault talk about how he knows Kaep. He was lightning in a bottle because he was a surprise. He lacks the most important quality of all, which is leadership.
            Not everyone is born to be a leader. Some lead through example, some through charisma.

            Kaep was too busy putting on his headphones, which is fine for any other position but QB. He alienated his teammates instead of bracing them.
            He felt he had to be the hero.

            I said this in the beginning of the year — he would rather run for yard then throw for them. Something about running is instinctual. He feels free.

            But passing takes structure, conformity, discipline. And he’s not wired that way.
            In my day job I’m the same way so i can relate.

            I want to see Kaep succeed and the best place for that is Philly with Chip Kelly.

      2. I can see the Bills, Texans, Broncos, Eagles, Redskins, Lions, Rams, and Cardinals going after Kaepernick in a trade or after he is released.

        1. He’s not a good system fit with coaches in Denver and Washington. Would Miami and Dallas also sniff around?

          1. Doubt it. They have bigger needs across the board other than their QB position.

  24. perhaps Kapurnicus will put the bye week
    to good use. Buy or rent (beg, borrow or steal)
    a laser and start removing some of that ink.
    Ya kinda went overboard on the tattoos, fella.
    Visit a barber; ditch the beard & get a haircut.
    Finding it impossible to clean up yr game, maybe
    you can at the very least clean up your act/appearance.

  25. So I see a lot of media as well as guys like Jeff Deeney and David Neumann are taking Tomsula’s comments about Tank to mean they want him to drop some lbs and play more as a wide rusher.

    First, I’m not sure if that is the case or not, and could easily just have been Tomsula trying to say something that wasn’t negative about the player, deflect the questions.

    Second, if they are indeed looking for him to play as an edge rusher, all I can say is about time! I’ve been wanting to see them use him from the edge all season. In preseason his best plays came when he was rushing from out wider. Not sure if he’ll be any good, but he’s not good as an interior DL. What have they got to lose?

    1. Scooter,

      I agree. The best thing the guy did in College was rush the QB and yet Baalke pegged him as a Ray McDonald type from day one. Makes sense to at least see if he can create pressure from outside at this level. He’s probably a little too big at the moment, so they should start him on losing about 20-25 LB’s going into the next offseason program.

    1. “The 49ers have tried short, quick throws to restore his confidence, but coaches can mask deficiencies for only so long. Kap is in a cruel morass, as much psychological as physiological, trying to solve problems as elementary as footwork against defenses that require a master’s degree to decipher. “How long does it take to get there? Can he get there?” Warner says. “That’s the crapshoot.””

    2. The break will give Kap a chance to plug those post game headphones into a real NFL IPad and review plays, instead of acting the class fool with his headphones on during classroom instruction.

    1. It also helps that the Falcons is suspect and the starting TE didn’t play.

      1. I think you are being unfair. The Falcons have a good offense. It was a good job stopping them by the D. They also did in fact have their #1 TE playing – Jacob Tamme.

        1. Not really Scooter. The Falcons do have a good offense, but their OL is suspect, Ryan is currently in a slump (again), Freeman isn’t the type of versatile back that has gashed the 49ers defense this season, and they were without their better TE.

          1. Who is their better TE? Tamme has been their best TE all year. He’s also been listed as their starter all year.

            The OL can’t be that suspect. Prior to this game Freeman had the highest average yards before contact in the NFL if I recall correctly. PFF ranked the Falcons OL #3 in the NFL heading into the 49ers game. Not bad for a suspect OL.

            1. And this is why lack of sleep can be a problem folks. It can cause you to move players from one position to another .
              I was meaning WR Hankerson Scooter. -_-
              And that OL is suspect in the passing game.

              1. Yeah, I don’t think losing their #3 WR for the game is what brought them unstuck. And yes, I know he has more catches than Roddy White, but White is still the starter.

                The OL was suspect against the 49ers when blitzed. But they’ve done a pretty good job this season on the whole.

              2. Yeah, I don’t think losing their #3 WR for the game is what brought them unstuck. And yes, I know he has more catches than Roddy White, but White is still the starter.

                Hankerson is clearly their #2 WR even though White may be the starter because White has been all but phased out of the offense since the end of Week 1.

                The OL was suspect against the 49ers when blitzed. But they’ve done a pretty good job this season on the whole.

                Our OL would too if we had that type of schedule in the beginning involving teams with bottom-tier defenses.

              3. Quinton Patton has just 1 less catch than Torrey Smith this season. Yet its pretty clear he’s the #3 WR. Teams are taking away Roddy White more so than Hankerson.

              4. Not true Scooter. White has complained openly about being phased out of the offense this season.

              5. Starting WR complains about not getting the ball. Shocking.

                White is listed as the starter and plays like a starter. Hankerson is the 3rd WR and comes on when they go 3 WR sets. He is getting targeted more than White because he’s getting open.

              6. Using White to argue your point won’t work Scooter. The evidence clearly shows that White has been phased out of the offense. Saying that it is because teams are covering is also a weak argument considering that Jones is the better of the two and would be getting covered more because of it thus opening up opportunities for White.

              7. Its not a weak argument. You simply refuse to acknowledge/ accept it. That is fine.

                The evidence is clear they are not getting him the ball. But if he wasn’t the #2 WR then Hankerson would be taking his starting spot opposite Jones.

              8. I don’t accept it because the evidence points to otherwise Scooter. In fact, I’ll use a term that I can keep seeing in regards to White not seeing that many targets: baffling.
                You should also know that the depth chart is not always indicative of more involvement.

              9. “You should also know that the depth chart is not always indicative of more involvement.”

                No, but snap count is. White plays more snaps that Hankerson when both are healthy. Must be because Hankerson is the #2 WR, right?

        2. I believe the Falcons are over rated based on the level of their competition. Their SOS is .387. Compared to .587 for the 49ers.

          1. Sure, their record and stats are likely somewhat inflated by playing lesser teams, but aren’t the 49ers meant to be a lesser team too?

              1. We’d most likely be looking better. Does this mean the doom and gloom of fans regarding the team is over stated?

              2. Not really. They may not be a 3-13 team but being doomed to mediocrity could be just as bad. Even worse.

              3. I don’t see how having a mediocre team that has a lot of young but improving players on it is that terrible a thing.

              4. It’s not, unless you don’t acquire(or develop) a couple of impact players or don’t have the coaching to take them to the next level. Then they just become an aging mediocre team.

                I don’t want to rain on your optimism but I need to see more evidence of a cohesive plan from management and CS.

              5. Completely agree, they need to bring in some impact players, and I’m not trying to be an optimist. As I’ve said in other threads, there is a possibility that fans are being too pessimistic. I’m going to wait until I’ve seen the final 7 games before I judge this team as needing a complete overhaul of the roster.

                However, I can already say with confidence that I hope much of the offensive coaching staff gets replaced. And I am certainly not against the idea of replacing Tomsula and the rest of the coaching staff (though I think the defensive coaching staff deserves the rest of the season to see if they improve). I’m not even against getting rid of Baalke and other members of the FO, if the team continues to struggle through the final 7 games. Nobody should be immune at this point.

                But it is also possible that some of these people are doing a better job (or at least doing better at parts of their job) than the casual fan realises, and it has rather been failures in other areas that have sunk the season.

              6. I agree with you that all these things are possible. And also in lock step regarding seeing the last 7 games before judging. Of course hypotheticals are all we have right now.

    2. It’s really annoying that most of the good PFF stats are no longer available to us. Is FO a reasonable alternative or does anyone know of another service?

      1. I’ve never really looked out Football Outsiders. Unfortunately I’m not aware of any better alternative to PFF. And as I am not a subscriber I rely on others to post about grades.

        1. I did use data from FO (adjusted games lost) for my injury powerpoint, but I’ve never looked at any of their other stats.

    3. Was gonna post this also but with more focus on the OL. With Tiller looking like the answer at RG the 49ers just have to find their C and RT. I saw a tweet from AD and he seems serious about returning next year. That’s encouraging. With some growth from young players(Silberman,Thomas,Martin,Brown), a healthy Kilgore, and AD returning they could have a very strong OL group next year. (Un?)fortunately having to play Pears this year is going to hold them back.

        1. They are both a problem but Martin at least has some upside, and there’s a plan to replace him, though I don’t know how viable Kilgore is. This season is lost anyway. I’m looking toward next year. If they have a solid OL group going in to next year that is one less roster hole that needs to be filled. They can concentrate on getting a QB(who they could actually protect), pass rusher, and offensive playmakers.

          1. Kilgore was what? A 5th? 6th? And he’s better than a #2?
            Thomas is delinquent, and Silberman is another 6th, Brown a 7th. Tiller is maybe OK; tbd.
            The OL should probably be the foundation of the team, not a patchwork.

            1. Not an excuse but Martin didn’t get to sit for 2 years like Kilgore did.

              The real head scratcher to me was keeping Devey over Looney. Looney was better than Devey and had more flexibility as a G/C.

              1. But Looney looked like ca-ca in preseason at Center. Of course he did have Martin as his RG. Again, in my amateur view, Looney was better/no worse than Devey. I dunno, it sucks. And Pears was not better than J.Martin as a #3 OT.

          1. Scooter,

            Martin is playing terrible. He’s often solely responsible for running plays getting blown up. He is so easily and quickly driven back into the backfield, it’s like he’s on a furniture dolly.

            You can only hope that this season will serve as a valuable learning experience for a young, physically over matched player, and he will develop his body and technique to the point that he’s useful.

            1. Yeah, I’m not about to say he’ll never get it. He is clearly overmatched at this point in his development, both physically and technically. But he is also only 21.

              A lot has been made for OL in particular about how it is taking them longer to develop in the pros these days. So I wouldn’t be writing off any of our young OL just yet as potential future starters.

              1. They say OL takes longer to develop because of spread offenses. USC was not a spread offense. But I think Martin still has a chance of being good in the future. I hope Kilgore can stay healthy next year.

              2. Another question that needs to be asked: How good of an Oline Coach is Chris Foerster and does he have a history of developing quality Olinemen? His history isn’t very impressive.

  26. Across the Bay, Mark and the ‘lack Holers are letting their hair down.

    “According to WTAE-TV, linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong could be facing charges arising from an incident with a police dog during Sunday’s game between Oakland and Pittsburgh at Heinz Field. He reportedly “lifted his shirt, pounded on his chest and began barking at the dog as he was heading toward the field for the game.”

    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/11/10/raiders-player-may-be-charged-for-taunting-a-police-dog/

      1. They should have brought in ray ray. Better than all these scrubs we are bringing in now. It’s like musical chairs. Who will be cut next?

  27. I’ve wonder if Jed Dork and Baalkhead will keep their precious head coach Tomsula who they brought in to be their Puppet. They got what wanted a Franchise that’s going down hill.
    The 49ers will be lucky to finish 6-10 at end of 2015 season.

    1. He currently makes $8 million per year. Other teams will look to get him. Will Jed pony up $8 million/yr for Payton when he can get Tomsula or equivalent for $3.5 million?

    2. Everything I’m seeing seems to point to the Colts as the most likely landing spot if he does leave the Saints.

      1. Its the 2015 version of “Suck for Luck”. Coaches tanking it so they get fired in order to coach Luck. ;-)

          1. I can think of a certain team that plays in red and gold that would love to take that “problem” off the Colts hands…

              1. And now I can think of two teams that play in red and gold that would love to take that “problem” off the Colts hands…

              2. Since we’re mentioning teams that play in red, we should throw in the Chiefs as well.

              1. I’m game. Someone just needs to knock out Jed York and the front office so they can’t mess up or void the deal.

  28. I think it would be a test for Jed; what is more important; winning or cash flow? To get Payton the Niners would have to pay him at least $8M and let him hire his coaching staff. This means paying the new coaches and some if not all the old coaches.

  29. I don’t think so. Not at the kind of money he is going to want. I think this year is a perfect example how important a quality team around any QB is. Luck has good skill players around him on offense and he has been awful before the injury. He is overrated big time. His line is not great but its better then ours. Paying that kind of money for any QB is stupid. Build a strong team first. Look at Bengals and Raiders. Great O lines and there QBs are thriving. Its not an accident.

    1. He has too many turnovers for my liking, but you don’t take a 2-14 team to three straight 11-5 seasons and a 3-3 post season record by being an “overrated big time” QB.

      He’s a very good QB that is having a bad season. One in which he has been hampered by injuries.

      1. Right! Most young qb’s have that “awful” season early in their career. At least before the 5 year deal is up.
        Luck is injured, has been all year and has been masking it.
        The problem with the colts is they spent ZERO money on that horrible secondary and rented old players to help luck. Horrible decisions by the front office this last offseason. They are on the hook for has beens for a lot of money. They better draft heavy for cb’s and safeties.

        And no thanks to a coach who lets that happen. He’s got NO defensive mind. Since Luck fell into his lap.

        1. Luck has taken a lot of pounding over his years with the Colts because the incompetent GM Grigson has not upgraded the O line. The Colts are killing the goose that lays the golden egg…

          1. I was surprised that they didn’t address OL in the draft. They went for shiny new toy in Dorsett and a rusty old toy in Andre Johnson. Even getting Frank to take pressure off of Luck would’ve been more effective with some help up front.

    1. Sigh. Guess Baalke likes rejects off the street more than his PS players.
      At least he took my advice and grabbed a player from an undefeated team, and since the Pats need a RB, Baalke prevented them from resigning a need.

      1. Did the Pats intend to use him as a pass catcher out of the backfield like Faulk or Lewis? Does Cadet do well in space? In other words, like the Niners F.O., is he a …..?

    1. Is Eric Reid really playing as bad as you have been suggesting? He started out not playing well, but unless my eyes are deceiving me he has quietly been pretty good the last 4 or 5 games. I would be interested to know PFF has been grading him over the past few weeks.

    2. Although I can’t argue that his stock his up I still think you are giving Gabbert too much credit. I can’t help but think this would have been one of Kaep’s good games.

      If Gabbert comes out of Seattle as the clear starter going forward I’ll start giving him more due. When he goes from 0 sacks to 5 Im curious to see how he fares.

      1. I absolutely agree on every point.
        Well said coffee. I’m chomping at the bit for that game in two weeks.
        It will tells us everything we need to know about this kid.
        Tough stadium, a team that owns us, division rival, a revamped defense, and a better coach on the other sideline. This will easily be his toughest challenge of the season.
        My mind is telling me with that O-line and everything else I mentioned and you mentioned stacked against him he will look terrible.
        My heart is telling me.. Why not? Why not for once in decades can’t we get lucky and find a true franchise qb. It would be the best story since Brady. And with them having the most horrendous offseason in NFL history, why can’t they get a huge break following?

    1. I will admit he is turning out better than I thought he would during the draft. Props to Razor and Old Coach.

      1. I wasn’t high on Armstead not because I didn’t think he was good, but because I thought we had more important needs. I actually wanted an OLB, even though I was expecting Aldon to still be playing. And I was expecting major improvement from Carradine based on the three sacks that he garnered in the last couple of games in 2014.

        1. I liked Armstead from the moment he was drafted, and could not understand why posters were so down on him. I saw him play against Ohio St, and he dominated the single blocker so they had to double team him. He had such high potential, Cowboy was retiring, and he seemed to get stops behind the LOS.
          Lots of teams insert their first rounder right into the lineup, so I thought he would not sit for a year like many claimed he would. He played a lot during preseason, and I thought he did well. He was raw, but the quality shined through. Glad he is on the team.

    2. I thought Arik would turn out to be pretty good, but not for at least a year.

      I watched about 130 snaps of Armstead before the draft. He had great leverage at the point of attack with length and power. He played the first half of a snap well. But his ball location and ability to disengage to make the tackle was wanting. Running backs would fly right by him because his was tied up with an offensive lineman, or he didn’t see the back in his gap.

      His ball location and ability to disengage blocks have improved, but they still need work. His ability to pressure the pocket is outstanding. His athleticism chasing down quarterbacks is also impressive. At first I assumed a big OLB was chasing QBs. Then I saw the 91 on the jersey. That’s one athletic dude. He had some nice down field chase-downs too. Reminded me of Justin Smith’s 2011 strip fumble of the Eagles runner.

      Its smart for the 49ers to simplify his role as a situational interior pass rusher. They did the same thing with Aldon in a designated outside pass rush role.

  30. I’ll be scouting Matt Johnson this evening as he leads his Falcons against the Broncos….

    1. Razor-this kid could should shoot up the draft boards based on the granted limited amount i have seen and profiles I’ve read- a very intriguing prospect.Couple names to watch as well for 2016-Jaylon Smith LB;Derrick Henry RB;Devon Fields and Bronson Kaufudi DE’s;late round OL Mykhael Quave and Mike Matthews (C) ;oh and a nod to you Scooter K Brad Craddock.

  31. The team must really love Carradine if they’re willing to keep allocating a roster spot for this kind of role change. Either that or Baalke just isn’t willing to cut another high pick so soon.

    Either way the team tends to use players that are in the 250’ish range as their rush OLB’s.(Lynch’s beefy 265-270 is an exception but so is his acceleration) Last time I looked Yugo was in the mid 290’s. Carradine’s 10 yard split is impressive for a guy his size and I can see why the team thinks there is potential for him to be an OLB but still, 25 pounds is a lot of weight to lose and for it to be done right it doesn’t happen overnight. Can we really afford to keep him on the roster for an outside chance this metamorphosis will actually pay off? True there aren’t a lot of exciting 3-4 rush LB’s in the upcoming draft but surely, a fresh young prospect that doesn’t have to alter his body is a better choice then a third year player that’s a healthy scratch on game day.

    1. Well, he had to gain 20 to 25 pounds from when he was drafted, so I suppose he could lose that weight.

      1. He doesn’t really need to lose weight to play the end in our sub packages. They could’ve done that all year.

        1. I remember TJE played some end in the sub packages during the preseason. I think he has played that position during some regular season games, but I’m not sure. TJE is listed as 301 lbs. So, it would seem that Tank’s weight is not necessarily a reason that they couldn’t have played him at OLB/DE.

          1. It could be fools gold but I’d love to see him play OLB. Seems like its worth a shot before we dump him.

    2. The way I look at it: Compare him to a 5th/6th rounder next year. They know the guy’s a worker. No sense cutting him.

    3. It can’t be easy to drop 20 – 25 lbs in season. I doubt they switch him to OLB, at least not this year. I think he’s more likely to get a role as a DE in 4-man fronts. Back to what he did in college.

      1. My bigger question is; does he really show the potential to allocate a roster spot to him while he makes this change? The team must think so or are at least saying as much until they can find someone to give them a 6th rounder for him.

        1. I think he’ll start playing in the DE rotation on 4-man fronts as soon as the game after the bye.

          1. I can go back and get this answer unless Grant has it in his bag of stats but I’m curious to see how many defensive snaps have we lined up 4 defensive lineman so far this year?

  32. I was watching the game again last night and I can’t say enough about how well the young DB’s played. Johnson and Cromartie did a fantastic job considering neither has played much all season and Ward also played well. Jones got his catches but most were contested and nobody else really stood out among their receivers. The young secondary definitely has a lot of potential.

    1. Add Acker, Brock and Reaser to the defensive backfield and hopefully that unit is pretty set for the forseeable future.

    1. He did well against a cover 3 defense and impressed on avoiding pressure. He didn’t generate big numbers but effective or efficient are the right words. Lets see what they report after Seattle.

    2. That’s about how I saw it as well. Gabbert handled the pressure and got the ball out a lot better than Kap. Kap was non functional the past couple of games so it was definitely a step up in performance. However when you consider the defense they played, the mistakes that were made but saved by the defense, and the fact the offense has played well against poor defenses before the QB switch, you realize that not much really changed here. They look ok vs bad defenses and over matched against good ones. Hopefully that trend is broken in Seattle but it’s not likely. The Oline and scheme as a whole just isn’t good enough imo.

      1. Atlanta’s defense is ranked 10th. Trufant is a shut-down corner, and the pass rush generated pressure on 50 percent of Gabbert’s drop backs.

        1. Please keep ignoring their pass d is ranked 19 and they are lower in sacks. Yes they’re ranked 10th in overall yardage.

            1. Did you see Grime’s post about their strength of schedule? That also plays into their ranking. They’re a middle of the pack defense with areas of strength and some real areas of weakness. Do you really think BG will do well against the Hawks’s 2nd ranked pass d and 11th ranked pass rush? Are the Falcon’s in the same league as the Hawks? No.

              1. They’re better than middle of the pack. They’re top-third with that shutdown corner and elite run defense. Not as good as Seattle, but good.

              2. They aren’t better than middle of the pack. They are currently 25th against the pass, 10th against the run and 31st in sacks. Total defense is 23rd right now.

                Let’s also remember that they shut the Niners down in the second half of the game. The Niners put up all their points in the second quarter and didn’t do much in the other 3. Atlanta’s D is nothing like what they will face the next two games in caliber.

              1. Atlanta’s D is allowing an average opponent passer rating of 83.5 — eighth-best in the NFL.

              2. I would just say there’s no tape on BG in this offense and let’s be careful overstating how good the defense is or how good BG was. Its one game.

              3. Lol. Passer rating isn’t grasping at straws is it? We all think Gabbert did a nice job and yet his passer rating was 76.

              4. Atlanta’s run D ranks second in yards allowed per game and third in yards per carry. Trufant is a shutdown corner, Alford is a very good corner, and the rookie Vic Beasley is Cliff Avril clone who has 18 pressures since Week 4 — fifth-most among 4-3 DEs in that time. That’s a good defense.

              5. So it helps to look who they played: Bradford, E Manning, Wheedon, Mallet/Hoyer, Cousins, Brees, Mariota and Gabbert. With exception of Brees and Manning, not really a list of who’s who in the NFL QB world.

              6. Actually I’m not Mettenberger started that game for the Titans. If it was Mariota the result coulda been different.

      2. Despite how bad the Falcons have been rushing the passer, Gabbert faced almost immediate pressure on a lot of drop backs. I think citing the Falcons pass rush as poor as a reason why Gabbert’s play wasn’t that impressive fails to take into account what our eyes were telling us – he faced a lot of pressure and did a very good job of avoiding it by either maneuvering in the pocket well or getting rid of the ball quickly.

        1. IT shows two things, how bad our oline is and how well Gabbert got the ball out. To keep saying their D is ranked 10th doesn’t tell the whole story. Gabbert neutralized their pass rush and took advantage of their 19th ranked pass defense. He played well in the situation.

        2. Scooter,

          I didn’t see the article stating Gabbert’s play wasn’t impressive, it just laid out all the details to show that this was not a good defense he was playing against and things are likely to look a lot different against better ones. We won’t know until we see it obviously but I think the breakdown was on point.

          1. David Neumann always does good work that is pretty fair. My comment is just highlighting that arguments about how Gabbert was made to look better than he is by a poor pass rush don’t meet the eye test. That is a general comment. Not directed at the article per se.

            1. Exactly. He faced pressure on 50.0 percent of his drop backs. He evaded the pressure well. Kaepernick hadn’t been evading pressure well. He’d been getting sacked 24.1 percent of the time he was pressured.

            2. And to clarify further, I realise most people are acknowledging he did well under pressure, but are then saying lets see how he goes against a good D. The Falcons are mainly considered a bad D because of their lack of pass rush. But the pass rush was good against the 49ers.

              1. I don’t think they lack a pass rush, it’s just very Armstead. They get pressure, but they can’t finish. And while Gabbert escaped pressure nicely, I worry about his accuracy and decision making.

              2. Or terrbile O line play. He did well. What if the number of pressures goes up with Seattle? Where are you getting the 24% pressure from? I can’t find anything that says that. I have seen anywhere from 34.7-43% of drop backs.

              3. Kap gets sacked on 24% of his pressured dropbacks is the stat, Wilson. One factor with the Seattle game. Bennett will no longer be able to take advantage of Devey. He cleaned up on that matchup last time.

              4. The pressure Gabbert faced wasn’t always the full onslaught we had become accustomed to in previous weeks either.

              5. So Grime Grant is quoting a sack percentage and Gabbert’s pressure percentage? A little apples and oranges isn’t it? Why not just quote both their pressure %’s? It doesn’t hure the case he’s making?

                Didn’t Tiller play in the Seattle game too? He gave up some pressures as well. Pears is till in the game and even Staley and Boone gave up pressues and Martin is still in the game too. It will help some to not have Devey but there are other issues.

              6. Not always, rocket. But it was more consistent. And he certainly had his fair share of instant pressures en masse.

                Wilson, it can absolutely be attributed to terrible OL play. Our OL made the Falcons pass rush look excellent. But that’s the thing – it didn’t matter if we were playing the Seahawks or Falcons as the OL was making the DL look like a team of JJ Watt’s. The idea that the number of pressures will go up against the Seahawks doesn’t mesh with the fact that Gabbert was pressured more often than Kaep, who has already faced the Seahawks this year.

                The 24% is referring the percent of times Kaep was sacked when under pressure this season (he was under pressure about 40% of the time, less than Gabbert’s 50% against the Falcons).

              7. And lets think about that 24% stat for a bit. Kaep was sacked a quarter of the times he faced pressure. That is abysmal.

              8. Scooter,

                There wasn’t the same type of jailbreaks we saw against Seattle and STL is what I meant. Gabbert did face a fair bit of pressure, but not to the same level as Seattle can bring. I don’t want to diminish what Gabbert did though. He fared a lot better against the pressure than Kap has all season. I just don’t think we can compare the pass rush Atlanta provided with what he’ll see in Seattle.

              9. Scooter, I am fine stating Gabbert played well against greater pressure. Kaep took a lot of sacks that BG didn’t in one game. Kaep was terrible in those situations.

                I had another thought, is there a statistic that measures the amount of hurries or pressures a defense applies? What if Atlanta is great at generating pressure but can’t close the deal in sacks?

                Aaron Lynch is great at generating pressure, but low on sacks.

              10. I disagree. I think the reason you feel that way can largely be attributed to Gabbert getting the ball out quicker, so it didn’t look as bad for the OL.

              11. Wilson, those stats do exist, but I don’t have access to them and I don’t know where Atlanta rank in terms of pressures.

              12. Scooter,

                I disagree. I think the reason you feel that way can largely be attributed to Gabbert getting the ball out quicker, so it didn’t look as bad for the OL.

                I’m not a neophyte on analyzing football and am not fooled by something this obvious. The breakdowns against Atlanta by the Oline were not at them same level as against Seattle during the times they completely overwhelmed our Oline imo. There is a difference between pressure and complete breakdowns. The Seattle game featured 3 or 4 complete breakdowns that allowed a jailbreak to the QB.

              13. I was just about to post that Grimey. I think people have forgotten just how bad a performance that was.

              14. Rocket, I highly recommend you have another look at David Neumann’s article on Gabbert vs the Falcons and the one Grimey just posted about Kaep vs the Seahawks.

                Those “jail breaks” against the Seahawks often came after Kaep had reached the back of his drop, hopped once or twice, then got sacked. Gabbert faced the same kind of pressure, but the difference was he released the ball on time.

                Just look at the first GIF in Neumann’s piece on Gabbert and tell me that wasn’t a “jailbreak” that he avoided by getting rid of the ball quickly. The GIF titled “(9:14 of 4th Q) 1st and 10 from SF 23: Kaepernick sacked at SF 16 for -7 yards (Michael Bennett)” in the Kaep piece was quite similar, but Kaep didn’t take the checkdown throw to Hyde.

              15. So ugly. It’s an indictment of this coaching staff that Devey was still getting snaps against the Falcons.

              16. And my apologies rocket. I didn’t mean that to come across as me telling you how to suck eggs.

                I just very much disagree that Gabbert didn’t face similar pressure against the Falcons as Kaep did against the Seahawks – or at least certainly not the night and day you appear to be painting it as. To me there appeared to be a clear difference in the time taken to get the ball out, and Gabbert was doing a good job of defeating the pass rush with either good foot work or getting the ball out of his hand. Kaep on the other hand struggled badly against fairly similar pressure.

              17. Scooter,

                We can’t always agree and that’s fine, but do you honestly believe Gabbert wouldn’t have been sacked on some of those examples Neumann laid out in the Seahawks piece? I guess we’ll see in a little over a week.

              18. And nothing to apologize for. I just wanted to make sure you knew it wasn’t something as simple as I wasn’t accounting for how quickly Gabbert was getting rid of the ball. I mentioned he clearly handled the pressure better than Kap had and was getting rid of the ball quickly. There were just times I don’t think it would have mattered who was playing QB, and some of those sacks against Seattle were a clear example as were a couple against the Rams.

              19. Sure, Gabbert may well have been sacked on some of those plays against Seattle. There were occasions where Kaep didn’t really have anywhere to go with the football, and most QBs would have taken the sack. But that wasn’t my point – my point is the pressure he faced was not that different.

                Also, and importantly, a QB making quicker decisions with the ball and maneuvering the pocket better and more decisively could also have avoided some of the sacks Kaep took. This was one of Kaep’s big issues. He misses opportunities to avoid sacks. I think a case can be made for four of those sacks that they could have been avoided by smart and decisive QB play, maybe even five.

    1. Payton would be a good coach but he’ll come with a hefty price tag. Anyone here think York would put down the cash for him? Several guys on the forum thought they’ll stick with Tomsula at least 2 seasons. While I love the idea I’d be surprised if York landed a big name coach.

      1. To be fair Harbaugh was being sought by more then just the 49ers, he was pretty close as the rumors go to being a Dolphin. He was seen as a big name at the time.

        1. Ah yes, 2011…the first time the York family went relatively big budget on the HC and the coaching staff.

          It was around the same time the Yorks were also trying to get financing for the new stadium. Can’t be a coincidence, can it?

        2. I agree, he was proven at the college level not at the NFL level even thought he was highly coveted by NFL teams. He was a proven winner, but not Sean Payton.

            1. Its sort of like the excitement over Blaine, he’s better than what we are experiencing. He’s available. What’s your take on Payton? We won’t land him.

              1. I’m glad you like Hugh Jackson. I do too. I think he’s thirsty enough to take the gig too. I’d love it if he was the OC but he’s not making a sideways move to a worse team, and he’s probably a better HC than Tomsula anyway.

              2. I like Jackson as an option too. He’s done a good job as a position coach, as an OC and, while it wasn’t overly successful, he did a pretty good job turning a dysfunctional Raiders team into something competitive as a HC.

              3. Hue has been a good OC everywhere he’s gone. Not sure if he’s a good HC based on his short time in Oakland, but he’d definitely be a step up on what we have.

              4. Exactly right Jack. But in hindsight, was trading for Palmer that bad a move? I know they gave up a lot for him but look what he’s doing for the Cards. They could’ve made that work with some more time.

              5. Jack,

                Yeah no argument with that, I just meant that one year trial in Oakland was the only chance he’s been given so it’s tough to tell how good he would be long term. He’s definitely deserving of another shot and he did better with that Raider team than many others did in the past 13 years. That trade for Palmer was an attempt to make a run at the playoffs, and while it didn’t work out, I understand the logic behind it.

            2. Baalke will replace Tomsula with Mangini and promote Sparano to OC. Baalke will then hire Bobby Petrino to be our DC.

              You read it here first.

              1. Petrino as DC. A reverse of the Mangini as TE’s Coach. I could see it. I could then see Petrino packing up and leaving in the middle of the night leaving a Dear Trent letter behind.

              2. Every time I think of Petrino, I think of that Arkansas press conference where he’s wearing a neck brace, and I laugh.

              3. Yep, the neck brace and his face all scraped up trying to explain why his secretary was on the bike with him. He’s great for the tabloids.

        3. There were quite a few pundits that didn’t think JH’s ra ra coaching would work with NFL players. He wasn’t a slam dunk but he turned out great.

          I know Jed doesn’t seem to make great decisions but to think he’s got some master plan to use JH to build a stadium is silly. Why would you want your team to lose? There’s no money in that. I think he’s naive on football decisions. Look at Killion’s tweet about him thinking he’d go 11-5 this year. That’s no genius conspirator, that’s arrogance and ignorance.

    2. Remember even JH was a college coach not proven in the NFL yet. Nolan was a d coordinator. Jed hasn’t gone after big names but unproven’s with potential.

      1. Did Jed hire Nolan? Was he in a position to veto the hire?

        “The Nolans were headed for Youngstown, Ohio, and the home of 49ers owners John and Denise DeBartolo York, who were intent on welcoming Mike as their head coach.” — Early predraft 2005

    3. KY,

      Zero. Jed fired a HC who was successful but wanted to do things his own way and was head strong. Payton is similar and will cost a lot more. There’s also the likely hood Payton wouldn’t come here with better opportunities elsewhere.

    4. Until they have a different GM the only candidates we’ll see are first time head coach candidates or a failed one looking for a second chance. If Baalke is still around I expect it will be an OC or DC or a not so big name college coach. Josh Daniels is the perfect name when you consider a failed coach desperate for a second chance. I know some on here like him but I shudder at the thought. I’d honestly prefer Tomsula. I doubt any successful NFL head coaches would be willing to step into this situation after seeing how Harbaugh was handled. Baalke will have to be fired and the new GM will have to assure any potential prospects that York is a lais·sez-faire owner.

      1. Yeah the 49ers are more likely ending up with the thirstiest candidate rather than the best candidate. McDaniels, Jackson, etc. I still have a sneaky feeling Tomsula gets another year though.

      2. C4C

        Josh McDaniels or Hue Jackson are both Offensive coaches while Tomsula is a D coach, like Mike Nolan….ther’s your plusses and minuses….

    5. I grew to dislike Sean Payton when he blitzed and tried to kill the 49ers quarterbacks in a preseason game in 2011. A real bush move. It shows how petty he is. No surprise Payton’s DC tried to kill Crabtree’s ACL (and career).

      A perfect way to punish Payton is to hire him. What better revenge than to work at Little Jed’s soulless Holiday Inn Meets Erector Set.

  33. Gabbert’s performance substitute syndrome or mirage?

    We’ve seen it before. The starter sucks. He’s replaced by the 2nd string QB. The sub QB looks decisive, gets the ball out quickly, the offense hums with a newly fund rhythm. Formerly unproductive backup receivers suddenly emerge. For a game or two, the team’s found its savior.

    Super-Sub saved the day. He even saved the draft. Now the team can go after BPA instead of reaching for a questionable quarterback. The franchise is back on track

    But around game three Super-Sub starts throwing picks right into defenders bellies, as if they were his own receivers. By game four Super-Sub’s just as tentative as the guy he replaced. He seems to take forever on his reads, and gives up a few strip sacks. That back-up receiver regresses too. He can’t shake coverage if his life depended on it.

    It turned out Super-Sub had rhythm because he wasn’t thoroughly reading the defenses. It just looked like he did. And those 10-15 timing passes to backup receivers worked because that’s what they ran together as “number 2s” in training camp, providing a temporary QB-WR chemistry advantage. But now defenses pounce on those routes.

    The teams been victimized by substitute syndrome. Replacement plays great for a few games, then crashes back down to earth.

    I’m not saying Blain Gabbert’s performance was an illusion. I just think we’ll have a clearer idea about the new Blain after his third or fourth game as a starter.

    Now matter’s who’s the quarterback, I’m not expecting consistently good offense if Hyde isn’t healthy.

    1. I think a good look at reality no matter how bleak is better than false hope. This is a sensible outlook. If Blaine succeeds wildly beyond our expectations, awesome. If he turns out to be who we thought, well we haven’t lost anything but have gained knowledge of the entire system and coaches.

  34. >> I just think we’ll have a clearer idea about the new Blain after his third or fourth game as a starter.

    Brodie, even trickier to judge as the next two games are against 2 of the top 3 defenses in the league, then followed by our former DC looking for blood, not to mention knowing personnel strengths and weaknesses. I’d say we won’t know until season’s end what kind of QB we have with BG.

    1. Doesn’t his play against top defenses let us know what we have. I mean people went the other way here with Kaep stating his “improved” play was only against bad defenses. If he performs better than #7 we’ll also know.

      1. Sure, if we judge by the limited success other league QBs have had against those defenses. Those Ds make even competent QBs look below average. We are setting an unrealistically high bar if we are expecting more than that from him. I’m not anticipating him looking like Tom Brady in the Super Bowl when we go to Clink.

        1. ribico, I agree his success needs to be measured by how other QB’s fair against those defenses. I wasn’t thinking success would be 350yds and 4 TDS. Success could be 185yds and 2 TDs and 1-3 sacks and 1INT. It could be converting on 3rd downs, keeping drives alive, beating the pass rush. If he’s effective and efficient agains those defenses we’ll know something.

          1. >>Success could be 185yds and 2 TDs and 1-3 sacks and 1INT. It could be converting on 3rd downs, keeping drives alive, beating the pass rush. If he’s effective and efficient agains those defenses we’ll know something.

            Wilson, that’s exactly what he did against Atlanta and everybody was “well, look who he was playing against”. Is it too much to ask that, at this point, he do the same against considerably better defenses? I also want to see that he does not play down to the level of competition as well. For that we need to see a larger sample size before either anointing him or writing him off.

            1. I think we’re saying the same thing. I want to see more and its ok to note who he’s playing against. It does make a difference.

        2. Actually Wilson seems to have gotten a higher ESPN QB rating in the Superbowl than the winning guy — Brady.

    2. Wilson,

      Exactly. It’s his play against better defenses that will determine what he’s capable of. We beat some bad defenses with Kap. Gabbert has to show he can play well against good defenses.

      1. Yes, and to be clear, I’m not saying that Gabbert’s play against the Falcons means he is capable of playing the same against the Seahawks. I’m just pointing out that I think it is reasonable to say he was impressive against the Falcons and painting it as a case of just playing against a bad Falcons defense isn’t really doing his performance justice. He overcame some terrible OL play. Kaep under the same amount of pressure has typically been terrible.

    3. Good point. Its hard to evaluate a quarterback (especially in a play-action dependent passing scheme) when the running back’s hurt and the O-line’s pass pro is awful.

  35. Can BG do any worst than Kap against Seattle and the Cards? It’s hard to see how?
    I would be happy if the Niners score a touchdown against Seattle in non garbage time. I would be thrilled if the offense scores 13 points. I don’t expect a win, I just want the team and primarily the offense to look like they belong on the same field in the next two games.

    1. If AD stayed “retired” he owes back millions in prorated signing bonus (2015-2017). Even if AD returns, has a horrible training camp and gets cut, it saves him huge bucks.

      1. Are you sure he didn’t give back bonus money already? I thought he gave it back, and if he returns then the Niners give it back to him pro-rated or deferred for the year off. I read that at least being discussed, but I don’t know the outcome.

        1. There was lots of publicity about Borland giving his signing bonus back. I haven’t heard anything about AD returning his signing bonus. Its alot more money than Borland’s. spotrac.com lists the prorated portion of his SB 2015-16-17 at $4.6m.

      2. I like his attitude in that tweet. It says to me he’s coming back to play and not just to save his bonus money. Hopefully he’s refreshed with a chip on his shoulder.

  36. I think Gabbert will do just fine against the Seahawks. All I want is a QB who can get a play off in time. Hitting his receivers is no guarantee for success if they drop them, but it is light years better than throwing the ball into the ground.
    It was a bonus to see Gabbert doing what I recommended for Kaep. He rolled out many times. Gabbert hit Patton on several short passes that turned into long gains. Gabbert rolled out and won the game with his feet first slide past the first down marker. Gabbert got the ball into the hands of his playmakers with crisp efficient and effective short passes. All in all, I was extremely pleased. If Gabbert can do the little things that Kaep seems to struggle with, I think Kaep needs to be a good team mate, and support Gabbert 100%
    Granted, the Niners were extremely lucky to go against a struggling defense. They were the ones shooting themselves in the foot. The Atlanta defense was so bad, the Niners could take a RB off his couch, and run them ragged. Quin had a brain fart, and settled for a FG, which cost him the game. Still, it is a win, and Tomsula managed the game well. He did not waste TOs like Quinn did.
    Seattle will be a hundred times harder, so Niners need to eliminate the unforced errors. If they bench Devey, I think they might have a chance. If they want to win, they should sit the slower Gaskins and elevate Hayne. Gaskins is just too slow for that quick defense, and I dream of Hayne running right at Sherman and juking Dick so bad he falls down.

  37. When Gabbert took that big hit and came out of the game for a couple series and when Kap came in the 49ers faithful were booing him, that’s a signed that the 49ers fans wants some changes, they’re sick and tired Kaps terrible performance..

  38. The curse of Harbaugh/Kaepernick must be lifting….a real pocket passer that knows how to tell time and can read defenses is in charge….not saying he’s the answer but I was screaming at the top of my lungs that Kaep was not the answer when they benched Smith….I was proved right…oh and by the way?….the idiot that called Smith a scrub?…well Alex just threw an 80 yard TD pass as he, along with the Chiefs defense are currently destroying the Broncos in Denver by the score of 29 to 6. Save yourself future embarrassment and do your homework before you call one QB a scrub and another the second coming of Montana.

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