The 49ers totally screwed the pooch again on the most crucial day of Mike Nolan and Scot McCloughan's careers respectively. Draft day. If Nolan doesn't get the Niners off to a good start this season, he will undoubtedly be given his pink slip and McCloughan, Nolan's former assistant and now his "boss", (yeah, right, you really laid down the law, Dr. York) will be shown the door with him....and they did nothing this weekend to help keep that from being a reality.
Start with needs -- a wide receiver would be nice. With apologies to Arnaz Battle, Jason Hill, newcomers Bryant Johnson and Isaac Bruce, or any wide receiver. "Any" were there. Better than any, in fact. Devin Thomas was there for the picking and he was a first-round pick until pickers began plucking. So was James Hardy. And what about DeSean Jackson? Sorry. Niners pass, even though coach Mike Nolan said it: We need offense.
What else? Another linebacker -- one of those hybrids known as a "rushbacker" would be just the ticket. Or a versatile inside/outside linebacker who can move around and fill spots next time Manny Lawson blows out a knee.
This isn't their fault. They actually had one in mind and not the one I figured they'd look at in Quentin Groves but rather -- Penn State's Dan Connor, who went to Carolina one pick before the 49ers could nab him in the 3rd round, if you're wondering. Instead, they had their eye on Oklahoma's blockier, slower version of Connor, Curtis Lofton. They figured they'd wait until Round 2 to take care of the position. Two picks before their Round 2 shot came up, the Falcons stole him out from under their noses. So they took guard Chilo Rachal, another reasonable need given the injury status of David Baas and the who-knows-where-he-even-is status of Larry Allen, the free-est of free agents.
But what the Niners really needed was a defensive lineman. One of those nice pass-rushing kinds of guys , to play opposite Justin Smith, who will stop at nothing until he's shaken hands with a quarterback and told him how much his stuff stinks.
Instead, they took Balmer. Defensive tackle who will be asked to replace Bryant Young (like anybody could do that) at left end or maybe play a little nosetackle in the 3-4 ... where Isaac Sopoaga would seem to be in a blood feud with Aubrayo Franklin to start. Only Sopoaga is now being billed as a left end. It boggles the mind. Balmer presumably is a burr under the disappointing Franklin's saddle and asked to play . . . At end. At tackle. At discombobulation? Oh, and did I mention this? If it's end, as a sack guy Balmer collected exactly 3.5 last year when he had his one really superior year at North Carolina. That to go along with $45 million dollar man Justin Smith's whopping 2 sacks last year for the Bengals.
Later on, Reggie Smith, in the 3rd from Oklahoma is a solid project corner. Center Cody Wallace in the 4th was a good choice, but that's about it. Josh Morgan, WR from Virginia Tech, the only offensive skill player taken, has off field issues that smell like Thomas Clayton Part II. Nolan finished off with what I say will be his final 49er draft choice by selecting......wait for it.....oh shucks.....another Linebacker!!!!, Larry Grant from Ohio St. in the 7th, to add to the already deepest position on the team.
In summation, they did little to desuade me from expecting the worst. This final act for Nolan, Alex Smith and "GM" Scot McCloughan is in the hands largely of the self-proclaimed "genius" offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz. While Nolan keeps focusing on defense, with the worst offense in the league, Martz will have to make chicken salad out of chicken s@#t to give them any hope of .500. Defense is great Coach Nolan, but you have to score to win.
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2 comments:
See now I don't want to rip on Mike Nolan too much because as a Ravens fan I have respect for his work as defensive coordinator in Baltimore. But yes his drafting in SF has been terrible. As the ultimate Patriots hater, I'm sure I don't even have to spell out what draft move he made ticked me off the most. If the pick they traded to NE ended up as Patrick Willis, and not Joe Staley, I could understand. I do hope SF takes out Seattle this year though. I'm getting sick of the Seahawks.
Here is one for u. Think about this: Nolan not being real smooth or sugar coating went from a very respectable offensive line to the worst line in NFL. How in the hell do u do that. Real simple, u start the money crap in the paper for god and everybody to see, and I quote some of lineman (guards) want more $$ and we are not going to pay. There not worth that kind of $$, it's not rocket science when u see lineman stepping aside and totally missing the blocks and ur qb's get carried off. In fact nolan is full of himself he doesn't even realize what he did, so he's answer to the problem bring in another line coach, are u kidding, come on coach u really blew it. It also explains no show and no communication at all from one the most elite guards to play the game. U really blew it coach. Better learn to eat a little crow and make a phone call or allen will retire.
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