0-9ers

[rlkats]

Don't think many 9ers fans were expecting them to beat the Vikings (I certainly wasn't).

This was the game with the lowest win probability on their schedule. TBH I didn't think it would be this close.

I think there's things for 9ers fans to be concerned about, and things for them to be excited about.

CONCERNED:

*RG: Person was bad before he got knocked out, and then Garnett was bad before he got knocked out. They're now out of RGs.

*Tartt: Gave up some plays and missed some easy tackles.

*Thomas: Totally invisible in this game, except for jumping off sides when everyone knew the Vikes were trying to draw them offsides. It was Michael Bennett-esque.

*RB involvement in the pass game: Shanny wants that, that's why McKinnon was brought in and overpaid, and the lack of involvement for Breida and Morris in the pass game is what everyone was fearing when McKinnon went down.

EXCITED:

*Buckner: His hits and hurries projected to him getting more sacks this year, and he got 2.5 in the first game.

*Fred Warner: Huge, huge, huge game for the rookie. He'll end up being streaky, but after 1 week, when Foster comes back I think there's the *chance* for a great duo a la Willis and Bowman, except for the way the game has changed (they're both great in coverage, and not the old school thumpers that the league has moved away from).

*Outside CBs: Witherspoon gave up a TD, but the other guys get paid too, and that as a PERFECT pass by Cousins and a great use of non OPI contact by Diggs. On the other side Sherman gave up one pass, and was beat deap on another that missed. For his first game back, that's a major, major win.

* Run defense: Overall held the Vikings to 3.6 YPC. Really the whole defense played better than I expected (gave up 360 yards and 17 points to what I think might be the offense with the best collection of weapons in the NFL).


GAROPPOLO: He played far from a perfect game, but internally I think he'll grade out much better than his stat line shows.

Two Positives: All the things that were great about him last year were on display, and against one of the best defenses in the NFL. This preseason and in this game I'm also less concerned about the deep ball than people were after last year.

Two Negatives: Still a half a beat slow on getting some balls out. I hope that gets cleaned up as he has more experience in the system (people forget how little he has played). Like last year, in this game he still trusts his arm too much, and makes some headscratcher throws. It's not as bad or as frequent as Jameis Winston, but it's still something to keep track of.

Nice evaluation and I agree. This Jimmy guy is going to have his bad games, he is still a rookie in terms of playing time. He still has a ton to prove, I feel he is able to.

 

[Popeyejones]

^^^ Yep. Totally remains to be seen if he'll improve in these areas or not.

I think fans make a mistake in assuming that players always improve. Oftentimes they don't, and then fans end up disappointed.

Wilson, I think, is a good example. Even yesterday you could see all the things that he has done very well since his first year or two in the league, and all of the things that he has struggled with throughout his whole career too. Hawks fans are disappointed in his play yesterday not because he's any worse of a QB than he has every been, but because NFL fans have this implicit assumption that over time everyone they root for will improve, and that's just often not the case. It obviously happens sometimes, but a lot of times it doesn't.*

All to say that right now I think Garoppolo is an above average NFL QB. Throughout his whole career he could very well just be a guy who throws too many picks and has inaccurate ball placement from throwing off his back foot too much. If 9ers fans run around assuming that's not where he'll end up they could very well end up disappointed.


*TBF this is also compounded by Wilson being a very high variance player. Every player has variance across games, but rarely do you see a good QB with as many highs as high as Wilson, and as many lows as low as Wilson. Someone like Ryan Fitzpatrick is kind of like a D-List Russell Wilson (meaning he's also very high variance --as we just saw again-- but with a much more sucky baseline).

 

[Sports Hernia]

Going back to last off-season and up until today’s game of good chunck of the denialzone was fitting JimmyGQ for his HOF Gold jacket. After watching that game today, while seeing that there is potential there..... his “fatal flaws” showed today.
10 picks in what 7 games as a niner?

Just to keep ya accurate pal lol.

Total regular season games = 6 (2017 and 2018)

Yards - 1821
Average yards/game - 303
Tds - 9 (1 rushing TD included)
Int - 8

But in all seriousness. He is still a newb QB and is going to try and do to much. He needs to learn to protect the ball then he will be fine.

I see that JG has thrown 5 TD to 0 INT in 3 seasons with the Patriots (as a backup, to those who are questioning the really low production there :2thumbs: ), and then goes to a team with inferior talent and a much more complicated scheme (and no knowledge of it) and proceeds to throw 8 INTs in 6 games. Interesting, isn't it?

BTW, if I criticize Wilson for multiple INT games, the generic reply I often hear from Hawk fans "all I care about is that he wins games".....or blame the OL for everything.......do we have a good answer for 9 INTs against the Packers over the 2014 NFCC and 2016 regular season matchup?

So yeah, the goalposts move all the time in the debate....whatever it is to suit your side.

It's not very hard to do, but what IS hard to do is be consistent in criticism of Garoppolo (or any other Niner player) and applying the same lens to your own players. If only Wilson and others were criticized objectively, I'd have zero issues with Hawk fans criticizing JG. None.

Hell, 49ers fans are the hardest fans of ALL TIME on their own QBs. We don't need help criticizing our own guy (Steve f'n Young once upon a time, SMH), but just like the rule with family, only WE can talk s*** about our own. :mrgreen:

Cousins had the "better game" by the stats count, yet if you looked at his opportunities and effectiveness of his supporting cast you could say he easily underachieved while Jimmy could be said to have at least achieved the minimum, or greater given the struggles.

If the roles were swapped, I imagine a huge Vikings blow out.

TLDR, I’m sure it was a cool story though bro.

 

[Marvin49]

How did Sherman do?

Got burned once, thank god it was overthrown. But overall he did well.

Googled his name and saw

https://www.12up.com/posts/6166522-vide ... ly-foolish



Yeah he lost a step or 2.

That was actually the only reception he allowed in the entire game. The over throw someone referenced before wqas overthrown because he forced Diggs to stop completely and start running again on the route and screwed up the timing. He also had a really good pass breakup against Diggs. All in all everyone is looking for those "he lost a step" moments and he'll have some coming off that injury, but on the whole he played pretty damn well.

 

[Marvin49]

As for Jimmy...

1) There were at least two drops in the endzone and they also fumbled on a run play at the one. It was first down so they would have had more chances. Another LONTG pass to the TE was dropped that he MIGHT have scored on but more likely just would have been a 60+ yard gain.

2) First INT (pick 6) was a hot read on a blitz and WR admitted after the game that he ran the completely wrong route. He was supposed to cut inside and instead cut outside and then to compound the mistake he fell down. Pick 6 city. The second one was odd...it was almost like Pettis took an extra false step outside so was late cutting back inside and screwed up the timing...still put that one on Jimmy tho. That was just odd. Thirs was ALL Jimmy. Trying to make something happen and thew into Double coverage. No idea what he thought he saw.

3) Between the drops, route miscues, etc, he could very easily have had 300+ yards and 3 TDs vs the #1 D in the NFL last year. That DIDN'T happen so not saying that what should count, but just saying the stat line really isn't indicative of the way the game was played. Despite a fumble at the one and 3 INTs, the Niners were still in it with just a few plays left in the game against a 13-3 team last year and only lost by 8.

I'll take that.

They also lost BOTH RGs, Marqise Goodwin, and Malcolm Smith and Reuben Foster didn't play. Fred Warner played VERY well and DeForest Buckner had 2.5 sacks.

Tons of mistakes, but I was actually encouraged by most of the performance as I never really expected them to go into Minn and take that game anyway.