Forty Niners Forever

Or not. In an exchange of massively disappointing WRs, the 49ers traded AJ Jenkins to the Kansas City Chiefs for Jon Baldwin. Baldwin has been labelled a bust due to his propensity of dropping a lot of passes, and for the inexplicable ‘talent’ of making easy catches harder by not using both hands. AJ? Well, the label on him is pretty well documented. He showed up last year out of shape and did little to get in shape or prepared to see the field. 3 targets and 0 catches his first year. This season he supposedly rededicated himself to the game, and promised to work out and get with the program. Instead, He spent camp catching and falling down. Apparently avoiding contact at all costs. In 2 preseason games, AJ has one catch for 12 yards that he promptly fumbled.

So, who got the better end of the deal? Well, based on the numbers, the Niners in a landslide. Well, molehill slide. At least Baldwin has made plays. And scored some points. And put up yards in actual games. Thing is, he’ll more than likely be on the team as his contract is guaranteed through this season. Yes, this smacks of desperation on the Niners part. They need WRs like Eskimos need cold. But it also goes to show that some team will always take someone else’s garbage. AJ could have very well been cut after the preseason. But I guess the same can be said of Baldwin. Baldwin is fast, though, so the thought that we now have a vertical guy is at least better than the AJ option. 

But yeah, in the end, both were busts. However, I think the upside is better with a guy like Baldwin than Jenkins. Jenkins appears to have a pretty small heart. It’s harder to teach heart than it is to teach hands. 

The Alex hooraw (zzzzzzzzzzzzz) tomorrow notwithstanding, game one of the season looks to be a real interesting matchup. A real barn burner for the last opening day at what is the grand old (crippled, and derelict at 43) dame of football stadiums, Candlestick Park. After the Pack had manhandled the Niners for, oh 18 years, the Niners suddenly have the upper hand. Beating Green Bay in their house to open the 2012 season and trouncing them in the playoffs last year at home. In both games, the Niner defense held the high-flying Green Bay passing game and Aaron Rogers to fairly pedestrian passing numbers (249, and 278 respectively). This was accomplished by pressure. The Niners didn’t blitz, or even sack Rogers much in either game (3 in the 1st game, 1 in the playoffs). But they were able to generate constant pressure with their base defense, which allowed more downfield coverage, and thus picks (1 in each game). It doesn’t sound like a lot, but Navarro Bowman’s pick in the 1st game slowed a GB comeback, and Tarrell Brown’s pick in the playoff game kept the game tied. Each pick was followed immediately by a touchdown on the Niners part. Those were both big momentum swings in the Niners favor.

So, Green Bay has us up in their sights. They have been perennial Super Bowl contenders, and therefore feel its their God-given right to reach and succeed in the playoffs. They don’t lose very much, either, and we have handed them some of their most recent painful losses. Beyond that, the Niners edged the Pack out last year for the #2 seed, and the playoff bye, and used that to their advantage.

You don’t (or ever) hear much trash talking come out of America’s Dairyland,  but the Cheeseheads are a proud lot, and don’t take very kindly to losing. Especially to the 49ers. A team that they used to beat with sickening regularity. I’m sure the Cheeseheads will be out in full force come opening day (and they are pretty damn nice and unassuming for the most part having seen them at the Stick for 2 straight playoff losses back in the day), but they certainly aren’t nowhere near the assholes that the Seahawk fans are. And what has Seattle done?

Beyond that, it beats talking about the preseason. Plus, one of our own, 12th man, is going to the game. Take some pics and I’ll post them here, 12th.

Well, based on he first preseason drives of both QBs, the Niners would have been better off sticking with young Sir Alex. Just kidding. Game one is in the books. And while too much can’t be gleaned from it, some players looked good early. Kappy led a nice opening drive until a penalty (stop me if this sounds familiar) stalled out a drive. Richard Dawson came in to kick a FG. The first string D looked nice even without J Smith. A Smith got pressure on PM to stall Denver’s first drive. After that it was backup time. Turnovers ensued, and the rest was pretty much sloppy, but some players looked good. Ian Williams, ice soap’s replacement, played well, and provided a nice push up front. Something Mike Nolan stressed him not to do. Something which he became great at not doing. Eric Reid played a nice game and laid the wood on a couple guys. However he had a mild back strain in practice today.

The other big pick in the draft, Vance McDonald, played a fairly solid game, with a couple drops. One pass he alligatored, the other was a flat drop. This was his knock coming in, and the hope is he can lose that problem, as well as pick up pointers on how to block. He has great size and power as a pass catcher, and is a nice big target. The fight for #2 WR was apparently going toward Marlon Moore and Kassim Osgood. They both made a few nice catches, while AJ Jenkins, who was in for more plays, managed to make one catch and then promptly fumbled it away. All in all, tough sledding for a guy who can’t seem to do anything right.

The bad? Well, neither back up QB looked very good. That had something to do with the shaky line play by the backup O line, bit still and all, the luxury of having 2 starting caliber QBs like we did last year is but a memory. Tukafu on the line was washed out on a few plays but he had a couple good plays as well, AJ, Dawson missed a FG to close the half, and the turnovers led to the only TD, when DJ Harper fumbled and it was returned for a flop 6. Dorsey was invisible, and each backup QB had a pick. The good news was a light injury report.

Well, here we are, after the ecstasy of the playoffs, the agony of the Super Bowl, the anticipation of the draft, the tedium of the offseason, and the intense hyperbole of the fans, poised on the start of the 2013 season. Beyond the fact that Dennis may expire due to the excitement of seeing Peyton Manning hand the ball off three times before he retires to the sidelines, this game could very well be a precursor to a game in February. I can’t stand Denver, I don’t think Manning will get that far (and beating Denver in another Super Bowl would be spectacular), but they certainly had their shot last year, if not for the epic playoff fail vs Balt.

But before we get ahead of ourselves, there are some issues to iron out in this preseason. Mainly who will step up to become the wide receivers on this team? Bouldin and ? KW is off the PUP list, but is not a bona fide #2 at this point. AJ Jenkins is still buried on the depth chart. The rest are either young, untested, or damaged goods. Manningham is still PUPped. Crabs of course is more than likely out til December.

RB is more than good to go. Gore is rested and ready. LMJ is strong as well. Kendall Hunter is hurt, as is Marcus Lattimore, but Dixon and Hampton are fine if unspectacular backups. TE is set with VD and VM. I’m curious to see how he does in his blocking assignments. The line remains pretty much intact. They even got perennial backup Adam Snyder back from AZ.

Defensively we get to see how the loss of Dashon Goldson affects the defense. Culliver is out. Eric Reid and Nnamdi Asomuaga take their spots. Rogers and Whitner are coming off fairly non-productive seasons, and Tarrell Brown is coming off a contract screwup of epic proportions. He may be the key to the future of the defensive backfield going forward (and my hope is they renegotiate a deal for him this year) as Rogers and Whitner will not return. But that’s a topic for another day.

It’ll be interesting to watch for guys like rookies Corey Lemonier and Vance McDonald. Eric Reid certainly will get a lot of playing time. I’m also interested in seeing Ice’s replacement Ian Williams up front. I’d also like to see if Dorsey can play, and if this D line can gain needed depth. That won’t be known for a while though. Preseason heroes are a dime a dozen.

ST? Well, the Niners brought in Phil (don’t call me Richard) Dawson after the debacle that the Joe Nedney season turned into.

Other than that, the Niners would be very happy to dodge the injury bug that raced through the team in practice.

I was talking to a friend a couple days ago about Frank Gore, and the Hall of Fame came up. As in, is Gore worthy? Frank Gore is quietly amassing some pretty solid numbers as a running back. In these days of 16-game seasons though, the 10,000 yard mark isn’t what it used to be. Back in the days of 12 and 14 game seasons, even getting close to 10,000 got you in. Like the case of Joe the Jet and Jim Taylor of the Packers. Nowadays, there are a lot of rushers near 10,000 and over who are mainly known for hanging around long enough to get to 10,000. Guys like Corey Dillon and Warrick Dunn. Rickey Watters has 10,000 for God’s sake, and so does Thomas Jones.

Who? In a 12-year career with 5 teams, Jones made the Pro Bowl once, and reached 1,000 yards 5 times. Good? Sure. HOF numbers? Well, beyond the fact that I, as a somewhat knowledgeable football fan, have no inkling of his career with the Cards, Bucs, Bears, Jets, or Chiefs, you’d be hard-pressed to include a guy who really didn’t leave much of a mark on the league, other than hanging around long enough to pile up yards. Hugh McElhenny only had 5,281 yards in a 13 year career, but he was, in his prime, one of the greatest runners out there. Like Barry Sanders and Jim Brown, a guy you game-planned for at the cost of all else. Like Gayle Sayers and his injury-shortened 4,956 yards rushing, you KNEW who was getting the ball, and you had to try to stop him. The great runners all share this trait to greater or lesser degrees. Emmitt Smith was on a team with a lot of talent, but he was asked many times to shoulder the load and carry the ball 30+ times a game.

Which leads us to Frank Gore. He’s currently 3rd on the active rushers list with 8,839 yards (34th highest on the all-time list). 10 yards behind AP, and ~1,250 behind Steven Jackson (who also is in a similar situation as Gore). Given his usual production of around 1,100 to 1,200 yards, he’ll be in the 10,000 yard club by the end of the season. One more year (injury-free of course would likely put him near or over 11,000 yards. Right around the O.J. Simpson area of 18th on the all-time list. Although AP and Jackson would likely bump him down to 20th.

Is that enough for the Hall of Fame? Well, Niner fan that I am, and being a bit biased, I’d say yes. Mainly because his career WASN’T non-descript, like Thomas Jones’. For most of Gore’s career, his coaches would say Gore is our offense. Stop him and you stop the team. More often than not, Gore did his part of the job. The team wasn’t winning, but not because of Gore’s efforts. He’s a 4-time pro bowler, and even when he had his greatest year statistically (2006 with 312 carries for 1,695 yards), the team pretty much sucked on offense. 2nd year starter Alex Smith had a non-descript year of 16 TDs, 16 ints, and 2,800 yards, and the offense in general (Norv’s Digital offense) was fairly bland and lifeless except for Frank. They still couldn’t control the clock (TOP was still awful even with all those yards from Gore) although they were the 6th leading rushing team in the NFL. From 2005 to 2010, every team knew Gore would get the ball around 25 times, through the air or rushing. And he always did the job.

He came into the league as a 3rd round flier from Miami due to the multiple knee surgeries he had already endured through his college career. He never was a breakaway runner, but he has great vision, power, and the ability to make the first couple guys miss and get into the secondary for big gains. He, by far, has the biggest heart on the team, and is still distraught over the Super Bowl, and his last touch of the game, where he said he should have dipped inside to try and get more yards.

I don’t think he even needs to get over 10,000 to merit consideration, but that would likely be the key factor. And I’m certainly very happy Gore has had the opportunity to reach, and succeed, in the playoffs. His first 6 years were marked by him being the target of every defense they Niners faced, and he weathered the pounding with little complaint and fairly good health. In his 7 years as a starter, he’s missed 10 games due to injury. So, sure, Frank belongs in the Hall of Fame. Inducted in 2019 . . . Or 2018 if Gore retires as a Super Bowl champ.

At this point, the jury is still out (but the decision is coming soon) on perennial underachiever AJ Jenkins and his bid to get out of the depths of the doghouse hole he dug himself into last year by running poor routes, dropping balls, and generally not paying much attention to the game he was picked as a 1st round draft choice for last year. According to camp reports, he’s spent most of his time in camp falling down, mis-running his routes, dropping passes, and generally spending his practices sprawled out on the field.

In other words, of all the WRs to get hurt, why hasn’t it been AJ? I’m kidding, but really. He’s had ample opportunity to get on the field with a pretty much nondescript crew of healthy WRs currently suited up, this year and last, and he’s playing like the 5th best guy on a list of 4 players. Certainly no one but the Niners FO had this guy on the radar before last year’s draft. In fact, many thought him a high 3rd rounder. I had high hopes for him when Kappy came in to start last year because they practiced a lot together when Alex Smith was the starter. Plus, there was all this happy talk from the AJ camp that he was rededicating himself to getting prepared for this season. He worked out with Kappy after the Super Bowl, and wanted to get on the same page, etc. Well, he’s not making any progress. I had some hope for him going in to camp, but as of now, he looks like a bust.

It’s hard to get them all right, but AJ was a real shot in the dark that failed. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him cut before the season starts.

Would you like the bad news or the bad news? Funny enough, Kyle Williams, who just recently got off the PUP list, pulled his hammy on a 40 yard pass play from Kappy yesterday, Quintin Patton has a cast on his right hand (index and middle fingers, and AJ Jenkins continued to get wide open yet drop passes.

Needless to say, it’s early. These things should work themselves out. KW says he’s fine. Don’t know what happened to Patton. And AJ? Well, he just may be a lost cause.  The bright side, I suppose, is that KW’s knee held up after he got banged around in his first full-contract drill since getting hurt last year. He may not be spectacular as a WR, but he’s got what most of these other guys don’t. Experience.

According to the reports out of camp, a lot of the pass catchers weren’t catching passes. They were dropping stuff everywhere. Including 2 by Vance McDonald. Other than that? No other injuries to report. And, there’s news out of Seattle that Percy Harvin may miss the season with hip surgery.

Be still my heart. The defending NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers officially kick off the 2013 season today. Once again, they are in a position to avenge a crushing last-minute defeat to finish out their season. 2 years ago it was a heart-breaking loss to the eventual Super Bowl Champion New York Giants in the NFC CG. Last year, of course was the stalled drive on the 6 yard line to close out the Super Bowl. Certainly motivation isn’t an issue for these guys.

As teams go, the 49ers didn’t really retool the offense, but the biggest change was due to the blown out achilles of erstwhile #1 WR, Michael Crabtree. This made the Anquan Bouldin acquisition all the more important. Injuries still hamper the backup WRs Mario Manningham and Kyle Williams although they are supposedly close to resuming full practice mode, though they are both on the injured list as of now. Still, what was seen as a strong pair of wideouts with a couple solid backups has become a work in progress yet again. Crabs at best won’t see the field until early December, so one or two of the cast of rookies, castoffs, and underachievers has to step up. This includes Seattle castoff Chad Hall, Kappy Kaepernick’s offseason roommate, speedster Ricardo Lockette, doghouse dweller AJ Jenkins, 4th round pick Quintin Patton, and local guy Marlon Moore. TE will be manned by Vernon Davis and draftee Vance McDonald. VM will be tasked with coming up to speed as far as his blocking goes to really make his mark with the team. Fail there, and it’s Garrett Celek as the backup.

Defensively, it’s all about keeping the D line fresh. The Niners added Tank Carradine and Quinton Dial through the draft, and picked up Glen Dorsey. That being said, both Carradine and Dial have injuries to overcome. An ACL tear for Tank, and turf toe for Dial.  They also drafted LB help by getting Cory Lemonier in the 3rd dound. The defensive backfield is in a bit of flux as well. After getting torched late in the season, and in the playoffs, Dashon Goldson and his huge salary demands were sent packing. The Niners obviously weren’t fine with the way things ended up as they have signed Nnamdi Asomugha and Craig Dahl, drafted safety Eric Reid, and will lean on the guys they have in Carlos Rogers, Tarrell Brown, Tremaine Brock, and Donte Whitner.

The failure of getting Eric Wright did nothing more than shed light on the fact that the Niners are looking to replace Rogers, whose $8.1 mill deal is the largest on the team. Truth be told, they may just go ahead and sign Wright once he’s cut by the Bucs and the dust settles.

Other than that, Kap’t Kappy Kaepernick comes in as the starting quarterback for the first time in his young career. He’s been putting in the hard work, but he’s also reaping the rewards of instant celebrity. Jaguar deals, breakout player of the year awards, and ESPN face time, along with all the hype that comes along with all this, will focus the spotlight on him much more than at any time in his life. He seems to have a fairly level head regarding his sudden cult of personality, but greater men have crumbled under the intense scrutiny of a fickle and demanding public. That being said, the battle rages on to back up Kappy. Scott Tolzien has pushed back successive waves of contenders, but now he has Colt McCoy gunning for his spot, and now 7th round pick BJ Daniels, the QB/RB?KR guy whose versatility may land him a spot on the roster.

All in all, the season couldn’t happen any faster, as the Giants appear to be slowly sinking in the NL West. Bring it on!

Christ, talk about blowing your chance. Eric Wright’s failed physical costs him a pretty penny to say the least. He looks at losing out on his $7.15 mill deal and signing a league-minimum one year $710,000 deal. Ouch. The speculation is that the Niners didn’t know about the recent DUI arrest in El Lay on the 10th, and just said pfffffffffft, do not pass go, do not collect $200.00. Either way, the guy is being pretty stupid. Either way, this seems to be the year of being stupid in the NFL.

Last year was the thrill of Peyton Manning’s free-agent flirtings with NFL suitors. The Andrew Luck / RG III stories, the never ending saga of Tim Tebow and his signing by the Jets, and various other stories to keep the wolves, uh press, at bay. We had our own Alex Smith saga still in full swing, and this was seen as his full blown charge to the Super Bowl.

This year? Murder, aggravated mayhem, DUIs up the wazoo, and in general, a big black eye (and stitches to the head) for Roger Goodell and his vast and unholy empire. He’s been strangely mum during all these legal snafoos, but he is of the same mind as the fans. It’s offseason! This doesn’t count!! The Niners had Ahmad Brooks trying to rearrange Lamar Divens’ head, and Divens trying to extort a cool mill from Brooks for his troubles, and nearly signing a recently busted Eric Wright. Aldon Smith has stayed out ot trouble this year. This can be seen as a plus.  And the fans don’t give two shits about it anyway. For the most part the fans are ‘who cares?’ in the overall scheme of who did what to whom (murder excepted, I think), and just want the season to start.

Frankly (Gorely), so do I. Here’s to the squeaky clean start to the 2013 season. One rife with possibilities. The 49ers are poised to make another Super Bowl run. Peyton Manning will try to keep his head attached to his body one more year, the Packers are trying to overcome their recent playoff failings, and the usual drama around the Chokeland Traitors will continue it’s death spiral as Prince Valiant tries and fails to channel his father for some meaningful direction to the team as they search once again for a home. New England has another gasp as they try to wring one more Super Bowl out of Tom Brady. Pittsburgh and the Ravens renew their rivalry as Pitts looks to stave off their imminent decline into mediocrity. The Jets and Cowboys resume their laughable offseasons, hoping they don’t turn into laughable seasons. Sanchez and Romo look to be highly scrutinized once again as their recent failings haven’t led to the kinds of coaching changes that usually happen around this sort of foul play. Jason Garrett and Rex Ryan both share the unblinking spotlight as their seasons are already teetering on the edge of doom.

Oh yeah, Denver star and erstwhile defensive stud Von Miller was suspended for 4 games for suspected PED use. He’s appealing the suspension. The new season has already lost a little squeaky cleanness. 

UPDATE: The Niners turned back the clock to 1981 by trading a conditional low-round pick for CB Eric Wright. He of the Browns, the Lions, and most recently the Bucs. Carlos Rogers, step up your game or . . .

_________________________

This is the official beginning of the 2013 season, and it couldn’t come any sooner. The natives are getting restless, the players are busy trying to stay out of trouble, and the fashion police will be in full force once all the players return to camp.

In some good news, depending on your viewpoint, no charges will be brought against Ahmad Brooks and his braining of his teammate, whose name escapes me at this point, as the DA dropped the charges due to the unnamed teammate dropping HIS charges against Brooks. I doubt the team does anything, as I don’t think they’ll do anything regarding hat-gate. This shall be handled inside the locker room, not in the outside world. As it should be I suppose.

Let the season begin!!!