Indispensable

Justin Smith

Andy Lee

David Akers

Ted Ginn (as our return man)

I'm not too worried about the offensive side of the ball with the depth and playmakers that we have now. If someone does get injured, we just have to switch the scheme around the players that are still healthy and we can be just as effective. Patrick Willis is arguably the best player on the team, but we have Bowman and Grant that can fill in and we won't lose too much at that position if he does go down. I believe the most indispensable player is the other guy you can argue is the best on the team, Justin Smith. There is just no other player like him anywhere else in the NFL. The pure strength, quickness, and smarts that he provides upfront is something that simply can't be replaced and the drop off between him and next man will be tremendous. Justin Smith played almost every snap last season so it'll be a drastic change if he can't get on the field.

After thinking about it, I believe Goldson is our most "indispensable" player. Its not because he's the most talented, but because we are so thin at the saftey spot. Having Spillman fill in at FS scares me, a lot!

Edit: I think J.Smith and Akers are very close seconds.

Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:
After thinking about it, I believe Goldson is our most "indispensable" player. Its not because he's the most talented, but because we are so thin at the saftey spot. Having Spillman fill in at FS scares me, a lot!

this times infinity.i hope that rookie pans out but that is a scary thing

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:
After thinking about it, I believe Goldson is our most "indispensable" player. Its not because he's the most talented, but because we are so thin at the saftey spot. Having Spillman fill in at FS scares me, a lot!

this times infinity.i hope that rookie pans out but that is a scary thing

Yeah, i think Goldson is up there on the list... but we could replace him. We may be thin at safety, but we are deep at CB. An experienced CB can usually play FS without much of a hitch. If Goldson went down, I'd like to see Rogers fill in and bump Culliver into the starting lineup.

My top three "indispensable" guys would be:

1. Alex Smith - like him or not, his smarts, decision making, and accuracy in the intermediate routes would be sorely missed. If he went down, we could probably overcome it with Kapernick... but he would make mistakes and would probably cost us a few games till he settled into a starting role.

2. Justin Smith - our pass rush would take a big hit. RJF could step in and our run defense would not suffer. But without J. Smith on that line we could not be as dominate in key situations.

3. D. Goldson - we could replace him, but it would probably require a major reshuffle of the secondary and some time to perform at the same level.


Bottom line... we have a deep roster and NOBODY is so important that we couldn't find a suitable alternative mid-season.

Originally posted by BrianGO:
Most valuable players last year (based on value to our team winning; not how good or talented they are).

1) Justin Smith -- Bulldozer
2) Aldon Smith -- Wrecking ball
3) Patrick Willis -- Foreman
4) Frank Gore -- Workhorse
5) David Akers -- Points
6) Vernon Davis -- Threat
7) Andy Lee -- Field position
8) NaVorro Bowman -- Production
9) Carlos Rogers -- Veteran savvy
10) Michael Crabtree -- Leading receiver

I would put Iupati, Brooks, Whitner, Goldson and McDonald all above Crabtree. Crabtree hasn't shown a ton in his career. He has injury issues. He is easily replaceable.

The most indispensable players on this team are, in no order.

TE Vernon Davis
LG Mike Iupati
DE Justin Smith
DE Ray McDonald
OLB Ahmad Brooks
OLB Aldon Smith
ILB Patrick Willis
ILB NaVorro Bowman
CB Carlos Rogers
FS Dashon Goldson
SS Donte Whitner
PK David Akers
P Andy Lee
LS Brian Jennings
KR/PR Ted Ginn Jr.

Gore is a key guy, but I think we could get by with a combo of Hunter, James and Jacobs if need be. I could put Sopoaga on it, but I would feel fine with Ricky Jean Francois, where I feel iffy on Tukuafu/Dobbs at DE.

WR wise I have no idea, Crabtree is injury prone, Moss is coming off 1 yr out of football, Jenkins is a rook, and Manningham has always been a 3rd WR, but has tons of talent, and could easily start if he has a great TC and preseason. I can see Moss/Manningham starting opening day.

I could also put Joe Staley , but I think Alex Boone would do fine filling in at LT.

Some backups wise, I would feel iffy if Walker gets hurt again, we need a 2nd TE who can come in and bring production, Culliver I am fine, but if out I have little faith in Cox and Brock. Same if Brown got hurt and Culliver plays CB starting, I feel Brock/Cox would be our weak link, see NFCC game, when Brown was hurt, Brock got burned badly, and by Manningham If I remember correctly.

RG will be interesting, Looney, Kilgore and Boone, I feel fine with any of them.

I also feel fine at Center, Goodwin is good, but if down I still feel Kilgore can fill in nicely. I would like the future as this, Staley, Iupati, Kilgore, Looney/Boone, Davis.

3rd OLB would be fine as long as Haralson takes a pay cut, but after 2012 it is interesting, hopefully Fleming comes back healthy, and Cam Johnson proves his worth in 2012.

Backup S main I am fine with Spillman filling in, but after that will Robinson be fine.

ST wise on returns I am fine with Spillman, Jones, Cartwright, Gooden, Grant, etc.... And at ILB backups fine with Grant and Gooden.

Originally posted by blm7754:

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by Oakland-Niner:
After thinking about it, I believe Goldson is our most "indispensable" player. Its not because he's the most talented, but because we are so thin at the saftey spot. Having Spillman fill in at FS scares me, a lot!

this times infinity.i hope that rookie pans out but that is a scary thing

Yeah, i think Goldson is up there on the list... but we could replace him. We may be thin at safety, but we are deep at CB. An experienced CB can usually play FS without much of a hitch. If Goldson went down, I'd like to see Rogers fill in and bump Culliver into the starting lineup.

My top three "indispensable" guys would be:

1. Alex Smith - like him or not, his smarts, decision making, and accuracy in the intermediate routes would be sorely missed. If he went down, we could probably overcome it with Kapernick... but he would make mistakes and would probably cost us a few games till he settled into a starting role.

2. Justin Smith - our pass rush would take a big hit. RJF could step in and our run defense would not suffer. But without J. Smith on that line we could not be as dominate in key situations.

3. D. Goldson - we could replace him, but it would probably require a major reshuffle of the secondary and some time to perform at the same level.


Bottom line... we have a deep roster and NOBODY is so important that we couldn't find a suitable alternative mid-season.

That's how I look at it too...if a guy goes down, how far is the drop off to the next guy and would it affect play-calling?

MLB's are set up for success in every defense (more free to seek-and-destroy) so when Grant came in, we didn't see any drop off or changes in defensive schemes. Mark Willis off this list.

The guy I would add besides the QB is Center. Whitner might be on there more b/c doesn't he call the defensive plays? Goldson & Whitner may be a drop off in talent but we don't know yet with Spillman. Richardson is a rookie but we also have CB's who can play both.

VD d/t his overall game and constant threat. Justin Smith may not be as much a drop off in talent but two guys may need to fill his one-man role.

Is that it besides the ST trio?

I personally think to say Alex Smith is "indispensable" is an insult to Harbaugh and Baalke. Baalke brought in other QBs that he obviously thinks are good, and Harbaugh is great at molding QBs. Why the assumption is that there will be this huge drop off baffles me. There COULD be a drop off, there COULD be an improvement, or there COULD be no difference at all.

Originally posted by 80sbaby24:
I personally think to say Alex Smith is "indispensable" is an insult to Harbaugh and Baalke. Baalke brought in other QBs that he obviously thinks are good, and Harbaugh is great at molding QBs. Why the assumption is that there will be this huge drop off baffles me. There COULD be a drop off, there COULD be an improvement, or there COULD be no difference at all.

This thread seems to be about who is "indispensable" during the season due to an injury. If Alex got hurt now, I'd have more confidence in Harbaugh's ability to get one of the other guys ready to start in September. But honestly, none of our QBs are at Smith's level yet. If Kapernick was seriously ready to take over, I think Alex would be with the Dolphins now. The fact that he was resigned means that he is clearly the best option at this point.

QB is the most important position on the team. A drop-off in play at that position will have the biggest impact on any team. Therefore, our starting QB (Alex Smith) is the most indispensable. He's not the most talented. He's not the most valuable. But during the season, he would have the biggest impact if lost.

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
I would put Iupati, Brooks, Whitner, Goldson and McDonald all above Crabtree. Crabtree hasn't shown a ton in his career. He has injury issues. He is easily replaceable.

The most indispensable players on this team are, in no order.

TE Vernon Davis
LG Mike Iupati
DE Justin Smith
DE Ray McDonald
OLB Ahmad Brooks
OLB Aldon Smith
ILB Patrick Willis
ILB NaVorro Bowman
CB Carlos Rogers
FS Dashon Goldson
SS Donte Whitner
PK David Akers
P Andy Lee
LS Brian Jennings
KR/PR Ted Ginn Jr.

Gore is a key guy, but I think we could get by with a combo of Hunter, James and Jacobs if need be. I could put Sopoaga on it, but I would feel fine with Ricky Jean Francois, where I feel iffy on Tukuafu/Dobbs at DE.

WR wise I have no idea, Crabtree is injury prone, Moss is coming off 1 yr out of football, Jenkins is a rook, and Manningham has always been a 3rd WR, but has tons of talent, and could easily start if he has a great TC and preseason. I can see Moss/Manningham starting opening day.

I could also put Joe Staley , but I think Alex Boone would do fine filling in at LT.

Some backups wise, I would feel iffy if Walker gets hurt again, we need a 2nd TE who can come in and bring production, Culliver I am fine, but if out I have little faith in Cox and Brock. Same if Brown got hurt and Culliver plays CB starting, I feel Brock/Cox would be our weak link, see NFCC game, when Brown was hurt, Brock got burned badly, and by Manningham If I remember correctly.

RG will be interesting, Looney, Kilgore and Boone, I feel fine with any of them.

I also feel fine at Center, Goodwin is good, but if down I still feel Kilgore can fill in nicely. I would like the future as this, Staley, Iupati, Kilgore, Looney/Boone, Davis.

3rd OLB would be fine as long as Haralson takes a pay cut, but after 2012 it is interesting, hopefully Fleming comes back healthy, and Cam Johnson proves his worth in 2012.

Backup S main I am fine with Spillman filling in, but after that will Robinson be fine.

ST wise on returns I am fine with Spillman, Jones, Cartwright, Gooden, Grant, etc.... And at ILB backups fine with Grant and Gooden.

Awesome post - fantastic detail! Makes one feel good about the depth on this team!

It seems like if we lose a critical guy, we'd need to fill the void with two guys...guys we have.

TE Vernon Davis - Agreed. His threat alone is irreplaceable and is critical to our 2 TE offense, blocking, big play ability, blocking, etc.
LG Mike Iupati - the drop off here could be bigger than we think b/c currently he not only dominates the man in front of him but slides over to assist Staley & is a great pulling guard. Not sure who could fill such a void. Kilgore? Healthy Looney? Slowey?
QB Smith/C Goodwin - they can go hand in hand. Both could initially be huge blows for quite a few games and alter play-calling.
DE Justin Smith - you lose him, you need at least two guys here; one who can continue to maul/move the pocket and another to pass rush. You can't replace his intangibles and leadership. Would need a combo of Tukuafu/Dobbs at least. Or Franklin/Johnson. Both Tukuafu/Dobbs have experience now and have shown promise and will be fighting it out even more this offseason.
DE Ray McDonald. If healthy, another guy tough to replicate his production. He's more replaceable than Smith as he's not as immoveable against the run; more super quick (great for TFL), occupying blocks and sacks. Could replace with a Tukuafu/Dobbs or Franklin like last year - may rotate in a pass rusher more.
OLB Ahmad Brooks - might be on of the tougher guys to replace b/c he's so well rounded and produces on the strong side (in the sight of right-handed QB's). Haralson would be a drop off in run support (Brooks lead team in TFL) but adequate. Haralson is poor in coverage and if he can't add any pass rush from the WILL (blind side of the QB next to Justin Smith), he definitely won't be brining anything from the SAM side. No doubt Fangio will be watching the backup SAM spot closely this off season!
OLB Aldon Smith - you can replace his role as a pass rusher with Haralson taking the running downs but you probably won't replicate his impact and production! Another Johnson look here for a specialist role.
ILB Patrick Willis - MIKE is the free LB position. You can plug anyone in here and rack up tackles/stats esp. with our front 7. But over the long haul, it would be very hard to replicate his production and his intangibles.
ILB NaVorro Bowman - Same applies here (TED) to the MIKE position.
CB Carlos Rogers - Feeling better about Culliver/Cox/Brock
FS Dashon Goldson - Potential drop off could be big here and I wouldn't be surprised to see a FS veteran brought in in case Spillman/Richardson don't show a ton of promise. That said, production, may not lose as some would think esp. if he is fast and has much more range and takes better angles. Intangibles (Pain Train) would be hard to produce off the bench.
SS Donte Whitner - Calls the defensive plays right? Not easy to replace at all.

Originally posted by NCommand:
Awesome post - fantastic detail! Makes one feel good about the depth on this team!

It seems like if we lose a critical guy, we'd need to fill the void with two guys...guys we have.

TE Vernon Davis - Agreed. His threat alone is irreplaceable and is critical to our 2 TE offense, blocking, big play ability, blocking, etc.
LG Mike Iupati - the drop off here could be bigger than we think b/c currently he not only dominates the man in front of him but slides over to assist Staley & is a great pulling guard. Not sure who could fill such a void. Kilgore? Healthy Looney? Slowey?
QB Smith/C Goodwin - they can go hand in hand. Both could initially be huge blows for quite a few games and alter play-calling.
DE Justin Smith - you lose him, you need at least two guys here; one who can continue to maul/move the pocket and another to pass rush. You can't replace his intangibles and leadership. Would need a combo of Tukuafu/Dobbs at least. Or Franklin/Johnson. Both Tukuafu/Dobbs have experience now and have shown promise and will be fighting it out even more this offseason.
DE Ray McDonald. If healthy, another guy tough to replicate his production. He's more replaceable than Smith as he's not as immoveable against the run; more super quick (great for TFL), occupying blocks and sacks. Could replace with a Tukuafu/Dobbs or Franklin like last year - may rotate in a pass rusher more.
OLB Ahmad Brooks - might be on of the tougher guys to replace b/c he's so well rounded and produces on the strong side (in the sight of right-handed QB's). Haralson would be a drop off in run support (Brooks lead team in TFL) but adequate. Haralson is poor in coverage and if he can't add any pass rush from the WILL (blind side of the QB next to Justin Smith), he definitely won't be brining anything from the SAM side. No doubt Fangio will be watching the backup SAM spot closely this off season!
OLB Aldon Smith - you can replace his role as a pass rusher with Haralson taking the running downs but you probably won't replicate his impact and production! Another Johnson look here for a specialist role.
ILB Patrick Willis - MIKE is the free LB position. You can plug anyone in here and rack up tackles/stats esp. with our front 7. But over the long haul, it would be very hard to replicate his production and his intangibles.
ILB NaVorro Bowman - Same applies here (TED) to the MIKE position.
CB Carlos Rogers - Feeling better about Culliver/Cox/Brock
FS Dashon Goldson - Potential drop off could be big here and I wouldn't be surprised to see a FS veteran brought in in case Spillman/Richardson don't show a ton of promise. That said, production, may not lose as some would think esp. if he is fast and has much more range and takes better angles. Intangibles (Pain Train) would be hard to produce off the bench.
SS Donte Whitner - Calls the defensive plays right? Not easy to replace at all.

What I like about Brooks is he lines up at DE on some situations. I see at times McDonald, Justin and Brooks on DL, which works a lot, and Aldon just over powers OTs, look at the Steelers game.

Also love our depth, got a lot, and future should be bright.

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
What I like about Brooks is he lines up at DE on some situations. I see at times McDonald, Justin and Brooks on DL, which works a lot, and Aldon just over powers OTs, look at the Steelers game.

Also love our depth, got a lot, and future should be bright.

Just FYI from what I saw, but Brooks was at LDE in Nickel pass situations very often (probably 95% of the time). Can't remember the exacts, but he rarely left the field and had a ton of snaps throughout the season.

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
What I like about Brooks is he lines up at DE on some situations. I see at times McDonald, Justin and Brooks on DL, which works a lot, and Aldon just over powers OTs, look at the Steelers game.

Also love our depth, got a lot, and future should be bright.

Just FYI from what I saw, but Brooks was at LDE in Nickel pass situations very often (probably 95% of the time). Can't remember the exacts, but he rarely left the field and had a ton of snaps throughout the season.

exactly. He became a full time, every down OLB/DE last year, and got rewarded with a huge 44M deal. He played tremendously in 2011. I love him back, I thought we wouldn't/couldn't afford him, I was wrong. Same with Rogers, we kept our entire Defense intact. So, should be a great defense in 2012. I expect top 5 in all categories.

Originally posted by AB83Rules:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by AB83Rules:
What I like about Brooks is he lines up at DE on some situations. I see at times McDonald, Justin and Brooks on DL, which works a lot, and Aldon just over powers OTs, look at the Steelers game.

Also love our depth, got a lot, and future should be bright.

Just FYI from what I saw, but Brooks was at LDE in Nickel pass situations very often (probably 95% of the time). Can't remember the exacts, but he rarely left the field and had a ton of snaps throughout the season.

exactly. He became a full time, every down OLB/DE last year, and got rewarded with a huge 44M deal. He played tremendously in 2011. I love him back, I thought we wouldn't/couldn't afford him, I was wrong. Same with Rogers, we kept our entire Defense intact. So, should be a great defense in 2012. I expect top 5 in all categories.

Another good versatility point. We lucked out last year that we survived with only 3 OLBers. I'm just as curious to see who wins the backup spots at OLB (both SAM & WILL) as I am with the developments at RG and the entire OL.

Originally posted by monsterzero789:

Originally posted by oldman9er:

Originally posted by monsterzero789:
Can we rely on frank gore getting 8.5 ypc every time we are down by multiple scores?

Are you seriously trying to imply that we won the Eagles game because of Frank Gore alone?

I'd think long and hard about the answer...

Are you seriously trying to imply that we won the Eagles game because of Alex Smith alone?

I'd think long and hard about the answer...

Have you read none of oldman9ers posts? He has always had the perspective of football as a team sport. If you have to distort his comments to win an argument is it worth the effort?

Many of the Smith supporters, including me, see Smith's ability as part and parcel of a team effort, which is why players like Willis, Gore and VD have always defended him...it's a team sport!

Come on now, I know that these back and forths can become heated but let's not resort to this kind of thing.