The Niners' Year is Coming....in 2010

I have a random question for you season ticket holders. Does anyone have a ticket stub to last years Thursday night game against the Bears (Nov. 12th 2009)? I am looking to get this stub for sentimental reasons. Please e-mail if you can help me out. [email protected]

Originally posted by Paully13:
I have a random question for you season ticket holders. Does anyone have a ticket stub to last years Thursday night game against the Bears (Nov. 12th 2009)? I am looking to get this stub for sentimental reasons. Please e-mail if you can help me out. [email protected]

let me guess, you killed someone on that night and need an alibi? I'm watching you buddy.

The Death of the Ghost of Steve Mariucci is coming soon.

Since Mooch was fired at the end of the 2002 season (be careful what you ask for, fans), after winning a spectacular playoff game against the NY Giants (Yes, our last playoff win was nearly 7 years ago), the Niners have had 6 consecutive losing seasons, gone through 4 head coaches, 8 starting QB's: Garcia, Rattay, Dilfer, Dorsey, Pickett, Smith, Hill, O'Sullivan; 6 years running of new offensive coordinators: 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009. The parade of personnel is staggering.

The Niners seem to be building something we haven't seen since Mooch was canned, a winning season. And that day is coming soon...in 2010.

Many Niners fans expect the 2009 season to end of the Ghost of Mooch, but the team is not ready yet. Here is why?

1) The starting QB- This is the year the Niners find their starter, but we don't know who that person will be going into camp. Either Hill or Smith is going to emerge as unquestioned man to run the ship in 2010. If Hill emerges as the starter in 2009, he will have his chance to prove to the NFL world that he deserves to be classified as a starter in this league, not just a guy who comes off the bench mid-way through a season to salvage whatever is left in the year. If Smith emerges as the season starter, or replaces an ineffective Hill, he will be the guy to possibly regain the franchise QB tag. Skeptics will say that neither man is the guy to lead the 49ers into the playoff. I disagree. It just isn't going to happen this season. Teams with unsettled QB battles in training camp rarely emerge past the .500 mark (unless they have a studly defense, which we don't). A year from now, we will know our starter, and that stability will help.

Looks like Smith will be the unquestioned QB with his second season in the same offense.

2) The Niners' WR's are still a year away. The team should see the emergence of Josh Morgan, but the other side of the field is not going to be permanently occupied and satisfied until Michael Crabtree becomes productive. This is not going to happen in 2009. Crabtree is still recovering from his foot injury, will more than likely be a training camp holdout for some time, and has a LOT to learn before making an impact in the NFL. 2009 is his year to learn the game. 2010 is when we will see something. At TE, this is a big year for Vernon Davis. He has to show that he can run routes effectively, and be a player the team can count on. If so, the Niners have the complete package. If not, they are going to have to look elsewhere. Rookie TE's can make a sizable impact, so if Davis is not the answer, another player can step in and produce.

Crabtree did have his holdout and still did a very good job for a rookie. WRs will be clearer this year with the addition of Ginn and Williams.

3) The Niners' OL will be fully ready to go in 2010. 2009 is an experiment at RT, and it could go many different directions. Either M. Smith could emerge as a healthy player who will lead the right side of our OL into 2010, or the Niners will install either a developmental player with upside (Boone, Bender) or use a draft choice. Staley, Heitmann (who Fox Sports stated was our best OL by far in 2008), Rachal, all look solid. At LG, either Baas will play well and pick up an extension, or the Niners will look elsewhere (draft, FA). The key is continuity, and the Niners have at least 3 solid guys going into 2010 that are written in stone.

Drafted Davis and Iupati.

4) The pass rush is not there, yet. The Manny Lawson experiment is ready to roll, and I'm hoping to be wrong in my prediction, but rushing the passer has never been Manny's strength (he is much better in coverage and running laterally), and I don't see anything to change my opinion at this point. If he has gained the supposed 15 pounds (which he supposedly stacks on every offseason...soon he should be approaching 300 pounds), and strength, we might have a decent pass rusher. However, Parys Haralson is this team's decent pass rusher. The team lacks a dominant pass rusher, and 2010 will be the year the team finally addresses this issue.

Rated number three, of all teams in the NFL, with sacks. Brooks looks like the dominant pass rusher. The Manny Lawson experiment will be settled this year.

5) Dashon Goldson is going to have serious growing pains. While the board loves to bash Mark Roman (deservedly so in terms of forcing turnovers), Roman was a solid, steady and seasoned deep defender. Goldson gives playmaking ability, but expect a spike in deep home runs against the Niners. Spectacular versus steady. I'll take the risk on spectacular, but the Niners may need to visit the draft next season if Goldson does not work out.

Dashon Goldson developed through the year, had serious growing pains, and turned into a good FS.

6) Singletary, Raye, and company need time to get it all together. I expect the Niners will retain all of their main coaches (Sing, Manusky, Raye) for 2010, and that continuity is going to help us. This season, we are going to see the growing pains of transition, once again. A new OC means a new start again, and that typically spells trouble for a franchise that has not adapted well to the continual line of OC that spin through the team every year.

Second year in the same offense. Will see if Raye can develop a consistent offensive style and plan.

7) The Niners will have 2 first round selections next season. I believe the team will still need to draft some playmakers in 2010 (maybe a Will pass rusher, maybe a reliable TE, maybe a stable RT, maybe a stud FS). But, slowly, the amount of new talent needed to make a run is shrinking. The Niners appear to be set at virtually every position on offense (outside of RT, LG and maybe TE), and defense (Will, NT, maybe FS and CB). The club has wisely extended players to keep them from running away, and that bodes well down the road.

Drafted Davis-OT, Iupati OG, Mays - Safety

I could be wrong on my prediction for 2010. The Ghost of Mooch could be killed off in 2009. The curse of the Super Bowl loser ALWAYS kills off their victim (Cards better watch out), the Rams and Hawks appear weak. However, I just don't see this year as the year, and I hope fans do not become discouraged in 2009.

We will soon see if the rest of your predictions hold up. It does look as though 2010 will be the year of our return to the playoffs.

The run begins in 2010.

[ Edited by MadDog49er on Jul 23, 2009 at 19:53:23 ]

Great post MadDog, can't wait for the season to get started!

Originally posted by tohara3:
Great post MadDog, can't wait for the season to get started!

Me, too. I was skeptical about last year, when I wrote this 11 months ago. The team looks ready to make a run in 2010. If not, some serious heads are going to roll.

Cheers.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by tohara3:
Great post MadDog, can't wait for the season to get started!

Me, too. I was skeptical about last year, when I wrote this 11 months ago. The team looks ready to make a run in 2010. If not, some serious heads are going to roll.

Cheers.

you wouldnt happen to have the winning numbers for the lottery would you Madogg? u were dead on with most of your predictions. im with you bro i think we take the division and return to our rightful spot in the playoffs this year

Originally posted by hondakillerzx:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by tohara3:
Great post MadDog, can't wait for the season to get started!

Me, too. I was skeptical about last year, when I wrote this 11 months ago. The team looks ready to make a run in 2010. If not, some serious heads are going to roll.

Cheers.

you wouldnt happen to have the winning numbers for the lottery would you Madogg? u were dead on with most of your predictions. im with you bro i think we take the division and return to our rightful spot in the playoffs this year

This is the time the Niners make their run for the next few year. It really depends on Smith's development. The rookie OL are going to have to play at a high level, like Oher and Monroe did last year, to make it happen.

Everything else seems to be in place for a playoff run. The talent is there, so no excuses are allowed.

I didn't remember this, but know i read it dog. Good call overall. What puzzles me is why you didn't think the OL was more of "have to do" than just a RT along with passrusher, FS, and ILB. My guesses aren't as sweeping, and your overall guesses are formidable, have a great deal of insight, but i still don't get why you didn't see the OL as the ONE key item that had to be fixed. You did mention RT, but i guess you thot our OL play was a lot better than i. True, i am fixated on lines first in building a team and probably we differ on that. I would have liked to fix the DL with an in your face passrusher, but the #1 issue had to be the OL. And we did make a huge dent in our shortcomings, which i believe will be looked at several yrs down the line, and some NY writer will say, " boy those 49ers sure were smart to draft not just 1 OL in top 11 picks, but 2."

i'm gonna feel really stupid if AD takes a dump on us...but i don't expect that. solari/bigmike felt strongly enough to trade up two spots for our second OL(another thing i forecast, altho i thot we would have to go to #8 or #9...so i got that part wrong.). Nonetheless, i am rabidly in agreement that we rid ourselves of mooch's ghost this yr...and 2010 is our yr.

What i don't have a good fix on is how good. For me it all comes down to the OL...once again. If it plays like we have an OL with 3 1st rd picks by game 4, maybe game 6, then i see really good things for us. If poti can do what his tapes show, and i think he can, i could actually see a LT/LG setup where it looked like LA's and JJ's one yr where they put it all together....one last hurrah...and it was. Here , quite differently, we are just beginning the ride. And i like it. My concern is threefold: saints, obviously, ATL, and then nemesis of nemesis, minus favre, GB. Vikes, depending on Qb, are another concern. First we have to win division, but rapidly we run into these jokers. We get a sneak peak at ATL during season, and of course open with saints.

In an odd way, if we have any post season asprirations, maybe it isn't so bad to have already played two of the real competiton at season's end. As i have posted elsewhere, i don't expect us to win either of those games, but a loss, if we keep it close and stay in it, can be a win farther down the line. If we just tank in either of those games, that could make for a really long season, and cause a team-wide, "we can't do it against the best" syndrome. If we play those guys even and lose, i am fine with that. IN that case, i would expect us to get another shot at them, and would like our chances the second time around.

One guy who has a lot riding on him, is bigMIke. He is a near virgin against guys like payton and ATL coaching. Those guys have the one thing MS needs desperately...coaching experience. It would be awful to play those guys even and lose on poor coaching decisions. That would be as bad as losing big to either or both of those 2 teams. For me it is and will remain: OL (1) and coaching(2). Both have to have career yrs for us to go anywhere post season. Will they?

One final guess: if bigMike puts up an 8W season it will be his last here. I don't expect that to happen, as this team has talent, and MS has to win to keep his job. Anything less and he is adios. If he doesn't make it past 8 Ws, he has no business being HC. And he thot he had a lot of stress on him before...

Well, Dog, gotta hand it to you...stadium passed last nite, and again it looks to be yr of 49ers. Unfortunately, like the team itself, the devil's in the details. Both team and stadium look good on paper, but still SC has to come up with the $$ and the 49ers have to perform. Nonetheless, we just got over the first hurdle. Not that you called the stadium deal to pass last yr, but 2010, well, it is definitely looking up.

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:
Well, Dog, gotta hand it to you...stadium passed last nite, and again it looks to be yr of 49ers. Unfortunately, like the team itself, the devil's in the details. Both team and stadium look good on paper, but still SC has to come up with the $$ and the 49ers have to perform. Nonetheless, we just got over the first hurdle. Not that you called the stadium deal to pass last yr, but 2010, well, it is definitely looking up.

It is going to be a tough sell in a limping economy. They are going to have to really project out some big numbers in employment, tax revenue, and more to get the funding necessary. We'll soon see.

But, any good news is good news. Baby steps.

Cheers.

It's still on baby

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by tohara3:
Great post MadDog, can't wait for the season to get started!

Me, too. I was skeptical about last year, when I wrote this 11 months ago. The team looks ready to make a run in 2010. If not, some serious heads are going to roll.

Cheers.

The team was better than you thought it would be in '09. Heading into the season, I expected 9-7. And to think we lost @MIN, @HOU, @IND, @GB and @SEA by less than one score. Had we won even one of those 5 games, the season might have been different, and we might have made the playoffs.

But that is the past. I think we will take a huge step this year and that will bode well for the future. I just really hope we don't have a lockout in 2011.

Originally posted by Kilgore_Trout:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by tohara3:
Great post MadDog, can't wait for the season to get started!

Me, too. I was skeptical about last year, when I wrote this 11 months ago. The team looks ready to make a run in 2010. If not, some serious heads are going to roll.

Cheers.

The team was better than you thought it would be in '09. Heading into the season, I expected 9-7. And to think we lost @MIN, @HOU, @IND, @GB and @SEA by less than one score. Had we won even one of those 5 games, the season might have been different, and we might have made the playoffs.

But that is the past. I think we will take a huge step this year and that will bode well for the future. I just really hope we don't have a lockout in 2011.

OMG a lockout would put my life on hold!! An ENTIRE YEAR without 49er football, or just NFL football in general!!

[ Edited by defenderDX on Aug 18, 2010 at 00:52:29 ]

It is something to see a back just lay out a guy with a straightarm. It was like a bird flying into a coke machine. This guy has a knack for that. I haven't seen a right like that since Foreman laid out Joe Frazier. It seems like this is the perfect guy to put guys on defenses into early retirement. I think Singletary's bland comments were for publication. I bet he is grinning ear to ear over a guy like this. For a bruiser Davis is a really nifty runner. Very quick feet and agility. For a back his size and strength, he does remind me of Gore, he has those quick adept feet and quick reflexes to get past the line and then brutalize the defenses. I think if he continues to grow he can replace Gore. Funny but he seems way faster then the 4.7 forty he posted. I don't think those fast bursts he showed lack anything compared to any back.