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SANTA CLARA — This is the transcript of Robert Saleh’s Week 8 Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers P.R. department.
When you look at the Eagles offense, what kind of problems do they present to any defense that’s trying to stop them?
“They’ve got a great scheme. They’ve got a great scheme and they’ve got a heck of a group of players. Their quarterback is on fire. Their skill positions are really good, tight end is awesome. And then the back, [Philadelphia Eagles RB] [LeGarrette] Blount, he’s running very strong. He’s a very strong runner. Even the speed backs they have, the change of pace backs, they’ve got stuff to deal with also. Collectively, O-Line, all of them, they’re really well coached. They’re humming right now, let’s put it that way.”
What do they do particularly well on third downs and in the red zone?
“Third down-wise, they manage to get to second-and-two to five. They do a great job running the ball, staying on schedule. They get you in that two to five range where they’re very successful. And so the challenge for us is to try to keep it to seven and plus, six plus, getting back to what we’ve been really good at, and that’s defending the run to do it. But, they’ve done a great job staying on schedule, keeping the chains moving in that regard and giving the quarterback very easy throws in that two to five, two to six range. In the red zone, they’ve been very consistent throughout the year with what they do schematically. Like I said, they’ve got weapons all over the place. You can’t handle all of them. The quarterback is so good at locating the one player that would be open.”
Do you notice a difference, and how are you expecting them to come off of a loss–?
“We’ll see. Obviously there’s going to be a drop off with the tackle. I shouldn’t even say a drop off. I believe their replacement started 10 games last year, if I’m not mistaken. It’s a shame what happened to him. I always hate for a player to get injured. I don’t care if he’s against us or for us. They work so freaking hard to get where they are and then for that to happen to him I feel terrible for him. Schematically, I don’t think it will change them though.”
The issues you saw with the run defense on Sunday, what do you guys need to do to fix those?
“One of the worst things in football is to have somebody run the ball on you. They’ve got a heck of an O-Line, and a heck of a back, heck of a back. The biggest thing that went wrong is he falls forward for four, five, and it’s just natural instinct, because we’ve been very, very good against the run, for someone to think that they’ve got to do a little bit more. Defensively, when you’re playing an all-11 defense like ours, when somebody thinks they have to do a little bit more, they leave their gap and then gap integrity becomes a question. And so, that was a domino effect as the game went on. They had a couple of cool runs that we feel like we’ve got fixed, we’ve got handled now, with that trap. It just got to the point it just seemed like people were just trying to do a little bit too much and gaps started opening. When you have a back like [Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel] Zeke [Elliott] he’s going to find it and he’s going to expose you.”
When that’s happening during a game, what can you as a coach do to sort of get them back on their responsibilities?
“You’ve got to coach them. You’ve just got to keep coaching them. Hopefully this is, hopefully for all of us, coaches included, a great learning experience for them to move forward, that on the sideline it’s not about doing more, it’s about doing your job and when you do your job, you trust that your job is good enough. From a run game standpoint, you buckle your chin strap and get ready to roll. Especially when you play a team like Dallas. Philadelphia, they’ve got a pretty good O-Line too. Another good challenge. Run game is all mindset. It’s bringing out your dog and having that mindset that nobody will run the ball on you. We’ve got to get back to that point. We’ve got a chink in our armor, and we’ve got to get it fixed.”
What’s the thought process in playing S Eric Reid at linebacker?
“This is just me speaking. I can’t speak for the entire league. This is just my thought. The evolution of the running back and the tight end has far outpaced the evolution of the linebacker. It’s not even close. What Eric Reid, what he’s done as a safety is unquestioned. He is one of the better safeties in all of football. [S Jaquiski] Tartt is a very good safety. [DB] Jimmie Ward is a very good safety. So, to utilize their athleticism, their speed, Eric Reid being a very physical player that he is, and being one of our smartest players, we as an organization felt like it wouldn’t be an issue for him to move a couple yards closer than he already was. We thought he did a good job and in practice he’s showing up again. There’s no doubt in my mind, if the league thinks he was a really good safety, wait until you see his versatility and what he’s able to do as a linebacker. He’s going to be unbelievable.”
You had a guy last year in Jacksonville Jaguars LB Telvin Smith. He’s listed at 215. I don’t know if that’s what he is.
“205, 210.”
I’m sure he’s not that anymore. People look at Eric Reid’s weight and say, ‘Oh he’s not a linebacker.’ Are there any kind of similarities between what you did in Jacksonville?
“It goes back to a player’s style. You look at guys like [Los Angeles Rams LB] Mark Barron, [Arizona Cardinals LB Deone] Bucannon in Arizona, and then Telvin who’s a very small linebacker. What they’ve mastered is the ability to get on and off blocks within a short area. They utilize and create space to utilize their quickness and utilize their speed. Telvin, over his first few years as a linebacker figured out how to get on and off blocks very quickly and to create space for himself in a very small area so that way he can use his greatest asset which is speed. For Eric, looking at what he’s able to do, he’s a very fast, quick, has great short-area quickness, and he’s very physical. Now it’s just trying to learn how to create space in such a short area. He’s like a sponge, man. I think he’s going to be cool in there. I do. I think he’s going to be pretty cool.”
With him and his ability to shed blocks, is that his greatest challenge in making this move?
“Yeah, and like I said, when people think linebacker, they think of old school [former Chicago Bears LB] Dick Butkus, block press, get off a block. Everyone’s got a style. To be able to just quick shock and shed, get off a block, the whole essence of block protection is to get off a block, defeat your block however you have to. He’s got such long arms already that if he can create that separation, he’s strong enough to be able to handle it. He’ll be able to get off blocks. He’s already working on it. He’s already done it as a safety. He’s been doing it all OTAs and training camp. He’s practically a linebacker in the box. Moving him one guy closer, it’s really not that big of a deal. His improvement from practice last week to this week, already from yesterday, I’m excited to see him today because he’s already made a pretty good jump from a practice standpoint.”
Are you looking at him as a base linebacker or pretty much in the sub downs?
“I won’t be surprised if he goes and takes it, wouldn’t be.”
Where would you put LB Reuben Foster on this spectrum? He’s obviously heavier than Eric, 228, but he’s lighter than a guy like LB NaVorro Bowman was. So, where would you put him on the quickness slash strength spectrum?
“Reuben’s a little heavier. I think he’s in the 235 range right now. I know his list weight might be a little bit different than what he actually is. Like I said, they’re different styles. Reuben does have great speed. He has enough speed, he has enough quickness. He’s proven that over time. When you find a guy like Reuben, he’s just an elite talent. Then he plays linebacker and you’re good with it. But, not everyone is built like Reuben. That’s why he was projected to be a top-five pick.”
How would you evaluate his performance? I saw a couple times he got sucked into some linemen. In that one tackle for loss he beat Dallas Cowboys C Travis Frederick with his quickness. Overall, how do you think–?
“For a first game it was pretty good, especially calling plays and all that stuff. He’s missed six weeks. I don’t want to say there was a drop off because I think he did well. His reads were right. He got to his drops. He didn’t bust anything. He was really good communicating with the D-Line and the backend, making sure everybody was aligned. I though he did a good job. I think this week is very important for him, to take another step and continue to get better.”
You mentioned the communication aspect with Reuben both last weekend and just now. When you were configuring the defense and moving Eric in closer to him, is that a factor as well, maybe having somebody like Eric who knows the defense so well and can maybe help Reuben adjust to that?
“It helps. I don’t know if it factored in because I think Reuben is really smart. He’s got a real good handle of the defense, understanding what he needs to do and how to get people aligned and all that. Having a calming presence next to you, the whole thing with players in general, the person next to him, they need to get that connection where they can just look at each other and they know what the other one’s thinking. But yeah, to have Eric next to him as a calming presence it does help. But, Reuben’s got a really good grasp of the defense. That wasn’t a lead thought at all.”
Kind of a broad question, but when you look at CB Rashard Robinson and the penalties he’s committed, is it improving fundamentals for him? Is it positioning? Is it focus? How do you coach him up and coach him out of some of those penalties?
“Fundamentals, first and foremost. He’s still a young man. I’m trying to make sure I word this the right way. He needs to gain strength at the top of the route. When they get to the top of the route there’s jostling, there’s pushing, there’s shoving. It’s just natural for it to happen on every single play. His personal strength, we’d love to see that improve. And that’s getting in with [head strength and conditioning coach] Ray [Wright] too. Along with all the fundamentals and footwork, the eye placement, the hands. With all that, there’s another step where he’s got to get stronger at the top of the route so it doesn’t look so violent, where it looks like they’re just jostling for position. When it looks violent the referee just can’t help but throw a flag on him. Even though he may not be fouling. It just looks like there’s a big struggle going on and it just looks award in live situations. For Rashard, one of the biggest things he needs to improve is his overall strength, which I think will.”
What’s your evaluation of CB Dontae Johnson on the other side and how he’s doing?
“Dontae’s a very smart player, a very consistent player. They’re two completely different styles. Rashard’s in your face, wants to get up there. Where Dontae is more, plays the game. He plays it smart, he does. He does play smart. My evaluation of him so far is he’s been very consistent.”
When you say Rashard’s strength, you mean actual, physical strength?
“His physical strength. Yeah. Overall strength. Physical strength.”
You had some guys who were pretty emotional on the sidelines. Rashard. Jaquiski. How do you view all that? Do you see that as just part of the game and part of playing an emotional game?
“I do. I didn’t catch wind of it. I saw it happening on the sideline. I’m so engulfed in trying to get things right on the sideline and you see it over the sideline. Position coaches I thought did a great job handling it. In moments of adversity your best character needs to rise. With what happened, I’m not really concerned about it. When you see what happens on some of these sidelines it’s unbelievable. I think our guys, that’s a pretty tame moment in comparison to the rest of the league. Those guys being so young, great learning experience. It was squashed the second it happened. Those guys within a series were back united. It happens.”
ME: Last week I asked you about the third down defense and you said there was something you were going to do, hopefully it would work, but you weren’t going to say what it was. Was that moving Eric Reid to linebacker? Are you envisioning that he will help on third down defense or what was it?
“If you look at our first three third-and-six pluses, it looked like a jail break. We had guys just pounding the quarterback. We got off pretty clean, felt really excited. I think we were four of six on six-plus yardage. The sad part is we couldn’t get them to six plus after the first three. The third down package never really got to come to fruition. But, we were really excited about our plan going in. It showed. They lived on third and one and third and two and that kind of thwarted our plan.”
Do you see that as a gigantic move, a big undertaking for him or do you think it’s what your strong safety role is in your defense, do you think it’s not as severe as one might think going from safety to linebacker?
“Depends on the person. Eric is a very versatile, very smart, and a very committed individual. You give him a challenge and he’s going to kill it. For a guy like Eric, I don’t think it’s a big deal because the person he is and the challenges that he’s going to take on. And, he’s a team guy. He’s embraced it. He’s excited about it. From all our conversations and just the amount of work that he’s put into it over these two weeks to get himself to where he is today, which I think it’s just going to keep going up, it just speaks volumes for him. For some people it might be, but for a guy like Eric, no.”
Do you see a switch with him, because it seemed like he wasn’t all that thrilled about it? Did you have to have a talk with him to kind of explain where you’re coming from?
“No. Never. I was getting ready for it and he goes, ‘Let’s do it.’ Eric’s been awesome. We’ve stood up here and we’ve always talked about it. The best 11. We’re trying to do everything we can to get our best 11 on the football field at the same time. He is one of those. He’s a selfless player. He knows that he’s capable of doing anything that you ask him to do. To answer your question, he’s been pretty excited about it, from our talks.”
Just to be clear, is he in the linebacker meeting room? Is it a full-time switch at this point?
“I’ll save that one. Well, it’s not a secret. He’s been with the linebackers individual and doing all that stuff. So yeah, I guess there’s no secret to that.”
ME: Do you intend to play him in a stacked alignment behind a defensive lineman so that an offensive lineman doesn’t get a free shot on him?
“We don’t have that. I know some teams could hide him. We’re single-gap control. You’re always working an edge. Most of the time you’d want to hide a guy behind a three-technique if he’s a two-gap, cover-two system. We’re single-high, working edges. If he’s good with his eyes, good with his feet, he should always be working a half a man anyway. So, he doesn’t need to be hidden. Good question though.”
On Robinson.
“His personal strength, we’d love to see that improve.”
“Along with all the fundamentals and footwork, the eye placement, the hands.”
That’s a lot of things to work on. This guy may be years away from becoming even decent. Decent may be his ceiling.
I think Salehs assessment on Robinson is accurate.
RR is always a step behind and he then has to reach and grab.
With a better ability to run, jump, turn, accelerate, rub, brush, he will be better able to defend.
Did you notice that last year, Prime? RR seemed to play much better last year.
Yes. I think this year they are asking him to be Richard Sherman when he clearly does not have the “physical” capabilities and experience.
As much as it’s about winning, it’s my guess, it’s more about seeing who can do what.
People forget he very little college experience (8 starts) before being drafted and was a huge project. Not only that, he’s only started 13 games in the NFL. So expecting him to be a finished, after 21 college & pro starts, product is, in my book, a silly thing.
Here is Robinson’s scouting report, courtesy of NFL.com. The profile compares him to two-time Pro Bowler, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie:
We’ve seen the flashes. We’ve seen screw-ups. Some games he’s great. Some games he looks like a complete scrub.
On a well stocked team, he’d be a nickle or dime back learning his trade. Not thrown in as a starter in for SIX GAMES in 2016 in one defense then have to learn everything all over-again in 2017 after just 8 starts in college (then spending a year suspended and never getting reinstated).
I think people expect way too much right now. He has the talent, but he’s years behind in development and there are going to be rough patches.
true….
I think what the 49ers intended to do this year was install their defensive system regardless of the personnel that they have.
They rolled the dice with their corners and pass rush, hoping it could be decent enough to simulate what Seattle’s defense does.
I think they banked on having a good enough D-Line to help mask the learning curve.
Big miss.
Again I’ll go back to my analogy about this year being a glorified identification camp.
Install and implement your scheme, see what your personnel can do in it, and then add whatever you need in the draft and free agency.
Most coaches do it the complete opposite.
“Most coaches do it the complete opposite.”
Finding or making the players fit your scheme and not the other way around.
I think the reason that this CS can do it this way is because they are assured long tenures (the HC and GM anyway). I don’t think that extends to Saleh, but I guess we’ll find out at the end of the season.
Do you think Saleh is on the hot seat?
I don’t only because of the underlying plan.
Sounds about right. Most coaches no the opposite but most rosters aren’t so devoid of talent.
No. Most coaches come in and install what they want and get rid of the players that don’t fit.
“Those guys within a series were back united. It happens.”
I thought they were just bitching in general. Turns out they weren’t united. Saleh will be one and done.
If Saleh is one and done, so should Shanny. I mean what’s he done to deserve to come back?
The point is, this year was more about installing a culture and scheme then adding personnel next year and every year after.
I could be wrong but it looks to me that was the plan.
It’s half a$$ backwards but you are allowed that when you have a 6 year contract.
Saleh has lost control of his unit. IMO, he hasn’t shown the ability to make adjustments. He has a very small playbook.
#80, big picture here. He has zero pass rush, zero corners who can cover, no one who’s a leader on defense, a make shift LB unit and an offense who can’t stay on the field.
It’s impossible to judge him when you don’t have what you need.
If the team goes 0-16 or 1-15, there might be a call for blood and in that case I think Saleh gets thrown to the lions.
I can’t agree with that. I think the entire staff get a mulligan.
Prime Time
I agree with you…we’ve got to get off this “one year coach” syndrome if we don’t want the merry-go-round to keep spinning….4 years worth is just STUPID.
I agree ORE. Everyone is frustrated with how the team is going but even if we were 2-5 or 1-6, would it matter?
No one wants to utter the words rebuild and admit this thing will take years to get better.
Firing coaches at this stage accomplished nothing.
Perhaps, but the defense has been far better than the offense and is vastly improved over last year.
I have some of the same problems with Saleh that I had with Kelly, lack of adjustments and limited playbook. Neither of them had much talent. Saleh also let his position coaches handle the sideline outburst. I don’t see any positives in Saleh so far.
Do you see any positives with the entire team?
I don’t. That’s my point.
It’s a tryout for coaches and until they get the players they need, it’s gonna be ugly for the next 9 games.
I see positives in CJ when compared to Hoyer and Kap/Gab. Hyde has played well at times. Garcon is solid. Thomas has been good and bad, but still has a high ceiling. Buckner is really good, if we ever get a quality edge rusher beside him, look out.
We’ll see how the D responds starting this week. I don’t think the players are happy with Saleh. I think the large amount of missed tackles reflects this.
Missed tackles are a product of effort. It happened to Harbaugh later in his tenure here.
Against Dallas the players gave up.
I’m not sure Saleh could do much when his players lack talent and give up.
The lack of effort is on the players and Saleh. Saleh will be gone if the D continues to play like they did Sunday.
In 7 games the defense had one putrid performance. The offense has been inconsistent in all 7.
Why is this on Saleh and his job in jeopardy?
He’s just a guy. I think he is in over his head. We considered hiring co-DC’s.
I see positives in the type of offense KS is running…….and sometimes the playcalling….
I don’t agree with an expansive playbook on defense. Fangio in Chicago runs a very simple scheme as does Seattle, Denver, and Jacksonville.
The majority of the good defenses today are very simple. Part of this is due to the fact that teams are employing more hurry up offenses and/ or Innovative formations. These often lead to easy scores from blown coverages or having the wrong personell on the field which happens often when coaches are trying to get the right call in on time.
Saleh has made many mistakes… playing to soft to early, dropping d linemen like Mitchell into coverage, (Reid at lb imo)… but simple schemes have proven to be very effective.
“The majority of the good defenses today are very simple.”
Yes, and they are more talented than we are. When the talent is below average or near the bottom like us, the DC has to get creative to have success.
“Yes, and they are more talented than we are. When the talent is below average or near the bottom like us, the DC has to get creative to have success.”
That didn’t seem to work for Jim Oniel or Rob Ryan.
A simple or complex D doesn’t work for everybody. What we know about our situation is that our D isn’t playing well. This D is simple and should be easy to learn, yet we still struggle to get pressure.
Saleh said “The sad part is we couldn’t get them to six plus after the first three. The third down package never really got to come to fruition.”
So did Saleh have a play or plays to stop 3rd and 5 or shorter? Did he have enough different plays on 1st and 2nd down to force more 3rd and longs?
Only running a limited amount of different plays in similar situations without a talented team is a recipe for disaster. That’s what happened against the Cowboys. As Saleh said “They lived on third and one and third and two.” They lived on that because we don’t have the talent to run a limited D.
Yeah, that doesn’t really work though. But I think Walsh said it best and I’ll paraphrase ist:
‘Defense is about physical talent far more than scheme. Offense is more about scheme than physical talent.’
‘Defense is about physical talent far more than scheme.”
Yes, talent is important. I’ve said that. But the Cowboys used many different kinds of blitzes to disrupt CJ. Play calling is a constant chess match. A good OC will tear up a team with a simple D and a poor roster.
You don’t know that. I don’t know that. Nobody knows that.
Que Saleh, Saleh
From what I have seen, I glean
The future’s not yours to me
Que Saleh, Saleh
What will be, we’ll see
Que Saleh, Saleh
What an idiot!
Ha ! …
Razor … yer reachin’ ..wa-a-a-y back for that one !
(Doris would be proud !)
I get the feeling that Shanalynch have decided on adopting the Seattle system for D. If Saleh is gone, he will likely be replaced by a coach from that system. Shanalynch appear to have settled for that scheme.
Because it works. It worked for Seifert. It works for Seattle. It works for Jacksonville. It even works in Atlanta where it has dramatically jumped from last year where they couldn’t stop a nose-bleed in the first half of 2016 to #15 this year.
It takes TIME for players to adapt. Something that many people seem to forget.
Nice of Saleh to complement liddle grant’s question even tho it showed grant doesnt understand seattle style defense. A liddle learning is sooo dangerous.
It seems like any post I include a link gets “awaiting moderation” status. I’m going to try again:
I posted this in an earlier thread, but thought I would repost it here. Matt Barrows provides some reasons why we should continue to watch this team. I liked this from the article.
“The players John Lynch drafted in the middle rounds, the guys who make up the rank and file of an NFL roster, mostly have been good. This was an area where Trent Baalke largely whiffed despite large draft classes and multiple opportunities.”
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article181014246.html
This is teaching.
http://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/110785-shanahan-shares-one-beathards-learnable-mistakes-against-cowboys/
‘Why didn’t you throw it?’ He goes, ‘Coach, it was Tampa 2.’ I was like, ‘I know, but the Mike busted. He didn’t even run down the middle.’
“Actually, the guy he should have taken away ended up being open. He was like, ‘Aw man.’ It was good and bad because you’re right, you did read the coverage right but you’ve still got to see the throw. The Mike linebacker busted. Even though you saw Tampa 2 by the safeties, the guy was still open. You’ve got to throw it to him and that’s stuff he learns because he studied during the week.”
I am not sure if I understand the logic behind calling for Saleh’s head given that the defense has been better than the offense for most of the year. Yes, they laid an egg vs. Dallas but they were adjusting to losing two key players. Isn’t that the same logic that has been used to keep Shanahan? I don’t get the cognitive dissonance? I’m not advocating giving Saleh a pass and I agree that if the team loses there will be a sacrifice paid at the altar of “change” but it seems to me that those who advocate patience should do so across the board and not selectively.
East: KS and JL are sacrosanct based on the deals that JY gave them. Saleh is a coach selected by KS and I would bet he wasn’t KS’ first choice (don’t know that with 100% certainty); but, was picked as the DC because the best choices were already gone.
They keep saying that it is about making the team better. Everybody except KS and JL are on the chopping block. I don’t believe it is just the players but coaches as well.
It’s everyone but when you don’t have what you need, it’s hard to make your scheme work.
The rebuttal to that is then devise a scheme based on your personnel. True but not in this situation.
2017 is a glorified identification camp.
My point is that the fan base is giving KS and JL a pass based on contracts but seem to hold the rest of the coaching staff on a different assessment level. I don’t see how that is possible? JL and KS selected Saleh and felt he was the best guy for the job. If they had anyone else in mind why not select him or at least an experienced DC for the interim?
“My point is that the fan base is giving KS and JL a pass based on contracts but seem to hold the rest of the coaching staff on a different assessment level.”
I think there is some truth in that statement, but with KS I see glimpses of a potentially very good offense.
“JL and KS selected Saleh and felt he was the best guy for the job. ”
Maybe the best guy for the job based on who was still available. The superbowl prevented KS from putting together a CS in the same time frame as other new coaches.
The thing is, East, conventional wisdom says that it is much easier/quicker when building a team to build the defense than the offense. I see glimpses on offense but nothing on defense and that’s what drives my dissatisfaction with this defense (and as you already know, I don’t think it is just the players).
Sure there are glimpses on offense but one could state that the defense has had too many injuries as well. Saleh was the only defensive coordinator that was available? He’s young and they elevated him. That’s a decision they made which they didn’t have to make. As I said, they could have gone with a placeholder akin to Hoyer. They didn’t.
Again Cubus, Shanahan and Lynch are excused for decisions they made yet others are held accountable for similar circumstances without nary a thought.
I think that everyone should be accountable. Please remember I was among the early ones cautioning that the team and players would struggle. I was told that things would be better than expected because…Shanahan! Now, when I question his decision making and some moves, I’m unrealistic in my expectations because…long term plans.
I think people are looking at too rosy a picture when it comes to our new coach and GM. I’m not dismissing them anymore than I would’ve dismissed Kelly had he been given more time, and I certainly didn’t favor bringing Kelly on board for the same reasons we let him go.
No one should get a pass, and a prolonged year without a forward step is a year lost in my opinion. I’m looking forward to everyone’s changing views next year. I don’t know whether the missteps have been due to incompetence, youth, hubris, or merely part of the bad luck that has plagued this team. I’m ok to wait and see and be wrong if need be.
I hope the team doesn’t implode this weekend. I hope they stun everyone and do well. Sadly, the realistic part of me sees them setting a franchise record for losses starting a season.
“I think that everyone should be accountable. ”
JL and KS are the stars brought in to turn the team around. There is no way they get fired after one year. This happens in business all the time as well. May not seem fair from your vantagepoint, but it’s the reality of life.
You might be right, I might be lifting a pitchfork next year calling for KS and JL’s blood. But it’s just as likely we’ll see improvement and that might change your mind.
BTW: Did you get a chance to read the Matt Barrows article I posted. He gives five reasons why we should continue to watch the 49ers. Some were obvious, but I found several interesting takes.
Cheers.
Cubus, I did read the article and sure it paints a good picture. Like I said, i would be very happy if Lynch and Shanahan turn out to be the second coming of McVay and Walsh. I know who runs the franchise and no longer trust their moves. Call me cautious or whatever but I won’t go all in yet for Shanahan. He has too many things against him, youth, inexperience, hubris, too many accolades without real success (the emperor wears no clothes syndrome), the realities of the NFL, draft equity, etc. Etc.
Btw, I have long liked Ward and certainly was not calling for Tartt to be cut because he was trash. I think players are better than we give them credit sometimes (for example, Robinson is a Good corner pressed into being a #1 without being a #1). I may also be guilty of this with Solomon but I wanted them to address the DE position and defensive backfield. Yet that went largely unaddressed or they said Solomon would be fine on the outside even though that was precisely not his strength. Be that as it may, I always want players to succeed on the team and don’t have silly illusions about specific players.
It was interesting the comparisons drawn with the Jaguars though I would would be still be a wait and see guy.
Cubus, I did read the article and sure it paints a good picture. Like I said, i would be very happy if Lynch and Shanahan turn out to be the second coming of McVay and Walsh. I know who runs the franchise and no longer trust their moves. Call me cautious or whatever but I won’t go all in yet for Shanahan. He has too many things against him, youth, inexperience, hubris, too many accolades without real success (the emperor wears no clothes syndrome), the realities of the NFL, draft equity, etc. Etc.
Btw, I have long liked Ward and certainly was not calling for Tartt to be cut because he was trash. I think players are better than we give them credit sometimes (for example, Robinson is a Good corner pressed into being a #1 without being a #1). I may also be guilty of this with Solomon but I wanted them to address the DE position and defensive backfield. Yet that went largely unaddressed or they said Solomon would be fine on the outside even though that was precisely not his strength. Be that as it may, I always want players to succeed on the team and don’t have silly illusions about specific players.
It was interesting the comparisons drawn with the Jaguars though I would would be still be a wait and see guy. I thought some of the others were obvious too. I actually like Beathard and think he will turn some heads.
Sorry for the double post. Dang phone!!
And I would add that I have been advocating OL and pass rush help for 2 offseasons at least. The fact we didn’t adequately address these areas of concern, or inadequately address them explains why the team finds itself in the current predicament. That’s on Lynch and Shanahan in my opinion.
Agreed. And in spite of last game they have given up fewer pts and yards per game than last year all while starting last year’s backups at corner.
The third down package never really got to come to fruition. But, we were really excited about our plan going in. It showed. They lived on third and one and third and two and that kind of thwarted our plan.”
https://media.giphy.com/media/ADr35Z4TvATIc/giphy.gif
There are just so many things wrong with those statements. This guy is in over his head.
Yup.
I actually agree but I don’t think he’s alone.
would this be the super secret and radical defensive scheme concept called a “blitz package” he installed for 3rd and longs?
IIRC, one of his statements went into his D’s need to win the “3rd and 6 or better” scenarios, but with the “readbetweenlines” glasses on:
— losing 3rd and shorts keep his options drastically limited…and,
— the DL and LB’s losing “one-on-one” battles (‘cept for Buckner)
— now our new DL FA’s tryout in PHI– to see if they hold up better on LOS
I am just wondering if they may be playing players out of position. Tartt weighs 8 lbs more than Reid, so he may be the better choice for linebacker.
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Also, Ward may be better as a CB,so Reid can play in his natural position. This may give Robinson less snaps, so it might be a blessing in disguise.
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Saleh gave Grant a nice compliment at the end of the interview.
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Yes, the third down conversions were problematic, since the RB seemed to be 2 yards past the line of scrimmage before any contact, and the RB seemed to knife through the line for a big gain. Maybe they need to contest the line of scrimmage better.
I am wondering if they install Magnussen at RG, or will they go with the veteran Beadles. With Gilliam at RT, the whole right side could be new.
Since the Yorks have controlled this franchise in 1999, their won loss record is 64-224.
With a record like this and the state of the team as it is at the moment, why should I give this group another 4 years until maybe something will work?
Half the season gone and the talk is about next year and the year after that and…no you don’t get a pass by chucking this season.
Looks like many here have thrown in the towel with these guys.
They started this season without a starting NFL QB, Hoyer.
They traded Bowman their defenses leader leader.
Believe it, when the organization does not put winning as their main goal, the players play accordingly. Good luck with finding players how want to put out %100 in that environment.
When does it stop?
As a fan as I consider that the Niners want to build through the draft and there will be possibly two (maybe 3) franchise changing QB near the top of the draft. If the niners win a lot of games with Beathard, then the need is not so great. However, if things continue on the present tragectory, then the Niners have an opportunity to get a QB or
trade back for a king’s ransom and get some valuable picks. When they let some of the vets like Bowman go and are playing rookies in their place, it sure seems like they are looking at the draft board and getting ready for a very successful draft.