Better than kissing your sister, COW, former COY, and HC and DC who didn't show up

If Alex Smith hadn't gone down we would have won this game in regulation. Smith marched down field and tossed a TD and he was half blind at the time. No doubt he was getting ready to chew up the Rams defense.

Can't win COY on one game.

I agree, Boomer, that alex would've won the game for us, in spite of our coaching, both O and D. The difference between QB #1 and QB #2 is now long over and a dead duck. As i noted above, Kap is a great athlete and very talented. But NFL ready? No way, and he may ...or may not be ready in 2-3 yrs. What is interesting is that Tolz wasn't put in. I know he has not been getting the 2nd team snaps, but for my money right now, is a way better NFL QB bet than Kap....who I like...just not as a starter in the NFL.

Smith, i know you can't win COY in a game, but really what it did do was just highlight how BAD a nite Coach Harbaugh and his merry men had. It was like sleepwalking zombies or something. Somebody should have passed around RNA tabs prior to game time. Who knows, maybe it would've made our coaches at least awake, if not smarter. This team was NOT prepared for this game, but losing alex was the key. I would be interested in the last time one team ran TWO fake punts for 1st down( actually one was a pass). I bet there isn't even a record of it. We set a new NFL low for a record. Not players, mind you, but coaches. They all just stank, but HC is where the blame goes when things go good...or in this case, bad.

I lol'd @ "Olmendal(sp"

Definitely appeared that the 49ers were not properly prepared for this game, I respect Fisher as a coach, but we shouldn't have struggled so much against the Rams in this game. Same thing happened to the 49ers against the Vikings and Giants, they looked very ugly in all 3 of these games, and reminscent of previous regimes. Still glad we have the coaches and players we have, but it just wasn't a good day. I just hope that the 49ers are clicking on all cylinders when it matters, in January and February.

Yavin IV, yes it is more than passing strange that the coaching in all 3 games you mention this yr, both O and D, the playcalling, both O and D, were so out of sync, and so at odds with what Coach H did ALL last yr, each and every game, along with Fangio, and Roman. It is as if the 49ers showed up at gametime, and had no idea of what they were supposed to be doing. I don't recall the tackling during those two losses, and sure don't want to rewind them, but the tackling this game was
unbelievably bad. 5 guys...FIVE...couldn't bring down one rams WR who caught TWELVE passes in this game. Tackle after tackle was missed, and it was obvious at the gitgo that Fisher had prepared his guys for a knock down drag out fight, and the 49er coaches had not. The gameplans were off...way off. Bradford, a very good QB when not given the BIG RUSH, was allowed all day to pick us apart. And the Fangio response? Keep at it. He literally allowed them to complete one pass after another....almost as if he were playing out the clock with a big lead.

Maybe I am supersensitive, but Fangio has been showing us his worst...not his best. Put a balz to the walls blitz on Bradford, (which we did rarely) , and he doesn't know what to do....much like all but the very best qbs don't. Yet, Fangio persisted in allowing completion after completion. That ain't the 49er way. I almost wonder if Harbaugh has let fangio actually call all the D plays. I sure hope not. Last yr Harbaugh was calling most O and D plays. This yr it seems he is delegating to Roman and fangio, and it is not working out. Coach H is a great playcaller and he did that on O and D most times last yr...in order to do it right. Now it seems he is giving these guys their leash, and they have fallen flat.

Look at the two losses, and then the tie.They all look the same. I think against weak teams, fangio and roman can do ok. But against really good teams, or like the rams, really well coached teams, Harbaugh needs to be calling plays....AND setting game plans. Next time we play Bradford, he should be on his backside 3 out of every 4 plays. As for Roman....the last OT drive, having Kap take deep drops when everyone KNEW the BIG RUSH was coming was just plain goofy. Both those plays were screaming out for quick 1 steppers, to avoid the BIG RUSH, and the blitz. Quick short hitters would've gotten us in FG range. It didn't happen.

Coach Harbaugh can't just observe. He is a great coach, but his underlings aren't. When the fat is in the fire, Harbaugh, not roman nor fangio needs to be calling the plays. Right now he isn't and good teams or well coached teams are beating us up. That has to stop.

You are allowed to make responses shorter than 5 paragraphs FWIW TBPH

I thought Fisher's coaching was surprisingly poor. The original 4th down punt fake was idiotic. Sure it worked, but resulted in 0 points, and could have easily resulted in a loss on downs deep in their own red zone, in a 1 possession game. Harbaugh had to coach close to 4 quarters with a backup QB who unexpectedly went in, and was able to re-tailor the game plan to him. We were in position to win. It's not like Akers was asked to kick a 63 yarder again. You expect a 45 yd FG to win you the game. That's not conservative, that's smart. Only idiot fans think they would have had a backup QB throw against a good secondary, in OT, when already in a very very manageable FG position.

just to comment on the fangio situation.....look at his D stats wherever he has been, the D's statistically have gotten worse each yr he is there, i never bought into the notion that he was a HC candidate anywhere

Would this be reaching a bit too far...? Hear me out... It could be far fetched... but I'm tryin to rationalize what is going on. The way this team drops off against certain opponents at particular times. I'm mean completely drops off like they don't even care. I know... I know... any given Sunday. But we know what kind of team we have. We've seen them completely destroy teams... handle teams... from top to bottom. Could it be that Harbaugh is soOO savvy... and aware about how important peaking at the right time is... that he is tryin to keep his team from peaking too early. So he finds ways to easy up... I know that nobody plays the game to lose... but they sure do play games not to lose... a lot of time. If that makes sense.

I could be trippin... but man... if the 9ers smash the bears... it's gonna look more and more like "that" is exactly what Jim Harbaugh could be doing.

Originally posted by boomer49er:

If Alex Smith hadn't gone down we would have won this game in regulation. Smith marched down field and tossed a TD and he was half blind at the time. No doubt he was getting ready to chew up the Rams defense.

Put the blame where it belongs: on Akers. Kaepernick brought us back and got us in position to win. Akers just choked. Whether Alex got hurt or not, we should have won the game. The 2nd option in the blame game is the special teams for allowing 2 fake punts. 3rd option is the overall defensive effort. Alex getting hurt was the 4th reason, at best.

Rambler, thanks for the reminder...it's valid.

Ryptout, I have to admit I never thot of that, but that really does seem like playing chess not three moves ahead of everyone else, but 3 days ahead. Still it has merit.
The more I think about it the more I think that Coach Harbaugh has given over game planning and playcalling to fangio and roman....and they are not Jim Harbaugh. If this is correct, then I would strongly encourage Coach to start calling plays again. There is a different feel to the game calls and gameplans, both O and D, and if roman and fangio ARE making the calls, Harbaugh ought to take back that job from both guys. Why the apparent appearance of the team in a trance? That one I dunno, but the Bye weeks are notorious for that.

Originally posted by smithgdwg:

Can't win COY on one game.

Agree. Wouldn't that be COTG?

Nah, it would be COW, Coach of the Week. As you know there is currently no such designation on a weekly basis. It was to make a point how prepared one coach had his team and how unprepared the other had his. Don't get me wrong, I am a huge Coach Harbaugh fan. It is just that he has produced three barking dogs this yr, and my gut suspicion as noted above an elsewhere is that I do not believe he is now calling plays, instead actually allowing fangio and roman to call O and D plays, plus the O and D gameplan. Frankly neither of those guys is up to it, and Coach is going to have to revert to the Bill Bellichek and Sean Payton way of coaching....ie, call all plays on both O and D. He did it last yr, & this yr is trying to get by as manager of the game. It works against lesser teams. I doesn't work against tough teams or great coaches. Harbaugh needs to return to calling each and every play all game, unless we have laugher. Then turn fangio and roman lose.