What is your biggest priority for improving the 2013 roster?

Originally posted by m_brockalexander:
It's the secondary, plain and simple. First, we need 1 or 2 cover corners at the minimum. Rodgers and Culliver were exposed so many times during the playoffs, it was sickening. Second, is Goldson the answer at Free Safety? He can hit, but he didn't create turnovers like he did last year. Third, Whitner has to go. Great in the box safety on run downs, but horrendous in pass coverage. That has to be the focus, with some front seven help for the pass rush (d linemen and OLB).

I disagree about 150%.


It is all about the pass rush, the pass rush, the pass rush, the pass rush.



Culliver was one of the better ranked coverage guys in the NFL this year. Rogers slipped and Brown has never been anything special but Culliver has been solid all year long. The problem that comes into play is when you give a quarterback as much time as the 49ers have given to guys like Ryan and Flacco. They'll pick apart any cornerback, hell, Ryan made Richard Sherman look silly because he had forever in the pocket. They do need another cornerback to develop for the future, but it is ALL about the defensive line.


In this league you can have great corners and still be a s**t team. The biggest impact is your defensive line and this is where the 49ers fall short. They NEED an NT that collapses the pocket and requires multiple blockers, they need DE depth to rotate in and give guys like Justin a breather and eventually take over for him, they need OLB depth to rotate out Aldon, so he doesn't have to play every single down and get worn down by years end.


People will react to this game by assuming cornerback is the issue when it is far from it. The 49ers defensive troubles really started right around the time that Justin Smith got injured, after which they were unable to generate any sort of consistent pass rush. They need to upgrade defensive depth to have a steady supply of pass-rushers, much like the Giants do.



In regards to the safeties, I have no disagreement there. Goldson should be a SS and Whitner shouldn't be on the team. Buffalo made no effort to re-sign him and 49ers fans are now seeing why. As great as he is at hitting, he's been targeted more and toasted more than any other defensive back on the 49ers. Teams know that he is the weak link and they will continue to attack his side of the field, every single game.

some people suggested to move cully to FS and maybe resign Dashon and move him to SS.


I would concentrate on the secondary like the eagles did in 2002 where they got sheppard, lewis, and brown (not in that order)

We also need to consider our aging DL.


IMO, we need CB, CB, S, NT, De (not in that order)

1.- Get a NT high in draft, and also draft J.Smiths protege' and future replacement.
2.- Get a CB in draft and FA, flush the Darcel Mc. baths and tremain brock types off the roster.
3.- Get a FA WR/KR/PR in 1 player (Knox, Cribbs, hell I think Jacoby jones might be available in FA), dont draft another WR, we have plenty of youth and $$$ tied up in the position already. Let Ginn and Moss walk.
4.- Resign guys like Parys haralson and Grant for LB depth.
5.- Get a viable backup for Kaep., as if he gets hurt, or flustered, we have no option after him. Kaep will be good after a full Off season, and gained valuable experience, but the leagues best backup QB (Smith), wont be here next year.

1.- Get a NT high in draft, and also draft J.Smiths protege' and future replacement.
2.- Get a CB in draft and FA, flush the Darcel Mc. baths and tremain brock types off the roster.
3.- Get a FA WR/KR/PR in 1 player (Knox, Cribbs, hell I think Jacoby jones might be available in FA), dont draft another WR, we have plenty of youth and $$$ tied up in the position already. Let Ginn and Moss walk.
4.- Resign guys like Parys haralson and Grant for LB depth.
5.- Get a viable backup for Kaep., as if he gets hurt, or flustered, we have no option after him. Kaep will be good after a full Off season, and gained valuable experience, but the leagues best backup QB (Smith), wont be here next year.

after yesterday..... (FA) i'm all for considering greg jennings or similar since probably too expensive and (draft) some DL's

Originally posted by toppdogg32:
1.- Get a NT high in draft, and also draft J.Smiths protege' and future replacement.
2.- Get a CB in draft and FA, flush the Darcel Mc. baths and tremain brock types off the roster.
3.- Get a FA WR/KR/PR in 1 player (Knox, Cribbs, hell I think Jacoby jones might be available in FA), dont draft another WR, we have plenty of youth and $$$ tied up in the position already. Let Ginn and Moss walk.
4.- Resign guys like Parys haralson and Grant for LB depth.
5.- Get a viable backup for Kaep., as if he gets hurt, or flustered, we have no option after him. Kaep will be good after a full Off season, and gained valuable experience, but the leagues best backup QB (Smith), wont be here next year.

This is nonsense as well.


49ers WR's for next year are

1. Crabtree
2. Jenkins



There's no telling how Williams will look when he comes back and Manningham likely won't be available for the start of the season due to the severity of his injury. 49ers need to add at least 2 WR's this offseason including at least one through the draft. They need a legitimate #2 opposite Crabtree.

Originally posted by pdizo916:
some people suggested to move cully to FS and maybe resign Dashon and move him to SS.


I would concentrate on the secondary like the eagles did in 2002 where they got sheppard, lewis, and brown (not in that order)

We also need to consider our aging DL.


IMO, we need CB, CB, S, NT, De (not in that order)

Cully could bo that, and Goldson should be re-signed. However, I like Cully and Cox as our reserves at CB, I'd replace Rodgers with a FA, and draft Brock and Mc bath's replacements..

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by m_brockalexander:
It's the secondary, plain and simple. First, we need 1 or 2 cover corners at the minimum. Rodgers and Culliver were exposed so many times during the playoffs, it was sickening. Second, is Goldson the answer at Free Safety? He can hit, but he didn't create turnovers like he did last year. Third, Whitner has to go. Great in the box safety on run downs, but horrendous in pass coverage. That has to be the focus, with some front seven help for the pass rush (d linemen and OLB).

I disagree about 150%.


It is all about the pass rush, the pass rush, the pass rush, the pass rush.



Culliver was one of the better ranked coverage guys in the NFL this year. Rogers slipped and Brown has never been anything special but Culliver has been solid all year long. The problem that comes into play is when you give a quarterback as much time as the 49ers have given to guys like Ryan and Flacco. They'll pick apart any cornerback, hell, Ryan made Richard Sherman look silly because he had forever in the pocket. They do need another cornerback to develop for the future, but it is ALL about the defensive line.


In this league you can have great corners and still be a s**t team. The biggest impact is your defensive line and this is where the 49ers fall short. They NEED an NT that collapses the pocket and requires multiple blockers, they need DE depth to rotate in and give guys like Justin a breather and eventually take over for him, they need OLB depth to rotate out Aldon, so he doesn't have to play every single down and get worn down by years end.


People will react to this game by assuming cornerback is the issue when it is far from it. The 49ers defensive troubles really started right around the time that Justin Smith got injured, after which they were unable to generate any sort of consistent pass rush. They need to upgrade defensive depth to have a steady supply of pass-rushers, much like the Giants do.

I think I would agree as well. Early in the season SF was able to create pressure just by bringing 4 guys and dropping back, but by seasons end the line could no longer do that. The 49ers brought pressure more often than they would have liked and still had some troubles getting anywhere near Flacco. When you blitz and can't find home then the CB's are in danger.

Ahmad Brooks played a heck of a game for San Francisco; he's been at his best all throughout these playoffs. By contrast, Aldon disappeared. Food for thought.

No doubt on offense they would like to get some help across from Crabtree. Otherwise, I would want to stay the course and, if possible, re-sign Alex Boone. It is scary to think Colin still has room to improve as he learns to go through his reads a little quicker.

1. secondary
2. d-line depth
3. kicker
4. wr (remember we will get kyle williams back. he was playing well before he got hurt)

Originally posted by toppdogg32:
Funny.., I kept saying Culliver could be moved to Safety and was average at CB, only to be revolked. Then for last 4 yrs. I wanted us to draft a NT and FB, and NOW we see the need for both positions.. Hmm,

I've been talking about replacing Soap for awhile and there's always people who get so f**king butt-hurt its amazing.


People get so emotionally attached that they can't see what is blatantly obvious. He's been the major weak link on the DL this season, I see no reason to bring him back unless its to be a backup at DE/NT.

This defense has been built to stop the run. PERIOD. That preference started under Mike Nolan and the draft choices reflected that priority. The secondary has been just that...SECONDARY. Now, with the league moving more and more to a passing league, we are seeing the secondary exposed for what it is: a bunch of 2nd/3rd round and later picks who just are not capable of defending against the better passing attacks in the league.

So, you don't tear up what is working to fix something that isn't. What needs to be done is improve the secondary. We aren't going to change Sopoaga or McDonald. they are excellent run stuffers and that is good. If we go more to pass rushers we lose some of the ability to stop the run. Of course we could bring in more depth on the DL to rotate with those guys, and that depth is needed anyway. However, that would only be a band-aid to mask the greater issue and that is the secondary just does not have the coverage skills to stay with the better pass receivers. The starting corners are 3rd and 5th round picks. They play well enough against the mediocre teams but get torched by the better ones. Time to draft their replacements. We need more size. 5'10" Brown can't defend a guy like Julio Jones or Megatron. Culliver is only marginally better. Rodgers never lived up to expectations. Goldson is better is run support than coverage. His aggressiveness has often hurt his coverage requirements.

Yes, a better pass rush would help the back end, but it is time to face the music. Package as many picks as needed to improve the corners.

Originally posted by BobS:

Originally posted by crabman82:
the secondary can probably be improved upon, but its also related to the pass rush fall off the face of the earth the past month. there was a couple of nice pass rush plays yesterday but all in all it had dropped off big time.

Seemed like Flacco had way too much time on most plays.

Flacco did his best Ben Roethsliberger impersonation yesterday. The Niners were close multiple times and he moved just enough in the pocket to complete the passes. Still, more depth in the front seven to rush the passer would help, too.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by toppdogg32:
Funny.., I kept saying Culliver could be moved to Safety and was average at CB, only to be revolked. Then for last 4 yrs. I wanted us to draft a NT and FB, and NOW we see the need for both positions.. Hmm,

I've been talking about replacing Soap for awhile and there's always people who get so f**king butt-hurt its amazing.


People get so emotionally attached that they can't see what is blatantly obvious. He's been the major weak link on the DL this season, I see no reason to bring him back unless its to be a backup at DE/NT.

I am 50/50 on Sopoaga. Still, the front 7 is the best in the league against the run, hence Sop can't be such a huge negative as some suggest.

The defense was built to stop the run and they are doing it very well. Adding depth by drafting/signing DL who are more pass rush oriented should be a goal if only to give the current starters more rest. However, to the extent you go to more of a pass rush orientation, you tend to give up more of the run stuffing ability.

The back end is clearly an issue. Brown and Culliver just do not get the job done against the better receivers in the league.

No question we need a tall, fast WR to draw coverage away from Crabtree. The 49ers have only Crabtree that can be called "quality." All the other teams that made the playoffs have at least two guys that demand attention from an opponent. That needs to change if this offense is to get to the top level.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by TheRatMan13:
Goldson and Whitner have been touted as one of the best safety tandems in the NFL, and up until the Patriots second half, they were. Ever since then, they have been torched.

JUSTIN SMITH



Its no coincidence that the defense went to hell as soon as he was injured. Without that regular pressure and domination he provides, this defense struggles, he's the guy who makes the defense work. The key is to take the pressure off of him by adding depth at 3-4 DE to rotate him in and out and keep him fresh, but also to add a real nose tackle, someone that demands double-teams, Soap simply hasn't been getting it done at all this season.

yeah that had something to do with it, but it allowed everyone to know that there ARE deficiencies in the secondary. as much as i believe the pass rush helps the secondary more than vice versa, the secondary needs to do their job. and one of the weaknesses losing justin smith exposed was the fact that whitner and goldson tend to get over aggressive.