34 total articles on record
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Articles by Jeff Kaplan
Still Waiting for Niners to Prove It
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, August 31, 2010 at 07:33:03
Let's just back up a second, okay? Let's stop quibbling about little things--debating the virtues of the head coach, the O.C., the quarterback--and let's take a longer, more important view. After all, that was our third preseason game. And even if you're one of those I-don't-buy-anything-in-the-preseason types, you'll...
Smith Takes a Drive, but the D Holds the Key
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 09:08:51
As Alex Smith was directing what would become a 12-play, 70-yard touchdown drive against the Vikings' starting D--after he'd dropped back, stood tall, zipped through his reads, and fired a strike--Cris Collinsworth said it perfectly. He captured what we all were thinking, giving voice to both how little we've come to expect and how much...
Niners' Preseason Goes from Peace to Panic
By Jeff Kaplan on Sunday, August 15, 2010 at 20:36:08
As I strapped myself in for Camp Singletary 2.0, I felt a familiar knot in my gut. Here we go again, I thought. Another camp as old-school as the man himself. Another camp of relentless pounding, with a matching body count. Another camp of Singletarian madness. But I'll give him this: the guy can surprise you. THIS was...
Jed's New Structure Just Isn't Safe
By Jeff Kaplan on Sunday, May 23, 2010 at 08:19:36
Did you hear? The big news out of the OTAs? Sure, there were some lesser stories. Master motivator Mike Singletary was unable to motivate half his defense to show up. (Nate Clements went AWOL even at the cost of half a million bucks; aren't you LOVIN' the team spirit?) Alex Smith showed off his new Peyton Manning leadership skills,...
Niners' Draft Shows One Vision, Unfortunately It's Singletary's
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 05:34:41
When asked the reason for Scot McCloughan's departure, only a month in front of the draft, Jed York wouldn't say. He WOULD say, though, what the reason was NOT. No, he said, McCloughan didn't lose a power struggle with Mike Singletary. "Mike's not going to move into a more significant role in personnel," he said. Of course...
Jed Makes It Official: The York Show Goes On
By Jeff Kaplan on Sunday, March 28, 2010 at 09:17:26
When you finally emerged, you told us you were ready for the backlash. After all, it's just part of the job. When you're president of the Niners, you said, "sometimes you need to take shots personally." Well, Jed, this is certainly one of those times. Oh, I knew it wouldn't be easy. You had to complete two...
Scot McCloughan's Long, Strange Goodbye
By Jeff Kaplan on Sunday, March 21, 2010 at 13:41:40
Well then. So much for continuity. Oh, don't get me wrong. If you know me at all, you know my views on continuity. Continuity for the sake of continuity is no better than change for the sake of change. By all means, if what you've got is smart and innovative, continue it. But if it's not--and if you wanna succeed--you...
An Almost Painless Journey through the Niners' Decade Lost
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, January 12, 2010 at 06:15:12
By the turn of the millennium, the San Francisco 49ers had gotten used to dominating decades. In the 1980s, led by Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, the Niners had won four Super Bowls. In the ‘90s, led by Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young, the Niners had set a record for wins in a decade--since broken in the ‘00s by the Colts--and added a fifth...
Eight and Eight, and Proof of Nothing
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, January 5, 2010 at 06:11:56
Okay, first things first. The Buccaneers' record streak of losing years is safe, at least from us. After six straight seasons in hell, we've finally escaped, at least to purgatory. Eight and eight! Huzzah! (Funny. We used to reserve our celebrations for Super Bowl titles. My, how times have changed....) But...
McCloughan Owes Gore LT's Promise
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, December 29, 2009 at 05:55:18
As I watched Frank Gore reach a thousand yards rushing for the fourth straight year, I was reminded of a story. It was 2003, and the Chargers were on their way to a dreadful record of 4 and 12. They didn't have much of a passing game; their top QB, some guy named Brees who clearly would never amount to anything, had a rating in the 60s. ...
Niners Drown in a Sea of Uncertainty
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, December 22, 2009 at 06:18:47
Here's what we know. We know that for the seventh straight year, the playoffs will go on without us. And we know that nevertheless, Mike Singletary and Scot McCloughan will stay in their jobs. (I've accepted that, remember....) But really, that's about it. And it's what we DON'T know that's so...
Singletary Rewards Jed's Curious Devotion, and My Grudging Acceptance
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, December 15, 2009 at 17:35:29
In the wake of the fiasco in Seattle, Gary Radnich had a question. It wasn't pleasant, but it had to be asked. And much to his credit, with Jed York on the line, he asked it. "I'll ask you straight up," he said. "How committed is your family to Singletary?" Now Radnich might never win a Pulitzer Prize, but he phrased...
Finished, With an F
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, December 8, 2009 at 06:09:14
We'd survived. After all we'd been through, we'd somehow survived. You name it, we'd endured it. A nightmarish last-second loss. A quarterback controversy. A month-long losing streak. An offensive identity crisis. Any bump to be hit on the way to contention, it seemed we'd gone out of our way just to...
Singletary's Defeat is the Season's Greatest Victory
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, December 1, 2009 at 06:05:37
This was it. A must-win. Win now, or it's all over. The odds were against us. Our opponent seemed relentless, unwilling to yield until our hopes were destroyed. We'd been beaten, bloodied, and driven into despair. Then, somehow, when all seemed lost, we rose up, fought back, and got the win that barely kept our fading hopes...
Please, Jed, Put An End To This Madness
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, November 24, 2009 at 06:10:30
You've gotta DO something. Now. I know you weren't expecting this. Not even two months ago, you were right where you wanted to be. Three and one and atop your division. You'd promised the playoffs, and some said you'd already clinched 'em. And your coach, your first hire, already was Coach of the...
Put Your Arms Down, Coach, You're Embarrassing Yourself
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, November 17, 2009 at 05:56:20
When it was over--after Jay Cutler had put the bow on a game he'd been wrapping for the Niners all night, after two losing teams had collaborated on a game as hideous as any in memory--Mike Singletary did the strangest thing. He raised his arms in triumph. Instead of exploiting the countless opportunities that Cutler had given...
Meet the New Alex, Same as the Old Alex
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, November 10, 2009 at 06:01:31
Dateline Indianapolis. The 49ers had just lost their third straight. Worse, they'd lost by abandoning their one ray of hope. Under the rejuvenated Alex Smith, operating brilliantly out of shotgun/three-receiver sets, the Niners had proven to be unstoppable. And in the second half, they'd simply decided to forget it. They'd scrapped those...
The Singletary Offense Is Alive, and It's Killing Us
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 05:58:39
Okay. Now I'm mad. What, wasn't he watching? Last week in Houston? We put in Alex Smith, we stretched the field, we threw every down, and out of the blue our offense exploded. The turn was so quick, so complete, and so effective, I actually had the gall to assume this was it. Singletary might love to run, but now he'd realize...
Niners Lose to Houston, Win Anyway
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, October 27, 2009 at 06:07:04
He had no choice. It's not like his offense hadn't struggled before. The unit was ranked 29th for a reason. Game after game, he'd been perfectly willing to grind out some yards, punt it away, and ask his defense to do the rest. But if nothing else, he's a man of pride. And after watching his offense in the first...
All of a Sudden, A Season on the Brink
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, October 13, 2009 at 06:14:10
Believe it or not, halfway through the second quarter, everything was fine. We'd had some early jitters. Shaun Hill's first pass was tipped and picked, and Atlanta drove a short field for a score. Then, after another of our patented three-and-outs, the Falcons cut through our defense with frightening efficiency. They gobbled up 5,...
Let's Just Stop And Celebrate It: Once Again, The Best In The West
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, October 6, 2009 at 19:00:11
At halftime, I sat there, all ready to write it again. As usual, I was bipolar, torn between love for our heroic D and utter contempt for our pathetic O. The defense had made the Rams look every bit as awful as they are, but the Rams' offense was looking no worse than our own. 84 yards. Zero points. Were it not for the fortunate bounce of a punt,...
Singletary Hands Favre The Knife, Favre Again Cuts Out Our Hearts
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, September 29, 2009 at 06:01:58
We're going to do it. Unbelievably, we're going to do it. Dre Bly just snuffed out the Vikings' last chance, and we've just locked up our biggest win in years. The defense, once again, has been heroic. Since his early 35-yard burst, Adrian Peterson, the so-called "Dominator," has gotten squat. And Brett Favre, dealing with...
Niners Continue to Confound, But Somehow Continue to Conquer
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, September 22, 2009 at 05:56:03
Let's say it again, all together now: We will not complain about ugly wins. We will not complain about ugly wins. We will not complain about ugly wins.... No. We won't "complain," as such. "Notice," though? "Point out"? "Express gratitude for the wins but still reserve some concern that once again we're seeing a strong early...
Defense Comes Out Of Nowhere, Running Game Goes Into It
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 06:10:28
Okay, so maybe the preseason DOES mean nothing. In the preseason, we saw a team with a ferocious running game but a soft, passive defense. True to Mike Singletary's vision, we saw a team that was "running at will." But quite contrary to that vision, we also saw defenders who were loose in coverage and slow on the rush. Sure,...
The Nate Davis Dilemma, Coming Soon
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 05:51:50
I'm going to ask you to do something now. Some of you will think I'm asking you to indulge in pure fantasy. Others of you are already way ahead of me. Assume, if you will, the bulk of the "experts" are right, and we're about to endure yet another losing season. Let's say that at the end of September we're one and two. ...
I Think I Just Lost Faith In Everything
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, September 1, 2009 at 05:59:36
I couldn't help it. As the first half in Dallas wound down, the rational side of my brain was telling me not to overreact, calmly observing that this doesn't count. But that rational side was shouted down, overwhelmed by the screams of another side that's seen all this before and simply refuses to be hurt again. Last...
The Quarterback Battle is Over, and the Running Backs Won
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 14:45:22
I don't quite understand what just happened. Okay, Shaun Hill's the starting quarterback. That much I get, and I certainly don't disagree with the decision. But I distinctly remember hearing that the decision would depend on a legitimate competition between Hill and Alex Smith. Did I miss it? Don't...
It's Never Too Early For Pass-Rush Panic
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, August 18, 2009 at 05:24:00
"It's just the preseason." Ah, the great rationalization. Works for a lot of things, especially in game one. Vanilla play-calling, like running up the middle on third and three? It's just the preseason. Vanilla game-managing, like bleeding the clock instead of trying the two-minute drill? It's just the preseason. Vanilla...
Your Move, Michael
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 05:41:29
We've been patient with you. We weren't worried when we heard you might be a "diva." (Ask Vernon Davis how long divas last on Coach Singletary's watch.) We let it slide when we heard you were sort of aloof at the OTAs. (They're just OTAs, after all.) We even stayed cool when we heard you were holding out. (So was half the...
Welcome To Camp Singletary: "Brutal," For Better And Worse
By Jeff Kaplan on Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 04:51:19
We're not gonna back out NOW, are we? This is what Mike Singletary promised us. He promised us intensity, toughness, discipline. He promised us "physical with an F," a phrase he should copyright if he hasn't already. (Hey, if Dennis Green can have "They are who we thought they were"....) We swallowed it all, hook line and sinker. ...
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