Originally posted by English:
Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Originally posted by English:
Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Originally posted by English:
Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Battle was the leading receiver for the Niners the first half of 2008, before his injury.
Just an inconvenient fact for those who, for some odd reason in the world, think that Battle is a bad guy, a bad player, and someone we should replace for a guy with 5 career receptions.
Never doubt Battle. Never. He has many people look foolish on this board for a long, long time. Maybe that is the reason for the resentment. In fact, I would guess that 90+% of the board that hates Battle is because he has made them look silly with their past comments.
This is getting absurd. It is getting so that you cannot express an opinion nowadays without being accused of hating the alternative player. This is primary school playground mentality.
Anyone who puts on a Niner uniform gets my support. Right now I see a promising bunch of young receivers. Doubtless they will not all break through to the next level, but I am hoping several, at least, will develop to form part of a team which may be feared around the NFL.
In my opinion we have seen the best of Battle. He has been a stalwart of a poor team and a special teams key. However, time moves on. By the time this receiver corps starts to really gel , which in my opinion is 18 months away, I think Battle will be no longer up to being a part of it.
It therefore seems to me sensible to give the chance to a youngster. I am well aware that right now Battle can out perform Zeig. But, as I have said, that isn't the point. I have no particular reason to believe Z will be a great receiver, but he has potential and I would like to see if that can be realised.
There is no question of personal antipathy. The only current player who seems to be on the receiving end of personal abuse on this board is Alex Smith. I do not recall seeing personal attacks on Battle here. Mostly people believe that he has become injury prone or simply past his use-by date.
Some people who think Battle's number is up can rationally argue their point. The majority who make statements that already eliminate Battle from the equation have a vendetta.
Zeigler will clearly get his shot to make this roster, and bump someone off. We'll soon see.
As for Battle: Half of the board thinks Battle is recovering from an "injured knee" right now, not an injured foot. These same people claim that he is "always injured". When explained that before his foot injury in 2008 that he played in over 40+ consecutive games....crickets.
When I explain that, according to NFL.com, Battle was our leading receiver through 8 games last season, as a BACKUP...crickets.
The issue is that very few people give Battle any credit for what he has done for this club. And, many who do compliment him, do so in backhanded fashion. I always pose this question to those individuals: Why insult the guy?.............. Crickets. There is not any good reason to insult Battle.
What I have stated to the board is that Battle is no guarantee to make this team. However, he deserves, and should have justifiably earned, a bit of respect. This guy was a 6th round pick, a converted QB, played alongside some real nasty divas (T.O., Bryant, Lloyd), and was NEVER a pain in the butt. He played through pain, is one of the better 3rd down receivers we've had in franchise history, one of the better blocking WR we've had in franchise history, and is a good guy. A really good guy. And yet, for many on this board, he is a cancer. We must cut out the cancer for.....uh......anyone.
We've already gone through this anti-Battle rant in the 2007 and 2008 offseason, as Team Lelie did everything in their power to pursuade the board that Battle was not in Lelie's league. Previously, it was with Jackson, Bryant, Lloyd. In every instance, Battle is the guy who stays, the others hit the road. And, yet, the majority of this board longs for the crazy "butt crack guy", while denegrating Battle's work with the club. It is pathetic.
While it is perceived that the Niners have upgraded their WR core, we won't know until we strap on the pads. Bruce may have rapidly aged this offseason. Crabtree may end up being a bust. Hill may still struggle with his injury, Morgan may not pan out to be the next young stud at WR. Jones may not make a smooth transition to th Niners. There are still a lot of variables. In the middle of all these variables is a guy who has always been steady for the team, always productive, in Battle. To quickly discard his work with this franchise is disgraceful, and those people who cannot show an ounce of appreciation, and a bit of respect, clearly show their bias.
A discussion consists of listening to what the other person has to say then giving your views. Try it sometime.
There is no discussion when someone simply states, "He's garbage"; "He is always injured"; "He is no good"; etc. There are a lot of people who cannot say one positive thing about the guy.
I've had a number of good discussions with people on this board about Battle, but if they display little to no intelligence, show a bias against a player, or make up lies about him, what is there to discuss?
I can make arguments on both sides about Battle's status for 2009. People with an agenda cannot.
As your comments are in response to mine I assume they refer to me. If you were just being generally aggressive towards the zone, you wouldn't need the quote. Perhaps you could be good enough to cross refer to my posts to show the parts that have given offence.
The point I was making about discussion is that itt is supposed to move forwards. As you just repeat yourself without reacting to my post or giving any evidence that you even read it, the process becomes pointless.
My comments were not directed to you at all, my friend. Take no offense.
My argument has been from the start of this thread:
1) 30 weeks ago, Battle was the Niners' top receiver, statistically (The members who love to criticize Battle cannot even acknowledge this...maybe it is too painful for them). Suddenly, many assume that he is done. It is possible? Sure. However, I believe his play would not take a dramatic fall-off if he is healthy.
2) Every year, new hot-shot WR's join this roster, and every year Battle statistically outperforms them. This may be the year his streak ends, but once again, he defies conventional thinking year after year.
3) Nobody knows how this will all shake out, but I belive that the board should honor the efforts that Battle has given to this team, not attempt to diminish them. It seems like some people intentionally cheer certain players they dislike to fail.
As for not noticing the antipathy for Battle, please visit one of the many anti-Battle threads from the last three years. There have been many. A number have been locked.
Cheers.
[ Edited by MadDog49er on Jun 21, 2009 at 10:46:56 ]
