The 1980s San Francisco 49ers: The Air Force attacks

The 49ers are often credited with being the first truly dominant pass-first football team. They dominated through the air. This is very fitting, because they were absolutely dominated by air sign guys.

I prepared this chart just two days ago and was shocked by what I found. This just might be the most clear-cut case of general synastry I have ever seen... were it not for one little wrinkle in the backfield.

Folks, I lived through every last moment of the 49er Dynasty. I was around when the 49ers were a lousy 2-14 football team, drafting #1 in back to back seasons. I watched Bill Walsh put these guys together. I survived all 14 seasons in which they were in the contenders for the title.

I know this story pretty damn well, and yet the chart I present to you on this blog just put an entirely different spin on that history. I was pretty amazed by what I found here.

As it turns out Head Coach Bill Walsh is a Sagittarius. This is not normally considered a good leadership sign. It's more a philosopher and world traveler's sign. The archetype of Sagittarius is the Wizard. I guess he was a wizard philosopher of sorts.

In any case, Sagittarius Bill was magnetically attracted to a Gemini kid named Joe Montana in the 1979 draft. And why not? Sagittarius and Gemini are 180 degree opposites. Do I need to mention the synastry of opposites again? Still, most felt his attraction to the kid was unjustifiable.

Joe was a skinny kid who was never declared the regular full-time starter at Notre Dame. He was an erratic gunslinger backup who had a knack for coming off the bench and giving the team a spark. As is true with an assortment of college backups these days, nobody thought Joe Montana was NFL material.

Bill did, and he took him in the 3rd round. This created quite a bit of controversy at the time in the SF media. Most thought it was a throw away pick for a team that could not afford to throw away any picks.

Fortunately, there was another Gemini dude named Randy Cross there to greet Joe when he arrived, and Walsh wanted to build a team team around his pet student. This included Gemini Mike Holmgren as his chief and best offensive coordinator. Libras like Tom Rathman and Jerry Rice. It included Aquarius boys like Keith Fahnhorst, Fred Quillan, Guy McIntyre, and Brent Jones.

Incidentally, Jerry Rice had an opposite number in Aries John Taylor. It should be noted that Libra and Aries are 180 degree opposites. Usually, there is great synastry between them. I (for one) thought Jerry and John had sensational chemistry together. Working with an Aries is usually no problem for a Gemini like Joe Montana or a Libra like Steve Young. Fire and Air go together well.

The one big wrinkle in this whole picture is the MVP of the team: The Catfish Roger Craig. I often said he was the balls of their offense. Craig often dragged Joe's ass to victory. It wasn't the other way around. I used to say, a decade or two ago, that when the 49ers start going into Canton, Roger Craig better lead the way. He better be the first.

It's a damn shame they don't see it that way. There would have been no 49er dynasty without him.

So what about this lone Cancer kid amongst a bunch of Air boys? Well, Cancer is side by side with Gemini in the zodiac. They are friendly neighbor signs. Joe is a Gemini. So too is Mike Holmgren. We also have to remember that this was and is the ideal offense for the Catfish.

I excluded the 49er offensive linemen from my diagram because there were so many of them during their 14 quality years. This unit was completely torn down and rebuild during that time. I have already noted the presence of a significant number of Air sign guys on that line.

The most intriguing thing about all of this, for me, is his choice of coordinators. I think we all recognize that Mike Holmgren was Walsh's foremost disciple and best offensive coordinator. Of course, he is a Gemini. Walsh chose George Seifert as his defensive coordinator. Seifert just happens to be an Aquarius.

Clearly, Walsh picked his people. He picked guys who we would be comfortable working with. This meant a whole slew of Air guys.

This is yet another great evidence of elemental compatibility and what it can do for your football team.

Do you remember when the Browns traded Quinn for Hillis?

The prince is advised to commit all his atrocities upfront. The people will forgive him for the early bloodletting over rest of his long and peaceful reign. So said Machiavelli.

I remember it all very well. I better remember it. It was just last year.

President Mike Holmgren walks in the door at Cleveland, and tosses Derek Anderson out on his ass. He then trades hometown hero and 1st round draft pick QB Brady Quinn for an unknown fullback who has been scrubbing for the Bronco special teams.

As you may imagine, this created quite a shockwave in Cleveland. Most Brown fans were very disappointed that Holmgren chose not to exercise his formitable QB coaching skills in developing Brady Quinn. They were disconsolate that Mike shredded a 1st round pick and got next to nothing for him. Many were pissed.

My, my, my, what a difference a year makes.

That unknown fullback was none other than Peyton Hillis. He played in all 16 games in 2010, carried 270 times, and rushed for 1,177 yards. He turned out to be half Mike Alstott and half Larry Czonka. The fans in Cleveland bonded with him immediately, and they love this guy to death.

Incidentally, EA Sports just put Hillis on the cover of John Madden's Football 2012. He beat out Mike Vick and Aaron Rodgers for that honor. Now he is an entertainer and an icon in addition to being a pretty good Aquarius kid for his Gemini boss.

Now Brown fans are laughing like hell about how badly Holmgren snookered the Broncos. I still wonder if the Peyton Hillis for Brady Quinn trade was the final nail in Josh McDaniels' coffin. When Hillis exploded in Cleveland, and Brady Quinn did nothing in Denver, I think Pat Bowlen detonated.

When you look at what Derek Anderson did for he Cardinals in 2010, and what Quinn did for the Broncos last year, I think it's pretty damn obvious that Holmgren made the right moves. There can be no doubt that he shed dead weight.

Hillis now has to face the jinx, but he seems unafraid. I think this guy is a 1,000 horse power bulldozer. If anybody can whup the jinx, he will.

Quick memo to the NFL Network, Let's talk with Mike Holmgren

So, I had a little idea last night: Let's see Mike Holmgren on NFL Total Access & Path to the Draft in a week or so. Break the piggy bank, send out the private jet, pick him up in Cleveland and bring him to Los Angeles. Put him up in the Hotel Intercontinental, and have the limmo bring him in.

What are his qualifications?

1. He was a USC quarterback and a teammate of O.J. Simpson back in the day
2. He was drafted in the 8th round of the 1970 draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
3. He coached at BYU where they ran one hell of a passing attack
4. He was the offensive coordinator for the 49ers during their best years.
5. He was once head coach of the Packers, restoring them to them to an elite status with a championship.
6. He was once the head coach of the Seahawks where they should have won the Super Bowl if the refs hadn't raped them.
7. He is a Gemini with a real bad thing for Libra quarterbacks. Steve Young, Brett Favre and Matt Hasselbeck are all Libras. The top QB in this 2011 draft happens to be a Libra, incidentally.
8. Ryan Mallett and Jake Locker happens to be Geminis. Jake Locker and Mike Holmgren just happen to share the same birthday. What a co-inky-dinky!
9. He happens to be the world's foremost authority on the QB position, having developed dudes like Joe Montana, Steve Young, Brett Favre, Mark Brunell, Matt Hasselbeck, and others. You might want to give him a partial credit for Kurt Warner.
10. He just happens to be the President of the Cleveland Browns.

Obviously this guy has a lot of history. I think it would be most illuminating to have Mike Holmgren on the show, and ask him all kinds of questions about the QBs in this draft. He is the world's foremost authority on the subject, you know. I think it would be very interesting to get his take on this QB class.

Last year, Holmgren was one of the few guys who tweaked on Clausen... and admitted it. I was another. I would like to hear his take on guys like Cam Newton, Ryan Mallett, Christian Ponder, etc.

My predictions? He will say pretty flattering things about Blaine Gabbert. Cam Newton? Not so much. Gabbert is pretty much Holmgren's kind of a guy. If he offers any critique it will be something like "The price is too high. He costs too much."

What about Cam? Well... I'll bet Cam's not exactly Mike's kind of a guy.

You know, we just had this ugly PR flap regarding the character assessment of Cam Newton, and I think it would be a good thing to refocus the debate on mechanics, skills, achievement, and potential. What better guy to help us with this than Mike Holmgren?

Aside from talking quarterbacks, you can do the state of the franchise on the Cleveland Browns with Mike's help. You can put the Browns on the clock with Mike's help. You can also discus the present labor strife with an actual president of an actual franchise. This would be good, because this is a dude who should know something.

Let's make it happen!

The Rams, The Browns, Pat Shurmur and Josh McDaniels

If you are tracking the comings and goings of coaches in this early off-season {for teams not in the playoffs} you may be aware that Pat Shurmur is looking like the likely HC of the Cleveland Browns. The Dawg Pound doesn't seem to thrilled about it. I wish I could give you guys some cold comfort, but it would sound more like a cold slap.

Sheeesh... It used to be that only a Super Bowl winning OC/DC, or a national championship College Coach would qualify as a new HC in the NFL. That's how Coach Spags got his job. Whatever happened to that high-achievement requirement?

I fully understand why Mike Holmgren would be enamored with Shurmur's offensive game plan. It is the closest thing to Bill Walsh's original system currently flying in the NFL. Holmgren and Shurmur would be of one mind on many subjects. They are clearly from the same school of thought. Still... don't you consider this a reach, Mike?

Readers of this blog will know that I am thrilled to be done with Shurmur. I've been after his scalp for some time. I didn't get it, but this is next best thing to being there. I have never been a fan of the WCO. I like Gillman-Coryell. It's the replacement part of the equation that bothers me.

Unless you track the Rams, you probably won't know that the name Josh McDaniels is being circulated as the front-runner in the Rams' quest for a new OC. These are words that hit like a steel ax handle to the face. Do you want to talk about a massive disturbance in the force as if billions of souls suddenly cried out in terror and were silenced?

Josh McDaniels has been on my shit-list for some two years now. Recently he became a figure of some ambivalence.

How do I hate him? Let me count the ways. I hate the coaching tree he comes from. Bellichick has no coaching tree. He has a twig of failures. McDaniels replaced Shanahan. That in itself is a bad thing. He did an all-out systematic demolition job on the Denver Broncos, leaving the team in ruins. He traded away my favorite passing combo in Cutler-Marshall. He fired a great defensive coordinator in Dick Nolan for no better reason than the fact that he desired a "Patriot way" guy on his staff.

How do I love the guy? Well... love is a very strong word that really shouldn't... I let McDaniels off the hook (slightly) when he drafted Tim Tebow. Any guy who likes Tebow as a QB can't be all bad. Not all bad, but 90% bad. Well... maybe not 90%... 85%. McDaniels also loves the Spread offense, which happens to be a particular passion of mine. This also happens to be Sam Bradford's strong point. Also, when push comes to shove, you must admit that the little bastard calls a mean game. There is a quirky play-calling genius locked in there somewhere.

You are reading the blog of a man who is literally ripped to shreds at the moment. I am eaten up wih internal controversy.

On the one hand, I don't want any infection of the Patriot-way virus near my team. This absolute bullshit hasn't worked for anyone, anywhere other than Bellichick in New England. It has destroyed much more than it has created. I don't want a failed coach off the Bellichick coaching twig to enter our staff. I don't want the little bastard to subvert Coach Spagnuolo's position as HC either.

On the other hand, this is an opportunity for my Rams to move to the Spread offense. That's something I've been advocating for more than a year now. This is a way to make Sam more productive. This is a way to introduce aggressive play-calling back into our team's repertoire. I have some confidence that McDaniels would not call stupid plays in key situations, or put our offense to sleep with a conservative running game when we need to score and put it away.

They often say that you *_DO_* want to be the man who first a guy immediately after he gets fired. Usually, once a coach's Man-Card has been revoked, he gets up off the carpet fighting twice as hard as he did before. This means you get his very best shot. Witness the job Linehan has done in Detroit for good evidence. A wiser, double-motivated McDaniels could be good for us.

It may be GM Billy Devaney is considering a move to the spread, but he is unwilling to trust a disgraced college coach like Mike Leach with the job. I think this unfortunate, because Leach is a legit offensive genius. At the same time, I can understand why Devaney would gravitate to a version of the Spread that has been proven effective inside the NFL. This case does have some real merit.

Ultimately, I am very ambivalent about all of this.

Take my Offensive Coordinator… Please!!!!

Mike Sando

Mike Sando, ESPN Blogger for the NFC West, claims that President Mike Holmgren of the Cleveland Browns is very interested in acquiring Pat Shurmur, offensive coordinator of the Rams. Jim Thomas says the same thing. It is unclear whether this would be for the head coaching vacancy or for the offensive coordinator post in Cleveland. Ultimately, I just don’t care.

I have only one response to that story: OH THANK YOU LORD JESUS CHRIST!!! Take him Mike! Take him! We’ll release Pat from his contract effectively immediately. Oh happy day!!! We’ll owe you a big one if you do us the favor. I can’t tell you how happy I am to hear it.

Congratulations to Pat Shurmur on his new post!

No need for a fight now

Just as I was sitting down to hash out my attack strategy, just as I was working on my apologetics for firing Pat Shurmur, this joyous news came down from the heavens. Let us hope is true. This will prevent many a fight online. Now I don’t have to swing on Pat Shurmur’s nuts like Tarzan. This is a great relief.

Many of us are still not happy with Shurmur’s play-calling ability, or lack thereof. He got better this year, and he might be better still next season with a good receiver like A.J. Green to work with, but I don’t want to take that risk. I honestly don’t think we can make it to a Super Bowl with play calling like this. You just don’t go from where Shurmur is now to a chess grandmaster is a couple of seasons. He is pretty far off the mark right now.

Why not let him go?

Those who object to ditching Shurmur do so for two reasons: (1) It will adversely affect Sam Bradford’s development, (2) Some suspect that Steve Spagnuolo is the culprit behind our extremely conservative offensive play calling. I take both of those objections seriously, but I don’t ultimately find cause for keeping him in these arguments.

First, none of us want to do to Sam Bradford what the 49ers did to Alex Smith. Certainly, the 49ers massive inconsistency at OC has something to do with the failure of Alex Smith. However, if we are going to make a long-term commitment to an OC and an offensive philosophy, I would rather make that commitment to Mike Leach, former coach of Texas Tech.

Second, I too harbor fears that Steve Spagnuolo just might have a bit of the old Marty Schottenheimer inside his skull. Let’s hope not. For those who don’t remember. Marty was a very detail-oriented Virgo HC, with a tremendous defensive resume, who always shut down his offense after scoring 10-17 points. Marty ball is synonymous with shutting down your offense once you have a 4 point or greater lead. This was a dude notorious for trying to ride a 4 point lead to victory in playoff games. The results were terrible. He always made the playoffs, and he always lost. Virgos hate gambling and taking risks, and this was the most risk-averse Virgo I ever saw.

Of course, we all hope that head coach Steve Spagnuolo is no such figure. I would like to exonerate him on this charge, just because he is doing such a fantastic job with the defense, and motivating the troops, but I know my logic is fallacious. Let’s just say I am keeping an eye on Steve, watching for signs. Sagittarians are not supposed to be risk-averse folks. Rather, they have a strong tendency to get a wild-hair up and take massive unwarranted risks. Right now, I am blaming Shurmur’s lack of talent for our lack of good offensive strategy.

Quick-time spread baby!

Many a Ram observer commented during this season about how slow we were to adopt spread formations and move to a hurry-up offense. It became clear early on that Sam could not only run a quick-time spread in the NFL, but that he looked more comfortable doing it. We got great results when we ran the quick-time spread. We should have used it early, middle and late. It should have been a frequently seen component of our offense, not a once-in-a-while thing.

Anyone who watched Oklahoma football in the past three seasons knows perfectly well why Sam is comfortable and productive in the quick-time spread. Anybody who has watched the New England Patriots play this season knows that this system works well in the NFL… if you have a good QB. We do. Let’s move on with the program.

Mike Leach is the one and only clear-cut Spread-Genius, currently unemployed, and ready to walk in the door for an interview. Let’s get him. Incidentally, he is a Pisces just like GM Billy Devaney. Pisces goes pretty well with Scorpio. He should work well with Sam Bradford.

I'm certain it will not happen now

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/11/holmgren-may-have-been-dropping-a-hint-regarding-a-possible-move-up/

http://www.globe-democrat.com/news/2010/apr/10/browns-have-extra-picks-rams-might-want-draft-trad/

Mike Florio is reporting on Twitter tweets by twitidiots. According to the latest Florio doggerel, Mike Holmgren is interpreted by Howard Balzer as saying the following. Holmgren is willing to part with his No.1, No.2 and No.3 for the absolute #1. The Rams' pick is to be used to obtain Cleveland's QB for the next 15 years: Sam Bradford.

Once again, it never happened. Balzer didn't write that. I dug up the reference piece from the Globe-Democrat, and Balzer said nothing of the kind. All of you who still doubt Florio's integrity should study the two links list above. See how close Florio's interpretation is to accurate. See whether he is extremely creative to the point of absolute distortion.

Balzer simply suggested that Cleveland has some extra picks and an interest in Sam Bradford. Their could be a deal here. I have done just as much. This doesn't mean it's going to happen. More importantly, Balzer didn't report the talks are in progress, or that the deal is going down.

Now that Florio is suggesting it, be assured it will not happen. I hope the deal does happen, but this guy has the reverse midas touch. Every scenario Florio reports on turns to shit.

Mike Holmgren and Tim Tebow

The echos of the Brady Quinn-dump are echoing and reverberating around the league. Mike Holmgren effectively told the league he couldn't work with Brady Quinn. That is saying an awful lot. Holmgren suffered Brett Favre for awhile before he became a good QB. As Jamie Dukes put it, Mike Holmgren is known as one of the premier QB developers in this league. Yet Holmgren has effectively told the league he sees no value in Quinn at all.

This is a guy who knows QB-flesh when he sees it. Holmgren's reputation is well earned. In fact he may be under-rated. Consider this:

1. He learned his craft under Bill Walsh, perhaps the most revered QB developer ever.
2. He had a hand in Joe Montana's development.
3. He developed Steve Young
4. He developed Steve Bono
5. He developed Brett Favre
6. He developed Mark Brunell
7. He developed Matt Hasselbeck

Bono is the only guy on that list who didn't make it to the ProBowl. He had a rep for being a super-sub though, so he wasn't bad. Note the fact that he has 2 guys in the Hall of Fame, and one more headed for the Hall of Fame. That is three Hall of Fame QBs on one resume. That is shocking.

Oh yeah! Kurt Warner also passed through town in Green Bay back in 1995. Do you remember that? He couldn't get a slot on that near-championship team because Favre and Brunell were already there. Wow...

When you consider Holmgren's credentials carefully, you have to acknowledge that this probably the best QB man alive in the world today. What is Holmgren thinking about Jimmy Clausen? well you can read about it in the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Here are a couple of plain interpretations of this statement:

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/redskinsinsider/nfl-draft/mike-holmgren-is-latest-to-say.html

http://www.uhnd.com/articles/nfl-irish/mike-holmgren-isnt-jimmy-clausen-6419/

I concur with the summary given in both of those pieces. Holmgren is saying that Clausen in not worth the high pick he is likely to become. He would not take him that high. Why should he? Quinn and Clausen are two peas from the same pod. They came out the same school, the same coaching, and the same offensive system. Unfortunately for Clausen, Quinn seemed to have a better athletic endowment, and a better TD/INT ratio. Quinn looked like the better candidate coming out of college. Having just flushed the better looking bowl of water, why go back to the same well for more?

So what does Holmgren intend to do? He is not going to select a QB in the first couple of rounds. He will draft in the 3rd round or later. He also plans to host Tim Tebow in Cleveland, and he is admitting that he likes Tebow. A simple inference from these facts is as follows: Holmgren will take Tebow in the 3rd if he can get him.

Now wouldn't this just fit the pattern? A mobile, athletic, strong armed competitor who is raw as hell. Isn't that what Holmgren likes? Does that sound like Steve Young, Brett Favre, Mark Brunell and Matt Hasselbeck? Yes it does. Like Young and Brunell, Tebow is a southpaw.

There has already been talk about this on the NFL Network's Path to the Draft. Jamie Dukes was the only guy to cast doubt on the scenario, as it would force Holmgren to come out of his President's booth and do some coaching. Now do you think that is really a problem? Don't you think Holmgren would love do it again? Just one more time? Especially given a dazzling candidate like Tim Tebow, arguably the best college football player of all time? I don't believe Holmgren is a guy who wants to take his hand out of the soil.

Suppose Holmgren knows championship metal when he sees it. What would developing Tim Tebow into an All-Pro QB do for his reputation? Here is a kid labeled as a non-NFL QB by many. Turning 'lead' into 'gold' one more time would pretty well cement Holmgren's reputation as a Hall of Fame caliber QB developer. Yet Holmgren may well know the facts ain't that bad. He probably knows the job isn't that big, especially give a driven student. Of course, it's easier when the kid is made out of gold in the first place.

Suppose this scenario comes to pass? Don't you think this would validate everything I have been telling you about the false system of QB evaluation we are currently using in the NFL draft? Suppose Tebow were to hit big under Homgren's tutelage? What would this tell you about how we evaluate and develop QBs?

So if Mike Holmgren is smart enough to figure all this out by his lonesome, why aren't my Rams?

Mike Holmgren is showing you why they took the GM power away from him in Seattle

Things are spinning out of control in Cleveland rapidly. The Browns have made a series of 4 moves at the QB position, all of which are questionable individually, but more so when you put them together.

First Derek Andersen is released, then Seneca Wallace is acquired from Seattle. Does that constitute an upgrade? I am not sure. Then the Browns sign Jake Del Homme, and pay him starter money. For a guy with an organic deformity in his throwing elbow, post-Tommy John surgery, Del Homme sure is swimming in cash. I guess nice guys do finish first after all. Then the Browns dump Brady Quinn for next to nothing. A former first-round QB has been cashed out for an unknown Fullback (now an extinct position in the NFL) and a couple of late choices, one in 2011, and another in 2012. That is an all-out purgative dump.

So now you have the interception/sack/fumble machine as your starting QB in Cleveland, or at least he is getting starter money. You also have Seneca Wallace backing him up. I see a net gain of 0 points on the score board. These are pointless, fruitless, upgrade-less moves. These are just moves to make moves. You could have lost just as many games in 2010 without making any of these moves. Why the effort? To "send a message"? That's pointless. The point of flushing two worthless QBs is nullified by the point of adding two more worthless QBs. Stupid!

This is just dreadful. If Bill Devaney had done this in St. Louis, I would be dropping napalm on his head. You see! This is why they wouldn't give Holmgren the GM power in Green Bay, and this is why they took it away from him in Seattle. He is not good with personnel. He makes bad moves.

Whilst we are on this subject, let's talk about great young prospects who come out of Notre Dame, coached by 'the great' Charlie Weis, who have experiance in a true pro system, who have all the physical tools, and who can do the 3-5-7.

Brady Quinn was a Mel Kiper Jr. favorite. He was given all kinds of great press by Kiper. Now he is an absolute certified bust. Nobody wanted to trade anything for him, then Cleveland accepts something close to nothing for him. Will Quinn start in Denver? Not unless lightning strikes. Jason La Canfora was fairly adamant that this is strictly a depth-move for Denver. Quinn is now a certified bust.

Now how in the hell can that be? How could this have happened? He came out of Notre Dame! This is the #3 football factory in the land according to NFL Films! He was coached by Charlie Weis! He played in a Pro System in college! He looked so good doing the 3-5-7! He had all the tools!

What this points out is that your biases are bullshit. Your methods for evaluation are tremendously flawed. Your criteria are fucked up. Everyone who is listening to this sort of rubbish in 2010 had better beware of Jimmy Clausen. The arguments made in his favor don't add up to a hill of beans. Buyer beware!