For those of you not prone to vomiting, here’s a starry-eyed view of the upcoming season.
http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Could-Kellys-49ers-Go-From-Worst-to-First-387470902.html
I don’t subscribe to this outcome of a winning season, bit I certainly think something around 8-8 is a possibility. The offense has to improve, due to the fact that the Blaine Gabbert era has come and gone, and the theory Colin Kaepernick plays with more confidence than these last couple seasons. It could happen. Shit, the fricking Redskins made the playoffs last year, and the usual turnover of 5-6 playoff teams will usher in some new teams.
Us? Not likely. I[m simply looking for incremental improvement. The offense and defense are both huge questions, what with the offensive line being unsettled, the WRs being a fairly untested group, and a TE corps that is middling at best.On defense, the linebacker corps is thin, what with the Aaron Lynch 4-game suspension, Ahmad Brooks’ status, Wilhoite and Harold’s inconsistency, and uncertainty in the defensive backfield, as well as the shakey special teams unit. Not a recipe for success. Ol’ Chipper has his work cut out for him.
The big issue on defense is our pass rush. We now have book-end Ducks on the D line, and we’ll see how they get after it. Buckner should be an immediate impact guy. If not, we may have growing pains for the year. Bowman is Bowman, but he should be better with a full year of rehab and health under his belt. But the rest of the LBs are iffy.
Forty Niners Forever 
The longest home run I saw at Candlestick was in 1977. The Giants trailed the Padres 1-0 with 2 outs in the bottom of the ninth in a prototypical Candlestick summer night game: bitterly cold, windy, with a ton of moisture in the air, less than 1000 people left in the gigantic stadium after a game which had had maybe eight hits total between the two teams.
Out of the dugout lumbers Big Ol’ #44, Willie McCovey, returned from his exile in San Diego and Oakland, whose arthritic knees had had the brutal night off.
Pop! Upper deck dead right field. Just like that, 1-1.
The Giants went on to win in the 10th. My brother and I earned a bucketful of Croix de Candlesticks that season, years before it had been invented. God I Ioved Willie Mac!
Me too. He would be my first baseman on my personal dream team
Chuck- I don’t have a clue as to what our team is capable of. All I ask of em this year is that they just don’t give up and mail anything in. We will see after a few game if the locker room is solid or not, I think at this point building some chemistry is priority one. It should be kinda fun with no real expectations.
Yeah, for all the bullshit and pissing and moaning, the NFL is all about parity. V has that part right. The good or bad of it is debatable, but just about any team can rise from nowhere to at least contend for a playoff spot.
And yes, Stretch is my all time favorite Giant. Those early 70s teams with Chris Speier, Mays, Marichal, Bonds, Davenport, Jimmy Ray…. We’re my faves.
……meanwhile on the “other” blog “the pissing and moaning” continues…….without end.
Right, Nip. Funny how shit gets forgotten.
Like the 302 yards vs Balt in the SB loss. The near-comeback from 22 down
Or the 17 point comeback on the road in Atlanta
Or the 444 total yards vs Green Bay
Or the frozen tundra game in GB
Whatever. If Gabbert wins, our fate is sealed. I have no idea how this turns out, but I know what will happen if Gabbert is our starter.
Question of the day . . .
http://espn.go.com/blog/san-francisco-49ers/post/_/id/17857/can-colin-kaepernick-beat-out-blaine-gabbert-in-49ers-training-camp
Another question is, is Bruce Miller set to pass these underwhelming TEs? Celek and VMcDrop donlt thrill me very much.
.500 or so is actually what I expect from this team . One report says we were two late scores away from 7-9 last year. Not sure which games they were referring to but …
Hey rob, we were also a couple of missed field goals away from being 3-13. Just sayin.
Don’t really remember WINDER lol.
I’m pretty sure we’re a .500 team or so, talent-wise. Chip Kelley was a good hire IMO. We’ll be just fine.
QB battle ?
Nobody presents a dual threat like Kap !
He’ll thrive in Kelley’s offense.
totally agree with that rob. But he still has to get a better read on defenses and learn to see at least half of the field if we are gonna be successful.
That’s the hope, ROB!!! I have very little in the expectation department, so this will be interesting to say the least.
I mean, this could really be an epic disaster that sees the team punting 35-40 times a game, and the defense getting run into the ground.
I don;t think it’ll be that bad, but the possibility exists. If Hyde can stay healthy and the line plays well, I think we should be able to score points. I think our run defense will improve, but the issues I see are pass rush and WR play.
I agree guys. Kelley’s offense should work wonders for us, but will our DC be able to keep our defense from wearing down. RT and WR. are a concern. I’d add TE to that list.
I have a diffent view of Kap than most . IMHO his real problem might just be that he tends to rely too much on one favorite receiver. Think about it. First it was Crabtree ( Superbowl and NFC title game int) . After that it was Boldin. Every time it’s a crucial play he looks for his money guy. I think in Kelley’s system he’ll learn to trust his other receivers
49 days till opening night! There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. CHOO! CHOO!
That sounds like “Sleep train.” Choo! Choo!
That’s the train to the “other blog” and yes it’s going nowhere.
Ex niner Dennis Green passed away.
😦
Remember when Carlos Hyde was leading the league in rushing before lackluster playcalling and nagging injuries slowed him down and ultimately cut his season short? Well, Hyde’s back and 100 percent healthy – and he’s the perfect weapon in Kelly’s offense. It’s very similar to what Hyde excelled under at Ohio State, using his quickness to shift from running east-west to running downhill in the blink of an eye – then using his 235-pound frame to break through the line and find daylight.
The 49ers have plenty of depth to work with the secondary and some front-seven standouts like Arik Armstead, Ian Williams and Aaron Lynch. San Francisco’s defense was gutted by personnel turnover and inconsistent play this past season, but there’s enough talent here to build a foundation upon, especially with first-round stud DeForest Buckner, to make it once again into a dominant defensive unit.
People may have forgotten how good Kaepernick can be, but they’ll remember next season when Kelly is using him to the very best of his abilities.
Add Dial and Bowman too !
On Giants before the game broadcasts that Bruce Bochy show is a real snooze. They should sell those shows for insomniacs.
Damn another Giants loss on the Eastern road trip. BLEEP!
Yeah, whether than happens or not depends on Kappy, Rob. He needs to learn how to read and react quicker. I’m sure he can do it. Then again, the WRs have to do their part. So does the coaching staff.
Smith had the same problems with the style of offense we have played these last 8 years. He’s no Tom Brady, but his numbers in KC have gone up. His highest yardage total here is less than his lowest total in KC. His rating has dramatically improved in his time in KC. Although his last year here he was on pace to put up some impressive numbers. He had a 70% completion rate when he went down.
What does it mean? It means that KC either does a better job of getting guys open, or the have better WRs, or both.
Alex Boone, now a guard for the Vikings says Gabbert will beat out Kap. He says Gabbert knows what he is doing and has the support of the team. The inference being Kap doesn’t have a good handle on O scheme and became unpopular.
I don’t doubt that Kap pissed off his share of players with that surly attitude and isolating himself with headphones and did become somewhat of a primer donna from what I could see. As for O scheme, I didn’t see much evidence of one for either QB but at least Kap tried moving the chains when the heat was on.
He is more talented than Gabbert, but will have to really show that in camp and pre-season to a new head coach that doesn’t need a QB controversy to begin his new gig.
Tom Gamble promoted to assistant GM…
Is this a gamble?
No, it’s Tom
We’ve debated it here for quite awhile….
Kaep needs to find some touch, and accuracy, if he expects to start here, or elsewhere beyond this season.
Gabbert realizes his career is on the line too, having gotten a 2nd chance in SF.
Not so sure Kaep understands the urgency involved.
I think the Big Bucks went to his head.
We’ll see…..
He looks good in his uni. Those tats really make him look tough. Now if he can only get smart and read defenses!
yeah, there us that. lol