Was Robert Johnson really selling his soul to the devil for fleeting fame and fortune at the crossroads of Highways 61 and 49, or was he just trying to get the hell of of Mississippi? I ask this question, because this pattern of instant success and then lingering animosity seems to be following Jim Harbaugh around like a tick hound after a convict.
He revived two college programs and the Niners through the force of his insatiable will and drive, yet has left people angry and confused with his balls to the wall 24/7 approach. This includes the front offices of the colleges, and especially 4949 Centennial Blvd. Abrasive, caustic, dismissive, arrogant are the terms usually used about Harbaugh. The success is fine, but is it worth the cost? Some say sure, as long as the big prize is won. The problem is, Jimbo has not hit the jackpot. Yes, he won the Orange Bowl in 2010. His biggest win as a head coach, Yet his 3 playoff losses have been marked by bad breaks, a few gut wrenching fumbles, some terrible officiating, and a very mistimed timeout which apparently changed the last 3 pays of the 2012 season.
So, what’s the plan going forward? This week was one of a lot of damage control. The Niners reached their nadir in PR relations after the Raider loss, and who could really blame them? A team that had given up 52 points to the lowly Rams (and scored ZERO) suddenly looked like the monsters of the midway. Kaepernick was terse with the media, Harbaugh was his usual prickly self, and all the talk circled around the new head coach and where Harbaugh would land. There’s even talk the trade with the Raiders would happen after this upcoming game. And how weird would it be for the Raiders to trade for the guy they just beat?
All the talk is of a massacre not seen since the likes of Custer and Little Bighorn. I’m sure this next loss will come to pass, but I think this team has actually helped itself with some actual communication going on. If Harbaugh has any pull left with these players, this is their last stand. Win, and their flickering playoff hopes are still alive. Lose, and they are staring at a possible 0-5 run to close out the Harbaugh era, and a 7-9 record.
Forty Niners Forever 
One last enjoyable scenario, would be to see Philly choke, and miss the Playoffs.
Both Dallas and Philly don’t have much Defensively but, the ‘Boys now have a leg up on the Eagles.
Can’t say either team sucks, since they’re both still alive but, only one of them might make it now.
The season is over……BLEEP!
More players can get injured for nothing……except pride.
And a fat pay check!
I thought the effort was good yesterday. The play calling was OK, I even think I saw a couple of hot reads. In the end our blocking schemes still lack as we just don’t pick up the blitz very well and don’t have a hot read scheme designed to burn the aggressiveness. The bigger issue these days has become so many injuries. I applaud the effort and hope this year can be used to identify some players who otherwise would not have played as much. With a good draft and some solid decisions from the FO we should be challenging for the title next year.
Funny to me is te fact that the bogus penalty allowed Seattle to score a TD, and conveniently get a 10 point lead. The spread was 9.5 . . .
Now the NFL is saying it was a bad call. I think it’s just a bad rule. The old spearing rule was good enough, now we have to deal with calls that are difficult to make and not reviewable. IMO, this rule needs to go away but if they won’t do that at least make it reviewable. Too often we have seen these calls be game changers. How can that not be important enough to be reviewed?.
Steve Bitker @SteveBitker 8m8 minutes ago
John Madden tells @KCBSNews: Not Harbaugh’s fault, this one is all on #49ers management, it’s “a management problem.”
Have John explain how management was responsible for zero pass rush vs the Bears, Cardinals and Raiders. The Bears and Raiders games were easy wins with a pass rush. You saw how Carr performed this week with a little pressure applied. We applied zero and let him look like a old pro picking us apart.
The story of this season for me is our D was inconsistent with the pass rush and our O-line allowed the other team a good pass rush all year. Like I always say, defensive lines win championships. We made every D-line look great this year.
BTW, there is a compelling argument that the Crossroads is in Rosedale and not Clarksdale. I don’t care either way but it is an interesting story for any blues fan such as myself.
Hey, Johnny Football had a QBR of 1 yesterday. That film study of dollar bills and his workouts at the Cleveland clubs seem to be working for him.
Don’t you mean Johnny Eightball?
I thought he was intriguing after that one preseason game, but that’s about it. You never heard me laud him like I have done with Carr and Teddy Roosewater.
I misunderstood your comment, but yeah, we’re on the same page with him.
Two things need to happen next year. One the O line needs to get better at pass blocking…a lot better. Second the Niners need to get a go to Reciever. And I don’t mean he has to be the second coming of J Rice. But throughout the last few years the Niners do not seem to have that break away receiver. The one that can run all over the field to lose a defender. This shows in other teams when their QB starts to run, why is it they can find an open receiver and Kaep cannot. When the Niners did have that type of receiver it open up the passing game to the TE, Full Back and the running back. Painfull to watch this offense, but I will always watch to the bitter end. GO NINERS
There’s going to be a LOT of re-evaluation. I expect we’ll have a new offensive system to go with the new HC, and a new defensive system and DC is not unlikely as well. Depending on what kind of team and what kind of approach we take, we will have to decide what kind of players to draft. Frank Gore is probably done so we’d better look at bring in a real playmaker WR and not just another crop of stopgaps. On the line, if we move to a more pass-happy offense, then Iupati is gone along with maybe one or two other O-linemen. Play the five best pass blockers. On defense, Brooks is gone, with Lynch being the next man up, which could fit nicely into a more aggressive scheme. LBs and CBs are an unknown until we see who heals and who doesn’t.
Yeah if we retool to something uptempo, the road graders have to go. We may go back to smaller quicker guys. Wwe don’t need to go Chip Kelly, but something a LOT faster than that drive near the end of the game. We were using 35 secs of clock to get plays off. Ridiculous. We were down 2 scores and plodding along.
plodding….plodding…..plodding…..to the end of this season.
In crunch time yesterday, needing to pick up the pace to attempt a comeback, our 2min Offense looked about as effective as a 4min Offense.
Plenty of weight can be applied to the complexity of the current scheme in terms of efficiency, it doesn’t exist.
I’m baffled as to how, and why, Jay Cutler ever got the Contract he was awarded?
This dude is a complete eff’n moron.
And we kvetch about our Mgt?
God is he an overpaid, gutless malcontent.
Kyle Orton, still an injury fill-in with Buffalo, 2 1sts, a 4th, and a 7th to Denver. LOL, I’m still laughing at GeoMak.
Good ‘Ol GeoMak – There’s a BLAST from the past.
Wasn’t he a die hard Singletary/Bears fan?
Yup, and he and I argued about the Cutler trade. He thought the Cutler trade was the best thing since peanut butter on rye bread.
Cutler needs a serious attitude adjustment.
Dude is incorrigible.
What a POS.
Remember his NFCCG? LOL
Who could forget?
Especially when you see Philip Rivers playing on a busted knee in his Playoff game, giving it all he had, you realize just how much some guys appreciate the opportunity just to be there.
Cutler is garbage…..With a Capital G.
It amazes me that any of Cutler’s team mates give a sh!t about him as a leader.
He’s a flippant waste of Cap space.
Ryan Leaf/Jeff George 2.0 and then some.
JaBlobbus Russell.
If I’m an O-Lineman in front of Cutler, I’d whiff on purpose, just to let my guy stomp his eff’n smug face into the dirt.
He isn’t even trying to win it seems.
He’s just going through the motions.
What an embarrassment he is to the League, let alone his own team.
I like the guy on ESPN saying, “What I want to know is: WHO is responsible for that contract? I mean, WHO?!!!”
Seriously.
Has to be GM Phil Emery I’d guess?
Hard for us to complain about Baalke, when clowns like this dude are getting paid to run an NFL Franchise.
The McCaskey Family appear to be absentee Owners by the looks of it.
I’ve never seen a more apathetic moron, playing in ANY sport, than Cutler.
Face of the Franchise?
Pitiful.
Someone needs to get that clown into a dark alley and beat his flippant A$$ into reality.
Goodell should find a new fine for Primetime Smugness, then, apply it to Cutler as conduct detrimental to the Shield.
Looks like RayMc knocked Okung out for a week or 2 with a bruised lung.
AZ gets a little help apparently from that hit perhaps?
If only they had a QB/RB worthy of scaring the Seattle Defense.
That game is likely to be a low scoring affair.
Too bad we couldn’t have blocked that Eric Reid INT return a bit better in general.
That could’ve been a game changer, if Reid could have turned inside, without losing momentum.
Hey Berger,
I’m getting an early start on Draft Scouting as it were.
Senior Bowl time before we know it.
Keep an eye open for a ‘Newbie’ like Bruce Ellington, another kid that left the hardwood for the gridiron, this time it’s a CB –
Quinten Rollins of Miami (OH) –
6’0″ 203
Already being projected into RD2.
He might be worthy of Safety consideration, as reports have him being very active in the tackling arena.
“Playing at CB through 11 games he had 66 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 FF, 14 PD and 5 INT. To say he was a revelation to NFL personnel people would be an understatement. His ball-hawking ability is not quite as surprising as his willingness to stick his nose into the action in run support.”
Got an early ‘sleeper’ for us as a deep threat too –
WR Devin Smith Ohio State –
6’1″ 199 / 4.45
“He is one of the best vertical threats in the country, averaging 27.2 yards per reception, which ranks second in the FBS behind only Miami’s Phillip Dorsett.
He finished second on the team in receiving each of the previous two seasons, setting career-bests in 2013 with 44 catches for 660 yards and eight scores as a junior.”
There’s crap and then their are the BEARS!
GRRRR!
Cutler Dookie!
Keep an eye open for another potential Fat Man in the Middle –
Late Rounder perhaps, maybe an UDFA?
NT Terry Williams – ECU –
6’0″ 350 – (Needs to drop some weight I’d say)
“He is a productive/destructive force in the middle of their 3-4 DL.
He is high energy and despite playing over weight, he hustles and finishes plays more often than many of his teammates. He’s built low to the ground with a massive base and does not get knocked off of his feet. He plugs the middle and then pushes blockers into the pocket or ball carrier. He can be neutralized, but very seldom pushed off his spot. You might expect him to disappear in the 4th quarter from fatigue, but his play looks the same no matter what time in the game you focus on him.”
I was surprised at the job Dial was doing at plugging the middle this week. It looks like he is going to be a really good 3-4 DE at some point. A front line NT would really help the D. We are starting to give up more yards in the running game this year. How much has to do with Bowman and Willis out? I would think maybe some but the two that filled in did good vs the run but they didn’t do so well vs the pass. A good run stuffing NT would let the LBs work the pass a bit more.
The bears front office almost makes ours look sane. Almost.