Why does Baalke seem get a free pass from serious criticism?

because this http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/125361/inside-slant-building-with-your-own-draft-picks

Originally posted by 16to87:
because this http://espn.go.com/blog/nflnation/post/_/id/125361/inside-slant-building-with-your-own-draft-picks

Yup...2nd with 30 home grown picks and only a few left that need to be signed to LT contracts. We also have what I call, an internal "farm system" of developing players that are expected to make big leaps the 2nd or 3rd years and that can't be ignored. The pipeline list of players THIS year is enormous.

The top six teams on that list are the Packers, Niners, Falcons, Ravens, Bengals and Patriots. All of these teams are usually contenders. Personally, I think the premise of this thread is 180 degrees off base. I think Baalke gets MORE than his fair share of serious criticism around here. I'm not sure where anyone would even get the idea that Baalke gets a free pass from criticism.

Because he is a top 5 GM and top 5 scout all wrapped in one package. Baalke is the man.

Im in the camp that would keep baalke over harbaugh in a heart beat.

But no, he does not get a free pass. no one does around here.

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:
Because he is a top 5 GM and top 5 scout all wrapped in one package. Baalke is the man.

Im in the camp that would keep baalke over harbaugh in a heart beat.

But no, he does not get a free pass. no one does around here.

I can't go there with you. I think Baalke is a great GM, but I think Harbaugh is an even greater Head Coach. Neither of them are going anywhere. They're here to bring home championships again and I don't think either of them are going anywhere voluntarily until they've done that more than once.

Originally posted by midrdan:

Originally posted by crake49:

Originally posted by midrdan:
For those that grade Baalke as an "A" or "B+" GM ... I don't see it. The guy has been in charge of four drafts (2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013). If you're giving him an A in 2010, 2011, and 2013, his 2012 has to be considered a D. And I'm not ready to give him an A for 2013 (before we anoint Carradine and Lattimore, let's see them actually play a down in the NFL) and he squandered a 2nd rounder in 2010 (Mays). 2011 was a "great" draft - I say this cautiously not because of certain picks' off field troubles but because: (1) Kap needs to fix some major issues before he can be considered a franchise QB; (2) Culliver got destroyed in the SB and was injured all last year; and (3) Hunter was not good enough of a pick to prevent Baalke from using a 2nd rounder in 2012 and a 4th rounder in 2013 on the same position where we already have Gore. Baalke's draft grade averages out to a C+/B- in my opinion.

I have a few fundamental problems with this post, the most basic being that the team has been a contender now for three straight years and you don't get that without a good combination of front office, coaching and good players. But please don't blame Baalke for Taylor Mays. I've read more than a couple sources saying that Baalke wanted to draft Kam Chancellor and it was Singletary who held out for Taylor Mays. Taylor Mays is all Singletary's fault.

If I'm going to credit Baalke for Kap, then I am going to blame him for Mays. Or is Kap Harbaugh's pick, because I've read more than a couple sources indicating Baalke wanted Andy Dalton and Harbaugh overrode him. Baalke gets credit for listening to his coaches when the coaches want good players but avoids blame when they want bad players? If you're the GM you don't waste a 2nd round pick to placate a coach, especially when the player is garbage.

Yes the team has been a contender for three years now. 1.5 of those years was with Alex Smith - not a Baalke pick. Crabtree - not Baalke. Willis - not Baalke. Justin Smith - not Baalke. Joe Staley - not Baalke. Vernon Davis - not Baalke. Frank Gore - not Baalke. Goldson - not Baalke. Ahmad Brooks - not Baalke. Ray McDonald - not Baalke.

Name one offensive playmaker that Baalke has drafted that makes a significant contribution to our team.

From wiki..... He was first hired by the 49ers in 2005 as their Western Region Scout, and three years later was promoted to Director of Player Personnel, a position largely responsible for overseeing the team's college scouting operations. Baalke was chosen to lead the 49ers in the 2010 NFL Draft in place of McCloughan, and a month later was given the title of Vice President of Player Personnel.


How do you know Baalke did not have a hand in our drafting some of those players? He has been a scout and has had a heavy hand in scouting every draft we have had since he got here. His success previous to his GM promotion is the reason he got the promotion. He has been a scout for the team since the very start of our rebuild...

Originally posted by crake49:

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:
Because he is a top 5 GM and top 5 scout all wrapped in one package. Baalke is the man.

Im in the camp that would keep baalke over harbaugh in a heart beat.

But no, he does not get a free pass. no one does around here.

I can't go there with you. I think Baalke is a great GM, but I think Harbaugh is an even greater Head Coach. Neither of them are going anywhere. They're here to bring home championships again and I don't think either of them are going anywhere voluntarily until they've done that more than once.

Oh i agree. But if push came to shove... i would take baalke. Harbaugh is a great players coach, but he is not without his faults.

I personally think baalke is the best GM in the league. While i think harbs is a top 5 coach, i dont think he is the best.

Originally posted by crake49:
The top six teams on that list are the Packers, Niners, Falcons, Ravens, Bengals and Patriots. All of these teams are usually contenders. Personally, I think the premise of this thread is 180 degrees off base. I think Baalke gets MORE than his fair share of serious criticism around here. I'm not sure where anyone would even get the idea that Baalke gets a free pass from criticism.

Agree.

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:
Oh i agree. But if push came to shove... i would take baalke. Harbaugh is a great players coach, but he is not without his faults.

I personally think baalke is the best GM in the league. While i think harbs is a top 5 coach, i dont think he is the best.

It's arguable. I think teams need a great GM, a great Head Coach and a great franchise QB to have an extended period of contention.

Originally posted by crake49:

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:
Oh i agree. But if push came to shove... i would take baalke. Harbaugh is a great players coach, but he is not without his faults.

I personally think baalke is the best GM in the league. While i think harbs is a top 5 coach, i dont think he is the best.

It's arguable. I think teams need a great GM, a great Head Coach and a great franchise QB to have an extended period of contention.

Fo sho. You need all 3. Losing any one of them before retirement would be absolutely unacceptable.

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:

Oh i agree. But if push came to shove... i would take baalke. Harbaugh is a great players coach, but he is not without his faults.

I personally think baalke is the best GM in the league. While i think harbs is a top 5 coach, i dont think he is the best.

I want to keep both of them---long term.

I guess the rift between Harbaugh and Baalke is not just a fabrication created by media.

At times, the posters here in this forum seem to creating rifts.

Is there really a push come to shove or is that just poster generated hype?

Of course, we can create these rifts, because we do know with exactitude who picked whom in the draft.

Pretending you know things is great fun!

Originally posted by buck:

Originally posted by IdahoNiner:
Oh i agree. But if push came to shove... i would take baalke. Harbaugh is a great players coach, but he is not without his faults.

I personally think baalke is the best GM in the league. While i think harbs is a top 5 coach, i dont think he is the best.

I want to keep both of them---long term.

I guess the rift between Harbaugh and Baalke is not just a fabrication created by media.

At times, the posters here in this forum seem to creating rifts.

Is there really a push come to shove or is that just poster generated hype?

Of course, we can create these rifts, because we do know with exactitude who picked whom in the draft.

I want to make it clear, im not advocating getting rid of either, and i never bought into the rift. I love both guys, and anytime you have two guys with egos the size of harbs and baalke there is going to be some head butts, but they are both mature adults that should be able to and have put their disagreements behind them.

The push comes to shove comment is all hypothetical on my end. Purely a statement based in fantasy.

If i had my choice i keep both around for the long haul. Just stating that if we were forced to choose one i would choose Baalke.

I dont think Harbs could be as successful if he had full control. He is too influenced by emotion. He needs a guy like baalke to reign in that emotion for tough executive decisions.

Baalke on the other hand i feel could be a successful GM with a different head coach.

Back to NC, players in the pipeline may all be starters or very close in some cases. 30 (THIRTY) homegrown guys, on a team in 3 consecutive NFCCs and 1 SB,with one NFCC win...and with 2 very different QBs. Whether we win it this yr or not, we will be right there. Keep that up long enough, and eventually you win in a league made very difficult to repeat due to cap parity of the 5-10 elite teams.

As for keeping trent over jim, no vote. We need both. But Coach H has rocks in his head when he keeps on that bumbling OC that as he says personally, "Is learning as he goes" We have to have an OC better than that. Specifically, we have to have a hotshot OC. Either that or have JH, former NFL QB for 14 yrs call the plays and let roman work on scouting...or anything but game plans and playcalling. The QB gripes and defiecencies, lay 'em all at the feet of greg. If kap needs work somewhere then work on it (JH's fault here too). Then work on his strengths in playcalling. Unfortunately, roman is not capable of either, and without that we can't win the biggest game. I don't know what it takes to get JH to get rid of him, but until then, we are just handicapped like all other teams with weak or lousy OCs. Montana was great, but his OCs were also. It was a perfect fit. Right now kap is out there with krap for an OC. Ugh.

I don't think that Baalke deserves criticism at any level right now. I think he is doing the best he can with what he has available. I see a ton of draft capital to support a very talented roster. I see a team that went from sub-par to one of the top 3 in the league since 2011.

We have a ton of options in the 2014 draft and I do not doubt for a second that a package is put together where we get 3 players out of the draft that contribute this season.