@King of Kings @Rollie
Guys, what's your take on all that drama down in Santa Clara?
This is still a very talented team. 18 players on injured reserve doesn't help any squad, no matter who you are. When you consider that among those on injured reserve were a starting CB, Your starting Center, Your 1st and 2nd string Nose Tackles, and the best MLB combination in the NFL, you make do with what you can.
The highlights of the season were the emergence of some rookies that came into their own in the 2nd half of the season, like Borland, Ellington, Marcus Martin, Johnson, Hyde to a lesser degree, and especially Aaron Lynch.
Quinton Dial and Tank Carradine got a lot of playing time on the defense, after basically not playing at all last year as rookies.
At least this could make some of the high priced veterans on the defense expendable, like Ahmad Brooks and Justin smith, and they can save on the cap, because the offense, especially, and I can't believe I'm saying this, because I never would have said this at this time last year, the offensive line needs some help.
They had no depth at all on the line. Jonathan Martin was terrible stepping in when Davis was out injured for most of the season, and I really have no idea how, out of all the players on the 49ers, that Staley and Iupati made the pro bowl. The line was beyond awful. The provided no running lanes, and left Kaepernick out to dry more often than not. If you have arguably the most athletic and mobile quarterback in the league, but he still gets sacked nearly 50 times, then the fault has to primarily lie with the offensive line. I'm sorry, but it does. Kaepernick had a down year. It happens, and he shoulders the blame too, but the play calling was beyond bad and way too erratic on the offensive side of the ball.
Kaepernick needs to learn how to look for his secondary receivers, and I think everyone knows that. But at the same time, you can't restrict what he is, which is a superior athlete with a great arm, great escapability , and the ability to make a play with his legs as well as his arm. He's a big play guy, and they need playmakers around him. I would also like to see a more New England type of shorter to intermediate passing game, to increase his accuracy. You can't keep tying to go long if you have no one that can actually do it. Well, I take that back. Brandon Lloyd could do it, but they decided that he was best served as a 5th WR.
I don't know where Vernon Davis was this year. Maybe working at the local Gamestop or something, because he was a non-factor. He wasn't even a good decoy.
And the funny thing is that 2 years ago, I told my best friend that the one person whom Kaepernick would miss the most was Delanie Walker. They are still unable to generate anything with a 2 TE set, because that is where Kaepernick had his success. Vance McDonald can't stay on the field, and when he does, he usually makes a great catch and then fumbles it.
Harbaugh leaving, I really don't get too bothered about it. He wanted to be paid like a super bowl winning coach without actually having won a Super Bowl. There were rumblings before the season started that his style was starting to wear thin. There was a fracture in the relationship between ownership, management, and Coach that couldn't be repaired. 8 million a year to go back to your Alma Mater is really tough to turn down, so I don't blame him. Plus, he gets a built in 2 year honeymoon period with that program because it is severely devoid of talent. There is literally nothing there at Michigan.
I just hope that whoever takes over, whether it is one of the two hot names out there right now (McDaniels or Gase), or if it is someone from within, realizes that this is still a really talented team, and they lost their way. It happens. Oh well.
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