49ers Offensive Line

Originally posted by NCommand:
My bigger question is Thomas. He too sounds like a hell of a talent but we haven't gotten much info on him thus far. Have to wait and see when the pads are put on. And Pears at RT in a ZBS? Boone in a ZBS?

They gave Pears a pretty good contract which would indicate they like the guy. If he's better than J Martin I'm good with him, but still hope Boone can earn the starting spot. If Brown could jump to the front of the line...

Originally posted by ModestoNiner33:

Originally posted by NCommand:
My bigger question is Thomas. He too sounds like a hell of a talent but we haven't gotten much info on him thus far. Have to wait and see when the pads are put on. And Pears at RT in a ZBS? Boone in a ZBS?

Don't Forget Trenton Brown the rookie. He might have the best size/speed combo of anybody except Staley.

Agreed. If he earns the RT spot he's gonna really earn it. He seems like he's working his ass off and understands this is a golden opportunity. This, by far, is the most intriguing battles in camp for me...the OL.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by NCommand:

My bigger question is Thomas. He too sounds like a hell of a talent but we haven't gotten much info on him thus far. Have to wait and see when the pads are put on. And Pears at RT in a ZBS? Boone in a ZBS?

They gave Pears a pretty good contract which would indicate they like the guy. If he's better than J Martin I'm good with him, but still hope Boone can earn the starting spot. If Brown could jump to the front of the line...

Yeah I know many people here don't like Pears based off his PFF numbers, but one thing you have to give a lot of credit to Baalke and our scouting department is bringing in veteran FA's that fit our team. If you look at signings like Whitner, Carlos Rogers, Bethea, Goodman, Dorsey, Skuta, etc. These were all guys who weren't highly regarded FA's but became good players for our team. Baalke and our scouts have a really good eye for finding those mid to lower tier veterans who fit our team and become big contributors.

Pears is a much better OT than an OG, and Tomsula has mentioned he views Pears as a Tackle for us. He has never given up more than 4 sacks in a season, and fits better in a ZBS. It's been talked about how he isn't the strongest guy which might be why he grades poorly against the run. But in a Tomsula interview he mentioned that that has been a focus for him and Pears is the strongest he's ever been. This should help him become a decent run blocker, even when we run our power plays. I think Pears will pleastly surprise us and be a decent OT for us.

Now I think our starting lineup will be:
Staley, Boone, Kilgore, Martin, Pears
With B. Thomas first off the bench in jumbo packages and to fill in at LG or RG if one of our starters gets injured. The remaining 2 OL on our roster will be T. Brown, and Farrell. I think we have great versatility amongst most of our OL which is why I see us keeping only 8 OL on the roster instead of the usual 9 we have kept the past few years... We need every roster spot we can get.

I think Boone covers LT and RT if either staley or Pears gets hurt. Thomas would then fill in at LG or RG if Boone would need to play tackle or if he or Martin get hurt. T.Brown will be our emergency swing Tackle if Boone is hurt and not available to fill in. Martin can play C if Kilgore gets hurt and Farrell can play either OG spot or be our emergency C if Kilgore and Martin were to both be injured. Like I said, we have great versatility and this would give us plenty of contingency plans in case of injuries. Great job by Baalke for aquiring so many versatile lineman, and great job by our coaching staff for having guys practice and prepare at different positions during OTA's.

Originally posted by Luckycharms:
Yeah I know many people here don't like Pears based off his PFF numbers, but one thing you have to give a lot of credit to Baalke and our scouting department is bringing in veteran FA's that fit our team. If you look at signings like Whitner, Carlos Rogers, Bethea, Goodman, Dorsey, Skuta, etc. These were all guys who weren't highly regarded FA's but became good players for our team. Baalke and our scouts have a really good eye for finding those mid to lower tier veterans who fit our team and become big contributors.

Pears is a much better OT than an OG, and Tomsula has mentioned he views Pears as a Tackle for us. He has never given up more than 4 sacks in a season, and fits better in a ZBS. It's been talked about how he isn't the strongest guy which might be why he grades poorly against the run. But in a Tomsula interview he mentioned that that has been a focus for him and Pears is the strongest he's ever been. This should help him become a decent run blocker, even when we run our power plays. I think Pears will pleastly surprise us and be a decent OT for us.

Now I think our starting lineup will be:
Staley, Boone, Kilgore, Martin, Pears
With B. Thomas first off the bench in jumbo packages and to fill in at LG or RG if one of our starters gets injured. The remaining 2 OL on our roster will be T. Brown, and Farrell. I think we have great versatility amongst most of our OL which is why I see us keeping only 8 OL on the roster instead of the usual 9 we have kept the past few years... We need every roster spot we can get.

I think Boone covers LT and RT if either staley or Pears gets hurt. Thomas would then fill in at LG or RG if Boone would need to play tackle or if he or Martin get hurt. T.Brown will be our emergency swing Tackle if Boone is hurt and not available to fill in. Martin can play C if Kilgore gets hurt and Farrell can play either OG spot or be our emergency C if Kilgore and Martin were to both be injured. Like I said, we have great versatility and this would give us plenty of contingency plans in case of injuries. Great job by Baalke for aquiring so many versatile lineman, and great job by our coaching staff for having guys practice and prepare at different positions during OTA's.

Good post man!

Really hoping Brown gets a full year of strength training, playbook knowledge and some game experience.

IMO, if Boone doesn't play tackle for us this year and doesn't get starting tackle $$ he'll move on to a team that will pay him.

That said, the emergence of Brown would be off the charts steal of the draft.

I still feel that Boone will be the starting RT.

We'll find out soon.

Originally posted by Luckycharms:
Yeah I know many people here don't like Pears based off his PFF numbers, but one thing you have to give a lot of credit to Baalke and our scouting department is bringing in veteran FA's that fit our team. If you look at signings like Whitner, Carlos Rogers, Bethea, Goodman, Dorsey, Skuta, etc. These were all guys who weren't highly regarded FA's but became good players for our team. Baalke and our scouts have a really good eye for finding those mid to lower tier veterans who fit our team and become big contributors.

Pears is a much better OT than an OG, and Tomsula has mentioned he views Pears as a Tackle for us. He has never given up more than 4 sacks in a season, and fits better in a ZBS. It's been talked about how he isn't the strongest guy which might be why he grades poorly against the run. But in a Tomsula interview he mentioned that that has been a focus for him and Pears is the strongest he's ever been. This should help him become a decent run blocker, even when we run our power plays. I think Pears will pleastly surprise us and be a decent OT for us.

Now I think our starting lineup will be:
Staley, Boone, Kilgore, Martin, Pears
With B. Thomas first off the bench in jumbo packages and to fill in at LG or RG if one of our starters gets injured. The remaining 2 OL on our roster will be T. Brown, and Farrell. I think we have great versatility amongst most of our OL which is why I see us keeping only 8 OL on the roster instead of the usual 9 we have kept the past few years... We need every roster spot we can get.

I think Boone covers LT and RT if either staley or Pears gets hurt. Thomas would then fill in at LG or RG if Boone would need to play tackle or if he or Martin get hurt. T.Brown will be our emergency swing Tackle if Boone is hurt and not available to fill in. Martin can play C if Kilgore gets hurt and Farrell can play either OG spot or be our emergency C if Kilgore and Martin were to both be injured. Like I said, we have great versatility and this would give us plenty of contingency plans in case of injuries. Great job by Baalke for aquiring so many versatile lineman, and great job by our coaching staff for having guys practice and prepare at different positions during OTA's.

So you've got Staley, Boone, Kilgore, Martin, Pears making the team as well as Farrell and Thomas and Brown. Those are the 8 I have as well...even though we kept 9 last year. That said, I also go back and forth between Farrell and Looney as Looney played well at C for us at the end of the year and can play both G positions and he's a strong blocker on the move (pulling) which may translate to a quality ZB OL if he continues to slim down and hit the cardio. But Farrell may very well be the more natural fit there. So I go back and forth on that one and will have to analyze the OL again this year during pre season to figure it out (WRATH and I predicted Farrell last year to make the 53 as a result of that work).

Was just wondering if a quicker back like Bush will help this line a great deal on sweeps. They aren't the best blockers on the move but all they need to do is shield the defenders so Bush can make decisions. Gore did well with this but was not nearly as quick. I wasn't a big fan of watching Boone pull around end and hit no one...but he is a big object to run around.

As for filling Gore's abilty to get low and sneak through the line...I see Davis as the most similar. Not sure he will get many carries unless an injury necessitates the move.

I am still hoping Martin and Thomas earn the starting guard positions. Imagine having them being solid for the next five to ten years! Kilgore, Looney and Farrell are all very capable centers. There have been articles mentioning Martin as perhaps the smartest center on the team though so...all arrows point up! No matter the starters.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by Luckycharms:
Yeah I know many people here don't like Pears based off his PFF numbers, but one thing you have to give a lot of credit to Baalke and our scouting department is bringing in veteran FA's that fit our team. If you look at signings like Whitner, Carlos Rogers, Bethea, Goodman, Dorsey, Skuta, etc. These were all guys who weren't highly regarded FA's but became good players for our team. Baalke and our scouts have a really good eye for finding those mid to lower tier veterans who fit our team and become big contributors.

Pears is a much better OT than an OG, and Tomsula has mentioned he views Pears as a Tackle for us. He has never given up more than 4 sacks in a season, and fits better in a ZBS. It's been talked about how he isn't the strongest guy which might be why he grades poorly against the run. But in a Tomsula interview he mentioned that that has been a focus for him and Pears is the strongest he's ever been. This should help him become a decent run blocker, even when we run our power plays. I think Pears will pleastly surprise us and be a decent OT for us.

Now I think our starting lineup will be:
Staley, Boone, Kilgore, Martin, Pears
With B. Thomas first off the bench in jumbo packages and to fill in at LG or RG if one of our starters gets injured. The remaining 2 OL on our roster will be T. Brown, and Farrell. I think we have great versatility amongst most of our OL which is why I see us keeping only 8 OL on the roster instead of the usual 9 we have kept the past few years... We need every roster spot we can get.

I think Boone covers LT and RT if either staley or Pears gets hurt. Thomas would then fill in at LG or RG if Boone would need to play tackle or if he or Martin get hurt. T.Brown will be our emergency swing Tackle if Boone is hurt and not available to fill in. Martin can play C if Kilgore gets hurt and Farrell can play either OG spot or be our emergency C if Kilgore and Martin were to both be injured. Like I said, we have great versatility and this would give us plenty of contingency plans in case of injuries. Great job by Baalke for aquiring so many versatile lineman, and great job by our coaching staff for having guys practice and prepare at different positions during OTA's.

So you've got Staley, Boone, Kilgore, Martin, Pears making the team as well as Farrell and Thomas and Brown. Those are the 8 I have as well...even though we kept 9 last year. That said, I also go back and forth between Farrell and Looney as Looney played well at C for us at the end of the year and can play both G positions and he's a strong blocker on the move (pulling) which may translate to a quality ZB OL if he continues to slim down and hit the cardio. But Farrell may very well be the more natural fit there. So I go back and forth on that one and will have to analyze the OL again this year during pre season to figure it out (WRATH and I predicted Farrell last year to make the 53 as a result of that work).

IMO, Looney is the guy on the bubble.

I don't know if he has peaked but he better be ready to fight for his job by showing noticeable improvement.

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
IMO, Looney is the guy on the bubble.

I don't know if he has peaked but he better be ready to fight for his job by showing noticeable improvement.

No question about it...both Looney and Farrell are in for one epic camp battle. They both have experience in our systems but it will be cool b/c the positions coaches are new so these players will get a clean slate. May the best 8 or 9 win!

Originally posted by dtg_9er:
Was just wondering if a quicker back like Bush will help this line a great deal on sweeps. They aren't the best blockers on the move but all they need to do is shield the defenders so Bush can make decisions. Gore did well with this but was not nearly as quick. I wasn't a big fan of watching Boone pull around end and hit no one...but he is a big object to run around.

As for filling Gore's abilty to get low and sneak through the line...I see Davis as the most similar. Not sure he will get many carries unless an injury necessitates the move.

I am still hoping Martin and Thomas earn the starting guard positions. Imagine having them being solid for the next five to ten years! Kilgore, Looney and Farrell are all very capable centers. There have been articles mentioning Martin as perhaps the smartest center on the team though so...all arrows point up! No matter the starters.

Yeah, you can even see it in the Hyde highlights video. Whenever the hole opens up on the stretch run (instantly) or last last second, that's when the RB will fly up and burst through that hole. And if you watch a lot of those successful runs, often times it's just one OL making a good initial block/seal...note the whiffs by some OL and the fact it didn't even matter for a successful run.

In a power run scheme, you damn near need every single OL to not only win the battle but the FB as well. I think this scheme change 'could have' a very significant impact on both our running and pass protection game and by default, positively effect our passing game as well.

But it all starts in the trenches though.

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
IMO, Looney is the guy on the bubble.

I don't know if he has peaked but he better be ready to fight for his job by showing noticeable improvement.

No question about it...both Looney and Farrell are in for one epic camp battle. They both have experience in our systems but it will be cool b/c the positions coaches are new so these players will get a clean slate. May the best 8 or 9 win!

Looney has the ability if he took the weight issue seriously. Farrell is an over acheiver and may use grit and desire to win the spot...it will be fun to watch. I'm hoping they find a way to keep both but if they can't...it only means the team is stronger than last year.

Looney, Farrell and Thomas are all 24 years old. Kilgore is the old man at 27 and Martin is the youngster at 21.

The tackles are all older, with Boone (listed as G/T) 28, Staley 30 and Pears 33; they really need to hope Brown is a legitimate NFL OT to infuse some youth!

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by NCommand:

Originally posted by LasVegasWally:
IMO, Looney is the guy on the bubble.

I don't know if he has peaked but he better be ready to fight for his job by showing noticeable improvement.

No question about it...both Looney and Farrell are in for one epic camp battle. They both have experience in our systems but it will be cool b/c the positions coaches are new so these players will get a clean slate. May the best 8 or 9 win!

Looney has the ability if he took the weight issue seriously. Farrell is an over acheiver and may use grit and desire to win the spot...it will be fun to watch. I'm hoping they find a way to keep both but if they can't...it only means the team is stronger than last year.

Looney, Farrell and Thomas are all 24 years old. Kilgore is the old man at 27 and Martin is the youngster at 21.

The tackles are all older, with Boone (listed as G/T) 28, Staley 30 and Pears 33; they really need to hope Brown is a legitimate NFL OT to infuse some youth!

Yeah and don't be surprised if Baalke isn't done either. Just say'n...he has a long history of grabbing some last minute veteran FA's!

Originally posted by NCommand:
Yeah and don't be surprised if Baalke isn't done either. Just say'n...he has a long history of grabbing some last minute veteran FA's!

True! He picked up Gottshalk to kick his tires and I would't even be surprised to see a sign and trade deal for Boone if Brown looks good.

Originally posted by dtg_9er:

Originally posted by NCommand:
Yeah and don't be surprised if Baalke isn't done either. Just say'n...he has a long history of grabbing some last minute veteran FA's!

True! He picked up Gottshalk to kick his tires and I would't even be surprised to see a sign and trade deal for Boone if Brown looks good.

Exactly.

What about Ian Silberman? I haven't seen him mentioned in any Oline talk. I don't know what to expect of the 6th rounder, but he might have his name thrown into the hat for backup interior OLine.