Interesting OpEd on JG & 49'ers...

[Guest]

@MaroonBells said:

@StickyBun said:
It was obvious he was jumpy and rushing passes. He missed some guys. He threw 3 pretty bad INTs, the last one especially. You can see he's a good passer, but they all succumb to pressure and being hit. The game shouldn't have been as close as it was.

That's what I keep coming back to. We were dominant on defense against several 2nd and 3rd string linemen. So why was it that close? Good teams pull away late as the talent advantage starts wearing down the opponent. That didn't happen for our offense. I think Cousins was 0% in the 4Q? We're going to have to clean that up to beat teams like the Eagles, Rams, etc. 

I thought there were a couple factors:

1. Poor OL play. In particular, DeForest Buckner dominated our OL. Pass protection was spotty, but it seemed like the run blocking was even worse. 
   
2. Lack of a consistent running game. One thing I was curious about is why they kept running Cook up the middle? He most dangerous running laterally and the line didn't seem to be creating seams for him in the middle.
3. Too many 3rd & longs caused by the first two issues. You could also argue that failed attempts to go down field lead to 3rd & longs too, but those shouldn't hurt too much if they are running well.
4. The defense bit hard on misdirections, allowing SF's TE and FB to exploit massive gaps in coverage.
5. SF ran heavy sets, which kept the Vikings out of their preferred nickel look.
6. Even if the Vikings wanted to run nickel, they were down 2 CBs (Waynes & Alexander). Things got better once they started running more big nickel looks with Kearse. The LBers, especially Gedeon, and Harrison Smith had bad days in coverage.

[Guest]

@Tyr said:

@MaroonBells said:

@StickyBun said:
It was obvious he was jumpy and rushing passes. He missed some guys. He threw 3 pretty bad INTs, the last one especially. You can see he's a good passer, but they all succumb to pressure and being hit. The game shouldn't have been as close as it was.

That's what I keep coming back to. We were dominant on defense against several 2nd and 3rd string linemen. So why was it that close? Good teams pull away late as the talent advantage starts wearing down the opponent. That didn't happen for our offense. I think Cousins was 0% in the 4Q? We're going to have to clean that up to beat teams like the Eagles, Rams, etc. 

I thought there were a couple factors:

1. Poor OL play. In particular, DeForest Buckner dominated our OL. Pass protection was spotty, but it seemed like the run blocking was even worse. 
   
2. Lack of a consistent running game. One thing I was curious about is why they kept running Cook up the middle? He most dangerous running laterally and the line didn't seem to be creating seams for him in the middle.
3. Too many 3rd & longs caused by the first two issues. You could also argue that failed attempts to go down field lead to 3rd & longs too, but those shouldn't hurt too much if they are running well.
4. The defense bit hard on misdirections, allowing SF's TE and FB to exploit massive gaps in coverage.
5. SF ran heavy sets, which kept the Vikings out of their preferred nickel look.
6. Even if the Vikings wanted to run nickel, they were down 2 CBs (Waynes & Alexander). Things got better once they started running more big nickel looks with Kearse. The LBers, especially Gedeon, and Harrison Smith had bad days in coverage.

All good points, but don't underestimate Dalvin's ability to run in-between the tackles. That said, SF's interior DL really dominated and I would have like to have seen more outside runs this particular game. 

[Guest]

@JoDakota said:
We must keep in mind a couple things for us on offense. We had a make shift line and a new QB to the team, like mentioned above, so it will take time to mesh.

Also, everyone is so high on Flip, but why? He may be the best thing since sliced bread, but he comes in here with QB coach experience, no OC experience, so it will take some games to get up to speed for him as well. I have confidence he will do well, but I think some here have put him on a pedestal too soon. 

Agree with this. We have to remember it’s the first game for a new OC too. He is working with a line pieced together just this past week. They just need some time to tie it all together.