49ers Offensive Line

Originally posted by GolittaCamper:
Thanks!

I'm with you on this, it isn't even close, this isn't an upgrade it's a complete overhaul!

This line more athletic, and will be more aggressive in the run game.

This line, once it gels will allow Shannahan to go deeper into his play book.

Just get ready for all the negative nancies to come out if this line struggles the first few games as it build chemistry, but be ready down the back stretch of the season when these guys get it together.

typical, people still have concerns about what was one of the worst lines in the nfl last year. people know jimmy is the entire key to our future and they get slapped with a jr high label. of course look who i am talking to. some people think the line was fine last year. that jimmy did not take alot of hits and if he gets smacked around as the line builds its "chemistry" well thats just life total unknowns at guards and a kid at tackle. yep. i think there is a reason to be cautious in your optimism of the line

Originally posted by NYniner85:
Richburg is one of the best pass-blocking centers in the league...I think people forgot how important the center is on the OL. Staley is a yr old BUT has stated over and over this is the most excited he's been to play football, once JG took over his overall grades skyrocketed. Joe isn't some 330+ Lb lineman which helps with staying in shape and being able to be consistent late into his career.

Mcglinchey while not a rock at pass-blocking wasn't trash in that regard either. Unlike a lot of young OTs dude has technique and played in a pro-style scheme. He's gotta get a little strong but he's a MASSIVE upgrade to Beadles (who was the RT for just about all of JG's games as a starter).

SF has 3 first rd picks at OG. I looked back at Cooper's film last yr (from what I could see) and he had some solid play overall. Tomlinson IMO is the guy I'm not to thrilled about, but I thought he had his moments of improvement last yr. I think Josh will have a rebound yr now that he's healthy and in shape.

I'm always optimistic, you don't need HOF play at all 5 positions on the OL and there's no way you can say they didn't upgrade the line overall from last yr.

Great post! Agree with you and am only cautiously optimistic about the OGs. Richburg should help the OGs and JG's quick decision making and release should help even more. That will also help McG, who will improve run blocking on day one, which will slow down the pass rush except for obvious pass situations. On top of this, Garcon being healthy and the addition of Pettis will help JG. More than almost any sport I can think of, the offense of a football team is interdependent. Improve the QB position and it makes the line better. Make the line better and the RBs look much better. The decent to good WRs benefit a crazy amount from JG's play.

I expect the OL to make a huge jump forward for all these reasons--and then there is Richburg. Staley and Brown were the saving grace last year. Now they have an equally quality center, who will help the better OGs be even better. While we can't know how well they will mesh, my confidence in Shanahan putting them together is fairly high.

Originally posted by cciowa:

typical, people still have concerns about what was one of the worst lines in the nfl last year. people know jimmy is the entire key to our future and they get slapped with a jr high label. of course look who i am talking to. some people think the line was fine last year. that jimmy did not take alot of hits and if he gets smacked around as the line builds its "chemistry" well thats just life total unknowns at guards and a kid at tackle. yep. i think there is a reason to be cautious in your optimism of the line

typical.

If you think the OL didn't get upgraded from last yr then I don't know what to tell ya.

Go look at Kyle's OGs from the past and tell me how many of them were top 5 at their position?

System and QB play are huge for a OL. You don't need 5 HOF players making top money to have a successful offense.

Kid at tackle? so I guess we can't draft OL in the first and have them start? That kid was a 3 yr starter on a top end line. He has top end athletic ability, great technique, and is pretty freakin polished for a OT coming out of today's college game. Sure he's gonna have some bumps, but that could he said for most rookies...that's part of the game.

SF upgrade the line overall from last yr and there's really no way around it.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Great post! Agree with you and am only cautiously optimistic about the OGs. Richburg should help the OGs and JG's quick decision making and release should help even more. That will also help McG, who will improve run blocking on day one, which will slow down the pass rush except for obvious pass situations. On top of this, Garcon being healthy and the addition of Pettis will help JG. More than almost any sport I can think of, the offense of a football team is interdependent. Improve the QB position and it makes the line better. Make the line better and the RBs look much better. The decent to good WRs benefit a crazy amount from JG's play.

I expect the OL to make a huge jump forward for all these reasons--and then there is Richburg. Staley and Brown were the saving grace last year. Now they have an equally quality center, who will help the better OGs be even better. While we can't know how well they will mesh, my confidence in Shanahan putting them together is fairly high.

I get being cautious I mean you could do that for anything...the line was upgraded overall this yr without question.

Originally posted by NYniner85:

Issue is Brown never played with JG ( maybe some of the Bears game?) They had Beadles as the RT and well we scored pts regardless. MM is a MASSIVE upgrade to Beadles. People hate on MM pass-blocking (I did at first) BUT overall he's not bad at it. He's gonna have road bumps, but he's a pretty clean prospect considering the OTs that are coming out of college now. Dude is battle tested 3 yr starter with a pro-style scheme (and a great OL coach in ND). I remember people poo pooing on Ryan Ramczyk last yr saying he wasn't strong enough to hold up in pass-blocking. Welp he turned out fine, especially with a good QB.

Honestly who cares how long it took Kilgore to learn the protections? Richburg is a much much better player overall and was the 43rd pick in the draft for a reason. Not everyone processes info the same. Took Matt Ryan a yr to learn kyle's system and JG was looking like he got it much much quicker. I'm not worried about our center at all.

also, not sure how you can say Garnett has proven he blows? Because he played poorly under chip kelly?? What? Guess what Staley sucked a fat one under Kelly as well SO he must be a trash? System and QB are huge for a OL. It's not like Kyle has had a bunch of HOF guards his whole time as a OC

We don't need 5 HOF players on the OL to have a successful offense.

Yeah, Brown played the whole Bears game with one arm. MM is a massive upgrade to Beadles but MM isn't replacing Beadles; he's replacing Brown. That's an upgrade on run blocking but downgrade on PP. MM is a rookie and it's going to take him a while to get to a level at the pros where, in college, he was equally effective in run blocking as he was in PP. He certainly has the acumen though...eventually!

The Kilgore example is just one that demonstrates how complex this offense is esp. for a C. Richburg has already talked about that. It's not realistic or fair to expect him to come out of the gate playing at a pro bowl level, let alone atoning for poor G play. I agree though...C is crucial to Kyle's system which is why this signing was so important.

Garnett, even at 330+ pounds was as soft as a pillow in pass protection when he did start. He was specifically targeted for Kelly's inside zone scheme and was horrendous. He's a massive question mark in this outside zone scheme now. OL are taking longer and longer to develop in the pros so no need to discredit him. He's just a big question mark today. Tomorrow? Maybe not...hoping!

Here's hoping the entire OL gets sorted out and plays at a high level which will allow JG to play at an even higher level. The great news is they will have a full off season to figure it out.

Originally posted by NYniner85:
I get being cautious I mean you could do that for anything...the line was upgraded overall this yr without question.

True. I'm alway anxious to see how the chemistry works out. Having three new starters on the OL is worrisome...and potentially wonderful!

Originally posted by NCommand:
Yeah, Brown played the whole Bears game with one arm. MM is a massive upgrade to Beadles but MM isn't replacing Beadles; he's replacing Brown. That's an upgrade on run blocking but downgrade on PP. MM is a rookie and it's going to take him a while to get to a level at the pros where, in college, he was equally effective in run blocking as he was in PP. He certainly has the acumen though...eventually!

The Kilgore example is just one that demonstrates how complex this offense is esp. for a C. Richburg has already talked about that. It's not realistic or fair to expect him to come out of the gate playing at a pro bowl level, let alone atoning for poor G play. I agree though...C is crucial to Kyle's system which is why this signing was so important.

Garnett, even at 330+ pounds was as soft as a pillow in pass protection when he did start. He was specifically targeted for Kelly's inside zone scheme and was horrendous. He's a massive question mark in this outside zone scheme now. OL are taking longer and longer to develop in the pros so no need to discredit him. He's just a big question mark today. Tomorrow? Maybe not...hoping!

Here's hoping the entire OL gets sorted out and plays at a high level which will allow JG to play at an even higher level. The great news is they will have a full off season to figure it out.

Sorry, this is ridiculous. Garnett is not soft. He has to learn the speed of the NFL and if he can't...he won't last. But to call him soft is inaccurate. Go back and watch his Stanford games and you can see a guy who dominates most of the time. The step up to NFL is more about speed and quickness than strength in his case.

Totally agree with your last statement. You can't predict how the OL does until you see them work together. I have a feeling Shanahan has worked a bit of magic and found players who under achieved elsewhere but might be really good in his system. Certainly hope so!

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by NYniner85:

I get being cautious I mean you could do that for anything...the line was upgraded overall this yr without question.

True. I'm alway anxious to see how the chemistry works out. Having three new starters on the OL is worrisome...and potentially wonderful!

Not totally.

Richburg eventually should be a big upgrade over Kilgore.

A healthy Staley will be an upgrade over the injured Staley from last year.

Fusco was the 2nd OL to cash in on FA after a very solid and consistent year with us. Can Cooper, Tomlinson or Garnett match that?

Can Tomlinson replicate his late-season play and win a starting job and play at a consistent level for 16 games?

MM and Brown might be a wash to start out.

JG can mask a ton but the OL still gave up over 50 QB hits during those 5 games which is remarkable given how quickly his processing and release are.

On paper, it looks better...deeper. But we'll see.

Originally posted by NCommand:
Not totally.

Richburg eventually should be a big upgrade over Kilgore.

A healthy Staley will be an upgrade over the injured Staley from last year.

Fusco was the 2nd OL to cash in on FA after a very solid and consistent year with us. Can Cooper, Tomlinson or Garnett match that?

Can Tomlinson replicate his late-season play and win a starting job and play at a consistent level for 16 games?

MM and Brown might be a wash to start out.

JG can mask a ton but the OL still gave up over 50 QB hits during those 5 games which is remarkable given how quickly his processing and release are.

On paper, it looks better...deeper. But we'll see.

All true, and I'm really looking forward to this season more than any since Harbaugh's second year. My sense is that Shanahan was very particular in picking his OL upgrade. I hope this is so. I really liked Kilgore but he really did not help the OGs at all. Richburg should solidify the middle and allow the OGs to play a bit more relaxed.

I expect Garnett to play much better or be cut/traded. He seems more a power line guy in the Baalke mode, which I hated. I love Shanahan's system and the return to a WCO concept.

Originally posted by NYniner85:
typical.

If you think the OL didn't get upgraded from last yr then I don't know what to tell ya.

Go look at Kyle's OGs from the past and tell me how many of them were top 5 at their position?

System and QB play are huge for a OL. You don't need 5 HOF players making top money to have a successful offense.

Kid at tackle? so I guess we can't draft OL in the first and have them start? That kid was a 3 yr starter on a top end line. He has top end athletic ability, great technique, and is pretty freakin polished for a OT coming out of today's college game. Sure he's gonna have some bumps, but that could he said for most rookies...that's part of the game.

SF upgrade the line overall from last yr and there's really no way around it.

lets see who takes the guard spots and how they play., lets see how the kid does. right now. we have two legit people in joe and our new center , there are no absolutes that line is better. on paper maybe. but lets see when the bullets start to fly.everyone looks good in camp and in pre season when teams mainly do not reveal secrets. of course when the year starts and the line plays poor., we will just say they need more games and continue to kick it down the road. i am glad they took my advice and at least brought in a vet two weeks ago to compete

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

All true, and I'm really looking forward to this season more than any since Harbaugh's second year. My sense is that Shanahan was very particular in picking his OL upgrade. I hope this is so. I really liked Kilgore but he really did not help the OGs at all. Richburg should solidify the middle and allow the OGs to play a bit more relaxed.

I expect Garnett to play much better or be cut/traded. He seems more a power line guy in the Baalke mode, which I hated. I love Shanahan's system and the return to a WCO concept.

Absolutely. It could all come together quickly too. JG should be even better. Kyle can scheme around the OL if needed. We should have a better running game. Very encouraging for sure.

Originally posted by NCommand:
Absolutely. It could all come together quickly too. JG should be even better. Kyle can scheme around the OL if needed. We should have a better running game. Very encouraging for sure.

remember teams are not just throwing up thier hands and bowing to jimmy and kyle. they will try to get to him because everyone in the nfl knows or should know. you take out jimmy. we are done. and i am not talking late hits or cheap shots. if joe williams does not cut the mustard,. you all should be concerned about running back depth

Originally posted by NCommand:

Yeah, Brown played the whole Bears game with one arm. MM is a massive upgrade to Beadles but MM isn't replacing Beadles; he's replacing Brown. That's an upgrade on run blocking but downgrade on PP. MM is a rookie and it's going to take him a while to get to a level at the pros where, in college, he was equally effective in run blocking as he was in PP. He certainly has the acumen though...eventually!

The Kilgore example is just one that demonstrates how complex this offense is esp. for a C. Richburg has already talked about that. It's not realistic or fair to expect him to come out of the gate playing at a pro bowl level, let alone atoning for poor G play. I agree though...C is crucial to Kyle's system which is why this signing was so important.

Garnett, even at 330+ pounds was as soft as a pillow in pass protection when he did start. He was specifically targeted for Kelly's inside zone scheme and was horrendous. He's a massive question mark in this outside zone scheme now. OL are taking longer and longer to develop in the pros so no need to discredit him. He's just a big question mark today. Tomorrow? Maybe not...hoping!

Here's hoping the entire OL gets sorted out and plays at a high level which will allow JG to play at an even higher level. The great news is they will have a full off season to figure it out.

He's actually just playing RT and not really replacing anyone...reportly Brown showed up to camp at like 400 lbs and they were trying to move him all spring. Brown wasn't in the plans regardless (you know how I liked big brown but apparently he didn't like himself enough to get in shape).

What I'm saying is we all know beadles was junk BUT he started at RT for most of JGs starts which made this team a top 5 over that stretch. MM is a massive upgrade. Go look at the ATL line and tell me about all their super star lineman outside of Mack

Like I said people s**t on Ram during the draft process last yr with stengeth issues (in PP) turned out just fine in New Orleans...a great QB/scheme help.

Richburg doesn't have to play at a pro-bowl level day one to be a UPGRADE to Kilgore. Period. As the season goes on he will get better. Day 1 he's a upgrade.

Again every single person in Kelly's offense s**t the bed...no one played well. You got Blaine train and Kap looking like tards back there that's affects PP big time. Kelly's offense was one of the most predictable offense in the league that s**t isn't gonna happen with Kyle calling plays.

My whole argument is people honestly don't think SF upgraded the OL and I think that's a load of BS. Again you don't need to invest $60 per yr on the OL and have 5 HOF players to make the offense successful. s**t go look at Dallas last yr, they didn't kill it on offense. You need scheme fit guys, a good OC, and a QB that knows his s**t...sprinkle in some skilled guys who can get open quickly (which we have) and the PP is fine.

Originally posted by cciowa:

lets see who takes the guard spots and how they play., lets see how the kid does. right now. we have two legit people in joe and our new center , there are no absolutes that line is better. on paper maybe. but lets see when the bullets start to fly.everyone looks good in camp and in pre season when teams mainly do not reveal secrets. of course when the year starts and the line plays poor., we will just say they need more games and continue to kick it down the road. i am glad they took my advice and at least brought in a vet two weeks ago to compete

Yeah we won't know until the end of this season. On paper this is an improved line and at this point that's all we can say....once football starts we will know for sure.

Originally posted by cciowa:

remember teams are not just throwing up thier hands and bowing to jimmy and kyle. they will try to get to him because everyone in the nfl knows or should know. you take out jimmy. we are done. and i am not talking late hits or cheap shots. if joe williams does not cut the mustard,. you all should be concerned about running back depth

I mean you can find RB depth all over the place...I'm not worried about that or what Williams does (if he does something it's just gravy IMO). It's the Jet and Breida show.

This is gonna be a fast offense top to bottom.