3-0 but don't trust them.

[BayRaider]

1 hour ago, N4L said:

Not just improved, so far it's been elite. Sherman isn't what he used to be, but he's got that old man, savvy veteran presence about him still. I expect teams to throw at him more because of who we have on the other side:

Akhelo Witherspoon might be a top 5 corner in the NFL this year. He's been that good. At the end of his rookie season he flashed a lot of promise (didn't play much early). Then last year it was obvious he was poorly coached and probably didn't focus on the small details during the previous off-season as much as he should have. Everyone was already patting him on the back telling him he was the next big thing. Then he was very humbled when he struggled last year. It was a rough year for him but he always battled. The physical talent was always there. The guy moves extremely well and has incredible length. He has been dominant this year and might be our best defensive player which is saying something. We have a new secondary coach this year and it's been night and day. Joe woods has done a phenomenal job so far. Remember the name because Witherspoon is the prefect guy to shut down OBJ on MNF in a few weeks. 

It also helps our pass rush will probably finish in the top 5 in pressures. Bosa is playing hurt and has been better than advertised. That guy is an absolute technician with his hands and setting up blockers for his moves. It's chess with him, he sets up moves for later in the game. It's really incredible to see. He could have had 4-5 sacks already if he didn't have a bum ankle right now. 

Buckner hasn't gotten going yet but it's only a matter of time. Kwon Alexander has been better than I expected. He is flying around the field. Dee Ford has been hurt but he is a proven commodity. 

Our defense hasn't shown any holes anywhere so far and our DL is extremely deep. We rotate 8-9 guys and there have been a lot of guys I haven't mentioned that have made plays. Arik armstead looks like he has figured it out and is every bit the guy he was supposed to be when he was drafted 17th overall. The guy has been an absolute force. There are 4-5 more I could talk about but I'm probably already rambling on lol

So, the 49er defense looks very talented and has been forcing a lot of takeaways. 

granted, this all comes with the qualifier that we have played the buccaneers and the Bengals so far. You can't fault a team for winning by 2+ scores when they play a bad team though. I mean, in both games we were underdogs in Vegas. 

Oh, and if the defense starts to struggle, we've still got Kyle Shanahan on the other side. We also have really good special teams. Robbie Gould is a top 5 kicker and we have a rookie punter (that we drafted in the 4th round lol) that played Aussie rules football professionally that has a huge, accurate leg. The guy kicked one 70 yards in the air that bounced on the 2 yardline then went out of bounds in week 1. 70 yards in the air and dropped it right into the bucket. Amazing 

We are a really damn good football team from top to bottom. Just need to stay healthy

I can't wait to play the Rams in LA. Should be a fun season! 

 Niners look good but that’s a lot of praise and bold claims two games in. I don’t think we will know for sure until they play the Rams in LA, the Browns the week before will also be a solid test. Pretty easy schedule overall until then. 

I could definitely see three NFCW teams make the playoffs. They all look very good and have a easy schedule. I mean, you have the Cowboys, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, Bears, three of five, that will be solid wildcard candidates as well. But I’m certain, at minimum, two teams will come from the West, one being L.A (one way or the other). 

[evilpimp972]

1 hour ago, N4L said:

As far as the 2-0 teams I don't trust, it's gotta be Seattle for me. They should have lost to a bad Bengals team in week 1, and their OL was completely dominated up front. They gave up chunk plays in the passing game and were lucky to escape with a 1 point win after a missed FG. 

Then the following week they barely beat a benless Steelers team. They won by 2 points and got very very lucky with a horrendous challenge reversal on a non PI call super late in the game that helped them ice it. I don't have a clue what the replay center saw to change that to a PI. I honestly think Pittsburg is a bad team even with Ben. 

So basically, the niners and Seahawks have both played two bad teams, the difference is that the niners have a +38 point differential and the Seahawks are +3. Big difference imo 

They gave Pittsburgh 14 free points by fumbling twice inside their 20. The score should not have been that close tbh. I was worried vs the Bengals but last week was great to win despite shooting ourselves in the foot. Anyway we have the better QB and we NEVER play good ball in September, watch out 

Edited September 19, 2019 by evilpimp972

[SBLIII]

3 hours ago, N4L said:

Not just improved, so far it's been elite. Sherman isn't what he used to be, but he's got that old man, savvy veteran presence about him still. I expect teams to throw at him more because of who we have on the other side:

Akhelo Witherspoon might be a top 5 corner in the NFL this year. He's been that good. At the end of his rookie season he flashed a lot of promise (didn't play much early). Then last year it was obvious he was poorly coached and probably didn't focus on the small details during the previous off-season as much as he should have. Everyone was already patting him on the back telling him he was the next big thing. Then he was very humbled when he struggled last year. It was a rough year for him but he always battled. The physical talent was always there. The guy moves extremely well and has incredible length. He has been dominant this year and might be our best defensive player which is saying something. We have a new secondary coach this year and it's been night and day. Joe woods has done a phenomenal job so far. Remember the name because Witherspoon is the prefect guy to shut down OBJ on MNF in a few weeks. 

It also helps our pass rush will probably finish in the top 5 in pressures. Bosa is playing hurt and has been better than advertised. That guy is an absolute technician with his hands and setting up blockers for his moves. It's chess with him, he sets up moves for later in the game. It's really incredible to see. He could have had 4-5 sacks already if he didn't have a bum ankle right now. 

Buckner hasn't gotten going yet but it's only a matter of time. Kwon Alexander has been better than I expected. He is flying around the field. Dee Ford has been hurt but he is a proven commodity. 

Our defense hasn't shown any holes anywhere so far and our DL is extremely deep. We rotate 8-9 guys and there have been a lot of guys I haven't mentioned that have made plays. Arik armstead looks like he has figured it out and is every bit the guy he was supposed to be when he was drafted 17th overall. The guy has been an absolute force. There are 4-5 more I could talk about but I'm probably already rambling on lol

So, the 49er defense looks very talented and has been forcing a lot of takeaways. 

granted, this all comes with the qualifier that we have played the buccaneers and the Bengals so far. You can't fault a team for winning by 2+ scores when they play a bad team though. I mean, in both games we were underdogs in Vegas. 

Oh, and if the defense starts to struggle, we've still got Kyle Shanahan on the other side. We also have really good special teams. Robbie Gould is a top 5 kicker and we have a rookie punter (that we drafted in the 4th round lol) that played Aussie rules football professionally that has a huge, accurate leg. The guy kicked one 70 yards in the air that bounced on the 2 yardline then went out of bounds in week 1. 70 yards in the air and dropped it right into the bucket. Amazing 

We are a really damn good football team from top to bottom. Just need to stay healthy

I can't wait to play the Rams in LA. Should be a fun season! 

Good post. I agree and despite many people insisting on pass rush being everything, I still argue and forever will that coverage ability makes a defense go and is by far the most important trait. 

Witherspoon looked terrible last year but looks great so far. Alexander is a great coverage linebacker.

I would not be shocked if the 49ers defense keeps their defensive PPG below 20. The offense will always be there with KS.

I like the 49ers and think they will win 10 games as of now. It could be more but Jimmy G does not convince me yet.

[N4L]

8 hours ago, BayRaider said:

 Niners look good but that’s a lot of praise and bold claims two games in. I don’t think we will know for sure until they play the Rams in LA, the Browns the week before will also be a solid test. Pretty easy schedule overall until then. 

Its actually what the majority of niners fans on this site have been saying (quietly) all offseason. Our defense has the pieces to be really, really good, and they have exceeded expectations so far. Kwon Alexander has been terrific, we payed him an absurd amount of money for someone with a torn ACL but he has been every bit the player the FO promised and more (so far). 

I did say it was against two bad teams, but when you hear something all offseason about a position group (DL) or a player (witherspoon) and then when the real games start its exactly as advertised, then its really hard for me to say this is a fluke. So far, its been exactly what every niners fan has hoped for on defense, with it being better than what we expected to actually happen.

8 hours ago, BayRaider said:

I could definitely see three NFCW teams make the playoffs. They all look very good and have a easy schedule. I mean, you have the Cowboys, Eagles, Packers, Vikings, Bears, three of five, that will be solid wildcard candidates as well. But I’m certain, at minimum, two teams will come from the West, one being L.A (one way or the other). 

The NFC is too stacked to see three NFCW teams making it imo. I assume both dallas and philly make it in, and then there is green bay and minnesota who both should be right there as well. 

8 hours ago, evilpimp972 said:

They gave Pittsburgh 14 free points by fumbling twice inside their 20. The score should not have been that close tbh. I was worried vs the Bengals but last week was great to win despite shooting ourselves in the foot. Anyway we have the better QB and we NEVER play good ball in September, watch out 

You gave pittsburgh 6 free points by fumbling twice inside your own 20. Its up to the defense to limit it to 6 points and not 14   also, your best running back has fumbled 3 times in two games, thats concerning. You are a power running team with a bad OL and not many outside weapons. No Doug Baldwin. Your best WR disappears for long stretches of time and hes really the only legit threat you have. Russel has gotten sacked more this year than he has in other years, he used to be impossible to get to the ground in year's past. This year he has been sacked 8 times in two games. EIGHT. That is a disturbing trend for seagul fans

fair points in that last sentence, and credit to them for playing two bad games and winning both, even if they got really lucky both times. 

[jrry32]

15 hours ago, N4L said:

I wouldn't trust bill either. He is a filthy cheater 

I don't trust the cowboys because Dak is horrible @Matts4313 

I don't trust the Rams because I scoff at Goff @jrry32 

I also want to see these two posters go to the octagon and fight, mma style. What do you think, @SkippyX? 

Did I miss anyone? 

Obligatory @ITS_RAMMY_PLAYBOI and @ramssuperbowl99 tag 

 

Your mother. Take that. 

[N4L]

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/chris-simms-encouraged-49ers-start-pumped-about-offense-defense

I know some people don't like simms, but here he is 

[SBLIII]

46 minutes ago, N4L said:

https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/chris-simms-encouraged-49ers-start-pumped-about-offense-defense

I know some people don't like simms, but here he is 

not surprised by it. Simms is a good buddy of Shanahan.

[TheKillerNacho]

Definitely the Bills.

After that, probably the Niners, Seahawks and finally... the Packers. I think all three have a good shot at the playoffs but of all the 2-0 teams these are the most suspect to me.

[btfd16]

1 hour ago, SBLIII said:

not surprised by it. Simms is a good buddy of Shanahan.

What makes you say that? Not like they have matching tattoos or anything.......

[btfd16]

As for the question, I am actually a Bills believer. Believer as in 8-8, 9-7. They should start 5-1.

Niners I am holding out as well just because competition but boy do they look good and scare me. Much more than the Seahawks tbh. A bad Bengals team should have beaten them and Mason Randolph almost did as well. I loved the earlier analogy that Russell Wilson is a Z pack. He is so good that it can hide the other struggles. But maybe that's all they need.

The Packers don't look like world beaters to me either, but you can't discount that they've beaten two division teams right off the bat. That's a good head start.

Cowboys and Ravens have played week competition, but I still think they are good. Ravens could be mediocre and still come out of that division.

I think the second place teams of NFC East takes one of the wild card spots. Eagles or Boys. Then a fight between Niners (guessing Rams win the division), Vikings, Falcons and/or Saints.

Bears need to show me a lot more. Right now they are not a playoff team.

[Fray32]

On 9/16/2019 at 3:01 PM, BayRaider said:

Although I’m 100000% certain this will be the last championship for the Bellichick era. 

Famous last words if I EVER read them

[Rainmaker90]

I'm fine if you're not buying GB long term, but to say they haven't impressed you the first two weeks is ridiculous. 

 

Two wins over quality divisional opponents, one on the road, holding them to 19 total points. That's pretty darn impressive. Those are wins over Chi and Minny, quality teams, not bottom feeders. 

[bigbadbuff]

I don’t get the Bills lack of trust? They are doing exactly what they should be doing playing good defense, and expecting Josh Allen to make a few plays to go win games. It’d be different if the offense was going bananas and expected to regress, but they are what they are, and playing this way with their schedule they should easily be playoff team. 

[Forge]

25 minutes ago, bigbadbuff said:

I don’t get the Bills lack of trust? They are doing exactly what they should be doing playing good defense, and expecting Josh Allen to make a few plays to go win games. It’d be different if the offense was going bananas and expected to regress, but they are what they are, and playing this way with their schedule they should easily be playoff team. 

LIS earlier, it's really all about what the intention is regarding the trust. If we are talking legit contenders? Yeah, I don't trust the Bills, 49ers, etc. I don't think either team is there yet. If it's about whether or not you trust them as a borderline playoff team or something like that (9 wins say, in contention to the end), I don't see why you wouldn't trust them to do that (well,there's probably a big question with the 49ers now with Staley out). Both the Bills and the 49ers have somewhat easy slates moving forward, and they aren't bad talent wise. I trust both of them will be in playoff contention until the end of the season, though they may not make it. 

[RedRams]

On 2019-09-16 at 7:03 PM, animaltested said:

Split the first year

Second year, the Best Team the Rams have had since GSOT, beat the rebuilding Seahawks by a combined 7 points. So soft. Almost as charmin soft as 13 to 3.

You only bringing those peons in San Fran into it to fluff the resume. 

 

Pretty sure the Rams beat the Seahawks by 40 points in the biggest game of the season in 2017. Remember Seattle actually slimed their way within shot of the division when the Rams kicked their *** in Seattle. Was as close to a changing of the guard game as we've seen in a long time in this league.