Week 6 2015: Thoughts after rewatching the game...

Geep kept it really simple the entire 1st quarter for Kap. A whole bunch of WR screens and QB slide plays. I'm surprised BAL didn't overplay the slide after the first time they saw it. The 3rd & 1 play to run playaction and have Miller go deep was a fantastic call. The OL did well enough to give Kap sufficient time for the most part. Not sure how much an injured Dumervil and no Suggs has to do with BAL not generating more of a pass rush. Kap has dropped in a few perfect passes the past couple weeks to Boldin. Safe to say the confidence in throwing to Boldin is back. I agree that the level of competition must be weighed so we'll see how Kap does against a much better pass defense this Thursday.

Red zone offense was not good at all. From playcalling to execution. Just not crisp or confident. The playcalling didn't allow Kap to take control. Very conservative, or paranoid. The key possession was after the Acker INT. The score was 16-6 and the 49ers could have taken a commanding lead. Except once they got into the red zone, it was run, run, sack, FG.

The defense was looking soft, I thought. If it wasn't for a couple Steve Smith drops in the red zone, who knows how this game unfolds. I had an uneasy feeling all of the 2nd half when BAL kept putting together some extended drives. Still, that Tomsula put the ball into the defenses's hands to win it, and they went out and won it, should give that unit some confidence.

I agree with everything you said Marvin. Acker is very frustrating at times and others you can see the flashes. There are those who have said that Brock has regressed since his 2013 rise but I think its difficult to get a pulse on anybody in this secondary right now with such an anemic pass rush. If Lynch doesn't get to the quarterback than nobody does. He needs a new running mate in a big way.

I guess we know the answer to any debate at this point as to which loss was more hurtful to the team, either Aldon or Anthony Davis. The offense has looked at least on par to last season if not better at times where the defense has regressed in a big way. The timing of both losses was horrible but when Baalke began assembling his part of this team in 2010/2011, it was clear he wanted to design a defense around its pass rush. Which is why up to this season everybody we have had in the secondary has look anywhere from serviceable to pro bowler.

Its clear that in the off season we must invest in the pass rush either by free agency or the draft or both. There is potential for Von Miller to hit the market but I don't see Baalke going into a bidding war for him but perhaps a guy like Bruce Irvin would be a great start? I just don't see Aldon coming back.

Finally like you I am trying to not read too much into Kaeps performance but you have to be impressed with how he has come back from the cardinals and packers games the last two weeks.

Here's to hoping we can carry our momentum into a big win on Thursday night. Not anticipating it but hoping nonetheless.

Originally posted by elguapo:
On that td to Torrey you can see Boone come all the way over to the right side to block and that block was what gave Time to throw the touchdown. Since we have great runners in Hyde and our quarterback run blocking is a little less important then pass blocking IMO. Also with Tiller in we had most of our passing and total yards and touchdowns so it should be clear by now that he is our starter. I still don't know what we're doing on pass d our secondary has good players and that's even without a good pass rusher besides lynch. Scheme is a big factor. We need to run more man.

As soon as tartt came in I knew it because I saw a player fly to the ball and that's him. I love the way he plays he needs to see more snaps even if it's at the expense of our linebackers. Also we need different defense of line rotation because I starters are not getting any push whatsoever. AA and tank need more playing time even on base downs.

Since our pass rush isn't that great we need to blitz Bowman a lot more. He gets through pretty easy and I say is our second best pass rusher.

The playaction game has looked a lot better with Kap under center. Boone pulling is just him trying to sell the power run. With Kap under center, the playaction takes longer to develop. This is a good thing because if it takes longer to develop, then it takes longer for the defense to make the determination that it's a pass. When Kap was in pistol, he would take the snap and quickly fake it to Hyde. All this happened too quickly and the playaction was over soon after the moment the ball was snapped.

Got to give the defense some love. They look improved. Albeit a a little. Can't really stop any NFL from scoring and making plays. That would be total dominance, we are just not that type of defense. A lot goes into the wish list, another pass rusher then Lynch, faster LB, etc.

Acker actually had very good coverage on Smith. Just a vet move made on a young player for a TD. Smith still has his quickness even though he's getting old.

The offensive line did a pretty good job pass blocking on those deep throws for Kaep. The one to Torry, Kaep had time to wait for the Torry to drop Wright.

Red zone execution still needs work.

Originally posted by Dsoto87:

Originally posted by 951NINER:
Should be 3-3 today.

Crazy to think that as crappy as this team has looked at times, had the defense not had a complete meltdown at NY, we could have been in 2nd place

Also could be 1-5 had Steve Smith not dropped 2 TDs.

The one thing I'd nitpick on Kaepernick's pass to Miller, which WAS perfectly thrown, was that he also had Torrey Smith WIDE open down the middle. If he throws it to Smith, he's not getting caught and it's a TD, instead of Miller getting tackled and the usual drive stalls, FG. But overall another very good game for CK, did any of the "experts" pay attn to how many times he went through the beloved progressions and also made great throws with touch?

Mangini...it's almost like he tries to gift-wrap scoring drives for the opposition. Of course it doesn't help the "pass rush" is absolute dogs**t, truly one of the worst in the league. Maybe that's why he only rushes 3 sometimes, probably figures no point in wasting another guy up front when they don't make the QB break a sweat anyway.

Pinion...not saying this guy needed to walk in and be a Top 5 punter, but when you're the ONLY punter drafted AND you were taken in the 5th round, you've just got to be better than this. But he didn't drop any snaps for punts or FGs so I guess that's something.

Love that we shut that stupid Gannon up all game. Never have I heard such an idiot call our games. And I thought Aikman was bad.

Originally posted by awp8912:
Love that we shut that stupid Gannon up all game. Never have I heard such an idiot call our games. And I thought Aikman was bad.

That's who that was? I didn't know but he was beyond annoying.

Originally posted by awp8912:

Love that we shut that stupid Gannon up all game. Never have I heard such an idiot call our games. And I thought Aikman was bad.

I thought he was pretty fair. And accurate with what Kaep is going through.

I don't understand people talking down Bowman every week...leading the league in tackles around 12-14 this week alone, coming off a horrific injury and everybody talks like he may never be the same. He might not be quite the same guy in coverage just yet...but as far as anything else, scheme has him playing read and react to cover for less talent around him. If he had better talent around him, I am sure you would see him in attack mode a lot more often. People around here acting like his career is over...please.

Originally posted by susweel:

Originally posted by Dsoto87:

Originally posted by 951NINER:
Should be 3-3 today.

Crazy to think that as crappy as this team has looked at times, had the defense not had a complete meltdown at NY, we could have been in 2nd place

Also could be 1-5 had Steve Smith not dropped 2 TDs.

Thanks for pointing that out Susweel. I knew you would

Originally posted by qnnhan7:

Originally posted by awp8912:
Love that we shut that stupid Gannon up all game. Never have I heard such an idiot call our games. And I thought Aikman was bad.

I thought he was pretty fair. And accurate with what Kaep is going through.

There was some weird stuff early on, talking points that seem to be the same scripted BS. Calling things that weren't there and even talking about players that weren't in the game. He got better as the game wore on though.

The middle of the field was open all day for opposing QB's. They're targeting Bowman when the safeties are back

Originally posted by DelCed2486:
The one thing I'd nitpick on Kaepernick's pass to Miller, which WAS perfectly thrown, was that he also had Torrey Smith WIDE open down the middle. If he throws it to Smith, he's not getting caught and it's a TD, instead of Miller getting tackled and the usual drive stalls, FG. But overall another very good game for CK, did any of the "experts" pay attn to how many times he went through the beloved progressions and also made great throws with touch?

Mangini...it's almost like he tries to gift-wrap scoring drives for the opposition. Of course it doesn't help the "pass rush" is absolute dogs**t, truly one of the worst in the league. Maybe that's why he only rushes 3 sometimes, probably figures no point in wasting another guy up front when they don't make the QB break a sweat anyway.

Pinion...not saying this guy needed to walk in and be a Top 5 punter, but when you're the ONLY punter drafted AND you were taken in the 5th round, you've just got to be better than this. But he didn't drop any snaps for punts or FGs so I guess that's something.

Torrey had a step on the defender. Miller was open by 5-10 yards. Hard to criticize.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
For the first time in weeks, I didn't need to rewatch the game holding my nose.


1) Kap: Kap had probably his best day of the season, but just as I don't want to overly criticize when he plays poorly, I don't want to overly praise when he plays well. Baltimore is a mess on defense. Shareese Wright showed exactly why he was on the bench and eventually released.

Still though, there were some pretty passes in there. Passes with touch. Both TDs were impressive. The touch on the throw to Torrey and the fact that he started to run, backed off, looked downfield, and then found a target on the Patton TD was great. Hope to see more of that. The long pass to Boldin was great. The blitz beater to Boldin was fantastic (and really, really poor tackling by Baltimore). The long completion to Miller was a good pass even if he was WIDE open. There was a lot to like yesterday, but the opponent makes me hesitate on heaping too much praise.

One thing to take note of. Many QBs in the NFL can say something similar, but this is just to gain perspective on Kap this season. He had the worst game of his career against the Cards and was really still shell-shocked the following week against the Packers. However, if you take the Cardinal game out (and leave in the shell-shocked Packers game)...

102 of 159, 64.15 comp%, 7.9 Yards per Attempt, 1262 Yards, 6 TDs, 1 INT, 98.57 QB Rating.

Now you can't just remove games. Every QB has ups and downs...but for me, those numbers really put his season thus far in some perspective.



2) Hyde: Man, I though his Achilles was gone when he dropped like that. Really dunno what this means for Thursday Night, but they need to address that position in the offseason...if not sooner. I love the guy, but his running style lends itself to him getting hurt. Reminds me a bit of Marion Barber in that way. When he gets hit, he really gets hit. He doesn't protect himself the way Frank did. I love the heart and the effort, but he's got to learn to protect himself. Having more than one good back is paramount.



3) O-Line: ...and Hydes job would be easier if Jordan Devey didn't let 300LB DTs through without touching them and hitting Hyde 4 yards in the backfield. Pass protection was a bit better, but run blocking left a lot to be desired. Not sure how much is a talent issue and how much is a ZBS learning curve issue which is to be expected...but it was rough at times yesterday.



4) Bowman: I hate to keep harping on it but it was apparent again yesterday. He's not the same guy...yet. I don't know that he'll ever be the same, but he just isn't as aggressive as he used to be. It isn't just speed. Its the way he attacks. He used to play downhill all the time. There are flashes of it from time to time, but it's not as common as it used to be. Some of this HAS to be mental and of course some is physical. The mental I think he can rebound from and he'll probably be a much better player next year than he is this year. Will he ever be the Bowman of old? Too early to tell.



5) Vernon Davis: Yeah, I think his time in SF is just about done. I think Celek is the long term starter there unless they draft somebody high. Its not like Celek set the world on fire or anything (he didn't even have a catch yesterday), but Celek is everything that Vernon is not.

When Vernon was really a force, he could run by just about anyone covering him. The problem is though that he couldn't get open in more conventional TEish ways. He couldn't find and open spot and sit down in it. He has never run good routes. He has never had exceptional hands. He was a physical freak and if you put him one on one on a guy on the run it was a huge mismatch. What he has never been tho is an outlet. He's never been that guy the QB can find when he's in trouble. In short...he's never been what Jason Witten has been to Dallas.

Celek has a chance to be that guy (not Witten, but that role).



6) Pass Rush: Poor Aaron Lynch. Poor dude is getting the Aldon Smith treatment. I can't tell you the number of times yesterday I saw him getting double teamed and nobody else could beat their man to make them pay for it. Ahmad did little. Harold was dominated at times. They just don't have anyone to play opposite Lynch to make the other team pay for doubling him.

Even facing double teams, he was still often the closest guy to the QB.

I dunno...resign Aldon in 2016? Hope for suspension soon to get it out of the way? Team seemed open to it when he was released and he's only on a 1 year deal in Oakland. Hrmm.



7) Torrey Smith: That long TD was great, but he mere presence was huge yesterday. The THREAT of Smith creates space all over the field. That what I've been saying for years. Speed at WR is about more than just throwing the deep ball. Its about influencing the defense. Forcing the other team to account for that speed keeps them honest and opens up the field for other players (Boldin and Miller yesterday). This is what Randy Moss did in 2012. Torrey doesn't need to be a 1000 yard receiver. He just needs to catch enough balls to scare the crap out of opposing DCs and Safeties.

The fact that Kap was able to hit Torrey deep yesterday will force teams now to account even more knowing that if they play Torrey one on one with no safety help, Kap is capable of burning them.



8) Hayne: Look, I like the story as good as the next guy and I see the potential when he makes guys miss on punt returns...but can we PLEASE stop playing him on offense. He doesn't run the ball well and doesn't pick up blocks. It drives me crazy. He also needs to learn that a play is over and stop fighting. Bad stuff happens...like say fumbling the ball. I want to see the guy develop and he might have a future...but he's not there yet. Call me a hater or whatever, but I am not nearly as impressed as some.



9) Acker/Brock: Acker is young and makes young player mistakes, but I like this kid. The INT was a gift, but the return was impressive. The TD to Smith was a clear pushoff. He makes mistakes, but I think he's got a future. Brock did well in a few one on one deep routes with no safety help. Its tough to say that a secondary did some good things when a QB passes for 343 yards and could have had more without some drops, but Flacco threw the ball 53 times.

There is still some confusion out there and mistakes are being made (in the middle of the field particularly), but I do like the potential of those young corners. I think there are scheme issues with players being out of position. That's a learning thing that HOPEFULLY should work itself out as the season wears on.



10) Good day: Lets see...Niners win, Seattle loses, and Cards lose. I'll take that. :)

I agree with the whole post. But I think the passing issues have so much more to do with not having enough of a passrush. I mean flacco could have made himself a sandwich back there ate it and still delivered a pass. I counted a couple times when he had like 5 seconds+. thats not acceptable, I think lynch has a amzing potential but we need another outside a passrusher and a pocket pusher in the middle. I thought the secondary played great actually considering they had no one up front.