NINERS DRAFT THREAD BITCH!!!!!!!!!!
- Thread starter LEE-ZILLA 69
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Bold 49ers make right choice
Published: Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 7:41 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 7:41 p.m.
( page all of 3 )
SANTA CLARA
More Information:
* Cohn Zohn sports blog
I love what the 49ers did, drafting Aldon Smith with the No. 7 pick. You should love it, too.
Let me count the reasons. Smith is an edge rusher, a bona fide quarterback sacker, a plant-the-guy's-face-in-the-ground kind of rusher. And the 49ers needed one of those like we all need air to breathe. Smith is what Manny Lawson was supposed to be but never was. And he's what Charles Haley used to be — at least that's the idea.
The Niners need a guy like Smith because, without him, they could not hurry the passer or disrupt the passing game or get the opposing offense off the field or give their own offense time and peace of mind. This was the absolute correct pick — better than quarterback for sure (more on that in a moment) and even better than defensive back. A defensive back does not control the field like a pass rusher.
This was a terrific pick because no one expected it. Smith himself didn't expect it.
“I definitely had no idea I'd be picked No. 7,” he said. The public debate — always uninformed, always a guessing game — had the 49ers oscillating between a quarterback like Blaine Gabbert, ridiculous, or a cornerback, probably Prince Amukamara — not ridiculous but improbable.
Smith was an enviable pick because it took guts to go against the conventional wisdom. And it shows Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh think for themselves and act on conviction. They actually do. They knew who and what they wanted and they got him.
Even after the 49ers made the selection, writers were tweeting the 49ers would trade Smith to the Eagles for Kevin Kolb. It's like no one believed the Niners did what they did. But they didn't trade. When writers later asked Harbaugh if he considered trading Smith, he looked dumbfounded, as if the question made no sense. It didn't.
Many people watching the draft had no idea who Aldon Smith is, never heard of the guy. Choosing him shows the Niners did not fall into the quarterback trap, which would have been silly and foolish and useless. A rookie quarterback can do nothing for the Niners next season. A rookie pass rusher can transform an entire defense.
Is this pick foolproof? Of course it isn't. Nothing about the draft is foolproof. Teams select players for the pro game based on what they did in the college game, almost a different sport. Smith played defensive end at Missouri and that means he mostly lined up in a three-point stance. With San Francisco, he will play outside linebacker and he rarely will line up in a three-point stance. Big difference.
He has lots to learn, including how to stop the run — they call it holding the edge — and how to cover wide receivers and tight ends. It will be a whole new world for him.
It is known he played games last season with a broken leg. That prompted him to tell Bay Area writers on a conference call that he is no “wimp.” Harbaugh himself noticed Smith's lack of wimpiness.
“There's a toughness aspect there,” Harbaugh said.
It's a toughness aspect the 49ers haven't had in a long time.
Harbaugh also said Smith is “very rarely on the ground,” which means offensive linemen don't knock him over. He knocks them over.
Harbaugh would like Smith to be an immediate starter. Harbaugh said there are no guarantees, but come on. And Harbaugh, realizing Smith must learn a new position, said, “He's got quite a bit of versatility,” and “this is not a blind projection.”
So, let's put this selection into context. The 49ers almost never rush the opposing quarterback, not in a serious way, or make the guy feel uncomfortable or smack him to the ground. Playing quarterback against the Niners is like entering the ultimate comfort zone, like spending three hours in a resort, where all sorts of interesting things happen out there in front of you, but rarely happen to you. Offenses love to play the Niners because they are so polite and tame and civilized.
It's Aldon Smith's job to inject a measure of hostility into the 49ers' defensive effort.
“I'm a pass rusher,” he said. “I'm a guy who gets to the quarterback.”
Call that a new and interesting concept.
Published: Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 7:41 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, April 28, 2011 at 7:41 p.m.
( page all of 3 )
SANTA CLARA
More Information:
* Cohn Zohn sports blog
I love what the 49ers did, drafting Aldon Smith with the No. 7 pick. You should love it, too.
Let me count the reasons. Smith is an edge rusher, a bona fide quarterback sacker, a plant-the-guy's-face-in-the-ground kind of rusher. And the 49ers needed one of those like we all need air to breathe. Smith is what Manny Lawson was supposed to be but never was. And he's what Charles Haley used to be — at least that's the idea.
The Niners need a guy like Smith because, without him, they could not hurry the passer or disrupt the passing game or get the opposing offense off the field or give their own offense time and peace of mind. This was the absolute correct pick — better than quarterback for sure (more on that in a moment) and even better than defensive back. A defensive back does not control the field like a pass rusher.
This was a terrific pick because no one expected it. Smith himself didn't expect it.
“I definitely had no idea I'd be picked No. 7,” he said. The public debate — always uninformed, always a guessing game — had the 49ers oscillating between a quarterback like Blaine Gabbert, ridiculous, or a cornerback, probably Prince Amukamara — not ridiculous but improbable.
Smith was an enviable pick because it took guts to go against the conventional wisdom. And it shows Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh think for themselves and act on conviction. They actually do. They knew who and what they wanted and they got him.
Even after the 49ers made the selection, writers were tweeting the 49ers would trade Smith to the Eagles for Kevin Kolb. It's like no one believed the Niners did what they did. But they didn't trade. When writers later asked Harbaugh if he considered trading Smith, he looked dumbfounded, as if the question made no sense. It didn't.
Many people watching the draft had no idea who Aldon Smith is, never heard of the guy. Choosing him shows the Niners did not fall into the quarterback trap, which would have been silly and foolish and useless. A rookie quarterback can do nothing for the Niners next season. A rookie pass rusher can transform an entire defense.
Is this pick foolproof? Of course it isn't. Nothing about the draft is foolproof. Teams select players for the pro game based on what they did in the college game, almost a different sport. Smith played defensive end at Missouri and that means he mostly lined up in a three-point stance. With San Francisco, he will play outside linebacker and he rarely will line up in a three-point stance. Big difference.
He has lots to learn, including how to stop the run — they call it holding the edge — and how to cover wide receivers and tight ends. It will be a whole new world for him.
It is known he played games last season with a broken leg. That prompted him to tell Bay Area writers on a conference call that he is no “wimp.” Harbaugh himself noticed Smith's lack of wimpiness.
“There's a toughness aspect there,” Harbaugh said.
It's a toughness aspect the 49ers haven't had in a long time.
Harbaugh also said Smith is “very rarely on the ground,” which means offensive linemen don't knock him over. He knocks them over.
Harbaugh would like Smith to be an immediate starter. Harbaugh said there are no guarantees, but come on. And Harbaugh, realizing Smith must learn a new position, said, “He's got quite a bit of versatility,” and “this is not a blind projection.”
So, let's put this selection into context. The 49ers almost never rush the opposing quarterback, not in a serious way, or make the guy feel uncomfortable or smack him to the ground. Playing quarterback against the Niners is like entering the ultimate comfort zone, like spending three hours in a resort, where all sorts of interesting things happen out there in front of you, but rarely happen to you. Offenses love to play the Niners because they are so polite and tame and civilized.
It's Aldon Smith's job to inject a measure of hostility into the 49ers' defensive effort.
“I'm a pass rusher,” he said. “I'm a guy who gets to the quarterback.”
Call that a new and interesting concept.
http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/player/profile?playerId=236838
TYROD TAYLOR STATS HES IMPROVED EVERY YEAR AS A PASSER IF HES THERE IN 6TH OR 7TH I SAY 9ERS SHOULD TAKE HIM
TYROD TAYLOR STATS HES IMPROVED EVERY YEAR AS A PASSER IF HES THERE IN 6TH OR 7TH I SAY 9ERS SHOULD TAKE HIM
not sold on gabbert, locker or prince. and anyone who has seen the niners play this past decade knows we havent had a decent pass rusher since bryant young in his prime and that was years ago. Im tired of making average QB's look like tom brady because we give them 30 seconds to scan the field and find their recievers. Look at the raiders they can afford to lose asmougha over losing seymour or them other cats on the d line. A great pass rush makes your pass coverage look great. you can have asmougha and revis at db's but if you give the opposing db all day to throw any and i mean any professional QB will pick apart your seconday. willis takeo lawson franklin goldson and smith are all great players at stopping the run, but none of them do i consider to be pass rushers. i agree we need a QB and a DB but a pass rusher was needed just as bad.
i wasn't feeling the pick but after a wile of seeing and reading how he played a game with a broken leg. shows toughness in his game like harbaugh said. so this kid could be a beast in his first year he even said he should be the #1 overall pick shows his swagger already.. cant wait to use this kid on the new madden with patric willis covering the middle lets see if we can get a qb in the second round..