biggest roadblock to a rePete?

[lucky49]

10) How will Baalke do? He'll have ALOT more chances to get it right than the Seahawks will. The 49ers own 11 picks overall and 5 in the first 3 rounds. They will likely end up with an additional 3rd when they get comped for the loss of Goldson giving them 12 overall and 6 in the first 3 rounds. If I understand correctly, I believe the Seahawks will have 2 picks in the first 3 rounds. We can argue all day over whos better (and I have alot of respect both for Schneider and McCoughan) but I'd say the Niners are in better shape here simply because of their firepower in the draft. They will also have more needs and holes to fill...so it works both ways.

Here's the thing...you really never know what's going to happen from year to year. I thought the Falcons were way overrated but who saw them falling like they did this season? I sure didn't. If they stay healthy and get a few good draft picks the niners could be set for a run next year. At the same time if they don't hit on any picks and lose a few of the wrong players early they may not even make the playoffs.

Ok that changes my view a little bit. I wasn't aware you guys had that many picks in the first 3 rounds. To win the division next year, imo, those picks will need to be starting impact players, particularly at the WR and CB positions. RB is also a big question. As good as your oline is, you still couldn't run the ball on us.

Well, not in the hands of a running back.

 

[kearly]

According to the advanced stats, Seattle is a significantly better team than SF, and most of that difference is actually on defense. Amazingly, SF's defense, though very good, was only the 4th best in the division last year by DVOA.

However, despite Seattle being much better than their division opponents on paper, they are only 8-5 in division play the last two years. The reason is because every team in the NFC West has speed in the front seven.

In SF's case, the MVP of their defense, ESPECIALLY against Seattle, is Navarro Bowman. His ability to cover ground side to side shuts down Wilson whenever he leaves the pocket. And if Wilson stays in the pocket, he then has to deal with the Smith duo behind the NFL's 30th ranked pass protection. If Bowman were to miss next season, I would feel very good about Seattle's chances of sweeping the season series. When you allow Wilson to operate on the move, the Seahawks are almost unbeatable. The Denver game was the perfect illustration of this.

And though it really sucks that Bowman got hurt in that NFCCG, it is a convenient truth for Seahawks fans. Bowman will not be 100% next season coming off that knee injury, and that little loss of speed could be a big difference for Seattle on offense.

If Seattle gets the sweep of SF I think they are pretty likely to repeat as NFL champs. Not seeing anybody in the AFC that's realistic to reach the SB who is a matchup issue for Seattle, and if Seattle gets homefield through the playoffs it's just about over.

Biggest threat to Seattle out of the division is probably Green Bay. That division is mediocre at best and Green Bay was on a 12-4 pace with Aaron Rodgers at QB. Seattle plays GB in Seattle next season though. Need to take care of business in that game. Eagles could be a team to scoreboard watch too. Seattle plays Philly on the road, though for some strange reason they are a terrible home team.

If Seattle doesn't make it, I imagine SF would. Kaepernick, for all his flaws, is a matchup issue for most NFL defenses. The 49ers defense has some soft areas, but it is still a very physical, punishing defense on the whole. They also have at least arguably the NFL's best coach. That team is a good blend of young and old and does not lack for postseason experience.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Bowman will not be 100% next season coming off that knee injury, and that little loss of speed could be a big difference for Seattle on offense.

You're assuming he doesn't hop on the Adrian Peterson HGH Off-Season Training Regimen©.

 

[kearly]

Bowman will not be 100% next season coming off that knee injury, and that little loss of speed could be a big difference for Seattle on offense.

You're assuming he doesn't hop on the Adrian Peterson HGH Off-Season Training Regimen©.

How'd that work for RG3 and Chris Clemons? Or anyone else not named Adrian Peterson...

 

[RolandDeschain]

Bowman will not be 100% next season coming off that knee injury, and that little loss of speed could be a big difference for Seattle on offense.

You're assuming he doesn't hop on the Adrian Peterson HGH Off-Season Training Regimen©.

How'd that work for RG3?

How'd it work for AP?

 

[kearly]

:34853_doh:

 

[RolandDeschain]

Dude, you can't facepalm, you added Clemons AND AP to your post after I replied, lol.

 

[Marvin49]

10) How will Baalke do? He'll have ALOT more chances to get it right than the Seahawks will. The 49ers own 11 picks overall and 5 in the first 3 rounds. They will likely end up with an additional 3rd when they get comped for the loss of Goldson giving them 12 overall and 6 in the first 3 rounds. If I understand correctly, I believe the Seahawks will have 2 picks in the first 3 rounds. We can argue all day over whos better (and I have alot of respect both for Schneider and McCoughan) but I'd say the Niners are in better shape here simply because of their firepower in the draft. They will also have more needs and holes to fill...so it works both ways.

Here's the thing...you really never know what's going to happen from year to year. I thought the Falcons were way overrated but who saw them falling like they did this season? I sure didn't. If they stay healthy and get a few good draft picks the niners could be set for a run next year. At the same time if they don't hit on any picks and lose a few of the wrong players early they may not even make the playoffs.

Ok that changes my view a little bit. I wasn't aware you guys had that many picks in the first 3 rounds. To win the division next year, imo, those picks will need to be starting impact players, particularly at the WR and CB positions. RB is also a big question. As good as your oline is, you still couldn't run the ball on us.

WR isn't as big a need as people think. They had so much trouble this year because Crab got hurt before the season started, Patton was out most of the year with a broken foot, and Manningham and Kyle Williams were goming back from ACL surgeries.

Crab/Boldin/Patton aint half bad, but they could use a speed guy. Either way tho, he won't need to be a starting player unless Boldin doesn't resign.

Where they may need a starter to play right away is safety...unless Polamalu gets cut and Niners can get him cheap or something, but I don't see that happening. They will also need help at corner but their starters for next year are probably already on the roster (Brock, Culliver). Hopefully though they can get someone to challenge those guys and they'll need someone to play in the slot.

 

[Marvin49]

According to the advanced stats, Seattle is a significantly better team than SF, and most of that difference is actually on defense. Amazingly, SF's defense, though very good, was only the 4th best in the division last year by DVOA.

However, despite Seattle being much better than their division opponents on paper, they are only 8-5 in division play the last two years. The reason is because every team in the NFC West has speed in the front seven.

In SF's case, the MVP of their defense, ESPECIALLY against Seattle, is Navarro Bowman. His ability to cover ground side to side shuts down Wilson whenever he leaves the pocket. And if Wilson stays in the pocket, he then has to deal with the Smith duo behind the NFL's 30th ranked pass protection. If Bowman were to miss next season, I would feel very good about Seattle's chances of sweeping the season series. When you allow Wilson to operate on the move, the Seahawks are almost unbeatable. The Denver game was the perfect illustration of this.

And though it really sucks that Bowman got hurt in that NFCCG, it is a convenient truth for Seahawks fans. Bowman will not be 100% next season coming off that knee injury, and that little loss of speed could be a big difference for Seattle on offense.

If Seattle gets the sweep of SF I think they are pretty likely to repeat as NFL champs. Not seeing anybody in the AFC that's realistic to reach the SB who is a matchup issue for Seattle, and if Seattle gets homefield through the playoffs it's just about over.

Biggest threat to Seattle out of the division is probably Green Bay. That division is mediocre at best and Green Bay was on a 12-4 pace with Aaron Rodgers at QB. Seattle plays GB in Seattle next season though. Need to take care of business in that game. Eagles could be a team to scoreboard watch too. Seattle plays Philly on the road, though for some strange reason they are a terrible home team.

If Seattle doesn't make it, I imagine SF would. Kaepernick, for all his flaws, is a matchup issue for most NFL defenses. The 49ers defense has some soft areas, but it is still a very physical, punishing defense on the whole. They also have at least arguably the NFL's best coach. That team is a good blend of young and old and does not lack for postseason experience.

Possible.

Personally I think Bowman will be back in week 7 next year, but thats just my opinion. Can he be the exact same guy next year? Probably not, but he can still be damned good. After watching Crab play as well as he did off that torn achilles I don't think anything is impossible anymore.

Your point is taken though.

As for defensive rankings...I wonder if they would have been different if Aldon Smith doesn't miss essentially half the season (5 games then VERY limited in 2 more). When he came back from rehab he was a wrecking machine...not just in the pass rush but against the run as well. Even only starting 9 games he had 8.5 sacks and had 3.5 more in the playoffs. The Front 7 is a HUGE part of what the 49ers do...so losing that pass rush probably had an effect on those rankings.

 

[Kakaww]

Man, that draft is going to be entertaining for you Niner fans. I'm jealous!

What are the odds they consolidate those a bit and move up to take a top 2-3 WR or CB?

 

[BASF]

As long as Russell Wilson does not get Charles Martined we will have a very good chance of getting back to and winning the Super Bowl. No one remembers that the '86 Bears defense had better numbers than the '85 Bears. The reason is the injury to McMahon led to them having serious turnover problems when the played the Redskins in the playoffs.

 

[The Radish]

If I recall correctly they schedule through the years have switched home and home with us and SF. I mean I think we will play at San Francisco first this year and then close with them later in the season at our house. Just the opposite of last year.

I'm sure that will be a highlight game, new stadium, division/conference rivals. If that is how its scheduled I think it would give a leg up on the division and conference for the winner. Also they will be high on their new stadium, it will be interesting.

Then with the way this division is playing we both might get beat up in our own division and neither have a shot at home field. Wouldn't that be a pisser?

I was very impressed with both these teams road records. That might be a problem this year for either or both. Last year the Niners stumbled in early mid year and it wound up costing them. Had we had our 2 game swoon earlier in the season things might have been a lot different for us. Both teams have to take care of business, beat the teams they are supposed to beat and hold serve with division games to advance.

The Niners have had a great 3 season run, we've had a great 2 season run. Will one of these teams sag?

I was sure at first that Harbaugh would burn this team out if they didn't win the big prize with his exhausting antics. But I have said before he seems to be working on keeping control much better off the field and now should be able to stay the course if he continues in that direction. I'm sure he's finding out he can win without quite as much drama. lol

Pete is Pete. I doubt he will burn out his team. I think he's young enough that he is going to stay a long while and his style has always been long term. Plus he's learning every game. He's getting to be a better game manager.


Lots of questions.

:les:

 

[Scottemojo]

If I recall correctly they schedule through the years have switched home and home with us and SF. I mean I think we will play at San Francisco first this year and then close with them later in the season at our house. Just the opposite of last year.

I'm sure that will be a highlight game, new stadium, division/conference rivals. If that is how its scheduled I think it would give a leg up on the division and conference for the winner. Also they will be high on their new stadium, it will be interesting.

Then with the way this division is playing we both might get beat up in our own division and neither have a shot at home field. Wouldn't that be a pisser?

I was very impressed with both these teams road records. That might be a problem this year for either or both. Last year the Niners stumbled in early mid year and it wound up costing them. Had we had our 2 game swoon earlier in the season things might have been a lot different for us. Both teams have to take care of business, beat the teams they are supposed to beat and hold serve with division games to advance.

The Niners have had a great 3 season run, we've had a great 2 season run. Will one of these teams sag?

I was sure at first that Harbaugh would burn this team out if they didn't win the big prize with his exhausting antics. But I have said before he seems to be working on keeping control much better off the field and now should be able to stay the course if he continues in that direction. I'm sure he's finding out he can win without quite as much drama. lol

Pete is Pete. I doubt he will burn out his team. I think he's young enough that he is going to stay a long while and his style has always been long term. Plus he's learning every game. He's getting to be a better game manager.


Lots of questions.

:les:

FWIW, I think Harbaugh shares a weakness common to lots of good coaches. He doesn't get enough snaps to some of the players he needs to develop because those snaps go to the players he trusts. While I think Haraugh is better than Pete at some situational and clock issues, Pete has some stones when it comes to getting inexperienced players real game time. Like giving a rookie guard his first start in a playoff game. I thought Skuta played brilliantly in relief of Willis, and thought Willis looked still limited when he got back from injury, but Skuta didn't get near as much rotation as I thought he should. On the other hand, Malcom got a ton of snaps when Wright came back from injury, and it paid off brilliantly in the SB. Just an opinion.

 

[kearly]

Dude, you can't facepalm, you added Clemons AND AP to your post after I replied, lol.

The facepalm was for repeating your argument as if I hadn't heard it. The edit btw, was maybe 15 seconds MAX after I first posted. I'll give you credit, you know how to hound a message board.

 

[kearly]

As for defensive rankings...I wonder if they would have been different if Aldon Smith doesn't miss essentially half the season (5 games then VERY limited in 2 more). When he came back from rehab he was a wrecking machine...not just in the pass rush but against the run as well. Even only starting 9 games he had 8.5 sacks and had 3.5 more in the playoffs. The Front 7 is a HUGE part of what the 49ers do...so losing that pass rush probably had an effect on those rankings.

Fair point.

 

[RolandDeschain]

Dude, you can't facepalm, you added Clemons AND AP to your post after I replied, lol.

The facepalm was for repeating your argument as if I hadn't heard it. The edit btw, was maybe 15 seconds MAX after I first posted. I'll give you credit, you know how to hound a message board.

Ah.

Well, when I'm posting, I am actively posting, haha.

 

[Marvin49]

Man, that draft is going to be entertaining for you Niner fans. I'm jealous!

What are the odds they consolidate those a bit and move up to take a top 2-3 WR or CB?

Possible. That's what they did last year with Reid. Baalkes MO is that he moves up and down all over the place and seldom picks where his selections started.

 

[Marvin49]

If I recall correctly they schedule through the years have switched home and home with us and SF. I mean I think we will play at San Francisco first this year and then close with them later in the season at our house. Just the opposite of last year.

I'm sure that will be a highlight game, new stadium, division/conference rivals. If that is how its scheduled I think it would give a leg up on the division and conference for the winner. Also they will be high on their new stadium, it will be interesting.

Then with the way this division is playing we both might get beat up in our own division and neither have a shot at home field. Wouldn't that be a pisser?

I was very impressed with both these teams road records. That might be a problem this year for either or both. Last year the Niners stumbled in early mid year and it wound up costing them. Had we had our 2 game swoon earlier in the season things might have been a lot different for us. Both teams have to take care of business, beat the teams they are supposed to beat and hold serve with division games to advance.

The Niners have had a great 3 season run, we've had a great 2 season run. Will one of these teams sag?

I was sure at first that Harbaugh would burn this team out if they didn't win the big prize with his exhausting antics. But I have said before he seems to be working on keeping control much better off the field and now should be able to stay the course if he continues in that direction. I'm sure he's finding out he can win without quite as much drama. lol

Pete is Pete. I doubt he will burn out his team. I think he's young enough that he is going to stay a long while and his style has always been long term. Plus he's learning every game. He's getting to be a better game manager.


Lots of questions.

:les:

FWIW, I think Harbaugh shares a weakness common to lots of good coaches. He doesn't get enough snaps to some of the players he needs to develop because those snaps go to the players he trusts. While I think Haraugh is better than Pete at some situational and clock issues, Pete has some stones when it comes to getting inexperienced players real game time. Like giving a rookie guard his first start in a playoff game. I thought Skuta played brilliantly in relief of Willis, and thought Willis looked still limited when he got back from injury, but Skuta didn't get near as much rotation as I thought he should. On the other hand, Malcom got a ton of snaps when Wright came back from injury, and it paid off brilliantly in the SB. Just an opinion.

?

Skuta didn't replace Willis. He was part of a tandem of himself and Lemonier who played for Aldon while he was in rehab.

When Willis was hurt Wilhoite took his spot.

 

[Ozzy]

Am I alone in thining AZ has a legitimate shot to pass San Fran this year?

Seattle's biggest road block is the division itself with no easy games. It ends up being a factor when conference seeding gets worked out.

 

[Marvin49]

Am I alone in thining AZ has a legitimate shot to pass San Fran this year?

Seattle's biggest road block is the division itself with no easy games. It ends up being a factor when conference seeding gets worked out.

Well, I'm biased and anything can happen, but I highly doubt it. Great teams are built inside out (as in start at the ball and work outwards) and the Cards still have huge issues on their O-Line and a QB who can't take as many hits as he used to. I think its a miracle he made it through the year.

BTW...I saw all these same opinions about that Rams this past year..."The Rams are our problem this year, not the 49ers".

I agree about the division though...the defenses in particular. The defenses in the NFC west are no freakin joke.