Anthony Davis’ criticism is out of bounds

This is my Sunday column.

Anthony Davis sure has a lot to say for a guy who played just six games this season.

Four days after he played his first game in five weeks, Davis more or less fired his own boss, offensive coordinator Greg Roman, via Twitter: “Greg Roman to me when I was 21: ‘You know we can get someone off the street to do what you do.’ ”

And then he added, “The irony … ,” meaning Roman is the one who will be on the street in a few weeks. Classy tweet, Anthony.

Two days later, a reporter asked Davis if he believes Jim Harbaugh will coach his final game with the 49ers this Sunday.

“I think everyone knows,” Davis said.

Meaning, yes, Harbaugh’s gone, too. Sayonara.

On a roll now, Davis continued discussing things he had no business discussing publicly.

“Maybe we tried to trick them this year … ” he pontificated. “I don’t think it’s that complicated what we need to do. I know what we don’t need … I don’t want to be closed-minded about a new coach coming in with different views, but a (power running offense) would seem like the simplest answer.”

Davis and I agree, Roman is no genius. The Niners probably can replace him with someone better.

But it’s hard to point the finger at the offensive coordinator when he had to make up for you, Anthony. Or the lack of you.

You’re a very good player, a key player on the 49ers. Your presence affects the offense tremendously, especially in the running game. During the six games you played this season, the Niners’ tailbacks averaged 4.95 yards per carry running to the right – your side. During the nine games you missed, your tailbacks averaged just 2.6 yards per carry running to the right. Your absence made the running game one-sided and predictable. That’s not Roman’s fault. Show some heart. Show some football insight. Show some 49ers insight.

Your backup, Jonathan Martin, is not strong like you. He’s can’t knock back defensive lineman at the point of attack. He is not a run blocker — he is a pass protector, a back-pedaler, a finesse player. That’s not Roman’s fault.

And it’s not Roman’s fault you missed all of training camp rehabbing a shoulder injury. It’s not Roman’s fault you pulled your hamstring during the preseason and missed the first three games of the regular season. It’s not Roman’s fault you injured your knee Week 4 and missed the next two games. It’s not Roman’s fault you took five weeks to return from a concussion you sustained Week 11.

Don’t lay any of this at his door.

And it’s not Roman’s fault you missed both games against the Seahawks this season. In those two games, the Niners’ tailbacks gained just 8 yards on 11 carries to the right. Your team needed you, Anthony. They had no chance without you.

Before opening his mouth, a mature, balanced professional athlete would know those numbers. You have to wonder about Davis. Here’s an example.

On Dec. 23, 2012, the Niners were losing 42-6 in Seattle with fewer than two minutes left in the game. After a play, 320-pound Davis tackled 190-pound Jeremy Lane from behind — a blatant cheap shot by a sore loser. The officials penalized Davis for unnecessary roughness and the NFL fined him $10,000 a few days later.

In the locker room after the game, a reporter asked Davis why he hit Lane from behind after that play.

“I was doing my (expletive) job,” Davis said.

General manager Trent Baalke was standing beside Davis, eyes locked on Davis. This was the time for Baalke to say, “No, Anthony, it is not your (expletive) job to commit 15-yard penalties and hurt the team and act unprofessionally, and that is not how we talk to the media.”

Instead, Baalke stood mute.

The reporter turned to Baalke and asked, “Is Davis representing your franchise well right now?”

Again, Baalke stood mute. Then he said to Davis, “Go away, Anthony.” And Anthony walked away.

It was a weak response and Baalke did Davis no favors. Davis was the first player Baalke ever drafted. Davis is Baalke’s guy. If you’re Baalke’s guy — Aldon Smith also is Baalke’s guy — it seems you can get away with a lot.

I believe Davis is following Baalke’s lead in criticizing Roman, picking up Baalke’s tone, just as Baalke’s daughter, Cassie, picked up her dad’s tone in her inappropriate tweet about Roman. Davis feels free to criticize his coaches. Davis and Cassie are symptoms of Baalke. Who knows what other symptoms lurk in the 49ers’ family?

Anthony Davis needs grownup mentoring to become the grownup we believe he can become. Maybe Baalke needs it, too.

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

This article has 192 Comments

  1. Anthony Davis at times, reminded me of Kwame Harris. He just couldn’t pass protect. It was the guy that replaced him made him looks good.

    1. Anthony Davis is a child. No one should pay any attention to what children say about adult matters.

    2. AD should STFU. He’s a loose canon. Nobody in the front office is confronting him. When things turn bad – as it sure will – AD will go off again, on the replacement coach and even Baalke or Jed.

  2. Grant,
    How do you think Baalke would respond to a player criticizing him? The leaks have been coming from the front office all season. I’d like your take on how Baalke would react if the arrow was pointed at him, and what it would take for that to occur given his close ties with Jed.

  3. ROFL, Grant is only calling him out cause Davis punked him a couple years back. Clearly Grant is still a bitter.

    1. Ha ha you are right, And Davis Only said what Everybody in the universe knows, Uncle Cheesehead sucks(Roman) …so Grant you are Wrong in your statement about Davis being out of bounds…..wait till Harbaugh leaves the Building “Physically” and a lot more will come out,I`m suprise that you Grant did not criticize Staley when he said Dumb Schemes, that was a direct swipe at Roman and Harbaugh.

      1. i dont know why any of you are paying so much attention to anything this punk grant cohn is saying. he never says anything worth reading.

  4. Baalke also accumulated more WRs, and either advocated for the coaches to go more spread or tacitly supported the shift in offensivs philosophy, so if Davis’ criticism is of Roman going away from power running, that is also, at the very least, a criticism of Baalke’s personnel choices (Johnson, Lloyd, Ellington, JMart).

  5. By the way, is Cassie’s tweet as to Baalke’s viewpoint as Grant’s “column” is to Lowell’s viewpoint?

  6. Pretty harsh Grant. You’re going to catch an earful I’m sure. I think it’s pretty immature of Davis to speak up, certainly not the most professional thing to do either. However, it’s at least a glimpse into what the heck is going on inside this team.

    It’s really not right to attack a guy who suffered legitimate injuries. He’s been the model of durability until this year and questioning him about missing 5 games coming back from a concussion smacked of questioning his toughness. In this day and age, you can’t push that agenda in light of player safety concerns, it looks horrible.

    1. Davis had problems with his coach in college for being a malingerer. He should spend more time working hard to get back on the field and do what he’s paid alot of money to do. Like Justin Smith said, if you can’t play with pain, get another job.

  7. what, only sportswriters can criticize coaches now, not the men who actually pay under them?

  8. Jed is a little boy.
    Baalke is a little boy with a personality disorder.
    Harbaugh is a little boy with a personality disorder.
    Roman is just a total waste of humanity.

    From whom is Davis to learn maturity? Grant Cohn?

  9. Davis has more right to his opinion about the team than you have to yours. He played 6 games this year, how many did you play? I wish Pro Teams could ban certain writers from the premises!

  10. Staley made comments about “dumb schemes” which obviously implicated Roman. Funny I don’t see his name mentioned as well.

    1. Yup, there’s selective hearing and then there’s selective writing.
      In this case Grant is guilty of both.

  11. Yeah Grant’s grudge with Anthony is still alive. And Anthony still owns him! Tell him Grant, how did you get your job?

  12. When Anthony Davis reads this, he’ll “throw his hands up in the air and squeal like a child.” (despite the fact the article compliments his blocking skills)

    Most people big and strong as AD would have laughed the “squeal” comment off. Not AD. For a talker, AD’s hyper sensitive to real/perceived criticism. Can’t wait for the tweet war to begin.

    1. B2W
      I think a lot depends on the source. A seasoned writer using a poor choice of words could be overlooked. An inexperienced condescending junior blogger who tags along with daddy to get in to the locker doesn’t get the same slack

  13. Greg Roman is the main reason this team went without a championship I’ve been posting this for years.the defense is the only reason this team went to 3 NFCCGs , if they had an OC who could put together a legitimate game plan and make the right calls and adjustments they would have win at least once , maybe twice

    1. except this ignores Baalke’s inability to draft offensive talent.

      AJ Jenkins, Lamichael James, Vance McDonald, Ronald Johnson, Kyle Williams, Nate Byham, Quinton Patton, Anthony Dixon…

      a list of busts and special teamers.

      Too early to judge 2014 draft, but Marcus Martin looks like another bust.

      Kaep is Kaep. Though this may have been on Harbaugh.

      Even the two other starters he’s drafted, Davis at 11 & Iupati at 17, are mistakes when you consider the positions they play and where they were drafted. Neither are good in pass protection.

    1. Actually, I think we in the Peanut Gallery made the full and complete discussion when the story of his tweet broke.
      #1 sez: ‘He tweets too much’
      #2 sez: ‘He should stfu’
      #3 sez: ‘yup’

  14. Grant may still have an issue with Davis. That doesn’t mean he isn’t right on this one.
    Who in the heck does he think he is?
    What kind of gm or owner let their players freely trash a coach and say or do nothing about it?
    This organization is becoming a joke. This pansy has been milking his injuries all season. I don’t care how good he can pass block, his mouth and wimp mentality has got to go.
    Players running rough shot over coaches should be handled fast! And very fast. Harshly. No wonder were the new Raiders. Get holmgren in here. I know he won’t tolerate this garbage. Davis I hope you’re gone next season.

  15. I don’t have a problem with Davis’ comments. He didn’t speak in clear definite terms, his words were well calculated and left for the reader to draw their own conclusions.

    Btw, doesn’t every local sports writer covet these type of comments so they can dissect and add their own twist?

    The only thing about Davis’ comments that surprise me is that he is the only player to take a little parting shot at GRo.
    Part of the (alleged) locker room fallout may be that many offensive players are frustrated with Roman, but can’t address it with Harbaugh because Roman is Harbaugh’ guy.

    1. AES
      Exactly. When CK is bland and gives nothing he is ripped for being terse and uncooperative. When we hear that there is dissension in the lockeroom and some players are unhappy we assume deion or jay glazer is talking Scithe. Now that a player gives his honest oppinion and a soundbite that the local media is clamoring for he gets ripped??
      Grant is just butt hurt that he didn’t get the scoop (why would he AD hates him and does not respect him as a professional) and that AD put it out on twitter.
      Id be interested to find out who the reporter was that had that exchange with AD that Baalke stood by and did nothing. If its a kawakami or a cohn i could see why TB just told AD to ignore them.
      And by the way while ur playing neurosurgeon tell us why its necessary to rush AD back from his second concussion in less than a year. Your smugness is comical

  16. Anthony Davis was injured, he didnt voluntarily miss those games.

    If you look at the offensive stats thru Roman’s run, he only ranked above 20th once in 4 years, 2012 when Kap and the read option took the league by storm and defenses off balance. It’s not like this year, not having Anthony Davis things feel apart.. Roman has been terrible, it’s just this year with all the talent, he had a lot few excuses than usual.

    I don’t see Anthony Davis’ candid answers as immature, but just the same frustration that the fans have felt all year long: why go away from what was working? Yes, Davis is a far superior run blocker to Jonathan Martin, but why abandon your strength? Has Roman ever heard with sticking with the run?

    Harbaugh is a great coach, but he allowed this fat lard ass to bring the whole offense down, which took the down team and crashed the season. Too much talent for this offense to continually be ranked in the bottom 3rd of the league year after year.

    Greg Roman is not fit to be in the NFL, and if Harbaugh has any sense, he won’t bring him to Michigan with him.

  17. This past season just plain sucks from all points of view. Next year I have no idea what to expect. I see a house cleaning coming.

  18. The true rift here is between Harbaugh and Jed. There has been resentment from Jed towards Harbaugh for losing the superbowl. Everything begins there. Harbaugh doesnt care for the organization. He loves his players but in his mind everything else could be removed. Baalke and Marthe are the left and right hands of Jed York. They are loyal to York and York only. Neither of the two care for G. Roman especially after the superbowl. Harbaugh is loyal to Roman and his other assistant coaches. The players dont care for the offensive coordinator and management doest either. The only person in the building to defend Roman was Harbaugh. Harbaugh wont fire Roman. He never was and he never will. thats why so many leaks developed over the season. The 49ers have been looking for Harbaughs replacement for 2 years.

  19. Roman is such a incompetent moron for making that statement that you can get a O linemen off the streets, evidently that can be true to Roman as well, he is nothing short of a buffoon.

  20. saying anyone is a “total waste of humanity” is really really wrong. No one should ever make the trivial world of sports that personal.

  21. Bam Davis ‏@AnthonyDavis76 4m4 minutes ago

    I just looked Harbaugh in his eyes and thanked him for leading us to some of the best times of our lives. Give Respect when it’s Due.

    Love how real Davis is, easily the best 49er twitter follow.

  22. So you slam Davis for publicly criticizing Roman, and then slam Baalke for *not* publicly criticizing Davis?

    1. Player<Boss
      Players shouldn't be saying anything that can hurt the team through the media. Especially with all of the crap it's dealt with this year. He feels free to speak that way because harbaugh and roman are leaving. It's NOT a good look for this organization.
      He needs to shut his mouth and have some respect and dignity in his job. You don't hear Boldin or Gore going off like this.

        1. Most people on this site might know a little bit about football, the required skills a player must possess, schemes etc. But when it comes to understanding leadership and what is required to operate a franchise or any other business they seem clueless. When there is a leadership void the sort of things that are presently manifesting themselves are sure to occur. When there is this much dysfunction that manifests itself the problem clearly lies with management.

          All the issues that have been brought up as causes for this disaster of a season are only the affects of the bigger underlying problem the franchise has. The problem lies clearly because of a clear lack of real leadership at the top. The frustrations that the players feel is just one effect of issues not being correctly handled by those that actually have the responsibility and authority to do so.

          The lack of leadership at the top created the ” turf war ” between Harbaugh and Baalke. No clear or workable definition of responsibility verses authority. Those at the top want to control and dictate but still have the out to avoid responsibility of the negative consequences. They assign responsibility with out it’s corresponding authority. Mary breached that issue when she mentioned the conditions Carroll sets for himself at Seattle. He will not set him self up to be the fall guy for someone else’s mistakes. Here becomes the scapegoat. Although he didn’t help himself much by being stubborn about Roman. But that’s how people react in turf wars.

  23. Bam Davis‏@AnthonyDavis76

    It’s only right. I wish him the best on his next Coaching Job. If you google it you’ll see where that will be…

    1. It’s always a good idea to pay attention to phrases like this one in these before the event announcements.

      “Assuming the latest reports are true, …”

    2. The whole year, I kept thinking that all the talk was just posturing from the different camps. Thought they would find a way to work it out in the end. I’m honestly just sad about this whole thing. Waited 8 years for 49ers to be relevant again; it seems just too short to have it go down the tubes after 4 years. I think all the pressure is on jed and baalke to find a worthy replacement.

  24. I wasn’t in favor of losing Harbaugh and I’m glad he isn’t going to another NFL team.

  25. I’m not a fan of Greg Roman, but Grant is right in regards to Davis. Too often has Davis opened his mouth when he should have kept it shut and let his play do the talking for him. His smart aleck comment to Manti Te’o is a classic example of the foot in mouth syndrome Davis tends to exercise.
    Roman’s comment towards Davis when he was 21 may sound idiotic until you consider the possibility that Davis was just coming off a rookie season and may have been playing like crap in practice, thus needing a wakeup call. I don’t know much about how coaches motivate or chastise players, but that comment leads me to believe that Davis needed to hear that in order to get the lead out, in which case shows Davis holding on to that for this long as coming off as sheer arrogance.
    Now back to Davis essentially throwing Roman under the bus. One word best describes this: IMMATURITY. Under no circumstances should a player throw one of his teammates or coaches under the bus. It’s nothing but a show of disrespect to that person and a strong indicator that you’re not completely a team player, which is a problem. It means that player lacks the maturity to stand with his team through the rough patches and can ultimately cause no one to keep their faith in him if his play starts to decline or he find his self in a slump. You win as a team and you lose as a team…together. Davis seems to have forgotten, or more to the point, ignored that mentality.

    1. My feelings exactly. I wonder how he came to the conclusion that it is a good idea to make bad comments about Roman. In my mind, there’s no benefit and just makes me doubt his effort to come back from injury. Davis isn’t a good enough player yet..or have enough experience, or clout to be yapping it up with media.

      1. Comments like that from an employee in most organizations would eventually lead to the dismissal of the employee. Davis figures he can get away with it because both Harbaugh and Roman will be leaving shortly.

        1. Anthony Davis is a pro bowl player. Greg Roman is soon to be out of the NFL and not likely to ever hold even an OC position. In their respective fields AD is head and shoulders above Gro competence wise.
          By the way if AD really could be replaced by a guy off the street then the 9ers made a terrible move trading up in the 1st rd (bypassing earl thomas) to select a street free agent.

          We cant have it both ways. Either we know what goes on with our team. or it stays in house

        2. Davis made that statement because he knew he could get away with it. This reeks of Harbaughs/coach’s authority being undercut. This has probably been going on for some time. It is one thing to be in a power struggle with the coach, but you do not ever bring in players into that equation. This rests on Baalke/York and shows their lack of recognition on how to handle power and authority.

          MidwestDynesty- Your take on Davis holding on to the comment for so long is right on the money.

  26. It’s not Romans fault you wear clown shoes Grant. Davis could have avoided How he said it, yes. But we do deserve the truth. It is Harbaugh’s fault roman stayed on and therefore Harbough’s fault he is fired.

    1. JoJo- Everyone deserves the truth. But what we get is just a fraction manipulated to convey a desired result. We do not really know everything that was going on behind the scenes. Ethical individuals do not release information to people that are not in on the decision making process. It is done purely for image damage control. The more that comes out tells us little about what actually transpired behind the scenes. But it does tell us through their actions that Baalke/York are manipulative and devoid of ethics. Harbaugh’s stupid actions in respect to Roman and other issues aside, he was always up front and honest. York/Baalke seem to be sneeky undercutting weasels.

    1. Mike Holmgren or Mike Shanahan would be great replacements..coaches who been there done that..So it wouldn’t be too much pressure on them..Altho they tend to want more power..cause they been around the block twice or more.lol..So could them and Baalke work together..I think they could..They would know what offensive players to go after..a Baalke weakness..

      On the other hand Tomsula or Fangio would keep continuity in the building..Tomsula has been with the team over 7yrs..Do u reward that loyalty? And give them a chance..Tomsula coached one game already..but was never given the job and was passed over for Harbaugh…..Jed has a helluva decision to make.lol….Take a chance of your best coaches leaving-(defensive coordinators)? Or promote them just to keep them in tack..If u hire outside the building …you need them bump their salaries up..and tell the next coach he has to retain them..Im excited yet kinda nervous about the next coach.The right coach..were back on top..The wrong one..we’re set back a few years….I don’t think the next coach has to be Harbaugh like..Just upgrade the offense and be a better game strategist and manager..im sold..top ten offense..top ten defense..ill be happy…It’s a great situation for whoever takes the job..we got talent..

  27. Now my biggest concern is retaining staff. I’d like to see the following stay (listed in order of importance)

    Fangio – Keep. If he does go, it opens HC field to include good defensive oriented HC candidates.

    Tomsula – Keep. He works wonders. Without him, the 49ers would have to expend more draft capital on defensive linemen to get the same level of performance. He finds top NTs out of thin air.

    Rathman – Keep. Of course!

    Donatel, Leavit – Keep. Great job with 5th stringers

    Solari – Keep. Drop in O-line production may be more scheme/injury oriented. I want to see him groom Marcus Martin.

    Chryst – Keep. If the 49ers draft a quick release QB with good vision, Chryst will get him ready.

    Mangini – Bye bye. Have no idea what he actually does.

    Roman – Bye Bye. At this point it doesn’t matter if the horrible offense is due to a cumbersome mess with too many cooks spoiling Roman’s broth. I think he’ll succeed at his next gig.

      1. Cubus,
        I’m with you. Solari needs to go and take Morton with him. I wonder who JH will take to Michigan with him.

      2. What specifically do dislike about Solari? I’m not 100% sure. I think alot of the 49ers line issues are:
        – Injuries
        – Lack of line continuity
        – Holdouts
        – Dumb play calling
        – Dedicating increased training camp reps on sweeps/bootlegs/waggle and plays, only to toss most of them when Kendal Hunter got hurt. That’s alot of wasted training camp time.

        I have a love/hate relationship with the “man” blocking scheme. When it works its a thing of beauty, with guards getting to the vaunted “second level” on linebackers and safeties.

        But for every one of those impressive plays, there’s another where Iupati or Looney allows a defender to shoot gaps and kill Gore, because the defender was not his assigned man. Drives me nuts.

        How many times have we seen a play where Gore gets smashed in the backfield, while a hulking Iupati is seen 5 yards down field blocking air?

        I know little about blocking schemes, but maybe blending in a little more zone blocking might help.

        1. Brodie:

          The loss of Drevno seems to have had an adverse affect on the line. If I recall correctly Drevno was Harbaugh’s guy at Stanford and Solari was already on the team. I’m certainly no expert on blocking schemes and there’s no doubt that there have been a lot of injuries to the OL. Staley’s comments regarding dumb blocking schemes I believe were directed at Solari as well as Roman. Also, I’ve seen film review articles where in many cases you would see two offensive linemen looking for someone to block with the inevitable result that Kaep would get sacked or Gore/Hyde would be stopped for a loss. This occurred well into the season, but appears to have tapered off the last few games. Perhaps I’m attributing too much of this failure on Solari.

          1. “…two offensive linemen looking for someone to block with the inevitable result that Kaep would get sacked or Gore/Hyde would be stopped for a loss.”

            Yup. Drives me nuts.

            What I don’t know is how involved Solari is in the design/calling of those plays. For all I know, Roman/Harbaugh is shoving these schemes down his throat.

            I’ve heard the 49ers are “man”, but sometimes blend in “zone” blocking. Whoever the new line coach is, I’d love to see more zone type runs.

  28. the Jim Harbaw legacy…following him to Ann Arbor…

    No matter how successful he is coaching at Michigan,
    (my money says he never wins a national championship)
    JH will always have an itch between the shoulder blades
    ( Yes, the Super Bowl monkey on his back – forever.!!! )

    Not only did he fail to lead the Niners to Lombardi # six…
    he is quitting the pro ranks leaving big brother John as
    the only member of the Harbaugh family with a Super Bowl ring.

    Notwithstanding the $48 million (and your ability to tip generously),
    a certain former Niner QB will never again carry your golf clubs, ok?

    ALEX SMITH FOR PRESIDENT…!!!

  29. I wholeheartedly agree. Anthony Davis and the whole offensive line are at least partly responsible for the shift in strategy. Roman’s change in calling wasn’t just arbitrary. There was a belief they couldnt run the ball..thanks in part to Mr. Davis. …when Anthony was struggling he was never thrown under the bus by coaches and as far as Roman’s comment to Davis..so what..it wasn’t public and this isn’t high school football.

    1. Deez- correct! That is something that seems to have been forgotten by those that kept calling for the run even when it didn’t work.

  30. Really wanted to see Harbaugh in Oakland, but if it’s Michigan that’s great for college football. Give him a couple years and he’ll have them ready to knock Saban off the throne.

      1. It would be fun to watch whiners like you melt down, and the 49ers would only need to worry about it once every four years.

    1. Harbaugh will never win anything until he stops worshipping at the altar of Schembechler, whose ideas about offense are outdated.

      Good riddance! Problem is, Baalke is a Parcells disciple, and that is just as much a dead end as following Schembechler.

      NINERS won’t win anything until they dump Baalke. Jed, get your head OUT of your rear!!!

  31. I for one does not care what Grant thinks or writes. I do care how a team is perceived and young Mr. York has shown his immaturity. It’s all about the Benjamin’s and he built a lousy stadium.

    All I will say is God’s speed Coach Harbaugh, thanks for the memories and I wish you much success.

  32. This is retribution for the #firecohn# a few years back! Eliminate the bias for journalism integrity!

  33. I haven’t guessed many things right about the 49ers this year, but I still thing most coaching candidates will see the 49ers job as a pretty good opportunity.

  34. The outrage at Davis is funny. He basically said exactly the same thing that almost everyone on here has been saying all season.

    1. I have no problem with what Davis said. My problem is how poorly he’s pass blocked since he’s arrived in SF.

    2. Really? Tweet after tweet? Interview looking right into the camera with a sarcastic look after being asked of he respects roman as a coach? Please name another player who has wen beyond this latest rant from AD

        1. You’re right. I went hammer and couldn’t comprehend that post.
          Missed “on here”. But at least I caught it, and didn’t go on and on and on in circles looking like a fool.
          Is that why you’re trying to start some static with me Jack? Still mad bruh?

          1. Static? Didn’t realize this was junior high.

            And you responded to me, not the other way around.

    3. His tweets reeked of immaturity and a lack of professionalism. He sounds like he’s blaming his own poor play on Roman. The comment about Roman’s quote to him about finding a player on the street made him sound like a cry baby that couldn’t handle the tough love of the NFL.

      If he was a better player all around or was at least consistently on the field this year maybe the comments wouldn’t have received the back lash but he’s not one of the leaders of the team and his comments sounded like he was taking cheap shots at a guy whom everybody already knows is on his way out.

      1. “He sounds like he’s blaming his own poor play on Roman.”

        I don’t know about that. Grant did a pretty good job of outlining the positive impact that Davis being on the field had on the offense.

        1. Maybe I didn’t word that as well as I could have. However did it not sound like there was a suggestion that Davis’s lack of play wasn’t because necessarily of injury but because of lack of heart to play for a Coach he’s not happy with. That maybe he could have returned sooner from some of those injuries or maybe even play through them? I thought his absence from the concussion was suspiciously long.

          Maybe my sentence should have said that he’s blaming his lack of play on Roman.

              1. Well he should have been more selective in which street he meant cause the one off of Castro didn’t work out.

          1. I didn’t hear that in his words. What I heard was a player frustrated because the team had gotten away from its strength.

            The problem is even when a team commits to running the ball like they did last week they need to also be able to threaten the defense through the air. That doesn’t happen right now, and with the guy who is currently under center Roman is like a one legged man in a butt kicking contest.

            1. “I didn’t hear that in his words.”

              I should point out that I was talking about Grant’s words not Davis’s, not sure if we’re on the same page there.

              1. Coffee,

                We weren’t. I thought you meant Davis. My bad.

                As for Grant’s take on whether Davis could have come back sooner, I’m not a fan of that kind of speculation. These guys put their bodies through a tremendous amount of stress. Who is Grant, me or anyone else to say a player isn’t as injured as they say?

              2. “These guys put their bodies through a tremendous amount of stress. Who is Grant, me or anyone else to say a player isn’t as injured as they say?”

                It does happen Jack, I know you know that. Anthony’s comments don’t preclude him to that behavior but they certainly don’t exclude him either.

            2. And that is all in Harbaugh’ s bailywick. Harbaugh leaves but the team gets to keep Kaepernick. Yeah, what a deal!

    4. We are not members of the team Jack. He is. You never throw another member of the team under the bus.

  35. I’d like to see Davis moved, along with Kaep and Aldon. There has to be a team out there for each of them, that would bet real assets on their upsides.

    1. If Niners took your advice, the presumptive starters to replace them would be J.Martin, Blaine Gabbert(!), and Lemonier. It would be a step back in run game, passing game, and pass rush while the compensating draft choices tried to learn their games.

      1. BT, there’s also free agency. Michael Roos is better than AD in my book. And don’t quote PFF numbers to me–those are geek stats used by no one in pro player analysis. Jerry Hughes and Justin Houston both play much harder and faster than the Aldon we’ve been seeing lately. And Kaep–I don’t even want to get into that discussion anymore.

        1. Well Sully, I’m impressed you have suggestions at hand and aren’t just spouting off and trying to build by subtraction as some do. But let’s remember It’s not a good year to find QBs; draft or FA. Aldon hard to trade on 1yr deal+ baggage.
          That said I do acknowledge that AD has been uneven in pass pro. CK regressed. Aldon played assignments better in the run game, but yes, he seemed at times to lack intensity. I think he actually did clean up his act off the field. So I’m not defending any of them, just worried about drop-off by change.

      1. Jim, it’s interesting to me that Boone played pretty well at LT in Staley’s absence a couple years ago. I wonder if there is a chance we would move Boone to RT.

        Then, move Iupati to his natural position of RG on a 1 year/$8 mil franchise deal to see if he recaptures his pro bowl form.

        Acquire a quicker LG who is first and foremost a pass blocker.

        At center, we’d be starting Martin, who should be much better in year 2, or a healthy Kilgore.

        And then hope Staley can get/stay in top 10 LT form in 2015.

        1. @Sully

          Those are some excellent suggestions….Today is the last day of the Harbaugh era…
          some good some bad. Now it’s time to pick up the pieces and make the best of a bad/ good situation. The sun’s not going to come up in the North on Monday….just another day to get serious about that sixth Lombardi….

  36. Off to the stitch.
    Sucks week 17 is the finally. Let’s party and maaaybe send off Gore with a W!

  37. Question for Jed:

    .. Have you ever been to Candlestick..
    and witnessed the crowd’s reaction when
    your Daddy took the stage (at halftime) ??

    Have you ever wondered .. why
    the 49er Faithful didn’t like him ?

    Well.. since you were probably too young
    to remember .. I’ll tell you why ..

    It was because your Daddy .. in his infinite wisdom ..
    traded Mooch for Erickson ..
    and that boneheaded decision led to a decade
    of mediocrity …
    He (then) compounded his boneheadedness by
    Hiring Mike Nolan and Singletary …

    In short … your beloved Daddy shoulda stayed
    in the operating room … but ..
    there was one guy who actually knew
    what he was doing …
    and even today .. he commands a standing ovation
    from the fans …

    Care to guess who that one man is ??

    Yep … your Uncle !!!

    Jed …

    Unless you got a slam-dunk coach to replace The Harbs ..
    you shoulda listened to your Uncle …
    (instead of your Daddy)

    1. MWN,

      Jed is listening to $$$$, Baalke, and Parag. The three stooges have ruined this franchise. I’m expecting many TV blackouts in the near future.

      1. Paraag is a stooge? Probably the most sought after front office man in the league and you’re calling him a stooge? O’tay buckwheat.

        1. u-mmm, perhaps you have a point, there, Coffee ..
          but ..
          that point is moot at this late date, isn’t it ?..

          My biggest fear is …

          Jed has Dennis Erickson on speed dial

      2. Ruined the franchise? What in the world are you talking about? I hope you don’t invest in stocks the way you root for your team.

      3. Nick …

        I wouldn’t say “ruined” ..per se ..
        but .. hence my terse warning .. (above) ..
        to Jed

  38. I’ll be surprised if Fangio is still on the team next season but I can handle that as long as Tomsula is and as long as he’s still the DL coach and not the head coach. Is Tomsula coordinator material?

          1. It’ll be a slow process but eventually through attrition those that don’t see Kaepernick as the catalyst of our offensive problems that he his will be forced to when everyone else they’ve blamed is no longer around.

            1. I think this team has endured more than its share of attrition this year, and a ‘credit’ going into next year hopefully has been earned….

        1. Yep, it sure is CfC.

          I find the accusations that all of the issues on this team are now directly a result of Baalke and the rest of the front office quite ridiculous.

    1. What I was thinking promote Fangio and promote Tomsula to D coordinator. But hoping for a offensive minded coach with experience.

      1. I’d rather keep Jimmy where he is, and promote Donatell to DC if Fangio is made head coach. Not going to happen because Fangio tells it like it is and sometimes that hurts fragile egos….

          1. Don’t forget. When AD first got to the team he kinda sucked pretty hard. Roman was 100% correct when he said it to him, the fact that Davis turned out to be a pretty good player and yet he’s crying about something that possibly motivated him to be the player he turned into shows how immature he really is.

            1. Don’t forget he was 20 years old as well and highly drafted. I highly doubt he attributes his development to Romans’ motivational sentence. Didn’t get the sense he was whining, rather pointing out the irony….

              1. The reasons for his struggles aren’t really the point. Roman was correct when he said it whether it was motivational or just being critical. For Davis to point out something that was said to him when he wasn’t playing particularly well as an example of Roman being a bad coach points far more to Davis’s character flaws then Roman’s coaching flaws.

              2. I don’t agree that it points to anything other than how funny Greg looks with his foot in his mouth. I imagine Baalke and his daughter share the same “character” flaws you assign to Anthony….

              3. You’re partially right, Baalke’s daughter does suffer from the same character flaw as Anthony, it’s called immaturity.

              4. When you get called into the Principal’s office or the police station one night you can come back and tell me just how far that apple rolled away from the tree.

              1. PFF grades for Davis’s first couple seasons:

                2010: overall: -22.5 pass:-16.8
                2011: overall: -11.7 pass:-13.3

                Clearly he was improving but yea, he sucked his first couple years especially in pass blocking.

        1. Not going to happen because Fangio tells it like it is and sometimes that hurts fragile egos….

          Like those in the 49ers front office.

  39. I suspect we’ll see a blow out today. Sad that it’ll easily be the best home performance of the season.

      1. If we lose I wonder how much we’d move up the board if much at all. 14 is already kinda high, /cry

        1. I think it’s a matter of possibly retaining the 14th position with a loss or perhaps sliding down four spots with a win….

          1. 14 to 18 isn’t as meaningful as 14 to 10 so I guess the win will be nice to finish the season with.

            1. It’s possible it could become meaningful if a guy like Fowler or Oakman were to be sitting there….

  40. Leave Fangio, Donatel and Tomsula right where they are and bring in Dirk Koetter as the HC and Marc Trestman as the OC.

      1. But does the front office want to do that? As much as it sickens me, I can see our front office hiring someone that will not utilize the strengths of the current personnel on offense.

      2. Tough to say when you consider a couple things; first the amount of change that is about to occur to the team as well as that despite the victories our offense has been nothing to write home about and one could make the argument that even during those wins the team wasn’t truly playing to the teams strengths.

        With all the flux that the key positions are about to experience who’s to say that our teams strengths aren’t about to change just as dynamically. In theory we could have a new starting QB, new pair of offensive guards, new receivers, new tight end and maybe even a new running back. We could practically have a completely different team on the field next spring and who’s to say those players wont be suited to Trestman’s offense. Who’s to say some of them aren’t already?

        Given how pedestrian our offense has been has the team truly been using the players to their strengths?

  41. Cohnie can sure dish them F grades out to management and team. So what’s he do now? Go after a little truth coming from a disgruntled player! heehee

  42. Baalke:
    Can’t draft offense. Thinks Parcells is a better follow than Walsh. Suffers from personality disorder.

    Roman:
    Can’t coach passing. Can’t get into a rhythm calling plays. Can’t adjust at halftime.

    Morton:
    Can’t develop WRs. Can’t teach route running.

    Harbaugh:
    Can’t see how his loyalty blinds him. Stubborn to a fault. Suffers from personality disorder.

  43. How often does partial retention of coaching staffs occur? I have no idea of actual numbers, but it seems uncommon in my memory. Tomsula being retained when Harbaugh arrived was a special case I thought. Like many here I admire Fangio’s work, but next HC may have his own ‘tree’ affiliations.
    I’d bet that early during the interview process the candidate will be asked who he might have tentatively lined up for his staff. Later in the process questions could be asked if that candidate would be interested in Fangio, Tomsula, Rathman etc.
    Just guessing; I’ve never actually been interviewed for an NFL Head Coach position, but I have stayed at….

    1. BT ..

      Love Tomsula.. but not sure if he’s HC
      material …

      (besides … think of what his first loss
      would do to his HC coaching record !)

  44. Does anyone remember a profile of harbaugh when he was first hired. Maybe by mm or mb. Talked about how much the family moved around with a coach for a dad. John h said it didn’t bother Jim that much because after a few years he’d used up all his friends anyway. Seems like this is just a continuation of an old pattern. Jj has been successful wherever he’s ben so he’s not afraid of change or of alienating his colleagues or superiors

    1. I remember that too, but a good time for that reminder. That’s similar to Parcells’ pattern; a bit ironic Trent didn’t forecast it.
      (Ah yes, and there’s some hindsight from me!)

  45. In all fairness to Anthony Davis, his views are echoed by many of us and the media; I’m sure many of his teammates share the same sentiments. And he’s entitled to his opinion.

    The issue, in my opinion, is that Roman is still employed by the 49ers; he’s a coach. No matter what we all think about him—even if Baalke feels the same—a coach should not be publicly bashed by a player. Let me rephrase that, a player should not publicly bash a coach without consequence. I’m not saying Davis should be fined or suspended or overly-punished, but by Baalke allowing that precedent to be set, it shows just how devoid of leadership the organization has.

    Sure, Harbaugh lost his team; he lost the trust and support of his bosses, too. We were ravaged by injuries and controversy. But the most troubling part of this season is how it’s all been managed. Jed York and Baalke have made me question the stability of the organization, as well as its ability to be decisive and hold a standard for the team and organizational structure: not addressing the Culliver situation over the offseason; same for Aldon; waiting until the end of the season to deal with McDonald; not doing anything to quell the on-going coaching rumors/controversy, even if just for PR sake; watching idly as the wheels fell off, thinking it would all just be attributed to their coach; and, now, Davis gets to suggest that one of the coaches will/should be on the streets in the not too distant future.

    1. h-mmm ..

      makes you wonder who .. in his right mind ..
      would wanna be the HC, under those circumstances ..

      Holmgren …. Shanny .. ??

      I bet that list is very short

      1. Maybe that’s why Tomsula ultimately gets the job. He might just be excited to get a coaching gig and stay with the personnel he’s already familiar with.

        1. You might be right, but would Fangio work for him when he was previously his boss? Initially, most people don’t like that and Fangio would have options.

      2. I would prefer Holmgren as HC but doubt that he will get along Baalke after a couple of seasons.

        The 49ers will likely sign a Josh McDaniel/Pep Hamilton type that can add a fresh scheme to the offense and work better with the younger players on the squad.

        I’ve always liked Chris Peterson (former Boise St. and now Washington HC) as a possible HC for the 49ers, but he recently signed a 5 yr deal with the Huskies.
        He’s run respectable and successful programs at Boise St. without the big university attraction to recruit the best high school players to Idaho.
        Peterson has been a very good underrated as well as under the radar coach.

  46. The Chiefs backup QB has thrown for more yards in a half than the 49ers starting QB could a week ago.

    1. Jack

      Harbaugh’s offense doesn’t feature passing plays from this century. His passing offense has never been higher than 27th. Don’t blame Alex and don’t blame Colin. This is all on Harbaugh.

  47. With a score of 20 to 7, Tampa Bay is taking it to NO. Would a demoralizing loss to TB cause NO to move on from Payton? If so, would York/Baalke be smart enough to try and hire Payton? For me, Payton as HC and Fangio as DC would be a “dream” team.

    1. cubus,
      Payton was charged as being complicit and consequently suspended by the league for the “hit for pay” case – in which some of their targets were 49er players.
      Hiring Payton just doesn’t shake well with me because of the that.

  48. “Execution”? Seriously? The failures of the 49ers have never been about execution by the players, but rather lack of execution in playcalling and play design by the coaching staff.

  49. Excellent read

    49ers reflection. Bland as of late. Actually looks highly likely, now, just after reading the webzone that Harbaugh departure is eminent. Crab is out, high, very high probability. But mostly smoke. Waiting game.

    My personal pick to follow Harbaugh act with is…

    Yeap. The reality has set in that after breathing oxygen under Harbaugh umbrella, will the incoming person be able to become anywhere as near a good coach Harbaugh-Vangio tandem of leader-strategist coaching team.

    Roman is seemingly hearin too much clatter, its been news and advent team fans can read the writing on the wall. Now the depressing part. Or merely putting probabilities, in my calculation, since the variables are murky an as good an expert as any, good 4 percent probability that Baalke is ousted. A very bad thing if many agree that Baalke is here to stay. i.e. 96% probability that the man who is the problem will be the helmsman, that is if Harbaugh was the solid as Oak and Baalke is weary. Afterall, he is saying that he got these guy, the coaching staff, all the necessary talent to succeed by the stance, his stand on things, in general attitude.

    Bad if Pete Carrol is out there applauding you while your team is waving you out the door. Because, an advent fan that I am, knows that Harbaugh is a religious sort of a man and if this is another arrow pointing to any direction, it is :

    (So here is the bad) which could really happen, this is anexpert analysis and not some rubbish that anyone can refute. Anthony Davis talking shi.. AHHAh all BAD. Again the virtues man plot seems to be in the making and what is brewing is Harbaugh ending up delivering wherever he goes. But, that’s not all. Who cares if Harbaugh is mediocre at Mich. If the 49ers suck, Harbaugh gets the last laugh. The pious man scenario plays out and faith lends Harbaugh success while distrust is likely to permeate 9ers with the void that Harbaugh’s departure creates, dark days that only a saint like Nolan lifted as out of(personal respect, another era that I can blabber on and on about and with passion defend Nolan)… and a saint, a mean saint but a saint nonetbeless, could be Harbaugh? Right. deliverd us (or the 9ers) on the highest stage(Yep Just saw Moses’ Exodus, and fiction is probably better but excellent storytelling, solid 8) He gave us the glimpse of glory, and for that 9er nation is thankfull.

    Now, even if there is 15 percent chance that Balkee is fired (its not, Balkee leaving should be entered with low probability ) There is 85% chance that we are letting the wrong guy go.

    And the good could be limitless. But if Baalke kept him, As long as we could have kept Harbaugh, the potential damage didn’t seem so glaring going into off season. But lets wait and see, its 9ers move. Baalke is in the spot light.

  50. Some interesting developments going on in the early games……. Raiders can bump up a couple of slots if TB and JAX win. I was hoping Harbaugh was going to go to the Raiders, due to the potential to turn things around there pretty quick as the 49ers did (49ers had talent, Raiders have cap space and picks) and keep the circus in town.

    I think Tomsula gets the job, which makes things interesting w Fangio. I hope they keep the balance of staff, absent Roman whom I assume will go w Harbaugh. I think it would be wise to bring in a bridge “consultant” like Holmgren. The Fangio situation and what they do at OC are the keys to me- I liked the idea of the spread formation this year…… it wasn’t effective, which may be due in large part to Kap, but it beat running into 8 man fronts all day…….. my $.02. I remain optimistic for next season and look forward the draft discussion.

    Congrats to Rocket for presumably winning the yahoo pick em pool.

  51. Just heard on the radio something like “once Kaepernick figures out footwork, quick release, dropback, vision, timing, pre-snap reads, accuracy and clock management he’ll be fine.”

    At what point do we stop calling a player that’s 27 years old, in his 4th season, starting his 46th game “kid?”

  52. Maybe getting Harbaugh out while destroying this season was a ploy by Trent to get the Niner’s into higher draft pick position. He hasn’t really done well with the lower first round picks that the high win Niners have afforded them. He would certainly look better getting the higher choices under the rebuilding process. LOL.

    Perhaps Trent bet York one dollar that he could do both.

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