New to Niner's Nation
by stuart0908 on May 28, 2009 3:01 PM PDT
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PrintHi everyone, I just wanted to introduce myself. I am Stuart, I'm a 26 year old football fan. I live in Texas, but I will eventually be moving out to San Francisco, and the more and more I watch the 49ers, the more I am becoming convinced they are on the verge of a breakout season.
Lots of pieces seem there, but maybe a season or two away.
What does everyone think of the current 49ers? What are the bright spots and where are the holes?
Look forward to hearing your answers
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.
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Welcome
We’ll probably go 11-5 and win at least one playoff game.
Last season our defense was #7 during Singletary’s tenure and they’ll only get better. He pays so much attention to detail that he hired his sack specialist from the 1985 Bears, Al Harris, as a Pass Rush coach for Haralson and Lawson.
The offense is 100% better at ever position.
QB – Hill over JTO, not even close.
WR – We are now loaded.
RB – We are now loaded.
FB – We are now loaded.
TE – We are now loaded.
OL – Everyone has an extra year of experience and we have replaced Jennings with Marvel Smith who looks really good. Same backups plus add Boone.
Now you see why I’m optimistic.
Kezarvet
I appreciate your optimism..
..now don’t jinx it..lol!
by Josh G and the Shaun Hill band wagon on May 28, 2009 9:04 PM PDT up reply actions
Hmm...not so sure about your optimism.
At QB, we replaced JTO with Nate Davis/Damon Huard. The other names are the same…is that really an upgrade to drool over?
RB, we replaced a solid veteran in Deshaun Foster (who everyone was really high on last year, if you remember) with a questionable rookie. Meh.
At FB, we have the exact same two guys we had in camp last year.
TE hasn’t changed much either, with one blocking specialist replacing another.
Really, the only mentioned position that I see any significant improvement in is the WR spot. There are also other changes that are worth mention: Martz vs Raye for example. Sure, hindsight being 20/20, we can look back on it now and say that Martz wasn’t such a huge upgrade. At the time, though, it seemed like a wonderful move. If people are already sketchy on Raye, who’s to say we won’t be cursing ourselves in the same way a year from now?
I think Robinson will have a break out year..
..if they are confident enough to send out Morgan on a pass option, I see Robinson having a huge role will will imlore the likes of who you so easily dismissed.
by Josh G and the Shaun Hill band wagon on May 28, 2009 9:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Hmm.
I see Robinson having a huge role will will imlore the likes of who you so easily dismissed.
I cannot for the life of me decipher this statement.
The mention of Robinson’s name in the conversation is irrelevant, however, as the point in question was how the position has changed or upgraded this offseason. Since Robinson was on last year’s roster, and did very little to impress in an increased role in the 2008 season, I can’t see how he represents a shiny new hope for the upcoming year.
Robinson is Garbage
Works Cited: This
I know some people blame the ref’s and/or the play calling (which they can and should) but a real NFL running back makes those yards.
I will NEVER forgive Martz, or Robinson, for that play. If we won that game, and everything else (for the Cards and the Niners) stayed the same the rest of the season, the 49ers win the division, and the Cards don’t go to the Super Bowl.
One play, three yards, a world of difference.
Blind devotion.
by ProfessorBigelow on May 29, 2009 8:40 AM PDT up reply actions
I blame the refs and Martz
The refs for putting the 49ers a yard back from where they actually should of been and Martz for sending in subs when the 49ers should of been spiking the ball when they ran off about 20 seconds.
I actually thought the right person ran the ball, because Gore has had his struggles at the goaline and he had a concussion I believe on the previous drive. Gore did have his chance but was ankle tackled when he had a free path to the endzone. Robinson is a hard nosed runner who’s going to run with his shoulders down and he’s going to protect the ball. Now if the ball was at the 1 yard line like it should of been instead of the 2 and a half yard line, does M-Rob score? The playcall I don’t think could of been changed in that short amount of time after the refs ruled where the ball was.
This.
Martz’ time management was terrible at the end of that game.
What I didn't understand...
… at the time was this:
The 49ers essentially had two QBs on the field (Hill and Robinson). Both of them knew what the play call was. Both of them HAD to have seen the ball placement when they walked up to the line of scrimmage. Robinson should have at least pointed it out to Hill or Hill should have audibled/ad-libbed at the line and just spiked the ball, forcing Martz to re-think a dive from two yards out.
I guess...
… it’s a bit much to ask of Hill to take charge of the game in that situation?
Your Post is Garbage
Robinson is Garbage
Works Cited: This
I know some people blame the ref’s and/or the play calling (which they can and should) but a real NFL running back makes those yards.
Actually, Martz thought the ball was at the 2 1/2 yard line and called a play that is designed to go only one yard — it’s called a dive play. When the Niners came out of the huddle, they knew the had the wrong play called but had no time to change it. To blame Robinson for that and call him garbage is childish and shows your own personal bias. Give it a rest.
Kezarvet
Maybe...
Michael Robinson can help the 49ers in opening a roster spot by retiring and become a TV/Radio commentator for the team. Just saying.
"The voice of the intellect is a soft one, but it does not rest until it has gained a hearing"
by Jeff_Fuller_49 on Jun 1, 2009 7:08 PM PDT up reply actions
shlecko's comments
I have to agree with you shlecko, I think kezarvet, though obviously enthusiastic, is overestimating things a little.
I do think a full offseason with singletary in charge will help things turn around but regarding…
QB – I think Shaun Hill is a keeper, but I don’t know if he’s a game changer, more of a mid-level game manager, and SF could definitely use an upgrade there. Apparently the suits agree because they drafted Nate Davis this year.
RB – Depth doesn’t seem to be an issue, and Frank Gore is a beast and will continue to develop into the cornerstone of the offense, and Glen Coffee could be productive if given the opportunity. I don’t know if I would consider it loaded however.
WR – Definitely reasons to be optimistic here with grabbing arguably the best receiver in the draft (assuming he returns to form after injury and gets into training camp on time), and Morgan continues to develop. Too many good receivers is a good problem to have.
TE – I’m still not sold on Vernon Davis. Yes, he’s fast and can catch, but I dislike his poor attitude, and his work ethic is questionable, which is what makes or breaks most NFL players success.
OL – Agreed Marvel Smith is an upgrade, and as long as the rest of the line continues to play well and get more experience and chemistry together, they will be a strong point of the whole team.
Former New Orleans Saints RB George Rogers
"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first"
Welcome to the second best nation!
Second only to… the US… NOO! Cobert Nation, j/k although satire would have them the same.
Thanks!
It’s good to be welcomed
Former New Orleans Saints RB George Rogers
"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first"
welcome
i hate that picture you got there
deion got his best years in the city
no COWGIRLS allowed (not saying you r or r u?)
umm pretty sure that is a Bob Sanders jersey
"I'll be honest with you, I love his music, I do, I'm a Michael Bolton fan. For my money, I don't know if it gets any better than when he sings "When a Man Loves a Woman"
I live in Texas..
..but Bob Sanders is my favorite player, So I’m going to move to SF and become a 49er fan? huh? well you better turn that 21 into a Frank Gore Jersey or this is a joke?
by Josh G and the Shaun Hill band wagon on May 28, 2009 8:49 PM PDT up reply actions
Bob Sanders for President
Yeah it is. I’ve been a Colts fan for the past 20 years too
Former New Orleans Saints RB George Rogers
"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first"
Don't be so negative.
At QB, we replaced JTO with Nate Davis/Damon Huard. The other names are the same…is that really an upgrade to drool over?
RB, we replaced a solid veteran in Deshaun Foster (who everyone was really high on last year, if you remember) with a questionable rookie. Meh.
At FB, we have the exact same two guys we had in camp last year.
TE hasn’t changed much either, with one blocking specialist replacing another.
We added Huard and Davis. That’s an upgrade. Now we have a fully prepared Hill over JTO — that’s an upgrade that isn’t even close.
We replaced Foster with 2 RBs, plus for the first time in his Niner career, MRob may get a chance to actually carry the ball.
TE is MUCH BETTER. We replaced Bajema with Pascoe — an upgrade. Plus, we have JJ Finley who probably won’t make the squad but he’s a very good player. Finally, old 7-Step thought you use a TE like Jerry Rice. Raye developed Tonty Gonzales and his passing schemes utilize the TE to the fullest. Big upgrade.
So, if you can’t see how much we have upgraded the QB, RB, WR and TE spots and don’t see the improvement in the OL with Smith and Boone, it may be because of a negative bent rather than what you are seeing on the field.
I didn’t even mention FB. NO, we have Norris and Keazey. However, many fans failed to notice how Singletary used Michael Robinson the second half of last season. He played backup FB and caught 17 passes for 201 yards. That’s an average of 11.9 yards per catch which is OUTSTANDING for a back. In the OTAs, Hill caught Robinson with a 50 yard completion and MRob made a couple of other great catches as well. He’s our secret weapon among many weapons. He’ll have a great season under Raye.
Here’s an article on Raye and Robinson:
Kezarvet
Ugh.
We added Huard and Davis. That’s an upgrade. Now we have a fully prepared Hill over JTO
Huard won’t make the team. Davis, a rookie, won’t see the field. You see Hill as “fully prepared”? How? He’s in the first year of a new scheme. You could even make a case that JTO was more “prepared” last season, as it was his second straight under Martz. We don’t know what we’re going to get with Jimmy Raye’s offense – and I’m sure Hill and Smith don’t know, either, seeing as how they’re still in the early stages of learning the offense. “Fully prepared…” Seriously, what?
All I see at the RB position is less experience with similar players.
So you think we’re vastly improved at TE because of a guy that will only see the field on 3rd and short, and because of a guy that won’t even break camp with the team? Okay. Sure. Also, all these wild theories about how Raye will utilize the TE are really no different from the claims that Mike Martz made previous to last season when he spoke of how excited he was about the opportunity to use Vernon Davis in his own offense. I’ll say it again: we don’t know what Raye’s offense is going to be like.
it may be because of a negative bent rather than what you are seeing on the field
Dude, maybe you’re not understanding my point. There has been nothing to see “on the field.” The season hasn’t begun yet. No games. No preseason match-ups. No minicamp, even. All I ask is that we all wait until there’s some actual, physical play before we judge how awesome everyone’s going to be. Is that so ridiculous?
Look, I’m not against being optimistic. Really, I swear! I just…wish people would make sense when they talk about the future.
We have Bears on this team
case and point.
Question: Which bear is best?
That’s a ridiculous question.
False. Bear Pascoe
lol what?
"I'll be honest with you, I love his music, I do, I'm a Michael Bolton fan. For my money, I don't know if it gets any better than when he sings "When a Man Loves a Woman"
its the office.
lol, bears, beats, battlestar galactica
by Poundtherock on May 29, 2009 11:27 AM PDT up reply actions
hahaha nice
"I'll be honest with you, I love his music, I do, I'm a Michael Bolton fan. For my money, I don't know if it gets any better than when he sings "When a Man Loves a Woman"
Here's how the team is better than last year.
1. The OL will be better because the QB won’t be taking 5 or 7 step drops every play and holding onto the football until he either fumbles it or throws an INT. They will also play better because Heitman has finally gotten his act together(could be a ProBowler this year), Rachal won’t be a rookie, and J. Jennings is gone. The depth is excellent.
2. VD will get his chances on offense this year. Raye uses a lot of TE passes as a complement to the running game. Davis either loses the alligator arms this year or is demoted to a strictly blocking role.
3. Wildcat! Robinson is the perfect wildcat QB who can run, pass, or block out of the backfield. My guess is we’ll be seeing a lot more of this.
4. Our WRs can scare people now. For the last several years, 49er opponents have all used the same defensive strategy – put eight or nine in the box to stop the run and make the 9ers prove they have a passing game, which we didn’t. With Josh Morgan, Bruce, Crabtree, Hill and the rest, opponents will have to begin respecting the pass and keeping their safeties back in coverage.
5. Gore, Coffee, and Sheets. I don’t really have a feel for how Coffee will do, but I really like Sheets because he’s a complementary back to Gore – he has the speed and agility to run outside and is very elusive (Barry Sanders elusive), which should give defenses pause after a dose of Gore/Coffee.
6. We now run a standard 3-4 defense instead of Nolan’s “hybrid” scheme, which called for too many different formations with different players called upon to make too many reads instead of attacking. Manny Lawson will become a 3-down OLB and hopefully a good pass rusher. My guess is we’ll be seeing much more zone blitzing.
7. Shaun Hill. At least I hope it works out this way. He gets his chance this year, and while he doesn’t have the strongest arm in the league, he has a quick release and excellent accuracy. And he makes good decisions, which is never given much respect but is essential in an NFL QB. He doesn’t throw into double coverage, gets through his progression quickly, and can buy time with fakes and scrambles. He makes plays under pressure and will find a way to win.
Now for the weak spots:
1. Nose Tackle. Unless Kentwan Balmer takes over, the team does not presently have a NT capable of playing 2-gap or holding the point against two blockers. This creates problems for the ILBs and frees up an OL to help with the pass rush. One way to compensate for this is using a lot of zone blitzing, which hasn’t been a big part of the 9er D recently.
2. Pass Rush. Bigger things are expected this year from Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson as well as guys like Ahmad Brooks and Jay Moore. We’ll see how that works out.
3. Defensive backfield. Dre Bly is 5-9 and getting slower, although he has skills and is tough at the LOS. But pitting him against the Card’s big WRs looks like an all-day mismatch to me. Spencer seems to get hurt every year, and Tarell Brown is unproven. At FS, Goldson could be good if he can stay healthy and Mark Roman will be a solid backup.
oh yeah Kentawn Balmer
Forget about him. I did hear that he lost 4% body fat which is good. Hopefully he does more than return 5 kickoff returns
http://www.nfl.com/teams/sanfrancisco49ers/statistics?team=SF
the 49ers have a lot of reasons to be optimistic for 2009
but the same could be said (and was said a lot) of 2007, when they went 5-11.
keep in mind, all 32 teams think they’re in for an improvement this season, and only about half of them actually are.
I take full responsibility for my irresponsibility.
Good Point
The Lions were optimistic last season and even predicted they’d make the playoffs….Look at them now.
Former New Orleans Saints RB George Rogers
"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first"
The lions
Also had like a million players on the IR last year.
by SportsChicken on Jun 1, 2009 7:33 PM PDT up reply actions
The NT
1. Nose Tackle. Unless Kentwan Balmer takes over, the team does not presently have a NT capable of playing 2-gap or holding the point against two blockers.
IMO Balmer isn’t strong enough to play NT on a full-time basis. Our NT plays only a 1-gap which is ideal for Sopoaga. His play last season was mainly responsible for our improvement vs. the run, and in a simplified 1-gap system, he will stand out. Last season, Soap was constantly commanding a double team and he showed the kind of improvement we like to see in a developing player. Now, at 28, he’s coming into his prime and may well beat out Franklin at NT. He’ll also rotate at LDE, with Evans playing on 3rd down to add to the pass rush.
Kezarvet
Evans
I thought he was a run-stopper….?
by SportsChicken on May 31, 2009 8:27 PM PDT up reply actions
Correct!
Well, I don’t know about run-stopper, per se, but he’s definitely not going to be involved in the pass rush (at least not on third downs) a whole lot. On the four man line, I’d imagine you’re going to see Haralson, Smith, Sopoaga/Balmer/McDonald, and Lawson/McDonald across the board most of the time (I’m thinking one of those combinations at least 75% of the time).
I thought Aubreyo Franklin
was doing a bang up job at NT. Last I had heard, he was developing into one of the better NT’s in the league.
Is that wrong?
Former New Orleans Saints RB George Rogers
"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first"
franklin
I didn’t hear comparisons to the rest of the league, but he most definitely improved last year. He was a very solid nose tackle.
by David Fucillo on Jun 1, 2009 6:58 AM PDT up reply actions
He improved...
… when the 49ers gave up on asking him to two-gap. Right now, he’s a solid enough one-gap NT, but until the 49ers can find a two-gapper, their 3-4 is pretty vulnerable up the gut.
Whatever the rotation is should be consistent.
We have enough depth for a solid rotation up front. I would like to, and expect to see guys get specific assignments and focus on those, as they have talked about simplifying the D.
Thinking good thoughts: our defense has not lived up to potential, but has steady progressed.
meaning?
Some guys from run-stopping and pass rushers? I hope Aubrayo can be good. He is a big fella and could turn out to be a god 3-4 NT. I heard that he lost some weight so he could be faster.
If I'm not mistaken...
… Franklin is pretty small for an NT. If he actually lost some weight, that may not be a very good thing for him inside. Of course, size isn’t everything in the trenches, but it certainly couldn’t hurt.
Soap
Is smaller than Franklin…right?
I know he’s stronger…but still
by SportsChicken on Jun 1, 2009 7:35 PM PDT up reply actions
im not sure
I’m not that familiar with the NT position. Didn’t they try Soap at NT last year? I think two years ago he did pretty good at end.
Sopoaga @ NT
No, I don’t believe they tried him there last year. Last year, McCloughan and Nolan continually hammered home their belief that Sopoaga needs space to work in, which is why they wanted to keep him at 3-4 DE.
Earlier this offseason, McCloughan briefly mentioned that the 49ers are going to try Sopoaga at NT. However, I think this is more of a “CYA before the draft” move so that they didn’t HAVE to take an NT in the draft. Sopoaga is quick with good hands (supposedly) but isn’t that great at holding the point or taking on two men. He sounds like a 3-4 DE all the way, even if he is pretty big. I don’t think that skill-set changes that quickly, so I don’t see him at NT once the season starts, at least not more so than Franklin.
No.
If I’m not mistaken, Sopoaga weighed in at over 320 pounds when he was drafted. When Franklin originally signed with the 49ers, he weighed in at just over 310 pounds. According to the 49ers website today, Sopoaga is listed at 330, and Franklin is at 317.
Sopoaga has always been a huge beast. It’s why people (read: fans) have continually wanted the 49ers to put him in at the nose. The 49ers coaching staff thinks the Sopoaga doesn’t have the right mentality to play the nose (i.e. more of a penetrator than an eat-up-blocks kind of guy), and I tend to agree.
Franklin looks bigger
On TV.
BTW: Sopoaga is awesome in Madden, his strength allows me to get like 10-15 sacks with him a season!
by SportsChicken on Jun 2, 2009 8:10 PM PDT up reply actions
I always rush the edge with Lawson on defense.
90 Speed for an OLB is pretty awesome. And for some reason, he’s always had a solid finesse move rating. Easy 12-15 sacks a season…and a lot of QB pressures, which are huge against the cpu in franchise mode.
My pessimism goes to the point of suspecting the sincerity of the pessimists.
Oh
I play NT on defense.
If I play DE/OLB the QB just steps up into the pocket….I like to collapse the pocket and force the QB out of the pocket = less accuracy
by SportsChicken on Jun 3, 2009 8:11 AM PDT up reply actions
I disagree.
Franklin looks bigger
I disagree, but who knows, you may be right.
from my perspective
He looks bulkier.
But I guess that’s just fat.
by SportsChicken on Jun 3, 2009 9:12 PM PDT up reply actions
Soap vs. Franklin
Soap is listed at 6’2" 330 lbs, and is a behemoth to move and is like a freight train with his strength.
Franklin is 6’1" 317 lbs, and not as strong.
So technically Soap probably has better size at NT, and with his disruptive nature, is probably better suited to a one-gap assignment or is best used on passing downs. Franklin is better at stuffing the run, and would be best used on running downs.
Former New Orleans Saints RB George Rogers
"I want to rush for 1,000 or 1,500 yards, whichever comes first"
Soap and Franklin
Sopoaga is bigger, stronger and faster off the ball than Franklin. He was very tough against the run last season at LDE and in a 1-gap defense, will be a real stud at NT. He has developed slowly but has improved every season. This should be a big year for him
Kezarvet
What do I know?
Yesterday Manusky listed his front 3 as Smith-Franklin-Sopoaga. Soap will backup and rotate behind Franklin at NT.
Kezarvet
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