Reuben Foster arrested for marijuana possession

San Francisco 49ers outside linebacker Reuben Foster (56) against the Los Angeles Rams during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)

Tuscaloosa police arrested 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster on Friday and charged him with second-degree possession of marijuana.

Here’s a statement from the 49ers: “The San Francisco 49ers organization is aware of the matter involving Reuben Foster and we are currently gathering all relevant facts.”

Foster failed a drug test at the NFL Combine and hosted a party that was sponsored by a vaporizer company during the NFL draft.

To read more about Foster’s arrest, click here.

This article has 225 Comments

  1. I’ll repost my thoughts on this thread.

    Last chance for Foster. Lucky for him, he probably won’t be suspended. No harm this time, but get your $hit straight Reuben.

    1. Has it occurred to you just how many
      pro athletes smoke marijuana or take even harsher drugs?
      You could not even field a team in football or basketball, if not using marijuana was the standard. It might be similar in other sports as well.

      1. “Has it occurred to you just how many
        pro athletes smoke marijuana or take even harsher drugs?”

        Of course. I’m not against marijuana, I’m against getting caught. It’s illegal in Alabama and it’s a banned substance in the NFL. Like it or not, Foster screwed up.

        1. While getting caught shows his stupidity, that’s not really the crux of the issue. It’s the betrayal of the team. It’s putting yourself before your teammates, and he’ll need to apologize. Then he’ll need to back it up by winning their trust back, so he can be the leader moving forward that they need him to be….

  2. hey Reuben ….

    here’s a heads up for ya …

    it’s cheaper in the Bay Area … and for the most part …
    no one cares !

    (including most cops)

  3. hopefully solidifies the selection on Georgia or Alabama LB in 2018 draft. We need an insurance policy on Foster w/history of injuries and weed.

  4. Thankfully, it’s only a misdemeanor and wont have to worry about jail or a misconduct suspension. Just needs to follow the advice of Stephen A. Smith,

    “STAY OFF THE WEEEEEEEEED”

    And please, don’t overreact to this. No DUI or any other legal troubles means this is a perfect opportunity for him to learn his lesson without being a burden to his team

    1. We cannot depend on this guy. Injuries and questionable off field decisions. 49ers need to draft an ILB in April. Lynch and Shanahan need to send him a message and not enable like we did with Aldon Smith. I am already done with this guy.

      1. I’m inclined to agree with you, Wayne. Even prior to this incident, his long term viability with the shoulder issues didn’t preclude my feeling that an insurance policy in the form of another draft pick at his position might be prudent….

        1. It’s not the weed, CoachWolf. It’s the team! Can’t put it before your teammates, and when you do, it shows that you cannot be depended upon….

    2. His mistake was getting caught but I would bet a large sum of money that a high (pun intended) percentage of players in the league are using it regularly for rec purposes, and also for pain. With all the states that are starting to come around on legalization, it’s only a matter of time until the NFL is forced to change the policy on Marijuana. Foster better watch himself though. It’s a fine this time, but he’s now in line for suspension if he gets caught again.

      1. “legalize it” meanwhile move to Caifornia. He like so many athletics must cope with pain. Cannabis vs opiates? Come on man.

      2. It might be an interesting case study if some player got himself a Medical Pot Card from a Doctor, and then challenged the NFL’s punishment for a positive test. Better legal minds than mine might have a thought or two on that.

  5. When he had the Vape Sponsor for his draft party I thought this would happen sooner or later. I even tweeted back something to the effect that he should pick his friends carefully and stay off the weed until he retires and made his millions, then nobody who matters will care.

    Brilliant linebacker. Idiot. But brilliant linebacker.

  6. What is the NFL policy now that weed is legal in California? Wouldn’t be surprised if the Tuscaloosa Police policy is that you just get a call to Saban when you’re still on the team but once you make it to the Big Time it’s Nick who?

    1. In Alabama the ticket gets stashed and is burned if you beat Georgia… If you lose … well, let’s just say you don’t lose.

  7. Hey Is this his second offense or did the combine count?
    If so how many games is he looking at missing?

    1. He was in the NFL substance abuse program due to his diluted test at the combine. It was my understanding that this should trigger a 4-6 game suspension, but according to Maiocco, he’ll just be receiving a fine. Maybe Grant can chime in here….

      1. Or…..you can read one of 20 articles out about this incident. Grant barely had time to post this story…..a paragraph and a link to someone else’s reporting, that’s classic.
        The real question is why isn’t herb legal federally…….it sounds like they caught him with less than an qtr oz, give me a flipn break.

        1. I don’t hear about too many white kids getting rousted down on the FloriBama Shore (Party Central) for weed, but I’m a long way away. Appearances though…
          It’s up to Reuben now. Can he be Warren Sapp, get past it and have a good career? Or the Josh Syndrome?
          I’m not sure this obviates a 1st round ILB selection, but maybe a guy like T.J. Edwards if he’ll last to the 3td. He’s a two down ILB with some man coverage limitations.

          1. A player to keep an eye on at the Senior Bowl is, Jason Cabinda, ILB from LB University(Penn St). He’s got a better chance of being available in the 4th round….

  8. BFD…Who cares, so what..Its weed. Legal for recreational use in many states, and medical in many more.
    Alabama is a backwards state living in the last century. Worry about the opiod epidemic.

    1. Have you ever been to Alabama? Pretty disgusting thing to say about an entire state. Weed is illegal in Alabama. Foster got arrested for breaking the law. Get over it.

      1. Been to Alaba many many times. Backwards ass state that still lives in the racist past. Dudes right

  9. He didn’t actual fail a drug test at the combine.

    He supplied a diluted sample which by rule is a marked as a fail even though no drugs were found.

    1. We used that tactic back in the ’80’s in the USMC. When word spreads of a drug test looming, those that do not have a high body fat ratio can drink water and piss until their urine is crystal clear. Then while your bladder is filled with water, you take the test, and the THC is so diluted that it is undetectable. Back then, a diluted test was not considered a bad sample, because they were not aware of the technique back then. Foster’s shoulder issues, combine attitude, and diluted test combined to give me some trepidation about drafting him….

      1. Hey Razor, our draft class at the top not looking so good now. King Solomon was taken too high as he is solid but not a Pro Bowl caliber talent he should be for draft position. We now have serious questions about Foster. Everyone praised Lynch’s first draft but I have my reservations. Your thoughts?

        1. Solomon is everything I thought he’d be in his first year. The number one issue going into the year was our run defense, and he was the best in the country. His pass rushing upside is still there, and I believe we’ll see him much improved in that area with a full offseason. It was an unusual top end draft with all the injury question marks, and I think Lynch did quite well in his first year. Especially when you consider how he baited Pace to prematurely shoot his draft capital for the inexperienced Trubisky. Because of that, I’m not going to hold taking a chance on Foster against him, but I think that coupled with Williams, he’ll be very hard to convince to take anymore chances on guys that come with question marks regarding their character, and love of the game. Thanks for asking, Wayne….

  10. Well, despite the Doh! on Foster, I have been enjoying not being concerned with the Musical Chairs game of HC and assts. search at this time of year. Welcome change.
    (Half full!)
    But Reuben, don’t forget the Old School cliche: An important ability is availability .

  11. Nobody should be surprised about this and all other teams passed on him because of his issues. The saints was going to draft him but they would of had same problem. Then we took king solomon instead of latimore which why did they draft him because he went to stanford. Rookie GM mistake unless he develops quickly bad top pick

    1. Go back to school. The Saints WERE going to draft him…”would HAVE had the same problem”

  12. Come on people get a grip, just a human doing human things.
    It does not signal that last years draft is a failure or that Lynch and company are myopic about the realities of modern culture.
    All will be fine.

  13. I still think he was a good pick and I am rooting for him to continue to mature. I love his play and his attitude on the field, I think he can grow into a true leader. (IMHO he should move out of Alabama.)

    Sounds like he will be under the gun in the future as he may be forfeiting his guaranteed money, he won’t lose any money unless he screws up in the future.

    https://www.ninersnation.com/2018/1/13/16887854/reuben-foster-marijuana-arrest-contract-guaranteed-money

  14. RF just needs to know what state he’s in before partaking or carrying. I’d keep it at home if your traveling to Trump country!! Not very smart on his part, but WTFC. Ganja usage is rampant in professional sports. Well documented. So what. If anything, it’s a performance inhibitor, not an enhancer. Let them have at it. If they’re dumb enough to drive while under the influence, or carry in states like Alabama, let them suffer the consequences, though suspensions, if any at all, shouldn’t be on par with spousal/GF abuse and other major infractions.

    On to this weekend games for fellow wagerers: There’s money to be made! ;>)
    I’m taking:

    PHI +3 vs ATL and the over (41) ATL 23 PHI 21
    TENN +13 1/2 vs NE and the under (48) NE 28 TENN 17
    PITT -7 vs JAX and the under (41 1/2) PITT 24 JAX 16
    NO +5 vs MINN and the over (46 1/2) NO 28 MINN 24

    5-3 after WC Weekend. Good luck!!

    1. Speaking of well hung guys (Juanhunglo) you should check out that bulge in Reuben’s pants above. Ohhh my!

    2. Did you get the Saints at +5 or was it +5.5. The final spread according to my book was Saints +5.5 so if you got it at only +5 then that was one helluva bad draw. Hope you got that extra .5

      I really can’t believe that Jax vs Pitt game got to 87. That is absolutely insane. I took the Over only because their first matchup got to 39 and I though the Steelers would score more points in the rematch.

  15. LOL Allie! Not my thing but have it girl!! The only thing I own that is “hunglo” are a couple of my cars, hence the name!! My wife would verify that I’m sure! ;>)

    1. Hah. A number of years ago I was visiting a friend in LA, and we were cruising in his brand new wildly jacked up F-250 with huge wheels and tires for off roading. While stopped at a signal light a guy pulled up next to us in a gorgeous tricked out purple Low Rider. I looked over at the driver as he gave Stephen’s truck a look up and down, and he gave me a grin and said “Damn dude, tell him to lower it.”
      They both left serious rubber when the light went green with big smiles Peace Signs flashing all around.

  16. (Somehow this post was eaten during edit. So I’m reposting a somewhat different version.)

    I see we have more crapping on Thomas. As I’ve said in many other threads, you can’t judge at this point in time and that many, many HOFers struggle in their early careers. So, here’s the deal, some young defensive linemen/pass-rushers start off hot. Most don’t. This year the Top Rookie had all of seven sacks. The next best had five. Thomas, with three, was 7th of all rookie pass-rushers.

    But to prove my point, instead of just merely asserting, here are the rookie pass rush stats of the last ELEVEN HOF defensive linemen to be inducted:

    2017: Jason Taylor (5)
    2016: Kevin Green (0 and he didn’t even start until his 4th year)
    2015: Charles Haley (12)
    2014: Claude Humphrey (played before sacks were recorded. No data, but I remember his so he was good.)
    2014: Michael Strahan (1)
    2013: Warren Sapp (3)
    2012: Chris Doleman (1/2) and Cortez Kennedy (1)
    2011: Richard Dent (3)
    2010: Ricky Jackson (4.5*) & John Randle (1)

    * Sacks weren’t recorded in 1981. That’s his second-year sack total in the strike year. I believe he was a good pass-rusher his rookie year. Not at Lawrence Taylor levels, but still very good.

    So, we have, of the 11 HOF linemen inducted in the recent past, TWO guys who stood out as rookie pass-rushers. ONE is by MY RECOLLECTION though I can’t prove it. One I have no idea what his rookie year was like. The other eight struggled to various degrees. Some broke out in their second year. Others took until their third or fourth year. Of the eight pass-rushers who struggled as rookies, they had a combined 14.5 sacks, 5 of which were from one guy. That’s less than two-sacks a man.

    The bottom-line is that if you were expecting a dozen sacks and mature, excellent defensive techniques and pass-rush moves, your incorrect expectations were the problem, not Thomas. He has the tools to become a very solid pass-rusher. What he doesn’t have is the techniques because, in college, he didn’t need them. So, as I’ve said many, many, many times, you’re going to have to wait three or four years to really know what he’s actually capable of as a pass-rusher instead of prematurely judging him and assigning him some silly grade because he didn’t meet your erroneous beliefs in what he should have accomplished as a rookie.

    And, remember, these are all HOFers. The best of the best. Not scrubs. Not second-raters. But some of the best defensive linemen in NFL history. And while I’m not saying he’s going to be a HOFer, I am saying the critics are rather premature in making any kind of judgement. It’s just way too soon.

    1. I don’t have time to look it up right now, but I would guess most if not all of the players on this list had high sack totals in College. Thomas did not and most of his pressures came from the 3T on obvious passing downs at Stanford, so expecting him to be become a dominant pass rusher is pure fantasy. He’s a good player and did a great job against the run, unfortunately that isn’t enough production from the #3 overall pick.

      1. Don’t look behind the curtain!

        Seems people have forgotten what they said about Thomas before and are reshaping the argument to be of a run stopper. We needed a pass rusher! Still do apparently.

        1. I was saying Thoma should be a really good run stuffing 4-3 E in base and a pocket disrupting inside pass rusher on passing downs. I did not expect him to be a good edge rusher. Short arms (hello Baalke) and not much “bend.”

          His run defense is good. Leads team in TFLs, and will only get better. I’m disappointed in his interior pass rush, but hold out hope a full offseason and training camp will help. Halfway through the season I tweeted Dan Hatman asking what he thought of Thomas. Hatman was bullish on him. Thought he was doing pretty good.

          1. There’s been a frustrating trend at top of the last few drafts. Need+BPA+Position+Health+Character Importance don’t seem to line up no matter where the 49ers pick.

            2017
            Last season 14 of the top 20 prospects had off field or injury concerns. After Garrett and Conley that narrowed it down to 4 “clean” players.

            BPA+Talent seemed to be CB Lattimore or SHS Hooker. Hooker had the hip issue. Lattimore (unfairly?) got the “fast but fragile” tag after tweaking a leg muscle during his 40. Grant nailed this one. Lattimore would have been perfect need+BPA+position importance+system fit.

            But the 49ers played it safe (at least with the top pick). Thomas may never live up to his 3 status, but he’s a high floor defender.

            2015
            Marcus Peters was clearly the BPA+Position Importance+Need. But the 49ers were understandably spooked A. Smith+McDonald+Culliver turned into pumpkins.

            2018
            The best players that fall to 9.5 could very well be Da’Ron Payne, Derwin James or Arden Key. Payne and James aren’t top need or cornerstone position players CB, Edge, OT. Key has injury and field concerns.

            The curse of poor Need+BPA+Position Importance alignment could continue this draft. If this happens I’m for trading back.

      2. Rocket,
        I agree with your positions more often than not. However, here Moses has taken the effort to make a solid argument and your response, I submit respectfully, is, um, rather inadequate. If you feel there is a correlation between college performance and HoF credentials, then you need to do the hard work and show it :)
        I know that Haley, the HoFer with the most number of rookie sacks, had on 17 sacks in his 4 years at James Madison, which was not exactly a member of a power conference.
        For your information, Thomas only played for two years in college, and his production rose dramatically in his second year.
        https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/solomon-thomas-2.html

        EastCoast9er,
        Who are these “people who have forgotten what they said about Thomas before and are reshaping the argument to be of a run stopper”?
        I recall Razor, a big supporter of Thomas, clearly asserting before the season started that he wans’t expecting Thomas to have more than 6 sacks. I thought that was optimistic and that it would be more like 4-5 because Thomas was going to need some time to develop the technique required for interior pass rush. Even when Thomas improves his skill set, he will be judged more by his disruption (pressures, hits) than number of sacks.

        However, some fans created the strawman of Thomas as an edge rusher in order to criticize him. I think it’s the armchair-GM approach where if one’s team doesn’t draft the player of one fancies, then the player needs to be criticized for something he was not even expected to do.

        Anyway, now that they have found the franchise QB who will earning $25M-$30M over the next 5-10 years, Niners will be settling into the Patriots model. They will be needing more Solomon Thomas-type who are very competent role-players, can stay on the field (without health, discipline issues, etc.) and whose second contract will be more affordable. RB and pass rushers will be served by committees, and there will likely be no #1 receiver in the traditional sense.

        1. Mood
          Important note on Haley. He was an Inside LB in college, so his sack opportunities were not that of an edge player. That Walsh and his staff could project him outside is just another bit of brilliance, but they didn’t get them all right. Todd Shell was a 1st round head scratcher who never lived up to expectations.

          1. My point was that the correlation between college production and NFL production is weak as long as college production is above average.

            1. My point was just based on production. It was based as much or more on how he was used in College. He didn’t excel as an outside pass rusher in College and wasn’t used in that spot on passing downs, so expecting it to happen in the NFL is a reach.

        2. Mood,

          I knew I’d get some push back from the Stanford guys here ;) I don’t think picking out some HOF players is making a good argument since there are way more that didn’t make the HOF, but ok. I admitted I didn’t have time to look it up and was just giving an opinion based on the guys on that list, but my thoughts on this haven’t changed from the time Thomas became a top 5 pick on mocks everywhere after his big performance in the bowl game. He’s not an edge rusher and Razor in particular predicted he would become a great one based on his athleticism. That wasn’t his strength in College and he showed no sign that it would become one in the NFL. He’s a run stopper who had his greatest pass rushing success moving inside on obvious passing downs. That is not what the 49ers needed. We have a good pass rusher inside at the 3 already. What we needed and still need is an edge rusher.

          As I’ve said and will continue to say, Thomas is a good player and obviously helped the run defense, but you can find that type of player later in the draft. Using the #3 overall pick on a run stuffer is not a good use of the pick imo. I hope I’m wrong and he develops as a pass rusher, but I don’t see it based on everything I’ve witnessed during his College career and his rookie year in the NFL.

          I’ve pretty much just echoed shoup now that I look at it. Sorry shoup.

          1. Rocket,

            if Thomas-detrators are going to use the rookie year of a 22-year old with 2 years college playing experience to project him as a bust because he’s “just a run-stuffer”, then Moses’ figures are completely relevant to the discussion.

            “…but you can find that type of player later in the draft.”
            There is a big difference between a standard-issue run-0stuffer like Sheldon Day and Solomon Thomas. The latter has exceptional small-area burst and quickness. When technique and experience (and some strength and weight) is added, then such players can become Bennett-type interior disruptors.

            1. Mood,

              We needed and edge rusher not another interior one. We have essentially used the first pick on the same position 3 years in a row if that is the expectation for Thomas. It’s fine to project him as a future Michael Bennett but he will need to improve a great deal to reach that level.

              1. > We needed and edge rusher not another interior one.
                If the collective wisdom, of Shanalynch, Peters and Mayhew assessed the need for a building-block run defender and high-potential interior rusher in the Seattle to be a bigger need than edge rusher scheme back in April 2017 , I’d probably defer to them over that of any fan, wouldn’t you?

                “Michael Bennett but he will need to improve a great deal to reach that level.”
                The bar isn’t that high. Benentt has 6 sacks total and 50 solo tackles in his first 3 seasons with the Bucs. He came to the Seahawks on a one-year flyer and blossomed in the right system.

              2. If the collective wisdom, of Shanalynch, Peters and Mayhew assessed the need for a building-block run defender and high-potential interior rusher in the Seattle to be a bigger need than edge rusher scheme back in April 2017 , I’d probably defer to them over that of any fan, wouldn’t you?

                We have no choice but to defer, but that doesn’t change my opinion that an edge rusher was and still is a bigger need.

                The bar isn’t that high. Benentt has 6 sacks total and 50 solo tackles in his first 3 seasons with the Bucs. He came to the Seahawks on a one-year flyer and blossomed in the right system.

                Bennett was an undrafted FA who didn’t become a full time starter until almost half way through his 3rd season. His first season as a full time starter didn’t happen until his final year in TB and he had 9 sacks. Thomas was a full time starter right out of the gate and didn’t have the same kind of impact. Maybe he will next year or the year after, but from what I’ve seen of him as a pass rusher, he has a long way to go.

        3. Mood,
          I was one of those people that said the pick didn’t make sense unless he could provide pressure off the edge. Run stuffing de’s are a dime a dozen. I felt that Blair Brown would be only slightly less of a player than Thomas if he played the same position, unless you were expecting some edge rush production.
          Imagine if players were graded on a scale of 0-100. Brown would essentially be ranked at about 77 out of 100 while Thomas would be around 80 out of hundred a net gain of three points for the team.
          Now if the niners would have drafted a cb, de, a wr or basically any position other than a DT the upgrade above replacement would have provided a greater value to the team. Where as if the niners would have taken Barnett, Watt or McKinley at DE or Lattimore at cb the value above replacement should have been much higher… I imagine a net gain of 10 points or more.
          Understand these numbers are not based on anything and only used to show that there were potentially far larger upgrades that could have been made for the team. I also must state I don’t think Solomon is a bust. I simply think he was a poor pick given the team needs, potential upgrades and ease or replacement.

          1. “I simply think he was a poor pick given the team needs, potential upgrades and ease or replacement.”
            Based on what I’ve learned from Tim Ryan and Maiocco’s reporting, Thomas was drafted for what he can be in in 2-3 seasons much more than what he was this past season. In that time, he is expected to improve significantly in interior pressure/pass rush. Others are drafted in the first round to get the fan base “high” with their immediate flash .

            It will be interesting to revisit this discussion in a year or two.

      3. You don’t draft run stufers with the number 3 pick. You can get those guys in the second round… just get a slightly undersized DT who is quick and you can play him at end for you base package.

        I honestly didn’t expect much in terms of a pass rush from him because I didn’t see him as a pass rusher. In college almost all of his pressures came from the inside. My problem with the selection was that it basically meant the niners were giving up on Armstead. The issue I had with that was that I actually believe Arik is the better interior pass rusher of the two. So that essentially lead me to believe Thomas is a 1 down lineman on this team… sub packages being used more than 60 percent of the time in todays NFL. Backup corners are on the field more than that.
        Now to be fair, Armstead can’t seem to stay on the field and the niners may well plan to move on from him. In which case Solomon now gets a lot more snaps, as he would kick inside on passing downs. The biggest problem I had with the pick was I didnt think he could be an edge rusher. And I only thought he would be worth the pick if he could supply some pressure from the outside. Now the 49ers have to draft an edge rusher again this year… as they now have confrimed he cannot be the LEO.

        1. Seems like Sheldon Day is a run stuffer that was a 4th rounder and was subsequently picked up nicely by the team.

  17. I can’t believe people are judging the Rookie class after 1 season. It takes about 3 seasons to get a real fix on a draft class.
    So far this class looks good, it could be great or everyone can crash and burn in the next couple of years, we will just have to wait and see.
    As to Foster; I am shocked that someone under the age of 30 smokes weed! No “good” person does that, at least that is what Session thinks.
    It is time for the NFL is eliminate the ban on using marijuana by its players.

  18. +1 49er42. If only the NFL was so easy that rookies could come in and dominate right off the bat. Very rare. Thomas had a very good first season. His pass rushing deficiency seems to be technique from what I have seen and that can be fixed through good coaching. Knowing his great work ethic, intelligence and character, I expect his sack numbers to improve this coming season. He’s an important piece of the defense. Should he have been picked with the #3? Some don’t think so and I understand their reasoning, however, I think so. I had him on my final mock (6.0, not 460.0 like Seb!!) Funny, all those mocks that Seb put forward, his final mock (the only one that counts if you want to go on bragging about it like him!) I had the same amount right as he did. One. I put in about an hours worth of research over the course of 6 mocks and he put in, what, weeks, if not months. Priceless.

  19. Maiocco retweeted Joel Corry of CBS Sports

    The $2,501,124 of salary guarantees in Rueben Foster’s 2018 to 2020 contract years are as good as gone. There’s language in Foster’s contract where a fine under NFL drug policies (provided it isn’t vacated on appeal) voids the guarantees.

    That’s some expensive doobage. Not as pricey as Ricky Rivenga’s doobie, but up there none the less.

    1. 2018 NFL Mock Draft: 49ers get Garoppolo protection, Arden Key slips

      9. San Francisco 49ers: Mike McGlinchey, OT, Notre Dame——- The 6-7, 310-pound tackle is as sound as they come at the position and in this mock is only bested by his teammate Quenton Nelson as far as offensive line projects are concerned.

      McGlinchey returned to play for the Irish in 2017, but some felt he would have been better than anyone drafted last year had he elected to go. Charlie Campbell of Walter Football can be counted as one who felt that way, and went as far as to compare McGlinchey to Duane Brown of the Seattle Seahawks.

      “Brown and McGlinchey are very similar. They are both plus run blockers who also can be solid in pass protection. While they are generally good in protection, they aren’t shut-down left tackles and will give up some pressures and sacks against good rushers from time to time, with plenty of wins mixed in against those rushers as well. Both Brown and McGlinchey are assets in the run game and are better run blockers than typical left tackles. Brown was a late first-round pick, and McGlinchey could go in the middle to back portion for the first round as well.”

      https://nflspinzone.com/2018/01/13/nfl-mock-draft-2018-divisional-round-playoffs/

    2. That’s a costly arrest. I’m guessing that also means the niners will have more cap space than originally thought? Or does it work that way?

  20. Where’s Norton Jr. on this ? Take one for the team, Kenny.

    Shouldn’t Jr. take the rap for our star linebacker ?

  21. Thanks to an early run on quarterbacks, premier edge rusher Bradley Chubb fell to the 49ers — as did guard Quentin Nelson from Notre Dame. Although both players would be instant upgrades for the Niners, the choice was simple, as Chubb plays a higher-value position.

    Chubb fits in perfectly as a LEO pass-rusher in the 49ers’ defensive scheme. Chubb logged 10 sacks in 2017, on his way to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is awarded to the NCAA’s top defensive player.

    Billy Price is the next best interior lineman on my board after Nelson, and he is a steal in the latter half of the second round. As Price can play both center and guard, he could compete at the guard position in 2018, and then later transition to center when the 49ers eventually part ways with veteran Daniel Kilgore.

    https://ninernoise.com/2018/01/13/49ers-mocking-out-all-7-rounds-in-the-2018-nfl-draft/

    1. I like the draft but it seems like this would be impossibly fortunate for the 49ers. Chubb falling is one thing but Price also falling into the late second, and Penny falling to 4th would be a perfect storm.

  22. While I understand the argument that it is only pot, what is very worrying is this guy has made a few questionable decisions/ actions in the past year. He needs to mature in a hurry or he’ll end up just another talented player that can’t get out of their own way.

    1. Yes. Lets say the NFL had a nonsensical rule forbidding grape bubble gum. A rookie…

      – Fails the grape bubble gum test because of a diluted sample, costing him draft position and millions $.
      – Has a grape bubble gum distribution company sponsor his draft party
      – Has a contract clause voiding $2.5 million if he’s suspended for a grape bubble gum violation
      – Spends the offseason in a state with an inexplicable culture war against grape bubble gum
      – Gets arrested for possessing grape bubble gum.

      Its not just a grape bubble gum issue.

  23. Loved that fake-toss-to-RB-inside-handoff-to-WR-sweep play that Pederson did with Agholor. Shanny should add that to his arsenal.

  24. http://nfltraderumors.co/nfl-notes-49ers-browns-lions-vikings/

    Although, Maiocco believes “there is confidence on both sides” that a deal will be reached for Garoppolo.

    Maiocco writes that the 49ers have intimated that they would bring back S Jimmie Ward on his $8.5 million fifth-year option.

    According to Maiocco, S Jaquiski Tartt is a “strong candidate” for a contract extension this offseason.

    1. Unnamed sources? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Just kidding.
      Happy Birthday Grant! I’ll open a St. Francis 2010 Sonoma Valley Cab in your honor tonight.
      (Well, I was already going to, but Happy Birthday anyway)
      ????

  25. If they bring back Ward on a 8.5 million salary the GM should get fired (I know that wont happen) Wards contract needs to be reworked like 3 years for 8.5 million salary. They can use that money and get a 1-2 better players. Imagine if we would of drafted Peters (15), Buckner and Myles (16) Lattimore or saftey and Ruben (17) that would of been a nice defense. Instead 3 DL 1G and LB. Trent should of been fired years ago he couldnt draft no good players. From 11-16 drafts only Hyde,Reid, (free agents now) Pinion, Buckner, Tart if healthy, and Trent Brown are they only players good and on the team. Garnet, Arik and Ward could maybe be good players and Borland retired. 2011 would of been a good class but they all failed and none on the team. Thats 6 years worth of draft classes down the drain. Also with not signing any good players either. Im surpised we didnt go 0-16 the last few years. Glad at least we should be good going forward even with taking Solomon as the top pick last year. We should have a QB now, money to spend, draft picks and some decent players on the team.

    1. I’m frustrated by Ward’s injuries, but I’m OK with a prove-it season to see if he can stay healthy.

      Ward plays Corner, Slot Corner and Single High Safety. Buys alot of draft flexibility. If they can’t find a corner in the draft, Ward replaces Johnson. I prefer Ward at Safety but his versatility has value from a roster management standpoint.

      If he still gets hurt in his prove-it season, let him walk after 2018.

  26. Falcons play calling last 4 plays was a bit odd. They throw, saving the Eagles time outs. Not a single run.

    I’m a fan of “The Catch”, but toe tap roll outs for the final play seem to low percentage to me. Especially with a quarterback not known for running.

    1. Agreed. That last play call of a roll out was extremely inadequate, given you’re telegraphing what part of the field you intend to throw. Sarkisian blew it, big time….

      1. Reminded me of painfully repetitive CK7 to Crustacean Sensation end zone corner attempts. Jones is more suited to that pattern, but still…

  27. The big question now is, is Foster an addict or a recreational user. If he is a recreational user he quits using until the rules change. If he is an addict we may have another Josh Gordon on our hands. The team needs to be proactive and make Foster realize that addiction whether its weed, alcohol or hard drugs is very serious and its a hard point to make with weed users. Many of my heavy weed smoking friends would never start drinking Jack Daniels at 9:00 in the morning they would consider that alcoholism but are more than comfortable with a little wake and bake. I hope for Foster and his families sake he takes it serious and quits but having worked in the job I have for as long as I have I wouldn’t bet on it.

    1. Addiction or not, its clear Foster has a judgement and maturity issue. Diluted sample at the combine could have cost him millions in lost draft slot play. He risked (and possibly lost) $2.5m in guaranteed pay a few day after his new mentor Ken Norton was hired.

      Foster is already high on the expensive pot list. Up there with Ricky (Aldon) Rivenga, Michael Phelps in terms of lost income.

      1. Brodie,
        I agree regarding Foster’s maturity. Many of the addiction specialist that I have worked with have said the maturing process ends the day an addiction begins and some of these young men started smoking before their teens.

  28. I’ve been enjoying Romo’s commentary in the game. He’s offered some nuanced tells and reads.

    1. That’s pretty much every game he calls, BT. The difference between Tony and Simms is night and day.

      1. Jim Nance seems to really enjoy working with room. Mr Nance praises him when he is speaking with Murph and Mac on the knbr morning show. Also a late Happy Birthday for Grant!

  29. I’m certainly not in the vicinity of being an expert on the subject of addiction Coach, but I think at this point with these guys they have so much money, notoriety, fame and power that they feel invincible, and frankly they don’t give a sh1t. Ad that to immaturity and you have them making foolish mistakes like he did. He’s not even thinking about the 2.5 mill he could lose, or anything else for that matter other than having a good time. It’s like monopoly money at this point. They can have anything they want. Women, drugs, cars, etc. I don’t know whether you caught it or not, but someone posted a paycheck stub that was found at Pittsburg’s baseball stadium a while back and posted it on the internet. It was Andrew McCutchen’s. It was a check stub for 2 weeks work. Pretty funny as it looks exactly like any paycheck any employee would have in any business. The gross amount was roughly 820k. He paid about 330k in taxes and other deductions. Two weeks. Decadent is the only word that comes to my mind. I did the math and if he played 12 games in 14 days, and had 4 at bats in each, he’d be bringing in a tad over 17k per at bat. Before taxes of course! I don’t think it’s an addiction problem with him (Foster) or most of these guys. It’s a case of a very young person who, in his mind, has the world by the nuts and is out having fun with his buddies, clubbing, chasing tail and living large. Only later, maybe when his career is over, maybe even a very short career, will he look back and realize how foolish he was, especially if the money runs out, which too often is the case. In the mean time, fans will continue to pay ever increasing prices for games and concessions to support these ridiculous salaries, and as a result we’ll continue to have 22 year old millionaire athletes from time to time getting arrested for smoking or packing weed in places like Bumf**k, Alabama!

  30. Diesels mock draft for 2018..don’t pick who ever Razor Eator likes and we’ll be fine!What a clown

  31. I know Tenn isn’t the greatest but NE looks so much better than any team I’ve watched this weekend. Not even close. Brady is incredible.

  32. These are probably some of the worst playoff games I’ve ever seen just give New England the trophy already…I love all these coaches that are still stuck around the league who believe in defense and 3 yards and a cloud of dust!This is a passing leggue I’m so glad the Niners have lost that mentality..When Tennessee goes down by a touchdown there done..What dumb football and boring to watch..Thank God for Shanny..Solid defense and scoring is what wins ,field position and field goals is 1952 football and there are still tons of coaches sticking to that philosophy..Plus it’s super boring to watch.. Tennessee goes down by three…game over ..Garbage teams like Tennessee should never make the playoffs…boooo9ooooooring!It’s like watching the 49ers when Alice Smith was our qb…Boooooring

  33. The Titans are a very bad team..I know it’s NE ..But man these guys are hard to watch…marriota is Alice Smith 2.0..guy is so scared to throw the ball down the field

  34. Are people really making excuses for this idiot?
    Weed is legal in California. There are certain types of jobs that don’t care.

    And his is one of them. And he knows this.
    This idiot already got in trouble for it, put himself before his team and his career, and obviously thinks it’s more important.

    He’s got Aldon smith written all over him, and I had a hunch he would eventually be a problem off the field.
    Cut him now and save the headache of the Saturday morning paper and this clown being in it.
    Team went into the offseason on a good note, and he pulls this crap! Smh!
    No room for selfish players on a team headed in a positive direction. Willing to waste millions for weed. That’s not a problem? Tfooh

    1. NO! No, no, no, no. Don’t cut him now. That’s a bad idea for the guy and for the team imo. He’s a baller, let see if he can turn it around; he’ll definitely be scrutinized. Most of us have survived some boneheaded decisions in our lives.
      Have a snickers. It will taste even better and work even better if you break off a bud first. Just kidding, but just saying….
      You do have a point about professional requirements for the job though, just like Truck Drivers and Air Traffic Controllers and others. Do you want this job or not?

      1. Agree, BT. I think most of us older guys tend to forget some of the boneheaded mistakes we made at that age. And these guys are constantly in the public eye. Maybe he could rent a room from Ken Norton.

        1. Cubus…. yes sometimes the older you get you forget about the bonehead mistakes you made. But how many of them were if the same kind? That’s the difference with my outlook on this certain case. If it was a different problem like a bar fight, dui with nobody injured or any other bonehead mistakes we make as humans I wouldn’t be thinking that harsh.
          But this is drugs. Whether legal or not it’s a drug. And this “it’s just pot” argument might have worked 25 years ago when it was basically pot. This weed they have now a days is putting kids in zombie like state, addiction is another problem with weed now a days because of the chemicals going into this high grade stuff. Trust me I know.
          I am not an anti pot advocate, but again it’s your career choice and it frowns upon this drug. And obviously at this point his weed habit is more important than the team. And again it’s the same “problem” he literally just got in trouble for.

          With that said. Go Jags. ?

          1. Cutting Foster isn’t going to happen unless he gets suspended. For now, we should try to help him with his issue.

            You do know Reefer Madness wasn’t a documentary don’t you?

    2. It would be really stupid to cut him especially when he is not in line to be suspended. He’s a great talent and was easily the top rookie on the defense this year so you stick with him until you can’t anymore. We are not even close to that point yet.

      1. This isn’t the first time he’s had an issue with this particular problem.
        So what they wait for a big game to come maybe even a playoff game and boom he’s arrested?
        I understand people especially young people make mistakes.
        But this is your life and career now. MOST kids his age with a well paying career at this point don’t do anything to mess up the hard work and time they put in to get there.

        You’d think coming off of an offseason and into a draft just last year with his problem and is fortunante enough for a team to pick him that high after that problem youf at least want your first nfl offseason to go smooth. The playoffs aren’t even done and already???

        I can understand the argument of “young guys mistake” or shouldn’t cut him this soon.
        But I might be tainted after the embarrassment some players not to long ago put on this franchise. And some were multiple offenders. And for this kid to pull this so close after the offseason says to me he’s not worth the trouble.
        He’s a good player, but he’s also always injured. So is he really worth the possibility of an ongoing problem after one season?
        To me….. not at all. A bit harsh? Yeah but as a fan of this team it’s old. Way too old!

    3. Alcoholism is a more serious illness than recreational marijuana. Alcoholism does more damage to the way a brain functions. Alcohol tends to bring the worst out of people, and generally causes unruly behavior, violent behavior, and extremely poor judgment. As a person who’s best friend died of alcoholism, I can say with absolute certainty, alcoholism and marijuana are two very different kinds of substance abuse.

      This situation doesn’t call for extreme measures. This is certainly strike 1 for Reuben. There will be consequences. However, this is more of a case of bad judgement as opposed to a serious illness, which Aldon has. Bad judgement is easier to correct than the disease that is alcoholism.

      If Reuben becomes a repeat offender, and continues to make these kinds of boneheaded mistakes, the 49ers will then be forced to cross that bridge. We’re not even close to that point yet, IMO.

  35. Interesting article by Biderman on why the 49ers should be big players in FA, even if it means overpaying. He seems to strongly support trying to sign Bell if the Steelers don’t FT him. I’ve been a support of equal emphasis on FA and the draft. Further, it seems that one of the reasons Thompson was ousted in GB was because he put little to no emphasis on FA. Still, there are plenty of examples of FAs that bust after signing expensive contracts. Caveat emptor.

    Here are the 2016 records for the 2017 NFC playoff field: Eagles (7-9), Vikings (8-8), Rams (4-12), Saints (7-9), Panthers (6-10) and Falcons (11-5). Atlanta’s the only team in the conference to make the playoffs the last two seasons. In the AFC, three of the six teams in the postseason weren’t there in 2016……

    And it might speak to the power free agency. As Kevin Clark pointed out this week in The Ringer, six of the biggest spenders in free agency last spring are in the playoffs, including the Patriots, Titans, Rams, Vikings and Panthers…….

    Which all points to why the 49ers should dive into the deep end when it comes to pursuing the free agents. The obvious caveat: Find the right players that fit the system. That’s what Jacksonville did last spring and what the Broncos did when their massive 2014 free agent class (Aqib Talib, DeMarcus Ware, Emmanuel Sanders and T.J. Ward) carried a limp Peyton Manning to the Super Bowl title two years ago.

    http://ninerswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/12/nfl-landscape-proves-49ers-should-be-aggressive-in-free-agency/

    1. I’ve been saying the same thing Biderman said here for awhile now. The Niners are in position to sign 2-3 high end starters along with Garoppolo and still have a fair bit of cap room left. There is no reason not to go out and at least try to get some of this young talent just entering their prime.

      1. Yep, but I wouldn’t spend $15 million on Bell. I’d rather have a guy like Ryan Jensen at center and try to get an edge rusher or top CB, if at all possible.

        I don’t remember where, but I’m positive that either KS or JL, or possibly both, said that the strategy last year was to pick up free agents that would allow the team to use BPA in the draft. I would imagine that is the same strategy this year; although I’m a believer that “need” should factor into drafting.

        1. I wouldn’t either and it appears the Steelers will FT him again anyway. I’m with you on Jensen.

        2. Agree with all that. Then too, last year any BPA was addressing need!
          : -)
          Still a lot of reconstruction needed.
          In the hubub about S.Thomas’ value @#3 I read peeps expectations of him as a pass rusher, but we never heard Lynchahan say that. That was here on the blog. Their top priority was stopping the run. Period. Their faves were Foster and Thomas for that very purpose. Job Number One.
          I understand folks look for a certain impact with a pick that high, but they had to put out the fire before they could rebuild.

          1. my bets for top 5 2018 draft/FA priorities:
            #1: making OZ run effective
            #2: improve Power and IZ run effectiveness
            #3: improve pass protection
            #4: pass rush
            #5: DB’s
            the keen eyed among you will note that #’s 1, 2, & 3 require OL improvement– and not from reshuffling the current group- a new center, new guard, and swing tackle are indicated. And this idea includes Garnett being successful.

        3. Agreed.
          If we are going to spend money in free agency, I would look to upgrade the the Oline and Edge rusher before RB or WR a the net gain for the team would be much higher imo. At the very least, one of those positions has to be upgraded, doing so gives the 49ers many more options in the draft.

    2. I don’t think there is any doubt the 49ers will be major players in FA this year. As to how many of the top tier FAs they get who knows – its going to be a competitive market with the salary cap increasing a lot each year. I still think two is about right, plus some mid tier guys, but maybe they will look to land more tier 1 guys if the fit is right. I have said previously I don’t think they should go too crazy spending big on lots of high priced FAs, but rocket et al are right, they can afford to get more than two + JG + some mid tier guys so maybe that is the right way to go.

      Trumaine Johnson and Ryan Jensen would definitely be at the top of my list of guys to bring in.

      1. Updates from today. Bell isn’t going anywhere. The Seahawks don’t want Graham and he doesn’t want them. So here is my list of players to pursue.

        CB Trumaine Johnson
        LEO Adrian Clayborn
        C Ryan Jensen
        TE Jimmy Graham

        Draft: G Quenton Nelson

        Updated roster.
        QB Garoppolo
        HB Breida, Williams, Hyde or draft pick.
        FB Juszczyk
        WR Garcon, Taylor, Goodwin, Bourne or draft pick.
        TE Graham, Kittle,
        T Staley, Brown
        G Nelson, Garnett
        C Jensen

        LEO Clayborn
        3T Buckner, Thomas
        NT Mitchell
        Big E Carradine
        SAM Harold
        ILB Foster, Smith
        CB Johnson, Witherspoon
        FS Colbert
        SS Tartt

      2. The only reason I’m advocating for going after multiple high ticket items is because of the fact we haven’t had any of our own to sign. Usually by now we would have signed a couple from the 2012 and 2013 classes to long term extensions but there was nobody to extend. This is how you make up for draft failure or at least attempt to.

        Pretty good list #80. Scooter threw out Jensen and Johnson awhile back which would be great additions and Graham would instantly make the Red Zone offense better. Not sure if the Niners would look at him though with the way Kittle came on the last few games. I’m not a big fan of Clayborn. He’s been a pretty average player and most of his sacks this season came in one game. I’d look somewhere else for the Leo. Lawrence is the big ticket item, Dee Ford could be worth a look although I’d guess the Chiefs will resign him due to Hali’s health. There are some second tier guys out there but some are coming off serious injuries and probably aren’t worth what they will command on the open market. If they can’t get one of the top guys, I’d just resign somebody like Marsh/Lynch and go after somebody in the draft.

        1. rocket,

          Shanny likes his multiple TE sets. Graham like Juice, is an “OW” that can line up in multiple places. All that and the RZ stuff makes me think that we will have some interest in Graham. It will probably come down to how much we’re willing to spend on what could be considered a luxury signing. I think we need to give Garoppolo another toy to play with, whether it’s Graham or Robinson.

          I’d rather have Lawrence or Ansah, but I don’t think they will hit the market. Clayborn would be a somewhat cheaper option with scheme familiarity. Ford is intriguing though.

          Something that struck me while I was doing my mock was the lack of options at SAM in free agency and the draft. I hope Pita can overtake Harold.

    1. I think they would be high. They’ve generally done pretty well with “risky” players. Frank Clark for example.

  36. Foster, makes no difference to me that you consume pot. I understand you play the game with the severeness , the bodaciousness of a mountain lion, I just wish you were as cunning as one. Agent 99 says Get Smart!

  37. PFF sent out a tweet today that Foster was the highest rated 49er in 2017. Very apropos given the last 48 hours.

  38. 1. Niners are not going to cut Foster.
    2. If they did there would be about 20 teams trying to sign him.
    3. I think Bell is great, if he could be signed without breaking the bank the Niners should do it. The reality is The Steelers are not going to let him go unless they are going to burn the whole thing down, which I doubt.

  39. Again, it’s not the pot smoking. It’s rampant and it’s not going away. If they punished every player that partakes, they wouldn’t have enough to field a 7 on 7 game. It’s the judgement of when and where. Hit them in the pocketbook when they make dumb decisions. Hard. As Under correctly quoted 99, “Get Smart”!! (One of my favorite shows growing up by the way!!) The cone of silence!! The episode with Chief and 86 in the cone with the fly is side splitting!!

  40. Pass on Bell and go after the guys making the holes for them to run through- CAR has two Guards, nd depth at Tackle and desperately nd a #1 Corner and Edge

  41. Man wished we would of drafted Fournette and Myles in the 16 draft. Jaguars drafted good and they should be good for awhile

  42. Jags feeling it.
    Madden used to say that a team could start out dominating a game on pure emotion, but usually that would carry through only about halfway through Q2, then talent and execution ensue. Should be interesting.

  43. Are the Niners a playoff caliber team now?
    They played better against Jags than the Steelers are today.

  44. Holy cow this is the team that we kicked the crap out of just a couple of weeks ago. I haven’t looked forward to an off season this much since 2011.

  45. Fornette now has 3 TDs in a playoff game against a suppose to be good team. Tell my why 49ers passed on him to draft just an ok rush defender in thomas. Yes he might not be the zone runner shanny wants but neither is hyde n be still had an ok year.

    1. Ask that brilliant question to the DL that essentially made Fournette and other RBs a non factor during the season, with the help of Thomas. Now kindly sit on your hands before you hurt yourself with another dumb post.

    2. lol. You mean the guy who barely ran over 100 yards ( of which 33 came on two plays) and somewhere around 4.3 YPC? Give me a break. There was nothing particularly special about Fournette’s performance. It wasn’t bad. But it wasn’t why the Jags won.

      The reason the Steelers lost was Roethlisberger’s two turnover leading to TDs (1 short-field and one directly) and failing to recover the onside kick that lead to an easy FG.. That’s 17 points of misfortune.

      Fournette helped them not lose. But the defense and special teams is what made them win.

  46. It’s amazing Coach. We scored 44 against this team AND won 5 in a row with, according to some around here, no help and despite the offensive line, who received an F by Grant. Yea sure. For Gods sake people, give credit when credit is due. The O-line played damn good down the stretch. The only stat that matters is 5 wins, no loses. For the year, considering having to work with mediocre QB’s pre-Jimmy that held on to the ball too long, I’d give them a solid C.

  47. OL played damn good down the stretch?
    vs. Bears: 3.2 yds avg and 6 rushing 1st downs out of 23 total
    vs Texans: 3.3 avg. and 4 rush 1st downs out of 20 total
    vs. Titans: 2.3 avg. and 2 rush 1st downs out of 23 total
    vs. Jax: a whopping 3.7 avg. and 7 rush 1st downs out of 26 total
    vs. LAR: finally an effective run game, stats-wise: 5.7 avg. and 10 firsts out of 25 total.

    1. Despite the selective stats, the 49ers line vastly improved during the year.

      They gave up just 33 sacks. Much of this was, simply put, a QB who can get the ball out vs the no-pocket-skills and/or slow-to-throw QBs we’ve had stinking up the joint since mid-2012. With a reasonable QB, it was 8 sacks in 186 pass plays (4.3%). That sack rate would be the 4th best in the NFL.

      Making that more impressive, Jimmy G (I read somewhere, maybe ESPN) had the deepest average depth of target in the NFL as the 49ers starter since he attacks the 10-to-20 depth so often with his passing. There’s a high correlation between depth of throw and being sacked because you’re having to hold the ball longer.

      But even with Hoyer and Beathard, the sack rate had improved. With Beathard it was 7.8% and with Hoyer it was 7.2%. With Kaepernick & Gabbert it was 10.8% last year DESPITE Kelly’s offense being a quick-hitting, short-passing offense. Which, in turn, was worse than Tomsula’s offense that generated 9.6% in 2015.

      (For context purposes the NFL sack rate for 2017 was 6.7%. It was 6.1% in 2016 making 2016’s performance all the more atrocious. And it was 7.1% in 2015.)

      And, of course, not easy to obtain, but relevant, were QB hits and hurries went down significantly as well. Once again, Jimmy G was a big part of it. But the fact is the offensive line does better when they have a QB who knows how to move in the pocket properly. After all, they can’t see the QB. They have to block to where he should be, not where he drifts off to like Kaepernick used to do…

  48. Blake Bortles just proved that you don’t need a FRANCHISE QB to win in the playoffs or in the regular season.

  49. I’ll put the 5-0 up against all those stats any day. You reinforce the fact that stats are deceiving tjf. Nice try though!

    1. “I’ll put the 5-0 up against all those stats any day.”

      All the combined stats add up to 5-0. The bad stats show us where we need to get better, but a win is a win.

      Bears: Garoppolo moves the offense in his first start. 1-0.
      Texans: More of the same. Niners win a close one. 2-0.
      Titans: More of the same, but Tennessee is a better team than Chi. and Ten. (progress). 3-0.
      Jaguars: Beat the $hit out of one best teams in the league (progress). 4-0.
      Rams: Another blowout. Sure it was against backups, but we blew out a poor roster, which is progress when compared to barely beating poor teams like the Bears and Titans. 5-0.

  50. http://ninerswire.usatoday.com/2018/01/14/pro-football-focus-names-5-highest-graded-49ers-in-2017/

    “However, according to PFF, just 2.55 percent of his plays were turnover worthy, indicating his supporting cast had something to do with the bulk of those picks.”

    I found this stat interesting. I know the counter to the stat is what about the dropped picks. But I found out that Stafford had 15 picks dropped this year. Point being, every QB throws passes that he would like to have back in every game. This year, there were 288 dropped interceptions.

    1. I’ve made the point on his INTs before. His arm hit while throwing by Calais Campbell. A WR falling a down (can’t remember who). A reception ripped out of the hands of a WR (Murphy) who’d turned into a runner and thought he was down. Then Trent Taylor cutting his route short and not arriving where the ball was going.

      That’s the NFL.

  51. I’m not suggesting the O-line gets nominated for the HOF, I just think they played darn good down the stretch, not great, and they should get credit. To suggest they should get an F and be “blown up” is idiotic in my constitutionally protected opinion. You don’t win 5 straight games in the NFL, including scoring 44 points against one of the best defenses in the league, and winning against another tough D in Tennessee, without your O-Line playing, well, DARN GOOD, is laughable and quite frankly ignorant. F**k the selective stats. 5-0! End of story.

  52. New Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy has yet to coach a game, but he already notched a big victory.

    The Bears have retained defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The team and Fangio had kept the lines of communication open over the past several days, even though his contract had expired, with the hopes that he might return.

    Fangio was granted a head-coaching interview with the Bears before the team picked Nagy. There was some concern about Fangio’s reaction to being passed over for that role, and he reportedly wondered if it merely was a token interview. The Bears convinced him it was not, and Nagy apparently was able to convince the veteran defensive coordinator to stay with the team.

    http://www.profootballweekly.com/2018/01/12/chicago-bears-reportedly-retain-defensive-coordinator-vic-fangio/a74c8qf/

    Well, that’ll shut that up (eventually) once everyone gets the memo.

  53. Saints getting away with several borderline (but well executed) pick plays on that drive. Hard to tell from my TV feed.

  54. If Saints win the 49ers get pick in range 61-64 + 7th for 2017’s pick 66. Will the 2018 draft have the same defensive depth as 2017?

    Consolation prize, we used the 7th on Adrian Colbert.

  55. Coughlin has the blueprint to beat New England. Get pressure from your line. This is a bad matchup for Brady. Should be a close game.

  56. NE vs JAX should be a great one. NE’s defense is much better than PITT’s leaky sieve.

        1. THat’s true. He got toasted a lot. Also committed one PI I remember though the Vikings took the play not the penalty.

  57. Historic finish to a game. Reminded me of Jerry Rice’s regular season long bomb vs the NY Giants.

    Bonus: Our 2nd rounder will be higher than pick 61.

  58. I like the skoal chant. They should look to Iceland’s national soccer fans if they want to polish it up.

    1. All he needed to do was keep the play in front of him, and make the tackle. Instead, it looked like he was coached to worry about the interference call….

      1. Looked to me like he ducked his head and went for the big hit but whiffed. Either way, big mistake at a big moment.

          1. That play was just lack of experience. Let him catch it, tackle him and games over.
            Yes poor coaching but also a rookie mistake. It’s unilike basketball where you can call timeout and talk about all situations. That’s the best part of football, anything can happen.

            1. Sanders said it looked like he was afraid he might get a penalty for hitting a defenseless player, so he pulled up. He also said 95% of DB’s play not to get beat, and 5% to make a play. That’s what separates the dogs from the cats….

              1. That’s what I saw too, Razor. He did duck but it looked to me like he moved to the side so that he would not hit the player.

          2. Nah, jive gobble. He was NOT coached to tackle that way. Not on coaching.
            A Safety has to remember he’s the last line, has to make the safe play. Absolutely can’t whiff no matter what, especially in that last second situation.
            Keep him inbounds if you can, but make the play.

            1. Here’s Gary Gramblings take from SI:

              My guess is that he was in fear of a defenseless receiver penalty, which would have extended the game by an untimed down and added 15 yards at the spot of the foul. That would have been almost as devastating as the whiff.

        1. Looked like he anticipated the receiver was going out of bounds after the catch and was trying to cut it off. To bad he went straight up and was shocked nobody was there to tackle him.

    2. It was combination of absolutely horrific technic and not knowing the situation. He said afterward he would have made a play on the ball in hindsight and that shows he still doesn’t have a grasp on what the situation was. All he needed to do was let Diggs catch the ball and tackle him. There would have been no time on the clock and the game would have been over. Bad enough he ducked his head and whiffed completely, but he didn’t even understand what to do. That’s either terrible preparation by his Coach or the kid wasn’t listening. That’s just a horrible play that is going to stick with him for a long time.

      1. That was my point, because I believe there was a timeout prior to the play. The coach obviously did not prepare his secondary for that scenario properly, or he did and they just got discombobulated in the moment….

  59. If any team other than NE wins the SB this year it will go down as the year of defense. Kind of a throw back but as much as I dislike Shady Tommy Brady and Belicheat I don’t
    see any of the teams that are left beating them, but then again I have been wrong before.

    1. Razor – Thanks. I saw that and posted below on draft order and trade opportunities.

      Bummer we didn’t gain much by trading 67 to the Saints. Especially since the 2017 draft was deep , and the NFL is trying to discourage too many underclassmen from declaring in 2018.

      On the other hand we used the 7th from the Saints on Colbert. Its also hard to predict just how deep a particular draft will be. 2018 could be deep in players the 49ers are targeting.

  60. These DBs and LBs fresh out of college are more into hitting than tackling. I hope Brady remembers Marcus WIlliams when he hoists the Lombardi next month.

    1. If I’m a DC, I want 11 sure tacklers on the field at all times. If you can’t tackle, I don’t want you on the field.

  61. 49ers draft situation

    First – 9/10
    Second – 59 from New Orleans
    Third – 70 from Chicago
    Third – 73/74
    Fourth – from Pittsburgh
    Fifth – from New York Jets
    Sixth – TBD
    Seventh – TBD
    Seventh – from Chiefs

    Pick 70 from the Bears provides trade ammo.
    9+70 moves to about pick 6
    57+70 moves to about pick 34
    73+70 moves to about pick about pick 44

    1. Winning the coin toss will really help, as that means every odd round the 49ers pick ahead of the Raiders. If they lose the coinflip then the even rounds are higher, and 49ers have traded away the 2nd and 4th rounders. Get virtually no benefit from having a tied record if the 49ers lose the coinflip.

      1. Hope Lynch is training hard for the coin flip at the combine. If its Lynch/Gruden calling the flip it will be good TV.

        A single slot can make a difference if the 49ers and Raiders have similar needs.

        Also makes trading up for a targeted player more likely because it increases the chance of a team trading back they can still get one of the players they value.

        1. He needs to call whichever is facing upward just before the flip, because the odds favor it 51-49.

    1. Considering he performed as well, or better, than 8 of the last 10 modern football defensive linemen into the HOF as a rookie, I don’t see the problem besides arrogance and irrational expectations on the part of the fans and press. Or let’s put it this way, the same people who crap on Thomas and call him a disappointment would have said the same about these players:

      Jason Taylor (15 games, 11 starts, 5.0 sacks, fewer tackles, poorer run defense)
      Warren Sapp (16 games, 3.0 sacks, fewer tackles, fewer starts)
      Michael Strahan (9 games, 0 starts, 1.0 sacks, fewer tackles)
      Chris Doleman (16 games, 13 starts, 0.5 sacks, one more start, started as a linebacker, lost his job midway in his second year then converted to DE where he became a force making him a far great failure than Thomas in his early career)
      Cortez Kennedy (16 games, 2 starts, 1.0 sack, more tackles.)
      Richard Dent (16 games, 3 starts, 3 sacks, far fewer tackles.)
      John Randal (16 games, 0 starts, 1 sack, far fewer tackles.)
      Kevin Greene (15 games, 0 starts, 0 sacks, far fewer tackles.)

      And I’m not saying or implying that Thomas will be a HOFer. Only that too many people think they have a *****ing clue and can judge a player by his first year in the NFL. Especially when he misses at least half the OTAs because NFL rules prevented him from being there, never mind the guy played three position on the line during the year, each with different techniques and responsibilities.

      As I’ve said many times, rookies who come out the gate strongly in pass-rushing are rare. What Aldon Smith did, Joey Bosa did, Dwight Freeney did are rare events. You’re lucky to get one of those guys a draft.

      Rather what you usually get is a talented defensive linemen who made his plays because he was just so much more athletic than his competition that he never had to develop the skills necessary to succeed in the NFL. Then he comes to the NFL and he’s playing against guys who, even the worst, were ‘elite’ college players. And now he’s struggling because he only has one tool in his tool box and the fans and press, not bothering to think, rank on him like he’s a bust without ever considering that it takes time for thesse prospects to become good NFL players.

      And it’s not just defensive linemen. It almost every position on an NFL roster that takes two-to-three years to become competently skilled NFL players. And to be blunt, the only positions I ever expect any kind of solid rookie production coming into the NFL are running backs, defensive backs and linebackers because their positions are far more about athleticism than skill.

      1. Once again, very few are saying he is bust. Most are saying he was overdrafted, and that a player of equal impact could have been had for far less.
        These judgements weren’t made based on stats, they were made based on watching him in the NFL. He lacks the burst to beat a tackle around the edge and the bend to get under a tackle if he does so. Those are athletic traits that have to be there to be affective on the edge. The 49ers essentially drafted a DT with their first pick 3 years in a row, that’s like drafting a Middle Linebacker 3 years in a row.
        Then there is the Bust argument you made against HOF players, which was never really said. But even here it makes no sense.
        Chris Doleman – this one I’ll give you but as you stated he was drafted to play a different position than he played in college.
        Cortez Kennedy – DT (not expecting as many stats from position) but its hard to call him a bust when he made the all rookie team
        Warren Sapp – DT (see above)

        None of the rest are top 10 picks so immediate impacts are not really expected. And in the cases of Dent, Randle and Greene you’re just happy they held onto a roster spot.

        Jason Taylor was 3rd round pick –
        Michael Strahan – 2nd round –
        Richard Dent – 8th rounder no one would call him a bust
        John Randle – undrafted
        Kevin Greene – 5th round pick

        But like I said, I don’t think many believe he was a bust. They just think he was a bad pick, at that spot, for a team that was jam packed with DT’s or DT/DE tweeners but no edge rushers.

    2. Now you’re just throwing out names even if they don’t play the position he does. You’ve got a mix of DT’s and DE’s in there some who were late round picks that hardly played their rookie year. How about we just look at the fact Thomas was the 3rd overall pick, plays DE in this defense and is not a good outside rusher which is what this team needed most. He did a good job against the run, but there has to be a higher expectation from the #3 pick in the draft. Nobody is saying Thomas sucks or is a bust, I’m certainly not, but what he showed this seasons was unworthy of the slot he was drafted in. I hope he improves and have no doubt he will put in the work to do so. The problem is I don’t think he’s capable of becoming anything more than he is right now based on what I’ve seen of his game in College and now in the NFL. He can get bigger and stronger, work on his technic and still may never become much of an edge rusher because of his body type and lack of natural ability.

  62. Quarterback driven league? Cant win without a franchise QB? Hmmmmm……Two ex Ram’s QB’s going into the NFC championship game and the Rams sitting at home. Bortles, Keenum, Foles, just goes to show ya, is why they play the game.

    1. It’s much easier to win with a Franchise QB, but football is and always will be the ultimate team sport.

    2. Exceptions do not disprove a rule. It’s a QB-driven league and a franchise QB is needed for consistent success season-to-season and especially in the play-offs.

  63. Hey guys , what up .
    Foster is young ,so isn’t the team . I think that what we are experiencing are growing pains. With youth comes inexperience in life situation , growing up .

    Agree with the assessment of what the difference in picking 59-64 , yeah big difference ,imho.
    My thinking is they will stay the course with sign fa players that fill spots that are not in the lime light, so to speak , he (shanny ,lynch) want to put the key players in place . Making it all there picks , at them postions , guess he’s trying to pic guys that have that star label ,

    Imho ,JG trade was the key , Everyone knows it . Everyone and seen it .( Last 6 games)

    This draft will be the key to there success . And even if he nock’s it out of the park so to speak.
    There still will be growing pains .
    Mentally , physically ,

    The hope ,or the promise ,of what the team did for the final 6 games, got people excited , and with good reason . He needs to nail this draft. Offensive line is my guess.

  64. They draft offensive tackle,and guard , they go fa for center , shanny likes his center , trained and ready to play ,
    As far as defense , have no idea ? They fooled me last year . And 2 first rounders . So don’t have a clue on defense.looking into it .

    1. Thanks to Foster, Lynch will need to address ILB later on, maybe in the 4th round. Edge and cornerback will be first and foremost on the defensive side. Corner depth is pretty decent in the draft, but I expect them to address both positions in F/A. I mean, if they could get Ansah and Johnson, that would give Lynch plenty of flexibility in the draft….

  65. Seems like shanny likes to pick role players ,so to speak,for offense. Like the idea of some vet coming in ,and the leadership that comes with it . In the secondary at least .
    That would open things up , taking center ,and cb off the priority list makes things easier on them in the draft .
    Agree with you on that ilb comment razor . A little push ,more responsibility ,and more to do , leaves less time to be messing around,or being places that are still living in the past of reefer madness . Alabama .1960 .

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