Originally posted by jonnydel:
I just can't, for the life of me, believe that if we cut both Kaep and Brooks and have, at minimum 56 mil in cap space, that we couldn't fill a TON of holes(plus, the cap space will almost suredly be higher with an ever increasing salary cap). We could pick up solid OL, a good corner or a great pass rusher and still have a bunch of room. Plus, anything we'd have left over at the end of the year will roll into the next year. We would also have the space to make a trade for a high cap figure cap casualty of another team, a la Jimmy Graham like the Seahawks did. Just because we don't currently have the players to replace them doesn't mean that we can't upgrade for the same price.
I would look to get a top level pass rusher in free agency. A guy with a bit of a track record and not just one great season. They can wisely spend money on solid o line and Cb help. And a solid young d lineman would help also. And still have plenty of cap room to carry over.
We'll have a ton of space, but should avoid blowing the whole wad all at once just to spend it. Don't over pay guys because we'll end up regretting it. I don't mind keeping some cap space in the bank, because you never know when a Justin Smith opportunity will come around.
Before the unexpected retirements of Justin Smith and Patrick Willis last offseason – and months away from the abrupt end to Aldon Smith's tenure with the 49ers – it appeared as if Ahmad Brooks' career with the organization was winding down.
Brooks earned Pro Bowl recognition after the 2012 and '13 seasons. But his status was in question after his production slipped to six sacks in 2014. Plus, at the time, his scheduled salary seemed exorbitant.
Brooks turned 33 on Monday. And while his sack total only rose from six in 2014 to 6.5 last season, it's now difficult to view him asoverpaid.
All indications are that Brooks' spot on the 49ers is safe for at least another season, in part, because the 49ers simply do not have proven, young pass-rushers ready to usurp him on the depth chart. After the 2014 season, the 49ers lost so many of the team's core defensive players through unexpected attrition that they could not afford to part ways with Brooks.
Now, an argument is even there to be made that Brooks isunderpaid.
The salary cap has risen more then $32 million since the eve of the 2014 league year. A salary de-escalator tied to Brooks' 2015 sack numbers reduces his scheduled salary this season to approximately $4 million.
As it turns out, based on the first couple days of NFL free agency, that is a bargain for a pass-rusher who can generate about a half-dozen sacks in a season.
After all, the New York Giants signed Olivier Vernon to a five-year contract that averages $17 million annually with $40 million fully guaranteed. The Raiders secured Bruce Irvin to a four-year deal at $9.25 million a year with $14.5 million fully guaranteed.
Vernon, 25, who had the luxury of playing on the same Miami Dolphins defensive front as Ndamukong Suh (not to mention seven games with Cameron Wake), recorded 7.5 sacks last season. Irvin, 28, broke into the NFL with eight sacks as a rookie. Since then, his numbers have fallen to two sacks in 2013, 6.5 in '14 and 5.5 last season.
Even if the 49ers were tempted to get younger and less-expensive at outside linebacker, they do not appear to have the luxury of casting aside Brooks right now.
Brooks and Aaron Lynch were far-and-away the 49ers' best pass-rushers last season. The team's young linebackers, Corey Lemonier and Eli Harold, combined for zero sacks.
The 49ers could have made a splash in free agency and replaced Brooks. And, certainly, Vernon and Irvin are younger than Brooks and should have more seasons ahead of them. But they were far more expensive and not nearly productive enough to justify it.
There were times Brooks looked very uninterested in getting his nose dirty last season. I understand why, though, because he's a vet that saw the team get reduced to crap overnight, but that's a bad example to the youngsters. He's played a lot of snaps over the past few seasons as a 3 down LB. At 33, there's no telling how much of a nosedive might take place in his performance. That article puts some perspective on how decent his salary is next season. Unless a stud OLB is taken in next month's draft, I'd like to keep Brooks around. It's not like his cap hit is hindering the team.
BROOKS - the most under appreciated player we have on the team
the only reason why there are so much hate is the fact that he never got the full support of the organization.. had he did what Aldrunk have done the first few times, no doubt that Brooks woulda been released..
the years he's been here and started for the team, we have yet to find a player that was able to unseat him performance wise..
Brooks turned 32 on Monday, not 33 as that article claims. There is no way he is underpaid - the 6 sacks vastly overestimate his impact last year. He didn't get a ton of pressures, is horrible in coverage, and was one of the worst rated players on the team according to PFF. Sacks aren't the end all be all of a football player and I don't expect him to get 6 sacks again in a season the rest of his career (it's silly to point to the last 2 years and say you can expect him to stay at that level when he's on the wrong side of 30).
He's one of the most over-appreciated players on the team if people still think he's good. This isn't 2012-2013.
BROOKS - the most under appreciated player we have on the team
the only reason why there are so much hate is the fact that he never got the full support of the organization.. had he did what Aldrunk have done the first few times, no doubt that Brooks woulda been released..
the years he's been here and started for the team, we have yet to find a player that was able to unseat him performance wise..
He is not as good as Aldon.
The guy quit on the team in the middle of a game and while Aldon has had his problems so has Brooks, he allegedly punched a woman in the face and allegedly fondled another while she was passed out.
Originally posted by 9moon:
BROOKS - the most under appreciated player we have on the team
the only reason why there are so much hate is the fact that he never got the full support of the organization.. had he did what Aldrunk have done the first few times, no doubt that Brooks woulda been released..
the years he's been here and started for the team, we have yet to find a player that was able to unseat him performance wise..
He is not as good as Aldon.
The guy quit on the team in the middle of a game and while Aldon has had his problems so has Brooks, he allegedly punched a woman in the face and allegedly fondled another while she was passed out.
Originally posted by 9moon:
BROOKS - the most under appreciated player we have on the team
the only reason why there are so much hate is the fact that he never got the full support of the organization.. had he did what Aldrunk have done the first few times, no doubt that Brooks woulda been released..
the years he's been here and started for the team, we have yet to find a player that was able to unseat him performance wise..
He is not as good as Aldon.
The guy quit on the team in the middle of a game and while Aldon has had his problems so has Brooks, he allegedly punched a woman in the face and allegedly fondled another while she was passed out.
the guy quit out of anger.. I will ask this question over and over and over again.. how can he be the one to share the position with LYNCH when he's been there all of season and practices while AlDrunk was just getting back from the suspension???
think about it?? what did AlDrunk ever do to get his job full time??
This is why the 49ers and the veterans were having problems.. Justin Smith, Willis and even Borland prolly just dont wanna say a thing, but they saw where this organization was heading the way the players were being babied ..