Brought to you by Roger Goodie Goodell . . .
The National Football League is in the news a lot lately, unfortunately for Roger Dodger, it ain’t all good. First off we have the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin he said/he said imbroglio around Incognito’s harassment and subsequent twitter frenzy, the arrest of NFL Network stalwart (and, creepily, the self-proclaimed pick magnet) Darren Sharper, who was charged with drugging and raping 2 women in LA, with pending charges in 3 other states, and throw in Ray Rice beating his fiancee unconscious, and there you go. Life in the NFL fist lane.
The Incognito deal just won’t go away for poor ol’ Jolly Roger (he of the $44.2 million in earnings last year. It’s good to be da king). The Wells report details a pattern of homophobic, racial, and general assholery harassment of certain teammates and an Asian trainer by some of the Dolphin players. If you are really bored/interested/insomniacial, here’s the report in its entirety:
http://i.usatoday.net/sports/nfl/miami-dolphins-ted-workplace-conduct-report.pdf
Makes you wonder how ready the typical NFL locker room is for an openly gay player. As in Mike Sam, All-SEC defensive player of the year. I’d love to think that our country has moved on from our puritan ways in regards to sexuality and how adults conduct themselves in their their own bedrooms, and certainly more and more states are allowing gay marriage, but the NFL is at best a very private club among people who nominally give their all to meet a common goal. This isn’t war or battle or any such nonsense, but football is a violent game played by large aggressive men. The locker room is supposed to be an-off-limits place where these guys decompress after the intensity of a game. At its worst, the locker room can apparently be a place of constant and endless bullshit from the very guys you are struggling to win games with. Seems like a pretty stupid way to build a coheseive offensive line to say the least. At some point, you’d think the coaches would at least tell them to tone shit down some. It turns out they were in on the harassment, and encouraged it.
Yes, I’m sure there is a lot of stuff going on in many locker rooms that would gross out/disgust/piss off regular folks, but these aren’t regular folks. But for Richie Incognito to be seen as anything other than a shit-dusturbing troublemaker is pretty weak. Even given the support of some of his teammates. The fact that the coaches place him high up on the leadership council (or whatever it was) is even more insane. When you see how Sam’s college teammates reacted to his coming out before the 2013 season, you see that people can adjust their perspective on things when it becomes real to them.
How this works in the NFL remains to be seen. Given the off-the-cuff comments by Chris Culliver, and Jonathan Vilma’s preening statments (if I’m showering with a gay guy, how can he resist me?) I really wonder if he even gets drafted. I’d like to think it’ll happen, but the owners are a very good-old-boy network, and they don’t appear to be ready for this. NIMBY indeed. Regardless, I wouldn’t hold my breath for the Dolphins to draft him.
Anyhow, there has been no official reaction to Miami’s handling of the Incognito deal from the league office. The thought though is Goodell drops the hammer on Miami as he did on the Pats and Spygate, and the Saints on Bounty-gate. Incognito likely gets some kind of major suspension. Lifetime? Right Just like Gregg Williams.
Speaking of Williams, did anyone notice that his ‘lifetime’ suspension lasted all of 2 years? Williams quietly slipped back into the DC job he was supposed to get after he blew the Niner playoff game back in 2012. Great. Goodie Goodell is certainly very good at the old smoke-and-mirrors parlor trick. Nothing to see here. Pay attention to all the money we just got from CBS for broadcasting some Thursday night football games! Cha-ching!
Forty Niners Forever 
I like this kid too – He bounces outside a little too much but, he’s a quick decision maker.
You like the little guys, man. I don’t. Not too many little guy running backs in the NFL (who don’t beat their women). Speaking of that…. Didn’t Ray Ray just hold a press conference? I’ll try to find the clip….
Frank isn’t a big guy.
I look for the guys that get in between the Tackles mostly.
Quick hitters that can take a hit.
I’m down for a bigger RB.
Wanted Le’Veon Bell and Turbin the past couple of years.
We need a guy with Franks’ patience and add some long speed.
Ray Rice just held a press conference to tell his side of the story…..
LOL –
Ho dis b!tch…
Turns out JC Copeland is a converted Dlineman as well. Seeing his posted weight as high as 285.
He moves very well carrying it too. Geez.
Once an athlete…
A wrecking ball in the backfield for the Tigers who takes pride in pancaking defensive linemen … Enters his second full season as the starter at fullback for the Tigers as a senior in 2013 … Played in 31 games in career with 16 starts … Is a converted defensive lineman who has made the adjustment from defense to offense look relatively easy … Has shown the ability to be effective with the ball in his hands as he’s accounted for four rushing touchdowns and three receptions out of the backfield.
I was watching Jeremy Hill highlights and saw him running out of I formation with a pretty athletic looking FB. Read up on him and watched his highlights and I was shocked to see a former D linemen (guess Miles is copying Harbaugh now?) run the ball the way he did, and it looks like he’s got some pass catching ability. What I really like about him is he’s got some short yardage ability as well. That kid can do everything an old school FB can do. We need a short yardage back. I’d grab Copeland in the 5th or 6th. You might get him in the 7th, but my bet is that NFL teams now want legit FBs who can do it all. Bruce Miller is limited. Like Grump says, the pendulum has swung back regarding the use and value of a FB. My bet is Copeland goes higher than most are anticipating. He can start immediately.
I also like dudes outta the backfield from the SEC or major colleges because they get pounded on every week – sometimes by smaller schools bringing their best. Freeman, Hill and Copeland won’t have a big transition to the NFL because of this. I love Kendal Hunter, but you have to tip your cap to Scot McCloughan. His philosophy of bigger players who will be available in the post season is spot on. Kendal already missed one Super Bowl.
I’m with you, especially the SEC.
It’s a top notch Conference in terms of talent and coaching.
JC is a load, I’m sold.
Few teams employ the FB as we do so, he’s likely an easy guy to find late.
I hadn’t paid an ounce of attention to the FB position until you brought it up awhile back.
Been concentrating on the DBs and WRs mostly, along with my never ending search, for the Fat Man in the Middle.
For me, this game comes down to the athletes that love to play.
Give me a guy like Bruce, who converts his position and just loves to play the game.
I’ll take late RD steals over higher RD me-first prima donnas everyday of the week.
Gimme the lunch pail brawlers that get meaner and hungrier as the game goes on.
Speaking of LSU – I have Anthony Johnson on my DT list –
I’d take him in RD2 for sure before a RB.
He’s a younger faster Glenn Dorsey, also a former LSU Tiger.
With the depth at DT, might even find him later?
That’s the trick with the Draft.
Grading and Slotting them.
I wake up and read this stuff and thank God none of you are personnel guys or the GM. BLEEP!
We need a fullback and 2 running backs! Really? Funny how we went from somewhat consensus passing attack needs work to going full on 1970’s ram it down their throat run game with play action off that.
Miller is plenty good at FB and has good hands to boot. The only problem I have with Miller is from a play call standpoint that the RB almost always follows him so the D just has to crowd Miller to make the tackle on the RB. I figure that was because without the excellent blocking of Miller, Frank wasn’t likely to get through the line.
RB position has Hampton on PS who they have kept around for a 3rd season, I have to believe they didn’t invest in him like that without good reason. Hunter is a good RB with very few opportunities to get into the game as a carry here or there does not generally bear much fruit.
Lattimore is a wait and see but if he does bounce back he is starting quality. LMJ just does not seem to fit what this O wants to do, a great pity really but I would guess he is gone. Dixon has surprised me each year with his ability to do enough to stay on roster. I don’t see much from him as a RB but he plays a lot of ST and when Miller got hurt he saw more of the field including his TD on short yardage by jumping over the top of the D. I again have him as gone this year.
I don’t see the Niners taking 2 RB to use as RB and a FB. They have Gore and Hunter, both quality backs, Lattimore if he pans out and Hampton who is described as a bowling ball on legs. How do we fit 2 more RB and a FB on roster? The only one in danger of being cut is Hampton. Hunter, Gore and Lattimore are safe as long as they figure out the money with Gore.
Current RB on roster are Gore, Hunter, LMJ. FB are Miller and Dixon. Hampton is PS and Lattimore is IR. Niners carry 3 active RB so when they supposedly draft 2 more who is gone?
I expect the 3 on roster to be Gore, Hunter and Lattimore replacing LMJ. They would need to draft someone better than those 3 as a rookie to make roster right?
Lattimore and Miller are both coming off injury. Lattimore is a ? because of the severe knee injuries but Miller broke a shoulder blade, I don’t see that as a ? to come back, just healing time so he will be good as new.
One last point, Niners likely take 8/9 players in the draft with CB, SS and WR taking up 4/5 is it likely they use 3 more for the run game? I don’t see it myself.
I can see a RB as insurance for Lattimore and maybe another RB for ST purposes but that’s probably it.
This Junior GM moment is brought to you by 12th Man.
Now that we’ve made Eric Mangini our TEs coach, maybe now we’ll finally trade Vernon Davis. This organization makes Mickey Mouse look like Warren Buffett.
Shit, I thought you were joking, Dennis.
And my hope was Mangina would be our new OC.
Like Clint said to Eli Wallach in “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.” “It’s not a joke, it’s a rope, Tuco. Now I want you to get up there and put your head in that noose.”
Just watched that movie yesterday. Shitty movie from a production POV but compelling as a story and because of the acting. Tuco stole every scene IMO. Loved every minute of it.
Ever watch it in its original language of Italian? “Il buono, il brutto, il cattivo.” Tuco steals the scenes in any language.
I don’t get it. Mangina trying to round out his resume and add some O background for another stab at HC? If Mangina made a difference to the O last season I didn’t see it.
Was it last season Gore made a crack about the D knowing what was coming or words to that effect?
Head shaker. If they want to add coaches to the O I would suggest another assistant with passing game acumen not an ex D coach.
The good news from today is the cap is probably hitting 130 mil this year, up 7 mil from last year, just in time to pay some bigger contracts.
Niners have had some good luck this off season. The draft has depth at CB and WR so despite picking late round (unless they move up) there are good players to be had. Contract extensions are on the table for at least 3 premium players and the cap is rising, contrary to earlier news that it would be about the same. Big name college players who red shirted because of injury are healthy now and will be in camp which to me is like having extra draft picks this year, almost a double draft of the first 3 rounds. If Baalke can make some good decisions this draft the Niners are in a great position to add to maybe the best squad in the league.
One big ? is Bowman, can he return to all pro form this year. The odds are against him to do it this year as it usually takes a second season to return fully to form (Crabtree). Does the brain trust believe they have enough back up quality on roster to fill the ILB position already? I doubt it and expect them to take an ILB in the draft as insurance.
BTW, excellent stuff last night, folks.
The run game did get less effective when Miller went down. Thing about Miller is we don’t really use him like a FB. We use him more like an H back. Sometimes. He rarely runs up the middle on short yardage. Your typical FB duty. But whatever. Get Coleman? Dude is really quick for such a big dude. Crazy weird shit. I’d tqake him for boobie in a nanosecond.
The rest? Man I don’t know. In all my guessing I got Kentwan Balmer and Colin Kaepernick right since 2006. Woo hoo!
12th, I really liked what I saw from Stuka in his limited action last year. Wilhoite was pretty solid as well. Yeah, we could use a little more depth, but who else couldn’t either? As we’ve all intimated, I’m really curious to see how Tank and Dial (and Lattimore for that matter) do in the upcoming training camp. And what about Darius Fleming? He’s still on the IR IIRC. Hard luck city. He’s got potential up the wazoo. Late bloomer perhaps.
Despite 12th defending our backfield, it sucks. People don’t see it yet. Most of out backfield needs to be turned over, keeping only Kendal Hunter and Lattimore. After that, the rest are scrubs.
And someone mentioned “a collective opinion on this blog,” – It’s wrong. Collective opinions are often incorrect and should be challenged.
Unca – I think the 49ers would use Coleman more like a conventional FB – with short yardage runs, dump offs and him smashing into linbackers. And LSU did have some H back plays in there for Coleman and LSU backfield. Bruce Miller simply isn’t very good. 12th, again, is emotionally attached to guys, but from an evaluation standpoint, 12th and Nipper think Gore’s still good. They’re wrong.
The 49ers need a passing attack, yes. But that’s NOT their top priority. To go out and draft a WR and then say, “Okay, we’ve got more receivers, now let’s pass the football better,” would be futile at best. The problem with our pass isn’t the players or the coaches, it’s a systemic problem with the run. If you want to pass the football within this scheme you have to have a dominate run game, and our run game sucks because our backfield sucks.
People have been incorrectly blaming Greg Roman. It’s not Greg Roman’s fault that Gore was done two years ago and Harbaalke desperately held on without finding his replacement soon enough. It’s not Roman’s fault that LaMicheal James is too small and can’t hold onto the football. It’s not Roman’s fault Dixon dances in the backfield and has a head full of rocks. It’s not Roman’s fault Bruce Miller isn’t a FB and can’t actually run the football, giving the 49ers one less short yardage option.
AND WHEN YOU’RE SO LIMITED AS A RUNNING ATTACK, AND YOU PASS TO SET-UP THE RUN, YOU’RE PASSING GAME WILL ALSO SUFFER.
~ The 49ers’ most pressing need in the draft is for them to dramatically improve their backfield using either two or three picks ~
I don’t buy it but what else is new?
You gave me an idea for the next thread anyway.
New thread is up.