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      1. hahaha, the worst franchise in sports or the worst owner in sports (Jets owner is a neo-con, crew that pulled 9-11)

    1. Harbaugh will be in high demand, he can basically choose any team he wants, he won’t be traded. Why would he want to go to two horrific franchises. I could see him in Dallas with Michael Crabtree, if Jed gets permission to fire him from his Mommy and Daddy

    2. rec’d…..the worst franchise in sports or one of the worst men on the planet (jets owner and evil neo-con, crew that pulled 9-11)

  1. can’t see jed York letting Harbaugh coach the Raiders and watch him win a Superbowl across the bridge

    1. Fortunately, York Cannot trade Harbaugh without his permission. He can only fire Harbaugh, so basically Harbaugh has the final say. York and Baalke will eat sh*t in the end.

      1. Why would Baalke and York looked bad if Harbaugh leaves the 49ers at the end of the season? Harbaugh will go first before Baalke, both this guys don’t see eye to eye, especially Habaugh wants full control of the team. The window for the 49ers winning the Superbowl is getting slimmer, they wasted the last three season. All their star players in Defense are getting older and the supporting cast ultimately losing confidence because of the teams performance and internal problems with the coaches..

    2. Ikr…But I believe that in some way, shape, or form Harbaugh is not going to be the 49ers HC next year. I was watch Joe Fonzi on KICU ch.36 on Saturday Night, he had Dwight Clarke on his sport show.

      The subject matter got on Collin Kaepernick, and his his failure to progress, so Dwight right on National TV let it slip by saying, “well when we get the new Coach he will be able to teach him better throwing techniques” right away you could see on Dwight’s face that he had let the cat outta the bag…smh.

    1. I agree, you’re absolutely right Harbaugh would want to leave the 49ers at the end of the season on his own term. I wouldn’t be surprise that he sit down with Jed at end of the season and asked Jed to fire him instead so he can make his own decision where he want to go.

  2. I just don’t see Jim Harbaugh leaving. How can the 49ers get rid of a coach with his track record, especially without an heir apparent. Tonsula and Fangio are really unproven as HCs. Mangini is known to be exhaustive of personnel. Jon Gruden will not return and his credentials are good but not as good as Harbaughs. The offensive coordinator at Seattle and Denver are intriguing but again unproven commodities. I like the saying “don’t fix it unless it’s broke”. I think it applies here. If veteran players are truly sick of Harbaugh (VD, Crabs, possibly Boldin) then maybe their commitment needs to be evaluated especially with their diminishing contributions.

    I do have concerns about team play: continuity, penalties, mistakes which seem to point to lack of preparation and the like. Is the problem Roman, Kap, Harbaugh, disgruntled players? Dunno. Just don’t think getting rid of Harbaugh will improve the team.

    1. Lets see OFFENSE sucks and it Cannot all be Keaps Fault,can`t score in the rezone and ooh btw Alex had the SAME problems in the redzone,continually NOT making Halftime adjustments,defenese Knows what plays are coming, NO KILLER instincts,Barely beating Horrible teams(see Redskins,Giants,RamsBears) ooh wait the LOST to the Bears and Rams at Home,refusal to play Patton,Continual Bad Play-calling and what the hell is up with 12 coaches on Offense and Just 6 Coaches on Defense and yet the Defense is playing Great with a” capitol G”…And it is Harbs OFFENSE…….so yeah He needs to GO and He needs to take ALL of the Coaches with Him except Rathman.

    2. Eastcoast9er, You’re saying don’t fix it unless it’s broken? Without Boldin, kapernick and the 49ers offense would’a been mediocre at best. Crabtree, i agree with you he sucks, but don’t worry he’s also gone at the end of the season. Harbaugh is the problem with the upper management, baalke and Jim doesn’t see eye to eye, and Jed will soon make a decision to fix the problem. And Kapernick is not the answer for the 49ers and he’ll never be, the 49ers won’t win a SB with Kapernick, he doesn’t have it.

    1. BTW over the last 4 games:

      Kaepernick 4TD 3 INT 1017 yards

      Mettenberger 7TD 5 INT 1103

      So, is Kaepernick playing as well as a rookie or is Zach playing as well as a 3 third year QB?

      1. CFC
        Right team, wrong guy. Ken Whisenhunt is the man for our ailing O, A parallel move might be impossible unless everyone there gets sacked, but if we have to maybe make him HC after trading JH to either lowly team for a top 5 pick.
        The only question becomes do we use that top 5 pick on a new QB or draft Amari Cooper instead?

        1. Not a fan of the Whis. Warner’s departure pointed out that he’s not capable of drafting or developing a QB. Or trading for one for that matter.

          1. Strictly as an x and o offensive guy, leave the drafting and trading to baalke, he seems to have whispered well enough in to zacks ear

            1. I should have expanded on the Warner example but like Warner who was a natural talent at QB, Zach is as well and probably would be as successful even without Whisenhunt whispering in his ear.

              If you said Whis as our OC i’d be much more inclined to agree.

      2. I like Mettenberger, and have since his days at LSU. But there’s way to predict what type of NFL QB he will be over time.
        Weren’t we all (well most of us) mesmerized just two years ago by a 2nd yr QB who took the NFL by storm?
        I believe his name was Colin Kaepernick.

        I would give Zack a couple of years before making an educated analysis.

    2. I hope that is in jest. I don’t think rebuilding the QB will solve our woes. How many passes have been dropped this season? What about the penalties in 3rd and short which become a passing play after the penalty? Bad pass protection? Kaps play leaves lots to be desired but the rest of the offense is not exempt from the troubles.

      1. The fact that a rookie QB who’s played in only 5 games is playing better then our third year QB is no joke, it’s very real.

        1. True, but what were Kap’s numbers his first year? Perhaps defenses haven’t figures out Mettenberger out yet ;-)

          1. Compare the two teams that the two QB’s are playing for. What would Zach’s numbers be right now if he had the weapons and defense that Kaep had when he first started for Alex?

            1. Hard to say. It is an if scenario. Kap has underperformed, but then so did Moss, VD and others. Are all these due to Kap??

              1. Yes and no. Kaep’s lack of touch on short passes plays a part in the problem, but so too does bad Crabtree and How’s My Stock Davis.

          2. Another thing is that Kaep’s biggest success his first 8 games came because no on was prepared for the read-option. Zach is being brought up as a traditional QB which doesn’t give defenses any special edge to game plan against.

            1. Good point! Though many QBs have initial success only do drop off subsequent years. Don’t get me wrong, I liked Mettenberger in the draft and would have been ok with the Niners picking him up. QB carousels just smack of of desperation and an organization in disarray. I just don’t think the team is there. Find the problem and address it. I have not seen a good explanation yet for the challenges plaguing the team.

              1. The QB problems appear to be a scheme issue. I am sure Kaepernick would find more success if he was free to use his athleticism and answer to a single play caller.
                These 3 and 4 wide receiver sets and plays that take time to develop are not what the OL was built on. This is a run first team. That run can be the RB or the QB.
                The team has struggled tremendously since they brought in the “receiving threats”. Things appear to be too complicated and defenses are able to pick up on the personnel packages. The 49ers aren’t throwing out of their run package. It’s been said before, screens, throw to the RB, make teams honor them as pass catchers.
                I think the problem lies in the offensive plan and scheme and not the QB, who does have his own issues.

        2. The Titans have lost all five games that he has played by an average of 14.8 points per game. Other than a close loss to Pittsburgh, they have been blowout losses. He hasn’t played very well. He has thrown a few TD’s during garbage time.

              1. What’s even your point because it had nothing to do with what BigP said and if it’s the only knock you can come up with then wow you earned a blue ribbon for that one.

            1. Did you say something, because I thought you didn’t respond to my posts Razor? I was fine with us not talking to each other but I’ll gladly go back to commenting on yours if you like.

              1. Where do I begin? How can he be the savior when he can’t stay on the field? Let’s take a look at the scouting report on him:

                http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1664450/zach-mettenberger

                Note the last paragraph under weaknesses. Isn’t that the image you complain Kaepernick exudes in his dress and demeanor, rather than actually being arrested?

                You gained some kudos with me by the inspired gamesmanship by Mr. Murphy, don’t blow it with Mettenberger for Kaepernick….

            2. Sure it does, but so does his performance. If you moved their defense up 20 spots in pts/game, they would still be losing every game by almost 10 points.

    3. Just like when Harbaugh jump the gun right away for hot hands, and he bench A. Smith for Kapernick. Well is too late, that moved Harbaugh made back fired in his face, unfortunately for him it cost him at the end:-)

  3. Jason La Canfora is also reporting that, in addition, to Tomsula and Fangio, Denver’s OC Adam Gase is a candidate to replace Harbaugh.

    1. I’d like a head coach that doesn’t saunter up to his current team’s QB and ask him what plays he wants to run and how he want to go about it.

          1. @$#/ Gase! I told you to get me a latte, not a cappuccino! You’re never going to make in this league!

  4. Trade Harbaugh for a head coach with a vision for the offense and we’re in the Superbowl.

    1. That makes a lot of sense. And which NFL team is going to make this trade? Are the Packers are going to give up McCarthy? Oh I know, the Ravens will swap John for Jim right? Or maybe the 49ers should trade their HC for another teams OC or assistant, I’m sure that would be considered brilliant by no one except you.

        1. Tomsula technically has NFL head coach experience. Best win % of any head coach I can think of.

          1. I don’t think Tomsula would want to move from his current position. I know that he was interviewed for the Vikings job during the last off season, but I believe that was more being ppolite rather than wanting the job.

              1. @C4C

                Remember that Tomsula also Head-coached in the European league for a couple of seasons and won the league.

        1. It’s not me though. You could consider having a rotation of gravatars to make it dificult for them to keep up.

    2. Don’t put all the blame on Harbaugh. The HC is not on the field playing the football game, unfortunately for Harbaugh his Qb kaepernick doesn’t have it, his lack of intelligence reading the defense and making the right decision. He’s one of the reason for the offense poor performance on the field. The 49ers defense has played extremely well in the last four season and carried the offense and the team, the defense is the reason they won 75% of their games that played.

  5. When does a story stop being “news”. This is something that has been circulating since the whole Cleveland thing a year ago.

    1. On the ESPN mobile site they are running with the “jerry rice says Harbaugh won’t be back” story. From a month ago!!! Yeah, big news here. Straw. Grasp.

  6. If Jed trades Harbaugh after the season, no matter how we finish, then he’s a bigger idiot than his dad.

    Now, trading to get Drew Stanton, that might be worth talking about…

  7. These rumors have more traction now, so they are trotted out again. How many rumors proved correct in regards to the team. Gotta love “Dirty Laundry” by Don Henly. Very applicable.

  8. Of course they are “interested”. What train wreck of a team with a train wreck of a coach isn’t going to be interested in a proven winner? Harbaugh is going nowhere. Certainly not to either of those cesspool teams.

  9. Harbaugh has to approve a trade, and since he’s in a “turf war” with the front office it would seem unlikely that he would do anything to help them.

  10. Both 1st and 2nd round picks in 2015, 2016, and 2017 plus the ability raise Bill Walsh from the dead, dip him into the fountain of youth in order to be our HC and you have a deal.

    1. I like your thinking here, although getting BW back would be enough they can keep the picks. Bill would find a real QB to lead this team and we’d be back in business.

  11. Trade Kaepernick, keep Harbaugh and get back to 49er football.
    Find a QB that can beat Seattle. One who doesn’t turn the ball over and appreciates his defense!

      1. And look where we are at? The coaching staff cant figure out what to do with a one trick pony QB. In fact what does CK do well now that he doesn’t even run?
        Seattle exposed CK and it burns you that your hero is not a franchise QB.

        1. Prime you act like you know so much. If you were right then The coaching staff would stay intact and they would be searching for a new Qb.
          The reality is that Harbaugh has taken this team as far as he can. The ego is to big to admit that he can’t fix the passing offense. The players have tired of his act.

          For those of us that know football, we can see that Harbs is gone. A new coach will fix our oline add some speed and be fired up to have Kaep as his Qb

          And then you and fantroll77 and coffee is for racists can come here and litter the blog while we turn it around.

          1. Keep dreaming Bay. Jed York will need to get Baalke and Harbaugh on the same page. There is no one better out there to coach this team. Because that would mean losing key staff members like the entire defensive staff.
            There is only one way to fix this offense, dump #7 and get back to what worked the last 2 years before Mr. Inaccurate took over.
            Romans been handcuffed with a QB who can’t see the field and make reads.
            I know it pains you that CK is not the guy you would have hoped for. But reality is reality. Seattle exposed him for the QB he is. The gimmicky spread and read option is not who the 49ers are. They tried it and didn’t work.
            JH will be forced to trade and or draft a QB early to compete with CK in training camp. He will lose out cause we know he is a terrible practice player and now big game performer.
            Sorry Bay, CK is not a good QB. Getting rid of Harbaugh won’t change that.
            As for you knowing the players have quit, let’s see what happens in 2 weeks in Seattle.

            1. You’re absolutely right! It won’t surprise anyone after this season when the 49ers don’t make the playoffs the 49ers upper management would be thinking in getting a young talented QB in the Draft and get a experience QB in the FA..

          2. More like Kaep has taken this team as far as he can go unless he takes the next step in his development.

          3. The more likely scenario is that Kaep has maxed out. Harbaugh or whoever decided to insert him went all in and they got close, but close don’t cut it. He got farther then RG3 because he’s on a better overall team.
            And just as RG3 rides the pine, we have to seriously consider if that’s in the best interest of the team — sit Kaep. He’s getting worse, not better.

            1. Fan, you bench CK now you tell your fan base its over.
              Have to ride it out. Seattle in Seattle will tell us everything we need to know once and for all.

              1. I’d thought about that Prime.I was thinking if Kaepernick and the offense can’t beat the Seahawks at Levis Stadium, how can they beat the Seahawks in Seattle? The Seahawks the last 3 season had beaten the 49ers in Seattle convincingly. I won’t be surprise the 49ers record would 8-8 and we’re not making the playoff.

              2. Forget about Seattle for a minute. What good defense has he played well against? Not beaten, played well against?

    1. A lot of you seem anxious to trade Kap, but his physical talents are undeniable. Wouldn’t it be wiser to see first how he responds to good coaching?

        1. When Harbaugh coached Andrew Luck and Alex Smith he was the QB whisperer, the guru, a good coach.
          Now that he has CK and it hasn’t worked because he can’t make accurate, precise throws, Harbaugh is a bad coach? Lazy!

          1. Colt McCoy – 31 for 47 for 392 yards, 137 QBR. Maybe you have to be far away from Harbaugh to hear him wisper. With a Fangio caliber defense Washington is a super-bowl contender.

      1. physical talents, although undeniable, are only part of the equation….being student of the game (the game you’re playing that day, which #7 isn’t) and the mental aspect, which he appears to be falling short on…

      2. C’mon man Harbaugh is as good as they come. Good offensive mind HC. But the problem is the QB. Let’s face it, the reality is Kaepernick doesn’t have it, he was just fortunate when he was given the starting job he’d good talented players around him, and the 49ers had an exceptional defense. The league have already caught up to kaepernick, without his running ability he’ll just be a below average player.

    2. ….one that appreciates the fact that he has modern technology at his disposal to review the previous series, see who was open, when they were open, and answer the never ending question…”what the hell are you looking at???”

    3. Prime Canadian Boy,
      Do you mean a QB like Alex Smith? Did you watch him stink up the joint last night?

    4. You’re absolutely right, trade Kapernick and let Harbaugh and Roman go. It’s almost time to rebuild the defense, our players are getting old and the window in winning the SB has past. I hate to say the chances in getting back to the playoff is getting slimmer by the day.
      And it’s not going to get better in the last four games. We’ll win the game against the low Raiders team but the road is going to be rough at Seattle, San Diego and against the Arizona cardinals. I see our team at 8-8 by the end of the season.

    1. Hi Razor. Yes, it’s believed that the wife wants to stay put, but a few weeks ago I attended an event where one of their neighbors told me that the wife wants to return to the Midwest to be closer to family. I have no idea if that’s true, but it’s as good as what’s floating around.

      1. George, how are you? How could you long for Michigan or Kansas over San Francisco? It’s idiotic! The weather alone would be the deciding factor for me, let alone the beauty of all that California and surrounding States have to offer….

        1. Razor, that’s a good question. Ice on the ground for half a year, weeks when you never see the sun, literally. Summers that are hot and humid, mosquitos all over. But my answer is that people who grew up there really like it, especially if they left family behind. My wife is from a big family in Wisconsin. Most would never leave. Talking about Green Bay, Milwaukee, Madison, St. Paul, Chicago. Makes me shiver talking about these places.

              1. George is was at their SAC base for over two years — mutual assured mass destruction etc. I lived with a family in town for a year of so, and knew a lot of local people. I never met anyone who wanted to leave, and most of them had traveled to “better” places. I didn’t understand it, but what would a fly boy from California know about life.

  12. Today on Days of our lives (Nfl edition)
    How a promising empire burns to ruins in no time at all.

  13. Colt is playing for Washington today. It seems like (and maybe he’l tank) a lot of players who leave the Niners end up doing better at other teams. Just a thought.

    For Harbs, if he isn’t back I expect him to take a year off, go build churches in Peru and rethink his career.

    We used ot have the worst owners in the NFL. Looks like Snyder has returned to that position but you can’t count the Yorks out. They have been stupid is as stupid does for a generation and Jed seems more than ready to hold that banner high…

  14. If York is foolish enough to go down this path, I would make Fangio HC as long as I could bring in Chad Morris as the Offensive Coordinator….

    1. Never heard of Chad Morris so I looked him up. It’s just been reported that he accepted the head coaching job at SMU.

      If Fangio is the HC, who would be the DC?

      1. I wonder if Vic even wants to be a HC in the NFL. If not, he is going where Jim is going. Jim leaves him alone and will publicly fight for his salary. Why would he work for another HC?

        1. @ricardo

          Are you kidding me ? Listen, Harbaugh is the HC, otherwise the face of 49er admin. If anything, he has cost coaches their jobs for his stubborness in putting a QB ahead of his coaches. Fangio won’t carry a torch for JH. He’s one that everyone here appreciates.

    2. Fangio may have better offers, and given Jed’s tweet, he might take a lesser offer. The “top level” leaks might make someone with Fangio think otherwise regardless. I’ve never seen Fangio as someone that is trying to fill a void by acquiring power regardless of the price.

  15. Grant is the idea going forward that you’ll simply copy and paste headlines and then go hit the pub or do you plan on offering your own thoughts on these subjects at some point?

    1. Riots in Ferguson, some blame the 49ers. Whispers internally blame Harbaugh though fans pony to Kap’s gang wear as a possible culprit, while others believe the riots would be abated if Greg Roman were immolated.

    2. I always offer my own thoughts at some point. I like you to go first so you can’t steal my ideas.

      1. “so you can’t steal my ideas” “but I can steal yours”.
        If you ever read any of the comments to your pieces you’d know that there is virtually 0% chance of that happening

  16. If (somewhere in the Twilight Zone) Harbaugh does go to another team, does Kaep go with him?

    1. How would either Kaepernick or Harbaugh pull that off? If the 49ers cut Kaepernick he is a free agent and will have a lot of choices.

      1. As i said, I place the likelihood of Harbaugh leaving after this season in the Twilight Zone area. But my question is me wondering if Kaep would rather have Harbaugh as his coach over other choices, especially if he continues to struggle taking that next step.

        1. Kaepernick has no out in his contract. Hopefully, if Harbaugh is foolishly replaced it will be someone with a plan for Kaepernick that he can buy into.

  17. Anybody on this board think the Niners will be able to put up 14 on the Raiders next week?

    Rams have done it in the first quarter alone.

    1. I spoke too soon. Rams now up 21-0. Rams have a couple of speedy weapons in Tre Mason and Tavon Austin, and Fisher’s guy knows how to use them.

      1. That would be Kid Schottenheimer.

        Oh, and the floozy, Baalke, could have taken Mason instead of Hyde and probably gotten another pick to waste on an injured player in the process.

    2. And the famous passing combination of Hill to Harkey makes it a 5 TD lead.

      Hey, you think the Niners defense would appreciate so much as a 2 TD lead?

      Niners miss Moss and Walker. Where’s Patton? Bench Crabtree for the Raiders game.

  18. Don’t worry about the Raiders. Ck will look like a hero for a week then back to reality up in Seattle.

  19. So, the team has been to 3 straight NFCCGs and still have a winning record for the season and the team is already trying to get rid of their HC? Is there anything more dumber decision than this? Can someone please ask Eddie D to talk to his nephew before it is too late? Oh by the way, this guy also helped the team to get their new stadium.

    1. Ricardo my gut says that too many internal relationships are broken for Harbaugh to stay. Personally I think the players have quit on Harbaugh.

      When Singletary and Jimmy Raye were here I remember the players losing faith in their coaches. I am beginning to see the same thing happening on the offensive side.

      1. Bay, you maybe correct but ultimately winning should be the only thing that matters to the owner, players and fans. Right? The offense definitely needs work but shouldn’t Jim at least be given a chance to fix it?

        1. Winning should be the only thing, but I’ve often seen, particularly in big organizations, that there are individuals near the top who are willing to allow failure to promote their own agenda. Of course, the failure is attributed to others.

          1. I hear you cubus and that is why my biggest disappointment is with Jed. He is the boss and he should be telling his high-paid emloyees to suck it up because Jim is bringing in a ton of money to the org. Wait till they start losing and fans stop paying for those over-priced tickets.

            1. Jim will forever be responsible for coaching the team that let Sherman eat turkey on our logo.

              Real classy of the NFL to do that btw.

              1. CK threw the INT’s right to him so technically that won him player of the game, which allowed him to eat the turkey.
                Get your facts straight. Harbaugh didn’t turn the ball over!

              2. Kaepernick stunk this last game. So did Jonathan martin. So did Greg Roman. So did our special teams. It’s all on Harbaugh.
                The coaches ultimately had a poor game plan and had a huge hand in what transpired. The coaches poor game plans and poor play calling has hugely hurt this team. For that reason Baalke and Jed will have new coaches next year.

              3. It’s not coaching. It’s the QB. Reason? It’s 3rd and 20 Thursday night, they call a run. Why? Cause they don’t trust CK to throw it because his inaccuracy is high.
                Why blow up one of the entire best coaching staffs when all you have to do is change the offensive philosophy and QB.
                Roman can’t come up with a passing offense cause the guy that is throwing can’t make the reads.
                Let’s not pretend all the sudden we are a bad team. Just a bad QB. There is a reason why we are still in the hunt at 7-5. It’s not because of CK. He’s the reason for at least 3 of those 5 loses. What game this year did he play well in?
                We still have a good defense, just need a offense that won’t turn it over.

              4. how can you blame Harbaugh for that? I think the tweet by Jed York was worse. Talk about a team attitude. I have been a Niners fan for decades and almost gave up on the team after that tweet. All about the Benjamin’s with that little pr!ck

      2. I believe some of the players have quit too….playing for the paycheck now…..except for #85, he’s playing to further his brand….. #15, who’s auditioning for his next employer….and the O-line that’s out there to give the opposing d-line something else to look at other than their own p-squad players..

      3. Hey Bay Area double douchey douche bag!

        Did you see the stats for Shaun Hill against the Raiders? I know you hate Alex, but what if we gave him a shot again? You think Harbaugh can coach him?
        He doesn’t have a rocket laser cannon but I like the sound of 12/15. What do you think?

      4. You see shinola! Did you see #7 gift Richard Sherman two fresh INT’s?
        Stick to baseball Cha chi!

  20. douche journalist A: reports a rumor without any substance.

    Douche journalist B: reports about the “report” created by douche A and now “multiple reports” saying the same thing.

    Remember when Matt worked for the press and this paper had an ounce of credibility? Seems like a long time ago…. Doesn’t it?

  21. I don’t see that happening. Harbaugh has enough of a winning reputation to make his own choice if he decide to leave.
    The raiders and jesters (jets) Orgs would be wise not to give up picks or players because in essence Harbaugh holds the upper hand on his future not the 49ers.

  22. Don’t touch the defensive side of the ball, just give Coach Fangio another raise so he’ll stay. Coach Harbaugh has the best record of any Head Coach in NFL history in his first three years, so he doesn’t deserve all the drama, but, if he is traded to the Raiders, and I think he would consider that, there is only one person to bring in as a Head Coach, as long as he still performs the OC job, and that is, if he can be had, Derrell Bevell. Similar personnel, similar style.

        1. Wait a second, Prime. Yes, I noted there is no head coaching experience, unless the wiki left out something from his college coaching years. But hiring Seattle’s OC would hurt them and give us a proven offensive strategist and quarterback specialist. It’s not like this has never been done. My main concern would be losing Fangio, Donatell, Levitt, and Tomsula.

    1. Good luck with that. You’re going to have a hard time finding anyone “good” who wants to come into that nightmare — especially if Kaepernick is the QB. Kind of like constructing plays for PHarvin, especially when he can’t run routes.

      1. Mary, I don’t think this is a nightmare at all. The talent on offense is real despite Kaep’s having an awful game.

          1. What does it tell you Bay when Seahawks fan think CK is a nightmare? They relish playing us cause they know CK will crumble under pressure.
            Meanwhile we know Wilson is gonna make nothing out of something, be accurate and make no stupid mistakes.
            Take the rose coloured glasses off and put down the bong. Face the reality, CK is a very inaccurate passer.

        1. Ok George let me put it this way and I don’t mean to insult you or your team. I am not talking abt the o-line or def. or even the WR or Gore, just Kaep. And I listen to Seattle ESPN and these guys don’t think Roman does a bad job. Honestly, you can only work around the talent that you’ve got. Right now your team reminds me of the Redskins. They have some very good parts but they have to get rid of RG3.

          1. Hi, Mary. I admit that I am confused about what’s been going on with the offense. This has been a year with lots of inconsistencies across the unit — Kaep, the oline, VDavis, and the WRs. It’s as if someone has cast a spell on them, and it’s probably not fair for Roman’s head to roll.

            1. It’s amazing that Mary, a Seahawk’s fan, advises their major opponent to dump their quarterback. That’s probably the biggest endorsement that Colin has received this week.

              1. htwaits: You’re giving me too much power & credit. But I do have eyes and review stats. Think back we don’t beat you at home.

              2. It’s been a long time since Seattle couldn’t play on the road. All they had to do last year was tackle Gore to win at Candlestick. On the other hand, there are a few stadiums that have a true home field advantage. That’s true even if one or two of them have amped the sound track.

            2. George: I heard this also — The Seahawks are playing really good team football. & only allowed 3 pts last 3 games. Next weeks game is going to say a lot. I really like Chip Kelly and he’s got a good team.

  23. Whether made up or over-exagerated by the media, true, close to true, or even worse than we know, it seems like the situation with Harbaugh/Baalke/FO/Roman is one in which we have to depart from. Again, whether fabricated or not, it seems like something that needs to be put behind us. Only two things will do that: winning and/or a drastic change. So unless we win out, it’s all but certain Harbaugh’s gone…good, bad or otherwise.

    Best case scenario is we can trade him. But that isn’t a gimme. In any event, the long-term plan of succession needs to be evaluated now.

    It’s sad to see our team in such a state of disarray (player issues, FO/coach beef, PR and image concerns, stadium and location questions, lack of home field advantage). The FO needs to get to a place of stability, and they’ll have to do that by being decisive, planful, and putting egos aside.

    1. The major problem for Harbaugh seems to be higher up in the organization than Baalke. At least he’s probably not the one behind the Harbaugh is out of here reports that started as soon as the playoffs ended for the 49ers last year.

  24. With all the talk regarding Harbaugh’ future, one would think that it’s a forgone conclusion that he’s a lame duck coach.
    Has anyone ever considered that Harbaugh and Co could still run the table and make the playoffs?

    Here’s a scenario (although quite a stretch) the 49ers find their groove on offense and somehow make the playoffs to the surprise of the FO and the Faithful and then Harbaugh struts out the door and finds his tenure in Michigan after the postseason.

    Hey, what can I say, I’m still holding out hope.

    1. Jed is not going to panic and blow up a good thing regardless if they don’t make the playoffs.
      Injuries and distractions have played a role this year. Those will be gone by next year.
      The only true issue that needs to get fixed is this offense. If it’s getting rid of Roman or CK or a combination than that can wait til the offseason. Drafting or trading for a new QB will help solve this issue. Maybe it forces CK to work on his game. Maybe this new QB gets us back to our old winning ways of good defense and an offense that does not turn it over and sustains drives.
      As for this year,unless CK does a complete 180, this team will not make the playoffs.

      1. Prime,
        The NFC Wildcard picture is beginning to look like a mixed bag as the season wins down. At this point the 49ers could conceivably back-in to the playoffs with a 9-7 record the way the wildcard contenders are playing at the moment.

        Nothing is written in stone except for perhaps the Cards who look to win the division unless someone hijacks the team overnight.

        After Thursday’s embarrassment on national TV the easiest thing to do is throw in the towel, but with no wildcard teams fully established or locked in, we still have a flickering light.

        Harbaugh and Org will make whatever decisions need to be made at seasons end, I don’t think for a moment that this team has mailed in the season at this point.
        Now, if we lose to the raiders, Jed York may have Harbaugh’ office cleaned out before he reaches Santa Clara.

        1. AES: Nothing is guaranteed. OMG the Falcons are beating the Cards right now. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they lost. 4 games left — all must wins!

        2. AES: I see SF 9-7 (losing to Seattle & Chargers)

          (AES give me your analysis of Hawks W-L) Mine: Seattle winning out (not realistic I know HA! — the Eagles will be our toughest game with the Rams second)

          Dallas loses 2 more games to Eagles & Colts = 10-6

          Cards I think they’ll lose last 4. 9-7 Too bad about Rivers — they might have won SB.

          Lions: 11-6 with GB winning the div. 13-3

      2. Jed panicked when he started leaking (Cleavland trade), has been leaking since then, and made it public with his tweet.

        1. htwaits,
          I thought the leak came from Cleveland and that young Jedi tried to deny it.

          But if the reports were true, who knows if it was at that point that Harbaugh lost a little of his inner-fire in coaching the 49ers.
          The entire team from Harbaugh down to the players have not looked very inspired this season.
          What do you think?

          1. There are many ways to see that something becomes public. In this one you just have to read your partner (Cleveland) and how needy they were for positive press at the time. Denying a leak is SOP.

            I’ve always understood that it’s hard to motivate professional athletes if it’s clear that you are a lame duck and have no power going forward.

            No matter how many times Walsh was fired on Sunday, he was always in power by Tuesday. George wasn’t so lucky. Maybe that’s why his team never carried him off the field.

      1. Never been a big fan of Gruden.
        I’ll never forget the Keyshawn Johnson incident on the sidelines in Tampa Bay. Gruden should have suspended KJ for that outburst and obvious insubordination.
        Gruden’ penchant for being a “players coach” was put on ugly display that day and proved that his time as a coach was coming to an end.

  25. What happens if the FO wants to trade Harbaugh and he says no (I think I read somewhere where he has to approve the trade)? He might just do it to spite the FO. In that case, it doesn’t seem likely that the FO would let him coach. So, do they fire him?

    My question is mainly aimed at finding out what the options are in such a situation. If they fire him, I would think he would have the right to immediately seek another position. I guess the FO could screw him over by firing him late in the offseason so that his options are nil.

    I guess they could also pay him to sit at home (seems strange but could happen). I can’t imagine they would let him coach if they don’t support him.

    I’m asking this question because I’m curious what the FO has to take into consideration when they consider their options. At this point, I’m not looking for Harbaugh to leave, but I wish he would follow his brother’s lead and fire the OC.

    1. The money for Harbaugh’s fifth year is his unless he quits. He has the power to veto a trade. Also, do you really think that Harbaugh would approve a trade that includes high draft choices. Those draft choices would be coming out of his new teams talent pool.

      All he has to do is do nothing, and he can pick his next team. Harbaugh has the leverage.

      If the 49ers fire Harbaugh too late for him to find a new team this year, then they will be restricting their own choices for a new head coaches. Only Al Davis pulled stunts like that.

      1. Good point about the 49ers restricting their own choices if they fire Harbaugh late, unless the new candidate comes from within the organization. If so, they could make it work, but it would involve subterfuge on the part of the FO and probably the new candidate (with regards to Harbaugh) – a real soap opera of sorts.

  26. Report: Man with inside knowledge says [losing team name] has shown interest in trading for [winning head coach name] following a season where [winning head coach name] isn’t winning as many games as expected.

    More later on this breaking development.

  27. By today I had expected an announcement that Roman would be out. So it looks like they will proceed with the cards they have.

      1. I guess the key factor would be when they have to begin preparing for Oakland. I had assumed they would start this weekend. Maybe they’ve made the change and haven’t announced it. We’ll see.

  28. Harbaugh is a goner at the end of the season, folks. The writing was on the wall right throughout the offseason. Time to move on.

    Question is, who do they replace him with. I hope they don’t replace him from within. The idea of Gase from the Broncos isn’t one that makes me giddy with excitement, but there is some talk he has what it takes to be a head coach in this league. He’d be a big risk, though.

      1. A few reasons.

        1. The offense is what needs the most work. None of the internal candidates have a background on offense.
        2. Fangio is a great coach, but I don’t think he’d make a good head coach. He seems too X’s and O’s oriented.
        3. Tomsula seems to be an inspirational figure, but what would he bring other than enthusiasm? Would he be ok leaving the DC to do his thing?
        4. Mangini? No thanks.
        5. It could be hard getting an OC of any quality that could also be relied on to stay for any period of time.

        1. To me it would be a given that the one primarily responsible for the offense would come from the outside. If Fangio or Tomsula becomes HC, then I would want them to not interfere with the OC, who would come from outside the organization. I don’t see anyone currently within the organization who should be the OC; but I admit I know little with regards to Chryst. Maybe if he was calling he plays instead of Roman… (thinking being that Roman is the “run play” guy and Chryst is the “pass play” guy and our run game is going nowhere so we’ve been throwing more; therefore, let the guy who is responsible for the passing game call the plays and see what happens – could it get any worse?).

          1. I agree that whoever is in charge of the offense needs to come from outside the organisation. But see point 5 of my list. I’ve not done any research to see who might be available, but I don’t think it will be easy to get an OC with experience and a history of success that wouldn’t be a head coach candidate. So if they hire Fangio or Tomsula as HC, they will likely need to go with someone untried at OC, or someone that has been recently fired from elsewhere.

        2. Briles or Malzahn would provide offensive minded prowess for Kaepernick. If Fangio leaves, got to believe Donatell would be their choice for DC….

          1. If the 49ers wish to move further towards a spread, zone-read offense, then those are guys that are worth looking at.

            1. They’re two of the best from the college ranks that facilitate the skill set of Kaepernick. Chad Morris is another that I like….

              1. Big fan of what Gus Malzahn could bring to the table. His system seems like a better fit for this personnel than what Briles runs.

              2. Worked with Chip Kelly and Malzahn had to compete vs other stacked athletic sec defenses where Oregon just got by by having superior athletes/talent to just about everyone else in the pac 12.

                Whats frustrating is while CK has his flaws (oh lord does he have flaws) our O coordinator does not do him any favors by putting a square peg in to a round hole. Consider for a moment that Tim Effin Tebow is 1/10 the QB that kaep is but yet TT’s O cordinator built the game plan around him so much so that he won 8 games and beat a steelers team while virtually not throwing at all. CK is a better runner than TT and a much better passer. yet his production is not as good.

                What good is it having a running QB if he doesn’t run?

      1. That’s the heart of the question really for Gase – is he just a product of Manning?

        His age and lack of experience dealing with less than all world QB play is a big question mark. He wouldn’t be my first choice for these reasons, but may be worth an interview.

        1. Scooter,

          Harbaugh isn’t going to allow himself to be traded. Do you think Jed has the intestinal fortitude to fire him?

              1. I’m not sure. This is a lot different than firing a guy like Singletary or Nolan. There is a lot more public sentiment backing Harbaugh, but that might not matter much since Jed already has the PSL money.

              2. Personally I think you are wrong that he won’t allow himself to be traded though. I think he would, so long as a team he wants to go to comes in with an offer, the compensation to the 49ers is low, and he can renegotiate the contract he wants with the new team.

    1. I disagree Scooter.Jed knows that a coaching change with Baalke remaining as GM is a tough sell.
      Everyone keeps speculating all these new hires from Bevell to Gase to Shaw. None of those guys are proven. Jed is not going backwards like he did with Singletary.
      Harbaugh will be back and forced to find a new QB, coordinator and patience working with others. 5 plus million over 5 years and his competitive fire to stay in the NFL on the west coast says so.

      1. Prime: I agree, it would behoove Harbaugh to finish out his contract on a high note that is if the team will play for him. Swear to God not 15 min. into the game I wondered who was impersonating the 49ers. — like they gave up.

        I agree with you on the strategy also. I knew we’d win b/c Kaepernick cannot protect the ball and our def. has their mojo back. Same thing can be said for Derek Carr. He’s got a QB rating of 79.0 and completion %53.6 and he throws these long balls — just ripe for picks.

      2. You don’t know much. You are at checkers level and this is a high level game of chess.

        The GM’S daughter didn’t post anything derogatory towards the Qb. She posted what’s she’s heard from her dad most the season. That the OC and their system and play calling has to go.
        lucky that it’s Jed and not Eddie. Eddie would have fired him on Thanksgiving night.

        1. So we are going off a tweet from a hormonal teenager instead of what the entire world saw on Thursdays where CK blew it?
          Bay, please stop. You are embarrassing.

      3. I see Fangio getting a HC POSITION with Mangini( why else was he brought in?) taking over the defense. Look for them to shop long and hard for an oc. Probably from NE or Cleveland.

  29. #7 will forever be responsible for leading the team that let Sherman eat turkey on our logo……..

    #7 just have too many baggages……from the SB loss, to the NFC championship…….losing to the rams……..

    we definitely need a change but i can’t support cutting ties with #7 now……maybe a coaching change isn’t that bad…..Jim didn’t make the 49ers we can do better than this……

    even the Alex haters are quiet……notice ninermd is no where to be found……

  30. Hmmm There’s talk that Tom Cable might go over to the Raiders next year but I don’t think he’d settle for anything less than a HC job and also the added enticement that MLynch might go with. Rumors?

      1. Haha I don’t believe anything until I see the contract. That was a great feast he had on your logo. Who in your org. came up with that smart suggestion.

          1. Sorry if what I said didn’t make sense. Keep rereading it and it had nothing to do with Sherman.

            And anybody with a brain would take Sherman in a heartbeat or they’re stupid. He watches hours of video. Good god, he could train an entire secondary from start to finish.

            1. I think he is a great player like Matt Flynn was great in Green Bay. He is great due to scheme. His measurable make him attractive but he can be victimized as stl showed.

        1. Mary,
          The logo feast looked like the work of NBC and perhaps permitted by the NFL league offices before the game.

          My only thoughts and contention is that the 49ers Org did not make an official announcement protesting the classless actions.

          The turkey table could have been setup anywhere other than the 49ers logo. This was an infringement not only to the 49er Org but to the Faithful everywhere. I’m upset that a 49er player did not flip the table over. Now that would have taken some of the shine off the hawks win.

          If the 49ers beat the c-hawks in a couple of weeks someone should pull the 12th flag down and put up 49er banner, right?
          Why not resort to classless up-menship if that seems to be the vogue thing these days.

          Even worse, are some 49ers fans wanting to blame CK for the turkey feast on our logo – Sheesh

          There’s only two responsible parties involved imo.
          NBC sports, and the NFL league offices.
          I have been waiting for the league office to make some kind of comment regarding NBC’ post game actions because those type of actions can prove detrimental if some home team player or overzealous fan decides a turkey feast on our home team logo is going too far and rushes the field.

            1. MWN,
              Thanks bro, but been out in the Central Valley now since 1987. But SoCity was very nice.

              My ex-son-in-law who was an electrician for the Levi’s Stadium construction process and now season ticket holder said he would have taken the field if he was at the game Thursday night. Fortunately, it was his turn to spend Thanksgiving with his wife’s family in Lake Tahoe.
              Otherwise Sherman would have been beaten by a turkey thigh rather than eating it, lol.

              1. I watched a fan try to kick George Halas in the ass once as he walked across the Kezar field at half time. For his troubles he got pounded by the Halas body guards and thrown in jail over night.

                Earlier Halas had run down to the 10 yard line, intimidated an official from the other side of the field to throw a flag, and changed an interception into pass interference. The crowd shut down the game for 18 minutes. The sound was like the infuriated cry of Godzilla.

                In those days, Halas owned the NFL. Today the networks own the NFL.

          1. “I’m upset that a 49er player did not flip the table over.”

            AES, you will always be invited to my house!

          2. AES: Well you know where to send your hate mail — the whole thing was a stupid idea. 19-29 Falcons with 1:05. Come on Falcons.

            1. Bay,
              Nah, not trying to be hero, just upset that this classless act was permitted.
              I didn’t see it on TV because I left my family outing with about 10 min in the 4th Qtr.
              But just thinking about it burns me about as much as the loss.

              1. Am Glad I did not see that. Will be p1ssed all week now. That was totally classless. The South will never forget.

  31. Roman goes soon as the scapegoat to the season. We keep Harbaugh till the end of the season. We also keep Kaep as the starter to keep their value up. Then we trade both. Harbaugh to the Raiders for their 2nd round pick and Carr QB. Harbaugh gets to pick a new QB first overall. Then Kaep goes to Philly for their 1st and TE Ertz.

      1. Yeah, I was afraid of that, I also think we are going to lose 3 more big names.

        Like it or not parts of the team are going to get gutted….

      2. I think at about a $7 million cap hit, Vernon will be gone. After watching Gronk today, I really feel that we’ve been shortchanged this year. Brooks is no brainer.

      3. Willis stays. He has shown that the run defense becomes a liability without him. This is my guess as to whom is gone after this season either by trade or being released:
        OC Roman
        OLB Brooks
        WR Boldin
        C Kilgore
        DE McDonald

        This list only includes players and coaches that are signed on past this season.

        1. Ah yes, forgot about Brooks. He is on way too much to be on the roster next year.

          The problem for Willis is he is the guy that saves the most against the cap if they release him. Brooks they might try and trade, which should increase the cap saving, but I believe they’d still save less than they get by cutting Willis. Stevie Johnson also provides a large cap saving, so I think he’ll be right up there as a cap casualty.

          Ray McDonald might be let go, but they don’t save a whole lot by releasing him. Craig Dahl will be gone well before McDonald, I’d say.

          Boldin would be a tough one to let go, as they won’t have a reliable #1 WR option without him. He also would still count a lot against the cap in dead money.

          I’d be very surprised to see Kilgore let go.

          1. Willis may save the most, but he is also the heart of the defense. My guess is that his contract gets restructured.
            I believe Boldin will be a cap casualty because of Johnson and that Baalke will go after a cheap WR in free agency while also drafting one in one of the first three rounds.
            I forgot about Dahl, and I agree that he will probably be gone as well. But I think the team will go with Carradine over McDonald after this season.
            Martin will probably be the starting center going forward, and having a backup that makes more than the starter doesn’t seem to fit what Baalke does.

            1. Willis will be 30 next year. Restructuring the contract for a 30 year old LB is a risky move. Maybe they go down this route, but not sure it is a wise move unless they don’t believe Bowman can come back at the same or near same level he was playing.

              Losing your top two WRs would be a big blow. They save almost double the amount of money getting rid of the #3/#4 in Johnson than their #1 in Boldin, so not sure why they would choose to move Boldin on in favour of Johnson. Johnson only returns if he renegotiates his contract for considerably less than he is currently slated to get next year.

              You could be right about Tank/ Dial replacing McDonald, but they save less than $2M letting McDonald go. But maybe it is time for the new guard to be given their shot.

              Kilgore isn’t on that much, and he could be a potential candidate to start at either OC or OG. So highly doubt he is let go.

              1. Kilgore will be the starting center if healthy. The offensive line has seen a significant drop off since his injury.

              2. That is true about Willis, but he is more interchangeable than Borland and Wilhoite at this stage.
                Johnson has almost the same amount of production with less snaps than Crabtree does, so they wouldn’t lose as much there at first glance.
                Kilgore isn’t on that much, but it would make more sense keeping him if it was a Dorsey/Williams situation.

              3. Mid, there may not be a big dropoff between Crabtree and Johnson at the moment, but there is a huge dropoff between Boldin and Johnson. Makes little sense to me to get rid of your leading WR the past two years in favour of a guy who’s production has been mediocre the past two years, especially when the guy with considerably lower production also provides more of a cap saving if released.

              4. I agree Scooter, but it will also probably depend on what Baalke’s plan for the offense is going forward. They may want a younger and faster WR instead of Boldin.

              5. The loss of those vet WR’s this coming year was the reason they should have drafted one this year. Who knows how many receivers will be available and how much demand there will be for those few. When you draft for need in a sparse draft the cost will be high.

  32. Remember when I stated Patrick Peterson wasn’t an elite corner before the season? Well so far this season QB’s are 44 of 74 for 608 yards, 8 TDs, 2 INTs, with a 110.6 rating when throwing at him.

    1. The hype is greater than the reality. He’s a better CB than those stats suggest, but he’s not an elite CB.

  33. I know this is going to be a great week for the haters and the naysayers, but is anybody noticing that the Cardinals are losing to Atlanta.

    If the Cardinals lose, take a look at next week’s schedule. Cards at KC, Seattle at Philly, Niners at (ha ha) Raiders. There is a pretty good chance that at the end of next week’s games, the Niners would be tied with Seattle and just one game behind the Cards.

    I, for one, am not ready to concede the division just yet. Today’s NFL is the epitomy of a week to week league. The Haters and the Naysayers may be forced to crawl back under their rocks next week.

      1. Rick,
        The game up in Seattle will be one in which Harbaugh does not need to say a word to fire up the troops.
        The image of the feast on the logo will be all the 49ers need to get them ready for the c-birds.

        1. AES– I wish that were true, but I don’t hold out much hope. The way this team has played all season makes be doubt they care enough to even use that as an excuse to get fired up.

      1. You’re right Rick! I think the Niners should start giving more practice time to Blaine Gabbert and see if he can become the hot hand. Because Kaep is cold as the other side of the pillow! It’s worked before!

        1. Rick I love the optimism but you know we have to travel to SEATTLE the following week? Regarded as the house of horrors for CK?
          Kaepernick is nightmare right now!

            1. Can you define this thing you call the Law of Averages. Even if you think football is like flipping a coin, once you are behind the calculated probability, the chances are still 50/50 that you stay behind before each flip.

              Playing the Seahawks in Seattle has nothing to do with flipping coins.

              1. The same law that has seen us owning the Packers following game after game of frustration.

                Despite Black Thursday, I don’t believe there is much that separates the Niners and Sqwaks.

              2. Ribico, it’s not our turn in Seattle unless we come up with a better way of playing the Seahawks than last season’s playoff game. It’s not our turn, but it would be a great time to put one hell of a game together up there.

    1. +1 million. The 49ers play angry and win out they will win the division. Could make as a 10 and 6 team also but would concede the division to Seattle.

  34. If I am Harbaugh, I rather get fired instead of being traded. I wouldn’t allow 49ers to get anything in trade.

    1. Of course you wouldn’t because that would put you behind the eight ball with your new team’s roster.

  35. Looks like Colt McCoy had a pretty good game also. I wonder if we can get him back. Harbaugh worked his whisperer magic on him!

    1. Fan,
      Lets see, you’ve wanted Mark Sanchez, Shaun Hill, B.Gabbert, and now Colt McCoy.
      If you’ve been a good boy maybe Santa can give you all of them for Christmas, lol.

      1. Do those guys have Bobble Head Dolls in their likeness? I would be willing to chip in for a complete set for ole’77.

  36. As soon as Palmer as lost for the year, I predicted Az finishes 9-7 I just hope SF helps that happen.

  37. Harbaugh is not going to a team that is giving up a draft pick. He will be fired and end up coach Oakland if his wife dictates things. Otherwise he is Dallas bound. Jerry jones will open the check book for a Super Bowl. It’s an attractive offer as all the pieces are already there. It’s also a weak division. Guaranteed success

    1. Matt, I’m thinking the same thing about Dallas. If Jim does indeed leaves the org at the end of the season, I think Dallas will be a good place for him. Good OL and an every down back in Murray. But Jerry will have to give up more power for that to work.

      1. Jerry’s son will convince him to stand back for 3 years max to win another ring. That coincides with Harbaugh wearing off his welcome. His replacement will be a college HC who coasts into another year or two of success.
        Vic Fangio will be promoted to HC. Eric Mangini will be the new DC. I think the OC will come from a team that fires it’s head coach. Pittsburg seems most plausible. Todd Haley.

  38. Coach Harbaw… winning in Oakland…??
    not with Kaepernick = Sack ‘n Pick

    He will need to bring in a bona fide QB:
    Ryan Fitzpatrick maybe (6 TDs).
    or Andrew Luck (5 TDs) or Phillip Rivers (3 TDs)
    or any of the other nine ( 9 ) NFL quarterbacks
    who scored two touchdowns passing today.

    Ya gotta hope that Colin is studying some film of these guys.

    1. If Rams can score 52 on the Raiders I’m guessing next week we lose 9-6. Ok, not really but my niner faith is being sorely test. God give me the strength…

  39. Anyone see Mike Adams’ dive at DeSean Jackson’ knees after Jackson’ catch and run out of bounds?

    After Jackson went out of bounds it looked as if Adams was slightly brushed by a Washington player. At that point a flopping Adams aimed for DeSean’ knees.
    Classless cheap-shot!
    I expect Adams to receive a substantial fine.

      1. Scooter,
        It looked like Adams took aim at Jackson’ knees while flopping. He seemed to have an instant to avoid DJ, but instead fell right at his knees. It will be interesting how the league office views it.

        1. Yeah, I agree that’s what it looked like, but hard to prove it was intentional. End of the day the Washington player did push him in that direction, and I reckon Adams could easily argue he wasn’t intentionally trying to hit Jackson.

          If he does get punished, will be interesting to see what the NFLPA make of it.

  40. The Denver Blue and Orange is to Alex what the NYGiants Blue and White were.
    Kinda feel for Alex having to play in the same division as Payton.

  41. I still get a chuckle at the folks who think Alex smith getting traded was the wrong move. Still have a couple of bitter Smithers under aliases sticking around. And a couple who are still here. Starting with the writer of this blog. What’s smiths record vs winning teams at now?
    Chuckle chuckle. He’d be boo’d off the field again with this team. Dream on Cohn Heads!

    1. Did Alex regress?
      Let’s root for Blaine grabbert. He’s a #1 pick. Let harbaugh work his magic on him.

      1. Did he get better? He is guaranteed considerably more money than Kaepernick, is a ten year veteran, hasn’t improved and has lead the Chiefs to the same record this year as the Niners. Whooptie-doo.

    2. He’s now a career 7-38-1 when he has to lead his team to more than 21 points to win a game. He is also 9-11 since K.C.’s hot start to last season. Kaepernick is 14-6 during that stretch. Kaepernick may very well not be the answer, but Smith never was. “All he does is win.”
      He’s 7-5, same as Kaepernick.

      1. I didn’t get to watch the whole game. Stats say 15-23 for 156 yards. One pick not 2. And hey they scored 16 points.
        I think kaep only got to 10 pts against Denver.

      2. Right on, BigP. I don’t know if Colin is the answer either (yet), but to say we’re better off with a very typically pedestrian Alex Smith is nonsense.

        1. How is it nonsense to say that? They are virtually identical in the passing game, smith gets way better YAC from his rb and receivers… CK is a game breaking running threat. Who can stretch the field a bit more (when he’s actually accurate every other game)
          KC has a better TE, and better O-line, a better RB. KC is also loaded with talent. And a good coach. And yet his team still can’t beat playoff caliber teams. Again history shows if you’re going to have a game managing passing O and win a Super Bowl.
          A… You must have a top running game
          B.. An all world defense.
          Otherwise your offense better average about 25 a game and have a top 5 defense.
          Alex smith will never win a Super Bowl without those two things. And by the looks of it right now neither will ck. But I would still take a duel threat over a game managing 120 yard a game qb. Watching smith I still see hot read, or throw it away. He still hasn’t gotten significantly better with his other reads. They showed a stat last night on his timing of release. He’s top 3.

          1. I think you’re having a real difficult time with reading comprehension. I hope it’s just the holiday hangover.

    3. Typical Alex Smith day. 95.0 passer rating, but on closer examination you find that his QBR is a measly 4.6.

            1. If you look back at the compilation of current, even former passers and comparison of their QBRs vs. Passer Ratings, you’ll find that the QBR tends to be more reflective of the contributions of the quarterback. Go ahead and take a look at the 2013 final statistics and tell me why you think the passer rating is a more accurate stat.

              1. And that’s where I disagree. It’s reflective on what it deems as the contributions from the QB. Neither it or the passer rating are true reflections of what the QB does or what he has to put up with during the game.

              2. There are intangibles that the QBR and Passing ratings don’t show, like leadership. Russell Wilson is a leader. Alex has the respect of his teammates because he’s tough.
                He’s not the best QB out there, and he can struggle like the rest of them. He can make some nice throws, they may not be on a rope like Colin, but he can make other throws.
                He’s a middle of the pack QB.
                Colin was an unexciting player capable of making a big throw or play. But now he’s struggling so bad to be a pocket a QB, he really doesn’t have any strengths that you can build around. He’s not a threat as a runner anymore because teams scheme around his inability to read defenses, so they keep a spin on him, and have edge rushers flush him left.

  42. This song from “Annie Get Your Gun” long long ago fits this blog at times like a glove. Substitute names freely.

    [Annie:]
    Anything you can do, I can do better!
    I can do anything better than you!

    [Frank:] No you can’t!
    [Annie:] Yes, I can!
    [Frank:] No, you can’t!
    [Annie:] Yes, I can!
    [Frank:] No, you can’t!
    [Annie:] Yes, I can, Yes, I can!

    [Frank:]
    Anything you can be, I can be greater!
    Sooner or later I’m greater than you!

    [Annie:] No, you’re not!
    [Frank:] Yes, I am!
    [Annie:] No, you’re not!
    [Frank:] Yes, I am!
    [Annie:] No, you’re not!
    [Frank:] Yes, I am, Yes, I am!

    [Frank:] I can shoot a partridge, with a single cartridge!
    [Annie:] I can get a sparrow, with a bow and arrow!
    [Frank:] I can live on bread and cheese!
    [Annie:] And only on that?
    [Frank:] Yes!
    [Annie:] So can a rat!

    The difference is that the song, in it’s day, was charming.

  43. Oh BTW..
    Told you the troll Mary would be back in here once the seahaks won. And look what I see.. The glowstick troll back in action.

  44. While watching the Broncos and Chiefs game last night one of the things that stood out is both teams have 1-2 WR’s running 5-10 yard routes on every pass play. There were a couple of plays where Manning would have 3, maybe 4, WR’s running 5-10 yard comebacks. Another thing I noticed was Denvers WR’s were very aware of the sticks. How often do the niners have someone running those short routes? Is Kaep just not getting them the ball? Or is it a combination of Both?

    To watch Denver run the ball better than us made me so sad. They took exactly what we use to do, add an extra O-lineman, and ran the ball down the Cheifs throats. What is really going on with the niners?

    1. Was at my sisters house for Thanksgiving and my brother in law who seldom makes comments about football noticed that the plays the Niners ran were very predictable and stale. There are so many things wrong with this team on the foundational level. Fixing one or two things will not solve anything.

      I really think that the disconnect between the front office and coaching staff seems to have filtered down to the team itself. I posted right after the cut to get down to the 53 man limit in 2013 that the front office and coaching staff appeared to, not only to be on different pages, but to actually be working at cross purposes to each other. At that time I put most of the onus on TB. Now I really wonder if we will ever really know all the particulars or details once this mess reaches it’s final conclusion, except that as Abraham Lincoln quoting the Bible stated- ” A house divided against itself can not stand”.

  45. It was very evident early in the season just watching televised games that there was something amiss, especially with Kap. He just seemed to be listless and not very competitive. It doesn’t really matter where the prob comes from; it is the HC’s job to fix. The strange temporary chemistry of Harbaugh’s tenure as coach anywhere in particular handicaps his ability to right the ship. JH needs to fix things or leave. My guess is he is gone.

  46. hahahahahahha, Harbaugh may be dumb sometimes (keeping Roman) but he is no IDIOT

    why would he go to the WORST franchise in sports in the WORST stadium in sports, NEVER

    as a niner fan i hope he does so i can laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh and laugh

    Hire Tomsula and give Fangio a FAT raise

    FiRE ROMAN, clap clap clap clap clap (curse of santa clara stadium official chant)

  47. raiders fans are so stupid, most want to keep Reggie McKenzie

    they think CARR has talent…..hahahahahahahahahahahahaha, watched every game of his, his brother was better and so was PRIOR

    and Aaron Lynch and Chris Borland are 10 times the player Mack is, especially now that he’s learning with guys like the quitter DJ HAYDEN, the raider type

  48. Mack would rather celebrate at the end of 3rd down then play the 4th with the game on the line

    Raider Style

  49. The more I think about it, the more I think Barrows may be right. Too many heads calling plays and giving players advise.

    The D looks cohesive for the most part, week-to-week, but the offense is so schizophrenic. I rewached some old games (this last one had me in a deep funk). Sometimes Kap looks great, sometimes he looks lost.

    The Seahawks have his number, no doubt, and like Dallas, Giants, GB of old, those nemesis need to be vanquished with a decisive and deliberate victory. I hope that the team gets it together by the next Seahawks game.

    They (Richard Sherman, RW, Beastmode and co.) have got into their heads like the Johnson Cowboys used to do also. The team played this game very soft, and it had predictable results.

    1. I don’t think the Seahawks have his number. He just needs to not turn the ball over. The one thing Kaepernick needs to do is add an element of dink and dunking to his game. This will back up the pass rush, and keep drives alive. The 49ers defense needs to have to regroup throughout the game. So many times this year they have to come back on the field when the offense cannot engineer a long drive and establish field position and or score.
      Its not fair that Roman gets all the heat. Kaepernick has to a better job of taking the dump off which pretty sure there is one every play.

      1. FDM,
        Ding and dunk is how you beat the Seahawks. They give you the underneath stuff. Teams that are patient on offense can take advantage of that. The run, run, long pass strategy was a loser from the start.

      2. I do not think Roman gets all the heat, I do believe both Kaep, Roman, and Harbaugh all get a fair amount of criticism from everyone on this blog. The issue with the dink and dunk strategy, the niners rarely every have the outlet guy. Rarely are there backs leaking out of the backfield, or doing a curl route right where the LB’s are. When someone does do the underneath routes, Kaep misses them. If this is not a repetitive thing it’s an issue for everyone. Just think if Roman lines VD up, in the Fullback position and has him leak to the flats against a linebacker. Or heck put Ellington at the full back spot and let him do it. Let him take a hand off. What about getting Patton some reps. Our offensive strategy is terrible. That blame goes to all three.

        1. They have the backs out in routes often. One of the biggest misses by Kaepernick on Thursday night was when he threw the deep ball to Miller with Hyde wide open underneath.

          Just another example of Kaepernick not taking the easy throw. He needs to remember that a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

          1. This speaks to my earlier point about Kap needing to become more of a game manager. When it’s 3rd and 2 concentrate on getting the two yards, don’t throw it 25 yards downfield unless the receiver is really wide open.

      3. I have to disagree FDM. THe Seahawks own CK. He doesn’t know how to stay calm against a ferocious defense. He panicks, loses composure and makes ill advised decisions which have led to all the turnovers. Those turnovers have all been because of poor decision making that have lost them big games against Seattle. It’s not like they are scheming up some complicated defense!

        1. What offense has done well against that basic defense that you are referring to seatle having? Oh ya Rodgers, Bree’s, manning to name a few have done so well against them! CK was horrific last game and it made me think if he is the long term QB for this team. He needs to be allowed to play his game and not sit in the pocket cause are line sucks and are receivers can’t beat me in a foot race. We have no TE. This team needs retooling and I don’t think kaep is part of that. With that being said they must draft a QB as early as rnd 2 this next draft.. It’s good to have a back up plan.

        2. I don’t think that Kaepernick panics. He may be impatient, which may illustrate itself that way in games. His fragility in dealing with critics may be an indication of his impatience. Harbaugh seems to be the same and together it may be offensive chaos.

          1. That’s concerning then because he is 27 yearsold and been in the league now 4 years. Its time to put the distractions aside and play sound football.

            There is an evolution for all new players in the league but like someone mentioned, the QB cannot turn the ball over and expect to give his team a chance to win. Fumbles and interceptions are demoralizing and deflating. The 1st pick last Thursday you could tell just popped the 49ers balloon.

          2. I also do not think “panics” is the right word. What I think Kap is doing is reacting to what he sees rather than analyzing what he sees. This stands in contrast to early last year, where he seemed to be over-analyzing and second guessing everything he saw.

            I have stated this before, but one of the main issues I see with Kap’s game is that he cannot or has been told not to rely on his security blanket (i.e, running the ball). This has led to a QB who at times is indecisive because he overthinks and second guesses or who at other times is reactionary and makes decisions rashly. He needs someone or something to force him to find a new security blanket.

            1. I agree with you JPN. It looks like Kap is not comfortable at times and that could be him fighting the urge to run.

      4. “The one thing Kaepernick needs to do is add an element of dink and dunking to his game.”

        19 of his 29 passes were thrown 9 yards or less. It doesn’t get more dinking and dunking than that.

        1. Its the dink and dunking at opportune times. Managing the game better when need be. I love how you statistics guys use them as law.

          1. So what you’re really saying is to that Kaepernick needs to take what the defense is giving him. I agree with that.

          2. There’s no need to be so afraid of information. All else being equal, informed analysis > uninformed analysis.

            The more you know.

          3. Exactly, these stat nerds think its the be all end all.
            CK has not been able to dink and dunk his way against Seattle because he has been looking for the home run shot. Instead he should be more methodical and take what they have given them. Long drives to keep on the field more.

            1. There is a time and place for both. On Kaepernick’s first interception he had Lloyd wide open and missed the throw badly. On the throw to Miller on the opening drive of the second half he had the man wide open underneath but tried for force the “shot play” throw to Miller.

              1. So what your saying is he can’t read the defense and he is inaccurate. My sentiments exactly!

              2. Yes and No. Kaepernick is incredibly inconsistent. He’s like a box of chocolates from game to game, and this makes it very difficult to call plays successfully.

              3. Hammer that is the post of the day. Roman has tried a lot of different things this year with personnel and scheme for this offense. The inconsistency from CK has made it difficult. Every time they give him more leeway, he blows it up. They stick to the run, they have a chance.
                What’s Roman suppose to do when he doesn’t know what or how his QB will perform. The erratic throws is impossible for any coordinator to have faith in him.
                He’s gotta go!

          4. Its the dink and dunking at opportune times. Managing the game better when need be. I love how you statistics guys use them as law.

            And what’s that going to help with? Where is his threat to gain big YAC yards? Gore is obviously done. Watching other teams rb’s with speed clearly shows he’s just not fast anymore. And without a Charles, or Austin. The short game will go nowhere. We don’t have a speed threat for screens or short passes set up for YAC.

            1. What is it going to help with? Really? Maybe keeping our defense fresh. Possibly sustaining drives that we can mix up play action and some deep shots. Come on man, watch the games.

              1. FDM the 49ers offense controls the clock better than most. Generating points instead of resting the defense is a little more important. How’s that working out? Do you watch the games? Smh

            2. MD

              You’re right…Hunter is hurt and LaMichael is playing for Miami; Colt is in Washington, Cooper and Alex are in KC, Dobbs and Mike Robinson and Lockette are in Seattle, etc.,…etc.,…

        2. <i.It doesn’t get more dinking and dunking than that.

          I take it you haven’t watched any Chiefs games this year.

            1. Yeah, nothing ruins a joke like poor execution. I blame the long layoff.

              On second thought, I blame Roman. Apparently, everything is his fault.

  50. As painful as it was, I watched a replay of the Seattle game last night (before hitting the delete button on my DVR). Here are my questions for Jack (as the only poster here who seems to have coached football, and who does not always come up with lazy and superficial analysis where everything is the fault of the QB or the O Coordinator.

    1. Have you noticed how Marcus Martin gets shoved back a yard or so on just about every snap?

    2. Could that be the reason why the team has had trouble scoring ever since Kilgore went down?

    3. Should Baalke get the blame for relying on a 20 year old Rookie as the backup center going into the season?

    3. Is there a worst Right Tackle in the league than Jonathan Martin?

    4. If your center consistently gives ground does it not make impossible for the QB to step up in the pocket?

    5. If you right tackle consistently gives ground does it not make it impossible for your QB to roll to his right.

    6. If your right tackle is so bad that you need either a Tight End or a Running Back to stay in and help him on pass plays, does it not mean that the QB has one less safety valve to throw to in case nobody is open down field.

    7. The media has annointed Borland as a potentiaol all pro, but does he not have trouble with the quick pass over the middle. Was the big play to Baldwin leading to Seattle’s only TD not directly Boreland’s fault. Should the Niners consider taking Borland out on passing downs where he seems to be a liability ?

    1. Rick,

      Since Kilgore’s injury the offensive line has definitely struggled. They are giving up sacks at a higher rate, averaging over half a yard less per carry, etc, and that doesn’t cover what I think the biggest problem is. With Kilgore in he communicated all of the adjustments at the line. Now that falls on Boone.

      I don’t think you blame Baalke for how the oline was set up. There are only so many spots on the roster.

      Is there a worst right tackle than Jonathan Martin? Absolutely. I know he gave up a sack on Thursday night, but on that play if his man doesn’t get Kaepernick another one will. The entire line broke down on that play.

      Regarding Borland, I haven’t been able to watch the coaches film yet as NFL Rewind has not posted it so I don’t know what type of coverage they were in. For the most part my impression of Borland is that he’s decent in coverage, and no worse than Wilhoite.

  51. Man, I am glad I decided to avoid this place over the holiday weekend. What a cesspool of agenda-driven finger-pointing, scapegoating and/or shielding of favorites.

    It’s like some people were waiting for the team to lose so that they could unsheathe their knives and stab someone.

    1. You nailed it Claude. Seems we have a high number of people that live to antagonize and argue an agenda. Not really much worth reading here the past few days.

  52. Whew, what a job reading through this hot mess of comments.
    > Everybody is reading too much into a few scraps of info and some speculation and rumors. Wayyyy too much. Now I have come around to the where-there’s-smoke-there’s-fire idea, but the poo being spread around about what’s going to happen is amazing.
    > Our resident QB & Passing Game Expert Analyst on here is demonstrating his intelligence by advocating for Blaine Gabbert. ’nuff said there.
    >Raiders? Don’t like Jed & Trent? Go work for Mark Davis. Right.
    >Cowboys? Don’t like Jed & Trent? Go work for Jerry Jones. Right.
    >Jets? Don’t like Jed & Trent? Go work for Woody Johnson & Idzik? Right. No, wrong!
    > Firing GRo in mid-season? I don’t know more than anyone else, but I’d doubt it; it would be a dumb and disruptive move right now.
    > Firing GRo after season (assuming JH stays)? Hard to predict that, although its possible he’d be quietly encouraged to advance his career elsewhere. But so what? JH will find someone else to run the JH Offense.
    > If/when Harbaugh leaves it will be a MAJOR disruption no matter who comes in.
    Vic is a JH hire, who says he’ll stay here w/o JH? New Coach going to embrace Vic or want his own guy? If Jed/Trent insist, they’ll likely get a lesser Coach who’d accept those restrictions.
    What is the new HC & OC favored scheme on Offense? Will CK have to learn a totally new system? How long will that take?
    Sometimes its necessary, but it usually involves a couple of steps backwards before moving ahead.
    > Who is this next Messiah who’s going to lead the team out of darkness? Pffffftt! The only guy who comes to mind for me right now who could continue the team’s current roster momentum probably doesn’t want the job; Bill Cowher. And I might be living in the past on that one.

    1. Some good thoughts and questions raised BT.

      I keep trying to wrap my head around why the Offense has been so inconsistent this year and I keep coming back to the changes made in the offseason.

      First there was the streamlining of the offense as Roman called it. They wanted to cut out the clutter or something to that effect. I’m wondering what that entailed and whether that has a part to play in all of this.

      I also look back to the fact that this offense has struggled since TC. They didn’t look good in the preseason at all and it’s carried over into the season. If you can’t build on what you’ve learned in TC it’s tough to improve throughout the year and they haven’t.

      Barrows wrote a piece on the fact the Niners have 12 offensive Coaches which is excessive. I wonder if as he insinuates, there are too many voices and opinions that are muddying the offensive gameplan from week to week?

      Kap has a part to play in this too. He’s inconsistent and he’s also trying to change his game which seems to have him thinking too much at times and not playing instinctively. That is strictly my opinion from what I’ve seen, but quite often I see him holding the ball in the pocket where he’s had opportunities to run, and I can’t help but wonder if he’s being told not to run and wait for a receiver to open up. That could be part of the issue. They are trying to Coach him up to become a pocket passer obviously, but it may be harnessing the natural talent he has for making plays. He’s also unwilling at times to take a short gain instead waiting, often at the expense of a sack, for the big play. I don’t know if that is just him being stubborn, or if that is what he’s being Coached to do. Smith took an awful lot of sacks in his time with Harbaugh too.

      On top of all of this is the poor Oline play some weeks, drops other weeks and the struggles in the running game. Tough to pinpoint what the core issue is, which means it’s likely a combination of things that will be hard to fix this season.

      1. “I keep trying to wrap my head around why the Offense has been so inconsistent this year”

        It starts up front.

        1. Jack i do’nt understand why so many here just do’nt get it. Games are won and lost up front and the 9ers O line has been bottom 5 all year. I understand part of the problem has been injuries but that does’nt explain why past pro bowl caliber players have regressed so quickly.

            1. I’d start with Boone personally. He’s been off his game all season, but then again, he wasn’t that good last year either. Maybe this is what he is.

              1. Boone and Iupati have not been all that good since 2012. Perhaps with Staley we are seeing him struggle because of the increase in pass plays. The 49ers were pass heavy again on Thursday night.

          1. Coach every unit in football struggles. The problem with the 49ers this year when they have lost or had a chance to win is turonovers. Bottom line it killed us against the Bears, Rams, and Hawks.

          2. Ok, I seem to be getting a better picture as to what may be going wrong:
            >Incosistancy and inexperience at the O line is creating ripples in offensive production.
            > Erratic and impatience at the QB position, coupled with challanges in accuracy.
            >Too many cooks cooking the offensive strategy makes for a bad stew, especially in important games.
            >Gore does not have the explosiveness he once had and it is adversely affecting offense. Young runner not yet well incorporated into run game also.
            >VD and Crabs are not what they were.
            >NT and MLB are struggling vs run in particular but that is affecting pass also.

            All of these have led to anemic production overall but a real bottleneck in the red zone.

        2. I agree the Oline play is a big part of it, but I lump it in with everything else that seems to be causing inconsistency from week to week because the Oline seems to play well some weeks and the offense still struggles to put points on the board.

          It just seems like it’s been a season long struggle to get all phases playing well together at the same time. This offense was never a passing juggernaut, but they had an effective play action passing game and the run was the staple. Now they struggle to run it consistently and the passing game is hit and miss. As I stated earlier, I think some of the problem may have been the changes made in the offseason.

            1. I don’t know FDM, but the offense as a whole doesn’t seem to have much confidence at the moment.

            2. Speaking of confidence, the ominous sign from Thursday is that one of the key red zone weapons abandoned his route running after a couple of steps. It’s as if he was certain that the QB was not going to go to his second read (first read was a well-covered Miller and Kap’s throw to him should have been intercepted).

              1. Mood,

                I heard Ted Robinson make the same statement on KNBR this morning so I checked it out. You do realize that Boldin’s initial responsibility on that play was to block right?

              2. Jack

                Thanks for the gif. I heard about it on Tim Ryan’s Friday interview on KNBR. But are you not surprised that Boldin did not run into the end zone once there was not need for a block? Kap was throwing from the 30 yard line with the LoS at 22 yards with reasonably good protection. He may have had enough time to find a second (also on the left side of the end zone) or third option (could have been Boldin in the middle or right corner had he run a route). Kap looked at Miller all the way.

              3. Mood,

                “But are you not surprised that Boldin did not run into the end zone once there was not need for a block?”

                Why would I be surprised? Boldin’s responsibility on that play was to block the outside linebacker and then release across the middle. That’s exactly what he did. By the time he began to release Kaepernick had already begun his throwing motion. Guys don’t just freelance on a play unless the QB is scrambling.

                Kaepernick definitely had enough time to go to his second read which likely was Hyde who was wide open in the flat on the left side.

          1. The offense has never been that great under Harbaugh and Roman. It’s worse this season, but it’s never been great.
            I think the coaching staff has hit a wall, so to speak. They came out with their funky formations and shifts and threw people off the first year. They brought Kaep and the read option in during their second year. They struggled when Crabtree went down with his Achilles tear last year.
            This season, it just seems like the NFL is ready for anything they bring on offense. There are no effective gimmicks or new wrinkles. When everything is going well and everybody is healthy, they can be effective.
            Offensive system aside, a coordinator like Norv Turner would provide a much smoother curve to their performances. Like Fangio, he can quickly adjust on the fly and has so much experience that nothing fazes him.
            Kaep needs to play better, but the offense as a whole isn’t clicking. There doesn’t seem to be a philosophy and the tricks don’t work anymore. They need an identity and that starts with the coaches. Fangio’s defense doesn’t have that problem. There is a lack of play calling experience on the offensive side, which may be why they have three different coaches contributing to the process.

    2. >>> Who is this next Messiah who’s going to lead the team out of darkness?

      From the Sqwaks OC to the Broncos OC to Chuckie, to all of our more than qualified inhouse candidates, why there is a plethora to pick from, Brotha! And that half dozen to 10 other NFL teams that will be looking for new HCs? There’s plenty to go around. That’s what I learned here over the weekend.

  53. There will be no trade. Baalke/York will fire Roman and Harbaugh will be informed that Baalke will “help” in the hiring of a new coordinator forcing Harbaugh into leaving the position. He will then either take the Raider job [with out giving up a pick] or go to Mich.

    1. @Old coach

      That is an excellent read on the scenario….everyone is concerned about firing JH as to costing too much for the Yorks….horsefeathers! ….they can afford it!

    2. What’s the likeliness of firing Roman sooner rather than later and Harbs calling the plays from here on out?

    3. Trade makes no since.

      – Why would a roster depleted team give up a draft pick for a coach on his way out?

      – Why would a coach (likely to cash in big time at Mich) take a job on a roster depleted team that just lost a draft pick?

      I’m expected if the Niners miss the playoffs, Harbaugh will…
      – Take a plum college job that pays major bucks
      – Do very well for 3 years
      – Then take a plum NFL job in 2018 on a team with a packed (but under-coached) roster.

      Shampoo, Rinse, Repeat.

    4. Aren’t you forgetting what is in Harbaugh’s contract? He has control of his coaching staff. If what you expect happens, Harbaugh would have to agree, which means they would have to give him something more than another lame duck year. After all, with all the leaking from the top, 2014 has been a lame duck year one year ahead of normal.

  54. If the Niners had JH under contract for 2-3 more years a trade of him might make more sense. It would seem he’d prefer to have more control and perhaps get some competitive bidding going for him.

    1. I think the chances of trading him are no more than media fodder and wishful thinking from the front office if they indeed are contemplating that. Harbaugh has to agree to be traded and I seriously doubt he’s going to let the team dictate where he can or can’t go.

      My guess is if they don’t make the playoffs, York, Baalke and Harbaugh all butt heads and Harbaugh winds up getting fired. If they do make the playoffs and win a game then maybe they find some middle ground, but with all the nonsense floating around who knows if they can find it going forward? It may be too late to salvage the relationship at this point.

      1. My guess is if they don’t make the playoffs, York, Baalke and Harbaugh all butt heads and Harbaugh winds up getting fired. If they do make the playoffs and win a game then maybe they find some middle ground, but with all the nonsense floating around who knows if they can find it going forward? It may be too late to salvage the relationship at this point.

        My thoughts exactly, Rocket. I think not making the playoffs would lead to a change.

      2. Rocket:

        If the FO tries to trade JH and he says no, then couldn’t the FO also just keep him on staff but name a new HC. If they fire JH, they still have to pay him. So if the FO feels that JH vetoed the trade out of spite, they could spite him by not firing him but naming a new head coach. Isn’t this a possibility?

          1. But such a “soap opera” alternative would make the organization look bad since it is not operating with “good faith” as defined/measured by standard practices within the industry. Unless I’ve forgotten or don’t know about another similar scenario that has played out previously.

            1. “they could spite him by not firing him but naming a new head coach.”

              cubus, if they pull something like that, I’m not sure if I could watch another 49er game until a new ownership arrives. Firing Jim is one thing (although I think that’s still a mistake) but creating your own circus for personal reasons? That’s not how you run an organization or any other business.

          2. Oh, c’mon man! That scenario would be like trying to have a wolverine as a house pet. Not workable. Just fire him would be the only way. We’re talking about Jim Harbaugh here.

            1. Brotha: Were you subconsciously thinking of Michigan when you chose the allegorical animal? LOL.

        1. I’m guessing that he has full authority over his coaching staff. What coach (besides Jason Garret) would let the owner dictate the staff?

        2. Cubus,

          Not an option for the reasons you listed and the fact you are pretty much guaranteeing anarchy in your organization.

          The only option they have is to find a team Harbaugh is willing to go to, and then agreeing on compensation that he and his future employer can live with. The chances of that happening if the reports of acrimony are true, are slim and none. Maybe a pick in the middle to late rounds possibly if a team really wants Harbaugh and he’s willing to commit to them long term, but that would be about it imo.

          I truly believe he’s either signed long term (low percentage) or fired (high percentage).

          1. There’s also a good chance that JH’s contract has an offset clause, so if he gets fired and finds another position fairly quickly, the FO will only have to pay the difference. Since it appears that JH is coveted by other organizations, firing him would make sense if a trade can’t be worked out.

        3. That would sure make the 49ers look like a good organization to work for. Sounds like something Al Davis did with a future Hall of Fame running back.

    2. Guys …

      I posted the video above, in hopes to garner just
      a tad of perspective, and maybe a smidgen of
      introspective for this blog ..

      Way back when … Eddie D .. “fired” Bill Walsh ..
      not once .. but several times …
      Mostly over egos …

      (sound familiar ?) ..

      However .. it was a quiet man with some common sense
      in the corner office – with a big box of spackle .. who
      was able to smooth things over .. again and again..
      to keep the freight train known as the Niner Dynasty
      running !

      I hope and pray Eddie D has Jed’s ear enough to pass
      this great bit of wisdom down to him .. as well as the
      phone number ..

      1-800- John McVie

        1. It was Eddie D that hired Joe Thomas. His gutting of 49er history (throwing out all 49ers memorabilia in the trash, and forbidding anyone from rescuing those treasures) was downright sociopath.

          Eddie loved to throw fits. He came close to firing BW many times.

  55. For those who were hoping for a come to Jesus moment from Harbaugh in regards to firing Roman, he compared him to Chip Kelly this morning so that won’t be happening.

    1. True, rocket .. but
      how much stock can you put in that statement ?

      Remember .. The Harbs also said
      Alex was “elite” …

      Just before Alex got on the plane for KC

    2. Both Chipster and Roman have been innovative run game designers. That’s where the similarity begins and ends.

      Chip likes to keep his playbook small, his play calls simple and focus on execution. The opposite for Roman (and Harbaugh).

      Chip is good at hiding flaws in the line up (new or inadequate O line play, revolving QB position, etc.). Roman — not so much.

      Chip takes calculated risks in play calling, whether to go for it on fourth down or go for the jugular when playing with a lead. Roman and Harbaugh are essentially very conservative play callers and when they start taking risks, it seems gratuitous, as if they are trying to make a point.

    3. Rocket, I’ll be shocked if Jim allows Roman to be fired at any point in this season. Sure, Jed has the power to do it but I believe Jim will do everything in his power for that not to happen. I don’t know Jim personally but it seems like he is the kind of guy that will protect his coaches and players at all cost.

      1. ricardo,

        I agree with you. I don’t see Harbaugh being told who to hire or fire which gives the team a reason to use as an excuse for firing him.

  56. The Yorks are egotistical enough to destroy a good thing. I agree Harbaugh has his shortcomings, but who is better that they will get. 1 bad year out of three is not a terrible track record.
    We need to get rid of the Yorks they are horrible owners who destroyed the niners once are poised to do it again

    1. Actually it’s one average year out of four, and good luck getting rid of an NFL owner. Just take a minute and look at the York’s peers.

  57. From PFF via Cam Inman of the Merc:
    “Colin Kaepernick has attempted more deep passes than anyone in the NFL. Yes, more than Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and, heck, almost twice as many as Aaron Rodgers.

    Kaepernick’s accuracy, however, ranks 20th when it comes to passes of 20 yards or more, according to the stat gurus at Pro Football Focus. He’s attempted a league-high 61 passes in that range, and he’s completed 20, with four touchdowns and four interceptions.”

    1. You read that Bayareafanatic? Your hero who was suppose to stretch the field, open up the passing game, threaten it outside the numbers. Yeah okaaaaaaayyyy!!!!!!!!!!

      1. Hey foreigner,
        Which receiver can actually gain separation?
        At what point this year has the line consistently given time to throw deep?
        How many times has Roman gone away from our strength to call unbalanced games leading to losses?
        I know you want to feel like you are one of us. You know Americans that watch and understand football. I admire you trying though. It’s cute.

        1. bay:

          Your incessant whining about alleged racism would be more tolerable if you weren’t so prone to making comments like this.

          Does anyone know what allegedly racist things CfC wrote to bunch up bay’s panties?

          1. I didn’t, I was pointing out how bad Kaepernick sucks and he became butt hurt and decided to start calling me a racist. He’s done it multiple times even though the subject of race has never come up. It’s gotten to the point that I’ve already commented that I’m pretty sure he doesn’t even know what the word even means.

    2. Mood,
      I may have missed it, but does PFF give a number on what determines a deep pass?
      I thought it was anything over 20 yards.

      The other factor is; which WR’s are on the end of those long throws.
      Is there a higher percentage of deep balls thrown to SJohnson, BLloyd, or to our regulars which are Crabtree and Boldin?
      Does PFF have that breakdown?

    3. Does that count the multiple drops that were on the money?
      Or the penalties that aren’t called?
      This is why stats suck.

  58. The memory of replacing Mariucci with Erickson tends to slow my blood lust for firing coaches.

    The list of replacements may not be as big as we think. Baalke is NOT a WCO GM. Neither is the current roster.

    Forget about HC candidates that are WCO-ish (since few teams run strict WCO anymore) oriented. Forget about up-tempo or spread HCs too. Forget about (strictly) zone blocking coaches.

    The organization from Baalke, to the assistants, to the players is built on the Parcells model. Any new HC will have to fit that mold… unless Baalke is fired too.

    1. This is why if they went the college route again Gus Malzahn would be a terrific candidate.

    2. B2W,
      Absolutely agree with you take. At the moment I don’t see a coach on the horizon that can come in and replace Harbaugh.

      A new coach would likely revamp the offensive scheme which may take years to establish with the players.
      Let’s face it, there aren’t too many Chip Kelley’ out there that could make such a quick impact in only a couple of years.

      I actually would like to see Harbaugh stay and find a new OC along with drafting or signing a FA QB who could push Kap.
      But I think that Harbaugh has one foot out the door, and my assumption was definitely strengthened by the non-spirited play on Thanksgiving.
      My guess is that the team may have already been told by Harbaugh of his departure.
      But hey, just one man’s thoughts.

      1. I think any new HC/OC will have to fit the power offense model that started under Nolan/McCloughan. The whole offense is capitalized around it.

        Baalke’s “win the middle” model provides a contrarian draft advantage. Players that fit his model can be drafted lower then they were 30 years ago like Borland or Hyde. (Its not all peachy. Big, athletic power o-linemen go higher in drafts).

        One thing a power offense needs besides running… a slick play action deep passing game to loosen the box. That’s missing bigtime. The two years wasted waiting for Jenkins to develop looms large. And CK’s play action fakes from under center are… um… “in development.”

        1. Is Kaepernick failing to carry out good play action fakes, or is the opposition being coached to ignore the run fake?

          1. I think Colin’s read option fakes are well developed. His play action fakes from the pro-set don’t seem as slick as other QBs. Wilson’s were like magic tricks Thursday night.

            Could be his height. Harder to conceal the ball.

            Harbaugh teachers a two/handed jabbing style of play action fake, using the torso to conceal where the ball is. Good for ball security I imagine.

        2. That’s possible, but I don’t think Baalke is as married to the Parcells offense as you think.

          Keep in mind Baalke is the one who went out and signed Lloyd and traded for SJ, and if his daughter’s thoughts come from Dad’s point of view at all, then he may be quite open to change.

          I also don’t buy the notion this team is only setup to run a power system either. They have talented players that could thrive in any number of systems in my opinion including the QB who it appears is miscast as a dropback QB, at least at this point in his career.

          1. Depends on the player. Staley could play anywhere. So could Boldin. Crabs might thrive in WCO.

            But… Baalke has said many times he believes in drafting towards a specific type, and gave direct credit to Parcell’s for instilling this value in him.

            Power offenses will acquire speed receivers, and even a speedy scat back (like Dave Meggett), but usually capitalize o-lines, starting RBs and TEs to fit a specific type.

            I can’t imagine the 49ers going away from power running with Baalke remaining as GM.

        3. B2W,
          Baalke’ “win the middle” mantra may need some fresh injection of speed for that philosophy to have a chance.

          Winning in the trenches could be successful with the added element of more speed on the outside and a fast RB (change of pace) that could help eliminate the defense filling the box.
          Right now, even if Gore breaks free on a run he will only go for a 15-20 scamper before getting tackled. No way am I making a pitch to replace Gore, only saying that a RB that could provide a threat to take it all the way will cause the defense to play on their heels a little more as opposed to just digging in.

          The same applies to speed on the outside. I’m good with our present WR corps but with a WR that can stretch the field the defense would have to make a change on coverage.

          I still like the philosophy of using Boldin and Crabtree as possession WR’s that can get YAC but having a Tavon Austin, TY Hilton type could not help the entire offense, but actually help open more opps for Boldin and Crabtree because the Safety would need to assist the CB covering the outside speed WR.

    3. Also concerning is the ripple effect. Replacing Harbaugh could mean
      – No more CK7
      – Having to use up a high draft pick on a new QB
      – Losing Fangio or other quality assistants

      Will [New HC] = [Harbs+CK7+lost assistants+lost draft pick on new QB] ?

      I admit the formula is based on assumptions, but still worth considering.

  59. Interesting comment by Michael Crabtree to Eric Davis last Friday on NFL Network:
    “Some of this is game plan. You heard Richard Sherman say in his postgame interview he was expecting certain routes. If you stick to the same things from an offensive gameplan standpoint, good players are going to read it and know it. … You have to look at from the coaching staff standpoint and start changing things up.”

    1. That sounds like the opposition scouts or offense better than we scout our own offense. That impression goes all the way back to after Mariucci was fired in a late night drunken stupor by Dr. York.

      Wasn’t our tight ends coach supposed to help with self scouting? What was his name?

      1. LOL re Mangini. What’s he doing there anyway? I’m never comfortable with highly paid people with vague job descriptions.

        TE continuity was hampered by Vernon’s holdout. Derek Carrier (most similar to Delaney Walker) hurt doesn’t help.

        According to reports, the 49ers were installing more sweeps, and plays that run off sweeps like bootlegs and reverses in TC.

        My hunch… The 49ers were installing some significant run game changes in training camp, but had to chuck them as thew season approached. Its had a ripple effect all season.

    2. One thing is for sure, on the two interceptions, Sherman wasn’t distracted at all by either receiver’s route. He watched Kaepernick all the way, and then took advantage of three very bad throws. Maybe Sherman has hypnotic eyes.

    3. That is something I noted previously. Our offense is highly predictable. It is not fluke that opponents are so good at sniffing out our run plays, or at covering our WRs. There is little hesitation on the Ds part, and that moment of hesitation can make or break a play.

      1. Thanks, but our granddaughter’s boy friend was an Army captain running convoys in Afghanistan and Iraq. He had people constantly trying to kill him. That’s service.

        Prevention just isn’t the same thing unless you cartwheel on landing. ;-}

  60. This drama reminds me of my years teaching Junior High School. If they fire Jim, the team will tank and be unrecognizable in two years. We don’t go “up” from here. Might be a two-year rebuild under Jim, but hells-bells the Niners have had a great run the last four years. Even this year is better than the bad luck and W/L of a wad of other NFL teams…

  61. If there is on thing my many decades of playing, coaching and watching football have led me to believe is that at any time there are about 12 to 16 men on the earth who can be consistent winning coaches in the NFL. Not many, so if you have one you should probably hold on to him. I was’nt in love with Marriucci but he was a proven winner but that did’nt stop the majority of 49er fans from calling for his job. I remember when the Bears fired Lovie Smith and replaced him with Trestman, many here called it a great move even though Smith was a proven winner in chicago. I’m not in love with Harbaughs style of offense and i’m really begining to question his drafting of CK but he is a proven winner at the NFL level. I do’nt care how much you might love a given OC or DC or how much you might love a given college coach chances are he will be a bust as a HC in the NFL. imho

    1. You have my vote. The memory of York’s drunken midnight firing of Mariucci, replacing him with Erickson looms large. Unless there’s an intolerable internal conflict, I’d hang onto Harbaugh for another season.

      It would also be another feather in Seahawks bonnet if they…
      – Killed the 49ers playoff chances
      – Had turkey dinner on the 49er logo
      – Humiliated their mouthy CBs old college coach
      – Threw their rival’s organization into disarray

      all in one night.

      Calm down. Win the next ballgame. Go from there.

      1. In some ways, BW and Baalke rescued the impulsive Debartolo/Yorks from themselves. Time for Baalke to hold steady, but with probationary parameters for Harbaugh like….

        Game clock management must be fixed. Running at clock chewing pace (snapped the ball at 2 secs on the playclock) 19 pts down in the 4th qtr is downright bizarre. Harbaugh’s late game management has been mindless by any standard.

        1. B2W: Had a discussion with Jack in another thread regarding whether the plays going through Harbaugh are slowing things down. Today I listened to Colin’s after game press talk and he said that the plays are relayed to him through Chryst. So now another person to possibly slow things down.

    2. The one thing I have found, no matter the sport, you won’t have continued success with a divided front office. You can have personalities that don’t get along, that have arguments, whatever, but once they become divided and stop working together, start focusing on their own agendas rather than the team’s, it is over.

      While we aren’t in the building and aren’t privy to the inner workings, there is enough smoke out there to think this front office is at (or past) that breaking point. I have seen sports clubs brought to their knees (some even fold entirely) due to division at the top. The 49ers need to address that first and foremost, and if that takes getting rid of Harbaugh, then so be it.

      1. Scooter:

        You seem to have kind of moved to the half empty view of things on this issue. Was it the loss on Thursday that pushed you in that direction or something else?

        1. To be honest I have been assuming this was Harbaugh’s last year at the 49ers all season. Maybe I am naive, but I just think there are too many rumours about a fall out between Baalke and Harbaugh to not have some truth to it. And assuming it is true, I firmly believe the front office division is the most important thing to fix moving forward – far more important than anything that happens on the field. As with any organisation, in-fighting at the top filters through an organisation and creates an unhealthy and distracting work environment. And Harbaugh seems the more likely one to go out of Baalke and Harbaugh.

          As for the season, I’ve not completely given up on the season, but it is now looking highly unlikely we make the playoffs. We need a lot of things to go our way, and we need our moribund offense to show signs of life, which it hasn’t done much of all season. I’ve been waiting and expecting the offense to improve all season, but at this point they are actually getting worse rather than better. It is a bad sign, and with players now openly commenting on the game plan it is a sign of a team that is losing belief in the system. Once they players no longer believe, it is highly unlikely they will turn it around any time soon.

          1. It’s not that bad because “all” we have to do is win out. A little four game winning streak. Right! Right?

      2. When has the Bay Area media ever been right about rumours and speculation regarding the Niners?
        When JH was hired he made a point to not leak anything outside the organization because when Singletary was here, the media knew more than the players.
        This Harbaugh trade to the Raiders or Jets is all media driven. You guys are all fooling yourselves if you believe any of this with 4 games to go and still alive in the playoff hunt.

        1. That could change if the 49ers are mathematically eliminated from the playoffs. Tomsula might get another chance to still be the winningest NFL coach.

      3. Harbough may be irritating, but I’ve never thought of him as a sly schemer in the background. I don’t think of Baalke that way either. I don’t know about the two holders of power above them.

        Sunday I happened to watch some of the one hour NFL local rap up on channel five. Of course one of the discussions was about Harbaugh and his troubles as they relate to his future. All during the discussions they ran clips, mostly from 2011 and 2012, of Harbaugh flapping his wings and dropping his clip board while making the point that he was hard to live with.

        One thing I’ve noticed is that in 1014 Harbaugh has been much less wildly animated on the side lines. Perception, according to Steve Young, is reality in the NFL.

        1. I wasn’t implying either Baalke or Harbaugh are being sly, or looking to undercut each other. Just that there is a lot of rumour that suggests they may not be walking along the same path towards team goals anymore. not on the same page. And unwilling to bend. Can’t have that at the top.

          Now I admit it may all just be rumour, but there is too much of it too throw out lightly.

          1. I was pointing my figurative finger at another source that has succeeded in making 2014 a lame duck season for Harbaugh.

            Harbaugh and Baalke may not like each other but they share the same understanding of the way to build a team. I don’t see them working at cross purposes with each other. Baalke has the final word on personnel, and I’m sure that in four years there have been plenty of players they disagreed about.

            My totally uninformed opinion is that Jed doesn’t like the fact that Jim didn’t extend his contract on Jed’s terms, and chose to bet on himself doing better.

            At that point, again uninformed by facts, I think that Jed began laying the public relations ground work for letting a coach with an outstanding record go. For Jed, an unintended side effect might be that the players got the idea that 2014 was a lame duck year for their coaching staff.

      4. Scooter: In my opinion it’s kind of the chicken or the egg thing. Which one comes first. No hesitation on my part, the coach comes first. And I would want the Coach to chose his GM, that way they’d get along for sure. It sounds like Harbaugh is gone, but I think you’ll look back on this and regret it. He’s a great coach.

        1. The 49ers could very likely regret any decision to get rid of Harbaugh. In fact I would expect to see a drop off. But finding a good GM can be just as hard as finding a good coach (and I appreciate there is still plenty of debate as to whether Baalke is a good GM).

          From all reports it sounds like Jed would side with Baalke on this anyway, so it appears that Harbaugh is the more likely one to go. So be it. I think Baalke and a HC he can work with is better long term for the 49ers than Baalke and Harbaugh together, if they can’t work together.

    3. Mariucci was forced, by his team resources, into a heavy running team plan. That wasn’t his style, but he was a good enough coach to go with the talent that he had. That was blasphemy for fans and clueless ownership who were weened on Montana and all that those great teams represented. They believed that their entitlement was more important than any effect to level competition brought on by the salary cap.

      Mariucci was fired because he took a job with an organization that thought then, and still thinks now, that it’s their birthright to celebrate Superbowl wins or find a scapegoat for failure to do so. The fact that the firing took place in the wee hours after a playoff loss, and was carried out by a drunk doctor who counted water bottles, is immaterial.

      NFL competition is forever leveled by the salary cap, brought on by Eddie. Anyone expecting continued ultimate wins at the end of each season is doomed to cry for change. What change? It doesn’t matter, as long as it satisfies the urge to blame.

    4. Coach, exactly! It boggles my mind why the team canned Mooch. I knew the Ericson hiring would bring misery to the team and it continued way longer than any fan would have wanted. The FO would be literally shooting itself in the foot to get rid of Harbaugh. If there are internal issues address them quietly. If there are disgruntled players, can them and bring in hungry players who desire to win.

      1. When you are drunk, and your main job is to count the number of water bottles being consumed by your wife’s NFL football team, and you fire your coach after midnight the day the team lost a playoff game, you’re not about to be thinking about what to do next. The good doctor had no idea what to do next.

    1. I’ve heard mention of possibly bringing in Hue Jackson as a possible OC if the 49ers make a move with Harbaugh at HC. As an UOP alumni as is Pete Carroll and Hue Jackson, I would like that move. I’m just not sure who I would like as a HC, though I think an offensive-minded HC might be the better move. Keeping Fangio would be nice, but a new HC might having somebody else in mind.

      1. Offensive coordinators are not allowed to make parallel moves without the permission of the team that currently employs them. I don’t know Jackson’s contract status for 2015, but he is sure under contract this year.

  62. Realistically, big changes are not going to happen before the end of the season. So, here’s what I would do if anyone cared:

    1) Get the plays into Colin faster. This Roman to Harbaugh to Chryst process is slowing things down. Colin is a young, relatively inexperienced quarterback and he needs more time to survey and read the defense. Also, given the history, I suspect he worries about delay of game penalties which only flusters him more.

    2) For the Raiders game, I would have Chryst call the plays, to see how he does. This is a game where we should win comfortably, so give him a shot. If he really sucks by halftime, switch back to Roman. If he does a great job, consider him for Seattle.

    Forget the egos. It’s about the team and whatever it takes to win.

    1. Do you mean comfortable like the Ram game? Or comfortable like Kansas City must have felt before playing the Raiders?

      It’s also possible that Roman gives the play to Chryst and Harbaugh says nothing unless he wants to change the play. That’s two people involved most of the time. Maybe almost all of the time.

      Some have implied that burning the play clock is part of Harbaugh’s strategy to make the game as short as possible. I doubt that except when we are in the lead.

      1. It occurred to me that Roman might simultaneously give the call to both Harbaugh and Chryst. However, I think as a matter of protocol, Harbaugh needs to say yeah or nay (with an alternate call if he says nay). If he says nothing, Chryst will need to wait a certain amount of time to be sure, and he wouldn’t really be sure. Hence it would provide more certainty if Harbaugh responds one way or the other. Also, are they calling in just one play or two? Does Colin select the second play when he audibles “kill, kill”?

        1. There’s no way to know because we’re not in the know. As for a kill, it’s been said by reporters that when Kaepernick hollers “kill” they go to the second play called in the huddle. Give the terminology I have no idea how everyone remembers unless each player only needs to remember his key from the terminology for each of the two plays.

          Every team screws up play calls, but the 49ers may be on the wrong side of the curve.

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