Time to Retool – 2015 Outlook

Kaep is gonna have to take a pay cut if we keep him. If not good luck in FA with this dysmal year as your resume. No trying to be a dick but its good business sense. The FO had leverage on him and they can free up more cap space.

Originally posted by Paul_Hofer:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by dompernick53:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by dompernick53:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Phoenix49ers:

Originally posted by NCommand:
It depends on what direction the new HC/OC wants to go. Davis hasn't been healthy all year, is still way out of shape and continues to struggle against speed rushers. Typically as LT's get older (this was Staley's worst year yet), it's easier to move them over to RT to face the 2nd best pass rushers. Boone is young and he's always wanted to play T and LT is his natural spot. I'd expect some tweaks like this for next year. And I agree, you've got some young guards including potentially moving Davis inside to pull and block out which may play better to his strengths. But you have a potential interior already Thomas, Martin, Davis/Boone, Dillion/Kilgore, etc. Will the new HC/OC go power or zone blocking or both?

I absolutely your last paragraph!

Call me nuts but I think that Davis could probably do so much better at guard....that's the position he originally played in college and doing so would largely negate his issues with speed rushers.

I've always thought that as well...and that Boone would be best served at LT and Saley at RT but does this coaching staff EVER make a change...it's like their game plans. j/k

Same here. Davis loves to get after it in the run game and would look real nice at a guard spot. If I was the line coach, my starting line next year would be Staley (I think he is just having an off year), M. Martin, Kilgore, Davis, Boone.

It's not bad at all right there. You now have experienced backups too in Looney, Dillon, etc. to START. We may be drafting a high G or T this year as well. We need high picks here b/c I don't know if we have anyone who can coach them (at the moment).

We shouldn't forget about Brandon Thomas either. I remember during the draft all the analysts were raving how he did such a tremendous job against Clowney. Definitely might have something in him as well.

Definetely...I listed that we have a lot of young (or very young) up-and-coming talent for sure to work with in Colin Kaepernick, Blaine Gabbert, Carlos Hyde, Derek Carrier,Vance McDonald, Bruce Miller, Trey Millard, Bruce Ellington, Stevie Johnson, Quinton Patton, Luke Marquardt, Brandon Thomas, Joe Looney, Dillon Farrell, Marcus Martin,Daniel Kilgore, etc.

Luke is another intriguing guy with ideal size and strength at T. He was going to be the Jonathan Martin before we acquired him but he's had some really bad luck wiping out his season the past 2 years now.

I think A. Davis would take the move to guard as a demotion, which it is. If he sulks with the guy promoted over him to his right, the OL might suck regardless. Trading Davis seems the wiser way to go.

If he is moved to the bench than that is a demotion. And he is still collecting his Tackle paycheck so I'm not sure why he would care. You go up to Ant Davis, tell him you need him to move to guard and he either buys in to it or if he does not then you ship him out.

Originally posted by dompernick53:

Originally posted by jeffjtk123:
Getting rid if Harbaugh is a mistake IMO. It's been one bad season. Let's throw away what we have over one bad season.

I think it is too but we are put in a position where we have no choice because if he sticks around for another year without an extension we are gonna deal with this distraction all over again about the conflicts between Harbaugh and management and Harbaugh jumping ship at seasons end. Who wants to work in an environment like that let alone be successful with constant turmoil being reported?

Soooo....why can't we reward him with a contract extension and give him more responsibility as well?

Originally posted by NinerGM:

Originally posted by CorvaNinerFan:
Baalke will be ready to make the changes needed...let's say he works a deal to trade Harbaugh to the Raiders for picks...that only strengthens his hand for the draft and/or other trades. If we finish 7-9 as I think we will, we'll be likely be drafting somewhere near the middle of the pack. Armed with potentially double-digit picks, Baalke could really make some serious headway given his penchant for wheeling & dealing. Off the top, I'd think he'd be looking for OL, WR, DL, DB's, TE, RB, pass rusher(s), QB. To that end, here are some players I think won't or may not be on the roster next year:

- Brooks. Think his fate is pretty well sealed, especially w/emergence of Lynch.
- Lemonier. Big disappointment.
- Crabtree. He's looking for big money...it won't happen in SF.
- Iupati. Another disappointment. Big Mike's had a dismal season.
- Jonathan Martin. A little tough to fairly evaluate him, given he was forced into more starting roles than anyone anticipated. Still, Baalke can do better.
- Boone. Not an impressive partial season...I think Marcus Martin & Brandon Thomas are better options.
- Celek. Baalke needs to revamp the TE position...Celek hasn't done enough to warrant keeping. Trey Millard/Cleveland should provide an upgrade.
- Dahl. Good ST's guy, but not a player you'd want to rely on at S.
- Lloyd. Grossly underused...but his age = release.
- Ian Williams. Dorsey will be back, along w/Dial.
- Cook. Another guy hardly used. With Reaser & Acker coming back, don't see where Cook would fit.
- Boldin. By his standards, definitely a disappointing season. Could stay one more year, particularly w/Crabtree likely leaving.
- Gore. Possible he could stay with a team-friendly contract, but Hyde should become the #1 guy. Hope to see Gaskins get a shot, as well.
- Alfonso Smith. Not much activity to go on...experience and ST value, but probably a goner.
- Ray Mac. Believe his cap numbers accelerate...a restructure might keep him around, especially if Justin decides to pack it in.
- Josh Johnson. I'd like to see him get some action...we really haven't seen what he can do. I'd keep him over Gabbert.

Awesome post.

Really solid post man!

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:
Great opening post as usual NC. For my money howver, and assuming jed does the right thing and fires harbaugh, and roman, then I think the new OC/HC should have his pick on who he wants his qb to be. Frankly for the money, we are getting a bad deal. Unlike you, I see just potential in kap, but don't think he will ever make it. Oh, he can be a hanger on, but never anything to write home about. With that kind of feeling, I think we are getting taken, if we pay kap his due. I would love to see him anywhere...but here. If it were just a few games, no problem . But it is 2 yrs of backsliding, his running has been figured out by Ds, and with out that kap has nothing. He is el floppo at pocket passing. Wish would have taken note on Carr's performance, but honestly, I just don't think he has his heart in it. The kid is an ideal model and he should pursue what he is good at. QBing in the pros is not one of the things is excels at. Matter of fact he has been on downhill trajectory for 2 yrs. And recently, it really accelerated. Hard for me to believe you want to see more of that again. I don't believe he is coachable, in that he isn't all football all the time. All potential, no performance. We would be lucky to have someone else want him and I would hope he leaves with jH. To have jH, roman and kap all back would put me off the 9rs until all 3 are gone. That is how bad I think they all are. And kaps football knowledge? I am not impressed. Can't read Ds, can't throw short consistently, can't hit 20-30 yarders and the joke is his heave of 60 yds and a prayer.

NC, much as I repect your football knowledge, here we have to part ways. I just dont' see it in kap, and paying him any kind of big money is a double waste. We'll see how this all shakes out, but jH and romn have to go and a new HC/OC isn't going to put up with a juvenile like kap. Sorry amigo. Prob;lem wth kap is he is still stuck at age 17-18 and will never be a leader of men. Maybe a follower, but never a leader. You have to love the game to the exclusion of all else, and kap's heart lies in looking good, being a child on inteviews, wearing good looking BOSE headphones and some kind of fancy dark glasses...at an interview no less. Nope NC, there is no there, there. Adios kap and it wasn't fun. It was painful. Hope you find your niche in life. It obviously isn't football. You ever see kap and the qB coach or HC looking at film on the sideline. BUt you can find kap easy enough with his hat at a stupid 17 old's angle. What a lite weight. ...but lots of potential. Super, let someone else have him.

Hey, no worries at all. I'm certainly not for or even against CK at this juncture...he has an "incomplete" grade for me b/c of all the mayhem that's gone on around him and how badly the entire offense regressed (and he's contributed to it as well). I think I'll continue to reserve judgement while still playing devil's advocate until I see a competent offensive system installed here and a chess-playing OC that can use Ck and the rest of the weapons to the best of our abilities. If CK is still stinking it up in a couple years, then, it will be very obvious by then.

The thing with CK is we have film that proves he CAN play at a high level...he's been clutch for the most part (minus Seattle), etc. That's the encouraging news. Now he just needs to be coached up well, refined and learn to be more consistent. And again, all we really need is an "average" offense. That's it!

Originally posted by DeUh:

Originally posted by CorvaNinerFan:
- Cook. Another guy hardly used. With Reaser & Acker coming back, don't see where Cook would fit.

Total beast on ST.

Even though he is on IR for a couple of weeks now, statistically he is still our best special teamer.

I hope Baalke re-signs him to a one year deal to compete for a spot on the 53 next season.

Same here. And he was playing well on the field also.

Originally posted by dompernick53:

Originally posted by NinerGM:
Very good player playing alone for most of the season WITHOUT Aldon on the other side...... I like great as a prospect for next season. And FYI Kevan Barlow lost his spot because another great rook took it from him.... Gore.

Maybe no Aldon but he had Cowboy playing with him who happens to be responsible for a portion of Aldon Smith's success. I definitely agree though that Lynch certainly has the potential to develop into something great but I stick by my words that as of right now he is a very good player. And Gore did eventually take Barlow's spot but I recall it was Barlow's propensity to dance that really cost him his spot. Had he learned to hit the hole more we would of probably had a very nice tandem of RBs in our backfield and it might have been a few years before Gore took over as the bell cow back.

https://vine.co/v/OnAZJxMb1ih

--- 3Q'14 Review ---

The Current 53:
Offense: (Active/Non-Football Injury & Active/Physically Unable To Perform & Reserve/Did Not Report & Injured Reserve List/Suspension)
QB: Colin Kaepernick; Blaine Gabbert & Josh Johnson
RB: Frank Gore; Carlos Hyde & Alfonso Smith (Kendall Hunter)
H-Back: Derek Carrier
TE: Vernon Davis; Garrett Celek & Vance McDonald
FB: Bruce Miller; Trey Millard
X: Anquan Boldin; Brandon Lloyd & Bruce Ellington (Chuck Jacobs)
Y (SLOT): Quinton Patton; Stevie Johnson
Z: Michael Crabtree; Kassim Osgood
LOT: Joe Staley (Luke Marquardt)
ROT: Jonathan Martin; Anthony Davis (Fou Fonoti)
LG: Mike Iupati; Brandon Thomas
RG: Alex Boone; Joe Looney
C: Marcus Martin; Dillon Farrell (Daniel Kilgore)

Overall: It's pretty remarkable when you go down this (current) starting list and note that, literally, every single player save for Miller has regressed from last year (even Boldin to a lesser degree). Every one. Kevin Lynch highlighted the unfortunate disaster the OL has been with the same starting lineup rarely playing together. We lost our starting C and may lose Martin for a bit. The positive is that it's a collective fail which typically lends one to believe "talent" has not dropped off but something bigger, more systematic. Other good news is that our 20-year old C in M.Martin is learning a ton in year one AS a starter. I have a feeling the new HC/OC is going to see some talent here and Baalke is going to add some additional pieces in the off season. Guys like CK, Hyde, Kilgore, M.Martin, Thomas, Carrier, Ellington, Johnson, Miller, Millard, Marquardt, Patton, McDonald, etc. are all possible building blocks for a younger, more diverse offense going forward under a better offensive scheme/philosophy, coaching and development.

Defense:
RDE: Justin Smith; Tank Carradine
LDE: Ray McDonald; Tony Jerrod-Eddie & Kaleb Ramsey
NT: Quinton Dial; (Ian Williams & Glenn Dorsey)
WILL: Aldon Smith; Dan Skuta & Corey Lemonier
SAM: Ahmad Brooks; Aaron Lynch & Chase Thomas
MIKE: Chris Borland; Nick Moody (Patrick Willis)
TED: Michael Wilhoite; Shayne Skov (Navarro Bowman)
RCB: Chris Culliver; Leon McFadden & Keith Reaser
LCB: Perrish Cox; Tramaine Brock (Chris Cook & Kenneth Acker)
SLOT/NICKLE: Dontae Johnson (Jimmie Ward)
FS: Eric Reid; Craig Dahl & Bubba Ventrone
SS: Antoine Bethea; L.J. McCray

Overall: What more needs to be said? This defense has kept us in every game minus one this year and is STILL ranked #3 in the NFL and 10th in points (a FG average away from being #1). They did this w/o the chemistry of Whitner, Brown and Rogers. And then they did it without Aldon, Bowman and Willis. And then they did it without Williams and Dorsey. And then they did it without Brock and Ward. And now they'll probably do it without Culliver for a while. Hell, Leon McFadden was starting for us last game! Amazing! Even if Ward doesn't pan out as the slot CB we had hoped while he transitions into the future FS role, Dontae Johnson has been playing very well there and he's a 6'2" CB with long arms and who can matchup against Bennett and the other big/tall TE's from the slot. Culliver and Cox have played very well this year and we found two ST aces in Cook and McCray. Speaking of McCray, Fangio loves this kid...as a SS! So stay tuned. Soon we'll be looking to add Reaser, Acker and Ramsey into the mix as well. You have to tip your hat to both Borland and Wilhoite for excellent years overall. Tank and Dial are starting to get more and more acclimated as well. Lynch has been special and this group will only get younger going forward. Cap wise, this is a very friendly group and many of the bigger names will either restrcuture or move on next year, saving the team even more money. This is a very special group under Fangio/Donatell and company.

Special Teams:
LS: Kyle Nelson
PK: Phil Dawson
P: Andy Lee
PR/KOR: Bruce Ellington; Perrish Cox & Carlos Hyde

Overall: Nothing outstanding here for either Dawson or Lee as our expectations are always high for them but they were challenged this year in a ne stadium. Bruce Ellington seems to bring a bit of a spark and I would imagine he'll grow in confidence next year even more. Coverage units have been solid. And coaching seems "meh" as usual.

Practice Squad:
OT Chris Martin
OG Andrew Tiller
TE Xavier Grimble
TE Asante Cleveland
WR Lance Lewis
RB Kendall Gaskins
NT Mike Purcell
DE Lawrence Okoye
OLB Shane Skov
CB Chance Casey

Overall: We shouldn't ignore this group as we always develop some gems from here. Who will it be going forward?

^^ Nice post. The Team made a few roster changes over the last two weeks. I've sent you a PM.

Updated! Thanks, as always DeUh. For fun, he tipped me off to this.

Here would be our I.R./Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform & Practice Squad team. Pretty darn good huh?

Offense:
QB: ?
RB: Kendall Hunter & Kendall Gaskins
FB: Trey Millard
H-Back: Derek Carrier
TE: Vance McDonald
WR1: Lance Lewis
WR2: Chuck Jacobs
OT: Chris Martin
OG: Brandon Thomas
C: Daniel Kilgore
OG: Fou Fonoti
OT: Luke Marquardt

Defense:
DE: Lawrence Okoye & Mike Purcell (NT)
NT: Glenn Dorsey & Ian Williams
DE: Kaleb Ramsey
ILB: Patrick Willis
ILB: NaVorro Bowman
SAM: Shayne Skov
WILL: Chase Thomas
CB: Kenneth Acker
Slot CB: Jimmie Ward
CB: Chris Cook & Chance Casey
Nickle CB: Keith Reaser

Originally posted by NCommand:
--- 3Q'14 Review ---

The Current 53:
Offense: (Active/Non-Football Injury & Active/Physically Unable To Perform & Reserve/Did Not Report & Injured Reserve List/Suspension)
QB: Colin Kaepernick; Blaine Gabbert & Josh Johnson
RB: Frank Gore; Carlos Hyde & Alfonso Smith (Kendall Hunter)
H-Back: Derek Carrier
TE: Vernon Davis; Garrett Celek & Vance McDonald
FB: Bruce Miller; Trey Millard
X: Anquan Boldin; Brandon Lloyd & Bruce Ellington (Chuck Jacobs)
Y (SLOT): Quinton Patton; Stevie Johnson
Z: Michael Crabtree; Kassim Osgood
LOT: Joe Staley (Luke Marquardt)
ROT: Jonathan Martin; Anthony Davis (Fou Fonoti)
LG: Mike Iupati; Brandon Thomas
RG: Alex Boone; Joe Looney
C: Marcus Martin; Dillon Farrell (Daniel Kilgore)

Overall: It's pretty remarkable when you go down this (current) starting list and note that, literally, every single player save for Miller has regressed from last year (even Boldin to a lesser degree). Every one. Kevin Lynch highlighted the unfortunate disaster the OL has been with the same starting lineup rarely playing together. We lost our starting C and may lose Martin for a bit. The positive is that it's a collective fail which typically lends one to believe "talent" has not dropped off but something bigger, more systematic. Other good news is that our 20-year old C in M.Martin is learning a ton in year one AS a starter. I have a feeling the new HC/OC is going to see some talent here and Baalke is going to add some additional pieces in the off season. Guys like CK, Hyde, Kilgore, M.Martin, Thomas, Carrier, Ellington, Johnson, Miller, Millard, Marquardt, Patton, McDonald, etc. are all possible building blocks for a younger, more diverse offense going forward under a better offensive scheme/philosophy, coaching and development.

Defense:
RDE: Justin Smith; Tank Carradine
LDE: Ray McDonald; Tony Jerrod-Eddie & Kaleb Ramsey
NT: Quinton Dial; (Ian Williams & Glenn Dorsey)
WILL: Aldon Smith; Dan Skuta & Corey Lemonier
SAM: Ahmad Brooks; Aaron Lynch & Chase Thomas
MIKE: Chris Borland; Nick Moody (Patrick Willis)
TED: Michael Wilhoite; Shayne Skov (Navarro Bowman)
RCB: Chris Culliver; Leon McFadden & Keith Reaser
LCB: Perrish Cox; Tramaine Brock (Chris Cook & Kenneth Acker)
SLOT/NICKLE: Dontae Johnson (Jimmie Ward)
FS: Eric Reid; Craig Dahl & Bubba Ventrone
SS: Antoine Bethea; L.J. McCray

Overall: What more needs to be said? This defense has kept us in every game minus one this year and is STILL ranked #3 in the NFL and 10th in points (a FG average away from being #1). They did this w/o the chemistry of Whitner, Brown and Rogers. And then they did it without Aldon, Bowman and Willis. And then they did it without Williams and Dorsey. And then they did it without Brock and Ward. And now they'll probably do it without Culliver for a while. Hell, Leon McFadden was starting for us last game! Amazing! Even if Ward doesn't pan out as the slot CB we had hoped while he transitions into the future FS role, Dontae Johnson has been playing very well there and he's a 6'2" CB with long arms and who can matchup against Bennett and the other big/tall TE's from the slot. Culliver and Cox have played very well this year and we found two ST aces in Cook and McCray. Speaking of McCray, Fangio loves this kid...as a SS! So stay tuned. Soon we'll be looking to add Reaser, Acker and Ramsey into the mix as well. You have to tip your hat to both Borland and Wilhoite for excellent years overall. Tank and Dial are starting to get more and more acclimated as well. Lynch has been special and this group will only get younger going forward. Cap wise, this is a very friendly group and many of the bigger names will either restrcuture or move on next year, saving the team even more money. This is a very special group under Fangio/Donatell and company.

Special Teams:
LS: Kyle Nelson
PK: Phil Dawson
P: Andy Lee
PR/KOR: Bruce Ellington; Perrish Cox & Carlos Hyde

Overall: Nothing outstanding here for either Dawson or Lee as our expectations are always high for them but they were challenged this year in a ne stadium. Bruce Ellington seems to bring a bit of a spark and I would imagine he'll grow in confidence next year even more. Coverage units have been solid. And coaching seems "meh" as usual.

Practice Squad:
OT Chris Martin
OG Andrew Tiller
TE Xavier Grimble
TE Asante Cleveland
WR Lance Lewis
RB Kendall Gaskins
NT Mike Purcell
DE Lawrence Okoye
OLB Shane Skov
CB Chance Casey

Overall: We shouldn't ignore this group as we always develop some gems from here. Who will it be going forward?

Skov is still on our practice squad? I kind of lost him in our transactions this year.

Originally posted by LifelongNiner:
Skov is still on our practice squad? I kind of lost him in our transactions this year.

Yes.


Practice Squad

RB: Kendall Gaskins
WR: Lance Lewis
OT: Chris Martin
DT: Mike Purcel
DE: Lawrence Okoye
ILB: Shayne Skov
OLB: Chase Thomas
CB: Chance Casey




Here is our complete roster Updated Dec 13, 2014 http://www.49erswebzone.com/forum/niners/177313-2014-team-needs-updates/page53/#post789

Great job & lists as usual. Going to be some very interesting decisions this off-season

Originally posted by NinerGM:
NCommand

It's clear to me that there's more than enough talent on this team to make a difference, and actually contend for a world championship. The issue is coaching IMHO. We have to make the right fit and get someone who can challenge and EVOLVE over time.

There's nothing "world" about the superbowl. I don't know if you0ve ever been abroad, but but the only "world championship" is the "world cup" because not many people care about the NFL except U.S., Canada and a few "chaps" in london.

I'm sorry, but the whole world champions, world series, world bla bla.... It's the damn superbowl.

Other than that yes we have enough talent, but we have the right coaches too. We would be 10-3 or 9-4 if we had a capable QB.

Originally posted by NinerGM:
NCommand

It's clear to me that there's more than enough talent on this team to make a difference, and actually contend for a world championship. The issue is coaching IMHO. We have to make the right fit and get someone who can challenge and EVOLVE over time.

No question about it anymore. After 9 months to come up with a game plan for Seattle, that may have been the worst one I have ever seen. And this is why there is no doubt HaRoman will be gone... their college offense has stalled out and they have zero ability to counter and adjust to DC's today.