Jim Tomsula: “Maybe we need to sprint off the bus.”

SANTA CLARA

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

 

Opening comments:

“The injury report; what we’ve got here, we’ve got some bumps and bruises, but [TE Garrett] Celek is going for an MRI. But again, we still feel like nothing is broke, that it’s what our people have categorized a high ankle sprain. And obviously with those we’ll have to look and see the severity of it and see where that’s at. So, that’s it for the injuries.”

 

Is that the kind of injury that potentially you might want to bump somebody up?

“Well, that’s why I’m saying it to you. I don’t know quite frankly right now. If there’s a chance that we can have Celek back in there, obviously we’re going to look at that hard. We’ll find out what he needs to get back healthy, what the time and the protocol will be and then from there we’ll let you know.”

 

After looking at the DT Quinton Dial hit, did you think that was a legal play?

“Listen, things happen on a football field in real time. My vantage point of the play is we came in and Dial was working to get to the strike zone, which we call a strike zone. Same way you throw a pitch, from the knees to the shoulders. And that’s where we’re aiming to tackle for the integrity and safety of the game. So, that’s what we do. And I did see him lower to get into that strike zone. But, I am not here to critique officiating.”

 

Obviously, TE Blake Bell probably will get a lot more work over the next few weeks. What have you seen from him and has he made progress?

“Yeah, absolutely. He’s absolutely made progress. Absolutely a guy that I’m excited about, that we’re all excited about and I think you can see it in his performance. You can see him getting better. He’s a talented guy. He’s a big guy and he’s still ascending. So, we’re excited about where he’s at and where he’s heading.”

 

I realize your defensive linemen can generally play all of the positions. But, we for the most part have seen NT Mike Purcell play nose guard. Had he been working more in practice at defensive tackle and I guess what led you to put him in?

“Yes, he has. Well, [DL] Arik [Armstead] was a little sore. Nothing of note or anything, but he was sore and we wanted to make sure we had him in terms of the pass rush and things, we liked his matchup this week so we wanted to make sure we had him fresh and ready to role in those areas. Obviously, Mike a good, strong body versus that run game. So, in the base downs Michael went in there. Michael did a nice job and Michael is a good player and yes Michael has worked the end positions.”

 

Did he play well enough to kind of merit maybe a similar role in the future?

“Yeah. Well, Michael, you’ve seen every time Michael has been up Michael plays. So, we’re looking for ways to get, I personally and we think Michael is a good football player.”

 

On Friday defensive coordinator Eric Mangini said that you guys would keep it the same, CB Kenneth Acker start and then CB Marcus Cromartie come in, but Cromartie didn’t get in on defense. What changed?

“Well, Acker was on it, quite frankly. He was playing well. And, we’re looking for a spot right there to get him in, but Acker was really, I felt like he was doing a nice job. In that situation there, I don’t force a hand with coaches. I didn’t force a hand right there. But, that was on our minds. That was the thought process going in and we felt like Acker was doing a nice job, had a nice feel and that’s where we went.”

 

I know we keep asking you this, but with two straight road games coming up, how do you get the intensity level, particularly from your defense, to travel with you guys with the same intensity?

“After our meeting this morning with the film and all those things, that was the first topic of conversation. And again, we spent some time in the open week on that. So, we’ve got to, you’re not going to change flights. You’re not going to change that you’re going on the road. So, the changes need to come from each one of us and how we have ourselves prepared to play. Again, the acknowledgement of it and mentally coming off getting off a bus on game day and maybe we need to sprint off the bus. But, that sense of urgency and attack that football game.”

 

Does the early start impact this week’s schedule in terms of practice times?

“All those things, you can talk about early starts and all that, that’s just the way it is and that’s the way everybody does it. So, we don’t have any excuses there. In terms of the early schedule, we’ve done that in the past here. I’ve been on staffs that we’ve done that and we end up getting guys up at 6 a.m. or 5 a.m. and practicing at the time the game will be played. We went through that and then went back and the last few years just practiced normal and played. I haven’t seen any of that make a major impact, so I don’t want to do that. We’re going to practice the way we practice and keep going.”

 

Regardless of some of the penalties that you may not have thought were right or wrong, how do you clean up some of those penalties? There were still a lot of them.

“Yeah, there were a lot of penalties. Well we’ve got to, a lot of the penalties we were having there, with aggressiveness there’s aggressiveness, but there’s aggressiveness within the rules. We’ve got to make sure, number one, that our body position is in the right place so that you don’t get your hands outside your body and do things like that. And, if your hand does slip up underneath a facemask, you’ve got to get it out. And that’s going to happen. I understand that’s going to happen. Offensive linemen it’s going to happen. Defensive linemen it’s going to happen. And, you’ve got to get it out of there and get it out of there quick. The biggest way for me with penalties is body position.”

 

This game, you could look at it, as far as the final six games, this last game, yesterday’s game was kind of your Super Bowl in a sense. You’re playing the top team in the division, they blew you out pretty good in Week 3. What do you have to do to make sure that there isn’t any kind of emotional letdown after you guys played such an emotional game yesterday that carries over to these final five games?

“Well, to me the game we played yesterday, we did not win. We need to win. But, that emotion, that intensity, that’s the way we need to play all games and then make our corrections from there with that intensity, with that emotion, with that excitement. Not playing to not make a mistake, but playing, I say with your hair down. Just play, let’s go and then correct from there. So, that’s where we’re on.”

 

Are there adjustments this week when you know that the guy, Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, knows you guys so well? Certainly it’s not the exact same team, but are there any things you do when there’s somebody so familiar on the other side?

“Well, obviously that’s taken into account. I’m not going to get into any game planning, but yes, I know that, we know that, very aware of that.”

 

With five weeks left, is there any consideration to shut down RB Carlos Hyde and just have him get that surgery on his foot?

“Again, that’s been, all of that’s been on the table since the beginning. So, again, I listen to the doctors and the medical staff on where we need to go with that and what’s the best course of action. So, right now, we’re at day-to-day with Carlos and finding out exactly what that foot’s responding to.”

 

How much is he in the driver’s seat on what happened with the foot? Is it up to him whether he gets surgery at this point? Has he been resisting surgery?

“Again, I don’t, when it comes to the medical conversations, I don’t have any comment nor do I have a lot of information, because again I made that clear we stay out of, coaches and medical decisions is not a good thing. So, we stay away. We keep that very separate. But, obviously when it comes to a human being and their body, they have a major say on what they’re going to do. All of you do, that’s no different here. In the way I see our medical staff do it, we have our doctors, I mean again, with Stanford you can’t say enough. But, second opinions and all those things, I know that’s all facilitated through our medical department. So, any second opinions and different things and all the information, that’s all presented to players, who are people, human beings. So, they’re obviously not told, ‘You do this.’ They obviously have a major say in what they’re doing. That’s not just Carlos, that’s in everything we do.”

 

I don’t want to get you in trouble with the officiating stuff, but philosophically, have you thought much about the issue of full-time officials versus part-time officials and do you have a feeling about that?

“Yeah, I mean, I don’t like speaking of things that are not in my wheelhouse. I’ve been a big advocate I think of officials and officiating and I have a unique, again in my history with the NFL Europe, that was where all the officials went and they did their training camp. I sat in the evenings with officials and ate dinner and talked about their vantage points and what they see and how they see it. I was, it was actually just a tremendous experience for 10 years to be able to get that kind of information and back and forth conversation with guys while they were working their craft and I was working mine. So, there’s officiating, offense, defense, both teams. There’s always going to be something for you to write about. There’s always going to be something great, something not good. We’re always going to have discussions on what we believe and what we don’t believe. But, to stand up here and be critical of things, I’m not going to do that.”

 

I’m not asking that. I’m asking if the issue of whether full-time officiating is a good idea or not versus the system that it is now?

“I don’t have enough information to tell you that. I mean, I’m not even sure what their, they work pretty hard at it, I know that. But, I don’t have an educated opinion on their contracts.”

 

RB Shaun Draughn has carried the ball pretty much every running snap in the last couple games. Can he continue to carry that load these last five games or would you like to work in other running backs? Do you even have that option?

“Yeah. We have wanted to work in other running backs. Again, going in every game these last few games wanting to, but Shaun’s done a really nice job. He’s sturdy and he’s running well, he’s running hard. His pass protection this past week I thought was really good. So, he’s doing everything with an every down back. But we are, it is the intention to get reps with the other guys.”

 

QB Blaine Gabbert has 16 third down completions, but only six have gone for first downs. Is that, I mean, obviously some of those are third-and-10, third-and-12 situations, is that OK? Would you like to see a more aggressive approach?

“Absolutely not OK. I mean, we need to get first downs on third down. So, we’ve got to do a better job there.”

 

Throw beyond the sticks more?

“Yeah, we need to throw beyond the sticks. We need to protect. We need the entire play. In that situation, we’ve got to do a better job there.”

 

Has QB Colin Kaepernick started his rehab yet here in the building?

“Yes.”

 

He has?

“Yes. Actually, he’s in today. He’s coming in today. Yesterday, they told me that last night because they heard the press conference. But, he’s coming in today. It’s my understand he’s in today to start his rehab.”

This article has 377 Comments

  1. Head Coaching Job Description: Do not be a multi-tasker or talent evaluator, or play caller, Marathe and Baalke cover these areas

    The 49ers organization, however, are among the leaders in advanced football analytics, in large part because of Paraag Marathe. He has been a true pioneer in football analytics. Marathe, like many analytic guys, had never stepped foot on a professional football field or inside a locker room, never felt the game changing effect of momentum, has never experienced the team chemistry or what nerves can do to those black and white numbers.

    http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/11/19/9698608/paraag-marathe-the-man-behind-the-curtain

  2. The 2015 team usually plays decent defense, can stay close to good teams at home, and then usually loses in the end, anyway.
    Whether 49ers fans like it or not, this is exactly the formula that kept Singletary around for several seasons.

    And kept Mike Nolan around for several seasons before that.

    It just seems to be exactly where the York 49ers always find themselves — much to the chagrin of the fans who raised money to fly a banner that said “Jed & 49ers should mutually part ways” to fly over the stadium about 90 minutes before the game.

    T. Kawakami, SJ Merc.

    1. Damon Bruce,

      Speaking on how the York’s try to mesmerize fans with the Odourves, so fans will forget about the entrée: the actual game….

      “Nothing says the game is secondary while at the game than a 15 course Michael Mina’s restaurant.”

      1. Jay Cutler and the Chicago Bears are still in the playoff hunt, but still need a win this week.

        Chicago -6.5

    2. You want someone to do something for you….is it the smart thing to piss him off with a banner telling him that you hate everything about him….?

    1. A day for venting, so tired of losing, so while searching for answers I found a T kawakami and above article to share with like minded fans searching also.

    1. In this era of The Jedster’s Home Made mediocrity ..
      the one bit of hope that came out of the last draft ..
      was Blake Bell …

      So far …
      I like what I see from him at the TE position .. but ..
      wonder how he’d do … under center ?..

    1. Would everybody please leave the 49ers executives alone so they can calmly figure out how they’ll screw up next season, too?

      That just about sums up the York ownership.

      1. Ha! It sure does! Brilliant piece of writing by Kawakami. Unfortunately for the Yorks, he has their number….

    2. Razor,
      Kawakami makes some good points but nothing of revelation that we all already know.

      I thought it interesting that he feels Tomsula can keep his job if he reaches the 6 win mark.
      I happen to believe that it’s only one man’ (TK) opinion regarding the 6 win for possible job security.

      I also gathered from TK that Jimmy the Butcher’ job depends on Gabbert’ performance going forward.
      I would completely agree.

      Gabbert is a better QB than CK, but will it be enough to accomplish the ultimate goal which is winning?
      Gabbert looks good in the pocket, seems to make good decisions and has a quick release but so does Brandon Weeden of the cowboys whom Jerry Jones was quoted as saying; “you won’t see a more gifted passer.” As we saw with Weeden, aesthetically looking QB’ don’t necessarily equal wins – they basically just look good losing.

      Some here are over-the-top excited that Blaine is the starter but I believe that some of that excitement stems from just having Kap on the bench.
      Heck, they would have been happy to see Jeff George start or even Boy George for that matter if it meant replacing Kap.

      This organization is about winning. Eddie D set the mold and now Jed needs to build from it.
      Young Jed said that we don’t lift banners except for Superbowl banners. He will need to answer his critics on his failed season and make a statement to the Faithful (especially paying customers) on what went wrong. For the most part we can all decipher what went wrong, what I need to hear from Jed is what is he going to do to right the ship.

      1. I used to be skeptical regarding Kawakami speculation before he prophesied the debacle that we now find ourselves in….

          1. I actually thought nobody was stupid enough to manufacture a lame duck season for an extremely successful coach, and then fire him, but then…YORK!

            1. By the time Jed fired Harbaugh in the Thanksgiving tweet, I thought he should have fired him right after the loss to Seattle in the NFC championship game for philosophical differences. Jed’s need to educate the public first was a major sign of weakness.

        1. I’ve been reposting “Kawakami on Jed” here since the “Harbaugh has to go” publicity campaign began in February 2013. Maybe I was an early buyer because I’ve been in the audience for 70 years. I certainly have never had the insight to see it for myself that early in the plan.

          I also think that Jed-Paraag’s gamesmanship led to a lot of unintended consequences. Unfortunately two more wins might keep Tomsula here, but someone else (OC) would take Jim’s place on the plank.

      2. “As we saw with Weeden, aesthetically looking QB’ don’t necessarily equal wins – they basically just look good losing.”

        This^^^^

      3. I think Blaine Gabberts performance will determine if Trent Baalke stays or not. If Gabbert has some stellar performances over the next 5 games, that trade will look like gold and the Niners wont be pressed to take a QB early in next years draft.

        Is it not already predetermined that Jim Tomsula is done? I mean its pretty clear he is not a head coach. I don’t know what another 3 more wins will say other than yeah you won 6 games but your team was terrible all year with effort, mistakes, and preparation.

        1. FDM,

          I don’t think it’s predetermined that Tomsula is done, in fact I think it’s the opposite. In order for Jed and Trent to admit they f’d up and hired somebody not qualified for the job, the results likely have to be catastrophic. If the team wins a couple of games down the stretch there is no doubt in my mind these two will talk about the improvement they saw, how the team looked like they were turning the corner, how things will continue to improve in year two blah, blah, blah and Tomsula will get a second year likely with a new OC that impresses no one because Tomsula can’t attract a decent candidate.

          I know that comes off as extremely pessimistic but I’ve seen this play out before. Jed isn’t going to want to eat the rest of Tomsula’s contract after one year. He doesn’t want to admit that he made a terrible error in judgement by hiring him in the first place and he doesn’t want to have to hire somebody else who may be tough to work with. All those things stand in the way of Tomsula being fired, so the rest of the year will have to be ugly enough to force his hand, and 5-6 wins likely won’t do the job.

          1. I think that scenario is very possible Rocket but on the football side of things, I don’t think the 49ers can win any of their next 5 games. Ultimately if the game last week was looked at as an improvement vs. Arizona than this organization is headed for a catastrophic collapse. Sure they played better but they also lost and it does not mask the previous 10 games. If Jed York can somehow convince us that this team is getting better with moral victories then he should perform on Broadway.
            The bottom line is winning. I don’t think they beat Chicago this week, maybe win in Cleveland, losing to Cincy and Detroit, and a possible win against the Rams. So that makes it best case scenario 5-11. That’s still awful when you consider the real issues plaguing the team. Here is my case as to why he goes:

            1. If Tomsula was hired because he is a good teacher, what has he done to demonstrate that? Undisciplined play on Sunday shows this when in a tight game his guys got unravelled.

            2. Of the 8 loses, 6 were blow outs. Poor preparation in each. Lacked effort.

            3. The true measure for me has always been how you compete within the division. Except for last week, we look years away from being able to compete against our division foes.

            4. For a defensive minded coach, we are ranked 30th in the NFL.

            5. Has not made very good in game decisions personnel wise and keeps trotting out the same guys week in week out that are struggling.

            1. Add the fact this team is soft. Tomsula is soft and so the 49ers have taken on that identity.

              There is no urgency and now all we are seeing is guys playing for jobs.
              I guess these next few games on the road will show how tough this team is and how much they are willing to play for him.
              I agree that we don’t win another game till the Rams at home. In fact I’m selfishly hoping we finish 3-13 because the only way change will happen is if we hit rock bottom, which to me we have already. But maybe management needs to see it on paper!

            2. The only way Tomsula leaves this season is if he falls on his own sword. The ownership will give interviews about how Tomsula got the guys up to play competitively even with all the personnel losses they suffered. There will be a big emphasis on overcoming challenges and solidarity standing behind Tomsula.
              The OC may be saved by the same excuse. The biggest problem here is who would you replace Chryst with that actually wants the job and will do better?

              1. No Sir. Didn’t Erickson get two seasons? PR campaign will be about how the team lost kep personnel.
                Also, I think SF avoids drafting a QB until their 4 the round pick. Nothing spectacular. Probably a no name star from D2.

          2. I concur with every syllable. Also, Jed is cheap and it will just cost more money, nobody will want the job, and Jed will be further humiliated.

    1. Of course Kaepernick is rehabbing under the direction of his doctors. What you looking for? Maybe more “Bad Kaep” activity?

    1. good piece, Grant … but ..
      doncha think you’re a tad bit harsh on Harold ?

      It may be a little early to refer to him as a bust …

      1. Especially considering the fact that he is a rookie that was drafted in the third round.

      2. Nah, way more fun to make snap judgements.

        In saying that, I really haven’t been impressed with Harold. At all. He’s going to want to improve significantly next year.

        I did see Grant retweeted a comment about Harold looking like Lemonier. Really disagree with that. The end result is the same (neither do much), but Lemonier is muscular and a linear athlete while Harold is slight with decent flexibility. Harold needs to add weight and strength.

        1. Agreed. Next year will tell us all we need to know after another year in the strength and conditioning program….

          1. The entire organization is going to want to improve significantly next year.

        2. I like Lemonier, and thinks he does have talent, while so many others thought he was a bust. Last game, he had 44 snaps, and helped the Niners throttle the Cards running game. I do concede that he needs to get to the QB more, tho.

      1. IMO Harold is just too small for the position. I think I speculated at the time that their plan might be to shift him to ILB, which obviously it wasn’t. Also, here is how Football Outsiders evaluated Harold as a pass rusher at the time:
        “According to SackSEER, the talent available at the edge rusher position begins to fall off sharply after Dupree. The next prospect up is Eli Harold, who had a good combine workout that you might have overlooked given the eye-popping performances put up by some of his peers. Harold’s production in college was a little below average, which adds up to Harold being a thoroughly average prospect.”

        http://www.footballoutsiders.com/stat-analysis/2015/sackseer-2015

    2. Gee Grant, I say the Niners need to go bold, and not timid and resigned, and now you write Chryst needs to do that. Guess you DO read my posts.

      1. I sure hope you get interviewed by the 49ers for their vacant HC or OC position next year Seb. I mean your ideas are so ground breaking!
        They seem to like to hire incompetence so you would be a perfect fit!

            1. listen up, young whippersnapper, I have promised to behave. Believe me, nobody want to engage me in a war of insults. I apologize if you have felt offended, and plan on keeping future interactions to a minimum for the sake of calm discourse.
              Now that your nemesis, Kaep is gone, the Niners are stuck with Gabbert and his 2 game losing streak. Maybe your thinking has jumped from the frying pan onto the fire.

  3. I’ve found myself giving into the dark side and secretly rooting for the 49ers to lose out, with the ends justifying the means. Perhaps then, York will be forced to meet the terms of the Rebellion….

    1. That’s it .. Razor ..

      a rebellion … !!

      We haven’t had one of those since ..

      u-hhhh …. since … 1776, maybe ?

      (I keed)

  4. I am trying to understand the thought process of Tomsula. Last week, he kicked the field goal that meant nothing instead of going for the TD down 2 scores. This week, he went for the TD down 6 points with 3 minutes left and 3 time outs. I thought after the sack it made since to kick the FG, use your time outs and at least try and tie the game. I hate conservative play, but that play would have made more sense than last week’s debacle.
    Then tonight, Baltimore went for it on 4th and 1 from their own 24 yard line up four points. Where are the guts for this coaching staff? None of us are going to justify the fifth round pick on the punter. Stop trying to shove that decision down our throats by punting every fourth down.

    1. Matt:

      I posted this earlier but will post again in case you missed it. Tomsula recently said “You can’t be afraid to punt”.

  5. Shaub throwing a pick six was odd, he rarely does that.

    Only the Browns can lose that way.

    1. No, browns lose by having their game winning FG blocked and run back for a game winning TD. John Harbaugh deserves some breaks since his team has lost so many close games. Saw a Browns fan rip off his jersey and burn it.

  6. Alex Smith would have won number 6. This did not fit Harbaugh’s revenge scheme. Remember he hated the 49ers once. ‘“I`ll live to avenge this game-as a player, as a coach, whatever,“ said Bears quarterback Jim Harbaugh.’ Smith plays well, barely injured… crap. What to do, what to do… hey ink boy, scramble around the field. -puts Guy Fawkes mask on… moves to Michigan-

    1. josh,
      Hey dude, have a Snickers!
      It’s all conjecture, but I highly doubt Smith could have got us past the Packers let alone get to the SB.

      But I’m with Mid on this one, hopefully you are being sarcastic.

  7. http://www.mercurynews.com/tim-kawakami/ci_29184849/kawakami-what-bad-49ers-decisions-will-yorks-make
    But if the 49ers fire Tomsula, is general manager Trent Baalke really the right guy to attract and pick a new coach? He’s not.
    That’s where it gets really tricky for the Yorks and Marathe, because they’re comfortable with Baalke. He fits this team’s dour, insular nature. They don’t want to try to find another G.M.
    The Yorks have a lot invested in Baalke and Tomsula — a lot of silly, messy, self-destructive stuff, but for the Yorks, that stuff is who they are.

  8. On NN, some fans (Reed) were predicting a 19-0 season. They just missed the name of the team. Warriors are 19-0, not the Niners.

    1. Anybody that predicted a 19-0 season for the 49ers seriously needs their head examined.

        1. What made him think Geep Chryst could lead this offense to new heights?
          It’s a toss-up between whose judgment calls have been worse this year: Baalke’s or the part-time NFL referees.

          1. Do you think Chryst was chosen or received the job by default? Not many would work under Tomsula.
            The next head coach may just be Eric Mangini…He seems to be the only guy willing to work for this FO that has any HC experience. I am not saying this would be a good thing, but what other options does he have? ESPN?

      1. It was started to counter the 0-19 crowd. While I was wildly optimistic at 10-6, many were saying less than 4 wins. pessimist crowd was at 6 wins, and optimists were 8-10 wins.
        Then 3 posters who were 19-0.

        1. They always do that. Its not just this year.
          The thought process is: as a fan you always believe in 19-0, no matter what.
          Every year.

              1. I predicted 10 this year. If Tomsula and co. are back next year, they will win 6. If another coaching staff is in place, anyone with NFL experience, they will win 10.

    1. I’m not convinced making them full time employees will change things very much if at all. The game moves so fast they can’t keep up at times, and then there are the crews that will call every marginal infraction they see or think they see. It’s the human element that people are really frustrated with when it comes down to it, and that doesn’t get fixed by making the officials full time employees.

      1. To some degree I think you are right, rocket. In other football codes, having professional refs hasn’t gotten rid of mistakes. You just have to accept that mistakes will happen, as they are humn. However, there is more accountability, and refs that habitually make bad calls don’t last long. There is also a larger talent pool to choose from.

        1. “However, there is more accountability, and refs that habitually make bad calls don’t last long.”

          Scooter:

          In the USA companies like the NFL worry about lawsuits when letting employees go, even if the employee is performing very poorly. That’s one of the reasons why companies use contractors.

          Having said that, as I stated earlier if the refs were full-time employees with benefits, the pool would include more younger individuals. Now that I’m getting on in years, I do think younger refs would be able to keep up with the fast pace of an NFL game better than the old refs that we typically see on the field (not all are old but from what I see it looks like most are).

      2. Yeah I think you’re right too Rocket. Actually I don’t, but I figured I should agree with you on something, just so we don’t keep antagonizing each other over the holidays. And I did win the Kaep sucks argument.

        Full time refs are not the answer. Humans are not the answer. Someone in Santa Clara needs to invent the Ref App.

        It’s a slow Tuesday. How bout them Warriors!

      3. Rocket, I hope you agree that it could be a lot better. With modern technologies, multiple angles of slo mo replay, I would like to see a 10 second challenge window of ALL plays. There should be a ref in the booth who can tell an official on the field to throw a flag, or over rule a call. In that booth, there should be a wall of images showing the play on loop, so the official in the booth can make a call within 10 seconds, so the game does not slow down with needless delays.
        I hope they reform the rulebook, and sharpen definitions. Part time refs are so infuriating, I am calling for yearly competency testing.

  9. Pete Morrelli and his crew have been yanked from this sun nationally televised sun night game because of “numerous mistakes” in sundays 9ers vs Ariz game. According to CBS sports.

    1. Maybe we will get the mixed bag of refs we got in the Super Bowl for “racial equality” sake. Still pissed about that! Errr!

  10. Looks like the team will have a little spending money in the off season. According to NN with the potential increase in the cap, before the 49ers cut Colin and Brooks they would have nearly 43M in cap space. That would jump to over 50 once those two players are gone.

        1. There’s a quarterback with a name something like Bandrew Snuck, is due to be FA after 2016.

      1. Good call Scooter. Wilkerson would be a great signing. He would make everybody on the Dline better especially Armstead.

        1. Anthony Davis. And they’ve got the money to sign a RT as well as Wilkerson anyway. If Wilkerson hits the market he’ll likely be the biggest impact player available, and this team needs impact players.

          1. Do you honestly expect him to still be with the team next season after being out for a year along with his most recent comments?

              1. Baalke would more than likely rather trade him for a draft pick or two whether the team would be better with him or not.

              2. Hopefully you’re right Scooter, but I haveto say that I’m holding out hope that Baalke thinks that way too.

              1. Take a look at the team’s free agency history and you’ll see how unlikely that scenario is.

              2. Who cares? I’m making suggestions of what I think they should do, not what they will do. Live a little, Mid. :-)

              3. That’s kind of hard to do considering who owns the team.
                I doubt any big name free agents will want to sign with the team at the moment considering how pitifully they have utilized Torrey Smith this season.

              4. Not trying to be a downer here, but I just don’t see any competent member of the front office actually making an effort to convince an top end player to come here.

              5. If they were willing to spend the money, do you agree or disagree it is worth going after Wilkerson, even knowing he will cost a lot of money?

              6. I absolutely would love it, but does Wilkerson consider money more important than being on a Super Bowl contender?

              7. I’m actually not familiar with Wilkerson. If you guys say he would make a great addition, then I believe you.

                However, I’m of the thinking that Baalke will only pay big bucks for a FA at a position he believes he is poor at drafting. We all know that position is WR – hence the big bucks for Torrey. But I think Baalke feels that he knows how to draft a DL or can find good value DL in FA. Therefore, I’m not convinced that he would shell out the big bucks for Wilkerson.

              8. I honestly don’t expect Baalke to even make an effort Scooter.

              9. So true, but will it be enough to make bypass bargain bin buys instead?

          2. I don’t like the idea of guys retiring then coming back. It’s usually because of money and they lose that edge.

              1. Will Boone be a 49er next year?

                I think Davis will be in camp next year. We’ll see if he’s still any good.

              2. I don’t think the 49ers can let any decent OL they have walk for nothing anymore! Boone is still young and has some meanness that this line lacks as it is.

              3. I can’t imagine Boone will be back. He’ll want to test the market and we know the attitude of this front office towards paying guards. Boone has been relatively cheap for us, he’s the 17 highest paid G based on cap hit but drops to 26th based on average salary. He’s going to look to get paid and although he wont make as much as Iupati he’s likely to be offered more then we’re willing to match.

              4. I still think there is some unknown reason why they moved Boone to LG and refuse to move him back to the right side. I don’t know if it has something to do with Staley or Boone. However, it might be as simple as the lack of development of Brandon Thomas.

              5. With Baalke still here I can see him letting Boone walk. He doesn’t like mean, nasty guys. He and Jed like choir boys!

      2. Wilkerson will not want to come here if the Niners keep on losing.
        Baalke will be too cheap, and let some other team outbid the Niners.

    1. On the receiver front I’d be interested in signing Rishard Matthews to replace Boldin.

          1. I try. :-p
            But seriously, Matthews is way too hot and cold to be a valid replacemnt for Boldin. Maybe Patton and Ellington, but definitely not Boldin.

      1. Top targets I’d be interested in the 49ers signing.
        Marvin Jones WR
        Chris Ivory RB
        Brandon Mebane DT

      2. I wouldn’t be against that CfC, but it’d be more a case of adding to the competition than being a certain replacement for Boldin. He’s been alright for the Dolphins this year, but I wouldn’t be comfortable assuming he can take over that role at the same level Boldin has provided.

        More of an “in case Smelter can’t take the job” kind of signing.

        1. “but it’d be more a case of adding to the competition than being a certain replacement for Boldin”

          That’s really all I was suggesting. He’s young’ish and I think he still hasn’t reached his ceiling.

        2. I’ve been keeping two fingers crossed that Smelter would be used more of as a wide out but with that torn ACL that’s probably nothing more then wishful thinking.

      1. Traits. Big, athletic quarterbacks with strong arms but poor downfield accuracy, so they mostly dink and dunk.

            1. I always thought Osweiler was athletic for a tall guy but Lynch is probably more so. I think both of those guys throw a better deep ball than Gabbert though.

        1. Gabbert in college was 38.5% on 3rd down passes between 7-9 yards and 42.5% on third down passes over 10+ yards. Lynch is 64% and 54% respectively. Gabbert averaged 6.7 yards per attempt versus Lynch’s 9.

          I don’t know if Lynch if going to be any good as an NFL QB but your off on your comparison. Lynch is far more accurate and better down field passer then Gabbert was.

        2. By “accuracy”, do you mean low downfield completion percentage, or his passes are clearly off target, or both?

          I think Goff has better receivers to throw the ball to (even relative to competition).

        3. I don’t agree with the comparison. As others have pointed out, Lynch is a better downfield thrower than Gabbert ever was in college.

        1. If the Niners already have a QB equal to the best rated QB in the draft, they should target bigger needs like O line or a pass rusher.

    1. Gabbert hardly ever threw the ball more than 10-15 yards at Missouri Grant. That is likely a big reason why he struggles at throwing the ball downfield now. Lynch throws a high number of short passes, but from what I’ve seen he has pretty good deep ball accuracy.

      1. Rocket if the 49ers had Gase as HC, Fangio as DC, crystal ball it, what would their record be right now?

        1. My guess would be 5-6 wins right now. The team is not loaded with talent but it has more than the record indicates.

            1. Yeah considering he failed to shore up the offensive line in the offseason and then made some curious roster cuts to set the 53.

              The D is very young, so we’ll see how much they can improve in year 2 under Mangini.

            2. Prime,

              It’s on everybody involved, but the Coaching is poor, and they should be a least two or three games better than they are with what they have on the roster imo.

        2. If they got rid of Tomsula at the end of the year, I wonder if they’d make another run at Gase? And I wonder if he’d give them the light of day?

          1. 5 million a year and full control of all offensive player acquisitions might do it. I think major concessions by Baalke will have to happen to have someone like that added.

            1. By full control do you mean he is responsible for the scouting as well, or do you mean he has final say? I think letting him have final say would be a good thing, would be interesting to see if Baalke would let that happen though!

              I agree on McDaniels. Razor suggested they go for a McDaniels HC/ Caserio GM double earlier in the year. Could be a good idea.

              1. I don’t think Baalke concedes everything but if they hire a legit HC with an offensive background, he should have full control in shaping the offensive side of the ball from the draft and free agency.
                McDaniels might be a good choice but will take a lot to pry away from NE.

              2. You want a coach who has the same type of offense that you despised Harbaugh for having?

              3. MW, The gameplan I saw in the Stanford ND game was impressive. Shaw was light years more innovative than Harbaugh.

              4. You obviously did not watch that game. There were laterals, triple options , I think I even saw a flea flicker.
                Shaw was more innovative in that one game than I saw the Niners in their entire 2014 season.

              5. You can agrue against it all you want Seb, but that is the type of offense Harbaugh ran while at Stanford.

              6. You can argue that Shaw is a clone of JH until you are blue in the face, but dissing Shaw for being a HC for years after JH left is illogical,and the proof is in that game. If you will tell me that you watched that ND game, and see absolutely no difference between Shaw and JH, well we will just have to agree to disagree, but the innovations were there. Stanford did not run a Bo Shem; 3 yards and a cloud of dust offense.

              7. Seb,

                Shaw is a Harbaugh clone, but seriously, who gives a fuc|<. All they do is win. Shaw will never be the 49ers coach though. His personality is too strong for the suits.

              8. You took the words right out of my mouth Jack. Shaw is Harbaugh 2.0 in terms of his offense and his demeanor. No way does he ever come to the 49ers who have made comfort a bigger priority over winning, and the odds that Seb would be complaining in a year or two if Shaw did get hired on with the team would be considerably high.

              9. Sigh, you are probably right, Jack. Shaw is too smart to be lured to this incompetent mess.

              1. No guarantee that Mangini would still be here if Tomsula was fired Prime.

              2. I’m ok with giving Mangini another chance next season, so long as there are signs the D is progressing over the next five weeks.

              3. I like what Hue Jackson is doing with the Bengals but is he one of those guys that’s a better coordinator than Head coach? Same with Josh McDaniels?
                I think this team needs a proven head coach. A guy with a strong presence and experience. I would love to see Nick Saban back in the NFL or maybe Sean Payton in SF. Those I know are wishful thinking. Regardless, Jed York is going to have to break the bank to get someone here who is legit and that can hire quality assistants. Pretty sure the cheap route he took with Jimmy T wont fly anymore.

              4. Hue did a nice job as HC in Oakland until Al died and he became the defacto GM. He was focused on winning that season and made the bad trade for Palmer, although if he had been kept beyond that season as HC, they may have turned things around quickly with Palmer.

                I’d be ok with Hue as HC and we know the offense would be a lot better at the very least.

          2. Baalke would never give up personnel control willingly. That is a big detriment to finding a top HC candidate.

        3. If Gase was the HC and had free reign to do what he needed to do, I could see 7-4. He would have either figured out how to get the most out of Kaep, or benched him and put in a better pocket passer in Gabbert. He would have an offensive scheme much like what he’s doing with Cutler.
          Fangio would have a solid defense that was consistent.
          Seeing how the Seattle has regressed a bit, they would split that series, so that means losses to GB, PIT, AZ and SEA.
          They would beat NYG, STL, AZ and SEA at home.

        1. I’ve noticed a lot of Lynch’s downfield throws are from play-action as well, though not all. I imagine that isn’t too uncommon though?

          He does have a lot of easy short throws as part of the offense – I’d be interested to see how much of his total passing yards come from RAC on short throws, as I dare say it is a high %.

          The thing is, when he does throw downfield, whether it be play-action or not, he has ok accuracy. Its not consistently good, and he does have some passes downfield that are off the mark, but in general he has been better on deep throws than Gabbert has shown the past two weeks.

          1. I’d like to see Lynch’s downfield numbers. He looks off to me. And he doesn’t look good on third downs, either.

              1. Just for fun and not an indicator of what will actually occur thru five:(1) Jaylon Smith LB;(2) Carson Wentz QB ;(3)Spencer Drango OT;(4)Christian Westerman OG;(4)Devonte Fields DE; Keyarris Garrett WR.

        2. I didn’t see alot of downfield attempts. That doesn’t mean he can’t throw long. Could be the design of the offense or limitations of his receivers.

      2. Gabbert’s “best” downfield completion, last week, was to Torrey Smith, and showed that he realy is off-target on the long ball.

        Torry caught the pass, wrestling it away from the honey bear, but could have got significantly more yards with better timing an accuracy. The play was a “typical” Montana to Taylor pass catching a safety in single, post snap, and taking advantage.

        Gabbert does look good at reading defenses, his execution is getting better, but somebody really good needs to compete with him to see whether he really is a No. 1.

        I’d go QB in the draft. But if BG plays great the next four or five games, it could be a later round find, or get two OLs.

    2. Hopefully it doesn’t matter after the 49ers pass on taking a QB in the first round.

  11. NFL.com has released the coaches film for the game and here is what it shows in regards to the third and long plays:

    2Q 11:31 3rd & 14. Lined up in shotgun. 4 receivers, 3 on the right and one on the left. Draughn is in the backfield. As soon as he snaps the ball Gabbert immediately looks for Draughn and passes him the ball. One of the receivers(could be a TE can’t see #’s) crosses directly in front of Gabbert but has a LB on him. He could have caught the ball but only for a few more yards then Draughn. The two receivers that were on the bottom of the screen both were in a better position to make a first down but Gabbert never looks that direction. He decided to throw it to Draughn before he snapped the ball, sounds like someone else we know.

    2Q 7:14 3rd & 33. Lined up in shotgun. 2 receivers and a TE(think it’s Vance) on the right side with Patton on the left. The RB stays home and blocks. 2 of the receivers on the right side are well covered. However if Gabbert had only waited another moment he would have seen that the TE becomes wide open and would have had at least a 20 gain before potential YAC. Still would have been a stretch to make first down but we’re talking a 33 yard down here, how many plays are designed to for that? Bottom line is Gabbert again pulled the trigger too early and had a better deeper option. Oh and just to answer the question, no Gabbert didn’t have pressure on him and waiting the extra moment would not have resulted in a sack.

    These were the only two instances that I saw a 3rd and long where the pass was completed or thrown to a target well short of where they needed to get. In both cases the short pass was the result of Gabbert either deciding before the snap where he was throwing the ball or him simply not giving the routes enough time to develop. There were certainly deeper routes available to him on both plays.

    Chryst called the right plays but the QB didn’t make the right choices.

    1. Thanks for the breakdown. We can all use a perception vs reality readjustment from time time time. I least I can.

    2. There was a 3rd and 8 at 7:20 in the 2nd Q. Gabbert throws incomplete to Patton(drop) on a shallow cross well short of the sticks. If you feel like checking that one out.

      1. They had 3 possessions in the 2nd Q, the first two are the ones I broke down and the third resulted in a FG. I think you’re thinking of the 3rd and 33 that went incomplete to Patton. It’s the 2nd play I break down.

          1. Yep, I see what I did. It was on the 33 yard line. But yea it was 3rd and 8. So the pass to the TE would have been a for sure first down.

            1. Honest mistake. Looks even worse on Gabbert though. He threw a third down pass short of the sticks on the FG drive too, but went for(and coverted) the 4th down.

    3. Thanks for the breakdown CfC.

      I did however see a few occasions on 3rd downs where the deeper receivers were out looking to block in front of the intended target, so some were by design.

  12. I’ll tell ya. I sit here and think about the state of the team and how bad it is and how bad it’s going to continue to be and I just have to think; if only we had drafted Murphy. I mean I know I might dislocate my shoulder from time to time trying to pat myself on the back but you can’t say I didn’t tell you all this would happen if they passed on him and well, here we are.

    At this point I don’t even think using all of that 50 million in cap space to pry him from the Redskins would be enough to save us at this point. We’ve already slipped past the event horizon and our fate is sealed.

    1. But.. what about if they added Murphy and….Mettenberger? That has to be a guaranteed trip to the NFCCG minimum.

    1. The 49ers have yet to successfully replace Ted Ginn.

      Ellington’s looked shaky fielding punts in his rookie preseason. He improved, but not to the point where I was confident in his fielding capabilities.

      1. Watching the Niner’s kick returners bring the ball out and get less than 20 yards is really getting old.

        It’s either time to look at the special teams coach, or get somebody else to do the job.

        At this point in the 2015 season, Hayne would at least be interesting.

      1. They’re both perfect examples of what’s wrong with this year’s 49ers. Young players who need game reps but don’t get them for reasons only known by Tomfoola.

    1. Sorry, Grant, but Eli has won a couple Super Bowls. I would compare Goff to Steve Deberg. Steve passed a lot, but never could win a big game.

    2. That’s an interesting comparison for Goff Grant. I think he’s more Matt Ryan than Manning but I can see where you are coming from. The thing I like about Goff is he isn’t afraid to take a shot. It’s a lot easier to Coach a QB to reel it in a bit than it is to Coach aggressiveness. A lot of Goffs picks are also because he’s gambling to try and keep his team in a game they are overmatched in. In my opinion he’s the best QB in the draft if he declares, and the guy I think the Niners should be targeting.

      1. “In my opinion he’s the best QB in the draft if he declares, and the guy I think the Niners should be targeting.”

        I agree. He can absolutely sling it.

  13. This made me seriously lol, some around here might find this hits a little close to home:

    1) Gabbert plays exactly at the level that gets you excited enough as a fan to get your hopes up. You think maybe we can win a game. Then it doesn’t happen. So instead of just accepting a loss and being ok with it, you get excited just to feel MORE disappointment.

    http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/12/1/9832398/gabbert-is-the-worst-thing-to-happen-to-2015-niners

    1. CFC:

      Did you read some of the comments. There’s a guy named Matt80 defending Jed and the other posters can’t quite figure out if he is being satirical or not. Also, claude seems to be posting quite a bit over there.

      1. Matt80 claims to be an Aussie. He just is too nice a guy, he is new to the Niners and has not lived through those years of futility since the Yorks took over.
        If York chose Marathe over Walsh, he deserves everything that has happened to him.
        Jed cannot show his face without fans hurling expletives at him, 2 cute chicks are flipping him off and fans are spending thousands of dollars to humiliate him by flying banners.
        Matt80 thinks the fans are being disrespectful. Diehard faithful Niner fans think Jed has disrespected the Niners.

    2. Well, that was said a lot about Alex Smith also.

      But when Harbaugh came on board suddenly the defense became elite, the ground game became very solid, and the QB was efficient enough to win a lot of games.

      I know Alex Smith is definetly not my dream QB, but with him at the helm SF went 19-5 in 1 and 1/2 regular seasons and was a questionable “forward progress” call away from going to the Superbowl.

      So I’d like to see Gabbert under a decent Coaching Staff before passing any definitive judgements like that. If I were to guess he showed so far more promise than Alex Smith ever did under bad coaches, so it is very possible that he can be better than Alex Smith best years.

      It still won’t be elite, but it would be an above average QB, which is enough to win with the right supporting cast.

      I don’t know why so many people seem outraged when it is suggested that he can be a good but not elite QB. Why is that so bad or not plausible?

  14. Does this define the incompetence of our coaching staff or is it more than that? Is it the GM reaching in to play players that he’s selected which JH’s staff wouldn’t do? Do they not have the ability to evaluate talent? How different would our season be if they could make decisions quickly? Tiller would have been an upgrade from week 1. Devey was a -16.1. Grant points out Purcell might be an upgrade. Where else are they playing the wrong players?

    “This past week against the Arizona Cardinals, Pro Football Focus graded Tiller at -0.9, including a -0.6 pass blocking grade, having given up three hurries. Through 11 games, they grade Tiller at +2.5 overall in 288 snaps, and Devey at -16.1 overall in 397 snaps. You don’t need PFF grading to know Devey was a hot mess, but it certainly adds to the bigger picture.”

    1. Hmm, sprinting off the bus? Knowing the Niners, I expect a player to trip and get injured.
      Maybe Tomsula should channel Bill Walsh. Bill donned a bellhop uniform before a SB as a prank to keep them loose, and actually fooled a couple players before they caught on to his joke.

  15. Have these transcripts been edited? I count only one “OK?”

    Somebody must be coaching up Tomsula. The pr person assigned to Tomsula is earning their money. What a horrendous job that mus be.

  16. I have a small suggestion. Since Fangio ran the Niner defense for years, he might have a pretty good grasp on the Niner tendencies and schemes, and knows the players pretty well. Therefor, since the Niner offense is last in the league, they should throw out the playbook and do something totally different.
    The Niners should run the no huddle with quick snaps to prevent them from substituting and maybe catch them with 12 or 13 men on the field. They should roll out Gabbert as much as possible by putting a Man in Motion to pinch in the DE. They should put Torrey in motion so he will be at full speed at the snap of the ball and he will be able to avoid the check at the LOS. They should run reverses, fly sweeps, quick slants and screens. They should use Blake Bell on a flea flicker. They should activate Hayne and let him field punts, and give him some pitches so he can attack the edges and make the first tackler miss.
    Above all, they should surprise the heck out of Fangio and all Niner fans by making adjustments.

    1. The only problem with that theory Sebnynah is that their offensive coordinator is incapable of devising any type of effective game plan and executing it through his type of play calling. Geep Chryst should have been fired during the bye week. How he has kept his job till now is remarkable.

    2. Good suggestions, but it will not happen. Tomsula and this staff execute a very conservative game plan. Now that they have the possibility of not looking 100% inept they will become even more conservative in order to keep the losses from becoming lopsided and thereby keeping their jobs in 2016.

      Face it, we are stuck with this staff for this year and the next, at the least. Possibly Chryst will be sacrificed, but who would replace him? Can you imagine Tomsula being able to hire a respected Offensive Coordinator? If this all sounds familiar, it is, we have bee there before, anybody remember Jimmy Raye?

      1. I disagree Leo only because these next 5 games we will see the team revert back to its lethargic ways. They’ve been dismal on the road and so that will continue. 3 of the next 5 are on the road and then a tough one at home vs. The Bengals.
        With the way they have played all year and the blow out loses nothing can shade that. Sure we might see a better effort and guys playing for jobs but 3-13, 4-12 or even 5-11 is still a failure and 90% of it is on Tomsula and his inability to get it close to being right!

        1. I agree. However, making a coaching change at the end of the season would necessitate Baalke/Maarathe/York admitting that they had made a colossal blunder in undermining and firing Harbaugh and hiring Tomsula. It takes people of strong will and moral courage to admit their mistakes publicly and to take strong action in a new direction. The Baalke/Maarathe/York triad does not inspire me to believe that they have that kind of strength or courage.

          1. Billionaires never have to explain they made a mistake. Sure Jed York over estimated the ability of Jim Tomsula but he will be asked and he will dance around it just like he did when he fired Jim Harbaugh.
            I don’t think they hold onto an unqualified coach because they are afraid to admit they made a mistake. He just needs to now get it right/

  17. If those boneheads in our FO have any respect for us fans they should have given us a quality staff they cant be serious with this crap.
    We need a overhaul with a offensive juggernaut as HC, if those idiots from our FO are so innovating with there business with the silicon valley geeks than they should be innovative with a 2015 offense and not a dinosaur offense because this really conflicts.

        1. Fire Baalke s/b included above, since, according to Knbr’s Larry Krueger, Baalke’s struck out on 30 of 50 draft picks.

          1. Against the hated Green Bay Packers on Thanksgiving, the Bears held quarterback Aaron Rodgers to 202 passing yards. The secondary isn’t

  18. Anyone have any grades on Tartt?

    I haven’t heard his name much, which could be a good thing for a safety. Does he look like the guy for the future? Is AB done as a niner?

    1. Tartt has played pretty well Leo. A lot better than you’d expect considering where he came from. A lot of talent and he may have made Bethea expendable.

    2. Since taking over the SS role he has played well except for the Seahawks game, where he had a -3.0 coverage grade according to PFF. I don’t know what his overall grade was but that would likely have been worse as he missed some tackles too.

      But, the whole D played poorly against the Seahawks, and every other game he has started he has played pretty well.

      1. Thanks Scoot and Rocket, can always count on you guys. The only thing I don’t like about getting rid of Bethea is losing another vet. Too much youth in the backfield. Reid is a leader, but would be nice to have more experience out there.

  19. SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 26 (UPI) — Losing is lonely, and it was solitude quarterback Blaine Gabbert found when not a single media member showed up to the San Francisco 49ers quarterback’s Wednesday press conference.

  20. The 49ers need to beat the Rams in the season finale to avoid going winless in the NFC West for the first time since 1978.

    For newer 49er fans that date is significant because it’s a year before Bill Walsh was hired, putting an end to the Rams parties on SF’s field

  21. Grant

    I keep reading that no respectable coach would come to SF because of the team….I think that they might read the blogs to measure just what kind of Fan support they could expect….Today’s blog would certainly scare off several of them.

    1. Baalke would never hire Gruden, Shannahan or Holmgren…They all knew Uncle Eddy, so when, as KnBr’s Larry Krueger said Baalke missed on 30-50 draft picks, who is Jed going to believe, a poor talent evaluator or a Super Bowl winning head coach.

        1. I liked Tedford at Cal. He was supposed to be Lovie’s OC in Tampa till health problems derailed that. I think he would be a better OC than Chryst, but college seems like a good place for him.

        2. I like what he did with Rodgers, but when his recruiting suffered, it got ugly. There are a bunch of good college gigs he possibly could take, so I am glad he realizes his limitations and will stick to the college game.

    1. Grimey …

      Hall of Famer, already …and ….

      He’s just
      gettin’ started … !!

      (think about it)

  22. If I was a betting man I’d wager that we’ll be picking at either the #4 or #5 spot next spring. It’s almost all but certain that the Titans and Browns will have the first two spots; their records and their schedules seal their fates. I also believe the Cowboys will end up picking before us. So with that reasoning we’d likely have the 4th spot but could someone else could slide in there, like the Chargers, and bump us back a spot. If we only win one more game this year then #3 or #4 are most likely where if we pick up two more then we’re looking at somewhere between #4-#6.

    If we’re picking at #4 and the Titans, Browns and Cowgirls are lined up in that order how do you see our pick playing out? If you push us back to #5 and slide the Chargers in after Dallas how much does it change?

    As I see it the Titans are going defense, probably a DL like Buckner, Ogbah or Robinson. They do need a guard but they’re not taking one up there. The Browns will select either Lynch or Goff, flip a coin at this point. The first two picks are pretty easy, it’s #3 that gets a little dicey. Not only do they have a plethora of team needs you always have to deal with the wildcard that is JJ. At this point gun to my head the best I can come up with is still two names; Elliott or Hargreaves. So that leaves us now at #4; If it’s me I’m sprinting, knocking down people as I go to turn in the card that reads Laremy Tunsil. If the rumors were true that Staley was on the deadline trade block then one has to assume that team is or has been making plans for life without him. If we have a chance to pick up the #1 tackle in the draft then we shouldn’t hesitate. Trade Staley for what we can get and plug in our next LT for the next 8 years or so.

    If the Chargers slip in front of us the likely fallout would be one less defensive lineman to choose from. I can’t see them drafting Tunsil to play on the right side and Stanley is a left tackle only at this point, can’t run block. If Hargreaves is on the board he’s a likely candidate as is Fuller. I do believe in the end they pick a DL. Either way at this point I don’t see the Chargers picking before us having an effect on who we choose. At this point short of a trade happening Tunsil should still be on the board.

    If Tunsil was to be already off the board at #4 or #5 my first choice would be to trade to someone that want’s the QB the Browns didn’t choose. It’s still so early but I’m having a hard time finding someone that I wan’t to take inside the top outside of Tunsil. If we were picking closer to #10 i’d be more comfortable with my choices but if we’re forced to pick a name at this point I’m considering; J. Smith, Elliott or A. Robinson. I think i’d prefer Robinson but it never feels good taking a DT in the top 5 unless they’re just out of this world and he isn’t quite that. I think Jaylon is probably the safer pick I just have a hard time getting excited about him. I wish it was more clear cut if he was an ILB or OLB, I’m not a fan of swiss army knife players, I prefer specialists.

    Anyway, just a way too early guess at how the first four or five picks might play out.

      1. I’m not a fan of Bosa.

        If their current LT is a consideration to move to RT then I would agree with you on going tackle but it’s the right side they need more and if their current guy can’t make the switch then they’d have to find two tackles. Stanley can’t run block so I doubt they would draft him for the right side.

        1. Bosa will be taken in the top 3 so fan or not you have to account for him. Chargers will shuffle their oline to accommodate a player like Tunsil, but Dline could be on the table if he’s gone, or one of the CB/S’s that will be ranked up there as well.

          1. You say that but who’s taking him. The teams that line up before us don’t have as big of a need for an OLB that they do at other positions.

              1. Ok, I can’t rule out that possibility. It doesn’t change anything regarding our pick. I didn’t see either of them taking Tunsil nor do I see us being interested in Bosa.

              2. I agree, Rocket. But the Niners will probably pass on him if another player they covet is still available.
                Maybe the Niners should grab him, assuming the Niners are low enough (top 5) and he is still available, then trade him to a playoff team who will give their first and second for him.

    1. Good Lord, I’m no better then Tomsula; “at this point.” I think I said that a dozen times in there.

    2. I wouldn’t be opposed to taking Tunsil. We don’t know what going to happen with Davis, and if he comes back and there’s a logjam at OT, Bam could move inside to RG and the 49ers could have a dominant O-line.

      If the Browns choose Lynch over Goff or draft a defensive player, I’m all for drafting Goff at 4 or 5. But the Browns are QB thirsty and have been for a long time.

    3. Interesting read. Lots of possibilities.
      If Baalke is still the GM, its a lock he will choose Myles Jack. Baalke loves those ACL players.

    4. “If we’re picking at #4 and the Titans, Browns and Cowgirls are lined up in that order how do you see our pick playing out? If you push us back to #5 and slide the Chargers in after Dallas how much does it change?”
      ——————
      Let’s see your version.

      1. Titans – Bosa
        Browns – Lynch or Goff
        Cowboys – Nkemdiche
        Chargers – Tunsil
        Niners – Goff or trade down would be my preference

        1. The Cowboys deserve Nkemdiche. He’ll be suspended and out of the league by his third year.

          If the Chargers sign a RT before the draft I’ll agree with you that they’re taking Tunsil.

        2. Now if the 49ers are in front of the Chargers do you still go with Goff or do you take the tackle?

              1. Highest ceiling, lowest floor quarterback. My only concern, and it’s a biggie, is his career completion percentage….

              2. FDM this Cook kid is the real deal. He’s a competitive son of a gun. He’s Aaron Rodgers 2.0

              3. I actually prefer Cook over Goff. Wait, that would be agreeing with Prime…..
                I will switch to Hogan.

              4. Your screeds against Kaep had turned me off, but I must admit you do have good football knowledge.

              5. Razor and Prime, my main concern with Cook is the reports about how he has had some personality struggles within the Michigan State locker room, and has never been voted as one of their leadership group.

              6. Scooter I have not heard that about Cook but he is still young. I think anyone we draft at the QB position should sit a year behind Gabbert anyways.
                That’s why I think hiring a bonafide offensive minded head coach is essential. That way that guy can sit and learn. If they keep Tomsula and fire him mid season next year, it sets those picks back in my opinion. From the playbook to the culture to the chemistry, it’s all thrown out the window. Look at how bad the 49ers developed Alex. They could never hire a quality OC until Norv and then Alex took off. They gotta get it right this time!

              7. Thanks for the article Scooter. I don’t think it’s that big of concern. Some guys are just not meant to be leaders. If he wins games and is generally a good team guy, that should be enough.
                I look at him as having all the tools but he plays with a competitive edge I think every QB needs. He is not fearful. He will make the tough throws and has an uncanny athleticism

              8. “Why would Cook be better than Cousins?”

                Because he’s got a better arm. But its a valid point of concern.

          1. Is that at preference towards Goff or the position. If the Brownies take Goff do you take Lynch or Tunsil at #4?

            1. I’d probably go with Lynch but it would be a tough decision and Tunsil would be a nice consolation prize. I definitely favor Goff over Lynch, but strongly believe we need a QB and Lynch is a nice looking prospect regardless.

            1. Jerry realizes now that letting Murray go was a huge mistake because a decent running game will save his QB from taking big hits like Romo has this year. With Elliot behind that O line, Romo would just hand off the ball and take no hits.
              Dallas may be number 3 right now, but there is guarantee they stay there. Elliot is rated 16th overall, but also the number 1 RB.

          1. A rather disturbing visual. Someone get Ezekiel Elliot a rain parka… quickly.

            Seriously, Jones can trade down and still get Elliot. A QB hungry team might give up some nice picks to move up.

    5. If we win one more game, the group with four wins will be fairly large just as the group with three wins is fairly large. What does our strength of schedule do to us in any likely group – three, four, or five wins?

      1. Only 10 teams have fewer than 5 losses. Niners could pick 16th if they go 3-2 in their last 5 games.

        1. Did you mean fewer than five wins?

          Actually it’s worse. There are twelve teams with fewer than five wins.

          Two with two wins.
          Three with three wins.
          Seven with four wins.

          Then there are five more with five wins.

          If we win against the Browns, we are in the big bad four win group. If we don’t win against the Browns there is little potential that the Browns might win again since they play the Bengals, Seahawks, Chiefs, and Steelers. Going East two weeks in a row might help in the quest for a number five pick.

          1. I am not correct. An 8-8 team would be most likely to pick 16th, Niners could probably only hope to get up to 12th. Many losing teams will play each other, and give one of those teams a win. Niners most likely will choose 4-10.

    6. I’m for Jaylon Smith, but would be happy with any of Smith, Tunsil, Goff, Bosa or Nkemdiche at #4 through #6 picks. Even Ronnie Stanley I wouldn’t be against if Tunsil was gone.

      1. Stanley has some difficulties against the power bull rushers. The Caviliers, Trent Corney, strong but far from a technician or finisher, rocked Stanley at least 3 times when they faced off. Corney was unable to take advantage, but a better tactician with strength, like Clemson’s Shaq Lawson, displays more ability to win some battles. He’s probably a top ten pick, but I would be reluctant to take him at five or six. Tunsil would be my first choice at the position….

        Conner Cook would be my first choice. Despite being a member of the 12 man leadership council, he wasn’t voted a captain. He’s said to have an entitlement attitude, and sticks to a small inner circle of friends. He’s like Eli Manning with respect to socializing. I heard his team mates liked him better than Cousins, because of his religiousocity and perfectionism. I also heard Cooks’ team mates hoped he’d enter last years draft…..

    1. I remember that quick slant that went for a TD, and he attacked the edges well. Dont understand why they do not use him more.
      Patton is dropping too many passes. Let Ellington play the slot, he is faster than Patton.

  23. What if the 49ers and Rams both have interim head coaches when they play in week seventeen? That game could move us from a number five pick at or outside the number ten pick.

    1. Kap, Stanzi and Dalton are the only ones who met his criteria so I think that says a lot about how accurate it is. There is no fool proof method because you are drafting a kid who will either mature and constantly work to get better, or float once they’ve made it and never work to be great. Some will just be misdiagnosed completely. You just never know what a draft choice will do at the next level. I personally like to see how players – especially QB”s – perform under adverse conditions. That usually tells you a lot about how serious a player is about the game and how much he has put in to reach that level.

  24. Romo’s old, Jone’s knows it’s a passing league. Look for him to make a play for Goff, while Baalke goes in the opposite direction, assured of his defessive drafting prowess to keep the 49er’s in low scoring games that they pull out 16-13, he’ll draft a road grading lineman or defensie player, while drafting his North Dakota State QB (where Baalke began his coaching career)

    1. If Baalke swings and Misses on a 15mil/yr player, he knows it’s his career, so no way he drafts anyone this high on offense. He never has, it’s not what he knows or is good at.

  25. If the 49ers draft Goff/Lynch in the top 5 and change OCs(or find an offensive HC), realistically, how long can Gabbert keep the rookie QB on the bench?

    1. Like Walsh, who groomed Montana behind a vetran, the 49ers need to bring in a well known WCO coach, and WCO QB that Goff could learn from…Alas, however, this is like asking Baalke to stop driving his Ford Gremlin and switch to a Corvette that can get downfield faster.

        1. In a direct answer, the Number of Years it took Montana to take Deberg’s job was 1. By the 3rd year in a WCO a quarterback is expected to be proficient enough to make the playoffs, providing nothing else on the team is a shambles.

    2. Grime,

      Depends on how the team is doing I would guess. If they are playing some good football and winning a few games then I would imagine Gabbert would keep playing, but if they are losing and Gabbert isn’t doing anything to curb that trend, I would guess a rookie would be inserted 10 games in or so depending on how the Oline was performing.

  26. 3. San Francisco 49ers
    Record: 3-8
    FPI odds of top pick: 8.7 percent
    FPI odds of top-5 pick: 73.1 percent

    Comment: The last time the 49ers had the top pick, in 2005, they chose Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers. Maybe it’s best for them to stay away. They have some winnable games, even by their standards, against the Browns (Week 14) and Rams (Week 17). But even a top-5 pick would provide an exclamation point to this franchise’s rapid fall from Super Bowl contender.

    http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/190154/fpi-projects-titans-and-browns-in-fight-for-no-1-overall-draft-pick

  27. Today’s David Neumann breakdown of Gabbert against the Seattle and Phoenix defenses:
    http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/12/3/9837738/blaine-gabbert-all-22-coaches-film-breakdown-vs-seahawks-cardinals

    I read comments here and elsewhere about Gabbert being a stopgap at QB, but with more play I think he could develop into a good starter. My concern about the club is mostly about management and future coaching and drafting, that is —
    – No one better than what we have is going to want to work here.
    – If we get lucky in that respect, they will move on.

    With Harbaugh we caught lightening in a bottle, but that is over. I know that other guys have said that here. I wish I could agree but can’t. We are the West Coast Browns, let’s leave it at that.

    1. Neumann does a great job, but he leaves out some details, namely that the Oline is pass protecting better than it did earlier. From PFF:

      – The Cardinals defensive game plan clearly centered around getting after QB Blaine Gabbert (-2.0), as they blitzed him on 27 of his 39 dropbacks. While they only put Gabbert under pressure 11 times, the 49ers quarterback responded by throwing underneath on the majority of his pass attempts. Just ten of Gabbert’s pass attempts traveled more than 10 yards, and one of those passes was intercepted.

      1. rocket, thanks for pointing that out, and it makes sense to me. With Gabbert less likely to be sacked because of his quicker decision making and release, if I were an offensive lineman I would give more initial effort. I suspect they gave such effort when Kaep was QB, only to find it was often a waste. Look, because the oline as a unit is not that good and because we don’t run Hyde, defenses know we are unlikely to succeed on the ground, so Gabbert’s targets are likely to be underneath. I don’t fault him for that. But if it is more a matter of him staying in the pocket two seconds longer, he can improve in those situations. Having said all this, what’s the use anyway? Think of the Phillies when they had Curt Shilling.

        1. George,

          Gabbert is playing a lot better than Kap and there’s no question about that. What needs to happen now is a better effort from the Oline in run blocking so that we can achieve some balance. They’ve gotten better in pass protection but still struggle in the run game. If they can actually get any level of consistency going in that area, we may see some real progress both in yardage and the scoreboard.

      2. Rocket:

        How easy is it to separate out the OL pass rush blocking efficiency from the ability of a QB to get rid of the ball quickly? Are the stats able to do that effectively?

        1. Cubus,

          I was only able to see the pressures. Not sure what the ratio is to how quickly Gabbert’s getting rid of the ball, but there is a noticeable difference in how many break downs we’ve seen since they got Deavy out of there.

          1. Deavy was Baalke’s gift to Colin, including keeping him in the line up as long as he did.

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