No more honeymoon for 49ers coach after awful effort against Dallas

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49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan spins a ball.

Dear Kyle,

Everyone has given you every break. When your record was 0-6, everyone said you had a bad roster, you lost close games. People gave you a grace period. It’s over.

You don’t deserve a grace period when you get embarrassed like you did against the Cowboys last Sunday. Now we’re going to judge you the way we judged Chip Kelly, Jim Tomsula and Jim Harbaugh. It’s put up or shut up time. Despite your six-year contract, your reputation is on the line even more than your players’.

Click here to read the rest of my Thursday column.

This article has 124 Comments

  1. Grant,is there a problem with your periscope?I used to be able to watch them and enjoy it now they won’t play…any info?

      1. Grant, I had issues with your last couple but downloading the Ap resolved it. Love the periscope vids!!

  2. I generally don’t like to be negative, but I gotta ask… when in the world does your grace period end?

  3. Yeah, any coach should be able to compete against the worse-than-the-Browns Cowboys at home with zero injured players, the best interior linemen in the league in Tomlinson, Kilgore, and Fusco, the greatest defensive backs the league has ever seen, and the stadium stands filled with 49ers fans not outnumbered by Dallas fans.

    Glad we’re sharing that pipe, Grant. You scored the NICE stuff!

  4. Gotta mention one passage in your Thursday article since it’s so remarkable:

    It’s amazing how your entire attitude changed A.D. You had been talking about how easily your team could be 5-1 B.D., said with a few breaks you’d have five wins. Now, you’re making excuses, talking about a long-term plan and how losing is a necessary part of it. How winning this year isn’t the main goal. Dealing with adversity is more important.

    It’s uncommonly rare these days for a journalist to call someone out for finally being honest and transparent for a change, instead of spouting out the usual rah rah team BS. This season has NEVER been about trying to win or even playing competitively. It’s always been about getting the first pick in the draft to trade to some dumba** team in return for years of their high draft picks, so that they can roll the dice on some glamor boy college quarterback who may well be the next Ryan Leaf, David Carr, or Colin Kaepernick, for all they know. Meanwhile the Niners will get Kirk Cousins and build a monster around him.

  5. I look at it like this; Tomsula, and Kelly were shotgun weddings. Shanny was more like a holy matrimony. Sure the honeymoon phase is nearing an end, but that’s because we’re entering the adjustment phase….

    1. If Shanny goes 1-15 with a lot of excuses, then it might be going into the 7 year itch phase. I know…Maxima enim, patientia virtus.

  6. Old timers might remember a columnist for the Chronicle named Glenn Dickey years ago who was known for writing provocative in your face pieces that were full of misinformation and exaggeration and showed total ignorance of the sport he was covering. His shortcomings were widely recognized and he became a laughing stock.

    Grant Cohn is the new Glenn Dickey.

    1. Glenn Dickey was a giant of sports writing, a great columnist, provocative and a dear friend. You are ignorant when you call him a laughing stock. Local newspapers need a Glenn. I hope Grant reads some of Glenn’s old columns.

        1. I agree. The green section was a must read every day, and I looked forward to read Dickey and Lowell. Another columnist I liked was Bob Padecky at the PD.

      1. Ah, Lowell (if it’s really you) some of us OLD TIMERS REMEMBER.

        Glenn Dickey called Walsh senile for drafting Rice. He also called Rice a bust as a rookie. Just a couple of his many idiotic proclamations. Of course, he wasn’t the only one. There were other self-important Bay Area sports journalists running with those sentiments.

        In fact, let’s just relive the idiotic press sentiments of the day. Walsh’s whole 1985 draft strategy during that year was called into question and vehemently criticized

        First, he traded his first three round to move up for New England’s #1 (#16). Giving up a 2nd and 3rd meant giving up depth of draft. The reality was the 49ers didn’t actually need that depth of draft in 1985 because they were loaded. What they needed was a difference maker in the receiving corps. Yet he was ripped by Dickey and people like Dickey.

        Second, when it came it that the 49ers wanted Eddie Brown, but Walsh would only offer Cincinatti a Round 5 pick to move up from 16 to 13 and lost out on him. Brown was a Top-3 ranked player and the #1 WR who dropped due to a rumor that he was going to the USFL. Walsh was then called into question for that by Dickey and people like Dickey.

        Third, even more fallout when Rice struggled and he benched Solomon. Which, in turn, brought more personal attacks from the press, including Dickey.

        All of which I remember quite well.

      1. Controversy sells in the Bay Area, Moses. Cohn and Dickey were the kings of stirring up ##it. Grant is now the heir apparent working for a Wine Country rag and garnering the clicks.

      2. Moses

        Of course he knew better….he even wrote the Giants wrap when he didn’t even attend the games…HAH !

  7. Maybe I’ll get the app …but I used to just click play off of Grants blog and it would play

  8. I’m pretty disappointed with this season, but you honestly can’t expect this team to compete. The fact they got within 3 points in 5 games is amazing. Look at what the offense in Atlanta was like year one vs year two, and what it looks like now. They’ve barely had any change aside from the OC and it’s been atrocious re: Julio Jones and his 1 touchdown. It will get better with better talent. I don’t like that they got beat up against Dallas, but the mental toll on 5 straight losses by very few points there has to be a breaking point. I fully expect them to compete better this week.

    1. Yeah, you can really see the difference. With Shanahan — best offense in the NFL. Without Shanahan they’re 16th, dropping 15 spots in the rankings.

  9. Thank you Grant for keeping things honest. I have felt strongly that Shanahan is a great OC but not a good leader of men. He has grossly underachieved. He makes excuses about the roster but in my opinion this roster is better than what Tomsula and Chip Kelly had. How in the world did Tomsula get 5 wins? I actually feel we have taken a step back this season and that is disturbing.

    1. You, literally, have no idea. But I bet you were one of those guys that bought into Singletary because he yelled at Vernon Davis after Nolan got fired.

      1. Moses you are way off base. Singletary was a good leader but was over his head with the X and O. He wasn’t ready to be a HC. Mcvay has done a better job than Shanahan period. Nobody expected the Rams to be this good this fast. They have exceeded expectations. They also drafted well and have coached up the players. Our 49ers have underachieved big time.

        1. Are you suggesting the 49ers have as good a roster (have this year or had last year) as the Rams? If so, I think you are the one who is way off base. Fisher got nothing out of a relatively talented roster… and they were talented, especially on defense. Gurley, albeit coming off a down year, was a top pick, as was Goff. Add to it the fact that McVey was able to bring in one of the best D coordinators of the past several decades. McVey stepped into a situation much like Harbaugh: he took over a vastly underachieving, but rather talented roster. He has definitely brought the best out of the offense, but there is no way you can reasonably compare the 2 situations.

  10. That 1979 team did stink, but they scored TD’s in all but one game, never gave up 40 points, and never lost by 30. Shanahan spins more than a middle aged woman who wants to fit into skinny jeans. Feel sorry for all of those who’ve been drinking the koolaid.

          1. Rocker? That’s pretty funny.

            When the team makes the same mistakes every week it’s pretty easy to see.

    1. lol. That is seriously laughable. Football was different in 1979!

      in 1979 the 49ers scored 308 points, finishing 16th. The top team scored 416 points.
      In 2016 the 49ers scored 309 points, finishing 27th. The top team scored 540 points.

      Anyone with a even a slight familiarity with the vast changes in rules and football practice & theory would know you couldn’t possibly compare 1979 scoring with our current-era scoring.

      As for your leadership bs… Same **** was said about Walsh, Belichick and other ‘non-screamer’ coaches. I swear, everytime someone with a brain becomes a head coach people say he’s not a leader because they think clowns like Singletary are the way of it.

      1. Moses you are absolutely correct that many things have changed since 1979. But one thing that I see that is not mentioned is that the CBA has seriously altered the character of the game by depleting the depth that existed in former years. We now have a game with a few multi-millionaire superstars and many less journeymen professional football players. It is exactly as was predicted when the personnel changes were discussed and implemented. TC rules start the season with players that are weeks away from actually being able to compete at an elite level and key injuries push teams into parts of the depth chart that used to equate to calling on former players who were then employed as stock brokers or realtors. When teams make as many mistakes as the 49ers it is fair and reasonable to question if the talent level has sunk to historically low levels or if the current management (ie KS) is just not capable of managing them properly. This is one reason that I prefer watching college games these days because of the enormous difference in depth, players who cannot perform up to par (other than the relatively small number of super stars) are quickly benched in favor of someone who will. For us now, it’s the usual suspects week after week. I’m not going to quote Einstein on the definition of insanity because you can see it every week with the 49ers. The current NFL game, with its bad boys, criminals, protesters, cheaters, dirty violent outliers and other various assorted incompetents definitely is not the same as 1979 and not for the better. No doubt my statements will be viewed as controversial but that’s the way I see it.

      2. Moses,

        You’re absolutely right. The rules in 2017 much more favor the offense which makes the fact that the 49ers have gone without scoring a TD all the more embarrassing when compared to that 1979 team.

        1. Year one is the planting.
          Year two is the cultivating.
          Year three should be the harvesting.

          1. Year three. ?

            By year three these young guys will all be halfway through their rookie deals and ready to move on. The whole idea of a 3 year plan is laughable.

  11. I disagree with this take. The one big loss doesn’t change the fact they played hard and lost narrowly five games in a row. And anybody that thought this loss wasn’t coming was very much on the good stuff.

    This is a bad team that was able to keep itself playing hard five games in a row despite demoralising close defeats. Most bad teams are far more hit and miss – keep it close one week then blown out the next. Like it was with Tomsula and Kelly.

    The Cowboys game was coming. It was always going to happen, and to be honest it came a week after I thought it would. I also expect this week will be a tough one too, though I think they will keep it a little closer.

    But I do think come the second half of the season this team will play better than the Tomsula and Kelly teams did. 49ers will get their first win of the season against the Cardinals, and I think will go 3-5 or 4-4 to end the season.

      1. Indeed. Its amazing how everyone seemed on board with the idea this was going to be a long term rebuild… right up until the team started losing games. Then the short term pain became real and lets face it, it isn’t fun. But changing a bad team that was getting worse into a playoff contender takes time.

    1. So IOW win a few meaningless battles, and in so doing strategically and brutally lose the long term war?

      1. No. Those games are only meaningless to fans. I said this past two years and I will say it again this year – winning games is never a bad thing, even though it impacts on draft position. If this team can finish the second half of the season winning 50% of its games that will be a good thing for player development moving forward.

        1. “winning games is never a bad thing,..”

          I completely agree. This is why I don’t like Shanny’s speech. It sends a message that losing should be expected. That’s realistic, but it is hardly inspiring. Lose one for the Gipper?

          1. Yeah, Shanahan is too analytical for my liking as a HC.

            Not sure if you recall, but prior to hiring Shanahan that was my main concern and reason for not being super keen to hire him. I wanted McVay. I appreciate McVay didn’t want the 49ers and Shanahan was probably the best option they had a realistic shot to get, but I do worry that Shanahan’s leadership approach may not be well suited to getting the best out of his players emotionally.

            1. Look, I was in the McVay camp too. But McVay is just as analytical. Walsh was super analytical. Belichick is super analytical. So were Parcells and Gibbs.

              For some reason people think that’s a bad thing. Thing is, those are the kinds of coaches that can build and re-build their teams over the long haul.

              1. McVay landed well. He took over an under performing team (Like JH), and got a first class DC (like JH).
                .
                He solved the O line problem by getting Whitworth, and not only signed FA WRs, he drafted some so Goff has good weapons. Solving the O line problems also helped Gurley, so now the offense is hitting on all cylinders.
                .
                Fisher was the problem, and McVay solved it.
                .
                I would have accepted McVay since he has good bloodlines with 49er connections. I mentioned that losing out on McVay may haunt the Niners. Looks like prediction is coming true.

              2. Moses, you are right, being a highly analytical mind isn’t a bad thing. It is important however to be able to motivate your players. That is why I preferred McVay to Shanahan. McVay is known to be very good at relating to the players.

                I am also not saying Shanahan is a bad coach. Way too soon to know, and if anything he has done well to have his team play hard in so many close defeats. But I do worry about how successful he can be long term if he doesn’t become a better motivator.

            2. How much of McVay’s success is due to having a top DC in Wade Phillips? McVay knows he can rely 100% on his DC and that eases his transition into the HC position, imo. We have Saleh – a position coach in DC clothing. He can coach a position but can’t seem to work up game plans to get the most out of the 49ers defense or make adjustments during a game.

              Does KS get a complete pass? No, but the jury is still out. As I’ve said before, I hope he’s leaning on his old man for advice.

              I still marvel at how Harbaugh took that team in his first year and made champions out of them. After all, it was essentially the same players as the year before, wasn’t it? He and his staff knew how to gameplan with what they had and get the best out of them. I used to be very upset with Roman for his lackluster offense, but I now realize that he was working around a QB with a very limited skillset.

              1. A lot of McVay’s success comes from the people around him and the team he has. But that’s what a good coach does. Like Harbaugh, he wasn’t afraid to get good, experienced people around him. Smart guy.

              2. McVay and Harbaugh both walked into situations where the team had plenty of talent and ready to win. They just needed a good coach who could devise a scheme that met the personnel.

                Shanahan walked into the worst imaginable situation where he literally has to do everything from scratch.

                Its no wonder McVay chose the Rams over SF.

              3. Scooter: Exactly, but by the time Shanahan could put together a staff, all the good ones were taken. I’ll be watching very carefully the changes he makes to his CS this offseason.

              4. To me that is an excuse, cubus. Shanahan knew he was most likely going to land a HC job this offseason. He should have had a network of people he already had on board to come with him. Which he did – all the assistants he’s worked with in the past. The guys he already felt comfortable with.

              5. Cubus,
                Harbaugh inherited the most talented roster in the NFC when the West. This is what the players and coaches said when polled prior to the season.
                If polled today the niners would most likely be voted the least talented roster in the NFL.
                That’s a pretty major difference.

              6. Shoup:

                But clearly you acknowledge that a CS has a huge influence on making a team successful – otherwise, how do you explain the difference between Singletary and Harbaugh given that there was essentially no difference in this “most talented team in the NFC West”. And it’s not just sports, there are other examples of teams that are known by their leaders (symphonies, for example).

                Given that we have rookie coaches in many positions, how do you know that they are getting the maximum out of the “team” of players as opposed to it’s just the players that suck.

  12. I had this team winning 4-6 games this year with wins coming in the 2nd half of the season.
    I’m continuing to give Shanahan grace and extending the honeymoon until next year.
    Players like Robinson, Armstead, Foster, Thomas, Reid and Ward that were dependent on to make a difference this year have yet to show out.
    On offense, no one besides Hyde and Garcon has moved to needle.

    Even the great Bill Walsh said that you need talented players to win. It took BW a couple of drafts and FA’s to accrue talented players.

    Tomsula had some good players and Kelly had marginal players.
    Shanahans team is almost bereft of talent.
    Yup, he gets another season of grace from me.

    1. What a fan with reasonable expectations. How can this be?
      I look at it like this, the building block players on this team are Buckner, Thomas, Foster, Ward and Tartt on D. On offense they Kittle and Davis(?). With all the rookies having yet to prove if they in fact are capable of being building blocks.
      The team doesn’t have talent… They have what 4 players capable of starting on most teams? And fans are surprised when they get blown out? … The miracle has been that they kept these games close at all.

    2. Cubus

      I definitley agree about McVay’s bonus in having a DC with the quality of Wade Phillips…Wade doesn’t lose games ! Although as a HC, Wade also didn’t win games. Time and again, Wade takes a Dogfood Defense and makes Filet Mignon out of it….No secret…experience. Having learned football at the knee of ‘Bum’, I would say that he had a better understanding of the game 20 years ago than most have today.
      Saleh ? Personally, I like him…no nonsense hard-nose teacher . Just like Shannahan, he knows about that truth
      “no chicken sandwich out of chicken **** ” HE NEEDS PLAYERS ! Frankly, I think he’s doing a hell of a job with what he’s been handed. Now if only the physics of the game played out 50% offense : 50% defense….. When the offense brings it’s 50% to the game, our D can take a blow every now and then….D can’t be on the field 75% of the time….This is playing out like it should…and just like Harbaugh’s one plus…LEAVE THE DAMNED DEFENSE ALONE !

  13. Heck ya lets go for five head coaches in five years why not? Grant does KS coddle his players or does he get fired up and gets on their ass?

  14. I totally agree 100 percent.
    Well stated and conveyed with some brutal truth.
    These guys have not shown a thing but this-
    Zero wins in almost half a season and that Lynch is not much better than Balkee at drafting. This draft was not very good.
    Lynch got a gift with Chicago and maybe another team wanting Mitch, and that trade made him look good.
    Thomas and Witherspoon were terrible picks.
    Foster I loved and I think you had to take him there and gamble….but that’s not savvy draft science.
    The rest of the players I’m just not that excited about. Kittle drops balls, Taylor makes bad mistakes, Bethard looks like a solid back up and the jury is out on Joe Williams…let’s hope he is strong in 2018.
    Very ignorant to use the 79 49ers as an example-you think some of the players didn’t pick up on that??
    Kyle has a fragile ego and he is stubborn. He needs to grow up fast. He’s a bad leader thus far PERIOD. I think he might end up a huge disappointment but I hope he grows up fast and gets better.
    He’s a great offensive mind but just like the SB he shows he is very very full of himself and I’m not really happy with the lack of discipline this team has and at times lack of preparedness it has shown. That’s on the coach.

    1. Seriously, you want to compare Lynch to Baalke? Lynch has only had one draft and the players he drafted have only been through half a season. Baalke has only drafted one pro bowler since 2012 and most of the picks since 2012 have not panned out. The primary reason this team is where it is today is because of Baalke’s poor drafting and personnel decisions since 2012. You can’t cherry pick what you want by saying Lynch lucked into the Chicago trade. Lynch made that happen. We have 5 picks in the first three rounds next year. If the 49ers botch those picks you can make that argument but you are way premature at this point

      1. Time will tell
        I don’t agree
        I think Soloman and Witherspoon reeked of Baalke ….bad picks IMO with the needs and what was on the board
        I’m not impressed with his draft I give it a C

  15. I agree Wizard. I also think this coaching staff hasn’t done a good job. When you look at this roster who has exceeded expectations this season thus far???? The players are partly to blame but they also haven’t been coached up. I cannot think of one player that has played better than expected.

    1. Just maybe these players aren’t any good? How many of Baalke’s picks have gone on to other NFL teams and done well? Maybe one or two? Most are either backups or no longer in the NFL

  16. Just curious if you ever feel like the team might slight you in some way when you write something like this. Like maybe not call on you in pressers, not give you passes to things, etc. Is that ever a factor or in the back of your mind when you write? Just curious. I know they have blackballed other writers who have not been supportive enough from their perspective.

    1. That would be ludicrous and highly unprofessional……plus like him or not Lowell has respect in the history of Bay Area sporting press. Read him since I was a kid in Santa Rosa and most of his stuff was always spot on…….Grant is a straight shooter that’s why I read his stuff over the other candy coated reports. No ass kissing here…..and pretty solid knowledgeable insight. A good reporter challenges you to think and questions everything and backs it up with knowing his subject.

      1. I agree, Baalke was fired, so there is a new culture being developed. It is refreshing to see coaches and players answering all the questions.

  17. Grant your way off on this one.

    Did something snap ?

    Fall down and bump your head .
    No kidding . Alright if you got something that good,you should share . lol.
    No the cupboard was bare, and you know this Grant .
    No changing up in the middle.
    You stay with the plan.
    You aren’t mad cause your not getting your 9 wins .
    No one has a distain for Dallas more than me .
    Everyone who talks like that ,and end the honeymoon on one hitch , shouldn’t be married .

    Come on Grant ! Really?

    1. He’s upset because his prediction was waaaay off lol So now he wants to attack the HC like he did Chip Kelly last year lol

    2. KS should buy Grant flowers and tell him how nice he looks. Maybe a date night. And KS should help out with the housework because he wants to, not because Grant asked him to.

  18. Some people’s expectations are really not connected to reality.
    Judging a draft after 7 games instead of 3 seasons is crazy.
    Judging a new coach after 3 games also makes no sense.
    I’m surprised there haven’t been more blow outs and I expect there will be at least one more.
    The Niners have a very young team and huge talent gaps. Everyone agrees the interior O Line is horrible, the question is can they improve to merely bad so we can see if What CJB can do.
    I predicted 6 wins and that is probably not going to happen. But, I do think they can get some wins.
    I have been a fan since the Brodie days (who doesn’t get enough credit as an excellent QB) and I do think the Niners will return to glory in the next few years.

  19. What a rediculous, mean, and sarcastic column. What honeymoon are you talking about. You never even gave him a one game honeymoon. The Niners got their *ss kicked by a far superior team. It was a team effort not just a coach effort. We all know it was bad. What other team has done better with over 50% player turnover, all new coaches and completely different systems. Discusting column.

    1. But but but Grant said we have a talented roster. The Truth is Grant and all these writers are as clueless as there predictions.

      1. This is a .500 roster IMO
        Shanahan has been out coached and he’s stubborn.
        That and injuries have been a factor.
        But to me its young, egomaniacal inexperienced coaches getting their asses kicked by better coaches. Yeah we could be 5-1 Kyle-if you hadn’t been out coached in the close games.

  20. Success in the NFL is about winning 3rd down.

    Combined record of the top 8 teams in offensive 3rd down percentage: 37-17
    Combined record of the top 8 teams in defensive 3rd down percentage: 31-20

    49ers are ranked last in defensive 3rd down percentage at a whopping 50%
    They’re ranked 4th from the bottom on offensive 3rd down percentage 33%.

    The record of the bottom 4 teams in offensive 3rd down percentage is 5-22

    Team wont win a game until they figure out how to win on 3rd down.

    1. C4C

      Nice stats…could you break those down into first half and second half ? ….I agree with you, but I’m trying to figure out if it’s talent or just exhaustion….

  21. Am I disappointed at the results from the Dallas game? Yes. However, I am not too surprised at the timing of this blowout.

    We had played 6 games straight. 5 straight games that went down to the wire. Back to back overtime games. Add to the fact that the NFL screwed us with the scheduling. How do we play back to back teams who are coming off of bye weeks? The Redskins and Cowboys had ample time to rest and prepare for a bad team. Dallas may have blown us out regardless, but the extra rest and preparation definitely helped.

    I don’t think the Dallas game defines our team. I think the Philly game will better define the heart of this team. They were just blown out and embarrassed on Dwight Clark’s day. Let’s see how this team responds to traveling to face a red hot Eagles team. Based on how the Eagles are playing right now, we’re expected to get blown out again.

    I am curious to see if Shanahan will have us prepared and ready to play. If we get blown out again, things could get ugly fast.

    1. Shanahan has been out coached as well as Saleh in all the close games.
      That’s why they are not 5-2 now
      PERIOD
      This is actually a .500 roster IMO
      Shanahan is stubborn and has a big ego.
      He needs a reality check

      1. If the Jets can win three games, the Niners should have been able to win a few of their close games.

    2. M.Ross

      Well said… The scheduling that we had was murder…Your post brings to light just how good this team can be in 5 of those first six games before Dallas….I don’t expect any favors from the Eagles either….This season is more about injuries and scheduling than coaching….Shula’s the only coach to win them all….Go Niners !

  22. This article is a bit over due, but still on point Grant. One thing I’m confused about is you call him out about the Walsh comparisons but I recall you and a handful of cats on here pretty much making that same comp during our run of close losses.
    What’s so surprising that they aren’t concerned with winning? Just about every decision they’ve made made it blatantly clear, beginning with not giving Kaep a shot instead going with Hoyer and not drafting a qb higher. They cut almost every vet that would call them on their bs, Bowman being the one I’ll never forget…..KS is nothing in Niner folklore, and had no grounds to cut Bow. If wins aren’t a concern, why not show some class and let us give Bow a farewell season as he mentored Foster.
    There are plenty of examples where a rebuild was done without the gutting of the roster, yes there’s always over turn but I’ve never seen anything like this. My guess is the egomaniac is so focused on putting his stamp on this roster, that he has no clue what the locker room is thinking about the direction of this squad. Guys are in fighting on sidelines, cuz they can’t choke the coaches out so instead are going at each other. We refuse to spend cap money, then cut the few vets we have and profess to have a eye on the future…..what a crock.
    Many are quick to point out Kaep lost the Superbowl, but I’d say he performed much better than Smug Shanny.
    Kelly deserved a 2nd year, no doubt in my mind……he made sacrifices for York and mngmnt, then got shafted. Just like his qb did……..

    1. I swear I did not write this, but agree with every word.
      .
      It all begins at the top. Jed had his moment in the sun, and I actually praised him for his leadership, when he declared that the owners would not force the players to stand.
      .
      Then he makes the ridiculous statement that he does not think Kaep is being blackballed, when he is one who is part of the conspiracy to ostracize him. Jed just lost all credibility, and became a toady for the other owners.
      .
      Jed should stop and think. This is another self inflicted wound. His team is 0-7, yet he refuses to even consider trying to improve the QB situation, even though they benched the starter. Sending out CJB is one of the worst things they could do, because he will get bludgeoned and become rattled, destroying his confidence. Heck, he might get sacked another 5 times and get more concussed. They laid the wood on him last game, and if his body was sore for 2 days after, imagine what his head felt like.
      .
      Chip was a loyal soldier, and took that last season without a whimper. He did not deserve his fate, and I thought he handled that debacle with class and aplomb. Too bad they cut him on the team bus by leaking out he would be fired before his last game. Just like they did with Tomsula. That was pure Baalke, and Paraag had his fingerprints all over that tragedy. Paraag is still here, and he also had his fingerprints all over cutting all the Kaep loyalists. Now he is pulling the same trick on Reid, forcing him to be a LB when he should play safety. Sure, he did well in the draft, but he was just a flunky following orders. Many others could have done the job, and many did use their connections to the league to help. Paraag is not worth having the team go 0-8. Jed should choose the player over the suit, like Madden says.
      .
      If Jed wants to change the culture, he needs to change himself. He needs to stop prevaricating. Kaep is being blackballed, even if he denies that. According to Jed, he wants the right to treat players like a piece of meat. He says that a player can protest, but then blackballs Kaep for doing so. When his team is on the verge of going winless in the first half of the season, his reasoning is specious, and his strategy is obtuse.

  23. What is surprising here is the “shock” that this team, this franchise is awful.
    The 9ers, the team that I have followed for more than 60+ years are just awful,
    They have been awful since the Yorks have been the controlling owners, yeah , discounting the Harbough years.
    I really am fascinated by the ability of some here to analyse this awful organization and to come to conclusion that there is more here than meets the eye.
    I want to be clear, when I watch the 9ers play, I am watching professional sports… you know the best of the best.
    And to answer the question from the 49er organization… Yes winning is important and you guys are awful!

    1. Agreed. Why would any owner ask this question?
      Fans should ask the question.. Is fans attending or watching games important to the organization?

    1. Getting tedious? Getting tedious left the station a long time ago. Now it’s just self indulgent ignorance from somebody who never had a proper read on this team from the beginning.

      1. I was right that there were a lot of winnable games on the schedule. Unfortunately, Shanahan wasn’t good enough to win any of them. I overestimated him.

        1. you overestimated Saleh and his D’s potential far more than any overestimation(s) of KS’ abilities…
          but you’ll put that down to “buck stops here” or “KS needs an OC to be successful” narratives…
          KS may need a different DC+ D system to be successful…

          1. tjf

            Whoa…slow down a bit….even though we are in the early stages of a rebuild, we have to start somewhere…and the Defense is the best that we have right now. With propitious use of the D players on the roster, 2-3 good draftees / Fa’s…and we’re on a par with the rest of the league. You’ve got hard wood for Saleh IN HIS FIRST SEASON…How ’bout get real…what did you expect ? Don’t chuck out the baby with the bath water….

            Who would you replace him with ?

  24. 49er Historical Coaching Hires (BC) , I mean (BS) , before Shanahan:

    1. The guy that last changed my oil at Jiffy Lube: Jim Tomsula
    2. The guy that plays good music, ‘The DJ’, Steve Logan
    3. The guy that ran the worst offense in 49er History, so bad that KNBR personalities wrote a song parody of him, a 1970’s song I hoped to never hear again it was so awful:
    “Do the Hustle,” for ex-49er OC, Jim Hostler, renamed, “Do the Hostler.”
    4. Ex-49er Play Challenge Coach in the upstairs coaching booth: Paraag Marathe–back when suits were the show (screw the coaches) so they thought it would be ‘cool’ to give Paraag the job to order when a red challenge flag s/b thrown for his Silicon Valley Executive buddies (the people Jed caters to and contracted to WiFi Levi’s Stadium) could see on TV.
    5. “The draft pick needs time to develop” whisperer, Trent Baalke, whispering into Jed’s ear whenever he would ask, oh, something like: “Trent, whatever happened to 3rd rd pick, Marcus Martin, he’s sitting on the bench quite a bit?”

    Not wanting to relive those halcyon days, TomD chooses not to piss off a good coach.

    1. 49er Hist. Coaching Hires, cont.:

      # 5. Trent Baalke (cont.)—Forgot the part about coaching. Yeah, all 49er Fans remember, but the story was so awful, we’ve pushed it back in our subconscious to be released only when Grant thinks he can ‘one-up’ 49er historical putridness under York ownership with one of his stories.

      We laugh at your 49er are awful stories, Grant, because even your gifted writing can’t close in on York wretchedness in ownership…..

      Alright, the moment 49er fans have been ‘not waiting for’ but trying to forget:

      Trent Baalke coaching up the DB’s in front of a coaching staff hired by the York’s, so awful, Trent had to coach the defensive backfield.

      That’s right, a GM/player coach.

      Minnesota Viking scouts, here in a bar in Salt Lake told me the last time they saw Baalke coach was at a Minnesota Junior College where one of their sons had to throw for 600 yards a game just to make it a game with Baalke as their Defensive Coordinator.

      These scouts question to me: “How could the 49ers hire some like that?”

      So, Fans, it can get way worse, you know it and I know it….This is a 4 year rebuild.

  25. Grant…really? Have you forgotten in 2016 the Niners had 4 blowouts in their first 7 games…with an experienced HC. This was Shanahan’s first. I’d say he’s done pretty well overall, considering he’s got a 70% turnover from the 2016 roster, a new coaching staff and a ton of new faces learning a complex offense and defense. Yeah, the ‘Boys schooled us pretty good…but I’d also say they were due to beatdown somebody, last Sunday just happened to be the Niners. We’ll see how they respond…that’ll be a better indication of where they are in their learning process.

  26. I did not expect the 49ers to win any games in the first half of this season so for me the sky is definitely not falling. Then I read columns by Grant Cohen, the ultimate optimist (not), or watch the Happy Hour on NBC Sports Bay Area, and all I read and hear is negativity. Papa looked like he was ready to commit suicide! What part of “this is a rebuilding year” is difficult to understand for you people? Did you really expect the 49ers to win games in the first half of a season where EVERYTHING is new? Why do you fan the fire of discontent? Do you get more eyes or more clicks? Please, put down your pen and go work at Starbucks or something. This is irresponsible reporting which I guess is par for the course these days.

    1. The team is 0-7, and you cannot say a negative word about the situation? In Philly, they would be calling for heads to roll.
      .
      Get real.

      1. Sorry meant to say I don’t understand the meaning of rebuild….

        Too much weed last night…my mind a little foggy….

        Go Niners….

  27. Sam, you are so right on. But when Grant reads this he will think “what does that mean, I don’t understand”. How do the KS critics know he is “not a motivator”? Everything I’ve read says the players are buying into the program, there are no reports of dissension, no reports of the players not giving 100%. How about some specifics. Maybe you want KS to drop his pants?

    Cohn is like Dickey and his Dad – jumping to conclusions based on one piece of evidence and exaggerating that conclusion. When the Niners play a good game he will tell us what a good coach KS is. They do that to be provocative and thus increase readership. It’s all calculated.

    Getting back to Moses list of dumb Dickeyisms, I remember he criticized Montana for having his newborn arrive during football season. Honestly.

  28. Mosses,
    There’s more to it than even that. The 79 team had some decent players on offense. Specifically the offensive line which had 4 players that would play in the pro bowl later in their career. John Ayers T, Randy Cross G/C, Fred Quillan, and Keith Fahnhorst.
    Also at wr they had Dwight Clark who would later the pro bowl.
    On offense, what current starters are pro bowlers or look to be in the near future? Honestly, Staley is only average at this point imho, so I would say our very best player on offense is Pierre Garcon… sadly I can’t name a player that looks like a future pro bowler on the offensive side of the roster.

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