Matt,

What is Matt Leinart making in 2009?

Matt,
So whats your take - is Warner worth 2 yrs $15M-ish. Not my money- but as a business person its worth the gamble assuming cap issues work out. Hill and Smith wont cut it in '09 and we are likely to be looking at another 8-8 season and out of playoffs again. Warner weakens the cards, gives us a chance and I am comfident that J. Mora Jr will ruin Seattle so we could be the NFC West Favorite!

a) Matt, I like your first answer best!! It's the money, it's always the money, it's never not the money.

b) I'd say Warner & his agent has a point. Assuming the Cards are not short of the bucks to keep the team together, why shouldn't he ask for Franchise money? He was easily the MVP of a Superbowl team. He took them there on his back.

c) On the other hand, if no other team is willing to offer that much to Warner, why on earth should Bidwell pay it? I wouldn't. Peter McGowan would but he got fired.

d) No reason this couldn't drag on until opening day. It's not like Warner needs training camp.

e) Classic market dynamics 101.

f) Must have been reading too much Peter King with all these bullets.

Cut Smith, he needs to move on with his life. if he wants to come back for peanuts, fine. Hill is the #2 and is signed for another 2 years. Pay Warner 15-17 mill over 2 years, draft QB and have him sit as #3 all this year, fight it out with Hill for #2 next year and take over in year 3. that gives him 3 years of play and 2 years of learning.

Am I the only one who thinks it would be a HUUUUGE mistake to sign this guy? Everyone seems to be forgetting that he could turn back into Kurt freaking Warner at any point- you remember, the guy who couldn't stand up straight or hold on to the football?

Matt, please help me understand why giving a 38-year old guy a 2-year deal where you're paying him 14 mil/per is a good idea...I'm sorry but I just don't buy it.

Don't know Matt's take. I think it is a bargain though! Niners are an instant playoff contender with Warner behind the wheel.

If Alex restructures it's almost a given that he'd remain on the roster.
If that were to happen and you can land Kurt for Brady-esque money, Shaun Hill has trade value.
I still think this is about getting the 'Bidlows' to blink but,if the damage is done in the respect dept, Sing and Kurt are likely as compatible as Kurt was with Dick Vermeil.
Father figures both, could work?

The O-Line (or lack thereof) has a lot to do with that. Also, Kurt worked a lot this past offseason on ball security in the pocket and beyond.

Kurt's decision making in the pocket is a cut above many other QB's in the league. That's a huge thing.

That's the primary reason why Leinart, a much more mobile and athletic QB, sat and watched Warner last year.

The ability to quickly and correctly know which receiver to go to is the primary attribute necessary for successful QB play in the NFL.

Interesting theory, I wonder what Matt would say about Hill having trade value?

This move puts as much pressure on Condon as it does AZ.
Alex is has a chance to show good faith with the restructure and if we can get him for 3 years at 10mil plus incentives and Kurt for 2, the learning curve should be completely clear enough to know where to make the next adjustment.
Our biggest concern is whether we can hang onto Raye and have his system take hold wellenough to compete.
NYG dumbed down their offense for Eli which is where I think Sing is going now. Martz got QBs killed, he wants something more balanced.
That could be a beneficial factor in turning Kurt to finishing his career with a stronger running attack and WC timing offense.
We'll see soon enough, I'll believe the sincerity if he makes the trip.

No, you're not the only one. Kurt is a one year solution at best, he's a dome QB and he also looks really good because of his receivers. I like Kurt as a person, but not as our QB going forward.

Too many questions for all that money he wants. I like our chances with Shaun Hill. The evidence speaks for itself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XflZyQw51Kg

Pay Warner whatever he wants, just get him here playing for the Niners. Anyone who actually believes Hill is a better option just needs to take a step back and re-think that theory real good. This is a MVP, ProBowl, Superbowl QB were talkin about here, yea re-think that one. Hill is a real solid #2 guy (hint: thats why he was not named the stater by Sing) He knows what he is and if we dont get Warner than we end up with a real good back up as are starter. Get him for 2-3 years and lets go to the playoffs.

He has a 6 year contract (signed 2006) averaging 6.75 mil with $14 in guarantees. Also has incentives to get it to 51 ish

To be accurate, Singletary said it's Hill's job to lose heading into TC...

Is 7-3 as a starter and 5-0 at home really that bad? Especially considering Warner is a one year fix at best? Me thinks not...

Sign KURT. Think back to the time when Joe went to KC. He made them an instant contender, and I'm pretty sure (w/o doing any research) that he was around the same age. That's what a quality, proven veteran QB brings to the table. QB is, was, and always will be THE MOST IMPORTANT position on offense. ANd, I'm pretty sure Kurt wants to be here. He knows the balance of power is shifting to the NINERS BABY! He wants to follow in the footsteps of Joe and Steve...and, he doesn't want to get his arse handed to him twice next season by us, if he stays with the lowly Cards!

Lol at those people claiming that signing Warner "makes no sense".

The guy has been to the dance with different teams, been league and SB MVP, and would represent a massive upgrade at a problem position. It would also weaken our main rival.

If you can't see the sense in that, you really should go and watch baseball.

Marc-NJ49er,They wont keep Smith if they sign Warner. It better for a rookie to learn under him. Then a already proven bust!

Gee, it's been a long time since a 49er Super Bowl victory. If somebody had asked back in '94 what would happen first : "a black man becomes president or Niners win their next Super Bowl" I think many would have said the former. (I happily voted for Obama, by the way) ...God forbid 10 years from now we aren't saying a man was placed on Mars since the last Niner Super Bowl win. Or, a repeat of the Red Sox 80+ year drought, and in 2080 people are looking back on World War III, the cure for cancer, alien invasions, the birth of Matt Maiocco's great-granddaughters, major SF earthquake, etc. as occurring since the 1994 SB win.

If you're Kurt Warner don't you think you deserve at LEAST the same amount of money Rodgers and Cassell are making?
This is a pretty solid play to make by Scot and Sing.
If the Bidlows did enough ego damage, this could be a very lucrative opportunity to get a leg up on the NFC West.
AZ is in slow boil with Haley moving on, Boldin feeling disrespected and Kurt fielding offers.
Fitz can't get both guys paid by restructuring, so good chance to force the direction for now.

Matt, do you know what time Warner is expected to arive tomorrow(if he arives)?

Well said. And the balance of power IS shifting further west.

Besides, any QB that can even get the Cards to the SB has God (or some other force of nature) on his side, no matter who his receivers were.

I've said it here before: there is a Super Bowl loser curse. The team that loses almost always misses the playoffs the following year and in many cases just falls off the map completely (recent examples: Seattle, Bears) or encounters really bad luck (New England and Brady's injury). It doesn't surprise me at all to see AZ totally melt down.

just a fan,in matt new article today. he said the morning...

I think he stays strictly on the numbers.
Can't see the front office moving him out if he saves them money.
Nolan did him no favors in the development phase, so there may be some hope for his continued improvement.
We'll see?
As I mentioned, this is a business move, he's got plenty of scratch for a young guy already.
Can he honestly expect a fat payday elsewhere?
Settle for backup dough, show some stones in the leadership dept and, perhaps he isn't labled as another mediocre QB.
Trust me, I won't cry if he leaves, I'm just being patient as a businessman. Cap hits are counterproductive.

Flip the script on Condon too.
Either your client restructures or we move toward Kurt and another Draft pick at the position.
My guess, 3yrs 10Mil 4.75-6 guaranteed.
Take it or leave it.
Alex could beat Shaun if the clock/trigger mechanism speeds up, but Shaun is very attractively priced right now and has value IMO as a viable trade option if Kurt were to sign on.

Another $.02:

I side with those who argue that Warner is not a cure-all for everything 49er. Seems to me our biggest weakness is not quarterbacking, but pass rushing. Yes, landing Warner would mess up the Cardinals and improve our vertical threat --but I don't think he is a guarantee of playoffs without some other pieces in place.

I would like to see what Hill could do with last year's experience and an improved team around him. The team chemistry with Hill has been good--and chemistry can be hard to replace. The notion that replacing one guy at QB will make us instantly Bowl-bound seems a bit far-fetched.

I would definitely would not mind getting Warner, but think about this:

- Niners were 7-9 with JTO and Shaun Hill as QBs and missing Gore for approximately 4 games.

- Cards, whose only significant injury was Boldin (but with Breaston, the fall off was not much), was 9-7.

Plus, I keep thinking of the Cards game at New England last year where they were blown out and the Vikings game that the Cards had at home, which they lost miserably.

I dunno, man. We do weaken the Cards so that is the big thing.

Fairwell to Smith

Hill is a money backup

Offer Warner 1 year @ 15 million dollars

Draft a qb this or next draft depending on who is available

?

I think Kurt is looking for 2 years?
Either way, this is likely an 'Up the Ante' move, but it would be a win/win if he's willing to make the move and improve the position.
Smith and Condon have to blink now too.
I'm for saving the cap and improving the position play anyway it's feasible.
I'm guessing the pass rush comes from a FA and several Draft picks in April, be it LBs or DEs.

Fairwell to Smith

Hill is a money backup

Offer Warner 1 year @ 15 million dollars

Draft a qb this or next draft depending on who is available

?

Hey Matt,
love your blog, especially since I depend on the internet for 49er- and NFL-news over here.
Just wanted to point something out: the average salary you're referring to is the one of the Top-5 paid QBs (14,65mil). The average of the Top-10 would be 12,44mil, which imo would be what Warner deserves, maybe even a little more. I'm hoping he shows up in SF, seems like a legit option to bridge the gap to the next promising QB (draft/Smith after all?)! What else do we need all the cap space for anyway, other than extending contracts?
Thanks for your great work, keep it up!

It is unfathomable to me how you can be a historically irrelevant franchise like the Arizona Cardinals and through some alignment of the stars you get a veteran star QB in Warner who carried your team on his back through the playoffs and into an improbable super bowl run that was seconds away from being complete and now you will quibble over a couple million dollars.

They cannot be this stupid, right? right??? I know everyone says Bidwell is cheap, but...

Anyway, put Warner on our team and I think we are superior to what Arizona can put on the field next season, so its a win. It would have been nice to have kept Martz and just plug Warner in, but hindsight is 20/20.

Good veteran QBs make young WRs look good all the time. Look what Warner did with Steve Breaston this year who came out of nowhere. Look what Favre has traditionally done with mediocre/below average young WRs.

And while Singletary wants to run to set up the pass, Raye's best offenses w/the Chiefs had a veteran immobile big QB in Elvis Grbac who he adequately protected (only in the 20s for sacks given up.) Grbac put up 4,100+ yards and 28 Tds under Raye in 2000. Warner's quick release would help mitigate the damage our Oline does in pass protection.

Further, I'm not convinced Arizona has that different a mindset than the 49ers offensively. They started the year obsessed with establishing the run and it was not until they discovered that James couldn't carry the load and Hightower was too inconsistent that they went chucking the ball all over the place. Whisenhunt and Grimm are Pittsburgh guys looking to run just as much as Singletary/Raye I'd wager. Plus Todd Haley is gone now, Boldin is on his way out, its looking more and more like Arizona was a one in a million shot to get as far as they did.

Another interesting post Marc. The problem with keeping Smith and trading Hill (in my minds eye atleast) is that with a hands down improvement at QB we also have an aging QB-if perchance Warner is injured we move to Smith . With Alex there are some questions unresolved-will his shoulder hold up -is he ready to lead-etc. If Warner went down with Hill we have a leader and a winner( a solid number 2 !) Hmm. Definetly think a QB in late rounds or FA would be wise! (As in ...yes Greg MIcheli or Mike Reilly!).

First of all, I think the Cards should be ashamed...yes, ashamed of how they've handled this situation. Seems they want to get by on the cheap (a Bidwell trademark)...with one of the best QB's in the NFL. I hope he comes to Santa Clara...because once he sits down with Mike Singletary, his interest in playing for him will go up, way up. I don't know what'll happen...but the mere fact Warner's willing to come and talk is noteworthy. If nothing else comes from this, the open invitation from Jed York is newsworthy...because it means he's willing to make a bold move to improve the team. I know many fans are bumbed because we haven't signed a big-name player...well, Warner's about as big as they come, and we're about to talk turkey with the man. Good enough for me...

I recall Adalius Thomas going to NE despite the 49ers offering more money and Sopoaga resigning last year despite the fact that he would have been the top DT in free agency. It seems like money isn't the only factor for a lot of players, just the most important factor.

Yummy, you make an outstanding point that I hadn't considered. If the front office even had the faintest idea that Kurt Warner might be in play once free agency started, it explains why they haven't moved faster to restructure Alex Smith's contract. It makes the idea of drafting a quarterback with one of our top two draft picks seem like it makes a heck of a lot of sense now.

It is going to take 2 Years at around 28-30 million to get Warner and the 49ers should do it. It's only 2 years if it doesn't work. California is NOT a very desireable place to live for Warner let alone anybody right now so it's going to take BIG MONEY to get him. Well worth it, he is a 1st Ballot Hall of Famer with a lot left in the tank.

don't know where you heard that about Thomas. He had at least two meetings set up as soon as free agency started. First to New England, then to San Fran. He never made it to San Fran (thus presumably never got an offer).

I don't see McCloughan spending more than a third, almost half, of his cap room on one 38-year old guy. I just can't see it happening. If Warner is amazing and makes this team that much better, then brilliant. If Warner's age begins to show behind a rather less-talented Offensive Line, then McCloughan looks really bad in this.

McCloughan is spineless. He will do whatever the reverend Singletary wants!

You know what, to heck with Warner, yup bring him in drive up the price for the Cards then McC better get on the phone to the Broncos GM and tell him that he'll send the #10 pick and anyone not named Gore or Willis on the roster for Jay Cutler, who apparently is upset the Broncos tried to trade him and is pouting. I'd MUCH rather have the far younger Cutler then Warner as a stop gap for 1 or two years.

I hope they get the helicopter ready! I will be really excited about this if it happens. I can't remember watching a Niner game with a PROVEN QB under center. Even if we only get him for one and done like Favre, it would be great. I love Shaun Hill, but he is NO Kurt Warner. Terrible to average QB's are the main reason teams finish in December, Mr. York. Just give us fans one good year, and then you can go back to rebuilding. Warner in '09!!

I want the 9ers to sign Warner as he is a definite upgrade over Hill or Smith. However, I don't think fans should expect the same production with the 9ers as we saw from him in Az last year. The 9ers don't have anyone on the same level as Fitzgerald or Boldin. How many times did we see big plays from Fitzgerald that were simply jump balls. My worry is that we get the Giants Warner and not the Cards Warner. I am guardedly optimistic.

Comment: Just wanted to point something out: the average salary you're referring to is the one of the Top-5 paid QBs (14,65mil).

My response: Yes, I messed that up. Franchise is top-5, while the never-used transition tag is top-10. --Matt M.

If that was possible, I absolutly agree with you. I just don't see McEgo sending a draft pick to the Broncos or anyone. He wants to prove that he is draft master now that Nolan is gone. How great would it be to have Cutler for the next 10 plus years!

Jon in SoCal,

I got to agree with agreen182 heavily about NOT signing Warner. I just don't get the 49ers, they said right from the get-go that they were not going to make a big splash in FA, that they were not going to go after a veteran QB that would be too pricey. So what happen? It makes no sense from a financial point (24-28 mil / 2 yrs) And from Warner's point of view he is in the perfect offense for him with the Cardinals. I just don't see this happening at all & really a waste of time. Let's move on & sign Canty & 1 of the OT's that still available in FA.

F49er, Canty signed with the Giants. I just don't see any negatives to signing Warner. Even if he sat on the bench, it would be our bench and not AZ's. The fallout to AZ losing him would be enormous on their team psyche. Won't pay Boldin. Won't pay Warner. Same old Cardinals. How soon can I get out of here? As for the money we might spend, not much considering it probably buys us a spot in the playoffs this year.

NFL teams and players lie daily. It is almost to the point where you can expect the opposite of what you hear. Canty signed with the Giants by the way.

Dam!

I was away for the weekend & was out of the loop on FA signings (Canty) As for Warner Skeebers to give him all that money when at the end of a 2 yr. contract he would be 40 is to me insane. It goes against everything the 49ers said how they would proceed with Sing as the coach.

You went away on the first weekend of the FA period?! Turn in your fan card. You're fired.

the reason is called team chemistry. You know that thing Dallas has none of. When you have a guy who wants to throw the ball 35-40 times a game and a guy who wants to run the ball 35 times a game, that is a severe case of headbutting. Why is Martz no longer here, because of the difference of opinion with Singletary. So what does Singletary want to do - bring in Martz's greatest disciple!!!!

Warner isn't a disciple of Martz. In fact, he essentially said the league has caught on to Martz. He probably didn't appreciate Martz tossing him on the scrap heap in favor of Bulger, either. Warner wants to win. Same as Singletary. Same as the players on the team. Winning is what creates chemistry.

I don't get the so called experts and why they say San Francisco is not a good fit for Warner.
Sure we don't have the same kind of receivers (Bruce)or the throw happy offense that Warner can thrive in (Martz). We do have something the Cards don't have and that's two life preservers for the aging Warner in Frank Gore and Vernon Davis. The Cards where one dimensional last season, had they had a good running game to compliment the pass they probably would have won the Superbowl. You heard it first from me...

Kurt Warner will be a 49er by the end of the day. How about a t-shirt or signed book if I'm right.

The fact that we are discussing Warner is a perfect example why our beloved 49ers have become Mike Brown's Bengals. Look at the Giants, great GM and coach, they already have Umenyora, Tuck, Kiwanuka, Robbins and Cofield, and they go out and sign Canty and Bernard. The 49ers should have targeted Canty, 26 years old, 6'7", 305 lbs., the prototypical 3-4 end. What do our braintrust do, sign a #3 WR and heaven help us, go after a 38 year old QB who does not fit what our "braintrust" wants to run on offense. What the 49ers need is a Wolf/Parcells/Holmgren type to straighten out our clown show.

I agree that they should have pushed hard for Canty. I thought they should have also looked at Bernard. Hopefully they'll make an effort to land Olshansky. But I really want the Warner thing to happen. Imagine Olshansky, A pass rusher at #10, and a revived offense with a proven QB. I'm sure Kurt won't mind dialing down the pass game in his old age for 14+ mil., and when he needs to lead us down the field, he most certainly can. I'm happy about the possibility.

I don't understand why people are complaining that the 49ers aren't pursuing pass rushers. Who do you want them to pursue? Haynesworth? Overpriced. Suggs? Franchised. Peppers? Franchised. They called Canty on day one; HE chose the order in which he would visit teams. Who would you visit first, a playoff team one year removed from winning the Superbowl, or a 7-9 team that said they were not going big in FA this year? It's not like Canty is even a sack machine, anyway. I know, it's about the pressure, not the sacks, but Ware makes everyone else look good, so we don't even know how good Canty is, and he's not worth the money NY gave him. The fact is, good pass rushers get locked down by their teams or they get traded. They don't hit the market, because teams won't lose them without at least getting something in return.

You are making the assumption that Canty or Bernard would have come to the 49ers. Wouldn't it make sense for them to go to the Giants that already have a solid team and a better chance to win. Look at how far on the priority scale Canty had the 49ers. He wasn't going to come here.

Also, this man is on his way to Canton. He might not want to be in a high risk, high reward O. Maybe he thinks the Niners have potential. Perhaps if we give him the "respect", he will consider himself the missing link for the Niners. This could be a GPS move for the team. If they still stink with a HOF QB, then we know we are still far away from turning the corner. The other thing is Warner thrives on people doubting him. I think he would love the oppertunity to be the only QB in history to lead three different teams to a Superbowl. It is possible.

I've seen many comments, not necesarily on this board, to the effect that Warner would be crazy to sign with the 49ers, why go from a pass-oriented team to a power running team. Personally, I don't believe that Warner would be so crazy. btw, this situation reminds me, on a lessor scale, of Montana going to KC at the end of his career.

1) Warner going to the 49ers could extend his career by an extra year. By not being the focal point of the offence to the same extent that he was in AZ, he probably won't take as bad of a beating. A more balanced attack could help extend his career; at 38 you can't count on anything more than an extra year as a backup, but that alone could mean an extra $3 mil.

2) Within the division, this would be a shift in power. The 49ers were somewhat competitive last season under Singletary with Hill as QB. Obviously there is a reason that the 49ers aren't commiting to Hill, for an NFL QB he's got his physical limitations that would become more exposed as the 49ers' opponents began to take the 49ers more seriously. The coaches recognize that problem. So the 49ers, with Warner become a better team immediately. A good QB makes the WRs better. A good QB makes the running game better, it makes it tougher to stack 8 or 9 in the box. So the argument of going from the Super Bowl Cardinals to the lowly 49ers, is largely a rearview mirror argument. Looking forward, you could easily see the 49ers becoming a playoff team with Warner, plus say a new RT at the #10 slot. The lack of top quality QB play has masked a lot of improvements in other areas in the 49ers, that would become more obvious.

Should Warner make the move, it really doesn't seem all that crazy to me. Of course, I'm a 39 year 49er fan, so I may be biased. :)

As usual you make a lot of sense (unlike some people here and elsewhere). Obviously Warner like ALL QB's likes to pass. That said, he spoke a number of times last year about the pressure of having to carry a team on his shoulders with no running game.

Later in the year last season he lamented the lack of a running game in AZ. while acknowledging the contradiction there (that he is a self proclaimed "pass happy" QB).

Warner's abilities and experience would instantly improve the Niners offense significantly. Is it likely to happen? No. Still, that doesn't alter what would happen if it did.

Perhaps you missed the interview where he said he believes he should be throwing the ball "at least" 35 times a game. Warner doesn't want to accept the "I'm old I should learn to hand it off" routine. He wants to pass the ball. And that does not fit the new "vision" of the franchise. Unless that vision was a lie.

Warner AND TYLER THIGHPEN. SEND KC a 4th or 5th Rounder and get this KID, HE CAN PLAY!

This is a waste of time for both sides. Warner may not be trying to play the leveraging game but his agent is and if for some foolish reason the 49ers were to offer him more money, the Cards would step in and just match and that would be that. Why should the Cards put up more money than need be. Warner is not going to retire with 20 million and another SB chance on the table and in the end the Cards are no going to not re-sign him and ruin another playoff opportunity.

Sorry but I just do not see this deal happening at all. The 49ers are being foolish for even wasting their time with this. For as well as Warner has been playing he would not be able to much for our team overall. He does not have the play makers or an offensive philosophy that would play to his strengths. He alone would not put us over the top so why waste that much cash for a year or 2? The whole thing does not make any sense at all. I could see it if we were a QB away from the playoffs, like MIN for example, but we have so many holes to address I would rather we spend the money long term.

Man for not making a big splash in free agency this sure contradicts that.

This is a -Fat Albert doing a cannonball into a jacuzzi- kind of big splash.

I like it. The damage it could do to the cardinals alone is worth the money.

Dude. I live in Phoenix. I've seen and heard ALL of his interviews! Reread my post. Maybe you didn't understand it. He always talks about wanting to always throw the ball.

That said (I'm repeating myself here but I'm trying to help you out) last year, he did talk about the pressure of carrying the Cards and he lamented the lack of a running game.

See Just_B, he has said it all!

A). He likes to pass a million times.
B). There's a LOT of pressure carrying the offense on his back.
C). As much as he likes to pass the ball, it is kinda NICE having a real running attack to provide some balance in the offense.

In closing, he himself admitted that those statements and sentiments were "somewhat contradictory."

Do you understand it now?

This is a sad state of affairs. Instead of being irate that our owner pulled the trigger too soon on hiring a rookie coach who's never been a coordinator, and kept a rookie GM who had been a mediocre personnel guy, we're actually debating if the 49ers should waste a ton of money on a very old QB who doesn't fit the scheme of a rebuilding team!
This blog should be filled with 49er fans being pissed that Scott Pioli isn't our GM. that our coach isn't Gruden or Shanahan, or a young star coordinator, and that our QB isn't Matt Cassel or Cutler. If the people in charge were top level, experienced NFL insiders we wouldn't be desperately hoping Kurt Warner can hold up for one more year to get us into the playoffs as 1st round doormats.

Just like the Cardinals were first round doormats?

"If the people in charge were top level, experienced NFL insiders..."

...we wouldn't get distracted by the flash names of Gruden or Shanahan and realize it's been years since they've run a fully functional organization.

Matt, just wanted to confirm you allow us crazy fans as "friends" on facebook?

The only concern I have with a contract with Warner is the Guaranteed money portion.

How much dead money is he gonna leave us with next year if or when he decides to retire?

I am in the camp of people who believe the 49ers have made good moves in the off-season. I look at decision making from the standpoint of how you evaluate with the information you have at the time. In that case, the 49ers have made very good choices in its hiring of Sing and signing of FA's.

1. Hiring Sing is a brilliant move, given the success he was able to accomplish with a team that was falling apart from the morale standpoint. His inexperience at the head coach position is not a major problem, as many inexperienced head coaches became very successful in recent years. Many other teams are also hiring first timer with no coordinator experience. Among all those hires, Sing is the most impressive personality with a unique and powerful ability to motivate. I really like this hire. As for the people who are turned off by his run emphasis, I guarantee you that it's not all about running the ball. It's simply an attitude.

2. I like that we are not wasting money in FA. Based on recent activities, I think it's quite well thought out. They clearly want the cap room for a QB like Warner, and that's why they don't want to name a starter at QB. It also shows me that they focus on quality, not signing for signing's sake. There's no quality pass rusher on the market. They also need the cap space to retain existing players.

3. I like pursuing Warner. A QB is essential to winning, and we do not currently have a QB that can take us far into the playoff. Maybe Hill can, but it's highly uncertain. The uncertainty is greatly reduced with Warner. But you can't draft one and expect to be good immediately. So it's best to have Warner starting right now, and have Smith and a new one backing him up. One of them will start in the future. I hope we get Warner.

Question: just wanted to confirm you allow us crazy fans as "friends" on facebook?

My response: That's fine. I set up the account more to keep 49ers fans posted than anything else. --Matt M.

Montana_to_clark, If you were to ask Eddie D "Would you pay 14 million to win the West for the next 2 years?" He would say "Are you an idoit?" Jed said "The season will not end in December again." This is his time to prove it.

I agree with this part. I do wish we had more fans that were flat out pissed off and tired of 6 years of mediocrity. I wish we had more fans that would get off their homer high horse's for a minute and realize it's OK and can actually be beneficial to start calling out your team for producing poor results year in and year out. The downfall of our once great organization has produced way too many fans that just continue to go along year after year saying "I like what they did" or "let's just wait and see", blah, blah, blah. Do we even have anymore football fans left? I mean c'mon Niner fans, back in the day we would never tolerate these results year after year. We don't even compete for wild card spots, we have just sucked for too long and we have gotten used to it. When our fans start thinking stuff like this Warner non-sense is positive it shows how desperate we have become. No football fan being as objective as possible could see this as being truly beneficial at all in building this team into a long term contender. In the end we are all passionate fans of the same team and everyone is entitled their own opinion, which is cool, but can we as a community at least agree that if we get another year of flat results and a bleak look on the future we will not stop bitching until the entire organization is gutted and rebuilt from scratch. When you get mired in a rut like we have been you need a clean start for better or worse. We need our MIA, NYJ, KCC monent!! And as 5 time SB champs we have earned that moment!!