Jim O’Neil: “Obviously right now we’re not where we want to be.”

SANTA CLARA

This is the transcript of Jim O’Neil’s Tuesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

 

Opening comments:

“Obviously right now we’re not where we want to be as a defense. But, on a positive note, I do see growth. I do see some young guys getting a lot better. I saw some young guys step up and make some plays in some critical situations this past game, which was good to see. Guys like [DL] Arik Armstead, [DL DeForest] Buckner, [CB] Keith Reaser had a big third down stop for us. So, we have some young guys that are really starting to trust the technique and really go and that’s only going to help us as we get going this season. I do see this thing turning and the reason I can say that is we’ve got a group of men, coaches and players included, who are thumb pointers. They’re not finger pointers. And anytime you have that in a locker room, anytime you have that with your staff, it gives you a chance to grow and to get better every day you come to work. So, with that, go ahead.”

 

You mentioned Armstead. His snap counts have been up the last two games. Does that mean that his shoulder is feeling better, that he’s able to play with it?

“I think it’s a combination of two things. I think he is feeling better and we know as a defense we need him to be that difference maker in the run and pass game for us to be a good defense. So, he’s got to be out there for us.”

 

He seemed to be wearing a harness. Is that–?

“He’s been wearing a harness since training camp.”

 

With the depth you have at defensive line and the lack of depth you have at inside linebacker, is your system flexible enough that you could convert to a 4-3 if you wanted to, if you had to? Is that something you guys have considered?

“We play 4-3 spacing every time we go into our sub-packages. It’s more 3-4 spacing in our base packages. So, if you really broke it down, we’re probably 50-50 3-4 versus 4-3 spacing.”

 

Would you consider that, a 4-3, on base downs?

“We do play some 4-3 on base downs based off of the formation. There were a few plays where you see [LB] Ahmad [Brooks] as a stack backer. So, that is some things that we do.”

 

Just a follow-up. The question, is it valid? Is that something that, with the talent you have at inside linebacker as opposed to defensive line, is that something that is–?

“Well, 4-3 spacing, you’re putting three inside backers on the field. So, you would actually, if you wanted to play 4-3, you would need another inside backer. You follow me? So, we’re built to be a 3-4 team. But like I said, we can get some 4-3 spacing stuff with our outside backers, but those guys are better on the line of scrimmage nose to nose on tight ends and doing why they were drafted or brought here.”

 

What’s kind of the attitude or the reaction, the intensity of guys in the second half of these games? What are you seeing on the sideline?

“Yeah. [Head coach] Coach [Chip Kelly] talked to the team about it this morning. As a team, we’re in it, we’re in it, we’re in it, we’re in it and something bad happens, whether it’s a turnover or the game gets a little bit away from us and I don’t know if we relax a little bit as a team, but that’s where we’ve just got to be consistent for four quarters because we’re competitive in all these games and then something happens and two or three series go by and then you look up at the scoreboard and you’re like, ‘What the hell just happened?’ So, I just think that’s where we’ve got to grow as a team. I think that some of that’s being probably young and learning how to be consistent for four quarters. We’ve got to do a good job coaching them on how to do that, but that’s probably our biggest problem right now if you ask me.”

 

What’s prevented LB Gerald Hodges from having a bigger role in that linebacker rotation?

“He needs to play more. He does.”

 

Why hasn’t he–?

“In this past game?”

 

Yeah, just overall.

“They were doing a lot of different type things schematically and there was, they came to the sideline, you make your corrections, you make your coaching points and then it’s so valuable to be out there and you make a mistake and then when you see it a second time, now it’s corrected and you go. So, instead of putting a guy out there to see it for the first time again, I felt comfortable rolling with [LB] Nick [Bellore] and [LB] Mike [Wilhoite]. I do recognize that those guys were probably out there too many plays and we’ve got to get more of a three or four-man rotation going. And coach talked about that the other day. So, that’s something we talked about as a defensive staff. So, I think moving forward you’ll see a lot more Gerald Hodges.”

 

You mentioned last week taking away some things maybe the guys were having trouble understanding, kind of simplifying things a little bit. Is that something that you have to continue to do or do you think maybe you need to mix things up this week?

“The biggest thing I said, and I don’t like the word simplify, I like the word that we’re trying to build it around what we’re learning about our guys and what they do well. You really don’t know until you get into these games because guys react different on Sunday’s. The preseason’s totally different than the regular season. OTA’s are totally different than the preseason. So, as we learn our guys, we’re just trying to take advantage of what we think that they do well and then we’re trying to put them in those situations to do those things.”

 

This team didn’t add an inside linebacker in the offseason at all through the draft or free agency. Were you comfortable with that? Were you pushing to add some more depth there?

“I thought that, obviously going into it with [LB] NaVorro [Bowman] and we felt really good about [LB] Ray-Ray Armstrong and Wilhoite and Gerald Hodges. Just, when you lose two guys in any position, that’s tough. But, that’s the NFL. Nobody’s going to be sending us sorry cards or get well soon. You’ve just got to go.”

 

You say that the biggest problem you see is not consistency and learning how to play four quarters. Is that something that a coach can really get the players to do or do you need those veteran players on the field to do that?

“I think that’s a great question. I think it comes from everybody. I think that it starts with your mentality as a player. And again, we talked about that this morning as a defense. You’ve got to be excited every time you take the field. You’ve got to almost have the mentality, ‘Hey, this is great.’ Even if the ball’s on the one-yard line, ‘Hey, more TV time for us. Another chance for me to make a play.’ It can’t be like, ‘Oh, damn we turned the ball over,’ or something like that. To me, it starts with your attitude, it starts with your mentality and we’ve just got to keep preaching that. And you’re right, the older guys, the veterans got to take control of it and get it going. It’s just got to be everybody.”

 

You say that you see things turning. I think a lot of people, based on what just happened Sunday when you allowed the second-most rushing yards in franchise history, 500-yards, there’s been five straight 100-yard rushers, on and on. People don’t see things turning. What would you say in the face of some pretty bad statistics?

“I don’t get too wrapped up in the statistic stuff. I understand where you’re coming from. But, like I said, we’ve got a group of guys that point the finger at themselves. They’re not looking for excuses. So, to me, when you have that in the locker room and you have that in your coaching staff, it gives you a chance to grow because it takes the ego out of it. If you have guys that are looking to blame other people, you’ve got no chance. So, that’s where it starts. I do see specific techniques improving. Like I started my press conference, I know we’re a long way from where we want to be, OK? I by no means am satisfied. Quite frankly, I’m embarrassed by what happened on this past Sunday. But, I am positive as to where this is going. I think Chip’s got a great plan. I think we have a great coaching staff. We have a lot of good, young talent. We’ve just got to continue to develop guys. We’ve got a lot of guys playing for us that don’t have a ton of NFL experience. Every time that they’re out there, they learn so much and those reps are so valuable for them. So, just as we go, it’s going to turn. I’m very positive. I told the guys, never in my life have I flinched and never in my life will I flinch and I expect the same from them. Just keep going, keep grinding, keep putting the work in and we’re going to be fine.”

 

ME: Why has Bellore in particular been starting over Hodges? What went into that decision?

“Hodges has never been trained as a MIKE linebacker. So, Hodges was trained as a WILL-DIME linebacker. The only inside backer that we’ve trained at both has been Mike Wilhoite. So, he’s a guy that could swing for us.”

 

Would you consider playing S Eric Reid at linebacker given just the–?

“Eric does play some linebacker for us.”

 

But even more? I know he played some corner last game.

“Like I told you guys and you guys laughed at me when I told you he’d play some defensive end. Eric Reid’s played linebacker, nickel, corner. Eric Reid’s kind of our Swiss army knife. He’s a great player for us. He’s a very smart football player. He’s a guy, again, like I talk about building it around guys, he’s a guy that no matter what we give him, he’s going to find a way to learn it and be good at it. So, he is a guy that we probably need to put more on.”

 

Do you think some of your better players are pressing right now to try and make too many plays?

“That’d be a good question for them. I think that they’re all pressing because I think that there’s a very high standard in that room and we as a coaching staff have set it. Some of the guys that have been here for a while know what that standard is and we’re not playing up to it right now. We’ve got to get everybody playing up to that standard that we know we can play at.”

 

You talk about having a Swiss army knife. DL Ronald Blair is a player who, as a front seven player, is probably the most versatile player you have on the roster. Would you agree with that and if so, why aren’t you trying to incorporate him more into the defensive game plan even though–?

“He is a part of our game plan. The way that game went, we ended up in a lot more base than we did in some of our sub-packages. He’s a guy that we might have to start getting involved some at outside backer. So, you’re right on with that. He’s a guy that has shown a lot of versatility, has some playmaking ability who can help us and we’ve got to use him that way.”

 

How do you get better at stopping the run when you’re in nickel and dime situations?

“In nickel?”

 

Let’s say, I think Sunday, the Bills averaged almost 10 yards a carry when you guys were in sub?

“Yeah, I’ll take your word for it. But, I would say that some of those yards obviously they did a good job, we didn’t. Some of those situations could be second-and-extra-long or third-and-extra-long where we’re willing to concede some rushing yards. Obviously, we don’t want to give up first downs in that situation. But, it just goes back to everything. Overall, we’ve just got to be better. We’ve got to do a better job executing. We’ve got to do a better job tackling. We’ve got to do a better job with our mentality against the run, the 11 guys that are out there.”

 

What happened on that third-and-20 run?

“We did a bad job pursing the football.”

This article has 107 Comments

  1. This O’Neil guy is in way over his head. Lowell has the right idea. “Promote” York to Directer of Entertainment and Name Recognition. Get rid of everyone and fumigate the entire facility. Bring in the professionals….

    1. I do not often agree with Lowell on football matters, but when I do it’s about kicking Jed upstairs. Stay hopeful, my friends.

      1. Grimey …

        That reminds me …

        This year… when you make a batch of
        carmel apples for Halloween …
        … put a carmel – “onion” .. in there

        just for laffs !

            1. If you had video of the facial expression when they bit into it……!
              But harsh for the po’ lil’ random victim…..
              : -)

        1. I’ll make that one special for Jed.

          Best line in that video BTW: Stugotz, “I think I feel like I can smell it.”

  2. “Frankly, I am embarrassed by what happened this past Sunday”. He should have continued by saying it was his fault, but flinched.

      1. Google the service. There’s one in the Bay Area. First banner should read “Ooooh that smell…”

        Play Lynyrd Skynyrd in the background.

        1. You’re a being of a darkest descent
          You don’t belong anywhere
          Always hungry but never content
          All of your sins, you could never bear

          Feeling good but you’re really dead
          And you’re wearing make up and perfume
          In the gallows you were hung
          Now I see you walk instead

          Razor eater
          He’ll never ever die
          Razor eater
          He’ll never ever die

          Kept your secrets and locked them up
          Drained their blood as you read your books
          See the show, drink from your cup

          Hang your darlings from the hooks

          Slice them up, no one will ever know
          Still you smell that smell
          Now you’re dead since long ago
          You better burn in hell, yeah

          1. My last post was kind of vague, the link is to the company that flew the banners last year. Now that we have media people and even Lisa De Bartolo calling for Jeds removal, this would be a perfect time to bring back the banners. Maybe alll of this attention will snowball and embarrass Denise.

            My banner suggestion.

            Hold Denise accountable!.

  3. I’m not sure where this went wrong. We had the 29th ranked defense so it made perfect sense to hire the DC with the 27th ranked defense because clearly they were doing something better then we were.

    I don’t remember too many people being all that excited about the hire, myself included, so nobody should really be all that shocked that the defense turned out to be as bad as it is.

    1. Coffee ..

      wonder what would happen if the players
      just ignored .. O’Neill on game day..
      and played real Defense ..
      on their own ??

      I don’t think they could do any worse

    2. York-Baalke made it clear a few years back the 49ers were a management driven team. One of the few benefits I can think of this kind of structure is when you get a new head coach, continuity within the rest of the organization remains relatively stable.

      I understand coaching staff purges are common when new HCs are hired, but I still don’t get it. In 2014 I would have detained the entire defensive coaching staff, Solari and Rathman in the event Harbaugh could not be retained under any circumstances.

      Coaching staff purges and radical scheme changes seem to contradict the whole idea of management driven teams. I really wish Jed would sell, or hire smart people to help him hire more smart people, then get out of the way.

        1. Bro,
          After some of those coaches took a close look at the football minds (or lack thereof) in the F.O., those coaches would probably have to be detained if they were to be retained.

  4. Before I get back into evaluating where the biggest problems are on this young defense, let me just finish a point I made on an earlier blog.

    When it comes to popular professional sports, coaching, and the influence of coaching has a bigger impact on American Football, than any other sport. And the NFL is American Football at it’s highest level. I liken the schemes and strategies of the NFL to a living, breathing, ever evolving organism. And just like in nature, natural selection weeds out the weakest, while only the strong survive.

    That said, like my college coach used to say, you’ve got to have the horses in the barn if you want to win the triple crown!

    When it comes to football, Chip Kelly has a reputation as a brilliant offensive mind. However, Chip Kelly’s offense requires certain types of football athletes. In order for Chip’s offense to function at it’s highest potential, he’s got to have players that fit a certain mold.

    Here is a little story:

    Soon after prying Bill Belichick away from the Jets, Patriots owner Robert Kraft gave him near-complete control over the team’s football operations, effectively making him the team’s general manager as well. While Belichick split many of the duties normally held by a general manager on other clubs with player personnel director Scott Pioli, Belichick had the final say on all football matters, including personnel. The Patriots went 5–11 in the 2000 regular season and missed the playoffs. They were a team in transition, as Belicheck was going through the process of acquiring the kinds of athletes that fit his overall philosophy and vision. Tom Brady was selected by Belicheck with pick #199, a compensatory pick, in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. According to Michael Holley’s book Patriot Reign, the Patriots were considering Brady and (ex-49er) Tim Rattay, both of whom had received positive reviews from then-quarterbacks coach Dick Rehbein. Ultimately, the Patriots front office chose Brady, who completed 1 pass for 6 yards, during his rookie campaign. However, considering his draft position, and later achievements, many analysts have called Tom Brady the best NFL draft pick of all time.

    Brady started the 2001 season as the #2 QB, behind Bledsoe. During the second game, the home opener against their AFC East rival, the New York Jets, starter Drew Bledsoe suffered internal bleeding after a hit from Jets linebacker Mo Lewis, and although Bledsoe returned for one series, he was replaced with Brady for the Patriots’ final series of the game. New York would hold on to win, 10–3, and the Patriots fell to 0–2 on the season. Brady was named the starter for the season’s third game, against the Indianapolis Colts. In his first two games as starter, Brady posted unspectacular passer ratings of 79.6 and 58.7, respectively, in a 44–13 victory over the Colts (in their last season in the AFC East) and a 30–10 loss to the Miami Dolphins, but soon he found his groove, and the rest is history! The Patriots went on to win eleven of the fourteen games Brady started, and six straight to finish the regular season on their way to winning Super Bowl XXXVI, with Brady winning SB MVP.

    My point is, though it didn’t take him long, Belichick went 5-11 during his first season with the Patriots and it wasn’t until he got his roster sorted out, and drafted their franchise QB, that he found success. And Belichick has maintained his success because he has a strong vision, drafts players that fit his system, and was fortunate enough to hit a grand-slam, when he drafted Tom Brady.

    I advocate for firing Trent Baalke, promoting Tom Gamble, and giving Chip an opportunity to sort out this roster, build the type of team that fits his schemes, and hope the 49ers can find their version of Tom Brady in the next couple of draft classes!

    1. Great post 49. My only concern is Gamble and his ability to do the reconstructing of this organization. And Kelly. Is he a coach in decline who’s ideas and scheme are more predicated to the college game?

      1. Thanks Prime. All I am saying is that Chip Kelly has not been afforded an opportunity to grow this roster into his vision, and he doesn’t yet have a franchise caliber QB to build it around.

        I think history tells us it turning a football franchise around doesn’t generally happen overnight. And until Chip has enough talented football players who fit his philosophy and vision, it’s entirely unfair to judge his performance as HC.

        1. And I think it’s fair to say that both Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick would support the conclusion that it’s incredibly far fetched to think that talent doesn’t matter and that it’s irrelevant whether you have football players that fit your system.

          That notion simply doesn’t jive with the history of the National Football League!

      2. Your concerns are valid Prime. Unlike Walsh, Chip already had a pro job where he and Gamble were allowed to pick the “groceries” so to speak. It did not end well. Also, Walsh was a great motivator, Chip is anti social.

        I don’t recall any opposing team calling out BWs plays beforehand either.

      3. +1

        I was happy w the O’Neil hire because I assumed we would be playing more press on the outside and blitzing a ton……….. oh well. I think at this point we have to gamble to stop the run. We’ll be exposed in other areas, and Reid sucks, but we have to at least commit to stopping the run first- and get Bellore and Wilhoite out of there- their lack of speed is brutal and Bellore can’t shed blocks.

      4. I would also add that Kelly made a horrendous DC hire in O’Niell. That was a judgement call. He needs a strong DC like Fangio

    2. I wrote the above post as a bit of a rebuttal to Grant Cohn.

      Grant would have everyone believe that if you’re a great coach, coaching trumps talent in the NFL. And I would be willing to bet Grant would point to Bill Walsh and Bill Belichick and prop them up as examples of this.

      However, that’s actually not what history teaches us. Both the late great Walsh, and the living Bill Belichick had 3 things in common.

      1) They were both world class coaches

      2) They both built their rosters with specific types of athletes that fit their systems

      3) They both were fortunate enough to have drafted elite, franchise caliber QB’s early in the tenure’s as Super Bowl winning coaches who were able to sustain a winning culture by building rosters full of talented athletes who fit their schemes and overall vision of American Football players

      1. Grant:

        In 1979, Walsh was hired as head coach of the San Francisco 49ers by owner Edward J. DeBartolo, Jr. The long-suffering 49ers went 2–14 in 1978, the season before Walsh’s arrival and repeated the same dismal record in his first season. But, Walsh got the entire organization to buy into his philosophy and vowed to turn around a miserable situation. He also drafted quarterback Joe Montana from Notre Dame with the 82nd overall pick of the 1979 draft.

        And the rest is history, as they say!

        1. The 49ers went 2-14 in Bill Walsh’s first season as Head Coach. However, Bill Walsh ………….

          “got the entire organization to buy into his philosophy and vowed to turn around a miserable situation.”

          Sound familiar?

          1. 49, history tends to repeat itself.

            Joe Thomas was the GM, and essentially dismantled the team. Baalke has done the same thing. It took BW with his vision, to build a squad and forge it into an effective fighting machine. Chip needs use his vision to do the same thing.

            I remember Bill had tryouts before games. Not just a few select, but open auditions of a couple hundred players. He plumbed the depths to find a few nuggets. He signed key players like Dwight Hicks. But it still took Bill to cast his magic and draft almost an entire defensive backfield to accomplish his goals. Niners need to catch lightening in a bottle, and Baalke, with his ACL strategy, is the last person in the world to do that.

            With Baalke, we will be confronted with more dismal failure. However, with Chip, if given the power and proper support, may resurrect a moribund and pathetic squad. 312 yards. The Niners last gave up that amount in 1958.

            I wish to respectfully disagree with you and your criticism of Grants’ thesis about how important coaching is. To me, it is just as important as the players. For example, the Singletary squad was loaded with talent, but they under achieved. It took JH to forge that squad into a cohesive unit, executing his basic system enough to win games instead of floundering and wasting talent. JH had the knack to wring out every last bit of sweat from the players and they left it all on the field. Those 3 NFCC Games were a testament to how much good coaching matters.

            Yes, both Bills did draft a HOF QB, but look at where they found them. Joe was a third rounder, and Brady was a sixth rounder. Comparing the 2 Bills to other coaches is kinda unfair, because very few other coaches can claim 4 SB rings, and while Belichick is brilliant, clever and efficient, Bill Walsh was a genius and changed the game.

            1. Nice post Seb,

              great point about that incredible 1981 draft class, and the legendary class of 1986!

              However, if they hadn’t drafted Montana first, who knows if the 49ers would have gone on to dominate an entire generation?

              1. Walsh wanted Phil Simms, but settled for Joe because he liked his competitive fire and winning intangibles.

                Sure am glad Simms was gone, and like you said, the rest was history.

    3. “That said, like my college coach used to say, you’ve got to have the horses in the barn if you want to win the triple crown!”

      You should have corrected your college coach. The Triple Crown can only be won by a single horse. The Triple Crown in horse racing is a special accomplishment because a single horse has to win in a variety of races including distance race and sprint races. In football a single player can’t win the championship. Really bad analogy by your coach.

      1. Shows how much you know about horse racing Houston. SMH!

        More often than not, the top trainers have more than 1 horse competing for the triple crown, and often times they field a horse with the sole purpose of setting an strategic pace, for another one of their top horses!

          1. Do us a favor and bring your notebook to class next time Houston, you’ve fallen behind on your studies!

        1. Well you seem to have a remedial grasp of horse racing but your command of the English language is questionable at best. Obviously a trainer can have multiple horses entered into any one of the big races. After the Derby only one trainer and only one horse can be in competition to win the Triple Crown. I’m embarrassed for you that I have to explain this to you but the Triple Crown is when a single horse wins the Kentucky Derby, the Preakness, and the Belmont. After the Derby, there is only one horse with a chance of winning the Triple Crown. Even in your irrelevant link, Baffert only had one horse, American Pharoah competing for the Triple Crown. Baffert had another horse in the Preakness but that horse wasn’t in competition for the Triple Crown because he finished 3rd at the Derby. So my point remains. The Triple Crown is related to a singular athlete competing to win multiple contests. The analogy doesn’t fit well with a team sport.

          Lastly, you really should stop with the reference to “schooling” someone. It comes off as a 6th grader in an argument at the lunch table in the cafeteria. You might as well just say you “burned” me. It’s about as mature.

          1. Just ask him how Bellore and Wilhoite are doing since he was “schooling” me on what good candidates they were to replace Bowman when he went down.

    4. 49,
      The Patriots found lightning in a bottle with Tom Brady. QB’s like Brady aren’t in abundance especially in the later rounds. I have a hard time believing that Bledsoe would have provided the same success had he not been injured and continued to start.

      I would be interested in the Patriots scouting philosophy, because they have an eye for finding talent. And of course, the Pats do good in the FA market because of their coaching and perennial winning culture.

      I can only imagine how many SB rings the 49ers would have right now had someone in the FO taken a chance on him as did the Pats.
      Let’s face it, we missed out on two QB’s that were in our own backyard (Brady / Rodgers) that could have kept us on the map.

  5. League Pick’em Results through week 6: Rocket got his cheat on

    rocket 56
    CFC 55
    Pot_Kettle 54
    Rick 53
    dlptown 53
    #80 52
    JPN001 52
    D Rogue 49
    Steelmatic 48
    ninermd 48
    Shoup 45
    EastCoast9er 42

    I reprint the names as they are on the roster, I’m not choosing to capitalize some peoples names and not others.

    1. there have been some crazy games of late……….. lost a $ confidence pool to someone who put 12 on Miami over Pittsburgh…….. really?!

    2. I did miss a game when I didn’t enter my New England pick in time over the Houston Texans. Been interesting and topsy-turvy, like last week when 5 teams were tied for 1st.

      1. The trick is to make sure you do well on the even # weeks because those are the weeks I post the results.

  6. Does anyone with the college football interest background care to look at teams PS rosters to see if there are any players of interest- NT, LT, ILB, WR, S…….. I think we need to trade Staley and move away from Bethea, Reid, Bowman and Bellore/Skov/Hodges……. I would like to see us go young sooner than later and make moves asap.

    1. Dave,

      Thanks for giving me something to do. The only two players I would take a chance on are Scooby Wright and Kevin Norwood. They would have to get released first and getting production from them would be a long shot. Wright is coming off of an injury too.

      1. I started looking last night at the recent acquisitions…….. it appears that there were 3 or 4 LB’s added to the practice squad last week- I think we need to start to recognize that what we have is inadequate (Bellore, Wilhoite) and make moves to grab guys w speed who can possibly contribute in the future- not tanking, but working towards the future.

        At least that way if we are going to lose, we are losing constructively. My $.02

  7. No telling what The Joker,..er….the Jedster, has in mind. Let’s just say:
    > whether Baalke stays or goes….
    > assuming Chip stays, given contractural obligations of the org…..
    > surprisingly, Todd Bowles could be available. Jets owner is in frantic Win Now mode and could jettison an excellent coach in hyperbolic exasperation. Big mistake, yuge opportunity; pressure D coach who knows what he’s doing despite Jets poor showing in 16. Chip could get Bowles for a year at DC to get some sails properly trimmed.
    A new First Sergeant can turn a Company around faster than a new CO. Just sayin’.

    1. I would LOVE Bowles, especially w out up and coming secondary……….. I thought O’Neil was going to blitz a lot. I still think we should, but the primary problem, I believe, is that we don’t have speed at LB who can cover the underneath bail outs.

    1. It’s sitting on the shelf in my “to read list”, along with Steve Young’s new book.

      What did you think of it?

      1. It was just Ok. Had some fun tidbits about Al and the NFL but for the most part was a recounting of who treated her different because she was a woman and who didn’t.

        Does give you a softer view of Al Davis which is a nice counter to what was generally portrayed in the media.

  8. Just another slap in the face to all Faithful that O’Neil and Baalke aren’t fired yet… You have two interim replacements in Tarver and Gamble that can coast this garbage truck to the finish line… Keeping these clowns on board endorses the suckage and I’m sure Jed York is perfectly fine with this as he smiles and counts his benjamins (winning is simply a bonus)… This team feels like the Cleveland Browns being run by Dan Snyder. What a F’King joke.

  9. YES or NO question for anyone who wants to answer:

    Is there a point in time at which, if the 49ers organization continued to be inept, you would no longer consider yourself a 49ers fan?

    (Simple YES or NO please, doesn’t matter how long into the future that might be.)

    1. No. If there was ever a point in time when people should have stopped being fans it was during the Erickson, Nolan, Singletary era. If you lived through that and stayed a fan, this is just more of the same.

      1. Erickson/Donahue was pretty painful but it was also short lived. This current nightmare doesn’t feel like it’s going to end anytime soon.

  10. If we get to 1-10 would the York’s make an inseason GM change in light of Lisa DeBartolo’s retweeted comments ?

    Lisa DeBartolo ‏@LisaDeBartolo · 3h3 hours ago

    I did not say Jed must go, the Press Democrat did. I retweeted it. That’s all.

  11. #sorry

    stoneiscraycrayThanks for speaking on what we are all thinking… wish we could bring back your pops.
    tash_717Naturally gorgeous!!!
    _joe_co_Your comments regarding the 49ers speaks volume. Let it be heard. Change is a must
    thesewilddaysBeautiful Lisa!!

  12. Jed York…has had some shortcoming’s in his time overseeing the franchise, such as firing Jim Harbaugh, hiring Jim Tomsulsa and continually letting GM Trent Baalke grab control of the roster.

    Lisa DeBartolo, Eddie’s daughter and Jed’s cousin, is done staying silent. On Wednesday she tweeted a link to a Lowell Cohn column, saying “Jed York has to go.”

    But drama has been brewing here for awhile. Here’s DeBartolo on York to the Mercury News Group at his Hall of Fame induction in August:
    “I think the people in San Francisco probably wondered for those first couple of years, ‘What the hell is he doing here?’” DeBartolo said Friday on the eve of enshrinement.

    Denise DeBartolo York wrestled the team from her brother Eddie’s control in 2000 after a felony extortion charge. Denise still remains the co-owner with her husband John.

    It’s safe to say Thanksgiving dinner may have some animosity this time around. The DeBartolo’s are publicly becoming frustrated with how the York’s have damaged a once proud 49ers franchise.

    Here’s a video of Lisa talking with the Pro Football Hall of Fame about the 49ers this summer. She was his presenter this summer in Canton.

        1. Take the team back to San Francisco, Lisa, and donate that Mausoleum in Santa Clara to housing for the homeless…I doubt even they would want to live their with that smell.

          1. Don’t forget to do something about that turf Lisa.

            Jim Harbaugh tried to stand up against the York’s by pulling the team off that turf, claiming it was unsafe, to the dismay of a who’s, who crowd of Silicon Valley Billionaires in attendance…

            It embarrassed the York’s so badly having a mere football coach do this to a billionaire it was a reason the York’s terminated H’s K.

            However, as an NFL insider I have news for you York’s.

            Coach H planned that Michigan move from the moment he stated to Dr. York and his son walking through the 49er locker room after a tough loss, with the Silicon Valley CEO’s in tow (sipping wine from glasses as they toured the locker room):

            “WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?…THIS LOCKER ROOM IS FOR MEN !”

            Harbaugh had a Michigan offer for more, knew Baalke could not tell offensive talent if it was handed to hime, so H bolted UM where he could rise or fall by his own merits, not some GM imposer….

            Peace and Love, Lisa DeBartolo.

  13. Tampa Bay is expected to win this game by two points.

    The Buccaneers’ offense has the firepower to stick with any offense in the NFL.

    Tampa Bay’s offense is led by second year quarterback Jameis Winston. The team has a young core surrounding Winston to build on. The Buccaneers have wide receiver Mike Evans, running back Doug Martin, and a mix of young players and veterans on the offensive line.

    The Buccaneers also have a talented defense. They have a very good mix of young and veteran players. Tampa Bay has one of best defensive tackles in the NFL in Gerald McCoy. They have good young linebackers in Kwon Alexander and Lavonte David. They drafted Vernon Hargreaves in last year’s draft and signed veteran Brent Grimes.

    1. Great breakdown, but the 49ers would lose to Washington University, so what’s the point anymore?

      1. Someone that spends too much time listening to know-it-all beat writers in the press box.

      1. Seb,

        Hyde will always run into the teeth of the defense because our opponents know what play is coming based on our formation.

        Can you imagine what is going through Hydes’ head when he sees 8 man fronts and they all know where he is going. No lead blocker FB either.

      2. Yeah Seb maybe he should just fall down to the turf to avoid the contact as you’ve once suggested? Moron!

        1. Prime, now that he plowed into the teeth of the defense, and got less than 2 yards a carry for 8 runs, he is now injured.
          I advocated that he needed to get past the first down marker before falling down, but obviously could not do that.

          I also noticed that he ran out of bounds in his last few games, so maybe he is getting smarter.

  14. Draughn or Davis as a fantasy pick-up this week??? I’m desperate….This is important stuff people

      1. no one…. I have Stewart on a bye…my other starter is Yeldon….its been a tough season for RBs for me at least…. I also have Jacquizz Rogers but Martin could be back this week…but I’m think he could get some valuable carries against us.

          1. Kniles is gone…its a 12 man league so RBs don’t last long on the waiver.

            I just need someone to get me by this week…..I’m thinking Davis gets the bulk of the carries and can at least squeak in a TD against a weak Tampa D

        1. If Martin is back he’s a lock to start. I could gain 100 yards against our defense.

        2. Stick with Rogers and try to see if there is a potential sleeper in the QB or WR groups to offset a bad week for your RBs. But I honestly think you will be happy with Rogers since he is going up against the 49ers run defense.

  15. Tim Kawakami Verified account 
    ‏@timkawakami
    Tim Kawakami Retweeted Jason Cole

    I respect Jason and his reporting. I’d bet the Yorks would love to keep Baalke if he could. But my God, if they do…

    Tim Kawakami added,

    Jason Cole Verified account 
    ‏@JasonColeBR
    Insider Buzz: 49ers Won’t Fire GM Trent Baalke; Trust In Him To Improve Roster

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    Aaron Horwitz ‏@AaronTheH · 3h3 hours ago

    @JasonColeBR @UnemployedEater Idiots. All of them.

    0 replies 0 retweets 12 likes

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    Mike Metz ‏@UnemployedEater · 3h3 hours ago

    @AaronTheH @JasonColeBR It just doesn’t make sense.

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    Mike Honcho ‏@MoShady · 3h3 hours ago

    @JasonColeBR @BleacherReport @JedYork doesn’t give a flying fck about winning then. Gives the captain of the titanic more leeway.

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    phillip ‏@PhillipPhipps · 3h3 hours ago

    @JasonColeBR WTF??? Who is leaking this?

  16. Heard a rumor that Baalke wasn’t going to be fired. That must mean he’s a goner, given how rumors pan out around this place!

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