49ers lineman Alex Boone overcomes his demon

http://www.mercurynews.com/mark-purdy/ci_19244196 ;

Extend his contract now... 3 years, 7 mil. Much more than his current 400K and much less than he'll be worth in the near future.

Boone does not want to be too detailed about his daily routine. He does say he attends meetings, presumably as part of a support group. "I've also got a supportive group of teammates," Boone said. "A lot of them won't even drink around me, even if it's around. After about a year, it wasn't that hard. I realized that hanging out at bars is overrated, anyway." "My wife has told me, 'If I catch you drinking, I'm out of here,' " he said. "So I know what the deal is." The deal is, if his life stays on track, Boone's future is bright on all levels, personal and professional.

"I like his ceiling," Baalke said of Boone's football horizon. "I think he's going to have a long NFL career."

I like Boone but we won't be able to keep him. He deserves to be a starter, and we don't have a position open.

Originally posted by fryet:
I like Boone but we won't be able to keep him. He deserves to be a starter, and we don't have a position open.

?? I dunno about deserving to be a starter, he hasn't proven anything as far as consistency on the field. But if we like him enough, he would deserve a raise/extension. Who knows what'll happen if he moves to a different environment and team, his problems might resurface.

You can never have enough quality tackles. Extend him now why he's cheap.

Great article and I'm proud of him...you are who you associate with. Good for him. He's "becoming" a very good and consistent linemen who will continue to grow under this coaching staff. He loves being here in SF and he's set up his environment and routine here. I like to hear how even his teammates won't drink around him out of respect. Those are good friends who "get it!"

I had a thread about this exact thing a year or two ago, but couldn't find it in "Search".

This is so awesome! Love that story and it couldn't happen to a better guy. That's the way you do it!

Best swing tackle in the business right now. Can play both ends and gives us the serious depth we need.

Great job, Boone!!!!

I have lost WAY too many friends to booze and drugs the last 30 years. It is so uplifting to see him succeeding. He has enormous potential and a big-time work ethic. The real smart thing for us to do is to lock him up w/an excellent contract. Staley has suffered injuries over the last few years and like all players can go down again.

We need someone to step right in and perform at a high level. Alex Boone is that man!

We'll get to keep Boone. It's a great story. Alcoholism is a serious problem for the people it effects. No matter what happens with his pro career his prospects for life will be greater because he has removed it from his life.

as a former alcoholic i can relate to his battle, its a tough addiction to kick cus its so socially accepted. u go from drinking a bit with the boys to boom your an alcoholic, u cross the line without really even knowing it, then at that point its very f**king difficult to get things straightened out. kudos to boone, he must feel great about himself now.

been pulling for boone the entire time hope he stays a niner for a long time

Any time a guy overcomes the ghosts of his past, you have to salute him. We all wish him well.

The franchise has a tough call to make with Boone next year. He will be the primary backup for LT and RT if he stays on the roster, but at what price? Would he be willing to stay on this team, and accept a backup role, versus gettting a chance to start on another roster? More than likely, he is going to move on, unless the Niners throw some substantial money at him to stay.

He is one of a long list of free agents at the end of 2011.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Any time a guy overcomes the ghosts of his past, you have to salute him. We all wish him well.

The franchise has a tough call to make with Boone next year. He will be the primary backup for LT and RT if he stays on the roster, but at what price? Would he be willing to stay on this team, and accept a backup role, versus gettting a chance to start on another roster? More than likely, he is going to move on, unless the Niners throw some substantial money at him to stay.

He is one of a long list of free agents at the end of 2011.

this is barrows from yesterdays chat......

MattB_49:
If I'm not mistaken, Boone will be an exclusive rights free agent, which means he's not going anywhere.

Originally posted by crabman82:
this is barrows from yesterdays chat......

MattB_49:
If I'm not mistaken, Boone will be an exclusive rights free agent, which means he's not going anywhere.

Thanks for the note. I didn't get a chance to read, yet.