Week 12: Thoughts after rewatching the game...

Originally posted by dj43:
Yes, yesterday was a nice win by the defense. OTOH, despite all the raving about Kaepernick's athleticism and strong arm, and the 375 yards of offense, this was the SAINTS DEFENSE, the worst in the league, a defense that had given up an average of 454 yards of offense per game. Opponents AVERAGED 5 yards per rushing attempt (49ers 4.6) and 8.5 yards per pass (49ers 5.0). Compared to what previous opponents had done against the Saints, yesterday was BELOW AVERAGE offensively. I lay some of that to an improved effort by the Saints against a team that handed them a bitter defeat last year, however, a large part also falls to the fact the 49ers had a very inexperienced QB who was not able to deal with some fairly standard stunts and blitz packages and coverages that the Saints used.

Not sure where you got your stats from, but the box score says SF averaged. 9.2 yards/pass. It was particularly impressive not only because this was Kaepernick's 2'nd start, but the Superdome is maybe the most difficult stadium to play in, and the Saints and their fans have had this game circled since January. This was a playoff atmosphere and not only did Kaep stayed poised throughout, but like others have mentioned, we had huge passes called back because of penalties and boneheaded drops.

The interception was all Kaep really. Yeah, he got a terrible snap, but with how long it took him to recover, he needed to scramble or throw it away.

The defense has finally come alive over the last 2 weeks. We're seeing the hard hits, intimidation, pass rush, and intensity that have largely been missing this season. The D has played great this year statistically, but the ferocity they're showing now is what I think most of us loved about them last year. They're hitting everything on the field like they're mad and have something to prove. I think the Rams game a few weeks is going to the catalyst to this season just like the Dallas game was last year. The whole team just looks absolutely focused right now. Well besides Ted Ginn .

Originally posted by dj43:
His escapability did offset his failure to recognize stunts and blitzes and adjust blocking schemes.

Agreed. Also, a few plays I think he missed on audibling and ran us into a brick wall but it will take time for him to have it down like Alex did. But yes his escapability offset some of the problems. He looks much better than he did in pre-season even. His throwing motion seems to have tightened up. He seems to be more careful with the ball in the pocket as well. He's not holding the ball as long as he was. He will take off if he has to and the throwing on the run and escapability has been impressive so far. He's done a really good job threading the needle as well.

A couple of things:

Marvin, point number 10 is what keeps running through my head. 10 big plays in 2 games!!! For this type of team that is huge. The big plays will help us because teams can't stick 8 guys in the box. It is only 2 games so far, but with Kaep at QB the team seems to be more loose. Instead of playing so conservative and playing the odds all the time, it feels like the team is being set free to go makes plays... even on defense, we are flying to the ball and getting pressure on the QB. Guys look like they are having fun. I don't know how much of that has to do with Kaep but these past 2 games don't seem like the first 10. As of right now, I don't see the team taking a weird loss to minnesota or coming out flat like we did against the giants or st. louis. Everyone seems to be playing at a high level right now. Like everyone got a jolt of energy or something.

...and did anyone catch all the love we were getting from Troy Aikman yesterday! He was praising the team from top to bottom and he was saying that our Oline was one of the best he has seen in years in the NFL, much like the one he played behind.

Originally posted by dj43:

Yes, yesterday was a nice win by the defense. OTOH, despite all the raving about Kaepernick's athleticism and strong arm, and the 375 yards of offense, this was the SAINTS DEFENSE, the worst in the league, a defense that had given up an average of 454 yards of offense per game. Opponents AVERAGED 5 yards per rushing attempt (49ers 4.6) and 8.5 yards per pass (49ers 5.0). Compared to what previous opponents had done against the Saints, yesterday was BELOW AVERAGE offensively. I lay some of that to an improved effort by the Saints against a team that handed them a bitter defeat last year, however, a large part also falls to the fact the 49ers had a very inexperienced QB who was not able to deal with some fairly standard stunts and blitz packages and coverages that the Saints used.

How was he not able to deal with stunts and blitzes? Dude was untouched practically the whole game lol

Originally posted by Disp:

Originally posted by dj43:
Yes, yesterday was a nice win by the defense. OTOH, despite all the raving about Kaepernick's athleticism and strong arm, and the 375 yards of offense, this was the SAINTS DEFENSE, the worst in the league, a defense that had given up an average of 454 yards of offense per game. Opponents AVERAGED 5 yards per rushing attempt (49ers 4.6) and 8.5 yards per pass (49ers 5.0). Compared to what previous opponents had done against the Saints, yesterday was BELOW AVERAGE offensively. I lay some of that to an improved effort by the Saints against a team that handed them a bitter defeat last year, however, a large part also falls to the fact the 49ers had a very inexperienced QB who was not able to deal with some fairly standard stunts and blitz packages and coverages that the Saints used.

Not sure where you got your stats from, but the box score says SF averaged. 9.2 yards/pass.

I stand corrected. I had the numbers reversed. 9.2 is correct.

Originally posted by Gore_21:

Originally posted by dj43:
His escapability did offset his failure to recognize stunts and blitzes and adjust blocking schemes.

Agreed. Also, a few plays I think he missed on audibling and ran us into a brick wall but it will take time for him to have it down like Alex did. But yes his escapability offset some of the problems. He looks much better than he did in pre-season even. His throwing motion seems to have tightened up. He seems to be more careful with the ball in the pocket as well. He's not holding the ball as long as he was. He will take off if he has to and the throwing on the run and escapability has been impressive so far. He's done a really good job threading the needle as well.

He has certainly benefitted from Harbaugh's coaching.

Originally posted by monsterzero789:

Originally posted by dj43:
Yes, yesterday was a nice win by the defense. OTOH, despite all the raving about Kaepernick's athleticism and strong arm, and the 375 yards of offense, this was the SAINTS DEFENSE, the worst in the league, a defense that had given up an average of 454 yards of offense per game. Opponents AVERAGED 5 yards per rushing attempt (49ers 4.6) and 8.5 yards per pass (49ers 5.0). Compared to what previous opponents had done against the Saints, yesterday was BELOW AVERAGE offensively. I lay some of that to an improved effort by the Saints against a team that handed them a bitter defeat last year, however, a large part also falls to the fact the 49ers had a very inexperienced QB who was not able to deal with some fairly standard stunts and blitz packages and coverages that the Saints used.

How was he not able to deal with stunts and blitzes? Dude was untouched practically the whole game lol

Note previous comments on run plays as well.

Originally posted by dj43:
Nice post Marvin. I too am very much on the fence over Kaepernick. Yes, he had some nice plays and good moves, however, he first played a Bears team that played vanilla defense all night and made it very easy for him to make the reads. Yesterday, he played the worst defense in the league yet only put up 2 TDs. He was clearly confused by the stunts and coverages Spaguolo and the Saints threw at him. His audible adjustments, especially on running plays were not very effective. What he added in passing, was subtracted in the run game. On balance, his performance against the Saints yesterday was below average in comparison to what other QBs have put up in previous games this year. In reflection, these two games were a good starting point for CK. The Bears played the same alignment play after play which made it easy for him. The Saints, though they gave him a lot of looks, just are not good enough to present a top level challenge. In looking at the closing schedule, however, there are not any playoff caliber defenses left. Consequently, if Harbaugh chooses to continue with him, this may be a good time for him to learn. Having Alex on the bench to help him learn the reads will help also. We shall see.

WR: I have been an outspoken critic of our WRs all season long. However, in fairness, they have improved with more time in the system. Crabtree is much improved over last year and yesterday he made a great catch on a 3rd down that was the kind of play he made in college. Still, he is easy to take out of the game with a strong DB. Again, this was the Saints, the worst passing defense in the league. They should not be able to shut down a #1 receiver that easily. Manningham is developing some chemistry but again, running a 3rd dow route 1 yard short of the line of gain is unforgivable for a 4th year receiver. Moss is still invisible except for the threat (hope?) that he draws coverage to free others. The truth is, as was shown by how easily Crabs was shut down, Moss is not as much of a threat as everyone hoped. His best contribution seems to be tutelage of others...perhaps. Ginn has not even been a shadow on offense. Williams going down takes away some firepower but hopefully we now will get to see what Jenkins can bring. With 2/3 of the season to learn what the pro game looks like, a #1 draft pick should be able to contribute now.

Yes, yesterday was a nice win by the defense. OTOH, despite all the raving about Kaepernick's athleticism and strong arm, and the 375 yards of offense, this was the SAINTS DEFENSE, the worst in the league, a defense that had given up an average of 454 yards of offense per game. Opponents AVERAGED 5 yards per rushing attempt (49ers 4.6) and 8.5 yards per pass (49ers 5.0). Compared to what previous opponents had done against the Saints, yesterday was BELOW AVERAGE offensively. I lay some of that to an improved effort by the Saints against a team that handed them a bitter defeat last year, however, a large part also falls to the fact the 49ers had a very inexperienced QB who was not able to deal with some fairly standard stunts and blitz packages and coverages that the Saints used.

Overall, a win is a win. Still, as I watched the Giants destroy Aaron Rodgers and the Packers last night, the team that beat the Saints yesterday appears to be by no means ready to take on the World Champs.

Kaepernick was averaging 9 yards per attempt.....where the heck are you getting your numbers from? The Saints came out amped for this one, they were aggressive and their defense played pretty well, you're confusing their earlier season performances compared to the way they've been playing lately with guys like Vilma coming back. If Alex Smith was starting, Saints end up with at least 2-3 sacks instead of 0 as they were bringing the heat, especially Jordan.

First of all just because the Saints have been giving up the most yards in the league, doesn't mean they aren't a tough team. You knew the Saints weren't going to overlook us because of last year, and they are desperate to win and they have been playing well lately. They also got Vilma back. The Saints were on the rise until they ran into us.

Kaepernick looked great. He didn't play as well as the Bears game, but that was a home game and the Superdome is tough to play in. SUPERLOUD place to play. He could have easily been like a deer in the headlights and lost the game, but he didn't.

The line is playing better, but I think it helps to have Kaepernick back there because he is so elusive. He also keeps the play going and is always looking downfield. He gets big chunk plays, which you need as an offense. And lastly, he doesn't take sacks like smith. So many times Smith takes a sack, get rid of the ball.

The drive in the second half was 16 plays 85 yards at 9:28, the longest drive of the season. They didn't score a touchdown, but it put the game to 2 scores. HUGE DRIVE, it basically took the Saints out of the game.

The Defense is stepping up big time. The Saints were a good test because they had only given up 16 sacks in 10 games, and we got 5 sacks. Fangio can be more aggressive when we have a two score lead. Whitner and Brooks stepping up and getting touchdowns were huge today for our team. We have 4 picks in the last two games that's an improvement from earlier in the season. Hopefully the D continues to get better and MAKE PLAYS. We weren't getting the same big plays from our defense that we did last year.

Our team becomes really dangerous if our offfense is explosive.......if we can have big chunk plays.....Hunter 21, Walker 45 and 30, Manningham 40, Miller 26, nobody can stop this team.

WILL ALEX GET HIS JOB BACK? I think the longer Kaepernick plays the tougher it's going to be on Alex Smith, Kaep will keep getting better. I really think we are a better team with Kaep at QB. You may see a two headed monster with both Qb's trading series.

THE GOOD THING IS THAT ITS A GOOD PROBLEM TO HAVE. We have two legit Qb's which is what you want. When they traded up to get Kaepernick, we knew Kaepernick was "their guy." It just would have been interesting to see if Ponder or Dalton had been available if they still go Kaep?

Lastly, I'm glad we are a deep team. Losing Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn, Kendall hunter, and potentially Delanie walker in one week, would have killed us a couple years ago. Now here comes AJ Jenkins, Brandon Jacobs, and LaMichael James. Props to the GM for keeping us strong. Can't wait to see some of those guys in action.

Originally posted by cciowa:
i was trying to get both my daughters to enter niner talk but that would not be pretty. the oldest has a short temper and the youngest knows alot about the game which may bruise some egos , plus you guys are horndogs who would try to hustle them

I'm honestly offended you would say something like that.






















HELL YEAH WE ARE!

Originally posted by dj43:
He has certainly benefitted from Harbaugh's coaching.

Definitely. I think if a guy like Colin goes to the Raiders he probably doesn't do much at all. A lot of it is the players and coaches around you. He has a ton of natural talent though but with Harbaugh's help he can take that and turn it into a top QB.

Three important points after reading your post:

PAST - Looks like Baalke knew what he was doing by extending Brooks last year. What a great signing that is paying big dividends.

PRESENT - Dashon Goldson is playing lights out. I can't see them letting him go after another Pro Bowl caliber year.

FUTURE - Love how you are thinking about Justin Smith. The man is a beast, but getting a little long in the tooth. With all of our draft picks next year, Baalke should be able to come up with a long term substitute.

P.S. I am NOT on the fence about Kaepernick. I think we have found our QB for the present and the future. Tough luck, Alex. Someone will pay you good money to take over the reins elsewhere next year.

Originally posted by Gore_21:

Originally posted by NCommand:
Nice post and thanks for that!

No Bowman was supposed to have him on the TD but got chipped enough so he was late. Typically, no, the OLB is not responsible for the RB out in the flat in passing. The SAM's job is to seal the edge on running plays en route to rushing the passer UNLESS he is asked to drop in zone like he did yesterday for the pick-6. Covering RB/FB/TE's in the passing game is up to the MLB's and secondary.

Thanks... Have you or anyone else noticed that as well? A lot of screens and long plays/tds coming on those type of plays on Brook's side throughout the year. Even if it is Ahmad's job to go after the QB I would think the coaches tell him to fall back if he sees a screen. Never seen him do it though.

There are two areas the 3-4 is going to be susceptible to and that is RB/FB's out in the flats (or screens) and right smack down the middle of the field. I swear 9 out of 10 TD's are right down the middle of the field. What you are seeing is mostly RB's flaring out wide and exploiting a soft area...the WR's on the edges go up field while the OLB's contain the edge/rush up field. It's worse when the MLB's are playing back in coverage instead of staying up closer to the LOS to flare out with the RB (late) or the CB doesn't come off the WR quick enough and come up and make that stop. I was more disturbed that Vic didn't adjust to it b/c the Saints did it all game long.

some people are mentioning how kaep didn't throw for 400+ yards against the worst defense. Lets not forget our defense scored TWICE so that took some pressure off of the offense. what's the sense in throwing the ball like the saints when your up by 2 scores?

Great post as always Marv. I tend to avoid the Zone on gamedays, the insanity in the game day threads is just too much to handle, but do you have any thoughts about the play where Crabtree was ruled down by contact when he obviously wasnt? Refs trying to avoid a mess like in the Lions game?