. . . for the most part. The 49ers started camp yesterday, and most of the gang came to the festivities. VD showed up, as everyone knows. Boone didn’t, as everybody knows. The good news is this latest break in football activities didn’t result in anyone hitting the police blotter or TMZ. Kappy is thrilled about the new-look offense and his newly inked WRs that he has to throw to. The coaches are thrilled about Carlos Hyde and his emergence as the backup to ageless Frank Gore. Justin Smith is feeling better than he has in a couple years after undergoing shoulder surgery this offseason. An injury that he played through all last year. And, of course, VD showed up and silenced the folks (me) calling for his head on a plate, with a side of Rhino.
How this all shakes out is a mystery, what with a newly re-tooled defensive backfield, a missing RG, and a crowded offensive backfield. That being said, one has to feel good about the fact that Colin Kaepernick has a lot more options to throw to, and a coaching staff that, as of now, seems to wants to give more power to our young QB. And a staff that seems willing to pry open the passing section of the playbook. Boone should show up at some point. And if he’s learned anything, he should heed Joe Staley. Show up, do your job, plant some seeds about your discontentment. But SHOW UP. The team has said over and over they will not negotiate with absentee players. Boone, for his part, changed agencies, and went with Schwartz & Feinsod. They of course are famous for having Darelle Revis among their clients, and their insistence of taking a hard line (advising clients to hold out rather than negotiate) instead of working things through more amicably.
Sorry, Rhino. You are a nice guy, and a great story overcoming your problems, but adios. Guards aren’t that hard to find, or replace. The Niners have enough in camp right now to absorb your loss. And if you want to miss the Super Bowl ring that you just might get, well, tough shit dot com.
Forty Niners Forever 
Tough Shit Dot Com. Chuck’s new site has emerged!
“Ageless” Frank Gore is synonymous with eyeless or clueless Unca Chuck. Frank Gore makes Willie Mays on the Mets look like Jim Brown in his final year.
Mays should be so lucky. Seeing as Jim Brown retired at the peak of his game, there you go. He led the league in rushing and TDs his last year. Was he MVP? Maybe. Can’t remember but I think so.
Here’s Justin Smith:
Gotta love the t-shirt:
http://49rs.co/UjraiJ
.
Congratulations on knowing that Jim Brown was at the peak of his game when he retired. So if, like I wrote, “Gore makes Mays on the Mets look like Jim Brown in his final year,” then Gore is worse than Willie Mays on the Mets. It’s hyperbole, sure. But Gore is done. Finished. Kaput.
Congrats on being clueless about football history, Spotty. No it isn’t. You’re trying to diss Frank and who you diss is Mays by not knowing anything about the reality of the situation.
Really. Jim Brown? Greatest running back of all time? Next you’ll be saying Johnny Unitas played for the Chargers, and Joe Namath played for the Rams.
.
.
.
Here’s a hint. They did.
Anyhow, I added some pics of the farewell football game at the Stick.
Under the header pic is a link to them.
Enjoy.
Or don’t.
Man… your reading comprehension sucks. No offense.
Just read that Boone switched agents in the off-season to a more aggressive agency. If an agency is good, they survey the landscape of each individual team before putting together a strategy for a player. I would advise a holdout for a player on a team like the Chicago Bears. Holding out in the NFL is now risky because the owners have figured out how to destroy a holdout’s effectiveness, but every so often a holdout can have leverage if the player in on a bubble team for the playoffs. I think the Bears are a playoff bubble team. They also have holes all over their roster. A DT or good linebacker on the Bears could hold that team hostage. The 49ers, however, are stacked in all areas. They aren’t thin in one area… accept maybe DB. Boone is going to watch as Marcus and John Martin along with Looney and other compete for Boone’s job and eventually take it from Boone. I woudn’t be surprised to see Marcus Martin take the Center job from Kilgore and see Looney step up and be the Guard to replace Boone. I don’t think much of John Martin or Daniel Kilgore.
The Lynch holdout is very interesting. Lynch doesn’t have position leverage, but he does have PR leverage. You can make a case that Lynch was a huge reason the Seahawks won the Super Bowl. And he’s only being paid 5-6 million per year. The Seahawks can tell him to kick rocks because they have Turbin and Micheal (the boy named Sue) behind Lynch, and I think the Seahawks would be just fine. Lynch is a beast, but ya gotta learn to win multiple different ways.
Lynch has leverage in that the fans would be very sympathetic to Lynch’s plight, and it could turn into a PR nightmare for Carroll and company if they don’t at least appear to be grateful to Lynch for being an enormous part of their first ever ring. If I was an owner, I’d never… ever….. never ever pay a holdout. But I might pay Lynch.
Read it somewhere? Yer killin’ me skippy.
BLEEP!
Seattle looks to be on their way to an epic implosion. Carroll doesn’t want it to happen, but this season has all the makings of the season of a million distractions for them.
What, you think LMJ gets Gore’s touches? As of now no one has beat him out of the starting job.
If I was the coach, Hunter and Hyde would get 90% of the carries. I’d use James in extreme spread formations, and Lattimore would have another year of recovery. Gore would be on the Jets.
reason # xxx,xxx,xxx,xxx,x17 why you’re not.
Spitty, I would have used an offense more suited to Alex’s talents 9 years ago. And 8 years ago, and 7 years ago, etc. Smith is in a system now that is more aligned with what he does well. Which is throw short and get the ball out quickly.
I’d be running an offense more suited to Kappy’s strengths. But we aren’t going to see ‘extreme spreads’ or anything in that realm. Unless Dennis gets his wish and Harbaugh gets fired.
I’ll take me coaching the team over you coaching it. Here’s your pre-game speech to the players.
“We’re gonna go out there… we’re gonna dig a bunker…. get free wifi and sit in a hole until they come….. ambush ’em. Don’t shoot ’em until they go ten yards or you’ll get a penalty for illegal touching (and I got one of those in Mississippi with a 14 year old girl who was long on legs and short on “no”). Statutory nothing. They called it illegal touching. If the ball doesn’t go ten yards, there’s no grass on her infield, you can’t play ball. Don’t shoot ’em from your bunker beyond ten yards. That’s all I’m sayin’.
This is gonna be a 4 quarter, maybe even an overtime slug-fest….. That’s good. As your coach, I’m prepared. I have mountains of canned goods stacked up behind you in my own personal bomb shelter that when the shit really gets flying I’ll be behind with a locked door listening to your sorry asses beg for admittance. There will be none. I’m reminded of the battle for Stalingrad. Stalin had his generals stand behind their men with guns. The common Russian foot soldier had two guns pointed at ’em. One from the front and another from their commanding officers behind. That’s how I coach. You’ll only run the ball for negative yards once. Get used to it. And remember…. no illegal touching.”
That was a response to NoFear.
Where’s Dennis?
Did he run away?
Del runaway? Not quite. Del Shannon’s “Runaway” was the theme song to “Crime Story” starring the late great Dennis Farina and Tony Denison. How’s that for a name tie-in? I just hit the Del/Dennis/Den trifecta. This concludes today’s version of name that Del, Dennis or Den Game. Tune in tomorrow for another scintillating episode. Same Del-time, same Del-channel.
Now lets be positive! The start of another glorious season for the best team in the Bay Area. Sure the Giants and the A’s have their moments but nothing approaches our Niners!
Great picture at the top of the blog, Chuck. Bill Walsh is one of my favorite all-time human beings!
Yup. Just wish I brought my camera to all those games in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Only took you 6 years to post a song I actually like, Dennis. Great keyboards in that song.
Got to love this, though.
Reverb AND feedback. In the 50s, no less. Greatest unknown guy out there. Hendrix has nothing on this guy.
Did I detect some “Peter Gunn” sampling? I just learned that Wray’s drummer, Anton Fig, is now the drummer on the Late Show with Letterman. As Johnny used to say, “I did not know that.”
Hey, just found the photos of the FFF game. Some pretty good shots there, Chuck. Some kid photo-bombing you, too. Haley’s happy to play another game with Joe.
Yup!. He didn’t take a shit in Steve Young’s car either.
Thanks, NoFear. Yeah, the boy is getting taller. He passed me last month.
Then again, I’m shrinking.
Dennis, I can’t believe I never heard of or saw Link Wray as he played in the Bay Area a lot in the 70s.
Who’s Link Wray?