The 2014 season got off to a resounding thud, as the Johns beat the Jims 23-3. Yet another loss for Jim at the hands of his older brother. This one of course doesn’t mean as much, but still, John Harbaugh has to feel a little smug next time they meet for dinner at their parents house.
All in all, a very desultory effort by the team, as the offense stalled out behind Gaine Blabbert (and later Josh Joshson), and the backup defense was gashed for 8 yard runs all night. Unfortunately for me, I missed the opening drive until the very point I wanted to see something different. Which of course was the 3rd and 1 from the 7. Per usual, we packed the line and ran up the middle for no gain. If you haven’t heard me yet, this is a large issue with me. I mean, why do we even practice the 0 yard rush? We do it 3o times a game. Yes, there were a lot more 2 WR formations on 1st and 2nd down, but again there were a lot of 1st down rushes for 2 yards or less. Yippee.
Meet the new boss. Same as the old boss.
I know I shouldn’t read too much into this, but the philosophy seems to be the same as last year. Anyhow, the 49ers were very lucky the only injury they suffered on defense was and ankle injury to Lawrence Okoye, as the defense was on the field for 40 of the 60 minutes. Jimbo should give them the week off as they had a full week of practice time in that game.
Highlights are the solid returns and a catch by Bruce Ellington, who showed a nice burst. I hear Hyde looked good on that opening drive, Ward was solid in run support, and Tank & Dial looked pretty good to great on the line. Mike Purcell on the other hand wasn’t all that good at NT, but then again, the LBs were often nowhere to be seen in run support or on screen plays. Wilhoite looked good, but the rest were out of position most of the time. Even Christian Okoye had a couple nice plays before getting hurt. And Chris Cook had a nice pick late, and he played well in single coverage on an end zone pass.
Reclamation project Blaine Gabbert looks to be way behind schedule in regards to becoming a decent backup. Then again, there were a lot of drops. Stevie Wonder among the few. I’m still not very thrilled with our passing game. Our routes do not seem to be designed to gain separation from the DBs out there. They seem to be strictly comeback routes and sideline passes. These are fairly easily defended, and with Gabbert throwing, it was ugly, as he ended up 3/11 for a whopping 20 yards. Josh looked like he had a better idea of how to run the offense (6/8-63 yards), but we’ll see if Gabby gets left behind.
Forty Niners Forever 
NJ – You’re an idiot. I think I’ve told you that before though. Why do you think Vic’s contract expires when Harbaugh’s does?
And regarding Randy Moss, it’s all relative. Jim Harbaugh compared to what? Tom Coughlin? Do you think Micheal Strahan liked Coughlin? It’s a process. Think our players will like Tomsula when we’re losing by 50 in second quarter? The New York Giants owner and front office was smart enough to extend Coughlin and keep him happy while he worked out the kinks and got rings. You and Jed York? You guys are fuckin’ idiots.
Spit you’re the fuk’n idiot.
Can you ever debate a 49er topic without calling someone out for their opinions?
Moss made a comment about guys not buying in.
Accept that as his opinion, or call him a fuk’n idiot.
He played for Harbaugh and could be seen taking plays off, even in the SB.
You choose to take your stance, and attack those of us who have a different point of view.
Open your fuk’n eyes and realize that a GM builds a roster.
You rag on Baalke, yet he’s recognized as one of the better GMs in the NFL, while defending Harbaugh as the guy to praise for 2nd place.
Andy Reid was labeled as a guy that can’t win the big one too while in Philly.
He threw too much, Jim runs too much.
Jim has room to improve, especially with the passing game.
Something isn’t clicking with the Harbaugh extension talks.
You’re certain it’s Jed. What are you, the inside source?
Fangio has done an outstanding job, no question he deserved to be extended.
All I’m suggesting is that if Harbaugh balks at an extension, Fangio could easily be considered as a viable option.
Whatever happens will happen.
As in any business, there’s got to be a Plan B.
Be prepared to have an answer, if Harbaugh and Jed arrive at an extension.
Just like Baalke and Jed will have an answer if they don’t.
You ragged on guys leaving via FA and doing nothing elsewhere.
What’s your point?
Baalke obviously made sound Cap decisions for the 49ers, while other teams overpaid for their services.
Something wrong with that?
Alex returned 2 additional Draft Picks, again, by the hand of Baalke.
We’ve got one of the deepest rosters in the NFL right now, something Harbaugh has benefitted from.
Baalke has done a solid job of having younger guys waiting for their shot at the starting lineup.
That’s his function in this process.
Jim needs to deliver on the field, something Pete Carroll managed to do with less IMO.
Jim is okay. You guys can fight on if it makes you happy.
Ted Ginn springs to mind, Spitty. He caught more balls in one year in Carolina than 3 here. Delanie Walker caught 60 balls last year. 21 in 2012. Hmmm. Difference? R-I-I-I-I-I-I-I-ght Nothing to see there. All that tells me is the defensive system Fangio runs makes the players look very good. The offensive system, not so much. And who’s running the offense? Is it Roman? Not really. He’s the RUN OC. Harbaugh is the mastermind behind this anemic passing game. Granted, they DID put 2 WRs out there on 1st and 2nd down. Something many of us have been advocating for years now. How this shakes out remains to be seen, but that opening drive looked nice til the predictable run up the middle in the red zone came.
Harbaugh KNOWS it is make or break time. If he falls short a 4th year in a row with the talent he has, do you make him the highest paid guy in the league? How high is high? Depending on how shit shakes out, he may be worthy of $8 mill, but no higher. Why? Because of how this all happened. Carroll completely turned over his team and won it all in 4 years. Why should Harbaugh be rewarded with, say, $10 mill for falling short? Where can he walk into a job with a team this talented? Nowhere, short of Seattle.
Anyone with a brain knew Goldson would be a washout, or at least sink to the middle of the pack anywhere else. Or Spencer, or whoever.
Players look better in certain systems. Like every goddamn backup QB in the Walsh era. The fact that Baalke took advantage of that is a good thing, you dolt.
Like I said, the longer the post, the dumber the post. In your case. Rant and rave all you want, Harbaugh is the guy not getting it done. Yes, it’s nice to be relevant. But relevant is for the Green Bays and Atlantas of the league. Not the 49ers. Who was Singletary’s QB? RB, TE, WR, o-line in 2010? 2011? It was basically a team full of high draft choices that was underachieving when Harbaugh got here. The draft did help that team a lot, granted. But who drafted them?
I was the one saying, months ago, mind you, and 2 months before you ever waded into the fray, that Kappy would get around $18 mill per. You were the one low-balling and waffling on him. I was the one from the get-go saying pay him, you ninny.
Tomsula as HC and Jeepus Christ as OC? Hey, why not?
Who were our offensive weapons last year? Ted Ginn, Delanie Walker AND Randy Moss were gone from the year prior, and Micheal Crabtree was injured. The year before when Kaep took over and we had significant offensive weapons this offense ran like a finely tuned luxury automobile. But you take away Ginn, Walker, Randy Moss and Micheal Crabtree from the year prior and what are you going to get? A very limited offense that’s frustrating to watch -duh. Whose doing was that? Was it Harbaugh’s decision to let Walker, Ginn and Moss go? Was it Harbaugh’s decision to have Crabtree get injured? Of course not. And you’re stupid not to see that last year’s offense was limited because of Trent Baalke decisions… but somehow you and NJ blame Harbaugh. Because you’re idiots….
Shit, Christ resurrected A Smith to a certain extent, why not? He ain’t Hostler . . . or Trestman for that matter.
Try to stay on topic for once in your life. The point is last year’s offense was limited by Baalke decisions. But that’s somehow Jim’s fault?
Last year’s offense was limited by injuries and the general suckiness of the WRs. We all know that. The hope is with much better WRs, we get this shit rolling through the air. We are not going to win it all on the ground. We have proven that already. With the defense weakened this year, points are at a bigger premium now than at any time in the Harbaugh era.
Gee, now the Alex Smith lead (get it?) offense was a well-oiled machine? Gotcha. Moss retired. He was toast anyway. Decoys don’t count. Statistically, they have remained at the bottom in passing before and after Harbaugh get here. As far as Ginn goes, my main point of contention with these guys is the inability to FIND a speed threat. They HAD one in Ginn but refused to use him AS a deep threat. Why? Was that Baalke’s decision? No. It’s on Harbaugh to design plays that go deep. Plenty of other teams have 3rd string WRs that can get open. Ours? No. I don’t like the plays we utilize in our passing game. Very basic outs and comeback for the most part. Very few double moves, no slants, no timing plays, nothing deceptive. The occasional bubble screen and a wheel route every 6 games. No deep game that doesn’t go to VD. Is this because our QB is green? Yes, partly. But they have to shit or get off the pot with him and the offense. Yeah, they whiffed on AJ. Still and all our deep balls go to VD. This is the coach’s design, not some perceived limitation based on the personnel. They desperately need to revamp the passing game.
Gee, Spitty, are you saying the GM and HC need to be in tune? V McD was supposed to take over for Walker. Stunning move. Work in progress. Whatever. Harbaugh runs the offense, not Baalke. Baalke gets the pieces. Harbaugh needs too make them work. Harbaugh is limited only by his own imagination.
No…. Your comprehension skills suck. It’s like arguing with a baboon. No offense. Who said anything about Alex Smith? The Niners’ offense with Kaep, Moss, Delanie Walker, Ted Ginn and Crabtree was the best it’s been in over a decade. But somehow two things have happened: One is that Trent Baalke decided not to bring back Delanie Walker, Ginn or Moss. The other thing is instead of recognizing this (like you just didn’t in you response above) everyone’s blaming Harbaugh. The real blame should be placed at the feet of Trent Baalke.
I see we are still debating who to blame for the run up the on every down. IMO this all comes down to who is controlling the offense. Really it is all about confidence in the QB and the WR’s. It appears that when things get dicey the offense goes to the tried and true. It does not seem to matter whether the passing game is working well or not. All of a suddne someones sphincter muscle tightents and the run up the middle is auto called.
Damn… Robin Williams. Damn. But on the brighter side of life Marshawn Lynch is being investigated…. so there’s that.
Look at the numbers, skippy and show me the dramatic increase. It isn’t there. . Yer the one touting 2011, not me.
The way Harbaugh used Ginn led to his departure. Walker was seen as expendable. Moss? Really? He didn’t want to be a decoy for another year, plus he lollygagged his way through the Super Bowl.
Have they replaced them? Well, Boldin sure looks good. VMcD? Well, work in progress. Ellington is supposed to be the speed guy, but does Harbaugh know how to use that weapon?
No offfense,taken, fuck monkey..
Fuck me, you’re stupid. I’m not touting 2011. I’m touting 2012. And there are significant improvement in the numbers in 2012.
How ’bout we do this instead. You and I both pick a period of 49er offense since Mariucci that we think was the most potent. I’ll take Kaep’s run for the Super Bowl in 2012 with Crabtree, Walker, Ginn and Moss. You don’t remember the Patriots’ game or the Packer playoff game or the Falcons’ game? Who are you gonna take? Nevermind. I made my point.
Fact is the 49er front office let all that offensive talent get away (for whatever reason) and last year the 49er offense sucked because of the loss of so much personnel and morons like you, NJ and Del want to blame Harbaugh when in reality it was Trent Baalke who’s to blame for letting all the offense slip out the backdoor. It wasn’t foreseeable, however, that Crabtree would get hurt but if it was I doubt Baalke would have let everyone leave like he did.
This is why Jim Harbaugh was left screaming in the locker room after the Seattle lose that he was going to make sure everyone on the roster stayed. Uh.. now is your dumb ass is starting to put the pieces together? It’s doubtful.
Marriuci ran a traditional WCO, something many of us are screaming for.
It’s a change in Offensive philosophy that most of us are griping about, not the personnel, as you would slice it.
It’s being advertised this year as a new and improved approach by Roman.
Think that means the Coaching Staff realizes it isn’t fooling anyone?
You’re the one making an argument against the personnel Baalke brought in.
Baalke isn’t designing the Offense or Coaching the plays.
He leaves that facet of the Team to Harbaugh.
Carrol and his Staff outsmarted Harbaugh and his Staff.
It’s got nothing to do with either GM, in Seattle or SF, when the game is played.
Would you advocate paying a boatload of money to Harbaugh if Carroll takes him down this year again too?
Sure he might deserve a raise for what he’s done to date but, he got a pretty fat deal to come in and take this thing to the next level, which he has.
He isn’t poor, by his own admission.
If he wants the chance to compete against Pete, he’ll opt to stay and, take that challenge, assuming the money parameters are right.
I want to see these 2 guys go at it for a long time in the NFC West, one of, if not the best, rivalry in the NFL.
Spit would you consider Ozzie Newsome a good GM?
Most people around the League would.
He and owner Steve Bisciotti gambled on the Flacco Contract extension, only to have it blow up their faces, forcing them to jettison Boldin, among others, for next to nothing.
You continue to rag on Baalke yet, he’s consistantly produced Comp Picks or future Picks for guys he’s opted not to extend.
Cap Mgt is vital to future depth and stability.
Between Paraag and Baalke, many guys have been extended, including Kaep, at very manageable figures.
Frank comes off the books, (most likely) next year.
Cheaper options are waiting to replace him, thanks to Baalke.
I’m all for keeping Harbaugh, something you seem to think I’m opposed to.
My gripe is the lack of Offensive imagination.
Baalke isn’t forcing guys into Harbaughs’ locker room to fail.
All I’m pointing out is the video discussion where Moss suggested that there were/are guys not buying in.
It’s very possible those guys were allowed to depart because of it. Moss could’ve easily been one of them, just like Brandon Jacobs.
Chemistry between GM/HC/Players is the only mechanism that matters if you expect to be successful.
There’s business and then there’s Sports. I don’t know what the average loony fan cares about but as for me it’s Sports.
That’s the bottom line for sure Nipper.
Problem is, the business of Sports creates some odd side effects 😀
NJ…. I didn’t read your response because……. wait for it……. you’re an idiot.
I don’t think idiots like you really know how to read anyway Spit.
You’re too busy shouting from your soapbox about how terrific you think your opinions are.
You can’t handle rebuttals, it would involve having something called a clue.
Dipshit.
Anyone who thinks Baalke and York have a better chance of steering this team towards a Super Bowl than Jim Harbaugh is a fuckin’ idiot. No debate necessary.
That’s the crux of the debate wingnut.
Getting there vs winning it.
Harbaugh has the talent. He just didn’t utilize it well enough to bring home the hardware.
Again, Harbaugh engineered Ginn’s departure. Moss? Whatever. You think Delanie should have gotten 4 years and $20 mill?
If you can’t recognize the fact that the front office doesn’t want to get into a situation like the team was in when Dr. Dorkian took over, them you are dumber than 2 bags of dicks.
Even WITH all that talent you speak of, they came up short. Because of Baalke? No, you brain-dead lemming. It was the coaching. Did Baalke come out flat as Keira Knightly against the Falcons and the Ravens? Whose sphincter was puckered tighter than your 2 brain cells humping in the cavern of your braincase? Harbaugh. Harbaugh, and Harbaugh.
Yes, he’s a great coach, but he hasn’t proven he can win the big one yet. If he does, yippee. If not, what then? You’d pay him $12 mill anyway? That’s why you live in a mud hut down by the river and are not employed by an NFL team.
Sure he’ll get a raise IF he deigns to stick around. If he falls short of the big prize he ain’t getting a blank check though. I don’t want to see him leave after this year, but if he pushes the contract thing like VD and Crabs, fuck him. Adios.
New thread is up . . .
Where’s your evidence Harbaugh engineered Ginn’s departure? It’s not cool to just make things up.