Would Alex Smith be on this Roster if Eddie D. was Still Owner of this TEAM ?

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
There are ways around. Everyone was having to deal with the salary cap and we got burned for trying to manipulate it. However I think we would've learned from our lessons and continued to be a good team. Once the cap was instituted, the 49ers were still in Super Bowl or bust mode and we never made the proper adjustments. Also, Steve Mariucci may not have been a great coach, but he was good and did well with the 49ers. I think Seifert just took a lot of heat for not being able to beat Green Bay. Mariucci was in a much better position because at least he had a running game, whereas in Seiferts final 2 seasons, our running game was nonexistent.

As for the Jim Druckenmiller decision, once Walsh left, we never had a great talent evaluator. Look at our drafts of the 1990s. Terrible. But our terrible drafting was masked by the fact that we continued to have 10, 13, and 14 win seasons. In the entire decade, I think the only one worth anything was T.O. I don't think anyone realized how bad the talent was on this team until Steve Young went down. And instead of drafting good players, we just brought in free agents to try and keep us winning 10 + per year. I do recall Walsh promoting Jake Plummer in 1997 and although he isn't a great by a long shot, I think we would've been able to keep our winning ways going once Steve Young was no longer our starter.

I don't mind Policy and Clark leaving for Cleveland, because I think by then, they both had demonstrated they really didn't know what they were doing. Their drafts, contracts, and penchant for signing expensive FAs are a testament to this. Who assumed power after they left? Wasn't it Bill Walsh, who then immediately brought in Jeff Garcia?

It's kind of ironic that we didn't bring in any good young players until Walsh rejoined the team.

Yeah everyone was dealing with the cap... Before the cap only 2-3 teams could spend the big money and the 49ers were one of them. So Walsh could identify the guys he needed and all Eddie had to do was write the check. If there was no salary cap in the 90's i'm sure Steve has at lest two Superbowl rings as the starting QB,

I didn't mind Policy and Clark leaving but to let them draft either knowing they planed on leaving or not knowing they were going to leave, not good on the owners part. Everyone was saying Plummer should be our guy, he was coming off that big bowl victory and was in the Steve Young mold. Granted he ended up having a good not great career, but was playing in AZ for most the first part of his career has a lot to do with his early struggles. To me at the time the Druckenmiller pick looked like an FU out the door to the 49ers.

Originally posted by Faraz80:
I disagree actually. From what Ive seen, Alex has shown very little in terms of being a self dependent quarterback. His success has a direct correlation with the success of the other facets on our team (run/defense(, and the fews games where he's actually won the game for us with his arm can be easily offset by games where his arm cost us a W. I just dont think Eddie would tolerate this type of inconsistency.

All coaches have bad days. Im sure there were days when Walsh/Seifert didnt put together the best gameplan, yet Montana/Young had the ability to carry the team. Alex does not have that. s**tty gameplanning in the Alex Smith era has always led to bad losses.

You do know that Montana and Young both lost games? And that Walsh was likely the best game planner and play caller in the history of the game? So why did Montana and Young screw up Walsh's great planning?

JK--I believe your bias is coloring your comments--Smith had some very good games with Jimmy Raye game plans...the ones school children were analyzing from couches all over the country..."This is going to be Gore over the left side Sally." "Yeah...duh!"

Originally posted by Faraz80:

Originally posted by kidash98:
Sadly, no... He would have been gone after three years, IMO.

- 98

Yeah, I think Eddie would have given him one year after Norv left, then the boot.

On a side note, you gotta admit....the passion by which Eddie D. ran this organization was unprecedented at the time. Watching that special brought tears to my eyes. Everyone likes to make quips about fans being "armchair coaches", etc. but Eddie D. made decisions based on what a lot of people were thinking. He got rid of Seifert when he couldnt beat GB....he got rid of Montana when he felt the guy couldnt get back from injury...he would go out and put together a SB roster when we were seriously trying to make a run. Yeah sure....all of that put us in salary cap hell, but I loved his fire and emotion for the game.

No way we go 10 years without a playoff game in the 00s if he was around.

I think assuming Alex didn't flourish under Eddie D, then I can agree, Eddie had the ability to get the best out of his players. But then again, if Eddie was still our owner, the Niners might not of been the laughing stock of the NFL, so really we can go on and on, Alex might not have been picked either.

I think the real question is, would Smith allow Eddie to own the team.

Originally posted by kingairta:

Originally posted by BobS:

Originally posted by WildBill:

Originally posted by CollgeBoyWithaSS:
I say yes. He would have hired a coaching staff that knows how to develop a QB. Not throw him into the fire at 21 years old with the worst team in history.

Really? You do realize this is the same man that hired Joe Thomas who put us in purgatory. Along with several coaches before Walsh? Hiring the right coach and GM is a little like the draft, sometimes you need a little luck.

How long did Joe Thomas last? Two years? Eddie D wasn't patient, and didn't care about eating contracts. We would not have had an 8 year no play-off span with Eddie in charge, he would have turned over management and coaching quickly until the right people were in place. Eddie was the best owner ever in the history of professional sports. (Ok, maybe I am a little biased)

Eddie didn't mind eating contracts because his heyday was pre salary cap. Look what happened to the team once Carmen Policy was finished finagling contracts. The team was in cap hell for years.

I was talking about eating coaching and front office position contracts that aren't tied to the cap.

No. Everything would have changed. Debartolo would have punched Mariucci in the nads several times and let that Italian aggressiveness flow naturally through his veins. As a result our play calling would have have flourished and Garcia and Owens would have taken us to our 6th super bowl.

Eddie wanted to win worse than anyone , and when Alex left too many points on the field after a few games, Eddie would go find "his QB" to run the 49ers offense "the 49ers way"

just my 2 cents

Not even going to answer this question since Mooch might not have been fired (altho he might have). Erickson, Nolan, and Sing NEVER would have been hired and the Niners would likely not have even gotten the pick to draft Alex because as I said before, Erickson would never have been hired.

He and Nolan would not have lasted more than one season.

hell no. Then again, Eddie D wouldn't have allowed all the coaching b******t that went on here.

Originally posted by Marvin49:
Not even going to answer this question since Mooch might not have been fired (altho he might have). Erickson, Nolan, and Sing NEVER would have been hired and the Niners would likely not have even gotten the pick to draft Alex because as I said before, Erickson would never have been hired.

This. If you got anything from the video about Eddie D. he got on the coaches more than the players. He yelled at Walsh.

Na cause Manning or Brees would be on this team.

Eddie would also Fire or YELL at roman to get his head out his ass

Originally posted by Axl49:
Na cause Manning or Brees would be on this team.

I agree. I could see him going after Brees, and he woud have flourished in a WC system.

Damn

- Would have NEVER been drafted IMO -

I state that for several reasons... I'll start with my MAIN thought process, and end it there.
The San Francisco 49ers, under "Eddie D", and whom ever was in charge of the team, would
have Never, Eva' Eva' Ever, been a position to have the Number 1 Overall pick of the NFL
draft in 2005

Just my .02¢