Niners go out with a whimper

[Idahawk]

No Surprize they fold up like a lawn chair . Harbaugh knew it , Kaepernick knew it and now for any 49ers fans that were holding on to that thread of hope , you know it too .

Turn out the lights the parties over .

Goodbye Harbaugh ....Kaepernick ? How much good is he when he can't beat the best team in the division ?

49ers could likely plunge into several years of rebuilding and Kaepernick ....if the next coach doesn't think he's the guy .. He could plunge off into obscurity as a gimmick that didn't work .

Looking pretty smart letting Smith go for a guy who just lost to the hated rivals , got KOed out of the playoffs and opts to rock his beat headphones to the press conferance , I guess he wants his fans to know that dispite losing and the franchise in shambles , he's getting paid ! Just pathetic ...

 

[seahawkblitz]

As far as the whiners go. I couldn't be happier that we got to put the final nail in the coffin.

As far as our team. Everything is now within our grasp. Hoping they can stay focused and get these last two wins. Regardless, I'm proud of hoe the team has persevered and fought hard to give themselves a chance when everyone was all but counting us out earlier in the season. We are going to be a force to be reckoned with in the post season for sure.

 

[TheBandwagon]

I don't think the Whiners are at the point of needing a rebuild. More like a retooling. 4 or 5 things scuttled their season this year:

1. Entering the season without Bowman and Aldon Smith and then losing Patrick Willis for the year while Bowman was still out.
2. The decline of Frank Gore (which was to be expected). What was also expected though but didn't happen was the emergence of Carlos Hyde as the feature RB. So you got the only other team in the league besides the Seahawks who like to run the ball on more plays than they pass it, without a legit running game. Ouch.
3. The huge drop in O-line play. That unit has been arguably the best in the league the last 3 or so seasons and the biggest strength of the 49ers (along with their front seven) dropping all the way down to the bottom tier. I'm not exactly sure why that happened but I'm guessing key injuries probably had something to do with it.
4. Greg Roman
5. Harbaugh
6. Kaepernick

Harbaugh's most likely gone, as is Roman, so #4 and #5 problems solve themselves. As a result, it might also solve #6. Time also solves #1, which leaves 2 and 3. #2 can easily be addressed with a little bit of good talent eval via trade, free agent signing or the draft. A new OC also helps.
As for #3, I don't know what happens with that, or if they can get back to where they were before this season. Iupati's a free agent and being able to get him back is key.

I don't think the Niners are done yet. Depending on how they handle stuff this offseason, the current group might have one more strong run left in the tank. But their core that got them to 3 straight NFC title games and a Superbowl berth is still somewhat intact.

 

[RAMSWRATH]

I don't think the Whiners are at the point of needing a rebuild. More like a retooling. 4 or 5 things scuttled their season this year:

1. Entering the season without Bowman and Aldon Smith and then losing Patrick Willis for the year while Bowman was still out.
2. The decline of Frank Gore (which was to be expected). What was also expected though but didn't happen was the emergence of Carlos Hyde as the feature RB. So you got the only other team in the league besides the Seahawks who like to run the ball on more plays than they pass it, without a legit running game. Ouch.
3. The huge drop in O-line play. That unit has been arguably the best in the league the last 3 or so seasons and the biggest strength of the 49ers (along with their front seven) dropping all the way down to the bottom tier. I'm not exactly sure why that happened but I'm guessing key injuries probably had something to do with it.
4. Greg Roman
5. Harbaugh
6. Kaepernick

Harbaugh's most likely gone, as is Roman, so #4 and #5 problems solve themselves. As a result, it might also solve #6. Time also solves #1, which leaves 2 and 3. #2 can easily be addressed with a little bit of good talent eval via trade, free agent signing or the draft. A new OC also helps.
As for #3, I don't know what happens with that, or if they can get back to where they were before this season. Iupati's a free agent and being able to get him back is key.

I don't think the Niners are done yet. Depending on how they handle stuff this offseason, the current group might have one more strong run left in the tank. But their core that got them to 3 straight NFC title games and a Superbowl berth is still somewhat intact.

It's a rebuild if you scuttle your offense (Gore diminished, Kaepernick, O line) and your HC and coaching staff. Defense needs work too. They're done. Rams, Seahawks and Cardinals in that order this time next year.

 

[TheBandwagon]

They're done huh? Ya, we just know it. Conclusive proof, just like the Patriots have been "done" since around '04. When you have your core intact, like the Seahawks do (and the Niners too for the most part) it's NOT a rebuild. Retooling is what the Patriots have been doing for the last 10 years. That's exactly what the Niners are looking at right now.

A rebuild is like something the Seahawks went through when Pete and John first got here. We had no core like the Niners do with their front seven. Now if their entire offensive line needs an overhaul, then it becomes a bit more of a rebuild.

As for the Rams, I still don't see it. In order to gain supremacy in this division you have to be one of the top five teams in the entire league, if not the best team in the league. The Rams aren't that. They are on the right track and it looks like they might finally be ready to turn the corner. The Seahawks are one of the top 3 teams in the league. In order for things to be "in that order" the Rams will have to be better. In order to do that, they will have to bring a lot more to the table than just a top five pass rush.

 

[RAMSWRATH]

They're done huh? Ya, we just know it. Conclusive proof, just like the Patriots have been "done" since around '04. When you have your core intact, like the Seahawks do (and the Niners too for the most part) it's NOT a rebuild. Retooling is what the Patriots have been doing for the last 10 years. That's exactly what the Niners are looking at right now.

A rebuild is like something the Seahawks went through when Pete and John first got here. We had no core like the Niners do with their front seven. Now if their entire offensive line needs an overhaul, then it becomes a bit more of a rebuild.

As for the Rams, I still don't see it. In order to gain supremacy in this division you have to be one of the top five teams in the entire league, if not the best team in the league. The Rams aren't that. They are on the right track and it looks like they might finally be ready to turn the corner. The Seahawks are one of the top 3 teams in the league. In order for things to be "in that order" the Rams will have to be better. In order to do that, they will have to bring a lot more to the table than just a top five pass rush.

No, a rebuild is what the Rams have been doing since Fisher took over. I agree the Patriots have been a good example of a retooling. Patriots have continuity at the coaching level, front office, and one of the top QBs over the last decade. That is not the situation the 49ers find themselves in if both coaches and Kaepernick are given the boot.

The Rams haven't allowed a TD in the last 12 quarters. If not for a rookie blown coverage in the 4th quarter against Denver it would be 16 quarters. Rams and Seahawks defenses have given up nearly the same amount of points this season. Rams defense is there. Rams STs are there. Rams offense only lacks a QB. (Only.)

Seahawks are a single hit on RW away from insignificance. Has your backup seen any meaningful action this year? I don't remember seeing the Seahawks blow teams out where a 4th quarter could be given to a backup. Then there's Lynch. Does he want out? Will he hit the 30 year wall? Sean Alexander sure smashed up against that wall. So have many others. Beast mode replacement? Seahawks have serious issues in the making too.

 

[TheBandwagon]

Seahawks are a single hit on RW away from insignificance. Has your backup seen any meaningful action this year?

Less so than other teams Captain Obvious. Name one team where that doesn't actually apply. And knocking Wilson out relegates them to playoff also-rans not to insignificance. Wilson's had a few bad games this year but that still didn't stop them from winning.
Tarvaris Jackson is a more than capable backup. The 2nd half of 2011 when the rebuilt O-line finally gelled enough to give him a fighting chance, they went 5-3 and fell about 9 points short of winning their last 8 in a row. They were playing fringe playoff-caliber football over the 2nd half of '11. So yes, they would drop, but not to insignificance.
But all this "where would the Seahawks be if Wilson got knocked out" talk is pretty irrelevant while Wilson is still in there.

 

[RAMSWRATH]

It doesn't apply to teams that get large leads going into the 4th quarter, especially in the last third of a season. Yet I already said that in the next sentence in which you apparently saw too much red (as in TRUTH) to read! Oh I love your "less so" since out of 397 pass attempts in 2014 the Seahawks have ONE pass attempt not from RW! I suppose thats Petey's grand plan to only run the ball if RW goes out? Then again the officials sure don't want RW to get a scratch since legal hits don't apply to him. Ask the 49ers. Ask the league office. An amazing quality about RW and the only amazing quality about Kaepernick is their durability given what they are routinely relied upon to do running the ball. One hit away. It really happens. Perhaps in the next two weeks given the pressure those D lines will bring?
Yet as you say it is "pretty irrelevant" as long as RW plays except as a little voice within the heads of those Seahawks fans that KNOW that well will one day be dry.

 

[TheBandwagon]

And I suppose the 7 pass attempts by Matt Flynn makes the Packers more prepared to sustain the loss of Aaron Rodgers. Or the 8 pass attempts by Brock Osweiler gives Denver a solid insurance policy if Manning goes down. A couple of seasoned, battle-hardened backups that provide needed substantial insurance policies that the heavily pass-dependent Seahawks don't have.
Sooner or later Wilson will get hurt. All QBs do. But like I was trying to tell you before (while you were going on and on that Wilson's going to get pounded into oblivion this year) he's far more durable than you think. And it's not his designed runs that put him at the most risk, it's the sacks and the blindside hits. When he's dictating the action, defenses almost never get a solid hit on him. He's too smart for that. So being a running QB hasn't put him at any significant elevated risk than a pocket QB. And it helps that he's built like a prototypical halfback.

 

[RAMSWRATH]

And I suppose the 7 pass attempts by Matt Flynn makes the Packers more prepared to sustain the loss of Aaron Rodgers. Or the 8 pass attempts by Brock Osweiler gives Denver a solid insurance policy if Manning goes down. A couple of seasoned, battle-hardened backups that provide needed substantial insurance policies that the heavily pass-dependent Seahawks don't have.
Sooner or later Wilson will get hurt. All QBs do. But like I was trying to tell you before (while you were going on and on that Wilson's going to get pounded into oblivion this year) he's far more durable than you think. And it's not his designed runs that put him at the most risk, it's the sacks and the blindside hits. When he's dictating the action, defenses almost never get a solid hit on him. He's too smart for that. So being a running QB hasn't put him at any significant elevated risk than a pocket QB. And it helps that he's built like a prototypical halfback.

Well sure the Packers are 7 times more prepared and the Broncos 8 times more prepared than the Seahawks you stat monkey! It also helps that the officials penalize players for legal hits to Wilson too. Oh and just being a running QB DOES put him at an elevated risk compared to a pocket QB. Next two weeks are the defenses to worry about.

 

[TheBandwagon]

Bad late hit call on Wilson? Yes. But now all of a sudden it's the "Wilson rules"? Come on now. Rise above the ranks of the dumb masses will ya? That type of call is being made on a pretty regular basis these days to hits on just about all QBs. You hang your hat on way too many assumptions and misconceptions.

 

[RAMSWRATH]

Bad late hit call on Wilson? Yes. But now all of a sudden it's the "Wilson rules"? Come on now. Rise above the ranks of the dumb masses will ya? That type of call is being made on a pretty regular basis these days to hits on just about all QBs. You hang your hat on way too many assumptions and misconceptions.

Bollocks mate. You haven't watched Rams games for the last decade, or this year.

 

[twelvewins]

While the niners do have a talented core, I wonder if they suffer the same issue the Raiders have suffered from. Bad ownership. Maybe Harbaugh is a problem for them that they need to fix, but he DID get them to a super bowl. Finding superbowl caliber coaches isn't that easy.

 

[Dave Sanchez]

First of all, Russ isn't just a running quarterback. He's a pocket quarterback who can also make plays with his legs. He uses his legs to evade the rush and extend plays, a quality that only a handful of quarterbacks have. Maybe if your quarterback wasn't just a pocket quarterback, he wouldn't be hurt like he has been his whole career. I'll take Russ hands down over any quarterback in the league period!! Can't wait till kickoff Sunday. Trick plays won't cut it this time.

 

[RAMSWRATH]

Trick plays blah blah blah sour grapes there my friend. All I hear here is its all about the "W". Well that's a "W", remains a "W", and is a beautiful "W" at that.

 

[TheBandwagon]

While the niners do have a talented core, I wonder if they suffer the same issue the Raiders have suffered from. Bad ownership. Maybe Harbaugh is a problem for them that they need to fix, but he DID get them to a super bowl. Finding superbowl caliber coaches isn't that easy.

Well they might end up with one if they target Dan Quinn. Hard to say which assistant coaches make effective head coaches but Quinn seems like a guy who could be a good one. Obviously hoping that doesn't happen but he's definitely a candidate.

 

[twelvewins]

I would say as a Seahawks fan that I'm delighted they're ditching their coach. 8 years of them being an easy two wins is fine with me.