I gotta say Niners fans, I really didn’t see last night’s game going that way. Did I think it would be an easy win for the Niners? No. I figured it would be a tough game between two 2-4 teams, but that the San Francisco 49ers would take their home-field advantage and their momentum, and win the game. Man was I wrong. Wrong, and overly optimistic.
I chose to ignore that the Niners were annihilated by the Steelers and the Cardinals, embarrassed by the Packers, didn’t beat the Giants in a game they should have won, and barely beat a really bad team in the Baltimore Ravens. I forgot that no matter how badly I want them to be otherwise, the 49ers are not a good football team. It’s been hard for me to admit this for three reasons:
1) I am a fan
2) They have a lot of talent
3) They’ve gone from the Super Bowl to the toilet bowl so fast it makes my head spin.
And whose fault is it? Well, we all know whose fault it is, but I really don’t believe anything was done in malice. The 49ers made moves that they thought were best for the team. The road to hell is paved with good intentions, and this season is definitely football hell. The past is the past and nothing can be done about that. So the question becomes, where do we go from here, because it isn’t working?
I really, really like Jim Tomsula, but I have a lot of concerns about this coaching staff. It’s not just that the team is losing; it’s that the team doesn’t seem to be improving. When the 49ers get down in a game, the play calling appears to become how to lose by less as opposed to how to find a way to win. Case in point, punting on 4th down late in the 4th quarter when the team is down 20-3. I don’t get it, and I know it’s easy for me to sit back and question as a fan, but I’m still concerned.
The offense was a complete disaster against Seattle, and though many people want to put this on QB Colin Kaepernick, it is far from being entirely his fault. The offensive line was about as atrocious as I’ve ever seen, his receivers were never open, and the play calling was meant to minimize mistakes as opposed to make plays. Kaepernick didn’t have any turnovers, and he provided the best blocking of the game, when blocking for RB Carlos Hyde on one of San Francisco’s better drives of the night. Yes, he had errant throws and almost took out a member of the 49ers staff on the sidelines, but this loss was not solely Kap.
The Niners’ defense wasn’t terrible, coming up with five sacks (seriously, the Seattle O-line may actually be worse than San Francisco) and two interceptions, but it wasn’t enough.
And it’s not going to be enough until major changes are made and the 49ers admit mistakes and finds ways to fix them. We have nine days until the 49ers take on the Rams in St. Louis. Let’s see what they can do. Go Niners.
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