Wow. Just wow. I’ve heard of a Cleveland Steamer, but this game was a Chicago spewage-fest all of its own. The perfect shitstorm of penalties, turnovers, and shitty coaching. The 49ers, after stumbling and bumbling their way to a 17-0 first half lead that could have easily been 27 points, saw their lead get cut to 10 with the help of 3 penalties and a great catch by Brandon Marshall to close the 1st half.
I was a little uneasy about that late score until we took the 2nd half kickoff and marched down the field to the Bear 5 after controlling the ball for 10 minutes. The offense was clicking all the way. Kappy connected with VMcD, and Crabs, and Stevie Wonder had a nice 20 yard catch and run. We were poised to take a 17 point lead. So what does Harbaugh do? Completely pussy out. He turtled up and kicked the field goal, thinking his defense would save the day and he could turtle his way to victory. The problem? 24-7 is a 3 score lead. 20-7 isn’t. Things happen way too fast in the NFL to sit on a 13 point lead to open the 2nd half. And it bit Harbaugh squarely in the ass.
Chicago’s next drive was once again helped immensely on two drive-extending 3rd down penalties. So, what do we do? Throw. 1st play after Chicago’s TD is a pick. I do like opening things up, but really, Buffalo put 200 on this defense on the ground. We didn’t really try. So, Chicago scores 2 TDs and the Niners are down by 1. Score that TD to open the 2nd half, and the Niners are still up by 3. But yeah, you get that. So, still throwing, we get picked again. It takes Chicago all of 3 plays to score again. Down by 8. Time to go no-huddle and try to score quickly? Well, that ain’t in the play book. Harbaugh’s MO is to play for the one score to tie and leave no time on the clock.
Instead of possibly tieing the game, we suffer the same fate as the Super Bowl, and last year’s NFC Championship game. A closely contested pass to Michael Crabtree that falls incomplete. Crabs himself said he blew it by taking the route toward the end zone instead of staying on his crossing route. I believe him, but I also think Chicago got a huge boost by holding the Niners to a FG and thus keeping the score at 13 points.
As bad as the game was, with all the penalties and turnovers, I put this loss squarely on the coaches. Harbaugh and Fangio both went the conservative route, and let Chicago hang around. Chicago had no business getting back into this game, yet the coaches left Cutler unscathed, Fangio never dialed up the pressure, and he picked us apart. Even with Marshall and Jeffries hobbled. You had to know they’d start feeling better if they started making plays. Which they did.
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
The real pisser is losing the shot to get one up on Seattle. It makes this roadie in AZ a big game.
Crabtree said after the game this team lacks a killer instinct. I completely agree with that. We should have beat Dallas by four scores (and seven years ago). Brent Jones said on KNBR Walsh used to put teams away and Harbaugh doesn’t. I completely agree with this also. Last week I suggested it’s because of the number of players we are now able to suit up – something Maiocco said earlier. I think that number is different from the days of Walsh.
But this loss isn’t any ONE thing. It’s a collection of things. Like Harbaugh said – there’s a lot of fingerprints on this one – Penalties, injuries without adequate backups, no blitzing, Kaep taking too much risk, Vernon not manning up with a minor injury, not many good plays for Carlos Hyde.
Hyde makes me laugh. Here’s an awesome new talent and somehow the 49ers think because he was with Urban Meyer in college all he can run is option stuff. Ridiculous. That’s part of the reason they ran Kaep yesterday – to setup what Hyde already knows. How ’bout you install regular pro style offensive plays for Hyde? Then run play action off that? Is that too tough? Forget the Hyde / Kaep read option. I can’t believe we’re still trying to run the read option – but now it’s for Hyde because of his comfort level? Ridiculous.
You’re welcome.
For what? Me keeping your blog alive?
This one is gonna take awhile to get over. I’ve been around a lot of losses but never one quite like this.This one was just a big old turd on a stick. Chuck, shitstorm was the perfect term for what we did.
Yeah, Sidewinder, this one stings. It was gift-wrapped and ready to go, but we shit all over it. Like I said, the coaches wear this one. The team was completely disorganized and unprepared for this momentous occasion. Jim Harbaugh has the unnerving tendency to come up small in these big games.
Spitty, you said yesterday that the Kappy runs weren’t designed. They were read option runs. You blamed everything yesterday on Baalke. Today you’ve changed your tune and blame the coaches. You mirror what I posted and act like you came up with it. Fine. Keep it alive, skippy. I can’t go on without you (click sarcasm key).
I was talking about the 4th quarter – when it mattered the most. When the 49ers have the lead, they go on cruise control. Those plays and drives where Kaep ran the read option in the second and third quarter are as crucial because Harbaugh is trying to end the game or take the air out of the football. What I was referring to last night when I wrote, “they weren’t designed runs,” was Kaep’s scrambles. You can tell a team’s weaknesses when their back is against the wall. We were down by eight and couldn’t get pass protection.
And yes, I still blame Baalke. Look at this…
Aldon Smith – Cory Lemonier
Anthony Davis – Jonathan Martin
Bowman – Wilhoite
Dorsey – Ian Williams
Goldson – Reid
Whitner – Bethea
Brown – Brock
Rogers – Ward
Delanie Walker – Vance McDonald
Randy Moss – Anquan Boldin
Ted Ginn – Patton or Ellington
The players on the left are former players or players who are injured or suspended. The players on the right are their replacements. Collectively, the players on the left are studs. Collectively the players on the right aren’t very good. And that’s why we lost last night. I’d much coach that team on the left.
That should read “aren’t as crucial.” As always, I need an editor.
Jesus Christ. Yeah, every team wants joe as the starter and Steve as the backup. It just isn’t possible in today’s NFL. Guys get hurt, it can kill your season. Look at ATL last year.
Yer dumber than a bag of dicks to keep harping on this.
Both VD and VMcD were injured in the loss. Davis’s injury looks to be the most worrisome. He was on crutches after the game. McDonald was walking w/o a limp.
What pisses me off about Harbaugh is the inability to change course in the middle of a game. We played it like Chicago was going to run all thorough the game despite Chicago giving up on the run in the first quarter.
Same with the offense. We were playing the game like a shootout despite being up by 17. Well, until that 1st and goal from the 5. . .
Fuck. This one is a pisser.
Harbaugh is no Walsh. Man what a disgrace! Offense and Defense just melted down to nothing in the fourth quarter.
BLEEP!
yeah I was actually at the game. The crowd got really quiet when Da Bears took the lead. New stadium, the Niners didn’t really need to do anything to get the crowd into it. scoring 17 points put the fans over the top. I don’t remember if it was before the half or the first series of the 3rd quarter, but the Niners ran 3 times and sure enough it was 3 and out. I thought oh shit Harbaugh is going into protect the lead mode. But then Kaep comes back out throwing the ball. Unfortunately to the other team. AND would it kill the Niners to once in awhile to blitz? Once Cutler started picking apart the backs, I kept waiting and waiting and waiting for a blitz to put Cutler on his back, at least once. Never happened. I am still pissed at the loss.
Hey Kevin, I heard the place started emptying out at half time. Was that true?
And yeah, don’t worry, I was yelling at the TV all the second half, BLITZ!!! We let Cutler off the hook. Chicago rushed 5 all night. We rushed 4 all night. It showed.
It’s like we kept playing the run even though Chicago gave up on that in the 1st quarter.
No Way dude. everyone stayed. for one thing Snoop Dog was the half time show. My daughter loved that!! should have seen the smile on her face, it was hilarious. She said that alone was worth going to the game for. ha ha
YEah, it didn’t look like it, but I heard someone say that.
“We let Cutler off the hook.”
Must be something about the Bears and their players and letting them off hooks.
Just change coach Green’s line to, “Jim Harbaugh is who we thought he was. And we should hang ’em by a hook” and not much has changed since then.
Entertaining the idea of not watching games live much anymore. The penalty factor, the timeouts, the commercials, is turning the NFL into a real grind to watch much of it. The number of penalties just has to stop. This illegal contact stuff is just turning the game into a hanky throwing fest…
I second that.
If they keep calling that hands to the face shit, and all those illegal contacts, I’m with you. Penalties suck the life out of the game.
Don’t worry. Now that social media has figured out it can not only affect change but impose their will on the league, it’s the beginning of the end of pro football as we knew it anyway.
If they can’t find a way to whip that offensive line into shape maybe they should hire Adrian Peterson to do so. Iupuppy and Martin were a disgrace on pass protection. The play calling on the goal line was a disgrace. Gee did you think they were gonna run up the middle? Fuckin idiots. The stadium is fucked up too. It is about the show. It is a football game not a fuckin gameshow. There is too much goin on. This game and coaching effort was one big hot steamy turd. Hey guys good to see ya!
Ninerdog! Good to see you. How ya doin’?
Doin good. Kids are well and I can’t complain about too much. Went back to Arkansas to see my other brother a retired Marine, the bugs back there are phenomonally big and noisy. It is hot as fuck and humid too. Except for the wind storms that come through there and blow the roofs of everything it is pretty nice. I was pretty happy to come back to my little place on the peninsula.
How you doin? Glad to see you here. And the rest of the fellers too. You are right about the NFL dieing on the vine right now.
Those penalties were atrocious. The 49ers still had a chance to win after blowing that big lead and all their opportunities. They didn’t have the horses tho. They talk about all the talent they have. Well they better get some heart. “Cuz Arizona don’t care about their talent…it will be a street fight down there and the 49ers have not won one of those in a while. That is if the NFL allows that kind of game anymore.
Hey Dawg. How ya been? Yeah, what a piece of shit, Iupati wasn’t run blocking at all either. All these strengths of ours are not really there. We barely tried to run against a supposedly soft run D. I wanted more passing, but not Mad Mike passing.
And I can’t say enough about how ridiculous the penalties are. they might as well outlaw touching WRs and QBs at any time.
Spit I’m holding some hope for you that one day you’ll realize Baalke has stacked this team with youth and developing talent.
Lemonier is now competing with Aaron Lynch.
Not sure but I think Baalke picked him too? Very cheaply I might add.
Moody? While he’s waiting to break the lineup, he’s now got competition from Borland.
Baalke continues to stir the roster until the production arrives or, he cuts bait and moves on.
LMJ? Gone. AJJ? Gone.
No GM bats 1.000 in this game.
Are you unhappy with Marcus Martin, Carlos Hyde and Brandon Coleman too?
He’s playing the system of youth and Cap mgt about as well as it can be played, while also paying the most expensive position on the field this year.
Someday you’ll realize the GM can’t be blamed for on-field production too I hope.
They have Coaches involved for that.
NJ,
You and Baalke are selling a lot of draft promise, but so far when the rubber meets the road, there’s not a lot of payoff. Of Baalke’s 33 picks since he’s had the trigger, his only starters are Ward, Aldon, Kaep, Culliver, Kilgore, Miller and Reid. Kaep was a Harbaugh find. Culliver is a very average corner. He got beat like a drum in the Super Bowl. Kilgore is average. Miller is a starter only because of his position. That’s the good… and it’s not that good.
The bad is LaMicheal James, AJ Jenkins, Vance McDonald, Marcus Lattimore, the entire 2012 draft and countless other guys who are long on promise and short on making consistent plays…. or consistently being healthy (like Hunter).
You can make the claim that Baalke is stocking this team with talent. And I can make the claim that I’m better looking than Brad Pitt. Neither are true.
And don’t give me this shit that Lemonier is competing with Lynch. Lemonier is so good he got beat out by Dan Skuta. Hell…. I could beat out Dan Skuta.
You’re selling a lot of promise and little actual productivity.
Kilgore will likely lose to Marcus Martin.
Culliver could lose to Dontae Johnson too.
Point being, Baalke has consistantly acquired additional Picks since he took the reigns and, has the room to whiff on some Picks because of it.
Lattimore is a rehab project, which came on the cheap due to injury.
Can’t complain about a former 1st Rd talent in the 4th, no matter what happens with him.
Carlos was a steal, as was Marcus Martin IMO.
Vance is still playing 2nd fiddle to Vernon too. There’s time to develop him.
Baalke isn’t perfect but, he’s miles ahead of most GMs in this League.
He’s also pretty good at finding late Rd gems so far.
Bruce Miller is a converted DE.
How many people would have seen that potential?
It’s not as bad as you might think.
Lawrence Okoye could end up being a situation where straw turns to gold too, especially working under Tomsula.
If not? Nothing lost but some Coaching effort.
He’s also getting a look on the OL now.
Good athletes that accept coaching can find a way to stick.
Our glaring blind-spot continues to be at WR.
With any luck, Patton and Ellington can break that cycle.
To that end, the WR position Coach has to take some heat too, along with Roman.
Skuta was a FA.
He came with some NFL experience, Lemonier is still developing.
No, he might not be Aldon, few are but, he’s also a mid Rd selection they hope to develop.
In the meantime, the best guys play.
That’s true of any player on any team.
Some guys fit and take off, others aren’t so fortunate.
Quite frankly, I never saw the Aldon Smith Pick coming.
Give Baalke some credit for that stunner.
I was sold on JJ Watt.
God, you’re full of shit… and spinning like a washing machine.
The Lattimore pick was a total waste of a 4th round pick. Don’t sell me promise. There’s plenty of great players who are 4th round picks. Total waste. Why is it that Lattimore was passed on by all other teams? Was it because his knee was so fucked he’s not going to play again? Because to me that’s a wasted draft pick.
Culliver and Dontae Johnson are average players. Nothing to get excited about. I don’t care who beats out whom. They’re average.
Carlos was not a steal. He was a second round pick. The days of picking running backs in the first round are long gone unless they are exceptional talents like Adrian Peterson. Carlos is a second round pick. He was picked along side Jeremy Hill and Bishop, and there’s no evidence yet that Hyde’s better. And there are other running backs drafted in later rounds who could be better than Hyde like Devonta Freeman in Atlanta.
Bruce Miller isn’t a gem. He’s a FB and a gimmick. And considering Harbaugh’s love for the FB when at Stanford, I’d bet dollars to donuts Miller was a Harbaugh pick and convert and not a Baalke pick. Does the name Owen Merecic mean anything to you?
And don’t get me started on AJ Jenkins over Alshon Jeffrey. The 2012 draft?
Trent Baalke sucks at his job. I think this team is now in decline and if I was Harbaugh I’d leave too. Why beat your head against the wall like Tom Coughlin with a team in decline and a GM who’s not re-acquiring talent?
Selling more Lemonier promise. That’s all you’ve got is promise. A lot of these guys should be producing by now. Why aren’t they?
A team Picks guys that they feel they can develop and fit into their specific system too Spit.
Whether Bruce was a Harbaugh Pick or a Baalke Pick, he’s producing at a position he wasn’t playing in College.
Would you rather have a situation like RG III?
Sell out for years on a Pick that likely won’t provide anything but ticket sales?
Shanahan was wise to grab Cousins in hindsight now wasn’t he?
Now Shanny is unemployed because Snyder is licking RG IIIs nutsack.
Carlos landed on our roster because Baalke took the shot others passed on.
No one is guaranteed to be a star when they’re Drafted, it’s always a crap-shoot.
Marecic was also given a chance to play for Harbaugh again and passed.
What’s that tell you?
Maybe he didn’t feel like he could win the job?
Lemonier will have to work to keep his spot is all I’m saying.
If Lynch steals the job, Baalke gets another late Rd find for next to nothing.
I call Carlos and Marcus steals because we stole them from other teams, not what Rd they were picked in.
Most everyone called Hyde a 1st Rd talent.
We got him in Rd 2.
That’s a steal IMO.
You’re an idiot. If running backs are no longer drafted in the first round, then Hyde wasn’t a first round talent. And if someone said he was, he’s doing what you’re doing – trying to sell the product by over-inflating its value. I can work it the opposite way if you’d like. I read Hyde was a 3rd rounder. Baalke got ripped off.
So let me get this straight regarding RGIII… what you’re saying with RGIII is that Baalke is good because he didn’t trade the farm for one player? Laughable. Only idiots like Daniel Snyder and Mike Ditka trade the farm for one pick. Because Baalke hasn’t doesn’t mean Baalke’s good. It just means he’s avoided an obvious pitfall. Congrats to Baalke for not being an idiot. But not being an idiot doesn’t mean you’re good. PS – You’re an idiot.
Value is decided by the team making the selection Spit. Nothing more.
Plenty of pundits make a living handicapping the College talent, take it with a grain of salt.
Jerruh seems to make a go off of it doesn’t he?
For him it’s name recognition and media driven hype come selection time anyway.
Scouts determine the value to a teams roster.
The GM then finds a way to slot them in order to Draft them.
Plenty of people get involved with the Draft process, including position coaches and HCs.
Whether you like someone is all that seems to matter in your world anyway.
Apply for the job in Dallas.
Jerruh could use you.
Clown.
I’m also thinking Baalke should get our Red Zone deficiences fixed too.
What about you?
Some of those plays he’s been calling are getting extremely predictable.
He’s gotta get Kaep to stop telegraphing some of those throws too.
That killer instinct comment coming from Crabtree likely was pointed at Baalke too I’m sure.
Right. I go back to 1st and 5. 3 runs. Waaaay too conservative.
If he’s conservative down close, why wall the throwing otherwise? Kappy’s had a couple picks, and is having a rough night, but they go right back to passing.
Like they are playing their game plan they decided on before the game started, and didn’t pay attention to their 17 point lead, or adjust anything accordingly.
Major coaching fail. The players are getting tired of it as well. Crabs and Gore saying ‘no killer instinct’ is telling.
Spitty found another scab to pick and pick at until everyone grows bored with it.
Mission accomplished.
This team has a lot of talent. We have more than our share of injuries. But Harbaugh is not cutting it when he wimps out on the 5 and goes for the FG.
When the defense plays soft with a 4 man rush, and lets Cutler dissect them was a huge fail. The Niners were playing Chicago to run, and they gave up on that in the 1st quarter. They did not adjust the entire game. Failure. Utter failure by the coaching staff.
You can piss and moan about hindsight in the draft, but the coaching staff is giving away games on the field. Last week rests squarely on the coaches. And frankly, I’m getting tired of being schooled by the likes of Marc Trestman, brother John, and Pete Carroll. Seriously? When Trestman outcoaches you, you have to look at another line of work. Harbaugh is quickly becoming the 2nd coming of Mike Singletary.
Too pigheaded, and glacial in his game time adjustments.
BLEEP Harbaugh! Send him back to Peru! We need better coaching! Better decision making and stop the stupid interceptions by our stupid QB!
New thread is up.