Recent tv (June 2026 edition)

Listen.

Sometimes the internet is correct, but lately it has been very wrong on a lot of things. It's bots (for lack of a better word) trying to influence our every day life, I assume.

The bots, for example, have told me that Nemesis on the Netflix is a good show - it's holding an 80% on rotten tomatoes, and is top 10 in 63 countries around the world. (I made that second number up, but Netflix does claim something like that. The 80% is factual, which is alarming and makes me question RT which up until now I have treated as reliable.) I made it through three episodes, barely. Barely. Waiting for it to get to 80% good. But, it never did, just bad writing with shitty dialogue and unnecessary exposition all delivered with real hammy acting, and all of that is not a winning formula folks. I'm here to tell you, do not watch Nemesis.

But, do watch the Four Seasons s2. I watched season 1 because Tina Fey and Will Forte and Steve Carrell and maybe most importantly, Coleman Domingo who is one of the most underrated actors (I know he's Oscar nominated - among many other serious accolades - but also I know him because of Fear the Walking Dead, so how does that jibe?), certainly for comedy. S1 was only okay, but the irony is that after losing arguably its biggest name star, s2 is great. It's a sad and funny musing on middle age, enduring marriages, long term friendships and how they work within your long term life partnership, etc etc. Maybe it's light, a little fluffy, but it's good. And episodes are less than half an hour. Also, a new underrated star emerges in s2: Kerri Kenney-Silver really made me care about Anne this season, a lot.

Also: I haven't finished the season yet, but the Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins is starting to get straight up LOL hilarious. To call it 30 Rock Lite is trite; it does not have the same jokes per minute, for one. But with Tracy Morgan driving a weird and unpredictable vehicle filled with an ensemble that holds their own against not only him but the Kimmy Schmidt universe that they live in, yeah, its in the same league. Or will be, if it can pull this off for a few more seasons.

Other recent-ish shows I've thought were excellent: Ponies, DTF St Louis (and please, check out Steven Conrad's other shows Patriot and Perpetual Grace Inc.), Wonder Man, the Chair Company and Task. All for different specific reasons, but a general through line for all is good writing, great acting, high production values and not a lot of fat. They are all 7-8 episodes.

And I'm dying to start Widow's Bay, and also Spider Noir. Frankly there might be too much content out these days. But I'm not complaining. Except about the bots trying to sell me on Nemesis.

Beastie Boys - Make Some Noise

 

Listen man, I just need somewhere to park this.

I recently finished listening to the Beastie Boys audiobook (I also have the physical hard copy), it took me several months as I'd listen to a chapter here and a chapter there. Or more accurately, I'd listen to like 5 chapters one day, then 2 the next day, then 3, then take a few weeks off, then get back into it. You know how it goes. I started way back last summer I think.

Anyway, so I decided to watch this video because they talk about it a tiny bit. Actually, Mike and Adam talk a lot about how MCA went on these kicks where he had to just do something, he'd pick a project on whatever burrowed into his waking consciousness and run it all the way through to conclusion. He'd literally know nothing about this subject and then figure it all out on the way.

And man, just, this looks like so much fun. Oh, Amy Poehler also talks about this in one of her podcast episodes. Who was she talking to? I disremember, but yeah she mentions it. But the cast first of all is stacked. It's like another Wet Hot American Summer episode. I mean, scroll down to jackvr8818's comment, he's bottled the whole thing up.

Look at this and tell me what's up.

Also, Elijah Wood can probably play the King Ad Rock in anything in the future and we will all think hey that's Ad Rock (like, not an actor).

Anyway, that's it. I guess this would qualify, if we're going back to Amy's Good Hang podcast, as something to watch to make you laugh and dance and make you happy. Thank you MCA, thank you Beastie Boys, and thank you Frodo. Just excellent, excellent work here.

Relax y'all, Skynet is still gonna be offline for awhile

As we approach August 29, 1997, on us all there rests an omnipresent weighted blanket of dread in anticipation of Skynet's sentience. And it's becoming a lead apron and soon, probably, will be a generation 1 Hummer, or maybe a 777.

To partially unfurl this, may I suggest reading this LA Times article by Michael Hiltzik that suggests the above date is incorrect and in fact lightyears too optimistic (for the machines). Yes we are on the road to doom, but the destination is a little farther away than James Cameron prophesized. So maybe we can just relax and enjoy taking a few more photos (on our phones) of our dog at that gas station in Mexico, because Shepherd pups are the best, at least until Boston Dynamics can prove otherwise.

 A calmer, more realistic projection towards Judgement Day

And finally, here is the Chase Daniel breakdown

And Chase confirms what I was saying, Brock isn't driving the ball, he just floats those out there into the middle where anyone sitting and waiting can grab it.

But, that Brock is definitely still the guy over Mac Jones.

Speak of the devil (or the opposite, with this guy)

This guy being Kurt Warner, a God-loving man if we ever knew one.

Kurt is a great QB analyst because he understands the position, understands offensive concepts, understands defenses, and can package and relay that huge amount of information in a way that allows us non-NFL-QBs to understand it as well. (Chase Daniels is also pretty good, I find.)

And here Kurt is, breaking down Brock's 3 INTs. Watch this. It's so educational.

Brock Purdy creates more hand-wringing turmoil with NFL "analysts" than any other QB in history

And it's because he was the final pick in his draft class. People are just unable to correlate good NFL QB with low or very low draft status. Even though Tom Brady was famously drafted in the 6th round of his class, and Kurt Warner was famously undrafted entirely.

Now those two are slightly different as they won Superbowls. Which means, God, how much greater would it have been for the Niners to have beaten the Chiefs in OT two years ago. The rings for Trent, Fred, George, CMC, Deebo, Bosa, Charvarius Ward (would have been his 2nd), Dre Greenlaw, etc etc. BUT ALSO - maybe, just maybe a silencing of some of the "analysts". That golden silence, I would love so much.

But that did not happen, despite Brock coming as close to winning as SB as you can possibly get - putting up the first points in OT - without actually winning. (And don't be fooled by anyone's revisionist history, he and Jauan Jennings were earning that ring. JJ was going to be the MVP if the Niners won. And I do still think about the missed assignment on 3rd down where Chris Jones ran straight through the line and forced Brock to throw way too early to JJ in the end zone, leading to the incompletion and then the field goal instead of the TD.)

Instead, after a 3-INT performance against the Panthers on Monday, people are still wailing, decrying and insisting that Shanahan should re-insert Mac Jones as starting QB.

No.

Did any of you watch the game? The interceptions were bad, there's no doubt. I too was yelling at my TV. I wondered whether his toe injury was not allowing him to drive the ball in his throws. All three picks were bad floaters just waiting to drop into someone, anyone's arms. The last one everyone said was a great play by Horn, and it was - but if Brock threw a laser then that may have been a Pearsall touchdown. I don't remember seeing a safety in the vicinity behind Ricky as he waited for that ball to come down.

So, at the start of the third quarter, Brock went into a more conservative mode, giving up big play hunting and taking the shorter throws and checkdowns. And GUESS WHAT? THAT SURE LOOKED LIKE WHAT MAC JONES WAS DOING. That scoring drive was exactly what Mac has been doing all year. If Kyle wanted that, he would have (and maybe did tell Brock at the half) to just do that. No need to swap him out for Mac, he can do all those things Mac does.

This is NOT a slight on Mac Jones. That is efficient QB'ing. But that's also not what Kyle is willing to settle for, clearly, when he knows Brock can also hit the seam or sidelines or end zone corners.

Did anyone with wring-ed hands watch the Cards game? That's exactly what Brock was doing, and that is what Brock brings to the table above and beyond Mac Jones. How quickly, or conveniently, everyone forgets.

Brock is prone to these types of INTs. We've seen it before, last Xmas vs Baltimore for example. It's the style he plays. He has the same floor as Mac Jones, but he also has a higher ceiling. That is the boiled down truth of why Shanahan knows Brock is his starting QB.

So please, shut up about QB controversies. Especially if you know football, which the "analysts" absolutely know better than I do. I mean seriously, it's just making you sound dumb.

--

As a side note, though equally important, the defense sure stepped up to cover up Brock's mistakes and ultimately win that game. Loved what I saw out of those young young dogs out there, swarming and playing a full team game. Protect the pack mentality. Go Niners!

TJ is right; Rich, Brockman and sound guy are dead wrong and also insane

I'm watching this video as we speak and can't even wait till the end to post this up. Here's a clip of the Rich Eisen show where the guys are discussing why Jason Bateman took Sean Hayes instead of Will Arnett to the Dodgers World Series game. (The real reason is, I believe, Arnett is in New York at the moment, thanks Smartless I know too much about you guys now.) Rich and co. speculate that it's because Arnett is a Jays fan and JB doesn't want to sit with a Jays fan, despite being best friends (or one of).

Then, a big loud debate erupts where Rich, Brockman and the sound effects guy all admonish TJ for saying he would go with his best friend even if they had directly opposite rooting interests, because they're best friends. The other three lose their minds at the thought of that! Like, the sound guy (sorry I keep forgetting his name, and remember I'm typing furiously because REACTION and I can't be bothered to check) wouldn't even go with his wife last night because she's a Jays fan and he's LA. Wow.

TJ is right, 100% could not be righter right: these guys do not have the same level of friendship as he has with his pal Ashton (Kutcher, for Tracy). And in sound guy's case, he doesn't have that level of friendship with his wife. This all just blows my mind. They're all three yelling at TJ at how insane he is to want to go to a championship once in a lifetime game with his best friend even though they will be rooting for opposing teams. All three would choose their team over their 'best' friend. I mean ... what?

One of my best friends, certainly my best friend when we lived together at the height, the HEIGHT of the 49ers Packers rivalry (late-90's), is - you guessed it - a diehard Packers fan. Every year it seemed like, we'd meet in the regular season and/or playoffs and of course, without question, we would watch that game together. What would be insane is if we did NOT watch that game together. (btw if it was regular season and anywhere remotely close to Halloween, the winner would get to put their team's hat on the pumpkin that was sitting on one of the speakers. This happened more than once.)

Tomorrow, or in the future, if one of us stumbled upon a pair of tickets to a Niners Packers playoff game, or the NFC Championship game - and asked the other to go? Uh, yeah, you can bet we'd be going. It's the event, the experience, and it's our friendship that is so much more important than whether one team or the other wins. Yeah it sucks for the loser, but only in the sense that the pride is beaten down and your team loses bragging rights, and the pumpkin has to wear the other hat for the next month or so.

It occurs to me that this is a microcosm of what politics has become in the States, and maybe worldwide too. If I'm on the right wing and you're on the left, we cannot be friends anymore and fuck I can't even stand to spend time with you, even if you invited me to ... uh, the presidential debate that you have tickets for and I've dreamt my whole life of seeing live? I mean, it's not an one-for-one analogy, and obviously politics have a more direct and immediate impact on daily life than sports, but it is still pretty much true. Some people value certain friendships over politics, and sports fandom, and some people just cannot get past the divide.

TJ, you have an actual best friendship in your life and I'm happy for you.

Also, fuck off with the Cowboys.

While We're At It ...

 

This version is a little fast, but this is absolutely one of my favourite songs of all time. What Howard Stern references, an astounding fact, is that this song was written during the recording of Ten - but not included on the original record. Subsequently though, the band would play this song in concert and that's how it gained its following, through infamy - this amazing song that no one had heard, except if you'd been to a PJ show.

At some point, Yellow Ledbetter made it onto live records, bootlegs and then Pearl Jam official releases (and remember when they recorded every single live show to circumvent the bootleggers, not to cut them off from making money off the band, or not 100% the reason, but to release their own music on their own terms with a professional mix). My first recorded version was on a live album issued in, I don't even know, 1993? 1994? 1992? I don't know that it had a title but I do have the cd somewhere, I should dig it out. But I don't think I got a studio version until maybe when I joined the horrendous, hellacious Spotify? I don't even know. But I lived with live versions for so long, so that's how I know this song.

Anyway, a truly great song with a great story. And damned if this doesn't bring a tear to my eye pretty much every single time I hear it. Because also, this is the epitome of Eddie Vedder singing a whole bunch of intelligible words but with so much emotion, you can't help but feel what he's feeling. Absolute love.

Radiohead news

Radiohead has recently announced a European tour of select cities, but with multiple shows in each city. How awesome, and how lucky for those cities. The first time the band has toured since 2018.

I love this band, one of my top 5 bands of all time (ALL time), and have seen them I'm not even sure how many times. Let's see ... OK Computer, Kid A / Amnesiac, In Rainbows, King of Limbs??, Moon Shaped Pool ... pretty sure it's been at least 5 times.

Anyway, what better way to celebrate this news than to listen to this beautiful cover of Fake Plastic Trees. Please, join me.

And then listen to this, one of my favourite Phoebe Bridgers songs:

Niners trade for Brian Robinson and I am thrilled

Brian Robinson is no scrub. I really liked this kid in his rookie year, after getting shot (!) preseason, he came out and put up 800 yards in 12 games. I watched him, he ran hard.

With Christian McCaffery, Robinson and Isaac Guerendo, the Niners now have one of the best  (I might even say the best (!) though I recognize there's some homerism talking there) RB rooms in the league. And they've clearly prioritized pass catchers so no matter who they put on the field, including Juice at FB, the back is a very real threat to run a route.

Also, yes, the Niners now have TWO (!) players who were shot in between being drafted and playing an NFL game. Both came back and eventually balled in their rookie years. Which is very very crazy, very weird and wild stuff, man.

I wonder if Plaxico Burress is interested in coming out of retirement.

Anyway, as Coach would say, I'm super pumped to get this guy in the building, and all the sudden I'm pumped for the RB room this year. I really liked Jordan Mason (still got him on my fantasy keeper league team (!)) and was sad to see him go to the Vikes, though I understand why. But beyond Guerendo things weren't looking super great. Patrick Taylor, Keyshawn Vaughn, Jeff Wilson at this stage - I don't dislike those guys, but those guys are not 1st or 2nd string NFL backs. We have yet to see what the Niners really have in Jordan James and Corey Kiner, so this trade makes so much sense to me - essentially they upgraded Jordan Mason to Brian Robinson. Love it.

Let's go Niners!!

PS: this weekend we'll see the reunion of Jim Harbaugh and the Niners, and of Trey Lance and the Niners. Obviously Harbs' only crossover from his time would be with Jed York and maybe Paraag? (I don't remember) but Trey will get to see Kyle, John Lynch, Brock etc etc. which is cool. I think they all genuinely liked Trey and are rooting for him, as am I.

(I also love Harbs and he's absolutely the one that got away (goddamn you Trent Baalke, you suck so much), but I'm more than happy with current management so I wish Harbs all the best and maybe see you in the Superbowl.)

PPS: speaking of Harbaugh, of rivalries and all that, I love how he and Pete Carrol ended up in the same division again. I love it. I only wish Jim Schwartz could be in the AFC west too, so Harbaugh could shake his hand too hard twice a year.

"Some like it hot" - Ana de Armas, c'mon

Please, ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Eve / Marta / Palmona herself: Ana de Armas!

Severance podcast with Ben and Adam

Severance season 2 was really fantastic. That's my opinion. Not an uncommon one, though I have also seen a headline or two that seemed to possibly take the opposite view (I haven't yet made time to read or listen to those).

My ritual for this season was 1. to watch the latest episode as it dropped each week (of course), and 2. rewatch the episode on the weekend with my kids, and then 3. to listen to the follow up podcast episode with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott.

When the season ended, I was both exhilarated and sad. The ritual was done, there were no more episodes to be had.

But then! Ben and Adam dropped a bonus episode of their podcast, this one featuring a couple of really interesting guests (and Dan Erikson, Severance creator and interesting person in his own right). In the middle section of the episode, another set of Severance podcasters - two of whom are neuroscience-related medical professionals - talk about the theories and ideas that Severance posits, which is very interesting as it comes from people in the actual scientific know.

The final guest of the episode is SZA, whom I know really nothing about outside of her Superbowl halftime appearance. But she is fascinating, and highly intelligent, and philosophical, and funny, and charming. I love joyous surprises, and I loved her - and will now be seeking out her music based solely on her 20 minute conversation with Ben and Adam.

And here is my first dose.

Dreams - listen and cover by La Lune, Vancouver shoegaze band

Alright here's another one, this time it's Dreams by La Lune. So it's Fleetwood Mac, it's dreampop / shoegaze, basically two great tastes that taste great together for me. It's got a slowdown, which is wonderful. The whole thing takes me back to Hot Robot, the band I was in in university / post-university years, before the Unlevels.

The bassist is the correct vocalist for this song, and I do like her voice a lot. I wish they put some phase on her vox, and also there is so much room in there for some sweet harmonies. But also, this is an impromptu thing (who knows how long they really got but surely it was not a lot) so you know. I get it, there's never the perfect take, so I get it. But man I got ideas.

Anyway, one thing both this and the previous video did was make me aware of new bands, and potentially bands that I would want to check out online or maybe even in person. And that's always cool.

Heart Shaped Box - listen and cover exercise by Ulysses Owens Jr and Band

Listen man, I know this ain't new, taking a Nirvana song and making it jazz. The Bad Plus did this perhaps the most famously with Lithium on their album, For All I Care. (Or maybe there's some even more famous Nirvana jazz cover, but I loved For All I Care and I am very familiar with that cover.)

Anyway, but listen man, it's Friday and I want to share with you this little video of Ulysses Owens Jr and his band, all of whom - with the exception of the bassist - hear Heart Shaped Box for the first time and then proceed to cover it. Now maybe because he knows the song already, the bassist just rips shit up. Like, RIPS IT UP. But probably he's doing that all the time on all the songs. But the sax player also, I'm not kidding, when she started playing I almost got a tear in my eye.

So anyway, listen. Just, have a listen. And enjoy your Friday, y'all.

Free Agency, or, Saying Goodbye to Some Old Friends

This year's start of free agency has hit Niners fans pretty hard. That's because, as the team aims to get younger and also shed some of their larger contracts, we have had to say goodbye to some players who have provided some of the most memorable, team-galvanizing plays of recent times, contributing hugely to wins against big rivals (Seahawks, Eagles) and led us to the NFC championship and Superbowl runs that have been a staple of the last five years. The only two teams more successful in this period have been the Chiefs and the Eagles - we have been riding pretty high!

My favourite player of these last five years has been Deebo Samuel. I love his wrecking ball style of play. His 3 TD game against the Eagles last year was probably his last really great game as a Niner, but there's so many other points in time where he's just dominated a game or turned it around - and so often against a rival like the Rams or Seahawks. This last year was absolutely not his year, and it's sad to see him go - though to be honest it has felt like he's been gone for a little while now. But I'm sure he's still going to have a game or two as his old self with the Commanders.

Dre. Man, did I ever love Dre. I loved Fred and Dre together almost as much as I loved Patrick and NaVarro - which is a lot, folks. Responsible for one of the single greatest plays in 49ers history - no hyperbole, I know that's a huge cauldron of great plays and a significant number of iconic out-of-your-seat jubilance moments that I'm comparing to - was his goal-line stand against Jacob Hollister of the Seahawks to end the 2019 season and start their Superbowl run. Like, Dre didn't just tackle Hollister, he DESTROYED him. Hollister went from moving forward to moving absolutely nowhere in an instant. The ball could not have been closer to the goal line without crossing it. Just so great. That was Dre. Big Play Dre.

Hufanga, I will say that he didn't have the same prolonged success as the other two, but his highs were pretty damn high. Obviously the special teams play in Green Bay to end that horrible snowy stalemate will be remembered as his biggest moment as a Niner, but damn he sure had Matt Stafford's number a few times as well.

And then there's Aaron Banks, who was as solid of a left guard as you could hope for. Juice, of course, who was the original "offensive weapon". Though he was never quite used in that way, he did have several plays, toe tap catches on sidelines and such, that just yanked you out of your seat.

Mooney Ward, who we knew wouldn't be coming back due to his desire to leave the trauma that he's had to endure while with the team behind (no one's fault, just life). But whose departure still hurts. Man his clamping down on DK the past couple years has been amazing and legendary. He was a true shutdown corner. And I loved his locker room interviews. He always came across as thoughtful and respectful, humble for a guy who could stand up to and shut down a hulk like DK Metcalf on the field.

Anyway, time moves on and the team must as well. But yeah, sad and reflective time in the Niners fandom for sure. Here's hoping we do some trade-ups in the draft and snag some really quality young replacements in April.

Happy Severance Day, kids!

To paraphrase Elaine Benes: I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed with [Severance]!

<-- This is what Severance is doing to me, except in reverse. It's implanted and there's no reintegration happening. Reintegration is impossible anyway, don't you know.

Never have I ever watched so much YouTube follow-up or listened to so many podcasts talking about a show, frigging cast interviews, frigging EVERYTHING. (Though to be fair I probably would have during seasons 2-4 of Lost if such things existed.) But yeah, I can't get enough. So much so that my YouTube algorithm is unshakable and I can't even open the homepage on Fridays unless I've watched this week's episode for fear of spoilers.

Beyond the story, the writing and acting and direction and cinematography and sets and props and everything, literally everything, THE MUSIC!!!, are damn near perfect on this show. I'm in love.

And I know I said as much about Shogun last year, and it was true then for them, and it can also be true now for this. Two wildly different shows, but Twin Peaks (RIP David Lynch) of peak television without a doubt.

So, happy Severance day everybody. And, hey kids, what's for dinner?

(My God Turturro is a force. And Brit Lower, and Tramell Tillman, and Zach Cherry, and Adam Scott. Chris Walken. Frigging Balf.)

(But straight up, John Turturro and Brit Lower both should have multiple awards for this season, as Tramell Tillman should have had from season 1.)

(So good.)

My brain decided it was just too chemically imbalanced, and then fixed it itself

In my dream last night I'm a high school teacher supervising a class trip to Quebec. One of my co-workers and co-chaperones is Ana de Armas. Not the Ballerina Bond girl Ana de Armas, but high school teacher Ana de Armas. We're at the end of the trip, heading home. And at the same time, at the start of me and teacher Ana's journey of dating. Without getting into details, most of which I don't remember because dream, it's that thrill of the beginning of a relationship and the electric buzz of firsts that go along with it.

And it's one of those dreams so vivid and real and immersive and the feelings I'm feeling of warmth, comfort and excitement, spill over to when I awake.

And so I say: thank you, Brain, for allowing yourself to feel happiness. Thank you for self-prescribing oxytocin, we probably needed that.

Now onto season 2 episode 2 of Severance.

(The claymation event that causes Dylan to say, 'What the shit?', is the tie in you see.)

(Yes I'm once again behind, but I will at some point write up my favourite shows of 2024. Obviously Severance was from well before, but I just did a rewatch of season 1 and listened to the rewatch podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott, and I am at an all time high of Severance stokage. Like, higher than after watching the season 1 finale the first time.)

(While I'm at it, may I also say that after rewatching s1 ep7 Defiant Jazz, it really must be noted that that might have been one of the greatest episodes of tv ever made. It is absolutely top shelf.)

Where Everybody Knows Simu Liu's Name

 

Just want to throw this out there: so Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson do this podcast on Team Coco called Where Everybody Knows Your Name. They recently had Simu Liu on as a guest, and I just listened to it, and it's a really really cool interview. Very fluid and not artificial-feeling at any point (until maybe the very end when they start talking about music), just like a conversation between three guys who are genuinely interested in each other and are genuinely enjoying each others' company. Which is my favourite kind of interview / podcast (see Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend, or Smartless).

The story of Simu's upbringing as the child of immigrants, in particular Chinese immigrants, was super poignant but ultimately uplifting, which again is my favourite kind of immigrant story.  The stuff about mental health, generational trauma, all that is also quite impactful. And of course the academia and professional career but with artist's dreams thing, ah you know. There's a story in there as well. But Chinese Canadian kid does good is the overarching theme, and if you're into any of that, maybe you'll enjoy this chat too.

https://youtu.be/UqmKus4gTgc?si=bP933VQ2USHt7Osn

The State of the Niners

Listen. The Chiefs game was bad, we could all see that. And it wasn't just the loss of Deebo three plays in, or the loss of Aiyuk (for the season!) half way through, or any of that. Brock played terribly, the INTs were just downright bad. Bad decisions, bad throws. He was trying to force stuff. The defense played terribly. Slow, poor positioning or ended up in poor positions, seemingly easily blocked, not covering. Even Fred looked slow last week. And speaking of, the Mahomes run - clearly Winters thought he was going to go out of bounds.

(And by the way, Mahomes & Chiefs: you can't have it both ways - you can't complain when people hit you and then do that shit. Or the next time you're running, don't complain when someone hits you inbounds. And I do wish Winters had just hit him. I wish it was Dre on that play, he would have laid him the F out. Then there would have been none of the showboating in the end zone when he ran over Mustapha (who I also believe was letting up because Mahomes had already crossed the goal line.) Anyway, I digress.)

The key to the rest of this season now lies squarely in the coaches hands. Specifically Shanahan, but also Sorensen. (Let's not even entertain the thought that anything good can or will happen on special teams.)

The key is to adapt. Adapt to win. Get wins however you can. Salvage the season, and save some F'ing face. People are calling for your head, Kyle. I don't believe you should be fired, but I damn sure hope you show us all that you can coach out of this hole. It's the last thing us true believers need to see out of you. (Well, that and a Lombardi.)

Andy Reid is doing it. John Harbaugh has done it. Mike Tomlin has done it. Those are three great coaches, three Superbowl winning coaches. Show us you belong in that echelon, Kyle!

You don't have CMC. That's not an excuse for red zone problems. You also didn't have CMC in 2019 or anytime before 2022. Ever. You don't have Aiyuk. On defense, you don't have Hargrave or Greenlaw. (I'm not convinced that not having Huf right now is worse than having the Huf that was just coming back a couple games ago.) Doesn't matter that you can't run what you wanted to with all those guys in there. Run something else with the personnel you have. Great coaches find the strengths of their players and their teams and run plays to those strengths. Extremely simplified I know, but that's what this team needs now. Not just The System, but tailoring to the pieces that are left.

The Niners can still win with Brock and Deebo and JJ and Kittle. Run the tandem of Mason in the middle and Guerendo to the outside. Kittle chips at right tackle, then leaks for 8-12 yards. A couple deep shots to Deebo or Cowing. (Please no more Ronnie Bell, for god's sake let's let that ship sail.) DISCIPLINE ON THE LINE!! That goes for both offense and defense. Stop taking penalties. Want the football.

Seriously, we're all tired of excuses and we're tired of losing stupid games that we should have won (that would be the Rams and Cards). We should be 5-2 and leading the west. But we're not. And all the whiny self-appointed pundits are being proved right.

Don't take this shit, Niners. Show everyone what a good team does in the face of adversity.

Niners completely waste Brock and Jauan's almost perfect game

 

It's the sort of loss that makes me feel sick to my stomach. The previous week at Minnesota, where the Niners were competitive but ended up losing by six points, felt like an 'ah there's things to fix but they're plain to see and fixable' game.

This week against the Rams in contrast was a game where Purdy was missing three of his top four options on offense, where he would be forced to show up and show out in order to really truly shut up the naysayers (though of course not really, and definitely not once and for all - we could only hope).

And he did!! He played about as well as any QB this season. (Yes there was a strip sack but that was McKivitz, not Brock.) He was throwing to Jauan all over the yard, and holy god JJ had the game of his life - which is saying something because he should have been Superbowl MVP had the Niners won that one.

But they didn't win the Superbowl, and they didn't win this one either, and JJ - and Brock - will not get the recognition they deserve. What a waste, and what a shame. It's for them that the pit of despair exists in my guts today.

The reason for so many of the heartbreaking losses in the past, what, dozen or so years has been special teams. And special teams once again fucked us yesterday. And no, I don't even blame Moody (yes being drafted in the 3rd round raises expectations pretty damn high for a kicker, but his draft position isn't his fault). No one expects a 55 yarder to be automatic, that's not a reasonable expectation. But LA's successful fake punt and the final LA punt return were just not okay. Those are not winning plays, to say the least. Why can't we find a decent  special teams coordinator?? What is the origin of this curse?

The defense also should not be relinquishing that type of lead. Why does it keep happening to the Niners? Does this happen to other teams too? It boggles my mind, given the talent and the recent success that they've established as one of the standards in the NFL. New coordinator yes, and also yes I remember Demeco and Saleh both requiring time to get up to speed. But no, you should not be giving up a 10 point lead in the 4th quarter to end up losing by a last second field goal. Not to an admittedly pretty great QB, but with one with only ONE receiver.

I also have to say, Kyle, please stop with the Ronnie Bell. How many times does this guy have to break your heart? Put him on the practice squad if you want to keep him, but stop playing him in games. It's not working man, a receiver who can't catch does not work in the NFL.

Anyway, Brock and JJ, y'all balled absolutely tf out yesterday and I wish the rest of the team could have held on and won so your accomplishments could be properly recognized.