RichNhansom":295hwggp said:
Popeyejones":295hwggp said:
Again, the 2010 draft lol.
You are correct. That was the draft they got Iupati, Davis and Bowman. The 2011 draft does look like a solid draft though with Aldon Smith at #7, Kaep, Culliver, Kilgore, Hunter and Miller.
But do you consider 2011 draft a success?
Aldon was well documented as a potential problem and why he was there at 7 and while his performance when healthy and on the field is excellent he balances it out with embarrassment and lost time and you know you are just waiting for him to screw up again.
Kaep has flashed but many of your own fan base isn't sold on him and you know he is still a big question mark.
Culliver struggled to get playing time and has dealt with injury as well as embarrasing the franchise. He looked good last year in his FA year but his punishment is still pending and your FO didn't believe he was worth the money he got even though you are now desperate at CB after losing both your starters to FA.
Kilgore couldn't beat out Goodwin and landed on IR and still is not ingrained as the starter at center. Isn't he a FA after this year? Or did they get him signed?
Hunter has injury issues and has yet to prove anything.
Miller looks good but with his DUI this offseason many of your fans believe he won't be back.
Just the 2011 draft alone netted you how many arrests? Aldon multiple times, Culliver for felony hit and run and threatening a witness and now Miller with the DUI. Even Kaep has had some embarrassing moments.
Baalke seems to wear his rose colored glasses when he picks. Grabbing guys with well know history of trouble or injury issues. Those sometimes work out but there is a reason other teams are staying away from them.
Your FA's this offseason were Gore, Iupati, Culliver, Cox, Skuta and Crabtree. Did I miss anyone? There are alot of starts there. Did Baalke get any of them resigned? I don't believe he did. Three of those he drafted. What does that say?These guys were supposed to be the players to replace the vets Baalke inherited.
Correction on Bruce Miller it was domestic violence not a DUI. So hard to keep track. But he is apparently not taking part in the 49ers off season program.
A resounding "yes".
Aldon: For all of Aldons troubles (and I really hope they are behind him), he's one of (if not the) the most dominant pass rushers in the NFL.
Kap: Fans are overly dramatic. Most SF fans couldn't stand Steve Young because he had the audacity to not be Joe Montana. Niner fans are spoiled. I am a fan of Kap. I know peeps here love to rip on him all the time (as expected on a opposing forum), but I really like Kap. Kid has work to do, no question, but the tools are there. The desire is there. The work ethic is there and he has a skillset that's special. I love that he worked with Warner in the offseason and I love that the plan is to put him in better position to use what he's good at and do less of trying to make him into what he's not.
Cully: He didn't "struggle to get playing time". He was the nickel as a rookie and in 2012. Was probably the teams best DB in 2012 and only wasn't a starter because they liked what they had in Rogers and Brown. He was lined up to start in 2013 before he tore his ACL in camp. Last year he finally got his shot and played very well. Yeah, he had his comment at the SB and he had trouble off the field, but he was a good player. He's not in SF anymore because the Niners weren't in a position to pay when he wanted as a FA.
Kilgore: Goodwin was a Pro Bowl Center. "Couldn't beat out Goodwin" is pretty short sighted. He was the 6th lineman on a team that played 6 lineman quite a bit. He was groomed to eventually take over for Goodwin just as Hyde was groomed to take over for Gore, Carradine is being groomed to take over for Justin Smith, Ward is being groomed to take over eventually for Antoine Bethea, Borland was being groomed to take over for Willis (oops), and Brandon Thomas was being groomed to take over for Iupati. Saying he "Couldn't beat out Goodwin" is disingenuous. Is he certainly the Center right now? Dunno, he broke his ankle vs Denver and he'll get competition from Marcus Martin who will also compete with Brandon Thomas at LG. IMO though, he's a quality player taken late in the draft.
Hunter: Hasn't proven anything? Well the dude has been a backup RB who keeps getting hurt so I'm not sure what exactly you would have expected him to prove at this point. When he's been on the field, he's been good. That's all I can really ask of the guy. Has Robert Turbin "proved" anything? Christine Michael? Since they haven't, are those bad picks? Hunters issue has been injury and opportunity. When he's been on the field, I got no complaints at all.
Miller: I have to say, when I found out about the Domestic thing I was shocked. Seems like the least likely guy on the team for that to happen to. I don't have any idea what's going to happen with him. He was on the radio every week during the season. Had his own show. I read once that it the legalese of the way he was arrested made out like it wasn't an assault more of a verbal altercation...dunno though. Bottom line I have no idea what did or will happen there. As such, I can only judge him as a player...and what he is as a player is one of the best FBs in the NFL. That ain't bad for a guy who was a college DE and never played FB till he made it to the NFL.
As for your FA question, did Baalke resign any of those guys? Nope. Why? Because they never really intended to. Is that because they are bad players? Not at all. In most cases, quite the opposite.
You can't keep everyone, especially when you overpay some of them. Niners can't afford to pay a guard 9-10 mil per year. They knew that last year and that's why they drafted 2 players who could compete there. They knew they were never going to pay Crab what he wanted. They wanted a speed receiver and I think both the team and the player were done with that relationship. Did they want Cully back? Most likely, but certainly not at that price.
Niners have done this before. Tryiong to stay competitive means sometimes letting a guy you might want to keep walk away because the $$$$ put you in position to lose someone you want to keep even more down the road. That's exactly why they let Goldson walk and replaced him with Reid. Baalke views the draft as a way to cheaply replace high priced players in order to remain competitive.
You guys are going to start feeling this pain soon as well...particularly if Wilson gets his contract.
Cox and Skuta? Really? Two guys who they signed for next to nothing and nobody noticed. They played better than expected and wanted to cash in...and Niners weren't going to pay those prices. They've got a ton of young players coming back at those positions and a draft ahead.
Here's as hint at the way Baalke does business:
Most often, if they want a guy to come back, they'll resign him LONG before he's scheduled to become a free agent. If he makes it to free agency, most often its because they already know they won't resign him. Examples of guys they resigned way early? Navorro Bowman. Joe Staley. Anthony Davis. Justin Smith. Ray McDonald (another oops). Colin Kaepernick. If you are a young player that the team drafted, you are playing well, and they plan to keep you long term, you'll never get to free agency. They are trying to extend Michael Wilhoite right now.
Now, what does that mean for players on the team right now? It means that unless something changes, there is a good chance Vernon Davis is playing his final season in SF. Aldon Smith is a special case, but if he doesn't get extended before the season ends, I wouldn't be surprised if he's out next year (although I fully expect them to extend him during the year...hard to explain, but the nature of the way he just recently restructured his contract makes me believe they'll be doing SOMETHING with his contract here in the near future).
