Solution(s) to losing Crabs

Originally posted by bzborow1:
The immediate future doesn't look very promising as far as the WR's. With Crabtree scheduled to be back later in the season and the 49ers lack of salary cap space I would venture any WR's of significance that might be available won't be feasible on the management side of things. This leaves two scenarios, neither of which are appealing: (1) Maintaining the status quo and hoping for someone to step up out of the Patton, Jenkins, Williams, Manningham group; and (2) searching for a player who might excel in a very specific role in FA. My suspicion is that management doesn't believe any FA's are available right now that would provide anything different than the guys on the roster. None of the FA's on the market comes with LESS risk than the guys the 49ers already have. This leads me to believe standing pat is the first option.

If they sign another WR I would argue that would be pretty damning to Jenkins future in the NFL. The guy was a 1st round pick and should be in there making an impact. I think we are going to struggle big time against the Seahawks this year because, without Crabtree, the 49ers won't have anybody who can gain separation from those defenders.

A lot of people are just assuming Vernon Davis is all of a sudden going to morph into something completely different. Oh, don't worry, Vernon Davis will just take up the slack. This is untrue. There is no doubt he will have to be leaned on a bit, but in the absence of a threat at wideout Vernon will see even more coverage than usual which forces him to adjust underneath, not his strong suit. If Greg Roman can keep the 49ers offense on the same track as last season, he will almost certainly have earned the right to lead his own NFL team following the season.

Well maybe our WR group doesn't have proven talent, but we have a solid team all the way around. Before Crabtree stepped up and started making play Vernon Davis was our only solid option and he still flourished with the extra attention. We still have a pick your poison scenario with our WR group. This post sounds like your assuming none of our receivers are going to do well. While we can't be sure I think the webzone as a whole has been a bit harsh on these guys. Just because they are rookies or in Jenkins case haven't played very much doesn't mean they can't contribute. All we need is a couple receivers to make a couple plays a game when we aren't running or throwing to VD or Boldin. We can also just treat Boldin as the new Crabs as far as 3rd downs.

Originally posted by jvangeystel:

Well maybe our WR group doesn't have proven talent, but we have a solid team all the way around. Before Crabtree stepped up and started making play Vernon Davis was our only solid option and he still flourished with the extra attention. We still have a pick your poison scenario with our WR group. This post sounds like your assuming none of our receivers are going to do well. While we can't be sure I think the webzone as a whole has been a bit harsh on these guys. Just because they are rookies or in Jenkins case haven't played very much doesn't mean they can't contribute. All we need is a couple receivers to make a couple plays a game when we aren't running or throwing to VD or Boldin. We can also just treat Boldin as the new Crabs as far as 3rd downs.

Yes Kaepernick only throws about 25 times a game anyway

My solution, let Jenkins, Williams, Manningham (If healthy) and Patton battle it out. It won't matter anyway Boldin or Davis will most likely be #1 and #2 reads, Gore, Hunter and James will also be there to catch passes outta the back field. The rest will be last, unless one of them really steps up.

I miss Delanie already

Vernon, Nate and Vance are all going to have big years, as will our backs.

Originally posted by WINiner:
Vernon, Nate and Vance are all going to have big years, as will our backs.

Who's Nate?

Originally posted by RedAndGold4Life:
I miss Delanie already

that makes one of you

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by RedAndGold4Life:

I miss Delanie already

that makes one of you

Surely we can find someone to drop the ball?

Originally posted by English:

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by RedAndGold4Life:
I miss Delanie already

that makes one of you

Surely we can find someone to drop the ball?

that was pretty funny. sad and true but funny.

Hey, I liked Delanie....right up to the time when he dropped the ball. And then again. And again. Sure he made some nice catches, nice moves , blocked well, but the drops, and there were many, just flat azz killed us. And many of those occurred on 3rd down, or RZ. He could be great....or he could be bad. And which Delanie showed up each game day was hard to say. If a guy is a receiver, TE or WR, or RB, and you can only count on him sometimes...then you got the wrong guy playing that position....and THAT was Delanie. Some good days, some bad. Unfortunately, in the BIG LEAGUES, that isn't good enough. Rally killer comes to mind. For all his really good days, dropping a ball that just had to be caught ....well, that wiped out his good days. I wish him well, but just not here.

As for who will pick up the Crabtree slack, I like SanDiego and Mbrock's comment. Vernon will see and catch more balls, and Vance is a guy that is going to surprise a lot of Ds, esp on 3rd down. I also agree with others that lockette, Patton and AJ all have a great shot at being very reliable receivers, and I will put in a plug for LMJ here also. For whatever reason, I am not that worried about our receivers. I think we will do just fine. Somebody will stand out, and someone probably will not do as well. The others probably fall into the middle, but I would guess virtually all of these guys end up being quality receivers. Patton seems to be a lock, and the guys am interested in are AJ and lockette. Both have talent, but can that be transferred to the NFL?. We'll know shortly.

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:
Hey, I liked Delanie....right up to the time when he dropped the ball. And then again. And again. Sure he made some nice catches, nice moves , blocked well, but the drops, and there were many, just flat azz killed us. And many of those occurred on 3rd down, or RZ. He could be great....or he could be bad. And which Delanie showed up each game day was hard to say. If a guy is a receiver, TE or WR, or RB, and you can only count on him sometimes...then you got the wrong guy playing that position....and THAT was Delanie. Some good days, some bad. Unfortunately, in the BIG LEAGUES, that isn't good enough. Rally killer comes to mind. For all his really good days, dropping a ball that just had to be caught ....well, that wiped out his good days. I wish him well, but just not here.

agree with doc. i am just very happy to see, at this point in time,, the team has not opted to sign some old has been like owens or moss or some diva like miss lloyd. i love the fact that, just like the safety position,, they will throw all of the guys and kids together in one big pot and let them duke it out! that is fun and that brings out the best in everyone

I would love to see us use James in a Sproles type of role, but I think that's a pipe dream based on the offense we run.

What surprises me most about the 9ers offense is that we never run screen plays, ever! With our line being so athletic, you would figure one or two here and there would certain slow down the pass rush a little. Never see us do it though, we hardly ever throw it to the backs period.

Gore - 28
Miller - 12
Hunter - 9
James - 3

Not sure why that's the case since Gore is a great pass catcher. Plus getting Hunter and James in space with the ball could both be deadly weapons. Looking back on the 09 and 10 seasons at Stanford though, neither Gerhart (11) or Taylor (28) caught many balls.

Unless there is a great shift in offensive philosophy, I do not think we can expect our backs to be major contributors in the pass game. The more likely scenario if Patton, Jenkins or Lockette do not emerge as a reliable deep threat opposite Boldin ( I have SUPREME confidence one will emerge, but lets talk worst case ), that we will see a large % increase in a Stanford style, 3 TE / 1 WR formation. VD would play the part of the #1 option ( Fleener ), McDonald would play the part of the Red Zone threat ( Ertz ) and Celek would be the blocking TE that catches some passes ( Reuland ). We would run a ton out of this formation, but would still be a threat with play action.

In my humble opinion though, I think AJ or Lockette emerges on the outside, Patton or Williams emerges in the slot and Boldin keeps on being the #1 option like he was in Baltimore all last year, how'd that end up for them??? Throw in VD and McDonald dominating the hashes and our passing attack will collectively put up better numbers than last year..helps my argument to have an improving Kaep firing rockets for 16 games.

Oh and then we get Manningham back at the end of the year and possibly Crabs for the playoffs.

Cant wait to see the young guys mix it up in camp. The reports have been great so far!

http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/matt-maiocco/young-receivers-seek-counsel-asomugha-boldin

Originally posted by Kolohe:
My solution, let Jenkins, Williams, Manningham (If healthy) and Patton battle it out. It won't matter anyway Boldin or Davis will most likely be #1 and #2 reads, Gore, Hunter and James will also be there to catch passes outta the back field. The rest will be last, unless one of them really steps up.

Not this year. This year the Niners stretch the field.
They didn't/couldn't do it last year because Kaepernick only came in unexpectedly and the team wasn't prepared for him. But this QB has the arm for it and you limit the teams possible repertoire if you don't take advantage of it. AJ Jenkins will step up, because he has to (Harbaugh's words). Lockette will be a fill in from time-to-time. Maybe the Moore kid also.
This year the Niners give opposing teams headaches: The read option, the running game, the short ball, the long ball. What a nightmare!

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:
Hey, I liked Delanie....right up to the time when he dropped the ball. And then again. And again. Sure he made some nice catches, nice moves , blocked well, but the drops, and there were many, just flat azz killed us. And many of those occurred on 3rd down, or RZ. He could be great....or he could be bad. And which Delanie showed up each game day was hard to say. If a guy is a receiver, TE or WR, or RB, and you can only count on him sometimes...then you got the wrong guy playing that position....and THAT was Delanie. Some good days, some bad. Unfortunately, in the BIG LEAGUES, that isn't good enough. Rally killer comes to mind. For all his really good days, dropping a ball that just had to be caught ....well, that wiped out his good days. I wish him well, but just not here.

agree with doc. i am just very happy to see, at this point in time,, the team has not opted to sign some old has been like owens or moss or some diva like miss lloyd. i love the fact that, just like the safety position,, they will throw all of the guys and kids together in one big pot and let them duke it out! that is fun and that brings out the best in everyone

Totally agree with the Delanie statement. Not sure why everyone is predicting doom and gloom by losing him. Is it really a longshot to expect our Gronk Jr =

Vance 6'4" - 267 lbs, 34.375 - Arm Length, 10.125 - Hand Size, 4.69 - Forty, 33.5 - Vert, 9'11" - Broad, 4.53 - Short Shuttle, 7.08 - 3 Cone,
31 - Reps at 225
Gronk 6'6" - 258 lbs, 34.25 - Arm Length, 10.75 - Hand Size, 4.68 - Forty, 33.5 - Vert, 9'11" - Broad, 4.47 - Short Shuttle, 7.18 - 3 Cone,
23 - Reps at 225

To put up similar numbers to what Walker did last year?

21 catches
344 yards
3TD

That's less than 2 catches and 21.5 yards per game......plus a TD every 5th game.

Im gonna go "out on a limb" and say Vance outproduces Walker's 2012 numbers in his rookie year.

Originally posted by DRUSTOPO:
I would love to see us use James in a Sproles type of role, but I think that's a pipe dream based on the offense we run.

What surprises me most about the 9ers offense is that we never run screen plays, ever! With our line being so athletic, you would figure one or two here and there would certain slow down the pass rush a little. Never see us do it though, we hardly ever throw it to the backs period.

Gore - 28
Miller - 12
Hunter - 9
James - 3

Not sure why that's the case since Gore is a great pass catcher. Plus getting Hunter and James in space with the ball could both be deadly weapons. Looking back on the 09 and 10 seasons at Stanford though, neither Gerhart (11) or Taylor (28) caught many balls.

Unless there is a great shift in offensive philosophy, I do not think we can expect our backs to be major contributors in the pass game. The more likely scenario if Patton, Jenkins or Lockette do not emerge as a reliable deep threat opposite Boldin ( I have SUPREME confidence one will emerge, but lets talk worst case ), that we will see a large % increase in a Stanford style, 3 TE / 1 WR formation. VD would play the part of the #1 option ( Fleener ), McDonald would play the part of the Red Zone threat ( Ertz ) and Celek would be the blocking TE that catches some passes ( Reuland ). We would run a ton out of this formation, but would still be a threat with play action.

In my humble opinion though, I think AJ or Lockette emerges on the outside, Patton or Williams emerges in the slot and Boldin keeps on being the #1 option like he was in Baltimore all last year, how'd that end up for them??? Throw in VD and McDonald dominating the hashes and our passing attack will collectively put up better numbers than last year..helps my argument to have an improving Kaep firing rockets for 16 games.

Oh and then we get Manningham back at the end of the year and possibly Crabs for the playoffs.

Cant wait to see the young guys mix it up in camp. The reports have been great so far!

http://www.csnbayarea.com/blog/matt-maiocco/young-receivers-seek-counsel-asomugha-boldin

Absolutely spot on! Well said/great post...totally agree.