Originally posted by NCommand:
Game Assessment:
Unfortunately, what cost us a W today was exactly what cost us W's last year. Crucial penalties, injuries, tons of drops, undisciplined, poor tackling, RZ offense, defenders with their backs to the QB and drops of their own...right down to the wrong cleats.
Big Picture:
We're good enough to stay in these games now despite all of these perpetual issues.
Next Step:
We've GOT to learn how to win as a team by not shooting ourselves in the foot. Rinse. Repeat.
I can't disagree with anything in this post, NC...
The questions that arise.....Is this a coaching issue and are we overrating the Niners' coaching staff? IMHO, the difference between the Viking and the Niners in this game was discipline...or lack thereof. The Vikings made very few mistakes and the Niners made several crucial ones. I would also question whether Kyle has a coherent plan for the red zone... I wasn't real thrilled with the play calling in the RZ in the Viking game...
The good news is that overall, the NIners only had 3 penalties so they showed a lot of improvement in that area from their preseason games. In addition, they made good halftime adjustments and missed far fewer tackles in the second half. Also, their top rookie draft choices played well.
So...are the Vikings more talented than the Niners or just more disciplined? I would say the latter. The Niners would have won this game if not for a couple of horrendous plays and if they just could have caught the ball better, they may have won the game easily. How can the NIners get more disciplined? That, to me, is the real question.
Cheers!