Weighing long-term priorities for the offseason

This might be a controversial position, but I think that the best long-term strategy for the 49ers may be to let Alex Smith go. This isn't a specific knock on Smith, but more of a realization that other priorities are more important. Discussion:

- keeping the defense together is priority #1, I think we can all agree on that. In order to do that, we need to:
-- re-sign Goldson and Rogers...that will be expensive.
-- blocking off money to re-sign Bowman before his 2013 contract year starts

- A second priority is shoring up the WR Corps, improving the short-yardage running game, and securing the interior offensive line long-term, i.e. re-signing Snyder and replacing/extending Goodwin after 2013

So here's what I would do:
- re-sign Rogers, Goldson, Synder, Morgan, and Brooks. Go after Dwayne Bowe or Hakeem Nicks at WR and Peyton Hillis at RB. We need a WR that gets separation and a back that can pick up an increasing load from Gore as he gets older AND can pick up short yardage.
- Offer Smith a short-term extension for $5m - $6m...if he doesn't take it we go with Kaep.
- If Smith leaves, extend Bowman, Justin Smith, Soap, T-Brown, and Whitner

If we make these moves, we're locked and loaded for a 5 year run at championships...but it may cost us Alex Smith in order to get the cap room. Thoughts?

Originally posted by nickbradley:
This might be a controversial position, but I think that the best long-term strategy for the 49ers may be to let Alex Smith go. This isn't a specific knock on Smith, but more of a realization that other priorities are more important. Discussion:

- keeping the defense together is priority #1, I think we can all agree on that. In order to do that, we need to:
-- re-sign Goldson and Rogers...that will be expensive.
-- blocking off money to re-sign Bowman before his 2013 contract year starts

- A second priority is shoring up the WR Corps, improving the short-yardage running game, and securing the interior offensive line long-term, i.e. re-signing Snyder and replacing/extending Goodwin after 2013

So here's what I would do:
- re-sign Rogers, Goldson, Synder, Morgan, and Brooks. Go after Dwayne Bowe or Hakeem Nicks at WR and Peyton Hillis at RB. We need a WR that gets separation and a back that can pick up an increasing load from Gore as he gets older AND can pick up short yardage.
- Offer Smith a short-term extension for $5m - $6m...if he doesn't take it we go with Kaep.
- If Smith leaves, extend Bowman, Justin Smith, Soap, T-Brown, and Whitner

If we make these moves, we're locked and loaded for a 5 year run at championships...but it may cost us Alex Smith in order to get the cap room. Thoughts?

Salery cap say's you can't do both, so I say resign our D, and build our O through the drag, and low level FA, we can't afford both, AB stop me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we can afford our D and this wish list. Beside the way we focus on running the ball, no top level FA wide out will look at us.

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
Salery cap say's you can't do both, so I say resign our D, and build our O through the drag, and low level FA, we can't afford both, AB stop me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we can afford our D and this wish list. Beside the way we focus on running the ball, no top level FA wide out will look at us.

We can afford it if we don't resign Alex Smith -- that's my whole point. Kaepernick is scheduled to cost us a measly $4 million TOTAL through 2014, while re-signing Alex Smith to a $10m - $12m contract will cost us $30m - $36m.

That's over $10m a year freed up...huge money to keep all our stars.

Originally posted by nickbradley:

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
Salery cap say's you can't do both, so I say resign our D, and build our O through the drag, and low level FA, we can't afford both, AB stop me if I'm wrong, but I don't think we can afford our D and this wish list. Beside the way we focus on running the ball, no top level FA wide out will look at us.

We can afford it if we don't resign Alex Smith -- that's my whole point. Kaepernick is scheduled to cost us a measly $4 million TOTAL through 2014, while re-signing Alex Smith to a $10m - $12m contract will cost us $30m - $36m.

That's over $10m a year freed up...huge money to keep all our stars.

True, but after this season, with his improvement, I get the feeling we will resign him, I'm not Alex's biggest fan, I have been called a hater more than once! This team hung with Alex through a lot, now he is finally showing signs of not being a total waste of a uniform, getting rid of him is pretty far fetched, I think they will resign him, I just hope they don't over pay, hopefully a cap friendly small signing bonus and incentive heavy deal.

Originally posted by nickbradley:
This might be a controversial position, but I think that the best long-term strategy for the 49ers may be to let Alex Smith go. This isn't a specific knock on Smith, but more of a realization that other priorities are more important. Discussion:

- keeping the defense together is priority #1, I think we can all agree on that. In order to do that, we need to:
-- re-sign Goldson and Rogers...that will be expensive.
-- blocking off money to re-sign Bowman before his 2013 contract year starts

- A second priority is shoring up the WR Corps, improving the short-yardage running game, and securing the interior offensive line long-term, i.e. re-signing Snyder and replacing/extending Goodwin after 2013

So here's what I would do:
- re-sign Rogers, Goldson, Synder, Morgan, and Brooks. Go after Dwayne Bowe or Hakeem Nicks at WR and Peyton Hillis at RB. We need a WR that gets separation and a back that can pick up an increasing load from Gore as he gets older AND can pick up short yardage.
- Offer Smith a short-term extension for $5m - $6m...if he doesn't take it we go with Kaep.
- If Smith leaves, extend Bowman, Justin Smith, Soap, T-Brown, and Whitner

If we make these moves, we're locked and loaded for a 5 year run at championships...but it may cost us Alex Smith in order to get the cap room. Thoughts?

right concept wrong person(s). To me Smith more vital to us than Goldson and Rogers. The latter 2 were a product of the system and great front 7. The great front 7 was helped by our lack ov turnovers. To which Smith's play was a vital part.

Now i'm not saying not to go after Goldson or Rogers just do it at the right cost.

If we do it your way and start Kaep, what happens when we start turning the ball over? Do we give up points like we did after the turnovers in the championship game even with goldson and Rogers?

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
True, but after this season, with his improvement, I get the feeling we will resign him, I'm not Alex's biggest fan, I have been called a hater more than once! This team hung with Alex through a lot, now he is finally showing signs of not being a total waste of a uniform, getting rid of him is pretty far fetched, I think they will resign him, I just hope they don't over pay, hopefully a cap friendly small signing bonus and incentive heavy deal.

Question: Is Alex Smith TEN MILLION A YEAR better than C-Kaep? I don't think so. I doubt it in fact. According to Footballoutsiders, Smith is about 10% above average per play, a little worse than rookie Andy Dalton at 12.5%.

Originally posted by krizay:
right concept wrong person(s). To me Smith more vital to us than Goldson and Rogers. The latter 2 were a product of the system and great front 7. The great front 7 was helped by our lack ov turnovers. To which Smith's play was a vital part.

Now i'm not saying not to go after Goldson or Rogers just do it at the right cost.

If we do it your way and start Kaep, what happens when we start turning the ball over? Do we give up points like we did after the turnovers in the championship game even with goldson and Rogers?

Alex Smith threw 27 passes per game, one of the lowest figures in the league. I'm sure Kaep can handle that.

You are thinking too much.

Letting your starting QB go when you have no plan to replace him is never in the best interest of the team, long term or short term. I don't think money is a big enough issue to consider not paying Smith.

I don't know that Smith necessarily is the long term solution, I'd love to see Kaep develop and challenge Smith in a year or two but I think we owe it to ourselves to see what Smith can do a second year in the offense with a full offseason.

Originally posted by krizay:
right concept wrong person(s). To me Smith more vital to us than Goldson and Rogers. The latter 2 were a product of the system and great front 7. The great front 7 was helped by our lack ov turnovers. To which Smith's play was a vital part.

Now i'm not saying not to go after Goldson or Rogers just do it at the right cost.

If we do it your way and start Kaep, what happens when we start turning the ball over? Do we give up points like we did after the turnovers in the championship game even with goldson and Rogers?

And Smith wasn't the product of a system?

Originally posted by RKab:
You are thinking too much.

Letting your starting QB go when you have no plan to replace him is never in the best interest of the team, long term or short term. I don't think money is a big enough issue to consider not paying Smith.

I don't know that Smith necessarily is the long term solution, I'd love to see Kaep develop and challenge Smith in a year or two but I think we owe it to ourselves to see what Smith can do a second year in the offense with a full offseason.

Here's your choice: Re-Sign Alex Smith, or Start Kaep and have a $10m/year slush fund to re-sign pro bowl defensive players and pursue key free agents?

Living in Ravens country - the long term issue I see with this club is that if the offense doesn't pick it up next year you will begin to see a divide, like Buddy Ryan's old teams, the Ravens for much of the past decade etc. There will be problems.

Watching the NFL Replay of the Giants game (and I sure as hell skipped OT) they had Tomsula talking to the players on the bench and he kept saying "we need to give our offense a short field to score on."

That will get old eventually. No defense can always pick up the offense. And in the Giants game they saved the offense a dozen times and we couldn't move the ball during the 4th quarter / OT. This is a super bowl calibre defense, I've read/heard a dozen reporters from Rich Eisen to Peter King point that out all week. So the team needs to look forward with Smith and surround him with weapons, not start from scratch.

...this is going to be the worst offseason ever.

We're going to need to extend Andy Lee too. FYI, Lechler makes about $4 million per year

Originally posted by nickbradley:
Here's your choice: Re-Sign Alex Smith, or Start Kaep and have a $10m/year slush fund to re-sign pro bowl defensive players and pursue key free agents?

Its not a hobson's choice. Has anyone actually reported that we can either afford Rogers/Goldson or Smith?

If I was forced to pick, I would always take the QB in the current NFL.

Originally posted by RKab:
Living in Ravens country - the long term issue I see with this club is that if the offense doesn't pick it up next year you will begin to see a divide, like Buddy Ryan's old teams, the Ravens for much of the past decade etc. There will be problems.

Watching the NFL Replay of the Giants game (and I sure as hell skipped OT) they had Tomsula talking to the players on the bench and he kept saying "we need to give our offense a short field to score on."

That will get old eventually. The defense cannot allows pick up the offense. And in the Giants game they saved the offense a dozen times and we couldn't move the ball during the 4th quarter / OT. This is a super bowl calibre defense, I've read/heard a dozen reporters from Rich Eisen to Peter King point that out all week. So the team needs to look forward with Smith and surround him with weapons, not start from scratch.

We can't keep the D together and sign Smith...Smith isn't good enough to do that.