The Remainder of the 2010 Season is Pointless

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

It's probably more accurate now to say that Gruden WAS a big fan of Alex Smith back in 2005. Probably not so much now.

You never know... he did trade for Jake Plummer.

Gruden is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I think it's the RED hair. Hehe... get it?

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I have to eat major crow for my 2009 preseason prediction that this year, the 2010 season, would be the year the Niners returned to the playoff. It is not going to happen. At 2-6, the Niners look to split the final 8 games, and go 6-10 for the season. Some team in the division is going to hit 8-8 or better, even though it looks unlikely at times. Someone will emerge, as they always do, to hit .500. So, to pretend this team has any realistic chance of making the playoffs is silly.

So, where does that leave us? Answer: Back at ground zero again. The team will dump Singletary, and bring in a new head coach. The new head coach will undoubtably bring in a new offensive coordinator, and new offensive system. It will probably also be the end of Manusky as the DC, and possibly the end of the 3-4 defense.

On player personnel matters, the new head coach (probably a seasoned vet) will more than likely demand some ability to have a strong hand in choosing those who will be signed, re-signed, or dumped. So, players currently on the roster will be in a state of uncertainty heading into 2011.

At QB, it appears that not much can be learned from the rest of the season. It is doubtful the Niners will maintain either Smith at the end of the year. Both have exhausted contracts, to my knowledge, and a head coach will surely like to bring in his own QB to run his system. The others would be simply buying time. At RB, the team may keep a 2-back system, or go to a multiple WR set, which eliminates players like Norris having a large role. The 2-TE sets could also be limited in the future. The offensive philosophy under Singletary is to play "smashmouth" football, so is there anything to learn the rest of 2011 if our OC plays a more wide-open style? Do we keep the same personnel, or do we make changes at C, LT, RG?

On defense, the Niners use a 3-4 defense, and Franklin is on a one year contract. If the new coach employs a 4-3, what players would remain from this roster on the DL, and how would this impact the LB core? Finally, the Niners are probably done with Clements, but that will remain in the hands of the HC and DC, who may see him perform better in a cover-2 scheme, or another defensive system.

So, with all the upcoming changes that we will begin to see in 9 weeks, is there much to look forward to until the Niners reset the button. My answer is, no. Fast forward me to early January 2011. Until then, the only thing that really counts is where we will draft.

Great post Maddog. Any hopes we'll see a WCO-oriented HC? Gruden would fit the bill. Would love to see the WCO back. What were the Yorks thinking???

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

It's probably more accurate now to say that Gruden WAS a big fan of Alex Smith back in 2005. Probably not so much now.

You never know... he did trade for Jake Plummer.

Gruden is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I think it's the RED hair. Hehe... get it?

Actually Bruce Allen traded for Jake Plummer not Jon Gruden

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I have to eat major crow for my 2009 preseason prediction that this year, the 2010 season, would be the year the Niners returned to the playoff. It is not going to happen. At 2-6, the Niners look to split the final 8 games, and go 6-10 for the season. Some team in the division is going to hit 8-8 or better, even though it looks unlikely at times. Someone will emerge, as they always do, to hit .500. So, to pretend this team has any realistic chance of making the playoffs is silly.

i keep telling everyone i know who congratulated me my niners finally winning this week is that the 49ers above any other team are GREAT at winning games that are pointless. Last year they did enough to keep singletarys job, this year i think they will do enough to screw us out of a top five pick.

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I think the Niners throw a lot of money in the direction of Gruden, and keep Baalke in his current role.

Gruden is a big fan of Alex Smith (he tried to trade up from the fifth pick to the first overall to get him in 2005), but I still think the Niners go QB with their first round selection.

It's probably more accurate now to say that Gruden WAS a big fan of Alex Smith back in 2005. Probably not so much now.

Yeah, no way Gruden hitches his wagon to Alex. He'll draft his own Qb to run his offense.

Originally posted by KRS-1:

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

It's probably more accurate now to say that Gruden WAS a big fan of Alex Smith back in 2005. Probably not so much now.

You never know... he did trade for Jake Plummer.

Gruden is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I think it's the RED hair. Hehe... get it?

Actually Bruce Allen traded for Jake Plummer not Jon Gruden

Allen was brought in as a "Yes Man" for Gruden 'cause they worked together in Oakland.

Gruden wanted Plummer... he even tried to talk him out of retirement.

How can you possibly say its pointless? If we lose the last 8 games and go 2-14 we have a great shot at Andrew Luck.

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by KRS-1:

Originally posted by Wodwo:

Originally posted by GhostofFredDean74:

It's probably more accurate now to say that Gruden WAS a big fan of Alex Smith back in 2005. Probably not so much now.

You never know... he did trade for Jake Plummer.

Gruden is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. I think it's the RED hair. Hehe... get it?

Actually Bruce Allen traded for Jake Plummer not Jon Gruden

Allen was brought in as a "Yes Man" for Gruden 'cause they worked together in Oakland.

Gruden wanted Plummer... he even tried to talk him out of retirement.

Exactly. Now he's Shanahan's yes man. Allen is just a cap guy and Gm in title only.

Originally posted by mayo49:


Yeah, Gruden totally hitches his wagon to Alex. Then he'll draft 3 of his own Qbs to run his offense. Then he'll bring in 14 FA QBs to compete.

Fixed.

I would not say the remainder is pointless. It gives us more time to assess what we have in our rookies, OL, and QB. Should troy string together 6 or more wins, he would be worth keeping around. I have been done with Alex for a long time and hope to not see him in a Niner uniform following this season.

I agree on the switch to the 4-3 because it seems that our personnel suits it better. We do not have any true pass rushers, therefore would likely benefit from guys like Manny, Ahmad, etc. with their hands in the turf. We also don't have a solid NT for the 3-4. Aubrayo is not living up to what we expected with the franchise tag.

I would expect the highest draft picks in 2011 to be QB, CB, and pass rusher. As long as Smith and Sing are gone before next season, I do not really care what changes happen. We all know there are several much needed changes.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
How can you possibly say its pointless? If we lose the last 8 games and go 2-14 we have a great shot at Andrew Luck.

If he enters the draft. If there is a draft. If there is an NFL.

/doomsaying

Quote:
Gruden is a big fan of Alex Smith (he tried to trade up from the fifth pick to the first overall to get him in 2005), but I still think the Niners go QB with their first round selection.

Can you imagine if we did that trade and drafted Rodgers at #5 and had gotten a 2nd or 3rd round pick? Man, Nolan was an idiot.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I think the Niners throw a lot of money in the direction of Gruden, and keep Baalke in his current role.

Gruden is a big fan of Alex Smith (he tried to trade up from the fifth pick to the first overall to get him in 2005), but I still think the Niners go QB with their first round selection.

I don't know about you but I do not want another HC that thinks Alex is any good.

LB

Originally posted by leebert81:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
I think the Niners throw a lot of money in the direction of Gruden, and keep Baalke in his current role.

Gruden is a big fan of Alex Smith (he tried to trade up from the fifth pick to the first overall to get him in 2005), but I still think the Niners go QB with their first round selection.

I don't know about you but I do not want another HC that thinks Alex is any good.

LB

Agree.

Sad