Jim Tomsula disputes his own players’ claims that 49ers overlooked Browns

This is the transcript of Jim Tomsula’s Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

 

Opening comments:

“The injuries; again, the guys are still coming in and you know this, but [G/T Alex] Boone is going for an MRI today on that knee. [RB Kendall] Gaskins did have a concussion, so he’s in the concussion protocol. [WR] Torrey Smith that back spasm did happen to him in the game. It was going back and forth. He was getting it rubbed out, going back in and then they pulled him. So, he is getting treated with that. And then, [DB] Jimmie Ward, what I’ve got here is elbow contusion. So, that tells us that he obviously got hit pretty good, but it’s not broke when they say contusion so we’re good there. Questions?”

 

How do you respond seeing some remarks from players that maybe they overlooked Cleveland or took them lightly?

“Yeah, [49ers vice president of communications Bob Lange] Bobby was telling me that. I guess [T Joe] Staley was one of the guys. And I’d have to disagree with Joe on that. Maybe he was speaking from a personal note, I don’t know, but that was something that was addressed all week. Number one, we have no right to overlook anyone. Number two, in the NFL, I don’t care if you’re 14-0, you better not overlook anyone. I don’t see that as a factor. And again, it’s a group that comes to work and they work. But, I didn’t see that. I saw a game where we didn’t, and I don’t use this word a lot, but we didn’t execute. I didn’t see an effort problem. We talked about that, but we didn’t execute.”

 

Does it concern you that’s coming out of your locker room from more than one player, those kinds of thoughts?

“Yeah, I disagree. What are you talking about half the locker room?”

 

Well, LB Ahmad Brooks used the word bigheaded.

“Well, those two guys. Yeah, I would just have to disagree. I don’t think that was the case at all.”

 

Being eliminated from the playoffs now, what’s the approach for these last few weeks?

“I mean, you’re a professional football player, you play. We have a one week calendar and we’ve got Cincinnati Bengals and they’re a good NFL football team. We’ve got to figure out a way to correct and prepare and go play to win a football game.”

 

You said effort was there, but the execution wasn’t. Given 24 hours and given some time to look at the film, why do you think that was the case? What caused that?

“The execution. The fundamentals. Blocking out up front. Tackling. Wrap-tackling. Just wrapping up when you tackle. You can’t do that.”

 

Is that distressing at all at this point of the season? You maybe expect that early.

“Yes, you don’t want it. Last week, I thought we did a nice job of tackling. Wrapping, you can’t get away from that. You’ve got to stay true to the fundamentals.”

 

Was there any part of you that thought maybe the team got too much of a sense of relief, there wasn’t a sense of urgency after getting that win in Chicago?

“You’ve got to be able to channel, and again, we missed a great opportunity. We missed an opportunity for ourselves. We had a win and we wanted to put two together. That was the goal and that was the focus. And we didn’t do that. We’ve got to continue, you know, we’ve talked about it, getting better. Now, we’ve got to get back on the horse and continue to get better.”

 

Your coaching staff is the same for the final stretch?

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

After some of these losses, you say it starts and ends with you and everything goes through you.

“Yeah, it does.”

 

What can you do now at this point to try to improve your teams play during the week?

“Well, to me the first thing is we try to make sure the same guy comes to work every day. We think our way through things and we adjust what we feel like we need to adjust. We look at, taking a look at where those things are and the heavy corrections. And making sure that the young guys, that we have our older guys and our younger guys are working together and we’re finishing each other’s sentences.”

 

Are there young guys that maybe now that you’ve been eliminated that you’d like to take a longer look at?

“No. I think you’ve seen us working everybody all year.”

 

Their coach was pretty candid about saying he felt like they exploited a weakness in your run defense and that was why they were able to gain so many yards on the ground. As you know, they had been struggling a bit on the ground before that. Do you think there was a weakness?

“Well, we gave up 104 yards on two plays. You can’t do that. It wasn’t fit right and then we missed the tackle. So, you can’t give up explosive runs like that. It changes the field. It changes everything. It’s the same on offense. You’ve got to catch the ball. You’ve got to run the correct route, things like that. You can’t make those mistakes.”

 

Are those mistakes in the run defense, are those fixable or is that–?

“Yes, they’re fixable. Absolutely.”

 

With Alex’s status uncertain and your challenges protecting QB Blaine Gabbert, how do you guys make adjustments on that offensive line this week to give him a better chance?

“Well, that’s what we’ve got to get done this week. We’ve got to get that done. We’ve got to figure that out. If Alex can’t go, next guy steps in and we’ve got to solidify it and we’ve got to make sure that we put our guys in a position to get it blocked up so we can throw the football.”

 

What did you see when you look back on the film that were some of the breakdowns?

“We’ve got to block them. I mean, lose leverage on a guy and a guy comes through the inside of you. You’re blocking a guy on the edge and he gets your outside hand down and he gets over top of you. I mean, technique, fundamental things that have to stay consistent all the time.”

 

Can’t imagine that you expected G/C Daniel Kilgore to play that many snaps. But, how do you think he played despite the circumstances?

“Well, a positive out of the game, Daniel getting his reps there and he did a lot with them. He did. So, there was a positive there.”

 

Back to remarks by Staley and Ahmad, will you speak to those two guys specifically?

“Yeah. I’ll ask them. I talk to them all the time. So, yeah that’ll come up. Not in a, just in general conversation. You know, ‘What do you mean? Where are you at?’”

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This article has 177 Comments

  1. I hate to be rude, but the media needed to rake Tomsula over the coals after that inexcusable effort yesterday. Take off the soft glove and quit slapping like a pansy when interviewing Tomsula.

    1. Thank you, finally, a 49er fan that agrees with me about Tomsula. Can’t stomach the interviews. He always says it’s on me, it’s on me.

    1. Thankfully, we are maybe no. 5 in the draft order so the damage was minimal, but we still should’ve lost to Chi, Atl, and Bal.

  2. I hope Brooks never plays another down this year. He constantly lines up too close to the LOS and jumps offsides way too many times.
    But the worst transgression was the unsportsmanlike penalty. He melted down and became unprofessional. Brooks is a poor loser. His lack of discipline is hurting the team, and many fans are revolted by such childish brat- like displays.
    I will blame the coaching for allowing him on the field again. Winning with class may be the goal, but losing without class is the result of coddling him.

  3. Are there young guys that maybe now that you’ve been eliminated that you’d like to take a longer look at?

    “No. I think you’ve seen us working everybody all year.”

    Tomsula doesn’t have to worry about developing talent for the future because he won’t be here much longer.

    1. That’s what everyone keeps saying around here, but I’ll believe it when I see it. Chryst should be gone by morning pst….

  4. I listened to Ted Robinson today and he was trashing the offense so I guess Jeep’s days are numbered.

    So who will be the next offensive coordinator? Tony Sparano? Logan? Or someone else?

    1. If firing Geep means Sparano is OC, the 49ers are better off waiting till the offseason to make a move.

  5. There are moments, specific moments when you have clarity. You can think back to that specific moment and realize the truth….

    For me, I realized Kaepernick was done in the St. Louis game when he failed to see two wide open receivers at the LOS pre snap.
    With Tomsula it’s this game. This game versus the Browns. The players have quit. We all saw them lay down. The players are looking to coaches for answers and they have none….

    1. Tomsula needs to be fired immediately end of season. Unfortunately Geep will be the sacrificial lamb and we will get one more year of Tomsula.

  6. Is there a more gutless group of media members in all the NFL? Did I miss something or was there even one hard hitting tough question for the HC who should be on the hottest seat in the league. What a disgrace. And I’m calling out names. Maiocco, Lynch, Barrows,Cohns, Branch. Some of which wrote extensive articles last week on why Tomsula should absolutely be given a 2nd year cause of 1 fluke lucky win versus a bad Bears team. Non competitive against Browns and being flat coming off a bye against your biggest rival @ SEA are way bigger indictment on JT than 4-9. What a disgraceful media contingent

    1. I think they let him off the hook because he’s in over his head and was set up to fail. The medial guys like him and feel sorry for him.

    2. “Some of which wrote extensive articles last week on why Tomsula should absolutely be given a 2nd year cause of 1 fluke lucky win versus a bad Bears team.”

      Not Grant. He might have suggested the 49ers might give Tomsula another year but no way he supports that idea. This loss, maybe even more than the Seattle loss, shows that Tomsula must go. With that many areas of the game failing, the coach and the management must take responsibility.

  7. Grant

    I’m in a quandry, like most of the niner fans….people keep sounding off like a lynch mob…fire Chryst…fire Tomsula, fire Mangini…etc. Personally, I like all of those guys. They answer the questions that they’re asked…one hell of a lot better than Harbaughs mealy- mouthed mumblings. They inherited a ‘crippled’ team unlike Harbaugh who inherited a playoff roster with a couple of minor adjustments. As a long time niner fan, I’m frustrated at our lack of success, but I am hopeful that some of the changes that are being made will bear fruit. I think that Blaine Gabbert is a major plus over CK, but who can tell if he doesn’t get blocking.? It seems to me that some real Hard-ass training camps might let some of the players know just what is expected of them…for a full game. As for the others….well, they were looking for work when they showed up. If you can’t tackle, you can’t play Defense; If you can’t Block, you can’t play Offense…. See how simple it can be…?

    1. The team takes on the personality of its head coach. It is obvious this team does not give its all every play. They lose focus often and are not too worried about winning. They see the ownership is not too worried about winning so why should they sacrifice their bodies for this pathetic ownership group.

      Harbaugh was demanding, he wanted perfection and would accept nothing less. I can’t imagine Jim TOmsula, nice guy that he is, getting that kind of effort and focus from the team.

      But ultimately as long as the Yorks are in charge this team is going to be on a 3/7 cycle. 3 years of winning and 7 years of milking the fan base by putting up bargain basement teams and coaching.
      That’s the York formula folks. Get used to it!

    2. We’re never going to agree about Harbaugh, but to describe his comments as mealy- mouthed mumblings is truly funny. We see and hear what we want to see and hear too often.

    3. Oregon remind everyone what that playoff roster was doing in the win column before JH? Stop perpetuating internet myths.

      Gabbert isn’t a plus. Through four quarters last week he had 100yds of passing until the final garbage time drive and TD. Last week he had 125yds through four quarters before OT. It’s more of the same. He’s been sacked 14 times in 2 games now plus 3 voluntary sacks.

      Sounds like wishful thinking rather than objective evaluation to me.

      1. Wilson,

        There was a lot of talent on that 2010 roster. They then made some key FA acquisitions with guys like Whitner, Rogers, and the drafting of Smith, Culliver, Miller that pushed the talent up even more.

        The team that this staff inherited is a far cry from that.

        1. Again what was the win total?

          Yes they were talented but it’s nonsense to say that the team won all by itself like he’s suggesting. I am saying with the same talent these coaches still stink. JT’s crew wouldn’t have gone to the NFCG or to the SB.

          Yes this team is depleted on talent, but what we saw the last two weeks was poor coaching against 2 of the worst teams in the NFL with poor talent as well.

              1. Since no one ever uses italics we could just nominate that as the blog sarcasm font.

              2. Ah man double fail. Ok since they wont appear I’m trying to tell you to use the greater then and less then symbols.

            1. “Harbaugh was worth about 5 wins per year above replacement.”

              So you think the roster this season was capable of 9+ wins?

              1. He was 4 wins better at Michigan and 5 in SF. Go ahead how many wins would JT’s CS have with JH’s first 49er team? JT’s losing the locker room. Staley and Brooks are getting frustrated.

              2. Coffee,

                Saying that this team as going to go 7-1, 6-2 over the second half was a bit tongue in cheek.

                My main point was Gabbert would be better than the incumbent, and in 4 of 5 starts he has been.

                Sunday was a disaster. The line, Pears in particular was beaten like a redheaded step child. When plays looked possible receivers dropped passes that hit them in the hands or were flagged for illegal motion. On top of that, Gabbert did himself no favors by going full CK mode and running out of bounds for a loss instead of throwing the ball away. In short, it was a comedy of errors that started up front.

              3. Saying that this team as going to go 7-1, 6-2 over the second half was a bit tongue in cheek.
                ————
                As was my comment Jack.

              4. So you think the roster this season was capable of 9+ wins?

                I truly believe with Jim Harbaughs coaching staff, the 49ers at this point are 6-7. We keep forgetting that of the 9 loses, 7 of them were complete blowouts because the team was not ready to play, not even ready to compete. Harbaugh would have provided an edge in that locker room that would have made the players more accountable. Sure he was a hard rear end coach, but that’s football. I’m positive if he makes it back to the NFL, he will change.
                This team has talent, not a lot, but some. But this team has been coached soft. Just like Jim “Tobacco” Tomsula.

          1. Wilson,

            I’m not arguing that Harbaugh isn’t a damn good football coach. He is. He also inherited a heck of a team, that had an additional infusion of talent between 2010 and 2011 with the players I mentioned above.

            The team he took over in 2011 was a hell of a lot more talented than this mess.

            That team featured 3 1st round picks on the OLine. This team has an aging Joe Staley, 2 UDFA’s, a spoiled piece of fruit and someone that even Sheneneh wouldn’t be interested in.

            That team had the defensive ROY who almost broke the rookie sack record playing next to a perennial all pro. This team is led by a 5th rounder who lines up next to another 5th rounder.

            Coaches need players to be successful. I think we all would say that Harbaugh isn’t 29 points worse than Urban Meyer, but that’s what the scoreboard showed. Why? Because he doesn’t have the same level of talent yet.

            Will this coaching staff ever be close to Harbaigh’s level? Hell no. But the roster they have isn’t helping close the gap either.

            1. Ok I agree with all of that Jack. People’s dislike of JH and CK is skewing the way they view BG and JT.

              1. Maybe some, but I was and still am a huge Harbaugh fan.

                Kaepernick was terrific early on, but he never grew the skills necessary to be successful long term.

                Not saying he didn’t try. Going to see Giles this offseason appeared to be a positive step, but he’s ended up in the same place as Giles’ last high profile client.

              2. Jack I wasn’t aiming that at you. I agree with what you said about Kaep. I wanted him to succeed, but he proved to be fools gold. I don’t think Gabbert will last as long in this crappy situation after 14 sacks in 2 weeks.

                Like a few others I am slightly annoyed at the blindness towards some making the same excuses for Gabbert that they roasted others for giving Kaep. I am sure I’ll get torched for saying this but I think we’ll see that part of his problem in regression is the situation with coaching and talent. If the rumors are true that he only studied 1/5th as much as Gabbert, that’s on him. Gabbert will regress to in this situation and to be fair it’s now worse than when Kaep was in. Kilgore is already an upgrade as is Tiller, potentially losing Boone is huge on his blind side. Pears is awful. If it was Staley, Boone, Kilgore, Tiller and Pears it’d be better minus no TE’s and RB’s of value.

            2. So the problems are a combination of Coaching and lack of talent. I agree which is why they need to start over from top to bottom. They won’t, but that is what they need to do.

  8. On future NFL coaches (or non-coaches).
    “…you can probably scratch highly respected Stanford coach David Shaw off the short list of NFL head-coaching candidates in the next month. As he told me Saturday at the Heisman festivities: “I know a lot of guys in the NFL. I know guys at almost every franchise in the NFL, and I can tell you, even the ones who are winning, nobody is having as much fun at his job as I am having at my job.” The NFL’s committee on head-coaching prospects, which has its next meeting Wednesday, will still put Shaw on the list, but will inform inquiring teams (and not every team with an opening seeks advice from this NFL committee of head-coaching authorities, which includes Bill Polian and Tony Dungy) that Shaw is very unlikely to leave Stanford.”
    http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2015/12/14/andy-dalton-thumb-injury-panthers-perfect-week-14-nfl

  9. I don’t want Tomsula fired until the end of the season. If he is fired now the interim, Mangini, Sparano or whoever will win a few games and Jed will fall in love with them. Then they will be hired (cheaply) and we will be in the same place this time next year. Baalke must see what he has brought about and realize that a real head coach must be put in place, one that can attract competent assistant coaches.

  10. Bayareafanatic: totally agree about Brooks. Well, I finally missed Singletary! He would have banished him long ago.

  11. Where I come from when you dump someone or something ; ex girlfriend ,employee, a house , job usually you have something better in mind to replace that…the best ownership could do to replace Jim Harbaugh was Jim Tomsula.That is a mind blowing move that is going to set this team back for years

  12. as everyone is blasting baalke as GM, do you think Tom Gamble coming back will help us in the future?

  13. ESPN Monday Night ‏@ESPNMondayNight 22m22 minutes ago
    “The New York Giants just miss too many tackles.”

    – Gruden

    ————
    They must be poorly coached.

  14. We are officially in rebuilding mode,everyone must go,the problem is if we trade our players like Bowman and get draft picks we don’t have a good enough GM to utilize the picks. On a side note I think if Gabbert keeps playing like yesterday Kaepernick value will just go up,other teams will start to blame the system and not the player.

    1. I think it’s good for a rebuilding teams to keep some experienced veterans in the locker room. Bowman and Staley are good players to keep around as examples to the youngsters.

    2. The other professionals will already factor in the team and coaches that Colin played for. The excuses for Blaine are the sins of Colin. It’s just your point of view.

      It’s clear that neither one can overcome a really bad and inconstant OL with receivers that can’t get quick cooperation. Throw in the lack of a strong running attack and you’ve got a lot of reasons for other teams to study the film. In fact, that’s what they have been doing since 2012.

      1. Cowards. No respect for the fans. Not saying owners have to justify things but it’s their responsibility to build a winning organization.
        As for Baalke, he is obligated to talk to the media and explain the direction this franchise is trying to take personnel wise. Instead, they just hide behind closed doors. I’ve never seen anything like it. I follow all major sports and in hockey, basketball and baseball you periodically hear from upper management and ownership in good and bad times. Not this franchise. They are pathetic.

          1. My bond with the 49ers is based on me as an eighth grader. Who am I, after all this time, to tell an eighth grader what to do with his bonds?

            He didn’t have the option to watch any NFL game he wanted over a six year time span, and he didn’t know anything about the coming of Walsh or the Yorks.

            I find the Patriots much more interesting to watch, but I never miss a 49er play. There haven’t been any 49er games in 2014 or 2015 that I wanted to watch again. For that I have to go back to the three previous years where significant numbers of the faithful hated the QB of the moment. Nobody hated Frankie Albert. That started with John Brodie.

            1. George Will once said, There’s two things in life that cannot be changed: Your social security number and your boyhood baseball team. My list includes my boyhood football team.

  15. you get 140 chars..what is on your banner over the stadium behind the cessna…be creative please

  16. who is biggest “I suck Jed” …Ted R? now we move into locker room…Lots of choices there, big sucktion on the small appendage there

  17. Posters were deriding my comment that Gabbert should not worry about winning or losing, he should just concentrate on scoring 7 TDs. Why did I say that? because if the Niners were winning, I would not have them go into a prevent defense.They should just continue to score and if enough scores, it would result in victory.
    If the Ninere were losing, I would not like them to be worried about failure, but just focus on the objective and not be distracted from that goal. The Niners became worried about losing, and it affected their game. In fact, they became so unnerved, they lost their composure. They became scattered, unfocused, undisciplined and failed to do basic techniques. They were anything but a cohesive unit, and made way too many physical and mental errors.

    1. So what your saying is that if they just visualize 7td’s they’ll win next week? I hadn’t realized winning in the NFL was a result of wishful thinking?

  18. Revisiting a previous post, I said that the Niners should not take them lightly. With hope, any team is dangerous. I hoped they would blitz Manziel like crazy, and get to him early to rattle him. I feared that without Lynch, there would be no pass rush, and Manziel would have all day to pick the Niners apart.
    I finished by saying that the Niners needed to play smart and avoid shooting themselves in the foot.
    Posters may say that the Niner coaches never read my posts, but I sure wish they had.
    Actually, I think Tomsula did read them, because he went for it 3 times. Just for that I do not wish he would be fired, but just Chryst.

    1. “I think Tomsula did read them”.

      Sure he did. But he’s really annoyed you waited until late in the week to give him your ideas, which confused the players on Sunday when he changed the plan from what he’d been telling them all week to your ideas.

      Do him a solid will you and post your ideas now so Tomsula can start making appropriate preparations.

            1. Here is another. On 4th down, coach the QB to throw the ball before he is sacked. Throw it high in the air for a jump ball if no one is open and a pass rusher is about to sack him.

    1. Funny, I seem to recall you being quite dismissive/ deriding of those that suggested they shouldn’t take Goff during last week.

    2. Hmm. you said that they should not draft a QB and target Tunsil or Stanley? Have you been reading my posts?;p

      1. The OTs coming out of college are not exactly the greatest thing right now. Use free agency to address OT and draft a pass rusher/run defender with that first pick.

          1. He’ll still be there in the second round, so I’d grab him then.

      1. I just sent in five bucks toward the next banner flying over Levi Stadium for the Bengals game—–it will read: 49ERS GRAND SLAM–Worst Team, Worst Coaches, Worst GM, Worst Owner!!!!!

      1. Yes to firing Tomsula. No to drafting Goff. I think he’ll be excellent, but the Niners need to build the O-line first. Sunday proved that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

        1. The ideal scenario would be Baalke signing a top-flight LT in free agency while sliding Staley to RT and Davis to RG.

        2. Grant:

          Wouldn’t the niners be better off getting OL in free agency? It seems like few college OL are NFL ready. Use draft picks for defensive line/LBs but FA $ for OL.

        3. Offensive line is a dire need, but top quarterbacks are rare. You don’t have to play him right away.

          With all that cap room, landing some solid O-linemen to compliment the draft shouldn’t be too hard (though there is a league wide shortage of good pass protectors).

          1. I agree that Niners should take a QB in the first round. My philosophy is that any team drafting in the top 10 with no franchise QB should draft a QB if a QB with high ceiling is available in the draft. Goff has definitely shown potential to be a starter down the road. Niners have a serviceable QB for the short-term in Gabbert. Additionally, Niners have the cash to splurge on linemen where the needs are dire. With a decent coaching staff and some good FA signings, Niners can have a winning record next year.

            With the increase in spread and other non-pro-style offenses, the preparedness of O linemen for NFL offenses have decreased. If teams have to teach the drafted linemen for a year or two, they may as well draft athletic linemen with potential in second and third rounds.

      2. Who would want to come to the Niners and coach this team for this owner. It is a good way to ruin a career.. Tomsula is bulletproof because he will stand in front of the cameras and take all the blame so Jed and Baakle can hide.
        Goff is not the answer, especially behind that putrid O line.

  19. It’s been a difficult year, 49er fans. But don’t fret gentlemen; take solace in the fact that we have the Golden State Warriors and San Francisco Giants. Two elite franchises delivering the rings we fans crave.

  20. At this point if we miss out on Tunsil I would pass on Stanley and take Jason Spriggs in either the 2nd or 3rd depending on how he looks at Senior Bowl.

    The only players I feel really comfortable taking in the top ten are; Tunsil, Smith. If both are gone by our pick our best option is to trade down.

  21. The Niners have not elevated Hayne, so I will rip them for wasting talent while the practice squad players they have plucked off the streets are failing as bad as the whole team. If they expect competent play from a new TE that whiffs on his blocks, but ignores players that have been on the team all year, they deserve these results.
    Now that they are officially out of the playoffs, maybe Hayne can save the last few games. Too bad he was utilized while hope was still alive.

  22. Reading the comments since the loss to the Browns shows stunning hypocrisy among some posters. The same people who were loudly blaming Kaepernick for all the team’s problems earlier in the year are now blaming coaching, Geep Chryst, the O line, Hyde’s injury, the alignment of Uranus and Mars, just about everything under the sun except Blaine Gabbert.

    Kaepernick had to play behind the same O line, Kaepernick had the same lousy running backs except for week 1 against the Vikings, Kaepernick had the same Geep Chryst calling the plays. Everything was the same but when Kaepernick got sacked, it was his fault for not throwing the ball away. When Gabbert gets sacked it was the lousy O line. When Kaepernick threw for 8 yards on third and 10, it was his fault for not letting the play develop. When Gabbert does the same thing over and over it is the lousy game plan.

    The fact is, neither Kap nor Gabbert are accurate throwers. Gabbert has been a total failure so far in his career. At Least Kap has had success (2012 and 2013) which shows that on a team with a solid O line, decent receivers, a solid defense, and a coaching staff who know how to tailor a game plan to his strengths he can win.

    I have a horrible feeling that Kap will wind up on the Rams next year. Rams have all the pieces in place for a five or six year run of success as long as they get a good QB. I can see Kap beating the Niners twice a year, leading the Rams to multiple playoffs appearances while the Niners scrape the bottom of the NFL barrel for years to come.

    If Kap has success elswhere, I hope all the people wanting to run Kap out of town will have the cajones to own up that they were wrong. I don’t think it will happen. Like cowards everywhere, they will just hide behind new Avatars and change the subject.

    1. Is this Rick from Turlock?

      “Like cowards everywhere, they will just hide behind new Avatars and change the subject.”

      Those are tough words from someone who is also using a generic avatar.

      1. No. Never been to Turlock.

        Grant can confirm that I have always posted under my own name and my own E-Mail. The generic Avatar is because I don’t have time to go to the site to pick a custom avatar. I do have a life….

        1. LOL. That’s not doing anything more than what you accuse others of. I just used my real first name, but I’m still a total unknown to everyone.

          There’s only one person here who puts his full name and face on the line and that’s Grant.

          Until you decide to do that you are as much a coward as you accuse others of being.

    2. Much anger and frustration in Rick I sense :)

      As a Kap fan and supporter, I have reluctantly come to accept that he has “reached his ceiling as a starting NFL QB”. I put the phrase in quotes because it’s a loaded one, and may have multiple interpretations :)

      When I look back at the Kap era, I see that he was far luckier than typical high-draft pick QBs. He had the chance to sit behind a starter for one and a half seasons to learn the craft. When he finally started, he had an excellent supporting cast on both sides of the ball, esp, O line. He had a QB guru as HC. These three years were tremendous opportunity for him to develop the NFL QB skills that he lacked. These skills are needed when the supporting cast deteriorates and the franchise QB carries the offense.

      Last season was the real test for Kap as the supporting cast began to wane due to injuries. As the season progressed and his performance varied wildly from game to game, I started to question his long-term viability. From SoCalSteph in NinersNation, I learned that Harbaugh’s coaching staff were also disappointed in Kap’s progress. His QB metrics trended downwards almost every year.

      I do not claim to know why he didn’t progress, but to me it seems he had way more opportunity than the average QB picked in the first two rounds. Good luck to Kap elsewhere but I think he won’t improve much without the pocket skills and field vision that he clearly lacks.

      Gabbert, OTOH, started under the worst circumstances for a QB draft pick in modern NFL history except perhaps for David Carr. He has shown improvement and he may yet develop into a career backup. Even that is not clear at this point.

      1. “Much anger and frustration in Rick I sense”

        Someone is ready for the force to awaken this weekend. ; )

      2. Well said Mood. I loved the potential Kap showed when he took over but it was only sustainable if he improved as a pocket passer, and unfortunately it hasn’t happened. When he was drafted I figured he would be a 2-3 year project and in hindsight maybe he should have been. The biggest problem I saw in Kap back then that still exists now, is that he feels he needs to make the big play on every snap. He couldn’t accept the checkdown or throwing the ball away and it’s an Integral element to playing the position. The narrative has always been full of hyperbole like he can’t read a defense or go through progressions, but the most basic issue Kap has is not being able to take what the defense is giving him.

        Gabbert on the other hand has no problem taking what the defense gives him, but doesn’t try to take more than that often enough. He could still figure it out, but I would like to have some true competition for him next season. I am in the draft Goff camp if the opportunity presents itself, but failing that, I would trade for Glennon from TB and draft a QB in the first two days to develop.

        1. So how much more of Gabbert do we need to see before we can make a call? Seems like we saw his best against Atlanta’s (Grants) defense and his worst last week.

          I’ve seen enough, his play against two of the worst teams in the NFL shows what we have. Less than 125yds two weeks in a row through four quarters minus garbage time. With this team and CS it’s going to be more of the same for Gabbert. Frustration is showing in the veterans at the coaching. The team is cracking and play could be worse as they start to fight among themselves. Gabbert can’t fix any of that. He inherited a mess.

          1. I’m not going to give Gabbert a complete pass Wilson, but with the play of the Oline on Sunday he didn’t stand a chance. The same thing happened to Kap earlier in the season and if it continues, Gabbert is going to start looking at the rush and seeing ghosts the same way Kap was by the time he was benched.

            I don’t see him as a long term starter but if they can fix up the Oline and get a running game going again, I think he can probably be serviceable while a rookie develops for a year. I also want to see a vet brought in to compete with Gabbert for the starting job.

            1. Somebody posted that both Boone and Tiller were ranked highly as guards by PFF. Kilgore is a good addition but RT we’re still weak. If Boone is injured Gabbert will continue to get drilled from his blind side which is terrible for him. Martin looked as bad at LG as he has any other place on the line. It continues to baffle me that we’re playing this guy. Could Silberman or Thomas be worse? I suppose they could. Seems like they’d be trying anything. I have to give credit to Seb but Looney is playing for another team and doing better than Martin or Devey ever did. I think this is one of the things that leads me to believe this coaching staff has no idea what it’s doing. For Gabbert’s sake I hope he lasts through the year and I also hope TB figures out how to get some talent at OL and back up RB.

      3. I agree. Kap will never be a QB who will carry an otherwise bad team. How many such QB can you name in the history of the NFL? Few and far between.

        Gabbert certainly is not one of them. He failed utterly when he had to lead a bad team in Jacksonville. And, so far he has not shown that he can win with a bad team here. Can he win with a good team the way Kap did? I doubt it.

        Sure Kap was lucky in getting into a good situation early on in his career. But, he did parlay that good luck into a Super Bowl appearance, not to mention three road playoff wins including one at Lambaugh (probably one of the toughest places for a visiting team to win in January). Does anybody realize that Kap has more road playoff wins than Montana, Young, and Garcia combined (Super Bowls are a neutral site and does not count as road wins). All I am saying is that the man must have some positives to have that happen.

        As for Gabbert, I see his ceiling as a serviceable backup. Nothing more. He is an inaccurate thrower and gets easily rattled under pressure.

    3. Actually, Gabbert is an accurate passer. He has not shown consistent accuracy on long throws, but his short to intermediate throw are very accurate. It is one of his strengths.

          1. Did I say backup?

            Just seems like a Jeff fisher move to me to want to troll a division opponent, by having success with their castoff QB.

  23. Some good news (note this was before the Browns game):

    Jeff Deeney ‏@PFF_Jeff Dec 10
    Andrew Tiller’s +7.8 overall grade over the last five weeks ranks 10th among all guards during that span. #49ers

    1. It only got better against the Browns, as he finished with a positive grade in that game too.

      How is it Devey was seen as a better option than him to start the season?

  24. Some more good news (after the Browns game):

    Jeff Deeney ‏@PFF_Jeff 21h21 hours ago
    A couple bright spots on defense yesterday: Arik Armstead (+2.8, five pressures) and Tank Carradine (+2.6, two pressures/six rushes). #49ers

  25. Not so good (doesn’t include the Browns game):

    Jeff Deeney ‏@PFF_Jeff Dec 10
    The #49ers defense has 97 missed tackles as a team through 12 games. They had 94 missed tackles for all of 2014.

    1. I watched 3 Cal games this season, and Goff does have some intangibles and pretty decent skill-set. He needs a couple of years of growth (physical and mental) in an NFL team under a good coach who will correct some of his bad habits that lead him to throw picks.

    2. “When you add it all up, Goff has shown an ability to play behind a poor offensive line and still make quality throws down the field, all while elevating the subpar talent around him.
      ————————-
      Except for the last part the same could be said for Gabbert. Frankly the last part is highly subjective anyway, did Goff elevate them or did they just get better as athletes tend to do with the experience of a season.

    3. That’s my view of Goff exactly. He is not as polished as the top two from a year ago, but he’s fearless and accurate at all levels of the field. The negative is something that can be Coached – taking too many chances – and he’s a 3 year College starter. I really see great things for this kid as long as he goes to the right situation and gets a chance to sit for awhile. I’m not sure that would happen in SF, but I would take him if he’s available.

  26. While I think it is possible that the 49ers overlooked the Browns, not having McDonald on offense and Lynch on defense were factors as well. On a very talented team, losing some good players is not as much of a factor as the rest of the talent compensates. Conversely, on a marginally talented team, losing good players may be catastrophic.

    Lynch is not a great pass rusher, but he is a good OLB. He is certainly the best OLB on the team right now. As for VMac, Celek was a better receving option, but VMac is a key component of the running game. Without him or Celek, the 49ers had rookie and/or marginal players at a position of high importance both to the running game and to the passing game (at least with Gabbert as QB).

    1. All valid points. That’s why I think that this team, when healthy, along with some FA signings (linemen and pass rusher) AND decent coaching could be competitive next season with Gabbert the Mediocre.

  27. Question for the board, how much credit for the 2010 draft does Baalke deserve?

    If I remember correctly, their board was pretty much set before he took over.

    1. As I understand it, the board is set by the scouting department, not just by the GM.
      It is unrealistic to think that the GM would be able to watch all the film needed to rank all prospects. It´s a group job, not a one-person job.

      I believe that the GM influence happens more in coordinating the whole scouting department, tie-breaking similar valued players and ponder which scouts evaluation should he trust more when settling the board.
      On draft-day his influence is more on the notion of when to deviate from the board because of a special need or opportunity, and on draft-day trades.

      1. @DamonBruce drafting AJ Jenkins ahead of Alshon Jeffrey was another bad Baalke WR draft decision

        Damon Bruce ‏@DamonBruce · 13h13 hours ago

        Damon Bruce Retweeted Joe Lee
        A big Kentwan Balmer to that!

    2. McCloughan was let go only a month before the draft so no doubt the board was pretty much set by then. What is truly ironic, is that McCloughan’s departure was handled poorly and I remembered reading an article somewhere that detailed it. Thanks to Google I found it. It’s remarkable how similar things are now to the way they were then within the organization:

        1. Jesus are you sure Ray Ratto didn’t write that, it’s as one sided and as inaccurate as any article on the subject could be. He grossly leaves out the fact that Scott was a well known alcoholic and it was the fact that he got blind drunk and slept through a meeting at the combine that ultimately cost him his job.

          Gee I wonder why he left that part out?

          1. The part I’m referring to as being ironic is the fact York was the same then as he is now in how he is running the team. The story you referenced is hearsay CFC, and McCloughan didn’t seem to have much trouble finding a job with the Seahawks 3 months after getting canned by York. I’m not saying he didn’t have a drinking problem but a lot of stories are embellished depending on who is telling them.

          1. It’s an easy statement to make but what has Jed done that resembles any of the moves Eddie made?

              1. Very possible Grimey but I’m not catching it yet. Help me out. “The more Jed tries to act like his uncle” doesn’t that imply try to do things the way Eddie did? I’m not seeing anything that he’s done that’s reminded me of things Eddie used to do.

                I’m clearly taking it the wrong direction.

              2. I’m not sure I’m misunderstanding the quote. I get the second part implies that he tries but fails but it’s the first part I’m commenting on. He might wan’t to be like Eddie but ultimately ends up being John but I’m just specifying that I don’t recognize attempts from Jed that look like he’s trying to act like his uncle.

  28. Chryst doesn’t exactly have the best track record when it comes to running an offense.
    1999 Chargers (Chryst OC): 28th pts, 26th pts

    2000 Chargers (Chryst OC): 26th pts, 28th yds

    2015 49ers (Chryst OC): 32nd pts, 32nd yds

    2014, Chryst was responsible for all 49ers red-zone plays. How effective was San
    York Family Ownership: The More things change, the more they stay the same. As Tim Kawakami said, the York’s hire based on false positives…They will look for any reason to keep Baalke and Coach T aboard:

    Francisco’s offense last year within opponents’ 20-yard lines? According to TeamRankings.com, the 49ers scored touchdowns on just 43.18 percent of their red-zone visits — 29th in the league.
    And now Chryst, who was in charge of the #49ers’ worst area offensively — the red zone — is in charge of the whole offense.

    In case you were wondering, the 49ers now sit at a 43.3 conversion rate, which ranks No. 30.

    1. Baalke High draft pick busts
      #1. Kentwan Balmer, #1. Aj Jenkins,

      #2. Lamichael James….

      And the hits keep coming. can’t wait until draft, 2016!

    2. The Yorks are the only owners in NFL history to have fired TWO different winning coaches. Mooch and Harbaugh.

      What does that tell you about the York’s football acumen.

  29. I don’t know about General Manager but as a scout McCloughan appears to have been far better in that department then Trent.

  30. It is always interesting to read the comments the days after another loss. The frustration in the room is palatable and I get it so many want to assign blame on the nearest person/s, and the list is long.
    Grant has been beating the ,dump Jimmy T. drum ,all season long, along with who ever the QB is, he sucks.
    The reality is the team does not have the horses to compete. It started with Oline , they are weak at the RT, RTG and C positions and as we have witnessed there is no one on the team who is able to reverse that fact.
    The tight end position has been decimated by injury.
    The running back position , also decimated by injury, is maned by guys off the street!
    And oh yeah, catching passes seams to be a skill the receivers are still working on.
    So how can anyone draw any conclusions about this offense!
    The same goes for the defense. Bethea, Dorsey, McCray and again who are the LB’s for this weeks game?
    I can certainly see the finger prints of th GM in this mess. He is in complete control in who is on the rooster and if this team is following the Money Ball concept then brother Jed and family are also to be held responcible.
    But to pick low hanging fruit, thank you Harbaugh, and go after the coahing staff is short sighted at best!

    1. I agree with most of this, but why can’t Tomsula get his players to play hard? Even bad players should play hard.

      1. Grant,
        Half the season was wasted on the, is Kaep our QB question. And during that time the team was battered by their opponents. By the time they put Gabbard in ,what ever chance the team had for redemption was gone. What we saw was a group who did put out what they had left. It lasted for a few games, even you Grant saw some light but the early part of the season and all that has transpired was just too much to last a complete season.

    2. The Coaching staff deserves every bit of criticism they are getting. The issues you referenced happen to every team in this league. Injuries and player turnover are a part of life in the NFL. The fact this team is last or close to the bottom in most categories on both sides of the ball, while sporting the record they have tells you how bad the Coaching is on this team.

      1. Rocket,
        Absolutely, the record does not lie!
        The lack of first team talent on the field is issue.
        I do not beleive any coach or staff could make much of a difference with this group of players on the field.
        I see the GM as responcible !
        Get some first team players on the field and take a look at what they have.

        1. hacksaw,

          We will have to agree to disagree on another Coach making a difference, but I agree with you on Baalke. We need changes to both the GM and CS imo.

  31. Denzel Perryman ended up not being too bad. There was a lot of discussion regarding him last Spring.

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