Hoyer: ‘Teams don’t really know necessarily how we’re going to play.’

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49ers quarterback Brian Hoyer stares to the left

SANTA CLARA

Here’s the transcript of Brian Hoyer’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers P.R. department.

 

What did you do for those three days that you’re not out on the field practicing?

“Yeah, well we came in, what did I do?”

 

Yeah, what did you do?

“This was kind of unique because we wanted to get on our normal week schedule. So, instead of having our normal day after the game, Sundaywe had our off day as that’s mandatory, part of training camp. So, that day just came in, watched the film, got a little workout in and then tried to spend as much time with my family as possible. And then, yesterday we came in and did our normal day after the game routine, watched the film with coaches and get a workout in and kind of start looking ahead to the next week. And then, yesterday, usually my Tuesday routine is come in and watch a few games of the team we’re playing, get a little workout in and that’s it. And then, try to get ahead on the game plan, wherever the coaches are at that point.”

 

Talking about Carolina as your next game?

“No, Minnesota.”

 

When are you guys going to start getting into Carolina in-depth other than–?

“I think the coaches are, but for us as players, we’ve got to be worried about what we’re playing against this week. The good thing is the last game is that Thursday and then you have, it’s almost like playing a Thursday Night game and having extra time to get ready for that first week. So, right now we’re concerned about Minnesota. I know the coaches are probably doing some of their own stuff, getting prepared for Carolina, but I think, especially this third preseason game, we really want to be focused on the Vikings.”

 

What’s your biggest benefit out of exhibition football?

“I think, especially coming to a new team, it’s just playing in games with guys. I think that’s the best thing and go out and you practice so long against your own defense, to go out there and play in a real game and get to know your guys and how they do on game day and then just start coming together as a unit in that way.”

 

The fumble obviously got a lot of attention the other night. But, if you were to take that away, it seemed like you played fairly solidly. Did you come away with that impression of your performance?

“Yeah, I mean, it’s hard. I kind of thought about it when I came up here and talked to you guys after the game. It sucks to feel like you didn’t do well, but really when you go back and watch the film, the only third down we didn’t convert was the first one of the game and after that it was just turnovers. We really never gave ourselves a chance to have a sustained drive. We had some plays where we moved the ball, threw the ball down the field, so I felt good about that. The ball slipping out of my hand, I literally can’t tell you the last time that happened to me. It’s just a freak play and hopefully it never happens again. I wasn’t really too concerned about that either. Glad it happened in the preseason and not the regular season. I think you just try to look at the negatives, correct those and then look at the positives and keep building on that.”

 

You guys have been especially efficient on the play action. You’ve obviously played with head coach Kyle Shanahan before. Is that a testament to him calling those plays at the right time because the running game really wasn’t clicking?

“Yeah, no doubt. I think it’s not even such a thing as the right time. I think Kyle understands defenses really well and he knows when you run a play action, as long as a team is honoring the run, even if we aren’t running the ball that well, if the team is a sound defensive team and they honor the run and Kyle knows where to attack with the play-action game. Even going back to the other night, hitting [WR] Marquise [Goodwin] on that play, it was a well-designed play. We knew where the hole would be in the coverage and you’ve just got to make sure that they don’t totally drop back when you’re giving a run fake. So, it’s been really fun to come around this second time with Kyle and have a better understanding of who we’re trying to affect on play-action passes. Last time I would just do the play action and throw where number one and now to understand what player he is trying to affect with a certain action, it’s been pretty cool.”

 

Kyle has talked about not showing much in the preseason. But, are you even on the same page now with this offense that you know that what you’re showing in the preseason, how it’s going to impact what you do in the early weeks of the season?

“Yeah, I think and the other thing too is this being a new year, a new staff, a new team, I think teams don’t really know necessarily how we’re going to play. So, when you play in the preseason, you definitely want to go out there and play well. That’s for sure. You don’t want to go out there and just say, ‘Hey, we’re going to hold everything back,’ because if you hold everything back then you don’t really have much else to go out there and do. I never want to use that as an excuse for anything, but I think where we’re at, where we’ve been practicing, I think practicing against the Broncos those two days really helped and running some stuff that we wouldn’t necessarily run in a preseason game. I feel pretty good with where we’re going to be when we get to those regular season games as far as what will be in the game plan.”

 

You mentioned that night and after the game that this was the first time you were going to be facing adversity as the 2017 49ers. Was that emotion or has this team really had to do some of that?

“Well, I think when I talk about that it’s just everything’s kind of been smooth sailing. When we practice against each other every day we have ups and downs, but that’s not really any adversity. I think it’s just you go and you look at that game and really on the offensive side of the ball, you never really give yourself a chance to do anything when you turn the ball over that many times. So, to come back and put the work in that day after, the day after the game, get the corrections made and now move onto the next week. I think that’s a big thing and I really like how we’ve responded and people are excited to go for this week.”

 

I’ve been covering the team for the last few years and we haven’t seen a young quarterback develop maybe as quickly as QB C.J. Beathard has. Are there things that are unique to him and his work ethic that you see behind the scenes that maybe you haven’t seen throughout your career from other guys?

“I think I mentioned it before. I think C.J.’s biggest advantage coming in was playing in a pro-style offense in college and calling plays in the huddle and knowing a game plan and dropping back from under center and doing the types of things that we do here. I think guys who maybe play in a spread-type system would have difficulty coming in and doing all those things. So, I think he was already ahead of the curve having that experience at Iowa. And secondly, he comes in and studies and asks a lot of questions, takes a lot of notes. So, I think that’s always a positive too. Like I said, his biggest thing was the preparation that an offense that a Big 10 school like Iowa really gave him coming into this system.”

 

You broke your arm last season, your left arm. Can you take us through maybe, was there any surgery you had to have? What was the process like coming back from it and did you have any flashbacks in these early exhibition games being back in live action?

“No, not at all. I think, to me, the injuries that I’ve had have all been kind of freak things. When I hurt my knee, my cleats got stuck in the ground, I got twisted up. When this happened last year, I’ve probably been hit on my forearm 1,000 times and this time it was just a direct helmet on there. So, yeah I had surgery, they put a plate in there and really it was kind of a boring rehab, because you’ve got to just let the bone heal. So, you do stuff to try to keep your fingers moving and stuff like that. You just waited for the bone to heal and then you were cleared and everything was back to normal. It was actually pretty easy compared to when I had to do ACL rehab.”

 

Is the plate still in there?

“Yeah. Yep, so it’s reinforced now.”

 

We’ve seen you throw a lot of deep passes in practice, but we haven’t seen you throw one in the preseason yet. Is that something you’d like to get a few reps in before the regular season starts just so you can work on that at game speed?

“Yeah, we’re trying to do what we’re coached to do. We talk about what we’re playing out there. We had one called last week and we just didn’t get the right coverage for it. So, sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way you’d like to. But, I think having hit the ones that we had in practice, I feel pretty confident with the guys that are running them and how we’re throwing them and I think it’s something that’s part of this offense and eventually you get the right look and you let it go and let those guys run underneath it.”

 

WR Pierre Garçon is not necessarily huge, he doesn’t have blazing speed, but obviously been productive for a long time. What have you come to appreciate for how he’s been able to do that?

“Well, just because he’s not tall, doesn’t mean, I mean Pierre is solid and that’s the thing that I’ve noticed. He uses his body really well to get open. He runs really good routes. He’s an experienced receiver so he knows how to win. That’s the thing about Pierre, even though he’s not tall, he’s not 6-4, I think Pierre uses his body really well. To me, he knows the system really well and he knows the routes that we’re running. He knows, like the other night, the pass that I threw to him across the middle, how to come flat in front of the safety. That’s a veteran, experienced receiver who has played a long time, played a lot of good football. To be able, for me, to throw the ball with confidence, I have to trust Pierre that he’s going to come across. He’s done it every time and I think we’ve built some good chemistry there and to have trust in a guy like that it’s invaluable, because there’s going to be a lot of times where you just bank on him winning and protecting the ball and coming at a good angle. It’s something that he’s done from day one.”

This article has 97 Comments

  1. Garcon has an innate instinct to know what angle he needs when breaking his route against coverage’s to give his quarterback an easy throw….

    1. you could see the Denver offense move with better pace and attack when Siemian was in, with allowances made for 2nd squad D.
      Also- my favorite holding call on Bolles, when Harold was trying to go up, over, and around/outside of him– Bolles just grabs Harold under shoulder pads and yanks him back down to earth, Harold gets away and flies over Lynch– I think it was Lynch.

  2. I feel much better about our passing game this season. I think we all get a sense that our running game is going to make or break this season. Kyle’s run schemes are defined by the attention to the small details and these guys clearly haven’t yet mastered those small details. I would like to stress patience to the fanbase, because it could be slow going on the ground for quite some time. .

    Looking back at Kyle’s first season in Atlanta would suggest that it could be some time before this offense is running the football on all cylinders. During Shanahan’s first season as the Falcons offensive coordinator, the Falcons ranked 19th in rushing (100.4 yards per game) and 25th in yards per attempt (3.8). Last year, they were fifth both rushing (120.5) and yards per rush (4.6).

    The early signs are not encouraging for our starting OL. The pass protection has been outstanding,, but the run blocking has been troubling. In two preseason games, the 49ers running backs are averaging 2.6 yards on 11 carries behind the starting offensive line, with 10 of those attempts coming from Carlos Hyde. And today Joe Staley said he’s never experienced anything quite as intricate as head coach Kyle Shanahan’s rushing attack.

    1. With more time and more talent, the Niners OL will be fine. Wouldn’t be surprised to see 2 or 3 new starters on the line next year, from both the draft as well as free agency, who are better suited to the offense on a Shanahan team.

      Not feeling as good about pass protection as others seem to be. We haven’t seen much stunting, or even some of the best pass rushers during the two preseason games. Frankly, play action and quick releases by the QBs have accounted for the outcomes. But if the Niners cannot show that they can run the ball competently during the season, most of the advantage of play action will be lost. And the relatively immobile Niners QBs will be sitting ducks.

      1. I suspect you’re right Balthazar, I am guessing the OL will be a major focus of the next offseason.

      2. I agree. Those first 4 teams the Niners play have elite pass rushers.
        .
        Do not expect them to do well, even though I want Hoyer to succeed, because if he succeeds, the Niners succeed.

    1. Here is SBNation – NINERS NATION’s 90-in-90 breakdown of OG – JP FLYNN:

      – The breakdown of his skills at DraftAnalyst.com has a damning evaluation for a guard in Kyle Shanahan’s system:

      [He] isn’t quick or effective pulling across the line of scrimmage and struggles blocking in motion. Not a natural knee bender. Flynn offers solid size as well as growth potential but can only be used in a blocking system which reduces his area assignments.

      If true, that means he’s a total mismatch for a zone blocking scheme primarily used for outside zone runs.

      – Odds of making the roster

      It’s unlikely the team wants a guard who can only play on passing downs. I’m afraid it does not look good for young Mr. Flynn, even as a practice squad candidate, unless he can prove that evaluation wrong.

      Flynn is probably close to maxed out, using his intelligence and technique to dominate in FCS ball. Highly athletic converted tight end and swing tackle Andrew “Slauderdale” Lauderdale would be a much better prospect for the 49ers to stash away and train if they have room for a lineman on the practice squad.

      Sounds like Mark Saltveit and company are much higher on Lauderdale, but Flynn plays a different position, so I am not sure it’s relevant.

      I honestly don’t know a lot about the kid, but he’s certainly a big kid. Might be worth developing on the PS.

      1. After the second exhibition game, the 49ers closed practices to the local media. But based on video posted on the team’s official website, undrafted rookie guard Erik Magnuson saw some action Wednesday with the first-team offense for the first time this summer.

        As far as dark horse OL go, Magnuson is one to watch!

  3. Jon Patterson, JC Consulting:

    I have watched JP play for Montana State for 4 years and also Officiated him in softball the past 3 summers, and got to know him fairly well and watch his progression. He has suprising speed for his size, and great upper body strength. He has those long arms and powerful hands you need to fend off defensive linemen. His footwork is excellent and he is one of the best pulling gurads I have ever watched. He doesn’t look his 315 pounds because his bulk is all muscle. He has a very high football IQ, and is a natural leader and his character is impecable.
    I am an “old” former offensive lineman myself, and I would be shocked if an NFL team didn’t take a run at him. He is a diamond in the rough.

    1. Sebastopol is not immune from tragedy. My daughter has a friend, and her friend’s bf was murdered over pot by a guy from the east coast.
      .
      This assault happened in Willits, which is over an hour north of Sebastopol.

    1. I really enjoy that podcast. They seem to know their stuff.
      Also, it helped to put some things into perspective such as how much one play can change a qbr, ie the int Hoyer threw that would have been a 12 yard completion.
      I also enjoy their breakdown of the Oline but disagreed with their conclusion on Tank Carradine vs Blair.

  4. It will take a while for the running game to come together, and the passing game will not do that well until the running game has some success. Most of this season will be just about installing the offense. There are some interesting similarities between some of the stuff Shanny and his team says (and does) and what Walsh and his players said (and did) on the field. Back in his first year when the Niners struggled their way to a 2-14 season, Walsh sold his offense to the players with the promise that if each player did exactly what he had to do, one of receivers or ball carrier would be wide open. It was all about 11 players playing together and playing their part exactly. Dang, it feels good to have an updated version of WCO back with the Niners with an offensive mind as the HC.

    Walsh used to often cite from his boxing experience of beating the opposing team to the punch on both sides of the ball. Shanalynch are trying to put together a group of players with the right mix of speed and athleticism to that end. It will now have to be the coaching up of these young players.

  5. Was listening to Donte Johnson being interviewed on KNBR. Poor kid has had 4 different schemes in his first 4 years in the league under 4 different HCs — at one of the most difficult positions to play. I am hoping he will develop into a competent starter. However, I see Lynch getting a CB early in the next draft.

    1. 49ers need a long term answer at QB above all else. Depending on how this year goes, I would see the 49ers going QB in the 1st round and signing 1 or 2 CBs in Free Agency. I’m not convinced there is even an average CB on the roster right now so they probably need 2 CB’s. I just can’t see relying on rookie CB’s so FA may be the only way to go.

      1. This year either Cousins will be released by Washington or the niners will get their qbotf in the draft. I don’t see Hoyer as the long term answer but he knows the offense and wont hold it back.

    2. I think Dontae’s comments are salient and germane points for a lot of these players. They’ve had to learn several systems over the last several years and not been able to master any one of them. I think it has hindered their development.

      To some degree this could also be applied to some former players, Kap, included. Players need system continuity in order to really refine techniques and take advantage of their full potential.

      Our coaches and front office have done a great disservice to these young men who work hard at their craft. I hope that the new crew will change that direction.

      1. Absolutely. Many players like Tank C have been miscast in roles they are not suited for. I’m confident that Shanalynch will bring in players who will fit into the system.

        1. I was always puzzled by this idea of Baalke’s that he could just have a player add or remove twenty even thirty pounds of weight. I wonder if the medical staff agreed with this notion. I guess we’ll probably never know.

          1. Players can probably do that (depending on their starting weight), but their play would probably suffer. Baalke, ever the egotist, thought he knew better than what biology dictated.

  6. Yes, play calling is an art, but even now, Sean McVay has admitted that there are lots more things to think about when one becomes Head Coach, so he is making a strategic adjustment, and using his OC to help call plays.
    .
    Yes, play calling is sexy, and one can look like a genius when it all clicks and the results are TDs, but when it goes wrong, like 31 penalties in 2 games, maybe play calling is not the only job one should concentrate on while being HC. In the SB, the second half play calling was deficient, so KS needs all the help he can get, and he is not infallible.
    .
    The coaches should be thinking a play or 2 ahead, but they should also be thinking about running a play, to set up a different play. For example, if they execute a play out of a set formation, and it gains 5 yards, the defense will be expecting the same thing if they see the same formation. Therefore, the Niners should line up in that same formation, but run a whole different play.
    .
    Niners should line up with a set formation, and be able to execute many different plays, so the defense cannot anticipate. They should line up the RB deep in the I, so he has the option of going either right or left.
    .
    Scripting plays is music to my ears, and I hope they have a first and 10 play, a second and long play, a third and short play and many other different plays contingent upon down, distance, and location on the field.
    .
    I hope they have 3 plays called ahead of time for when they run the 2 minute drill, and I hope they have a third down bomb in their arsenal.

        1. Nope I get it when the organization says something and they mean it.
          I don’t hope for unrealistic things like you.
          Move on! No storm a coming!

  7. sebnynah says:
    August 23, 2017 at 9:29 pm

    TomD’s Take:

    Sebastopol is not immune from tragedy. My daughter has a friend, and her friend’s bf was murdered over pot by a guy from the east coast.

    Seb,

    Probably best to leave your druggie connections away from this site….I know we kid you about you habitual intake of the herb, but when it involves drug lords from South America I don’t think it’s an avenue most posters want to explore….Please get help, and leave your arsenal that protect your pot crop out of this also.

    1. TrollD, continuing to fantasize about breaking into gun safes and creating nightmares. Wotta sicko.

    2. I also suggest that involving your daughter in your pot pyrotechnics is not a healthy way to grow up; however innocent ‘Y-O-U’ may think buying herb is, you’re 100 X more likely to run into scumbags like the one’s you referenced than going to the liquor store for a six pack.

      1. TrollD, my daughter is so against drugs, she does not drink alcohol or smoke anything of any kind.
        .
        I guess you are thinking about guilt by association, but both those girls are totally innocent, and only know each other because they worked together doing art.

  8. Football is not static, and unwieldy, it is innovative and flexible. At least for the winners.
    .
    There will be some teams whose players play all year in one position, and they may have great success, and there will be less talented teams that lose frequently.
    .
    There will also be many teams whose roster becomes decimated with injuries, and new players will be thrust into the starting lineup, and be expected to function just as well as the previous starter.
    .
    Winning teams can absorb the losses with no letdown of success, because the replacements are talented enough, and the scheme is flexible and simple enough to accommodate change seamlessly.
    .
    Losing teams implode, because the new players are less talented, and have a hard time functioning in a new system.
    .
    Pats have had Bill Belichick for 17 years, and his continuity has led to 5 SB wins.
    .
    Steelers have had 3 coaches in 48 years, and have 6 SBs.
    .
    Niners have had 4 coaches in the last 4 years, so they have played musical chairs, with declining success. Hope KS can be HC for many years to come.

    1. If the 9ers had kept Pete McCulley for 30 years we’d have at least 11 Lombardi Trophies.

        1. But Sebbie… You made the compelling argument that continuity–illustrated by your use of coaching tenure–yields Lombardi Trophies…

  9. ‘Teams dont really know necessarily how we are going to play’.
    .
    Yes they do. They know that KS will try to get the Niners to play exactly like Matt Ryan and Julio Jones play, except without Matt Ryan and Julio Jones.
    .
    I know how the defenses will play the Niners. They will crowd the box, to stop the run, and dare them to pass. The pass rushers will tee off, and rush to a spot because they know every Niner QB is essentially immobile. They will be daring the Niner QBs to roll out, because their D linemen are faster than the QBs. They will employ a single high safety, who will try to entice the Niner QB to do a play action pass, so he can jump the pass.
    .
    How to counter their strategy? The Niners should line up with 4 receivers wide, and attack the edges. They should take a page out of the Bill Walsh playbook and flood a zone. They should utilize the TEs and FB shrewdly to create mismatches. They should put a SINGLE player in motion to employ different tactics that maximize that strategy.
    .
    Opposing teams will play controlled and focused, and let the Niners make unforced errors. Niners need to be more disciplined, and stop the self inflicted wounds.

    1. Sebbie… You are quite the omnipotent one this morning. Further, do you believe the 9er QB should look one way–perhaps 15 degrees away (yes, that’s a quote from one of your past posts)–then throw the other?

      Your brilliance and mastery of the obvious gives me goose bumps (then ultimately the dry-heaves…)!

      1. Ah, the brain trust that brought us such plums like:

        Chip was stabbed in the back in Philly, and was set up to fail.
        Here, he has taken the lessons learned, and he has improved his people skills. The retention of Kaep is the case in point
        Churchill may be a good example. He went from being an abject failure for the Gallipoli Campaign, to leading his country through some of its darkest days, and finest moments.
        Maybe Chip will do the same.

        We see how that turned out….

        Seb, you really are fool of wisdom…

        1. ‘MAYBE Chip will do the same’,
          .
          Too bad Baalke stabbed him in the back.
          .
          Still am impressed with Chip’s attitude while on that losing streak. He played the hand dealt to him, but Baalke gave him a little pair to bet against full houses.

          1. Baalke didn’t stab him in the back. Kelly’s offense, like most college offenses, ran its course as the much smarter DCs and much better players than the college guys figured it out.

            It was a nice run while it lasted. But like the Veer, the Wild Cat, Run-and-Shoot and other college-junk-offenses, it’s time came and went in the typical short-cycle these kind of ‘innovations’ have.

            1. Baalke did stab Chip in the back, he did the same thing with JH and Tomsula.
              .
              With Kaep, Baalke not only stabbed him in the back, he gave the knife a twist.

              1. Sebbie… Coulda, woulda, shoulda… Hey, weren’t you a charter member of the Let’s Eviscerate Chip for Not Making Halftime Adjustments Club? Huh?

            2. It’s more the faster and more athletic NFL defensive players than “much smarter DCs'” which has rendered Kelley’s offense much less effective in the NFL. Even when he was at Oregon, the tide was beginning to turn with colleges like Stanford under Harbaugh and Shaw recruiting speedy and athletic DBs and LBs to counter the Ducks’ speed.

      2. Cassie, I just wish the stench of Baalke would leave this site, but with you around, the stink lingers.

    2. Seb’s writing style and “ideas” just don’t seem genuine. Imagine someone making up the most goofy descriptions of the most basic football tactics…it is amazing– if you accept him as a “real poster” and not an “impostor”

      Funny- Grant used the terms “unforced errors” and “self inflicted wounds” many times in his podcast about the Denver game…hmmmmm…maybe Seb is “parroting” Grant as his ultimate fan….or???

      But when you read “get the niners to play exactly like Ryan and Jones, except without Ryan and Jones”, well then we all say: Really? are you serious?
      I think not…no other poster stirs up muck on this site like Seb does…coincidence?

  10. sebnynah says:
    August 24, 2017 at 10:01 am

    if they execute a play out of a set formation, and it gains 5 yards, the defense will be expecting the same thing if they see the same formation. Therefore, the Niners should line up in that same formation, but run a whole different play.

    TomD’s Take: Shanahan already runs the same play formations for a disguise, then runs a different play
    from it. Shanahan already thinks more than two plays ahead–how about 2 quarters ahead, Seb–that good enough for you, per Greg Cossell:

    Greg Cosell talks about Kyle Shanahan’s offensive strategies

    “I would bet the first 12-15 plays plays you’ll see a different personnel package on every play and a different formation on every play to probe Bill Belichick, to research Bill Belichick’s defensive approach to all of these personnel groups and formations. So that maybe you get to the third quarter and Kyle Shanahan then knows how Bill Belichick will play and I think that’s going to be critical to their game.

    The other thing they do really, really well is what I call their run-pass fusion. The run game, which is built on the outside zone, and the pass game often look exactly alike in the start of the play, and that makes it difficult defensively.”

    https://www.ninersnation.com/2017/2/3/14492332/greg-cosell-explains-kyle-shanahan-offensive-strategies

    1. And Seb,

      As an football player who worked years in that industry your infatuation with the OC position is puzzling. OC is just a title, Seb.

      You make it sound like the sky is falling w/o one.

      Shanahan being his own OC is the best scenario, especially since he got such a late start to his offseason program, leaving no one available who know his offense….So, what, on top of preparing for the NFL draft, minicamps, etc. you want him to train a newbie to run the teams offense in 2017?

      Shanahan will use his QB coach as his eye in the sky from the coaching box to reveal defensive formations then make his play call accordingly.

      Eventually, if he decides, he will bring in a young coach to learn his offense if he chooses to employ an OC.

  11. Shade Cast:

    McCoy has been around a similar situation in Philadelphia, when the Eagles signed quarterback Michael Vick after he was released from prison following his conviction on running a dog-fighting ring.

    “That’s a great example. You take a guy like Michael Vick who went through what he went through. He’s 10 times better than Kaepernick,” McCoy said. “You’ll deal with that situation, that attention, that media aspect of it. The good, the bad attention you’ll get. Compared to Kaepernick, it’s like, he’s not really that good of a player to deal with.

    “So people outside of sports don’t really know that. They see only one side of a black guy standing up for a good reason, but the NFL is against him, but I think it’s more than that. I think it has to do with some of that. But also, dealing with him with him on the team you’re trying to build together. There’s so many outsiders can mess up a team. I can see both sides, I really can. I just don’t think a guy like him – a great example you used for Michael Vick, and I was on that team, and I haven’t seen more media for a player like that ever. And we’ll deal with a guy like Michael Vick or LeBron James. You’re going to deal with them, that attention, good or bad, positive or negative, compared to a guy like Kaepernick, who’s just OK. He’s an OK player, you know? He might not make certain teams. But them guys I talked about, they’re going to make them teams. They’re going to be the star of the teams.”

    http://buffalonews.com/2017/08/24/lesean-mccoy-colin-kaepernick-hes-not-really-good-player-deal/

      1. Sebbie… You’re just hurt that Kaep was called out. There, there…you’ll feel better. Have you gotten over Nessa’s theft of your man crush?

    1. It was only a matter of time before a real pro like Shady said what all posters on this site know except the one called S_B.

      The team has moved on w/o you S_B, maybe you will move on to another team yourself.

      1. Also, Seb,

        I remember Prime and you had a bet that if Kap didnt’ take the league by storm you would leave the 49ers to root for another, attempting to defend you honor.

        I hope you don’t play the hypocrited and honor us this year with that statement.

        1. TrollD, I said nothing of that kind. I said I would wish Kaep well, wherever he lands, but will keep rooting for the Niners to win multiple championships.
          .
          TrollD, you are the Raider troll who roots for them to win.

  12. Here’s one of the PFF Junk Stat that drives me nuts:

    Witherspoon struggled at times in training camp, with reports suggesting he had a lot of work to do on technique, and his lack of strength being a problem. It is likely he will have his share of struggles if he gets a significant role in 2017, but he is off to a solid start in the preseason. Pro Football Focus tweeted on Wednesday that Witherspoon has allowed 0.38 yards per cover snap through to preseason games.

    I checked with Jeff Deeney, who serves as PFF’s 49ers media correspondent, to get a better idea of what to make of that number. Witherspoon has had 37 coverage snaps, and been targeted once in that time. He gave up a 14-yard reception on that one time he was targeted, which is where the 0.38 comes from. That number ranks eighth out of 64 qualifying cornerbacks.

    It’s, literally, a worthless stat and explains nothing. It could very well be that most of the time he was covering the second or third read. Or the WR he was covering a guy was merely a decoy. Or he wasn’t covering well but receivers dropped the ball, the QB didn’t execute or the QB had a better option and chose that.

    It could be that he actually failed 100% of the time he was covering a targeted WR. Or 50%. Or 33%. Or whatever.

    And yet people, especially the press, grab these junk stats and run with them. There are so many reasons beyond good coverage that could be effecting the result that you can’t really say anything with any certainty. Yet they’re always proclaiming the ‘good’ and the ‘bad.’ And often they ignore the implications of their own data and project their biases while giving us nothing but shoddy cliche’ in a new format.

    It’s crazy making.

    1. I consider most stats useless and the stats used to compare players with are mere footnotes of futility. There is statistical merit when it comes to football but most of the time the variables are too inconsistent to draw much of a conclusion from.

    2. It’s not a junk stat! What it means is that teams either haven’t been targeting Witherspoon or that his coverage has been good enough to discourage opposing QB’s from attempting a pass to receiver he’s covering. How is that a junk stat?

      These numbers certainly aren’t the be-all, end-all of statistics, and it’s important to understand all of the factors involved. However, everything is relative, so it’s silly to suggest that they are “junk stats”. I watched Witherspoon closely on Saturday, and he played well. Sure, he wasn’t covering the Broncos best receivers, but he was doing the job he was asked to do, and doing it quite well, which is all you can ask of him. We all know Witherspoon has a ways to go. He’s a rookie, and I think we all know what that means. According to all of the scouting reports, the knock on Witherspoon coming out of college was his lack of physicality. Yet he even made a nice tackle or two in run support on Saturday, so it’s been an encouraging start for the tall, long armed rookie.

    3. Perhaps anyone who pays attention to pre-season game stats deserves all that junk analysis? Coaches almost never make important roster decisions based on pre-season game performance. It’s how they make progress in practice sessions and in the class-room in assimilation the playbook.

      1. No doubt, the stats are irrelevant when it comes to the coach’s player evaluations. Of course, they work with these kids on the field on a daily basis. These statistics are not meant to paint a complete picture, nor do they supersede hands on evaluation. These statistics are not aimed at the coaches who are working with these players and making personnel decisions. Unfortunately, I don’t get to work with these kids on a daily basis, so these stats help fill in some of the blanks, that’s all. That’s why they aren’t junk stats. Does anyone dissagree that Witherspoon hasn’t been victimized much in the preseason? That’s all these statistics point to.

        Nothing more, nothing less.

        1. And if somebody doesn’t think these stats mean a hell-o-beans, don’t read them. More power to them! I do. How much do they mean? Very little, but not nothing at all, therefore they do go into my “vault”.

          1. Robert Saleh: ‘I think Tank (Cornellius Carradine) is damn near an elite 6 technique

            WOWZA, that’s quite a statement. Maybe Solomon really is behind Tank on the depth chart.

            1. Solomon Thomas was very good against the Chief’s backups, but he got swallowed up last week against the Broncos. It will be interesting to see how this depth chart shakes out. I always felt like there was a chance Solomon would be buried on the depth chart during his rookie season. We’ll see.

            2. “I think he’s damn near an elite 6 technique. And to be able to create pocket push from an edge,I think that’s where his home is. And there’s no shame in that. I think he’s pretty freaking good at it. And that’s where Tank’s strength is. Will he get some inside rush? Yes. He had some success with it with Denver, but as a 6, dominating tight ends and being able to transition from run thought to pass on first and second down, I don’t know if you’ll find much better than that in the league.”

              Tank ranks third in PFF’s pass rush productivity stat among edge defenders through the first two games of the preseason. He had the team’s third highest PFF grade against the Denver Broncos this past weekend, finishing the game with four pressures on only ten pass rushes, and also two run stops.

              David Fucillo: Heading into the offseason, his roster chances seemed precarious. Solomon Thomas is viewed as a potential strong end in the base and then a tackle in the nickel. However, with Tank’s emergence, it will be interesting to see what kind of rotation the 49ers use with him and Thomas.

              1. I’m giving Thomas a pass due to missing time because of the Stanford rule. But if he is still a backup by mid season, yikes. You don’t spend the #3 pick on a rotational player, especially when that player is a one year wonder like Thomas.

                49,

                There was a handful of us that had doubts about Thomas. It’s telling that some of our concerns are already showing up. But again, it’s too soon and the jury is still out. I hope this just means that Tank is really good.

            3. Matt Ryan mentioned that Tank and his “heavy hands” has actually done very well in this scheme and is a sure bet for the 53.

            4. You have to take preseason performances with a grain of salt, but it’s not like Tank was some throw away player we didn’t expect much from. He was a highly rated prospect when he was drafted and was bounced around the 3-4 from 5T to LB and back again. He’s never had the chance to play the type of role he did at FSU until now. Doesn’t surprise me that he looks better this preseason.

  13. I guess I can pull a Seb, and claim mystical forecasts when I predicted this ‘tough’ Harbaugh player would make the roster:

    Jeff Deeney @PFF_Jeff 9m
    .@BDPeacock and I discussed Magnuson on podcast last night. He’s played well at C and RG vs. backups first 2 games.…
    Matt Maiocco @MaioccoNBCS
    An impressive undrafted rookie from Michigan gets his first practice snaps with the first-team offense.… https://t.co/8Lzcy1Wtlz

  14. I stated earlier, when building a team, you can’t have everything year one—there’s give and take.

    It appears Shanny gave up some of the guards pulling ability on his outside zone runs for the comfort of getting off a pass w/o the pocket collapsing in the QB’s face, as it did in Denver.

    Magnuson’s a solid pass protector, a tough and aggressive run blocker, but lacks the pulling ability.

    One things certain. No one comes up the middle on this guy, even if it means a forearm shiver to the chin.

  15. The times, and the linemen, they are (may be)? a changing, my friend:

    After the second exhibition game, the 49ers closed practices to the local media. But based on video posted on the team’s official website, undrafted rookie guard Erik Magnuson saw some action Wednesday with the first-team offense for the first time this summer.

    Magnuson, a 6-foot-6, 305-pounder from Michigan, is shown blocking on a play in which running back Carlos Hyde had a huge hole on a run play up the middle.

    Starting tackles Joe Staley and Trent Brown were joined by veteran center Tim Barnes on the first-team offense, as seen on the video. Daniel Kilgore is considered, along with Staley and Brown, an offensive lineman virtually assured of being a starter.

    Magnuson has been impressive in the 49ers’ first two-exhibition games while working with the backup units. Magnuson played the most of any 49ers offensive player (25 snaps) on Saturday against the Denver Broncos. He saw most of his action at right guard before moving to center for the team’s final four plays of the game.

    The 49ers’ starting offensive line for the first two exhibition games has included Kilgore at center and guards Brandon Fusco and Zane Beadles. Other plays posted on the site show Beadles working with the first-team offense, too.

    The 49ers do not appear comfortable with their starting guards while second-year player Joshua Garnett is out after undergoing a procedure to repair knee cartilage.

    http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/undrafted-rookie-gets-his-shot-49ers-offensive-line

  16. Magnuson has been impressive in the 49ers’ first two-exhibition games while working with the backup units. Magnuson played the most of any 49ers offensive player (25 snaps) on Saturday against the Denver Broncos. He saw most of his action at right guard before moving to center for the team’s final four plays of the game.

    The 49ers do not appear comfortable with their starting guards while second-year player Joshua Garnett is out after undergoing a procedure to repair knee cartilage.

    http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/undrafted-rookie-gets-his-shot-49ers-offensive-line

  17. Jeff Deeney‏ @PFF_Jeff 40m40 minutes ago
    More
    Jeff Deeney Retweeted Matt Maiocco
    Magnuson was PFF’s top-graded tackle in the Big Ten in 2016. Looked good at C and RG so far. Ability to be emergency T could help him stick.

  18. The Misunderstood Art of Play-Calling
    How do some of the NFL’s best offensive minds design their game plans—and gain a sense for when to abandon them?

    The concept of scripting offensive plays came to the NFL with legendary 49ers head coach Bill Walsh. Entering each game, Walsh would devise a 15- to 25-play script for his offense to follow. “Scripting is planning; it’s contingency planning,” Walsh told The New York Times for a story on play-calling in 1996. “The fewer decisions to be made during the game, the better. You don’t want to live by your instincts. It’s isolating each situation that comes up and establishing what comes up.”

    https://www.theringer.com/nfl/2017/8/24/16193394/play-calling-strategy-bruce-arians-sean-mcvay

  19. * “I think it’s important that some of the reasons that you get the job, you keep doing that stuff [as a head coach],” Shanahan said at a press conference during this March’s combine, in regard to holding onto play-calling duties. “I enjoyed being a coordinator; I enjoyed calling plays. And I will always do that if I feel it helps the team.”

  20. Based on what I hear from the beat writers, it looks like Ahmad Brooks’ time with the Niners is drawing to a close — and he won’t it make the 10-year wall at 4949 Centennial Dr.

  21. 49ers D-lineman Marks has more left in the tank: ‘I wake up and kick A$$’

    When asked if he’s concerned about the limited time he has in Santa Clara to prove himself, he shrugged and said, “I wake up and kick ass. That’s what I do.”

    Marks said his role with the 49ers would encompass helping mold the team’s promising, young defensive linemen, such as Solomon Thomas, Arik Armstead and Buckner.

    “A lot of teams have a lot of guys they bring in as high picks that they want to put a lot of value in,” Marks said. “They want those guys to basically be their future. If you can have a guy who’s behind them or in the room who can show them the ropes or show them more, that guy has a more promising future. I felt like that would be my role.”

    http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/49ers-d-lineman-marks-has-more-left-tank-i-wake-and-kick

  22. Like I’ve said over and over, if it were Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton, or Aaron Rogers just to name a few of the top 15-20 QB’s in the NFL, that had sat or knelt during the National Anthem last year, and were free agents like Kaep this year, they’d all be employed right now, no question about it. Though their activism would be frowned upon by many and maybe never forgiven by some fans, their talent would overwhelmingly outweigh the expected fan backlash. The owners would bend. Not true with a mediocre quarterback like Kaep. He’s just not good enough to overcome the distraction he would bring with him, especially coming in as a backup QB. What’s worse for him now is all this publicity. Does anyone really think that protests outside of the NFL office or elsewhere are going to force ANY owner to sign him? Can you imagine that? On the contrary, it will have the reverse effect. His career is most likely over by his own ill thought out decisions. Career suicide. LeSean McCoy shares my opinion. Any thoughts?

    http://my.xfinity.com/articles/news-sports/20170824/FBN–Bills-McCoy-Kaepernick-d1f5?cid=featuredsports_media_McCoy

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