Forty Niners Forever

Today is the last day of the franchise-tagging window. Meaning some more FA WRs come off the books. Guys like Dwayne Bowe and Wes Welker look to get tagged, and Stevie (look at me, I’m a moron) Johnson just signed a contract extension with the Bills. DS Jackson was franchised, but I think Philly is looking to trade him now. Braylon Edwards didn’t pan out, Morgan and Ginn got hurt (at different times), Kyle Williams was unimpressive, and Crabs seemed to be coming along nicely til he vanished in the playoffs, so the WR corps(e) look to be improved upon in the draft as well as free agency. And, there’s no guarantee that Ginn or Morgan come back, leaving the Niners with Crabs as their lone WR.

At this point I don’t think they go after any of these big-ticket WRs. Baalke’s strategy of getting bang for the buck rather than breaking the bank served him fantastically well last year, and he likely looks to do the same this year. So, as much as I’d like to see him go after Mike Wallace, VJJ, or even Pierre Garcon, what they will probably do is re-sign Joshua Morgan, sign someone like Eddie Royal out of Denver, a good slot guy and kick returner and/or Donnie Avery, a fast guy who’s been hurt for a bit. Even still, there are guys like Robert Meacham, Laurent Robinson, and Mario Manningham available. They might be too pricey, or they might not. I’m sure the powers that be are looking at all these guys. Shit Brandon Lloyd is out there. And most of the guys he pissed off in his last stint here are gone. Not likely though.

So, they do have options still, but the once very deep free agent WR list is quickly getting shorter, and will be more so by the end of the day.

<b>UPDATE:</b> The 49ers officially put the franchise tag on Dashon Goldson. They also said they are going to work on a multi-year deal going forward.

Not much happening around 4949 Centennial Blvd. The deadline is coming up for teams to franchise tag their players. There’s talk that Dashon Goldson get tagged today. If I type this any slower, he’ll be tagged before I post this. Frankly this makes sense as he’s only going to cost $6.2 mill to tag. Rogers would cost $10.6 mill. I’m sure Hawk’s not very happy about it, but he and his new agent (CAA) can negotiate for a long term deal through July. Goldson famously turned down a 5 year/$25 million deal last year, expecting other teams to pony up the scratch. Drew the Screw apparently miscalculated, and Goldson came back here for a one-year $1,200,000 deal with his tail between his legs after numerous tweets posting his goodbyes.

Well, the situation turned a bit when Goldson had his breakout season. 6 picks, 9 passes defensed, 64 tackles and a forced fumble. He also had a key pick in the New Orleans game. I’m a bit ambivalent where it comes to Goldson. He had a great year, but I think that had a lot to do with the addition of Carlos Rogers and Donte Whitner in the backfield with him. His wild hits in the NCF Championship game still bug me, as they were reckless and not very situationally aware. At least the one where he hit Rogers was. That play was right in front of him. He needs to pick up Rogers about to make the play. Inconsistent and reckless. I’m of a mind to slide Chris Cuilliver to FS, and let Goldson take his act on the road next year.

I think the Niners plan is to let this franchise tag ride, give Culliver one more year of experience, and let Goldson go after this season. I’m still of a mind that they try to get Rogers to sign a 3 (NOT 5) year deal, get Brock more playing time, and say goodbye to Reggie Smith. Curtis Holcomb, the CB who was hurt all last year, attended every meeting, learned all he could from the coaches, and got himself heathyed up. The staff is very high on him to step in and secure a spot in the line up.

The Niners took their first step in trying to keep the team relatively intact for the 2012 season by signing Ahmad Brooks to a 6 year $44.5 million contract, with $17.5 mill of that guaranteed. If you haven’t heard the story of Brooks, it’s one of inconsistency. He was thrown off of the Virginia footabll team, and was picked in the 3rd round of the supplemental draft. He had a few up-and-down years with them as an inside linebacker, usually showing up for camp out of shape. The Niners picked him up on waivers in ’08 and switched him to OLB, and he worked his way into the lineup. After his father passed away suddenly in 2010, Ahmad has worked much harder at staying in shape, and perfecting his game. He’s excited to be here, and has gotten his due. And yeah, they signed CJ Spillman to a 3 year $6 million contract the other day. And, in front office news, Gideon Yu, the Chief Strategic Officer, and the ex-CFO of both Facebook and Youtube, was named President and Co-owner of the team. He was instrumental in getting the stadium financing from the NFL and the banks.

Still waiting to see what’s next on the horizon, but as of now, the team looks as if it really has a clue these days. If Jed York doesn’t watch out, he actually may start getting props for being among the up-and-coming young guns in the NFL ownership clan. Giving A. Brooks that much money can be argued, but it looks like they want to try and keep the team intact. They have some tough signings to consider. The biggest remaining are Alex, Goldson, and Rogers. If they try to sign all 3, they will shell out a LOT of money. But, with the stadium seemingly happening very soon, the onus is to keep the team in the playoffs, and at some point soon hopefully win the big prize.

. . . and nothing out of 4949 Centennial Blvd. I’m curious as to what end the ditching of notorious weenie agent Drew (the Screw) Rosenhaus serves in the immediate future. Goldson is angling for a new big fat contract. Is Goldson really looking for a deal here? Or is he really paving the way for his departure? He did have a much better year in 2011 than at any other time during his career, but that can be attributed to the improvement of the defensive backfield in general. Rogers did much better than Clements, and Whitner did worlds better than Mays or M Lewis before him. Goldson is looking for a deal similar to Antrelle Rolle. As in 5 years, $37 million. Frankly, I don’t think the Niners go this route. They will either franchise him, or let him sign elsewhere for big money. Culliver can slide over to FS and Brock can replace him as CB. The great strides that the DBs made are drectly attributable to the vast impriovement they got from Rogers and Whitner. Which allowed Dashon to have his big year. If they are going to throw a bunch on money at someone, is it better served going to Brooks? Or will the Niners move Aldon Smith in as a 4 down guy? They’ve said as much, but I don’t completely buy that yet. Moving Haralson into Brooks’ role would not be very smart in my book, but what do I know? Goldson is still too reckless out there. Too inconsistent as well.

Still and all, I am unsure what they do (if anything) with the franchise tag. Will they dare use it on Carlos Rogers? He’d cost more than Goldson, but Rogers is on the edge of 31 and could be replaced by a guy like Brandon Carr from KC. Nothing to do now but wait and speculate . . .

Per Trent Baalke’s press conference, he’s leery of using (but isn’t averse) to using the franchise tag. He’s not looking to be reactionary in the free agency period, and is looking at possibly acquiring some wideouts soon. Either through free agency or the draft.

In other words, zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

I got nothing either. I could fill this with the usual banter about Wallace, V-J-J, Colston, and the large crop of WRs available, but we’ve all been there, done it, and got the shirt to prove it. Ahmad Brooks is going to want a big payday, as is Goldson. Alex Smith will get his, and then there’s the Carlos Rogers question. This will be a busy free agency period to say the least. But until it gets started, we MAY get the odd contract agreement or 2 before March 13.

I wonder if the front office lets all their guys test the waters before trying to sign them. I doubt it, but the possibibility exists that someone may jump on Alex Smith (Seattle, Wash, and Indy spring to mind) and offer him a ton of money. Money that the Niners aren’t willing to part with. I guess I should have led with “Forty Niners To Let Smith Go . . .”

I’m back. Disneyland nightmare and traffic hell notwithstanding. I set the blog to stop taking comments too early, so that last one shut down prematurely. Sorry. I fixed that problem.

Anyhow, not much brewing yet in 49er-land other than speculation on when and how the team will replenish its depleted WR corps, and when the first shovel hits the ground on the new stadium (scheduled to be ready for the preseason games come 2014). I’m imagining the Niners hit the FA WR market hard, as there are a ton of guys available (minus Dwayne Bowe and Wes Welker apparently, as they’ll be franchised by their respective teams. The only real news is the fact the the Niners told Shawntae Spencer that he’s available for trade. Something he’s up for due to his injury-marred season, and his sinking on the depth chart. After an 8 year run as starter, he was relegated to 3rd string and very little playing time. The Niners feel the Tremaine Brock and Chris Culliver are the way to go. As do I.

KC tagging Bowe leaves the opportunity for the 49ers to go after Brandon Carr if they don’t want to retain Carlos Rogers. Rogers had a great year as the #1 CB on the team, but his age (30) and his pursuit of a big deal may preclude the Niners from going after him hard. Carr is 25, and is his equal, if not better. Whitner is locked in for a couple more years, and the young guys are all in as well. The same applies to Goldson and Ahmad Brooks. You have to wonder, with the plethora (how’s that for WOD?) of players that come available, if the Niners may let some go to greener pastures while scooping up some bargains. I don’t think the Niners will keep both Goldson and Brooks. They are both looking for big paydays. Throw Rogers into the mix, and they are on the hook for a ton of payout. Not even mentioning the 3/~$24 mill that Alex gets. Yeah, they can afford it, but there will be changes and signings. They won’t stay pat. Esp as the WR spot.

I think this is where they try to make the biggest splash free agent wise. I’ve gone over and over the ton of quality guys available. Irregardless, the FA period coming up is going to be very interesting. Pittsburgh is saying they are willing to let RFA Mike Wallace test the market. Pitt is in FA hell and stands to lose some big names off their team. He would cost the Niners a 1st round pick, and an offer high enough that Pittsburgh declines to match it,  but would be well worth it for what they’d get. A true #1 guy who is young and tough (started every game for his 3 year career) and has his best years in front of him.

ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz……………………

Not much happening out there in football-land (pitchers and catchers report this weekend! Go Giants!) and I’m going out of town for the long weekend.

So, play nice or don’t play at all. I will be back on Tuesday . . .

Ha ha. No way. Word is (thanks, Dennis) is that Peyton Manning had an additional undisclosed surgery on his neck, and that there are apparently bone spurs in his previously fused portion of the neck vertebrae, which would neccessitate an additional (5th) surgery. Yikes. Despite all the national blather regarding Peyton being a great fit here, this was always a non-starter. I find it hard to believe that Jim Harbaugh, after coaxing what by all means was a spectacular season out of Alex Smith, would all of a sudden decide to abandon the progress made with him, and go with Manning. I don’t see Harbaugh doing anything regarding the QB position this season. No Matt Flynn, no Manning, no Drew Brees, or any other QB flavor of the day. Cappy is the back up. Tolzein is the 3rd string guy.

A couple other things to note. Trent Baalke was given a contract extention through the 2016 season as GM, and all the players who were on the IR (Joshua Morgan, Tukuafu, Holcolm, and a WR whose name eludes me) are all healthy. Morgan is a FA who will hopefully be taken care of. He was off to a good start last season.

The groundbreaking for the new stadium in Santa Clara is set at ‘springtime,’ although the first sign of the new stadium appears to be the removal Aluminum Mike Singletary’s Mt. Pain, the big hill he had built at the practice facility for the more intrepid guys to scale during practice. This anachronism (along with the nutcracker) has gone the way of the dodo, but it was also supposedly in the way of building an access road to get to the stadium site.

Sad. Very Sad. Freddie Solomon passed away at 59. He was battling liver cancer for the last nine months of his life. An outstanding quarterback out of the University of Tampa, he wasn’t highly recruited, but was a Mike Vick type way before the puppy killer showed up.  He was drafted in the 2nd round by the Dolphins in 1975 and put up decent numbers around his various injuries eary on. He came to the Niners in 1978 amid a team in a shambles. By the end of the 1978 season, he was forced into duty as the emergency QB as  Steve DeBerg, Scott Bull and Bruce Threadgill were all injured by the end of the year.

1981 was his best year as a 49er with 59 catches for 969 yards. He was instrumental on The Drive, running for 13 yards on a reverse, and catching a 12 yard pass. The Catch was designed to go to Freddie, but he was triple-covered, and the play went to, well you know. He also won a ring after the 1984 season, winning a ring against his former team, the Phins.

Solomon ended up with 5846 yards receiving and 53 TDs  over an 11 year career. He was the solid vet presence there to help along guys like Dwight Clark and a young Jerry Rice. Truly a great Forty Niner. One who won’t get elected to the Hall of Fame, but a true pro who was a selfless player and genuine humanitarian.

Eddie DeBartolo had this to say about Freddie:

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Freddie Solomon today. My heart goes out to Dee, his family, the 49ers football family, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office and football fans everywhere. Freddie and I have been friends for 35 years, and he was one of the most gentle and best men I have ever met in my life. Scores of generations will remember Freddie through their children and the youth he’s helped over all these decades. I have never met a man who cared so much about the human race, and there will never be another Freddie.”

My condolences to his family.

There are over 600 free agents on the market this year. Don’t know if that’s some kind of record, but it is a hell of a lot. I think 250 of the are WRs. From Dwayne Bowe to Marcus Colston to Vincet Jackson to latest Super Bowl goat Wes Welker to Super Bowl hero Mario Manningham to countless others (including DSJ), the Niners will have their pick of a lot of players who can make an immediate impact. The question is, at what cost? I’d love to see the Niners go after a guy like Dwayne Bowe and offer him a big deal, but he will be costly. At what point do you cry ‘Uncle’? 5 years/$40 mill? Hard to say. Which is why I think they can wait a little and get DSJ for a relative bargain. I mane, sure. Go after the Bowes and Colstons, but know that DSJ is a good enough fall-back position. I don’t think teams are going to jump on him like all these other available guys.  

The good news seems to be that Joshua Morgan is healed up from his broken leg. Yeah, he’s a free agent as well, but I think the Niners will take care of him, and he shouldn’t be too onerous a signing.  TE Nate Bynum and UDFA WR Dontavia Bogan (2nd team All Big-East) are on the mend as well. But still and all, the WR corps was the definite weakness offensively. So, expect a lot of changes. Crabs should be relegated to the #2 role while the Niners get a high-impact speed guy. Not sure what the team will do, as they seem to prefer bigger WRs, but the team needs a home run hitter. Say what you will about the dearth of deep passes, but Smith did hit VD on a number of occasions down the stretch and in the playoffs. Having a speed guy that can catch would be nice to have this season.