We wont miss a step, and here's why...

Horses**t. You dont lose players of that caliber, plug in other guys n be ok. Especially in the leadership department. Im glad some have the outlook you have and thats fine, but the thread title is the biggest overstatement ever.

Even though I am in a state of shock over the events of the last few days, I do not feel like it is doomsday for the 9ers just yet. Its sad but Willis has been dropping off noticeably, I was hoping for a successful surgery and a vengeful return, but he made the right choice as much as it hurts. Of all the players we ever lost in history whether to injury or early retirement, this one hurts as bad as any. I will cringe everytime Gore runs the ball for another team, but I must admit, I believe his best days are gone. He should've retired a 9er. Those two guys have been my favorite players on this team for the last several years.

Moving on though, we still have Kaep who I believe is on his way to making the transition from young and reckless to ELITE. Hyde has lots of potential. Hunter is solid. Bowman still a question mark. Boldin and Torrey Smith is very intriguing. Vernon another question mark. Aldon and Lynch will be a nightmare for opposing offenses, Borland might be a blessing for us. Brock coming back healthy. We have a high draft pick and a lot to look forward to.

Originally posted by stonecold590:

Originally posted by LVJay:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by stonecold590:
Lil Jed got his new stadium. That's what he cared about. Now nothing matters to him. Wins, losses, whatever. He knows no matter what he does, what ever decisions he makes people will still come. They will still pay high prices and come to games. No matter how unhappy we fans are. No matter how terrible the team looks. Jed still got what he wanted.
People talk so much crap about Jerry Jones. I'm not a fan myself of his. But I can atleast say he tries to win. No matter how dumb he looks at times or how terrible of a GM he is but in his own Looney way he at least trys.

Stopped at, 'Jed.'

Well, you know, it is Jed's fault that Miller hit his girl, Justin is 35 and considering retirement and Willis doesn't feel like he can return as the elite player he once was. Who knows... it's probably Jed's fault that I have tummy ache, too

I don't think I mentioned any of those players in this post. If you read it and got that conclusion then next time I will include pictures to help you.

It's all good, man... I was just clowning around with NC

Originally posted by LVJay:

Originally posted by stonecold590:

Originally posted by LVJay:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by stonecold590:

Lil Jed got his new stadium. That's what he cared about. Now nothing matters to him. Wins, losses, whatever. He knows no matter what he does, what ever decisions he makes people will still come. They will still pay high prices and come to games. No matter how unhappy we fans are. No matter how terrible the team looks. Jed still got what he wanted.
People talk so much crap about Jerry Jones. I'm not a fan myself of his. But I can atleast say he tries to win. No matter how dumb he looks at times or how terrible of a GM he is but in his own Looney way he at least trys.

Stopped at, 'Jed.'

Well, you know, it is Jed's fault that Miller hit his girl, Justin is 35 and considering retirement and Willis doesn't feel like he can return as the elite player he once was. Who knows... it's probably Jed's fault that I have tummy ache, too

I don't think I mentioned any of those players in this post. If you read it and got that conclusion then next time I will include pictures to help you.

It's all good, man... I was just clowning around with NC

Its all good man

Originally posted by stonecold590:
Its all good man

I just have to agree with the O.P. People around here are acting like the team plane just went down and we're starting from scratch or somethin'. Baalke has done a wonderful job of setting us up for just these eventualities and for the future.

Worst case scenario, our defense drops down to #9 - #14 in the league, but I still see top 5, no lower than 8th. After all, we've still got:

- Two Pro-Bowl safeties in Reid and Bethea. Boom.
- One of PFF's top-rated corners in the league: Brock.
- 2014 #1 draft pick, J. Ward, coming back, hungry as ever.
- Still, one of the top LB units in the league: Aldon, Bowman, T-Rex, Lynch, et al.
- A strong D-line that'll be anchored by Dockett, Williams, Carradine, Dial, et al.

And, no doubt, we'll pick up some 30+ CB a la Carlos Rogers / Cox to pair with Brock at the end of F.A. and y'all will be like, "Awww, he sucks!", and then he'll prove us all wrong...again. Not to mention, the 4 or 5 defensive players that we'll add in the draft. Guys, with a defensive-minded, player-friendly coach like Tomsula, our defense is STILL gonna be elite next year. Come on!!!

I also look for a rebound year on offense with simplified play-calling for Kaep and a still VERY talented group of weapons in Kaep, Vernon, Boldin, T. Smith, and Hyde hopefully getting the bulk of the carries outta the backfield.

Yes, the biggest question mark will be the competency of our coaching staff, but we're still one of the most talented and now, potential-laden (Borland, Tank, Dial, Ward, Martin, Looney, Hyde, etc., etc.) teams in the NFL. It's just a pity that we play in hardcore NFC West, where 9-10 wins won't get you anywhere. Bottom line, I'm super-excited for the draft and to see who steps up next year to fill in the holes left by Willis, Gore, Iupati, J. Smith, etc. Yes, an era may have ended this off-season, but I look forward to the start of a new era and look forward to see who will carry on the great 49er legacy. Go 9ers...

Originally posted by Shanghai69er:
I just have to agree with the O.P. People around here are acting like the team plane just went down and we're starting from scratch or somethin'. Baalke has done a wonderful job of setting us up for just these eventualities and for the future.

Worst case scenario, our defense drops down to #9 - #14 in the league, but I still see top 5, no lower than 8th. After all, we've still got:

- Two Pro-Bowl safeties in Reid and Bethea. Boom.
- One of PFF's top-rated corners in the league: Brock.
- 2014 #1 draft pick, J. Ward, coming back, hungry as ever.
- Still, one of the top LB units in the league: Aldon, Bowman, T-Rex, Lynch, et al.
- A strong D-line that'll be anchored by Dockett, Williams, Carradine, Dial, et al.

And, no doubt, we'll pick up some 30+ CB a la Carlos Rogers / Cox to pair with Brock at the end of F.A. and y'all will be like, "Awww, he sucks!", and then he'll prove us all wrong...again. Not to mention, the 4 or 5 defensive players that we'll add in the draft. Guys, with a defensive-minded, player-friendly coach like Tomsula, our defense is STILL gonna be elite next year. Come on!!!

I also look for a rebound year on offense with simplified play-calling for Kaep and a still VERY talented group of weapons in Kaep, Vernon, Boldin, T. Smith, and Hyde hopefully getting the bulk of the carries outta the backfield.

Yes, the biggest question mark will be the competency of our coaching staff, but we're still one of the most talented and now, potential-laden (Borland, Tank, Dial, Ward, Martin, Looney, Hyde, etc., etc.) teams in the NFL. It's just a pity that we play in hardcore NFC West, where 9-10 wins won't get you anywhere. Bottom line, I'm super-excited for the draft and to see who steps up next year to fill in the holes left by Willis, Gore, Iupati, J. Smith, etc. Yes, an era may have ended this off-season, but I look forward to the start of a new era and look forward to see who will carry on the great 49er legacy. Go 9ers...

Originally posted by TWOooohSIX:
Not that a Hawks fan input matters but jeez some of you need to chill. My team made over 200 player changes in one year. Then two years later was playing in a playoff game with a winning record in Atlanta. Next year we were in the Super Bowl. I remember when we lost what I thought was our best players for NO NAMES like Kam and Richard Who? We picked up Bennett and Avril and our D got better. I'm just saying wait till August because Free Agents can be signed and let go within a week or so. Wait till after the draft and FA and some mini camps before you get bummed on your team. Your team was only in the dark years to bad choices on contracts and sh***y coaching and personal till TB fixed it. He hired a lot of people that this fan base loved so I would give him the benefit of the doubt that he can still find players and draft well enough to be competing this year or the following years.

Originally posted by NCommand:
You bet. My heart was hurting too (esp. regarding Willis) but context helps a lot and the reality is, Willis, Justin and Gore aren't able to give what they used to give...clearly. When that happens, you better have a transition plan. And we did.

Can we replace 1,100 yards rushing (Gore)? - before FA and the draft even starts we have Carlos Hyde; Kendall Hunter, Phillip Tanner, Jarryd Hayne, Alfonso Smith & Kendall Gaskins. Only two teams rushed more than we did last year. Is there any doubt we could collect 1,100 yards with Hyde let alone Hyde/Hunter/FA/Draft/Hayne, etc.?
Can we replace 700 yards receiving (Crabtree)? - imagine a WR that plays as passionately as Boldin...his name is Torrey Smith/Patton/Ellington. Now they'll finally get to show it on the field. And don't be surprised if we nab someone like DGB (prototypical WCO WR for Boldin's replacement next year)
Can we replace a 1-trick pony LG (power pull-guard)? - Looney alone is already a good pulling G and probably better in pass protection but we're already expecting great competition with Brandon Thomas and Marcus Martin (a slimmed downed MM!). We'll be moving to a zone blocking scheme most likely so we won't need the "power" (aka fatties) as much anymore.
Can we replace 43 tackles and 5 sacks (Justin)? - Dockett put up similar numbers prior to his injury. What we also forget is that with Mangini, we may not run the same vanilla scheme (everyone just plays their position and follows assignments); Justin's "job" was to either bull rush and/or tie up two OL for Aldon to wreak havoc. With this front 7, there are endless uses for creative blitzes and attacking holes along the DL. Also, ALL of these players are versatile meaning you can move them all over the play to provide additional pre-snap confusion. We're expecting big jumps in play in year 2 for Dial over at LDE (natural position) and Tank (who came on big time at the end of the year with additional snaps). Don't forget about Okoye (year 3) and Ramsey (red-shirted) as well. Dorsey and Williams will be healthy together for the first time ever and bring different skill sets.
RDE: Tank Carradine; Kaleb Ramsey & Lawrence Okoye
LDE: Quinton Dial/Darnell Dockett; Tony Jerrod-Eddie
NT: Glenn Dorsey/Ian Williams; Mike Purcell & Garrison Smith
WILL: Aldon Smith; Corey Lemonier
SAM: Aaron Lynch; Ahmad Brooks & Chase Thomas
Can we replace 34 tackles (Willis)? - Borland alone averaged 11.25 tackles a game and was on pace for 180 tackles (40 more than Bowman's best season and 10 more than Willis). He also was on pace to have twice as many STF's over both. Coverage, clearly, he's not as good but coverage was also the one weakness of Willis (not Bowman). Also, will Mangini ask his ILB's to be in coverage so much or play down hill? Chances are, he'll use more DB's on the field.

Did I mention that we start FA today? We have some $22-25M now. Did I mentioned in a month and 1/2, we'll be picking #15 with 9 picks at the moment?

We lost leaders and older 49er icons who gave us tremendous memories when they were at their peaks and performing at a high level. But don't discredit talent. We have a ton of it and EVERYONE has us pegged for last place. This team is primed to shock everyone. But the intelligent fan should be able to see the roster for what it is...top 3-5 talent-wise and probably the best in terms of depth and experienced depth. It will now just be on the coaches to "teach them up" and put them in the best position to succeed, while running similar systems, with better game planning, situational awareness, series of calls, etc.

Bottom line: FA starts today and Baalke has already been very busy filling out the 90 (most active during the pre-FA period) and a whole lot of cap space just opened up for us. We still don't have many "needs" which is a great sign. I still don't even think I can find a spot where a rookie would "start" this year!

I liked your post NCommand. I am very optimistic about our team this coming year. The key will be the development of the coaches to be a coherent team and the development of Kaep to take advantage of the offensive weapons. We have the talent to be a contender the issue will be whether Tomsula can get them to play as a hungry team.

It is sad that we lost Willis but he was wise to get out while his body was still functioning. But Patricks time had come and he was able to get out intact. J. Smith is still pondering but we have Dockett to help ease that transition, we have young players coming in to their own, and a health DL draft ahead. I think that the LBs will be good if Bowman can come back and if not we still played well without him but we would be better if he comes back healthy. The next big issue on defense will be the CBs. If we don't get Culliver back or Cox we will need a good FA, or two, and some quality in the draft. But if Mangini can get some cohesion we should do well.

I think that the biggest issue for this year is the Roman is gone. I think he was inflexible and did not utilize the players well. I hope Chryst can see the overview and have a vision of how to use the players and be able to adjust to the defenses and give us the opportunity to compete. I think more use of the RBs as pass receivers would be helpful for the team and keep everyone involved. Now that we have Torrey Smith hopefully we can get some downfield action and open up the field for the rest of the WRs. Again the team will be faced with what to do with the passing game in a run heavy offense. Which brings us back to Chryst. Will we be run heavy, balanced, West Coast, or a New England passing team?

I am glad that we have cleared out a number of people who were too old - Gore, or not functioning well - Iupati. I am also happy that we are getting so many people back from IR. So with Free Agency, and the draft we will have more players to work with.

I am optimistic for this next year.

I am confident our defense will remain top 10, however, our offense is going to hinge on Kap. If he plays like he did last year, we are screwed! If he builds on 2013 and forgets 2014, we should be contenders no problem.

Originally posted by SJniner7:
I am confident our defense will remain top 10, however, our offense is going to hinge on Kap. If he plays like he did last year, we are screwed! If he builds on 2013 and forgets 2014, we should be contenders no problem.

Actually I think our defense will regress due to the mass exodus..
Fangio is gone
Willis retired
Justin Smith will probably retired and on his last legs.
I really doubt Bowman will be back. I think the reason why Willis retired is because his brother (Bowman) probably can't make it back from his severe injury. Even if Bowman comes back i doubt he will be 100% the player he was.
Either Culliver or Cox will be gone
Ray Mac is gone

worse case 6 starters are gone with our defense coordinator changing.

i like the Torrey signing and Dockett signing. Now 49ers need a Rb and an OG mid range FA along with a mid range CB FA. as for the draft, take the BPA on each pick. Trade down too if need be. Got some holes now and this draft has depth so holes can be filled for 2016 and beyond.

I've been watching this delusional thread all day and laughing my ass off.

Originally posted by VDpwndMjenkins:
Horses**t. You dont lose players of that caliber, plug in other guys n be ok. Especially in the leadership department. Im glad some have the outlook you have and thats fine, but the thread title is the biggest overstatement ever.

This.

Thank god Baalke nailed it with Borland!!! Don't have to worry how we are going to get him on the field now. Hopefully Bowman is going to return starting to worry about that with all the rumors