San Francisco 49ers Forever

49ers GM John McVay passed away at 91. He of course came to the 49ers as VP, along with Bill Walsh, and built the team of the 80s. He and Walsh also directed that first draft where Walsh wanted a QB in the 3rd round. Walsh was leaning toward Steve Dils, whom Walsh had coached at Stanford the previous season. But both wondered about Montana. McVay talked to Notre Dame’s RB coach Jim Gruden (John’s father), Gruden said “Take him. Please just take him. You’ll be glad you did.”

When the 3rd round rolled around, Joe was still there, and the rest was history. The list of Hall of Fame players drafted by the pair is unmatched in NFL history. He pulled off trades for Fred Dean and Steve Young among a bunch of others that kept the 49ers near the top of the NFL for 20+ years. Always deflecting accolades and praising those around him. Got a pic somewhere around 1984 of my wife with Montana when she worked at the Hilton and he was doing a speaking engagement. McVay is there next to him. He’s in the 49ers Hall of Fame, but should be in Canton as well. RIP, John.

Well, Shanny continues his mastery over Sean McVay. McVay is becoming a real annoying sideline presence has he runs around like a chicken with his head cut off yelling and dancing around and glad-handing his players at every photo opp. But enough about weasel-boy, the 49ers actually looked like a decent team as THEY were the ones to adjust to a Ram team that was killing the Niners defense and negating our pass rush by dinks and dunks.

The Rams had 2 touchdown drives of 9 minutes and 6 minutes in the 1st half. Run,Pass, and Throw CMC had his 34 yard TD pass to Brandon Aiyuk sandwiched between the TDs. And wow, the Niners looked like a team having fun. Their next drive came up short and resulted in a FG, but they did have the possession arrow for the start of the 2nd half.

Lo, and behold. The FORTY NINERS were the team to make halftime adjustments. After watching teams decimate their leads and win games that they were losing, the 49ers ratcheted up the pressure on Stafford and played tighter to the line to take away all the short passes that were so effective. Cooper Kupp had 7 catches in the 1st half, and 1 in the 2nd. During garbage time. and He got injured for it. Which is why even before that I was screaming to get CMC OUT of there.

Offensively they rode the coattails of McCaffery. He ran for 94, caught for 55 and threw for 34. And scored all three ways as well. Jimmy was decent enough, throwing his own dinks and dunks. He did hit a nice deep ball to Dwelley, who was open as open can be. He underthrew a pass to McCloud that should have been a TD, and threw a near pick right to Bobby Wagner where he faked a blitz and faded back to Kittle but couldn’t hang on.

Still and all, a clean day by the offense. No turnovers, although CMC did fumble twice. The first half was a bit choppy as the Niners had 2 penalties on 3rd and goal to extend the Rams 2nd TD drive, and didn’t look able to stop the Rams through that first half, but they did get 2 scores of their own. And shut down and shut out LA in the second half.

So, we are one game behind Seattle, but more importantly, 3-0 in the division. The team gets a needed bye as they can healthy up for the stretch run, and they really don’t have a very tough schedule. But, as we all know, this team can play up or down to the level of their opponents.

Get healthy. Find consistency.

Deebo, Greenlaw, AA, and Juice are all out for the Ram game. Jennings and Verrett are questionable. I guess this means that are gonna play 2nd round pick Danny Gray. Too bad he runs faster than Jimmy can throw, but that’s a different tale. Didn’t even know Deebo was hurting but he pulled a hammy somewhere along the KC game. Juice of course dislocated a finger in the game, and he was on the sideline getting the finger straightened. Funny, when Iwas a kid, this happened to me a lot, and as long as I could find someone to yank it back straight, we went right on playing. But, whatevs.

Ward, Ebukan, and Williams are all full participants. Mooney Ward isn’t on the list so I guess that means he’s good to go? I don’t know.

The Rams on the other hand have guys out due to the dreaded ‘person matter’. Disgruntled RB Cam Akers is out, as well as linebacker Terrell Lewis. Don’t know what it will take to get them gruntled again but they didn’t practice.

Other than that, they are healthy. Of course. We invariably lead the league in injuries year in and year out, so naturally the people in charge simply ignore this fact.

Oh well. I guess we are due to play a good game? Since we are the love rollercoaster team of destiny. I don’t fucking know anymore. It’s a home game of sorts so there’s that. It’s fairly easy now to just let these games slide by as I still have absolutely no faith in Jimmy or Shanahan to put together a complete game anymore. They’ve blown 3 games they should have won, and now they have to play a few tough teams now.

Woo hoo! Go team! And take the coach with you!

Can you? Can you? It’s a pretty depressing thought when you think about how this season has unfolded. Fucking Matt Eberflus of the Bears out-coached Shanny in his FIRST NFL GAME as head coach. Then Shanahan proceeds to get his future quarterback killed running him on draw plays the next week. It is beyond baffling to me how this team full of talented stars is mired in quicksand. Everyone said at the time that the team was better off with Jimmy at the helm. Really? I didn’t buy it at the time, and I sure don’t buy it now. I certainly don’t think Lance would fumble this much or take near as many sacks. Would that tip the scales? Hard to say, but we had leads in all these games that were pissed away by mistakes.

Would Lance throw more picks? Possibly, but 4 in 5.5 games is nothing to write home about. So I get that 50% of the problems with this team stem from Jimmy Garoppolo and his inability to learn from his mistakes. But that 50% that Shanahan is responsible for is also holding this team back. Shanahan has NO IDEA how to change on the fly. The Atlanta game was a perfect example of that. With 10 minutes remaining, down two TDs and on the 12 yards line (penalty of course), Shanahan goes on a methodical slow drive and eat 8 minutes of clock, and then faces the dreaded 3rd and 1.

You know the rest. Where’s the no-huddle? I sit there and scream at the TV “WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!?!?!?”

Still and all has there ever been a pair of guys who routinely fuck up and face no consequences? I really wish the media would call out Shanahan harder on why the team, 5 years into his tenure, is still making basic errors like false starts, illegal formations, and offsides. I wish the media would ask Jimmy “why do you constantly throw into triple coverage when the prudent move would be to throw the ball away?” If Lance was making these mistakes, the outcry would be deafening.

It already happened. Lance was labelled a bust after playing a shakey game in week one in a hurricane in Chicago. Jimmy plays an equally shitty game in Denver the next week, and the excuse machine went from 0 to surely you can’t be serious in 10 seconds.

The inconsistency is absolutely insane. Shanahan does his goddamn pressers after the game mumbling about the execution and gee we got to clean up those pesky penalties. Gee, Kyle, I think the league has caught on to the fact you run on 3rd and 1 about 99% of the time. Or how you abjectly refuse to use plays that work. Kylke put the Jet Sweep on the map, and ever since the 1st half of the (FUUUUUUCK!!) Super Bowl has simply refused to run that play. Deebo up the middle? Sure. Fuck me sideways.

Now we have the Rams. We look to be in the same spot we were last season. 3-5 and searching for answers. I don’t know, man. It seriously bums me out that the team is cratering before our eyes here and the media and fans are simply accepting it. The team is leaderless and rudderless.

Can they turn it around like last year? No clue. Even at this rate we still may crawl into the playoffs. The league is full of .500 teams so there’s that. I just see this team continuing the same pattern of hihghs and lows and ultimate failure.

Where’s Bluto when you need him?

Is KC that good, or are we that bad? I think the answer is yes. This season is unfolding (unravelling?) a lot like last year’s season. High expectations smacked down into the dirt as the team flails around stumbling, bumbling, and fumbling victories away like farts in a hurricane. Injuries are a problem yet again, and since we are back under the shakey hand of Jimmy Garoppolo, we are the gang that can’t shoot straight, or play good football for more than a span of, oh, two games?

Funny thing is, the rest of the league appears to be suffering the same malaise. Not that I give a fuck about a lot of other teams, but half the teams in the league are at 4-3 or 3-4. Parity? Mediocrity? I don’t know. Carolina fires its head coach, trades away their 2 best offensive players and then beat the living shit out of the Brady-led Bucs. Green bay gets beat by the Heinekie muffler guy and the Washington Generals. The New York football Fucking Giants are 6-1? The Jets are winning?

What in the wide wide world of sports is going on here? The Niners were riding high 2 weeks ago. 3-2 and in sole possession of 1st place in the division. 2 week later? A disastrous loss to the fucking Falcons, and yesterday’s humbling and we are in last.

I guess the point here, in the immortal words of Matt Groening, “Keep your expectations tiny, you‘ll go through life not so whiney.”

I have considerably lowered any expectations for this team as currently constituted. Mainly because I’ve come to the realization Jimmy Garoppolo is not very smart, and Kyle Shanahan doesn’t know what to do about that fact. Every game follows the same script. Fast starts followed by offensive struggles, a big turnover, and a bunch of penalties. The only game the Niners didn’t have a lead in was the Falcons game.

Yeah, I’ll watch. I may even go to a game. But I’m not expecting anything less than fair to poor football at this point. I mean, they are their own worst enemy. Shanahan is 5 years in, and we still make stupid mistakes over and over. False start to get out of FG range? Yep. Have too many WRs in the same place at the same time? Sure. This team is undisciplined and inconsistent to say the least. As is Jimmy. Crucial drops are a forte.

We are too full of talent to be terrible, but at this point I would be surprised to see us make the playoffs. I think we are a 9 win team. Our schedule isn’t even all that hard. I just don’t have hope this team can play consistently enough to matter. I can’t believe Shanahan still has the team behind him. rThen again, I can’t believe Jimmy G is still looked at as the answer. Lose to the Rams and we might as well hit the Brock Purty era.

But boy, it would really suck to fall to the top of the draft and not have any picks. Thanks, Kyle!!!

Jesus. Sure, the defense was terrible. Losing Dre Greenlaw was the death knell for the defense in the 2nd half, but Jesus fucking Christ, Shanahan comes up with the most garbage plays in the red zone. On the pick, which was absolutely God-awful, the 49ers had 3 WRs grouped together on the goal line. It happened later in the game and nearly resulted in another pick.

And, beyond that, on the motherfucking 3rd down pick, CMC was on the sideline.

Such brilliant coaching. Once again, stupid fucking penalties ruled the day. False starts, offsides, illegal formations. These pre-snap penalties are ALL on the coaching staff not getting the players prepared. 10 fucking penalties, and they all seemed to be killers.

People will point to the defense sucking, but losing Greenlaw was the reason so many screens and sweeps worked. And Reid of course adjusted the offense after their relative struggles in the 1st half.

Jimmy and Kyle both comported themselves badly in this game. Jennings had 2 huge stupid penalties, the special teams failed spectacularly on the KO return. The defense gave up a 3rd and 20, 3rd and 11, 3rd and 6, and plenty of other big plays. No pass rush. Not sure why we didn’t scheme up any way to get pressure on Mahomes. He didn’t have to run at all. Just pitch and catch all over the field.

Reid schooled Shanahan big time. Shanahan is absolutely clueless in the red zone. Outcoached and outplayed. Their offense crushed out defense.

Is this a wake-up call? Jimmy had decent numbers, but fucked this game up. The line was OK till it wasn’t. McGlinchey is a glaring piece of shit in pass coverage at RT. The safety? Please. Williams whiffed on his block, and Jimmy just doesn’t know how to throw a ball away. He took 3 needless sacks and fumbled because he’s fucking clueless on how to just get rid of the ball when the pocket is collapsing.

This may be a 6-11 team at this rate. Good teams are killing us. Bad teams are beating us. I have absolutely no confidence in Shanahan or Garoppolo at this point.

Who the fuck are we? We are a team with a new toy. One that will play tomorrow in some form or fashion. The excitement in getting McCaffery will hopefully get this offense out of 2nd gear. But this offense goes as well as Jimmy G directs it, and Kyle Shanahan calls it. Turn the ball over a couple times and we lose. It’s automatic. Call stupid fucking plays in crunch time, and we lose. Wilson’s fumbles haven’t helped, and I’m sure this played into the decision to GET CMC, but here we are. An offensive team that is struggling wildly on offense. 23rd in 1st downs is catastrophic.

We are also a team with some injured players coming back. Good news is Williams, Bosa, C Ward, McGlinchey, and Ebukam are all off the injury report. Bad news? C ward is questionable, but he was practicing. Talanoa Hufanga is questionable as well, but he’s on the concussion protocol. If he passes the last test he’ll play.

Will we be better with all these players coming back? I hope so. I’m at a loss again as to who we are and what we can do. KC isn’t as strong as they were but they aren’t slouches. They can score, but their defense is not so good. They give up 25 points a game. But they score 30 a game.

Our problem? We only score 20 a game. We once again will live and die by Shanahan’s play calling and Jimmy’s QB play. The D should hold up provided Bosa and Ward are (hopefully fully) back, and the O comes through. We need to score early and keep the pressure on all game. Something this team and this coaching staff struggles with.

Is this the end of the beginning or the beginning of the end?

I have no goddamn clue at this point. I just can’t WAIT to see all the fucking ‘highlights’ from the Super Bowl from a couple years ago. FUUUUUUUUUCK!

Well, after going through a flock of injured running backs these past 5 years of the Shanahan era, the 49ers went and got a usually-injured running back in Christian McCaffrey. When healthy he’s been a versatile weapon, gaining a combined 2300 yards in 2019. But his last 2 seasons he’s missed 23 games.

We gave up a 2, 3, and 4 in next year’s draft, along with a 5 in the 2024 draft, so I guess we are taking a bye year for 2023 draft. We might have a couple comp picks and a 7th rounder. You know. Our wheelhouse. But whatevs. Their draft record is, like every aspect of this goddamn fucking team, wildly inconsistent.

I guess Shanahan is desperate for points, as our offensive guru, or Vanilla Ice Cream as I call him, is 18th in yards, 20th in scoring, and 23rd in 1st downs. Not a very stellar set of numbers for our resident genius. I mean, he single-handedly ruined Lance, and is now stuck with Garoppolo again. Mr. Inconsistent. And it shows. Jimmy is 2-2. The team is 3-3. The offense is stagnant. And we don’t move the ball with ANY sense of urgency when needed.

The good news about the CMC acquisition is this is likely the end of the Deebo-as RB scheme that was another injury in the making. McCaffery, when healthy is a stud. But to me this is yet another guy who will simply run up the middle, and catch 5 yard swing passes as this is all Kyle seems to trust Jimmy Gee-I-threw-another-pick-olo to throw. And he’ll likely get hurt.

To me, this move smacks of desperation. Kyle is spinning his wheels with a team that should be dominating, at least 5-1, but they can’t get out of their own way. Penalties, turnovers, and major inconsistency offensively points squarely at Shanahan and his game mismanagement.

We have lost 3 games to shitty teams. Our wins were decent enough, but the NFL these days is mediocrity in motion. Most everyone is 3-3 and any team can beat any other team. but we should NOT be this bad.

Again, this is one of those games where I think we get slaughtered. So, naturally we will win. Who the fuck knows?

Once again the 49ers are the drama-queens of the NFL. Will Jimmy revert to form? Will Trey Lance ever get to throw a pass? Will the injuries continue to mount? Will Kyle draft another worthless 3rd round running back? Will this be yet another lost season due to injuries and an ineffective offense? Will the entire defense go on IR? Will I stop caring about this team until they get rid of Vanilla Ice Cream?

Will Kyle Shanahan hire an offensive coordinator? Saw this floated in the Chronicle a couple days ago and I’m all for it. Kyle is very good at designing plays. What he is not good at is putting them in the right order. He needs to hire someone who has a better feel for in-game decisions. Kyle gets very vanilla when he is going on a short yardage play. And he fucking flails late in games. See Super bowl XVIVIXC. Whatever the fuck. See the NFCCG. See the Bears game. See the Denver game.

The 49ers were down 14 points with the ball and 10 minutes on the clock. So of course Kyle plays it like he has a 7 point LEAD. The 49ers burned 8 minutes crawling down the field getting to the 22 and Kyle promptly gagged away the game with two stupid calls on 3rd and 4th downs.

Watching Bill Walsh all those years saw him do things like play action on 3rd and 1. Misdirection. Not run up the middle. A play that we run so fucking badly that it fails prolly 85% of the time. So, naturally, Kyle goes for the bad play. THEn to make shit worse, he runs a play very much like the Raider game the other day, and had 2 WRs run the same route, and Jimmy naturally threw it into the crowd. Game over.

No up-tempo. No no-huddle. Just a plodding slow-ass drive to essentially end the game for us. Even if we DO score the TD.

And Jimmy? Mr. I-never-set-my-feet-for-ANY-fucking-throw-in-my life? His basic throwing stance is one where both feet are pointing to the end zone parallel to the goal line and he arms it somewhere. Flat-footed and no leg drive. Say the line sucks. Whatever. Burrow plays behind the worst line in the NFL and still gets passes off that go more than 5 yards and DON’T clang off WRs hands becuase they are too high/off target.

The ONE FUCKING TIME he hits a WR on a deep route, Dennis Weaver McCloud drops it. And of course Dean Woermer had to follow suit. And a BS holding call. 3 plays that equalled about 120 yards of passing.

I’m so fucking tired of this shit over and over and over. This looks like a 7-9 team right now. Right when I feel good about this team, they lay a stinking turd on the plastic grass. Maybe playing on real grass will give them some hope. Right. And I have acreage on Mars to sell you.

In injuries, Yay. Once again this team has shot to the top of the league as the most injured team to play any sport on Earth. And it has been for quite a while. Yeah, football is inherently injury-prone, but at what point do the 49ers evaluate their conditioning staff? Year in and year out they are the most injured team in the league. Javon Kinlaw, yet another 1st round pick who looks to be forever injured, is injured. The guy he replaced is a stalwart on defense, and our resident super-genius Kyle Shanahan didn’t even bother to talk to him before shipping him off to Indiana.

Charvarius Ward got hurt. Sampson Ebukam was on and off the field numerous times with cramps. McGlinchey strained a calf. Not to mention the D line which was previously decimated by strains and muscle pulls in last week’s game in Carolina.

Field grass, or whatever they call that shit, really needs to be addressed by the league. The end of yesterday’s game, and countless others across the NFL landscape, saw guys cramping up left and right, and every other play saw an injury. These owners are worth billions, but can’t water a fucking field? The New Jersey field turf took out the whole 2020 season with games 2 and 3 being played there vs the Jets and Giants. Carolina? Same thing. Sofi? Yep. Atlanta, Minnesota, Indianapolis, on and on. You’d think that all the attention being paid to player safety, this would be a no-brainer. AZ and Vegas have grass fields in their domes. It can be done.

The injury rate on fake grass compared to grass is pretty obvious. Most markedly on non-contact leg injuries.

https://nflpa.com/posts/only-natural-grass-can-level-the-nfls-playing-field

The gist of the article is:

The data supports the anecdotes you’ll hear from me and other players: artificial turf is significantly harder on the body than grass. Based on NFL injury data collected from 2012 to 2018, not only was the contact injury rate for lower extremities higher during practices and games held on artificial turf, NFL players consistently experienced a much higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries on turf compared to natural surfaces. Specifically, players have a 28% higher rate of non-contact lower extremity injuries when playing on artificial turf. Of those non-contact injuries, players have a 32% higher rate of non-contact knee injuries on turf and a staggering 69% higher rate of non-contact foot/ankle injuries on turf compared to grass.

Duh. Let’s not protect our players with a better playing surface. I know the 49ers have a turf field to practice on. Does that mean our guys are getting hurt before games practicing on that shit? Fuck, I don’t know, but yesterday’s game showed that it is hard to win games with your backup defensive line in the game. Now we are down our best corner and yet another offensive lineman.

Most of the attention on yesterday’s loss went to the inept offense, and a lot of it is warranted, but the defense could not stop Marcus fucking Mariota from going 12-13 for 130 yards and running through our depleted defensive line all game.