Controversial players & arguements

[NinerSickness]

:ss:

So I thought I'd start a thread for anyone who wants to resurrect old arguements about players or whatever else just for fun. If anyone remembers any good ones feel free to jog my memory.

Here's a list of players that, for some reason, there was an extremely sharp divide about how people felt they'd project to the NFL. I'll start with last year's rookies:

Sam Bradford, Bryan Bulaga, Taylor Mays, Sergio Kindle, Jimmy Clausen, Golden tate, Jordan Shipley.

I remember some really strong opinions about these guys (including my own). What did you think back then?

I though Brad was average (and they should've taken Suh), Bulaga was RT material, Clausen & Tate were plain bad and Shipley should be a 5th / 6th rounder. I actually thought Mays was good value at 49, but that didn't pan out too well.

 

[I_am_1z]

Bradford - Average
Bulaga - #6th ranked OT (ranked behind Okung, C. Brown, T. Williams, A. Davis, Vlad Ducasse)
Mays - Terrible
Kindle - [I have imposed a Self-Ban from forming opinions on pass-rushers]
Clausen - Great prospect
Tate - Always had a bad feeling about the guy
Shipley - Thought he'd be a 4th WR

 

[NinerSickness]

There's actually some good news abuot Kindle. A Sideline reporter asked him how his head was doing at one of the games this preseason and he said, "Well, I've been doing a lot--- ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz" -THUD!-

 

[numone9er]

Sergio Kindle - Loved this guy. I wanted us to trade up in round 2 to get him. I still think he's going to come on strong this season and surprise a lot of people.

Sam Bradford - I didn't like him. Thought he was going to be a bust and his top potential would have been that of a Marc Bulger. I was wrong.

Bryan Bulaga - Like Sickness said, i thought Bulaga was "RT material". I wanted us to trade back with the original Davis pick and try and grab another low 1st or high 2nd to get him, or Saffold. He looks to be doing just fine in GB which i think is a good fit for him.

Shipley - I thought he would make a good slot receiver and was worthy of a 3rd round pick. He's looked solid so far.

Taylor Mays - Hated this pick. It had been discussed on the old espn boards of just how many big plays he gives up and would never amount to starter material.

Brandon Graham - I was really hoping to grab him. I'm not sure i like him as a 4-3 DE, but i thought he would have made an excellent 3-4 OLB in a scheme similar to what we ran. We could have got him as a mid 1st rounder and saved the 1st over all pick from this year on someone else.

Suh - I think we all knew hew as going to be a monster. He was easily the best player in the draft last year and that was easy to see. I still didn't expect him to get 10 sacks his first year in the league. He's even better than i thought he was going to be.

Brandon Lafell - I was actually really high on this guy. I thought he would have an immediate impact. He obviously hasn't done that yet, but he hasn't really had a QB to help his progression. Still, he's had some chances and has faltered at times.

 

[clyde_carbon]

Interesting thread Sickness. I should sticky it, since I'll be using it a lot.

 

[NinerSickness]

How 'bout this one:

Should the Niners have signed Nnamdi Asomugha. I said hell no.

I wanted 'em to sign Julius Peppers though.

 

[clyde_carbon]

How about this guy?

Bears waived DE Vernon Gholston.

Gholston lasts just one month on the Bears' roster. It's a bad sign for the former No. 6 overall pick that defensive coordinator Rod Mareinelli couldn't coach him up at his old 4-3 end spot. He's now failed in three different defensive schemes under three different defensive-minded head coaches. This month, Gholston was outplayed by practice squad types like Nick Reed and Mario Addison, putting his future in the league in doubt. Bears also waived LB Tanner Antle, QB Trevor Vittatoe and C J.C. Brignone.

 

[NinerSickness]

I'll go on record saying I liked Gholston. He wasn't my favourite, but I liked him. He HAD To have been on the juice in college. He was a friggn' monster bck then.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

DW and Vernon Davis

 

[MW49ers5]

There's actually some good news abuot Kindle. A Sideline reporter asked him how his head was doing at one of the games this preseason and he said, "Well, I've been doing a lot--- ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz"

Fixed

 

[NinerSickness]

Ah yes, I remember the DW / Reggie Bush arguements. I'm happy to say that although I didn't lead the charge on this one (imac did) I was right there yelling "FREEEEEEDOM!" with a sword in hand on the front line trying to convince the world how overrated Reggie Bush was and that DW was a better RB.

 

[NinerSickness]

Even stupider: 99% of the planet was for Bush over Super Mario. The sports talk radio world showed how clueless they are when it comes to the NFL draft. They simply don't follow it, and they showed how idiotic they can look when they called the Texans stupid. I don't remember a single person in the media saying Mario was the right choice. The Bang cartoon people even made a video with the Texans' war room full of clowns after that draft. That was one of those times that made me feel better about when I'm the only person in the room arguing a point and everyone else argues the contrary.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Adam Carriker

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Iupati and AD

 

[clyde_carbon]

Adam Carriker

Carriker over Willis was a joke. Or even better - the Patrick Willis can't shed blocks arguments.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

Ah goooood times.

 

[dredinis21]

I never understood the whole "Willis can't shed blocks" bs. Willis, IMO, was the surest thing in that draft as he DOMINATED the SEC while being the only viable defensive threat on an otherwise average at best Ole Miss defense. The guy beasted his last year (IIRC) with a club for a hand as he had broken it early in the season. When I saw him play, I kept thinking, "this guy is one hellava tackler with one arm, this guy can only be MORE of a beast with both."

 

[dredinis21]

The guys that I have salivated over in hopes that the Niners had signed, for better or worse:

Willis
Ngata
Raji (I was crushed when he was taken just before us)
Kindle (esp. in the 2nd)
Aaron Rodgers (only because I saw him and Alex as 1 and 1A and Rodgers was a Niner fan growing up playing for nearby Cal. I never expected him to be what he has become honestly)
Crabtree
Staley (more impressed that we traded up to target a player we wanted)

I threw shit around my house when we passed on:
Rodgers
Alan Branch (in the 2nd round when we didn't trade up to get him)
Steve Smith (watched him at USC, thought he would be a great possession reciever)
Desean Jackson
Oher (sorta because we got Crabs instead and I had drank the kool aid on Crabs)

I threw shit around my apt when we DID draft:
VD (didn't think a TE should have been taken so high)
Mays
AD
Baas
Reggie Smith
Michael Robinson (didn't like projects in the 4th rd, esp as talentless as our team was at the time)
Rachal ( I HATED this pick with a passion. He was too young, raw, immature, and I just didn't think he was someone who would be even average)

 

[BINGO]

The entire 2009 class of WRs was up for debate. DHB I think got the short end of the stick and I seriously don't think he's half as bad as some make it out to be.

Evertte Brown vs. Brian Orakpo vs. Larry English

Bradford vs. Stafford

 

[imac_21]

The guys that I have salivated over in hopes that the Niners had signed, for better or worse:

Willis
Ngata
Raji (I was crushed when he was taken just before us)
Kindle (esp. in the 2nd)
Aaron Rodgers (only because I saw him and Alex as 1 and 1A and Rodgers was a Niner fan growing up playing for nearby Cal. I never expected him to be what he has become honestly)
Crabtree
Staley (more impressed that we traded up to target a player we wanted)

I threw shit around my house when we passed on:
Rodgers
Alan Branch (in the 2nd round when we didn't trade up to get him)
Steve Smith (watched him at USC, thought he would be a great possession reciever)
Desean Jackson
Oher (sorta because we got Crabs instead and I had drank the kool aid on Crabs)

I threw shit around my apt when we DID draft:
VD (didn't think a TE should have been taken so high)
Mays
AD
Baas
Reggie Smith
Michael Robinson (didn't like projects in the 4th rd, esp as talentless as our team was at the time)
Rachal ( I HATED this pick with a passion. He was too young, raw, immature, and I just didn't think he was someone who would be even average)

This seems about right for me as well. I liked the Robinson pick though, and have been hoping for a CB in the first round for about a decade. I wasn't all that high on the Staley pick, but like you, was happy the team targeted someone and went and got him.

Other guys I was really high on:
DW
Cromartie
Jenkins
Everette Brown
Preferred Rodgers to Smith, but not to the degree it has resulted in.
Wilfork

Picks I hated (yes, hated)
Crabtree
Davis (both of them)
Iupati

Last year I wanted Quinn over Smith.

**Edit**

I forgot about my Michigan boys. I really wanted Woodley and David Harris in 07. I was one of the few that was somewhat against Willis because I felt we could get Revis in the first and Harris in the second. Obviously Willis was going to be better than Harris, but in terms of value I felt that was the better option. When we took Willis I really wanted Woodley to go with him.

In 2010 I was leading the Brandon Graham campaign.