Here we sit on the eve of training camp, and the blogosphere is abuzz with the impeding doom of the San Francisco 49ers. The national media has gone from laughing and pointing to basically laughing at every next domino that falls to drive another nail into the coffin that is the 2015 season.
Well, fuck that. The national media had the 2012 Eagles being a juggernaut due to their free agent acquisitions, and look what it got them. Shit, the 2007 Niners were turning a corner under Nolan, and the 2010 team was poised to be great under Singletary. All turned gold into shit. Yeah, we’ve lost a bunch of players and coaches. Shit, the year he got here no one gave the Niners chance.
Point being, the national media doesn’t follow the team like the local fans. Even then, look at the bullshit flying around. Sue, laugh, point, ands ridicule all you want, but I think the team will come out of this in better shape than if Harbaugh had stuck around. One more year of Harbaugh would have been another year of the Roman offense. One more year of a front office and a head coach that didn’t communicate. One more year of Harbaugh being Harbaugh. A driven coach who drives everyone else crazy. Bear in mind he hasn’t lasted anywhere longer than 4 years. This appears to be his shelf life.
Anyhow, gone are Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Michael Crabtree, Justin Smith, Perrish Cox, Chris Culliver, Anthony Davis, Andy Lee, and Chris Borland. Beyond that, revolving door Jonathan Martin and Stevie (Good for a moment) Johnson were cut. As daunting as this appears to the uninformed eye, and yes, vet presence is a thing, the only ones that hurt are Cox and Davis, in my mind.
Crabs and Cully had their bags packed before the AZ game and were not expected to stay. Willis and Borland were retirement surprises in that no one expected them to retire as they did. Willis was slowed at the start of the year, and was lost or 2/3 of it. This allowed Borland to shine, but he left as well citing his health. AD waited too long to announce his retirement, but whatever. He did what he felt was necessary. I figured the Niners would focus on Cox to stay, and I didn’t like the decision to let him go. Gore? Well, he took the money. 3 years beats one every time. Good luck, Frank. Justin Smith was basically the same. He was not himself these past couple years, and therefore isn’t a big loss. Lee? He needed a change of scenery due to his tragedy so the team did him a favor by sending him closer to his hometown. J Mart? No there there. Stevie? Meh.
How dare you, Winder. Don’t you know Bullit is the arbiter of everything? There;s no topic that can pass him by without his pronouncements and his gravitas. Nothing is done until he says it is. I mean really. Bullit and NJ are fine. But Bullit must weigh in on it for the next month. Because that’s how he rolls.
He tried to convince me for 6 years how wonderful Michael Crabtree was. A guy with 1 1,000+ season. A guy who held out, dissed his QB, and wore his Dallas shoes while playing for the Niners.
Turns out he was wrong about Crabs, but that never stops the prince of profligate prodigal pablum. He’ll defend that point until, well, no one gives a flying fuck. As NO ONE DOES, Bullit.
In the end Crabtree turned out to be a wasted pick.
I wouldn’t call Crabs a wasted pick, but he sure isn’t what he thought he was. He put up good numbers for a 2, but he’ll never be a #1 WR. He wasn’t before the achilles injury. Now, he’s even slower.
New thread is up.