49ers-Broncos postgame report

San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle is greeted on the bench after scoring a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Denver Broncos Sunday, Dec. 9, 2018, in Santa Clara, Calif. Kittle caught an 85-yard touchdown pass on the way to 210 yards receiving and became the 49ers’ first tight end to reach the 1,000-yard milestone. San Francisco won the game 20-14. (AP Photo/Josie Lepe)

SANTA CLARA — Check out my 49ers-Broncos postgame report below.

This article has 83 Comments

  1. I’m just glad your raiders pulled it out Grant.
    I’m not happy that Kittle didn’t get one thrown to go in the second half. I would have loved to see that record broken. Especially on the team the record holder did it with.

    So my question now is. Can the raiders win one more. And can we stay the course with Arizona. I can’t see the raiders not beating the Broncos in a couple of weeks.

  2. Credit to Lynch, Shanny and staff for selecting Kittle by way of the 5th round. He has surpassed McCloughan’s 1st round, 6th overall TE selection of Vernon Davis….

  3. Grant:

    I don’t want to take anything away from Mullens because he is playing well. However, he currently has a far better command of this offense than Jimmy G. had last year during his win streak (according to KS, Mullens knows the offense better than anyone except KS). But competition at any position is always good. Hopefully, Nick will be the backup next year because he inspires a lot more confidence than CJB.

    One more point. CJB is tough and is lauded for his toughness. Mullens took a huge hit today and jumped right back up. Kudos to his toughness.

      1. Immaterial, Jack. Mullens had far more experience with and understanding of this offense when he took over than Jimmy had when Jimmy took over. KS has the entire playbook available to him with Mullens as his QB. That was not true when Jimmy was the QB last season.

        1. Not really as Mullens was able to see the offense through another point of view. That could lead him to have an understanding of players and positioning on the field.

          1. So, you’re agreeing with me. The point is that Mullens is in a far better position to succeed in this offense than Jimmy was when he first joined the team and had to play about a month later. So not a fair comparison and Jimmy’s performance was more noteworthy as a result. Still, I like Mullens and hope he is now the #2 and if he, by some miracle, wins the TC battle, so be it.

            1. You said immaterial which implies that whatever he did on the scout Team didn’t matter. But it did. And hammer pointing out that he was on scout team does matter.

        2. “Mullens had far more experience with and understanding of this offense when he took over than Jimmy had when Jimmy took over.”

          I agree with that Cubus.

          1. Based on the 5 weeks he spent in training camp?

            He wasn’t getting any reps last year during the regular season as the #3 QB

            This is just another way to knock down what Mullens is doing while lifting up Garoppolo.

            1. Wasn’t even considering reps Jack he had the playbook and is more versed in it when he started this year then when Jimmy G started.

              1. I am not at all knocking Mullins, I think he has done an admirable job and is winning me over every game.

              2. Jack doesn’t get it. He and Grant feel the need to compare apples to oranges. The point we’re making is that both did well with their initial opportunities. No need to elevate or tear down one at the expense of the other.

              3. Cubus,

                I’m not trying to tear anyone down. The fact of the matter is that the two are extremely close when you look at their play. If Mullens stays healthy he will have just as many starts as the QB of the 49ers as Garoppolo.

                And Grant is 1000% right when he says « Mullens doesn’t get enough credit. If Jimmy Garoppolo did this, people would call him the 49ers’ greatest quarterback since Joe Montana. »

                In fact, as Eric Branch pointed out « Nick Mullens has thrown for 746 yards in his past two starts, the most by a #49ers QB since Joe Montana had 794 in October 1990. »

                When you say of Mullens that « he currently has a far better command of this offense than Jimmy G. had last year during his win streak » you’re attempting to discredit his achievement in comparison to those of Garoppolo, the Golden Boy.

              4. I’ve given Mullens the credit. If he wins the TC battle (assuming there is one), then so be it. I feel pretty confident we could get at least a first round pick for Jimmy G, if it got that far. It would suck to lose all of that bonus money he was paid, but if that is the sensible thing to do…… However, I’ll be very surprised if it happens; but stranger things have happened.

                Personally, I would rather not trade Mullens (as some are suggestng), because we need a capable backup at QB if the starter goes down (CJB doesn’t inspire confidence).

                At the very minimum, competition at every position is good.

              5. Jack I will say the QB room has gotten better this year. I also am not sold on JG. His performance in his starts this year were not earth shattering to say the least. Am pleased to see Mullin emerge and if he can beat out JG so be it. I need more time for both before I am sold or pass.

            2. I think Grant pointed this out in his post game report.

              Mullens has done good work on this team, and whether it is development on the team or his own talent, the kid should receive some more accolades. JG definitely has more panache.

              But Mullens has turned into a nice surprise for this year. Kind of like Breida last year.

    1. Mullens is so tough that he had his training staff “push the bone back in” and stitch up a compound fracture in his thumb against Texas-San Antonio so he could finish the game.

        1. He’s a hungry back up, and has a family to feed. Jimmy should find a good italian girl, get married and start a family.

    1. Razoreater -Dumb comment about Trubisky because even a Hall of Famer like Favre had games where he threw 5 (FIVE) picks. If you knew whether the ball was pumped with air or stuffed with rags you would understand that not everybody can be perfect 100% of the time. Big Ben has thrown 4 or 5 picks in games, too.

      Six quarterbacks have thrown seven interceptions in a game, most recently Detroit’s Ty Detmer in 2001.

      1. Mike, if you can’t take a joke take a hike. Nobody likes a kiss up.

        What’d our Lil Shanny do wrong this week?

        1. stupidity and inane comments get old after a while!!!!! it would be nice if comments had some substance!

    2. Razoreater – I guess Dan Marino was a stiff too by your standards. Maybe Favre should return his gold HoF jacket, too, or maybe give it to you because I’m sure you have had equal or greater success.

      Miami Dolphins great Dan Marino threw 252 interceptions for the aqua … Marino also threw five interceptions in a game twice

      Brett Favre is in a league all his own atop this list, throwing 336 all time interceptions (or 59 more than anyone else in history). On the bright side, Favre seemed to get better with age. Of the 19 seasons where he started a majority of his team’s games, only once did he throw a single-digit number of interceptions. That came at age 40 with the Vikings, when Favre was picked off just seven times in comparison to 33 scoring passes.

      One of Favre’s worst games came in January 2002, when the Rams intercepted him six times and ran three back for touchdowns en route to an NFC playoff win over the Packers.

      1. Mike he does that. If Solomon Thomas ever has a sack he will pump him up and ignore all the other games where he was missing in action.

      2. Mike, I watched Dan Marino. I saw Brett Favre. Ben Roethlisberger isn’t a friend of mine . Mike, Mitchell Trubisky is no Dan Marino, Brett Favre or Ben Roethlisberger….

      3. Mike it is hard to evaluate a player on the basis of one game. Trubisky had a bad game with 110 yards and 3 picks, but Goff had a worse game with 4.
        .
        Trubisky did not do well last season, but this season, the Bear defense has been top 5. Of course, it helps to not be decimated with injuries like last year, and the addition of Mack cannot be under emphasized.
        .
        Trubisky has always been a QB I liked, because he is a mobile QB and can throw on the run. However, I knew the Niners would pass on him, because they needed to shore up the defense first. I also thought they should re-sign Kaep, but the rest is history.
        .
        Trubisky struggled, but when his defense shuts down the vaunted Rams offense which was scoring over 30 per game, and only gives up 6 points, Trubisky looks better.

  4. Grant
    Nice to hear some positive from you, but you started to slip back at the end. Hey, a little positive is better than a lot of negative.

    “Beathard hasn’t earned the right to play basketball in the locker room”
    Ha! funny stuff Grant, thanks for the laugh.

  5. If Brady retires, do the 49ers see if they want Jimmy G back?
    I don’t think coming off an ACL, a player has prime trade value, but should the 49ers at least SEE what the market is?
    I’m with Grant, I don’t know how good these QBs will be, but 750 yards of so in last two games nothing to sneeze at.

    1. Keazar…. JG isn’t a running QB. I don’t see how his knee injury would hurt the price tag or trade value much. QB’s who aren’t runners don’t use those knees as much as WR or RB. His performance will dictate trade value. If it was a shoulder or arm then there might be a problem.

            1. I wanted Fangio as the Niner HC, but the stench of Baalke drove him away. After this season, he should be considered for a HC job.

        1. Yea I know, but when we first hired Fangio, Hammer wasn’t overly impressed with his resume.

          1. Which was understandable given his resume as an NFL DC at the time. I think being part of Harbaugh’s coaching staff helped mold Fango into the NFL DC he has been since 2011.

            1. Wrong ….he was with ravens when Ray Lewis and Ed reed were all pros….

              He also had a long history coaching the defense before that….

              You really want to be liked…..

              1. As a DC? Well dang, that is news to me (and everyone else). I always thought he was the LB coach in Baltimore. Thank you for showing me the light. ?
                If I truly wanted to be liked by you, then I would need a mirror placed in front of me so that you could see your reflection while blowing kisses to it.

              2. Dunmore (PA) HS (1979–1981)
                Defensive coordinator & linebackers coachMilford (CT) Academy (1982)
                Defensive coordinatorBaltimore Stars (1984)
                Defensive assistantNew Orleans Saints (1986–1994)
                Linebackers coachCarolina Panthers (1995–1998)
                Defensive coordinatorIndianapolis Colts (1999–2001)
                Defensive coordinatorHouston Texans (2002–2005)
                Defensive coordinatorBaltimore Ravens (2006–2008)
                Special assistant to head coach & defensive assistantBaltimore Ravens (2009)
                Linebackers coachStanford (2010)
                Defensive coordinatorSan Francisco 49ers (2011–2014)
                Defensive coordinatorChicago Bears (2015–present)
                Defensive coordinator

            2. I think being part of Harbaugh’s coaching staff helped mold Fango into the NFL DC he has been since 2011.

              Fangio had early success with the Dome Patrol of the Saints. Being part of Harbaugh’s coaching staff had little to do with his success with the Niners. Having superior talent to work with his proven scheme had everything to with it.

              I wonder if people actually follow Fangio’s career. Here’s the link:
              http://www.pro-football-reference.com/coaches/FangVi0.htm
              His defenses ranking have been all over the place depending on the quality of the personnel. When Harbaugh brought Fangio with him from Stanford there were reservations and dark mutterings among fans because Fangio’s defenses had been ranked solidly in the bottom third in four of the previous five years Fangio had been DC.

              Fangio is a very good coach and schemer and I feel Saleh has shown the potential to be one. No coach, including Fangio, can succeed with this little talent, especially in QB pressure.

  6. Having a read of the previous thread’s comments, it always amazes me how “rational” and “objective” commenters like ‘Jack Hammer’ are there commenting by the minute when the game isn’t going so well for Shanahan, with very smary, intelligent and inisghtful quips like “a Shanahan Special” to refer to a 6-0 start, yet when he schemes open big time plays for his best playmaker, Kittle… *crickets*. Not to say the useful insights don’t keep coming, but not a single comment praising Shanahan for a fairly well coached game from his perspective against a hot team very few picked against.

    And the best bit is this isn’t even the best of it. You have “fans” complaining about wins because of the draft. You’d think that these NFL execs would have figured out what these fans have known for years – that the moment you don’t look likely to make a run to the playoffs, you tank the whole season and try again. It’s meaningless, cries Jack Hammer. How this guy doesn’t have a job in the NFL is beyond me. If I were Jed York, I’d hire him yesterday.

    1. I could see why JH critiqued KS about the failure in the red zone, because the Niners settled for field goals instead of scoring TDs. Thankfully, the Niners scored a couple TDs that won the game, but KS also did not finish well because he went conservative, and did not score in the second half.
      .
      Yes, Kittle had a fantastic first half, but then did not catch a pass in the second half, so KS did well in the first half, but could not make the critical adjustments for the second half.
      .
      KS did a lot better, and I have praised this game he coached, but he could have done better. They still wasted a time out, even though it was not critical to success. The coaches should have coached Pettis to stay in bounds instead of running out of bounds, which stopped the clock. KS did seem to prepare his team better, and they let the Broncos make the unforced errors. However, in the second half, the pick and false start penalties were frustrating, and let the Broncos back into the game.
      .
      Clock management in the last 2 minutes left 4 seconds, and if the Broncos had managed to score a TD, the Niners would have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.
      .
      Yes, KS won, but that does not mean he is above criticism. They could have done better. KS still needs to figure out how to finish off games better.

      1. Still craving attention to inflate that low self-esteem I see. Rant on OneHotAir, rant on.

  7. My apologies. Earlier today I posted a comment about Bosa and Thomas sack per game averages and it was wrong. Me so sorry. Been making a bunch of those lately. I blame Shanahan for my errors and ill preparedness. Let’s fire Saleh!

    1. The gist of your comment wasn’t wrong though. He gets pumped up as being a generational talent but his sack numbers are just good, not great.

      I will say however that I believe this is more a case of the sack numbers not telling the whole story.

      I did think the comment was a little funny though, given you also like Chase Winovich, who actually does have a lower sack rate per game than Thomas. :-)

      1. Haha, too true!

        To the futility of college stats!

        My gut tells me that Winovich’s career will far outshine Thomas’s.

  8. Re Mullens vs Garoppolo – Didn’t some guy named “Chip” recite at a presser “Comparison is the thief of joy?”

    Very happy for Mullens. I’d take Garoppolo for the eyeball reasons. Quicker release. Quicker feet. Better chaos production when the play breaks down.

    But the heck with all that. I’m just a fan. I appreciate Mullens game for what it is. A nice life story too.

  9. On the #1 Draft pick tiebreaker with Arizona:

    Arizona and SF have basically the same schedule except for two teams/games. Niners have NYGiants and Tampa Bay on their schedule and they have a total of 10 wins. Arizona has Washington & Atlanta on their schedule and they also have a total of 10 wins. If AZ and SF end in a tie for the worse record, it will come down to those four teams. Unfortunately, it seems like NY and TB are starting to play better, and Wash and ATL are packing it in.

    Also, it was very good that the Jets won today as they have a horrible SOS.

  10. Nice, the Niners won. Frankly, I do not care if they miss out on Bosa by not tanking, winning is so much more important.
    .
    Couple players who really shined were Kittle (of course) and Mullens on offense.
    .
    Marcell Harris and DJ Reed, two rookies, shined brightly. Solomon Thomas did not get a tackle, but i thought he played well. DJ Jones and Ronald Blair also had a good game. Elijah Lee made me forget about Malcom Smith, and Tartt was not missed.
    .
    It sure looked like Saleh had them practice the basics, because Witherspoon turned his head to track the ball, and they set the edge well.
    .
    I am glad the Niners did what I advocated, because they stacked the box, and shut down Phillip Lindsay. I said this was a winnable game if only the Niners do not defeat themselves. Sure am glad Von Miller helped the Niners to win, by being undisciplined.

      1. It worked, didn’t it? ;p
        .
        If only they had started Tarvarius Moore, then they would have taken a page out of the Bill Walsh playbook and started 3 rookies.

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