Raiders in SoCal is so wrong

This is my Monday column. WARNING — This is a Raiders’ column. 49ers’ fans — feel free to skip this.

Dude. I’m talking to you, Mark Davis.

Carson?

Seriously?

You’re not going to Carson. You’re going nowhere. Who are you kidding?

You’re the Raiders. You’re acting as if you’re desirable, as if you’re a real franchise. Dude. I can’t even find you on the radio dial. You’re a losing team that has few sponsors, generates little money and relies on revenue sharing. And you want us to believe that Carson and three or four others cities really want you?

It’s more like zero cities, give or take.

No community will go head over heels for you until you become a contender and a moneymaker. What you are now is a burden with no socio-economic benefit. Oakland and Alameda County still owe more than $100 million in a municipal debt because they financed Mount Davis for you in 1995.

Your latest proposal to build a joint stadium with the Chargers in Carson, 15 miles south of Los Angeles, is a joke, right? The people of Carson and Greater Los Angeles are not doing backflips for you to come back to town. Your record last season was 3-13. L.A. didn’t care much about the Raiders the first time around, and you were good back then.

Remember? You tried this before. You moved to L.A. in 1982, made the playoffs four seasons in a row and won the Super Bowl in January of 1984. You were a real franchise, one of the most important franchises in the NFL.

Check your attendance in L.A. during the years you were good. Check out 1983, the season you won the Super Bowl. In eight regular season home games you sold more than 65,000 tickets only once, and you sold fewer than 50,000 tickets four times.

Even a winning football team can’t consistently fill up a stadium in L.A. — you proved that 30 years ago. Heaven forbid you bring a losing team to that town.

Think like someone who lives in L.A. How would you spend your Sunday? You could buy tickets to the Raiders’ game, schlep through traffic on the 405 all the way to Carson, pay for parking, park your car, schlep into the stadium, buy a hotdog and a beer, schlep to your seat and watch a bad team lose.

Or, you could have brunch and drink Bellinis at the Getty Museum. In case you don’t know, a Bellini is Prosecco and peach juice. Or you could go sailing in the blue Pacific, or you could go golfing at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, or you could go to Disneyland, Universal Studios, Grauman’s Chinese Theatre, Venice Beach, the Santa Monica Pier, Catalina or Mexico. Or you could stay at home, invite your friends over, barbeque and watch seven football games at once on your big screen TV.

There are a zillion things to do in L.A. that kill going to a Raiders game. Bellinis at the Getty trump Budweisers in Carson any day.

Sorry, dude.

The only time you would sell out your new stadium in Carson is when you would play popular teams like the Cowboys or the Bears or the Giants or, excuse me, the Niners. Transplants will pay to watch the team they grew up rooting for. Other people will pay to watch famous athletes from opposing teams. That’s how the Clippers used to sell tickets when they stunk. People would go to Clippers games to watch Michael Jordan or LeBron James dismantle the home team.

And we still haven’t accounted for the Chargers. You’d have to compete with them to sell season tickets and seat licenses. How many people would choose to spend $80,000 on seat licenses for the Raiders instead of the Chargers?

The Chargers are a playoff team that already has fans in L.A, Orange County, the Inland Empire and San Diego — all over Southern California. Dude, you don’t stand a chance.

And we still haven’t accounted for the Rams. What if they move to L.A.? They already own land in Inglewood and they’re a decent team and they have a longer history in L.A. than you do. If they move to Inglewood, you’d have to compete with two franchises for season tickets and seat licenses. You’d be the worst of three NFL teams in the market. You’d have it worse than you do now. You’d trade one nightmare for another.

Carson?

No.

The intersection of Coliseum Way and Hegenberger Road. That is your future. How are you going to make it work? Get serious.

Dude.

Grant Cohn writes sports columns and the “Inside the 49ers” blog for The Press Democrat’s website. You can reach him at grantcohn@gmail.com.

This article has 123 Comments

  1. Seems like the Raiders outflanked the 49ers simply by doing nothing.

    The 49ers are now the farthest team from their namesake city by a long shot. A whopping 35 miles. They built a stadium that dampens crowd noise, with a price scheme that chases away their most loyal (and vocal) fans, and bakes the remaining fans in the hot September afternoon sun.

    The geographical advantages are clear. The Raiders have the east bay, will garner greater percentages of north bay fans, and the huge Sac-central valley fan base. And if your an X-pat from another region of the country that lives in San Francisco, why make the long trip to Santa Clara to watch a pro football game much closer to home?

    Willie Brown’s revenge fantasy… build that China Basin stadium (with parking structure) that almost happened for the “San Francisco Bay Area Raiders.” (will never happen, but a funny idea)

    1. Are you going to switch to the Raiders? I’m certainly not, although I will acknowledge that Grant has already switched to the Raiders even though the masthead says Inside The 49ers.

          1. Switched? I’d love to know how many hours Grant has lost commuting since the Niners moved out of the city.

    2. @Brodie2Washington – If you google “how far is SF from Santa Clara,” and it comes in at 45.3 miles away, and nearly 60 minutes in drive time, but that’s probably without the heavy traffic that makes up that corridor of travel. The New England Patriots are currently the 2nd furthest from their namesake City, but Mr. Kraft noted that, and had the where with all to drop the “Boston” Patriots, making them the New England Pats, which also notates the “Region” instead of the “City.”

      I want to tell you that you are spot on tho, the “powers that be” in SF feel that they are a major City without an NFL Franchise, and will most likely lobby the NFL to get another Franchise in the City, thats if the Raiders leave. If the City is successful in their bid to get another NFL team, look for that space in Brisbane to be an option, & also Hunter Point, with the team’s practice facility attached.

      Grant, the problem for the Oakland Raiders is that Mark Davis does not have the cash flow, to build a stadium, and there is no Corporate Money, or support willing to fund a stadium in Oakland… So sorry Grant, this is most likely the best hope for a stadium for the Oakland Raiders.

      1. Thanks for the info. Its even worse (farther) then I thought.

        I still like a stadium in China Basin with a parking structure to make up for the lack of spaces. I heard it was shot down in the past because the NFL required tailgating capable parking structures and you can’t (legally) BBQ in a parking garage. It was also around the time Eddie D was losing the team. A more established owner (Rooney, Jones, Craft, etc) could stand a good chance of waiving the trivial tailgating requirement.

        Would have been nice. Once a year we take the N-Judah to ATT for a baseball family reunion. Love to do the same for a football game.

        1. i miss taking the N-Judah to Giants games (I no longer live in the city). 2010 was magical. and not just because of the World Series…though it led to a big finale to the season. But back in 2010 Giants tickets were affordable, even cheap on some nights. My wife and I decided at the beginning of the season to go to over 2 dozen games that year (Friday 6 packs of tickets, $8 Tuesdays and cheap 4th and 5th starter midweek games. I’ve gone to fewer and fewer games over the past 5 years…but I did catch Cain’s no-hitter by pure luck (only 1 of 3 games I caught in 2012).

          Remember that Eddie actually got the city to approve a major renovation to Candlestick that included a large shopping mall that would have (maybe) transformed the area. But then Eddie lost the team and I think the political will and capital dried up (around the time of the dot com bust) if memory serves me correctly.

          1. Before 2010 my cousin (who lived in the Sunset) bought blocks of seats every year. We paid him later. Now we have to front the money. Still loads of fun.

            The only bummer… if the game’s switched to a night game, it messes things up. We used to plan a big breakfast (Full Irish + Dim Sum) before the game. Can’t anymore.

            A China Basic companion to ATT would have been the gem of the NFL. A true downtown stadium. Imagine Sept/Oct games heading out for dinner.

            1. You are breaking my heart-china basin trio Giants Warriors 49ers is exactly what should have occurred!

    3. Sorry Grant, I know as a 49er fan I’m uninvited, but since this fan invoked 49ers convo., I have to weigh in.
      To: Bodie/WA….You’ve got: Brad Seely (special teams), Rod Woodson (DB’s),
      Bill Musgrave (offensive Coordinator), Ken Norton Jr., F_ _ _K Yeah, as DEFENSIVE COORDINATOR……All ex-49ers, I am definitely paying attention, especially in light of what’s transpired in Santa Clara , With the York’s alienating ex-49er West Coast People….Along with Balimore OC (Marc Trestman #2 in NFL in Points in ’14), Kyle Shannahan (Falcons), Adam Gase (Ex-49er, Now Chicago Bear), I find it fascinating that the 49ers know more than the rest of the NFL. Thank you Raiders, for spending the money for quality coaches and giving the Bay Area something to root for this Fall!!!!~!!!

        1. Good for you Tom! Go root for the Raiders and when the niners return back to form this coming year dont root for them. We don’t need fans like you who won’t even give the front office and the coach a chance. By the way it was jed and balke who hired haurbaugh. It was balke who brought the talent in as well. F the raiders!!!!!

          1. It’s people like you who can’t appreciate Teofilo Stephens, a Cuban boxer who probably would have kicked Muhammed Alis Ass. People like you have blinders on. You hate me, but are willing to hire Ken Norton Jr. as defensive Coordinator (Ex 49er), yet you say nothing about that proving your a hypocirte. I really careless about what you think about me, I just think it’s sad that you can not think of the bay area as a whole, Raiders–AFC, Niners–NFC and appreciate the competition. You Probably did not appreciate Tiger Woods Because he did not attend Cal, which is closer to the Raiders

            1. Real fans don’t root for both Bay Area teams. That’s just how it goes. You want to talk about coaching staff yet you forget to mention that the raiders hired a retread that failed once already. Then he hired an offensive coordinator that he fired previously. Ken Norton as DC wow!!!! After the Louisville defensive coordinator refused to take a job. They got a terrible GM and they don’t know where there playing next.. Niners are loaded with talent tool.. They had 21 guys on the IR list last year. Still went 8-8.. Raiders went 3-13!!!!

    4. Brodie baking in the hot sept sun? Hell I could’nt stand to sit in the sun in late Nov. Did anyone else notice the crowd noise increases in the 2nd half of games? I believe the sun saps the energy out of the crowd untill late in the 3rd quarter.

      1. old coach, i went to the last game of the year, dec. 28 th, Arizona. That damn sun scorched and blinded me until the final play of the game! I just couldnt believe that someone would build a 1.2 billion $ stadium so irresponsibly!!!
        The stick runs east-west, leaving a few thousand seats in the eastern endzone ( nose bleed) baking in the sun. Under the mikes, when the game was not very entertaining, we would look up there and watch fights.

        This new dump runs north-south, leaving about 40k seats looking directly into the sun for the entire game!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        anyone involved with the construction of that dump is a complete effing moron!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
        You would think all these rich,educated types that were involved…..would have a little common sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

        1. Another good reason to install “shade” flaps that just happen to resemble Seattle’s giant sound redirection “rain” baffles.

          “What? Levis is louder you say? That’s just an accident. All we wanted to do was prevent heat stroke.”

        2. Yeah, put the sun in the eyes of the football players. What where those clowns thinking screwing with the fans like that. How dumb can they be.

          1. hey dennis, big genius. Its not hard to obstruct the sun at field level, in fact, the seats would do so naturally…….but its almost impossible to do the same for the seats that extend hundreds of feet into the air!

            if they took that stadium and rotated it 180 degrees……that giant scoreboard would block the sun from any players eyes.

        3. You are breaking my heart-china basin trio Giants Warriors 49ers is exactly what should have occurred!

  2. Long gone are the triumphant glory days of the “Holy roller” and “Ghost to the Post” the “Sea of Hands” along with the Mad-Bomber” the “Snake” the “Assassin” the “Stork” and “Big Ben.”

    Only to be replaced with a team that plays on a modified baseball field and known more for the “Black-hole” than it’s football team.
    Great job Al, your greed has really paid off.
    The only place where the raiders might actually make a good transition is San Antonio. But Marky will miss his chance to see that come to fruition by trying to do what his dad couldn’t; find fanbase a in SoCal.

    1. Hahaha! Think globally! You know, if he’d been half a generation younger, Al might’ve had the huevos to move his team to Vegas. I don’t think Mark has the money, connections, clout, or huevos to try anything that bold. San Antone might be the best he can do unless he pulls off this Chargers/Carson deal.
      If the various owners are stubborn enough, there could be 3 teams in L.A.; a market that hasn’t shown it can support one.Fail.

  3. B2W sez: ..

    “….The 49ers are now the farthest team from their namesake city by a long shot. A whopping 35 miles….”

    I wouldn’t have thought you were one of those who think
    they shoulda changed their name to “The Santa Clara Niners” ..
    but .. to that argument I wonder how far
    (yeah, I’m too lazy to look it up)
    East Rutherford, New Jersey is to New York .. because
    not one, … but two teams play in a stadium, there ..also
    I wonder how far Irving, Texas is to Dallas ?

    It’s not unique for an NFL team to play in a
    different city than their namesake ..

    just sayin’

    1. Both the Giants/Jets and cowboys are Within 15 miles of their Cities. (yeah i was bored enough to look it up) while I don’t for a second wish that the Niners be called anything but San Francisco, It pains me a little every time i think about how far away from the city they are, and how awesome a Stadium in the city would have been.

      1. DClark ..

        Very ambitious to do the homework on that,
        thanx .. but when you think about it ..
        WHY aren’t they called ..
        “The East Rutherford Giants” .. or “Jets” ??

        I mean .. they both play in a different state !
        (fer cryin’ out loud)

        I’ve never had an issue with the Niners moving
        to Santa Clara… probably due to the fact, that
        (from Jr. High, through High School ).. I
        was raised within walking distance from where
        the new stadium ended up ..

        My only concern is .. for the money they spent
        on Levis .. you’d think they wouldn’t be hosting
        any “fans-flambe” in the hot sun ..

        1. Well cheers, MW, i think it took just over a minute to research, but you are right about the Giants/Jets, they should be the New Jersey Giants/Jets, and Irving Cowboys just sounds funny, I think the Reds*ins play outside of Washington too.introducing the Maryland Deadskins.

        2. I think the baked fans are a perfect excuse to build giant shade flaps.

          If they happen to look just like Seattle’s “rain” flaps and redirect sound towards the red zones, I won’t complain.

      2. Deep, deep, deep pockets in Silicon Valley. South Bay is currently the power hub of the Bay Area. Money is the magnet; as usual.

      3. I was wrong. Bernal_hts says Santa Clara is 45.3 miles away. Just map quested it. Levis’s is over 47 miles from my cousin’s place in the Outer Sunset.

        What complicates things more is San Francisco isn’t as car oriented as most cities. There’s no (direct) public transportation.

        Not sure what the NYC to Medowlands transportation is like.

        1. It’s been a progression southward:
          -HQ in SF and games at Kezar
          -HQ in Redwood City, games at Stick
          -Practice facility in Santa Clara
          -HQ in Santa Clara
          -New stadium in…….Santa Clara.
          (Shrug)

          1. dont forget about training camp BT……it used to be in Rocklin (15 minutes north east of sacramento). This is where camp was for the last superbowl victory ( and probably most/all 5)

            2 a days in that valley heat! small O linemen, finesse team……used to run right by teams in the 2nd half

        2. >>Not sure what the NYC to Medowlands transportation is like.

          They run a lot of event buses between Manhattan’s Port Authority station and the stadium on game days. I’ve taken a few of those in my time in NYC.

          But really, both teams’ fan base is suburban, the vast majority arrive by car.

      4. DClark, it is sad that the stadium is NOT IN THE CITY. just a shame! trips into the heart of the city after games were the best part of being a season ticket holder under the ” Mikes”.

        1. Jshaw, totally agree, although I have never been to the bay, what i know of the city and its layout make me think that surely having the stadium down near pac bell, along with the warriors at some point would have been simply marvellous for the city and their teams!!! I have a perfect solution, we crowdsource a couple of billion, build the stadium, then let a team that has no problem selling their souls to the highest bidder have the sauna in santa clara.

          The Santa Clara Raiders!

  4. You might be right Grant, but firstly this isn’t the 1980’s anymore, things change, and as bad as things might be, teams don’t sell the past as much as they sell hope, even when it’s backed up by nothing but fruitless failure like the Raiders, hope sells.

    I bet that if Davis put the team on the market tomorrow, he would get 1.5 billion at least, maybe even upwards of 2 billion, and that would be partly because of the potential move to L.A

  5. I grabbed this quote from a MM article:

    Trent Baalke: “I mean, there are good receivers within the NFL that have been picked at every level of the draft. A lot of it comes down to system, quarterback and development — those three things.”

    Well so much for us finding a good receiver then.

    1. CFC, I realize your concern but IMO Baalke’s quote hits the nail on the head. Last year’s set of WRs could get open but our QB had trouble getting the ball to them.

    2. My heart sank a bit when Kevin White ran that 40. I wrote a sorta-funny comment in the previous article on the price of trading up. How I think the draft will go…

      Day 1
      Baalke will explore trade ups. Teams will demand way over chart.
      Baalke will explore trade downs. Teams will offer under chart, because the hot commodities are off the board.
      Baalke will stand pat and pick a boring, safe player everyone says could have been picked at 27. People will say “reach” and give him a C-.

      Day 2
      Baalke will do his usual trade kung-fu. He will get good BPA players, and wrangle a 2016 4th rounder in the process. People will give him an A-.

      Day 3
      Baalke will try to do his usual trade kung-fu, but there will be no takers. People will be mad that he didn’t trade anyway. This always happens on day three.

    3. actually that sounds like a thinly veiled shot at Harbaugh. though it’s both interesting and odd that they think Chryst will do a better job running the offense.

  6. I dunno, back in the ’70s we rooted for both teams. Anyone who says you can only root for one team isn’t a fan, he’s a groupie. The Santa Clara Niners have zip to do with the real Niners. That’s a fact. So I look at it this way: I didn’t leave the Niners, the Niners left me. I’ll still root for some of the players who I admire but when they are gone, so are the S.C Yorkers. And good riddance…

    1. Ghost I don’t know where you lived in the 60’s and 70’s but i lived in Santa Rosa [home of the raiders training camp] I did’nt know a single Raiders fan who rooted for the 49ers in fact during the 9ers down years Raiders fans made my life miserable making fun of what an idiot i was to stick with my team while they had all jumped ship to a winner. I stuck with my team and the tables turned in the 80’s. Many of those Raider fans who had tried to make me miserable in the 60’s and 70’s were suddenly telling everyone that they had always been 9er fans. Pick a team and stick with them. You write that anyone who can only root for one team is’nt a fan he is a groupie. I believe you are confused about what a fan is. Remember fan is short for fanatic.

      1. OldCoach, I think we are members of the same tribe. The first playoff game of the Bill Walsh era was vs the NY Giants. As soon as we heard tickets were on sale, my bother, his friend and I dashed down from Santa Rosa to camp at The Stick for tickets.

        Three freezing days. We were totally unprepared. No food. No camp gear. Not even warm socks. Living in a VW bug. Our line neighbor shared his five gallon jug of artichoke hearts he got for Christmas. Somehow an electric guitar+amp was produced. We survived.

        I was in my first year of sobriety, but my lines mates all had a buzz on. It was nuts. People were climbing the light towers. During the night my brother and his friend snuck under a gate, played catch on the uncovered field, enjoyed a doobie and nestled the roach right on the 20 yard spot… right where we hoped Randy Cross would make the first snap.

        They got popped by security playing catch on the field, but for reasons I can’t say here, were allowed to return to line.

        Ticket morning was nerve wracking for this tribe about 5,000 fans. Rumors of organized line crashers. Perimeter defense plans were established. The mounted cops didn’t seem to care if lines got crashed at all.

        In the end we got our tickets, and all was right with the world.

        1. “…You write that anyone who can only root for one team is’nt a fan he is a groupie…”

          Yeah.. I agree … wanna prove that point ?

          Just wear your Willis or Bowman (home) Jersey while
          walking down MLK Blvd in Oak-town !

          Brodie …

          Gee .. that sounds exactly like the time I parked
          in The Stick lot .. waiting for The Stones concert !

          Like Greg Khin once said ..

          “… They don’t write ’em like that anymore ! ..”

            1. Brodie ..
              sorry I missed that one .. but
              spending the night at The Stick
              (in a Dodge conversion van) I was reminded
              of The Panhandle in the Park
              back during the ’60s …

              (musta been because of the “familiar” aromas
              permeating both locations) .. ;-}

        2. Great posts to read “Coach” and “B2W”…. Did either of you guys spend any time in the Flamingo Hotel when the Ray-Duhs were up there? Do tell in continued fine fashion. Cheers

  7. Grant, maybe we can get some of these stories back on topic? Let’s hear more about the combine and less about the Raiders in Socal, tweets, or contentless press conferences.

  8. Southern California makes sense for the Raiders.

    There’s more money for them to make down there.

    They will likely get more municipal assistance to build a new stadium down there.

    They may get a 2nd team to share the costs of a new stadium (talk is of sharing with the Chargers, but they could just as well share with the Rams) since the Raiders aren’t financially set to take on the capital costs to build a new stadium by themselves.

    They’re more likely to attract the coveted corporate money with a new stadium and luxury boxes from the entertainment industry.

    With the right stadium and (for them, hopefully) a winning team, the Raiders will be able to get more high profile celebrity guests which will make the franchise appear more desirable to fans and…

    An L.A. location is likely to be a better selling point to POTENTIAL FREE AGENTS then the city of Oakland.

    the Raiders have a built in fan base that still exists in L.A.

    It takes time and success (both on the field and off) to consistently draw crowds in L.A. But teams like the Lakers (yes, I know their crowds are half to a third of an NFL crowd) and the Trojans show that there is a viable sports fan crowd in L.A. Much of the Raider’s problems with attendance was the L.A. Coliseum which is even less desirable than the current Oakland Coliseum. Remember that it was the construction of “Mount Davis” and the extra box seats that brought the Raiders back to Oakland. Related to the L.A. Coliseum problem was the Raider fans demographics…which, let’s just say tended to be a little on the “rougher” side of society. That element can drive away many other fans, including the lucrative corporate market. And while that element probably won’t go away from the Raiders fan base, a new stadium with luxury boxes and better crowd management would probably be enough to mitigate the “rough” element from the corporate and more family oriented clients.

    The L.A. market is big enough for the Raiders and the Chargers/Rams. Those teams just need to put a good product on the field to match a good fan experience that a new stadium would provide.

    1. AFFP ..

      You gotta think about it from Grant’s point of view ..

      He grew up in a “Rai-Duh” household .. and
      we heard the same kinds of things from Rai-duh
      fans .. the last time they moved there ..

      h-mmmm … déjà-vu, perhaps ?

      1. I think Grant is too young and/or simply ignorant to be aware of the L.A. situation for NFL teams in the 80s. I believe his personal awareness of football starts from the mid 90’s which is about when the Raiders returned to Oakland.

    1. actually PFT had Culliver ranked as the 5th or 6th CB available in FA.

      The article states that it’s heard from some NFL personnel people that Culliver has become a desirable commodity on the FA market. The majority of the article states how surprised PFT is about this because of Culliver’s documented off field issues. But the article does not bother to mention the quality of his on field play. Basically the article is an indignant statement by PFT about a another naughty NFL player that it feels has escaped “justice”.

        1. the interesting question is I wonder how other teams view Parish Cox? For the right price, I can see the Niners resigning him…but he won’t come on a league minimum type of contract that he’s signed with them the past couple of years.

          1. It’s an interesting problem. If they think Johnson can start and Culliver winds up over budget for them, maybe they’ll combine what they think Culliver and Cox are worth and sign another free agent either to start or for depth.

            1. Game speed and straight-line speed are two completely different things. I’m still not sold on him.

      1. Its not a particularly high quality draft for CBs, and I don’t think they can rely on being able to take Waynes in round 1 after he looked very good at the combine today. The second tier of CBs in the draft could end up being over drafted due to need.

        I’m thinking Baalke will look to cover the starting CB spots from within and through FA (either re-sign Culliver or sign a vet like Zach Bowman on a cost effective deal), and maybe draft a CB later on.

          1. Yeah, pretty good, smart player that doesn’t mind playing physically. Obviously quite athletic too. I’m thinking he’s probably a 2nd rounder.

    1. I was thinking the same thing hammer. A 1 year deal should be had. Great KIck Off returner that flips field position in a hurry. Not a great Wr but his speed is needed.

      1. Both. He can stretch the field vertically, and his returns were a big help to the offense in 2011 and 2012.

        1. If he comes cheap and isn’t still hot about wanting to play for a team that will use him a lot as a WR, I’m on board with that.

          If he still wants to play a lot of WR, I’m not interested. He’s not a good WR. And for all his speed he is generally quite easily covered down the field.

        2. agreed Hammer, Ginn can haul in 25-35 passes a year with an above average ypc. Excellent return man, instant upgrade…..the bright-side of having a high quality return specialist……if he gets hurt returning kicks…..your not losing your “star” wr, rb. cb etc.

          We could lose 3 wr’s ( crab, Lloyd, Johnson)

    1. JimT may be more open to analytics, but what are the chances he would understand how they work.

      Faith based analytics!

    2. One of the commenters in that espn article posed a great question:

      “What analytics did they use in the 2012 draft?”

      1. He makes a lot more sense IMO. For one thing, he can catch and Mathews has been bothered by injuries back through college.

          1. Nope, I meant Hyde. Ingram and Hyde provide similar skill sets – power runners.

            Mathews provides more of a speed element to get the edge but also has the size to be effective up the middle.

            1. Matthews is also injury-prone, so no thanks. As for Ingram, he could possibly step in the starting role if Hyde struggles in it.

              1. Agreed Mathews is definitely injury prone. Its the only reason a player with his talent running the ball would come cheap.

                Ingram has shown at the Saints that he’s an ok RB, but despite being in an offense in which teams desperately fear the pass he always struggled to make much of an impact on the ground. He wasn’t able to take advantage. How would he go on a team where defenses set up to the stop the run?

                Also, will Ingram come cheaper than Gore?

              2. He did struggle until this year, but I think that could be more due to the OL not being well suited for a power run style. Ingram probably would’ve also eclipsed 1,000 yards had he not been injured.
                I don’t know if he will be cheaper than Gore, but if he is and Gore walks, then it might be a good idea to sign him.

      1. If hunter comes back healthy there is no need for a rainy. We need another good inside runner like a Ingram, Matthews. Although I agree that Matthews has an injury history but with Hyde as the number 1, Matthews is a solid 2 with hunter as a 3.

  9. Back in the day I swung both ways. I was raised a Niner fan but soon became a Raider fan too. I have been to both Kezar and Frank Youell Field. My dream was a Niner/Raider SB. Then the Raiders became traitors and moved to LA and that was that. I hate the Raiders almost as much as I hate the Rams, Cowboys, and Packers.

    1. “I hate the Raiders almost as much as I hate the Rams, Cowboys, and Packers.”

      You forgot to say Seahawks. How could they not be at the front of the list? I hate them more than those other three teams combined!

        1. UC ..
          Back in the day … I hated the Cowgirls..
          because .. well.. I just did ..

          and The Lambs … because ..
          everything south of Fresno .. is the enemy

          but now ..
          it’s the SeaChickens and The Girls …

          I mean … how can you hate a team from St. Louis ?

        2. There’s enough history just from the Harbaugh years to make me despise the Seahawks for all eternity!

          1. Which reminds me. Has anybody heard or seem anything from “Mary” since the Seahawks choked away the Lombardi Trophy? Seems our resident troll has gone back under it’s bridge to sulk and lick it’s wounds…

    1. Found this to be interesting. I thought Byron Maxwell from the Seachickens was one of if not the top-rated free agent CB. On the PFF list he ranks quite low. Maybe I’m not understanding the ratings.

      I still like MWNiner’s idea of bringing back T. Brown on a one year or short-term deal at near veteran minimum salary. Let him compete in camp to see if he still has something left.

  10. Wait a minute. Didn’t you just write an article on Davis emerging as the owner with respect? How does that work?

  11. I really hate when people bash the new stadium as a excuse. SF had it’s chance and they blew it. Secondly if the Niners were decent last season and won their home games, the stadium would not be a issue.

  12. They can get in their little ships and sail off for all I care. Hey grant you might like so cal. Especially SD! Great place to live and root for your raiders. Glass half full for some raider fans

  13. What’s wrong with the Raiders being in LA?

    I loved watching their games at the LA Coliseum.

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