49ers

NFC Championship Preview: Is Seattle’s 12th Man Really A Factor For Road-Tested Niners?

Dec 23, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) calls out a play at the line during the 1st half against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated San Francisco 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

Many NFL teams claim that they have the best fans in the NFL. There isn’t one way to measure this claim. The San Francisco 49ers have always had a loyal, committed, diehard fanbase, so 49ers fans could easily be put in the conversation of best fans in the NFL.

The Seattle Seahawks seem to believe that the noise that their fans produce make them the best fans in the NFL. Seahawks fans in attendance of any home game in Seattle are collectively known as the “12th Man.”

There are several reasons why CenturyLink Field in Seattle is such a loud atmosphere. First of all, the architecture of the building lends itself to producing a lot of noise. Stadium architect David Murphy told Hank Gola of the New York Daily News that the Seahawks management hoped to create the same loud, disruptive atmosphere at CenturyLink Field that they had in their previous arena, the Kingdome or the Thunderdome.

“We had the legacy of the Kingdome, and while there were a lot of things that we were working to improve on that building, there were a number of things they held dear,” Murphy says. “The noise and the home-field advantage was one of them. So we worked real hard to get fans on top of the action. And then (Seahawks owner) Paul Allen had very fond memories of going into (the University of Washington’s) Husky Stadium as a kid and encouraged us at some of our first meetings to go out there and look at what made Husky special. He wanted to make sure the fans were covered. At first he wanted natural grass so he wanted an open roof. As we started looking at it, what makes it loud is that roof.”

Second of all, the fans produce a lot of the noise themselves. The fans start screaming and booing once the opposing offense heads into a huddle, and they don’t stop until the play is done. Then, they start up again at the next huddle or when the offense lines up again.

The 12th Man produces so much noise that they even set a Guinness World Record for crowd noise. On December 2nd, the 68,387 fans in attendance of the Seahawks’ nationally televised game against the New Orleans Saints notched a record-setting noise level of 137.6 decibels.

Dec 23, 2012; Seattle, WA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) jogs onto the field during warm ups prior to the game against the Seattle Seahawks at CenturyLink Field. Seattle defeated San Francisco 42-13. Mandatory Credit: Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

NFL teams know they have to prepare for the intensity and noise in Seattle. Teams have tried using several different techniques to make the noise less of an issue. Some teams have given their offense custom-made earplugs. Some teams have created different hand signals that their offense can use. Some teams use big, booming speakers in practice to simulate the crowd noise.

No matter what tactic the 49ers decide to use in order to prepare for their matchup with the Seahawks in the NFC Championship on Sunday, the 49ers know they will have to find a way to adjust to the 12th Man.

In the 49ers’ past two meetings with the Seahawks in Seattle, they’ve played some of their worst football. On December 23, 2012, the 49ers lost to the Seahawks 42-13. Kaepernick was clearly overwhelmed by the crowd noise, because he looked flustered for much of the game. He finished 19 of 36 for 244 yards with one touchdown and one costly interception.

In their most recent game in Seattle on September 15, 2013, the 49ers again lost to the Seahawks 29-3. In this game, Kaepernick appeared even more flustered than in the first game.

He finished 13 of 28 for 127 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. This was his worst passing game as a starter. He finished with a total QBR of 14.0, which is the lowest total QBR in any start in his career.

In these two games, Kaepernick clearly struggled immensely, mostly because of the crowd noise. The 12th Man’s noise has made him flustered and disorganized, and the 49ers can’t afford to have him play that way on Sunday.

Normally, Kaepernick plays well on the road. In his career, he has a 92.3 quarterback rating and a 59.38 completion percentage on the road. He’s shown that he can play in freezing temperatures, in the rain, etc. He’s yet to prove that he can play well in front of the 12th Man though. The 49ers will only go as far as Kaepernick can take them.

The 49ers are currently on an eight-game winning streak, so they certainly have momentum going into this tough road game. They are also 8-2 on the road this season, including the playoffs. The 49ers haven’t had trouble away from Candlestick this season, but Seattle is a whole other beast.

The 12th Man is certainly a factor in this week’s NFC Championship game between Seattle and San Francisco. The 49ers will have to overcome record-setting noise levels on Sunday, but they still might be able to pull off a win.

San Francisco 49ers: Should We Lower Expectations for Colin Kaepernick?

Sep 8, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) calls a play against the Green Bay Packers in the first quarter at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

The San Francisco 49ers had a rocky start to their season, but, since then, they’ve won three games in a row. Colin Kaepernick has also had a rocky start to his season so far. He hasn’t been his dominant self recently, so should 49ers fans lower their expectations for Kaepernick? Let’s first look at his season so far.

In the first game of the season against the Packers, Kaepernick dominated and played at an elite level. He showed off his strong, accurate arm and threw for a career-high 412 yards and had three touchdowns. He had an 89.8 QBR for that game. He also started to show off his chemistry with Anquan Boldin. He completed 13 passes to Boldin, and Boldin capped off his incredible 49er debut with 208 yards.

After this memorable performance, Kaepernick hasn’t showed off his dominance in quite the same way. Over the next five games of the 49ers season, he’s had some flashes of brilliance on a well-executed run play or a few long completed passes, but he hasn’t had quite that spark that he had against the Packers or last season in his many breakout performances.

First of all, he hasn’t had as much success running the ball as he had last season. In 13 games last season, Kaepernick ran for 415 yards on 63 attempts and had five touchdowns. In six games so far this season, he’s run for 172 yards on 31 attempts.

Part of the reason why he hasn’t been as successful with the run is because the read-option has been ineffective for the 49ers so far. Ever since the recent emergence of several freakishly athletic quarterbacks, every NFL team has been finding ways to stop it or at least limit the damage that the read-option can create. The Packers prepared for the read-option by forcing Kaepernick to pass, which ultimately ended up hurting them.

The 49ers, as a team, utilized more running plays this past Sunday against the Cardinals, but Kaepernick only ran it four times for 18 yards. As expected, teams now know and have more footage on Kaepernick’s ability to use his legs and run for large gains. In preparing for this, they have temporarily slowed Kaepernick’s running game, but Kaepernick will find a way to rebound and adjust. He has immense drive and determination, and he has great instincts on the field.

In addition to his struggles running the ball, Kaepernick hasn’t put up flashy numbers in terms of his passing. As mentioned before, he has developed some chemistry with Boldin and has also further developed his chemistry with Vernon Davis. However, he’s still having trouble finding open receivers.

Sep 8, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) celebrates with tight end Vernon Davis (85) after a touchdown against the Green Bay Packers during the first quarter at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Kaepernick’s completion percentage this season is 55.9 percent, which is down from 62.4 percent from last season. His QBR this season is 56.04, which is also down from 72.2 from last season. Kaepernick’s current QBR ranks 12th in the NFL, and his QBR last season ranked sixth in the NFL.

Mario Manningham and Michael Crabtree’s absence have surely been felt, especially by Kaepernick. Not only did Crabtree have a breakout season last year, but his presence alongside other beasts such as Davis and Boldin would give Kaepernick more of a chance to find one of them open. It would also allow him the room to run it himself and take advantage of a more open field. Once Manningham and Crabtree come back, Kaepernick will certainly put up much more impressive passing numbers.

Kaepernick and the 49ers are only six games into the season, so no serious judgements or statements can be made for the whole season. However, since his numbers aren’t as flashy this year, should we lower expectations for Kaepernick?

On one side, it might make sense to lower expectations for Kaepernick, because he’s had to become more of a game manager. Instead of being a serious threat on offense with his arm and his legs, he’s had to adjust to managing the game more and ensuring the team follows the game plan.

In a way, over these first six games, he’s looked like Alex Smith, who was always called more of a game manager than an elite, authoritative quarterback. Kaepernick has adapted his game to more of that type of role, because he hasn’t had the receivers to support him being more of a passer or to give him more room to run.

However, Kaepernick still only has 13 total starts under his belt, from this season and last season. He hasn’t even started a full NFL season yet, so it wouldn’t be fair to change any expectations or goals for him. Kaepernick still has an immense amount of potential, and fans will have to be patient with him. He’s on a learning curve, but he still has the potential to become an elite quarterback in the NFL.

Golden Gate Sports: San Francisco 49ers Roundtable

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Golden Gate Sports held a San Francisco 49ers Roundtable before the season started and after the first four games of the season. The six writers for the 49ers on Golden Gate Sports answered five burning questions, similar to ESPN’s 5-on-5 format. I participated in both of them, and I’d love if you’d check them out:

San Francisco 49ers Roundtable: 5 Questions On The Upcoming Season

San Francisco 49ers Roundtable: 5 Burning Questions After The First Four Games

Projecting Colin Kaepernick’s Stats For The San Francisco 49ers In 2013

Aug 8, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) attempts to throw a pass against the Denver Broncos at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.

In just 10 starts for the San Francisco 49ers last season, Colin Kaepernick proved to be one of the most intriguing, electrifying quarterbacks in the NFL. Last season, Kaepernick had 1,814 yards, 415 rush yards, 10 pass touchdowns, five rush touchdowns, three interceptions, a 62.4 completion percentage, and a 72.2 QB rating. His prorated stats for last season would’ve been 3,675 pass yards, 544 rush yards, 23 pass touchdowns, and five rush touchdowns.

Kaepernick has enormous potential. He’s become one of the best quarterbacks in the NFC because of his incredible speed, his strong, accurate arm, his great instincts, his athleticism, and his high football IQ. Will Kaepernick be able to convert his tremendous run last season into a full season of stellar play, though?

Kaepernick is an extremely hard worker, and he will prove that his dominance last season wasn’t a fluke. He’ll keep improving, and he’ll have a solid 2013 season.

This season, Kaepernick will pass for about 3,750 yards and rush for about 610 yards. One of Kaepernick’s favorite targets last season, Michael Crabtree, is out for the majority of the season after having surgery on a torn Achilles. In addition to Crabtree’s injury, Mario Manningham is also out rehabbing an ACL and PCL injury. Because of this, Kaepernick will have to rely more on his feet than his arm at times. He will increase his rushing yards this year, despite the belief that defenses will now know how to stop him. He is just too agile and too quick to stop at times, so he will have plenty of opportunities to show off his running ability.

Kaepernick will still have a solid passing year though. He has started to build some chemistry with Vernon Davis, and Anquan Boldin will certainly be a significant contributor with Crabtree out. Kaepernick also appeared to be developing some chemistry with Quinton Patton in the preseason. Although Patton is just a rookie, he had an impressive preseason, so he could potentially become another reliable target for Kaepernick this season.

This season, Kaepernick will throw 22 touchdowns and rush for eight touchdowns. He will also throw 10 interceptions too. As mentioned before, Kaepernick’s options for receivers will be slightly more limited this season than last season. Because of this, the number of passing touchdowns he has this season will most likely be lower than his pro-rated stats last season. In addition, defenses will do more to disrupt Kaepernick in the read-option, since he’s proven to be strong in that type of offense. Despite his accurate arm, this could lead to more interceptions.

Also mentioned before, Kaepernick will have to rely on his rushing more this season. Although this is potentially more dangerous for a quarterback, Kaepernick is explosive and will be able to adjust to whatever a defense throws at him. As he said recently, he’s seen just about every type of defense that attempts to limit his running. He’s ready for physical defense and brutal hits.

“It’s football. You’re going to get hit,” Kaepernick said when asked about hits on quaterbacks on read-option plays.

This season, Kaepernick will have a 61.6 completion percentage and a 74 QB rating. He flourishes in the read-option, and he has an accurate and powerful arm. However, his completion percentage might decrease slightly with Crabtree out.

The QB rating measures a quarterback’s throws and what their performance means to the team’s win or loss on a scale of 0-to-100. It considers what a certain play means to a team and what the quarterback did to contribute to that play. Kaepernick’s QB rating of 72.2 last season ranked sixth in the NFL. This season, his QB rating will improve to 74 because he will have an even larger impact on wins than last season. With several receiving weapons around him last season, he can rely on his receivers more for first downs. This season, expect Kaepernick to take the ball himself more and impact the result of the game more.

Projected stat line for Colin Kaepernick this season: 3,750 yards, 610 rush yards, 22 touchdowns, eight rush touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a 61.6 completion percentage, and a 74 QB rating.

SF: 10 Problems the San Francisco 49ers Could Face Next Season
Jan 12, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and tight end Vernon Davis (85) congratulate wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) for scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of the NFC divisional round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 12, 2013; San Francisco, CA, USA; San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick (7) and tight end Vernon Davis (85) congratulate wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) for scoring a touchdown during the second quarter of the NFC divisional round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at Candlestick Park. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

Next season, the San Francisco 49ers will have a very similar team to last year’s NFC Championship team. However, even a Super Bowl contender can face some issues. Here is a list of problems the 49ers could face next season:

Click here to read the rest of the story at Golden Gate Sports.

2013 Super Bowl Recap
Ray Lewis celebrates after defeating the 49ers (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Ray Lewis celebrates after defeating the 49ers (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

In case you missed it, the Ravens beat the 49ers 34-31 yesterday in Super Bowl XLVII. The Ravens looked strong from the very beginning. The Niners looked pretty awful in the entire first half, and they didn’t look like the Niners we’ve seen all season until the third quarter. It almost looked like they came into the game knowing they were favored, so they were overly cocky and knew that they would win. When the Ravens came on the field at the beginning of the game and their offense looked great, the Niners got a reality check and played tense the rest of the first half. Once the Niners got over their cockiness and the realization sunk in that they might actually lose, they started playing Niner football. It was too little, too late though.

At the end of the game, there was an awful no-call when Michael Crabtree was held by Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith. However, I think fans need to get over the no-call. That was not the sole reason why the Niners lost the game. Yes, a defensive holding call would’ve dramatically improved their chances at getting a touchdown, and, therefore, winning the game, but the Niners had already dug themselves into a deep trench by halftime. They were down 21-6 at halftime, and they were down by as many as 22 points at the beginning of the third quarter, after giving up a 108-yard kickoff return to Jacoby Jones, the longest kickoff return in the history of the NFL. They looked like they were on the verge of yet another miraculous comeback after scoring 17 points in four minutes and ten seconds in the third quarter. Yes, the Niners were close to digging themselves out of a hole and, yes, they have been the “Comeback Kids” this postseason, winning against both the Packers and the Falcons after being down after the first quarter or at halftime. However, the Niners’ poor play in the first half was too much to overcome and was the main reason why they lost.

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

(Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)

What were some specific aspects that the Niners could have improved upon, mostly in the first half?

1. Play-calling: This was an issue for a lot of the game. The Niners were seven yards away from the end zone and had the possibility of sealing a victory with a touchdown towards the end of the game. They had four chances, seven yards out, and they couldn’t advance the ball at all. There were some serious issues with play-calling in all four of those plays, and in the first half, it seemed like the offense had no idea what to do. Colin Kaepernick had thrown an interception so his confidence was thrown off, Frank Gore wasn’t effective in the first half, and LaMichael James had a huge fumble at the beginning of the second quarter that helped the Ravens take a 14-3 lead. The offensive execution was halted in the first half because of poor play-calling by Greg Roman, the offensive coordinator, and Jim Harbaugh.

2. Poor use of timeouts: The Niners had to use one of their three timeouts in the second half with 7:53 left in the third quarter because of confusion or miscommunication between Harbaugh/Roman and Kaepernick. This is simply unacceptable when a team is already down, in need of some momentum, and playing in the Super Bowl. This has become a pattern for Kaepernick over his 10 starts. He lets the play clock wind down and, many times, is forced to call a timeout to prevent a delay of game call. The Niners screwed themselves over later in the game by having to blow a timeout so early because of confusion or miscommunication.

3. Special Teams: David Akers made three field goals, which was good to see, but he also showed no attempt on kickoffs to kick it away from Jacoby Jones or at least make him work for a good return. The Niners allowed the longest kickoff return in NFL History at the worst possible moment. Enough said.

4. The Secondary: In the first half, Joe Flacco completed 13 of 20 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns. The Ravens also went 9-of-16 on third downs. Again, this is unacceptable. Chris Culliver simply got out-played, and even though Carlos Rogers covered Anquan Boldin pretty well, Boldin was a huge reason the Ravens’ offense was so successful.

5. LaMichael James and Randy Moss: LaMichael James’ fumble in the beginning of the third quarter, mentioned earlier, was huge and occurred, again, at the worst possible moment. The Niners were finally starting to gain a little momentum after a few good offensive plays, and then all that momentum was quickly taken away with that one play. Fumbles are unacceptable during the Super Bowl. In addition, Randy Moss had no impact on this game, and it really hurt the Niners. In addition to his limited production, it seemed like he made no effort whatsoever to catch, or at least deflect, that pass that Ed Reed intercepted with 7:06 left in the second quarter. That pass was probably uncatchable, but Moss has to at least show a little effort and help out his quarterback as much as he can.

**Note: Although Kaepernick threw the first interception in Niners’ Super Bowl history and looked shaky in the first half, he had a stellar second half and almost pulled off one of the most amazing comebacks in Super Bowl history. It also should be noted that Alex Smith would 1) not have gotten the Niners to the Super Bowl in the first place and 2) would not have won that game for the Niners. Kaepernick might be young, but he is already a greater quarterback than Alex Smith. He is more willing to take risks and he is better at improvising when a play breaks down. That’s how the Niners got to the Super Bowl. His interception wasn’t the reason why the Niners lost that game. Alex Smith couldn’t have recovered from a poor first half from the whole team, and he certainly wouldn’t have led that type of comeback. Enough of that rant. Carry on.

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

(Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Even though this Super Bowl loss was quite disappointing to fans, the Niners had an incredible season. Fans have a lot to be proud of. The Niners had nine players be named to the Pro Bowl this season, and seven of those players would have been starters. They were: FS Dashon Goldson, LG Mike Iupati, LB Aldon Smith, DT Justin Smith, LT Joe Staley, SS Donte Whitner and LB Patrick Willis (LB NaVorro Bowman and RB Frank Gore would have come off the bench). In addition to those nine players, seven other players were named as alternates at the Pro Bowl. Those players were: RG Alex Boone, LB Ahmad Brooks, OT Anthony Davis, TE Vernon Davis, C Jonathan Goodwin, P Andy Lee, CB Carlos Rogers and C.J. Spillman. Also, we all were witnesses to the emergence of Colin Kaepernick as a starter and potential star quarterback in the NFL. It’ll be great to see a full season of him starting to see what he’s really capable of. With a full season of Kaepernick and perhaps a change in offensive coordinator (or at least some more effective, sensible play-calling), the Niners can get back to the Super Bowl again next year with much more confidence (instead of cockiness) and intelligence. The “Quest For Six” continues.