Rookie Derek Carr outplayed Colin Kaepernick ...

[Auggie]

I mean, really outplayed. Never expected that to happen today.

49ers have headed South in a big way.

[Brother Buzz]

1. I have it on Super Double Secret Background the fix was in

Colin Kaepernick struck a sweetheart deal with the Raider Nation merchandise boys; toss the game and help the Raiders reclaim some of the market share for a cut on the profits for all the shit stacked up to the ceiling in their warehouse.

[Auggie]

3. +1

[Jamaal510]

2. CK=The new Tony Romo.

They might want to start looking for a new QB.

[Auggie]

4. +2

[JonLP24]

6. There were so many years I would have took Tony Romo

An exception would possibly the 2008 season which featured an overtime game against Dallas made possible by a 70-yard touchdown pass by Romo which followed a 30 yard pass to put them in position for the tying FG with 4 seconds left on the next drive.

Very few win 2 MVPs in the NFL so I'm not taking away anything from him, his 9.9 YPA in 1999 was off the charts but he had hall of famers at 1-2 for receivers at St. Louis & Arizona. It may be trickier for Anquan Boldin to get in and it is generally difficult for receivers to get in. Rod Smith's receiving numbers are nearly identical to hall of famer and is actually slightly better than Randy Moss in quarterbacks having the best seasons of their careers with him on the field. Edges Moss 1.2 - 1.1 in WOWY(with or with you--stat for receivers). Torry Holt & Issac Bruce are also probably not in the hall of fame but they belong in my hall of fame.

The problem with Kurt Warner was when the rthyim and timing was disrupted. He certainly deserves credit for dragging a horrible pass defense and zero running game to the Super Bowl--though they ran the ball well and their defense showed up and created turnovers, especially against Atlanta & Carolina. Their suspect secondary allowed Philadelphia to get back in the game and Pittsburgh score on the final drive which Roethlisberger had a frustrating slippery ability to shake off sacks from a Dline which features 2 members still on the team though Darnell Dockett is sitting out this year with a season ending injury. All that said, Warner has a playoff YPA on par with Joe Montana and a single season playoff YPA on par with Joe Montana and Joe Flacco.

--

If Arizona had Tony Romo with Ray Horton's defense and the years followed, they'd have an easier time winning games and I say this including the back-to-back 10 win seasons. Dallas had the 32nd ranked defense last season based on total yardage per game which is misleading (Arizona's opponents have a tendency to bail on the ground game early which led to the high passing yardage defense per game average but didn't tell the the whole story such as as Nick Foltz racking up 416 yards off of 62 attempts) but still doesn't paint a very good picture.

I always hated the Cowboys and was never a fan of their players but if it didn't affect my team's success I'd root heavily for Dallas. Frankly his ability to bounce back and overcome the constant negative media attention as well as the hands on ownership of Jerry Jones.

Finding a new QB isn't easy, especially given the implied logic the replacement would be better than the quarterback you already have. I'd be happy to take Kaepernick, the Cardinals odds would go up. The situation with Palmer is very similar to Warner, you might be able to squeeze out a few more good years out of the team but then what? Back to the crap shoot of looking for a QB which you don't need a Cardinals fan to tell you, ask the Vikings, Browns, Jets, hell I believe you're a Raiders fan which dumped a QB which turned out to be our most successful find in recent years. The wrong move sets a team back and wastes the good years such as a Ray Horton defense.

--I keep wondering why and how far the 49ers have fallen since their offensive explosion against the Bills which followed a similar performance against the Jets. Biggest differences I'm noticing is they are handing off less often and have gone away from the two tight sets -- which wasn't very conducive for the numbers Kaepernick was putting up, especially factoring the Crabtree injury last season. I also came across an interesting stat, Kaepernick has the highest percentage of dropped passes of all QBs. Still, I'm aware of his tendency to lock into receivers and bail out on plays which has pros & cons. What is also apparent is the team is crumbling all around him but he is posting career lows but wouldn't be very low in the context of a long career.

As far as Tony Romo, he'd have a very different career if he played with similar defenses San Francisco had in recent years. There is a lot I like about Kaepernick but Romo is already well polished and has a proven ability to shake things off. How Kaepernick responds to this current adversity will say a lot. I think Romo's ability as a scratch golfer says a lot to overcoming the mental blocks and the "yips" that come with it.

[Auggie]

8. Great post JonLP24

Kaepernick said in the off season he needed to work on his reads but I haven't noticed much progress. Many of his throws look rushed or are off-target, and his decisions can be head-scratchers. The O-line has taken serious injury hits -- perhaps he's trying to account for that. Seems to be giving up on plays sooner and scrambling more.

You mention the drops. Michael Crabtree is looking just average. Vernon Davis, the best pass-blocking TE and deep threat, is playing really hurt. I think Gore is finding trouble getting game-time rhythm with Carlos Hyde getting more touches.

And there's Greg Roman, the OC. When one of your most solid players, tackle Joe Staley, refers to the offense as running "dumb plays and dumb schemes," it jumps at you. Does the whole approach need re-working?

Ann Killion, S.F. Chronicle columnist, recently suggested the 49ers are lacking mature, level-headed leadership (I agree with her):

There is something missing in the 49ers’ organization. It’s the voice of maturity and reason. The presence that can see the big picture. The entity that would broker peace with Harbaugh and not be intimidated by him, that would advise Kaepernick, that would communicate to the public in an adult fashion.

Other organizations have such a presence: the Warriors’ Rick Welts, the Giants’ Larry Baer. The 49ers once had two of the best — the tandem of Carmen Policy and John McVay. Their jobs were to protect the coach from the outside noise, not contribute to it. To caretake the image of the organization. To put out fires, not start them.

The 49ers don’t have such a presence. Trent Baalke is invisible. So is Paraag Marathe. The 49ers are left with odd personalities, pulling in different directions, making news for all the wrong reasons.

http://www.sfgate.com/49ers/article/Killion-Niners-leaders-need-to-live-up-to-roles-5940281.php

[hadrons]

5. Another play-option QB in trouble ....

R. Wilson is really the only one doing well it seems.

[ProfessorGAC]

7. And Then Run It The Least

And, they've got a terrific RB, and superb O-Line and they're usually playing from the front because the defense is stout.

And, btw, Wilson is the most accurate thrower, which is probably why they run the option less often. They don't have to.

Defenses are catching up, or have caught up, with the R/O offense. It's a college offense and it was a matter of time before bigger, faster, smart defensive players would scheme to defeat it.