Why Tomsula’s 49ers were unprepared for Seahawks

This is my Sunday column.

As the Seahawks took a 17-0 lead before halftime Thursday night, I remember thinking the 49ers seemed sluggish and unprepared. So, I asked the following question on Twitter: “Did the 49ers even practice this week, or did the players vote against it?”

I was joking. I assumed every week all teams practice, even the bad teams. Even the teams that play on Thursday. So, I didn’t ask Niners head coach Jim Tomsula about practice after the game. Practice seemed like a silly topic.

The next morning, Tomsula had another press conference. Other writers were asking questions as if there actually are things to look ahead to, as if this team isn’t as finished as a dead mackerel. Questions like, has Tomsula considered a quarterback change? Is Carlos Hyde’s foot OK? When will Jerome Simpson play?

After a reporter asked what the pulse of things was and Tomsula attempted an answer, I heard myself asking, “How much did your team practice this week?”

I was embarrassed I even asked the question, and expected Tomsula to say something short, like, “We practice as much as the collective bargaining agreement allows.” Then I was going to drop the subject.

But, amazingly, Tomsula got into it. Here’s what he said: “We did a walk-thru on Monday and then Tuesday we did about an hour-and-a-half on the field and then on Wednesday we did about 40 minutes on the field. But the tempo was way down. We didn’t work the timing things and the high-speed things. We just walked through the assignments. I mean, you’ve got to take care of the bodies.”

In other words, no, the Niners didn’t practice last week. They walked.

“Do you feel that was the right approach in retrospect?” I asked

“I do. Yes, sir.”

No offense to Tomsula, but that may be stupidest answer ever in the entire history of stupid answers. Let’s break it down.

Tomsula said he wanted to “take care of the bodies.” For what, next week? There is no next week. The Niners’ record is 2-5. They’re not going to the playoffs. Thursday night was a do-or-die game for San Francisco and Seattle, and Tomsula’s team died.

Now, he’s through as a head coach. He failed. He’s a lame-duck who will get fired, maybe during the season. But, hey – at least his team is well-rested. Under him, the Niners are the freshest awful team in the NFL. That’s his legacy.

Clearly, Tomsula has no idea how to prepare a team for a Thursday night game, to prepare a team in three days, a necessary skill for an NFL coach. If he ever coaches another Thursday game, here’s a helpful tip: players have to practice. They have to run. Running is good.

Last week, Tomsula should have made his practice-squad players run as fast they could during practice. That way, the starters could have prepared for the pace at which Seattle plays. Seattle plays at a fast pace on offense. This is no mystery. Seattle’s pace is known. Did Tomsula know?

But, the Niners were totally unprepared for Seattle’s speed of play, speed of rushing to the line of scrimamge, and couldn’t match the Seahawks’ tempo in the first half. That’s why San Francisco lost. The score was 17-0 before they even woke up.

They played much better in the second half, holding the Seahawks to just three points. If the Niners had played that way the whole game, they might have won.

We used to think Mike Singletary was the worst coach in 49ers franchise history, maybe in NFL history. He had no concept of schematics or offensive football.

But he could prepare a team for a game. He could tell players to run. The Niners played hard under him and showed up for games awake and alert, ready for game speed.

As head coach of the Niners, Singletary’s record was 18-22. Not good, but not bad, either.

Tomsula would have to coach the rest of his life to win 18 games.

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat’s website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.

This article has 450 Comments

  1. I agree that one cannot take a stooge like tomsula away from the 2 other stooges York and baalke. Some morons say baalke drafted 3 ol in the past year and that he thought Kilgore would get well and he could rely on Anthony Davis. Well first of all he can’t draft ol for his life and his wr drafts are worse then that. Unlessyour name is joe Thomas or Donahue your gm job is to anticipate these things, even in the new excuse ridden generation. York however is the true architect of this debacle as he is an ignorant silver spooned trust baby that thinks he knows more than harbaugh. Qb gurus like Walsh mooch holmgren and harbaugh must make him insecure as he avoids them. Guess that’s right because they are winners, something Jed will never be. ( ps Jed no matter how baalke tells you your clothes can only be seen by the wisest, you really need to put some clothes on, York rather embarrassing )

  2. I’d be curious to know what other teams typically do in a short week. Because he does make a good point about needing to protect the bodies – backing up from a Sunday game to play Thursday does not give much time to let the body recover.

    My understanding is Monday’s would usually just be a recovery day, correct? But in a short week they are doing walk-through’s. And Wednesday is the day before the game so again you want to keep it light, as you would normally on a Saturday. It really only leaves the Tuesday for any real practice, and I’m not sure how many teams would go full bore on this day… anybody else know what usually would happen?

    1. That’s what I was wondering. How did Seattle prepare? Did they have padded practices? Are full practices typical in a short week?

      1. Based on this article it would seem Tomsula’s approach to practice during the week was nothing out of the ordinary for a Thursday night game. Hard to criticise him for his approach to it, then.

    2. I agree with you. This idiot who wrote the article has no idea what coaching or playing in the NFL is. I’m not even going to bother to check who wrote it.

  3. Grant,
    Glad you caught that, very good article and informative. I remember reading the presser and thinking, “What? They didn’t work on timing and temp”. Well, it showed.

    Whatever happened to the fast tempo that Tomsula was preaching in the preseason?

  4. I would like to think that Pete Carroll might have had a better reason to have his team do walk-thru’s given his ownage over us.

  5. You can be shocked or disappointed or whatever adjective you choose to feel about Jimmy T’s choice to dance through practice this week but the bottom line is you’re directing your ire, focus and energy in the wrong direction. You don’t ask Tomsula if he thinks that approach is the right thing before a game because seeing as how he did it and then told you about it I’m guessing he isn’t trying to pretend the thinks it was wrong nor is he going to admit it anyway. Tomsula is simply going to be who he is and getting frustrated or annoyed or even surprised by it is simply wasted energy at this point. You don’t get surprised when you see your dog licking his butt he’s just a dog and that’s what dogs do.

    What you do is ask Baalke if he thinks that is the right approach to practice 3 days before the big game. Fire up that laptop/macbook (most likely) and starting firing away some of those questions at Baalke. After asking him about his coaches practice philosophies start asking Baalke about his draft record, start asking him about his free agent acquisitions and the overall success rate of them all. How many are even on the team? Can you build a successful NFL team with that retention level of draft picks and free agents?

    I realize that it’s Tomsula that is placed at the podium and not Baalke but you got to find a way to get Baalke to answer these questions and if not Baalke then see if you can’t his boss instead.

    Be the one to not just ask the hard questions but the one to ask the right people.

    Easier said then done I’m sure is what you’re thinking. Never underestimate the power of giving someone the opportunity to blame someone else for the ship going down. :)

    1. I think your right. There is no point in going after Tomsula. You just feel sorry for him. Grant’s pops has planted and image in my head I can’t shake. Every time I see Tomsula now I just want to ask him, “could you get me a three pound chuck roast please”.

    2. Is your coffee going stale? What you don’t realize is Baalke – like Jed – is hiding, no where to be found. They’re not available to the media or to be held accountable. Those cowards are in hiding underneath their desks. Did you expect anything else?

  6. Not to excuse what Tomsula did or did not do in his team’s preparation for the game but teams with rookie HC’s typically struggle in their first Thursday night game.

  7. This team used to own Thursday nights, but it seems the Owner and GM prefer complacency over intensity….

  8. As I remember ,wasn’t it the thing that they talked about with Walsh. That he would not run them through practices, he walked them during the season.. I watched many a pracitce in Redwood city and he walked them through practices. I did not see all of the practices,to be clear.
    My take on thrus. game. These players are all very successful athletes. They are all winners, they know when they are around winners. They are at the pinnacle of their athletic life. The secound that the offense went three and out and the Sea Hawks drove the field…They knew, we saw their body language, that Kaep. can’t do it. That is his history this season .

  9. I have seen some people expressing sympathy for the 49ers’ short week. But I haven’t seen anyone point out that it was also a short week for Seattle, too. In addition, the Seahawks were the one traveling. Although it was a short trip, it was travel nevertheless, and a road game for them.

    Bottom line, Pete Carroll and the Seahawks understood the gravity of the situation, and that they could not afford to drop to 2-5. The 49ers did not.

    I have never seen any team so punt-happy, trailing 0-17 and later, 0-20. What did Tomsula have to lose, other than the game, which was already lost anyway?

    And then to hear Tomsula spout off rubbish at the press conference after the game about how the 49ers were going to fight hard in all the remaining games to make it to the playoffs is an insult to the intelligence of the fans.

    Coach, you didn’t have what it takes to fight for a first down. Trailing 0-20, with 3 minutes to go in the game, you punted.

    The 2015 season ended on Thursday.

    Congratulations on your illustrious career as a head coach, and for securing your place in the history of this once great franchise, now run by a hierarchy of duds.

    1. You are only fooling yourself if you didn’t see that the 49ers season was over midway thru week 2 when the steelers made them look like a D-III JV team.

  10. Jimmy Tomsula cannot fail, he must not fail.
    Jimmy Tomsula is more than a HC, he is a concept. A radical step in the evolution of the NFL….the concept being that a petty, entitled, clueless owner with his two cronies, one with a bag of picks, and the other with the bag of beans can build a contender with just a virtual HC, a frontman who dons the headset on the sidelines and handles the pressers.

    Tomsula as HC gives hope to every ambitious assistant that with the right amount of craven servility that they too can find a Jed and have one of the 32 head coaching jobs in the NFL.
    Forget wins and losses, there is far too much at stake here.

  11. The problem is not only with the head coach. I think Tomsula is a great defensive line coach, just not head coach material. But the real problem is York and Baalke. What can you say about a GM who has a draft where 3 years later, when the players you draft are supposed to become a force, there is no one left on the team from that draft. I don’t believe anyone from that 49er draft is still in the NFL. That’s 0 for the whole draft. That’s an air-ball for the 2012 draft! Look at Baalke’s picks the 2013 drafts too. : 2012 ; A. J. Jenkins; LaMichael James; Joe Looney; Darius Fleming; Trenton Robinson;Jason Slowey; Cam Johnson 2013:Eric Reid; Cornellius Carradine; Vance McDonald; Corey Lemonier; Quinton Patton; Marcus Lattimore; Quinton Dial; Nick Moody; B. J. Daniels; Carter Bykowski; Marcus Cooper;
    It’s not like there were no good players those years. Baalke just couldn’t find them! A team with a terrible GM goes into the toilet fast. Look at what Terry Donahue did to the franchise. Belichick couldn’t field a winning team with the players Baalke drafted.
    But look on the bright side. the 49ers front office won’t have to put up with that irritating JH. He was only a winner and the best HC the 49ers had since Walsh, but what an irritating man. He is turning that Michigan team around. I think Jed and Trent deserve each other. They are both incompetent and clueless.

  12. Players matter. I don’t think practice arrangements would have mattered that much. (would be nice to know how other teams prepare for Thursday games).

    That doesn’t mean the coaching staff is off the hook. Mangini is a major drop off from Fangio. DBs are thinking too much. Not playing instinctively.

    I’m giving a (slight) pass to Chryst. The running back depth stinks on ice. The right side of the O-line is even worse. And the quarterback is extremely limited in what he can do, and extremely dependent on play action.

    With Hyde hurt, the 49ers simply didn’t have the personnel to run a complete offense.

    1. B2W,
      Yes, players matter.
      I do not know what type or how many practices are permitted in a short week but Pete is a sly old fox. This was his 6th Thursday game, he is 5-1 in them.
      Jim Harbaugh went 2-2 in his TNF games.
      A short week favors an experienced HC, a coaching staff that has been together, and a veteran team that can make do with fewer practices at their disposal. Safe to rule out these Niners.

  13. I realize you have a broken arm from patting yourself on the back, but he said the exact same thing on his pre-game interview with Ted Robinson. Maybe the others didn’t have to ask that question, because they might have already known the answer.
    Your analysis is spot on, though.

  14. Long time 49ers fan. Team has many structural problems, starting with upper management. Seems as though the league and coaching/player prospects understood this last year, and top flight personnel have left or stayed away. This debacle should be no surprise to anyone who followed the brilliance of the 49ers in the 80’s. Feel bad for players and Tomsula. Impossible task right now. Need to rebuild totally. I would bet any player that has a chance to move on at year end will do so, worsening the problems.

  15. Can we please just call holmgren and ask him to coach this team. Or anybody with a pedigree that will demand respect and effort.!

    1. What respect? That went out the window when the Yorks took hold and when the current weasel of the clan chose to throw a fit because Harbaugh was hard to get along with. Imagine how he would have been with Walsh.

  16. Where’s Jed and his “accountability” now? No apologetic tweets this year, huh? Just crickets. It’s sad and pathetic that a greedy young billionaire has completely ruined a once proud Bay Area franchise.

  17. Gee Grant, it is not the end of the world. The most bonehead move in the history of the game was the goal line pick, when Lynch showed last game why he would have won that SB, because he went Beast Mode and powered into the end zone.
    I can totally understand why they did not practice hard, the body needs more time to heal. Thursday Night games are going to be Thursday Nightmares because 3 days are not time enough to heal, and there will be an avalanche of injured players becoming crippled due to lack of healing time. CTE will have tragic occurrences because of Thursday Nightmares. Tomsula did not want to risk further injury, and that strategy may pay off later in the season.
    This last game was mainly lost due to poor and inept coaching, and the fact that they did not have full speed practices was inconsequential, compared to other lapses.The biggest disappointment was the realization that even though the Niners knew Moody spilled his guts, the Niners did not take that fact into consideration and just ran their same old plays. It looked like the Seahawks knew the Niner offense better than the Niners.
    I said before the game that Devey cannot bock, and that Geep should just let Kaep be the field general. The only scoring drive has Tiller in the whole time and the headsets malfunctioned.
    Niners needed to shape the opposition. Seattle shaped the Niners. In fact, they shaped, folded, spindled and mutilated the Niners. I called for 4 receiver sets to stop them from stacking the box. Finally, in the second half when the game was over, did I see a single 4 receiver set.
    Kaep needs to be able to roll out. They stuck him in the pocket and he was not allowed to run, so they had the lowest offensive total in decades.
    The Niners should avoid pitting their best receiver against their best DB. Sherman shadowed Torrey and he did not catch a pass.
    Forcing Kaep to be stuck in a collapsing pocket is not a good strategy. Last game they had 6 sacks, and Devey and Pears were turnstiles.
    I wanted the Niners to be bold, and go for it. They settled for a field goal and punted like the game was not important.Those last time outs at the end of the game was pathetic. Everyone and their cousin knew the game was lost, and they just prolonged the agony. They did not and would not change the outcome of the game, so it was obtuse, and embarrassing.
    Pete Carrol mentioned that he was intrigued by Hane’s potential, and Pete and his coaching staff brainstormed on various ways they could utilize his unique skillsets.What do the Niners do? They deactivate Hayne.
    Those are some other reasons why the Niners lost. Light practices were the norm for Bill Walsh, but of course, his teams were elite, and this team is young and inexperienced.
    Niner coaches need to improve, and do it quickly. They have talent, but wasting talent is a good way to lose.

    1. “The Niners should avoid pitting their best receiver against their best DB. Sherman shadowed Torrey and he did not catch a pass.”

      This sounds fantastic and all, but its the D that gets to decide these matchups. As you said, they had Sherman shadow Smith. Smart plan. What would you have had the 49ers do to stop the Seahawks putting Sherman on him? Ask nicely?

      “The biggest disappointment was the realization that even though the Niners knew Moody spilled his guts, the Niners did not take that fact into consideration and just ran their same old plays.”

      You sure do love the idea of this massive advantage presented by having players “spilling their guts” to their new employer. I’m sure it helps some, but realistically Moody would have known more about the 49ers D than the 49ers O as that is what he’d been studying/ learning. The vast majority of the reason the Seahawks can counter the 49ers offense is they do their study, and they simply have better players on D than the 49ers have on O. Same reason they’ve had the 49ers number on offense the past few years.

      Also, with the short week there simply was no time to insert a vastly different offense.

      “I called for 4 receiver sets to stop them from stacking the box.”

      Yep, you’ve been calling for that every week. Given how the game plan worked out for the 49ers, I can’t disagree it would have been worth trying. It would certainly have put more pressure on the OL to hold up in pass protection, but still, couldn’t have hurt to give it a try a few times.

      I think a smart plan would have been to stick with what was successful the past couple of weeks, and have Kaep play mostly under centre. Instead they came out mostly in the shot gun. Who knows what they were thinking there…?

      1. The coaches should have devised ways to get Torrey open. How about this one? They should put Torrey in motion so he is at full speed at the snap of the ball. They could have him do short crossing routes so Sherman has to fight through traffic. They could do reverses. They did nothing all game, and made zero adjustments, so Torrey did not catch a pass all game.
        I am glad you at least acknowledge that the 4 receiver set is a tactic used to shape the defense and stop them stacking the box. On some pass plays, Kaep had time to deliver the ball, but the receivers were covered. Multiple receivers mean more targets and options.
        The smart plan is not doing the same old thing because they will have game planned against it. The smart thing to do is devise plays that they have not seen before, so they have no way to counter it. Being innovative and unpredictable is almost as important as not wasting talent.

        1. Smith can be jammed at the LOS so that he can’t reach full speed as fast. Also, Smith is to blame for the zero catch night as well since he dropped a couple of passes.
          To even try a 4 WR formation requires good pass protection and a QB that can read the defense and isn’t afraid to take a chance. The 49ers currently have neither of those two.

          1. So they stack the box and dare the Niners to pass, and they gain a measly 140 yards. If you are defending that kind of offense, go ahead.
            This read a defense nonsense has to stop. Kaep ran the pistol for years, and ran the read option in his first 2 years. Those inherently require reading of the defense. How Kaep is being coached is most critical. Forcing him to be only a pocket passer is wasting his skills and under utilizing his talents. They need to accentuate his strengths and disguise his weaknesses. Like in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, when the Sundance Kid is allowed to move, he moves like lightning and blasts the rock to bits. I want them to roll out Kaep. I want them to allow him to move. On the few times they allowed him to roll out, he made plays. The ONLY drive they scored on had no communication between Geep and Kaep. They should get a clue.

            1. They had headset issues, but do you honestly think there was no communication between Geep and Kaep on that drive? Do you honestly think it was Kaep deciding what to call in the huddle? I find that hard to believe.

              1. So you do think Kaep just did his own thing? Not that they have another way to relay messages when the headsets aren’t working? You do realise having headset issues isn’t that uncommon during games, right?

            2. So they stack the box and dare the Niners to pass, and they gain a measly 140 yards. If you are defending that kind of offense, go ahead.

              That’s just you coming to an illogical conclusion since I never said anything close to that.

              This read a defense nonsense has to stop. Kaep ran the pistol for years, and ran the read option in his first 2 years. Those inherently require reading of the defense.

              And yet he still struggles with getting past his first read. Nonsense? I think not.

              How Kaep is being coached is most critical. Forcing him to be only a pocket passer is wasting his skills and under utilizing his talents.

              Stop beating that drum already. The rest of the NFL has figured out how beat Kaepernick. A good example is this past game with the Seahawks; they had a man shadowing Kaepernick whenever he was out of the pocket. He had nowhere to run, so his only option was to throw from the pocket.

              They need to accentuate his strengths and disguise his weaknesses.

              No, Kaepernick needs to adjust because the league has already done so in regards to how he plays.

              1. If they have a man shadowing Kaep, then the coaches should have a plan that takes advantage of a defense that wastes a player. Kaep should invite the defender to advance, then target the area the spy just left. Its like inviting the blitz, then burning the blitz like Big Ben and Palmer did.
                I will go to my grave believing that Kaep is not being coached properly.
                Kaep needs to improve, but if he is allowed to move, he can be unstoppable.

              2. If they have a man shadowing Kaep, then the coaches should have a plan that takes advantage of a defense that wastes a player.

                Not when Kaepernick struggles getting past that first read or his receiving options are blanketed.

                Kaep should invite the defender to advance, then target the area the spy just left. Its like inviting the blitz, then burning the blitz like Big Ben and Palmer did.

                How does that work when there’s no one in that area?

                I will go to my grave believing that Kaep is not being coached properly.

                R.I.P.

                Kaep needs to improve, but if he is allowed to move, he can be unstoppable.

                Except he is being stopped, and he has lost his confidence because of that.

              3. Kaep has been hampered by a poor offensive line, and cannot feel comfortable after 6 sacks and running for his life. The passing cannot get past the first read if Bennet walks by Devey like he is standing still.
                If the receivers are blanketed, how is that Kaep’s fault?
                If there is no one there, the coaches obviously need to think up plays that target that area, if they are capable of doing that.
                Peace.
                Kaep is being forced to be only a pocket passer, and not allowed to move. He did not run once during the game. They lost. Make the connection. If allowed to move, he will be unstoppable, which will lead to wins.

              4. Kaep has been hampered by a poor offensive line, and cannot feel comfortable after 6 sacks and running for his life.

                There have also been times when he has had a clean pocket and either doesn’t make the necessary throw or tries to take off and gets sacked. He has lucked out a few times running this season, but some of those runs have come at the expense of a bigger play.

                If the receivers are blanketed, how is that Kaep’s fault?

                You’re jumping to another illogical conclusion from something I didn’t say.

                Kaep is being forced to be only a pocket passer, and not allowed to move. He did not run once during the game.

                That is because he was being shadowed. He would have be flattened if he tried to take off because the one shadowing him generally had the better angle.

                Make the connection. If allowed to move, he will be unstoppable, which will lead to wins.

                The results say different. Like Vick back then, Kaepernick has been figured out and so far failed to adjust.

              5. MWD, I will say it again. Forcing Kaep to be only a pocket passer is like putting an Abrams tank in a pit, and the turnstile defense just buries him.
                Some say that they want Kaep in the pocket to protect him because running wild is dangerous. I counter by saying when you have a horrific O line that collapses like a house of cards, Kaep will be beaten like a pinata, and those six sacks prove that the coaches have no clue, but are arrogant and full of hubris. Kaep now has a bum thumb, so their strategy backfired spectacularly.

              6. And I will say it yet again: the other teams have figured him out. They know in order to beat Kaepernick that all they have to do is assign a defender that can shadow him if he comes out of the pocket thus forcing him to stay in the pocket and beat them with his arm. He can do that against poor pass defenses, but he’s generally exposed when going up against the stronger ones. It doesn’t help that the OL stinks, but a good QB can compensate for that.
                As Grant poinred out in his grades, some of those sacks were on Kaepernick. He had a clean pocket on two of them but tried to take off running and wound up meeting a Seahawk both times.

              7. MidWest,
                Seb’s two favorite debate tactics: 1. omit what others have posted in his arguements. 2.Misquote them.

        2. On one play, the Seahawks had a man in motion. A Niner defender raced across the field to defend against him, but the receiver reversed his course and was wide open for a big gain. Torrey could do that to gain separation from Sherman. Also, Torrey in motion would be a lot harder to check at the LOS.

          1. Your argument ended when you compared a Niners defender to Sherman. I despise the mouthy loser, but he’s better than most of the players on the 49ers D.

            1. Yet that was a way to negate his strength. Sherman is more rep, and the others are easier to attack, but I have seen Sherman getting blown up by Vance, so he is vulnerable. He did get burned in the Carolina game.

              1. In order to get Smith involved, the team needs a capable #1 WR that can pull more attention to his side of the field. Neither Smith or Boldin fit that category.

              2. I beg to differ. Torrey Smith is a number 1, and he has shown that he can stretch the field and catch those long bombs, like in the Steelers and Ravens Game.

              3. Smith actually got himself wide open on one play after Sherman fell down, but Kaep just wasn’t looking his way. Should have been a big play. One of the reasons Sherman shut out Smith is Kaep let him, by never testing him.

              4. I agree Scooter, but there were a couple of passes to Smith that he should have caught.

                Smith is a #2 being paid #1 money Seb. Being a speedster that can stretch the field is not always the same as being a #1 WR.

              5. Scooter, it pains me to say this, but Kaep was pretty bad last game, and you could see his confidence is shaken. The turnstile O line did not help, but even with time, he was inaccurate.
                I hope they put in Tiller and Brown for Devey and Pears, then go with the 4 receiver set with the pistol and read option along with the zone read. Mix it up, play by the seat of their pants a let’er rip.
                If they do that, at least I can say that they are trying. If they keep doing the same old shift with the same old results then heads should roll. If these present coaches cannot draw up a decent play, then the Niners need to find some one who can.

              6. The coaches did make some minor adjustments since the beginning of the season, one of which has been to have more WRs on the field. But they suck at making in game adjustments. Or doing something creative on offense. Or being bold on offense. Actually, they pretty much just suck.

                In saying all that, you also need the guys on the field to execute and make plays. All the guys. Including Kaep.

        3. Seb, you said the 49ers should not pit their best WR against the opponents best DB, and I asked how they should avoid doing so. I see you’ve now changed tack and decided they should have found ways to get Smith open against Sherman. I don’t disagree they could have done more to get Smith involved despite having Sherman shadow him.

          As I said, the 49ers in a short week didn’t have time to install a vastly different offense. Its just not possible. There was always going to be a lot of looks they used in line with what they’ve used in the past. What I don’t understand is why they thought going away from what was working the previous two weeks (lots of Kaep under-centre), and back to what hadn’t been successful (lots of shot gun) was a good idea.

          1. My premise is that you do not give up if their best is against your best. You find ways to counter that matchup, even if it means that Torrey is an expensive decoy that negates Sherman’s impact. The Niners would have liked to get Torrey on another defender, but when Sherman shadowed him, they should have made adjustments. Even if they tried to make adjustments, they failed just as badly, so they should start over, run the hurry up with quick snaps, and turn Kaep loose.

            1. That is your premise after having it explained why your initial premise of not pitting Smith against Sherman was faulty.

              1. In the Art of War the Warlord pitted his first string against the second string, but in the fog of war, it should have been anticipated that Torrey would get Sherman stalking him. The Niners did not do any of a number of things that could have gotten the ball in the hands of Torrey.
                Here is another. The third down bomb. when confronted with third and long from the 22, Kaep should roll out to buy time, then heave the ball as far as he can, for Torrey to jump for. Torrey could catch the ball or draw a foul. 2 good things. It could fall incomplete, and even if intercepted, it would be like a 60 yard punt. With Pinion’s punting lately, that might not be a bad thing.

              2. The 49ers constantly running draw plays on 3rd and very long is giving me the irrits too. Especially when they are down a few scores. For Pete’s sake at least try and win the game!

              3. If they go for it, even if it fails, at least I can see they are trying to win. Punting on 4th when down 3 scores is just giving up.

        4. I am just going to point out that that same Lynch (Beast Mode) was stuffed on 4th and 1 against a much worse St Louis Rams team week 1 Sept 13th, 2015 and lost the game. That’s all.

        1. That is why I wanted Torrey to move around, to get better matchups with the other DBs. The Seahawks must have read my posts because they did exactly what I did not want them to do, which is shadowing Torrey with Sherman.

        2. You are showing you didn’t watch the game Roger. Usually that is correct, but against the 49ers they had him follow Smith.

          1. Seems to me I read when the season started that Seattle’s plan for Sherman was to have him cover the best WR, no longer one side of the field.

            1. That’s what he’s been doing all year. That’s why I said to motion Smith into the running alley and get the ball to Hayne with screens, sweeps and the Kaepernick bootleg. Wear down Sherman, and then test him deep with a variant of said plays. K.I.S.S. Rocket science it’s not, and Jeep’s science lacks creativity….

            2. That’s what he’s been doing all year. That’s why I said to motion Smith into the running alley and get the ball to Hayne with screens, sweeps and the Kaepernick bootleg. Wear down Sherman, and then test him deep with a variant of said plays. K.I.S.S. Rocket science it’s not, and Jeep’s science lacks creativity….

          2. Scooter do you realize what Seb just admitted? He is a Seahawk scout assigned to analyze foolproof solutions to the best 49er threats. It’s a plan so clever that Seb brazenly posts his analysis right here in our blog. Who would have thought?

              1. It’s farce because I wrote that you’re a Seahawks scout. Given your powers of observation. your pay grade should be high.

      2. Scooter, always enjoy your comments. I assume they put Kaep in the shotgun because under center there was a greater chance he’d be sacked. What do you think of their not activating Hayne? He’s a play maker and needs to play. And what about not having Kaep run, especially with Hyde injured? Both very shortsighted on their part, IMO. But the most important takeaway for me was that Kaep self-destructs under more than mild pressure. He’s become a head case.

        1. I should rephrase: But the most important takeaway for me was that the last two games have done nothing to restore Kaep’s self-confidence. He continues to self-destruct under more than mild pressure. He’s become a head case.

        2. Thanks George.

          Deactivating Hayne I think was a reflection they don’t trust him as a RB, and the teams has a bunch of other guys that can handle PR duties. As Jeff Deeney said on his twitter account – “Hayne is learning the sport, going to have rough patches. If you’re not willing to go thru them, it’s a waste to sign him.” With the season all but over, not giving him some chances at RB or keeping him at PR is a massive waste of a learning opportunity for him. Hopefully once the coaches give up on the season things will change.

          With Kaep, they could and probably should have gotten him a few designed runs early to potentially help him settle more into the game. More screen passes too. But in the end I think what we saw is who Kaep is on the current 49ers team against good D’s. Overwhelmed. Its not all his fault, as the OL is very bad and against the Seahawks the receivers weren’t having too much success getting open, but this has been the case for Kaep dating back to last season.

          1. but this has been the case for Kaep dating back to last season.
            —————-
            Goes back much farther then that.

          2. The NFL is a ruthless and humbling league.
            I think it began after Dom Capers was embarrassed by #7 in the playoff game where he ran wild.
            Coaches across the league studied this new phenomenon inside and out. They adapted, he didn’t and now this is what he is!

      1. Thank you. When the Seahawks have FIVE former players, and Moody, who was in the locker room until last cuts, it is assumed that they will have good intel on the Niners. The Niners did nothing. They ran the same old plays, with disastrous results, but some posters are downplaying any connection.
        Some times I think some of the posters are clueless as the coaches.

  18. I am a Canadian and a longstanding Niner fan. Have been to Candlestick during the Singletary nightmare. Was proud as could be the last few years. This is a disgrace. T op to bottom, a complete joke! Coaching staff non existent. Kap can’t throw downfield. Owner and GM have their heads up there posteriors. Feel sick every time I watch them. What a regression!

    1. Ever read Steve Berman, the Bay Area Sports Guy? One of his recent comments is that this is a return to the norm under Jed, that the Harbaugh years were an aberration. And he might be right.

      IMO, Berman writes the best commentary on Bay Area sports, with Grant being an exception, of course.

      bayareasportsguy.com

          1. Nothing further to add. The 49ers did not renew his press pass and he surmised it was due to his reports last year….

  19. Well said Grant! All year, especially training camp, Tomusula seems to be more concerned with the players as if they are china dolls. “Dont want to over exert them till their ready” seems to be the theme.
    Tomsula you out of shape tool, physical exercise and stress is good for the body. Especially professional football players. Their conditioning is paramount to success. You coach them soft and thats why they play soft!
    Fire this idiot now!

  20. Remember Jed York press conference, after they gave coach JM his walking papers?

    YORK: “It’s up to us we compete for and win Super Bowls. That’s our only goal. We don’t raise division championship banners. We don’t raise NFC Championship banners. We raise Super Bowl banners. Whenever we don’t deliver that, I hope that you will hold me directly responsible and accountable for it. We look forward to getting this thing back on track and giving you guys exactly what you deserve.”

    YORK: “We didn’t win the Super Bowl. If we don’t win the Super Bowl, we are not executing on our vision. Our mission is very simple. The San Francisco 49ers win with class. We haven’t won, and I don’t think we’ve conducted ourselves with the level of class that I expect out of our organization. We’ve had off the field issues – that’s going to happen in sports. The level that is has happened here is not acceptable.”

  21. Grant, you had me at “Tomsula has no idea how to prepare a team”. Are they paying you by the word?

  22. Singletary was not a good coach, he was a terrible coach. 18-22 is not a good record, it gets you fired. Singletary believed he was going to be the greatest HC of all time. He thought that the blinged out cross hanging from his neck would shield him from the NFL’s coaching meat grinder. He may be better than Tomsula, but that isn’t saying much. At the end of the day he was just another York failure like Ericskson, Nolan and now Tomsula. Eddie D could be brutal to work for, but his only agenda was winning. York seems to really want the credit for anything positive that the team does. He has the destructive mindset of Dan Snyder but lacks the balls and willing checkbook. The team is one of the great financial successes of the NFL with a new stadium but now has the reputation for being cheap. It all starts at the top.

  23. Jed needs to come out of hiding, or the howling will continue.
    Jed should shape his interview by choosing the messenger. I would choose Keena Turner. He has interview experience. He is personable, articulate, honest and is a winner. He could help bridge Jed with the glory years.
    Jed is the leader of this 2-5 team, and he must enumerate the ways in which he is helping them win.
    Jed should hire Ronnie Lott and Brent Jones, and have them sit on each side of Geep, and just let him gain their analysis They could describe how to play 49er Football.
    Jed has the opportunity to earn some respect, by learning this business from the ground up. He should help work replacing sod. He should help Joan in accounting. He should help make tacos with his amigos. After wins, he should help direct traffic. After losses, he should clean some urinals. If Jed can show that he does not take this opportunity for granted and will work to earn some respect, he can become an owner we can say is trying to improve. Hiding out when the team is not doing well is just admitting disinterest.
    Jed needs to control the message which is to stop the bleeding. He needs to show that changes will be made after the assessments are done. The team must move on and the next few games will determine how the season will end. Jed must show that he is is trying to improve the team. They must poach a player off an undefeated team. If not an O lineman, I would suggest a pass rusher. Coaching changes are not critical, because the replacements may not be as good, but Jed should target forward thinking college coaches after the season.
    Baalke is in the hot seat. He is the guy to make all the moves. Baalke better scour the practice squads to save his job. Maybe he should spend some of that salary cap and lock up Boone and put him at RT to show they are trying to win.
    Jed is not pleased, but since he is the leader, we are not pleased. Jed needs to do an interview, so I hope he does not get sandbagged like that morning show, and he better have concrete examples on how he is trying to correct mistakes, and help them win..

    1. Why do I want Keena Turner to interview Jed? Because Jed could mention how Keena was on almost all those Super Bowls, then turn the tables and ask how Keena would help fix the broken team. I want Keena to wax eloquent and detail changes like demoting Devey and Pears. shaping the opponent, and how they played Niner Football.

      1. Keena Turner currently serves as the Vice President of Football Affairs for the 49ers, and you want him to lecture his boss Jed. That’s cool. Jed would love that.

    1. Thompson’s piece sets out the only path forward away from the sludge that’s growing deeper with each game. Until there is a football brain with power in the building, no such action will take place in any kind of effective way. Otherwise all we’ll do is accumulate ACL inventory.

  24. There are so many areas that need fixing, From the top to the bottom. I would hate to be given the job of fixing it.

  25. Having been a Bay Area football fan from the late 60s on, I’ve seen (and experienced) a wide variety of great, pretty good, bad, and just middling idiocy. As far as we can see into the future, the Yorks are here to stay–Denise, John, and Jed. Jed makes a good target (he’s earned it), but don’t underestimate John York’s role in exacerbating this dumpster fire.

    So, how can things get better…way better? Jed and John need to get used to having a legitimate, strong NFL mind at the GM helm. Cede some power and get used to surrendering some ego space. Assemble a talented coaching staff–prepare to give up even more ego space. Pay your football staff accordingly. Get over it Yorks. Winning a few NFC Championships and a Super Bowl or two will make all that feel better. Just think of caressing that Lombardi Trophy… Unwavering loyalty to in-house staff is cute, but it leads to moronic inbreeding if your staff is suspect to begin with.

    Next, with new GM and coach on board, exploit our draft position to the max. Easier said than done, yes, but get some real professionals involved. Unload (trade or cut) ‘damaged’ players as soon as practical. Then, be prepared for a 2-3 year rebuilding process. Done wisely, and with a little luck, we could be back in the playoffs in January 2018. Or done poorly, 9er leadership might be at ~ 6-10 for years on end and clueless still.

  26. Stop playing players who are not 100% fit. Hyde needs time to get over his stress fracture give the rookies more time. Hayne is an untapped source whose true ability has not yet been seen. What do you have to lose.

  27. Last thought…wonder what it’s like working in the 9er Public Relations department these days.

  28. I agree with most of all Jack Smelt’s comments particularly because I’ve lived and died(most often) with the 49ers and have watched owners,starting with the Spadia’s, for a long time. John York bitched it up for a long time and finally gave it to Jed who was ridiculously inexperienced.

    BUT-he’s also the one, along with Baalke, that HIRED Harbaugh. So why did York fire Harbaugh? Because he was “difficult” ? It wasn’t just that, it was because Harbaugh humiliated and shamed him -the team owner(along with mom and dad).

    It was reported in several places after the season that less than halfway through the season
    Harbaugh was holding a meeting with the entire team in the locker room when Jed York unexpectedly came in the room.. Harbaugh looked at Jed and said “This meeting is for
    MEN only.”. So he totally punks Jed in front of the entire team. What was Jed supposed to do? What would anyone else do if it had happened to them? Just let it slide by or set their ego aside? I don’t think so.

    1. I they had stopped at getting rid of Harbaugh and replaced him with someone half way decent, and not go cheap when assembling the team (OL discards, getting rid of the punters, etc) then I would agree with you.
      So its not just getting rid of Harbaugh. Who in their right mind would bring Tomsula as head coach, and Steve logan as QB coach – the coaching staff is a joke, our OL is a joke because they chose to go with some of the worst OL (and the cheapest in the NFL). It has been a series of steps which ruined this franchsie.

    2. Jackman,
      Can you substantiate this story? I’ve heard it before but no one has stepped up to verify.

      Even if this had really happened, it may have come as a result of Jed first saying something behind closed doors about Harbaugh to someone who then brought it to his attention.
      Not that right thing to say to the owner but perhaps Harbaugh already had one foot out the door and had nothing more to lose.

      1. Here come all the vultures to pile on the 49ers. I would not put too much stock into these “alleged stories”
        Harbaugh for whatever reasons he got fired is irrelevant. His coaching style ran its course. Guys like him have a shelf life. The problem with Jed York was giving Baalke too much control over the roster.

    3. that incident happened after York started his negative press leak campaign. Harbaugh had had enough and didn’t really care what York thought of him.

    4. JACKMAN:
      “I’ve lived and died(most often) with the 49ers and have watched owners,starting with ,b.the Spadia’s, for a long time.”

      Can I recommend Google to you?

      “Lou Spadia, who rose from the ranks of office boy with the 49ers at the franchise’s inception in 1946 to its highest-ranking executive, died at the age of 92, the San Francisco Chronicle reported Sunday.

      Spadia remained with the 49ers until 1977, when the franchise was sold. Spadia’s five-percent ownership stake in the team was included in the sale to Edward DeBartolo Sr.”

      The controlling interest (owner) was the Morabito (Tony) family.

      The Harbaugh “real men” story is a myth until some one present makes that claim. There must be someone who was present that doesn’t work for York or Harbaugh who could verify that it happened. What it sounds like is the constant complaint by many fans that Jed is running the team because of who parented him.

      1. My personal constant complaint is that John/Jed don’t hire a top NFL mind and give that person the power to rebuild the football operation.

    5. Jackman

      Harbaugh fired himself…he had done it before and he knew exactly what he was doing. He’s gone and the niners are better off for it

  29. I could care less what other teams are doing on short weeks. You know, If the Niners were 6-0 or 5-1 then I could appreciate an easy week. In week 7 the Niners were fighting for their playoff lives needed a victory in the worst way. And all they could muster was a walk thru. Sure the players are hurting, all teams are going thru that. If the players can’t handle that then they need to seek another profession like knitting or maybe a professional dog walker. I was one of the few who were okay with the Tomsula hiring, I am no longer okay with it if this is what he brings to the table.

  30. To those suggesting Holmgren should be courted, he recounted last on Seattle sports radio (where he does a weekly show) how he campaigned for the job after they canned Harbs, but was told flatly “you’re too old”.

    Presumably this was by ole Thousand Watt Smile Trent. I don’t see lil Jed having the stones to say that to Big Mike to his face.

    1. I forgot to add the context of this was that it was this experience that convinced him to retire from coaching for good.

      So Jed has even pre-emptively headed off that option.

  31. Tomsula is clearly out of his depth. He should never have been made head coach. I don’t blame him. I blame Dork and Baalke.
    Not only did they fire Harbaugh but they made it worse by bringing on the worst coaching staff in the NFL and then to add gravy they went cheapskate when looking at players – getting rid of the Punter, bringing OL discards.
    All this led to Ericsson 2.0 and leads me to believe the Yorks will never learn. They don’t care about the team as much as they do about their pocketbook and their egos.

    Unless something we are in for a miserable decade. The Yorks should be ashamed of themselves for what they have done to this once proud franchise.

    1. That is the craziest part of all of this. If you fire a coach with the winning credentials that Harbaugh has, you had mother F#$%ing better have someone to replace him. Instead they waffled around for a while and served up Tomsula on a platter. It is a joke.

  32. This column gets a incomplete, without knowing what the usual protocol of Sunday to Thursdays games, how do we really know. I would be interested know what other teams do.

    1. I posted an article near the top of this page in regards to that Neal.

      1. Thanks Midwest. the column has zero truth or foundation

        What Grant fail to say, is that the Hawks from the very top to the very bottom are better then us.Better owner, better GM, better Head coach, better assistant coaches and better players, especially atQB

  33. Grant, The Seahawks prepared almost identical physically to the 49ers. So your theory holds no water.. The Hawks have better personnel-that’s your answer..

  34. If Bortles ever settles down and becomes more consistent(common problem with NFL QB’s I guess) the Jag’s are going to have a strong offense. They have 2 really good receivers plus the rookie Lee and If Julius Thomas is ever healthy they’re going to have a lot of firepower. Those 3 receivers and TE are pretty much locked into the team for at least the next 3 years or so so if Bortles does come along everything will be in place.

      1. Scooter:

        Did you do any additional film review by chance? I just can’t bring myself to look at these games again. If you did happen to review the film, any comments on how Hodges performed? I think he was in for fifteen or so snaps. Thanks.

        1. I’ve only watched it once, but on replay and I do tend to rewatch plays as I’m going through. Hodges looked like a guy that is new to the system. He had a few botched assignments in his 15 snaps, and looked slow to react on occasion. He’ll improve.

        1. Yeah he goes good too. But Robinson is their future star WR. He’s the guy drawing opponents coverage, and doing well despite the attention.

            1. Catching some of their games here and there, and from things I’ve read. Sadly they are more fun to watch than the 49ers right now.

    1. Another knock against Baalke for not being realistic about his team and trading Davis at the beginning of the season when his value would have been the highest.

      1. Of course, I don’t actually know that he didn’t try to do it. Maybe there weren’t any takers, but I doubt that. I bet the Jaguars would have been willing to pay less for Davis then what they did for Thomas.

        1. I’ve read he tried hard to sign one of the TEs in FA (can’t remember which one) and was looking to trade Vernon, but when they failed to sign the FA TE they decided to keep Davis.

  35. The Niners are a train wreck. Harbaugh was brought in to get a new stadium built, and now we go back to sucking.
    We have no coach, no GM, and no QB.

    The good news is I have my Sundays back!

  36. your points notwithstanding Grant, when it has come to the Niners vs the Seahawks, we’ve simply failed the Ronnie Lott test for a few years: the NFL is about who out-hits who. we used to be a closer matchup with them, but now the difference is vast. all made worse by the GM’s insistence on looking for injured bargain bin players who either can’t recover or don’t provide the big-fast-strong that wins in the NFL.

  37. This is what they said about Michael Vick, after he pulled his hamstring.

    http://www.endzonescore.com/last-see-michael-vick/29121

    This is the same situation that Kaep faces unless he starts to learn how to read defenses.

    Let’s rally around Kaep! Here’s my suggestion, for all you people who think I don’t have any ideas to help Kaep, this one’s for you!

    Let’s throw out the Geep Chyrst playbook, and replace it with the Madden 2016 Niner playbook. And then when the Niners have the ball, we can put up on the big jumbotron the passing plays from the game. That way Colin and all the players and just study the plays and know what to run. And then will help Colin get comfortable with “seeing the field.”

    But before you think this is a bad idea, like the defense will know the play too, that’s why Madden has a bluff mode! We show two plays, and only the Niners players know which one is the real one!

    I really this this will help Colin be a better pocket passer! Let’s take advantage of Levis’ Stadium and all its technology!

  38. Being a true, die hard Faithful 49er fan, I will still cheer for my team, but must at last admit that all the losses during the off season were too great to overcome.
    The loss of coaches was huge. I thought Fangio might keep the team afloat, but maybe he saw the writing on the wall and escaped to Chicago. The replacement coaches were all has beens and retreads. and Jed insulted the Head Coaching community by his treatment of JH, so no blue chip coach would touch this team. Logan should have stayed in radio. He succeeded to screw up Kaep so bad, he is throwing passes into the ground. If it aint broke, dont fix it, and Logan fixed it good. Chryst and Mangini were not the saviors or geniuses we hoped for. Tomsula stands on the side line, mouth agape, watching his team self destruct. When a team is unprepared unfocused and undisciplined, it is the coaches fault.
    The lack of boldness, the lack of will, and the timidity just turns my stomach. That is not Niner football. The team looks bludgeoned and defeated.
    Kaep needed to shine, but regressed, he needed to lead but started off rude and surly. He has improved, but 5 losses will beat some sense into him.
    The O line is horrendous, and the coaching is so bad in their assessments and so stubborn in keeping the same players, they just need to clean house and start all over.
    God, I love Navorro Bowman, but he came back from gruesome multiple injuries, and he has not regained his quickness.When they go 10 for 10 when targeting him, he should acknowledge he is hurting the team and not play every down.
    Hyde helped set the tone by pointing fingers, but that just gave other teams motivation to stop him.
    The coaches do not trust Hayne and threw him under the bus, yet Pete Carroll would brainstorm with his coaches on all the myriad ways they could utilize his skillsets. Niners responded by deactivating Hayne, thus wasting talent.
    Bethea is out, but that may be the opportunity for the younger players to show their skill.
    The WRs are not getting the ball, but that is because of Kaep and the O line.
    The pass rush is non existent. They should promote Armstead. I saw him beat a double team, and forced Wilson into Brooks for a sack. I would bring back Lemonier. At least he is decent at stopping the run, whereas Lynch was easily moved aside too many times. Put in Lynch only on third downs to keep him fresh.
    The team does have talent, and it is possible to turn this around. But this team right now has no cohesion, no focus, no teamwork, No timing, no synergy, no confidence, no gameplan, and no overall strategy.
    This team needs a wakeup call. They should be playing like they are playing for their jobs. Baalke needs to start doing his job. If he does not poach a player from an undefeated team’s practice squad, I will accuse him of giving up and not even trying to win.
    I would make the QB position an open competition. Kaep will start, but once he fails to lead the Niners to a score, Gabbert should have a chance, and he should start until they fail to score. It will be strong motivation to succeed, and Kaep may need a break before his confidence is shattered, it is already shaken enough.
    Every single Niner should read IF, by Rudyard Kipling, and the Art of War by Sun Tzu. Both are quick reads.
    The Niners should use Hayne and devise plays that use laterals, if they are capable of thinking of a play that actually gets the ball in the hands of their playmakers in open space.
    The Niners still have a chance to get to 8-8. If they do that, I will jump for joy. If not, I will be watching college games to see which O line men and pass rushers are shining.
    GO NINERS !!!!!!

    1. Seb says “The Niners still have a chance to get to 8-8”
      You blasted every single aspect of what ails the organization,but how you came to the remote idea of 8-8 is confusing? How so Seb?
      Right now the best thing to happen is that the team plays even worse. How do you accomplish that? You play every single rookie or young prospect on the depth charts and practice squad. This way you begin the evaluation process 12 months earlier.
      Let’s be honest, winning at this point is counterproductive to what this franchise needs. I’m a die hard too but I understand that there needs to be an influx of new management and players. That doesn’t happen at 8-8!

      1. No 8-8. That is the recipe for disaster and long term mediocrity. At 8 losses, pants start dropping in the locker room at halftime. At 8 wins, Jed hires the interim HC that took over for the HC that was fired for losing 8 games as full time HC, in that same locker room. It’s a sh#% show that nobody wants to see, again.

      2. Niners need to be at least decent, or no FA will want to come here. I may have been overly optimistic, but I did not anticipate the glaring weakness of the coaching staff, and how it impacts the game.
        Sucking for a high draft choice is just not in my DNA. I want the Niners to win every game they can. Maybe a winning streak will wash the bad taste out of my mouth.
        Right now, I am embarrassed and ashamed at how poorly they are playing.

        1. In today’s cap world free agent acquisitions will not build your team to a contender. It’s about drafting year after year good players.
          I’m sorry to break this to you Seb but that bad taste you have in your mouth might be there awhile. Maybe till Jed wakes up and realizes the fans will not tolerate the product being rolled out every week.

          1. I will not defend Jed, but I will also not totally blame everything on him. The whole team is bad, especially the coaches.
            Free agents are needed, unless you are GB and do everything with draft choices. Baalke has stockpiled picks, but he needs to hit some home runs while selecting, instead of striking out so often.
            The Niners desperately need a pass rusher and O line men. Until they fix those positions, Joe Montana could not save this team.

            1. So as President and CEO, who’s responsible for the guys underneath him not doing their jobs?
              Everyone has a share in this but the main string puller is the owner.
              I also disagree with you on your position on free agency. Free agency in today’s NFL is used to get that final 1-2 pieces to get you over the hump. It should never be used to create depth.

              1. I thought the team had reloaded for another run, but the failure of the coaching staff and lack of talent of the players may doom this team to become a cellar dweller. Of course, the leaders should be held accountable, too. Jed needs to show that he is doing something to help the team. Hiding out is no profile in courage.

        2. Seb,
          Nobody wants their team to lose. It’s the only way to force the Yorks into action. Owner are there to sign checks to the people that know what they are doing. Jed wants the credit for success, but doesn’t deserve it. He doesn’t want the credit for failure, but he deserves it. He’s a front runner and a coward. That’s why he is visible when the team is winning and hides when the team is losing. Their whole family needs to be called out and embarrassed to the point of making major organizational changes. They may be the worst owners in all of sports. The ONLY thing that could make it worse is if Jed started rocking Mark Davis’s Lloyd Christmas style haircut. He should be forced to do that, now that I think about it. That haircut and a scarlet red F on his blazer, for failure. SMH*.

          *throws a water bottle at iPad …walks off while talking through teeth.

          1. While I agree that Jed needs to share the blame, the unreasoned hate just makes me excuse him like I did defending Grant in previous posts.
            I just want the Niners to win, and hope to point out ways to improve.

            1. Fair enough Seb. For me I’ve seen this poor decision making by the Yorks too many times. The optimism is valiant, I’m just jaded by the past when it comes to them.

              1. Prime, this is no fun. Winning is so much better. Losing sucks.
                Oh how I long for the return of the glory years….

          2. Big P

            Excellent post…the rebuilding should begin NOW…it’s a terrible feeling to not root for your team when the reason is that meaningless ‘W’s’ only keep the FO from pulling the trigger on a strong restart. I have been harping for two+ years for trying everyone on the roster to find out just how they will face the fire….what do we have to lose ?

            I hate the idea of becoming the next “Bidwell family legacy” C’mon Jed, get a clue…I’m sure that you don’t want that either.

        3. Seb,
          I’ve never been an advocate of losing for the purpose of getting high draft picks but the way the team is playing there’s a good chance that we could be drafting in the top 5-7 pick.

          I believe that we have some good young developing talent on the team and with some more added talent coming through the draft perhaps we start to see a competitive product in 2-3 years.
          The question is, at what position do we start?
          We have many holes to fill but I’ll take an early shot right now.

          2016 draft targets: highlighting only 5 rounds for now.
          1st rd. Joey Bosa, DE, Ohio State
          2nd rd. Tyler Johnstone, OT, Oregon
          3rd rd. Christian Hackenberg, QB, Penn State
          4th rd. Rodney Hardrick, ILB, Oregon
          5th rd. Brandon Shell, OT, South Carolina

          Sad that I’m having to already do mocks, but it’s been that type of season, arrrrgh!

          1. AES, I feel your pain. I had so many hopes for this season. I thought that they were talented enough to win, but deficient coaching doomed them.
            Kaep is a head scratcher. He has the physical tools, then throws the ball into the ground. SMH.
            I totally agree. I love your first choice. That Bosa is a game changer.
            I hoped they would have drafted Lael Collins instead of Harold, but that was not going to happen with the controversy swirling around LC, but drafting a stud O line man should be high on their draft board.
            However, if they draft a QB, I prefer Conner Cook, not CH or Goff, but then again, maybe the Niners should not overlook another Cal QB like they did with Rodgers.

    2. I agree with some of what you say here, but strongly disagree with taking Lynch from the field on first and second down. You say you saw him moved too easily in the run game, but you must be cherry picking plays. I’ve seen him be dominant against the run, including some excellent TFL. He is currently the 49ers best pass rushing OLB and also best all-round OLB.

      I also realise you are a staunch Kaep supporter, but I wouldn’t be blaming this coaching staff for all his ills. They bear some responsibility, as do the OL, but a large part of this is on Kaep himself.

      I obviously also disagree about the need to read If or the Art of War. Good reads, hardly required material for football players.

      1. It’s a moot point Scooter. You can’t separate the two.

        Football is a complex sport but somethings aren’t so complicated. The detrimental effect that a poor offensive line has on it’s QB is no longer up for debate. We’ve known this for years, but nowadays, with all the the metrics, and statistical science, we can conclusively determine that it’s simply not possible for a quarterback to have success behind one of the worst, if not THE worst, offensive line in the entire league.

        Therefore, if we think critically about the way in which the offensive line is playing, we simply can’t make a determination as to whether or not Colin would be performing at a higher, given better play from his offensive line. The only way to make any meaningful analysis, would be to go back and look at how well Kap was playing when he was getting adequate protection for his OL.

        So I can only say this. Based on the only true evidence we have to evaluate Colin, behind an offensive line which was playing at the very least the level required to allow us to make a meaningful analysis of Colin’s quarterbacking, we can answer these fundamental questions:

        Did Kap play well enough to get his team to the postseason? Answer – YES

        Did Kap play well enough to win games in the postseason? Answer – YES

        Did Kap play well enough to get his team to the Super Bowl? Answer – YES

        Did Kap play well enough to put his team in a position to win the Super Bowl? Answer – YES

        1. Can Colon read defenses? NO

          Can Colin elevate his game against elite defenses? NO

          Has he improved in his fundamentals? NO

          Is he worth the $16 million guaranteed moving forward? NO

          1. Prime, again, how can you judge a quarterback when he is playing behind the league’s worst OL.

            There isn’t a QB on earth who can win as many game, both regular season, and postseason, who can’t read a defense. That’s a bunch of exaggerated hooey and you know it.

            Is Colin a master of reading defense, ala Payton Manning? NO. Can he read defenses well enough to win big games? Of course he can. How do we know, we’ve seen him win big games with our own 2 eyes.

            Can Colin elevate his game against elite defenses? Another exaggerated question.

            Did Colin “elevate his game” VS Carolina, on the road, in the 2013 playoffs?
            Carolina ranked 2nd in YPG, 2nd in PPG, 2nd in RYG, and 6th in PYG. Is that what you would consider elite?

            Has he improved his fundamentals? NO, and any knowledgeable person who understands what often happens to a young QB when he faces the type of pressure the 49ers OL has subjected him to. It can happen fast, even to an established veteran, and most certainly a young, developing QB.

            Have you seen Andrew Luck play this season? Apparently not. How about Tom Brady during the disastrous start to the 2013 season when his OL was in shambles and ranked at the bottom of the AFC? Did you get a glimpse of that version of TB15? Rushing his passes, throwing off his back foot into coverage. Reporters asking whether Tom Brady’s best games were behind him?

            Did you miss that Prime?

            Is he worth $16 million a year? The guaranteed part is a silly, moot point because, if you have been paying attention Prime, you would realize it only becomes guaranteed after April 1st, at which point the team would have determined that they have no better option.

            SMH. I’m losing faith in you Prime, if these are your best talking points.

            .

            1. 49reasons,
              Good points. While I don’t believe that even Kaep’s biggest supporters are making excuses for his obvious flaws, it’s only fair to look at mitigating factors and the OL is certainly a place to start.

              P.Manning may be the best at reading defensive coverages but he isn’t winning SB’s every year and it took Brady a while before winning last year, but you could say that P.Carroll gift wrapped that one.
              Andrew Luck and R.Wilson have not had stellar QB numbers because of their OL woes.

              Point: You need quality players at every position to yield a stout and playoff worthy team.
              Not to put Joe Montana in the same sentence as Kaep, but I doubt he wins as many SB’s without the overall talent of those teams of the 80’s.
              We had our share of HOF’s from those teams. I see no potential HOF’s on this current team with perhaps Boldin possibly being the one exception but his biggest numbers came earlier in his career.

              I believe we build up our OL for starters and go from there. We will need to get a QB in the draft that can actually be a potential starter in a couple of years.
              But this team needs a big influx of talent overall – not just a QB.

              1. Here are the factors:
                Last year the line was a little better, and yet the talk was that Colin regressed. The excuse was he didn’t have any receivers. Okay. Have you seen what Crabtree is doing in Oakland?

                This year the line is not that good and his has a new coordinator, and Colin was perfectly happy after the first game in Minny and the 2nd half of the Pitt game, because he can be himself.

                And then AZ and GB happens, and now we have a QB with confidence at all in his throws.
                And yet the problem is the O-line?

                No the problem is Kaep, because he’s too slow to read defenses, too slow to deliver the ball, that he makes a shaky O-line worse!

                RW has the worse O-line in the league, and we saw him make plays in that Niner game.

                The game was over after the Seahawks scored 7-0, because no one has faith or confidence in the QB anymore.

                We can’t run any kind of offense because Kaep doesn’t know what to do when you take away his ability to run. He’s got nothing.

                Throw away the SB season, when he caught everyone by surprise, and you see the true body of work of what kaep can do. It’s shaky, inconsistent, a few athletic plays that makes you forget all the things he can’t do.

                I bet you put Gabbert back there and the offense will be better and the line will look better because he’ll get rid of the ball. We saw it in the pre-season but many of you don’t want to accept it.

                It’s like you’re on the Titanic and refuse to believe there’s an iceberg dead ahead until you’re in a lifeboat!

            2. I’m not an expert in anything football but I can say with the utmost humility, #7 is not a guy you build a franchise around.
              49reasons, with and without a stellar oline and coaching staff, the skill set and performance is still not franchise worthy.
              He lacks all those things I questioned even after 5 years in the league.
              If you want to defend that I respect that. The only thing is I’m guessing he won’t be here next year so I won’t have to worry about it much longer and neither will you!

              1. You may be right Prime. You may absolutely be right. But I don’t think you use his current level of play to make that determination. Why, because he is a far better Quarterback while operating behind a decent OL, than he is behind the 49ers current monstrosity. And that’s my point.

                How do we know he is batter than he has been showing as of late? Because we have witnessed it first hand. And here’s the thing. All of Kaepernick’s performances as a starting QB are accessible. They have been immortalized in the form of game film. I challenge you to go back and review Colin’s first 24 regular season, and 6 postseason games as a starter.

                Let me give you a quick 2012-13 recap:

                Regular Season: 17W-6L

                2012: Passer Rating- 98.3 (7th) Total QBR- 69.0 (7th)
                2013: Passer Rating- 91.6 (10th) Total QBR- 65.9 (6th)

                Post Season (2012-13): 4W-2L (3W-1L road)

                Passer Rating- 87.9 (6th) Total QBR- 79.1 (1st)

                29 total games as a starter Prime! Hardly a small sample size. Keep in mind, by and large, Colin was playing behind one of the better offensive lines in the league, during this stretch.

                So, based on past performances, it’s not a stretch to make projections moving forward, in terms of the relationship between Colin’s level of play, and the skill of the offensive line he is playing behind.

                That’s scientific fact my friend!

              2. 49reasons,

                I don’t know how long you’ve been around the blog but welcome. It’s funny reading your posts because I’ve written the same things over the last few years and have gotten the same response from the same people.

                What it comes down to is the QB is low hanging fruit and the obvious target when things aren’t working on offense. The oline was horrific and blasted by numerous analysts after the game as the worst part of the offense, but most of the focus here is still on the QB

                Now that’s not to say Prime and others don’t have a point when talking about how badly Kap has played at times this year and last. He’s lacked confidence and played very poorly for stretches and should be criticized for that. He still can’t or won’t take the check down often enough and hears footsteps even when they aren’t there. His play has declined significantly this season and there are a number of reasons why, but he has to develop the mental toughness to rise above it and so far he hasn’t.

                There should be a middle ground between what he did his first two years and the prevailing opinion by some that he sucks and can’t play at this level. I’ve come to the conclusion that he will never be a traditional pocket QB and will need someone who embraces his style if he’s ever to become a successful starter again. I really think Harbaugh and Roman were on to something when they started incorporating more spread concepts last season. The results were not always great, but over time I think that is the type of offense Kap will play his best in.

              3. “…but he has to develop the mental toughness to rise above it and so far he hasn’t.”

                This is the thing that most surprises me about Kap. Based on how he played and conducted himself at Nevada, I would not have guessed that the mental toughness would be an issue. But, he has been hearing footsteps since the first Seahawks game in 2013, and after the Arizona debacle this year, he is now playing it safe on his throws.

            3. 49 reasons, you mention Tom Brady and Andrew Luck as struggling in their games because of poor offensive line play. Of course many QB’s do.
              The problem with Colin Kaepernick is that he struggled with specific aspects of his game when the team was winning 2-3 years ago.
              Those areas now teams have exploited through a thorough analysis and have game planned for. Its pretty clear teams have forced him to read more complexities in the defense. They are also forcing him to his left more. And they are taking away the run and making him beat them with his arm and intelligence. Now you tell me, how does offensive line play make someone more intelligent and capable to read and beat defenses?

              1. No offense Fan, but we don’t need fo-shizzle, dizzle, shizzle, blizzle or any other izzle on here because they had been overused.

              2. “Now you tell me, how does offensive line play make someone more intelligent and capable to read and beat defenses?”
                ~ FDM

                All good points FDM. And you are right that a good OL does not help a QB’s intelligence and read defenses better, but it helps a QB immensely when they allow him the time to see the field in order to make throws.
                I’ve seen Brady, Brees, both Mannings and recently Luck make horrendous throws when under pressure. Again, I agree with your all your points regarding Kaep, but I’ve also seen enough football to know that you need to have the studs on OL to help.

                Terry Bradshaw was not considered the sharpest tool in the shed but his OL was great enough to give him the time to make throws.
                As we’ve seen in CK’ game, he doesn’t need to throw 300 yds and throw 3-4 TD’ per game to win. Yes, he does need to be able to read defenses better, but he also needs more time in the pocket to have a chance to make plays.

              3. “Terry Bradshaw was not considered the sharpest tool in the shed but his OL was great enough to give him the time to make throws.”

                Traditionally measurable intelligence and the ability to make quick decisions under pressure can be very different things. Bradshaw, academically and maybe even personally, is not an impressive intellect. He was also not the most gifted QB physically. What he could do was remain calm under pressure and make decisions. Like Frank Gore, who reportedly scored very low on the Wonderlic, Bradshaw could assess the situation on the field and very quickly figure out what to do. People often refer to this as football IQ in this context.

                Kap did very well on the Wonderlic, and as I pointed out in a post last year, while the test can be “gamed” a bit, it requires quick processing of different problems to succeed, so it is hard to fool. However, it does not require translating that analytical ability into physical action. Kap could do that in college, but he cannot consistently in the NFL. He is a bright guy, but it does not translate to football IQ at this level.

                Kap seems to be overthinking everything right now (something Bradshaw was not prone to do), and the extra work in the off-season seems to have increased his over-analysis, not helped it. True, the bad o-line play does not help, but it is only part of the problem.

              4. I won’t deny that. Colin had, and still has weaknesses in his game. But are these weaknesses the main cause for his poor play? I would say no, because he has had previous, smashing success, with those weakness, so that should already be factored into the equation.

              5. He had smashing success when he was a new commodity, but his numbers has decreased ever since that half-season.

        2. Sure, when given a very strong team around him Kaep was able to do those things. Which is good. But do you absolve Kaep of all the blame for his play?

          I have no doubt with a better OL that Kaep would look a lot better. Any QB would look better with good OL play. And I agree that no QB looks really good without decent OL play. So yes, some of Kaep’s struggles can and should be directly attributed to the poor OL.

          But there are also plays Kaep should be making, and by not making them has put additional pressure on the OL. Not all the sacks have been necessary, if he made quicker decisions and got the ball out on time.

          1. That’s a much better question Scooter. And it’s a tough one to answer.

            Look, if we didn’t have anything to go on, and we only dissected Colin’s quarterbacking over the last 1.5 seasons, the natural inclination is to assume that, if a guy is playing this poorly, it must have more to do with him than simply playing behind a bad OL.

            But we do have something to go on. Evidence of Colin’s play that goes back to 2012 &2013.

            1. “But we do have something to go on. Evidence of Colin’s play that goes back to 2012 &2013.”

              But it’s more complicated than that. One important factor (and there are several more) is that defenses have “figured CK out” and he has not progressed enough (many would say he has regressed) to counter their moves. The CK of 2012 outplayed most of the defenses of 2012. The CK of 2012 would now be unable to outplay many of the defenses of 2015 even with the same OL that he had in 2012-2013.

              Yes, the OL is currently worse and I think many would forgive some of CK’s play IF he was able to make the easy plays when they present themselves. I don’t expect CK to make a play when four Seattle DL are in his face and he only has 2 WRs downfield with 6 Seattle DBs defending. I do expect him to make a play when a guy is open but he instead throws it into the ground in front of the receiver.

              With regards to the play calling which is also a factor, I’m not sure. Is it worse than Harbaugh/Roman?

              1. Great points Cubus. Its the same thing that happened with RGIII. Once teams had enough tape on him, they took away what he does best. That left him pretty much one dimensional.
                Colin Kaepernick struggles mightly now with pressure in his face. Most QB’s do. But even with simple check down plays to alleviate pressure, he cannot make those completions.
                Look at all the games against Seattle. What is the one thing that he has had trouble with? Rush 4 drop 7.

              2. I think this view is too simplistic. Saying the league has figured out one player and thus can shut down an entire offense is not realistic. What has happened in the losses is teams have shut down the running game and forced Kap to stay in the pocket to beat them with the passing game. He is not a pocket QB we all know that, but when he has time and an effective running game he’s a different player.

                There is also the fact Kap is seeing ghosts and hearing footsteps because he’s taken so many sacks the past two years. His confidence has been shaken and any time he feels pressure he’s reacting whether it’s there or not. Against Seattle most of it was real, but it still affected him the few times it wasn’t.

                We can point to individuals as the problem all we like, but there is no mistaking the fact the OLine doesn’t help the QB, and the QB doesn’t help the OLine. The playcalling is questionable at best and if the running game doesn’t work the offense is dead in the water.

                The other problem is when the offense actually does something, the defense falls apart. Both sides of the ball have taken turns being the reason for losing, so at the end of the day we really have nothing to hang our hat on. The entire structure of this football team is in disarray and changing the QB is not going to fix that. It’s going to take a systematic overhaul from the top down to fix the problems this organization now has.

              3. Rocket says:
                He is not a pocket QB we all know that, but when he has time and an effective running game he’s a different player.

                And that’s the biggest problem with a player like Colin Kaepernick. You need everything around him from coaching, to play calling to a running back, to a great defense to be in place for him to be successful. That is impossible to have in this day and age of a salary cap league.

                You want your QB to be simple in this league. Don’t turn the ball over first and foremost. The ghosts like you said he is seeing are also telling him, throw it into the front row if the WR is not 100% open. WRONG. Throw the guy open. He now is so scared to make a mistake that he is not even giving his teammates a chance. They don’t trust him. Rumors circulating that he is isolated now because the boys in the locker room don’t believe in him.

                The next thing is the organization does not know how to devise a scheme for him because he can only do a few things consistently. Run the ball is one and hit every other broken play. Now he is not even running when he should. He lacks intelligence. The game is too fast for him now and the most important, he cannot rely on his fundamentals when things break down so he wings it. You cant do that in this league. P

                Rocket I know you are a loyal 49ers fan like most of us but your defense of Colin Kaepernick is unrealistic. Too many things have to be perfect for him to be successful. Like I said, that is really hard to do in a salary cap world. The fact is Trent Baalke has missed on so many draft picks that it has not helped. But Kaepernick has not helped either in that he is limited in what he can do. At the end of the day you have to be able to play within the pocket. Not exclusively, but at least 50% of the time. Otherwise its college football.

              4. “It’s going to take a systematic overhaul from the top down to fix the problems this organization now has.”

                Couldn’t agree more with this statement and have said so a number of times.

                I think what it boils down to, Rocket, is that, as a rule, the athletically gifted QB will not have a successful career in today’s NFL beyond perhaps a few years at the outset. While the athleticism is a “gift” it is also a curse because there is no impetus to develop the needed pocket passing skills required in today’s NFL. Vick was a one or two year wonder, RGIII is I believe now the 3rd QB on the Washington team, Kap will likely be the fall guy this year for the 49ers. Even Russell Wilson is not showing marked improvement (and many say he looks worse). The many sacks/hits will eventually take their toll on him and reduce his longevity.

                Yes, Kap looks worse this year because of poor play around him. The point is that there is sufficient evidence that expecting an athletically gifted QB to be a success in the NFL AND to develop the needed pocket passing skills once he reaches the NFL is a poor strategy upon which to build a successful NFL team. Of course there may be the exception out there, but on the whole, it is a poor strategy with little chance of success. I believe Kap has pretty much reached his limit and we would be better off heading in a new direction.

                BTW: I meant to tell you that you were absolutely right on your call regarding the Tomsula hiring. Many say that now, but you said it right after the hiring and were a “Debbie Downer” about it for quite awhile. At the time I though you were being overly negative, but it turns out you were absolutely right. I’m meaning this as a complement even if it’s not coming across that way :)

              5. FDM,

                The only defense I’m offering up for Kap is that it’s not all on him. Most QB’s in this league need everything in place to be successful, least of which is a decent Oline. Look at the Panthers for a clear example. Newton is still mostly a one read and throw guy who relies on the running game to open up the passing game. They are pretty much a carbon copy of what Harbaugh’s teams were right down to defense needing to keep the score down. Seattle is also in the same boat. As much as everyone wants to say Wilson is a great QB, he really isn’t. He is elusive and makes big plays when things break down. He also struggles when the running game isn’t working and the defense is not shutting other teams down.

                Kap is pretty much done here. We all know that, but he didn’t get much help in developing his weakness’ with the poor Oline play. I also don’t think this comes down to intelligence. He is a bright guy and has shown the ability to go through progressions at times. It comes down to the fact he’s not comfortable as a Pocket passer and it’s taking a long time to get there. The fact the pass protection is so poor makes it pretty much impossible to improve which is why he’ll be somewhere else next season.

              6. Cubus,

                I really don’t disagree with anything you said in that last post. Kap may be done as a starting NFL QB, or he could go to a team that figures out how to use him and has a few more years of success. I have no idea at this point but I do agree that trying to make him a pocket QB has not worked and likely never will. I think Harbaugh knew this and that is why they were experimenting with the spread offense last year in an attempt to get Kap to the next level without going the route of a traditional pocket QB. That obviously doesn’t jive with Baalke’s ground and pound background and is likely another reason for Harbaugh’s departure.

                As far as being right on Tomsula, I’m still hoping he proves me wrong, but am losing confidence in that hope daily.

              7. Rocket, the issue I have with saying Kaep’s a different player when teams take away the run and force him to be a pocket passer, and have had for some time, is that it shows there is a book on how to beat him, and that what you need to do is make him play like a passing QB. Its a bit damning that when an opponent sells out to stop the run and plays contain on the edge with a spy, Kaep is unable to dissect what should be fairly easy pickings with any consistency.

                Some of that comes down to not being given time due to poor protection. But not all the time. He has a tendency to hold the ball too long and not make the easy completions, which is one of the reasons his sack numbers are so high.

              8. Scooter:

                I think this more than anything is what has soured me on CK. During the offseason, Warner said that the primary focus of their time together would be working on taking/making the easy throw. I was quite excited by this statement as I thought it would help in preventing defenses from continually stacking the box among other things. However there’s been ample film review showing that he is not making that throw (for whatever reason). Further, we’re not even seeing incremental progress in that direction.

              9. I agree with you both that Kap has not progressed in taking the easy throws and it’s unfortunate. He still has a long way to go to become a functional pocket passer and it’s not going to happen here. May not happen anywhere at this point.

              10. Does it take NFL coordinators 2.5 years to “figure a player out”?

                He was still going strong, 30 games into his career. What’s really changed?

                His OL, that’s what!

      2. I appreciate the back and forth, and I do not claim to have all the answers. I just want them to win, and I am throwing out ideas in areas I think are deficient.
        Maybe they should read Building a Champion by Bill Walsh in their spare time instead of playing ping pong. I also think Kaep should take up darts to work on his accuracy, drop all romantic diversions and concentrate on football.

    1. I expect Cassie Baalke will get chirpy soon. Time to call house keeping and clean the house….

    2. If the Kaep -Nessa rumors are true, he should drop her like a hot potato. He should remember the Sampson- Delilah biblical story.

    3. There might be no other option than to trade or release Kaepernick after this season.

  39. Coach Tomsula/Colin Kaepernick:
    103 pts for … 180 pts against
    the differential… -77. **
    (worst in the NFL)

    ** Coach Harbaw’s legacy, okay?

  40. Fans left early again in an eerily similar scene to Thanksgiving night, when 49ers CEO Jed
    SI: Something not right in SF: York apologized on Twitter in the waning moments by saying: ”This performance wasn’t acceptable. I apologize for that.”

    This time, it was former 49ers wideout Kassim Osgood weighing in on Twitter with: ”`Something ain’t right in SF.”

    Kaepernick’s errant passes sailed into both sidelines, one ball even hitting a 49ers staff member in the head early in the game and requiring him to be checked.

  41. We need to rally around Kaep, So what is he stole Aldon’s GF? Kaep = Lee Harvey Oswald, He’s the patsy!

    1. Fan77,
      Not so fast there bud. If Chip keeps losing and players start to grumble there’s a chance he’s fired at seasons end.

      Kap may or may not be back next year but you’ll have a more clearer view if we do have a new QB that the issue with the offense was not solely on him.

  42. Jed needs to eat his crow with hot sauce and keep it down. Fire Baalke and Tomsula. Hire a veteran coach like Holmgren or Shanahan and just let football people run this team.

  43. Fansided:

    Who are the 49ers? In which direction does the front office, coaching staff and organization as a whole want to go?
    In reality, San Francisco doesn’t appear to know any of these answers. Yes, the team obviously wants to return to its winning ways. But the 49ers lack any sort of vision or comprehensive approach to suggest this will happen.

    Can Jed put his ego in check and build a solid oraganization?

  44. Damon Bruce ‏@DamonBruce · 3h3 hours ago

    Damon Bruce Retweeted adam j
    Story’s over now. Facility is just another stadium. Entire well has been poisoned, no antidote in sight.

    Damon Bruce added,

    After watching the size of that crowd in the 2nd half, it appears Damon is right.

    1. Damon Bruce ‏@DamonBruce · 3h3 hours ago

      Damon Bruce Retweeted Joe
      No one with options, no elite coach with choices will chose Santa Clara for a long time. This is bad.

      On would a talented coach choose the 49ers?

      1. 5 million bucks a year says otherwise. Once Tom Gamble is named GM, he will hire a legitimate coach and staff.
        This year was premeditated. It is the year Jed stuffs his pockets. He went cheap on the football operations side of things, fans go nuts, he hires a splash candidate next year.

        1. Absolutely right Prime. Money talks. Beautiful new facility. Storied franchise. Nowhere to go but up. Sounds like a pretty good gig to me, as long as Trent Baalke is no longer calling the shots!

      2. TomD

        I think that you have it backwards….Harbaugh bought into the niners because he inherited a potential champion without too much trouble in the making….swapped out his successful QB for a Dll 2nd rounder and became the QB ‘whisperer’.When his whispering wasn’t loud enough, and things began to head South. He just let things go….sorta’ just walked away….

        A real talented coach would be overjoyed at the opportunity to jump on board with the 49ers. You can’t look worse than the coach before you who had to suffer all of the retirements, trades, and fending off the FO in true Custer-like fashion.. Jim Tomsula will go down as a martyr, sad to say. You’d have a staff to cherry-pick from, and fill in with your own. You better believe that the in-box is already overflowing at 4949….some real good ones too….

        1. The only problem I see Oregon is will this coach have some say in the roster? Otherwise the hiring will result in another puppet like Tomsula.

  45. Tim Kawakami ‏@timkawakami · 9m9 minutes ago

    Some coaches screw their teams up on bye weeks (Mike Nolan comes to mind). Some make them better (Andy Reid and so far Del Rio).

    Good coaches vs. bad ones.

  46. A quick timeout from bemoaning the state of the franchise….

    What’s going to happen at safety?

    A) Ward replaces Bethea.
    B) Tartt replaces Bethea.
    C) Some combination of Ward/Tartt replaces Bethea.
    D) Reid drops down to SS, Ward FS.

    If Ward’s now a staring safety, Reaser, Acker or Johnson cover slot?

    1. Ok Brodie, a time out.

      Will the 49ers still carry Vegan Dogs next game…I so love them…Do you believe the Zinfandel is the best choice here?

      1. That would be an intriguing arrangement. Reid has the size for SS. Ward the range, closing speed and ball skills.

        1. Could Ward be an Earl Thomas/ Ed Reed type of rangy FS? If so, they would allow them to play more aggressively on D, dropping the SS down more often.

          1. Ward’s body type suggests FS. His college background suggests a lurk role. The pre-draft book on him was he’s great at anticipating where the ball’s going.

            1. I like the Ward to FS, Reid to SS move, but I’ll bet they mostly put Tartt in for Bethea. Unless they’re going to move Reid to SS permanently next year, assuming Bethea is gone.

    2. I’d say B. I think they like Ward in the slot and won’t move him if they don’t need to.

      However, they could look to put Ward at safety in base D, then have him drop down to the slot in nickel/ dime.

      1. That would be a nice configuration.

        I think alot of the slot will be determined by opponent. Ward and Tartt down low would keep offenses guessing about their roles.

  47. Tim Kawakami ‏@timkawakami · 4h4 hours ago
    49ers possibly didn’t draft a QB last spring to make sure it didn’t SEEM like Kaepernick was a lame duck. And yet he was. And is.

    Tim Kawakami ‏@timkawakami · 4h4 hours ago
    With it so obvious that 49ers mgmt was setting up Kaepernick, WHY didn’t they draft a QB last spring? No idea. They are confusing.

    1. In the above commentary, it appears upper-management is so concerned about public perception that they did not draft a QB.

      This organization is worse off than anyone can fathom if that’s the case. Not drafting a QB puts its future in doubt for the false impression of stability projected toward Seat License holders, therefore placing short term profits over team health.

      1. LOL, yah, because there were so many franchise QB’s available at #15 in the 2015 draft.

        TrollD, you used to aggravate me. Now, I am glad you’re here. Your utter lack of intelligent analysis simply puts a smile on my face.

        1. The issue is not drafting a qb at 15, the issue is not drafting a qb at all. That is the criminal mistake.

          Perhaps undrafted qb Dylan Thompson from South Carolina who is on the practice squad is the answer. I wouldn’t mind seeing him play. What do we have to lose?

          1. The real issue is development, and without the proper developer(s), I wouldn’t expect there will be any developing….

            1. Quinton Patton, LaMichael James, V.Mac, AJ Jenkins, Carradine, Marcus Martin, Joe Looney.
              How do you develop lousy draft picks?

          2. I disagree. Until they fix this offensive line, it’s going to be impossible to tell what they have at QB! It all starts up front Leo. Get the line fixed, re-evaluate what you have in CK7, and if it doesn’t look like Colin can regain his confidence, clean up his mechanics, and return to his championship form, then you look for your next franchise QB. In the meantime you bring in a veteran QB who has the ability to push Kap and manage games.

              1. I beg to differ. I don’t think that CK ever had championship form. Yes he has played in championship games and even won one and played in the Superbowl. However, those teams were fully loaded and ready. I would argue that he is a wonderfully gifted athlete who is limited in his passing ability and has never shown he can take it to the next level. Now that the league has fully scouted him and knows his tendencies and deficiencies he is pretty much toast against a good defense. I don’t dislike him and I root for him and my niners, I just fear that we are wasting time on a player who will never develop much beyond his current level of play. I hope I’m wrong, but I’m not.

                Yes, the Offensive Line is in horrible shape. It will be better at the end of the year. But not much.

          3. I agree. Why not go bold and bring in Spurrier as OC, and let him play his boy Thompson because they ran the pro set and he is very familiar with him. Kaep has a bum thumb, so that should be a good excuse to bench him.
            Geep is just a continuation of the JH /GR style of offense, and it is very offensive to me.

            1. Spurrier? Dude, I know you desperately want the 49ers to win, but that’s grasping at straws.

              1. Crappy former 49er QB and failed NFL head coach is what Spurrier is. He also quit on his college team this year. He’s a perfect choice.

            2. Awesome. Throw in a new scheme to further confuse our QB who is struggling in a scheme tailored to his skill set.

  48. And guys, Grant is simply grasping at straws yet again. Trying to create a story, where one doesn’t exist. Like my father used to say, There is no there, there, nor is there anything here.

    The new Collective Bargaining Agreement is the story here, not the coaching staff. Coaches have far fewer options now, in terms of practice time, and the impact of these restrictions has been felt around the league.

    The fact of the matter is that the 49ers do not match up well with the Seattle Seahawks, and the mismatch is further magnified by the discrepancy in coaching ability. A few extra days of practice would not have made one iota of difference.

    It’s time to clean house, and that starts with taking out the trash. York isn’t going anywhere, so it has to start with replacing Trent Baalke. You let the new GM put together a coaching staff, and then you begin to rebuild the roster by starting at your weakest position groups, OL and LB. You wait on drafting a QB until you fix the OL. It all starts up front my friends. Once you rebuild the OL you can re-evaluate Colin Kaepernick. If it doesn’t look like Colin can take advantage of solid pass protection at this point, and regain his 2012-13 championship form, you draft a QB who fits your offensive philosophy and blocking schemes. After you have your OL and franchise QB in place, you can start drafting BPA, and using FA to fill in the gaps.

  49. This was Tomsulas and Chrysts first shot at Seattle and it was a short week. Harbaugh with more talent and more time last season scored 7 and 3 points respectively. The logic in this article that would support this team would have done better with a different approach is flawed. More practice and even with more talent yielded essentially the same results. My opinion is that right now seattle is just better. Nothing Tomsula does will change the fact that Devey the right guard is little more than a speed bump that makes Pears and Martin look worse than they really are. The defense only gave up 20 points which is almost identical to what the defense yielded in the last 2 meetings.

  50. Alex (2-5): “Hey, Colin (2-5) …
    ya wanna be a member of my club…? ”
    Warning: The Chiefs hold an edge:
    Points Differential: (for and against)
    Kansas City…..-22
    Niners……………-77

  51. I was going to give Arian Foster credit for making it to week 7 before being placed on IR assuming that’s probably a career best for him but then I remembered that he didn’t even play the first 3 games of the year. Is there any softer running back in the league? He’s the definition of a china doll. Houston needs to cut him and move on.

  52. Total hindsight but how much do we miss Mike Iupati? They had the money, he was a pro bowler,not the best pass protecter, but learning and now your telling me Baalkes replacements are doing better or holding their own! Man!

    1. The Iupati loss was worse because he went to a division rival, and spilled his guts on all the Niner tendencies so that first Cards game resulted in them knowing the Niner pass offense so well they jumped the routes for 2 pick sixes the first 2 passes.
      Niners tried to do the same with Dockette, but Darnell was out for a year and Bowles left, so they changed things up.
      Given the present state of the Niner O line, it would have been very smart to stop being so cheap and letting Pro bowl players leave.

      1. I never agreed with letting a 1st round talent like Iupati leave for nothing. Sure he had some problems in pass protection but he was a stud in the run game and he is only 28 years old. Once again Trent Baalke thought his superior drafting could account for the loss. Marcus Martin, Devey, Tiller, Looney are nothing even close to what Iupati brought.
        Everyone knows it takes time for offensive linemen to develop. Iupati was half way there.

  53. Thank you 49reasons, you put down on paper what I have been thinking. I would move Baake out now and let Gamble take over and let him figure out what to do with the coaching. Gamble might be able to pick up a player or two and trade VD as well. I would comment on this thread in years past about the inability of Baake to get offensive skill set players. Move out Baake now!

  54. 2-14 would insure the number 1pick. Draft Goff add a couple of olineman, one from the draft and the other a free agent on the right side as a mentor. Draft two lbs, A big TE and a late pass rusher like lynch.
    New gm, coaching staff and let’s roll

      1. Especially the TE part. The ones coming out of college are either WR hybrids or very raw prospects.

      2. Well Goff and a lineman shouldn’t be difficult with that record. A run stuffer lb coke a dime a dozen. That leaves a couple of risky picks maybe on a troubled pass rusher (lynch) or trading up for a hands TE. It could be done because we’d be picking at the top of each round plus our gazillion picks stashed away not to mention some contracts coming off. If they cut kap, we’d have 25 million right there including aldon.

        1. As bad as York has been, the 49ers job might be one where a guy could come in and have instant success.
          Now granted the most important position needs upgrading but there are some good pieces in which to build from.
          Also there is plenty of cap space and a ton of draft picks in the fridge in which to select from.

    1. Noooooo!
      Grab the best d lineman coming out and move up to grab the best ILB coming out. Filter trade for a second and get a RG… A Davis might come back, and there is no qb worth a first coming out this year. Build that defense back up to top tier. And build the o-line through draft or FA!

  55. Sorry to say I do t think it will happen. No York ever fired his coach in his first year aka Eddie d . He doesn’t want to pay them for not working, he’d rather lose. Even worse he will only dumpster dive for coaches ( harbaugh he needed for the stadium) who he thinks look up to him. The Walsh, mooch harbaugh guys intimidate him. He rather have a loser than a smart guy who wins because he doesn’t feel so stupid. Win or lose his family makes $ now, so what does he care if he hires another ignorant Nolan sing or tomsula?

  56. Practice? This game wasn’t lost by a lack of practice. In 24 positions (including kicker and punter), Seattle is probably better at 20 of them. Add in superior coverage and return units, and, obviously, coaching, and the only thing remotely close between these two teams was their record.

  57. “We’re going to fight every day to make the playoffs,” the 49ers coach said after Seattle humiliated the 49ers. “As long as there’s a chance to make the playoffs, we’re going to fight like crazy to get to the playoffs.”

    Yup walking thru practice sounds like they are fighting for victory. The Niners right now are a kinder, gentler team. Hell even the Raiders are a better team right now and that pisses me off. Changes need to be made and hopefully they will occur shortly. The old adage of you play like you practice was no more apparent then last Thursday night.

    1. 49ers inside linebackers get to face Gurley:

      “[He’s] just an animal,” quarterback Nick Foles said. “The guy’s an extremely talented, hard-worker. His vision, when he runs, like I’ve said

      1. This from 49ers Paradise:

        49ers keep Kap and release Aldon

        TANK: If Colin violated the “Bro Code,” and this led to the release of a star like Aldon, a locker room not going to forget…

        Aldon was on pace to set NFL sack records in 1st four seasons…Send Kap packing if for nothing else than the records he’s currently setting: a lower QBR than Tebow, and lowest in NFL history.

          1. 49ers Ageist crowd who do not want to hire Shannahan or Gruden because of Age. (Implying the NFL has passed them by). Below, Billick describes what Kap faced vs. Seattle and what others will employ vs. Kap.
            Billick was hired in the early 80’s by Bill Walsh and has been in the NFL longer than M. Shannahan or Holmgren. If Billick can describe what’s happening here, the only conclusion I can draw by folks not wanting any of the above involved in turning the organization around would be their desire to keep hiring the Mike Nolan’s or Tomsula’s, therefore a desire for 49er mediocrity

            On Thursday night, Seattle showed the template that the 49ers will see for the remainder of the season. With that, opponents can get to Kaepernick with just a four-man rush (Seattle had six sacks and occasionally brought just a three-man rush) and play change-up zone behind it. Like a rookie, Kaepernick appears to only be able to throw what he sees. If the defense plays man, he can see the open receiver or, with everyone’s back turned to him, he can pull it down and hurt you with the run. But on the flip side, he does not appear to understand protections nor be able to decipher zones and throw into an anticipated area.

              1. Fans,

                If an NFL QB can not throw into an anticipated area it’s game, set, match. Throwing windows in the Pro’s are minute compared to college.
                Anticipation throwing is part of a QB’s job description.

  58. The NFL seems to be the only entity that can’t seem to get basic radio headsets to consistently work over a distance of less then a 1/4 mile even though we live in a world where we can communicate flawlessly with satellites that are billions of miles away.

    1. I hope Jed walks into the booth, pulls the plugs on those headsets, and lets Kaep be the field general. They can take a page out of the Bill Walsh playbook and script plays, but the wasting of time is counter productive, and has led to them losing. The whole idea of calling down plays is cumbersome, too slow, and too easy to steal signals. Kaep should run the hurry up with quick snaps, and put a man in motion.

  59. I agree with those who said the game was not lost due to lack of practice. The Seahawks are mediocre team right now, but the 49ers are a bad team. More practice would not have changed that. This is a long-term project at this point.

    That is not to say that the 49ers may not get a little better this year — I expect the defense to continue to make small steps to improve as the season goes on — but I think the chance for anything but a losing season is gone. Even if the defense improves as I think it will, I only see four more games they have a fair chance to win (Bears, Browns, Lions and Rams at home) unless the offense improves beyond expectation.

    Finally, despite the prevailing narrative, I do not think Tomsula at all a stupid man. True, we are far enough into this to see that he is in over his head, but he appears to be able to evaluate and understand what is going wrong. What he cannot do is fix it. Compare this to Singletary, who seemed to not even know what was going wrong. Tomsula seems to know (for example, go back and read/listen to his comments about Kap and the offense from before the AZ game and in the weeks after; he is saying things that sound supportive, but he is not saying the same things as before), but he is struggling to figure out how to make it better. Either that, or he does not want to make the hard decisions necessary to really try to make it better, like benching players and/or changing his staff.

    1. Either that, or he does not want to make the hard decisions necessary to really try to make it better, like benching players and/or changing his staff.
      —————
      It’s been suggested that those latter moves might not be his decisions to make.

      1. That is possible as well. The frustration Tomsula is feeling seems to radiate out of him every time he talks these days.

    2. I think we are getting exactly what the record for these men shows we should. Tomsula had little experience as a Coordinator and even less as a HC, so why should anyone expect more than what we are seeing? Chryst and Mangini were both lousy as coordinators previously so it shouldn’t be a shock that they are now.

      What we have is the perfect storm for dysfunction. Poor Coaching, poor Oline play, poor QB play, no pass rush, big plays given up on defense and no idea on how to change their fortunes from the top on down.

      The best thing that can happen to this team at this point is for the embarrassment to continue forcing Jed to figure out he needs to hire someone to run the team for him and become a figure head instead of a voice in the football decision making dept. Hire a qualified head of football operations and let him hire the next GM and HC. That is the only way this is going to get better with the way the reputation of this team has been poisoned and the holes they have all over the roster.

      1. Two comments:

        First, the team’s record is only one game off of what I expected at this point. I thought they would be 3-4, not 2-5, right now. So in terms of the record, they are only one close loss (the Giants) from where I thought they would be at this point. However, the losses have been much more lopsided than I expected, so I will admit to some overestimation.

        Second, Magini was not a lousy coordinator. His defense in New England grew into a very good defense over the course of that season. He was a lousy head coach. In the right situation, I think he would still be a capable defensive coordinator. He might even be one for the 49ers — eventually.

        1. JPN,

          I disagree on Mangini. I have seen no evidence that he is capable of being a good DC from his year in NE to his time as a HC where the defense was supposedly his specialty. He is another guy who benefited from working under Belichick and then was exposed when he left imo.

          1. Saying you see “no” evidence is either hyperbole, a misunderstanding of how evidence works, or a substitution of analysis for evidence. The stats from the second half of the season in NE are very good, and are thus evidence for his capability. The fact that you attribute them to Belichick is your analysis of the evidence, but that is not the same as claiming there is no evidence.

            1. The overall body of evidence is not good JPN. As HC in New York and Cleveland he obviously played a big role in the defense of both teams so one half season vs. the overall body of work leads me to believe he is not a very good Defensive Coach.

              1. First, you did not claim overall body of evidence. You claimed you saw “no evidence”, which is a vastly different statement. Second, HC is not the same as DC, so the evidence is suggestive, not conclusive. Third, you are excluding evidence from his days as a DB coach, which would be included in the totality and would be suggestive of his capability. The only direct evidence is one season as DC in New England, and you have already written the good of that off via the analysis attributing it to Belichick.

              2. JPN,

                Ok I will try to be more clear. I am basing my opinion on his time as a DC and HC. Based on his record over half a season in NE, his time as a HC, and now 7 games in SF, I see a man that is not a good defensive mind.

                The year you focus on the improvement of his defense in the second half of the season they were ranked 17th in points and 26 in yards. In the years before and after Mangini’s season as DC, the Patriots were ranked 2nd and 9th and 2nd and 6th respectively. I’ll leave it at that.

              3. And that is your analysis, which I respect. What I do not respect is the spurious and misleading claim there is no evidence.

                Further, dig a little deeper than the season stats, and a different story emerges, but you will not see that as you have left it “at that”.

              4. JPN,

                My use of no evidence was hyperbole. I will concede that point. I also know there were injuries to the defensive personnel that year. However, for the results to be that dramatically different in the years surrounding his one as DC is enough to question his acumen as a DC. The fact his defenses in NY and Cleveland were mediocre at best further expounds on that thought process. The fact he now coordinates the worst pass defense in the league through 7 games as the DC in SF…well his history really speaks for itself.

              5. JPN001,
                While we may have disagreed, I always felt you were respectful. While I don’t claim to have all the answers, just a passionate opinion, I think you handle this exchange with Rocket in a way I wish I had done.
                While I appreciate his opinion, he does have an arrogance to his conclusions as if it’s fact. And he will pull even stat he can to justify his conclusion.

                Well done sir, well done.

              6. JPN,

                I thought it was understood that opinions on here were just that. I don’t mean to imply I am correct and it’s undisputed. My opinion is that Mangini is not a good Defensive Coordinator and it’s just that: my opinion.

              7. Rocket,

                I used to be the most condescending SOB around. I assumed I was the smartest person in any room until someone proved otherwise. I reduced other academics to anger and/or tears with a relentless need not just to win, but to humiliate. And I did so with evidence and reasoned position, not by stating analysis as fact and talking until others tired of objecting.

                However, when I left academia and went to law, I made a change in myself that many folks felt was incompatible with a career in law but that has led me to where I am today, both personally and professionally. I decided it helped my own energy, and that of those around me, to be more aware of what they were feeling and to resist my initial impulse to mock and belittle them. I began to approach others with the assumption that they deserved consideration and respect until they proved otherwise. This has become second nature to me for the most part, but there are still times that I have to write out my first impulse, see it, then revise or do away with it, depending on how bad it is. I do that all the time before I post here.

                Claude once said I was a better human being than he was because of how I treated Mary in the wake of her fallacious claims. I am not; I am worse than Claude ever was. I just keep it in check – most days. But today is not one of those days, at least so far. However, Fan agreeing with my tactic has made me realize I have let myself move too far to the extreme. ;)

              8. Rocket, I have to disagree with you on Mangini. What he did with the Patriots once he got some troops healthy was very impressive. Its easy to dismiss his efforts because of what the stats look like the first half of that season, but just look at the injuries they had. The way he had that D playing over the final 8 or so games of that season was excellence, pure and simple.

                BUT, I think it shows two things. One, he needs the right players. And two, he needs time to get his guys accustomed to the system.

                At the Jets and Browns, while its nice to showcase how the D went as evidence he is no good, he was not running the D on a day to day basis. He had input, but as HC he had other things on his plate too. He also didn’t have the troops, and he made the cardinal sin of p$#@ing both teams off so they didn’t play for him. His man management as a leader is noted to be rubbish. Using these periods as evidence of whether he can be a good DC or not is pretty weak evidence in my opinion.

              9. JPN,

                This was not the first time somebody on this blog referred to me as arrogant. I actually adopted a different moniker for awhile to make light of it. While I do go over board at times with trying to back up my opinions, I am not delusional enough to believe I am always right and everybody else is wrong. When arguing an opinion I am aggressive and pull stats and history into it to back up my view. Sometimes people may see that as being arrogant or not allowing for alternate points of view, but I simply view it as forming an argument with all of the info available. I’m certainly open to criticism and have been wrong many times.

                In regards to Kap, yes it’s the same argument and details every time and that’s because the criticism is the same every time. I’m trying to move on from the Kap topic but admit I will likely fall back into old habits at some point.

                This discussion about Mangini was simply my opinion being expressed with his history as the backdrop. I was not trying to say I’m right and everybody else is wrong.

                You are easily one of the most intelligent individuals on this blog and I respect your opinions a great deal. I will try to come off less arrogant going forward but I make no promises ;)

              10. Scooter,

                While Mangini’s defense was better in the second half of that season, it was not up to the standard of the previous year or the year after. Yes there were injuries, but even as players came back and the defense improved the second half of that year, they still were not as good as they had been or were after he left.

                As HC, Mangini had final say on everything including the defense. If it was not performing well it’s up to him to change that. I don’t give him a pass because he had somebody else coordinating the defense he wanted to run.

                So far in SF, we’ve seen a guy who is trying to fit square pegs in round holes. Forcing players to fit his system instead of playing to what they might do best. it’s better than it was to start the season but it’s still not something I would call a good Coaching job.

                You are also someone who’s opinions I respect a great deal but in this case we’ll just have to agree to disagree.

              11. JPN001,

                I think you insulted me, but I’m okay with it! The enemy of my enemy is my friend, at least for today.
                Although I will say that I WAS RIGHT ABOUT KAEP AND ROCKET WASN’T. HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!

                (The above laughing is done with mockery, and a little evil.)

                I hope you all know I’m kidding.

                In the end none of us win because Kaep sucks.

              12. Fan,

                I was (mainly?) teasing. But, I have to say, I have not always agreed with you either, but I respect that you are a fan of the team no matter what. I do not recall you every saying you hope the team loses just so you could be right.

              13. “I do not recall you every saying you hope the team loses just so you could be right.”

                I should add that Rocket is the same way. I think he would have been much happier to have been wrong about the coaching staff and have a winning team rather than what is happening now.

              14. Rocket, you should go back and have a look at how that D performed at the back end of the year under Mangini. That was a top 5 unit. Despite losing 4 CBs (Tyrone Poole, Duane Starks, Chad Scott and Randall Gay) and a starting safety (Rodney Harrison), most of them in the first few weeks of the season.

              15. Btw, I’m not trying to suggest he doesn’t deserve criticism for his performance so far this season. He does. It looks like he is struggling to adapt his D to the players he has, and putting too much on them too soon.

              16. What Mangini is doing is what Greg Roman did the last 2 years as offensive coordinator. Trying to show everyone how smart he is so he can land a head coaching position.
                But same as Roman, he is trying to fit a square peg in a round hole!

              17. JPN001,

                Yeah I always said I hope I was wrong about Kaep. I don’t wish the team to lose, but that if we win because Kaep was not progressing forward and leaving plays on the field, then that’s actually losing because he’s not evolving. In the end it was not about winning games, but winning it all.

                We’re all gong to have different opinions, and mine are not that unique either. Others have made similar comments.

              18. Scooter,

                Rocket, you should go back and have a look at how that D performed at the back end of the year under Mangini. That was a top 5 unit. Despite losing 4 CBs (Tyrone Poole, Duane Starks, Chad Scott and Randall Gay) and a starting safety (Rodney Harrison), most of them in the first few weeks of the season.

                There was a 4 game stretch from week 13-16 that they played really well. Those 4 games also came against 4 of the worst offenses in the league that year. In their final game against Miami they got rolled, so I think it was more opposition than the fact they became a top 5 defense. They did well in the playoffs for the most part.

                Bottom line is the defense was better, much better in fact, before and after Mangini was DC. We can sit here and talk about who was missing and so forth, but the bottom line for me is his results have been poor. He had the worst season of any DC in the Belichick era, followed by two unimpressive stints as a HC, and then out of the league completely with no offers to be any kind of Coach until the Niners brought him in as a consultant.

                I’m not saying I’m right and everybody else is wrong. Just pointing out his history is unimpressive and his body of work doesn’t paint the portrait of a good defensive mind.

              19. You are a pretty harsh judge, rocket. From week 10 through the playoffs (their final 10 games of the season) the D gave up 13.9 pts on average (+ 9 points scored by opposing Ds over that time). That is pretty good.

                However, I do take your point they played some average teams over that period.

      2. “The stats from the second half of the season in NE are very good, and are thus evidence for his capability.” I object! The stats are evidence of what? – causation or correlation”. JPN has assumed facts not in evidence!

  60. Let’s face it; the Niner’s offense lacks talent and frankly a professional level passing attack. This has been the case for years. A top five defense and excellent running attack covered up a lot of problems from 2011-2013, but those days are gone.
    A big part of the problem is Balke’s desire to model the Niner’s after the Parcell’s Giants. But the rules have changed and except for the Seahawks the best teams have sophisticated passing games, which we lack.
    The offense needs better o-linemen. It also needs a player or two who the other team has to game plan against, because right now their is no one. The problems in the Red Zone have not been fixed. The plays in the red zone are simple and predictable. I don’t know if it is coaching alone or a concern that Kap cannot throw accurately enough in tight spaces.
    I don’t think Kap is the only problem with the offense, but he does not appear to be the solution either.
    I don’t see Balke changing his approach, so I think we are going to remain as is. We will live and die on defense and the running game.
    It appears the York’s see this primarily as a business where making money is the most important thing. They also don’t seem to tolerate strong coaches as they disrupt the organization decision making model: Owner-GM-Coach. So unless a lot of pressure is brought to bear I see Balke being keep around for a while and weak coaches being changed every 2-4 years.
    I hope I am wrong and the Niner’s bring in a dynamic offensive coach, draft players who can operate successfully in an aggressive passing attack and bring their offensive approach to the present.

  61. Many here have blamed Baalke for the hiring of Tomsula. I’m not sure I can place that blame on him. After all, didn’t we almost hire Adam Gase. Didn’t Baalke make a second trip to visit Gase and weren’t there reports that it was a done deal. Then the question of DC came up and Gase wisely said he wanted Fangio, but York and perhaps Baalke insisted it be Tomsula. Just the fact that Gase was seemingly hotly pursued, makes me think that Baalke didn’t really want Tomsula. Of course, I don’t know for sure, but I also don’t think I can place the Tomsula hiring squarely on Baalke.

    The problems I have with Baalke are:

    1) Correcting his new coach in a press conference by saying “what he meant to say is that we are going to run the ball”. I don’t think Baalke is a qualified coach or game planner and he 100% undermined his new coach.

    2) There is now sufficient evidence that Baalke has failed in the drafts. I would think this failure would encompass his draft scouts as well. A punter (and not even a very good one) in the 5th round?? (Let’s not forget that one of the few Baalke draft successes, A. Lynch, was picked up in the 5th round the year before).

    3) With the exception of Torrey Smith, I think his FA selections this year were total busts (two are no longer on the team and one might as well book a room at Stanford Hospital).

    1. Cubus,

      No matter who is to blame for Tomsula being the HC, it comes down to York and Baalke. If York forced Tomsula on Baalke then shame on him for accepting that and not standing on the table for the guy he really wanted. If Baalke wanted Tomsula then that is in line with York, and both will have shown they are more interested in a sycophant than a HC.

      Baalke’s record is looking dimmer by the day, but it also could be a combination of Coaching and talent as much as missing on players.

      1. “If York forced Tomsula on Baalke then shame on him for accepting that and not standing on the table for the guy he really wanted.”

        We don’t know that Baalke didn’t “stand on the table” for his guy. Your definition of this phrase would seem to include resigning if Jed hadn’t agreed with Baalke.

        I think Baalke should go. What do you think of Gamble as a replacement?

        1. Cubus,

          If Baalke truly didn’t want Tomsula as HC and the move was forced on him, then he should have stood up for his right as the GM to make the final decision. If Jed said no, then he should have worked out an agreement to part ways along with Harbaugh. If an owner is not letting you do the job you were hired for then you can’t work for that guy any longer.

          I don’t think Baalke will be gone, but yes he should probably be moved out along with everybody else a new head of football operations saw fit. The chance of any of that happening is slim to none though. I don’t know if Gamble would be the guy. I would lean more to somebody from outside the organization personally.

          1. How can Jed York justify keeping Baalke on as his GM and builder of this roster?
            Then again it is the Yorks!

            1. Prime Time the only way is for Jed York to come out and say its a rebuild and we are 3 years away. He miss calculated and takes back saying that its Superbowl or bust for this organization.
              I keep hearing in my head what Deion Saunders said last Thursday. That only 3 years ago we were competing in NFC Championships and Superbowls. Now, we are competing for the 1st overall pick. What a shame.

  62. Tomsula was a Jed hire. Baalke would not promote a D line coach with no NFL coordinator experience. They lost Fangio because they probably insisted on Tomsula as DC, and Gase too, because Fangio was leaving if he did not get the HC job.
    Many think Tomsula is in over his head. I thought he might solve the game management problems, but they still continue. The overall coaching just reminds me of Pee Wee Football. They are getting schooled, but do not seem to learn from their mistakes.
    They talk like Tarzan, and play like Jane.
    I tried to stay optimistic and positive, but now I will just have to be content to rip them another one. I called Roman nasty names, but I am now thinking Geep is too clueless to be able to devise plays. If they do not scheme to let Kaep roll out, I will call him a simpleton. The Niner offense is so pathetic, I am longing for the JH years. The waste of talent just makes me SMH.

  63. I pose this scenario only to see what others think.
    Say the Colts are the team that ends up with the top pick in the draft and they decide to take Jared Goff, thus ending Luck’s tenure with them. Meanwhile, the 49ers have concluded a terrible season and have a top five pick. The Colts are willing to trade Luck for this and next year’s first round pick plus the second round pick in 2017. Should the 49ers take the deal?

    Note: this isn’t about the scenario being realistic or not. This is assuming such a scenario has come to pass and the opportunity is available.

    1. As you imply this is probably not realistic, but I would certainly go for that trade. Every elite QB has poor games and even poor stretches of a season. Luck might not be elite yet, but has a high probability of reaching that level, imo. But I wouldn’t say this decision is a no-brainer. The price is very high, not just because of the draft picks but the high compensation he will command. And of course, likelihood of injury is a consideration.

    2. Mid,

      I would make that move only if they hired another Coaching staff. No way the Colts would let him go, but if that truly came up as a possibility I would do it in a heartbeat.

    3. What about more realistic swaps (even exchanges of players with consideration for different salaries):

      Kap and Stafford
      Kap and Bradford

      I’m not sure what I would do in these two situation; curious what others think.

      1. No on both. Bradford can’t get anything going despite having good receiving options and Stafford makes Kaepernick look elite.

    4. Same here guys, but like Rocket I would want a new coaching staff.

      1. Mid

        Why not try this: Play Gabbert for two or three games with the existing coaches, and see if his results are better or worse than Kaeps. If they are markedly better, then just continue on throughout the season. This allows us (njners) to find a possible solution without canning our whole coaching staff. If Gabbert’s stats don’t measure up, we’re no better nor worse off, but we will know, because we tried. Remember , we have one HOF QB who also got the hell beat out of him in TBay before he got a chance to play in a decent system. “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”
        What say?

        1. No. Anybody believing that Gabbert can help this team is just trying to invest in fool’s gold. Gabbert was a great college QB, but he’s nothing more than a backup at the NFL level.

          1. He wasn’t even a great college Qb to be honest.

            But I think it would be foolish not to find out exactly what they have in him, all the same.

        2. I agree Oregon. Sit him for a few weeks. The results can’t be a whole lot worse and it might help Kaepernick in the long run.

        3. Oregon – correct, I have even suggested to bring Dylan in from the practice squad a let him get in the fray. Nothing ventured nothing gained. The Niners had one last gasp to change their season last Thursday and they could not even muster a practice. Its not that the practice would of made a difference, no one knows that for sure its that they did not seemingly pull all stops to try and win that game. So yes let Gabbert play let Dylan play, use the rest of the season to get people hopefully better.

    5. Yes they would have to replace the coaching staff, but it still wouldn’t work with Baalke buying Parcells’ groceries.

    1. The question is this: how much of this is actually true and how much of it is York and Baalke giving Kaepernick the Harbaugh treatment?

  64. With the ‘Stache Bowl coming up this Sunday, a look at the team’s rush defense.

    Yards given up: 71, 84, 139, 162, 84, 77, 176
    Total Rush Yards given up: 793
    Per game: 113.3

    2010 Season, Total Rush Yards given up: 1547
    Per game: 96.7

  65. Yes, some of us predicted it, and now the leaks about Colin Kaepernick’s shaky status with the 49ers have begun in earnest, first by ESPN last week and followed up by Fox on Sunday.
    Yes, some of us predicted it, and now the leaks about Colin Kaepernick’s shaky status with
    49ers Leaks starting again:

    the 49ers have begun in earnest, first by ESPN last week and followed up by Fox on Sunday.
    We can all guess at where they’re coming from–the same places (or place) they came last year, when the intent was to set up Jim Harbaugh as the 2014 fall guy.This is not a surprise. Nothing this season has been much of a surprise. Jed York and Trent Baalke run the franchise a certain way. This is the way. No surprises, if you know how they operate.
    The hiring of Jim Tomsula, the assembling of a NFL Europe-level staff, the losses, the talk about

      1. I think Timmy K is just stirring up the pot. This seems like a huge conspiracy theory worthy of Days of our Lives.
        But if this is all indeed true and it’s accurate Baalke and York are setting this up like they did Harbaugh, then it might be that we never become an elite franchise again. Why? Because no right minded human being would work or play for a bunch of drama queens! And fans like me will never tune in or go to a game again!

        1. That pot was put on the stove in February of 2014 and Baalke/York lit the fire. Kawakami is just stirring it for them. Would you be happier hearing only the pet leakers?

      1. Unsure why the Niners operate in such an odious manner. Can anyone offer an opinion when it’s poor Tomsula, a lower end coach without the Harbaugh pomp and circumstance?
        According to Kawakami, This is the York’s preferredM/O

  66. As others have pointed out we are also losing the rebuilding race.

    Our competition in the “rebuilding” race.

    One Win:

    Baltimore Ravens
    Tennessee Titans
    Detroit Lions

    Two Wins:

    Cleveland Browns
    Houston Texans
    Jacksonville Jaguars
    Kansas City Chiefs
    San Diego Chargers
    Dallas Cowboys
    Chicago Bears
    Tampa Bay Buccaneers
    San Francisco 49ers

    After seven weeks we are drafting twelfth based on our strength of schedule..

    1. Kind of interesting that Baltimore would have the top pick right now.

      1. Funny ol’ team the Ravens. They lose a lot of games, but not by much. They are missing Torrey Smith on offense (having Perriman injured isn’t helping), and Suggs and Ngata on D.

      2. I didn’t check the strength of schedule data for the other teams. I’m pretty sure the 49er’s schedule is more difficult than the other teams. The order of the list is based on the NFL standings list for today.

    2. As bad as the 49ers are, this shows they aren’t alone. There are some bad teams in the NFL right now.

  67. How to fix the Niners
    1. Look at Detroit and see how accountability is real and not hot air. Fire Foerster and maybe even Chryst.
    2. Burn the playbooks and start all over, or they may not win another game this season.
    3. Figure out ways to roll Kaep out and let him use his mobility to avoid pass rushers and buy time to let the receivers get open.
    4. Run the no huddle with quick snaps to save time.
    5. Script the first 20 plays so play calling is unnecessary.
    6. Put a man in motion to pinch in the DE so Kaep can roll out. Or put a man in motion for fly sweeps, reverses and allow WRs to avoid the check at the line for third down bombs.
    7. Sit Devey and Pears. Put in Tiller and Brown.
    8. Utilize Hayne. Use him for Kick Offs and punts. Give him pitches so he can get the ball with space in front of him, and allow him to make the tackler miss.
    9. Consider time outs to be precious, and saved for legitimate challenges and legitimate reasons to use them in the last 2 minutes of each half.
    10. Go for it. Do not settle for field goals. Play like the game is important. They need to give it their all. Expend every ounce of sweat on the field. Play for glory. Make 49er fans proud.

    1. 1. The Lions certainly made some people accountable. I’m betting Stafford keeps his job though.
      2. If they burn the playbooks and start all over they won’t win another game. There is simply not time to learn a new offense this year.
      3. Rollouts only work if teams aren’t defending them. Teams have been intentionally looking to keep Kaep in the pocket by defending rollouts and spying him.
      4. Mixing in some no huddle is worth a go. Nothing else is working with any consistency.
      5. If they aren’t already scripting the first 10 to 15 plays I’d be shocked. Scripting too many plays is a problem in itself though, as it doesn’t allow the flexibility to adapt to what is happening in the game.
      6. Now you’re talking.
      7. Good stuff.
      8. On a roll.
      9. Keep it going!
      10. Bingo bongo, “to dare is to do”. Though I don’t advocate giving up on FGs willy nilly on 4th down. I think the more important thing is to dispense with the conservative play calling in the red zone, especially 3rd down passes that aren’t beyond the 1st down marker (or have a legit chance of the player running into space to pick up the 1st down).

      Your last five points I think are very good.

      1. On point 10, that is as much about having the QB willing to make those throws as it is the play calling, too.

        1. I think Seb is a dreamer! This season is as over as Tomsula’s last chew wad!

          Have we not seen this script before? Mike Nolan, Singletary, even Mariucci’s last year. The only real change will occur if it’s a 3 or less win season. Guys pray for the worse! We will be better off in 2 years for it!

          1. No sirree, I will always root for wins. With 5 losses, the Niners will be picking in the top 10. A good pass rusher or stud O lineman will be available at that spot.
            With a 5 pick game, I scoff at Goff. Actually, I like Cook or Cardale Jones better.
            if the Niners do not select a pass rusher and O lineman, Joe Montana himself could not make that team a winner.

            1. Root away son! Enjoy fantasy land because this team won’t win more than 2 more games. Fan or not, it’s reality!

              1. I hope they at least split with the Rams. Then Atlanta looks vulnerable since they barely beat the Titans. Then games against Cleveland, Chicago and Detroit are all winnable. They could go 7-9.

              2. 7-9 might be enough to keep one or both of Baalke and Tomsula. Do you really want that or better yet, do you think that’s what this organization needs? More masking of a terrible product!

              3. Well, the losses to the team were devastating, but if the Niners can win 7 games, I will be happy, but I will not say that their jobs are safe. Remember, JH was 8-8 and was mutually parted.

              4. Seb you don’t think Jed York os praying for a sliver of an excuse to keep his hand picked coach and GM? More wins will justify that. You think he wants to look incompetent to the football world? He is reminded daily how he replaced a winning coach with a mouth breather.
                He looks over the current roster and says what happened to my playoff team?
                Winning 7 games gives him cause to give these idiots another year together.

              5. I guess if you hate Jed enough, you never want the Niners to win again. I want the Niners to win in spite of Jed.
                You have to remember, Denise York is the real owner, but since she calls the 49ers -El Diablo, maybe you could root for her never to win, too.
                The best possible outcome to all this is may be the Niners lose so much, and loses so much money, she will cut her losses and give the team back to Eddie.

        2. On 2, they know the plays, but hopefully the whole play selection process is changed and Kaep is given the field generalship just to streamline the process. I hope they add more misdirections, reverses, flea flickers and laterals.
          The Niners should invite the blitz and burn them. If they put a spy on Kaep, target the area the spy just left, or figure out who has single coverage because the spy is occupied by Kaep.

          1. Play selection and execution are key. Both have been poor in general.

            Beating the blitz has been a problem for Kaep. He needs to do a better job of this. That’s not on the playbook or the OC.

            1. Being a student of the history of wars, I would like Kaep to be a general like Patton. Blood and guts. The Nazis feared him so much, he sunned himself on a beach in England and occupied their mindset so much, that they could not believe that Patton did not have a crucial part in D Day. D day was successful because they used Patton as a diversion, and the Nazis sent 2 armored divisions to Calais while Patton dithered in Dover.
              Meanwhile, the Allies stormed the beaches of Normandy, and got the foothold on the continent that proved to be the beginning of the downfall of the Third Reich. Patton then saved the Allies bacon in the battle of the Bulge, and used tactics derived from the Art of War to defeat the Germans.

              1. “Being a student of the history of wars,” … seb

                Do you build battle scenes and place toy solders in those scenes?

              2. No, but in my youth, I depicted in a diorama the way Alexander the Great used deception and flanking moves to great advantage against the Persians. He rendered the chariots useless by fighting along a river, and defeated a force twice as large as his own by using lightning strikes.

      2. I am at the point where I would be happy if Kaep’s thumb needs time to heal and Gabbert could start. I would welcome a competition, and allow Thompson to take over if Gabbert fails to lead a scoring drive, and keep going until Dylan falters.

    1. Thanks for the report!

      Nailed it. Good franchises that sustain winning must have a top quarterback, and a coaching staff that knows how to develop quarterbacks.

      Without them, you can nail the draft at all other positions for 3 years and still struggle to get past week one of the playoffs.

      1. As far as this season goes, if Hyde’s foot isn’t OK the 49ers will struggle to generate any offense this season. The team will lose almost all its remaining games.

        Very disappointed in running back depth.

        1. … and they just might ruin Hyde’s future by not letting his foot heal. Nolan wanted to do that to Alex Smith. Have we progressed from Nolan’s view of reality?

    2. Well done Grant, and I’ve got a great recipe for crow you can give to York’s chef….

    3. Then, York hired Jim Tomsula to replace Harbaugh as the 49ers head coach. Tomsula is the third head coach York has hired—Harbaugh and Mike Singletary were the other two.
      ————-
      Tomsula is Baalke’s hire. If Baalke was allowed to hire his own coach back in 2012 it probably would have been Tomsula back then too.

      1. What makes you say that? Didn’t Baalke visit with Gase twice and the reports from the beat writers were that Gase was the choice. However, he wanted Fangio as DC and that threw a monkey wrench in the whole process.

        1. Reports from writers and late night trips have multiple meanings and motivations when contract negotiations are going on. Unless you were in those rooms it’s nothing but speculation. Maybe the 49ers were genuinely interested in Gase but if so why would York allow the process to go that far only to submarine Baalke’s first choice at the last second? That idea doesn’t hold water. You think Baalke made his final choice, made that second trip out to Denver only to get a call from Jed saying,”you can’t hire him I want Tomsula instead?” Not likely.

          It’s likely that Gase did something to sour the deal. It’s likely that the 49ers were using their perceived interest in Gase to get a better contract from Tomsula. It’s likely that a lot of things happened in that situation that had nothing to do with York overriding Baalke because he preferred Tomsula.

          1. It’s all speculation even the part that Baalke preferred Tomsula. Also, I don’t think Tomsula had any negotiating power with regards to his salary. He was gonna take what they offered him. He is tied for the lowest HC salary in the NFL.

            I’d like Baalke to be replaced for other reasons that I outlined earlier. But to know that he preferred Tomsula would only strengthen my resolve that his time has past.

            I thought last offseason was somewhat dramatic, but I think this one will be just as dramatic. The chain of events of potential HC/GM firing, OC/DC selections, free agency, will Kap’s option be picked up, the draft, etc. The outcome of earlier events will have a major impact on subsequent events. The speculation on this blog will be endless…..

            1. Regardless of who Baalke preferred, at the end of the day he signed off on the hire. So he must have thought Tomsula was capable of doing the job.

    4. Only one problem with that article: in no shape or form did it look like the 49wrs could salvage the season.

  68. The Gods on Olympus toy with us!
    Fate b fate.
    Some years, some teams just have Major Juju. I saw it in the 9ers, the Seahags, late season G-Men, the freakin’ SF Giants.
    Az seems to have some stuff going this year. Tonight was an excellent win for them, they’re rolling!

    1. Do you have a proxy team to root for in years the 49ers don’t make postseason?

      Mine are (should I say “were”) the Colts because of Gore and Luck…. and the Chiefs because it would be nice to see Alex do well.

      1. Oh no, Brodie, not to root for. But some teams some years earn my grudging respect, or at least my head-shaking wry grin to their good luck.

    2. Their defense has been good for awhile, but Palmer is healthy and their running game has finally emerged. Cards, Carolina and GB are the teams which will probably compete for the NFCCG

      1. I’m currently finding it hard to see any team from the NFC other than the Packers winning the SB this year though. Maybe the Panthers if their D becomes truly dominant.

        1. Well, both those teams are undefeated. Atlanta may be in the mix, but they almost lost to the Titans. NFC East looks bad this year.

  69. So, almost at the mid-point and what we see is a pile of stink. Whose work is it, well, a whole lot contributed to this pile but the foundation was laid by the owner and gm awhile back.

    It’s ironic that the stadium turf is an analogy of the woes of the team. The stadium is is a shiny new building with the appearance of a solid base. Get on the field however and it’s quicksand. No matter how hard they seem to try the base won’t hold the roots. Sigh…

    Jed, Baalke pay attention…

    1. 49er42

      October 26, 2015 at 11:31 am

      Let’s face it; the Niner’s offense lacks talent and frankly a professional level passing attack.
      49er42:
      Fans,

      This is one of the best analysis of what ails the 49ers I’ve seen, precisely because of time consuming York money-making venture plans (such as NFL World Economic Dominance–RB Hayne Game in Sydney promos, the latest example), that the York’s losse sight of their own team. It doen’t appear they pay attention until fans stop showing up. Once a York pocket book is affected they take action…However, 49er42 is a genius, because he’s the only one so far who has mentioned the York B-U-S-I-N-E-S-S M-O-D-E-L. They do not hire a strong-willed head coaching genius directly and inevitably it leads to conflict with their lesser intellect–The GM!

      A big part of the problem is Balke’s desire to model the Niner’s after the Parcell’s Giants. But the rules have changed and except for the Seahawks the best teams have sophisticated passing games, which we lack.
      I don’t see Balke changing his approach, so I think we are going to remain as is. We will live and die on defense and the running game. They also don’t seem to tolerate strong coaches as they disrupt the organization decision making model: Owner-GM-Coach. So unless a lot of pressure is brought to bear I see Balke being keep around for a while and weak coaches being changed every 2-4 years.

  70. “It turns out the coaching staff departures reflect further in this story. One of Harbaugh’s assistant coaches fired by Baalke and York recently came forward to Niners Nation. In short, he stated the offensive coaching staff wholeheartedly believed Kaepernick could get better after Super 47. They believed him to be everything fans hoped. But, after working with Kaepernick in the two seasons following the Super Bowl, they felt Kaepernick’s production had peaked.”

    http://www.ninersnation.com/2015/10/27/9616478/colin-kaepernick-49ers-locker-room-future-ugh

    1. In Bill Walsh’s book, “Building a Champion,” he mentions the troubles a talelnted coach has with ungifted GM’s.
      Unless an owner is smart enough to be flexible in his business model, and “86” the myway or the highway GM approach, the 49ers will have problems.

      1. Sorry,

        Forgot the quotes in above post, but scroll up for the entire 49er42 post at Oct. 26, 11:31 AM.

        My analysis would be for Young Jed to read Walsh’s books, but as Tim Kawakami wrote, it appears the 49ers are distancing themselves from past 49er greats (including coalches),

        Reading between the lines, one could say the York’s are like the Bible’s, Pharoah,
        who’s ego was so huge he was sent seven plagues before his ego crumbled.
        The York’s, so intent on distancing themselves from the past49er dynasty to build their own legacy, that it will take several more Nolaln’s and Baalke’s before the wake up.

    2. I read that piece as well, Skeptic, and I though the next quote from the unnamed former coach was significant as well:

      “He further stated, ‘it wasn’t that Kaepernick couldn’t read or couldn’t make the throws, but he lacked the ability to trust his receivers to be there before he could see them.’ ”

      Is the above just a different way of saying that Kap lacks anticipation, as Greg Cosell has pointed out, or is indicative of a slightly different problem with the same result? Both Boldin and Smith have both publicly said that Kap needs to trust them to make plays, and that is suggestive that maybe the anticipation problem is a trust issue as much as timing issue.

          1. JPN,
            IMO, it’s really confidence in himself.
            The Kap we see today is a shell of what he was in 2012, and parts of the 2013 season.

            1. Yes, I think confidence or lack of is the root problem for Colin. The slightest mental hesitation gives NFL-level DBs what they need. CK and Alex before him had these doubts, and are chronicly late with their release. They also lack accuracy deep (although CK didn’t when new), which I’m guessing is an expression of their self-doubt. By wondering if they’ll get it there they don’t.
              Now the mechanics are completely different, but I think the mental part of the following equates:
              Early on in the service I was a very good shot with a rifle, but kinda a spaz with a pistol on the range. My coach got frustrated with me and hollered “F the technique! DECIDE to put the bullet in the bullseye and then go ahead and F do it!” I always requalified Expert with both rifle and pistol after that. Somehow it’s a matter of faith, of belief. The bullet or the football gets there because you know it will.

              1. I agree, Brotha. If it was not clear before, it is certainly seems clear now. I knew it was bad when he started talking about making safe throws. The competitiveness is still there, and that may look like confidence from the outside, but his inner confidence sure appears shaken, if not shot.

                I thought at the time, and think more so now, that he should have been taken out of the Arizona game. Sure, he would have been angry, but he might not have been broken, and he might have even used that to refocus. But now, that game seems to be defining him.

              2. Does anyone else think it’s crazy that we have had two different QBs in different situations that have caused those QBs the near exact mechanic problems?

            2. That was what I thought, in terms of the anticipation issue. But the way it the comment was phrased seemed to provide an external focus rather than an internal focus, so I was curious what other people thought.

              1. This is the same Kaep from the 2012 season. Back then he had the element of surprise, and a strong defense and a running game.
                What changed in 2013 is that teams adapted to the read option, and there was a rule change that said you can hit the QB if he doesn’t have the ball in the read option.

                He impressed everyone in 2012 because all he had to do was throw all these deep passes on a rope. When you look back at his body of work, he really never made all the throws. He was a threat to run and that’s what scared people.

                JPN, you’re a word guy, do you think Kaep lacks confidence, or is he filled with doubt?

                I would say the latter. It’s not that he doesn’t trust receivers, he doesn’t trust himself. He’s not sure what he’s seeing, and he doesn’t have short memory. He saw how he go the job from Alex, and he saw how his mistakes cost the team wins. He either tries to make plays to compensate for his mistakes, which can then lead to other mistakes, or he plays so much more cautious then Alex ever did, and the whole entire offense bogs down.

                He feels the pressure, for sure! He’s got bad mechanics, can’t process the game fast enough, his career is on the line and he knows all of this. It’s got to be awful to know that everyone knows they are stripping down the offense for him, which make the Niner offense easier and easier to defend.

                He’s never been consistent and he doesn’t care about his mechanics.

                To quote Larry David playing Bernie Sanders, “We’re doomed!”

                He’s being made to be the scapegoat — which in reality it should be whoever put him out there before he was really ready. I always said he was a gimmick, a secret weapon and not a QB.

                He needs to take back the narrative. Shake off the plays he doesn’t want to run, and call the plays he thinks he can run, and just go at it.

                Poke Jed York and Trent Baalke in the eye. Do it for Harbaugh. Go out on your terms, Kaep. They are pushing you under the bus and you need to make them pay.

        1. That same problem stems from lack of development. The Chryst technique is to put a towel underneath the arm of Kaepernick, and forget about it. Arians on the other hand, has his quarterback spend the first 25 minutes of every practice on mechanics and footwork….

        2. It winds up with the same result. It may be a “slightly” more probable that Colin will learn to throw on trust than it is that he could overcome a failure to anticipate. I can imagine coaching that would help with the trust, but there are cases where failing to anticipate what a defender is going to do can kill a play where the QB trusted the receiver to be open at the spot the QB is throwing to.

          Anticipating the place to launch from in the pocket, anticipating where the receiver will come open, and anticipating what unexpected play the defense may make is why there are almost no elite QBs playing at any one time. And of course all that has to be done without actually thinking about it during the play. Impossible but a joy to behold.

    3. That is a great article and very informative. Kaps need to see the receiver open and then firing it in there is essentially what he’s done his whole life, and he’s unable to deviate from that. In order to maintain success at this level you have to throw to a spot and trust your receiver to get there. Kap so far has been unable to do that and is still relying on his arm to get it there after it should have been thrown. I don’t know if that is something that can ever be coached out of him.

  71. The Niners’ flailing plummet from grace has been precipitous, spectacular, and the sudden stop here at the bottom hurts like Hell. Someone could probably make some money selling paper bags for the fans to wear on our heads. There may actually be a flux in the gravitational field around Santa Clara since the team and the stadium suck so much. EastCoast9er pointed out above that the turf issues at Levi’s have been an ironic metaphor for the on-going fiasco.
    The ‘Stick had deteriorated into a dump and had to be replaced; I get that. In my smh misery I still come up with a metaphor that dumping The Stick is like some rich guy dumping his wife and hooking up with a new trophy wife. Sure, this one is younger, pretty, flashy, fashionable, and in this case, definitely hot, and yet……….
    Millions, I guess billions spent on that facility, many $$$$ by taxpayers, and they can’t get the grass right. Really? Really? How complicated is it, LOL?
    You start with a field on which to play the game, then you erect a facility around it. These guys thought of the playing field as a minor, cosmetic detail; bass ackwards. AND……(wait for it…)…….
    they allow the problem to persist midway through the second year of Big Time Football Operations.
    C’mon, man!

    1. BroTuna,

      Your Post is right up there in competition with 49er42 for post of the year. You both
      see right through the York’s.

    2. Brotha,
      You have to understand, the grass looks awesome from the owners booth. That’s the most important thing, right? It reminds me of the movie Pretty Woman. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts are at the horse track and everybody flips the grass divots back into the holes in the turf. The announcer teases ‘beware of the steaming divot’ to the crowd. Jed is the teams steaming divot. He is also the owner. The top of the organization is a steaming turd, to be crude. The teams organizational structure looks like a Christmas tree with a turd for a topper.

            1. Jed York as Pol Pot now there’s an image…

              Isn’t it strange that with all the challenges at Candlestick they generally had a decent field and with the prestine conditions of Santa Clara they can’t seem to get the basics of the field right. It was around the same time the team started tanking too.

        1. Ha Ha. Is there anything we can reference from the French Lieutenant’s woman? Dirty Dancing perhaps?

          1. Well, we do want this Overload (of misery) that York has inflicted upon this team cured, and I’m pretty sure that any thoughts in regard to the Super Bowl fit She’s Like The Wind for this team.

  72. I would like to know when ANY reporter is going to question any CS decisions ? Any business I ran in the last 40 yrs….when you put someone in a quick results oriented position…you don’t have to wait 2 months to make a change….if it’s not working…they’re gone…a business can go under in that amount of time ( ala 49ers ).
    I know it starts at the top (York) and he doesn’t care …but does no one under him have the backbone to say this is enough?
    I can’t imagine what it must be like for a Tomsula/Chrystal to walk out in public…where is the pride and the fire?
    As for the players…most of them are too young, need the paycheck, and don’t want to make waves to stay in the NFL. ( I can live with that ). The so called leaders ( Staley/Davis/Boldin/Smith/Bowman )… I’m looking at you…Do you really not have anything to say ? You are actually going to accept this…I wonder what Cowboy would have said and done…

    So that leaves our Reporters to ask the hard questions…I don’t expect you to go all Greg Hardy on them…but perhaps one or two hard hitting questions each session…and perhaps to some extent it has started ( Grants shock over practice last week/Lowell’s questions seem to generate a few glares also )….
    It meant a lot to hear Schlereth’s and Dion’s comments as announcers…people who have played the game and question the integrity of the player ( backbone again ), and the coaching sanity as well as play calling?
    I know, as reporters, you haven’t perhaps played the game at this level…so you perhaps worry that your question isn’t legit….so blame Me…the average fan whom you represent.
    I read the posts…the Sebs/razors/grimey/toms….the list goes on…people that have pertinent questions….there is no shortage of them….and IF

    YORK ever surfaces….I would excuse you if you went Hardy on him!!!

    1. Detroit Lions: Total Points Scored: 139 49ers: Tot. Pts. Scored: 103

      Fan’s , Detroit and Miami fired some/all of their coaching staff. The 49ers, worse than Detroit still has their’s…Who has the more proactive ownership.

      1. The Lions would currently draft ahead of us, so we’re not worse than them…yet.

        1. Also, this is the Tomsula’s 1st (or is it 1nd or 1rd?) year, not so for either Philbin and Caldwell.

          1. Yep. That’s the key right there. Calling the Lions proactive for getting rid of their second year OC and 3rd year OL coaches, but disparaging the 49ers because they have kept their OC and OL coaches that have been there for 7 games…

  73. Hey Grant!
    .
    Kaep on an island by himself or not?
    .
    Him shagging Aldon’s ex part of the problem or not?
    .
    Divided locker room or not?
    .
    Inquiring minds want to know…
    .
    .
    .
    ~ALOHA~

  74. Ok, established coaches, GMs and other football experts have stated that Mr. Kaepernick is what he is, either the fans and organization accept who he is, not a top flight NFL QB or continue to break their head trying to figure out how to fix this guy.
    No amount of coaching is going to make this guy into a NFL caliber QB, period!
    Lets move on!
    The issue is ownership. They do not know what they don’t know.
    As far as we know they are not selling and apparently not listing to any one with a clue…ugh!!!!

  75. Keeping the movie theme going and moving into the best documentary films of the year,
    I would have to equate the 49er collapse with Michael Moore’s 2008 documentary, Capitalism, A Love Story.
    Instead of Wall St. we have the suits involved with the 49er ownership creating the collapse.

    1. That 30 million dollar pay per view (cable, NFL Network, Network TV, etc.,) the NFL writes each team every year helps the York’s to roll around on top of their money stacks in ectasy annually.

    2. York chose the suit over the coach … like I said a long time ago and received a lot of criticism for – replacing a suit is a lot easier than replacing a winning coach.

  76. This has been a huge disappointment, but it appears that Niners Nation article says it all. If JH and co. thought Kap’s development had peaked, JH was more prescient than everyone originally thought.

    It’s clear to me this season is lost. Tomsula is not HC material, and Baalke’s luster is fading. York is the buffoon many of us said he is, and he actually looks worse than some expected.

    I do think the ship can be righted very quickly, but it’s going to require us losing out and getting the #1 pick and then some very bold moves. Fortunately (*puke*) this seems practically likely despite how hard the diehard fan within us cheers to win on Sunday.

    1. Fire Tomsula and co. and get Sean Payton, Hue Jackson or Mike Shanahan. We must get a coach who can fix the QB position and mount a dynamic NFL offense.

    2. Do whatever the new HC wants with Kap. I’ll assume they’ll want to move on, but leave that up to them.

    3. Draft Jared Goff and plan to sit him for exactly 1 year behind Kap (very unlikely he’s on the roster in this hypothetical), or Gabbert. Yes, we will have to endure another losing season, but we won’t just throw Goff to the wolves before we have a chance to stabilize other things around him. Another crazy idea is to get Drew Brees for a swan song year and then transition to Goff after. Brees’ cap hit is insane and NO may just cut him.

    An alternative to the Goff idea is to trade for Mike Glennon, and use the #1 overall for the best DT/pass-rushing OLB available either straight up or by trading down a few spots.

    4. Fix the offensive line. Resign Alex Boone, bring Anthony Davis back into the fold, and draft another guard in the high 3rd round. Trenton Brown should take Pears’ spot on the roster as the backup tackle and we should take another developmental tackle in the draft. This way we have Tiller, rookie, Brandon Thomas, and Marcus Martin fighting for the RG spot and the best man will win. Devey is cut. The offensive line should be much stabilized and ready to protect whoever the QB is.

    5. Go out and spend some money in FA to fix our DL. I normally hate this idea, but recall that we splurged in 2008 to get Justin Smith away from the Bengals and it was a rare FA binge signing that was more than worth it. I think that spot on the DL is so critical, if there is a true 3-4 DT double-team demanding difference maker, we have to get that guy. This opens up everything else in the pass rush. Then we can allow Dial/Dorsey/Williams/Tank/Armstead to fit in around this difference maker. I’ve got my eye on Muhammad Wilkerson of the Jets.

    6. Draft another OLB/DE pass rush type with our high 2nd pick. Lynch is blossoming into something special already, and we need to see what Harold will provide. Brooks is aging and will need to be replaced and Lemonier needs to go. I think getting a Wilkerson will elevate everyone else, but we need to keep finding pass rushers and Baalke’s done a pretty good job of that.

    7. Draft a Martavius Bryant type WR. They are gettable in the 4th round. Expect Boldin to retire or move on. Smelter will probably take the role opposite Torrey, and having a tall speedster WR like Bryant would be a big boost. Keep Ellington and Patton around for gadget and slot roles and KR/PR.

    8. Draft another big RB to pair with and spell Hyde.

    9. Draft another raw developmental MLB type to eventually pair with Bowman just in case Hodges isn’t the long-term answer.

    If we can pull all of this off, we could be back in contention by 2017 under Goff or Glennon. It requires the planets to come into alignment, but it’s not completely crazy.

    1. Well said Andurson. The only question and hopefully someone can answer this, don’t the 49ers have until April 1st to determine if Colin Kaepernick remains on the roster and then his contract in guaranteed after that? If not, they have to release him before that?

      1. Yes, they have until April 1st. There will be a dead cap hit, of about $7.4 million, if CK is released, but that is still over $9 million in savings that could be used to acquire free agents.

    2. A good plan that pretty much matches what I have in mind. However, I think Baalke has to go as well, possibly replaced by Gamble at least initially with Gamble perhaps leading a serious GM search.

      A couple of comments:

      1) Sean Payton is probably out of the question as he currently makes $8 million a year. I don’t think he’ll come here for less.

      3) Depending upon where we draft, we may be able to get Conner Cook or Paxton Lynch. I’m beginning to think that Goff might be too slight for our division. I’m liking what I see from Paxton Lynch, but need to see more. Even with our first draft pick spent on a QB, I’m not sure why we couldn’t try to get Glennon (letting Kap go of course in order to save the cap space). I think we need to see what we have in Gabbert to know what to do. It’s possible Gabbert may have turned his career around; we’ll never know if we don’t give him a try.

      5) Absolutely spend some money on FA. Perhaps an OL instead of DL. Baalke wasted almost $7 million on Wright, Dawkins and Bush (Torrey Smith acquisition was a good one IMO). We still have over $10 million that wasn’t spent. This concerns me because they didn’t get Mathis when they knew we had OL problems (its also possible that they tried but Mathis turned them down).

      6) OLB has to be a priority and if QB is the first pick then OLB needs to be the 2nd pick.

      7) I’d like to see what we have in Simpson and possibly Smelter before deciding the priority of a WR pick.

    3. As Madden says games are won in the trenches. Before we have a starting QB of any sort we need a quality center and two decent guards (Boone is gone and not worth the money he will garner – past his prime ). For that matter we still need a right tackle too.

      Bill Walsh often spoke about needing quality pro bowl QB, RB, WR, TE, and DE. I think we would need someone to control the defensive lineman too (draw double teams consistently) and at least 1 quality db. Inspecting our current roster what does anyone see as possible holdovers?

      I think Lynch, maybe Reid, Tartt Ward, Dial as defensive building blocks and Hyde the only offensive building block – I think there is the crux of the problem not enough on the offensive side and really a shallow pool on the defensive side too.

      How many picks would we need to fill these many holes?

      We don’t have Hershel Walker.

      We have Vernon Davis and I don’t think anyone wants a china doll.

  77. Tim Kawakami ‏@timkawakami · 20h20 hours ago

    Tim Kawakami Retweeted Java Luke
    Who’s the head coach? The QBs coach? The OC? Would any of those three have those jobs on any other NFL team?

    Tim Kawakami ‏@timkawakami · 5h5 hours ago
    Why are 49ers execs undermining Kaepernick now? It’s not about money–that # stays the same whether they whisper or not…

  78. Background music when Harbaugh roamed the hallways: Welcome To The Jungle
    – Obnoxiously loud and nonstop.
    – Completely drowned out York when interaction was unavoidable.

    Background music when Baalke roams the hallways: The Jaws movie theme
    – In tune with each serial killer step he takes.
    – His eyes turn completely black as the song reaches its crescendo.

    Background music when Jed roams the hallways: It’s A Small World
    – It’s the Disney version.
    – After five years, Jed still doesn’t get the joke.

    1. How about Bob Marley’s song “I made a mistake”? You think Jed will every sing that song?

Comments are closed.