Forty Niners Forever

As excited as I am about this draft, I’m really starting to get a bad bad feeling about it. Kyle Shanahan has basically said I AM DRAFTING THE PUDGY FUCKING WHITE GUY!!! throughout this whole process. Going so far as to say the entire front office is trying to talk him out of Jac Mones, uh, Mac Jones. ]

So, in other words, if the decision is to go with Jones, Shanny is saying FUCK YOU to the entire organization, up to and including recently minted Hall of Famer John Lynch. Stop me if you think this is crazy town, but isn’t the GM spot higher on the food chain than head coach? Yeah, Shanny OKed the Lynch hire, but at some point doesn’t Lynch have to say, for the betterment of the team, we need to go with the athletic QB that is the future, not the slow-footed guy who is a relic of the past.

I don’t know. I just don’t feel good about going with Jones.

Not sure what the benefit is for the 49ers front office to come out and say that the head coach wants Mac Jones, and the rest of the brain trust wants Trey Lance. The debate has been ongoing since the 49ers made the drastic move of trading the future for this draft on Thursday. I certainly understand their need to get a top-flight quarterback as the 3 QBs in our division are dynamic studs who have proven themselves (well, Kyler Murray not so much, but he is looking to be the real deal on a young team).

Russell Wilson has single-handedly kept the Seahawks in contention while the O line crumbles around him. The Rams cut their losses with Jared Goff and went all-in on Matthew Stafford. Kyler Murray has shown flashes of being in the Mahomes/Wilson/Jackson mold of extending plays while burning defenses with broken rushing plays off scrambles.

So, again, what’s the impetus for us to dither publicly about our choice? Does it give the Jets pause about their choice of Zach Wilson? I really think not. We’ve basically eliminated the idea of choosing Justin Fields. News of his epilepsy certainly hasn’t helped his draft stock, but he will go in the top 10 regardless of what we do.

I’m still of a mind that the higher risk in Trey Lance is the wiser choice rather than the safer Mac Jones pick. I just don’t think the idea of getting a statue in the backfield will help the cause in the long run. Our line is a work in progress, and will be forced to protect at all costs while Jones can hopefully get the ball out. Something he rarely had to do at Alabama. They were pretty much an NFL-ready line that gave Jones all day to hit his all-world wide recievers in DeVonta Adams and Jaylen Waddle.

Which is another bit of an Alabama red flag. They had a very talented team, what with the Wrs mentioned, along with Antioch’s own Najee Harris. Yes, we have a lot of playmakers, but can Jones keep up that level of play in the faster and more insane NFL game? A huge question mark.

To top it all off, everyone is saying that this is Shanny’s choice. Where is John Lynch? The articles all mention that Shanny may ‘acquiesce’ to the desires of the rest of the front office, but there’s no guarantee there. Yeah, Shanny runs the offense, but Lynch is supposed to run the TEAM.

As I’ve said, we’ll have to wait and see with whoever they draft, but if it is Jones, I will be disappointed. I could give a rat’s ass about how the prognosticators are going to crucify the Jone pick, but I really don’t want them to go in that direction.

PS. Thanks once again to NJ for his stellar draft work.

More and more prognosticators are rolling around to the fact that Trey Lance is the guy we pick.

https://www.ninersnation.com/2021/4/23/22398273/golden-nuggets-why-trey-lance-is-the-qb-prospect-for-every-generation

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/news/2021-nfl-mock-draft-49ers-get-their-new-franchise-quarterback-but-its-not-who-you-expected/

Yeah, this is worth the bitcoin it is printed on, but all the Mac Jones talk is some kind of smokescreen I think. Not that the Jets would suddenly bail on Zach, but who knows? Jones makes the least sense to me as the NFL unfolds in looking at mobile athletic guys in favor of stationary ones.

Shanny has learned how to change his mind, going from Cousins to Garoppolo when the opportunity arose, so he isn’t stubborn to the point of intractability. We did upgrade our line by getting a center that can hopefully stay on the field, and I imagine that we will look to draft two more guys to provide depth. And of course, we backed up the truck for Trent Williams.

Guys like Brunskill, Skule, Tomlinson, and even rookie McKivitz played pretty well, and Shon Coleman played well before being lost for the season. They have some experience in the system, and should improve. And with a guy like Lance, the imperative isn’t as dire to keep a clean pocket for 5 minutes as we would have to with Mac Jones.

As lots of people have been saying, this is a huge gamble. One that hasn’t paid off recently for many teams. Just ask the Rams. Or the Jets. Or the Cards. Or us.

6 days!

Word out there is that the QB search is now down to Jones and Lance. This according to Mike Lombardi. Fields will not the the 3rd pick by the 49ers according to whatever inside source Lombardi has. Granted, no one gets held to these pronouncements very much so the grain of salt is 20 feet high.

As I’ve said from the beginning, my thought has always been that Lance provides the best fit for the style of Shanahan’s offense. He runs more play action than the others, and checks the boxes for mobility, accuracy and throwing the deep ball.

Lance is of course having a second pro day tomorrow so we will send the gang out to North Dakota for a look-see. At least the draft is coming up. 11 days!

The 49ers, among others, attended Justin Fields pro day #2 today. This included John Lynch, Kyle Shanahan, and QB coach Rick Scangarello. The little snippets look great. Then again, they SHOULD look great as there are no pads and no human missiles chasing him around.

Still and all, those deep passes dropped into tiny windows sure look awesome though.

Color me worried. Why sign a guy like Sudfeld? I mean, I get they need bodies, but they will soon have 5 QBs. Josh Johnson, Jimmy G, Josh Rosen, Sudfeld, and whoever we draft. I also know Shanahan is on record as saying that he likes his QBs to be the same style of QB to be in camp. And one trait Shanny shares with his dad is his abject pig-headedness when it comes to his self-belief. He thinks he can turn shit to gold where it comes to QBs, and he didn’t want anything to do with our ex-running QB, Colin Kaepernick. And every guy since has been a pocket passer.

This sure sounds to me like Shanny wants Mac Jones, since 4 out of these 5 QBs are slow-footed white guys who don’t move very well. As I’ve said, Jones could be the 2nd coming of Big Ben, but it is a huge gamble seeing as how he has 17 starts, and played behind a very stout Alabama line.

And really. The last Alabama QB to make his mark in the NFL? Kenny Stabler. Then agan, Ohio State has a shitty track record. Fuck, I don’t know. I think the Niners are playing chicken with the Jets to try and deke them into Jones.

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten drafts—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of someone gently rapping, rapping on my chamber door“
’Tis some quarterback,” I muttered, “tapping at my chamber door—      
Only this and nothing more.”
___

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the veranda.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—the past I sought to borrow
For my quarterback of tomorrow—sorrow for the lost Montana
For the rare and radiant passer whom the angels name Montana—     
Nameless here for evermore.
___

And the silken, sad, uncertain rustling of each would-be QB
Thrilled me—filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;
So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating
’Tis some quarterback entreating entrance at my chamber door—
Some late quarterback entreating entrance at my chamber door;—
This it is and nothing more.”
____

    Presently my soul grew stronger; hesitating then no longer,
“Sir,” said I, truly your forgiveness I implore;
But the fact is I was napping, and so gently you came rapping,
And so faintly you came tapping, tapping at my chamber door,
That I scarce was sure I heard you”—here I opened wide the door;—    
Lance was there and many more.
___

    Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before;
Which quarterback would lead us, lead us to the golden door,
And the only word there spoken was the whispered word, “Joe?”
This I whispered, and an echo murmured back the word, “Joe!”—      
Merely this and nothing moe.
___

Back into the chamber turning, all my soul within me burning,
Soon again I heard a tapping somewhat louder than before.
“Surely,” said I, “surely that QB at my window lattice;
Let me see, then, what threat is, and this mystery explore—
Let my heart be still a moment and this mystery explore;—
 ’Tis the draft and nothing more!”
___

  Open here I flung the shutter, when, with many a flirt and flutter,
In stepped a stately QB of THE Ohio State,
“I’m a passer as you see, but a runner I can be!”
“And I read the field as a general who is great!”
And with that he perched upon a bust of Namath,
just above my chamber door—    
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
___

Once again there came a tapping, a persistent tapping rapping at my chamber door-
In walked a sludgy, mushy QB, who looks like he drives a truck named Mac
“I’m not mobile like a cat, but buying time’s where its at!”
“And I fit the ball into the tiniest crack!”
And with that he crawled upon a bust of Norm Snead just above my chamber door—    
Perched, and sat, and nothing more.
___

One last time there came a-knocking, like a crazy Gronk a-Gronking
The last QB who was standing, was green horn who can dance
“I can read coverages best of all, and I stand straight and tall, I throw the pass just like a lance”
“Pay no mind to my lack of starts, I’ll give the O a 2nd and 3rd chance”
And with that he leapt upon a bust of Tarkington just above my chamber door—   
Perched, and sat, and nothing more. 
___

So now what of the clamour for a QB we enamour, will we pick the one that no one has surpassed?
Should we pick the one who’s fast, the one who may not last, the one named Fields who reminds of QBs past?
Or should we go with Jones named Mac, who may end up on his back, as protections fall apart, and the line cracks?Last shot will be Lance, he can throw and he can dance, but needs more work before the die is cast.
___

As I ponder weak and weary of a stud we need so dearly
I cannot think so clearly
But at least Mel Kiper’s head goes back in his box.

Now that most of the wheeling and dealing is done, the 49ers have come out smelling like a rose. You have t hand it to Paraage Marathe and the job he has done with the contracts. We have retained top slot corner K’Waun Williams, CB Jason Verrett, FB extraordinaire Kyle Juicechick, safety Jaquiski Tartt, blindside tackle Trent Williams, and DT DJ Jones.

They signed Ram DE Samson Ebukam and most importantly signed C Alex Mack from the Falcons. Center was a position of desperate need and though Mack is 35, he’s playing at a very high level. They also brought back Mohammed Sanu for shits and giggles.

The most important aspect of this is they restructured Dee Ford and Westie Richie’s contracts, and as of now they STILL have close to $20 million in cap space.

Call it a convergence of tight wallets and little money to throw around, but the Niners came out of free agency positioned about as well as a team could be positioned. They have leveraged their future on this upcoming draft, but that again is due to the front office’s drive to keep the pedal to the metal as this young team hopefully healthys up and makes a strong push for the Super Bowl.

Even still, they could gain a lot of draft capital (and cap space) back by trading Jimmy Garoppolo. There is still interest from the Patriots, so time will tell.

As far as who we pick on April 29th? Shit, I don’t know. I’m 90% sure Wilson will be gone so it falls to:

1. Justin Fields (fast, athletic, strong, tough – one-read wonder?)
2. Mac Jones (big arm, hits all the passes – fat, slow)
3. Trey Lance (big, strong, makes the throws, mobile – least polished, biggest project)

All have strong plusses and decent minusses, so let the debate begin.

I tell ya, I’m a bit shocked. This isn’t a move that this team usually does. But with a stacked group of QBs, the Niners made their move by trading with the Dolphins. A team I picked only yesterday as a trade partner. We get the #3 pick in exchange for our 12th pick in this draft, our 1st round pick next year, and our 3rd round comp pick next year.

This of course will net us what looks to be Zac Wilson of BYU. Some mocks have the Jets taking Wilson, so that would net us Justin Fields. Whoever it is, it will be a huge risk for this team, but one they feel is necessary to get the team over the top. That being said, I don’t think the new guy gets much playing time, barring injuries, because the prudent thing to do would be to ease the new guy into the very complicated Shanahan offense.

Sure, this team still has holes to fill (slot WR? LB depth? OL depth?) but this is a bold statement that this team is in win-now mode.

Speaking of Wilson, there are reports that he’s a super-entitled rich boy (a la Johnny Manziel) who may shy away from the work needed to jump to the rigors of the NFL game. His uncle owns Jet Blue and there’s fear that he’s a flash in the pan. a 1-year wonder. Frankly, if we could get Fields, I’d be ecstatic, but i think either one will be better than Jimmy G, so here we go. This is either a bold gamble that pays off huge, or they just set the program back a few years.

We won’t likely know till 2023, but hey, at least they made things interesting.

Since I’ve pulled the plug on basic cable, and thus, no ESPN, I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Mel Kiper’s unfrozen head spewing utter nonsense in the face of the upcoming draft. I’m sure someone had done an accuracy report on these guys, and their success ratio has to be less than 1%. I mean, once you get past the first 5-6 picks of the 1st round, everyone goes off the rails.

My amazing prognostication in the 2008 draft at the Niner Insider should have gotten me a high-paying job in Vegas, for fuck’s sake. I picked 2 guys right in that draft in Kentwan Balmer and Colin Kaepernick. I did get a signed Alex Smith jersey worth $150. Unfortunately, the unsigned one is worth $200.

But I digress.

Funny, mock drafts now are full of trades. They were rarely accounted for in most mocks, but now I’ve seen us trading with the Vikes, the Jags, the Jets, and the Dolphins.

Someone WILL trade down unless all the suspected QBs don’t go before us. I’m not counting on it, but then again it wouldn’t surprise me one bit. Thing is, we can kill in if there’s a QB on the board and someone wants to throw picks at us. We can parlay that into draft capital, and still pick someone up down the draft.

I wonder if we have been looking at Davis Mills at Stanfoo? Big guy, big arm but not much experience. He gets the ball out quickly, and is accurate. Another guy is Kenny Pickett. Big but moves well and has the tools to throw the ball deep. Accuracy, experience and the speed of the NFL game is something everyone needs to learn, and as a lot of the recent QB busts have shown, a high draft doesn’t guarantee success at the NFL level.

I have no idea how they play this, but so far I’ve liked the moves they have made to shore up the team. Restructuring Westie and Ford garnered us an extra $12 mill in cap space. Yes, we still need help at WR, backup QB, future QB, and more bodies sprinkled around the O line, LB, and DB, we have signed a lot of the guys that made this team successful.

You guys have any sleeper QBs you’d like to see thrown a bone?