I guess we should start with The Decision, eh?
For the record, even without the benefit of hindsight, I would've taken the points off the board. The worst thing that could've happened--absent a ludicrous disaster, of course--was that we'd have scored the same three points after killing off a few precious minutes. And who knows? Alex Smith had thrown for two touchdowns already; maybe he would've thrown for a third, putting the game completely away.
But the opposite view had some semblance of reason. There's the unwritten rule against giving back points, though we'd violated that rule in week one. There's the fact that our D had largely suppressed an offense ravaged by injuries; we'd even inflicted a few of our own. And there's the fact that Smith had RETURNED one of those touchdowns by tossing a particularly Smithy pick. Indeed, if you're looking to avoid a ludicrous disaster, taking the ball away from our offense is never a totally worthless idea.
So when Jim Harbaugh chose to keep the three points, he wasn't wrong for playing dumb. He was wrong, again, for playing safe.
How many times, lo these countless miserable years? How many times have we settled for field goals, asking our D, having given so much, to give just a little bit more? How many times have we forgone the chance to kill our opponents, opting instead to give our opponents that one last chance to kill us themselves?
Harbaugh, we thought, was supposed to end this. But once again, just more of the same.
Mind you, this wasn't just on the offensive side, though it was plenty tough to watch another week of
Frank Gore's up-the-gut rushes (with an average gain of 2.4) and Smith's ubiquitous dinks and dunks (for an efficient but paltry 179). Though effective early, the defense too was strangely passive, scarcely blitzing even as Tony Romo was completing pass after pass during his furious rally.
Playing safe on O. Playing safe on D. And THIS time, no Ted Ginn heroics to save us.
This isn't what we were promised at all. As we've already discussed, this is merely a shell of the West Coast Offense; leaving aside their advantages in personnel, just look at the SCHEMES of the Packers and Eagles, with ex-Niners, naturally, in charge of the plays. But wasn't Vic Fangio a Dom Capers guy? Sending blitzers from who-knows-where, bringing the heat again and again?
Where's the damned aggressiveness?
There are two possibilities. The first, of course, is that Harbaugh really is this timid, this conservative, that he's more Mike Nolan than Bill Walsh. And since I can't even stomach this possibility, let's just move along, shall we?
The OTHER possibility, and the one I choose to accept, is that Harbaugh is waiting. Thanks in part to the lockout, he doesn't know what his players can do, he doesn't know how much they can handle. (And to the extent he knows, he isn't impressed.) So he'll go vanilla as he watches and learns, striking at last when the iron is hot. Harbaugh said it himself: "These guys are just getting to know me. We're getting to know them. We are still in the process of forming [our] identity."
This theory is supported, of course, by the go-for-the-throat mentality that Harbaugh has shown since the day he was born. (It's also the theory that allows me to avoid a nearly total emotional breakdown.) But even if it's true, it doesn't explain why the waiting is necessary. I'm sure that Harbaugh's playbook has plenty of real WCO schemes, and I'm sure that Fangio has sketched out plenty of exotic blitzes. And I'm equally sure that if they were called, the players could run ‘em; they might not run ‘em WELL, but they could run ‘em.
So for cryin' out loud, Coach. Just call ‘em. If you play aggressively, you might lose. But if you play safely, more often than not, you WILL lose.
The issue here is that Harbaugh is letting the tail wag the dog. A team's identity should be a function of the coach's vision, not a function of the players' talent. On day one, Harbaugh should've announced the identity not only of THIS team but of EVERY team he'll ever coach: My teams will dictate to their opponents, on both offense and defense. My teams will play aggressively, from start to finish. My teams will never, ever let up.
This is the identity that wins, and it should be automatic.
Of course, not every roster can execute that vision, and Harbaugh is showing that he knows this one can't. Smith is proving himself as an efficient game-manager, but he doesn't strike any fear in a defense. (In fairness, the absence of his two best receivers doesn't help.) And without any fear of a deep passing-game, the defense is perfectly able to load up the box to squelch the run. Add to the mix an offensive line that's inconsistent--to say the least--and a dictating offense is no easy task.
Likewise, on D, aggressive blitzing is extremely risky when your secondary is unreliable. OUR secondary, especially missing two should-be starters, certainly qualifies as such.
But again, these are questions of talent, which shouldn't bear on the question of identity. The fact that your team might struggle to execute a winning vision is not a reason to adopt a LOSING one. You stick with what wins, and if you discover that your players can't handle it, you don't get rid of the vision. On the contrary, you get rid of the players.
My point is, our identity should be clear, constant, and nonnegotiable. Yet Harbaugh seems like he's simply confused. He says that he wants to be aggressive, but not at the cost of doing anything "negative for our ball club." He says that he wants to be a passing team--which, as we've discussed for YEARS now, is a team that wins--yet he wants just as much to be a running team, "darn near 50/50." Most disturbingly, he says that identity depends on "what you're good at and what you believe you can be good at." And that it takes time: "It takes the time that it takes and the main thing is that we all trust in the plan, we believe in each other. ... So, we'll stick with it. We'll stick to our guns on that approach."
Harbaugh must get this straight, immediately. He isn't here to scrounge around for some vague identity that won't embarrass his average roster. He's here to announce a bold vision, to tell his players that they'll either keep up or they'll be on the street. He's here to relieve us of the play-not-to-lose (and thus losing) mentality that's been our bane for year after year.
Ultimately, he's here for one reason, one reason alone: to restore the identity that once made us the envy of every franchise in professional sports.
Harbaugh must do this, and do it quickly. Or Sunday's game won't be all he'll lose.
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Lucky Phil
Jeff, Did this game against the Bengals seem like it was the hardest coached game you have ever witnessed? Holy Crap these are the Bengals! Why is this so difficult? And why after watching this game did I feel I watched cowturd baking in the sun for 3 hrs? And what was the deal taking the safety in the last 8 sec. and then still kicking the ball away? You have a 7 pt. lead Harbaugh, when you give up the safety you only have a 5 pt. lead. You potentially lose this game in regulation rather than OT only. Let's not overthink the game Capt. Comeback. Sometimes it is best to stand there like Dingleberry with your head up your a$$.
Sep 26, 2011 at 3:33 PM
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Dan
But Terry B., you prove me right every time you open your mouth.
Sep 24, 2011 at 7:24 AM
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AJ Bolino
Terry:
Now to third down conversion as my preferred performance metric: It better correlates to victories. Case in point: In 2010, the top ten teams in third down conversion ratio averaged 10.1 victories.
By way of comparison, in 2010, the top ten teams in yards per pass attempt averaged 9.1 wins.
Add 'em up for yourself and you'll see that the math jibes just fine.
If you want to trade schoolyard insults, you'll have to bait someone else...I won't play that game with you, no matter how much you'd like me to.
I've made my point. I'm out.
Sep 23, 2011 at 9:42 PM
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KezarMike
Jeff, completely spot on article!!! I've been a 49er fan since 1967. Teams NEVER win consistently in the NFL without being aggressive. Of course, any ONE game might be won a certain way, but we're talking about building a team here that can contend. Belichick (and before him Parcells) were respected defensive coaches, and look at the way they play offense. Not enough time? Look at what the new Carolina coaches and the new Bengals OC are doing with ROOKIE QBs!! I loved the Harbaugh hire. No one else I would rather have hired. He might as well find out right now if Alex can really do it. Because if he can't, then it means he'll be gone next year and we're wasting time with him now. And I have never understood the thing in the NFL these past many years of only going with one RB. Why NOT give a guy like Hunter 5 - 10 carries a game? Gore can still get his 20 or so (IF his runs are doing the job).
Sep 23, 2011 at 5:13 PM
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Terry B.
Fair point, Alden. I'll stop for now. I guess with all of A.J.'s columns and Dan's comments archived and available there's no need for me to point out the obvious: the next time either one of them is right about this team will be the first.
Sep 23, 2011 at 11:44 AM
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Alden Brown
You're laying it on a bit thick, aren't you Terry? Don't Dan and A.J. do a good enough job embarrassing themselves without you piling on?
Sep 23, 2011 at 11:23 AM
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Terry B.
Nice dodge, AJ. So, your point in that column was that preseason performance is NOT an accurate barometer of regular season performance. Then, it turned out that it WAS a frighteningly accurate barometer of regular season performance in this case, but that proves that it was YOU who was right. Where did you learn to reason like that? It must be nice to be you. If they had a winning season, AJ is right, and if they had a losing season, AJ is right. And third down conversion rate is a better measure of offensive efficiency? Source please? Being efficient means getting a desired result with the least amount of effort. If the desired result is winning and not converting third downs, then YPA is the best statistic. See coldhardfootballfacts.com, quality stats, yards per attempt. Also check out this article from the same site which perfectly demonstrates both why Alex Smith sucks and why our arrow is pointing straight down: http://www.coldhardfootballfacts.com/Articles/11_4096_Passing_With_Flying_Colors.html. It must be even nicer being Dan. Dan just gets to assert he's right but never has to give any evidence to support his point. But, when you've been proven 100% wrong for going on over a year now, what else are you going to do?
Sep 23, 2011 at 7:30 AM
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Dan
Right Terry B., You would never cheap shot anyone. All you ever do here is take cheap shots at everyone who doesn't share your point of view. That's not discourse, it's friction. I think it's sad. You should stop responding to me. Your comebacks are always so weak. Calling people a homer doesn't make them a homer. As for the rest of your post, it's so obviously wrong that I feel embarrassed for you. You can pretend this isn't true and ignore it all you want, but it's a simple fact. I know what you're thinking: 'What the hell does this guy know?' Well, because I don't know how to put this delicately, I'll just get it out: you are wrong. I'll let you try to figure out how you are wrong. I already stated one glaring way. If you don't like my level of discourse, know this. I'm doing the same thing you attempt to do to half the people who comment here. I'm using your own words against you.
Sep 22, 2011 at 11:24 PM
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AJ Bolino
Hi Terry:
I refuse to get drawn into a school yard cut down contest with you...so I'll address your points with facts.
Fact #1: The article you reached for from last season stated that pre-season football is not an accurate barometer of regular season performance. Since you got cute and selectively quoted my writing, I'll give you the conclusion (which you conveniently omitted): "There will be a time to panic about how the 49ers are playing. That time is Thursday, September 2nd at 7pm. The starters will see more playing time, there will be at least some semblance of a game plan in place, and our newly constructed O-line will have had three weeks to gel. So, ever vigilant denizens of 49erland, please un-press the panic button. Take a deep breath. Take a drink. Hell, take a valium if it will help you relax. What we saw on Sunday should not be cause for panic. Not yet, anyway." See? My point was that the time to panic was the first regular season game. Nice attempt at attacking my credibility, though. Golf clap, Terry.
Fact #2: Zone blocking is, in fact, used in running AND passing the football. I'd delve deeper here, but since you conveniently changed the subject after you were proven incorrect, I'll refrain from rubbing it in.
Fact #3: Third down conversion rate is a far better measure of offensive efficiency than yards per pass attempt. In week one, the 49ers converted a frighteningly paltry 8% (1 for 12) of their 3rd down attempts. In week 2, they converted 50% (8 for 16) of their 3rd down attempts. I think it's safe to say that we're "arrow up" week over week as it pertains to moving the sticks. Add to that the fact that Alex Smith has a 90 QB rating in the first 2 weeks of the season, and what you have is an efficient (but far from perfect) offense.
Fact #4: At this time last season, the 49ers were 0-2. Right now, they are 1-1. So as it pertains to the ultimate metric, we're "arrow up" thus far as well.
Even though this team will likely improve dramatically as the season progresses given what I've seen so far, I think that they will finish 9-7 at best (provided that most things break their way). Only time will tell.
You may now go back to flinging insults.
Sep 22, 2011 at 9:26 PM
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Terry B.
How is it a cheap shot to access his publicly available columns to point out that he's staggeringly wrong about this team, just as you always are? If he doesn't want us to read his stuff, he should take it down. But, that's the way it goes with homers like you and AJ: when you're a homer of a team that's sucked for a decade, you're probably going to end up being wrong most of the time. And now you've reached a new low in commentary: "you are wrong in so many ways...I just won't say how." What? If that is going to be your chosen level of debate, I will have no choice but to respond in kind: I know you are; what am I? I'm made of rubber, you're made of glue. Whatever you say bounces off me and sticks to you. You look like a monkey, and you smell like one too.
Sep 22, 2011 at 7:28 PM
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Dan
Wow Terry B. You actually went back through the archives to try and cheap shot A.J.? That's kinda pathetic. Well, because I don't know how to put this delicately, I'll just get it out: you are wrong. In so many ways...
Sep 22, 2011 at 3:45 PM
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Terry B.
I remember you now, A.J. I just went back and looked at the archive. You're the one who claimed to be "sane" last preseason because only you realized that our pathetic performance was not a harbinger of things to come in the regular season. Remember this: "Take your hands off of the panic button, put the bottle down... In short, folks, things are what they are...and that isn't nearly as bad as resident doomsayers would have you believe.
I know what you're thinking: 'What the hell does this guy know? The Niners have sucked for the better part of a decade, and what I saw on Sunday did nothing to convince me that things will be any different this year.'
Well, because I don't know how to put this delicately, I'll just get it out: you are wrong. Nothing about Sunday's game has any bearing whatsoever on how this season will play out for the 49ers."
And then we went 6-10. Boy was that some insightful commentary. About as insightful as your point that we needed to give the offensive line 3 weeks to gel, and here we are a year later still waiting.
Sep 22, 2011 at 11:57 AM
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Terry B.
"Don't do it again." Ooohh, a threat from Alex Jacker Bolino. I'm shaking in my boots. I did not oversimplify your point. I just pointed out how inane it was. Completing a high percentage of passes does not make a QB efficient. Having a high YPA does, and Alex does not. You can pretend this isn't true and ignore it all you want, but it's simple fact. Dream on about our linemen becoming zone blockers all you want. I remember from your previous columns that you live in a perpetual fantasy world. I agree 100% with Kevin Lynch: "I meant to emphasize that the 49ers line isn't set up for zone blocking. The line might be too big and not athletic enough for a zone run scheme." Anyone with two eyes can see that Lynch is right.
Sep 22, 2011 at 7:43 AM
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Ruben
I am so tired of people blaming Singletary for an overhyped season. It seems to me that Mr. Savior (Harbaugh) is dealing with what Sing had to (A. Smith). What needs to be said is the truth, we are another year or two from where we should be. Baalke is no GM, Harbaugh is overrated as a coach, and the team needs to know how to be winners. If Singletary had a GM to back him and give him what he needed, we would be praising him now. VY should have been our starting QB, J.Joseph our CB, and J.Houston our 1st pick. The fact is that the grass isn't greener on the other side. 5 mil a year for the same results, seems to me someone else doesn't know what they're doing!
Sep 22, 2011 at 6:48 AM
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Tomokie Burton
GREAT article, these are my views exactly.
Sep 22, 2011 at 6:39 AM
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The_Real_Randy
I keep saying this and no one wants to listen. Harbaugh figured out shortly after training camp started that he can't win with Smith. But Colin K is nowhere near ready so the gameplan is to run the ball and keep Smith upright. But thanks to poor personnel and decisions regarding the OL, even that's a tall order against a team that rushes the passer as well as Dallas.
Sep 22, 2011 at 5:06 AM
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AJ Bolino
Terry,
To be clear: I still am a columnist. Family concerns have kept me from writing of late.
Next: Offensive efficiency = wins. This is a fundamental football truth, no matter how much you wish it wasn't. Oversimplifying my post to prove your point is silly. Don't do it anymore.
Next: Zone blocking is only for running plays? Wow. You've confused the "stretch zone scheme" made popular by Denver in the 90's with zone blocking overall.
Follow this link. You might learn something: http://static.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/davie/1440703.html.
Zone blocking employs coordination, timing, and technique in both the run AND the pass, and is a critical component of the WCO. It requires a line to work together in a way that requires familiarity borne of repetition. (read: improvement over time)
Given time, this line WILL get better. Just watch.
Sep 21, 2011 at 9:56 PM
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Terry B.
AJ, are you even aware that zone blocking is a RUN blocking scheme, not a pass blocking scheme? How is it that you used to be a WebZone columnist and you didn't know that? Are you really defending Alex on the basis that his linemen are still learning how to zone block in the passing game? But, maybe you are onto something. Maybe the reason our pass blocking is so bad is that our linemen are trying to block zones instead of the pass rushers that are going right by them. (Oh, and by the way, Dingleberry drafted these behemoths to maul in a power blocking scheme. If we are going to wait for them to become zone blockers, we'll be waiting forever.) As for the rest of your post, it's so obviously wrong that I feel embarrassed for you. More completions = more first downs. More first downs = wins. What? So you'd rather have three three-yard completions than two incompletions and a 70-yard strike? You are correct that greater efficiency = more wins, but the best measure of offensive efficiency is a QB's yards per attempt, where Alex sucks.
Sep 21, 2011 at 7:45 PM
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Shane
AJ, first i respect that everyone has an opinion and enjoy discussion, but i feel like you're missing the point. Your stance is we need to take time, well first i don't believe in the NFL there is time to waste, you must push the envelope. But i think everyone (including myself) is more upset with philosophy and decision making. This is obviously a passing league, and we want to run. We never put 4 WRs out there or 3 WRs with davis split wide. I understand you're thinking the line can't protect, look at the pats. They run a 3 step drop 4WR set. It's an extension of the running game. We decline first downs to take FGs, that doesn't work in 2011. TDs win. Do I think the offense can evolve, yes. But only if we unleash it and let it grow. I'm not saying you let your kids play in the road but you don't keep them locked in the basement right?
Sep 21, 2011 at 7:26 PM
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Tempt
These panic articles are starting to border on novelty. Intelligent fans, stop responding so often to these POS articles and they will disappear.
Sep 21, 2011 at 5:43 PM
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K Rob
Shane, Brett, Mike,
You make excellent points! Why oh why is Harbaugh here? Singletary made those same calls and he had no idea what "offense" meant. Stop playing scared...If he's already afraid of losing his job, then he'll have lots of worries in the coming weeks. As a long-time fan (since '85), all I want is a coach who can make the players feel like they are worthy of wearing the red and gold!
Sep 21, 2011 at 3:46 PM
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K Rob
Jeff,
This is brilliant stuff. You said it right, Harbaugh should have identified his vision for this team before this team stepped on the field! You're either going to coach like you don't want to make mistakes OR you can coach like you have confidence in your team, which would breed confidence in your team. As a team, how can they gel with 3 and outs/one third-down conversion. Man this is sickening. Harbaugh and his staff lost that game!
Sep 21, 2011 at 3:24 PM
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AJ Bolino
Terry...do you know why we lead the league in short pass attempts? It would be because our line is still getting used to its zone blocking scheme...with the run AND the pass. Why call a 7-step drop if it will likely lead to a sack? For now, shorter passes = more completions. More completions = more first downs. More first downs = greater offensive efficiency. Greater offensive efficiency generally = more wins. Simple math.
Sep 21, 2011 at 3:00 PM
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Terry B.
What's your point, Kray? I thought that the "three yard pass" comment was obvious sarcasm. But how am I pulling numbers out of thin air? You are absolutely correct that Alex's YPA is 6.9, which is good for 22nd in the league, which is exactly what I said. It's the mark of a loser, and that's what Alex is. Source: NFL.com.
Sep 21, 2011 at 2:24 PM
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Ninerdawg
I don't understand it either Jeff, but thanks for answering my question!
Sep 21, 2011 at 1:35 PM
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Ninerdawg
Nice article Jeff. It looks like after all of your whining about getting rid of Singletary and bringing in a real coach, we now have Jim Harbaugh. New coach same ole 49ers, same ole conservative offence, our secondary is still getting torched. What I would like to know Jeff is, if we continue with our mediocrity, will you be screaming for Harbaugh's head?
Sep 21, 2011 at 12:05 PM
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kray28
Just because we're pulling numbers out of thin air:
Alex Smith's Average yards per pass after two games is 6.9 yards/pass.
Alex Smith's Average yards per completion after two games is 9.77 yards/completion.
Source: NFL.com
Sep 21, 2011 at 11:50 AM
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Terry B.
AJ, I have to respectfully disagree with your statement that Alex Smith has been "efficient as all hell." He throws for a high percentage, sure, because his average pass is about three yards. But in the all important YPA stat (the most accurate measure of a QB's effectivenss and the one most strongly correlated with winning), he's 22nd in the league. That's not a QB who is "efficient as all hell." It's a loser.
Sep 21, 2011 at 8:22 AM
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Frank
Oh, please spare us all the drama, Jeff. Yes, it was a conservative call Sunday...tell you what, Jeff, take a look at the game stats. Dallas outgained the Niners well over 2-1. Why? They have an established passing attack...they're not on their umpteenth OC in 7 years. Romo had something to prove, and prove it he did. He's a gamer, and came through when his team needed it the most. There's a reason Harbaugh's being conservative...it's because he knows his guys aren't ready to be bold yet. Did you pay attention to Joe Montana a few weeks back...he said it plainly, that Niner fans (and I'll throw in the media, just my two cents) would have to be patient while Harbaugh's players learned the fine points of his WCO. He went through the same thing under Bill Walsh...methinks he knows a lot more about the intricacies of the WCO than you or any of us. So, pls do us a favor...can all the drama and come to an understanding of the enormity of the task at hand. In other words, get real.
Sep 21, 2011 at 5:51 AM
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JeuSF49
I can see it clearly, Harbaugh opens it up, Smith throws for a ton of yards every game, and a ton of picks, we lose a bunch of games, the next day an article written by Jeff Kaplan appears, named "Harbaugh's downfall".
Stating that his aggressiveness is not executable, because the players do not have full knowledge of the scheme. It was a unrealistic plan that was doomed from the start. He should have known that Smith will throw a lot of picks and that great numbers mean nothing without winning. He should have taken a more rational conservative approach.
If anyone has expected that his presence alone will immediatley transform the niners, that the offence will be a well oiled unstoppable WCO machine, he should check his head.
Montana himself pledged patience, and warned that until the players know the coaches and vice versa the offence will be dull and unproductive.
Give the man time.
Sep 20, 2011 at 11:09 PM
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AJ Bolino
I have been quiet for the entire preseason and the first two weeks...but I simply can't do it anymore.
First things first: Lay off Smith. He's done everything asked of him, has been efficient as all hell and has improved week over week. He's playing with more poise and intelligence thus far than he has in his entire career. Give him time to grow in this system, and he'll be just fine.
Next: Lay off Harbaugh. He's going through the process of installing a complex offense with entirely new terminology, formations, and protection schemes. If you were expecting the 1988 49ers right out of the gate, you have set yourself up for disappointment. It took Coach Walsh 4 years to bring his vision of football perfection to life. How about giving Coach Harbaugh more than two games to typecast him as the second coming of Mike Singletary?
Finally: Our offensive line has shifted from a predominantly man-blocking scheme to a zone scheme. Zone schemes rely heavily on timing, technique, and coordination. We will improve week over week, our offense will grow with time and we'll be fine with time.
But it will take time.
Sep 20, 2011 at 8:51 PM
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louie
He's a rookie NFL coach, with a rookie GM, who helped build a mediocre roster, and a weak (ignorant and spineless) owner. This (current) franchise exists to make legends out of above average teams (Dallas) and above average QB's (Romo).
Sep 20, 2011 at 8:06 PM
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BOI49ers
Right On Jeff. The coaches say to the players, if you make a mistake, make it an aggressive one. Well, Harbaugh.....
Sep 20, 2011 at 7:51 PM
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Btaylor
I agree with you. The one thing great coaches have in common is no matter if it's the 1st or 2nd string playing or the game situation you can identify the team and who coaches them on how they play. I like both Mike S. and Jim H. and so far their gameday coaching styles are too similar for me. The only way I want to know what the O or D is going to run is when everyone knows it's coming and the other team still can't stop it.
Sep 20, 2011 at 6:54 PM
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overthemiddle
I have never been a proponent of taking points off the board. However, football has changed (not for the better) and it's not how few points you hold the enemy to, it's how many points you score. I give Harbaugh a break here for mismanaging because he is a rookie. I think Alex has done just fine these first two games. The secondary sure has some issues as well as the O-line but that was a game we could've should've won. We in the last couple of years have played some good teams tough but still lost. Once over that hump we should be okay.
Sep 20, 2011 at 5:38 PM
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SF49erfanPhil
Really, with the NFL lockout, who really thought Harbaugh would turn it around this fast........Please.
Sep 20, 2011 at 4:55 PM
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Lucky Phil
Jeff, I understand how you feel. Nobody misses the the WCO from the days of Walsh more than me. But the reason this team lost Sun. and for the last five yrs is the O-line and the secondary. Every game we lose goes back to those two areas. Coaching unfortunately is not going to change it. The future of this team depends on how Harbaugh builds the team. We need a CB, FS, and to re-shuffle the O-line for the short term. For the long term B. Edwards, Morgan, Williams (J Adams wr, J Gordon wr, D Ambrose wr, D Wilson rb, or M Dyer rb in the draft). And on the argument of taking the points off the board, Harbaugh made the right decision. Devil's Advocate, we burn two minutes and don't move the ball an inch. I don't chance a 40 yd FG on giving up the ball with a 10 pt lead with 7-8 min. left. We lost this game because of a crap secondary and a crap O-line. Just like we will lose every game this season to a good team because of it. Harbaugh is conservative because of a lack of talent. Just like every coach becomes conservative when you lose your first-string QB. Coach is just trying to win, we lost this game on talent not coaching/decision making.
Sep 20, 2011 at 4:35 PM
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Jeff
It's too early to push the panic button--C'mon. When the 9ers come out and play 4 qtrs of football they will come out on top. No more no less. They need Spencer and Goldson back in the secondary as well as Crabs and Edwards at WR. Losses against Minnesota, Atlanta, and NO the past couple years are because they DIDN'T FINISH. If they had the same will to win as Dallas they would have won the game.
Sep 20, 2011 at 3:46 PM
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MBniner
When Harbaugh didn't take the points off the board I got that familiar sinking feeling in my stomach. We've seen this over and over the last 8 years. And people wonder why season ticket holders are auctioning off their tickets to the opponents' fans? Harbaugh said that the team has to earn the respect of the media. Well, he better start with the long-suffering fans.
Sep 20, 2011 at 2:56 PM
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Dallas Niner fan
As usual you are right on Jeff. I don't get it either. I was looking forward to great wco football. It seems like the same stuff we had with all the other lame coaching staffs of the past and that is scary. As far as the decision Harbaugh made on the penalty it does not concern me much since hindsight is always 20/20. What does concern me is the breakdown of our defense. Same old Niners can't keep a lead in the 4th quarter, where is the improvement here. Everyone is concerned about the vanilla offense, what about the vanilla defense. Where is the aggressive blitzing defense that we were expecting. This is so frustrating and I got to take all the crap from all the Cowboy fans here in Dallas. Ugh!!
Sep 20, 2011 at 2:51 PM
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Gmoney
Nice piece Jeff. Sure, a two possession lead is great, but you could tell that the momentum at the time was shifting and doing so drastically. Your defense is playing great, but they are also playing serious minutes, you cannot expect them to be able to hold up in the long run. The ONLY reason you don't take that first down is because you know they aren't going to score a TD. Period. Why risk kicking another field goal when you already just made it? The prospect of scoring a TD wasn't even a consideration and that, to me, is sad.
I like Harbaugh, but our offense isn't very good. The west coast offense I am not seeing. The timing, the creativity, the attacking of the defense. We may run similar plays, but in our heydey under walsh we attacked the defense with the pass early and then went to the run late to close out the game. We can't continue to use frank gore like this, we are wearing him out and our offense isn't successful in the least. I don't care what anyone says, if you can't throw the ball when a defense is putting 8 in the box, it's on the QB, period.
Sep 20, 2011 at 2:42 PM
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Shane
btw, way to hang in there Jeff, stuck to your guns, wrote fair articles on the current situation and as much as i hate to say this, things have gotten so bad that ppl can't do anything but agree with this article, with the exeption of a "horrible article" with no substance comment. let's hope next week is different, and i don't even mean a win cuz a 13-10 win over cinci will actually make me feel WORSE. i don't even care if we lose, but let's lose 38-35 and have SOMETHING to build on THIS year. (obviously let's try to win.... 31-17)
Sep 20, 2011 at 2:28 PM
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ahhh
don't even need to read this one to see it's just another prejudgmental assumption. nothin we can do but wait and watch and that's what u people need to do. WE'VE HAD 2 GAMES WITH THIS TEAM, GET OVER IT. when the niners are on their way to the top i'm comin back to these posts so i can say TOLD YOU SO.
Sep 20, 2011 at 2:24 PM
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Shane
Lee, i feel you man, i wish we cld open this up into a chat room. I feel like the 9ers are gonna put me in football rehab! They are destroying what used to be (long ago) my favorite day of the week. Totally agree about the week 2 comment. Do ppl understand teams that start 0-2 have under a 15% chance of making the playoffs? ask an 0-1 team how important week 2 is. Isn't this why we love football? There is no time to "find an identity," every week matters. If this staff has any sack they will go into Cinci firing that pigskin! Gore shld get 15 carries, 8 for Hunter, 5 for Dixon.
Sep 20, 2011 at 2:21 PM
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Lee
Man I'm on a stinking roll. This is why I never comment on these cuz I am pissed! STL Niner Fan is right... screw balance. We need to be aggressive NOT passive. This is football not badminton.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:40 PM
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Karl Malone
horrible article as usual.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:33 PM
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Lee
Week 2? Every GAME matters. Every HALF matters. Every QUARTER matters. Every PLAY matters. Especially when we had them 14-0! I don't care if it's week 1... the 9ers need to play like they've got a pair. The coaching staff needs to also get the plays in a LOT quicker.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:30 PM
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Lee
The brass in the front office needs to read this article and take it to heart. We need to play to WIN. We need to open the playbook. We need to NOT be afraid to take chances. We need to take what the defense gives us. If they are lining up everyone in the box, don't run at them... What are you trying to prove? We need a re-birth of the west coast offense now! I feel Alex can do good enough to win IF we open the playbook starting this sunday. I can tell the difference between the Alex of years past and the current one. Open the playbook, take chances with crossing routes and deep passes. If you don't, why would a team have to worry about defending the pass. All they have to do is attack the QB and sack him. I am tired of seeing my team lose close games like this. We were the better team on the field especially due to the injuries the Cowboys had. My God, we really do have a LOT of talented people on the roster...FREAKING USE THEM NOW!
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:25 PM
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STL Niner Fan
How many years are we going to be tortured with this same early season scenario. Beat weak NFC West opponents early in the year, come damn close to beating elite opponents early in the year, next up of course will be our utter meltdown on the EC where we get destroyed by 20. This will of course lead to a 6 game losing streak which will put us out of contention. Damn, this coach and system was supposed to change that. Forget balance, let AS air it out, put a final stamp on our love affair with this guy, and let's move on to the modern NFL. As noted if your players can't execute a winning system find ones who can but implement the system. I am so exhausted by watching all these up-the-gut running plays. Gore will not have any room to run until we show that we are going to concentrate on passing the ball and farther than 10 yards down the field. What the hell ever happened to the notion of passing to set up the run? This is really unbelievable that we are here again after watching these last two regimes do the same thing. Watching on Sunday, you just knew what was going to happen in the 4th quarter, and man was it painful to see it come to fruition yet again.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:24 PM
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Shane
Jeff, i was SICK when he didn't take that first down. Who doesn't take a 1st and 10 at the 22? Inexcusable! Never take points off the board? We just did it 7 days earlier! Here is the harsh reality and maybe an interesting theory (feedback welcome). Our (fans and mgmnt alike) love for Frank Gore has, currently, ruined our franchise. Now that said i believe Gore is a top 5 complete back. Running, catching, blocking. However, it has become so clear, "bell cow" running teams are losers in this league. The Pats don't even run the ball, GB airs it out with 3 backs, PITT wants to pass more, Philly, DET, NO, Colts (w/ manning), SD, etc. Year after year we try to establish the run with one back and those days are over. I watched Buf, with freddie jax, move the ball up and down the field with the pass (BUF). It OPENED the run. They put up 38, BUF! There have been 32 games thus far, ONE team has won with under 24 points. This is a multiback scoring league, vertical passing! We want to establish the run and play D? Until we get a QB to push the ball and mix up the run game with a multiback system...we will continue to fall behind in a very progressive, passing league.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:16 PM
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VaNiner
I hope no one paid Kaplan for this article. Let's try some reason, some sanity. IT'S ONLY GAME 2! Thank goodness this is a free website.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:12 PM
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Bret
Finally! Someone saying what needs to be said!
One other note that was not addressed:
About the Faithful losing faith: Playing to win is entertaining; playing not to lose is boring! The Yorks should take note: the paying customers are paying to be entertained, not bored!
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:11 PM
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JC
I went into this season thinking that I can't expect much - and I still do think because the team has been together with their coach about a month and a half. Though I can't completely disagree with the article, I think it's very premature. Nobody thought we would win this past weekend, and we hung with a good team. Just give them more time. And as far as the 3 points go...in week 2 I take the points.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:09 PM
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Big Daddy
Very well said...I don't usually agree with you, but this one you hit the nail on the head!! Couldn't agree more!
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:07 PM
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Mike
Great article, Geoff! Who does he lose 1st? The fans or players? Makes me sick how he talked up Alex Smith and then shows zero faith in him when it matters. The first thing that came to mind when we hired Harbaugh is that we would no longer have to painfully witness what we witnessed on Sunday. Conservative, scared coaching. Grow some darn nuts, Harbaugh, and open up the offense!! How is the offense supposed to get better when you aren't even trying to execute? I never even imagined that this would even be a topic!! Jim Harbaugh...What's your DEAL?!?!??
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:05 PM
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5e3deluxe
Oh, all the Alice fanbois are going to call you a "hater."
Harbaugh is afraid. He wants to think he has the team to make the playoffs this year. He doesn't. For god's sake, he has a woman at quarterback. He has no pass rush. He has no secondary. He has no wideouts. He has a runout running back who's definitely hit TBO (Time between overhauls) and the exhaust valves are leaking. An O-line made up of red-tagged guys who never should have made it into the fleet.
It's going to be several more years of this stuff but it sure looks like he was taking his cues from the wisdom of Mike Dingleberry (such as it was) rather than Bill Walsh.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:03 PM
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Nick S.
To be fair to Fangio and the defense, I think they were worn out once the 4th quarter came around.
And on one 3rd and manageable for the Cowboys in the 4th, Fangio sent a corner blitz after Romo, which Tony read and responded to with ease. I was yelling at my TV at this point because it was extremely obvious to Romo what was coming. Romo just dumped it to the uncovered man for an easy first down.
I thought Fangio was fine. It was the secondary play and Harbaugh impersonating Singletary that irked me.
Sep 20, 2011 at 1:01 PM
Since the turn of the century, there have been 179 single-season quarterback performances of at least 4,000 yards. The 49ers, as fans well know, have but one—Jeff Garcia's impressive but futile 4,278 yard effort in a 2000 season that saw SF go just 6-10. Since then, that franchise high-water mark has gone untouched. There have been a few other contenders to rally around in that span—Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, and Jimmy Garoppolo, but each have fallen short of that historic mark.
Brock Purdy, though, will at least threaten to meet that lofty expectation. With his latest 310-yard, two-touchdown performance, Purdy finds himself on pace for a 4,171-yard season in 2023. His key trait has been his efficiency; so far this year, he's completed 67.0% of his passes, and
The San Francisco 49ers are set to host the New York Giants at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, on Thursday, September 21, at 5:15 p.m. PT. Each week, the 49ers Webzone staff predicts the winner within its annual NFL Pick 'em contest. That includes writers and forum moderators.
This week, all seven participating staff members selected the 49ers to beat the Giants. San Francisco is currently a 10.5-point favorite.
As for all the fans taking part in our NFL Pick 'em contest, 99 percent have the 49ers winning the game, as of this post.
Of
Thursday night was a fun one at Levi's Stadium, where the San Francisco 49ers cruised to a 30-12 victory over the visiting New York Giants. It was a night that saw wide receiver Deebo Samuel declare himself as officially out of "awful" mode, running back Christian McCaffrey reach milestones, wide receiver Ronnie Bell create some lasting memories, and -- of all things -- Andrew Luck making a return to an NFL field (in full Civil War costume) to take part in a game of trivia.
Let's recap all that and more in this version of 49ers Notebook.
Not awful anymore
Back in June, Deebo Samuel caught some attention with his honest description of his 2022 performance