The signing of Brian Westbrook... LOVE IT or HATE IT?

coffee was a dime a dozen rb, they are at worst the same team they were pre-retirement. I find it hard to believe at the worst, westbrook is less of a dime a dozen rb then coffee was. At the realistic best, he helps to create a very powerful rb trio of gore, westbrook and if vs indy was any idication, dixon too.

coffee is a miserable pick now in retrospect and post retirement. I didnt think he was a good pick pre retirement either. Westbrook is a fine pickup in my eyes but then, he's not replacing much either.

I LOVE the Westbrook signing. He's a versitle change of pace back that can even return kicks for us if things get desperate. BW is a great teammate and an unselfish player that will bring leadership to this team.

I compare this signing to the Spikes signing, when he was brought in he was a 30 year old player that had some injuries and would be playing 2nd fiddle to a younger dynamic player in Patrick Willis just as BW will be doing with Frank Gore.

I look for BW to play a nice complementary role in the O, give Gore a much needed break from time to time. I would be very happy if he could come in and be effective carrying the ball 5-10 times/game

Love it. He was the best FA HB out there.

LOL!!!!

Am I the only one that thinks Coffee suddenly retiring actually IMPROVED the team?

A month ago if someone asked me who would you rather have as 2nd RB, Coffee or Westbrook, I wouldn't have hesitated in saying Westbrook.

Westrbrook should be a great addition not only on the field but in the locker room. Our offense is young and could use a veteran whose been on winning/playoff teams.

I don't see how he helps us at all. He's mainly a receiver out of the backfield. So with that you need good QB play. And ours is very inconsistent. Plus Gore is the bell cow back so he won't see many touches.

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:
LOL!!!!

Am I the only one that thinks Coffee suddenly retiring actually IMPROVED the team?

A month ago if someone asked me who would you rather have as 2nd RB, Coffee or Westbrook, I wouldn't have hesitated in saying Westbrook.

Westrbrook should be a great addition not only on the field but in the locker room. Our offense is young and could use a veteran whose been on winning/playoff teams.

I agree, I think he brings some much needed stability and he's more versatile than Coffee. He's better catching passes out of the backfield and he's a better pass blocker, and he's better at running outside also. He's just a better overall player. I love the signing, I think his legs have a lot left and the only thing we need to be worried about from him is concussions. But Gore is our main guy anyway, so that risk should have a less chance of happening.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
I don't see how he helps us at all. He's mainly a receiver out of the backfield. So with that you need good QB play. And ours is very inconsistent. Plus Gore is the bell cow back so he won't see many touches.

Better the Coffee, MRob, and Dixon......immediate upgrade

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
I don't see how he helps us at all. He's mainly a receiver out of the backfield. So with that you need good QB play. And ours is very inconsistent. Plus Gore is the bell cow back so he won't see many touches.

sometimes I think your negativity is actually a clever parody you are pulling on all of us

How often did we see Frank come out of the games last year? Often, sometimes for a breather, sometimes because he limped off the field. Now, I feel that we have someone who can come in, and with his experience and savy, there will not be much of a drop off in threat. Excellent addition. I commend the front office for showing a dedication to be aggressive in augmenting the team's experienced talent. This is what playoff teams do.

ESPN: How Brian Westbrook changes the 49ers

Quote:
A quick call to Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. helped advance the discussion on Brian Westbrook's addition to the San Francisco 49ers. Matt was leaving Pittsburgh Steelers training camp when I reached him Monday afternoon, not long after the 49ers announced Westbrook's signing. His take:

"I'd rather have Westbrook than Glen Coffee. I didn't think Coffee was a very good player. Maybe he knew that. He was very much a straight-line banger. Coffee was not a good enough No. 2, and they probably knew that with the drafting of Anthony Dixon, and then the kid retired.

"Westbrook clearly is a big upgrade as a pass catcher, and you cannot overlook that in any way. They say they want to be a heavy run team, and that is all well and good, but whether you like it or not, Alex Smith is the most important guy on that team. He is a quarterback most comfortable working out of the spread, and you have to cater to him. Just because you draft two big offensive linemen doesn't mean you have to pound the ball over and over and over. You need to do three-wides and use spread principles, and Westbrook fits that very well. He is an excellent pass protector. He also compliments Gore very well.

"Gore is a workhorse, but he is also injured a lot. You need someone like Westbrook to give you two games at a time, and I think he can probably still do that. Watching him, he is still a good football player. It comes down to what your team doctors say. If they say he's a liability with a knee, ankle or head, you cannot sign him. But apparently a handful of team doctors do not think it's an issue. This is a very good signing. The 49ers are a contender. If I were him, I'd much rather go there than to St. Louis or Washington. It adds up on all fields."

There were times last season when the 49ers' offense didn't seem to fit Smith and Gore at the same time. Gore preferred running out of the I-formation. Smith was more comfortable when the 49ers favored spread-type principles. While it's important for Smith and Gore to coexist in that context, Westbrook's addition could make it easier for the 49ers to more fully embrace a wider-open offense when it suits them. And if Gore stays fresher and healthier as a result, he comes out ahead, too.

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
I don't see how he helps us at all. He's mainly a receiver out of the backfield. So with that you need good QB play. And ours is very inconsistent. Plus Gore is the bell cow back so he won't see many touches.

sometimes I think your negativity is actually a clever parody you are pulling on all of us

Which of those points is untrue BTW?

Originally posted by jreff22:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
I don't see how he helps us at all. He's mainly a receiver out of the backfield. So with that you need good QB play. And ours is very inconsistent. Plus Gore is the bell cow back so he won't see many touches.

Better the Coffee, MRob, and Dixon......immediate upgrade

agreed...concussions are a concern, but then were right back to where we were yesterday, i dont know how you could complain about running back depth...our backfield now has the most rushing yards since 2005

Like it ! Hes another piece to the puzzle, Change of pace back and he is a solid pass protector. Dixon is going to benefit more from this signing, just more time to get better at pass protection and learn from two greats.

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:

Originally posted by SunDevilNiner79:

Originally posted by SanDiego49er:
I don't see how he helps us at all. He's mainly a receiver out of the backfield. So with that you need good QB play. And ours is very inconsistent. Plus Gore is the bell cow back so he won't see many touches.

sometimes I think your negativity is actually a clever parody you are pulling on all of us

Which of those points is untrue BTW?

As long as Westbrook is healthy, he obviously helps this team.

Want to do a friendly wager? I bet Westbrook (if he stays healthy) tops 300yrds and 1 TD (Coffee's rookie numbers). Loser can't post in Niner Talk for 1 year.

[ Edited by SunDevilNiner79 on Aug 16, 2010 at 21:51:37 ]

Originally posted by PTulini:
ESPN: How Brian Westbrook changes the 49ers

Quote:
A quick call to Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. helped advance the discussion on Brian Westbrook's addition to the San Francisco 49ers. Matt was leaving Pittsburgh Steelers training camp when I reached him Monday afternoon, not long after the 49ers announced Westbrook's signing. His take:

"I'd rather have Westbrook than Glen Coffee. I didn't think Coffee was a very good player. Maybe he knew that. He was very much a straight-line banger. Coffee was not a good enough No. 2, and they probably knew that with the drafting of Anthony Dixon, and then the kid retired.

"Westbrook clearly is a big upgrade as a pass catcher, and you cannot overlook that in any way. They say they want to be a heavy run team, and that is all well and good, but whether you like it or not, Alex Smith is the most important guy on that team. He is a quarterback most comfortable working out of the spread, and you have to cater to him. Just because you draft two big offensive linemen doesn't mean you have to pound the ball over and over and over. You need to do three-wides and use spread principles, and Westbrook fits that very well. He is an excellent pass protector. He also compliments Gore very well.

"Gore is a workhorse, but he is also injured a lot. You need someone like Westbrook to give you two games at a time, and I think he can probably still do that. Watching him, he is still a good football player. It comes down to what your team doctors say. If they say he's a liability with a knee, ankle or head, you cannot sign him. But apparently a handful of team doctors do not think it's an issue. This is a very good signing. The 49ers are a contender. If I were him, I'd much rather go there than to St. Louis or Washington. It adds up on all fields."

There were times last season when the 49ers' offense didn't seem to fit Smith and Gore at the same time. Gore preferred running out of the I-formation. Smith was more comfortable when the 49ers favored spread-type principles. While it's important for Smith and Gore to coexist in that context, Westbrook's addition could make it easier for the 49ers to more fully embrace a wider-open offense when it suits them. And if Gore stays fresher and healthier as a result, he comes out ahead, too.

I agree with him. SWEET!