Yeah, the title today is a reference to yesterday, in that I find Carlos Rogers infinitely more important to the San Francisco 49ers and their success in 2012 than Dashon Goldson. Nothing that was said yesterday was very convincing, not that I have any issue with what was said, I'm just not changing my tune on that any time soon. Rogers had a career year and played like a top-three corner. Goldson had a career year and played like a top-ten safety ... at times.

49ers extend GM Trent Baalke's contract (SB Nation Bay Area)

Could the 49ers survive if they don't get a top wide receiver in free agency? (Examiner.com)

Injury updates: Byham eager to get back in the fold (SacBee.com)

Continue reading this post »

I know I said I was "back in the saddle" in my last post, yet have been mostly absent since then. Well, let's just say I'm having a hard time adjusting the stirrups and buckles and such...but I'm working on it. In that vein, it's time to take a look at Michael Crabtree's 2011 season and do some evaluating.

Crabtree impressed me a lot this year and Head Coach Jim Harbaugh agreed, repeatedly talking about how great of a blocker he was, something we saw on tape quite a bit. He's always been known as a strong guy for a receiver, and his build (6'1" ~200lbs.) is consistent with that.

I know, I know...blocking? Yeah, well that is nice to see from your oft-labeled "diva" receiver. He seemed to really have a good team-first mentatlity most of the season, which I appreciate. Let's hope we can get him into training camp and not miss any time this year.

Beyond his attitude and blocking, Crabtree put up some good numbers this year...for a number 2 WR (which is really what his skillset is best-suited for). He actually put up career-high receiving yardage totals and was part of a few big plays. Personally I think he can still get better with an even better understanding of the offense and more chemistry with his QB. Here's the stats:

The 49ers took care of a move today that developed into a formality after the recent run of success in 2011. GM Trent Baalke signed a three-year contract extension that will keep him in San Francisco through the 2016 season. Since taking over GM responsibilities in 2010, Trent Baalke has been an important part of getting the 49ers into their current position.

He got things going with the Ted Ginn Jr. trade back before the 2010 draft. In giving up only a fifth round pick for Ginn, they received one of the best return men in the game. He dominated in both kickoff and punt returning, finishing among the league leaders in both categories in 2010 and 2011. Although the 2010 draft has had some ups and downs, the 49ers secured three starters (Davis, Iupati, Bowman) and some intriguing depth in Kyle Williams and Nate Byham.

It was 2011 though, when Baalke really showed what he and his staff could do. The 49ers 2011 draft is off to a great start with Aldon Smith, Kendall Hunter, Chris Culliver, Colin Jones and Bruce Miller all contributing in big ways as rookies. While the team struck out with Braylon Edwards, almost every other free agency pick up hit, with some proving to be arguably the best signing at their position.

Continue reading this post »

As a 49er fan, I've been a little envious of the Seattle Seahawks "13th 12th Man," which of course refers to their roaring fan base at home games. They notably have one of the loudest stadiums for visiting teams to play in during the regular season. Although the two post-season games hosted at Candlestick were louder than any Niner games I've seen in a decade. I'm challenging the 49er Faithful to be one of the loudest fan bases in the offseason.

Twitter has become a powerful media and communication tool, enabling ordinary Joe's to message and sometimes get feedback from athletes and celebrities. For those of you who have Twitter accounts, you are probably aware of all the interesting stories that have come from it. For instance, when Kevin Durant of the Oklahoma City Thunder partook in a flag football game with a kid who was a man down, looking for a wide receiver.

What a coincidence, the 49ers are also looking for a wide receiver. I encourage all those with a Twitter account and all those with time to make one to rally as one and help recruit for our beloved 49ers. I think the consensus is that San Francisco is a true #1 receiver away from a Lombardi Trophy - so how badly do you want one in San Fran next season?

There are a handful of impact players at the receiver position but for campaigning sake, it's been narrowed down to two: Dwayne Bowe and Vincent Jackson. Since Bowe does not have a Twitter account and Jackson does (@VincentTJackson), let the rally begin.

I'm not going to assume 100% of Niners fans want Jackson; in fact I know a lot of fans would prefer Bowe or Stevie Johnson. But to briefly address the two issues most fans have with Jackson (age and price): despite being 29 years old, Jackson doesn't have a lot of mileage on his legs with only 3 complete seasons as a starter (2008, 2009 and 2011); his price could be lower for San Francisco given that Jackson would be able to stay in California and join a Super Bowl contender.

So Niners Nation, I implore you to take to your keyboards and recruit.

@VincentTJackson

#VJtotheBay (with a customized message of your own)

With everyone contributing a little bit, this could get recognition and really light a fire. Our collective efforts could result in the 49ers landing one of the big fish out there, whether it be Jackson or someone else. Let's give back to the franchise that worked its tail off for us this past season. And for you NCAA fans out there, you know great recruiting can win championships. Let's put it all on the table and see what we get back. Man your battle stations.

Follow me on Twitter: @DeSimone80

Vincent Jackson 2011-2012 Highlights (via Chargerzfan32)

I tend to hold myself to a few guidelines when choosing where to go with a new week's Caption This. One of those guidelines is that I don't like posting photos of fans. Notable exceptions included "Blind Refs" around Halloween, because those guys were great, and "Weird Family Sitting on a Dead Lawn Celebrating Big Ben's Wedding" back whenever he got married, because those people deserved it.

Well, this guy deserves it. For one, that hat is a crime. I'm pretty sure it's the hat he's being arrested for, though the official line I saw was "disorderly conduct." For another... well, okay. It's mostly the hat.

I'm also still bitter about that whole "not being in the Super Bowl" thing. So take that random midriff-bearing Giants fan.

Caption away on this one. What's the hidden story behind that arrest? What's the hidden story behind that hat? These are questions that I can't answer, but that your captions may be able to. And if you see a caption that gives you a laugh, give it a rec right back. It's just the right thing to do. Last week, mcwagner took home the most recs.

We'll have a grading post for Colin Kaepernick once we get into the Ks, but in the meantime, there has been enough discussion over the last six months that I wanted to come up with something sooner to ask a more specific question. It is going to be hard to really assign any sort of grade to Kaepernick given his lack of appearances, so more than likely it will simply have to be an incomplete.

Nonetheless, there has been enough discussion about Kaepernick in posts that I wanted to ask when people think he makes his first start, if ever for the 49ers. At this point I understand that this is a shot in the dark for the most part. Some people like Kaepernick's upside, some people are not fans, and others aren't quite sure what to make of the big QB.

I bring this up now in part because of a variety of comments in the media. In his season-ending press conference, Coach Harbaugh has often spoken about how everything is a competition. In his end of season press conference he repeated this when asked whether if he returned, Alex Smith would be the starting QB in 2012 or if Kaepernick might get a chance to show the staff what he can do.

Continue reading this post »

After moving around between starters and depth players this week, we have our first exclusive special teams player in Blake Costanzo. The 49ers special teams unit was a thing to behold in 2011 whether it be David Akers kicking field goals and touchbacks or Andy Lee's booming punts that had little to no return. And yet, Akers and Lee had huge years in part because their coverage units put together fantastic performances.

It is hard to really give one particular player credit with the #TonyMontana squad, but you could argue Costanzo played a key role in bringing a certain mentality to the unit. Special teamers in general have that slightly crazy mentality in them. After all, it takes a certain kind of person to consistently run down the field looking to blow people up. The offense and defense get incredibly physical in their own right, but it is not quite the same as the special teams.

Blake Costanzo was brought in for his special teams prowess, in a similar vein to the 49ers drafting Colin Jones simply to play special teams. The 49ers special teams depth was very solid and was an important aspect of the 13-3 season. Costanzo is a free agent and has increased his profile to a certain extent. And yet, does he really end up anywhere else after this recently completed season? I suppose it is possible, but I've got to think Costanzo is back in 2012. Do you think the unit can repeat the dominance of 2011?