San Francisco 49ers Forever

Who knows? Strange seeing the Rams obliterate the rest of the NFL while they trip over their dicks against us. Hey, that’s the NFL. Some teams have your number. Kinda like the rest of the league and us. But I digress.

Next up is the triumphant return of Young Sir Alex Smith to the friendly confines of Candlestick Park to reprise his most famous payoff win against the Saints in 2011. Well, there are a ton of things wrong with this last sentence, but it sure would have been something to see Smith playing here to a packed house after all he went through lo so many years ago.

Smith of course went through his time in KC playing well but never getting far in the playoffs. Washington? Winning at all there is a challenge to say the least, and he was doing OK, but his leg injury in 2018 was the stuff of horror shows. The fact he’s even walking is a testament to his toughness. So, his legacy of being fair to middling will likely never leave him, but his toughness in the face of nearly dying of major blood and tissue infections, nearly having his leg amputated, and then coming back from it to play again is undeniable. The fact he’s back on the field, and winning to boot, is flat remarkable. Sure he’s not flinging 60 yard bombs all over the place, but he wasn’t really doing that before the injury. And hey, he beat the undefeated Steelers.

Sure, I want to beat his ass, but I still have mad respect for the guy.

Oh, there goes gravity. Oh well. A game that started out with the 49er defense giving up 74 yards and no points kept on giving up yards and points as the Bills marched up and down the field at will as the 49ers offered little resistance. Not a good look for Saleh as the Bills saw us defending the run on 1st down and shredded the short zone and they were averaging what looked like 10 yards per 1st down play. The one highlight was negated by a hold by herman, which may have stopped a TD based on how Josh Allen was hitting his targets.

The ONLY shot at putting Buffalo in a stressful 3rd down while the game was in reach was negated by a dumb roughing the passer call on Kentavius Street. 3rd and 18 from the 40 turned into 1st and 10 from the 25. Oooops.

The most glaring issues with the defense were the non-existent pass rush, and the absolute ease at which guys were getting open. 1st down quick passes negated the pass rush anyway, but not having K’Waun Williams, Emmanuel Moseley, and even Javon Taylor hurt the defense. Mainly because when you have the 5 time cut guy Dontae Johnson on the field, you know where the other team is gonna go. And Cole Beasley didn’t disappoint. 9 catches, 130 yards, one TD.

Doghouse denizen Ahkello Witherspoon was a healthy scratch. So that is bothersome. He’s obviously better than Johnson, but they will let him stew on the sidelines while they wait till the cutting.

The offense was a mixed bag of shit as once Buffalo stopped our run game, Mullens couldn’t really get in a groove and do too much out there. Sure, there were flashes, and the pass pro wasn’t horrible, but he still misses too many passes. Like Bourne on the goal line, and the subsequent pick on the next play when there was still a tiny bit of hope. Mostert was in for a couple plays and then didn’t play till late in the 3rd. Deebo Samuel didn’t catch a pass till the middle of the 3rd.

Just weird shit all around. No the jet sweeps, which seem to work a lot. We still seem reluctant to throw quick passes. Slants. Allen did it all game with ease. With this team, none of the passing plays seem to happen fast enough. Mullens actually hit a couple deep passes, so that was refreshing to see. But this team seems to really struggle when forced to adjust when teams stop the run. Buffalo came out of the 2nd half running as we went to man coverage to try and stop the quick passes. And when the run game worked, they torched our secondary.

No pass rush and Allen was easily buying time when we finally did give a little pressure. 32-40 375 and 4 TDs? If that isn’t perfect, then I don’t know what is.

And how the fuck does Adam Gase keep his job?

Well, I guess the extra playoff courtesy of Jolly Roger spot was a good idea. It keeps us in the mix for defending our NFC crown anyway. A crown that would be easier to keep if we can win tonight against the Buffalo Bills.

6-6 would put is in a tie with AZ and Minnesota, and depending on how things roll, we could win the tiebreakers with both teams. Us beating AZ in our/their house would be another hurdle, but let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet. Really, even at 5-7 we’d still have an outside shot given the vagaries of this bizarre season, but fuck that. Lets win this bitch. If we somehow win out, it would guarantee us a playoff spot. Even 4-1 would likely get us in as Minn has some tough games ahead, and we have our matchup with AZ as long as that loss iasn’t AZ.

The thing about Buffalo is that teams have run on them very well. And with Mostert back and killing it, and Wilson as well, we should be able to control the clock. As long as they have both remembered how to not fumble. And we also have Brandon Aiyuk back. He of the hurdling, slashing running style on those Deebo Samuel jet sweeps we all love so much.

Defensively we are slowly getting better and better. Enough can’t be said about the steadying presence of Richard Sherman back on the field. The pressure on Goff was just enough to throw him off a bit, and the hope is we can keep that pressure up. Givens and Hyder have really stepped in well. With DJ Jones back from the COVID list, our D line is getting somewhat healthy. K’Waun Williams is out, as expected, and Emmanuel Moseley is questionable. Losing Jamar Taylor hurts as he was playing very well, but Witherspoon is gonna have to strap it on and do his work.

This should be a tough game, but if we limit the mistakes (NO fumbles allowed) then we can bring this one home.

28-20 Niners.

. . . like the Buffalo Bills? Buffalo? All in all this is a fucked up year. The Cleveland Browns are 8-3? Tennessee is 8-3? The Bills are 8-3? Dolphins and Colts 7-4? I give the Raiders a little more cred than those guys as they are the only team to beat the Chiefs. And they are 6-5.

To me, most of the AFC is a mirage. You have the Chiefs and the Steelers, and the aforementioned teams who have been beating up on the likes of the Jets, the Jags, the Bengals and the Texans, who are a combined 7-26-1. And I’m not even including the Chargers, who have continued their tradition of losing in various and insane ways.

Us? I don’t really know either. I didn’t think we’d stand a chance vs the Rams, but Shanny appears to have a corner office in Sean McVay’s head. And the defense played an outstanding game. Offensively we were all over the map.

At some point one would think that Nick Mullens could string together a coupe good games. And whatever slim playoff hopes they have, we really can’t afford to lose to anyone. At least we are getting some of our starters back on offense. If we can somehow get past the Bills, we have 2 eminently winnable games against the powerhouses of the NFC Least in the No-Skins and the Cowboys. Of course we need help to get past AZ, Minn, and Chi, but Chi has no QB and that shit will play out as it will.

Why the fuck not? If we get Jimmy G and Kittle back healthy, we might just become the dark horse contender.

Hyuk!

So, due to the expanding playoffs this season, there are 7 teams in each conference now eligible for the playoffs. Which hardly matters as we ain’t in that echelon. We are currently in 10th place. Tied with Chicago and Minnesota by record, but behind them for other various reasons, and one game (really 2 games, as they beat us twice) behind the Arizona Cardinals. Surprising losers to the Patriots yesterday. The luster has worn off their shine a bit as both NE and the Niners gave Seattle an easier path to the division title and possibly that all-important bye week.

Here’s where we sit.

So, getting past the Bears and Vikes may be doable, getting past the Cards is gonna be harder. Not that we should even go for this, but in the NFL, there’s no tanking. Not from Shanahan anyway. We could even catch the Rams as we have that tiebreaker and maybe we killed their will, and we are as close to LA as we are AZ.

And by the way we are playing our next two home games in Phoenix. A little shorter trip for Buffalo, but hey, it’s in the bag.

Huh. Didn’t see this one coming for a mile. The Niners came out inspired and hitting as the defense caused 4 turnovers and the offense did just enough to overcome their own mistakes (3 turnovers) to beat a Rams team that has recently beaten both the Bucs and the Seahawks.

Rookie DE Javon Kinlaw got his first pick and his first TD. Jimmy Ward caused 2 fumbles, and Richard Sherman started the fun with an early pick. Even with all the turnovers, the Niner offense sputtered and stalled after their 1st quarter TD on a nice long run by the firestarter Deebo Samuel, and a 7 yard TD run by Raheem Mostert. Needless to say, having Mostert and Deebo back played a huge part in this game. Deebo had 11 catches for 133, including a huge 24 yard catch on the final scoring drive.

Nick Mullens, for all his shittiness, actually outplayed Jared Goff. 24-35-252, 1 pick to 19-31, 198, 2 picks. Our pressure affected Goff on the 2nd pick that Kinlaw returned to the house, and the D shut down the Rams for about 80% of the game. The pressure on Mullens by Aaron Donald nearly won the game for LA. He was in on nearly every passing play, tipped a pass that was picked off, caused the fumble on Mostert that resulted in a Rams TD, and got a sack to boot.

Jimmie Ward, he of the safeties recently called out by me for not creating turnovers, caused 2 fumbles and was all over the field. Richard Sherman played a solid game and got the early pick on an airmailed Goff pass. The D line stuffed the run for most of the game, and stood firm to get the ball back from the Rams after giving up the lead late. Holding the Rams offense to 1 TD is no mean feat.

The most curious thing to me was, after the Rams had run the ball down our throats late in the 4th quarter to take the lead, their next drive they went away from the run. We forced the punt, and got the ball back to kick the game winner.

Yeah, I don’t see how we win another game severely undermanned as we are. Even our unknown starters (RG Tom Compton) is out with a concussion, along with Trent Williams who is ?able with COVID. Mostert, Deebo, and Wilson are back, though, so we might generate some offense.

Kinlaw is back as well, but I don’t know. The Rams have been on a rampage since they lost to us, beating the Hawks and the Bucs in the process, but I really don’t see it. Mullens needs to show something more than inconsistency and the line needs to block much better. The run game should improve with Mostert back, but still and all, this looks like another 31-17 type deal.

Huzzah.

Trump pardoning a turkey for Thanksgiving really means something when he talks about pardoning himself for crimes he didn’t commit (right?), but hey, Happy Thanksgiving!

Speaking of turkeys, we have 4 of them for our football ignoring pleasure.

The early game is the stupidest team in football not in New York, the Houston Texans. You know, the team that thought they would improve without DeAndre Hopkins. They have fired their HC/GM/Village Idiot Bill O’Brien, and have staggered to a 3-7 record.

They play the perennially hopeless and hapless Deetroit Lions. They of the best record on any team today at 4-6! Woo hoo! Fuck the Texans for tilting the balance of power in the NFC West for the next 8 years or so. Burn in hell.

Game 2? Well, I guess it would be cool to see Alex Smith beat the fucking Cowboys one more time. The NFC East has in one fell swoop become the laughingstock of the NFL. The Eagles lead the No-Skins, Cowboys, AND Giants by 0.5 at 3-6-1! A 10 loss teram may make the playoffs for the first time.

The good news is no one is gonna get hurt in a game this weekend. But that doesn’t preclude the ‘Rona from spreading around the team. Grasu has it, and so does LB Joe Walker. If we get out of that alive, the hope is that we will have some of our offensive weaponry back. Raheem Mostert and Deebo Samuel being the biggest pieces.

Shanny went so far as to say that even Kittle and Garland could be in the mix if we are playing ‘meaningful’ games down the stretch. Meaningful meaning we need to beat the Rams next weekend, and they need to lose to the Pats tomorrow night, for us to have any kid of chance.

And let’s hope that isn’t the case. The obstacles just seem way too high this misbegotten season. Shit, they are even talking about bringing Jimmy back for shits and giggles.

I don’t know. Could this season get any weirder? I guess I shouldn’t ask.

Interesting games today are the Sunday Night offering of the Raiders vs the Chiefs. If the Raiders can somehow pick off KC twice, that would be no mean feat.

And the NO/Falcon game features Taysom Hill as the starter for the Saints. Sean Payton is throwing a wrench into the mix to see what happens with Drew Brees being on the shelf. Still pissed at that call. The 2 refs 5′ away didn’t flag it. It was the side judge 20 yards away.

Yea, there was a time when the bye week was an unnecessary distraction from the great teams of the recent and not so recent past. Now, it is a respite from the injuries, disasters, bad calls, bad play calling, and the injuries. And it also signifies saying goodbye to the 2020 season. Sure, we are still in the hunt, and frankly, the defense played a pretty solid game against the tough New Orleans Saints. The Niners held the ball for the entire 1st quarter, and they built a 10 point lead to start the 2nd quarter.

From there it went down the rabbit hole as mistakes, penalties, horrible line calls, and the moribund offense kept the team stuck in 1st gear throughout the rest of the game. And that was even with Drew Brees cooling his ribs on the sidelines for the whole 2nd half after a sack by K Street. One that was flagged for no apparent reason, other than we tackled an old white guy. The fucking side judge made the call from 20 yards away rather than the back judge 6 feet away.

But, whatever. The two muffed punts, the two interceptions, the obligatory stupid 4th down run up the middle, and the inexplicable inability to put a body on Chauncey Gardner-Johnson played a huge part in the loss.

Which brings me to the coaching. Once again, there were thousands of fans screaming at their TVs to do something about Gardner-Johnson. It looked like to me he made 15 tackles in the 1st half as we inexplicably tried to run sweeps when every play was getting blown up for losses. GJ was in the backfield faster than our guys were getting the ball. Yet we kept running those plays and not blocking GJ. Saleh, for all his injuries to deal with, and the mismatching of players to positions, never sees the obvious. Like Bruce Allen getting torched for 2 quarters while GB ran up the score, Saleh never rolled a safety over to help.

Shanny for his part seems allergic to throwing on 1st down. He NEVER took a deep shot yet again. Well, they tried ONCE with The Beater and his one play, and he underthrew terribly a wide open Rick James on a simple go route. It should have been an easy TD but it was batted harmlessly away.

But, whatever. yes we are injured, but you see plays over and over where someone (McKinnon) misses a blitz pickup, or a linebacker comes in free. Our misadventures at center continue with Hruss the Goose being shunted aside as Brunskill learns the new position. Westie really is missed badly. Shit, even Ben Garland was coming on as being a capable backup. But in the year of the injury, they are all out.

So, the hope was to get some sort of healthy after the bye, but it appears to just be a respite from the upcoming carnage. Mostert could be back, Sherm, and Deebo too, but it shouldn’t make that much difference. The defense isn’t going to fold, but it isn’t going to stop anyone.

What is so annoying is looking at AZ and seeing a team that is kicking ass and having fun. Much like us last year. seattle still hasn’t fallen off the map, and they will get killed in the playoffs, but they are still a top-tier team. The Rams have found their mojo again, and while they are not gonna win it all this year, they are a young team having fun as well.

Last week’s game got the the point of being unwatchable due to the absolute shit-show put on by the offense. Like so many of the past teams these last 20 years. Something that really pisses me off. We MIGHT be able to beat Alex Smith and the No-Skins, but that is about it. The Cowboys? Who knows? I’m thinking best-case is 1-5. Better case is 0-6.

Huzzah.