Is Baas permanent answer at center?

He can't be, because we don't need an answer at Center. Heitman is a great Center.

As for him playing well there in week 1 and getting resigned for it, that's doubtful. Vernon, Dashon, Smith if he plays well and maybe even Manny are in line ahead of Baas as far as getting resigned. NO WAY we are gonna be able to keep all these guys.

Baas is not the answer because he is chronically injured. We need to start grooming a replacement for Heitmann, which is not Baas (will be a free agent), Wallace (should be cut and go get signed by McCloughan in Seattle), or Wragge (good backup but strictly a backup). Next high draft pick to improve the OL should be at center.

Originally posted by mayo63:

Originally posted by Kilgore_Trout:

Originally posted by WildBill:
If Bass plays well and is left in there then the brass I am sure will sign him during the season to an extension.

Absolutely. Hasn't the team made it apparent that they want to improve the O-line? We passed on some seriously talented players in the draft that we could have used in favor of strengthening the offensive trenches. There is no reason to believe that the quest for improvement ended in April when the draft concluded.

I think it all depends on how Baas plays and how quick Heitmann can come back from his broken leg. If Heitmann struggles to come back and Baas is playing well then I can see a scenerio where they don't mess with it and just leave Baas the starter. In this scenerio I could see them having to make a decision on Heitmann who will be 31 and coming off a broken leg and a 28 year old Baas entering his prime. The other scenerio is Heitmann comes back quickly, even with Baas playing well and reclaims his starting spot. In that scenerio I can see Baas getting a starting gig else where and leaving.

The difference in age between Baas and Heitmann is 19 months, so it pretty negligible. Heitmann was born in Feb. 1980, Baas in September 1981. The bigger question is the health of both players. Will Heitmann's injury limit the speed of his comeback, and was Baas' concussion something that will re-emerge in the future.

Heitman is sooo weak on a bull rush. Guys just bowl him over. Baas seems like he can get a better push. Something we desperately need on short yardage situations.

Originally posted by Allx9er:
does anybody know how many years heitman has left on his contract? i know baas is on a one year deal.

Heitmann's contract runs through the next two years. He will be a free agent in 2012.

week 2

It would be a line with alot of high draft picks compared to lines with free agents in the past - Staley (1), Iupati (1), Baas (2), Rachal (2), and Davis (1).

Originally posted by smashmouth51:
Heitman is sooo weak on a bull rush. Guys just bowl him over. Baas seems like he can get a better push. Something we desperately need on short yardage situations.

This is not true, or he'd be benched. What team would start a guy who just gets bowled over, and why would the writers explain that he's been the best lineman on the team (including Staley) the past two years if he had this major liability.

Very few centers get solid pushes on the line in short yardage situations, since DT's pinch toward the center of the line. Sometimes, centers win these battles, and sometimes they lose.

The bottom line is that statistically, Heitmann is no better nor worse than the average starter center. If he was, then there would be changes at the position. Heitmann is larger than the average center in the league, and has never been classified as someone soft by any sports writer. In fact, I have never read one sports writer who would agree with your statement. If you have, please post.

Cheers.

it depends if Singletery stands by the montra of "u cant lose your job to injury"

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by smashmouth51:
Heitman is sooo weak on a bull rush. Guys just bowl him over. Baas seems like he can get a better push. Something we desperately need on short yardage situations.

This is not true, or he'd be benched. What team would start a guy who just gets bowled over, and why would the writers explain that he's been the best lineman on the team (including Staley) the past two years if he had this major liability.

Very few centers get solid pushes on the line in short yardage situations, since DT's pinch toward the center of the line. Sometimes, centers win these battles, and sometimes they lose.

The bottom line is that statistically, Heitmann is no better nor worse than the average starter center. If he was, then there would be changes at the position. Heitmann is larger than the average center in the league, and has never been classified as someone soft by any sports writer. In fact, I have never read one sports writer who would agree with your statement. If you have, please post.

Cheers.

Yay, mediocrity!

I dunno but keep him there. He's already had one game with Alex...might as well leave it alone till Eric comes back. That goal line TD from Robinson was nice and it was right up Baas alley!!! We couldn't do that in the past...REMEMBER?!

[ Edited by 9erluv415 on Aug 20, 2010 at 13:58:21 ]

Need to see Baas play C for another game or two. However, if he plays well I would like to see the change. Remember back in 2000 or 1999 when Chris Dalman went down. Nobody thought we could replace a great C like Dalman. An unproven Jeremy Newberry stepped in and we all know how that played out. Newberry had been bounced from Guard to a brief stint at Tackle before finding his home at Center. Let's hope the same can be said for Baas.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by smashmouth51:
Heitman is sooo weak on a bull rush. Guys just bowl him over. Baas seems like he can get a better push. Something we desperately need on short yardage situations.

This is not true, or he'd be benched. What team would start a guy who just gets bowled over, and why would the writers explain that he's been the best lineman on the team (including Staley) the past two years if he had this major liability.

Very few centers get solid pushes on the line in short yardage situations, since DT's pinch toward the center of the line. Sometimes, centers win these battles, and sometimes they lose.

The bottom line is that statistically, Heitmann is no better nor worse than the average starter center. If he was, then there would be changes at the position. Heitmann is larger than the average center in the league, and has never been classified as someone soft by any sports writer. In fact, I have never read one sports writer who would agree with your statement. If you have, please post.

Cheers.

Why are we giving sports writers so much credit? I don't think these "professionals" opinions are any better than my own. Look at the stories the webzone posts, these guys all copy each other's material. We live in an era of bankrupt and poor journalism, and I'm not just talking about sports reporters.

The fact is that the O-line has been bad for as long as Heitmann has been the anchor. 10 seconds is all you need to watch of the highlight reel below to see that Heitmann doesn't have what is needed in short yardage situations.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYYEoGXpHE8

He gets mauled, destroyed, and by a bad Seattle D-line. As fans, I think we need to hope Baas not only plays well, but that he plays better than Heitmann. Heitmann isn't good, and being the best member of the league's worst O-line isn't anything to be impressed by.

Doing research to debunk the myth that Heitmann is a liability on third and short situations. Here is something for the critics to munch on:

2009 NFL Season 3rd down rushes between 1-3 yards
Team Conversions Attempts %

49ers 15 22 0.682
Bears 22 36 0.611
Bengals 25 35 0.714
Bills 14 25 0.560
Broncos 19 33 0.576
Browns 18 33 0.545
Buccaneers 13 21 0.619
Cardinals 11 22 0.500
Chargers 15 24 0.625
Chiefs 15 24 0.625
Colts 17 27 0.630
Cowboys 19 27 0.704
Dolphins 32 39 0.821
Eagles 21 30 0.700
Falcons 16 25 0.640
Giants 20 33 0.606
Jaguars 34 46 0.739
Jets 24 35 0.686
Lions 14 22 0.636
Packers 12 19 0.632
Panthers 25 39 0.641
Patriots 26 38 0.684
Raiders 19 26 0.731
Rams 15 27 0.556
Ravens 22 31 0.710
Redskins 14 24 0.583
Saints 24 35 0.686
Seahawks 20 34 0.588
Steelers 15 25 0.600
Texans 22 33 0.667
Titans 19 25 0.760
Vikings 22 32 0.688

League Total 619 947 0.654

The Niners finished 12th in the league in converting 3rd and short situations. If Heitmann was a problem, and blown back into the backfield often, as a number of posters on this board claim, the Niners would not rank 12th in the league, would not beat the league average of .654, and Heitmann would have been replaced. Stats LLC has graded Heitmann the best of the 49ers line for two years running in run blocking (I have posted multiple times with linked stats the past two years), and most 3rd and short attempts go inside the tackle boxes, and more specifically, thorugh the middle of the line.

As I have stated for a long time, 3rd and short rushes are challenging to convert. More than 1/3 of the time, they are unsuccessful. The Niners do not have a problem in this area, and the myth that Heitmann is a liability in these situations does not hold up statistically. It is an unfair, biased position held by those who do not understand the game very well.

49ers and NFL 3rd down short yardage rush conversion chart

[ Edited by MadDog49er on Aug 20, 2010 at 14:23:13 ]

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Doing research to debunk the myth that Heitmann is a liability on third and short situations. Here is something for the critics to munch on:

2009 NFL Season 3rd down rushes between 1-3 yards
Team Conversions Attempts %
49ers 15 22 0.682
Bears 22 36 0.611
Bengals 25 35 0.714
Bills 14 25 0.560
Broncos 19 33 0.576
Browns 18 33 0.545
Buccaneers 13 21 0.619
Cardinals 11 22 0.500
Chargers 15 24 0.625
Chiefs 15 24 0.625
Colts 17 27 0.630
Cowboys 19 27 0.704
Dolphins 32 39 0.821
Eagles 21 30 0.700
Falcons 16 25 0.640
Giants 20 33 0.606
Jaguars 34 46 0.739
Jets 24 35 0.686
Lions 14 22 0.636
Packers 12 19 0.632
Panthers 25 39 0.641
Patriots 26 38 0.684
Raiders 19 26 0.731
Rams 15 27 0.556
Ravens 22 31 0.710
Redskins 14 24 0.583
Saints 24 35 0.686
Seahawks 20 34 0.588
Steelers 15 25 0.600
Texans 22 33 0.667
Titans 19 25 0.760
Vikings 22 32 0.688

League Total 619 947 0.654

The Niners finished 12th in the league in converting 3rd and short situations. If Heitmann was a problem, and blown back into the backfield often, as a number of posters on this board claim, the Niners would not rank 12th in the league, would not beat the league average of .654, and Heitmann would have been replaced. Stats LLC has graded Heitmann the best of the 49ers line for two years running in run blocking, and most 3rd and short attempts go inside the tackle boxes, and more specifically, thorugh the middle of the line.

As I have stated for a long time, 3rd and short rushes are challenging to convert. More than 1/3 of the time, they are unsuccessful. The Niners do not have a problem in this area, and the myth that Heitmann is a liability in these situations does not hold up statistically. It is an unfair, biased position held by those who do not understand the game very well.

49ers and NFL 3rd down short yardage rush conversion chart

Throw out the data for a minute. How awful has our running been game the past few seasons in short yardage situations? As fans who watch the games we know we have been worse than most NFL teams. We play in a bad division with weak defenses and frequently we can't even get it done against them. Throw out the data, and trust your eyes.