The Chip Kelly era starts much like the Jim Tomsula era started. With a resounding win on Monday Night Football. Last year it was the 49ers manhandling the soon-to-almost-beat-Seattle-in-the-playoffs Minnesota Vikings. Last night it was the newly rebirthed Los Angeles Rams, as Chip and the Cookies stomped the piss out of a really bad looking Ram team 28-0. Jeff Fisher, as I’m sure you folks know, is not high on my list of good coaches, had the best defensive line in the game looking ill-prepared and slow. Their offense consisted of futile runs and sideways passes. Whether we were covering well, or they just didn’t take shots is up for debate, but as a whole, the defense played every minute and gave up little.
The offense is a bit of a different tale. The run game is a different animal with Carlos Hyde in there. He ran well behind what appears to be a vastly improved O line. The Rams may be an offensively-challenged unit, but their defense is no joke. They are rated as one of the top front 7s in the league. However, with Chipper’s faster-paced plays, and runs from 3 wide sets, the line was able to create nice holes for Hyde to run through.
Blaine Gabbert? Well, he had a fairly uneven game. 22-35 and 170 (1 TD) isn’t going to make anyone forget Joe Montana, but he hit passes that needed to be hit for the most part. The first half was going well, but the game ground to a halt in the 3rd quarter. LA changed their defense to take away the short passing, and the 49ers were skunked the entire quarter to the tune of -4 yards and no first downs. The saving grace was the defense shutting down LA the entire quarter as well. The point being, Gabbert got sloppy for no reason as he forced passes on bad reads, and nearly had 2 picks, including a near pick 6.
Just as inexplicably, Chipper got a little more creative and the offense started moving again. 14 points later the game was a blowout, and the Rams, behind Jeff Fisher (10 penalties for 102 yards) got demoralized, chippy, and stupid. Which led to Aaron Donald being ejected from the game for trying to behead Quinton Patton.
As for the D, well, pitching a shutout is hard in the NFL. Even with a challenged group like the LA Rams and Kasey Kaseum. The line held Gurley to 47 yards on 17 carries, and a grand total of 185 yards. They got nothing deep and everything was horizontal.
All in all, it looks like a good game to start the season. How this bodes for the 3-time-zone cross-country-trip-on-a-short-week-and-play-the-early-game-on-the-East-Coast (FUCK THE SCHEDULERS) remains to be seen, but we did this last year and it went south in a hurry.
Forty Niners Forever 
Watching Arik Armstead push people backwards reminds me of Justin Smith. The guy is a beast. He pushed a double team straight back into the QB for Brook’s sack. He didn’t get the stat but make no mistake, he made the play. I was extremely happy when we drafted this guy and now you folks are seeing why. I was perplexed that so many of you did not like this pick.
If the D-line can stay healthy we are gonna be a force. I think if the Chipski has any tricks up his sleeve the Panther game would be a good time to use em. Loved the way we mixed our runs with passes the Rams D was off balance most of the game. I don’t know if the league catches up with our game plan or not but hopefully we can fool em for 9 or 10 more times. Actually we didn’t fool the Rams at all we just beat the shit out of em.
I didn’t necessarily hate it, but my fear was that he’d be slow to develop. And we needed a CB . . . We were banged up to start the uyear last year at CB and were depleted besides.
Even with Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey out, the line looked very solid. Purcell held his ground well, and Blair gets kudos for holding the edge.
Too bad the Niners can’t play the Lambs again Sunday. A loss is expected for the next game. Carolina is not the Lambs. Cam Newton should be fired up for a victory at home.
The Ram’s game is over dude, let’s move on. Get on board with this team. They’re improved and coming off the last two years improved and moving in the right direction is a good thing.
There is a difference between conservative play calling and running an offense that doesn’t make sense in today’s NFL game. We saw the contrast last night. Chip’s conservative play calling was driving me nuts but his offense made sense. All I wanted was a couple of deep passes even if they were overthrown by 10 yards. Chips short game was being overplayed by the Rams in the 3rd quarter because we wouldn’t throw deep. We threw a deep ball in the 4th quarter that was overthrown and that backed the safeties off a little. We had more room to operate after that. That would not have helped the Rams to do the same thing because they allowed us to naturally load the box with their formations. That is the difference between conservative play calling and a poorly designed offense. The kind of poorly designed offense we ran in SF for years and years until now
Yeah, as Denver proved, you can beat a good defense with a short passing game. I too want to see more shots downfield for the reasons you note. I think it was Kerley on a post route early that Gabbert should have hit in his sleep that he missed badly on. Even tho he missed it, what it did was keep the safeties back.
I’d put our offense over Denver’s at this point. The D isn’t up to Denver’s standard. A huge test early in the season.
Meaning if a rook playing his first game ever can beat the NFC champs who’s to say we can’t?
The rook playing his first game is already better than Gabbert, and let’s just not even think about comparing WRs. The Niner defense looked fantastic but hasn’t played anybody yet. The Bronco defense is proven awesome. Even so, it took those non-calls on Cam and a blown FG at the end for the Broncos to win at home.
I have much more hope of an upset in Seattle than I do in Charlotte.
Siemian’s a second year guy, too.
He had never thrown a pass in a game.
Before we go there, I’ll root for the upset over the Panthers. It’s the NFL; weird stuff can happen.
I hear they didn’t show this on the TV Due to the NFL does not want to show it, but a Fan ran out onto the field in the 3rd or 4th quarter, he was tackled by security, and taken away. O over on KNBR this afternoon, Brent Jones was on and he said that in a loophole in the NFL minors aren’t sent to jail all that happens to them is they are banded from attending a game for a year. Brent also said when he would attend Giants games with his Daughters boy friends he would offer them $10K to jump onto the field and slide into home plate, he even told them he would pay their bail. I was LMAO when he was talking about this.
So Charlie are you going to get yours on to run onto the field at the Niner game when you go? Is he under 18? I will pay him, Not $10K though!! Ha ha
*son
You should all listen to the exchange between T Tolbert and B jones, they are funny as hell, I would love to sit in a bar with them.
You summed it up well, Chuck. Tons of room for improvement but a lot of good stuff also. This is the 5th game under Kelly’s regime and his offense, if you count preseason. There’s no way it’s going to be as good as it can be after such a short time, meaning it figures to improve over the course of the season. It’s a new system and it needs to be fine-tuned.
I watched the game again, and Gabbert definitely missed some throws that could’ve been big plays, but there were also several drops, notably by Garrett Celek twice in the first half. His receivers could’ve helped him out more. They also need to take some shots downfield with Torrey. He’s just being wasted as an underneath guy, but I think that’s coming as everything gets more settled. He’s too damn fast. Not trying to stretch the field with him isn’t using his talents to the max. I think Kelly is playing it even more conservative as the offense gets its feet under it. I’d guess it’ll open up more as thr season move on.
Carolina will be a different animal and all the good stuff from last night may well go away. Newton will be a handful as will the rest of their offense. There looks to be room for the Niner tight ends if they start to work them in the offense more. They could be effective
I know you guys hate Gabbert, but Steve Young made a good point last night about Gabs being to tentative in the past and not even attempting the throws an NFL QB has to make, namely into tight windows. He said Gabs has the arm to make all the throws. Sure enough in the second half he fired that one into Kerley, I believe, between 2 defenders exactly like Young described it. The dude is truly an athlete and if he’s trying to make those changes I still think his best football is in front of him. He runs like a damn fool. He can really hurt teams with his legs.
Kelly’s roots are as a QB coach and he was an outstanding one in his early years in college. That can only help the 49er QB’s. Fingers crossed.
Oh, yeah, does anyone know what the “S” and “8” stand for on Kelly’s play card? It’s driving me nuts.
Nope, Kevin, my son’s of age (19). No such pass for him.
That was fucking hilarious.
http://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2014/10/20/7001489/chip-kelly-mystery-s-8-eagles-play-card
Jeff Fisher heading for the record for most losses in NFL history – He’s moved ahead of Shula for sole possession of 3rd Place following our win last night.
A dubious distinction if Kroenke lets him go that far –
http://tinyurl.com/hmt5sqc
Thanks, dude. The mystery continues.
I said somewhere maybe it was here that Fisher may be out by the bye. That was an epically bad coaching performance by him. His dirty and undisciplined defense came to play and his offense was eerily reminiscent of recent 49er teams.
That being said, it would be funny to see LA beat the Seahawks. Maybe they simply looked past us.
Possible, but still that points to shitty coaching.
If these Rams beat the fucking Seahags, then all my rational thought is going out the window.
The playpen is in fine fettle this morning. According to Punxatawny Phil, THE FIX IS IN! Incompetent and inconsistent refereeing means Vegas controls the refs through the magical Tower of Officiating in Hoboken New Jersey. Guido Scarmassi has a bug in Dean Blandino’s ear for every game and every call.
As far as why the NFL allows breast cancer awareness days and such but no leeway is granted for honoring Dallas police/9-11/yadda yadda yadda is because the NFL MAKES MONEY off breast cancer merchandise. Duh to the Nth degree. Sell pink jerseys and shit, and the money generated goes to the ACS, but the NFL gets a cut as well.
Joe Shmoe wearing patriotic cleats doesn’t generate money for Goodie Goodell and the owners. Per Sports Illustrated: