San Francisco 49ers Forever

One month to free agency (March 17). Pretty slow till then, but the fur will fly. We have a shit-ton of free agents but there will also be a bigger shit-ton of available guys. Granted, we don’t have much wiggle room with free agency, and the shrinking salary-covid-cap that has cut into it, but we should be looking to replace our mid-range guys with some other mid-range guys.

Does that include QB? Weeeellllll, once you get past Dak Prescott, you have Ryan Fitzpatrick (and his lover Patrick Fitzryan), Jameis Winston, and Cam Newton. In other words, nope.

Wide receiver appears to be the biggest stockpile. Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson, Ken Golladay, and Will Fuller are all young highly productive guys. Shit, even T.Y. Hilton should be affordable in a pinch. He might be a steal, and 31 ain’t that old.

Thing is, we stand to lose a lot of our guys to free agency, even if they aren’t rated that high. Except for Trent Williams. Of the 33 (!!!) free agents, I think we should focus on Williams, Verrett, Juice, Brunskill, and Kendrick Bourne. The list of meh is long. Wilson and Moseley are restricted FAs so they should be staying.

I’m on the fence regarding guys like Tartt, Witherspoon, and Blair, Willis DJ Jones, and Hyder, as they all had solid seasons for a defense decimated by injury. But guys like Mullens, Coleman, Trent Taylor, Reed (on the fence with him as well), Solly Thomas, Sherman, Grasu, and others should hit the road.

Anyhow, here’s our free agent list!

Well, what a strange game that was. From the first pass the mahomes threw, a pass batted down by Jason Pierre-Paul, to the last pick, the Chiefs played like a team that hadn’t been to the big one in a long time. Stupid penalties, bad ref calls, shitty punting, and most egregious, so many dropped passes.

Mahomes made two plays off scrambles that were phenomenal. Both could have been touchdowns. And both were dropped. Hill and Kelce included. The pass to Pringle that was maybe catchable was the stuff of legend. being spun in a circle, he got it off on the mark.

So, but for that, it could have been a different game. The refs did give the Bucs a free TD to close out the 1st half. Which was kinda sucky. But in the end, the Tampa defense, holding both safeties deep, seemed to slow down the deep KC game, and Mahomes was pretty bead up regardless.

Brady was decent, he made the throws he needed to, and the TB run game kept KC’s defense off balance. And by no means did I ever think KC would not score a touchdown.

If only we could have played a 4th quarter like that last year.

Fuck.

Here we go. Super Bowl 55. strange I remember most of them, dating back to the first one I remember watching, Super Bowl III and Broadway Joe. Being 6, I believed the hype about the Colts and thought the mighty Colts would win. By the time the Chiefs rolled around the next year, I was a big fan of the freewheeling style of AFL football. Lenny Dawson, the Mad Bomber, Otis Taylor,Freddie B, great teams.

Unless the Niners were there. Which they almost were. Big I digress. The Chiefs now? Fuck ’em. Yeah, they are kinda reminiscent of the Hank Stram Air Coryell Al Davis AFL, but don’t really want to see them win 2 in a row. Then again, I don’t really want to see Brady lift up another trophy, but hey, Tom’s in the NFC now, and I’m an NFC guy at heart.

Still and all, not really feeling this one given all the shit that’s going on. Hey, I just hope it’s a good game, and the Niners get healed up.

RIP Charlie Krueger. Great player back in the day.

Well, the Rams certainly have balls. They are going all in yet again for a new QB. The one they gave away is the ont they spent a ton of draft capital to get in the first place in Jared (don’t call me Jared) Goff. TWO first round picks, TWO second round picks, and TWO third round picks to Tennessee to get the services of Goff, the guy they just traded to the Lions for TWO first round picks and a third round pick to acquire Matthew Stafford.

Balls they have. But brains? Hard to say. They went all in last season with their mid-season trade for Jalen Ramsey, thus losing the only 1st round pick they have sniffed since trading up for Goff in 2016, and they won’t see one till 2024 with this new deal.

So, the Rams either cash in quick, stay on top for a year or two, or fade from the scene in a slow agonizing death. Frankly, I think they are fucked. It’s hard enough just to get through this division, let alone run the playoff gauntlet. They have mortgaged their future in a big way. They already gave away this year’s first round pick for Jalen Ramsey. Someone who didn’t really help in the end as we sure proved, and Green Bay as well, that if you can control Aaron Donald to reasonable output, you can beat them. Ramsey had a nice season, but in the end didn’t tip the balance.

So, what does that mean for us? Well, it means the price tag for DeShaun Watson is now stratospheric (catastrophic?). Out if this world. Far out. Across the universe. Shit, even looking at what the Rams gave up to trade up with Tennessee to get Goff in the first place is utter insanity. So, that leaves us in a pickle. This team has recently been burned by trading picks (see Dee Ford), and got kinda burned by Beater McBeatHard, and Jimmy G is looking like a slow-moving train wreck.

I hate to say it, but this doesn’t look like out year already. I don’t think the Niners can afford to trade up OR trade for DSW. We take a shot with our 2nd pick with Mac Jones (if he’s around) or Fla’s Kyle Trask. GIve Jimmy G one last shot, and see if he stays upright. If not, we’ll be back near the top of the draft and we can go for Sam Howell or Tyler Shough.

No way in hell did I think Tom Brady would take the Buccos to a Super Bowl. Brady is the pre-emptive MVP with his 4600 yard, 40 TD, 12 pick effort. This will be his 10th Super Bowl. Criminy. Nearly 20% of the Super Bowls involve him. 6 Super Bowl wins. Yadda yadda yadda.

I’ve come here not to praise Brady but to bury him. Sure, he’s from my home town and went to my high school. Meh. Sure, he’s had a phenomenal career and has won a ton of games, but the luck around his success cannot be understated. The Tuck Rule. The INT on the 1 yard line. Dee Ford lining up offsides. Atlanta hacking up a huge lead (thanks, Kyle).

On and on. 3 of his Super Bowls were solid performances. 6 not so much. But, hey, he got there yet again, so color me surprised. He also gets to be the first quarterback to play in his home stadium. The 49ers and Stanford stadium (their home after the earthquake) notwithstanding.

Anyhow, the adage has always been don’t bet against Brady in the playoffs. Well, fuck that. I don’t know. I think KC wins this, but I’ve been wrong about Brady before.

If Brady wins, it will further cement him as the GOAT. Again, meh. Where’s his touchdown to Clark in the NFC Championship game? Where’s his 95 yard drive leading up to the TD to John Taylor with time running out? When Montana got there (as well as Steve Young) he either dominated or hit a big play at a crucial time.

Game on the line and I get one QB? Montana all the way. Sure, I’m blinded by Joe. But then again, so were all the DBs he faced.

Well, here we are at the penultimate weekend of football. We get the NFC oldsters vs the AFC youngsters. What used to be fondly referred to as the Bay of Pigs games back when both teams sucked the bone in the 80s, we have 43 year old Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Bucs against relative puppy 37 year old Aaron (I coulda been a Niner) Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers.

Brady of course left the safety of his cozy relationship with Bill Belichick to strike out on his own in Florida. Sure, it’s easy to call Brady the winner in this deal of system over player, as the Pats went 7-9 and missed out on the playoffs while Tom terrific has taken the Bucs to the edge of another Super Bowl. Crazy shit if you ask me. I thought the Bucs would be a WC that maybe got one win and gracefully crashed and burned. And it isn’t as if he lifted the team onto his shoulders and threw his way to victory. But still I’m a little more than impressed that he has gotten them this far.

He has a lot of weapons at his disposal in Tampa, and he has used them well. But, I don’t think they get past Green Bay. Should be a fun one though.

Green Bay gives up 3.5 points, but I think they cover and win. The prevailing sentiment out there is never bet against Brady in the playoffs. Well, fuck that, Green Bay wins 24-17.

• Green Bay vs Tampa Bay – 12:05 pm on Fox

The AFC Championship pits the wobbly Patrick Mahomes against the newly awesome Josh Allen. This one could get interesting if Buffalo can get in Mahomes’ face. He has his concussion he suffered last week, along with a toe injury he suffered before that. His hip is wonky as well. So, this one may not be as in-the-bag as one might think. Both teams were scoring machines in the regular season but have cooled off a bit on the playoffs.

Buffalo is coming off two grind-it-out playoff games against the Colts and the Ravens. Definitely a rough road to get here. With Mahomes beat up, I think the Bills get another chance at their first Super Bowl win. They give 3.5 points themselves. But this should be another cover by the victors. Buffalo wins 24-13.

• Kansas City vs Buffalo – 3:40 pm on CBS

Much as i hate to admit it, the new playoff format is pretty cool. 6 games on weekend 1 and 4 weekend 2 rocks.

Today we have:

• Rams at the Packers at 1:35 and Ravens at the Bills at 5:15.

Tomorrow is:

• Browns at Chiefs at 12:05 and Bucs at Saints at 3:40

I got Packers, Chiefs, Bills, and Bucs. Saints somehow fuck this up again.

Yes, it is time to dig up Mel Kiper Jr. and plant his head behind a desk to watch him bloviate about something that no one ever gets right. The draft. Ask 100 people to guess the first round, and you will get 100 different answers. None of which are remotely close to reality beyond the top 5 picks.

So, just for funzies, here are the 49ers nine picks in the upcoming draft in April:

• 1st round, No. 12 overall
• 2nd round, No. 43 overall
• 4th round, No. 108 overall
• 5th round, No. 139 overall
• 5th round, No. 157 overall (from NO)
• 5th round compensatory pick for Emmanuel Sanders
• 6th round, No. 170 overall
• 7th round, No. 194 overall (from NYJ)
• 7th round, No. 204 overall

Since we have no idea what the front office is thinking, we get to guess like all the other talking heads. Based on the talk we should draft a quarterback. No, a cornerback. No we need to bolster the offensive line. No, we need a bookend for Nick Bosa. No, we need linebacker help.

Needless to say, you can pretty much make a case for all of these suggestions. The curious non-attention paid to the cornerback position in last year’s draft was at times very costly, and at other times, not so bad. Bruce Allen cost the 49ers the Miami game by giving up 7 passes, 153 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 PI penalties in a matter of 20 minutes on the field. A field that he will never tread upon again. then again, Jamar Taylor came out of nowhere to shut down Cooper Kupp and the Rams. We have a lot of bodies that are decent. And nobody signed.

Jason Verrett may be costly, but he has at least put out there that he was very thankful of the opportunity given to him by the 49ers. Same with Kerry Hyder, another scrap-heap signing that paid off in dividends but is looking for a payday. Emmanuel Moseley is a guy who has been solid. Sherm? Nice knowing you. Great on-field and locker room leader, but your time is over. Then there’s Ahkello Witherspoon. His mercurial season and strong finish at least warrants a long talk with the team about his committment level.

The rest? Dontae Johnson needs to go.

Lots of fun games today.

Indy and Buffalo
Rams as Seattle
TB at Washington

Josh Allen gets his first taste of playoff action and oldsters Alex Smith and Philip Rivers get their last (maybe) hurrah.

i wrote this yesterday, ad despite Smith not playing, and Goff did, my picks for yesterday were spot on. Heineken played an inspired game but came up short.

Today I’m thinking Balt, Saints, and Pittsburgh.

Say what you will about this season, but the team, despite a gigantic injury list, managed to keep its focus and drive as their backup QBs stumbled, bumbled, and fumbled their way to a shitload of losses. It would be nice to think that with a fully healthy team, the offense would have clicked along nicely and won at least 4 more games.

Pretty easy to contemplate, but that first loss was with a healthy Jimmy G. His numbers weren’t terrible, but they weren’t great either. But of course COVID gave all the teams no preseason games and little practice time. We pretty much couldn’t contain Murray when we needed to and lost in the end. By the time the team had had warmed up, the entire roster was hurt. Our trip to New Jersey proved fatal as Bosaand many others went down.

No need to rehash the rest. The positives, few as they were, were the emergence of Brandon Aiyuk as a bona fide threat to score whenever he touches the ball. Fred Warner on the defensive side also proved himself to be a major stud. The rest of our stars from last year were battling injuries. Mostert, Jimmy, Kittle, Deebo, and Wilson all spent lengthy amounts of time on the IR. To the detriment of the team.

Defensively, Ford played 3 downs, the entire defensive backfield was hurt at one time or another. Even our backups got wasted by injury. CB Jamar Taylor, who came in from the cold and stifled Cooper Kupp, was lost to a knee injury. As were backup linemen Dion Jordan and Jordan Willis. Even shrivel-dick Nick ended up on the IR with an elbow injury.

On and on. So, turn the page and look to the 2021 season. The 2021 team is going to look a whole lot different. Good or bad. We have 40 (!!!) free agents, so there will be a lot of turnover. Get rid of Mullens and we’d have a lot less turnovers. But I digress. Ford, McKinnon, Coleman, Tartt, Ward, and Sherman are the big-ticket guys who likely go. That will free up some cap space, but no idea how much.

Got to hit the draft.