Tagged: Michael Crabtree

NFL (49ers) Off Season: Torrey Smith Headed West??

Let’s be honest: I mostly/primarily/really only care about what we are doing this off-season, so while I may give opinions and comments on what the rest of the League is up to, my focus is on the only team (to me) that matters — my beloved San Francisco 49ers.  Tuesday is going to be a wild day, I reckon.  It’s a good thing that this week is Spring Break and probably pretty quiet, because I’ll be checking updates like a man with a problem.

Interesting.  *IF* this pans out, I’m quite intrigued.  Last year, our passing threat was really only Anquan “Grown Man” Boldin. As far as I’m concerned, Vernon quit on us — maybe he was injured (again) but he certainly wasn’t giving 100% effort when he was on the field, and he wasn’t a reliable target; Crabtree also struggled and didn’t perform as we had anticipated; McDonald/Celek/Carrier failed to shine (hence, why I think Baalke made the guarantee that Davis would be back — I reckon, had either of those guys looked like someone who could step into the starting role, that Davis would be traded by now, without question); and Stevie Johnson didn’t see as much action, as the least experienced in the system.

I know that Anquan “Grown Man” Boldin is going to do his job — I’m not worried there; the man’s a warrior — however, *if* it’s true that Vernon is a new-man and ready to play hard… AND, now, with a full year and off-season getting Stevie Johnson more in sync with Kaepernick…. AND we get Torrey Smith who can stretch the field deep??? It could be a HUGE development for us.  The only potential downside (right now, that I see) is that it would further delay the development of Patton and Ellington.  Having three veteran WRs at a higher pay-grade on roster, unless they get outworked this summer, they are going to get the bulk of the playing time.  And, with the signing of Jarryd Hayne (for the purpose of the return game, I imagine) that makes Ellington – in particular – on the edge of redundancy.

One of the downsides of our past few seasons, offensively, is that almost EVERY play that our offense ran was, by and large, capped at 15-20yds….maybe even 10-15yds.  We had solid/reliable inside receivers, but not much in the way of speed or a deep threat.  However, now, if we can have the Smiths (Stevie and Torrey) on the outside — Stevie doing the mid-range/side line work; Torrey on the deep ball — with Anquan “Grown Man” Boldin and Davis attacking the middle, we accomplish a few big things:

1– Give Kaepernick more options; in addition, veteran/experienced options.

2–Expand opposing secondaries, as they no longer could just contain 1-2 receivers 10-15yds from the line of scrimmage.

3–Ease pressure on the running game — if we are able to keep the secondary back, I think that our offensive line is good enough to make lanes, and I think that Hyde/Hunter are good enough to gain yards.  Neither are probably as good at finding holes as Gore, so I don’t know if they’d break off BIG gains, but as long as they’re good for a handful when we need them, that is HUGE.  Losing Gore will be tough but I think it’s still a talented backfield, and, who knows?, maybe we’ll add another RB in the Draft — as insurance.

Oh, not to mention that Baalke/York had said, prior, that they’re taking Kaepernick off the leash — which is a good sign. The thing that annoyed me about last year is that there were many times where Kaepernick held off running in order to throw — which led to either a) high-risk passes, b) incompletions, or c) getting caught by defenders for either a sack or minimal gain.  If they’re taking him off the leash, though, then I’m thinking that we’ll see him get out of the pocket and, if daylight is there, taking off. Seattle’s defenders had said (in that NFC Championship Game) that tackling him was deceivingly difficult.  I think it would be even more difficult if, as a defender, you are have your back to him and are giving him a 20yd cushion because you have to respect Torrey Smith and the deep ball — after all, Kaepernick has the arm (and accuracy) to hit the deep ball: he just hasn’t had the talent in the WR position to make it work.

I know that I said a lot of the same things when we drafted LaMichael James a few years back (I figured we’d use him like a Darren Sproles-type, into the flat against a OLB or Safety), and that didn’t pan out…..at all…..as Roman instead tried using him between the tackles, which was just bizarre, before trying to make him a return specialist….which also didn’t work….before ultimately releasing him after he became a distraction.  So, my visions haven’t always worked out — BUT I think that, if we do land Torrey Smith, there is only one reason we would be pursuing him: utilization of his speed and deep-ball abilities.  Especially, since it’s unlikely we’ll have a shot at any of the premiere deep threat WRs in the Draft.  #GoNiners

Update: Vernon Davis Hold Out

Reportedly, Vernon Davis doesn’t seem to optimistic or disgruntled about the whole new-deal-contract situation, according to Chris Wesseling of NFL.com, stating that he “won’t lose sleep” over it — which is good to hear.  I had written my initial thoughts about his hold out a few weeks ago, and with this more recent update, I will now update my opinions based upon what I have read.

What I Think This Means for 2014 & Summer 2015:

As I had suspected (and hoped), I think that this means that Vernon will not sit out late summer activities, the pre-season, or regular season games in search of a new deal.  I haven’t heard his full interview, but, from what I’m gathering, he seems to understand that he doesn’t have a lot of leverage right now and so, if it happens it will be great, but he doesn’t seem willing to hurt himself or the team in order to pout for more money.  Which is good.

Again, I don’t fault him for wanting more money — it is wholly his right to ask for more money when he believes that he deserves it (which I think that he does); however, we aren’t obliged to honor the request, and I don’t think that we are going to renegotiate a new deal for him right now, because it would set an undesirable precedent in the locker room, I reckon.  Furthermore, I don’t think that he’d find much support in the NFLPA ranks or amongst the general public, simply because he willfully signed a 6-year deal in his prime, so he had to have known that he was going to limit his opportunities for another big contract, of which he still has 2 yrs remaining.

Similarly, he doesn’t have the leverage that Jimmy Graham has because, while even though I don’t agree with the stats-obsessing sometimes, he doesn’t have the offensive production that Jimmy Graham, Jason Witten, or Gronkowski have to where those guys can make a case for themselves as either a) a big part of the offensive – by citing their statistics; or b) wanting to be classified as a WR instead of a TE, in order to get a higher pay scale.  Vernon doesn’t have that leverage, even though he is a true TE who is GREAT in pass protection and blocking schemes, who can then also sneak out into the open and be a receiver.

HOWEVER, I think that the way that our offense is shaping up, he could be primed for a big production year that can get him more money next summer.

Now, a lot of this has to do with the health and production of our WR corps, of which I am optimistic but can’t outright say, confidently, that they will live up to their potential.  Time will tell.  HOWEVER, if our WR corps remain healthy and productive, this could translate into a HUGE year for Vernon Davis.

What has held Vernon back (for lack of better word) is that he has been a primary target in our passing game for the past few years, which means he has had to be covered by opposing defense’s top players.  I don’t think that will be the case this year.  If defensive secondaries are having to account for Anquan “Grown Man” Boldin, Michael Crabtree, Stevie Johnson, and then a speedy threat combo of Patton/Ellington, I think that our offense can, and will, spread the field and spread out the defense.  That means that there could be a lot of open space for Vernon to exploit and that he no longer gets covered by a CB or Safety — he’s going to get covered by a LB….. and he can beat any and all LBs in the open field.  I guarantee that.

I don’t know what will happen this coming season, but — on paper — our offense is primed for a big year. *IF* everyone can stay healthy and our offensive line maintains the same high-quality production, then we could be a very dangerous offense to go up against.  We have a stable of good RBs in Gore, Hunter, Lattimore/Hyde, and maybe even James; the aforementioned WR corps; Kaepernick’s multi-threat abilities; and then Vernon Davis, too??  Even in the NFC, and specifically the West, where defenses reign supreme, that is a formidable offense to try and defend.

If our WRs can perform at the level that we expect them to, and Kaepernick continues his growth at the QB position, Vernon Davis could see a lot of passes this season, simply by virtue that secondaries have to focus on the WRs now, with Davis no longer being our automatic 1st-2nd option.   He could have a big year and get some more money the way that, I believe, he really wants to get more money: through his play and not through sitting out.  #GoNiners

-Ryan.

NFL Season-Ending Post: Super Bowl Recap & The 49ers Off-Season

With the NFL season now over, I’m spending my Super Monday — feeling better, recovering from my head cold — looking forward to the off-season ahead. I’ll recap the Super Bowl real quickly because, one, I didn’t watch all of it, and two, there’s nothing that really needs to be said about it ad nauseam…

Super Bowl Recap

The Super Bowl played out a lot like I thought it was going to, with the exception of the turnovers.  I didn’t think that Denver would have so many of them (especially the fumble by Thomas, I believe, who was cradling the ball surprisingly loosely while trying to stiff-arm the defender).  The Broncos looked kind of sloppy, but I don’t think that they expected the game to go like that at all.  It looked like they were caught off guard and didn’t know what was going on.  However, I don’t think that it made too much of a difference.  I think that they were over-matched in that game and the better team won.

I didn’t watch the entire game because I had been battling a head cold since Thursday afternoon and so I stayed up long enough to see the first half and a little bit into the 3rd quarter before deciding to call it a game and go back to bed.  My health was more important to me than watching the Seahawks celebrate.  I don’t know who ended up being the MVP, but I think it was their LB Smith, who got the pick-6, and I am okay with that.  I agree with Joe Buck (or Aikman?) who said that Avril should have been the MVP, but it had to be someone on the defense and so I’m okay with Smith getting it.

That said, with the season now concluded, I took some time this afternoon to put away my Niners gear for the off-season and will wrap up the season with this post about things that I look forward to over the course of the next few months.

49ers OFF-SEASON

I think that we are right up there with Seattle.  That NFC title game came down to a handful of plays that they beat us on, and so I, obviously, like where our team is and it is merely a matter of shoring up some areas of weakness and getting/staying healthy.  But, by and large, I think that we will be ready to go next season.  Here is what I think that our team should have in store:

Free Agency

We have a lot of depth in key areas, and so I don’t think that our Free Agent “issue” is too much of an issue.  Here are the Free Agents that we are looking at:

Offense: C Goodwin; QB McCoy; RB Dixon; WR Manningham; WR Boldin.  I don’t think that Goodwin, Dixon, nor Manningham will be with us next season – unless major changes to deals get made.  Goodwin, I think, can lose out to Kilgore for his spot (even though Kilgore got a DUI or something drinking-related I saw recently), and so I could see us promoting Kilgore and drafting a rookie Center in the Draft for our plans moving forward – I think that move would shave off a million or so.  Dixon is expendable simply because, in my opinion, he doesn’t bring anything unique to our running game, he isn’t very good at pass protection, and we have a crowded backfield as it is.  Gore is certainly on the decline, I think, but we still have Hunter and James, and Lattimore is expected to get some reps next season.  I just don’t see Dixon being kept around.

*Note: While not a Free Agent, I was displeased with James’ recent taking to Twitter (again) and whining about not having enough playing time… despite being our primary return guy nowadays… and so I don’t think that he will be with us next season.  So, Dixon may benefit from this.  If we ship James somewhere else, we may need to keep Dixon as insurance (if nothing else), because Gore is getting up there in age and Lattimore, while I’m told has looked promising, hasn’t played a down of football in almost 2 years.  So, Dixon may get kept simply because James reportedly wants out. *

We’ll probably keep McCoy but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a repeat of this past camp/pre-season where we audition a lot of different QBs for the back-up role – so McCoy may make it past the Draft but I don’t necessarily think that he will be on our roster next year.  Personally, I think that if our offense is going to be now built around a more mobile QB, in Kaepernick, that we should probably have an athletic QB backing him just so that our offense can stay consistent, in the event that Kaepernick goes down.  I think that Manningham is done; not really his fault – bad injuries – but he didn’t bring as much to our receiver corps as we had thought/hoped when we signed him last season, and so I think that we are going to part ways with him.  It may not be a bad idea to try to redo the WR corps with younger guys as it is. Which I immediately contradict next…haha…

Which leaves, my man, Anquan “Grown Man” Boldin – I hope that we keep him.  I would really like to see (at least) one more year with him on our team.  I have read reports that, at 33yrs old, he’s going to be too expensive to keep on at his current salary, and that it would be better – financially – to use that money to extend upcoming contracts (like Crabtree’s)…and I don’t know if I agree with that.  I’m 100% biased because I like Boldin; I like his style of play; I like what he brings to our offense; I like the mentorship that he offers to our young receivers; and I like how well he was able to step up and play for us when we didn’t have anyone else to step up and play.   And, it may be unpopular to state but, I don’t know if we should invest in Crabtree long term.

Others may have forgotten – but I haven’t, haha – how he held out as a rookie.  I hope that he’s grown up more between now and then, but if he wants a huge contract that costs us other talent, I’d be okay with trading him.  Our offense isn’t what wins us games (right now), and while I think that he is a talented receiver, look at the receivers who just beat us – especially, Doug Baldwin.  Undrafted, making, I believe, $700k a year, for the next few years.  Unless our offense is going to shift to a pass-first offense (which the addition of Lattimore doesn’t make me think that is the long-term plan), then I don’t think that we need marquee names at the WR position.  Patton showed promise in the latter part of the season; maybe Jon Baldwin will finally show up next season;  maybe we can find prospects in the Draft.  I just hope that we don’t handcuff ourselves to Crabtree at the risk of losing other critical pieces.

Tangent aside, I hope that we can work something out with Boldin to somehow keep him on our team.

Defense: CB Brown; CB Rogers; S Whitner; CB Wright; LB Wilhoite; DL/TE Dobbs.  I think that we should definitely keep Whitner and Eazy-E (Wright).  I don’t know what financial figures that they are going to demand, but if we can lock Wright up for another inexpensive contract, that would be HUGE for us.  With Culliver coming back next season, if we can have a secondary with him, Wright, Reid, Whitner, and Brock… that’s not too bad.  Definitely look to draft some DBs, too.  But I think that we definitely cut ties with Rogers and Brown – I think that they both are too expensive, for us, at this point, especially with how well Brock stepped up this season and the anticipated return of Culliver.

Wilhoite and Dobbs are interesting because I liked both of them this season, and if the price is right, I think we should keep them. However, our LBs are solid (right now – I don’t know what will happen to Aldon in terms of legal issues), AND Lemonier showed talent when filling in for Aldon this season, as did Skuta.  So, I think that Wilhoite may be a cap casualty.  Likewise, our D Line is also a strong point for us, I think, when we get Ian Williams back from injury next year, then we will have him and Dorsey, Justin Smith, Tank Carradine, and, I’m hopeful, LAWRENCE OKOYE – yes, despite having no idea how to pronounce his name, I am a HUGE believer in this guy, with this coaching staff.  A 22yo, 6’6″, 284lbs multi-sport athlete (in Britain) who ran a 4.84 in the 40yd dash, and possesses a 3ft vertical jump….. geez, if we can incorporate him into our D line unit, we could cause a lot of problems for opposing offensive lines.  After sitting out this whole season, my hope is that we can get him involved next year.  Can you imagine??  I can. And it is exciting.  All of that said, I think that – unless the price is really right – we part ways with both Wilhoite and Dobbs… unless something happens with Aldon Smith or we aren’t confident in our replacements for Bowman (who, last I heard, was likely out until at least next November – at the very earliest).

Special Teams:  ST Osgood;  K Dawson.  While Osgood had some big plays for us on special teams this season, I agree with some of the reports that I’ve read that he is, really, just a special teams specialist for us – and so we may draft someone to do the job cheaper.  So, I don’t think that Osgood will be with us next season.  I do, however, think that we bring Dawson back.  He was reliable and clutch for us this year.  And if our offense is going to be predicated around kicking as many FGs as we have in the past (haha), we should keep a reliable kicker.

So, that is where I believe that we are headed with our off-season Free Agents.  I don’t know of any Free Agent targets around the League right now, I haven’t looked into other teams’ contract situations.

The Draft

I’ve read message boards* from Niner “fans” saying that we should start looking to draft a QB who can “make NFL throws”, and it boggles my mind. I don’t know what these people are watching, but Kaepernick makes some AMAZING throws, and diverse throws, at that.  For example, he has had some beautiful throws on fade routes, and back shoulders; that jump throw to Boldin for a TD was incredible. How many QBs can run forward, have the presence to stop before crossing the line, then do a jump pass, and fire a laser 30yds to the back of the end zone? I think Aaron Rodgers has the arm to do it, but that’s about it, in my opinion.  Kaepernick has the tools to be a good QB – at the very least – but he’s still young, and so he makes young QB mistakes – like that attempt to throw over Chancellor’s head that was picked. (Although, to be fair, while I don’t like it, he completes that pass attempt surprisingly more than you’d think – as he did on the next drive.  And, had that been a bad throw, then that’s not just a pick, that’s a pick-6 – so I chalk that up to more of a bad decision/great defensive play as opposed to a bad throw.)

*Message boards are a scary place.  You can see some of the darkest parts of people when writing from the comfort of their computer in relative anonymity.  However, every so often, there is some gold material, too.  It’s a gamble.  But, by and large, it’s the dark stuff – authored by people who, apparently, do not know how to spell, or who prefer to utilize that incredibly annoying text-type-nonsense.

Personally, I think that we were the best team in the NFL at the end of the season – which will certainly irritate Seahawks fans (but that’s just an added bonus -wink-).  We took it to them in Seattle and, on that final drive, I guarantee that everyone watching that game thought that this was a 50/50 game.

That said, in my non-GM opinion, here is our breakdown:

I think that we are good at the QB position; and I think that we are more than good at the RB position;  we are probably good at the TE position – with McDonald playing much better at the end of the season than how he started (naturally);  I think that we are good with our Kicker (if we re-sign Dawson) and Punter; I think that we are good with our LBs (maybe get an insurance policy for Aldon/Bowman); and, if resigning Whitner, as I expect, I think that we are good with our Safeties.

I would like us to look at DBs, WRs, and OL, as our top targets.  First and foremost, I think, is our secondary.  I think that we should draft some DBs, because it is our cover guys that are the weak-link on our defense.  Sparing any unexpected setbacks, if we can get Cully, Brock, and Wright as our main guys next season, we could develop younger talent in the position.  Next, is our O Line: Iupati – if we keep him – is injured and I anticipate that we will let Goody go, in favor of the younger/cheaper Kilgore, so I think that we should look to sign some OL prospects as well because, obviously, your offense is going to struggle if the O Line isn’t very good.  Our WRs have been disappointing and will continue to be so if we lose Boldin (which I hope doesn’t happen).  I don’t think that we should spend top picks on WRs, since our WRs aren’t winning us games, but if we can get some good players at a bargain, then I say let’s do it.  Hopefully, bigger-bodied WRs.  Seattle’s secondary is a physical one, and young, so we’re going to have to compete against them for the next few years, I imagine.  So, we might as well look to invest in 6’3-6’4″ WRs that can match them physically.  Even if it’s just a guy, I think that we need that one.

Those are my thoughts on our Draft needs.

Doubt Colin Kaepernick? I Don’t.

I think that people are being way too hard on Kaepernick.  I am impressed with him, honestly.  He played a solid game – granted, he made some mistakes, but what’s better is that he owned up to them; he shows great leadership qualities and growing maturity at the QB position.  I think that people are quick to forget that: 1) he is only 26yrs old and just finished his first full season as a starter in the NFL – he is going to make mistakes; how many QBs come into this League and play without these mistakes? Not many (if any); and 2) that Seattle is a very good team.  This wasn’t him making mistakes against a 7-9 Wild Card team – we were playing a 14-2 team with the #1 defense in the League, on the road.  So, I have no qualms with the mistakes that he made, since he acknowledged them and, reportedly, spent that next day at the team facility trying to learn from them.  I think that we forget how inexperienced he is because he has taken us through two post-seasons now, that we have the bar held a little too high, perhaps.  I believe that he will improve.

We were always, in my opinion, excessively hard on Alex Smith, too.  Anyone who has ever played football knows how complicated it can be to have to adjust to different coordinators each year, so that was our bad more than Alex’s.  That said, I think that we are being too hard on Kaepernick by expecting him to play at a level that he isn’t at yet.  That said, Kaepernick has a lot of upside for a guy who is still young and only entering his second full-season as a starter. *IF* we can retain Boldin and his off-season training with Patton continues, it could be interesting to see what a full season of Boldin, Crabtree, Patton, & Davis do for him and his continued growth.

That said, I don’t think it’s a personnel problem that we have, it might be something else.

Maybe It’s Greg Roman

When Harbaugh came to town and turned a 6-10 roster into a 13-3 contender, we fell short in the NFC title game.  Why? Because Alex Smith didn’t have any good receivers to throw to – that’s why.  So, what did we do?  We went out and got Manningham, and an eager-to-prove-eager-to-win veteran in Randy Moss to compliment Crabtree, Davis, and Walker.  And when our offense still didn’t impress, until Kaepernick debuted against that bad Bears defense, we determined that it was because Alex Smith wasn’t the right QB for our offense; he wasn’t explosive enough, and that is why our offense was still struggling…. until it continued to struggle clear on through those final terrible plays from the Baltimore 5yd line.  Well, we then determined that we didn’t have Manningham for the post-season (which was why we recruited him, for those big moments in big games) and that Randy Moss was just too old to play – so we went out and got Boldin to replace him.  You see the the trend that I’m getting at?

At some point, when the moving around of personnel pieces doesn’t seem to solve the problem, it’s time to look at other components. Kaepernick runs the plays that are called – that’s his job.  Granted, he has things he needs to work on (i.e. not locking eyes on his intended receiver, allowing everyone in the stadium – let alone on the defense – know where he is throwing), but why call 3 straight passes from the 5yd line when you have a big, dominant offensive line, and a STABLE of running backs???  Even Kaepernick on a keeper is good for 3yds, so long as he falls forward!  I don’t get it.

The reason that we ultimately lost the title game against Seattle this season, I believe, is because of the play-calling.  Some say that it was just botched on all-levels of our offense, from on the field to clock management, but I had no problem with the clock management: we had 2 time outs, 30 seconds on the clock, and were inside their 20 – I was more than fine with that predicament.  Especially, considering Baldwin already had one HUGE return, I did not want to give them the ball back with time to do anything with it.  So I was perfectly content on hitting something over the middle, picking up the first, using a time out and then taking strikes at the end zone until we got it in or time expired.

Going for the home-run, especially against their best defender, with Crabtree (who is not the right match-up for that play), at that point in the game, I believe, was a HUGE mistake.  I like Crabtree.  I think that he is a good receiver, a good play-maker when he gets the ball, but he’s not a physical, jump ball, go-up-and-get-it receiver.  He’s just not.  We saw that last year in the Super Bowl and again in the NFC title game this year. If going to do a fade route/jump ball with the game on the line, I’d much rather see that pass go to Boldin – a man that’s a big-bodied receiver, with strong hands, who likes to be physical, and who has proven he can go up and bring the ball down.  Hit Crabtree on a quick slant and let him move vertically; or drop it to him down the side line and let him make a play with his feet – those are his areas of expertise.  Not a one-on-one showdown with a big, physical corner, who happens to be the best DB in the League.  Crabtree, I think, loses that match-up every…single…time.  It’s not his game.  I think we all know it – Baltimore sure seemed to know it; that’s why they hit and jammed him on all THREE of those pass attempts, because he’s not the type of receiver who can make those plays.

I didn’t have a problem with the pass-call because, clearly, Seattle’s defense had utterly dominated Frankie that day, so a run play wasn’t going to be the answer.  I think he had one “big” run of 9yds, but it was incredibly tough sledding for him that day.  And, from what I’ve seen in the replays, is that they were shading their LBs to give the underneath but keeping an eye on Kaepernick.  However, I would have liked a quick slant or dropping it off to Hunter in the flat, or looking to make a rub with Davis to free Boldin, or Boldin to free Davis on the other side.  We had the personnel and time to come up with a scoring play on that drive, so it is a bummer that we went all-in on the first place and lost.

My point: there were a lot of plays that I think we could have ran more successfully in that situation than the one we picked, and so I think that falls on partially/mostly on Roman.  Also, I didn’t like how we abandoned designed Kaepernick runs in that game when it seemed like their defense had no answer for how to defend him.  Even when spying him with an LB, Kaepernick didn’t seem to have much trouble picking up 12yds a run, and almost broke that long one for a TD.  We have the tendency to give up on things that are working and I’m not entirely sure why.

Oh well.

####

Those are my thoughts for things we need to look at during the off-season.  I think that we will be okay next season and, hopefully, we don’t have any health setbacks this off-season like we did last off-season because missing guys in the early part of the season ended up being huge for us when all was said and done — if we beat either the Colts or the Panthers, we would have been the #2 or #1 seed.  That’s how it goes sometimes, though. It was a good year to be a 49er, though, and I look forward to what the 2014 season has in store.

While I don’t anticipate more football posts this season, I’m not ruling it out either.  I thoroughly enjoy this game and so if topics come up, I’ll probably have thoughts of my own on them.  In the meantime, I transition to other sports (hockey and baseball, primarily) that I will comment on AND also commercials, silly ranking lists, and movie commentaries are a lot of what can be expected in the months ahead.  Thanks for reading.  Go Niners!

-Ryan.

NFL Thoughts: Things That I’m Tired of Hearing About

As I’m now into my post-season and there are only two teams to talk about, I am getting bombarded with reports, postings, memes, reaction videos, and articles — many, of which, that I’d like to ignore, but I like this game too much that I can’t just shut it off.  So, I read them.  Here are some of the things I’m seeing a lot right now that I’m really, really, really tired of hearing about….

“We lost because of the terrible officiating”

From the Faithful Niners Nation Facebook status:

F.N.N. Poll Question: Why do you think the NFL has been so quiet regarding the grievously bad calls in the NFC Championship Game? Why do you think they haven’t properly addressed the officiating in that Game????

Here’s why: in the end, it didn’t cost us the game.  Our play cost us the game. Was the officiating bad? I think so.  For one, that “running into the kicker” should have been “roughing” and gotten us the automatic first down — he went into Lee’s planted leg! — blown call, and, I believe, the Hawks went on to score on that drive.  However, when we have the ball down by 3 (then throw a bad pick), and then down by 6, with all of our timeouts and plenty of time on the clock, and we turn the ball over — that’s on us.  That’s not on the officials. Despite the poor officiating in that game, we found ourselves in a position to win the game, and we didn’t do it.

Sherman didn’t commit any fouls on that play (that I saw) – it was just a bad play decision, in my opinion, for the situation; Sherman did what great players do – made a play on the ball – and it was tipped back to the trailing defender who secured the pick to seal the game. The officials have been inconsistent all season, and all throughout the post-season, so why would we expect anything different? The fact of the matter is that we got ourselves into a position to win the game and we blew it.

We didn’t need to go after Sherman on that play: we were moving the ball very well up to that point, armed with 2 time outs, with 30 seconds on the clock, and inside their 20 – there was no reason to a) try for the game-winner right there; b) to try it on a fade route against the best pass-covering secondary in the League; and c) try it against their best player.  That’s a bad play, in my opinion.  Sure, Kaepernick could have given it more of a chance by NOT staring at Crabtree the entire time, haha. If he looks left just once or twice, it may be enough to keep that trailing LB from being close enough to make a play on the tip.  I still don’t think Crabtree makes that catch, but at least it’s maybe an incomplete pass instead of a game-sealing interception.

Our play calling is what cost us the game – not the officiating.  The only thing that we had consistent success with, throughout the game, was Kaepernick on designed/improvised runs.  If we get Kaepernick on the run, maybe he can hit Davis in the middle, or McDonald in the flat, maybe Gore out of the back field, or Boldin in the back of the end zone again, or make something happen with his feet.  My point is that we made a bad play call; we gambled and we lost.   So, let’s stop blaming the officiating for it.

“The Seahawks offense would be better if Percy Harvin was healthy”

I disagree.  Percy Harvin brings nothing unique to their receiver corps.  He’s no quicker/faster than Tate or Baldwin or Kearse (especially with the hip injury); he is no more athletic than those guys; no more reliable route-runner or play-maker than those guys – the only differences that Harvin brings to the table is that he is unreliable (in terms of health) and he gets paid waaaaaaay more than the rest of those guys.  Now, I’m probably the biggest Percy Harvin hater – or, at least, the most vocal – but that was a bad signing by the Hawks.  Had Harvin been like Boldin, for us, then that’s a different story, because none of our receivers are like Boldin: big, strong, physical.  Thus, he brought something to our team.  Harvin is just a more expensive, less reliable version of what you already have.

(Side Note: Oh, and I’m pretty sure that his “migraines” in Minnesota were bogus and that he quit on his team in one of the most cowardly ways possible; and I have no respect for that.  Where are the people who were upset when Randy Moss said that he took plays off? I remember a big uproar about that, but at least he PLAYED.  Harvin would cite migraines and sit out.  How is that better?? How are people not upset about that?? Oh, because it’s something that he can’t control? Riiight. I guess we’ve discovered that the cure for migraines is winning football games. End Side Note)

The media SHOULD be talking about the loss of Sidney Rice. I don’t know how his name has not come up AT ALL during these talks as to why the Seahawks’ offense has been struggling, but it should.  Unlike Harvin – who I don’t like, obviously, haha – Rice has been a contributor to their offense in the past, as well as in the first part of this season – before he was lost to injury.

“The 12th Man”

Can we finally put this to bed? It’s a gimmick now.  My 49ers were not affected by the “12th Man” yesterday.  The noise didn’t seem that bad (despite Fox busting out a nifty graphic to show the decibel level), we had ALL THREE of our timeouts heading into the final minutes, and I think that the Seahawks had more false starts, and pre-snap mishaps, than we did.  I’m now officially tired of hearing about the “12th Man” and their impact on the game.  It’s a stadium with a loud crowd.

As Kaepernick has gotten a few reps there, now, I’d be surprised if it was an issue in the future.  His first visit, last season, definitely, he was rattled – you could tell by the look on his face.  However, in Week 2, our struggles came from personnel mismatches – not so much the noise in the stands.  And, this past weekend, as prior stated, I don’t think that the crowd had any impact on that game or our performance.  We are two equally matched and excellent teams; whoever made the most mistakes was going to lose, and, on Sunday, we made more mistakes.

“Sherman is a punk/thug/classless/etc.”

Sherman is none of those. When I hear people complain about him it disappoints me but also makes me proud of him.  I get why people don’t like him – he embodies the attributes of people you knew growing up (or that you played against in your day) that you hated to play because they were so good and they knew it…and wouldn’t let you forget it.  He’s a smart guy and a smart player.  Any trash-talker gets him and knows what he’s up to.  He’s the kind of guy that is going to challenge you physically AND mentally.  You can’t go up against a Richard Sherman if you don’t have the mentality to play his game.  For him to be this effective with it is something that I respect.  He’s a master of psychology in terms of getting into your head and making you forget about what you’re supposed to be doing.

Hearing people attacking the man’s character, though, and talking about him as a person is disappointing.  We, as a culture, are so soft now, it’s ridiculous. We are waaaay too easily offended by nonsense. I don’t know if he has “apologized” for his “outburst,” but I hope that he doesn’t. For one, that irritates me when people read a scripted apology that is meaningless (what’s the point?); and, secondly, he didn’t do anything wrong or anything that warrants an apology.

He said that he was the best corner in the League – that’s true; I can’t name anyone who is better. He said Crabtree was talking trash to him – while I didn’t see it, I am very confident that is true, too, hahaha. And, he just made a great play – against Crabtree – that won the game, which, I believe, is what he was referring to with the “if you open your mouth, I’ll shut it right quick” part. All very true statements.  From what I found online, here is what he said:

Well I’m the best corner in the game! When you try me with a sorry receiver like Crabtreee that’s the result you’re gonna get! Don’t you ever talk about me!…Don’t you open your mouth about the best or imma shut it for you real quick! L-O-B!

He didn’t swear or use profanity.  He didn’t use any racial epithets.  There’s nothing offensive in the words that he said, as far as I’m concerned.  Sure, he was screaming all of this but they had just won the game and are GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!! How jacked on adrenaline and emotion would you be right there?? I know that, last year when we won, I was jumping for a solid 4-5 minutes after we beat Atlanta to secure our Super Bowl berth…. and I had NO impact in that game whatsoever, haha. People need to calm down.  The only thing that gives power to the trash-talker is letting the talk affect you.  I know this – I’m a prolific trash-talker. 😉

“Russell Wilson would be so much better with good receivers”

I really don’t know why people don’t give their receivers any respect.  Is it just because they are not household names across the nation? Because, I’ll tell you what, I’ve seen these guys play in a handful of games and THEY MAKE PLAYS.  Sure, they may not have big contracts or the recognizable names (maybe Tate from college), but they do what you want your receivers to do: they make the plays when they need to.  These guys are all capable of making tough catches – be it in the air when you’re going to get hit or tip-toed on the sideline.

Furthermore, I think that they make Russell Wilson look good.  I don’t think Russell Wilson is as good as the media makes him out to be.  Can he scramble? Yes.  Can he run around in the pocket and evade a pass rush to buy time for his guys to get open? Yes…. even though he triggers holding penalties on his offensive line every time that he does it (they’re seldom called, though).  But I don’t think he is a great QB.  If he doesn’t have an arsenal of guys – like Tate, Rice (when he comes back), Baldwin, and Kearse – who have speed and athleticism, they cover up a lot of Russell Wilson’s mistakes, in my opinion.  Wilson is a smart QB but I think that he is overrated.

Even though I hope that the Broncos win the Super Bowl (haha), I think that their receivers are going to finally get some much deserved respect – especially against Denver’s below-average defense.  They’ve earned it.

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That’s what I have so far but it’s an eternity between now and the Super Bowl, so I’m sure that there will be more things that come up that incite my rage.  Stay tuned!

-Ryan.