i really hope...

[Rathman44]

...that harbaugh is playing conservatively in order to not give away some of his plays to future opponents. i feel like the TD to miller is a great example. that play was so well designed and he used it right when we needed it. i just hope he has a bunch more plays like this that he is hiding up his sleeve and just waiting to use them when we're in the playoffs or playing tough teams like pit and balt

 

[dredinis21]

He didn't re-invent the wheel (no pun intended) with yesterday's wheel pass to Miller, he just understands when to use it and with what personnel in order to keep the defense completely off balance. It's not like he has a secret playbook. I believe that the offense we are seeing will be the same offense we see in the playoffs. I don't think he opens it up, if at all, until this off-season. If anything, I feel as if the team is getting better and better at executing the bread and butter plays, ie wheel, slants, various run plays to where the NIners can hopefully get to the point where they can do those in their sleep by season's end.

 

[Rathman44]

never said he's coming up with crazy new plays (although passing to your LT...never seen that before)...just that he seems to have some go-to plays that he is currently using during optimum times of the game. i don't think he feels the need to use up all his favorite plays just to blow out teams like the redskins and browns...or at least i hope that's what is happening because beating the redskins by only 8 isn't very encouraging.

 

[deep9er]

...that harbaugh is playing conservatively in order to not give away some of his plays to future opponents. i feel like the TD to miller is a great example. that play was so well designed and he used it right when we needed it. i just hope he has a bunch more plays like this that he is hiding up his sleeve and just waiting to use them when we're in the playoffs or playing tough teams like pit and balt

IMO he's not "playing conservative" for the purpose of "future opponents". but think i get your gist, cause his baby steps does seem a little behind?

in general, prefer he keeps working on adjustments, tweaks, or whatever you call it? better to show more plays/players opponents have to deal with? this also allows his players to actually execute.

imagine they terrific call to Staley or Sopoaga, but because they didn't do it in a real game, they got nervous and messed up? they got anxious and made a penalty?

 

[h0ckeysk83r]

While we would all like for the offense to open it up more, the fact is right now we simply just havent had too. Our D is playing great and we have been putting enough point on the board to get it done.

The giants game just might give us a test on what we can do. But then again i feel harbaugh/roman play the offense how the game is going. If we need to take some shots we will(eagles game) Besides the eagle game we really havent needed to open it up.

 

[Bracus]

He didn't re-invent the wheel (no pun intended) with yesterday's wheel pass to Miller, he just understands when to use it and with what personnel in order to keep the defense completely off balance. It's not like he has a secret playbook. I believe that the offense we are seeing will be the same offense we see in the playoffs. I don't think he opens it up, if at all, until this off-season. If anything, I feel as if the team is getting better and better at executing the bread and butter plays, ie wheel, slants, various run plays to where the NIners can hopefully get to the point where they can do those in their sleep by season's end.

I believe theirs a Cosell article where he says in his years of NFL coverage, he's never seen a few plays they ran.

 

[Rathman44]

I believe theirs a Cosell article where he says in his years of NFL coverage, he's never seen a few plays they ran.

link?

 

[MW49ers5]

link?

Rathman, you should check out Harbaugh's 23 minute press conference video - He sings a long chorus of some pretty damn high praise about #44, and not his usual smoke-up-your-skirt praise either.

Here's a Link

 

[deep9er]

While we would all like for the offense to open it up more, the fact is right now we simply just havent had too. Our D is playing great and we have been putting enough point on the board to get it done.

The giants game just might give us a test on what we can do. But then again i feel harbaugh/roman play the offense how the game is going. If we need to take some shots we will(eagles game) Besides the eagle game we really havent needed to open it up.

but this is why they should work a little on it 'now', cause they don't have to? they can't work on it as well come play-off time.

agree this Giant game isn't the time to push it, the Giants can provide pressure and it could be a tie breaker for seeding. we need to win this game and if that means doing what we're doing, fine.

 

[Rathman44]

Rathman, you should check out Harbaugh's 23 minute press conference video - He sings a long chorus of some pretty damn high praise about #44, and not his usual smoke-up-your-skirt praise either.

Here's a Link

nice. gotta love rathman. one of the most underrated players of all time. the perfect west coast fullback

 

[tallglassofwater007]

I'm hearing a lot of talk about the Niners getting stronger as the year goes on. I agree with this. They are trying not to put too much on the offense (mainly Smith) at once and building confidence and also a knowledge for the offense. Smith has been coming through when needed the most (knock on wood) and I think he will continue to get better the more they open it up. Confidence plays a pretty big roll in sports. It's not gonna make Smith into Montana, but it will elevate his game. Cam Newton... perfect example of confidence in a QB. Sure they are losing games... but he isn't afraid to keep throwing and take over a game. Just like Peyton in his first few years. Soon, the INT's were way down and the team started dominating.

 

[kennyt12]

Is Harbaugh holding back?

Every week I feel like we get the lead and then Harbaugh just grinds it out and lets the defense do their job. So my question is "Is Harbaugh holding back so that other teams don't have footage on us? We're already going to the playoffs so why not keep save a lot of things for the playoffs when wins matter the most.

 

[OregonDucks]

Saving it all for Thanksgiving night.

 

[MHSL82]

I really hope...

Not exactly the same but you may find some responses that address this possibility. While I don't think he necessarily goes into the game strategizing on what plays to save and which one's to use, I do feel that when we are playing a worse opponent and winning, he doesn't see any need to burn through the playbook. Even playing good opponents, there's a level of practical prioritization with every game. That's true of Harbaugh as well as everyone else.

Also, if the playbook is as thick as some make it out to be, it would have been difficult to get all of it implemented in such a short time. One might think, "it's week 9 already!" but every week has had such a significant portion of the time being eaten up by game planning, film watching, and team scouting that it's harder to implement. One might think that there's only so much time in the offices and implementation is there for the taking during practices, but there are new restrictions on number, type, and length of practices this year. Prioritization is key, plus we don't exactly have the most experienced, fastest learning, team in the world or the simplest offense.

So even better things are to come and this may not be in the form of new plays per se, but maybe in better chemistry, better execution, different personel or formations on already used plays, and a better NFL feel on how to capitalize and utilize our strengths in game situations. As great as our coaching staff is, it is a rookie year for many of them. While there will be more plays used, we will naturally get better with repetition, familiarity with the system and players, and confidence - even without new plays.

Look at the Miller TD this past game - we've used it before but it was with different players, different (perfect) part of the game, and had a different result than the Crabtree step out of bounds (read that this was the same play, in essence as the double tap of the same foot play though I may be wrong).

 

[kennyt12]

Sorry I missed the thread. This one can be deleted!

 

[kennyt12]

He didn't re-invent the wheel (no pun intended) with yesterday's wheel pass to Miller, he just understands when to use it and with what personnel in order to keep the defense completely off balance. It's not like he has a secret playbook. I believe that the offense we are seeing will be the same offense we see in the playoffs. I don't think he opens it up, if at all, until this off-season. If anything, I feel as if the team is getting better and better at executing the bread and butter plays, ie wheel, slants, various run plays to where the NIners can hopefully get to the point where they can do those in their sleep by season's end.

I coach JV basketball and understand how much time it takes to get a team to a point where they don't have to think about the play, they just react. My guess is we're getting to that point which means we can move on and implement even more of the offense.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Sorry I missed the thread. This one can be deleted!

No need to delete. We'll go ahead and merge them.

 

[deep9er]

I coach JV basketball and understand how much time it takes to get a team to a point where they don't have to think about the play, they just react. My guess is we're getting to that point which means we can move on and implement even more of the offense.

to me no question we're at the point where we should implement more downfield passing. not asking a lot more, say, 2-3 more times. the defense is solid, the run game is solid, and the pass protect is getting better.

BUT, skip this next game cause it could have tie breaking implications. start implementing more deep passing against the West.

 

[Arete Tzu]

Saving it all for Thanksgiving night.

lmao I have a brother I'm competitive with, so I've honestly played with that thought. I don't think it's very likely at this level though, but It would be epic if it turned out to be true.

 

[Flyingiguana]

the biggest reason the offense isn't being opened up is the pass protection. even with the limited number of passes being thrown and even less big plays being called, the line isn't pass blocking very well.