One Way Street

And we are going the wrong way. The Niners started the season well enough, winning two roadies. Granted, the Lions and Eagles are a collective 1-7, and are dogshit, but I digress. I am a little surprised by the Eagles, but whatevs. Who gives a fuck about them? Coming home to the friendly confines of the Great America parking lot, with fans no less, the Niners shit the bed against two guys that have been thorns in our side for quite a while in Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson. Both games were winnable, both games were affected by turnovers and dumb mistakes, and in the end they were simply avoidable losses. The worst kind. Better clock management and Trenton Cannon simply laying on the ball and we could very well be 4-0.

But we aren’t. We are in last place at 2–2 looking up at the 4-0 Cardinals. Our next opponent.

We get to see if this team has any guts. I’m banking on Jimmy G getting the 3 week break, so Shanny gets to devise an offense around his new quarterback, Trey Lance. My hope is last week wasn’t a precursor of the style of play with Lance, because it looks eerily similar to the Jim Harbaugh/Colin Kaepernick 2-back clog the box offense. I don’t want to see read-option, short passes, and the packing of the box like that was. Lance has an arm and we NEED to exploit it. I don’t want to see Kittle getting killed on crossing routes, or Aiyuk ignored because he exited the limited range of Jimmy’s arm. Or bubble screens that don’t work because there are 10 guys up on the line.

You know, the good old days.

About unca_chuck

Lifelong SF 49ers, SF Giants, and Golden State Warriors fan
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43 Responses to One Way Street

  1. unca_chuck says:

    From NJ (thanks):

    Signed: K Joey Slye
    Injured reserve: K Robbie Gould

    Signed to practice squad: LB Tyrell Adams, TE Jordan Matthews, WR Connor Wedington
    Released from practice squad: LB Curtis Bolton, RB Kerryon Johnson, RB Chris Thompson

  2. unca_chuck says:

    Remember when MTV was still kinda cool?

  3. Irish Kevin says:

    Was just listening to the Drive a sports station in the Bay Area, JG numbers have been going down for two seasons now, they also played a Kyle sound bite and it says “I never want to get away from the run game”. The hosts also pointed out the Niners do not have a 5 WR set, I am depressed. They also pointed out that since Kyle has lost his starting RBs, he still calls 20-25 run plays but he does not appear confident in calling those run plays. So IMO, teams that rely on the run are no better than 10-6 season. PATHETIC

    • NJ49ER says:

      He’s showing signs of a one trick pony Irish Kevin.
      I’m sick of watching Pete blow up our OL time after time, stuffing the ZBS, without an answer.
      Shanny has had plenty of time to add a wrinkle or 2 yet here he is, getting defeated (owned) by Pete.

      Tired of the training staff too.
      Too many injuries.
      Are we the only NFL team employing a former NHL trainer? WTF?
      Hockey and football, ice and grass, pucks and throws.
      What genius sees a common relationship to conditioning between cleats and skates?
      Maybe I’m missing something?
      I’d like to see more martial arts involved TBH.

  4. NJ49ER says:

    Walsh had George(?) Chung teaching hand combat technique which was genius.
    Also, OL taking ballet instruction.

    Aldon Smith was doing MMA training.
    Conditioning kept JR ahead of the competition for years. Running the hill was the litmus test and proved how much it helped him separate from the crowd.
    These calf injuries are becoming too noticeable and we seem to own the league lead with them.
    Beginning to wonder if we’re simply not well enough conditioned in general?

  5. Winder says:

    I had hardly ever heard about calf injuries before but now we have got at least 3 players with them and maybe more. I am hoping that Shanny saying he might start Jimmy is just a ploy, we will have zero chance with a hobbled QB.

    • NJ49ER says:

      This game is on our Defense Winder.
      We won’t win a track meet.
      Our history with mobile QBs needs to change on Sunday.

  6. NJ49ER says:

    I’m reminded of our days when the NFC West included Jerry Glanville in ATL.
    AZ with Kingsbury are similar IMO.
    They put the ball, and the QB, all over the place.
    Constant motion, up tempo, North, South, East and West.
    Shanny needs to take notice and pick it up a few MPH too.

  7. unca_chuck says:

    Shanny should be fired if he starts Jimmy G. He’ll last 2 plays and then go down. The only diff is we have a viable backup this year. We didn’t last year. Better to give Lance all the reps. I hope this is happening but who knows?

    The fucking Raiders throw the ball all over the place. ALL of their routes are 12-25 yards downfield. Sick of these fucking short throws that don’t even get out of Jimmy’s hands fast enough, let alone anything deep.

    • NJ49ER says:

      100% Chuck.
      Shanny is starting to piss me off.
      Max protect, spread the field, punch them in the face.
      Force them to defend the entire field.

      • NJ49ER says:

        I’m also going out on the limb for Shanny v McVay in LA.
        Goff is gone.
        Let’s see if Stafford turns the tide for LA.
        I think Shanny has been exposed.
        We’ll see….

  8. NJ49ER says:

    Maybe our calf injuries are coming from figure skating training?
    Christ….

  9. unca_chuck says:

    I really hope this team has some heart. This game will put this season into perspective. Losing 2 in a row to division foes would put us in a big hole and barring a late turnaround, we would be floundering to 9-8. Thoroughly unacceptable for the talent this team has.

    I guess it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but really a wake-up call. We SHOULD be able to get past Indy and Chicago, but 3-3 facing AZ LA and Seattle will be a tough row to hoe. We have more fluff (minn Jags Houston suck, Cinn, eh, Atl, meh) so we can hang around the WC race but we need to beat our division along the way to be seen as anything but a pretender.

    • NJ49ER says:

      My concerns are with Shanny Chuck.
      Injuries happen.
      He seems stuck on run. No creativity.
      Hoping Trey gets the start and shows some deeper attacks.
      Play wide open for a change.

  10. NJ49ER says:

    Stuck on stupid ain’t getting it done.

  11. unca_chuck says:

    Well, yeah. It starts and ends with him. He needs to be the offensive guru he is supposed to be, and get this team out of 2nd gear.

    • NJ49ER says:

      Defense will be the order of the game on Sunday.
      Shanny can shake it up with Trey.
      We’ll see what happens.

  12. unca_chuck says:

    The defense has been fairly decent minus the fuckup at the end of the Green Bay game.

    Mobile QBs though give us fits. Mainly because we are in man coverage and when the WRs go deep, the edges are wide open. We too often collapse in with the ends and give the outside up.

    Key is getting push up the middle and not giving up the outside. It has to be much faster than we have shown. Greenlaw is a big hole.

    • NJ49ER says:

      The bottom line for me is that Lynch has provided better pieces for the Defense while Shanny has barely seen a gain in improvement.
      Shanny added plenty of talent.
      The end result is D has been better than O.
      They spent Goff money on Trey.
      If Shanny doesn’t make a leap with him we’re fukd.

      • NJ49ER says:

        Jury is still out on Sermon for me.
        Shanny leans very heavily on the RB.
        He needs to get the passing game improved.

      • NJ49ER says:

        Bobby Turner is the RB guru.
        Shanny has to script the Offense.
        So far the passing game is lean on impact.

  13. NJ49ER says:

    Shanny Sr seemed to get it done in the passing game.
    He had Steve.
    Kyle needs to catch up.
    Maybe Trey will be the missing ingredient.

  14. NJ49ER says:

    Our last SB win came with Mike.
    If Kyle doesn’t improve the passing attack we’re fucked.

  15. unca_chuck says:

    Seattle runs in 4th and 2? With Wilson? Dumb. One yard loss. I guess we want Seattle to win to get the Rams closer to us.

  16. unca_chuck says:

    Fucking McVay is slicing and dicing this Seattle defense. Then again, Stafford is better than Jimmy G,

  17. unca_chuck says:

    Stafford with the dumb pick.

  18. unca_chuck says:

    Now Wilson with the errant pass for a pick.

  19. unca_chuck says:

    Would love to see BY and Patrick Willis get into the hall.

  20. unca_chuck says:

    Crazy game anyway. Wilson hurt. We’re out of last place!

  21. NJ49ER says:

    1st Q of the season.
    Shanny has to pick it up.
    AZ is a trip wire.

  22. Winder says:

    Definitely a rubber hits the road game. Offense, Defense, and ST all have to stop making fucking mistakes. We will see just how much grit this team has against AZ. I got us winning a close one.

  23. unca_chuck says:

    I sure hope so. We need to generate turnovers instead of giving them away. This team misses Greelaw badly.

  24. Irish Kevin says:

    Matt Barrows from the Atlantic

    Jimmy Garoppolo said if he plays Sunday in Arizona against the Cardinals, it probably would be a case of “battling through” the injury to his right calf rather than being perfectly healthy.

    And battling through injuries didn’t always go well for Garoppolo last season.

    There was a Week 5 blowout to the Dolphins in which he was removed at halftime, in part because of the lopsided score and in part because he was hobbled by the high ankle sprain he’d suffered three weeks earlier.

    “You could tell he was affected by his ankle,” 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said at the time.

    Three weeks after that, Garoppolo still seemed limited by the injury when he suffered a second, more severe high ankle sprain in a loss to the Seahawks. He didn’t play the rest of the season.

    His current issue is to the same right leg — his plant leg — but is not as severe as last season’s high ankle sprain. Garoppolo said he suffered a calf injury — “It’s nothing too serious,” he said — when Seahawks defender Kerry Hyder’s knee struck the calf while Garoppolo had his right foot planted on the ground and the muscle was flexed. After the game, Garoppolo described losing velocity on his throws because he wasn’t able to push off with his right foot the way he normally does.

    It remained problematic enough to keep the quarterback out of practice Wednesday, the day the offense first installs its plays for the week.
    Still, Shanahan reported the injury had improved since the Seahawks game and it was possible Garoppolo could play against the Cardinals. The injury also didn’t prevent Garoppolo from taking the podium Wednesday, which is when NFL starting quarterbacks speak to the media. Shanahan has been clear — almost assertive — in stating Garoppolo is the 49ers’ starter and there is no quarterback competition between him and rookie Trey Lance.

    Which puts the 49ers in a bind this week: Either they give Lance his first start — in a dome against an undefeated opponent — well before they planned to or start a less-than-100 percent Garoppolo.

    “I mean, it could go up to game time,” Garoppolo said of the decision. “We’ve done it before up to game time. And it’s really just about getting the mental reps while I can, see where I’m at (Thursday) and everything. But yeah, just I don’t want to put anything in stone yet.”
    Of course, the murkiness also makes things difficult for the Cardinals defense considering that a game plan in which Lance is the quarterback likely will look a lot different from one in which Garoppolo is under center.

    Gamesmanship? Shanahan said as soon as team doctors tell him Garoppolo can’t play he’d rule him out for the week. But that hasn’t happened yet.

    “Yeah, it’s always disadvantageous when you don’t know what quarterback you’re planning for, but if there’s no chance (Garoppolo can play) I’ll do that (rule him out),” he said.

    The 49ers install their game plan for the week Wednesdays. Thursdays are spent working on third downs, short-yardage and goal-line plays. On Friday they go over red zone plays and review everything else that had been put in place earlier in the week.

    To this point in the season Lance, as the backup quarterback, has taken perhaps 20 percent of the first-team repetitions. Wednesday that jumped to 80 percent with Shanahan saying the preparation will be “huge” for the rookie should he make his first-ever NFL start on the road.

    Just a week ago, Shanahan was batting away reporters’ questions about why Lance wasn’t seeing more snaps per game, saying he was glad the 49ers had a starter like Garoppolo because it meant Lance wouldn’t be “thrown into any situations” too early.

    Indeed, Lance seemed in over his head immediately after relieving Garoppolo against the Seahawks. His first two passes — including any easy one to George Kittle — were well off the mark and he started off 2-of-7 (including a 76-yard touchdown). But after he went home and reviewed the tape, Shanahan said he found “a lot of encouraging stuff” about the rookie, especially how he grew more comfortable as the game went on.

    Lance’s final series, for example, ended with a catch-and-run touchdown by Deebo Samuel and an up-the-gut two-point conversion by Lance on a play he ran often at North Dakota State. In the event that Lance starts in Arizona, Shanahan said the rookie will encounter defenses and situations he hadn’t seen before, but the hope is that he can compensate for that with his athleticism, big arm and competitive nature — three of the main reasons the 49ers drafted him with the No. 3 pick in April.

    Those were on display throughout the summer. Garoppolo was the superior quarterback when it came to operating the base offense and sustaining drives. Lance’s strengths were gaining chunk plays — with his arm and his legs — and turning broken plays into big gains. He said he liked Lance’s ability to hurt defenses with his version of “backyard ball” but that he didn’t want that to be the approach from the offset.

    “When you can run around when (defenses) are playing soft zones, those only can hold up so long,” Shanahan said. ” And when you get into some of those situations — sometimes it’s late in games — you’re down a lot and you can create and make some big plays. But it’s got to be that type of game. You don’t want to force that type of game. And that’s stuff I think we’ll get used to with Trey and he’ll get used to with us.”

    Odds and ends

    • Tackle Trent Williams (shoulder) took part in the team’s Wednesday walk-through but was held out of the afternoon practice. Also absent from practice were Kittle (calf), cornerback K’Waun Williams (calf) and defensive end Samson Ebukam (hamstring). Alex Mack was given a veteran’s day off.

    • Running back Elijah Mitchell (shoulder) was limited in practice but no longer was wearing the blue, no-contact jersey he was in last week. Instead, cornerback Josh Norman (lungs) was in a blue jersey. He was limited, as was defensive lineman Javon Kinlaw (knee).

    • Asked whether the 49ers had discussions about just-traded cornerback Stephon Gilmore, Shanahan said the team “looked into all of it, but obviously we didn’t go through with it.” The Patriots had shopped Gilmore to several teams before sending him to the Panthers on Wednesday for a sixth-round pick.

    • Special-teams coordinator Richard Hightower said kick returner Trenton Cannon will have competition this week after two big flubs — including a lost fumble — Sunday but that Cannon still had his backing. Cannon also has served as one of the team’s punt-coverage gunners.

    “I’m looking forward to seeing that kid,” Hightower said. “I love him. I really do.”

  25. unca_chuck says:

    Again, if Kyle starts Jimmy G, he should be canned immediately.

  26. alleykat69 says:

    George “Brittle “Kittle goes on IR with a calf injury out 3 games as the hits keep on coming!

  27. unca_chuck says:

    Last year was ACLs.This year is calfs. Calves?

    Fuck it. Got to win this game tomorrow. All about the offense.

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