Somewhere, some dude is trying to peddle a computer with files and files of old 49ers articles and information that only I can decipher.
My replacement computer is on the way after my original was so rudely removed from my parked car outside a S.F. restaurant after Thursday's game. But in the meantime I'm borrowing my wife's laptop to address some topics that have been of particular interest to those who have Tweeted me in recent days.
Let us begin . . .
Who will be the 49ers' starting quarterback in 2010?
Of course, that's impossible to answer with seven games remaining in the season, but the quarterback on the roster who has the best chance of being the team's "quarterback of the future" is the man who is also the 49ers' quarterback of the present.
Alex Smith will get the chance to prove, once and for all, he is the answer. He has made good strides in some areas in his three starts. He was a 54.4-percent passer entering this season. In his 14 quarters of play, Smith has completed 64.8 percent of his attempts.
He has been better than Shaun Hill in three important areas, including completion percentage (Hill completed 56.1 percent). Smith has also averaged 6.6 yards per pass attempt, compared to Hill's 6.1 yards. And Smith has been sacked once every 12.2 attempts, while Hill was sacked once every 8.6 attempts.
Where Hill was better than Smith is in the turnover department. Hill threw two picks in 155 attempts, while Smith has tossed six interceptions in 122 throws. But the 49ers justify that disparity - in most circumstances - as plays that were, uh, out of his hands.
It is clear in speaking with 49ers sources that Hill does not figure into the team's plan as a starter again. The organization likes him as a backup, but not as a starter.
As for Nate Davis, the No. 3, he is nowhere near ready to enter a regular-season game. The club knows nothing more about him now than it did at the end of training camp because he simply does not get any practice time. The 49ers spend their practice time during the season preparing for the upcoming opponent. The starter gets all the first-team reps, while the backup remains sharp mostly with reps for the scout team. I've seen Davis play far more snaps as a scout-team defensive back than I've seen him line up behind center since the regular season started. He is a project who needs a lot of work during a full offseason to see if he can function in something more than an abridged version of the offense.
What will the 49ers' priorities be during the offseason?
Even though there is a lot of football yet to be played, I don't think it's jumping the gun to say the 49ers must address the offensive line. With two first-round draft picks, it is reasonable to assume - even at this early date -- the 49ers will address the line with one of those selections.
But after that . . . who knows? It depends on where the 49ers pick and who has been taken up to that point in the draft. I do not know many of the names of those will be first-round picks. I don't start getting into the draft until combine time. I've tried to follow the QBs, and I'm not nearly as high on draft prospects at that position as I was when the college season began. I also believe if the 49ers have their pick at safety, they'd easily choose Tennessee's Eric Berry over USC's Taylor Mays because of his ball skills.
The other part of the equation is free agency. And so much about free agency is up in the air, too. If the Players' Union and the NFL owners do not agree on a collective-bargaining extension before free agency, it will have a huge impact. Instead of requiring four accrued seasons to become an unrestricted free agent, with no new CBA and an uncapped year, only players with six-plus years of experience will be eligible for unrestricted free agency.
The crop of talent will be reduced dramatically, and I don't believe there would be any quarterbacks, offensive linemen, pass rushers or safeties the 49ers could consider "the answer."
Also, 49ers guard David Baas, a scheduled unrestricted free agent, would become a restricted free agent instead, and the 49ers could easily retain his services at a reasonable price.
The one player most people have wondered about is nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin. I've heard no talk of a contract extension with him. Part of the reason, I'm sure, is that Franklin could cash in big time if there is no CBA. He could be among the top free agents on the market, and command big bucks. The 49ers have the option of slapping the franchise tag on him, but I don't think that would happen. Defensive tackles last year commanded a franchise salary of $6.058 million. That number is likely to increase.
Several weeks ago, the 49ers seemed content with Isaac Sopoaga or Kentwan Balmer holding down the nose tackle position into the future. But Franklin's play has been very, very strong, so it remains to be seen if their thinking has changed or will change over the last half of the season.
Which 49ers have the best chances of making the Pro Bowl?
If the teams were picked today, I think linebacker Patrick Willis and tight end Vernon Davis would be selected. Punter Andy Lee is also deserving. Those three have the best opportunities.
While Franklin might be playing at a high level, I think it would be very difficult for him to be named to the team. There are other defensive tackles in the NFC with much higher profiles, such as the Vikings' Kevin Williams, the Cowboys' Jay Ratliff and the Cardinals' Darnell Dockett.
Also, Justin Smith is have a very good season, but he does not put up the sack numbers needed from a defensive end to be considered. Running back Frank Gore missed a couple games, so he ranks seventh in the NFC in rushing yards. With seven games remaining, Gore ranks well behind Adrian Peterson, Steven Jackson, DeAngelo Williams and Michael Turner.
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The 49ers played Thursday, of course. They did not practice Friday, Saturday or Sunday. On Monday, they'll have meetings only. They will begin on-field preparations to face the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday.
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Dear Matt,
Does the lack of a CBA give richer teams an unfair advantage? For example, would the Cowboys have more spending power than say the Bills? Will they become the Yankees of the NFL?
Sorry that your computer was stolen,
John
Welcome back, Matt.
1. To waste all this time and have Nate Davis running as a DB for the scout team is a travesty! Lets hire another QB coach and whatever else we need to work with him. Everyone, even my Cowboys loving friend, can see the potential.
2. Stud 3-4 NT's are hard to come by, and the 3-4 does not work worth a darn without one. We have spent several years developing him, and Franklin needs to be franchised, or given a nice deal.
3. Scott McLoughan- Quit with this non-sense of not paying Guards. Look at where that has gotten our O-Line.
Question: Does the lack of a CBA give richer teams an unfair advantage? For example, would the Cowboys have more spending power than say the Bills? Will they become the Yankees of the NFL?
My response: I'm not sure about that. The average NFL career lasts 3 1/2 years. But with no salary cap, a player can't reach unrestricted free agency for six years. That means, even the small-market teams will have incredible leverage to sign their own players to contract extensions before they can reach the open market. I think fewer good players will ever reach free agency, because they will want to get the money while they can, rather than take all the risks of playing for six full seasons before hitting the open market. --Matt M.
matt. me no tweet. hopefully you will answer this old school format.
i heard a comment that our general manager believes that we have good speed on our team. who besides vernon has good speed? and why arent they returning kicks? i thought k streets looked like the quickest player in preseason and hes gone.
also, could you ask coach s why doesnt he play a. brooks more. im tired of watching lawson with his hands on his hips after not making yet another play.
Question: i heard a comment that our general manager believes that we have good speed on our team. who besides vernon has good speed? and why arent they returning kicks?
My response: I haven't heard that comment from Scot McCloughan, but I'm sure he likes the speed of Vernon Davis, Jason Hill, Brandon Jones, maybe Josh Morgan, and certainly Patrick Willis. He acquires the players. He does not determine which players get on the field. And from what I heard, he wanted Kory Sheets to remain on the 53-man roster. But Mike Singletary gets final say over the roster, and the coaching staff was not as high on Kory Sheets as the front office. --Matt M.
Question:Who will be the 49ers' starting quarterback in 2012?
Answer:
Andrew Luck!
Dear Matt,
What are the current contract status of our nucleus players? Such as Willis and Davis. Now that we finally have some upswing talent wise, what is management doing to ensure we keep them?
Thanks,
John
Bummer on the computer!
Your analysis is spot on. Excellent post!
Comment: To waste all this time and have Nate Davis running as a DB for the scout team is a travesty! Lets hire another QB coach and whatever else we need to work with him.
My response: There's not a team in the league that gives snaps in practice to the No. 3 QB. The 49ers -- or any other team -- is not going to sacrifice valuable game-preparation time to develop a fifth-round pick for a future season. QBs coach Mike Johnson is a stickler for fundamentals, so Davis still goes through the individual periods in which the 49ers' QBs work certain drills. Here's more about those drills:
http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers/2009/08/johnson-leads-qbs-through-daily-drills.html
Nate Davis is still learning the offense and watching film. He's just does not get a chance to run the offense in practice. Heck, the only times Aaron Rodgers ran the Packers' offense during the regular season when Brett Favre was on the team was when Favre did not pratice. (And I'm not sure Favre ever missed a practice.)
--Matt M.
Question: What are the current contract status of our nucleus players? Such as Willis and Davis.
My response: My wife is getting ready to put dinner on the table . . . . so let's do this. If there is no CBA extension, players won't be eligible to become unrestricted free agents until they've accrued six NFL seasons. You can look at when each guy was drafted and do the math. Under that scenario, Aubrayo Franklin would be the team's most noteworthy free agent after this season. If there is a new CBA, off the top of my head, then Franklin and David Baas would be the most notable guys to hit the market. The 49ers have some time on the other guys. --Matt M.
Matt,
I keep hearing it stated IF there is no CBA extension... when and how much time would there be for the owners and the players union to come to an agreement? What would you say is the liklihood of an agreement being reached?
Also, this is just a thought but theoretically if the owners know that there will be an uncapped year do you think that maybe some of the owners happy to spend the money might offer enormous 1 year salaries to several top players to try and gain an advantage next year? I could see Jerry Jones offering 20 Million each to the top 5 FA
Matt,
Think it's possible to adjust the final games this season so the Niners play Oakland, Detroit, Cleveland, Chicago, Kansas City, Tampa Bay, St. Louis?
The team could wrap things up nicely!
Oh, and Smith will be quarterback in 2010.
Hi Matt, If there is no cap the owners will have the upper hand. Free agency moving from 4 to 6 years is huge. By the way Matt, do you think the coach of USC will look to the greener pastures of the NFL, now that the Pac Ten has caught up?
Hi Matt,
Not much support for Alex these days. It seems like the offensive line trouble is the greatest concern. Alex did not have much time to throw against Chicago.
Give Alex a break!
Matt,
Curious as to why you don't think the Niners would spend 7-8 mil on a very good NT who knows our system for one year?
Matt,
Curious as to why you don't think the Niners would spend 7-8 mil on a very good NT who knows our system for one year?
I hope Matt's description of Davis' readiness level will put some of these calls for Davis to rest.
You have to understand the level of preparation, practice, experience etc that goes into being a pro QB. To think just because he is physically blessed that you can through him in there and he'll perform exposes a lack of understanding of pro football.
Just because your kid is pretty good on the bicycle with pretty good balance would you throw him into a pro motorcycle race? Yea, well it's about the same thing.
Hi Matt - As someone whose laptop was stolen 10 days ago, I can really sympathize. If you have time for another non-Tweet question, what's your take on Crabtree's talent level so far? I know he hasn't had time to learn all the offense, etc., but I think some conclusions can be drawn about his physical talent level. To me, seems like the knock on him about speed is true - he can't get separation deep. Other than that, he seems pretty awesome - great hands, great routes, good explosion, etc. But without that top-end speed, he's just a great possession receiver - not a great receiver.
Just having a great arm doesn't mean you will be a great QB, just ask Jay Cutler and Da Bears. Jerry Rice didn't have that so called "top-end speed" either, lets see how things progress.
I'm working in Nepal right now, so did not see the Pats game, but Belichik made that move because he is SMART. He knew, that in terms of WINNING THE GAME, that the chances of Brady completing a 2 yard pass on 4th down were much higher than punting the ball to Manning and turning the game over to him. He made the very smart percentage move. So it didn't work this time. He's won 3 super bowls and I wouldn't bed against him to win another one or two. I wish we had a coach like him. One whose team passes and passes and MOVES the freaking football and doesn't play it safe. As I've commented a couple of times before with the 49ers coaches, NO GUTS NO GLORY. The team isn't going to win many games playing it safe like they did like they did against Chicago.
Totally agree w/KezarMike on no guts, no glory. However, I do realize Singletary/Raye want to be careful not to give Alex too much, too soon. They'll need to find the right balance...so as to open up the offense enough so he can get the ball downfield on a consistent basis, which will loosen up defenses vs the run.
As for future QB's, the hope is Alex can get it done. If he can, then that should temper a potential draft pick. Assuming all three guys return next year, it's not a bad position to be in, and they can focus on OL, S, RB, pass rusher, DL more. If they're not convinced that Alex is the guy at season's end, then that's another kettle of fish. They may feel forced to draft another QB. I do think Nate Davis has a future...but we'll have to wait 'til the off-season for him to get the reps he needs to progress.
Safe Travels coming back from far away lands! I can see what you mean about Belly cheats decision, but the risk reward thing was huge. He didn't trust his D. If he punts, Manning's got to go 70+ yards in little over a minute. He didn't convert and the colts were on the 30. Most would punt. Of course, if he had completed it, he would be the unconventional genius. I am enjoying seeing Belly-cheat getting the shine taken off him.
What happens with the CBA has huge implications for the draft. The 9ers have a history of bringing in at least 1 guy they think can start and then adjust the draft. It'll be interesting to see how Baas plays out. I doesn't make sense to me to let a guy walk (if he is a UFA) and then turn around and spend a second in the draft. I would like the OL coach have everyone loose 15-20lbs to about 290-300 and work on technique and quickness. I do hope we're in a position to draft Berry. The Lewis concussion thing makes us thin at safety. Goodson starts (gets nicked), we probably don't resign Roman, Lewis (head), Smith (injury issue?) are all questions. Taylor isn't ready to start. Sounds weird but our are of concern next year might be DB. We need a S and a good cover corner.
I agree with you about Bellichik's decision to go for it on 4th down.
However, I don't agree with you about our coaches' decisions on playing it safe. I'm pretty sure if Alex Smith was on the Patriots last night, Bellichik would not have attempted to let him pass on 4th and 2. That's the difference.
Our coaches started training camp with the knowledge of Shaun Hill's abilities as starting QB, not Alex Smith. So now that Smith is the starting QB, they don't want to put too much pressure on him. So they are probably going to play it safe more often this year, but next year they will know more about his abilities and will be more aggressive than this year.
Matt
Thanks for the insight. I do hope we retain Franklin. The lack of CBA will hit us hard and we will be reliant on the draft to improve the team.
With several areas that need imrpovement maybe we should draft based on positional need not total BPA. Given that success of a player doesnt 100% correlate to where you are drafted if a couple are reaches is that such a bad thing if we have improved our side overall?
I guess I expected more "insight." Of course, Smith is going to get his shot. Of course, he has a better chance of being - of the guys on the roster - "the quarterback of the future.
Hill is clearly limited, a 30-year-old journeyman who has delivered more than the 49ers probably ever thought they'd get out of him.
I guess for me, is how well/poorly does Smith have to do to keep or lose his job in 2010. I think the actual quarterback of the future is NOT on today's roster.
I hope Smith does it on the field, not just on the blogs. Talk's cheap. Let's see some results.
matt quick question.
is there any chance of nate clements returning next year as a safety?
I have great suggestion for Jed York, trade the 49er offense and Singletary for the Stanford offense and throw in Harbaugh.They could not do any worse.
Post of the year right here. Despite this quality assessment of what SHOULD be basic football knowledge, there will still be plenty of simpletons calling for Davis to start games later this year after Smith throws a couple picks.
So many fans and commenters on here do not understand anything about football, and that's the bottom line. The only football they have played in their lives is Madden on a gaming console.
I'm glad to see you think the offensive line is........offensive. The front office did not shore up the offensive line this last draft and here we go again. Check out how much time the offensive lines for:Pittsburgh, Indianapolis, New England, even Cincinnati, give their QBs. Imagine if Alex Smith had that much time to throw. I wonder if someone could check the average amount of time the QBs get to stand in the pocket for those teams as compared to the 9ers.
Matt,
Good read.
When Nolan game aboard he looked at the division and saw that Airzona had to be beat in order to win and move on in the play offs. Arizona has a big O-line and big WR. To compete, the 9ers had to get bigger at the O-line and WR postions, which they did.
At the WR poaition, the 9ers have started collect faster players, now they have to play them.
In reguard to the O-line, they got bigger but sacrificed speed and athleticism. They need to address this fault through the draft. With a more mobil line they will be able to protect the QB and open more running lanes for the RBs .Then we should see an inprovement in the offense.
I hope there is no-cap forever. I hated the cap from the get-go. I would rather the Niners spend on FA, then unproven talent out of the draft. The posistion the Niners are in right now is perfect for an uncapped NFL. They could fill in holes that are needed with proven talent. Not college kids looking to progress. With no worries of being over budget. Life isnt fair. How many WS has the Yankees won lately? 1. With their payroll they should have 10. Thats why they play the game. Let the big dogs eat. If your business isnt as big as others, tough ****. When or Who said Life is fair? NO CAP And watch the Niners return to glory!
Matt,
Do you foresee a change in philosophy from McCloughan related to drafting interior offensive lineman in the first round based on the line troubles this year?
I don't really read that people are calling for Davis to replace Smith so we can make the playoffs. I believe what people are suggesting is that, in the event Alex struggles and proves he is not the answer at QB then Davis should get some reps to determine what we have in the kid. This move would basically only be for the purpose of future roster planning and would only occur if the 9ers were eliminated from playoff contention. Perhaps you can determine that he is equivalent to Alex or Shaun and therefore cut one of them before next year. I'm not a proponent or opponent of this move as I think Alex should get a few more games to show his stuff. Unfortunately, the stuff he's shown so far has been the same stuff he had 3 years ago which was - not awful, not great, just always somewhere in between.
Hey KNOW IT ALL. Maybe what some fans meant like I was. In a couple of weeks when there is no hope for a playoff birth "again" and we have nothing to lose. Why wouldnt they put this kid in for some seasoning? And to look forward for need in the draft. 3 qbs comimg out. They would be fools not to see what this kids upswing and downswings are before the draft. IF there is nothing to play for. I never said put the kid in now! Because personaly I want to see Smith lose the job on his own. Do the Niners really need another year of a qb competition with a bust and a kid who has NO GAMETIME EXPERIENCE? With no clue on what this kid can do. Hows the draft going to look for us next year? "answer" Just like this??????????????? Yes this kid needs alot of work. But when there is nothing to play for they can at least get a gauge on his game time ability and skills. I know your hoping that Smith is the future buuuuut he is not. Leaving him in for the last two games are only going to hurt this franchise more. He will come out and have good games againts crappy teams only to further highten your hopes. While the ?????'s are still there. For next year. This franchise is still in la la land with no clue. Holmgren needs to be running this show. And then there wouldnt be a qb problem. Smith isnt the future for this team. The sooner you learn that the better off you will be. And for you to say this kid Smith is the answer. Shows that you dont know anything about good quarterbacking! The niners still have a mathematcal shot. And when that is gone. They would be fools not to give Davis a little seasoning. Before the draft. So hmmmm. You want to go into next year with a proven bust and a unproven qb with 3 studs coming out? I dont trust this teams coaches or gm decisions. They couldnt pick a qb at the start of the season. Lost reps for whoever the starter was going to be. They knew Hill was going to start the whole time. and wasted some of his rep time for Smith. And yes I would feel the same way if it were reversed. This teams problem goes way further than a O-line, no pass rush,no qb, no secondary, bad coaching. It all starts from the top.
Also, they don't want Nate Davis playing QB on the scout team because he'd pick a part the secondary and piss the DB's off.
Ninermd, the financial world of the NFL has changed drastically since the Salary Cap was first imposed in the early 90s. The 49ers would be at a HUGE disadvantage in a cap less NFL in the present environment. They are one of the lowest revenue producing teams in the NFL (30th out of 32 teams in 2008), they play in the worst facility in the NFL, and they do not have an owner who will spend lavishly and lose tons of money just to have a winning team. Given that, how many top free agents would even make a visit, let alone sign. They would lose most of their good players, and sign very, very few of the top Free Agents. The days of Eddie D are long gone. No cap means the 49ers become the KC Royals or Pittsburgh Pirates of the NFL.
You have no clue...
Leo just made some great points...
What do you think the effect on ticket prices will be if the 9ers were the equivalent of the Yankees of football... I would never go to a game if I had to pay $300 to sit at the very top row...
Also, the Cowboys would be the Yankees of football.. they just built a stadium that fits 100,000 fans... 100,000!!!!!!!!!!!
Belichick elects to go for it and the Patriots lose. Singletary punts and the 9ers win. Which would you rather have? You want guts? How about going for it on 4th and inches and...you know the rest. Hey Matt, any comments on how the offense will game plan for Green Bay? Anything different from the usual heavy on the run, split the snaps between under center and shotgun and end up with inconsequential wide receivers?
To waste all this time and have Nate Davis running as a DB for the scout team is a travesty! Lets hire another QB coach and whatever else we need to work with him. Everyone, even my Cowboys loving friend, can see the potential.
It's not a travesty. Ken Dorsey, Cody Pickett and Tim Rattay all looked good against training-camp scrubs. They all failed at QB in the regular season.
And then we have JTO and Shaun Hill. Answers were they? I don't think so. In fact it was, to observant and thinking fans, horribly obvious Hill was a product of a string of unadulterated luck that any gambler would dream of... Come on, five wins against a bunch of patsies that had a winning percentage of 14% from the time they started their season ending collapses... Give me a break...
So, automatically assuming "the back up is better" or the "the back up is the answer" without looking at the what has been plain for anyone to see -- every one of these back-ups you people have been so hot for since 2005 has massive limitations or has failed miserably.
So just put it to rest. Every one of those third-rate, fan-hyped "winner" QBs have gone down in flames. There's no reason to believe that Davis is the answer based on his third-string, pre-season "heroics" and thus deserves the starting spot.
IF he's any good, he'll earn it in training camp. Assuming, of course, the head clown and his sidekick pull their heads out of their butts and start evaluating talent for long-term ability instead of jumping the short-term shark like they've done with Hill, Bruce, etc. over this season.
WROOOONG! The niners are 30th because of the product they have produced in the last 9 years. Jed would pay the money for key free agents. Justin Smith, Nate Clements. They have shown the willingness to spend. And if the Niners do return to glory. 30th will be a distant memory. All of the fairweather season tix and other fans that I complain about. Will be right back on the bandwagon. Salary capless NFL would help the Niners.
Winning= More fans. More fans= more revenues. More revenues= better product and that = Primetime Games. San Fran is a big city. And the FW fans of the 80s and 90s haven proven they would pay the money. I dont know where your getting 300 dollar seats. Sounds like you dont have a clue. And the York boy will spend the money. If his cheap parents sign checks for Nate C and Justin Smith and the other overpriced FA we have signed. What makes you think with a real GMs decision wont be backed by Jed? Wait and watch.
Know it all? Aww, how sweet of you, I'm flattered. I don't know what a couple games of "seasoning" will prove. And I just don't think a rookie QB should play unless it's an elite player who won a lot of games at a high level in college and is ready to take some lumps (with the exception of cases like Matt Ryan). And there are very few players than can do this and find success quickly. I'm talking guys like Marino, Bledsoe, Manning, etc. Not some 5th round pick from BALL STATE who is VERY raw. Did the Niners ever give a few starts to Druckenmiller his rookie year just for the hell of it? What about Giovanni Carmazzi? Or Dorsey? What about Pickett or Rattay? Was Brandon Doman "the answer"??? I bet back in '02 there were plenty of fans just like you who were firmly attached to his scrotum.
Davis will likely be here for a while. If Smith doesn't work out, he'll get his chance when he's ready, don't worry. Nobody knows who the long term answer is. I still have a feeling it's Smith. You feel different. Let's leave it at that. You have your opinion and I'm fine with that.
Please, enough about Holmgren. The sooner YOU realize that we have Singletary (whether you like it or not) and he's NOT going anywhere anytime soon, the better off you'll be. Oh, and don't get it twisted, I've forgotten more about quarterbacking than you'll EVER know. Trust me.
I don't believe that Hill or Smith is the answer at QB for the Niners. If either of them were, SF wouldn't be 4-5. They would be sporting a more respectable record at 8-1 or 7-2.
Obviously, it would be ideal for the Niners to have a QB like Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Drew Brees, Tom Brady, or Ben Roethlisberger, but, those QBs seem to be set with their current teams.
The 49ers need the type of QB who already has a fair amount of NFL experience and knows how to lead a team, but, hasn't been in the NFL for 20 years. My pick would be someone like Chad Pennington or Carson Palmer.
SF may also want to consider looking for "diamond in the rough" QBs. Someone like Arizona's Matt Leinart or Atlanta's Chris Redman would be good to try.
If all else fails, we could just bring back Jeff Garcia and Terrell Owens, LOL!
Interesting perspective, but do you feel that this team would really be that much better without getting some upgrades on the offensive line?
I would love to trade for Leinart and give him a shot, but I have a feeling Arizona will not part with him. Warner isn't getting any younger. I still think David Carr deserves a shot somewhere. Poor guy played behind one of the worst offensive lines in NFL history.
As long as the 49ers are stuck in Candlestone Park, with its lack of amenities and lousy "luxury" boxes, they will be in the lower half of the league in revenue, at best. They sell out now, and although they may be able to jack up ticket prices if they are successful, that will not make a huge difference. The teams that lead in revenue are the Redskins, Cowboys, Texans, Patriots and other teams with new stadiums that make millions on luxury suites. They also don't have to share that money with the rest of the NFL. Unless Santa Clara, or something similar happens, the 9ers will be on the low end of the revenue scale.
I slightly disagree with Matt's assessment of the QB situation. I think a lot of posters here would agree that in the 4th quarter, with pressure on, Alex seems to go fetal under that pressure and starts making bad choices. So what we have on the roster is one QB with good decision making but weak arm that defenses exploit, one QB with a good arm but questionable decision making, and one unknown QB with a good arm. I would say at this point lets see what the kid Davis can do. Let him do a quarter here or there in a real game to see what he can do. I'm not saying make him the starter, but start to explore his capabilities. I am confident we at this point know what Smith and Hill can do, and neither one will lead us to a super bowl.
"I am confident we ..."
You're overconfident. Fact is, you don't know. We don't know.
I like Davis. He is not ready. He is not get any reps, to speak of, as many people have pointed out. Suggesting he play this year with this oline is wishful thinking. That is probably an unwise move for Davis and the niners. Can see that?
I think Coach Sing will know what to do and when to do it. We are lucky to have him here. I think he will build up this team. Let's stop dreaming about fantasies and get real.