Report: 49ers hire Hardy Nickerson as linebackers coach

The San Francisco 49ers have hired a linebackers coach, according to Alex Marvez of Fox Sports.

Nickerson is a former four-time All Pro linebacker who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and Green Bay Packers. He got his first coaching job in 2007 with the Chicago Bears under head coach Lovie Smith, then later became the head coach at Bishop O’ Dowd High school in Oakland, my alma mater. In 2014, Nickerson joined Smith on the Buccaneers coaching staff.

Does hiring Nickerson indicate Lovie Smith will be the next defensive coordinator for the 49ers? With Smith, the Niners would have their next head coach already on the staff if Chip Kelly’s offense implodes.

However, Smith is known to run a Tampa 2 scheme. How will that fit with the Niners’ defensive personnel?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers coach Hardy Nickerson, left, talks to Courtland Clavette and Kwon Alexander, right, during a Buccaneers training camp practice Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebackers coach Hardy Nickerson, left, talks to Courtland Clavette and Kwon Alexander, right, during a Buccaneers training camp practice Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2015, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara)

This article has 806 Comments

    1. I’m in favor of a hybrid 4-3 Under. But it will take some major retooling of some of the players and reprogramming others to switch to a 4-3 Under.

    2. Doesn’t this seem bass-akwards???

      Shouldnt we get a DC then let him pick his assistants and positions coaches?

      This hiring process is just a different flavor of disaster from last year. CK1 and CK2 and crew will out in three…this “Philly Two Electric Boogaloo”…

        1. Sure…but wouldn’t it be wise to get that guy first, so he can have input to the guys under him???

      1. Chris, Your the one who is bass-akwards bro. The Head Coach chooses all of his coaches, OC’s, DC’s, etc.

        Sounds like you know even less than Grant.

  1. “With Smith, the Niners would have their next head coach already on the staff if Chip Kelly’s offense implodes.”

    The butt hurt is strong with Grant due to Chip’s opening presser.

    1. Just Grant’s usual, “reaching for straws logic” trying to connect dots, even when the logic is suspect.

      If it is going to be Lovie, why the delay in announcing it? And, if the 49ers struggle during Kelly’s tenure, I very much doubt it’s due to Chip’s “offense imploding”, as Grant put it.

      At this point, Grant can’t seem to get out of his own way. Chip took all of 10 seconds to school Grant during the presser. It’s just the latest misstep for Grant Cohn, who can’t seem to keep track of which side of the country the sun rises and sets.

  2. Is anybody else seeing Lovie to the 49ers, or is pure speculation on your part? Also, why are you already putting yourself so firmly against the hiring of Chip Kelly? Furthermore, where is this animus towards Kelly coming from in you?

  3. Oh, and to repeat an exceedingly relevant question to you, are you getting to know Mark Saltveit? Your hot takes on Chip Kelly are nothing but hot air until you’ve done adequate research on the guy.

      1. Yep, that’s the one. He has more insight on Chip than anyone else. Have you read his books? Have you picked his brain? Have you even read his most recent article?

        Have you ever published a book? Do you make it a habit to mock your fellow journalists?

          1. Come on Grant. You could easily wrote 5 or 6 books about the many characters that are “Silicon Chip”

          2. You’ve written how many books, Grant? You’ve been covering Chip Kelly for how long, Grant?

            You don’t even know the difference between Read-Option and Zone-Read, but you’re denigrating a Harvard-educated author of 2 books on the subject of Chip Kelly. It’s laughable. You know what Saltveit does: writes for a blog, same as you. Except he’s written books about the subject you’ve decided to blindly ridicule. Good going, Grant. Take great pride in your ignorance, that’s the ticket.

            1. Kelly probably wouldn’t have gotten shut out from every single head coaching vacancy except the Niners’ if the NFL simply had read the Tao of Chip. People are slackin!

              1. Now that Chip has 2 mobile QBs who are perfect for his system. many teams are going to regret being so short sighted.

              2. The Titans have a mobile quarterback who knows Kelly’s system pretty well, but they didn’t want any part of Kelly. Ouch.

              3. You’re so lazy sometimes. Maybe you can use misdirection and sarcasm to elicit some laughs, but you know the issue I’m getting at. You point at the other 6 coach-hungry teams in the NFL, and draw from their apparent lack of interest the conclusion that it resulted from failings in Xs and Os, but that is only one explanation, and likely not the one that pointed other franchises away from Chip.

                Cmon, Grant, just give us something that’s not so lazy. It’s boring.

                What’s it like to have so much potential but to only rarely exercise it?

              4. You lash out when my opinion differs from yours and you praise me when our opinions match up. Luckily, you change your opinion/screen name every few months so we’ll be good.

              5. How much did the Titans spend on their coach? And there’s something else that might factor into it, if you have done any research on Chip.

              6. Money is more the issue for the Titans than it is for almost every other team in the league. How much of Kelly’s current salary is Philly paying for? Do you know the number, or would this just be another uninformed guess?

              7. Titans do not strike me as a very astute organization, and their record confirms my assessment.

              8. Grant, you’re again going for misdirection. I’m not lashing out. You are a professional journalist, but you have clearly not done your homework on Chip Kelly. There is plenty to do. So do it.

                And as for the screen name, I change it pretty much every season, but no more often, and for good reason.

                PBL described Singletary’s level of sophistication.

                Neanderthal Offense referred to Harbaugh’s affinity for all things Schembechler.

                Mr. E alluded to a comment made by Bruce Miller about Kaep after the Bears game.

                Silicon Chip is pretty transparent.

                I don’t care if you continue to insult me, but I do care that you shepherd this web site with integrity and honesty. And also, knowing what you’re DNA and UCLA education provided you, I expect more than hatchet jobs coming from you.

                So, have at it with Chip Kelly, the man and the football mind, but do it with research rather than Trumpian belligerence.

              9. I don’t think the Titans entertained any offers for Mariota because he was there guy 100% all the time. At least those are the reports I’ve read….

              10. Mariotas’ performance looks to have validated both the Titans decision and Kellys’ desire….

              11. If you’re right an nobody else really wanted Chip, isn’t this whole thing about the FO and ownership again? I suppose besides Harbaugh they have a lot of experience choosing coaches nobody wanted. Erikson, Nolan, Raye, Singletary, Tomsula, Chryst, Logan, Mangini and Kelly?

                There’s a lot of positive spin on this hire but it could be a real mess for this untalented offense and disaster for this defense to be on the field all game.

              12. not speaking for Silicon Chip, but you realize that your…ahem…rather controversial style of writing is not objected to by many who read your blog because it has negative commentary about the Niners.

                In my case I prefer one that disagrees with my views (even if that person’s views are wrong). I just want a well thought out opinion. Often what you give is unsubstantiated opinion filled with conjecture that reveals a distinct adversarial bias towards the team you cover.

                btw. i’m still waiting to hear where you heard that Chip was using his Belichick connection to land Vrabel. again, conjecture connected the two together. Belichick gave Vrabel a positive reference. but that’s about it….sounds more like Belichick was trying to help out his boy Vrabel get a promotion or a raise.

              13. Grant, you knowledge of Chip’s compensation is limited…and again supports your views on the Niner’s financial motives.

                The Eagles are only on the hook for like $1-$1.5M per year for the next couple of years. They only have to pay THE DIFFERENCE between what the Niners pay him and what the Eagles owe him. His Eagles salary was about $7M. His Niners salary is about $6M.

              14. It’s been widely reported that the Eagles do not have to pay Kelly the full amount of his contract, because the 49ers signed him.

            2. Regarding Chip’s contract and payout from the Eagles, wouldn’t there be an offset clause in the Eagles contract or is this not typical for coaches. I do remember Kawakami asking Jed if the Eagles were paying for Chip to be the 49ers HC. Jed said to ask Chip for those details if Chip wants to provide them.

              1. Unless the Eagles are dumber than I think, there is an offset in Kelly’s Eagles contract. Kawakami was just showing that not much has changed with the way Jed operates.

          1. Seb…. Please… Find and use anther metaphor. Feet shooting has long lost its sheen. Please.

          2. Like I said, Grant Cohn cannot seem to get out of his own way these days.

            There is, in fact, offset language in Chip’s Phili contract. I believe the Eagles are now off the hook for most of Chip’s salary. I believe they are on the hook for a little more than $3 million.

            Has anyone seen Mularkey’s contract numbers? I’ll bet he isn’t getting anywhere near Chip Kelly type money.

    1. It was pretty clear from the press conference that Kelly had no idea who this guy even was, but hey, he wrote two books about him. BRAVO!!!!

        1. Kelly is too busy revolutionizing football to read a book about himself, but your very professional existence depends on pontificating on all things 49ers. Why would you not want to educate yourself before speaking? I’m not saying read the book, but you obviously haven’t familiarized yourself with Chip Kelly enough, to be so flagrantly mischaracterizing the man and his football identity. He’s nothing like Harbaugh and nothing like Tomsula, neither a bully nor a buffoon. He’s the ultimate nerd, finding difficulties in basic social routines, but also identifying ways to evolve on the gridiron. I just don’t know why you, having been gifted this amazingly fertile source of storylines and angles, would be so lackluster in gaining depth of understanding on the guy.

          1. I guess the rest of the NFL didn’t familiarize itself enough with Chip Kelly and that’s why he got shut out.

            1. FYI Grant, the general consensus around the NFL is that the 49ers hired the best available HC.

              Chip Kelly is a football genius. That’s beyond question. The only question for me is, can Trent Baalke supply the horses?

        2. You as well as I do that whatever offense Kelly chooses to run will depent on the running game. If hype is able to averave 4 to 5 YPC, then the rest of the offense will feed off of it. If our run running game keeps defense honest, it will create opportunities fot Ellington and smith over the top. What chip kelly will want is a game manager that will carry chip’s word to the letter. But i have a question about the draft, Grant. When we are on the clock at #7 and we have a choice between Ronnie Stanley and Laquon Treadwell……

  4. Chip already said they’re running a 3-4, that’s what they have the personnel for. Talking about Lovie is just stirring the pot.

  5. BREAKING NEWS: “After performing an exhaustive search, the 49ers are thrilled to announce that Trent Baalke will take over as Defensive Coordinator in 2016.”

    Statement by team, 1/23/16 @ 11:14 AM PST

  6. Love the Hardy Nickerson Sr. signing. I’ve been a fan of Nickerson since his playing days at Cal. This also seems like a smart move by Kelly by surrounding himself with coaching diversity on the heels of the accusations that came forth from the eagles locker room.

    Nickerson may have been one of Cal’ top 10 players of all-time and his 16 year NFL career and subsequent coaching experience in the pros and in high school should make him a formidable LB Coach.

    Things are starting to look a brighter for 49ernation as they begin the rebuilding process by laying a strong coaching foundation. Hopefully Lovie Smith will soon be here as well.

    1. My favorite Cal player of all time is Kevin Moen of -The Play – fame.
      My favorite Cal Niner was Gary plummer.

        1. Seb/Cassie
          Moen was one of the stars on perhaps the greatest college plays of all-time “the big play” against Stanford.
          Chuck Muncie was a proto-type for the big, fast, RB with exceptional pass catching ability.

          I have followed Cal Football since the first time some friends and I saw our first Cal football game (well at least part of the field) from Charter Hill, better known as “tightwad hill.”
          Remember some Cal greats like Ron Rivera, (the late) Joe Roth, Ed White, Russell White, Steve Bartkawski among others.

          Was nice to see about 4 Cal RB’ play in the 2015 playoffs last year as well.
          Marshawn Lynch, CJ Anderson, Shane Vereen and Justin Forsett.
          Not too bad.

    2. AES

      NO !! can’t we agree on anything…?Lovie Smith wouldn’t recognize a 3-4 D. Just like Kaep…he’s had one too many chances….I do agree with the Nickerson hire…If he can coach what he played……He was a real smacker….

      1. Oregon,
        Hey Or, whats-up my ol’ frienemy!
        Lovie has had some fairly good success as a DCord with the Rams and made a solid decision when he hired Ron Rivera as his DCord when he took the helm as the Bears HC.

        Not sure that the FO and Lovie have agreed to anything, but Lovie certainly has the DCord coaching chops to run this defense.
        If Chip can convince Smith to take on a DCord capacity it would almost immediately make the 49ers coaching staff’s one solid group.

  7. I haven’t been able to find where the team released Tarver so I guess that means we have two LB coaches under contract at the moment.

    They team keeps hiring for positions they currently have people under contract for. Since they haven’t announced the release of Tarver does it make it more likely that he’s their ‘next’ choice for DC?

  8. Grant you’re banging the drum pretty hard that Kelly is a bad choice. He did manage to have one of the top offenses in the league and managed a few wins along the way. Wouldn’t it be prudent to put the brakes on hammering him just a bit until you see the results, given that he’s not in the same situation as before? He seems like the kind of coach that if paired with the right group of coaches he can be very successful in the league.

    You can switch the attack to the fact that he’s not finding the right assistants to help him but that’s a bit different then saying Kelly is a bad choice.

      1. I expect most will be so excited to see the improvement in offense If the defense is playing poorly people will blame the second or third choice DC instead of Kelly. If the team is scoring TD’s and winning more games then they are losing the drum will be collecting dust.

        1. Kelly’s offense averaged 3.2 touchdowns per game in 2013, 2.7 touchdowns per game in 2014 and 2.4 touchdowns per game in 2015. The NFL caught up to him. His offense is trending downward. An implosion could be on the horizon.

          1. I’m not going to say you’re preaching to the choir, I’m still mostly indifferent about the hire. What I am saying is that there is no need to paint yourself into a corner on this one so early. There are a lot of different factors between this situation and the last. After two seasons if he gets canned is it really going to be that big of a feather in your cap when you try and say “I told you so?”

            1. It will be entertaining compared to that vanilla offense Geep and Tomsula had trotting out there. I think Chip Kelly will be a better coach this time around than he was in Philadelphia. To already say he was a bad hire or that no other team in the NFL wanted him is absurd.
              If we have not learnt by now that Grant Cohn’s angle is hyper/create controversy, then we all need a lesson in journalism 101.

          2. Easy to remember that Coach Walsh stymied the NFL with his Offensive Scheme, but later Fritz Shurmur came up with the Eagle Defense, which effectively squeezed it.

            Change is the only constant…

          3. Kelly has said many times that he likes to learn how and why things work. He came to SF to read Bill Walsh’s stuff that’s locked up in headquarters gathering dust. Harbaugh didn’t read it. I’m not sure Tomsula could read, and Kelly…we’ll see. No matter what anyone believes, the fact is that the Walsh tree has produced more quality coaches than the Parcell’s tree. (Latest example = Zimmerman. Play very conservative and keep running (literally) into a brick wall. Then try to win at the end with a field goal. Oops, he missed!)

      2. Grant’s move makes sense. There is not much too be gained from balanced viewpoints. If Chip flames out, Grant can triumphantly claim that he was the first one to see this bad fit. If Chip succeeds he’ll point to how other coaches and players have helped Niners win despite Chip’s approach.

        1. Except not. Anyone paying attention would know that Chip said they are running a 3-4. Last I checked, that’s definitely not a Tampa 2. Also, how long has it been since Lovie was a DC?

          Since Chip is choosing his own coordinators, I seriously doubt he’ll acquiesce to Grant’s demands. But who knows, perhaps he feels bad for him after that initial presser.

          1. Didn’t Chip say repeatedly that he doesn’t mess with the defensive side? My sense is we will run whatever the new DC says we run.

        2. If The Chipper succeeds then Grant will simply go on to the next thing on his list of “make’m mad” topics. He’s got hundreds of them.

          How many touchdowns have the 49ers scored per game since Dr. $ Mrs. York took over the franchise?

      3. Grant what could we possibly do to influence the choice of Kelly? As we’ve already seen ownership doesn’t really care what we think. We can bang the drum all we want and we’ll still have Chip for at least 2 years.

        1. If that was really the case, don’t you think Tomsula would still be spitting along the sidelines?

          1. No Razor I don’t think the fans had much say in Kelly’s selection. It’s a separate issue from JT’s firing. Fans had some influence but not much. His failure was the greatest influence.

      4. Grant

        I wanted Chip Kelly in 2014 when it became obvious Harbaugh would never move on from his beloved Schembechler offense. Kelly will win multiple Superbowls here.

        1. Oh stop it. Aren’t you doing the same thing you are accusing Grant of – just in the opposite direction?

        2. I agree with Silicon. If the offensive malaise is solved, the Niners could become relevant again. I would cite what Chip did at Oregon to turn that program around. He made that program go from being the lovable losers to dead serious contenders. He also did it with a system that he devised.
          Grant can follow in his father’s footsteps and say outrageous things to stir things up, But I would rather he utilize his time wisely. He should never ever say he will not read a book. That is snark. He should at least try to become more educated. He should do his homework, otherwise he will just repeat what happened in the PC and he will lash out again.
          Grant should invite posters to come up with assessments of the team and postulate ways to improve the team. The best way to engage Chip is to present innovative ideas and perspectives. Emo tantrums just is a huge waste of time.

          1. This is a statement I hear quite often that isn’t true.
            Mike Bellotti was the coach that turned Oregon around and Chip took it to the next level. Bellotti had already won 2 pac-12 titles and had a 10-3 record his final year.
            So Chip didn’t take over a lovable loser or turn the program around even if he did improve it.

            1. I will concede that Belloti turned it around since you conceded that Chip took Oregon to a new level.

            2. Shoupbjj

              One further correction…Rich Brooks was the coach that turned the Oregon football program around….Belotti took it to the next level, and Chip took it to the next level….Helfrich is presently taking it to the top level….GO DUCKS !!!

              1. I guess so, they certainly got better in his time there considering he started with a couple of 2-9 seasons. However they were still a losing team overall in his tenure at Oregon.

      5. Year 49ers Eagles/Kelly
        2015 1.4 2.4
        2014 1.9 2.7
        2013 2.4 3.2
        2012 2.5
        2011 2.0
        2010 1.8
        2009 2.2

        The 49ers are on a four year downward slope too. It will be interesting to see how Kelly responds in 2016 given that his team will have six games against the NFC West.

        Shoot now. Aim only when it’s sure thing.

      6. Sure they will Grant…..wink wink. lol.

        Interesting to watch Carolina’s dynamic, zone / read offense dominate Arizona. Take away Seattle’s poor play call at the end of last years Super Bowl, and were likely looking at 3 straight Super Bowl winners all running a variation of the zone / read.

  9. If Kelly can get 10 wins each of the next 2 seasons I’ll be happy.

    Did you know the Eagles D faced only about 4 1/2 plays per game more than the 49ers last season?

    1. So a bad offense is nearly as impacting on a defense as a fast paced offense. Not much hope for defensive improvement then.

      1. Would you consider the Patriots O poor? Their defense faced only 2 plays per game more than the 49ers and 6 more than the Eagles.

    2. And against the league average, a shade over 7 extra plays per game. When you factor in the FACT that Kelly’s players are always in the best shape of their lives, you begin to understand why his teams tend to stay healthier than average, and why the notion that Chip’s defenses always begin to wear down and have issues with fatigue, are very much overblown narratives.

      Chip is a smart guy. His approach will certainly continue to evolve. He’s not the same coach who took the NFL by storm in his first 2 seasons. Chip has learned a lot, and the 49ers will be the beneficiaries of that.

      And there is one thing that continues to excite me about Chiup Kelly as head coach of the 49ers. If Chip was able to have the offensive success he had with PHili, despite being handicapped by a MOTLEY CREW of QB’s who were also poor fits in his system, the sky is the limit with Kaepernick, Gabbert, and hopefully VERNON ADAMS at 3rd string and running the scout team.

      No matter what, the 49ers are instantly back in the conversation. Kelly has brought them instant relevance, CREDIBILITY, and it’s about as close to a sure thing that the 49ers will be an exciting team to watch, as there is in pro sports!

  10. Wouldn’t the DC want to put together his own staff, maybe not. Could indicate DC already on staff, Tarver?

  11. Grant… I stated on one of your other colums that I wanted Lovie Smith for the D.. We could have a dominant front 4 to generate pressure. Lynch, Farmstead,Williams, dial,carradine, Draftee, Free agent…. Good possibilities. Athletic secondary. Interchangeable guys in that secondary. Great MLB, decent outside… We are Young and hungry and why not put us in a Tampa 2 attack style. Even though Lovie wouldn’t accept a DC job. Oh well whatever comes we have to accept

    1. Seems like he’ll get invited to camp and either be cut or practice squad fodder. Kelly seems to keep several QB’s on the roster and he’s undrafted and not really NFL talent.

    2. He’s been left out of the conversation, but I think he fits in. Trained by Spurrier in a passing offense, the kid’s mobile and is also a gunslinger.

      1. George, mobile was the word I was looking for. I new he had an arm wasn’t sure if he was mobile or not. Thanks.

        1. Thompson may be in the mix. All through TC they raved about his deft passes. If he has accuracy, Chip will like him, and he has had a year to study and get stronger.

            1. Razor – I think Vernon Adams is worth the pick. He only had about 2 weeks to learn the Oregon offense. After Mariota I didn’t really embrace him maybe like I should of.

              1. Same here, but after watching him in this game, I’m a believer. He really reminded me of a Russell Wilson. Chip must be salivating….

      1. Oregon I bet you are on cloud nine with the Kelly hire. I was gone for awhile and came back to this, needless to say I was stunned. I was luke warm with Vernon Adams this year what did you think of him?

        1. Undercenter

          Forgive the delay….Like yourself, I was warm to Vernon Adams, but he is smart, and as hard to catch as a water beetle….His arrn is solid, but when he hurt his hand against Michigan State, we lost to MS and Utah, but should have beaten Wash St, He also hurt his hand (reinjured?) or else we would have beaten TCU in the bowl game.

          I think he’s tough, fast ,slippery, a lot like Wilson…maybe a better runner….

  12. Good hire, but I’m curious as to why the team has yet to have picked their DC.

    1. Kelly’s offensive reputation of keeping defenses on-field 75% of the time more than other NFL teams is wearing, and injury prone for them…
      Defensive coordinators will not risk their careers when they can not rest their defenses, so they’re staying away from SF

      1. TomD

        In 1956, I got to meet and have dinner with Bob St.Clair…it was off season and Mr.St.Clair was workingat a beer distribution company because football didn’t pay him enough to live on alone…Yeah, I sure wouldn’t want any prospective coordinators having their players work up a sweat, so maybe you’re right and we should coddle theminto maybe 15 minutes a day…would that bring more coaching prospects into camp ? Doubtful…and yes, he ordered his steak room temperature…No sissies there….

      2. TrollD, 75% of the time, more than other NFL teams? LMAO. Dude, just stop. you’re embarrassing yourself. Kelly’s defenses are on the field for a little over 7 more snaps per game. When you factor in their incredible conditioning, it’s a wash.

        The 49ers won’t have any trouble hiring a good, qualified Defensive Coordinator.

    2. I’m thinking Jason Tarver is the guy because they have already started hiring position coaches.

      1. I don’t feel good about Tarver in that role. I’d much prefer Pepper Johnson, or Martindale who was reportedly also in contention….

          1. I will accept him. He improved the Raider defense for the first 2 years. His problem was the offense stunk.

        1. Could very well indicate they have an agreement with another coach. Tarver would surprise me because I think Kelly will want to pick his own guy….

  13. Assuming an oline that can block and pass protect, a mobile QB with accuracy, and Hyde coming out of the backfield, how’s this for a name for this offense: The Stun Gun.

      1. Williams is a free agent, I would say 50/50 he stays ….. you can plug in Dorsey into his spot w the 4-3, but that said, Kelly runs a 3-4 so it is all moot.

    1. First you get the OL. Then you get an accurate mobile quarterback. Then you see how many games Hyde can play, and after all that you come up with a name for the offense during the first Superbowl bye week said offense is involved in. ;-}

  14. Crazy Seb
    Gnarls Barkley

    I remember when, I remember, I remember when I lost my mind
    There was something so pleasant about that place.
    Even your emotions had an echo
    In so much space

    And when you’re out there
    Without care,
    Yeah, I was out of touch
    But it wasn’t because I didn’t know enough
    I just knew too much

    Does that make me crazy?
    Does that make me crazy?
    Does that make me crazy?
    Possibly

    And I hope that you are having the time of your life
    But think twice, that’s my only advice

    Come on now, who do you, who do you, who do you, who do you think you are,
    Ha ha ha bless your soul
    You really think you’re in control

    Well, I think you’re crazy
    I think you’re crazy
    I think you’re crazy
    Just like me

  15. Grant,
    I don’t usually agree with you, but I think Chip wasn’t the right choice. I’m not sure how you felt about Shanahan, but that was my hope. I think he would have brought structure and had enough clout to entice a solid coaching staff to join.

    I think he would have been a little too old school for some of the players, but I think most are hungry to win that they would have bought into his system.

    However, I don’t know if I believe Chip is worse than Tomsula!

  16. Vernon F-ing Adams! He looks like Russell Wilson. Project 7th or UDFA as of now, but I expect after this performance and the combine, he’ll be a steady riser….

        1. He looks outstanding! The great thing for us is that not too many teams other then maybe Seattle would go after him. He fits perfect for chip! I’m sold…

            1. I was impressed by Adams when he led the Ducks in beating the Cardinal on the road two months ago. Good elusiveness and SAQ with some patience to stay within the pocket. I was surprised by his ability to push the ball downfield with accuracy. Seems to have leadership capabilities. A lesser Wilson, perhaps?

              1. 1)Myles Jack, LB, UCLA
                2)Spencer Drango, OL, Texas A&M
                3)Paul Perkins, RB, UCLA
                4)Nile Lawrence Stample, NT, FSU
                4)Vernon Adams, QB, Oregon
                5)Kolby Listenbee, WR, TCU
                5)Cre’von LeBlanc, CB, Florida Atlantic

              2. Razor, what are your thoughts on Maliek Collins, DT from Nebraska. Not a great fit for a traditional 3-4, but could be a nice addition for 4-man fronts as a penetrating DT.

              3. Also, if Baalke doesn’t mind taking a character risk flyer in the later rounds, Alex McCalister from Florida could be an intriguing edge rusher.

              4. Boy, for his size Scooter, he really can get after the quarterback. I see why you like him as an interior penetrator. I like that he has a wrestling background too. What round you thinking? Might need to be 2nd when all said and done, I don’t know….

              5. I was thinking 3rd round for Collins. He won’t be for everyone. And on film he looks shorter than his listed height. Wouldn’t surprise me if he measures in at around 6’0″ which could turn some teams off.

                But he’s quick off the snap, has good arm use, and can also hold up against double teams without giving up much ground. I really like him as a 3-tech option in nickel.

                Other OLB options could be Maggitt (Baalke loves his guys that drop due to injury) and Ngakoue (though he’s most likely an earlier pick).

              6. I don’t think he’s that short, more like 6′-1″, but his quickness and functional strength look like they more than make up for it. His anticipation of the snap makes him look faster than Gregory. If he’s there in the 3rd, I’d jump all over him….

              7. I don’t know, he looks pretty short to me. Scouting reports on him are pretty mixed regarding his ability to hold up against the run, but from the film I watched he seemed to hold his own against double teams and flashed some big plays when he could use his quickness to beat his man.

              8. Rankins is a solid player razor, I like him. Like Collins I think he’s undersized for a 3-4 end (though he looks taller and longer than Collins to me), and isn’t really NT material either, so may be out of place in a base 3-4. But then one could say the same of Dorsey, and he is fine at either spot. Looks like a good run defender that has good core strength and hand use, and also has decent quickness which combined with his strength can result in good push. If the 49ers want him I think they will need to take him early 2nd round.

    1. Just seen his stats for the game. He could be this year’s Byron Jones if he knocks it out of the park at the Combine.

  17. I’ve seen plenty of eagles games and they probably lead the league in drops.The WR weren’t good at all, the oline was offensive and they still moved the ball. Their D wasn’t the most talented so they couldn’t stop good offenses. I’m concerned that chip doesn’t use a fullback. If he figures out how to incorporate some power runs then i will be a happy man.

    1. Yea, I watched the game. I think Vernon Adams is well worth a 4th round flyer. Let other teams reach for Wentz, Goff, Lynch….

      1. Hard to argue after that performance Razor. 4th round flyer indeed.Was just finishing my first draft fan mock and saw you posted yours so I’ll wait.We do share Myles Jack in the first(there is your guy Grant). I really like Drango (liked him last year before he decided to stay in school) however I still have hopes we land Josh Doctson WR high in the second.

    2. One website listed Vernon Adams weigh-in at the Shrine Bowl as 5ft 10.5 in. About a quarter of an inch shorter than what Russell Wilson measured at the NFL combine . However Adams weighed 195 pounds compared to Wilson who weighed 220 pounds. Big difference there.

  18. A friend of mine informed me that Jed asked Kelly to consider his uncle for the job because everyone calls him Eddie D. Could Jed have something there?

  19. Javon Hargrave is the closest thing to an Aaron Donald, development kit that I can find in this draft. O.J. Mau is another guy that I’d describe as a Ndamukong Suh, a Gardner-Webb force with a mean streak….

    1. Jeez, I know it’s against lower level competition, but Hargrave moves so well for his size. Very quick. Would love to see him take on OL with strength more often, but his quickness is very impressive. Definitely a guy to keep an eye on.

      1. Scooter, I would take Hargrave in a heartbeat over McCalister. Sounds like Hargrave was the best player on the field.

        1. After watching some film on him and reading reports on him, I would too. He’s definitely a guy I think the 49ers should look into.

          But that shouldn’t rule out McCalister as an option. Different positions.

          1. Well, if you project him as a 6th or 7th rounder, I say go ahead. He is low risk at those rounds with big potential.

            1. Yeah, with McCalister it would have to be a late round flyer. Too big a risk taking him earlier, but if he matures he could be a high reward pick.

    1. Thanks for posting Saltveit’s article. It’s inherently much more interesting than a collection of myths and hand picked statistics. Maybe what it’s doing is putting some meat on the bones of the Kelly myths.

  20. Since we are waiting on the coaching hires, I wish to present my draft strategy.
    First of all, the Niners should trade back. With Tunsil, Stanley, Buckner and Goff gone in the first 6 picks, they should move back. Why? Because 98 juniors are coming out. If only half are drafted, that leaves 50 juniors who have enough talent to jump to the NFL. Assuming only half of them have elite skills, that leaves a 25 player pool of top notch talent. If only 25 seniors are rated as first round talent, that creates a 50 player pool of first round talent.
    I want the Niners to draft 3 players out of that 50 player pool.
    The Niners should target Detroit at 16, Atlanta at 17, Indy at 18 or Buffalo at 19. They would move up to get the player they really covet. The Niners will give up their 7th pick for their first and second pick. The Niners could add a 5th round pick to sweeten the pot, so it would be the Niner 1st and 5th for their 1st and 2nd.
    Basing the draft selection out of a top 100 draft prospect list, The Niners could select-
    With the 16th-19th pick-
    Reggie Ragland ILB
    Darron Lee OLB
    Keonard Floyd OLB
    Jonathan Bullard DE
    Jarran Reed DT
    With the 37th pick.-
    Sheldon Rankins DT
    Derrick Henry RB
    Germain Ifedi OT
    Ryan Kelly C
    Jason Spriggs OT
    With the 48th to 52nd pick-
    Vernon Butler DT
    Vadal Alexander OG
    Austin Hooper TE
    Su’a Cravens OLB
    Shilique Calhoun DE

    Out of that pool of 16 players, the Niners could select Leonard Floyd, Jason Spriggs and Shilique Calhoun. Others may want Jonathan Bullard, Ryan Kelly and Su’a Cravens. All in all, the Niners trade back, and get 3 players in the first 2 rounds.

  21. This is a year you stand pat. We have 12 picks. 2 players come to mind that absolutely could be Elite. Miles Jack or Laquan Treadwell. Both could be day 1 starters and building block type players. We need a blue chip talent. We lost a couple.

  22. Potential Free agency moves for Offense:

    QB: The team has 3 QB’s under contract. Sam Bradford is PFF’s 11th ranked QB. Colin’s base salary is 11.9M, Bradford is very likely to get a contract that pays him between 15-16 M/yr. The only way we would sign Bradford is if Colin is gone and since that isn’t going to happen by the start of FA, then it’s pretty fair to assume the team isn’t going to be signing Sam. Outside of Bradford the next sign-able name is Fitzpatrick. The team is likely to stick with Gabbert and Colin and pick up a mid round QB in the draft.

    OL: According to PFF Boone was the 39th ranked G last season. Andrew Tiller had 90 less snaps then Boone but was ranked 17th. If they want to, the 49ers probably can re-sign Boone without spending more then they usually want to on a Guard but the question is do they or should they? Michael Harris from the Vikings is an UFA and was the 24th ranked Guard and made over 2M less then Boone last season. He’s 2 years younger as well. They can get younger and better while spending less if they go with Tiller and Harris as their starting guards. If they want to pay good money for a top guard they should sign Jeff Allen from K.C. Others to consider are Ramon Foster from the Steelers, big upgrade on the cheap but he’s 30 years old and Chris Chester from the Falcons.

    We’ll have to wait and see what is going on with Davis. As of this writing I’m assuming that he’s coming back and that they are counting on him as their RT. As long as Staley is sticking around I don’t expect them to sign a tackle in Free Agency. I think the same goes for Center.

    RB: The team currently has Hyde, Davis, Hayne and Harris under contract. Draughn is likely to get a chance to come back and compete in camp so he’s a likely free agent acquisition although I don’t expect he will be on the final 53. There wasn’t a lot of certainty about the running back group which is surprising since it seemed like we had 8 of them on the team at any given time. There still isn’t a lot of certainty on the team. Will Kelly like Hyde? I’m certainly not his biggest fan and there are reasons not to be. Even though Kelly doesn’t have control over the personnel he’s certainly still going to let Baalke know what kind of players he wants and he got a little cra-cra last year in trying to get the right RB’s to fit his system. It’s interesting to note that in the 3 years that Kelly was in Philly they never drafted a RB. We can’t assume that any of the RB’s on the team are 100% safe. Hyde is clearly the most safe of the group but I wouldn’t guarantee him the starting job by week 8 at this point. In looking out into the world of Free Agency the biggest name likely to hit the market would also be a great choice for Kelly; Lamar Miller. According to PFF he was the 4th ranked RB last year and he has the 2nd highest pass blocking score. He’s only 24 years old and for whatever reason Miami has just never seemed completely committed to using him. With the cap room they have I would give Miller an open check to switch coasts. Outside of Miller I think Chris Ivory is the back the team should next consider. He’s the right size for what Kelly likes to use, he was the 11th ranked running back and 6th best pass blocker. He’s cheap and still a few years from 30.

    WR: The team currently has 10, 10 WR’s under contract. Of those 10 only 2 contributed in any meaningful way to the offense last season. Of those 10 receivers only 1 earns a salary of more then 1M a season. Boldin will likely cost in the 6M/yr range. If they want him there is no reason why they can’t afford him. Boldin is a veteran the other players look up to plus he’s very intelligent. It would be wise to keep him on the team as he’s likely to pick up the new system quickly and would be instrumental in helping the others. If they keep Boldin they’ll be bringing back their two main starters plus they still(unfortunately at least for now) have Patton and Ellington. Smelter of course has everyone bursting at the seams to see what he can do and where he fits in this offense. The highest ranked UFA receiver is Alshon Jeffrey, does the team have a chance at landing such a big fish? Not likely with these QB’s. The next highest is my fall back answer if the team decides to not re-sign Boldin, Rishard Matthews. I won’t try to say that Matthews is even close to Boldin but Matthews is a young physical receiver who fights for the ball. He’s been inconsistent but he’s also been on the Dolphins. Given the shear amount of bodies and the lack of interesting prospects I don’t see the team doing much of anything regarding receivers in FA.

    TE: The team currently has McDonald, Bell, Anderson and Leonhardt under contract. The team’s highest ranked TE per PFF is a free agent, Garret Celek. It’s interesting to point out that according to PFF Celek and McDonald have nearly identical pass and run block scores. Both score very high in the pass block department and both are pretty marginal in the run block department. The big difference though is that Celek, as we all know just form watching, is the higher scoring receiver. So much so that despite the equal blocking scores Celek is ranked 28th and McDonald is #45. I think the team will re-sign Celek and cut McDonald. If the team is looking for a run block specialist then they couldn’t do any better then Craig Stevens from Ten. He’s a little long in the tooth but he’s one of if the not the best blocking TE’s in the league, lousy receiver though. Fleener is currently the best ‘overall’ UFA TE. As I pointed out last week Fleener and Vernon Davis have eerily similar statistical starts to their career. That might sound like a compliment but it isn’t one. If they drop McDonald and don’t go for a blocking specialist like Stevens I could definitely see them targeting Fleener.

    1. QB- Draft Hogan or Adams.
      OL- Re-sign Boone and target Mitchell Schwartz.
      RB- Target Lamar Miller and Kendall Hunter.
      WR- Target Brian Quick and Marvin Jones.
      TE- Re-sign Celek and target Michael Hoomanawanui.
      DL- Re-sign TJE and target Kendall Reyes.
      LB- Target Mark barron and Nick Perry.

      1. Hunter’s injuries have left him a shell of himself. There are lots of other good backs before we bring him back Seb.

          1. Yeah he never gets tired of banging that drum. Miller or Ivory are much better options. Hayne is a waste of roster space at this point. Seb will surely “beg to differ.”

              1. What does that mean Seb? Full engage mode? Do your eyes turn red or something? Hayne is on the roster due to a plethora of injuries at the RB position. There’s no guarantee he’ll be on the roster next season unless he really improves. If Kelly sees something in him and can get him to produce, that’s ok with me.

              2. I do not need to put you in your place, Prime. You just shoot yourself in the foot, all by yourself.
                I get to bring up your screeds about how Kaep is a bust and will get cut….

              3. Wow, nobody has their knickers twisted. Just wondering if that was some sort of veiled threat you were about to unleash on us. I was kinda interested to see what happened in full engage mode.

              4. Wilson, I hope you have a good memory, and remember some of my other interchanges with the posters.

              5. My memory is hit or miss depending on how important things are. I am not asking to fight and won’t over something this trivial. It’s so unknown what will happen with a new coach. I would bet Bruce Miller is gone and they replace him with another RB or TE. I am at least intreagued by what Kelly will do and how TB will try and accommodate his scheme.

              6. Wilson, I also think that Miller will be gone.
                There, we agree. I do not need to beg to differ.
                Just hope you realize that I have been trying to be polite, so your shade thrown about me behaving just necessitated a response. ;p

          2. I do not need to, and Hayne is already on the roster. Believe it or not, the new ST coach and Chip will be smart enough to recognize his talents and skillsets.

            1. I’m sure the will be smart enough. Do you think Chip’s staff will begin reading your posts?

              1. Cassie, I know you are trying to provide comedic relief, but stumbling over the punch line just makes it kinda lame…..

        1. Hunter may just need to heal fully. I really like Hunter, and the others mentioned will be costly.

          1. Neither Hunter or Hayne is a good replacement for Hyde. We need someone who can be counted on for 4 yds per carry. Your loyalty is commendable to those guys but it’s not a sound choice for a winning player strategy.

            Hunter seems to heal to just get injured again. We have the cap space, lack of good back ups in the running game really hurt this team.

            1. I never said that Hyde should be replaced by another RB. Hyde is the starting RB and is the most talented player at his position. Hyde may just become injured again due to his struggling to get extra yards, and allowing LBs to wallop him.
              You are right, Hunter may get injured again. He seems cursed with injuries.
              I also projected that the Niners should get a FA RB, and draft one too.

              1. Sorry I didn’t communicate well on that. I meant injury replacement not starting replacement. We need someone who can provide nearly equal performance at the position if he’s winded or hurt.

    2. Wow Coffee,
      Great post. Very well thought out and informative overview.
      I personally would like to see them spend their money mostly at the oline spot… and draft a running back.

      Thanks.

    3. CFC – Thanks for the detailed breakdown. I heard Kelly rarely has backs stay in to block. This might bode well for players like Hayne.

      1. I should also note that I stated their pass blocking skill more as a way of showing their ability overall as a running back then to suggest it’ll be a reason for signing them necessarily.

    4. CFC, did you like Draughn better than Harris? Harris seemed to have more quickness than Draughn. Seems like we need two backs. A solid replacement for Hyde and a change of pace back like Harris.

      1. I would keep both guys. Draughn is a good special teams guy and Harris showed he can catch the ball.
        The emphasis to me on the draft has to be OL,WR, OLB but now I’m hoping Vernon Hargreaves is there at #7

        1. Draughn also catches well. He was Gabbert’s favorite target out of the backfield before his injury. I really hope we don’t go cheap again and we spend some money in FA and draft well. There’s a reason we didn’t have quality depth last year. We chose Bush who everyone hear called he’d be hurt and out for the season and Hayne who never played a down of NFL ball. The Steelers and other teams had a fall back plan in those kinds of positions. We used to have that kind of depth.

          1. Do you think they should draft a RB? I guess all this draft talk is pointless until we see what happens in free agency.
            Lots of money to spend, lots of cap space and 12 draft picks. It’s a teams dream situation. Problem is the guy orchestrating it is less than competent.

            1. Draft or FA that could average 4.0 yds per carry would be nice. The drop from Hyde to Draugh, David and Hayne was unacceptable.

      2. Wilson I liked both of them but I’m not convinced that Kelly will like either. I also think a small part of their apparent success at the end of the seasons was simply because teams didn’t have film on what to expect from these guys. They had no expectation on what kind of plays they would be used in so you saw them break a couple free for big gains. That’s that not unusual when you plug a new skill player into an offense for the first couple of games. I’m pretty confident that if those players were on the team earlier in the season their successes wouldn’t have been long lived.

        1. That’s a great point CFC and was true for BG when he started his first few games as well. I like your Lamar Miller suggestion.

          1. Miller would be dynamic. He’s 10x the back that Hyde is. Way too good of a move to expect this front office to pull if off unfortunately.

              1. We’ve never seen coaches say something different then what they mean to the press have we?

              2. He didn’t have to say that, and if Mr. Hyde can stay healthy, he will put up huge numbers in this offense….

              1. He’s the only durable back they have. He had a great year and with Gase coming in, why would he let him walk? He is also 24 years old, hitting his prime years. To let him go for nothing would be nuts.

              2. They don’t have any control over it. He’s going to go to the highest bidder.

              3. Miami won’t be willing to be the top bidder. They have Jay Ajayi ready to take over if they get outbid.

              4. I also like Ajayi but depth is key at the RB position. Miller is that guy that can run the ball, smart, good on blitz pick up and young. He won’t command huge dollars so unless Gase doesn’t like him, I can’t see MIA letting him go for nothing.
                Would I like him in a SF uniform, for sure but teams don’t let 24 year old backs with good production leave via free agency.

              5. We’ll see. My money is that Miller isn’t a Dolphin next season. Notice also, that I don’t actually think we’re going to sign him he was just a suggestion of a good choice.

              6. A lot to like but I think he’s off the board before the team is ready to use a pick on a RB. I think there will be more then just a couple diamonds in the RB UDFA market after the draft. I think Dwayne Washington and Keither Marshall are a couple that might go un-drafted that are worth giving a look at.

                I also like Tra Carson as a goal line/short yardage option. You might have to draft him in the 6th or 7th though.

              7. Allow me if you will to answer that with a question; what do you see as the top 5 positions of need in order of importance?

              8. In my opinion the team should sign 2-3 FA’s. Their other needs can be addressed through the draft.
                There is a need for a pass rusher. In the market, there just isn’t one worth the 2 year 9 million a year contract. The organization isn’t going to be competing for a superbowl in 2016, so why waste 9-11 million on a rebuilding year?
                Instead, it would be much more fortuitous if the team were able to find a pass rusher in the draft on a 5 year rookie deal.
                Next, they need a durable runner. FA runnings backs aren’t very attractive with the wear and tear. A 4-6th round back should be able to plug and play.
                The cornerback play come around as the season progressed. I would love to see them find a FA corner, but again, the cost to benefit ratio makes me weary. They’d need to sign the FA to a 3-4 year deal. There are some 25 and 26 year old corners like Amukamara, Robinson, or Claiborne who certainly have some upside.
                This draft has some raw OL men. The team could spend some money on a mentor on the OL, but again, with 12 picks in the draft, why not resign the few FA they have and restock with the draft?

              9. CFC here’s my very uneducated stab at top 5 needs. There seems to be what we need and what TB will do. I don’t think they address QB till later rounds so I won’t include that.

                1. OL (guard/right tackle)
                2. OLB
                3. WR ( Boldin is old, Torrey unused and the rest are unproven and not Chip’s preference for size)
                4. ILB (Hodges still seems to need to prove himself)
                5. RB (no productive depth on the roster)
                6. DB (not sold on Brock)
                7. TE

              10. Before any free agency, I’d say top need is an interior pass rusher. As much as Chip likes to run, I would say a running back in the 3rd for a special guy like Perkins wouldn’t be out of the question, but it’ll probably be with one of those 5th round picks. Chip wants to run the ball, so he’s going to need two studs at the position….

              11. Razor even with Armstead’s improvement over the course of the season? I agree RB is high and probably better to get a draft pick that FA unless they come really cheaply.

              12. Wilson, Dorsey won’t be ready, IDub is probably gone and Tank has been tanked. DL is a big need, but it’s also the strength of the draft, so theoretically you could wait on the position. Lynch is all you have at OLB, so big need there. Unfortunately no talent worth pick 7 for that position. Myles Jack is a chess piece sitting next to Bowman and right now in my mind, the most likely available with the highest skill traits….

              13. Before any free agency, I’d say top need is an interior pass rusher. As much as Chip likes to run, I would say a running back in the 3rd for a special guy like Perkins wouldn’t be out of the question, but it’ll probably be with one of those 5th round picks. Chip wants to run the ball, so he’s going to need two studs at the position
                ——————-
                You list pass rusher and then go straight to RB. Are you saying RB is the 2nd biggest need for the team? My point is if you list what the 5 biggest needs are for the team you aren’t likely to put RB among them and if it isn’t in the top 5 what is the likelihood of them using one of the first 3 picks on it?

              14. Good points Razor, would you go draft or FA for DL? Seems like FA gets you some guaranteed production at that position. I think Dorsey is aging, iDub seems like he’d come at a fair price and you could get decent talent with a later pick if the draft is a deep as you say. I’d still go OL and OLB with the higher picks.

              15. To me, it’s like a graph. Best available tempered with need, mixed with positional draft strength. And the graph fluctuates as players come off the board….

              16. So Razor sort of a situational if then formula. Seems like that’s a good strategy taking the best available talent for the positions of need in your top three areas.

              17. There will be enough players at their positions of greater need that the RB conversation won’t even come up until the 4th or 5th round.

              18. Wilson, yes I like Scooters’ idea of getting the LT he specified(can’t remember his name)and a DL. Two positions worth paying for in F/A. I also like this guy, Noah Spence. He’s been in trouble so he’ll drop lower than his talent warrants. I’d love to pencil him in opposite Lynch. I’m thinking you’d have to take him with your 2nd Round pick though….

              19. 1. OL (guard/right tackle)
                2. OLB
                3. WR ( Boldin is old, Torrey unused and the rest are unproven and not Chip’s preference for size)
                4. ILB (Hodges still seems to need to prove himself)
                5. RB (no productive depth on the roster)
                6. DB (not sold on Brock)
                7. TE
                ————-
                7 positions of need and QB isn’t among them? I see a need at WR but definitely not in the top 5 even without Boldin. If I made a top 10 RB would probably be #8.

              20. Razoreater January 24, 2016 at 11:24 am
                I think that’s right CFC. You think they take a running back before a wide receiver?
                —————
                Not at this point I don’t. I think they will address RB in FA and the late rounds of the draft.

              21. Kelly likes proven players at the position and Baalke likes projects. They’ll sign a FA to appease the Chipper and Baalke will draft a project in the 6th or 7th or sign an UDFA.

              22. CFC you left out my caveat.

                “There seems to be what we need and what TB will do. I don’t think they address QB till later rounds so I won’t include that.”

                I agree QB is a top need but I don’t believe they’ll address it.

              23. I could see them pulling a QB in FA and one somewhere in rounds 5-7. Many of us would wish for something higher.

    1. It’s accurate. Yes, Kelly’s offenses play at a fast pace but there are a number of teams that do that. I remember a lot of talk back in 2012 about the fast pace the Patriots were using, and the commentators saying that Belichick and his staff had worked with Kelly over the offseason.

      A system is a system. In the end it just comes down to guys making plays.

      1. Thanks Jack. I really haven’t spent any time reading up on DVOA and it seems guys on both sides of the argument are quoting it. I do recall it being reported that the Patriots worked with Kelly back in 2012 now that you say that. In the end it would seem the Eagles were poorly coached and executed on defense. It would lead me to the desire not to have any Eagle’s assistants on our defensive side of the ball.

        So this choice of DC is really important as well as filling some of our weak spots with good talent during the offseason. What do you think of the Browns former DC their reporting interest in now?

      2. That’s the bottom line…players making plays. Horrible systems with very good players making plays can be effective. Brilliant systems with so-so players playing poorly can be a disaster.

  23. If QB7 and Gabbert are working at full capacity we one have solid QB. Perhaps a QB wildcat formation from the pistol. Remember where you heard it first!

    1. Or you get the worst of both. That would be something to see self inflicted sacks, missed check down throws, off target intermediate and long throws, missing the open recievers, going 1 for 33 on third down.

      I was fairly impressed to hear Chip talk about what he wants from a QB in practice and on game day and see how he used QB’s with differing talents to some success. I do think the offense can only rise from its awful finish last year regardless of the QB.

      1. Me no like, reminds me too much of Mangini. Can make the scheme more difficult than necessary, lack of discipline. It would be a deep concern if this is their guy. If he’s their guy, we’re in a pile of cow Chips….

  24. Uh oh, There’s Big Trouble in Little Green Bay; “Several sources” tell the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel Packers coach Mike McCarthy is “fed up” with GM Ted Thompson’s “unwillingness to take a chance and reinforce the roster with veteran players.”

    Yea him and every fan of the team as well but a) how can you argue with the long term results and b) if you didn’t know that coming into this situation then the blame is on you McCarthy.

          1. Let’s see how fast things unravel. Jed could always let Chip go week after next–or trade Chip to Green Bay. Wonder what Seb thinks about the prospect…?

    1. Oh please. Prime said he heard McCarthy would be fired if he didn’t make the NFC Championship game. How in the world does that fit with McCarthy being fed up with Thompson not going after FA’s?

      McCarthy isn’t and never has been in danger of being fired for the on field performance of the team which is what Prime threw out there. Not getting along with the GM is a whole different issue.

  25. Hello? Dad? Seb said you’re trying to call me? Yes. Yes. Well, I could, but… Really? Okay. Bye.

    Seb, my dad wanted me to tell you your resume was insufficient.

    1. Sorry Cassie, but I have my standards. In no way would I ever work for your dad.
      I would always be fearful of being stabbed in the back, like JH and Tomsula were.

  26. Welp, we’re about to see if Reggie Roby can make a big play today. He’s been playing out of position, covering the slot. He’s built for the outside. Brady versus Roby early and often, with the results likely to dictate which defense is on the field the longest….

        1. I expect him to be on the field a lot due to Chris Harris’s injury. Harris will give it a go but I think he’ll be a liability.

  27. I picked NE but I think Denver has a good chance of getting the upset. Should be a really great game.

        1. I don’t think Denver can score that much. The radio here in Denver is hoping Vernon Davis will come up big for them this week. Good luck with that. If they don’t have 7 drops this week they’ll be more effective.

          1. Yea, I don’t expect VD to be a factor and I don’t expect these receivers to drop that many passes two games in a row….

            1. Sounds familiar. Problem is, once the real hitting begins, the arms of VD begin to shrink….

            2. I chuckled to myself as I heard them hoping for a big impact from him. He may make a couple of important plays and some fantastic drops.

  28. OK, using the football database, I looked up the top defensive college teams, and one coach stood out.
    Nate Woody. Now we can have Coach Woody on both sides of the ball.

    1. Roby played well and I am surprised Harris played all game. Bummer that both safeties left the game.

  29. Kubiak is right up there with Sean Payton when it comes to in game play calling in my opinion….

  30. Hmm, analytics did not help the Pats. When was the last time PM rolled out?
    Denver 7-0 with the TE wide open.

    1. That TE seam route is one of my favorites. Remember Brent Jones used to make a living doing just that….

  31. Ronnie Hillman didn’t even make an attempt to gain control of the ball even though the whistle had not been blown. Bad coaching or an obtuse player? I would guess the latter. It would be very unusual to see Patriot players make that kind of mistake.

  32. I think the 49ers are missing out on not considering Kevin Coyle for the DB coach position.

      1. His experience:

        13+ years as a defensive coordinator
        –10+ years in College plus 3 in the NFL

        10 years as the Bengals DB/CB coach.

            1. He started under Jimmy Johnson, and got promoted to LB coach after his first year. Got his first DC gig under Houston Nutt. Improved them defensively in every category. DC at Texas A&M under Sherman. He’s been studying under Phillips for years. He’s more than qualified if what you like best is experience…..

              1. I prefer experience in the position I’m hiring for. Koyle was a suggestion for the DB coach and he has lengthy experience in that position already. Harrison has tons of experience as a LB coach as well as DC so if it’s a suggestion for DC that would make a bit more sense then where the convo started which was for the DB coach position.

              2. Since you selected a DB coach, I thought I’d get your thoughts on a guy I’ve been mulling over for DC. Thanks….

              3. You need to be more specific for old stooges like me. :)

                I don’t see anything about Harrison that makes him any worse of a candidate then Tarver or O’Neil. At this point we can’t expect much. Maybe we’ll get lucky with someone and find that hidden gem that’s gone hidden but I suspect we’ll be doing this search again next year too.

              4. Yea, the last thing I’d like them to do is just settle on a guy. Leave no stone unturned. The Broncos built the defensive staff in similar fashion, hiring the position coaches first, so hopeful….

              5. “…that hidden gem that’s gone undiscovered…”

                Had to fix that, was bugging me.

  33. In his 164th career game, that’s Steven Jackson’s first career @NFL playoff touchdown.
    ————-
    That one gave me a moment of pause. Hard to believe.

  34. I didn’t know Carson Palmer could run 18 mph, let alone Peyton Manning running 17 mph….

  35. I’m not sure I like that challenge, Gary. Better hope it doesn’t bite you in the buttocks…..

    1. I thought it was a stupid challenge. I hate that they haven’t been able to keep possession and keep giving the ball back to Brady.

      1. He was lucky Hochuli didn’t reverse it and rule it a catch and down before the ball came out, Seb. Bad challenge….

  36. I love America, but now that the Patriots have fallen, along with the Seahawks, I can have a nice and relaxing Super Bowl viewing experience….

      1. So does my wife, but her Uncle Bob passed away last year, and he was a fan of Manning, and by proxy, the Broncos, so I will root for the Broncos in honor of UB….

          1. He already is a HOF shoo in. Or are you saying for his shoes to end up in Canton he needs another SB win?

            1. That second SB win would etch it in stone, but you are right, he will make into the hall no matter what.

    1. I feel the same way Razor! And I’m hoping for Arizona win. That will make it 4 years in a row that an NFC West team will represent the NFC in the Superbowl.

  37. Ah. Well, Cassie, I gotta congratulate you. You were closer. If Manning had made that TD, I would have beaten you by a point, but alas, it was not meant to be.

  38. Payton humming the Nationwide tune:
    “I am going to the Superbowl!”

    I’m not a Broncos fan, but I’ll be rooting for Payton.

    1. Hated Denver from the late 60s through to the late 90s–especially during the Raider power days.

  39. Derek Wolf reminds me a bit of Justin Smith. He makes really timely plays and helps the edge rushers tremendously. Our DL misses that.

  40. I think Floyd could be the factor in the game for the Cardinals. Palmer is a little amped up. Needs to settle down….

  41. Ted Ginn Jr…We have had a lot of personnel that have gone on to better pastures, imvho.

  42. That Panther offensive line is giving Newton a nice clean pocket. The Cardinals secondary is missing Mathieu. Cardinals will have to answer, and they better start taking shots deep along the sideline to Floyd or over the middle to Fitzgerald, or downtown John Brown deep….

      1. Seb we’ve heard all season how poor Cam has no one to throw to and he’s carried the team all by himself. No true #1 reciever. This offense is legit from Olson, to Stewart, Brown, Ginn, Cotchery, and the 4th ranked OL. Cam makes it work. I think that angle might be a bit over played after seeing his guys torch the Cardinals secondary.

  43. Can we finally have one of those fast receivers that back off the defense like these two teams have?

  44. This superbowl will be over by halftime.
    Carolina is going to send manning out looking old and finished! Blowout is coming

      1. Who’s going to score for Denver vs this defense? Bette making Palmer look horrible imagine what they’re going to make ol wobbly balls look like.

        1. Dude, look at Palmers’ face. He’s a shell of his shocked self. Payton has Sanders and Thomas. I don’t see Cam getting as much time, and I don’t think it matters because they have three great corners. The Panther don’t have one great receiver….

          1. He could have moss and rice as his receivers. It doesn’t matter when his o-line is getting destroyed and his weak arm is throwing floaters. It’s not like Seattle and Arizona don’t have legit defenses. Denvers offense will make the defense suffer.
            Still smelling blowout.

            1. I wouldn’t predict a blowout with as good as Denver’s defense is, but Carolina looks like nothing will stop them this year. Playing well in all phases and made the past two wins against top NFC teams look easy. It would be a nice story if Payton won a SB in his final NFL game, but it’s not likely.

              One thing’s for sure: Denver’s MVP this year is Wade Phillips. I always loved his style of defense and hoped he’d wind up here as DC at some point. To think he didn’t have a job the past couple of years is crazy. Great great defensive Coach.

              1. Wade will have an effective plan against Newton, you can bet on it. He has 3 great corners and great pass rushers. If he can shut them down early, the Broncos will win this game. Kubiak is a great play caller too, with a HOF QB who’s been there and done that….

              2. Razor,

                Not impossible by any means, but as I said not likely. Payton is a shell of what he used to be and that may be the difference in this game.

              3. Manning looked pretty good throwing those TDs to his TE. I think there is still gas in the tank.

              4. Peyton running 17 mph? I doubt he’s run much faster in his prime. His mental game has never been sharper, and that’s 80% of football….

                20% pressure + 30% existing knowledge + 10% connecting the dots + 20% feedback = 80% mental ; > )

  45. Palmer has played poorly on back to back games. Some players just seem to fold in big games.

    1. If they’re making Palmer the same ol playoff Palmer they’re going to do the same against the biggest playoff choke artist in NFL history.
      This will look like the Seattle vs Denver Super Bowl

          1. That too, but he was not the same passer as he was earlier in the season. When 2 fingers on the throwing hand are taped up, it cannot be a good thing.

  46. Cam Newton this years mvp. I’ve got the Panthers over the Broncos in the SB, but you could never count out the ol’ warrior Payton Manning.
    Perhaps PM rises to one more big occasion before hangin’ em up.

      1. Carolina has probably the best o-line left. And a qb who can kill you with his legs. Denver o-line isn’t good and has a qb who must throw timing passes only. Anything he pulls out of his back pocket will be picked or incomplete. He’s not even close to being the old manning. I smell a blowout

        1. I would like to see the ol’ war-horse Payton Manning get one more for the road.
          But if Cam wins a Superbowl it will finally put to rest the clamor around here that a running QB will never win a SB.

          Of course, a strong case can be made that Cam has become more effective since learning the intricacies of a pocket QB, but defenses still have to plan for his powerful forays when he decides to run.

      2. Big niner,
        Denver’s defense was fierce against Brady. Tommy Boy got hit like a cheap piñata.

        But Cam presents a completely difference challenge. He is probably bigger and just as fast as any of the Bronc’s LB’s. And unlike Brady, Newton will run when the need presents itself. And it’s when he runs that the Denver defense will get the full brunt of the leagues MVP.

        As I said before, I want to see Payton go out a winner, but the Panthers have been a juggernaut all season long and they don’t look to slow down anytime soon.

  47. If I’m Wade, I tell my guys that Cam and his offense are playing with a lot of confidence. We need to kidnap that confidence and hold it for ransom….

    1. Denver’s D cannot give up any points in the first couple of series against the Panthers if they want to put a dent on that confidence.

    2. I agree. They should turn Vonn Miller loose with delayed blitzes up the middle to rattle Cam.

  48. Bruce Arians gives credit where it’s due, with a shout out to Mike Shula for the winning game plan….

  49. So very glad there wont be an NFCW opponent playing in the SuperBowl in our own stadium. That would have totally ruined it for me.

    1. Instead it will be the dancing clown Newton show boating after every 1st down and TD. I love his game, the bravado not so much!

        1. CFC,

          If Carolina goes on to win the SB, the narrative in Seattle will be, “We (the “12’s” call themselves “we”) barely lost to the SB champs, we’re practically SB champs, ourselves.” I know, I was just up there. I, for one, don’t need to hear that. I wanted the cards to win yesterday.

          1. I don’t really care what they say in Seattle, I can’t hear that far away anyway. I just didn’t want a divisional rival dressing in our locker room for the SuperBowl.

          2. ex,

            They can say whatever they like, but everyone outside of Seattle knows they got their asses kicked and only made it a game because the Panthers took the second half off and tried to preserve a big lead.

            1. Rocket,

              Oh, I know that, but they don’t and boy don’t they. They’re more delusional than Raider fans ever were. They talk about the Seahawks becoming one of the NFL’s all time great dynasties. You know, because it’s so much harder with the salary cap, you don’t actually to have multiple SB’s and real longevity.

              I have about 30 in-laws, in addition to all of the mutant Seahawk fans running around lose on the streets of Seattle, who I hear about it from when I’m up there. They also have the biggest collection of homer “journalists” you’d ever want to read. Dreadful.

      1. Prime,
        I hear ya, but then again it would be hard to convince one of those little kids waiting in the stands to receive a football after a Cam TD that he’s a clown.
        Btw, were my eyes deceiving me? I thought I saw Cam kiss his bicep ala Kap after one TD.

        1. The ball giving is great. The in between should be flagged as taunting. It’s excessive to me.

          1. Mood,

            I agree. I have no problem with the celebrations, and he seems like he genuinely loves the game which I wish I saw more of from some of the stars of today. To see the transformation he’s made from a run first mentality, to playing as well as he is from the pocket is amazing. He is what I hoped Kap would be eventually.

            1. Same here, Rocket. Cam has matured into his role as a leader and taken advantage of a good O line to improve his QB play. Hope Kap can do both one day…

        1. I was being facetious. Although, he did not seem too smart to land on his head in the end zone…

          1. Agree. I winced when I saw it in slo-mo. The guy is having a lot of fun playing. I hope he manages to stay healthy and continues to evolve his game.

  50. So Vernon Davis will get to play what may be his final NFL game at Levi’s Stadium after all.

    1. It’s a good thing that Kyle Williams is on IR and wasn’t returning punts for the Broncos…

      1. He’ll certainly be on the sidelines I’m not sure how much playing he’ll do. Did he even get in the game today?

          1. He got in early and dropped two passes that were thrown his way. He was in on several run plays too.

            1. Its a wonder how this guy has a job still, he’s injured every year and isn’t very good those few times he’s healthy.

              1. You can’t necessarily blame them, even the great Al Davis was held back by the same error. Coaches think speed equals play making ability. Don’t ask me why, they all get fooled by it.

              2. In reality though, Davis’s blocking ability has always been his strongest suit and is what continues to get him included on offense.

              3. Actually, I thought it was his ability to exploit mismatches and become a scoring threat. Teams that put a LB on him got burned.Never saw too many blocks that sprung the WR. Many times, he would stop running when the receiver caught the ball. Of course, this is only my impression, and I am sure one can find examples of him leading the blockers.

              4. Yep, I was referring to the VD of a few years back. Nowadays, he rivals Vance as the T rex of tight ends.

            2. He had one pass thrown his way and didn’t get a hand on it.

              VD was very good a few years ago when his blocking and ability to stretch the field on the seam and wheel routes made him one of the best all around TE’s in the game. At some point he lost his edge though, and hasn’t looked all that interested in playing for the past 2-3 years.

    1. Thx for the article, JYD aka MWD. O’Neil’s D was great in 2014. I wonder why the 2015 numbers weren’t included? Not very good, perhaps…

    2. How many ‘favorite’ candidates for DC have they had now? I think this is #4.

    1. Terrible move if they hire O’Neal as DC. Cleveland’s defense was terrible under him, lacked discipline, and routinely got gashed on the ground. O’Neal is a Rex Ryan wannabe but without the credentials.

      1. Nick O’Neal’s D in 2014 was very good and hugely improved then in 2015 it was very disappointing, what do you think the difference was?

    2. Niners keep repeating history? Didn’t they learn from Mangini?
      I guess I should be glad they are not getting Manziel….

    3. O’Neil seems to fit what Kelly wants. Aggressive risk taking defense that tries to create turnovers. They were a pretty good defense in 2014 and poor this year. Lots of key injuries this season added to it. As bad as they were, they were still better than the Niners defense. I would rather they take a shot with this guy than promote Tarver.

  51. TomD’s SuperBowl Pick:

    Point spreads are the majority of the wagering public. A closer look at NFL Stats.com reveals that when Carolina lined=up against Peyton Mannings little brother he put up 35 points, 300+ yards; Drew Brees nearly had a 300 yard game, and vs. the Texans Newton threw for under 200 while Ryan Mallet had nearly 300 yds, vs. the Saints, Luke McCown had over 300 yds; vs. Green Bay Rogers almost had a 400 yd game w/o Jordy Nelson; and vs. Arizona Palmer had a broken/severed ligaments in his throwing hand.
    Let’s see what happens when Newton faces a team that has both–a good defense and a good QB, and what’s the answer when Denver goes Bill Walsh/George Seifert on them, employing that 3-8–Eight in coverage w/ three rushing, and not using Vonn Millers as the posters on this site suggest, as a spy, but keep him on the LOS only, while one of the DB’s acts as a spy. Denver had the 4th ranked defense in all of the NFL…Remember fans, they beat New England 2x, once with a back-up QB…Denver wins in a cake walk.

    1. Denvers offense looked mediocre against the Pats D, how do you think they’ll do against Carolina who just shut down one of the most potent offenses on the league? I think it’ll be close, it’ll be interesting to see what Manning has left in the tank. As long as he doesn’t turn it over this game will be close, but they need a running game.

  52. Seems like Carolina should be able to win this pretty easily. A missed PAT earlier in the game is what allowed Denver to avoid OT. The Patriots offense wasn’t all that stymied really, they did manage 310 yards of passing. if Brady doesn’t throw those two picks that could have been a totally different game.

    One thing that really stands out is that the 3 Patriot RB’s had 14 carries combined between them. The 2 Denver backs had 27. If NE ever cared about about adding a run game to their offense they’d probably be unstoppable.

    1. Jim Oneil, DC, Browns

      In his first season as defensive coordinator, O’Neil’s unit made significant increases in nearly every major defensive statistic, including red zone defense (29th in 2013 to fifth in 2014), third down defense (31st to 11th), points per game (23rd to ninth) and quarterback rating (16th to first). The team led the NFL in opponent completion percentage (57.1), opponent passer rating (74.1) and passes defensed (99). The Browns finished second in the league with 21 interceptions, the team’s highest total since 2008, while also finishing tied for fourth in takeaways (29). Cleveland’s defense also finished in the top-10 in the league in pass defense (fifth with 6.44 yards per attempt) and total defense (ninth with an average of 5.24 yards per play). Get the latest coaching staff news on our 49ers Coaching Staff Tracker page. – See more at: http://www.49erswebzone.com/news/91228-rand-getlin-oneil-new-favorite-49ers-defensive-coordinator/#sthash.R3O78RMW.dpuf

  53. That search reportedly includes former Browns defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report reported over the weekend that the 49ers have interest in O’Neil and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports O’Neil interviewed for the job recently.

  54. I just hope this is not true:

    TANK: See Vrabel and Lynn for what happens when they talk to coaches in better situations.

    TANK: Cleveland’s level of dysfunction is one of the few places that makes 49ers attractive, so it’s where Baalke (& Kelly) feels comfortable interviewing coaches.

  55. The Parcells’ Rule Of Thumb When Considering A QB:

    1. He must be a senior.
    2. He must graduate.
    3. He must be a 3 year starter.
    4. He must win 23 games.

    Second, the 26-27-60 rule which is as follows:

    1. He must score at least a 26 on the wonderlic test.
    2. He must play in 27 games.
    3. He must throw for a minimum of 60% completions for his career.

    Finally, these last 2 as follows:

    1. He must have a 2:1 TD to INT ratio.
    2. He should fit the approximate HWS of an NFL QB (6’2″-220-4.87).

      1. I’d say it’s a good blueprint, and there are exceptions. I’m counting on Vernon Adams to be another….

          1. That would be quite the rise from 7th/UFDA all the way up to the 2nd or 3rd Round. Not sure its ever happened before. I would not draft him that high. I might trade back into the lower 3rd for him, but that’s as high as I’d consider….

            1. That would be quite the rise from 7th/UFDA all the way up to the 2nd or 3rd Round. Not sure its ever happened before.

              Byron Jones was in such a position. His status went up to sixth round shortly before the Combine, and the rest is literal history.

              1. Well, I am taking into consideration the desperation of the Texans to get a QB who does not throw picks like the defenders were the intended receivers. They might be a good target for the Niners to trade back to, so they could get Lynch or Wentz. If Niners get their first and second round pick, they could get 3 picks in the first 2 rounds.

              2. Actually, I think it has happened many times. Lots of times, an injured player that shows he is fully healed will skyrocket from an UDFA to be selected in the early rounds.
                Just like some first rounders have dropped off a cliff after his Combine results.

              3. Byron Jones was considered a mid round pick from memory around this stage of the draft process.

              4. He was classified a sixth round pick before the Combine and went up to the 3rd round after his crazy jump. After that, he just kept ascending.

    1. The key to what Parcell’s looked for was an experienced College QB who was mature coming into the league. It really comes down to how many games the QB starts and his ability to understand the nuances of the position.

      I realize many are excited about Vernon Adams now after the Shrine Game, but keep in mind that it’s an all star game made to allow the offensive players to shine. The defense had to play basic coverage and couldn’t blitz so don’t put too much emphasis on that game. Adams did play pretty well for Oregon and could be an interesting pick later in the draft.

    2. These metrics are coarse filters. I’d expect scouts to invest into far more deeper analysis and include some of the following:

      Some easy metrics:
      QBR when playing away games.
      QBR when playing down 2-3 scores at halftime.
      QBR when entering the fourth quarter with score tied.
      Some difficult-to-quantify tangibles:
      Athletic ability — scrambling (not straight-line speed)
      Accuracy of throw on the run.
      Accuracy of throw with pocket collapsing.
      Movement within pocket vs. tendency to flee pocket under pressure.
      Willingness to throw receivers open.
      Ability to put touch on pass.
      Degree of skill on sideline throws.
      Mastery of college playbook.
      ..and a few others.

      All these stuff should be on tape to varying degrees based on offensive scheme.

      1. Also, intrinsic values like the will to win (like Joe), and intangibles like late comebacks and composure while under intense pressure.

    1. Jimmy lived hard and didn’t get cheated out of life. Sounds like he died while playing in a band with Viv on a Def Leppard cruise. Not a bad way to go.

        1. hightop,

          Yep I’m a Metalhead, but I like many other kinds of music as well. I have a huge LP, Cassette and CD collection, along with multiple hard drives of music setup to access anywhere in my house at any time. Yes I’m a little obsessed.

              1. “Knowing me knowing you” keep waiting for the Dickies to cover it like your beloved Moodies Cassie! Your humor is much appreciated !!!!

              2. The Babys…

                Every time I think of Seb
                It never turns out good
                Every time he’s posted
                No one’s understood
                People say takes like his
                Are delusional at best
                And we know feet like his
                Are shot like the rest…

            1. If I did tell you the answer to that question I might have to shoot ya’ …..in the foot of course!

  56. While waiting for the DC selection, I would like to say a couple words on what Baalke should be doing.
    Baalke should at least offer a fair contract to Boone. The lack of an offer just shouts out loud and clear the fact that they will not pay to keep veteran talent. Last year’s diaspora was a symptom of the Niners foolish practice of being too cheap and not validating the importance of continuity and cohesion. The lack of concern over the loss of leadership was disconcerting. Baalke should also offer Williams a contract, because he is so valuable to the defense.
    The dearth of quality DC candidates that would generate excitement just means that they should expand the search. The Niners should take a long look at college DCs that have coached a top ten defense. Jed should triple their salary to make the move more palatable.

      1. He raised his stock in that last game, too. I definitely want the Niners to draft at least 2 O linemen.

        1. At least 2 for sure. Since Baalke drafts from a pool of low football-IQ and high-athletic ability, the bust propensity on offense is high.

    1. Boone and the 49ers have yet to even discuss a new contract according to Matt Maiocco.

      1. Baalke has indicated that Davis would be welcomed back once he comes out of retirement, so both of those guys would only be backups.

        1. If Boone, Devey and Pears leave, AD can move inside to guard, so they would an upgrade enough to find a starting position. Still think Brown needs seasoning.

          1. Big if there Seb. I know they stink, but Devey and Pears are probably the best backups we have right now.

              1. I never said I was happy about Seb, but we also have to prepare for that possibility.

              2. Devey is a FA, so I hope he moves on. Pears is still under contract, and I hope they can upgrade from him. He could still be a decent backup, but not a starter.

      2. Tunsil would make it a difficult decision, but if you’re talking a 2nd Rounder to trade down, I would certainly do it and take Spence….

            1. I think he’s cleaned up his act Seb, but I think Baalke and Kelly would avoid him regardless.

              1. I doubt that since Spence is expected to go in the first round. Even if he did tumble, I suspect that Baalke wouldn’t draft him given he went for squeaky clean players in the last draft.

      3. If Tunsil is available??? You run to the podium and announce the pick. I dont see any way he will be there, so at the moment I’m praying for Jack.

  57. Tim Kawakami ‏@timkawakami · 2h2 hours ago
    I guess the confusion is this: Coaches/execs who know what they’re doing tend to be OK talking to me. Those who don’t often run away.

    Justin Gordin ‏@motorbreath2000 · 2h2 hours ago
    @timkawakami people who don’t know what they’re doing don’t like having it pointed out to them. See: York, Jed.
    Tim Kawakami ‏@timkawakami · 2h2 hours ago
    If you wonder why Jed/Trent always run to national publications with this stuff, it’s so they can say these things without instant scrutiny.

    Kawakami ‏@timkawakami · 2h2 hours ago
    But then the story comes out, and we scrutinize their self-pitying half-truths and exaggerations, anyway. Remember: Tomsula = Steve Kerr?

    @timkawakami Jed/Trent blame Harbaugh for not winning a super bowl, but they sure like taking credit for all the wins during that period!

  58. And now the 49ers are straining with all their fiber to stay away from the Holmgren’s and Shannahan’s (ie., Uncle Eddie hires) who would have had a quality, top notch DC by now–Harbaugh had Fangio and Dontatelle, something both coaches easily could have replicated.
    Now the Niner’s are hoping Kelly has those connections…It’s obvious that they’re so arrogant in quest of doing it their way (creating their own legacy at the expense of excellent, prior 49er coaches.
    Both Shannahan and Holmgren would have hired quality young coaches for if and when they retired.

    1. TomD:

      1) Why do you use the apostrophe’s above?
      2) How many “Holmgren’s” or “Shanahan’s” are there?
      3) What is your point above?
      4) What is your point ever?

      1. That music is going to be heard only if Kapernick learns to throw from the effectively from the pocket like Newton has.

  59. Seb,

    Could you throw in an Ebineezer, or BeJeebers, once in awhile while continuing the most over-used cliché’s rant you’re on….
    List of “banished” words and phrases – Wikipedia, the free
    Stop Using These 30 Phrases At Work! | Bernard Marr …
    List of 2014’s Most Annoying, Overused Words Released
    Much Appreciated,

    Your Audience.

    Cassie Baalke

    January 23, 2016 at 12:45 pm

    Seb…. Please… Find and use anther metaphor. Feet shooting has long lost its sheen. Please.

    sebnynah

    January 24, 2016 at 10:38 am

    I do not need to put you in your place, Prime. You just shoot yourself in the foot, all by yourself.

    1. TrollD, You seem a glutton for punishment. You seem to have no original thought and just parrot my ideas like the top 10 defensive college coordinators.
      You complain about me writing that players and posters should stop shooting themselves in the foot. Guess what? You now have that phrase burned into your psyche so you will think of me every time you hear that phrase. Just because you dislike it, I will just continue saying it all the time. Ad infinitum.
      TrollD, you just shot yourself in the foot…AGAIN.

          1. Is it possible a young Seb got into Dad’s gun case and shot himself in the foot? Could explain the overused metaphor.

            1. TrollD, You are pathetic.You are taking the shooting reference way beyond what is a simple phrase. Joking about someone shooting someone else is disturbing.
              Projecting criminality is crossing the line. I expect no less from you.

    1. “Projecting Criminality” was your Phrase, Seb. No where did I project anything.
      As far as the criminality, as an ex law student, the law is clear. In family matters, whether a sibling gets into their parent’s house cleaning cabinet, or gun cabinet, there’s no break-in crime…happens every day.
      As far as a joke, there was none. Just genuine concern.

      1. As a reading aid, I suggest reading my post carefully. I simply posed a question. I never projected.

        1. TrollD, you remind me of a poster from NN. He used to makes jokes about cancer patients. My revulsion for your posts are just like my disgust for him.

      2. We all know what you implied when you advocated breaking into a gun vault.
        Believe me, we have way too many nightmares inflicted upon innocent people.
        I know, it was not joke, your insult was hateful and derogatory.
        Have a nice day.

    1. Yeah, they would be excellent pick ups, especially if the 49ers are after an aggressive DC.

    2. Looks like Denver only has around $13 million in cap space, but that includes Manning on the books at $21.5 million. If he is no longer with the team that will get Denver above $30 million in cap space. I suspect they’ll keep Miller. They could probably keep Jackson and Trevathan as well if they are priorities. I don’t know all of their needs, but maybe Wilson will chime in since he lives in the area and follows the team.

      1. They need some help in Oline, RB and a QB. Osweiler is a FA this year and their not sure if he’s the guy. Their 2nd round pick Monte Ball a RB got cut and they have two guys in Hillman and Anderson that are pretty much the same back. I don’t know about Ware’s deal or some of the other 1 year deals they made to buy a championship defense. I do know Elway is great at getting great players in FA. If he doesn’t like Osweiler expect them to be looking for a QB. If he does then expect them to be in the market for a back up. I am no expert on the Bronco’s or anything else for that matter. I think they’ll keep Miller unless he’s offered way more than they are willing to pay.

      2. I think it will be hard to keep Miller, Jackson and Trevathan, even if they get rid of Manning, though possible. Miller will command top dollar in line with the very best DEs/ 3-4 OLBs, but they can structure it so his cap hit for year 1 isn’t outlandish.

        But signing all these players and backloading the contracts will put them in a bind in the not too distant future.

        1. Not to mention the expected player or two that will be demanding a new contract.

          1. I remember when the Niners were blessed/burdened with that situation where the Super Bowl cachet elevated their salaries and other teams would be willing to pay big bucks to lure them away.
            They cant pay both Manning and Miller.

            1. Seb are you suggesting Manning should get more than his $21.5 million? I think the rest of us believe he’s headed to retirement after this SB either way. They will just have to pay Miller and some other guys and a new QB either Osweiler or someone else.

              1. Wilson, who knows? Manning may win it all and say that he still feels like playing. He may lose and want to get that last ring next year. If he looks broken down, he will retire, but if he feels rejuvenated, he may want to keep on playing.

              2. He still leads the NFL in INT’s with 17. He’s Farve with all the injuries but he doesn’t have the arm Farve had at 39. I think getting benched and playing so awful this year are a wake up call for him. He knows it and he’s lucky to have this last shot. I think the Bronco’s know he’s done too. I don’t think they’ll keep him at that salary. He could do anything but I think it’s been humiliating for him this year and he’ll go out either win or loss after the SB.

                I also think the Panther’s got Palmer flustered and Peyton has a worse line and less arm strength. It’s going to be an ugly day for the Bronco’s offense. The Panthers are going to have a tough day against this Denver D. In the end I’ll be really surprised if the Bronco’s score much.

              3. Defense wins championships, and the Broncos defense mauled Brady. Cam is going to get hit often, and may lose his cool.
                Think the Broncos’ running game will decide the outcome.
                Guess you are right. Payton would like to go out a winner, and his skills are eroding.

            2. They cant pay both Manning and Miller.

              I don’t see Manning coming back for another season. His arm is shot and Father Time has caught up with him.

              1. Maybe a team like the Texans would entice him with dreams of another ring, and his only job would be not to give up the ball so the defense can win it for the team.

  60. I’m watching tape of Spence versus Kentucky, and he looks like the fastest thoroughbred rushing from the outside in this draft class. Pretty impressive considering he’s reportedly 260 pounds. His hand usage looks to be excellent as well. Even when the tackle cheats, he’s still fast enough to beat them around the corner. Say what you will, but I would consider a trade down to the late teens and take a chance on him. It would be irresponsible to not have that option on the table, because he could be the next Aldon Smith. I’m open to giving him a chance, and providing him all the tools necessary to keep him on the straight and narrow….

    1. If his problem is addiction then Aldon Smith is proof that the 49ers have the tools to help Spence. It’s a no brainier.

      What are Spence’s problems by the way?

      1. Didn’t study for his urinalysis failed for ecstasy, not once, but twice. With that second failure he was suspended from the Big 10. Sat out a year and received a PI along with second degree disorderly conduct. He’s rebuilt his character according to reports, but you’d have to have a very robust support system in place to ensure he stays on the right path….

        1. Add to that mix heavy new pressure and lots of money to “play” with. That’s a tough combination to deal with.

          1. Indeed it is. The ideal situation would be to get Myles Jack with pick 7 and if Spence is there in the second round, select him. Jack/Spence would be a coup….

    2. I don’t think anybody is really arguing that Razor; it’s more whether Baalke would give him a look.

      1. Is Kelly going to be a coach that nurtures second chances? He has in the past but last year he seemed to be more of a “my way or the highway” football guy. Since he’s getting a second chance, maybe he is going to slow down his “you’re out of here” reflex.

        1. It’s more likely Baalke that is going to have a say in whether that will happen or not, and my current belief is that Baalke will continue to go after the squeaky clean prospects.

    3. I wouldn’t take him off my draft board as it sounds like he’s cleaned up his act, but I wouldn’t take him any higher than first round. If it was based on talent alone then sure, but the drug history is a major concern.

      He’s got good short area quickness and light feet for his size, but I don’t expect him to run a blazing 40. Not that he needs to, his quickness is far more important. His functional strength isn’t very good, can get driven back in the run game and doesn’t do a good job converting speed to power just yet. He relies on beating his man with speed and footwork, as well as arm usage, but his quickness would be far more effective if he anticipated the snap more consistently. He does have a few moves which helps him, but we drafted a guy similar to him last year in Harold.

  61. http://mmqb.si.com/mmqb/2016/01/24/nfl-championship-games-broncos-patriots-panthers-cardinals
    Baalke: “You’re valued one way, say, three years ago, and now you’re valued a totally different way today [by the public and media].”
    Those banners flown over the stadium did their job….
    “None of us has all the answers. Certainly I don’t. ”
    Humility is a wonderful thing to hear occasionally…
    “Baalke and Niners CEO Jed York spent five-and-a-half hours with Kelly at Kelly’s home in New Hampshire”
    Wonder at which point on the coach search timeline this meeting occurred.
    “He’s a strong leader, and I believe he’s an excellent communicator. ”
    Beyond boom-woosh…

  62. Whoops, yep, meant to be “late” first round. And to be honest, probably wouldn’t take him until second round.

      1. Looks like I have broken the thread.

        I don’t see Spence as a player of such talent you would overdraft him just to make sure you get him. If some other team takes him before the second round, so be it.

          1. A little bigger, and maybe a little stronger, but play similarly.

            I really don’t care what star grade they were given out of high school. College play is what matters. And Spence was very good. I just wouldn’t go out of my way to draft him before the second round.

            1. The star grade just speaks to the expected impact at the next level and quality of prospect. A five-star prospect is considered to be one of the nation’s top 25-30 players, four star is a top 250-300 or so player, three-stars is a top 750 level player, two stars means the player is a mid-major prospect and one star means the player is not ranked….

              1. Like I said, I really don’t care what star grade they get out of HS. College play is what they should be judged on.

              2. The story of the star grade with respect to Fackrell and Spence is interesting. Spence having been one of the top 25 in the country and Fackrell with only a small school offer. Turned out Spences’ maturity level was not high enough to handle the star status that came with Ohio State, whereas Fackrell had enough maturity and work ethic to labor anonymously into what I believe to be a second day pick in the NFL draft. Something tells me if Fackrell was as heralded coming out, he would have handled the stardom just fine….

        1. As you can see, the difference in receiving a 5 star rather than 4 is significant and part of the puzzle when the evaluation process begins….

    1. I think Harold was 4 star recruit too. Spence was a highly touted 5 star recruit. Had his pick of ND, Alabama, Florida, LSU, USC, Ohio State, etc….

    1. He’s taking the hit for that brutal performance by the Tackles yesterday, but with all the injuries they had this year, I’m not sure what the Oline Coach is expected to do.

      1. When you coach poorly and the players don’t perform that’s the result. I appreciate the Patriots way. No excuses for mediocrity. Accountability. Other teams talk about SB or bust, the Patriots live it

        1. Indeed they do. I’d love to develop a culture like the Patriots but it won’t happen while York is the Captain of the Chip….

          1. He is too young. Not enough experience and pretty sure no one takes him seriously until it’s time to sign the cheques.

        2. @Prime
          Did you know that when Robert Kraft took over the Patriots he called Ed DeBartolo if he could come out, & learn a few tips from him on how to run an NFL Franchise? Because the 49ers, at that time were the Gold Standard of NFL Franchises.

  63. Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater added to the Probowl today because nobody wants to go and actually play in the game. Is there a more empty honor than being named a pro bowler anymore?

      1. Yet it’s one of the things that is judged as important when stats are being used to consider if a player belongs in the Hall of Fame.

  64. The third-youngest roster in the NFL, excellent salary cap situation and 21 draft picks over the next two years.

    In T. Baalke I believe……

  65. Scooter, if Spence is to risky for Baalke because Aldon Smith left a bad taste in his mouth, do you think he’d like Kyler Fackrell, Utah State? Hard to get a lot of video on him, but from what I’ve seen, he looks athletically gifted. Yes, he passes not only the high character grade, and is an ACL recipient, he was also a 2 star recruit with only one school offer. He’s also got that length that Baalke likes….

    http://www.fueledbysports.com/kyler-fackrell-scouting-report/

    1. Fackrell doesn’t really excite me, but sounds like a hard worker and might latch on. I’d probably prefer Curt Maggitt who will likely be available later on. He’s got a large injury history, but has been productive when healthy, is versatile, and sounds like he’s an emotional leader.

      1. Do me a favor and take a second look at him in the Senior Bowl, and let me know if you change your mind….

  66. Wow, Wentz is going to go top 10 and might be the first quarterback off the board according to many NFL scouts….

    1. I don’t know about that. If he actually goes before Goff I’ll be pretty shocked. Although, if it’s the Browns anything goes.

      1. The more I think about it, the more I’m convinced the Titans will trade down. Not saying it will be with the 49ers.

        The Titans have their quarterback of the future. Its a pretty clear calculation. Which is better…
        A – Tunsil
        B – One of Treadwell, Stanley, Jack, Buckner and so on + Extra Picks.
        Heck, the Browns could even do an insurance trade up if they are that enamored with Goff.

        1. I doubt anybody is interested in trading with the Titans Brodie. Recent history has shown the 1st-3rd picks to cost a great deal of compensation and usually not worth it.

          1. Yes. It usually cost a bundle to trade up. This usually scares (smart) teams off from trading way up in the draft.

            But charts go out the window at the very top of the draft. Trade-up costs fluctuate quite a bit.

            2012 – Washington traded three first rounders and a second rounder for the Rams number 2 overall. A huge price.

            2013 – Miami traded picks 12+42 for the Raiders number 3 overall. A bargain basement price.

            – The Titans are not drafting a quarterback.
            – The Titans have been openly saying that are willing to trade down.
            – There’s no Luck/RG3 frenzy this year.

            I’m guessing the trade-up price will be a but more expensive than 2013, not nearly as pricy as 2012.

            – The Browns (nervous they might get leapfrogged) could even do an insurance trade up from 2 to 1, only costing a 3rd rounder. Tunsil + 3rd rounder is better than just Tunsil.

            – The Rams could trade up. It would be expensive. 15+2017 first or more. But they are desperate for a QB.

            1. I don’t say this to suggest you don’t know but I end up saying this every Spring. The trade chart is simply the beginning of the conversation. It helps to get the ball rolling, it gives them parameters in which to put an opening offer on the table, nothing more. Sometimes the original deal sticks and you’ll see a trade that is very close to the chart and others times the deal gets heavily negotiated and then it tends to vary greatly from the chart.

              Investment in the pick by the team play s a large part. If that team simply has no one rated at their draft spot then they will be very eager to trade down. It’s not that the trade chart is off it’s just that that team has not motivation to keep their pick.

              1. “The trade chart is simply the beginning of the conversation”

                Of course. Every team has a slightly different chart. I was just pointing out the top of the first round has the greatest year to year value fluctuation. Some years (like 2013) the top picks don’t fetch much.

            2. The fact that teams will be trading to the #1 to draft a QB puts extra value in that pick even if the Titans don’t have any interest in one themselves.

              What’s going to be the shortest jump up to #1? Won’t be the Browns. I don’t see the Chargers making that move this year, maybe next. The first team that might make a move up for a QB is Dallas. The chart says that’s a 1200 point difference. 1200 points is equal to the #12 draft pick, that’s pretty high. My guess is that even the shortest possible jump which would be from #4 to #1 is likely to cost Dallas nothing less then either a future first round pick or their 2nd and third this and next year.

              Don’t assume that because the Titans don’t want a QB that they’ll just give away the #1 pick. They will probably have at least two or three suitors for the spot. A first round pick is going to be a given to get up there.

              1. “Don’t assume that because the Titans don’t want a QB that they’ll just give away the #1 pick.”

                Of course. The Titans are openly shopping the #1 overall. They will take the best offer.

                My main point was I think there will be a trade. My secondary point was the compensation could be all over the map.

                If there’s no bidding war, but one team wants the #1 overall, its a simple value comparison for the Titans… Tunsil or picks.

                If there’s a bidding war, all bets are off. I’m not seeing anything like the RG3 price in 2012.

              2. If multiple teams are bidding for the #1 pick, your Dallas observation is on the money. If Dallas is the only team trading up, they could make the jump to #1 far cheaper.

              3. “No way there will be only one team trying to draft the top QB.”

                That’s how I see it. There will be a trade up. My original observation.

                I’m guessing expensive, but not RG3 expensive.

              4. I don’t know that we’ll ever see RG3 expensive ever again. It wasn’t only too much but the fact that RG turned out to be a bust will probably prevent a deal of that magnitude from going down again any time soon.

              5. Not sure there is the blue chip player in this draft worth trading up for. My guess is there are no trades until the top 5 have made their selections.

    2. Everything we hear about prospects right now is complete BS. It’s the beginning of months of misdirection and rumors. Wentz has prototypical size and predictably some are falling in love with that already, but if you watch the tape, he is far from a top ten prospect. He has a lot of development left and anybody taking him that high would be doing so based on hope he will get to where they want him to be. That is the case with a lot of players, but in regards to QB’s you really want to see more than Wentz has shown. I’d be happy if he dropped to the second and the Niners took him there, but top ten is crazy.

      It’s also funny to read the “Draft Experts” and watch their big boards change. Two weeks ago Todd McShay had Paxton Lynch as his top rated QB. Today he has him at number three and it’s likely all due to the way Lynch played in the bowl game. McShay doesn’t have a clue, just like the rest of us.

    3. I’ll be shocked if Wentz goes that high. I’m just a wanna be draft geek like everybody else, but I don’t see it. He has the size and athleticism, but needs a lot of work on accuracy and the level of play has to be considered as well. No way I’d take him top ten, or in the first for that matter. Second round is where he should be, but somebody will likely overdraft him based on the measurements.

      Speaking of draft geeks, McShay just updated his big board and completely changed his QB ratings. Lynch who was first on his list before now, has been dropped to 3rd behind Goff and Wentz. Supposedly these ratings are based on hours of tape study and looking at the whole body of work. Sure seems like McShay is reacting to a poor performance in a bowl game in regards to Lynch. He may be right, but it completely contradicts what these so called draft experts say they base a grade on.

  67. Someone posted a trade back to the Rams for their first and second. I do not think that is a good idea. It would just allow the Rams to get the QB they so desperately need. It would be much smarter to deprive the Rams of a top QB, so the Niners should possibly trade back to the Texans for their first and second, since they will pick a QB and deprive the Rams of the opportunity to select him.
    The 3 players at the 22nd, 23rd and 24th position in a top 50 list are Kevin Dodd, Darron Lee and Shaq Lawson. Niners would be glad to get any one of those 3.
    Then the Niners could select the 37th and 54th players in the second round.

    1. I’m a big Goff booster, but if we don’t get him, there are so many good options at 7 it makes my head spin. One of Treadwell, Stanley, Jack, Buckner should still be there.

      With 12 picks the 49ers can easily move pick 37 up into the first, or pick 68 up into the second.

      A big number of upperclassmen declared this draft. The depth should be pretty good.

      Picks high in rounds also make good trade forward bait. For example: A 2017 4th is about what a team would get for a 2016 early 5th.

      1. “Picks high in rounds also make good trade forward bait. For example: A 2017 4th is about what a team would get for a 2016 early 5th.”

        Not following Brodie. Are you suggesting we trade 2016 picks for 2017 picks? They need to rebuild the roster now. I’d prefer they package some picks and move up.

        1. 12 picks + FAs are alot to squeeze onto a 53 man roster… even a depleted roster. I might trade a 6th for a 2017 5th… or a 5th for a 2017 4th.

          It all depends on who remains on the daft board, and how bad I expect the other team to be in 2017. GMs can get pretty egotistical, anticipating late picks the following draft year. These guys can be taken to the cleaners.

          If there’s a “faller”, of course I’d skip the trade and take the player.

        2. Niners should target the 5 or less win teams that need more bodies, and bundle picks to move up in the later rounds.
          Maybe the Niner 5th, 6th and 7th round pick for their 4th rounder. They would get 3 for one, and the Niners would get better quality. Niners could sweeten the pot by adding a player that the other team could choose from out of a pool of Niner players.

          1. 49er pool of players to be used to move up in the draft.
            Marcus Cromartie
            Chris Davis
            Ahmad Brooks
            Corey Lemonier
            Kendall Gaskins
            Bruce Miller
            Eric Pears
            Marcus Martin
            Jerome Simpson
            Quinton Patton

              1. AD may not be tradable with his concussion problems. Other teams would try to lowball the Niners, and offer only a 6th rounder, when AD was a high first round pick.

              2. AD would be a conditional trade. (like the Stevie Johnson trade).

                If AD failed to complete the 2016 season or play x number of snaps on his new team, the 49ers would give up a 2017 pick to partially offset the value of the 2016 pick.

                Basically, a money back guarantee.

              3. The Niners wouldn’t get value in a Davis trade. His greatest value is to them taking over at RT.

              4. I don’t see any reason to trade Davis. They won’t recoup his value due to sitting out a year and when healthy he’s been one of the best RT’s in football, so I don’t see the benefit in trading him.

            1. The most you’ll get for any of those players is a fifth round pick, and that’s only if another team is generous.

              1. MW, you know me. I would bundle multiple players for a conditional pick.
                Maybe they could pick any 3 for their second round pick, and it would upgrade to a first if they make the playoffs.

              2. Shoot, Seb, I think you’re thinking too small. They should package the entire practice squad, along with sixth and seventh round picks, for the number one pick in the draft.

      2. Wouldn’t teams with strong rosters and a good team get more value from trading forward that teams with very young poor rosters and a weak team?

        The teams that are better than the 49ers have less room on their roster which makes trading forward more attractive to them. If 49ers have a high draft choice in any given round, it’s more likely that the team they trade with will have a lower draft choice the next year? Doesn’t that make the move up to a higher round less valuable?

        The fifth choice in the 2016 fifth round should be a lot more valuable than the 20th choice in the 2017 fourth round — all things being equal. Anyone who traded forward with Carolina in 2015 got jobbed in 2016.

        1. “Wouldn’t teams with strong rosters and a good team get more value from trading forward that teams with very young poor rosters and a weak team?”

          I agree in general. Teams with young, poor rosters are (or should be) less inclined to trade forward. But 12 picks is a boatload. I prefer trading up those later picks. 8 to 10 picks + rookie FAs seems about right.

          But there are often no takers for trading those late round picks up. Trading some of the late day three “own picks” (5th to 7th pick in that round) for a higher round 2017 pick makes sense, especially if you don’t anticipate they’ll be much above 500. .

          The #1 overriding factor is the draft board. If there remains players that you think will have a high chance of making the roster and contributing, don’t trade forward.

            1. They changed their mind, and delayed making compensatory picks trade-able until 2017.

              Perfect timing (bitter sarcasm) for the 49ers, as I expect them to acquire more FA talent than lose this offseason.

          1. For example: If a team offered their 2017 first rounder for pick 37, I’d be tempted to take it.

            It depends on who is left on my 49er draft board, and how crummy I expected the team offering the trade to be in 2017.

            I’d certainly refuse the trade if the offering team was in the playoffs this season… or if there was a player at 37 I thought was a first round talent.

            1. B2W, that would be great if the Niners have playoff aspirations, but they are desperate to fill gaping holes in the roster.
              If they did use that strategy, it would be smart to trade with a team they deem to have the worst record next year. I totally agree that they should not target playoff teams.

  68. I wish to propose a trade. The Niners should offer Patton, Brooks and Mike Davis for Frank Gore. This will allow Frank to retire as a Niner, and his skillsets would fit well in a Chip Kelly offense. Indy needs a pass rusher and younger RB to develop, and Luck could use more WRs to throw to.

    1. Seb,
      Brooks and maybe Patton are expendable, but I wouldn’t give up on Mike Davis just yet.

      Besides, there’s a strong possibility that Gore may come back to officially retire as a 49er without all the trade-offs.

      F.Gore is in a good place at the moment. With a healthy Andrew Luck coming back in 2016, Gore has a much better chance at making the playoffs as a Colt as opposed to the 49ers.

      Brooks may be gone (should be) this coming season. I felt that the only reason he stayed on the team when he busted a bottle over one of his teammates head about 4 years was because the player did not press charges and the player was not a quote unquote star player for the team.

      Patton may face some stiff competition if the 49ers draft a high-end WR within the first 3 rds especially given the fact that he has yet to make any real contributions on the team.

      So going back to Gore, as much as he loves the 49ers, and the team loves him, for now he’s fine right where he’s at.

      1. AES, I offered Davis because he has value, and Indy would want a RB for the future and Frank is not going to play much longer.
        Of course, Hyde is the starter, and my fandom of Hayne may color my eyes rosily.

        1. Davis is an inside power runner and I’d like to see him get a chance to come aboard the sunken Chip….

              1. He could be an upgrade over Davis. He can do it all and has a second gear. Another guy to keep an eye on in the Senior Bowl….

  69. That’s what one day contracts are for, Seb. Let him play out the string in Indy and then come back and sign a ceremonial contract and retire a niner. Hyde is a much better option, at this point.

    1. Only if Hyde can stay healthy. Two straight seasons with him finishing the season on IR due to a foot injury is concerning to say the least.

        1. Never said he was. The position as a whole is a huge question mark.

    2. Ex, I think Frank Gore may not start, but his versatility would fit nicely with Chips’ system. I also would get him for his leadership, and he worked well with Kaep.

  70. I think that we seriously look at another RB prospect in the draft, FA or both. A bad foot for a RB to me, is akin to a bad foot for a race horse. You just never know if and when they can ever run at full strength.

    Having said this, Hyde is still our starter, but the team must find a worthy option to relieve Hyde if he goes down again.

    1. I agree. Now that Chip is coach, he may think outside the box. I tongue in cheek proposed the Niners drafting Ezekiel Elliot with their first, although now I like Buckner a lot. I hope they also push hard to sign Lamar Miller, and would be happy with Ivory like many have proposed.

    1. Grant has fully committed to being in front of all the big stories and is hiding out in Anthony Davis’s locker. We’ll see him again sometime in April

      1. “Grant has fully committed to being in front of all the big stories and is hiding out in Anthony Davis’s locker. We’ll see him again sometime in April”
        ~ CFC

        Any bets on who will “shriek like a little girl” first when A.Davis opens his locker and finds Grant?

        1. Davis. Grant will be sitting there in his boxers typing on his laptop and will probably snarl at him to close the door.

    2. My apologies, I thought you meant Grant’s journalism camp.
      What was I thinking? Grant==Journalism?

    3. Very early so this is a just for fun mock:(1) Myles Jack ILB-UCLA;(2)Micheal Thomas WR Ohio St.;(3)Artie Burns CB Miami;(4)Miles Killebrew DB Southern Utah;(4b)Javon Hargrave DL- S Carolina State;(5) Parker Ehringer G Cinn.(5b)Christian Westerman G Arizona;(6)Tyrone Holmes DE Montana;(6b)Victor Ochi OLB Stony Brook;(6c)Dak Prescott QB Miss State;(6D)D J Foster RB ASU-UDFA Brad Craddock K.

        1. Buckner/Spence would be another coup in the first and second round. You’d have Armstead and Lynch on one side, with Buckner and Spence on the other….

      1. Since Baalke chose Tartt, I know he likes those small college players, and he has long arms. Ochi is an astute pick.

      2. Jack + Hargrave would transform the defense.

        Jack’s speed would be a huge boost. Hargrave could disrupt in the 3-tech. I’ll take it.

  71. I guess I’ll have to wait until the Combine to find out Myles Jack’s real weight. Check 3 different sites and get different numbers. I’ve seen it as low as 225 and as high as 245.

    I’m gonna have hesitation on this kid if he needs to put on a bunch of weight.

    1. Nice job Bret, helps when you include what the hell you’re talking about:

      Charles Robinson ✔ @CharlesRobinson
      North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz checks in at Senior Bowl at 6-5 1/4, 233. Big, 10-inch hands. Has those measurables #NFL teams look for.

      1. Browns with the 2nd pick, one can only hope Goff and Wentz are taken before the 49ers are on the clock….

        1. The Browns have no chance of moving up. Because the Browns only have to move one spot, they are only going to be willing to give up so much to move such a short distance that their offer couldn’t possibly compete with what a team that is farther away will have to give up.

  72. Grant, get your head out of your ass and post a new story/entry. What a JOKE.

  73. So which of our FA’s stay around next season? And does Bruce Miller get traded?

    Ray-Ray Armstrong (gone)
    Boldin (unsure)
    Boone (unsure)
    Bush (gone)
    Celek (stays)
    Dawson (stays)
    Devey (gone)
    Draughn (attend TC)
    Jerod-Eddie (gone will find new talent in FA or Draft)
    Wilhoite (gone)
    Williams (unsure)

    Miller (Traded or released)

    1. I think they keep Ray Ray. Boldin may not fit in Chips’ system although I see his value.
      Celek may be gone, too. Niners should make re-signing Williams a high priority.
      Who do you think would want Miller?

      1. Teams that have a power run offense like Carolina, Minnesota etc might want Miller. The Seahawks?

        I don’t think Ray-Ray is of much value. Seems like they could draft someone better than him easily and it doesn’t make sense to keep a guy around who doesn’t produce in an area of need. I think Lynch and Harold are the only givens. Lemonier and Brooks are questionable. I hope for some change there.

        I wonder if Boldin is willing to work the slot and take less money?

        1. I love Boldin. I like him so much, I hope he goes to a playoff team that has a good chance to win another ring.

    2. Re-sign:

      Ray-Ray Armstrong
      Boldin
      Boone
      Celek
      Draughn
      Wilhoite
      Williams

      Gone:
      Jerod-Eddie
      Dawson
      Devey
      Bush

        1. I’m not sure if Draughn will actually make it on that list and the market will dictate if Boone actually comes back although I do believe Baalke will be willing to spend more then he usually does for the position. I also think that unless a team puts a blank check in front of him that Baalke will re-sign Williams. That’s mostly predicated on the thought that teams wont be willing to go all in on a guy with a questionable injury history and limited experience. Got to keep things in perspective, 2015 was the first time that Williams appeared in all 16 games. The most he played in a season previously was 9. This isn’t a guy that teams are going to go crazy for.

      1. CFC,

        They keep Miller, in your scenario? If so, what role do you project him in in Kelly’s offense? H back/TE3/4?

        1. Miller isn’t a FA that’s why I left him off.

          I think they’ll release Miller. He isn’t even that highly rated among active FB’s. What is their motivation for finding ways to use him? Hard to imagine them paying 2M to a guy that they’ll likely barely use.

              1. CFC,

                Gotcha, I assumed that since he wasn’t on your list, you were thinking/wanting the 49ers to keep him.

    3. Ray-Ray Armstrong – I think Baalke will take an OLB in the top three rounds as well as one in the fifth or sixth, so I believe that they will let Armstrong walk unless they can sign him cheap.

      Boldin – I think Boldin is gone.

      Boone – Last year I would have said they let him walk as it was clear that the front office did not think he was worth as much as he thought he was. Now, I think they might be more willing to pay him; however, if he still wants tackle level money, I think that will be too much.

      Bush – I actually think he might stick around. I think it would be a mistake, but I could see both Bush and the team wanting to see if he had anything left.

      Celek – I say offer him an incentive laden contract then let him walk if he wants a lot of guaranteed money.

      Dawson – I hate to say it, but I think he is gone. Baalke will draft a kicker in the 5th or 6th.

      Devey – The team will, inexplicably, sign him then cut him after TC.

      Draughn – Same as Devey.

      Jerod-Eddie – People have been predicting his exit for the last couple of years but he always makes it through. I think some of that was that Tomsula was an advocate for him, first as DL coach then as HC, but I would not be surprised if they kept him.

      Wilhoite – Same as with Celek – offer him an incentive driven contract and let him walk if he wants more guaranteed money.

      Williams – I think it depends on the DC, but I suspect he will be signed.

      Miller – This is a tough one. I think Baalke sees Miller as a success story that is based on Baalke seeing something in Miller that no one else did. I think Baalke will want Kelly to try to find a place for Miller in the offense if at all possible. So, unless Chip flat-out refuses to find a role for Miller, he stays.

      1. JPN,

        How about Corey Acosta replacing Dawson if they make a change at K? He looked pretty good in training camp last year.

      2. I think Tomsula’s departure spells the end for TJE. I’ve had TJE in the teams plans until now.

        ” but I could see both Bush and the team wanting to see if he had anything left.”

        Isn’t that what we were doing when we signed him last year and didn’t we get that answer?

        I think the addition of Modkins is the sole reason we end up keeping Miller IF we do. He could convince them that a FB is worth using in the run game.

        1. “Isn’t that what we were doing when we signed him last year and didn’t we get that answer?”

          I think so, CFC, but I am not sure that the team does since he was never healthy. It is like buying an older sports car and thinking, “this will be fun if it ever stops breaking down.” Sometimes it is hard to give up on those.

          1. I don’t mean to go in circles here; his inability to stay healthy could be part of his undoing. He had two attempts before being injured and missing two games. Then he managed 2 attempts between two games before missing more time. For the year he managed 5 games with 8 attempts. On those 8 attempts he averaged 3.5 yards per.

            They paid him 2.5M and got 8 attempts which is $300,781 for each time he touched the ball.

            Do you think they feel they got their money’s worth and if not do you think they are anxious to give him another contract?

            1. Well I take part of that back. Since he ended up on IR he wouldn’t likely have received the full 2.5M.

              I still question whether the team feels like they got much from him and whether what they did warranted another year.

              1. I agree, but I am not much of a gambler. Baalke is. Further, he appears to be a reward driven gambler rather than a risk management gambler. I could see him thinking that it might be worth another chance if the price was reduced, as the possible reward would be even greater than the last time he made the same wager. This is how reward driven gamblers think, which is why they compound their losses.

              2. I’m gonna keep two fingers crossed that you’re off on this one. I also question whether Bush would be willing to take less then the 2.5M salary he took from us last year. He made 8.5M for two years on the Dolphins.

  74. Does anyone know if compensation picks are rewarded for last years FA’s lost or this years? If its last year are there any estimates out there about how many compensation picks we will receive and in what rounds?

      1. Iupati will garner a 4th round compensation, Culliver will garner a 5th round, and Skuta a 6th.

    1. Niners Nation (via Over The Cap info) is estimating

      4th round: Iupati or Culliver (I’m guessing signing Torrey Smith cancels one)
      5th round: Cox
      6th round: Skuta
      6th round: Gore

      If all goes as expected (the compensatory formula is semi-secret), here’s how it shakes out…

      First round: Own pick – 7 overall
      Second round: Own pick – 37 overall
      Third round: Own pick – 68 overall
      Fourth round: Own pick
      Fourth round: Compensatory
      Fifth round: from San Diego
      Fifth round: Own pick
      Fifth round: Compensatory
      Sixth round: from Dallas
      Sixth round: from Denver
      Sixth round: Compensatory
      Sixth round: Compensatory

      Lots of picks, some high, in a draft with large number of underclassmen.

      The only downer is they delayed trade-ability of compensatory picks to 2017. That really screwed the 49ers, as we are likely to sign alof of FAs this offseason.

    1. It’s possible but why would they try that hard to keep him. He’s ok/good but there isn’t anything special about him.

      1. I think they should trade him to a team who can use him. He does have value.
        Niners will get something, instead of cutting him for nothing.

      1. Possibly but at pick #28 it’s not only harmless but it’s usually a good idea to throw out one reach late in the first and he’s as good of a choice as any.

        1. CBS Prospects has him in Round 4 and I’d apply Spence to your statement over Fackrell. Even though I do like him and think Baalke will too, but in the second round….

          1. I watched some more film on Fackrell and I see why you like him, razor. Good, coordinated athlete.

            His age concerns me though. He’ll be a 25 year old rookie. Don’t think he’s a first rounder like Jeremiah suggests, but can definitely see him going in the second or third round.

    1. Bears need a run stopper, Oakland need DB help, Smith is not a first rounder with his injury. Treadwell is at 23 which sounds more logical than 7. Texans will get a QB instead of a WR, because they have no one to throw it to that WR.
      I have seen better mocks.

  75. Seb is that your opinion or did you read that some where? I don’t think you receive a compensatory pick when you lose a player you signed as a FA IE: Skuta and I think they might get a 3rd RD pick when losing a prior 1st rd pick IE: Iupati.

    1. I just looked it up, but it was old, and may have changed. maybe Cox instead of Cully, but do not know about Crabtree.

    2. Old Coach,

      I’m pretty sure compensation has to do with the size of the contract a FA leaving a given team gets, post season honors and playing time. I don’t think the round a player was taken in the draft has anything to do with it.

  76. Would the good Chip Baalke welcome aboard a kid by the name of Pharoh Cooper? Not sure he’s got the size at 5′-11″ 205 lbs that Kelly covets, but he clean lifts 315 lbs and can squat 550. He lined up everywhere, excellent hands, playmaker. Not sure he’d be the greatest fit in a ZBS due to poor route running and not a very good blocker. Really cool name though….

  77. Hey CFC, by hiring Nixon from the Dolphins as the TE coach, maybe they get a deal with Miller done to compete with Mr. Hyde….

    1. So that basically gives the 49ers 3 RBs coaches in Rathman, Modkins and Nixon. The running game may be a focus…

      1. Ha, ha, you think? The average fan I encounter thinks Chip Kelly is all about the short passing game, but it takes less than 5 minutes of studying his offensive scheme to gather that it’s predicated on the running game. Similar to Roman….

  78. Jim O’Neil is the DC according to Maiocco. Well, he’s the aggressive type of DC that Kelly likes.

      1. I’m not entirely sure about that, Razor.

        The Browns D showed great improvement the first year he was there. Last year, the team had a lot of injuries and turmoil, that might explain the problems, at least in part.

        On the other hand, the NFL might’ve caught up to O’Neil and he’s going to suck here in SF.

        I’m hoping for the former.

  79. The team’s highest ranked TE per PFF is a free agent, Garret Celek. It’s interesting to point out that according to PFF Celek and McDonald have nearly identical pass and run block scores. Both score very high in the pass block department and both are pretty marginal in the run block department. The big difference though is that Celek, as we all know just form watching, is the higher scoring receiver. So much so that despite the equal blocking scores Celek is ranked 28th and McDonald is #45. I think the team will re-sign Celek and cut McDonald.
    ——————–

    That’s one right. We’ll see if the other part comes true. I’m pretty sure it will.

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