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Sunday sucked, and Monday was worse. Negativity was everywhere when talking about the San Francisco 49ers. The takes were out of control. Fire Kyle Shanahan. Cut Jimmy Garoppolo. The refs were the reason the Niners lost. Fire....Robert Saleh? I understand losing sucks. Nobody likes it. Perspective is everything.
There are a few very informative national talking heads that you should be following on Twitter if you are interested in learning about the game of football. Brian Baldinger isn’t a new name, but he continually goes in-depth. With only one game to breakdown, there was plenty of content surrounding the Super Bowl.
Here is four minutes of Nick Bosa kicking site decorum:
Rookie @nbsmallerbear shouldn't go unnoticed. Wrecked havoc early and often and played a heck of a first Super Bowl game. He earned that Defensive Rookie of the Year honor last night. #SBLIV #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/wpETCGM2ve
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) February 4, 2020
The craziest part about watching this is Bosa is nowhere near his ceiling. He’s going to get a lot better. There are plenty of examples in the Super Bowl and throughout the season where Bosa’s aggressiveness is used against him. He’ll get better at staying home and in his gap, and also bringing the quarterback down. There’s a high probability of this being Nick Bosa’s worse season if he stays healthy. That’s nuts.
We talked about how the 49ers would be able to throw the ball at will when using play-action. That was the case on Sunday.
Although they lost, the #49ers play-action in #SBLIV was a thing of beauty. They just didn't get enough after the catch. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/r90f9zXiQR
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) February 4, 2020
The designs weren’t the issue. The execution was:
.@49ers v @chiefs #SBLIV with a bag of missed opportunities to extend drives or make big plays. Either way, 20 points wasn’t enough. They didn’t play at their best, but no one can say that they didn’t have chances. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/ECXigHkefJ
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) February 3, 2020
.@Chiefs v @49ers #SBLIV @stonecoldjones_ bats 2 balls down in B2B possessions which was instrumental in getting key stops #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/39FsVMicWg
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) February 3, 2020
Seeing the field/underneath defenders has been an issue for Garoppolo all season. If I’m Shanahan, that’s where I’m spending the most time with Jimmy this offseason. When he plays fast and gets the ball out on time, Garoppolo is a top-8ish quarterback in the league. That’s why the 49ers made it to the Super Bowl. You can acknowledge that and still understand there is room for Garoppolo to improve as a player. Knowing where to go with the ball is as important as traits like accuracy and arm strength.
Garoppolo only had six batted passes in the regular season, which was the seventh-fewest for quarterbacks with at least 500 attempts. I do think he can improve with holding defenders with his eyes. On the plays above, Chris Jones made a play. You don’t teach your quarterback to look off receivers in the quick game. That’s not on Jimmy there. He does everything correct. The process is right, the results don’t match that. That happens in football. Again, it’s okay to give the other team credit without dragging someone else down.
The 3rd & 15 pass remains the most inexcusable play of the game for the 49ers.
.@chiefs v @49ers #SBLIV found a spark on this 3-15; the biggest play in the game. When they needed it most. @cheetah might be the only Wr in the league to cover this much ground this fast. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/E4V0EHALfA
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) February 3, 2020
Later on today when he talk about the PFF grades, I discuss how this is on Ward and not Moseley. With that said, Baldy is correct. Tell me which player in the NFL that’s capable of guarding Hill for that long?
I’ll end with the Shanahan blunder to end the half.
.@49ers v @chiefs #SBLIV I thought the #49ers missed a real opportunity to put a drive together by not calling timeouts. Such an Explosive offense needs chances and the foiled this one; or its classic Monday Morning QB by me. #BaldysBreakdowns pic.twitter.com/zinxfoloJ4
— Brian Baldinger (@BaldyNFL) February 3, 2020
We have to talk about it, as repulsive as the topic may be. Shanahan was aggressive in the fourth quarter from a late-game playcalling perspective. It was the opposite in the first three quarters. I don’t want to call it coaching scared because it’s happened all season. I genuinely think Shanahan doesn’t understand the issue. When you are facing a great offense, you can’t waste possessions. Whether Shanahan wasn’t confident in his quarterback is another story. Jimmy completed a pass to Wilson on one play, and through one of the better passes, you’ll see all season to Kittle on his next throw. The Chiefs are capable of scoring with 20 seconds left. My biggest issue with Kyle is that he coaches to avoid the worst-case scenario as opposed to “playing the odds.”
Yes, Kansas City could score if you give them the ball back with over a minute to play. You know who else can score? The team that was averaging over seven yards a play at the time. Scared isn’t the correct word here. Shanahan wasn’t coaching smart. Based on how the game was going, the probability of Kansas City stopping San Francisco’s offense was quite a bit lower than the Chiefs getting the ball back and scoring. If Shanahan is going to sit with Jimmy G and help him, he needs to take a long look in the mirror at his coaching decisions and judging the game flow.