My 2nd quarter thoughts

[NinerSickness]

So in the 2nd quarter, my thought were this: It' one thing to leave a QB who has a finger injury in there when he's either playing well or a historically great QB. It's entirely another thing to leave a QB like Alex in there with a finger injury when he was playing terribly.

There's no reason Alex should have played in the 2nd half. What'd he do? Came out & threw 2 picks.

 

[Kinzu]

No, there is no reason Roman started running so many Kaep plays from the 2nd quarter and on. They were all drive killers for the most part. Alex had 2 12 play clock eating drives in the 1st quarter that should have had us up 6-0. That's how we won these type of games last year, but after the Giants scored we started trying to be to cute.

The timely offensive penalties coupled with some Kaepernick drive killing plays just killed all our offensive momentum. We really do seem to be a rhythm team on offense right now and once we lost it..... we really lost it. The same thing happened in the Vikings game. We are not the resilient team right now that we were last year, but anyway better now than later this year. I'd rather suffer some defeats like this now and peak come December/January.

As the Giants proved to us last year a regular season victory is not nearly as sweet as a playoff one. I hope we see them again come that time of the year.

 

[TobyTyler]

I'm just watching the first quarter now. They looked pretty sharp other than Akers returning to his pre 2011 form. This was probably just one of those days where the 49ers lost focus and couldn't get it back. I'm waiting to see the 3 INTs.

 

[NinerSickness]

No, there is no reason Roman started running so many Kaep plays from the 2nd quarter and on.

You're right that they shouldn't have gone back & forth, but you don't put a mediocre QB back out when he's playing horribly and he has a finger injury.

 

[TobyTyler]

No, there is no reason Roman started running so many Kaep plays from the 2nd quarter and on. They were all drive killers for the most part. Alex had 2 12 play clock eating drives in the 1st quarter that should have had us up 6-0. That's how we won these type of games last year, but after the Giants scored we started trying to be to cute.

I've said for the last 3 weeks that all the Kaepernick plays do is disrupt the rhythm of the offense.

 

[NinerSickness]

I've said for the last 3 weeks that all the Kaepernick plays do is disrupt the rhythm of the offense.

Do you really think that the Kaepernick plays were the problem today?

 

[I_am_1z]

I've said for the last 3 weeks that all the Kaepernick plays do is disrupt the rhythm of the offense.

But no one cares to remember your opinion, yet you still don't get the hint

 

[ViperVisor]

I like the goal line Kaep stuff cause the game is already slowed down when you get close.

Today it was too much.

Sometimes the boring steady hand of a Tom Coughlin works better than trying too hard.

 

[clyde_carbon]

No, there is no reason Roman started running so many Kaep plays from the 2nd quarter and on. They were all drive killers for the most part. Alex had 2 12 play clock eating drives in the 1st quarter that should have had us up 6-0. That's how we won these type of games last year, but after the Giants scored we started trying to be to cute.

I've said for the last 3 weeks that all the Kaepernick plays do is disrupt the rhythm of the offense.

Because our offense was in so much rhythm today, right?

 

[Kinzu]

You're right that they shouldn't have gone back & forth, but you don't put a mediocre QB back out when he's playing horribly and he has a finger injury.

Didn't 2 of the Int's come in the 3rd quarter?
Problem is we let falling behind change how we play offense. We all but stopped running the ball and started trying to hit a big play to get us back in the game instead of just grinding it out like we would have last year.

We let the Giants do to us what we do to other teams. Take away the run and get after the QB. We got forced into way to many obvious passing plays and lost the ability to effectively use the play action. I know it was 17-3 once we got the ball in the 3rd quarter, but it was way to early to panic like our team did. We basically stopped running at that point and Alex started trying to force something, and when you start trying to force plays bad things can happen and they did.

 

[ViperVisor]

Manningham off the fingertips and Lentard Davis false start 2 key what-ifs.

And the strange Center false start on a Kaep play.

 

[Kinzu]

Manningham off the fingertips and Lentard Davis false start 2 key what-ifs.

And the strange Center false start on a Kaep play.

The 3rd down penalties and a few of the Kaep plays were absolute drive killers. We really shot ourselves in the foot with some head scratching playcalling, and just plan dumb false starts to make at home. I figured we come into this game and play like it was our NFC Championship game all over, but we instead caved under the pressure and just packed it in. We lost on Offense, Defense, Special Teams, and Coaching from the 2nd quarter on. It was painful to watch as well because we dominated so much of the 1st quarter. When the Giants took the early lead though we suddenly did not know how to respond.

 

[TobyTyler]

Do you really think that the Kaepernick plays were the problem today?

No, but it does seem to disrupt the flow of the offense. I was playing golf today so I've only had a chance to watch the first quarter and a bit of the second so far. I'll get to the rest after the Giants game.

 

[clyde_carbon]

No, but it does seem to disrupt the flow of the offense. I was playing golf today so I've only had a chance to watch the first quarter and a bit of the second so far. I'll get to the rest after the Giants game.

I'll concede that today it was a bit much, and I admitted it during the GDT. I like the Kaep package in certain situations sprinkled in every couple of drives, but today it was a bit extreme. Either let Alex play and finish out the game, or just put Kap in there and let him develop his own rhythm if he can.

I do think the coaching staff panicked early - especially after Alex's first INT - and knew that Alex isn't a QB to lead a team back against a team like the Giants, which is why they started plugging Kap in early and often.

 

[zman1527]

I think we lost it to a large degree in the first quarter: we were dominating and come away only up 3-0. Gotta get a td there, be up 10-0.

Other things:

1. If you are going to go pass pass pass, the way the niner did to start and like they did last week, you need to push it down the field more. Too many 3, 4, 5 yard passes. Need more 10-15-20 yard passes. They just have to be more agressive in passing the ball.

2. Where is Aldon Smith? Where is the pass rush?

3. What happened to special teams?

 

[iHATEdodgers]

Because our offense was in so much rhythm today, right?

We were on the first 2 drives though. I absolutely HATED the 3rd and 6 call on the first drive, that is not the time to bring Kap in.

I dont mind bringing him in a few plays a game, it's a good mix up. But not on the key 3rd down play of the 1st drive. Also later in the game they give Kap 1st and 2nd down and then throw Alex back out there on 3rd and 12. That kind of shit is just bad bad play calling, and it is bound to end badly.

If they want to use him more just fricking start him already and see what happens. Otherwise dance with the guy who brung ya.

 

[Jikkle]

My thoughts on the game now that I've had a chance to calm down and digest it is:

-We were just due for one of those games. Even our awesome Super Bowl teams in the 80's laid major eggs from time to time.

-Alex was just due for one of those games. Again every QB even the greatest ones have stink bombs from time to time

-I love Roman but sometimes he's brilliant and sometimes he has me scratching my head till I have a bald bleeding spot. He can try to be too clever and too cute with the playcalling and I thought this was one of those games that was the case.

-We went to the CK package way too much and I think that really hurt any rhythm we were trying to build in our comeback attempts. Not that I was against having CK in there but in the 2nd half you either should've rode Smith all the way or CK all the way.

-4th and 15th still has me a little angry. Smith was plain stupid for throwing that pass and why would we even call a play that had a short route like that in the first place. Send them deep and take your chances on the throw.

-On the one hand we didn't look good defensively but I think you do have to credit Manning for being on the money with his throws. For some reason he just takes his accuracy to a whole new level when he plays us.

-Smith really needs to pull the trigger and make difficult throws. Going back to Manning that's what an elite QB looks like making elite throws. When you're down 2+ scores that's not the time to be taking what the defenses gives you and dumping it off. You need to be a little more risky in that situation.

-Feeding off of what I said above they really need to work on being from behind situations. The team looks completely lost when I dare say it needs to come back from a score greater than 6

-Someone please take the challenge flag away from Harbaugh. Isn't someone supposed to be up there telling him when to take a challenge and not take one?

Overall we're still 4-2, we're still a great team, and this only is a concern if this is becomes a habit. It seems like the teams that do well and win the Super Bowl are typically teams that had to scratch and claw a bit over the course of the season and not the ones that coast in as #1 seeds.

 

[TobyTyler]

I'll concede that today it was a bit much, and I admitted it during the GDT. I like the Kaep package in certain situations sprinkled in every couple of drives, but today it was a bit extreme. Either let Alex play and finish out the game, or just put Kap in there and let him develop his own rhythm if he can.

I do think the coaching staff panicked early - especially after Alex's first INT - and knew that Alex isn't a QB to lead a team back against a team like the Giants, which is why they started plugging Kap in early and often.

I disagree. I think Smith is far more capable of bringing the team back than Kaepernick is; at least at this point in their respective careers. However, I do agree with you that a sprinkling here and there of Kaepernick does bring some variety to the offense and gives the defense something to think about. It is a fine line though between bringing something to the offense and disruptiung it.

 

[ViperVisor]

4th and 15 at that point I don't really care.

Like a 10% to get it and 2% chance you get someone hurt if they try and make a catch.

 

[Jikkle]

My biggest "Why in the world are you putting CK in there moment" is after that big play Smith threw to Moss.

The guy after a rough day throws his best pass of the day so keep him out there and hope he can build on that.

It's like a hitter in baseball hitting a grand slam to break out of a slump but the manager benching him the next day.