Despite the drama, 49ers will be just fine in 2014

I started talking about this in the Aldon Smith thread but wanted to expand upon it here. I can't remember an off season with so much drama surrounding our 49ers, especially during a year where we expect to contend. I often feel that the media sensationalizes situations involving celebrities and although some of these situations are serious, some are just complete BS. Despite what's being talked about, the 49ers will be fine, here's how I see things.

Off the field stuff

The Harbaugh Situation: Complete and utter BS, sure we're in negotiations with him, we do not have an agreement yet, I'm sure coach wants more money than we want to give right now but how many times has this sorta thing happened in professional sports? It's overblown period. Harbs took this job for less money then he could have got from a team like the Dolphins because he knew, and still knows this is the best place for him. The Cleveland thing was ridiculous, an attempt by a horrible franchise to become relevant, not an attempt by us to get rid of one of the best coaches in the NFL.

Harbaugh/Baalke "fued": Again, complete BS, if a coach and GM agree on everything, that's where a real problem exists. Do Trent and Jim hang out on their days off? Go golfing together? Probably not, but who gives a crap! This is once again media BS, I personally hope that Trent and Jim argue, yell and fight against one another sometimes. It makes for a good franchise when their is healthy debate and that's all this is. Look no further than the trades for Jonathan Martin and Blaine Gabbert as evidence that they work together.

Kaepernick/Patton's Miami Situation: The players not only haven't been charged, they haven't even been interviewed by the cops. That speaks volumes. I have never been in serious trouble with the law but I can remember plenty of times when cops questioned me about something that happened while I was present, took my information in case they needed to follow up etc. Minor things caused these actions, the players were present when a woman got messed up, got naked, acted strange and they called the police. The media is making this out to be something it's not.

Culliver hit and run: What a moronic move by him absolutely. Especially when reports said we were looking at extending his contract and viewed him as a long term starter at CB, with the changes in our DB this was/is his opportunity to shine then he does this crap. Not making excuses for him but to me this looks like he did something stupid, panicked and did the wrong thing. Still, as stupid as it was, he won't go to jail for it and league discipline will likely be minor, a PR nightmare yes, but this will blow over in the end.

Aldon Smith: Christ this guy is a headache yes, but so was Charles Haley and trading him to the Cowboys was a horrible move. What he did was stupid, if he was drinking the same day he did this, it's an even stupider move. The facts though show that this also while a stupid thing to do, wasn't like he killed/raped someone or drowned a bunch of dogs. The guy got pissed off at a TSA agent, said something stupid and is paying the price for it. If it were that serious he wouldn't have been able to go eat at McDonalds before being taken into custody. The Tim K. reports that he may not ever play for us again, that the 5th year option won't be picked up etc are BS in my mind. I'm sure the 49ers will wait until his April 29th court date, will talk to him etc and probably change up their approach to how they monitor his behavior but at the end of the day all this could and probably will blow over legally. I'd be willing to bet he won't be charged in this airport thing at all. I also believe 100% the weapons charges will go completely away and his DUI's will be plead down. He will probably get a suspension by the league but he's not going to miss as much time as Bowman will this year, I'm betting 4 games max.

On the field, we have a lot to be excited for.

As I said above the Kaep stuff is just media BS, a lot has come out already about it, by the time the draft is over we'll know that Kaep did nothing wrong and he will still sign a long term extension prior to training camp. AND so will Crabtree AND Harbaugh. The organization will want to put all the bad media BS behind them and after the draft I expect a flurry of moves. Several vets will get extensions that help with cap room like VD, Willis, Brooks, Dorsey maybe even Gore, Ray Mac etc. Then we'll see the big extensions to guys like Kaep and Crabs (maybe even Iupati) and of course Harbs.

Aldon will get suspended by the league, if I had to bet I'd say 4 games, we will still pick up the 5th year option on him and he will play this year. Bowman will be back between week 7 and week 9 and he'll be great again. Before the stretch run, we'll have our 4 great LBs together, dominating.

The DB will be better than last year, Culliver will be apart of it, we'll have at least one rookie playing a nice role and Bethea will be an upgrade over Whitner.

Tank is going to come in and be a big part of our DL rotation, he will eventually push Ray Mac for his starting spot & improve our pass rush, the guy is a monster and will play like it. All these factors put together and our D will actually maintain it's dominance and eventually be improved.

Lattimore will finally make our RB approach more than just giving the ball to Gore and tiring him out by the end of the season. By the end of the year, I'm betting we're ready to hand the reigns over to him next year.

Kaep will continue to develop, we will have more weapons with Crabs & Patton healthy + a rookie (and maybe even a productive Lloyd) and an improved #2 TE as I expect a big jump by Vance this year. Our offense will be more balanced, we will still be a power running team at heart but we'll open it up and become more explosive.

At the end of the day, the 49ers still have one of the most talented rosters in football & we're still going to have a nice infusion of young talent with the draft class plus Lattimore, Tank, Dial as well as the return of injured vets Culliver and Ian Williams. We will win between 11 and 13 regular season games and contend for a Superbowl and all this off season BS will be behind us.


In conclusion, I know all this bad 49er news lately makes us all feel like things are crashing down, like this is a horrible off season etc. I'm sure you guys are all hearing from fans of rival teams harassing you about these things just as I am. But it doesn't truly mean the world is crashing down, we'll be fine.

Go Niners!

Hope you're right.

Originally posted by matt49er:

I started talking about this in the Aldon Smith thread but wanted to expand upon it here. I can't remember an off season with so much drama surrounding our 49ers, especially during a year where we expect to contend. I often feel that the media sensationalizes situations involving celebrities and although some of these situations are serious, some are just complete BS. Despite what's being talked about, the 49ers will be fine, here's how I see things.

Off the field stuff

The Harbaugh Situation: Complete and utter BS, sure we're in negotiations with him, we do not have an agreement yet, I'm sure coach wants more money than we want to give right now but how many times has this sorta thing happened in professional sports? It's overblown period. Harbs took this job for less money then he could have got from a team like the Dolphins because he knew, and still knows this is the best place for him. The Cleveland thing was ridiculous, an attempt by a horrible franchise to become relevant, not an attempt by us to get rid of one of the best coaches in the NFL.

Harbaugh/Baalke "fued": Again, complete BS, if a coach and GM agree on everything, that's where a real problem exists. Do Trent and Jim hang out on their days off? Go golfing together? Probably not, but who gives a crap! This is once again media BS, I personally hope that Trent and Jim argue, yell and fight against one another sometimes. It makes for a good franchise when their is healthy debate and that's all this is. Look no further than the trades for Jonathan Martin and Blaine Gabbert as evidence that they work together.

Kaepernick/Patton's Miami Situation: The players not only haven't been charged, they haven't even been interviewed by the cops. That speaks volumes. I have never been in serious trouble with the law but I can remember plenty of times when cops questioned me about something that happened while I was present, took my information in case they needed to follow up etc. Minor things caused these actions, the players were present when a woman got messed up, got naked, acted strange and they called the police. The media is making this out to be something it's not.

Culliver hit and run: What a moronic move by him absolutely. Especially when reports said we were looking at extending his contract and viewed him as a long term starter at CB, with the changes in our DB this was/is his opportunity to shine then he does this crap. Not making excuses for him but to me this looks like he did something stupid, panicked and did the wrong thing. Still, as stupid as it was, he won't go to jail for it and league discipline will likely be minor, a PR nightmare yes, but this will blow over in the end.

Aldon Smith: Christ this guy is a headache yes, but so was Charles Haley and trading him to the Cowboys was a horrible move. What he did was stupid, if he was drinking the same day he did this, it's an even stupider move. The facts though show that this also while a stupid thing to do, wasn't like he killed/raped someone or drowned a bunch of dogs. The guy got pissed off at a TSA agent, said something stupid and is paying the price for it. If it were that serious he wouldn't have been able to go eat at McDonalds before being taken into custody. The Tim K. reports that he may not ever play for us again, that the 5th year option won't be picked up etc are BS in my mind. I'm sure the 49ers will wait until his April 29th court date, will talk to him etc and probably change up their approach to how they monitor his behavior but at the end of the day all this could and probably will blow over legally. I'd be willing to bet he won't be charged in this airport thing at all. I also believe 100% the weapons charges will go completely away and his DUI's will be plead down. He will probably get a suspension by the league but he's not going to miss as much time as Bowman will this year, I'm betting 4 games max.

On the field, we have a lot to be excited for.

As I said above the Kaep stuff is just media BS, a lot has come out already about it, by the time the draft is over we'll know that Kaep did nothing wrong and he will still sign a long term extension prior to training camp. AND so will Crabtree AND Harbaugh. The organization will want to put all the bad media BS behind them and after the draft I expect a flurry of moves. Several vets will get extensions that help with cap room like VD, Willis, Brooks, Dorsey maybe even Gore, Ray Mac etc. Then we'll see the big extensions to guys like Kaep and Crabs (maybe even Iupati) and of course Harbs.

Aldon will get suspended by the league, if I had to bet I'd say 4 games, we will still pick up the 5th year option on him and he will play this year. Bowman will be back between week 7 and week 9 and he'll be great again. Before the stretch run, we'll have our 4 great LBs together, dominating.

The DB will be better than last year, Culliver will be apart of it, we'll have at least one rookie playing a nice role and Bethea will be an upgrade over Whitner.

Tank is going to come in and be a big part of our DL rotation, he will eventually push Ray Mac for his starting spot & improve our pass rush, the guy is a monster and will play like it. All these factors put together and our D will actually maintain it's dominance and eventually be improved.

Lattimore will finally make our RB approach more than just giving the ball to Gore and tiring him out by the end of the season. By the end of the year, I'm betting we're ready to hand the reigns over to him next year.

Kaep will continue to develop, we will have more weapons with Crabs & Patton healthy + a rookie (and maybe even a productive Lloyd) and an improved #2 TE as I expect a big jump by Vance this year. Our offense will be more balanced, we will still be a power running team at heart but we'll open it up and become more explosive.

At the end of the day, the 49ers still have one of the most talented rosters in football & we're still going to have a nice infusion of young talent with the draft class plus Lattimore, Tank, Dial as well as the return of injured vets Culliver and Ian Williams. We will win between 11 and 13 regular season games and contend for a Superbowl and all this off season BS will be behind us.


In conclusion, I know all this bad 49er news lately makes us all feel like things are crashing down, like this is a horrible off season etc. I'm sure you guys are all hearing from fans of rival teams harassing you about these things just as I am. But it doesn't truly mean the world is crashing down, we'll be fine.

Go Niners!

good quality post ...great stuff Matt

I think the biggest danger is now clear.

We can't let Aldon Smith on the team plane anymore. He is a terrorist and he will try and take out the team plane with a bomb. He has already tried a practice run in LA, just to see what type of security he will have to deal with to smuggle the bomb on board.
Obviously, he didn't realize he was dealing with some of the sharpest minds in the security industry. The creme de la creme of both bomb detection and law enforcement; the TSA.

The TSA stopped his first plot, but if we are smart, we should not give him a second chance. You know the saying, "Fool me once, shame on you... ... the foolmecantbefooled again!" Alas, there is no way we can be fooled again. We must do our part to fight terrorism and give it a good ole kick in the arse by kicking Albomb Smith off the team. He thinks he's going to get away with taking out our plane? Phhhffffff! We're one step ahead of you Albomb Smith! We're on to you, and we won't be fooled again!

Originally posted by matt49er:

I started talking about this in the Aldon Smith thread but wanted to expand upon it here. I can't remember an off season with so much drama surrounding our 49ers, especially during a year where we expect to contend. I often feel that the media sensationalizes situations involving celebrities and although some of these situations are serious, some are just complete BS. Despite what's being talked about, the 49ers will be fine, here's how I see things.

Off the field stuff

The Harbaugh Situation: Complete and utter BS, sure we're in negotiations with him, we do not have an agreement yet, I'm sure coach wants more money than we want to give right now but how many times has this sorta thing happened in professional sports? It's overblown period. Harbs took this job for less money then he could have got from a team like the Dolphins because he knew, and still knows this is the best place for him. The Cleveland thing was ridiculous, an attempt by a horrible franchise to become relevant, not an attempt by us to get rid of one of the best coaches in the NFL.

Harbaugh/Baalke "fued": Again, complete BS, if a coach and GM agree on everything, that's where a real problem exists. Do Trent and Jim hang out on their days off? Go golfing together? Probably not, but who gives a crap! This is once again media BS, I personally hope that Trent and Jim argue, yell and fight against one another sometimes. It makes for a good franchise when their is healthy debate and that's all this is. Look no further than the trades for Jonathan Martin and Blaine Gabbert as evidence that they work together.

Kaepernick/Patton's Miami Situation: The players not only haven't been charged, they haven't even been interviewed by the cops. That speaks volumes. I have never been in serious trouble with the law but I can remember plenty of times when cops questioned me about something that happened while I was present, took my information in case they needed to follow up etc. Minor things caused these actions, the players were present when a woman got messed up, got naked, acted strange and they called the police. The media is making this out to be something it's not.

Culliver hit and run: What a moronic move by him absolutely. Especially when reports said we were looking at extending his contract and viewed him as a long term starter at CB, with the changes in our DB this was/is his opportunity to shine then he does this crap. Not making excuses for him but to me this looks like he did something stupid, panicked and did the wrong thing. Still, as stupid as it was, he won't go to jail for it and league discipline will likely be minor, a PR nightmare yes, but this will blow over in the end.

[b]Aldon Smith: Christ this guy is a headache yes, but so was Charles Haley and trading him to the Cowboys was a horrible move. What he did was stupid, if he was drinking the same day he did this, it's an even stupider move. The facts though show that this also while a stupid thing to do, wasn't like he killed/raped someone or drowned a bunch of dogs. The guy got pissed off at a TSA agent, said something stupid and is paying the price for it. If it were that serious he wouldn't have been able to go eat at McDonalds before being taken into custody. The Tim K. reports that he may not ever play for us again, that the 5th year option won't be picked up etc are BS in my mind. I'm sure the 49ers will wait until his April 29th court date, will talk to him etc and probably change up their approach to how they monitor his behavior but at the end of the day all this could and probably will blow over legally. I'd be willing to bet he won't be charged in this airport thing at all. I also believe 100% the weapons charges will go completely away and his DUI's will be plead down. He will probably get a suspension by the league but he's not going to miss as much time as Bowman will this year, I'm betting 4 games max[/b].

On the field, we have a lot to be excited for.

As I said above the Kaep stuff is just media BS, a lot has come out already about it, by the time the draft is over we'll know that Kaep did nothing wrong and he will still sign a long term extension prior to training camp. AND so will Crabtree AND Harbaugh. The organization will want to put all the bad media BS behind them and after the draft I expect a flurry of moves. Several vets will get extensions that help with cap room like VD, Willis, Brooks, Dorsey maybe even Gore, Ray Mac etc. Then we'll see the big extensions to guys like Kaep and Crabs (maybe even Iupati) and of course Harbs.

Aldon will get suspended by the league, if I had to bet I'd say 4 games, we will still pick up the 5th year option on him and he will play this year. Bowman will be back between week 7 and week 9 and he'll be great again. Before the stretch run, we'll have our 4 great LBs together, dominating.

The DB will be better than last year, Culliver will be apart of it, we'll have at least one rookie playing a nice role and Bethea will be an upgrade over Whitner.

Tank is going to come in and be a big part of our DL rotation, he will eventually push Ray Mac for his starting spot & improve our pass rush, the guy is a monster and will play like it. All these factors put together and our D will actually maintain it's dominance and eventually be improved.

Lattimore will finally make our RB approach more than just giving the ball to Gore and tiring him out by the end of the season. By the end of the year, I'm betting we're ready to hand the reigns over to him next year.

Kaep will continue to develop, we will have more weapons with Crabs & Patton healthy + a rookie (and maybe even a productive Lloyd) and an improved #2 TE as I expect a big jump by Vance this year. Our offense will be more balanced, we will still be a power running team at heart but we'll open it up and become more explosive.

At the end of the day, the 49ers still have one of the most talented rosters in football & we're still going to have a nice infusion of young talent with the draft class plus Lattimore, Tank, Dial as well as the return of injured vets Culliver and Ian Williams. We will win between 11 and 13 regular season games and contend for a Superbowl and all this off season BS will be behind us.


In conclusion, I know all this bad 49er news lately makes us all feel like things are crashing down, like this is a horrible off season etc. I'm sure you guys are all hearing from fans of rival teams harassing you about these things just as I am. But it doesn't truly mean the world is crashing down, we'll be fine.

Go Niners!

Originally posted by Giedi:

You're very welcome sir lol

I'm excited for Tank, Dial & Lattimore. Especially Lattimore. I hope he becomes our beast mode. I loved watching him in college, and he has the bloody talent as well as Tank. Dial could be that sleeper for us at the DT. iknow Dorsey played well, skeptic on Williams and his ankle but he's had time.

One more thing I forgot to add in the OP. When all is said and done with the Aldon situation, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if after the 2014 or 2015 season we end up getting him on a long term deal that is less and more cap friendly than we ever would have if he had been a model citizen. If/when that happens the tone on the zone will be "Look at our great franchise, standing behind our players, now Jedi York/Baalke/Harbaugh have one of the best players in the NFL for less than market value, 49ers rule" And everyone that is overreacting now and saying they want him gone will change their tune.

"You get mud on your trousers, or horse sh*t, you don't rub it off. You let it dry and set awhile then you brush it off nice and easy."

Love this quote...better version of "time heals all wounds." Obviously the 9ers image is getting dragged through the mud with all of these off field issues but when the season roles around, players will be refocused and everybody will forget(or at least try to) this terrible offseason!

Can't wait to see Baalke/Harbaugh kill it in the draft in a few weeks and then get back to playing some football!

TL;DR version?

A conversation predicated on not panicking, optimism and waiting to see what happens in the real world? What a novel approach! Here's what I think is going to happen. The Niners are going to draft at least one great receiver prospect and at least one great corner prospect. They'll also take a great o-lineman and pass rushing prospect. Kaepernick will be extended with a good contract and he'll have a great camp getting used to throwing to multiple targets. Kilgore is going to excel at center and be a better pass protector. Lattimore is going to show enough to get significant playing time. Tank and Dial will come on strong and show that the D line is going to have good talent and depth. Culliver is going to play while legal proceedings move forward. Aldon Smith will miss some games with a suspension but he will also play.

Originally posted by kray28:
TL;DR version?

blind optimism

Originally posted by lucky_49:

Originally posted by kray28:
TL;DR version?

blind optimism

As opposed to what buying into media over sensationalism and being completely overwhelmed by these situations and believing the 49ers universe is destroyed?

Originally posted by matt49er:
I started talking about this in the Aldon Smith thread but wanted to expand upon it here. I can't remember an off season with so much drama surrounding our 49ers, especially during a year where we expect to contend. I often feel that the media sensationalizes situations involving celebrities and although some of these situations are serious, some are just complete BS. Despite what's being talked about, the 49ers will be fine, here's how I see things.

Off the field stuff

The Harbaugh Situation: Complete and utter BS, sure we're in negotiations with him, we do not have an agreement yet, I'm sure coach wants more money than we want to give right now but how many times has this sorta thing happened in professional sports? It's overblown period. Harbs took this job for less money then he could have got from a team like the Dolphins because he knew, and still knows this is the best place for him. The Cleveland thing was ridiculous, an attempt by a horrible franchise to become relevant, not an attempt by us to get rid of one of the best coaches in the NFL.

Harbaugh/Baalke "fued": Again, complete BS, if a coach and GM agree on everything, that's where a real problem exists. Do Trent and Jim hang out on their days off? Go golfing together? Probably not, but who gives a crap! This is once again media BS, I personally hope that Trent and Jim argue, yell and fight against one another sometimes. It makes for a good franchise when their is healthy debate and that's all this is. Look no further than the trades for Jonathan Martin and Blaine Gabbert as evidence that they work together.

Kaepernick/Patton's Miami Situation: The players not only haven't been charged, they haven't even been interviewed by the cops. That speaks volumes. I have never been in serious trouble with the law but I can remember plenty of times when cops questioned me about something that happened while I was present, took my information in case they needed to follow up etc. Minor things caused these actions, the players were present when a woman got messed up, got naked, acted strange and they called the police. The media is making this out to be something it's not.

Culliver hit and run: What a moronic move by him absolutely. Especially when reports said we were looking at extending his contract and viewed him as a long term starter at CB, with the changes in our DB this was/is his opportunity to shine then he does this crap. Not making excuses for him but to me this looks like he did something stupid, panicked and did the wrong thing. Still, as stupid as it was, he won't go to jail for it and league discipline will likely be minor, a PR nightmare yes, but this will blow over in the end.

Aldon Smith: Christ this guy is a headache yes, but so was Charles Haley and trading him to the Cowboys was a horrible move. What he did was stupid, if he was drinking the same day he did this, it's an even stupider move. The facts though show that this also while a stupid thing to do, wasn't like he killed/raped someone or drowned a bunch of dogs. The guy got pissed off at a TSA agent, said something stupid and is paying the price for it. If it were that serious he wouldn't have been able to go eat at McDonalds before being taken into custody. The Tim K. reports that he may not ever play for us again, that the 5th year option won't be picked up etc are BS in my mind. I'm sure the 49ers will wait until his April 29th court date, will talk to him etc and probably change up their approach to how they monitor his behavior but at the end of the day all this could and probably will blow over legally. I'd be willing to bet he won't be charged in this airport thing at all. I also believe 100% the weapons charges will go completely away and his DUI's will be plead down. He will probably get a suspension by the league but he's not going to miss as much time as Bowman will this year, I'm betting 4 games max.

On the field, we have a lot to be excited for.

As I said above the Kaep stuff is just media BS, a lot has come out already about it, by the time the draft is over we'll know that Kaep did nothing wrong and he will still sign a long term extension prior to training camp. AND so will Crabtree AND Harbaugh. The organization will want to put all the bad media BS behind them and after the draft I expect a flurry of moves. Several vets will get extensions that help with cap room like VD, Willis, Brooks, Dorsey maybe even Gore, Ray Mac etc. Then we'll see the big extensions to guys like Kaep and Crabs (maybe even Iupati) and of course Harbs.

Aldon will get suspended by the league, if I had to bet I'd say 4 games, we will still pick up the 5th year option on him and he will play this year. Bowman will be back between week 7 and week 9 and he'll be great again. Before the stretch run, we'll have our 4 great LBs together, dominating.

The DB will be better than last year, Culliver will be apart of it, we'll have at least one rookie playing a nice role and Bethea will be an upgrade over Whitner.

Tank is going to come in and be a big part of our DL rotation, he will eventually push Ray Mac for his starting spot & improve our pass rush, the guy is a monster and will play like it. All these factors put together and our D will actually maintain it's dominance and eventually be improved.

Lattimore will finally make our RB approach more than just giving the ball to Gore and tiring him out by the end of the season. By the end of the year, I'm betting we're ready to hand the reigns over to him next year.

Kaep will continue to develop, we will have more weapons with Crabs & Patton healthy + a rookie (and maybe even a productive Lloyd) and an improved #2 TE as I expect a big jump by Vance this year. Our offense will be more balanced, we will still be a power running team at heart but we'll open it up and become more explosive.

At the end of the day, the 49ers still have one of the most talented rosters in football & we're still going to have a nice infusion of young talent with the draft class plus Lattimore, Tank, Dial as well as the return of injured vets Culliver and Ian Williams. We will win between 11 and 13 regular season games and contend for a Superbowl and all this off season BS will be behind us.


In conclusion, I know all this bad 49er news lately makes us all feel like things are crashing down, like this is a horrible off season etc. I'm sure you guys are all hearing from fans of rival teams harassing you about these things just as I am. But it doesn't truly mean the world is crashing down, we'll be fine.

Go Niners!

Finally someone writing something that makes sense! Yes we have some YOUNG knuckleheads that have had some poor judgement calls, but everything has been blown out of proportion thanks to the media.

Definitely excited about watching last years' draftees...

Tank, Reid, Vance, Lemonier, Lattimore, and Patton... All should be contributors this year... I'm excited about that.

News has been disheartening, but it won't matter come July. GO NINERS!!!