Kaepernick misread the Bears’ coverage on the final play

On the 49ers’ final offensive play Sunday Night — the fourth-and-nine from the Bears’ 17-yard line, the incomplete pass intended for Michael Crabtree, the loud thud on the end zone grass — Colin Kaepernick claimed the Bears’ defense was in Cover 3. His exact words were, “They had Cover 3, we got the look we wanted, we just have to make that play.”

The Bears were not in Cover 3. The Bears were in Cover 1.

If it was Cover 3, Bears’ cornerback Tim Jennings would not have been on Michael Crabtree’s shoulder squeezing the In route. If it was Cover 3, Kaepernick’s pass to Crabtree would have traveled into a seam between Jennings and the free safety, Danny McCray.

Cover 1 initially can look like Cover 3 — the coverage Kaepernick thought he saw. An experienced quarterback can tell the difference when he sees the linebackers chasing the running backs out of the backfield and the strong safety chasing the tight end.

That’s Cover 1.

This article has 438 Comments

    1. I dont know I think im gonna take a qb who has been playing football his whole life over a scandalous “reporter” who rips him at every turn. Oh by the way how much football have you played grant? No, watching it on tv and madden dont count sorry bud.

      1. You’re too dumb to even follow what the reporter said. Kaep is overrated and will lead his team to a 8-8 non playoff year.

        1. Right because kaep hasnt led us to the deep playoffs two years in a row? Look who is the idiot now… youdodo we started out 1-2 last year and almost won our division with kaep at qb so you dont have much ground to stand on with your kaep is overratex claim.

  1. If correct, that is pretty damning for Kaep. Misread the D, and didn’t recognise he had misread it even after the fact.

  2. If that is indeed correct, Kap should not answer that type of question and pull a Sing, ” I need to look at the film”

  3. Give the Bears defense a win on that play for disguising the coverage. QB’s being fooled by defensive coverage’s do happen.

    Also, I felt that Crabtree might have had a good chance to make the catch had he not made a little twitch move before lounging for the pass.
    This loss will sting for a few days because you never want to see your team lose after having a 17 point lead – arrgghhh!

      1. Too often in my very biased, old school opinion.
        Athletic running QB’s have difficulty learning the technical aspects of the NFL game. Look at Andrew Luck. Not too defenses fool that guy.

        1. Prime, in fairness to CK, Luck has been running a Pro-Style offense since his Stanford days. It also doesn’t hurt that he had Jim on his side even before he was drafted.

          1. That argument I would have agreed with Ricardo after CK’s 1st year. Now after 2 years, two long playoff runs can you honestly say CK looks more or less confused when reading defenses?

          1. Sure he has but Luck does not have the deer in head lights look, the happy, panic feet. Luck is a fundamentally sound QB. CK is play ground type football.

            1. I watched Luck at Sanford and I’m a Luck fan, but I just left tonight’s game and on a play where he had good time in the pocket, his feet were constantly in motion — very rapid motion. He looked at one receiver the whole time. He finally threw the ball into triple coverage and was lucky it was incomplete. It’s an example that isn’t typical of Luck, but it does happen.

          2. Ridiculous to compare, Kaep is protected and covered for, running game is still the focus of the Niner offense. Luck has been THE MAN since he was drafted, they put so much more on his back….

        2. I understand about Luck but he also makes mistakes too. Last night with the eagles he threw a pick that led them to tie and eventually win. So Luck will be a top QB in the league but he’s still not perfect!

      2. Yup, and yet how many of the so called elite QB’s playing at the moment can you name that have been to 1 SB ad 2 Championship games over the span of 2 yrs?

        Yup, Kaep is detestable (lol).

        1. I love A.Luck and believe that he will become the king of the hill in about 4-5 years when the Payton’s, Brees’s, and Brady’s are gone.

          But as of right now, he is 0-2 and CK is 1-1. After last Sunday’s game the bashing on Kaep is well deserved, but CFC said it best; you don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.

          CK needs to correct quite a few things in his repertoire but one bad (as he put it “terrible”) game at this point of the season does not a season make.
          Time to move on to Arizona, period.

        2. The question should be, how many qbs have singlehandedly thrown away a Superbowl ring and an NFC championship over the span of two years?

  4. Did you ascertain this from watching the live play or from watching the replay? Regardless, on that play the only player that had a chance to catch the ball was the receiver and Crabtree adlibbed that took him off his route oh- so- slightly. Otherwise the throw is on the money. Would there have been a different outcome or throw if he had read the cover 1? Maybe, but the lack of execution was still what caused the play to not be completed. Knitpicking on the final play that you had to point out and say look “I know the differences between coverages and Kaep doesn’t and he’s a pro” is childish. I don’t defend his other throws that were incomplete or interceptions. Those were big mistakes on him.

    1. Razor,
      I agree. Let’s get those Cardinals! I rarely comment but always read Grants posts and the comments by all the faithfuls. I usually enjoy both Grant’s work and the comments. Maybe I’m still annoyed from the loss last night, but Grants “neener-neener-neener” tone rubbed me the wrong way on this one.

  5. My question is did it occur to the coaching staff (GO for example) that the defense expected Kap to go to his “go to” guy and they set a trap for the young quarterback? If the coaches are going to try to use the players as chess pieces, they need to know what their opposite numbers are thinking. Like too many people have already commented, fourth and game on the line and Kap goes to Crabtree? GO needs to bone up on his chess moves IMHO.

    1. Poker would be a better example. If you don’t know what the opponent thinks of your play it’s a major handicap.

  6. “If it was Cover 3, Bears’ cornerback Tim Jennings would not have been on Michael Crabtree’s shoulder squeezing the In route.”

    You need more evidence. This doesn’t necessarily mean it was man coverage. Smart DB’s know if there is NOT someone threatening you’re third of the field, you squeeze the zone shrinking it to close the passing window. So if this is your reasoning, you’ll need more proof. That’s instincts. Not saying you’re wrong but it most definitely does not mean you’re right

    1. It was man coverage. Ryan Mundy was covering Derek Carrier and Brock Vereen was covering Anquan Boldin. Boldin was open, too.

      1. Given the fact that ck can’t throw a ball with touch, the MC throw was the right throw to make. It was on the money and had it been CAUGHT this wouldn’t be an issue. Because he failed in the sea game and Superbowl throwing to MC doesn’t mean he shouldn’t do it again. The post route is easier to make than a fade route in the end zone. Example the wide open out he missed with S Johnson. It was the right throw to make.

  7. Very good point and very refreshing to read football analysis that is well written and presented.

  8. I can only imagine it must be hard to switch readily back and forth from a runner’s mindset to a passer’s. Two totally different skillsets. I think Greg Roman needs to cool it on the read option and just let Kaepernick scramble for any running yards he gets. Every play he does the pistol is a play where he is not maturing a passer. Give him short completions, get is confidence up. Develop him as a passer. He has played about two years worth of games but done a lot of running in those, some by design. Give him a chance to develop as a passer.

    1. Kaepernick has about seven more game to reach two regular seasons. If you count his playoff game then he has two years. Steve Young took more time than that with a better team around him and he had much more time with the Walsh structure.

    2. Good point. Steve Young likened it to being a jackhammer on one play the playing the violin on the next. He’d know …

  9. Wow, Grant good find. With that said, Him getting fooled on one play what really disconcerted me about this game. Nor all the pics, which the niners could coach around.

    What scares me the most is that this was the second straight game that our Oline blocked like turn-stills and the second straight week our Passrush failed to get pressure… I swear there were a few plays that Cutler had 6 seconds to throw the ball.

  10. Misread the coverage?? Listen, even when he read the coverage correctly, he was far from on target with most of his passes…..constantly throwing the ball over the receivers heads, so they have to stretch out (exposing their ribs to direct hits) to attempt a reception….the league has caught up to the novelty that was Colin Kaepernick…now its time fot Jim Harbaugh and the offensive staff to make this guy into an NFL quarterback….been a 9er fan since the 60’s, but Im having a hard time jumping on the Kaepernick Bandwagon….if it wasn’t for the 49er defense, the success the team experienced the last three seasons would have been non-existant…time for the offense to step up and take charge, give the defense a break (try scoring touchdowns in the red-zone, instead of field goals)….until that happens, 9-7 is how I see the season…

  11. Last two games…

    First half 49ers 45, Opposition 10
    Second half 49ers 3, Opposition 35

    Time for mock coin flips in the half time locker room. Practice squad players could dress in opposing team uniforms. Have a few cheer leaders make a line as players return to the field… balloon arches… the whole works.

    We’re talking 15-1 regular season + Super Bowl. Easy!

  12. Whatever the coverage was, the simple fact is that the ball was thrown where only the receiver could get it, and it hit him in the hands. Heck, even after he failed to catch it, he had another decent chance to grab it when he was on the ground, but it went off his hands a second time. The failure of that play is on Crabtree. He’s got to catch that.

    There were plenty of things to criticize Kaepernick for in that game, but in my opinion the final pass was not one of them.

    1. I believe that Harbs spoke of many sets of fingerprints were on the defeat, a la Murder on the Orient Express.

    2. I agree, the final play was not the one to dwell on it.
      The bigger issue was Kaps consistent willingness to throw into coverage and not go through his reads properly. This is something that it appears he didnt learn from in the playoff game against the Seahawks.
      Sadly, we have the worst of both worlds here… a Qb whos slow going through his reads and a line that doesn’t give him much time to get through them.

      1. >>I agree, the final play was not the one to dwell on it.

        I suppose you don’t dwell on the final play of last year’s NFCCG?

        1. I actually dont.
          In that game I dwell on the first turnover the defense provided and the offense going 3 and out getting only a field goal, I dwell on 3 turnovers in the second half, and I dwell on giving up a td on 4th and long.
          That game should have never come down to a final desperation play, the team failed to close the deal and let Seattle win a game they shouldn’t have.

            1. Sunday can’t get here soon enough. Time to flip the bird, in their nest and in front of their flock…..

    3. Dude, did you read what you wrote? What difference does it make if he threw it where only the receiver could catch it? It was the last play of the game and it was fourth down.
      Facepalm…

      1. Not sure I understand this. It hit his receiver, in the hands at the goal line. In other words even if Kap made the wrong read at the end of the day he got a result we should all be happy with but the receiver dropped the ball. That is a catch Crabtree has to make.

      2. Yes, I read it. Did you?

        The ball was on Crabtree’s hands, in a position where the defender could not make a play on it. That’s exactly what I want my quarterback to do.

        I can cut you some slack, as that phrase is sometimes used to describe a pass that either the receiver will catch or will fall incomplete. That’s not what I was saying though, and if you actually read my comment you will understand that.

        1. Euclidite,
          here is why this article was written. Late Sunday night at the Field of Jeans there was a press conference. A young reporter ( we will call him Grant ) walks in with his father who has been reporting Sports in the Bay Area for decades. The young man says, “dad, can I sit up front with you?” The dad says, ” no son, you have to sit in back with the other internet bloggers”.

          During the press conference the young blogger patiently raises his hand to be called upon to ask a question. Three players and the coach all take their turn at the podium and not once was the young blogger called upon.

          The young guy went home, let it fester for 24 hours. Then he exacted his revenge by writing an article called, “Kaepernick misread the Bears’ coverage on the final play”. Smiling as he posted it, thinking, ” that will show them”.

    4. Did we ever consider he may have just mis-spoke in his interview? Who cares really? He found the open guy and threw a ball that should have been caught.

      He made much bigger mistakes earlier in the game. This one doesn’t even register on the scale.

  13. This is going to be an interesting year. On paper there are not that many tough games, but the deck is not stacked in the 49ers’ favor. The injuries, suspension and now we really still don’t know what we have in Kaepernick. I thought he turned the corner last week but now it still remains to be seen if he consistently show he knows how to be a pocket quarterback. When he’s behind or having a bad day it does not look good.
    It’s going to take a 5 game sample for this season to really see where he’s at as a QB.
    Hopefully he turns it around, otherwise in the long haul, we could be screwed.

    1. I think it’s pretty clear as to what the 49ers have in Colin Kaepernick. The good, the bad, and the ugly. Hopefully the good comes in late December, the ugly in September and the bad sprinkled thru weeks 6-12. It’s basically hit or miss from game to game.

    2. Fan,
      just stick to being the hater that you are. You tried to say nice things last week because Kaep played well. It didn’t flow well out of your mouth. See once you’ve outed yourself as a hater, that’s what you are. A hater.
      Somehow this game turned into all Kaeps fault. I’ve got news for you, it was a team wide failure. Coaches, offensive line, QB, multiple drops by receivers, defense fell apart second half and 16 penalties.
      I think it says something about certain fan bases in terms of how they support their team. I don’t see folks turning their back on Luck. Luck had 7 turnovers during the playoffs last year in two games. And he just lost a shootout tonight. Does that mean he sucks?
      Brees had 4 multiple turnover games last year. His team is 0-2. Are they looking for his replacement?
      Gotta be painful to be you.
      Kaep had a bad game. Very bad. I’m giving him the season before I judge. That’s just me. Keep slinging your hateraid. Cause that’s just you.

      1. bay:

        Wow, you really don’t get it, do you? You don’t get to be the guy who calls out other fans for hating on the QB and tells them they aren’t supporting the team.

        You don’t get to be that guy because you’re the guy who wrote a letter to the team in 2011 after the 49ers re-signed Alex Smith telling them you weren’t renewing your season tickets and that you wouldn’t go to any more games until the 49ers got rid of Smith. You’re the guy who spewed nothing but ignorant nonsense and hate towards Smith, even as the team was going 13-3 and advancing to the NFCCG. You’re the guy who told people who supported Smith that they weren’t “real fans” of the team.

        So, after all that, you don’t get to be the guy who calls out Fansince77 for being a hater when he criticizes Kaepernick. Coming from you, it’s just blatant two-faced hypocrisy.

        1. If you are going to distort facts why write at all? It was after 2009 that I did that. This is 5 years later Claude. Very creepy that you remember that.
          Also you used to go out of your way to put guys like fan in their place. Quit hugging my nuts and go back to defending your team.

          1. bayareahypocrite:

            The difference between 2009 and 2011 is a distortion? Please excuse me for not remembering the important facts. I notice that your only response is to focus on a trivial mistake, rather than to contest the core assertion, namely, that you are a hypocrite. When you criticize a QB, it’s because you are a “real fan” supporting his team, but when someone criticizes a QB that you like, he’s a troll who doesn’t support the team.

            What has Fansince77 done to deserve being put in his place? I think he tends to be too harsh in his assessment of Kaepernick, but he doesn’t habitually make up facts to support his position or ignore facts that undermine it, and he hasn’t questioned the fandom of those who disagree with him. To the extent I put anyone “in his place,” it’s not going to be someone who merely has an opinion that differs from mine. It’s going to be someone who expresses strong opinions without actually looking at the facts or who talks out of both sides of his mouth. You know, uninformed gasbags and hypocrites.

            Which brings us back to my original point. Now that I’ve addressed your attempts at distraction, explain to me how it is that your unbounded criticism of Alex Smith in 2011-12 made you a “real fan,” but Fansince77’s criticism of Kaepernick makes him a troll who doesn’t support the team?

            1. Claude you have such a fascination with what I write and what I’ve written. To a point that you are now misconstruing facts and details.

              If following me gets you off, then more power to you. I have this visual of you know that you hug my nutz, read what I’ve written, and cannot wait to write your response. This ceremony of your concludes with you going to the bathroom and pleasuring yourself no doubt. Glad I could help…..

              1. bayareatwoface:

                Look at you, trying to change the subject so you don’t have to acknowledge your hypocrisy.

                And what a subject. Wow, you have some bizarre sexual fantasies. Do you really think this is the place to share them? I don’t think anyone here is into that, but I’m sure you can find an appropriate forum somewhere on the web. You might even find someone to wear a Kaepernick mask for you.

              2. Claude,
                I picture you pointing at the sky yelling, “the plane the plane”. Get of my nutz little man.
                There are other people in this room that openly rip out team placing blame on one player, go do your chihuahua thing and nip at their ankles.

                I openly admit I did the same thing to Alex, I didn’t like him as our QB. It wasn’t all his fault. But also glad that Alex who is 0-4 in his last 4 is no longer here though. In two more weeks Alex will be 0-6 in his last six.

              3. BA Fanatic,
                I recall that you assumed I was an Alex Smith lover, then went back and pulled up all my old posts back in 2012, after the Niners lost to the Giants in the NFCCG, and I said I would trade for Peyton Manning. This is all old news.
                This year I said I would start fresh on Kaep Some may agree or disagree with me opinions. Most would say that I am overly tough or critical of Kaep. You are the the one that wants to paint me as a troll because I dare question the greatness of the chosen one, Kaep.
                When he played well I gave him credit for it. And when he lost the game for us last Sunday, I brought up the same issues that have always bothered me with him.
                You still root for Alex’s demise or bad play, and you do that so you can say we were glad to get rid of him and stick with Kaep.
                Here’s the thing, on paper Kaep for sure is the guy you would to keep. But the more he plays, the more it’s all the same. We are getting a bigger body of work and it’s hard to overlook his glaring issues. We’ll see where he is in game 5. By then your excuses for Kaep will be his line sucks and the WRs are not that good, everyone else on the team is at fault except for the guy were are paying 120 million….

    3. Bet you’re still a smith fan after his 3 interception day last week… Oh btw.. How many playoff teams has he beaten since going to KC? I could understand you bashing ck after this game, but you’re an habitual basher which should put you in the old class of Alwx basher…(ck basher)
      Dude smith is gone. Even though you don’t mention him, your history shows your hate. Get over it. Ck is still better than Alex F’ING Smith.

      1. The argument of how many teams Smith has beaten proves the point. Look at KC. That team’s talent level is far below the Niners. He somehow “managed” to get that team to the playoffs.
        Smith is passing to Al Jenkins for crying out level. He’s not top level talent, but he’s making the most of it.
        Colin has way more upside but doesn’t seem to be putting it all together consistently.
        It’s not bashing when you’re just laying out the facts.
        Smith is gone. Young is gone. Rattay is gone. Shaun Hill is gone. CK is the present, but is he the future? If he’s not making the jump to the next level of playing the QB position in all situations, then we got a problem.

          1. Again you prove my point! And I’m not even a Smith lover! He had the two worse head coaches, a different OC each year. Not one legit #1 WR that was healthy, but he had Vernon and Gore, and somehow his team won.
            Colin Kaepernick is in hi 4th year, same head coach, OC, on a very good team. And yet here were are talking about how he still can’t read defenses consistently, and has fallen apart when he has to bring a team back with his arm and not his legs.
            He’s just not the golden child. That’s all I’m saying.

    1. He’s a better QB now. His team was better then. Better Oline, better run game and better defense. Much better defense.

      1. Marginally disagree. The biggest issue is he’s not a top shelf qb.
        I watched Philip Rivers’ second and third touchdown passes.
        Great footwork, excellent pressure reading and peripheral vision, smart step forward to gain time and space, laser touch with perfect ball rotation.
        And always cold-blooded.
        This is a quarterback.

        1. Yup, that explains why he hasn’t put his team in championship game and super bowl.

          But hey, who’s counting right?
          Sheesh…

          1. have to call out this argument b/c football is such a team game (including the coaches). there are plenty of superbowl winning qb’s that are not even pro-bowl worthy.

            would certainly take brees over flacco or luck over wilson.

        2. I’m not sure if Rivers is the comparison you want to make. After becoming a turnover machine in seasons 2011 and 2012, there were serious doubts about him ever being a relevant player again. The Chargers did right the ship and got him some support but even at Rivers’ best the Chargers haven’t been much more than a one and done playoff team. Their best effort was in the 2007 postseason, reaching the conference championship game. Where Rivers threw 2 picks. Sound like another QB we know?

    2. the 2012 sample size was too small. A better comparison is 2013. But now the 2014 sample size is WAY too small. Come back to us at midseason.

    3. Mike,

      He’s a better QB from an understanding of what it is he’s doing; I don’t think there’s any question about that. The issue is exactly what Jack referenced: consistency. All we have to do is look at the past two weeks to get a clear example of that.

      When Kap was drafted I think most including me, saw him as a project that was going to take 2-3 years minimum because he was so raw coming out of College. I think that still manifests itself at times during games when he forgets his fundamentals and just becomes a guy trying to make a play. When he plays within the system and doesn’t try to do more than he should, he is very good. His running ability is both a gift and a curse in that he can make big plays with his legs, but it also is seemingly holding him back in his pocket development at times.

      I loved what I saw from him in Dallas. He was patient, stepped up in the pocket and kept his eyes down field. He did that at times against the Bears, but he also was inaccurate and late on some of his decisions and passes which cost him dearly. He’s still a work in progress and there are going to be days like this unfortunately.

      1. I think his biggest issue when it comes to consistency is his ability (or inability) to stay calm in big games/ moments consistently. From the very first pass in this game he was a bit wild, and unlike last week he didn’t do a particularly good job of staying calm and going through his reads. I can’t remember where I read it, but someone wrote something along the lines of how last week he was Kaep the QB, while this week he was trying to be Kaep the playmaker. And I think that is right. He needs to be Kaep the QB more often.

    4. No he hasn’t. Can read a d can’t make his progressions can’t stand in the pocket and can’t stop forcing it to crabtree.

    1. Nah,
      I’m going with the theme of the room. Luck threw a 4th quarter red zone interception that gave Philly life. Luck ended last year by throwing 7 picks in the playoffs and started this season 0-2. He’s terrible. They should start grooming his replacement.

      1. There should have been a penalty for illegal contact called on Philly on that play. Really bad miss after the emphasis that has been placed on calling that. That is the issue I have with the officiating right now. In the Niner game, every possible hint of a penalty was called. In the Philly-Indy game, they let them play a little more. It’s frustrating for me as a fan which means the players are probably losing their minds over it. You just don’t know who is going to call what at any given time.

        1. Completely agree Rocket. There’s just no consistency with these calls. We’ve gotten 2 bad crews in a row. It’s ridiculous and its really slowing down the game. I just don’t understand the logic of calling something that did not effect the outcome of the play just to take away a big play that potentially effects the outcome the game.

          It is very frustrating. But on that note, we really need to clean up the play as a team. I think when you combine the fact that our starters received the least snaps of any other team in the league during the preseason, and all the injuries and holdout(s) that we experienced during the off-season and into the preseason, then its no wonder why the play has been so sloppy. The o-line I believe is suffering the most with the injuries and holdouts, but with Boone getting back up to speed, and Davis coming back soon we should see big improvement.

          I can’t wait for the AZ game. And I hope I’m not wasting 4 hrs driving to Glendale just for us to lose. Huge game IMO. Should be a good one.

        2. And the best part is when Chicago finally got back into the game.. The players all of a sudden started playing mistake free defense. The new Seahak rule only gives the refs more power to control the outcome of the game.
          There is absolutely no consistent calls on the field. You can’t tell me the bears didn’t hold or touch as much as the Niners did, in fact the whole league for that matter. It’s bull, and the colts game is another example. With these many mistakes in games all over the place I can’t help but think of it being rigged for closer games. It’s not the actual penalties. It’s the timing of these penalties and the scores at the time of these calls.
          Dallas vs Niners
          SD vs Sea
          SF vs chi
          Philly vs jax
          Philly vs ind.

          These are some of the games I’ve watched, and noticed this mercy flag trend. Ijs

          1. Are you saying the league wants the 49ers to lose? Or is it a few rogue refs with anti miners bias?

              1. No, Claude, it’s been long enough since the Chilean miners were trapped, and they were rescued, after all. I just don’t see the tie in…

              2. Claude,

                No problem.

                And stop picking on Bay. You’re like the kid at the birthday party who can actually swing a bat and won’t stop hitting the pinata.

                On second thought, grab a bat…

  14. What a dumb quarterback we have. Colin went straight A’s throughout high school and college, studied under the best coaches, was an understudy to Alex Smith who was always quite smart at reading defenses, had the QB whisperer Harbaugh and brainy Roman teaching him his mechanics and the art of reading defenses. Still, the man can’t read to save his life. For this, we are stuck with his $100mm contract.

    Sometimes Colin gets on a roll and looks great, but whenever the going gets touch he regresses into a low self-esteem child.

  15. Main problem with fan base and yes writers is that they have a tendency to resort to using preconceived stereotypes while looking for reasons for defeats or victories. Since last year those reasons for defeat have been Kaeps happy feet, lack of reading defense, no progressions and Romans play calling/abandonment of the run game. Very simple explanations rather than trying to be objective and taking each game as a separate entity.

    The offensive line has had problems in both opening holes for the runners and pass protecting for quit some time with the defense declining as well, but it wasn’t until it became super obvious this season that most of you would even acknowledge that. Why? Because you were still looking at the games from the perspective that the o-line was elite and defense was the best in the league. It is far easier to fall back on stereotypical perspectives.

    It was not one player or failure in one aspect of the game that cost the Niners this game, rather a plethora of reasons that contributed. But lets just fall back on the usual suspects. Kaep QB play, Romans play calling- abandoning the run. etc. Kaep has pulled out a lot of games with his individual play masking a lot of this teams offensive weaknesses, but in this game he wasn’t up to the task. He just subpar and the opposition made some really good individual defensive plays. But it’s just too easy to put the entire blame on him. His throws were off this game, but the receivers ( except for carrier) did nothing to compensate.

    It seems the Niner’s in the last few years have had to deal with a lot of bad ref’s calls going against them. That’s just something you have to deal with. However add the amount of stupid penalties the Niner’s committed it cuts down a teams other margins of error. When you have to make up a lot of yards via penalties it affects your ability to develop a consistent running game. The line opened up some decent holes in the first half and Gore made some good plays. Those holes seemed to disappear in the second, perhaps Chicago adjusted or the line got tired? Who knows? Perhaps both. All I know is that those running lanes closed. When Hyde came in he had no holes to run through and neither did Gore. But it is just easier to say that they abandoned the run too early because we all know that this team is a power ( was ) running team. But when considering reasons for this loss the fact that the majority of players had subpar to average at best games and very few if any stepped up and made any great plays shouldn’t be considered either. Add to that the fact that Chicago did come through with some outstanding individual efforts. Of course other teams playing really well should never be considered.

    This was an all-around mediocre to poor team/coaching staff effort, with no individual who stepped up to pull this game out of the fire. Yes we can point to individual aspects that contributed but it’s simplistic and lazy and agenda serving to focus entirely on any individual one to explain this loss. At this time the truth is that this team is dealing with a multitude of problems much like they were most of last year. To compound things, unlike the 2011 season they also seem to have gotten the short end of the stick when it comes to catching a break. Luck has not been a lady to the Niner’s. The good thing is that most of those ills seem correctable by the end of the season. But we shall see.

    1. We as fans can expect too much, I know I do. When we win, not only do we want to win, but we want to crush the competition and look good doing it too. I think this team will confer but it will take time.

      Having stated all this, the loss to Chicago was a systemic failure to take advantage of opportunities and just poor concentration. Too many penalties, too much fatigue, poor execution and the giveaway of an entire football field + in penalties. Who is to blame? The entire organization, coaches and players and front office guys. I think it is fixable but the 9ers are in a tough division.

      CK has to improve his precision, touch and pocket confidence. The O line must improve its protection and execution. WR and TEs must catch the football!! Seems like Carrier was the only one without slippery hands. The D line must be able to pressure the passer especially late in the game. The D backs have to improve positioning. The linebackers must execute better. Coaches need to concentrate on getting the team to not lose concentration.

      There are plenty of bright spots. The DBs are doing a great job overall, better than last year. We have some good D linemen coming up. Would like to see more of Dial and Carradine. Lynch looks to be a baller and if they can get rhythm up front, we will do Ok. Linebackers are a little bit of a trouble spot, but they can also improve.

      The 9ers gave away this game, plain and simple. An antithesis of last week.

      Those who put all the blame on CK please remember that Montana and Young served up some real stinkers too. Kap does need to take the bull by horns and realize he is the catalyst for this team and take dome ownership of his challenges.

      1. I think this team will *improve* but …

        …*take some ownership *

        Fat fingers, small phone keypad. Sigh.

    2. Great post Will. Hard to disagree with your points.
      Personally, I think it’s the lack of a strong, consistent pass rush that will be our ultimate undoing.

  16. I love the passion everyone has for the niners. I don’t see how anyone can say Kaep hasn’t improved. He actually looks good in the pocket. He’s actually throwing to the backs out of the backfield, check downs. You can legitimately make an argument that if it were not for him last post season we would not have made it to the NFCCG. He had a terrible 2nd half. I’m not sure what, if any changes were made at halftime for us. I do know Chicago made changes and it showed. Kaep will be alright. The niners will be alright. I look forward to is bouncing back strong next week.

    1. KY,
      ask yourself this, if Kaep had the time to throw that Philip Rivers had to throw would the outcome have been different?

      Kaep lost his composure Sunday night because he felt like he had to do it all on his own. The Niners won’t win games that way.

      There are a million sub plots to this game that affected the outcome. The one that I am paying attention to today are the refs. Going back to the 2012 superbowl, I can count a hand full of games that the refs had a huge hand in. Either with Ghost calls or blindly missing obvious calls. The conspiracy theorist in me truly is beginning to believe that the NFL has a list of who they want to win. Don’t believe me? Look at the Harvin scoring play this last week where he stepped out of bounds, and it was reviewed. Now the NFL is admitting it made a mistake on that play. An attempt to manipulate the point spread?

      What about this? One of the 16 flags against our team. Did the NFL want us to lose?
      http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/16/49ers-demand-an-explanation-of-kaepernick-language-penalty/
      Somehow they magically don’t throw a flag when Martellus Bennet pushed off on his TD in the end zone.

      1. I agree with you. I just try to hold out hope that it’s not rigged but many things say it could be. My uncle who is a huge steelers fan claims the lights went out in the superdome because the NFL did not want us to get blown out by the ravens in the superbowl. Although I argue against it, it’s kind of odd that they were not prepared for that big of a show.

        1. Yeah, I’m not buying this conspiracy paranoia, but it does bother me that the officials seem to be missing more calls on big plays this year after the league went to a new system that was supposed to normalize and improve the accuracy of the calls.

          1. I think my problem is the general trend where Officials are calling expected penalties rather than what they actually see. Case in point, last night they called a horse collar when the player had the jersey… or last years penalty against Brooks in the N.O. game.

        2. That play is the main reason I’m not on board with the conspiracy theories. Additionally, most of the penalties against us this week were legit, with a couple of notable exceptions.

          And yet, there’s still a little something in the back of my head that keeps suggesting that the league would like to punish us for playing Ray McDonald…

          Probably nothing. Hoping for a more cleanly officiated game this week.

        3. Every fan of every team thinks the officials are against them in any given week. There is no conspiracy; just inconsistent officiating. Some officials call every marginal infraction and others don’t. Some times they just flat out miss something or throw a flag for what they thought they saw instead of what they did. It’s part of the game.

        4. It’s not not how many. It’s WHEN they are called.
          Watch the games around the league. Especially ones with a team having a big lead. It’s so obvious it’s funny.
          Oh and like I said. It’s funny how the 49ers forgot how to get penalized at the beginning of the game and after Chicago was only a score down. All of a sudden they were back to normal defense. Smh.
          You guys don’t have to buy it. And to me it’s not an excuse for a loss, because they should have put them away in the third. I said the same vs Dallas and we won that game. I’m not a Philly or Indy hater either and that was a perfect example of “bad timing non calls and calls” this league and it’s captain are crooks, liars and cheats. I’m sure Goddell never got that tape from inside the elevator too. Lol

          1. Too funny gentlemen. You guys saw all the replays of the penalties Sunday. Except for the Boldin whiff, they were actually penalties. You cannot conspire or imagine hands to face 10 times in a row.

      2. Now the NFL does not want the 49ers to win? Wow!
        People that complain about the officiating are usually sore losers. Oh wait, look who wrote that……

      3. Bay,
        Sure, Kaep will get the bulk of the blame for this loss given his bad TO numbers. But there is plenty of blame to go around.

        No pass rush. Ward was having a rough time covering B.Marshall. Culliver was burned one time when he failed to turn on the ball. And Ellington has yet to distinguish as a Return Specialist.
        Kaep’ mistakes stand out, but even on an off day he drove the team down field with a chance to possibly tie the game with a TD pass to Crabtree and a 2 point conversion.

        It’s a long season, and players like Hyde, Ward, Lynch, Stevie Johnson and the Duke of Ellington will improve and be a great help down the stretch.
        CK will make improvements as well.
        Way too early for the Negative Nellies to throw in towel.

        BTW, some of the same people bashing Kaep this week were singing his praises two weeks ago – fickle is, what fickle does.
        These folks need to come back in 4-5 weeks when a larger sample size is more evident.

        1. Nothing fickle about a gifted lead and short field against Dallas.
          The negative nellies reason for concern is that CK crumbles in crunch time. There is more than enough sample size for that to be accurate.

          1. Selective assessment. He didn’t crumble against the Bears in his first ever start. He didn’t crumble against the Patriots when the pats made a big comeback in the 2nd half.

            He didn’t crumble against the Packers in both playoff games, and he didn’t crumble against the Falcons in the championship game.
            But why bring those games up when people have already concluded that he can’t win big games.

            1. Fair enough but he did crumble with his team down Sunday night. Add last years NFCCG with his team behind. And 2 years ago against the Ravens with the game changing pick by Ed Reed. People forget that the power outage saved the 49ers from getting blown out. The lights stay on and it was a different game. They had all the momentum. Both games in Seattle compare nothing to the Bears or Pats games.
              When I say big games, the ones where your QB has to be your best player in difficult times. Playoffs. I’ll give him the Atlanta game but after that, it was a huge let down in performance.
              Look , you guys think I want CK to fail, like it gives me pleasure in seeing the team I love fail? The reality is this team is spiralling since last years playoff. Harbaugh and his staff are not out coaching anyone anymore. In fact they are getting out coached. The franchise QB has not demonstrated the leadership and win ability in pressure packed moments on or off the field. And now injuries. People say don’t panic, we are 1-1. Same as last year. The window to win in the NFL is short. I don’t see a championship team anymore compared to 2 years ago. Let’s see what happens.

              1. Prime,

                CK didn’t “crumble”, entirely, he did hit MC in the hands for a TD that would’ve resulted in a two point conversion try to tie the game. So, there’s that too.

              1. No I didn’t. I was actually responding to those games that seem to be the only games (losses) that people selectively remember and continue to harp on.

              2. I guess I remember a couple more games…the one against Baltimore and the last one against Seattle…. but hey who’s counting

              3. Yup, it’s obvious you remember those games and tend to selectively forget the one that got us there.
                Perhaps you should be counting.

              4. You should, if you’re a 49ers fan. But speaking of counting, let’s talk 5-6 games down the road regarding CK.
                If there is no improvement I may have to join the chorus of the bashers. If Kaep improves, well that will bode well for all of us.

                But keep in mind that a QB can show improvement and have respectable stats and the team can still lose because of other areas that fall short such as defense, special teams, and even coaching.

                No matter how you cut it, it takes the whole team playing at optimum level to win.

    1. Midwest. True story about the Banjo Man. I flew out to San Fran with my girlfriend last December to watch the Niners play the Seahawks. It was a great time. I had too much to drink but loved every minute of it. I saw the Banjo Man during the game and I thought the guy was homeless.(I had one too many beers. No sure why I thought a homeless man would be at the game.) I got pictures with him and gave him $20. A few weeks after I got home a read an article about him. One, I felt like an idiot for thinking he was homeless. Two, I realize I got a picture with a permanent fixture of Candlestick Park.

      1. KY ..

        I’ve bumped into the Banjo Man many times at The Stick ..but
        my most memorable time was when he stopped by
        our tailgate in the parking lot ..
        I asked him to sing his next hit song … and in honor
        of the opponent that day .. (the SeaChickens) .. he sang
        (and played) a rousing rendition of ..

        “Seahawks suck..Seahawks suck … oh, how
        the Seahawks really suck …”

        (It was the game where they retired Jerry Rice’s jersey..
        and Alex Smith actually beat the Chickens.. that day …amidst
        all the boo-ing)

        Fond memories abound ..about the Banjo Man.. and
        I’m very pleased the Niners made sure he’ll always be around
        by giving him season tickets !

          1. Well.. The Stick did .. have
            its own weather system …

            Whatever the temps were elsewhere in the
            Bay Area … you could count on it being at least
            20 degrees colder inside The Stick .. :-)

            1. Coming from KY I was expecting it to be in the 70’s. I was not prepared. I think it was in the 50’s. The win made up for it.

  17. What is Greg Cosell’s take on it? Not saying Grant is wrong but Cosell does that type of thing for a living and his analysis is usually spot on.

    CK made a decent pass that gave the 9ers a chance to score at the end. It wasn’t a bad play. But if Grant is right, it goes to what I’ve been saying for awhile now. CK needs to devote his life to becoming the best QB he can be. If he truly wants to be great he needs to reach the level of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, and even Andrew Luck in their pre-snap reads and recognition of what a defense is doing on every single play.

    1. Cosell isn’t impressed with Kaepernick as a quarterback. He’s impressed with his athleticism. Damning praise. Someone posted a link on this post.

      1. Mike, you have a very different interpretation of what Cossell thinks of CK than I do. He does point out that he misses things, but he ALWAYS includes the caveat that CK has had less than two years of NFL starts under his belt, so it should be expected that he’s going to miss things.

    2. Houston,

      GC said he thought the first two picks were in the “great play by the defense” category. He went on to note that when Justin Smith tackles a RB in the backfield none of us say, “Oh, what terrible blocking on that play.” We would give credit to JS. In the same way, he gave credit to the Bears D on those two picks.

      On the third pick, he said that if you’re going to have a QB that uses his legs, plays like that are going to happen and you just have to accept that as a team. His opinion sounded general to me and not directed only at CK.

      1. Houston,

        Actually, if you scroll down Rocket posted a link to a Yahoo Sports article written by Cossell in which he was a little more blunt than in his KNBR spots.

  18. Walsh used the Wishbone why won’t Harbaugh? If Harbaugh is unwilling to run an occasional screen pass I say supplant the screen with The Bone. Kaepernick, Gore and Hyde as a unit is a step up from an expensive, underutilized, vestigial passing game those guys can sit and watch while telling jokes on the bench. Of course, Gore would have to be the ageless QB-brains for the formation Kaep could run wide.The Bone also adds that extra ole school, college excitement Harbaugh loves- similar to his overexpressed, but currently passé “Jumbo” package. The Ground and Pound is the team’s offensive strength: control the clock, give the defense time for a few sips of oxygen, no thought needed, no delay of game penalties, a well designed offensive line for the job, a mindless zombie like process. The 49ers would be the NFL’s best team between the 20’s- I am thinking weekly re-sodding here-and Phil Dawson would be team MVP perhaps league MVP. Dawson would led the NBA in 3 pointers and field goal percentage (80-90 percent range I assume). Kaepernick would have his lowest interception rate yet, however, I don’t know about his potential fumble-to-touch ratio. Fangio could coordinate both the defense and the offense no need for Roman or Harbaugh for that matter. By invitation only, Roman and Harbs can sit with Jed York in his skybox breathlessly watching the game. Perfect I say Let it Roll. once again a suffering 49er fan since “57.

    1. >>Walsh used the Wishbone why won’t Harbaugh?

      Huh? The only time I remember Walsh using the wishbone was during the strike season when the league forced him to field a team consisting of truck drivers and dishwashers.

  19. I don’t know enough on the subject to call you right or wrong, but here’s what I do know. Kaep chose Crabtree to throw the ball to. It was a solid throw that Crabs had a chance to pull down. Chris Collins pointed out that Crabtree slightly faded on the end of the route, possibly adlibbing, and had he run the route normally all the way threw than the ball would have been right on the numbers.

    So whether your assessment is correct or not, the fact is Crabtree still had a chance and may have tried doing too much at the end of the route that threw off the timing and accuracy of the pass.

    Is it possible Kap just misspoke and meant Cover 1? And is it possible, you are once again digging for a story in the most minute of details?

  20. Is there any evidence that proves Grant somehow knows coverages better than Kap? Jack, you usually have the all 22, were you able to tell what they were doing D wise? Little skeptical of the legitimacy of the facts here considering this blog has turned into more of a national enquirer with headlines to cause a stir. At least there’s still a good core of commenters.

    1. Sean,

      I looked at it and Grant is correct. However, there is often some freelancing going on at times in the secondary when you get tight to the endzone so it’s hard to determine if they were holding to a set formation.

      There is also the fact Kap could have simply made a mistake either in how he saw the defense or in what he described after the game. The bottom line is, he found the right guy and threw a catchable ball. That wasn’t a bad read or throw on his part.

    1. Anybody else question Vernon Davis toughness? From what I see as soon as Vernon gets knicked in game, he takes himself and never comes back.

      1. He seems to have that “Me, Me, Me” mentality at times. I just think he’s more subtle with. But on the other hand I think he’s just protecting himself and trying his best t prolong his career. You can’t blame him for that.

      2. I was actually surprised that he was even able to walk after that he was bent over, I thought for sure something would have happened to his knees or back.

        1. Thank you Michael,
          Vernon takes hits that many times I expect a stretcher to follow. Every team wants to remove the biggest offensive weapon from the playbook. I remember at least one pile on late hit on VD Sunday night that should have drawn a flag.
          So if Vernon wants to take a break to shake off a thumper after one of those multiple assassin hits to still be around at the end of the season in case there is a post season run then I am 100 percent all for it.

  21. Grant i will take you at your word that it was a cover 1 D. I assume you have had time to watch the tape over and over again. I also assume that CK’s comment was made before he saw the tape. Grant you have a habit of making incredibly hyperbolic statements but your statement that “an experienced QB can tell the difference” is just ridiculous. Defenses do what ever they can to disguise coverages, good “experienced” QB’s get fooled sometimes just like less experienced ones do. Crabtree was open the pass hit him in the hands not the fingers but the hands. It would have been a tough catch but good experienced WR’s make that catch. CK was terrible sunday night but his last pass was’nt terrible. I get it you do’nt like him but after a performance like sundays you do’nt need to reach for criticism.

    1. I agree with your assessment Coach. At the end of that play Kap got the throw in the receivers hands at the Goal line, he couldn’t have asked for a better result on his end.

      There were a lot of other problems in this game for him, but the final play was not one I would dwell on.

    2. Come on, Old Coach, everyone knows that NFL defenses make little or no effort to disguise which coverage they’re in. Get with it, would you, please?

  22. Just read an article that said Ward will be covering Fitzgerald or Floyd. Do we plan on giving him help by blitzing, double coverage, or are they going to continue throwing him to the wolves

  23. Niners lost on Sunday, as of today, I’m over it. Sooooo ready to start discussing Arizona and how they’re going to bounce back from Sunday’s heartbreaker.

    Do we hope for Palmer or Stanton to start – personally I don’t really care – I think the D is going to have their way with either one of them. Palmer is historically easy to rattle…I don’t know much about Stanton other than he didn’t turn the ball over last week, but has 9 INT’s and only 5 TD’s in his limited career.

    I am a little concerned about our offense going up against their D – especially if our Oline doesn’t improve over last week. It’s looking like a triple digit forecast for Sunday, so if they were tired by the 4th qtr in mild weather against Chicago, I’m worried about how they’ll be in 100+ degrees w/moderate humidity Plus, Peterson had a rough go of it against the Giants, but he’s still scary good and could be a huge factor in the game – he’ll have something to prove this coming week.

    Your thoughts?

    1. The Arizona game is just about as close to a must win as you will find in week 3.

      Peterson is good, but Crabtree has had some big days against him, and the matchup with Powers is one Boldin should win.

      If the 49ers can finally put together a mistake free game, or at least start to minimize them, they should have a very good shot at winning.

      The Cards play in a dome, so the weather won’t be a factor.

      1. Don’t turn the ball over. Take aways tilt the game. Last game was a clear example.
        It’s hard to move on from a game like that because AZ will disguise and confuse CK like the Bears did.
        Talk about a statement game for Kaepernick or what?
        A friend of mine who’s a Jets fan asked me what type of QB would CK be if he didn’t have an all world defense. I didn’t know how to answer that?

        1. You and your friend are both Monkeys Prime. Wait, that’s an insult to Monkeys. The Niners defense is 20th in points allowed and 14th against the pass with no pass rush to speak of.
          This aint Canadian football chump. The sky isn’t falling either. We get real healthy on our Oline in the next two weeks. We were just embarrassed and it will serve as a motivator. About to rip off 4 wins in a row and in three games we will send your old boyfriend to 0-5.

      2. No game is a must win in week 3 unless you’re 0-2, but it would go a long way to helping this team make the playoffs if they do win.

        The Cards defense is still very good. They gave the Chargers all they could handle in that dome and will do the same to the Niners. The key will be playing a clean game and getting more pressure from the front 7 imo.

        Palmer has a nerve issue in his shoulder so Stanton could be the starter. I’d rather see him than Palmer, but either way, the pass rush has to be better.

        The Oline wasn’t as bad as some are making it out to be, but they also need to so a better job of being consistent throughout the game. There were some key breakdowns that made their overall performance seem worse than it was.

        From what I’ve seen of last weeks game, Eli was actually having a pretty decent game against them until late and they are missing some key starters so it’s on the Coaches to come up with something to exploit that.

        1. The turning point in last week’s game was allowing Ginn to take a punt to the house after NYG’s ST had him bottled up previously. I hope our new coverage guys are up to the task.

          And on the sidelines, Cruz mistook a jar of vasoline for stickum. Following a couple of key 3rd down drops, the Giants collapsed.

        2. rocket:

          I understand and generally agree with your point, but this game feels awfully “must win” to me for some reason. I’d really like to see the regular season version of the team and not what I hope was merely the lingering preseason version.

          1. Though I expect the win, I could take a well-played loss. Then we’d be where we were at this point last season – looking up at first place but with a long season to make it up.

            Another crap loss like Sunday’s puts us in a whole new unfamiliar place. The beginning of that other kind of “long season”? I shudder at the thought.

          2. CB,

            I see what you’re saying, but you can’t put that much significance on a week 3 game imo. They were 1-2 last year and put together a couple of winning streaks to finish at 12-4. Too many ebbs and flows/unforeseen circumstances to a season for me to take the must win approach this early. Obviously a win is important, but I just want to see them play a clean, well executed game. Like rib, if they lose a close one while playing well, I won’t lose a lot of sleep over it.

            1. Rocket,

              Don’t you think “a well played loss” is at least something of an oxymoron, when speaking about the 49ers losing to the Cards? I just don’t think that can happen. If the 49ers play well, I have a really hard time seeing them lose to the Cards.

              I see what you’re saying in theory, but if the 49ers go 1-2, they’ve started digging themselves a hole that could be tough to get out of. It would bring a lot of interest (angst?) to the season. I would prefer a bit of boredom. At least until the playoffs.

              1. Claude,

                They count as a loss, but, if you so choose, you can put an imaginary plus mark next the “L”.

              2. Claude,

                Sorry, I didn’t actually answer your question.

                Surprisingly, no, the NFL gives no credit for well played losses in their tie breaking procedure. I think it’s on the preliminary agenda for the competition committee in next of season, but I’m not sure how much traction it’s going to get.

              3. exgolfer:

                Sorry, I didn’t actually answer your question.

                Don’t worry, it wasn’t a serious question. I think you answered it (both times) in the spirit in which the question was intended.

    2. Arz plays in a dome. Weather shouldn’t be a factor.
      Arz defensive front is missing it’s two best player…
      Their o line is horrible.

      Our defensive front has no pass rusher to be afraid of…
      Secondary is also banged up and drowning out there without help from the rush….
      Our two tackles have been horrible…

      Arz are a very good chunk play offense…
      Good secondary…
      And are at home…

      Ck usually bounces back from a bad game….
      Davis always kills Arz… (Of he plays)…
      Arz hasn’t beaten us in awhile..

      I think it’s going to be a close game. But I think the 9ers win because it’s already a big game. Can’t have Arz sitting on top with a two game lead.

      1. I watched the AZ-NYG game in it’s entirety on sunday. I was not that impressed with the Cards. Giants gave them that game on a platter – 4 TOs, letting our old friend TG Jr take a punt to the house… I’ve said it before, the only way the Niners lose is if they play as miserably as they did on Sunday night. If that’s the case, we have more problems than just a loss to Arizona.

        1. Make that two games try were given. I’m honestly not that impressed either as of right now. NY was getting pressure however. Can we? Idk.
          And by the looks of it, apparently the Niners are also flirting with the giving the game away idea. VD is a cardinal killer. If he plays (which I think he does) I like our chances even more. I’m just worried about ck’s head. They are a blitzing and well designed scheme defense.

    3. I agree 49erGirl, but I am quite nervous for this game.
      We didnt get much Pressure against the Dallas or the Bears and the Bears had 2 starting Linemen out. We have to find a way to get to Palmer… he is very good if you dont pressure him. And they have 2 good recievers in Fitz and Tate (who I believe is now the better of the two).
      Our Oline will have their work cut out for them in this game. This will be the first game in which they are facing a dline that for lack of better words doesn’t suck. And they didn’t look that good against them.

  24. I was at the game, and Kap did look shaky, but I think he played fine in light of the pressure put on him and if you review the picks, Crab let it out of his hands, Stevie got chipped while getting to the spot on the first one and the db made a pretty good play on the last one…….. my only beef is that he should have held onto the ball and tried to scramble more and that Roman should have moved the pocket to creat some space for him to run if necessary.

    The crowd was good- every 3rd down the lower bowl was on its feet- if it isn’t as loud, it is due to the design, not the fans.

    What I would have changed was sending more blitzes, but Fangio has been successful not doing it………… so, we’ll just wait and see.

    I think we recover against AZ, but they better have Kap facing blitzes all day in practice.

    1. I don’t know what game you were at. The crowd was pathetic compared to the stick. I will say third down bogus penalties took away the flow. The crowd their was mostly rich yuppies who dug out their 49er shirts and hats deep in the closet. To come out and be a part of a new stadium. It was so bad that through our tour of the stadium we made up a game called
      Candlestick or not candlestick.
      We would point to candlestick old school for hards and say they’re candlestick. And the newbie yuppies got the not candlestick. The new stadium doesn’t have the feel of niner die hard fans. They were overpriced out. I heard way to often “please sit down”
      Hopefully when the new stadium feel wears off we can get the stick faithful back in. But I don’t think it will happen until they have some bad years and ticket prices go way down. I am not to happy with the new feel at Levi. Beautiful stadium, no long lines, and great technology. But it’s more party than football to me.

      1. I was yelling in my section, ” Learn to make some noise or sell your tickets to real Niner fans”.
        It didn’t help…..
        Not enough faithful in our stands Md…

        I’ve designed some shirts that say, Bay Loud, Volume Crew. See if that helps.

        1. Hope so Bay…
          It was like going to a San Diego game. The “eh it’s just football” vibe was all over the place. Walking in the yells of NIIIIINERS were far and few. Hopefully the yuppie fans who came in their benzes and BMW who were front row in parking will never come back again after sitting in the lots for hours.
          It was a total corporate feeling. Like a big company picnic.
          I do think it has the potential to be loud, just gotta get the faithful blue collard folks back in.

          I like snoop, but the halftime show just cemented my theory. Really a crip wearing red from so cal, making sure the big screens show his Levi tag on his jeans???
          Wtf???

          We took green lot 4 so that the rest of my peeps can tailgate. And we were easily the biggest tailgate party in the lot. Even had the ushers an security hanging out at our spot. Got a grey spot under two trees on a gravil island. Tons of room for the generator, pong table, and bbq. With space for people to hangout on also. But even the feeling of the pre game functions didn’t seem fan worthy. The tailgating vibe in the parking lot was dead! A handful of is brought the tailgate experience to Levi. It was pathetic.

          The traffic on the way out from the green lot was good, 20 minutes at the most until we got to the 101. No traffic after that. But the red lots and blue lots didn’t get out for hours. Ouch! I think I’ll take the 1 mile walk any day. Maybe even take the motorized bike ride in. Lol

          1. I just called Uber. Cost us $10 each for the ride out and for the ride back same price. Walked a half mile over the bridge and caught it at the Carls Junior right there. NO TRAFFIC. NONE.

            Like you said, there is potential. We gotta stay on them. Lotta older folks with money that maybe bought tix for the experience not knowing what the expectations are of a home crowd.

          2. MD,
            Makes me wonder if there record at home in the high stylin Levi will be worse than on the road this year. Hey… on that theory, I am going out on a long limb and saying they pull off a win in Arizona.

      2. Just remind them/inform them that the lower bowl has historically stood much more that the upper deck, so they can move accordingly. In my neck of the woods, 124, we stood every 3rd down and when the Bears approached the endzone.

        WhenI was at The Stick, it was about the same when I was in the upper deck (7 years, 5-14 seats).

        Socialism doesn’t make the United States stronger, and if people want tickets, they can get them- $85 top deck or standing room is well within reach for the anyone that is committed to going.

        1. Does not help the 12 man problem. The 12th man fans are up there in the stratosphere seats were their hoots and hollers are lost to south bay seagulls.

      3. MD,
        Your diagnosis on the 12th man problem is good so far but not yet complete as you need an architect to finish. True the high cost brought in a whole new crowd that most likely don’t get it or don’t care. But there is also the architecture problem. That problem was set in cement at the start and no matter the crowd Santa Clara will never see a number 12 as deafening and as game changing as that big # 12 up north.
        One side line of bleachers has been replaced by a big glassed in high rise. The people behind that glass even if they care cannot offer a peep of field influence. Furthermore the other side has most of there sound reflected off the glass wall to the heavens above. Maybe they should just pray instead.
        Then there are minimal overhang and zero roof needed to funnel and reflect downward like we had at the Stick and which they have emphasized in that stadium up North. Then the distances between fans and field have been increased to further shrink the 12 man impact. Then there is the hollow steel structure that offers near zero reflection and no reverberation. Then there is the sound leak zones opposite most of the fans, again sending there effect off into the salt marshes.
        And I am just getting started……

        1. And even with that noise box up north an old school stadium is still louder than Seattle. Don’t forget KC broke their record a couple of weeks after.

  25. I don’t know about all of you, but I’d take ck throwing a post over a fade or out in the end zone. It seems that because he failed in the playoffs last year and the Super Bowl to MC he shouldn’t ever throw to him again for the final play. Idk what game some were watching, but that was the absolute best throw he could have chosen to make. So what if it was MC. Again the ball gets caught and there is no complaint. We would probably be calling out roman for a horrible two point call. If it failed. Losses like this the majority of the blame should fall on the qb, especially with 4 turnovers.
    But remember his arm got them a 17 point lead also in the first half. And they started slowing it down in the second half, penalties stopped all of a sudden after the bears caught up. (Cough cough) they kept a rookie slot covering corner on a taller more physical receiver after getting torched for 2 TD’s… A defensive line who couldn’t even get a rush to pressure one of the biggest turnover machines in the game. And yet a post about a “bad read” lol

    1. >>But remember his arm got them a 17 point lead also in the first half.

      I remember a short field that got them the 17 point lead – 8 and 30 yard TD “drives”.

      And before you revert to calling me a smither/kaep basher, let me say you obviously haven’t been following my postings – defending kaep left and right from the actual bashers.

      1. Wasn’t going there about smith with you ribico. But fan.. Is a down right smith loving ck hater. That’s old news anyways.

        My point about his arm was it was the best looking offense we had on the field on Sunday. The second half more balanced offense didn’t look as good. IMO it’s obvious teams know harbaugh will sit on a lead. He’s done it from day 1.
        It’s a four quarter game, and the 49ers played two.
        There are so many problems with Sundays second half I honestly couldn’t put the blame on one player or team. (O or D)
        Again I’m done with the Alex smith bashing. He’s not a 49er. And I will like I did with Alex will call out bad qb play. And ck is no better as of right now with consistency. Horrible second half, but good decision on the final throw.

  26. Disappointed. goes without saying really.

    Penalties – pretty much all of them were “by the book” correct, most of them didn’t affect the play, but that’s the NFL we live in and the 49ers simply have to do better.

    Kaep and the O – Not a great day, left yards and points out on the field. unlucky with the Conte pick (great play by him, diving at full stretch and hung on, gotta give credit where it’s due) Fuller made 2 very good plays too. I looked at Kaeps fumble, thought that was another very good play by Allen, got his helmet in the perfect place. Worst performance of the day was easily Jonathan Martin, looked like a turn style at times, Anthony Davis cannot come back soon enough!

    The D is worrying me though, I’m afraid the regression some were worried about is becoming a reality, although I do feel that the coaching was very sub par. Why on earth would you leave 5 10″ rookie Jimmy Ward one on one with Brandon Marshall? with no help? Cutler must have thought it was his birthday. That’s bad enough but when you combine that with an utterly ineffective pass rush in the second half then it’s no surprise that the high powered Bears offense had fun.

    Overall though I’m starting to worry that we are becoming “plucky losers” always there and thereabouts, but never quite hitting the top. Silly I know, but that was Harbaughs playing career to a tee.

    Going forward, I’d like to see some more creativity used when trying to pressure the opposing QB, I’d like to see Tank and Dial get some shots as Ray McDonald certainly isn’t playing like a nailed on starter at the moment, and Justin won’t last the pace at this rate. I’d like to see some more chances for Carrier to impress. and what I really need to see is a dominant start to finish performance by the 49ers, we have won a lot of games over the last few years, but very rarely do we squash a team early, then squeeze the life out of them going away to win by plenty, we seem to start fast then freeze, or start slow then heat up, I want a complete game, kickoff to final whistle. No mercy. (I may be wrong but the last time I remember a game like that was when we smooshed Tampa in Alex’s last season.)

    But onwards now, forwards, next up Arizona. gonna be tough, gonna be brutal, If we show up with a consistent pass rush, we win.

    1. Good point DClark about Ward. I was wondering that myself. Obviously they moved Marshall to the slot in order to get the match up they wanted, but you would think Vic would have caught on to that by the 4th quarter. I didn’t understand that move at all.

  27. It doesn’t matter what coverage they were in. If Crabtree doesn’t improvise and stayed flat on his route, that would have been a TD.

  28. That was a solid come from ahead loss. One of the best I’ve seen in years :)

    On a serious note, this loss should serve as a wake up call. It being early in the season, the team can learn from this choke job and improve going forward.

    1. Really??? More dial than tank?
      I thought we were pretty solid vs the run on Sunday. The pass rush is missing it’s two stars big time. IMO if they activated both it would be good. How good is out special teams? They’re not anything to really brag about. Would it hurt that much to waive two players to help get the front 7 a better pass rush? Idk but I’d like to see them try. We have half the season still before the Calgary gets healthy and un’suspeded. Lol

    2. More Dial than Tank Razor? Tank got on the field for one defensive snap. I don’t think we could see much less of him. I’d rather see a lot more of him personally.

      1. What Razor is saying makes sense because Dial replaces McDonald while Carradine would replace J Smith.

        1. Dial looks like an absolute monster, great size and power. I also wouldn’t mind seeing more of him. Raymac did look a lot better this game, against the rush at least.

        2. I wonder if they might start looking at ways to get Justin, Lynch and Tank all on the field. Maybe have Justin and Tank as the two DTs in nickel, or even sliding Tank out to DE.

        3. Though Cowboy seemed to fade late in the game. Carradine spelling him might keep him more fresh. I didn’t like Dial’s penalty, but he has a hunger, which is good.

          1. While I hated the lack of mental discipline on that play by Dial, I absolutely loved the look on Cutlers’ face and the networks repetitive replays….

        4. Good call Jack, but giving the old cowboy a little more rest wouldn’t hurt either. Need him healthy for smiths return. He’s got 3 sacks already jus imagine what he could do when smith returns.
          And to be honest. McDonald is getting doubled a lot. Dial isn’t going to see anything different I don’t think.
          We have dabbled in some 4-3. With the missing pieces why can’t we dial that package in on passing downs.

    3. Did you notice their change up last week with Lynch and Brooks together on the left and J Smith out at DE on the right?

        1. And I liked the way Lynch continues to look. Still a long way to go on the learning curve but what potential.

      1. Jack: You told me GOD-dell wasn’t worried about his judge and jury fiasco! How much damage has he done? How many more sponsors will the NFL lose, before he’s gone?

          1. Rocket: LOL: (Avatar) Jack, so you think GOD-dell doesn’t have a problem, or it’s just a matter of time?
            The damage has been done and GOD-dell is at best
            incompetent and at worst a liar!
            FACT: When the NFL has a problem, GOD-dell has a problem! He demanded the authority to be judge
            and jury, now the problem is on his head! Explain what are the sponsors “concerned” about.
            http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2014/09/11/sponsors-pepsi-anheuser-busch-ray-rice-roger-goodell/15458555/

    4. I’m with you on the Lynch over Lemonier. Lemonier reminds me a bit of P. Harralson but not as good against the run, he’s a solid back-up at best. Lynch has looked solid every time he’s touched the field. If we get him more snaps I think that will allow him to get in more of a rhythm and we may start to see more pressure.

      I still want to see Tank on that edge in the nickel. Come on Vic!

      1. I still want to see Tank on that edge in the nickel.

        Who sits if Tank goes on the edge? What would the line look like?

        1. Does it matter at this point, its not like anyone’s generating consistent pressure? I’m not saying a permanent move to Tank, but it would be nice to see him in the rotation.

        2. I think they could use Tank in the same capacity they used Smith his first year as a 3rd down pass rusher. He can’t offer any less than Lemonier has provided so far.

            1. Scooter is right. Tank was a DE at FSU and was a load to handle. I’d love to see him get a chance in a pass rushing role on 3rd down.

              1. His main role was as a DE subbing for Brandon Jenkins. His biggest value was as a pass rusher from the edge both in Jr. College and at FSU. The problem is he had such a small body of work at that level to go on.

    1. Yeah, not good news for Goodell when the puppeteers start pulling strings (Godfather referernce there)

      Though gee… I wonder what percentage of DA cases alcohol plays a part in.

  29. Pro Football Focus ‏@PFF 2m
    Colin Kaepernick has been pressured on 21 dropbacks this season. Adjusting for drops has been accurate on 100% of passes under pressure

    One area of progress..

    1. I saw that. Pretty good article. I’m honestly hoping this was just a bad game. I think Kap has a great bounce-back game against the Cards.

      1. I think we can be quite confident this was just a bad game. He’s had plenty of good ones. As Cosell points out, with a QB like Kaep, he does some good things other QBs can’t do, but will also miss plays other QBs would make. End of the day it comes down to whether he does enough good things (and avoids the really bad things) to win the game or not.

        I think the concern is more that this is the second time in three games he has had a meltdown in the second half, and he has shown a few times now he can play some of his worst football in pressure games and moments (I’m counting this past game as a pressure game as it was the Levis opener). It is worrying, because that’s not what Championship winning QBs do.

        1. I suppose there’s a meltdown clause somewhere in his contract, but in all seriousness, it is troubling…..

        2. Kap is the first player to get flagged for using inappropriate language. He threw a TD pass that shouldn’t have been allowed because of a not called delay of game. He never seems to think he is in error. Montana says he needs to improve in his reads and Kap says “no, he doesn’t”. Joe Montana for Gods sake. When Joe Montana says something, a smart quarterback LISTENS. Nobody (other than Peyton Manning) could read a defense like Montana. He has 4 Superbowl rings to prove it. Kaepernick has a lot of physical talent but he doesn’t seem to have much maturity or poise when thing are going bad. He looked awesome his first 1/2 season. He looked so-so last year but he had missing receivers. He looks worse this year and has good receivers. He’s a team captain but the difference between him and Patrick Willis is night and day. If they lose to Arizona (whom they almost never lose to even when they are bad) this season is toast.

    2. I think Kaep has improved his QB’ing in the pocket. Is he consistent no. But he has been sitting in there delivering the passes we want

    3. Thanks very much, rocket. Cosell doesn’t mince words. This season he looks like he’s trying to use the pocket more.

    4. Rocket,

      That article clued me into something that I should’ve already known: Greg Cossell sugar coats his takes on KNBR just a bit. I heard several of his interviews this week and, while he said essentially the same thing, there was less direct criticism of CK in his KNBR spots.

  30. The Nepotists is thinking to himself … “ha, I know football and D coverages better than Kaepernick. I’m the man.”

  31. Anybody got the PFF rankings for the DB’s from this game? Seems like Cox has been pretty solid.

  32. Per Chris Biderman (@ChrisBiderman)

    “Bears had the final 4th-down play very well defended. But it looked like m2m, not cover 3.”

    Grant isn’t the only one pointing this out.

    1. Scooter, right or wrong, isn’t this why players and coaches go back and look at the film and hopefully correct things if they were a mistake? Seems there is plenty to look at besides this one play.

      1. Absolutely. I’ve no problem with Kaep misreading the coverage per se, that is something he can learn from and hopefully fix. What was more concerning for me was that even after the play he didn’t realise he’d misread the coverage. That to me suggests maybe he isn’t seeing the field post snap.

        1. Scooter, seems like the post-snap reads by Kaepernick that were heavily discussed last season may still be a part of this season’s discussions. Definitely a concern.

  33. With Budweiser now expressing disappointment with the flurry of child abuse and domestic violence cases, would anyone be surprised if the League ordered McDonald’s benching asap? I wouldn’t.

    1. George, Budweiser worries about domestic violence and child abuse yet supplies alcohol to drunk drivers that kill people every day. Kind of hypocritical on their part.

      1. Oh, and I wonder how many cases of domestic violence are a direct result of people drinking their product?

      2. Whooooa! They supply beer. They don’t supply brains to idiots who decide to drive while drinking their beer.
        Is it the gun dealers fault an idiot takes one to murder someone else?
        Them being hypocritical would be something like…
        They have a brand named beat that ***ch beer or something like that.

        1. And does the NFL cause players to commit domestic violence and child abuse? Do they supply their brains?

      3. Right on both counts, but the alternative is preventing them from advertising. What do you say about that? Not sure I’d like to see government with such power.

          1. Vast majority of people that drink beer do not drive drunk nor beat their wives or kids. You’re crazy

            1. Bob, I just saw your comment calling me crazy. I really don’t mind being called that when it’s in response to something I actually said, but the discussion was about Anheuser-Busch taking the moral high ground and being hypocritical concerning NFL players and these acts of driving while intoxicated, domestic violence and child abuse when they produce a substance that is commonly associated with all three acts. Maybe you should try following conversations before responding, huh?

  34. My biggest issue was the bad play calling and horrible pass protection. When kap was getting pressure you can tell he was uncomfortable and wanted to run. Bears did a good job game planning and the niners sucked it up. The read option IMO needs to go. I believe frank or Hyde can gain more yards if we stuck to our power run than having kap fake it and run for a negative yards. Only week two, but we need to be more aggressive and need to get the Penalties under control. To many have killed drives, or taken touchdowns away. Overall I was pleased with our defensive early on, but the lack of production from the offensive and the cheap calls by the refs killed us. I feel Arizona game will be a tough one, they will be coming for us big time, I just hope we get our offensive line issues taken care of immediately.

      1. Crab’s little “juke” or whatever you call that move most likely caused for the incomplete pass. I thought it was a good throw from CK.

      2. From where we are watching maybe but it’s such a different view behind an offensive line and guys in your face. Let’s not pretend we know who was open and who wasn’t from a camera angle 100 feet away.

        1. Boldin was the better option against man coverage. He was covered by Brock Vereen, a rookie fourth-round-pick safety. Crabtree was covered by the Bears’ No.1 cornerback.

              1. You are right but I think Fuller is their best defensive back. That guy is everything you want in a corner. Great pick by Chicago.

          1. The throw to Boldin would have been a “Fade.”
            Crabs might have been open too, but he’s cutting across the middle and would have to take a hit.
            Crabs have yet to prove he can make a clutch, game winning catch and Kaep has yet to prove he can make the throw.
            As mis-aligned as Alex Smith is, he did make a few throws in his career. He did it against the Saints in a regular season game under the Singletary era. Only to have the D give up a game winning drive right back. In fact, Alex not only led the tying drive, but also the 2 pt conversion. That’s Alex whipping boy Smith!

            In all his starts, Kaep hash not come through. He has a few chances, so what are the results? He lost.

            The Saints game last season. The Panthers. Superbowl. NFCCG.

            This year we’ll see if Kaep can carry the team when the D is not as proven as last year.

            1. Fan77,

              You never stop. Lol . I say we bring back Alex Smith! Hell, trade Kap for him. We’ll get a chance to see what Smith can do in a couple of weeks. I’ll tell you one thing. Your hero has lost quite a few games in his past 8 contests. Maybe like 6 of those 8. How has he looked this year to you? He seems to be turning it over quite a bit.
              Kap is killing me right now. I hope his last performance is the worst he’ll have this year. He hasn’t shown to be clutch. However, I guess we shouldn’t expect him to be Joe Montana yet. But he has to be better in big games.

              1. 23 welcher, do you remember your childish tirades daily, sometimes 4 times a day regarding Alex Smith? Between you and that other hypocrite/boyfriend Bayarea, you guys need to look at your history before calling out anyone on here.

              2. I am not asking for Alex Smith. The sad part is that Colin has not shown he is that much better.

      3. Hard to tell from that one pic. Who are you saying was open? Carrier looked bracketed. Both Boldin and Johnson had defenders on their hip in that shot from what I could tell. It only looked like Crabtree had a step on his defender.

        1. That’s the funny thing – throwing to Crabtree wasn’t a bad decision. He had gotten half a step on his guy. And it wasn’t that bad a throw. Should have been a TD. Crabtree has to catch that ball.

          Boldin may well have been a better option, and if Kaep had correctly read cover 1 he may well have looked that way to take the matchup against Vereen. But for all that, its a play that should still have been a TD.

          Of course, even if they did score, they then still had to get the 2-point conversion (no sure thing), and that would have only been to tie the game.

          1. It wasn’t the best decision. The throw was late and a bit high and a bit behind Crabtree. It would have been a difficult catch — Jennings was right there. Boldin’s would have been relatively easy. He faked out Vereen on a double move.

            1. Sure – going to Boldin may well have been a better decision. But that last pass certainly wasn’t his worst decision of the day.

              1. And yet it still wasn’t his worst decision of the day.

                Good thing is, and as you pointed out in your grades, this was probably his worst game for the 49ers. He’s unlikely to play this bad too many times this season.

              2. No probably about it. It was his worst performance as a 49er. If it happens again this season, I’ll be surprised and the doubt will start to creep like the movie The Fog….

              3. Yeah, I’d be surprised if we see another game quite as bad as that during the regular season this year, though there will likely be some ordinary performances yet to come. And I expect we’ll see a lot of good ones too.

                My fear is whether we’ll see another meltdown in a high pressure game this year.

    1. Crabtree was open, when the ball got there. So I guess we can just throw away MC saying he should have caught the ball huh? Do they get 7 points instead of six if the receiver was wide open? Lol

  35. Aaand just watched the chiefs game and what do you know…. Chiefs are driving down by 7 smith is sacked and in no way is his arm going forward, fumbles and it’s replayed and the broncos didn’t get the fumble. So atrocious it’s laughable

    1. lol your hatred for smith still spews out of you after all these years. He has a firm grip on the ball as he gets hit and his arm moves forward. try looking at things unbiasedly.

      1. What kind of eyes do you have? It wasn’t hatred towards Alex smith. If you read the post and comprehend I wouldn’t be explaining this. I thought it was clear. Alex isn’t a 49er anymore and the best qb won out here. Talk about hatred. Sheeez

    2. Anyone else think its so cute how ninerdoc always brings up smith out of the blue? Must be always on his mind. Remember in grade school how you always teased the girl you had a crush on…ah so sweet…I think he’s married though…

      1. Alex smith? Or the non call on the fumble? Besides who are you anyways? I’ve never seen you until this year. And you must really have a crush on ck then. Hang up your smith sf panties. He’s not our qb anymore. And while you’re at it…. Ah screw it. You’re gonna think what you wanna think anyways.

  36. Crabtree has the best hands in the league right? I think not. Great throw, crab should have caught it. I’m sure he would catch it 9 out of 10 times. But that one play doesn’t define how poorly we played.

    And to the person saying how Alex smith made those throws and comebacks, get out of here. Kap has done more than Alex smith who spent years here in San Fran. If you’re such a smith fan go enjoy the kc blog and have fun.

  37. Read Bucky Brooks’s review of the blueprint to beat the Seahawks.

    http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000395797/article/san-diego-chargers-offer-blueprint-for-beating-seattle-seahawks

    Basically, it requires a coach who sets formations to determine Seattle defensive fronts and a QB who can read the defense and call the right play.

    I say the Niners coaching staff doesn’t have a chance and that Kaepernick will be overmatched. Dude is smart, but too arrogant. Dude has all the tools, but is not cool.

    1. Yup, that totally explains how Harbaugh’s Niners have beaten Carroll’s Seahawks four out of seven times they met.

      1. Mood

        I realize their games have been totally determined by home field, but this last week was depressing.

        Boone was on Damon Bruce today and said it was nothing but an execution problem. I hope he’s right.

    2. Even though he’s beaten them twice huh? Welcome to the bandwagon. Next stop is around the corner. Make sure to get off quickly.

    3. Thanks for posting the article, but what’s with the negativity? The blue print is there and I expect more teams to try what San Deigo did. Seattle will have a tough time this year. I don’t see them winning the NFC West.

  38. To me it looked like they went away from the play-action that was working early. Kap was trying to do too much at times and didn’t have the time in the pocket to do it.

  39. I still believe the failure to score a touchdown on the 9 minute drive to open the 3rd quarter was the turning point. I am surprised nobody has commented on the play calling at the end of the drive. Three runs and kick a field goal when a TD would have put them 3 scores ahead! Weak play calling by Roman.

    When you have a team down by 10 in the 3rd quarter go for the kill. Holding the Niners to a FG in that situation was a moral victory for the Bears. They were still one score from being back in the game. Score a TD and go up by 17, and the Bears would have mentally checked out.

    1. @Rick

      Everybody keeps blaming Roman for the play calling; I think that Harbaugh changes many of the plays before sending them in to Kaep…He thinks that he knows more than everyone else. That’s also a reason that we get so many delay of game penalties

    1. Nice post. The disappointing thing here is that SF was unable to capitalize on some key injuries when they are going up against opponents. Let’s hope they figure it out this week in AZ. I expect Arians to exploit Jimmie Ward.

      1. John Abraham is questionable for this game. AZ pass rush has not been very good so far this year, but they’ve been solid so far against the run. They are only allowing 2.6 yards/carry (2nd in the league).

        I expect the Niners to go with a pass heavy game plan. Let’s hope CK doesn’t continue being a turnover machine.

  40. Note to Grant:
    my name is not Ray Rice.
    I use absolutely no profanity.
    Good-natured heckling is part of the game.
    Thanks for reinstating an avid fan.
    Coach Harbaw said he misses my parodies, ok?

    I am the Super Bowl Monkey and all I ask is
    equal access/equal time for all perspectives, please.

    1. It sure does. Especially the part where ck needs to at least just put some touch on his passes.
      I can’t figure out how an athletic qb can’t seem to change flight and velocity on a thrown ball.

  41. 49ers motto is like: eat, sleep, defeat Undertaker:

    CK passes for 200
    CK looks bad
    Repeat cycle

    CK is not and never will be a QB. I agonize each season when 10 QBs can throw 300 yard games and the 49ers can’t do that. I’ll be glad the 49ers get a new QB that will pass and we get rid of Harbaugh.

    Bench McDonald until further notice.

    1. Did you just start your comment off with a WWE reference? I do not think I have seen that done before. But wouldn’t the cycle under Harbaugh be..

      49ers fans piss and moan after every draft pick, loss or close game
      Team makes a run deep deep into the postseason
      49ers fans freak out like the team went 0-16
      Repeat Cycle

    2. QB’s aren’t asked to throw for 300 yards in this system. The attempts are low because they run as much as they pass. Kaepernick had one of the highest YPA last year so your complaint makes no sense. Yards are meaningless and dependent on the number of attempts. The guy up in Seattle plays in a similar system and it seems to work for them too.

  42. An interesting situation is developing in the NFL with AP being put on the exempt list. It appears the league will have it’s way even if the club misses the subtle hints to agree or do as the league expects. I would expect the same thing to happen to Hardy in Carolina.
    It very well could happen here in SF with McDonald if charges are filed in court.

    1. And now it is official. Hardy is on the Exempt list. If McDonald does get charges filed, he will be next on the list- “Protecting the Brand”.

  43. I’m a bit nauseated by the Vikings’ Press Conference as they discuss having AP on the Commissioner’s Exemption List. The questions and insinuations from the Press seem holier-than-thou and falsely sanctimonious. The League and the teams are trying to adapt to shifting ground, with some mixed results, and while false equivilencies abound, each case is different.
    IMHO, the Vikes’ move is a step in the right direction in his case.

    1. Brotha:

      I understand what you are saying, but there is a case to be made that the Vikings only took that step in the right direction because of public outcry over the decision to reinstate Peterson after a one game absence.

      But it’s the league that deserves most of the heat here. It has provided no leadership whatsoever on these matters. The Ray Rice investigation was pathetically inept, deliberately insufficient and/or corrupt.

        1. Jack:

          Same here, but I think it helps that McDonald’s case so far is nothing like those two cases or the Ray Rice case. Thus far, there are no photos or videos confirming that he did what he was accused of (Peterson, Rice) and no finding by a judge that he did what he was accused of (Hardy). As of now, he hasn’t even been charged. It also looks like the 49ers’ investigation* hasn’t revealed anything that would lead them to think McDonald did anything wrong.

          ——————
          * I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the 49ers’ investigation has been legitimate. If it turns out that McDonald did physically abuse his fiancee and the 49ers (a) had sufficient facts to recognize that he did so or (b) didn’t make a good faith effort to gather all the evidence they could, the team will lose a lot of goodwill, and rightfully so.

              1. I had to spell out the rationale by the 49ers to you when Grant went on his Moral Fiber campaign against McDonald. The information gathered by the 49ers and consequential decision, clearly led them to believe he would be exonerated….

              2. Razor:

                I’ve always said that the 49ers shouldn’t deactivate McDonald unless their investigation gave them reason to believe he abused his fiancee. I also think there’s a distinction between concluding, after only a few days of investigation, that the investigation shed McDonald in a positive light and suggesting, after more than two weeks of investigation, that the investigation hasn’t revealed evidence of physical abuse.

      1. There is a correlation between all of the cases that concerns me. Public pressure, Political pressure, mob mentality on Twitter, all played a part in the decisions made on discipline for the players. There is no question punishment was warranted in all these cases but it’s gone from the league and teams looking after their own business to Politics, Protest groups and Social media driving the narrative.

        In the Bay area we have people like Kawakami, Killion and the Cohn Zone pushing for punishment against McDonald before charges have been filed. Where does it end?

        I’m all for the NFL getting its house in order but at the same time this faux moral outrage that permeates around society right now is a joke. We are talking about less than 1% of the players in the league here, and now we have Anheiser Busch using the opportunity to promote how much they are against this terrible behavior and how concerned they are about the direction of the league. Take a stand a pull your advertising if you are truly outraged Beer family. Pull your adds from the TV sets of millions and show how truly moral you are. Hypocrites.

        It seems that everything said about this league recently has been with the ulterior motive of those speaking about it to put themselves on a higher moral ground and express outrage for the sake of being outraged. I’ve had enough of it personally and that is a big reason why I hope the Niners stick to their guns on McDonald. If he is charged then sit him, but until then let the noise stop at the door.

        1. Well said, rocket.

          An equivalence would be a team developing its strategy and game planning based on forum commentary such as that found here.

          *shudders*

        2. Thank you.

          Just to further annoy myself today I watched Harbaugh’s press conference and saw numerous questions asked about McDonald yet again, with few being asked about the game this week.

          If I were Harbaugh I’d just bring a sign in that says: “Next Question!” and be done with it. It’s gone to a sublime level of ridiculousness.

          The Bay area media is not asking questions for the fans anymore, and in fact are simply trying to one up each other in an effort to either piss Harbaugh off or make a vain attempt to convince him they know better.

          1. Paul Gutierrez asked a decent question, but really didn’t get a decent answer. Lowell actually sounded as if he felt sorry for “Jimmy”….

          2. Why would they ask questions about the game this week? Harbaugh doesn’t answer them anyways. McDonald comments sell hits on websites just as you have done. We all march right along the way they want us to…

        3. Well said rocket.

          There was a short discussion on here the other day about how the media controls the narrative, and in doing so they are in a position to influence what the public “think”. But as private entities they have a mandate to make a profit, and sensationalism and opinion pieces sell better than cold facts.

          Each time an article comes out suggesting McDonald should be deactivated, more people assume he must be guilty (or want him to be guilty). It appeals to the general public’s desire for these tall poppies to be brought down a peg or two. Each time an article comes out about how there is a moral crisis in the NFL, the more people take to social media to express their outrage, and the more people in political positions feel a need to give their 2 cents to show their constituents they take the matter seriously too. And there is something of a vicious cycle there, in that as more people take to social media expressing their outrage, the greater the media’s interest in the topic to appeal to that market.

          I’m not suggesting that people shouldn’t feel outraged, or that these issues aren’t real. But as rocket pointed out, the punishments for these players now appear to be dictated largely by public opinion, which has been influenced by the media.

          The thing that really gets me, which rocket mentioned, is that this has now become a stage for people with a public profile to preach about morals. But the “outrage” of many of these people comes off as insincere and appears to be more about appealing to what they perceive the public want. Using these issues to generate public goodwill.

  44. I contemplating what this offense would look like with Mike Shanahan as the Offensive Coordinator…..

  45. Someone should ask Crabtree why he took that odd step towards the endzone after his break.

    That allowed the DB to close and looks like it played a role in the throw being off.

    1. And while you’re at it, ask him too on how Fuller took that ball away from his hands on the 2nd interception.

  46. I just reviewed the coach’s film of the play in question, and Grant is correct about the coverage. (Good call, Grant.) The Bears defense lined up under disguise of Cover 2 and then played their Cover 1 scheme almost perfectly. Reviewing the film, Kaepernick shifted up in the pocket to escape pressure that really wasn’t there, glanced quickly in Boldin’s direction, and then decided to throw to Crabtree. One main reason that the play did not succeed was the route run by Crabtree, which as noted in other comments was ad-libbed with a slight diagonal shift toward the post. Boldin flashed open on his double move right about the time that Kaepernick looked in that direction. Given Kaepernick’s lack of touch with fade passes and adverse memories of same in clutch situations, I am not that surprised that he chose Crabtree’s route instead. (Also, you can’t tell from the film whether Kaepernick’s vision was obstructed in Boldin’s direction.) The margin of error on that play was a few centimeters, as it so often is in the NFL.

    Chances of success would have been heightened if Kaepernick did not move up in the pocket unnecessarily and/or Crabtree had run a better route but any choice, including throwing to Boldin, would have required high precision. Fourth and nine with the game on the line is not where you want to be.

      1. Then again, lots of NFL players make their homes in the Atlanta area, so maybe every team ought to be scrambling.

            1. Well this “press conference” was about Brandon Marshall and something he did in 2009. The “victim” was sitting with Gloria, the victims friend was. HUH?

  47. Can someone tell Nancy Pelosi to worry about why more money is spent on the prison system than education, instead what’s going on in the NFL. I’m sure there are plenty of other issues that she can worry about. That’s just the first to pop into my head.

    1. Similarly, I’m sure there are plenty of more important things to concern *ourselves* with than the goings on of a certain Bay Area sporting team.

      But here we are.

      Takeway: humans are not single tasking.

      1. You’re right. That’s why local prosecutors are doing their job. Let’s allow them to do. I need Nancy to tell me how we are going to deal with ISIS/ISIL/IS

  48. Here’s a new MB article about how the League fined Kaep $11,000 for his language towards Lamarr Houston, Houston denying Kaep said anything to him, and the ref saying, Kaep “knows what he said.” It appears that the ref made a bad call, refuses to own up because it’s a reflection on him, and the League mindlessly issues the fine because it can. This of course is not the same as their Ray Rice screw-up, but do you notice the pattern? Once again the League feels it’s unaccountable so does what it wants. Classic case of abuse of power. This rubs me the wrong way as a fan. It’s very distasteful.

    http://www.sacbee.com/2014/09/17/6715129/money-talks-kaepernick-fined-more.html

    1. If they are going to fine him, you’d think they would have the obligation to tell him exactly what for. Not some “we know it when we hear it” BS. Not even Potter Stewart got away with that.

      1. If the facts are as Kaepernick presents them, he ought to win his appeal. His reps can submit Houston’s quote to the Chicago Tribune interview and may be able to get Houston to sign an affidavit. At that point, it would be 2-to-1 in Kaepernick’s favor, and I don’t see how the league could discredit Houston as a witness.

        But first, I would think that the league has the burden of identifying what Kaepernick allegedly said. It’s curious that the notice letter didn’t include that important piece of information. He can’t be expected to appeal the fine without it. Is the league so overwhelmed by the Ray Rice/Adrian Peterson/Greg Hardy snafus that it can’t function at the most basic level?

        1. ANTONIO Brown kicks Spencer Lanning in the face and helmet 8268 fine.

          Another example of Goodells’ incompetence and micro-mismanagement. Spencer Lanning was kicked in the face/helmet by Antonio Brown. The fine, $8268.00….

  49. George ..
    I don’t remember when I’ve seen so much
    yellow laundry on the field .. but I knew that
    call was bogus ….

    I wonder if there’s a tape of that incident, from
    one of the guys who holds the “sound-dish” at games ?

    1. If they do not, the evidence provided by Houston corroborates Kaepernick, and not the official….

      1. But would one player throw another under the bus like that? Players always talk about the sanctity of what’s done on the field stays on the field.
        Besides what’s 11K for Kaepernick?

        1. Correct, Razor .. but.. in this case..
          with tangible sound-capture evidence ..
          the ref should be “allowed” to pay that fine ..

          (that would be “justice”… wouldn’t it ? )

          Bay …

          True .. but here.. it’s the principle… imo

        2. Exhibit 1a – Dick Charmin
          Exhibit 1b – His word is worth more, especially given the fact the media have alluded that the only word he could have been flagged for was the “N” word…..

          1. Razor …

            Charmin is the ref .. ?

            Ok… yeah.. that makes sense … but, considering
            Kaep’s heritage … I think him uttering that word
            would be highly unlikely..

              1. With the cameras and microphones, along with the players in close proximity, I think Kaepernick would be foolish to lie…..

            1. Where’d you hear that….one of your reliable sources???

              a.k.a. the comment section from an anonymous user on a random non-football site that happened to mention the incident.

              1. Yeah Leo, one of my reliable sources … Don’t remember. Wasn’t that 15 yd. penalty a real game changer? You think Kaep’s going to admit to it. SF had total of 16 pen. and I remember when Bay or his friend said Seattle would struggle.

                I will be disappointed if we don’t win this Bronco game. At least it’s not a division game.

            2. With the cameras and microphones, along with the players in close proximity, I think Kaepernick would be foolish to lie…..
              _____________________________
              Oh right. I remember the look on his face. He looked guilty as hell.

          2. Yeah, one black guy calling another the N word. Makes perfect sense. Unless “Dick” is color-blind. Get it? “Color-blind.” Ha ha. (Will laugh at my joke because none of you guys will.)

        3. Just remember…Houston didn’t say Kap didn’t say anything…he said he didn’t HEAR Kap say anything.
          .
          Just saying..
          .
          .
          .
          ~ALOHA~

            1. Yep.
              .
              And he should state exactly what he says he heard.
              .
              His word against Kaps, I guess.
              .
              .
              .
              ~ALOHA~

              1. Not exactly. The player the referee claimed the naughty was directed at, said he did not say anything…..That’s called a corroborating witness.

  50. Why do I suddenly feel like someone just turned on the lights, and lurking in the corner is a big cockroach?

      1. I’m thinkin’ …
        add to that one .. a blow-out win
        on turkey day… and another one just like it
        a couple weeks later, will do me just fine ! .. ;-)

        1. MW:

          OMG – The crowd noise will be unbelievable. Be satisfied with a split. You know that won’t happen — Bowman won’t be himself for another year and Smith won’t be game ready unless he’s practicing in secret. I’m more interested in game 4 and how you do against Chip Kelly and Foles — didn’t work out so well for Andrew Luck.

      2. Expand your reading, Razor.

        Re: a Cardinal win??? That won’t make up for your sorry performance last week. And that was only game 2 … .

        1. That won’t make up for your sorry performance last week. And that was only game 2

          If you want to talk to Pete Carroll, you should go to a Seahawks blog.

    1. What is this….the new ice bucket challenge???

      Ray Rice: Ray McDonald, Jonathan Dwyer, AP I challenge you.

      1. I can see the article already if the Cards deactivate Dwyer this weekend before letting the legal process run its course…

        1. if they were smart they would do it in order to add some more fuel to the fire for their division rivals

  51. Haha! Did you lose your helmet? — you look very blue and strange. Are you Protesting — that’s a nice touch. Haha.

      1. MWN:

        Chargers played a great game. Rivers was spot on. We had a couple of chances but couldn’t pull it off. It’s a good thing this happened. Our defense was on the field for 42.17 min.

  52. “Mary:”

    “Chargers played a great game. Rivers was spot on. We had a couple of chances but couldn’t pull it off. It’s a good thing this happened. Our defense was on the field for 42.17 min…”

    Women don’t talk this way, men do…

    1. Ghost: “Chargers played a great game. Rivers was spot on. We had a couple of chances but couldn’t pull it off. It’s a good thing this happened. Our defense was on the field for 42.17 min…” Women don’t talk this way, men do…

      Ok Ghost, you’ve got my interest. Elaborate — I’m really interested in how you came to this conclusion.

      1. Teaching English over seas for two decades for a start. A couple of linguitic classes for another and the sure knowledge that you are a man…

        1. Ghost: Still unclear of your meaning. I assume what you are saying is that women speak a different language, use a different tone or perhaps ” mild in temperament or behavior; kind or tender? Explain pls.

    2. Ghost: I figured that’s what you meant. Ghost, “spot on” was not even in my vocabulary a year ago, okay. I read so many of these threads on this website and never comment and read many articles that go into great detail. I listen to 710 ESPN in my car and at home, watch Total Access every day, you just naturally start to repeat what you hear ;)

  53. Word selection. Grammar. Slang. Women would never say “spot on.” Women would almost never use the first person plural for a pro team. You are a guy, you know it and so do I. It’s okay, you probably are a cross dresser too but so what? And your Seabirds are going to have to really work to beat the Broncos even though they are playing in your cheater stadium…

Comments are closed.