Joe Staley: “Penalties, dumb blocks, dumb techniques and dumb schemes.”

SANTA CLARA — Here is the transcript of Joe Staley’s postgame interview, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.

Q: Was it a good week of practice?

STALEY: “Yeah, it was a great week of practice.”

Q: Does it take you by surprise with this line and group of playmakers?

STALEY: “Yes. Very much so.”

Q: Is it all stuff you guys feel is correctable?

STALEY: “Yeah. We have all the talent in the world. We’ve been doing some dumb stuff and they took advantage of it.”

Q: When you say dumb stuff, is it penalties?

STALEY: “Penalties, dumb blocks, dumb techniques and dumb schemes.”

This article has 232 Comments

    1. CFC,
      I was thinking the same thing. I was hoping someone would follow up on that as well.

    2. So glad we have competent reporters to dig into the important stuff….FAIL.

  1. Trying to figure out what he made by dumb schemes Are the players turned off by Roman’s incompetence.The plays are no predictable and we need screens,with the heavy pressure, I was shocked that Bolden was not in last play

  2. Roman has to go.
    After 3 years this offense has no identity. They have no go to plays or consistency other than failing to score in the red zone.

  3. “Dumb schemes” is a rare criticism from a “company friendly” 49er player like Joe.

    Marcus made his rookie mistakes, but I don’t understand Iupati running around looking for air to block while D-linemen charged straight the A gap.

    Happened on several plays where Iupati either helped Staley when he didn’t need it, or wandered downfield with no one to block… while D-linemen shot straight through the A gap to Kaerpernick.

    I can understand a guard getting to the 2nd level on a power run, only to find no ILBs to block, but this was on pass plays. Totally goofy.

    1. Brodie: Perhaps Lupati thinks since it works so well for him on runs it should also work for him during passes. lol.

  4. Not really into analogies but…If the shotgun don’t work use the pistol. We need to freeze defensive lineman…they are peeling there ears back and rushing the passer….the pistol will freeze defensive fronts and confuse lb…We should use boldin like we used walker a few years ago..put him in the backfield with davis and let them run routes out of the full house…the pistol will free up the shotgun and will bring a play action type of flow that kaep had excelled at in his career…not to mention the threat of him running outta it! Gore also excels in this formation and runs very well outta it….helps him find running lanes while de and lb think….WE NEED TO CONFUSE DEFENSIVE FRONTS!!!!!!!!!

    1. I totally agree. This will also help in the red zone. The playbook from 2012 would totally work. It was the most diverse and personnel specific of all years. Boldin as a full house tight end is genius!

    2. I called it!!!!! They actually dug deeper than I thought down in the playbook…the trap play is a great way to keep defences off balance….its like a rb play action lol …..wish I was on that coaching staff…pure genius and great … more pistol runs with hyde and gore mixed with some more full house and trap plays and boys……we got a championship

  5. Coach Harbaw: The Niners in the red zone
    are only scoring 43% of the time (3rd worst in NFL).

    So your boy, Colin, gets sacked on 7 separate drives;
    and scores zero points on any of those drives.

    Do you have a viable alternative at QB if this poor
    performance continues? We notice you doing an
    immense amount of trading for that position
    (backup QB) over the past few seasons. Time
    to tap into the extensive depth-chart, doncha think?

  6. Really pissed right now. Ckone just does not get it mentally.  

    He lacks the balls to take charge or be in command. And it’s all because JH has made him his lil b…h.  

    Notice his interviews are like JH’s. He is a follow follow dude. Not a true leader

     So freaking pissed right now. 

    Why they called a pass play on 2nd and goal just shows how incompetent this idiots coaches are.

    Am f…’ing tired.

  7. I told you–roman cost us playoffs and super bowl and must be fired now. this offense cant score in the red zone.still cant get the plays off in time–still throwing 15 yard pass plays on short yards,and with 1 yard ,2nd down, to win the game he calls a pass play.

  8. 49ers OL sucked with Solari pre-Harbaugh and now it’s sucking again without Drevno helping Solari out. Need accountability.

    1. I was thinking the same thing yesterday… I miss Drevno! I like Eric Mangini but what exactly has he brought to the TE position?

    2. tkamB,

      That’s a good call on Solari. It seems that the game has passed him by. The loss of Drevno was huge. In 2013, Staley and Iupati made the Pro Bowl. In 2012, all five of the 49ers’ line starters were selected for the Pro Bowl, and Iupati was a first-team All-Pro selection. Look what’s happened since Drevno left for USC.

      Same personnel, absolute disaster of results … that points to coaching. Solari is the problem.

  9. Crabtree can not be counted on when the game is on the line. It seems that he is often CK first read. I think that he should be fazed out and definitely not resigned next year.

  10. Here we stand: W..L..L..W..W..W..L..L..
    (looking for a pattern to carry us to 8-8)

    Right now the Niners look like a team which
    expects to get beat by New Orleans, Arizona
    and, yes, Seattle – both times. Four losses.
    [ retaining some hope of finishing at .500 ]

    However, how certain are thinking fans of wins
    over the Chargers, Giants, Raiders & Redskins?

    One thing fer shure: Harbaw is not coming back.

  11. over the course of playing four games at home,
    the Niners are averaging 4.8 points per quarter.
    So when someone sez Kaep has never scored
    a touchdown in the fourth quarter this season,
    who should be surprised? the man cannot even
    average six points per quarter. Do the math.
    He is holding true to form. Somebody buy him a laser
    so he can start using his free time to erase the ink.
    Make the reason count for something, huh?

  12. You guys are crazy, blaming Roman for this teams troubles is like blaming the manufacturer when you burn something in the microwave. Yes the microwave overcooked it but who’s the idiot that was running the machine? Kaepernick is our idiot running the machine.

    1. Yeah but Roman is like the timing belt and we need a new one… bad. When Staley AND Gore call you out after a game… something’s wrong and the players know it isn’t all on them.

          1. You won’t say that the first time you either replace one yourself or pay a mechanic to do it.

        1. Come on Coffee,you’re better than that. Stay on point, anyone can make sophomoric comments, that’s what keeps me away most of the time. Making fun of anybody in this blog is easy money, congratulations! Sorry I so weakly compared a timing belt to your out of place microwave comment. But you knew what I meant… : }

          There are 46 idiots plus coaches running this machine, not one guy.

          Gore and Staley both called Roman out after the game and that to my knowledge is a first and shows the players lack of trust of plays and schemes being used. Gore immediately back tracked once he realized what he said.

            1. Yeah… I’m cranky, I admit it. The headline of this article is Staley calling him out, I realize it wasn’t direct but stating “Dumb techniques and dumb schemes is pretty much calling out the OC in my opinion.

              Gore maybe not as much, but saying ‘We’ve got the find out who we are and stick to it’ [paraphrasing] does indict Roman and Harbs to get their shi* together.

          1. Gore immediately back tracked once he realized what he said.
            ———————–
            Gore said. “I still think we have a great coordinator. I still believe in our coordinator. He’s been successful since he got here.”

            I don’t know about you but I don’t think Frankie misunderstood what he was saying when he said those words yesterday.

    2. The OC by definition is the one running the machine.
      On 3rd and 1 he puts the niners a 4 wide with no RB in the backfield to even threaten with the run. The defenders now dont have to even think about the run and rush the qb.
      Result, sack fumble. The offense now has had 2 different qb’s running it and the common denominator is multiple delay of games and poor red zone play (Jimmy Raye was more effecient in the red zone statistically… that is saying something).

      1. The OC by definition is the one running the machine.

        Not when the HC is an offensive-minded coach. I think you underestimate Harbaugh’s influence, both as to scheme and as to play-calling.

  13. my money sez:
    the Kansas City Chiefs will finish 9 – 7 ….
    maybe better ‘cuz Seattle is vulnerable.
    If Alex Smith rolls into the postseason
    at 10 – 6, he will enjoy a certain confidence.
    (something Kaep is lacking right now.)

    1. Wouldn’t it make more sense to go post this at the website for the team the man actually plays for?

        1. Hmmm, I know we think we’re important but I doubt the 5 or 6 people that lose control of their emotions and fire back at the guy can be constituted as a tangible portion of the 49ers fanbase.

          1. Cfc:

            No, but that response is the whole reason for the comment. He posts pro-Smith comments to rile up those guys, anti-Harbaugh comments to rile up Harbaugh fans, and other comments to rile up other easily riled fans. He’s trolling.

            1. I’m familiar with Trolls CB which is why I didn’t post a hate filled rant calling him every name and then some. If he gets pleasure from the type of response I gave then OK, someone that pathetic needs all the help we can give.

  14. At this point I’m watching the Niners as a train wreck. The bottom seems to be giving way after three successful years.

    Did you see the Ravens/Steelers game? Everything was smooth and efficient. Niners offense looks herky jerky and tentative. Colin has clearly regressed and the team got old.

    But rather than piss and moan, I’ll watch it same as I watch those old bloopers shows. Not going to get all emotional. But I think there will be big changes at the end of the season…

  15. So CFC, we’ve had the same issues since Roman took over the offense. No consistency, no adjustments, no rhythm, and you want to blame all that on Kaep? Was Kaep supposed to make the adjustment when the ends were out wide and the blitzes were in the A gap? Or was the offensive coordinator in the box watching this consistently happen supposed to make an adjustment to his offense?

      1. I’ve said on another post its a combination of people. Harbaugh/Roman – lack of adjustments. Kaep – hold the ball, not escaping the pocket, etc. Oline – not doing what they are paid to do. The blame can be spread out, but ultimately these people aren’t on the same page. It’s the coaches job to get them on the same page.

        1. “It’s the coaches job to get them on the same page.”

          And it starts at the top. I also think Harbaugh has more blame on what is going on with the offense than most will say.

          1. Please elaborate. Are the schemes suddenly too complicated? Can they not grasp the spread?

            1. Blocking schemes for a spread offense and I formation offense change drastically. Staley said the blocking schemes are stupid. Obviously it’s a problem.

              1. kaep gets fooled too easily… they miss goodwin. it wasn’t as bad with Kilgore, but Martin being a rookie is obviously going to rely on Kaep.

          2. I don’t necessarily disagree Jack but I’m curious what role you see him playing in this? Directly as in he’s messing with the play calling and scheme or indirectly as he’s not totally committed.

            1. Coffee,

              That he’s involved with the play calling to the point that calling for Roman to be fired is calling for Harbaugh to be fired.

              1. Gotcha. Should I infer from that also that whether it’s Roman’s or Harbaugh’s fault you believe play calling is a factor in our struggles?

              2. Here’s how I see it. Like a couple other losses this season the team was in position to win the game. There were player made errors that led directly to those losses and I don’t see those errors having come from the play that was called when they happened. Aside from Denver which I hang on the defense Roman and Harbaugh put the team in a position to win those games and Kaepernicks poor execution and mistakes were the reasons we didn’t in most of those cases. This is a trend that goes back to the SuperBowl. The coaches called games that put us in position to win but the QB didn’t execute well enough to win.

              3. You tell me, I once again didn’t sign up for the all-22 but after watching the film you can answer that for both of us. How many of those sacks came because Kaepernick made a poor choice in the pocket or simply ran too close to the defender when trying to escape. How many happened because it was supposed to be a quick fire pass and he held onto it instead?

                I don’t think all 8 are on him but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that at least 3 or 4 of them were.

              4. Well it seemed like you supported the move to a spread offense.

                Niners ran 16 times and dropped back 41 against one of the worst run defenses in the league.

              5. Coffee,

                I didn’t mean to sound grouchy. I don’t absolve Kaepernick in the loss at all, if he makes an accurate pass to Crabtree the feeling around here this morning is completely different.

                This balance issue isn’t new. It’s been going on for most of the season. Yesterday the Rams played like the 2011 49ers.

              6. Wasn’t taken that way Jack but thanks for saying so. You’re question was appropriate for the diatribe that preceded it.

              7. It’s a double edged sword. The run game wasn’t exactly blowing people back, if we had kept grinding away at it who’s to say people wouldn’t be asking why we didn’t pass more when we clearly weren’t being effective on the ground.

              8. Jack,
                I’ll have to look at your webzone article again. Most of the time you post observations as opposed to opinions.
                Regardless, on the offense side, they lack cohesion, identity synchronicity whatever. It’s hard to watch. The only thing to look for is a broken play. We rarely get to see an efficient surgical offensive drive based on a scheme or game plan.

              9. It’s the wrong link — It goes to a story about Harbaugh and Pete Carroll, but I’ll take your word for it.

                So why are they shifting to a spread? Tim Ryan said they ran Vernon out deep routes to clear the underneath, and he suggested that the TE was the go to guy to beat the blitz.

                Time to pony up the 20 bucks for the all-22 so I can see for myself what the heck is going on witt this Roman/Harbaugh/Kaep offense!

              10. CFC,

                I don’t think all 8 are on him but I wouldn’t be surprised to hear that at least 3 or 4 of them were.

                Just for you I went back and looked at each sack Coffee.

                1st sack: 1st down play, 4 man rush Boone and Davis both get beat quickly. Sack is on the Oline.

                2nd sack: 3rd down play, Rams bring a zone blitz with 2 LB’s and 5 man rush total, winds up as a jail break up the middle with Martin and Iupati blocking nobody. Sack is on the Oline.

                3rd sack: 2nd down play, 4 man rush, Davis doesn’t block DE at all giving him a free run at the QB. Was supposed to be a quick slant to Johnson, but pressure is in Kaps face as he takes the last step of his drop and the pass rusher is right in the path of where the ball needs to go. Sack is on the Oline.

                4th sack: 3rd down play, Rams send a 7 man pressure, Kap has to step up and gets hit by Lauranitus as he does so for the sack. He could have thrown a quick pass to Boldin that may have been enough for the 1st down, so we’ll put this one on the QB. Sack on the QB.

                5th sack: 2nd down and 1 and the Niners go 5 wide. Head scratching call to begin with, but the Rams get quick pressure up the middle again on a 4 man rush, Kap looks for Johnson on the slant again, but Johnson isn’t looking and hasn’t made his cut yet so Kap pulls the ball down and gets hit from behind by Staley’s man and fumbles. Sack on the Oline.

                6th sack: 4 man rush, Boone gets pushed back into the pocket, Kap pulls ball down and tries to escape to his left but is tripped up for the sack. He could have dumped it off to Hyde for a short gain, but there wasn’t much of an option due to the pocket collapsing. We’ll split the blame between the Oline and QB on this one.

                7th sack: 1st down play, 4 man rush, DT, splits Martin and Iupati (who again winds up blocking nobody) and sacks Kap. Davis’ man also came free from the other side for good measure. Sack on the Oline.

                8th sack: 2nd down play after two False start penalties, Staley and Martin both get beat, Kap has to run to avoid a Safety and barely gets out of the end zone. Sack on the Oline.

                So in summary, out of the 8 sacks, one could have been avoided if Kap had thrown to Boldin and another could have picked up a short gain to Hyde, while the rest were just breakdowns by the Oline that allowed immediate pressure and gave the QB no chance.

                I understand the need for fans to find blame and it usually lands on the QB, but what we witnessed yesterday was a horrific effort by the Oline in pass protection and execution in general. There were penalties, one on Boone that took away a nice gain by Gore and turned it into a 1st and 20. It was one of those days when the Oline had their asses handed to them and you can’t sustain any kind of offense when that is happening.

                They should have ran the ball more, but the ratio really got out of whack due to the final drive when they passed on every play but the final one. Before that, the pass to run ratio was closer and they were still trying to run the ball on the second to last possession.

                We can sit here and blame the QB, the Coaches, and whoever else you want to include, but the blame for the offensive woes goes to the Oline as it has for most of this season. This Oline cannot pass block consistently and a lot of it is confusion on who they are supposed to block on a given play. There are multiple instances where Iupati is passing a guy off to no one and blocking air and it happens regularly. Davis couldn’t handle the speed off the edge on a few plays. Boone continued his miserable year by getting beat cleanly a few times, and getting pushed back and taking a big penalty for good measure. The rookie center got beat cleanly a couple of times and seemed confused at others. Then there is the all pro LT who just could not handle Robert Quinn at all yesterday. Staley was terrible and he was probably one of the better performers on the day. Just an all around terrible performance and there is not much else to analyze about an offense if the Oline is getting beaten so badly as the Niners were yesterday. It all starts and ends with the Oline.

              11. rocket,

                The pass/run ratio was way out of whack before the final drive. In the first half they called 24 passes and 9 runs.

              12. Jack,

                I’m really not sure what your point is. I said they needed to run the ball more but that the ratio really got out of whack on the final drive. In the second half they were trying to run the ball until the final drive. They should have run it more in the first half. I agree and didn’t say otherwise.

              13. rocket,

                It’s about the offensive line, and something that I am still working through explaining to be honest.

              14. For a future article I’m gathering?

                We both know this team gets into trouble when they go away from the run, I don’t think anybody disputes that. This is not a good pass blocking Oline.

              15. I’m not sure yet. Could this be an instance where making a change in one area exposes a weakness in another?

              16. Jack:

                I think I understand the point you’re making.

                As I understood it, the team built the current offensive line by selecting players suited for.adept at power run blocking. Although they weren’t unimportant, pass blacking skills took a definite backseat to run blocking skills. Given the pass heavy schemes the 49ers have used in all four of the losses this season, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that those same players haven’t done so well.

              17. Claude,

                Yes. And those weaknesses were masked because the run threat made play action so effective. Opposing defenses don’t even respect the play fake any longer.

              18. Ah ok I see where you were going with it now. I’m the slow one at the table today.

                That has a lot of merit, but there is also the fact that assignments are being blown due to confusion on who to take. That is either Coaching or the line calls are just blatantly wrong. Iupati in particular has multiple instances where he’s let somebody run right by him looking for somebody else to block that never materializes.

              19. Jack, that is exactly what I believe to be the case. The OLs strength is run blocking, and the play calling the past few seasons has helped mask their weakness in pass pro.

                Now the question is why they are poor in pass pro? Is it certain individuals on the OL, poor communication, or poor coaching/ protection schemes?

              20. Rocket you’ve already made it clear where you stand on the argument so you’ll have to excuse me if I don’t exactly take your assessment of each sack to be completely objective.

              21. CFC,

                Not sure why you think I’m not being objective, but if that’s how you feel then read the breakdown MD posted below that he took from somewhere else, or read Barrows account. They are pretty much the same as mine.

          3. And I agree. I just told a friend. If Harbaugh does not make changes either now or immediately following the season, he may not be back. The problem,
            Who replaces him. We have a team ready to win now. No reason our offense can’t score 21-28 pts per game.

    1. If you have 5 people blocking, even 6, and they send 7 it doesn’t matter. What you call, they are sending more people than we can block. If the Oline can shut down A&B gaps any QB will be in trouble.

  16. After strong picks like Glenn Coffee and Marcus Lattimore and of course the always healthy Hunter it’s hard to understand why our running back corp consists of basically one back, who’s 30+ years old.

    1. Bad RB drafts has finally caught up with this team. A run first team cant repeatedly swing and miss on backs in the draft and continue to run the ball with success.

      1. Lattimore is the only guy that doesn’t look likely to pan out and he was a 4th round pick. They spent a 4th on Hunter and have gotten decent production out of him when he’s been healthy. Hyde was a second rounder and doesn’t get many touches, but has done pretty well when he has had carries. Not sure where the bad RB drafts you are referring to happened.

        1. LMJ didn’t work out either but wasn’t given much of a chance. I don’t think the RB’s are the problem here anyway.

    2. ML is strongly considering “retirement” because he is not back to what he was prior to those surgeries. Chances were that the severity of those injuries always would haunt him and make a total recovery nearly impossible, but give the kid credit, he tried and worked hard at coming back. The Niners took a chance and gave him all of the support and services they had.

      1. Doesn’t change the fact that we’re spending draft picks on RB’s that aren’t producing for the team.

  17. The Rams had 6 sacks in 7 games. The NFL’s lowest sack total.

    They Rams got 6 sacks by halftime yesterday. 8 Total by games end.

    This is historically bad. I’m putting about half the sacks on the O-line… and half on Colin, lack of quick hitter plays, scheme.

    My questions…

    – Is the absence of quick hitter passes due to Harbs/Roman customizing the playbook to Colin’s slow releases and reads?

    – Is the absence of quick hitter passes due to Harbs/Roman’s anti-WCO offensive system.

    1. Is the absence of quick hitter passes due to Kaepernick not quickly pulling the trigger and then losing composure as the pocket collapses because it was supposed to be a quick 3 step drop and pass?

      1. Colin is fighting his instincts as a pocket QB. His first reaction when he feels pressure is to evade.It’s not to go through the progressions or remember what play is called so he can throw to someone that is not his 1st read. He has to see throws and not anticipate. This is where he is light years behind even Austin Davis, a rookie. There was a play where a Niner DL was bearing down on Austin from the blind side. He felt it and in a split second throw a short pass to the RB in the flat. He wasn’t even looking in that direction but knew the RB was there. This is from a guy who is a 3rd stringer!
        In his defense, maybe this is what he’s taught to do, which would go against 31 other OC and HCs.

        1. Quick hitter passes are 1 and 3 step drops that are pure timing. The QB does his quick drop and fires the ball. If the QB hesitates the play is over because the blocking scheme was only for a short drop.

          Without knowing which plays were called there is no way of knowing how many of those sacks yesterday came on passes that were designed to be thrown in the first 3 seconds of the play but fell apart after the QB didn’t pull the trigger.

          1. I should have also added “If the QB hesitates the play is over because the blocking scheme was only for a short drop and there is commonly only one designed route for the play.

          2. Bay Troll Fanatic called you out and asked you to look at the link of the 8 sacks. I watched it and you can see some sacks were definitely on the OL, and some were based on reads.

            On one play he did the right thing, he stepped up in the pocket all the rushers were behind except the Nose tackle. He had a wide open Crabs standing at the sideline for a 5-7 yards gain. Clear line of sight. He rolls left, NT reaches out and sacks him for a 3 yard loss. Instead of 3rd and 10 with an INC, or a 3rd and short on a Crabs catch, it’s 3rd and 13.
            Sacks always disrupt the flow of the offense. There’s no doubt the O-Line is not playing well and out of sync. At the same time Colin does bear some of the problems. You never hear him call out the blitzing linebacker, like who is the “MIKE”.

            They showed blitz on the spread formations. On the strip fumble its was definitely a 3 step pass, but he pulled it down, tried to run around and make a play.

      2. Good observation. I’ll add a third…
        – Is the absence of quick hitter passes because Colin fails to throw the ball, even when they are called?

        1. There were some quick hitter passes yesterday and most were completed. They ran into trouble with the deeper throws and some 3 step drops where a pass rusher came free off the snap.

  18. The 49ers coached scared on the games last drive. Grow some balls and have confidence. With 1st and goal at the 5, you need to find a way to punch it in.

    Did you see what Pittsburgh did last night. Up big, with the ball in field goal range, 4th and 2, less than 2 minutes left in the game. What did they do? Passed the ball for a TD. That’s call balls and running up the score.

    1. As I watching the 4th Quarter, I saw a Rams team gaining confidence they would win the game. They played for field position, which I think is what Jack was eluding to when he said they were the 2011 Niners.

      1. The AZ Cardinals are this years version of the 2011 49ers.
        The silver lining is if we can get our stuff together we can easily go up to Dallas, Philly, GB, AZ, NO and win. The only place we can’t win right now is in our heads and possibly Seattle.

    1. These are serious issues here and we need the voice of “impartiality” to guide us through our dark times.

  19. PFF’s grade for Colin yesterday…-6.8

    O-line pass block grades:
    Staley: -.7
    Iupati: +.9
    Martin: -2.4
    Boone: -1.6
    Davis: -.6

    Those pass block grades aren’t great but they aren’t horrible either. Colin received the worst grade of any offensive player. Can’t keep making excuses just because you want him to succeed. Colin is holding the team back.

    1. The grade for Iupati is a joke. He was a confused mess yesterday in pass protection a lot of the time.

  20. After seven years living and raising a family
    in the Bay area, Sarah Harbaugh will insist
    that Jim forget about Michigan or Florida and
    go to the Raiders. We are staying put, fella.

    Maybe if she makes her threats credible,
    he will ditch the khakis and the can of dip, hmm?

  21. “Kaepernick added that he’s sure he was across the goal line because “I was looking in the end zone” and he saw that he had the ball over the line before he lost control. Kaepernick acknowledged, however, that if he had played better in the first 59 minutes of the game, the 49ers wouldn’t have been in a position where they needed a call to go their way in the final minute.

    “That’s why I’m here, to make plays regardless of the situation,” Kaepernick said. “I have to be better back there. I’m here to make plays. I can make people miss. That’s part of my job.”

    I don’t know who said it but they made a point to say they didn’t like Kaep because he doesn’t take responsibility. They took part of this interview that they could nit pick and ran with it. Well here’s Kaep owning up to his mistakes.

  22. Here’s something to chew on:
    A couple of weeks ago CK had one of his better games as a pro. Threw over 300 yards. Yesterday some of the beat writers said it was one of his worst games. Grant call him in an imposter.
    O-Line did not play well. Rams were blitzing or showing blitz. Notice how Colin rarely goes to the line and says, “He’s the Mike” (identifying shot the blitzer). So yeah the line sucks, but they’re not getting any help either. We always hear about how you don’t blitz Manning. Colin was able to beat the blitz last time they played.
    Guess what? Fisher adjusted. As time time goes on, the more tape that people get on KAEP, the more they figure out how to push him away from his comfort zone.

    1. Let me just say, it depends on the team which QB calls out the mike. MANY teams leave that to the center. So there’s that. Do you know if that’s Kaep’s job?

      Also, you made a GREAT point. FISHER, made adjustments. Where were HARBAUGH/ROMAN’s adjustments?

    2. Fan,

      There isn’t a QB in this league that won’t get pushed out of his comfort zone if pass rushers are coming free before they finish their drop. Manning looked like crap in the SB for that very reason. You can get into any QB’s head if you get consistent pressure on them and Kap is no different.

      The difference between the two games was the Oline pass protection. It isn’t hard to figure out.

      1. While I understand that Martin is a rookie, and Davis and Iupati are still not 100%, I still don’t get Staley and Boone’s sub-par play. Boone has now gone thru enough games to shake off the rust. The only thing that is common to them is contract extension-induced lethargy?

    3. I may be wrong, but my understanding was that in the 49ers’ offense it is the center’s role to call protections. I remember reading about Kilgore improving in that area as the season went on. So while I agree that Fisher adjusted, it may also be the case that Martin was not a adept at identifying the blitzes as Kilgore was in the earlier game against the Rams.

    4. They got two sacks on two blitzes. The others were not blitzes. So please explain how that’s ck’s fault for not reading the defense. The O-line sucks. And yet you’re still goin to blame the qb. You have tons of excuses as to why. Have fun with that. If and when the O-line does get their stuff together and ck starts lighting it up.. I wonder what excuse you will have to diminish his play then. I can’t wait.

  23. I entered this comment in the previous blog by mistake. So ignore it if you have read it.

    The Niners have now lost 3 out of the 4 lost games solely because of the offense. I am not solely blaming Roman — there’s enough blame to go around. However, criticism of Roman and the coaches on offense has to be seen in the wider context of the season, and maybe even stretching back to last season.

    Here are a few reasons why I’m now starting to sour on the offensive coaches:

    1. Overdependence on the power run game. Once that is taken away due to sub-par O line play or inadequate RB play, the coaches seem to be at a loss — trying one approach after another trying to see what sticks, thus creating a sense of loss of identity. The main reason for this problem may be their passing game strategy. Roman and Harbaugh are great at designing running plays and calling them at the right time in a given game. But they are more tentative about their passing game which is more about taking what defense gives, and playing off the run game, rather than an attacking passing game (more quick-passing to neutralize blitzes, more roll-outs). The coaches seem to fear the turnovers from an attacking passing game which, in turn, does not generate confidence among the players. I think this is one reason Niners are not succeeding in developing receivers and relying on veterans. I was watching tape of Bruce Arians coaching the Cardinal. He was barking at a hesitating Palmer to let loose at a streaking John Brown. The point was made. Trust yourself and the receiver. Take a risk. That’s how one develops the swagger. Nobody on the offense is having much fun this whole season.

    2. Underutilized talent. ’nuff said.

    3. Lack of effective gametime adjustments in response defensive adjustments. More often than not, first half offense is better than the second half offense.

    I get a sense of deja vu every Sunday after frustrating Saturdays of watching Stanford offense struggle in the same way under Shaw — who is Greg Roman wanna-be. Same issues — inflexible offense too dependent on power running that cannot use other talent available, head-scratching play calling at critical junctures, QB making more mistakes than one would expect at their experience level, inexplicable penalties at the worst times (something that never happened before)……

    1. You hit the nail on the head. If these things happened one or two times, yeah we can easily blame the players. It’s happening every game. It stretches beyond last yr on some of these issues. That is no longer the players fault, it becomes the coaches. More than likely it’s something they are being coached.

  24. Outside of what everyone has talked about already with Roman and the offensive line, there seems to be some friction now with the players. When the players come out and criticize scheme that’s a problem. Also the body language of Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis says either they are injured or have tuned out. In any event, the boys now have a very uphill battle to get it right. I’m predicting a 10-6 record and in the playoffs.

  25. The 49ers currently have the worst O line in the NFL. To discuss QB play or play calling is just ridiculous, untill the Oline play improves dramatically it does’nt matter who is taking the snaps and who is calling the plays. I have said this over and over here but some just do’nt get it. Football games are won in the trenches period end of discussion. My problem with the coaching staff is how does the best O line in football in 2012 become the worst O line in football in 2014 with out age being a factor?

    1. “how does the best O line in football in 2012 become the worst O line in football in 2014 with out age being a factor?”

      They stop playing to their strength.

      1. Jack i was at yesterdays game. I sat in the end zone the O line was not moving the Rams off the ball and that was a Ram D thats was playing 6 in the box quite often. I can agree with you that the O line was more effective when they were running a power blocking scheme but that does’nt explain the O line getting just flat out dominated speed rush bull rush and inside moves. The pass blocking was horrible. I did come to one conclusion yesterday, Gore is done. He has no explosion through the hole. Hyde needs to carry the ball 25 times a game.

    2. It’s a tough one Old Coach. The easy answer is they aren’t running the ball enough, but they are only about 15 carries total behind the pace they ran it overall in 2012 (231 carries so far, compared to a total of 492 carries in 2012).

      There is also the fact they’ve been somewhat successful out of the spread in the passing game. I think this team has to be balanced in order to have success but they seem to be having issues deciding on how to divide the plays into formations and getting away from the run completely at times. I think they need to do as Gore stated yesterday: decide what they want to be and go with it. It seems like the Oline is doing more thinking than playing at times which is killing the passing game on days like yesterday. I don’t know if that is because they are running too many different groupings and formations but whatever it is, they need to figure it out in a hurry or this team is done in the playoff race.

  26. I could see Jim taking a year or two off of coaching and instead build houses in South America. He has the jingle to never have to work again. Recharge his batteries, get some family time do a little self introspection…

  27. I have a question for those who are questioning the 9ers coaching . Are you ready to fire Harbaugh? Its important to understand that Harbaugh is Roman and Roman is Harbaugh.

    1. No,don’t fire anyone. Just figure out how to get the QB, the oline and the play calling in sync. They are trying too hard to be a passing team when the horses upfront are not accustomed to doing it. Keep in mind that the offensive line was drafted and built to maul people. That’s not even happening!

    2. Old Coach,

      That’s where all of this gets tricky. I have a feeling Harbaugh will fall on the sword for Roman. He just seems like that type of guy and I respect it. I’m not ready for Harbaugh to go. One, he’s a heckuva coach. Two, there aren’t any coaches out there who are going to take us over the top(in my opinion). We have to decide are we a running team or a passing team.
      Staley called the schemes dumb. Gore said they need to pick a direction and go with it. Obviously there’s an issue. Rarely ever do you see a smash mouth football team convert to a 5 wide spread. Look what happened to Rich Rodriguez when he left West Virginia and went to Michigan. Those offenses require different players. While we could make he change, it screws the blocking assignments up front. Harbaugh needs to say this is our game plan and we’ll supplement it with the opposite.

    3. “Its important to understand that Harbaugh is Roman and Roman is Harbaugh.”
      I think that’s understood. Fans just have to get used to the frustration of inept offensive play — from delay in getting the play to the huddle to mental errors at critical times.
      I can’t wrap my head around the assertion that Niners O line inherently gets an A in run blocking and a D in pass blocking. The obvious answer is coaching — but then what the heck do I know?

  28. Again I estimate 85% of the blame is going on roman or ck. And nobody seems to want to mention the line.
    These all out blitzes they used the whole game???? They only got two sacks from. The rest were man getting beat by man. Just wondering if anyone else got to see the broncos and pats yesterday. Notice how Brady had time to shred this so called great defensive front of Denver’s? You know the ones who pressured SF all night a couple of weeks ago? I don’t care who you are, what scheme you run, how you adjust at the line. When it’s a jailbreak to the qb and without heavy blitzing… There’s not a qb in the league who is going to shred a defense. The best they can do will look like ck’s game yesterday.
    You’ve got guys playing couch coach again saying he can’t handle the defense and should audible out of every play he feels could be a danger.
    Who on this board has the playbook? Who on here has the audible plays? Where is the blame for execution? This is where these video games and numbers make civilians think they know what’s going on. It’s this simple. Use you eyes to see what’s wrong with the team and players. Where can you argue that the O-line looked like garbage? Now how many debates are going on about coaching and qb? See where Iam going with this?
    I’m not saying some of the failures aren’t ck’s or coachings fault. But yesterday was NOT the qb’s fault. I’m seeing the same people who use to use the o-line as an excuse for smiths play do a 180 and slamming the qb when faced with the same problem. It’s hilarious. Now ck is to stupid, not a student of the game, chokes in big plays….. Again tons of sacks and pressure all day and it’s because ck can’t audible or read defenses. To bad the fact is they didn’t get those sacks by blitzing. But let’s not let facts get in the way. Smh

    1. Ninermd:

      To be fair, we also have some commenters who used to label comments about the o-line as an “Alexcuse” now suddenly pointing the finger of blame at the o-line. the hypocrisy works both ways.

      1. True Claude…. The only slight difference I can see in the two is. Alex smith wasn’t a true running qb, ck takes off most of the time and yes he does hold the ball to long at times. Smith would get nervous and hold on to the ball longer. At times. Also idk if smith had an o-line this bad post harbaugh era. This has to be the worst I’ve seen out of this unit. It’s a hard comparison between the two. But yes i remember certain games the o-line looked horrible and Smith got the blame for it. I might have been one of those who did. I don’t know for sure, but I can’t see why I would say it was all his fault if the o-line played like that in a game. I’ve had my own issues with Alex smith but I don’t remember it being him getting sacked 90 times. :-)
        Yes they should have learned their lesson with bad O-line play… The “hypocrites” I’m talking about.

        Prime that’s a another fine line. I will admit he plays awful in Seattle and missed some big throws. But he also kept us in the Seattle game and brought us back in the Super Bowl. He also orchestrated a comeback yesterday when they needed it, when they couldn’t move the ball at all. Now this fumble will be a personal opinion, and in mine the ball doesn’t get that deep in the ENDZONE if you don’t break the plain first. The replay shows it coming out, but if you look close he was over the line. A little simple science will tell you at the angles you’re looking at he is obviously over the line. Although the camera doesn’t show the actual line you can tell he was over before the ball comes out. Sooo….
        As far as the Seattle games with TO’s and the missed throws in the Super Bowl. I can’t argue he’s choked a few away. As far as yesterday I thought he looked really good under the circumstances he was faced with. The MC catch that should have been a TD should have made this convo about the “fumble” moot. But then again I saw him execute his second chance only to be robbed again. That’s all I can say about that. I’m not worried about the qb.
        I’m worried about the O-line
        The identity of this offense.
        The coaching as far as being prepared and adjustments..
        Injuries.

        1. Ninermd:

          Thanks for the thoughtful response. I think the biggest problem with the o-line is that it is being asked to play away from its strength. The line was built to be a power running line, and has never been great as pass protection. For whatever reason, the team has moved away from power-running, at least in the losses.

        2. Well said MD. The only issue I have is he choked away in some of the biggest moments. And now he seems to be doing it a few times this year. Three games to my count.
          I’m not counting the kid out, all I’m saying is the hype has not been consistent with the results. The guys who called for a new QB, one that could stretch the field, use his legs to make explosive plays, has not.

    2. I’ll agree with you on everything except the part where he does choke in big moments. He does as his history shows it. It’s also no coincidence that he has no TD scores in the 4th quarter this year.

  29. Wow. Just read this after my post a minute ago. Notice the formations on these sacks. They are mixed. Which means audible or not the rams were beating men up front. Have a look and tell me where it’s ck’s fault. Or Romans for that matter.

    Asked to account for the eight sacks the 49ers allowed Sunday in a 13-10 loss to the Rams, left tackle Joe Staley said St. Louis blitzed a “s— ton.”

    However, fullback Bruce Miller was more accurate than Staley when he offered this explanation: The Rams’ defensive line was better than the 49ers’ offensive line.

    “They do a good of getting pressure and creating one-on-ones,” Miller said. “… When they create the one-on-ones, we have to win. They won more than we did.”

    Indeed, after reviewing each of St. Louis’ eight sacks, it appeared only two of the takedowns could be credited to blitzes. The other six? A Rams defensive linemen simply won his matchup against an offensive lineman.

    Here’s the review:

    First Quarter
    1-10-SF 36 (8:44)
    Personnel: 2 TE, FB, RB, WR
    Result: Kaepernick sacked for 7-yard loss by DE William Hayes.
    What happened: Hayes simply beat RT Anthony Davis outside with a speed rush. If Hayes didn’t beat Davis, DT rookie Aaron Donald was about to drop him after beating RG Alex Boone.

    Second Quarter
    3-10-SF 35 (14:16)
    Personnel: 3 WR, TE, RB
    Result: Kaepernick sacked for 8-yard loss by LB James Laurinaitis.
    What happened: Laurinaitis and LB Alec Ogletree both blitzed over a vacated part of the left side of the offensive line. RB Frank Gore stepped up to get a piece of Ogletree, but Laurinaitis wasn’t touched and dropped Kaepernick.

    2-6-SF 43 (7:43)
    Personnel: 3 WR, TE, RB
    Result: Kaepernick sacked for 5-yard loss by Hayes.
    What happened: Davis took a step inside, apparently to help Boone with DT Michael Brockers, and couldn’t recover in time to stop Hayes, who beat him on a speed rush. On the other side, Staley was called for holding on DE Robert Quinn, which was declined.

    3-3-SF 43 (5:07)
    Personnel: 3 WR, TE, RB
    Result: Kaepernick sacked for 4-yard loss by Quinn.
    What happened: Laurinaitis and S T.J. McDonald both came on blitzes over the right side of the offensive line. Laurinaitis, who was untouched, got to Kaepernick first and swung him around by the waist, allowing Quinn to finish him off after he beat LG Mike Iupati.

    2-1-SF 50 (2:06)
    Personnel: 4 WR, TE
    Result: Kaepernick sacked for 10-yard loss by Quinn.
    What happened: Quinn beat Staley on a speed rush and knocked the ball loose after drilling Kaepernick in the back. DE Eugene Sims recovered the loose ball, which set up St. Louis’ only TD drive, a 36-yarder.

    2-10-34 (:19)
    Personnel: 3 WR, TE, RB
    Result: Kaepernick sacked for 3-yard loss by Sims.
    What happened: Donald beat Boone and collapsed the pocket, forcing Kaepernick to step up … right into Sims, who shook free from a block by rookie C Marcus Martin.

    Third Quarter
    1-10-SL 34 (2:30)
    Personnel: 2 WR, RB, FB, TE
    Result: Kaepernick sacked for 9-yard loss by Donald.
    What happened: Donald lined up over Martin and easily won the one-on-one matchup. The 49ers, who were in field-goal range before the sack, punted three plays later.

    Fourth Quarter
    2-11-SF 5 (9:26)
    Personnel: 2 WR, 2 TE, RB
    Result: Kaepernick sacked for 4-yard loss by Brockers.
    What happened: TEs Vernon Davis and Vance McDonald, lined up together on the right side of the formation, stayed in to block, but it didn’t matter because of a problem in the middle. Brockers beat Martin and Kaepernick stepped up and dove forward to prevent a safety.
    Said FOX color analyst John Lynch: “This is really strange because remember for years, we’ve come in here and talked about the strength of this 49ers team being that offensive line. And they have been awful today.”

      1. the k sure he has his part in the loss just as the rest of the roster have their parts but the O line shares in about 80% of the blame, its actually pretty simple.

    1. Wish I would have seen this before going through all the sacks myself. Would have saved me a lot of time and aggravation watching that pathetic Oline display again.

      1. I know what you mean, rocket. Its almost unbearable to watch. So many drives killed by poor OL play.

    2. O-lined sucked, yes. But, play calling was also terrible.

      How do you explain this? 2nd and 1 at mid field; the team comes out in 4 WR+TE formation. WTF? Run the damn ball … The result was a sack, fumble, and eventually a TD for the Rams.

      Also, I think the 49ers took the Rams lightly and were, most likely, looking ahead to the New Orleans game next week. That’s something the coaching staff should have been aware of.

      1. What’s wrong with taking a shot with another play coming up next if it doesn’t work out?
        I’d rather they take those spread shots on second and short rather than 1st and 10 or 3rd and short. I don’t see anything wrong with that personnel at that time.

        1. I hear what you are saying MD, but 2nd & 1 is the perfect time for either a play action pass, or even a straight drop back from a more run heavy personnel.

          SF doesn’t run the ball out of their 3 wide personnel so the D knows what’s coming before the ball is even snapped.

          1. True but with the game two weeks ago in this situation why not test those horrible cb’s and safety’s if the opportunity presents itself. I loved the call. This is the type of call a lot of fans have been screaming for. Aggressive!!! It wasn’t third down and the game was close. I’d love to see more of it vs a soft secondary in the future. And maybe it’s in Romans head that they can’t get 1 yard when in run packages. Maybe that’s why gore didn’t touch the ball at the end of the game. Chicago anyone???
            It’s obvious he doesn’t trust this line to get the short yardage. And I can’t blame him for that

            1. Forgot to add with the pressure they were getting also why not try to spread them out on 2nd and short? I really don’t see a problem with this particular call in the game. I’m not a big roman fan, but I’m starting to see his madness with the way this o-line is playing. I can imagine the hell he’d be getting if he stuck to the same old plays that aren’t working with him not budging from them. Sounds familiar huh?
              These players aren’t playing for a championship they are better than this. Teams aren’t figuring out the schemes. The players aren’t executing them. THAT you all can blame on coaching.

              1. MD,

                They had been spreading them out throughout the half. By my count that was the 28th offensive play and 17th with 3 or more wide receivers.

              2. Jack….
                I didn’t see them when they ran running the ball down their throats. So who’s to say running the ball was a good call? The way they were manhandling the o-line i can’t see them having success running or throwing the ball. We are acting like they have been running the ball like try use to. They haven’t. I’m sticking to my guns. I like that call once in awhile on 2nd and short.

            2. Ninermd:

              This is the type of call a lot of fans have been screaming for. Aggressive!!!

              And 4-4 is the result. Perhaps those fans should be quiet.

              1. They are not 4-4 because of that call. He’s not much more aggressive with his play calling this season. These plays are working if the players execute them. Does anybody have the ratio of dropped balls for offenses this season?
                Claude I can clearly remember fans being upset with the same old scheme. Run heavy and predictable. And when they came up short of a Superbowl win his old way didn’t work either. This offense can’t even get a yard anymore when needed running the ball. Again 2nd and 1 I’d live to see that call more often. Unless the line is still playing this bad.

              2. Ninermd:

                I’m not talking about just that call. In each of the 4 losses, the offense has been unbalanced in favor of the pass.

              3. Claude I can clearly remember fans being upset with the same old scheme. Run heavy and predictable.

                And winning. 13-3, 11-4-1 and 12-4. Not 4-4. Sometimes, fans need to get over themselves.

              4. Yes it had Claude… They are more pass happy. But why? Could the staff be questionable on their trust for the o-line? This o-line can’t even get 1 yard at times. And as far as the record… Season isn’t over with yet. Who’s to say any other calls in losses earlier would dictate the outcome? With penalties hurting them in the first 4 games. Yeah you can point at the different calls and look at their record, but let’s bring up some other differences from the past three seasons.
                1 penalties
                2 injuries
                3 lack of hustle or hunger.
                4 ST’
                There are more than one difference in this years team. It’s not just calls from the OC.
                There is still some time to turn this around. This team is very capable of doing that. If anything I question their hearts. Where is it?

              5. Ninermd:

                I agree with you that there is no one reason why things aren’t going well this season. It’s never as simple as people think it is …

                … which brings me to all those commenters who complained about the boring, predictable offense and insisted that it was holding the 49ers back. They practically guaranteed that 49ers would run roughshod over the NFL and win multiple Super Bowls if only the offense was more aggressive and threw the ball more. Well, those commenters got their wish this season, and the results haven’t been what was promised.

              6. “Does anybody have the ratio of dropped balls for offenses this season?”

                Does anybody have the ration of crappy passes thrown by our QBs, excluding Blaine Gabbert? Hmmm. I think I have a source.

                Offense is medicore all the way around. Except for maybe Bruce Miller and Stevie Johnson.

    3. You didn’t account for play action of shotgun. Or how maybe he could have changed the play at the line. Either he’s instructed not to, can’t or did and got fooled a few times when he tried.

      1. Well 77 with all those what if’s and no clear answer. How can you still put most of the blame on the qb? You must hate the guy that much.

        1. I don’t hate him. I just don’t buy the excuses. Yeah the O-Line was very leaky, but he sure didn’t help.
          Despite the inept play by an offense with all those weapons, they couldn’t punch it in from the 2 yard line.
          He fumbled — pretty much snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Even if he bobbled the snap, if had just held onto it, he would have a TD. But he didn’t.
          Explain that one. At least he didn’t throw it to Crabtree.

          1. Welp he did throw it to Crabtree and it was a TD. Refs saw it differently. And I don know what play you were watching, but how do you determine HE botched the ball???
            The replay I see is that te ball was stuck on the centers thigh. Did you watch the game? Or you choose to ignore the other horrible snaps throughout the game. Sheeez. I said I get it. It’s all ck’s fault.

            1. Did he have the ball in his hand? Yes or no? Was it a fumbled snap and there was a scrum for it?
              It doesn’t matter what we saw on the Crabtree catch? And how the heck can the Niners even lose to the Rams, and why did it even come down to that play?

  30. Everyone is looking for the why’s. We hear that the pass blocking sucks, CK is just a mess, and the scheme was horrible. Well that all falls on Harbaugh’s shoulders. Last game against Denver the Niners had a banged up defense. I don’t think he did anything to help his defense, he just plugs in his backups and expects them to perform like the starters. Well that’s all well and fine in theory but they are backups for a reason. His game plan against Denver in my opinion was terrible, he didn’t protect his defense. Yesterday the pass rush was immense. They didn’t make the adjustments that handled the rush. When there is an action then there should be a reaction. Do the same thing over and over again and expecting different results, well your just fooling yourself. I said this after the Denvers game – Harbaughs biggest problem is he out coaches himself. I like Harbaugh, and I understand where the Niners were before him, but just like Singletary and Nolan before him he still hasn’t delivered a SB victory and after all anything less is failure and this season could turn out to be his worst. No I don’t want Harbaugh to go – yet.

    CK – I don’t understand that guy. He looks brilliant at one time and looks like a lost puppy another time. He has all the physical tools to be great, there just seems to be a disconnect somewhere between his brain and his actions. With Alex his brain was excellent but his physical tools were limited. CK is the QB and rightfully so, but I am thinking drafting another QB just might be in order.

  31. I think we will see next year as the beginning of a great rebuilding under new management. Lots of retirements and trades, new coaching and a new QB.

    But there is a deeper problem: the new stadium has bad karma, fung shuay, bad vibes, what ever you want to call it. The place is an oven hellhole in summer and is butt ugly. Guys got killed building it. If they find an ancient burial ground under the 50 yard line next time they resod it (yet again) I won’t be surprised.

    The Yorks really screwed up and don’t seem to have the collective sack to put the management/coaching team on notice to lighten up and bring an interesting product to that dump of a stadium. They alienated traditional fans with their ridiculous seat pricing and foo-foo goodies for the uber-elite while selling the stands to a bunch of thugs who get drunk and violent.

    And the worst thing to happen to a team that is stuck in a new and unlivable venue is for their fans to tune them out. The team can’t move and when the tickets are being sold at give-away prices in a few years things could get ugly…

    1. Ghost,
      This may be the only time I’ve agreed with you, but I don’t like the new stadium. The place has bad karma and is dead quite even though it has better acoustics than Candlestick.

  32. 49ers redzone woes: Frank Gore is on pace for 24 redzone carries for 60 yards and 2 TDs. Those numbers are lowest since 2010 when he only played about 10.5 games.

    1. Why is it that they do not give him the ball in the redzone? Dating back to the Super Bowl against the Ravens, he doesn’t get the rock. I heard rumors Kaep audibled then but I hope he’s not audibling everytime. Just give the ball to Gore.

  33. Coach Harbaw does the team a favor; the day after
    the Niners wrap up their 2014/15 season, he calls
    a press conference and announces… I will be stepping down.

    That way the Niners have all the time they need to prepare
    to interview new head coach candidates. And he gives
    himself and his family some much needed down time, huh?

    1. You do realize no one is responding to you? How much of a loser do you have to be to still make time to post multiple times to this blog with one intention, to immensely aggravate the fan base, yet no one cares, no one at all.

      Does this mean I care? Not at all, I just found it very interesting, and kinda sad. Get a hobby man. Go on Pintrest or something.

    1. 2. Passing offense: The offensive line was horrible. And quarterback Colin Kaepernick did not help the cause, either. He was not decisive enough to find the area of weakness in the Rams’ defense when they came with blitzes.

      There’s plenty of blame. O-Line is definitely guilty as charged. Colin is an accomplice.

    1. Read the article. Also sounds like the blitz had Kaep rattled. This goes ALL THE WAY BACK to the SB, when the Ravens decided to just hit Kaep every time on the Read Option. They made it clear that they didn’t think he liked to be hit.

      You know who could take a lick and was awesome? Kurt Warner. He would wait til the very last second and then flick his wrist to Torry Holt for a deep in 20 yard completion.

      1. Oh the Super Bowl where he figured it out and helped make a great comeback that came up short. The calls in that game went our way also. But hey it ck’s fault. We get it.

        1. “We came up short.” That’s all you had to say! How many time are were going to come up and short and you be okay with it?

          1. Ck wasn’t the qb everytime they came up short. Do ya think maybe it’s not all him?
            And you have NO idea how sick I am of them coming up short. The difference is I saw a defense give up a ton of points in the Super Bowl, and two qb’s who didn’t play well at the end of two NFCCG’

  34. Barrows:
    “Stat: #49ers offense has scored one TD in the 4th quarter this season, a garbage-time TD from Blaine Gabbert in blowout loss to Denver.”

    Maybe the coaches have nothing to do with this horrendous second-half offense, or maybe they do…

  35. 49ers currently sit 8th in the NFC. Which two teams will falter over second half to get them into the 6th seed in NFC?

    Arizona 7-1
    Detroit 6-2
    Philadelphia 6-2
    New Orleans 4-4
    Dallas 6-3
    Seattle 5-3
    Green Bay 5-3
    S.F 4-4

    1. Dallas and Seattle. They are just as discombobulated as the niners. I believe they’ll lose a few more before it’s over.

    2. I don’t trust GB either at this point.

      If we show up, I mean really show up, and beat NO, then we can save this season and fly in as the underdog all the way to the SB. If not, I’m calling it man.

      1. To me they might have to beat Seattle twice and the Cards at home to think they can roll and make something special happen.

    3. Phili and Dallas will falter. But, somebody has to win the NFC East – most likely Phili. I’m not sold on Detroit. Green Bay will win the NFC North. Arizona will win the NFC West. With the NFC South in shambles, NO will win that division. That leaves Detroit, Dallas, Seattle, and SF fighting for two wildcard spots.

      Phili will cool off because of injury to Nick Foles (out for at least one month with a broken collarbone).

      Dallas falters because Romo is banged up.

      1. Not sold on Detroit either, but they’re playing good defense and that’s a solid fundamental. Stafford can pitch it; being able to pick his shots (w/ Megatron’s return) while the D keeps it close makes them dangerous.

      1. If they can do that, they’ll be riding one of the hottest streaks into the playoffs, so would be a real threat to go all the way. But, at this point that appears very wishful thinking.

  36. First choice is Philly. How large of a hole will dirty Sanchez dig the team into before Foles is healthy enough to return?

    Dallas is second choice but could easily become my first if Romo is out even longer.

    1. Ok, but one of Dallas or Philly is getting in regardless which puts SF in 7th. Who else falls to get them to #6?

      1. Hmm, didn’t think that one all the way through did I? Hahaha. I still question Arizonas staying power, I’ll make them my second choice.

  37. From Steve Young on the SFGATE:

    Here’s the link in case you think I hate so much that I made this up:

    http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2014/11/03/steve-young-on-49ers-they-looked-broken/

    Here’s the full transcript of Young, who also briefly discussed Colin Kaepernick:

    What’s happening with this 49ers team?

    SY: “I was standing on the sideline yesterday. George Seifert, our old coach, was inducted into the 49er Hall of Fame. So I stood right by the team. It was right before halftime and afterwards. And I remember calling to my security guy that I’ve known for years and years, Jeff Rodriguez. I said ‘Jeff, something’s wrong with these guys. There’s a bad vibe. Guys on and off the field.’

    “I mean this is the best locker room in football. You know how much I love studying locker rooms and guys that self-police and take care of business. They looked broken and I can’t figure that out. I mean … they’ve had some injuries and they haven’t had injuries. Maybe this is a team that’s not resilient enough to deal with injuries. But offensively they don’t have that many injuries and they look lost. A lot of complaining, a lot of moaning coming off the field.

    “Colin looks like – guys that really know what they’re doing, their eyes are up. Quarterbacks that aren’t sure, their eyes come down. As soon as they get to the back of their drop, their eyes come down because they want to find out what’s happening around them. They start to move. And that’s what’s happening to him.

    “There’s really nothing to really put my finger on other than sometimes teams just get lost. I walked away yesterday saying ‘Boy, that team is not even close to what the teams they were the last couple years. Ready to take things on deep into January.”

    1. Fan77,
      Why do I get a sense on which part of SYoung’ thread you really enjoyed the most?
      Fan, if the 49ers lose the next couple of games than perhaps its time to write-off the team’s playoff chances for this season.

      I had the 49ers going 11-5 back in July and for them to cover that prediction they would almost need to run the table. The wheels are flat at the moment, but they haven’t come off.

  38. In 2011, I said an athlete is defined by how they perform in pressure situations. The champions come through when the chips are down. That is what makes them different from us. The 49ers QB has defined him self over and over again in pressure situations and he has come up wanting. If you guys do not think that the other players on this team are not aware of the QBs pressure profile, then you are living in an alternative universe. Any of you who has ever been part of a team knows if you can not rely on a team member to come through when it counts the most, after a time you subconsciously let down. A picture in time of todays 49ers.

    1. Hacksaw, that was the post of the day! Great players make others around them better and they elevate their game when it’s do or die. CK’s history has shown he does not rise to the occasion.

      1. I have to agree with Prime to an extent. Jack, you pointed it out last year as well. Kap is not having consistent success in those crucial situations when the game is in the balance, an issue that seems more problematic this year.

        When he was here at UNR, Kap made everyone better (he only had a truly gifted receiver one year out of four) and excelled when the pressure was on. And it was not just because the WAC was a non-BCS conference full of mediocre teams – he did the same thing against quality opponents. However, the NFL is a different game, and he is not able or allowed (or both) to play to his strengths – to be the playmaker who carries the team. He needs to be the guy who gets the ball to the playmakers and only take it on himself in those situations where there is no other choice. He is not comfortable in that role, however, and may never be (Randal Cunningham only accepted that role when his knee no longer allowed him to be the playmaker).

        Steve Young pointed this out best when discussing his own development. He did not become effective in the NFL until he understood he was not the playmaker but rather the guy who enabled the playmakers. Of course, it helped that he had Jerry Rice, but Young had to learn to rely on the scheme, his reads, and his receivers instead of himself. Luckily for him, he was in a system that made him do these things. The 49ers’ coaching staff appears to want to have its cake and eat it too with Kap – develop him just enough so he can manage a game but keep him raw enough to create chaos when he needs to.

      1. And now that the league has figured out how to defend him how’s he doing in scoring TD’s in the 4th quarter?

          1. 7 for 37 game winning drives, fantastic! When did those occur? Last 8, 5, 2 minutes of the game? Great stat but more detail as to juncture of the game please?

              1. Here is my problem with that stat. The defense could have held on any one of those occasions which won them the game.
                The NE and ATL game in 2012 he deserves full credit as does the playoff win in GB.
                The win against Seattle last year in SF was a long run by Gore, 3 kneel downs and a FG. Not sure how that is rising to the occasion which is my point. I’ve seen a choke element since Seattle last year, this year against the Bears, Cards, and last week against the Rams.
                Its pattern starting to develop.

  39. Back on Thanksgiving 2011, there was 8 sacks on Alex Smith. Niners didn’t get any calls in that game too. At the same time, that was a short week, they flew across country, and I think they had a tough Seattle game, which they won, on the Sunday. Alex Haters ripped on him then, said it was all his fault, and not defend Kaep. Hey at least the Ravens were a playoff team!

    http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-thursday-night-football/09000d5d82472840/49ers-vs-Ravens-highlights

      1. Right, so I pull out a game where Alex got sacked 8 times and they lost the game.

        And you’re telling me to get some fresh air.

        I’m sorry it didn’t answer your burning questions

            1. “We learn from our past mistakes.”

              Obviously you haven’t. Blaming Kaepernick for the loss yesterday is just as ignorant as blaming Smith for that loss back in 2011.

              1. If CK makes a better throw to the outside to Crabtree its a TD. He admits that himself.
                The end of the game he fumbles the ball. Slice and dice it all you want, unfortunately he has to wear the goat horns that play.
                The problems are numerous right now for the Niners. But their QB, their multimillion dollar, franchise QB has done nothing to help mask the problems.

              2. And if Andy Lee doesn’t shank a punt the Rams don’t have to go only 8 yards to set up the field goal that gave them the lead.

                Yes, Kaepernick should wear the goat horns, but he’s not alone.

              3. Good point Jack. He is not getting any help either. The unfortunate thing is it’s San Francisco, QB’s are where it begins and ends. And when the QB does not play well, it’s open season.

              4. “And when the QB does not play well, it’s open season.”

                That’s an ignorant take from someone who dismisses stats due to “too many variables.”

              5. Not really when the stats you present are too subjective. As for the QB, It’s been happening ever since Montana left the franchise. I don’t make up the rules.

              6. Hey Stat lovers! Here ya go!

                Austin Davis’ stats from Sunday:
                13/24 for 105. 1 TD/2 INT 1 sack . QBR 13.7 RTG. 44.6

                Kaep’s stats from Sunday:
                22/33 for 237. 1 TD. 8 sacks. QBR 13.4 RTG 97.7

                Kaep lost his duel to a 3rd string QB, who pretty much sucked the whole game. Yeah. Lost to that guy.

                At least Kaep won’t that duel against Brady two years ago. Oh that’s right — that’s the past!

              7. Looking at Austin Davis’ stats compared to Colin’s would seem to indicate that this loss had little to do with the QB.

                Yes if he didn’t fumble we win the game, but why were even in that position in the first place?

Comments are closed.