49ERS MUST PAY UP

[Jtymer49er]

I don't think anyone on earth would disagree with that. I was just making the point that counting on getting EXTREMELY lucky again is not a good strategy. You are MUCH more likey to find a Justin Smiley than an Alex Boone unless you devote a high draft pick or a lot of money into the position.

Do you really want to see what the Niners' offense would look like without a great OL? Harbaugh's entire scheme depends on being able to push people around, control the clock & wear teams down by the end of the game.

I'm much more willing to take a flyer on a safety or WR & keep the OL strong than break up the best OL in the business and pay more money for a safety or WR.

Look at New England. Wes Welker was one of the best WRs in the AFC. He's gone, he's gone Oh-wah; oh wah. And they haven't devoted a lot of money or high draft picks to the WR position. They made sure to pay up for Logan Mankins though.

I think Brady is great enough to make due with below avg WR but as we saw earlier this year Kap needs better WR to have a passing attack. Kyle williams and such wont cut it and without boldin we would be dead in the water.

 

[NinerSickness]

[/B][/B]

I think Brady is great enough to make due with below avg WR but as we saw earlier this year Kap needs better WR to have a passing attack. Kyle williams and such wont cut it and without boldin we would be dead in the water.

This is true. Kyle Williams won't cut it. But Quinton Patton might. And a lot of time to throw the ball is going to help Kaepernick a lot more than good WRs will. Kaepernick has a slow throwing motion; he needs room to throw the ball so defenders don't get in his lanes or hit him as he's releasing.

The best offensive lines tend to be the ones who have chemistry and have played together a long time. That isn't necessarily true about QBs & WRs; you can plug a good WR into an offense rather quickly with a good QB. See Boldin for an example of that.

It's probably going to come down to Iupati or one of the following: Crabtree, Boldin, a safety or Brooks. Iupati is much more important & harder to replace than the latter.

 

[Flyingiguana]

we need to draft well to fill holes. can't have another 2012.

 

[smackdown380]

The secret to the Niners' success over the last few years has been the OL. Not only do they need to keep Iupati, but they also need to double down & find a good or even great center. In fact, I think Center is going to the a bigger need than CB or even safety in the offseason, and I'd pay big time to get a good one. Even if that means no Boldin & playing a rookie at safety.

What bout the C from FSU? Let Goodwin walk/retire and Boone possibly slide in the C spot for a year and then transition to the draft class?

 

[NinerSickness]

What bout the C from FSU? Let Goodwin walk/retire and Boone possibly slide in the C spot for a year and then transition to the draft class?

Bryan Stork?

Ehh... I'd be more comfortable going with Kilgore.

I don't see any centers in this draft who seem like obvious upgrades over the Niners' current backup(s). Not like last year.

 

[wartyOne]

Major contract negotiations coming up (or probably going on as we speak) with Kaepernick, Aldon, and Crabtree. Oh and not to mention Iupati as well. Is there a way we keep all of them? Oh and not to mention Boldin, Whitner, and Dawson coming up as free agents after the season. So there is obviously no way we keep them all...With Kaepernick and Aldon being the priorities we will no doubt retain, who else can we retain? I can see us slapping the franchise tag on Crabtree after next season as I doubt we will get a new deal done with him any time soon. So he will probably be a Niner for two more seasons...What about Iupati?...I can see us re-signing Boldin after the season to a short, expensive deal and we should be able to keep Dawson as well. What about Whitner? Are he and Iupati the odd men out?

Whitner is toast, Dawson is a kicker, Boldin is a has-been and Iupati is easily replaceable for cheap. Crabtree has value, but second-tier value if Kaepernick is the QB who gets signed to a big contract (not saying he deserves it). Aldon lost value with his in-season meltdown this year.

I disagree that Kaepernick and Aldon are the priorities. They CAN be big pieces. They've also proven they CAN'T be. Aldon has proven his presence is replaceable.

 

[RoboticDreams]

If you had to choose between Boldin and Whitner, who do you pick?

 

[NinerSickness]

If you had to choose between Boldin and Whitner, who do you pick?

If I had to choose between Whitner and nobody I'd choose nobody.

I want Boldin back.

 

[RoboticDreams]

If I had to choose between Whitner and nobody I'd choose nobody.

I want Boldin back.

Me too. I think we have to resign Boldin. He is an invaluable commodity.

 

[h0ckeysk83r]

Kap will be a must sign barring a huge setback. But he won't get flacco money unless he wins that Super Bowl.

Aldon will be had at much cheaper than we would have been which will help.

I believe we need to keep Crabtree He has helped kap a lot. We haven't had a great track record lately with WR. When you now have a sure thing in Crabtree you gotta keep him. He will ask for a lot of money which is the only problem. Maybe his injury history will help knock some dollars down.

Iupati would be nice to have and I agree sick it is important to keep the OL strong. However it could be a numbers game and I think he could possibly be an odd man out.

Boldin, Dawson and whitner would be nice to have all back but again a numbers game.. I would probably keep boldin the most to solidify our WR core.

Our front office has been very good with contracts and I hope that trend continues. We will need it.

 

[erckm510]

If Crabtree has another great postseason then the Niners will look to re-sign him. I would rather have the 15th best WR in the NFL then the best G.

 

[imac_21]

Iupati still made the All-Pro Team this season, considering he missed 4 games and didn't look as dominant as last season I was kinda shocked...I definitely look to keep Crabtree before Iupati. Crab and Kap have a great connection and for that reason alone its worth it...Again, I see them franchise tagging Crab after 2014 as I don't think he will be easy at all to re-sign...But it may be worth it..As for Boldin, I can see them giving him a short, expensive contract after this season, say 2 years 12 million..Restructuring some players and cutting others will obiously free up room.

No he didn't. The only 49er on the first team All-Pro team is Bowman. Vernon, Staley, JSmith and Brooks make 2nd team All Pro. Those were the All Pro Niners this year.

Iupati had a down year. Even before his injury. I think we all learned how valuable Crabtree is to the team, and re-signing him has to me a priority. Kap and Aldon are the first and second, but Crab is easily 3rd.

 

[TobyTyler]

First of all Iupati was injured part of the year. He's the best guard in the NFL. He had a monster game against the Packers.

Second of all, adequate guard play is not easy to find. Look how long it took the 49ers to put together a good O-line. They spent 2 very high picks on guards (Baas & Smiley) & still had a crap OL.

If interiour defensive linemen are so important to the success of a team then interiour offensive linemen are just as important in keeping those guys at bay. Great postseason teams are usually defined by defense, and the most important aspect of a defense is controlling the middle. Who makes sure that doesn't happen? Guys like Iupati. You don't want to see Kaepernick without a great OL.

3rd of al "adequate" guards are not something you want. You want good guards. Great would be preferable (like the Niners have right now).

LOL!

 

[TobyTyler]

The secret to the Niners' success over the last few years has been the OL. Not only do they need to keep Iupati, but they also need to double down & find a good or even great center. In fact, I think Center is going to the a bigger need than CB or even safety in the offseason, and I'd pay big time to get a good one. Even if that means no Boldin & playing a rookie at safety.

I think Culliver could play Safety and yes, Center is a big need.

 

[TobyTyler]

If you had to choose between Boldin and Whitner, who do you pick?

Boldin; no question.

 

[elw4corps]

I believe we find a way to keep them all, I think we may end up tagging crabtree and end up working on a contract for crabs.

 

[RedneckNiner]

Iupati Aldon And Kaep are must keeps period. Boldin is really like to keep, Whitner and Crabs are keep for the right money. Crabs is replaceable if we get Landry, Beckham or even Lee in the draft and Maybe Ha Ha Dix falls to us. I have a feeling Crabs is going to want Megatron money Boldin and Beckham to me would be a winning combo.

 

[Yoshi]

I would like to keep Crabby but noting his history with how he held out in the beginning, he's the most likely to go. In that sense keeping Aldon and Iupati are huge. I know Iupati was out but when he's healthy he is a mauler - just check out the Green Bay game.

There aren't a whole lot of corners in the draft who are slam dunk prospects but the Niners may want to look at drafting a couple of wideouts and perhaps a safety to replace Whitner. I know people on here like Ha Ha but he's not going to be available by the time the 49ers pick. Marquise Lee, however, is an interesting prospect. I normally don't like USC wideouts but this guy could be the exception.

 

[Ray_Dogg]

From what I saw, Iupati did not have a very good season and is probably our most overrated player on the team. I really dont think he's all that important to us. If the contract is decent, obviously keep him but I'm guessing he'll want a big contract. I'd much rather spend that money on keeping Kapernick, Aldon and Crabtree.

I agree. He is a replaceable player. His cost isn't gonna be worth it imo.

 

[NinerSickness]

Did anyone notice how Iupati dominated against Green Bay?

I don't know how you're going to replace that. He's head & shoulders better than anyone in the 2014 draft. It's not even close.

I think maybe tagging Crabby when he becomes a FA might be a good idea. Gives the team 1 more year to find a gem WR in the draft. I don't want to sign him long term. Unless you're a WR like Fitz or Megatron, long-term contract for upper-echelon WRs tend to become albatrosses. It usually doesn't work out.