49ers Week 12 2016 - Thoughts after rewatching the game...

Originally posted by amosmac28:

Forgot to mention, I agree on T. Brock. He's gotta go. Regardless of what PFF says, he has been toasted so many times this year. Why is he still starting?

The other player I've become very frustrated with.. Garrett Celek. Is that 3 fumbles on the year? WTF. Is Blake Bell that bad? I know he can't block for sh*t but neither can Celek. He was crushed on a number of plays. V-Mac is much better then the 2 of these guys.

Kerley is another keeper. Love Burbridge on ST too. Hope he can grow into depth behind Kerley.

Originally posted by NCommand:
Rarely read a post where I agree with everything. Well stated.

Thanks! Guess we think a bit alike.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Kerley is another keeper. Love Burbridge on ST too. Hope he can grow into depth behind Kerley.

Definitely agree on Kerley. The other guy I wanted to mention... Ronald Blair. He was working Miami's RG (Webb?) Like what Im seeing there also in limited action.

Originally posted by amosmac28:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Kerley is another keeper. Love Burbridge on ST too. Hope he can grow into depth behind Kerley.

Definitely agree on Kerley. The other guy I wanted to mention... Ronald Blair. He was working Miami's RG (Webb?) Like what Im seeing there also in limited action.

No doubt. Going through the roster, even with all the I.R.'s, we've got 35-40 keepers at various levels of talent. With the top (10) picks now, we've got to hit on the cornerstone players. If we can swindled a cornerstone FA here and there that would help a ton but I'm not banking on it.

But damn, it's not easy to find these guys especially all in one off season...we need our next Aldon, Williams/Dorsey, A.Davis, Vernon, Willis, Staley, Bowman, Iupati, Crabtree, S.Young/Montana, etc. or better!

We might have some budding ones in Armstead, Buckner, Williams (if ever health), Kerley, Brown, Garnett, Kilgore, Robinson, Ward, Tartt, Redmond, Ray-Ray, McDonald, Hyde, etc. but it's still just too early to tell IMHO and under O'Neil? Even tougher.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
1) Kap: Gotta give the guy some props. He's been playing well. I had all but written him off as done by seasons end but I'm starting to turn on that one.

Its a players option so he can leave if he wants but he might have a hard time getting the kind of money he's making now particularly with the off the field stuff thats going on. I still think they need to take a QB, but Kap has impressed me in recent weeks. Imagine if he actually had a few WRs out there.


2) McDonald: He always seems to be good for a drop or two, but he's starting to show why I never really lost faith in him. I always feared he's leave the way another high draft pick at TE who wore #89 in SF did. Wesley Walls. Walls just couldn't put it together in SF and they let him walk away...and then he became a monster. Vance needs to spend the entire offseason catching the football, but I like where he's headed.


3) Kerley: Dude flat makes plays. Keeper.


4) Kelly: I'm really on the fence over whether I want him to stay or go. We are just kinda starting to see what his offense can be and in recent weeks he's even slowed the pace a bit showing that he is capable of doing so. It seems there are plays out there to be made if there were a few better players out there on the offensive side of the ball. With so much $$$ in free agency it seems like the Niners could make a real push there. We'll see.


5) O'Neal: His D has started to play a bit better particularly vs the run, but I'm still not a fan. The Niners have some young talent there but they need a lot more. Defensive Free Agents are likely never going to see a Kelly coached team as a destination, so might be all about the draft on D and all about Free Agency on O.


6) Hyde: Nice to see him running hard again. He trucked that guy on the long run. Just wish he could stay healthy for 16 games.


7) Draft: Will the Browns win a damn game or 2? Please? I'm afraid the Bears are worse than the Niners and the Niners will break their losing streak this weekend. I want Myles Garrett. Buckner, a healthy Armstead, maybe a healthy Ian Williams with Garrett and Lynch on the outside and Bowman back in the middle and maybe a draft pick? Thats possibly the makings of a nice front 7.


8) Garnett: I'm starting to become a Garnett fan. I wasn't a big fan of moving him into the starting lineup only because I didn't think Tiller had played himself out of a job, but while I see Garnett make some mistakes I also see some of the reasons the Niners moved up to take him in round one. Will he fit any system? Dunno...but seems he is fitting this one pretty well.


9) OLB: Is there a more underperforming position on the Niners than OLB? WR is a close second but this is a big reason I want Garrett. I think he could be a great OLB. Eli and Tank are total disappointments. In Tanks case, I just think he's miscast. He needs to be a 4-3 DE somewhere. Eli just never gets home. He's improved vs the run, but he might as well not even be on the field rushing the passer.


10) 5 more to go: Its kinda funny. The 49ers by record are a worse team this year than they were last year yet somehow I'm more positive about the teams direction than I was last year. Last year just seemed completely directionless with no hope whatsoever. Call me a homer but I see some direction this year. I see some pieces and I see some improvement in individual play even if the whole isn't putting it together into Ws.

Thumbs up, good analysis

I agree with everything.... except the analysis of Eli Harold.

I've been watching Harold closely the last several weeks. He has improved significantly since last year. His run defense and outside containment are very good. He is quick, and sheds blockers well in the running game.

His pass rush is also vastly improved over last year. Last year, all he would do is a speed rush on the outside. Every time. Tackles would just bump him and ride him out of the play. Now, he mixes it up. Attacks to the inside. Much better use of hands. He's just always a step or two too late to the QB. But he is disrupting the pocket.

He's a second year player. Will he ever been a sack artist... probably not. But with a little more improvement to his game he could be a solid all-around defender. Maybe a good replacement for the aging Ahmad Brooks.

Thanks Marvin, Kap seems to be turning back the clock a few years and he's deadly. There were some fakes to the running back and Kap took off, the cameraman (along with me) thought he handed off. You're right Marvin there is hope.

Originally posted by thl408:
Dorsey was putting the MIA center on skates the whole game. He should be a high priority FA. In fact, get a deal done now before he hits the open market. I'm not trying to draft a rookie NT and expecting him to produce. It was interesting what Dorsey was doing in this game. Most 3-4 NTs are looking to two gap but Dorsey was firing upfield a number of times and was getting penetration.

Had my eye on him as well. He makes a difference when he is in the game. Sort of a change-of-pace approach to playing the position.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
1) Kap: Gotta give the guy some props. He's been playing well. I had all but written him off as done by seasons end but I'm starting to turn on that one.

Its a players option so he can leave if he wants but he might have a hard time getting the kind of money he's making now particularly with the off the field stuff thats going on. I still think they need to take a QB, but Kap has impressed me in recent weeks. Imagine if he actually had a few WRs out there.

The WR group needs improvement, however, it is not as bad as we thought at the beginning of the year. CK put up just under 300 passing yards to this group. If they really were junk, he wouldn't have had that.

What we truly need is a #1. Torrey is a solid #2. Kerley is very good out of the slot. Patton would struggle for PT but has played well enough the past 3 or 4 games.

I give Kelly a lot of props for his scheme. He is getting the most out of these guys.

Originally posted by blm7754:

I agree with everything.... except the analysis of Eli Harold.

I've been watching Harold closely the last several weeks. He has improved significantly since last year. His run defense and outside containment are very good. He is quick, and sheds blockers well in the running game.

His pass rush is also vastly improved over last year. Last year, all he would do is a speed rush on the outside. Every time. Tackles would just bump him and ride him out of the play. Now, he mixes it up. Attacks to the inside. Much better use of hands. He's just always a step or two too late to the QB. But he is disrupting the pocket.

He's a second year player. Will he ever been a sack artist... probably not. But with a little more improvement to his game he could be a solid all-around defender. Maybe a good replacement for the aging Ahmad Brooks.

Think it was the 1st defensive series of the game. He played the run just like you teach it. Stack up the blocker, shed the blocker and make the tackle. I wanna say it was a 1 yard loss on Ajayi. This wasnt the only time I saw these mechanics. He is doing a good job setting the edge.

He had 1 particular pass rush where he dipped under the LT and was so damn close to making the sack. Hes gotta learn to finish. I see progress.

GREAT Post Marvin. Yeah, there is some life on this team (offense) and hope going forward. Chip has the offense working and getting better each week with no weapons. I hate to say it, but Kap has looked better and better each week at this point he is really our best option going into next season as our starting QB.

Imagine if we could sign a Alshon Jeffery and draft Mike Williams and suddenly we have some weapons with Hyde, Vance McDonald, Kerley and a good young O-Line.

Then add a veteran or two along the front and continue drafting defense.

The KEY is though, Baalke HAS TO GO! Has to! Otherwise, we don't have much hope going forward

Originally posted by 49erphan:
Anybody know what is going on with Bethea? I keep seeing him in what seems to be out of position, unable to change direction as quickly as it seemed like he used to, taking bad angles and too often having bad tackling technique. He had a bad injury and hasn't seemed the same since he came back from it - or is it more age catching up to him - or a combination of the two? Or is it maybe more about Bethea trying to make up for the really bad weakness at ILB and that hurts his play at safety? I would like to see Ward move to FS and Reid (who I hope comes back soon) move down to SS, but with Brock not playing particularly well, moving Ward would weaken the CB position even more.

That Kerley reception at the side line was probably one of the very best catches by a receiver this week. It's too bad it happened on a losing team that was losing another game because I think otherwise it would have gotten more recognition.

Edit: I must have been composing this post while tohara3 was posting his - I didn't see his comment on Bethea.

Think it's a combination of the fact he just doesn't have the talent he once used to. He's an aging (32 y/o) safety in this league and the skills are starting to erode. Doesn't have the speed or coverage ability he once had. Would love to see Tartt more.

As usual, your analysis is really good.

1). Kaep
AT the beginning I had the QB position as our top need to address in the draft. But with Kaep growth in Chips scheme I cannot see the FO allowing him to walk, nor do I see Kaep wanting to leave given what he's set to be paid. I did say at the beginning that I did not think that Blaine Gabbert wasn't beating out a healthy C. Kaep, and we are seeing why. In Chip's scheme Kaep is a real weapon. But with him throwing the ball with way better accuracy he's dangerous. With a better WR corp. this offense would score way more points.

5). O'Neil
While I do agree that the D is playing much better I'm still not sold on his overall scheme. He seems to always be a step behind the offence, seemingly always to be playing the previous play. Now, I know that Baalke's roster and injuries hasn't been too kind to him, witch makes evaluating him a bit complicated. But I think I've seen enough to believe that we should be moving on from him next season. His scheme leaves players - even seasoned vets - thinking way too much. That TD play where Bethea horribly late on was a good example of this. From what I saw Bethea was a bit unsure post snap. For me that's problematic! A seasoned vet, at this point in the season, should NOT be that confused as to where to be. That tells me that there's too much thinking going on and not enough playing. We need a definite change there.

9). OLB
I think I may be the only one here who thinks our OLB needs aren't as big as out ILB and WR needs. To be sure, given Kaep's play and development in Chip's scheme, I wouldn't be upset if we went Garrett with our 1st pick. But I really think that our ILB and WR needs are killing this team more than the OLB position is. Now, the OLB problem is a glaring exposure of Baalke's need to be fired, NOW. He should not be allowed anywhere near the 2017 draft. Chip is fielding Baalke's draft picks and they are, by and large, proving to be little better than a bunch of backups.

IMHO. . .

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:

9). OLB
I think I may be the only one here who thinks our OLB needs aren't as big as out ILB and WR needs. To be sure, given Kaep's play and development in Chip's scheme, I wouldn't be upset if we went Garrett with our 1st pick. But I really think that our ILB and WR needs are killing this team more than the OLB position is. Now, the OLB problem is a glaring exposure of Baalke's need to be fired, NOW. He should not be allowed anywhere near the 2017 draft. Chip is fielding Baalke's draft picks and they are, by and large, proving to be little better than a bunch of backups.

IMHO. . .

4-5 weeks ago I would have said it's blatantly obvious QB was our biggest need. It's not anymore based on how Kaepernick's been playing. I have to disagree though on the OLB position. Not from a "stop the run" standpoint but from a pass rush perspective. Our pass rush is basically non-existent. 1 sack between Eli Harold and Tank Carradine. Brooks has 4 to his credit. That's 5 sacks between 3 OLB's. Aaron Lynch is not Von Miller even when healthy. That's not cutting it. We could change opposing offenses schemes if we presented a decent pass rush. We can't. If Myles Garrett is there when we pick, we need to take him. If he's not, we need to find one in the draft or in FA. Pass rush is our most glaring weakness right now and I don't even know if it's close.

Originally posted by 9ersLiferInChicago:
As usual, your analysis is really good.

1). Kaep
AT the beginning I had the QB position as our top need to address in the draft. But with Kaep growth in Chips scheme I cannot see the FO allowing him to walk, nor do I see Kaep wanting to leave given what he's set to be paid. I did say at the beginning that I did not think that Blaine Gabbert wasn't beating out a healthy C. Kaep, and we are seeing why. In Chip's scheme Kaep is a real weapon. But with him throwing the ball with way better accuracy he's dangerous. With a better WR corp. this offense would score way more points.

5). O'Neil
While I do agree that the D is playing much better I'm still not sold on his overall scheme. He seems to always be a step behind the offence, seemingly always to be playing the previous play. Now, I know that Baalke's roster and injuries hasn't been too kind to him, witch makes evaluating him a bit complicated. But I think I've seen enough to believe that we should be moving on from him next season. His scheme leaves players - even seasoned vets - thinking way too much. That TD play where Bethea horribly late on was a good example of this. From what I saw Bethea was a bit unsure post snap. For me that's problematic! A seasoned vet, at this point in the season, should NOT be that confused as to where to be. That tells me that there's too much thinking going on and not enough playing. We need a definite change there.

9). OLB
I think I may be the only one here who thinks our OLB needs aren't as big as out ILB and WR needs. To be sure, given Kaep's play and development in Chip's scheme, I wouldn't be upset if we went Garrett with our 1st pick. But I really think that our ILB and WR needs are killing this team more than the OLB position is. Now, the OLB problem is a glaring exposure of Baalke's need to be fired, NOW. He should not be allowed anywhere near the 2017 draft. Chip is fielding Baalke's draft picks and they are, by and large, proving to be little better than a bunch of backups.

IMHO. . .

Antoine Bethea is absolute garbage. I think OLB is a huge need. I hope we make a run at Melvin Ingram.