Good Blaine Gabbert and bad Blaine Gabbert

This is the transcript of my Saturday column.

SANTA CLARA

Two Blaine Gabberts exist: The Blaine Gabbert we look at with our naked eyes, and the Blaine Gabbert according to Geep Chryst, the San Francisco 49ers’ offensive coordinator.

Chryst introduced us to his version of Gabbert Thursday morning during his weekly press conference. Chryst seemed to have prepared a speech. Before he answered a single question, he announced he wanted to list the players who had good seasons.

“You can start with the quarterback position,” Chryst said. “I think probably seven games is a large enough sample size for 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.”

This was the first clue we were talking about different Gabberts. The Gabbert we’ve seen has regressed the past three weeks.

Last week against the Lions, our Gabbert fumbled on his own 1, passed for 71 yards in the second half and lost. The week before, our Gabbert threw three picks against the Bengals and lost. And the week before that, our Gabbert passed for merely 76 yards through the first three quarters against the Browns and lost.

Our Gabbert is a high-level backup, a bridge to the franchise quarterback, whomever he may be. Geep, tell us more about your Gabbert. He sounds terrific.

“(Gabbert’s) close to 240 yards passing per game,” Chryst said. “I think that 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.”

All this excellence from a quarterback who throws short of the first-down marker on third down almost every time and still hasn’t led the offense to score more than 19 points in a game. Really, Geep?

“Third down is our biggest negative,” Chryst admitted. “But, our biggest positive might be in the red zone. Blaine’s had 13 trips to the red zone and we’ve had 10 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.”

Not perfect. Not an A-plus, but a solid “A” quarterback — that’s what Chryst wants you to think Gabbert is. Forget everything you’ve seen.

Chryst had to dig deep to find stats to prove his point. Maybe he came to the podium with a cheat sheet or practiced his arguments looking in the mirror that morning.

The red-zone argument doesn’t make sense. Thirteen trips to the red zone in seven games—that’s only 1.9 red-zone appearances per game, which ranks dead last in the NFL. Who cares how often Gabbert scores in the red zone if he almost never gets there?

As Chryst rattled off his Pro-Gabbert stats, it became clear what he was doing: He was telling the 49ers, “Give Gabbert and me at least one whole season together. Don’t fire me.” Chryst was begging for his job right in front of us.

“You can choose whatever metric you want to choose to measure success,” he said, “but over that seven game spread our total offensive numbers have been up and I know they’re not (ranked) 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.”

Except you don’t. We all saw Gabbert score zero points in the second half last week against the Lions. You don’t have to be a genius to see Gabbert for what he is — serviceable at best.

Chryst is talking us out of what the naked eye knows to be true.

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat’s website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.

This article has 223 Comments

    1. What low expectations of our QB. Back in the day our third string QB was better than Gabbert. I would take Steve Bono over him. He reminds me of Jim Evert who had a hard time in detecting if the pressure in the pocket was collapsing or not. We need to pick a Franchise QB, but before we do that , we need a GM.

    1. They’re the football equivalent of one of those spoof movie trailers before Tropic Thunder.

  1. Gabbert is exactly who I thought he was. He’s a little bit more composed than he was earlier in his career but he simply isn’t a very good QB. His production always spikes when the other team thinks the game is wrapped up or before adjustments are made. I’d be happy with him as the QB only if there was a legitimate future starter waiting in the wings. He is not a starting NFL QB. Some of the people on this blog should be embarrassed at the level of confidence they shown in him. Someone was claiming he would turn out to be like Aaron Rodgers a couple of weeks ago. I’ve been told that he is a perfect ‘Bill Parcell’s’ type of QB. Who cares? I don’t want the GM dictating the QB and I don’t want the GM coaching the players. If he picked competent players and coaches he wouldn’t need to be on the field trying to save his job. Gabbert is the perfect York QB; cheap and just capable enough to avoid searing criticism. If he was a brotha with headphones Fan77 would be picketing by this point.

    1. Gabbert’s trying to sell us the same thing Chryst is. Chryst definitely is at the center of this poorly performing offense. Everyone played worse for him than the previous year. Baalke is next in line.

      Gabbert
      “I think just playing pretty clean football. Putting our offense in the best position to succeed,” Gabbert said. “We haven’t won a lot of games, but I feel like we’ve been playing pretty clean football, not making a lot of mental errors, not making a lot of critical errors. So, from that standpoint, it’s been pretty clean. But, at the end of the day, I’ve got to do more to win games.”

      Pretty rose colored of both of Chryst and Gabbert. Big P Fan77 was telling us Gabbert would be Carson Palmer a couple of week ago.

      1. I said gabbert could be Carson Palmer. I didn’t say he was. He’s shown flashes that he can be a great pocket QB, but he’s going to need more reps.
        I had mentioned that getting a guy like Ryan Fitzpatrick, is not a bad thing, and you and your bozo posse laughed at that. Well guess who is leading the Jets, who are on the verge of making the playoffs?
        Gabbert is going to miss some throws because he’s basically a rookie. His main issue is throwing short of the sticks, and we don’t know if that’s play design or bad reads.
        Would you rather have Kaep back there? I bet you would. They are both ugly QBs, but at least Gabbert is going to cost 14 million on the cap.

        1. Aren’t you the one who got all bent out of shape when I called you the “i” word and yet you name call? A bit of a double standard.

          Gabbert’s never going to be Palmer, not with a million more reps. Just own it and move on. You give Gabbert too much grace. Lets see how your Gabbert prediction works out. He’s no rookie but you can keep saying it, it doesn’t make it true.

          Fitzpatrick is playing well this year, as usual you straw man but to this point he’s just bounced around the league and failed to be successful until being with the Jets. He’d be better than BG right now. So you were right about him this year. He’s been cut every place he played, his track record wasn’t great. He’d be terrible in Chryst’s offense too.

        2. Fan77

          a small justification….but Gabbert didn’t get the advantage of getting “first team snaps” in practice…he just got thrown into the fire reminescent of Alex Smith in 2006. I believe that Gabbert will be just fine as our starting QB in 2016….perhaps NOT the mythical “franchise” QB, but more than adequate with help from the Oline…..

          1. OREGON,
            Gabbert looked alot better then Kaep did in preseason. He got thrown into the middle of a bad season, without a RB, and a OL that was a work in progress. When Kaep took over for Alex, the team was winning, and it wasn’t like Alex was playing bad.
            I would expect Gabber to be inconsistent. He shows that he can do the things needed from a QB, like make decisions, good throws. He just doesn’t do it all the time yet.
            Carson Palmer had a good start as a Bengal, and then he got hurt and then he didn’t look good as a Raider, then he got traded to AZ.

            Gabbert could be a pretty good QB, with a few more pieces and a better coaching staff. Kaep also had a piss poor coach, but he’s bee the same Qb since he took over. He hasn’t gotten better, and still can make reads and make good decisions. That’s not changing.
            The hope with Gabbert is that he gets better with a full training camp, starter reps like you said. Kaep will always have issues because he has really bad mechanics.

            1. 1.)”Gabbert looked a lot better than Kaep in preseason”, is your most non legitimate argument.

              2.)You say that Gabbert played with a bad offensive line, but that was Kap not Gabbert. Gabbert has had a better C and Tiller starting at G which was better than Martin at C and Devey at G when Kap was the starter.

              Just so you know, games of 250 passing yards 2tds and 0ints:

              Kaepernick: 3
              Gabbert: 0

            2. Fan77 manipulation tactics:

              -Gabbert could be a pretty good QB if ( he only had a few more pieces and a better coaching staff)

              -Kaep will never get better. He’s always been terrible. A few more pieces and better coaching wouldn’t help him at all like they would Gabbert the Great.

              It always comes back to your hatred for Kaepernick. There isn’t one coach in the NFL that would take Gabbert over Kaepernick. He looks the part, he sounds the part but he doesn’t play the part. He is a stop gap, lifetime backup who intrigues you solely because he isn’t Kaepernick. Kaepernick is gone and will likely play much better at his next stop. You can stop talking about him because his tenure with the team is finished. Gabbert is your boy, stop making excuses for him that you wouldn’t afford Kaepernick. Nothing has changed since he took over. If not for Gould missing two FG’s, He would likely have one win under his belt. When the team beat the Vikings and Ravens, it was lucky for Kaepernick. When they beat the Falcons and Bears, it was all aboard the Blaine Train. Gabbert is not a starting NFL QB. He has proven that and he will continue to prove it. Nobody with football knowledge looks at him as a long term starter and absolutely nobody speaks of him in the same sentence as Carson Palmer or any other exceptional QB.

          2. Oregon BG has received every first team rep for the 7 games he played and practices leading up to those games. How many more does he need? Its another excuse for his poor outings. Unless we get another OC he’s in trouble next year too.

        3. He’s not basically a rookie, stop protecting Whitie! You make so many excuses for Gabbert that it’s pathetic. You prop him up with the same passion that you constantly ripped Kaep with. Gabbert sucks. He gave them a one game bump against the reeling Falcons (that game looks less impressive every week) and came back to earth. The Bears gift wrapped the Niners a victory. He is not a NFL starter. He is a player that you would be happy to have as your backup QB. This is his fifth year in the league and he has started over two seasons worth of games. He just isn’t very good. He lost his job to Chad Henne and should eventually lose his job to a talented prospect.

          1. He played his first 2 seasons, and then he was hurt. The Ravens gift wrapped a win to the Niners when they started Sharcee Wright.

            He’s not a great QB but I would give him an off-season to see how he progresses. I would also draft a young QB in the mid rounds.

            Why you sticking up for Kaep? Did he give you a free set of headphones?

            1. Fan, Its a black and white thing for Big P. I would not touch it with a ten foot pole.

              #7 is done in SF. What we have in Gabbert is a bridge to a new draft prospect. It might take 1 year or maybe 5 games. In any case the rebuild has already begun. The one certain thing is we won’t be a playoff team next year so having a guy sit and learn for an additional year is the right way to go.

              1. Prime,
                It is a black and white thing for Fan and I busted him up about it a while back. Every stupid excuse he makes for Gabbert can be made for Kaepernick. Kaep’s gone and I don’t care one bit. I don’t need Fan trying to justify Gabbert’s ineptness by dragging Kaep into it. Gabbert sucks. He isn’t the future. He isn’t Carson Palmer. He is the current starter for the worst team in football and he has played an equal part in that record as Kaep. Every excuse that applies to one of Kaep’s victories applies to Gabbert’s as well.

              2. The only difference between CK and Gabbert is Gabbert is someone who the new drafted prospect can learn from on how to do it the right way on and off the field. Simple, smart, and professional demeanour. Like I said, an excellent bridge.

              3. Big P, and we all know what the P stands for and it’s not something to be proud of — you’re trying to make it a B&W thing. Would you admit that at times Gabbert looks pretty good, and at the same time, so does Kaep? Would you admit that at the beginning of the year, you thought Kaep was going to be pretty good, but it all went to crap? Would you admit that when Kaep missed a wide open Torrie Smith, that sealed his fate?

                As for the future, Gabbert is good enough to build a solid defense, while we groom a younger QB. it’s the best sitiuation. he’s cheap, he’s just as good as the black dude he replaced. And maybe he can develop into a pure passer like Palmer.

                Alex Smith could be the 2nd best QB in the AFC, if Pittsburgh doesn’t get in. That’s just crazy.

              4. Fan,
                I don’t need to admit anything because I have said that Gabbert looks good at times. He looks good when the other team hasn’t adjusted or when they take their foot off the gas pedal. That is exactly I what I said he would be. He’s a backup QB that can be a competent bridge to a legitimate starter. I don’t give a crap about Kaepernick. He’s gone. He’s not the future. I’m not defending Kaepernick as a QB, I’m defending him against the personal attacks you lobby against him to prop up Gabbert. Gabbert is not a good QB. Kaep is not a good QB. I’m looking for the next good QB, not excuses as to why we should stick with the current starter who has the same abysmal record as the previous scapegoat. You’re the only person that argues with me about this because everybody else can see the validity in my argument and nobody else has made the ridiculous statements about Gabbert’s potential that you have. Bridge QB and future backup on the cheap? Sure. Starting QB? Prepare for 6-10 on a loaded team.

              5. Fan,
                As far as the BigP name goes, it’s because I’m 6’5″ and my name is Paul. People started calling me that as far back as I can remember. Please stop thinking about my junk, that’s not something you should be proud of.

              6. You have to dig really hard to find where I said anything racist about Kaep. And did you know calling me a redneck is also racist? Why you gotta hate one Whitey Gabbert? You don’t like him because of his skin color, admit it!

                We know Kaep is not a good QB, I would argue we still don’t know what we have in Gabbert. Not when the coaching staff calls these short passes on 3rd and Long. Or how he has no RB and no TE.

                I was going to say the P stand for Polygon, but whatever.

            2. Fan,
              I’m a redhead. Nobody rocks a whiter facade than me. Lol. Gabbert is who he is. If he can get better after five years in the league, so can Kaep. Thats what it comes down to. He just isn’t a good QB. Kaep isn’t a good QB. Their records are the same. Neither are difference makers. I have never said that Kaep would be good this year, I have only said that I expected this to be a make or break year for him. It broke and Gabbert didn’t fix anything. He sure as hell isn’t going to rebuild anything. This team is a hodgepodge of misaligned career trajectories, bad chemistry, bad coaches, bad players and bad ownership. They need a QB because they don’t currently have one that will take them ANYWHERE.

              1. Very true but depressing remarks! They are like the ” Charlie Brown ” led baseball team! You know anything but good will happen and one screw up after another will happen!

    1. I say draft Bosa and transition to a 4-3.

      Bosa, Dial, Williams, Carradine

      Backups- Armstead, Purcell, Dorsey

      Sign Bruce Irvin

      Move Tartt to OLB

      1. In today’s NFL, the difference lies in the schematics of the individual defense and not the typical one gap(4-3) and two gap(3-4) normally associated with them. For instance, technically the Seahawks run a 4-3 defense, yet in their base defense, their DL on the strong side of the formation two gaps. Wade Phillips 3-4 defense one gaps. Rather than ask his NT to occupy two blockers, he has him penetrate. The thing to remember is in a two gap scheme, you’re asking them to read and react, which slows down the pass rush in a pass happy league. When you one gap, you potentially open big running lanes by getting upfield too quickly. My point being, that changing to a 4-3 from a 3-4 is really an oversimplification. The devils in the details and the personnel at your disposal….

        1. Personally I hope they stick with their D scheme next year. With a couple of good additions I think it has the potential to be a good D.

        2. I hope the Niners stay with the 3-4, but also be flexible enough to morph into a 4-3 at times. Maybe some hybrid system that could counter anything the offense throws at them.

    2. When I lived in an apartment I really like my space. When I moved into a house I realized how limited my apartment space was.

      I think both the Niners coaches and the 49ers fans have been succumbing to this phenomena.

      When you say I think our quarterback is awesome. We went from last to 20th. It does not make any sense from the outside. Going from horrible to less horrible. That’s pretty cool

      As 49er fans. When we lived In house we talked about how our defense was top 3 and how we wished our offense could go from 20th to top ten. Now we talk about how gabbert might be good enough or not to start. We talk about how manybe tomsula might be ok to keep if we fire Chryst. We are living in a horrible apartment. In miss our house of harbough.

      1. When the house burns down, it is time to rebuild. Hopefully bigger and better than before. The JH house is a pile of ashes. Miss it all you want, but it is kinda drafty, with no walls windows or a roof.

        1. Seb

          Perhaps it’s just the karma of the New year, but I am in total agreement with your last couple of posts…I also would like to stay in the 3-4 with the flexibility to access the 4-3 when called for….DeForest Buckner would add a lot coupeled with Armstead and/or Dial….Also some will always miss JH, but I won’t be counted among them. He is/was an arrogant bully which fits better in the college game. He just won a bowl…now let’s see how he can recruit and coach his own players….

          1. I think he has had a good recruiting year already, and the team, recruited by the mutually departed staff, has made their fans happy. As I recall, Harbaugh did a pretty good job recruiting in college. I don’t think you should lose any sleep over Harbaugh’s future at Michigan.

          2. Oregon, Happy New Year! Will wonders never cease? We actually agree!
            I will agree with you about Buckner. With Jaylon Smith side lined with his ACL, Buckner would be a solid pick.

    3. I agree Razor. That said, I’d be okay with Bosa, Goff, or Tunsil if we end up drafting third.

      1. Now wouldn’t the third position in the draft be a very very long shot? The 49ers can take care of their end, but I doubt that the other four win teams can “win one for the Jeder.”

        If I know the Jeder, he doesn’t want anyone as high priced as a third overall pick.

    4. Trade down if Goff is gone, still take Smith but get an extra pick. Injury sucks, but he’s an elite talent.

        1. Mid to late first I’d think. So long as it’s a fairly clean injury and just the ACL he’d be a chance to come off PUP and play some this season, though teams may look at it as a red shirt year. Will be interesting to see if he declares.

          1. Scooter, didn’t the Niners and their fans learn anything? The ACL strategy has not worked. Look at Tank, Lattimore, Thomas Reaser, McCray and others.
            Future players are a nice luxury if the roster is loaded, but this roster is so full of holes, it looks like lace.

            1. What next? Common sense from The Seb. The next thing might be an extension for Baalke. I can see it now. My seventy first year following the 49ers will be a joy to behold. To top is off, my wife got me a red Kezar tee shirt for Christmas.

              Enjoy the Land of Dreams.

    1. JF,
      Let’s face it, neither CK or BG are the answer no matter who’s numbers are (Chryst and others) presented.
      I was hoping BG would restore some semblance of order at the QB position post Kap but it hasn’t happened.

      Now, I’m a little conflicted about the draft if Goff is picked before our turn comes up. We desperately need a QB and if Goff is gone do we go after Lynch? I mean it’s clear that Gabbert is not the long term (or short term) answer and Kap will likely be sent packing.
      After Lynch, I don’t see us going with Conner Cook who was probably the 3rd rated QB before this weekend.

      I said all along that if Goff is on the board when our turn comes up that we draft him. But just like Lynch and Cook’ arrow may have started to point south after their bowl efforts, Goff’ arrow is definitely pointed up after his bowl game performance – which now makes him a top 3-4 pick.

      Who knows, maybe Goff getting picked before us will make it easier for Trent to concentrate on drafting defensive help. UCLA’ Jack would be fine but he is coming off an injury. Jaylon Smith (my defensive favorite pick) went out in today’s bowl game with what may be a serious knee injury.
      ??????

      1. Kaepernick is the answer. We need to go with an offensive lineman preferably Vadal Alexander to compete with Davis at RG next year. Right now we have some good run blockers in Staley and Tiller. Brown has potential to be an absolute mauler especially once he bulks up. The man is huge!

        Anyway my point is, we get back to running the ball and allowing Kap to make for big plays with his arms and legs because he defense is keyed in on stopping the run. A big part of this plan is acquiring Hue Jackson as our OC!

        Also in down with Myles Jack he will be a player that can come in once he’s heeled. We can have hodges fill in until he’s ready. Jakc will be a 2-3rd round pick ya think?

        1. I admire your enthusiasm, but you will be called more delusional than me.
          Hue has no interest to move from a playoff team to this dumpster fire in a lateral move. He will want a HC job.
          I am done with ACL picks. There is a reason why they fall so low. It is really hard to come back from an ACL and be exactly as good as before. Most tend to lose a step or have limited mobility, until a couple years later.
          Bow has a ton of tackles, but they targeted him in the passing game, and I will be generous to say he struggled a bit.
          I want Mag wheels, with no bent rims.

        2. JF,
          Jack is injured but he should make a full recovery enough to likely go somewhere in the teens of the 1st rd. If he makes it to the 2-3 rd somebody is getting the steal of the draft.

          Jack damaged the meniscus in his knee back on Sept. 22. This type of injury can take 3-6 months post surgery to get some walking mobility back, but for a football player needing to plant, push-off and move laterally it could take 8-12 months for full recovery. A player like Myles Jack is worth the wait even if taken in the first rd.

          Kaepernick will be gone because the Org won’t pay him top money after next April in hopes that he regains his groove in TC. The odds of him sticking around only decrease if the Org has already determined they will go into the draft looking to upgrade the QB position.
          I’m a big CK fan having watched to him play sports in Turlock, but his days as a 49er are numbered.

        3. JF

          I think that you have confused New Years day with April Fools….Dream onnnnnn…

      2. If they don’t get Goff, then why would they go after a defensive player
        when the more pressing need is on offense big time, that makes no since.

        1. If Goff is gone they might go for P.Lynch if he falls a few spots to 5-10. But if they had their heart set on Goff and he is off the board the next need would be defense.

          Our OL has shown some improvement with Kilgore, Tiller and Brown in the lineup. If Davis returns from his sabbatical the OL will get even better.
          A pass-rushing DE/OLB would be a big help and possibly someone that can start on day one.

          Even if Goff fell to us, he likely won’t be the starter until year 2. We could fill some other needs in the later rds and free agency.
          But QB is a priority followed by strengthening our front defensive 7.

  2. The play of Gabbert just proves to me that all of Kaep’s regressing does not fall totally on his hurt shoulders.Thought we were going to see no sacks because he got the ball out quick and he would not take sacks because he had good pocket presence. After 9 sacks, that theory went out the window.
    Posters call Kaep a wuss because he was hurt in his left shoulder, even though he had surgery, but in my book, you cant lose your job due to injury if you are healed. (Unless you are Alex). Therefor, I expect a vigorous competition for the starting job with Kaep regaining his starting status. Maybe Gabbert can out compete Kaep, but even with a better O line, Gabbert has not excelled.

      1. Yes he will! It’s all a bunch of hype. When it comes down to it, you don’t fault out release the QB that took you to a Super Bowl when you have been without a Super Bowl caliber QB for twenty plus years and 20+ QBs.

        Also I believe Gabbert will be traded to a team like the Browns or Texans.

        1. Big deal. Kyle Orton took the Bears to the Super Bowl. Should Bears fans give him a pass as well?

              1. Come on bro, Kap is way better than Grossman. Besides he holds franchise records and NFL records, does Rex Grossman? No!

                Besides I don’t want to see Kaepernick and absolutely torch us and go to a super bowl before we do.

        2. Better chance of winning the lotto, than what you are predicting. Kaep is gone. He was gone a long time ago. He can’t read defenses, his vision is horrific.He does not have football sense. Can’t see wide receivers wide open on the line. Very predictable. No team is going to sign him with a big contract for a guy who will be out of football in two years. He will get some interest and will be on a team, but not necessarily a starter.

          1. Ya right. Your being so biased based on articles you read and things you hear on KNBR. Kaepernick had 3 games of at least 250 yards 2tds and 0ints this year. Your assessment “he can’t read defenses, his vision is horrific. He does not have football sense. Can’t see receivers open on the line. He’s predictable” is disproven by those stats. Especially combined with the fact he played behind one of the worst offensive lines in the league and still produced. The defense was also playing worse in the beginning of the season when Kap was the starter than they are now. Your arguments are ridiculous and erroneous and simply a mirror intrepretation of 3rd rate analysts from the Bay Area who don’t like Kaepernick because of who he is.

            I’m not predicting anything, I know Kaepernick is going to be the starter next year. Their not going to draft Jared Goff, the kid is extremely immobile in a league where it’s essential to have a mobile QB. Goff has concussions and other injuries written all over him.

            1. It’s obvious that you have a Bromance with Kaep, needless to say anything to you, because you are quite delusional. I am sure you will be disappearing when he gets cut this Spring. .

            2. JF,

              You remind me of a Country song, you think your job is going great, and your wife loves you to death. Next day your fired and your Boss is boinking your wife. Good Luck to you.

      2. If they cut him, he will go to the Rams and haunt the Niners for years. They cannot trade him because he has too high a salary. Best option is to rehabilitate him and give him a decent O line so he does not get injured again.

        1. The Rams have guaranteed Fole’s contract for $7 mil all up front. The guys on NFL.com were saying he’d probably be on the roster because of that. Kaep would have to come in at a bargain with Fole’s money against the cap. They were predicting the Rams would have to bring in a veteran and a draft QB since Foles is not the answer and he’s stuck because of his salary. I imagine Washington will cut RGII too. There will be some veterans on the market. No guarantee Kaep goes to the Rams.

          1. If Kaep is cut, he will feel like he was stabbed in the back, with good reason because of Marathe. What better place for him to go to prove the doubters wrong? Kaep may play for peanuts just to get back at the Niners and the Ram defense would help him beat Seattle too.
            With the elevation of the salary cap, Kaep and Foles could both fit under the salary cap.

            1. He’s already done and probably already feels betrayed by the FO. As the reporters asked your boy JT to explain why Dorsey and other injured players were allowed on the sidelines and not CK? He fumbled around as usual to answer. He’s on his way out. Yeah if Kaep would come in at $1-2 million like BG. You really think he’s going to do that? He’ll get a place to play but there are teams like Houston, Cowboys, Jets, Philly that need QB’s as well as the Ram’s. So don’t expect him to go too cheap. There were several reports when he was benched of teams inquiring about him. You can bet his agent is going to be active getting him a place to play.

              1. That is another reason why I think Tomsula will stay. He is the only one who can keep Kaep from bolting from this team. Tomsula did say that he really really really likes Kaep.

              2. If he wants Kaep to stay why would he let him be banned from the sidelines? Kaep’s gone, Tomsula’s a puppet.

              3. I hope Tomsula allows Kaep on the side lines this last game. It is Baalke who has banned him. If Kaep is seen on the side line, maybe it will be a sign that Baalke is losing power.

            2. nope he will go where the money is.he got screwed on his last deal and will want to make his money on this one

              1. Nobody will be willing to pay him big bucks after watching him struggle last year. Kaep will probably have to sign a ‘Prove it’ contract like Crabtree signed last year.

            3. Bro that’s what I’m saying! He would gladly go to the Rams with Gurley and that defense. He would take less money to have a good shot at going to a super bowl and sticking it to the 49ers for cutting him

      3. If there is a coaching change you are wrong. If Tomsula is retained you are right.

        1. Hmmm… yes. Especially if the Rams keep his salary and give us something for him.
          Kaep needs a great offensive line for him to succeed. He is incredibly slow through his progressions, so even a good oline will not be enough for him.

          1. He is untradable and would tear up his old contract to play for less. Rams have a decent O line but no QB. They also have good WRs and Todd Gurley.
            Rams are salivating at the chance to snag Kaep to bedevil the Niners twice a year.

              1. Rams have played against Kaep for years, so they know him pretty well.
                The Rams are also desperate for a decent QB.

              2. Read what Jeff Fisher said about the Niners’ WRs this week: “They trust the QB is going to get the ball to them on time.” Seems like an obvious comparison to Kaepernick.

              3. Umm… Fisher may be gone. He is pretty mediocre and has lost too many games that he should have won. If they have enough talent to beat the Seahawks twice, maybe the coaching is deficient.

              4. That article leaves open the possibility of them cleaning house, too.
                If they lose to the lowly 49ers, the Rams would be 7-9, and another losing season could be the impetus for change.

              5. “Umm… Fisher may be gone. He is pretty mediocre and has lost too many games that he should have won. If they have enough talent to beat the Seahawks twice, maybe the coaching is deficient.” … The Seb

                In one day I referred to common sense and The Seb in one sentence, and then I read this. Live is truly an adventure. Lets got to the beach and build sand castles inside the high tide line. Enjoy.

            1. Seb,
              Why would they hunger for him? They could get someone younger and cheaper that could read a defense just as well. Many people like Kaep’s athletic ability but its not as remarkable as it might seem. He is big,fast and has a strong arm but is neither elusive or accurate… I’m certain there are better cheaper options in the draft that a coaching staff can mold to their own needs.

      4. Yep I agree Jack, he’s gone. Why would he stay? Lots of teams need a QB, he’ll get cut and someone will pick him up as a project.

        1. Jack, way back there I wondered why you bothered to mention that Colin Kaepernick would be released. I just added the word released which you didn’t think it necessary to use. Then I read all the dust such a casual comment raised. Amazing.

        2. Better for him career wise. Go sit and be back up, learn the fundamentals of the game behind a experienced veteran QB.

    1. Gabbert, at best, may be only a functional qb, a bridge to our next starter. I can live with that. What I can’t live with is Kaep. He is not a functional qb. Now that the league has him scouted his shortcomings will continue to undo him. He is a fantastic athlete with great speed and a cannon for an arm. However, his release is slow, he can’t throw until he sees his receiver open, he can’t read defenses, he is limited in going thru progressions and he has no touch on his passes. Also, it has been reported that he is not a good leader and that he is aloof from his teammates, true or not, that is the perception. It is my hope that Kaep will not be with the team next year. He will set us ever further back.

      1. If you can guarantee that the next Niner QB will get the Niners 5 yards from winning a future SB, and one pass from returning, then I will consider the alternative.
        You want an unproven college QB from a spread offense? The success rate is pretty poor for rookie QBs. Look at Winston and Mariota. They did not make the playoffs.
        Luck was a number one pick and he is not even playing. Bridgewater is the only one in the playoffs, but Tannehill and Bortles were chosen higher than he was. manziel is a drunk. Carr did OK, but no playoffs either.

        1. Kaeps best year was his first (which was actually half a season) when with his athleticism and cannon arm he took the league by storm and got us to within 5 yards of the SB. Teams were not prepared for the qb option and Roman used it well in Kaeps first season. When defenses caught up to Kaep and forced him to stay in the pocket his performance deteriorated. Kaeps best work was when the team was loaded and had a stifling defense. Neither is the case now. He is non functional and will only hinder the development of the team. I wish him well but want him gone. Gabbert will be able to be the bridge to the next qb. I wish Kaep well but I want him gone. He will never be elite.

          1. I blame the brain dead coaching. Forcing Kaep to be only a pocket passer was like putting an Abrams tank in a pit. The turnstile O line just buried him. No team will do well if the O line allows 52 sacks per season.
            They should have utilized his skillsets correctly and accentuated his strengths.
            If Kaep leaves, and another coach can use him properly, he could thwart the Niners like Haley did. Cowboys got 2 SBs that the Niners could have had if they had kept Haley.Posters are too emotional and have not thought it through. If you want to cut him, he will go to the Rams. With their defense, he could haunt the Niners for years.

            1. So Harbaugh was a brain dead coach? Kaps numbers have dwindled since the option was figured out.
              Kap will NEVER be a qb who will “haunt” us.
              You’re dreaming. And at his salary you’d be nuts to keep a qb who can’t make simple quick decisions. He’s shot! And his non throwing shoulder is the lamest excuse I’ve heard since the Alex smith days and how Nolan ruined him.
              You need to get it out of your mind he’s going to turn into a prince from the frog he is right now. He’s not worth the money he’s going to cost next year. Period! He’s gone! Face it!

              1. I was so frustrated when they allowed Kaep to call audibles and shifts with less than 5 seconds on the play clock, because I knew the defense was going to shift with 6 seconds on the play clock just to make Kaep respond to them.
                The result of all those pointless shifts was that they had 3 delay of game penalties against a 1-11 team.
                In essense, they had a SB talented squad, and could not get off a play in time. JH was the architect of that offense, being a former QB and offensive coordinator. I still blamed Roman, but after he left, I realized that the disconnect may have come after the play was relayed down to the side line. Still, my son will attest that I would call the play out ahead of time because they were so gosh darn predictable.The coaching was lacking, but not as bad as this year. This year, the loss of leadership and talent was huge, but the coaches were less than useless because they did not prepare the players. The blizzard of flags that basically gave the game away to the other team hurt the most. Those were preventable errors and they shot themselves in the foot way too many times.
                Dissing Kaep for having to undergo surgery is pretty churlish. In a throwing motion, the whole body is used, and the throwing motion could be adversely affected if any part is injured. They said it was a significant tear, so it was not a minor tear. I hope to see Kaep fully healed, and see him zip the ball with accuracy and touch.
                Kaep was sacked 28 times and was smacked hard several times. I remember seeing his face after Devey let Mathews run by him untouched to level Kaep. He was not happy. I guess you expect players to play hurt, but I cut them some slack and say that anytime their body is not 100%, they should limit their playing time.
                I will go even further. Yours and others’ characterization of Kaep having a slow delivery, cant throw until he sees his receiver open (delayed recognition), cant read defenses, and is aloof can all be symptoms of CTE. Kaep was hit hard along the side line in the first game, so his slowness due to CTE started then.The cumulative effects of all the subsequent hits compounded the problems. Kaep sprung up and ran back to the huddle as if nothing happened, where if itwas another player, I would hope he would lay there and assess the damage. But no, Kaep sprung up and ran back to hide that he was hurting, because the CTE protocols would probably have removed him from the game, and he wanted to keep playing.
                The degree of severity may be varied, and I do not know exactly how bad it was. Maybe it was minor. Maybe he had headaches, double vision or blurriness. It sure seemed like he was skittish and tentative.It sure seemed like he was a step behind, which is a classic symptom of CTE. The biggest clue for me was the first Cards game. Kaep dropped back to throw, was immediately threatened by a DE who ran by Devey or Pears, threw off his back foot for a pick six. Now in most situations, he should have been told not to throw the ball so they can intercept it for a pick six. So what does he do? He does it again on his next pass. To me, something is not right. He is playing like he is concussed. Oh, wait, maybe he WAS concussed. After getting sacked 28 times, he very easily could have mild symptoms, and throwing pick sixes could send up warning flags, and doing it twice in a row on consecutive passes sent sirens blasting to me.
                So when you say Kaep is shot, he very well may be. But I think he will recover. He will not look kindly at haters who drove him away, and would have plenty of incentives to stick it to them. It might be another Plunkette situation. He bombed at SF, but became great on another team. He could haunt the Niners for years.
                I am one fan who hopes he will stay a Niner, and help rebuild this team. There is talent, but it is young and raw. Kaep and Gabbert should both stay as Niners, because I like their size, speed and arm. If Gabbert proves to be the more accurate and a better leader, I hope Kaep will take his demotion with grace and dignity. He should be patient and learn and grow. He would be one hit from being the starter, so he should be patient and supportive.

              2. BTW, feel free to ignore this. It is a tad long.
                The CTE apologists will not create a big backlash because any attention is bad for them when they just want to ignore and suppress the problem.

              3. Another clue was when he ignored a wide open Torrey who was jumping up and down waving his arms. Tunnel vision is another classic symptom of CTE.

              4. Careful ninermd, some said that about Alex Smith too and he’s headed to the playoffs on a good team. I am not sure Kaep’s done as a QB in this league. You could be right too, lets see what a change of scenery does for him.

              5. Seb you have a wonderful imagination. The issue is Kaep has never been on any injury report for being concussed. Now he could have had injuries but with how readily the NFL is to pull people out of games its unlikely that he’d gone unnoticed with a concussion or with multiple as you’re suggesting. His playing issues that you’re citing aren’t new, he’s had them since day one in the NFL.

              6. Kaep was not on the injury report for many weeks, then had surgery. Maybe they were trying to hide something. Its been done before.

              7. Wilson,

                I think there’s a pretty big difference between where Smith and Kaepernick were at the end of their time in SF.

                Smith was playing at a pretty high level and never would have been replaced in 2012 if not for the concussion. Kaepernick on the other hand was benched due to poor performance.

                That’s why Smith went elsewhere as an immediate starter and Kaepernick will go somewhere as a backup project.

              8. “Tunnel vision is another classic symptom of CTE.”

                So Kaepernick has been dealing with a concussion for the better part of 4 years?

              9. I’m wiling to bet that whatever team signs him as a backup project will probably start the year with him as their starter. He’s the type of guy that can beat out most other average QB’s in training camp and preseason. It’s when the season goes live and the coordinators are actually trying to shut down offenses that he goes belly up.

                My guess is he spends a full season as another teams starter but at some point in the second year he’ll get benched again.

              10. Jack I wasn’t saying he’s in the same place as Smith leaving. There were people who celebrated Smith’s departure too quickly and wrote him off. That’s really the comparison I was going for is don’t be certain that he’ll never play or make us pay. Its not known yet how he’ll do. So much of that depends on where he goes.

                I have said repeatedly someone will make him a project. He’s as likely to stay a project as he is to improve. Smith is doing well and did leave playing at a high level with good coaching. Kaep played badly and had terrible coaching this season.

            2. At best Seb your theory is speculation and conjecture maybe even delving into conspiracy theory. I have do see Kaep not being allowed on the sidelines and moved to IR as signs of the FO moving on from Kaep much like what we have seen in Washington with RGIII. Its really strange that one week he’s in uniform and even going in the game in Atlanta for BG and the next he’s having season ending surgery.

              1. I agree. Marathe conspired against Kaep with all the leaks and Baalke has kept him off the side lines in a no class move like he did when he cut Hayne on the team bus. He is doing everything he can to drive a wedge between Kaep and the team. It is no secret conspiracy, it is a blatant disrespectful low class insult.

            3. JH went brain dead in the SB when he called a time out just before Kaep strolled into the end zone. Losing to a 1-11 team by having 3 DOG penalties was pretty brain dead, too. Wasting time outs like a drunken sailor was also pretty clueless.

          2. I am reminded of the saying- One does not realize the value of something precious until the moment after it leaves their hand after throwing it away.

              1. Yes, they got shut out in the second half… which is different from when Kaep was the qb how?
                I was hardly arguing that Gabbert is good. I would argue that the team played better with him at qb. I believe he had fewer 3 and outs which lead to the defense being less exhausted. Also when he was playing he had fewer weapons to help him, no Hyde or Davis and Boldin was nursing a hamstring… This is not to say Gabbert is good or the answer, he is not… but he did have less to work with and the offense didn’t regress.

      2. I would like to see them put Kap in as a WR, when he gets moving, he’s pretty fast and could beat most defensive players.

        1. I disagree… he is fast in a straight line but has little wiggle, so he is slow changing directions. He is also not fast for a wide receiver, and is quite old for a position change at this point.

        2. I have postulated having both QBs on the field with both being able to run or throw with the ball. Either could do laterals to the other for flea flicker style plays.
          I would like to see Gabbert throw the Third Down Bomb to Kaep and have him use his height to out jump the DBs.

      3. … and to top it off, Harbaugh walked away from the 49ers.

        There is no benefit in including Jed’s rummer mill in any concept of the NFL perception of anyone in the NFL.

        The next thing you might hear is that Colin is a serial user of date rape drugs, that Colin runs off with his teammate’s wives, and that Colin’s tattoos are dedicated to devil worship.

        1. I just replied to Leo way back at January 1, 2016 at 8:33 pm and so much ground has been covered that my “Jed’s rumor mill” comments are pointless. To the extent that “you are what you’re perceived to be” in the NFL is valid, it also provides a chance to find cases where miss conceptions provide opportunities for those who see the misconceptions for what they are. Bill Walsh and Steve Young might be an example. Then there was Bill Walsh being to weak to be a HC or no one wanting Brady on draft day.

  3. We lost so much this year and so many good players. I think the player we missed more than any other is Frank Gore. Frank always played, he always knew his assignment, he always ran hard and his leadership is sorely missed. Many of us said he was slowing down and it was only a matter of time before he was done. Well Frank Gore is 109 yard away from another 1000 yard season. Frank has done this on a team that lost it’s qb and has an atrocious offensive line. If Frank gets 1000 yard this season he will be in elite company.

    Good luck Frank!!!

    1. I said in January that Baalke’s biggest priority is to re sign Frank and let him retire as a Niner. He was the heart and soul of that offense.
      But no, Baalke did not even bother to present a fair contract because he was moving on to Hyde.
      My favorite saying about Frank was- Gore will GASH them.

  4. For the record…
    Grant you mention Chryst coming up with stats to make a point.
    And after the bengals game you said McDonald was guilty for two ints.
    Now for your point you claim they were on Gabbert. Must be nice to flip that double sided coin.

    1. He’s shameless at times on this stuff. It doesn’t change that he’s right about what Chryst is doing here and about Gabbert.

    2. For the record, Gabbert was charged for the interceptions, even though they bounced off Vances stone hands. Maybe he should have thrown a more catchable ball.

      1. The QB pays the price for the INT’s but they also get all the glory on the TD’s even though the receiver usually does most of the work.

        1. The ODB catch that we have to watch be replayed 1000 times any NFL broadcast is on would be one of the rare exceptions where the focus on the TD went to the receiver.

          1. Then there are the two most recent NY Giants victories in the Super Bowl coming on “miracle” catches involving helmets and a nanosecond catch before going out of bounds.

      2. I highly doubt Gabbert can just run up to McDonald and hand him the ball.

  5. Since the York’s operate their amusement park and are no longer interested in football
    Maybe once a year, the York’s could sell tickets and let the fans watch them eat from their luxury suites as was common in 19th century England:

    The Mayor of Casterbridge, by Thomas Hardy:
    •Turns out a big public dinner is being held at a nice hotel. The doors and windows are all open, and they see that the mayor and town councilmen are all eating and giving speeches.
    (The novel explains it’s a public event only because they’re allowed to attend and watch them eat from an outdoor vantage point)

  6. Gabbert is playing behind the worst O-line in football, throwing to the worst WR/TE group in football, and handing it off to the worst RB group in football. With no spokes, the hub of a wheel is awfully difficult to evaluate.

  7. -Motivation for Ram’s ownership to win:

    The Ram’s are LA’s favorite team in their new stadium sweepstakes.

    -Reason why the Ram’s beat the 49ers:

    Football Outsiders ranks their defense No. 8 overall, fifth against the pass and sixth against the run.

  8. The Rams are the team that make the most sense to move to L.A. They’re the Eastern most NFCW team and so much so that it doesn’t even make sense for them to be in a “Western” conference. Having the NFC West be made up of Arizona, CA and Seattle makes a lot more sense when you remove St. Louis from that list.

    The Edward James Dome has to be the ugliest looking venue in the NFL.

    It’s never made much sense to me why the Chargers can’t sell tickets. I have a friend that moved up from there and he said there are simply too many other things to do. Yea, cause there’s nothing going on in Northern California? The Chargers play almost every home game in perfect outside weather and most years they tease that they might be competitive or right on the cusp which is a lot more then what you can say for teams like the Browns and Bills that have die-hard fans.

    The Raiders are the only other team that really makes sense but I don’t think they have as many refugee fans waiting for them down South as they think. In fact I’m willing to bet that there are plenty more orphaned Rams friends left down there then Raiders.

    How great would it be for the team to never play a 10:00 a.m. divisional game? That’s how it should be anyway, why should you change more then one time zone when playing a divisional opponent.

    Anyway I have a feeling it’s going to be the Chargers but I’m keeping two fingers crossed it’ll be the Lambs moving back West.

      1. The Inglewood group has the better location and plan but the Carson group has the better stadium plan. I don’t like covered venues nor do I care for these new ‘modern’ looking stadiums. Give me a big bowl in the Earth with a strip of live grass and you have everything you need to play football. Alright throw in a couple torches in case it goes into OT.

        Every team in the league should just be handed a blueprint for Lambeau and told to start building.

  9. “Another clue was when he ignored a wide open Torrey who was jumping up and down waving his arms. Tunnel vision is another classic symptom of CTE.”
    ~ Seb

    I’m a big CK fan and was extremely happy to see a hometown valley boy playing for my 49ers. But the league caught up with his style of play rendering him one dimensional and frankly a liability.
    Kap may find his groove but it won’t be as a 49er.
    And if there is a possibility that he suffers from CTE to the point that he can’t see open receivers, his first priority should be seeing a neural specialist rather than playing football.

    1. I wished they could have given every 49er player baseline brain scans at the beginning of the season, and I hope they give them scans after the season to see if there is any differences between the 2.
      But no, that would be acknowledging that there is a problem, and the NFL just wants to ignore and suppress CTE issues.
      Another pet peeve of mine is all the head slaps after good plays. The NFL should expressly ban touching the head, since CTE can be cumulative. Let them pound the shoulder pad, but stay away from the head.

      1. I take it the NFL should start implementing the 3 alligator rush rule as well?

        Note: The NFL doesnt care about head trauma or the major changes would be taking place on on the O and D lines where players are getting hit in the head every single play. Linemen are not QB’s or Wr’s so they will not receive protection from the league as they are not worth what a Brady or OBJ is to the league.

  10. With the game tomorrow, I do not think they have time to change up their game plan. But I hope they take an hour of their time and watch that Video that Leo posted of Walsh giving a dissertation about coaching. He said it all, and it was a lot more concise and eloquent than I could possibly do. Tomsula should study and channel Bill Walsh.

  11. Time for 2016 SF 49er Auditions:

    My 49er lineup vs Rams

    QB: Dylan Thompson WR: DiAndre Campbell (activate fr. practice squad) Q. Patton RB: Jarryd Hayne and M. Davis, RT: Donald Hawkins (practice squad), LT: Trent Brown, RG Brandon Thomas, LG: Ian Silberman, C: Sing Anybody’s practice squad player, preferably, KC’s Daniel Munyer (might cost the York’s 100,000–cheap if you say you’re trying to win supbowls)! TE: Brian Leonhardt

    1. My Offensive gameplan vs. the Rams:

      Throw out Chryst’s playbook–this is an audition for 2016, OKAY!
      Let Jim Tomsula script the first 20 offensive plays, and develop an offensive gameplan with Dylan Thomson…Since Trent Baalke insist on jumping in on Mangenus’s practices to coach the Db’s, let him help draw up the offensive game plan also..
      Remember, we only have one game left to see what they got.

      Go Get Em TRENT, JIM, AND DYLAN….!!!!!! ….WHOOSH BOOM!!!…..OKAY!

    2. TomD

      We’re finally on the same page…I’d Love to see what Dylan Thompson, Smelter, White, and DeAndre Campbell can do….I also agree with trying out the young Oline….

  12. What a pisser about Jaylon Smith. Although on the other hand that pretty much made him a lock for our first pick.

  13. The Eagles interviewed Duce Staley for the their HC position.

    Well, they got that out of the way.

  14. “Meanwhile, San Francisco would seem to be a place to fit the circumstance of a new coach/new quarterback scenario, but the 49ers might stick with first-year head coach Jim Tomsula. GM Trent Baalke handpicked Tomsula for the job, and knows he already has the only coach in the NFL who’ll allow him to step in and coach players at practice.” … Brian Billick

    They are tied at the hip just as many have speculated. Fire the GM or do nothing significant. Oh my, what will the Yorks do?

    1. I am not expecting Jed hold himself accountable, but I wish Nikki Debartolo would become CEO and have her father be her mentor and consultant.
      That said, Baalke and Tomsula will stick around because no one else will want to work under Jed. My only hope is that they fire some of the assistants.
      Chryst and his historically bad offense needs to go. McGaughey has not done enough to keep his job, and his refusal to play Hayne makes him expendable. Foerster should go because the O line only succeeded to injure their starting QB and let Gabbert take 9 sacks against the inept Browns.
      I would have Jed throw money at Mike Bloomgren the Stanford OC. He devised flea flickers that had McCaffrey throw a TD to Hogan, and that Fumblefoolski was sheer genius and a thing of beauty. If he would not take the OC job with a big pay raise, maybe Art Franklin the OC at Cal might be a good candidate too. Those 6 TDs by Goff was pretty impressive.
      If not them, Rathman should get a promotion. He has earned it and it would provide continuity.
      Mangini may leave or stay, I am indifferent to his status. Maybe the Browns will take a gamble on him again.

  15. Why does everyone act like Kaepernick has some huge contract. Any QB that is a starter in the NFL gets paid at least 10 million a year, and at least 15 get laid 14+million a year. Kaepernicks contract has been impacted by the de escalators in his contract which has decreased his salary by 2 million dollars this year and 2 million next year.

    My point is everyone makes “Kaps contract” as the number one reason he will be cut, but in reality the most important player on the team has to get paid a lot of money. There are QBs making more money that Kap and are performing at about the same level and have accomplished less.

    1. His Kaep number is very reasonable for a starting QB. The whole situation has been destroyed by the team. They want to trade him, but he would have to restructure his contract in order to be traded. Why would he take less money in order to help the team facilitate a trade that will benefit them, when they sold him out to the media and didn’t sign players that his below market contract allowed for? They will get nothing for him and it will likely prove to be a coup for some other team down the road.

        1. This coming from the guy who compares Gabbert to Carson Palmer and makes racially motivated comments about Kaepernick. Did you forget you’re Kaep ‘Ghetto talk’ fake quotes? The fake quotes where you made Kaepernick, the college graduate sound like a thug off of a rap album? Why would you intentionally apply a stereotypical thug voice to the comments of a college graduate who doesn’t speak like that, at all? It’s pathetically personal with you. You are a redneck. I’m sure Oregon will be along to defend you in a second with a rehash of your previous take.

          1. Big P

            What the heck is it with you ? You seem to be swinging for the fences on everyone…not that I really care, but it seems like you have some anger issues with the world…I quit answering your posts when they stopped making sense…get happy

          2. Big P: You are fighting a losing battle. I tried pointing out the sheer hypocrisy of the Kap haters on this blog in blaming everybody under the sun but the man himself for Gabbert’s bad play, while putting the entire blame for early season failures on Kap. Instead of answering my points, they resorted to cowardly personal attacks.

            Kap is gone. He will be a starter somewhere else next year and if he is successful, I hope Fan77 and others will have the integrity to admit they were wrong about him. Somehow I doubt it. They will go silent if Kap is successful, and come crawling out from under their rocks wheneve he has a bad game.

            I recently came across a biography of boxer Jack Johnson. Johnson was the first African American to win the heavyweight championship and the reaction of the majority of whites around the country was stunned disbelief followed by a frenzied search for the great white hope to come along and restore the honor of the caucasian race. This was about 115 years ago, and judging from the comments from the Kap haters on this site, not much has changed under the surface.

      1. Baalke lowballed everyone by claiming he had to stay under the salary cap. He promised Kaep that if Kaep signed that team friendly deal, he could resign the veterans to keep the team together. Baalke reneged on that promise, and holding 13 mil in cap space just meant he was disingenuous and devious.

  16. Grant,

    Surprised you haven’t had a story about Mike Holmgren’s interest in coaching the 49ers.
    Apparently Holmgren would like to displace both Tomsula and Baalke, or that’s what Pro Football Talk implied. After reading your Tomsula’s “sins” article, I can’t see getting Homgren as any kind of mistake, regardless of his age. I think many of us would like to hear your take on this. Or have you discussed it and I missed it?

  17. Perhaps the Eagles ownership are even more inept than SF and the Yorks. They interviewed Duce Staley to be their headcoach.
    If the 49ers can make a D-line coach a headcoach, why not make the running back coach a headcoach.
    All kidding aside, it probably fulfills the minority interview criteria for the NFL.

  18. Eric Branch @Eric_Branch
    #49ers WR Torrey Smith has 54 targets and 28 catches this season. Previous lows: 92 targets, 49 catches.

    1. Ted Ginn: 44 catches, 739 yards and 10 TD’s this year. He had 384 yards and one TD in three seasons with the 49ers. I said it last year when they signed Smith, he is a one trick pony and not worthy of his contract. He always seemed like a Tedd Ginn type of player to me; productive in the right system but far from a top flight WR. Waste of money.

      1. You gotta throw the ball to a WR to enable them to be productive. Smith is a good player that landed in a bad spot. On a team that doesn’t have the OC or QB to utilize him.

        1. This team hasn’t utilized the deep threats it has had in the past. Smith is a one trick pony for the most part, which is exactly why the Ravens weren’t willing to overpay for him in FA. He chased the money, which I can’t blame him for, but he wasn’t a very good FA pickup. That’s on Baalke.

          1. They need to figure something out. Spend big money on a WR then go and design a 3 TE offense. They’ve been contradicting themselves all year long. The 49ers are their own worst enemy.

          2. Having a legit deep threat like Smith is a good thing. They just don’t use him properly.

          3. Bingo… That’s why I wasn’t a fan of signing Smith with this roster and coaching staff. The same way I felt about drafting a qb in the first. That might change depending on who they get. And I’m scared to death thinking its from within again.

  19. TCU is disappointing right now. I wonder if it would be different with Boykin and Doctson playing. I was hoping for a shootout. Too bad.

  20. We had a chance to hire one of the best up and coming coordinators in Adam Gase but decided Tomsula was better. Now he is the most sought out coach in the NFL. Does this organization have any clue?

    1. The whole Gase thing was a puzzle. Baalke has an 8 hour interview-dinner. All reports it went great. The deal seemed done.

      Gase wanted Fangio to remain defensive coordinator and Tomsula with a big raise and fancy new title. Sounds like the perfect scenario for a team with a struggling offense, and a defense that ranked 5th despite losing 8 starters.

      But Jed (not Baalke) called Gase and nixed the deal.

      Then they wanted Gase as OC. He said nope. They wanted Chudzinski, but the Colts blocked the interview. What a mess.

      This is my recollection of how things went down. Am I off here? If this is what happened, what a mess. I won’t be surprised if they have a hard time finding a good replacement for Chryst.

      1. This is why Jed needs to stay out of the way and just sign the checks like every spoiled little brat owner is suppose to do!

        1. The backup center for Oregon has to be bummed.

          Scouting Report: Buckner kind of looks like Armstead 2.0. Athletic one play. A statue the next. Draws constant double teams.

  21. Jed will address the media sometime early next week. What do you all think he will say?

    I think he will say, “Blah, blah, blah, defections, blah, blah, blah, retirements, blah, blah, blah, injuries, blah, blah, blah. So, we are going to stay the course.”

    I will vomit in my mouth.

  22. What ever Jed might say, he can’t top this.

    “Our biggest problems have come on game day.” … Jim Tomsula, Head Coach of the San Francisco Forty Niners.

    1. Translation: we think we have good practices but we really don’t.
      We play well but then we crumble because we can’t adjust to the scheme of the other squad.
      We really are trying but at the end of the day, I’m a dline coach, you know what I’m saying?

  23. After the 2014 season the Iowa head coach realized that as a team the Hawkeyes needed to run the ball, play tough defense, and have good special teams.

    “This is Iowa: out manned considerably outside the comfort zone of the Big Ten, against whom the Hawkeyes’ deliberate and consistent style works well. That style worked especially well in 2015, when paired with the efficiency of this team.” … ESPN

    In the past four bowl games the Hawkeyes have been behind at the end of the first half something like 160 to 14.

    Going outside the Big Ten is dangerous for Iowa football. Going anywhere in the NFL is dangerous for Baalke’s approach to football.

  24. To say that Christian McCaffrey is elusive is to be understating reality by a large margin. I enjoyed this observation by someone sympathetic to Iowa football.

    McCaffrey juked several outstanding defensive football players early in the Rose Bowl. After a while he juking them standing still.

    1. I would like the Niner coaches to devise plays for Hayne that mimic what the Stanford coaches did with McCaffrey. He got the ball in space, and used his quick hips to juke them so bad they fell down. Hayne has done the same thing.

  25. I can’t believe how much time you guys waste arguing about CK, Gabbert, Hayne, Torrey and others.

    I’ll try to evaluate the players when (if?) we get real coaches and a real offense.

    1. Gosh, at least posters are not talking about vacations and restaurants like some other blog sites are when their team sucks and people are wondering why.
      Discussing strategy and evaluating talent does not seem to be rare on this site, and personal opinions on QB scenarios and history is done not only to understand where we are, but also where the Niners are going.
      Join in, you seem to be football knowledgeable. Assess the situation and present solutions. The biggest waste of time is you reading without participating. Its free.
      Something may hit the fan on Monday, but I am wondering how the Niners could win this game. Of course, others will howl if they win because they might drop in their draft position.

  26. As long as we have Baalke running the show with his Flintstone philosophy on offense were going nowhere..God I miss a decent passing game…haven’t had one around here since Garcia and Owens..That must be some kind of record to go with out in offense..Even Harbaughs offense were hard to watch

  27. Blaine Gabbert: “he is who we thought he was” – he is best at protecting his own stats. I have been laughing each week at the quarterback ratings, what a ridiculously irrelevant metric that obviously is.

    1. I hope it’s true. Christmas is a little late but I’d take it. It’s only part of the solution though. Can the FO hire good replacements? With the terrible culture they’ve created who’ll want to come work for them?

    1. Thanks for the link, Steel ..

      If The Jedster really was interested
      in “placating” the fan base … then the only
      one left standing after Black Monday ..
      should be Rathman !

      And .. yes, Cassie … this includes your daddy, as well

      1. Your welcome MWN. Its the best news I’ve read since I read we fired Dennis Erickson

        1. Agreed. Florio seems to think that the FO needs to make a big splash with the next HC. He mentions Chip Kelly and Mike Holmgren. But here’s something that provides some perspective on GMs:

          “A solid relationship between York and Baalke is expected to give the five-year G.M. a sixth season — and a third head-coaching hire. Most General Managers get to hire two coaches at most; it’s hard not to think that Baalke’s long-term future hinges on getting this hire right.”

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