Not at all! I hope SB doesn't pick him as our Cal's HC.

I haven't seen many 9'ers games, but he called a stinker in St. Louis today. Telling Kaep to run it out of the EZ, then trying some risky option play when backed up on the 10 YL.

I have no problem with that option play call. Who better to run that play than Colin Kaepernick, you know the guy who ran that exact same play 300,000 times in college?

Sometimes **** happens.

Not the best play calling imo, but Kaep isn't as good as advertised. Bad decision making, holds onto the ball too long, and tries to make plays when he can't causing him to get Sack. Alex Smith would have won that game today

Agreed...Niners have a dominant defense and that's what they rely upon. Kap may improve with experience but opposing defenses will look at film and improve their schemes against him as well. It reminds me of a rookie pitcher who is successful early and then experienced hitters make adjustments...Kap isn't the first duel threat QB in the league.

The play-calling absolutely lost the 49er game. Those of you blaming CK must be kidding. He made plays whenever Roman took the handcuffs off.

The safety was a bad call. (Per Mike Pereira) The option pitch was poor, but no pro coach in his right mind calls that play in that situation. I don't care WHAT a QB does in college. Pro players are WAY too fast for that play - especially when backed against your own goal line. TERRIBLE call.

Running Gore twice in a row to set up a 50+ yard FG in OT is absolutely moronic. Blaming CK for the loss is ridiculous IMO. I will agree however, that if Roman was going to call this conservative of a game, they might as well have stuck with Smith (who I actually like).

88Bear;842028390 said:

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Blaming CK for the loss is ridiculous IMO. .

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I wouldn't go so far as to blame CK for the loss, but I think they win the game convincingly with Smith at QB. I think CK is still a work in progress, which is why he didn't beat Smith at the start of the season. CK makes a lot of nice plays, but he also fires in the occasional uncatchable fastball on third down. I think the loss of Kendall Hunter is making a big difference too and frankly may be the reason they stick with CK from here on out. I was hoping they'd play TheMichael but for whatever reason they seem to be redshirting him.

No kidding! Roman called a horrible game today. Time after time the Rams stopped Gore and Jacobs for 2 or 3 yard gains, but he kept calling runs between the tackles. Very Tedfordesque. He should have done a much better job of taking advantage of Kaepernick's mobility.

Unit2Sucks;842028422 said:

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I wouldn't go so far as to blame CK for the loss, but I think they win the game convincingly with Smith at QB. I think CK is still a work in progress, which is why he didn't beat Smith at the start of the season. CK makes a lot of nice plays, but he also fires in the occasional uncatchable fastball on third down. I think the loss of Kendall Hunter is making a big difference too and frankly may be the reason they stick with CK from here on out. I was hoping they'd play TheMichael but for whatever reason they seem to be redshirting him.

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My thoughts exactly

Roman - see stanford 2010. At the end of the season thought they were better than oregon and auburn.

bigcocoon007;842028446 said:

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Roman - see stanford 2010. At the end of the season thought they were better than oregon and auburn.

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That team had Andrew Luck, Doug Baldwin, Stepfan Taylor, David DeCastro, Zach Ertz, Jonathan Martin, Coby Fleener, Chris Owusu, Zach Ertz, Ryan Whalen, and Owen Marecic.

Eleven NFL-caliber players and a potential franchise QB. Roman performed as he should have with that talent.

You are right! There were many Niners mistakes today, not just Kap.....how about his perfect throw for possibly winning TD late in 4th quarterback, dropped by Walker? Too many penalties hurt the Niners. And the last series of play calls after receiving a gift of field position at the 50 reminded me of Tedford......looked like they were playing for a
50+ yard field goal from the first play. For crying out loud, if you are going to play Kap,
take advantage of Kap. That was game management Smith playcalling all the way. Kap made mistakes in this game, but too many penalties, Walker misques, Harbaugh/Roman
playcalling, contributed as well.....not to mention Akers failures again. Hopefully, Kap can learn from this and continue to grow. He is the future of the 49ers---the question is if he has arrived enough at this point to take them all the way this season. Harbaugh obviously doesn't comfortable with the idea of Smith leading the team into the playoffs this year.

LessMilesMoreTedford;842028450 said:

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That team had Andrew Luck, Doug Baldwin, Stepfan Taylor, David DeCastro, Zach Ertz, Jonathan Martin, Coby Fleener, Chris Owusu, Zach Ertz, Ryan Whalen, and Owen Marecic.

Eleven NFL-caliber players and a potential franchise QB. Roman performed as he should have with that talent.

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Tedford would have done OK

Both you guys miss big here.....Kap did not start the season because he is only a 2nd year quarterback.....he has MUCH more talent than Smith. The fact that eight-year veteran Smith is already being challenged should tell you something. Harbaugh did a great job to develop Smith, but he knows what should be obvious to everyone by now....
Smith is a game manager, not a big time play maker. The reason he is playing Kap
is that he sees much more potential for beating the great teams in the playoffs. By the way, have you checked third down stats lately? Smith is not a great third down QB.
Kap is much more likely to be a 3rd and 12 threat than Smith. And when the Niners
fall behind (ala the Giants) the offense under Smith can turn non-existent. He's not a comeback QB. He had a fine season last year and was doing well this season too.
But his ability is limited. The big question about Kap is whether he's ready yet. Obviously, he will make mistakes until he gains more experience, but experience is really the only asset Smith has over him now. A good coach can make adequate QBs look very good for a time. Those of you a bit older might remember Steve DeBerg of the
49ers. He actually set NFL records under Bill Walsh, but by Joe Montana's third year,
he actually traded away DeBerg (he had used Montana sparingly his first 2 years, preferring to bring him along slowly, grooming him for the starting job). Kap made mistakes today, but let's not forget, he had some great drives on the road in a hostile environment as well---he still could have pulled it out except for numerous Niner penalties, Walker's drop of a perfect pass for potential TD winner, Akers missed FG,
and some very questionable playcalling by Harbaugh/Roman, especially before the Akers miss (looked like Tedford playing for a 50+ yard field goal---definitely Alex Smith management style playcalling.....Gore up the gut, Gore up the gut.....if you're going to play Kap then use his skills for crying out loud!). Kap is the future for the Niners.....and Harbaugh is hoping the future is now!

Harbaugh is looking toward the playoffs, where he knows he needs a better package of skills than Smith has. Kap may be young, but Harbaugh is smart enough to see the Niners will be much better off the sooner he takes control. Smith is simply too limited in many ways. A good coach can mask those limitations. Some tend to overstate Smith's
ineptness, some overstate his success the last 2 seasons.....bottom line is, he is a game
manager, not a play maker. Kap has MUCH more potential. My word, if we were to begin to list Smith errant throws and bad plays every season, we'd run out of space.
Give Kap a break.....he's done an excellent job and already made some big plays. Don't forget, there were numerous errors by other Niners today which cost them this win too
(including a perfectly thrown pass by Kap that should have been caught by Walker for a 4th quarter TD, but he dropped it---not to mention Akers miss).

That might be stretching it...... : )

You're wrong, Bear_Territory.....and Kap will prove it. Alex Smith was only keeping the starting spot warm until Kap claimed it for his own. Alex Smith is a poor man's Steve DeBerg.

CalBarn;842028623 said:

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You're wrong, Bear_Territory.....and Kap will prove it. Alex Smith was only keeping the starting spot warm until Kap claimed it for his own. Alex Smith is a poor man's Steve DeBerg.

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We will see

It was certainly not the best called game in the Harbaugh/Roman regime.....and yes,
indeed, wasn't that last Niner sequence so Tedford? Niners get a gift at midfield and
it looks like from the first snap, Harbaugh/Roman are playing for a 50+ yard field goal.
I couldn't believe it. The way Akers has been kicking lately, you get as much yardage
as you can before the attempt. But nooooooo, Gore up the gut, Gore up the gut.....
[they acted as if Alex Smith was in at QB] They only made 15 yards in 6 plays, then
sent in Akers.....pathetic. I was yelling at my wife, "Harbaugh's going to blow this---
just watch Akers miss the kick!" Sure enough...... I'm a big Harbaugh fan, but he
blew it (along with Roman) regarding playcalling today.

mustang;842028344 said:

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Not at all! I hope SB doesn't pick him as our Cal's HC.

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Yep. I'm with ya.

CalBarn;842028503 said:

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A good coach can make adequate QBs look very good for a time. Those of you a bit older might remember Steve DeBerg of the
49ers. He actually set NFL records under Bill Walsh, but by Joe Montana's third year,
he actually traded away DeBerg (he had used Montana sparingly his first 2 years, preferring to bring him along slowly, grooming him for the starting job).

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Sorry - everyone's entitled to an opinion but this is a gross misstatement of facts. What records did he set before Montana took over the team? DeBerg's stats were horrendous with the niners and he was only one year ahead of Montana in the system. He started 11 games as a rookie in 1978, 45% completion percentage, 8 TDs to 22 INTs. Second year he started 15 games - 60% completion percentage, 17 TDs to 21 INTs. Third year when Montana took over, DeBerg completed 58% of his passes, 12 TDs to 17 INTs in 9 starts. DeBerg was a shipwreck and Walsh had no choice but to start Montana who immediately outplayed DeBerg and never looked back.

In 1979 Steve DeBerg set NFL records for pass completions (347) and attempts (578). His completion percentage was 60%. After leaving the Niners, he played for 5 or 6 teams in a career that spanned nearly 20 years. Please tell me where I grossly misstated the facts. I did not say I thought he was a great quarterback. I did say
that "a good coach can make adequate QBs look very good for a time." Walsh had a history of doing this---Matt Cavanaugh, Jeff Kemp, and Guy Benjamin were for the most part journeymen QBs who filled in adequately when called upon to play in the event of injury (generally Montana). Again, sir, please tell me where I have grossly misstated the facts. My main point was that Alex Smith has played his best football under Harbaugh
(which is obvious to anyone). And, in my opinion (one you may not share), Harbaugh has tailored his offense to emphasize Smith's strengths and minimize his flaws, and when
he looks at Kaepernick, he sees a QB with more pocket mobility (to escape the rush), greater foot speed (for potential key runs), and a stronger arm (to throw downfield and open up the offense). In other words, he sees much greater potential and is willing to live through the growing pains. I look forward to your reply.
[Since you seem to like statistics and enjoyed quoting DeBerg's less than stellar numbers,
let's not forget he played in a different era. Those numbers you quote were less than
10 years removed from Joe Namath, Hall of Fame quarterback, whose career numbers included 173 TD passes, 220 interceptions, and a career completion percentage of
50.1 % --- if you don't believe me, look it up!]

according to Matt Maiocco of Comcast Sports Net. Some 49er Offensive players were saying that the Rams were calling the perfect defensive plays for the upcoming 49er plays.

mustang;842028344 said:

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Not at all! I hope SB doesn't pick him as our Cal's HC.

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So, I see that you've watched exactly one Niners game then. Keep up the brilliant analysis.

If you've observed the Niners offense transform under Harbaugh/Roman over the past 15 months of coaching, you would never EVER say this. In an incredibly limited time with limited resources this has become one of the better offenses in the NFL. One bad game doesn't make him a bad coach.

CalBarn;842028845 said:

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In 1979 Steve DeBerg set NFL records for pass completions (347) and attempts (578).

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I could set a record for pass attempts - big deal. Saying he was a record-setting QB is meant to imply that he did well, which is not the case - he led them to a 2-14 record. That was his second year in the league and Montana's rookie year.

Smith is leading the league in pass completion percentage and has a top 5 passer rating. He also led them to a 7-2 record before he was hurt.

I'm in no way criticizing you for saying that Harbaugh thinks Kaepernick has higher upside and will mature into a better QB than Smith. I'm criticizing you for making any comparison to DeBerg/Montana/Walsh. DeBerg was playing horribly so there wasn't much downside to bringing in Montana. The 49ers were one fewer Kyle Williams fumble away from the super bowl last year, and they were cruising under Smith this year.

For what it's worth, I think Smith is a step or two down from the elite QBs in the league, but he's better than a journeyman. He'll start for the jets, chiefs, jaguars or raiders next year and will be above average. He takes care of the ball and has developed into a great decision maker with above average poise. He doesn't throw the deep ball as well as the elite QBs in the league and doesn't have elite athleticism, but does everything else pretty well. Kaepernick has elite potential but doesn't look like an elite QB right now either.

CalBearRJ;842029135 said:

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So, I see that you've watched exactly one Niners game then. Keep up the brilliant analysis.

If you've observed the Niners offense transform under Harbaugh/Roman over the past 15 months of coaching, you would never EVER say this. In an incredibly limited time with limited resources this has become one of the better offenses in the NFL. One bad game doesn't make him a bad coach.

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The problem is, how much is Harbaugh and how much is Roman?

Except for what he has done under Harbaugh, I am totally unimpressed with Roman's persona and his resume (to be a college HC). Some on this board love him as a candidate for our job. I do not. At all.

Big C_Cal;842029459 said:

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The problem is, how much is Harbaugh and how much is Roman?

Except for what he has done under Harbaugh, I am totally unimpressed with Roman's persona and his resume (to be a college HC). Some on this board love him as a candidate for our job. I do not. At all.

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I guess that's a fair criticism, but, save Petersen, can't we say the same about all of the candidates?

With the exception of recent success at [fill in most recent location], I'm not particularly impressed with [fill in a coaching candidate].

Sorry I'm taking so long to respond....my car's in the shop for 3 weeks, had to walk to work, and have had 11 hour work days this week.....
Anyway, most of the attention is on Sonny Dykes, but wanted to continue our discussion
(you'll probably never see this since it's so far removed from 1st page--my bad!). It's fun to discuss this, but one frustration is that it takes me 15 minutes to write what I could say in 1 minute (which says something about my typing!). It's also frustrating as often in these blogs people don't see the full intent of the author.....such might be the case with your interpretation of my DeBerg comments. I'd like your comments on a bigger question, which I'll get to shortly, but I'll finish up with DeBerg first. First, I wasn't a big DeBerg fan, and my analogy was used only to support how a good coach can develop talent when others can't. It was meant more toward Walsh and Harbaugh
(now, please don't infer that I'm saying Harbaugh is another Walsh!). But I still don't see any "gross misstatement of facts" as you say. In fact, your stats support my position---before Walsh, DeBerg completed 45%.....in one year, that switched to a 60% completion rate under Walsh. Now, I'm not saying that DeBerg's record is that significant but completing a record number of passes while completing 60% is nothing to sneeze at compared to what he had done the year prior to Walsh (obviously I threw in attempts only because it goes hand in hand---completions/attempts). When you purposely mention only "attempts" in your retort to try and prove a point, you and I both know that is a pretty lame rebuttal, sort of a straw man argument. "Attempts" is clearly not the point. Maybe you just don't want to concede you might have been mistaken. Hey, I make mistakes all the time---no big deal.
[Just a side note on DeBerg---I wouldn't have wanted him as a QB, except maybe as a backup, but I think you overstate his ineptness. I don't think that a quarterback that lasts nearly 20 years in the NFL is really that "horrible," as you put it. I knew Bill Walsh a little, and he could be brutally frank and open about players.....just read any of his biographies. DeBerg was a huge frustration to him, often throwing an interception at the most inopportune time in the 4th quarter, but Bill never suggested or intimated that DeBerg was horrible....."frustrating," at times "agonizing," but no way would he have described him as horrible, though there were players Bill would have described that way. And I'd have to trust Bill's judgment on that one. His main reason for trading him
was to give Montana a clear vote of confidence, basically stating that he was now the undisputed leader of the team]
Anyway, back to my main point, and I'd certainly be interested in your comments here.
You seem like a knowledge guy, Unit, so maybe we can stop nit-picking about DeBerg
and come up to present day with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. I like both guys---hey, I'd like to see both of them win a Super Bowl for the Niners. But here's why, for now, I think Harbaugh is going with Kap.....and here is my concern/question regarding
your statements. You said the Niners "were 'cruising' under Smith this year." And for most NFL teams with their record, I think that would be accurate. But, with the 49ers history and high standard (even though they have struggled the last decade), I don't think Harbaugh sees them as "crusing" at all. Why? The New York Giants game this year. For the Niners and Harbaugh, it's Super Bowl Champion or nothing. And I believe this game shook Harbaugh (as it did many Niner fans). Alex Smith has had one terrific benchmark game in his career, last year's playoff game versus the Saints. He was huge that game, a definite big-play maker extraordinaire! And we all celebrated Alex that day! The next week versus the Giants, he was more ordinary, the game manager. He was certainly not the reason the Niners lost, but he didn't come up big like the week before. To his defense, the Niners wide receivers were pretty non-existent that day, so Harbaugh spent his off season beefing up his receiving corps to give Smith and the Niners more weapons. This year they are definitely improved. And I believe we were all expecting some measure of revenge against the Giants this season. Certainly, this game could tell us just have far the Niners had come since last season's disappointing loss. But, the Niners were humbled, big time. They were beating in all phases of the game. I believe Harbaugh looked at that game and asked himself how could he get ready for a potential rematch? He obviously wasn't going to make changes in the defense or in other areas that collapsed that week. But in looking at Alex, I think a desire for eventual change was reinforced in Harbaugh. Alex was not alone in playing poorly, but he did look bad.....like the old Alex. When the Niners dropped behind early, Alex never rallied them at all.....0 TDs, 3 INTs. They never looked like they had any comeback potential in them. So, weeks later, when Alex was hurt, I think Harbaugh saw his chance. He wants to win, he wants to win this year, and he still believes Alex's overall skills (versus his shortcomings) are a bit shaky against the better teams that they will face in the playoffs. And since he believes Kap gives him more talent, he wants him to get more experience before the playoffs. I personally believe Kap is their QB of the future---I also believe it was a gusty, risky move on Harbaugh's part to make this change now. To be honest, I don't know if I would have! It was not the safe move. But I believe Harbaugh believes that ultimately, it gives the Niners their best chance this year. We shall see how it turns out.....should be interesting. Anyway, I agree with most of your observations except for the "cruising" under Smith remark this year. I think the Giant game was BIG this year, and I believe it totally affected Harbaugh's subsequent quarterback change. If the Niners win that game or at least played well, I think Alex Smith is still their starter today. What do you think? And how do think the Niners will attack the Giants (with Smith or Kap) if they meet them in the playoffs to try and change the outcome? Would be interested in your opinions and observations.
Well, Unit, again, you may never see my post---I regret it took me so long to reply to your last post.....just too busy. But here's to wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas and happy holidays. Say, what to you think of the Sonny Dykes hire? I am cautiously optimistic and hope he picks up a good defensive coordinator. I honestly didn't know much about him previously, but like a lot of what I've read. I also liked hearing his comments at the press conference. Take care.....