Who was the biggest loss for the 49ers this offseason?

[iowajerms]

Which one hurts the most?

 

[Montalban]

Which one hurts the most?

Jed York running the team hurts the most.

 

[HighTopFade]

Aldon Smith.

 

[darken65]

I have to go with Borland on this poll. I felt he was part of the future for the 9ers until he decided to retire. Much can be said for others on this list I'm sure (just not Crabtree! )

 

[Crimsoncrew]

For me, it's Aldon. He was supposed to be a big part of the reason why our D was still very good, keeping us competitive for the playoffs. He's arguably the best pure pass rusher in the league, and with him our D had top-5 potential even with the losses. Without him...who knows? We have solid depth at the position, but Aldon was special.

This is not to understate the other losses. It's very hard to quantify the loss of Harbaugh and Fangio at this point. We'll find out. Losing Gore hurts a team that is somewhat hurting for leaders. Davis might be the second-biggest player loss, at least in the short term, not because he's the best player we lost, but because we didn't anticipate losing him and hadn't tried to find a replacement.

 

[iowajerms]

Like darken said, Borland had the "future" on him. There are a lot of studs on the list, but they have either peaked or in their prime (so they will soon go downhill). We all knew Harbaugh was gone when last season started. His dream was to coach Michigan and Hoke was to far on the hot seat. Borland was still starting out and not at his prime yet.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Like darken said, Borland had the "future" on him. There are a lot of studs on the list, but they have either peaked or in their prime (so they will soon go downhill). We all knew Harbaugh was gone when last season started. His dream was to coach Michigan and Hoke was to far on the hot seat. Borland was still starting out and not at his prime yet.

Borland was born in December of 1990. Aldon Smith and Anthony Davis were born in September and October of 1989, respectively. Any difference in their ages is minimal, and those two guys play positions that aren't as hard on the body as ILB. Smith and Davis both had/have a lot of good years left, and there's plenty of reason to believe both were still on the upwing. They also had a track record of more than a few games. Borland played with reckless abandon because he knew he was only planning to do it for a limited period of time. There's absolutely no reason to believe he could maintain that for a full season (he couldn't last year), much less over the course of a decade-long career.

 

[Pattersonca65]

I'll go with Aldon Smith as the biggest if we lost pre-suspension Aldon Smith. Otherwise I would go with Anthony Davis and then Borland. Aldon Smith didn't do much last year when he played. It could have been due to suspension but we will never find out whether the old Aldon was coming back.

 

[iowajerms]

Borland was born in December of 1990. Aldon Smith and Anthony Davis were born in September and October of 1989, respectively. Any difference in their ages is minimal, and those two guys play positions that aren't as hard on the body as ILB. Smith and Davis both had/have a lot of good years left, and there's plenty of reason to believe both were still on the upwing. They also had a track record of more than a few games. Borland played with reckless abandon because he knew he was only planning to do it for a limited period of time. There's absolutely no reason to believe he could maintain that for a full season (he couldn't last year), much less over the course of a decade-long career.

I might overlook Anthony Davis because he was on the OL. Aldon Smith missed half of last season. I said back in May that the 49ers should get rid of him because he was a trouble-maker. All the responses I got back were about how he was so great for 1 year. I thought the 49ers gave him 1 too many 2nd chances. I understand he was a pro bowl LB, but he got himself cut from the team.

 

[Xponentialchaos]

Seeing the list of players makes me think:

Sorry, I don't have an answer to the question.

 

[johnniner8]

I think losing Willis. Harbaugh, Davis and now Aldon . Were the biggest lost

 

[Crimsoncrew]

The way Skov has been playing lately, according to reports, he may just step into the void that Borland left. They were pretty similar guys in college, in that they were marginal physical talents who made things happen with superior instincts, fundamentals, and passion. Let's hope he keeps it up.

 

[Pattersonca65]

The way Skov has been playing lately, according to reports, he may just step into the void that Borland left. They were pretty similar guys in college, in that they were marginal physical talents who made things happen with superior instincts, fundamentals, and passion. Let's hope he keeps it up.

The way Skov has been playing lately, according to reports, he may just step into the void that Borland left. They were pretty similar guys in college, in that they were marginal physical talents who made things happen with superior instincts, fundamentals, and passion. Let's hope he keeps it up.

Is Skov projected to start?

 

[GeekSportsFan]

I can't think of another NFL team in recent memory that has had the kind of key player losses the 49ers have had.

 

[Crimsoncrew]

Is Skov projected to start?

No, but I wouldn't be shocked if he rotated in on goal line or short yardage and anchored STs. I'm not sold that Borland would have started for us, either. He was stellar against the run - again, playing without worrying about longevity - but he wasn't all that great in coverage.

 

[Pattersonca65]

No, but I wouldn't be shocked if he rotated in on goal line or short yardage and anchored STs. I'm not sold that Borland would have started for us, either. He was stellar against the run - again, playing without worrying about longevity - but he wasn't all that great in coverage.

Apparently, he was one of the camp standouts again Sunday evening

 

[deep9er]

Aldon Smith.

agree.

on offense it is the QB, on defense it is the pass rusher.

 

[purguy12]

I went with Anthony Davis just because we have no one to take his spot. RT is our weakest position on the whole team. Best talent we lost was A. Smith but I think Brooks, Lynch and Harold will be fine. We lose our scary pass rusher but overall should be fine. Best Leader lost was Either Gore or Willis.

 

[darken65]

agree.

on offense it is the QB, on defense it is the pass rusher.

If Aldon had some sort of consistant seasons I might agree. He had two good seasons and then the shit hit the fan. When he finally came back he made very little impact on the field. One (okay ,two) hit wonder.

 

[Clayton]

Voted Anthony Davis. Gore, Willis and Justin Smith were more central but in terms of moving forward, losing an elite tackle is a big deal and can set you back years.