Scottemojo":3tds4mi6 said:
It's a simplistic comparison, but I get a Jim Mora vibe from Tomsula.
I won't be surprised if the Niners eke out 8 wins on Kaepernick's legs, should they actually use them as weapons. I also will not be stunned if they lose 11, or more. The O-line has question marks, the secondary is a bit of a question mark, and they lost a lot of soul this year. Smith, Willis...How do you replace that? Yeah, Harbs was an ass, but how do you replace his in game instincts?
No question...losing Willis, Justin, and Harbaugh sucks.
Thing is tho...WIllis didn't play much last year either. He got hurt and missed a large stretch the year before as well. Justin hurts, but I think his loss is much more in the locker room than on the field. His play had fallen off quite a bit the last two years...and that part of why he retired.
Harbaugh...yeah...that's a tough one. To be honest, it isn't so much Harbaughs loss that worries me, its Vic Fangios.
Harbaugh had really worn out his welcome. I think he's just one of those guys that won't stay long anywhere. Don't get me wrong...I wanted him to stay and thought he would, but I think at some point his approach simply wore out the team and ownership. Moreover, he seemed married to OC Greg Roman, and I think that was a BIG part of the problem. The 49ers seem to be moving much more toward the offense the team ran in 2012 and that's why they kept Chryst. That's why Jed said they got away from who they were.
Firing Roman was never an option because Harbaugh would never have done it. I legitimately think the offense will be much better this season with more Zone-Blocking, more play action, more read/option, more deep passing....basically what the Seahawks have been doing the last few years. I know you are saying that they might have trouble on the O-Line and you may be right there, but I think they are making a real shift to the ZBS anyway so there would have been an adjustment regardless. Iupati really didn't fit that scheme. No idea how good a pro he'll be, but Brandon Thomas would seem to fit that scheme much better. That's also why they appear to have interest in Evan Mathis. They Still have Staley, Boone and Kilgore.
Defense tho....BIG question mark.
From personnel standpoint, its not as huge an exodus as some think. Below are the projected starters to start last year assuming there were no injuries or suspensions.
DB: Brock-Culliver-Bethea-Reid. Only Culliver is gone. Competition between about 5 guys for the position.
LB: Aldon-Willis-Bowman-Brooks. Only Willis is gone, replaced by Wilhoite who started 16 games last year.
D-Line: McDonald-Williams-Smith. This is where the real change is. We'll see how the younger guys perform. Looking right now like it'll be Dorsey-Williams-Dial with Carradine and Dockett coming in on passing downs.
The real question tho is Mangini. No idea what he'll bring. Vic was fantastic...that's a BIG loss.