Dollar Daze

Posted on March 7, 2014 by Skeebers — 57 Comments ↓

Four days left until the Free Agency period begins and the 49ers have re-signed only one of their twelve pending FAs — Anquan Boldin. Prominent among the unsigned players are K Phil Dawson, SS Donte Whitner, and CB Tarell Brown

So, it looks like the next four days will feature a flurry of eleventh hour signings, or the team will need to find another CB, a kicker, and once again cringe at the potential opening day announcement, “Starting at SS for the Niners is Craig Dahl.”

Now that the contract status of Jim Harbaugh has been beaten to death, the football world is weighing in from coast to coast on the contract status of Colin Kaepernick. Unless Kaepernick follows in the steps of Patrick Willis, Joe Staley, and Navorro Bowman by accepting a team friendly lucrative deal, as opposed to a screw everybody lucrative deal, it’s unlikely he will get an extension this year. He’ll have to muck along at $900,000+ for one more season.

What happens next year, when his current contract expires, depends on what happens next year on the field. If he wins the Super Bowl, he’ll get his mega deal and everyone will be happy. The rest of the team will have its ring and can then starting leaving the team to be overpaid somewhere else. The Front Office will have a Lombardi trophy and ten years of cachet as a “winning” franchise. Maybe Kaepernick will even win another SB down the road. Who knows?

If he doesn’t win a SB next year, his value slips a bit, perhaps not in his own mind or his agent’s, but with the team and its fans. Then we do the mega deal dance all over again. If nothing can be resolved, the 49ers can use the franchise tag on Kaepernick in 2015, 2016, and probably even 2017. That forces Colin to bet against a career threatening injury for as much as four years before he can go to the highest bidder.

Personally speaking, that seems like a dumb choice. But I’ve never had the opportunity to thumb my nose at $15 or $18 million a year while insisting on at least $20 or $22. Still, somewhere in that four year window, a deal seems likely. Or it’s enough time to find and prepare a replacement.

IOW, relax, fans. Kaepernick isn’t going anywhere any time soon.

Tagged with: Anquan Boldin, Colin Kaepernick, Craig Dahl, Donte Whitner, Jim Harbaugh, Joe Staley, Navorro Bowman, Patrick Willis, Phil Dawson, San Francisco 49ers, Tarell Brown
Posted in FOS Speculation

Source Code

Posted on March 5, 2014 by Skeebers — 32 Comments ↓

Jim Harbaugh and Anquan Boldin stepped to the plate this week and smote down just about all of the “insider” stories of 49er discord, locker room disenchantment, egos run amok, coach and GM not on speaking terms that viraled through the internet for a couple of weeks. It was a thorough smiting, and not a peep of righteous rejoinders has been heard from the smitten down authors responsible for the viral content. Not a single “I stand by my source” huff n puff has limped forth from their smited lips. All dismissed with a true, and named, insider chuckle.

The Bay Area writer who led the attack, Ann Killion, has not yet responded to being smacked down. No apology, no “Ooops,” no “never mind,” no vigorous defense. Pretty lame, Ms. Killion.

Anonymous “sources” are the meat and potatoes of Sports World, USA these days, usually gussied up with assurances that these faceless entities are “highly reliable” so us gullible blarney swallowers will believe some high ranking official has leaked the truth, no doubt for noble and courageous reasons and his/her identity can’t be divulged lest he/she get knocked from the ranks on high. This is occasionally true, once every blue moon or so, but mostly it’s not.

Mostly, sources aren’t revealed because they would immediately tarnish the credibility of the story. Secretaries, trash collectors, janitors, disgruntled nephews — noble professions one and all — but not necessarily the possessors of intimate or ultimate knowledge.

A great many rumors are started by agents. These fellows were not included above because their profession is not noble in any way. Greed is the only driving force for the efforts put forth by these civilization wrecking slime balls.

Still, the rumors did keep the blogs lively for a week or two, moving us ever closer to next week’s start of Free Agency. While fans look forward to this period, hoping their team will sign AN IMPORTANT DUDE, it’s a mixed bag for the players themselves. A handful will sign lucrative and ridiculous contracts they will never live up to, many will find out they’re not worth nearly as much as they thought they were, and the vast majority will simply be unemployed. And ready to begin a career as an “anonymous source.”

Tagged with: Ann Killion, Anquan Boldin, Jim Harbaugh, San Francisco 49ers
Posted in FOS Speculation

The Ten Four Clubs

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Skeebers — 31 Comments ↓

With one week left before the beginning of Free Agency, the 49ers have yet to re-sign any of their 12 pending free agents. That’s 23% of last year’s season ending roster in danger of going bye-bye.

Of course, some of last year’s roster was on IR, including Tank Carradine and Marcus Lattimore, the heir apparents to Justin Smith and Frank Gore. This might be Justin’s last year with the team, but it most certainly is Gore’s final go around — his 10th year as a 49er, which fittingly qualifies him for a place in the Niners’ Ten Year Club.

There are a lot of guys in the Ten Year Club from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s, ’80, and ’90s, but since 2000 only Bryant Young and Jeff Ulbrich have made it, with LS Brian Jennings soon to be included, too. A testimony to lousy teams and the salary cap.

There’s a lot of intrigue at 49ers HQ these days, and it appears the “rats” have returned to the building after a three year hiatus. The latest pointy-faced, long tailed rodentarial “source” reports that Jim Harbaugh is losing the locker room and that “franchise face” players are getting tired of his act.

This is probably a good sign. After all, the whole “we’re a family” bit went out the window in 2012 when Harbaugh tossed Alex Smith off the bus like a used condom. From that moment on the slogan “Who’s got it better than us!” was nothing but a hollow bit of blah-biddy-blah. With Seattle and the Ravens holding the last two Lombardis, the slogan has become eyeball-rolling bullshit. This is pro ball. Good teams don’t need to like their boss or carry a set of pom poms in their back pockets. They just need to win games. More specifically, they need to win that LAST game.

There’s been speculation that Jed York may eventually have to choose between Harbaugh and Trent Baalke. John Madden has weighed in saying it’s harder to find a coach than a suit. That’s probably true, but it overlooks the fact that York is a suit, too. And suits tend to stick together.

This offseason drama is exactly what you get when you have three shots to win the SB and fail all three times. Harbaugh is not a media favorite, or a league favorite, or a referee favorite, or probably even a family favorite. Now he’s supposedly not a player favorite, either. The pressure is building on the Jimbo. And the immutable law of media is coming to the land: if you’re bleeding, even slightly, the vultures will start gathering on the telephone wires.

It took Pete Carroll four years to win a SB. It took Mike Nolan four years to get booted out of town. Which way wendeth the Harbaugh man in his fateful fourth year?

Tagged with: Alex Smith, Brian Jennings, Bryant Young, Frank Gore, Jed York, Jeff Ulbrich, Jim Harbaugh, John Madden, Justin Smith, Marcus Lattimore, Mike Nolan, Pete Carroll, San Francisco 49ers, Tank Carradine, Trent Baalke
Posted in FOS Speculation

Table Scraps

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Skeebers — 49 Comments ↓

February bids us adieu today and you won’t catch me shedding any tears for this midget month. Condolences to all of you born in this end of the Zodiac squirt. Trust me, it explains everything that’s gone wrong in your life.

It looks like the 49ers will have a new center next year, bringing an end to the three year run of Jonathan Goodwin, who was brought in to replace David Baas in 2011. Goodwin is a FA and Thursday the team extended the contract of two year player Daniel Kilgore to 2017, making him the odds on favorite to be bent over offering his big old butt to Colin Kaepernick next year.

Backup DB Craig Dahl and backup WR Jon Baldwin have taken pay cuts in hopes of staying on the team, and the Niners are currently about $15 million under the salary cap, which is going to be $133 million in 2014.

Baldwin will be battling Quinton Patton and probably a 2014 draft pick or two for the precious job of 3rd WR, charged with running decoy routes five or six times each game, and occasionally being conked in the head by an actual pass inadvertently whistled his way. This is Baldwin’s fourth year in the league and he’s done pretty much nothing so far, despite superior size and speed. That means either his heart or his brain are not NFL ready and there’s probably not much that can be done to correct these insufficiencies.

Offensive continuity was once a burning issue in Ninerville, but no more. This will be the fourth straight year the 49ers will be running the same offensive system. From 2005 to 2011, they ran a different one each year and never had a winning season. Unfortunately, the current system seems top heavy with running plays and a bit thin on the passing side of the playbook. It’s author is a matter of some debate, too. Is it Jim Harbaugh’s system or Greg Roman’s. Maybe it’s not even a system, but a set of Lego toys.

It was speculated this past week that the Seahawks would be cutting DE Red Bryant. This is probably welcome news to RG Alex Boone and RT Anthony Davis, the 49er fellows who have to move old Red out of the way on running plays. Red only gets a sack if an opposing QB falls down in front of him just short of the LOS, but he’s a brick wall against the run, a type of play the 49ers like to engage in fairly frequently.

Tagged with: Alex Boone, Anthony Davis, Colin Kaepernick, Craig Dahl, Daniel Kilgore, David Baas, Greg Roman, Jim Harbaugh, Jon Baldwin, Jonathan Goodwin, Quinton Patton, Red Bryant, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks
Posted in Vacant Observations

Trade Winds

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Skeebers — 34 Comments ↓

Pro Football Talk has been busy the past week trying to characterize the 49er front office as a powder keg, citing sources that mostly emanate from the Browns’ FO, a group trying to spin themselves into some sort of scenario that doesn’t involve a laugh track and howls of mirth from the NFL audience — or howls of pain from the Cleveland fan base.

The most interesting part of this rumor mongering is the fact that nobody sees anything wacky about Jim Harbaugh’s trade value. He has it, hands down. This is not the norm around the league. Of the 32 NFL HCs only Jim, his brother John Harbaugh, Chip Kelly of the Eagles, Pete Carroll, and maybe Sean Payton of the Saints have any trade value at all.

The other 27 HCs are all either too old (Andy Reid, Bill Belichick, Tom Coughlin), or too close to one side or the other of Warm Body. Retreads, only guy who would take the job, nice but not a difference maker, overrated, Who? Bill O’Brien of the Texans is coming up from the college ranks with a chance to make his mark this year, but don’t hold your breath.

Great head coaches are as hard to find as great QBs — maybe even harder. There’s certainly more of them in the league right now than there are great coaches. Unless any of you find the list below somehow breathtaking. In fact, I’d bet the average fan would be hard pressed to even name what team some of these guys are coaching.

Bruce Arians
Mike Smith
John Harbaugh
Doug Marrone
Ron Rivera
Marc Trestman
Marvin Lewis
Mike Pettine
Jason Garrett
John Fox
Jim Caldwell

Mike McCarthy
Bill O’Brien
Chuck Pagano
Gus Bradley
Andy Reid
Joe Philbin
Mike Zimmer
Bill Belichick
Sean Payton
Tom Coughlin
Rex Ryan

Dennis Allen
Chip Kelly
Mike Tomlin
Mike McCoy
Jim Harbaugh
Pete Carroll
Jeff Fisher
Lovie Smith
Ken Whisenhunt
Jay Gruden

Tagged with: Andy Reid, Bill Belichick, Bill O’Brien, Bruce Arians, Chip Kelly, Chuck Pagano, Dennis Allen, Doug Marrone, Gus Bradley, Jason Garrett, Jay Gruden, Jeff Fisher, Jim Caldwell, Jim Harbaugh, Joe Philbin, John Fox, John Harbaugh, Ken Whisenhunt, Lovie Smith, Marc Trestman, Marvin Lewis, Mike McCarthy, Mike McCoy, Mike Pettine, Mike Smith, Mike Tomlin, Mike Zimmer, Pete Carroll, Rex Ryan, Ron Rivera, Sean Payton, Tom Coughlin
Posted in FOS Speculation