Hello everyone. Aaron here once again with another edition of the Golden Nuggets. Got some good feedback from yesterday's post. Keep it coming and I'll try to incorporate some in to future posts. It may not occur straight away as I'm still learning the ropes. Baby steps to the perfect Nuggets...baby steps.
I think when I do the Nuggets I'd like to give a topic of discussion, most likely based on the days news or #1 theme. Remember we're trying to generate some talk here and the more you talk, the better I look to the number crunchers. Oh, and talk using your keyboard, because I can't hear you otherwise and you'd look like a fool complaining about a mock draft or some lousy analysis to an inanimate object. Yes...a fool....what kind of fool? An April Fool. So in honor of April Fools' Day we can have a foolish topic for discussion.
Let's see.....Will this years LB core be one of the greatest ever? They're all young, can only get better and were devastating last year. Power and speed. Willis and Bowman on the inside and Aldon Smith and Brooks wreaking havoc on the outside. What do you think? How many all-pros can one defense have? How many can one position group have? I'm thinking 84 Niners DBs. Discuss foolishly!
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To the links!
We've got a bit of content coming out of Bay Area SB Nation. James has written a few pieces that deal with cap space and trying to make cents of it all (get it?). First is a number on NaVorro Bowman and his long term prospects from a financial perspective. Can the 49ers afford to pay the two best ILBs in the game? Well, we have to see if NaVorro lives up to the pressure I'm heaping on him before we ever have to decide. (Bay Area SB Nation)
A second post from James breaks down the up to the minute cap space we have left. We still need a guard. We still need some rookies. We're pushing the upper limits of the salary cap in a way we haven't in a while but we still have enough to cover it. And remember, as he pointed out in a post linked from yesterday's Nuggets we've given Willis a bloated 2012 cap figure to save for the future. (Bay Area SB Nation)
Grant Cohn at the Press Democrat gives a comparison of our back up QB competition and the likelihood of either winning the #2 spot. More disturbingly he compares Alex Smith to Steve DeBerg while trying to help Harbaugh find his 'Montana'. (Cohn)
One that was missed from the previous days Nuggets (rookie jitters!) was a look via Bay Area SB Nation via ESPN at Scouts Inc.'s take on our Free Agency. It would otherwise be an 'insider' piece so take advantage. They think pretty highly of our moves, and hint that the vertical dimension added to the passing game is the first step towards getting Colin Kaepernick's big arm out on the field. I'll just be happy to see Smith using Moss for jump balls in the end zone. 7 > 3. (Bay Area SB Nation)
Utah State's Robert Turbin is scheduled to visit the 49ers for a pre-draft workout. With the signing of Jacobs it would seem a bit odd to draft another RB, but, don't look now, here comes one to visit. (Branch)
Cam Inman at the Mercury News has a story about Alex Smith helping to find local missing teenager Sierra LaMar. Everyone is hoping for the best. (SJ Mercury News)
An NFL.com piece illustrates the NFL has a desire to make a statement with Super Bowl L (or 50 for those of you who don't speak Roman). It hints that Santa Clara might be one of the likely frontrunners. This is coming from the leagues own mouthpiece so... How amazing would it be to see the Niners winning the...in their own... I'm getting ahead of myself. (NFL.com)
Another instalment of the 49 in 49 feature from 49ers.com. This time on WR Chris Givens from Wake Forest. (49ers.com)
An article at NBC Bay Area deals with Patrick Willis and the 'Madden Curse'. We may want to vote against him they say but I don't believe that video games exist. I mean curses.....curses don't exist!!! Curses! (NBC Bay Area)
A small note in an article on ProFootballWeekly (about 1/3 of the way down) hints that the Niners have an out clause in Alex Smith's contract that would be easy for them to attain. What it is, they do not say. (ProFootballWeekly)
ESPN has recently activated the 2012 Draft Machine which allows you to muck around with all types of mock scenarios and is quite fun. The post also gives a list of NFC West WRs for each team and threatens to deliver a mock draft soon in conjunction with the other division bloggers. (Sando)
Finally, a report on the state of sports in the Bay Area is given by the good people at SFGate. It leads with the bay's current darlings, the 49ers. They're basically happy with where we're at. Can't say the same for the rest of the bay. (SFGate)
Being a Sheep
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