Are you gettin’ it?
Oh what a week that was. And it’s only Thursday. For all the angst around the players apparent mass exodus (Gore leaves, Willis retires, Iupati, Crabs, and Cox soon to follow) the only one I didn’t see coming was Willis. the rest? Meh. Gore took the money and ran. The 49ers certainly weren’t going to offer him 3 years. Cox? Don’t know. He says he’s amenable to staying here but he’ll ‘let this play out’. But as I’ve said either one of Cox or Cully would go. I thought it would be Cully and his legal woes, but that may be the factor that ends up keeping him here. Crabs and Iupati were known defectors as soon as the whistle blew against AZ. Stuka to Jax? Fine, a backup LB isn’t going to be that hard to find. Justin Smith still hasn’t made his announcement.
So all in all it isn’t like they (or we) didn’t see any of this coming. Brooks was surprisingly kept on. I guess he’s happy now that Harbaugh is gone. Maybe he even gives the team a cap-friendlier deal. Stranger things have happened. They filled RayMac’s spot with Darnell Dockett, they got a burner in Torrey Smith, and are looking around a a few more pieces, like Reggie Bush/CJ Spiller at RB.
In other news, DeVante Parker, one of the top 3 WRs in the draft, paid the Niners a visit. Hopefully a permanent situation come draft day. The Vegas booksters have sure soured on the team. Dropping them from 6:1 last year to 40:1 this year. But that had nothing to do with their dropping to 8-8 and missing the playoffs last year. And I have some beachfront property in Sparks to sell.
Tell you one thing, a solid draft will do wonders to move ahead this season. With the signing of Blabbert, I see a QB taken in the 4th round.
Forty Niners Forever 
Yeah, I’m off a WR in the first 3 rounds as well. I wonder if they are going to draft a QB. They could do worse than Kappy’s replacement at UNR in Cody Fajardo. Late round guy though. The ones down at this level, (Brett Hundley, Bryce Petty) show shit, but also lack consistency.
Garrett Grayson (Colo St) could slip down to the 4th and would be worth a shot, I’d think.
Dupree vertaily sounds good, NJ. With Aldon bookending him, that would be something.
Pass rush is important this year.
Lots of chatter about the Niners situation at CB. Baalke would not have let both Cox and Cully go without a plan. My guess is the coaches think Johnson is ready for a starting role and that one or more of the guys who didn’t play are good for starter/depth. He also signed a couple of vets as insurance and likely will take a CB in the draft.
“The sky is falling” brigade were saying the exact same things when they last rotated out the old guys for younger and the team stats were better. Niners lost both starting corners and a starting safety and got better. Getting wrapped up in name recognition guys is not the be all and end all.
As Chuck wrote a while ago, none of the losses were unexpected except for Willis and he was lost for a lot of last season too.
Rosters turn over 25% to 30% often and Baalke had very capable backups in place as well as signing Dockett and T. Smith as quality starters and 4 vets as insurance/role players, oh, and did I mention there is a draft coming and Baalke got a number of excellent starters last year despite a stacked roster.
As Berger said, the roster 2 years ago was probably the best in the league, and 3 of Harbaughs 4 years he had the top 3 roster to work with. Tomsula is beginning with less in the toolbox but this team still has a ton of talent and about to draft more.
With an all new coaching staff and some big stars moving on it is a time of uncertainty for sure, but lets have a little backbone about it.
GO 49ers!
Do you draft gurus think Dupree will be there at 15? Sounds like a lot of teams have interest.
I dunno, last time i got it right was Willis.
Lurker John, Dupree was originally slated for the latter part of RD1 by most of the Web Pundits early on.
He’s helped himself immensely since the Pre-Draft festivities began.
I like our chances nonetheless.
The top 15 will have 2 QBs in the mix in the Top 10.
Add to that, several more popular Pass Rushers.
I’m concerned that Chicago, MN or the NYG could screw us with Dupree however, we’ll see what comes.
Either way, the upside is, WRs will slide as a result.
MN just grabbed Mike Wallace from Miami via Trade the other day.
They could now be looking Defense, which is a core value for Zimmer.
All things considered, we’ll likely have a shot at a very good player.
I’m on-board for Bud, obviously 😀
12th, I agree with the CB position being an area of need as well.
Baalke will get a good piece at that position too, I’m sure.
With the unexpected loss of Patrick, I’ve moved ILB Stephone Anthony from Clemson into a more important need slot too.
Might consider him as an option in RD2, depending on the way things fall.
The CB I’d hoped would fly under the radar, Byron Jones from UCONN, lit it up in Indy.
He’s not invisible anymore.
With the Pats losing Revis and Browner now, Jones could be a very big option for them now at the bottom of RD1.
I’d figured they’d look for Wilfork’s replacement there but, they did retain DT Alan Branch so, that need may take a back seat in favor of a CB?
See what happens…
Berger your boy Red Bryant is looking for work too.
A released guy is the way to go for Baalke too.
Doesn’t impact the potential Comp Picks for next year.
Don’t think we need him, with the crop of young DTs coming out but, he could cover up the pending retirement uncertainty with Justin.
And let’s not forget the ultimate ‘Fat Man in the Middle’, His Largeness…
Mt Wilfork 😀
A minor upside with Vince, he’s a Mangini guy.
Yeah I doubt we make a play for Wilfork. He’ll cost too much in years and cap. Not rallybaalj’s style. He’s a lot like Sabean’s of the Giants and rArely goes after the high-ticket guys. They prefer the make-good and vet deals.
Funny, NJ, we agree on some stuff but if I post it inskeeberland they come out of the walls to attack it. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but it still makes me laugh.
Don’t get the Skeebs! Stay strong!
Good to agree at times Chuck, better to agree to disagree at times too.
Nothing is etched in stone when discussing our 9ers.
We all love to hate them at times, we even hate to love them at times.
All comes to down to getting along I guess?
I appreciate the exchange of ideas and opinions regarding our team.
Do my best to keep it respectable.
Better to make friends in my world.
Enemies aren’t any fun, why bother?
To each, his own. Makes us who we are.
Now we have Chris Borland retiring?
WTF is going on in SF?
Move ILB to the upper reaches of the Draft Board now.
Problem is, the ILB Group, by and large, isn’t very prominent this year.
Stephone Anthony, come on down.
Yeah NJ, just read the story, Borland is retiring due to past concussions issues,HS,College. It’s just been no fun at all for Niner fans this off-season!! Like you said :Unbelievable!!!
I can respect his decision though,painful as it is, and it seems like more players now are thinking long term health (future with their family) and possibly not drinking thru a straw with help.
Just recently, Jake Locker, Wordlis? And a few others have hung em up as well.
Well it certainly makes the position that much more important come Draft Weekend Alleykat.
I’m becoming more and more concerned about whether Santa Clara was a religious burial ground of some kind in the past.
We’ve desecrated something important and, those spirits aren’t very happy, by the looks of it.
I’m liking your guy Bud Dupree even more right now NJ!!
Probably a hybrid fit, LB/ DE and were gonna need it now.
Question Marks galore popping up at LB’s now.
What are we gonna get out of Lynch?Lemioner? Skov? Wilhote? And of Course Bowman????? Coming back or not???Better restock some LB’s in the draft.
I’m just hoping Dupree is an option at Pick 15 now.
Gotta wonder if NOLA has a bead on him too?
They appear to be in full Defensive makeover mode of late.
And the hits just keep on coming. Willis, then Borland? What next?
Due to the folks on this blog, avoiding the haters at places like SFGate, I’ve managed ro keep an upbeat attitude about the 2015 49ers and I’m really looking forward to the draft and the next chapter in 49er history. But as a die-hard Niners fan, the past 8 months have been a damn nightmare, no matter how you spin it. It’s been just one thing after another.
I wish Borland the best moving forward and I know he has to take the decisions that affect his health and life seriously. Good on him for having the strength to give up the game. But the dude was a star in the making and there are now TWO huge holes to fill at the ILB position. The draft is great but how often do you get a guy in the third round who shoots out of the gate and dominates his position in half a season? Not often.
How about some bloody good news!!
The good news is, Borland made a decision that allows Baalke time to make up for it at least.
Defense has to be almost the sole focus in the draft now, with a receiver still in the mix and OL depth as well.
Draft Weekend just keeps getting more bizarre by the hour in SF.
Here’s what I’ve got so far on the ILB work-list.
Might need to focus on it a little more closely now?
ILB –
Stephone Anthony – Clemson 6’2″/245
Benardrick McKinney – MS State 6’4″ 245
Bryce Hager – Baylor – 6’1″/234
Eric Kendricks – UCLA – 6’0″/232
Ben Heeney – KS – 6’0″/231
Taiwan Jones – MI St – 6’3″/252
New thread is up.