As you all know, Robin Williams died yesterday, by his own hand apparently. While the news is sad and he had his problems to deal with, he was a local legend. He grew up in the North Bay and went to Redwood high school in Larkspur. He was a fixture at Giants and 49er games over the years, and I did manage to bump into he and Will Durst at a Giants game somewhere in the late 80s. We talked baseball for about 10 seconds and he was on his way to the nice seats behind home.
Saw his stand-up a bunch of times in the 80s, when you couldn’t walk 5 blocks without hitting a comedy club in San Francisco. He would often crash other comedians’ routines, and he did that one night when a few of us went to see Rick Reynolds. He did about half an hour with Rick, and then did about 2 hours of his own stuff. Just non stop crazy. The crowd was all in pain from laughing so long and so hard.
Truly sad day. RIP, Robin.
Forty Niners Forever 
Not many celebrity deaths hurt but this one does. He had a combination of a number of different talents. I actually preferred him when he was acting normal roles like Good Will Hunting. Also a fantastic interview when serious or insane. Check out the recent Charlie Rose interview. He’ll be missed.
If you haven’t see The Fisher King, check it out.
Robin Williams was uncredited in the role, but he was brilliant in it. Same with Jeff Bridges.
Agree Chuck, had it on VHS.
Definitely need to replace it with the DVD now.
Outstanding movie for it’s time.
This one guy who will be remembered. Forever.
A true innovator.
One of the funniest, and brightest, comedians I can think of.
Truly, ONE of a kind.
Proud to have been around for his brilliant career and, more proud to have had him as a 9er fan.
R.I.P. Robin.
Extremely sad to see you go on those terms.
BTW, GREAT pic Chuck, something you took on your own?
If so, I’d appreciate a clean copy if you can email it to me.
He deserves to be framed in my game room.
Here’s something to think about….
All teams clearly only have so much cap room. Duh. You have to make decisions. Duh. Last year Jim Harbaugh was limited. This year Vic Fangio will be limited. The 49ers are searching for that correct balance – do you handcuff Jim or Vic?
I don’t care what anyone says – blaming Greg Roman and thinking Harbaugh isn’t a great coach because of the last three years is moron material. Last year the 49ers took huge hits on offense losing the guy who took the top off the defense in Ted Ginn, a big play threat who was still respected league-wide in Moss, and they lost their offensive utility man in Delanie Walker. These were front office decision that eventually lead to Jim Harbaugh begrudgingly saying after the NFC Champ lose to the Seahawks, “I don’t care what the front office wants, I want this same team back next year.” Because really, that’s a ton to lose for basically a rookie qb who’s just getting his feet under him. You take away all of that and then want the OC’s head on plate? You’re an idiot.
Now this year Vic Fangio has lost Carlos Rogers, Terrell Brown, Donte Whitner and like Harbaugh and Roman lost Crabtree to injury, Vic has lost Bowman – another significant piece to the puzzle now on the defensive side of the ball.
Bill Walsh (who is the Godfather of funk in my opinion) used to draft defensive players higher because offensive players didn’t need to be as athletic because they knew where the ball was going. This is spot on. In essence, Walsh was preaching what the 49ers’ front office did last year – win with talent on defense and scrap together offensive players to make it work. However, it didn’t work and whether or not it was intentional (could have just been the way contracts played out or it could have been designed by the front office), the 49ers are now going to try and win a Super Bowl with Vic Fangio needing to scrap together a miracle, and Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman having a killer offense.
If you saw that round table link with Urlacher, Moss and Glazer I posted earlier, Glaser (sp?) said if the 49ers win the Super Bowl, Jim Harbaugh will be Coach of the Year. That may very well be, but if the 49ers win the Super Bowl, the one who will deserve Coach of the Year will be Vic Fangio. The turmoil angle I understand, especially with Harbaugh’s contract (of lack there of), but Vic has no NT, no Mike backer, and his secondary probably has a total of 20 starts between them as 49ers at their current positions (Reid 18, Brock 2 – estimate). That’s a lot to overcome. But I think Vic’s good enough. Just like I think Roman and Harbaugh were good enough last year but got jobbed in Seattle.
If you like conspiracies, and think like I do that the NFL somewhat controls outcomes, I think the 49ers have a damn good chance to win the Super Bowl this year. It’s just too good for the ratings – the entire story. And speaking of ratings, watch just how many flags Johnny Manziel will get this year when defenses touch him. He will be the NFL’s golden boy. His debut received huge ratings. That means the NFL will protect him like crazy. The Browns would be foolish not to start Manziel immediately. Do you think Hoyer will get a 15 yard penalty for a defensive player sneezing on him? Hell, the refs might encourage defenses to hit Hoyer so Manziel gets in the game. 15 yard penalties give offenses a huge advantage. Oh, what’s that? You don’t think the refs do the owners’ bidding on the field? Really? Why are the rule so ambiguous and why do refs go “under the hood,” for minutes at a time listening to someone upstairs? Please. Don’t be naive. But in the end, even with the NFL helping Manziel become a star, he’ll still blow up and bust. But so too may Harbaugh…
That’s been the premise of the debate Spit.
The chemistry needed between the GM/HC/Players is paramount to staying in contention.
No one is suggesting that Harbaugh is sub-par.
Injuries hurt every team, obviously.
Kaep hadn’t developed much as a pocket passer and losing Crabtree last year, certainly had an impact.
Just as having Boone holdout is a wrinkle Baalke and Harbaugh couldn’t have been prepared for this year.
The knock for me was that Roman/Harbaugh didn’t have much else to add in the way of wrinkles on the shorter routes or screen game when Crabtree was lost.
Too much reliance on the ground game and Kaep’s legs.
All good when you win but, we were woefully predictable in Seattle when all the marbles were there for the taking.
That has to change this year, along with Kaep taking another step with his progressions.
Agree about Fangio, he’s done a phenominal job with the pieces he was given.
I think Baalke has covered for the Secondary turnover by having Carradine and Dial ready to help with the DLine rotation, as well as swapping Whither for Bethea.
Younger CBs will help more than hurt IMO because, there’s still continuity with Culliver and TBrock in the scheme.
My concern is for surviving the early phase of the Season without Aldon and NaVorro.
We’ll need to point more points up I think.
To your conspiracy theory, Goodell and the Secret Society on Broadway may have done us a favor by backloading the important matchups until after the BYE.
Agree that this team is in the mix for The Lombardi.
Our talent level and depth should keep us in the mix if the Coaching and implementation of the Rookies steps up.
Ward, Ellington and Hyde could make a big impact if they develop quickly.
I think LMJ will be getting dealt if Ellington continues to shine over the next several PS games too.
It would be a great ending for Gore to get a Ring this year too.
If Harbaugh and Roman can add something with a passing game, we’re as good as anyone in the League.
Why not us in AZ in February?
Beating the Cards, Eagles and Rams in the first half of the Season, without Aldon and NaVorro, will be very important.
Going to be fun to see Harbaugh vs Chip Kelly too.
Not too concerned with the Broncos as a regular season matchup.
Be nice to get W’s against anyone of course but, the Division and NFC matchups matter more.
Beyond the fact no one is saying that, Spitty, pine away. Harbaugh is a good coach. Great? Sure. Happy now? No one is even debating that. What I am saying is he won’t get the payday he wants here if he doesn’t bring home the silver football. Laying the blame on Baalke is equally stupid as you building your straw man regarding Harbs. Losing Rogers is a GOOD thing. You WANT him in our backfield another year? Brown is the guy I didn’t want to see go. But Cook has looked good as his replacement. For all the hitting of Whitner, I’m not that concerned with him as well. Bethea is the same guy who covers better. Sure, he’s a stop-gap, but we get one good year out of him, and we’re fine. That’s a GOOD thing.
I wasn’t concerned about Goldson as I didn’t really like his game, and I said it for years. That Baalke got Reid to replace him is phenomenal. With Carradine and Dial healthy, the line looks to become dominant again. Culliver will hopefully remove his head from his ass and play well. Bowman’s injury is a crippler, but we have to make due. Lemonier has shown some flashes of great aplay, but by no means is he anywhere near Navorro. However, we won’t really know how good HE is until J Smith and the rest of the starters get out there and play with him. He looked fairly lost last Thursday, but so did everyone else.
In other words, Baalke has done what he can to keep the team stocked with players among the defectors and free agents, and now holdouts. Beyond that, no coach in NFL history has been able to keep their team together. Not in the FA era anyway.
Nope, not my pic, NJ. Found it online. They did a quick truibute to Robin W at the Giants game last night, and showed a bunch of video clips throughout the game.
NJ, sent ya an email . . .
Here’s the deal. Every year the roster will turn over. Some years more, some years less, but turn over it will. Every GM in the league has to strike a balance between the right now and the future. Spit keeps croaking on about losing this guy or that. What a crock of shit. Every player pointed at left for significantly more money than they were making with the Niners so what’s your point? The Niners should pay all their players significantly more to keep them effectively killing the future?
Injuries are part of the deal, nothing is promised to anyone. The Niners are maybe the deepest team with quality players at just about every position. That’s one of the very best GM’s in the game at work. Yeah it suck’s to lose good players but that’s the game they play and everyone except maybe Jerruh has to play it that way. Squawks had to do far more to their roster to get quality players and then had to implement great schemes to use them to their strengths and they have the Lombardi. No question Pete has done better with less than Jim, no question.
Squawks now have the highest payroll of any NFL team. They have kept the star players in the backfield but with a QB to pay shortly as well, their roster will thin considerably for quality depth. The Niners have done a better job of managing the cap constraints for the longer term IMO.
One area that has persistently sucked is the WR position, either from poor draft choice, injury, laziness from pro-bowl caliber players or whatever. It is early to be sure but it looks like that corner may have been turned. The 64K question is will the coaches use them effectively? History says no but to be fair they have not had this depth of quality to work with and Kap has a lot more experience so I guess we all wait and see.
Harbaugh is without doubt a high caliber coach. Nobody is dismissing his quality or achievements. The fact remains this team has stumbled 3 times when it mattered most and the HC has to answer for that. All this blather about Kap throwing INT’s sealing their fate does not answer the main question of why the team is always relying on him to such a great extent to win it for them by having to play a risky style of play at the end of games in an effort to save their asses.
There is and has been an inherent problem with the scheme and the lack of WR options only goes so far in explaining it. They are an unimaginative team by and large unless you want to say the gimmick stuff shows imagination. Obviously there are instances where a given game scheme has worked very well, GB twice for instance, but game by game and especially when another gear is needed to get past the best teams in the playoffs they only seem to have Kap’s extraordinary skills as a method of trying to win, making him the goat for failing because of having to try too hard and make something happen.
Kap has his share of blame no doubt, but IMO he should not be in those positions as often as he is. Coaching has been lacking when it really mattered.
Baalke has addressed the lack of WR from what we see and he also has addressed the Gore replacement as well. Now the ball is firmly in Harbaughs court. As for Harbaugh crowing about insisting on keeping the team together don’t make me laugh. First he knows that can’t be done and second it’s the team he just failed with, again.
I’m not saying it’s the fault of anyone to make decisions about who to keep and who to let go. Those decisions, however, create problems for the coaching staff and to say Roman isn’t good (which some have) when his 2012 offense was gutted, or to undervalue Harbaugh by looking for other coaching candidates without being outraged is the issue. For perspective, in 2014 Vic Fangio could get some heat like Roman did last year because like last year on offense there’s now been turnover on D.
Everyone, with the exception of Dennis, thinks Harbaugh’s a good coach. But I find it interesting that some very knowledgeable fans have forgotten Jed York’s track record of hiring head coaches. Somehow, mysteriously, Jed will now find us a good coach if Harbaugh leaves? Bullshit. Jed isn’t going to find us another head coach who can do what Jim does. Don’t forget it. Jed York got lucky that Harbaugh likes the Bay Area.
Finally, I don’t want older players back. I never do. I’m the guy who loves the rookies and always advocates starting younger players. You all know this. My point about losing Carlos Rogers is that with turnover you inevitably get communication mistakes that cost points and sometimes games. Forget the unknown of who Ward is? Forget potential durability concerns that Carlos never had as a Niner. The biggest issue will be communication and familiarity on the back end, but that’ll be fun to wathc.
In my opinion, the Super Bowl is all about home field advantage between the Niner and Hawks. Whomever gets it win the Super Bowl. If you have younger players making mistakes on the backend, it’ll cost us. I don’t think Carlos Rogers cost us much last year. The only time Carlos Rogers was ever really exposed was in the New York game in 2011 when Eli and Cruz were running option routes all day against Rogers – but in Rogers’ defense, nobody can defend an option route all day long. Anyway, my point is that with turnover comes mistakes and a less efficient unit. That’s what we experienced last year on offense. Now we’ll experience it this year on defense. Will this new formula be the right one for a Super Bowl win?
Some good points but why do you keep using 2012 to bolster your argument that Roman and/or Harbaugh were handicapped for players? They have 3 years of record, all with the same result, with different players making up the teams. There is a common denominator and it ain’t the single year of 2012.
They employed the same basic scheme all 3 years give or take, with the same end result, a winning season falling short when facing the best teams. I don’t get why you don’t see coaching as the common denominator. They themselves apparently have finally understood it since they are, according to them, making large changes to the O scheme. I think just about everyone except maybe you and NF are saying it’s about time.
Whitner made 2 huge mistakes in the Seattle game. Rogers was on the back end of the Tate TD as well. Game, and seasons, turn on shit like that. It’s why I didn’t like Goldson. He would more often than not go for the highlight reel shit rather than make the correct play. It cost the team games. Rogers is old and lost a step. Whitner? Hey, whatever. Bethea will be fine. They get some time out there together and things will be OK. The offense is a bigger concern. Harbaugh is continuing his tradition of playing his starters little if at all. So things are always a little shakey to start the year. With the defense weakened by various factors, this could be a big problem. Points will be at a premium.
Roman’s de facto title is Run OC. Harbaugh at Stanford ran this TE heavy jumbo offense so it’s not like this should be surprising to anyone. Low risk. My main contention is we leave too many points on the field by not being aggro enough. I’ve seen way too many games where the Niners control the clock for 20 of the 30 minutes of the 1st half, yet score 6 points. One play, boom, they are behind. The turnpover in the Seattle game to start it was a huge victory for Seattle as they kept us out of the end zone from the 15. Run, short pass, run, FG. I’d rather see us turn the ball over rather than settle for 3 with wimpy-ass plays.
THAT is my biggest problem with this offense. Way too conservative in the red zone. This predates Kappy, so this is by the coaches design.
This is exactly my point. You don’t get it. Roman is not the problem. Did you like the 49ers’ offense in 2012 through the playoffs and into the Super Bowl? Sure you did. That offense was awesome! The offensive coaching staff hasn’t changed since then. Same guys. Same brains. We lost offensive players. This year we’ve got new additions with Hyde, Ellington and Stevie Johnson, and Cratbree and Patton are healthy. This offense is once again going to be amazing. You wait. And when it rocks nobody will recognize that the offense sucked in 2013 because they had no weapons. I doubt anyone here will be sending Greg Roman an apology letter.
The problem in 2014 won’t be the offense. The problem, potentially, will be the defense.
I will be at the game this Sunday
Awesome. Take some pics. Can’t wait to hear how the whole game day shit goes in the new house. I hear it gets loud in there.
No I didn’t. Where was the offense in the 1st half of the Super Bowl? Or the 1st half of the Atlanta game? It was stagnating and falling all over itself in a myriad of poorly designed and executed plays. Throw in a couple turnovers, and bing, yer down by 17 points before you catch your breath.
This offense is still very shitty in 3rd down conversions, and TOP despite the run game. When the run game is shut down, they usually get roasted in TOP. Like the last game, Sure it’s only preseason but that is how the offense looks some times. Out of synch and they end up in too many 3rd and long situations.
Blake Costanzo to IR.
So the offense was bad in the Green Bay game in 2012 when Kaep set a record for qb rushing yards? Really? The offense was bad in the Patriots’ game when we hung 40 plus on Bill Belicheck some supposed defensive genius? I guess that’s your take. The offense was bad when, in the Falcons game, Goldson and Whitner gave up back-to-back deep balls and the Falcons jumped on us 17-0 only to have us come back on them in THEIR house? The offense was bad with a first year qb heading all the way in to the Super Bowl only to lose on the last play? Right. That’s a terrible offense. I’m bitter about it now that you’ve educated me actually.
I’ve asked you this before and you didn’t answer – what year was the 49ers’ offense the best since Mooch? Do you have answer or just more blather?
Spit the context of your argument seems to be on the players for some reason.
As 12th said, rosters turnover every year, they have to, in order to balance Contracts, injuries & replacements etc.
You’ve slammed Baalke repeatedly, for whatever reason, yet he’s managed to create a wealth of depth and youth, via some pretty saavy trading acumen, since he was brought into the GM role, who’s hire was done by Jed of course.
It was also reported that Harbaugh was recruited by none other than Baalke as well.
For a young kid with no NFL experience, Jed hasn’t done too poorly IMO.
Seems he’s listened very well to Uncle Eddie and, managed to put some pretty bright football people in place along the way.
Whether by the additions of Moss, Ginn or whomever, the Coaching Staff is expected to utilize them.
Throwing repeatedly to Crabtree in the SB, was about as myopic as it could get, especially when there was no Haloti Ngata inside for Baltimore and, the ground game was actually producing.
Call it jitters, call it stage fright, whatever, Coaches were ultimately in charge of the circumstances in all of those big games.
Having a young QB also had it’s pitfalls.
You cite Kaep vs GB, chalk that up to piss poor LB play and a QB they couldn’t contain.
As for NE, NO Defense from them contributed to that shoot out.
All in all, we’re a VERY balanced team in terms of Vet and younger talent, thanks in no small part to the work of Baalke.
It’s imperative now that the Coaches, once again, find a way to utilize the talent they’ve been provided with.
If this is simply a grievance between Baalke and Harbaugh, Jed will side with Baalke if he’s smart.
None if us are advocating for the loss of Jim.
I personally just want to see more Offensive diversity employed.
Roman takes the flack because he’s the OC.
I happen to think he’s simply doing what Jim is asking him to do.
If they employ a more up-tempo Offense and, spread things around, the ground game can become even more productive, by opening up the lanes which are now clogged with extra men in the box.
We’ll see what they can do with this years roster soon enough.
For all of the betterness with Harbaugh rather than the previous guys, he plays their game better than they did. The Niners win with defense. Trying to get just enough points to win. on the last possession.
Their passing offense hit the high water mark getting all the way up to 23rd.in 2012
The Pats defense was horrible that year. As were GB’s DBs. We’ve already gone over this.
The Falcons shredded our defense, but what did the offense do? Go 3 and out. 3 times.
As with Singletary, when pushed into a corner, they open things up.
Fairly basic shit, spitty.
What they need to do is come out more aggressive in their passing game, adn at least get more WRs into patterns. This 1 WR 2TE sets are dtifling this offense.
So you believe the 49ers beat the Packers in the 2012 playoffs with defense, giving up 31 pts (forget Kaep’s runs), then defense again won the Falcons game giving up 24 pts, then the offense is what failed us in the Super Bowl when we gave up 34 pts to Joe Flacco? Denial ain’t just a river in Egypt. The only part of your argument that has any legitimacy is the fact that the 49ers D basically shut out the Falcons O in the second half . Other than that, you’re pissin’ in the wind because the 49ers’ defense wasn’t what took the Niners to the Super Bowl that year. It was Kaep and the 49ers’ O.
Spit it’s a team effort. ALWAYS.
Coaching has to make the needed in game adjustments to keep an opponent in check.
We’re just suggesting that there’s more talent here that isn’t producing, especially in the passing game.
The ST blunder by KWilliams not withstanding vs the NYG, we were once again out coached in close game that we could easily have won.
Whether it’s on O or D, it comes down to Coaching and plays called to win.
Jim has proven he can organize and focus a locker room.
He needs to prove he has another level of Offensive creativity in order to get points on the board when they’re needed.
Many of us are Old School Bill Walsh guys.
We want a wide open 1st half to get a points cushion, followed by the Jim Harbaugh grind it out 2nd half to keep a lead.
We have what we have now, it’s not Walsh, I get that.
If Jim wants to prove he’s special, he’s got to get more creative IMO.
He’s a competitive, arrogant and mostly possessed HC.
That’s fine. I love his drive and determination.
As I’ve stated before, I’d love nothing more than watching him and Pete go at each other for years to come in the NFC West.
Wow… it’s a team effort? That shit’s insightful.
My point being, that it isn’t just Baalke allowing guys to leave as you would suggest.
Coaches, players and execution by each is what determines the outcome.
We aren’t as effed up as you seem to suggest Baalke/Jed have made us.
Losing guys, adding guys, is part of the process.
We’re winning games to be sure but, I’m suggesting that we seem to lose the critical ones. Perhaps it’s too predictable?
Maybe a little more creativity from the Offense might be needed?
Compared to where we were pre-Harbaugh, it’s light years ahead of where it was with previous regimes.
Maybe now that Kaep has had a couple of years of experience, an expanded passing game could be the answer?
We’ll see whether they’ve come up with something new, as Roman suggests.
Only here can explaining that whether we want to run a wide-open high-flying offense or not we made the best use of the capabilities of the offense we have be re-stated in all seriousness as advocating it. Also interesting is how each and every post explains our failures as a direct result of the poster’s pet peeve.
I think the fact that we’ve amassed more wins than any other coach/team/scheme in the league under Harbaugh’s “caveman” offense speaks to the validity of my argument, notwithstanding all the horseshit asserted to the contrary.
Who doesn’t want to come out throwing fifty yard bombs and see the score jump by leaps? Sad fact is you lose a lot of balls doing that and most HCs are risk averse or learn to be pretty quickly.
When players obviously blow their responsibilities and cause a play to fail it’s pretty weak to blame the play called.
As some may not realize the coaches develop a game plan of plays that have a decent chance of succeeding in certain game situations judged by practice and previous play performances of the players involved. What’s the point of calling a play that the players haven’t been able to run well enough to get included in the game plan?
They’ve got zone beaters, man beaters, and plays to pick on certain LBs or DBs depending on the opposition defense. We come to the line with the perfect play called to gain 7+ and move the chains and CK7 sees the Will backer moving up to the LOS stacking over the DE and the Mike backer cheating up too far and calls the kill to the run off tackle. How’s that Roman’s faulty play calling?
True NoFear49er, add the young QB factor to the process as well.
I have no beef winning games ugly. A W is always better than an L.
I don’t hang it all on Roman either.
I believe he does what Jim asks him to do.
All I’d lobby for is something that doesn’t expose Kaep to getting his wheels destroyed.
If that’s what we’ve got, so be it. Dance with who brung ya.
It’s just too risky to expose the QB as much as we do with the modified Pistol approach.
Defenses will catch up with it.
One cheap shot is all it takes to ruin the Season.
I just think there’s an argument to be made for keeping Kaep in the pocket and having more of a passing game involved.
No beef with your assessment about Coaches doing what they think the personnel can handle.
Hence the debate that’s been going on regarding the personnel and the GM.
Each year they tinker with the personnel, as they should.
I personally think there’s room to open things up because of Kaep’s arm and accuracy vs what we were accustomed to seeing with Alex.
We’ve got Patton and Stevie and hopes for Ellington now.
Time will tell of course.
Obviously, I’m hoping this year will bring some of those passing game improvements.
Much of that is on Kaep too.
Seeing his options, guys executing proper routes etc, all factor in.
The age old marketing adage of proper design, followed by flawed manufacturing gets you a failed product.
Each level of the Organization has a job to do to be successful.
Let’s hope this years’ Roster finds enough success to take the hardware home.