The Final Countdown

In a game that was supposed to be an important one, the only importance attached to it now is to see if the Super-Bowl-aspiring-at-the-beginning-of-the-year 49ers can avoid the ignominy of dropping to 7-9. At crunch time at 7-4, the Niners closed the season-in-balance with what very well may be a 5 game losing streak. All the while looking lost and pathetic on offense.

AZ on the other hand is still fighting for a 1st round bye, or at least the division crown. Seattle has the edge right now anyway, and both games will be happening at the same time, so there will be some scoreboard watching by those teams. AZ is in a QB quandary as Logan Thomas played so well in practice they named Davis Lindley their starter.

Don’t see too much chance in AZ for a win. 7-9. Harbaugh out. Let the countdown begin at 4:45 PST.

Unknown's avatar

About unca_chuck

Lifelong SF 49ers, SF Giants, and Golden State Warriors fan
This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

179 Responses to The Final Countdown

  1. 12th Man's avatar 12th Man says:

    Niners are a TD favorite

  2. Berger's avatar Berger says:

    12th- If Davis was the only one speaking out I would question is motives. He is the 4th so far that I remember. This coaching staff has botched this “new” offense so bad that they would have been better off running the old 22 from last year. Spreading out the formations did not mean they had to abandon the run game. Spreading the formations for the run game is about getting some bodies out of the box. Nothing else. They should have continued with the running game.

  3. Berger's avatar Berger says:

    I think Davis nailed it when he said we were trying to trick people this year. I have complained about the very same thing all year. It has caused us tom lack any rhythm and any direction. Now the players are telling us for those who want to know the truth. The coaches had very bad year with this “new” offense and with adding the injuries to the situation they were doomed.

  4. Berger's avatar Berger says:

    Make that 5 players. I forgot about VD saying he just stayed in his lane and did what he was told to do. If 5 are talking to the media about the schemes, 25 to 35 are probably not sold on the game plans. Hard to win when the players aren’t buying in. I don’t ever remember hearing so many players speak out about a coaching staff like this before.

  5. 12th Man's avatar 12th Man says:

    Berger I think it has been apparent this year that the O scheme has not worked from the get go and that some of the players lost faith in it. Many of us did ask for a tweaking of the scheme to include some spreading out and going 3 wides more.

    This O staff went from the sublime to the ridiculous in trying to implement an ideal rather than just massaging an already workable scheme.

    In short, they threw the baby out with the bathwater and pressed a mobile, athletic QB into trying to be Peyton Manning. Add in the horrendous injury count and it is no wonder they end up where they are.

    • Berger's avatar Berger says:

      This pretty much is a mutiny by the players. Just my opinion but I think Roman is at the heart of the matter. It’s too bad because I think Harby can coach. His loyalty to Roman cost hm. I just hope Roman didn’t take Kap down with him. We’ll find out next year.

  6. Berger's avatar Berger says:

    What is gong to be interesting is how this plays out. I wonder if the 49ers have to pay Jimbo’s 5 mil if he takes the Mich job? If so, and if he wants that job, why fire him. Let him resign. With the payer mutiny that is currently going on, he would need to either fire Roman or resign anyway. Many of us don’t really want Harbaugh gone, we just want Roman gone. At least, that is how I feel, unless he is already checking out other jobs, then I want him gone anyway. I want a 49er man coaching the 49ers!

    OTOH, if they don’t have to pay his 5 mil if he takes the Mich job, then just fire him a get it over with. Since he probably won’t be getting rid of Roman, just fire him if that is what it takes to get rid of the present OC.

    • 12th Man's avatar 12th Man says:

      I want Harbaugh but not Roman, IMO Roman is a poor OC.

      Harbaugh has of course checked out other openings, naive to think otherwise.

      I don’t see a player revolution but disgruntled is to be expected given the way the season unfolded. I do think that the players using 2 different changing facilities shows an undercurrent, a divided locker room.

      I feel some players lost faith in the scheme a while ago, coming up short 3 years in a row probably has something to do with that as well as the drastic O scheme changes that didn’t work out.

      Disjointed is how it looked from the stands. I think it was AD who mentioned trying to trick the opposition, for instance they would have success going spread in the AZ game and changed to the run in mid game and vice versa. Roman didn’t fool opposing DC’s very often.

  7. 12th Man's avatar 12th Man says:

    There is a basic truth to the problem with first half/second half disparity of O production and points scored. The team moves the ball and scores for 30 mins then after the break get handled, easily. Same players.
    Maybe one of the “Coaches do no wrong it’s all Kaepernicks fault” brigade has an adequate answer as to why?

    There is also a basic truth to all 4 years of inadequate O production from these coaches. Time problems, time out problems, poor challenges, terrible RZ efficiency, ditto 3rd down efficiency, lowest (or near to it) TD production, highest (or near to it) FG production. All of these categories are symptoms of an inefficient and poorly constructed O scheme. During this time period the QB has ranked higher than the O as a whole has.

    There is no question that the teams successes were built on outstanding D and ST and a don’t turn the ball over power run game ala the Ravens of yore. If the O was just a bit more creative, it is almost certain the Niners would have at least 1 more Lombardi in the display case.

    The O has been sub-par all 4 years under Harbaugh, too bad he didn’t do enough to fix it.

  8. 12th Man's avatar 12th Man says:

    Report: Michigan, Jim Harbaugh to talk

    I would be surprised if Harbaugh went to Michigan but if he does then that says all I need to know about if it really did boil down to money for Harbaugh.

    • Berger's avatar Berger says:

      Comcast reporters, especially Ratto, have been saying Harby has turned down two contract extensions. They are saying they had incentives and Harby didn’t like that. If that info is accurate it sure sounds like it is about the money.

  9. unca_chuck's avatar unca_chuck says:

    Shit, it has been about the money all along. Harbs was angling for an extension as early as 2012 after the first year of his deal. He wants to be the highest paid coach in the game.

    I’d be surprised of he doesn’t go to Michigan. He can run the whole show in college.

  10. Berger's avatar Berger says:

    Anybody who can’t see that Anthony Davis is railing against Roman is living in a RoBaugh fantasy land. The reason he is speaking up is to protect his team mate Looney who got called out by Roman last week. This is a melt down. No two ways about it.

  11. Winder's avatar Winder says:

    It has been awhile since I’ve felt the season can’t end soon enough. I hope some of the changes this coming year will include a new conditioning coach.

    • Berger's avatar Berger says:

      I’ve been calling out Roman since last season. His play calling was bad when he ran an offense he knew how to run. This year he doesn’t even know what kind of offense he is running, let alone know how to run it.

      Having said that, I am quite surprised he has cause such an implosion on this team. I don’t remember seeing something like this over an assistant coach. When it seemed like it was Jed/Baalke vs RoBaugh it was a story. Now that it looks like it is players vs Roman I find it sad Jimbo couldn’t see this coming or, worse yet, do anything about it when it became obvious and we were still alive for the play-offs. He will learn from this or have similar issues at his next stop.

      I don’t know if the Jed/Baalke vs Harbaugh and players vs Roman duels are related but there are probably some aspects that are related and some that aren’t. Harbaugh wanting more money seems to be unrelated. Deion Sanders was reporting the player dissatisfaction months ago and I didn’t want to believe him. But as we found out, where there is smoke there is fire.

  12. snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

    You may remember that when Alex was the QB under Harbs/Roman, he had the same time problems in getting plays off. Not just Kap. This is a systemic issue under Roman. This offense is statistically worse, so says KNBR, that the Jimmy Hat offense. That is incredible. I don’t want much NFL other than Niners, so when I do see a bit of other teams not playing the Niners, it’s amazing how most offenses do things in a routine way that this Niner offense just can’t do. Quick outs, slants, screens, bubble screens, flat passes to RBs. Instead, Roman has guys moving every which way before the snap, then nothing happens after the snap…

  13. snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

    Nobody can talk with Harbs about moving from the Niners until the Niners say he can talk, or they trade him. He’s still under contract. At least in CA, there’s a little thing called tortious interference with contract, and you can get sued and lose if you’re not careful how you go about wooing some dude away from a current employment contract without the OK from the current employer. I doubt Jed has given Michigan the OK, since they can’t give him anything for Harbs other than a few season tix for games at the Big House…

  14. snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

    The A Davis stuff coming out on Roman is the tip of the iceberg.
    After they do whatever they’re going to do on Harbs, there will be a barrage of leaks and tweets on what went on, on both “sides”. I’m guessing it’s going to be real ugly. Media field day/week. How many of Harbs coaches are still under contract for 2015? I’m good with all of ’em staying except Roman and the Seely. Fangio can be HC, and he can hire an OC that simplifies the Offensive plan to give Kap one season to prove/disprove he can get it done. Meanwhile, draft a QB to give Kap some incentive to improve. If you bring in a new HC from outside, he brings in an all new coaching staff. That’s a crapshoot…

  15. snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

    Meanwhile, I’m expecting a Niner loss to the Cards. Niners have zero to play for, Cards have a real incentive to win. Yeah, the QB situation is crap, meanings the Cards. But, the Niners are signing dudes off the street to play Sunday. Now Boone is out with a knee. Half the starting squads seem to be on IR. Going to be an ugly game, out with a whimper…

  16. unca_chuck's avatar unca_chuck says:

    Jason cole has Harbaugh going to Michigan being a done deal.

    • snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

      We’ll see. All along I thought the Raiduhs thing is iffy. The Niners would have to play along, since he’s still under contract. Why would Jed give Harbs to Mark Davis, unless Davis gave them a boatload of picks, and look like schmucks if Harbs happened to raise the wreck of the Raiduhs in the face of the Niners? Why would Harbs go, if the Raiduhs gave away a ton of picks to get him? Maybe Mrs. Harbs will stay in Palo Alto in any case. She’ll probably see him just as much if he’s in Ann Arbor as 4949 Centennial or in Alameda. Lessee. Palo Alto vs. Gross Pointe?…

    • snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

      Chuck, there’s so much S on Harbs floating in the media out there, that report is as believable/not believable as any other. Didn’t I see a B/R article last week that you’re in the running to take over OC for Roman? Quoting “Anonymous” sources…

  17. snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

    Look at any cost of living comparisons out there. $8M in the Detroit/Ann Arbor area is like $13 million on the Peninsula. That’s a lot of bread to soothe moving from the sunshine to the snow…

    • Berger's avatar Berger says:

      I think it is possible that ‘snark’ could be the most perfect blog name I have ever seen. Since that was probably taken, ‘snarkk’ would be a close 2nd! If you ever die let us know so we can allocate the name!

      • snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

        I was originally with only one K when I used to post on the SF Chron. Then, somehow I lost the name in a password snafu, typical of the tire fire that is the SF Gate. Added the extra k, and went with it. The snarkkdog avatar has been there since day one. Since the Giants have won 3 outta 5 World Series, I’m not nearly as snarkky anymore…

      • Berger's avatar Berger says:

        I was Berger at the SF Gate. I got banned for talking about fuckable women one drunken night. I ended up having to use Renoberger!

      • snarkk's avatar snarkk says:

        I was banned at SF Gate under another name for criticizing posters who applauded teachers for having sex with middle school kids. I called them pedophile enablers or some such, and got banned. Unless you’re in Saudi, I found it weird getting banned for calling out people who thought it was a good thing for 50 year old men to have sex with 12 year old girls. Go figure…

      • Berger's avatar Berger says:

        The girl I was talking about was Mindy Bach. I still think she is fuckable. What is wrong with that? That should be a compliment. I would love to hear some female say I’m fuckable. That doesn’t mean I want to fuck her. Whatever. She’s safe around me, It was just a compliment that she looks good and healthy. In this PC world you can’t say certain things, even if they are complimentary.

      • Berger's avatar Berger says:

        “If you ever die let us know” was supposed to be funny. Either nobody picked upon it or it wasn’t funny. Whatever, I won’t quit my day job!

  18. Winder's avatar Winder says:

    I think just about everybody got kicked off the Gate at one time or another. I thought it was a great time 6-7 yrs ago when you could actually speak your mind. Who wrote the book on PC manners? They should be shot.

  19. twinfan1's avatar twinfan1 says:

    Just thought I mention that Alex Smith is out with a lacerated spleen that he got in last week’s game. It’s not real serious unless he takes another hit there.If it ruptures it’s big time serious. This season has sucked on every level with the Niners and the Chiefs both losing any chance they had after being beat by the fucking Raiders.
    Oh, one more thing: Happy Holidays, Chuck and company..

Comments are closed.