Based on report cards, 49ers headed to summer school
An NFL season is a little like a school year in that lessons will be taught, tests will be given, and there will be successes and failures.
The current season is three-quarters complete. Matt Barrows has been covering the 49ers since 2003, and creating a report card has been part of his game-day coverage for some 10 seasons.
The report card below lists the 49ers’ grades for offense, defense and special teams for their 12 games so far. Based on traditional grade-point average values (A equals four points, B equals 3, C equals 2, D equals one and F equals zero), a “grid-point average” has been compiled for the three units.
The grades here are not pretty – Barrows has assigned Fs or Ds in a dozen instances. While the 49ers’ overall 1.4 GPA easily outdistances the legendary 0.0 achieved by Delta House’s John Blutarsky at Faber College, it’s not much better than the anemic, pledge-class best of 1.2 of Larry Kroger.
Can double-secret probation – or at least summer school – be far behind?
Check out Barrows’ original game-day report cards by clicking on the scores.
W-L | Score | Opponent | Offense | Defense | Special teams | Overall |
W | Rams | B | A | B | B+ | |
L | @Panthers | C+ | C- | B+ | C+ | |
L | @Seahawks | D- | D- | C- | D- | |
L | Cowboys | C- | D | C | D- | |
L | Cardinals | C- | D+ | D | D- | |
L | @Bills | C- | F | C+ | D- | |
L | Buccaneers | D+ | F+ | D+ | D- | |
L | Saints | C+ | F | A- | D+ | |
L | @Cardinals | B+ | C- | C | C+ | |
L | Patriots | C- | C- | B+ | C- | |
L | @Dolphins | C+ | C- | C | C- | |
L | @Bears | F- | D- | A- | F | |
1-11 | PF: 234 PA: 370 | 22 grid points | 16 grid points | 29 grid points | 17 grid points | |
1.8 grid-point avg. C- | 1.3 grid-point avg. D+ | 2.4 grid-point avg. C+ | 1.4 grid-point avg. D+ | |||
This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 9:47 PM with the headline "Based on report cards, 49ers headed to summer school."