The calendar watch shows:
| March 2 | Prior to 4 p.m. ET, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players | |
| March 7 | NFL Regional Combine (Lake Forest, Ill.) | |
| March 7-10 | Clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become Unrestricted Free Agents upon the expiration of their 2014 contracts at 4 p.m. ET on March 10. However, a contract cannot be executed with a new club until 4 p.m. ET on March 10 | |
| March 10 | Prior to 4 p.m. ET, clubs must exercise options for 2015 on all players who have option clauses in their 2014 contracts | |
| Prior to 4 p.m. ET, clubs must submit qualifying offers to their Restricted Free Agents with expiring contracts and to whom they desire to retain a Right of First Refusal/Compensation | ||
| Prior to 4 p.m. ET, clubs must submit a Minimum Salary Tender to retain exclusive negotiating rights to their players with expiring 2014 contracts and who have fewer than three accrued seasons of free agency credit | ||
| Top-51 Begins. All clubs must be under the 2015 salary cap prior to 4 p.m. ET | ||
| All 2014 player contracts expire at 4 p.m. ET | ||
This is the start of the first round of player movement. As the end of the 2014 calendar NFL season winds down, a few big names have been cut, but as of now, there hasn’t been a lot of news.
Today at 1:00 PM local time, teams need to franchise their players, thus pissing them off, and setting up acrimony for next season. The 49ers likely won’t use their tag, and it looks like a ton of other teams won’t either. KC’s OLB Justin Houston is the only guy who has been tagged thus far. Dez Bryant is reportedly going to be tagged and that should set up an interesting scenario in Jerry-land. He usually throws money around like a drunken sailor, but has he learned discretion being the better part of valor? He has DeMarco Murray to sign as well.
Forty Niners Forever 
Based on what you guys are saying and what’s obviously out there at the receiving position this year, the Niners have no excuse for not coming up with a really viable guy, whether that’s first round or later. You’ve listed a number of big, fast guys who could pan out, and they need a receiver like that to compete with these ever-larger DB’s.
Maybe it is best that they take a DL stud with the first pick, then get the receivers in the second or third rounds. Personally, and purely in my opinion, I don’t think Green-Beckham is going to make it out of the first round. Somebody will snatch him up, if only because of what he could be.
NJ, that’s one area I’d love to see the Niners improve on offensively, utilizing RB’s more in the passing game. That used to be a devastating part of the old West Coast Offense teams, and I’ve never quite understood why they haven’t used Gore more that way. He has great hands and a good feel for the passing game. Sure, it subjects him to more hits, but it’s also a good way to mix things up and keep the defense honest. I don’t know how Hyde stacks up in that dept. but I seem to remember he did okay this season.
The Patriots and Seahawks didn’t do the WR position any favors this year. They both made the Super Bowl and neither has a star laced WR corps. The 49ers had a better WR line-up than them. What those teams did have was good play calling, something our RoBaugh tandem severely lacked. What is the most exciting thing about the new staff is they are not RoBaugh when it comes to offense. For those who say it was the QB and not the play calling, Kap was RoBaugh’s hand picked QB from college. Kap was always going to be the starter if RoBaugh was calling the offense.
John, what gives me real hope for the offense is that Steve Logan, our QB coach, is very very much a WCO guy. And you are right about Gore. When we had check down Charlie (Alex Smith) and the previous coaches, Gore regularly caught around 40 balls a year.
Hyde has good hands as well. It baffled me that the pass plays rarely provided a consistent outlet when plays broke down. Which they did a lot last year.
Here’s the article NJ referenced re salary cap.
http://ninernoise.com/2015/03/02/new-salary-cap-gives-49ers-flexibility/
IMO, the #1 best thing we could do is sign Suh. With our cap situation I don’t see how that would be possible. He is a difference maker.
I’m down with that. I was thinking the same thing this morning. Plug that dude into the middle of the line and let him do his thing. Beast Mode meet Mr. Suh.
We’d have to cut a few folks and restructure a bunch of guys as well. Remote and unlikely but possible.
Tomsula IS all about the D line though.
Suh? Nah, too expensive by far. Any news on Dockett? I read J Smith gives his decision tomorrow. I figure he finishes his contract, the one he negotiated himself without an agent, strikes me as an honorable guy.
Dial looks good to me and Tank was showing promise end of last season. If Smith returns the D line will be solid enough without Suh.
Still have hope Stevie Johnson signs back with the Niners too. He was solid and was underused IMO.
12th there’s another RB I like, Jeremy Langford from MI St.
Big physical kid too, 6’0″/211/4.43
He’s quick and reliable in the receiving dept as well.
He backed up Le’Veon Bell, who was another RB I was drooling for.
Part of our departure from the short passing game can be pinned on Kaep lacking the adequate touch on those types of passes too.
He’s got the big gun and, looked for that chunk yardage much more often than necessary IMO.
Hoping his work at EXOS will improve that portion of his game.
Does it make sense that if kap wasn’t throwing the short dump offs then the coaches were not asking him to do it. I can guarantee he would do what he is coached to do. The coaches were designing deep plays as primary reads. By the time that pattern didn’t open up it is often too late to come back to a shorter one because pressure has arrived. Our plays were not designed well at all. If you watch the last game shorter routes were called along with some crossing patterns. He got the ball there with nice touch. I think the biggest problem was 4 coaches calling plays which basically created a too many cooks spoiling the broth effect. We had zero rhythm most of the year.
You’re preaching to the choir Berger –
Hope things improve going forward –
We sign Suh we are done in FA and itLl kill is in the long run,
I’d rather build the line through the draft.
No way on Suh – This Draft Class has plenty to offer on the Dline.
I’m more inclined to wait on the Comp Picks for the guys we lose.
1 good FA signing, maybe a WR would make sense.
Iupati and Crabtree are former 1st RD Picks, which carry better Comp value.
I never said to go after Suh. I said he is the best player we could land. That meant in theory. In reality we are not in a cap situation to do so.
Still be nice to have him. An established all pro with plenty of tread left on the tires.
I agree Berger. Most swing passes aren’t that hard to throw. I’m confident Kap can make those throws. He just hasn’t been given much of a chance to do it.
Hey Berger –
Want a good laugh?
Here’s our illustrious Gov looking out for us little people again –
http://tinyurl.com/l2pzop3
That’s not even petty cash for an oil company.
Christies’ answer for a bungled State Budget Nipper.
That, and catering to Big Oil.
Screw the people dealing with the toxic cesspool of industrial waste.
They’re gonna die anyway.
The trade of McCoy for Alonso is a curios one. At first glance it seems the Eagles got hosed but upon further review the Eagles might have got the better end of that deal. I hear that Shady told LaDanian Thomlinson he was being phased out of the offense at the end of last year. McCoy was also grumbling and not buying into the system. Running backs are getting paid less these days and he was also getting over 10 million this coming year. Alonso is a player Kelley coached at Oregon and is getting paid only 700,000. The Eagles now have over 46 mil to play with this off season. Basically it means they can pick and choose who they want in FA. I would think if LaMichael James is a FA he would be cheap. And some guy named Murray will be available too. I think the Eagles came out well. For Shady, hello Greg Roman!
Some people think Philly runs a gimmick offense. That is just not true. The only gimmick is the tempo and how often Kelley goes for it on 4th down. His play calling is aggressive but fairly typical. He likes to run the ball a lot but he does it with spread formations. His play calling is good but he was plagued by turnovers last year. QB injuries put a big dent in his offensive production and TOs too. He also does not have much of an offensive line. Now that he has 46 mil he can fix all of that, or at least I’m sure he will try. I don’t know the outcome but I like what he is attempting to do.
The Eagle fans are sure to be upset but I think the Eagles made a wise decision for their future. It was basically a salary dump for a RB who was being phased out.
Shady and Boobie can have fun fun fun in buffalo. Interesting to see how their season goes.
Whatever the offense. Is, it made Mark Sanchez look halfway decent.
BLEEP the EAGLES! And Chuck discovers he’s got the Skeebs a fatal love of Jim Harbaugh. There’s no cure except a move to Michigan……so cold!
Have you ever seen Unca and Skeebs in the same room? Maybe they are the same person! The love of Harbaugh is an uncontrollable feeling on that other site. Unca is over there an awful lot. I’m not sayin’, I’m just sayin’!
Like Jeckyll and Hyde there is Unca and Skeebers!
That’s what they are still talking about?
Holy Shit, get a life!
That is their life.
Good point.
One last comment on the Chip Kelley offense. It reminds me a lot of the Martz offense in that they look at what the defense presents and that dictates the play call. Big difference is Kelly uses the TE a lot more and runs the ball a lot more. Outside of that it is a similar philosophy, spread the field, read the defense, call a play. No gimmicks, just sound fundamental football. I don’t care for his up tempo because of the negative effect on the defense, but the core of the play calling is basic and solid.
Looks like Dockett is a 49er.
If he is close to his usual form that is a solid signing. Hope it doesn’t mean J. Smith has hung it up.
Dockett and VD should make for a lively locker room.
Wilfork is available.