I have no idea what to expect from this team in the playoffs

[Chamoanlad]

The main thing I worry about is how predictable our playcalling has gotten and our secondary is getting torched for big yards at the end of the season just like last year.

Our pass defense was pretty good last year until the end of the season and then the playoffs when it seemed like they gave up an average of 300+ yards. I blame that on Fangio. By watching the way our LB's are aligned and their stance you can have a really good idea of what our defense/coverage is. When our ILB's are 4 yards deep we're in our cover 3. If we're in our base defense (no 3rd CB) and you go twins to one side, you know the 49ers will drop that sides OLB (Aldon, Brooks) into zone coverage putting us into 3 rushers. If Carlos Rogers is covering the slot, have a TE clear Willis and Bowman out of the middle and have Carlos's WR run a crossing route to outrun him and it's easy.

On offense in our 3 TE short yardage personnel it's easy to stack 10 in the box since no one is going to outrun your defense and you have a safety sitting over VD. If a team has a great cover corner like Patrick Peterson or Richard Sherman then those 2 TE and 3 TE formations are even more defensible. We need to stay with the misdirection and playaction passes. The Cards never stopped either of those WR counter runs, we just stopped running them.

 

[49ermann]

Yeah, I'm kind of in the same boat. We have had a lot of inconsistencies lately. We've been inconsistent as a whole and a lot of our individual players have been up and down. The coaching at times seems to get the job done and then others, gets extremely predictable or questionable calls.

Tough to say whats going to show up. The sky is limit for this team though.

This is exactly how I feel. I have no idea what to expect. Just cross your fingers and see what happens

 

[Crimsoncrew]

I have mixed feelings heading into the playoffs. On the one hand, we've won six straight, and our only losses since week three were very close contests against playoff teams. The question toward the end of the year was whether we could beat playoff-caliber teams in a close game, and we did that against Seattle and Arizona. Even Atlanta is better than their record IMO, and played with a lot of pride at the end. The D gave up a lot of yards over the last two weeks, but by and large they kept teams out of the endzone, even with our offense struggling.

The biggest concern to me is the offense. That's not to say I'm not concerned with the pass rush and coverage, because I am. I'm quite worried about going up against a WCO with a quick-thinking QB. But I've seen this defense step up in the past, and I'm optimistic they will do so again. The offense...I don't know. They've looked good in spurts, but there is no consistency. We have the talent to be a top-10 offense - at worst. But instead we're trying to claw our way out of the basement. Some of that is on Kap and his poor reads, sloppy footwork, and inconsistent passing. But a lot is on the coaching, as well.

Anyway, it's put up or shut up time. No excuses. We've got to go on the road and win, more than once. I think this team can do it, but there are a lot of kinks to work out. And whatever the result of the postseason run, I would like to see them address the offensive coaching staff over the offseason, and get Colin together with a passing guru.

 

[Chamoanlad]

I have mixed feelings heading into the playoffs. On the one hand, we've won six straight, and our only losses since week three were very close contests against playoff teams. The question toward the end of the year was whether we could beat playoff-caliber teams in a close game, and we did that against Seattle and Arizona. Even Atlanta is better than their record IMO, and played with a lot of pride at the end. The D gave up a lot of yards over the last two weeks, but by and large they kept teams out of the endzone, even with our offense struggling.

The biggest concern to me is the offense. That's not to say I'm not concerned with the pass rush and coverage, because I am. I'm quite worried about going up against a WCO with a quick-thinking QB. But I've seen this defense step up in the past, and I'm optimistic they will do so again. The offense...I don't know. They've looked good in spurts, but there is no consistency. We have the talent to be a top-10 offense - at worst. But instead we're trying to claw our way out of the basement. Some of that is on Kap and his poor reads, sloppy footwork, and inconsistent passing. But a lot is on the coaching, as well.

Anyway, it's put up or shut up time. No excuses. We've got to go on the road and win, more than once. I think this team can do it, but there are a lot of kinks to work out. And whatever the result of the postseason run, I would like to see them address the offensive coaching staff over the offseason, and get Colin together with a passing guru.

I do honestly think that Roman and Harbs have been holding back on offense. They unveiled their read option attack on Green Bay last year after holding back on it during the regular season. I remember reading quotes on it during Superbowl week that the last few games of the regular season they pulled back because they knew they could afford to lose to Seattle and knew they would beat Arizona last year.

With Matthews out, there is no one at all on that Packers defense that scares anyone. Anquan Boldin killed them without Crabtree and with Crabtree back our offense should be very effective. The Packers are a better team now, but so are we. We're a healthy team, Patton can step up as a true 3rd receiver (I don't think there's anyway Manningham makes the same catch Patton made at the end of the Arizona game), and the Packers can't stack the box because they're going to be scared of Boldin and Crab can double move the hell out of the Packer corners. If Kap is accurate our O will blow up.

We need our defense to step up and not turn this into a shootout or a 2011 Saints game. Fangio can't let Aaron Rogers stand there in the pocket and let him pick us apart.

 

[PaythePiper]

i agree with you about them holding back on offense. It seems in the AZ game, as soon as we went up 17 pts, the boring ol 3 and out offense came out of hiding. Az was on their heels big time. Its pretty rare for an NFL team to call a timeout to calm everything down like you see in the NBA.

The OL needs to play a lot better for us to have a legitimate run at the SB.

 

[TobyTyler]

I'm just so happy that they made the playoffs. I have no expectations in the playoffs, I'll be fine with whatever we get.

 

[TobyTyler]

I have mixed feelings heading into the playoffs. On the one hand, we've won six straight, and our only losses since week three were very close contests against playoff teams. The question toward the end of the year was whether we could beat playoff-caliber teams in a close game, and we did that against Seattle and Arizona. Even Atlanta is better than their record IMO, and played with a lot of pride at the end. The D gave up a lot of yards over the last two weeks, but by and large they kept teams out of the endzone, even with our offense struggling.

The biggest concern to me is the offense. That's not to say I'm not concerned with the pass rush and coverage, because I am. I'm quite worried about going up against a WCO with a quick-thinking QB. But I've seen this defense step up in the past, and I'm optimistic they will do so again. The offense...I don't know. They've looked good in spurts, but there is no consistency. We have the talent to be a top-10 offense - at worst. But instead we're trying to claw our way out of the basement. Some of that is on Kap and his poor reads, sloppy footwork, and inconsistent passing. But a lot is on the coaching, as well.

Anyway, it's put up or shut up time. No excuses. We've got to go on the road and win, more than once. I think this team can do it, but there are a lot of kinks to work out. And whatever the result of the postseason run, I would like to see them address the offensive coaching staff over the offseason, and get Colin together with a passing guru.

Our only losses the entire season were to playoff teams. They did manage to beat two playoff teams. The one thing we have yet to do is beat a playoff team on the road this year.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Our only losses the entire season were to playoff teams. They did manage to beat two playoff teams. The one thing we have yet to do is beat a playoff team on the road this year.

Yeah, that's a good point. Well, both are good points. The D has given us a chance to win every game IMO. I don't see that changing this week, even with recent struggles. Our offense needs to mount some drives, though. Especially on the road.

 

[TobyTyler]

Colin Cowherd just picked the 49ers to win the Super Bowl- sure hope he's right! Won 6 straight games and were 4 points away from winning 13 straight.

We went into a shell twice after having leads and that is what cost us the 13 game winning streak.

 

[TobyTyler]

Yeah, that's a good point. Well, both are good points. The D has given us a chance to win every game IMO. I don't see that changing this week, even with recent struggles. Our offense needs to mount some drives, though. Especially on the road.

And we must, must, must, must put heat on Rodgers. If he gets to sit back there un******ed like Palmer and Ryan did they will lose.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

And we must, must, must, must put heat on Rodgers. If he gets to sit back there un******ed like Palmer and Ryan did they will lose.

I think that's probably true. For all the yardage we've given up through the air over the past two weeks, we've actually kept opponents to relatively low scores. But Rodgers and Co. are much more of a threat than Palmer (ever) or Ryan without Julio.

 

[deep9er]

I want to think our D can carry us all the way, but watching them get torched the last couple weeks, I'm not sure. Kap's inconsistency scares the crap out of me.

Aldon, where the hell did you go? Without a decent pass rush, I think our chances are small.....

yep, in today's NFL defenses can't carry a team all the way, the offenses have to score.

next, ST's must have good coverage and be turnover free. its ok we don't break long runs, but just don't turn it over.

 

[PaythePiper]

Over the last few years, this D has really tightened up in the red zone and only given up field goals. This trend has to continue for us to have a good run. I don't give a crap if Rodgers throws for 500 yds if we only give up field goals