Is Trent Baalke a superior general manager? Of course he is. Are the 49ers flourishing because of him? Of course they are. But I’m grading him on his performance this season, just as I’ve graded everyone else. For him, this season is what he did in the preseason.
He re-signed outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks to a six-year extension, and that was a good move. Brooks is a top outside linebacker in the NFL.
Baalke signed Mario Manningham to a two-year contract – a second good move.
Baalke re-signed Carlos Rogers to a four-year contract extension – a pretty good move. Rogers is better right now than anyone Baalke could have acquired to take Rogers’ place. But Rogers is 31-years-old and seems to be declining.
Baalke brought Dashon Goldson back with the Franchise tag – a good short-term move. Goldson has become arguably the best safety in the NFL this season. In hindsight, it would have been better if Baalke had signed Goldson to a five-year contract extension before Goldson became the best. Now, that extension will be much more expensive.
What else did Baalke do? He signed Brandon Jacobs and Randy Moss – two pretty good backups, although Jacobs has not played.
And Baalke whiffed on the draft. Not one player from his draft class plays for the team. Baalke decided to spend his first and second round picks on a wide receiver and a running back, but he drafted the wrong wide receiver and the wrong running back.
A.J. Jenkins has not played a single down. Baalke drafted him one spot ahead of Doug Martin, who you’ve probably heard of. That’s called taking a third strike looking.
Clearly, Baalke wanted a running back. Otherwise how do you explain LaMichael James? Baalke should have drafted Doug Martin in the first round, not A.J. Jenkins. Martin already is one of the five best running backs in the NFL. What’s more, he’s from Oakland, went to high school in Stockton – Baalke’s back yard. How did Baalke not pick Martin? The 49ers are a power-running team, and they don’t have a power running back to take over for Gore when he gets too old. Martin is that guy. Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James are not – they’re too small.
Overall, a mediocre offseason for Baalke, but I’ll give him a courtesy grade due to past accomplishments.
MIDTERM GRADE: C+.
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Grant, this could be your best blog, it seems like our draft picks this year are insurance for the future, kind of reminds me when the Niners took Dexter Carter with the first round pick in 1990, guy was a luxury and kind of a bust, although he played. I can’t believe we don’t have any draft picks playing. The Niners are a run first team, so why even go after James in the first place. Gore is still a stud and still has some gas in the tank.
I meant Jenkins, not James.
@neal i think they drafted James because of how beat up gore got at the end of last year. i personally thought he was done as a primary back. [boy was i wrong] still he has taken a lot of punishment and when a RB goes south there is no warning. James has had this whole year to learn the O but most importantly he has had a yr to learn blitz pickups.
I hear you Old Coach, but James is a little guy, and more of a third down or can sniff the end zone. We needed more of a power back that can keep on ticking, I don’t see Kendal playing every down. Both he and James are small guys who probably can’t take the pounding.
@ Neal:
What if they split the carries?
I was thinking that too Claude, but so far Hunter is only getting about 1/3 of the snaps.
@ Jack:
Sorry, I worded that ambiguously. I was referring to the use of Hunter and James in the post-Gore era.
I think spitting the carries is a good idea, not sure if Gore would like it, but I can’t remember Gore playing a great 4th quarter, seems like he is beat up by 1/2 time.
Claude,
I think that is the direction they are heading.
Oh Grant you of the instant gratification generation just too many video games. You ca’nt grade a draft till its 3rd year. I believe looking back we will think of this draft as a solid draft for the future. I think when gore is gone James and hunter will be a 2 headed monster and after watching jenkins college tape and obseving the incredible improvement he made from the 1st mini camp to the last exhibition game i believe he can be a john taylor level wr
Agree with you OldCoach. It’s way too early to say Baalke “whiffed” on this draft class. Of course I’d like to see Jenkins and James playing, but that’s a coaching decision. Who knows what will happen in the future? Doug Martin could fall off the face of the earth while James and Jenkins start producing big numbers for a decade. Scott McLoughan did a great job building an awesome defense and putting solid pieces together on offense. It will take several years to know how Baalke did maintaining the defense and rounding out a championship offense.
Teams don’t draft for depth 2 to 3 years down the line any more. Unless they are so good as to earn a franchise tag you only have control of these guys for 4 years. If you spend 3 years in development you only get one year of production before they’re off to greener pastures. The Niners had immediate depth issues in the D-Line and at OLB that were not fixed. A serious injury to Justin or Aldon Smith and the season is over.
M2,
What DL or OLB would you have drafted and where?
The next OLB taken was Courtney Upshaw (#3 in the 2nd round) who many were surprised didn’t go in the 1st round. I guess we could have started with him. Or, since we didn’t get anything in the entire round, why didn’t we pull a Mike Ditka and trade the entire round for something we really needed. Or trade some of them to move up to a pretty good choice next year.
The point is that nobody is so good as to not be able to find a use for even one of their draft picks, unless they were the wrong picks.
M2,
At OLB you have a 2nd year stud in Smith, and another you just extended for 7 years in Brooks. Drafting another early when you are set for 3+ years makes no sense. They have the same situation on the DL where all 7 from last year are back.
They went into this draft with no immediate holes to fill so they got some guys to develop while at the same time stockpiling picks for this years draft.
I would also give Baalke a C+ for the impact on this years team with an A for their potential contributions in the next couple years.
Careful M2, Jack Hammer does not like to be wrong.
Does anybody like being wrong?
With that kind of thinking he ought to be used to it.
Ha!
Well, it did hurt Jack a week or so back when he was forced to agree with a post of mine.
It just sent shivers up my spine when I just did it a few minutes ago too DS : )
Before the season started you were upset they didn’t take Fleener, now they should have drafter Martin? It is great to have hindsight huh? How about we wait a few years before declaring anything about any draft.
+1, hindsight makes us all look like good “analysts”
Before the draft I trumpeted Doug Martin’s ability, calling him the closest thing to Frank Gore 2.0. Grant, you liked David Wilson and said that I over rated Martin. Now that he’s had a 250 yd rushing game you get in your time machine and say Baalke shoulda, woulda, coulda. Well now I get to say my four favorite words: I told you so.
Oh, and Jenkins and James will provide explosive plays next year and beyond. Go Niners!
Jewel Hampton. We don’t need Doug Martin. Hampton is a Gore clone but a little faster.
I remembered somebody on here talking up doug martin but couldn’t remember who… so good job
As others have said, it’s too early to say Baalke whiffed on the draft. While Martin does have the look of a very good player for the long-term, are you so sure that he would be playing as much as he is now if he had been drafted by the Niners? Martin walked into a very good opportunity for himself as an individual – he was drafted by a losing team with no premier RB. The Niners are a winning team with a premier RB and a very capable backup (Hunter). I’m not sure anyone that Baalke drafted at that spot would be a major contributor this year. Let’s just wait a couple years before passing judgment on Jenkins and James.
Grant,
You do yourself no favors when you make snap judgements like this. Saying they should have drafted Doug Martin after he has run for nearly 500 yards in two games is low hanging fruit worthy of a neophyte; not a blogger covering a pro team.
You cannot judge this draft now. No matter how much you want to crucify Baalke/Harbaugh for passing up Fleener (I wanted him too) you can’t go the hindsight route and criticize now when these guys haven’t even played a regular season game. They drafted this year knowing all the starting positions with the exception of RG were set. It didn’t matter who they took in the draft; those players would not be seeing the field much. It’s called having a lot of talent and depth which the Niners do.
If Jenkins and LMJ don’t see the field much in their first 4 years and leave the team having accomplished nothing, feel free to slam the team for poor drafting. Until then, don’t make a conclusion on something that we won’t know for another couple of years at best.
Agreed. Criticizing Baalke in this way seems at best imbalanced, impatient, and unfair. At worst it seems childish.
Yet another childish entry, the remains of Grant’s tantrum on draft day when the Niners didn’t draft his guy. Now he waits to see who is having a good year and blames the Niners for not drafting them. If you didn’t say draft Martin on draft day then you can’t say it now.
Any reason manningham wasnt mentioned?
Grant
I’d really like to see you grade yourself right now. TB hired JH who has turned the Niners into a Super Bowl contender. TB drafted some kid named Aldon Smith last year. TB didn’t put up $20 million for PM who, when he ‘s doing his best, is dinking and dunking the ball off just like AS. Only AS is coming a lot cheaper.
This franchise was a joke before TB was the GM. Now we are the one team nobody wants to play come playoff time. It won’t really matter what our record is because we have the kind of team that can go on the road and play tough and can win the game at the end.
And come on now Grant. You grew up in the bay area and should know better than to make statements about a player or team who just played the Raiders. I mean, who was the last team who lost to them and won the Super Bowl? The Raiders are pathetic. Do you really think Martin is getting anything if he played our defense? The Raiders are a joke.
Let’s see what the kid does against a top defense first before you appoint him the next heir to the great FG or some other top RB.
Also keep in mind James isn’t seeing the field because of how well KH has played, who was drafted by TB last year. So, he now has guys who he’s drafted going up against guys who he’s drafted. The first guy being a very fine RB who seems to get 6+ yards every time he touches the ball with the game in question.
RM was a great signing. He’s opened up holes underneath time and time again for MC and the other playmakers. That is why the YAC has been so good. Sorry, but that was RM’s primary job. To get guys away from the LOS and open up stuff underneath which is what the WCO depends on to work. And it has worked when we didn’t get cute.
Hahaha, DS you just love poking the hornets nest with that PM-AS comment! I guess a hobby is a hobby, I’ve got no comment.
Although re: you’re first statement, I think Jed York was very involved in the Harbaugh signing as well as TB. And I think his involvement is also a big reason for the turn around from garbage to contender.
Dangle.
I’m not sure who the hornet or the victim is in your analogy, but just a quick tip on hornets:
“…hornets often attack people without being provoked and they can also withdraw their stinger.”
and
“A difference that is of great importance to us is the variance in aggressiveness displayed towards humans by these bugs. While bees sting humans only when they feel threatened or when they feel that their nest is in danger, hornets often attack people without being harassed. The worst part is that they inject their awful venom with every sting. The luckiest outcome is when a man, who suffered from a hornet sting, just crawls in great pain for several hours. The worst scenario that can happen to hornet victims is death.”
Read more: Difference Between Bees and Hornets | Difference Between | Bees vs Hornets http://www.differencebetween.net/science/nature/difference-between-bees-and-hornets/#ixzz2BPlyg6BT
So, the hornets attack whether you hit their nest or not. Just a little tid bit of information that applies to both the blog and real life should you encounter a hornet in either case.
Grant i did’nt agree with your premise but i certainly do’nt think it says anything about what kind of man or reporter you are. your post started an interesting conversation that thank god did’nt include Alex Smith. i hope you understood i was joking about the instant gratification generation remark.
Thanks a lot, old coach. I appreciate it.
Well, one other pretty important thing Balke did this off-season, unmentioned by Grant, is re-sign the starting QB.
Just sayin’ ;)
Grant
I think Baalke and Harbaugh are doing a smart thing by allowing the draft picks to develop without actually facing the pressure to perform in game situations. It’s clear that the two top draft picks have a lot to learn, especially Jenkins. LMJ needs to bulk up and improve his blocking. All that does not say anything negative about their talent level. Baalke’s grade of the draft class should be an I for incomplete. He should get a solid A (if not A+) for all the other off-season moves including the F.A. signings and the non-signings.
You docked Baalke because of the draft Grant which doesn’t make much sende. None of our draft picks playing speaks more about the depth on the Niners more than anything. It’s actually refreshing to know that our starters don’t have a mess of rookies mixed in like in year’s past. Baalke’s 2012 draft has an INC. next to it, not a whiff. And as for Doug Martin, he would be sitting because both Gore and Hunter are playing lights out right now.
Sense, not sende.
Quite frankly I think its great that Jenkins or James doesnt have to play this year. Its nice that the Niners have so much talent that they are not needed. I am hoping the Niners can clinch the division early and maybe the rookies can get some playing time in. No big deal at this point about the draft.
Sorry its been 1 day and I need to discuss AS :)
On a different note, I missed the weekend Greg Cossell festival organized by Grant (3-4 postings from one Cossell interview — or else Grant gets paid for the number of blog postings :)
I like to evaluate football pundits by how their predictions turn out. Normally, Cossell just inflicts inane and tedious summaries of the obvious for listeners of KNBR. But occasionally, he makes major pronouncement on his blog and those should be taken into consideration by anyone preparing to attach any value to his pronouncements.
Here’s a gem: “Luck was not a special passer based on film study.”
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/2012/03/23/cosell-talks-its-not-always-luck/
In his first half-season, Luck has proven Cossell wrong on every count, while working with not one by two rookie HCs, and a team with far less talent that RG3 has.
To understand Cossell’s bias against certain QBs, one has to understand his perception of “arm strength”. If a QB throws a lot of down field bombs, he rapidly rises on Cossell’s charts, irrespective how productive those throws are. Cossell is also poor at judging the capability of QBs to make deep throws when needed (i.e., in ball-control offenses that do not call for frequent deep throws to make him happy). I’d rather have Reggie Wayne and T. Y. Hilton assess Luck’s deep throwing capabilities! Cossell’s assessments are similar to that of a college sophomore playing fantasy football.
Mood,
As for what you quoted, Cosell continued by saying, “He is not the same kind of arm talent as Matthew Stafford or Cam Newton. While charting Luck, I was compelled to reflect on Manning. Was Manning a special passer coming out of Tennessee? Most would probably say no. It raises the question: what is the connection between arm talent and high football IQ as it relates to NFL success? We know where it led with Manning. Also remember Peyton’s arm strength increased as played in the NFL.”
So in reality Cosell is saying that Luck could end up very similar to Manning. Most of his points were spot on given the offense that he played in at Stanford, which was very controlled and a carbon copy of what we see here on a week in, week out basis.
One thing that I find interesting around here is how it is almost impossible for many to look at things from a broader scope and deal with critique of the team and it’s players.
Jack,
Cossell was just pulling a CYA at the end. It’s like “I don’t think Luck is anything special, but hey, so was Peyton and I could be wrong”.
Cossell writes: ” Was Manning a special passer coming out of Tennessee? Most would probably say no. ”
Well, that’s bogus. Peyton was indeed a special QB coming out in 1998. Here’s a draft report in him for SI.
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/football/nfl/events/1998/nfldraft/topplayers/4.html
“Manning is probably the most prepared QB to enter the NFL draft in several years.”
Cossell may have had reservations because Peyton did not have a “gun”. Who cares?
My point is that Cossell adds zero football insight. He has little ability to judge QB play.
Mood,
There is a big difference between being a special passer and a special QB.
To use a baseball analogy, you have a large number of pitchers in the majors who are “special throwers” but only the elite are “special pitchers.” That is what I see Cosell saying about Luck here. He may not be a special passer, but his smarts and intangibles could make him a special QB.
Jack
The only difference between a special passer and a special QB (not that a QB can’t be both) is that of a game manager. A special passer doesn’t have to be a good game manager. A special QB does.
70% of the QB’s job is to manage games. If you happen to disagree, Joe Theisman and Steve Young would like to have a word with you.
Mood
Cossell has added lots of blog hits. That is what Grant likes about him.
DS,
Of course they can be both, John Elway comes to mind right away. And yes managing the game is a big part of the job for a QB.
Cosell is good both for blog hits and his insights. He is usually spot on with his comments even if they aren’t popular around these parts.
Jack
Perhaps if Grant found a non-Cossell guy to also give his opinions about how things are going it would be a lot better.
Face it. Cossell doubts AS all the time. We have enough of that on here from the bloggers. We don’t need 3-4 blog topics every week to help them out any. I heard him a bit today on KNBR. The guy can’t give AS any love. Other QB’s who he has praised as being the All mighty have taken a few steps back here and there, and yet he doesn’t critisize them at all. That is called an agenda. Cossell has one. A lot of bloggers on here recognize that and can’t stand him because of it. Ceadderman tries to not post on any blogs with Cossell in it, for example. It is fodder for many here. Tiresome for the rest.
DS,
Even if he did many on here would blast him or her the minute they gave a critical analysis of Smith. I heard the interview live and then read it here, and I don’t see what all the uproar is over his comments. His description of Smith is right on the money.
Baalke got Harbaugh. That in itself is worth an A IMHO.
Grant is on the right track, Balke gets some benefit of the doubt for excellent past performance. Only this year I’d give the draft a “D” grade so far.
Exhibit A:
No one from this year’s draft is contributing in a meaningful way, which is completely unacceptable. Not even on special teams. This team has not performed even CLOSE to last year’s special teams.
Exhibit B:
First and second round picks (with the exception of QB) are expected to contribute immediately. A.J. was supposed to be a player with speed and fluidity other teams wanted to move up for. James was envisioned to be Bush or Sproles-like. They aren’t even good enough to see the field. Sadly, this means they are not developing through game experience either. So if they EVER contribute it MIGHT be in 2013.
THUS FAR, it appears they selected players that JUST AREN’T GOOD ENOUGH. PERIOD.
On second thought, make it a D minus.
Smh.
Martin would not be playing ahead of Gore & Hunter.
@760 this 49er team is very very deep its difficult almost impossible for a talented vetran like brandon jacobs to see time little own untested rookies. next years camp should be the most competitive camp anyones ever seen Jenkins, James and Looney with a year in the system under their belt should be difficult to keep of the field Darius Fleming and Cam Johnson should both be healthy and looking to break into the pass rush rotation. with all the extra picks we have in the 2013 draft i predict we will come up with a talented CB and another pass rusher. i think Baalke has us set for the next 3 to 5 years which is what the great GM’s worry about.
Who in the first and second round could the 49ers have picked that would be seeing much playing time this season? Maybe a TE like Fleener would have gotten some game time (though likely still behind Davis and Walker). Martin wouldn’t have taken snaps away from Gore and Hunter. None of the rookie WRs have shown they are better options than the guys we have been suiting up. We could have taken a guard, but they wouldn’t have beaten out Boone. I would have liked to see an DE/ OLB taken early, but again they wouldn’t be seeing much playing time the way Smith and Brooks have played. I don’t think it matters who the 49ers took in the draft, we’d be having the same coulda, shoulda, woulda argument because our rookies aren’t playing so somebody else’s rookies look better. And this is why you can’t judge a draft until 3-4 years down the track.
Martin would play over Hunter, no question. Martin might even play over Gore.
WOW!
Grant,
I will preface this by saying that I agree with the grade and your points right up until you start to gush over Martin. You put a whole piece together about how the 49ers wouldn’t draft a running back, and how the 2013 class would be better any way. You never once mentioned Martin as someone they should look at.
Starting over Gore? Not right now, but he may have taken some reps away from Hunter who they really seem to like moving forward.
I still believe Fleener will be better than Jenkins, but come on, Martin was the pick. I whiffed just like Baalke, but I’m not the general manager.
No he wouldn’t.
OMG!!
grimey9er says:
March 28, 2012 at 1:28 pm
In my eyes Martin is the most complete RB and the closest thing to Frank Gore 2.0. Wilson is Probably the most explosive and Miller Probably has the most potential to grow. If you’re looking for an every-down banger who can catch, pass protect and even play coverage on special teams that’s Martin. Niners won’t get him unless they draft him at 30 or trade back a couple of spots.
Grant Cohn says:
March 28, 2012 at 1:35 pm
I think you’re overrating Martin. He rushed for 57 yards on 24 carries against Georgia in 2011. He’ll never be on Gore’s level.
You may be right Grant. Martin is a faster version of a younger Ray Rice.
@ Grimey:
Ouch.
Grant c’mon seriously? Martin has been excellent but you are acting like a fan today with some of the takes you are putting out here. Do you realize how silly it is to knock the team for not taking a player you didn’t even like at the time?
Look at the top teams in the league and show me how many draft picks are playing a key role for them right now?
Atlanta? Konz has started to play more but certainly isn’t a key contributor to their success.
Houston? Mercilous has been quiet..
Bears? McClellan? See above.
Giants? David Wilson has carried the ball 17 times. He’s returned some kicks for them, but with two RB’s ahead of him by your logic he’s already a wasted pick with how little he’s been used. Rueben Randle has 9 catches for the season. Real key element to the Giant success wouldn’t you say?
Denver? Didn’t have a 1st.
New England is the only top tier team I see that has a rookie as a major contributor in Chandler Jones. The reason for that is the Pats defense is awful and he was an improvement for them.
Good teams are good teams for a reason Grant. If you have draft picks starting or playing key roles for you, then your depth wasn’t what it should be to begin with.
Come’on Grant, not on THIS team. He would not play in front of either, that’s not how JH runs the team. How would he see enough time to ‘unseat’ either one of them?
Oppurtunity can make a player. He would not be afforded the same oppurutunity in SF as he was in TB.
Great stuff Grimey!! You knock that out of then Park
“Martin would play over Hunter, no question. Martin might even play over Gore.”
Grant…. credibility….. shot….. :)
Grimey,
That is too funny, I remember reading that exact quote. Like I said before, football teams aren’t built on hindsight.
Speaking of Martin, Greg Schiano is an idiot. His refusal to respect victory formation caused Martin’s numbers to go from 22-265 12.0 avg to 25-251 10.0 avg.
Grant,
Baalke has done a outstanding job. He is building a team for right now and the future. It isn’t surprising that Jenkins hasn’t seen the field, they said he would have to get stronger and I’m sure he is doing just that. He showed flashes during the preseason and I expect him to make a big impact next year. You said they blew the pick because you were so invested in Fleener, who hasn’t done much in Indy. Wasn’t he your ROY? He hasn’t scored one TD and isn’t the starter. He certainly wasn’t going to take playing time away from Davis or Walker. You are knocking the James pick now, but at the time you claimed the Niners redeemed themselves by picking him in the second round. You said “The Niners just drafted Oregon running back LaMichael James with their second round pick. I love the selection. I give it an A, and here’s why. James could end up one of the best players in this draft. He was a great college running back, and he’ll be a better pro than Kendall Hunter. So, the Niners have two good running backs for the future.” I agreed, which is why your current take doesn’t make sense. James ran for 5,082 yards and 53 TD’s in three years at Oregon, a PAC-12 & BCS conference school. Martin ran for 3,431 yards and 43 TD’s in five years at Boise State, a non-BCS conference school. You are hopping on the Martin band wagon and abandoning your earlier outlook on the pick. Baalke is the GM because he doesn’t do that. He deserves a much better grade because he is making the right decisions for this year AND beyond. You don’t build a football team on hindsight.
Well said.
Rocket,
The Niners also have 13 draft picks next year thanks to Baalke’s draft day manuevers. That gives them the ability to move up and draft a impact player if they see a fit. It’s a great situation to be in and one of the main components to sustained excellence.
BigP,
Agreed again. He secured 2 extra picks with his trade down deals at the end of the 3rd round alone, with one being a third in 13. The Niners will go into that draft with the ability to manouver how ever they like.
correct on all accounts BigP. Baalke is building youth and depth at every position.
I’m not saying I’m a better general manager or scout than Baalke. I’m grading him for his offseason. It’s clear in hindsight that Martin should have been the pick in round one. There were plenty of good wide receivers available in round 2 – Rueben Randle, Mohamed Sanu, T.Y. Hilton, etc.
I do not expect Jenkins or James to contribute next year, either. They’ll be at the bottom of the depth chart again.
The difference is those guys went to teams with holes that they could fill. The 49ers had very few holes once they re-signed their guys, and filled those holes with vets who could contribute right away while they develop the rookies.
Jenkins will have a role next year when Moss is gone, and James may get a few touches depending on the health of Gore and Hunter.
Jenkins is a different player than Moss. He will not simply take Moss’ snaps next season. Crabtree, Manningham and Williams will be the top three receivers and they will get almost all of the WR snaps barring injury. Jenkins will plays as few snaps as James. That’s the way I see it.
Are you going to re-grade Baalke again next year when Jenkins and James get on the field and prove to be game breakers?
If that happens, yes. I doubt it will happen.
Yeah, agree that he would step into the 4th spot. Does Williams also replace Ginn next season as the return man?
Not necessarily. They may bring back Ginn – it’s not like any other team wants him. If that’s the case, Jenkins could be the No.5 WR.
The point is, you can’t really grade a GM by one offseason. Baalke won G.M. of the year in 2011 with his shrewd drafting and signing of free agents, and deserves equal praise for keeping the core intact while adding veteran FA’s with good contracts this season. He has done a excellent job of taking care of this year while keeping an eye on the future with 13 draft picks next April. That is not C+ work.
Grant,
Again you are letting what you think will happen affect your judgement instead of letting it play out. You can’t assume the WR pecking order for next year halfway through this one. Do you honestly think Jenkins isn’t going to get bigger, stronger and more confident as time goes on? Saying Williams will automatically be ahead of him on the depth chart makes no sense. What has Williams done to make him such a must start ahead of a kid they thought enough of to take in the 1st round?
LMJ isn’t playing because they are deep at RB. That is it. There is no reason to downplay the pick because they have a good stable of RB’s. At the time you thought it was a great pick, what exactly has changed since then?
The draft is how you build the core of your team. It is not necessary for a top pick to come in and start immediately if you have a talent laden roster which the Niners do. As I posted above, the top teams in this league right now, have very little in the way of contributions from their draft picks this season and that is why they are as good as they are.
What changed is I saw James play in training camp. He was arguably the worst player.
Rocket,
That’s his opinion and response to my question. That will be something to look forward to in this offseason.
Thanks Jack. I don’t like writing IMO all the time. Obviously it’s my opinion – I can’t predict the future.
Grant, you saying LaMichael is bad gives me faith that he’s actually really good :P
Grant,
I know it’s your opinion. Everything we say here is pretty much opinion. I’m questioning your opinion. If you base your view of LMJ’s future on what you saw in a TC in which he was hurt, then that is your prerogative, but I really think you should look a little deeper instead of making snap judgements.
What I really question is you stating you don’t think LMJ or Jenkins will contribute next season either. What have you learned half way through this season that leads you to believe these two will do nothing? We don’t have any idea what the roster will look like next season so I’m wondering how you come to this conclusion?
I think Jenkins is a long way behind Manningham, Crabtree and Williams.
James was injured in the preseason, not in training camp when I watched him play every day.
Grant,
LMJ was also injured in the Houston preseason game. He came back quickly but there was no doubt he had trouble with his ankle.
I don’t disagree with you saying Jenkins or LMJ are behind these guys right now; if they weren’t they would be playing. What I’m questioning is your belief that they will not be any better next season. Jenkins is a better prospect than Williams was the year he was drafted. If Williams improved enough to be a contributor then why would you decide that Jenkins can’t improve enough to be a contributor?
You were excited about the LMJ pick, as were a lot of people because he’s explosive. The fact he didn’t light things up in his first pro TC doesn’t change that. He’s still the same guy who put up record numbers at Oregon. It’s just going to take some time for him to crack the lineup because he’s got some pretty good players in front of him.
I’ve become used to your absolute black and white opinions Grant, but it doesn’t mean I won’t question why you formulate them.
@ BigP:
Great comments. Given how well he stocked the roster the past 2 years, Baalke didn’t need to draft for immediate impact and instead could focus on players he thought would provide something special once they had received some NFL coaching, strength training, etc..
Claude,
Thank you. Isn’t it a great spot to be in as a team? I think it’s great that we don’t NEED rookies to come in and produce. Let them develop and their time will come.
BigP,
Fleener is the starting TE in Indy, and has only 4 catches less than Vernon Davis.
Jack,
Fleener is starting now, you are correct. Dwayne Allen (3rd round TE, 23 catches 249 yards, 2 TD’s) was moved to WR because of injury. Fleener has 21 catches and no TD’s this year. Vernon has 25 catches for 374 yards and 4 TD’s and is a All-Pro caliber player. It would be a understatement to say he is underutilized. Fleener would not see the field behind Davis or Walker.
Not only that Jack, the only 49er rookie active on game days is Garrett Celek, a TE and Fleener is a definite talent upgrade over him. So maybe Grant should be sticking by his Fleener pick instead of jumping on the muscle hamster bandwagon.
Fleener would have been a good pick, but have you guys seen Doug Martin play this season? He’s a stud. Let’s admit it.
No BigP, Allen has been the starting H back all season. He along with Fleener, Luck and TY Hilton are why the Volts will be back in the playoffs this year.
I pointed that out on March 28th Grant.
And no, I’m not letting it go.
Jack,
Andrew Luck will be the reason the COLTS make the playoffs this year, if they do. The H back position is a TE, like Chris Cooley in Washington. The only difference is you line up behind the line of scrimmage, which is why they call it a ‘back’ in the first place. Allen has been more productive then Fleener, and hasn’t missed any games like Fleener (2 missed games) has.
Hey BigP,
I know what an H Back is. The only reason I brought it up was because you first incorrectly said that Fleener is starting now, which implies he wasn’t starting earlier which is wrong, and that Allen was moved to a WR position which is also wrong. They have been starting in their current TE/H Back roles since game 1. And just like so many of us like to point out that Alex is not the sole reason for the 49ers wins, neither is Luck. He is a truly gifted player and the addition of him along with the other rookies I mentioned is the difference for the Colts this year.
Jack,
My bad, the colts.com website has Allen listed at WR2 with 8 games started, I should have caught that. I knew he had started 8 games but I thought it was at the true TE position because that is what he is defined as on the roster. Essentially, he and Fleener are both starting TE’s, with Allen being the more productive and durable of the two up to this point. As far as Luck goes, he will be the main reason for making the playoffs, if they do. His understanding of the pro game is light years ahead of the other rookies and it’s really starting to show as the season progresses. You have to have talent around you, but Luck is special. There is a reason that he was the #1 pick.
You cant tell from year 1 that there bad picks. If martin doesnt do that yesterday i dont think we are even talking this.. lets judge after 4 years.. baalke is 6-2 he deserves AT LEAST a B
Isn’t it funny you write this article claiming we should have drafted martin over jenkins literally the day after he has his best game as a pro. You even go a step further stating he would start over gore. Comon, really? Was the bye week that slow for you? Running backs can be found in any round, require no further development and very rarely ever warrant a 1st round draft choice. Hmm Arian Foster, Alfred Morris, Jamaal Charles, ahmad bradshaw the list goes on. Like people have said, a draft class can’t be evaluated until 2 or 3 years after. Plus, you see jenkins and LMJ sitting and interpret it as a negative. I see it as extremely positive and speaks volumes about the team, meaning we are so deep, we have the luxury of letting our rookies continue to learn and develop instead of throwing them into the fire.
Wait a second…Martin or James, they’re not going to play over Hunter/Gore. If you’re talking long term, the jury is out. Sure, Martin’s having a good rookie season…but he’s played 8 NFL games. That doesn’t mean he’s a star. A bit of a leap. Be honest Grant: Where did you have Martin on your draft board?
Martin has had two great games the past two weeks. Before then he was just another guy averaging about 4 yards a carry. The overreaction on here has risen to a new level and that is saying something.
I’d give Baalke a C- for all the reasons you stated PLUS the fact that he actually screwed up our special teams by letting Costanzo go and then trading Collins as well and not then not replacing them with like talent. We signed Bachtiari who was doing well on ST’s but then cut him for depth at LB. Our kick off coverage is giving up over 10 yards more on average per kick then last year.
This problem lies solely at the feet of Baalke.
@ Cfc:
I don’t think you can look at those decisions in isolation. What if letting those guys go allowed Baalke to keep players who add value to the offense or defense, both of which are arguably better than last year? The team can only keep 53 players, and Baalke has to determine how to apportion them.
Although Doug Martin is good(I live in Stockton and saw him play several times I knew he’d be good but not this good this early) I don’t think we can judge baalke’s picks this early…there’s no way to make an accurate assesment because draft picks take a few years to find out what you’ve got…who’s to say Jenkins and James won’t be standout players for us (I believe they both will be great playesr haven’t seen anything to make me think different) I’d give him a B+ …it’s a different job drafting for a good team than it is a bad team so as they say the jury is still out