Not that this will happen, but I get the sense around here that a lot of people won’t be particularly enthralled with this Super Bowl. And truth be told, I can’t see scalpers getting ANY action to sit in the freezing rain to watch this game. Leave it t0 Goodie Goodell to be so bold as to schedule a championship game in the beautiful winter of New Jersey. Governor Chris Christie is doing his part to help things along by putting a stranglehold on foot traffic to the stadium. If you are lucky enough to stay at a hotel next to Metlife Stadium, you can’t walk the quarter mile to the game. Your choices are getting a $150.00 parking pass, or taking a shuttle Seacaucus, buying a $51.00 bus ticket, and going back right where you started. So, you can drive a quarter mile for $150.00 or take a $51.00 3 minute bus ride. All in the name of security. Funny thing is, the NFL provides $0.00 for the security effort. Instead, they leave that up to the local loan sharks, uh, politicians to work out the logistics. So the city, county, and state taxpayers that pay for the security get hosed by their representatives, get gouged to park, and can’t walk to the game.
Beyond that, there’s a certain amount of who-gives-a-shit ness to this Super Bowl, at least in the Bay Area. Sure, there are some misguided Raider fans that would like to see nothing more than Peyton Manning’s head knocked clean off, but for the most part the Seahawks are teamona non grata around here. Frankly, they are pretty much disliked around the country. Richard Sherman did his team no favors with his ‘LOOK-AT-THE-GREATNESS-OF-ME!’ rant after the NFC Championship Game. And all the blather afterwards just made people across the country turn a jaundiced eye to the cheap-talking blowhards that are Pete Carroll and the Seahawks. True or not, that is the perception.
So what does it all mean? Well, I think this may affect the numbers/viewership of this game. The shitty weather and the fact that the Seahawks are either thought of as punks, or not thought of at all, will drive this game down in the ratings. The playoffs were a HUGE success ratings wise, but this looks to be a bit of a clunker. Sure, it’s a battle of the best offense vs the best defense, but 80% of the people watching the Super Bowl don’t know or care about that. Give them something like Niners/Denver, and the ratings would be much higher I’d think. Two storied franchises with 14 Super Bowls between them (had the Niners made it), Elway/Montana, yadda yadda yadda. Seattle? Grunge, plaid shirts, and slugs. No one gives a shit.
As bad as the NFCCG hurt, and as much as I wanted to see the Niners bury Peyton Manning and Co (I’ve hated the Broncos since the Craig Morton days), I’ll probably watch this game. Comnpletely rooting for Peyton Manning, of course. What about you guys? I’m sure you’ll watch some of it. If only for the commercials.
My hope? Yes, this sucked, but the Niners will win, Super Bowl IL (or is it XLIX?), Illin’ or Xlixin’ either way sounds pretty sick . . . AND they will win Super Bowl L in their new digs to be the first home team to win their Super Bowl since the Niners beat Miami in Super Bowl XIX at Stanford. Anyone here go to that game? Just watched the highlights of it last night. Beautiful stuff. Eric Wright’s int as the ball whistles through the fog was epic.
Forty Niners Forever 
Alex Smith is CBSSports.com’s Comeback Player of the Year..
Some expect him to receive a 6 year deal for about 90 millon with about 35 mill guaranteed. The 15 mill per year would be right about what Rivers makes, the guaranteed money slightly more than Big Ben.
http://tinyurl.com/l7lypt4
So I’d expect that Kap receives something along those lines but with more guaranteed money…unless they wait until the 2015 off season, which could cost them Flacco money- or more if they win it all.
The Super Bowl? I want the team that beat us to win it all. Seattle 20-17. Sherman? I couldn’t care less.
By 2015 off season, I mean early 2015, after the 2014/2015 season is done.. Get us some rain, the ants are a constant battle. I’m considering the crabs option.Set fire to half of the house and get ’em when they go to the other side.
More on Manning, Smith, Kap from Tim Kawakami @ Merc News: Have we signed CK yet?
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/kawakami/2014/01/28/when-the-49ers-chased-peyton-manning-with-alex-smith-and-colin-kaepernick-on-the-roster-and-what-it-means-now/#more-21607
All I get out of that is that the Browns took Weeden before RW and Foles.
That should come as no surprise to anyone huh?
The Browns are toiling in anonimity for a reason.
For me, a GM makes or breaks a franchise.
Like Jerruh bringing in another OC to assist the OC.
Now Callihan has to compete with Linehan to improve the Romo to Dez experience.
Classic entertainment from the Master Puppeteer.
It’s old history but reinforces the points we’re better off with Kap, our brain trust is mercenary re: QBS = if there is an upgrade out there we’ll go for it, trade for it and that we really really wanted Manning. Who I’m glad we didn’t get.
” I may have said Smith should have kept his job, but I was wrong. Where were you? Blowing smoke and saying nothing. Per your usual schtick. ”
Hardly, you just don’t read very well when you’re not the topic.
At the time 12th man, for one, and I had a few discussions on CK7 taking over. 12th man was in your camp and my position was that CK7 would and should keep his job. Sorta like you said Garrett was gone in Dallas. I’m guessing 12th man’s memory is better than yours here.
Keep plugging away with your bullshit. Most folks apparently buy it just cuz.
My recollection is that up until the Ram game I was for Alex to remain the starter. Although I was no big fan of his he was playing at a decent level, very efficient, and the Niners were winning. During the Kap second half I told my buddies at our sports bar that Alex probably won’t see the field again.
It’s common for the back up to come on in place of the starter and do well, the D has no film or tendencies to work off, but Kap was more than just a good reliever and I could see that. I wrote something along those lines at Skeebs blog at the time, heresy I know. I wrote it here too.
After the Bears game I was all in with Kap. The “controversy” went on for weeks but for my money there was none.
So I’m to be blamed foir Jerry Jones’ idiocy? Got it. And Romo didn’t lose that game vs Denver. And he’s worth every penny of his 6 year, $108 mill extension. Even though Dallas hasn’t won a playoff game, or even BEEN in the playoffs since 2009.
This year was interesting watching Alex Smith from afar (which is much more desirable…. and palpable). Alex Smith showed me in Kansas City that basically he is who I thought he is, but a little better – so I let him off the hook. However, that “little better” still isn’t enough to win a Super Bowl with.
Personally, I was shocked that Andy Reid ponied up two picks for Smith. In retrospect, I think the 49ers might have kept Smith and stashed him behind Kaep for a least one year. We could have afforded it last year (even though we now get a credit towards this year’s cap by being under the cap in ’13 – we wouldn’t have if Smith and his salary were on the team in ’13). No way we could afford a pricey backup in ’14. Smith would have hit the market, and Andy could have gotten his guy for less. Hindsight…
I think the Chiefs would have been better if they had tried to lure Nick Foles away from Philly, or brought in a veteran – even a rookie to bridge the one year, Smith as a backup in SF, gap. But Andy did what ultimately cost Andy his job in Philly – get his team through the regular season and flop in the post season. Alex Smith and Andy Reid are a good fit, and I don’t mean that Alex can’t win playoff games like Andy Reid can’t. Alex is 1-3. He beat the Saints as a Niner (at home with the Saints turning the ball over 5 times).
In comparison, Kaepernick is 4-2 in his young career, with 2 huge loses. I don’t put the Super Bowl loss on Kaep. I think Harbaugh had his team too tight, and they performed accordingly. But I do put the Seattle loss on Kaep’s head. Not that I wanted to face the Broncos without Iupati and Bowman, but Kaep did lose that game. Hopefully that makes him more hungry and better in the long run.
Smith to KC is now water under the bridge, and I wish him well with definite skepticism regarding future playoff performances. The question now is Kaep’s contract. I think the 49ers should sign Kaep to a long term deal today, but I’d beat him up in the negotiations if he wasn’t willing to sign at a huge discount. In the NFL today elite qbs are getting huge dollar amounts that ultimately, because of a low salary cap, make the team behind the highly paid “elite qb” much weaker. Joe Flacco’s deal was a joke. Tony Romo? Dallas will never win playoff games.
Kaep needs to realize he’s not elite, yet. He needs to realize he isn’t a pocket passer, yet. He needs to be paid like a kid that can’t go through his progressions, still gets radar lock on a receiver, still can’t manipulate defenses at the line of scrimmage pre snap. Kaep has a lot to learn, and to combat this, to make sure the 49ers stay competitive while he learns, Kaep needs to take less so the team around him is better. That case needs to made to Kaep and his agent through not only the 49ers’ front office, but also by the fans.
Kaep and his agent could make the case that in both season Kaep’s been the starter, he’s gotten his team to the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl – so he deserves to be paid like Peyton. However, that’s because the 49ers’ current roster is so talented. Alex Smith also got the 49ers to the NFC Championship game and I don’t think anyone is arguing that Alex Smith is elite. Take away Aldon and Crabtree and I don’t think Kaep makes the Super Bowl last year or the championship game this year.
I don’t even pretend to know what guys like Rogers, Brees, Brady and Peyton are getting paid each year. But Kaep shouldn’t get close to their salaries with his new deal, even though Kaep’s had playoff success, beating Rogers twice and getting further than Brady and Brees in both seasons he’s been at the helm. Again, it’s the team behind him.
Someone wrote that Kaep should get Jay Cutler numbers, and I think that’s about right. Kaep should look at the salary cap himself and create a yearly number that helps him compete for Super Bowls each year with good players around him. What if Russell Wilson wins the Super Bowl this year? I doubt he’ll be looking for Joe Flacco type numbers afterwards. I doubt Carroll would pay that. Kaep needs to consider the future Wilson and Seattle rivalry that he’ll be faced with for probably the next ten years. If Kaep wants to win, beat Seattle and truly compete with them for Super Bowls, he’ll take less so the 49ers can resign more of their own. If Kaep wants to demand more, and he gets it, the 49ers will need to go away from a run first offense and throw the ball first to set up the run to justify paying Kaep like an elite qb. You don’t pay an elite qb big money to run the football all day.
Either way, it’ll be interesting. At the very least, and looking on the bright side, we now have a qb who clearly can compete in the playoffs. 4-2 isn’t bad. He’s beat the Packers like a drum twice, and beat the Falcons and Panthers on the road. He’s ultimately lost to potentially the last two Super Bowl winners. Even if you make the case that Kaep did that with arguably the most talented roster in the NFL, you now can’t take away Kaep’s playoff experience, and that’s huge. I don’t see the kid being nervous in the future. This is what he does. This is who he now is.
One other thing: Two years ago I would have said Kaep’s the kind of guy to take a lot less to compete for Super Bowls – seeing that if he gets less, the team is stronger and therefore, in taking less, his legacy could be better by winning multiple Super Bowls. Now, however, I’m not so sure. Kaep’s certainly changed. He’s no longer the affable kid full of smiles at the podium. It seems like this is more of a job to Kaep now than the dream it once was. For that reason alone I could see Kaep being tougher on the 49ers at the negotiating table. I don’t care if Russell Wilson wins the Super Bowl. Kaep’s better. But the ring means everything.
Good point about over-paying for a QB in this run oriented offense. Keeping in mind that a team either has an elite QB or is looking for one, I haven’t seen enough from CK7 yet to quit looking. Too bad we didn’t keep Shaun Hill around as QB2.
Spit the moral of your comment is, the team around him.
Our Defense especially.
I’ve seen things pretty much the same way you describe.
Playoff experience for a 2nd year QB is invaluable.
Playing on the bigger stage doesn’t faze him either. All good signs for a QB that continues to work at getting over the hurdles.
Having Seattle as his nemesis only serves to challenge his mettle.
I mentioned on Skeebs’ site that our OLine is constructed more toward the running game, therefore pass protection is an issue.
The fact that we’ve been consistantly in the mix with Harbaugh and Roman is a good problem to have.
Once Kaep learns to dissect a Defense mentally, we’ve got an elite QB.
While I don’t blame him specifically for the NFCC game loss, I didn’t like the urgency to force the final throw, predicated on a pre-snap read, especially with a 4WR set and timeouts in hand.
Hasty decision that cost him the game.
We lost more because of Defensive lapses in the Secondary.
That game did suggest to me that our Coaches can create schemes to challenge an exceptionally good Defense.
We didn’t run well enough, or execute well enough in the Red Zone.
3’s in place of 6’s ultimately remain our achilles heel.
Fangio’s Defense stymied Aaron and Cam.
Roman utilized Kaeps’ legs more in Seattle this time around too.
It’s a talent unique to Kaep and worth paying for, to a degree.
As for Romo, it’s a laughable situation, due to a meddling no nothing owner playing fantasy football with Cap money.
Hope he continues to entertain me.
Buffoons like him are priceless comedy.
When something doesn’t work, change everything and throw more money into it.
Effn blowhard’s ego is too big to tame.
What’s abvious to everyone else is oblivious to him.
Party on Jerruh.
Yes it is, it’s our killer = making us not good enough on O to beat the best teams. 3,6,17 are not going to cut it against the Seattles of the NFL
What player in today’s game will take less money in any substantial way? Structuring their contracts to help most are willing to do, take less money nah, and it’s BS to say he should.
It doesn’t matter what any us of think about CK and Alex- they’re both going to make a ton of money over the next few years and both teams will be happy to give to them. After it all went down, three teams made out when we get didn’t Manning.
Watched the Sherman interview with Chris Hayes the other night. Sherman is a pretty engaging, smart guy. And the *other* interview with Erin Andrews ( who one reporter referred to as a “smiling pair of tits”), look: say what you will about Sherman and we all certainly will- it was GREAT TV.
I like Sherman, articulate, intelligent, an engaging personality. His “you mad bro” to Brady was funny as heck. He went too far calling out Crabs and denigrating his skills but we all make mistakes.
The NFL is stuffy enough as it is, the game needs it’s share of larger than life personalities.
Spitty, both Cutler and Romo are making 18 mill a year. The others are around 20-22 mill. This is the price of doing business. If I’m Kappy I’d be hard-pressed not to think I at least deserve Romo coin.
My point is was and will be, the longer they wait, the harder (and more costly) it gets to keep him.
Sherman? Whatever. He’s one of those guys you’d love to have on your team, but can’t stand if he ain’t. He sure loves to hear himself talk, that’s for sure. Where he ventures into TO territory is the denigration of others. That kind of shit gets retaliated upon. He keeps that up, it’ll wear thin.
Still hope the Seahawks lose. Seattle doesn’t have it’s homefield advantage, and Manning can pretty much nullify Seattle’s pass rush by getting the ball out quick. He’s no fastballer, but we’ll see if that matters. Denver’s chances hang on the ability to stop Marshawn Lynch. Stop him and they can get after Wilson. I just don’t know how Denver’s offense does. Seattle (and the Niners for that matter) is like no teams in the AFC
Joe Montana likes Manning in the SB. Yeah me too. He also said Kap should hold the ball longer, work on his pocket presence and not bolt so soon. Before the NFC title game which proved to be prescient, no?
Pretty smart that guy.
Same for me Phil.
It’s great to see Kaep make plays with his legs when necessary.
I’m just not real happy seeing it used at the expense of giving up on other options.
Doesn’t matter if you’re going 4 WRs if you don’t utilize them.
No doubt there’s work to be done on getting the Offense to be more productive in that regard.
According to one podcast on 49erswebzone.com recapping ‘whaaa happened’ in NFC title 3 WRs and VD went out on the fatal pass with Kap looking to Patton on the left first (believe he was open) then switching to a predetermined Crabtree unfortunately.
http://www.49erswebzone.com/podcasts/
(These guys are pretty good w/ a lot more info than I can absorb in earlier editions. Formations, blocking schemes, yadayada)…limiting factor being brain cells not available time
More good news (insert sarcasm here) for the NFC West
Bounty Hunter Gregg Williams is back with the Rams.
Cheap shotters like him are reasons I have my conerns about Kaep getting into the open field too often.
Dog fight in NFC West is getting tougher- saw that…
Chuck another angle to consider as we spin the topic of extending Kaep.
If Wilson gets the Ring on Sunday, his Contract immediately puts focus on the going price as both he and Kaep are in the same lens.
Seattle could overspend of course but, they have concerns with other extensions as we do.
It’s always a poker game between GMs and Agents, especially with the most expensive position on the field.
Cutler and Romo were both overpaid and have delivered nothing to either team.
Roethlisberger’s deal would have been the perfect model Contract to compare until Flacco’s deal came about.
Agents always want the Comp argument.
In a way, if Wilson wins, Kaep’s value dimishes somewhat.
Kaep has the potential to be an all-time great, but he needs coordinators and coaches who understand the passing game. Steve Young still talks about how he’d look to run first when he was a young qb because he had more confidence in his legs. He matured into a great pocket passin’ qb with touch passes I never thought he’d be able to throw. Young’s career in SF had Walsh and Holmgren, then Seifert and Shanahan. Kaep’s got Greg Roman and Jim Schembechler. Asking those two to teach you about passing would be like nominating Stalin and Hitler for the Noble Peace prize. You might get slapped.
Kaep’s got a lonely road ahead of him – not like Steve Young. Steve had Jerry Rice to throw to
while Jerry was in his prime. Young also had Holmgren and Shanahan as OCs. Young made the transition we all want to see Kaep make (from runner to pocket passer) because Young had the constant supporting cast behind him and the offensive philosophy was consistent and ingrained in the organization. Young was taught to deliver passes to skilled players who took the beating instead of Young, and it was pounded into his head. Holmgren took the torch from Walsh and Shanahan wasn’t going to put his own stamp on the offense. Kaep doesn’t have this luxury. Despite Harbaugh being a past NFL qb, Harbaugh’s offensive camp is divided (more like fragmented) and it certainly doesn’t help Kaep’s development.
Think about how confused Harbaugh’s offensive philosophy is. We have Mike Solari as our offensive line coach who’s a WCO guy, schooled under Bobb. We have college spread players in Kaep, Crabtree and LaMicheal James. We have a power run offensive line and power back left over from the days of Scot McCoughlan. We have a qb who prefers the pistol. We have an OC who was a run game coordinator in college. Kaep has a WC / Power / Spread game to nurture his growth as a qb with an OC with no real NFL experience? Seriously? That’s like having Bill Walsh in one ear, Bill Parcels in the second ear and Chip Kelly in the third ear telling Montana to beat the Cowboys. No wonder Kaep can’t deliver in the clutch. The key to great qb play is getting into a rhythm. How’s Kaep going to get into a rhythm with all that ridiculousness? And to make matters worse, Trent Baalke can’t draft receivers. AJ Jenkins drafted when Alshon Jeffrey was on the board? Vance McDonald when Keenan Allen was on the board? Thanks Trent. Thanks Jim. Thanks Greg.
This may all sound like I’m apologizing for Kaep, but man, I see a huge talent there. Carlos Rogers recently said he hopes Aldon Smith doesn’t waste his talents. That would be tragic. Ironically, I hope Jim Harbaugh doesn’t waste Colin Kaepernick’s talents. Jim just seems too stubborn to change.
Jim also sees that he’s lost 3 big games in 3 years too Spit.
No doubt the philosophies will be adjusted going forward.
Kaep is a fast-baller. Little to no touch involved right now.
An OLine that isn’t mobile enough to employ a Screen game hurts to some degree as well.
You’re right, we have a mixed bag of Nolan/Singletary/Harbaugh guys right now.
The bulk of his passing game is outside the numbers and deep middle.
Until he develops some touch, a short passing game is a pipe dream, which the WCO thrived on.
100% agree on the rhythm angle too.
We’ve seen it somewhat, in several game winning drives this season.
Problem is, it relies more on the running attack. Once that got shut down in the more important matchups, game over.
It still comes back to Kaep utilizing the entire Offense and the passing game.
Romans’ concepts aren’t awful. They need to be expanded.
Maybe it’s as simple as adding weapons, maybe it’s more on Kaep to develop the short touch throws too?
A good reference point was, a throw Wilson made vs the Saints, in the Playoff game a few weeks back.
Little high lob throw over a LB to move the sticks.
Those types of throws are a challenge for Kaep right now.
He’d be out the gate before attempting that throw.
Almost shows the difference between Wilson and Kaep in their baseball terms too.
A second baseman and a pitcher.
Wilson has that infielders arm, Kaep the target shooter.
Once Kaep gets further along with his progressions, feels a little more comfortable within the tighter congestion of the pocket, other options become more viable.
He’ll get there.
Certainly, it remains out of sync in that regard.
Jim just has to worry about his wardrobe. No pleated khakis bought at Walmart. The football stuff he’s mastered despite the criticism appearing on this blog. As for Kap just get better players around him to give him better options. Draft better.
Lowell Cohn says to offer Kap an extension, in the 7-8 mil range and if he doesn’t take it then let him play out the final year and let him walk.
Cohn is a bona fide idiot of the highest order. He wants the team to suck so he can rail on them.
My best guess is an extension in the 15 mil range.
He’s a moron too plus Jimbo scorns the guy for his attitude. 15 M sounds more like it
NJ, I don’t see how Wilson winning diminishes Kaepernick’s value at all. I think it ratchets his value UP a little bit more. After all, losing to the Super Bowl champs puts you in the realm of being the 2nd best team.
Spitty, the team isn’t talentless but what they desperately need is a speed WR. I guess. I don’t see any kind of deep game at all that doesn’t involve VD. Patton doesn’t go deep much, and they don’t desoign too many simple go routes for Crabs or Boldin for obvipous reasons. But a guy like Baldwin you’d think would be good for a few plays a game.
And this is what troubled me through the season. The reluctance to even try to go deep. For all the talk of Kappy’s arm strength, most of his deep balls were underthrown. Is it for lack of trying to do that? That’s my take on it. It’s hard to delevop feel for the deep passing game when you NEVER do it. The pisser about the passing game is 80% of the plays are 12 yard outs or sideline passes. No timing plays, few quick hitters and slants. Screens are non-existent. I think Kappy’s improvising is fine. But he could use a little less mustard on plays like that.
Spitty you were howling at the beginning of the year about the lack of passing blah blah blah, and while some of that is true, balance is key if this is going to fully work. I hope Lattimore is able to hit the ground at full strength this season. If he is 100%, he’ll be outstanding. But you are right about the disjointed nature of the personnel. I hadn’t really thought about that, but I’ve said a few times I wonder if thesde coaches are going to be able to make the necesary changes going forward. Harbaugh’s control issues worry me.
Funny. Look at Skeebs latest thread. I guess Skeebers is Bullitt.
Can’t criticize CK7? Hey, the guy ended two seasons with a loss by his bad play. He deserves some heat for it. He’s not Alex Smith after all.
Last year at this time CK7 was “happy to just play and help the team however he could.” Now after ending another season with Super Bowl win written all over it he wants to be “fair” to the team and not take all their money. Say goodbye to humble saint and hello to QB Goldson.
Did Spitty say that? I get tired reading his novellas.
Seriously though NoFear, should he say ‘show me the money’? He’s going to get paid. You think Cutler is worth $22 mill this year? His backup outplayed him. The point is, the faster they put this to rest, the better.
He deserves heat, but so does the coaching staff. They are way too conservative. Especially early in games. They have had more than enough chances to take big early leads, yet they play it safe and take the FG. I can’t cvount how many times I’ve seen these guys grind out a 6-0 lead in 1.5 quarters only to give up one play and fall behind.
It happened with Alex. It’s happening with Kappy.
How does everyone feel about this
http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2014/01/29/instead-of-extension-49ers-could-take-the-fifth-with-aldon-smith/
I agree with it. Aldon has been a headcase, he does need to prove he can be relied upon.
Agree also, prolly gonna happen
Average franchise QB money is 16+ mil. Is Kap a franchise QB?
No Cuttler is (at best). Kap should make more
Alex Smith got 8 mil last year, Kap got 750 k +-. Kap has played for 3 years at the 2nd round QB value contract and has been in a SB and an NFCCG and been 1 play away from winning both.
I read here something about an O lineman being perfect on 65 snaps and whiffing on 1 making him a bum. Same analogy?
It’s a team game. Can anyone really argue that Kap put the O on his back almost entirely and nearly pulled it off? He was responsible for 92% of the O production in the Squawk game and came up 6 inches short. Not sure what more can be asked of a second year starting QB playing in a limited O passing scheme.
It is fair to criticize him but it needs context too. He has come up short in the 2 biggest games played in the last 20 years. I feel the biggest reason they were in those games is Kap. He needs better scheme and more experience.
I would be interested to hear which other QB anyone would prefer.
Chuck, the only way any numbers like that make sense to me is in relative terms and in light of the percentage of cap money committed. I think CK7 is worth paying what it will take to keep him but is not worth paying as if he’s in the elite class of QBs at this go round. I don’t think this FO throws its money around like some franchises so I’m not too worried about how they decide to go. If they pay him top money I’ll complain about the guys they couldn’t keep because of it.
12th man, you start off with it’s a team game and go next to CK7 is responsible for 92% of the O? He’s the fracking QB, of course most of the offense is through him. The scheme that you say is at fault is the scheme that got them to the point of CK7’s miscues to lose the big game and the NFC championship. Nothing terribly wrong with that scheme. Could it be better? Sure it could and so could everything else.
I really don’t get the defensiveness over rapping CK7 for his f**kups. He screwed the pooch and it cost the team two big games. Failing to make the big plays in a big game doesn’t make him a failure but having some good plays doesn’t make the screw ups any less costly either.
No one is disavowing his fuckups. You are the one that give kappy no credit for the first 3 quarters. You say it’s a team game but blame Kap. One could say crabs should have gone after the ball harder.
Bullshit. Kaepernick made a bad decision to throw it there in the first place. Sherman was all over it. Saying that his bad decision ended the game (which it did) is not the same as not giving credit for the good plays Kaepernick made. It’s just another false argument. Like the lineman comment. Everyone calls out the bad play that cost the game. With Kaepernick, apparently that rankles folks. Ridiculous.
Further, Kaepernick is still saying he made the right decision by locking on to that matchup from pre-snap and that he would do it again, ten times out of ten times. That makes him an arrogant fool, too.
Team game/92% was the point NF. QB’s are not usually 92% of O production, even the Mannings of the world. The run game should gain even 20% of production on a spread O. The load was vastly on Kap to keep the Niners in it and I don’t see where credit for that is given even equal weight to being 6 inches short of winning the game. That’s all.
Top money is 20 mil. I don’t agree with that amount for him, he has more growing to do to earn top money. I believe his value is 15 mil currently or to say it another way, franchise QB level pay. Just my 2¢
My point about the scheme is that they got to that point despite the scheme to some degree, relying on Kap’s athletic abilities to too great a degree to overcome it. I read somewhere that the Niner passing scheme is a glorified college scheme and I agree with that. There are not many layers to it and it is mostly a pre-determined from the sideline passing attack with the hope being that the selected receiver gets free enough to be thrown to.
It puts most of the decision making process on the coaches shoulders and also explains why there is little sophistication to the scheme. It is probably a mixture of reasons why they are choosing to implement it this way. Harbs is a control freak being #1 on my list and also likely they are trying to keep it simple for Kap fearing his learning curve mistakes.
I think the calculation is off a bit and it’s constraining the O too much.
Alex Smith says the same thing and he should probably know better than anyone because if Smith is complaining about being restrained, one of the most conservative QB’s ever, then you have to know how Kap is feeling with it.
I don’t know that our passing offense is limited to the receiver Harbaugh designates on any given play. In fact, that’s so foolish I can’t believe it. No coach knows how a play will develop. Most passing plays are geared to attack one player, a safety, a linebacker, whatever. And are usually at least two pronged even as it concerns the primary receiver. If the defender does this you and the QB do that, then, for example.
Alex Smith dumping on the coach that saved his career is less than classy and that conservative, easy, low-risk passing is what got him another job. Eff him. He’s always been quick to point fingers for his lousy performance.
Despite the characterization of Roman here as a run game coordinator his resume includes a lot of offensive coaching and guys who have made some pretty good ball throwers and catchers have excelled under him. It’s hardly unusual to have an oline coach handle run game plays. Hell, Bill Walsh started as a D Coordinator.
I don’t think our “scheme” includes Gore getting one yard run averages. Possibly the o-line failures is what you are seeing as a bad scheme. I think you called them elite but they haven’t played very well lately. In the bottom half or worse I’d judge for run blocking.
I am not a big believer in stats to reinforce an argument but the Oline grades out highly. I know you disagree but I think Frank is much less effective, his second half season was not much to write home about. By most measure the O line did it’s job, not perfectly but well. I feel he wore down badly, maybe having the second most carries of his career at his age has something to do with it?
The O scheme lines up to try to dictate the coverage. For example, the Niners last play against Seattle they put Crabs on 1 side and everyone else on the other in order to get a 1 on 1 coverage. That was called from the sideline and it dictated Kap throws to the 1 on 1 guy. Unfortunately Sherman and the LB made spectacular plays and the Niners lost.
There were other guys underneath that were open but that was not the playcall. It was a mixture of Kap’s bling faith in Crabs, his confidence in himself and the play call that created throw and despite it all it almost payed off. Sherman was right, choosing to test him was a mistake but it was as much or more a coaching mistake as it was Kap slightly underthrowing the ball.
I don’t say that every passing play is set for one WR or TE but in general that is what is happening. If the play breaks down Kap gets happy feet because he has limited options and takes too long focusing on the designated target, at least that’s how it seems to me.
I don’t think the Niners have a bad scheme, they have a solid scheme that wins far more than it loses but it needs tweaking. Settling for FG far too often, not designing plays to go beyond the 3rd down marker and hoping the receiver or Kaps legs can make it happen, things of that nature.
Is it too much for Kap to handle? Possibly it is, but I think he has earned enough for the O scheme to trust him a bit more and I think next season that is exactly what we will see. Kap with more options and more decision making power and hopefully a more sophisticated passing scheme too.
Niners should continue to rely on the power run game and hopefully Lattimore can add something to it as well as Frank getting half the carries he got this year to keep him fresh. I would like to see then run it a bit less out of the jumbo as well as play action from the jumbo. Play action off a successful power run game is very hard to defend.
But then again what do I know, I’m just a mook spouting off from my armchair same as the rest of us.
Naw thars only one certified mook around here = he’s the Current President of the Tom Brady Fan Club who shall not be named. You’re safe