Although this is a 49ers’ blog, we are going to begin with the Warriors’ Draymond Green. Hopefully, the reason will become clear as we go.
You may have heard that Green — in a total surprise to us all — said something controversial. Talking about Suns’ guard Devin Booker, Green praised the player on a TNT broadcast, but then added, “They got to get Book out of Phoenix. It’s not good for him. It’s not good for his career.”
Which caused TNT host Ernie Johnson to wonder if Green wasn’t violating league rules about encouraging or suggesting trades. Isn’t that tampering?
“Maybe,” Green said.
Well the verdict is in. Yes, that is tampering. Green has been fined $50,000.
So just another day in the life of @Money23Green? Maybe, but it overlooks the point Green was making, which is also the point we want to make with the 49ers. Green has been saying this about Phoenix for months.
When things go bad, Green says, “No one ever blames the situation. It’s always the kid. No one ever blames the shitty franchises.”
That’s a great call. Do we really think it is just dumb luck that some franchises never get it together? It can’t always be the players. By definition and by rule, lousy franchises are given the best chances to draft players.
And yet, teams like the Washington Football Team consistently loses. Washington has had two winning seasons in the last seven, have only made the postseason three times in the last 14 years and haven’t won a playoff game since 2005.
Last week, a reporter suggested to new acquisition Trent Williams that his former team, Washington, wasn’t exactly known for its “winning culture.”
That made Williams laugh.
“Most certainly,” he said. “As soon as you walk in the building the vibe (here) is different. When I went to my first meeting I could feel the vibe. I feel like it is going to be a blast. I can’t say enough good things about this team.”
Well sure. The 49ers went to the Super Bowl. Of course, they are going to be fired up. Where’s the news in that?
The news is that it wasn’t so long ago that the 49ers were looking pretty much like Washington. They were 5-11 in 2015 under Jim Tomsula and 2-14 with Chip Kelly as the head coach. Let’s see you build a winning culture on those results.
Of course, we all know what happened next. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch came in and the team steadily improved. The knee injury to Jimmy Garoppolo in the third game of their second season set things back to a 4-12 year, but in general, it was clear they were making progress and building a tight team.
That was validated by last year’s 13-3 Super Bowl season and contract extensions for Lynch and Shanahan.
Now, does a lot of credit go to Shanahan’s play-calling? Absolutely. And Lynch, after some early draft choice face-plants (Reuben Foster), gets props for fielding a talented and sustainable roster.
But there’s more to it than that. Again, Williams sees the contrast with his former team. He says Washington had settled into a comfortable, no hurry, cruise control. Even a few days of working without pads on the 49ers field highlighted the differences.
“Where I came from a walk-through was a walk-through,” Williams said. “This is pretty intense. Guys are flying around. Raheem (Mostert) said it wasn’t a walk-through it was a run-through. You can tell this is a hungry group.”
Demanding, and getting, that kind of energy from the players is a cornerstone for success. Again, Williams made a point about the kind of effort Shanahan is expecting, insisting, for example, that his wide receivers stick their helmets in there and block downfield.
“It goes back to his dad’s philosophy,” said Williams, who played for Mike Shanahan at Washington. “If you couldn’t block, you couldn’t play.”
And how do you get that kind of buy-in? One thing you can do is support your players.
A guy like Richard Sherman might not be every franchise’s cup of Gatorade. Like Draymond Green, he’s got a lot to say and is more than willing to say it. But you don’t see the 49ers suggesting that he ought to tone it down.
And when the Colin Kaepernick kneeling for the national anthem controversy was raging, he did not hear criticism from the front office or owner Jed York. Kaepernick, and other 49ers, took a knee and got nothing but support from the team. It could easily have been a controversy that split the locker room. Instead, it affirmed for the players that the team has their back.
As Lynch said earlier this year, “I think ownership has been very clear that we respect the rights of our players to express themselves how they wish to do so.”
Or, you could be like Washington. It has a meddling owner in Dan Snyder, front office instability and tone-deaf approach that made one of your top players — Williams has been to seven straight Pro Bowls — so unhappy that he sat out a year and demanded to be traded.
It goes back to the words of amateur philosopher and professional baseball catcher (A’s and Giants) Stephen Vogt. Well respected in the clubhouse, Vogt has a simple mantra for success.
“Winning creates chemistry,” he says. “And chemistry creates winning.”
The 49ers get that. Washington may never figure it out.
To succeed you must fail, and the 49ers were pretty good at failure the past several years.
True that, although as bad as things were for a few years after Harbaugh crashed and burned, I feel like there was more organizational dysfunction during the decade preceding Jim Harbaugh.
Nowadays, the San Francisco Forty Niners are held up as a model franchise, and boy oh boy, these sure are good times to be a 49ERS FAITHFUL!
19-0!
I must admit my entire lifetime has been a failure of epic proportions.
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??♂️
The Niners have gone from a 4-12 team to the SB, but the culture was built from the last 5 games of 2017.
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Once JG came aboard, the losing stopped. When he tore his ACL, the losing began again. When JG returned, the winning started again.
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Losers like the WTF, just perpetuate their losing, by acting like losers. The FO sets the tone, and dissing your 6 time Pro Bowl LT, defines their mindset.
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Losing is contagious, and affects everyone. It is like an insidious disease, that saps one’s strength and will to win. Glad they cleaned house and hired Rivera, but Snyder is still the problem.
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Looks like Jed has learned his lesson, and hiring JL and KS, and letting them do their jobs, was the best thing he could do. Jed is no longer a problem, and I commend him for growing and maturing.
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Until they get rid of Snyder, the WTFs will keep their losing legacy.
They built a winning culture by getting rid of selfish players like Kaepernick. What was the first order of business when Lynch and Shanny took over? Release the cancer known as old wind up!
Quit trolling.
The truth hurts doesn’t it?
The reality is you build a winning culture by getting rid of players who are selfish and think about themselves before anyone else.
‘Players who are selfish and think about themselves before anyone else.’
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You really should think before you write. You are too easy, and do not have a clue.
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It is like making it twice as hard to win, your specialty.
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No, Kaep is not thinking about only himself. He was thinking about all of the innocent people being slaughtered by the police. Those police would still be on the payroll, and eventually be given a slap on the wrist, only to repeat the reprehensible behavior.
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However, Kaep has made a difference. He stood tall against the hatred of the ignorant like you, who condone such heinous acts. Kaep is for social justice, and against lawlessness perpetrated behind a badge. Since Kaep has been proven right and started reforms with his silent and peaceful protests, rogue cops are no longer on the streets, and may soon lose their jobs.Through Kaep’s efforts, there is better police training. Rogue cops are being weeded out. De-escalation tactics are being implemented, and mental health training will produce better outcomes.
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Because of Kaep, police now have to keep their body cameras on, and not turn them off. Because of Kaep, we have finally had rogue cops charged, convicted and sentenced for the crimes they committed. Because of Kaep standing tall against the vitriolic hatred, the old system is being dismantled, and justice will prevail.
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It has been at a great personal cost to Kaep. He is a SB QB who has set records, while shlubs like Will Grier, Luke Falk, Trevor Siemian, Ryan Finley, Sean Mannion and Josh Rosen, all started games in 2019. According to you, those QBs are way superior to Kaep, while I will assert that those teams would rather lose with that drek, than win with Kaep. More proof that Kaep was, and still is, being blackballed.
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You were the one who admitted Kaep took the league by storm. He can do it again. Look at Lamar Jackson. Mobile dual threat QBs can produce 500 yards in playoff games. Kaep was the first QB in college history to pass for 10,000 yards while also rushing for 4000 yards. He can pass and he can run. Dual threat.
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When JL and KS came in, they wanted to clean house. KS wanted a certain type of QB, and it was his prerogative to choose the QB that fit his system. When he chose Hoyer, I asserted that Kaep would have been a superior alternative, but KS was content to lose with Hoyer, until Hoyer pulled a Gabbert, and benched himself. CJB had guts, and took a licking, but fared only a little better.
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Fortunately, JG fell into their laps, and the rest is history. I like JG so much, I do not think Kaep is needed back. I will wish Kaep well, and hope he gets another opportunity to play. Another proof that Kaep is being blackballed is the fact that no team has given him a tryout.
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Do you know what will take real guts? Some team is going to want to win so much, they will take a gamble on Kaep. Until then, teams with drek QBs are gutless wonders, who do not really want to win.
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As they trot out the Will Griers, Ryan Finlays, Mike Glennons and Nathan Petermans to lose, they may feel like they do not deserve to win. And they will be right.
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I really did not think about Kaep for quite a while, but you seem to want to hear all about him. Kaep is a hero, and has made a difference. He is a true Social Justice Warrior, and I applaud his efforts to rein in the rogue cops, who bring shame and infamy against all cops. He richly deserves his Robert F Kennedy Award.
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Kaep is not thinking only about himself. He is thinking about Oscar Grant, Amadou Diallo, Philando Castile, Eric Garner, Michael Brown, Tamir Rice, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, and the thousands of other innocent people killed by rogue cops.
Kaepernick is not a football player, he’s an advocate for social justice.
Good thing because he sucks at football. Thats why he can’t find a job and why no locker room wants him in their culture.
He openly and publicly admitted he didn’t need to work on his football craft. If that’s not selfish I don’t know what is!
No, Kaep was the first to arrive, and was the last to leave. He worked hard to improve, even going to Kurt Warner for additional training, and worked out with a QB guru who helped with his delivery.
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The dweeb who asked if he needed to work on his football craft, obviously was clueless about what Kaep was already doing. If some noob wanted a right handed batter to become a switch hitter, and that batter said he did not need to bat from the left side, it does not mean that the player refuses to take batting practice, to work on his craft.
Well 32 teams disagree with your assessment of Kaepernick because guess what, no invites to a training camp like you solemnly proclaimed after the Floyd rallies occurred.
But go ahead, use the black balling card, I mean you’ve been using it now for 3 years so might as well ride it out cause you would not want to be wrong again!
Kaep is still in his prime, and could play for years.
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I am looking forward to seeing him play again. This blackballing is a stain on the NFL, which shows that teams are cowed by the biggest coward of all.
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Speaking of cowards, did you ever pay your bet?
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Am I wrong? Kaep has been proven right, and all my writing about the subject has been proven right. The NFL has given itself a big black eye, and Goodell apologized.
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The NFL has now said they will not play the National Anthem. I thought they were patriotic Americans, but now they must think the National Anthem is not worth singing.
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I hope the 49er players all take a knee, and sing it themselves, before the game. That would be a powerful message, that the National Anthem is about the land of the free, and the home of the brave. It is not too brave to refuse to be afraid of a silent, peaceful protest for social justice.
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Speaking of protests, did you hear about Garrick Fernbaugh? He is a former SEAL who just threw pipe bombs at the Portland protesters, in a sick twisted way to lay blame on the left and BLM.
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Garrick Fernbaugh is a right wing nut job who is a DV perp, and delusionally believes Soros is the head of Antifa. Fortunately, the protesters used their cell phones, and recorded Fernbaugh’s terrorism. One even ran him down and got pictures of him. A former employer who now disavows any association with him, has positively identified him. Even more fortunate, is the fact that they were so incompetent, one pipe bomb did not explode, so the police now will be able to possibly lift his DNA from the dud.
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This is another case like Stephen Carrillo, who used the protests as cover to murder law enforcement officials, in a sick, twisted way to try to blame the protesters.
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Thanks again for giving me the opportunity to talk about Kaep, and the movement for social change that he has started.
Seb I will bring up Kaepernick daily now because your replies clearly indicate a sensitive nerve. You were wrong about Kaepernick in every which way and Ill remind you of that because for years you bellowed out excuse after excuse and here we are, 3 years later and zero camp invites.
As for paying my bet, I never lost because of a stipulation in the bet. Fine print my friend, read it, own it.
Now give me more ramblings about a guy who isnt even signed with a team but can still win in the NFL?
Wrong is your middle name! Sebwrongnynah!
Good, I will continue to remind you that you admitted that Kaep took the league by storm. You must have thought that he was skilled enough to take the league by storm, and his accomplishments were impressive.
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You can claim that Kaep is no longer a football player, but after his practice session, Kaep declared he is ready to play football, and has been ready to play for 3 years.
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Glad want to try to keep weaseling out of paying a debt. You were challenging me to make that bet, riding me constantly, so Razor finally said- ‘I will take that bet’. Then you added those stipulations.
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The most delicious irony, is that you claim I am wrong all the time, but you were the one willing to bet 200 bucks that the Niners would draft Trubusty.
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This past draft, you wanted to bet 200 bucks that the Niners would draft CJ Henderson. Too bad they did not select any CBs in that draft. You also claimed that the Niners would not trade back, directly countering my assertion that the best strategic move would be to trade back.
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So keep it up. You are batting zero, so far. Next you will probably claim that no 49er will ever get the Covid-19 Virus.
“Good, I will continue to remind you that you admitted that Kaep took the league by storm”
I did say that. So did Jeff George, Jemarcus Russell, Tim Couch. All one hit wonders who could not survive the NFL because they never developed the skills necessary to be a sustainable QB.
Kaep, a product of a unique, unknown offense and coach who shaded his inefficiencies. Remember son, its a passing league. If you cant read defenses and throw in tight windows, you end trying to make money being a social justice clown!
“Kaep declared he is ready to play football, and has been ready to play for 3 years.
Too bad 32 teams don’t think he is worthy to play. You and him can think all you want, it doesn’t mean nothing if he is sitting on his couch raising a fist and not playing.
“This past draft, you wanted to bet 200 bucks that the Niners would draft CJ Henderson. Too bad they did not select any CBs in that draft. You also claimed that the Niners would not trade back, directly countering my assertion that the best strategic move would be to trade back”
Too bad I was the only one on here to mock the Niners drafting Aiuyuk. You lose again Sebwrongnynah!
Prime, I keep asking for the mock draft, but when I scroll back on the pre draft posts, you claim you never post any mocks, because I post too many.
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Keep trying.
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BTW, Kaep took his team to the SB after only starting 10 games and was 5 yards from making a stirring come back, and almost achieved glory. Then, to prove he was not a flash in the pan, he led the Niners in 2013 to a 12-4 season, and was one pass from returning to the SB. Subsequently, Baalke dismantled that SB team, and decent free agents avoided the Niners like the plague. Baalke only managed to sign Zane Beadles. With a defense that let third string RBs gallop for 200 yards, that 2016 team hit rock bottom. However, in his last game, Kaep made a stirring come back against the Rams, and willed his team to victory. He was stopped on the one yard line, but his second effort took him over the line, for a 2 point conversion that won the game. Kaep, on the right team, could compete in the playoffs for a SB victory, again. If he does that, Kaep will have taken the league by storm, again.
Seb I’ve asked you to quote and share links of what you’ve said and your reply has all always been “I don’t have time to go back and find it” . So if you don’t remember or have the the time to find it, tough titty! I made the prediction and I was right, again!
As for Kaepernick the fact you still praise him is as embarrassing as asking football players to play soft and fall to the ground to avoid a fumble.
Kaepernick did a lot of good things in a short amount of time. Why he could not continue to hack it in the NFL was because teams exposed his limited skill set. Like your football IQ, it never developed.
Now you and I can go back-and-forth on Kaepernick all we want. The fact you said he would come back to play and that I said he wouldn’t makes this conversation mute. He is not a NFL player anymore.
You lose again!
During this pandemic, I am sheltering in place, so I have a lot of free time on my hands. I did go back, and certainly did not see you post a mock. I did see you write that you never make any mocks, because they are a waste of time, and no one gets any right. BTW, I nailed the Kinlaw pick, and it is documented. Too bad you will never acknowledge my correct pick, but claim some phantom selection.
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Oh look, Kaep is donating food to feed the poor, growing desperate due to this pandemic.
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The NFL has hailed many current and former players for their help during this Covid 19 Pandemic, but refuses to acknowledge Kaep. The NFL continues their blackballing, and look even more mean, petty and vindictive.
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Believe it or not, they have a rule that allows a player to slide feet first, and a defender is not allowed to hit him. Guess you think QBs are soft, and they should eliminate that rule.
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Guess you are also saying that it is more important to struggle for every inch, even though the defense can pick up the ball carrier, gang tackle him and strip the ball away. Fumbles are unimportant to you, since it would make it twice as hard to win, and you like that.
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Kaep is only 32. He could play football for 10 more years. Kaep is fresh, and has not been tackled for 3 years, so he is fully healthy.
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Yes, he has been unfairly blackballed for 3 years, but change is coming in November. Maybe they will not have an NFL season, but Kaep is patient, and maybe they will have an effective tested vaccine by the postponed season in the spring.
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A storm is coming.
Seb says “ A storm is coming”
Care to make a wager?
Kaep most definitely did the “protest” to keep himself relevant and anyone who thinks otherwise is ignorant.
I do not bet with welchers.
“Losing is contagious, and effects everyone. It is like an insidious disease…………..”
Sebby, Sebby………..you stole that line from Robert Redford Flick “The Natural”! Tho I may be mistaken, Im thinkin Im not………
now this………..is a very good article! short, sweet, informative and no fear mongering. gosh knows there is ENOUGH of that in the news these days!
Great article, much bettter then Cohn i think. I see some of the old salwarts are still here. I figured you guys would just keep arguing on Cohn youtube channel.
Michael Silver: Kittle’s agent says progress on a new deal has been minimal
Good! The 49ers should feel no pressure to cave to Kittle’s agent’s unworkable demands. The Niners can afford to play the long game better than Kittle right now, so I feel like patience on behalf of the 49ers, will pay off.
Mark my words – at some point in the not-so-distant future, George Kittle is going to happily accept becoming the highest paid TE, by a large margin, in the history of the NFL. The deal will be hailed as a win-win, with both sides complimentary of the other, declaring their mutual focus on getting back to the Super Bowl, and taking care of unfinished business.
I’d let him play for just over $2 million this year, then tag him. Nothing personal, just smart business for someone that has an overinflated view of themselves like Buckner. Or he could hold out and lose that accrued year. Ball’s on his side of the field, and we’re at the 2 minute warning….
Yep. I’d do the same thing, but I doubt it will come to that. I think he’s almost certainly going to end up agreeing on a deal that looks like Mahomes in terms of percentage bump to that annual position average, which, for a TE, comes out to around $13M/Year, with a fair amount in guarantees. I think the 49ers have most of the leverage (especially now with Jordan Reed in the house), so I wouldn’t be surprised to see the number closer to $12M/Y, with a chance to make up to $13.5M/Y if he hits certain benchmarks like playing time incentives.
So, to clarify – if I were a betting man, and I am, I’d bet that Kittle’s contract extension will be ….
– 4 years
– $12.5M/Year/Minimum – $13.5M/Year/Maximum (twelve and a half million a year with a chance to make up to thirteen and a half through incentives),
– $35M guaranteed.
Razor,
You believe that Kittle has an over inflated view of himself? How is that possible being that he is the greatest TE to ever play the game. I understand your opinion on not over paying him and destroying their cap situation but to say he has an inflated view of himself is just wrong thinking (imho). With the huge drop in the cap going into next year I no longer think they can sign him. Even the franchise tag may be too much to slip him under a 178 million dollar cap. It would not surprise me if he didn’t sit out the year if they try to pay him 2 mill for the season
Not to take anything away from Kittle, but he needs to realize he benefits from the system as well. He sits out he has to play next year for $2 million, and On And On. As for being able to afford the franchise tag for a te, I don’t see that as an issue with Marathe at the cap helm. They could decide to trade him instead for a couple of cheap 1st rounders too if a team offers….
Razor,
I know he can hold out for quite a while then report and force the 49ers to franchise tag him. I’m not sure how many games he has to be there for to make him a restricted FA.
OC, players can’t really do that anymore. The new CBA means players get dinged a lot of $ very quickly if they hold out.
As Scooter says, the new CBA will make holding out an expensive proposition for Kittle. He’s a great, great player, but as a 5th round pick, he has less leverage than one might think.
$13.5M/Y is the most he’s going to get, and even that is pushing it, IMO. The real question is the guarantees. A deal will get done soon enough.
The rule changes have made it pretty much impossible for a player to hold out. As was mentioned they get fined a lot more, but they also don’t get an accrued season unless they report before the regular season starts. Holdouts are pretty much done unless a player decides he’d rather retire than play for a team or if a team doesn’t have the balls to see it through.
From now on, I will believe everything the little Razdoll says……
There’s no question that Kittle is valuable. He’s one of the most valuable payers on the team. In fact, an argument could be made that, outside of Jimmy G., Kittle is the team MVP. But, the 49ers can’t start paying guys according to their “perceived value”, right? I mean, how exactly would that work, and unless every team in the league started using that as a basis for negotiating contracts (which WILL NEVER HAPPEN), wouldn’t that put the 49ers at a serious disadvantage?
Nowadays, contract valuations and negotiations always come down to at least two major factors:
– Value
– Timing
– Leverage
In reality, it’s not this clear cut, and in a sense some of these factors bleed into the others.
Teams have been using a players position as the basis for monetary compensation for a long time, even long before the league instituted a system of free agency (1993), and then the salary cap (1994). I feel like the 49ers would risk setting a very bad precedent if they start negotiating contracts based on “value”, if “value” isn’t based first and foremost, on the position a player plays. Value outside of this specific context, would be far more subjective. Using such a subjective and arbitrary system in order to determine a players monetary value would be a slippery slope, and a surefire way to complicate every single contract negotiation moving forward, making it very hard for the Niners to remain competitive in the long run. For example, just think about how much easier it is for teams to sign draft picks these days, as compared to before the NFL implemented the rookie wage scale. Now imagine a league in which value is no longer based primarily on a players position, but rather a players perceived “value” based on some kind of subjective opinion. And who’s opinion would it be – the player … the team … Grant Cohn (lol) … Sebnynah … etc.
As for the timing …. right now is a particularly bad time to be asking for an unprecedented financial raise. Listen, I’m all for players getting as much as they can get while they can get it, but not at a time of so much uncertainty, and potentially at the expense of fielding a competitive team moving forward. And how’s it going to look to be holding out for an unprecedented raise, the likes of which the league has never seen, at a time when tens of millions of Americans are having trouble simply paying their rent, or putting food on the table. How’s that going to look for George from a public relations standpoint, if the Niners cave, and then the cap goes down next season and sure enough, the 49ers are forced to cut a bunch of very good young players, and end up finishing behind the fricken Seattle Seahags?
My advice to George Kittle – Sign a 3 year extension that rests the NFL TE market @ $13M/Y, with the boatload of guaranteed money that comes along with it, play your a_s off and hopefully win a Super Bowl MVP, and then hit the NFL free agent market after the salary cap rises again, at the “youthful” age of 30 years old. After that, retire from the NFL and go sign a big fat WWE contract, and call it KITTLE-MANIA!
As for timing, I meant to include perhaps the most important aspect of the contract timing – the fact that the salary cap is due to go down significantly over the next few years. Even if paying Kittle as a top WR, rather than the best TE, doesn’t set a dangerous precedent, it will almost certainly lead to salary cap problems down the line.
It’s obviously not Kittle’s fault, but all this adds up to it being a bad time for him to be asking for an unprecedented TE contract worthy of a unicorn. Sorry George, the 49ers simply can’t afford to do that, and unfortunately for you and your agent, they have you under team control for the foreseeable future, so …. the ball is in your court.
Since you want my opinion, here it is.
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49, the history of contracts have almost always been initially modest, then when a player excels, he is compensated by a bigger contract, even though it is hard to replicate the earlier results.
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In George Kittle’s case, he is the 7th best player in the league, but right now, he is getting paid a pittance, compared to his contributions to the team. Meanwhile, Jerrick McKinnon has not played a snap for the Niners , and has 16 mil guaranteed.
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George Kittle has played with injuries. He has played with pain. He has sacrificed his body to help the 49ers win. I think he deserves every penny he can get. Do I think he deserves WR money? Not exactly. I think he deserves to become the highest paid TE in NFL history. That could be 11 million dollars. I think he deserves more. They should offer Kittle a 5 year, 67.5 million dollar contract, which averages out to be 13.5 mil per year, with 25 mil guaranteed.
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Above all, the 49ers should be open and transparent. They should be honest and work hard to get a deal done. The Niners should not be like the WTF, who gave Trent Williams terrible medical care, then left him twisting in the wind, denigrating his worth. The Niners should not act like the Jets, who promised a deal, then ignored their best player.
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The Niners should open their books, and show how they can fit his contract under the salary cap. The Niners should offer to pay him as much as they can, but if they are too far apart, maybe they can swing another deal like with the Colts and Buckner. Adams just set the compensation higher. If the Niners can get 2 first round picks for Kittle, they should explore all possibilities. If Kittle is happy to be paid what he wants, even though it may mean leaving the Niners, the Niners may be happy with 2 first round picks. However, I do not think that will happen. George Kittle will not hold out, and he will get his new contract after the 53 cutdown date.
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Hopefully, Kittle will get paid, and be happy with a fair contract. Maybe he will take a home team discount, because he knows that this team may win a couple rings. Hopefully, the Niners sign him up for at least 5 years, because he gives the Niners an even better chance to win a ring or two.
Seb, I think we agree that George deserves to be the highest paid TE, and by a good margin. But if his agent thinks his position is irrelevant, his agent is sorely mistaken.
49, I am glad JL and KS had a heart to heart talk with George Kittle in person, without his agent. Sounds like he is anxious to bond with his team mates and go on this Revenge Tour.
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Raheem Mostert talked with JL, one on one, and they got a deal done quickly. JL said he was in constant contact with Kittle, trying hard to get the deal done.
According to Grant, he and his pops have a friendly wager in regards to whether or not George Kittle gets his extension before the start of the season. Lowell believes a deal will get done, while Grant, who is seemingly always the pessimist, believes the two sides won’t have a deal in place before the start of the season.
At stake is a $40 bottle of California Pinot Noir, and I’d say Grant Cohn’s eternal pessimism makes him an easy mark!
Good ol’ Grant. I do not like it when he is correct, because he predicted a KC victory.
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However, he seems to be on a losing streak. He was not optimistic about Mostert getting a deal, either.
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Last thing I watched, Ol’ Grant still is harping about friction between JL and KS. He should give that a rest. He whined about JL not giving extensive interviews before TC, and called that proof that the Niners did not have a GM anymore. Then he wants to throw a pie in JL’s face, then begs for an interview.
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Lowell should know better. That bet is like taking candy from a baby. ;p
No one wants your opinion.
‘ And who’s opinion would it be? The player, the team, Grant Cohn (lol)… Sebnynah…’
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Guess 49 wants my opinion.
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Back again? You bring nothing to this site. Snark away at some one else.
He’s right eMJay, I may not always agree with Seb, but I am always interested in his opinion.
;p
Just to pick some nits…
The 49ers books are open. In fact every NFL teams books are open as all salary cap and contract info is made public. Even if they wanted to they couldn’t hide what a player makes or what they have left under the cap.
Yet, how they structure contracts, and what they are offering Kittle, are not open transparent facts.
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Rookie contracts are set in stone, and follow a set formula. This extension is brand new, and may set a precedent.
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Maybe Kittle will be forced to choose which players will be cut, to allow them to pay what he wants, since he will be calculating with those salary cap realities.
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Maybe the Niners are telling Kittle that they will have to cut Bourne, Juice, K’Waun Williams and Witherspoon, in order to garner enough cap space to pay Kittle what he wants. Hopefully, Kittle will accept less, in order to retain all those players.
“Maybe Kittle will be forced to choose which players will be cut, to allow them to pay what he wants, since he will be calculating with those salary cap realities”
Maybe we should let Kittle sign all the players checks and become the VP of Operations.
or
Maybe your the biggest idiot on the blog that talks out of his arse cause he is so high and has no reality!
“Yet, how they structure contracts, and what they are offering Kittle, are not open transparent facts.”
How they structure contracts are also made transparent. As to what they are offering Kittle, neither side would want that made public.
Bechta just whispered in Grant’s ear about a 96 mil contract. That sounds like he is negotiating through the media.
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Signing bonus, guaranteed money, front loaded cap hit or other variables, are integral to any deal. Those terms are not open and transparent, because we do not know the details yet. Maybe even the parties involved are not certain how things will be structured, yet.
I can’t recall a single case where the proposed offers were made public as it would not be good for either side.
As to who Grant’s source is I dont know but I would guess against Betcha being the direct source… as per Grant the same source advised him about the details of Reed’s contract prior to the signing. This leads to the idea that the source is in the building… you can break out your Paraag conspiracies again :D.
In any case… it used to be the case where more than one source was needed to go to print. I am always skeptical when a source is not cross referenced as normally every source has an agenda of some sort.
For 150 years football has been an extremely dangerous sport without the virus, and they never stopped playing.
Now the NFL will not play the National Anthem prior to games. Speaking for myself, I’m not embarrassed to be an American. In fact, I’m proud to be an American and will continue to do what we’ve done since our inception; pursue happiness and a more perfect union that establishes justice, insures domestic tranquility, provides for the common defense, promotes the general welfare, and secures the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity!
Just like the NFL’s embrace of BLM, everything Goodell does is to maximize NFL profit. Not saying that’s a bad thing, but make no mistake all the virtue marketing for social causes is just another example of business exploiting causes and people for profit. Refusing to play the National Anthem is a marketing move so fans don’t have to make a choice between their love of country or their love of football. Not all fans, but many fans have been offended by the kneeling. Now kneeling is taken out of the equation for the fans. Of course, that also means the players mechanism for protest is also being taken away. I guess thats a win/win for the NFL.
I’m just happy the Redskins changed their name to the Washington Football Team. It was unclear to me for a very long time exactly what they were doing on the field. Now I know they are a football team, allegedly.
I guess we’ll have to wait until fans are allowed to attend to see if they’re going to change the name of the guys you buy tickets from outside the stadium on day of the game the of the game.
Leaky ship much, LOL?
The Daily Beast has an article today, for anyone interested, on the intra-corporate wrangling and staff disaffection at S.I.
One line stood out to me:
“…….a new network of hyper-local blogs with low-paid contributors.”
GC’s going to need a life preserver.
No, no, Grant is supposedly laughing at us. ;p
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I saw a group meeting, on All49ers, and turned it off after they all parroted Grant.
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Low paid contributors? They are being paid commensurate to their worth.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-civil-war-tearing-sports-illustrated-apart?ref=home
Where are the geniuses who ‘guaranteed’ a full CFB season?
I guaranteed a full NFL season not college, if you’re referring to me.
Kittle is a one-of-a kind player who makes the 49ers go. There is no player capable of replacing him, now or in the past. Garoppolo, with a $135 million contract is a journeyman quarterback who is very replaceable. Some here have written that Mullens could be better. There are numerous quarterbacks as good or better. So if Garoppolo is replaceable, and Kittle isn’t, why should Kittle be limited in his negotiations? Maybe the 49ers have overspent, planning on putting the screws to Kittle by threatening him with the franchise tag. Kittle should look around and see if he can get some respect playing elsewhere. Bosa will get the big money, especially if Kittle doesn’t cause trouble by trying to get what he’s worth.
I totally disagree. While Kittle is elite, I have seen many other elite Tight Ends. Kellen Winslow, Tony Gonzales, Gates, Gronk, Kelce, Olson, Witten, Ertz, and even Brent Jones, who is a 3 time SB winner and 3 time All Pro. He is not the only player that makes the Niners go. Just look at the NFCC Game. Kittle caught one pass, I think.
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Mullens replaces Garoppolo? Grant has left this site. Jimmy Garoppolo is not a journeyman, He is elite, and a SB QB.
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Kittle is not causing trouble. It is just business as usual. He wants to be paid as much as possible, but he will not act like a spoiled child and sit out the season. He loves the game too much. His agent is playing hardball, but that is his job. Maybe the agent will create a stink and demand that George Kittle be traded, but Kittle loves the Niners and knows the Niners gives him the best chance to win a ring. If he is traded away, he might end up on the Brownies or Bungles.
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The Niners hold all the leverage. They can keep him for 3 more years by doing nothing, except franchise tagging him. The Niners will not put the screws to Kittle, because they like him, and want him on the team. They are assiduously working to get a deal done, and plan on giving him a huge raise. His agent may be whining about the slow pace, but the Niners are constrained by the salary cap, which will go down next season.
Kittle is not causing trouble. It is just business as usual. He wants to be paid as much as possible, but he will not act like a spoiled child and sit out the season. He loves the game too much. His agent is playing hardball, but that is his job. Maybe the agent will create a stink and demand that George Kittle be traded, but Kittle loves the Niners and knows the Niners gives him the best chance to win a ring. If he is traded away, he might end up on the Brownies or Bungles.
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The Niners hold all the leverage. They can keep him for 3 more years by doing nothing, except franchise tagging him. The Niners will not put the screws to Kittle, because they like him, and want him on the team. They are assiduously working to get a deal done, and plan on giving him a huge raise. His agent may be whining about the slow pace, but the Niners are constrained by the salary cap, which will go down next season.
Very well said, Sebnynah!
Nobody wants George to get a fantastic new contract extension more than I do. But I think I speak for a lot of Niner fans, in fact probably a majority, when I say that there are limits, and paying George as if he were a #1 WR is beyond those limits, because it would hurt the team’s salary cap structure moving forward.
It’s a QB driven league, Jim, not a TE driven league.
Garoppolo, with a $135 million contract is a journeyman quarterback who is very replaceable. Some here have written that Mullens could be better.
Hah, that’s funny! I’d just like to remind everyone: From 9/10/2017 to 2/02/2020, the 49ers went 4-20 with Mullens and Beathard at QB, and 21-6 (including the postseason) with Jimmy G. at the helm. Oh, and there is that other little fact that – Garoppolo took his team to the Super Bowl in his first full season as a starter, while finishing in the NFL top 10 in passer rating.
why should Kittle be limited in his negotiations?
How exactly is Kittle being limited in his negotiations? Isn’t his agent in the process of negotiating a contract extension?
Kittle should look around and see if he can get some respect playing elsewhere.
How exactly would that work, Jim? Thanks to the franchise tag, the 49ers have Kittle under team control for the foreseeable future. It’s hard to argue that the 49ers are trying to nickle and dime him when they seem more than willing to make him the highest paid player in league history, at his respective position, and by a wide margin.
Who’s putting the screws to who, here? It’s not the 49ers fault that the salary cap is going to shrink by $23M next year, is it? Seems to me that it’s Kittle who is asking the 49ers to go above and beyond, potentially handicapping the team’s ability to remain competitive over the next few seasons.
It’s worth remembering that Kittle is a 5th round pick who has made relatively very little money throughout his short career. Can he really afford to hold out even a short period of time, knowing that, thanks to the current CBA, the team has the ability to tighten the screws on him financially? The 49ers are in a very strong position in terms of negotiating leverage, and with a projected salary cap drop of $23M starting next season, they’d be foolish to simply give in to Kittle’s demands at this point.
Besides, it’s not as if Kittle is the only player worthy of a contract extension. What do you want the 49ers to do with all of the other players whom the team also values, many of which are also going to need to be compensated in the coming years … just cut bait with half the roster after this season? That’s crazy talk!
It was a tight end driven league when Kittle was on the field. He set the record for receiving, and was a great blocker too. Kittle didn’t go to school just to eat his lunch. The 49ers are trying to put the squeeze on him. Let’s have the 49ers tell what they are offering. I say they are dealing in bad faith, knowing they aren’t going to pay him his market value, and hoping the threat of franchise tagging him next year will bring him to heel. Don’t be surprised if Kittle refuses to put on pads until he’s got at least $18 million for 5 years. That’d be my advice to him. Next year, he can be a free agent and we’ll find out about this, “he’s only a tight end” stuff. A lot of teams out there can use a genuine star player who gets it done on the field. Don’t count on the franchise tag threat . A great way to ruin locker room chemistry. The 49ers should trade Kittle if they can’t compete dollar-wise.
$18 million??Gtfohwts, Jan!
Kittle is slated to earn 2.2 mil this season. He wants a raise and deserves a raise. The Niners are negotiating, but do not have rule saying they must pay him more than 2.2 mil. They could be hardball, and insist Kittle play on that contract. Instead, they agree that he should be extended, and are negotiating openly and frankly with his agent. The salary cap restraints are the limiting factor, especially with a declining cap. The Niners are bargaining in good faith, so any shade thrown their way is unwarranted.
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There are no threats of franchise tagging him. They are earnestly trying to get a deal done. The agent is using the media to negotiate, but they should look at Mostert’s saga, to see that wanting to be traded is the wrong message to have.
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Kittle should be happy with an 11.3 million dollar raise. 15.8 is excessive, and greedy. He must know of the salary cap restraints, especially with so many FAs next season. Keeping the squad intact is the best way to develop cohesion and camaraderie. Demanding WR money and threatening to sit out, is greedy, and self defeating.
The franchise tag is not a threat, it’s a tool. It protects teams investment’s and keeps the me’s from dragging the team over the coals with unreasonable salary demands like Mrs. Kittle there….
The franchise tag is not a threat, it’s a tool.
Well said Razor!
Kittle is a great football player, Jim, but the Titans could say the same thing about Derrick Henry, and the Panthers could say the same thing about Christian McCaffrey, etc, etc.
Fact is, TE’s and RB’s don’t carry the same kind of market value as QB, #1 WR’s, DE’s, and #1 CB’s, and if the 49ers, Titans, and Panthers start paying way above market value for their players, when they could instead take advantage of the franchise tag, they are going to find it hard to compete with the rest of the league.
It’s unbelievable how stupid the comments get when fans think with their hearts instead of their heads. Jim no team in their right mind – including the 49ers – is going to pay Kittle 18 million a season. Not because he isn’t worth it, he probably is, but because he plays a position where the Franchise amount is less than 10 mill right now. You don’t give out stupid contracts ever but especially not in a league with a cap system. The 49ers are more than ready to blow up the TE number to make GK the highest paid TE in the league but they aren’t idiots who are going to give him 60 to 80% more than the next closest player at his position. No team would in their position either. What players do you know of have contracts that dwarf the next highest one at any position? Kittle will become the highest paid TE in the league but he’s not getting WR money. His agent is trying to pull off a heist but it’s not going to happen because the league just doesn’t work that way.
Agreed. It’s not fair to call it a cartel, but rather there’s groupthink in the NFL. They all accept a certain market value for each position, and it takes a kind of crazy to break that mould. It’s like drafting a kicker in the first round. A certain kind of crazy.
The 49ers can’t start paying guys according to their “perceived value”, right? I mean, how exactly would that work, and unless every team in the league started using that as a basis for negotiating contracts (which WILL NEVER HAPPEN), wouldn’t that put the 49ers at a serious disadvantage?
Teams have been using a players position as the basis for monetary compensation for a long time, even long before the league instituted a system of free agency (1993), and then the salary cap (1994). I feel like the 49ers would risk setting a very bad precedent if they start negotiating contracts based on “value”, if “value” isn’t based first and foremost, on the position a player plays. Value outside of this specific context, would be far more subjective. Using such a subjective and arbitrary system in order to determine a players monetary value would be a surefire way to complicate every single contract negotiation for the 49ers moving forward, making it very hard for them to remain competitive in the long run. For example, just think about how much easier it is now for teams to sign draft picks these days, as compared to before the NFL implemented the rookie wage scale. Now imagine a league in which the value of established players is no longer grounded in the position they play, but rather some kind of subjective opinion. And who’s opinion would it be – the player … the player’s agent … the team … etc. What an absolute mess that would create!
And BTW, I would be willing to bet my top dollar that the majority of Niners fans understand the salary cap constraints that the 49ers are working within, and that George Kittle will lose the battle of public opinion if he ends up holding out after rejecting any deal that would make him the highest paid TE in league history (provided that deal includes a reasonable amount of guaranteed money).
Any takers?
Right now the articles on the team are more rah rah than who is catching or dropping passes. We can’t make an educated guess how either side is doing.
Are practices closed to the media?
Yes, practices are closed to the media until this weekend, I believe. However, the big news of the day as far as I am concerned – Jimmy Garoppolo is no longer wearing a knee brace! Booyah!
I may be super cautious, but I hope JG keeps wearing a knee brace in games. I do not want JG scrambling and running the ball. I want him to get the ball into the hands of his playmakers.
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While I do want JG to roll out more, I want controlled rollouts with proper blocking assignments, so JG can throw on the run without a pass rusher in his face.
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I do not think certain knee braces will slow down a player too much, but certain knee braces will protect a knee from major injury. They have a 27 mil investment in that knee. I hope they protect their investment.
” I do not want JG scrambling and running the ball”
Do you soak your cookies in water before eating them as to not hurt your teeth little boy?
I want JG to play quarterback for the 49ers for 10 years.
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KS saw how RGIII was a scrambling QB, and saw what happened to him.
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Now with Kaep, I certainly hope they will not tie him down in the pocket. Kaep can put his foot on the one half yard line, then sprint up field 99.5 yards untouched for a TD. JG cannot do that.
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JG is not a dual threat QB, so I hope they play to his strengths. JG made it to the SB without scrambling, so I think he can do it again.
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You obviously do not care about the health and safety of the players. Throw the QB to the wolves. You must think players are just cannon fodder. No wonder you were so happy about Reed. You obviously do not care if he becomes a vegetable.
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Obviously, you have taken too many blows to the head, too. Unclear unfocused thinking is a symptom of CTE. Unreasoned anger is another symptom. Please seek help.
“You obviously do not care about the health and safety of the players. Throw the QB to the wolves. You must think players are just cannon fodder. No wonder you were so happy about Reed. You obviously do not care if he becomes a vegetable”
First of all I never commented about Reed so STFU!
Its football, they wear protective equipment. The NFL has revolutionized helmets for better protection of head trauma.
Stop being such a baby and acting like a paranoid teenage girl. Again, its football.
Helmets may be a big reason why CTE may be a problem. Leading with the helmet caused so much damage, before they outlawed leading with the helmet, which used to be used as a weapon.
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They think it protects the brain, but they are finding in PTSD cases, the concussive force causes the brain to rattle around inside the cranium.
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You may think that CTE is not a problem. I just remember Shane Dronett, Dave Duerson, Junior Seau and Nick Buoniconte.
Like I said, the NFL is taking every approach with innovation to helmet safety and protecting the players. Its a collision sport, so of course there will be injury and, more research and ways to further protect the players are needed.
Your approach is to avoid all contact, and if you ever played a contact sport, you would know that when trying to avoid contact, you end up exposing yourself to injury.
Why am I even explaining this to a soft wuss anyway. Go trim a tree or smoke a joint, thats all you know anyways!
No, you think all the safety measures are making it a sport of wussies.
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You love the violence, and do not care about player safety, then deride me for caring about the players.
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Reading is fundamental, but writing is revealing.
“No, you think all the safety measures are making it a sport of wussies”
Never said that.
“You love the violence, and do not care about player safety, then deride me for caring about the players”
Never said that either.
“Reading is fundamental, but writing is revealing.
Seb you have such a infantilism type mentality for being such an old fart!
Prime, your bombast and bloviating implies that very pointedly.
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You said- ‘Its football.’ Yes, football is a violent sport, and the repercussions from the violence is expressed in its players. I want it to be safer, but you think that is soft, wussie thinking.
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In fact, you want to make it twice as hard to win, so you certainly do not care about the human cost.
I didn’t advocate for anything other than its a violent sport and the league is doing its best to promote safety via rules and upgrade in equipment.
For you to ask players to play soft by avoiding contact, in fact will increase injury.
You keep bringing up that I want to it “twice as hard to win”. For the record, and pay attention now you old geezer with a 2 year old brain, going anywhere in our division to play is hard. The point is to win a championship, its going to be hard. So own, embrace and get it done. Just like they did last year.
Battled tested teams endure, the ones who face no adversity, fail.
The only reason I know this is because I played. You obviously have not.
Yeah, I know all about your loser mentality. You assumed the Niners would lose, so they would have to go the Wild card Route.
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I say that is a loser’s way of thinking.
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The Niners won during the Glory Years, because they had the best record and home field advantage. Having that first round bye was also a huge advantage. Assuming you have to play an extra game sure seems like you want to make it twice as hard to win.
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A winning attitude assumes the team will dictate the outcomes. It is much better to be focused on winning, than looking at losing. If they do lose, then they need to make adjustments, and formulate strategies to overcome adversity. Winning is a mindset, that you do not possess.
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Imagine, wanting to play twice in the Clink. Why, that is making it twice as hard to win. Some will say with empty stadiums, the Clink will lose its advantage. However, they will continue to pipe in crowd noise.
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So yeah, keep up the good work. I do not need to skewer you, you do it to yourself, with your brain farts. Remember, Kaep took the league by storm.
‘First of all, I never commented about Reed so STFU’.
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That is the problem. You never commented about Reed because you do not care.
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I commented about Reed. I said that he could be seriously injured or even risk his life, if he continues to play. Concussions are cumulative, and it may not take a huge hit for a player to lie motionless on the field. Steve Young was hit by a safety, and ‘went to sleep’ on the field. Thankfully, he never played another snap, because the next time he ‘goes to sleep’, it might be forever.
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I care about player safety, unlike you.
That is his choice, not yours. And if you knew anything about the NFL, you would know that the players have to go through extensive testing and protocols to get back on the field after any type of injury, especially concussions.
“That is the problem. You never commented about Reed because you do not care”
A child type of response.
Sometimes, they need to protect a player from himself.
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Of course Reed still wants to play, but at what cost?
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Sure, Reed can risk his life, but people with concussion histories have been shown to have more susceptibility to viruses, so they are immuno-compromised.
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Of course, you want them to play football, so you do not care about Covid 19, either.
“Sometimes, they need to protect a player from himself.
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Of course Reed still wants to play, but at what cost?
Stereotype much? A player, his agent, and family members pretty sure have a substantial say in the decision to play.
Why would an NFL team and the league itself put themselves at risk, putting a player who is not fully capable to endure the dangers of the game back on the field if they didn’t check every protocol to return back to playing?
“Sure, Reed can risk his life, but people with concussion histories have been shown to have more susceptibility to viruses, so they are immuno-compromised”
Where is the scientific evidence to validate this? Or is this the weed talking?
Prime, ignorance is not bliss.
Where is the evidence to support “people with concussion histories have been shown to have more susceptibility to viruses, so they are immuno-compromised”
Ummm, Google?
Prove it? Show me a scientific reputable medical journal that indicates-
“ people with concussion histories have been shown to have more susceptibility to viruses, so they are immuno-compromised”
Otherwise don’t lie!
Just google- Concussion immune system.
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3 big words, so you may have to look up their definitions.
Poor Minkah:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGGVqtpvG20
I expect a better effort by Adams, but at the end of the day he’ll be forced into submission too….
I did a mock draft last night and 2 of my last 3 picks were Aiyuk and Jet McKinnon. They don’t know what I know.
Pac 12 and Big 10 are suspended. Can’t imagine that they will play spring ball and then resume in fall.
On a side note, it is uncool that my comment got deleted yesterday.
Kittle deal will be around $94.8 million over 6 years
Of course, I’ll have to see the details of how the contract is structured, but boy, if these details are true, nobody can ever accuse the 49ers of being cheap these days. Unfortunately, grossly overpaying, even for great players like Kittle, means the party is going to come to an end sooner rather than later, and that’s a real shame, IMO.
Personally, I hope Grant’s “sources” are wrong. We’ll see.
They aren’t overpaying Kittle.
Sorry, but paying him 50% more than the next best TE, Travis Kelce, is grossly OVERPAYING, IMO! And now they are opening themselves up to players agents deciding their clients are worth whatever they think they are.
I guess Nick Bosa is going to be asking for franchise QB money when his extension is due. That “negotiation” should be fun to watch. Pretty soon it’s going to be 4 or 5 players making bank, and the rest of the roster making the league minimum. Ridiculous!
I can hear Bosa’s agent now …. “Nick shouldn’t be getting a defensive end type of contract, he should be getting a ‘Nick Bosa’ type of deal”.
Good luck with that, Paraag!
Absurd! Absolutely absurd. Middle of the pack …. even with Kyle’s greatness, that’s where the 49ers are heading if this news is true. What a shame!
49,
Thats what happens when you win. It makes drafting that much more important and signing cheap FA’s that work out. They need to start trading for extra draft picks (maybe not next year) but they need close to 10 picks each draft to keep the roster stocked with young cheap talent. I wouldn’t worry about Bosa’s contract, Kittle maybe at the point in his career where he has slowed down and can be released to help pay for Bosa. Kind of like what they will do with Ford next year to pay for Kittle.
The point is, why shouldn’t Bosa hold out for franchise QB money, if that’s the way the 49ers do business now?
They may as well start looking for Garoppolo’s replacement, because, if they are paying guys 50% more than the next best player in the league at their respective positions, they are going to need a QB on a rookie contract if they hope to be competitive in the coming years.
It’s just …. ABSURD, and Kittle may be off my Christmas list!
49,
A TE comparing himself to a #1 receiver is apples to apples. A DE comparing himself to a #1 QB is apples to oranges. I don’t know what Bosa will ask for or what he will be worth but I would bet the house it won’t be QB money. It will probably be more than any other DE. imho
OldCoach, wrt money I think the point being that after QB, DE is next on the hierarchy for this team, OT would be next, and so forth….
How funny:
NFL Network’s Michael Silver wrote that the 49ers and Kittle are “making progress” on a contract extension – a potentially “lucrative” deal would make Kittle “by far” the NFL’s highest-paid tight end.
However, as for the rumors surrounding the 6-year, $94.8 million contract extension? Kittle appeared to shoot down these rumors: “Y’all believe everything you read on the internet huh”
OK, I need to calm down because Grant had my blood boiling just now, and I should have realized it’s Grant Cohn we’re talking about here. I need to walk away from my computer for now, and calm the F down!
Never trust Grant Cohn. He’s a liar. He admitted to lying about me and tried to downplay it by saying he was young and petty. He’s a dishonest clickbait hack.
Haha! The old GOAT has finally resurfaced
Thanks for the warm welcome Jack.
:)
Hey, well well, if it isn’t #80 – the GOAT! Yo, what’s up dude?
Yah, I think Grant is actually being PUNKED – as in completely humiliated in a disrespectful kind of way.
David Lombardi of The Athletic is now reporting that his source, who is reportedly “close to the negotiations”, informed him that Grant’s report is “incorrect across the board”. ¯\_( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_/¯
We’ll see which way this thing goes. I’ll reserve judgement for now, but if it turns out that Grant’s so called “source” was way off, after Grant decided to go public with it via Sports Illustrated, well …. Grant Cohn will indeed suffer the kind of humiliation that causes long-term damage to his credibility as a journalist. It’s one thing to spread this kind of nonsense on a Santa Rosa Democrat blog (which he’d been doing for years, IMO), it’s an entirely different ballgame if he’s gone public spreading what could turn out to be garbage on a grand scale, via a Sports Illustrated’s website!
SMH!
Hey 49, good to hear from you. I’ve just been chilling out and enjoying the Shanny era. Still a little butthurt over getting ripped off in the SB though. Words cannot express just how good Bosa is and will be.
Yah, that was a tough loss. It took me a while to come to terms with it, and I don’t think I’m over it yet. It seemed like as the season progressed, that it was the 49ers destiny to take home their 6th Lombardi, and then poof, it all just evaporated at the blink of an eye. Well, I am all about looking forward. If the league can manage to pull this season off, this team seems well set up for another special season. They won’t sneak up on anyone this year, but I don’t think they need to. If anything, I think they are likely going to have the mental edge over a lot of teams, especially throughout the first half of the season.
Anyhow, it’s good to have you back, #80.
Go NINERS!
I take anything GC says with a grain of salt but if it does turn out to be legit, it’s the exact kind of contract you would expect them to sign him to. Low cap numbers in the beginning with increasing amounts later when the TE position may be closer to the number Kittle is making. My guess is the final two years would have high base salaries that could be fluff to make the contract look higher than it really is. Whatever the case it would be great if Kittle was signed before the season.
I agree, as I said, I’ll have to see the details before I judge this, that is …. if it’s even true.
What do you think Jack? Is Grant full of sh_t (stop the presses), or are the 49ers really planning on jeopardizing future contract negotiations, not to mention their salary cap, by capitulating to Kittle’s agent’s absurd “I don’t care about the tight end market. I’m being paid to do a ‘George Kittle’ deal” approach?
Apparently, if I’m following his agent – Jack Bechta correctly, George Kittle isn’t so much a Tight End as he is a unicorn, or something along those lines. I guess he thinks George Kittle is the first player in NFL history who should be viewed as more valuable than every other player who has ever played their respective positions.
SMH – ridiculous!
$13M/Y with a healthy amount guaranteed. That’s right around 30% more than any TE has ever been paid, in the history of the sport. Take it or leave it, Jack & George!
The numbers that were given will be pretty close. Like most fans, you’re overreacting to the average per year amount, and even if it is $15.8 mill per, that’s a good deal for their number 1 receiver.
But Jack, your playing a word game. $15.8M/Y is a good deal for a #1 WR, not a TE who happens to be the team’s #1 receiver. There is a big difference between a #1 WR and a TE who happens to be the teams top receiver, and that’s why contracts have been traditionally based on position as form of guideline. One would hope that, soon enough, one of the Niners actual WR’s will breakout and become a true #1, so now they are looking at paying 2 players as if they are the team’s top receivers? And, BTW, giving Kittle this kind of money basically takes the 49ers out of the market for a high end free agent WR. And how about Tartt? What if the Niners start utilizing the blitz more often and Tartt ends up with 9 or 10 sacks because of it. Does that mean he should get paid like a DE? If Jimmie Ward excels in coverage this season, should he be paid like a high end Cornerback? How about K’Wuan? Should he be paid like a shutdown outside corner if he continues to be one of the teams highest rated CB’s? How about Tomlinson? If he ends up as the teams highest rated offensive linemen, why shouldn’t he ask for OT money? And why shouldn’t Bosa ask for franchise QB money if he ends up being the team’s MVP?
Where do you draw the line, and how do you keep this kind of capitulation from motivating other agents from suggesting their clients are worthy of unprecedented deals?
All of these what if questions about other players would be a great problem to have.
The biggest problem is that it takes 22 players minimum to field a winning team, regardless of how valuable one individual player may be, so there is a lot more to it than simply the yearly salary cap ramifications associated with one particular contract. And once the team gives the impression that, when push comes to shove, the Niners will ultimately cave to unprecedented contract demands, provided said player is considered extremely valuable.
Look, I’m all for making Kittle the highest paid TE in the league, and by a fairly healthy margin. He’s certainly earned it and anything less would send the wrong kind of message. But my gosh, the salary cap is being slashed by 10’s of millions next season, and you think now is a good idea to start doing the unprecedented – paying players on a scale way, way outside of their respective positions?Heck, the 49ers may as well start trading away all their best players for draft picks now, while teams are trying to fill out their rosters with the best players possible, and get ahead of the upcoming 2021 salary cap bloodbath.
Overreact much?
Suck it haters
Tavon Austin? Why?
Austin would replace Benjamin, who replaced Goodwin.
Veteran/Speed. Shanahan has a type
Except for the fact that Benjamin and Goodwin have a little thing called talent. Austin does not.
Austin has talent, he’s just limited in what he can do. A very good friend of mine is a diehard Rams fan, and I had to pop his bubble of enthusiasm right after the Rams made Austin the 8th overall pick back in 2013, by pointing out how ineffective Austin is as a downfield, outside the numbers WR. Boy was I right. That said, he does have blazing speed, and if anyone can find a way to use him effectively, it’s Kyle Shanahan.
Yet somehow Austin has a higher yards per game average than both of those guys.
Jack, I don’t know if you are responding to my point about Austin being limited as far as a downfield target, but I’m assuming you aren’t because there’s a reason Tavon Austin has averaged a mere 1 reception per game over the last 2 seasons. His ability to make plays downfield is very limited.
Toss out the 21 total receptions he’s made over the last 2 seasons, and he’s averaged 8.7 Yards Per Reception throughout his career. Even counting his last couple of seasons, he’s still averaging only 9.3 YPR. Compare that to Benjamin’s 15.1 YPR, Goodwin’s 16.6 YPR, or heck, even Richie James Jr’s 19.7 YPR, and you get my point.
I will say this. If you can get Austin the ball in space, he can do damage. And Kyle is great and getting guys the ball in space, so maybe Austin can contribute. Just look at his 6.8 yard average as a “rusher”. Just don’t look for Austin to make plays downfield, because even with his tremendous speed, he’s a liability as a downfield receiver, IMO.
You’re right. I wasn’t responding to you.
Gotcha. Sounds like you are on board with signing him for the right price, and I’m with you on that, Jack.
Tavon might not offer much as a downfield receiver, but he does have the kind of speed teams need to respect, and he’s electric with the ball in his hands. Plus, he’s a pretty decent return man, and he’s proven durable for a little guy, so that’s an added bonus.
Compare their yards per reception. How does Austin come out compared to the other 2?
You’re wrong JP.
Yards per Reception:
Tavon Austin – 9.3
Marquise Goodwin – 16.6
Travis Benjamin – 15.5
You know who else has a higher career yards per reception than Austin? Alfredo Alonzo Jenkins Jr. Thats right. AJ Jenkins – 13.1.
Tavon Austin is not a good NFL player.
J.P. says:
August 12, 2020 at 3:48 pm
Yet somehow Austin has a higher yards per game average than both of those guys.
This is 100% correct.
Higher average than Larry Fitzgerald, Edelman, deAndre Hopkins, George Kittle….
And everybody said AJ was a bust!
I’m sure the dumb stat you are using to compare the 3 players is accurate. Yards per reception is a much more meaningful comparable that most knowledgeable football fans would use. Doesn’t change what I said. You are wrong. Tavon Austin is not a good NFL player.
If WR’s only caught the ball you would be correct about the importance of yards per reception.
As for me stating that any of the 3 were good, please point that out to me.
All 3 are very similar in what they bring to the table. If you can’t see why Shanahan would be interested in Austin you haven’t been paying close enough attention.
You dumb@ss, ribico. Those are figures for 2019 season, not career.
I know why Shanny is interested. It’s obvious Austin is fast. Shanny gets the benefit of the doubt on all signings given his track record. Some people want to say Shanny has a type but that’s really not true for the WR group. You’ve got guys with a very diverse skill set in that meeting room. Taylor, Bourne, Deebo, James, Hurd, and Pettis are all very different players. Is Austin your stretch the field guy to open up the middle of the field similar to Goodwin? Austin is not a stretch the field guy as indicated by his career yards per reception. Is Austin going to be your return guy? If so, why not make Pettis the return guy? Pettis was one of the best returners in college football history. Or maybe even give Richie James a shot at returns. Signing Austin is definitely a “Take a flyer on a guy” type of signing. I’m just saying I don’t like the signing. Regardless of the dumb stat you’re using to say Austin is just as good as Benjamin and Goodwin, he is not a good NFL player. I’d rather see the 49ers spend that roster spot trying to find the next Bourne or Mostert.
Houston, Yards Per Reception is certainly a meaningful stat, but without any other context, it’s actually less useful than Yards Per Game.
And you ought to understand this seeing that you brought up AJ Jenkins’ YPR as an example. Simply using YPR without any other context is about as useless as AJ Jenkins was as a football player!
Jarvis Landry is widely regarded as one of the better possession WR’s in the NFL, and his career Yards Per Reception is 11.00, so ……..
“Some people want to say Shanny has a type but that’s really not true for the WR group.”
Sure he does. Look at the guys like Samuel, Hurd, James. What do they all have in common? They all carry the ball like running backs. Austin fits this role.
As for punt return, they don’t like something about Pettis in this role otherwise he’d be up instead of having it be James the last couple years.
Yards per Reception is the gold standard stat used to gauge the effectiveness of any WR and it needs no context. If you want to understand greater detail then you could also look at YAC or Air Yards to add some flavor but still YPR is the most meaningful comparable for all WRs. Yards per game is a subcategory that really only applies to very few WRs like Austin or maybe even Deebo who tend to be used on fly sweeps or rush the ball several times per game. Having said that, what is Austin? Is he a possession receiver? Is he a deep threat? Austin hasn’t had more than 20 touches in a year in 3 years. I suspect the Rams tried to use him in a way Shanny might like but the Rams gave up on that project pretty quick.
“Yards per game is a subcategory that really only applies to very few WRs like Austin or maybe even Deebo who tend to be used on fly sweeps or rush the ball several times per game.”
Which is why I used it.
I’m a little disappointed that you didn’t come at me with his yards per touch because that was the weakness in my argument.
JP, that’s a BS argument. It’s like your a fortune teller saying something generic so no matter what happens you are right. Like saying guys like pretty girls. Having a type is a guy who only dates brunettes. Shanny likes all different types of receivers.
Richie James 5’9, 185 lbs. 4.43 40
Jalen Hurd: 6’5 230 lbs. 4.47 40
Deebo Samuel: 6’0 217 lbs. 4.48 40
Trent Taylor: 5’8, 178 lbs. 4.63 40
Dante Pettis: 6’1, 194 lbs. 4.32 40
James and Taylor have extreme short area quickness. Deebo is very physical in his style. Hurd leverages his size as his major advantage. Pettis uses his speed and unusual body language to turn players around in his route running. As I said, these players are all very diverse in their skill set.
You used Yards per Game to compare Tavon Austin, Marquise Goodwin, and Travis Benjamin. Goodwin and Benjamin never really got touches in the run game so it’s an apples and oranges comparison IMO. I didn’t use the Yards per touch stat because thats a little unfair to Austin. YPT is going to be automatically lower for him because the run game touches will automatically drag down his stat in comparison to the other 2.
Yeah it is kinda apples and oranges, I agree with that.
Was using ypg to show the diversity that a guy like Austin has, and the rushing yards is the only reason that he was higher than the other two.
Who’s the vet in the 49ers WR room?
Wes Welker
Yards per Reception is the gold standard stat used to gauge the effectiveness of any WR and it needs no context.
Well then, by that measure, with a career 13.1 Yards Per Reception, AJ Jenkins was obviously no slouch! And for all these years, I actually thought Jenkins was a bust.
Grant Cohn alleges Kittle contract is a done deal and will be announced on Friday.
Grant: “Take this for what it’s worth. A well-placed source who has been correct in the past just texted me this: The 49ers will announce George Kittle’s contract extension this Friday. According to the source, it will be a six-year extension worth $94.8 million — or $15.8 million per season. Of that money, the 49ers guaranteed 50 percent of it, or $47.4 million. Kittle also will receive a $25 million signing bonus, and the 49ers will structure his deal in such a way that he will cost them only $10 million of their salary cap space in 2022.”
I wonder if it’s the same “source” who said a Jamal Adams trade was gaining steam? Grant Cohn has never broken a story in his life but I actually hope this one is legit. If Kittle is re-signed now it likely is set up to give them some flexibility moving forward.
Surprised that Grant has this type of inside Intel.
We’ll know by Friday if his sources are reliable.
Surprised that Grant has this type of inside Intel.
I wish I would have thought about that before I went off on my tangent. If history is any indication, then no, we shouldn’t be buying what Grant is trying to sell us. In fact, I think there is a better chance that Grant Cohn is actually being PUNKED – as in completely humiliated in a disrespectful kind of way.
Especially now that David Lombardi of The Athletic is reporting that a source close to the negotiations informed him that Grant’s report is “incorrect across the board”. ??¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Grant just punked you. ;p
Ol’ Grant is making waves.
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Obviously, his source is Bechta, trying to negotiate through the media.
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If Kittle dismissed these numbers, I think it is less.
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Bet Bechta started at 20 mil, went down to 18, now 15.8 mil. He wants Kittle’s salary to rise over 7 times his present salary. Maybe Kittle would accept being paid 6 times his present salary. That would be 13.2 mil.
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Kittle should not be greedy. If he has 25 mil guaranteed, he is set for life. Now, all he needs to do is get a couple rings.
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Hopefully, in the final language, the contract will stipulate that George Kittle should refrain from his pre game ritual: Slamming his head and helmet against a wall as hard as he can. That could lead to CTE.
You should try that. Might increase your IQ score.
Obviously, it did not help you at all.
I’d be glad to help you with that!
Sorry, you are beyond help.
Just like Kaepernick, nothing can help him get back in the NFL. Not even a world wide rally.
Let’s talk Nov 4th.
Let’s wager if you are so confident. Don’t be a coward!
I will keep repeating this. I do not bet with welchers.
??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????
Pay up you cheapskate. Welching because you claim some stipulation is what real cowards do.
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You ranted and roared that the Niners would draft Trubusty, when everyone and their cousin knew their biggest need was stopping the run.
Lombardi’s sources > Cohn’s sources
Rappaport now says a deal is imminent.
George Kittle wants to be paid like the number one WR?
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Well, presently, the highest paid WR on the team is Kendrick Bourne, who is being paid 3.26 Mil. Aiyuk is being paid 2.3 mil. Deebo and Pettis is 1.8 mil. Hurd is 973K. Taylor is 800K. Richie James is 769 K. Chris Thompson is 675K. Jauan Jennings is 637 K. Poindexter is 612 K.
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Added all up, the WRs cost 12.9 mil. George Kittle wants to be paid more than the entire WR squad.
Well there’s an analogy worthy of a popcorn fart in the desert!
I really must be living in your head.
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Try harder.
???????????????????????????????????????
Good show. you can act so infantile. More proof that you just cannot help yourself.
The only thing that really matters is the guaranteed money and not the injury guarantees.
SF could backload the contract and make it 20 mil plus in the final 2 years but if its not guaranteed Kittle would never see that money.
I’m not sure what the contract will end up looking like but SF needs to manage the guaranteed money as the way Kittle plays will likely lead to more injuries.
Exactly.
If the deal ends up averaging what Grant said that will be a little bit higher than I expected it to end up, but only a little. The key thing though, as you say, is how much will he be getting fully guaranteed. Also, how much will he be averaging over the first 3-4 years, which likely will be the real commitment (in years) the 49ers are making with this extension.
True, If they are fighting over a million or 2 per year I think it would be crazy, the structure of the deal is far more important especially in those 3-4 as you correctly pointed out. The later years can and likely would be restructured if Kittle keeps playing at a high level and stays healthy.
His playing style is not conducive to health so they would be foolish not to have protections built in.
That’s a major concern and it doesn’t help that Kittle doesn’t want to get his shoulder repaired.
If the 2020 NFL season tanks, perhaps George will reconsider.
Yep
Ian Rapoport
@RapSheet
The #49ers & star TE George Kittle are in agreement on a 5-year, $75M extension, sources tell me & @MikeSilver, one that gives him more than half of it in guarantees. Language is being worked on, but numbers are there. One of their top players, this was a big-time priority
$30 million fully guaranteed, turns out to be around $15 million a year for a total of $40 million guaranteed. Same as some of the top receivers in the league. He’s now being paid as the best TE in football, to Stephen A. Smith’s chagrin….
$18M signing bonus. Good deal for both sides. Glad it got done before Friday.
Pretty close to what I had reckoned: $15-$16M per year and $35-$40M guaranteed.
That Cohn was WAY off. ;p
Might even be the same numbers if the 6th year was an option year, and included in one report but not the other.
Either way, GC’s info was legitimate—not the final deal necessarily but the correct basics. It wasn’t someone trolling him. The numbers are close enough that you can’t say they trying to negotiate in the media. (He said it was someone he’s known for years. Why would he know Kittle’s agent for years?)
Congrats, Grant!
No, no, Grant can never be right. This site would go ballistic if that happened………
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;p
Sorry guys, but as usual, it seems that Grant Cohn was wrong, or should I say Grant’s “sources” were wrong?
I haven’t seen the full details yet, but if what is now being widely reported is true, then Grant was off by a large margin in regards to the details that truly matter.
– Grant claimed Kittle would get a $25M signing bonus, when in reality, it sounds like he got $18M. Big difference!
– Grant claimed Kittle would receive a whopping $47.4M guaranteed, when in reality, it is a much more palatable $30M. Even bigger difference!
So no, Grant Cohn’s “source” was clearly not legitimate. He likely got punked!
The only difference is that the contract was for 1 year less.
$30 million guaranteed at signing and $40 million in total guarantees.
So per Grant’s report the guarantees would avg $7.92 mil per year. Instead the guarantees avg $8 mil per year.
Oh please, spare me. Grant obviously just threw out a bunch of numbers to make it look like he got a scoop. And apparently you’re falling for it.
Guess what …. a little birdy told me the 49ers are going to go 11-5 this season. If the Niners end up winning between 10 and 14 games, we can conclude that little birdy (literal) gave me a scoop.
I haven’t seen the official numbers yet but everyone knows the guaranteed money is the most important figure, as teams can find ways to fudge a lot of the other stuff, and Grant was way, way off on the guarantees.
So NO, Grant’s “scoop” wasn’t even close.
The guaranteed number is:
$30 million guaranteed at signing and $10 more for injury, so $40 million in total guarantees.
Stop trying to make excuses for you and your BFF. Every detail GC through out there was wrong. It’s the difference in verifying the info and throwing it out there because you want to be given credit for being first. The guy has never broken a story and was trying to get one before having his info verified. He was called out by Kittle and other writers like Lombardi for wrong info. No way to sugarcoat it. He f*ed up.
And don’t be confused by the “injury only guarantees” because that’s not what people are talking about when they speak of guarantees. That’s an entirely different thing.
$30 Million guaranteed at signing is a far cry from the $47.4 Million guaranteed that Grant boasted about. I COULD HAVE PULLED A NUMBER OUT OF MY A_S THAT WAS MORE ACCURATE THAN THAT, for crying out loud!
Even Kittle himself basically called Grant out.
By the way Jack, I have a bridge I’d like to sell you. How much, you ask? Let me just pull a number out of my arse for you and find out.
Geesh!
His contract calls for $40 million guaranteed regardless of how you slice it up.
Y’all can try to throw shade all you would like regarding the financial numbers. Fact is that on Tuesday a national reporter stated that negotiations were inching along, and Grant called in the tip he’d received before anyone else
Grant hustles his a$$ off and broke the biggest news of the 49ers offseason. Meanwhile you’re fine getting 1 post, maybe 2 on here in a week.
Maiocco and Silver among others, reported that progress was being made on the same day Grant threw his wrong info out there. The difference is legit reporters wait to verify info and cross reference before going with what they have. Grant got a text from somebody, jumped on it and wound up being completely wrong on every detail. That is the difference between credible and non credible reporting. You aren’t wrong about the lack of articles here, but that doesn’t change the fact GC is a hack.
Yep. Silver backed up the report from Grant but stayed away from detailing the financials. The day before he used the ? emoji to describe the negotiations and even poked a little fun at it.
Not mad at Grant. I’ll give credit when it’s due.
Actually, I’m a little upset that CWN is asleep at the wheel on this story.
As the SPORTING NEWS puts it: The figure that matters most in Kittle’s contract is the $30 million guaranteed at signing, which includes an $18 million signing bonus. He will earn no less than that from the 49ers while playing on this deal, a massive raise after he earned a total of $1.96 million on his rookie contract over the past three seasons combined.
49, Grant was utilized as a negotiating tactic. Obviously, the 96 mil number was the agent’s number.
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The Niners were probably offering 13.5, and they settled for 15 mil, but only 75 and 5 years.
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Kittle and his agent asked for a high number, and settled for less, but it still was a blockbuster number.
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Every TE in the league should chip in and buy that Panda Express near Levis, then give it to George Kittle. They all are going to get huge raises, because of Gorgeous George.
The agent was Silver’s source not Cohn’s. Cohn’s source was likely some intern/low level exec. who got a glimpse of something and misinterpreted it.
No, Grant mentioned the agent dropped that 6th year, in order to facilitate the deal. Grant was parroting what the agent wanted.
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However, the devil is in the details, and there were last second adjustments.
Now he can come to work and feel good about it.
Yes, he’s going to continue to play with Enthusiasm Unknown to Mankind, or at least, among Tight Ends.
Guessing the basis of the annual salary was not that difficult, which may mean that the initial negotiations went without excessive haggling. Highest paid TE would be $11M/yr and highest paid WR would be $22M/yr. Middle ground would be $15.5M/yr. Total # or years and guaranteed money must have been the focus of the negotiations.
From now on, I will believe everything the little Razdoll says……NOT!
He predicted this deal and was ready to kick Kittle to the curb!
Razdoll said $13,5 mil tops…..
Kittle is now being paid as the best TE in football, to Razzdoll’s chagrin….
Hey Dee, I also said Kittle should get a deal in the range of $13.5M tops. It sounds like he got more than that, although I haven’t seen all the details, but $13.5M would have been more than fair, IMO.
But hey, nobody can ever, ever, ever call the 49ers, and Jed York, cheap. If anything, the TE market would indicate they overpaid for Kittle, and I hope it doesn’t end up hurting the overall roster, as a domino effect like I fear it could, and/or more specifically, future contract negotiations.
I will say this ….. George Kittle truly is a one of a kind TE, and the 49ers are a much, much better team when he’s on the field. Go NINERS!
Razzdoll insisted he knew what the deal was going to be and that Kittle could take it or leave it.
Razzdoll was the oracle
Razzdoll was the inside man.
Razzdoll had the knowhow
Razzdoll is an embarrassment!
Raz knows nothing…..only how to mooch off our taxes…
Well, I am glad. Kittle deserves every penny he can get, and the Niners showed how much they value his services.
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All I can assume is that Paraag was the holdup, and Jed put the hammer down.
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Joan in accounting saves the day, again.
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s chief medical officer, reported the following data during a conference call Wednesday with reporters:
Through Tuesday, the league had conducted 109,075 COVID-19 tests.
-The 0.46% positivity rate includes all players, coaches and staffers.
-The player positivity rate has been 0.81%.
During the initial intake process, the league tested 9,983 people. The positivity rate for those tests was 1.7% overall and 1.9% for players.
Hmmm, that means about 360 players and coaches tested positive, over 11 people per team.
Not a pretty picture especially since infection rate is higher amongst players.
After one game, they could spread it to both teams.
I wonder if teams will be willing to fly to Houston or Miami.
Do we know that people who have tested positive weren’t tested again and those tests were included in the cited statistics? If they were tested and included, then an individual is counted as a positive test multiple times. I don’t know the answer to that question. Why don’t they just provide a number for the number of individuals who have tested positive?
Naming names and teams would clarify even more.
Some teams might do better than others.
It would help to compare the protocols and adherence to it as well.
Some UDFA tried to smuggle his GF in the Seahawk team hotel. smh
The Niners signed William Sweet to a one year deal.
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Meh.
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Is JL turning into another Baalke? Another ACL player.
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He may claim low risk, high reward, but it most likely is a high risk, low reward. They are wasting time and effort, and he could get JG bludgeoned.
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I would not call this a Sweet deal, except for him.
I wouldn’t worry about this signing, Seb. It’s a 1-year, $610,000 deal with zero dollars guaranteed, the type of contract you give a player simply because they are basically just a warm camp body.
Yeah, I know. Just a camp body. Very low expectations.
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However, he was on the Cards last season, so imagine the GREAT intel the Niners can extract from him!
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(Please note I am saying this with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek.) ;p
I actually like the Sweet signing, and think he will be on the practice squad at a minimum. He has an injury history, even in college, which is why he went undrafted. But he is an intriguing prospect to develop, and when he was on the field, he exhibited some stellar pass blocking skills. As Jeff Deeney noted in a tweet, in his junior year Sweet allowed just one sack in 386 pass blocking snaps at left tackle at North Carolina in 2018 before declaring for the draft. He did this in the ACC, a Power 5 conference.
So it seems someone worth developing at very low cost, especially if he can stay healthy.
I will concede he has a high potential, but he will not supplant Williams or McGlinchey, so he is giving Skule some competition.
I don’t think the signing is intended to supplant either Williams or McGlinchey, but rather to develop someone and provide more potential options should Williams not re-sign after this year given the Niners’ cap constraints. Skule should face competition in that regard.
More:
https://www.ninersnation.com/2020/8/12/21365262/49ers-sign-ol-william-sweet-to-a-one-year-deal
I received a post card from DirectTV informing me that Sunday Ticket can not be cancelled after 9/20. So I asked them what happens if the season gets cancelled. After 20 minutes on hold they informed me that they will issue full refunds for the unused portion of ST.
Kelce & Kittle would have been great in any era of the NFL. In the end they’ll rank with the best, so kudos to both and happy $$. Other faves: Mackey, Ditka, Casper, Winslow, Francis, Gonzalez, Brent Jones (yes I’m a homer), Gates and Gronk. The Cowpukes have had a number of excellent TEs as well.
Kelce signing new deal that will be in the $14-15 million per year range.
Where’s the guy who kept yapping about how the 49ers were wrong to give Kittle more than $13 mil per because it would blow up their cap?
Kansas City had $177 in cap space in March. Since then they’ve signed their Mahomes and Jones to huge deals and now taken care of Kelce.
Teams can find the money needed to sign or keep the guys they really want.
Bingo!
Talk about resetting the market! Like the nod to Kittle by keeping is just below $15M.
Very pleased that the biggest off-season signing is now done. Were the negotiations tough and intense? You Bechta — just like Furious George himself! But Paraag and the FO have solid relationships with agents and have built up trust with the latter.
With Kelce extended immediately after Kittle at roughly the same average annual $ we can quickly put to bed any talk of Kittle being overpaid relative to position value.
With $18M signing bonus and $30M fully guaranteed, I am expecting that his salary cap hits over the first two years will be kept pretty low. Only $3.6M per year in pro-rated signing bonus. In fact I wouldn’t be surprised if part of that remaining $12M guarantee is an option bonus next year, so Kittle is getting paid but they are pushing the cap hit down the road. Look forward to seeing the full details.
This is the first time in recent memory I’ve seen Marathe dole out that kind of guaranteed money. Big roll of the dice given the way he throws his body around with a chronic shoulder injury. Keep your fingers crossed he can stay on the field for the next 4 years. I know Jed is….
Armstead’s deal had a similar signing bonus, plus a guaranteed option bonus next year. Total fully guaranteed amount was higher, as was overall guarantees. I am actually expecting Kittle’s contract details to look pretty similar to Armstead’s, just a little less dollars and perhaps no voidable 6th year.
Kittle got $15 million more in his signing bonus.
No, he is getting $0.5M more.
I see what you did there.
I didn’t do anything other than report the facts. Armstead got a $17.5M signing bonus. Plus a $7.5M option bonus next season.
You’re right, my bad. Arik Armstead (49ers) six years, $102M, $45.8M gtd, $17.5M signing bonus, salaries $2.5M (gtd), $6.665M (gtd), $14.15M ($11.7M gtd inj at signing, $5.85M gtd for skill, cap if on roster April 1, 2022, $15.89M, $17.41M, $17M
If you are referring to me, Jack, you seem to have missed my point.
Kittle’s deal in of itself, isn’t going to make or break the roster in terms of the salary cap. However, giving in to the demands of an agent who LITERALLY justified an unprecedented contract by referring to his client (Kittle) as a UNICORN, is a very bad precedent to set, IMO, and runs the risk of complicating future contract negotiations.
If George Kittle isn’t actually a TE, but rather a unicorn, Nick Bosa must be a DEMIGOD. George Kittle is a great player, but he’s a TE, not a unicorn. Any guesses as to how how much a multi-year contract extension for a demigod like Bosa is actually worth? If I’m Nick Bosa’s agent, I’m certainly not settling for simply making my client the highest paid DE in the league. I’m pointing directly to George Kittle’s contract extension as an example and saying “hey, if you decided to pay George Kittle is if he were a unicorn, how much are you going to pony up for my client, who’s clearly a demigod? I’m not looking for a DE contract, I’m looking for Nick Bosa contract”. How much exactly is a demigod worth?
That’s a lot of words to say: “I was wrong”
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OK Jack, “you were wrong”. How’s that. lol? ?
Anyhow, what’s done is done. The 49ers are obviously a better team with George “the Unicorn” Kittle, on the field, so GO NINERS!
For now on, we ought to at least refer to Goerge Kittle as “the Unicorn” out of respect for his agent.
Apparently, unicorns do exist! Who knew?
Go Niners!
Meh, he hasn’t even officially signed the deal yet and already the TE market is correcting itself. Just took one domino to fall. There really can’t be any denying the top TE avg salary was too low where it was. Same can’t be said for the DE market.
Sure, the TE market has now been reset, but it’s going to take a while before the affects trickle down across the league. In the meantime, the Niners are now paying significantly more for their top TE than just about every other team in the league, including the rest of the teams within their division. And, IMO, this didn’t need to happen. The 49ers had most of the leverage, and I’m pretty sure George Kittle would have been more than happy with an unprecedented TE deal in the neighborhood of $13.5M/Y.
Anyways, I haven’t seen the nitty gritty of the exact terms of the contract, so I will wait to judge just exactly how this will impact next season’s roster, but what I do know is that, every single penny that counts against the salary cap over the next couple seasons, matters more than ever right now.
I live George Little, he’s one of my all time favorites. But I like the 49ers as a team, even more. I want what’s best for the team, first and foremost. Time will tell whether paying George 50% more per season, than any TE was making per season, at the time of the deal. I’m guessing the 49ers may end up wishing that they had held the line at around $13M/Y, but we’ll see.
George deserved to be the highest paid TE in league history, no question about that.
My only question is: Did he need a deal that absolutely shattered the TE market, by 50% more per season? No, I don’t. And even though the TE market will eventually catch up now that the Niners have reset it, it’s going to take a while for the league to catch up. In the meantime, money is extremely tight, the 49ers are absolutely up against the salary cap, and this deal only makes it that much tougher. It’s going to be a serious challenge to get this team under the cap next season, and this deal only makes it that much harder, and IMO, harder than it needed to be.
That’s it, I’m done talking about Kittle’s new contract. Now it’s time to change my avatar. The only question is to whether I change my screen name to either – Paraag “lousy poker face” Marathe, or George “the Unicorn’ Kittle.
49,
I was one of the early supporters of Kittle getting a record breaking contract. I believed that his contribution was more valuable than any #1 WR in the league. That was until the cap reduction to 178 mill. Now i’m not sure how they can stay under the cap the next couple of years without cutting at least 3 starters and likely as many as 5. I know P. Marathe is the cap whisperer but I don’t know if any one in football is prepared for a shrinking cap. I see many quality players changing teams this off season. Most of them going from good teams (high caps) to bad teams (low cap) imho
Fortunately for us we know how to draft guys that excel in our system. That’s the only way you can compensate for looming cap problems. One thing is certain, they’ll need to clear Ford’s and Alexander’s contracts next year. They found Alexander’s cheap replacement but they’ll need to find Ford’s….
OC:
I wouldn’t be surprised if the league institutes a kind of “creative accounting” for the next couple of seasons. The NFLPA will need to agree, but I think they will rather than have a lot of players cut.
OC, there are going to be some really tough choices being made across the league next year. Ford looks like an obvious candidate to be released/ traded for the 49ers to create some space. I think JG is also an obvious candidate for freeing up some money – either by letting him go if he doesn’t play well this year or committing to him long term and restructuring his deal.
The reduction in cap next year is really going to make the decisions to rework Richburg and Alexander this offseason look like pretty poor decisions imo. Their cap hits are going to be way too high as a % of cap for what they provide, and the team would carry a lot of dead cap space if they cut them.
I feel a bit sorry for guys whose contracts are expiring at the end of this season – what an awful time to be hitting FA. I expect there will be a lot of guys getting released as well, flooding the market. I can see a lot of pretty cheap 1 year deals being signed across the league.
Excellent point Coach.
As to Kittle being worth the money…yes: https://theathletic.com/1996678/2020/08/14/how-many-wrs-would-you-take-over-george-kittle-execs-weigh-in/. Since The Athletic is a paid subscription, the gist of the article is that scouts and front office types only named about 5-7 receivers they would want over Kittle (regardless of salary), which would make Kittle’s salary commiserate with a Top 10 receiver (which is approximately $18 million/year).
I thought Kittle would get about $15 million/year, and lo and behold, he did. Congrats to the Unicorn; well deserved.
Here’s a thought: Kittle actually IS worth to his team what he gets, but most other TEs are NOT. By resetting the TE market, the Niners got their guy and paid him what he’s worth, and screwed virtually every other team’s salary cap for the next 5 years!
Think what top QBs get. They’re worth it, but then teams have to overpay the 2nd tier QBs, too, messing up the cap of most teams. How many non-Kittles will require an extra few $M that can no longer be used on anyone else…
Need to wait until we see the full terms of the deal, but I strongly suspect given the signing bonus and fully guaranteed amounts that his cap hits the first few years will have him coming in at around the previous average for top TEs anyway, and probably not much different to what they would have needed to pay him this year at his existing contract and next year under a FT. And by the time his cap figure jumps up, the average salary for TEs will likely have corrected.
Your probably right, Scooter.
Anyhow, either way, I’m over the sticker shock now. George Kittle represents everything the 49rrs ought to be striving to be, so I can accept whatever the contract details end up being. In fact, what better time than now to rock a Kittle avatar!
Now, let’s go get our 6th Lombardi!!! Go Niners!
In fact, as a sign of solidarity and respect, I’ve decided to go with a new user name for the remainder of 2020.
The user formerly known as 49Reasons is now, officially –
The Unicorn #85
or
#85 The Unicorn
Ertz and his agent are salivating….
Maybe he’s eating razors as a penance?
Looks like Seb/Niner Poe/Dee Pee is back but off the meds.
I thought that 13.5 was a fair offer. I did not think it would blow up the cap, but just that the salary cap would not allow more being paid.
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Kittle could have been greedy, and asked for top WR money, and the Niners just raised the bar 45 %. Both sides compromised, and both sides seem happy. George got paid and is set for life. The Niners eliminated a big possible distraction, and now has everyone pulling in the same direction.
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Quibbling about being paid 6 times or 7 times more, is not important. The important thing is that a deal is getting done, and George Kittle is happy.
I hear you, Seb.
Go Niners!
GO NINERS !!!!!! SIX !!!!!!
Looks like they’re looking to add another vet wr to the room other than Welker. Moncrief and JJ Nelson have been brought in for workouts. Given the theme, I’m surprised Gabriel has not been brought in….
Silver Fox?
Looks like Miles Austin has left the Niners. I wonder if a promotion for Katie Sowers is in the works.
And a QB…
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that San Francisco also worked out former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets quarterback Luke Falk.
If they had paid him $20M…. it would be still be a great deal…….
Dude is everything 49ers…….He deserves ALL and more……Great example of being humble, great work ethic and mad FUN…..
Julio Jones -makes $22 million per season. He’s followed by Amari Cooper at $20 million and Michael Thomas at $19.3 million.
Kittles is our #1 Receiver !!! – on the NFC champs – Case closed
If you haven’t seen. Likely WR signings…
https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/138656-49ers-signing-receivers-tavon-austin-nelson-per-report/
I’m off to SI. Hope to have something out by end of day. I’ll still be popping in around these parts every once in a while. You guys are a good source of ideas sometimes. ✌?
JP,
Congrats on the new gig. I was hoping that you would take the wheel here after Grant, but happy you got a gig that you are more than qualified for.
The Grant & Hammer show?
Mood,
That has a nice ring to it. I believe that Jack could be a major asset to Grant. Hammer knows football.
If Grant was part of the hiring process, it was a good move by him.
Maybe he can keep Grant on the straight-and-narrow and name the show “Hammerin’ Grant”?
The Hammer Grant Show.
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(Double entendre.) ;p
Congrats Jack!
But if you are also going to be writing about the nines it might be a short lived promotion unless SI is restructuring their set up and having local beat writers for each team to attract traffic.
Keep us posted, send a link!
Jack’s back!
https://www.si.com/nfl/49ers/news/49ers-filled-with-question-marks-at-wide-receiver
writing and reading is not the same, eh Jack….
little nervous, that’s all
Not sure when SI became a tryout site for amateur writers/Vloggers but holy crap. Maven has killed that place.
You ain’t kidding!
I appreciate all of the kind words and even the not so friendly ones.
Well that explains all the Grant Cohn defending and ass kissing.
Not quite
Congrats Jack you will be missed around here. I wish the P.D. had hired you to moderate and write for this blog.
Man, GC is living rent free in your head dude. Let it go.
I’ve been living rent free in tweedle dee’s and onenut’s head for years!
I don’t think you understand what that trendy phrase means Aussie. I couldn’t care less about Grant Cohn and he’s hardly inside my head considering I haven’t mentioned him regularly. I simply pointed out that JP has been defending Grant Cohn and talking about how much better things are over at SI then lo and behold he gets a bone thrown his way to put up an article.
Yeah, that trendy phrase is a really hard one to understand. You comment about GC all the time. To the point where instead of congratulating someone when something good happens for them you feel compelled to bring it back to a disparaging remark about GC. Again.
Ha ha on the contrary it looks like I’m in your head Kiwi.
Awesome Jack! Steer clear of The Maven (and I don’t mean Grant). You get a press pass?
Nice work JP! Look forward to reading your articles.
Congrats, Jack!
Jack, you and I do not see eye to eye on a lot, but I will admit you can frame a cogent argument and use logic and facts to defend your point of view. Your writing ability is legible and entertaining. You may want a sneer from me rather than a pat on the back, but I am trying to be honest and fair in my assessment of your writing skills. You know me, I am not easily impressed.
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Congratz on your new gig. I think you will do well because you speak as a passionate Niner fan.
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I hope you can find a balance to be a foil against Grant, instead of all his toadies. You certainly will be a change over their flawed logic and painful delivery.
Hmm, both Nelson and Austin scheduled for signing pending physical. I guess they will duke it out for the privilege of temporarily replacing Deebo.
Crowded room. Gonna be a dog eat dog battle for a roster spot. Pettis better get his purr on!
I wonder if Deebo’s recovery is slower than expected and he starts the season on PUP.
On second thought, they will need one of them to replace Benjamin to be the deep threat to open up the middle of the field. To start the season: Aiyuk, Bourne, Taylor, Hurd, Pettis, and Austin/Nelson. Jennings and James probably headed for 16-man PS. Deebo should be back for the Eagles game.
I’ll go with Aiyuk, Bourne, Taylor, Hurd, James and Jennings
That is a lot of inexperience and injury risk. It could turn out this way but I’d be surprised if they cut Pettis loose to keep James and Jennings. We really need Deebo to come back quickly.
This offseason has been excellent. Losing the SB was tough, but the team will learn from it and finish the job, next time.
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Yes, they lost Staley, Buckner and Sanders, but they replaced them with Williams, Kinlaw and Aiyuk. The draft was an unmitigated success. JL put on his Trader Bill Hat, traded back, got a 4th round pick, and still got Kinlaw, the player they targeted. Then they used that 4th round pick to move up, and selected Aiyuk, the player KS coveted. JL then had the steal of the draft. He traded a fifth round pick, and a 2021 third round pick, for Trent Williams, a seven time Pro Bowler. The icing on the cake was Williams nixing a trade to Minnesota, even though they had way more draft capital, just because he wanted to come to a SB team, and help them win a ring. The Niners had to spend a fifth and third round picks for an elite LT, while the Seahawks had to trade 2 firsts, a third, and Bradley McDougald for Jamal Adams.
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They traded back, they traded up. They traded away a RB. They traded away Goodwin. I am thrilled at what they did.
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The one quibble I had was the fact that they might have been patient, waited for Aiyuk to fall to 31, and saved that 4th round pick. However, GB was touted as picking a WR in many of their mocks, so Aiyuk may not have made it to 31.
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The extension of KS and eventually JL, set the team’s leadership up for years. This signing of Kittle was the last piece to the puzzle.
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JL has kept the team together. KS does not need to make drastic changes or install something brand new. He can just make some tweaks and adjustments, while adding some new wrinkles. JG has moved on from his ACL, and is practicing without his brace. He will start his second full season, and will have learned from the first, If JG can work on his ball security, and become more deceptive, he can be elite.
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The WRs have gotten stronger, with the return of Hurd, Taylor and Poindexter. Hopefully, there will be some UDFA who will shine. Other than Buckner, the defense is essentially intact, and that front 4 looks scary good.
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The 49ers seem to be handling the Covid 19 Pandemic well. I hope they keep the starters separate from the rest of the players, to ensure they can field a team. I also hope no player tries to smuggle his GF into the team hotel.
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Mostert is happy, Kittle is happy, I am happy.
The power outage gave you lots of time to think apparently. :)
Here are some other thoughts I had.;p
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Since the Pac 12 is closed down, why not have KS hire David Shaw as a consultant?
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The Rock as the XFL owner, should create a 7 on 7 league of college hopefuls, who go into a bubble like the NBA, with round robin tourneys.
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Looking at the upcoming season, one big reason why I am so hopeful for the Niners is their defense. Defenses will have a big advantage over the offenses, who have missed out on all the OTAs and mini camps, so they cannot gel as a group and work on their timing and blocking.
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I expect the Niner defense to dominate, especially those first few games.
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Saw Jack, and must say, he did well for his first podcast. He, and all the others, still need to stop reading, and just talk like their are discussing things with their buddies, over a beer. Practice makes perfect, so I hope he practices his delivery many times, until it sounds natural, and unscripted.
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That All49ers Jose sure tries hard, but content matters.
From today’s practice. Much info…
https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/138689-49ers-practice-jimmy-garoppolo-austin-nelson-kinlaw-stands/
Today is the day I start missing Grant. I loved his camp reports especially when I had a interest in a particular player who wasn’t one of the stars. Grant would keep an eye out for that player if you requested it. Does anyone know if he is covering camp for S.I?
He is OC. He has a good and not so good report for today’s practice up. Sad that the PD has come to this – basically just a place to comment on what other news outlets are covering.
Read his good and not so good.
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Of course, he puffed up Mullens, and down graded JG, saying he refused to throw a deep pass.
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I am just surprised that he did not mention Dwelley. ;p
Seb,
I have to admit I have 2 concerns regarding Jimmy G.
#1 silly seemingly unforced int’s
#2 his inability to complete the long ball with the exception of the wide open receiver who he can lay it up to.
Until he can lead the WR with the deep ball who has only a step on the defender I can’t put him in, lets say the top 5 or 6 qb’s. imho
Its just a little bit strange, we will all go to Grant’s S.I. site then come back here and discuss his takes.
Here’s the thing about the deep ball. The QB let’s it go and several seconds later it arrives. During that time the receiver could be bumped and change his speed or line of direction. Also, the QB has to know and get a feel for how fast his WR can run. A receiver who runs a 4.3 forty will have run almost 5.5 more feet than a receiver who runs a 4.5 forty when the throw is about 40 yards from the line of scrimmage (i.e receiver #1 has run 40 yards, but the slower receiver has only run 38.2 yards in 4.3 seconds). I don’t think any receivers have a catch radius of 5.5 feet. The receiver Grant points out was Tavon Austin, wasn’t it? Certainly Jimmy has zero feel for Austin’s speed at this point. Also, aren’t QBs taught that when they throw the deep ball it is better to overthrow a bit so that the ball isn’t intercepted? Maybe Jimmy takes this too much to heart. After all, on third or more rarely on fourth down a deep ball (30 to 40 yards) down field could, in many cases, be equivalent to a punt if it is intercepted, but surely not all cases.
Having said all of that, there are clearly QBs who throw a good deep ball. Jimmy may never be one of them because he simply might not have the ability to coordinate all of the various inputs. Even though it sounds like I am defending Jimmy G, I’ve actually just resigned myself to the fact that Jimmy will never be a good deep ball thrower in the ranks of Aaron Rodgers or Russell Wilson. The question is will he be good enough? He helped take the team to Super Bowl last year. He played 3+ good quarters of football (better than Mahomes). I think the turning point was when he was slammed to the ground. He should have been checked for a concussion. In hindsight, that might have been the time to insert Mullens in whom I have a lot of confidence as a backup.
Cubus,
I agree about the concussion. I was screaming from the top of the mountain right after the SB that Jimmy G’s game changed right after that piay where I believe he was concussed. No one was listening, they were all too busy blaming JG for the loss.
Cubus, JG is going to have these issues, especially with new unfamiliar players.
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Actually, I am fine with the short and intermediate stuff, because the ball is not in the air long, and with JG’s accuracy, he is exactly the kind of QB that fits so well in KS’s system. KS seems to stress the yards after catch, so getting the ball quickly into the hands of his playmakers, in stride, with open space to maneuver in, is the safer approach. JG’s command of the playbook, and with the talent surrounding him, he will be the best option to take the Niners back to the SB.
The deep ball is a tool in the QB’s box, but it doesn’t guarantee championships.
Ben Roethlisberger only won one SB, and that was in his rookie season. Philip Rivers has never been to a SB. And Cam Newton went to the SB and lost.
I still believe in the old Hank Stram philosophy; “just matriculate the ball down the field, boys.” (lol)
Also, it depends on how you define the deep ball. According to this NN article, Jimmy was, in fact, number 1 in the league last season if the definition is that the deep ball is 20 or more yards. Last season through December 11th (after the Saints game), he was number one with a completion rate of 53%. Personally, I think this is good enough although it wasn’t good enough in the SB.
What irks me is some of the bonehead interceptions. That is an area I think he can readily clean up even though I doubt he will get much better at the “long” ball (around 40 or more yards down the field).
https://www.ninersnation.com/2019/12/11/21010498/jimmy-garoppolo-passing-deep-ball-number-1-49ers-quarterback
I ascribe most of Jimmy G’s INTs to inexperienced WRs and the absence of Taylor. Sanders arrival reduced his INT rate from one per game to 0.7 per game.
The area where he can improve is cutting down on the fumbles.
Jimmy G was the most efficient deep ball passer in the league last season, IIRC. The small sample size reflects Kyle’s play calling.
In 2019, Jimmy had five fumbles which was the same amount as Russell Wilson, Ryan Tannehill, Kirk Cousins and Philip Rivers. Contrast that with 8 fumbles for Matt Ryan and 10 for Carson Wentz. Rodgers, Stafford and Brady had 3. So, I don’t think he was egregious with regards to fumbling last year. He was about average or slightly better than average. I’m sure he can learn to protect the ball better, but some of those fumbles happen when a defender hits a QB on his blind side and I always thought that was definitely the fault of the OL and not the QB.
With regards, to interceptions, you’re right about some of the issues with the WRs and there was a clear improvement when Sanders was brought on board. I was thinking more of the interceptions where he doesn’t see the underneath defender (usually a linebacker).
To your point about interceptions and the loss of Sanders, do you think 2020 will be similar to 2019 with a relatively high rate of interceptions due to a lack of WR experience?
After the Seahawk game, JG protected the ball better, and had way less problems.
No Cubus, I think his interception rate will go down this season because the entire offense sans Aiyuk will have another year of experience with Kyle’s playbook. Add to that the return of Taylor. He’ll have better rapport with his receivers.
I wonder how the QB fumble rates compare when run hand-offs are eliminated from consideration, as well as threshold time in the pocket of 1.5 seconds. INTs can be blamed partly on receivers but if the QB holds the ball for too long and then fumbles when sacked or tacked, it’s fully on the QB.
Mood:
Okay, I can agree that a QB can hold the ball too long; but I’ve seen lots of cases where tackles get beat off the line resulting in a quick sack of the QB, esp. from the blind side.
Old Coach, I know we have high expectations with JG, but he also just completed his first year starting.
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I think that with more experience, he will become like Brady or Brees, and be aware of where all 11 defenders are on each play at all times.
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Having a fully healthy knee will not hinder his TC, like the ACL rehabbed knee did last season.
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I fully expect that JG worked hard over the off season, to reduce the amount of interceptions. If he can have 5 or less interceptions, he can become elite.
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I do not think it is strange at all. I have been perusing all of the Niner blogs. Grant’s takes are welcome, but I have learned to take them with a grain of salt. JG in the bad column? Meh.
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One thing I liked to hear about was JaMycal Hasty. I watched his highlights again, and it looks like he can run between the tackles. I think he has quick hips.
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I also watched Jack Hammer on SI, and thinks he has potential. I liked how he did not stick to the script and had a nice flow in his delivery (Compared to the others). I think his inclusion on the All49ers will be positive, and hopefully bring up the production quality and content.
Grant Cohn’s first 13 words, of his first The Not So Good section of the 2020 season: “Don’t get me wrong — Garoppolo wasn’t bad during the first practice of camp”
“Don’t get me wrong, Graoppolo wasn’t bad or anything like that, and that’s why I listed his name first on my eternally pessimistic Not So Good section.”
Seriously, Grant? Sigh …
What a sad sack of a “reporter”, always having to try and tear down the people he admires most. Some things never fricken change!
What happened to his best buddy Dwelley? No mention? ;p
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BTW, I would exuberantly vote for Garoppolo/ Kittle 20, in this upcoming election, if they were on the ballot.
Same old Grant, building up Mullens and down playing Jimmy. Glad to read something about the Niners playing.
hi
I did not anticipate Richburg missing the first 6 weeks on PUP. This absence will negatively affect the offense.
Dang. Sounds like Hurd was just injured, too.
I am encouraged by what they are saying about Kinlaw and Aiyuk. Sounds like they are acting like seasoned veterans, rather than rookies.
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Looking at the Kittle deal, it seemed like Bechta took a hard line approach, and fought hard for the max contract. However, Kittle was shown the financials pertaining to the salary cap, and realized if he is paid too much, it might mean they could not afford a key player. With it projected to go down 23 mil, it was not the time to be greedy.
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Kittle accepted less, because he is a team captain, and wants to help the team win a SB. He took a team discount, yet still broke the record by 43%. It is a win/win for both sides, and JL and George Kittle can now concentrate on achieving their Quest for 6.
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Bechta fought hard, and even with the lowered number, succeeded to get his client signed before they put on pads. That was a big goal for Kittle, so he did his job well.
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The Niners were smart to lock up their best player for 5 years. Compare Kittle to Adams, and realize why the Jets are perennial cellar dwellers, while the Niners are competing for a Lombardi.
How would you characterize Paraag’s part in all this?
He did well, too. Sounds like the financial structure on the contract is fair for both sides.
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Paraag probably started at 12 mil, and Bechta started at 18 mil. They ended up at 15 mil.
Yeah cause you know!
????????????????????????
Nick Bosa was excellent today. Sacked Jimmy Garoppolo and blew up a Raheem Mostert sweep on the next play in 11s. In one-on-ones, beat Trent Williams with an inside move and then Williams put him on his ass the next rep.
iron sharpens iron……
Jersey link:
https://www.dhgate.com/product/12-tom-brady-new-football-jersey-englands/523435643.html?d1_page_num=1&yangfaninfo=yf.commonplan.26.2nLjfioJlGZqIbPm0-7hXZUqzL7C5giasFsfV83R.0-42.I8nn1izS-_hoodieH49ersBqf6cjnC8cO-Es&dspm=pcen.sp.list.1.akKCfFsPfDeOec77PhvK&resource_id=523435643#gp-1-16|1:3a744a0f80bb4c0ca6f3a9f77490e11d:1
Just putting it out there- historically, I bought off Ali-express and just didn’t wash them (I had a couple where die ran…) Beats paying $125+……. if you don’t wan tto violate licensing agreements, that is fine- just putting this out there as an option for those wanting cheaper options.
Hoping attendance is brought down to 25K for season ticket holders so I can go to 1/2 the games……… should be a good season.
Who else is tired of hearing Weston Richburg is injured…….
This didn’t last long…
https://www.49erswebzone.com/articles/138745-recently-signed-49ers-spencer-long-retires/
Lombardi observation below is encouraging. For you fantasy enthusiasts Aiyuk is largely going undrafted. Let’s remember the grain of salt rule when certain quarters incessantly criticize Jimmy G.
David Lombardi @LombardiHimself
Pads don’t come on until tomorrow, but it’s clear Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie 49ers WR Brandon Aiyuk already have rapport.
Several completions between the two at practice today, including a bomb from Garoppolo that hit Aiyuk in stride for a TD in 7-on-7s. Aesthetically pleasing
Anyone know if Hurd,s injury is related to his backfield from last season?
Hurd tweaked his ankle today, so no, it’s not related to last season’s back injury. That’s good, and what’s even better is that it was minor enough that Hurd was reportedly able to return to practice for team dills. He’s fine, but the team is expected to continue taking a cautious approach in easing him in.
Armstead is dealing with back tightness, so the team is being ultra-conservative, as they should be. It’s likely nothing serious.
Time to start building up calluses.
Exactly. From what I am hearing, Hurd cam back onto the filed to observe the end of practice, so he’s likely just fine. But he did apparently delete his Instagram account for now, over hat he sees as an over the top negative reaction from the fans. He’s been grinding to get back, and the probably sat out the rest of practice today because the team (and trainer) asked him too. There is absolutely no reason to push a guy who’s coming off of a stress fraction in his back, in mid August. From what I’m hearing, the team is a bit smitten with Juan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk is dropping jaws, Taylor is healthy, and they’ve smartly brought in a couple veterans who at the very least bring veteran leadership (and a ton of speed as a bonus), fans need to chill out a bit. I think there is a ton of potential at the receiver position. Sure, there’s a lot of youth, but hat’s OK with 2 absolutely dynamic pass catching TE’s. I’m glad Hurd shut down Instagram for now, it’s almost nothing but trolls these days, who have no idea how physical the rigors of NFL football are. Hurd needs to stay positive and keep grinding while not getting discouraged.
Geesh, WTF, major spelling errors and spell correction nonsense guys. Hope you get my drift.
Team dills? Does that mean he was in a pickle? ;p
Smart move for him to get out of social media.
9 players on the Oklahoma football team tested positive. I have not seen any announced results about any SEC or ACC teams, so I expect they have some positives. If the players had all tested negative, those conferences would have been crowing about those test results.
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So far so good. I hope the Niners emulate the Covid protocols that the Seahawks have implemented. They seem to be taking this pandemic very seriously.
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It was interesting to hear about Sherman taking the first team snaps on the right side, with Verrett at LCB.
“Taylor, by the way, marveled at Jennings’ work in Sunday’s one-on-one drills: “Great plays, he ran some filthy routes out there and it shocked all of us the type of route-running ability he has.””
https://www.mercurynews.com/2020/08/16/49ers-training-camp-brandon-aiyuk-off-to-graceful-start-while-jalen-hurd-is-not/
Sounds like his lack of speed has forced him to excel in the technical areas of being a WR, in this case route running. Really looking forward to watch him play.
I’m often concerned about smaller receivers like Taylor and Pettis recovering on their route running after getting bumped in the first 5 yards. Not much concern in that regard with Jennings!
Cubus,
Doesn’t his speed, size and skill set sound a bit like Anquan Boldin?
Yes, I agree it does.
Reports out of camp say D. Ford looked better today than he did at any time last year. He came out about a month ago and said the procedure he had on his knee was a huge success and he felt better than he has in years. I know its only the 2nd day of camp but if Ford can stay healthy all year and play at his best this Niner d could be like TB when they won the SB or the Ravens first SB or bite my tongue the 85 Bears. On the other side DJ Jones did not look good and he is a very important rotational player. They need him healthy and at his best. imho
At least Grant didn’t call DJ fat (lol).
Was waiting to see TC comments from Jack Hammer, but perhaps there’s a process in getting his Press Pass.
I know KS wants his players to be versatile, but DJ Jones fielding a punt?
It’s been a bit since I have chimed in (pre Kittle Contract)… so here are some of my observations.
1. It appears Kittle and his Agent won the negotiations… not only did they get more than the franchise tag would have gotten them over the next few seasons. They got at least 30 mil fully guaranteed (from my understanding) and additionally got a fair amount in injury guarantees which more importantly are guaranteed much earlier than normal for SF. All that said I’m ok with the contract, quibbling over a million for a player of his caliber seems stupid to me. It just means one of our future bench players will likely get less. This is not at all like the McKinnon or Juice Contracts in the past.
2. Good news out of Camp… Aiyuk has looked really good by all reports, and appears to separate with ease… Bosa is dominant again, apparently beating Williams for 3 sacks (this bears watching on Williams side)… Kinlaw has “looked like a professional” but didn’t beat Tomlinson in 1on1 drills (this also bears watching but I’ll care a lot more when full pads are used)… Ford has also looked very good.
If Ford and Bosa can stay healthy don’t be surprised if their pass rush improves… the question is will the 49ers back-end be able to keep up?
BTW – Congrats Jack… while we often disagree it’s nice to see one of our own chasing and realizing their dream.
Cam Inman said that JG threw the pick to Marcel Harris.
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Grant said CJB overthrew, and was picked off by Harris.
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Who is right?
As noted during last year’s camp, the first WR(s) to drop a pass shall be labeled bust and must be released immediately. Followed, of course, by angry demands to fire Lynch ASAP.
I suppose we’ve already had a dropped pass this month…wonder who?
This Kittle guy didn’t catch a single pass yesterday until the final session. Did Shanlalynch commit yet another of their many blunders by signing him to a king’s ransom?? Discuss!
Pads go on — Niners football returns today!
Barrows reports that Tartt has started his contract year efforts strong in a week where offense tend to dominate.
Kyle compared Aiyuk to Isaac Bruce. From what I’ve heard about Aiyuk’s quiet professionalism and attention to detail as a rookie, he’s beginning to remind me of JT.
Down goes Hurd with an ACL. Jennings makes the team!
Mike Garafolo
@MikeGarafolo
· 12m
#49ers WR Jalen Hurd is undergoing an MRI this morning after suffering what’s believed to be a major knee injury in practice yesterday, sources tell me and @RapSheet. The fear is the test will reveal a torn ACL. Test will tell full story.
‘Tis but a scratch!
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;p
What an idiotic comment.
Lighten up Francis.
Mike Garafolo
@MikeGarafolo
The #49ers are bringing in veteran WR Jaron Brown for a workout, source says. The former #Seahawks and #AZCardinals receiver has spent seven seasons in the NFC West and looking to make it eight.
9:00 AM · Aug 17, 2020
Do the 49ers lead the league in acl injuries? I thought that was the explanation for a change at strength and conditioning and medical staff a few years back.
Do the 9ers lead the league in injuries? Check this for 2020…
https://www.espn.com/nfl/injuries
Hurd is never going to be healthy enough to play in the NFL. Although it’s an extremity issue at the moment the team should have known better than to use a 3rd round pick on a guy that already came with a career ending injury. Said the exact same thing when they drafted him.
Doesn’t matter if it looks like a Ferrari on the outside if it’s a Hyundai underneath.
It’s a little too soon to write the guy off imo. He had concussion issues in College but played his Senior year with no problem and the two injuries he’s suffered in the NFL were just bad luck. Frank Gore tore both ACL’s in college and has gone on to a HOF career. You can’t rush to judgement even if it is frustrating. The good thing is it appears Deebo won’t miss a lot of time and the Jennings kid might be able to give them what they were counting on Hurd for.
Very unfortunate. I was looking forward to seeing a healthy Hurd finally get on the field.
On the business side of this, I wonder if the 49ers will put him on IR or move on without him.
With the recent WR signings it makes me wonder if the 49ers knew that Hurd already had issues with his knee leading up to the injury.
On the bright side, there has been some positive news regarding Aiyuk, so it helps to mitigate a little the loss of Hurd.
Still, wishing the best for Jalen Hurd. It’s never over till it’s over.
Yesterday the injury was reported as a slight ankle injury by the media. And now…..
I was just remembering what a tough guy he was at the start of camp last year. IIRC, getting into fights and hitting players hard when it was understood that that wasn’t supposed to happen. I’m surprised that he has so quickly gotten another injury. But as you said: wishing the best and it ain’t over till it’s over.
I’ve said it a millions times …. the NFL is an extremely physical sport and injuries happen, often without rhyme nor reason. Good teams suffer injuries and bad teams suffer injuries. The NFL’s best teams are able to find ways to win despite the injuries.
People thought the sky was falling after the 49ers suffered a string of high profile injuries last season, yet they found a way to continue to dominate.
I don’t think the sky is falling and never said that.
Of course, football is an extremely physical sport. However, just like the injury to McKinnon, which kept him out for two years, Hurd’s latest injury is “non-contact”.
Cubus,
You are not, but just read the comment a couple of comments below this one :)
Put him on IR and see if he can be Hurd next year. They’ve got him for another 3 years anyway. Really need Pettis to be a menace this year for opposing defenses….
Hate to be the debbie downer but anyone else getting the feeling the team is falling apart before the season is even starting???
Been disconnected for a while, what’s the deal with Press Democrat? Are we right back where we were when Grant left?
I see Grant is still posting his Good and not so good list on SI, anyone following?
Hope everyone is good.
Not so good in Dallas either…
https://www.nfl.com/news/gerald-mccoy-leaves-cowboys-practice-with-leg-injury
Left practice, now gone for season.
One of the lesser mentioned issues here is that Hurd was already an older player in addition to his injury history. This draft pick is looking less and less likely to pan out… really hope this turns out to be sprain rather than a tear that will allow him to at least salvage some of the season.
Shoup: I just looked up his age and he turned 24 in January. So, he’s maybe one year older than his “class mates”.
Fair enough cubus… I was parroting what I had heard on a radio interview and thought it was likely to be higher due to his transfer. In any case, it would be terribly unlucky to not see what you have in a player until they turn 26 (roughly 2 years removed from an acl injury).
Hurd is snake bit. In 5 years, he will have played in only 19 games, I believe. That is due to his injuries and transfer.
If only he just ran out of bounds, or dropped before getting hit, or better yet, never put on a pair of cleats, he never would have gotten hurt! Dang it!
If he walked back to the locker room, I am hoping it is an MCL. Players who tear their ACL tend to be carted off.
That would be a big break.
Nope, just saw that his agent confirmed the ACL.
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Dang.
Has there been a change to the number of players that can dress for game day? It used to be 46, but wouldn’t it make sense to raise that number in light of the pandemic? I never understood why all 53 active players aren’t allowed to dress for game day.
I believe they agreed to allow two more players to be active on game day, and one of them has to be an OL.
Guess we will find out shortly if Hurd has a ALS tear. Home he recovers fast.
Matt Maiocco
@MaioccoNBCS
·
37m
#49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said, though the results of the MRI are not back yet, he’d be surprised if it’s not an ACL tear for WR Jalen Hurd. Shanahan said he expects Hurd back in 2021.
Looks like K’Waun Williams will need an MRI for an apparent soft tissue injury to his calf.
https://www.ninersnation.com/2020/8/17/21372521/49ers-injury-updates-shanahan-fears-hurd-tore-his-acl-kwaun-williams-waiting-on-an-mri
Et tu K’Waun?
Hope it’s just a calf issue and he does not miss time….
Looks like Grant is taking some flak over his reporting on this Kittle deal:
https://www.nfl.com/news/how-george-kittle-got-paid-the-high-stakes-high-strain-story-behind-a-record-set
Can be said about a lot of Grant’s reporting.
‘We (Bechta and Kittle) both said- “WTF is this?”.
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Well, it was for more money, more guaranteed and 800K per year above the eventual deal.
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If I were Kittle, I would have been thrilled. 94 mil is 19 mil more than 75 mil. Oh, is Kittle furious because he was going to get 19 mil more? I think not. He may have been mad that there was a leak.
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Grant did get the scoop from somebody close to the negotiations, and mainly missed out on the length, 5 years instead of 6 years.
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It was interesting to note that Kelce got a deal done right after Kittle’s, so all of the relevant agents were collaborating, and aware of the parameters.
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Good ol’ Paraag. He was cut off at the knees, and he could not manipulate the deal to make it team friendly. Maybe Joan in accounting had to write it up. The real hero in this drama was Kittle’s father, a labor negotiator.
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I must admit I was wrong. Paraag did not start at 12 mil, he started at less. Probably just a little better than the Hooper contract. So much so, Bechta would not present it to his client. Eventually, after Bechta wanted top WR money, which is around 20 mil, the Niners countered with 14 mil. Bechta was at an impasse and wanted his client to threaten to hold out. Fortunately, Bruce Kittle rode in to save the day. He probably got Bechta to lower his demands to 16 mil, and they split the difference at 15.
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Grant gets to crow, but of course, he is above that. ;p
“Maybe Joan in accounting had to write it up.” Seb
What!? I thought that Joan in accounting was ousted with the last regime!
Good to know that she is still tapping the old Royal Typewriter (lol).
ssxz
The total population of Germany is 82,293,457 people. The people in Germany speak the German language. According to a fractionation scale, which is 0.1642 for Germany, the linguistic diversity of Germany is vaguely diverse. The average age is about 46.1 years. Life expectancy in Germany is 81. The female fertility rate in Germany is 1.5. About 25% of Germany’s population are obese. The ethnic diversity is almost uniform according to a fractionation scale, which is 0.1682 for Germany. Details on language, religion, age, gender distribution and advancement of people in Germany can be found in the following sections as well as in the section on education in the country. http://www.confiduss.com/en/jurisdictions/germany/demographics/