Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
Originally posted by NCommand:
Originally posted by brodiebluebanaszak:
Originally posted by NCommand:
Yup. Like Eric Reid!
Yes! Why couldn't we do that last year (beef on DL and CB -- a real CB) and this year (ILB + CB).
Did we have any glaring needs like this after Goldson and Whitner and Rogers left? Baalke also brought in Antoine Bethea. Genius move.
Last year: Our CB's-by-committee (Culliver-ACL, Cox-Formally cut, Ward-Hurt, Acker/Reaser-Hurt, Johnson-Raw 4th-rounder, McFadden-Street, Cromartie-Street, etc.) ended the year top 5 and #1 in TO's so one could reasonably conclude that our DL was actually pretty darn good? And who played NT? Not Dorsey...down...Not Williams...down...but a rookie named, Dial, who had to play and did terrific even at 6'6"! 
And who filled in very well for Justin Smith at the end of the year? Carradine. So it looked like, in hindsight, CB and DL was addressed just fine last year.
This year: You wanted ILB and CB. We'll have to wait to see how it plays out and hopefully (for us fans) that it turns out like it did last year! 
No pass rush + no offense = 8-8. I think we did have a need last year and it was not addressed, despite positive surprises from Borland/Lynch.
Who said Bethea was NOT a good move?
I know the question you asked earlier if there's anything you'd change the the F.O. did this offseason wasn't directed at me, but I'd like to answer.
I agree with Jim Harbaugh no longer coaching here. I believe we'd be a very good, Super Bowl contending team with him at the helm, but we would begin our eventual slide into the pack of pretenders, yet still good football teams by keeping him aboard.
I can't even rate the hiring of Jim Tomsula as head coach. I am optimistic and do not think its fair to say he will absolutely fail. None of us knows the outcome, but I feel better about this hiring than I did with the Mike Singletary hiring. If nothing else, the players have all praised his football IQ and ability to understand the big picture of what's going on, which has been lacking on this team for some time.
I thought we did fairly well in free agency and were more aggressive than I expected. Our team needed speed on offense and we have it now. Those moves open up so many more things for other players on our offense. I love the fact that we did not overpay for Frank Gore, even though it breaks my heart that he is with another team. We are truly giving our young guys a chance to sink or swim now. As for our remaining free agents, the names may seem underwhelming, but during the Baalke era, generally unwanted free agents have looked MUCH better here than they did with their previous teams, raising their value. It remains to be seen if this coaching staff can do the same, but the track record is there. With the draft, I would've liked an ILB, but I get the drafting of Jacquiski Tartt for many reasons. If anything, one may argue that Baalke could've traded back further and still have ended up with Armstead, Tartt, and an ILB. You can question the moves, but the idea that the team deserves a D+ is insane to me. I can see a B, a C, or even an I. But a D +? Unless Tomsula truly f's up as a HC, I don't see this team doing worse than 7-9.
