49ers 2012 Free Agency Review: RB/FB

I was one who wanted to trade Frank Gore 2 years ago and last year. Buuuut, the lockout ended that and he ended up as being the 49ers all-time leading rusher with lingering injuries all year. He just isnt the same anymore and we all saw it in the NFC Championship. The honeymoon is over. Kendall Hunter proved he is a nice change of pace back and can run between the tackles. Anthony Dixon has not done anything other than waving the 49ers flag and being a part of the “Tony Montana” special teamer. In a league where a team needs a 3 headed monster this position is in a serious need of an upgrade. I doubt the 49ers will trade Gore now because they could get little value for him but they at least need to address this in FA and in the draft. If the 49ers are going to to return to elite status than a diverse running game is a must. I am confident Harbaugh and his crew will address this.

GO 49ERS!!!

Miller was a nice addition and will only get better as he grows comfortable with the position.

Per carry and yet people are voting 2 and 3? That ypc is much better than average, much less below average.

what the Niners need is
a) Gore insurance. I like Hunter but I don’t think he’s an every down back. Gore is not going to get less injured as he gets older.
b) POWER back. I.e,. what “Anthony Dixon should be”. The 49ers power running game has been bad for years – and were 29th in the league at power success (51% on 3rd/4th downs, 2 or less to go), and bad (22nd) at getting stuffed behiind the line of scrimmage. Some of that (most?) has to go on the OL, but frankly, the OL has been up and down throughout the Gore years and they have NEVER been good at power running. Gore is a “crack squeezer” and money at the 2nd level, but he cannot push a pile – even when Harbaugh and co use half the DL to block.

I would actually rate this a “2” (power rushing) in terms of team need… but it’s certainly not all on the RB.

Gore, Hunter, and Miller put us in a very, very good position behind the quarterback for this next season. They allow the position not to be a priority. Depth, however, may still be a need. Anthony Dixon is as useless a runner as Moran Norris is a blocker, and if the team is sure that it does not want to use either Gore or Hunter in those short-yardage “big back” runs, then we do need an alternative—one that may well be a better alternative simply by default.

But you have to like those starting 3. Gore, Hunter, and Miller. That’s a solid rotation any way you cut it.

Dixon doesn’t really do much of anything in the rotation, but I that’s not to say the issue can’t be addressed in the draft where RB’s are usually plentiful anyway…

At Stanford Harbaugh and co. Had three really good backs and I’d like to see us draft one in the mid to late rounds (Marc Tyler USC, Daniel Herron Ohio State, Doug Martin Boise State maybe)

He’s about the same size as Chris Johnson and Jamaal Charles jus shorter, and they are everydown backs. To me he runs through the tackles well because he is able to squeeze through little spaces. He’s not gonna run anyone over but i think he can def be more effective if he got more carries since he has a better burst than Gore. I still think Frank should start but i wanna see Kendall get more carries

We just need to use Hunter more to give Gore more rest. We need to get a true 3 headed monster back there too. Bring another guy in and let him and Dixon fight it out.

Trade Frank. And draft a great running back in the 2nd round. Try to get the next 2nd round stud.. Ray Rice/ LeSean McCoy were both 2nd round picks. The 3 headed monster of the draft choice, Hunter, and Leonard gives you 3 different type of backs that would work in any type of down and distance situation. I love Frank but he cant stay healthy, and he still had a great year I think he has value in him that a team would jump at

A Chris Johnson prototype in the backfield along with Gore and Hunter is a winning combo. Gore’s best years are behind him but he is still a good RB. Hunters only going to improve and get more carries. James would take Hunters role from this past season and could also return. Would have to say goodbye to Dixon but his presence in the locker room would hurt more than his field presence. There’s plenty of leaders on this team though so its not like its a killer blow.

We can go into this year as we are and have a very productive year running the ball. But I would like to see them draft a RB in 3rd. Someone who could be paired down the road with hunter as the one two punch when gore is done. And who knows you may strike gold.

RD 1 CB
RD 2 OL
RD 3 RB

Gore is clearly not the back he was and need more help than he did before. Our line is not that good despite the effort they have put into it, and our secondary is weak. Bolster the line and maybe Gore stays healthy and breaks 1000… more likely Gore gets hurt like he does every year and we have Hunter and RD 3 pick to carry the load. Whatever Dixon does is bonus. I like the dude.

I’ll go middle of the road, only because I think adding a big back to help our red zone woes is a pretty necessary addition. For the most part, though, RB/FB is pretty darned set.

Without mentioning the line.

We wanted to start Rachal this year. We wanted to dominate the line of scrimmage and blow people off the ball from guard to guard. Last year Chilo was an absolute mauler in the run game. But he was just such a liability in pass protection that we couldn’t do it.

Enter Snyder. He allowed us to pass the ball but he’s not blowing anyone off the line of scrimmage. I’d love to keep him as a swing guy but we have to get an upgrade who can do both if we want to be a power running team.

Or who knows? Maybe we are all assuming too soon on Chilo’s being cut quickly and with an off-season under Drevno they can make him worthwhile in pass pro?

Now its time for me to use the line “it’s better to get rid of player a year too early than too late”. I’d spend a 2nd or 3rd Rnd pick on RB who is capable of getting 20-25 carries between the tackles. I’d platoon Gore cause he is still effective but cannot count on Frank to be the bell cow any more. Get a new potential bell cow candidate to split the load.

I like Hunter but if Gore is out he cannot carry the ball 20 times and run inside. He is nice Sproles type RB where he is capable of doing some serious damages on the edges and drop off passes but he is a role player.

Dixon lost his way this season. Reading between the reports Harbaugh and staff don’t think much of him. He is a Singletary guy, lots of character, lots of raw talent but not a quite grinder Harbaugh prefers. Dixon will be given one more chance in camp but if he doesn’t have fantastic camp and preseason I don’t see Harbaugh and ever using him and he’ll probably be cut.

I don’t think the running game has a chance next season without adding a new workhorse to the corps. It would be a miracle for Gore to hold up and there is no fall back option right now if he doesn’t.

seems like he’d be a good candidate to be the backup to Miller. Then we can acquire another RB to challenge Hunter to give Gore some breaks.

What are your guys’s thoughts on moving Dixon to Fullback and bringing on that guy from the madden 12 cover at a bargain price?

I voted 2.

Gore is a monster, and Hunter is awesome. Norris needs to go away, Dixon I can take or leave. I want one more serviceable vet back there. I feel like we are one injury away from disaster. Here is where a guy like Tashard Choice comes in handy. Dallas was stupid to cut him. Felix can’t carry the load, he never could. He is designed to run by committee. I’d LOVE to see that, by the way. mmmmmmmday dream time

Gore, Felix, Hunter, Choice, and Miller makin the holes for them. ahhhhhhhh.

… what surprises awaits is the up coming draft …
… what F/A come back …
… how Patient will Baalke be in Free Agency this year …
… Best of all Year Two will a Full play book & camp in all Three Phases of the game …!!

Dixon/Walker/Byham can backup Miller at FB, so there’s room for someone to push Dixon for that 3rd spot and Gore insurance.

The true question is our qb position. Our run game would be top 3 every year if we had a qb that actually scared defensive coordinators. When I watched Alex Smith every game this year I did notice a difference. He gained confidence in his throws, but there is a difference between being a highly confident thrower and being a highly confident and talented thrower like A. Rodgers or K. Warner. If P. Manning is good to go this next year and filling healthy than I say we go for him. Talk about questioning a RB core… there will be no more questions. Our RBs would flourish with Manning at the helm. I admire Alex and all that he has done to get to where he is but not being able to convert 13 3rd downs in the NFC championship is not cutting it for my liking. I don’t want this team to become the team that makes it deep into the playoffs but since Alex is a hot or cold qb and not a legitimate threat week in and week out qb so we can’t make it to the SB. It’s the qb that we need not a new rb.

Everyone seems convinced that Hunter can’t be an every-down back. But I’m not so site about that. He’s played really well during the times that Gore has been on the bench due to injury. From what I’ve seen, the kid has a ticker that won’t quit.

That doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t go after a more prototypical running back in the draft or through free agency. I’m just saying that I think Hunter has more potential than we are giving him credit for.

Hard to think a run game at the NFL level will be successful when you use a goaline running formation on first and 10. It wasn’t used every drive but it sure as hell was used too much for my taste in the NFC championship game. Alex hurts the running backs because no one is scared of him, as long as VD is doubled. The whole league knows that he is not gonna throw the ball unless people are running wide open. Hence the dominos falling to 8 and 9 in the box, yet and still we line up with one WR in the formation. Playcalling was Alex’s biggest Achilles heel, and it just snow balled to the rest of the offense. A running game without any fear of being beat deep is not going to be successful, I don’t care who your back is either. Put the best RB in the league on this roster and you will get the same results.

Frank Gore – Our feature running back is well past prime and susceptible to injury. Moreover, he has a long history of injuries and at this point in his career nicks and dings drive him to the sidelines. Gore remains shifty but never had breakaway speed. In addition, his pass blocking is below average. He has terrible tendencies to miss picking up pass-blocking assignments. We need to get another back and begin transitioning the running game.

Kendall Hunter – Fast, shifty with blinding acceleration and a nice (but not elite) top end gear. He’s a patient runner with good hands. Shows willingness to pass block but size is an issue here and this negates his ability to perform all functions as a fulltime back in a 16 plus game season. I see him as a high functioning role player in 3rd down and a good change-of-pace back.

Anthony Dixon – Marginal player who has lost the confidence of the coaching staff. That’s a shame because Dixon has some rare talents for a man his size. Maturity is a huge issue here. Unless Dixon smells the coffee, wakes-up and recommits himself in the offseason, I think he’s gone.

I know I’m gonna catch hell here but…
Bruce Miller – Good pass catching hands and a willingness to stick his nose into the action provides a definite upgrade to Moran Norris. In fact his ability to outplay Norris combined with the underdog defensive player turned fullback motif has the fan base giddy. In truth, he is far from the likes of Craig or Rathman at the fullback position. His pass blocking in full protection schemes is worse than Gore’s (this is why you see Gore trying to pass-block) which is why he is relegated to either running routes or sitting on the sidelines during pass plays. In addition he has demonstrated he has zero ability to run with the football and has a tendency to fumble. In all, Miller’s first season was good enough to maintain roster consideration but for the first time in a decade the Niners really need to open up the fullback position to competition. That means drafting or bringing in a free agent fullback to compete at fullback ( like they do with every position) and let the chips fall where they do.

I got the scale reversed.

I voted 1, but meant to vote 5.

Let Dixon compete. As already mentioned we’ll have Byham back. This means we have both Byham and Walker as HB/FB options on any play. Norris’ spot then can either allow us to add another versatile TE or another beast in the backfield.