OFFENSIVE LINE PLAY: Most Important

Originally posted by PopeyeJonesing:

Originally posted by sarpp:

Originally posted by LeftBankeNiner:
Boone and Sheets won't make this team.

WRONG...Both will make this team...

I just don't see the scenario in which Sheets makes it beyond the practice squad unless Coffee, Gore, or M-Rob gets injured.

I guess we could carry four RBs, but it seems like kind of a waste of a roster spot.

I think Sheets only makes the 53-man if he can return kicks. Otherwise he'll be on the practice squad. Unless he plays so well in pre-season they can't let him go.

Originally posted by ninertico:
I am impressed with this kid. He has met his demons face-to-face, accepted them for what they are, and is succeeding early in his sobriety. Heck, I am sure that he's battling those demons every time he hears of a party which is hard for any 22 year old let alone an alcoholic.

I love this about Boone: "Scot McCloughan, the 49ers' general manager, is also in on the project. He has asked Boone to stay in Santa Clara all summer, even when OTAs are not in session. That will allow the team to more closely monitor him. Boone has agreed, except for a trip to Ohio for his brother's wedding. Other than that, the hotel room is Boone's hangout every night. Which, as he readily admits, is not the most fun life in the free world." Article by Mike Purdy


I am rooting hard for this kid!
That's how you do it. Set yourself up for success rather than failure!

I have many a friend who have been overwhelmed by their demons to the point it cost them their lives with one of my closest dying from "bleeding out" due to alcoholism which of course is the extreme.

Everyone has a story as do I. I am just glad I am still here to tell it. Thank you Lord!

May God bless you and keep you safe from your demons, Mr. Boone.

Good luck!!!!

Excellent article today on Alex Boone... love his dedication.

http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers/2009/06/boone-confident-hell-catch-up-by-start-of-training-camp.html

Quote:
"We're not allowed to take our playbooks home with us," Boone said. "I wanted to do that so badly because I knew I'd be behind. I tried to write down as much as I could. When I got back out here, they had installed another 200 plays. I'm like, 'What's going on?'" With a solid showing in training camp, Boone has a legitimate chance to earn a roster spot. He plans to remain in the South Bay and work at the 49ers' practice facility for most of the time before training camp. That should enable him to catch up on everything he has missed, he believes. "I'll be here all of July," he said. "That will help. I'll catch up. Talking to coaches and players every day is really going to help me out." "I was talking to coach, he likes that I'm physical and I'm good with the run game," Boone said. "I understand that. The truth is, as long as I'm playing, I'll be happy. If they need a right tackle, I'll play right tackle. If they need a wide receiver, I'll play flanker."

Originally posted by D_Niner:

Originally posted by PopeyeJonesing:

Originally posted by sarpp:

Originally posted by LeftBankeNiner:
Boone and Sheets won't make this team.

WRONG...Both will make this team...

I just don't see the scenario in which Sheets makes it beyond the practice squad unless Coffee, Gore, or M-Rob gets injured.

I guess we could carry four RBs, but it seems like kind of a waste of a roster spot.

M-Rob as a FB behind Noris might do it

Yeah, agreed, I'm just not too sure we'd carry two FBs. M-Rob is really valuable b/c he can be a special teams ace, a backup FB and a 3rd string HB all at once. With all the injury problems we already have at WR (and emerging talent), I'd guess we carry an extra player there than RB. Basically, Ziegler or Sheets (if he beats out Clayton) will probably be on the practice squad (if Z is still eligible, I think he is?).

I really can't see how Clayton makes the team. He hasn't even been able to crack the number 2 spot for years now and they've got two very exciting young guys in Coffee and Sheets. Sheets is faster than Clayton and seems to hit the hole quicker as well.

Originally posted by Overkill:

Originally posted by PopeyeJonesing:

Originally posted by BigMar:

Originally posted by PopeyeJonesing:

Originally posted by LeftBankeNiner:
Boone and Sheets won't make this team.

Boone might be more likely to get plucked off the practice squad than Sheets, so he might take Damane Duckett's old spot at the end of our Oline bench next season in the best case scenario. No way we're getting rid of Sims for him though.

Your a Barry Sims fan?

A Barry Sims fan, no, not at all. He's a poor starter and average backup at this point in his career.

That said, we've got a guy with chronic back issues who can't make it through a season at RT, and people who think we're going to have a rookie UFA with major addiction problems as our primary backup at that spot are just fooling themselves. The organization is hoping to groom Boone for down the line (as they've made clear), but cutting Sims for THIS season would be a HUGE mistake, despite him being the whipping boy for the Zone.

We've still got Adam Snyder. Cutting Sims would not be a mistake in any sense of the word.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Sims is a great player or even a particularly good player at this point in his career, but I'm not too sure Snyder is the answer for why we could feel safe with just Boone in his first season.

First off, we're assuming Snyder doesn't start at OG ahead of Baas. Even if Bass gets the start, Snyder is then our #1 backup at four oline positions (LT, LG, RG, RT). Basically, if anybody goes down we're doing some heavy shuffling. If Boone doesn't get arrested, learns the playbook, and develops over the year I think Sims is out of here in a heartbeat, it;s just a lot to hope for in the rookie season of an UFA with a checkered past. The problem is Boone might not clear waivers, and we'd still only be carrying 4 OTs (because of Snyder's versatility -- and he's listed as a guard) if we kept both Sims and Boone.

Originally posted by lamontb:

Originally posted by MertonHanks:
Boone in, Sims out is one of my biggest hopes for training camp.

Sims needs to go regardless. Boy it's hard to root for any Buckeye

Dang...so its hard for u to root for Nate?

Boone's past isn't really that checkered. He's had a grand total of two run-ins with the authorities. And, he's not stupid. After reading some interviews with him, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he got his act together. And, if he does, he's an absolute beast.

Originally posted by BrodieFan:
I really can't see how Clayton makes the team. He hasn't even been able to crack the number 2 spot for years now and they've got two very exciting young guys in Coffee and Sheets. Sheets is faster than Clayton and seems to hit the hole quicker as well.

Which doesn't mean he has Clayton's vision or is a better HB (particularly if you weren't watching Sheets closely in college or are just judging him off youtube clips -- not accusing you personally of that). Clayton also doesn't have Sheets' fumbling problems. IMO we'll have a better picture in the exhibition season when they're subbing in and out in the 3rd and 4th quarter. You have to figure Sheets will probably get a little more time just b/c our coaches already know what they have in Clayton, but it will be a fun battle to watch in the second halves of those games (Huard and Nate will be another good one).

Clayton's a mystery to me. He looks like he should be great. He does well in pre-season. And then he never cracks the roster. I just don't get it.

Originally posted by BrodieFan:
Boone's past isn't really that checkered. He's had a grand total of two run-ins with the authorities. And, he's not stupid. After reading some interviews with him, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he got his act together. And, if he does, he's an absolute beast.

1. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets his act together either. He seems like he's at least saying the right things right now. That said, even Pacman is smart enough to say the right things between his meltdowns.

2. Boone has only had two incidents, but they have to be contextualized a little bit. While he had the one in college (a DUI), the reports out of OS were that he had a major drinking problem, so that DUI isn't isolated in terms of behavior (maybe the driving, but not the drinking too much).

3. The second incident a) happened while getting ready for the draft, which is seen as MUCH WORSE in the eyes of NFL teams and b) was a MAJOR incident. A DUI is a mistake, almost all of us probably could have legally gotten a DUI at some point if we haven't already, but running around smashing parked cars and needing three taser shots to be subdued is a whole different animal.

4. I hate to say it, and i'm hoping there's just things I don't know, but from the way he's talking about it we haven't heard anything about him following through on his promise to get treatment. The story now is that he's staying at home and avoiding places with alcohol (which certainly isn't a bad thing), but he's admitted to the fact that he's already getting bored and it's not like he can avoid alcohol being around forever. I'd be worried about what happens once he gets more comfortable with his position on the team, particularly if he's not in treatment or at least working with a program to be able to be around alcohol (which will happen eventually) without having a relapse.

Originally posted by BrodieFan:
Clayton's a mystery to me. He looks like he should be great. He does well in pre-season. And then he never cracks the roster. I just don't get it.

M-Robs versatility eats up the roster spot.

Originally posted by dbdublin:

Originally posted by PopeyeJonesing:

Originally posted by sarpp:

Originally posted by LeftBankeNiner:
Boone and Sheets won't make this team.

WRONG...Both will make this team...

I just don't see the scenario in which Sheets makes it beyond the practice squad unless Coffee, Gore, or M-Rob gets injured.

I guess we could carry four RBs, but it seems like kind of a waste of a roster spot.

I think Sheets only makes the 53-man if he can return kicks. Otherwise he'll be on the practice squad. Unless he plays so well in pre-season they can't let him go.

Agreed that if he makes the team he'll be doing it in pre-season (and I'm rooting for him too). I hope he gets some time at KR as well. That won't be his path on to the team this year though (save for him being on the PS and Rossum getting hurt again).

Originally posted by PopeyeJonesing:

Originally posted by BrodieFan:
Boone's past isn't really that checkered. He's had a grand total of two run-ins with the authorities. And, he's not stupid. After reading some interviews with him, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he got his act together. And, if he does, he's an absolute beast.

1. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets his act together either. He seems like he's at least saying the right things right now. That said, even Pacman is smart enough to say the right things between his meltdowns.

2. Boone has only had two incidents, but they have to be contextualized a little bit. While he had the one in college (a DUI), the reports out of OS were that he had a major drinking problem, so that DUI isn't isolated in terms of behavior (maybe the driving, but not the drinking too much).

3. The second incident a) happened while getting ready for the draft, which is seen as MUCH WORSE in the eyes of NFL teams and b) was a MAJOR incident. A DUI is a mistake, almost all of us probably could have legally gotten a DUI at some point if we haven't already, but running around smashing parked cars and needing three taser shots to be subdued is a whole different animal.

4. I hate to say it, and i'm hoping there's just things I don't know, but from the way he's talking about it we haven't heard anything about him following through on his promise to get treatment. The story now is that he's staying at home and avoiding places with alcohol (which certainly isn't a bad thing), but he's admitted to the fact that he's already getting bored and it's not like he can avoid alcohol being around forever. I'd be worried about what happens once he gets more comfortable with his position on the team, particularly if he's not in treatment or at least working with a program to be able to be around alcohol (which will happen eventually) without having a relapse.

I hope it's not that old steroids and booze thing - he did go hog-wild and get tasered a couple of times. I don't know either. I saw one of his college games but I wasn't really focusing on him. All I knew is that team had a bunch of maulers.

Originally posted by BrodieFan:

Originally posted by PopeyeJonesing:

Originally posted by BrodieFan:
Boone's past isn't really that checkered. He's had a grand total of two run-ins with the authorities. And, he's not stupid. After reading some interviews with him, I wouldn't be surprised at all if he got his act together. And, if he does, he's an absolute beast.

1. I wouldn't be surprised if he gets his act together either. He seems like he's at least saying the right things right now. That said, even Pacman is smart enough to say the right things between his meltdowns.

2. Boone has only had two incidents, but they have to be contextualized a little bit. While he had the one in college (a DUI), the reports out of OS were that he had a major drinking problem, so that DUI isn't isolated in terms of behavior (maybe the driving, but not the drinking too much).

3. The second incident a) happened while getting ready for the draft, which is seen as MUCH WORSE in the eyes of NFL teams and b) was a MAJOR incident. A DUI is a mistake, almost all of us probably could have legally gotten a DUI at some point if we haven't already, but running around smashing parked cars and needing three taser shots to be subdued is a whole different animal.

4. I hate to say it, and i'm hoping there's just things I don't know, but from the way he's talking about it we haven't heard anything about him following through on his promise to get treatment. The story now is that he's staying at home and avoiding places with alcohol (which certainly isn't a bad thing), but he's admitted to the fact that he's already getting bored and it's not like he can avoid alcohol being around forever. I'd be worried about what happens once he gets more comfortable with his position on the team, particularly if he's not in treatment or at least working with a program to be able to be around alcohol (which will happen eventually) without having a relapse.

I hope it's not that old steroids and booze thing - he did go hog-wild and get tasered a couple of times. I don't know either. I saw one of his college games but I wasn't really focusing on him. All I knew is that team had a bunch of maulers.

I've known guys do a lot worse, actually quite a few people, this isn't quite as big a deal as people think.

"At the same time, Boone said he completely understands why he is lining up on the right side.

"I was talking to coach, he likes that I'm physical and I'm good with the run game," Boone said. "I understand that. The truth is, as long as I'm playing, I'll be happy. If they need a right tackle, I'll play right tackle. If they need a wide receiver, I'll play flanker."--Matt Miaocco, Instant 49ers Blog

Again, what you like to hear. He's hungry...looks it on TV49 and sounds like it.

You keep at it man! Hit those play books, absorb your teammates' wisdom, and kick azz come training camp.

[ Edited by ninertico on Jun 17, 2009 at 19:53:59 ]