NaVorro Bowman has retired

"Kyle Shanahan also has been impressed with Bowman's recovery. The 49ers coach watched Bowman work out early in the spring, thinking because Bowman was just six months out of surgery he'd find him taking tentative steps. Instead he watched the three-time Pro Bowl player going full bore.

"I thought it would take him some time, I didn't think he'd really be looking to himself until training camp," Shanahan said on KNBR radio early last month. "But man, when I go out there right now and watch him work, he looks a lot better than I was expecting this early. He's put the time in, he's put the work in, he didn't just start here when we got all the players here. He started way before that."

Bowman hasn't missed any of the current OTA sessions and has been lining up in his usual spot, in the middle of the defense. "I'm ecstatic to see what the season brings for NaVorro," Mikale said.

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article154303509.html#storylink=cpy

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by genus49:

40 time means chit. Bowman played faster than Davis before their injuries. This is ridiculous. Was Jerry Rice slow because of his 40 time in shorts?

It amazes me that people use 40'times for these types of conversations when we've seen these guys play in the NFL. 40 times are for draft evaluations and even then they shouldn't be taken over game film.

This.

Jarvis Landry ran like a 4.75....one of the better receivers and one of the best kick returners in football.


Football speed is not the same thing as track speed and it amazes me that people continually buy into that. Bowman has ridiculous FBIs which give him an advantage over 99% of LBs out there. Other guys might be faster but he diagnoses and reacts to plays a hell of a lot faster than most of them. That doesnt go away with injury.


He fits the role of mike linebacker well, the quarterback of the defense essentially, a physical thumper that can quickly close in on run plays but most importantly makes sure everyone else is in position which is particularly crucial when you consider how young this defense will be.


Worst case scenario he becomes a 2 down player and still excels in that role. For a team with a crapload of cap space that is still extremely valuable.

Amen!

Cut Bowman early to let a youngster (Foster) shine? Doesn't make sense. Foster is a rookie, benefits from having a mentor and is recovering from injury.
Cut Bowman to save cap space? Doesn't make sense. 49ers have a ton of cap room.
Cut Bowman cause he is done physically? Doesn't make sense. He is still recovering from injury so you don't know where he will peak.

49ers dream scenario is to have good LB depth and a solid rotation. In that scenario a guy like Bowman doesn't have to play 90% of snaps. Cutting Bowman to save a spot for (Jimmie Gilbert, Donavin Newsom?) doesn't make sense.

p.s. 9moon is not Grant Cohn. I remember 9moon posting on a different 49ers board way, way back (Alex Smith draft or earlier) and I'm guessing Grant Cohn was still in diapers then.

I'm just curious how we're going to Foster on the field as much as possible, even though we just gave M.Smith a big deal to come here.

Originally posted by Bobdawg78:

I'm just curious how we're going to Foster on the field as much as possible, even though we just gave M.Smith a big deal to come here.

The best players will play. We're spending the money whether Smith sees the field or not. If foster wins out, were not going to waste money + lose + underdevelop foster just because we signed Malcolm to a lucrative contract. Likely, Smith starts the season, and foster has a chance to win it and take over when healthy and acclimated to the NFL game and speed.

Barrows new article on Bowman
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article154303509.html

Grant Cohn is the Pérez Hilton of sports. Just sensationalizes stuff for page hits.

Originally posted by hummbabybear:

Cut Bowman early to let a youngster (Foster) shine? Doesn't make sense.

Especially because Foster is best suited to play the weakside position on defense. You don't want him fighting blockers, you want him dropping back into coverage and flying around the field to make plays.


That is why I don't buy the argument that Foster is there to replace Bowman when they both benefit from playing alongside the other. Malcolm Smith was signed as a veteran to help with installing the defense but the 49ers can get out of his contract fairly easy. He isn't a long term piece for the team by any stretch of the imagination.

It's safe to say that the LBs we signed during free agency was part of a plan just in case we couldn't land FOSTER..

Lynch was part of the Bucs' defensive rise... he remembered an aging veteran in Hardy Nickerson... a non-stop motor in Warren Sapp, and an undersized LB who led the best defense in NCAA that year in Brooks..

Lynch knew then that if he can land two players with similar trait and Bowman still manning the young D, he can have a defense that would be similar to the one he played with at Tampa Bay..

And once he can find someone like Simeon Rice to rush the passer as the defense starts to roll, then he can build the offense..

Originally posted by hummbabybear:

Barrows new article on Bowman
http://www.sacbee.com/sports/nfl/san-francisco-49ers/article154303509.html

Just love this guy. Just all heart...ShanaLynch want players who live and breathe football...this is their guy.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by genus49:

40 time means chit. Bowman played faster than Davis before their injuries. This is ridiculous. Was Jerry Rice slow because of his 40 time in shorts?

It amazes me that people use 40'times for these types of conversations when we've seen these guys play in the NFL. 40 times are for draft evaluations and even then they shouldn't be taken over game film.

This.

Jarvis Landry ran like a 4.75....one of the better receivers and one of the best kick returners in football.


Football speed is not the same thing as track speed and it amazes me that people continually buy into that. Bowman has ridiculous FBIs which give him an advantage over 99% of LBs out there. Other guys might be faster but he diagnoses and reacts to plays a hell of a lot faster than most of them. That doesnt go away with injury.


He fits the role of mike linebacker well, the quarterback of the defense essentially, a physical thumper that can quickly close in on run plays but most importantly makes sure everyone else is in position which is particularly crucial when you consider how young this defense will be.


Worst case scenario he becomes a 2 down player and still excels in that role. For a team with a crapload of cap space that is still extremely valuable.

40 times As mentioned above, we saw the ultimate example of Jerry greatly exceeding his clocked 40 time. On the flip side, manny Lawson never played to his 4.43 40 yard time.

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by hummbabybear:
Cut Bowman early to let a youngster (Foster) shine? Doesn't make sense.

Especially because Foster is best suited to play the weakside position on defense. You don't want him fighting blockers, you want him dropping back into coverage and flying around the field to make plays.

That is why I don't buy the argument that Foster is there to replace Bowman when they both benefit from playing alongside the other. Malcolm Smith was signed as a veteran to help with installing the defense but the 49ers can get out of his contract fairly easy. He isn't a long term piece for the team by any stretch of the imagination.

When we ran a similar system in the 90's the sam was the garbage guy taking on blockers to let the mike fly to the tackle...it should still be the same?

Originally posted by 9moon:
It's safe to say that the LBs we signed during free agency was part of a plan just in case we couldn't land FOSTER..

Lynch was part of the Bucs' defensive rise... he remembered an aging veteran in Hardy Nickerson... a non-stop motor in Warren Sapp, and an undersized LB who led the best defense in NCAA that year in Brooks..

Lynch knew then that if he can land two players with similar trait and Bowman still manning the young D, he can have a defense that would be similar to the one he played with at Tampa Bay..

And once he can find someone like Simeon Rice to rush the passer as the defense starts to roll, then he can build the offense..

$13 million dollar signing bonus for a LB is not a backup plan.

Originally posted by jcs:
When we ran a similar system in the 90's the sam was the garbage guy taking on blockers to let the mike fly to the tackle...it should still be the same?

The weakside linebacker is the guy who flies around all over the place, the strongside and middle linebackers handle blockers, weakside flows to the ball. Think Lee Woodall with the 49ers or Derrick Brooks in Tampa.

The middle linebacker can be used in a number of ways, they can be your chief coverage guy or they can be a thumper type but they are pretty much always your smartest, most cerebral LB, the guy who with the best natural instincts and awareness who makes sure everyone else is where they need to be up front.

Originally posted by jcs:

When we ran a similar system in the 90's the sam was the garbage guy taking on blockers to let the mike fly to the tackle...it should still be the same?

Not so much now. The SAM used to be the bigger LB...defensive FB. But now, in this defense, he's fast, athletic, can cover and Saleh wants him to rush off the edge up to 70% of the time.