2013 - Week 13: Thoughts after rewatching the game

Watching games this season, the defense just feels like its back to form ala 2011. I enjoy watching Willis, bowman, brooks etc work their magic every series.

Originally posted by LosAngeles49er:

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
Good post man.

here's my 2 cents.

Miller blocked very well and the pass he caught - I think it went 20 yards was just what I wanted to see. Someone other than VD & Boldin catching the ball all alone. Hopefully, Seattle will also ignore other players like Manningham.

Rogers had a solid game.

Tavon was a zero-factor thanks to excellent special teams coverage and fine D-backs play.

Wright still seems a bit uncomfortable BUT played better than the week before.

TJE played very well, great hussle on the fake punt. Rams got us twice last year w/that. He keeps showing up on plays.

We still need LOTS of improvement in the Red Zone. 2 for 4.

Our 3rd down conversion sucks big time. 37% in the last 2 games against mediocre teams; 4-14 in Skins and 4 - 12 in Rams game. That isn't going to cut it against the Seahawks, and other playoff teams.

Finally the UNCUT TRUTH that every1 seems to be missing!! OUR REDZONE OFFENSE is fu*cking DISASTROUS if Gores/Dixons not running it in during short yardage situations. IT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED and keeps being overlooked ever SINCE LAST YRS SUPERBOWL GAME when COACH HaRoman couldnt in 4 downs get into the ENDZONE during the SUPERBOWL LOST to Ravens. Har-Roman kind of s**tted in their pants!! All these damn FGs are depressing and the lack of come from behind victories for Kaep and the team are ALSO A HUGE CONCERN for me, although Im excited about our recent play, esp Crabs returning.

Sometimes you are yelling other times you are not it is very confusing.

Originally posted by real9erfan:

Originally posted by pete98146:

Originally posted by susweel:
our red zone play calling sucks ass.

You need a sophisticated pass offense to succeed. Also limited in that Kaep throws a poor fade pattern.

But he has been much better at the back shoulder throws.

red zone play design is just awful, unless they are saving those good plays for the playoffs.

Originally posted by susweel:

Originally posted by real9erfan:

Originally posted by pete98146:

Originally posted by susweel:
our red zone play calling sucks ass.

You need a sophisticated pass offense to succeed. Also limited in that Kaep throws a poor fade pattern.

But he has been much better at the back shoulder throws.

red zone play design is just awful, unless they are saving those good plays for the playoffs.

I don't buy that, and I think it would be stupid. You need to win now to get to the playoffs. Holding back your offense would risk losing games.

Originally posted by LosAngeles49er:

lol.... hard to believe I'm an optimist, despite my proclivity towards criticism at times. You're right about our fan base dreaming about 8 wins just a few years ago, I guess maybe its b/c the team and org has fought so hard to b back to Superbowl worthy that I am anxious as a fan to seize the moment while we still have a SB window. But i am concerned about the REDZONE problems that seem to unearth no matter WHO WE PLAY, be they putrid or robust as an opposing RZ defensive.

Most teams who make it to Superbowl have that COME-Back GENE in them (not that i ever want us to be down to have to ComeBk), but u def. need that kind of MAGIC (esp RZ efficiency) IMO usually to make it to SB and win. Last Yr Kaep almost did, but playcalling down stretch was amateur and predictable by one of the Absolute Best Coaches HarB!


true

Don't forget, we were down by 10 going into the half against what looked like an unstoppable passing attack from the falcons in last year's NFC championship. And just to reiterate, if it wasn't for a series of bone headed calls he would have one of the greatest comebacks (just can't get over this lol). As long as we get to the playoffs I could care less how we win. Kap has shown he can come through in the clutch when it actually matters.

Originally posted by real9erfan:
But he has been much better at the back shoulder throws.

That he has!

Originally posted by real9erfan:
I don't buy that, and I think it would be stupid. You need to win now to get to the playoffs. Holding back your offense would risk losing games.

We still have slower receivers and it takes them 4-5 seconds to get open. Difficult when Kap has to get rid of the ball in 3-4 seconds. On that one pass to Boldin, we lucked out because the Rams had no pass rush so Boldin was able to make a secondary move to get open. This doesn't happen very often.

Having quicker receivers like Patton would help our Red Zone offense but he doesn't have chemistry with Kap yet. I think it's something that we'll struggle with all year long. Next year I do expect us to draft some burners at WR.

Good commentary as usual Bro. The presence of Crabs made a huge difference in our offense yesterday!! I'm man enough to admit that I was highly critical of Crabs during the offseason and honestly thought that one A.J. Jenkins would be our #2 or #3 WR Clearly I was wrong!! He's not all the way back but that'll come with game reps. Teams are not going to be able to stack the box or play one-on-one with our WR's without paying a serious price going forward.

Kaep threw with much more confidence as well, and I think the presence of Crabs had a lot to do with that. With two WR's on the field who can beat one-on-one and jams the Seaducks defense is really gonna really have a hard time getting off the field. Also, Kaep did a lot of stepping-up-in-the-pocket, something I've been screaming at the TV for him to do.

The NFC is in real trouble going into the playoffs with a healthy 49er team, regardless of the seed.

Originally posted by pete98146:

Originally posted by real9erfan:
I don't buy that, and I think it would be stupid. You need to win now to get to the playoffs. Holding back your offense would risk losing games.

We still have slower receivers and it takes them 4-5 seconds to get open. Difficult when Kap has to get rid of the ball in 3-4 seconds. On that one pass to Boldin, we lucked out because the Rams had no pass rush so Boldin was able to make a secondary move to get open. This doesn't happen very often.

Having quicker receivers like Patton would help our Red Zone offense but he doesn't have chemistry with Kap yet. I think it's something that we'll struggle with all year long. Next year I do expect us to draft some burners at WR.

Seriously? I saw the Rams get back a lot. Kaep did a good job stepping-up-in-the-pocket to avoid the rush. And I think what ever redzone issues we have is mainly playcalling and not so much as WR play.

Originally posted by OnTheClock:
I still can't understand why we run on 3rd and 8-12 almost every single time. Not only do we telegraph that call to begin with, if we're really wanting to play it safe, it's not that hard to throw a 3 yard pass or a little slip screen that has a WAY better chance of picking up the first down than a run straight into rushing/blitzing defenders.

It was 3 and 15 that inflamed everyone towards Roman against the Rams. Listen I didn't see nothing wrong with a run in that situation either. One, it gets you close rto the FG. Two, you don't want to put the ball in the air and risk a turnover that results in no points at all after a drive. Three, you should feel just as confidant by now with the running games ability to pick up the 1st down as the passing game. I know idealistically it should be easier for the passing but realistically 1st down in the air have been a joke, and in that situation I think putting Dawson in a better position is the best call. Lord knows what we don't need there is a sack that moves us out of FG range.

Plus we do pass it sometimes on 3rd down but to be honest when the defenders get to pin their ears back and the pressure is on Kaep generally hasn't performed well. The 1st 5 games you couldn't count on him to get a conversion if it was going to save your life hence we went to running it every down. Harbaugh is a conservative coach and you guys should know that by now. He's going to take the definite FG and let his defense do it's job. I think will being passing it a lot more on 3rd down now the we have Rio and Crab back. They make the 4WR sets dynamic and therefore threatening on 3rd.

Couple of comments on the players.

Crabtree is exactly what this offense needs. He makes it more dynamic for so many different reasons. His long reception is a prime example. The double move showcases his ability to run any route to perfection. The broken tackles shows his strength as a WR which is a unique quality at the position. Lastly we got to see just how much easier it is to score when you're creating YAC. We have Boldin as a possession receiver underneath. Crabtree and Davis are going to be eating up chunks of the field. Mario will eat up the slants and hitchs in single coverage. Crabs not a 100% but after that game I'm thinking bring on the Hawks.

Aldon Smith didn't have as bad a game as people think. At least I dot feel he did. Since he has been back he has really been giving it all he has in the run game. When he can get a good push on TE/T he will and sniffed out a couple of plays from the backside. There's a general conclusion that he didn't generate pressure and I don't agree. First, he caused the Rams to rearrange their line and move Saffold over so he's automatically effecting the chemistry of the line. Second, nearly every passing situation he was hitting the edge and working Saffold pretty good. Third, the rest of the dline we're very stagnant and at least could've help Smith move Clemons off his line or exploited their matchups. Ultimately, Clemons was getting rid of this ball within in 3 second. Aldon is not exactly a speed rusher and we've seen this happen to him before when a QB gets the ball out ultra quick. Not surprised it happened now and I don't think that Smiths performance reflects anything deeper then that.

But we did create pressure in other places. People always complain about Fangio and his lack of blitzing but they couldn't do that this game. I love Fangios conservative approach. His bend but don't break approach. He teaches his guys to play their lanes, play their zones, play their routes, and don't make mistakes. It works. The defense basically(garbage time TD with 2nd and 3rd string not included.) did not give up a TD after a couple of RZ visits. The team played some really good zone defense which is encouraging because it's good to be able to switch between man/zone. Fangio still took his risks and they were calculated. I only recall 5 blitz but 2 of them resulted in a sack from Bow and Willis. 40% sack rate on blitz isn't too bad. I loved seeing the LB getting involved, and in the future the LB blitz should be a tool we can utilize in situation where the rush isn't quite getting their. As it always has been when the time is right.

You can't mention Fangio without then giving props to Tomsula. I've probably expressed my admiration for this man enough but he's so intricately involved in this teams success. Imagine where we would be if TJE had not stepped up like he has. Personally I was very worried when McDonald went down because I was afraid we would see a drop in his play. He most likely will be part of healthy rotation for the rest of the year, but he did collect a sack and TFL. TJE came to team in 2012 as an UDFA. Within a year Tomsula has turned him not only into a possible starter for another team but an intelligent player. The way he sniffed out the screen was high level smarts. I value that type of intelligence just as much as any other physical trait and that play was big time. He's 6'5 and use his long arms to control the guard and has the ability two gap and still rip to either side. Makes me all warm an fuzzy thinking about what we have in store with Dial and Tank. Make no mistake either if Tomsula can turn TJE into a competent backup he can do something with the physically talented guys like Dial and Tank.

Wright had a learning experience yesterday. New system, new coaches, new players. These things take time and repetition. Ultimately there's no amount of reps that can prepare you for the in-game scenarios that you will face in a live game. So he was slow to react on some hitch routes while he was in off man. The hitch route is actually the best route you can run against off man because the DB is so far away when the WR cuts back and QB gets a presnap read of the coverage.

Honestly Fangio shouldn't have put him in that coverage but rising through adversity is a trait he values and I think Wright was successful in that respect. He had good coverage when he was in man. His man coverage doesn't concern me because his Lions snap show a guy that knows how to cover. It's his playmaking ability in traffic that I think the coaching staff values. I believe this is why Fangio wants him playing off man. His receiver is in zone. The LB will cover crossing routes, the CB will cover any out routes, the safety will cover any digs, so basically any route beside a hitch Wright will be left open to kind of roam the intermediate zones to make plays. Ofcourse I could be wrong but I can't figure any other reason he would be playing so far off his man unless they we're trying to play cover 3 but that is usually a boundary corner scheme.

Brock is quickly making ends for the extension. His man cover skills are not top notch, but the fundamentals are sound. His cover skills are not why he was extended; I think the FO extended him because of his instincts. Not to mention that string of INT he had in his first couple of games. He nearly jumped an out route that would've been a sure pick-6. Ofcourse he was a second too late, and they got the completion, but still the coverage was tight. All he really sacrificed is the tackles by going underneath which didn't matter because it was an out route. Still that play is a pick-6 40% of the time. I would take 2/5 for a 14 point swing any day of the week. Once Brown gets back I really don't know who breaks this secondary.

Lastly, I would like to express my concern for Reid. There was one play where he made a tackle, but one of the teammates was coming after, and he hit Reid on the head with his shin. Reid was slow getting up and remained on all four for about 20 seconds. Now he motioned to his chest like that was where he got hit but I didn't see it. I know this kid wants to play. He's got all the heart in the world and he wants to win for his team. He's selfless in that way. But man I sure hope his head wasn't ringing a little. I know this kind of speculation isn't healthy but I just hope with his recent concussions that he's really taking care of himself.

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
Seriously? I saw the Rams get back a lot. Kaep did a good job stepping-up-in-the-pocket to avoid the rush. And I think what ever redzone issues we have is mainly playcalling and not so much as WR play.

We are going to agree to disagree :) Hey it happens!

Thanks Marvin, Boldin is getting in playoff mode.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
1) Kap: Incremental improvement. I saw him check down several times. I saw him move to his third receiver. I saw him successfully throw to a player not named Boldin or Davis. Not much to add other than that I think he's still a work in progress and he is progressing.


2) Crab: DAMN it was nice to see him out there again. He's clearly not himself yet, but I think whats missing right now is more mental than physical. He got hit. He got pushed around. He made a move and beat a defender. It takes time for his confidense to come back after an injury like that. He played better yesterday than I had anticipated he would.


3) Boone: Wow. That was impressive. He is a natural Tackle, but still...switched sides and positions and we barely noticed. In fact, I noticed his absense at guard more than I noticed his play at Tackle. That could all change with a team getting time to prepare for him, but I was pretty damned impressed with him yesterday.


4) Vernon: Wear a cup...especially if you plan to continue hurdling people.


5) Aldon: Perhaps not all the way back or maybe just playing a very good LT. He was constantly pushed beyond the pocket and knocked down a few times. There were a few double teams and he got some pressure a few times, but not like we've seen in the past. Perhaps I just need to score this one to Long being a good LT and let it go at that. Aldon did play very well in run support though.


6) Looney: First ever game action and I thought he played well considering. He missed some blocks and they were never able to get anything going inside (the Rams made sure of that), but not to shabby for his first NFL game action. He moves very well when he pulls.


7) Frank: He's lost it. He's done. Lets activate Lattimore. If anyone is familiar with my history on evaluating Gore, you'll get that one.


8) Anquan: He's slow. He doesn't separate....and he's a godsend. Just imagine this team right now WITHOUT Boldin. Wow. Cudos to Baalke for making that trade even if the role he's filling right now isn't the one they thought he'd be filling. I always invisioned him as a guy they let walk away next year just like all of the other 1 year rental WRs they've had. Now I'm thinking they at least attempt to keep him around, but his price might just be too high.


9) James: LaMichael will be fine. I saw that he tweeted out after the game that he had food poinsoning any played anyway. He made a few of those returns interesting and I can do without that, but it is what it is. Kyle wasn't alot better and he wasn't getting any return yardage either. LaMichael will be fine.


10) Seattle: It's Seattle week. Its strange though. Perhaps it's because the division crown would require a miracle of sorts, but I am not all that amped up for this one. Don't get me wrong, I'd love to see the 49ers shut those 'hawk fans up...but I'm not all that worried about it. If they win, cool. If not, all well, Niners still probably make the playoffs and it doesn't make a huge difference who won this game. Beyond this game sit the Bucs, Falcons, and Cards. If the 49ers have proved anything this year it's that they can beat inferior teams soundly. Yes, I'm counting the Cards as an inferior team. With a loss this weekend the Niners are still likely to finish 11-5 and I just don't see another team in the NFC getting to that mark for the 6th seed.

From there it's a tough road....probably in Detroit for round 1. Probably in NO for round 2. Should they advance through those 2 rounds, probably in Seattle in round 3. All noisy places to play so if they get to Seattle they'll have alot of experience on the road in the noise.

As I said last week...should be fun.

1. It wasn't all Kaep. Better players, some better play calling and yes BETTER decisions.
2. Looked rusty but I damn near cried when he caught that 60 yarder. Kobe who? What's the hold up?
3. Boone never stops impressing me. He's a guy that seems to have limitless potential and should be an example to all players that when you actually apply yourself you can accomplish anytyhing.
4. Yep...never played a game without one for a reason. And I was kicked, punched and yes speared in the same region. Didn't know who the latter perp was but the two prior left the game shortly after their action.
5. His ineffectiveness was masked by the great play of others. He did his job well enough against a good tackle.
6. Looney can only get better. Zero game experience shows but he shows some potential.
7. Frank is Frank. I wouldn't want to tackle a guy who runs two feet off the turf. Didn't have much room to run but showed great effort. Wish we could just clone him.
8. Us older guys will remember a talentless little white receiver named Steve Largent who just managed to run great routes but never really get open. All he did was catch a ton of TD's. Actually he caught everything that was thrown his way. Sound like anyone we have......er, YEP!
9. LaMike is doing what he was meant to do and I think he's close to breaking one. He was off yesterday. I guess illness explains it.
10. I agree with you to a certain degree. While the game will mean pretty much nothing playoff-wise, I'd just like to lay a beatdown on the Seahawks because I don't like them. I think it would be good to put some doubt back into the mind of the Seahacks. Detroit in the 1st round...yummy. I'll take that matchup any day.

I don't get how the NFL thinks it fair when one team playing in a game can't even communicate effectively? Other than pass interference penalties, the NFL loves parity. Take the draft format and salary cap for examples. So how is it that its ok that one team cant communicate during an entire game while the other can. I'm all for home field advantage but how does playing in a stadium with unsafe sound levels seem fair? Seattle designed this stadium to give them an advantage they wouldn't have had otherwise. The reality is, they were a very mediocre franchise that created an advantage by building a loud stadium and stole a name for their fans from a college team just to find some kind of success.

Did I mention anything about PED's? For their fans, there is a lot to like but to me they are about as original as a 90's boy band. Their isn't a thing original about them. They are a cliche. They are a professional USC team. They are the Ric Flair of pro football.

We don't need a reason to want to beat them. They ARE a reason.

Im surprised to see dixon getting no credit on the fake punt. For being a rb he made one hell of a tackle and sniffed out that play from the get go.

Originally posted by verb1der:
He usually is a quiet player. In the post game presser he said the Rams corners were very "chatty", so he gave them a dose of their own medicine. lol

Anquan is a MAN amongst these boys.