Bold Predictions - 1.0

Originally posted by NickSh49:

Originally posted by NickSh49:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by DirtyP:
Can someone please point me to a scrap of evidence that indicates Boone is good enough to supplant a pro bowl left tackle?

Can someone point to me a scrap of evidence that Brooks is better than Lawson, that Brown is better then Spencer, that Whitner is better than Williams, that Bowman is better than TKO, that Sopoaga is better than Franklin, that Smith is better than Haralson, that McDonald is better than...oh wait, never mind!

Potential sometimes just needs a chance and an opportunity to grow. It's called development. And Boone has been developing for years!

Brooks better than Lawson? Sack numbers.

Brown better then Spencer? Brown stays healthy.

Whitner better than Williams? Madieu? You're kidding right?

Bowman better than TKO? He's not 45 years old, had more tackles than Willis last year.

Sopoaga better than Franklin? Franklin got cut from the Saints.

Aldon Smith better than Harralson? Sack numbers.


There ya go.

Here.

Not sure what your point is? All these players many fans thought we couldn't live w/o...we were going to SUCK if we lost these guys...they left on their own or were allowed to leave or booted and the guys behind them or who stepped in, all played better. A lot better! By taking one step back (in some people's eyes), we took two steps forward. Isn't that the point here?

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:
I think you overvalue Boone and undervalue Staley. We can agree to disagree.

And no... I'm not going to go watch "film," which is a fancy way of saying you went back and re-watched the games.

The coaching staff is at ground level with the players during practice and games. I trust their judgement more than I trust yours.

And regarding #3, I answered this for you in a previous post.

That's cool to agree to disagree. I've been posting about Staley for years now though and esp. through last year in detailed analysis with many others...play-by-play, etc. along with the entire OL. Obviously, the OL was a targeted area for discussion last year. If you don't want to watch the tape (believe me, I watch every game and have for years, and provide analysis of what I see and let you guys draw your own conclusions), at least go back and revisit the discussions. I try to bring something to the table and sometimes a perspective that isn't so popular (at the time) based on my analysis. But I can't chime in on baseless perspectives. If you want to refute me, explain to me WHY you see things the way you do b/c right now, all I have from you guys is pro bowl voting and the fact that the coaches are trying him at RG (today). Thats it...nothing to go on here. "There's nothing to see here...please disperse!"

Again, you lean on nothing more than other's opinions and perspective. This is NT...draw your own conclusions. By merely focusing on "ground level" perspectives, of which you don't have any insight into either, you miss the fact that coaches are wrong...all the time (see Williams, Kyle or the past 10 years of Niner coaches). These expert coaches are also sometimes TOO close to guys and this can cloud their judgments. This is why so many of us watch our own film, do our own research and draw our own conclusions. I ask the same of you and others...to bring something, anything to the table. Together, we will uncover the truth more often that not.

And again, I'm not asking you to trust my judgement but merely provide your own based on a similar effort before you refer to a third party for your opinion.

I trust this coaching staff because they seem to know what they are doing.

And Kyle Williams is a good player who had a bad game. One bad game does not a bad player make. You know this as well as I do.

Originally posted by NickSh49:
I trust this coaching staff because they seem to know what they are doing.

And Kyle Williams is a good player who had a bad game. One bad game does not a bad player make. You know this as well as I do.

I agree with this more today then I ever did back in the day. It doesn't mean other factors can't contribute to one guy starting over another. You'll also see I have NO beef with Kyle (see all previous posts)...my BEEF, are you ready for this, was with the coaches who not only put him in there originally but left him in there despite obvious evidence he was not ready. I also had huge BEEF's with Greg Roman as well. I even had a huge issue with Fangio as well on a few critical plays. In fact, I'd put Kyle down around 5th or 6th as reasons we los that game.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:

Originally posted by NickSh49:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by DirtyP:
Can someone please point me to a scrap of evidence that indicates Boone is good enough to supplant a pro bowl left tackle?

Can someone point to me a scrap of evidence that Brooks is better than Lawson, that Brown is better then Spencer, that Whitner is better than Williams, that Bowman is better than TKO, that Sopoaga is better than Franklin, that Smith is better than Haralson, that McDonald is better than...oh wait, never mind!

Potential sometimes just needs a chance and an opportunity to grow. It's called development. And Boone has been developing for years!

Brooks better than Lawson? Sack numbers.

Brown better then Spencer? Brown stays healthy.

Whitner better than Williams? Madieu? You're kidding right?

Bowman better than TKO? He's not 45 years old, had more tackles than Willis last year.

Sopoaga better than Franklin? Franklin got cut from the Saints.

Aldon Smith better than Harralson? Sack numbers.


There ya go.

Here.

Not sure what your point is? All these players many fans thought we couldn't live w/o...we were going to SUCK if we lost these guys...they left on their own or were allowed to leave or booted and the guys behind them or who stepped in, all played better. A lot better! By taking one step back (in some people's eyes), we took two steps forward. Isn't that the point here?

We were going to suck... according to who? Some people in the Zone?


The coaching staff made their evaluations on every one of these situations... and they got every single one right.

I'm not saying they are always going to be right right, but they made intelligent decisions on the above based on their instincts and evaluations. And in the end, they were right.

Sooooooo... if the coaching staff thinks Staley should start over Boone, I'm going to trust them on that, especially since Boone has been a project since he was signed and Staley went in the first round and has played pretty damn well.

All logic and reasoning says Staley should start. Until Boone starts getting first team reps and competing for a starting spot, he's right where he should be as a backup.

And again, why would you trade a proven commodity, first round tackle signed through 2017, for a new first round draft pick? You want to gamble on a new player when we have a great one already on the roster?

Unless you can get two first rounders (which won't happen), trading Staley is a terrible idea. You then have your boy Boone starting at tackle and then who exactly is behind him?

I do like the idea of trading Crabtree if AJ Jenkins & Manningham outplays him... but that's a big if... and I wouldn't consider it until 2013 anyway.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:
I trust this coaching staff because they seem to know what they are doing.

And Kyle Williams is a good player who had a bad game. One bad game does not a bad player make. You know this as well as I do.

I agree with this more today then I ever did back in the day. It doesn't mean other factors can contribute to one guy starting over another. You'll see I have NO beef with Kyle (see all previous posts)...my BEEF, are you ready for this, was with the coaches who not only put him in there originally but left him in there despite obvious evidence he was not ready. I also had huge BEEF's with Greg Roman as well. I even had a huge issue with Fangio as well on a few critical plays. In fact, I'd put Kyle down around 5th or 6th as reasons we los that game.

1. Yeah Kyle shouldn't have been returning punts in that game after he DOVE for that first one. I think Harbaugh was caught up in the moment and they didn't really have anyone else to turn to to handle the returns. Kendall Hunter maybe? Not sure he does punts tho...

2. We are not going to have a Greg Roman convo because I think Harbaugh, Chryst, & Roman are an amazing play calling team. I think they often were overly cautious at certain times (which can be frustrating from a fan's perspective), but I think that was more because the playbook was still being learned and they were still working on getting Alex to be better.

Some of the stuff Roman/Harbaugh/Chryst do with play action, personnel, and pre-snap shifts is absolute genius.

Originally posted by NickSh49:
We were going to suck... according to who? Some people in the Zone?


The coaching staff made their evaluations on every one of these situations... and they got every single one right.

I'm not saying they are always going to be right right, but they made intelligent decisions on the above based on their instincts and evaluations. And in the end, they were right.

Sooooooo... if the coaching staff thinks Staley should start over Boone, I'm going to trust them on that, especially since Boone has been a project since he was signed and Staley went in the first round and has played pretty damn well.

All logic and reasoning says Staley should start. Until Boone starts getting first team reps and competing for a starting spot, he's right where he should be as a backup.

And again, why would you trade a proven commodity, first round tackle signed through 2017, for a new first round draft pick? You want to gamble on a new player when we have a great one already on the roster?

Unless you can get two first rounders (which won't happen), trading Staley is a terrible idea. You then have your boy Boone starting at tackle and then who exactly is behind him?

I do like the idea of trading Crabtree if AJ Jenkins & Manningham outplays him... but that's a big if... and I wouldn't consider it until 2013 anyway.

You've been here for a long time. Do you not remember how much ppl were freaking out about losing these guys and how bad we were going to suck b/c of the unknowns who'd start behind them? This is the EXACT same scenario that a GM can not close his mind off too.

Now, me personally, would I trade Staley for a 1st rounder and start Boone? Tough call...easier for the Crabtree situations b/c we don't run many 3 and 4 WR sets and we have a backload there now.

But this one? I'd certainly field the option objectively by first asking how much the drop off would be from Staley to Boone (this year). What do you think? Are there other guys who can be decent backups at T already on the team? Can we nab someone in FA that could be serviceable for the vet minimum as security or rookie FA who already knows my system? Does Boone have more ROI? How much do we save in $ with trading Staley? Team chemistry and leadership? Intangibles? My answer is I would consider ALL of these things. Absolutely!

But to be close-minded as a GM, even as an arm-chair GM? THAT'S when you're playing not to lose versus playing to WIN. In HarBaalke I trust...but not blindly. I do feel confident in their assessments and not only in building this team today but for tomorrow and sustaining that success for YEARS to come. We see evidence of that already in one off-season (Manning and 13 draft picks next year) and locking up all of our own critical FA's).

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:
We were going to suck... according to who? Some people in the Zone?


The coaching staff made their evaluations on every one of these situations... and they got every single one right.

I'm not saying they are always going to be right right, but they made intelligent decisions on the above based on their instincts and evaluations. And in the end, they were right.

Sooooooo... if the coaching staff thinks Staley should start over Boone, I'm going to trust them on that, especially since Boone has been a project since he was signed and Staley went in the first round and has played pretty damn well.

All logic and reasoning says Staley should start. Until Boone starts getting first team reps and competing for a starting spot, he's right where he should be as a backup.

And again, why would you trade a proven commodity, first round tackle signed through 2017, for a new first round draft pick? You want to gamble on a new player when we have a great one already on the roster?

Unless you can get two first rounders (which won't happen), trading Staley is a terrible idea. You then have your boy Boone starting at tackle and then who exactly is behind him?

I do like the idea of trading Crabtree if AJ Jenkins & Manningham outplays him... but that's a big if... and I wouldn't consider it until 2013 anyway.

You've been here for a long time. Do you not remember how much ppl were freaking out about losing these guys and how bad we are going to suck b/c of the unknowns who'd start behind them? This is the EXACT same scenario that a GM can not close his mind off too.

Now, me personally, would I trade Staley for a 1st rounder and start Boone? Tough call...easier for the Crabtree situations b/c we don't run many 3 and 4 WR sets and we have a backload there now.

But this one? I'd certainly field the option objectively by first asking how much the drop off would be from Staley to Boone. What do you think? Are there other guys who can be decent backups at T already on the team? Can we nab someone in FA that could be serviceable for the vet minimum as security or rookie FA who already knows my system? Does Boone have more ROI? How much do we save in $ with trading Staley? My answer is I would consider ALL of these things. Absolutely! But to be close-minded as a GM, even as an arm-chair GM? THAT'S when you're playing not to lose versus playing to WIN. In HarBaalke I trust...but not blindly. I do feel confident in their assessments and not only in building this team today but for tomorrow and sustaining that success for YEARS to come. We see evidence of that already in one off-season (Manning and 13 draft picks next year) and locking up all of our own critical FA's).

The only guy I was worried about losing was Franklin, but the coaching staff got that one right. Everyone else was an updgrade, especially getting rid of Lawson and moving on from TKO.

I get your line of thinking, but I will say there are not many men in this world that can play tackle in the league effectively. What I mean is that no, there are no free agents out there that we could put behind Boone that could be a reliable backup.

It's like when people complain "MAN, we didn't make any free agent moves to upgrade the o-line." Well, there aren't many veterans than are unsigned and walking the streets that are any good. It's a very small talent pool.

And that's why you don't get rid of Staley or Boone. You keep both as long as possible.

Originally posted by NickSh49:
1. Yeah Kyle shouldn't have been returning punts in that game after he DOVE for that first one. I think Harbaugh was caught up in the moment and they didn't really have anyone else to turn to to handle the returns. Kendall Hunter maybe? Not sure he does punts tho...

2. We are not going to have a Greg Roman convo because I think Harbaugh, Chryst, & Roman are an amazing play calling team. I think they often were overly cautious at certain times (which can be frustrating from a fan's perspective), but I think that was more because the playbook was still being learned and they were still working on getting Alex to be better.

Some of the stuff Roman/Harbaugh/Chryst do with play action, personnel, and pre-snap shifts is absolute genius.

Yeah, again, coaches made an error here ESPECIALLY when you play in Candlestick and we were talking about a rookie here in the biggest game of the year. You have 3, 4 deep guys who are ready to step in. They learned and brought back Ginn, got Cox, James, etc. Even if you don't have a solid backup plan, you have him fair catch ESPECIALLY after the diving catch. Helllloooo? So you see, coaches are human too! Hindsight is always 20-20 but most importantly, they learned from their mistakes and that's very refreshing for us Niner fans!

Won't go into it too much but after 18 weeks of football, I wasn't happy with the game plan from the start or the inability to adjust to what the Giants were CLEARLY doing to us. Ppl gripe about the 3rd down %'s but it was the 1st down play calling that killed us. I didn't think he used our personnel correctly either despite the injuries. I was also upset for Fangio having ZERO safety help on a simple post pattern TD after the Brown injury. You don't bring in a guy cold off the bench and leave him with no help in the RZ. Not smart.

Again, all hindsight of course but as long as they learn in the FO (and they have given what we addressed this off season) and coaching staff, we'll continue to get stronger!

Go Niners!

Originally posted by NickSh49:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:
We were going to suck... according to who? Some people in the Zone?


The coaching staff made their evaluations on every one of these situations... and they got every single one right.

I'm not saying they are always going to be right right, but they made intelligent decisions on the above based on their instincts and evaluations. And in the end, they were right.

Sooooooo... if the coaching staff thinks Staley should start over Boone, I'm going to trust them on that, especially since Boone has been a project since he was signed and Staley went in the first round and has played pretty damn well.

All logic and reasoning says Staley should start. Until Boone starts getting first team reps and competing for a starting spot, he's right where he should be as a backup.

And again, why would you trade a proven commodity, first round tackle signed through 2017, for a new first round draft pick? You want to gamble on a new player when we have a great one already on the roster?

Unless you can get two first rounders (which won't happen), trading Staley is a terrible idea. You then have your boy Boone starting at tackle and then who exactly is behind him?

I do like the idea of trading Crabtree if AJ Jenkins & Manningham outplays him... but that's a big if... and I wouldn't consider it until 2013 anyway.

You've been here for a long time. Do you not remember how much ppl were freaking out about losing these guys and how bad we are going to suck b/c of the unknowns who'd start behind them? This is the EXACT same scenario that a GM can not close his mind off too.

Now, me personally, would I trade Staley for a 1st rounder and start Boone? Tough call...easier for the Crabtree situations b/c we don't run many 3 and 4 WR sets and we have a backload there now.

But this one? I'd certainly field the option objectively by first asking how much the drop off would be from Staley to Boone. What do you think? Are there other guys who can be decent backups at T already on the team? Can we nab someone in FA that could be serviceable for the vet minimum as security or rookie FA who already knows my system? Does Boone have more ROI? How much do we save in $ with trading Staley? My answer is I would consider ALL of these things. Absolutely! But to be close-minded as a GM, even as an arm-chair GM? THAT'S when you're playing not to lose versus playing to WIN. In HarBaalke I trust...but not blindly. I do feel confident in their assessments and not only in building this team today but for tomorrow and sustaining that success for YEARS to come. We see evidence of that already in one off-season (Manning and 13 draft picks next year) and locking up all of our own critical FA's).

The only guy I was worried about losing was Franklin, but the coaching staff got that one right. Everyone else was an updgrade, especially getting rid of Lawson and moving on from TKO.

I get your line of thinking, but I will say there are not many men in this world that can play tackle in the league effectively. What I mean is that no, there are no free agents out there that we could put behind Boone that could be a reliable backup.

It's like when people complain "MAN, we didn't make any free agent moves to upgrade the o-line." Well, there aren't many veterans than are unsigned and walking the streets that are any good. It's a very small talent pool.

And that's why you don't get rid of Staley or Boone. You keep both as long as possible.

That's fair...see your point too. And I mostly agree with it UNLESS there is little drop off (maybe even gains as Boone grows throughout the year like others did last year with proper coaching) this year and potential for even bigger gains going forward (Boone's upside is a better fit for the team's style, cost, etc., we gain another 1st rounder, etc.). Remember, sometimes you have to roll the dice as a GM. For instance, we let Manny walk (happily) and played all year with only 3 OLB's including one who was a 3rd down specialist and a rookie and it worked out. That gamble paid off and they didn't ignore it this year by drafting not one but two OLB's. Now imagine a similar situation with Boone PLUS a 1st rounder next year. Is it bold? Yes! Would you roll the dice?

Anyway, it was a pleasure talking scenarios with ya. Gotta get back to my (real job) as a non-arm-chair-GM.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:
We were going to suck... according to who? Some people in the Zone?


The coaching staff made their evaluations on every one of these situations... and they got every single one right.

I'm not saying they are always going to be right right, but they made intelligent decisions on the above based on their instincts and evaluations. And in the end, they were right.

Sooooooo... if the coaching staff thinks Staley should start over Boone, I'm going to trust them on that, especially since Boone has been a project since he was signed and Staley went in the first round and has played pretty damn well.

All logic and reasoning says Staley should start. Until Boone starts getting first team reps and competing for a starting spot, he's right where he should be as a backup.

And again, why would you trade a proven commodity, first round tackle signed through 2017, for a new first round draft pick? You want to gamble on a new player when we have a great one already on the roster?

Unless you can get two first rounders (which won't happen), trading Staley is a terrible idea. You then have your boy Boone starting at tackle and then who exactly is behind him?

I do like the idea of trading Crabtree if AJ Jenkins & Manningham outplays him... but that's a big if... and I wouldn't consider it until 2013 anyway.

You've been here for a long time. Do you not remember how much ppl were freaking out about losing these guys and how bad we are going to suck b/c of the unknowns who'd start behind them? This is the EXACT same scenario that a GM can not close his mind off too.

Now, me personally, would I trade Staley for a 1st rounder and start Boone? Tough call...easier for the Crabtree situations b/c we don't run many 3 and 4 WR sets and we have a backload there now.

But this one? I'd certainly field the option objectively by first asking how much the drop off would be from Staley to Boone. What do you think? Are there other guys who can be decent backups at T already on the team? Can we nab someone in FA that could be serviceable for the vet minimum as security or rookie FA who already knows my system? Does Boone have more ROI? How much do we save in $ with trading Staley? My answer is I would consider ALL of these things. Absolutely! But to be close-minded as a GM, even as an arm-chair GM? THAT'S when you're playing not to lose versus playing to WIN. In HarBaalke I trust...but not blindly. I do feel confident in their assessments and not only in building this team today but for tomorrow and sustaining that success for YEARS to come. We see evidence of that already in one off-season (Manning and 13 draft picks next year) and locking up all of our own critical FA's).

The only guy I was worried about losing was Franklin, but the coaching staff got that one right. Everyone else was an updgrade, especially getting rid of Lawson and moving on from TKO.

I get your line of thinking, but I will say there are not many men in this world that can play tackle in the league effectively. What I mean is that no, there are no free agents out there that we could put behind Boone that could be a reliable backup.

It's like when people complain "MAN, we didn't make any free agent moves to upgrade the o-line." Well, there aren't many veterans than are unsigned and walking the streets that are any good. It's a very small talent pool.

And that's why you don't get rid of Staley or Boone. You keep both as long as possible.

That's fair...see your point too. And I mostly agree with it UNLESS there is little drop off (maybe even gains as Boone grows throughout the year like others did last year with proper coaching) this year and potential for even bigger gains going forward (Boone's upside is a better fit for the team's style, cost, etc., we gain another 1st rounder, etc.). Remember, sometimes you have to roll the dices as a GM. For instance, we let Manny walk (happily) and played all year with only 3 OLB's including one who was a 3rd down specialist and a rookie and it worked out. That gamble paid off and they didn't ignore it this year by drafting not one but two OLB's. Now imagine a similar situation with Boone PLUS a 1st rounder next year. Is it bold? Yes! Would you roll the dice?

Nope. Unless you are in salary cap hell (which we aren't), there's no reason to drop Staley until there is a consensus that he can't get it done AND should be traded,

First round picks are nice, but they are unproved commodities. Right now, we have a great amount of proven talent and depth on our o-line. You don't give that up for extra draft picks, hedging your bets on the unknown. You stick to what you are certain of.

Manny was dropped because he wasn't that good. It wasn't much of a gamble. He's an average player at best, unfortunately.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:
1. Yeah Kyle shouldn't have been returning punts in that game after he DOVE for that first one. I think Harbaugh was caught up in the moment and they didn't really have anyone else to turn to to handle the returns. Kendall Hunter maybe? Not sure he does punts tho...

2. We are not going to have a Greg Roman convo because I think Harbaugh, Chryst, & Roman are an amazing play calling team. I think they often were overly cautious at certain times (which can be frustrating from a fan's perspective), but I think that was more because the playbook was still being learned and they were still working on getting Alex to be better.

Some of the stuff Roman/Harbaugh/Chryst do with play action, personnel, and pre-snap shifts is absolute genius.

Yeah, again, coaches made an error here ESPECIALLY when you play in Candlestick and we were talking about a rookie here in the biggest game of the year. You have 3, 4 deep guys who are ready to step in. They learned and brought back Ginn, got Cox, James, etc. Even if you don't have a solid backup plan, you have him fair catch ESPECIALLY after the diving catch. Helllloooo? So you see, coaches are human too! Hindsight is always 20-20 but most importantly, they learned from their mistakes and that's very refreshing for us Niner fans!

Won't go into it too much but after 18 weeks of football, I wasn't happy with the game plan from the start or the inability to adjust to what the Giants were CLEARLY doing to us. Ppl gripe about the 3rd down %'s but it was the 1st down play calling that killed us. I didn't think he used our personnel correctly either despite the injuries. I was also upset for Fangio having ZERO safety help on a simple post pattern TD after the Brown injury. You don't bring in a guy cold off the bench and leave him with no help in the RZ. Not smart.

Again, all hindsight of course but as long as they learn in the FO (and they have given what we addressed this off season) and coaching staff, we'll continue to get stronger!

Go Niners!

I see your points there regarding the coordinators, but I think they did great most of the time.

Regarding personell, I thought it was silly to go with Brett Swain. I think if they could have gone back and done it different, they would have signed Terrell Owens after Kyle & Delanie got hurt in the Seattle game. No, I'm not kidding. Either that or some other free agent veteran WR.

And yes, that Brock vs. Manningham TD hurt me dearly. When Brown got injured, I called it out to my friends... "Watch Brock at the bottom of the screen... he's not that good." Surprise, surprise... touchdown... and Spencer watches from the bench.

Originally posted by NickSh49:
Nope. Unless you are in salary cap hell (which we aren't), there's no reason to drop Staley until there is a consensus that he can't get it done AND should be traded,

First round picks are nice, but they are unproved commodities. Right now, we have a great amount of proven talent and depth on our o-line. You don't give that up for extra draft picks, hedging your bets on the unknown. You stick to what you are certain of.

Manny was dropped because he wasn't that good. It wasn't much of a gamble. He's an average player at best, unfortunately.

So you'd be a conservative GM here...I think Walsh, Bellichick and maybe others make that move NOW (b/c of the value they'd get for him coming off the pro bowl and the need for LT's out there). Also, by going with Boone, you can bring in other veteran FA's easier by saying, "We're trying out Boone here but you'll be given every chance to compete with him now and throughout the season." I'd lose a lot of sleep over it, but I'd seriously consider doing it!

Well, if you followed me over the years, nobody lead the Brooks/Lawson charge more than me...heck, go back to Eric Davis, Mike Coffer, A. Plummer, Cyclops, Moore, Franklin, etc. Long list of player analysis. I'd also be the first to admit if I'm wrong too. But I don't make baseless opinions...they are grounded in watching film and letting the film show me the light.

Yep....its May.....

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NickSh49:
Nope. Unless you are in salary cap hell (which we aren't), there's no reason to drop Staley until there is a consensus that he can't get it done AND should be traded,

First round picks are nice, but they are unproved commodities. Right now, we have a great amount of proven talent and depth on our o-line. You don't give that up for extra draft picks, hedging your bets on the unknown. You stick to what you are certain of.

Manny was dropped because he wasn't that good. It wasn't much of a gamble. He's an average player at best, unfortunately.

So you'd be a conservative GM here...I think Walsh, Bellichick and maybe others make that move NOW (b/c of the value they'd get for him coming off the pro bowl and the need for LT's out there). Also, by going with Boone, you can bring in other veteran FA's easier by saying, "We're trying out Boone here but you'll be given every chance to compete with him now and throughout the season." I'd lose a lot of sleep over it, but I'd seriously consider doing it!

Well, if you followed me over the years, nobody lead the Brooks/Lawson charge more than me...heck, go back to Eric Davis, Mike Coffer, A. Plummer, Cyclops, Moore, Franklin, etc. Long list of player analysis. I'd also be the first to admit if I'm wrong too. But I don't make baseless opinions...they are grounded in watching film and letting the film show me the light.

I don't think your opinions are baseless, but I think you are putting too much stock in Alex Boone for sure.

Yes, I'd be a conservative GM considering we were almost in the Super Bowl. I get the idea... like when the Cowboys traded Hershel Walker for picks. But I wouldn't mess with this o-line, especially with Joe Staley of all people.

If we were rebuilding, THEN your Bill-Walsh-aggressive-GM argument would make more sense because we would have needs... and draft picks can help fill needs. But right now, we don't have those needs. We have stability and are looking to take the next step. Losing Joe Staley for an unproven draft pick is not a good move.

You could only consider it if you get two first rounders. And that's not gonna happen.

Originally posted by BadgerHawk:
Yep....its May.....