For a guy who stepped off the plane after painting his house, not a bad start for Ponder. Sure it was against the Walmart Brigade, but it still had to give Gabby some shivers. Throw in the fact that Kaepernick was throwing 50-60 yard passes yesterday suddenly puts the QB battle on the front burner.
While this really doesn’t mean squat, unless QB battles mean anything (and they do) at least Gabby looked better yesterday than the other day. He still has the maddening habit of throwing for 5 yards on 3rd and 7, but this is the dink and dunk offense. Again the run game looked pretty solid, as did the line blocking. D Ware wasn’t playing, so there was that, but the takeaway from this game is much like last week.
The line play on both sides appears to be in much better shape than last year. Or even 2 years ago. The 1st and 2nd O lines did very well as Gabby wasn’t sacked, and I don’t think Driskel was either. Even he looked much more settled than last week. My onl;y concern offesnvely is the lack of passes to the WRs. Something we didn’t see till Ponder came in.
Defensively the first 2 lines played well enough, and this was without Armstead or Buckner, the bookend Ducks. The DBs were solid down the line, and except for a blown coverage on the Brooks blitz to a wide open TE, the LBs on the 1st and 2nd string were active and hitting. The defense didn’t give up many big plays, but that first drive was kind of easy.
So, it reality, despite the fact that these games are meaningless, I don’t think this team is as bad as everyone is making them out to be. I tell you one thing, John Elway didn’t get ANY sleep last night. Siemen threw a pick 6 on a fairly easy read/bait by Eric Reid. Mark Sanchez tried to re-enact his butt fumble a couple times, and Paxton Lynch got into the act by overthrowing for a pick. None of these guys look very good. Sanchez may get cut in a couple weeks.
Hey, maybe we can trade Ponder for Ware . . .
Forty Niners Forever 
Tomsula out, Kelly in. If and when Kap is healthy, he’ll be playing. Remember playing for a new coach to replace the idjut you played for the previous year?
Gabbert hasn’t done anything special but he hasn’t crashed and burned either. I think his decision making has been OK. He’s had a clean pocket to throw from so he absolutely should look decent. Kap is going to really need to do something special to gain the starting QB position in game 1. Driskel goes to the PS and with another good showing by Ponder he possibly makes the team. One possible scenario is Kap has a great game in his show case and gets traded within the first few games. I’m not predicting, I’m just sayin’.
Berger- I believe Chipsters offense will work much better with Kappy. I think they need each other to have a decent year. Playing it safe isn’t gonna work defenses will just sit back and give gabby his 3 or 4 yards everytime.
It depends how good the defense is and if he continues to get a clean pocket. Kap never got a clean pocket top throw out of last year. Near the end of the year Tiller and Brown were starting and Gabs started to look OK. For me, too many variables right now to predict anything.
My problem with Gabbert is what pissed me off last year with Gabbert. 3rd and 8 he throws a 4 yard check down pass and forces the receiver to break 3 tackles to get the 1st down. He did it again a couple times last week.
Either buy more time and throw it somewhere else or run. Granted this is predicated on routes, how much running room, etc. but over and over he does this. Like he’s more interested in keeping his numbers up rather than getting 1st downs.
I’m sure it ain’t that, but so many people last year were jizzing over his wonderful numbers when in reality he wasn’t moving the chains any more effectively than Kappy.
I tell you one thing, if Sanchez and Siemien keep playing like they did, Elway will knuckle under to Baalke’s trade demands. I don’t really want it to happen, but Elway is watching his season slip away before it starts. It was funny listening to the Denver announcers doing the game. Siemen got all these glowing reviews until the pick 6, then they were waxing poetic about Sanchez until he fumbled his way to halftime. When they saw Lynch’s pick, they were worried.
LOL, that’s right, they dropped that boy like a hot potato after the pick 6. Up until then he was headed to the Hall.
As predicted:
http://www.49erswebzone.com/news/96470-anthony-davis-joshua-garnett-get-snaps-first-team/
I expect that to be the starting line up.
Nice to have line depth. Instead of Pears.
Pears wasn’t brought in last year to be an OT.
AD’s late decision to sit out screwed the pooch.
Pears was seen as an OG until AD walked away.
Baalke has quite a lot of competition going on the OL now.
Weaklings will be replaced in a couple of weeks.
GO TEAM! NO TO WEAKLINGS!
What Nipper said!
Woof!
New thread is up.
This year is going to be just like last year, extreme highs and lows. As long as everyone does not have to high expectations it will be fun. Super Bowls are no longer easy to get to, much less win.