Mike Nolan says Trent Baalke’s biggest mistakes were hiring Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly

Former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan just spoke on 95.7 The Game. Here’s what he said.

Q: What is harder – being a dominant team that wins every week, or being a terrible team that loses every week?

NOLAN: Wow, that’s a tough one, only because, as you know, it really starts with your players first and foremost. I think you need to have – obviously, you need to have a good team. You need to have good players to first accomplish anything from the standpoint of winning. And then from there, I think your coordinators are critical.

The other thing I believe is players, as do coaches, it’s real important to have confidence in one another – not only trust, but confidence. I think as a player, I always thought that the better I was as a coach and the more I could help them play well, the more confidence and trust they would have in me. So, I think that’s always an important factor. Some guys try to be their buddy and friend, as you well know. It’s nice to have friends and guys you get along with, but most importantly as a player, you want a coach that is going to coach you to become a better player. And if you do that, you have confidence in winning ballgames. First off, you have confidence in your ability to play well. And then, you also have confidence in your coach to put you in a good position. And therefore, I think all of those things build up and lead up to confidence in winning.

The other factor is, naturally as a player, you look at the other guys around you. And players a lot of times will know if they have a strong team or not, because if a guy is scoring touchdowns all the time, your quarterback is always moving the ball down the field, you have great confidence in those players, so therefore your ability to have confidence that you’re going to win week in and week out and stay upbeat is a lot easier than when it’s just the opposite and guys are playing well and things like that.

Through the process, you either gain confidence in your coach, you either gain confidence in your peers or you start to lose it. And as the season gets longer, it’s extremely hard to maintain confidence if you just continue to lose, whether it’s a close game or not. I personally think blowouts just take guys to the depths of disaster.

Some people say, “Boy, I’d rather get blown out than lose by 1 point.” I’m just the opposite. At least I know I’m competitive, and at least I know I’m close to getting a victory if the game is close. But if I’m just getting waylaid every week like some of the teams, whether it’s Cleveland or the 49ers or even Chicago prior to yesterday – those are the hardest teams in my opinion to get up each week, because you’re not really given a whole lot of reason to feel good about things. Because you’re not just losing, you’re losing by large margins.

Q: What is ownership’s move here in the offseason? Do you stay the course another year with your front office, coaching staff, or do you make some sort of change? Because it’s going to be very difficult to see the fan base, which is dwindling as is, on another year of the same.

NOLAN: I take it you’re talking about the 49ers.

Q: Correct, hahahahahahaha.

NOLAN: You never mentioned them by name. Hahaha. Was that intentional? Haha.

Q: Uhhhh, well, yeah. You know, they’ve got me twisted up at this point.

NOLAN: A-hem. You know what? It’s sad that it’s gone to where it is. They’re beginning to look much like when I took the job over in 2005. They were coming off two prior seasons of 2-win and 4-win seasons. There really was not a lot of good personnel on the team.

The difference though that I think is better and will continue to be better is they will be a much better cap-situation football team going forward than we ever were back then. As a matter of fact, they’ll be very good because Paraag Marathe does do an excellent job at his position with the 49ers as far as keeping their numbers right with contracts and all that stuff.

But the losing is really killing them. And the personnel – I’ll say this, too – the personnel is NOT as bad as they’re playing. And that’s the thing that really gets under your skin as a coach, because you’re frustrated by what’s going on. But more importantly, as the organization and the brass at the very top, naturally when they’re thinking about, “Do we keep this receiver or move on?” – I think something that enters into the picture here that is not really talked about so much but it definitely has to be on the mind of the ownership and all, and that is they’re paying (Jim) Tomsula currently. They owe Jim at least two more years. If they make a change with Chip Kelly, that’s another three or four years on the books. So you’re going to have two head coaches you’re paying contracts. So if you go hire another guy, that’s a lot of money, just wasted money that’s out there on coaches.

The thing that I have thought most of the season was when people were talking about changes when the losses started to mount up, was not to change it. Because I know Trent (Baalke) personally, and Trent does a good job with personnel, and that’s his primary job. But, for a lot of strange reasons – guys retiring, guys quitting a couple years ago, just a lot of weird things that occurred – they’re roster has kind of fallen off a little bit, but it is still a much better roster than some of these other teams that are not winning have.

At least identify the problem correctly. It’s about players first, and I think they have the right guy in place to pick the players. But unfortunately for Trent, I think the choice of Tomsula hurt him, and currently right now Chip Kelly is not helping him either. All of a sudden you say, “Look, we can’t keep (Baalke), he’s the one that picked the last two guys,” I guess is maybe what they’re saying. I’m not sure overall. Nonetheless, that’s a blemish that Trent is going to have to carry a little bit.

But getting back to players, it’s about players first. They do not have a bad roster. Obviously they need a quarterback. But, they can be a .500 team in my opinion if they get a quarterback as near as next year. They’ve got a tough decision to make at the end, because you’re right – you don’t want to lose your fans. But yet, they’re going to lose a lot of money in the process, too. Where do you go?

I’ll say this – the team is making a hell of a lot of money, so maybe that isn’t a factor.

This article has 454 Comments

  1. “I’ll say this – the team is making a hell of a lot of money, so maybe that isn’t a factor.”
    Mike Nolan

    ……to my point from my boycott manifesto on the previous thread.

      1. He also says that’s a guess.

        Nolan’s all over the place. In one sentence he’s blaming Kelly, the next he’s blaming Baalke, but then he’s back to saying they only need a QB.

        Anyone who watches this team and thinks that all they need is a QB is a dolt.

          1. Nolan was the defensive version of Chip Kelly. He should know what it’s like to not be able to get the most out of a roster.

            1. Nolan was a successful defensive coordinator and an NFL coach for 28 years. Kelly is almost done in the NFL after four years.

              1. Coordinator yes. I’m speaking of his time as the head coach. He’s not a leader of men. Neither is Kelly.

                They both point the finger at everyone but themselves with the whole “execution” excuse. That might be true, but at the same time it’s your job as the coach to make sure the execution improves. Instead we see the same stupid stuff week after week after week. It was the same thing from 2005 until the Giants game in 2008.

              2. Successful D chord? Based on what, his time in Baltimore? Please note they were better the year before he ran the D and the year after he left.

              3. 6 yards passing and benched Seb! The only that smells is your knowledge of a good QB. Where is that storm old prune one?

              4. Looks like the Eagles are headed to the same record as last year lol I looked at the Eagles blog last night and they already hate Doug Pederson lol

              5. Not really they have a right to be upset the Eagles have a pretty good roster and Carson Wentz is the best QB they’ve had in a long time.

              6. Grant – watching this back and forth, I have a couple of comments – Kelly has had success in the NFL. His Philly teams weren’t bad until he started letting go players like Jackson and McCoy. But with SF, we have no idea right now. The roster isn’t horrible, but we have NO defense and are on our 3rd coach in 3 years. You can’t judge a coach based on that. So the team is 1-11. What’s he supposed to do? Kaep wasn’t healthy at the start, and the worse thing they could have done in hindsight was shut out the Rams. Then reality set in. And Kaep has played well in coming back. But with no WR, no O-line protection and a defense made of tissue paper, the losses still mount. Nolan was a good DC. But he had the same problem as Kelly – a challenged roster. Kelly isn’t done, he just needs the right team. Pete Carroll had stints, but has found a home in Seattle. Kelly could be the right guy in a number of situations. But it’s just like a QB, you need the right scheme and team personality. We don’t know that with the Niners based on what he walked into. But most agree – Baalke made bad decisions. I actually like his drafts. It’s the coaches and the handling of vet free agents that he doesn’t do well.

              7. Nolan never won 10 games in a year, either. Nolan’s overall winning percentage as an NFL coach is .327. Kelly’s is .458, even with this disastrous 49ers team, and was .553 in Philadelphia.

                Anybody who even suggests Nolan is a better head coach than Kelly is a know-nothing

              8. “Nolan never had a season when five of his players make the Pro Bowl, either.”

                That doesn’t mean he didn’t have that kind of talent.
                He had Willis, Staley, Gore, J. Smith, Delanie Walker, V. Davis, and Dashon Goldson, on his team.

          2. Nolan is all about Nolan. He’s not well liked in some coaching circles because he is seen as a guy who will throw another coach under the bus to make himself look better. He’s seen as a guy who’s always working angles with GM’s and owners. He may be right about Baalke making mistakes with Tomsula and Chip Kelly but when Mike Nolan speaks you always have to ask, “What’s in this for Mike Nolan?”

          3. Nolan is a good defensive minded coach. He may have done better with the 49ers if he would have had a more complete roster. He had certain pieces in place, such as Alex Smith and Frank Gore.

      2. They need to fire him because he’s a poor evaluator for talent, he can’t draft at all. He can’t sign good free agents because the players no him or have heard about him. He can’t draft a good receiver to save his life, the best one he’s drafted is Quitton Patton. In Pattons 4 years he’s got 67 rec 846 yards and 1TD. Those are awesome numbers!!! Please. He did sign Torrey Smith!!!! Since joining the 49ers his numbers are: 53-930 and 7 TD, people want to blame Kaepernick….. But come on…. Our #1 WR has 53 catches in almost 2 seasons…. Other teams 3rd WO have those numbers…. Baalke has to be held accountable for our poor offense, when the only good player is Carlos Hyde and he’s really not great either.

      3. I think they should fire him and hire me, last year I had them trading down to the middle of the first round and getting Will Fuller and a another 2nd Rd pick then Joshua Garnett, and Emmanuel Ogbah in the 2nd Rd. But what kills me is… I had them taking Dak Prescott with the 68th pick…. He didn’t even interview Prescott!!!! What an idiot!!!

        1. They would have to hire you first as a head scout. Then if you polished enough apples and kissed the right behinds ( like guess who ) they might kick you up as GM.

      4. If he’s still here for this draft he better trade down…. Trade pick 2 and Zane Beadles to the Browns, for picks 15, 33, & 45
        We can get some great player with picks: 15, 32, 33, 45, & 66

      5. I saw a mock draft, says we will take Mitch Trubisky with the second pick, if BAALKE does waste the second pick on him, he’s going to be fired!!!! We could trade a 4th Rd pick to the Patriots for Jimmy Garappalo… Brady isn’t leaving anytime soon and Garappalo would be our best option for next year

    1. Mike Nolan does not have a dog in this fight it could be traced back to him he screwed the franchise when he took Alex Smith over Arron Rodgers. How did that work out. Shut up nolan

  2. Nolan- ‘They do not have a bad roster’.- Could have fooled me…..

    ‘You do not want to lose your fans.’ -They do not care at all.

    ‘This team is making a hell of a lot of money.’ -Not as much as when they were winning. That empty mausoleum will not make as much compared to a full stadium.

    ‘Paraag does an excellent job….’ -with leaks and smears.

  3. Where in the article does it say that Nolan says they were a mistake? Nolan you were not much of a HC or you would still be here, so how are you qualified to make statements about the Niner Organization.

    “But getting back to players, it’s about players first. They do not have a bad roster. Obviously they need a quarterback. But, they can be a .500 team in my opinion if they get a quarterback as near as next year.”

    So essentially what you are saying is that the Niners are going to win 8 games just with a quarterback. Really? Have you looked at the Niners defense this year? So just with the addition of a QB the line is going to pass protect better, the receivers are going to catch the ball, the stupid and I do mean stupid penalties are going away, they are going to tackle better? Is the RB going to square his shoulders and run down hill? Is the center going to hike the ball better?

    I can’t defend Kelly when the team is 1-11 with a 11 game losing streak. I still think Baalkie, Kelly will be back and its a good bet Kaep will be back also.

    Its time to start Ponder, the last four games. I doubt he can be any worst then yesterdays QB. This team needs discipline and that is on the coaches.

    1. Unfortunately for Trent, I think the choice of Tomsula hurt him, and currently right now Chip Kelly is not helping him either. All of a sudden you say, “Look, we can’t keep (Baalke), he’s the one that picked the last two guys,” I guess is maybe what they’re saying. I’m not sure overall. Nonetheless, that’s a blemish that Trent is going to have to carry a little bit.

      1. If that’s true it wreaks of Jed passing the buck. I think it’s pretty clear that York’s finger prints are all over these coaching hires.

        1. What else is new? Of course York is passing the buck. John York did the same with Erickson and Nolan. Jed has done it with Nolan, Singletary, Harbaugh and Tomsula. It’s beyond dysfunctional; it’s unqualified mismanagement at its peak.

    2. Kaepernick is going to sign with the JETS, that’s why he bought a condo in Manhattan

  4. Updating my York ownership, “Weird Record List.”

    Starting QB, Colin Kaepernick passing stats vs Bears:

    Passing CP/AT YDS TD INT
    B. Gabbert 4/10 35 0 0
    C. Kaepernick 1/5 4 0 0

    The last I heard of fewer passing yards by a Pro QB was this game: Chicago Cardinals vs. Bears.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SitUbhD_sw0

    1. Then there was this game. College football’s oldest video.

      Princeton vs. Yale, circa, 1903. Trent Baale took notes on this game. It’s what he told Jed he’d turn the 49ers into.

      The conversation went like this:

      Trent: Jed, I have a brilliant idea.

      Jed: Great, I only employ brilliant people, trying to win championship banners.

      Trent: If we could eliminate the passing game, employ a running QB who can read running option lanes, it’s one less dangerous facet of concern. A double bonus, you would not have to worry about those prima-donna crybaby wider receivers or QB’s come contract time…Like Cody Pickett, they can be found in later rounds.

      Jed: Spectacular. And since we told the fans we only hang championship banners and did not sign more than 1 free agent this season, they’ll think that also.

      Baalke: Exactly, we already have their money and with Paraag using “Billy Ball Analytics to skip over early round players where the stats say a comparable player is available in RD 7, it’s a money saver….Good job Trent.

      Remember, this is my only business, so we have to treat it as one–zero spending.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SitUbhD_sw0

  5. I still think Jed was the main driver of the Tomsula choice, not Trent. Trent has to bear responsibility anyway.
    Chip applied. Chambers probably endorsed. Jed shrugged and said hire him if you want to. So Chip is on Trent. All speculative of course.

      1. Trent to himself*: ‘Tomsula will do my bidding and I will get the credit for winning.’ *evil, plotting finger tapping while contemplating.

        Jed to himself*: ‘Baalke says we can with Tomsula and he’s cheaper! Win-win! If it fails, I can blame Trent! Win-win-win!’
        *Calls contractors for cabana bids.

        Jed is becoming the recluse that his father was shamed into becoming. At least Papa John still has his hair.

          1. I think it’s partly correct. I think the other part of the story is that the York’s (John and Jed) have shown that they lack the ability to control their emotions with a business that they don’t fully understand and never will. They are outsiders on their own team and they know it.

  6. Wrong! Wrong! Mr. Empty Suit (who went downward from being Niners coach to DC to LB coach and I believe is now out of a job) is utterly wrong about why HMS Baalke is sinking.

    There is only one reason that towers over all other reason for the current situation of the Niners. Lousy personnel decisions at all levels — drafting, FA, re-signing, etc..

    With average players at key positions, Tomsula would not be gassed in winning 7-8 games a season, and Kelly can win 9-10 games. Niners have really no experienced and competent starters who can stay on the field throughout the season except for a one or two positions.

    I watching Brooks in the post-game locker room interview. This guy had been expected to have played his way out of the team, what, three seasons ago? He’s been insubordinate, not been a good team mate, and assaulted a team mate and girl friend. He’s far from being gone. Instead, he leads the team with 5 sacks this season, and is all set to have his photo on the 10-year wall considering that there is no obvious replacement for him.

    Baalke thought that Gabbert was the answer – ‘ nuff said. He sits on a pile of cap money because he’s paralyzed from failure and has no idea who to sign. Baalke is a glorified DB scout raised to GM level by incompetent ownership because Baalke has heavy friends and says all the right things, just like Nolan did. I was fooled by Baalke because of the McLoughan legacy but the scales fell off from my eyes in 2013.

    1. Mood- Baalke is a sycophantic OCD personality. He kisses the rears of those over him and plays dictator with those he has power over. A sure formula for failure for someone in his position.

  7. Nolan was a tool as a HC. He made mistake after mistake and tried deflecting criticism with a suit and tie on the sidelines. From drafting Smith to yapping about the ‘smell in the building’, he was absolutely terrible and in over his head from day one.

    He isn’t wrong about the state of the team, though. I’ve been saying it for a few years now, Jed is his father and history is repeating itself. They fired Mooch after a playoff season and Harbaugh after three NFCCG’s in four years and a SB appearance. They are business people concerned only with the bottom line, which isn’t significantly affected by losing. They spent money to get a stadium and almost immediately destroyed the winning culture Harbaugh had reestablished.

    Jed is an insecure coward. I’m sure he touts the bottom line behind closed doors and looks over his shoulder from the time he leaves team HQ until he locks the front door of his home. He knows he is unqualified to run an NFL franchise and is universally hated by fans.

      1. J,
        He was the coaching equivalent of ‘Looks like Tarzan but plays like Jane’. He looked and sounded the part and that was about it.

          1. He also tried to turn the first draft choice he “helped” with into his scapegoat. McCloughan did just fine without him in the 2009 draft and setting up the 2010 draft board.

              1. And Coffee wasn’t a bad player. He also picked Ricky Jean Francois that year and set the 2010 draft on a tee for Super Trent.

          2. He did build up the roster, but he couldn’t win with them, which backs my point that he was a terrible coach. He also chose Smith over Rodgers with his signature draft pick because Smith was willing to hop around on one leg or whatever during a pre-draft visit. He knew what to say and now to look but was a terrible, authoritarian HC who hadn’t earned that level of respect from players.

              1. Grant,
                That’s kind of like saying that one excrements odoriferous emanations are slightly less offensive than another pile of excrement. I don’t disagree with you, but I don’t want to trip over the expectations bar as I walk through the door, either.

              2. GM yes, Head coach… No.
                In 4 years Nolan won 18 games to Chip’s 27.
                As a great coach once said… “You are your record.”

          3. I stopped paying attention as soon as I came to this part:

            Because I know Trent (Baalke) personally, and Trent does a good job with personnel, and that’s his primary job.

            Bad Coach defending a horrible personnel guy because of a prior relationship. Nothing else worth saying.

            1. “Because I know Rob (Ryan) personally, and Rob does a good job with defense, and that’s his primary job.”

              -Rex Ryan

    1. Just like Singletary who had a bludgeoned look on his face, Nolan is the epitome of an ’empty suit’.

      That is their legacy.

  8. The story on the Tomsula hire as I understand is as follows:

    Baalke had decided on Adam Gase to replace Harbaugh. Gase had accepted and the announcement was a mere formality pending a final meeting with Jed. It was in that meeting that Jed dropped a bombshell. Out of the blue he came up with a demand that Gase hire Tomsula as his defensive coordinator. Gase refused (as any head coach worth his salt would have) and walked out the door. Jed and Trent were left with no other option but to give the HC job to Tomsula.

    The other story I have heard is that Harbaugh’s leaving had more to do with Jed’s ego than anything else. Supposedly Jed walked in on a players meeting and Harbaugh rudely told him to get lost since the meeting was for “men” only. Harbaugh’s doom was pretty much sealed then and there.

    1. JH was long gone before that comment. He saw the writing on the wall, and did not give a damn. It was just more egg on Jed’s face.

      Thank God Jed has that cabana to hide in…..

    2. Both of those stories have strong credibility, IMO. Additionally, I’ve read/heard that Denise was an even bigger supporter of JimmyT than Jed.

    3. The Yorks and possibly Baalke as well, truly believed their roster was so good anybody could win with it. That’s why the entire hierarchy has to be changed in order for this team to compete again. Jed as President and having any say in football operations can’t continue. Baalke as head of all that is personnel and football decisions can’t continue. Both have to be removed or things will stay the same. Firing the HC for the 3rd time in 3 years will achieve nothing if Baalke and Jed remain in their current roles.

  9. First of all Nolan is close with the York’s like Baalke was so there is a definite Bias there.

    But the biggest thing that is db about this comment Nolan made is every good coach turned down the job and that’s why Tomsula and Chip Kelly got the job in the first place.

    It’s not like Bill Walsh and Bill Belicheck wanted the job and instead they went with Tonsils and Chip Kelly.

    Those were the best choices of a lot of bad ones willing to work with Baalke and York.

    1. Todd,

      Good Post. Almost forgot about that one. And remember the good coaches all used Jed for leverage to land their dream job–anyone not with the 49ers.

      Gase stated earlier this month that he leveraged the York’s all along.

      Kawakami stated earlier this week that Harbaugh read the room early in his 49er coaching career and leveraged the 49ers for the Michigan job.

      So did Hue Jackson and a host of others.

      1. Although Hue Jackson undoubtably touched bases with Harbaugh before the 49ers interview, both coaches were asst. coaches with the Raiders during the infamous, Brady, Tuck Rule Game.

  10. Things Jed can do with his family’s $436 million dollars made annually inside their new Levi Stadium home.

    1. Invest that money in outside business for tax write-off purposes (Like their ownership in the new Sacramento soccer stadium built on down town prime real estate).

    2. Invest in half a brand new stadium somewhere in the world and pay the other half the following year (stadiums cost 1 billion these days)

    3. Do not invest anything in lawn maintenance or any maintenance at Levi Stadium. Santa Clara’s citizens will pay for that, that’s why I’m a billionaire…Santa Clara Mayor, Lisa Gillmor is currently after those maintenance records which the 49ers have a pit bull’s grip on and won’t relinquish.

    4. Thow parties at Michael Minas at the stadium– furnishing $300 dinners while sipping $500 bottles of wine isn’t a problem…That pest, T. Kawakami who Jed stiffed on the dinner bill once will pay for it.

    5. Fans come up with a way the York’s can spend their profits ???

  11. Yesterday was Kwiatkowski’s first start because Jarrell Freeman was suspended. Had 9 tackles. At this pace, he will have more than Jaquiski Tartt by season end.

  12. Mike Nolan LOL The man that picked Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers smh

    Grant must’ve been bored lol

    1. And had they picked Rodgers both would have been gone in 5 years….see Chris Webber v Don Nelson.

        1. Only people who don’t understand how important coaching, time, continuity, and a competent roster would say that.

            1. You do realize he sat his first four years and would have run into the same problems Smith did?

              1. Impossible to know that Mid. We’ll never know whether Rodgers would be the QB he is today if he had been picked by the 49ers, or what type of QB he’d be.

                But it is hard to imagine he’d have had much success early in his career with the 49ers.

              2. Mid,

                He sat his first 3 years not 4 and saying he would have had the same problems as Smith is based on you believing he was the same type of person, which he is not. He was a more confident player than Smith coming out of College, and played in a system more conducive to NFL transition. The changes in OC’s would have hurt any QB, but I think it was worse for Smith than it would have been for Rodgers. Smith was raw and hadn’t played in a pro style system or anything resembling one. Constantly changing offenses with a guy like that is obviously going to be a problem. I think Rodgers would have been able to adapt to that better.

              3. Remember don’t forget who the OC was at the time? Mike McCarthy. Yes he would’ve went through his ups and downs but at the end of the day he would’ve been our franchise QB since Steve Young and I know that stings but it’s the cold hard Truth.

                Ugh I hate Baalke!!

              4. Rocket and Scooter, what exactly would have been different? Would the OL been better? The bad WRs? The immaturity of Vernon Davis? The turnstile at OC? Please explain which problem would have not been an issue if Rodgers had been taken with the first pick in 2005.

              5. The issues that had to do with Smith himself, Mid. He wasn’t blameless for his performance. As rocket pointed out, he came from a spread system. Rodgers was (is) also older and a more confident personality.

              6. Rodgers is not more confident that Smith…nor was he in 2005. Smith was polite and easy going, Rodgers had an attitude and questioned things.

                That right there was the difference.

                Again, we don’t know what might have happened but had Smith not been drafted by SF it is said that Gruden was taking him at 4 in Tampa. Had he been there he would have had a coach who knows QBs, who wouldn’t have crushed his confidence in slinging it around, and who would have provided him with the tools and talent around him to succeed.

                Everyone needs to go back and watch Alex’s 2nd season with Antonio Bryant and see him throwing 30 yard bombs to Bryant down the sideline. Then year 3 its shoulder injury, come back too early, playing through pain, fans grumbling, Nolan questioning his heart…then he was done and year 4 was a wash.

                Watch this, you’ll see what Smith was going to become (horrible song, crappy video quality, but you can see a guy who was very capable of letting it fly into tight coverage down field).

                https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LBPgPBZ-UKY

              7. The issues that had to do with Smith himself, Mid. He wasn’t blameless for his performance.

                Both of you appear to be missing my point; I am talking about issues that are QB cannot control regardless of who they are. Issues that the QB can control is a completely different and more complex ball of wax.

              8. Someday Kaepernick will actually live up to his hype besides on Madden.

              9. Mid,

                I understand what you are saying and I’m pointing out that a lot of Smith’s problems would not have been the same for Rodgers. They are vastly different personalities and Rodgers was more NFL ready than Alex coming out of College. The bad players around them weren’t ideal, but I’m saying Rodgers would have got more out of that team than Smith did. Not saying he would have been showing the greatness he has now, but would have been better than Smith.

              10. It is hard to say what would have happened if the Niners had drafted Rodgers over Smith.

                AR had the luxury to sit behind a HOFer and study for years, while AS was thrown to the wolves.

                Who knows? Maybe the niners would have won a couple of rings if they had selected AR. I liked his accuracy.

              11. You guys are doing nothing but speculating based on what Rodgers has done in Green Bay. Is it possible Rodgers could have done better than Smith if he had been taken first? Maybe, but it just as likely that Rodgers would have struggled with: a bad receiving corps with a case of the dropsies, constant pressure due to a bad OL (especially on the right side), the constant turnstile at OC, and coaches who had no clue in how to coach a QB. Both sides of the speculation table had a chance of happening, but what cannot be speculated is that Rodgers was put in a better overall situation than Smith was. One was able to sit and develop, while the other was expected to be the saviour of a poorly built team almost immediately.

              12. I’m not speculating, Mid. I’m saying its impossible to know what it would have been like for Rodgers. You are the one speculating.

              13. How exactly am I speculating about the problems which the QB could not control? That is not speculation; that is stating the facts. Choosing Rodgers would not have changed how the rigt side of the OL would have played, how poor the play calling on offense was, or that Nolan and then Singletary had no clue in how to coach a QB; it also would not have changed the bad WRs and their chase of the dropsies during that time. I never once speculated how Rodgers would have done, just that he would have run into the dame problems Smith did. Nothing more, nothing less.

              14. Mid, I guess context is important when one interprets the written word. Given the thread you responded to it seemed clear you were suggesting Rodgers would have had the same struggles as Smith because he would have faced the same issues outside of his control Smith did. That would be speculation.

                However, if you didn’t mean for your comment to be interpreted that way, my bad.

  13. Mike Nolan was a joke. He chose Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers, because Rodgers didn’t bounce a football or indulge in some other dim act of non-passing related BS. His press conferences were rambling messes that sounded like he was selling Amway instead of coaching. He was a terrible hire and an average assistant who got his butt handed to him in Atlanta with Harbaugh in the playoffs.

      1. 5 and 7 game losing streaks (with a 5 point victory in between) is about as close as you can get.

        1. I did. Hue Jackson is a great offensive mind. Jury is still out on how things will end up in Cleveland, but I would have loved to have him here. He’s a great example of how expectations have to be tempered when you clearly have a terrible roster and are starting over. The 49ers are doing the same thing, they just haven’t admitted/realized it.

      2. I’m not defending Kelly, Grant, I’m calling out Nolan for who he is; A lousy HC. How many head coaching jobs has he had since?

    1. And had they picked Rodgers both would have been gone in 5 years….see Chris Webber v Don Nelson.

      Nolan was a horrible HC, but stop with the Smith v Rodgers comparison, the paths they took, the crap that Smith had to deal with, coaching changes, oc changes, lack of talent vs Rodgers waiting for 3 years, having the same HC every year but one, the talent on offense that GB has had, its night and day.

      Rodgers attitude would have clashed so much with Nolan that Nolan would have traded him away after 2 years and Nolan would have been canned 2 years later.

      1. Just another truly delusional statement from an Alex Smith fan. Either admit you are a relative or get yourself checked out because this Alex Smith hero worship has gotten ridiculous. There isn’t one sane person on this planet who would deny Rodgers should have been the pick. Smh.

        1. No, you just have a hard time remembering all the other aspects at play.

          Does it strike you as odd that Rodgers has completely alienated himself from all of his family, his mom, dad, brother? The guy has personality issues, he’s difficult, he and nolan would have clashed so much. Rodgers got to sit and learn for 3 years, he got coached by the same guy for 2 of those 3 years, he had a roster with all pros at WR, he’s had Jordy his entire career.

          The only delusional one is you if you can’t see all these other circumstances that came into play. It’s why guys who were much more physically talented than Montana never made it in the league.

          Situations my boy, situations.

          1. You can’t predict how things would have turned out. Different people, different personalities and different situations. All we can do is look at the players individually and see who was the better player. Rodgers is the better player by a significant margin.

            1. He’s the better player because of the situation he had and Alex had…but change those situations and who knows how it plays out.

              Its like Grants article about the Ginn injury re:2011 playoffs, we can presume to know how things would have played out if things went differently but what-is is what-is (thats some AP English for ya).

              I just know that Alex was derailed time and time again by his coach, the gm, and injuries and Aaron didn’t have those things to overcome, he had motivation whereas Smith had determination.

              1. No he’s the better player because he’s the better player. Plays at a much higher level than Smith and always has. No matter what either has been through it’s not hard to see that Rodgers is on a much higher level than Alex.

              2. Rodgers has a HOF resume and Smith obviously does not, but this is interesting:
                Rodgers: 95.3 QB rating, 16 wins, 12 losses.
                Smith: 94.1 QB rating, 19 wins, 8 losses.
                (Since 2015)

              3. Lol the old “if we take out this and only look at that” argument. I thought you stopped doing that after the Frank Gore is done declaration Grant.

              4. Lol I didn’t actually make an argument. Just showed their stats from the past two seasons.

              5. The past 2 seasons? Lol

                How convenient to make a point lol Oh but not there WHOLE careers because that would be unfair to Alex.

              6. Okay well what I meant is comparing Aaron and Alex to just 2 years is a joke, obviously Aaron is one of the best QBs in the game.

              7. I mean don’t get me wrong I have nothing against Alex and wish him nothing but success I’m actually rooting for him and the Chiefs I just think he’s limited throwing the ball down field and I understand why Harbaugh picked Kaepernick over him at the time. Aaron Rodgers is elite and could you imagine if he had the Chiefs defense and there running game. Wow

              8. I still don’t understand how you can lose your job to injury. A bad move on Harbaughs part.
                I always thought Harbaugh made the move to help Roman and a weak passing offense. By going with old wind up, he gave them an element of an elite running QB.
                Unfortunately it didn’t bring a SB and has now set the franchise back considerably.

              9. Although Grant didn’t state it, the statistics could suggest that Rogers is regressing (for him) and Alex is improving. All of us use statistics all the time to make points. In this case, I think the statistics are interesting and can be used as a starting point for some investigation/evaluation. But I’d bet a million bucks the outcome is still the same. At this moment in time Rogers is still the better player, but maybe he’s on the down side of his career.

              10. If Aaron Rodgers was the qb of the Chiefs, my money would be on them to win it all. Alex Smith will not lead them to the Super Bowl. Not this year, not next year. Not going to happen….

              11. cubus,

                Have you’ve seen how the Chiefs been winning? Eric Berry had 9 points all by himself and our offense only scored 6 lol

              12. Is anyone really arguing that Smith is a better QB than Rodgers? I don’t think so.

                Smith has more wins than Rodgers over the past two seasons. A large part of that is the team around him, particularly the D. I don’t think anyone would deny that.

                But those saying that team would be better with Rodgers, consider this – how much less salary cap would the Chiefs have had available the past few years to maintain their strong D unit if they had Rodgers?

                The ability to build and keep a team around a relatively low cost yet effective QB is under appreciated. Over the next few years if they keep Smith they will run into trouble as his cap hit this year and the next couple is pretty high, but for the past few years his comparatively low cap hit for a starting QB has been a boon for the Chiefs.

              13. Umm “The Truth” your math is wrong. Ware had a rushing TD (6pts) and Smith had a passing TD (6 pts). Smith still passed for 270 yards on 21 of 25 (thats 80% since you seem to have issues with math) and he let 1, maybe 2 more TDs on the field and probably 30 more yards.

                Smith is never going to put up crazy passing numbers, not because he can’t because we have seen him have throw for 400 or have a 5 passing TD game, but because of the teams he play(ed) on. Teams…complete…who run the ball 25 times, teams…complete…who have defenses that get turnovers which gives the offense short fields (not a lot of yards) and who get their own points (offense stays on the sideline, teams…complete…who have very good special teams that score on a fake punt.

                The Chiefs are the ultimate team this year, they run the ball amazingly, can pass very good when needed (re: 4th qtr/ot vs broncos), have a ball hawking defense that creates turnovers and scores off them (Berry has 2 pick 6s this year and 1 pick..2?), and a legit special teams group (re: Hill having a kick off returned for a TD vs Den, Wilson having the fake punt for a TD, and Berry having a 2pt conv int and score).

                Fact is, at the end of the day, the Chiefs, Smith, are 38-19 and since week 7 of last year are 18-3 (19-4 if you want to count playoffs). And as someone once said…you play to win the game, and Smiths teams have won a lot in the last 6 seasons with him at qb.

              14. eMJay,

                I never said anything about Ware and Smith not scoring, you need to read and understand my post before commenting I said Eric Berry was responsible for 9 points Sunday and that our offense could only muster 6 points so basically I was giving the Chiefs defense credit for having playmakers like Berry(players we don’t have) and pretty much insulting our offensive performance. I guess you got confused or something lol

              15. One more thing so are you trying to say that Aaron Rodgers wouldn’t make the Chiefs more explosive on offense then Alex Smith? I mean I have always rooted for Alex to play well but let’s not get delusional who the better QB is.

                And don’t discount the Chiefs defense like they don’t matter because they have playmakers everywhere on there D and they also win a lot of games like they did Sunday against Atlanta’s high powered offense.

              16. And lastly I never said Alex didn’t contribute in the game how can’t he he’s the freaking QB lol

                My math is fine thank you very much and here some advice READ my POST carefully before replying.

              17. The whole Smith vs Kap or Rodgers “what if” saga is interesting.
                So I’ll throw in my 2 cents.
                First, is Smith better then Kap? Absolutely.
                Has Smith put up more wins the Rodgers over the last couple of years? Yes.

                But if I were a KC fan there would be one criteria in which to measure Smith: Getting my team to the Superbowl.
                Kap has done this and Rodgers has won a Superbowl.

                If the chiefs fail to win a SB this year, Alex’ window will begin close at a rapid pace.
                Again, if I were a chiefs fan I would appreciate Smith’ stats and put them up against any QB in the league, but if can’t get the team to the SB it would be considered a big disappointment.

              18. Smith is playing well in KC. He’s doing exactly what he’s good at in not making mistakes and running the offense efficiently, but he’s reliant on the running game and defense to be able to do that. Andy Reid’s offenses in Philly were routinely in the top ten and often the top 5. With Smith in KC, the highest they’ve gotten is 21st in his first year and below that over the following seasons. That is Smith in a nutshell. He’s cautious and usually won’t make the big mistake, but he also can’t bring you back from big deficits or win high scoring games either. He is who he is and he’s doing well but the only way KC challenges for a SB is if their defense plays lights out and they figure out other ways to score.

              19. I forgot to mention another important stat in the Rodgers/Smith comparison since 2015:

                Rodgers – 60 TD’s and 15 Ints

                Smith – 31 TD’s and 11 Ints

                QB rating doesn’t account for many things including how important one individual player is to his teams offensive success. KC could put a lot of other QB’s in there to do what Smith does and be able to get comparable production. GB cannot replace what Rodgers does. That’s the biggest difference here.

              20. “KC could put a lot of other QB’s in there to do what Smith does and be able to get comparable production”

                Dang, that sounds a lot like Jed York circa 2014.

              21. Grant,

                Yep and again needed help from ST’s and defense to score enough points.

                Jack,

                Reid has had success with many different QB’s and most have put up better numbers in production than Smith.

              22. Don’t know why you keep saying “also” Grant when it’s already been determined that the KC offense didn’t score a lot of points in either of the games you mentioned previously. Alex Smith is not going to win many games where the offense has to score a lot of points to make up for an off night by the defense.

            2. “Reid has had success with many different QB’s”

              Not really. His downfall in Philly can easily be traced to the retirement of Donovan McNabb.

              1. Kolb was pretty good. He was 3-4 during his starts under Reid, 11 TD to 10 int’s. That’s not good.

              2. Don’t try to move the goal posts now Jack. You said he didn’t really have success with other QB’s and his downfall could be traced to McNabb retiring (he was actually traded).

                That was an incorrect statement.

                Kolb threw too many picks but he also had some good games, again disproving your assumption that Reid didn’t really have success with other QB’s.

              3. If I remember correctly, Kolb played well enough for the Cardinals to trade for him and give him a lucrative contract….

              4. Kolb had a losing record as a starter that’s not good. He was a good fanstasy football QB though.

              5. Right because of course the QB is always the reason a team loses.

                You are right Razor. Reid made Kolb look good enough that somebody wanted to trade for him and make him their starter. He also made Vick look good too.

              6. His 10 picks in 7 games certainly contributed to the losing.

                Those same teams were 18-7 with McNabb/Vick, 3-4 with Kolb.

                Just because the Cards were stupid doesn’t mean he was good. Same with Houston this season.

              7. Everyone thought it impossible (except myself) that the 49ers could get a 2nd round pick for Alex Smith, let alone two of them. Harbaugh did for Smith what Reid did for Kolb. The difference was Reid knew how to whisper too. Whistenhunt doesn’t whisper very well….

              8. Jack,

                He threw 6 of those picks in two games, and half of them came near the end of the games while Philly was trying to come from behind late. Reid had Kolb playing well enough that AZ traded for him. He had Vick looking like a viable winning QB. I know you don’t like being wrong but you are this time. Sorry.

              9. “I know you don’t like being wrong but you are this time.”

                How am I wrong?

                Reid was 22-26 in the 3 years following McNabb leaving. In 4 seasons without McNabb as the starter Reid had 1 winning season. His record with McNabb as the starter was 92-49-1. Without McNabb he was 38-44.

              10. He had 1 winning season and a record that was below .500 without. Losing more than you win is not success.

              11. Look Jack, first off success in the win/loss column is a team stat. It doesn’t determine how well a QB or an offense might have played. Secondly, the offense for the first year after McNabb left, was more productive in both yardage and points than it was under McNabb. They were also better yardage wise the year after that. What led to Reid’s firing was the complete collapse on both sides of the ball in 2012 and the fact he had been there a long time. He got a lot of out of Vick and to a lesser extent Kolb. He’s now getting about the max he can get out of Smith. The man is an excellent OC and play caller.

              12. Look Rocket,

                First off, a head coach is judged on wins/losses. That’s the most important stat. Maybe try paying attention to what was actually written by me.

                Reid’s downfall in Philly was tied to McNabb leaving. And it definitely was because his teams got progressively worse from that point on. Not sure how you can keep debating this when the fact is Reid had a losing record without him.

                It’s pretty black and white.

                If you want to blame it on the defense or whatever knock yourself out. The Head Coach is responsible for the whole team.

              13. Smh.

                Stop trying to make it about something it wasn’t. Here’s exactly what you said in response to my statement that Reid had success with other QB’s:

                Not really. His downfall in Philly can easily be traced to the retirement of Donovan McNabb.

                In responding this way, you clearly were saying Reid’s downfall was due to his not being able to have success with QB’s after McNabb. That is not true. The season after McNabb left they had a better offensive season without him and went to the playoffs. Your point is incorrect based on that alone never mind the fact they had another strong offensive season the year after that.

                Trying to tie Reid’s downfall to QB play is completely disregarding the facts. His downfall happened in his final season when the defense completely fell apart and gave up more points than they had at any point in his tenure and the offense couldn’t make up for it. Both sides of the ball played poorly and he was fired as much for being there so long as one disastrous season.

                A HC is judged on wins and losses, but that is not what this was about. You tried to link Reid’s eventual dismissal to poor QB play and that clearly is not the case. Of all the factors that got him fired, QB play was near the bottom of the list.

        2. C’mon rocket, Smith opened the door for his mom, dog-gone-it!
          if I recall, that was the determining factor in the 49ers picking Smith over Rodgers.
          At least we know that the 49ers did their due diligence and left no stone unturned (sarc.).
          Sheesh!

          1. AES,

            Looking back on that story about when Nolan asked both QB’s to do something stupid that didn’t make any sense and Smith did it while Rodgers questioned it, tells us everything we need to know about Nolan’s ability to analyze players.

            Smith is a great guy, he should be in the hall of fame of nice guys, but he is and always has been a limited QB who needs everything else around him to be good in order to have success. Nothing wrong with that and he’s carved out a nice career, but there is no comparison between him and Rodgers as far as talent and achievements.

        3. Rodger’s mom is the first person on the planet who would say AARON should not have been the SF pick. Then every greenbay fan. Oh, his current head coach in GB said as much too.
          Sf would likely have killed any QBs career

          1. Matt,
            Perhaps – but that angle also plays into the “what if” game.
            We can’t say for a fact how Rodgers’ career would have played out in SF.

            1. I was just joking (Making lite of the question). In truth, the only person on the planet beside Nolan who wanted to pass on Rodgers was his current coach who was the OC of SF at the time.

  14. The 49ers don’t care, so why should you?

    By Bay Area Sports Guy  

    Posted on December 4, 2016

    The owners don’t care. They’re under the salary cap by more than $40 million even though everyone knew their team suffered from a severe talent deficit in 2015.

    The owners rarely communicate with the fans who keep boosting their shoddy franchise’s value to new heights. They don’t even show their faces throughout the season. We haven’t even seen a tweet about the action on the field since a year ago (after a lucky victory in Chicago).

    The general manager doesn’t care. The 2016 draft was supposed to be his most important yet, but without apology he drafted another player coming off an ACL tear in the third round and waited until the sixth round to draft a quarterback, running back and wide receiver (the WR is the only one who remains, and he has done absolutely nothing).

    The coach doesn’t care. In the week before heading to conditions that were guaranteed to be rough, if not brutal (which they appeared to be, at least on television), he opted to stay in … sunny Orlando, at his buddy’s college. Kelly talks a lot about the science of sport, but practicing in Orlando this week made him look like a guy who would train for a marathon by eating Munchie Meals from Jack In The Box in smoke-filled rooms.

    The players don’t get a reprieve, either. Their effort today, against an undermanned (and not all that great when they were fully-manned either) Bears team, was pathetic. Laughable.

    Jordan Howard ran through guys and became the third running back who started this season as a backup to rush for over 100 yards against this sorry outfit. Receivers who most viewers hadn’t even heard of frequently found themselves wide open against 49ers cornerbacks.

    gabsafety

  15. What does Nolan know about winning week after week…the guy never even got 8 wins in a season.

    Whats next, is 95.7 going to get Singletary on next? Just cause a guy worked for the team almost a decade ago doesn’t make him anything more than a talking head. A talking head who doesn’t know the first thing about quarterbacks (except how to throw them under the bus), doesn’t know how to generate wins, doesn’t know how to take blame instead of deflect it. The guy was a horrible HC, his opinion is worth about as much as the gum stuck to my shoe.

  16. I am not sure why fans still show up to watch the Niners play.

    It’s like if you went to a restaurant and got physically ill while eating the food, but you keep going back over and over again. When someone asks, “Why are you going back to that restaurant that makes you sick?” You answer, “Well, it was a great place four years ago”.

    No one in their right mind should attend these games. Stay home and let management know that an empty stadium means it’s to time clean house immediately.

              1. I think it’ll be the Cowboys because they’ll probably have the home field advantage in the playoffs.

            1. I’m not buying the Raiders. Their defense isn’t good enough. I’ve got a Cowboys-Patriots Super Bowl.

              1. The NE/Oak matchup is intriguing. Oakland has a balanced offense, so harder to attack and defend. They could put up some points. Enough to match Brady? Only if they get enough pass rush to really bother him. They’ll need a push up the middle. They’ll still put up points, but with enough pressure on Brady they might be able to keep pace.
                Never safe to bet against Brady-BB, but RayDuhs in the conversation. That team knows how to play. They’re starting to know how to win.

              2. That’s what I’ve got, Grant!

                Rod Marinelli has the Cowboys playing like the mob, and the Mob Rules….

              3. The Raiders offense has become one of the best, but I agree with Grant on the defense. It is not good and can’t stop the run consistently. They have to win shootouts and that rarely works in the playoffs. I think they are a year away. The one caveat is they could potentially add two high end players in Aldon Smith and Mario Edwards Jr. before the season’s out. How much those two add is debateable, but if the Raider defense can hold an opponent to 20 or less, they can win with that offense.

                Dallas has a team of destiny feel to them, and I think they likely will go all the way to Houston, but I would not be surprised if Seattle went in there and beat them either.

              4. Ooh, if the Steelers get another one, we’ll never catch them. Aren’t they alone with 7?

              5. If not for Harbaugh’s ill timed timeout or Kaepernick’s inability to throw an end zone fade we’d be tied.

              6. Grant Cohn December 5, 2016 at 3:35 pm
                Plus, Ken Norton Jr. is almost as bad as Jim O’Neil
                ————-
                I thought Norton had been mostly removed as the DC and mainly just held the position in name only.

        1. Yep, after another leak, another stab in the back, I hope Kaep flees this once proud franchise that has sunk into the gutter.

          On NN, they are talking about the FO meddling with the coaching and sabotaging Kaep.

          They do not deserve his services, and Kaep needs to go where they will appreciate his services and properly utilizes his skills.

          They forced Kaep to just hand off the ball. I did not see him running the read option. They ran the ball on third and long. They punted from the 32.

          They forced Kaep to be only a pocket passer, and they put him in the pit where the O line collapsed like a house of cards.
          He was forced to hold onto the ball because the receivers could not gain any separation, and was sacked 5 times.

          Barkley had plenty of protection, and his receivers were wide open. With a little help, Kaep could throw for another 400 yards.

            1. Kaep is only 29, has a rocket arm, can run like a gazelle and is finally healthy.

              Other teams want to win too much to pass up that potential talent. Their coaches will be smart enough to accentuate his strengths instead of showcasing his weaknesses.

              I said before the game that Fangio would try to contain him in the pocket. The Niners obliged. I see Baalke’s fingerprints all over the sabotaging.

              1. The rocket arm that hit a linebacker who was trailing a receiver by at least 2 yards in the back of the head.

              2. Sounds close to me. Next you will be complaining about too much arm on a pass at least 5 yards over the head of a receiver that did not even try for the ball.

              3. 1 of 5 for 4 FREAKIN YARDS!

                It’s over, go ride your Kaepernick horse off into the sunset, he’s done in this league. He can’t run like a gazelle, his arm is a about as accurate as a blunderbuss, his brain is easily molded like playdoh but has no ability to absorb how to read a defense.

              4. Seb keeps doubling down, haha. You’re such an partisan advocate, Seb, that you may be the Kellyanne Conway of the Colin Kaepernick Camp.

              5. Bad comparison, because her side won.

                Just being a fan who wants his team to win, and believes Kaep has the skillsets to succeed.

                Compared to Gabbert and Ponder, I want Kaep starting every time.

          1. ‘They do not deserve his services.’
            OK, I’m prepared to agree. We certainly didn’t deserve yesterday’s performance. He said he’ll exercise his option to free agency and we hope he lives happily ever after somewhere else.

            1. That was another leak. Kaep now says that he never said that, and that he is open to returning.

              1. No Seb-
                He’s only coming back here if he’s homeless, can’t get an offer elsewhere. Sure, then he’d be open to returning. C’mon, he sold his house, he’s got a foot out the door, and you were just saying that he’s justified in leaving and he’ll be a commodity for a team that wants to win. Now you’re trying to play both sides of the coin. That’s why I conflated you with SpinMistress Kellyanne. Facts are inconveniences.

              2. Obfuscation was her trademark, so I see your comparison.

                Yes, I am conflicted with Kaep. I want him to stay, but see his reasons to leave. Just like before the draft, during TC, in preseason, and now that he got benched.

                To me, selling that house was NBD. It was way too big for him, and way too near where Baalke lives.

    1. My guess is it will be Kap. Both he and Gabbert were pretty much useless out there in the poor weather so no reason to move on from Kap if you thought he was your guy before the game.

  17. “Growing Belief” 49ers Will Fire Trent Baalke

    Bay Area Headlines

    • Report: 49ers Will Fire GM Baalke

    December 4th, 2016 at 5:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

    As the 49ers’ post-Jim Harbaugh swoon plunges toward rock bottom, the franchise may be angling for a full-scale rebuild — one that would not include Trent Baalke.

    A “growing belief” exists the 49ers will move on from the sixth-year GM after this season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears.

  18. And there was another dumb move, keeping Ponder over Driskel. They kept 3 has beens over their own draft pick. At least there was some hope with Driskel.

  19. No it’s not called a fair weather fan. It’s called a fan that’s is tired of these pieces of sh*t owners. It’s dumba** fans that continue to put money in the pockets of these guys cause the seats are now at an all time low. Have some self pride and stop attending if you want change.

    1. 2 years and you’re to this level? How did the Raider fans do it for 15 years? Browns fans keep doing it? Cards fans for 20 years? You can look at most every team and see stretches in their history where they were bad, awful, completely noncompetitive. Some have come out, some haven’t, but the Niners had 3 amazing years, followed by a meh year, and then the last 2 awful and like that y’all are so quick to just take everyone to the gallows.

      1. Well the main reason is that this ownership used a high profile coach to get a stadium while promising the fan base a winner for years to come. Then once they got the stadium they ran the team right to the ground. After making sure they received everyone’s money… They have made zero effort in improving this team… This ownership lucked into JH then sh*t canned him just like they did with mooch.. Open your eyes man. This is the worse owenrtship in all of sports! 17/20 years has been sh*t… This is the Niners with a history not the Browns who have Jim Brown to brag about. This is epic disaster!

        1. My eyes are open and aren’t covered in hate goggles.

          The team was competitve in 98 when the Yorks took over. They had 2 winning seasons in 01 & 02. And were again competitive in 2003.

          They spent money on many of the top free agents (Justin Smith, Jonas Jennings, Nate Clements to name a few). They made many players at their respective positions the highest, or one of the highest, paid.

          They hired and fired coaches (many times having to pay 2 coaches salaries at the same time).

          Thats not to say they haven’t made plenty of mistakes, but its not as if they are the Rams who hire an awful coach then keep extending him. The Bengals who have a good coach but who can’t win a playoff game in 14 years. The Niners could have easily stuck it out with Erickson, or Nolan, or made Martz the HC, or gave Sing a 2 year extension.

          And to think they got Harbs to get a stadium is ludicrous. They were looking at SC before he was hired, as early as 2007, SC was the result of SF not bending on their refusal to not put up public money. But whats done is done.

          And obviously you don’t know your NFL history if you don’t think the Browns have one. They may not have a SB history (but a great 80s team) but they do have 4 NFL Championships to their name, they have Jim Brown and they also have Otto Graham (one of the greatest QBs who constantly gets looked over), Lou Groza, Marion Motley, and Ozzie Newsome to name a few.

            1. And if in 2 season this team is again competing for the west, what then? Do all the fans just suddenly flock back…

              1. 2013 Chiefs went from 2-14 to 13-3. 2008 Dolphins 1-15 to 11-5. 99 Rams 4-12 to 13-3.

                There are a lot of other worst to first teams, those are just some examples. And I’m not talking about a 1 year reversal from last to first, I’m say after 2 more years, this team can be competing for the West, 9, 10, 11, 12 wins. Its actually pretty common place.

  20. Seb Truly is the “Fool on the Hill,” with his lack of QB or RB knowledge…Remember his player crush on Hayne lasted over a year.

    Beatles: “Fool on the Hill” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VEHckjjbE8I

    Hayne is now out of football…And then there’s this:

    Rugby player accidentally shows porn to hundreds of students during school talk

  21. When a team keeps doing the same thing and making the same mistakes week after week that falls on coaching, not lack of talent. And that’s The Truth.

    1. There is very little talent on this team….. They have one player that might deserve an extension but it won’t be for that much cause of injury concerns that’s Hyde… That’s it.. Even him it’s highly debatable… It’s beyond a joke

        1. Not on the same level, but many didn’t think the 2009, 2010 niners teams were that talented. People were pissed at Baalke for making Akers the first f/a signing that year and not getting Nnamde (or others), but with Harbs coaching he brought out a lot from that roster, good players started playing great and the greats played like the probowlers they should have been.

          Harb level coaching could probably make this a 5 to 7 win team.

          Not acceptable, but not nearly as bad as they are.

          And injuries haven’t helped at all this year (look at the roster now vs week 1).

          1. Huh?? Young Vernon Davis, Frank Gore, Goldson, Willis, Justin Smith in his prime, Staley 1st round talented lineman Iupati and A Davis etc.

            Look at the roster now lol

              1. And with waaaaay better talent then this current roster so pretty much that tells you how bad our current roster is now.

                You made my point, thank you.

              2. No, you made my point. You think of those players as they were when Harb started coaching them…but before that they weren’t thought of that way. We truly don’t know how good a lot of these players are because the coaching is so piss poor. Lets get Harb, Carroll, Billy B, Tomlin in here and see how good this team performs then. I say this team would have a lot more wins (also if they didnt lose 3/4 of their LB core and 2/3 of their dline).

              3. P Willis was playing like a probowler when he first stepped on the field. Even before Harbaugh came in 2009 and 2010 the defense wasn’t getting gashed like they are now come on now in case you didn’t notice this current defense is on pace for some historical horrible numbers. Your problem is your going by there records in 09 and 10 instead of the fact that those players were more talented then the players we have now.

              4. While the 49ers 2009 offense was less than stellar (to put it kindly), the defense brought an intensity and level of performance we haven’t seen in some time. There were issues with consistency, but if you had to pick the best unit of the 3 (O, D, ST), the defense would get the nod. As we look at the defensive stats, it’s an interesting look. As I mentioned in the Greg Manusky approval rating, the defense was a mix of bend-but-don’t break and ball-hawking aggressiveness. At times it was hard to tell if the defense was really that solid, but in the end the numbers show a very solid defense.

                Defense
                Total YPG: 326.4 ypg (15th)
                Passing YPG: 229.4 ypg (21st)
                Rushing YPG: 97.0 (6th)
                Points Per Game: 17.6 (4th)

              5. In 2010 the defense ranked 13th I looked it up.
                Not too bad for a 6-10 team. The offense was 24th but it’s not like Harbaugh’s offenses were top 10

  22. As a 49ers fan I’m pretty sure Mike Nolan has absolutely no room to talk about other coaches/GMs making mistakes.

  23. What’s up with all the whining? We’re still in the run for 1st place!!! It looks like we got 2nd for sure but the Browns could beat the Bengals.

    1. Whatever pick they get needs to be traded back in the 1st to accumulate more 2nd and 3rd round picks. Trade back for a 1st round pick in the top 15 while getting a another 2nd and a 4th, that would be huge.

      1. If they get a chance for a generational talent at the edge rusher position like Garrett is you take him. You do not over think things. Look at what the Raiders did…. Garrett is a better prospect coming out then Mack.. Problem is that unless the Browns do a typical Browns move and F up he won’t be there at 2… Then I agree in trading back.

        1. And so was Clowney, he was supposed to be the best pass rusher since Lawrence Taylor. No player is a guarantee hit, and just because a guy is slotted/picked outside the top 10 does not mean he won’t be better than those chosen in front of him…Patrick Willis says hi.

          1. Have you seen Clowney play this year? He is dominant. The only thing slowing him down is injuries. Good luck finding another P Willy. Not so easy. Myles Garrett changes the franchise around. Just like V Miller did for the Broncos. But hey trade down and accumulate picks like Balke is known for or what the Browns are doing. Missing out on a franchise changer like Wentz..,,,no big deal.

            1. I agree Rebuild. No more trading down to get more picks. We need impact players. We also need players that fill key voids at QB,WR,OLB, ILB.

              We tried the gain more picks and it has not worked. Sure we have had volume type picks, but we need best players at certain positions.

              1. We need a true franchise building block at 2… If Garrett is there No brainer I would argue Allen is the other guy but would be okay with Mike Williams… 2nd Rnd I strike for a QB like Mahomes, Falk, Watson if he falls. Unless you can get Jimmy G with a second and some change. Raiders excuted it to perfection.

            2. Oh wow…3 sacks and 34 tackles in 11 games…thats what you want from your #1 overall pick after paying him for 3 years. Wow…magnificent.

    1. Parcells – “WTF Trent? That’s NOT what I taught you! Don’t finger me as your mentor and then flounder around like that! Why I ought to….!”

      1. I think Baalke is on life support, and everyone is paying their last respects before they pull the plug…;>)

        1. I’m paying my last disrepects. Baalke may have finally lost a power struggle with a HC. Why the hell did he hire a power hungry HC? Why did hire his replacement who is tight with the power hungry HC? Sometimes “the smartest guy in the room” makes a dumb decision because they feel they can do no wrong, same thing with Kelly.

  24. It seems there is confusion. Between mike and his dad dick nolan. Dick got us to playoffs a few times and was a good coach. But we usually lost to rams, dallas or green bay in playoffs. In the 70’s the john brodie/ gene washington era. Mike on the other was a bad coach. I can see why he not in leauge just by making the comment”baalke is good at drafting players” which he is not. Like most managers hes not adept to change. Therefore sticking to same process. Drafting for quanity not qaulity. All those 11 or 12 twelve draft picks he has every year. Ive seen him bundle none of those extra 5rd or 6th rd pick to move up for a quality 3rd or 4th rounder even during harb years. Ive never read where he scout big time college programs and it shows from his drafting style. He. Should just resign.

  25. The whole Parcells thing leaves a bad taste in the mouth. Parcells had very good teams in the 90’s, they were competitive, strong in the trenches with good lines on both sides of the ball. They were always in games, but in my opinion they and their coach were overrated. Parcells won two Super Bowls, one of them was because of a Roger Craig fumble. Also, Parcells had Lawrence Taylor and it would have been hard not to win with him. In addition, he had Phil Simms a solid qb. In my opinion, Parcells is overrated.

    Baalke is doing his best to recreate the Giants of the 90’s, without Lawrence Taylor or even Phil Simms. A pale version of the Giants of 20 years ago is not what we need.

    I think defense and running the ball are crucial to winning. So did Bill Walsh. But he ran AFTER he had the lead, often in second half to take time off the clock.

    I can name no offensive skill position player that Baalke has drafted that is a difference maker. Perhaps Carlos Hyde, but the jury is still out.

    I never root for better draft position. But it seems we will be drafting way early this year, but I have no hope for this team if Baalke is making the decisions.

  26. I disagree with Mike Nolan. Trent Baalke’s biggest mistake was not getting along with Jim Harbaugh.

      1. My take it was Jed and Paraag. TB was irritated by Harbaugh, but was working through it. I’ve heard that in the end TB was advocating for JH inside the building. Harbaugh initially mocked Paraag (Jed’s Right Hand/BFF), then mocked Kim Il Jed hisself. Banished from The Realm.

  27. On another depressing note, I thought I’d share a short tale. Back when Bill Walsh released his book, The Winning Edge, I pre-ordered it for my dad. He wasn’t a fan of the 49ers but I thought he would like it. When I gave it to him, it was an awkward thank you. I could tell inside he was saying, what the hell do I want with this? The next time I ran into, he didn’t hesitate to comment how much he enjoyed it. It seemed he found it to be filled with wisdom, not only as it pertained to football but in facets of life too. Well, my parents house recently burned down, along with the contents. I went online to buy another copy of the book and was met with quite the surprise. $300 was the cheapest I could find. Bummer….

      1. Yea, mom was the only there at the time but she got out fine. Started in the garage. Don’t know what caused it. Burned her car too. They’re going to rebuild, so it’s all good. Thanks.

        1. Sounds like mom was looking for a new car and gets a new house too. ;) J/K i’m glad nobody was hurt.

      1. I know, right? The house was my grandma and grandpa’s. Grandpa died when I was in the field, and after grandma passed, my mom and dad moved in. I was closer to my grandma than both of my parents. I spent the night over there almost every weekend. We played hide n seek in the house together, cards, garage sales, games and gardening. She had a green thumb. Must be where I got it from;>)

        http://www.wndu.com/content/news/DEVELOPING-NOW-Crews-responding-to-Elkhart-house-fire–396449411.html

        1. I got my green thumb from my mother. She would ask for a rose from a friend, and once the flower died, she could get the slip to root. Once, when I was 15, I threw some seeds in her compost pile, and she grew a beautiful plant 7 feet tall among the tomatoes. Unfortunately, it turned out male. I ripped it out and told her it was a noxious weed. ;(

    1. Saddened to hear of Robert’s passing away. I did not know of his serious diabetes-related health problems. He was p[art of that great 86 class drafted by Walsh drafted along with Rathman, Tim McKyer, John Taylor, Charles Haley, Steve Wallace, Kevin Fagan and Don Griffin – all Super Bowl starters and none picked in the first round. I used to think that picking future stars in the draft was so easy ……

    1. He had put together a pretty good run stat wise over the previous 4 games so you weren’t exactly wrong. Problem is he’s inconsistent as he’s always been and continues to struggle with accuracy from the pocket.

      1. Rocket:

        I know Gabbert isn’t the answer, but just wanted to see if you noticed a few things. First, I thought Gabbert looked much more mobile and competent in the pocket, but that’s not really a surprise. Also, was it my imagination or was he throwing the ball with less velocity than usual. Maybe it was the weather. I’ve been theorizing that his poor accuracy this year was due to throwing the ball too hard (Logan had him reduce it to 80% last year). After that first completion, I thought he might be more accurate for the rest of the game because of the reduced velocity. But clearly I was wrong. He’ll never be anything more than a backup at best.

        1. Cubus
          Nice observation. I’d guess that BG changed his grip slightly in the wet weather (that was more sleet than snow) to avoid the ball slipping and going astray. Some QBs change their grip when the ball gets too cold and hard as well. Alas, some passes went astray anyway.

        2. Cubus,

          Gabbert’s accuracy decreases as soon as he throws more than 10 yards down the field. I didn’t see anything different than I saw from him before, and he struggled as much as Kap did in throwing the ball in those conditions. His one big completion was an underthrown ball to Kerley who had to come back and catch it on his back. As far as his movement in the pocket, I agree he does look smoother than Kap but Kap always looks awkward until he gets up a head of steam. Just his body type more than anything.

          Neither one of these guys is the answer to any question we want to know.

      1. Tim Ryan trying to save Baalkes job lol But he did mention Ward and Brock were just getting beat by the Bears backup WRs lol

        Greg Cosell mention Buckner plays to high and when he does gets pushed around easily and also Kaepernicks hands are too small and was shot-putting balls out of his hands and basically was the reason Chip wouldn’t let him pass.

        Just read his column on the Webzone.

          1. All you did in you Sunday column was list the Bears players that aren’t playing. How is that a group by group comparison of the players that did play?

            1. What he does is list the projected starters on the current roster like if there really starting material which most wouldn’t be on other teams rosters. For example how would he know the Bears backup WRs wouldn’t start on the 49ers? Clearly the Bears RB Howard is better then Hyde. He said our O-Line was improved this year but all I saw Sunday was the Bears D-Line whooping our line and getting penetration.

              1. They never once asked the question; what if the Bear’s back ups are better then our starters?

              2. Quick, who wrote this on July 13? “If by some strange set of events the 49ers manage to win 5 games I believe these are the most likely victories:

                NYJ
                Rams x2
                Seattle @ Levis
                Chicago”

              3. Also, quite a few of the ‘starters’ that he listed weren’t doing much before they went down. Easy to imagine that the back ups weren’t a significant drop off. They replaced Amos with a starter that grades out almost as well. And what handicap is it to a team to lose a starting CB when you’re facing Kaep and Gabbert?

              4. I dunno but I bet he’s handsome and hung like a horse.

                Outside of the Seattle game those predictions weren’t far off at the time. I thought we’d be better then how we ended up.

              5. Although I think this pretty much sums up my beliefs about the team at the time: “If by some strange set of events the 49ers manage to win 5 games”

              6. Yes but you thought the 49ers were better than the Bears. Then the Bears lost 3 QBs and 12 of 22 starters and you changed your mind.

                via GIPHY

              7. No the defense played the way that it has. They also lost their two starting MLB’s, their best pass rusher, possibly their best receiver and don’t forget that they never had a QB to begin with.

              8. That’s why I laugh when I hear Baalke say we use our cap money to extend our young core players?

                I’m looking at him like the Micheal Jordan laughing face lol

  28. They threw the game yesterday. The loss has locked them into no lower then #2 on the draft board as long as they don’t win again. It’s all part of Chips and Trent’s genius plan to draft a Safety at #2.

  29. On ESPN pre game show Tony Dorset was very respectful and complimentary of our guy Frank “No Legs” Gore.
    Jets look crummy. If Bowles gets fired, sign him as DC! Promote O’Neil to Turf Quality Control Deputy Assistant Superintendent. Don’t tell him the network access password.

        1. And that’s because the Colts were missing there entire O-Line which Jon Gruden pointed out before the game.

          I thought I would point that out since Grant likes talking about missing starters lol

        2. He was a pretty good DC in Arizona. Jets looked uninterested and uninspired. That’s certainly on the HC. Might not have been ready for the job….

  30. Yet another feather in the cap … eh .. Grant .. ??

    Good job dude !

    Hey … I wonder .. if you could score
    an interview with him …. u-hhh .. ya kno …
    .. like you did with Eddie D .. ?

    1. Congratulations Grant, or should I say conGrantulations. Keep up the good work and good things will happen. You deserve it.

      If the real #80 is here, I would like to say thank you for everything. You made me like football.

        1. I wonder if Sebnnoying read your Dads Kap article! Love it!
          Fraud, what I’ve said all along! 4 weeks and counting!

          1. Bashing Kaepernick is the easiest thing to do which is nothing new and even tho he brought it on himself he’s still just one of the many problems wrong with this team. I think he’ll be gone next year then they’ll have to find someone else to blame.

            1. It’s what’s contributed to a miserable 2 years. The contract stuff, the protest distractions, the performance on the field. If your best player or leader is not a QB, you won’t win many games. How many games have we won with Kap lately?

              1. Well Grant says it’s because of the coaching it can’t always be both because Kaepernick has had success before right?

                Oh wait that was with a loaded roster that would send almost 9 or 10 players to the probowlers. I guess we forgot what it takes to win games.

          2. I rarely read Lowell. I like his son’s writing better. Lowell just states the obvious , and I could almost write his columns, they are so formulaic.

            With Grant, I never know what he is going to say. Maybe I am jaded with Lowell’s writing.

            Easiest thing in the world to dump on Kaep. That’s low hanging fruit.

  31. The raiders won’t even win their division. Let alone a playoff game. They’ve benefited from a soft weak schedule and were barely beating crappy teams, and with some help from the refs won two games they shouldn’t have.
    Defense is whack. KC is primed to take the division this Sunday.

    Dallas is tough, but I can’t see them beating the crappy team up north.
    NE vs Sea rematch

    The NFL is watered down and weak this season. The usual suspects aren’t WORLD beaters but good enough to win it all this year. Woooopy!!!

    1. Ha ha spoken like a true Raider hater. This season is no different than any other year, it’s just that the teams in the race have changed to a degree.

  32. Jerry is following you on Twitter, Grant, so he can soak up Seb’s wisdom! ;-)
    Be careful though of E’s wrath. He called Jerry an Uncle Tom and may not approve of you consorting with him.

  33. 70% of quarterback evaluation can be done in practice but 25% can only be ascertained in a game. Interesting….

  34. “What’s most fascinating is Chip’s approach: Chip clearly did not want him to throw the ball. See that to me is more interesting to talk about than what Kaepernick’s numbers were. It’s clear to me, Kaepernick does not throw a wet ball very well…If you watch Kaepernick throw the ball from a clean pocket in the third quarter, it almost looks like he shot-puts the ball.

    “I checked to see what his hand size was — because I didn’t remember that from the combine. He actually has small hands. So I’m wondering if he really just couldn’t throw the ball effectively in this kind of weather. Troy Aikman always said, ‘I couldn’t throw a wet ball.’ Some quarterbacks can’t do this.”

    As bad the 49ers were on offense, their defense was put on ice skates by a rag-tag Bears unit. Jordan Howard rushed for 117 yards and three touchdowns, while Matt Barkley repeatedly torched San Francisco’s secondary.

    “Who would’ve ever said Matt Barkley was a difference in the ball game?” Cosell said. “(Jimmie) Ward had a tough game. Ward got beat a number of times. They blitzed Ward on a play and (Jaquiski) Tartt got beaten. It was not a good effort when they had to matchup, and they struggled. The old saying is that in weather like that, receivers know where they are going. But it was still not a really good effort.

    “These plays in particular were not examples of (busted plays). These were receivers getting open on mostly man coverage. They just got beat. Barkley made very good throws given the weather conditions.”

    Cosell then ran down a list of the 49ers’s needs on defense, and they are aplenty. For beginners? The 49ers don’t have star players on their defense, and young pieces like Aaron Lynch and DeForest Buckner were unable to use 2016 as a launching pad for their careers.

    “I don’t think at this point you can count on Aaron Lynch,” Cosell said. “He’s been hurt and even when he played, to me he looked big, like he was overweight. I don’t know if you can count on him. They probably have some players on defense that are nice complimentary players. In other words, if you had really good players, these guys could be starters and be part of a productive defense.

    “But they don’t have anybody on defense right now. Even (DeForest) Buckner hasn’t shown enough where you feel like he’s a cornerstone. He’s a rookie, so you certainly give him another offseason and another year. But he’s been up and down. He had some great plays early in the game where he played with great leverage and you saw the natural strength and power. But as the game progressed, and hey, I know it was bad weather but sometimes you play in those games, he got right back up to playing too high and he got moved easily. That’s been an ongoing issue for him all season.”

    Greg Cosell

  35. Buckner hasn’t shown enough where you feel like he’s a cornerstone.

    Uncle Buck is a stud. He played every snap in that game….

    1. Except he’s not. Cosell just called out exactly what I said after I watched the all-22 film from the Patriots game. Buckner plays standing up, he has no leverage against the man he’s facing. He’s basically taking plays off.

    2. I can promise you that Jonathan Allen won’t take any plays off. He’ll beat his man, sack the QB and then run into the stands and slap the QB’s momma.

      1. He’s basically taking plays off.

        If that’s the case, it may have something to do with playing more snaps than any other player but three….

      2. I can promise you that Jonathan Allen won’t take any plays off.

        Baalke might make that pick if he was available, but I think if Baalke is sacked, the Chip will be picking his 1st mate. Like a quarterback. I dunno, just a hunch right now….

            1. Everything that I have read has the scouts saying they do not see him capable of playing in a 3-4 defense.

              1. Allen is more than capable of playing the 5T in a 3-4. Some like me just feel he would be best utilized as a 3T in a 4-3. No matter what type of system he plays in, he has the ability to be a quality player.

    3. I didn’t post this to bash Buckner I still have hope that he can become the player that we all hope he can be but the 49ers need to surround him with better players and that falls on Baalke.

      1. The very first thing I’d do is insert Poe in between Buckner and Armstead. It takes defensive lineman longer in the NFL. They have to learn techniques and they normally need a year in strength and conditioning. The fact he’s logged the 4th most snaps of any defensive player will only serve him well next year. I expect a big jump in year two for Uncle Buck, but this team has needed a true NT for quite some time. Like Lynch, IDub cannot be counted on….

        1. Exactly what I was thinking Poe in the middle and Myles Garrett on the outside!!!! Now we’re talking a legit defense.

        2. Still wont stop the run or TE’s over the middle until you get better MLB’s.

          1. If they get Poe, draft Garrett and in the top of the second take Raekwon Mcmillan ILB, and use your plan, CFC, to jump back up into the bottom of the 2nd and grab Mahomes, I think we could be alright….

        3. That is, if Poe wants to come here. He may want to go to a team with a shot at a ring. Baalke is not going to throw money at him, either. If Baalke goes, the Niners may have a chance to sign some decent FAs.

          1. Sorry guys, Poe will not sign because of Chip. The injury risk is too high. We would have to make him the highest paid defender in the league. Even that might not be enough.

            1. Then the focus shifts to Brandon Williams or Kwan Short. Got to come away with a stout DT in free agency. Keep in mind the Chiefs # 1 priority is to resign Berry. He won’t be cheap so Poe could hit the market.

              1. Short won’t sign because of Chip. For the same reasons as Poe. We have to build the D through the draft and sign offensive FAs.

              2. Williams would be a great choice. I wanted the team to draft him because of his potential, and he has processed to become one of the best NTs in the league.

  36. Niners need bodies. As much as I like Garrett, it would be wiser to move back and get 3 picks in the first 2 rounds. If they move back twice, they could get 4 picks in the first 2 rounds.

    Maybe they could pull off a 6 pick deal like the Titans did with the Rams last draft.

    The Niners should bundle players and later picks to move up in the draft so they get as many selections in the first 3 rounds as possible.

    Niners should target crucial areas that need improvement. DT, 2 ILBs, Pass rusher. They also need to pick a WR, QB and safety, and not wait until the 6th round to do it.

    1. Think quality over quantity. We practically have an entire team of back ups. We need blue Chips!

      1. 1st, 2nd and 3rd round guys are blue chippers, if drafted right. Does Navarro Bowman not ring a bell? Dashon Golson and Tarell Brown were 5th and 6th rounders, Delanie Walker was a 6th round pick, Frank Gore and Adam Snyder 3rd rounders, Sopoaga 4th round, Eric Heitmann and Kyle Kosier were both 7th rounders.

        So you can find talent at a variety of positions throughout the draft. And as the draft is a crap shoot, you’re better off with as many picks as possible to increase your odds. Minimizing picks is something you do when you are on the brink of a playoff push or a championship push, you need your Julio Joneses to solidify one weak spot, but this team needs help all over and having 5 picks in the first 3 rounds would do a hell of a lot to shore up 2 or 3 units on this team.

        And I can’t believe I agreed with Seb (mostly), blah, need to go wash myself

        1. Since you need a counter point to disagree with me, I will throw you a bone.

          It is interesting to see the Seahawks, who have built a team with 10 or so blue chippers, and the rest are lower rounds and even UDFAs. Of course, that takes a shrewd GM with a sharp eye for talent.

        2. You didn’t help your argument with most of the players you listed. Other than Gore and Bowman and late in his career Walker, those kind of players are exactly what the problem is with this team. They have a bunch of average to below average players and no elite level talent. The 49ers need to add impact players to this team. If Garrett or Allen is there then they should take him unless a team offers multiple picks including an extra 1st and 2nd in 2018.

      2. That is why I want as many first and second rounders as possible. Those players have a good chance to start, unlike the 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th rounders.

    2. This all depends on what is offered.
      If we are offered a mid 1st, 2nd and 5th then I take Garrett.

      Garrett as a pass rusher may end up being compared to Von Miller, Khalil Mack and J. Clowney. If that is the case, there is no way those players are being given up for less than a first, so the Niners cannot simply swap firsts and pick up a 2nd and 4th or lower. They have to try and get an additional first… the only problem is that additional first will almost assuredly have to come next year.

      Normally I agree with trading back, but this all depends on who is there when we pick and what we can get in return, the team cannot simply say we have to trade back.

      1. I agree. The Niners must get a fair deal. They cannot be taken advantage of, or they will never hear the end of it.

        I am also hoping that the Niners win a couple games so the Garrett sweepstakes is not available, because then, moving back is more palatable.

        I also want to wait until the combine and see the results before anointing Garrett as a cant miss, must take prospect. Many Bama players may be just as good.

        1. Bama players are really tricky for me to judge.
          The players there are always surrounded by more talent than their opponents have… meaning they almost never have to face double teams because there opponent can’t afford to do so.
          That’s why it’s terribly hard to judge Allen vs Garrett, Garret has to face teams specifically scheming to account for him while teams can’t afford to do that against Alabama.

  37. Frank Gore is now 8th all time in rushing yards. Not too bad. If he can pop out 800 yards net year ( if he plays ) he will move to 5th all time. Dude should be a lock for HoF, not 1st ballot, but ballot 3 or 4, as the writers want to make all WRs and RBs wait 3 years.

  38. Poll on which crappy team is primed for future success:

    Jaguars. 46.01% (1,114 votes)

    Bears. 21.97% (532 votes)

    Browns. 11.85% (287 votes)

    Jets. 11.65% (282 votes)

    49ers. 8.51% (206 votes)

    I voted Jaguars too. You have to believe a 6th top 5 pick has to make an impact at some point.

  39. Not sure he is the guy for advise. But I suppose yuh have to find some one who will let you interview them. Until Baalke is gone doesn’t matter what coach, team, or predictions come out they are still screwed. JMO which is like your’s, Nolan’s and everyone else’s, don’t mean nothing. Baalke has to go. Definitively something I think we all agree on.

  40. This is maddening:

    “First-half leads have evaporated in eight of 11 losses: at Chicago (10-3), vs. Dallas (14-0), at Arizona (7-0), at Buffalo (10-7), vs. Tampa Bay (14-0), vs. New Orleans (3-0), at Miami (7-0) and at Chicago (6-0).”

    http://www.mercurynews.com/2016/12/05/49ers-enter-fourth-quarter-of-2016-playing-for-pride/

    I don’t remember exactly, but wasn’t this also true in 2014 and 2015 – namely that the team put up poor 2nd half performances – although this year seems to be the worst. Is it just that the other team makes 2nd half adjustments and the 49ers don’t (or make poor adjustments)? Or is something else going on here?

    1. Good question. I have no proof, but maybe the other team has been figuring out the signals over the course of the game.

      If they could steal the signals, they would be better prepared to stop the offense, since they know the play ahead of time ans know where the ball is going.

      That is why I want the whole offense to stop looking at the side line, because the other team is looking at the side line, too.

  41. Nolan wasn’t the best HC but he and McGloughan certainly acquired most of the talent that got us to the SB a few years ago… In fact, he would have been a much better pick for DC than Jimmy Freakin’ O’Neil. What a sh*thole this franchise has become… 6-22 since Harbaugh.

    1. While I say that even Joan in accounting may be better than O’Neil, Nolan burnt too many bridges when he was fired.

      They should just bite the bullet, grovel and sincerely apologize, then beg Tomsula to come back as DC. They are paying him anyways….

      Chip, being the HC of a 1-11 team, should not object too strenuously.

  42. According to Jason Cole’s reporting there is a “soft” market for Kaep’s services. Another Kaep weakness was on display during the Bears game his small hands are useless in the passing game during wet weather. This makes the market for his services softer because the only teams that might show interest most likely play in domes. Given Kaep’s lack of wet weather ability a controlled environment mitigates/ enables yet another growing list of shortcomings. The 49ers would be best served to sit Kaep for the rest of the season and hopefully his lack of exposure actually increases his perceived worth to a QB desperate domed team.

    1. While at Nevada, I remember Kaep playing in inclement weather, and he did just fine.

      Niner coaches should have turned a hose on Kaep so he can practice throwing a wet ball.

      They also have these things called GLOVES.

    2. I’m pretty sure the cat is already out of the bag on CK league-wide. If he lands somewhere, it won’t be as presumptive starter, but to compete for it.
      In CK’s case, his throwing motion (always eclectic) combined with wet weather and hands to work against him. Bob Greise played fine in bad weather. Flutie played in New England. Some guys have pulled it off.
      Also, if a dome team is looking at him, they still play half their games Away, half of those subject to weather along with the post season games. Flakey plan, but I hope he gets an offer.

      1. The good thing for Kaep is that many teams are desperate for a decent QB, and would look at Kaep as a big upgrade.

        Also, good coaches like Bellichick, who may not think Brady can play forever, may snag Kaep, utilize him properly, and make the Niner FO look even more clueless for letting Kaep flee.

  43. Grant: “Nolan was a better head coach than Kelly. Nolan never lost 11 games in a row.”

    But on the other hand Kelly had two 10-win seasons and Nolan never broke .500

    In four years as HC Nolan had only 18 wins.
    Kelly had more than that in just 2 seasons.
    And Nolan had the luxury of handpick his QB using the first overall pick.

    So you could argue that when Kelly is bad he is worse than Nolan.
    But you also have to acknowledge that good Kelly is way better than Nolan was.

  44. Nolan fails to mention that a big downfall in that era was the hiring of HIM. He was a dumpster fire. Now he’s firing from the peanut gallery, although I do not disagree with him.

    He may be a good coord, but keep him out of HC chair. I’d prefer to hear from guys with a perspective based on experience and success. What’s Mooch say? York #1 emotion fueled firing.

      1. He was a pretty good HC while he was here, but I don’t think anyone considers him to be a great one in 49ers lore, so it’s hard to say he was overrated. I think he did a hell of a Coaching job once he lost Young though and didn’t deserve to be fired.

      2. I still remember the look on Walsh’s face when Mooch ran out the first half against Tampa Bay. T Owens was disgusted.

        Mooch then coached a less talented Lions team, it did not end well. It was like Seifert in Carolina. I agree with Grant. Too bad we hired Erickson, Nolan, and Dingleberry.

    1. Mike Nolan was a horrible HC there’s a reason he’s just hanging out doing interviews on radio shows, I mean good gawd even Mike Singletary still has a job in the NFL lol

    1. He’ll always be known to 49ers fans as the man that picked Alex Smith over Aaron Rodgers smh

  45. I realize there are many on here that don’t like Kaepernick or his protest, but he’s trying to affect change to things that are clearly in need of it. Here’s another example of just how corrupt/racist/mentally unstable some Police Officers are and how they don’t pay for murdering defenseless people. Granted this involves a jury, but it’s a jury of 11 white people and one African American and even then it’s one juror who can’t get past their obvious prejudice and convict a clearly guilty man.

    http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/05/us/michael-slager-murder-trial-walter-scott-mistrial/index.html

    1. I agree rocket. The video speaks for itself. The guy is at least five feet away and fleeing when he was murdered.

      I used to be harassed by the police because I was a known partier. I never felt like I would harmed. I certainly never thought I would be shot. I imagine that if I were black, fight or flight would have kicked in.

      1. The scary thing is this is now a common occurrence. It’s one thing if somebody is shot while brandishing a weapon and posing a threat, but there are now so many instances of people getting shot with no weapons on them it’s becoming an epidemic.

  46. Here are the top three teams in terms of unused salary cap space for 2016 and their records.

    1. Cleveland Browns: $ 47,675,974 Record 0-12
    2. 49ers: $ 44,706,003 Record 1-11
    3. Jacksonville: $ 39,995,141 Record 2-10

    Of course spending money is not always an indicator of success. The Jets are OVER the salary cap by about $ 300,000 and have just three wins. However, the amount of unused salary cap is a pretty reliable indicator of a team’s win total. So far in 2016, the Titans are the only team with unused cap of over 20 million with a .500 record (6-6 with a cap space of $26,036,049).

    You have to spend money to get good players. The Yorks are ripping off their fans.

  47. Just my humble thoughts: A fanbase does not “dwindle”. What you have is all the bandwagon clowns who jumped this way in 2011, jumping to whatever team is successful at the moment -Raiders, Cowboys-. The true fanbase will be there through it all, as painful as it might be.

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