By Oliver James
Editors Note: Remember this guy? He used to write for us WAY back in the day. Apparently, this epic Niner fall from grace has brought him out of the shadows.
Words can’t describe the embarrassment of losing to a hated rival on your home field. This is especially true as a Niners fan, watching the Seahawks come to Levi’s Stadium and trounce the 49ers, 19-3, in a game that wasn’t even as close as the score indicated. The 49ers are fortunate that their defense stalled some Seahawks drives, as the game could have easily been 27-3 or 31-3.
As bad as the 49ers were against the Seahawks, it was hardly unexpected. The 49ers have been reeling for weeks. Despite their three game winning streak before that Thanksgiving no-show, all three teams are at least two games below .500, and the Niners beat those teams by an average of a little over 4 points. This comes after the Rams shocked the 49ers at Levi’s Stadium which was preceded by their dismantling in Denver.
The question is, why are these 49ers so pedestrian right now? Many expected the 49ers to slip this year, but not for the reasons anybody thought. The 49ers were missing pieces on defense, so it was thought that the Niners offense would have to carry them this year while their defense struggled to stay afloat.
Instead it has been the opposite. The 49ers defense has been excellent despite all of their missing pieces, while the offense seems to reach a new low every passing week. Why is that?
The 49ers offense has been stagnant since that week 7 thrashing in Denver, and the blame can be spread across many areas. The most obvious is that the 49ers offensive line simply stinks this year. Alex Boone’s holdout did not help as he looked lost at the start of the season, and Anthony Davis has been injured often this year. The Niners offensive line has not been good all season. Most of the time, they have been flat out terrible. Daniel Kilgore’s injury has forced Marcus Martin to start at center when he’s clearly not ready, but there are no excuses for them to be this bad.
Joe Staley and Mike Iupati , who have been name to Pro Bowls multiple times, have been thrashed by opposing defenses in 2014. Davis’ injury woes do not help, but even when healthy, the Niners have struggled to protect Colin Kaepernick or even get holes for Frank Gore or Carlos Hyde. Given their injury problems, it would be understandable if they dropped off, but the way they are playing right now is comical.
The poor offensive line play does not give Kaepernick an excuse to play as bad as he has this season either. This is his third year starting for the 49ers and he is not any better today than he was when he first took over for Alex Smith. He has tunnel vision, which causes him to miss wide open receivers frequently. How many times have we seen it where Kaepernick tries to thread the needle on a tight throw that falls incomplete when we see a wide open receiver waiving his hands with nobody in sight of him. Sounds familiar, right?
We saw this problem beginning in 2012 with Crabtree, and continuing into 2013 with Boldin and Davis. The difference is that it actually worked in his favor those two years. Now, the book is out on him. NFL defenses know that he has tunnel vision, and even Greg Cosell of NFL films has pointed out that Kaepernick continues to show no signs of polish.
The most annoying thing about Kaepernick, however, is his indecisiveness. His habit of running out of the pocket looking like he’s going to scramble, only to look up to try and make a throw is a maddening sight. At that point, he needs to just run and try to pick up yards. He also has a bad habit of not seeing pass rushers and taking sacks instead of throwing the ball away sometimes. There is nothing worse than a third and 19 with the 49ers weak passing game.
However, as bad as Kaepernick has been, his coaches have not done much to help him either. Kaepernick thrives as a read option quarterback, but that element of his game has been all but stripped away by the Niners coaching staff. Kaepernick is not a great pocket passer and probably never will be. He lacks the touch and accuracy, while having the football IQ of a grapefruit (Mike Ditka, anyone?).
The 49ers coaching seems intent on proving people otherwise, and the more Kaepernick drops back in the pocket, the more predictable he becomes. He is a read option quarterback, and needs to use his legs more. Russell Wilson does not have nearly as much speed as Kaepernick, but he is very crafty and always finds ways to turn broken plays into positive plays. Kaepernick has shown anything but.
Speaking of coaching, Jim Harbaugh looks defeated as the head coach here in San Francisco. I am not going to speculate on whether this is his last year in San Francisco because that is something I really do not know, but his demeanor has changed dramatically from the exciting, fiery coach he was in his first three seasons. The once passionate Harbaugh looks emotionally drained, and his imaginative, unlimited playbook has dwindled to a predictable, stagnant collection of crap that could be drawn up by kids in a sandbox. I do not know whether Harbaugh or offensive coordinator Greg Roman is responsible for this, but it is inexcusable. Harbaugh may be a lame duck, but he is still paid to be the 49ers head coach and has to adapt.
Say the 49ers right all of these wrongs with their offensive line and quarterback, there is still one problem. None of it may matter.
In the end, the 49ers have to win out, and even if they do, they could still miss the playoffs. The 49ers trail the Seahawks, Cardinals, Lions, Packers, Eagles, and Cowboys in the standings. The Niners would either need to tie the Cowboys or Eagles in the standings or have a better record than the other four, in order to make it in
However, given all of the 49ers flaws, it is highly unlikely that they will win out.
The 49ers have a brutal schedule the rest of the way. Other than the laughable Raiders, every team they play has at least eight wins. This includes a rematch with the Seahawks up in Seattle, which doesn’t bode well considering the egg they laid in front of their home fans.
They wrap up their season with home dates against the Chargers and Cardinals, which could go either way considering the Niners paltry play at Levi’s Stadium this year.
Forget the playoffs. Right now, the 49ers aren’t playing like they want it. They need to, or else this offseason could become turbulent.
