The win over the Seahawks will be the turning point going forward for the Niners

Buchy · 2018-12-18T08:10:58-08:00

So it's safe to say there's a lot of conflict on the forum right now regarding winning games vs losing out for the number one overall pick. For most of this season I've been firmly on the side of tanking for the number one draft pick to get Bosa, I enjoyed the win over the Broncos and even more so because we were still in pole position. Going into Sunday's game, I had an odd feeling that we were going to beat Seattle and texted as much to my brother beforehand. When I stopped to think about it, I couldn't put my finger on exactly what was driving that but it revolved around an improved defensive display vs Denver with Kittle balling out and the Offense (for the first half at least) putting on a real show. But as I thought harder about it I realized something else; we'd come out of the bye week flat against Tampa, albeit in the worst scenario for a West Coast team in terms of travel distance and time of day. We were humiliated and blown out by a bad team and, as Shanahan observed, for the first time we looked like a two win team. We then got rolled over in Seattle in a game which was close for a while before some huge swings led to a blow-out in Seattle's favour. And we didn't lie down. Going into the Denver game we were 2-10, having lost our starting QB, RB, Rueben Foster, been decimated with injuries, carried serious holes in the roster with a lack of edge pressure and were running out the rookies and 2nd year players. But the players fought and didn't quit, they played with pride and for each other and the game meant something to them. In the 2nd half i think we were all expecting Denver to come back and win it 21-20 but it didn't happen. We stopped them on 4th down repeatedly, we might have botched the kneel downs at the end of the game but we held on - and it was a defensive victory, the side of the ball we've been most worried about stopped the Broncos and for the first time this season showed they were capable of closing out a game. And the rookies and 2nd year players had a huge role in doing so. I picked against us on the WebZone Pick'Em for the Seattle game on Sunday. I thought the Denver game was maybe a one-off and I was wrong. The Defense came to play again, we moved the ball on Offense and we were two missed passes to Kittle away from hanging 30+ points on Seattle. But it was the attitude of the team that was the same, the guys played for each other, played hard, played aggressive and showed they had pride in themselves and that they cared. They were 3-10, had been humiliated by this team two weeks earlier, went down 0-6 to the early TD after losing yet another starter in Witherspoon (who had started playing well) and they took the game to them. The team could have folded but they didn't, they punched back right away with a 97 yard kick-off return immediately (with great blocking) and they went after Seattle. From Trent Taylor and his aggressive blocking, Pettis with the stiff-arm and and a disciplined but aggressive defensive display, the entire team showed pride in themselves, a desire for revenge and they out fought a good Seattle team to win it in Overtime. The team showed character. Now last season we finished strong with Jimmy G carrying us to 6 wins, but this season a young team is learning to win, through adversity, on their own without a saviour. This team had every reason and excuse available to mail it in, lose out and take the number one overall pick with the fans convincing ourselves that it was OK to do so. Growing pains, injuries, a horrible adversity laden season and inexperienced youth would have all been accepted by fans and pundits, but the team didn't do that. They played for each other and even more importantly they were excited and over-joyed when they made plays. Now Nick Bosa might have been a good to great consolation prize for this season, but I now firmly think that one player, no matter how good, is not better for a franchise than 53 guys learning to win off their own back without relying on some superstar to bail them out. THAT is what championship teams are made of, this is young guys learning to make plays in tough situations and win and that reliance on their own ability will carry the team far further than a group of players who rely on one or two players and then quit if those guys are missing. How many franchises in this league are excused because those guys are missing? Because Megatron is injured, or Jones, or Rodgers? This league has many franchises that are, or became, reliant on one or two key players and then write off a season with those players injured. They almost never amount to a franchise which is consistently competing to win it all and make it year in year out to the post-season. What would be the story if we lost out, took Bosa and missed next season from a training camp injury or suffered a career ending injury? We'd expect the players to step up but if they've never learned how to step up, at best we'd get another season of pain. Our franchise has been through real adversity in the last two years and we're seeing the young players learn to over come it without being able to rely on superstars or veterans at every level of the team. That fire will make us, the record is secondary to the character, attitude and culture of the team. This win over Seattle will be franchise changing for us because of the reasons above; because winning through adversity, without giving up, creates a culture worth more than one player, no matter how special.

Dec 18, 2018 at 9:22 AM

JTsBiggestFan
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Posts: 7,758

Very good post, love it!!

And you're right, you can draft/trade for anyone you like in theory but teaching a team how to win isn't so easy.

If we really want Bosa or whomever, I still think we can pull a big trade for it, even at a "worst case scenario" LOL, 6-10.

That could in theory be a cool offseason.......Niners pulling out two late season wins, getting Jimmy, Jet, etc. back and Lynch going all in on the #1 or #2 pick in the draft for a stud edge.

Just think how hard it will be to get to 6-10 or even 5-11 at this point. If the Cards/Raiders win one more game, we are back in business probably.

Dec 18, 2018 at 9:24 AM

English
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Posts: 41,388

Nice post, Buchy.

Dec 18, 2018 at 9:32 AM

elguapo
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Posts: 26,395

Very good post I agree on all of your points. Learning to win is good and the fact we are doing it with third stringers and practice squad players and rookies is amazing in my opinion. We are beating teams that are in the playoffs again or have a chance at the playoffs. That is ridiculous I honestly don't think more than a handful of teams could do this well with these injuries with this roster. That's a fact.

Once we get our team healthy we will be in business. All we need is a pass rusher in free agency and maybe a corner. I do like Melvin from the Raiders and hope he's available because on the Colts last year he was great

I wanted bosa very badly but if we take Brandon Graham as a fa or even Allen in the draft I will be happy. Greedy Williams may be an option if we fail to address a cb in fa and get an edge rusher instead. I still can't believe our team is playing this well with all of these back ups and Rockies in. People that were criticizing the team did not realize that hardly any teams with this roster could win more than one or 2 games and we have 4 wins.

It reminds me of the year Dallas got Elliott when Tony Romo got injured and they were picking fourth. Hopefully we get a great player in the draft and moving forward we will be a playoff team

[ Edited by elguapo on Dec 18, 2018 at 9:33 AM ]

Dec 18, 2018 at 9:45 AM

LenCat
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Posts: 7,422

EXCELLENT POST!! We got the SeaMonkey off our back AND put a SeaMonkey wrench in their playoff run. HOW SWEET IT IS!!I How sad for fans who are unable to enjoy this glorious win.

Winning is for winners! Losing is for Losers. Draft picks are a crap shoot.

Dec 18, 2018 at 9:46 AM

susweel
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Posts: 122,035

tldr

Dec 18, 2018 at 9:55 AM

pete98146
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Posts: 2,619

Nice post! Also, one of the main reasons why we've played better the past few games is that our defensive backfield is FINALLY starting to adapt to the Cover 3 defense. We aren't giving up large chunks of yardage and tightening up on coverages. Makes a HUGE HUGE HUGE difference.

Dec 18, 2018 at 9:58 AM

Hysterikal
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Posts: 39,646

Originally posted by susweel:
tldr

This

Dec 18, 2018 at 10:01 AM

hello49
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Posts: 1,494

Awesome post! I also had mixed feelings at first, since I really wanted Bosa as well, but I can't help but root for my team to win on Sundays. You can see by their celebration after the win how much a win means to them! And again, it can only help to try to lure free agents here next year, if we show something at the end of this year rather than lose out and get the first pick....

Dec 18, 2018 at 10:10 AM

9NERNATE
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Posts: 6,931

Originally posted by hello49:
Awesome post! I also had mixed feelings at first, since I really wanted Bosa as well, but I can't help but root for my team to win on Sundays. You can see by their celebration after the win how much a win means to them! And again, it can only help to try to lure free agents here next year, if we show something at the end of this year rather than lose out and get the first pick....

This win helped us have a chance to get Earl Thomas if we are going to go after him. I think we have the second best chance to get him with Sherman here and that he might want to face the Hawks twice a year. This win definitely helped us in a lot of ways for the future.

Dec 18, 2018 at 10:18 AM

#10

cciowa
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Posts: 60,541

Originally posted by Hysterikal:

Originally posted by susweel:
tldr

This

lol,, the same thing was said with our little win streak last year..

Dec 18, 2018 at 10:20 AM

#11

JoseCortez
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Posts: 13,751

The saints winning and the rams losing means it is highly likely saints will secure home field next week, which means the rams will have nothing to play for week 17 which means a victory for the 49ers which means a lower draft choice which means mediocrity for the next 10 years.

Dec 18, 2018 at 10:20 AM

#12

9erReign
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Posts: 50,639

Turning point already happened last year against the Jags. Don't you remember?

Dec 18, 2018 at 10:33 AM

#13

Waterbear
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Posts: 18,527

Honestly, you typed a lot but said very little. This idea that winning one game is better than any one player is complete baloney. How do people not see the hole in that logic?

If that was the case... you would cut Buckner for winning against the Rams. You would trade away Jimmy G for a win against the Bears right? Because one win means more for the team than any one player. LMAO.

Seriously some of you need to snap back to reality. We have had season after season where we get a late win that never carried over to a good start to the next season or even wins the next year period. WHY?! Because no one cares what you did a year ago, a week ago, or even a play ago. Why do you hear players say things like "we are just taking it game by game" or "any given Sunday"? It is because there is so much parody that you can not rest on a past win ever. No one cares.

Dec 18, 2018 at 10:36 AM

#14

elguapo
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Posts: 26,395

Originally posted by Waterbear:
Honestly, you typed a lot but said very little. This idea that winning one game is better than any one player is complete baloney. How do people not see the hole in that logic?

If that was the case... you would cut Buckner for winning against the Rams. You would trade away Jimmy G for a win against the Bears right? Because one win means more for the team than any one player. LMAO.

Seriously some of you need to snap back to reality. We have had season after season where we get a late win that never carried over to a good start to the next season or even wins the next year period. WHY?! Because no one cares what you did a year ago, a week ago, or even a play ago. Why do you hear players say things like "we are just taking it game by game" or "any given Sunday"? It is because there is so much parody that you can not rest on a past win ever. No one cares.

You are right to a certain extent. It just sucks that we are costing ourselves players like Garnett instead of Thomas or even Peyton Manning instead of Ryan leaf. I'm glad we beat the Seahawks but damn I wanted the pick of the bunch. Hopefully it will all work out All we can do is sit back and watch. Now the Seahawks have to play both games because they will most likely lose to Kansas City. I thought Arizona could get a win against their back ups week 17. Dammit