Originally posted by kem99:
First, if you have to spend the first half of your thread explaining how it isn't the same as other threads...it is probably pretty close to being the same thread...but that aside...
Second, the main basis for your thread is that 49ers could not get anything out of Jenkins, Baldwin or Lockette. This seems like ground that has been covered A LOT but did I miss something where someone else had gotten much out of these 3. Baldwin has some history in KC but fell so out of favor in a matter of months with Andy Reid that they traded him for Jenkins straight-up. Think about that given what you and all 49er fans know of Jenkins' struggles since being drafted. I believe since the trade, Jenkins has 5 catches and Baldwin has 3 catches, hardly a significant difference given the small sample size and the fact the Chiefs have been having more injuries to their skill players while the 49ers have been getting healthier since the trade. Moreover, can you really judge Baldwin given that he came over in the middle of the season, had to learn a new system and develop a rapport with Kaep on the fly where its been shown, to date, that it can take a while for Kaep to get comfortable with a new receiver, especially a younger receiver.
As for Lockette, like Baldwin, he has all the "combine" numbers -- size, speed, etc., yet didn't put up big numbers in college, has been largely relegated to being on a team's practice squad and has bounced back and forth from the Seahawks to the 49ers to the Bears (I think) and back to the Seahawks...without making an significant impact anywhere. His natural athletic ability has got him a NFL "career" but you can't criticize the 49ers for not developing him when no one else has shown an ability to develop him, not to mention that a host of NFL teams have failed to show any interest in him whatsoever.
As for Williams, he had shown promise as a slot receiver (recall the long pass from Kaep in the Bears game on Monday night last year) but obviously it didn't work out this year. Given the loss of Crabtree in May and Williams returning as the next most experienced receiver in the system and his having had some prior success, it makes sense that the 49ers gave him a good amount of time before cutting the cord. Interestingly enough, Williams was immediately picked up by the Chiefs and was on their active roster before blowing out his knee again, so apparently Andy Reid at least thought there was something there.
The Gordon stuff has been pretty well hashed over. Obviously, Gordon has been putting up monster numbers lately and there is absolutely no correlation that could be made to show that he would be putting up those same sorts of numbers here. He'd be coming over even later in the season than Baldwin and have to learn the system on the fly, which is a totally different system that Norv Turner's numbers based system. And, there's still the issue that with 1 slip-up, Gordon could be gone for a year and he's had an issue every year since his junior year in college, including this year when he was suspended to start the season. And, that's assuming that the Browns really wanted to trade him, which is questionable given that Gordon appears to be very talented yet no team in the NFL managed to trade for him, including the 49ers. Even if you don't have a lot of faith in the 49ers with WR's, look at how the rest of the league acted with respect to Gordon and it tells you all you need to know about his red flags.
With that in mind, I'm still waiting for someone to name for me the last WR that was traded at the trade deadline that made a significant immediate impact along the lines some seem to think Gordon would have made. The fact there hasn't been one should tell you something as well.
And, the last thing you want the 49ers to do is to listen to the Webzone and make moves based on what is said here! lol
The real issue here is that Crabtree got hurt in May and the 49ers missed on Jenkins. If Crabtree doesn't get hurt, there such an immediate problem and Jenkins and Williams might even still be on the team as 3rd or 4th receivers.
If you want to criticize the 49ers as to WR's, you can make a much better case that perhaps they have not placed a high enough priority on WR as a position, so they passed on Jeffrey, Allen and perhaps others to fill other needs. That's a fair criticism and obviously something that they will likely address in the up coming draft/off-season.
Oh, and by the way, since you mentioned Vincent Jackson as an example of the Chargers developing WR's, do you know how many catches he had his first year after being a 2nd round pick? Three. Yep, that's it, 3 and he played in only 8 games. If that occurred here, you'd be calling him a bust. The second year he had 27, though 6 were for TD's. In his third year, he had 41 catches but his TD's dropped to 3. It wasn't until his 4th year that he truly blossomed and became a #1 receiver with over 1,000 yards and 7 TDs. It took some time, as it did for Crabtree to fully develop. Those on the Webzone bashing the 49ers regarding developing WR's might want to remember that.
