The bad news? The 49ers are going through what could be a lengthy stretch of insignificance. Sure, we look to be in a bit of a quandary with our front office, and the well-stocked team we had nigh 2 years ago is shedding talent like my dogs shed hair, but at least we aren’t the Cleveland Brown.
This is the good news. Talk about a team in the shitter. Going back to (only) 1990, the mistakes by the lake have had 16 double-digit loss seasons out of 23. This of course spans 2 separate teams and 3 seasons without football as the original Browns packed up and left the shores of their own lake of fire in 1995 and set out for the greener pastures of (!) Baltimore. Sadly for Browns fans, the Ravens won a Super Bowl 5 years after leaving the unfriendly confines.
The newly minted Browns got to keep their records and their losing ways. Barring a trip back to the Otto Graham salad days, and not including the heartbreaking Rutigliano / Sipe years of the Kardiac Kids, nor the Schottenheimer / Kosar close calls among the Elway comebacks, the Browns have been members of their own Dawg Pound. They’ve had 2 winning seasons since 1994, and ’94 was the last year of a playoff win for them as well.
They’ve had their share of great coaches, including the inimitable Paul Brown, their founding head coach back in the AAFC days. A major figure in San Francisco football circles for bad-mouthing and discarding of Bill Walsh as his successor in Cincinnati. Which led to his hiring by Eddie D. Even Brian Belichick was a casualty of the Browns as the team splintered, crashed and burned as the move to Baltimore was announced after the 4th game of the season. The team that had started 3-1 went 2-10 after the announcement.
More good news is Johnny Eightball is starting for the Browns this game. Johnny (peewee) Football is trying yet again to overcome his own stupidity as he was benched following videos of him partying during the bye week.
I’ll leave you with Barry Switzer regarding Manzeil before the 2014 draft:
“I don’t like his antics. I think he’s an arrogant little prick. I’ve said that and I’ll say it again.”
Johnny B. Goode? Don’t think so. Either way, it’s either redemption time for a bit, or another nail in his coffin.
San Francisco 49ers Forever 
A football player benched for partying? That’s a new one on me. No domestic abuse, no stealing, no murder? How about cheating at cards? Partying? Damn that’s something in Cleveland.
Okay he lied to his prying coach. Well the coach should have not expected less of Johnny Football. What’s next, bed checks?
The dude just got out of rehab. Since then he’s had the incident with his speeding car, his nearly out the door of his speeding car girlfriend, and alcohol. Only because he’s a pro football player kept him out of jail on that one.
This after he publicly acknowledged that he’d wasted his entire rookie year (when the Browns paid him HOW MUCH?).
There’s partying and there’s being an alcoholic whose drinking (and snorting?) have seriously damaged his work, while getting paid enormous amounts of money for said work. Then lying to employer about going back to the booze.
I think the Browns are up to 22 starting QBs in the last 15 years. It may be 23 now; I lost count a while ago. In that time, the Pats have had Brady, and …
I’m all for a team that’s worse off than the Niners. Cleveland wins! For pure stupidity they win that prize. Go Browns!
Niners better win this one. If Johnny and the Browns beat them I’ll laugh ……what else can you do with this wreck of a season?
At one time they tried to ban alcohol……It didn’t work. Now we have to suffer with drunk drivers, drunk football players, drunk coaches and just drunk people in a park. They’re all over creating difficulties and tragedy for everyone. That’s reality. The Browns can’t solve the problem…..no way.
The problem with all this is it gets Goff off the table when the Browns finish ahead of us.
They’ll likely draft yet another QB in the 1st round.
Damn Browns messing everything up ………..again!
You can just about take that one to the bank. We would either have to give up the ship to Cleveland or the Titans just for his rights. I know the Titans got their QB last year but I’m sure they would ream us just to move up. We won’t see Goff.
Well, they may take Paxon Lynch, Nippy. So Goff may still be on the board
The Saints are a question with Payton possibly leaving. If he goes, Brees may hit the road as well.
Lotsa games to play before we figure out who goes where.
We don’t have to worry about the Titans, Winder. They desperately need O line help. Jax has 99 problems, but Bortles isn’t one of them. SD just signed Rivers to a huge extension so they aren’t throwing first round money at a QB. Balt? They are still in mid-Flacco contract time. Ditto. As I said, we’d have to jump the Saints to get Goff should we finish behind them. Or even StL should they crater. Again. Jeff Fisher is on borrowed time as they have had a ton of picks and little to show for it. I’d imagine their GM Les Snead is on thin ice as well. Hes a bit like Baalke, He has worked some great trades and gotten a ton of oicks but has done little with them.
There are 7 teams at 4-8 and a lot of teams skating around the bottom. As I said, there are a lot of teams shuffling around. Of the bottom-tier teams, I see Cleveland, SF, StL, and NO as being the ones in the QB hunt for the 2 top QBs.
The Niners are actually in a pretty good place if Gabbert can play like this for a couple years. Give Goff a couple years as the backup while the team builds their line back up. Of course I’m hoping that Baalke isn’t the one pulling the srrings on this, but we all get to wait and see.
Baalke has done decently with dumpster diving for stop-gap players, but his drafts have been abysmal offensively. This team needs an offensive minded GM to get an offensive minded coaching staff here. For all the losses on defense this last offseason, they aren’t as bad as they could be. But again, Trent decided not to go after the glaring holes in this team.
Jed needs to get the hell out of the way and let this happen.
I would like to see a scenario where Goff was available but I don’t think he makes it past cleveland. But like you said it’s still way to early.
I don’t see Baalke or Tomsula leaving next year. Maybe a new OC and a few of the lesser staff.
Teams don’t deliberately tank to get a higher pick. Common sense says these are all individual pro players with future earnings to consider and the same goes for the staff.
There is also the reality that high picks don’t have an impact in the first year very often. Clowney springs to mind amongst many, many, others.
Despite Baalke having some bad drafts he is statistically above average. Even Tim Kawakami says it. My problem with Baalke is that he stays with who he believes is BPA and ignores need.
Niners over the Browns.
YEah this is my biggest problem. Last year screamed drafting for need. We didn’t. At all.
Yeah, I mentioned somewhere that the NFL doesn’t abide quitting. Through all the turmoil this last offseason, it is within the realm of possibility that they keep Baalke. And, per the Peter Principle, they keep Tomsula.
I don’t like it one bit. Frankly, it’s Baalke I want to see leave more than anyone. I don’t want him running one more draft.
His last 2 drafts netted 22 picks. His biggest standout, Chris Borland, already retired. Tartt looks like a solid guy, as does Carlos Hyde. Provided he can get on the field again. The rest are backups/gone. 2013? Reid and a couple backups. 2012 was a complete wash, and now the 2011 draft has Kilgore and Miller left. We’ll get picks for Cully and others, but even with a ton of picks, these drafts of his are below average.
I’d love to see a new GM bring life (and a new coaching staff) to this offense.
I’m not sure how you measure above average, despite what Timmy K says.
Of his last 50 players drafted from 2011 to now, there are 5 starters. Hyde (a stretch because he’s been hurt most of his time) Armstead (learning on the fly) Reid (lone pro-bowler) VMcD (still waiting for the breakout) and Kilgore (great if he comes back healthy).
Lots of role players and STers. And Kappy. Harbaugh’s pick. I don’t know the rest of the field, and this isn’t nearly as hit-or-miss as baseball or basketball, but I think the team has not restocked nearly well enough through the draft these last 5 years.
Agree, some of the responsibilty must go to coaching but Baalke is the general and this fiasco should be landing at his feet.
Winder is getting tough!
Bullit–Bakkentom would be proud of the new tough Winder!
Lol. Same winder, just mad as hell!!!
Yeah, looks like Bullitt retired Bakkentom.
Must be tired of the charade.
Spitty is still spinning his bullshit as well. Reggie McKenzie, defensive expert, is still trying to build a defense going on his 4th year. And he’s doing a good job? 25th in yards given up and 27th in scoring D? Granted he had to overcome the spirit of re-un-dead Al, but really. In his 4th year and he still can’t get this going?
Do a quick google Chuck. He ranks between 12 and 18 on the sites I loowed at. I used Kawakami because he hates all things Niners.
There is an average of a 30% roster turn over annually, Niners had more last year. Looking back 4/5 years is moot.
Hard to really get excited for this game. Kind of a stupor bowl.
I guess these are just extended auditions for next year’s coaching staff.
Klay Thompson is out tonight for the Warriors. Gonna be hard to keep the streak going.
Sniff…….
Double OT.
24-0 in double OT at the Boston Garden
Jeff van Gundy can eat my shorts. To celebrate, my new heartthrob Lindsey Stirling. I don’t know where this chick’s been all my life. Oh yeah, she’s a great musician, good dancer and is gorgeous. That explains it.
For all their effort, They get to fly to Milwaukee and play tomorrow.
Yup, still without Thompson and Barnes most likely. But they got by a flight from the east coast into Indy and a good Pacers team, then the flight back to the east coast to Barston and a two day layoff on the road, then play a good Celts team double OT without two starters. I’ve been to Fenway, but never to the Garden.
One more, this one’s got a bit more playing. If I could play a musical instrument and dance at the same time, I guess I’d be rich and famous, too.
at the end of the day, the dubs are an incredible TEAM. that’s the only way you can absorb injuries, and travel and cold/off nights. that’s what makes them special and makes their story so intriguing. sort of like the niners in the 80’s with the offense and defense and the way they loved to play on the road with the opposing crowd roaring and stuff it down their throats. what were they, 21-0 on the road at one point? i remember worrying that they were playing a home game.
New thread …………………………………………….