Viktor
Well-known member
- Mar 19, 2019
- 2,552
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Absolute credit to the 49ers. Great scheme. Great execution. They were far and away the better team [Saturday]. FAR and away. In virtually every phase. When you lose by 17 points and only score 10, it's tough to pick on one area. I wish we had taken a few more deep shots. Maybe get lucky with a contested ball or a PI. All I know is this team looked very different from the team I saw in New Orleans. Credit SF but like Zimmer said after the opening week Monday night loss in SF a few years ago, I didn't recognize this team.
It seemed clear the offensive game plan was short passes and runs on the perimeter. None of which produced meaningful yards. On defense it seemed like the scheme was to sacrifice a few yards while going for a strip. That only worked once, and it was way too late when it did.
Even special teams. When have you seen Marcus Sherels fumble a punt. And twice? Crazy.
Shout out to my season MVP Dan Bailey. Kicking for Minnesota brings some heavy historic baggage. He didn't flinch and looked steady all year. He would be my top signing priority.
Tough decisions ahead. I like our coaching staff and hope we keep our main guys. Plenty of time to discuss and debate free agents and the draft. For now I'm enjoying the memories of a great season that ended two games too soon.
– Jeff from Sacramento, California
You are correct, the 49ers on Saturday were the better team and earned a win and trip to the NFC Championship Game. It was certainly a painful loss that I know will sting for a while.
There were ups and downs on all phases, as you pointed out. As far as game plan, Coach Zimmer did say during his postgame press conference that they did have a couple more deep throws that were dialed up but didn’t end up getting made. Here was that quote:
“Well, I think that we had some called and we didn’t throw them. We threw the [41-yard touchdown to Stefon] Diggs, we had a couple others called during the course of the game, and for whatever reason, they didn’t get done.”
It was very unlike Sherels to muff a punt, and Zimmer told reporters that wind was an issue there.
Dan Bailey certainly had a fantastic season! He proved to be very reliable, as did punter/holder Britton Colquitt.
I think you hit the nail on the head when you said “tough decisions,” as there are every single offseason. We know that a team is never exactly the same two seasons in a row, so we’ll see how everything unfolds this offseason.
I appreciate your final sentence and approach to the difficult loss – continue to enjoy those memories, and join us in looking forward to the 2020 Vikings season.