The Niners

[obiken]

They have one of the best WR's in the league, one of the top TE's, Hyde and Gore together should be ripping defenses up, and the Qb is according to all experts is in the top 10. So why is their offense more dysfunctional than ours? I don't know. It doesn't make sense. BUT I AM HAPPY ABOUT IT!!

[Zorn76]

Their OC, Jerry Roman, is terrible.
He makes Darrell Bevell look like Chip Kelly.
It's been an issue since Harbaugh got there and hired his staff.
The first 3 yrs they got by with his philosophy, because they had a great defense.
Now, it ain't working, coupled with all the injuries they've had.

I think the players also know, deep down, that Harbaugh is essentially a lame duck coach at this point.
The likelihood that he returns next season (though he is under contract for 2015), is about 10%, IMO.

Bar area media down here where I live is basically saying that he's gone, with a decent chance that he lands in Oakland, where he has ties to the Davis family.

There has been no communication between Jed York and JH since that tweet was sent out (the tweet also appeared on the Jumbo screen at the stadium soon after game's end).

In short,
he's toast.

This also brings into question Kaep's future with the team, along with the possibility for significant FA losses since many players probably won't want to stick around for another rebuild or new regime.

[RiverDog]

I wouldn't say that Boldin is one of the best WR's in the league. He's not a #1 that's on the same plane as a Megatron or Dez Bryant. And of course, as I once heard someone say, Crabtree is 'mediocre.' I agree with Zorny about Roman. He's horrible. That offense was about as vanilla as they come, and even though it was Week 13, his playbook looked to be about two pages long. The offensive line has had their problems and Kaepernick has not progressed like they had hoped.

The Niners are getting old, plus this thing with Harbaugh can't be good for morale. They've also lost some key players on defense. The rest of the league is catching up with them. Ours will, too, eventually. The Niners have averaged 12 wins per season for 3 straight years and they're due for a let down. Not many teams can maintain that pace for more than 3 straight years in this day and age of parity.

[wait_a_sec]

Maybe because the QB, the leader of a team, has the mentality of a 9 year old? Would love to do a parallel cut sequnce between him and RW during a post game interview.

[RiverDog]

Maybe because the QB, the leader of a team, has the mentality of a 9 year old? Would love to do a parallel cut sequnce between him and RW during a post game interview.

Niner fans will counter that Kaepernick had a higher Wonderlic than Russell did, but I don't know where they're getting their info as Wonderlic results weren't released starting the year Kaep and Wilson entered the draft.

Nevertheless, the game does seem to be a bit beyond Colin and there's little doubt that Russell has mastered his part.

[monkey]

This nicely sums up the trouble with the Niners

[monkey]

Maybe because the QB, the leader of a team, has the mentality of a 9 year old? Would love to do a parallel cut sequnce between him and RW during a post game interview.

Funny you mentioned that, I pointed out to my brother the huge disparity between their Thanksgiving comments.
Colin Fumblepick basically said he was thankful for family and other people who support him who have his back. He came across, even in an interview about being thankful, as someone who is completely self focused.
Wilson was thankful for having a mother and father who instilled their values into him. His focus was completely different, it wasn't all about ME ME ME it was, all about what his parents did for him, that enabled him to get where he is now.

[Hawk Sista]

Wonderlic test results can be found on the Internet fairly easily. Kap did out score RW, for that matter, Blaine Gabbert scored higher than anyone else (I think) but his "intellect" doesn't translate to the field. RW and Peyton are tied and Eli scored 10 points higher.

I understand using an intelligence test of this sort as another thing to consider (the really low scores might scare me off). It does not, however, point to how fast one can process at NFL game speed.

[kalibane]

There are many factors that are contributing to the state of the Niners, none of which would be all that big a deal but together are starting to snowball. I do know one thing though.

It's become all the rage to pile on Greg Roman.... I don't see it. I don't think he's the best OC in the world but he's not the problem either. IMO he's been very creative over the course of his tenure. He was the guy who started using full house backfields, unbalanced lines, really diversifying the concept of a power running game (stuff that has been cribbed by a lot of other OCs lately) and sprinkling in the passing game where he could. He's being completely scapegoated IMO.

The #1 problem is and has always been his QB, (and to a lesser extent his WRs).

First he was saddled with Alex Smith who cannot reliably throw outside the numbers and is flat out scared at times to take shots down the field. The result is a bland, short to intermediate passing game solely inside the numbers with little to no big plays. In that situation opposing defenses don't fear leaving their corners outside playing one on one. They crowd the middle of the field and squeeze the areas that you can effectively produce offense.

Now he has an ungodly athletic phenom at QB who can make every throw on the planet but when under pressure still struggles getting through his progressions, and unlike RW is not accurate throwing on the run.

Kaepernick was a definite upgrade over Smith right up until this season when the best offensive line in football forgot how to block (run or pass). Kaepernick was making slow but steady progress at learning his progressions and so the plan was to start opening up the offense, and it made sense. Now the difference in poise between he and RW is really starting to manifest. He still doesn't have protection issues that RW has but more people are getting pressure on him this year and he just can't handle it. Even when he escapes he's erratic throwing the ball.

The WRs are good, not great by any stretch but a big physical group that can move the chains reliably. Just one problem. They are the type of WRs that are the easiest for Seahawk DBs to cover and erase. So now even if you can protect Kaep, and go 3 wide, guys still aren't getting open on the outside. They were really relying on Bruce Ellington to add a different dynamic to the passing game and he's been a no show. So with the OL no longer being a force of nature and WRs not able to get open the whole 3 wide thing which on paper was indeed a smart idea, just isn't working out in practice.

Further complicating things is the plain nature of Jim Harbaugh, who I can remember being considered very intense going all the way back to his playing days in Chicago. That kind of intensity has a shelf life (See Bill Parcels). It wears on people and sooner or later a change of scenery is needed.

Exacerbating the natural wear of Harbaugh's intensity that creates friction with Baalke is Jed York being sneaky tyranical. He grew up in the shadow of the DeBartolo/Policy/Walsh era pre salary cap where dynasties were a reality and doesn't understand why Harbaugh hasn't won a Super Bowl yet. It's like he's forgotten how bad the Niners were pre-Harbaugh even though the majority of the talent that they have now was already in place when Harbaugh got there. He's impatient and he wants to win, and he doesn't want to reward Harbaugh for being one of the top 5 coaches in the league (which make no mistake, he is) unless he's won a trophy. This obviously doesn't sit well with Harbaugh who is already a little petulant by nature.

Then on top of all that Harbaugh's biggest rival from the college ranks comes into the same division at roughly the same time and even though the 49ers were ahead of the Seahawks at the time, the Seahawks have proceeded to pass the 49ers and actually win a Superbowl. This basically twists the knife on two fronts. It personally frustrates Harbaugh and also helps reinforce York's misplaced belief that Harbaugh definitely should have won a Superbowl, because duh... Pete Carroll did it, why can't Harbaugh?

Now you have a banged up defense who was already very suspect in the secondary when healthy so they are no longer dominant, and offensive line that's no longer dominant. So the running game and defense are no longer guaranteed to keep you in a game. Kaep has regressed (since the preseason even) because he's not getting enough protection and has gone right back to being one read Charlie, and the head coach and front office are not on the same page.

This is the recipe for a proud franchise crumbling. And no... that's not on Greg Roman no matter how much SF fans want to blame him.

[Futureite]

My opinion;

The O is slow and antiquated. It takes damn near 30 seconds between each play. There is far too much shifting, "reading", and analyzing for even one simple play. The result is an O that never gets in rhythm. WRs miss easy receptions. Linemen miss easy blocks. QB misses easy reads. It's all part of it. Any good O has a crispness and a fluidity to it - a pace. A rhythm with which it operates. Think Mike Holmgren and Hasselbeck. Ours is like firing up an old Ford Fairlane and waiting for it to warm up. Half the time it doesn't. And when it finally does, it stalls out at a red light. It is hard for me to believe we dribble the playclock down to 1 second every snap. It's like we untentionally destroy our own rythm. It is an emberrassing O to watch plod along every week.

[Futureite]

Wonderlic test results can be found on the Internet fairly easily. Kap did out score RW, for that matter, Blaine Gabbert scored higher than anyone else (I think) but his "intellect" doesn't translate to the field. RW and Peyton are tied and Eli scored 10 points higher.

I understand using an intelligence test of this sort as another thing to consider (the really low scores might scare me off). It does not, however, point to how fast one can process at NFL game speed.

Greg Cosell has studied NFL Film for 20 yrs. Brent Jones was on KNBR radio the other day and stated that Cosell has more knowledge than himself or anyone watching. In comparing Wilson and Kaep last weekend, Cosel stated, and I quote:

"Seattle has run a rudementary offense for several yrs. They depend on Russel Wilson's improvisation to generate a pass game. Sometimes it works, sometimes it does not. Is it sustainable? I believe a QB must learn to play FROM THE POCKET to have longterm success in this league".

His words, not mine. But echoes exactly what I've said here many times. The "one guy is smart the other isn't" mantra isn't supported at all by what your O coordinator asks RW to do. And it never was. He is not now nor ever was "processing" anything at an exceptionally high rate, as prob 80% of his production was built off improvisation (listed below) or deep shot playaction balls which many times were only 1 or 2 man routes. And remember when you all jumped on me for claiming RW throws a ton of screens and outlets? What did he do Thursday:

Screen for a TD.

Lil flip out to Moeaki for a 50+ yd gain after he kept our D running for a good 10 seconds.

These are the things he does well and always has. What he does not do exceptionally well is sit in a pocket, read a D and methodically pick it apart. There is zero evidence that he is any better at that or well versed than Kap is in that department, or a lot of other QBs for that matter.

You hate me because I understand football and I speak the truth. You read things I post here and then months later knowledgeable football people echoe them in national media or they are borne out in fact. Remember when you "LOL'd" my statements that our O was too complicated? Well what are people everywhere saying now?? Yep. The 49er O is too complicated, has too many "offensive consultants" (12 I believe), has too much verbiage, etc.

Don't hate the player hate the game. I only speak the truth.

[kalibane]

Ron Jaworski has studied film for 20 plus years and proclaimed that Aaron Rodgers was only the third best QB in the league, that Matt Schaub was a better QB than Ryan Tannehill, Eli Manning is a top 10 QB and that Kaepernick was poised to become one of the best ever before he even managed to get past his first read.

There you go with your classic find one guy who agrees with me and call it the truth manifesto. And trying to repeat your stupid screen theory even after I destroyed that argument this summer by showing the exact percentage of yards that come from screens in Seattle (One of the lowest in the league, lower than Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck).

You don't speak the truth Future. You decide on an opinion that you think sounds reasonable and then you go and hunt to find some talking head that will back you up. I mean wow, a guy came on a local SF radio show hosted by a former 49er and said something unflattering about the 49ers biggest rival? Shocking... truly shocking.

Do you think that at any point in the near future you not being a tool is in the cards? You said you were over the back and forth trash talk after the 49ers got spanked. How about for once you mean it because it's pathetic watching you constantly trying to pull Wilson down to Kaep's level simply because Kaep isn't progressing like you thought he would.

[Hawktown]

Ron Jaworski has studied film for 20 plus years and proclaimed that Aaron Rodgers was only the third best QB in the league, that Matt Schaub was a better QB than Ryan Tannehill, Eli Manning is a top 10 QB and that Kaepernick was poised to become one of the best ever before he even managed to get past his first read.

There you go with your classic find one guy who agrees with me and call it the truth manifesto. And trying to repeat your stupid screen theory even after I destroyed that argument this summer by showing the exact percentage of yards that come from screens in Seattle (One of the lowest in the league, lower than Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck).

You don't speak the truth Future. You decide on an opinion that you think sounds reasonable and then you go and hunt to find some talking head that will back you up. I mean wow, a guy came on a local SF radio show hosted by a former 49er and said something unflattering about the 49ers biggest rival? Shocking... truly shocking.

Do you think that at any point in the near future you not being a tool is in the cards? You said you were over the back and forth trash talk after the 49ers got spanked. How about for once you mean it because it's pathetic watching you constantly trying to pull Wilson down to Kaep's level simply because Kaep isn't progressing like you thought he would.

YEAH! the whole quote but mainly the bold!!!

I am truly embarrassed for you FUTURE. You are so full of nonsense.

[Hawk Sista]

I don't hate you, future... I feel sorry for you and to my discredit, you irritate me.

For whatever Russell is or isn't, he IS a Super Bowl winning QB, he isn't a guy who choked the ball to the wrong team several times in the 4th q of the NFCCG & he is a guy who does what it takes to win most often. Despite Cosell's comments, & really - how sweet of you to drop in and share them, I think I'll stick w/ our guy.

[HumanCockroach]

This is back to a Wilson vs. Kaep debate. Why? One continues to find ways to win, thbe other not so much. Whether it be rudimentory offense, or magic pixie dust, simply doesn't change a thing. Let the talking heads chatter away, I'll stick with the winning QB thank you very much. I could care less what some guy comes on the radio and says about Wilson. He has "it" and it isn't rocket science to see "it" and acknowledge "it". People that "know" football see "it" and I could list literally HUNDREDS of "expert" football people that acknowledge that Wilson has the qualities necessary to do what IS important , namely WIN football games. Whether he has the stats football rubes want or not dude rises to the occation, and WINS more often than not. More often than Luck, more often than Kaep, more often than just about ANY QB in HISTORY after 2 seasons.

Wilson IS special, and anyone claiming otherwise, does NOT "know" football.

[NorthHawk]

The questions about Wilson and ability of throwing from the pocket will continue until he plays in a system that gives him that chance.
Until then, people will question his ability. They won't look deeper than the immediate surface or watch a little of their games and then form opinions they won't back down from until proven differently. That's just the way it is in this world.