Super Bowl bound! 4-12? Shit, who am I kidding. I have no clue how this season turns out. Despite the naysayers and those that laugh and predict doom for jettisoning St. Jim the Wolverine, the team still has talent and the offense will hopefully move out of the 70s.
The defense? Well, shit should be fine, if not a little thin in the defensive backfield. Which leads me to believe we will be a little more aggressive with the pass rush. Ahmad Brooks still remains a 49er, albeit that depends on the charges brought forth by the woman who brought down RayMac. Cutting him at this point would only save $1.5 mill against the cap, so he’ll probably stick around if these charges go away.
If anything, both Ahmad Brooks, and his bookend OLB Aldon Smith have a lot to prove with their recent travails and issues. The defensive line should still be fairly stout as Justin Smith hasn’t been himself the last couple years, and the rest of the crew, plus Darnell Dockett should be good to go. These OLBs (Lunch included) can wreak some havoc if the D line takes care of business. Eli Harold has been seen as a high-value pick where we got him. Arik Armstead? He’s got the ‘potential’ tag laid all over him. The positive being Jim Tomsula has done very well as a D line coach with a lot less than AA.
Inside LB? Well, there’s the rub. Bowman is by all intents coming along just fine, but his injury was horrific and he is a question. Wilhoite has shown decent game, but his ceiling isn’t very high. Moody and the rest? Ehh. Have to wonder if someone will fall off a team after cut-down time.
The secondary is thin as well. Even with the signing of Jaquaski Tartt, heir apparent to Antoine Bethea. The only question is when. The corners were left thin by the Cully and COX departures, but Brock should be healthy. Johnson came on very well last year, but he’s a question as a starter and Shareece Wright isn’t all that. They did sign UDFA Mylan Hicks (Mich St) to a 3 year deal so they see something there.
As far as the coaches go, they have a lot of guys with a lot of time in the game. What does it mean? Little to nothing in itself, but Mangini is on the right side of the line now at least.
Forty Niners Forever 
Willis and smith barely played last year. Borland? Well we’ll have to wait and see if his loss is dramatic. I don’t think so.
Like u don’t think losing Gore is going to be that painful. Hyde, Hunter, and Bush should do fine in his place.
Boreland was great against the run and horrible against the pass. I didn’t see him as an every down player. Definitely didn’t see him starting over Bowman or Wilhoite.
Willis is a huge loss but had a lot of injuries lately. Justin Smith was somebody we all knew was going to retire very soon. It is what it is. Football goes on.
Right, Willis IS a huge loss, but not compared to his last season for the Niners. Can’t make an impact from the sidelines.
Comparing those that actually played and/or were effective last season, beyond name recognition, this team is at least as good. Coaching hopefully pans out and they are back in contention.
Yup. That’s been my take. Before all the hyperventilation around the dismantling of the team, we were at 25/1 odds winning the Super Bowl.
40/1? Just means a bigger payoff.
The O-line is really my only concern right now. Have to wait and see about the CB’s
The O-line played terrible last year. It was probably our biggest problem. I think it was more from bad play calling than player execution. Look at the bright side. The O-line can’t be much worse this year and with some decent play calling will be much better.
Iaputi led the league for guards in allowing sacks!
O-line is my worry too Winder, no line = no offense, but like I said earlier, last years line sucked so lets see how things play out.
Lets hope for good health to key players. You can’t coach hurt players. Say your prayers and keep your fingers crossed. And stay away from the negative vibes of the Depression Blog!
Yeah spitty touting Iupati as a pass blocker is pretty funny.
One of Baalke’s IR guys O lineman Brandon Thomas was 1at round material before his injury. Hopefully this one works out
For my money Baalke went to the “injured well” too many times, especially when the team was so close to winning the SB. I felt one or two more solid contributors could have put them over the top. But now in this situation, with the injured guys returning and the guys who played sparingly last year, Tank, Dial etc set to get into the starting rotation it should pay off.
Brandon Thomas got good reviews so far and like you said, was a first round talent.
Sir Spit is trying to make any sense of the 21st Century………..of course he’s still in 12th Century. So he and Winder are passing ships in the the breeze. Neither can understand the other …..and no wonder.
Yeah, 12th. I think Lattimore cured him.
Well, it looks like we can add yet another 9er/SCPD related story to the Harbaugh Era.
No BJ for CJ…..
http://tinyurl.com/nh7l2fc
Man, these guys got to get their shit together and stop fucking around.
Shit is rampant in the NFL.
With all the sh!t that went down when LT was playing for the NYG Chuck, I’m convinced that the League knows all too well that these guys aren’t choir boys.
It’s all about the Golden Eggs they lay.
For every guy that gets exposed, there’s probably another dozen that get protected from scrutiny.
LT was a game changer that basically was out of control.
Parcells and Belichick knew it too.
He partied like a Rock Star, had others taking his drug tests, you name it.
The NYG did everything in their power to keep him away from trouble, so long as he got suited up on Sundays.
It’s all about the Benjamin’s in this game.
The piece I posted last night about weed pretty much sums it up.
Many of the players avoid the narcotic addiction risks that plagued the earlier generation players, because the smart ones, know how to ‘play’ the weed testing schedule.
If weed is proven to have positive value for concussions, it should get VERY interesting to see how the NFL deals with it then.
Rx narcotics are money makers for the League sponsors.
No one is profiting from the street drugs in the NFL, except the players perhaps, in terms of health.
So, if the CBA is constructed in such a way, as to allow the players to know what’s coming, the League can then deal with the dumb ones that don’t play it properly.
Catch the dummies, play ignorant to the rest?
Ricky Williams should be the poster child for the weed era player in the NFL.
Didn’t seem to affect his talent as a RB.
He just over-indulged and, bounced himself out of the League.
Guess we’ll never know just how long he could have gone if he kept it under control.
Hey, Berger. Fuck you! I’m not dead. Not yet anyway. But all my friends and neighbors can’t say the same goddamn thing. My upstairs neighbor, Nicole, her younger sister, Amber, just passed away the other week.
Amber was just 34 years old. 34 fucking years old. I just walked by her what seemed like yesterday on my way up to the liquor store and saw her smile as we exchanged pleasantries.
One seizure later, and 34-year-old Amber is no longer with us.
I’m in no mood to BS about sports. Hence I haven’t been picking up the goddamn telephone.
All of Amber’s devout Mormon friends and family continue to pray to “God.”
All I can say is Jesus H. Fucking Christ.
Condolences for Amber Del.
That truly isn’t fair, no matter how you slice it.
Glad to know you’re not dead. The liquor store is glad you’re not dead. Here’s one for you Del, Go 49ers! That should explode what’s left of your head!
Sorry to hear about your friend, Amber.
Here’s a great little venue to check out – 9er Man Caves….
http://tinyurl.com/nhq7zcq
Sorry to hear about your friend, Dennis.
A little perspective can be good for the body and mind.
That being said, you got your wish. Harbaugh’s gone. You should be thrilled.
A new day. A new outlook.
Jesus Christ. Got to love NoFear’s stance on pot. In that he says no one smokes pot to alleviate the pain of playing professional sports (or even the aftereffects of battle), even though there are hundreds of cases of players saying pot helps alleviate the chronic (get it?) pain associated with the game.
Oxycodone is fine, but the ‘unknown side effects of pot’ are not to be trusted.
How many people OD, accidental or otherwise, from opiates? 20,000 – 40,000 a year? How many OD on pot? Zero.
And in that vein (heh heh), here’s something I cobbled from Winder . . .
Great stuff from Barry McGuire. Haven’t heard this album since 1974. My older sister used to play this. When they all took off I inherited some awesome albums.
How funny, I just posted this on skeebs blog. i kinda figured I put it on this one before. I still love this song to bad the sound quality isn’t so good.
Chuck, I don’t normally like to diss people on blogs where I know they won’t respond, but NF and I have been arguing politics for so long and since you’re not there and he’s not here and I don’t feel like spending the day over there arguing with him on the subject:
1) I never thought I would see NF arguing for big government, big spending nanny statism. But that seems to be the conservative philosophy. We don’t believe in any of that stuff until it comes to others’ individual freedoms. Then we require it.
2) More conservative philosophy: We’re the only ones who believe in taking care of veterans – until they’re out of uniform, then screw ’em. So what if trained medical people diagnose them and recommend a certain medicine to help them. Big government and big corporations don’t get their cut that way. It conflicts with #1.
RT- If you are talking about pot, I’m a conservative and I’m all for legalizing it. I still wouldn’t smoke it if it were legal but I’m for legalizing it. Many of my conservative friends are for legalizing it too. I’m not sure what you are trying to say but it sounds like you are railroading conservatives to only one way of thinking. Typical.
LOL, Reno, I knew you’d show up for that one!
NF is free to post here. If anything, Skeebs banning me there got V to shut up about me banning him here. You’re welcome.
Yeah, the republicans are all about less government intrusion. Except for religious rights, reproductive rights, marriage rights, drug policies, and public school policies. Corporations deserve all the free money they can avoid in taxes, while vets, the poor, and expecially the middle class are taxed to death. What jobs are the republican creating? They’ve had the house and senate, and that was goal 1. They’ve done nothing for the people but continue to bend over for the corporations.
And before you blow a gasket Bergs, the Dems are just as culpable. They just aren’t as above-board about continuously fucking the people over. as the republikans are The Senate killing the 1st responder bill is a ginormous case in point. They’ve done it time and again over the years.
RTF, I’m not of a mind to respond to shit posted there, but since I can’t post there, I can only point shit out here. I could go on all day about Bullit’s misrepresenting everything he says that I say, but Skeebs banned me, he gets away with it even more.
Skeebs lets him do that shit without recourse now. Them and their tolerance of viewpoints. As long as they line up in lockstep (goose-step?) with the Jed must die anthem.
Skews banned you Chuck? Half his readership will drift off now without the Chuck and Bullit show.
Skeebs, damn auto correct is a nanny I could live without.
Yeah, its a great song, Winder . . .