Chip Kelly: “It’s not like we’re getting taken to the woodshed.”

SANTA CLARA — This is the transcript of Chip Kelly’s Week 15 Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

 

I realize you haven’t seen the injury report, but have you had any interaction with WR Torrey Smith and how’s he doing?

“No, I haven’t today. I know he’s in the concussion protocol. Last I saw Torrey was on the field. But, I haven’t had a chance to visit with him today. Again, I meet with [vice president of football operations Jeff Ferguson] Ferg this afternoon at 1:30. So, I haven’t gotten anything on that.”

 

Did he lose consciousness when he–?

“I don’t know. I can’t give you the specifics. But, I know he was concussed when I was out on the field.”

 

Was it only a concussion or did he possibly suffer a shoulder injury too?

“I didn’t get anything from that. I thought it was just a concussion. But, I’ll get further information for you guys this afternoon. So, I didn’t think the way they were talking to him when I was out there that there was a shoulder part of that.”

 

Did any of the injuries suffered yesterday appear to be season-enders?

“I don’t know. We’ve got to find out about [C Daniel] Kilgore and [TE] Vance [McDonald] today. Those would be the two that would be the most pressing to find out if they’ll be able to go here. So, those are the ones I’m most concerned about. And again, I meet with Jeff at 1:30 today.”

 

Was the initial diagnosis on Kilgore a muscle pull or strain?

“They just said it was a knee. So, I don’t know.”

 

You had T Joe Staley obviously missed going into the game with a hamstring. With a hamstring, usually a couple weeks, is there a chance he might be done for the season with that–?

“Again, what they said to me was, we didn’t think he was going to be able to go this week. But, it’s day-to-day and we’ll just see how he progresses.”

 

Just a clarification on Kilgore, knee or leg with him?

“Knee, they said to me.”

 

How do you, after yesterday’s game, pick up the pieces? What kind of message do you have to give your team to keep them out of this rut that seems to be just building and building?

“I think you just have to stand up and fight again. I think that’s the one thing, when you look at the tape, these guys play with great effort. They give you everything that they have. So, that part’s not, that’s the one thing that I think they can control in what they bring to it and that’s what they did. I thought they did play hard and I thought they did give good effort. We’ve got to find a way to make another play. But, I think from an effort standpoint and their approach to it, I think they’ve been really good from that standpoint.”

 

You said yesterday you thought that the defense had become worn down by the end of the game. I think that they lead the league in snaps. Is there any sense that they’re wearing down at the end of the season as well, just the accumulation of all–?

“I don’t think that. I think it’s by game. And again, we didn’t stay on the field offensively and that’s the biggest thing. We need to convert and keep drives alive and keep our defense off the field. Kind of that first half was a little bit different than the Chicago first half. In the Chicago first half, I think we had the ball twice as much as Chicago did and they didn’t really do anything until the last two-minute drive. And then this one, even though we were up, we didn’t have the ball very long in the first half, even when we scored. Obviously, it was a short field for the first drive. The second drive was a bang-bang. So, you’re in, it’s 14-0. We had a couple more drives where we went down and missed the field goals, but we weren’t on the field very long. And the biggest thing is just third down conversions. I think we need to put ourselves in situations where we convert on third down.”

 

This was an issue obviously when you were hired and we talked a lot about time of possession. Have you kind of rethought your position on that–?

“We’re not snapping the ball very fast. So, you still have to make plays though. So, if you look at us, most of the time we’re into single digits on the play clock. There’s a lot of times where we’re working it down, making sure we’re in the right play and the right protection. So, it’s not like we’re playing fast football right now. It’s just we’re not converting when we need to convert and that’s the biggest thing. So, it doesn’t matter how fast you break the huddle or how fast you line up on the ball. If you’re not going to convert on third down then you’re not going to stay on the field. So, it’s a matter of making plays when we have to make plays because we aren’t playing fast. We’re not snapping the ball very fast. We’re not running any tempo. We’re just calling plays on the line of scrimmage, making sure we’re in the right situations. You see [QB] Colin [Kaepernick] go through a lot of checks up there and most of the time we’re snapping the ball, again, under 10. But, we still have to convert when we do that also.”

 

Did you consider taking a timeout before the fourth down call?

“Did I consider taking a timeout?”

 

Yes.

“No.”

 

Why not?

“Because we knew what play we were going to run. So, we were just going to line up and run it. I didn’t want to give them an opportunity to change personnel or anything like that. We liked the grouping that was on the field for them. So, give ourselves an opportunity to run a play that we had been very successful earlier in the game on.”

 

What did you see from G Zane Beadles, G Andrew Tiller and C Marcus Martin on the offensive line?

“I thought Zane did a nice job, obviously playing a new position for the first time and then that whole group was new for us. So, Tiller at left guard, he had played at right guard earlier in the year for us and then Marcus played center. There were a little bit of communication issues at times just because Danny has such a command in terms of what we do. But, overall, I thought those guys for the amount of time that they had to practice there did a good job.”

 

Are you coming up with any solutions for the 49ers vanishing offense?

“I think offensively we were productive in the first half. In the second half, we needed to stay on the field. The first drive, we have a drop. The second drive, we have a drop and then we had two penalties on the next two drives after that. So, we’ve got to keep ourselves out of negative situations. Obviously, we weren’t very penalized on the day, but those two penalties at critical times right at the beginning of the fourth quarter and then the next drive in the fourth quarter put us in long distances and trying to convert. That’s difficult for us right now to convert real third and longs. So, I think the penalty thing, even though there weren’t a lot, that’s the biggest thing we need to kind of harp on from a fourth quarter standpoint was that and then we had two drops in the third quarter that really kind of killed drives for us at the point in time.”

 

With Vance’s extension, what have you seen from him that makes you want to keep him around for the long-term? How much of that is kind of projecting what he can become in this offense rather than what he’s done?

“Well, I wasn’t here in the past. So, I’ve only had Vance since April and I think he’s fit in very nicely in terms of what we’re trying to do. I think he’s a mismatch in the pass game for some people. If you try to match him with a linebacker, obviously his speed is probably better than any linebacker that’s going to cover him. He has a size matchup when you want to put a defensive back on him. So, we’ve exploited some teams with those matchups for us. I don’t know the number of plays over 60, but he’s had a few of those long catch and runs in mismatch situations where we found him. The speed that he has at the tight end spot is kind of rare and unique for him. So, obviously, I think he was a guy that when you look at the market for tight ends, kind of where he fits, you’re hoping you can keep your own guys home and that was the decision there.”

 

Were you involved in that as far as did they ask you for the OK to go ahead and start negotiating this deal?

“No. I mean, I don’t negotiate contracts, but they asked me if I wanted Vance back and I said yes.”

 

Yesterday, obviously RB Carlos Hyde had a really good game. He played 30 snaps and RB Shaun Draughn played 27. Was there a conditioning aspect of it with Carlos? Was he winded?

“Yeah. I mean, there were a couple times after the long runs where he took himself out. But, you understand because of the long runs. So, I don’t think it was one of those, [running backs coach Tom Rathman] Rath wasn’t trying to get an even-steven deal. It was just trying to keep him fresh. But, when you rip off some of the runs he had, I think he had seven for one-and-change in the first half. But, after those long runs, he’s not going to be able to go the next one. Shaun’s first touchdown was a byproduct of, I think Carlos had a 40-some-odd yard run. So, Shaun went in for the next play and we punched it in from the four on that run. Some other things on third down, that’s when we’re trying to get Shaun involved as our third down back and our blitz pickup guy and our back coming out of the backfield, which he’s done a really nice job of.”

 

At the start of the season, Shaun was the number two guy and then we saw RB Mike Davis, we saw RB DuJuan Harris. Now, Shaun is back to being the number two guy.

“Yeah. He’s worked really hard to get back to it. I think he missed some things early in some blitz pickups but has worked really hard with coach Rathman on that. A guy that we’ve got total confidence in in being back there on third down and he’s done a nice job with it.”

 

You had six guys on defense in there for all 84 snaps. Was there thought to rotate them a little bit more and they–?

“Yeah, there is. But, in some of those positions we didn’t really have anybody else. So, it’s making sure that there’s a fine line between, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get him out of the game,’ but also, who are we playing with in that situation? So, there’s a couple of those guys that really are kind of invaluable for us. So, it’s really tough to get them off the field.”

 

It’s unique that an interior lineman like DL DeForest Buckner plays as much. How’s he benefiting from just the amount of time he’s been–?

“I think he played his best game yesterday. He had nine-plus tackles, two sacks, was all over the field and I think you see him, the more he plays the more he understands what we’re trying to get accomplished over there. He plays with such great effort and such a great motor and just loves playing football. So, I don’t see that effect especially that you have in a rookie that sometimes later in the year they wear down because the season’s a little bit longer. But, I think he’s been trained for this. I know the background that he came from. I think he’s trained to play with great effort. I thought he was trained to understand what it takes. So, I think that’s a benefit of getting a kid from where we got him from.”

 

Dating to last year your teams have lost 21 of the last 28 games. Just as a head coach, does it make you question your philosophy, the way you do things or has that had any effect on you as far as looking at your overall–?

“Certainly, I don’t look at last year compared to this year because it’s two entirely different operations and what you’re dealing with and how things are being done. So, I don’t look back to last year and then compare anything from last year to this year because I think it’s entirely different, what’s gone on here compared to what we did there. So, I think we always look at everything on a weekly basis trying to see how we can improve. You look at the game yesterday; it’s about making one more play than the other team. It’s not like we’re getting taken to the woodshed and don’t have an opportunity to compete and play. I think our guys are playing with great effort. I think our guys are competing. We’ve just got to find a way to get over the top.”

 

Double back to Buckner. You said the benefit of getting him from where he’s from. What are you referring to?

“I know how he was trained, where he played college ball. So, I know what they asked their defensive linemen to do there. I know how he learned how to strain when he was at Oregon. I think from [University of Oregon head strength and conditioning coach] Jimmy Radcliffe and their strength and conditioning coaches to [former University of Oregon head coach] Mark Helfrich and the coaching staff that they had there, I know what they asked their players to do. So, what Buck is doing now from a conditioning standpoint isn’t surprising to me. That’s what I meant.”

 

You go into halftime again with a lead. What are some of the things you discussed with the team at halftime?

“That we just have to finish. We were up. How do we finish this? That was a big point for all our coaches when they met with their individual players and we went over what we needed to go over and then we broke and just talked about finishing in the second half and coming in with a victory.”

 

Going back to that question, I understand you can’t compare seasons and everything. The common thing is there’s a losing record. So, does that, if you’re not winning, do you say, ‘Hey, why is this?’

“Yeah. I think you say that every day though. I don’t think that has anything do with where we were before or where we came from and that was my point. How we do things here is different than how we did things in Philadelphia. That was my point.”

 

What are some differences?

“Strength and conditioning is different here, how that works. A lot of different things in terms of how we look at things. So, I think [director of human performance Mark Uyeyama] Uye and those guys do a fantastic job here in terms of taking care of our guys. So, I think it’s very different from that standpoint.”

 

You’ve never been through this kind of losing. What kind of a toll is it taking on you personally?

“I think we’re all frustrated and we’re all trying to figure out what the solution is. That’s what you have to do.”

This article has 116 Comments

  1. “Because we knew what play we were going to run.”

    So did everyone who’s watched you guys all year long Chip.

  2. “Certainly, I don’t look at last year compared to this year because it’s two entirely different operations and what you’re dealing with and how things are being done. So, I don’t look back to last year and then compare anything from last year to this year because I think it’s entirely different…”

    Then why are you attempting to run the same offense when you admit that “it’s two entirely different operations?”

    1. Where’s the beef? I’m still looking for how LaConfora thinks he has this insight on the Yorks’ plans one way or another.
      It’s not impossible, but until I find some verification it’s just one in a thousand rumors.

    2. I agree with him on one thing. Kyle Shanahan will be his own man and not just blindly follow his Dad. He’ll cut is own path.

  3. This would be the best thing that can happen other then the Yorks selling the team. Which is not gonna happen. I will believe it when I see it. Fingers crossed.

    1. A Christmas miracle would be to wake up, and find Eddie D has agreed to take over for his nephew….

    1. Cassie Baalke December 12, 2016 at 4:09 pm
      Grab Jeff Fisher for Defensive Coordinator!
      ——————-
      He’s been a head coach since 1995. That’s likely longer then a lot of the people who frequent here have even been alive. He’s not going back down to a coordinator position at this point. I suppose he’ll wait to see if he gets any offers to be a head coach next year and if not he’ll likely be in front of a tv camera before long.

      I wonder if he would be interested in coaching a college team.

  4. “No. I mean, I don’t negotiate contracts, but they asked me if I wanted Vance back and I said yes.”

    It seems to me they wouldn’t ask that question if Kelly was not going to be back.

    1. Baalke may think Kelly will be back, but I don’t think Jed was involved with the VMac contract. He could still sack them both, one or the other or neither.

        1. Details are still sparse, but VMac’s deal appears to be 3 years for $16 million guaranteed, an unspecified signing bonus, and the rest of the reported $35 million in the last 2 years, which are not guaranteed. When the details are fully out, I expect it to be more team friendly than the initial reports would lead one to believe.

          1. I suspect you’re correct, as usual my good sir. He was just another in a long line of wrong picks, and Baalke needs to be relieved of his command….

  5. Hmm, “We knew what play we were going to run.” So at least they did prepare. Too bad the other team prepared, too.

    Should have tweaked the play, and given Kaep the option to keep the ball. He was all alone, and looked like he could have made the first down easily.

  6. Oh the irony. A leak suggests that Jed will be out. Surely mommy and daddy wouldn’t have done this to their golden child. So who talks to NFL owners and might have inside info on the York’s? Eddie D.

      1. That would be one of the best Xmas presents ever and feel good stories in all of sports. Does he even want back in?

      2. I originally became a Niners fan because of how Eddie treated the players and handled the business. But I’ve since learned…If Eddie D comes back, he’d better bring a Carmen Policy with him. Turns out it needs to be a team sport in the front office, too.

  7. I’d hire Trent Kirchner as the President and GM. Then Id hire Darrell Bevell as my Head coach and once the Jags fire Gus Bradley, hire him as assistant head coach/DC.

    Then Id trade our 2nd and 4th and a 3rd in 2017 for Jimmy Garropolo. Draft Allen or Garrett at #2 overall.

    These 4 moves get us back to .500 in 2017.

      1. It gets better. Eric Dickerson has recommended Harbaugh to the Rams ownership, and it’s my understanding that Harbaugh would take the job….

          1. Razor what understanding

            I know Jim Harbaugh. He’s been waiting for this opportunity, and his people have obviously been in contact with Dickerson. Why else would he put it out there? He was the first to call for Fishers head, and it just rolled into the basket….

    1. Kroenke publicly stated he would open the coffers for Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. It’s a done deal. All that remains is the Rooney Rule…;>)

      1. I find it odd that Fisher would get fired right after they gave him an extension. It’s like they had no intention to fire him until Harbaugh or a surrogate reached out to them. I think it’s a done deal.

        1. Fisher did not get fired right after they gave him an extension. According to a variety of news stories (of the less reactionary kind), the extension was signed prior to the preseason but not announced until recently due to pressure from the press in LA.

              1. In the link I provide the author says “The deal was largely agreed to before the season started, and Fisher said last week discussions dated back to the end of last season.” And, “He didn’t officially sign the extension until Dec. 4th.”

                http://nesn.com/2016/12/rams-fire-head-coach-jeff-fisher-one-day-after-las-latest-lopsided-loss/

                It appears Mike Cole is wrong. He should fact check and so should I. Cole is like Florio to me now. I thought nesn was credible.

              2. Now I’m not sure. The ESPN story says “Fisher confirmed it in Sunday’s postgame news conference, minutes after his team was thoroughly outplayed in a 26-10 loss to the New England Patriots.” And, “He said the deal was signed “well before” even the first preseason game.” Here is the postgame transcript.

                http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/news/jeff-fisher-rams-contract-extension-future-questions-los-angeles/1ql4cnpnjca391j04fveagtq5k

                Fisher never confirmed when he officially signed. He said he had an agreement before the season. All of those stories that say Fisher signed back then cites this press conference. They’re drawing their own conclusions without concrete evidence. Hey, I do that every day.

              3. The LA Times article cites the press conference. I left a link to the press conference up above. Again, he never says when the contract was “officially” signed. The article and many other articles are suggesting it was signed back then. The Rams are disputing the claims. Either one of us could be right but we don’t have proof.

              4. My understanding is that the NFL does not include non-player transactions in the official transactions log, as those transactions are not covered by the CBA. Further, I believe that only coaching changes and the duration of coaching contracts must be reported the NFL, and then only when they become effective. I do not believe that the details of those contracts, other than the duration, must be reported to the NFL. Also, it is worth noting that the NFL.com transaction log appears only to include player transactions (http://www.nfl.com/transactions).

                The ESPN transaction log to which you link likely includes the coaching transaction data garnered from ‘sources’ and team/agent announcements, not from official information provided by the NFL.

              5. JPN,

                As I said before either of us could be right. It’s Fisher’s word against the Rams word.

                Fisher says when asked about extension. ” So I agreed with the organization well before the season started.” As in agreed to terms, that doesn’t mean he officially signed.
                Reporter question. Is it signed or is it still just an agreement?
                Fisher. I’m not going to go into detail. OK?
                Reporter question. I mean, if it’s not signed, then it’s not done.
                Fisher. It’s been signed. He never says when he officially signed, only that a deal was done earlier.

              6. Fisher had the contract in his back pocket in training camp, and was not on board with Goff. Did not want him. It was a situation similar to Vince Young, when the owner forced him into taking him….

              7. 80, while there is some conflicting information out there, I find it very hard to believe they would fire him just a few weeks after he signed an extension. Logically you would have to imagine this was done prior to the season.

              8. Depending on a variety of factors, he may not have needed to sign anything for the agreement to be enforceable. Further, the date he signed is actually a bit of a red herring with respect to the veracity of the view that he was fired right after being given an extension. Indeed, the extension may have been agreed to in principle long before he signed it, and he might have signed it only when the writing was on the all, so to speak. The main point is that this does not appear to simply be a case where an extension was agreed to and executed days before he was fired. The final step of the extension may have been completed then (or it may have just been announced then), but it was a process that stretched back to before the season rather than the oddity of timing that a mere superficial understanding might make it appear.

              9. Scooter,

                In my original post I said they changed their mind on Fisher once they heard Harbaugh was a possibility.

                JPN,

                Again, you “may” be right. I “may” be right. We are both speculating.

              10. They wouldn’t all of a sudden decide to fire Fisher just after they extended his contract on the thought they “may” be able to get Harbaugh. It would have to be a done deal with Harbaugh. And if it is a done deal, there must have been talks held in the past few weeks, so they must have known it was a possibility – in which case they wouldn’t have extended Fisher a few weeks ago anyway.

                I’m sorry, but I really find it hard to believe it played out the way you are saying. It just doesn’t seem logical. As JPN suggests, it may be the signing was just a formality. Regardless of when it was officially signed and lodged, we do know based on what has been said that the contract extension was agreed to prior to the season.

              11. Scooter,

                I said in my original post that I think it’s a done deal with Harbaugh. Done deal, like Fisher’s done deal, Agreed to but not official.

              12. That’s fine, but see the rest of my post and you’ll see I still don’t think it likely in that case that Fisher only just got extended a few weeks ago in that case.

              13. Fisher had the contract in his back pocket in training camp, and was not on board with Goff. Did not want him. It was a situation similar to Vince Young, when the owner forced him into taking him….

                Keyshawn Johnson is your guy on the street Razor? Seeing as how no other NFL insider verified or even mentioned that story, I’d say it’s time for you to find another source.

                As to the contract extension, I agree with JPN and Scooter that it makes no sense for them to fire him if he just signed it. There were reports of this going back to TC, so my guess is if he didn’t sign it then, it was likely put on the back burner to see how this season progressed.

              14. Point taken Scooter.

                rocket,

                I believe it was put on the back burner and not signed. The issue is tricky because Fisher’s agent is the father of Demoff,the Rams COO. Fisher’s agent may have told Fisher not to sign because he put his son’s interests ahead of his client’s interests.

              15. Keyshawn Johnson is your guy on the street Razor?

                Several sources reporting the same thing, but I got mine from Ted Robinson….

              16. Can you link some of the other sources for me I can’t see to find them. At the time it was said, it was Keyshawn Johnson and it wasn’t supported by anybody else. If that has changed I’d like to read who else is saying it.

              17. #80,

                I doubt Marvin Demoff would do that to one of his clients, as it would destroy his reputation. My guess is the extension was either signed with some sort of out clause for the team that reduced it, or there was just an agreement in principle that was based on the outcome of this season. Either way Fisher will get some go away money.

              18. You’ll need to listen go to the part where they begin to discuss the Rams. I think Dickerson was saying the same thing, but don’t have the link….

                There’s a whisper going around that Fisher might not have wanted Jared Goff. That is Robinson regurgitating the Keyshawn Johnson opinion because no one else has reported this story. Dickerson said nothing about not wanting Goff. His beef was with Fisher.

                Here’s the bottom line Razor, Goff was universally seen by the unnamed scouts and most draftniks as being the #1 pick and nothing has happened in 7 months and 4 games played to change that. The Rams traded a lot to get this kid. He’s in the infancy of his career playing behind a bad oline and the Rams will hire somebody who can develop him. My prediction is Josh McDaniels.

              19. The point that really stuck out to me in that podcast was Robinson saying the idea of hiring a football executive to oversee things has been thought about before. That at least is a little encouraging. That is the only way they can truly start over and address their terrible perception around the league. You hire a Bill Polian type (not him specifically but somebody like him) to be your President and let him hire the GM. The GM then hires his HC who can be assured of no interference from the Yorks, and maybe we start seeing this thing turn around.

      2. It’s all intriguing. Will Jim adopt the QB? He won’t have much personnel power in LA. If Kronke wants Flash and Glitz on offense, JH ain’t his guy.
        I never saw Sabah in SF, but Satan in LA? Kronke should consider a feeler if he’s got deep pockets. They both like that limelight.

          1. I think Satan could turn around the Niners. The question is, how many souls of draft picks would we have to give up?

        1. Our only hope might be to switch conferences with the Chargers. Let them have the stadium and build a new one on top of old Kizer. Draft Kizer and pair him Saban/McElwain!

          1. Jim Harbaugh doesn’t scare me any more than anyone else. We have met the enemy, and he be us!
            Seriously. We have to get our own sh….. into one bag and THEN worry about opponents.
            Oooh-RAHHhhh! Continue The March! One effing way!

  8. We know no decision will be made until after the season. The yorks don’t even know. When they stare a 1-15 season in the face officially they will act. Who knows how much.

  9. Sadly LOL @ Jed York leaking that refute to Florio… What a big-headed scumbag you are Jed. How dare someone suggest you be removed from power… Funny to see you come running out of the ivory tower’s closet when it’s important enough. Frickin’ hate that guy!

  10. McDonald to IR immediately following his 5 year extension (nice job Baalke). How dysfunctionally symbolic… Can’t even make this crap up.

    1. I thought he played well at LT. Makes me think that Staley might be gone – he’ll want to play on a playoff team.

    2. He may well be… truth be told, only he and Staley fit Chip Kelly’s zone blocking scheme. The others are more in line blockers and this scheme does not fit them… which also made the selection of Garnet an odd selection considering they traded up for him.

    3. UC,

      He wasn’t terrible last week filling in for Staley, but he’s been poor for most of the season. PFF has a really low ranking on him and they have rarely been able to run to his side effectively.

    1. Sad news. Reuland brought high spirits and a great sense of humor to the Cardinal locker room. RIP.

  11. Chris Hogan had a nice game last night. Game winning TD.

    He was a late cut. Niners kept Joe Hastings instead. Went to the Bills, Bellichick saw him play, and grabbed him when he became available.

    Thanks, Baalke.

    Oh, look. Seahawks picked up Kelvin Taylor. Wonder if they did it for intel, because their RBs are so good, they could afford to cut Christine Michael.

    Thanks, Baalke.

  12. Who would any of you rather have doing the draft? Gamble and Kelly, Shanahan, Polian, Saban, Holmgren, or other?

    My picks

    1 Shanahan
    2 Polian
    3 Saban
    4 Holmgren
    5 Gamble and Kelly

    1. I like the following…

      1. Kyle Shanahan
      2. Chris Peterson
      3. Sean McDermott
      4. Teryl Austin
      5. Vic Fangio

      1. McDermott is interesting. He would go with the 4-3 D. Carolina believes in building up the front 7 more than the secondary, as do I. McDermott and Polian would be a nice match.

        1. I was kind of surprised actually. In general I’m more of a fan of Offensive minded coaches but when looking at the possible candidates I feel there are more qualified defensive coaches.

          Also I typically am a fan of the 3-4 conceptually due to the flexibility it provides but when looking at our defense, actually I think we could make a rather easy transition to a 4-3. I personally believe Armstead and Buckner are miscast as traditional 3-4 DE’s. Armstead in particular (he free lances too much) however if they were used as penetrating D linemen they could be very disruptive.
          The rotation also in a 4-3 could be interesting as well.
          Potential DT’s could be Buckner, Armstead, Dorsey, Blair, and TJE… with your RDE’s being Brooks,Lynch, Armstead or Buckner (depending on the package), and an Edge Rusher at LDE to be drafted and perhaps Rush could be activated.

          Of course some of these players may well be released or traded but I’m only showing some of the potential alignments.

          The LB spot is disturbing… but they are regardless of Defense used… The niners have to pick up one (probably 2 LB’s) starting caliber LB this offseason.

    2. My top 10.

      1. Anyone in the world except Baalke.
      2. Grant.
      3. Scooter.
      4. Razor.
      5. Htwaits.
      6. Mid.
      7. CFC.
      8. JPN.
      9. BT.
      10. Seb.;p

      1. I think you’d be best utilized watering and pruning the shrubs outside Levi stadium instead!

      2. I would hire Jack to coach the team. The scouts would be: Scooter; Rocket; Razor; and Coffee would be the scouts. Grant would head the PR department, and JPN would be head the legal side. Finally, I hire everyone to beat back the Yorks every time they tried to extend their reach beyond making money for the stadium.

        1. Sure, I would take a job with the 49ers, but I would just use it as a stepping stone to the job that I actually want — Roger Goodell’s job. In what other job could one make that much money and be hated by nearly everyone save thirty-two other people yet keep that job? Sounds like a great gig to me. In fact, I would do it for a quarter of what Goodell makes. ;)

  13. My Christmas dream:
    1. Eddie D. takes over
    2. Mike Holmgren hired as president of operations
    3. Find a way to pry Pete Carroll from seahags and bring him back home as GM.
    4. Give Kelly one more year as HC with decent players.
    Please Santa!

  14. Great leadership skills, Chip. Suck it up stop making excuses you sound like a weasel. Is it any wonder your team under produces?

  15. Let’s add a little insult to injury. From PFT Week 15 Power Rankings:

    31. 49ers (1-12; No. 31): What’s worse, losing 12 in a row or being the only team that has lost to the Browns in their last 24 games?

  16. VMACs # are officially out. Essentially a 3 year 19 mil deal. 7 mil signing bonus. Yearly average is 5.8 mil a year. Ranks him as the 15th-16th TE paid. The last 2 years of a 5 year deal are team options.

    1. Rebuild,

      Do you have a source and/or do you know how much of the $19 millions is guaranteed over the first three years?

      It seems to be a pretty good deal for a #1 TE. However, even though I like VMac more than some others do, I am not sure he is a #1 TE on many other teams. Thus, it would seem to be a high amount if much of the $19 million is guaranteed.

  17. Glad Torrey is walking around, but he should not play another snap for the rest of the season.

    His concussion had all the earmarks of a concussed player getting another concussive blow. It could have been fatal. As he lay motionless like that, I was reminded of Steve Young. That was scary.

    If the Niners value their players at all, they will shut down Torrey for the rest of the year, and give him a brain scan.

    While I like Torrey and wish he could help the Niners win games, his health is more important than a game.

  18. The defense is wasting down because the offense can sustain a drive past the 1st quarter. That’s a no brauner

    1. Sorry for the typos. The defense is wearing down because the offense can’t sustain a drive past the 1st quarter. No brainer

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