Yes, here we are once again balanced on the knife-edge of futility as another season begins its inexorable swirl down the drain. Yes, we have done the coaching purge. Yes we have drafted a raft full of new guys who apparently are taxi-squad material. Yes, we have a new coaching staff that was hell-bent on speeding up the team. Yes, we have switched QBs. Yes, we have gone nowhere. In fact, we are in worse shape than last year. And this is an accomplishment in itself. So, what now?
Well, we still have the same owner. And we still have the same GM. And therein lies the rub. Something tells me this might be the problem. That being said, the owner, in his inimitable leaking fashion, has leaked out that:
“A 49ers source strongly indicated that general manager Trent Baalke is safe to remain with the team after this season, despite the team’s poor play so far. The 49ers defense has allowed more than 30 points in four of its past five games, but the belief by 49ers management is that Baalke is the right person to pick players for coach Chip Kelly going forward.”
Granted, these whispers can turn to shouts of derision pretty quickly, as Jimmy T got the same basic thumbs-up from the management last year at this time before he was booted. Another wrinkle to this tragicomedy is that Eddie D’s daughter Lisa pulled no punches in saying that Young Sir Jed Whispers-a-lot needs to go, in no uncertain terms.
This smacks of Baalke’s daughter tweeting that Greg Roman was on the hot seat ac ouple season back, but I think Eddie’s daughter Lisa’s comment carries a hell of a lot more weight behind it than Trent’s daughter.
Thing is, the team is not improving in any way shape or form. We are not a young, hungry team looking for a few key players. We are not a vet-laden team looking for a couple strong rookies to get over the hump. We are a collection of mis-labeled parts in search of a master mechanic. The talent that was there 3 short seasons ago has evaporated. The drafts have given us little in the way of impact players. Although we have the All-ACL team of all-time.
Trent Baalks-a-lot has ignored the offense for 6 years now at the cost of building the 30th ranked defense. Stop me if I’m not optimistic. I know we have some very good players, but after watching mediocre teams like AZ and Buffalo walk all over us, I have misgivings. After watching WR after WR drop off the board as we draft yet another ACL prayer, I get pissed. After drafting a punter no one wanted in the 5th round, I get flummoxed. Baalke is very good at gathering a boat-load of picks, but he wastes them like Bonnie and Clyde waste bullets.
At some point, Jed needs to see what the problem really is. And it is his GM.
Forty Niners Forever 
Yeah, Bergs. I don’t like the run game and I’ve said it for a while now. The read-option run plays are way too slow to develop. All it does is give the defense time to clog running lanes.
We need to stop that entirely. Like Harbaugh and those goddamned 3 guys in the backfield diamond formations.
Read option isn’t the issue with the exception of getting the QB hurt. Slow developing running plays are when the formation doesn’t allow for backside protection. The running plays need to hit the hole faster and use the two extra pulling blockers to block the LBs and safeties straight ahead in the running lane. I know his Counter Trey worked from the spread in college. The pros are just too quick.
To hell with patience. Fire the whole lot of them. At the prices they screw people out of bleep the whole mess. Niners suck and those responsible should walk the plank. Am I being reasonable? Hell NO, I’m a wild eyed fan with a lousy team to follow. Of course I’m not reasonable, who would be?
Good response!
Seriously, Bergs? The QB and the RB come together and read the OLB or DE to decide whether to hand the ball off or not, and then which gap to hit. That’s by design a slow developing run play. As opposed to a quick hitter up the middle. No one bites anymore. At least against us.
Beyond that we aren’t getting 1st level blocking, let alone 2nd level. Which is why the read option isnt working.
I would really need a coaches film to break down why the read option is not working. My guess from TV angles is that the end pinches in so the QB keeps the ball. Teams are now wise to this and are bringing a LB around to cover the QB run. To run this play that LB has to be blocked. Judging from a comment I heard from Joe Staley we are missing that block. After hearing his comment I have actually seen Joe miss that block multiple times.
Personally, if I really liked my QB and didn’t ant him hurt I would run that play only a half dozen times per year like they do in Seattle. I’m not so sure Chip sees Blaine or Kap as our future when I see how often he runs the play.
That is what happened on a read option I remember from watching the first quarter. Staley and Beadles double-teamed the under tackle (three technique) and Staley didn’t slide off his block until it was too late to block the Will spying on Kaepernick who then took Kaepernick down behind the LOS.
In Staley’s defense, it looked like he may have been getting held by the defensive tackle.
It wasn’t a bad play call though. We were on their twenty or so and if Staley makes that block Kaepernick has only the safety to beat for a score.
Defenses are geared to stopping Kaepernick’s read option and scrambling out of the pocket now. Kaepernick’s going to have to start reading defenses and playing from the pocket, but he can’t.
Thanks.
It’s my opinion that if the running scheme was more down hill, IOW hit the hole fast, the LB couldn’t come around because he would need to cover the inside the tackles run. Especially if we used the Pistol because that is a downhill running formation. The problem with the RB reading and reacting is the LBs have more time to do the same thing.
The LB would still come around because when he sees the end is unblocked he knows it’s a read option and reacts accordingly.
The idea of the read option is to make the unblocked end always wrong no matter which way he attacks. That alone should give the offensive blockers an advantage in numbers. But that only works as well as it did for a year or two. Then the defenses see enough film and adjust to stop what’s hurting them.
The RB isn’t reading and then reacting, or at least no more than he usually has to. He knows which hole he’s going to hit if he gets the ball. I’d like to see it run with the pitch man included.
Kaepernick is always in the shotgun. I’ve never liked the position the RB has to take to begin the run out of the shotgun. If from the pistol the RB would start from behind the QB instead of beside him I’d be for that, too.
If the LB still comes around that would give more room for the RB. I think that is what you said already?
The read and react is not for the hole but to wait to set up the blocking. It just takes to long if there is no backside protection. I like Chip’s formations but I don’t lie his play calling and play design.
Wandered over to the playpen and they are basically just copy pasting this stuff.
Too cute.
Funny how that happens when you start saying what’s been said there for the past two years.
Too delusional.
Before leaving town will Trent Baalke be……..
A. Driven away in a Limo of his choice
B. Tied to rail and tar and feathered down the street to the airport
C. Hung upside down in the Niners museum for a couple of hours before leaving
D. Apologizes to the fans for being an inept incompetent.
We’re #1!!!! We’re #1!!!
In ESPN’s annual fan poll of worst sports teams, we’re the very worst!!!!
http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/17831701/san-francisco-49ers-drop-another-19-places-last-overall-ultimate-standings
Boy howdy, it can’t get much more fucked up than that.
Sure it can Winder. We still got little Jed York.
Every passing day Jed gets a bit more little.
Some interesting OP ED on our O’Neil Run Defense issues –
http://tinyurl.com/jjpk2u8
Boo, hoo, NoFear. Phil copies my shit daily line for line. You were funnier when you were dead.
I just gotta give a shout out to the Cubbies. I am so glad they hammered Kershaw. I am now interested in the World Series and I don’t care who wins.
Yeah, not watching very intently but family ties have me pulling for Chicago . . .
It would be pretty nutty though for Cleve to not win anything for 1,000 years and win the NBA championship and the world series in the same year.
New thread is up.