Originally posted by genus49:
Was that just a "if I had to make a gloomy post this would be my concern"? Or was that legit your thoughts on the team?
It was a legit post about my fears on the team. I am an optimist by nature (honest!) and like everyone else before the season starts I fantasise about all the breaks coming our way and we outperform expectations. Sometimes it works (e.g. 2011). More often it doesn't (e.g. 2007). To give you another example about another of my teams, the Phillies (I am not a 9ers fan from the Bay Area, in fact I am European and lived in Philly a few years in the 90s, including the almost magical '93 season). Anyway, everyone knows that the team is in heavy rebuilding mode, that it all depends on prospects panning out in the minors and getting promoted quickly, that this season was a writeoff but we'd like to see progress. I hoped that our uninspired FA signings would work out, that our prospects would progress and that the team would, against expectations, improve to play .500 ball and so attract big name FA next offseason by a narrative of a young core and improvement. I hoped that the baseball version of The Process would work out, and that against all signs our FO and manager would prove to be hidden geniuses. Well, the FAs have been a disaster (one DL'ed for the season, another DFA'ed a month before the break, a third going in and out of the DL all year); the prospects have regressed; and the team is on target for losing 110 this year. Ouch.
So, to bring it back to the Niners. I fear the worst. I do. Our starting QB has a past missing major chunks of seasons and, though very serviceable (he's no Gabbert) he's not exactly lights out either. If he plays at an Alex Smith '11 level it will be amazing, and Alex (whom I actually like) is merely "good" at his best. Our receivers are the same mix of "potential" plus one big name that we had the last season. Our projected tight ends don't even have that one big name - it's all "potential" and former busts. Our OL hasn't been good for years; Staley is awesome, but he's also a year older from last season's disastrous campaign. The rest of the line MAY have gelled - or not. If it's "not" then I expect Hoyer to be in the IR by Week 6. Our running backs have "potential": a veteran that has shown flashes and never stays healthy; and the coach's personal draft crush who may be amazing, or a headcase, or merely serviceable. But who is DEFINITELY a rookie, therefore who knows? On D we have a former All Pro who is coming back from his second career threatening injury; 3 top picks on the DL who are entirely unproven and who may not even be able to play together at the same time due to scheme (for the record, Buckner and Thomas were my own draft crushes, so I'm not against the players). Who else? Safety looks OK, though Tartt (another oddball pick, which I really, REALLY wanted to pan out, but hasn't so far) is still at "potential" level. Corners have "potential", though the one proven veteran (who was no hot shakes at that) was correctly fired for being a woman-beating bum. The other two LBs are an underperforming veteran and a rookie with an injury cloud over him.
And we finally have our managerial team. An owner who is a known meddler, messer-up and entitled silver spoon. A CEO-type (whatever his title is this month) whose image the team are trying really hard to rehabilitate, but who has been accused of messing with management in the past to disastrous effect. We have a rookie GM, who granted has been saying all the right things and seeming like he's actually doing the right things (I like the man!). And we have another "genius" coach, to follow from our genius from last year, who followed (with a one year plumber-at-the-helm interlude) a "quarterback whisperer" (who did wonderfully but who was apparently an insufferable headcase), who followed a HOFer with vaunted motivational skills, who followed another "genius" (defensive variant) from a defensively storied franchise, who followed a college genius, who followed... hang on, we're back to Mariucci now, and I liked Mariucci!
We are justly mocked as "Whiners". It's true. We whine. I am as bad (heck, my other American sports team is a
Philadelphia team. Boooooooo! QED). But living through the dynasty years will do that to you. I liked going into a game expecting a victory and into a season expecting the championship game at worst. The only time I felt like this since 1999 was about 6 months into the 2002 season, and again in 2012-3. I miss that. "Silver linings" are no substitute.
[ Edited by paulk205 on Jul 10, 2017 at 7:40 AM ]
I'm just a fan like you. I have to add that I was impressed with Shanahan's list of traits he looks for in a qb--which included arm strength, toughness, ability to read a defense and distribute the ball to the right receiver, quick release, etc. Things worth thinking about. imho
