San Francisco 49ers Forever

Strange and weird as it will be, we have an actual sports related event that hasn’t been cancelled. The NFL Draft! As with most drafts, there are a lot of teams that need quarterbacks. And most are near the top of the board. The Bengals, Chargers, Dolphins, Jags, Broncos, and the Brady-less Patriots. The guys likely to go in the 1st round are: Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jordan Love.

All but the Broncos and Pats draft in front of us, so that should give us the ability to get a wide out. The good news for us of course is that this is a huge draft for wide receiver. The top 4 there are Jerry Jeudy, Cee Dee Lamb, Henry Ruggs, and Justin Jefferson. All of these guys look like they could step right in and be productive.

At 13 though, JJ, CD, and Ruggs could all be gone. If that is the case, we could very well drop out of the 13th spot, and still get Justin Jefferson. An intriguing idea, but if we do that we very well could pass up Florida corner CJ Henderson. Cornerback of course is our other glaring need.

Still and all, i think we are in a position to fill a spot of need rather that trying to get more picks. As I said, I could see us trade down to get more picks and still get a top-flight WR in Jefferson, but the haul for 13 would be the determining factor.

A risky move, and we can still get a corner with our 31st pick, so it is one that is surely on the table, but we will see. So, the team is in great shape, we look to fill holes with our 2 first round picks, we have a boatload of talent, and with the recent success under our belts the team stands to get better.

Can’t wait.

The last shred of normalcy in sports is upon us in 5 days. The NFL draft. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes, but for those of us that are still working, it’ll look like the last 50 Zoom meetings we all run, or sit through. I guess they will have around 50 college players on hand who project out to be 1st rounders to get their reactions, and I’m sure the coiffed head of Mel Kiper has been dusted off and polished up. For all the weirdness going on, I really haven’t seen much about the upcoming draft.

That being said, I’ve seen Caddyshack, Blues Brothers, Eraserhead, Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes, and the Omega Man in recent days. Got a real kick when my daughter, who is binge-watching Community, said when we were watching Caddyshack, hey, that’s the guy from Community! That guy being Chevy Chase.

I still think this team needs an impact WR above all else. This team hasn’t had a true #1 WR since the days of Terrell Owens back in the early aughts. That being said, I think the only guys that should be on the table at WR at 13 are JJ and CD. And we have drafted for defense a lot lately.

If they are not there, try to get Javon Kinlaw to replace DeFoBu. I think we can address the cornerback position in free agency. No need to use our 1st pick on a CB. Darqueze Dennard is available, but he is hurt too much. Vike Mackensie Alexander is worth a look, but the rest are middling guys who can be signed to push Jason Verrett out. If that don’t work, trade Solly Thomas for picks or a CB.

In breaking news, Von Miller has tested positive for the Coronavirus. He says he isn’t feeling very bad, burt with his asthma, he is taking this very seriously.

Here’s the story:

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/denver-broncos-star-von-miller-quarantine-after-testing-positive-coronavirus-n1185856

No, this year’s draft won’t be the glitz of Vegas, but the dankness of Jolly Roger’s basement. I can hardly wait.

The story is here:

https://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/roger_goodell_to_announce_nfl_draft_first_round_picks_from_his_basement/s1_12680_31757927?mb_edition=20200413&mb_loc=left_h

I guess all the owners will send homing pigeons to Goodell’s place to announce their picks.

The league will have 58 draftees participating in the virtual draft, so there’s gonna be something going on. Cutaways and such, but hey, it’s happening so I’m happy about that.

Nothing has changed for us in all this. Still think we get Cee Dee or JJ. I’d be fine with either one.

For all the shit given to Jolly Roger Goodell, I don’t see what the huge deal is around altering the draft to fit the situation. All that needs to be working is the commissioner being able to get the picks from the GMs of the various teams.

Sure, it won’t be the magnificently gratuitous greed-fest that this has turned in to, but them’s the breaks. Goodell’s only other option is to postpone this, and have the domino effect of the draft delay affecting the OTAs, and that pushing back training camp, that pushing back the pre-season, and of course this postpones the regular season.

This is the likely outcome anyway, but Roger is one to never hedge a bet, so he’s going full steam ahead with the draft. I’m interested to see how it actually goes, and if everyone stays connected through all this, and it works, but in this age of online meetings and the myriad platforms available, it shouldn’t be too bad.

He will still get the advertiser money for commercials, and this should be as greed-fed as they can make it, but hey, to me, it’s the only thing in sports that is still going on schedule, so it’s a great diversion.

For the 49ers, of course we are:

a) Drafting a WR
b) Drafting a CB
c) Drafting an O lineman
d) Packaging our two 1st rounders and Nick Mullens for Chase Young
e) Trading down out of 13 for more picks

Let the fun begin. I’m of a mind to get a WR. Jerry Jeudy would be well within our sites, if not for the Raiders. They will guaranteed take him. Unless they pull a Darius Heyward-Bay and take Cee Dee Lamb. I like Lamb as well, so we should be able to get him, because I really don’t think Prince Curdling doesn’t pass on Jeudy.

And avoid press conferences at all costs. Not much football news, but the draft is gonna happen in April. Barring anything even weirder happening. So, we got that.

Anyhow, found this pretty fucking awesome vid of Elvis. Not a gigantic fan of his, but he is the King. . .

Sorry. Not much changing around here or anywhere. We did sign Charger WR Travis Benjamin. A fairly low-production guy who has been various flavors of hurt these past few seasons. But he did have a 68 catch, 966 yard year with the Browns. With Josh McClown as his QB. Shocking. But hey, he’s a cheap vet who is available and decent.

Still think WR is our #1 need in the draft. Go CB at 31. We are 23rd in cap room, so there ain’t a lot there, but we have some flexibility. I’d think Goodwin will be traded/cut to free up a little more room, but we’ll see. I’m sure Lynch and Co have more deals in the works.

The news out there now is that the NFL owners want to postpone the draft instead of having it at the end of April. It has already morphed from the feeding frenzy that would have been Vegas to some sort of online deal, but I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

Frankly for me, it’s a nice diversion from the fucking Coronavirus, so just do it online, and we can all enjoy the fun. Stay safe, everyone, and carry on.

Well, not really, but it sure feels like it. Still working at this point, but for how long?

Anyhow, if you want to hear the details of why we traded DeFo, it of course had a lot to do with DeFo’s agent. A guy who drives a hard bargain.

https://www.knbr.com/2020/03/18/barrows-explains-how-conversation-with-buckners-agent-led-to-decision-to-trade-him/?fbclid=IwAR1exuegXakDUn69Y_EKRU2UuWg5XxIYhpZpZ3yigb6GuE0-e7Rve-CprJE

Other than that, thinking of posting highlights of various things? Shit, I don’t know.

Just got 4′ of fresh powder in Tahoe, and no one to ski it. This really stinks. I mean, along with everything else.

Cue David Byrne. Say what you will about sports being cancelled, the NFL is chugging along with a very active free agency period. Beyond our own trade of DeFo for the 13th overall pick in the draft (a necessary evil in today’s NFL), the Tampa Bay Buccos signed 43 year old Tom Brady to a $30 million deal, the Colts signed 38 year old Philip Rivers to a 1 years $25 mill deal, and Drew Brees gets $50 mill for 2 years to stay with the Saints. The Bears get Nick Foles from the Jags for a 4th round (hah!) comp pick. His stock has dropped dramatically, and the Jags will stick with Mustache Minshew. Foles gets a new start for a team that hasn’t had a bona fide QB since the mid 80s. Trubisky is a man without a team, and he likely goes to the Saints as a backup? The Panthers have moved on from Cam Newton by signing Teddy Bridgewater to a 3 year/$63 million deal. Teddy parlayed his stunning subbing into a starting role as Drew Brees was on the mend last year.

Beyond that, the dumbest team in the NFL (hello Bill O’Brien), the Houston Texans, traded DeAndre Hopkins for a worn out David Johnson of the AZ Cardinals. O’Brien went so far as to compare Hopkins to Aaron Hernandez because Hopkins liked to have his kids around the facility. This could very well cost him his job, except that the owner of the Texans, the dead Bob McNair famously said that his fellow NFL owners “can’t have the inmates running the prison.” The Buffalo Bills gave Minnesota a 1st, 5th, and 6th pick in the 2020 draft, and a 4th in 2021, for disgruntled WR Stefon Diggs. Quite a haul for the Vikes.

As for our DT search, Linval Joseph is off the table. He signed a 2 year $17 mill deal with the Chargers.

So, we all may be sequestered in our houses, but at least there’s some actual sports news out there.

Signing Arik Armstead is a great move. He gets 5/$85 mill. Love it. He’s the true quintessential down and dirty defensive lineman that does the hard work in the trenches who often takes on double teams and keeps the linebackers clean to make plays. The fact that he got 10 sacks is a testament to his guts and determination.

That being said, trading DeForest Buckner makes no sense to me. He’s the heart and soul of the defense, and has been a mainstay since he got here. The only way it makes sense is that we don’t have to dole out a giant deal to him after the season ends. We do get a high 1st round pick, so there’s the caveat.

I wrote last week that this is how they could have dealt with AA, but they got a pretty good pick for DeFo. These are the tough decisions that guys like Lynch and Paraag have to make to keep the team competitive for more than a year or two. We get a high pick in a year of not many picks, and I feel like we are just getting started in the trading department. Guys like Goodwin and Witherspoon can garner us some more picks, so we’ll see what the future brings. Or if there IS a future. Commence zombie apocalypse . . .

And I’m NOT very happy about DeAndre Hopkins going to the Cardinals. He is a stud of the highest order, and he’s a guy I would love to have on our team. He’s gonna be a major pain in the ass for the next few years.

Bye bye, Miss American pie. Drove my Lexus to the nexus but the nexus was dry.
Them good ole’ boys are drinking whiskey and rye singing this will be the day that sports died. This will be the day that sports died.

Looks like this virus shit is getting very real as a couple NBA stars, Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, test positive for the Coronavirus. The NBA’s response was swift and decisive as they have suspended the NBA season immediately and indefinitely. I’d think the NHL will follow suit, and baseball probably isn’t too far behind, depending on what happens these next couple weeks.

Spring training games have been rolling merrily along, but I’d think with the travel and close quarters conditions they they deal with, someone will test positive for it. As far as the NFL goes, they got their combine in, and there’s not too much scheduled for them now anyway, so the impact should be fairly minimal. And if it came down to getting rid of the insane hype around the draft, so be it. That would actually be a blessing. Bring back the days where Pete Rozelle stands at a chalkboard and writes down who picks who and the whole thing is done in an afternoon.

As far as social distancing goes, I’m of the Charles Bukowski school of thought.

I don’t hate people, i just don’t seem to like it when they are around.