Niners Trade for Stevie Johnson

[dredinis21]

The pressure is on Roman to come up with a more diverse and effective offensive attack. It seems like our offense really stagnated last season, and that can't happen this year. I also think the pressure is on Morton to develop Patton and Ellington. Neither of these guys is a finished product, and both were taken in the 4th, but both were talked about as going as early as the early second round. If Morton can't develop them into contributors by 2016 at the absolute latest, we may as well just stop drafting WRs.

Or can Morton and get a REAL WR coach. I was unimpressed with him at USC and even less impressed with him in the pros.

 

[-AC-]

The pressure is on Roman to come up with a more diverse and effective offensive attack. It seems like our offense really stagnated last season, and that can't happen this year. I also think the pressure is on Morton to develop Patton and Ellington. Neither of these guys is a finished product, and both were taken in the 4th, but both were talked about as going as early as the early second round. If Morton can't develop them into contributors by 2016 at the absolute latest, we may as well just stop drafting WRs.

I don't want to say Harbaugh dropped the ball, but this team could have used an extra coach to come in and add some wrinkles to the passing game (an aerial guru if you will)... I don't have much confidence in Roman to all of sudden start mixing it up... And I have about the same confidence in coach Morton to suddenly develope young WR's...

 

[whysies]

I don't want to say Harbaugh dropped the ball, but this team could have used an extra coach to come in and add some wrinkles to the passing game (an aerial guru if you will)... I don't have much confidence in Roman to all of sudden start mixing it up... And I have about the same confidence in coach Morton to suddenly develope young WR's...

You don't consider Mangini to be an aerial guru???

 

[Crimsoncrew]

[/B]
Or can Morton and get a REAL WR coach. I was unimpressed with him at USC and even less impressed with him in the pros.

I think Morton should have been fired after the debacle of last year at the WR position. But Harbaugh apparently won't do it.

 

[TobyTyler]

I will take it, too. I'm just expecting more next year. Frankly, quite a lot more given the new and improved cast.

What I don't like is he clearly regressed in his second year from his first. Should that trend continue, they might need to think about looking elsewhere.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

What I don't like is he clearly regressed in his second year from his first. Should that trend continue, they might need to think about looking elsewhere.

Some regression between a rookie year (or the functional equivalent) and a second year is not unusual for a QB, but I don't disagree. He needs to move past where he was in 2012 this year. That's part of why I get a bit nervous when they talk about $20 million/year. I still think if he wants that, they should make him prove it on the field.

 

[dredinis21]

I think Morton should have been fired after the debacle of last year at the WR position. But Harbaugh apparently won't do it.

Look, you can't turn shit into fruit salad and that's exactly what I would call the WR position last season prior to the Niners getting healthy. My beef is with Kyle Williams, Lockette, Patton, AJ Jenkins, Baldwin, etc. who frankly show ZERO improvement on skills they either naturally possessed or acquired in college. None of those players, IMO, improved while on the Niners. As a matter of fact, I cannot think of one WR other then Crabtree (who I would actually contend had the skill set from college already given his instant production) that has developed under Morton. I can go back as far as USC to prove my point as well. And before I get USC honks like Toby riding my ass about this, USC is not without 4-5 star athletes EVERY year and physical gifts play a ton better in college then they do in the NFL.

Morton still on this staff is a joke and he should have gotten canned a couple years ago.

 

[-AC-]

Look, you can't turn shit into fruit salad and that's exactly what I would call the WR position last season prior to the Niners getting healthy. My beef is with Kyle Williams, Lockette, Patton, AJ Jenkins, Baldwin, etc. who frankly show ZERO improvement on skills they either naturally possessed or acquired in college. None of those players, IMO, improved while on the Niners. As a matter of fact, I cannot think of one WR other then Crabtree (who I would actually contend had the skill set from college already given his instant production) that has developed under Morton. I can go back as far as USC to prove my point as well. And before I get USC honks like Toby riding my ass about this, USC is not without 4-5 star athletes EVERY year and physical gifts play a ton better in college then they do in the NFL.

Morton still on this staff is a joke and he should have gotten canned a couple years ago.

I'm a huge SC fan... And I have also made the point (more than once) that Morton failed to develope plenty of 4 and 5 star WR's... I didn't like Morton when he was at SC, and I like him even less now that he has done jack shit at the pro level...

 

[Jikkle]

What I don't like is he clearly regressed in his second year from his first. Should that trend continue, they might need to think about looking elsewhere.

I didn't think his struggles weren't anything out of the ordinary for a 2nd year QB so I wouldn't be concerned yet.

It's not talked about since they won it all but Russell Wilson really didn't look that great at the end of the season but the only difference with him was despite the struggles he still was able to pull rabbits out of his hat and make critical plays in critical moments.

The one positive with Kap is I thought he played better at the end of the season especially when Crabtree was back then at the beginning.

Also it wasn't an accident that our play calling was better towards the end of the season as well. We still had a million different plays to hand the ball to Gore up the gut but I still thought we had more creativity at the end.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

I didn't think his struggles weren't anything out of the ordinary for a 2nd year QB so I wouldn't be concerned yet.

It's not talked about since they won it all but Russell Wilson really didn't look that great at the end of the season but the only difference with him was despite the struggles he still was able to pull rabbits out of his hat and make critical plays in critical moments.

The one positive with Kap is I thought he played better at the end of the season especially when Crabtree was back then at the beginning.

Also it wasn't an accident that our play calling was better towards the end of the season as well. We still had a million different plays to hand the ball to Gore up the gut but I still thought we had more creativity at the end.

Yeah, Wilson played well in the Super Bowl, but prior to that, he had struggled basically following their blowout of the Saints. Against the Niners he wasn't very good, other than two or three huge throws - specifically when both our safeties somehow lost Kearse behind them, and when Aldon jumped offsides. The popular line has become that Wilson is clearly better than Kaepernick at this point. I don't know that I buy that. He's still very inconsistent, particularly from the pocket. Not to say that Kap isn't. Both are young guys who still need to improve plenty.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

I'm a huge SC fan... And I have also made the point (more than once) that Morton failed to develope plenty of 4 and 5 star WR's... I didn't like Morton when he was at SC, and I like him even less now that he has done jack shit at the pro level...

Patton and Ellington should be good test cases. They are talented, motivated, hard-working kids. They don't have elite physical skills, but they have more than enough talent to succeed in the NFL. If Morton can't get anything out of them, then he has no place in the NFL.

 

[dredinis21]

Patton and Ellington should be good test cases. They are talented, motivated, hard-working kids. They don't have elite physical skills, but they have more than enough talent to succeed in the NFL. If Morton can't get anything out of them, then he has no place in the NFL.

Frankly, I don't necessarily want him anywhere near those guys. He has had plenty of opportunities both in college and the pros and he has yet to develop ANYONE. Him being canned is the best case scenario.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Frankly, I don't necessarily want him anywhere near those guys. He has had plenty of opportunities both in college and the pros and he has yet to develop ANYONE. Him being canned is the best case scenario.

Hey, I totally agree. As I said last week, I can't believe Morton wasn't fired at the end of this season; the performance of our WRs outside of Boldin and Crabtree was simply inexcusable. But Morton isn't going anywhere this year. If we fail to develop those two guys, though - and I don't see any reason to be optimistic based on the track record - we're in a world of trouble in a couple years.

 

[CalamityX11]

how much is it actual development and how much is it that our offense led by Roman n Kap did not incorporate the "other" WRs??? it was Boldin, Davis or Crabtree(when healthy), Miller lol....

I mean remember Patton making that leaping catch vs AZ?

 

[Crimsoncrew]

how much is it actual development and how much is it that our offense led by Roman n Kap did not incorporate the "other" WRs??? it was Boldin, Davis or Crabtree(when healthy), Miller lol....

I mean remember Patton making that leaping catch vs AZ?

Well that's the (multi) million dollar question. Is it Baalke's eye for he WR position, Roman's offense, or Morton's ineptitude? Or some combination of the three? At this point, I give Baalke somewhat more credit than the other two. Obviously Jenkins and LMJ didn't pan out, but it's clear Baalke was targeting a specific, glaring need (speed outside the hashes), and I feel we could have gotten more from those guys than we have. That falls largely on Roman, IMO.

The reason I look more to Morton for our general struggles at WR, though, is because we have cut guys or made no attempt to bring back guys who have gone elsewhere and filled a role (Lockette, Ginn, heck, even Moore). None of these guys was all-world, but each did more than they did for the Niners. Gotta think it's largely up to the WRs coach which WRs we keep, at least in the case of young, cheap third or fourth receivers. Morton hasn't come close to developing anyone yet.

 

[NinerSickness]

Well that's the (multi) million dollar question. Is it Baalke's eye for he WR position, Roman's offense, or Morton's ineptitude?

Neither. Baalke has missed one time on the WR position. 6th-round picks not becoming good players doesn't count as missing; those guys are typically lucky to even make the team.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Neither. Baalke has missed one time on the WR position. 6th-round picks not becoming good players doesn't count as missing; those guys are typically lucky to even make the team.

There were three options there. Not to mention the "Kap only looking to one or two guys" option. Frankly, the correct answer is probably "all of the above," but I don't understand how Morton could be so terrible over three years in terms of developing WRs and still have a job.

 

[CalamityX11]

Well that's the (multi) million dollar question. Is it Baalke's eye for he WR position, Roman's offense, or Morton's ineptitude? Or some combination of the three? At this point, I give Baalke somewhat more credit than the other two. Obviously Jenkins and LMJ didn't pan out, but it's clear Baalke was targeting a specific, glaring need (speed outside the hashes), and I feel we could have gotten more from those guys than we have. That falls largely on Roman, IMO.

The reason I look more to Morton for our general struggles at WR, though, is because we have cut guys or made no attempt to bring back guys who have gone elsewhere and filled a role (Lockette, Ginn, heck, even Moore). None of these guys was all-world, but each did more than they did for the Niners. Gotta think it's largely up to the WRs coach which WRs we keep, at least in the case of young, cheap third or fourth receivers. Morton hasn't come close to developing anyone yet.

Letting Ginn go was a big sh*t move by us IMO.... a lot of people bashed the idea of him as our main return man n deep threat even as a 4th WR... what a missed opportunity IMO. wasn't like he was commanding top $ either.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Letting Ginn go was a big sh*t move by us IMO.... a lot of people bashed the idea of him as our main return man n deep threat even as a 4th WR... what a missed opportunity IMO. wasn't like he was commanding top $ either.

I don't think he would have stayed even if we tried to re-sign him. I think he would have taken less money to go somewhere where he would have a shot to actually play WR. He had three more receptions in one year in Carolina as he did in three years with the Niners, not to mention 150+ more yards and four more TDs. In his final season in SF, he had two receptions for one yard. Going to Carolina was a great move for him.

And for the record, I do blame Ginn's struggles primarily on Roman. Ginn isn't great, but we needed what he offered Carolina this past year and never really got it from him. It's pretty clear based on his performance on both teams other than the Niners that he's played with that he can produce when given the chance. Admittedly he's always going to have some drops.

 

[NinerSickness]

Letting Ginn go was a big sh*t move by us IMO.... a lot of people bashed the idea of him as our main return man n deep threat even as a 4th WR... what a missed opportunity IMO. wasn't like he was commanding top $ either.

This. And I was saying it was a stupid move to not re-sign him even before he signed with the Panthers.

I remember getting into a heated argument with Clyde & imac about how dumb I was for thinking Ted Ginn is a better receiver than Kyle Williams and how dumb I was for thinking Kyle Williams sucked; but I always defended the guy. Not bringing Ginn back could've been the difference last year.