49ers add cornerback Jason Verrett, wide receiver Jordan Matthews

Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Jason Verrett (22) celebrates an interception with teammate free safety Dwight Lowery (20) during the first half of a preseason NFL football game against the Los Angeles Rams Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

The 49ers signed two highly talented, highly injured players to one-year contracts Thursday afternoon.

First, they signed cornerback Jason Verrett, a former first-round pick who’s had two ACL surgeries and one Achilles surgery since 2016. He has played just five games the past three seasons.

Next, the 49ers signed wide receiver Jordan Matthews, a former second-round pick who had knee and ankle surgery in 2017. He hasn’t been the same since.

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This article has 353 Comments

  1. It appears the 49ers have upgraded the team at minimum cost; i.e. the 2nd for Dee Ford.
    Yes, there is a whole lot of injuries with the players signed, but there is a whole lot of potential improvement also.
    The salary cap impact over the next coup;e of years is not significant and besides, its not my money.
    This does give the team some flexibility in the draft. I would really like to see a couple of pro bowl caliber players come out of the draft.

  2. Sigh. Well, at least they signed a WR and CB. Going cheap may produce cheap results. There still are several options available to improve, but the best ones have been signed. Sure wish the Niners had won several more games. That would have made the Niners more attractive.

    1. And also, they were only signed to one year , try it contracts. And both probably have an out clause for the team in case neither works out. At least they weren’t given Jamal Smith like contracts. So we’ll see

    2. And also cost them draft position this coming draft. I think players are smart enough to recognize that the Niners are better than their record even if some fans do not. Would you rather they got a few more wins and ended up drafting past 10? What happened was the best case scenario. They ended up with the second pick and will have the opportunity to get the best player at their position of need or trade down for more picks while still filling their position of need.

    3. Not sure about more wins makes it more attractive, maybe it’s they probably aren’t going to the playoffs this year but I suppose more wins could be it. It could be the style of defense KS runs here, could be they’re a pretty young team in rebuild mode turns them off, could be they didn’t offer enough money or the taxes in Calif are ‘too high’ and they’d rather sign w/teams like the soon to be Vegas Raiders or others. Maybe a combo of these things. Free agency for the 49ers so far has been conservative this year. And it sure is nice picking #2 this year instead of 10, but I think they trade down anyway getting another 1st Rd pick and more, but I would’nt want them picking at #2 a lot though.

      1. That 5 game win streak at the end of the 2017 season made the Niners attractive, even with a 6-10 record, and they signed a bunch of FAs. At 4-12, they got an ACL player an made him the second highest paid player on the team, and had to give up a second round pick and had to give him 95 mil.
        .
        I agree, the trade back is best for the rebuild.

        1. I hope they trade back too… and they gave up a 2020 2nd rd pick, maybe it’s a mid round? …and gave Ford a $87.5M contract.

  3. I figured the signing of Verrett would have made Grant’s head explode, and this was going to be the mother of all rants.

    1. Niners hit the trifecta on injured players.
      .
      BTW, you had him going there for a moment on his periscope. ;p

  4. I have no problem taking low risk flyers on guys with talent but have been bit by injury. There is of course a limit to how many of those type of guys you can take a flyer on in any given year. I am very surprised they have decided to take that gamble at both FS and CB. Thought the FS spot they would go get someone a bit more reliable than Ward.

    They also shouldn’t just add Verrett. I understand they like Witherspoon and Moore, which is good, and Verrett is a nice low risk/ high reward addition to compete with them, but another capable back up vet or rookie wouldn’t go astray. Same goes for FS.

    With Matthews, that one kind of has me a bit baffled. Very different from the usual slot WR type Shanahan goes for. Which makes me think they aren’t envisaging him playing slot. At least not predominantly. And he hasn’t played much as an outside WR in the pros. Maybe they see him almost exclusively as a red zone WR, with some ability to play slot when they feel a big body provides a favourable matchup? Or perhaps Kyle thinks he has untapped potential as an outside possession WR?

    1. 16 of his 22 touchdown catches have come in the redzone. His best seasons were with Kelly and I think that bodes well for him in this offense.

      1. Why is that? Are there similar route red zone route concepts that Kelly and Shanahan run? I know they’re both big on play action. I know that Kelly grafted on WCO passing concepts on to his main inside zone, zone read, play action offense. Shanahan also uses some WCO passing concepts mixed into his play action passing game as well. Do they run similar concepts?

    2. Did you all hear the story about Kwon Alexander at the press conference. If you missed it, I did a little digging, so here’s a summary:

      Apparently Kyle has “nightmarish memories” of facing Alexander in Atlanta’s 2016 season opener. According to the story …. the second year linebacker was all over the field that day, absolutely wrecking Kyle’s gameplan. Alexander continued to wreak havoc play after play, with 17 tackles (15 solo), a sack, and 2 big hits on Matt Ryan. During the 2nd half, after Alexander got to Ryan for a 2nd time, Julio Jones approached Kyle Shanahan on the sideline and offered to play fullback, in an attempt to slow Alexander down, thinking he might be able to matchup with him physically. He stayed at WR and the Bucs ended up beating the Falcons, but as we all remember, it was the Falcons who represented the NFC in the Super Bowl that year.

      Now that’s an NFL classic!

    3. Just know, Lynch was never going to dump millions in a safety like Thomas, Weddle or any other. He he would rather take his chances sticking with his current safeties and only adding through the draft and original Free agency

  5. Verrett is low risk high reward so I do not mind the sigining at all.

    I actually think that Bourne has a lot of potential. If he can grow up in year 3 I think he can have a good year. As a result I think Matthews will be a backup, and does have potential to win the starting slot job. A lot of times people assume the slot guy has to be a small guy, but a bigger bodied WR works as well.

  6. 1. I am fine with both Verrett and Matthews based on their contracts. Verrett has a real chance to heal up and bounce back. It has been done.
    1a. Keenan Allen had a series of fluke injuries early in his career including ACL. He has gotten healthy and emerged into a top 10 receiver. He was on the niners draft radar coming out of Cal.
    1b. Allen Robinson tore ACL with Jags. He had a pretty good season with Bears and a great game in the playoffs. Robinson was also on the Niners draft radar coming out of Penn st. and as a prospect for a FA signing last year.
    2. Interestingly both Verrett and Matthews were also on the niners draft radar coming out of college.
    3. I also like the Coleman signing. I like Coleman signing a lot more than Mckinnon . Breida and Coleman are the way to go.
    4. I have a feeling they will draft a WR early-ish. Like day 2.
    5. Niners better not do anything stupid day 1. Bosa or allen.

    1. What about Quinnen Williams at 2?

      Give Thomas one more year to develop as a pass rusher. We now have a sped rusher to play LEO.

      1. The problem I have with Williams at #2 is that you’re likely upgrading a player that is already playing well. Williams most likely position when not pass rushing as a DT in the Nickel is probably at Left Defensive End. But Armstead plays there and he plays the position well. He’s even an decent interior pass rusher (more pressures than actual sacks). Is Williams better than Armstead? Most likely. But you’re up grading a B player with a possible A player. That’s nice and all but wouldn’t that draft capital be put to better use at: Defensive End (they need another edge pass rusher), Corner, Free Safety or Wide Receiver? All those positions are currently C level players or worse (for one of the Corner spots). So wouldn’t using the draft capital (maybe a trade down?) to fill those positions with possible A and B players a better use of resources?

        1. AFFP,

          You make a good point, but the question I have is that can Williams cause so much disruption in the backfield offenses are forced to double team him, which would allow 1on1 matchups for Buckner, Ford, and Armstead/Blair/Street/Draft pick?

          Which is a better combination of graded players for the front 4:
          3 A players (Ford, Buckner, Williams) and 1 B/C player (Armstead, Blair etc.) OR
          3 A players (Ford, Buckner, Bosa) and 1 B player (Armstead)?

          1. @ChrisMac

            I don’t think this is solely a defensive line discussion.

            you have to add into the equation:
            3A Dline players and a two C- Safeties, a C- Corner and a C WR

            Or 2A players a B Player and upgrades at those some of those other positions?

            1. AFFP,

              With the #2 pick in mind, is there a player worth taking outside of Bosa and Williams without a trade down?

              I agree with most posters here that a trade down would probably be the best-case scenario, but if that doesn’t materialize, who would be your pick (outside of Bosa or Williams)?

              1. I’d prefer a trade down.

                If I had to pick, it’d be Bosa to pair with Ford. But I’m not sure Bosa can rush from a Wide 9 technique

  7. Looking at the trade value chart, the Giants are now in play for pick number 2. They could offer the first round pick they got for OBJ, along with their pick number 6, and it comes in within 50 points on the TVC. They could add pick numbers 143 and 180 to make it come within 3 points of an exact match. They still would have 8 picks in the draft.
    .
    By moving back 4 spots, the Niners could obtain an additional first, fifth and 6th round picks. That is an offer the Niners would find it hard to refuse. The Niners would end up with pick numbers- 6, 17, 36, 67, 104, 143, 176, 180 and 212. Nine picks in all.
    .
    They might miss out on Bosa and Allen, but could possibly select Sweat, Oliver, Williams, Ferrell, White or an OT. With that precious 17th pick, they could select Burns, Gary, AJ Brown a TE or an O lineman. Those later picks could help select positions they otherwise would have missed out on with only 6 picks.
    .
    Trading back with the Giants would help them secure Haskins, their QB of the future, and provide depth for the Niners while still getting an elite pass rusher.

    1. That’s a nice scenario.

      I was thinking 2 for the Raiders 4+24+2020 4th. If a quarterback went at 1 that would guarantee one of Allen, Bosa or Williams. I’d be happy with any of those picks at 2.

      But its feeling like the Raiders are keeping Carr. And if the Cards take Murray I think they deal Rosen to NYG.

      I’m hesitant to trade farther back than 7, which risk losing out on Sweat too.

        1. Oct 28th, 2018, Kingsbury tipped his hand. Murray will be the future franchise QB for the Cards. Rosen will back him up, just in case.
          .
          However, Mayock may convince Gruden to select Haskins, so a trade back with the Raiders is still on the table.

          1. I hope Gruden does calls for Haskins and makes a deal for their picks #4,24,106. I think he wants Carr gone and trades him. AB with a fresh exciting QB for Vegas may be the ticket, Not sure Rosen is going to be backup. So 10/18 is almost 5 months ago, lot of time to change minds keeping Rosen, maybe they trade him to the Giants. Under Rosen’s rookie contract, Rosen is due just $1.28 million in guaranteed salary in 2019 and not much more in 2020 and 2021 ($800,000 increase per season).

            That makes him an appealing possibility for the Giants and other teams looking for an affordable, young quarterback. Also, Eli Manning is due a $5 million roster bonus if he isn’t cut by Monday, so if the Giants wanted to save more money, trading for Rosen and then starting him would pay off financially right away. Or Manning can mentor Rosen for a year. Rosen didn’t have anybody good to learn from and he had a bad OL. Also the last time quarterbacks switching teams between the Giants and Cardinals worked out very well for both teams.

    1. Thanks The Truth. Talk about overrated.

      Here it is: Analytics of free agency – Three “HEAD-SCRATCHERS”:

      2) Trent Brown LT, Oakland Raiders,

      “Another position where a scarcity of free-agent resources impacted market dynamics? Left tackle. Good news for Brown, who signed a four-year, $66 million contract (with $36.75 million fully guaranteed). Making an average of $16.5 million per year, he’s now the highest-paid offensive tackle in the NFL. As a member of the Patriots last season, Brown allowed 13 QB hits — third-most among all tackles, according to Pro Football Focus. Consider that New England gave up just 67 QB hits total (third-fewest, according to PFF), and Brown’s issue is even more concerning. Offensive coaches around the league always talk to me about how Tom Brady and O-line coach Dante Scarnecchia make offensive linemen look better than they are, due to scheme and getting rid of the ball quickly. So I measured Brown’s push-back/pressures when the ball’s released in under 2.5 seconds and over 2.5 seconds. The good news is that Brown showed improvement over the past three seasons. The bad news? He ranks outside of the top half of left tackles in both categories over this time period. Derek Carr got rid of the ball almost as quickly as Brady last season, and the Raiders’ offensive game plan will likely utilize tempo. But still, paying someone the highest rate in the league at such a key position, while banking on continued improvement, seems risky.”

      And the writer didn’t even touch on Brown’s history of being overweight and poor conditioning.

      1. Nor did he touch on Brown’s average-to-below-average run blocking. If this guy thinks he’s overpaid now, just wait. I personally think he’s better off at RT. The Raiders just drafted a player in the first round based on his perceived fit at LEFT TACKLE, so Brown may very well end up at RT in the near future.

        I’m already laughing at this deal, and if Brown does end up at RT after signing a 4 year – $66 Million deal, with $36.75 Million fully guaranteed …. I’m probably not going to able to stop laughing any time soon.

        1. If the Niners trade down to get two first round picks, I’m hoping they get a stud O-lineman.

          Left tackles don’t come cheap. With the speed and strength of edge rushers, the price paid for a nimble, mean, and smart “big” just keeps going up.

          Brown is in point of teams willing to pay big money for a “known and servicable” left tackle. We miss the Joe Staley of two years ago, and will miss next year’s Joe Staley in 2020.

          1. Yes. People are overlooking OT in trade-back scenarios.

            I still think 49ers will go edge, but the Dee Ford situation adds an element of uncertainty.

      2. Yeup and that’s cuz the Raiders made him the highest paid tackle in nfl history lol

    2. Those that suggested we retain Brown for another year never suggested he should be signed to an unreasonable contract when his contract ended. First, at a minimum, he would have made the team more competitive last year and likely got us a compensatory pick when he left. (There is nothing bad about winning more games while rebuilding) . Second, the market for him soared when he played for the Pats and did very well in the playoffs and SB. We may have signed him for significantly less because of no other takers. The argument was that Brown’s release was premature and the 49ers would have benefited by being more patient.

      1. Except Brown’s market value would never have soared like it did, if he remained at RT for us last year, so that doesn’t make a lot of sense whine.

        He was a poor scheme fit, and likely wouldn’t have made the 49ERS any better last year, in fact, he probably would have made them worse. Sorry, but this all adds up to not much, if anything in terms of more wins, or compensatory picks. In fact, their new RT played better than Brown, and actually now has a full year of NFL experience under his belt … so there is also that.

          1. Not that PFF is the end all and be all of metrics.

            But Trent Brown scored a 71.0
            and Mike McGlinchey scored a 73.2.

            How that breaks down specifically last year, I do not know.

            But I think it’s safe to say that McGlinchey played better for Shanahan than Brown did.

              1. The disappointment on Gruden’s face after losing the coin toss to Lynch was priceless.

              2. I’m heartbroken at your disappointment in me.

                But if you’re going to make that statement, at least elaborate with a counter point.

              3. Grant,

                As I said..PFF isn’t the end all be all of metrics. But they’re a relatively objective measure of player performance. If you have some evidence to the contrary…fine. I don’t use PFF as football gospel.

                But given that PFF grades the two tackles fairly closely.
                PLUS
                Shanahan deliberately chose a run blocking right tackle over keeping Brown

                is a good indicator that McGlinchey was a better tackle for Shanahan than Brown. I don’t think that’s an outrageous claim to make.

              4. That’s a valid point. On the other hand McGlinchey was considered a superior run blocker…which probably makes up for much of his pff grade. Of the two performances which of the two sets of skills do you think Shanahan values the most in his Right Tackles?

              5. We’ve covered this before. It’s not sensible to simply dismiss PFF’s grades without providing analytics to support an opposing opinion. At least not in my book.

                Besides Grant, it’s undeniable that Mike McGlinchey was a rookie this season, just getting his NFL feet we, while Trent Brown was a veteran in his 4th NFL season. How do you justify comparing a rookie to a 4 year veteran? No question Trent Brown has improved as he’s gained NFL experience, even if his 2018 regular season was more-or-less average, at least according to the most popular NFL analytical operation in the business. Again I’ll point out that PFF provides advanced, customized data to all 32 NFL teams, 38 NCAA FBS teams, both national & regional media organizations, as well as sports agencies & agents. That’s a fact, Jack!

              6. PFF grades are worthless. You compared the players and said McGlinchey was better. Now you’re saying McGlinchey was good for a rookie.

              7. Actually Grant, I’m saying both things are true. Not only was McGlinchey better than Brown during the regular season, but McGlinchey was also a rookie, while Brown was in his 4th season.

                I’m also saying that Pro Football Focus is undeniably the leader in providing thorough American Football analysis. Whether you like it or not, that’s a fact Grant. It’s should be hard for most people to believe that PFF’s grades are useless, when every team in the league contracts PFF’s in order to use their advanced analytical data and analysis. How exactly do you explain how PFF became the leader in their field, if they can’t even put together proper grades, despite their unprecedented amount of analytical data to support it? You have to realize that makes no sense whatsoever? I understand it’s much easier for NFL coaches to deny PFF’s grades. After all, they are being judged by the moves they make, on a daily basis. They almost have to deny the accuracy of PFF’s grading system, otherwise they would spend all of their time justifying their decision making when it doesn’t line up with PFF’s analysis, wouldn’t they?

              8. Teams use PFF’s advanced statistics, but not their grades. Those are for clueless fans.

              9. Just because you say their grades are for clueless fans, doesn’t make it true Grant.

                That’s kind of like saying NASA has no idea what is happening in outer space, even though they spend billions of dollars exploring and studying the universe. They may not know everything there is to know, but they sure as sh_t know more about outer space than the wacky flat-earth nutbags do, don’t you think?

              10. Plato’s cave, lol, good one.

                Not that I’m calling you a nutbag Grant. Conspiracy theorist maybe, but I certainly wouldn’t call you a wacky nutbag.

              11. Every NFL coach has corroborated my stance on PFF’s grades. You’re the one with wacky conspiracy theories.

              12. Yeah 49reasons. Brown is terrible. Shouldn’t even be in the league!

                PFF is for people that need numbers to compare. This guy gets higher score so better. Fact (yes, fact) is, comparison and analysis doesn’t always jive too well with numerical values. It’s why so many coaches dismiss the conclusions PFF brings, describing them as nonsense, amongst other things.

              13. Well, if you don’t see the obvious logic in the idea that it’s much easier for coaches to claim PFF’s grades are bogus, rather than acknowledging their accuracy, I’m sure I’m not going to change your mind about PFF today. Even ignoring their grades though, seems to me that the rookie – McGlinchey had better numbers than Brown during the 2018 regular season, and now he’ll be doing it at a fraction of the cost, so I’ll just leave it at that.

                Cheers!

              14. Grant your dismissing the fact that Trent Brown was blocking for Tom Brady and McGlinchey was blocking for Jimmy G(3 games) Beathard and Muellens there’s a big difference. There’s a reason the Patriots let him walk as I predicted they would

              15. I know Truth,

                Grant, and the “Trent Brown is a hall of famer” crowd choose to simply ignore the fact that Patriots apparently made no attempt to resign Trent Brown after his “legendary” postseason, at one of the toughest positions to fill in the NFL. Heck, they could have even used their franchise tag, if a long term deal was an issue for them, but they left that in their back pocket. But the rest of us are supposed to believe that this is one of the best OL in the league? Really?

                Yah, and I’m Batman. SMH!

              16. Pats make their own rules, and their formula for success works for them, but few others.
                .
                Look who they just signed- Bruce Ellington.

              17. They lost Malcom Brown , so they signed Mike Pennel.
                .
                They only had 12 mil in cap space, so that is why Trent Brown and Trey Flowers were allowed to walk.

              18. They also traded Chandler Jones instead of paying him big bucks. They gave the big bucks instead to Stephon Gilmore and Devin McCourty.

              19. Bet Trent Brown won’t get another ring now but you can bet the Patriots will be making another run at the Super Bowl like I said before it’s Tom Brady and Bill Billicheck that run that ship and they’ll find another LT and make him money too

              20. Let’s see how Trent Brown does with a QB that doesn’t get the ball out as quick as Tom Brady

              21. Yeah but if Trent Brown is that guy he should help Derek Carr be a better QB especially after trading for Antonio Brown no excuses for him

        1. Brown’s is likely going to be fat, out of shape, and in Gruden’s doghouse before mid-season, just like he was with the Niners. His time with the Patriots is grossly overrated!

          For one thing…. Brown was playing for a big contract last year, this tends to motivate people beyond their typical season. What’s left to motivate Brown now that he got paid? If his weight and condition have been an issue going all the way back to college, well before he entered his contract year, what are the odds that he’ll fall back on bad habits? Odd’s are strong that 2018 was an anomaly for Brown – more of a product of playing for a great Patriots organization, than it was about Trent Brown being a great player. And he wasn’t even great for the Patriots!

          And for another thing …. what are the chances of a Raiders’ Super Bowl berth anytime soon? They are a team in flux, with all kinds of future distractions that come with relocating. I mean, they call Vegas sin city for a reason whine.

          Trent Brown + another $36.5 Million burning a hole in his pocket + Las Vegas = Trouble, with a capital T!

          1. “For one thing, Brown was playing for a big contract last year, this tends to motivate people beyond their typical season. What’s left to motivate Brown now that he got his money?”

            Same could be said for Dee Ford, who had back surgery in 2017. Scary.

            1. Does Dee Ford have a history of coming into camp out of shape and stating that he doesn’t like to study film? I do not know the answer to the question. But I don’t think it’s baseless speculation to wonder if a guy with those discipline issues might have problems once he gets a large payday.

              1. No. But, Ford certainly played his best during a contract year after underwhelming previously. And that back surgery would make me nervous if I were Lynch.

              2. Grant

                You’re manipulating the facts to support your narrative again.

                What’s more likely to have been the primary reason for Ford’s performance last season?

                The fact that he was in a contract year?

                Or the fact that he was healthy last year?

                You could say both…but that’s a cop out because I asked for the PRIMARY reason. And because he has no history of undisciplined training behavior there’s no reason to to believe his performance will suffer because he got paied.

              3. “Ford certainly played his best during a contract year after underwhelming previously.”

                That’s not accurate. Ford’s 2016 was almost exactly the same, with the difference being that he played 200+ fewer snaps.

              4. AFFP, I beg to differ. There is a reason why they call it a- Contract Year Performance. Then, when rewarded, the player focuses more on staying healthy, than exceeding expectations.
                .
                The league is riddled with Post-Contract Year Letdowns, it is just human nature.

              5. @Seb

                You can say that about any player that signs a contract is a risk for under performance. But within the SPECIFIC CONTEXT of this thread Grant made the comparison of Trent Brown and Dee Ford because they both signed large contracts. Brown has a history undisciplined behavior so concerns of a post pay day let performance let down are significantly greater than for a player like Ford who has no history of undisciplined training and poor preparation behavior.

              6. It’s accurate. He has underperformed for 60 percent of his career

                But WHY was Ford under performing? Was it due to poor training and lack of preparation? Or was it due to initially learning to play the position and later primarily due to health issues that effected his performance?

              7. Who knows for sure? All we know is despite Brown’s weight and lack of film study, he has been consistent. And despite Ford’s fitness and film study, he has not been consistent.

              8. “He has underperformed for 60 percent of his career”

                Not really. His sack rate in 16 was basically the same as 18, and his sack rate in 15 was not far off.

                It’s about snaps for him. As long as he’s healthy he will be a big upgrade over anything the 49ers have had on the edge since Smith as far as pass rush.

              9. I agree with your final sentence. But, he will hurt the run defense if he’s on the field for first down and second down.

              10. Grant,

                But, he will hurt the run defense if he’s on the field for first down and second down.

                I think that would be true if he were made to be a Force type of player like at SAM in the base defense. Because the clips of him getting lost, blocked and avoiding contact with blockers (TEs and pulling linemen) is when he’s string out a run play to the edge.

                Shanahan says Ford is a LEO. So Ford will be blasting into the backfield to blow things up behind the blockers for the most part. So I think it may be a better use of his talents if he can get by the initial block of the Left Tackle.

              11. He’s still not as good against the run as Solomon Thomas or Arik Armstead. If those two are on the bench and Ford is playing Leo, the run defense will take a hit.

              12. “But, he will hurt the run defense if he’s on the field for first down and second down.”

                They have the depth to have a solid rotation and not make that a big issue. Keep the guy fresh so he is on the field on the money downs.

              13. That’s what I would do, but he would be quite an expensive third-down rusher. I wonder if the 49ers will use him that way, or feel compelled to play him three downs to justify their investment.

              14. “That’s what I would do, but he would be quite an expensive third-down rusher. “

                Draft mistakes are costly

              15. Grant,

                He’s still not as good against the run as Solomon Thomas or Arik Armstead. If those two are on the bench and Ford is playing Leo, the run defense will take a hit.

                While that’s true, I think the impact of Ford’s past deficiencies on run defense may be less than you think. I think it’s going to be dependent on what he’s asked to do. I think he’ll be fine if all he’s asked to do is barrel into the backfield to blow things up. No. gap control and little containment. But most importantly, I do not believe there is any scenario where the Niners run a base defense against the run and Armstead is not on the field.

              16. The Leo plays a Ghost 9 alignment, so he’s a contain player, unless he wrongs arms it and spills it, which the 49ers Leos don’t do.

              17. Wouldn’t let me post website:

                Stopping the Power Running Offense with the 4-2-5 Part II: Double Tight I
                In this part, I will look at run fits and alignments versus Double Tight I formations. These are not hard fast rules and techniques. These are not always ideal given the talent or distribution of your players. This is just a base to work from that works the majority of the years. If you want more detail on basic alignment, look at this post.

                ALIGNMENT

                The call is TITE-2 SKY. The front can set the strength either way, the ideal situation is to have it set towards the WR side. However, you can’t always count on that; motion will have jumping and shifting all over the place. The read side is normal, nothing has changed. The FS, SS, Corner, and front align like they versus regular pro-I. The away-side is where things change. The WS shifts to a tighter alignment (anywhere from 1×1 to 5×5; it really depends on the player) angled in 45 degrees. He is the force player. The corner is aligned 4-6 yards behind the DE. Finally the nose shifts to an inside shade on the guard versus the TE. (You could put the corner in force alignment and stack the WS behind the DE, all you would need to tag is TITE-2 Cloud)

                The big change here is the play of the corner. The corner is pass conscious but as soon as he gets his read he is into the run fit. If you don’t like your corners playing like this, you could personnel another backer/safety into the game or just run cloud on the back side.

                The corner has a flat foot read of the TE. If pass shows he has him up and in. If he is out the WS will play him and the corner will gain depth. On run he is a fill player. He works inside out on runs to, and plays the cutback on runs way. You can’t let the TE worry the corner too much, you need him active into the run fit. He is essentially a player that has linebacker type run fits, with corner coverage responsibilities. Again, find which player is best at this role.

                You really have to get the corner confidence in this technique. You don’t want the offense running the ball right at you, with the corner over a nub TE running backwards worried about a TE beating him on deep ball. However, if its third and long and the offense is still in double tight I, then the corner should know that he is not needed in the run fit as much, and can play more pass conscious

                ISO STRONG

                Isolation plays create an EXTRA GAP. To remain sound versus this play, the Defense will need to either have a player 2-gap or involve a secondary player in the run fit. This is where the corner playing cutback comes into the picture. When defending the ISO an important thing to consider is how the backers leverage the fullback. Brophy wrote an article about Bo Pelini’s defense, and specifically the lever/spill/lever concept. This is one way to treat run fits. I have become a believer in the linebacker making good contact head up to across, and letting the other backer and cutback player, fill where needed. Carl Pelini mentioned the concept at clinic. He explained that offenses were getting better at scheming run-fits. To combat this his linebackers needed to change up the way they hit and leveraged fullbacks and other pullers.

                In the diagram the Sam hits the fullback as close to LOS as possible. (If the backer cannot physically handle the fullback then cut him) The Mike will then fill off the Sam, and the corner will work to cutback. The FS will work downhill and fill off the linebacker. Finally the SS and WS will fold and play reverse to late pursuit. The FS and corner need to be aggressive about filling in the run. If the backers and D-line cannot stop the play themselves they should at least force the back to make a cut or two laterally, or cutback in the corner. Either way you want the FS/corner making a play on the back as close to the LOS as possible. If you allow the RB to get out of the hole and into open area at all, you corner/FS is stuck in an open field tackle situation. You are lucky to win those 70% of the time. Getting a tackle made close to the LOS is a higher percentage play.

                A Side Note

                Do you play the secondary this aggressively every play? No. You don’t even do it every 1st down situation. You should do it a good amount of the time, but you need to mix in some more conservative pass coverages to keep the offense from play-passing you to death. In this particular call, the secondary should be alert to the game-plan, and that they need to be aggressive run players.

                COUNTER WEAK

                These fits apply to the counter GT and power plays. When planning for these types of plays, I try to simply them down into a concept for my players. So for simplicity I call these kick-seal plays. The PSDE will spill the ball (wrong arm the puller); he does not need to go to the ground just work inside the kick man. If this is done correctly the back will have to bounce the play a gap wider. Hopefully, the spill will deter the sealer and allow the backer to scrape off of the spilled kick player free to make the play. If the sealer works around the spill then the backer will need to fit up on him. The Mike needs to attack the sealer close to spill and rip across him. This action will turn the lineman’s body and cloud the running lane for the back. The back will have to change direction to try to cut up in the small hole between the kicker and sealer or continue to bounce at an angle that’s vulnerable to pursuit. The backs vision is clouded by having the backer rip across and turn the corner on the seal man.

                The corner will work off the back. If he bounces or takes the inside route the corner needs to fly in there and fill. The back-side backer needs to avoid the double team on the nose. In circumstances like this I like this backer to work behind the double team and make the play in the backfield. (If the double team pushes the nose lateral, then the best thing for the Sam to do is work over the top.) Many times kick-seal scheme are stopped by the back side linebacker running through. Its hard for the offense to account for him. Ask O-line coaches that run the counter about it, they will tell you that the back side backer is the biggest problem for them.

                On the backside of the D, the SS works to play reverse to late pursuit, and the FS will work and look for any cutback.

                TOSS STRONG

                The linemen can’t get reached or put on the ground. The tackle, nose and BSDE need to work laterally down the line. The SS sets the edge at a good leverage angle and forces the back to cutback or bounce outside at an angle vulnerable to pursuit.

                The play of the PSDE on the TE is key. If the O-line works a full zone like the picture above he needs to push vertical on the TE and stay square on him. He works in this position until he sees the O-tackle release inside. When this happens he can become a c-gap player again. If the tackle keeps working with the TE on him, he needs to slowly work to the D-gap and let the backer worry about the back cutting back inside. The Sam has to be similarly alert to a full zone. He needs to work to a position behind the DE. if he sees the DE work inside to the C, he works around him and the TE and fills.

                The FS fills the alley inside out. If the defense executes these assignments there should be nowhere for the back to go. Two players should be hitting the hole unblocked. If the TE happens to work down and block the Sam, then the DE will be free to make play along with the FS.

                CONCLUSION

                Again there are different ways to do things, these are the way I like to play the power running game. It part III I will look at defending unbalanced and 3-back running formations. If any of you reading want me to look at some other formations and plays leave a comment and I will try to fit it in.

                runcodhit . blogspot . com

            2. That’s true Grant, but Dee Ford isn’t a guy with a history of bad habits, and he was THE BEST PASS RUSHER in the NFL last season.

              Trent Brown on the other hand, has a history of bad habits, and was hardly the best at anything last season. Brown was ranked as an AVERAGE LT last season by any standard, giving up the third most QB hits among all qualified NFL OT’s, despite playing for the best OL Coach, the best HC, and with the best QB of all time (as painful as that is for me to say, lol).

              1. I’m not sure Trent Brown was the best LT in the postseason. He might have had the best postseason in terms of pass blocking, but not run blocking. And even if he did have the best postseason of all LT’s this year, one good postseason doesn’t warrant being the highest paid OT in the league. Not with Trent Brown’s history. I mean ….. Joe Flacco was the best QB during the 2012/13 postseason, right? How did his blockbuster contract end up working out?

              2. 49, I think the Pats averaged 150 yards rushing per game in the playoffs.
                .
                Brown was a road grader.

            3. Brown will never play better than he did last year under Scarnecchia, McDaniels and Brady. If only Gruden had won the coin toss, he wouldn’t of had to overdraft the UCLA OT and then overpay for Brown….

              1. Gruden didn’t just draft one OT last year either. He drafted two. It just so happens that his first round pick was horrendous last season. So it’s really saying something then, when Gruden’s inability to evaluate OT’s isn’t even his worst quality.

                10 years, $100 Million for a HC who’s offensive philosophy is stuck in a time warp – circa 2001, and who doesn’t understand the mentallity of modern day NFL players.

                Yikes!

            4. Grant:
              * “PFF grades are worthless.” You may want to add IMO…..So you don’t have to wipe egg off your face trying to explain WHY PFF is still in business, or WHY NFL team(s) spends more money purchasing PFF stats, than you’re annual income….ya think?

          2. Brown was playing for a big contract last year, this tends to motivate people beyond their typical season.

            Not to mention the Niners gave him the gift of sending him to a team in said contract year that has had great success with (fill in the name of most any tackle) recently. If anything, the Niners deserve some clawback on his new contract.

            1. They fact that Grant was reduced to bringing in Ford into the Brown argument shows he was desperate. You lost Grant except perhaps from the perspective of your own ego. We shall all see how Brown fares in the coming years. I see the potential for a DeMarcus Russel part two in the making.

              1. Ummm, Trent Brown did his job, and did it well, and helped the Pats win a SB.
                .
                He is a champion, yet you equate him with the biggest bust in NFL history?
                .
                You cannot take a SB away from Brown, no matter how much you try.
                .
                Methinks your desperation is more on display, here. Grant won against your argument, because you just defeated yourself.
                .
                Please think things through before inserting your foot in your mouth.

              2. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Brown just did the same thing Matt Light, Tom Ashworth, Brandon Gorin, Marcus Cannon, Sebastian Vollmer, Nate Solder did. Like the rest of those OTs, got plugged into the Patriots winning machine and… won. Good for him, I hope he enjoyed it. Like the previous year’s model Nate Solder, it’s going to be a long long time until he tastes anything similar with his current team.

          3. Grant,

            You believe the LEO is a contain player? He’s a C gap player.

            In the original scheme the Under/Open End squeezed the B Gap. He attacked the Tackle with his left shoulder, drove him back towards the Center and held the C Gap until he saw there was no threat to the gap and then released up field.

            In the Carroll scheme the LEO is no longer an End that squeezes his gap, he’s an upfield penetrator. I’ve read some interpretations that the LEO is a contain player (but nothing coming from Carroll or other coaches). So I don’t think he’s a containment player. You can’t charge up field very easily and be a containment player. I mean sure if the ball carrier gets to the outside of him he’ll spill him outside and follow him. But that’s why they play with an 8th man in the box. The ROVER (the box safety) plays backside containment on his side. The ROVER plays opposite of the SAM.

            “The best pass rusher on the team is usually the defensive end to the open side of the field. That puts him on the quarterback’s blind side and makes him a C gap player in this defense. We often align him wider than this in order to give him a better angle of attack and allow him to play in space. We align him a yard outside of the offensive tackle most of the time. He has to play C gap run support but at the same time he is rushing the passer like it is third and ten. He has to be able to close down however if the tackle blocks down on him. (He) has to be one of your best football players. Size does not matter as much. We want an athletic player who can move around.” -Pete Carroll

            Also, you wrong arm against trap blocks. The LEO probably won’t be trap blocked…he’s charging upfield so hard to get with a trap block. He maybe blocked down and sealed by a crack back block if he’s not careful.

              1. I don’t have access to video. I’m just going on what Carroll said and what I know the logistics of playing the position. Outside linebackers that play containment don’t fire into the backfield. They stay on the outside until they read that the play isn’t coming to them. LEOs charge upfield making spilling a much more plausible technique. Remember when Armstead at LEO kept losing contain a couple years ago against the zone read? Saleh said that it wasn’t Armstead’s job to stop the outside runner. He didn’t say who’s job it was. But it’s got to be the Rover or a scraping WILL.

                I’d be interested to see if you have evidence to the contrary.

  8. How many of the last last several super bowl winners have a classic “Number 1 receiver?”

    I’d love a number 1 receiver. A receiver that does it all. Speed, size, routes, hands etc. But I think multiple passing weapons (not perfect but they perform in their roles very well) is of greater importance.

    1. Multiple passing and running weapons combined with effective play calling. Yup.

        1. Weapon effectiveness could range from an empty plastic bottle tossed by an 80 year old to a hydrogen bomb

          1. The problem with #1 receivers is that they are often shut down as well. They also sometimes get injured and then what.?

  9. I’m convinced the 49ers entire Free Agency player acquisition plan has been an elaborate ploy to justify the hiring of Ben Peterson.

    1. I think many of us think this is indicative of the ownership. They are cheap and look to get most out of bargains, even if they are risky and hardly ever work out. It was true with Baalke and true today!

      At least Shanahan has a built in injury excuse….

      1. I highly doubt Jed is calling down from his throne and telling his vassals to only sign injured players to save him some money. It’s pretty dumb to think signing high risk/high reward guys like Verrett to one year “prove it” type deals is evidence of thrift store shopping from ownership. I’m not sure who the “many” of you are but you guys should form a club and have t-shirts made so the rest of the sane people can identify you avoid you.

      2. I’d hardly call Kwon Alexander and Dee Ford’s contracts cheap. And don’t most fans complain that the 49ers pay too much for their free agents? Aren’t the 49ers still paying Chip Kelly his salary? If they were truly cheap they wouldn’t fire two coaches in the first year of their (guaranteed) contract consecutively.

        1. There is no way they are still paying Chip Kelly’s salary. My turn to demand you produce evidence.

            1. I don’t think you just make things up. I just think you believe too much of the nonsense that is published on the internet. BTW that goes double when the internet source quotes an unnamed source. In the first place, even the unnamed source makes my statement correct because he claims that only a part of Kelly’s contract is being paid by the 49ers. You definitely know more about football than I do. But I spent over 40 years in California with a successful CPA practice and another business that I owned and ran. While I am not a lawyer, I have had extensive experience with employment contract disputes with both my clients and myself. A principle part of my education came from the lawyer who represented Joe Thomas when his employment contract was terminated by Eddie D. Like Yogi Berra used to say: “In theory there is no difference between theory and practice but in practice there is.” Last time I tried to make this point someone posted that Kyle had beat the system because he does not have an offset clause in his contract. An offset clause is not the same as saying that the payments will continue without any obligation on the part of Kyle to mitigate his damages (as automatically required by California law which means it is automatic and redundant by law). If Jed continues to pay all of the amount of the contract after firing his coaches he is either a fool or he has a legal staff that is just about as good at the law as his football team is to playing football.

              1. I guess Jed is a fool because he’s quoted below that he’s paying out Tomsula’s contract.

                Which supports my primary statement in this thread that the 49ers are not cheap (again look at Alexander and Ford’s contracts). They just have a specific way of doing business.

            2. The 49ers are most definitely still paying multiple people large sums of money not to coach the 49ers. That is one of the reasons I felt like Shanahan has never been on the hot seat and would always complete his full contract with the 49ers. Firing coaches is an expensive proposition.

              1. @Houston

                I guess you could look at it both ways. That Shanahan is pretty safe because the 49ers have sunk so much money into previous coaching staffs and are still paying for it. Or that the 49ers have a history of cutting coaches loose without regard to financial consequences.

          1. his (Tomsula) four-year deal turns into a one-year deal worth $14 million, and San Francisco is on the hook for all of it. Tomsula was paid $3.5 million in 2015, so he still has $10.5 million coming his way.

            “I would say this; we’ve got several years of Jimmy T’s salary left and we’re going to eat it,” York said. “Whether he’s coaching somewhere else or not, we owe him that.”

            https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/49ers-will-pay-jim-tomsula-almost-15-million-for-one-season-of-work/

            In 2017 (including former assistant coaches and front office)

            The estimates vary pretty wildly in terms of what exactly is owed, but it’s believed that the 49ers will be paying people between $30 million and $70 million not to coach.

            According to Adam Schefter on ESPN, it could be as much as $69 million. Nice.

            https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/heres-the-ridiculous-estimated-sum-of-money-the-49ers-are-paying-ex-coaches/

            1. If what Jed said about Tomsula is true (which I doubt) you now know the reason why we can’t spend the cap each year. Also, see my post above. My dad used to say, Don’t believe anything you hear and only half of what you see – and that was before the internet! Believe what you want. I will never believe that the articles you posted are even close to accurate.

              1. Good point about the cap, Whine. Tomsula’s contract would have expired by now.

              2. You ask for proof and I provide it. You don’t believe the article’s sources. I provide one with a direct quote by the 49ers CEO and you doubt it.

                It’s not like I can teleport Jed to you with certified copies of his ex-coaches contracts to satisfy the validity of the information posted. You’re getting ridiculous.

                You’re choosing to believe what you want to believe despite highly likely evidence to the contrary.

              3. BTW – Do you have any sources who explain why Jed didn’t pay Harbaugh any of his salary after he was fired. The only explanation is that Harbaugh wanted to give back something to the fine organization who screwed him big time. Jed says he owes it to Tomsula but Harbaugh? I dunno. I guess he owed it to Tomsula for pointing the nose of the plane downward where it’s been for the last few years. Of course, I have another theory which is that Harbaugh knew that Jed would try to screw him and just figured he could one up him one more time while he kept his butt from being hit by the door. Jed is a lot of things, but a nice guy ain’t one of them.

              4. But, but, it was posted on the internets, so it has to be true…..
                .
                Wait….. Fake news? ;p

              5. Whine,

                I do not have any evidence (which is google) that Jed did or did not pay Harbaugh when he was fired. I believe that NFL coaching contracts are fully guaranteed but usually have offset clauses. Harbaugh’s salary with the 49ers was $5M. He had the same initial salary with Michigan which in theory should offset what the 49ers owed Harbaugh.

              6. Also BTW, Grant was trying to make you feel good because his post was assuming that Jed paid Tomsula his full contract which, as you know, is not what I believe to be true.

              7. Did Tomsula’s contract have an offset clause? If not, the 49ers just paid him a prorated amount.

              8. Grant – An offset clause is redundant in an employment contract because all parties to the contract have a duty to mitigate their losses in the event of a breach. The absence of a legal right cannot be bargained away by its omission. The employer must immediately replace the employee and the employee must immediately seek re-employment. Also the remedy for breach of an employment contract is damages and damages are only available to the non-breaching party. In real life, when an employee is fired the employer takes the position that the employee breached the contract by not performing properly (One might say that the evidence is not good for Kyle as I write). But more importantly, in order to actually collect there may very well be the need for litigation (like Joe Thomas had to endure) and that is a very bad remedy because there is almost a 100% certainty that there is no attorney fee provision in the employment contract. Which means that the deep pocket pretty much always wins and the employee better get another job post haste and just move on. This is the real world. Those who want to believe Jed is Santa Claus can if they wish. I find he’s an easy person to dislike and not trust.

            2. Grant,

              What is your point about Tomsula’s contract having expired (that’s obvious because it was a 4 year contract that started back in 2015)? The information about that contract was to further support my claims that the 49ers haven’t been cheap and that they’re still paying for Chip Kelly’s contract and that they’ve done it before with Tomsula’s contract. So what was the point of your comment other than to make Whine feel better?

              1. I feel fine. Statements from Jed and unnamed sources are not evidence and I cant’ help you find anything that would support your claim that Jed isn’t cheap. Jed will never redeem himself in my eyes after what he did to Harbaugh. To me that was unassailable evidence of what a low life he is. Like Jim or not as a coach, Jed screwed him over first and then has screwed Tomsula and Kelly as a follow up. You’re going to need literally a “smoking gun” for evidence to make me believe anything good about Jed and his family.

              2. You sure get worked up quickly. They’re not paying Tomsula anymore. That could partially explain why they’re spending more on free agents this offseason.

              3. The money spent on coaches contracts that are no longer here is peanuts to the Yorks. Has nothing to do with spending in F/A, rather more to do with the teams expectations and where they are schematically in the rebuild….

              4. Grant,

                I doubt the couple million (after his Redskins DL coach contract offset) the 49ers owed Tomsula was really impacting how much they spent on free agents over the past 3 years. But just to be clear….since this thread has demanded “evidence”…I do not have a source or any evidence to support that claim. They’ve spent money on players over the past 3 years….you think paying for all those ex-coaches and front office effected how much they spent on players? While it wouldn’t be “evidence” it would be interesting to chart how much they’ve spent on free agents and extensions over the past few years and compare them and see if there’s any correlation to what the 49ers are paying their ex coaches and ex-front office people.

                As to being “worked up”. Whine is getting ridiculous and unreasonable in his demand for “evidence”…I go to the trouble to post some and he still chooses to believe what he wants because he doesn’t believe the words Jed York says directly about the subject. Which means the whole conversation was a waste of time.

              5. Hey, you asked me for “evidence” that Paraag wasn’t a problem in signing the players the football staff wants. I was just using your own tactics. Like Grant said, Don’t get all worked up. No one here is right because they 49ers (as all other teams) spend a lot of money making certain that we don’t get the facts (or evidence if you want to call it that). It’s funny that I am assuming you’re younger than me (I’m 72) and my kids are always admonishing me to never believe the internet. Yet (if you are younger) it seems like I’m saying the same to you. Hard to figure. Should I believe them or believe you? It’s all good man. Nothing is personal. I just really like what Grant is trying to do because he just won’t take the BS that comes out of 4949 and weave it into a PR story. He’s the Joe Friday of writers – all he wants is the facts. When you put a bad team on the field year after year, you have no choice to keep the pitchforks from coming out – Its BS or die.

              6. AFFP, I certainly am no expert on the subject,and am glad you and Whine can disagree without getting personal like Houston and JH, but I generally find it hard to argue finances with a CPA.
                .
                Just saying.
                .
                Hmmm, I need another cup o’ Joe.

              7. Allfor,
                I couldn’t agree more to say the Yorks are cheap is just ridiculous. They are not cheap they are incompetent.

              8. Seb,

                We can make whatever claims we want about ourselves on the internet. I don’t doubt that Whine is or was a CPA. If it makes you feel any better, I was a finance executive in another lifetime. The CPAs we hired (Grant Thorton was the last one I worked with) worked for me (when we were a start up I did the books on Quicken and then QuickBooks….I HATED IT. Then I hired a book keeper. Then we got bigger and I had to hire a small accounting firm. then I hired a larger accounting firm). I was the one that structured the contracts in my company….the CPAs just crunch numbers.

                But all of this is irrelevant. I posted about as good of proof as you can find on the internet and Whine doesn’t accept it. In his words he needs a “smoking gun” which of course is pretty much impossible…making the whole discussion a waste of time.

              9. Whine,

                We kept is civil (and I can be an arrogant a$$ sometimes)…so it’s all good.

                The thing about the internet is that you have to consider it’s sources. I do not believe I provided any shady sources (and one had a direct quite from Jed). But whatever….at this point…just agree to disagree. An honestly…I prefer discussing these topics with people that have differing opinions than I do.

              10. Old Coach & Whine,

                I like the way the 49ers do financial business. But one thing I learned years ago that the most important thing an executive can do is not manage product or even money. It’s manage people.

                The biggest evidence of 49er’s front office incompetence is the obvious Harbaugh firing and the years that followed. But those problems weren’t caused by poor FINANCIAL decisions. They were poor MANAGEMENT decisions. Jed had a problem with how Baalke and Harbaugh worked together. In some way it appears that Jed was perceived to be an obstacle or opponent to Harbaugh….possibly by siding with Baalke? I do not know this is speculation. We’ve heard that Harbaugh no longer got along or respected Jed (see the “meeting for men” incident). We know that Jed fired Harbaugh and kept Baalke and hired his own preferred in house candidate DESPITE what his GM wanted. So Jed isn’t even working in unison with the GM that he backed. Tomsula’s tenure doesn’t go well as predicted so they have to move on to Chip Kelly??? Which of course doesn’t go well…..and now we have an inexperienced GM (I’m not saying he’s completely bad…just the obvious…inexperienced) and a first time head coach that started with a mostly inexperienced staff. So from a management perceptive….this all looks like a clustermuck of a situation.

                So while I’ll defend the Yorks financial commitments to the 49ers as well as their financial strategy (risk mitigation). The Yorks appear to be incredibly inept at managing their staff of executives all the way down to position coaches (which they’ve tried to fix a little bit this year.)

              11. I agree with your take on the management aspect All4. Across my career I’ve worked with people–from entry level, ‘shop floor’ environments; through first line supervision; through middle ranks of managers (project/program planning and execution); to senior execs, directors, boards, and CEOs. I’ve worked at all levels, other than CEO (close, but…).

                In my mind–looking from the outside in–the Yorks are very weak when it comes to assembling and equipping/enabling a team/staff of talent (people) to achieve at very high levels in a very turbulent, competitive, high visibility line of business.

                In a way, it seems the Yorks are running a high-end auto dealership–inefficiently.

              12. Grant,
                Ill3 take your word for it about the meeting. Do you disagree tbat near the end that Jed and Harbaugh had an adversarial relationship?

              13. AFFP – I post from my home office in AZ and right now I’m looking at my (now retired) CPA license from the State of California, hanging on my wall. I’m sorry you would think that I would lie to try to make a point. I was just trying to share some practical knowledge for those who post here. I was involved with over 50 lawsuits (in California) as an expert and percipient witness and both a plaintiff and defendant. From what I have read and personal experience only a small number of lawyers have more experience in court than I do. The overwhelming majority of people have very little knowledge how different the legal system compared to what we think we know. What I am telling you and others is that virtually nothing you read describes how things really are when people are arguing over money. Your lucky if you haven’t had the experiences I have like when one of my clients died or decided to get a divorce and the knives came out. It is almost like a virgin trying to contemplate sex. Aside from numerous employment contract claims, I swear that I learned the intimate details of Joe Thomas firing by Eddie D from his own attorney who was a famous San Francisco attorney. Eddie D wanted to go to arbitration by Pete Rozelle and Joe T’s attorney strenuously objected but agreed. Both were shocked when Pete Rozelle ruled in their favor. Eddie flipped both of them the bird (metaphorically speaking) and it was off to court where the lawsuit was finally settled for nuisance value (not good if you’re not a lawyer. Now you and Houston want to convince me that we are in a new age and Jed is all touchy feely unlike his uncle and the other employers I know of over the years. Sorry not going to go there. Of my 50 plus cases I was involved in, precisely one went to trial and verdict (I was the plaintiff). The other cases settled proving what Voltaire said long ago: “I was never ruined but twice — once when I lost a lawsuit and once when I won.” It will be wise for you to continue to be skeptical (like not trusting me at first), but maybe you should be a little more careful about who you do trust.

              14. AFFP, thank you for joining this site. You certainly have a ton of football knowledge, and your financial and management bona fides seem strong. You and WC seem to be peers.
                .
                I am glad you can be civil and polite. I hope to be respectful of your opinion, but also hope we can disagree without being disagreeable. I like debating. Believe it or not, I can rub some posters the wrong way, but I mean well.
                .
                I look forward to more of your posts. Grant should be thanking his lucky stars for having a poster like you.

              15. Whine,
                I specifically said I DON’T DOUBT that you were CPA. My comment about claiming who we are on the internet was in reference to my claim later in my comment.

                I never said Jed was touchy feely. I simply mentioned what has mostly been reported about the contracts whi h is not uncommon in today’s NFL. Coaches contracts are usually guaranteed and there’s usually offset language.

  10. Question:

    How much did the team miss Reid last year? In hindsight, was letting him go, the right move?

  11. I don’t like our safety position starters. Since 2014 Ward and since 2015 Tartt were drafted and were suppose to be the starting safety’s. Well neither have played well even though Tartt got a contract extension and now has been hurt the past 2 years. Most teams get rid of those types of players and or replace them with new better players. We resigned Ward for way to much, should of been for the league minimum. So next year we have Colbert, Harris, Moore, Tartt, Ward. That is not a great bunch . Why don’t they sign and go after better players at safety. I understand not to spend 84 or 55 million, that’s fine but you like to sign injured players sign Eric Berry, or Tre Boston or just get a new face in the safety spot.

    look at what happen to the Chargers, they drafted a safety who we should of got and they play the same type of defense right. They played good defense and went to the playoffs. Yes they had better pass rush but safety was a big reason.

  12. Also look at the players they are signing, Matthews has an injury history, Verrtt injury history, Ward injury history, Kwon coming off an injury, retaining Arik at 9 million with an injury history. That’s a lot to hope for that all of them make it thru camp and play at high level without getting injured. Yes they still have the draft but they also draft inured players as well or coming of an injury. Need to draft non-injured players who can come in and play right away. 49ers management have no luxury to sit players

  13. Was looking through the list of FAs still available and the majority have injury history. Remember how devastating lower extremity injuries were–near certainty of being career ending–back in the 60s-80s?

  14. Grades on the FA signings so far
    Alexander A+ if healthy C if he returns at 90% at his age I would bet on a full return.
    Ford A his signing will allow them to draft Bosa which I believe is an A draft
    Coleman A for insurance and A for depth
    Verrett A if healthy ( I have loved this kid since SRJC) if not heathy he was a safe one year gamble.
    Matthews A in the RZ C overall.
    If we get lucky and Alexander and Verrett are both healthy next year is going to be great if not maybe a 6 win season. I’m betting on the former.

    1. For some reason I remember always having to take the test before I was graded.

        1. I wish I had you for calculus back in the day. We could have discussed grades over a beer or two.

    2. Old Coach, I like your optimism, but sadly the reality of the this this FA class dictates at most a B-.
      .
      Right now, they are letting Kwon jog, so the rehab is going slow. He might not make it to TC. They may be smart to keep him on IR with a designation to return midseason. He not only has to fully rehab, he needs to get back all the lost muscle, then bulk up even more to his ideal playing weight.
      .
      Hospital Ward is aptly named.
      .
      Verrett is walking encyclopedia of medical procedures, to both legs.
      .
      You said it yourself- IF HEALTHY. That is a big IF. Wish they could sign fully healthy players , but part of the reason they became Free Agents is due to their injury history.
      .
      Of course, you give the class an A, but then possibly hope for a 6 win season, so you are tempering your enthusiasm with a dose of reality. Yeah, I hope for great things too, but this team is riddled with injuries, from JG down.

      1. Seb,
        Thats right “if healthy” The 49ers run of bad luck with health has to end some time so it might as well be this year. Once again if healthy I love these signings and if they do stay healthy I feel a great year coming on. If they are not healthy maybe 6 wins.

        1. Old Coach, I wish I had your optimism.
          .
          Wonder if Ben Peterson may be the most important person on the team. Hope he is not skating on thin ice.
          .
          Guess I will hope for the best, but expect the worst.

        2. If healthy and they all play and pass…..A-
          But for the FA pickup pre-test score…C-
          Just seemed like a conservative Free Agency the past few days w/injured players all over again.

    3. So basically, everything gets an A. No wonder the Niners have been allowed to dwell in the NFL basement for almost two decades outside of the Harbaugh mirage. Clearly, some fans will eat up anything served by this team, even you know what on a stick…

      1. Renas, this is totally OT, but I want to take advantage of an English perspective. I do not expect a dissertation, but what is your take on the recent Brexit machinations? Just curious.

        1. I’ve long since tuned out the Brexit shenanigans, Sebbie. I always thought back when Leave won that the most difficult part was just beginning, and, like clockwork, the incompetence of the Conservative government has led to a total disaster. I suspect by the end of it, the UK will have “left” by technicality only.

          Personally, I think it should be enough to get them replaced. With whom, I’m not sure. But it’s not good. I would be very surprised if it gets remotely resolved within the next 2+ years – we will likely be hearing about it non-stop until eventually it becomes a non-issue. It’s a shame, because I feel like the UK had a strong negotiation hand originally, and went very soft in playing it. Whatever the case, I think when all is said and done we as a country will not feel the effects too much eother way, though undoubtedly it will be blamed or praised depending in where people lie on the political spectrum.

          (apologies, posted this originally below)

          1. I am wondering that there might be another referendum looming, now that the costs and ramifications are finally realized, studied and understood.

  15. I like the Jordan Mathews signing….. but need to watch closely to see if his drop in production was because of injury or the offense/QB in Buffalo.

    While I like the offseason so far (coaches and players), the draft needs to produce at least 3 starters. Edge, FS and probably WR/TE.

    Also, it would make sense to lock up Blue chip players like DeFo with a long term contract. This will at least show the rest of the team that good performances will be acknowledged and change the perception of a frugal Front office.

  16. I know all players, regardless of the past history, have to pass physicals before a contract is finalized. With that said, I wonder how much of an input there new sports medicine guru (Peterson?) had on these signings. I find it very interesting that the year we change out our whole system of how we handle conditioning, injuries and rehabilitation that we sign multiple players that are coming off of injuries. Not to mention the players that we already have coming back off of the IR list. Just saying.

  17. Grant / Anyone
    * The 9er still need a starting FS and Tre Boston has still not been signed. A solid 81.4 PFF grade with a career high of 79 tackles, eight passes defensed, and five interceptions, who can play center field and he’ll only be 26 on June 25th 2019.
    * Speculation is Tre Boston, when a safety for the Arizona Cardinals, suggested in an interview with The Ringer that N.F.L. team owners had colluded against safeties, implying that they were doing so to justify not signing Eric Reid, who protested alongside Colin Kaepernick when both played for the San Francisco 49ers, was the reason Reid hadn’t been signed yet. http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap3000000938261/article/free-agent-tre-boston-safety-market-is-kinda-rough
    * Do you believe NFL teams remember his comments and the reason he’s still an unsigned free agent?

    1. Why am I not surprised that someone used Boston’s comments as an excuse? If people actually paid attention, they would see that Boston has been allowed to go into free agency by three different teams in three straight seasons despite having a good or strong season with each one, and two of those teams had done this before his comments. The question that should be asked is why teams have been willing to let him walk each season. Locker room presence? Lack of leadership or accountability? Not taking the next step? Something has to be up, and it has nothing to do with Boston’s comments.

      1. MWD
        OK….So having stated you opinion, why do you believe he’s still an unsigned FA? Pick one and provide proof! Even you agree Boston has been allowed to go into free agency by three different teams in three straight seasons despite having a good or strong season with each one?
        * “And two of those teams had done this before his comments.” You may be correct, but who were the teams you referenced and provide the dates they said it please.

        1. Boston’s stupid collusion comments were made, shortly after he had signed with Arizona, on August 11, 2018. That was well after the Chargers had him on their roster for one season in 2017, and easily after his tenure with the Panthers ended after the 2016 season.

          1. MWD:
            * Could it be my question hit a nerve with you? No team Boston played for has accused him of being a locker room problem. It would have been reported in the press if he was.
            * No police record or being in trouble with the law. To the contrary, his record appears to be clean and no issues with teammates.
            * Aside from the demeaning comments (“someone used Boston’s comments as an excuse”), (“Boston’s stupid collusion comments”), support the SPECULATION, (Not an excuse), that it’s the reason he has not been signed.
            * This may help explain why; Overlooked Free-Agent Safety Tre Boston Could Be a Game-Changer for NFL Teams…….https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2786243-overlooked-free-agent-safety-tre-boston-could-be-a-game-changer-for-nfl-teams

            1. No, your question reeks of laziness, like you saw those comments by Boston and drew a conclusion that has no merit just because it satisfies your own take. There is absolutely nothing that supports your take though. When Boston was signed by the Chargers, he had yet to make his comments and was signed after the 2017 draft. Boston was not resigned by the Chargers and had to wait until late July to be picked up by the Cardinals. It was in August 2018 that Boston made his ridiculous comments. So tell me Geep, what was the excuse that teams weren’t interested in Boston until sometime after the draft? Do the owners have the ability to travel across time and hear what Boston was going to say in August 2018? Because that is the only way your conspiracy theory sticks; otherwise, it is nothing but bupkis.

              1. MWD
                * And your demeaning comments tell me all I need to know about you!
                * IN FACT, I have “drawn no conclusion,” just asked Grant (or anyone), if he agreed with the speculation it was the reason why Boston hadn’t been signed, that and I don’t understand why a top NFL FA Safety that fits the 9er system, has gone unsigned by the 9er FO, when FS is a position of need. Since you already knew that, you resorted to insults because you knew you had already exposed your cl(ASS)! Now tell me you didn’t, I could use a good laugh!

              2. And you proved that you refuse to pay attention to facts Geep. If you considering me providing evidence that punches holes through your argument as being classless, then so be it. It really doesn’t change the fact that your question was absurd to ask.

      2. I’ve been wondering the same thing. There has to be some kind of character problem with him that hasn’t been reported, because a young, productive and HEALTHY safety, should not keep hitting the open market.
        I’d love to understand this mystery.

        1. Bebsie
          * Like you, I have no idea why either. If you read the article I post above, it does explore possible reasons why. From a soft market for Safeties to conjecture about NFL collusion!
          * The one thing that can’t be denied, is his performance on the field. It should be of interest the 9er FO, especially his ability to play center field.

          1. MWD
            * “And you proved that you refuse to pay attention to facts Geep.”
            * Even Seb knows reading comprehension is mandatory! But apparently you don’t?
            * My exact words to Grant were: “S P E C U L A T I ON I S”… Tre Boston, when a safety for the Arizona Cardinals, suggested in an interview with The Ringer that N.F.L. team owners had colluded against safeties.” No where did I say, or even suggest, it was a FACT, or draw a “conclusion.”
            * TRY PAYING ATTENTION TO WHAT I SAID… And stop making EXCUSES for your inability to comprehend what I said. Even you’re not obtuse enough to not know the difference between speculation and in your words, “DRAWING A CONCLUSION.” But then again, based on your responses…..maybe you’re NOT, since the only FACTs in evidence, are your words proving it! And yes, your response is ABSURD.

  18. Niner free agency overall is a D+ grade. This becomes B- if every player signed stays healthy. As it is, there was one good move (Ford), one bad (Alexander) and the rest were injury-prone guys that were either overpayed (Ward) or are otherwise on cheap prove it deals that can either be excellent or cut bait types of players. And then we have Coleman, who was not required, but is probably better than Jet. Honestly, Jet is looking like an FA bust right now, to think some argue he was the reason for the Niners offensive struggles kek.

    I guess now we need to hope, or pray if you’re so inclined, that the injury crisis that has defined thus regime so fsr miraculously goes away next year, lest we see very little of about half of these shiny new signings.

  19. Kwon Alexander: B
    Dee Ford trade and signing: C
    Tevin Coleman: A+
    Jason Verrett: A
    Jordan Matthews: A-
    David Mayo: B
    Jimmy Ward resigning: B-

    Overall Free Agency Pickup Grade: B

      1. More balanced than generous Grant.
        The grade for Alexander takes into account that he misses tackles at a high rate and is coming back from an injury, but he is a playmaker that improves the team’s pass defense and slots into the WILL easily. His contract is also essentially a pairing one year deals.
        Ford’s grade takes into account the trade and his new contract; the grade also includes his ability to harass QBs and force fumbles, but dings him on questionable defense against the run and what appears to be a chronic back issue that will most likely be a problem in the future which turn could cause the team to move on from him.
        Coleman gets a high grade because he is a decent sized RB that can help in the red zone and the overall defense. He also comes with a very good and affordable contract.
        Verrett is an excellent CB who did well in a Seattle style defense with the Chargers. His main issue is health, but given that he signed a small prove it contract that allows for the team to take minimal loss and add competition for Witherspoon and Moore, it is a great free agent signing.
        The Jordan Matthews grade takes his injury and decline into consideration, but the grade includes the fact that Matthews is an upgrade at slot WR, has a skill set that fits Shanahan’s offense, and is a capable red zone target. His injury history and contract he just signed offset each other. The height he provides to the WRs is an additional bonus.
        The Mayo signing gives the team a replacement for Coyle. His signing was specifically for special teams and depth.
        Ward has shown he can play at FS; his main issue is staying on the field instead of the sidelines. But his signing is low-cost and does not preclude the team from taking a safety like Adderly in the draft.

          1. I don’t mind balanced coverage Grant, but leaning too far into the positive or negative needs to be avoided. What is also available at the onset of free agency is just as important.

            1. That’s why the 49ers get such favorable coverage no matter how much they lose. Local journalists are terrified of being called “negative.”

        1. Mid:

          Agree pretty much except on Ford. When it comes to the contract, it needs to be compared with the contracts other edge rushers are getting. In that sense, I think it was reasonably fair (graded as a B+). I watched the film on all of his sacks last year and it was great to see how he constantly attacks the ball when making the sack. I can’t tell you how many times I have screamed for our players to swipe at the ball as they are making the sack esp. when the QB isn’t securing the ball to prevent a fumble. He’s a pass rusher, but honestly, I don’t understand exactly how he will be used. They are paying Armstead over $9 million (with no dead money if he is released) and I just don’t see how the team will minimize $/snap with all of these high-priced and in some cases redundant guys. But maybe that’s not the goal. Maybe they want to have top first and second-string talent. If the team can afford it and still make the playoffs, who am I to quibble.

          Secondly, can you provide more info on the “chronic” back problems. Where did you get that idea from?

          1. Thanks for the assessment Cubus.
            Labeling Ford’s back issues as chronic may have not been the right choice by me. However, Ford did suffer a back injury during his second season with Auburn in 2011, and he dealt with another back injury in 2017. Both injuries cut his season short.

  20. Do we have more injured players or more recovering players right now?
    We should be able to win in the Hospital-league…

      1. Well, that might still happen if we have to put the injured players on the field to make them pull their weight….

  21. Hoping Kentavius Street’s recovery has gone without a hitch. His presence–if playing well–could add positives to an already interesting run-up to training camp.

  22. Whew… that was fun….got us some talent on D.. .

    I can see the first 3 Picks – Edge, WR, OL….

    I really think they believe one of the players (Ward, Colbert, Tartt, Reed) currently on the team will own the FS position.

  23. “one thing I know, is that I don’t know what I don’t know.” Not sure who said this, but it makes sense in the case of the recently FA signed players that have had injuries.

    At face value the FA signings look very questionable because of injuries, but we don’t have any idea how these players will perform until they play.

    That said, I will now without my grade on FA signings until mid – season.

  24. Pats just released Adrian Clayborn. Wonder if the Niners should obtain him, to get some of the SB mojo.

    1. Interesting. Turns 31 this July. Does have a history of injuries–“Clayborn was placed on injured reserve after injuring his knee. Before the 2014 season, it was announced by new GM Jason Licht that the Buccaneers would not be picking up the 5th year option on his rookie contract. He was also moved to the left side since the team signed Michael Johnson for the right side. Though he started out strong in the year, he suffered yet another season-ending injury placing him on IR and his future in Tampa in doubt since he would be an unrestricted free agent in 2015.”

  25. Now this is interesting…
    sportsinjurypredictor.com

    FWIW…security certificate expired a few days ago.

      1. I opened the site anyway. Very interesting content. Has comprehensive injury info and attempts to predict a player’s injury state into the future.

  26. Looks like the Dolphins could be a trade up candidate. They just sent Tannehill to the Titans.

    1. Hmmm, it might take their first and second pick, along with a 2020 first round pick to pull off a trade up with the Niners.

  27. Dee Ford trade and signing C

    What I like:
    If he maintains his 2016/2018 production it will be a great signing. A+ The defense is instantly improved.
    Lynch now has flexibility to trade out of pick 2 and/or take BPA. He might already have a trade in place to recover the 2nd.

    My concerns:
    Spending high draft picks on franchise tagged players at risk of getting cut to create cap space. Alot of GMs shake down teams that are stuck in this situation. They are mean. They are brutal.

    Think Edwin G Robinson telling Chiefs brass “Look seee… If he’s not worth a contract extension to you, why should we spend a contract extension AND 2nd round pick on him seee…? You think I’m a chump? I want Ford for a 4th rounder, and I want him NOW see… You’re going to take that 4th if you know what’s god for ya seeeee…”

    If the 2018 Dee Ford is his new normal its a fantastic trade. But I always get the feeling Lynch bargains with himself. Were there any other teams offering high picks for Ford?

    1. This is where I get confused. I thought the official word out of 4949 is that Lynch determines who he wants and then he turns it over to Master Contract Negotiator Paaraag. You seem to suggest that Lynch tells Paraag I want this guy and I’m willing to spend $X. I don’t know how we will ever learn the truth until someone quits or gets fired and lets the cat out of the bag but think that Lynch just tells Paraag to TRY to get this guy and then Paraag TRIES (and many times fails). To my tired old eyes I think the tail is wagging the dog and that’s why so many questions about personnel keep coming up. They’ve got a bucket brigade and the question is who keeps dropping the bucket.

      1. I think money talks, and Paraag goes through the list of players targeted, and creates a contract, usually team friendly, and presents it to the agent.
        .
        I think it is more complicated than that, because a player may want to go to a team with a shot at a ring, and the 4-12 Niners are less attractive, even though they have more money to outbid the other teams. That is why the Kwon and Ford contracts were so high. Niners had to overpay, for Kwon. Niners had to part with a second round pick to entice the Chiefs to trade Ford.
        .
        Tyrell Williams should have come to the Niners where he would have been the number one WR. The Niners should have been able to out bid the Raiders, but Paraag refused to budge from his formula. Now, TW will be playing second fiddle to AB.
        .
        Paraag has his analytics formula, and now we have an All ACL Squad. Thankfully, at least the Niners are spending cap space to improve, instead of saving Cap space, pocketing the profits, and being content to lose.
        .
        The bucket brigade is a good analogy. Too bad they have leaky buckets.
        .
        Oh, how I long for a return to the Glory Years, when former All Pro players would take a lot less, and expect less playing time, just for good chance at a ring.

      2. I don’t think Paraag has the final say. Lynch/KS say who they want and tell Marathe to make it happen. PM probably also provides a maximum cost to JL/KS resulting from research (hopefully). At times PM probably goes back to them and say that the FA wants more than what was expected. But I’d be surprised if Lynch/KS allow PM to have the final say regardless of price. If a talented bean counter has the final say, then Lynch should be fired immediately, in my opinion.

        1. I do not think Paraag has the final say, but since he is tasked with negotiating the contracts, his influence should not be minimized.
          .
          I also think KS has had a lot of influence, like in the past drafts and Coleman in this Free Agency. But that is by design by JL, who wants the HC and FO to be working together, unlike Baalke, JH, JT and Chip.

        2. cubus:
          * Is it possible they have equal say and then come to a mutual agreement based on the player that best fits
          the system and improves both the position and the team? Was it not the stated reason Jed hired them, to work together, opposed to a dysfunctional system with the FM and HC fighting each other?
          * Paraag then presents a team friendly offer, including both salary and T’s & C’s the FO (Jed, Lynch and Shanahan), have signed off on?
          * If a FA wants more than what was expected, Lynch consults with Shanahan and if both agree he’s worth more, run it by Jed for approval. Paraag then present the offer to the FA’s agent for his clients signature? If not, they move on to the next FA they want to sign.  

      3. I have no EVIDENCE. But the most likely scenario is that it’s a combination of both Lynch/Shanahan personnel decisions and Marathe’s financing/deal structures. I don’t think Marathe is telling the Shanahan and Lynch who they’re acquiring. While at the same time Lynch probably can’t spend whatever he wants and however he wants on players. I’d assume that Marathe sets the price/value on a prospective player and the terms and tries to go after that player to sign. I doubt that the roles and rules between the GM, Head Coach and Finance Guy are all set in stone. I’m sure they try to work out whatever they can together. So if Kyle really, really, really wants a player….they’ll play more…without assuming too much more future risk It certainly appears that Lynch and Marathe go out of their way to get Shanahan his guys (see: Pierre Garcon, Juice Check, Coleman, McKinnion…etc…).

        I like the risk mitigation strategies the 49ers employ in acquiring personnel. But if you want to make the argument that they should be more open to risk (like granting Earl Thomas a $20M signing bonus) you could make a FOOTBALL case. I probably won’t agree. But there is a case to be made for making exceptions to the system.

        1. ” But the most likely scenario is that it’s a combination of both Lynch/Shanahan personnel decisions and Marathe’s financing/deal structures. ”

          I couldn’t have said it better. What I have been trying to say is that any one could be the problem if we are not acquiring the talent needed to win – and since Paraag has been with us throughout the comings and goings of quite a number of GMs and HCs we’re left to wonder if he is the bottle neck. You know what they say about a three legged stool? One leg breaks and we hit the ground with a thud. Also you know what happens when you assume? The only benefit of the doubt I give the 49ers is if they fired Jed.

          1. What I have been trying to say is that any one could be the problem if we are not acquiring the talent needed to win

            That’s where we differ. I don’t see a many problems with their efforts to build and improve their roster.

            I have more schematic and use of personnel problems and maybe some position coach issues with the team.

      1. That’s good news. It’s not the value of Ford that concerned me. if he plays well its totally worth it. It’s just that is (seems) like 49ers management are easily spooked into paying more (pick, contract) than they could have.

        1. the 49ers pay extra for the right to walk away from a contract in the future.

          1. I remember well the years of being in salary cap hell for our sins and f/a transgressions.

            1. Yeah and I remember winning Super Bowl trophies. Maybe the crime is worth the time.

              1. That was when there wasn’t a salary cap hell, and we were in the NFL garden of eden.

              2. How many Super Bowls have the Niners won after the first year of the Salary Cap? This isn’t 1981.

            2. The salary cap was instituted in 1994 and it was not long after that Carmen Policy was accused of “bending” the rules and ultimately the NFL investigated which resulted in us being busted. Eddie D and the Yorks agreed to the Yorks taking over the team in July of 1999. Shortly thereafter John York reported to the NFL that he thought that the team had violated the CAP . The team was, according to Razor, sentenced to CAP Hell for York ratting his brother in law out. Since taking over the 49ers no HC or GM has served for their entire contract term. Paraag however has endured, and endured, and endured and…. Just saying.

    2. Instead of ” I always get the feeling Lynch bargains with himself” I should have written “I always get the feeling the 49ers bargains with themselves” whether it’s Paraag Marathe or John Lynch.

    3. Were there any other teams offering high picks for Ford? The short answer is … he led the league in sacks last year, so of course there were. The Chiefs almost certainly had a very good indication of the kind of return they were going to get for Ford, before they slapped the tag on him.

      “Look seee… If he’s not worth a contract extension to you, why should we spend a contract extension AND a 2nd round pick on him seee…? The longer answer is … there is only so much money to go around. The Chiefs are about to make Tyreek Hill the highest paid WR in the NFL, and Patrick Mohomes the highest paid QB, in relatively short order. When you are faced with the scenario of having arguably the best young WR and QB in the NFL, both needing new contracts, you’re forced to make difficult decisions you wouldn’t otherwise make. And the 49ers were the beneficiary of such a scenario.

      That’s the way I see it. Plus, the 49ers also didn’t have to give up a 2019 pick, and in theory, next years 2nd round pick won’t be worth nearly as much. I absolutely love this deal. We’ll see if it pans out.

  28. RDE- Ford F150
    DT- Uncle Buck
    DT- Arik Armstead/King Solomon
    LDE- The Bosa Constrictor
    Will – Alexander The Great
    Sammy – Fred “Bear” Warner

    1. Alexander played Mike in Tampa. If he’s a better Mike than Warner I wonder if they’ll use Warner at Will?

  29. I like how players nowadays are donating to charities in exchange for getting their preferred Jersey Number….

    …Something the SOB in the white house could learn from…

  30. The SOB in the White House is working on behalf of the American people for free.????

    1. RazMaTaz
      Really? If Trump’s working for the American people for free, WHY did prosecutors from the US attorney’s office for the southern district of New York issue subpoena(s) seeking a mountain of documents from Trump’s inaugural committee. “FAKE NEWS,” and a “WITCH HUNT?

      1. President Donald Trump donated his second-quarter salary for 2018 to the Small Business Administration, reaffirming his promise to forgo a presidential paycheck. So far in his Presidency, Trump has kept his promise to forego any salary. That’s just a fact. As for your question as to why New York prosecutors are going after him, I believe it’s because Trump is bad. Very, very bad. We must hate him. We must nail his ass to the wall. Anyone seen wearing a MAGA hat must be confronted, whether it be at a restaurant, in a department store, or at a gasoline station. Knock their motherEucking head off!????Good luck in 2020! Impeach 45! Impeach 45!

        1. What a moron?…..its freaking 2019, not everyone is easily fooled by FoxNews anymore……Show us the Tax Returns …..or stfu

          1. Such a spoiled little baby. December 2018 is the second-quarter you dumbass. Deny the truth all you want, you insignificant boob! Show me the tax returns…lol GTF outta here with prissy BS!

        2. Anyone seen wearing a MAGA hat must be confronted, whether it be at a restaurant, in a department store, or at a gasoline station. Knock their motherEucking head off!????Good luck in 2020! Impeach 45! Impeach 45!

          Then better lay low there, razor. But I heard 45 said his personal posse, Bikers for Trump, was going to come to his rescue when things looked bleakest. Those guys aren’t afraid of knocking a few heads for 45. Are you?

          1. I’m wearing my hat now. Did you wanna stop by and try and knock it off? Maybe you’d like to pull a smellitt?

            1. Sad how some people believe their own lies and the stories they make up in their heads

              Dude….aren’t you in your 60s……definately a wasted life….to be on the wrong side of the truth….

              Too bad you not brave enough to wear that white hood in public…

              1. I hate to break this to your dumbass but the Democratic party were the white hood wearers, and they created them. In fact, one of your heros, the long serving Senator Bobbie Byrd was one of their recruiters. Keep on talking outta your bunghole onewhiner! Maybe you can explain exactly how a MAGA hat has anything whatsoever to do with the KKK.

              2. For someone that spend most of their life on Google….the least you can do is get educated…..

                Klansmen were influential inside both major parties, pushing racism, nativism, Prohibition and especially anti-Catholicism. In the South, Jim Crow-supporting Democrats made a natural fit for the KKK. But in Midwestern industrial towns full of immigrant Catholics and Jews who voted Democratic, the Klan took root largely among Republicans. The Klan was Democratic in Oregon and Republican in Indiana — two of its biggest strongholds. By the end of the decade, the organization, whose membership remained semi-secret, claimed 11 governors, 16 senators and as many as 75 congressmen —roughly split between Republicans and Democrats.

                Bottom line is in 2019….your views align with the KKK……its just FACTS bro….

              1. Nobody with half a brain gets triggered by my MAGA hat. The other half I cannot vouch for. Good luck trying to get that win in 2020. Hope you make it to the tippy top.???

              2. Good luck seeing your guy anywhere besides a prison cell by 2020. You think all his cronies headed to the big yard are happy he took that escalator ride in ‘15? ETTD

              3. You’d be better off if he were in prison because you’ve got a snowballs chance in hell of beating him if you’re running on the Big Green Weenie Deal.

              4. Man, AOC has replaced Hillary as your obsession now, hasn’t she? So the D candidate is going to be running solely on some plan put forward by a freshman congress person , eh? Fat chance. It’s only the R’s who have allowed their entire party to be co-opted by a singular loud voice.

              5. You lost. The onus will be on your candidate to make the case. If all you’ve got is this Big Green Weenie deal, your ship is sunk!

                My obsession is for the best for my country which I served 4 years of my life for. Your obsession is Donald Trump. I’m just trying to figure out why Pelosi can’t get a grip on her freshman dumbasses.

              6. I, and the American people, would rather hear a plethora of ideas from a party than nothing but stonewalling to cover for a criminal chief executive. I take that back, some in the R party are still trying to hold it together. Kelly and Magahn fought against Daddy’s giving security clearances to Jared and the princess to prevent them from selling our nations secrets to the highest bidders. This you gave 4 years of your life for, and you are proud MAGA? You’re a good dude Razor, you’ll have your Michael Cohen moment.

  31. Cassius Marsh was released!

    Kind of like choosing not to resign Elvis Dumerville….at this point they really don’t have a better option in place to line up at the other End spot opposite of Ford in pass rush situations.

    I sure hope they draft or acquire some one to at least compete with Blair

    1. The Bosa Constrictor tightens his grip on the #2 pick for the San Francisco 49ers. The new Ford Bosa coming soon to a theatre near you.

      No Marsh = no more ridiculously stupid spin kicks. That’s a win in and of itself!

      1. Razor –
        Let’s hope that the Ford Bosa can stay on the road and out of the workshop.

      1. The precise angles with which he leveraged to bring down Wilson in the open field was a work of art.

    2. Releasing Marsh not only makes me happy that they are clearing out the sub-par edge players they had, but also makes me confident there will be at least one more edge added.

      1. Scooter, do you believe this is a product of happenstance, or more part of a methodical brick by brick plan?

        1. Yeah, I posted previously that this looks planned to me. Thing is, you have to realise you don’t go into it with just one plan – you have multiple plans and contingencies. Keeping Marsh on the option was a backup plan/ contingency if they were unable to get an edge they wanted. Ford was clearly the guy they felt fit the Leo role the best that was available, so they did what it took to go get him.

          With Alexander, his playing style is similar to Foster, and they clearly value that position (see the Smith contract and high draft pick on Foster). So they made sure they got him.

          At CB, they were clearly after a starting calibre talent on a one year deal. The reason for this would be twofold – they like the young guys they have but realise they made a mistake just assuming they would be fine last year, so they want a short term solution to push them/ give them more time to develop, and they didn’t think the CBs available warranted long term commitments.

          The other thing you have to realise is that just because there is a plan, or multiple plans, that doesn’t make them good plans! Time will tell as to whether the moves this offseason work out. I expect some will, some won’t. And some of these moves are correcting previous mistakes made the people making the plans.

          1. Good analysis, but I don’t believe it’s a coinkydink that we’re just so happening to upgrade the edge positions at a time when the draft is loaded with them, and the defense’s depth is filling out….

            1. Are you trying to suggest that in 2017 they had a 3 year plan outlining that 2019 was the optimal year to address edge because that’s when the talent would be available? Good grief…

              No. They tried to add an edge presence year 1 in Thomas. It hasn’t worked out. Last year there was simply a dearth of talent available in either FA or the draft. I am sure they wanted to add someone, but they held to what they considered value over need (something we should all consider strongly when it comes to mocking draft picks). This year they have gotten lucky that value and need coincide.

              1. A little luck is certainly involved, but if you’re trying to suggest that they do not plan that far in advance; good goof!

              2. It was impossible to know in 2017 how good either FA or the draft would be at edge in 2019. Simply too much could happen over that span of time.

                So there is no way on God’s green earth they planned to wait until this year to address the position. Even last year I am sure they didn’t “plan” to avoid addressing the position because they “knew” this year was the best time to do it. What they would have planned for is getting players they considered good value. They hoped Attaochu would be the edge guy that would help and “planned” for the middle of the DL to be the area the pass rush relied on. As the season unfolded it became clear that “plan” didn’t work, so they came into this offseason with a very strong plan to address it.

              3. Impossible? Nah. They have an idea as to probable strengths and weaknesses of future draft classes. Besides that, they’ve been building inside out with the outer guys essentially having been depth or place holders….

      2. I think the Marsh situation was like the Kilgore situation last year. Signed to a contract to make sure there was someone at the position in case they didn’t get their guy in FA.

        1. that’s exactly what it was. But I think they still need another pass rusher opposite of Ford. It’s too close between Marsh and Blair to simply give it to Blair. and the Draft hasn’t come yet either. So either they have another FA edge rusher lined up….or they’re pretty sure of the draft….or of Blair?

        2. Definitely get another good pass rusher, hopefully in the draft. What is it they say, “you can’t have enough good pass rushers.”

        3. 100% cubus.

          Affp, whether it is in FA or the draft (or both), I feel confident they will add at least one more edge player.

          Letting Marsh go now is because they know now they have been able to upgrade his spot on the D. They are doing him a solid by letting him get into the FA market while its still fairly early days.

  32. NFL free agency winners, losers: Raiders, Jets, Browns go big; Giants, Steelers flop

    Winners: 49ers
    San Francisco sat on its big money and didn’t dive in too deep on Bell or Brown, but it filled two great needs defensively with Ford and linebacker Kwon Alexander. There was no Earl Thomas splash at safety, either, but the 49ers didn’t need to overextend for another defensive impact player while sitting on the No. 2 overall pick and staring at Nick Bosa in the draft.

    Losers: Seahawks
    Seattle’s big move was signing the best kicker in free agency, Jason Myers, to replace Sebastian Janikowski. But the Seahawks already had Myers on the team last summer before deciding to cut him in favor of Janikowski, so that’s more of a corrective move. Recovering from the Thomas departure will be harder than the Seahawks think. Signing Mike Iupati and re-signing D.J. Fluker are “meh” moves for the offensive line.

    http://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/nfl-free-agency-winners-losers-raiders-jets-browns-go-big-giants-steelers-flop/nc3cw0vgzlmk1bosznejnt6ma

  33. San Francisco 49ers to host Rashan Gary on visit, per report
    ByKIRK LARRABEE 3 hours ago

    The San Francisco 49ers will be giving one of their “top 30” predraft visits to Michigan defensive lineman Rashan Gary, according to a report Friday from Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

    Gary, who is projected by many to be a top 10 pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, is also expected to visit the Oakland Raiders and Cincinnati Bengals, according to Birkett.

    Reply: 49ers doing their “due dilligence” leading up to the draft !

    https://247sports.com/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/Article/San-Francisco-49ers-Rashan-Gary-top-30-visit-130119477/

    1. Interesting. I was actually thinking with the addition of Ford that Gary might become a player of interest in a trade down scenario. A bigger edge to complement Ford. He’s in the same mold as Solly, who they hope/hoped would be primarily an edge that could also slide inside, but obviously so far hasn’t worked out as planned.

        1. I hope so as I don’t really rate him, but since Solly hasn’t really worked out so far and they clearly value having someone like what they envisaged Thomas being (thus why they drafted him at #3), it wouldn’t surprise me.

          1. I think Thomas has a breakout year under Kocurek, and part of the reason he was hired. I don’t think Z did him any favors….

  34. The True Salary Cap Costs of Sign-n-Trades

    The 2011 Rookie Wage Scale made draft picks (with their cheap rookie contracts) a vital component to salary cap management.

    Before 2011 a team trading for a franchise tagged veteran had two costs…
    Cost 1 – The pricey new contract
    Cost 2 – The draft pick

    Now a team trading for a franchise tagged veteran now has three costs…
    Cost 1 – The pricey new contract
    Cost 2 – The draft pick
    Cost 3 – The lost cap management value of a 4-year rookie contract

    Which poses a vexing question: What is the value of Cost 3? Specifically, how much cap space does a rookie taken at pick 48 in 2020 create relative to a veteran of equal talent?

    A typical 8-8 team has two roster bank account deposits per season:
    Account 1 deposit – The Draft. 1,743 chart points of draft picks (16, 48, 80, and so on…)
    Account 2 deposit – $191,000,000 Salary Cap Space

    Roughly $109,569 for every chart point. Pick 48 has 420 chart points. This comes out to roughly $46 million.

    The 4-year total salary of a rookie taken at pick 48 is roughly $5.8 million ($1.45 million per season). Dirt cheap. If he plays at a high level for 4 seasons that’s $40.2 million in cap savings you would have to spend on equivalent free agents.

    But it can’t be this simple. There are many other variables.
    – Team record
    – What if the rookie sucks
    – The rookie replaces the veteran contract with significant play time years 1-4
    – Cap value is no where as linear as my model suggests. As cap becomes scarce its value increases.

    Which is why I posed all this as a question. I really don’t know the exact cap savings a rookie provides over a veteran (or the overall value or a draft pick overall relative to cap dollars). I’m dying to find out because I can’t accurately grade pick-for-veteran trades otherwise.

    It’s against NFL rules to trade cap space for picks. The closest was when the Texans traded Brock Osweiler+2nd+ 6th for the Browns 4th round comp pick. The chart loss of roughly a late 2nd to buy $15 million in cap space. (I think the Browns shook them down.)

    No matter what the value, the true cap management cost of the Dee Ford trade has to be significantly higher than his ultimate contract costs. That’s why I grade sign-n-trades for franchise tagged players a notch lower than if they were acquired in free agency.

    1. That’s one way of looking at it. Another is this.

      If Ford had been a FA, would he have been the best edge available? I think the answer is yes. No other player was coming off as strong a year, or had delivered as high a level of production while still being the right side of 30.

      Do edge players with his talent often make it to FA? The answer to that is a resounding no.

      So if guys like Ford don’t make it to FA, there is only two other options available- draft or trade. The draft is a notorious crap shoot. So on average you’ll likely need to spend multiple high picks to hit on the one guy as good as Ford. Or you trade one pick to get a guy that has demonstrated he can be successful in the NFL.

      Finally, if he had been a FA then, what sort of deal would he have gotten? Well, if Trey Flowers got $18M a season, would have to believe Ford would have gotten more than that. So $17.5M a season is probably a bit below what he would have gotten on the open market. Having exclusive rights to him provided a discount.

      So all in all, spending a 2020 2nd round pick (which people would often discount to being worth a 3rd rounder this year) isn’t unreasonable.

      1. Scooter_McG – Great post.

        Boils down to this question: What has the greater value?

        A – The dollar difference between Dee Ford’s current contract relative to what he (or equal talent) would have cost in free agency

        B – A 2nd round pick… plus cap reduction value of a 4-year rookie contract

        I don’t know. That’s what I’m trying to find out. It’s not about Dee Ford. He has tremendous value. He might even enable a trade back which (at least) recovers the lost 2020 2nd.

        I think I’d rather pay about $15-20 million more if Ford was a free agent than spend a 2nd round pick on him.

        That $15-20 million is made up by the super cheap 4 year rookie contract… and of course the extra player.

        1. “I think I’d rather pay about $15-20 million more if Ford was a free agent than spend a 2nd round pick on him.”

          If that’s your takeaway you have missed a key point of my post. “Do edge players with his talent often make it to FA? The answer to that is a resounding no.”

          If he was a FA, sure, I would probably pay that extra too. But these types of players very rarely make it to FA so that is a moot point.

      2. If you could buy picks with cap dollars what would you pay for pick 48?

        Now add number that to Dee Ford’s current contract price.

        Is the result lower or higher than what he would have cost on the free agent market?

  35. Kaepernick is interested in the Dolphins job So am I. Who do you think has a better shot at getting the gig?

    I’ve never won a pro castro shirt down there or anywhere. In fact I’ve never even owned one. Not a fan of fidel, and I don’t believe in socialism either because eventually you run out of other peoples money.

    1. Socialism absolves the individual of their responsibility to develop their talents and serve others. it negates the universal law, you reap what you sow.
      Not a wise thing to do, hiring Kap in Florida…………….many ex-Cubans down there who used to live under Fidel’s rule-and split.

        1. Bernie is a self proclaimed socialist. Even said, “breadlines in communist countries are a good thing”. Honeymooned in Russia too…hmmm.

          1. I think Bernie was used by Russia to divide and conquer, and he still will not admit it. Jill Stein, too. They took advantage of his huge ego to deny the top vote getter her victory. I am no fan of him, because I am feeling the burn in the Oval Office.

            1. Beto O’rourke your guy? The white privileged guy with the dui? If only he had a R after his name like Georgie boy Bush, the press’ thrill would be gone faster than you can say B.B.

              1. Biden, LOL. Isn’t he the gift that keeps on giving? Telling a guy in a wheel chair to stand up and telling us you cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin’ Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent? Kamela Harris? Tell me, she said she listened to Tupac after burning a joint in college, but Tupac wasn’t around when she was in college. Good luck Sebbers! Those are some real winners you got right there!

              2. Didn’t your hero refer to Tim Cook as Tim Apple? Wottalozer.
                ,
                Better be prepared, a storm is a’ coming!

              3. My hero won Sebbers. Your hero lost. If you think Biden/Harris is a winning ticket, more power to you.

              4. Ahem. Clinton won the popular vote by 2.87 million votes. Trump won a few states by the skin of his teeth, and is acting like he won by a landslide. Thankfully, this last election has the House of Representatives acting as a check against his tyranny.
                .
                Cant wait to see his tax returns.

              5. Sebbers, I really hate to break this to you but we do not elect presidents by popular vote. We elect them by the electoral college. If you don’t like the rules, change them. Just like if you don’t want the president to be able to invoke his emergency powers, don’t pass legislation allowing it. Congress passed it in 1976. The only reason they’re crying about it is because Trump is the one using it. I didn’t hear a peep outta Chuckie or Nancy when President Obama invoked it 13 times.

              6. Yes, we used to elect Senators by state legislatures, but changed the constitution, and now elect Senators by popular vote.
                .
                I hope we abandon the Electoral college, because it is obsolete, and make the presidency to be won by popular vote.
                .
                OK, back to football.

              7. Banning the electoral college would be very bad Sebbers. The genius behind the Founding Fathers idea of the electoral college was as a federal hedge against the domination of the absolute national majority over the individual states. Without the College, the delicate federal balance between national unity and regional distinctiveness would be lost, and the various states would lose much of their power over the executive branch. You don’t want just California and New York electing presidents do you?

              8. Sorry, as a Californio, I resent the fact that we may have the 6th largest economy in the world, but our power is usurped by some arcane obsolete system that was established in the horse and buggy days.
                .
                Just like I resent the fact that we pay the most in taxes, but get less in return because we are supporting other less populous states. Talk about unfair distribution, why, that is like a communist system. Everything should be proportionate, and fair.

              9. Don’t forget one of the key reasons the founders had for the EC is that the more intelligent, reasoned minds making up the EC would be a bulwark in rejecting a demagogue the popular rabble had selected. How did that work out in 2016?

                Yeah, it’s time to dump the EC.

      1. Funny. Hate to break it to you but both you and Razor live in a country that has a lot of “socialism” in it’s operation.

        1. You mean enough socialism in it with more than enough government control. These 2020 debates are shaping up to be must see telly. The green weenie deal versus keep America great.

          1. Remember what the one time hero of the Republican Party, Ronald Reagan, said about Medicare? “it’s a short step to all the rest of socialism“. Didn’t happen, did it Ronnie? Neither will yours and Cat’s fevered imaginations of “socialism” that the likes of AOC is going to unleash on the MAGA landscape.

            1. Can’t wait Rib. The Big Green Weenie Deal vs. Keep America Great. Who’s your horse in this race since HC won’t be attempting a rematch?

              1. Back in the 1920s Eugene Debs ran for President from inside a prison cell (and got more than a few votes) so there is precedent for your guy. One thing for sure, he’s going to need more than the 40 something percent popular and the few 10s of thousands votes he eked out in a few key states for any chance. Now that the American People are on to him and his nonstop stream of lies, I say Sollie Thomas will have a double digit sack season before that happens (see, I worked football back into our little digression ?).

                It’s a little early to pick a favorite opponent now isn’t it? The first primaries aren’t for another year. Until then I see big winners in Robert Mueller, SDNY, Cy Vance (Manhattan DA), Letitia James (NY state AG) , Jerry Nadler, Adam Schiff, Elijah Cummings, and the rule of law.

    2. Razor, since you brought up Kaep, I guess I will reply. I was happy that Kraft promised to sign Kaep as a backup to Brady, but it must have angered someone. Lo and behold, they nailed Kraft for solicitation. Interesting. One of Trump’s buddies who watched the SB with him, allowed surreptitious surveillance of Kraft without a hint of it leaking out. Imagine if that bust had happened just before the SB.
      .
      Wow, they hate Kaep so much, they will take down Kraft, who wanted to help him. With Kraft out of the way, the blackballing seems to be continuing. Still have not heard of any team willing to give Kaep a tryout.
      .
      Funny, they just invited a QB who has been out of the league for 7 years to try out. He respectfully declined. The NFL will probably violate the settlement, Kaep will win, the CBA will be voided, and the NFL will have no one to blame but themselves.

      1. Kap was never going to be signed by the Patriots. Ever. Never ever. You said Kap would be signed by now. I’d love a good train wreck, but like I said 2 years ago after losing his job to Gabbert; he’ll never play in the NFL again.

        1. Circumstances change. There are many months before TC and the new season.
          .
          Kraft getting busted did not help.

          1. The only circumstance that needs to change is lowering his asking price.
            .

            Mrs. Kraft passing did not help either.

            1. Yes, he should not expect a starting salary as a backup, and the Pats will not overpay anyone.
              .
              Still, it would be intriguing to see Belichick utilizing Kaep properly

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