What is the direction of this team?

Originally posted by Cuphalffull:
I think that we need to give Sing, Reye and this team a little slack. We have completely changed offensive philosophies mid season. We have tried to implement what most teams do in an entire offseason in just a few weeks. There are going to be some kinks to work out. There are going to be some growing pangs. I think that the latter part of this season is an opportunity to improve this offense and get us that much further ahead going into the offseason.

I understand a lot of the disappointment that many have right now. I think that we all need a little perspective on this. Reality check - this team was never a legitimate playoff contender. We are decent, not good, and defiantly not great. IMO, if Reye was to spend the offseason researching the spread or as he likes to call it the Reye gun I think he will be able to expand the playbook considerably. Alex, the WR, and TE will be able to work on timing and improved consistency allowing for Alex to have better trust in his WRs. Additionally, with allowing Smith to get more comfortable in this system the rest of the season coupled with an offseason of learning more of the nuances of the system, he will be in a better position to begin calling audibles and making the hot reads.

In all, I think that the benefit of the past several games (yes including yesterdays disappointing loss) is that our offense and team is beginning to establish an identity that works. We are just missing a few pieces of the puzzle and I think that we will become legitimate contenders. We have some high draft picks and money to spend in FA. I know that for the immediate gratification generation out there this is all just a pipe dream but it appears as though we are building a team that will be good for years to come.

BTW – anyone who really expected Sing to be perfect in his first year as a HC had some unrealistic expectations. Hopefully he is learning from his mistakes and improving along with the team.

Jimmy Raye can study all off-season about the spread. His play calling isn't about offensive philosophy it is about situational play calling. It has always been bad wherever he has gone and it has hurt the 49ers this year.

I also did not have unrealistic expectations about Singletary this year but when I team calls a timeout 6 seconds into a game and then other mis-cues happen this late in a season in a must win game. There is a problem. I don't see progress in his game management in his first 20 or so games.

I am much more upbeat about the future of the 49ers, since the offense now has an identity with a clear leader @ QB.

Consider that 6 of the 7 losses were by 7 points are less. That means that one more play made or prevented turns any or all of those losses into wins. (One of which was against the undefeated Colts in their Stadium)

Consider that Smith - Davis - Crabtree - Gore have only been working together on first team practice for 6 weeks.

Consider that Alex Smith is completing 62% of his passes, and currently has an 87 QB rating, with a 96 rating vs. Seattle. (Let's try to understand the fact that QB's like Joe Montana and Steve Young don't grow on trees, and that our experience with two HOF QB's back-to-back turned us into spoiled children)

Consider that the 49ers have the #5 Run Defense in the NFL.

What all of this adds up to is an offense that will only get better at moving the ball with more depth on the O-Line and more reps with the key play makers. Combine this with a defense that can contain the run and pressure QB's into throwing picks, and you have a playoff contender in the making.

Originally posted by mrbadd1:

Originally posted by Cuphalffull:
I think that we need to give Sing, Reye and this team a little slack. We have completely changed offensive philosophies mid season. We have tried to implement what most teams do in an entire offseason in just a few weeks. There are going to be some kinks to work out. There are going to be some growing pangs. I think that the latter part of this season is an opportunity to improve this offense and get us that much further ahead going into the offseason.

I understand a lot of the disappointment that many have right now. I think that we all need a little perspective on this. Reality check - this team was never a legitimate playoff contender. We are decent, not good, and defiantly not great. IMO, if Reye was to spend the offseason researching the spread or as he likes to call it the Reye gun I think he will be able to expand the playbook considerably. Alex, the WR, and TE will be able to work on timing and improved consistency allowing for Alex to have better trust in his WRs. Additionally, with allowing Smith to get more comfortable in this system the rest of the season coupled with an offseason of learning more of the nuances of the system, he will be in a better position to begin calling audibles and making the hot reads.

In all, I think that the benefit of the past several games (yes including yesterdays disappointing loss) is that our offense and team is beginning to establish an identity that works. We are just missing a few pieces of the puzzle and I think that we will become legitimate contenders. We have some high draft picks and money to spend in FA. I know that for the immediate gratification generation out there this is all just a pipe dream but it appears as though we are building a team that will be good for years to come.

BTW – anyone who really expected Sing to be perfect in his first year as a HC had some unrealistic expectations. Hopefully he is learning from his mistakes and improving along with the team.

Jimmy Raye can study all off-season about the spread. His play calling isn't about offensive philosophy it is about situational play calling. It has always been bad wherever he has gone and it has hurt the 49ers this year.

I also did not have unrealistic expectations about Singletary this year but when I team calls a timeout 6 seconds into a game and then other mis-cues happen this late in a season in a must win game. There is a problem. I don't see progress in his game management in his first 20 or so games.

Look, I am not saying that his situational play calling is great. I do question with limited time they have had to implement these new strategies if it allows for a lot of options when it comes to play calling in a variety of situations. I agree that the 3rd and 3 play was a bad play call but that said, I don’t know what other options they had available that the Hawks hadn’t seen. I am not well aware of their playbook. (old playbook run run pass, I knew but this new one not so much)

Also you have to understand that this is a new philosophy for Reye. I think that an offseason to work on this philosophy and develop schemes to better fit given situations will be advantageous. I personally think that, while not perfect, Reye has done an admirable job considering having to completely revamp his entire offensive scheme mid season.

I understand many want to be angry at something or someone and Reye and Sing look like great targets. I am not saying that they have done a great or even a good job. I am saying that given the circumstances, they have shown adaptability and a willingness to put together a system that fits their players rather then doing a Nolan and trying to fit the players into their system. I commend them for that and hope that the mistakes that Sing has made are chalked up to rookie mistakes and he has learned from them and won’t make them in the future.

Originally posted by djutberg:
I am much more upbeat about the future of the 49ers, since the offense now has an identity with a clear leader @ QB.

Consider that 6 of the 7 losses were by 7 points are less. That means that one more play made or prevented turns any or all of those losses into wins. (One of which was against the undefeated Colts in their Stadium)

Consider that Smith - Davis - Crabtree - Gore have only been working together on first team practice for 6 weeks.

Consider that Alex Smith is completing 62% of his passes, and currently has an 87 QB rating, with a 96 rating vs. Seattle. (Let's try to understand the fact that QB's like Joe Montana and Steve Young don't grow on trees, and that our experience with two HOF QB's back-to-back turned us into spoiled children)

Consider that the 49ers have the #5 Run Defense in the NFL.

What all of this adds up to is an offense that will only get better at moving the ball with more depth on the O-Line and more reps with the key play makers. Combine this with a defense that can contain the run and pressure QB's into throwing picks, and you have a playoff contender in the making.

Alex Smith had a great game, but we still lost. Defense played well but how will it improve and it needs to improve. This is the same defense from 2007 and 2008. We need it to get better. We need help on the O-Line obviously but McCloughan is still going to be drafting the lineman. There is always hope with this team, now it is caused by Alex Smith is playing so well, but we also have tons of concerns too. So look at the one thing we definitely do know. Jimmy Raye isn't a good offensive coordinator, that won't change. It hasn't in his 12 years in the NFL and it won't change now. So while I'm happy with knowing Alex Smith is our QB, I'm not building my hopes up for 2010.

Nice post mrbadd1. You articulated a lot of my own feelings and thoughts in the wake of yet another whimpering finish to yet another pathetic season. Welcome to December in 49erworld: a series of meaningless games spiced with talk of free agency, the draft, and “next year.”

The 49ers at this point remind me of Arizona circa 2006. They were stockpiling talent through a series of high draft picks, and they were on the verge of building a new stadium. Every year someone would pick them to be the breakout team, and every year they would flop. It was clear that ownership (the young Bidwell as opposed to the old Bidwell) was determined to build a winner, but nothing seemed to work and they disappointed year after year. “Same old Cardinals” said the smug 49er fans. What finally got them over the top was threefold:

1. They built a new stadium.
2. They found an up and coming head coach who knew how to assemble a professional staff and team.
3. They found a franchise quarterback.

Once those pieces were in place, all the other talent was able to gel. Like the Cardinals of 2006, the 49ers of 2009 are close, but I can’t emphasize enough how important it is for this team to build a state of the art stadium. Too many 9er fans think that a new stadium is about them - about their comfort and their game day experience. It’s not. What it’s really about is cash flow. A new stadium means luxury boxes and endorsement deals. Without a new stadium, the 49ers are an NFL backwater and the top coaches and personnel people either won’t come here, or will use us as a stepping stone. It’s not seen as a top tier job or a major career opportunity. To run with the big boys, you have to be able to spend lavishly and position yourself as a major NFL market. That all starts with a new stadium and the cash flow that comes with it.

This team has a core of talent, but it’s not enough and it’s just not clicking. The players disappoint and the coaches disappoint. It’s not through lack of effort or lack of desire, but you have to reach a critical mass of talent before things click, and it just hasn’t happened yet. Here’s what needs to happen:

1. GET THE STADIUM DEAL DONE.
2. Fire Scott McCloughan and bring in the best, most experienced, GM that money can buy.
3. Give Singletary another year. Build around Alex Smith.

[ Edited by Lifer on Dec 7, 2009 at 13:17:48 ]

a commitment to mediocrity