Play-by-play Passing game review

Here are the passing plays from yesterday. I've added a couple of related plays as well that demonstrate some issues. I will leave my commentary until the end.

Yard marker - down/distance - result

Own 25 - 1/10 - Gabbert scrambles right for 1 yard following obvious mix up in the backfield where Hyde split out left and Gabbert faked RO to no one. Someone was on the wrong play. Gabbert should have realized Hyde was not there and made a correction. ???

O 26 - 2/9 - 2 yard completion to McDonald in right flat. Good throw. Patton came open for about 7 yard gain just as Gabbert released the ball to McDonald. All receivers ran routes short of the Line to Gain.

O 28 - 2/7 - 5 yard completion to Kerley who flattened his route short of the LTG though he had room to continue angle. Bad route. No one else open.

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O34 - 1/10 - 12 yard completion to Smith on slant route. Ball was low causing Smith to drop to his knees to make the catch. Higher ball might have allowed 3-5 YAC. Thomas was closing quickly.

O45 - 1/10 - 2 yd completion to McDonald on right. Streater runs an up to create space and is covered. All other routes are short of LTG.

O49 - 3/4 - incomplete to Kerley short of LTG. Smith flashed open for sufficient yardage for 1st just as Gabbert released to Kerley. Would have been a tight window but not difficult pass to throw.

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following Graham fumble

S29 - 1/10 - 18 yard completion to Celek over the middle. Good route. Good throw. More aggressive route patterns by all.

?? - 3/4 - Complete to Draughn in flat who ran his route short of the LTG. No one else open on TV screen.

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O25 - 2/4 - 6 yard completion to Celek. All others covered well.

O39 - 2/8 - 17 yard completion to Kerley on left sideline. Good route. Good throw.

SS47 - 3/17 - 12 yard completion to Smith. Seattle covered all the deep routes. Seattle "gave" SF the shorter completion and made the tackle short of LTG.

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O25 - 2/4 - Incomplete swing pass to Draughn in right flat. Ball hit him in helmet as he looked back too late to make catch. Perfect pass would have been catchable but Seattle had it well defended. Would not have gained positive yardage.

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O35 - 1/10 - Incomplete to Patton on left sideline as Shead forced Patton to sideline on ball thrown 2 yards inside. 50/50 ball that Patton was not strong enough to get to. Patton really wasn't open but at least is was something deeper down the field than most of previous attempts.

O39 - 3/5 - Completion to Celek for 3 yards. Looked like a "give up" pattern. None of receivers ran routes beyond the LTG and Seattle had them all covered.

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O47 - 3/4 - Incomplete intended for Patton. Gabbert under immediate pressure from Wright who hits him just as he releases. All 4 receivers were gathered along the LTG made it easy for Seattle to defend. Head scratcher play design.

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O27 - 2/8 - Incomplete intended for Celek 15 yards up the field. Chancellor ran the route better than Celek and easily knocked it down. Patton and Kerley almost collided just off the LOS on what appeared to be a rub route. Kerley almost fell down trying to avoid contact with Patton. Very poor execution.

O27 - 3/8 - Patton fails to hold very catchable ball that winds up in Wagner's hands for pick. Another pattern with most running short patterns. Streater and Smith are stacked on right and both covered easily by Seattle.

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O25 - 1/10 - Gabbert leaves pocket early and rolls right, then has to throw it away. No one was open that was visible on screen.

O25 - 2/10 - No one open. Gabbert scrambles for 4 yds.

O29 - 3/6 - Immediate A gap pressure forces Gabbert to throw away. Streater was knocked off slant route at LOS destroying any hope for what appeared to be the primary read.

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O46 - 3/3 - Complete to Smith for 17. Good route. Good throw.

S17 - 3/4 - Incomplete as Gabbert throws to corner but Kerley runs up. Patton almost knocked down at LOS by Seattle DB.

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S47 - 1/10 - Incomplete intended for Patton on left sideline. It appeared Gabbert was attempting back shoulder throw while Patton continued deeper. Ugly!

S47 - 2/10 - complete to Patton on curl route where he comes back for 9 yard gain.

S33 - 1/10 - 17 yard catch and run to Streater.

S9 - 2/9 - complete to Hyde for 2 yards in left flat.

COMMENTS: Seattle's secondary has made a lot of teams look bad for years, still the lack of aggressiveness of pass play calls is puzzling. Numerous times there did not appear to be any attempt to get receivers open beyond the LTG. I don't know if that is Kelly not trusting the players or attempting to set up other plays or something else. It just never looked like there was any commitment to attacking football.

For the most part, the OL continues to provide good pass protection, hence, the lack of any significant attempts to send receivers down the field is frustrating. Can't blame it on the OL (Isn't that a pleasant change from last year?)

Finally, we all knew before the season started that WR and QB were the weakest areas of the team, and this game did nothing to dispel that reality. Each side took turns in making the other side look bad. Baalke appeared to recognize the WR issue in the off-season with the signing of Eric Rogers to provide size and quality, but he went down with an ACL. Simpson had the size but not the hands. Ellington was considered an important cog but he is hurt. (In hindsight I fault Baalke for not re-signing Anquan Boldin as he would have been just the guy to do battle with Chancellor but we didn't know Rogers, Simpson AND Ellington would go down.) We now are left with Patton, who was likely the #3/4 guy had everyone else stayed healthy, along with Smith, something of a one trick pony, and two cast off guys (Kerley & Streater) who are now seeing significant reps. That reality does not leave Kelly and the QB much to work with. Baalke may be working the waiver wires but bringing in another new WR or two is not the answer. If there were any quality players out there other teams would not be letting them go. The best we can hope for is better chemistry and understanding between WRs and QB as the weeks go by. It is what it is.

As to Gabbert, as I said above, each side of the WR/QB tandem is taking turns making the other seem worse. That was the case again yesterday. Yes, a pin point passer like Brady might have completed another 4 or 5 passes yesterday but we don't have Brady and that is who it would have taken on some throws yesterday. Gabbert didn't have any really horrible passes yesterday nor did he have anything that really made you stand up and cheer. He was just a little off target on some throws that should have been completions or been more productive as to YAC on others. Once again he looked timid at times when I wanted to see him just throw it down the field, however, as I looked closer, Seattle wasn't giving any easy targets. A long throw down the field did not appear to accomplish anything more than just a desperate effort to show Gabbert had enough arm to do so. The lack of quality receivers may be forcing him to play more timid than we would like. Whatever the case, it sucks. The QB always gets more blame and more credit and that is the case here. Sometimes it was the QB, others the WR and all the while Seattle was making it difficult for both.

I also have to question the coaching and play calls. When I see receivers bumping into each other or having to swerve to avoid contacting one another on basic routes, I have to scratch my head. It it hard to accept that guys that have played 3-4 years are still not executing routes any better. Are these guys just that dense or are they not being coached up well? I don't know the answer but the results show up on the field. Also, the number of plays in which there were no receivers running any routes deeper than 10 yards is crazy. Seattle's LBs have great speed and cover ability and their DBs are also good, hence, when you back all those guys into such a small area, there is no chance of any YAC. Just too much vanilla yesterday. If the WR and QB play is contributing to each other's lack of effectiveness, many of the route calls yesterday were also contributory. This was a pretty pathetic example of NFL offense.

When the all22 film comes out we may see there were more opportunities than what I have listed above, however, too much of the time all the receivers were still on the screen. It was like playing football in a phone booth. No chance.

I rarely saw a ball that I thought was put int he right spot. Just because a pass is caught it doesn't mean it was a good pass. He needs to put the ball in a place that gives the receivers a better shot at YAC. He put his receivers in poor position on catches a lot yesterday.

Originally posted by TheWooLick:
I rarely saw a ball that I thought was put int he right spot. Just because a pass is caught it doesn't mean it was a good pass. He needs to put the ball in a place that gives the receivers a better shot at YAC. He put his receivers in poor position on catches a lot yesterday.

What did you think of the WR play?

It is also the case that if the WR is not running the route the QB anticipates, the ball will not appear to be in the best spot.

The Wagner interception pass was a very catchable pass? I guess you and I have a different opinion of what a of very catchable pass is.

Own 25 - 1/10 - Gabbert scrambles right for 1 yard following obvious mix up in the backfield where Hyde split out left and Gabbert faked RO to no one. Someone was on the wrong play. Gabbert should have realized Hyde was not there and made a correction. ???

First play of the game. Unacceptable. Also the way it was blocked it was not a pass play call. Staley was 7 yards down field. OL was run blocking.

Thanks dj for putting in that time and bringing something to the table. The analysis appeared right on as well. This about sums it up: "It was like playing football in a phone booth. No chance."

Bummer for the CK fans too: "Chip Kelly on Kaepernick: "I don't think he's ready to go full-time"

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

I rarely saw a ball that I thought was put int he right spot. Just because a pass is caught it doesn't mean it was a good pass. He needs to put the ball in a place that gives the receivers a better shot at YAC. He put his receivers in poor position on catches a lot yesterday.

What did you think of the WR play?

It is also the case that if the WR is not running the route the QB anticipates, the ball will not appear to be in the best spot.

I don't think the WRs are great but they are not the problem with Gabbert's accuracy. Take that second pass of the day, was that one that was thrown short of Vance that he had to turn back for? He had no chance of making anything of that throw.
Gabbert is not delivering the ball accurately, that is almost all on him.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Bummer for the CK fans too: "Chip Kelly on Kaepernick: "I don't think he's ready to go full-time"

You are not a CK fan?
I am a Niner fan which means I am also a CK fan, it is a shame you are not.

Could you please post Gabbert's completion percentage? All I have is the one that shows up in the box score which you think is not real.

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:
I rarely saw a ball that I thought was put int he right spot. Just because a pass is caught it doesn't mean it was a good pass. He needs to put the ball in a place that gives the receivers a better shot at YAC. He put his receivers in poor position on catches a lot yesterday.

What did you think of the WR play?

It is also the case that if the WR is not running the route the QB anticipates, the ball will not appear to be in the best spot.

I don't think the WRs are great but they are not the problem with Gabbert's accuracy. Take that second pass of the day, was that one that was thrown short of Vance that he had to turn back for? He had no chance of making anything of that throw.
Gabbert is not delivering the ball accurately, that is almost all on him.

Are we talking about the same play?

I listened to the first half on the radio with Tim Ryan commenting. He is always on the critical side and he called it a good throw. When I got home I watched the entire game, then watched it again for the summary above, and then just looked at that specific play again after reading your comment. Yes, McD twisted his body back a bit but the ball was there on time, and, Chancellor knocked him out of bounds as soon as he turned back. There was NO CHANCE, NONE whatsoever to make any YAC on that play. It appeared to be a design play to spread the Seahawk defense for upcoming plays.

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by NCommand:
Bummer for the CK fans too: "Chip Kelly on Kaepernick: "I don't think he's ready to go full-time"

You are not a CK fan?
I am a Niner fan which means I am also a CK fan, it is a shame you are not.

Could you please post Gabbert's completion percentage? All I have is the one that shows up in the box score which you think is not real.

Your problem is you are so QB focused you don't appear to recognize any other component of the game.

Do you have any comment on the design and sequencing of the pass plays that Kelly?Modkins called? Do you disagree with my observation that the majority of the play calls were designed to gain 10 yards or less?

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

I rarely saw a ball that I thought was put int he right spot. Just because a pass is caught it doesn't mean it was a good pass. He needs to put the ball in a place that gives the receivers a better shot at YAC. He put his receivers in poor position on catches a lot yesterday.

What did you think of the WR play?

It is also the case that if the WR is not running the route the QB anticipates, the ball will not appear to be in the best spot.

I don't think the WRs are great but they are not the problem with Gabbert's accuracy. Take that second pass of the day, was that one that was thrown short of Vance that he had to turn back for? He had no chance of making anything of that throw.
Gabbert is not delivering the ball accurately, that is almost all on him.

Are we talking about the same play?

I listened to the first half on the radio with Tim Ryan commenting. He is always on the critical side and he called it a good throw. When I got home I watched the entire game, then watched it again for the summary above, and then just looked at that specific play again after reading your comment. Yes, McD twisted his body back a bit but the ball was there on time, and, Chancellor knocked him out of bounds as soon as he turned back. There was NO CHANCE, NONE whatsoever to make any YAC on that play. It appeared to be a design play to spread the Seahawk defense for upcoming plays.

He turned himself around to get the pass, that ball should lead him and he should be in a position to see the field and keep running as he catches it.
There was no chance of YAC because it was a poorly executed pass that should have been easy.

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Bummer for the CK fans too: "Chip Kelly on Kaepernick: "I don't think he's ready to go full-time"

You are not a CK fan?
I am a Niner fan which means I am also a CK fan, it is a shame you are not.

Could you please post Gabbert's completion percentage? All I have is the one that shows up in the box score which you think is not real.

Your problem is you are so QB focused you don't appear to recognize any other component of the game.

Do you have any comment on the design and sequencing of the pass plays that Kelly?Modkins called? Do you disagree with my observation that the majority of the play calls were designed to gain 10 yards or less?

Your problem is that you dislike Kaepernick so much that you will do anything to make excuses for Gabbert's play which has been perhaps the worst of any starter in the NFL this year. Gabbert is the same player he has always been.

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:
I rarely saw a ball that I thought was put int he right spot. Just because a pass is caught it doesn't mean it was a good pass. He needs to put the ball in a place that gives the receivers a better shot at YAC. He put his receivers in poor position on catches a lot yesterday.

What did you think of the WR play?

It is also the case that if the WR is not running the route the QB anticipates, the ball will not appear to be in the best spot.

I don't think the WRs are great but they are not the problem with Gabbert's accuracy. Take that second pass of the day, was that one that was thrown short of Vance that he had to turn back for? He had no chance of making anything of that throw.
Gabbert is not delivering the ball accurately, that is almost all on him.

Are we talking about the same play?

I listened to the first half on the radio with Tim Ryan commenting. He is always on the critical side and he called it a good throw. When I got home I watched the entire game, then watched it again for the summary above, and then just looked at that specific play again after reading your comment. Yes, McD twisted his body back a bit but the ball was there on time, and, Chancellor knocked him out of bounds as soon as he turned back. There was NO CHANCE, NONE whatsoever to make any YAC on that play. It appeared to be a design play to spread the Seahawk defense for upcoming plays.

He turned himself around to get the pass, that ball should lead him and he should be in a position to see the field and keep running as he catches it.
There was no chance of YAC because it was a poorly executed pass that should have been easy.

If that is the way you see it, then I have nothing further.

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

Originally posted by dj43:

Originally posted by TheWooLick:

I rarely saw a ball that I thought was put int he right spot. Just because a pass is caught it doesn't mean it was a good pass. He needs to put the ball in a place that gives the receivers a better shot at YAC. He put his receivers in poor position on catches a lot yesterday.

What did you think of the WR play?

It is also the case that if the WR is not running the route the QB anticipates, the ball will not appear to be in the best spot.

I don't think the WRs are great but they are not the problem with Gabbert's accuracy. Take that second pass of the day, was that one that was thrown short of Vance that he had to turn back for? He had no chance of making anything of that throw.
Gabbert is not delivering the ball accurately, that is almost all on him.

Are we talking about the same play?

I listened to the first half on the radio with Tim Ryan commenting. He is always on the critical side and he called it a good throw. When I got home I watched the entire game, then watched it again for the summary above, and then just looked at that specific play again after reading your comment. Yes, McD twisted his body back a bit but the ball was there on time, and, Chancellor knocked him out of bounds as soon as he turned back. There was NO CHANCE, NONE whatsoever to make any YAC on that play. It appeared to be a design play to spread the Seahawk defense for upcoming plays.

He turned himself around to get the pass, that ball should lead him and he should be in a position to see the field and keep running as he catches it.
There was no chance of YAC because it was a poorly executed pass that should have been easy.

If that is the way you see it, then I have nothing further.

Me either.
Carry on telling us how great Gabbert has been.