No need to panic: 49ers will be fine

Originally posted by jreff22:
We cant win against anybody with a decent record. Unless we are playing Jax...nothing will be easy.

Well, look this is not true. We lost but we didn't get blown out at all. If panthers miss a 53 yarder, we might have even won.

The d is playing well and will get better.

So, the problem is the offensive ineptitutde. The d will keep us in games the rest of the year (unless we lose reid -- then I don't know).

So that's the main reason not to PANIC, but rather to be concerned.

I am wondering though wether there is any possibility of recovery now on offense. It just seems like we are now in "TRY SOMETHING DIFFERENT" mode, which is a tell to the other teams.

I think we need to reach into standard formations, faster rhythms, and get back to letting the skill just play. Stop with the packages. Just let the same guys play and sub out the ball carrier every other play for a breather. Let the same group of guys handle different types of plays so they build RHYTHM and CHEMISTRY. Lets try that. That will throw off everyone. Our subbing is so pervasive we just can't communicate on the field as well as we could.

BTW, our penalties -- still low. Only one fumble. Basically no picks during the game with kap under an avalanche of pressure. No delay of game. Those are all positives.

Also osgood inactive -- did it contribute to the nice return for caro that set up the winning field goal? My point is, it was preventable, a (questionable) roster management decision. Just get back to common sense and again we might have eked out this game with a w even after this horrible offensive performance.

However our offensive management and prep is being exposed, so i am not optimistic about a deep run into the playoffs.

Originally posted by crabman82:

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:
even if seattle wins the division and we finish with a wildcard spot, its not the end of the world. get the top wild card spot and play the winner of the whack ass nfc east. itll be like having playoff bye anyway

1st off you're talking about a road playoff game and secondly we just lost the tie breaker to carolina. i dont think the 5 seed is a sure thing by any means.

The 5 seed will belong to CAR now. NO will win the south and CAR will get the 5 seed. The winner of the NFC North gets the 3rd and the SEA and NO get the top 2. We might have to fight off Chicago or Green Bay for the final wild card spot.

This is the way I see the playoff seeding shaking out.

1. SEA
2. NO
3. DET
4. DAL or PHI
5. CAR
6. SF

Originally posted by crabman82:

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:
even if seattle wins the division and we finish with a wildcard spot, its not the end of the world. get the top wild card spot and play the winner of the whack ass nfc east. itll be like having playoff bye anyway

1st off you're talking about a road playoff game and secondly we just lost the tie breaker to carolina. i dont think the 5 seed is a sure thing by any means.

you do know there are 7 games left dont you? just because carolina beat us and currently hold a tiebreaker doesnt mean we wont finish with a higher win total than them and yes, its a playoff road game, were a good road team and the nfc east sucks. i think we can handle it if we dont win our division

can little harbaugh take a page out of his brother's book and fire his OC mid season

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:

Originally posted by crabman82:

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:
even if seattle wins the division and we finish with a wildcard spot, its not the end of the world. get the top wild card spot and play the winner of the whack ass nfc east. itll be like having playoff bye anyway

1st off you're talking about a road playoff game and secondly we just lost the tie breaker to carolina. i dont think the 5 seed is a sure thing by any means.

you do know there are 7 games left dont you? just because carolina beat us and currently hold a tiebreaker doesnt mean we wont finish with a higher win total than them and yes, its a playoff road game, were a good road team and the nfc east sucks. i think we can handle it if we dont win our division

Not a good road team in Seattle. We'll find out about NO this weekend. I just hard to say we go into NO and win. I have hope but, not much of it after Sundays loss.

Originally posted by Baldie:
Not a good road team in Seattle. We'll find out about NO this weekend. I just hard to say we go into NO and win. I have hope but, not much of it after Sundays loss.

What makes a good road team? Being a little worse than a dominant home team? As much as we'd like to believe they're not good on the road, the Hawks are 6-1 on the road this year and 9-3 one the road since their week 11 bye last year including two road playoff games. Hard to imagine many if any better road records out there.

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:

Originally posted by crabman82:

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:
even if seattle wins the division and we finish with a wildcard spot, its not the end of the world. get the top wild card spot and play the winner of the whack ass nfc east. itll be like having playoff bye anyway

1st off you're talking about a road playoff game and secondly we just lost the tie breaker to carolina. i dont think the 5 seed is a sure thing by any means.

you do know there are 7 games left dont you? just because carolina beat us and currently hold a tiebreaker doesnt mean we wont finish with a higher win total than them and yes, its a playoff road game, were a good road team and the nfc east sucks. i think we can handle it if we dont win our division

fully aware theres 7 games left. i'm looking at the niners objectively and saying i cant assure any of the upcoming games as sure wins. carolina may have some hard teams to play, but we as a fan base generally underrated them coming in to the game, now we're saying their schedule is a lot harder then ours. some recent super bowl champs like green bay winning on the road to get there aswell as some other have clouded some peoples views of the playoffs, its like some would prefer taking the wild card route or at least not that very concerned about the prospect of all road playoff games. those destiny teams come around every now and again but reality says most teams facing road playoff games dont make it out as champs. we as fans want to believe that we're that team this year, its just with the way the team is currently playing, its very hard to imagine that, its something i'd rather not bank on, but i guess we have to now.

Originally posted by 951NINER:

Originally posted by crabman82:

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:
even if seattle wins the division and we finish with a wildcard spot, its not the end of the world. get the top wild card spot and play the winner of the whack ass nfc east. itll be like having playoff bye anyway

1st off you're talking about a road playoff game and secondly we just lost the tie breaker to carolina. i dont think the 5 seed is a sure thing by any means.

The 5 seed will belong to CAR now. NO will win the south and CAR will get the 5 seed. The winner of the NFC North gets the 3rd and the SEA and NO get the top 2. We might have to fight off Chicago or Green Bay for the final wild card spot.

Carolina has three difficult games left - NE and NO (x2). Assuming they go 2-1 in those games and win the other 4, they'd finish 12-4. I actually think that may win the NFC South. But, regardless, it looks like even if they go 1-2 in their "tough" games they will likely finish 11-5.

So, can we finish 12-4? Not likely, as it would require beating either Seattle or NO and winning the other 5 games on our schedule. I think 10-6 or 11-5 is more realistic.

11-5 will secure a playoff spot. Chicago, Green Bay, Detroit, Arizona, Dallas, and Philly are the only other teams that can finish with a record of 11-5.

Green Bay is without Rogers for at least 2 more games. Lose one more and even if they finish 11-5 we own the tie breaker. In my opinion, Green Bay has suffered too many injuries to win 6 of their last 7.

Dallas and Philly would have to win out to finish 11-5. They play each other again, so one of them is winding up with 6 losses.

Chicago has games against GB, Dallas, Philly, Baltimore, and St. Louis. Not an easy schedule. Can they go 6-1 down the stretch? Unlikely in my opinion.

We are 6-3. We have games against TB, ATL, Ariz., St. Louis, and Washington. These are the teams that we have been beating this year and I see no reason that trend won't continue despite our significant flaws on offense.

I assume we will lose against Seattle. I'd be mildly surprised if we win against NO, but we have beaten them twice in a row and I think they are one of those teams that Fangio and Harbaugh "get" when it comes to preparing for ... so it wouldn't be a shocker.

Bottom line, I think we beat the teams we have been beating, lose to the teams we have been losing to this year, finish 11-5 and make the playoffs.

BUT, that record will only be good enough for the 6 seed barring a collapse by Carolina (i.e., it loses to NE and both times to NO)

Assuming the 6 seed, our road to the playoffs will likely look like this:
First Round: @ Detroit
Second Round: @ Seattle
Third Round: @ New Orleans or Carolina

Amazing what a one point loss does to your season. If we had won, the division would still be in reach but, perhaps as important given the likely playoff matchups, the 5th seed would have been locked up.

Originally posted by ECLaloosh:
Carolina doesn't exactly have a cakewalk of a schedule left. I think SF is still in the driver's seat. NFC North is racked with injury at the QB spot so they're likely to miss out on a wildcard spot and the NFC East is a joke. Wild cards will likely go to NFC West and NFC South but with the Cardinals playing JAX this week, SF absolutely has to make a statement in NO this coming weekend.

Arizona has games against @SEA, SF, @Philly, Colts, and St. Louis, in addition to @ TENN and @ JAX. I highly doubt Arizona will finish the season better than 9-7.

Originally posted by xtm059:
can little harbaugh take a page out of his brother's book and fire his OC mid season

no. his ego, which is brother does not have, will not permit it. f**k you see how JH protects kyle,, he would do that ten fold with roman

A reporter asked Harbaugh "why not use more screens?" Harbaugh basically said it was a good point lol

niner talk is always awful to read after a loss.

Originally posted by xtm059:
niner talk is always awful to read after a loss.

when you play as bad as the team did yesterday not to mention in every single game we have had with a foe who has a good record,,, you and the team and coaches should expect it. a week off, lot of time to prepare and you roll out this crap yesterday. that from a alleged elite team. sure we can make the playoffs because we play enough teams with losing records but you can almost see what will happen when we get against a good team who can expose whatever weakness we have. now maybe they will shock the world vs the saints. its been done before but come one man. 3 games we have lost. in each one the same s**t keeps taking place. that ought to concern you and since the coaches are not fixing it, they deserve all the flaming coming at them, in my opinion, from this place or the media room

Originally posted by midrdan:
Arizona has games against @SEA, SF, @Philly, Colts, and St. Louis, in addition to @ TENN and @ JAX. I highly doubt Arizona will finish the season better than 9-7.

TEN with no Locker, JAX is terrible, Philly is 0-4 at home, Colts got trashed by STL.

That's 4 games right there that are winnable (5 actually with STL). Not sure how you discount them at this point. If SF loses in NO and AZ wins against JAX, doesn't that put you guys at 6-4, tied for 2nd in the division (but having the tie breaker advantage)? I think it's about 100X more likely that SF finishes with a better record but it is what it is.

Carolina has a rough schedule as well so as I said before, SF is still in control of their own fate.