BorderRivals.com
Cheesehead
I touch on this topic, and more, in my latest post: http://wp.me/p29VCs-aM
But, I wanted to highlight one of my biggest beefs from yesterday's game. MM's over-aggressiveness cost us 3 points at the end of the 1st half and got us off to a poor start in the 2nd half. At the end of the 1st half, we got the ball back with about 50 seconds left, down 6. I like the fact we didn't take a knee, but the first two plays didn't get us going. Now with around 30 seconds left, and after a short completion on 2nd down, still well short of the first down marker, MM calls a timeout. At first, I had figured SF called it. Coaching error number 1. Next play, Rodgers doesn't see anything and instead of just sliding inbounds to keep the clock running - and force SF to use it's last timeout - Rodgers throws the ball away. Remember, he was running away from the pocket and had someone applying light pressure. Plenty of time/space to slide and keep the clock running. MM should have made sure Rodgers knew to keep the clock running at all costs (or Rodgers should have known that himself). Either way, coaching/player error number 2. Then, after the punt, Kaepernick takes the field - the backup QB, only known for his running ability at this point in his career. So what do we do? Play deep, send three rushers that easily get discarded and Kaepernick scampers to what turns out to be Akers field goal range. It was a play eerily similar to Bradshaw getting a ton of yardage at the end of the first half in the playoff loss. How the players were so unprepared for Kaepernick, or at a minumum the coaching staff could not see that coming once he takes the field - heck, take a timeout once you see him on the field (I believe we still had one) - is unacceptable. Coaching error number 3.
And then, to start the second half. The Pack go 3-and-out. On 3rd-and-1, MM goes for bomb that was well covered because the 49ers don't respect our running game - and why would they - and weren't biting on any play-action. We had yet to establish any rhythm on offense. We needed to get some first downs and get going. I like aggressive play-calling. But, only at the right spots. That was not one of them.
But, I wanted to highlight one of my biggest beefs from yesterday's game. MM's over-aggressiveness cost us 3 points at the end of the 1st half and got us off to a poor start in the 2nd half. At the end of the 1st half, we got the ball back with about 50 seconds left, down 6. I like the fact we didn't take a knee, but the first two plays didn't get us going. Now with around 30 seconds left, and after a short completion on 2nd down, still well short of the first down marker, MM calls a timeout. At first, I had figured SF called it. Coaching error number 1. Next play, Rodgers doesn't see anything and instead of just sliding inbounds to keep the clock running - and force SF to use it's last timeout - Rodgers throws the ball away. Remember, he was running away from the pocket and had someone applying light pressure. Plenty of time/space to slide and keep the clock running. MM should have made sure Rodgers knew to keep the clock running at all costs (or Rodgers should have known that himself). Either way, coaching/player error number 2. Then, after the punt, Kaepernick takes the field - the backup QB, only known for his running ability at this point in his career. So what do we do? Play deep, send three rushers that easily get discarded and Kaepernick scampers to what turns out to be Akers field goal range. It was a play eerily similar to Bradshaw getting a ton of yardage at the end of the first half in the playoff loss. How the players were so unprepared for Kaepernick, or at a minumum the coaching staff could not see that coming once he takes the field - heck, take a timeout once you see him on the field (I believe we still had one) - is unacceptable. Coaching error number 3.
And then, to start the second half. The Pack go 3-and-out. On 3rd-and-1, MM goes for bomb that was well covered because the 49ers don't respect our running game - and why would they - and weren't biting on any play-action. We had yet to establish any rhythm on offense. We needed to get some first downs and get going. I like aggressive play-calling. But, only at the right spots. That was not one of them.