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00:00Want me to read something to you?
00:01Sure.
00:02Check this out.
00:03See what you think.
00:04Try this one on for size.
00:06Because I know this is always, anytime the Niners lose, here we go.
00:11Because is it me or is my memory not serving me that so far this year,
00:18when the Niners were 5-2, considering all of the injuries that they've had,
00:23have we or have we not heard a whole lot of, dude, Shanahan and Salah, like, bang.
00:32In their bag, for sure.
00:34Jamming year for Shanahan and Salah, right?
00:37Yep.
00:37A lot of that.
00:38All right.
00:39So now you lose in Houston.
00:41And now we're back to, and I've heard this all day long.
00:45Really?
00:46The word genius with air quotes around it.
00:50So I'll qualify the conversation we're about to have with the same thing I've done a thousand times.
00:56I don't know where this whole genius thing came from.
01:01It pisses people off something awful.
01:04But I don't know where it came from.
01:08Like, Kyle Shanahan has not called himself a genius.
01:11It's kind of like the two timelines thing.
01:13Right.
01:13The Warriors never talked about two timelines, but it became a narrative.
01:17It became jargon.
01:19Lexicon.
01:19So many of you are triggered by the boy genius, Kyle Shanahan, and I'm trying to figure out where that came from.
01:28And if it came from analysts in the NFL saying, man, Kyle Shanahan, like, right?
01:33Did it come from Richard Sherman's podcast?
01:36Kyle's a genius.
01:37Well, that's not Kyle's fault.
01:39That means that people around the NFL think very highly of Kyle Shanahan.
01:43And I think we should probably, I don't know, listen to that on some degree.
01:48Doesn't mean that we're not allowed to point to certain things.
01:52Whatever.
01:53Remember Juice and the play call a couple of weeks ago?
01:56Yeah.
01:56That one went over not so well.
01:59How about when they threw the ball five yards back to McCaffrey yesterday?
02:03How'd that go?
02:03That was a bad one.
02:04Bad one.
02:05Okay, so here we go, 9-2-5.
02:11At what point, because now it's our fault, at what point will you start talking about Shanahan's offense?
02:18For a genius, he's been averaging less than 24 points against a weak schedule,
02:25and the defense is, again, saving the team.
02:31What is your response to that comment?
02:33Well, in a small sample, the defense did not save the team yesterday.
02:38The defense gave up almost 500 yards of offense.
02:41So, in a broader way to look at it, yeah, I think the defense this year has been better than the offense.
02:47And the thing that I look at most particularly is that you're 32nd in the league in yards per carry
02:53for a team that loves to run it.
02:56The Shanahan offense is predicated on running the ball.
02:59Now, is that a reflection of Shanahan and his coaching, or is it the personnel?
03:04Yesterday, I did not like the game that he called.
03:06I didn't think he mixed it up enough.
03:08You didn't go to multiple tight end sets, which I think is a great change-up that they use
03:13that most teams don't see very often.
03:16They didn't do that.
03:17I thought that they were mostly milquetoast yesterday, but for the year,
03:21the defense has been slightly better, I think.
03:25But it doesn't mean that if the offense is not having a great year
03:29and you're not running the ball, passing-wise, they've been pretty good.
03:33They've been near the top in passing yards because you have to be.
03:36But I don't think that it has to be a reflection on Shanahan and his relative genius.
03:41Listen, let's go a little bit deeper into this for a second
03:44because, A, I want to go game by game and you tell me who was better,
03:49the offense or the defense.
03:50That's number one.
03:52Number two, what other coach would you judge and ask for him to still be genius
03:56and average north of 25 points a game when he doesn't have his quarterback?
04:00Tell me that.
04:01Who is that in the league?
04:02I just want to know that.
04:04Whatever you think about Mack and Brock, that's your opinion.
04:07But what other coach in the NFL would you expect and demand 25 to 30 points a game
04:15when the backup quarterback is playing all the games?
04:18Does another one of those coaches exist?
04:20John Harbaugh's playing with his backup.
04:23They're 2-5.
04:24They suck.
04:25They have not even been able to function as a team.
04:27Who else?
04:30Who else?
04:31Who else are you demanding still looks good on offense when the quarterback is hurt?
04:36And that's not even to mention players like George Kittle, Ricky Pearsall,
04:41and multiple offensive linemen who were out yesterday, two of their starting five.
04:48Well, as I mentioned earlier, the Niners have four wins from their backup quarterback,
04:55and the rest of the league has seven.
04:56Exactly.
04:57So does he not get credit for that?
04:58I don't know why he wouldn't.
04:59Right.
05:00I don't know why he wouldn't.
05:01Mack's got four wins.
05:02The rest of the league has seven combined.
05:04Actually, I would credit much of Kyle for rebirthing Mack Jones and, to a degree,
05:09a lesser degree, but Sam Darnold.
05:11Both of them have credited this system for revitalizing the way the world looks at them.
05:17But okay.
05:18How about if we go game by game?
05:20Because I'm interested in that whole idea of the defense has been better than the offense.
05:24I want to say you're right, but let's go game by game.
05:27Seattle, who was better, offense or defense?
05:30The defense.
05:31Defense, agreed.
05:32New Orleans, who was better, offense or defense?
05:34Probably the offense.
05:36I agree.
05:36I mean, honestly, that one I don't think really mattered.
05:38I don't know.
05:39Spencer Rattler threw three touchdown passes and another one that the wide receiver dropped.
05:44He got benched yesterday.
05:46Yep.
05:46All right.
05:46On to Arizona.
05:47This is an obvious one.
05:48Who was better, offense or defense?
05:49The defense.
05:50Defense, though Marvin Harrison dropped a couple of balls.
05:54Jacksonville, who was better, offense or defense?
05:56The offense.
05:57It's close, but I would say the offense.
05:59I agree with you.
06:00Neither of them were great.
06:01Brock turned it over three times.
06:03They turned it over four times.
06:05Yeah.
06:05As a team.
06:06As a team.
06:07Who was better in L.A., offense or defense?
06:11Probably the offense, but that one's almost a tie because the offense went pop, pop, and
06:17then that's about it.
06:18And the defense made big plays in the end.
06:20Yes.
06:20Game-saving plays.
06:22Yeah.
06:22Yeah.
06:23That one's close.
06:24I think Jacksonville and L.A., both of them are close.
06:26Tampa Bay, who was better, offense or defense?
06:29I mean, neither was great.
06:30Right.
06:30But I would say, I mean, you'd have to probably say, I guess you'd say the offense, but...
06:36And again, that was the game where Fred Warner goes out.
06:38Two turnovers.
06:39Yeah, but we're going to put aside injuries because you're playing football with who you
06:42have.
06:43Like, you haven't had Pearsall.
06:44You haven't had Bosa and Fred.
06:46And so, we're just talking about who's actually playing.
06:48Okay.
06:49So, this is going to be a fascinating one.
06:52Atlanta.
06:52Who was better, offense or defense?
06:54The defense.
06:55Okay.
06:56That's interesting.
06:57And I think, again, you'll look at the point total and you'll go, oh, defense.
07:02Christian McCaffrey was the NFC player of the week.
07:05Right.
07:06And again, it's all complimentary football.
07:08Right.
07:08And in that game, because you ran it so well, the defense had the ability to be fresher and
07:14the defense had the chance to be great.
07:16And they completely confused Michael Penix Jr.
07:20Another guy, well, I don't think he got benched.
07:21I guess he's hurt.
07:22Yeah, he was hurt.
07:23Yeah.
07:23But that was, for me, a perfect example of complimentary football.
07:28Yesterday was the exact opposite of that.
07:30Yeah, yesterday.
07:31I mean, I'd love to hear you pick.
07:32Who was better yesterday, offense or defense?
07:34I would say, I mean, probably neither.
07:37Yeah, exactly.
07:38I mean, I would say the defense, just because they held Houston to one for five in the red
07:43zone.
07:43The field goals.
07:44Yeah.
07:44Yeah.
07:44And I mean, the offense really, the offense was so bad in the first half that, I mean,
07:50they asked a lot of the defense.
07:51The defense played 41 minutes of football.
07:54Yeah.
07:54No, it doesn't work.
07:56That's the most in the Shanahan history.
07:57They've never had that little offense in time of possession.
08:00And so, again, here comes the exact same texter.
08:03No way.
08:04The defense caused the fumble at the goal line with the Rams.
08:06That was defense.
08:07Come on.
08:08Okay, so Alfred Collins punched Kyron Williams, and now the defense won the game, even though
08:15Mack Jones, with the script, walked out on the field on Thursday night football and went
08:21bang, bang, 14-0.
08:24But you want to, Alfred Collins won play, and now the defense won the game.
08:30And by the way, neither one of us said that that game was clear.
08:33That one's tough to call.
08:34Yep.
08:35But whoever you are, and thank you for listening, you're clearly being too hard on the Niner offense.
08:44Clearly.
08:45And you're elevating a defense that, though understandable, which is what I've been saying all day, has
08:52not played great football.
08:53I think, by and large, the majority of this year, we've come in here on Mondays and went,
08:59dude, Shanahan and Salah are doing some unbelievable work.
09:03They have more games lost to injury and more games lost to injury by significant players
09:10than any coaching staff in the league, certainly than any coaching staff that's currently in a playoff spot.
09:16And it's not even close.
09:18How, for whatever reason, someone used the word genius and you're triggered by Kyle Shanahan's
09:24inability to go up and down the field on the defense that I, by the way, think is the best
09:30defense in football.
09:31And you want them to go on the road with a backup quarterback and three-fifths of their starting
09:39offensive line, and you want them to just carve knife through butter because analysts called
09:44Kyle a genius?
09:47I, like, I don't know why this is so hard for people.
09:50This is not the year to rip the Niner coaching staff.
09:54Like, not, it just isn't.
09:55My opinion.
09:56I would mostly agree with you.
09:58I thought yesterday was a time where you would look at it, and I didn't see Grandy's grades.
10:03We'll get into them tomorrow on the program.
10:05But I didn't like a lot of what I saw.
10:07I didn't see any changes, no adjustments, no creativity in the play calling.
10:12And I know it's tough when you literally can't get a first down until the end of the
10:17first half.
10:17But even when you came out, you came out with your second half script and you went three
10:21and out again.
10:22So I know that the Texans defense is elite.
10:25And if you look at the advanced analytics, they are the top defense in EPA expected points
10:31added per play.
10:32Very, very good, especially against the pass.
10:36And they made life very difficult.
10:38But your offense has been underwhelming, by and large.
10:41They're 26th in the league in points per game, which is the lowest any Shanahan team has
10:47ever been ranked since he's been the head coach.
10:49That, to me, is, it's eyebrow raising, for sure.
10:536-5-0.
10:55The 49ers lead the league in passing.
10:5795.7 The Game listeners live to hate.
11:02I'm a season ticket holder, and everyone in the stands likes Shanahan.
11:08Yeah.
11:09They're actually number two now in passing yards.
11:12I mean, but again, for me, that's not what Shanahan wants.
11:16He doesn't want to lead the league in passing yards.
11:18No, he doesn't want to, but he kind of has to, because they have been unable to run the
11:23ball.
11:2330-second in yards per carry, at 3.4 per carry.
11:27Yeah.
11:27And they've had, I would argue, they've had one game where their run game looked good.
11:32Like, really good.
11:33Yeah.
11:33And it was last week against the Falcons.
11:34And that's where, complimentary football, you run it, you keep it, you possess it, your
11:39defense stays fresh, and you win.
11:41And when they don't win the time of possession battle, they are far below .500 as a team.
11:46Yeah, I'm with you with regard to yesterday.
11:49I don't think it was like this perfectly, or even a well-coached game.
11:51It wasn't a well-played game, didn't like the offense, didn't like the defense, didn't
11:55like the game.
11:56So, like, again, we can do this on a week-to-week basis, but if you're going to come with an
12:01overarching thought on either side of the coaching staff, I just think this is not your year.
12:07I really don't.
12:09Like, I think if you want to just take a step back and look at the fact that all that we
12:15could list and talk about, and the Niners are 5-3, that's like, it's, coaching staff, they're
12:22doing a pretty good job.
12:23They're doing a pretty good job with some really rough circumstances, and they're, as you said,
12:28they're figuring out things to do that are out of their comfort zone to try to win football
12:33games.
12:34I didn't sit down on Thursday night over at Sam's Tavern with the Rams game and think
12:40that the Niners were going to walk out on the field, and Kendrick Bourne, who had just
12:44been signed, been going for $1.42, and it's going to be 14-0 before I get a drink?
12:50Like, okay, but, like, I don't know.
12:54I don't know, man.
12:55I think these coaches are doing, they're doing some pretty, I think it's incredible
12:59that the Niners are 5-3, and you and I were having a conversation earlier about sort of
13:04our surprise-o-meter after each game.
13:06Right.
13:07Like, I find yesterday to be way less surprising than some of the wins.
13:12No doubt.
13:13I was more surprised that they beat Seattle on the road in the opener.
13:16I was certainly more surprised on a short week that you went to L.A. and you beat the Rams,
13:21and I was probably more surprised that you lost to Jacksonville at home, even though
13:26I picked the Jags and I love Trevor Lawrence, but yesterday, when you think about it, having
13:32watched it now a couple of times, it makes sense the way that went.
13:36Your offensive line is not great, and I apologize if you're somebody out there who thinks that
13:40they're the bee's knees just because your tackles are both in the top half of the league.
13:45Your offensive line is not very good, and you are patently bad at running the football.
13:51You're dead last in running, and that's why they are throwing the ball.
13:55They've had the third most passing attempts in football this year, and here are Shanahan's
14:01ranks based on pass attempts in previous years.
14:04They are 29th, 16th, 29th, 22nd, 32nd, 22nd, 3rd.
14:13Which one stands out to you, Mark?
14:14Yeah, the 3rd.
14:15Because they can't run it.
14:16Right.
14:17And if you can't run it, you either have a bad running back, they don't, or you have
14:22a bad offensive line, they do.
14:24Well, my issue with the offensive line isn't even about how each guy is performing right
14:30now.
14:31It's about the lack of depth and therefore sort of preparedness for what I would think you
14:39would go into a football season assuming.
14:41I'm assuming a couple of the big guys are going to get hurt.
14:45I'm assuming that a couple of the big guys are going to get hurt.
14:47And I want depth there, and I want some experience there.
14:52And so I don't feel like, and I get it, the Niners really wanted to go after the defensive
14:56line in the draft.
14:57I understand that.
14:57I don't, like, not support that.
14:59At the same time, I don't think that the depth at offensive line was adequate to really
15:06get after it this year.
15:07And then when you get a couple of the people that you thought that you could really rely
15:11on who perform, but perform even like a little bit less of a level than you thought, Trent
15:17Williams, Dominic Pune, when you get that, it's like very quickly you can slip into being
15:24a below average group.
15:26And I don't think you can win in the NFL with a below average group on the offensive line.
15:30Especially when you get down to the twos, so to speak.
15:33And we've been talking a lot about the Colts and how awesome they look, and their offensive
15:37line, they've got a third rounder, they've got a first rounder, Quinton Nelson.
15:42He's going to Canton when he's done playing.
15:45He's amazing.
15:45Their center is a fourth rounder from two years ago.
15:48Their right guard's a third rounder.
15:50Their right tackle was drafted in the Quinton Nelson draft.
15:53He's a second rounder.
15:54And oh, by the way, their backup left tackle they took this past year as a fourth rounder.
15:59These are all guys that they drafted.
16:00Many of them they've kept now for seven or eight years.
16:04They've gelled.
16:05They're a good unit.
16:06The 49ers don't have that.
16:07You've got a 37-year-old Hall of Famer who is still very good.
16:11Your right tackle, boy, he had a hard time yesterday.
16:14Understandable when you're going up against Will Anderson.
16:16Yeah, he's had a decent year.
16:17Decent.
16:17Your center's a backup who was making his second start of his career.
16:21Oh, of his career, yeah.
16:23Your right guard is having a down year.
16:25Don't take it from me.
16:26Take it from John Feliciano.
16:28Yeah, he's hurt.
16:28And your left guard is a seventh-round rookie who isn't supposed to be playing yet.
16:33So I understand it, but you talk about process versus results.
16:37Time for their process to involve draft capital on the offensive line.
16:41I think you're right.
16:42I think that's fair.
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