OL Laken Tomlinson, signs with NYJ

Originally posted by Buchy:

Originally posted by dj43:

I know this is wading into deep water but I just finished re-watching the Jag game. For obvious reasons I focused on the 49er interior OL. Tomlinson had a pretty good game going against Jag DTs.

One game does not change the prior 10 but the guy held his own against quality in this one.

He's been decent the past two games, I don't think he's quite a starter but I wouldn't mind him as a backup next season.

Yeah, he's fine as depth. If they resign Fusco and with Garnett coming back I think center is much more high priority going into next year.

I think we'd all like a center and a guard (if not two), but like WR I think they could punt on guard for another year if they need to in order to focus on positions of more desperate need (e.g. center, CB, edge, lb)

Originally posted by PacTiger:
Is he a guard center combo?

Wouldn't shock me

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by StubbyNBY:

Originally posted by frenchmov:

I don't mind them sticking around for depth but I hope none are starters next year based on what we've seen

AGREED. Trent Brown and Staley are the only guys who should be assured a starting spot from our current O-Line. Kilgore may get a shot with some competition. Garnett has a chance to battle for a starting spot as well but I hope address the O-Line heavy in FA and the draft. Would love to start by singing Jensen and maybe drafting Nelson.

Yeah, if Tomlinson, Kilgore and/or Fusco are starting next year, the FO failed miserably.

We are not obligated to fire anybody at end of yr....so if there are some guys, who may /may not have the talents we need, then we can fire whoever. New rules are you can keep 90 (or is it 95) clear into the former last cuts date....just before season/PS. So i don't see the harm in keeping guys around like Fsco , Laken, Kilgore, Beadles. But what I don't get is the somewhat frequent post, "well we can keep them around for backups".

That to me is just like keeping Martin. He couldn't block, he was horrible, he accounted for dozens upon dozens of qB sacks, hits, and so on. So when Fsco, Laken, Kilgore and Beadles names are tossed around like, "well we can keep them for backups"....I have to ask myself, "Backups for what? Helping JG get up off the turf where their man just creamed our FR QB? C'mon. If a guy CANNOT block, there is no room for him here. Does anyone really want to have a non blocking backup come in and fail to protect our key to the return to glory fR QB? I mean, if they can't block now, why on earth does anyone want to bring them back? Ok, maybe they "get it"" and master blocking in the next 3-4 months. Possible. But not likely. Kilgore was good until his broken leg 2-3 yrs back and after that he has been just a turnstile. True he knows how to call OL assignments, but he cannot block. And Cc saw exactly what the rest of us see after each QB takedown. Kilgore helping JG back up. Ok, he can do that. But blocking? Unnnhuh. Nope. Same goes for Laken, definitely beadles, and then Fsco.All those guys have qualified as non blockers this yr, but different posters see one guy, (eg dJ43 and Fsco) that look to be coming around. So fine, keep them and let them compete in the spring. But no way on earth should we keep ANYONE who cannot block. And I agree with NC, that if any of those 4 are on the field come springtime, then the F.O failed. Failed us, failed JG, failed the franchise. Failed to protect our one key ingredient for making it back to SB and winnnig it all.

So sure, let all 4 of those guys compete, and if they can block, then fine. But just because JG can get rid of the ball in under 2 seconds, doesn't make them good blockers. Watch on iso and watch til end of play. Admittedly i haven't watched Fsco lately but i have the others. And guys, they don't block . Jimmy just guns the ball out quicker so they don't look so bad. The TD last game to TT in the EZ was a great example...moving to his left, under pressure, you could NOT see him pick the ball up and cock the gun. That ball came up and was gone...sidearm, underhanded, and gone. A thing of beauty. Blocking on that play stunk. It wasn't there. And it wasn't just that one play. It was all game, every game since JG started.

I guess the question is if with horrid central OL blocking and now RT also, if JG can get that ball out , then what on earth is he capable of once he gets some protection? Think about that next time someone says, "well, we could use so and so for backups." Just exactly how good is JG? man i would sure love to find out. The obvious other item is QB injury and that is something we now cannot allow to happen. Our key to SB is here, now, and ready to do the impossible. We just cannot have inadequate blockers for this once in a generation talent. We have to protect him. The 4 guys noted above haven't done that last 4 games. No room for players like that on next yrs SB squad. (Ok, i am jumping ahead a little but you get the idea).

Originally posted by pasodoc9er:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by StubbyNBY:

Originally posted by frenchmov:
I don't mind them sticking around for depth but I hope none are starters next year based on what we've seen

AGREED. Trent Brown and Staley are the only guys who should be assured a starting spot from our current O-Line. Kilgore may get a shot with some competition. Garnett has a chance to battle for a starting spot as well but I hope address the O-Line heavy in FA and the draft. Would love to start by singing Jensen and maybe drafting Nelson.

Yeah, if Tomlinson, Kilgore and/or Fusco are starting next year, the FO failed miserably.

We are not obligated to fire anybody at end of yr....so if there are some guys, who may /may not have the talents we need, then we can fire whoever. New rules are you can keep 90 (or is it 95) clear into the former last cuts date....just before season/PS. So i don't see the harm in keeping guys around like Fsco , Laken, Kilgore, Beadles. But what I don't get is the somewhat frequent post, "well we can keep them around for backups".

That to me is just like keeping Martin. He couldn't block, he was horrible, he accounted for dozens upon dozens of qB sacks, hits, and so on. So when Fsco, Laken, Kilgore and Beadles names are tossed around like, "well we can keep them for backups"....I have to ask myself, "Backups for what? Helping JG get up off the turf where their man just creamed our FR QB? C'mon. If a guy CANNOT block, there is no room for him here. Does anyone really want to have a non blocking backup come in and fail to protect our key to the return to glory fR QB? I mean, if they can't block now, why on earth does anyone want to bring them back? Ok, maybe they "get it"" and master blocking in the next 3-4 months. Possible. But not likely. Kilgore was good until his broken leg 2-3 yrs back and after that he has been just a turnstile. True he knows how to call OL assignments, but he cannot block. And Cc saw exactly what the rest of us see after each QB takedown. Kilgore helping JG back up. Ok, he can do that. But blocking? Unnnhuh. Nope. Same goes for Laken, definitely beadles, and then Fsco.All those guys have qualified as non blockers this yr, but different posters see one guy, (eg dJ43 and Fsco) that look to be coming around. So fine, keep them and let them compete in the spring. But no way on earth should we keep ANYONE who cannot block. And I agree with NC, that if any of those 4 are on the field come springtime, then the F.O failed. Failed us, failed JG, failed the franchise. Failed to protect our one key ingredient for making it back to SB and winnnig it all.

So sure, let all 4 of those guys compete, and if they can block, then fine. But just because JG can get rid of the ball in under 2 seconds, doesn't make them good blockers. Watch on iso and watch til end of play. Admittedly i haven't watched Fsco lately but i have the others. And guys, they don't block . Jimmy just guns the ball out quicker so they don't look so bad. The TD last game to TT in the EZ was a great example...moving to his left, under pressure, you could NOT see him pick the ball up and cock the gun. That ball came up and was gone...sidearm, underhanded, and gone. A thing of beauty. Blocking on that play stunk. It wasn't there. And it wasn't just that one play. It was all game, every game since JG started.

I guess the question is if with horrid central OL blocking and now RT also, if JG can get that ball out , then what on earth is he capable of once he gets some protection? Think about that next time someone says, "well, we could use so and so for backups." Just exactly how good is JG? man i would sure love to find out. The obvious other item is QB injury and that is something we now cannot allow to happen. Our key to SB is here, now, and ready to do the impossible. We just cannot have inadequate blockers for this once in a generation talent. We have to protect him. The 4 guys noted above haven't done that last 4 games. No room for players like that on next yrs SB squad. (Ok, i am jumping ahead a little but you get the idea).

Doc, to me "Keeping them as backup" means keeping them as backup until somebody else can take their place from either the practice squad, draft, or free agency. At least that's how I'm reading it. I agree with you that keeping a guy to keep the guy, without actually trying to coach him up to improve him, or get better players as backup would be a bad idea.

Secondly, two ways you can protect a QB. The first way of course is to get all pro O Linemen at all 5 positions. Hard to do, and would take up a lot of cap space. The second way to do it is to get *good* above average linemen (but not all pro caliber, just solid consistent guys) and have an outstanding defense and a great running attack. A good run game is a QB's best friend if teams are trying to kill him. A good defense will always keep the game close so the QB isn't throwing on every down to catch up to the opponent.

They made the stop gap free agent run with Zuttah, Barnes, Fusco and Gilliam last year. It didn't really work out and they went out and got a younger guy, in Tomlinson. At least, there might be some upside because of his youth. Some of those guys are so marginal, I ended up rooting for Magnuson and Williams instead. Cheaper and with some upside, at least.

Originally posted by cciowa:

Originally posted by TheXFactor:
They are below average, not crap. See the JAX game. Fusco is fine depth at the very least.

no they are crap. and i am sorry but i can not be reasoned here. my problem. not yours

That's fine man I get your point. But when they hold it down against 3 pro bowl level players that's not crap. Let's hope we get some real starters next year. Spencer Long and Weston Richburg would be helpful and not break the bank.

Originally posted by contrarios:
We could resign Marcus Martin and Brandon Thomas!

as i slash my wrists much to the delight of the web zone!

Originally posted by 49erWill:
Lol is all I got to this. The FO has made great strides in one year like upgrading the talent of the whole roster oh and got us a QB but if they don't get 2 new Guards and a new center they failed miserably? Lol

if they do not take steps to fix this horrid line, yes it is a fail. nothing hard to figure out about that in my opinion

A``

Originally posted by Giedi:

Doc, to me "Keeping them as backup" means keeping them as backup until somebody else can take their place from either the practice squad, draft, or free agency. At least that's how I'm reading it. I agree with you that keeping a guy to keep the guy, without actually trying to coach him up to improve him, or get better players as backup would be a bad idea.

Secondly, two ways you can protect a QB. The first way of course is to get all pro O Linemen at all 5 positions. Hard to do, and would take up a lot of cap space. The second way to do it is to get *good* above average linemen (but not all pro caliber, just solid consistent guys) and have an outstanding defense and a great running attack. A good run game is a QB's best friend if teams are trying to kill him. A good defense will always keep the game close so the QB isn't throwing on every down to catch up to the opponent.

Nah, we're good Giedi, we're on the same page. As i said, no problem with keeping guys around as long as they are trying to get coached up, but when the rubber hits the road, next season (and assuming our 4 OLs noted above don't allow our FR QB to get seriously injured in our one last game...i am fairly certain it is balz to the walls for Kyle and John, and they are going to try an win in 4 days like their very lives depended on it)....point is just don't get out fR QB kilt or hurt. Do that and we got a big leg up on next yr. And the PR and FA bait should we win or play rams even /Steven, for next yr would be incalculable. No way not one single FA in the NFL right now isn't 100% aware of what JimmyG has done to this forlorn and formerly wreck of a franchise. Now it is top flite GM, top flite HC, best OC in the game, best playcaller in the game, best game planner in the game....and the whole team was improved to the point of only unbeaten team in the last 4 weeks in the NFL. Imagine, 0-9 first 2 months and a week and now. Best in the league last 4 weeks. Wow.

So as long as those "backups" are being coached up or are working on their blocking as mentioned above, no harm in them staying around thru cuts, and if Fsco makes it, or magnus, or d.williams, hey, that is fantastic. If one of the others happens to come around and can block, even better. But we cannot count on that and i certainly hope that we get a true pro bowl type Center in FA, and at least one OG...but either Thl or Jonnydel convinced me (maybe was PHX) that there really are not TWO OGs in FA that we would want. One yes. Two no. Plus others are going to be vying for their talents. That means we get one OG starter in draft but hopefully after we take an ER potential all pro as our #1 pick. Yes we need a LB and CB, but we can get those later. With the 320 yds /game averaged by JimmyG, the need for that #1 WR as our top pick has fallen further down the list for me, now rd 5 or later."What" ...as someone asked, you want a #1 WR so jimmmy can average more than 320 yds passing per game?" He had a point. A good one, too.

So for me, get a starting , bona fide C in FA, and then an OG...if a starter. Get our other OG early in draft, say rd 2, but leave #1 pick for ER(assuming a starting ER is there). LB, CB we get next in my scenario, rd 3, 4, 5. Then #1 WR last...Marquise, TT, Au Jus, Bourne, Kittle, have made the #1 WR a lot less important and before he was way up on my list. And Kyle has yet to see one pass thrown by JG to Garçon. #1 WR just doesn't get a lot of emphasis in my draft. But ER and OG...definitely.

Ok, so best of both worlds, we get FA OG, C, probably LB, maybe CB, and then get in draft ER, OG starter, LB, CB, and late WR. That does leave Kilgore, Fsco, Laken, Beadles, magnus, d.williams, not sure about Gilliam (not a favorite) as potential backups....oops forgot Garnett. And he for sure should compete for starting slot plus the others noted. As long as we cover ourselves in FA and draft with 3 central (OG C OG) OLs, which are all starters, then we are in good shape re: backups...and this team based on last several yrs is going to need them.

Not only did we play with no starters at OG OC OG this yr, we played without backups. So the more the merrier. Just make sure we get it right in FA and draft first.

Re-watched the Jax game and man Tomlinson had a REALLY good game. He's been better lately. He could be a really good back-up guard and center and also COMPETE for a starting spot next year. At this point, I think he is a better and more reliable player than Garnett is.

I think they will put Tomlinson on the same conditioning program as the had Garnett on in order to better run the outside zone scheme.

If I remember rightly, Tomlinson is a natural and better right guard thrown onto the left side of the line at Detroit. We've kept him there because we had Fusco at RG through training camp etc and didn't want to upset the chemistry. I could see him returning there next season.

For me, sign a quality FA centre, draft or sign a right tackle and trade T Brown (he doesn't fit the outside ZBS), then let Garnett, Tomlinson, Fusco, Williams and Magnuson compete for the guard and backup centre spots.

Originally posted by kirkscrafford:
They made the stop gap free agent run with Zuttah, Barnes, Fusco and Gilliam last year. It didn't really work out and they went out and got a younger guy, in Tomlinson. At least, there might be some upside because of his youth. Some of those guys are so marginal, I ended up rooting for Magnuson and Williams instead. Cheaper and with some upside, at least.

To be fair Laken didn't see any training camp and came into this complex system mid season. I think he sticks around until next year and is given a shot to compete in the preseason.

Would be huge if he could somehow even be a competent backup next season let alone a starter.

Seem to recall reading somewhere that Shanahan or Lynch said that Tomlinson would "definitely" be in the line mix for next year. I guess they are not completely dissatisfied with him. Personally I would like to see Magnuson get a shot. That guy has got some nasty in him.

Glad he will be back next year. He at least helps our depth going forward