Sorry, Yoko.
Game #9 of the season is here, the bye week and break is over, and the team has re-tooled with the addition of Aldon Smith, Mario Manningham, Eric Wright, and Tank Carradine. Aldon Smith likely comes in as a situational pass rusher, so he’ll get some snaps on defense. 15-20 I’d think. Unless Carolina gets pass happy. The rest? Not sure. I’d like to think super Mario gets some serious playing time as the Niners are going to need to throw the ball to get the run game going. And they need more than VD and Boldin to get the passing game going. If the Niners can get the passing game going early, that should open up the run game.
Carolina for their part plays defense much like the Niners. They rely on their front seven to control the game. They don’t blitz very much, and they stop the run an good as anyone without having to stack the line. They maintain their gaps and fill the running lanes. Which is why I think the Niners need to pass early to open things up. Carolina often only rushes 4 and covers with 7 so it is imperative that the Niners get people open. Miller has been serving well as a check down safety valve type guy recently, and we have Manningham back. Carol hasn’t faced a mobile QB like Kappy, and Carol’s star LB Luke Keuchly has been burned a couple times on seam routes, so the chances should be there.
I don’t think this one will be easy, but we are coming off our break, and they are traveling across the country. Niners win going away.
Forty Niners Forever 
What hurt today was, we passed when Down and Distance dictated that we had to.
Carolina pinned their ears back and destroyed our OLine too often because of it.
I’m fine with going into a Dome next week, especially following a loss like this one.
Gives us a chip, and a chance, to work again in a loud hostile environment.
Nothing more motivating than getting kicked in the nootz in your own building.
I’ll call it BYE Week Rust.
I’m now pulling for Detroit and Dallas to win their Divisions.
2 Dome Teams that won’t scare anyone in a Playoff Rd.
Ain’t over yet, we need to handle our business and get this OLine and WR situation solidified.
Plenty of time to get it fixed.
Hats off to Carolina. Tough D.
Our Offense was the problem today.
The absolute quandary to me is the complete lack of offensive production from the WRs. Beyond that, the Niners have NO timing plays, and rarely throw slants. They do very little to take the pressure off Kappy when teams like Carol pressure him. Every fucking play takes the full 25 seconds to get off, and there’s no up tempo or urgency to them. No huddle? Seriously? Quick snap? Right. At this point I don’t know who to blame for this abject futility in the passing game. The schemes to me look bad. At least in the AZ game I saw live, VD got clear enough to get targeted.
Yep, I’ve been lobbying for a No Huddle, up tempo game myself.
Too many pre snap adjustments, taking too much time to get started.
DLine sees the play clock too. Can’t sneak up on anyone when the clock doesn’t help your Offense out.
Better to march into NO with a bitter taste in our mouths perhaps?
See how they recover.
Manningham grabbed a nice slant pass to move the chains today.
He’s knocking off the rust and will be for a couple of more weeks at least.
He and Crabtree will greatly improve the intermediate passing game when they get back into the fold.
We still lack a deep threat.
Hoping Patton and/or Baldwin can provide some help there in December.
NJ, I wish I shared your optimism. Frankly I don’t see us matching NO’s firepower. I’m starting to lose my faith In this offensive game planning.
All that adjusting doesn’t do shit. And that’s my problem with it. It seems to be kill kill kill and run up the middle with Gore.
This game kinda reminded me of the Raider game last week. A statement game that we didn’t come through on. Tough defenses are stopping the run and stopping this offense.
We were running very well on a very tough front early today Chuck.
They got away from it.
We lost by 1 to solid Defensive Unit.
We can go toe to toe with anyone on the ground.
From here until the December Run, we need to find some sort of spark in the passing game.
Apples and oranges, to a degree–SF lost by one point to a half-assed mediocre team while the Raiders were destroyed by one. With a backup QB who looked like Joe Fucking Montana.
I agree with NoFear49er regarding the Vernon injury too.
Vance had a nice seam pass pulled from him too.
Vance is coming along but, he’s no Vernon Davis in terms of speed.
Really wished we had Baldwin in this game. A tall target in an otherwise short Secondary could have been a factor.
Time to put this baby to rest and prepare for 2 Road games now.
My considered analysis, based upon a gridiron acumen carefully crafted and honed over a long lifetime of NFL viewing experience, leads me to one and only one expert opinion:
BURN THE FREAKIN VID!
The Superdome will.be an entirely different environment. A big time passer in Brees. Guys who can really scoot in Sproles and Colston, and a racetrack posing as a football field…
It is custom made for 1st down medium/long balls, 2nd down Gore gashes up the middle, and 3rd down screens. Guys getting the ball in space can change the momentum of a game in a big hurry.
Forget the Panthers even exist. For now.
We return to the venue of our MOST disappointing loss in years RT.
We face a Rob Ryan Defense too.
We can run.
We can Defend the Pass.
We’re on a mission to redeem ourselves.
Keep the faith.
We needed a wake up perhaps?
Ain’t over yet.
It just got a little tougher to catch Seattle at this point.
You would bring up THAT game. Now I’ve got to go
kick my stuffed field goal kicker doll.
Never FORGET RT.
Adversity is the ultimate motivator.
The Saints are tough.
I just think we’re up to the challenge.
Injuries from today’s game will be a big factor if they don’t heal up before next Sunday.
Crossing fingers, and whatever else I can think of, to get us ready for battle.
When the going gets tough…..
The Tough get going.
Let’s hope our walking wounded recover in time to help put this thing back on the tracks.
Niners in Nola? Well, any given Sunday and all but…no chance.
Yeah, I’m pretty much resigned to the fact that this team is losing it’s way. If they can’t generate any sustained passing, they can’t expect to beat strong offenses.
I really thought they’d have something that resembles an NFL passing game today, but they don’t.
There were a lot of drops and bad throws and a lot of pressure. CK7 launched a 30 yarder toward Boldin on the first series and put it right on the Carolina cornerback. The Carolina D had our o-line and CK7 on their heels all day. The coaches might have called some better plays to beat the pressure but the o-line was pretty much useless. As was James in picking up blitzers. One thing about deep throws is it takes a few of seconds to get a guy deep. How many plays did Kaepernick have a few seconds? Without Vernon and without protection I’d say the play card was pretty limited.
Kudos to the newbies on defense today though. Dorsey, Skuta and Jerod-Eddie especially looked like he could play at end and nose. Dobbs, too. Hell, even Dahl off the bench helped out “Hitner” and the boys in the secondary. Not all bad news.
Defense was outstanding NoFear49er.
Surprised somewhat that both Tank and QDial were inactive myself, but yeh, the rotational guys played well.
Whitner and NaVorro both had turnovers in their hands and let’m get away.
Oh what could’ve been I guess?
Offense was offensive today.
I’ll attribute it to BYE week rust at this point.
Always hate the flip side of getting rested. It has a knack for throwing off the timing which is critical to making plays IMO.
Good to see Mario making a contribution again however.
Agree completely regarding the OLine. Kaep had little to no time to execute with any confidence.
Just wasn’t our day.
Hats off to Carolina’s D.
I also think our WR problems are part coaching.
How do 2 guys get into the same area at the end of the game when Kaep threw the game killing pick?
Didn’t record the game to go back to see who was there with Mario but, I gotta figure he didn’t belong there.
Kaep also should’ve seen (Bruce?) underneath but, time outs were gone and, Carolina knew the sideline throws were coming.
Fact is, Kaep underthrew him anyway.
Again, all around stinker from the boys on O.
I’m just going to count things off the top of my head in no particular order. Just leave me be. Thanks…
1. Jim Harbaugh is an arrogant and self-righteous asshole who has every cent of comeuppance headin’ his way…
2. Jim Harbaugh allows his self-righteousness to seep into his offensive philosophy and play calling and it only drags him and our team further down the rabbit hole. Alice!
3. Jim Harbaugh continues, CONTINUES to defy the current trend of the NFL and its nature of being a PASSING league by sticking to his Bo Schembechler Big 10 roots of “3 yds and a cloud of dust” philosophy.
4. Fuck you, Bo Schembechler.
5. Fuck you, Bo Schembechler Jr.
6. THROW THE GODDAMN BALL!
7. Colin Kaepernick does not represent this franchise well enough. Not in my mind.
8. Bring back Steve Young to represent. He’s a good man. I’d allow him to marry my daughter.
9. Watching this team play football is no longer fun. It’s a chore. Fuck you for making me feel that way.
10. Seriously. Fuck you Harbaugh and Co. for making me hate you. I truly despise you and the 49ers. But I have no choice but to root for you and stick by your side. We’re joined at the hip. You’re my family. Just like I, and everyone else, we have no choice in the matter who are parents are, we share the same blood. But that doesn’t mean we have to love ’em. In fact, most of us at some point wanted them dead. Well, I want you dead right now 49ers. You make me sick.
11. 11? Fucking #11? Eleven. Someone please make it all go away. I can’t take it any more.
Del, I think Jim is handcuffed without a viable set of reliable WRs at his disposal.
Take away Anquan and Vernon, which most teams do, we’re below average.
Kaep was hurried and harrassed all afternoon, no thanks to an OLine still trying to figure out what hit ’em and from where.
Carolina got a sack from a free runner in the Secondary. Who does that?
They blew up the interior of our OLine all afternoon.
When the OTs rode their guys around the edge Kaep couldn’t step up on many occassions.
Yeh, we miss Steve but, Kaep will get there. He’s still a pup.
See the upside and remember your buddy Alex’s short comings.
Harbaugh will get him thinking and reacting quicker as things develop.
The entire Offense sucked sack today.
We’re now playing for a Wild Card Seed, unless we get some major breaks with Seattle’s opponents lending a hand.
It’s OK to vent Del, don’t hate. We have time to get our Vet WRs into the mix.
STAY THIRSTY, DENNIS!
Youse guys are completely missing the point.
It was the curse of TO.
Ditto RT.
That, and FOX introducing our OLine with Anthony Dixon’s mug in place of Anthony Davis.
Might explain why Davis sh!t the bed on more than a few occassions?
When you get knocked down… you have to get back up. SWINGING.
In conclusion: A LOUD BLEEP for this piss poor game!
NJ, it was KW who was there with Manningham on the pick. Yeah ugly play all around. McDonald was wide open underneath and would have easily gotten OB on the play. The point being, they didn’t need a home run there. They just needed to get in FG range. Kappy also missed Manningham in the end zone on the play that VD got hurt. Yeah, woulda coulda shoulda, but Kappy needs to read through his progressions. And put the ball where it can be caught easier. He almost killed Hunter on a swing pass that he couldn’t gather in and got blasted. Kappy got very skittish, and rightfully so, but he’s got to work on accuracy under pressure. THe play calling gets very schizo at times. We had 2nd and one a few times and couldn’t convert.
It just seemed that Carlina knew exactly what we were going to do. 2nd one one, on the read option to Gore, Keppy keeps it and the d lineman is left unblocked for a 6 yard loss. False start, 3rd and 12. Gore gets 11 on a 4 yard pass. Punt.
It’s the lack of adjustug that kills me. Time and time again, when this team is facing relentless pressure, they don’t go up-tempo or speed the game up. ONE slant. And it worked. The thing I always liked about Walsh was if he found a play that worked, he’d go to it 4-5 moretimes in the game. Or more. Until they proved they could stop it.
Chuck,
Surely, we have seen this before, as in:
Vikings, Rams and Giants, all 2012 season
The Niners entering the game, looking like world beaters, running into an opponent that appears to be a step ahead. It cannot be the QB alone because that has changed.
So, it would seem systemic…..a slow lumbering offense that can put-up 30 points when it catches up an opponent off guard or a weak defense, but against a team that has an above average front 7, sputters and is unable to adjust.
Add in the missing personnel and a QB who is struggling against a solid Carolina defense and the results were ugly. Heck even Hostler, Jimmy Raye and Mike Johnson, did not field a pass offense that netted 46 yards, and they had much lesser talent to work with.
Anyways, onto the Superdome, where Brees and Payton await, having feasted on the Cowboys, and plotting revenge for the past two losses. If the Niners are to get a win, it will have to be the same formula that worked against the Saints, the past two times: turnovers, a heavy dose of Frank and hope that the passing game is functional to keep drives alive…..or, sadly, it could be a beatdown.
242 yards rushing
393 yards passing
625 total yards – franchise record
40 first downs – all time NFL record
49 points
Forget the Raiders. Can the Niners play the Cowboys this week? Every week?
Could be a great chance for the Niners to catch the Saints recovering from their hangover.
Their winning hangover?
Cowboy D is as soft as putty. At least the Niners play tough.
Don’t bother me right now. I’m doing my prep work for the Dolphins-Bucs game.
Do you think a sixer between now and kickoff will be enough, or should I switch to JD?
Keenan Allen: 38 recepts, 14.9 avg, 3 TDs.
Kyle Williams et al. Bupkus…
Congrats to the Bucs for their very first win over those classy Dolphins.
In the words of my favorite President,
“Bully!”