Forty Niners Forever

Since I haven’t been paying much attention to the draft, I haven’t had the unfortunate disappointment of seeing Mel Kiper Jr’s disgustingly smug face disgracing my big screen TV. Then again, maybe they didn’t dig him up from his coffin of mothballs to pontificate on the idiot  GMs of the day next weekend. But you have to give it to the Not-So-Odd couple of ESPN and the NFL to conjure up what used to be a back-room-of-the-Hilton three-hour mundane conference into the orgasmic shit-show of babbling inanity that is the NFL Draft. Nowadays, there are no less than 6,000,000,000 mock drafts out there, and all of them are wrong. In fact, you get past 4 picks, and all those 6,000,000,000 are still wrong. How one can profess to even bother with who Cleveland will pick with the 273rd pick is baffling to me. In the last 10 years I got Antawn Balmer right (and a signed Alex Smith jersey), and I correctly guessed Kappy in the 2011 draft. I think I’m ahead of 5,999,999,999 prognosticators out there. But that is neither her nor there. This is about the draft, not my picking acumen. Although I should at least be getting Kiper money for this.

Anyhow, the marketing frenzy that is the draft has left its’ home of the Big Assho, uh, Apple to be held in its new home of Sweet home Chicago. The latest craze with it is to be bestowed the God-like status of hosting the thing. Much like the Super Bowl, the city hosting gets the full-throttle corporate overload of crass consumerism and utter bullshit crammed down their gaping maws. Having just walked through Super Bowl city not too long ago it was the usual overpriced crap, multiple vendors selling overpriced food (in a city where you can good cheap food nearly anywhere), and cushy environs to enjoy the frenzy from a safe distance behind moneyed entrances. Didn’t bother with the pay-per-orgy side (the SOMA part) of the thing so I don’t know what I missed short of the shit I saw on TV.

But I digress. The point being, uh, I don’ know. This is a clusterfuck of the usual corporate glad-handing to the rich sponsors and their minions to support a world of disillusionment. Blah blah blah. BUT! It is paramount for the 49ers to have a very strong draft if they are to make anything out of this season. New coaching staff and new expectations be damned, this team has hemorrhaged a ton of talent since the 2014 season of disappointment. Trent Baalke has overseen a team with few holes to now a swiss-cheese like roster. All in 3 short years. Take a look at the drafts alongside this blog. They go back to Scotty’s last stand, 2010. The list of busts is long and varied, with a few late-round surprises sprinkled in.

And speaking of disillusionment, the good news is Trent Baalke has 12 draft picks at his disposal this draft. The bad news? Wait for it. Trent Baalke has 12 draft picks to waste this draft. He went on record (!) to say that the Niners take a ‘draft and develop’ approach to the draft. As opposed to a ‘draft players that can actually play’ approach. to me it sounds like ‘draft unknown guys who either won’t make the cut when their rookie deals come due’, or ‘draft damaged goods that don’t set foot on the field for 3 years’. Or ever.

For all you School House Rocks fans out there . . .

Word from those wonderful league sources (what are they, fucking moles that scurry in tunnels between all the team HQs?) is that the 49ers are in the lead for the services of one Josh Norman, a very elite cornerback who is a surprise free agent from Carolina after they pulled his (franchise) tag. The battle for his services falls to us and the Jacksonville Jaguars. Two teams with $50 mill + in cap space. So he looks to score big.

And really, where would you rather live? The Bay Area, a cosmopolitan city with gorgeous weather, or a glorified retirement home?

Norman had 19 passes defensed, 4 picks, 2 pick-6’s, and 3 forced fumbles to go along with his 56 tackles  last year. No small feat.

Whatever the situation is, DO IT NOW, TRENT!!!

And all the joy within you dies.

Don’t you want somebody to love?

I digress. But word out of Oregon (???) is that the Niners are going to trade up with the Dallas Cowboys to select Carson Wentz in the upcoming draft. I have certainly advocated to trade up, mainly because all these draft picks for Baalke has netted bupkus (or Butkus if you prefer), I wouldn’t trade up for Wentz. I would trade up for Goff.

I get the theory though. Might as well package those picks up for a dire need.

While this sounds nice, it leaves the possibility that the Rams take Wentz, and the Browns take Goff. Or vice versa. Trading with Dallas does nothing to get us either guy. They’re basically be in the same boat just by waiting in the 7 hole. The Browns are looking to trade out. If you are going to make a move, take their pick. This is a fairly lame article, but hey, slow times and all.

http://www.oregonlive.com/nfl/index.ssf/2016/04/chip_kelly_49ers_to_trade_up_t.html

Never miss an opportunity to go Gonzo. . .

Well, the Newly Minted Los Angeles Rams made a big splash in this newly minted football season by trading two first-round picks (15th overall this year and the one in 2017), two seconds (the 43rd and 45th overall this year) and two thirds (76th overall this year, and one in 2017) to Tennessee for their golden ticket of the overall 1st pick in the 2016 draft. I guess the thinking is, we traded our out of the 1st round pick (2nd overall) with Washington a few years ago, got a ton of picks, and basically shit them down the toilet, so, we might as well see how trading a shit-load of picks for a QB works out.

I mean, Washington is the perfect example. See how well RG III worked out? Oh, yeah.

Word is that the Rams are very high on Carson Wentz. The guy from a D-II school (ndakst) who oversaw a run-heavy offense. What could go wrong? As Washington proved, a lot. Tennessee looks to be an up-and-comer, but how does this trade affect the 49ers? Well, you can say goodbye to Jared Goff. Whoever the Rams don’t pick (Goff) will go to Cleveland. Unless they monumentally break down and pass on him. Yeah, I know they just got RG III (hey?), but that don’t mean shit.  He’s getting backup money, and they can stash Goff behind RG until his wheels fall off, and Bryan Hoyer no longer can lace ’em up. Not sure how long that will be, but it very well could be sooner rather than later.

I guess there’s the tiny hope that Cleveland doesn’t think Goff is the guy and they wait until next year’s crop of uninteresting QBs are ready to be taken at #1. Hey, I got through a thread without mentioning Colin Kaepernick. Oh, wait. Ahhh, fuck.

What a glorious time to be a Bay Area sports fan. The Giants just took 3 of 4 (and could have easily swept), the dreaded Dodgers, the defending champion Warriors triumphantly beat their demons in San Antonio by winning in a building they hadn’t won in since 1997 when Chris Mullin and David Price roamed the hardwood. A feat that stopped the Spurs bid to win out at home this season. Shit, even the Raiders look to be on the upswing as their young QB and the shoring up of their non-existent defense gives their fans hope. The A’s? Well, sorry. Your GM is a fool who never met a good player he wouldn’t trade for middling prospects.

And then there’s the 49ers. The fly in the ointment. The turd in the toilet. The monkey’s paw if you like. The 49ers, and Trent Baalke are still in the pissing match that is the Denver Broncos bid to wrestle away our once and future passed quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. The latest out of Denver is they want to pay Kaepernick like an ‘elite backup’. This is of course after floating out a trade for him that involved a pick they didn’t have, and the talk of asking him to take close to a $10 million pay cut based on his incentives here. So, instead of our own front office casting aspersions his way, which they did with gusto last year, we have the team trying to GET him casting doubt about his abilities and their diminishing comments.

I have no problem with Kaepernick telling both sides to take a hike. In the end, it’s his ass out there getting pounded into oblivion behind a shitty line and getting bad-mouthed by the front office that he did a favor for. Namely by signing a team-friendly deal that was supposed to keep the talent here. Instead we got the epic migration of talent that rivaled the dust bowl Oakies heading here during the early 30s, and the hiring of a coaching staff that will go down as one of the most inept in recent memory. Then, the changing of the guard yet again. So, if Kappy casts a jaundiced eye at the state of affairs in his current situation, more power to him. He’s the one holding all the high cards at this point.

The Niners aren’t going to let him go on the cheap. Kappy certainly won’t take a huge pay cut to play in the Mile-High city, and all he has to do here is show up. Everyone knows the stakes involved, and I think the biggest factor here is that if Denver doesn’t make this trade, they are starting the season with a soon-to-be 30 year old Mark Sanche as their starting quarterback. The fan base would be pretty pissed off should ol’ horse teeth starts the season with butt-fumble, and Trevor Siemien as their QB corps.

Word is now that the deal is off between Denver and San Francisco on dealing the enigmatic quandary that is Colin Kaepernick. Kappy won’t take a $5 million pay cut, and the team isn’t willing to eat that much salary either, so here we sit. With a QB that is getting paid $12 mill, and who may or may not even be our starter. Frankly I’m shocked that Kappy didn’t split. If he wants to stick it to the 49ers, his best bet would be to leave and take Denver on a nice playoff run as he worked to rehab his image in a new town.

As it is here, well, he DOES have a chance to do the same here. As in rehab a tarnished image. Chip’s style of go-go offense would seem to be suited for Colin’s game. And Chip likes athletic QBs that can move. A match made in heaven, right? Yeah, right. It comes back to the QB competition between Gabby and Kappy this preseason. And if Kappy can’t beat out the likes of Blaine Gabbert, then he’s mailing it in for a seat on the bench. A la RG III last year. And we all saw how that worked out for RG III. Back up money on a desperate team.

I don’t get this at all. Alex Smith didn’t want to leave here as well, even though he had plenty of opportunity, albeit for much different reasons. Kappy? I have no idea. He came into the league as a humble man-child who was honored to be here., and in the NFL Now he’s guarded and arrogant, hiding behind a surly and off-putting attitude.  I blame Harbaugh.

Seriously though, I don’t get the thought process behind this. Kaepernick had the opportunity to go to the defending Super Bowl champs and pretty much be handed the starting job. Play well, and he likely gets a restructured deal for his make-good year in Denver. Instead, he comes back to a team that he (apparently) alienated due to his actions in the clubhouse. He has a tough row to hoe here, and the chance that he puts this team on his back and carries it to the playoffs (or even respectability) is a long shot. Here’s the story:

http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/report_colin_kaepernick_refuses_pay_cut_no_deal_with_broncos/s1_12680_20616034?mb_edition=5647&linksrc=mb_story_main_head_9_20616034

The latest from the rumor mill (in this case, Jason Cole), the Denver Broncos are asking Colin Kaepernick to take a $7 million pay cut in order to play for them. His 2016 salary is guaranteed after 1:00 PM today, so any movement isn’t likely. This strikes me as being odd however, because last week, the teams had apparently met in terms of salary, but were dithering over draft picks to finalize the deal. Now it’s about money? Even weirder is Denver’s statement that Kappy is only worth a 4th round pick, and they don’t have one to trade.

My thought is that Denver is trying to build the case for creating a low ceiling in terms of negotiating going forward. As I’ve said before, Trent may not be all that great at drafting, but he’s a shrewd negotiator. He still holds the high cards in this deal. Denver is in desperation mode in regards to their starting QB, and Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t even in the discussions. They want Kappy. Baalke knows this.

Weird thing is, you have t wonder how Kappy feels about leaving if he’s all of a sudden paid like a backup. Will h e lean toward staying here and fighting for his job? These questions, and more, will be answered as the stomach turns . . .

With another NFL season about to officially kick off in 3 days, the 49ers are once again in a state of flux. To be kind. Turmoil? Chaos? Clusterfuck nightmare? As those old commercials used to say, You make the call!”

Anyhow, thinking about the uncertainty that is our quarterback situation, let alone our new go-go offensive scheme, I’m starting to wonder about our defense.  I just don’t know diddly about our New DC Jim O’Neill. I know he had Joe Haden and Tramon Williams as his CBs, and we all are familiar with SS Donte Whitner. Throw in young FS Tashaun Gipson and this reflected well on Cleve’s pass defense. Other than that, Cleveland had a good defense with a lot of solid players. Sort of like what we have here. Although O’Neill’s last year in Cleveland proved to be a disaster as they sunk to the bottom of the NFL in points allowed and yards given up. Unbelievable to me is that the Niners ended up 18th in points allowed given the blowouts we suffered under. Cleveland was fucking 28th. Our D last year was maddeningly inconsistent, so the hope is more solid play across the board.

This year, as with many, depends on a pass rush that doesn’t disappear for weeks at a time. The defensive secondary was all over the place as well. And even Jimmie Ward came on and played very well as the slot corner. Depth is a problem, but with all these injuries over the past couple years, a lot of young guys have shown some ability. The D line looks to be a little iffy with Ian Williams having a setback in yet another injury recovery. We have bodies, but the hope is consistent pressure.

Still and all, getting these Cleveland retreads doesn’t seem prudent, but many a good coach has wandered through those revolving doors.

Not much to report these days. Kappy likely stays with the team after April Fool’s day, and something or nothing happens with him. Still think Denver makes a play for him. They really do not want to hit the season with a semi-effective QB in Mark Sanchez and a mid-round QB flier.

Other than that, the New York Times wrote a scathing series of articles on the ineffectual and slipshod manner in which the NFL purportedly studied the effects of concussions and CTE effects on current and former NFL players. I can’t see the NYT articles, but the gist of the back-and-forth between the NFL (tweet wars) and the NYT is chronicled in Huff post.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nfl-ny-times-concussion-report-ads_us_56f5aa61e4b0a372181a02df

This come a couple days after Kevin Turner, a fullback and lead blocker for Rickey Watters and Duce Staley back in the day for the Philadelphia Eagles, died of ALS, or Lou Gherig’s disease. If the NFL is unsure of the connection between  football and concussions, they will sure certainly call this bullshit.ALS hits home with the 49ers, as three former players, Matt Hazeltine,  QB Bob Waters, and RB Gary Lewis all died of ALS. All were on the Niners in the early 60s, and they all played together in 1964. Waters and Hazeltine died within 2 weeks of each other in 1987, and  Lewis died in 1989. How a disease that hits about 1 in 100,000 people managed to hit 3 players in a group of 48 defies statistical  anomaly.

Kevin Turner, who was fighting the NFL on his case, seems to think his condition was worsened by his playing the game. That there is a link between ALS, CTE, concussions, and early death. Seeing how the NFL is letting ex-players die in the streets and barely paying lip service to the men who built the game to what it is today, it’s especially tragic.

Here’s the article regarding Kevin Turner.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/15059587/kevin-turner-46-dies-long-battle-als

The comparison of NFL players to gladiators sent to the ring to fight or die is becoming mora and more appropriate.

Colin Kaepernick
Last QB at the altar
Denver is calling . . .

With Robert Griffin the III nearing a deal with Cleveland, the Broncos are down to the last guy standing. Colin Kaepernick. This certainly puts the 49ers in a better position than before RG III was snapped up. And it also commences the death of RG III’s career. Cleveland is the burial ground for many a decent QB, and many more mediocre ones. Hard to think things will get real peachy real soon, although I will say Hue Jackson is very good at getting blood from a turnip in the way of generating offense.

Funny thing is, with Kappy and Denver the last two wallflowers, the onus falls on Denver to sweeten their deal. They have no leverage in this fight. The 49ers have set the bar, and Denver has to come up to meet it. Plain and simple. There is no way in hell the 49ers are going to cut Colin loose at this stage of the game. Paying the $12 mill is no problem given the state of the cap. And, really, what can Kaepernick do? Sit out the season? That would be career suicide.  His options are sit tight and fight for his job under the new regime, and fight for his job under the new regime. If he loses to Glabbert, then he sits until Blaine gets hurt.

Trent Baalke may be a shitty talent evaluator, but he is very good at negotiating deals. If anyone out there thinks the Niners are simply going to cut Kaepernick, I have some beachfront property in Reno to sell you . . .