Dilfer: "Baalke smartest football man in the league"

Originally posted by BrianGO:
I think an AVERAGE GM does what is obvious. There is nothing remarkable about signing big name free agents. Big name free agents are most often not worth the price.

Baalke has done things that were not obvious, but have obviously worked out well.

Personnel decisions:

- Starting Ahmad Brooks and letting Manny Lawson walk -- AMAZING decision. Manny Lawson was a good player. Who would replace him? Baalke did not see the value of paying big money to one-dimensional players. He replaced him with the wild card in Brooks and it has proven to be an upgrade. An upgrade over a widely regarded quality football player.

- Moving Soap to NT and letting Franklin walk -- AMAZING decision. Most did not think he would be as good as Aubrayo, as he did not work out too well at the position in the past. Upgraded the position. Most thought Franklin was a big time NT, but Soap has been an upgrade at NT.

- Starting McDonald at LE -- Great decision. Had been a backup. Not sure if he could play every down, hold up, or stop the run well. Some did not even think he was worth the pedestrian contract he signed. Now he is playing at a very high level. A huge upgrade over Soap at LE.

- Starting Bowman at MLB and letting Spikes walk -- AMAZING decision. EVERYBODY liked Spikes. Who thought Bowman would be an upgrade? He has been a HUGE upgrade. Incredible move.

- Not paying Dashon Goldson big money -- Great decision. We got Goldson anyway, at a much lower price then he was asking. How often does that happen in the NFL?

- Not paying Nate Clements -- Good decision. Most fans didn't like him anyway, so I can't say it was an amazing decision.

- Signing Frank Gore -- Great decision. He signed our own elite running back to a long-term deal, without the crippling price tag.


Free agents

-- Carlos Rogers -- Amazing pickup, especially for the price. We actually upgraded the position over a quality player, without spending huge money.

-- Donte Whitner -- Great pickup, badly needed to upgrade the SS. We got a reasonable price for him.

-- David Akers -- A coup. Ridiculous that we were able to upgrade this position after Nedney retired. We upgraded a great kicker with a greater one.

-- Braylon Edwards -- He has been hurt, but this was also a tremendous pickup for the price.


Draft:

Aldon Smith -- A game changer. His dominant play allowed us to escape with a victory in Detroit despite committing 100 million penalties on the road. A special player. Elite. Not a fluke in any possible way, shape or form. A grand slam out of the park. In no way was this a popular pick, yet Baalke boldly made him the #7 overall. Brilliance to the highest possible degree.

Kaepernick -- Undecided. Is the number two quarterback.

Culliver -- Has been playing great. Huge upside.

Hunter -- Playing great, great value.

Kilgore -- Undecided. Made the team. Has gotten a couple of snaps.

Johnson -- Miss.

Jones -- Made the team. Contributor on special teams.

Miller -- Big time contributor and possibly has already earned himself a starting role. ALL AFTER HAVING 5 WEEKS TO MAKE THE SWITCH FROM DE TO FB. Unreal.

Person -- Undecided. Made the team.

Holcomb -- Undecided. IR.

Last years draft. I don't believe Baalke was the GM last year, so how can we evaluate last year's draft, and put it on him, good or bad?

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/03/18/49ers-gm-scot-mccloughan-part-ways/

"However, head coach Mike Singletary -- who has final say in all roster decisions -- has been more actively involved in the scouting, background checks and evaluation of 49ers' free agents and draft prospects."

He has been the GM for ONE year, NOT two.
Everything prior to that is pure speculation. He might, could, would, maybe did "X" or picked "X" player prior to becoming GM. We don't know.

I like a ton of those moves. But the Goldson, Rogers and Ginn 1 year deals could come back to haunt us. The secondary has been playing much better with Goldson back healthy and the incredible signing of Rogers who never played this good before in his life. Minus those two I think our secondary is toast. Ginn has consistently put us in great field position. Something this team needs. Because our offense isn't that great. If you put us in good position like at the 50 they can do something. If they have to go 95 yards it's tough going. Ginn has a huge impact on the game. Especially for our team. Run the ball and play good defense. Elite special teams putting you in good position plays into that big time.

I guess we'll have to wait until the end of the year for a true analysis. Given the teams decade of futility, you'll forgive me for showing some restraint at the first sign of daylight.

From what I understand of the Baalke situation, he was responsible for the last two drafts, which appear to have turned out pretty good for the 49ers. Consider: Bowman, Davis, Iupati, Hunter, Miller(FB?), and Smith.

Gore got signed and that is what matters. Baalke's job is to build a winner, not placate individuals.

The Mays e-mail is peculiar, I'll give you that one.

The jury is out until we are winners for more than 6 games, but the results are at least encouraging.

And don't forget who was involved in landing Harbaugh.

Originally posted by BrianGO:
I think an AVERAGE GM does what is obvious. There is nothing remarkable about signing big name free agents. Big name free agents are most often not worth the price.

Baalke has done things that were not obvious, but have obviously worked out well.

Personnel decisions:

- Starting Ahmad Brooks and letting Manny Lawson walk -- AMAZING decision. Manny Lawson was a good player. Who would replace him? Baalke did not see the value of paying big money to one-dimensional players. He replaced him with the wild card in Brooks and it has proven to be an upgrade. An upgrade over a widely regarded quality football player.

- Moving Soap to NT and letting Franklin walk -- AMAZING decision. Most did not think he would be as good as Aubrayo, as he did not work out too well at the position in the past. Upgraded the position. Most thought Franklin was a big time NT, but Soap has been an upgrade at NT.

- Starting McDonald at LE -- Great decision. Had been a backup. Not sure if he could play every down, hold up, or stop the run well. Some did not even think he was worth the pedestrian contract he signed. Now he is playing at a very high level. A huge upgrade over Soap at LE.

- Starting Bowman at MLB and letting Spikes walk -- AMAZING decision. EVERYBODY liked Spikes. Who thought Bowman would be an upgrade? He has been a HUGE upgrade. Incredible move.

- Not paying Dashon Goldson big money -- Great decision. We got Goldson anyway, at a much lower price then he was asking. How often does that happen in the NFL?

- Not paying Nate Clements -- Good decision. Most fans didn't like him anyway, so I can't say it was an amazing decision.

- Signing Frank Gore -- Great decision. He signed our own elite running back to a long-term deal, without the crippling price tag.


Free agents

-- Carlos Rogers -- Amazing pickup, especially for the price. We actually upgraded the position over a quality player, without spending huge money.

-- Donte Whitner -- Great pickup, badly needed to upgrade the SS. We got a reasonable price for him.

-- David Akers -- A coup. Ridiculous that we were able to upgrade this position after Nedney retired. We upgraded a great kicker with a greater one.

-- Braylon Edwards -- He has been hurt, but this was also a tremendous pickup for the price.


Draft:

Aldon Smith -- A game changer. His dominant play allowed us to escape with a victory in Detroit despite committing 100 million penalties on the road. A special player. Elite. Not a fluke in any possible way, shape or form. A grand slam out of the park. In no way was this a popular pick, yet Baalke boldly made him the #7 overall. Brilliance to the highest possible degree.

Kaepernick -- Undecided. Is the number two quarterback.

Culliver -- Has been playing great. Huge upside.

Hunter -- Playing great, great value.

Kilgore -- Undecided. Made the team. Has gotten a couple of snaps.

Johnson -- Miss.

Jones -- Made the team. Contributor on special teams.

Miller -- Big time contributor and possibly has already earned himself a starting role. ALL AFTER HAVING 5 WEEKS TO MAKE THE SWITCH FROM DE TO FB. Unreal.

Person -- Undecided. Made the team.

Holcomb -- Undecided. IR.

Last years draft. I don't believe Baalke was the GM last year, so how can we evaluate last year's draft, and put it on him, good or bad?

http://www.aolnews.com/2010/03/18/49ers-gm-scot-mccloughan-part-ways/

"However, head coach Mike Singletary -- who has final say in all roster decisions -- has been more actively involved in the scouting, background checks and evaluation of 49ers' free agents and draft prospects."

He has been the GM for ONE year, NOT two.
Everything prior to that is pure speculation. He might, could, would, maybe did "X" or picked "X" player prior to becoming GM. We don't know.

Great post

Originally posted by Hoovtrain:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by Marvin49:
@MadDog49er - Well of course its early to make and statements with 100% accuracy and time is needed to truly judge these player moves, but your unwillingness to give Baalke credit is comical.

You say above how the "Pro-Baalke" peeps here tout the Smith drafting but run away from Taylor Mays and Colin Kaepernick.

1) Mays. Mays was a mistake. It seems pretty clear to me that Sing wanted Mays and Baalke didn't, but we'll set that aside and count it as a "mistake" for Baalke. NOBODY hits 100% of the time. NOBODY. One of the best drafts of all time by Bill Walsh (the one where he drafted Haley, Taylor and a host of others) started with Larry Roberts. Who? Larry freakin' Roberts. When Walsh came back, he traded UP to get....wait for it.....Reggie McGrew. He even chased Lawrence Phillips. This isn't to slam the legacy of Walsh. I'm just saying the BEST evaluators don't always get it right.

2) Kaepernick. Guess what? Both Harbaugh and Baalke liked Kaepernick better. Its as simple as that. Andy Dalton has played well for a rookie, but he wouldn't be playing here. He'd be doing exactly what Kaep is doing...riding the bench. This wasn't a case of them taking the guy that was left. They tried to move into the FIRST round to take Kaep. Whether you like the guy or not is irrelevant...they made a bold move to move up in the second round to go get the guy they wanted. Harbaugh is taking the same approach with Kaep as he did with Luck. Its a "redshirt" year. The Bengals did the same with Carson Palmer. Dalton playing well early doesn't make him a better player...it just means he got on the field sooner.

3) Aldon Smith. Making a bold move up is only a GOOD move if the price is right. Its just as good a decision to NOT make a bad move as it is to make a good one. They tried to move down, but couldn't find a trade partner. If the worst we can say about this pick is that they tookthe guy they really wanted a few picks early, I'll take that any day of the week. Your comment about the Falcons bold move up tells what I need to know...I think that was a STUPID move. A #2 WR isn't that important. When they don't have the picks this year to fill holes, they can look over at that #2 WR to see where they went. The Niners did something similar when they moved up for J.J. Stokes. Ya know who that lost #1 pick turned out to be the following year? Ray Lewis.

4) Your entire "bold" idea is flawed. The Niners have moved all over the place in the draft. When there was a trade to be made, they made it. Not jumping up significantly in the first round doesn't mean they aren't bold....it just means there wasn't a player there that they were willing to sacrifice that much for to make the move. Ya know else operated like that? Belichick. Ya know who used to operate like that? Walsh. I'm not saying Baalke is either of those guys...I'm just saying that your entire position is flawed.

The issues you have in free agency are comical as well. The freakin Eagles went on a binge in Free Agency. What has it gotten them? Historically the team that spend huge money on pricey free agents don't get anywhere. The only team I know of who did well with big name free agents was the '94 49ers....and even then they got most of those players at bargain basement prices (Deion, Rickey Jackson and Oats took small contracts). The rest (Norton, Plummer, etc) didn't break the bank. The teams that historically succeed in Free Agency wait it out and get bargains. They get good players at lower prices and don't overpay (again, Belichick). I'm not suggesting he'll be a better player, but right now Rogers is outplaying Nnamdi.


Bottom line to all of this, I do understand your hesitancy to give Baalke credit, but I think you are too quick to go the other way. Of course all of this takes time. Aldon may tank from this point or he could be a superstar. Kaep may never see the field or he could be another Andrew Luck. Nobody knows at this point.

I think its fair to say tho that it APPEARS at this point that Baalke has done very well.

Lot to discuss. I will attempt to be brief. The only person held accountable for not being 100%, by some on the board, is me. Some people will drag stuff out from 5 years ago and attempt to discredit me. They will do the same in 2011 when I gave Aldon Smith a C grade in my post-draft write up. You are right. Nobody is 100% accurate. The reason I bring up Mays is all the hang-wringing that took place on the board when it was stated that Baalke had the last call on the Mays pick. It was his call, the beat writers have stated this, but for many, all the blame falls on Singletary. The pattern of hang-wringing on behalf of Baalke is nauseating to me. Just accept that he missed, and move on. I'm glad you are one stand-up person who can.

As stated with AD and CK, nobody knows who will be the better pro "long term", as I keep repeating to some on this board. Right now, it appears AD is the better player, as he is playing at a pretty high level already as a starter. CK will need to really step up his game to match Dalton. This also goes for A. Smith and Watt, who are both off to good starts, but one or the other, or both, may end stinking in the end. I am not asking people to shower compliments on me for Watt, nor am I asking for the angry responses in regards to Smith. It is simply too early in the game for people to play the "Aha" game, or for me to call "victory". Plus, this is silly game playing, I believe I have outgrown that phase of my life, and I have better uses for my time.

As stated before, the Niners have made some moves up the board in the draft. I'm not so sure moving up from 13 to 11 is a really bold move, nor nine slots to pick CK (there was nobody left on the board to take at QB, so they were forced to move up...the next QB selected was Mallett with the 74th pick). I did salute Baalke's approach to make these moves (even though I had Mike Iupati and Dez Bryant as the top players on the board when the team selected), and wish he took the same way approach in free agency. To sit back and wait until the market dries out is not a winning proposition long-term. Over time, this strategy will land the team a host of mediocre players. At some point, you have to make a splash to get game-changing talent. Justin Smith was a splash. Nate Clements was a splash. Both guys were significant upgrades over previous players, and Smith is still a terrific talent. Under Baalke's approach, we would not have him on our roster. The Niners, under Baalke, do not seemed inclined to pay this form of money for specific talent, and I think have a roster of lower-level and mid-level players is not going to put the team, long-term in a positive direction. Let's visit this after free agency this year, and down the road.

People who make themselves targets often get targeted, so quit playing dumb. Fact is that you like to make yourself a target because you want to be the center of attention. The bolded parts are a classic example of your condescending BS. He wasn't saying that Baalke made a mistake in drafting Mays. What he said was the Mays pick was a mistake and that Baalke deferred to Singletary (which GM's do sometimes), so he would chalk it up to a "mistake" and move on. You knew exactly what he was saying but decided to respond in classic MD fashion and twist his words in order to back your agenda and to be a smart ass.

I'm not going to really get into too much of this because you are clearly a person that cannot have a rational debate or concede anything (I truly applaud your work as a school teacher, but I would hate to have someone like you as a teacher. Based on your posts, you remind me of a philosophy professor I had in college that thought he was god's gift to philosophy because he wrote some small, meaningless book. He, much like you was never wrong about anything. Jesus he was insufferable, but I digress) I will preface my next comment with this. I do not believe 6 games is a big enough sample size to proclaim victory just yet, and I cringed a little when people were demanding you apologize after this short amount of time. However it is laughable that you of all people chastise others for doing this when you lambasted Baalke, the FO, FA's, draft picks, beer vendors etc BEFORE the season even started and BEFORE these players even suited up. The hypocrisy and unintentional comedy here is just through the roof, as is the case with many of your posts.

I hope this post wasn't too angry for you . We all know you are such a light hearted, jovial guy because you put a and Cheers! at the end of your posts.

Unintentional comedy. This thread abounds with it. lol.

To be a good GM, there must be a good coaching staff that gives good feed back from Harbaugh, Roman, and Fangio. Baalke's decisions would not have been as good with Nolan or Sing as coach.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
@MadDog49er - Well of course its early to make and statements with 100% accuracy and time is needed to truly judge these player moves, but your unwillingness to give Baalke credit is comical.

You say above how the "Pro-Baalke" peeps here tout the Smith drafting but run away from Taylor Mays and Colin Kaepernick.

1) Mays. Mays was a mistake. It seems pretty clear to me that Sing wanted Mays and Baalke didn't, but we'll set that aside and count it as a "mistake" for Baalke. NOBODY hits 100% of the time. NOBODY. One of the best drafts of all time by Bill Walsh (the one where he drafted Haley, Taylor and a host of others) started with Larry Roberts. Who? Larry freakin' Roberts. When Walsh came back, he traded UP to get....wait for it.....Reggie McGrew. He even chased Lawrence Phillips. This isn't to slam the legacy of Walsh. I'm just saying the BEST evaluators don't always get it right.

2) Kaepernick. Guess what? Both Harbaugh and Baalke liked Kaepernick better. Its as simple as that. Andy Dalton has played well for a rookie, but he wouldn't be playing here. He'd be doing exactly what Kaep is doing...riding the bench. This wasn't a case of them taking the guy that was left. They tried to move into the FIRST round to take Kaep. Whether you like the guy or not is irrelevant...they made a bold move to move up in the second round to go get the guy they wanted. Harbaugh is taking the same approach with Kaep as he did with Luck. Its a "redshirt" year. The Bengals did the same with Carson Palmer. Dalton playing well early doesn't make him a better player...it just means he got on the field sooner.

3) Aldon Smith. Making a bold move up is only a GOOD move if the price is right. Its just as good a decision to NOT make a bad move as it is to make a good one. They tried to move down, but couldn't find a trade partner. If the worst we can say about this pick is that they tookthe guy they really wanted a few picks early, I'll take that any day of the week. Your comment about the Falcons bold move up tells what I need to know...I think that was a STUPID move. A #2 WR isn't that important. When they don't have the picks this year to fill holes, they can look over at that #2 WR to see where they went. The Niners did something similar when they moved up for J.J. Stokes. Ya know who that lost #1 pick turned out to be the following year? Ray Lewis.

4) Your entire "bold" idea is flawed. The Niners have moved all over the place in the draft. When there was a trade to be made, they made it. Not jumping up significantly in the first round doesn't mean they aren't bold....it just means there wasn't a player there that they were willing to sacrifice that much for to make the move. Ya know else operated like that? Belichick. Ya know who used to operate like that? Walsh. I'm not saying Baalke is either of those guys...I'm just saying that your entire position is flawed.

The issues you have in free agency are comical as well. The freakin Eagles went on a binge in Free Agency. What has it gotten them? Historically the team that spend huge money on pricey free agents don't get anywhere. The only team I know of who did well with big name free agents was the '94 49ers....and even then they got most of those players at bargain basement prices (Deion, Rickey Jackson and Oats took small contracts). The rest (Norton, Plummer, etc) didn't break the bank. The teams that historically succeed in Free Agency wait it out and get bargains. They get good players at lower prices and don't overpay (again, Belichick). I'm not suggesting he'll be a better player, but right now Rogers is outplaying Nnamdi.


Bottom line to all of this, I do understand your hesitancy to give Baalke credit, but I think you are too quick to go the other way. Of course all of this takes time. Aldon may tank from this point or he could be a superstar. Kaep may never see the field or he could be another Andrew Luck. Nobody knows at this point.

I think its fair to say tho that it APPEARS at this point that Baalke has done very well.

great post Marv!!

go niners!!

Originally posted by MadDog49er:

Originally posted by RollinWith21n52:
Actually, he did make the bold move. He knew his most important move was to get a QB and he moved up and got him. Last year he moved up and got Anthony Davis. He caught a lot of criticism for both. Again, I'm not praising Baalke, but I think the criticism you suggest is not representative of his actions. The idea that you sell the farm every time is clearly not what you're suggesting. He chose QB the position that he went after and attacked. BTW, what current successful franchise constantly signs big name free agents and trades up in the draft?

Although I did not have Davis on the top of my board when the Niners moved up last year, I didn't have a problem with the trade to get him. That is the aggressive manuevering needed to get the players you really want on the roster. Even if Davis does not pan out, the proactive approach is one I think is the winning formula. As for jumping up to get CK, I thought the better move (and still do today) was jumping in front of Cinci who was all over Dalton before the draft and picking the TCU QB. Baalke, in my opinion, simply targeted the wrong QB. Team Baalke seems to ignore the AD versus CK decision by Baalke while blowing the trumpet for Aldon Smith. In both cases, time is needed to see who was right or wrong. I am not doing backflips over AD being 1000000 times more superior to CK at this point. It may end up that CK is better. And, that is the magic of time.

In other words, it is odd that people run to the defense of Baalke in the selection of Davis, and A. Smith, but run from the discussion of draftees CK and Taylor Mays.

As for a winning franchise making bold moves, take a look at Atlanta's jump up to get Julio Jones.

1) Why would people be critical of the CK pick? Everyone knew this was a project.
2) TM was a horrible pick. No question.
3) Atlanta has rarely done this, and they did so only after 3 years of being good... and are now having their worst season in a while.
4) For teams not trading up, see Patriots, New England

Now, I am confused. Today, the claim is

If I posted my bpa board over the last handful of years compared to the previous two GM's, I think you would believe I know what I am doing. For instance, in Baalke's first year of the draft, Baalke ended up with Davis, Iupati and Mays with his selections. On my board, and it is visible in the Draft Forum, it was Iupati first (I had him graded out the 8th best player in the draft), Dez Bryant (graded as the 10th best player), and Morgan Burnett (graded I believe 24th overall). These are three Pro-Bowl potential players.


I remember a whole series of posts stating that your big board was just a slotting of where players would be drafted and NOT a ranking of those players.

Also, prior to the success of the team this year, your posts about Baalke were scathing ridiculing criticisms of most everything that Baalke did or how he did it.

Even before six games were played, it was clear that you had decided that Baalke was an epic failure. Now, when it appears that he has been doing a good job, you plead for more time.





.

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Lot to discuss. I will attempt to be brief. The only person held accountable for not being 100%, by some on the board, is me. Some people will drag stuff out from 5 years ago and attempt to discredit me. They will do the same in 2011 when I gave Aldon Smith a C grade in my post-draft write up. You are right. Nobody is 100% accurate. The reason I bring up Mays is all the hang-wringing that took place on the board when it was stated that Baalke had the last call on the Mays pick. It was his call, the beat writers have stated this, but for many, all the blame falls on Singletary. The pattern of hang-wringing on behalf of Baalke is nauseating to me. Just accept that he missed, and move on. I'm glad you are one stand-up person who can.

As stated with AD and CK, nobody knows who will be the better pro "long term", as I keep repeating to some on this board. Right now, it appears AD is the better player, as he is playing at a pretty high level already as a starter. CK will need to really step up his game to match Dalton. This also goes for A. Smith and Watt, who are both off to good starts, but one or the other, or both, may end stinking in the end. I am not asking people to shower compliments on me for Watt, nor am I asking for the angry responses in regards to Smith. It is simply too early in the game for people to play the "Aha" game, or for me to call "victory". Plus, this is silly game playing, I believe I have outgrown that phase of my life, and I have better uses for my time.

As stated before, the Niners have made some moves up the board in the draft. I'm not so sure moving up from 13 to 11 is a really bold move, nor nine slots to pick CK (there was nobody left on the board to take at QB, so they were forced to move up...the next QB selected was Mallett with the 74th pick). I did salute Baalke's approach to make these moves (even though I had Mike Iupati and Dez Bryant as the top players on the board when the team selected), and wish he took the same way approach in free agency. To sit back and wait until the market dries out is not a winning proposition long-term. Over time, this strategy will land the team a host of mediocre players. At some point, you have to make a splash to get game-changing talent. Justin Smith was a splash. Nate Clements was a splash. Both guys were significant upgrades over previous players, and Smith is still a terrific talent. Under Baalke's approach, we would not have him on our roster. The Niners, under Baalke, do not seemed inclined to pay this form of money for specific talent, and I think have a roster of lower-level and mid-level players is not going to put the team, long-term in a positive direction. Let's visit this after free agency this year, and down the road.

You claim to not get caught up in it and then write a post like this. The 2nd round pick isn't egregious enough to not give him very high marks so far. Most folks who post will admit that they are only basing their grades or marks for the GM on the present. Sure there are the forever optimistic types, but there are a lot of objective fans on here. For you to somehow attempt to claim you're the only guy, or one of the few guys (which is exactly how you sound), in the room who is objective is somewhat offensive at best and downright rude at worst. I don't particularly care about you or your opinions, but I felt like you should understand why some people appear to dislike you. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered replying, you obviously don't care.

You have a strong stench of "I know better than you do", yet you look fairly petty (and wrong) so far. Good day sir.

Originally posted by Evilgenius:

Originally posted by MadDog49er:
Lot to discuss. I will attempt to be brief. The only person held accountable for not being 100%, by some on the board, is me. Some people will drag stuff out from 5 years ago and attempt to discredit me. They will do the same in 2011 when I gave Aldon Smith a C grade in my post-draft write up. You are right. Nobody is 100% accurate. The reason I bring up Mays is all the hang-wringing that took place on the board when it was stated that Baalke had the last call on the Mays pick. It was his call, the beat writers have stated this, but for many, all the blame falls on Singletary. The pattern of hang-wringing on behalf of Baalke is nauseating to me. Just accept that he missed, and move on. I'm glad you are one stand-up person who can.

As stated with AD and CK, nobody knows who will be the better pro "long term", as I keep repeating to some on this board. Right now, it appears AD is the better player, as he is playing at a pretty high level already as a starter. CK will need to really step up his game to match Dalton. This also goes for A. Smith and Watt, who are both off to good starts, but one or the other, or both, may end stinking in the end. I am not asking people to shower compliments on me for Watt, nor am I asking for the angry responses in regards to Smith. It is simply too early in the game for people to play the "Aha" game, or for me to call "victory". Plus, this is silly game playing, I believe I have outgrown that phase of my life, and I have better uses for my time.

As stated before, the Niners have made some moves up the board in the draft. I'm not so sure moving up from 13 to 11 is a really bold move, nor nine slots to pick CK (there was nobody left on the board to take at QB, so they were forced to move up...the next QB selected was Mallett with the 74th pick). I did salute Baalke's approach to make these moves (even though I had Mike Iupati and Dez Bryant as the top players on the board when the team selected), and wish he took the same way approach in free agency. To sit back and wait until the market dries out is not a winning proposition long-term. Over time, this strategy will land the team a host of mediocre players. At some point, you have to make a splash to get game-changing talent. Justin Smith was a splash. Nate Clements was a splash. Both guys were significant upgrades over previous players, and Smith is still a terrific talent. Under Baalke's approach, we would not have him on our roster. The Niners, under Baalke, do not seemed inclined to pay this form of money for specific talent, and I think have a roster of lower-level and mid-level players is not going to put the team, long-term in a positive direction. Let's visit this after free agency this year, and down the road.

You claim to not get caught up in it and then write a post like this. The 2nd round pick isn't egregious enough to not give him very high marks so far. Most folks who post will admit that they are only basing their grades or marks for the GM on the present. Sure there are the forever optimistic types, but there are a lot of objective fans on here. For you to somehow attempt to claim you're the only guy, or one of the few guys (which is exactly how you sound), in the room who is objective is somewhat offensive at best and downright rude at worst. I don't particularly care about you or your opinions, but I felt like you should understand why some people appear to dislike you. Maybe I shouldn't have bothered replying, you obviously don't care.

You have a strong stench of "I know better than you do", yet you look fairly petty (and wrong) so far. Good day sir.

he's only been a member since august and he already has MD down perfectly. I enjoy reading more of your posts going forward.

Originally posted by Shorteous:
he's only been a member since august and he already has MD down perfectly. I enjoy reading more of your posts going forward.

Hear it now -

Kaepernick, future superstar. :)