Build Around Smith, Not Gore

It is a quarterback driven league, so IF you have a good quarterback.....then you should build around him. We're still not quite sure if the Niners have a good QB yet. Alex looks like he MIGHT be good, but ONLY in the spread. Lets see what he does during the last 4 games.

How old is Gore? 27? He's got only 2-3 more productive years left. Smith, if good, could last another 10-12 years. If he's good.

WE NEED TO BUILD OUR OLINE BEFORE WE DO ANYTHING ELSE GUYS, IT ALL STARTS IN THE TRENCHES

Originally posted by ZRF80:
I think we've already made our choice. I'll tell yuo what. IF Alex doesnt pan out, this will be a DISASTER. Cause Gore has already proven his worth, and we wasted 3 good years of his career NOT trying to build around him. Now his legs are catching up with him, and i doubt he'll be the featured back 2 years from now. If Alex fails, God help us all.........cause this team is back to square one.

According to every post you've ever written, Smith has always been a disaster. According to you, he has been a disaster from his day of conception. He was a mistake that was born. He is a walking, talking, breathing, mistake.

Enough already!

After re-looking at my original post, I thought back to a situation that some of the old timers might remember. When the Niners were truly awful in the late 70s, one of the only bright lights on the team was RB Paul Hofer. He was Mr. Effort. He ran his ass off. The fans absolutely loved him. Then he sustained a bad knee injury. After about a year of rehabilitation, he reinjured it again. His last year was spent in a cast as a non-playing member of the 1981 49er team that shot out of nowhere and won the Super Bowl. He got the ring, but wasn't really a part of the team. I remember feeling bad for the guy because, it the lean years, he was the one we came to watch, who kept his head up and fought for every year like it was the Super Bowl. Now, I'm not trying to equate the emergence of Alex Smith with Joe Montana, but it's not hard to imagine a Niner team that really starts hitting their stride and competing for a championship in a couple of years. I really hope that Gore is here to be a part of that effort. I don't think we're as far off as the record indicates. this is the 6-10 Niners of 1980, about to bloom into the 13-3 Super Bowl Champions of 1981. We need a pass rusher, DB and a couple of o-linemen and we're there. Go Niners!

I agree! All of the teams that build around their QB are successful. The crazy run teams of last year are almost all disasters this year, and their run game has not provided the Ws (i.e. Carolina, Tennessee, Giants, among others)... I feel like the league this year is more heavily dictated by dominant passing teams. Since RBs only last 4-5 years on average, it would not be wise to build everything around Gore. I really like the guy, and feel he provides a great weapon to any offense. We may get more years out of him, if we don't just pound it up the middle on every play.

Raye has to figure out how to keep Gore in his game plans without holding back Alex's ability to get the ball downfield. The real need is to improve the depth behind Frank...all the good teams have 3-4 quality RB's. We're pitiful in comparison. I want to see us draft one of the big guys...Gerhart, Clay, Unga or Dixon. Next task: new LG and new RT to open some holes for them.

Build the O-line first and the rest will come. Gore is fine in the spread, there is not many backs in the league that would do better. After the line all we need is a WR who can consistently catch (maybe crabtree will be that guy), and then depth.

This offense is closer than people think, another year of maturity, one or two solid rookie OL and some depth will solve allot of problems.

we're already built around Smith and not Gore that's why we threw the ball over 40 times and only gave Gore 9 carries.

we have no OL so we can't run
the OL sucks so bad we have to go from shotgun alot
the TE's are extremely athletic and a spread 2 TE formation is our best personnel group
crabtree/morgan finally give us legit threats at WR.

Hold up buddy. Smith is looking great but Gore has proven he can run with a good line. This line needs some upgrades. Gore is the only running back on the team above a 3yd average. I admit Gore looked uninterested in the pass happy offense though.

Originally posted by BirdmanJr:
WR's that don't drop the ball would help.

Ouch. True though.

Wow, never thought I'd ever hear this.

The niners have done a wonderful job of building around Andy Lee. I guess it might be a good idea or a nice change to build around somebody else now.

Originally posted by BSofSF:
After re-looking at my original post, I thought back to a situation that some of the old timers might remember. When the Niners were truly awful in the late 70s, one of the only bright lights on the team was RB Paul Hofer. He was Mr. Effort. He ran his ass off. The fans absolutely loved him. Then he sustained a bad knee injury. After about a year of rehabilitation, he reinjured it again. His last year was spent in a cast as a non-playing member of the 1981 49er team that shot out of nowhere and won the Super Bowl. He got the ring, but wasn't really a part of the team. I remember feeling bad for the guy because, it the lean years, he was the one we came to watch, who kept his head up and fought for every year like it was the Super Bowl. Now, I'm not trying to equate the emergence of Alex Smith with Joe Montana, but it's not hard to imagine a Niner team that really starts hitting their stride and competing for a championship in a couple of years. I really hope that Gore is here to be a part of that effort. I don't think we're as far off as the record indicates. this is the 6-10 Niners of 1980, about to bloom into the 13-3 Super Bowl Champions of 1981. We need a pass rusher, DB and a couple of o-linemen and we're there. Go Niners!

Good post.

I think an offseason WITHOUT a QB competition, some continiuity, spending an entire off season developing a spread/pro hybrid offense...coupled with a stud OT and pass rusher...and we are a good team for sure.

People forget that we had a NEW QB, new WR, and basically a new OFFENSE...all @ mid-season.

Build the team around Smith. Fine. But there's no reason why Gore shouldn't be THE biggest piece of that puzzle. He's a prize RB. Find ways to get him the ball in space. Find ways to run the ball more out of the Raye Gun. We'll be fine once we figure out how to build an offense that utilizes our best player's talents, and our quarterback's as well.

There is absolutely no reason why Gore shouldn't thrive in a more pass happy offense. He's a great receiver. And with more team practice, he could enjoy playing against fewer defenders in the box.

Originally posted by 49erfeeeever808:
Build around both.

when Gore can't go, be sure to have a back-up ready to go.

we have talent at WR, RB, TE and even FB.

But we need to draft another RB to compliment Gore, can anyone say Spiller? or Dwyer? or even Best?

We have the following to build around.

Crabtree
Morgan
A.Smith
Gore
Coffee
B.Miller
VD
Walker
Hill
Jones

Now we need a OL, we have a solid C in Heitmann, 2 good OT's in Staley and Sims, and a solid backup G in Wragge.

if i was GM, and im not, but if i was, i would have these as our offensive players in 2010.

QB Alex Smith
QB Shaun Hill
QB Nate Davis
RB Frank Gore
RB CJ Spiller
RB Glen Coffee
FB Brit Miller
FB Moran Norris
WR Michael Crabtree
WR Josh Morgan
WR Jason Hill
WR Brandon Jones
WR Rookie (Maybe a speedy guy like Dexter McCluster or Freddie Barnes)
WR Rookie or Vet
TE Vernon Davis
TE Delanie Walker
TE Rookie(Maybe Saunders from South Carolina or Dickson from Oregon)
C Eric Heitmann
C Cody Wallace or draft my boy from Notre Dame Eric Olsen
OG Chilo Rachal
OG Logan Mankins
OG Tony Wragge
OG Rookie
OT Joe Staley
OT Barry Sims
OT Rookie