Ramfan128":vrip17p4 said:
Marvin49":vrip17p4 said:
ringless":vrip17p4 said:
Ramfan128":vrip17p4 said:
I don't agree with what Rambot was posting. With all the changes the Rams have made, I can't see us beating the Hawks in week 1. I certainly wouldn't talk trash.
But I disagree with the general opinion of Jeff Fisher. He has had a lot of .500 seasons, but I don't believe that is indicative of how the Rams will fare going forward.
Also, he inherited a relatively talentless team that was poorly managed. He has had a lot of high draft picks, but those guys need time to develop. We also had terrible luck with the Niners and Hawks ascending at the time that we were trying to improve. I guess I just see things differently.
If we were in the AFC South the past two years, I think we easily win the division, even with the Colts there. Big difference between playing SF and SEA versus JAX and TEN.
On top of trying to build a talented roster, we've lost our starting QB the past two years for the season. In the past 14 years (since Tom Brady), I can't think of any team that lost its starting QB for the season and made the playoffs. it's not going to happen in todays NFL.
In spite of QB issues, we've actually done decent the past two years. I personally feel we're ready to take that next step...we might not be as good as Seattle yet, but we're getting there. People write us off because honestly, they don't pay attention. Not many primetime games. But in the past three years we've played Seattle better than both SF and AZ, and I have yet to see anyone (outside of Niner fans) think that the Rams will be worse than SF this year. I wouldn't be talking trash to Seattle fans that are nice enough to let us use their forum, but I do think we're on our way and a lot of people will be surprised this year.
I also haven't seen anyone that thinks the 49ers will be better than the Rams except the 49ers fans...
I think it looks something more like this at the end of the year though...
Sea 11-5 I think all the extra games/injries start to catch up a little (decline Lynch)
AZ 10-6 Improved offense/ weaker D
STL 8-8 Lots of questions
SF 7-9 This could even be generous
MAN I can't wait for the season to start...
I have no idea how the Niners are gonna do this year, but something tells me that the demise of the 49ers has been greatly exaggerated.
I've thought about that too. But from my perspective, Hyde, while good, is a downgrade from Gore (even at his age). Bowman is a monster but will his new running mate be successful? Smith and Brooks are good, and they have a bevy of young talent, but if Justin Smith doesn't return, how will they fare? Loss of CBs can't be overlooked either.
Then you lose Crabtree, Boldin is getting OLD, the Oline is worse than it's been in years (although still not bad), and then there's CK. Varying opinions on him to be sure, but mine is that he will always struggle with the mental aspect of QB. Oh and there's a new head coach. Throw in an unlucky season with injuries and it COULD get ugly. On the flip side, that D could be top 10, the running game could carry the offense, and if they play well I could see 10 wins. The teams in this division are so talented now that it's really tough to tell.
There area ton of reasons to believe the Niners will take a step or two...or three back next year. Don't in any way think that what I'm about to write below means that I don't see all the issues that have befallen the team this offseason. New Coaches, unexpected retirements, lost FAs, aging players, etc, etc.
However...it ain't ALL bad in SF.
1) Kap: I love that he spent time in the offseason working on exactly the stuff he should have been working on all along. Film work, progressions, footwork and his delivery. If this vid from recent minicamp is any indication, his delivery has changed rather radically. I can only hope that the rest of his game has done the same. Time will tell.
2) Free Agent Losses: As free agents, the 49ers didn't lose a single player they hadn't already intended to lose....LAST YEAR. They were never going to resign Iupati. They were never going to resign Michael Crabtree. They were never going to resign Chris Culliver. That's why they selected FOUR CBs, 2 OGs, and a WR....LAST YEAR. Will they be adequate replacements? Time will tell, but the new guys were selected by the same guy who selected Iupati and Culliver. Brandon Thomas and Marcus Martin were both taken in round 3 with the eye towards competing for Iupatis spot last year.
3) O-Line: Speaking of the O-Line, I actually think it'll be much better. Yes, they lost the monster run blocker that Iupati once was, but he was never that last year. He was never great in pass pro and he struggled ALOT last year while recovering from the ankle he broke in the NFCCG. Niners also had Alex Boone holdout for all of camp and preseason ands predictably sucked and Jonathan Marin played in place of Anthony Davis for most of the year. They also lost both their starting and backup centers during the year. My guess is Thomas plugs in at guard for Iupati and ends up being a better player in pass pro but not the force Iupati was in the run game.
4) LB: So much is made of the retirements of Willis and Borland. They are both excellent players and I'd take them back in a heartbeat...but peeps forget that Willis missed most of the year LAST year. Borland only played because Willis was hurt. Michael Wilhoite quietly had a pretty damn good year. Bowman is back. Brooks will be back. Aldon is back with no suspension facing him (more on that later). for good measure you get Aaron Lynch and Eli Harold as alternate pass rushers. Not really bad at all.
5) CB: "OMG, the 49ers lost BOTH starting corners and didn't address the position in the draft". Um, yes they did. They addressed it in the 2014 draft. They selected FOUR of them. My money is on Dontae Johnson to take one of those starting spots. Additionally, they didn't lose both their starting corners. Parrish Cox was a starter because Tramaine Brock was hurt...who is still on the roster.
6) Hyde: While I agree with you that he will never be Frank in his prime, I think he'll be better...substantially...than the Frank of the last few years. Frank was surviving on vision and patience, but the legs were kinda gone. While Hyde doesn't have those attributes like Gore did (who does?), Hyde is everything Frank hasn't been for a awhile and in some cases never was. Speed, quickness, power, determination...all on display in short bursts last year. What he needs to do is calm down just a bit and develop some of that patience.
7) Less Drama and waiting on players: Yes, its been a dramatic offseason....but in all honestly, since the coaching change, its just about the quietest its been since Harbaugh took over. No more will he or won't he. No more waiting on a player till midseason to return from injury (Crabtree, Bowman). No more waiting for a player to come back from suspension (Aldon). I really do think the CONSTANT drama took a toll on the team last year.
8) WR: I think this is another positional improvement as well. Boldin doesn't seem to be showing any signs of age. In fact, both of his seasons in SF have been better than any season he spent in Baltimore. While I though Crab was on the verge of being a great player after 2012, he never really came back from that Achilles. There is a reason teams weren't clamoring for him. Whatever speed he had is gone. He can't separate.
Torrey Smith will likely never be a 1000 yard WR but he doesn't need to be. He represents the speed tho that Kap has never had at that position and forces defenses to account for him. To me, this position has been upgraded, not downgraded.
As I said before, I am well aware of all the reasons someone could look at the team and see HUGE problems. More than any other year I can remember, I really don't know what to expect. Could they go 6-10? Sure. Could they go 10-6? Sure. There is still ALOT of talent on this team. They didn't all get up and drive to Michigan with Harbaugh. In fact, many of them have been reinvigorated by his departure.
Time will tell, but I'm not yet buying the "Niners are dead" mantra being sold throughout the NFL.
