2016 Team Information (Needs)

Originally posted by mojave45:

This is what I am hoping for, now we need to execute the plan.

There is always a big IF in the equation when trying to replace a guy like Justin Smith! Love our new guys but as you say...now to execute!

This yr our D won't be as good as when Patrick and Justin were here. Just impossible. However, our front 3 and certainly our front 2 DEs are about to make a name for themselves. And you know what happens when you have a disrupter like AA and DeFo....that means Purcell( or Ian or...) will not be getting a lot of attn. So I think whoever is at NT is going to have a very good yr. And if he does, then they have to lay off either DE and that will be disastrous for our opponents. But, we still have to have these guys play in sync, the LBs fit in , and then the DBs likewise. If we need something this yr it is having the 3 parts of O work as a unit, and that takes time. DBs, LBs, front 3/4....learning one another's moves, idiosyncracies, strengths, etc.

On O, same. OTs, have to learn Josh and Zane. Then Trenton has to learn the OT...and so on. All are going to have to learn chip ball, RBs, TEs, OL, QB. So my 6 Ws guess in PYMWYMI is based exactly on this. We will see that we do need a starter ILB, and we will see what the CBs have to offer. Right now, they are an unknown.

Simlarly, the OL has to get acclimated to one another, but harder yet may be getting acclimated to chip ball. Lastly, we need to have a QB work with a functioning OL, which never happened last yr. In sum, what this team needs most....is another yr of playing together and secondly, playing chip ball.

From an adjacent thread, NCommand reminded me that we also need HEALTH. Lord knows we are overdue. And 17-19 guys on IR at one time or another for two yrs running is madness. Hopefully guys in better shape don't get injured as much. I could easily believe that. And up tempo chip ball will show us if that is true...or not.

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:

This yr our D won't be as good as when Patrick and Justin were here. Just impossible. However, our front 3 and certainly our front 2 DEs are about to make a name for themselves. And you know what happens when you have a disrupter like AA and DeFo....that means Purcell( or Ian or...) will not be getting a lot of attn. So I think whoever is at NT is going to have a very good yr. And if he does, then they have to lay off either DE and that will be disastrous for our opponents. But, we still have to have these guys play in sync, the LBs fit in , and then the DBs likewise. If we need something this yr it is having the 3 parts of O work as a unit, and that takes time. DBs, LBs, front 3/4....learning one another's moves, idiosyncracies, strengths, etc.

On O, same. OTs, have to learn Josh and Zane. Then Trenton has to learn the OT...and so on. All are going to have to learn chip ball, RBs, TEs, OL, QB. So my 6 Ws guess in PYMWYMI is based exactly on this. We will see that we do need a starter ILB, and we will see what the CBs have to offer. Right now, they are an unknown.

Simlarly, the OL has to get acclimated to one another, but harder yet may be getting acclimated to chip ball. Lastly, we need to have a QB work with a functioning OL, which never happened last yr. In sum, what this team needs most....is another yr of playing together and secondly, playing chip ball.

From an adjacent thread, NCommand reminded me that we also need HEALTH. Lord knows we are overdue. And 17-19 guys on IR at one time or another for two yrs running is madness. Hopefully guys in better shape don't get injured as much. I could easily believe that. And up tempo chip ball will show us if that is true...or not.

Great post! So ready for some 49ers football, ride or die-go 49ers!

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:

This yr our D won't be as good as when Patrick and Justin were here. Just impossible. However, our front 3 and certainly our front 2 DEs are about to make a name for themselves. And you know what happens when you have a disrupter like AA and DeFo....that means Purcell( or Ian or...) will not be getting a lot of attn. So I think whoever is at NT is going to have a very good yr. And if he does, then they have to lay off either DE and that will be disastrous for our opponents. But, we still have to have these guys play in sync, the LBs fit in , and then the DBs likewise. If we need something this yr it is having the 3 parts of O work as a unit, and that takes time. DBs, LBs, front 3/4....learning one another's moves, idiosyncracies, strengths, etc.

On O, same. OTs, have to learn Josh and Zane. Then Trenton has to learn the OT...and so on. All are going to have to learn chip ball, RBs, TEs, OL, QB. So my 6 Ws guess in PYMWYMI is based exactly on this. We will see that we do need a starter ILB, and we will see what the CBs have to offer. Right now, they are an unknown.

Simlarly, the OL has to get acclimated to one another, but harder yet may be getting acclimated to chip ball. Lastly, we need to have a QB work with a functioning OL, which never happened last yr. In sum, what this team needs most....is another yr of playing together and secondly, playing chip ball.

From an adjacent thread, NCommand reminded me that we also need HEALTH. Lord knows we are overdue. And 17-19 guys on IR at one time or another for two yrs running is madness. Hopefully guys in better shape don't get injured as much. I could easily believe that. And up tempo chip ball will show us if that is true...or not.

Great post doc!

Originally posted by mojave45:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by NeeJ49er:

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Not sure how good our young ILBs will be but at least they have two guys competing with Wilhoite, who I believe is limited. Armstrong is a bit light for the job, if he's still 220...which at 6'3" is very slight. For comparison, Tartt is 6'1" and 221. Hodges is 6'2" and 236, so is more in line with Bowman...but still on the light side. Wonder if they can afford that with a bigger DL? Will be interesting.

I was disappointed we didn't draft an ILB with one of our first 5 picks , granted Wilhoite is serviceable , Hodges is decent, and Ray Ray is still a question mark ...but I wanted a blue chip ILB that had a high ceiling , and had potential to grow into a dominant force ...Wilhoite has reached his ceiling, but still has talent to be a starting ILB n the 3-4, but as far as being a dominant player, he doesn't fit that criteria , he's a "hold down the fort guy" ...but I guess we'll wait and see, maybe O'neil's system will be aggressive enough to not need a big time talent to run with Bowman

I hear you. But keep in mind too that we are expecting Hodges has a higher ceiling that Wilhoite and was learning the 3-4 on the fly and his idol is Bowman. So I would expect with a full off season together, they'll both play off each other even better this year (and Hodges was #1 or #2 in tackles every game he started but had some growing pains too). The bigger point is that Baalke drafted Tartt and we're anticipating Tartt to be used like last year initially...that is, play 66% of the time in place of either Bowman or Hodges as the hybrid S/ILB who plays inside the box in nickel and dime defenses. We just heard O'Neil rave about Armstrong's ability in a similar fashion (can cover all the way down the field and can tackle inside the box). So if there was one position we could probably get away with this year, it was this one. Next year, if there is the second coming of Willis, we might be tempted.

The niners will be transitioning from a dominant LB group, who all were run stoppers and quick, to a more mobile and faster group. That may be fine with a bigger, stronger DL. The wingspan of Buckner and Armstead might be a third longer than those of McDonald and J Smith combined. They are also three inches taller. That leaves the middle to be held by Williams, Dorsay and/or Purcell. So if they can scheme some blitzing in there to keep offenses on the heels...

This is what I am hoping for, now we need to execute the plan.

Lions finally released Steven Tulloch. 2-down player but maybe worth it.

Come on Dan Skuta II


If Jason Fanaika is going to make the 49ers' opening-game roster, he's going to need a terrific training camp and exhibition season.

The undrafted rookie free agent from Utah will go into camp later this month buried on the depth chart behind starters Aaron Lynch and Ahmad Brooks and the like of Eli Harold, Corey Lemonier, Tank Carradine, Ray-Ray Armstrong and Marcus Rush.

But the 49ers are intrigued by what Fanaika could provide as an edge defender and pass rusher or special teams contributor.

The 6-foot-2, 271-pounder was a defensive end for the Utes and was labeled a "high-motor player" for his team over his final two seasons. As a junior he had five sacks and 9½ tackles for loss, then added four sacks and 10½ tackles for loss his senior season when he received honorable mention on the all-Pac-12 team.

According to the pre-draft scouting report on Fanaika, he was considered to be too heavy his senior season and in line to lose some weight to be an effective NFL player, especially at outside linebacker.

His ability to "tackle with a heavy thud" and use his long arms for leverage could be a plus, however. At Utah, he was a dedicated weight lifter and the strongest player on the roster, able to bench 495 pounds and squat 830.

Some pegged Fanaika as high as a fourth-round pick, but he wound up not being selected at all, then signed with the 49ers.

But Fanaika – who played his first two seasons at Utah State – is motivated.

"I'm going to make sure a lot of teams regret not drafting me," he told the Salt Lake Tribune.

Source: Former Utah Defensive End Eager to Prove Himself | NBC Bay Area http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Former-Utah-Defensive-End-Eager-to-Prove-Himself-386022001.html#ixzz4Dq0zTjpP 
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Do you agree with Chris Biderman's rankings? How many are cornerstone players for this rebuild (at this early junction) and who do you think will be the top 4?

No. 5: Aaron Lynch
No. 6: S Eric Reid
No. 7: NT Ian Williams
No. 8: DE Quinton Dial
No. 9: S Antoine Bethea
No. 10: DE Arik Armstead
No. 11: WR Torrey Smith
No. 12: OG Joshua Garnett
No. 13: C Daniel Kilgore
No. 14: S Jaquiski Tartt
No. 15: DE DeForest Buckner
No. 16: OLB Ahmad Brooks
No. 17: CB Tramaine Brock
No. 18: K Phil Dawson
No. 19: QB Blaine Gabbert
No. 20: OG Zane Beadles
No. 21: TE Bruce Miller
No. 22: QB Colin Kaepernick
No. 23: WR Bruce Ellington
No. 24: TE Garrett Celek
No. 25: CB Dontae Johnson

Originally posted by NCommand:
Do you agree with Chris Biderman's rankings? How many are cornerstone players for this rebuild (at this early junction) and who do you think will be the top 4?

No. 5: Aaron Lynch
No. 6: S Eric Reid
No. 7: NT Ian Williams
No. 8: DE Quinton Dial
No. 9: S Antoine Bethea
No. 10: DE Arik Armstead
No. 11: WR Torrey Smith
No. 12: OG Joshua Garnett
No. 13: C Daniel Kilgore
No. 14: S Jaquiski Tartt
No. 15: DE DeForest Buckner
No. 16: OLB Ahmad Brooks
No. 17: CB Tramaine Brock
No. 18: K Phil Dawson
No. 19: QB Blaine Gabbert
No. 20: OG Zane Beadles
No. 21: TE Bruce Miller
No. 22: QB Colin Kaepernick
No. 23: WR Bruce Ellington
No. 24: TE Garrett Celek
No. 25: CB Dontae Johnson

I don't agree with most of his rankings, but it looks like the top 4 will include Bowman, Staley, Ward, and Hyde. You could make a fair argument for all of them, though neither Ward nor Hyde have put together one complete season of high-end play yet.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
I don't agree with most of his rankings, but it looks like the top 4 will include Bowman, Staley, Ward, and Hyde. You could make a fair argument for all of them, though neither Ward nor Hyde have put together one complete season of high-end play yet.

Those four would be my guess as well...also, same here. Mine, probably all of ours, would look different right now and for various reasons.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
I don't agree with most of his rankings, but it looks like the top 4 will include Bowman, Staley, Ward, and Hyde. You could make a fair argument for all of them, though neither Ward nor Hyde have put together one complete season of high-end play yet.

Those four would be my guess as well...also, same here. Mine, probably all of ours, would look different right now and for various reasons.

#4 just came out, and it's Ward. That was the most likely one of those four guesses to be wrong, and the easiest to argue against. He might very well be a stud on the outside, but I hope he's spent a lot of time developing his strip technique against larger WRs, because opponents are likely to go after him with size until he proves he can handle it, and there's a lot more size around the NFL amongst outside WRs than slots, in general.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
I don't agree with most of his rankings, but it looks like the top 4 will include Bowman, Staley, Ward, and Hyde. You could make a fair argument for all of them, though neither Ward nor Hyde have put together one complete season of high-end play yet.

Those four would be my guess as well...also, same here. Mine, probably all of ours, would look different right now and for various reasons.

#4 just came out, and it's Ward. That was the most likely one of those four guesses to be wrong, and the easiest to argue against. He might very well be a stud on the outside, but I hope he's spent a lot of time developing his strip technique against larger WRs, because opponents are likely to go after him with size until he proves he can handle it, and there's a lot more size around the NFL amongst outside WRs than slots, in general.

Yes, that's a very very good point. I've always thought he's best when the action is in front of him b/c he's a film junky and can anticipate (like Bethea) and break on plays quickly. IMHO, his best position is SS next to Reid with Tartt as the ILB/SS hybrid nickel/dime player...leaving Johnson and perhaps, Robinson outside since we're moving to longer press CB's. That leaves someone like Brock, Reaser and Redmond to battle it out for the slot CB position (which takes a unique skill set to constantly play with the back of your head to the QB/action and especially against all the quick, shifty and fast slot WR's these days).

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
I don't agree with most of his rankings, but it looks like the top 4 will include Bowman, Staley, Ward, and Hyde. You could make a fair argument for all of them, though neither Ward nor Hyde have put together one complete season of high-end play yet.

Which speaks volumes. Most of the Niners players are either unproven or hopeful candidates for the comeback player of the year award.

Needs?

A whole bunch of rookies to (at least) perform like Borland did or better from day one... and not retire afterwards

Originally posted by LVJay:

Needs?

A whole bunch of rookies to (at least) perform like Borland did or better from day one... and not retire afterwards

Lol. Yeah, that would be nice!

Originally posted by NCommand:
Do you agree with Chris Biderman's rankings? How many are cornerstone players for this rebuild (at this early junction) and who do you think will be the top 4?

No. 5: Aaron Lynch
No. 6: S Eric Reid
No. 7: NT Ian Williams
No. 8: DE Quinton Dial
No. 9: S Antoine Bethea
No. 10: DE Arik Armstead
No. 11: WR Torrey Smith
No. 12: OG Joshua Garnett
No. 13: C Daniel Kilgore
No. 14: S Jaquiski Tartt
No. 15: DE DeForest Buckner
No. 16: OLB Ahmad Brooks
No. 17: CB Tramaine Brock
No. 18: K Phil Dawson
No. 19: QB Blaine Gabbert
No. 20: OG Zane Beadles
No. 21: TE Bruce Miller
No. 22: QB Colin Kaepernick
No. 23: WR Bruce Ellington
No. 24: TE Garrett Celek
No. 25: CB Dontae Johnson

Of these guys, I would take the following long term(4yr deals or longer is what I consider long term deals)

Dontae Johnson
Garrett Celek
Bruce Miller
DeForest Buckner
Jaquiski Tartt
Daniel Kilgore
Torrey Smith
Joshua Garnett
Arik Armstead
Ian Williams
Quinton Dial
Aaron Lynch
Jimmie Ward

Obvious ones left

Carlos Hyde
Joe Staley
NaVorro Bowman

Others I consider long term answers IMO(Either starters or rotational guys, or Special Teams standouts)

Rashard Robinson
Will Redmond
John Theus
Trent Brown
Fahn Cooper
Kelvin Taylor
Eric Rogers
DeAndre Smelter
Eli Harold
Tank Carradine
Aaron Burbridge
Ronald Blair

I may have missed some, but those are the guys I hope/see being here for the long term.