This is NOT a GREAT TEAM in 2012. | Page 11

SanDiego49er · 2012-10-15T12:49:45-07:00

1) OLB Pass Rushers - Parys Haralson and Darious Fleming injuries - OLB debth is very thin. Our pass rushers don't get the same rotation that they did in the past. They are gassed and not as effective. We have a huge problem at OLB pass rusher I think. If we get another injury or somebody goes down we are in big trouble. 2) Special Teams - Not so special this year. We just had to have all that extra RB, WR and DL depth of guys who never play. Plus Brandon Jacobs, Jenkins and LMJ who don't play. And we absolutely had to keep Dixon. Who is buried so deep on the RB depth chart he doesn't contribute. To top it off he is a subpar, slow special teams guy. You can't tell me there wasn't room for Cartwright and Colin Jones both. Now we are paying the price big time. We are sorry we cut them both now. Akers who is normally rock solid has been in a terrible slump this year if you exclude the 63 yarder record. Other than that one I think he is far worse this year. Ginn has been hurt and hasn't had the explosive plays. We were a defense and special teams formula team last year. Our special teams dropoff has been one of the most dramatic I've seen in the NFL in years. From an A to a C- / D+ in one season. That's horrendous. It was partially why we won so many games. 3) QB Situation - Alex is good ahead with a run game and tremendous defense. But to put the game on his shoulders is tough. He has done it a few times. New Orleans in the playoffs, the Eagles last year, several other come from behind wins and a few in his career. But throw and throw and throw doesn't play to his strengths or the teams strengths. Kaepernick is a very raw 2nd year player who is not ready for full time duty. He makes some bad decisions which I think will put us in a bad position if he is the full time starter. It's still a QB driven league. And I just don't see either of them competing with Rodgers, Eli, Matt Ryan in the playoffs. What if we get behind? Alex once in a while has come from behind even in pressure situations like the playoffs. But not everytime. And no way I believe Kaep is ready in a playoff situation like that. Not even regular season. 4) Head Coach / Offensive Coordinator - Maybe they are overthinking this Kaepernick / Tebow Time thing. You just complete a 60 yard pass and you take your starting QB out to go to a QB rotation?.... Come on. You lost all your continuity with that. And got an 11 yard sack and made a FG attempt much harder. It just doesn't make sense. Too much QB rotation, double reverses, trick plays, gimmick plays. Our offense is best when we stick to the fundamentals. 5) Frank Gore - Why do we go away from him in so many games? It's just pass, pass, pass, and more pass. And look at the stat sheet and wonder why we didn't run Gore more? History has shown when we run Gore, control the clock, keep other teams on the bench, it helps our defense and our offense too. Our whole team is more of a powerhouse with that. I can't imagine why we go away fom it? It just doesn't make sense. Goes to coaching too. Maybe too much cute stuff. And not enough of what made us 13 - 3 last year. 6) Kaepernick - Hugely effective early in the year. It seems that the game film has caught up to him now. Teams gameplan for him now. And at least excellent defensive teams like the Giants have figured it out. I expect this effect to continue. He was unknown before. Now he is known. They have a gameplan and a strategy for him. His road will be much tougher now. Plus you could actually argue he messes up our continuity sometimes. Like complete a 60 yard pass, rotate the QB's. take an 11 yard sack and make a FG much tougher. 7) The 79 - 3 illusion - I think the Bills and the Jets are as bad as any teams you can meet. And we played them when they were playing especially bad. I don't read much into that at all. I think those are awful teams and the results may be overblown. 8) Accurate QB's who are moblie or have time to throw pick us apart - Our biggest problems were the Vikings and Giants. One being mobile. The other being one of the most accurate and underrated QB's in football despite winning 2 Super Bowls. I think this goes back to the OLB thinness and problems there. But we have seen we can be picked apart there. This is just not a 13 - 3 good team. I think we can do pretty well. But the OLB pass rusher problems and huge special teams problems lead me to believe a lot more losses are coming. We can still run Gore a lot and play defense. But the thing is our defense is not quite as good this year IMO. Pass rushers at OLB are very thin. And our special teams which would win so many close games for us has dramatically dropped off. It's a bad special teams. It not only won't win games for us. It will lose them. The coaching is too gimmicky. Too many tricks and too much QB rotation. Pound Gore and play defense would be our best bet. But with our awful special teams and OLB being thin I don't think we are even as good at the basics. I'm not completely convinced we are even as good as 4 - 2. We might be a little worse than that.

Dec 18, 2012 at 7:36 PM

#151

father49er
Veteran
Posts: 7,386

We're better all around except for the kicking game. Kicking was the difference in the 2 Rams games.

Dec 18, 2012 at 7:49 PM

#152

snowone
Veteran
Posts: 19

Still waiting for special teams to show up, clock management still an issue, and would love to see an effective four minute and two minute offence.

Dec 18, 2012 at 7:49 PM

#153

snowone
Veteran
Posts: 19

Still waiting for special teams to show up, clock management still an issue, and would love to see an effective four minute and two minute offence.

Dec 18, 2012 at 8:01 PM

#154

GNielsen
Member
Posts: 5,464

Originally posted by father49er:
We're better all around except for the kicking game. Kicking was the difference in the 2 Rams games.

Remember that the statistical analysis firm that analyzes team prospects predicted 6-10 or 7-9 and not making the playoffs. If not for two missed kicks, this team would be 12-2. That's not really to blame Akers for the record. It's just to show that the team is very close to where it was last year record wise and those predictions were wrong.

Dec 18, 2012 at 9:18 PM

#155

49rz4Life
Member
Posts: 670

This team we have here.......is one of the greatest teams in the history of football. I'm telling u right now. This team is deeper than the Titanic baby.

Dec 18, 2012 at 9:21 PM

#156

Godsleftsock
Veteran
Posts: 3,291

Originally posted by 49rz4Life:
This team we have here.......is one of the greatest teams in the history of football. I'm telling u right now. This team is deeper than the Titanic baby.

Too soon

Dec 19, 2012 at 12:23 AM

#157

VaBeachNiner
Veteran
Posts: 60,064

Originally posted by Godsleftsock:

Originally posted by 49rz4Life:
This team we have here.......is one of the greatest teams in the history of football. I'm telling u right now. This team is deeper than the Titanic baby.

Too soon

He meant the Lusitania.

Dec 19, 2012 at 12:27 AM

#158

SofaKing
Veteran
Posts: 27,442

Was about to lose my s**t until I noticed this thread was created in October..lol

I think we have a great team now.

Dec 19, 2012 at 7:26 AM

#159

Magzarillious
Veteran
Posts: 739

The only thing that bothers me is our rotation on defense. We have got to give some of these younger kids a chance to play. We our gassed in the 4th quarter and it shows BIG time!

Dec 19, 2012 at 7:39 AM

#160

JoseCortez
Veteran
Posts: 13,751

I don't know why people still are ragging on the special teams. The coverage unit is doing great. The two problems we have is Akers and ginn.

Dec 19, 2012 at 8:04 AM

#161

OldJoe
Veteran
Posts: 885

Nitpick: We have a very, very good defense. I don't think a great one, as I keep hearing. Or the implication is this is the best 49er defense we have ever had.

But I can remember some outstanding defenses we had in past years that in crunch time (4th qtr) didn't give up the score when the opponent needed it.

Our loss to the Rams, we go in front of them, severely need a stop and can't even slow them down to a FG. Tie game etc.on to lose

Brady's comeback 4 consecutive TDs in 4 consecutive series? Not slowed a single one to a FG? 28 points lead isn't enough for a "great" Defense ... we gotta score TD to win?

We are very good, but have a way to be great.

Dec 19, 2012 at 8:24 AM

#162

GoreGoreGore
10HourChicken
Posts: 61,620

Who is truly better than us? Is there any team right now in the NFL that can beat us convincingly? Maybe there just aren't any "great" teams this year. Did you consider the Giants great when they won the SB, or the Packers?

Dec 19, 2012 at 9:41 AM

#163

Toronto49er
Veteran
Posts: 292

Originally posted by TheG0RE49er:
Who is truly better than us? Is there any team right now in the NFL that can beat us convincingly? Maybe there just aren't any "great" teams this year. Did you consider the Giants great when they won the SB, or the Packers?

I agree with this

Dec 19, 2012 at 10:44 AM

#164

VA49er
Veteran
Posts: 2,863

Why do people keep pointing to the whole special teams as an issue? Kickoff and punt coverage has been outstanding for weeks. The only reason Lee isn't having a probowl outing is because he doesn't have to BOOM it every time. He's getting ton's of punts inside of the 20 and IMO is having a pro bowl season. Kickoffs have been no issue for Akers. We have had some miscues in the punt return game but that is more from "over effort" by players than lack of skill. Yes Akers has missed some big kicks and I agree that the Rams games would have been won if Akers is on his FG game. But other than that issue ST is doing very well as far as I am concerned.

[ Edited by VA49er on Dec 19, 2012 at 10:44 AM ]

Dec 19, 2012 at 11:00 AM

#165

LasVegasWally
Veteran
Posts: 24,864

Not great!

Because we haven't won the BIG game - we're not a proven product - yet.. When we win the SBowl and repeat - then we're great.

Then again, our definitions of great are very different.

When the "great" RB of NFL history are mentioned Bo Jackson's name VERY rarely is mentioned by anyone. He was considered a "great" RB by many. IMO, he could have been great - BUT, greatness must stand the test of time. Walter Payton was GREAT, you never hear a word that he wasn't. He did it for years and years. Emitt Smith's name is always mentioned, as is Jim Brown, Gayle Sayers, Barry Sanders. If APeterson can stay in the game for another 4-5 years and produce like he's currently doing - ONLY then will he be considered truely great.

IMO, you have to be at the very top 2 for at least 4-5 years. Just like the Niner teams of the 80's-90's.

All that said - we MOST definitely have the potential to be "Great"!