Marcus Lattimore was shocked the 49ers drafted him.

[Hawks46]

Honestly it was a worthy gamble to take. At the time the team had just come off a SB appearance and thought they could give Lattimore a year off to get healthy and go. Didn't pan out but they still have Hyde.

Yup, I totally agree. At the time the roster was incredibly deep and talented. This was basically a medical redshirt to see if they had the heir to Gore.

If Schneider would've done this, I'd feel the same way. 13 draft picks and a loaded roster....they needed to stash some picks and this is how they did it. Absolutely nothing wrong with it.

 

[Hasselbeck]

Baalke is Tim Ruskell's brother, I am convinced, but I won't knock him for the Lattimore pick. Lattimore was a likely 1st rounder before the injury and they had a slew of picks.. it was worth the gamble, especially for a team that narrowly missed a Super Bowl win.

You can play the hindsight is 20/20 game and see that a few RB's went after Lattimore and have been productive, but again.. won't knock Baalke for that one. There are many more picks he's whiffed on that he should be knocked for. (Like the entire 2012 draft)

 

[rideaducati]

Baalke is Tim Ruskell's brother, I am convinced, but I won't knock him for the Lattimore pick. Lattimore was a likely 1st rounder before the injury and they had a slew of picks.. it was worth the gamble, especially for a team that narrowly missed a Super Bowl win.

You can play the hindsight is 20/20 game and see that a few RB's went after Lattimore and have been productive, but again.. won't knock Baalke for that one. There are many more picks he's whiffed on that he should be knocked for. (Like the entire 2012 draft)

In the 2012 draft, we all got to see the real Baalke. He made that draft all about BAALKE. He even proved that he got THE GUY he wanted with his first round pick and he had every niner fan eating out of the palm of his hand. Just last year, he was still being touted by everyone as being great, but people that actually delve deeper have found that he really isn't even above average. Kind of funny how the further he gets from McCloughan, the worse his team gets.

 

[Attyla the Hawk]

Baalke is Tim Ruskell's brother, I am convinced, but I won't knock him for the Lattimore pick. Lattimore was a likely 1st rounder before the injury and they had a slew of picks.. it was worth the gamble, especially for a team that narrowly missed a Super Bowl win.

You can play the hindsight is 20/20 game and see that a few RB's went after Lattimore and have been productive, but again.. won't knock Baalke for that one. There are many more picks he's whiffed on that he should be knocked for. (Like the entire 2012 draft)

In the 2012 draft, we all got to see the real Baalke. He made that draft all about BAALKE. He even proved that he got THE GUY he wanted with his first round pick and he had every niner fan eating out of the palm of his hand. Just last year, he was still being touted by everyone as being great, but people that actually delve deeper have found that he really isn't even above average. Kind of funny how the further he gets from McCloughan, the worse his team gets.

Not to be unexpected, since the picks McCloughan earned were in the top 12 almost every year. While Baalke was picking in the latter half almost every year.

While I don't think he did enough with the picks he had, I do have to tip my hat to his ability to collect draft stock on his trades. A blend of Baalke on trades and Schneider on picks would make for an all time dominant FO in the draft.

 

[Popeyejones]

The funny thing about McCloughan hagiography is that Baalke's epically bad 2012 draft really isn't any noticeably worse than McCloughan's 2008 draft.

FWIW I also think Hawks fans are playing with fire a little bit when arguing that McCloughan is the true draft genius for which other people have gotten credit.

 

[Marvin49]

The criticism on this site of Baalke is hysterical to me.

Yup. 2012 really sucked.

Here's the problem though...MANY of the selections he's made haven't even had a chance to play yet because they had a very good vet in front of them. They were DRAFTED as depth for the day those starters were gone.

In instances where that has happened, those players have performed well (Borland, Lynch, Wilhoite - though he was an UFA). He's also been very good at finding bargain FAs that perfrom very well (Whitner, Rogers, Cox, Skuta to a lesser degree).

All of the criticism usually stems from 2012 and the players taken in the last two years, but how many starters has Seattle drafted in the last two years? Is it because Seattle sucks at finding talent? No, its because they already have talent.

NOW we get to see if Baalke knew what he was doing. It hadn't been tested yet, but now it will. There are SEVERAL players that will be given an opportunity and several different positions (RB, CB, OL, DL) this year so it should be interesting.

 

[Marvin49]

The funny thing about McCloughan hagiography is that Baalke's epically bad 2012 draft really isn't any noticeably worse than McCloughan's 2008 draft.

FWIW I also think Hawks fans are playing with fire a little bit when arguing that McCloughan is the true draft genius for which other people have gotten credit.

I'd argue that Josh Morgan wasn't a terrible pick, but yeah...2008 was pretty rough.

 

[rideaducati]

The funny thing about McCloughan hagiography is that Baalke's epically bad 2012 draft really isn't any noticeably worse than McCloughan's 2008 draft.

FWIW I also think Hawks fans are playing with fire a little bit when arguing that McCloughan is the true draft genius for which other people have gotten credit.

Well, since the results haven't been very good with Baalke on his own, the fire is very much contained. Kind of like a match in the wind. Combine his draft results with the dysfunction that seems to abound in the organization and I don't think I'm playing with fire at all.

I think Baalke will have more control over the coordinators than Tomsula will which will make for more dysfunction. We'll be able to tell rather quickly by the way they deal with post game press conferences. I doubt they'll throw Tomsula out there as the face of the franchise if it doesn't go well to start the season. We'll see York and Baalke inserting themselves into the coaching arena and chaos will become the norm. The players will see that the coaches have very little say in what is going on and their respect for their coaches will disappear..the locker room will be lost.

If Harbaugh couldn't hold the team together, what makes you think Tomsula can? The niners weren't a very disciplined group to begin with and now they have a "players" coach. Again, not a good mixture.

From all the reports that I have read, the niner offense is going to be basically the same, only the plays called will change. Since those same plays weren't really good to begin with, I don't see the niner offense taking a huge leap. They were fourth in rushing, so I don't expect that a guy with 83 snaps is going to do a whole lot better. We've seen what Kaepernick does when asked to do more in the passing game and it isn't good for niner fans. I think we'll see Kaepernick run a lot more, which is exactly what people want to see their QB doing, and with Kaepernick's decision making, it should be fun for Seahawks fans to watch.

Combine all of the unproven talent with everything else that is going on in ninerland and I just can't picture the niners being better. Sure, anything CAN happen, but the odds are against it. Going against the odds is usually a losing proposition.

 

[rideaducati]

The criticism on this site of Baalke is hysterical to me.

Yup. 2012 really sucked.

Here's the problem though...MANY of the selections he's made haven't even had a chance to play yet because they had a very good vet in front of them. They were DRAFTED as depth for the day those starters were gone.

In instances where that has happened, those players have performed well (Borland, Lynch, Wilhoite - though he was an UFA). He's also been very good at finding bargain FAs that perfrom very well (Whitner, Rogers, Cox, Skuta to a lesser degree).

All of the criticism usually stems from 2012 and the players taken in the last two years, but how many starters has Seattle drafted in the last two years? Is it because Seattle sucks at finding talent? No, its because they already have talent.

NOW we get to see if Baalke knew what he was doing. It hadn't been tested yet, but now it will. There are SEVERAL players that will be given an opportunity and several different positions (RB, CB, OL, DL) this year so it should be interesting.

Sure Marv, all those players have come in and played well. The difference now will be that the pro bowl players that were playing WITH them will be gone. A lot of guys have made money elsewhere after playing alongside Willis and Cowboy. How'd they do without those guys? Look no further than your very own Aldon Smith.

Like I said, it's "possible", but not probable. Just way too many new pieces for me to expect better than the proven players that are now gone.

 

[Marvin49]

The criticism on this site of Baalke is hysterical to me.

Yup. 2012 really sucked.

Here's the problem though...MANY of the selections he's made haven't even had a chance to play yet because they had a very good vet in front of them. They were DRAFTED as depth for the day those starters were gone.

In instances where that has happened, those players have performed well (Borland, Lynch, Wilhoite - though he was an UFA). He's also been very good at finding bargain FAs that perfrom very well (Whitner, Rogers, Cox, Skuta to a lesser degree).

All of the criticism usually stems from 2012 and the players taken in the last two years, but how many starters has Seattle drafted in the last two years? Is it because Seattle sucks at finding talent? No, its because they already have talent.

NOW we get to see if Baalke knew what he was doing. It hadn't been tested yet, but now it will. There are SEVERAL players that will be given an opportunity and several different positions (RB, CB, OL, DL) this year so it should be interesting.

Sure Marv, all those players have come in and played well. The difference now will be that the pro bowl players that were playing WITH them will be gone. A lot of guys have made money elsewhere after playing alongside Willis and Cowboy. How'd they do without those guys? Look no further than your very own Aldon Smith.

Like I said, it's "possible", but not probable. Just way too many new pieces for me to expect better than the proven players that are now gone.

Not sure what "look at your very own Aldon Smith" means since he's only played like 3 games in his career without Justin.

Possible? Probable? Niether of those things have anything to do with the conversation. The hypothesis here is that Baalke sucks grading talent. For the most part, recent talent acquisitions haven't had the opportunity to play and prove themselves as good or bad picks. It's really that simple. In the few cases where one of those guys has gotten an opportunity, they've played very well (Borland and Lynch are examples).

The 2010 draft was a good one with Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis, and Navorro Bowman. The 2011 draft was a good one with Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Chris Culliver, Daniel Kilgore, and Bruce Miller. 2012 was a total bust.

The last two drafts (prior to this year) haven't had their opportunity due mainly to either a really good player in front of them or the fact that they were redshirted to begin with. Hell, they did it again this year. They drafted WR DeAndre Smelter who is coming off a torn ACL.

You may "doubt" the talent all you want, but that is in no way a factual indicator on whether those picks were good ones or not. Not yet. We'll find out soon. Finally. This is a BIG reason why I won't predict a record. They've been stockpiling talent for a few years now. They've drafted like 23 players in the last few years. Now they get their shot. I am not predicting they will be good or bad. I honestly don't know.

I just don't assume they'll be bad because of the uniform they wear or the GM who drafted them.

 

[hawknation2015]

The criticism on this site of Baalke is hysterical to me.

Yup. 2012 really sucked.

Here's the problem though...MANY of the selections he's made haven't even had a chance to play yet because they had a very good vet in front of them. They were DRAFTED as depth for the day those starters were gone.

In instances where that has happened, those players have performed well (Borland, Lynch, Wilhoite - though he was an UFA). He's also been very good at finding bargain FAs that perfrom very well (Whitner, Rogers, Cox, Skuta to a lesser degree).

All of the criticism usually stems from 2012 and the players taken in the last two years, but how many starters has Seattle drafted in the last two years? Is it because Seattle sucks at finding talent? No, its because they already have talent.

NOW we get to see if Baalke knew what he was doing. It hadn't been tested yet, but now it will. There are SEVERAL players that will be given an opportunity and several different positions (RB, CB, OL, DL) this year so it should be interesting.

Sure Marv, all those players have come in and played well. The difference now will be that the pro bowl players that were playing WITH them will be gone. A lot of guys have made money elsewhere after playing alongside Willis and Cowboy. How'd they do without those guys? Look no further than your very own Aldon Smith.

Like I said, it's "possible", but not probable. Just way too many new pieces for me to expect better than the proven players that are now gone.

Not sure what "look at your very own Aldon Smith" means since he's only played like 3 games in his career without Justin.

Possible? Probable? Niether of those things have anything to do with the conversation. The hypothesis here is that Baalke sucks grading talent. For the most part, recent talent acquisitions haven't had the opportunity to play and prove themselves as good or bad picks. It's really that simple. In the few cases where one of those guys has gotten an opportunity, they've played very well (Borland and Lynch are examples).

The 2010 draft was a good one with Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis, and Navorro Bowman. The 2011 draft was a good one with Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Chris Culliver, Daniel Kilgore, and Bruce Miller. 2012 was a total bust.

The last two drafts (prior to this year) haven't had their opportunity due mainly to either a really good player in front of them or the fact that they were redshirted to begin with. Hell, they did it again this year. They drafted WR DeAndre Smelter who is coming off a torn ACL.

You may "doubt" the talent all you want, but that is in no way a factual indicator on whether those picks were good ones or not. Not yet. We'll find out soon. Finally. This is a BIG reason why I won't predict a record. They've been stockpiling talent for a few years now. They've drafted like 23 players in the last few years. Now they get their shot. I am not predicting they will be good or bad. I honestly don't know.

I just don't assume they'll be bad because of the uniform they wear or the GM who drafted them.

. . . Or the clown who is coaching them.

 

[rideaducati]

The criticism on this site of Baalke is hysterical to me.

Yup. 2012 really sucked.

Here's the problem though...MANY of the selections he's made haven't even had a chance to play yet because they had a very good vet in front of them. They were DRAFTED as depth for the day those starters were gone.

In instances where that has happened, those players have performed well (Borland, Lynch, Wilhoite - though he was an UFA). He's also been very good at finding bargain FAs that perfrom very well (Whitner, Rogers, Cox, Skuta to a lesser degree).

All of the criticism usually stems from 2012 and the players taken in the last two years, but how many starters has Seattle drafted in the last two years? Is it because Seattle sucks at finding talent? No, its because they already have talent.

NOW we get to see if Baalke knew what he was doing. It hadn't been tested yet, but now it will. There are SEVERAL players that will be given an opportunity and several different positions (RB, CB, OL, DL) this year so it should be interesting.

Sure Marv, all those players have come in and played well. The difference now will be that the pro bowl players that were playing WITH them will be gone. A lot of guys have made money elsewhere after playing alongside Willis and Cowboy. How'd they do without those guys? Look no further than your very own Aldon Smith.

Like I said, it's "possible", but not probable. Just way too many new pieces for me to expect better than the proven players that are now gone.

Not sure what "look at your very own Aldon Smith" means since he's only played like 3 games in his career without Justin.

Possible? Probable? Niether of those things have anything to do with the conversation. The hypothesis here is that Baalke sucks grading talent. For the most part, recent talent acquisitions haven't had the opportunity to play and prove themselves as good or bad picks. It's really that simple. In the few cases where one of those guys has gotten an opportunity, they've played very well (Borland and Lynch are examples).

The 2010 draft was a good one with Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis, and Navorro Bowman. The 2011 draft was a good one with Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Chris Culliver, Daniel Kilgore, and Bruce Miller. 2012 was a total bust.

The last two drafts (prior to this year) haven't had their opportunity due mainly to either a really good player in front of them or the fact that they were redshirted to begin with. Hell, they did it again this year. They drafted WR DeAndre Smelter who is coming off a torn ACL.

You may "doubt" the talent all you want, but that is in no way a factual indicator on whether those picks were good ones or not. Not yet. We'll find out soon. Finally. This is a BIG reason why I won't predict a record. They've been stockpiling talent for a few years now. They've drafted like 23 players in the last few years. Now they get their shot. I am not predicting they will be good or bad. I honestly don't know.

I just don't assume they'll be bad because of the uniform they wear or the GM who drafted them.

I do hate the uniform they'll be in and I do believe the niner GM is awful, but only you believe that those are the ONLY reasons I think the niners will not be better than they were last season.

 

[Marvin49]

The criticism on this site of Baalke is hysterical to me.

Yup. 2012 really sucked.

Here's the problem though...MANY of the selections he's made haven't even had a chance to play yet because they had a very good vet in front of them. They were DRAFTED as depth for the day those starters were gone.

In instances where that has happened, those players have performed well (Borland, Lynch, Wilhoite - though he was an UFA). He's also been very good at finding bargain FAs that perfrom very well (Whitner, Rogers, Cox, Skuta to a lesser degree).

All of the criticism usually stems from 2012 and the players taken in the last two years, but how many starters has Seattle drafted in the last two years? Is it because Seattle sucks at finding talent? No, its because they already have talent.

NOW we get to see if Baalke knew what he was doing. It hadn't been tested yet, but now it will. There are SEVERAL players that will be given an opportunity and several different positions (RB, CB, OL, DL) this year so it should be interesting.

Sure Marv, all those players have come in and played well. The difference now will be that the pro bowl players that were playing WITH them will be gone. A lot of guys have made money elsewhere after playing alongside Willis and Cowboy. How'd they do without those guys? Look no further than your very own Aldon Smith.

Like I said, it's "possible", but not probable. Just way too many new pieces for me to expect better than the proven players that are now gone.

Not sure what "look at your very own Aldon Smith" means since he's only played like 3 games in his career without Justin.

Possible? Probable? Niether of those things have anything to do with the conversation. The hypothesis here is that Baalke sucks grading talent. For the most part, recent talent acquisitions haven't had the opportunity to play and prove themselves as good or bad picks. It's really that simple. In the few cases where one of those guys has gotten an opportunity, they've played very well (Borland and Lynch are examples).

The 2010 draft was a good one with Mike Iupati, Anthony Davis, and Navorro Bowman. The 2011 draft was a good one with Aldon Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Chris Culliver, Daniel Kilgore, and Bruce Miller. 2012 was a total bust.

The last two drafts (prior to this year) haven't had their opportunity due mainly to either a really good player in front of them or the fact that they were redshirted to begin with. Hell, they did it again this year. They drafted WR DeAndre Smelter who is coming off a torn ACL.

You may "doubt" the talent all you want, but that is in no way a factual indicator on whether those picks were good ones or not. Not yet. We'll find out soon. Finally. This is a BIG reason why I won't predict a record. They've been stockpiling talent for a few years now. They've drafted like 23 players in the last few years. Now they get their shot. I am not predicting they will be good or bad. I honestly don't know.

I just don't assume they'll be bad because of the uniform they wear or the GM who drafted them.

I do hate the uniform they'll be in and I do believe the niner GM is awful, but only you believe that those are the ONLY reasons I think the niners will not be better than they were last season.

1) Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say that they WOULD be better than last season. I've maintained all along that they could be and it isn't as preposterous as many let on. Again....SEVENTEEN player on IR. Three of the huge retirements only played 6 or 7 games last year. Two of the retirees played the same position. Aldon missed 9 games. Bowman missed the entire year. These two "starting corners" they lost included a guy who started the year as the #4 CB and only played because one of the actual starters got hurt. They lost 2 centers, their right tackle, they RG sucked most of the year due to a holdout and their LG sucked most of the year due to an ankle injury suffered in the NFCCG. The WR they lost was a shadow of himself post Achilles injury. The RB was 32.

Another way to put it, if the comparison is to the 2012 or 2013 Niners, then I'd agree it would be pretty ludicrous to suggest they would be better than those seams (2012 in particular), but comparing to the injury riddled and suspended 2014 team with a huge cloud of Harbaugh future hanging over it as well as the media fatigue surrounding Ray McDonald isn't the tall order people think it is. The Niners didn't lose a single player to FA that they didn't expect to lose. The retirements were rough, but Cowboy wasn't a surprise and two of the other three played the same position.

Is there a good chance they are a non-factor this year and go into a rebuilding mode? Absolutely...but last years 8-8 record was about a lot more than just the talent on the roster.

2) The post you were responding to had nothing to do with how good the team will be. It was a post about Baalkes ability as a talent evaluator, not the teams record. Not being able to identically replace the 11th pick of the draft with a 3rd round pick doesn't make Baalke a bad talent evaluator. It means they've run into the problem that all good teams do...and so will Seattle. You can't pay them all...particularly when your QB wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL. Now I'm not saying the Seahawks will fall apart in the near future, but they have/will give out HUGE contacts and at some point you have to start making choices. You've had a HUGE advantage with the CBA not allowing a renegotiation of Wilsons contact. The Niners had it for awhile too. That time is over. Now they have to get creative.

 

[MizzouHawkGal]

You mad bro? Don't believe the hype about the Wilson contract talks. Geez, you actually live in the Bay Area and should know better. Yeah, next thing you hear is we trade him to Houston or something even more inane. It's the off season and the man is still under contract just like Wagner.

Maybe the reason you're bitching is the likely possibility that we just drafted our next 2012 draft again? Maybe yes?

I hate Alabama and when Pete was at USC hated them but I damn well respected them and smetimes was even in awe and shock concerning them. Notice who's the connection yet? Or do you actually think Tomasula is an actual NFL coach? Please do explain that one to me given like Gwen says "I'm just a girl just a regular model girl".. So hit me with your best argument I'm actually curious.

 

[Marvin49]

You mad bro? Don't believe the hype about the Wilson contract talks. Geez, you actually live in the Bay Area and should know better. Yeah, next thing you hear is we trade him to Houston or something even more inane. It's the off season and the man is still under contract just like Wagner.

Maybe the reason you're bitching is the likely possibility that we just drafted our next 2012 draft again? Maybe yes?

I hate Alabama and when Pete was at USC hated them but I damn well respected them and smetimes was even in awe and shock concerning them. Notice who's the connection yet? Or do you actually think Tomasula is an actual NFL coach? Please do explain that one to me given like Gwen says "I'm just a girl just a regular model girl".. So hit me with your best argument I'm actually curious.

Couple things...

1) Not mad at all. Wasn't making fun of you guys for Wilson. Just a playful jab. I'm sure he'll be in Seattle for a long, long time. The point there is that regardless of what contract he eventually signs, it will be SUBSTANTIALLY larger than the one he has now and take up a larger % of the cap than any other player on the team. That forces you to make choices at other positions you didn't have to make in the past. Its just the way the NFL works. Its the price of doing business.

2) "Maybe the reason you're bitching is the likely possibility that we just drafted our next 2012 draft again? Maybe yes?". Um What?

I'M delusional? Wow.

3) Tomsula? Why is it on me to prove it to you? He's coached a grand total of one game and he won it. He's a bad interview so that means he's bad coach? I'd like to see THAT logic explained to me.

 

[Popeyejones]

He's a bad interview so that means he's bad coach? I'd like to see THAT logic explained to me.

Eh, to his credit both before and after that VERY BAD interview he has the well deserved reputation among beat guys as a very good interview. He was deeply out of his depth that time, but overall, he's entertaining, enthusiastic, insightful, and self-effacing.

Agreed with the general point though that none of this has anything at all to do with his ability or inability as a coach.

Bill Belichick might be the worst interview in professional sports, and it doesn't seem to hurt his ability as a coach.

 

[Marvin49]

He's a bad interview so that means he's bad coach? I'd like to see THAT logic explained to me.

Eh, to his credit both before and after that VERY BAD interview he has the well deserved reputation among beat guys as a very good interview. He was deeply out of his depth that time, but overall, he's entertaining, enthusiastic, insightful, and self-effacing.

Agreed with the general point though that none of this has anything at all to do with his ability or inability as a coach.

Bill Belichick might be the worst interview in professional sports, and it doesn't seem to hurt his ability as a coach.

I know...but most of the opinions of him seem to have been formulated during his introductory press conference.

 

[rideaducati]

I do hate the uniform they'll be in and I do believe the niner GM is awful, but only you believe that those are the ONLY reasons I think the niners will not be better than they were last season.

1) Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say that they WOULD be better than last season. I've maintained all along that they could be and it isn't as preposterous as many let on. Again....SEVENTEEN player on IR. Three of the huge retirements only played 6 or 7 games last year. Two of the retirees played the same position. Aldon missed 9 games. Bowman missed the entire year. These two "starting corners" they lost included a guy who started the year as the #4 CB and only played because one of the actual starters got hurt. They lost 2 centers, their right tackle, they RG sucked most of the year due to a holdout and their LG sucked most of the year due to an ankle injury suffered in the NFCCG. The WR they lost was a shadow of himself post Achilles injury. The RB was 32.

Another way to put it, if the comparison is to the 2012 or 2013 Niners, then I'd agree it would be pretty ludicrous to suggest they would be better than those seams (2012 in particular), but comparing to the injury riddled and suspended 2014 team with a huge cloud of Harbaugh future hanging over it as well as the media fatigue surrounding Ray McDonald isn't the tall order people think it is. The Niners didn't lose a single player to FA that they didn't expect to lose. The retirements were rough, but Cowboy wasn't a surprise and two of the other three played the same position.

Is there a good chance they are a non-factor this year and go into a rebuilding mode? Absolutely...but last years 8-8 record was about a lot more than just the talent on the roster.

2) The post you were responding to had nothing to do with how good the team will be. It was a post about Baalkes ability as a talent evaluator, not the teams record. Not being able to identically replace the 11th pick of the draft with a 3rd round pick doesn't make Baalke a bad talent evaluator. It means they've run into the problem that all good teams do...and so will Seattle. You can't pay them all...particularly when your QB wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL. Now I'm not saying the Seahawks will fall apart in the near future, but they have/will give out HUGE contacts and at some point you have to start making choices. You've had a HUGE advantage with the CBA not allowing a renegotiation of Wilsons contact. The Niners had it for awhile too. That time is over. Now they have to get creative.

Going on track record alone, I believe the Seahawk front office will fare much better dealing with the salary cap than the niners will. The Seahawks have the better team under contract for this year and next year and have just as much cap space as the niners do.

 

[Marvin49]

I do hate the uniform they'll be in and I do believe the niner GM is awful, but only you believe that those are the ONLY reasons I think the niners will not be better than they were last season.

1) Don't put words in my mouth. I didn't say that they WOULD be better than last season. I've maintained all along that they could be and it isn't as preposterous as many let on. Again....SEVENTEEN player on IR. Three of the huge retirements only played 6 or 7 games last year. Two of the retirees played the same position. Aldon missed 9 games. Bowman missed the entire year. These two "starting corners" they lost included a guy who started the year as the #4 CB and only played because one of the actual starters got hurt. They lost 2 centers, their right tackle, they RG sucked most of the year due to a holdout and their LG sucked most of the year due to an ankle injury suffered in the NFCCG. The WR they lost was a shadow of himself post Achilles injury. The RB was 32.

Another way to put it, if the comparison is to the 2012 or 2013 Niners, then I'd agree it would be pretty ludicrous to suggest they would be better than those seams (2012 in particular), but comparing to the injury riddled and suspended 2014 team with a huge cloud of Harbaugh future hanging over it as well as the media fatigue surrounding Ray McDonald isn't the tall order people think it is. The Niners didn't lose a single player to FA that they didn't expect to lose. The retirements were rough, but Cowboy wasn't a surprise and two of the other three played the same position.

Is there a good chance they are a non-factor this year and go into a rebuilding mode? Absolutely...but last years 8-8 record was about a lot more than just the talent on the roster.

2) The post you were responding to had nothing to do with how good the team will be. It was a post about Baalkes ability as a talent evaluator, not the teams record. Not being able to identically replace the 11th pick of the draft with a 3rd round pick doesn't make Baalke a bad talent evaluator. It means they've run into the problem that all good teams do...and so will Seattle. You can't pay them all...particularly when your QB wants to be the highest paid player in the NFL. Now I'm not saying the Seahawks will fall apart in the near future, but they have/will give out HUGE contacts and at some point you have to start making choices. You've had a HUGE advantage with the CBA not allowing a renegotiation of Wilsons contact. The Niners had it for awhile too. That time is over. Now they have to get creative.

Going on track record alone, I believe the Seahawk front office will fare much better dealing with the salary cap than the niners will. The Seahawks have the better team under contract for this year and next year and have just as much cap space as the niners do.

As I've said before, the Niners are further down the road in a contract sense. They have actually been very good at resigning their guys to long term cap friendly deals. (Kap, Willis, Staley, Bowman, A. Davis). Unfortunately two of those guys just retired, so whatcha gonna do.

You could be right in terms of the way they deal with the cap, but it remains to be seen. I kept reading for a long, long time how Wilson was a team first guy and he'd give a hometown discount. Not so much.

That's not a slam BTW. I'm pretty sure my stance would be very similar to his if I were in his shoes. He'll never be as valuable as he is right now so it's in his best interest to get as much as he can right now...especially when it can all be over in an instant.

Seattle has been shelling out huge contracts to the secondary and still needs to get Wilson and Wagner resigned. They may be able to keep most of those marquee players, but where the cap kills you is depth. The more you pay those front line guys the thinner and thinner your depth becomes. Teams that stay relevant for long periods of time don't do so by paying huge $$$ to all their good players. They keep a few GREAT players and rollover the rest of the roster with youth.

That's the next test for Seattle. CONTINUING to supplement the roster with young, cheap players through the draft. The Niners have been doing that for a few years now and now we see just how deep they are.

 

[rideaducati]

Going on track record alone, I believe the Seahawk front office will fare much better dealing with the salary cap than the niners will. The Seahawks have the better team under contract for this year and next year and have just as much cap space as the niners do.

As I've said before, the Niners are further down the road in a contract sense. They have actually been very good at resigning their guys to long term cap friendly deals. (Kap, Willis, Staley, Bowman, A. Davis). Unfortunately two of those guys just retired, so whatcha gonna do.

You could be right in terms of the way they deal with the cap, but it remains to be seen. I kept reading for a long, long time how Wilson was a team first guy and he'd give a hometown discount. Not so much.

That's not a slam BTW. I'm pretty sure my stance would be very similar to his if I were in his shoes. He'll never be as valuable as he is right now so it's in his best interest to get as much as he can right now...especially when it can all be over in an instant.

Seattle has been shelling out huge contracts to the secondary and still needs to get Wilson and Wagner resigned. They may be able to keep most of those marquee players, but where the cap kills you is depth. The more you pay those front line guys the thinner and thinner your depth becomes. Teams that stay relevant for long periods of time don't do so by paying huge $$$ to all their good players. They keep a few GREAT players and rollover the rest of the roster with youth.

That's the next tease for Seattle. CONTINUING to supplement the roster with young, cheap players through the draft. The Niners have been doing that for a few years now and now we see just how deep they are.

I see the youth on both teams, what hasn't happened for the niners is seeing them on the field. Maybe the new coaches will be better at getting the young guys on to the field. Now those young guys have to go from zero to full time players. Seattle has been putting their young guys in gradually all along. You think the niners are deep, I don't think they are nearly as deep as the Seahawks. The Seahawks lead the league in guys cut actually making other 53 man rosters.

Wilson is a team first guy, his agent is a Wilson first guy. I remember all the talk about Keeporpick before he signed his deal too. The difference will be that Wilson's contract will be worth the money spent.

The salary cap won't "kill" the Seahawks because it is growing at a very high rate. The salary cap killed teams like the Saints and Falcons because they had a lot of players on second contracts already and their QBs got paid during a time where the cap was flat. The way the cap is going now, all the Seahawks secondary players signed to big contracts will seem underpaid by the time their contracts are up.

The Seahawks are in a GREAT position right now because they have their defensive side of the ball all but set for the next three seasons and the cap will be growing so they'll still have money to work on the offensive side of the ball.