GunnerBill

McDuffie too (although I think our nickel IS in the conversation for best at his position. But he is like top 5/6 and McDuffie is the best IMO). It is elite talent. That is where we lack. Even at our absolute peak we had 3 - Allen, White, Diggs. We replaced White (ACL) with Von (borderline elite at that point) but then he went down too. Then White plays his first elite game since his ACL and with the game all but over ruptures his achillies, then Milano, and then second half of this year Diggs was not at an elite level. We need some more elite talent. Ed Oliver is close. Let's hope Matt comes back at his best and they fix whatever the Stef issue was. That would give us a chance. Kincaid developing is the other option.

Seattle's defense was schematically very similar to ours and one of the most defensively dominant Superbowls of all time. I don't think it has anything to do with running the wrong scheme. It is just about talent and execution.

I thought Reid was a FA? But regardless was a great pickup. He got lost in the mess at Houston but has always been very good. I think Jones is the most important piece on their defense still personally. He is a game wrecker and the two pivotal plays against the Bills and last night at the end he makes them. That isn't to diminish the two two corners at all. They are very good. But Jones is a monster with a knack of making the play in the crunch. And that is the thing with KC. They make their big plays in crunch time year after year

It comes down to this for me: Team 1 cannot win the game on their possession. It is impossible. The only way Team 1 can guarantee Team 2 can't win it on their possession is a TD and a successful 2 pointer. Which means the odds pretty good that when Team 2 gets the ball they have a chance to win it on that possession. Worrying about the 3rd possession is a red herring IMO.

He is the best offensive play designer in football and he might be the best in the last 25 years or so that I have been watching the NFL. There are many Shanahan wannabes among his group of mates now coaching across the league but only McVay even comes close and as a play designer he is behind Shanny. I don't think he is a great Head Coach though. He has a history of making bad decisions in the crunch and falling apart playcalling wise. This is the third Superbowl where he, as an OC or HC, has established a double digit lead by running the ball and then inexplicably got away from it. Honestly the knock on him was ego and it came off as ego to me last night. Was like "you all think Brock is a game manager (he is) well let me show you how good I can make him look in a Superbowl." 2024 is massive for him because when Brock Purdy is earning top 5 Quarterback money I am not sure their window will still be open.

I wasn't saying they will move on from Kelce. If he still wants to play he will be a Chief. But I think they'd be more willing to move on from him than Jones.

The only other team I'd give a chance to actually is Green Bay. If Love can back it then I think they are a legit contender. I think he may well be the best QB in the NFC based on what I saw this year. Posts crossed. Just added the Pack. Not sure the Texans have enough elite around Stroud yet. They are probably 2 years away. Lions I think just missed their best shot.

No. That is the first time we have seen those overtime rules in action. I bet every single team having watched what the 9ers did will have their analytics guys working overtime on it this offseason. If we see it next post season I am sure the play will be to defer.

I'd have Chiefs #1 Bills and 49ers joint #2 Bengals #3 Everyone else needs lightening in a bottle.

Well I agree. Once you have made the bad decision to take the ball you HAVE to play like only a TD is good enough. And you probably have to go for (and get) 2. Otherwise your opponent can win without you ever seeing the ball again.

Strong disagree.

My strong suspicion is as this system beds in the analytics will end up saying there is an advantage in going second. Knowledge is power. The team going 2nd knows what it needs. The only scenario in which the team going 2nd can't win the game when it receives the ball is the team going first going for and scoring a 2 pointer. That knowledge is worth a couple of percentage points advantage IMO.

I think we are at the point where we have to ask if it is ever going to happen for this iteration of the 49ers. They have less than $1m in cap space for 2024 and while they don't have a ton of big ticket FAs to keep they also are paying a QB peanuts. This time next year they have to pay Purdy and that means reducing some of what ia around him. I sort of felt like this year was now or never, next year is proper last chance saloon. And their window isn't like the Bills where even in a down year or a mini re-set you can say "we have a chance because we have #17." Purdy is good but at this point he isn't putting the team on his back and we saw that last night when they got away from the run in the 3rd. They feel very like the Bills to me. A really good team that just can't find a way past Kansas City when it matters. Flip the conferences and they are still waiting to go to a Superbowl and the Bills have lost twice in the big game.

But the Chiefs are only kicking a FG if they are in 4th and long. Because again they have the advantage of knowing what they have to do at every point. I don't think if KC gets to where the 9ers ended up.. 4th and 4 inside the 10 they would kick a FG. Because they have the advantage of knowing what they have to beat. In that situation KC would go for it even in FG range. The team who goes first can do that but the risk for them if they don't make it is bigger because team 2 is then playing 4 down football until FG range and then chip shotting for the win.

The pieces around wasn't just intended as offense. It meant the entire team. In fact I think his offensive skill guys have been the weakness this year.

Sure. On a down by down basis. But the Chiefs tried making him a full time end two years ago and that experiment failed.

But Mahomes would just go for 2. And you still risk losing never having touched it again and having given him an extra down to get in. Short of stopping the best player in football with 4 downs at his disposal every time the BEST case scenario actually is you bring the game down to a 2 point conversion attempt. That is a better than 50/50 proposition for above average offenses according to the data.

They did miss Thuney tonight. And they lost a Superbowl by virtue of being down both tackles. But sure they have stayed pretty healthy overall for their post season runs. They keep winning because top to bottom they are the best. A great GM, the best QB, with a very good collection of key pieces around him and a future HoF coach.

If the 49ers kick the XP I think KC wins in regulation. They still had a timeout remember. They'd have managed the clock very differently on that final drive and I reckon they'd have scored a TD. Sure, the botched put return hurt, but both teams turned it over multiple times it was a sloppy game. I think the main reason the Chiefs were able to come back is Shanahan mismanaged the game again. Once he got back to McCaffrey they moved the ball again. It wasn't rocket science.

Nah even under the old OT rules both teams possessed if the first team only scored a FG.

They have 23m in cap space without touching Pat's deal again and the ability to use the tag. I am pretty sure Jones will be a Chief in 2024. I think it is more likely they move on from Kelce than Jones.

KC were helped by Superbowl Shanahan refusing to run the ball for most of the 3rd Quarter. All those quick 3 and outs gave the Chiefs plenty of time and possessions to launch a comeback. The thing with Mahomes is just his ability to not make mistakes in the clutch. It is Brady-like. He plays those end of game scenarios perfectly time and again.

He is a game wrecker. But he plays the same position as the guy who is already by far our best player up front. We had our swing at a older closer on defense with Von. It sadly hasn't worked because of injury. And Jones will stay in KC IMO.

Yep. Totally. I was on record before the draft last year that I wouldn't mind as much going for less premium positions early if the limited supply of premium position talent was out of stock but that was very specific to last year's draft and that class which to me was extremely shallow. Otherwise the strategy should always be premium positions in round 1 and in round 2 you only go against that if you think the guy at the non-premium spot is an elite level guy.

To me throwing good money after bad is paying Von near $7m on top of the $32m we are already on the hook for. That is why I'd cut him and try to get a vet with that space. That is your choice IMO. Id love to get an elite WR from the top of this class but I don't see a way to do it sadly. And there are good prospects lower down. So I am still confident we can upgrade the talent around Josh in this draft. It just won't be the sure thing that the top 3 are.