Hard to post this off-season...

Welcome To The: 49ers Paradise Forum It's What's Above The Fold	Click Here To Return To 49ers Paradise

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.

Get Your 49ers Merchandise and Support This Site! 49ers Store Click Here! Please help support this site. Donations secured and encrypted by amazon.com. Even $1 can go a long way. Thank you. Get the best seats for 49ers home games from Coast to Coast Tickets. We’ve got a vast selection of premium Athletics tickets, Giants baseball tickets and Sharks tickets. We also carry a wide selection of concert tickets.	Your browser does not support IFrames

.onTheClock {font-family:arial; font-size:10pt; text-align:left;} .fctitle {font-family:arial; font-size:10pt; font-style:bold;} .fctable {font-family:arial; font-size:10pt;} .hr {width:100%; height:2px; background-color:#800000; color:#800000; line-height: 1px; font-size: 1px;} Follow The NFL Draft Live

Click Here To Refresh Draft Tracker (Tracker Should Also Automatically Update).

Unread Posts | Unread Replies | Read the Forum Rules

I haven't posted frequently this off-season, and it's not because I'm lazy or overwhelmed with work (although both are debatable).

The reason I haven't written is because there's not that much to say this year. Last year's off-season was different. Alex Smith had made leaps and bounds improvement from his rookie year, and we had just become active in free agency for the first time since the Policy/DeBartolo days.

Sure there's news this year....Justin Smith, Mike Martz, Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson, the lack of Bryant Young and likely Larry Allen...

But I find it pointless to comment on the team, because everything rests on Alex Smith.

That was what we found out last year. The defense can't win us games with a putrid offense. We need to at least be passable. Smith needs to take us there. I have no idea if he can. I'm as clueless today as I was when we picked him. I want him to succeed, and I believe he has the physical and mental abilities to do so. I also think he has the toughness and the capability to gain confidence with a string of victories, something that hasn't happened to him yet (a la Eli Manning this year).

But will this happen? I don't know. We need to see some early games to have any idea. Hell, maybe even the pre-season will shed enough light to write a worthwhile post or two.

But right now, there's just nothing I can really say about the future of the team. If Smith is good, this team could easily make the playoffs. If he's mediocre, we'll probably go 8-8 or 7-9. If he's terrible, I could see 6-10 or even 5-11 again.

If he's bad, we'll draft a quarterback next year. If he's good, we won't.

If he's bad, Nolan will be fired, and we'll have a new coach to talk about next year. If he's good, he won't, and we won't.

If he's bad, we'll have Mike Martz blowups between him and his players to look forward to. If he's good, Martz could easily became a head coach in 2009, giving us the "another new offensive coordinator for Smith" storyline next year.

So what I'm saying is, we'll have a lot to talk about NEXT off-season...

But this one's a waiting game that not even Matt Maiocco can save.

That's the key to this argument. Everyone has their opinions, and I'm confident in mine, but it's all just a wait and see kind of thing. Ultimately numbers do not lie, and Alex has to show us.

IMO, this problem is about needing a quarterback, not just about Alex Smith. Martz knows what he is doing, and he knows he needs a quarterback (he knows more about this than Nolan will ever know). So, Martz will find a QB. Right now, he's got three to choose from. The fact that Smith was an overall number 1 choice is kind of like a stigma he will need to wear until (and if) he plays his way out of it, like Eli has. If Smith had been a #2 or #3 round pick, fans would be putting a lot less pressure on him, but I think that will be no matter to Martz. If Alex can be made to fit Martz's system, he will be a winner (Martz has done it with a bunch of no-names, in the past). If not, Martz will move on to another candidate. I think Martz will know by mid-training camp if Smith can do the job, and also if Hill and O'Sullivan can. If none of them can do the job, the team will sign another QB and then draft someone in '09 (they might take someone late in '08 if they see a good talent fall to a later round, too).

Once he finds a QB, Martz also needs to get the OL to perform. Last year was a disaster. The OL in '06 was thought to be pretty good. Then, in '07, even with the same or better talent, it all fell apart. None of the QBs were safe. That had to be bad coaching. That's Martz's second big challenge. IMO, the talent is there (and there will probably be a couple of rookies drafted, too). If Martz can get the QB and the OL working, then the receivers can have time to get open. With upgraded receivers who can actually catch (Johnson for Jackson, Bruce, Hill and Davis with another year of experience, and maybe a couple of draft picks), we could be a winner.

You're right. The waiting game hasn't been as good this year, but I think the results will be better. After mid-season, I was feeling really down. After the mid-off-season, though, I'm back into the waiting game. It's going to be a good season, and I'm getting excited.

And if the O line is not better at pass protecting than it was last year then Alex had better learn from Martz how to get rid of the football on time and how to make much quicker decisions on where he is throwing the ball ( both of which Hill knows how to do already) or Alex will not be the starter (as I think he probably will be ).

Of course, this post assumes Smith wins the job...I do not think Shaun Hill can take us to the playoffs, and I think he probably won't even have the opportunity. If I'm wrong, Hallelujah.

Quote from: TIM on March 21, 2008, 05:12:13 PM

Well, if the O line does like they did last season, Smith will be on IR, and one of the other candidates will be on his way to IR.