Week 15 - 2014: Thoughts after rewatching the game...

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:
Never mind! Found it at PFF...just had to open to all rather than 25% of the snaps.


Edit: You know something is terribly wrong with VD when every SF TE (all three) are ahead of him in run blocking! Wow! And guys doubt he's injured!

This may look worse than it is. If he hits the guy and Kaepernick passes? Penalty. Without knowing the play call I wouldn't use this picture to paint a picture.

Look at the linemen...you can see how concerned they are about being downfield on a pass.

Ah sarcasm.

VD should have been blocking since it was a read option all the way. If he had blocked his man Kap would have been able to turn the corner for a good gain, but...

Thoughts after rewatching the game....we're turribe.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Well that was predictable...


1) Kap: He didn't play well, but by his "Vs the Seahawks" standards it wasn't really all that bad. In fact, I came away with a bit of hope for the future and I'll explain why.

Stat line wasn't impressive. He didn't deliver on a few balls and he was under siege all day...but what I liked was that he seemed FAR more relaxed than he has in any other Seattle game. He didn't look rattled. I think something happened after the Raiders game that I can only hope continues.

I think he got to the same place I talked about that Alex Smith (I know, shouldn't even mention the name) got to after the Philly game in 2010. Its almost a "F*CK IT!!" state of mind. The pressure is off. It started with the way he began talking to the press last week and continued after the game. He's not winding himself up so tightly that he's about to burst and make that critical mistake.

Some of you no doubt are going to see this as me being to easy on the guy. Again. You may be right, but I saw something happen last week. Its too little too late for this year, but it does give me a bit of hope for the future. If he can stop putting the weight of the world on his shoulders, then maybe, just maybe, he can stop trying to make every play THE big play. Maybe he can allow himself to hit that RB who's wide open for a 3-4 yard gain.

I have no idea what's gonna happen, but rewatching this game surprisingly gave me some hope for the future.


2) Vernon: Dude can't run. He says he's healthy, but he can't run and he can't block. Is it age? Is it still the back? He's just not moving the same. Kap got kinda blasted because he "missed" Vernon early, but it was pretty clear to me that the throw wasn't the issue. Vernon goes and gets that pass in the past...he's just not moving well.


3) Gore: Is it possible we've seen Franks last play ever in a Niner uniform? It is...and I have to say it bums me out. ALOT. I wanted to get him that ring. I never wanted to see him end with an injury. I hope he can come back and maybe play at home vs Arizona to give him a bit of a sendoff, but it's possible his career in SF is done. If so, farewell to my favorite 49er ever.


4) Hyde: Until he and another got hurt, I thought we had a real chance. So much power and energy. He's got a real future. It will be interesting to see how the next coach uses him. I see those cutback runs that Seattle runs and it makes me wonder how Hyde would do in a Zone blocking scheme.


5) Borland: Speed exposed a bit again, but when he and Hyde went out...it was over. They could no longer run the ball nor consistently stop it. When you are on your 3rd NT, and 3rd and 5th ILBs and that's Marshawn Lynch running at you...bad stuff will happen. Still, they gave it a valiant effort, but all those injuries took a toll.


6) Injuries: About those injuries...CRAZY. Assuming Aldon starts the last two games, the Niners 3 best players on defense will have played 13 of 48 possible starts this year. Tramaine Brock has played, what, 1 or 2 games all year? Culliver is out. Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey both out. Despite all of that, the 49ers are STILL the 3rd ranked defense in the NFL. There is a reason for that...more on that later.

On offense, The Niners have played most of the year with Jonathan Martin at RT. They are playing a backup guard at Center because they've lost both the centers on their roster. They went into the year with Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, Carlos Hyde, LaMichael James, and Marcus Lattimore at RB. Yesterdy, with the game on the line, they were handing off to Alphonso Smith. W.T.F. Its like all the injuries they weren't getting the last three years all stacked up into this year.


7) Rookies: Here's the silver lining though. We've seen a lot more of Hyde, Borland, Lynch, (Marcus) Martin, Bruce Ellington and Dontae Johnson than we ever expected and ALL of them at times have played very well. Ward struggled early but played better before he was hurt. We also get to see Brandon Thomas, Keith Reaser, Kenneth Acker (who looked good in preseason), Kaleb Ramsey, and Trey Millard next year. That's like another whole draft class on top of the one we are about to draft.

Plus....


8) Coming back: In addition to those rookies and players who were drafted injured, we'll get 2 All-World LBs back. We'll get a full year of Aldon Smith. We'll be putting a 100+ tackle Rookie of the Year candidate on the bench because he's not as good as the guys coming back. We'll get both Centers and our RT back. Hell, maybe Vernon comes back healthy (not holding my breath).


9) Fresh start: I really kinda started a few weeks ago, but I've now moved full on to looking forward to the offseason and next year. I love watching Niner games and I'll be watching these final 2, but there is a part of me that just kinda wishes they could shut it down now. I don't want ANOTHER injury hanging over the offseason they was it has the last 2 (Crabtree last year, Bowman this year). Obviously, it doesn't work that way, so I'll just be hoping for health these next two weeks.

Wouldn't it be nice to have an offseason with no arrests, no injuries, no coaching drama...just a nice little optimistic offseason? Probably a new head coach so no "will he stay or will he go" drama. No "does the coach get along with the GM" or "are the players tired of the coach" BS reported all over the media.

I don't want Harbaugh to leave, but I have to admit there is a part of me that looks forward to all the stuff that goes on around him being gone...I just hope that one of those things isn't winning.


10) Who do I root for?: Hrmm....Do I really wanna see Seattle win it again? I respect the hell out of that team from an on the field talent standpoint...but the TALKING just makes me want them to lose. If they could just win without being so damn obnoxious about it, I'd probably root for them simply because I respect the way they play the game.

So...and I NEVER thought I'd say this before because I've ALWAYS considered them our biggest historical rival, I wouldn't mind seeing the Cowboys take the NFC.

Wow...I'm gonna get flamed bad for that one.


11) One more: Had to add one more this week. MAN it was nice to see Tank Carradine get in there and do his thing. If he could develop that would be HUGE moving forward. Clear that he is still learning the position and he will make mistakes, but the guy has a gift for getting after the QB. He's displayed it on every level and was flashing in the preseason. I hope he really gets some playing time in these last few games.

Since this is my first post, I'll try not to be too inflammatory. However, why are we basing our judgement of Kaepernick against an abysmal record versus Seattle? Shouldn't it be more instructive to see his overall trend, game to game, and year to year? He's been the starting quarterback for 2 1/2 years. He led to team to two NFC championships and a Super Bowl. He is money come playoff time. With all that being said, it still disturbs me that he hasn't made the natural progression a running quarterback needs to make in order to become a complete passer. What is concerning is that the next steps to take don't start in the weight room or running sprints. Those important next steps come in reading film, digesting defense and making progressions through the reads. Steve Young had great things to say about taking the next step and becoming a complete passer. Kaepernick has already received a "passing" grade, so in order for him to improve he's got to be the one to WANT to make that step. That means endless film study and maturation and steadiness in the pocket.

I'm incredibly hopeful that he makes that step. The 49ers have invested too much in him for him not to. Ultimately, though, that rests completely on his shoulders, and this offseason and the 2015 regular season is absolutely critical and pivotal in his progress as an NFL QB. And oh, btw, ownership would be ludicrous to rob him of progress by removing Harbaugh.

Originally posted by mato49er:
Since this is my first post, I'll try not to be too inflammatory. However, why are we basing our judgement of Kaepernick against an abysmal record versus Seattle? Shouldn't it be more instructive to see his overall trend, game to game, and year to year? He's been the starting quarterback for 2 1/2 years. He led to team to two NFC championships and a Super Bowl. He is money come playoff time. With all that being said, it still disturbs me that he hasn't made the natural progression a running quarterback needs to make in order to become a complete passer. What is concerning is that the next steps to take don't start in the weight room or running sprints. Those important next steps come in reading film, digesting defense and making progressions through the reads. Steve Young had great things to say about taking the next step and becoming a complete passer. Kaepernick has already received a "passing" grade, so in order for him to improve he's got to be the one to WANT to make that step. That means endless film study and maturation and steadiness in the pocket.

I'm incredibly hopeful that he makes that step. The 49ers have invested too much in him for him not to. Ultimately, though, that rests completely on his shoulders, and this offseason and the 2015 regular season is absolutely critical and pivotal in his progress as an NFL QB. And oh, btw, ownership would be ludicrous to rob him of progress by removing Harbaugh.

Good 1st post.

In regards to Harbs, I would love for him to keep coaching the team, but I think we can all agree we need major changes on offense to help Kap take that next step. This offense has quickly become outdated, and opponents are all over us before the ball is even snapped. Comments from the opposition, and even our own players, have confirmed this.

Steve Young is 100% on the money in regards to Kap's development, but as talented as Steve was, even he needed to be guided by the coach and scheme. He never would have done it by myself, regardless of the work he put in. He always worked hard, but he needed the know-how from a true QB guru.

So as much as I like Harbaugh, if his plan for next season is to return with the same offensive assistants, scheme, and hope for a different result, it's time to move on.

Originally posted by SofaKing:
Good 1st post.

In regards to Harbs, I would love for him to keep coaching the team, but I think we can all agree we need major changes on offense to help Kap take that next step. This offense has quickly become outdated, and opponents are all over us before the ball is even snapped. Comments from the opposition, and even our own players, have confirmed this.

Steve Young is 100% on the money in regards to Kap's development, but as talented as Steve was, even he needed to be guided by the coach and scheme. He never would have done it by myself, regardless of the work he put in. He always worked hard, but he needed the know-how from a true QB guru.

So as much as I like Harbaugh, if his plan for next season is to return with the same offensive assistants, scheme, and hope for a different result, it's time to move on.

I agree, but I think a wholesale change in coaching would only serve to be detrimental to Kaepernick's progress. I think Coach Harbaugh has to look at his offense objectively and see the need to move away from Greg Roman. Roman was good in the first couple years, but this year this offense took a serious downturn. It's natural that the NFL catch on, but I think the 49ers were trapped into trying to change too much. We went away from a run-first concept and it showed. Regardless, there are too many plays indicative of Kaepernick not progressing. The obvious one is against the Raiders where he had Boldin running a 7-8 yard hitch, VD running a corner route and Bruce Miller running a little out from the backfield. The first read is Miller and it should have been a quick dump, 4-5 yards, second down. All the great QBs see this progression and immediately pulled the trigger. For reasons unknown to me, Kaepernick looked off his primary reads and went to the complete opposite side of the field in a look at Crabtree that happened too late and disrupted the timing and flow of the play. Kaepernick then rolled left and threw an ill-advised pass to Crabtree which was intercepted. This is just one play, but it's indicative of a QB who isn't quite comfortable in his read progression. "Take what the defense gives you" is that oft-repeated saying which really needed to be hammered into Kaepernick's mindset this year. Instead, it appears he is looking to make the dramatic play, every play.

Originally posted by mato49er:
I agree, but I think a wholesale change in coaching would only serve to be detrimental to Kaepernick's progress. I think Coach Harbaugh has to look at his offense objectively and see the need to move away from Greg Roman. Roman was good in the first couple years, but this year this offense took a serious downturn. It's natural that the NFL catch on, but I think the 49ers were trapped into trying to change too much. We went away from a run-first concept and it showed. Regardless, there are too many plays indicative of Kaepernick not progressing. The obvious one is against the Raiders where he had Boldin running a 7-8 yard hitch, VD running a corner route and Bruce Miller running a little out from the backfield. The first read is Miller and it should have been a quick dump, 4-5 yards, second down. All the great QBs see this progression and immediately pulled the trigger. For reasons unknown to me, Kaepernick looked off his primary reads and went to the complete opposite side of the field in a look at Crabtree that happened too late and disrupted the timing and flow of the play. Kaepernick then rolled left and threw an ill-advised pass to Crabtree which was intercepted. This is just one play, but it's indicative of a QB who isn't quite comfortable in his read progression. "Take what the defense gives you" is that oft-repeated saying which really needed to be hammered into Kaepernick's mindset this year. Instead, it appears he is looking to make the dramatic play, every play.

Agree, and I'm hoping this disaster season has convinced Harbaugh that he needs to part with Roman and re-assess his offensive approach. Kap also needs to spend some serious time in the film room and look at all the easy 4-5 yard dumpoffs he bypassed this year. As much as the passing concepts stink, those opportunities were there at times, and it would have helped create better down and distance situations. 3rd and long has killed us all season, and it all starts from failures on 1st down.

Sofa, much as I would like continuity, roman and harbs gotta go. And I bet the new OC/HC will want to pick his own Qb too.

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:
Sofa, much as I would like continuity, roman and harbs gotta go. And I bet the new OC/HC will want to pick his own Qb too.

That's certainly possible, and probably likely. I think Kap will get a fair shot with the next HC, but he'll be on a leash. How long a leash we don't know.

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:
Sofa, much as I would like continuity, roman and harbs gotta go. And I bet the new OC/HC will want to pick his own Qb too.

Usually this is the case....but i think the next coach would like to work more with Kap after spending some time with him. It's easy to have pre-judgements of a QB from highlights and lowlights...and hear say.

But IMO after seeing Kap's physical ability in person, from size, arm strength, and accuracy....and getting to conversate with Kap and getting a feel of him as a competitor. ...and of course his work ethic....I think a coach would be excited to see what he can improve of such potential. Competition is great for a team and I think Kap would always welcome it, because he believes in himself.

One thing a coach would love out of the QB position, and I think some always overlooked about Alex, is durability. Although Kap was the most sacked QB in the league, he has somehow stayed healthy. ..at least enough to always be out there on Sundays.

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by thl408:
That was a read option play and VD was in Jamba Juice land.

LOL! If Kaepernick had stopped when he saw VD's guy commit to stop him, tossed a five foot pass to VD, there might have been considerable YAC.

Edit: or a dropped pass as it looked like VD wasn't ready to receive.

And they had at least 3 guys downfield illegally.

Hmm...hadn't noticed that! Back to the drawing board! Thanks for pointing that out, my desire to defend VD lowered my IQ.

Originally posted by Afrikan:

Usually this is the case....but i think the next coach would like to work more with Kap after spending some time with him. It's easy to have pre-judgements of a QB from highlights and lowlights...and hear say.

But IMO after seeing Kap's physical ability in person, from size, arm strength, and accuracy....and getting to conversate with Kap and getting a feel of him as a competitor. ...and of course his work ethic....I think a coach would be excited to see what he can improve of such potential. Competition is great for a team and I think Kap would always welcome it, because he believes in himself.

One thing a coach would love out of the QB position, and I think some always overlooked about Alex, is durability. Although Kap was the most sacked QB in the league, he has somehow stayed healthy. ..at least enough to always be out there on Sundays.

Exactly

Originally posted by mato49er:
I'm incredibly hopeful that he makes that step. The 49ers have invested too much in him for him not to. Ultimately, though, that rests completely on his shoulders, and this offseason and the 2015 regular season is absolutely critical and pivotal in his progress as an NFL QB. And oh, btw, ownership would be ludicrous to rob him of progress by removing Harbaugh.

Unfortunately this was the year that Kap should've taken that step though going into his third year as a starter. But there's no question this franchise will succeed or fail in the near term based on how he fares moving forward.

Originally posted by DarthNiner:

Originally posted by Marvin49:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by defenderDX:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:
Never mind! Found it at PFF...just had to open to all rather than 25% of the snaps.


Edit: You know something is terribly wrong with VD when every SF TE (all three) are ahead of him in run blocking! Wow! And guys doubt he's injured!

This may look worse than it is. If he hits the guy and Kaepernick passes? Penalty. Without knowing the play call I wouldn't use this picture to paint a picture.

Look at the linemen...you can see how concerned they are about being downfield on a pass.

Ah sarcasm.

VD should have been blocking since it was a read option all the way. If he had blocked his man Kap would have been able to turn the corner for a good gain, but...

Looks like J Martin's guy guy would have made the tackle if VD had made his block, so...bad all around.

I want Denver to win the Superbowl over the Cardinals IN Arizona. That would make me happy.

Originally posted by mato49er:

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Well that was predictable...


1) Kap: He didn't play well, but by his "Vs the Seahawks" standards it wasn't really all that bad. In fact, I came away with a bit of hope for the future and I'll explain why.

Stat line wasn't impressive. He didn't deliver on a few balls and he was under siege all day...but what I liked was that he seemed FAR more relaxed than he has in any other Seattle game. He didn't look rattled. I think something happened after the Raiders game that I can only hope continues.

I think he got to the same place I talked about that Alex Smith (I know, shouldn't even mention the name) got to after the Philly game in 2010. Its almost a "F*CK IT!!" state of mind. The pressure is off. It started with the way he began talking to the press last week and continued after the game. He's not winding himself up so tightly that he's about to burst and make that critical mistake.

Some of you no doubt are going to see this as me being to easy on the guy. Again. You may be right, but I saw something happen last week. Its too little too late for this year, but it does give me a bit of hope for the future. If he can stop putting the weight of the world on his shoulders, then maybe, just maybe, he can stop trying to make every play THE big play. Maybe he can allow himself to hit that RB who's wide open for a 3-4 yard gain.

I have no idea what's gonna happen, but rewatching this game surprisingly gave me some hope for the future.


2) Vernon: Dude can't run. He says he's healthy, but he can't run and he can't block. Is it age? Is it still the back? He's just not moving the same. Kap got kinda blasted because he "missed" Vernon early, but it was pretty clear to me that the throw wasn't the issue. Vernon goes and gets that pass in the past...he's just not moving well.


3) Gore: Is it possible we've seen Franks last play ever in a Niner uniform? It is...and I have to say it bums me out. ALOT. I wanted to get him that ring. I never wanted to see him end with an injury. I hope he can come back and maybe play at home vs Arizona to give him a bit of a sendoff, but it's possible his career in SF is done. If so, farewell to my favorite 49er ever.


4) Hyde: Until he and another got hurt, I thought we had a real chance. So much power and energy. He's got a real future. It will be interesting to see how the next coach uses him. I see those cutback runs that Seattle runs and it makes me wonder how Hyde would do in a Zone blocking scheme.


5) Borland: Speed exposed a bit again, but when he and Hyde went out...it was over. They could no longer run the ball nor consistently stop it. When you are on your 3rd NT, and 3rd and 5th ILBs and that's Marshawn Lynch running at you...bad stuff will happen. Still, they gave it a valiant effort, but all those injuries took a toll.


6) Injuries: About those injuries...CRAZY. Assuming Aldon starts the last two games, the Niners 3 best players on defense will have played 13 of 48 possible starts this year. Tramaine Brock has played, what, 1 or 2 games all year? Culliver is out. Ian Williams and Glenn Dorsey both out. Despite all of that, the 49ers are STILL the 3rd ranked defense in the NFL. There is a reason for that...more on that later.

On offense, The Niners have played most of the year with Jonathan Martin at RT. They are playing a backup guard at Center because they've lost both the centers on their roster. They went into the year with Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, Carlos Hyde, LaMichael James, and Marcus Lattimore at RB. Yesterdy, with the game on the line, they were handing off to Alphonso Smith. W.T.F. Its like all the injuries they weren't getting the last three years all stacked up into this year.


7) Rookies: Here's the silver lining though. We've seen a lot more of Hyde, Borland, Lynch, (Marcus) Martin, Bruce Ellington and Dontae Johnson than we ever expected and ALL of them at times have played very well. Ward struggled early but played better before he was hurt. We also get to see Brandon Thomas, Keith Reaser, Kenneth Acker (who looked good in preseason), Kaleb Ramsey, and Trey Millard next year. That's like another whole draft class on top of the one we are about to draft.

Plus....


8) Coming back: In addition to those rookies and players who were drafted injured, we'll get 2 All-World LBs back. We'll get a full year of Aldon Smith. We'll be putting a 100+ tackle Rookie of the Year candidate on the bench because he's not as good as the guys coming back. We'll get both Centers and our RT back. Hell, maybe Vernon comes back healthy (not holding my breath).


9) Fresh start: I really kinda started a few weeks ago, but I've now moved full on to looking forward to the offseason and next year. I love watching Niner games and I'll be watching these final 2, but there is a part of me that just kinda wishes they could shut it down now. I don't want ANOTHER injury hanging over the offseason they was it has the last 2 (Crabtree last year, Bowman this year). Obviously, it doesn't work that way, so I'll just be hoping for health these next two weeks.

Wouldn't it be nice to have an offseason with no arrests, no injuries, no coaching drama...just a nice little optimistic offseason? Probably a new head coach so no "will he stay or will he go" drama. No "does the coach get along with the GM" or "are the players tired of the coach" BS reported all over the media.

I don't want Harbaugh to leave, but I have to admit there is a part of me that looks forward to all the stuff that goes on around him being gone...I just hope that one of those things isn't winning.


10) Who do I root for?: Hrmm....Do I really wanna see Seattle win it again? I respect the hell out of that team from an on the field talent standpoint...but the TALKING just makes me want them to lose. If they could just win without being so damn obnoxious about it, I'd probably root for them simply because I respect the way they play the game.

So...and I NEVER thought I'd say this before because I've ALWAYS considered them our biggest historical rival, I wouldn't mind seeing the Cowboys take the NFC.

Wow...I'm gonna get flamed bad for that one.


11) One more: Had to add one more this week. MAN it was nice to see Tank Carradine get in there and do his thing. If he could develop that would be HUGE moving forward. Clear that he is still learning the position and he will make mistakes, but the guy has a gift for getting after the QB. He's displayed it on every level and was flashing in the preseason. I hope he really gets some playing time in these last few games.

Since this is my first post, I'll try not to be too inflammatory. However, why are we basing our judgement of Kaepernick against an abysmal record versus Seattle? Shouldn't it be more instructive to see his overall trend, game to game, and year to year? He's been the starting quarterback for 2 1/2 years. He led to team to two NFC championships and a Super Bowl. He is money come playoff time. With all that being said, it still disturbs me that he hasn't made the natural progression a running quarterback needs to make in order to become a complete passer. What is concerning is that the next steps to take don't start in the weight room or running sprints. Those important next steps come in reading film, digesting defense and making progressions through the reads. Steve Young had great things to say about taking the next step and becoming a complete passer. Kaepernick has already received a "passing" grade, so in order for him to improve he's got to be the one to WANT to make that step. That means endless film study and maturation and steadiness in the pocket.

I'm incredibly hopeful that he makes that step. The 49ers have invested too much in him for him not to. Ultimately, though, that rests completely on his shoulders, and this offseason and the 2015 regular season is absolutely critical and pivotal in his progress as an NFL QB. And oh, btw, ownership would be ludicrous to rob him of progress by removing Harbaugh.

Well, not to be too direct, but I might just have something to do with the fact that we just played Seattle.