Forty Niners Forever

With the owners meeting cranking up, this seems to be an appropriate Creedence song. One that was directed at the fact that those in power who were escalating the war in Vietnam had little stake in the collateral damage to the families of the kids that they were sending off to fight and die over there. In other words, the working class and poor were bearing the brunt of the machinations of the fortunate. But this is no new concept in the annals of history.

Speaking of fortunate sons and daughters, our own Young Sir Jed is one of the chosen few. Since daddy was doing such a bang-up job of destroying the 49ers and catching shit all over the place for his penny-pinching ways, he bequeathed the team to his son. Much like the original scenario of Eddie Sr. and his conflict of interest since he already owned the Pittsburgh Penguins. Here, junior, go play with your new toy. A $750 million football team.

Tony Morabito, original owners of the 49ers, had the good misfortune of dying at Kezar at halftime of a game vs the Bears in 1957. The Niners were losing 17-7, and early in the 3rd quarter, head coach Frasnkie Albert got a note from the press box saying “Tony’s gone.” The team stormed back and won 24-17. Maybe we should have sacrificed Dr. Kedorkian before Super Bowl XLVII. . . Anyhow, with Tony dead, and Vic dead by 1964, the widows Jane and and Josephine ran the team until a lack of interest led them to sell in 1977.

The NFL is littered with teams that have been handed down through generations of families. Jim Irsay is is the squirrelly son of Bob Irsay, who bought the team in 1972. Bill Bidwell inherited the team from dear old Charlie Bidwell. The Lions have been passed down through the Ford family since 1963, the Steeleroonies since 1933, and of course, the Bears, who have been all in the family since George Halas took over control of in 1920.

Nowadays, NFL ownership is the purview of egomaniacal new-rich dick-swingers. The biggest dicks being Jerry Jones and Daniel Snyder. Jerry’s 1st job was Executive VP at his daddy’s insurance company. Daniel was raised in money, schooled in England, but (with some of daddy’s money) built his own direct-marketing company from the ground up that he sold for $2 billion in 2000. he bought the Redskins the year before. Seahawk owner Paul Allen on the other hand has pretty much stayed out of the way of the people he hired, and has done pretty well for the city of Seattle.

Otherwise, I got nothin’. The owners meeting should be as exciting as reading this blog, so enjoy. Not much happening in these next few weeks. Unless the DeSean Jackson sweepstakes and subsequent empty froth is your idea of fun.

737 comin’ out of the sky
Oh, won’t you take me down to Memphis
On a midnight ride, I gotta move
Hey, you need a travellin’ band, yeah

By popular demand, we’ve switched to Creedence Clearwater Revival. Another excellent American band that sounded Louisiana but actually came out of El Cerrito. One of many bands that signed onerous contracts that paid them pennies on the dollar while the record company reaped huge profits. John Fogerty broke up the band because, a) he was a control freak, but he also realized that he couldn’t work under the conditions imposed by Fantasy Records. So he broke up the band. Fantasy Records later sued John Fogerty, saying the song “Old Man Down the Road” sounded too much like the Creedence song “Run Through the Jungle.” In other words, he sounded too much like himself. Brilliant. Vanz Can’t Dance, and Mr. Greed are songs dedicated to his boss at Fantasy Records.

Anyhow, what’s the fastest and best way to travel? Through the air, of course. And this is where the biggest question around this team lays. We’ve all bemoaned the lack of a speed WR, a guy like Randy Moss, who regularly took a safety and CB with him on every pass play. Problem was he was, for all intents and purposes, a decoy. He cleared out routes underneath for Crabs and VD. Getting a guy like DSJ to fill this role would be instant discord, as he’d bristle immediately about not being the focus of the passing game. And he’d be right, but that a different kettle of fish.

And therein lies the rub. There is talk around the water cooler that this team wants to use more 3 WR formations. Problem is, this talk has been out there for a long time. I’ve been advocating this since before the stone age of Singletary/Jimmy-Hat. Mainly because you can run more effectively with less guys in the box. If you have a speed threat that is an actual weapon, and NOT just a threat, the defense is forced to cover that outside guy with a CB, and provide help over the top with a safety. Which clears the 2nd level for the run game.

And that’s the other sticking point. Can we even BE an effective deep passing team? The prevailing theory was that Alex Smith was the problem. Well, now that we have a cannon-armed young stud in Kappy Kaepernick, well, it’s more of the same. Sideline passes, buttonhooks, the occasional deep fade. The only guy running go routes is our TE. I don’t see a plethora of deep balls flying around. In 2011, Alex Smith’s last full season as a Niner, he was at 7.07 yards per attempt. Kappy’s 7.69 last year isn’t a vast improvement. Even the split year of 2012, AS was at 7.97, and Kappy was at 8.32. More of the same.

All this leads me to believe that it is the design of the offense, not the lack of a burner, that is the main culprit here. So, there is little reason to draft a WR in the 1st round. I mean, I’d love to get an Odell Beckham, but if we are merely going to use him as a decoy, then screw it. Draft a low level burner in the 3rd or 4th round. If they DO draft a WR, I hope to God they really revamp this offense to take better advantage of Kaepernick’s abilities rather than continue with the same power running game. Sure, they may struggle early, but who cares? This team needs to be a little more explosive. They have the defense to stop people. They need to get on top of teams and dominate rather than let teams hang around all game and prey for a game-winning field goal.

Well, have you ever lived down in the ghetto?
Have you ever felt that cold wind blow?
If you don’t know what I mean,
Won’t you stand up and scream.
Cuz there’s some things goin’ on that you don’t know . . .

Good stuff from those Southern rebels, Ronnie Van Zant and Lynyrd Skynyrd. Famously named for their high school gym teacher and part-time real estate agent Leonard Skinner, who told Ronnie and his friends they wouldn’t amount to shit.

Speaking of things goin’ on, there ain’t shit goin’ on. Well, actually there’s this.

Jim Harbaugh (who might do well to change his wardrobe if he doesn’t want to be instantly recognizable) was spotted in Virginia at V Tech’s pro day. The obvious guy to scout is Kyle Fuller, their cornerback and younger sibling of a couple NFL guys in Vincent and Corey Fuller. Good size, good speed, and started as a true freshman. Possible 2nd rounder? I guess it depends on who they pick in the 1st round.

The wildcard here is QB Logan Thomas, a freakishy fast and big dude (6’6″, 2fitty). In addition to the fastest 40-time for a QB (4.60), he also did the best vertical jump (35.5 inches), three-cone drill (7.05 seconds), 20-yard shuttle (4.18 seconds) and broad jump (9-feet, 10-inches). Plus, he’s got enormous hands, 10 and 7/8 inches across.

He was projected as a 7th round flier before the combine, but folks jumped up and took notice after. He’s raw as hell, but his arm is bigger than Kappy’s. As is eveything else. If this is the new NFL, I’d say draft him with one of our 4th round picks. Maybe even our last 3rd round pick. Who better than Jim Harbaugh to guide him on his path to NFL success?

After an unusual flurry of activity in the free agent drowning pool, the search for a speed wide receiver has reached a lull. Emmanuel Sanders agent burned some bridges after his agent promised KC he would sign with them while working out a deal with the Broncos as he told the Niners his client was on his way for a meet-n-greet.

Julian Edelson used the Niners as a bit of leverage as he sought to return to the Pats, and Brandon LaFell signed with the Pats as well. As did most of the sought-after guys like Eric Decker, Jeremy Maclin, Dexter McCluster, and Golden Tate.

Who’s left? Beyond Devin Hester and troubled and inconsistent Kenny Britt, it’s a who’s who of who? Sindney Rice, Santonio Holmes, and Jason Avant are names, but but their bodies have betrayed them. The rest are low risk-low reward types.

Hey Michael Spurlock is available.

Great song about nearly getting shot in a bar fight in southern Mississippi. Up there with Charlie Daniels first hit, Uneasy Rider. Back when Charlie Daniels was a long-haired country boy . . .

Wow, the angst over signing one of the few top safeties rages on. Whatever. It’s a solid move that will bridge the gap to the next guy we draft in May. I mean really. Bethea’s better than Craig Dahl and that’s what matters to the 49ers.

Other than that, crazy FA times. The Raiders try to sign Saffold only to watch him fail hi physical. OWrd is Prince Valaint put the kibosh on the deal, thus overriding Dennis McKenzie. Who knows? Who cares? Other than that, Denver is signing big-tickets guys (Talib, D Ware, and G Tate) with the loss of Champ Bailey and presumably Black N Decker. Ahhh. I see Decker signed with the Jets. Who will throw him passes? If they are lucky, it’ll be Todd Bridgewater. Or, I hear Tim Tebow is available. Anyhow, Philly has cornered the market on pass-catching RBs by signing Darrell Sproules. Him teaming with LeSean McCoy in the Chip Kelly Experience should be non-stop fun. Foles should get about 6,000 yards through the air just dumping the ball off to those guys.

Me? I’m still waiting to hear if we will sign Tarell Brown. The longer he lingers, the more likely he re-ups with the 49ers.

Moving on to one of the best bands to come out of the south, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Nothing fancy is how I think the 49ers deal with the impending FA period. Which cracks open in 2.5 hours.

My take is the 49ers try to keep the proverbial band together without hitting free agency hard. Keep Whitner and Brown. Maybe Cox if he’s cheap. Dawson as well. Other than that? Who knows? There’s talk of getting VD’s brother, VD the CB, from the Colts. These others are peripheral guys who can be replaced in the plentiful draft.

So, seeing what happens these next couple weeks determines what they need in the draft. I certainly don’t think they go after a FA WR, but maybe a backup D lineman on the cheap? Sure. OTher than that, and maybe a CB/SS if they let Whitner go, I don’t see the Niners going into a free agent frenzy.

UPDATE: Carlos Rogers to be cut today.

How’s that for a fairly obscure Kinks song? Something front the later years.

Anyhow, I’m a little confused as to what the 49ers are up to in regards to their secondary. They have CB Tremaine Brock signed, and rookie phenom Eric Reid is in the fold. After that it gets murky. Carlos Rogers is most likely going to get cut (today?), along with his $8 million salary cap hit. CB Chris Culliver is coming off a major knee injury, Tarell Brown is possibly going to get signed, but that hasn’t happened yet. He may still be pissed about missing out on his $2 mill from last year’s contract snafu. Wright and Cox are nickel backs/depth guys at best, and Swanson and Morris are less than that. They aren’t even ST fodder at this point.

Moving to safety, the Niners are dragging their feet with Donte Whitner a little bit. He’s being courted by the Jets and Rex Ryan, but at this point nothing is imminent. Since Craig Dahl is the backup, I’d think Strong Safety (and thus Whitner) would be a priority. We’ll see how this plays out, but it will be soon.

Since tomorrow is get-under-the-cap day, the Jets just cut Antonio Cromartie and his $15 mill cap hit. The Niners are safely under, but you wonder how long they hold on to Rogers. Maybe restructure? I doubt it because he’s pretty much a nickel back himself at this stage of things. I wonder if the Niners would look at some kind of cap-friendly one-year deal for Cromartie to sign. Certainly worth a try.

I say this because the Niners would be leaning on a young defensive backfield should Whiter and Rogers leave. A young backfield that needs a couple guys who would be drafted in May. If they do let Whitner go, I’d think they’d look for a vet CB and draft a safety. Any top guy available (Jaruis Byrd or Louie Delmas ferinstance) would be just as expensive.

I’d rather they keep Whitner and take their shot with a very deep CB class. What do you think?

Now we go from the Who to one of my favorite underrated bands of all time. One of the most influential bands no one gives a shit about anymore, the Kinks. They were true punks 12 years before the Sex Pistols exploded on the English scene, yet beyond Lola, you don’t hear too much about them anymore.

Be that as it may, the 49ers have their own dedicated follower of fashion, and a new blogosphere topic sure to at least get close to the fun we used to have with Alex Smith, and that is one Colin Kaepernick and his impending contract upgrade.

The 2 main camps are; pay the man, or hedge the bet and wait a year. If necessary, franchise him.

Either side has it’s plusses and minusses. Frankly, my take is pay him now because his price will only go up in the front office drags their feet. This is hard to dispute since guys like Romo, Cutler, and Ryan have monster deals in place and they have done little to nothing in playoff games. Kaepernick on the other hand took over both Green Bay playoff wins, and willed the team back in the Atlanta game, and the Super Bowl after the defense laid a huge turd in the 1st half of both those games.

The only reason not to sign Kaepernick is to think he isn’t the quarterback of the future, and that he’ll somehow revert to Mark Sanchez and fail miserably. With the structure this team has in place (for now), a huge backslide like that is highly unlikely. I mean really, this isn’t Tannenbaun, Rex Ryan and the Jets. And if this comes down to franchising Kappy, that isn’t the trail to happiness. The Saints travelled this road with Brees, and ended up giving him the biggest contract in NFL history at the time. Not something the Niners want to do.

So, pay him $18 mill as a base and give him incentives to jack shit up if he wins it all.

The on;y wrench to be thrown into this is Kappy himself wanting to hold out and play out his deal in the hopes of winning it all and really forcing the issue (kinda like what Harbaugh is doing). That is a dangerous road for anyone, let alone your fearless scrambling quarterback.

Me? I’ll be lazing on this sunny afternoon.

Since blind sheep were part of the last thread, this seems like a natural progression.

Slip kid, slip kid, slip out of trouble
Slip over here and set me free
Slip kid, slip kid, second generation
You’re slidin down the hill like me 
No easy way to be free. . .

One of my favorite obscure Who tunes. Young Sir Jed York appears to be the lead slip kid as the shitstorm seems to have subsided. Michael Rosenberg of SI wrote a piece about Jim Harbaugh, who speaks evenly and glowingly about his relationship with A) the front office, B) Trent Baalke, and C) the world in general. At least in his mind, the kids are alright, and he can see for miles the clear road ahead of him and the team as he’s gpoing mobile. No more fiddling about. Well, at least for the next 2 years. And in a bit of fortuitous timing, Anquan Boldin signed a 2 year deal to remain with the Niners, all the well knowing he would have likely gotten something better than 2/$12 mill from someone else. But he won’t get fooled again. He refuted the ‘unnamed source’ story that stated there was dissent in the locker room, and certain ‘significant players’ said Harbaugh’s antics were ‘wearing thin’ and had vexed Tim Kawakami, Ann Killion, and Cousin Kevin et al into hyperventilating yet again over unsubstantiated malarkey. You’d think they’d wonder “Is it in My Head?”

Folks such as I would never stoop so low. Just call me Happy Jack.