Forget a Week 5 Studs and Duds Column, There are No Studs to Talk About
I’ve done studs and duds every Monday for the first four weeks of the season, but after the embarrassing performance the 49ers displayed on the football field against the Miami freakin’ Dolphins it just doesn’t seem appropriate.
A little over eight months ago, the 49ers were playing in the Super Bowl. Yesterday, they were blown out by 26 points -- as nine-point favorites -- by the Dolphins. And the Niners now have a 2-3 record.
The season isn’t technically nor mathematically over, but it sure as hell feels that way. The team just wrapped up their easiest portion of the schedule and is below .500. They now have to play seven consecutive games against teams who most likely will be in the playoffs.
Sunday’s game against the Dolphins was a must win, and the 49ers blew it. Kyle Shanahan blew it. Robert Saleh blew it. Jimmy Garoppolo blew it. They all blew it. Except for Raheem Mostert, who I feel deserves a special shoutout because he continues to prove he’s this team’s most valuable player on offense.
Let’s start off by talking about Shanahan’s decision to start Garoppolo. I for one, think it was the right decision. If this was a playoff game in January, Garoppolo would’ve played. Nobody would've questioned the decision regardless of the outcome.
Well, I said last week this was a playoff game in October, and starting Garoppolo was the right call. He needs to learn to play through this injury, because the high ankle sprain could linger for a very long time.
What Garoppolo’s performance against the Dolphins says to me is that this is not a quarterback who is ever going to get this team back into the Super Bowl. We’ve seen Garoppolo hit his peak already. 2019 Garoppolo is as good as it gets.
Good enough to get you to the Super Bowl when EVERYTHING is going right. But not someone who can keep you competitive year in and year out like the great ones do. Unless Garoppolo leads this team through their upcoming gauntlet with a winning record, I just don’t see how the organization moves forward with him.
While I am in agreement with Shanahan’s decision to start Garoppolo, there isn't much else I agree with regarding this game. Bottom line, he did not have his players ready to go for a must win game.
His playing calling stunk. The first two drives of the game, the team went three and out and, when the ball finally started moving, he gave the ball to Jerick McKinnon on a fourth and one. Come on, Kyle. The team has yet to convert a fourth down all season, and it has as much to do with the play calling as it does execution.
He also allowed Saleh to keep Brian Allen in the game way too long. The fact that Allen was in the game to allow a touchdown on a 3rd and goal from the 22 yard-line is not even on Allen at that point. It’s on the coaches. I truly believe Saleh lost himself the opportunity to become a head coach after he allowed Ryan Fitzpatrick to look like Dan Marino.
Ahkello Witherspoon eventually came in to replace Allen, but he wasn’t on the field to begin with because his hamstring was too tight. He was in uniform for specifically "emergency situations.” Well, after he saw Allen was getting torched, he suddenly felt good enough to come in.
To me, it seems like Witherspoon is scared to fail. He saw Allen failing, and probably thought, “Gee, I can’t be any worse than that guy. Maybe I should play after all.” Donte Whitner called out Ahkello Witherspoon after the game and called him soft. He emphasized it so much, that he spelt the word out “s-o-f-t”.
I agree with Whitner, but not just in regards to Witherspoon, regarding the entire team. This entire team is soft, and playing in their own little worlds. There’s guys like Kwon Alexander who are strutting around the field after making one play, when the team is down by 14 points.
It’s one thing to celebrate with teammates and make it about the team, but when you’re posing for the cameras alone when losing, it’s not a good look. It gives off the impression you’re okay with mediocrity.
This all goes back to leadership. There are six team captains on this team: Garoppolo, Kittle, Williams, McGlinchey, Warner, and Sherman. Who is the voice of this football team that can bring everyone together to right the ship?
I’d argue that Sherman is the greatest voice in the locker room but he’s been hurt. That voice of confidence needs to come back from the quarterback position, and Garoppolo just ain’t it. He is too cool, calm and collected, and struggles to rally his teammates when things aren’t going accordingly. Same with Shanahan. Can he motivate his team?
When things are going great, sure, look at Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s fired up and his teammates are feeding off some of that energy. But when things aren’t going well, he goes into a shell. You simply can’t have that. You’d think that someone who was Tom Brady’s understudy for three and a half seasons would demand excellence from his team, just like Brady does. That’s what makes Brady great.
The future does not look as bright as it did just five weeks ago. Garoppolo is clearly not the long-term answer at quarterback. Shanahan has been out-coached in three of five games now, so maybe he’s not the second coming of Bill Walsh after all.
2019 is looking like a fluke. Meaning that one good season was an outlier. That’s not truly who this football team is. They’re not going to be able to remain contenders year after year like I thought they were after making it so far last season.
You can blame the injuries, but very rarely do you escape an entire season with zero impactful injuries. Players missing time is not the sole reason this team is underachieving. It has as much to with the head coach, defensive coordinator, and quarterback. This team can’t get back to where they were last year until they find an answer at quarterback.
Looking ahead, this team may not win another game until December. They are not better than any of their next six opponents - the Rams (twice), Patriots, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, and Bills.
With that being said, this team could seriously end up with a 4-12 record and finish with a top-five draft pick. If that’s the case, the team must try and trade up for Trevor Lawrence, or find their guy wherever they’re picking. But if Lawrence is the next great quarterback to enter the NFL, I would give up a minimum of three first round picks to earn the rights of drafting him.
The Seahawks haven’t needed their first-round picks to contribute at all because Russell Wilson is that good. When you find a great quarterback, they keep you competitive for a long time and can mask a lot of flaws.
This team may just end up picking high enough in the draft to find one of those guys. Trey Lance may be the next Josh Allen, who is playing at an MVP-type level just three seasons after leaving the University of Wyoming.
The season is not over yet, but with the way things are looking, this team is going to start looking ahead to the 2021 offseason way earlier than anyone could’ve ever expected.
It has been a disastrous year for those who were expecting a “Revenge Tour”.
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