Training Camp Battles: And The Tackle Position.
by nocal81 on Aug 12, 2009 5:33 PM PDT
21 comments
Mike Singletary gave us all a hint towards where he was leaning with this press conference Monday
http://www.49ers.com/media-gallery/videos/singletarys-press-pass-81009/5c42cc8c-0686-4d91-951e-3b3187813735
Continuing to praise the work of Adam Snyder and not even coming close to mentioning Marvel Smith by name. I am not sure where i stand on this. Either Snyder has shown so much during camp that coach Sing believes he can truly "blossom" as he put it or Marvel Smith has shown so little that it is Snyder's job by default. What we keep on hearing from niners insiders is that Adam Snyder has continued to progress and will now stabilize the 49ers offensive line unit. That tackle position remains the only one up for grabs as it appears Joe Staley, David Baas, Chilo Rachel and of course Eric Heitman are locks to start. Either way it turns out it does appear we will have a starter caliber tackle playing backup. And that is never a bad thing.
Dre' Bly has not impressed 49ers coaches according to those reporters on the inside which may leave the job open for an ever improving Tarrell Brown or even possibly Shawntae Spencer. As a veteran i do not think that camp is a real indication of what Dre' Bly can do. He is out to prove that the Broncos used him as a scapegoat in last seasons defensive meltdown. And of what i have seen of Bly throughout his career is that he has been a quality corner in this league. I do like Brown's future and believe that he will be our starting corner sooner rather then later but i would have to give the advantage to Bly at this point.
I am so happy that the Niners have not been mentioned regarding Michael Vick. It is not that he isn't a good QB, he is. I do believe that he has paid his debt to society and deserves a second chance. Simply put there is absolutely no room for him on our roster at this point. Both Hill and Smith have looked really good in camp and the competition should be a real good boost for both players during the first two pre-season games. We have two pretty good QB's on this roster right now and why not let them battle it out without taking on the soap opera that is Michael Vick. Neither QB will be asked to throw for 300+ yards and 4td in any given game. They have the ability to lead the 49ers and manage the game, that's all we need right now. Regarding the competition i believe the niners brass, fare or not, is leading towards Alex Smith right now. But when it comes to this competition we have to see how both QB's peform against the other teams #1 defense in the first two pre-season games before making a judgement.
Please feel free to critique this analysis as that is always welcomed. Also if i missed a position battle please inform me. But i do think we only have 3 positions that are not settled at this point. FYI i am talking about battles for starting positions not for the roster
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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"It is not that he isn't a good QB, he is"
No, no, he isn’t.
Both Hill and Smith have looked really good in camp and the competition should be a real good boost for both players during the first two pre-season games. We have two pretty good QB’s on this roster right now and why not let them battle it out without taking on the soap opera that is Michael Vick.
However, this definitely is not the logic to use why Vick would not be a fit in SF.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Aug 12, 2009 8:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
but then the double ground attack, gore and vick pounding it, vick east and west, gore north and south
by big beaner on Aug 12, 2009 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Vick wasn't so bad
Good article on him here, but obviously he wasn’t great. And I wouldn’t call Hill or Smith “pretty good” either.
by Brendan Scolari on Aug 13, 2009 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jonas Jennings possibly hampered by injury again 'No Way!'
Never mind it’s Marvel Smith, the Big man coming off 2 back surgeries, who could of foreseen this happening?
Oh well at least we drafted signed an undrafted Alex Boone. And fortunately the 49ers have Snyder who has playing experience, I just hope he can improve upon his 9.5 sacks given up last year in 13 starts(14games played).
Fire McCloughan?
by supraman on Aug 12, 2009 8:42 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
Months later
and it the same old thing. Marvel is not looking good .I got ream months ago for disagreeing with the his signing. I also got it for defending Hill. I wanted a OL as 1st pick and instead, they got nothing so far. . Oher will be a monster because he has something to prove. As far as Smith is concern, If he wins it then that is OK. But if he get it due to politics ( Jed and McC ), I’ll be one unhappy camper ! But, in the end, all I want is for the Niners to win !!!
by LASVEGASNINER on Aug 13, 2009 12:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
It's...
… an incentive-laden deal. Even if Smith doesn’t play, he’s not a financial burden on the team. If he does play and plays up to his past ability, they have, at the very least, a player who is really good.
As for OL with the first, it’s a little iffy. If the 49ers took an OT with the first round pick, what would he play? RT? You don’t pay a RT that kind of money. Would he play LT? Okay, but Staley would be due an extension and eventually you’re paying two tackles a ridiculous amount of money.
Not that I think the 49ers are strong at RT, but I don’t think throwing a first rounder there would have been the best use of resources.
by sfgfan on Aug 13, 2009 1:59 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Sure it make sense to draft a RT
Of all the positions, RT was the weakest of all. We started 3 player last year with terrible results. Out of 55 sacks, 20.5 sacks came from the RT. Maybe a RT isn’t worth the price of a LT but Marvel is only a quick fix to a major problem. Maybe, if he can play. Synder may be a solution but he gave up 9.5 sacks but might do better this year if they don’t move him around. I know the conventional wisdow is to chose a later rd pick for that position but this is a problem that been with us for to long. Hopefully,Coach Forester can solve this glaring weakest . Otherwise, they may have to consider it or pick up a blue chip tackle ( FA) next year.
by LASVEGASNINER on Aug 13, 2009 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Jeez
Did you not read anything I wrote? Yes, they need a RT, but RT’s don’t generally get picked as first rounders, especially top 10 picks. You use a top 10 pick on a LT. I’m pretty sure that the only RTs that were previously top 10 picks are RTs because they failed at being LTs.
The RT spot is not a “blue chip” roster spot. And of course no one is thinking Marvel Smith is the long-term solution over there. He is the example of a low-risk, high-reward kind of player that ALL NFL teams take their chances on every offseason. RT is generally a easy spot to fill. The problem is, the 49ers have holes in many other places, too.
by sfgfan on Aug 13, 2009 3:24 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Tell that to the Cards and that p.o.s. Levi Brown.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Aug 13, 2009 3:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Michael Oher > Joe Staley
Staley isn’t a good run blocker
Staley’s stats throughout the entire year doesn’t he’s too good of a pass blocker either
Staley’s price tag of 18 million guaranteed way too much for a player that hasn’t put together a solid 16 game season.
Not saying he won’t be good in the future but he isn’t the specimen Oher is.
Oher could of played LT for the 49ers this year, Staley is interchangeable since he has knowledge at both positions. I believe there was an article confirming this, if I can find it, I’ll post it.
by supraman on Aug 13, 2009 3:55 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
how do we know Oher is a good run blocker
he hasn’t played a snap in the NFL. And its not like Staley can’t improve at run blocking. He is only entering his 3rd year.
Go 49ers
by iaalexeeff on Aug 13, 2009 4:10 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
...Uh.
It’s called scouting prospects. If Oher somehow suddenly sucks at run-blocking in the NFL, why wouldn’t he be able to improve? If you say that applies to Staley, it should to Oher as well.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Aug 13, 2009 7:30 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I meant as effective
in the NFL. I’m not trying to bash Oher or make Staley seem like the greatest thing ever. I would have been happy if we draft Oher
Go 49ers
by iaalexeeff on Aug 13, 2009 8:00 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
And then it backtracks to...
… my argument made above about value. The 49ers suddenly go from having pretty good value (cap-wise) at the tackle spots to having a large chunk of it bogged down by those same two positions. Oher, if I’m not mistaken, had a few question marks in his own right.
by sfgfan on Aug 13, 2009 4:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Best pass blocker in a deep draft of OTs. (Which did I mention he McC didn't take advantage of)
Also a great run blocker, holding him back was the question of his intelligence.
by supraman on Aug 13, 2009 4:33 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
That 'intelligence' question being very overblown.
Only a few months before the combine were people praising this guy and calling him the best specimen at OT since Walter Jones/Orlando Pace.
"Part, fools!
Put up your swords. You know not what you do."
by Fearless Frog on Aug 13, 2009 7:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
If you read "The Blind Side" by Michael Lewis ...
… you’ll learn a lot about Oher. It’s obviously more complicated than “he’s smart” or “he’s stupid.”
He’s struggled for some time with the complexity of his college playbook. One has to assume that he’d similarly struggle with a pro-playbook (which is much more complex) – so people expecting a guy mentally ready to be a rookie starter from game are probably being naive.
On the other hand, he has as good a physical toolset – strength and agility – as anybody to ever play the position.
On draft day, I wanted to see us take him, although I understand why the team chose Crabtree. The only issue with drafting Oher would be that both he and Staley are going to demand LT money eventually, so we’d probably have a hard time keeping them both long-term.
by Ronaldinho on Aug 13, 2009 9:05 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
I'm not sure why there's this mentioning of money?
It’s as if you’re saying,
Eh, the more good starters we have the more money we’re going to have to spend.
This is a good problem..If we can’t afford 1 anymore and another teams signs that player, the 9ers get compensation(?).
Notice the Ravens who have Gaither already at LT still picked Oher because they don’t mind having good starters.
by supraman on Aug 13, 2009 10:54 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Crabtree was a lock to be drafted by the 49ers when he fell to us. We would have been just plain stupid to pass up on him with the 10th pick. If we wanted Oher then we could have traded down and received extra picks. Especially considering the value of the 10th pick increased two fold once Crabtree fell to that spot.
by nocal81 on Aug 14, 2009 1:41 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs
Shawntae Spencer
I sure hope Spencer doesn’t become the starter. He’s anything but dependable on the injury front, and a secondary should start the season off (and try to maintain) a very good working chemistry.
by sfgfan on Aug 13, 2009 10:05 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs
It'll be interesting to see ...
… if Snyder can step up his game a notch.
Unfortunately, this is the kind of situation we discussed wanting to avoid in another thread: one player winning the position by default because the other didn’t show up.
On the positive side, Snyder is being given a full camp and a clear role, which he’s often not had in the past. He’s being given the opportunity to step up and deliver. I like that Sing gets players invested in proving themselves by giving them a chance for it to mean something.
Little for us fans to do but cross our fingers and hope Snyder is up to the task. I wanted Oher, too, until Crabs fell to us … but there’s no point in rehashing that decision.
by Ronaldinho on Aug 13, 2009 2:11 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs
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