Chip Kelly: “We have a great system in terms of communication.”

SANTA CLARA

This is the transcript of Chip Kelly’s Week 17 Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

 

You brought in a defensive lineman yesterday. How much do you in a week get a chance to evaluate a guy and kind of determine what you like about him moving forward?

“I’m confused.”

 

You brought in a defensive lineman.

“You mean going forward, like how much will we get a chance to evaluate the player?”

 

What can you see in a week?

“There’s not a lot you can see in a week to be honest with you. That’s what was available so that’s who the personnel department brought in.”

 

Along those lines, are you able to evaluate QB Christian Ponder appropriately when he is the number two, or more so as the number two than the scout quarterback?

“As much as you can get out of practice, yeah.”

 

How does he look?

“He’s done a nice job. I think he’s gotten better. There was a little layoff there when we first got him. We got him just before the Denver game. I don’t know how much, he hadn’t been in camp with anybody else so there was obviously just getting acclimated and going back and playing football. But, I think he’s progressed as the season’s gone along.”

 

How much progress has OL Trent Brown made this year?

“This is my first year with him, so I can’t compare him to anything else. But, he started the season as our starter, he’s finishing the season as our starter. I think he’s very good in pass protection. He’s really developing as a run blocker. So, I’ve seen progression from him over the course of the season. But, he’s moved around now, he’s played multiple positions. He’s over on the other side. He’s a little bit rawer on the left side than he is the right side. That transition isn’t as easy I think maybe as some people think. He did a decent job against Los Angeles. We’ll see how the rest of the week goes with [T] Joe [Staley] if Trent goes back over or if Trent stays on the right side.”

 

When you got here and you looked at his last two starts last year, were there things that you saw that said this guy is probably going to be a starter, we don’t need to invest heavily either in free agency or–?

“No, we didn’t say that about anybody. When you look at the film, one of the things I’ve always said is difficult when you watch film is you don’t know what they were asked to do. You just try to look at athletic ability, how does he move around. He was obviously somebody we were intrigued with to start looking with, but we didn’t look at any film and say, ‘Hey, I watched film from last year. We’re all set. We don’t need anybody at that position.’ That’s not how I think that works when you come in taking over a team.”

 

How did the wide receivers do this season knowing that you lost WR Eric Rogers and WR Bruce Ellington before the season got going? You got WR Jeremy Kerley and WR Rod Streater, so how do you look at that group and how they performed?

“I think Kerley and Streater did a really nice job, especially from when they came in. I think Kerley’s our leading receiver and then obviously you’ve seen Rod, as [WR] Torrey’s [Smith] gone down, has really stepped up and given us a guy that I think [QB Colin Kaepernick] Kap’s got a good comfort level with him on the outside. So, as a whole, I think the guys, it’s interesting, all the guys that are playing here weren’t with us last year. So, Streater wasn’t with us, Kerley wasn’t with us, [WR Chris] Harper wasn’t with us. [WR Aaron Burbridge] Burb, we ended up drafting in the sixth. So, when you go through OTAs and everything we did, none of the guys that are playing for us right now were even here for any of that stuff. So, I think for where we got them, they’ve done a nice job.”

 

ME: Last Monday you said the only advantage of huddling is you get to go back seven yards and hold hands together and say, ‘Ready, break,’ and then run back to the line of scrimmage. In your opinion, is there absolutely nothing useful about huddling?

“I was being sarcastic.”

 

ME: OK. Well, in your opinion, is there absolutely nothing useful about huddling?

“Yeah, I think there’s some usefulness to it.”

 

ME: Like what?

“You communicate. If you have to talk a little bit away from the defense you can use that time to do that.”

 

How surprised were you with G Zane Beadles being so versatile, being able to start at guard then go to left tackle and now play center? Are you surprised at all at how well he’s adapted to all three positions?

“I don’t think I’m surprised. We’re pleased I think would be the word. We knew Zane could play multiple positions. But, to actually have to do that, I think, tells you a little bit about Zane as a player. He’s extremely intelligent. You kind of knew that. First time you end up having a conversation with him, you come away going, ‘This guy’s sharp.’ He really understands the game of football. He’s seen it from a couple different perspectives. He’s played multiple positions through his college and his pro career. But, to actually do it in a game and to make that jump to go from left guard to left tackle then to center just really tells you the type of player that he is. But, one of the things we thought in the offseason when we got him was his versatility was going to be key for us in terms of him being able to be a multiple position player.”

 

We’ve been able to talk to your coordinators each week obviously and we’ve gotten to know them OK. I’m still not totally sure what exactly offensive coordinator Curtis Modkins’s role is in terms of eye in the sky for you on game day and helping set up the game plan. How has that dynamic worked between you two?

“It’s been great. I think he’s brought a different perspective. One of the things we were looking for putting together an offensive staff was just, [wide receivers coach] Bob Bicknell and [quarterbacks coach] Ryan Day were with me in Philly but then the rest of the guys weren’t because you wanted fresh ideas and fresh perspective in terms of how they look at things, how they do things and I think he’s really added to that and I think that’s a positive for him. He’s got a vast background himself in terms of football. He’s coached on both sides of the ball. He’s coached on defense. He’s coached on offense. He’s coached multiple positions on offense. So, getting a new set of eyes, a new way to look at things, how we interpret things, a lot of the things we have implemented during this year offensively, a lot of it is suggestions or ideas that Curtis had come up with that he had done in the past and kind of fit. So, I think he’s done a really good job.”

 

Are most of those in the run game? Is it more run oriented?

“No. Both. He’s got a real good background in the passing game also.”

 

You guys are about to surpass 2,000 rushing yards, which obviously is good. Why haven’t you had any sort of ancillary effect on the passing game? Why hasn’t that benefitted the passing game more play-action wise this year than you would think it would?

“I don’t see the correlation. But–.”

 

Well, one plays off the other. That’s football, right?

“Yeah. It is. But, it doesn’t, when you have people playing man coverage, the play-action means nothing. I’ve got you man to man. So, I don’t care if you’re running the ball or throwing the ball, I’ve got you man to man. So, if you throw a play-action pass and [Seattle Seahawks CB] Richard Sherman’s playing press-man on the receiver, he’s not looking in the backfield. So, that doesn’t have an effect. I think if you play zone teams that are vision and break teams and their eyes are always on the quarterback all the time, I think that would have an effect. When you play teams that play more man coverage, play-action pass doesn’t really have a lot of effect because I’m not looking in the backfield at the run or the play-action pass because my job is to cover the receiver.”

 

Doesn’t it slow down the pass rush?

“Not really, not the way people are teaching pass rush now. They’re playing the run on the way to the quarterback. So, they’re trying to charge up the field. You look at those four down defenses with those defensive ends out there in a sprinter stance, they’re running as fast as they can to get to the depth of the quarterback.”

 

Do defenses play more man to man against you this year than they had when you were in Philly?

“It was different. Some years in Philly, one year in Philly it was really high man. The next year in Philly, it was different zone-man. So, I think it depends a lot on what your wide receivers can do. Do they want to play you in man and can they match up with you receiver-wise?”

 

After the Broncos were eliminated, Denver Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak talked about the final game was all about next year. It seems like you haven’t taken that approach. You’ve stayed week to week, you know, just want to win the next game. I don’t get the sense that you’re trying to evaluate guys for the future. Is that accurate?

“We’re not?”

 

You’re not?

“We evaluate every game.”

 

But, you’re not like, ‘Hey, I want this young guy to get out and play,’ the third string quarterback or the second string cornerback?

“No. They have to earn that though. This isn’t just Christmas and we give out gifts. I don’t think that’s fair to the guys that are here that have worked and done everything you said and just say, ‘Hey, you’re not going to play this week because this other guy that we know is not better than you, we’re just going to throw him out in a game and see what he can do.’ I don’t think that’s fair. And I think when you look at what Kubs is saying, to say that wholesale, I mean, [Denver Broncos QB] Trevor Siemian’s starting this week. So, I don’t know what changes they’re making. I think everybody has always tried to plan and see how these people fit in our things, but you also have to be cognizant of the fact that we watch these guys every day. We make evaluations every day. We see them practice every day. You get an opportunity to see them every single day. So, to just say, ‘Hey, I know this kid’s been awful in practice, but let’s just chuck him out on the field and see what he can do.’ It just doesn’t work that way.”

 

Throughout your coaching career, have you valued being a part of a rivalry whether at Oregon or in Philadelphia? Has that been–?

“I think everybody’s a rivalry and I’ve always said that. I think you diminish the other games when you say this game’s more important than that game. That’s the way I’ve always felt. So, what I’ve always felt is respect everybody you play. I think people get knocked off so to speak when all of a sudden you’re like, ‘Hey, we played our rival, we had a big win,’ and then the next week they have a letdown and they lose to somebody they shouldn’t have lost to. It’s because you may have put all your emphasis on one game but you didn’t put it on the next game. I think the team’s that are really good, the Patriots are a team that comes to mind, the old 49ers teams, it’s everybody they played was the most important game they played. And honestly, it’s really not about your opponent. It’s about yourself. It’s about your preparation and what you do and how you execute and what you’re all about has always been kind of my philosophy as we look at it. Not who we’re playing, but what are we doing and how do we improve as a group.”

 

When you were at Oregon, you’re in the region I guess, did you feel the Niners and Seahawks rivalry those last few years?

“No. I wasn’t paying attention to any of that when I was up there.”

 

ME: If the benefit of huddling is communication, why never huddle and why not let your players communicate during the drive?

“Because they do communicate. You asked me what was one of them. I was just giving you an example. But, I think our guys, we have a great system in terms of communication. So, I don’t see there’s any flaws in our communication system at all.”

This article has 163 Comments

    1. Grant should have followed up with, “are there anymore examples you could provide that benefit from huddling”?

  1. I think Kelly’s problem is that he calls the plays regardless of what the defense is in or what’s bein given. He wont adapt.
    It also doesn’t help when you have a QB who can’t audible out of things because he can’t read the defense.

    For what was suppose to be a spark or rejuvenation for Kelly and the one read run QB, it sure has back fired!

    1. There are six interlocking elements to the Chip Kelly Quack Attack; Tempo, Scheme, Versatility, Deception, Science and Culture. If even one fails the others systematically collapse as well….

    2. And yet despite some incredibly sub-standard talent he manages to get this offense to score points. Well, he did with Gabbert and we were pushing toward respectability in scoring…

      Unfortunately he decided to go with Kaepernick and we’re scoring just 17.5 PPG since the change. Which is what Houston under Osweiler has been scoring and is only better than three other teams — Rams, Browns and Jets. And has dropped us from 18th in the NFL to 27th…

      And I understand why. Kelly’s problem was Gabbert was a turn-over-a-game kind of guy and wreaked havoc on the defense which has its issues and really didn’t need that sort of pressure.

      But going to Kaepernick has really been a death-knell to the offensive production. I mean, let’s face it, during the worst game Gabbert had we scored 17 points. Just a half-point under Kaepernick’s average. And while Gabbert didn’t light it up at QB, the two most productive offensive games (28 points & 27 points) were also Gabbert’s.

      So I’m not so sure it’s Kelly the play-caller vs Kelly “I have two crap QBs” and no matter what I do, I’m toast. So I’ll just avoid turn-overs and hope for the best.”:

      1. Moses just like last season when the 49ers beat up the Vikings our first game this season was a ruse. Also look at the number of turn overs by the opposing team in both those games. Short fields and easy scores. After teams had film on the offense BG’s production went down since the high scores were the first 2 games. BG on has only 5 TD’s in 5 games. In that same span CK has 7.5. What we’re lacking is production from the RB’s for TD’s during that time. BG can’t take credit for that nor can CK take the blame for the OL and RB’s failing to score in the red zone.

  2. Why hasn’t our running game benefited the passing game? Because a good chunk of our rushing yards come from the QB position. Both Kap and Gab look to run instead of going through their progressions. That feeds the illusion that we are an elite rushing team.

    IMO, we run on passing downs. Hence the strong rushing numbers with no benefit to the passing game.

  3. Question to everyone including Grant. Do you think the 49ers should make Beadles the starting center going forward and draft or sign a LG, or should they focus on finding a new center while keeping Beadles at LG?

    1. That’s one of the good things about Beadles, he offers that flexibility. I would look to bring in a centre and keep him at LG, but they could choose to sign a guy like Ron Leary instead and move Beadles. They could also choose to move him to OT, for instance if they traded Staley. He’s the ultimate swing player.

    2. If Beadles can do the job, he should stay at center, because he is way better than Martin, and Kilgore had his issues. Looks like Beadles can snap under center and in the shotgun or pistol.

      Dont know what they will line up because everything is in flux, but I suppose it will be- Brown LT, Garnett LG, Beadles C, Tiller RG and Theus RT.

    3. Pat Elflein from Ohio State is interesting, plays both. Marcus Martin just hasn’t had good games.

  4. The Kelly offensive system has lead to the worst defense in our history. Further the Eagles defenses were always bottom ranked in TOP & overall as well. It’s a college system made for rosters with 80+ players to rotate. He is like Steve Spurior -great in college, but not made for the NFL. There are very few coaches that can do. It’s like Harbaugh did.

    Get a good President/GM in here and let him have total control to pick a new coach and draft his roster. I like Pioli or Wolf.

    1. Let you in on a little secret about Harbaugh… He was a barely decent college coach until he hired Fangio as his DC having gone:
      4-8
      5-7
      8-5

      He hired Fangio and went 12-1 and the 49ers hired him.

      Fangio was the brains of the outfit. As long as he kept the defense elite, Harbaugh’s laughable college power-running offense worked. And when the defense broke down in 2014, the 49ers went from 7-4 to 8-8 because St. Jimmy didn’t have a clue how to score points without the turnovers, short-field and other advantages Fangio gave him.

      And now he’s at Michigan. Winning on defense again. Because he hired another good DC.

        1. Grant, in your opinion is that because Chip can’t identify good assistants, can’t attract good assistants because he doesn’t give control to his assistants, or because good assistants just don’t want to work for him?

            1. Ha! Yeah, I do think its a combo of the three to some degree. But I think it is mostly a case of:

              – on offense, he doesn’t give control to his assistants, so doesn’t get anyone of note interested in joining his staff.
              – on defense, good assistant coaches don’t want to join his staff because of the workload Chip’s offense creates for a D.
              – he also doesn’t have a great level of connections in the industry, making it hard for him to find the right guys.

          1. Scooter,

            I don’t think good assistants want to work for him. Especially on the defensive side.

      1. This is one of the dumbest comments I’ve ever read on this blog. Forget DS9 and Seb, we’ve got a new leader in the clubhouse folks.

    2. Here’s an out of the box thought… Bring in Theo Epstein as the 49ers GM. He may be a novice at football but the guy has some kind of magic around him.

      1. Joe Jackson is another one to keep an eye on. That D will be very good in a couple of years.

          1. Good pass but made easier when there is a huge gap due to the DB biting on a fake. The last few passes he’s completed including the latest TD, there hasn’t been a DB near the receiver. WVU’s defense has fallen apart.

              1. They are passes every QB of his caliber should make in their sleep. A 5 yard slant to a wide open receiver who then runs through the defense for a TD, and a deep lob to a receiver sitting on the goal line behind the defense are not high on the difficulty scale.

        1. Running the ball and play action makes his job easier. Having your coach lose his temper doesn’t help matters….

          1. Good analysis on Kaaya guys. He looked absolutely horrible early. He then looked like a potential pro starter. He’s been like this for three years. He is too inconsistent. I wouldn’t touch him before the fourth round.

            1. I put Kaaya in the same category as Kizer as far as needing to go back for another year of College ball. He can throw the football, but he can’t function with pressure in the pocket, and that is just a case of needing more reps most of the time.

    1. I haven’t watched a lot of him but I did see the game against BSU and he played pretty well against them. I think we might hear about a few of these late risers due to the lack of top talent at the QB position in the draft this year.

      1. If he declares, watch the Steelers draft him late first round. He’d be a perfect guy to groom behind Roethlisberger from what I have seen.

        1. He’s got the size no doubt, but he doesn’t have a lot of starts under his belt much like Trubisky. From what I saw he has a lot of confidence in his arm but just checked the Int total and it’s pretty high at 15, so that needs to come down obviously.

      1. I’ve watched a couple of his games on draftbreakdown, and have to say he is a guy I could easily see a team falling in love with and taking in the first round. He is raw, but has some nice tools and shows the ability to anticipate and run a system that uses pro style concepts. A team that can let him sit a year or two could really like the look of him.

      2. He is playing against a whole level difference in competition compared to Watson and Kizer. He would be a good late round risk.

        I like Cooper Rush. Saw some good tape on him. He might be a 5th round choice.

            1. Wentz has shown that he is 10 times the QB old wind up is. He has poise, good vision and accuracy. All things needed to play the QB positions in the NFL.
              Plus he played in one of the toughest divisions in football.
              Struggling is the absolute wrong description of his game and where he is at as a rookie.

              1. And your idea of rebuilding a winning culture is against the hapless Rams.
                Wentz is a rookie and if you’ve watched any Philly games, which I know you haven’t, he’s played pretty well!

              2. He is? With Kap the losing is on Baalke and everyone else but with Wentz it’s he’s on a 5 game losing streak? He’s struggling?
                You are unreal!

              1. Struggling is when he throws balls into LB’s helmets, can’t convert 3rd downs, throws people covered, inaccurate, turnovers at inopportune times.
                I’ve watched a lot of Philly games, he’s not struggling!

    2. Scooter, I haven’t watched any tape on him but will now. He has a lot of intriguing traits worth checking out.

      1. Watching his bowl tape he has some great arm talent and has the grit to hang in the pocket and take a hit. However, he seems to determine where he is going to throw prior to the snap and stays on that read far too long. I think this can explain a lot of his ints.
        Now to watch more of his film.

  5. TomD

    December 28, 2016 at 4:49 pm

    Why Your Team Sucks 2015: San Francisco 49ers

    Drew Magary
    8/18/15 1:00pm
    · Filed to: Why your team sucks 2016

    In some ways, the death of the Niners coincides with the death of the city they supposedly represent. San Francisco, as it stands now, is no longer a living American Metropolis. Instead, the entire city has been converted into a giant Airbnb rental for tourists and rich foreigners. No one actually LIVES in San Francisco. Don’t be silly. Living on a space station is more feasible for the average American. You wouldn’t actually want to live there anyway. The only people walking around town now are selfish, tech-speak mandroids, each one with the explicit life goal of ascending Amazon’s hallowed Ladder of Triumph.

    Not that Jed York gives a sh-t about any of this. I’m not exaggerating when I say I think the Niners implosion is one of the great crimes in sports history. York brought in Harbaugh, kept him around just as a new stadium was going through, and then let him go when keeping up that facade was no longer necessary. The Niners have let everything go to sh-t simply because they can. They give no f-cks. York will show up at games this year in a bathrobe and slippers and p-ss down your leg. What difference does it make? The Niners are the full and glorious realization of the NFL’s most bloodless ambitions. They force fans to pay the most money possible to go to the least convenient stadium possible, all in service of a team that is now so wealthy, it can afford to s-ck into perpetuity. They don’t even feel obligated to take care of the field anymore. Look at this f-cking sandlot:

    TomD’s Response: Tomsula’s Better than Kelly

    http://deadspin.com/why-your-team-sucks-2015-san-francisco-49ers-1724542048

  6. Grant roasted poor ole Chipper’s thin skinned butt. Finally someone taking up for the every fan- man, woman and child. I feel much better now what a relief that is. Excellent job Grant way to dish east coast media. I wonder if Grant will give Trent and Jed the works as well? This type of third-degree might catch on with a few more scribes in the regional media.

    1. Dr. York, Jed, Paraag, is Trent still extending contracts and signing free agents.
      Kelly has 4 running play schemes according to Philadelphia journalists.

      Why the inaction when other NFL teams have fired their coaches ? What is this, the 6th NFL coach fired this year ?

      Why wasn’t a call from the front office made to the sideline, down 14, in the 2nd half to LA, to start the 3rd stringers. You had a built in excuse. That is, “We were playing our future to see what we had before the draft.”

      Cleveland giftwrapped a round 1 first pick for you.

      Instead, as has been the case for 17 years of York ownership, inaction, an end of the year state of the 49er speech about hanging championship banners..

      1. And that’s not the worst of it. The worst is that people will continue to spend money to see this York product. Given their all-consuming preoccupation with profit at the expense of their product, this family should be black-balled.

  7. Seahawks head coach, Pete Carroll on huddling when coaching under George Seifert:

    When recently asked what his team is missing by not huddling, Chip Kelly was dismissive: “You don’t get to go back seven yards and hold hands together and say, ‘Ready, break,’ and then run back to the line of scrimmage.”

    Today, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll focused on the communication aspect Kelly mentioned when asked why his team huddles.

    There’s a lot of players, historically, that have elevated other guys around them with those kind of connections. You just go back to your old days of the 49ers when Joe (Montana) was talking to Jerry (Rice) when they’re breaking the huddle and he was reminding him of this and that.

    “If Jerry was standing out there on the flank the whole time that conversation wouldn’t take place.

  8. Tim Kawakami Verified account 
    ‏@timkawakami
    Baalke HAD to stay on as GM after 8-8/5-11 to justify Jed picking him over Harbaugh. Terrible decisions ripple for years.

    Elias Trejo ‏@Elias_Trejo · 7h7 hours ago

    @timkawakami Bad decisions like that can ruin a team for so many years. Hard to see 49ers competing for a while

    David Beltrami ‏@DaDbeltrami · 7h7 hours ago

    @jharlen00 @timkawakami 61 draft picks by Baalke, 2 Pro Bowlers one time each. Eric Reid and Aldon Smith.

    Randy Rosso ‏@rjrcpa10 · 6h6 hours ago

    @timkawakami Harbaugh had lost the team. That Turkey Night fiasco proved it. All of the people involved share a portion of the blame.

  9. Matt Barrows Verified account 
    ‏@mattbarrows
    Only one offense is on track to finish the season with fewer than 3,000 passing yards. Guess which? …

    1. *Response by Eric Branch:

      Eric Branch
      ‏@Eric_Branch
      @mattbarrows Nice try. Trick question. Answer: Falcons.

  10. I do not think tonight’s bowl game is going to help Garrett stock.

        1. Yup and he said he wants to play in warm weather so hopefully the Browns take it like a slap in the face lol

        1. Don’t rule out the team taking a TE high. Even if Kelly is kept on, he doesn’t mind using two TEs. And if the TE taken can flex out as a slot receiver, all the better. Kelly showed in Philly he prefers bigger slot guys.

          Also, a good TE is a nice safety blanket for a young QB.

          1. Even if Kelly is kept on, he doesn’t mind using two TEs.

            Bell appeared to be the other TE before his injury. I suspect the 49ers would go pass rusher or ILB first, then follow by taking a big bodied WR.

            1. Will depend on what happens in FA.

              Bell has been 3rd and 4th string all year until recently when injuries have forced the 49ers hand. Hasn’t shown much to make anyone believe Kelly sees him as taking over a larger role next season.

  11. This team cannot afford to take a TE in the second Rnd. That’s where they will be targeting a QB… VMac, Celek, Bell is a good enough tandem going forward.

    1. I’d love to have Njoku but I doubt he will be there at 34. I could see NE taking him in the first if they have extra picks and don’t resign Bennett. Atlanta is another possibility. Njoku in Oakland with Crab and Coop would be quite the trio.

    1. The logic is simple, if Garoppolo is seen by the Pats as an eventual successor of the 39-year old Brady, they will pay him the highest salary for a designated back-up and re-sign him. If they don’t see him as Brady’s successor, then he’s not worth more than a second and a fourth round pick.

    1. “As for the bowl-participation controversy he found himself in the middle of last week, I don’t believe sitting out of Stanford’s bowl game will hurt his stock.”

      1. If teams really like him they won’t care about sitting out a bowl game. It will come down to how teams see his skill set translating to the pros. I think the Reggie Bush comparisons are accurate, although I don’t think CM is as fast as Bush. His value to me comes in his versatility.

  12. Grant,

    You may or may not already know this, so if you don’t know it, I’m sorry if it hurts your feelings but….

    Chip Kelly doesn’t like you.

    1. If a coach lets a media guy upset him, just imagine what a opposing team will do.

      Grant is just doing his job, and Chip should not let Grant get to him.

      JH just said it is part of the job description. Of course, he acted like he was under an inquisition, and any tidbit of salient information would have to be extracted from his clenched jaw, but he was also entertaining.

      Chip should be calm, sincere, honest and unflappable. Let Jed be the immature dweeb that erupts into emo tantrums.I notice after my motor mouth dissertation comments that Chip has slowed down and now answers questions in fewer sentences. Chip may answer Grant in monosyllables, but it just makes Chip look bad.

      Being some what literate, I come here because I like Grants’ writing style. He is a craftsman of the English language, and can boil down an entire PC into one sentence. I like that.

      1. Grant still butt hurt about his daddy’s exchange with Chip that’s what this is really about. Grant just don’t want the posters on here to know this but I we both know the Truth, right Grant?

        1. Naw, Lowell can hold his own against lightweights like Chip.

          LC had epic battles with the great Bill Walsh, so he is battle scarred and battle tested.

          The whole idea that a HC should be ruffled by a media guy says a lot more about the HC than the writer.

  13. It would be surprising if a Head Coach liked the reporters who were covering him. Bill Walsh did not seem to “like” the reporters who were covering him we he was coaching the niners. Their good relations came after he retired.

    Like is one thing respect is another. If a coach actively dislikes a reporter and vice versa and there is no mutual respect nothing much will be reported accept snide comments. I have no idea about the relations in the press room and I am sure Grant or other reporters can not talk about that, but it must be difficult when a team is 2-13. I would like to be in the room, as a fly on the wall, to gauge the atmosphere.

    Grant,
    Is it easier to report on a team that is 2-13 or a team that is 13-2? Or does it not make a difference. BTW, I have become a fan of your reporting. I have always liked your writing style and your last two years of reporting have shown a depth of football insight. I have a personal preference for articles about actual football as opposed to office politics, but I understand you have to go where the story takes you and the niners of the last few years have taken us all to the dump.

    1. Thanks, Leo. It’s much easier to write about winning. And that’s why I like writing about losing. It’s difficult and not many people are good at it.

      1. Sorry, Grant, but I much prefer you write about winning, because I hate when the Niners lose, and crave wins.

        You can still wax poetic when they are winning, that 13 game losing streak was torture.

          1. I’ll go better than that, Grant. You should get a raise for covering this team. I’ve asked you before, I’ll ask you again……have you ever seen’ from top-to-bottom a worse run organization than this one?
            You have to look at the govt., or the domestic car companies in the 70’s and 80’s to find a parallel.

            Their behavior and judgement’s are such that an objective observer would believe that stupidity is a virtue.
            I don’t think you get paid enough, whatever it is…………….

  14. I try not to laugh when I read Chip’s comments. He is so lost and reaching for the nearest grab bar like a feeble old person. His “communication” comment immediately brought back Paul Newman’s famous line in Cool Hand Luke, “What we have here is a failure to communicate.” If I am not mistaken, it immediately was followed by a shotgun blast. The entire 49er organization at all levels is a failure to communicate. The big questions now are who will pull the trigger and who will fall?????

      1. I don’t have it, but saw some clips of the last couple drives. Just wondering if the Rams were playing so soft in the secondary throughout the game or just loosened up late.

        On those two drives they’re all playing 5-7 yards off the ball. On the last TD pass the CB is on the goal line when the receiver makes his cut.

        1. Gregg Williams has made a career out of getting beat by the 49ers in late game comebacks. Gregg Williams is solely responsible for the 49ers coming back to beat the Saints in the 2011 playoffs. His defensive play calling was horrendous in that game. Vernon Davis should have sent Williams a thank you call for orchestrating the signature game of Davis’s career.

          Speaking of Williams, did any reporter ask him about the Gaines hit on Hyde. I don’t care what anyone says that was a BS hit intended to injure Hyde. Gaines didn’t even attempt to make a tackle. He launched his body and almost rolled into Hyde’s knees. Considering Williams history, I think it’s a fair question to ask if Gaines attempted to injure Hyde to get him out of the game. As a follow up question, the reporter should have asked Williams if Gaines would be rewarded in any way for causing the injury. Williams deserves his reputation as a coach who teaches dirty play. Any reporter unwilling to ask those questions shouldn’t be a reporter.

          http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/7778005/gregg-williams-told-new-orleans-saints-hurt-san-francisco-49ers-speech

    1. I have a problem with the Ryan brothers’ strategy of playing with only 10 guys in a crucial situation. How do either one have reps as good D.C.?
      Rex was good in Balt due to Ozzie. He inherited decent D in Jersey. Bills D declined under his tenure.
      Rob? Please.

  15. I’ve been talking Eric DeCosta for GM and he’ll always remain my first choice but I keep reading that it’ll truly be next to impossible to get him away from Baltimore. With that said I’m going to put Chris Ballard as my tie first choice for GM.

    He’s already turned down the Bucs GM job because they didn’t offer him the level of control and responsibility that he wanted so we know what it’ll take to get him.

    He’s widely regarded as a top executives and if he isn’t hired as a GM this year he will be next I guarantee it.

    It’s a perfect hire for Jed. First it brings instant respect back to the front office. Not just in the GM position but you know he’s going to clean out the coaches as well. With Ballard having full autonomy Jed doesn’t have to worry about the coaching hire and can go focus on all of the non football related issues surrounding the team. It will let him step out of the football operations light but still remain in his same position within the organization.

    Ballard would bring in a top group of some of the best scouts in the business and we can start to have hope once again that we’ll be adding true NFL caliber players to the roster. Also, Ballard isn’t a milktoast introvert that is going to fire a Super Bowl caliber head coach because he can’t get along with his strong personality. So he’s got that going for him ;) which already makes him better then what we currently have.

    Jed, this is a no brainer. Hire Chris Ballard to replace Baalke…as soon as you fire him of course.

    1. No brainer and Jed in a sentence is very appropriate.

      The problem is- Ballard and other competent candidates have brains, and are too smart to work under Jed.

      1. I’ve seen a few articles that suggest he might want to hire Dave Toub as his HC if when he gets a GM job.

          1. Looks like you are wrong again Sebnnoying!
            The 49ers should look at Trent Kirchner as GM, Beavell as HC and Bradley as DC

        1. “Rumors floated that the Bears were going to hire Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard, a scout with connections to both Chicago and Kansas City, as general manager and that Ballard would choose Toub as head coach. The Bears ended up hiring Ryan Pace as GM, who subsequently picked John Fox.”

    2. Ballard seems to be holding out for the right job after turning down interviews in the past, so I’m not sure how he would view the Niners job. I’m not sure how I feel about him quite honestly. I like the fact he’s been with the Chiefs the past couple of years, but before that he was with the Bears for a number of seasons and nobody is going to confuse the Bears with a great drafting team.

      1. Well, he was only a scout during that time. It’s like giving Baalke a pass and putting all the blame on one of his area scouts.

        “The former Chicago Bears personnel staff member spent 12 seasons with Chicago, including one season as the Director of Pro Scouting (2012). He spent the previous 11 seasons as the Bears Southwest Area Scout (2001-11). During that time, Ballard helped Chicago draft Pro Bowlers Matt Forte, Johnny Knox, Charles Tillman, Tommie Harris and Nathan Vasher.”

        1. I’m not putting all the blame on him; just playing Devils advocate. They have to get this GM hire right and every candidate will have to be put under a microscope.

          1. No doubt. The quote gives him credit for those players listed. I’m not sure how they assign that credit, did he personally scout them? Did he petition strongly for their selection? Course just being an area scout I guess means you’re limited to what you can find in your area. He wasn’t culling talent from across the nation.

  16. ‘I dont see there’s are any flaws in our communication system at all’.

    Hmm, is that why you stopped having the whole squad look to the side lines at 15 seconds?

    1. “both sides of the ball you can be basic and “simple” and you can still be really really good.”

      Yep, you just have to be better then the guy across from you.

    2. I think everyone knows by now that Fisher was correct in his assessment of Goff, that’s why he didn’t go to Jared’s. Everyone, but Rocket…;>)

      1. Everyone knew, or at least should have known that Goff was not a plug and play QB. The adjustment to playing in a pro style offense was going to take some time, so I’m not surprised he’s struggled with some of the nuances of playing under center and play action etc. That comes with practice and reps. What you need to understand however, is that he possess’ some natural traits that you can’t teach. Things like pocket awareness which he has shown a number of times already in regards to his ability to move within the pocket and reset quickly to deliver the ball. He has a calmness while under pressure as well which can’t be taught. His best quality is accuracy from the pocket which will also become more consistent as they get him better weapons and improve the protection.

        I know you want this to be something you can claim victory on now Razor, but that isn’t possible when it comes to a young QB under development. We’ll see where he’s at a couple of years from now and then if he’s struggling to adapt, you can tell me how right you were.

    1. Key is could we get any of these GMs who will probably go with LA first. Also are the Yorks going to play their usual game and pretend they are doing this elaborate search and in the end they just go for the low hanging fruit with Gamble.

      1. All those with a high degree of confidence
        in Jedsters ability to make good football decisions ..

        raise yer hand

  17. “That’s what was available so that’s who the personnel department brought in.” = ’tis not me.

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