Greg Cosell spoke on KNBR Tuesday morning. Here’s what he said about the 49ers.
Q: What are the 49ers getting in Anquan Boldin?
COSELL: Boldin doesn’t win against man coverage very well. He’s a contested-catch receiver. He’s got really good hands, vice grip hands. He’s better in the slot than he is on the outside. You can throw the ball to him when he’s covered and he’ll make catches. He’s very, very good in the red zone because he’s a naturally strong receiver who catches the ball in tight quarters. That’s what he is.
Obviously, people will remember the Super Bowl run, and he made some terrific catches. Almost all of them were contested. That’s what Anquan Boldin is. He does not separate versus one-on-one coverage, but he gives the quarterback confidence to throw the ball to him because he makes those difficult catches.
Q: Is he a max-effort guy?
COSELL: Yeah. He was the most consistent receiver on the Ravens, and I think he was the receiver that Joe Flacco felt most comfortable throwing the ball to because he makes contested catches. When you get to big games, that’s who he throws it to and he catches it.
Q: Do you think Boldin will be more productive for the 49ers than Randy Moss was?
COSELL: Yes, I don’t even think that’s a question. To me, there’s no comparison whatsoever.
Q: Will he give the Niners Manningham-like production?
COSELL: I think Boldin is better than that, too. He’s a different receiver than Manningham, but I think he’s just a better player.
Q: Are Boldin and Michael Crabtree similar players?
COSELL: I can understand the comparison. I think Crabtree is a more explosive athlete. He’s not explosive the way some other receivers are, but he’s a better mover at this point. Boldin’s not a very good mover at this point in his career, some might argue he never was. I remember being at the Combine when he ran a 4.72 40. He was never a fast receiver. Crabtree would not be viewed as fast either, but he’s faster than Boldin.
Q: Do you think the 49ers still need a deep-threat wide receiver?
COSELL: In an ideal world, I think every time would like that guy. Is it a need? Can they not get back to the Super Bowl unless they get that guy? No, I don’t think that’s the case at all.
Q: They’re hoping A.J. Jenkins turns into something.
COSELL: I liked him coming out. He’s not a true burner, either, although he’s probably a faster athlete on the field than Crabtree or Boldin.
Q: What kind of player is Ed Reed these days? Is he a diminished player from his hay day?
COSELL: Without question, and I think that’s one reason he was way down the list for the Ravens as far as re-signing players that are free agents. He was probably the last guy they were interested in signing because he’s not the same player. Now, does that mean he can’t give you a year at relatively quality play? He could probably do that. But if they were to sign him and people are thinking they’re getting the Ed Reed of three, four, five years ago, I think they’d be mistaken.
Q: So what can he do at this point?
COSELL: He’s a pass defender. In his prime, he was the best single-high safety, range safety in pro football, and he’ll be in the Hall of Fame because of that. He was unbelievable at understanding route combination based on alignments of receivers. He would move before the quarterback threw the ball. He was incredibly smart, really understood formations and what we call receivers distribution and location, and really broke on the ball very, very well with phenomenal hands to make interceptions.
Now, he’s not exactly the same player in terms of physical ability. Certainly, mentally he’s the same player, but in terms of physical reaction time, he’s not quite the same player.
Q: The 49ers are reportedly interested in free agent cornerback Sean Smith. What do you think of him?
COSEL: He’s good, but he’s not great. You have to remember in today’s NFL, corner is a premium position. If the Miami Dolphins felt this kid was a great corner, he would not have hit the market.
He’s a big, physical kid. He does not have great movement. He doesn’t run that well, but in this market he may be the best corner out there. Because of his size, he gives you some options that you wouldn’t have if you had a 5-11 corner.
I think that the Niners probably feel they need an upgrade in an ideal world over Tarell Brown. We’ll see if Sean Smith is that guy.
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I thought Brown did good last year..
Well, not good. People feel good but do things well.
What are you ? The grammar Nazi?
Brown was the fourth-best cover corner in the NFL last season according to Pro Football Focus, for what it’s worth. He did get picked on in the NFC Championship game. He will never be able to match up against a big receiver like Julio Jones.
Grant – Any chance you can get a 1 on 1 with Baalke before the draft?
Its been a little while since that game but I seem to recall that TB was in decent position several times but couldn’t stop the catch since Julio is taller, faster, stronger, better leaper. I’m not sure how many CBs could stop those plays. Tall DBs from Seattle didn’t get it done in the Playoffs.
I think Brown is underrated, but Grant is right. He actually had GREAT coverage on all of Julio’s catches. But like Boldin, Julio could just go up and pull the ball away. If Cully can work on locating the ball deep, I think the two of them can be one of the top 5-10 starting CB tandums in the leauge.
@ Crabs
You’ve probably got a better chance than Grant at that, unless you too are related to Lowell. I don’t think TB will let the press anywhere near him unless he’s got Carl Rove sitting next to him to manage the spin!
Any G.M. interviewed right now would have a major Pinnochio Nose!
That isn’t a PBV ranking is it Grant? I was under the impression he struggled more then just the NFCC.
PBV?
Top six cover corners in 2012, according to PFT:
1. Richard Sherman
2. Casey Hayward
3. Charles Tillman
4. Tarell Brown
5. Antonio Cromartie
6. Adam Jones
performance based value.
I don’t know. They have their own system of rating pass coverage.
Hard to argue with that. Harbaugh, Baalke, and Vic have all praised TB and refered to him as our most underrated/under appreciated player.
If those numbers are coming from the subscription area it probably isn’t one of their PBV articles then. They’ll say PBV if they are.
I see. Those numbers are indeed from the subscription area.
Why do you think we’re hearing talk of them replacing Brown?
Talk? You mean Cosell?
Brown will be a free agent after next season, and the Niners probably won’t be able to re-sign him.
@ Cfc:
Brown was the 4th most undervalued 49er, according to PFF:
https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/03/04/performance-based-value-san-francisco-49ers/
Yep those are the PBV’s i was referring to. That’s great if you want to know if your GM/Contract guy is good at their jobs but it doesn’t necessarily tell you if the player is good, only how good they are versus their contract.
Grant Cohn says:
March 12, 2013 at 9:18 am
Talk? You mean Cosell?
Brown will be a free agent after next season, and the Niners probably won’t be able to re-sign him.
—————————
I’m searching for it but I thought I had seen another article mentioning it as well.
Hmmm I can’t seem to find it or remember where I saw it, maybe I made it up then?
Coffee,
Grant mentioned it in a previous post. Maybe that is what you are thinking about.
http://49ers.pressdemocrat.com/2013/03/inside-the-49ers/grants-49ers-post-combine-mock-offseason/
When I was doing my off season move list I had given serious thought to them moving Brown because he had obviously struggled this past year but also because he has a huge salary escalation this season. His paragraph five goes from 850k to 2.9M!!
In hindsight I wish I had made the move, it would have looked brilliant!
Cossell said pretty much what I said yesterday about Boldin….Could’ve done a cut and paste.
He is exactly what we need. Vernon and Delanie don’t have the hands to rip balls away and/or above CBs and S. Both need to be led on their catches. We need a WR that Kaep can just let it rip to and they will come down with the ball, like Crabtree started to do so well.
Agree. Boldin is a proven red zone jump-up-and-get-it threat that the Niners need to complement Crabs and Davis.
Tarell Brown struggled against Julio Jones… what CB doesn’t? Small, tall or medium.. cornerbacks are going to struggle against Julio Jones.
If the Niners do sign Sean Smith, I believe it’ll be at the expense of Carlos Rogers, who’s slated to make $7.2M this season as the 3rd highest paid player on the team. I like Rogers, but he’s not worth $7.2M, especially when his salary could cover 2 starters.
they should cut him or have him take a huge pay cut.
Well put. It’s just another uninformed comment by Cossell. Sean Smith would not replace Brown, the best CB last season, but Rogers, who is on the decline and is overvalued at $7.2M.
Are we going to target any players that aren’t in their late 30′s?
I imagine the 49ers will draft a few players who are in their 20s.
Yeah, I heard they’re bringing in George Blanda for a workout; he’s not in his 30s.
I was going to suggest that his wife would probably gladly take a 7th rounder for him but I thought I should wiki him first and yep, he’s dead.
CFC
Name a player in his late 30s that the Niners have looked at. Thanks.
It is not known if they have any interest in Charles Woodson.
Welcome back mr sunshine. Your always positive and pleasant demeanor has been missed recently.
The others that responded obviously got that it was a sarcastic remark not to be taken seriously please try and keep up or better yet ignore my posts like I do yours and we’ll both be free of each other.
CFC
Your negative sarcasm is r*tarded. Baalke and Harbaugh have created the 2nd best team in the NFL over the last two years and all you can do is spew your normal, pathetic, negative ignorance.
I think the 49ers are more concerned with CRogers and CCulliver, than they are TBrown. Brown was their most consistent DB IMO. If they draft DB Jamar Taylor ( I know they like him), they may move Rogers to FS. But they really like CJ Spillman too. I hear they like TJ McDonald from USC. Don’t do it if they plan on keeping him at SS. On one hand you’ll love him because he can bring the wood. But in coverage, he is a Taylor Mays clone. Very stiff in the hips. Before his junior year, they were going to move him to OLB. They didn’t, because of a freshman named Dion Bailey. He played well above expectations. But if the 49ers insist on drafting TJ, they’ll find gold moving him to OLB. He just need to put on about 10 pounds
Interesting what you say about McDonald converting to OLB. I always wondered why they did not try to convert Mays. Maybe they did but did not like the results.
+1
Boldin sure beat Donte Whitner when it mattered. Nothing contested about that catch.
This is the way I thought about Boldin, but he’s clearly capable of getting separation on corners – you dont get that many catches just armwrestling guys. Having said that, I still pine for that deeper threat.
Boldin played the Seahawks in Seattle Week 10 of 2011. He caught two passes for 22 yards.
Sure but our offense is more dynamic than Baltimore’s . Imagine the difference he’ll make in run blocking too. Kyle williams will be gone too.
When Hunter and James are running to Boldin’s side, I guarantee the CB never wins that matchup. Boldin’s listed at 220, my guess is he’s closer to 230. Physically almost like a Delaine Walker with better hands.
Except Walker is faster than Boldin.
No reed!! cut whitner, have rodgers take a pay cut or give him his walking papers, no Goldson ( too expensive). Sign Pacman jones ,Draft two safeties and Mathieu from LSU. If you must, sign a pass rusher and draft DL help, inside and out. Cut Harylson and manningham.
Someone please calculate our savings if we cut Whitner, Rodgers, Harylson and Manningham.
Roughly $12 mil…
thanks, so enough to sign the rookies and one pass rusher.
Jack, are there any big ” baluga” type DT’s in the draft that could clog the middle and be an unmovable object? Are they going to mid round picks?
Big niner,
I think the 49ers showed their NT hand yesterday.
I agree Jack. I don’t think that the Niners will draft a NT in the draft.
I like the Pacman. Always nice to add another experienced punt returner too. I like that he isn’t afraid to stick his nose in it. My hesitation with Pacman is his size.
I like Sean Smith better though. I think that the NFL let the Seahawks DB’s get away with murder last year. And I think that the refs are going to give some allowances to DB’s as they take away their ability to lay the wood. All in the spirit of making the game more safe.
You are probably going to see NFL teams begin to emulate the Seachickens utilizing press coverages. If that adoption takes place, you’ll need CB’s like Sean Smith that can press and play bump and run…..
What are his salary demands? Greg cosell wasn’t too high on him. He said his hips weren’t fluid and he’s slow. He also mentioned the Dolphins not letting him go if he was any good since there’s a premium on good CB’s. ….
He’s expected to command at $8 million a year Big Niner.
That’s too much.
Yep. That type of money is for great CBs on the cusp on becoming elite and Smith isn’t even close to that.
Cutting Rogers would save just a little over $1 million Big Niner. Having two rookie safeties in our secondary would result in it getting feasted upon. And at best the team could only sign someone to back up our DEs or OLBs.
Only 1 million really? I thought he was due 7.5 million. I wouldn’t have both rookies playing next to each other right away. We have Spillman waiting to get a chance. I don’t think Whitner can play in this league with these big TE’s. He needs to go.
He is due 7.5 million….
Most of that money is guaranteed Big Niner. I’m not sold on Spillman as a starter. I think he is a solid backup and an vital chess on ST.
Yes, but since it was a long term deal and he is only 1 year into it there is a lot of dead money.
Jack, so it would be dead money? about 6.5 mill from Carlos rodgers?
Dunno about that…. I think they should attempt to renegotiate Justin Smith’s salary as well. I could be wrong, but he’s on the wrong side of 30 and I think he’s gonna drop off big time. Even after arm surgery.
http://www.ninersnation.com/pages/49ers-salary-cap-2013
Here you go Big Niner…
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/carlos-rogers/
Cowboy, Rogers, Goodwin and Whitner are candidates to have their contracts renegotiated IMO.
Here is a better one Big Niner. It gives you the entire team.
http://www.spotrac.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/cap-hit/
“Renegotiate” Justin Smith’s salary, as in try to convince him to take a pay cut? I don’t see that happening.
Thanks again Jack. You da man.
So I calculated about 15 million for MM, CR, Whitner and Harylson. That’s alot of money to play with.
Neither do I Claude but he is a candidate nonetheless.
oops nevermind, I’m wrong.
It’s a rare occurrence when I agree with what Cosell says but I do in this case. He nailed why I like the Boldin trade and why Smith or Reed would not be a good addition to the team.
Has every single person on this blog completely forgotten about CJ Spillman?
I wanted Spillman to sub for whitner in the redzone during the superbowl. That, along with the zone blitz would have been nice wrinkle for that game.
Spillman is “Faster than _ _ _ _” and he is a surer tackler than Goldson, if not nearly as big a hitter. Not sure about his ball skills.
I wouldn’t say he’s a bigger hitter. I don’t think there’s a bigger hitter in the NFL. lol, he even hits his own guys.
Spillman’s cover skills are suspect. He hasn’t shown that he can make the secondary calls either. We need some real help in our secondary. Better QBs tore us up pretty good last year in the playoffs.
If the Niners FO and coaches are sold on Culliver and have him start next season, they may want to consider cutting Rogers and picking up an undervalued nickel CB in the market Captain Munnerlyn who also is a good punt returner. However, there are other teams interested, e.g., the Browns may want him to start opposite Haden. I guess it all depends on how they are evaluating Cox.
oops, didn’t realize that most of Roger’s money is guaranteed. He’s going nowhere in that case.
Just saw this on Niners Nation. It was overlooked in the Boldin frenzy yesterday. Apparently, some NFL teams have contacted a former Nevada assistant seeking insight into the Pistol and how to defend it. He refused to talk to them, saying he wouldn’t help teams beat Colin Kaepernick.
http://www.ninersnation.com/2013/3/11/4092366/colin-kaepernick-pistol-jim-mastro
You have to love that kind of loyalty.
Awesome!! the pistol is on everyone’s mind, lol
AWESOME…..
I’m getting all pumped for 1 pm.
The problem is, we probably won’t be doing much in FA: Alex, Boldin, maybe D-line?
Anything else, I’m missing?
DB
Yea.. A suprise by balkee.. He has had one every year. Expect another 1 today
Ugh. Tony Gonzalez is pulling a Favre.
Mike Wallace to the Dolphins?
I just threw-up a little in my mouth.
who cares about him/them?
Who cares about Mike Wallace? Seriously?
Anyone needing a receiver? Us? I like Boldin alright but Wallace would have been a super nice get.
I’m more interested in going young in some of these spots. Maybe they’ve got a receiver lined up in the draft. Let’s hope so.
@ Adam. Don’t you think he’s out of TB’s price range?
Oh sure. But still… heading to the fins? What a waste.
He was a wasted pick on my fantasy team…lol had a down year.
Adam,
I feel way worse about Harvin going to the Seahawks.
Wallace is good, but not that good. One trick pony.
http://www.49erswebzone.com/news/56225-49ers-interested-safety-laron-landry/
Maybe its only me, but I think of Landry more as a SS guy than FS. He’s played plenty of FS but his skills better suit SS imo.
good, then cut whitner.
I think being a bit of both fits the 49ers defense, brotha.
Landry is reportedly asking for $6 million a year while Whitner is a $3.85 million cap hit for the Niners.
Could be that Baalke is targeting $6 million for this position.
Barrows just posted about this.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2013/03/safety-shuffle-49ers-in-the-mix-for-hard-hitting-laron-landry.html
Barrows post says no interest in Adrian Wilson. I’m a bit surprised, my guess was he’s about like Landry. Did he lose a step or two?
Landry is six years younger. Maybe they are looking for a longer-term fix.
Landry owns a monkey.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-lEzYZMo1k
When Landry came out in 2007, some forecast him to be the next Ed Reed. PFF agrees that he better fits the mold of a strong safety, but maybe that’s just because the Jets used him as such. Just a guess. I have read Fangio to say that, in our scheme, the free and strong safety are interchangeable. He ran a 4.35 at the combine, is almost 6’1, 210+ lbs. Maybe they like his pass coverage skills. We’ll see. Here’s the cbs.com draft profile when he came out:
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/historical/414963
Really an amazing football player. Here’s what the article says about his pass coverage skills:
His quickness is evident in man coverage, as he is effective at staying on the hip of the receiver and has the acceleration to mirror on long routes … Has the feet and hip snap to make quick adjustments on the move and can handle any receiving threats in man coverage … Has the hand strength to press and reroute tight ends and backs working underneath.
Landry has six picks in six seasons. He missed 13 tackles last season, and he allowed 14.9 yards per completion and a 97.5 passer rating according to PFF.
Goldson allowed 10.5 yards per completion and a 44.8 passer rating in 2012.
Got me there.
He is a in the box safety and a liability in the passing game at this point of his career.
Goldson is the best FA safety available. It is a losing game to compare…
Here’s a post from Barrow’s site about Landry and Goldson. The poster is a fellow named RANGELD:
The niners’ problem is that they had two strong safeties and NO true free safeties with great ball skills. Goldson was able to be a hybrid FS/SS because of his athleticism. However, he had lapses in coverage because his is truly a Strong Safety. Landry is in the same mold as Goldson. Although I love whitner, we need to cut him and get a guy like landry or goldson to play SS and find a TRUE FS. The way the league is moving (pass first), true Strong Safeties are becomimg obsolete or a liability in coverage. Strong Safeties must be able to play the pass and run with some decent ball skills and thats what Goldson and Landry are, they are NOT free safeties with excelent ball skills.
Read more here: http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2013/03/safety-shuffle-49ers-in-the-mix-for-hard-hitting-laron-landry.html#storylink=cpy
Maybe they are thinking of doing something like moving Culliver to Goldson’s position and moving out Whitner in favor of someone like Landry. Again, just a maybe.
That article supports my thinking that our next FS will come from the draft.
Grant, where does Goldson rank compared to other safties on PPF?
20th overall.
PFF, I mean.
I’m going to guess Weddle is #1?
Yes, and Jairus Byrd no.2.
Wow, that’s a big difference considering Goldson wants to get Weddle money.
Where is Kenny Phillips at in that ranking?
15th, but he only played 304 snaps.
In your opinion, is he worth taking a chance on despite his durability concerns?
Depends on how much he’s asking for. He may be too expensive even with his injury history.
I mean Goldson’s position, not Whitner’s. No idea about what they plan to do with him, if anything.
“Do you think the 49ers still need a deep-threat wide receiver?”
Grant and Cossell are obsessed with big-armed QBs and “burner” receivers, the kind that Gillman-Coryell offenses thrive on. Unfortunately, Niners under HarBaalke are closer to WCO than Coryell offense, and they will never sign the overpriced Mike Wallaces, many of whom are reluctant blockers for the run game, lacking sufficient “contact courage” and do not provide the interchangeability that HarBaalke prize.
“…I remember being at the Combine when he (Boldin) ran a 4.72 40….”
Another comment by Cossell that shows his bias and ignorance. Guess he wasn’t there when Jerry Rice clocked a rather pedestrian 40 time in the mid-4.6 range. If that time were converted to the current Fully Automated Timing (FAT timing) used in the combines, Rice, the GOAT receiver, would be credited with only a mid-4.8 time in the 40.
+1 very well said
Like Rice, Boldin plays faster than his timed speed. He is also quite a leaper. Should be a fine target for The Kap anywhere on the field.
Hey Grant, will you have a new blog for FA like you did last year?
I will.
Looking forward to it.
DL, anyone? Whether through the draft or FA, 49ers appear to be active looking for depth.
http://blogs.sacbee.com/49ers/archives/2013/03/dance-card-brimming-49ers-one-of-10-teams-looking-at-raiders-bryant.html
Our punter is all world. But he’s making $4 million per. Thoughts on grabbing a punter with a 7th rounder and saving $3.6 million?
No way Bay. Lee is one of the best in the game. Cutting him and drafting a rookie punter makes no sense.
I doubt it. Lee’s earns every bit of his $3-4M in helping win the field position game, and he does that consistently. He’s good value for money as long as he’s playing at his all-Pro level.
For those who are interested in Lee’s full contract details, here it is:
http://www.ninersnation.com/2012/5/25/3042979/andy-lee-contract-extension-details
Bay
I’d rather see the team cut Brian Jennings. His salary is about $1million/year. They could cross train somebody else to be the long snapper (as well as playing their natural position). That would be consistent with Baalke/Harbaugh practice of having multi-functional players.
For some pre-FA, pre-lunch humor, here’s the Boldin trade-related sibling interchange from Tanier’s blog:
http://miketanier.sportsonearthblog.com/free-agency-week-1-ticker/
I’m doubting Trent will do anything right out of the gate in Free Agency, but I’ve got a miserable record at predicting him. Still, it may be a few days.
Two guys I’m interested in seeing where they go are Steven Jackson and Reggie Bush. I read that Detroit is interested in Bush, perhaps hoping to use him as they did J.Best before his injuries.
Jackson has stated a preference to go where he can be the bell cow, not part of a committee of RBs. I think he’s got at least one more excellent year in him. Pit/Indy/GB/Atl/Dal all have reasonable to good chance of making the playoffs. If Detroit doesn’t go with Bush they could use Jackson, but they’re a longer shot to make the playoffs. Az would probably love to have him, but I doubt the feeling would be mutual; he wants to win.
I think you are right about Baalke Brotha… with one caveat, I believe they attack the Free Agency Frenzy by acquiring a proven Kicker. Maybe Tynes.
Good point, Razor. I can’t see any advantage in waiting on that one.
Well here’s a shocker. NOT!
http://www.49erswebzone.com/news/56231-reed-49ers-may-not-happening/
Thanks for this. Would have never seen it. I believe this. Makes the most sense. Just a smokescreen.
FWIW – Football Outsiders also ranks Reed on the low end, although a little higher than PFF. They also did not rank Brown nearly as high as PFF based on DVOA (Sean Smith ranked higher than Brown). Carlos Rogers, who ranked high in 2011 fell off considerably in 2012, according to FO, as well.
Outsiders weights their stats based on the competition they face, so that accounts for some of the discrepancies with PFF.
Maybe Boldin will be a better mentor to A.J. Jenkins than Moss was. Boldin definitely made Torrey Smith a better player.
It may be that they are going to have to put a gun to this kids head, figuratively speaking. Hope I’m wrong.
George – The kid needs to shadow Boldin down to the weight room.
After they put a gun to his head.
Plan B for Jenkins is that deer antler spray, plan C is the gun option.
AJ Jenkins probably needs directions and a map to find the weight room.
Deer antler spray. Yes, I guess the gun idea is too drastic, for the time being, that is.
PFT says Tampa is the likely one for Revis.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/12/bucs-are-the-likely-revis-destination-if-jets-move-quickly/
Nnamdi’s will be released.
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/12/eagles-to-release-nnamdi-asomugha-today/
Nnamdi, I mean.
Any opinion about him over Sean Smith?
I like the kid Rhodes from fl state.. trade up a few and get him… Sign asumgua(sp) and you’re set at db.. Now safety.. Hmmm
Grant, have you ever considered writing an “NFL for Dummies’? Seriously, could put a rocket under your career. History, descriptions of positions, types of offenses, types of defenses, statistics, etc. Could even get into the basics of betting. I am not aware of anything like it, and I think the market could be huge. Fans, girl friends, Fathers Day, birthday, and Christmas presents. NFL endorsement . . .
Bills cut Fitzpatrick
That’s a surprise, no?
YeeeeeSsss to Reeeeed……he will fit perfectly in our defense.