Going into this season, I had no fear that we’d end up at 0-17. I can handle 1-16, but I don’t want that stigma of 0-17 hanging over us as a franchise. I figured that we have a few winnable games on our schedule, but I am quickly–very quickly–changing my tune.
We are a historically bad team.
I’ll start with a tiny positive, in that the game plan was better this week, solely because they fed Achane the ball more than in Week 1. That has to continue. He’s gonna start breaking through for long runs if we just keep trying.
Other than that, the team looked worse than in Week 1. The defense especially. A nonexistent pass rush, combined with gigantic gaps in our zones, handed Brock Purdy an easy day. I can barely remember an incompletion he threw. He was finding wide open guys all day long. It was really hideous.
Chop Robinson was a nonfactor in Week 1, so I don’t think he would have made a difference yesterday. Missing Chop was no excuse. We have zero pass rush, but we make up for it by having zero coverage also. Tell me again why we are paying the Bills to have Bradley Chubb on their team while we pay the Jets to have Minkah Fitzpatrick?
The offense gets an accolade for at least trying to use Achane more. Another positive was the one long TD pass against the 49er 4th-stringers. We’ll take it. We put up 13 points against them yesterday, which is more than the Rams could muster against them in Week 1. That’s a tiny moral victory.
“They” say Jacob Rodriguez is doing extremely well as the mic linebacker, but I don’t see it. Being in the right place and having good bursts of speed is not the same as making drive-ending big plays. He seems to be the best of a weak class of 2026 rookies, but so far that isn’t saying much.
Speaking of rookies, Malik Willis is playing like one. I know he was harried all day long, but still. Some of his passes were just awful. He doesn’t seem to have the knack for stepping straight ahead when the rush is on his right/left. On several occasions, he could have simply stepped up into the pocket to extend a play, but he took really bad angles and ran into linemen…either our own O linemen who couldn’t move anyone, or the 49ers’ linemen, who played this game so effortlessly like it was practice.
And last but not least, let’s not forget a missed field goal and a missed punt. Or a missed drop? A botch? Pinion’s gaffe was so horrendously bad that I don’t even know what to call it.
What do you guys think? Did anyone spot ANY improvement?
Last week I said I wanted to see whether this staff would correct anything. They did change the commitment to Achane. Fourteen carries before halftime and twenty overall is a substantial difference. We sustained possessions and twice got to first-and-goal at the seven. That’s something to build on, even though settling for field goals is exactly why moving the ball doesn’t necessarily mean playing good offense.
What concerns me most is that the closer first half seems to have hidden the defensive problem. San Francisco only had two possessions and scored touchdowns on both. Keeping their offense on the sideline helped keep the score close, but when they got the ball, we weren’t stopping them. Then the game got away from us after halftime.
I agree completely that youth doesn’t excuse the special teams mistakes. I can accept a rookie getting beaten while learning. Repeatedly giving away field position and wasting scoring opportunities is much harder to accept.
Where I’m still holding back is declaring this rookie class weak after two games. With Rodriguez, being in the right position matters, even if it isn’t producing the big plays we want yet. I want to know whether he’s doing his assignment before judging him by how the entire defense looks. He certainly needs to finish plays, but he can’t fix the pass rush and coverage by himself.
I’m also not ready to call 0–17, but I’m not going to keep using “young team” as an unlimited excuse. We got one clear adjustment this week with Achane. Now we need evidence that this staff can improve protection, defensive communication, and special teams execution.
I’m still willing to give them time. I just want that time to produce visible progress.
Improvements I would say offense overall at least got into the red zone multiple times.
Willis looked better than last week.
Achane was as good as can be.
Why leave Austin Jackson alone vs Max Crosby and now Nick Bosa?
If offense can finish drives maybe we can eek out a few wins.
Some of the rookies look good. Proctor is moving people yes has bad false starts and held Bosa but he is a rookie trying to block Nick Bosa.
We will be bad
Welcome Back everyone! I’m always honest here so I won’t change my thoughts. As a lifelong football and Dolphins fan, I feel I MUST give the new regime some grace this season. I sure as heck don’t like the Jets playing better than us, but this year is going to be, how should I say, unemotional for me. am not bothered by how many games they win, just win at least one. I would hate to be 0-17 and I don’t think they will be…we should be able to sneak up on a few teams and pull out wins…a few. The rookies are rookies and they need playing time to improve and understand the plays and learn to trust each other. With that, the on-field leader, Willis, must be the one they can trust and that takes playing together over and over. Practices of long ago were much more intense and would better mimic game situations. They all don’t want to get hurt and I feel practices are too soft. If they lose but play hard and smart, I’ll take it. I don’t like it when players appear to be giving up…they make big bank and that’s not what fans can excuse. I have to give Willis the time he deserves…TUA was given way, way, way too much time and I was very vocal about how he was a waste. And Dolphins are also PAYING Tua to sit on the Falcons bench, probably as 3rd string QB! We’re talking big bucks to suit up and sit on the bench! Don’t even need to launder the uniform. Grier’s incompetence will linger for a few more years.