Geep Chryst: “Hard to believe this is the last one.”

SANTA CLARA — This  is the transcript of Geep Chryst’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers P.R. department.

 

Opening comments:

“Again, great to see you. Happy New Year. Hard to believe this is the last one. Before we get going, you take the questions and we fail to remiss some of the guys who have really had good years for us offensively. You can start with the quarterback position. I think probably seven games is a large enough sample size for [QB] Blaine [Gabbert]. We really like not just what he’s done in those seven games and the production he’s had, but how he’s continued to improve and moving forward, I think that’s been dually noted and worthy of mention before we get to questions and answers. Other guys, [G] Andrew Tiller, remember he went in for the Giants game. He’s from New York and kind of a spot-duty time guy and then he became starting right guard and then he’s flipped over to left guard. So, special mention to Andrew. I think he’s done a nice job and really even before he was playing he had a nice chemistry with the rest of those linemen, if you guys have seen that. I don’t want to say he’s the butt of all the jokes, but he’s right in the mix with all the jokes and that’s a good thing for that room. Probably the next guy that comes to my mind is [TE] Garrett Celek. I know he’s injured so we can’t talk about him and what he did against Detroit last week. But, I thought what a great year for a guy that’s been around and all he’s done is show up and go to work. And he was really, really productive and I thought that he and Blaine had a really nice chemistry and made some important plays when they were there together. And then the fourth guy is really [RB] Shaun Draughn, of all the guys that probably epitomize a guy coming in, learning stuff on a short week and becoming productive. We appreciate how hard Shaun was and how he was embraced by the guys on our offensive line. So, before we got those questions, I wanted to make special note of those guys and feel like those are the kind of guys that you enjoy coaching every day and they give you optimism about the future.”

 

Let’s go back to Blaine. The offense, it still hasn’t scored 20 points. You had the one defensive touchdown, more than 20 points I should say, since he’s taken over. Do you see him, why do you say that he’s continued to improve because the points per game haven’t been good?

“You’re right. So, what is the metric that we’re using? For example, he’s close to 240 yards passing per game. I think the balls that he’s throwing, the accuracy that he’s throwing the balls with, the reads that he’s making, how the ball is being distributed, I think that’s been excellent. I also know situational football of which third down is our biggest negative. But, our biggest positive might be in the red zone. Blaine’s had 13 trips to the red zone and we’ve had ten touchdowns. A dramatic improvement over the first half of the year and something that I think has become part of his game. He uses his athleticism, his mobility. I think that’s also where he’s probably used the tight ends in a positive way. But yeah, we’re not perfect across the board. The two things that affect your scoring, right, are going to be field position, your starting field position and then the third downs which extend drives. You either get more drives, get them on a shorter field or extend the drives you do have.”

 

One of the things that stands out with him is that he is 26 years old, which it seems like he’s older than that. But at 26, how much room does he have to get better?

“You know, I think we have to look at the quarterback position. We’ve said this actually to [QB] McLeod Bethel-Thompson about redefining what is over the hill with the quarterback position. With all the advent of spread quarterbacks coming in, think of a guy like [New York Jets QB] Bryce Petty from Baylor. There’s probably going to be an apprentice to the NFL game, fewer and fewer teams running “pro style offenses.” But, those players like [Cleveland Browns QB] Josh McCown or like a [Indianapolis Colts QB] Matt Hasselbeck or even a [New York Jets QB Ryan] Fitzpatrick with the Jets, you might consider those people over the hill or maybe you did or you’re always looking for younger blood. But, it’s very unique demands that we put on the quarterback position. We expect them to know the protections and know the plays and check the runs. So as a result, in that context I see Blaine as a young quarterback with a lot of upside. He’s stayed healthy throughout his career. With this extended playing time, again, seven games being a sample size compared to what he did in Jacksonville when he was a young quarterback, I think there’s been really improvement there. That’s what gives you that optimism. Improvement over what his numbers were in Jacksonville and then more importantly you can see how he’s continued to improve from week to week. We’re frank about not starting quickly with our opening drives and we finally started quickly and made some plays and went down the field and scored on the first possession. We’re well aware of what those metrics are. And you can choose whatever metric you want to choose to measure success, but over that seven game spread our total offensive numbers have been up and I know they’re not 32nd. I know our yards per play, we’ve hit some big pass plays, our yards per play I think it’s 19th in that seven game window. Again, it’s a sample size, choose what metric you may, but you get the feeling that Blaine is playing quality quarterback right now.”

 

You mention his progress, what does he need to do moving ahead?

“I think that he works so hard during the week. And when you’re a backup, you work hard during the week, but you don’t have the luxury of getting four at-bats in a game. But again, what we’ve been concentrating on is just starting quicker. Think back to the first throw in the Cincinnati game where it’s third-and-long and they basically were in a drop-defend mode. He got so quickly, he went to like one-five, he went to his fifth read so fast that it almost surprised the running back who was the eligible receiver in the pattern. He thought he was going to be part of a progression. And so, that opportunity when you start to play, the game slows down for you and I think at times Blaine’s taking all the preparation and he’s excited about playing. But, as you continue to play, your game matures, your game just gets into better rhythm. And I thought that was the one thing that we were real excited about that first half is that you could see that Blaine got himself into rhythm, that the run game was a contributing factor which allowed us to do some play action and we hit some well-timed throws.”

 

Going back to last game in Detroit, before the game, it was announced in the press box that either RB Kendall Gaskins or RB DuJuan Harris would start at running back. So, at what point do you decide that RB Jarryd Hayne’s the starter and what will be the case this week?

“That’s a good question. Again, trying to be honest with you as we’ve gone through, I think it’s now 10 different running backs that we’ve tried to ramp up for a game. Everyone has a learning curve that’s different. We were impressed by the short learning curve that Shaun Draughn had. You take a guy like Jarryd Hayne, who was on the practice squad but had been around, just like Kendall Gaskins. And more importantly, I think during the course of a practice week you want to define what a player’s attributes are and what his role is in a particular game. So we know, and think back in the second quarter, Kendall had a really kind of a bruising run. He’s one of the bigger runners that gets behind his pads. He also does the same in pass protection. Jarryd, we really like. He’s kind of got that swivel-hip style. Somehow makes people miss. His pads are more upright, you get a little bit worried that he’s going to get his block knocked off going so high through the line of scrimmage. But, he’s kind of got a knack for that. We like some of the backs in a matchup pass-wise. Jarryd’s got really good hands. And then DuJuan, you start with the run game and DuJuan was quickly oiled up on the run game, but probably protection-wise and route-wise, was not quite where maybe Shaun was when he came in that first week or what the guys who had been here all training camp were. So, to be specific to the answer of the question, what are these guys’ attributes? What are the plays that are going to be part of that opening sequence? We felt like Jarryd was probably going to be the best fit for that. But, by the third play of the game, we knew we wanted to run the ball and DuJuan was in for the third-and-one run that was a nice pop. That was his first play for us. And we kind of knew that. [Running backs coach] Tom [Rathman] does a nice job rotationally. Who gets the start is probably not as important as who’s getting the playing time and all of them got playing time.”

 

With C Marcus Martin returning to practice, how urgent are you to potentially get him back on the field versus maybe give T Trent Brown another start at right tackle?

“You know, another guy that stepped in and really started the game excellent and played a really good first half was Trent. And like a lot of guys, you get a little tired, you get a little fatigued, the concentration, the 60-minute game is such that you can see Trent start to lose some wind in his sails a little bit. But, he did a great job on the first start. In terms of Marcus, we see him as such a great swing guy. He’s played center, he can play guard. But as he ramps back up and gets back into the flow of things, we also like the continuity. [G/T] Erik [Pears] was brought in to probably play guard. He’s probably a better guard than tackle. So, at some level, you want to stay with continuity. That’s the one thing we’ve lacked with all of the people rolling in and out. So, again, as we sit here Thursday, finishing up walk-thru and we still have two practices left, I really think that we’ll probably stay with continuity. And then we’ll see where Marcus is at. That takes less pressure than ‘Marcus you hop back in and become the starting guard’ or whatever that may be. Instead, stay with continuity, let Marcus come along and then we’ll see where they are by Friday, Saturday.”

 

From the time you started working with Jarryd to where he is now, where would you say he’s made the most strides?

“You know, it’s quite remarkable. We got a little frustrated with him. The very first drive on that third down play, there was a pass interference on [WR] Torrey Smith. Jarryd was so excited to run his route. We got the matchup we wanted on a linebacker. ‘Remember now Jarryd, all you’ve got to do is go up into five-yards and break out, you’ll be right there for a touchdown.’ He didn’t even get back to the line of scrimmage and he was breaking out. He was so excited to be playing. That first drive he made a very nice run on a power play. His protection, again, I think that’s where the language of football is so different. We have odd fronts and even fronts and then Tom will get into spinner fronts and rat looks and overloads and KC looks, all the different things that a defense can do. And for Jarryd, who’s not played any college football, not played any high school football, to come in and play at the top level is really quite a remarkable story. And he’s been productive and I think he’s got a great upside. A full offseason and I think it’s important that he did play in the game, kind of got a sense of that game tempo. And so, the corrections that you can make, say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to remember to climb into the guy now. You’ll have a chance, you just got a little bit anxious.’ Those are common kind of rookie mistakes. But, it’s really remarkable when he really didn’t have any other football background other than that. So, we’re really excited to have Jarryd and I think he was excited to be out there too.”

 

Are there any comps for him that you can look at and say that’s the kind of player he can become?

“I don’t know if there is or not. I know the Jets had an Australian rules player that was kind of a tight end type. But, Jarryd is an elite athlete. He kind of wants to touch the ball and that’s unique because you want the guy touching the ball to be one of your best playmakers. And if you think back to all the positive things he did in the preseason. He had the big run again Houston the very first series he was in there. He had the big run against Dallas. And then, we put him into that situation in Detroit where he does get the start and he has, I think it was a 14-yard run to help us on the first drive. He doesn’t back away from or kind of have to ease into the game. He’s excited to be out there and he’s making plays. I also think that with experience because of reps, I think he’ll become a really dynamic special teams player on both sides of the ball. I think he can run, I think he’s big, I think he’s hard to block. I think that as he works on fielding punts, I think he’s going to be a really exciting player to watch moving forward and we really like him. But, like any young player, you need to correct in a positive way. If you think back, that was probably a precursor on that first drive where he didn’t go deep enough for the play in the fourth quarter. Again, he rushed the route. Was he open? Did he catch it? Those are all really good, but his sense of timing, the game hasn’t slowed down yet for him. He’s so excited to be out there, but like a lot of young players, they’ve got to stay with their technique and kind of slow their heartbeat down just a little bit so that they can really fit. But, he doesn’t fit a certain label. We look at ‘Hey, he’s a third down back,’ or ‘He’s a possession receiver,’ or ‘He’s a special teams maven.’ All of those labels we want to find to define him, but he’s kind of outside that, he’s kind of an outlier in that because he can carry the ball, he can catch the ball, he can run. And so, we’ll just have to wait and see where it goes. But, he’s probably outside a small shoebox of ‘We’ll label him as a third down back.’”

 

What’s your level of interaction been with QB Colin Kaepernick since he came back to do his rehab?

“Colin, his number one responsibility of course is to get healthy and that’s the most important thing. And then he’s in the meetings when he can when it doesn’t conflict, like all the IR guys. So, I would say a little bit like [RB] Reggie Bush who’s in the same scenario. You run into them in locker room. You see them more in the training room or how hard they’re rehabbing, even we’re walking to a meeting and they’re already going out to the weight room. So, you know, you’re just ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ ‘How you doing?’ And I would say that’s true of most of the, especially veterans who are on injured reserve. They kind of know the drill. We like our rookies to be kind of on task and learning the system. Veterans, I think they know the system. So, it’s been good to run into him. This morning when we had the team meeting, for example, was the last time I saw him and it’s where you see him normally.”

 

Because he’s a vet, he might not be super active in those–?

“I think the number one things that vets know is get healthy. Same thing, I think [T] Joe Staley Tuesday had a stomach flu, one of those things. OK, Joe’s not out for the walk-thru. Now, if it’s a rookie and you’re a little concerned, if Trent Brown had the same stomach flu, you might have him wrapped up in a towel and a little pale next to him, but you kind of want him out near the walk-thru. And if that’s rude, I’m just trying to be honest with you. With Joe, it’s like ‘Go home and get some rest. Make sure you drink your Gatorade and Saltine crackers.’ So, that’s probably where it’s at, is that the young guys, you kind of want to make sure that you’ve got your thumb on them a little bit more and that they’re paying attention. The veterans, they’re a veteran for a reason. They’ve gone through the battles and we hope that they get healthy.”

 

This article has 164 Comments

  1. Great, his highest praise is for a QB who has a lower rating that the injured starter. The second best guy was relegated to the bench for the first half of the season even though many fans wanted him in there from the first game. The next 2 are injured and not even playing.
    Remember the Glory Years? We had Joe and Jerry, Cross and Craig.
    Lo, how the mighty have fallen.

  2. “Hard to believe this is the last one.”

    No. It is not hard for us to believe that this is the last one. We have been praying for this for some time. Please, please, please be put out of our misery.

  3. I gotta say that the statistic of 10 TDs in 13 red zone trips surprised me. Of course, 13 redzone trips in 7 games is piss poor.

    1. Maybe the answer would be to have Kap as QB until the redzone, then put Gabbert in.

      It could have worked in the Superbowl.

  4. “Happy New Year. Hard to believe this is the last one.” I caught that too.

    We’ll know a bit more about the future of the coaching staff after Sunday. I’m not making predictions because the roster’s so decimated.

    1. As Wilson pointed out in the previous article, the roster is not much worse than Harbaugh’s last year with all the injuries. Please don’t make excuses. Tomsula couldn’t have won 6 games with the Super Bowl Roster of any team.

      1. No P52, no Justin Smith, no Ray McDonald, no Anthony Davis, no Chris Borland, no Aldon Smith, no Mike Iupati, no Crabtree, no Dan Skuta, no Frank Gore, no Chris Culliver.

        I’d say the roster is much worse.
        Or, at least, a lot less experienced, and it shows.

        But sure it is no excuse because anyone can see this is the worst coached team in the NFL. By a mile.

        1. Allan, my point was last season, Willis was injured much of the season, Bowman was out, Aldon suspended, Ian Williams injured, Kilgore injured, A Davis didn’t play half or more of the season, Ray Mac released and gone most of the season, Culliver injured most of the season, Brock injured most of the season, V Davis missed games, Crabtree coming back from an achilles tear, Borland was on IR to end the season. See the trend for last season? The talent was there but that’s not who was playing.

          Yes Iupati and Gore as well as Smith made a difference but the rest of the team was very similar to what we have this year. Last year we were also down to our 3-4th sting TE and PS guys there. That squad last year was decimated by injuries and suspensions. I think Culliver had some time suspended too for his violations.

          1. Well, your memory is betraying you a little bit.

            Willis played 6 six games (and SF was 4-2 in those games). Which is much better than none this year.
            Aldon Smith played 7 games. Also more than this year.
            Kilgore played 7 games. Also more than this year.
            Ian Williams played 9 games.
            Anthony Davis played 7 games. Also much better than none.
            Ray Mac played 14 games.
            Culliver also played 14 games.
            Vernon Davis also played 14 games.
            Chris Borland also played 14 games.

            Justin Smith played all games.

            Yes, last year the team was decimated by injuries and suspensions (just like this year), but in no way the talent this year is similar to last year’s roster.

            I’m not arguing Tomsula is an awful coach. He is and would not get 8 wins last year for sure.
            Just saying there’s no way to look at both rosters and say they are at the same talent level.

            1. You’re right on Ray Mac and Culliver, I got other seasons mixed with last season. I think the injuries played a huge part in their 8-8 season and that team was less talented than people think hence the 8-8 finish. I wasn’t saying the rosters were the exact same talent level, just saying who was actually playing at the end of the season wasn’t that different than this year. Wilhoite and Borland aren’t Willis and Bowman. M Martin and Looney aren’t Kilgore. J Martin isn’t A Davis. Brock played 3 games, Celek played 3 games etc. They were better than this squad but very injured.

    2. Not making excuses, Pointing out one factors management will consider.

      As for “Tomsula couldn’t have won 6 games with the Super Bowl Roster of any team”… No.

  5. Hmm,’ cant believe this is the last one.’…
    Maybe he knows he will get no more chances to stand up to take questions.

  6. Last one, indeed …

    u-hhh .. was he talkin’
    about the last game … or ..
    a prophetic reference to his last presser
    as a Niner coach ?

      1. He looked terrible against Nebraska, Iowa, and now Alabama. And with a completion percentage below 60%? No thanks.

      1. Yep, and he’s going face defenses better than that in the NFL.

  7. Unbelievable! A senior QB stares down a receiver in the red zone and throws a pick in a defensive struggle. Destroyed all momentum for his team going into the half.

  8. I will miss the comedy and intrigue roller coaster brought to us by the entire York clan popping up here and there like whack-a-moles. So far it has been one heck of a ride. The off season is going be a gasser of a meat grinder in pursuit of the next championship banner. As surely as the sun will rise and moon will set, the mighty sideline landyard will again ride proudly, head held high in 2016- go get em Jed. Good luck 49ers.

  9. In light of Tank moving to OLB, thought some might find this interesting. From PFF:

    “Sheldon Richardson has started to play snaps at outside linebacker in the Jets’ 3-4 front.
    Richardson played 18 snaps at linebacker last week and has now played 125-of-533 defensive snaps at the position this season. Richardson calls his new hybrid position the MPB7. “It’s multi-purpose box seven,” Richardson said. “Any position you need me to play in the box seven, I can play.” The Jets should exercise Richardson’s fifth-year option this offseason, giving them control of the talented defender at a reasonable price for the next two seasons, but they will have to make the tough decision of who to pay on their talented defensive line this offseason with both Muhammad Wilkerson and Damon Harrison set to be free agents. Richardson has troubling off-field issues, but Harrison will likely be the odd man out.”

    1. Agree. Watching Henry I was wondering if Baalke might target him in the 2nd round. After all, “somewhere in there he meant to say we’re going to run the ball.” OTOH, I wonder if all of these FA acquisitions we’ve made at RB is causing Baalke to rethink his strategy. Harris looked very good last week, but it seemed like the improved OL play helped with that quite a bit.

      1. I don’t believe he will since we have Hyde Cubus. I also think Henry will be a late first round pick.

        1. Yeah, I don’t mean to suggest that the 49ers should do that, just a thought that crossed my mind.

          1. Oh I know Cubus. In my opinion Elliott, Henry, or Booker would be great draft picks for this team, but I’m willing to bet that Baalke is going to go all in on Hyde and his bad feet.

          2. Cubus, Derrick Henry may have benefited by that monster O line, and may be another Sheldon Richardson, while Elliot has shown that elusiveness and mobility that make him elite.

      2. With Draughn and now Harris showing some ability I wonder if Baalke will finally skip on RB this draft and focus on strengthening the OL.

        1. Yeah, my post was meant to imply that Baalke may be “devaluing” the position after seeing that it’s possible to pick up decent to very good RBs off the street. But I probably should wait to see how Harris does in this last game before pronouncing him “very good”.

        2. Draughn is probably the most to stick around out of the Draughn/Harris/Hayne trio since he can play on special teams as well.

        3. I would like to see us go with a tandem like Steward and Williams like Carolina had for years rather than keeping either of those guys. Hyde in his 2 seasons seems to get injured so I would like someone with similar talent when he goes down. Draughn seems like a place holder, lets see how Harris plays against the Ram’s front this week.

      1. Yep. Chokes against tough defenses and when he needs to carry his team.

      2. Very disappointing performance by Dantonio and Cook, but his receivers and offensive line did him no favors. Alabama is a juggernaut right now….

        1. Cook did himself no favors more than anything Razor. He constantly threw into track and telegraphed his throw late in the first half which led to a momentum killing interception.
          Cook needs to have talent all around him in order to succeed, and then that isn’t even enough at times. That why I think the 49ers need to pass on him because we don’t have talent at every position on offense.

    1. This is good news if he wanted to stay but is going to USC because he feared coaching changes after the season is over. Assistant coaches are in the building every day and can judge the direction they think ownership will go. He has decided to bail. That sounds promising to me.

    2. Probably a smart move by him since our LBs were awful with Bowman being the exception.

    1. Checkdowns are not bad on 1st and 2nd down, but on 3rd downs, unless a hot throw or a site adjust gets you the yardage needed for the 1st down (usually 5 yards or less), the OC needs to call a pattern with the PROTECTION to allow the QB to throw the ball to a receiver beyond the sticks for the potential 1st down. In other words, when it is 3rd and 8, you can’t call a pattern with the same protection as you would on 3rd and 3 because a dog or blitz or combination of a LBer dog and a secondary blitz makes the QB throw hot and the defense tackles the receiver short of the first down marker. Often times, it is necessary to solidify the protection on one side of the formation and have a 3-man pattern to the other side, although it cuts the field in half, the QB has the combination of receivers with the necessary protection to be able to make the throw for the first down. Vs. the Niners, I would dog and blitz on 3rd and more than 6 yards, forcing the ball to come out hot or to a site adjust and then make the tackle short of the sticks because too often Geep does not call a protection designed to give BG the security to make the throw down the field. Scats, scrams and gone protection on 3rd and 6-12 are not the answer.

      1. Niners should invite the blitz, identify where the blitzer is coming from, and roll away from the blitzer. Then Gabbert can either make the first down with his legs, throw the Third down bomb or hit the TE trailing the play for a first down.
        If the defense is guarding the first down marker, they should not throw short and expect the receiver to make the first down. Throw past the sticks.

  10. Just seen that Mario Williams is expected to be cut by the Bills at the end of the season. Is he somebody the 49ers might be interested in?

    1. 49ers should be interested, but I bet he won’t want to come to a team where he’s asked to play as a 4/5 tech a lot. He’d likely only be interested in playing OLB in a 3-4 and DE in 4-man fronts for the 49ers, which he’s played previously at the Bills. So 49ers would need to want him as an OLB.

      Would they want a 290lb OLB? Not sure…

      1. Also, given Williams’ gripes about having to drop into coverage so much this year he’ll probably want to go to a predominantly 4-3 team.

      2. Looks like his teammates were very unhappy with his lack of effort. Plus he’s owed $11.5 to $12 million. Even if they cut him, he’ll be looking for a number like that. If you’re gonna spend that kind of dough, let’s go after Mo.

      3. He was a beast as one in Wade Phillips defense during his final season with the Texans.

        1. He can be excellent as an edge rusher. But like cubus said, for the money he’ll likely want, I’d rather go for Mo than spend it on a 30+ player that may or may not like Mangini’s system.

          1. But that’s just my preference. I’d be more than happy if the 49ers added a talent like Williams.

          2. True, but I don’t think Wilkerson will br available. He’s almost assured to be hit with the franchise tag.

    1. Happy 2016 to all the Niner fans on this board! May the new year yield more profound football insights here that the Niners F.O. should use!!

  11. To the fortyniner faithful…may we have another year of back-stabbing, throat -cutting discourse , and come up with the perfect recipe for NUMBER SIX!!!

  12. The 2012 draft misses killed us:
    A.J Jenkins,WR
    LaMichael James, RB
    Joe Looney, C/OG
    Darius Fleming,OLB/ILB
    Trent Robinson, S
    The rest of the rounds 6-7 produced Garret Celek who like everyone in 2012, no longer with the team. Wait, TJEddie.
    Horrible! Horrible! Horrible!

    1. Now Baalke will draft him for sure.

      Seriously, the “ACL Redshirts” aren’t the ones dropping like flies. Of the 12 players on IR in 2014, and a slew more this season, I can’t think of one that was an ACL Redshirt. The only one that didn’t make it because of thecollege injury was Lattimore.

      This doesn’t mean they were good picks. Tank Carradine and Brandon Thomas are big disappointments.

        1. Not a fan of guys who get injured early and then declare. It makes me question their motivation.

          1. Great against the run and good in the pash rush, but tends to be be over aggressive and questionable in pass coverage. Boom or bust candidate.

      1. Darius Fleming is another who couldn’t make it due to injuries.

        1. I thought Flemming was hurt in 49er training camp? Didn’t know he was hurt pre-draft.

            1. That was part of the cursed 2012 draft. Two rookie OLBs munched their knees in training camp.

              That might be one reason why Tomula’s so careful about limiting TC practice of players that are slightly dinged or over-fatigued,

              One (unsubstantiated) rumor TC workload became an issue between Harbaugh and Baalke.

              1. Doing so has made our team soft while still being just as injury-prone.

    2. I’m guessing that he’s returning to Notre Dame for another year?

      1. Might make sense depending on the injury if he thinks it will slide him too far down the draft boards.

        TV isn’t showing a replay, but it initially looked like a cheapie shot from an Ohio State linemen at/after whistle. A shame.

        How good would Skov be of his knee wasn’t injured early in college?

          1. Looked like a hyperextension but obviously by the look on his face and his inability to put any weight on it, it’s more than that….

    3. Razor- what a shame that was ,my guy as well.Atleast, he insured himself for 5 million as protection.

  13. I’m keeping an eye on Michael Thomas today. Not flashy, but can get it done when the ball is in his hands.

    1. Unfortunately the guy comes across as more of a homer than someone making a good point. His comment about horrendous calls keeping the 49ers from beating the Seattle and going on to win their sixth Super Bowl is way off base.

  14. IRONY…sickening irony…

    Jim Harbaugh in his first season with the 49ers takes his team to the NFC Championship, with Alex Smith at QB. Three NFC title appearances and one 8-8 of season later he is fired. Jim Harbaugh in his first season with Univ of Michigan takes his team to a New Years day bowl game. Jim Tomsula in his first season with the 49ers takes his team to the cellar with Colin Kaepernick. Love him or hate him, Harbaugh is COACH that makes a winner out of whatever he is handed.

    Though Tomsula may be at the helm in 2016, perhaps the best we can hope for is a firing of Baalke, Chryst, and McGaughey…then the hiring of a truly talented OC who would be a “pre-hire” for the eventual head coaching position when the Yorkish are ready to acknowledge the failure of hiring JT.

    And speaking of irony, JH has his own…isn’t it interesting to see how Alex Smith is doing with the Chiefs?

    1. Plus he is going to win his Bowl game today, and what do we have oh yea 0-5 in our own division and could be 0-6. Truly very embarrassing
      ,

      1. A sweet bowl victory for Jim Harbaugh today. Not bad for a first year headcoach and btw, he won with class.

        1. AES ..

          At this point … I’m thinkin’ …

          WINNING … is
          “winning with class” !

          1. Playing with heart even if you lose is winning with class at this point.

          2. I wonder why no Bay Area sports writer addressed this whole winning with class thing. Did the Niners play dirty? No. They played hard. Harbaugh was a whiner on the sideline, but he never rubbed it in when the Niners were up on a team. I mean, look at what Bruce Arians does.

            Now the players may have gotten into off the field troubles, but that’s on Baalke and the players he drafted. Players are grown men.
            Maybe Kaep taunted a bit with the Kaepernicking but that’s a stretch.

            Right now the Niners are winning with Luck, and Losing with indignity, based on all the blow-outs, dropped passes and dumb penalties.

            If they keep Tomsula good luck getting your base back. There are other teams in the Bay Area and the younger generation, who haven’t really seen the Niners win anything, will start to root for the Warriors and the Giants.

        2. It’s very difficult for me to get the fans emotions regarding the college game.

          Everybody keep saying how great was that Michigan won a bowl today.
          But if I understood correctly Michigan was number 14 and Florida 19 (this whole ranking thing also seems a lot subjective).

          So, isnt that like the Atlanta Falcons bragging about a win against the Detroit Lions?
          What’s so great about it?

            1. AES,

              I’m not talking about Michigan specifically.

              Let’s say it’s CAL.
              They won a bowl against Air Force.

              So what?
              I don’t get it.

              For me it seems like a lot of Consolation Prizes.

              It’s like you are in a Fantasy Football League.
              First 4 go to the playoff.
              The rest play in bowls. 5 gainst 6, 7 against 8, and so on.

              What’s the point?

              I’m sure there must be one, but for someone like me that have never lived in the US, it’s hard to understand it.

          1. Allan, the Wolverines were 5-7 in Brady Hokes last season and missed a bowl game for only the third time in history. They fair to miland the three other seasons.

            One season, new coach, no new recruiting, 41-7 win over a top 20 ranked SEC team? (No diff than nfl rankings which are totally subjective). It’s the irony of what Harbaugh does when he comes in and what the Yorkish have done with JT.

  15. This quote just came from Dumbsula.

    If everybody was playing great, coaching great and everything was great, the record would be different.

    — Jim Tomsula

    1. That moment when you’d rather hear Mike Singletary say, “Hindsight is 20/20”.

  16. Yup, winning is the ultimate goal in pro sports and Jim Harbaugh’ legacy as a 49ers headcoach will always show that he was a winner – no matter how much Jed and Trent try to make it go away.

    1. Exactly AES!!! The future of Michigan football is looking pretty good with Harbaugh in charge while our team is a…sigh… big mess. :(

    1. I am leaning towards Ezekiel Elliot with the Niner first. That would be a another potent weapon, and Hyde seems fragile.

        1. Yes, I would like the Niners to trade back to get 3 picks in the first 2 rounds. Then they could select Leonard Floyd or Ezekiel Elliot, Jason Spriggs and Kevin Hogan in the first 2 rounds. Hogan was rated a third to fifth round pick, but now I am thinking second round.
          Niners would trade the 5th for their 15th and 47th pick. They could move up 10 spots to get the player they need and covet. If the Niners got any 3 of those players, I would jump for joy.

          1. Henry or Booker would be more attainable Seb.
            Right now I’m actually hoping for a loss along with the Chargers and Cowboys both winning so that we can have the third pick of the draft. That would give us a chance at Tunsil, Bosa, or Goff.

            1. I still want the Niners to win just to give them and the fans hope, but I am resigned to losing ugly with another 11 penalties and 9 sacks. Seems like whenever someone said it could not get worse, it did get worse.

              1. Hope for what? A 5-11 season instead of a 4-12 season. Just stop with the non sense man. This a sh*t show. No one who has any football intelligence would look at the Niners logically and connect hope with this organization.. That’s a sad fact! Its fans like you that support this ownership.

              2. I just want the Niners to win, no matter who owns the team, while you want them to fail because you hate the owners.

  17. That fumblerooskie was pure Shaw.
    Hope the Niners mutually part with Chryst for his worst offense since 1979.
    Jed should then NOT GO CHEAP and throw money at Mike Bloomgren, the OC for Stanford.
    Shaw has tenure, so he does not want to move from a sweet gig, but poaching those offensive ideas by getting the OC seems very attainable.

    1. You need a strong OL, a QB with confidence in knowing how to make plays, and an exceptionally gifted RB in order to do what the Standard offense is doing. The 49ers sadly have none of those components.

        1. I was actually referring to why the offensive coaching staff was looking so good.

          1. And I was referring to how incompetent the Niner coaches are to be so predictable as to running into the teeth of the defense whereas the Stanford coaches attack open space with good results.
            Niner coaches do not have a clue.

    2. That wasn’t a fumblerooskie, because he did not put the ball on the ground and leave it. That would have been illegal. It was what we call a fumblefoolski….

      1. I’m mad at him, the inconsistent Falcons, and the Vikings for using a system that hindered their offense.

  18. McGaughey better wise up. His personal feelings and ego has prevented the Niners from utilizing a potent weapon. McCaffrey has shown how a return game can decide games.
    Sheathing your weapon just means you do not want to fight. Its giving up. Calling for fair catches on punts may be OK if ahead, But while behind, it is obtuse. Do not be obtuse. Hayne has those quick hips and has amply shown that he can make the first tackler miss. That is a good thing. Niners need good things to happen. It is a rugby move that he excels at, and would translate well while fielding punts. Sitting Hayne for punts is so illogical, it borders on imbecilic. McGaughey, to put it bluntly, get your head out of your rear end and do something smart.
    For the team, not your ego.

  19. I don’t like the way Treadwell turned to complain to the official instead of trying to make the tackle after that interception.

  20. I would like the Bowl system and college playoffs to be expanded. There should be some sharp econ major who could devise a playoff system that could generate billions if they were smart enough.
    Maybe take the top 8 ranked bowls and set up an 8 team playoff format of the best bowl winners. Then teams like Clemson, Alabama, Stanford, Ohio St, Houston, Baylor and the winners of Oregon vs TCU and Ol Miss vs OK St could comprise an 8 team single elimination playoffs with the games played on Friday so it did not interfere with the NFL playoffs. There would be quarter finals and semi finals, and the final game would be played on the weekend before the SB.
    Billions could be generated, if that format was adopted and more fair if the playoff was expanded from 2 to 8 teams.

      1. 6 more games with 2 weeks rest between games is not excessive, and 6 teams would be happy to play instead of sitting at home.

          1. While we are at it, how about health coverage for all aging vets, replay reform, better CTE protocols and rulebook definitions explained better.

            1. Speaking of CTE, the NFL should truly be concerned by cutting one preseason game, and use that extra week to schedule 2 games within a 3 week period for the Thursday night games. That way, there would be 10 days between games, instead of only 3 days.
              Many brain surgeons, and even common fans, would concede that a 10 day rest period is better than a 3 day rest period, if a player wants to fully recover from concussive effects.
              The CTE problem is of such grave concern, former players are shooting themselves, but not shooting themselves in the head because they want their brain studied. If the NFL were really serious about CTE, they would schedule base line brain scans before the season, and use that to gauge the difference in effects when a player shows symptoms of CTE.
              Instead of acknowledging the problem, the NFL is blithely scheduling TNF games with only 3 days rest because they want more profits. They are studiously ignoring the problem and are even telling their toadies to call the movie bad and boring to suppress viewership.

  21. I see eight more tight ends, and 5 running backs being added by Baalke through the draft or via free agency, along with the usual suspects: 1. Placekicer 2. guards and tackles 3. QB’s and Wr’s who were college imapact players at one time, if not for their acl injuries.

  22. Motivation for Ram’s to win:

    -Ram’s mentioned as the team LA wants in new stadium

    -Reason why the Ram’s will win:

    The Rams have been all over the place this season, which a 7-8 record might indicate. Football Outsiders ranks their defense No. 8 overall.
    49ers do not fare well against top ranked defenses.

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