49ers release DT Lawrence Okoye during first wave of roster cuts

The 49ers just announced their first wave of cuts, and the following players have been released:

K Corey Acosta
LB Steve Beauharnais
CB Mylan Hicks
T Sean  Hooey
WR Mario Hull
WR Chuck Jacobs
WR Nigel King
LB Shawn Lemon
FB Trey Millard
DL Lawrence Okoye

The team also announced it has placed C Daniel Kilgore on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform List, WR DeAndre Smelter on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury List, and wide receiver Dres Anderson and inside linebacker Desmond Bishop on the Injured Reserve List.

The final wave of cuts will be September 5.

This article has 302 Comments

    1. I doubt that/hope not. Players on IR cannot practice all year so it would stunt the growth of a younger player. I don’t think the player or their agents would let that fly.

      1. NFI players can’t be on the same field as regulars during practice, but they can do everything else. Attend meetings, get individual coaching, travel with the team.

        Is IR more restrictive than NFI?

        1. Yes. NFI players can return after 6 weeks and get a 3 week open practice window. IR players are done until 2016.

          1. They can still attend meetings and film sessions, and workout with top notch trainers. According to Acker and Reaser being around the team environment is helpful in acclimating to the NFL.

    2. Naturally, lots of draft strategy talk…I like it. However, the pale fog of mysticism shrouds Niner fan’s logic as to whether Baalke is a good drafter or bad. The “lets wait and see” attitude wins the day, because we’ve had to wait for his ACL draft picks (see Marcus Lattimore, Trey Millard and others) or the Joe Looney’s, Patton’s, Ellington’s, WR Johnson, AJ Jenkins, (the offensive Line, receivers, are too numerous on this site to list the strikeouts here), (and current QB Kap will not work out either), and the current offensive line makeup–all Baalke’s misdrafts. Only Scott Mcclouhan’s picks of Frank Gore and Vernon Davis have somewhat kept the ship afloat for a run based offense. Baalke’s strategy of ACL’s and character issue players combined with just outright strikeouts on offensive linemen and anything offensive will be his achilles heel, and the 49ers downfall this season

      1. Kap is cited above as because Baalke needs a “Fall Guy”– similar to the firing of Harbaugh–and using the standard line, “we have the players, Kap’s just not making it work.”

  1. Millard and Okoye are the only surprises. I imagine they could return to the PS. I think Okoye will get some workouts around the NFL. The roster situation has (slightly) clarified.

        1. Maybe its a fake out to lull teams into passing on them… or maybe the 49ers are doing Okoye and Millard a solid by giving them time to try out for other squads.

          1. Yup – I would argue the latter. Jimmy T giving them time to catch on with another team.

        2. Don’t quote me but I believe McBLT and Hampton were among the first wave of cuts who did go back to the practice squad in 2013….

          1. I think you are correct razor. Would not be the first time a team lets a guy go in the first round of cuts with an eye of trying to sneak them past other teams.

      1. I heard he has one more year. I also heard he has a scholarship waiting for him in the UK, so he could decline a PS offer.

        1. IMO Okoye was more promising than Carradine. Tank has no power over the run and look stiff against pass.

    1. Yeah, so much for my prediction that Millard would make the 53… :-P

      Still in play for the PS. May just be a case of releasing him now because they know what they have in him and hope to sneak him past others by letting him go now. Or it could just be they let him go in the first round of cuts because they don’t rate him.

    2. I think they were told they were not going to make the 53 so they asked to be released so they can now move on to another team to continue their career.
      Wish them luck, and hope they can eventually sign up on the PS.

  2. So, if you’re going to cut Millard, why even draft him? He was a complete stud in college, and could have replaced Miller no problem. So what if he was a different type player, there was simply no reason to waste a pick on a guy like him if cutting him was in the cards. Baalke is an idiot. Sure, tell me about his awesome 2011 draft class that included Aldon Smith and Kaepernick and Hunter and … in hind sight, not so clever.

    I used to like Baalke’s strategy of stockpiling picks — because I thought he’d bundle them to get higher picks — but it’s now clear that his OCD always overwhelms his common sense!

    1. I don’t know, maybe because they hoped he would show them something more than he did and beat out Miller for the FB job? Perhaps in case of injury to Bruce Miller? Perhaps because by cutting him now he has a better chance of landing on the PS?

      I take it you are a subscriber to the idea that all draft picks should work out and be good players.

      1. Nothing wrong with trading assets for an asset. They have been accumulating many picks over the years only to keep differing them for future years. In the end, you can only fill so many spots.
        The strategy works on both accounts but at some point you have to use it both ways.

        1. Baalke operates under the belief you are better off having too many players than not enough. If some guys don’t make it, so be it. I realise this irks some people, but the reality is a lot of draft picks don’t work out, for every team, so having more chances of finding some good players is not a bad thing.

          This year is also a prime example of why having lots of picks over a few years can be important, with so many vets leaving. While the 49ers certainly look like a team in trouble atm, most teams suffering a similar exodus would have been in a far worse spot than the 49ers find themselves.

          1. Well now the 49ers fate is on him. I guess we will see how well this theory plays out. So far, not so well.

          2. All those abundance of picks in the mid to late rounds are all marginal players. Talent wins.

            1. There’s talent all over the draft. Tom Brady was a 6th round pick Russell Wilson a 3rd. Bowman was a 3rd. Lynch was a 5th. Boone wasn’t even drafted. There are great players out there you just have to pick ’em.

              1. Its easy to pick first rounders, because everyone can see their metrics. What is difficult is to pick out the gems in the later rounds, and I think Baalke has done a good job.
                Of course, there are misses to go along with the hits, but the more chances, the better odds for success.
                Really dont care about the misses, because Baalke hit a grand slam picking Kaep, who gives this team a good shot to win the SB for the next 10 years. After the futility of the last 20 years, I am ecstatic that the Niners finally have a QB with the requisite skills and a coach who knows how to use him.

              2. First rounders are tough too. Look at RG3. Trent Richardson. AJ Jenkins. Aldon Smith. How confident in Armstead are you right now?

              3. And add to the list our very own Blaine Gabbert. Sometimes its the circumstances as well that determine the success of a player. See David Carr.

              4. I still like him, tho he kinda disappeared on some of those running plays. He is raw, and needs seasoning.

              5. The idea of making a lot of picks and hoping some of them work out smacks of not having any confidence in your ability to recognize talent. Baalke does better with his later picks because you can acquire them more easily so you have more to use. More picks in the later rounds will improve your chances of picking winners which is his underlying philosophy.

                As to Okoye I hope this will not mirror the situation with Ed McCafferdy. The Niners let him go ( could have kept him for slightly over the min ) to get extra cash to redo JJ Stokes contract. It would be a kick in the Assss if Oyoye’s football light came on and he turned out to be better than Armstead. I think letting him go was a sign that they couldn’t or wouldn’t make any O-line trades. I mean they didn’t have any room for him on the 53 roster and their in house DE project had to be Armstead.

                This is one reason I do not like Baalke’s method of reaching for multiple players. Just to many wasted resources.

                Scooter- In the later rounds using multiple picks and hoping some work out is OK. The problem is that this does not work with the higher picks, because you are limited and need to make sure the ones your get are worth it. This is the area where Baalke falls short. His success with top picks is less than stellar. I think this is also why he doesn’t bundle his later picks to move up because considering his skill set he might be better off with the greater numbers. He hunts with a shot gun rather than a rifle. If you are not accurate I suppose thats what you have to do.

              6. Willtalk, before we assume Baalke has whiffed on his early to mid round draft picks lets see how they look this season. We’ll have a much clearer idea as they no longer have a lot of talented players in front of them.

                I disagree that the idea of drafting lots of players is a sign of a person that doesn’t trust his ability. It is a sign of a realist. Someone that realises not every pick will work out.

                And it is not as if he doesn’t draft anyone high. He does. He moved up for Anthony Davis, he moved up for Eric Reid, and this was the first year he actually traded down in the first round and even then it was just two spots. He just also accumulates a bunch of lower round picks where he can play more of a swing and hope game.

                As for Okoye, at best he looked ok this preseason, but that was against bottom of the roster players. Another example of fans getting a little over excited about someone that is let go. Maybe they try and sign him back to the PS again this year, but so far this is a failed experiment, nothing more.

              7. Willtalk,

                To me the 49ers draft strategy smacks of them understanding that the draft is something of a crapshoot and the more times you throw the dice, the better your chances.

                Bill Polian, himself, said his goal was to hit on 60% of his picks (btw, his definition of hitting on a pick didn’t create that high of a threshold). He felt that any FO that can have 60% of their picks is doing an excellent job.

                This should tell you that draft picks are far from sure things.

          3. BAAAM!! Well said Scooter.
            I use to think he was stockpiling picks to land a top notch FA…. Those dreams went away last year, but in hindsight having a lot of picks is better than having none. Having none and a ballooned pay roll is the reason we suffered so long when SR York took over. The only problem I have with Baalke is he can’t pick a decent offensive player to save his life. Ok Hyde is one, but that’s it.

            1. And so smart guy, name a few of those extra picks that have come in, played well and become bonafide starters?

              1. Hyde was a 2nd round pick and we don’t how good he is. This is his first full season as a starter: if he can stay healthy.
                Borland: good player but not so good when a RB like Lynch steam rolls him. He was too small for the position and didn’t have the durability to withstand the physicality of the NFL. That’s why he took his ball and went home!

              2. Yep Borland was too small but was leading the team in tackles? Aaron Lynch is another one. Hyde will be fine since the only thing our line seems to be able to do is run block. D Johnson, Acker and Reaser will also turn out to be funtional starters at some point.

              3. Honestly I don’t think Baalke has drafted all that well considering all the picks he has had over the years.
                There is still a lot of guys like Lynch, Acker, Reaser, DJ that we don’t know how good they are.
                The Niners should have jumped at the chance to bring McCloughin back whenhe was sobered up. Baalke is a joke!

              4. I am not a huge Baalke fan, we’ll see for sure this year how well his talent does. Those guys you listed will be fine, its RT, RG that he missed this year. Just bad moves. I don’t tend to be a sucks or great. He’s in the middle somewhere.

              5. I don’t know about that fixation on McClougham that some people have.

                He had as much or even more misses on the draft as Baalke.
                For every 2012 draft, there’s a 2008.

                I guess it might be nostalgia.
                The past always seem better, even if it was not that good to begin with.

              6. Harbaugh basically inherited McCloughins team. He did pretty well up until the last 2 years. Coincidence?

              7. I would explain if you could comprehend.
                I said I don’t like his offensive picks.

                Lynch, dial, Tank, a Smith, Borland… To name a few on the defensive side, where I think he is excellent at.
                Now that retirements have happened I guess we’ve got some bonified starters to look out for.
                Smart guy!
                Why I waste my time. But at least I have the balls to answer your questions.
                Chicken ****! Canadian

              8. And this shows how much you love my nuts prime.
                I halfway agree with you and you still troll. Sounds personal tough guy. H ha haaa. Somewons feelers are hurt.

              9. Prime Time August 31, 2015 at 5:42 pm
                Harbaugh basically inherited McCloughins team. He did pretty well up until the last 2 years. Coincidence?

                It is curious that, if the team was that good already before Baalke and he did nothing special other than inherit a greast roster, how come they could not even make the playoffs during McCloughan?

                Don’t bother to respond.
                It’s a rethorical question.
                I don’t want to engage in a debate with you…

              10. Al that’s fine you don’t want a reply. But any idiot would know that those teams under MCCLOUGHIN were coached by 2 guys as dumb as Ninermd! Capisce?

              11. But any idiot would know that those teams under MCCLOUGHIN were coached by 2 guys as dumb as Ninermd! Capisce?

                Capisco!
                So, whose fault was that?
                I guess your plan is that they should have hired McCloughan again so he could get another dumb coach to waste a great roster.
                That sounds like a plan!

                And for godsake, spell the man’s name correctly.

            2. Kaep?
              Personally, I like a QB who can put his foot on the one yard line, then sprint up field untouched for a TD. Who else could do that?
              I also like QBs who set playoff rushing records. Does PM have 181 total rushing yards in in a game in the playoffs? No, he has 22 total yards over 14 seasons.

              1. Didn’t he fumble on the one yard line? I like that too! I also like a QB with no mechanics, and gets antsy in the pocket, like it’s a prison for him.

                PM has passing records and will go into the HOF. Kaep has tattoos!

              2. No he didn’t fumble on the 1 yard line. Was another bad call even after review. You pushed for alex smith like a teenage girl at an nsync concert. So name me one snap where Alex didn’t look the same. When you’re getting crushed from a crappy O-line. You’ll naturally start hearing footsteps. Trust has to be built. Why do you think alex smith finally started producing. He had a very good o-line.
                Now that I brought this up. Que my trolls who saaawing from my weblos!
                In 3…2…1

              3. Crabtree was held in the end zone too. And that wasn’t PI in 1983 against the Skins. The ball didn’t touch Kyle William’s leg on on the fumbles in the NFCCG. History is for winners. Kaep fumbled on the one yard. Live with it! He threw those picks in the Seattle, Bears game. Worst 4th quarter QB in the league last year. He did run for 90 yards though! That was awesome! Yay us!

              1. “You pushed for alex smith like a teenage girl at an nsync concert.”
                ~ MD

                I spit out my drink because I laughed so hard.
                Instant classic MD!

          4. Why did they draft Millard? Probably value, bpa, competition. He was a seventh round pick they could stash for a year who could be insurance for Miller? Many reasons to draft him but late round picks have an uphill battle to make the roster.

        2. Baalke drafts scared. His highest draft priority is to cover his arse. That’s why he plays it safe. Even the 2011 draft was questionable. Yes he got Aldon Smith, but guess who was still on the board? J.J. Watt and Justin Houston.

          In 2014, Baalke picked Jimmie Ward but could have had LG Xavier Su’a-Filo, WRs Marqise Lee, Jordan Matthews, or Davante Adams.

          Baalke’s track record is a sad story of whiffs. It’s not who he drafted, but who he passed on that will haunt the 49ers for years to come.

          1. Hindsight is 20/20, Nick. Were you lamenting baalke not picking Watt or Houston in 2011?

            Take a look at re draft lists made two or three years after any given draft. Practically the entire first round is different. It’s the exception when any given player is slotted where they were actually chosen.

            Of course, Baalke shouldn’t be governed by the same immutable truths that exist in the draft. No, he should magically rise above reality and tap into some kind of draft savant clairvoyance.

          2. When you play the draft game with 20/20 hindsight there are 32 GMs that should be sacked for overlooking talented players.

          1. Traded for what? An undisclosed 2017 draft pick (sounds like a seventh round pick, to me). That’s the next thing to being cut.

            1. Meanwhile the other WR they drafted last year is still out with an ACL.

              They may have hit on Tyler Lockett though.

  3. Dockett cracked a rib Saturday evening, but not expected to miss any games. No fun breathing, coughing, laughing or rushing the quarterback….

    1. Guys a real Munson, and then has another article on why Tyrod Taylor was the right choice for the Bills….

      1. He also put Wilson in the elite category without seeing what happens when Seattle puts more weight on his shoulders.

    2. Sure read like a troll piece with inconsistent logic. I thought it was interesting how the newest comment quoted Greg Cosell as saying Colin Kaepernick was done as a starter and would be cut or traded after this year. I just listened to Greg Cosell on KNBR with Tom Tolbert and Cosell said that the Bronco debacle was not on Kaepernick but rather the offensive line (particularly the right side).

      Trolls gonna troll.

      1. Cosell still hung onto to his narrative that Kaep needs to be a pocket passer to be a success.

          1. Plutonium grade raw material working to go nuclear, while at the same time amassing 50 regular season touchdowns and only 21 interceptions. KapEx Ground deliveries in the last three seasons averaged over 400 yards with 10 rushing touchdowns. Add to that, before last season Kaepernick assisted the team into the big dance the last two seasons, and reaching the Conference Championship each time. His flaws include poor decision making, poor mechanics, poor interview skills, and he has tattoos….

            1. Lmao! Over the line with those pesky tats. Those old timers like “fan” believe in two at the most. And they must be only 1 of these things.
              An anchor
              Mom
              Or a woman’s name.
              Anything else is unacceptable!

              1. I can’t help but feel I got ripped off. I guess I was expecting more. That’s our quarterback.(wipes back tears); > )

              2. Deft, dexterous dangerous dynamic dual threat dilemma who will decapitate defenders destroy defenses derange DCs and demoralize divisions.

          2. Kaep reminds me of the Sundance Kid. In the movie, the mine foreman asked the Kid to shoot a rock by standing still and extending his arm. The Sundance Kid missed, so the foreman turned his head in disgust and started to walk away. The Kid asked if he could move, and once the foreman said OK, the Sundance Kid moved like lightening and blasted the rock to bits.
            Kaep is the same way. Asking him to stand still and deliver the ball is not his strength. He is a thousand times more dangerous on the move, so they should consistently roll him left or right in a mobile pocket so he can throw on the run.
            The defense also cannot tee off and rush to a spot if there is no spot to rush to. Kaep and his mobility will avoid sacks and deliver jaw dropping throws that will make me ecstatic that he is the Niner QB, and Kaep gives the Niners a good chance to make it to the playoffs, and possibly go all the way.
            I want to see the Sundance Kaep.

              1. Wrong. Quit pretending you have football knowledge. Stick with the sophomoric insults, its all you seem good at.

            1. SEB …

              do you write romance novels for a living ? I wonder why none Harbaugh didn’t see this….everything comes outhappy at the end…

      1. Hey, what’s that thing sticking out of Kaep’s butt? I think it’s a fork, because he’s done!

        Bring on Blaine Gabbert! I said it last year too!

            1. I think so since he referenced it, but your interest suggests you do more than kiss a toy puffin’s behind….

              1. If you say so. Have nothing to do all day than needle people and pretend to talk football. You should be proud and your country thanks you for your service. Congrats!

              2. You just described yourself to a tee! I bet you know all about service Dr. Kettle of Canada….

        1. Could be the case, is he better than what we have? I guess not if he’s injured all the time. I keep wondering if the coaching staff is sort of panicked about their situation yet. There’s still the chance that they’re doing the same thing with the line that they were with the DB’s. Any hope of Jordan Devey working out?

    1. He might become a cowboy.
      Jerry loves those “high draft picks” that don’t work out.

      1. Fred Jackson got cut too. Any time a RB is cut somebody mentions the Cowboys. That should tell Jerry something.

        1. Letting Murray go to a rival will haunt them. Bet he will run for 100 yards each time they meet.

        2. He signed an ex raider with no tread on the tires and engine problems. lemons!!!. It’s the Jerry way.

  4. Found this on PFT:

    “49ers waived DL Lawrence Okoye, K Corey Acosta, LB Steve Beauharnais, CB Mylan Hicks, OT Sean Hooey, WR Mario Hull, WR Chuck Jacobs, WR Nigel King, LB Shawn Lemon and FB Trey Millard.
    Okoye signed a reserve/future contract in January. Still only 24 (in October), Okoye is a freak-of-nature athlete for his 6-foot-6 frame, but it simply isn’t translating to football. The fact that he can’t even crack the 49ers’ practice speaks ill of his development.”

    I thought a player had to be cut and clear waivers to go on PS. This guy makes it sound like they could just put him on PS.

    1. PFT appear to be assuming if they are part of the first wave of cuts it means the team has no plans of putting them on the PS. We’ll see.

      Personally I think the team will be moving on from Okoye rather than giving him a 3rd year on the PS. But nothing is set in stone right now.

      1. I think the fact that they didn’t play him in the last game said something. I thought they might be trying to hide him for the practice squad. Well they could still be doing that. But now that I think of it Scooter you could be right. I think when they drafted Armstead that spelled the end of Okoye. They both serve the same function. They are developmental DE. Actually Okoye often looked better than Armstead in the last game they let him play. He is less experienced and still has a bigger potential upside than Armstead, but since Armstead was Baalke’s # 1 pick we know who will reap any favoritism.

        1. Meh on Okoye. Factor in the level of competition and he wasn’t that impressive. At least Armstead has been getting reps against backups, not guys that won’t be on any teams 53 this year.

          1. Scooter- The game I referenced that he often looked better was one where they were on the field at the same time against the same competition.

  5. If all goes well with the Runaway Hayne, the services of Bush will no longer be necessary in 2016….

      1. I expect the Runaway Hayne will be doing a lot of what Bush does this year as a running back, next year….

    1. Bush should not waste his time fielding punts. He should save his talents and energy being the option RB that can run, block and catch . He is too old to subject his body to those big hits on ST.

      1. I been saying that all spring based on last year’s camp. This year Reaser stepped up too.

      2. Acker sure has looked good. Two years in a row he’s impressed in preseason games.

        Reaser looks like he’s got some potential too. And while Johnson struggled in the slot against the Broncos, he’s looked fairly comfortable on the perimeter using his height and decent speed to his advantage. The young DBs are giving me some hope.

        1. Yes Scooter, that is exactly what I like about Dontae. He’s good against big, outside receivers which will put Brock on the smaller quicker guys. Combined with the safeties I repeat, I like the versatility.

        2. Baalke really did a great job waiting on CB’s in the draft and picking up some quality on day 3. Acker especially looks like he will be a solid #2 starter in this league.

          1. And yet some people will argue it was a bad thing drafting so many CBs and letting them all compete for a starting spot. Wasted picks and all.

    1. Yay warm fuzzies!

      Acker looks like a starter. Dontae Johnson has looked very good too, and Reaser has had his moments. They look to have a very versatile up-and-coming secondary.

      I somewhat disagree about having to give Hyde 25 carries a game. With Bush, Davis, and Hayne they have a deep squad and can distribute some of those carries, but the majority should go to Hyde. Of course it all depends on how many carries there are to go around, so there’s no real reason to quibble over numbers.

      The boost in field position provided by Hayne is essential.

    2. I did see you brought up a bunch of negatives at the start, but that is to be expected since the negatives are the headlines, but thank you for giving us some hope with a positive article.

    3. No fair mellowing my harsh, when I was expecting you to harsh my mellow.

      Nice writeup. Hyde looks fast, and good corner play will make blitzing far more effective.

    1. The coaching staff sees things a certain way, and they’re in charge. It isn’t exactly what we expected but hopefully it turns into something good.

    1. New offense — interesting
      Bunch of good rbs-exciting
      Good bunch of cbs- solid
      Kap who might be able to throw with a tad bit more touch on short and intermediate routes – cool beans.

      No pass rush. No OL. Mangini as DC. And Kap who forgot how to throw deep—-?

      Dust is settling from harbough drama. I just wish they could’ve swallowed some ego and kept our defensive coaches intact. Our defense is going to be a seesaw of giving up big plays and making big plays. W/o pass rush and ilb we will give up more plays than make is my opinion.

        1. With the atrocious tackling I saw on Saturday it’s even worse. At least with Fangio’s defenses, if someone missed a tackle there was usually someone backing him up. But with the blitzes, it reduces the number of players backing up other players. Still, not sure what else Mangini can do; there is little to no pass rush.

  6. Wow. Trent Richardson cut by Oakland, but will be paid around $3.8m this year in dead money anyway. One PFT commenter said, “Yeah, but half of that will go to taxes and agent.”
    Awwww, so only $1.9m Take Home this year for staying home.

  7. I am disappointed with the game management. They still have clock management issues and the delay of game penalty helped kill a drive so they had to settle for a FG.
    It was frustrating to see players standing around waiting for the calls. They need to let Kaep be the field general and call the plays that were scripted ahead of time so precious seconds are not being wasted.
    Kaep should have 3 plays that he should be able to call quickly, and have built in audibles so he can read the defense and exploit their weakness. I can understand their reticence to show their hand during preseason, but after watching the offensive futility, it just does not seem to be a good strategy. They would learn more by being more dynamic and flexible.

    1. Maybe their plan is to lower expectations, and then light it up on Monday Night Football….

      1. Well, in the Art of War, it is a good strategy to feign weakness to catch the opponent off guard.
        I am wondering if they are doing too good a job at it.

  8. Something I just realized all NFL games for the fourth exhibition week are played on Thursday, I don’t think I have ever seen that before.

      1. We are soooooo past grabbing intel. Sure it can’t hurt but that made more sense when we were neck and neck and intel may have given us a ‘”competitive advantage”

        1. Since the Seahawks grabbed BJ Daniels, Will Tukuafu and Demarcus Dobbs from the Niners, the Niners have not beaten the Seahawks. Amazing coincidence? I think not.

          1. Yup, three key grabs and this result is no coincidence. To quote Auric Goldfinger: “Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. Three times, it’s enemy action.”

    1. I’d be surprised if they signed him. Seahags traded their starting center, & they need OL help as they’ve not played well. I’m not sure their OL castoffs would be much use. The intel thing probably over-rated imo. They’re in the Niners’ division, not many secrets.
      The Fred Jackson signing was mildly curious

  9. The Niners need to be more disciplined. 13 penalties are way too many, and it does not matter how skilled they are if they shoot themselves in the foot with stupid penalties. Penalties killed drives, and extended opponent drives.
    Too many penalties, and it will be the difference between winning and losing. Lining up too closely will give the opponent a free play. Blind siding a player totally away from the football may seem macho, but it helped kill a drive. AB should know better, and if he wants to be a leader, he should demonstrate more restraint and poise.
    Niners need to find that fine line between playing aggressively and playing too aggressively. They need to play smart

    1. I’m also concerned about the penalties piling up. Some of them are by rookies and are part of the learning process. But those by vets are far less acceptable. But Boldin has had some dumb penalties in the past with the Niners.

      1. I bet Coach Tomsula went ballistic in the locker room. I could also see him begging his players to stop the self inflicted wounds. Good thing it is only the preseason, and those things can be easily corrected.

  10. Listened to Tomsula on KNBR’s Mac and Murph show on my drive to work. Sounded like the O line has been firmed up and will be told to the players in the meetings this morning. Talking about the last pre-season game, he seemed to imply that it gives chance for other players who may be cut to audition to other teams. He spoke pretty coherently, appeared to address all the questions without unnecessary dodging.

    I suppose NFL rosters are pretty much set by the end of the third week of the pre-season. The fourth week’s practice and the game may be a deciding factor for a small handful, 2-4 players. Someone like Hunter who’s still brushing out rust after the injury? Although the level of game planning attention that was centered around Hunter (as Grant implies) may indicate that he’s in. Could be choosing two out these three: Trent Brown, Ian Silberman, and Dillon Farrell.

    1. All I have to say is that I appreciate the loyalty Coach Tomsula has shown Pears, but if they want to win, they need a better RT.Brown would be my best guess, or Boone. Baalke has the money to pay Boone, and it might be nice to see the Niners retain a player instead of seeing them leave. This jailbreak loss of players has lessened the pool of talent on this team.
      Hmm. Maybe jailbreak is an inappropriate word considering Brooks, Aldon, Simpson and Miller.

      1. From Grant’s reporting on TC it seemed Brown was getting beat a lot by different players in one on ones and in 11 on 11’s too. We don’t see what they see in practice. If Pear’s is the best RT on the team and they see it every day we’re at a loss for talent and TB needs to improve his choices there. Seems like Pear’s connection with Tomsula has helped him get and keep the job. We never really saw any other player with the 1’s there. If I were Kap or the WR’s seems like I’d be in the coaches ear about fixing that side of things.

    1. I would like to go back further and speculate what if the Niners had picked Aaron Rogers instead of AS. 2 more rings?

        1. Great question. I think Rodgers had the chops for being an all pro QB but you never know what Nolan and Singletary would have done with it. Its almost too exciting to think of how many TD’s Rodgers would have thrown to VD, Crabtree and Gore over the years.

          1. I liked AR’s accuracy back then, I like it now, but you are right, dont know what he would have done with those coaches or not sitting behind Favre for all those years.

            1. He’d have been thrown immediately into the fire behind a crappy O line with a revolving door of OCs. Of course maybe his talent would’ve transcended all that nonsense, led to a franchise revival, and made Mike Nolan into a HOF coach.

              Or he might still be holding the football up by his ear, Tedford style.

              1. Yeah, Aaron matriculated under the coaching of Mike McCarthy, who by the way was OC and one of SF’s staff to lobby to pick Alex over him.

              2. BroTu,

                McCarthy may be some kind of evil genius. Getting the 9ers to pass on Rodgers so he can go to Green Bay and be a head coach with a succession of great QBs.

              3. These tend to be staff decisions with someone being the final arbitrator. I don’t know who preferred who, and perhaps Nolan cast the deciding vote based on whatever. I do know that when McC was hired at GB he told the story of sitting down with Rogers to clear the air and avoid misunderstandings going forward for his heir apparent at QB.

              4. Seb,

                What I remember is that Nolan had Smith and Rodgers answer pointless questions and perform pointless tasks. Smith just did them, without question and Rodgers asked why do you want me to do these things. Nolan liked Smith, because he had a better attitude.

                I think it’s better to have a player, especially a QB, who asks why are we doing this, rather than just going along. Of course, ultimately, the coach must be the decider in the running of the team on the field, but it can’t be bad to have a QB who can think for himself, can it?

    2. I think Kap to the Dolphins at 15 is hilarious. He could wear his hat without people complaining.

      A.J. Green is an interesting choice, but the 49ers wouldn’t have gone to the Superbowl without Aldon Smith.

    3. Would Richard Sherman be the same player without the chip on his shoulder from being a 5th round pick?

      1. Gotta work on the typos in my email. Do you think its his chip on his shoulder or that the system he plays in and the safeties backing him up. Seems like going to Buffalo would have put him into all around obscurity.

        1. You have a great point there. I think his attitude plays a role in his success but that defense and his role perfectly suit his skill.

    4. A J Green is a great leader, very fast, smooth, a Pro Bowl WR…….BUT, the announcers in a PreSeason game pointed out that quite a few of Dalton’s interceptions came off AJ’s hands. I can’t recall the numbers or percentages, but it’d been tracked. One reason for that is Green is Dalton’s go-to guy, so gets more targets, another is that sometimes by design he just throws it up for Green to out-compete the defenders. Even so, it was an eye opener.

      1. I think it was Gruden who mentioned that. Then, incredibly, right as he said it Dalton threw a pass that bounced off of Green’s hands, right to a defender who returned it for 6. Hilarious.

        1. Reminds me of Ryan praising Trenton Brown just as Brown is falling down and allowing a sack. I was not laughing.

  11. I’m kinda grinning at all our “What if’s?”
    -What if Monte Clark had stayed with the Niners?
    – What if Bill Walsh had got the job with the Rams?
    – What if the Seahawks took Ronnie Lott in the draft?
    -What if Eddie D. had not paid extortion money to the Gov of La.?
    -What if the Earth had two moons? ( in that case the planet would not rotate, and like the Moon it would have a hot side and a cold side.)
    -What if Pete and Darrel has just given the rock to Marshawn?
    Cosmic consequences………

        1. Come on, be realistic. Just think how board you’d be without all the time you spend arguing with him.

    1. – What if Monte Clark had stayed with the Niners?
      Joe Thomas would have wrecked the team anyway, blaming Monte Clark for the downfall.

      – What if Bill Walsh had got the job with the Rams?
      Joe Thomas might have stayed on for another year, wrecking things even more. Eddie’s pop would have sold the team at a marginal profit.

      – What if the Seahawks took Ronnie Lott in the draft?
      BW would have likely taken Kenny Easley. To his surprise, Lott fell to him.

      – What if Eddie D. had not paid extortion money to the Gov of La.?
      There might be a new stadium adjacent to ATT… if Eddie D could talk the NFL into allowing parking garages. (parking structures don’t accommodate tail gate BBQs. Seriously, that was an actual project hold up.)

      – What if the Earth had two moons? ( in that case the planet would not rotate, and like the Moon it would have a hot side and a cold side.)
      Home field advantage would be huge.

      – What if Pete and Darrel has just given the rock to Marshawn?
      Seattle would have passed Dallas on the Insufferable Scale. Impressive in short a short time.

        1. CFC
          That’s contrary to what I was taught in college. The gravitational pulls find stasis with the larger planet.

      1. FWIW:

        1. Marshawn Lynch scored once out of five tries from the one yard line.
        2. Only one pass from the one yard line was intercepted last year in the NFL (hint: it happened in the Super Bowl and made Dick Sherman cry).

        Tactically, I think it was a great call, it was just a terrible pass by Wilson. If it scored, great (for the Seahawks), if it was incomplete it would’ve stopped the clock and they would’ve had third and fourth downs to run (I think they had only one time out left). With a pass, run, run sequence they were guaranteed to get three plays off, if needed.

  12. Jeff Deeney ‏@PFF_Jeff 20h20 hours ago
    Colin Kaepernick has been pressured on 55.6% of his dropbacks in the preseason, highest percentage of any starting quarterback. #49ers

    1. Careful, you might be labeled a Kaepologist.

      Also, how come every time I see a negative tweet it’s followed by #49ers?

    2. I saw in the NFC West update the Cardinals have given up 10 sacks in the preseason. Geez it makes me wonder how many more sacks we’d have if Kap wasn’t mobile. I genuinely feel bad for Tomsula on the offensive side of the ball. The Oline really will impact everything else. If Kap has improved we’ll never know it.

      1. If they experimented with Boone at RT and failed, then I might feel bad for Tomsula. But his loyalty to a mediocre, aging journeyman is puzzling. I’m still holding a sliver of hope for the unleashing of masterful game plans and some major gellage up front.

      2. Silver lining? Every OL in NFC West is terrible. Of course, ours might be the worst now. Ouch!

  13. Maiocco – “Jim Tomsula announces C Marcus Martin, RG Jordan Devey will be part of the starting O-line.”

    Wow. Devey was a laughing stock in Boston for his poor pass pro. Maybe Matt’s only talking about Thursday’s preseason game, and the line still isn’t set.

      1. +1000

        Seriously, I’m disappointed in Thomas and Martin. I thought they were our sure thing guards down the road. I even had Thomas moving out to tackle.

        Its way too early to give up on them, but still…

        I think Martin will play well at Center. When Kilgore returns he can move to RG. It might be more of an indictment of Looney as a center than Martin as a guard.

      1. Harsh. Don’t think I can co-sign them making fun of him for his circuitous path to the NFL, even if he’s mormon.

    1. Kinda figured Devey was gonna be the guy after last game. I mean they did trade for him, so it makes sense….

      1. He was a big step up from Silberman that last game. But can’t say I’m overly confident in the right side of our OL in any way, shape or form.

      1. This is an absolute joke. You have Brandon Thomas who has played soild in the pre season and you start a bum at RG over him who was a laughing stock with the patriots. Patriots line isn’t very good either. I had hope for Tomsula and this coaching staff but I’m losing all faith. To sit back and do nothing on the R side of the line in embarrassing. With this line there is a 5-11 season coming I guarantee you that. If you have a crappy line your toast.. Bad bad news…….

  14. Well, at least Silberman is out of there. Glad Martin is at center because Looney had trouble with snaps. Still hope for Brown, but Coach Tomsula must really like Pears. Lets see how he does in the regular season.

    1. I looked at the film again focusing in on Silberman and Devey. Silberman was a disaster and Allan was right that on the one bad play I mentioned regarding Pears (not the safety), Silberman’s man blew by him so quickly and Pears saw it, but couldn’t react quickly enough on whether to stop Silberman’s guy or his own guy. Devey was definitely an upgrade. Given who is on the squad and that Tomsula mentioned earlier this week that the starting 5 would be guys currently on the squad, this looks like the best lineup for now.

      I agree that Pears has no upside (compared to Brown), but IMO, it’s more about cohesiveness and gelling on the line at this point. Ultimately, it would be great if Brown can replace Pears.

      Still don’t know what to make of Thomas. Maybe it’s a football knowledge thing like Fangio mentioned with regards to Tank last year.

      Also, did anyone notice that some of Martin’s shotgon snaps tended to drift to Kaep’s right. Not sure if this is still true for the undercenter snaps (see Ram’s goal line failure last year).

      1. Well, I am not going to rip Pears any more until I see the first few games, and just trust in Coach Tomsula’s judgement.
        I hope you agree that Brown is the future, but he is a rookie and needs seasoning.
        At least the line is set, and hopefully they can gain some continuity to develop cohesion.

        1. Yes. I’ll keep thinking that Denver’s DL was a very good test for the Niner’s OL that helped them decide on who the best five are. I think they’ll do better against most of our opponents than expected. At least I hope so….

          1. All I want to see is more Man in Motion and controlled roll outs. Get Kaep mobile and free to utilize his skillsets.
            Hope this new O line can allow that.

            1. I don’t see any reason why they can’t. As Matt Barrows said after the Denver game:

              “But Kaepernick generally looked uncomfortable in the pocket, and the throws he was able to get off were from his back foot. The 49ers rolled Gabbert out of the pocket to give him more room to the throw and to make his reads more simple. Why they didn’t do that with Kaepernick is curious. Could it be that they want to force him out of his comfort zone?”

              Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article32787303.html#storylink=cpy

              1. I think they need to do this for Kaep to get better. You can’t roll out all the time. You won’t have a perfect pocket all the time. He does gets antsy and he doesn’t set his feet. The only way he will ever break these habits is if he’s force to react faster, get rid of the ball quicker.

                We’re not winning anything if he just runs the ball. It doesn’t work. He has to be smarter from the pocket.

              2. I think BG will eventually be the starter. I don’t want Kaep to fail. I want him to succeed. I just don’t think he will because he’s not that good.

              3. Haha 77. Woe is the day when Gabbert starts. The guys on the radio here in Denver were talking about how bad he looked in practice against the Broncos. He played fine in with the 2’s. I’d loved to have seen him with the 1’s. I know some are already calling it by his play including Grant at times when he’s not telling us how bad he is in practice. But playing against the Bronco’s 2’s isn’t the same as facing Von and DeMarcus.

                It could happen, but don’t you think Gabbert will look worse behind that line that Kap? It will be an abysmal season if that happens.

              4. JH forced Kaep to be only a pocket passer and he was sacked 52 times. He could have been sacked 30 more times but he used his agility to elude the rush.
                Tomsula is too smart to force Kaep to not be allowed to use his strengths. Why put a tank in a pit.

        2. Out of curiosity Seb, does that mean you will also apologise to Allan for ripping him about his comments on Pears not looking terrible against Denver without going back and look at the tape and see if he was right?

          1. I think the whole right side stunk, and the cohesion between the tackle and guard was disjointed. I still think Pears will ultimately be replaced, either by Brown or Boone.
            That said, Pears is the choice and I am not going to rip him anymore, and cheer him on because he is very important to the success of the whole team.
            Giving up a sack for a safety is not something to be proud of. Giving him a free pass just colors your judgement.
            Hope Pears proves me wrong, and I will be the first to admit it and pat him on the back.

          2. With Allan, its personal. Maybe if he gives coherent arguments, and be less forcefully engaging, but he just reminds me of some NN trolls.

      2. Cubus

        YES!!! I noticed they were drifting right, and also that Martin floats his shotgun snaps up there. Maybe Kaep likes them soft like that, but it looks like it shorts him a little time that he desperately needs. I’m glad it wasn’t just me. I thought maybe I was hallucinating; imagine, an NFL center in 2015 who can’t snap to shotgun!

  15. For better or worse, we are now starting two of the lowest rated linemen in the NFL. Devey was statistically the lowest rated guard and Pears actually equaled his rating while at right tackle. After all the public yammering about Baalke “liking” what we had in place, he really didn’t. We are now starting a player that we traded for in late August, who couldn’t get on the field for the Patriots and when he did, performed terribly. Stating that this is a concern, is an understatement. Statistically on paper, we will start one of the worst O lines in football…maybe on a historical-level??? It is hard enough to expect one crappy lineman to reverse course, but two? Wow! If successful, the 49ers better double Tomsula’s salary.

  16. SO, the 49ers said we aren’t rebuilding, we have the talent to make the playoffs. They have really never moved from that. I understand that no team says they are incapable of being successful, but many play down their chances (Raiders, Titans, etc). We didn’t. After everything, after we absolutely could have, we didn’t. OK, for the sake of argument, let’s say, I can respect that.

    BUT, what happens if we fall on our faces. Do they fire Tomsula who arguably wasn’t even given a chance (based on what has happened). Is Baalke gone (I doubt it). Who is the fall guy at that point. They put all the chips on the table. They gambled the ultimate gamble. Just curious how a team recovers after everything falls apart and they did nothing to mitigate the damage (or perception of it). All Baalke had to say is we cannot live with Harbaugh, and after everything else, we are in a rebuilding phase. Instantly manages expectations and buys time. I just find it to be a potentially, very fascinating situation the 49ers have placed themselves in.

    Thoughts?

    1. The blame is going to be on kaep. Balke has a built in excuse. Not the guy he wanted. That’s Jim’s guy! Hence the year to year extension. There was a rumor before the draft that Balke wanted Dalton and it was blown away. There might have been truth to that. What about the rumor that Balke would of taken Gabbert as well. If he didn’t like Gabbert all along, why the two year extension when he looked awful the year prior. If this team falls on its face, Balke is in trouble!!!!! I hope I’m wrong and this O line gels and surprises us.

    2. When they thought they were losing Iupati-Gore-Crabtree+Cowboy it was OK to talk about Retooling. Subsequent events have changed their reality. The OL situation gives me major heartburn. Pass pressure?
      Right now I almost feel like a Dad to a Pop Warner player; showing up to the game without a clue as to what I’m going to see, but not surprised if it’s a chicken rodeo.

    3. I think there are two lines of thoughts. If after a year and JT is clearly in over his head and doesn’t possess the skill to lead the team he’ll get fired. We’ll all know it and see it. I think if he leads the team to play beyond its predictions and talent levels and the atmosphere and locker room is healthy he’ll stay even if they don’t go to the playoffs.

      The second line of thought is that if JT performs well and still has the locker room despite losing and the lack of talent York will look in two different places. First how did this “teaching” coaching staff perform? If the offense was crap then what did the offensive coaches do about it? If the axe doesn’t fall there then its on to TB last.

      As much as many would like to see TB go, he’s pretty insulated by York. Seems easier to find a Oline coach or offensive coordinator than a decent GM.

    4. The Eagles have had a large turnover that includes QB and RB and as of yet they are not missing a beat. Noted their turnover rate was self inflicted and not as numerous as the Niners.

      1. One key factor is they aren’t turning over their coaching staff or game planning on either side of the ball. You can substitute players in a system and still win, but change the whole system and its a challenge plus losing 13+ players, its a lot. 6-10 is starting to sound optimistic.

      2. The Eagles turnover seems a lot more calculated and purposeful. Also they have a coach who has won 20 games in the last 2 seasons.

    5. I am going to say that the Niners have reloaded for another SB run.
      Hyde is an upgrade from Gore because he is bigger, faster and can break arm tackles. Torrey is an upgrade from Crab because he can add that deep threat which will make the offense harder to defend against. Hayne gives the ST an intriguing dimension, and has shown he can take a lick, and keep ticking. Pinion is pinning them into the stratosphere. Acker and Reaser look equal to better than Cox and Cully, and Brock is back. Most importantly, Bow is back. He is an army by himself. Armstead is going to grow and learn and Harold should be heralded as a godsend after Aldon left. Tartt has pop. Davis is back to his old self and Vance is catching balls.
      There are 2 big reasons I think the Niners have reloaded.
      One is Kaep. I think he is growing and maturing into a leader. He put in the time to get better. He was humble enough to ask for help. From what I heard, he studied just as hard as he trained.
      Kaep will be unleashed, and take the league by storm, IF he has an offensive line halfway decent.
      The second is Coach Tomsula. He gets it. He may have had some setbacks, but he just needs to persevere calmly with great effort. He needs to get his team focused and well prepared. He will cut down the unforced errors. He will fix the game management problems and make the offense less predictable. He will design an offense that accentuates their skills, and hides their weaknesses. Even with all the losses, this team does have talent. Kaep has skills some QBs can only dream of.
      So, I guess I am just a Niner Faithful. Those Glory years will sustain me even if they do not meet their ultimate goal this season.
      GO NINERS.

      1. Give me some of that optimism seb.

        Some of what you say is true, but we don’t know that Acker and Reaser are better than Cox and Cully. We don’t even know if Hyde can play a full season behind this line. Harold is undersized and still has a lot to prove at this point.

        I do think Kap is maturing in many ways and people chose to see him as he was three years ago. And if he continues to be the most pressured QB we’ll never see throws down field to Smith or David unless the coordinators can figure out how to fix that side of the line or add a RB or TE to pick up the rush.

        You have great faith in JT, he’s also unproven as is his offensive staff. Mangini will look great sometimes and his risky play calling will also get burned big sometimes. If we were reloaded we wouldn’t have such glaring wholes in the O line.

        1. I did not say they were better. I said equal or better.
          I also did not claim an upgrade on the O line. That concerns me, and it is the weak link.
          Tomsula is a breath of fresh air to me, so I will cut him a ton of slack. If he can start 5-3, I think they have a good shot at the playoffs.

      2. Seb,
        Love your enthusiasm, but based on what I’ve seen so far we may have to face some hard realities this season.

        As I said over the weekend, perhaps the 49ers are using their preseason poor offensive play as a smokescreen to catch their opponents off guard.
        OR, the issues are real

        Issues as seen during preseason:
        1. O-line woes (so far, no combination has been successful in pass protection). This will need to be addressed with swift urgency if there is to be any chance of hope for this season.

        2. Kaepernick must find his groove (as reported by Barrows, Kap does not often look comfortable in the pocket). Sure, the O-line is still a work in progress and the pass blocking is lacking, but Chryst and CK will need to find a way to compensate. Can Chryst go to a shot-gun formation to allow Kap an extra second or two to get a pass off? Can the game plan call for a few quick 5yrd passes to our TE’ or WR’s just to give CK a better chance to get a rhythm going? Can Kap learn to stand in the pocket long enough to get his pass off while knowing he will take a hit?

        3. Meager TE use (maybe VD is being saved for the season, but hardly giving him action in preseason could be a detriment down the road).

        4. If swing passes to the RB’s out of the backfield is going to be an important facet this season, it might have been a good idea to put these plays in the offensive game plan during these past few games. Hopefully this has been an active part of TC practices.

        5. Chryst / CK will need to find a way to put the ball in Torrey’ hands. Smith doesn’t need to run post patterns and get open in order to be relevant on offense. He could run short routes or even the occasional reverse just as long as he gets the ball. The long ball will be there now and again for TS, but I hope that he wasn’t signed just for that reason.

        No new revelations here I know, call it just one man’s opinion.

        1. I counsel patience. Coach Tomsula admitted that it is purposefully been a vanilla offense to save schemes for the regular season.

  17. For all those abundance of picks Baalke acquired they could not find their own guy to start. Instead they picked 2 new starters on the oline in Pears & Devey via trade.
    For those of you who believe in Baalkes draft philosophy, this just goes to show he doesn’t know what he is doing!

      1. What’s the other? I’m not saying trading up is always a the best strategy. All Im saying is it was the right situation in 2013 & 2014 for Baalke to do so.

        1. One reason could well be that Baalke just f’ed it up, as you suggest. Another could be that the young guys need more development time. Its worth keeping in mind Silberman and Brown are rookies, and Thomas is effectively a rookie too that hadn’t played a game in over a year prior to preseason and could still be working his knee back to where it needs to be. Martin is one of those young guys you mentioned and he in fact will be starting.

          He could have traded up for an OL this year (or even stayed pat and taken one). But how many of those guys taken early this year are going to be starting? How many are looking like good starters from day 1 based on preseason? Peat has mostly gotten bad reviews from Saints camp. Erving has been up and down. The ‘Skins had to move Scherff inside to RG because he was doing so badly at RT. DJ Humphries has been so bad for the Cards he likely won’t start for them despite having big issues at RT. So far Ereck Flowers is the only early selection OT that is actually looking like a solid pick, and he was taken six picks ahead of the 49ers.

          1. Exactly Scooter, the fact of the matter is every player develops at a different pace, and the last thing you want to do is to stunt their growth by inserting them before they’re ready. Martin was baptized at the age of 20 years old, with little Center experience, and now he’s starting. Who’s to say Thomas won’t overtake Devey at some point in the season?

          2. What we are seeing is the college spread offense is churning out offensive lineman ill suited to play pro football….

            1. Some suggest the lack or pro-set QBs and OLs are increasing the value of running backs because more teams are forced to use run and option based schemes.

              With Hyde and Davis, Baalke may have bought while the buying is low.

    1. No duh, A GM does not only draft. Trent Baalke has done a masterful job assembling a team through free agency, trades and the draft. The team is pretty solid, but the retirement of AD was an unexpected body blow, so the O line is in flux. After all the retirements, FA defections and suspensions, many other teams would crumble. I think Baalke has done a good job, but it is easy to nit pick without dealing with the realities of the situation.

  18. Razoreater showed great insight here–August 31, 2015 at 6:41 pm

    Kaepernick actually is a lot like plutonium. He can be made into an awesome weapon, but is also super sensitive, unstable, and liable to blow up in one’s face.

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