BearFan PHX

Hmmm Davis in at RG, and Pryor to LT

uh oh Braxton Jones is shaken up - hope hes OK. And I suppose now Kiran will get his first action under fire. Let's hope he exceeds expectations.

forward progress stopped without a whistle? BS

on pass blocking, it's been errors of the players, but the running game is messed up by scheme. there are lots of examples, hopefully they get on track this week.

Im not saying that its all bad blocking assignments. The one where Davis is in the wilderness is surely not what anyone drew up. But I have seen some real doozies where they are asking guys to reach over a gap and a half, cross the face and then turn the defender inside. That's crazy. Especially when there was a player right in front of that guy who went off on some other assignment. The plays Im speaking of werent blown assignments, they were clearly meant to be blocked that way. It's just too cute. But youre right, there is blame enough to go around for the players AND the coaches.

Ive seen some film where the blocking assignments are insane. people having to reach across a gap and a half while the guy right in front of him, goes to go do something else. if this is a ZONE blocking scheme then the whole idea is to take the closest unblocked man. They look like they are counting defenders outside-in instead of inside out. I see triple teams and people coming free on stunts as a result. I see ridiculous reach block assignments, and pulling tackles and tight ends who have no chance of making it to their block in time. It is CRAZY.

I think they just dont have the talent available (yet?) to permanently replace him. I also think they see the problem as clearly as we do, but probably move a little more slowly, because once you tell a guy who isnt trying hes done, he never tries again. Maybe Davis never will anyway, or maybe hes out of shape from not practicing, and he feels like he might want to try in meetings or whatever. I think Eberflus is the kind to do things a few weeks later than we would. Maybe there is some wisdom to that too. Especially if you can get a W anyway. But I personally have lost faith in Davis, and if it were my choice he wouldnt be on the team next year (or ever again), but i also dont have a solid plan for replacing him with someone who can do the job right now either. I mean, in my cesspool of a mind about this, I already have Bates returning and taking over at center so Im asking myself things like "I wonder what Kiran would look like at guard?" and "Ok who is this Bill Murray guy?" or "Why have a guy like Kramer on the roster for (most of) three years, if you cant realistically play him?" I hope Pryor is an answer. hes huge. but in the preseason he had some pretty bad plays too. Eberflus calls him "most improved" let's hope that's true. It would be one step back from the abyss if Pryor can handle the job. I still think the coaching is a big issue on the OL too.

he had a rep for being a player that didnt practice back at his previous team too. it has nothing to do with the death of his mother/grandmother hes just a lazy grifter

Looking at the film this week, Caleb did a LOT of good things. He is progressing very nicely, and looked like someone far beyond their second game. The ball is coming out fast to the right guy, even under such ridiculous pressure. That's not to say that he doesnt have stuff to learn - he does for sure - but he's doing great in my opinion. I am liking what i see from him.

Lots of good in this thread. Yes to all the Davis hate. Yes to cover 3 as our primary coverage. Yes that Davis probably wont have another shot or it'll be incentive driven. Just watched my guy's breakdown of the game this week - more insane OL blocking assignment stuff. This is definitely about more than just the players. We need someone to straighten out the blocking assignments.

Davis had some good tape - I believe he has talent, but i think he sucks and he's milking us. He always had a rep for not wanting to practice. I just dont see a spot for him on the team going forward. We are trying to build a culture of winners here, he can go punch the clock somewhere else.

exactly. its not rocket science. its REALLY bad coaching.

I think those kind of incremental moves are more likely in the coming weeks than wholesale change. I would not be surprised if we saw some new faces on the OL though - or even letting second string guys like Kramer and Murray get a drive or two of live action to prove themselves. None of it is good or ideal, but at some point you gotta do something. I assume this week is the "hey, youd better start getting this right or we are going to have to do something..." stage. The fact that Bates is still 2 weeks away probably makes that even more likely?

No one is saying fire Eberflus for being a defensive coach. Belichick was a defensive coach. he was just a lot better than Eberflus is. And adam just called it a "nuclear option" meaning extreme. i dont think anyone is seriously suggesting firing Eberflus right now today. We might be saying we should have fired him after last year, or that we should fire him after the season, or near the end of the season etc. Waldron or especially Morgan might be on a hotter seat. But personally, I think having Morgan be OL coach and Run Game Coordinator is a mistake. He obviously needs a second voice to balance some of his choices. Id promote someone else to running game co-coordinator just for some balance in the blocking schemes. Another voice. But I definitely wanted Eberflus fired during the offseason. And i said it wasnt because he was terrible, but because he was mediocre, easily replaced, and doesnt give you an active edge in winning. Plus he makes dumb mistakes, and still went for it this week on 4th and 1 down 6 halfway through the 2nd qtr in his own territory - that was a foolish gamble, and is aligned with similar mistakes hes made before. And also sarcasm doesnt always lead to the best outcomes here?

I'll take the cheap win as long as it doesnt give our staff the idea that our problems are fixed. But if it gives Bates another week to heal without taking an L, thats great.

I agree. But I know Harbaugh is polarizing, so i can understand the decision not to go that way, but i dont think they should have kept Eberflus. And I agree with your analysis entirely. Hes not a terrible coach, but he does make stupid mistakes, and more to the point, he isnt a difference maker, so at best he is a lost opportunity.

100%. I wish we had Harbaugh. I hope we get someone to bring more accountability to the running game, and pass protection, whether from the outside or from within. Dont even have to fire anyone as long as that job gets done. Maybe take either OL coach or running game coordinator away from Morgan so he has a helper on his level.

oh yes, thats exactly where we are, and it is just as awful. Like I said, all the ideas for changing things are terrible ideas. Hopefully we get some guys back from IR soon. like Bates, and maybe even Borom. But this is definitely our biggest weakness. I imagine our roster next year will be much more complete. But i hate saying that now before week 3.

Pryor got some snaps at C in camp, but he's gotten blown up some in game action at guard too.

oh for sure re: nervous to stick him in there, like i said all my ideas about fixing this with what we have on the roster are terrible. Then again Jenkins was an OT converted to OG, and i think they say playing inside is a little easier? Like I said, terrible.

Shelton, Davis and the scheme are all to blame for sure. I dunno about Kramer, but I don't see how it could be much worse than it already is. I find myself wondering if Kiran can play guard, how good Bill Murray (and Kramer!) really are and other assorted terrible thoughts.

totally agree. the scheme is too ambitious, and they arent trained to do what youre talking about. Plus we are supposed to be running a zone scheme, so hitting the open man is the right thing to do. I feel like they are doing the matchups outside-in, which is wrong.

The defense has been playing well, but I dont think the necessarily means Flus is a good DC. I mean, hes certainly decent, but would the defense be worse without him, and with another average DC? I dont think so.

its one thing when you get physically beaten, and another when you make unforced errors. How about delay of game after a timeout? How does that happen? ANd going for it on 4th and 1 deep in your own territory in the middle of the second quarter down 6? Thats fireable.

I think Williams is doing fine. I saw a bunch of good pocket passes in rhythm this week. The problem is the running game, and you can tie that right back to the OL and specifically the ridiculous blocking schemes we are running. We also fail at pass protection. In that case the players just arent performing. They are in the right place in protection (mostly) but losing their battles. We will get blitzed non stop until we prove we can punish defenses for doing it. Chris Morgan is a liability, and if Waldron cant see that and step in, then he is too. Meanwhile Eberflus is mediocre at best. More unforced errors - going for it on 4th and 1 early int he game backed up, stupid challenges means poor timeout management.