Well, it looks like the bellwether is gone. Frank Gore is reportedly ready to sign a deal with the Eagles. A little disconcerting to me, but hey, them’s the breaks. The guy paid his dues, and got handsomely rewarded for his efforts, but like I said earlier today, if he wants to get one more big payday, better someone else than us. The 49ers will hopefully have Carlos Hyde and Kendall Hunter back at full strength to get the run game going. I thought Tomsula would maybe be a tipping point, as he and Gore had a pretty solid relationship, but again, he wants to get a big deal, go for it. It is a business after all, as much as I’d have liked to see him play out his career here. Looks like we are going to spend one of these draft picks on a n RB now. They seem to be coming back into vogue.
Much more intriguing to me is the fact that the Niners appear to be trying hard to get Anquan Boldin’s ex-teammate Torrey Smith. He’s a bona fide deep threat and would immediately elevate the other WRs on the team. These guys all talk about the run, but with Iupati certainly on the way out, it would be a good time to get more versatile with our blockers. Move a little bit away from the road-grader types and get a more agile quick line. I wonder how the blocking scheme will change this year, if at all.
All in all, I’m sad to see Frank go, but the ball is in his court. If he really wants to stay, he can. I’m also sure the Niners won’t have the best offer on the table.
Forty Niners Forever 
Now lets bend down and pray for the Niners. Please Lord no flood, no earthquake!
Pestilence OK?
A can of Raid will handle that.
With the Willis news I decided to take some action. So while I was standing on the ledge I got some fresh air. With the fresh air it came to me that we actually have a silver lining in all of this. Yesterday we were up against the cap, tomorrow we will not be up against the cap! It’s amazing what a little fresh air can do for an attitude!
Check back with me with your attitude after your next whiff of fresh air is filled with the stench of news when Kaepernick gets traded to the Bears for Jay Cutler and a pick or two.
How about a pic of Dennis feeding his duck friends.
So much for “QUIET TIME” per last thread!
Willis retiring gives up cap room, right? That’s probably more help than he could’ve given on the field this year. Borland is a stud, this isn’t a big deal
Borland can’t cover for shit. That’s the problem. Willis was a beast covering TEs.
Smith hasn’t committed to retirement. Per his response to the reports.
Just a guess, but if theirs talk about cutting back Cowboys work load with more DL rotation, he might come back.
Now Gore is ‘reconsidering’ signing with the Eagles.
Weird shit going on out there.
What in the wide wide world of sports in going on around here?
It gets worse:
http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/49ers-bruce-miller-arrested-spousal-battery
And then there’s this:
http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/dahl-restructures-deal-return-49ers
Thank God, at least we have Dahl.
*Sarcastic Golf Clap*
This may be the roughest 48 hours in 49er history. We’re looking at losing Cowboy, Willis, Gore, Crabs, Iupati and Miller in one ‘Swell foop’.
And Bowman still questionable long term with the knee, and Reid with the concussions.
Starting to feel like the Fall is going to be a real vicious mother fucker this year.
That’s less of a loss than they had last season, just saying.
Call it a youth movement.
Our window was open, we didn’t deliver.
This is the Draft Class to rebuild the trenches.
Glass half full/half empty.
Reload.
Move forward.
Patrick is the thud heard ’round the World IMO.
No one saw that coming.
If Baalke delivers Torrey as anticipated, our need for a WR at Pick 15 is diminished, substantially.
I’m now moving DE/OLB ‘Bud’ Dupree into slot 15.
Or, I’m thinking ‘Fat Man in the Middle’ to protect the LBs.
Shelton could get to us as well.
Though I’ve cooled on him somewhat, he’s a Fat Man’s Fat Man and, a LBs BFF.
Berger here’s a comparison for you –
DE/OLB Alvin ‘Bud’ Dupree – 6’4″/269/4.56 –
47 games – 247 TKLs/37 TFL/23.5 Sacks
OLB Vic Beasley – 6’3″/246/4.53 –
48 games – 98 TKLs/52.5 TFL/33 Sacks
Very similar guys.
Vic likely goes Top 10
Dupree would be a nice option at 15.
Here’s a guy that could be had as a potential fill in for Patrick –
He’s a Mid RD guy at this point as well –
ILB Ben Heeney – KS – 6’0″/231/4.59 – Had one of the better times in the Cone Drill at Indy too, good indication of change of direction skills.
“Good play speed with fast, aggressive pursuit angles. The switch is always flipped on the field, displaying a motor that never quits and chasing down plays he has no business being involved in. Smart, instinctive player who read/reacts well, breaking down well on the move. Locks onto his target quickly and doesn’t make many mistakes. Physical wrap-up tackler and throws his body around with toughness to take the punishment. Plays pissed off with a chip and violent, competitive nature. Floats well in coverage to jump passes and get his hands on the ball (eight passes defended, four interceptions in his career). Experienced with man coverage responsibilities and was often the only linebacker on the field, rarely leaving the field. Physical downhill blitzer. Try-hard motor and leaves it all out on the field with resilient mentality. Handled adversity with a handful of different coaches in his four seasons at Kansas (9-39 record over that stretch).
Productive career — led the Jayhawks in tackles each of the past three seasons, and led the NCAA in solo tackles in 2014 with 7.3 per game.”
This guy sounds good.
He’s what I’d call a ‘Junkyard Dog’ Berger.
Short arms, kinda small but, he’s all over the field apparently.
I watched the Combine Drills and, though it was hard to know for sure, NFLN caught Tomsula using binoculars while Heeney was running the Drills.
We’ll see what happens next month….
If Baalke added Heeney and Kendricks, you’d have a pair of 6′ LBs that rarely miss a tackle.
Might need more beef on the Dline to protect them however.
Neither guy stands much of a chance if an OG gets them in the crosshairs.
There’s talk of Bowman being threatened regarding his ability to pass his physical now.
Like, what else can go wrong this week?
By comparison, Bobby Wagner in Seattle is a 6′ LB himself.
I think it’s possible to get away with smaller guys Inside if they’re smart players.
It’s probably a little more critical that the OLB position be taller and rangier these days.
After looking it up, Patrick is listed at 6’1″.
For some reason I thought he was taller?
Roughest Monday for the Niners since the Monday after losing the SBowl in NewOrleans. This organization has a “kick me” sign lit 24/7 on the Levi’s Jumbotrons…
I’m hopeful this is just one of those ‘adjustment periods’ all teams go through Snarkk.
Baalke has been pretty thorough the past couple of years, putting some depth on the roster.
With the pending losses coming on Defense, I’m hoping he’s got some guys ready to step up.
One guy that’s overdue is Nick Moody. Wasn’t very impressed with his open field tackling however.
Hope that improves.
See what happens…
The good news is that Moody gets there, but you’re right, he did miss a lot of tackles. Shore that up and he could be a good option for providing depth at the position.
The Merc’s Tim K thinks he’s hot shit. What an ego maniac! He’s calling out Jed York to do something about Miller as if the Niners don’t have enough problems.
Miller is a misdemeanor not a felony I think. Not cool too but big difference.
Certainly not the best of weeks around 4949 centennial blvd.
Yeah Willis made it official. His toe apparently didn’t heal properly and as Nipper said, he found God in a big way.
Came out of left field, last year Willis said he had 5 or 6 more good years of football left in him.
Willis and Gore are both on the cusp of Hall of Fame credentials, not sure either makes it but both deserve to.
http://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nfl/8-players-who-should-just-retire/ar-AA9yyxe