10 thoughts - 49ers game

[Gandhi]

1 – I don’t really like to judge a coaching staff after three weeks, but this is the NFL, and this is my column. You are going to get criticism if you don’t produce, and I don’t want to accept moral losses. Get it together!

2 – Great that they got Jeremyah Love involved.

3 – Hjalte Froholdt has taken a step back.

4 – I have obviously been very negative about Brissett, so I thought it was time to say something positive.

It’s nice to finally have a quarterback you can legitimately run a sneak with.

5 – After last week´s destruction, and a horrible start in this game, it was nice to see them fight back from adversity to at least some sort of respectability. Speaks to impressive coaching. Last year they would have folded it in halfway through the first quarter.

6 – With all the injuries the Niners had coming into the game, and how they just kept piling up throughout the game, you kept wondering when they would break. But they never did. That also speaks to great coaching.

7 – Week 1 I thought Paris Johnson was a very good left tackle – pay da man.

Week 2 I thought Paris Johnson was above average – pay da man.

Week 3 I thought Paris Johnson was a problem – pump the brakes on that contract.

8 – Jourdan Rodrigue and Robert Mays are two analysts whose opinion I respect, and especially Rodrigue has been closely covering the Rams for many years. Both of them have singled out Elijah Higgins as someone that could be a no-spotlight, underrated, and effective player in a Mike LaFleur offense. He showed it this game.

9 – What is Josh Sweat actually doing on that defense? Ship him out.

10 – Granted, the expectations were low, but Melton has played okay this season.

 

[Russ Smith]

on #2 I just read Love averaged 1.7 yards before contact yesterday and got 90 yards on 4.3 yards per carry. If my math is correct that means he got 2.6 yards after contact per run. and note that's after CONTACT, so if he made the first man miss, which he did several times, that doesn't count as contact until someone touches him.

I still think he turns his back too much with that spin move but kid is for real. For contrast the same report said CMC averaged 2.7 yards before contact yesterday.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

Jacoby when down by three scores or more:

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[LoyaltyisaCurse]

Jacoby when tied or down by 2 sores or less:

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[Vacard]

Roy Lopez and Garrett Williams are back and were sorely needed

 

[JosiahLee]

1 – I don’t really like to judge a coaching staff after three weeks, but this is the NFL, and this is my column. You are going to get criticism if you don’t produce, and I don’t want to accept moral losses. Get it together!

2 – Great that they got Jeremyah Love involved.

3 – Hjalte Froholdt has taken a step back.

4 – I have obviously been very negative about Brissett, so I thought it was time to say something positive.

It’s nice to finally have a quarterback you can legitimately run a sneak with.

5 – After last week´s destruction, and a horrible start in this game, it was nice to see them fight back from adversity to at least some sort of respectability. Speaks to impressive coaching. Last year they would have folded it in halfway through the first quarter.

6 – With all the injuries the Niners had coming into the game, and how they just kept piling up throughout the game, you kept wondering when they would break. But they never did. That also speaks to great coaching.

7 – Week 1 I thought Paris Johnson was a very good left tackle – pay da man.

Week 2 I thought Paris Johnson was above average – pay da man.

Week 3 I thought Paris Johnson was a problem – pump the brakes on that contract.

8 – Jourdan Rodrigue and Robert Mays are two analysts whose opinion I respect, and especially Rodrigue has been closely covering the Rams for many years. Both of them have singled out Elijah Higgins as someone that could be a no-spotlight, underrated, and effective player in a Mike LaFleur offense. He showed it this game.

9 – What is Josh Sweat actually doing on that defense? Ship him out.

10 – Granted, the expectations were low, but Melton has played okay this season.

Always look forward to this column every week.

1. Agreed. Why aren’t more fans here concerned about this coaching staff? Guess who also went 1-2 in his debut season? Thats right, Jonathan Gannon. And those two losses were by a combined 7 points.

There are zero moral victories. The trend for the past several years has shown competent coaches are having success in year 1. It’s happening yet again with Kubiak in Las Vegas. That roster is not better off than ours. Yet they are 3-0.

I think there’s even an argument that you should be most effective in year 1 as a coach…When your staff and tendencies are still an unknown and you can take the league by storm. Dan Quinn went 12-5 year 1 and has only won 5 games since.

Jim Harbaugh won 11 games out of the gate with the Chargers and is sitting at 0-3 now. Vrabel won 14 games last year and is now 1-2, likely to win around 7 or 8 games this year IMO.

2. Agreed. Though the fact he couldn’t even get 100 rushing yards against a practice squad DL is disappointing.

4. I’ll give him that as well. He does complete that qb sneak effectively.

5. I just wish there was better execution in the first half. I knew it was over at halftime once it was a two-possession game.

They have to start with more urgency. Perhaps the Seattle and SF games look drastically different if we could execute early and establish a lead.

 

[Gandhi]

Always look forward to this column every week.

1. Agreed. Why aren’t more fans here concerned about this coaching staff? Guess who also went 1-2 in his debut season? Thats right, Jonathan Gannon. And those two losses were by a combined 7 points.

There are zero moral victories. The trend for the past several years has shown competent coaches are having success in year 1. It’s happening yet again with Kubiak in Las Vegas. That roster is not better off than ours. Yet they are 3-0.

I think there’s even an argument that you should be most effective in year 1 as a coach…When your staff and tendencies are still an unknown and you can take the league by storm. Dan Quinn went 12-5 year 1 and has only won 5 games since.

Jim Harbaugh won 11 games out of the gate with the Chargers and is sitting at 0-3 now. Vrabel won 14 games last year and is now 1-2, likely to win around 7 or 8 games this year IMO.

2. Agreed. Though the fact he couldn’t even get 100 rushing yards against a practice squad DL is disappointing.

4. I’ll give him that as well. He does complete that qb sneak effectively.

5. I just wish there was better execution in the first half. I knew it was over at halftime once it was a two-possession game.

They have to start with more urgency. Perhaps the Seattle and SF games look drastically different if we could execute early and establish a lead.

Very interesting points, JL.

I do think you have to take the opponents into the equation. The Raiders also beat the Chargers, but their other two opponents were Miami and New Orleans. In all fairness, Seattle and San Fran are in a different category.

That said, I agree with you. Talent deficiencies are certainly a real thing, but you are right – the Raiders are not better on paper than the Cards. Cousins is a much better QB than Brissett, but that can’t be an excuse. The coaching staff chose Brissett. That’s on them. And Rallis was significantly overmatched in the last two games but seems unwilling to make any significant changes.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Very interesting points, JL.

I do think you have to take the opponents into the equation. The Raiders also beat the Chargers, but their other two opponents were Miami and New Orleans. In all fairness, Seattle and San Fran are in a different category.

That said, I agree with you. Talent deficiencies are certainly a real thing, but you are right – the Raiders are not better on paper than the Cards. Cousins is a much better QB than Brissett, but that can’t be an excuse. The coaching staff chose Brissett. That’s on them. And Rallis was significantly overmatched in the last two games but seems unwilling to make any significant changes.

I think the Raiders are absolutely better on paper than we are. They have a dominant DE on defense that we don't have. That alone makes their D better than ours. They have a better QB. They have just as good of a RB. They have an equally dominant TE and another very good TE. And a much better offensive line.

I don't think people really understand how talent poor this Cardinals team is. We basically have a great TE, a very good WR, a very good up and coming rookie RB, and that is IT for truly high level impact players. Unfortunately, all of those guys are dependent on QB/Offensive Line play so their impact can be blunted.

On Defense we have next to nothing. Nolan is the only guy we can even point to as even having legit high upside and right now, but he's not even close to the kind of force a Maxx Crosby is.

 

[Gandhi]

I think the Raiders are absolutely better on paper than we are. They have a dominant DE on defense that we don't have. That alone makes their D better than ours. They have a better QB. They have just as good of a RB. They have an equally dominant TE and another very good TE. And a much better offensive line.

I don't think people really understand how talent poor this Cardinals team is. We basically have a great TE, a very good WR, a very good up and coming rookie RB, and that is IT for truly high level impact players. Unfortunately, all of those guys are dependent on QB/Offensive Line play so their impact can be blunted.

On Defense we have next to nothing. Nolan is the only guy we can even point to as even having legit high upside and right now, but he's not even close to the kind of force a Maxx Crosby is.

I don’t agree that their offensive line is “much better”, and all offensive skill position players (outside of Bowers) are worse than the Cards’. Sure, Crosby makes the entire defense better but take him out and they have nobody on defense. Most people probably cannot name a single big contributor other than Crosby.

I also don’t agree that the Cards are without any talent. I actually don’t think they are far away. Call me a homer, but I truly think they could fight for a playoff spot in several other divisions – obviously provided that they switched QB. Look around the league. Most teams (also the good ones) don’t have more than two or three very good skill position players on offense, and you mention three on this roster. The main difference is that the best teams have a great quarterback, and one or two really good offensive linemen. On defense, sure, the Cards need several strong pieces, but against most teams you don’t need super defenses anymore.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I don’t agree that their offensive line is “much better”, and all offensive skill position players (outside of Bowers) are worse than the Cards’.

How is Jeanty worse than Love? And how is Marvin Harrison better than any of the Raiders skill position players? They also have a better QB. And they made a major addition to their OL in FA with a stud Center that is paying off in spades.

Sure, Crosby makes the entire defense better but take him out and they have nobody on defense.

But you can’t take him out… he’s on the team, making the entire D better so it’s pointless to talk about what they’re like if you take him off it. I mean we’re comparing rosters right… not hypothetical rosters if you removed their best player for some reason.

Most people probably cannot name a single big contributor other than Crosby.

And yet their roster on D would still be better because Crosby is on it and he’s a major force at a major impact position. So he’s part of the talent equation.

I also don’t agree that the Cards are without any talent. I actually don’t think they are far away. Call me a homer, but I truly think they could fight for a playoff spot in several other divisions – obviously provided that they switched QB.

Because it’s so easy to get a good QB? And we are definitely without talent all over the defense. The only guy with any upside there is Nolan and he’s been neutralized most of the season.

Look around the league. Most teams (also the good ones) don’t have more than two or three very good skill position players on offense, and you mention three on this roster. The main difference is that the best teams have a great quarterback, and one or two really good offensive linemen. On defense, sure, the Cards need several strong pieces, but against most teams you don’t need super defenses anymore.

No one is talking about a super defense. This is one of the worst defenses in football.

 

[Carolinacacti]

Did Monti play football? He's a big dude I thought maybe he play offensive live. But this line sucks

 

[Chopper0080]

Very interesting points, JL.

I do think you have to take the opponents into the equation. The Raiders also beat the Chargers, but their other two opponents were Miami and New Orleans. In all fairness, Seattle and San Fran are in a different category.

That said, I agree with you. Talent deficiencies are certainly a real thing, but you are right – the Raiders are not better on paper than the Cards. Cousins is a much better QB than Brissett, but that can’t be an excuse. The coaching staff chose Brissett. That’s on them. And Rallis was significantly overmatched in the last two games but seems unwilling to make any significant changes.

I don't think you definitively assert that MLF chose Brissett ala other options on the market. That's on the GM who might be the worst GM in Cardinals history which is an impressive feat. You can state that MLF chose Brissett over Minshew and Beck.

This was always going to be the issue with bringing back so many coaches, players and the GM from one of the worst teams in the NFL in 2025, and one of the worst teams in the NFL since 2023. Everything gets convoluted. You can of course feel how you want to feel. That said, the Cardinals are a historically inept franchise and instead of giving this new HC Carson Palmer or Kyler Murray, our awful GM gave him Brissett. Our awful GM made no significant additions to an already bad roster. Our GM (or owner) gave him a DC who has been consistently bad over his short career instead of a better option. This just seems like a very snap reaction on a new HC 3 games into the season for a team that chose to not upgrade the personnel on the roster in any meaningful way other than the draft.

 

[Gandhi]

How is Jeanty worse than Love? And how is Marvin Harrison better than any of the Raiders skill position players? They also have a better QB. And they made a major addition to their OL in FA with a stud Center that is paying off in spades.

Well, Love has three professional games, so I guess you are right that Jeanty is better by default from simply having played games. Through three games, Next Gen Stats have them almost identical in all statistics. And who is it of their receivers that you want? They have one with more than 52 receiving yards after three games. Two with more than 10 targets.

But you can’t take him out… he’s on the team, making the entire D better so it’s pointless to talk about what they’re like if you take him off it. I mean we’re comparing rosters right… not hypothetical rosters if you removed their best player for some reason.

I am taking him out because he is the only one people can name. That was my point.

And yet their roster on D would still be better because Crosby is on it and he’s a major force at a major impact position. So he’s part of the talent equation.

Well, do you truly think that Tonka Hemmingway (yes, that’s a real person) is better than Walter Nolen? That Foluronso Fatukasi is better than Roy Lopez? If you do, then I don’t know what to tell you.

Because it’s so easy to get a good QB?

No. Who argued that it was?

No one is talking about a super defense. This is one of the worst defenses in football.

Yes, they get no pass rush. That affects the entire defense.

 

[Gandhi]

That's on the GM who might be the worst GM in Cardinals history which is an impressive feat.

Might?

 

[Goodyear Card]

We only need two things to be elite on offensive. A QB and an offensive line.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

We only need two things to be elite on offensive. A QB and an offensive line.

That's it?

 

[Gandhi]

We only need two things to be elite on offensive. A QB and an offensive line.

You can definitely win with Froholdt and Seumalo, and obviously Bisontis is an unknown. Paris Johnson has the talent, so maybe he can return to the high-level play again. He has been there before. Then it’s just down to two spots. That is certainly not unattainable.

And yes, then there is the quarterback. The big problem.

 

[Chopper0080]

Might?

As @some dumb guy stated in another thread, I am acknowledging that almost everything gets debated on this message board. lol

My opinion is that he is the worst GM in Cardinals history.

 

[Stout]

As @some dumb guy stated in another thread, I am acknowledging that almost everything gets debated on this message board. lol

My opinion is that he is the worst GM in Cardinals history.

At least since I've been a fan. The human snail and Bluto were both by far better, sad to say.

 

[gimpy]

At least since I've been a fan. The human snail and Bluto were both by far better, sad to say.

I guess the old saying applies here? Be careful what you wish for?

 

[Card'em]

Well, if you ascribe to Bill Parcell's dictum, "you are what your record says you are", then Ossenfort is definitely the worst GM. His 16-38 win/loss record is 0.296, which surpasses Bob Fergusen's horrendous 0.366 percentage with a 41-71 record.

 

[Gandhi]

As @some dumb guy stated in another thread, I am acknowledging that almost everything gets debated on this message board. lol

My opinion is that he is the worst GM in Cardinals history.

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

Apparently there was in fact someone worse when it was the Chicago Cardinals.

I agree with you, though. I guess I am in the minority who thinks he has brought in several good players (especially on offense), but the many misses - including his paralysis when actions were needed - by far outweigh them.

 

[DVontel]

I kind of think the Raiders are better on-paper than we are, but I think we would be talking up this roster more if we got to play the Dolphins & Saints to start out opposed to the 49ers & Seahawks.

The common thing we do have is that we beat the same opponent on the road with the same score, lol.

 

[Zalixar]

xc_hide_links_from_guests_guests_error_hide_media

Apparently there was in fact someone worse when it was the Chicago Cardinals.

I agree with you, though. I guess I am in the minority who thinks he has brought in several good players (especially on offense), but the many misses - including his paralysis when actions were needed - by far outweigh them.

A fan off the street or any one of us could draft and bring in good players sometimes, so that can't be the bar to evaluate. He's worse than almost of his peers, except the ones that deserve to get canned.

 

[Zalixar]

I kind of think the Raiders are better on-paper than we are, but I think we would be talking up this roster more if we got to play the Dolphins & Saints to start out opposed to the 49ers & Seahawks.

The common thing we do have is that we beat the same opponent on the road with the same score, lol.

I think the Saints are a better team than they are getting credit for. At this rate, the Jets/Saints/Raiders we counted as "wins" isn't looking so hot right now. Even with a healthy Giants team I wouldn't have expected a win on the road.