49ers 15, Cardinals 18: Grades

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan speaks after an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 18-15. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)

The 49ers lost 18-15 to the Arizona Cardinals Sunday afternoon. Here are the 49ers grades.

BEATHARD: C. He wasn’t accurate. He didn’t push the ball down the field. He held the ball too long in the pocket. And he didn’t make plays on third down or in the red zone. But, he didn’t turn the ball over, either, and that’s progress for Beathard. He didn’t lose the game all by himself. Unfortunately for the 49ers, he couldn’t win it, either. He is not an NFL starting quarterback. Kyle Shanahan needs to stop comparing Beathard to Kirk Cousins. Beathard is no Cousins. Shanahan must get real. Must sign Colin Kaepernick Monday. He would give the 49ers the best chance to win.

RUNNING BACKS: F-plus. Matt Breida averaged 2.6 yards per carry, Alfred Morris had just one good run and Kyle Juszczyk was a complete afterthought in the passing game. The only running back who produced was Raheem Mostert, but he carried the ball only twice. He is averaging 7.8 yards per carry the past three games. Someone should tell Shanahan.

WIDE RECEIVERS: C-plus. Marquise Goodwin caught just one pass, but it was a 55-yard touchdown catch. Kendrick Bourne started in place of the injured Pierre Garcon, and caught seven passes on 10 targets for 71 yards. Bourne is better than Garcon. The 49ers should bench Garcon if they can’t trade him. Trent Taylor made no impact yet again.

TIGHT ENDS: C. George Kittle had another solid game – five catches, 57 receiving yards. He also committed a pre-snap penalty. Garrett Celek didn’t receive any targets.

OFFENSIVE LINEMEN: F. They gave up four sacks and eight quarterback hits. The Cardinals defensive line pushed them around.

DEFENSIVE LINEMEN: B. Ronald Blair, Arik Armstead, Cassius Marsh and DeForest Buckner all played well and recorded impressive stats. But, they generated zero pass rush when the 49ers needed it in the fourth quarter. Solomon Thomas may or may not have played. I never notice him on the field.

LINEBACKERS: B. Reuben Foster pulled his hamstring and the 49ers didn’t miss him. He makes zero impact weekly. Fred Warner recovered a fumble, something Foster hasn’t done since high school.

SAFETIES: C. Jimmie Ward upgraded the free-safety spot by replacing the injured Adrian Colbert. Ward played well. So did strong safety Jaquiski Tartt, who intercepted a pass. But, Tartt injured his shoulder, and backup Antone Exum Jr. suffered a concussion. So, third-string safety Tyvis Powell had to play, and the Cardinals exposed him.

CORNERBACKS: C. Ahkello Witherspoon played his best game of the season. Richard Sherman did not. He gave up a 19-yard catch to Larry Fitzgerald during the Cardinals’ game-winning drive.

SPECIAL TEAMS: C-minus. Robbie Gould made both of his field goal attempts. But, Bradley Pinion shanked his last punt. It travelled only 39 yards, and the Cardinals got the ball at their 27 to start their final drive. And Dante Pettis fumbled his second punt of the season.

COACHES: F. They absolutely needed to win this game, and almost did. Both Shanahan and Robert Saleh coached well the first three quarters, and had a 12-point lead during the fourth quarter. But, once again, they couldn’t finish the game. Once again, they found a way to lose to the Cardinals, who might finish the season with a 2-14 record. Once again, Shanahan’s running game fell apart in the fourth quarter when he needed to kill the clock, just like in the Super Bowl. Once again, Robert Saleh lost his nerve and stopped calling blitzes with the game on the line. Shameful coaching. Shanahan officially is on the hot seat. Byron Freaking Leftwich outcoached him, and Leftwich never had coached a game as an offensive coordinator before this one. Shanahan must beat the tanking Raiders Thursday night, or Jed York should start looking for Shanahan’s replacement. York could start by calling David Shaw or Josh McDaniels. One of them might want to coach Jimmy Garoppolo.

This article has 339 Comments

      1. You do make a good point about Shanahan’s running game in the 4th Quarter. Running game needs to show dominance and should be able to run at will, especially with a two score lead in the 4th quarter. Never seen that from Shanahan so far.

        Although I think Shanahan is safe till YEAR 4 or at least with one Full season of Jimmy G at QB. Jed will come across as impulsive if he starts setting targets for Kyle.

        1. Grant is right: We have nothing to lose in bringing Kap back. CJ should sit. If anything, he is worse than last year. I hope we can jettison Garcon who was a terrible pickup. Celek is also irritating. I hope we unload some salary this week.

          1. Why would you want to win in a lost season? They made that mistake last season. You just move further away from game changing draft picks.

        2. We should have brought back our safety Reid. We have been hurting since he left. The trouble with Lynch and Kyle is that they are not good judges of character or ability.

      2. Christ, Grant, why not take the US flag and wipe yourself with it? Sign Kaepernick, I rather we sign Jeff Garcia moron. You want to purposely jerk off 49er fans that are NOT already coming to Santa CLara. MY suggestion is go 1 and 15, draft a QB, the end. Jimmy G is going to fail like ALex Smith, like Kaepernick. Draft a QB.

      3. If you think Kyle is going to call Kap Monday you are even more delusional then i thought. The last guy he will listen to is you. Thank God he dosen’t.

      1. Why cause they have injuries? And the team still fights hard?
        What are they laughing at?

              1. I don’t care what you think I am clown!

                I told you long time ago what your problem is and you haven’t learnt a single thing!

            1. They’re laughing at John Lynch for drafting all these busts & at little Shanny for getting outcoached week in & week out. Got it?

          1. First off I don’t think anyone is laughing who truly understands what is happening in SF. It’s actually quite depressing.
            Most of us knew it was a team needing talent. And when Jimmy G went down there was nothing funny about losing the one guy who can make a talent less team look competitive which he did last year and started to this year.
            If anyone thinks that’s funny well they need help.

            1. Very depressing! Well stated Prime! I feel like year after year I am watching a horror version of ground hog day! Just when I think their is hope Lucy pulls the ball way and I land on my Head! Maybe the York’s are cursed and the version of Chris Cohan and robin Rowe and they will not be turned until they are sold. Most depressing the York’s are rich and I think Jed is not even 40. Long time to stink. Sad.

      2. Grant:

        Kap has been out of the league for two years and rumor has it his vegan diet has resulted in substantial muscle loss. Do you have any first hand evidence that he is in great physical and football shape (including keenness of mind to play football) to be a starting QB within the next 10 days to 2 weeks?

      3. Your a laughingstock dude. I dig it, yall can smoke on the west coast. Anybody ever tell you your perception ain’t reality?

        Clowns…Almost this whole blog. Prime Time, I agree with sometimes. #80– A few times…(I was a kid wearing the Jerry Rice Jersey on that Monday night in your picture. Remember it like last month, yea that catch was the his 3rd Td of the night and the record breaker. They gave him one chance, left the starters in, and Young lobbed it up. Awesome. Between 3 guys, he wanted it more.)

        Where do I start? It’s like taking kids lunch money…I dont get points for that.

        Grant. Your the worst I’ve ever seen. First its Leave Aaron Donald (stupid auto spell) one on one right? Now bring back CK?

        Who I was reminded of tonight because the offense struggled to throw the ball for even 200 yards!!

        How could you even suggest to bring him back???

        Bro.

        I know a lot more about football and the 49ers then u do..

        And if Kaep was the answer I would be the first person to say bring him back..

        That shows me you know nothing. I’m stating the truth, I dont get off on bashing dudes just trying to earn a living.

        I’m not Seb and them, I’m not trying to be friend. Im not trying to be your ‘enemy’ either tho you feel me?

        But your talking about my team, with the platform that you have, it irritates me that your consistently wrong. Maybe u like that, idk. I’ve known a few Sociopaths

        Anyway The story was Josh Rosen. The kids the best QB in the division.
        Unfortunately for him, the Ari OL has been pathetic. Give him time and that kids got the pistol out right on time.

        If the 49ers and Cards traded QBs before the game, this is a Niner win by a blowout. If you dont see that, you need to understand that your opinion and analysis is below average..It doesn’t mean you suck at life, its ok

        George Kittle turned into George Kitty in the clutch, and came thru with his almost weekly drop. This time in the range of a 55 yd FG by the Goulden kicker. I competed with Robbie back in the day, in the Loch Haven area, and I’ll tell you that kick, in that environment? I’ll give him 90% chance to connect. He was just named a captain too, and I know from dealing with him, he will not want to let his team down.

        Beathard played just like a Kaepernick, afraid to turn the ball over. He gets a F, although the Cousins comparisons WHICH I FIRST SAID, are spot on. The national media is catching on, and if anybody truly knows its KS. So F a Cohn

        Grant I sincerely hope KS outlasts your pathetic tenure. Your grasp of the game is incredibly limited, as is your ability to think outside the box. Anybody can see that KS, with a very much weaker roster, still has the offense moving the ball better than any of the Niner teams in the past decade, except for the SB team which had an incredible amount of talent and still relied on gimmick. Good coaching?? Yea cuz Michigan is so good bro.. Foh

        1. Rosen is the best QB in the division? LOL.
          .
          Goff is 8-0 and Wilson won a SB. Your knowledge is lacking. Maybe you do not know enough to comment.
          .
          What are you so afraid of? You are so terrified that Kaep will do well, you do not even want him to have a tryout.
          .
          Grant is thinking outside the box when he advocates for Kaep. He has outlasted 5 other coaches, and KS may soon be the 6th.

          1. I shouldn’t even reply to you but what I left out of my initial comment was look at Goffs rookie year up against Rosen…Not even numbers just the simple eye test. Rosen probably has a worse team than that Rams team too.

            U can laugh but watch in 3 years..

            My knowledge lacking? Idk, first I heard that bud.

            Coming from you doesn’t surprise me tho.

            Like I said, if Kap was the answer I wouldve been the first one to say. For context, I did watch every snap of his pro and college career.

            I’ve also watched every 49er game since 1992…It doesn’t make me smarter than you Seb but I’ll admit I’m an obsessive 49er fan.

            Your simplistic counter, like I dont know what Wilson and Goff have done??

            It’s cool bro seriously, RS– Just from this blog I already knew you were a fool.

            1. LOL lacking knowledge, then doubling down. Cool.
              .
              BTW, I had season tickets since 1979, and witnessed the Glory Years. I lost them during the last recession, and vow to avoid that mausoleum because they tore down the Stick. 92? you sound like a wannabe fan compared to me. You were a fan for the last SB, I am a fan of all 5.
              .
              I youtube’d his Nevada college games, and saw some live. He was a man among boys. I especially liked his Boise St game when he willed his team to victory. If you think CJB is better than Kaep, it just proves you are clueless. Your hate is clouding your judgement.
              .
              Yes, you should have been smart, and not even replied. Maybe you did not know this, but I can be verbose, and talk down my adversaries. I relish challenges, but have refrained lately because the other posters have begged me to stop. Some day, you will learn your lesson.
              .
              Back to football. Rosen is getting the Alex Smith treatment. He would greatly benefit if he had gotten the Aaron Rodgers treatment. He should have sat for a couple years, studied hard and learned behind a savvy veteran. Now, he is getting thrown to the wolves, and may not last long in the league. Rosen may have been the most pro ready QB in the draft, but he has a history of injuries, and is not mobile enough to elude the pass rush. I will concede that he is accurate, but that is only one factor in becoming an elite NFL QB. Only a fan lacking knowledge would declare Rosen the best QB in the division.
              .
              I peruse the other Niner sites, and this is the only one that does not deal with drek and pablum. Rainbows and unicorns are fine with playoff teams, but at 1-7, the syrupy saccharine bloviations ring hollow. Grant keeps it real, and gets to the nitty gritty. Please go back to the other sites and leave us alone.
              .
              The only one with enough knowledge to comment? What conceit. You sound like Fransden.

      4. You really want fans not to come to Santa CLara, don’t you? WHy don’t you Grant tell Jed to sell the damn team and get a real owner that can then get a real coach that can then get a real QB? LOok at the GS Warriors, much as I Hate their little political stunts, good owner, good coach, good talent of players. 49ers, if RIchard Sherman is Kevin Durant then I’m LeBron James. Grant, I know you love CK for whatever bizarre reason, but the answer is a FIRM NO in signing Kaepernick onto this team to end his little collusion against the NFL. DO NOT bring back the kneel down artist.

        1. That’s asking him to sell the golden goose.
          The 49ers basically are money printing machine, only an idiot would sell them and Jed may not be a great owner but he’s not a complete moron.

      5. Nope, the only laughing stock is anyone suggesting that CK is an option.

        The guys done, lets spell it out D..U..N

        He’s out of shape, hasn’t thrown a pass in 2 years, doesn’t know this offense, isn’t a leader.

        Why not just say they should sign Cutler or Romo…

    1. Really Grant? Please send me an internet link to one respected NFL analyst or journalist who thinks the 49ers are a joke, rather than simply a young team in the midst of a rebuild, whos’ season was derailed thanks to a spate of injuries to key personnel. Just one link Grant.

      Excluding your feeble, ever-biased opinion (talk about laughing stocks, lol), every respected journalist, player (past or present), and/or pundit around the league understand the circumstances of which have derailed ShanaLynch’s admittedly young, inexperienced upstart of a roster.

      Because remember Grant (and the rest of you critics) ….. this season was going to be all about how Jimmy Garoppolo, not CJ Beathard, and perhaps the dynamic Jerick McKinnon, could possibly defy the odds, and take this young roster back to the playoffs sooner than anyone expected.

      I have an acquaintance, who has been actively involved within the league going back to the late 1980’s, tell me yesterday that, in all of his years, he’s never seen a team deal with as many injuries to key personnel as the 49ers have at this juncture of the season. While this guy isn’t convinced Robert Saleh is in over his head, this guy made one fantastic observation that perfectly summed up this season:

      “Even despite most of the 49ers injuries, I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that, had the 49ers and Cardinals simply swapped their starting quarterbacks prior to yesterday’s kickoff, the 49ers likely not only beat the Cardinals, they probably beat the Cards by a comfortable margin.”

      He also told me that, given the unfortunate set of circumstances which have derailed this once promising season (remember, most people around the league thought the 49ers rebuild might actually be ahead of schedule): “Jed York would be making a huge mistake if he fired either Kyle or John, this early in the process.” And, he also agreed with me that, despite the manner in which the 49ers finished last season, most of his colleagues felt like it would probably take ShanaLynch a minimum of 3 seasons in order to purge the roster they inherited, and replace it with a team filled with enough talent and depth, to compete for a division title.”

      In fact, this is important guys. I’m not sure if Grant Cohn is simply too inexperienced, or simply too naive to understand this, but this here is where the rubber hits the road: The biggest issue the Kyle is dealing with this season, with the exception of losing their key cog in the engine – Jimmy Garoppolo (there are probably less than a handful of teams who could afford to lose their franchise QB as early as week 3, and remain in the playoff hunt), has been the 49ers lack of depth, up and down the roster! And he made the point that, when it comes to turning over such a large portion of any NFL roster, the last thing to take shape is building depth. Sure, he said, injuries are part of the game, and that’s why it’s usually the deepest squads who end up deep in the postseason.

      It just takes time to build in depth when your talking about such a young roster like the 49ers, which is basically being built from the ground up. That’s why it’s so important to recognize that the most important component at this juncture of an NFL roster ebuild, is stability. Unless Jed York and the Forty Niner Faithful want to go back to where they were prior to hiring Kyle and John, when they truly were a laughing stock, Jed York MUST stay the course at this juncture, and give Kyle and John a minimum of 4 YEARS, to get the dumpster fire of a roster of which they inherited, turned around, and headed back to the promised land.

      1. I thought you were out? Couldn’t even make it 24 hours ?

        “I’m out. Enjoy the rest of this week posting on this obscure blog”

        1. NinersNation:

          Beathard is a backup quarterback. There’s nothing wrong with it, but it’s something that has become apparent. His limitations were on full display Sunday in Sunday’s loss to the Arizona Cardinals; 14 for 28, 190 yards. For the full game. He’d have a few hot moments, like chucking it downfield for Marquise Goodwin, but he was dwarfed in the cold segments where he couldn’t trust his receivers and pull the trigger. Beathard held onto the ball far too long in plays where he needed to trust his receivers in stride and throw the ball. Whether this is a mental thing with the turnovers, or just how Beathard is as a quarterback doesn’t matter. He’s had a year to get things ironed out, but these issues still remain. These are throws Garoppolo could and would make. That’s why he’s the starting quarterback. And Beathard isn’t going to turn into Garoppolo. Beathard is the backup quarterback for a reason, and it’s the reasons above. A lot of this is plain ability and talent; if he was playing lights out for two seasons, we’d be having a very different conversation. He’s a backup. His job is to help out at meetings and step in when the starting quarterback is down. If anything the last few weeks has shown us, it’s that his role is almost solidified in the team. He knows Kyle Shanahan’s offense, he can take over midway or for an entire game, but asking him to be consistent week in and week out like the starter can is just something that isn’t possible. If it was, he’d be in a Nick Foles situation where the 49ers would be looking to trade, or be faced to pay him more money later on. There’s no one better to put in there either. Tom Savage is an even worse option and Nick Mullens? No. Just no. Beathard knows the offense, he probably contributes in the meeting rooms, and is doing the best he can with the tools he has. He was placed into an unfortunate situation where the talent around him, while improved, is still not where it needs to be and his limited ability cannot raise them the way Garoppolo can. Again, you saw why Garoppolo is the starter last season. CJ Beathard is not a bad quarterback. He’s a backup quarterback. And he’s playing far more than any backup quarterback should. We knew that going in. You want a bad quarterback?Go get me Nathan Peterman.

          Well said!

          1. Grant’s “C” grade for Beathard’s performance Sunday says everything you need to know about his football knowledge.

            In fact, for lack of a better metaphor, I’ll say this about CJ Beathard:

            You can put lipstick on a pig, but …. it’s still a pig!

            Christian Dior Rouge No. 999, Givenchy Rose “Le Rouge”, heck, even H. Couture Beauty Diamond Lipstick – aka the most expensive lipstick in the world – won’t change the fact that CJ Beathard is a borderline backup NFL QB, nothing more, and perhaps nothing less (although that’s debatable).

            PFF’s keys to the game (Week 8 @ Arizona): The 49ers have shown that they have great talent at the right positions up front on the offensive line, but that only goes so far when your quarterback is unable to make the necessary throws.

            CJ Beathard’s performance on Sunday tied a nice little bow on who he is as an NFL QB. While CJ has shown a propensity for turnovers, many coming at key moments in tight ball games, Sunday was a different story. Not that CJ had raised his level of play to a different level. Far from it in fact. He was overly cautious, almost afraid to let the ball go, often giving up on wide open receivers. And on the rare occasions when he did pull the trigger, he was often far too late, showing the kind of hesitation that is the hallmark of a backup QB. But that’s not all. Nobody telegraphs his passes quite like CJ does. I don’t have the numbers in front of me but, suffice to say, CJ’s passes are batted down at an alarming, perhaps record breaking rate. It’s bad enough that he rarely gets past his first (or hot) read, but he compounds his inability to go through progressions by zeroing in on his intended target, eyes locked on like a laser homing in on its intended target, never looking off a single defender. CJB’s inability to anticipate route development, or throw his receivers open is magnified by lack of arm strength, and general lack of accuracy at every level, often times either firing the football into the turf a good 5 yards in front of his intended target, or even worse, the classic airmail, almost begging to be intercepted.

            CJ’s tough, I’ll give him that. He can take a lick as well as the best of them. Maybe he has a future in MMA. Unfortunately for the 49ers, it takes more than toughness to play QB in the NFL, especially if you actually want to win a damn game, and especially if you hope to close out a close one in the 4th QTR!

            Say what you will about Robert Saleh’s 4th QTR defense but ……. Jimmy Garoppolo can’t get healthy soon enough!

      1. Yes the 49ers should swoop in and grab ol Huey then right? Cuz hes feeling Kap at the QB position??

        I almost wish Kaep would come back just to shut you dummies up. I know it wouldn’t tho, it would be everybody else fault…

        On some RS I think Kaep may be a fit down in Jax.

        Yall saying for him to come to SF are wrong on too many levels to list. One is you clearly dont understand what it takes to master the KS playbook. I’ll take Beathard over Kap at this point, and that’s pretty terrible. I do think if CJB can limit getting hit, he could still improve…Kids tough and doesn’t care what you think. (I hope he doesn’t)

        1. “Yall saying for him to come to SF…”
          Jack never said Kaep should come to SF. Did you mean to say “all y’all”. Learn the language genius.

    1. Nah…they will fire Todd Haley first or Hue Jackson will at least handle play calls first before being fired.

        1. :)

          Just my opinion…but wasn’t Haley fired from the Steelers last season because the offense was inept? And the offense is the problem again for Browns.

          No way John Dorsey fires Hue without at least giving him a chance to play to his strengths.

          1. I dunno why Haley was sacked by the Steelers, but I also don’t know why you would bring in another offensive mind when that’s supposed to be your HC’s forte….

            1. Haley being the OC for Steelers must have played into it. Not saying he would have spilled his guts (:p), but if he coached a guy for 10 years, he must have some intel about Roethlisburger.

              The Browns tied their Home game with the Steelers and lost on the away game. So not much there. So if anyone is getting fired, I just think it would be Haley first before Hue.

              1. Dunno bout that intel stuff, but Jackson was probably the worst HC in the NFL last year.

              2. Haley’s only achievement is that he was OC of the Cardinals when they made their Super Bowl Run. Of course it did’t hurt that he had Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald to build around. Flash in the pan as compared to a pretty average tenure as a HC and OC around the league, but if Baker Mayfield can all of a sudden throw it around like Curt Warner and if Josh Gordon……Oh wait.

              1. Haha…..they’ve made fools of us sane people.

                Are they looking for someone from the college football circuit.?

    2. They just did.

      Wasn’t it Grant who said he’d be a better coach than Kyle…or something along those lines?

  1. What will the 49ers accomplish by winning games the rest of this season? They’re better off letting Beathard get the live experience and reap the high draft pick. No reason to expect Beathard to turn into a starter but he still can be a decent back up with the type of experience he’s getting.

    All I ask for is a competent offense to make the game watchable and bringing back slaperdick wont accomplish that.

    1. CFC – CJ will become a competent backup about the time his rookie contract expires and then , if he is of any value at all, they will cut him loose and it will be next man up. Some of us wonder, why wait? They are basically destroying Nick Mullens who has to stand on the sidelines and watch this train wreck while asking himself: “Am I really that bad?” No disrespect man, but training a future backup right now just makes no sense to me. Let’s see what Mullens has and make better decisions down the road. He was, after all, a better QB in college than CJ was. He just wasn’t Kyle’s fave.

  2. Beathard played as if he’d lost confidence until he hit Goodwin. He still moves like he’s in quicksand.
    Mostert got injured. Someone should tell Grant.
    Not sure why Saleh was playing coverages with a 3rd stringer on the backend. Bring the blitz brah.
    Sherman gave up 2 or 3 catches and had a sack, 7 tackles. I don’t think that is deserving of a C grade.

      1. He was still injured. So was Breida. Magnum PI was the reason the running backs had to deviate from the designed hole.

    1. Sherman had textbook coverage throughout the game. I really dont think Grant Cohn even watches the entire game…If he does, than the only way he could possibly come to his conclusions is his NFL IQ is extremely low, like he started watching games a few years ago. It takes an overly simplistic view. Signing Kaep is not outside the box thinking like Seb says, but instead is lazy and cheap. The 49ers represent class and greatness, and Grant thinks they should be ‘Forward Thinking’ and play politics with it.
      Only an ignorant mf would say that, 49ers already proved their ‘progressiveness’ before this fool even watched football.

      1. They finally started targeting Sherman, and they made Sherman look slow.
        .
        Signing Kaep is exactly thinking outside the box. No one else is advocating for that.
        .
        Lazy and cheap is just playing CJB more.
        .
        Grant attends the practices, and I feel like I am standing next to him when he writes. I have learned much from his observations, unlike the Matts, who paints rosy scenarios and states the obvious.

  3. I totally get the frustration with KS, but get real Grant – absolutely No Way he gets canned at the end of the season, even if they lose every remaining game, which is likely – especially without a QB change. KS is 2 years into a 6 yr deal and there are excuses galore – like losing your starting RB and QB very early, plus all the other injuries. What decent coach would have any interest in coming here with a Niners track record of 2 yrs max patience to field a decent team or you’ll be fired? JG won’t be much of an attraction for a coach when you don’t know if he can even play a full season, and the fact that the Niners can’t win without him.

    1. JG won’t be much of an attraction for a coach when you don’t know if he can even play a full season, and the fact that the Niners can’t win without him.

      It’s not clear yet whether JG will even be the same QB when he gets back. God help us if he prematurely turns out to be another Joe Willie on the downslope of his career…

  4. York hired a guy who as an offensive coordinator had more losing seasons than winning seasons and despite putting up a bunch of yards usually was in the bottom half in points scored, paired him with a guy who’d never worked in a front office at any level and put them in charge of everything to do with the football side of the business.

    These guys are all so far over their skies it’s no wonder they’re 7-17, looking at 7-25 by year end.

    At least we can look forward to a high draft pick, even if they only have 5 of them this year.

    1. I think they should’ve hired you Jack Hammer. Clearly you know better than everyone, except your idol.

      Wannabe celebrities, I tell you what

    2. Ouch! The truth sure hurts, doesn’t it Jack. Beatings will continue until morale improves.

  5. KS is not on the hot seat, you sound like an impatient I need it now millennial, oh wait you are. Calm down, they are not going to fire KS, also its not all his fault, Lynch might be over his head making draft picks, This team stinks and next year they will have more draft picks and more cap space. They will have 4 years to get their act together. Before boy wonder needs to make a move.

      1. This loss bothered me for about 3 1/2 seconds, that being said why would they want Kaep, he is rusty and could never read defenses and why would David Shaw leave a comfy job at Stanford to work for the Yorks.?

            1. Yes, the Dodgers losing took much of the sting out of the 49ers latest fiasco. Clayton Kerchoke was true to form in big-game appearances. Beathard has completely lost confidence and is so afraid of turning the ball over that he won’t even pass unless his receivers are wide open. The only chance that the 49ers will have to win will be the next two prime time games against the Raiders and Giants. Maybe the season ending game against a Rams team that will be playing scrubs. I don’t even think we can beat their scrubs and the Rams could still be undefeated.

            2. I also enjoyed the Vikings loss. Cousins putting up big numbers only to come up with another goose egg in W column. That pick 6 was a thing of beauty.

              Enjoy your loss. LOL. Like Kaep is going to step in this week and turn the franchise around and start reeling off wins? Who hasn’t taken a snap in nearly two years and not in any kind of football shape? Or as far as we know, any kind of shape at all? Just throw him out there and let him sand lot it, right? LOL

              Or the team is going to shtcan the coach and GM and start reeling off wins next season? Because that’s what coach churn always does? LOL

              Grant, you should get a job blogging for the Boston teams. I hear those fans are easily riled and you are just the man to do it.

          1. By the way Grant, I was listening to the Game this morning and reminded on the records of two not to shabby Coaches. Both Bill Walsh and Jimmy Johnson, their first two years of head coaching were 8 and 24 and Walsh had Montana for 31 of the games and Johnson had Aikman for 26 games. If they were fired after two season goodbye dynasties. I am not implying that KS is going to be a Hall of Fame Coach, and CJ is nothing more than a second stringer at best, but putting KS in the hot seat in year two of a 6 year deal is ludicrous.

  6. I would give CJB a D, but he did have that one TD pass, and he did not throw any picks. Maybe a C-.
    If the Niners want to win, they will sign Kaep Monday.
    .
    The RBs deserve at least a D. The coaches forced them to run into the teeth of the defense. Did Juice run any pass patterns?
    .
    I generally agree with all of the other grades, especially the F for the coaches. They snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

    1. hey, Sebs-

      We all saw Kaps play his last 3 yrs…………….just what would he bring to the team? I dont care about his Socks telling us all that “Cops are pigs” message-juvenile tho it is……………….emaciated vegan, holding on to the ball too long, can’t read D’s, throwing motion takes too long………….how is this an upgrade over CJ?

      Sounds like more of the same to me.

  7. “Solomon Thomas may or may not have played. I never notice him on the field.”

    My thoughts as well. When I do spot him, he’s on the backside of a pile on the backside of the play.

    1. The only time I notice Thomas is when he celebrates a play someone else made.

      And in the “what have you got to lose” department, why TF Saleh doesn’t blitz in crunch time is just confounding.

      KS should certainly not be canned at this point, IMO. But they have to draft better.

      They are going to get a chance to. They will be drafting quite high.

      1. Bad drafting has been plaguing the 9ers for years. Certainly Buckner and Kittle have been excellent but not much else. Not sure why everyone is pulling for losing to get high pick. Lynch had the #2 pick in draft and passed on a what is starting to look like a franchise QB. In Trubisky. 9er fans were celebrating moving down a spot and picking up a 3rd rounder and still “got their guy”. Flash forward a year and a half later and their guy seems devoid of any star talent. Meanwhile Trubisky playing great. He seems to be better, is younger, vastly cheaper, and has been durable – 20 straight starts since being handed starting gig. Meanwhile Garopps has 12 career starts in 5 years and got injured in 3 of them causing him to miss subsequent starts each time. I really liked Thomas coming out of college but I guess his quickness didn’t transfer to NFL. McGlinchey not looking that great either. I think Brown was better in all phases.

        1. Mahomes and Watson as well….
          Mahomes is amazing.
          They could have had a QB on rookie wage and had the capital for a Khali Mack etc…
          The bears ended up winning that trade IMO…
          Though I think it is clear Mahomes was the best player.
          Kyle could have developed him and not had the Jimmy G contract…
          Thomas is the AJ Jenkins of this regime.
          That pick and passing on Mahomes may have defined this whole regimes failure….

  8. Another awful loss. Yet again unable to get out of their own way in the 4th quarter. Yes I know the team has injuries and lacks talent to win a lot of games, but losing after being 15-3 ahead in the 4th quarter against a bad team is just terrible. No other way to think of it. Can’t justify it.

    Shanahan should be on the hot seat. But I honestly don’t think what happens this season will impact on whether he is coaching the 49ers next year. Games like this, and continued losing for the rest of the season might make his seat a little warmer heading into next season though. If he gets off to a slow start again next year he might find the heat becomes pretty intense. But I think he will be coaching the 49ers at the start of next season regardless of what happens the rest of the season.

    One major problem the 49ers have, and Jed must know this, is that the reputation the organisation has is not a good one right now. Not just from an on-field perspective, but also from an off-field one. They fired a successful coach and then sacked their next two coaches after one season. The chances of finding a decent candidate to take over the job are low. They are in a position where they kind of need to give Shanahan time.

    1. Great point. Why would McDaniels leave the Pats, heir apparent to Belecheck , and roll the dice with a dysfunctional Niners organization .

    2. over last 2 years we’ve spent loads of cash qb,rb, lb,wr, millions and did not work out this year and last , I believe we should set ourselves up for Tua in case jg does not fully recover I would trade a soloman Thomas garcon, ruebon in a package for a 2020 may to a jets Cleveland, jags first rounder he could run , shaw’s offense or daniels offense so could jimmy G, really needs to validate this contract nownext year. shannahan cold feet up 9 points on the six yardline never once went for the end zone the fg was there 3 throw in the end zone cold feet those are what also
      rans call loser plays not to win, and then saleh not have anyone bang larry off the line with no pressusre losing plays
      again the punter 38 punt when it counted. lose on the same play ot last year that’s hard man

  9. Cohn doesn’t have a clue. Any team that loses it’s number 1 qb, rb, and is down to their third and fourth string linebackers and safety will never win a game. The scheme works. The staff doesn’t have nfl players if injuries occur. Team would be 5-3 with Jimmy g.

    1. Thank you very much.
      At least some people get it.
      People need to chill out and quit crying and arguing about a washed season.
      Next year Shanahan will lead Jimmy G and the guys in the right direction.
      John Lynch? Now that’s another story.
      Dude needs to get his stuff right of I can see Adam Peters taking over.

  10. “Garcon’s cap hit could cause the 49ers trouble if they look to move him. They will have to pay a $16.3 million dead cap charge if he’s traded or released, per Spotrac.”
    – Ward may also be on the move……… I would like to see them go young and get whatever they can.

    1. The cap hit could cause Lynch to hold out for something better than a 7th.

      If Ward’s traded it signals giving up on the season. Ward has flaws but the DB group is so decimated they desperately need Ward’s presence.

      1. Not really Brodie. It would open up some opportunities for Reed, Moore, Exum if healthy, and Powell.
        If Ward could return anything like a third fourth or fifth I jump all over it.

  11. Hold on..Hold on..

    Did you just say deforest Buckner had impressive stats?? Lmaooooo. He had one combined tackle. Don’t know why you guys hold him to such high praise. He clearly wasn’t worth the 7th overall pick. He’s trash. You can use pff all you want but he’s definitely not the player you all think he is. DeFo ain’t no DPOY.

    1. Buckner creates one-on-one opportunities for everyone else. He is by far the best player on the defense.

      1. How does he create one on ones when he can’t even beat a one on one? And him being the best player on our team doesn’t really say much. On anyone else’s team he’d be third best.

          1. Have to disagree. I think it’s more of a block scheme in general than teams actually game planning for him specifically. Seen him get washed and pancaked plenty of times today. For the most part I agree with a lot you say. Some of our homers are in too much denial about how trash our team really is.

        1. Prime, you would rather lose games without Kaep, than win games with Kaep.
          .
          Typical loser mentality.

              1. You talk a big game but are so full of it. You just want Kap back. You are a FRAUD and you know it!

              2. Grant agrees with me. Maybe you should hurl insults at him, too.
                .
                Kaep would give this team a better chance to win than CJB does now.
                .
                CJB is inaccurate, holds onto the ball too long, and is getting sacked and bludgeoned in the pocket. Defend CJB all you want, but I have seen enough. CJB is pulling a Gabbert, and is benching himself. He is hurting the team’s chances to win.

              3. Seb who cares if Grant agrees with you. You think that the 2 of you are right cause you agree you fool!

                You are a fraud. Your agenda since coming on here with your bravado and narcissist behaviour has been Kap. 2 years removed from playing and you’re still Kap infatuated.
                Get lost FRAUD!

              4. Prime, I was happy when JG was signed as the franchise QB. I never advocated for Kaep to supplant JG. I still wanted Kaep to play, but elsewhere, and I wished him luck where ever he landed.
                .
                However, now that JG tore his Achilles, there is a void at QB. CJB has not won a game, and he has personally given away games. Grant thinks Kaep would give them the best chance to win. He even advocates giving Kaep a 2 year deal. That way, if Kaep does well, they could trade him to another team for adequate compensation, because Kaep does not want to back up JG. He would rather be a starter.
                .
                Prime, you, yourself admitted that Kaep took the league by storm. I just think he can do it again. I still hope JG comes back strong and leads the Niners to a couple rings, but right now, Kaep could play and help get the Niners some wins, in order to start that winning culture.

              5. Stop trying to convince me you are about the 49ers. You are all about Kap. You are a FRAUD!

          1. No disrespect, but Kaepernick was 3-16 in his last 19 starts. I’d rather lose without him, than lose with him. He brings nothing to the offense except registering sacks in every game where he scrambles out of bounds behind the line of scrimmage instead of throwing the ball away.

            The problem with this team isn’t the backup QB. The problem with this team is that there are only a handful of NFL-caliber players on it. Frankly, I don’t think there is a single player on this team that would be a starter in LA, KC or New England. Further, I think there might only be two or three players on this team who would start for a team like Detroit, Tampa Bay or Dallas.

            1. Wrong, and the proof is that the Niners jettisoned many players, and they hooked up with other teams. Iupati, Gore, Reid, Crab, Harold, MacDonald, Looney, Kilgore, Hyde, Bethea, Ellington, Lynch, Easton and others, all were deemed inferior to the present Niners, but have moved on and are contributing.
              .
              Kaep had a defense in the 2-14 season that allowed third string RBs gallop for 200 yards. No QB could win under those circumstances. Kaep struggled, because Baalke went back on his word, did not retain veteran leadership, and dismantled that SB team.
              .
              With this improved O line, Kittle, Goodwin and Breida, Kaep could win with this present squad. Kaep, at least, knows how to finish games, and his mobility would have avoided many sacks that CJB took.

              1. Did you say wrong, and then go on to say all the players they jettisoned were better than the ones they currently have? No kidding. I don’t think anybody is going to confuse Iupati with any of the trash that has played at Guard since he left. I’m not talking about the players that have left. I’m talking about the players on the current roster. There aren’t many of them who are quality NFL players. Certainly not after the injuries, but even prior to them. This team is neither talented, nor deep.

                If you’re going to blame the defense for being 2-6 before Kaep got benched for Gabbert, partly due to injury, then what evidence are you seeing that this current defense is capable of holding a team to enough points for Kaepernick to beat them? Kaep “knew” how to finish games. When he had a top 5 defense.

                If they sign him now, he might be able to go 1-7, though I doubt he’d be ready to play against the Raiders on Thursday which is likely the only winnable game left on the schedule. But let’s be honest. If Joe Montana walked through the door in his prime, this team still isn’t winning many more games this year. The defense can’t generate any pressure, despite committing high first round picks to the D-line for three consecutive years. The WR’s can’t get separation. I don’t know how good the RB’s are, because the philosophy isn’t working with this garbage O-line that can neither run nor pass block. Which was my whole point in the previous post. This team seriously lacks talent.

              2. Iupati is an outlier, because he left under the Baalke regime.
                .
                I said they were deemed inferior. I must concede that the Niners should have retained veteran leadership like Eric Reid.
                .
                I guess I am saying that the present team does have talent, but lacks talent in key areas. The pass rush and DBs could be better, but other than the KC and Rams game, the Niners were competitive, and had a chance to win.
                .
                Oh, and at QB, once JG went down, CJB is just pulling a Gabbert and benching himself.
                .
                I will admit that Kaep may struggle if he takes the reins right away, but a competent coach will simplify the playbook and accentuate his strengths. It has been done many times before. QBs go down due to injury, and the backup steps in and wins games.
                .
                Sure it would be desperate, but a 1-7 team should be desperate.
                .
                My point is that the team is talented enough to be competitive, and an improvement in the QB play might help them win. They are not void in talent, although injuries have decimated their depth.
                .
                I would also say that the incompetence in the coaching also hurts the team.

  12. Thoughts about the 49ers troubles.

    – This defensive scheme won’t work without a very good defensive backfield, especially at free safety. The free safety has to be at or near pro bowl level.

    Saleh is in a bind. Stand pat schematically and get burned. Make major changes in the scheme mid season with lots of young and substitute players and get burned.

    – We won’t be able to close games until we get an edge rusher.

    – Last year a Niners Nation article showed statistically the 49ers have lost more starter playtime due to injury than league average seasons 2014 through 2017. The trend continues.

    The 49ers won’t be a good team until the injury curse is broken. I don’t care who the coach or GM is.

  13. CJ’s grade is too high. He missed easy throws and held on to the ball too long, again. CJ underthrew a late deep ball to Goodwin that would have been a TD, again. Wonder if CJ changed Goodwin’s route, again? The offense was putrid and it starts with the QB. The loss of Richburg was big on the ground and in the air. Shanny absolutely deserves blame too. I hated the QB Draw call.

    The D let Az march down the field twice to take the lead, sadly I expected this. The D was good other than that, but the Az offense is terrible.

  14. Grant, there is no way that York will put KS on the hot seat. After JG got injured, he kind of got a free ride the rest of the season. JG saved his ass by getting injured, had JG played and they had the same record only then would KS be on the hot seat.
    If he were to sign Kap now, he’d look desperate and why would he want to do that? To get a better draft pick???

    1. He is 1-7. That sounds pretty desperate to me.
      .
      Why would he want to do that? To win games.

    2. Dee Phiant

      I ‘ll preface this by saying that I am satisfied, for the time being, with Lynch and Shannahan; given the fact that injuries have flattened their chance for success to this point. My biggest point of contention is ‘Why don’t they learn from their mistakes ?’ They grabbed Harbaugh off the street, with no NFL HC experience…gave him carte blanche over personnel, and to hire his choice over OC who he didn’t pay attention to…then let him walk after he virtually destroyed the team with his cuts and trades. Then they ‘hired’ Chip’ Kelley , who DID have experience as a NFL HC (successful I might add)..handed him a ‘shotgun pattern’ of a team, and sent him off with one years work when they found that they could get Shannahan…(more instant success). Now, everyone’s bitching and moaning that Lynch and Shannahan haven’t made us playoff contenders IMMEDIATLY ! Wake up people…you can’t play ball if you have no players….Kyle is doing a more than credible job of re- building the niners….and he’ll be coaching them for longer than his contract….

      1. Harbaugh didn’t have control over the roster, that was Baalke until he was fired along with Kelly.

        1. Jack Hammer,
          This is the 4th season in a row, after JH, and we are talking about DRAFT picks mid season again!
          We don’t have much to show after FOUR years of low picks ……

            1. Welcome? That’s about a 20 year too late welcome. 10 different Browns HCs this century, Niners in hot pursuit at 9. So what do you and Grant advocate? Why sure, fire another. We’ll then definitely attract top notch candidates, won’t we? I hear Hue is available.

      2. No. If KS keeps coaching the way he does, he will not make it past 2019.
        .
        This team is poorly coached. The team is unfocused, undisciplined and unprepared. Game management is deficient and clock management is inept. They do not know how to finish games in order to win.
        .
        JH is no shlub off the street. He had been a HC for years, and he led the Niners to 3 straight NFCC Games. Baalke had total control over the roster, and Baalke was the one who dismantled that SB team.
        .
        I am not bitching and moaning that KS has not made it to the playoffs. I just want basic competence, which is totally lacking. They do have players, but they seem to not have a clue how to properly use them. Without JG, KS has won one game in a season and a half. JG won because he could overcome the coaching, like KS said.
        .
        KS is not building that winning culture, he is being content to lose winnable games. They fired Mariucci after a 10-6 season with a playoff win. So far, KS does not deserve to finish out his contract.

  15. Why does GM Lynch not get some attention! There is no depth at all on this team. No consistent good play from position groups as a whole.

    Here’s what I’ve seen. Good teams with depth don’t seem to get injured …Bad teams stack up huge injuries. Maybe players on good teams have an “I want to be on the field” mindset. Bad teams, players tend to be ok to fade away.

    Lynch gave Kyle very little to work with….or Kyle can’t coach the players to play to their talent level.

    Which is it?

    1. JL inherited a 2 win team. He did not inherit a playoff team with lots of depth.
      .
      Only 9 players are left from Baalke. Only 2 players are left that played in that SB.
      .
      To answer your question, both may be true.

  16. “I hated the QB Draw call.”

    I hated it too, not just because it was a horrible call, but because it represented what KS is thinking in keeping CJB in there. Had he really wanted to see how good his backup quarterback is, he would not have called that play in that situation. That was a great opportunity to see if he can read the defense at the line and find the end zone with a pass.

    Instead, with a draw play from that distance, all we saw was a gritty quarterback fighting for the end zone-something we already know about CJB.

    So, yes, I hated that QB draw call, too.

    1. The only reason for the QB draw was to avoid a sack/fumble or a pick. It was playing for the sure 3 points. Up to that point, the Cardinals couldn’t do squat against us. KS was trying to play the percentages and not give the opponent a chance to gain momentum.

      That being said, I hated the call, too! It’s come down to a HC not trusting his QB and with good reason!

  17. A few takeaways from today.

    1. Kyle isn’t going anywhere
    2. Saleh should be dismissed
    3. Bring in an OC
    4. Bench CJ
    5. Start Mullens

    Forget the ridiculous idea of Kap coming back. As I have stated many times and am right, he will never play another down in the NFL. His football career is over. Move on.

      1. Haha!!!

        Sebs, we all know what you think~and want!!
        But who ever heard of a starting QB in the NFL getting a 15 yr K……………..appointed Mayor of the city……………being given his own talk show………………..and, in the Haight district, having all the stores named after him……………….having the Golden Gate bridge named after him…………..having posters with his face plastered up all over the nation, like Fidel Castro…………….

        1. Saw, you seem a little unstable. Quit your ranting and calm down. Maybe you need to smoke a big one.

          1. Hahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

            Sebs, old bean, im telling ya straight–I luv ya!!!!!!!!

            However, i dont suck on Bongs-i indulge myself with Whiskey.

            1. Fish, from that posting above it looks like you’ve already been indulging. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, I just hope it’s the single malt good stuff.

          1. Ribs—

            I’ve been listening to Sebs worship of Kap for many several years-to sum up, while its true you and I will sit on the throne and “relieve” ourselves sometime today-we have to, we are so made-Sebs really, truly thinks that Kap is something, literally, not of this Earth. Without fault, without sin, without ANY human blemish of ANY kind…………..it is a worship reserved for Church.

            I’m not buyin it. I was very happy when Kap came on the scene and beat the Bears, way back when………..I absolutely thought we had our franchise QB. But the NFL caught on to his skill set, he did not counter it and grow into the art of being a QB………..and there you have it.

            I also can not deny–I get a hell of a kick out of Sebs tongue-lashings.

            1. ….”just trollin”……………?

              Yes and no. I see this blog as entertainment. And you, Sebbie, are my Rodney Dangerfield!
              I could make you millions!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

              1. Sebs-

                The “Catfish” nickname is one you gave me………………there are some others perhaps not appropriate for this blog……….we’ll know more later.

  18. Shanhan and Saleh are system coordinators that seem stuck trying keep making their players work their systems.

    I can’t fathom why on 3rd and 12 Saleh once again calls for press Cover 3 (it may have been Cover 1). Why? There’s one guy deep enough to defend the entire first down line. Why continue to put that much pressure on a guy (Colbert) who has consistently had trouble defending the whole field? Call a 2 high coverage and HALF his responsibilities? He only calls Cover 2 in the red zone. David Johnson kept attacking them on the edges. Why were the linebackers continuously being sucked into the middle of the defense? Make defensive calls that better protect the perimeter. It’s not like Johnson is a huge inside threat.

    Beathard has absolutely no sense of rhythm. Watch the guys footwork. His steps are not smooth and uniform. How can you time your reads and passes if your footwork is so out of whack? Shanahan has a QB that is slow to read coverages and make his throws and ends up taking sacks. So design plays that only have a couple of reads and that are open only after a 3 step drop (or in Beathard’s uncoordinated case…simply quickly) that force him to get rid of the ball quickly . Sometimes Beathard’s first read was open but often times he just couldn’t find an open guy fast enough (and there were relatively open guys to try to get the ball to). Also, allow or encourage Beathard to audible out of plays! I can’t count the number of times before the snap that I saw how the Cardinals defense was lined up and preparing to defend or put pressure and I thought…uh-oh, I hope the 49ers account for the added pressure or formation shift….of course they didn’t. I saw hand offs to running backs going straight into OBVIOUS run blitzes for no gain or negative yardage. I dunno maybe Beathard sees the blitzes and figures better him (the running back) than me (absorbing the punishment)

    There just seems to be too much scheme dogma going on. A good coach makes adjustments to their scheme and play calling for the players they have on hand. I see square peg players and round hole schemes and mistakes and poor play everywhere. Maybe if Shanahan had some more experienced coaches on his staff; they might be able to hand him a different perspective. But right now it seems like the 49ers just keep trying to do the same thing every week and just hope that it works with whatever players they have on hand.

    I have to say though…I think I did see Solomon Thomas make some nice run stuffing plays early in the game.

    1. Affp,

      I disagreed with you last time you suggested this and still do. There’s nothing to adjust. This scheme features every type of play you can possibly think of and the play calling reflects it every week. The biggest problem before this week was TO’s – especially the QB – but against the Cards they played clean. The issue has been and will continue to be a QB who struggles with the speed of the game both physically and mentally. The offense is still sitting in the middle of the pack in total yards and 21st in points scored having played 5 of 8 games with a QB who can’t play at this level. The system is not the problem.

      Not sure what the thought process was on the last couple of drives, but they were playing with a 3rd string S and couldn’t get much pressure so the play calling was questionable. I’ll have to watch it again and focus on what each call was on the final couple of drives.

  19. I rather give Johnny manziel a chance…

    If these guys have a clue they should use this opportunity to find the back up QB behind JimmyG next yr….

    Start raiding practice squads…..

  20. I seriously don’t know why you guys are cryin. What’s the point of winning? We are 1-7. There’s no point. Just like when tomsula won those pointless games that hurt our draft stock and that’s the only thing it accomplished. Our qb is injured and the season went down because of it. Let C.J. ride it out and guarantee us a top pick that we can trade down and rob people of draft picks for at least the next 2-3 years.

    1. Oh, how I long for the Glory Years. Bill Walsh consistently picked near the last, and kept that juggernaut rolling.
      .
      Sucking for draft position is just turning the Niners into the Browns. They perennially pick high, and are perennially in the cellar.

  21. An old article, but one that lists some of the possible edge rushing prospects that the 49ers could draft.

  22. Shanahan will most likely get one more year, and probably should in order to avoid constant roster reshuffling.
    However, saying injuries justify all loses is crazy. They have had 2 drafts and 2 offseasons to improve the roster Chip Kelly had. This roster may be worse than the one they inherited. And yes the qb injury is devastating but it doesn’t explain why there has been almost no improvement roster wise.

    1. Shoup,

      You can’t downplay the QB problem. That is the key reason this team is losing games. They’ve been in every game except the Rams, and continually lose because the QB can’t play. Everybody is trying to make this more complicated than it really is. It’s not scheme. The scheme works and has worked at a high level with Garoppolo. They’ve lost 3 games by 3 points or less with Beathard. They aren’t getting blown out every week. With Garoppolo this was an 8-9 win team. They are lacking talent in a few places no question, but without all the injuries, we aren’t sitting here obsessing over losses every week.

      I said it when Garoppolo first went down and I’ll say it again: don’t focus on wins and losses because they are going to lose a lot without a QB. Focus on the compete level and whether players start to quit as the losses pile up. That is what will determine the roster going forward and whether Shanahan can become a successful HC or not.

      1. They have serious Red Zone issues that, to be fair, predate Shanahan, and continue to stymie this team.

        CJB has been better in the Red Zone than JG. His completion rate is 55 to JGs 41. Neither is very good. Some of those problems, I believe, are scheme related. That is just one example.

        I think Grant does have a point that success isn’t about yards.

      2. Rocket,
        I’m not downplaying the QB problem. That is a reality that I understand.
        I am saying ,the major problem I have, is that the roster has not minimally improved after 2 drafts and 2 off-seasons. That is unacceptable to me.

  23. Crazy Idea,
    Why not entertain trades for Buckner?
    I know its counter intuitive to give up your best player but he is the only player worthy of a first rounder on the roster.
    If they end up with an additional first and the number 1 overall pick they could trade back and end up with 3 first round picks and the first second rounder in the draft. With these picks they could address the Edge (there are a lot in this draft), the OL and DB… depending on how the draft falls they could also get a wr or double up on the edge or db.
    There is a lot of talent in this draft and the Raiders may prove to have been right in their fire sale approach.

    At edge there is Bosa, Ferrell, Jackson, Allen and Burns
    At DB there is Williams, Love,Thompson and Baker
    There is a lot of talent that could improve this team.

    1. If they did that, then they would have no choice but to take Oliver with their first round pick.

      1. Not necessarily this years DT free agent class is very deep. And Thomas can then kick inside on passing downs.

        1. Geno Atkins, Cincinnati Bengals
        2. Grady Jarrett, Atlanta Falcons
        3. Sheldon Richardson, Minnesota Vikings
        4. Ndamukong Suh, Los Angeles Rams
        5. David Irving, Dallas Cowboys
        6. Eddie Goldman
        7. Malcom Brown
        8. Danny Shelton
        9. Carl Davis
        10. Bennie Logan
        11. Haloti Ngata
        12. Kyle Williams

      2. Mid, if the rumours that Oliver plays at around 270lbs are true, would you still be comfortable taking him that high? I’m not 100% confident he’ll even be the first DT taken tbh, if he doesn’t get himself to around 285lbs for combine weigh-in. I think Williams from ‘Bama could go before him.

        1. Yes, especially if the team dealt Buckner (which is very unlikely to happen). You don’t pass on a talent like him.

          1. This is a bit nit picky, and I will say up front here that I agree with the rest of the world he is a top 5 talent, but he is a guy I have a few reservations with. One, his rumoured size is a concern for me. Its not just his weight either, I have seen comments about his height and length also which raises questions of how much weight he can put on without impacting his athleticism. I don’t think there are any full time DTs in the NFL at that size. Second, his technique is only ok – he’s gotten so used to beating people with athleticism he hasn’t need to refine his technique. Third, he plays NT primarily, where he can use his superior athleticism against a centre snapping the ball. At his size, would he play NT in the NFL? Would he be as successful at 3T? Four, as dominant as his stat line looks, I saw a PFF report outlining that his PRP was actually pretty low. Mock PFF as much as you like, but that isn’t their grading system – its just a measure of how often they get pressure. Prior to this season his PRP was below 7%. He’s done a good job of converting those pressures to sacks, but you want to see a dominant player with better pressure rates.

            1. Honestly, I think we need to wait and see his official measurements before any concerns are raised about his stature because those reports could be attempts at lowering his stock in order to have a better chance at grabbing him in the draft.

              1. True. He does look pretty small though. There is a reason people have been speculating.

            2. You raise valid concerns on Oliver Scooter. It will be interesting to see the results in testing leading up to the draft. One thing he has that impresses me is a non stop motor, but he’s going to be facing bigger men in the NFL so the height and weight will be important.

              I have my own about Polite for the same reasons. He looked overmatched against Georgia this past week and I wonder about his size and strength transferring to the NFL.

              1. I didn’t get to see the game against Georgia unfortunately.

                However, the pass rush role the 49ers need doesn’t need to be a big guy. A lot of the successful “Leo” players in this system are around the same size as Polite. He has some technique things he needs to clean up, but from what I have seen he has the athletic traits you want for the position.

        2. Scooter,
          I would not take either Oliver or Williams even if they did trade Defo.
          I would sign a DT via free agency and use the extra pick to address the Edge or DB.
          Selecting another DT after trading Defo would be a lateral move and selecting a DT without moving Defo would make no sense given the roster.

    2. Shoup: I was mentioning this to my game buddy yesterday. Thomas is clearly better on the inside and although he is not as good as Buckner, I think the trade would be worth it if and only if we can get a first round pick. We have plenty of depth on the defensive interior line but nothing on the edge. Blair looked good yesterday, but I wasn’t following whether he was playing DT or DE.

      1. Cubus,
        I completely agree, the trade would be terrible for anything less than a first.
        I would be hesitant to trade him at all given his talent but doing so might help better disperse talent across the roster and patch some major holes.

    1. He’s not kind to your man DeFo but right on about Saleh. Hate to say it but he sees what I’ve seen throughout Saleh’s leadership (and commented from time to time): They play dazed and confused.

  24. Just watched the highlights and these are my takes from them.

    – Sure Beathard did not turn the ball over, but there were several instances where a better defense would have succeeded in a takeaway. I also believe that Beathard is at fault on at least two of the sacks; he has got to learn to throw the ball away and scramble out of a collapsing pocket. Therefore, the QB should be no higher than a D.
    The beating of the Kaepernick drum is not even worth commenting on.
    – I agree with your overall take on the RBs, but their grade should be higher, like a C minus.
    – The grade for the WRs sounds about right.
    – The TE grade does as well.
    – Starting Magnuson at center instead of sliding Person over to that spot and starting Garnett at RG immediately put the OL in a hole.
    As I mentioned earlier, two of the sacks are on Beathard, so I won’t ding them for those two. With that said, the OL looked fairly awful and deserves the grade you gave it.
    – Agree on your DL grade.
    – The LBs ran hot and cold in the highlights. I would grade them out at C plus.
    – Your Shermanitis is showing too much in your CB grade. Sherman had an overall good game. Sure, Sherman failed to keep a catch from occurring, but it was far from a deciding factor, and he had good coverage on the play. Purposefully leaving out that Sherman also had a sack is a sad attempt at forcing fans to your viewpoint on Sherman. The CB group deserves no lower than a B.
    – The safeties also deserve no lower than a B. Ward and Tartt looked good today, which is encouraging since their stocks have been more down than up. Their grade is an A, but the play of Powell knocks the entire group into the B grade range.
    – I only saw the Gould kicks in the highlights, so my grade on the special teams is incomplete.
    – A lot of fans are saying that Saleh needs to go, but the defense looked like it came to play. The offense however did not, and that is on Shanahan. Starting Magnuson was an absolute mistake, as was omitting Juice from the offensive plan; he’s a dual threat, SO USE HIM!!! It would also be advised that Shanahan call plays that get the ball quickly out of Beathard’s hands in order to help minimize the sacks and QB hits.
    Overall, I give Saleh a B minus and Shanahan a solid F, which rounds out to a D plus grade for them.

  25. Shanahan won’t be on the hot seat and no one will be replacing him. Dumb comment.

    You can reply with “enjoy losing” all you want. He won’t be replaced anytime soon.

  26. Cmon Grant. I am so ready to emphatically declare praise for you and your brutally honest evaluation in Saturdays article “Shanahan must beat the cards”
    …Then today you suggest we need to sign Kap….
    And you lose all respect from me. How can you have such awesome insights sometimes, then just casually drop such an ignorant suggestion?
    Shaking my f;@$Ing head.
    Why on gods green earth would we sign Colin Kaepernick? pray tell. Name one GOOD reason

      1. You keep saying that. You don’t know if that’s still the case. Maybe after a full offseason of physical regimen football preparation, full participation in OTAs, training camp, study of the notoriously difficult KS playbook would we have some sense if that was true. Even after having done all that Kaep lost his job to Blaine Gabbert. Well why not, Gabbert’s tearing up the league now, isn’t he?

        1. Rib, Gabbert won the competition because Baalke sat Kaep, and would not let him play. Once Gabbert pulled a Gabbert, and benched himself, Kaep became the starter.
          .
          Without any proof, I think Kaep is working out hard, and is in fine physical shape. He has not been hit for a season and a half, so he should be fresh and ready to go.
          .
          Likewise, you have no proof that Kaep is sitting on his couch, never working out.
          .
          KS and his playbook may be the cause of the team dysfunction. He makes them memorize the verbiage so much, he ignores the fundamentals like ball security and tackling. KS needs to have plays like the Y-Stick, a play Brent Jones mastered that made him unstoppable, and moved the chains. 2 words instead of a whole sentence.

          1. Maybe Sherman has made a deal with the team. Don’t sign/play Kaep until you trade me to a team you are playing down the road. Playing against Kaep is the perfect way to pad my stats – I’m his favorite target.

      2. Ummmm even you must admit you just made a very weak argument there my journalist friend. Kap could barely run harbaugh’s smashmouth version of the read option and you think he can run shanahans offense? Cmon Grant. You can do better

  27. Just ride it out. See if someone will take Garcon. Let Bourne start and get some reps. Keep Goodwin I guess. He’s Kyle’s buddy, Play James more. Taylor doesn’t seem right. They aren’t stocked with extra picks in the upcoming draft, so it might behoove them to snag a few.

    As far as Kaep goes, he doesn’t want to play. He’s a brand and a trademark now. I’m sure three years from now, some fool will want their team to sign him, since he hasn’t played for years and doesn’t have wear and tear on his body.

    Give it up. He’ll never play pro football again.

  28. Perhaps Shanahan would be on the hot seat if the team was playing with a full (or even 3/4) deck but he’s not. Just more F rated click bait… That said there are 3 big issues Shanahan needs to fix…:

    -Beat-Hard has regressed to the point of becoming so afraid to turn the ball over he’s like a deer in headlights who’s forgetting his fundamentals… Shanahan should create some competition there by playing Mullens… Perhaps after a few games off CJ will get his head right (or not). If Mullens plays better then let him play out the year. Not like we’re competing for the playoffs.

    -Saleh is Jimmy fk’ing O’Neil part II with a different scheme. This defense with more talent is allowing 0.5 less points per game than the ’16 version…. Progress to the Saleh apologist(s) I suppose but the guy is a fraud of a DC whether his fanboy(s) wants to admit it or not – the stats and tape don’t lie.

    -Physicality or lack of. The Niners are getting punched in the throat more times than not and are dropping like flies play after play…. The strength and conditioning staff needs to be overhauled or this will continue to happen. More shots of testosterone needed please and less shots of estrogen.

  29. “Shameful coaching. Shanahan officially is on the hot seat.”

    Cmon Grant. This is absurd. After Harbaugh, Tomsula, Kelly, Shanahan – 4 coaches in 4 years – do you really think York is going to fire Shanahan after this season? Shanahan gets a pass because of all the injuries. I’ll bet you dinner gift certificates to any restaurant you want that Shanahan could lose every game the rest of the season and he won’t get fired. Shanahan will finish out his current contract. I’m 100% confident in that statement. Now Saleh might be a different story. He has the same excuses as Shanahan with the injuries but he might be the sacrificial lamb. Kinda like Billy Davis under Mike Nolan.

  30. I think we are officially on the draft watch now. I’d want the 49ers to trade the #2 pick to the Raiders for their #12 and #21 first round picks. I’d pick Greedy Williams and Jonah Williams or Trey Adams. If they have to stay at #2 then the pick is Nick Bosa. I know he’s a top talent but his injury scares me.

    The D-line guys I really like in this draft are Ed Oliver, Clellin Ferrell, and Dexter Lawrence. Of course, they all play positions that are not positions of need for the 49ers so I doubt they will be in the mix. IMO this draft is the deepest D-Line draft I’ve seen in a very, very long time. If the 49ers do go D-Line high in the draft I’m very curious what that will mean for Armstead and Thomas.

      1. I wish they could have traded up and selected Harold Landry, instead of Pettis.
        .
        I would take Ferrel over Bosa, with Bosa’s injury history.

    1. Houston 9er

      As often as I disagree with your opinions, I like this one…Tuesday will tell us if we ‘re going into the tank. As poorly as we have performed during previous drafts, what good is it to have ‘high’ draft choices….let’s get more 3rds and 4’s our I’s and twos just arent getting it….

      1. Glad you like this one. You only disagree with my other opinions because you don’t know anything about football.

  31. Grant – I can’t believe you are serious about Kaep. I think you are just doing what you see as your mission here, creating controversy. What I don’t understand is why the local journalists let Shanahan get away with the ridiculous claim that CJ is the best QB in the building. To me that is journalist red meat. The first question is why is that so Kyle? You are in charge of the building? Open the door fool and let someone else in. Also, why does everybody sit and just blindly accept that Nick Mullens can’t possibly play better than CJ if he is just allowed in the building and given a chance to compete. Mullens is certainly the equal of CJ in terms of his college production (actually I would argue he was much better). So, we have to sit here while Kyle keeps trying to prove he didn’t blow it with his personally hand picked selection and blindly accept that another guy who has some experience in the system, was at least as good a QB in college, and is actually standing on the sidelines each week needs to be ignored while we woo Kaepernick out of retirement. Right now Josh Rosen, a QB you say is the worst, is getting better by the day while we watch the CJ clown show each week. You are correct. We need another QB right now. Be serious and leave the Kaep stuff out of it.

    1. Whine, he is so sick of the poor play of CJB, even Kaep would be a better option.
      .
      Personally, I think he is trolling everyone, because he never was a big Kaep fan before.
      .
      However, I am loving it, because I really want Kaep to play. If JL is competent, and does his due diligence, he should at least let Kaep try out. Then, maybe he can show he can still play, and another team with lackluster QB play could sign him, if not the Niners.
      .
      I agree, if not Kaep, let Mullens play.

  32. OMG I leave for a while and suddenly the 9ers need to get rid of everyone (according to Grant and most of the posters here) I do believe that Lynch is in over his head but other than that this year could be a blessing in disguise. A huge part of the reason the team is playing so poorly is injuries its plain and simple, I believe a healthy 9er team would have ended up 7-9 or 8-8 this year and ended up a mediocre draft pick. Instead they will likely end up with the top pick (Bosa). It reminds me of the year the Spurs lost David Robinson for the season then drafted Tim Duncan and became a dynasty. No matter how healthy they had remained this season they were still one off season away from having the talent to win consistently. I hope York brings in a top talent to assist Lynch in the draft and cuts Thomas as soon as possible. Grant I was wondering if you have any opinion on why Fosters play has fallen off so much from last year? Oh and your sign CK idea has to be the dumbest idea you have brought forward in your time here (no offense intended) because I know I have brought forth my share of dumb ideas my self.

  33. I am a big buyer of Shanahan – this system creates huge gaps for RBs and wide open WRs in a way I havent seen since the early-mid Walsh era (we know the later Walsh era was a bit tougher, as we saw teams adjust). It’s testimony to this system that moderately talented players like Beathard can have huge games in it (alas, not today).

    So I think the future of this team is Shanahan and whatever talent we can add to him to enhance him and enable this system. I’m not a close or talented enough observer to know whether that includes Lynch or not, and there wont be a championship unless we get the GM spot right. As a game manager, both Shanahan and Saleh make moves which are at times not just questionable but downright concerning. But lets be real: as Ronnie Lott used to say, players play – it’s a players league. Good and great players make enough plays to win. And whereas Walsh had to suffer as an assistant for decades and therefore got to learn a lot about coaching game situations along the way, Shanahan has been moved up early, so he’s going to have to learn some of these things as a head coach.

    The nature of fandom is to be demanding and even fickle – we want to see our team win, dang it. But I hope I dont turn on Shanahan because he’s the closest thing i’ve seen to Walsh in 30 years.

  34. Grant – They won’t fire Shanahan. One simple reason, they don’t have Garoppolo. Gives York the only excuse he needs not to fire him (due to having to pay him for 4 more years). Fact is, Shanahan may be Norv Turner, great OC, terrible HC. This team displays no discipline, that comes from the HC. They aren’t tough because their coach always defends their lack of toughness. He wants to be their buddy. In any management position, that’s a recipe for failure.Andy Reid is nice, Belichick isn’t nice, but they get their players to respond. They are managers, not friends. It’s a job, not a club. Lynch has whiffed on draft picks almost as badly as Baalke. Kittle is the only legit blue chip he’s drafted. Everyone else is replaceable, including Foster. We are devoid of talent. Thomas is a bust, period. We should never draft another Stanford player. Only good one to come out has been Sherman.

  35. This loss was easier to swallow then the previous loss to the Cards. Biggest complaint about yesterdays game – Pass rush in the fourth quarter.

  36. I think the best scenario come April would be to trade down and get extra picks in the early rounds.

    Keep hearing about Bosa. Is it good business for a team that will have it’s starting QB and a RB returning from serious injuries to then invest a very high pick on another player coming off a serious injury?

    This is the stuff of Trent Baalke.

    1. Passing up on Bosa is a bad idea if his medical eval comes back clean. I’ve done some research into the injury prognosis and this is what I’ve found; Dr. Schultz:

      “Typically a recovery from that, you’re looking at four to six weeks. It’s actually a pretty quick recovery as far as surgical timelines go,” Brian Schultz, a team physician for the Anaheim Ducks and Los Angeles Angels, and an orthopedic surgeon at the Kerlan-Jobe Institute, told cleveland.com.

      “It can range from a stretching to a complete tear to a part of the muscle,” he said. “The collective core refers to the abdominal wall and the muscles in the back. But it’s typically an injury anteriorly just above the pelvis, where the abdominal muscles are kind of all coming together into one piece of tissue.

      “Usually when someone has a sports hernia or core muscle surgery, it’s a general surgeon that will take care of it. It’s similar to a hernia repair for other parts of the body where they’ll repair the muscle. Some surgeons will use a mesh to reinforce it, some surgeons don’t use a mesh. That’s kind of dealer’s choice.”

      Sports hernias historically haven’t had a significant impact on the performance of football players. A study conducted by the Orthopedic Journal of Sports Medicine in 2017 found a high return rate among NFL players who suffered similar injuries “without a significant difference in postoperative performance.”

      “The important thing is to try to figure out if any modifiable risk factors led to it,” Schultz said. “We’re finding out more and more that hip range of motion correlates to muscles injury in the abdomen. Muscle imbalances can create an environment where those muscles are being over-worked, but sometimes it’s just over-use because these athletes push themselves so hard. … Normally what we’ve been seeing and with some of the research that’s come out recently, it’s actually lack of hip range of motion that puts you at more risk.”

      “Certainly if you get your body into certain positions that it’s not supposed to be in, you may have to use those muscles in a way that they weren’t designed, but I’m not aware of any correlation between hyper-mobility leading to that,” Schultz said.

      Finally:

      “As far as I’m aware having a single episode doesn’t make you at any more risk of it happening to you again,” Schultz said. “If anything it probably, with some of the techniques if you have that mesh in there, it might even give you some protection against it … Predictably people do well after surgery. They’re actually more common than probably we thought before. He should do well if he had the injury, correct diagnosis and correct surgery.”

        1. Yea, there’s a difference between playing hurt and injured. I’d strongly advise not passing on a blue chip talent at the 2nd most important position in football. That’s just me….

        2. Agree. Bosas make business decisions in terms of playing availability. That’s not totally awful but they sure seem to shade their decision making in favor of sitting instead of playing. I know a lot of people blew off the fact that Nick Bosa left Ohio State. IMO that’s a huge red flag. Ok, the kid was injured and wants to focus on his rehab. He doesn’t want to be pressured to come back early and maybe suffer another injury and hurt his draft stock. I get it. BUT, football is a team sport. You have team goals. You go through so much hard work and pain together with your teammates. There is a strong bond in that brotherhood that Bosa pissed all over in his decision to leave his teammates behind in the middle of a season to maximize his draft stock. He couldn’t stick around for 8-10 more weeks to be there encouraging his teammates? What does it say about Bosa’s approach to being a good teammate or in his leadership skills that he leaves school in the middle of the year rather than be with his teammates.

          I very much dislike his decision to leave school. I don’t like his injury and I don’t like his families injury history. Having said that, if he’s sitting there when the 49ers are drafting I’m not sure how you pass up that level of talent.

    2. I was kind of thinking the same thing when I posed the Trade Buckner for a first round pick idea.
      This draft is ridiculously deep with edge rushers and the team needs an Edge (2 really), Db (2 really), OL, and WR.
      The problem is I would want 2 firsts this year and only the raiders and green bay have that. Perhaps a slight drop back would net them a second but I’m not certain that would be worth it unless it netted an additional first.

    3. Yeah, I think trading back would be the best option also. The position they need the most is very deep.

        1. I think the bigger question is whether any team would be interested in trading lots of high picks to move up? No QBs that are likely to get teams all hot and heavy. Doubt any team thinks Bosa or Oliver are must haves given the depth at both positions.

          Realisitically I think the 49ers will have a hard time trading back for anything reasonable, so will likely make the pick.

          1. Williams>Oliver

            Bosa is the closer we need. The depth behind him aren’t in his league.

            1. Williams and Oliver are 1a and 1b at DT. Really not much between them. Combine weigh-ins might be what separates them.

              1. Hand usage is what separates them for me. I’ll have Jonah Williams over both if Bosa is gone.

              2. Williams has better technique, Oliver is the better athlete. Both look excellent.

                To be frank though, unless they get a really good veteran edge player, any scenario that ends with the 49ers not drafting an edge player in round 1 is a bad scenario in my book. And I agree with Biderman, I would have no qualms getting another edge guy in round 2 or 3. Plus a decent vet. Completely overhaul the position this offseason and infuse it with some talent.

              3. I’d trade up into the bottom of round 1 for Polite with the capital gained from trading Staley. Then I’d look at the WR outta NC St., Kelvin Harmon in round 2. I would add Graham from the Eagles in F/A, and wait until a later round to readdress the edge position….

              4. I like your scenario, except I don’t think Polite will be available late round 1 and I don’t think Graham will be available in F/A.

    4. Bosa will be evaluated closely and if he checks out he’ll be in contention for the #1 pick. Niners cannot pass on him if they get the chance to take him. This team needs elite blue chip talent and trading down in the first round is not an option imo.

  37. Welcome to the Toilet Bowl, Levi’s Stadium, November 1, 2018.

    If the 49ers sign Kaepernick I’m done with them even though I have a lot of history (45 year season ticket holder) and a lot of wasted money invested in the PCL. Shame on me, I knew better but I did anyway.

    1. No worries. It’ll be a cold day in hell when the 49ers sign Kaepernick. I said if Kaepernick got beat out by Gabbert, he should retire. Effectively, he has taken my advice….

    2. You are getting ahead of yourself. In that empty mausoleum, nobody is coming to the games. Even without Kaep.
      .
      It sure must be lonely in your section.
      .
      I bet you miss the Stick. I do.

    1. 9ers could send Shanahan to Cleveland for a 1st round pick, with the Browns covering any related financial burden.

      9ers bring in Mariucci as a place holder for the balance of 2018.

        1. George is 78 and far, far removed from coaching, Mike is 70 and has been away too long. We can do better.

          1. They are both acolytes of Bill Walsh.
            .
            I liked your Mariucci call.
            .
            How about Mike Shanahan as OC, Kyle as QB coach, and Brian Billick as DC.

  38. I don’t see what good bringing Kap would do. Kap might or might not play better than Beathard but I don’t see the team winning any more games this year even if Brady was the QB on this team. Bringing in Kap may goose attendance a bit. I know some here will be surprised by this, but those of us who go to games cannot help but see the large number of fans wearing Kaepernick shirts. I also think the Black players on the team will welcome Kaep with enthusiasm and will play hard for him. But….What happens at the end of the year. What do we do with Kaep and JG in 2019. Do we want a QB controversy in 2019? I don’t think so.

    IMO the main problems with this team as as follows:

    1. A total lack of pass rush. The secondary play could improve by 50% if the Niners could shave off even a second from the time the opposing QBs have to throw the ball.

    2. We need a #1 go to wide receiver. Badly. Garcon is not the guy. Goodwin is not the guy. Kendrick Bourne is not the guy. Kittle is not the guy. We need somebody like Hopkins, or Beckham, or A. J. Green. Somebody the other team fears. Even if they are taken out of the game, they still attract enough attention from the defense to allow lesser receivers like Goodwin or Bourne to get open.

    3. We need a pair of healthy running backs. Losing Mckinnon hurt us a lot more than I anticipated. Morris is pretty much done, and Brieda / Mostert are too small to pull a heavy RB load.

    I think if we can fix these three areas for 2019 plus the return of Jimmy G we can contend for a wild card spot in 2019.

    The 64000 question is: Can Lynch fix these three areas in 2019. Based on his drafts and free agency signings so far, I am not overly optimistic. However I think we should give him a chance to see what he can do for 2019. If in Sep 2019 we are still without a pass rusher, still have Goodwin and Bourne as our #1 receivers, and still have our tight end as our best pass catcher, then we can call for Lynch’s head.

    1. Good post. I hope Kaep would do well, then be traded to another team so the Niners get something for him. I still want JG as the franchise QB, but will wish Kaep well where ever he goes.
      .
      In hindsight, keeping Hyde may have been the wise move, but no one could anticipate JM’s injury on the last play of camp.
      .
      JL did address the pass rush. He drafted Kentavius Street, who should recover in time for the 2019 season. He was touted as a top 10 until he tore his ACL.
      .
      I am not calling on KS and JL to be fired, but I hope they can learn from their mistakes so they do not repeat them.
      .
      However, if KS keeps losing in such an inept manner, I will keep advocating he hire an OC.

  39. “Shanahan officially is on the hot seat.”
    Grant…

    Did you receive this info from the 49ers front office or are creating a personal opiniated agenda again?

    In looking at the Hue Jackson firing, the 49ers situation with Shanahan is completely different.
    Jackson’ overall win/loss record with the Browns was the cause for his dismissal.

    First rd draft picks have not improved the play over the last three years and Hue’ comments about getting more involved with the offense only amplifed what appears to be an atmosphere of uneasiness.

    Shanahan won’t be on the hot until next year or possibly year four of his contract.
    The FO is likely on a 3-4 year grace period with Shanahan.
    I’ll agree with the hot seat rhetoric if the team has the same record at this time next year.
    For now, you could put the hot seat back in the closet.

    1. If the team struggles with Garoppolo then the Shanahaters will have something to criticize. Until then, there is no chance he is on the hot seat. He’s got until year 4 at least to get this thing going in the right direction imo.

  40. 7-17 record after first year and a half. Injuries is the main reason/excuse and its hard not to ignore it, and in some instances it may apply for an excuse. Lots are saying our season was doomed when JG got hurt. Why is that? When JG was playing not very good ball (much like CJ) before he got hurt so why would that make a difference? We don’t know if JG was going to get better as the season progressed. Three interceptions in the first game, six sacks in the second game, and when the defense needed help in the first half of the Chiefs game needing a few first downs by the offense, failed again. No the problems with this team go beyond the QB position.

    Pass protection and pass rush are the two biggest liabilities on this team. The O-line is playing really good run ball. Their pass protection as a whole unit sucks for the most part. Joe Staley has seen his best days, he needs to hang them up before he starts to embarrass himself. Is it possible that the type of OL athlete needed for the outside zone run game may not be suited for pass protection due to the different type of physical requirements? Hope someone responds to that last question.

    Two biggest needs and should get the highest draft consideration, tackle and edge. We have seen time after time this year the value of a pass rusher we need to get this done.

    The Cards worked on our third string safety at the end, smart football. Mag’s snap had nothing to do with that loss so anyone on his butt need to get off it.

    1. Mag’s snap had nothing to do with that loss so anyone on his butt need to get off it.

      Sure it did. It was not the reason for the loss, but like every mistake laden play it added to it.

      What got me was Wards celebration over the refs bailing him out for an obvious attempted bonehead play on his part.

      1. Correct, reason was the implication I failed, however it wouldn’t be too far to say even with a correct snap the way the game was going the failure rate was going to be high – as far as celebrations I have never been in favor of it but there are place for it and right now the Niners don’t need to be doing any celebrating, and Sherman understands that. I was always more in the, act like you have been there before mode.

        1. From my laymen’s perspective, it was “Mag’s” fault our rb’s had to abort the designed hole time and again.

          1. And that was very apparent on the Niners offensive first play. I just felt the snap was like placing a crown on a 1-7 team.

            1. Yea, the snap was the used piece of toilet paper on top of the pile of poop. Not sure why they didn’t go with Person at center, and Garnett at RG….

        2. On that particular game ending play, even a modest gain might have put them in place for a Gould game winning kick. The way the O was playing a modest gain was not a gimme but they had been driving during that possession.

          In a game with baseball scores, a passed ball was a somewhat fitting ending.

  41. A fans lament:
    I used to enjoy watching the 49ers play football, that has been largely missing for far too many years now. I used to enjoy coming to this site to mostly read and occasionally post comments, now even that has become depressing. I get it, it is now the “in” thing to completely overreact and become a hyperbole spewing machine especially in todays society. I read many newspaper articles back in the day by the likes of Lowell Cohn, Glenn Dickey, Ira Miller and they also spewed plenty of hyperbole – it just was not three times a day and not completely over the top in its disdain. I have always enjoyed reading or listening to valid cogent analysis of a sports team (good or bad). There are a few very good posters here that used to make reading enjoyable (Cassie Baalke, CFC, Houston 9er, Ribico, Razor, amongst others), but lately the tone and the trash and the constant babbling (Seb) is just not the “sports section” distraction it once was. Hopefully this dies down with a win – maybe two.

    IMHO – Do I think that the JL/KS combination is the answer – too soon to tell (although the shine is definitely off). Do I feel better about this combination over Baalke/Name your coach – absolutely.

    1. Welcome to the new world. I, too, doted on every word the old school writers produced.
      .
      I may ‘Babble’, but every post is an attempt to point out deficiencies, and ways to improve.
      .
      I sure am glad that others are finally calling on KS to hire an OC.
      .
      It is hard to not be critical of a 1-7 team.
      .
      I have called JL a breath of fresh air, but he can improve, too.
      .
      If this team stops shooting themselves in the foot, stops giving away games and starts winning games, I will praise them to the high heavens.

          1. Or as the great sage Mr. Wizard would recite: “Drizzle, Drazzle, Druzzle, Drome; Time for this one (Seb) to come home”

  42. Browns chose Williams, the Bountygate outlaw. Never thought he’d get another HCing gig, but it’s the Browns we’re talking about. Poor Mayfield….

    1. Yeah, yikes. That would be like firing Shanny and replacing him with Saleh. We haven’t reached Brownian depths… yet. Though maybe if the bloggers and fans had more to say about it…

      1. “We haven’t reached Brownian depths…”

        Pretty much have.

        The two teams have both posted a total of 2 wins in the first half of the past 2 seasons. The Browns actually are a 1/2 game up by virtue of their tie to open this season.

        Much like in Cleveland over the last 3 years, some 49ers fans will echo “trust the process” to self medicate.

        1. “trust the process”

          but verify – seems as so some don’t want or need verification.

          1. Yep.

            So far these guys are failing the tests miserably.

            It’s a good thing that they’ve been able to put all those lessons about how to win games to use this year.

            1. Shanny has to win. Unless he does win. Then the wins become meaningless. Actually worse than meaningless as they ruin they’re draft position. Shanny only got a job because of his last name. He only had a top offense… So called genius. Glorified OC. Should be conservative, didn’t work yesterday but… Bring back Kap. Vance is good now, he’s on pace to have his first 400+ Yd season. Should have kept Smith, Kerley, Bow, Brooks, Kilgore, Brown, Tank, Elvis, Lynch, and Reid. WeightGate.

              1. Good offensive coordinators have their teams in the top 1/2 of the league in scoring more than 4 out of 10 seasons.

                McDonald has more yards receiving this year than any 49ers receiver and he’d be a far better #2 TE than Celek.

                Considering their issues at getting sacks it might have been smart to bring back their sack leader.

              2. Should have kept Smith, Kerley, Bow, Brooks, Kilgore, Brown, Tank, Elvis, Lynch, and Reid. WeightGate.

                Why? A mass majority of those guys have done nothing since leaving or being traded away from the 49ers.

              3. Hoyer twice.
                CJ twice.
                RGIII after the league largely adjusted to the Zone Read.
                Manziel.
                How did he do with Ryan and Garoppolo?
                Yes, he picked Hoyer, but he was keeping the seat warm for Cousins.

                McDonald drops as much (if not more) as Celek, and he’s injury prone. We have tried out Kittle, Wick, Hikutini, Paulsen and Dwelley. We tried to get Gronk. Having more than one quality TE is important to KS.

                They wanted to develop younger rushers. They have been getting pressure this year early in games. But then adjustments are made and Saleh can’t keep up. I expect them to (they freakin better) draft an Edge and possibly sign one in free agency. They did try to get Mack.

                Sure they could have brought back a lot of these kinda good or not that bad players, but if you bring back too many, you lose cap and roster flexibility.

              4. “Why? A mass majority of those guys have done nothing since leaving or being traded away from the 49ers.”

                I was being sarcastic Mid.

              5. “How did he do with Ryan and Garoppolo?”

                Does he have to get a guy who is already good or can he develop anyone? Garoppolo is an incomplete. With Ryan he had a season ranked 23rd.

                “Having more than one quality TE is important to KS.”

                Right. Which is why having Kittle, McDonald and Celek in that order as the TE’s would have made more sense than what they’ve done.

                “They wanted to develop younger rushers. They have been getting pressure this year early in games.”

                That’s gone so well that all of the talk is about how they need to draft an edge rusher.

                “you lose cap and roster flexibility”

                None of the guys I’ve mentioned would have caused that though and as they sit right now they have just below $40 mil in cap space.

              6. “With Ryan he had a season ranked 23rd.”

                Then Ryan was MVP and everyone was singing Kyle’s praises.

                Agree that JG is incomplete, but he had success with KS, so there’s a reason to be optimistic.

                “Which is why having Kittle, McDonald and Celek in that order as the TE’s”

                Actually Gronk and Kittle would have been ideal. I also suggested that we should have drafted Valdez-Scantling and used him as a move TE.

                Not sure how many of those players you would have brought back personally, but people have lamented losing each of them on here. And the more of them you keep or extend, the less flexibility you have. We were in a position to give Cousins/JG a massive contract and still able to pay Mack. We still have to pay Buck too.

              7. “Then Ryan was MVP and everyone was singing Kyle’s praises.”

                Which is why you need to dig deeper on coaches. Ryan was already an established Pro Bowl calibre QB when Shanahan arrived.

                He’d had only 3 winning seasons in 9 years as a coordinator prior to being named HC. While his offenses routinely put up big yards they were usually in the bottom half of the league in scoring.

                Yes he was well respected around the league, but his results didn’t really earn that respect.

                “Gronk and Kittle would have been perfect”

                Not really. Gronk is a terrific player, but that’s exactly the type of move that doesn’t make sense cap wise or for Kittle’s development.

                “Not sure how many of those players you would have brought back personally”

                Kaepernick, McDonald, Dumervil and Reid.

                Kaepernick to compete with Hoyer.

                McDonald to compete with Kittle,

                Dumervil because he was a good option for relatively cheap.

                Reid to start at SS.

              8. “Kaepernick, McDonald, Dumervil and Reid.”

                I would have only brought back Dumervil. Gronk would have been a familiar target for Garoppolo and he can block too. Kittle flashed last year, Shanahan already knew he had a good player. KS likes multiple TE sets and JG should be comfortable with that coming from NE.

        2. Dr. Hammer, I disagree with your diagnosis. No organization puts more fun in dysfunction than the Browns.

          1. Guess you haven’t watched this organization much for the better part of the last 15 years.

              1. Yeah they’re both losers with the exception being a 3 year spike that puts the 49ers ahead. Otherwise they average 5.6 and 4.6 wins per year disrespectfully.

              2. If you are discounting that three year spike, then you must also discount the top three seasons from the Browns as well in order to be fair. If you do all of that, then the Brown are left with 46 wins, while the 49ers have 68 wins.

              3. Doesn’t matter. With the exception of the 3 years under Harbaugh for the 49ers both organizations have been losers for the last 15 years.

                Should one really look down at a team that wins 3.8 games per year when their team is only winning 5.7?

                That’s awful football by both.

                “Trust the process”. Perfect phrase for losers.

              4. Continuing from my previous post, that averages out to 3.68 wins per season for the Browns and 5.44 wins per season for the 49ers. So while they have been bad, they have approximately two more wins per season than the Browns if the top three seasons of both teams are excluded. Including the top three seasons for both teams puts the Browns at 4.45 wins per season and the 49ers at 6.71 wins per season, which means the 49ers have more than two wins per season during the same timeframe.

              5. It does matter when you are attempting to call the 49ers the Browns of the NFC Jack. The evidence does not support your claim.

              6. “The evidence does not support your claim.”

                The fact that both teams average less than 6 wins per season is more than enough support that both teams are perennial losers.

              7. As I said, both teams have been bad, but the 49ers have still not reached the level the Browns have.

              8. Hammer, a lot of 49er fans know they have a bad team right now.
                But why make a point of it daily? Does it help you get through your day or do you really hate the team that much?
                Either way what they are doing is going to work out. Drafting and developing takes longer but it’s a tried and true method. The only people affected by this long process is people who have to cover the team on a daily basis or don’t have much time left on this earth. I hope you are neither of those.
                Patience my friend, patience. It will turn around!

              9. “But why make a point of it daily?”

                Because I don’t deal spew sunshine and rainbows.

                “Either way what they are doing is going to work out.”

                We hope it does.

                “Drafting and developing takes longer but it’s a tried and true method.”

                Drafting and developing only works if you draft good players and actually can develop them. No one on this staff has ever proven they can do that.

                You can also use free agency as well. They’ve been a tad better with those acquisitions.

              10. I get what you are saying Jack because it does feel like the 49ers have been as bad as the Browns. However, the evidence simply does not support the notion. This season is lost, but the 49ers have several pieces in place that can help the team get back to being a contender again. It is just going to take some time because there are still a few pieces still missing, some of which will hopefully be addressed during the upcoming off-season.

              11. I don’t see anyone painting rainbows and unicorns on here.

                I think we all understand the gravity of the situation. The first starts with losing the most important position in all of sports.
                Guarantee that if Jimmy G was still healthy we probably win 4 out of those last seven games. Guys like that can hide a deficiency in talent. And I see it across the league on every Sunday because I pretty much watch all the games.
                There’s lotta bad teams out there but those bad teams don’t have injuries at the most critical positions.
                That’s not an excuse. That’s the reality of not having a QB in the NFL. I mean no one knows that better than 49ers fans for the last 10 years.

              12. There are teams all across the NFL that win games without their starting QB. It’s an excuse and a poor one at that.

              13. True, but there are also teams who fall apart because they don’t have their starting QB.

        3. I don’t see how we can do anything but trust the process at this point. The Niners haven’t had a HC stick around for more than two years since Harbaugh. You don’t get better by changing HC’s multiple times. You pick the guy you think will get you to where you want to go and you give him time and patience to do it. That’s been one of the Browns biggest mistakes since they came back in 99.

  43. Your grades are not bad Grant but signing Kaepernick?!! Hell no!! The guy hasn’t played for a couple of seasons now and regressed more and more here.
    I think Shanny and his disciples need to be less stubborn about keep starting our country singer QB, and prepare our other QB’s better so that they can show what they have,nothing to lose with Mullins getting a chance.

  44. The 49ers losses are a boon for Grant and PD.

    His personal agenda to put Shanahan on the (official) hot seat and invoking the name of Kaepernick is good for business as proven with the amount of clicks he received last week.

    I like Grant’ shtick because it does evoke attention so for that reason I give him credit.
    But sometimes he goes a little over the top.
    This (imo) is one those times.

  45. Grant: “Once again, they found a way to lose to the Cardinals, who might finish the season with a 2-14 record. Once again, Shanahan’s running game fell apart in the fourth quarter when he needed to kill the clock, just like in the Super Bowl. Once again, Robert Saleh lost his nerve and stopped calling blitzes with the game on the line. Shameful coaching.”

    Absolutely 100%, Ground Zero correct.. You would think if you were lifetime OC,74-94 and a DC, 7-18 you would figure out how to manage, motivate and scheme your players into winning football..

  46. PLEASE can we stop using INJURIES as an excuse ….

    If we had better competent back ups we would have a better winning record….

    Sure we agree there is no hope of playoffs due to injuries but this team should still be able to win against lesser teams…

    We need a real GM…..

    And yes CJB is a ?

  47. wait✋ I take that back….Lynch is ok… signing Sherman was a great sign……

    If he could entice FA’ s to sign performance based contracts ?similar to #25……we should be on the right path….

    As much as I want Saleh gone.?….have to just let the season play out..

    Yesterday was the first time I saw KS on the bench talking to the QB…..reminds me of the Mike Nolan look?

    2yrs ago there was no option but Kyle Shanahan…….now there is an option Pats McDaniel …who pretty much built JimmyG ….so yes the seat is getting warm?

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  49. The absence of offset language just means that California employment law applies unless there is specific language in the contract that the additional compensation is in due notwithstanding the fact that the employee has been damaged. Even the NFL is subject to the laws of the country and state wherein they are employed just like the rest of us. If an employment contract is breached, for example by early termination, then the employee is entitled to the same thing as any of us who have an employment contract with their employer. Unfortunately, one cannot make an argument that they have been damaged when they are employed by another company except to the extent that they are not being compensated at the same level as their contract. This works both ways. If Kyle wants to quit the 49ers, he also has the defense that the 49ers have, in fact, not been damaged by his “breach” of the contract because they can hire another head coach and life goes on. It’s something about not feeling that making employees indentured servants, regardless of the level of their compensation, is not good policy. I posted yesterday what Eddie D did to Joe Thomas when he was fired by Eddie D and California law has not changed in this area since that time. My experience is as a business owner in California and, as fate would have it, I happened to know Joe Thomas’ attorney at the time who shared the behind the scenes goings on when he was fired. I trust that Jed is still talking to Uncle Eddie.

  50. It’s my opinion that a complete rebuild in a perfect storm of stellar coaching, stellar GM, excellent owner, and a lucky string of brilliant draft picks and FA successes, might just look like the Seahawks. 4 years, with 3 leftover players from the previous regime, and it took Carroll until halfway into their third season to start seeing real success.

    If any of the above doesn’t occur, I’d give it another year. So 5 years from the beginning and you should see a successful season. In this instant gratification world we’re living in, patience seems to be some doctors illness for which they prescribe some type of self medication called, “trust the process” instead of a virtuous nature by which we should be embracing….

    1. Agreed Razor. I’d understand the calls for Shanny’s head a little more if they had stunk out loud for the past year and a half but they haven’t. They played really well when Garoppolo took over last year and would have won at least 3 of the past 5 with him in the lineup imo. Losses suck and are hard to stomach while they are happening, but injuries are what killed this season, not the coaching. He’s going to get at least 4 years because York said he’d have time to build the team and the fact the Niners won’t be able to attract a decent replacement if they keep firing Coaches so quickly.

  51. This team was in total ruins when the new regime took it. Baalke wiped his hind parts with the team before being dismissed.
    The 49ers didn’t need a tune-up, it needed a complete overhaul.

    To think that this monumental task was going to happen in two seasons was beyond wishful expectations.

    1. AES – Despite your total ruins comment, this team has been ahead in the 4th quarter of games in the past two seasons; yet, little Shanny’s 4-minute offense has not been able to produce to secure the victory. That’s on him and his offensive design, not the players. It is his and his assistant’s jobs to come up with a 4-minute offense, just like a 2-minute offense, to seal the deal and to close out the game. KS has a staff who can research any team’s 4-minute offense for as many years as you want to research and to come up with a personnel grouping, a formation and plays which can be run. Don’t blame it one the players. Shanny could not close out a Super Bowl win when the Falcons were ahead by 25 in the 3rdQ, and he still has not learned how to win when the Niners were ahead by 9, by 11, by 12 in the 4th Q. It’s on him. I don’t want to hear his excuses about CJ not going where he thought he should have gone with the ball and I don’t want to hear about injury excuses because every team hazs a list as long as your arm of injuries. Shanny continues to repeat week after week the same errors and has not learned from his mistakes; yet, expects a different result. Not going to happen!!!!!!!!

      1. Mike injuries are not an excuse but in the 49ers situation it hasn’t helped.
        Have you seen Beathard play? He is awful. One minute offense, 2 minute offense, 4 minute offense, it doesn’t matter. When you don’t have the horses, you cannot run any offense.

        As for the SB. That’s lame. The Falcons defense laid an egg that 2nd half. Are you suggesting Shanny had to score 30 more points that half because the defense gave up 31 after half?
        Come on man!

      2. “Shanny could not close out a Superbowl win”
        Mike…

        This comment has really caught on in these parts lately.
        Actually, it’s become somewhat of a standard war cry for the Shanahan critics.
        I saw that Superbowl game and while Shanahan made a bad call, the defense played a huge role (that conveniently is ignored) in the loss.

        I stand by my ruins comment because the team was broken from the ownership, GM, coaches and roster.
        Shanahan and Lynch made the comment when accepting the job that the team would need to be built “brick by brick” and at no time did I hear them say that it would happen in two years.

        Pre-conceived opinions of a coach with past flaws are a cop out because whenever he makes a mistake the critics will always throw it in his face.
        This Org needed a fresh start and Shanahan and Lynch have a vision that will work in time.

        The hot seat rhetoric is a boat load of chum being happily devoured by critics that would find something to complain about even in a win.

        1. AES, the reason why I fault KS, is because they got into field goal range, and KS dials up a pass play, which led to a sack. Then they had a penalty,and KS dialed up another pass play that went incomplete and stopped the clock. This gave the Pats more time, but the worst thing was that now, they were out of field goal range.
          .
          If only they had run the ball 3 times, they could have kicked a field goal and won the game. KS failed basic football strategy, and it seems he has not learned from his mistakes, this season.

  52. Bruce Irvin, anyone? Don’t really want to give up a draft pick since we have so few in 2019. How about a straight up trade of Armstead for Irvin?

  53. Belichick is very adaptable. One player I liked in the draft in 2013 was WR Cordarrelle Patterson. Now that Sony Michel went down, Belichick is using Cordarrelle Patterson as a RB. He had a 20 yard gain.

  54. KS is being criticized for all the losing, but how they lose is just as important. He seems to be innovative, and receivers can be wide open at times, but once the second half rolls around and the defense makes adjustments, KS seems to freeze up. He just gets shaped, and they play rigid, inflexible and way too predictable.
    .
    How did they shape him? They controlled the edges, and squeezed CJB in the pocket. The defense designated some one to stand in front of CJB and bat down passes. The Niners did not call for screens. The Cards did, and they were very effective. The Cards stacked the box and dared CJB to beat them with his arm. Too bad KS obliged them by running bunched sets. For some reason, they ran into the teeth of the defense.
    .
    KS still wasted time outs, and even used one that helped the opposition. Too bad he did not have 2 time outs to stop the clock. To top it off, they made a raw second year play center, something he had never done before in an NFL game, so he hiked the ball over the head of CJB. Another Keystone Cops moment.
    .
    KS may be safe from being fired, but his game management and overall strategy will just lead to more losses. He needs to learn how to win. He needs to learn how to finish games. If KS wants to win games, he should hire an OC.
    .
    Now, the Niners are playing in the Toilet Bowl. Both teams have one win. This will not be a contest to see who wants to win the most, it will be a contest to see who wants to tank the most. Maybe KS wants to copper his bet by starting Mullens.

  55. The Niners are 1 1/2 years into a complete rebuild and Grant Cohen is calling for them to sign Kaepernick and fire Shanahan. How pathetically stupid is that. I guess now days to make it in journalism you need to be provocative as proved everyday on CNN and Fox. Fans should try and have some patience and let the process have a chance. Teams that constantly chance coaches ar3 the perennial losers.

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