49ers Post Game

[mansquatch]

Here is my post game: IMO the biggest cuplrit was whomever came up with our offensive game plan and then failed to make any changes when it was obviously a disaster. 49ers benched Witherspoon and then we had no answer for 3 quarters. That is just ridiculous.

I know guys are hammering the OL and all of that. The OL being a soft spot in this game was known by EVERYONE. We knew when the playoff seedings were set 2 weeks ago that if we beat NO, we'd be heading to SF to face this DL and that our OL wasn't going to beat it without some help. (Please note this is true of every other team that faces this DL) We did nothing to test their LB, we failed at Playaction and made no attempts to involve our WR more in the offense. No quick passing, no shot gun, there are lots of things to do to beat this. They were obviously keying on cook, make them pay for that. All around game planning disaster.

This also happened against GB in December.

Now that we know Stefanski was hired by CLE, I will say I'm not that sad to see him go. He was an upgrade to JDF, but he wasn't that much of an upgrade. Once again the coaching hires will be the critical moves in the offseason.

[StumpHunter]

The media. If the 48ers get in a position to make this guy do it they will have major problems. He can't carry them. What I saw against a banged up and tired D wasn't impressive.

I haven't seen anyone in the media that claimed he was great

They desperately want him to be great, but no one has crowned him as great...yet.

For Jimmy G to be great, it requires Billy B to be wrong about him though, and for the Pats to have been fleeced by the 9ers (a 2nd round pick for a great QB is terrible value).

I bet on Billy B. 999 out of 1000 times in this spot.

[StumpHunter]

There is no question in my opinion that the Vikings need to be on the lookout for a QB in this upcoming draft. I don't think Cousins is going anywhere next year, but Spielman should be looking for the diamond in this year's QB draft class.

If the Vikings extend Cousins I will probably stop watching. I don't think he's necessarily the reason they lose, but there is more than enough evidence to suggest he's rarely going to be the reason they win. He might pull out a few here and there, but the chances he'll sustain that, especially against the better teams and at this point in his career, is just north of zero.

I'm in a similar spot. I am contemplating ditching the Sunday ticket. I just don't have the hope that we're heading in the right direction. It feels like next season is ripe for a step back towards mediocrity, after which the Wilfs will finally make the changes they should be making now. My cynical side says, "In 2-3 years, this team will have major turnover and look very, very different". OTOH, we have some solid leadership on this team and some players I really love. I can imagine ditching the ticket now and then changing my mind come August.

You both articulated my reason for being so passionate about the QB very well. I want a guy who gives me hope, even if it is misguided hope. Without that, what is the point of even watching?

[CharVike]

I'm in a similar spot. I am contemplating ditching the Sunday ticket. I just don't have the hope that we're heading in the right direction. It feels like next season is ripe for a step back towards mediocrity, after which the Wilfs will finally make the changes they should be making now. My cynical side says, "In 2-3 years, this team will have major turnover and look very, very different". OTOH, we have some solid leadership on this team and some players I really love. I can imagine ditching the ticket now and then changing my mind come August.

You both articulated my reason for being so passionate about the QB very well. I want a guy who gives me hope, even if it is misguided hope. Without that, what is the point of even watching?

That's not how we operate. There was a guy last year and they passed. We might pick another T Thiegpen late. He didn't have an arm or movement. Waste of time. We've been doing this since Fran retired. Look at the history. He tried with Sloter who has physical skills but can't take a snap at the pro level. Probably never will. I liked this Burrow kid when he was considered a 2nd or 3rd rounder but now he'll go first. Yes we need a guy even if it's round one. QB is a need and is a very important position.

[J. Kapp 11]

I haven't seen anyone in the media that claimed he was great

They desperately want him to be great, but no one has crowned him as great...yet.

For Jimmy G to be great, it requires Billy B to be wrong about him though, and for the Pats to have been fleeced by the 9ers (a 2nd round pick for a great QB is terrible value).

I bet on Billy B. 999 out of 1000 times in this spot.

I don't think Belichick got fleeced on this. I think Robert Kraft did.

Belichick wanted Garoppolo. Tom Brady orchestrated the trade through Robert Kraft because the Hall-of-Fame, 6-Lombardi quarterback could see the writing on the wall. Belichick is sentimental with NO ONE, and he wouldn't have been sentimental with Brady.

In other words, I believe the reporting.

[CharVike]

Seattle came really close to winning with no run game last night. KC RBs ran for less than 50 in their blowout.

Some teams can have their run game shutdown and still find success on offense, ours can't.

There is no question in my opinion that the Vikings need to be on the lookout for a QB in this upcoming draft. I don't think Cousins is going anywhere next year, but Spielman should be looking for the diamond in this year's QB draft class.

If the Vikings extend Cousins I will probably stop watching. I don't think he's necessarily the reason they lose, but there is more than enough evidence to suggest he's rarely going to be the reason they win. He might pull out a few here and there, but the chances he'll sustain that, especially against the better teams and at this point in his career, is just north of zero.

He won the Saint game with a dam good deep ball. Then came back with a great throw to Rudy. Really I don't know why Adam didn't score. It wasn't a diving catch. That should have been a catch and see ya for some yards and a TD. Basically what your saying is he should pull out every game. Hate to break this to you but there isn't a QB that ever played who was pulling that SF game out. Your one of those that thinks it's all QB. Russell Wilson got beat. If the LOB was still there that's a win with 23 points. Easy win. I said it before the playoffs that the Hawks would get beat. The team isn't good enough around Wilson. The 49ers have a dam good team. Grap won't lead them by himself. To me he didn't throw a good ball. Even his completions were off target but he won. He looked worse than our guy. But that team ran the ball at will and played solid D. That's what it took. We need a better D our it won't happen. People talk about that 2017 D and it was who they played. Any decent team scored. We shut out the Pack. They didn't have a QB. If Rodgers didn't play this year they were toast. That 2017 D cracked 2nd half against the Saints and then the Eagles destroyed them. Overrated is the word.

[Mothman]

Here is my post game: IMO the biggest cuplrit was whomever came up with our offensive game plan and then failed to make any changes when it was obviously a disaster. 49ers benched Witherspoon and then we had no answer for 3 quarters. That is just ridiculous.

Amen!

[Mothman]

There is no question in my opinion that the Vikings need to be on the lookout for a QB in this upcoming draft. I don't think Cousins is going anywhere next year, but Spielman should be looking for the diamond in this year's QB draft class.

If the Vikings extend Cousins I will probably stop watching. I don't think he's necessarily the reason they lose, but there is more than enough evidence to suggest he's rarely going to be the reason they win. He might pull out a few here and there, but the chances he'll sustain that, especially against the better teams and at this point in his career, is just north of zero.

He won the Saint game with a dam good deep ball. Then came back with a great throw to Rudy. Really I don't know why Adam didn't score. It wasn't a diving catch. That should have been a catch and see ya for some yards and a TD. Basically what your saying is he should pull out every game. Hate to break this to you but there isn't a QB that ever played who was pulling that SF game out. Your one of those that thinks it's all QB.

Having talked football with VikingLord a LONG time, I can assure you he is not "one of those that thinks it's all QB".

He probably won't be able to bring himself to completely stop watching either.

[VikingLord]

Your one of those that thinks it's all QB.

No, I'm one that thinks if one aspect of a very talented offense is being taken away the other aspect has to compensate for it. The 49ers removed the running game as a factor, so that put the ball in Cousins' hands and the passing game and he couldn't get it done. Same thing that happened in the 2nd game against the Packers and earlier in the first loss to the Bears.

Look, I understand the claim that it doesn't all come down to the QB, specifically for the Vikings, Cousins. I get that. I agree with that. Football is a team game and there is a defense and an offense and each has to carry its own water.

What I don't get is why defenses obviously target shutting down the Vikings run game and want to force Cousins to beat them. This is consistent. This isn't one opponent doing it one time - it happened in the 3 lopsided losses listed above.

And it highlights the flaw in saying Cousins isn't the problem. He's not the problem because he's a bad QB. He's a good QB. He's talented. He's capable of making the big plays to win games. And on occasion, he does make them. No, the flaw in saying Cousins isn't the problem is that he doesn't do that often enough. When a defense takes away the run game, if the offense can't compensate with the pass game, then that is when you start to see historically poor performances of things like 7 first downs in multiple games. Cousins is a huge part of that result. He's the guy taking the snaps and who has to get the ball out accurately and on time. Yeah, he might be under pressure often. He might not have wide open guys. But he has to be able to compensate for that or it won't happen and he doesn't do that very often or consistently. Defenses aren't afraid of him. Quite the opposite, actually.

You can keep telling yourself that the problem isn't Cousins. I'd agree with you provided the rest of the team does it's part. If the run game works well and the defense plays well, the problem isn't Cousins. The problem becomes Cousins when the other aspects of the team *don't* work well, especially the run game. That's when Cousins' limitations become obvious.

And your point about his play against New Orleans doesn't alter that fact, because the Vikings were able to run it against the Saints and the defense played well in that game. The pressure was off Cousins to some degree and he stepped up and made a play. That doesn't absolve him or alter the conclusion that he isn't likely to do that in games like the ones against the Packers and 49ers, and at this point in his career, he's not likely to improve in this aspect either.

[mrhusqvarna4]

I know it's a real bummer losing, but the9ers seemed to be more ready to play. You guys have a good team obviously and Cousins is a class act! He can't overcome playcalling and the 9ers run game,I just think our defense was underestimated. We took away Dalvin Cook and your coaches seemed lost without a good backup plan.We blocked and tackled better and that's the difference. Not glamorous but you can have Trent Dilfer win a Superbowl if you have a great defense! Good luck in the New Year to all the loyal Vikings fans.Mrhusqvarna49erbybirth I have to say the comments about my qb Garappolo are funny here! He pulled out a win in New Orleans, Seattle and killed the Packers.Of course we didnt face anybody good all year? Lost by a field goal in Baltimore. He doesn't have to carry the 9ers but he has when he's need too.Coaching and players are what about.I am going to hear we shouldn't be favored in the Nfc Championship, but I don't see any reason not to be.We can play the run after all it seems

[VikingLord]

Here is my post game: IMO the biggest cuplrit was whomever came up with our offensive game plan and then failed to make any changes when it was obviously a disaster. 49ers benched Witherspoon and then we had no answer for 3 quarters. That is just ridiculous.

Amen!

This is funny, because when they targeted Witherspoon on the scoring drive I told my son that the 49ers would have to switch things up and either bench him or give him help, and in either case that should open something else up for the Vikings that Stefanski and Cousins would then target.

It never happened. I sat there with my mouth wide open at times wondering why the Vikings couldn't take advantage of that more. After the scoring drive I really expected Cousins to have a big day. I thought OK, the 49ers are stopping the run but they can't stop that and cover up that weakness in their secondary now. Guess I was wrong, and wonder why they bothered putting Witherspoon out there at all if they had such a solid plan to replace him.

[VikingLord]

I know it's a real bummer losing, but the9ers seemed to be more ready to play. You guys have a good team obviously and Cousins is a class act! He can't overcome playcalling and the 9ers run game,I just think our defense was underestimated. We took away Dalvin Cook and your coaches seemed lost without a good backup plan.We blocked and tackled better and that's the difference. Not glamorous but you can have Trent Dilfer win a Superbowl if you have a great defense! Good luck in the New Year to all the loyal Vikings fans.Mrhusqvarna49erbybirth I have to say the comments about my qb Garappolo are funny here! He pulled out a win in New Orleans, Seattle and killed the Packers.Of course we didnt face anybody good all year? Lost by a field goal in Baltimore. He doesn't have to carry the 9ers but he has when he's need too.Coaching and players are what about.I am going to hear we shouldn't be favored in the Nfc Championship, but I don't see any reason not to be.We can play the run after all it seems

The one comment I have about Jimmy G is he's still developing and has upside. I don't think he played well against the Vikings, but it didn't matter because the 49ers ran it so well and completely shut the Vikings offense down. Whether that continues for the 49ers should be a concern for 49er fans, but the overall team is so balanced and complete that I agree Jimmy G doesn't have to be a star this year for them to win it all.

He's got a future though. I'd say the 49ers future looks very bright indeed.

[StumpHunter]

They desperately want him to be great, but no one has crowned him as great...yet.

For Jimmy G to be great, it requires Billy B to be wrong about him though, and for the Pats to have been fleeced by the 9ers (a 2nd round pick for a great QB is terrible value).

I bet on Billy B. 999 out of 1000 times in this spot.

I don't think Belichick got fleeced on this. I think Robert Kraft did.

Belichick wanted Garoppolo. Tom Brady orchestrated the trade through Robert Kraft because the Hall-of-Fame, 6-Lombardi quarterback could see the writing on the wall. Belichick is sentimental with NO ONE, and he wouldn't have been sentimental with Brady.

In other words, I believe the reporting.

Why?

Sports reporting is based on a bunch of speculation and intentional leaks that could be truth or outright lies.

[Mothman]

I don't think Belichick got fleeced on this. I think Robert Kraft did.

Belichick wanted Garoppolo. Tom Brady orchestrated the trade through Robert Kraft because the Hall-of-Fame, 6-Lombardi quarterback could see the writing on the wall. Belichick is sentimental with NO ONE, and he wouldn't have been sentimental with Brady.

In other words, I believe the reporting.

Why?

Sports reporting is based on a bunch of speculation and intentional leaks that could be truth or outright lies.

One good reason: it fits with what we've seen over the years from Brady, Belichick and Kraft and it also fits with subsequent events.

Beside, not only is Garoppolo not a great QB at this point in his career, he definitely wasn't a great QB at the time he was traded. A second round pick for a player with his level of experience and accomplishment at the time of the trade was a fair deal. NE spent the 62nd pick in R2 to draft Garoppolo in 2017 and received what ended up as the 43rd pick in the 2018 draft. Plus, they played in 3 more Super Bowls with Brady at QB and won 2 of them. Not bad.

[StumpHunter]

He won the Saint game with a dam good deep ball. Then came back with a great throw to Rudy. Really I don't know why Adam didn't score. It wasn't a diving catch. That should have been a catch and see ya for some yards and a TD. Basically what your saying is he should pull out every game. Hate to break this to you but there isn't a QB that ever played who was pulling that SF game out. Your one of those that thinks it's all QB.

Having talked football with VikingLord a LONG time, I can assure you he is not "one of those that thinks it's all QB".

He probably won't be able to bring himself to completely stop watching either.

There is no "all about the QB crowd". Terrible and mediocre QBs have won SBs on the backs of elite defenses and elite all around teams, so clearly it is not all about the QB.

There is a group that watches Mahomes win despite a terrible defensive and STs performance last night, and wishes they had anything close to that. Or watches with envy as Wilson got his team back in a game where his defense sucks, and his run game, which the offense is built around, be virtually non-existent. That is the "QB is not everything, but boy would it be nice to have a QB who can overcome a struggling defense or poor run game and win in the playoffs crowd".

Then there are those who are content with a guy who isn't the only problem in the playoffs.