49ers CAMP

Oh how I wish I were near the camp.  I'd be a nuisance - but would obtain interesting information for 49er fans and The Faithful. However, I reside in MD.  I'll have to glean the information posted by others, conduct an email campaign, and use alternative methods to inform the readers of this blog.  What you can learn are my impressions and projections. That is today's topic - A Pre-Season Evalation:

The Coach - Jim Harbaugh transformed an under-achieving squad last year.  13-3 was only predicted by Homers that regardless of reality persist with their Hope.  Coach used a formula that we will not know in detail.  His methods did inspire players and exceeded expectations.  I trust those methods.  Coach once played at a high level in the NFL and he knows a players perspective.  The Harbaugh Perspective includes: You will agree with Coach, do what he asks, or you will not remain on his team for long.  Dashon Golden should pay attention.  Ask for a release or sign your tender.  I predict Coach will improve his coaching methods, expand the playbook and the 49ers will concordantly improve.  12-4 is my guesstimate for 2012.

Alex Smith:  Alex will enter this year with the same coach, coordinator, playbook, teammates - and have the support of his coaches. That is a first in his experience.  Alex will be given more latitude this year.  He will have more weapons - Notably: Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, AJ Jenkins, and LaMichael James.  The addition of Moss and the other WRs will increase Alex's TDs and yards.  The drives that stalled last year inside the red-zone will decrease significantly.

The Defense:  The Defense will be a year improved from 2011.  The squad who ranked 1st in the most import areas - points scored, TDs allowed, and YFS.  This group is more secure in their knowledge of their teammate's play and what coaches expect from them.  Coaches too know what this group can achieve.  They are prepped from last season to reach the Super Bowl.  I expect a superior performance over last year and a SB birth.

Randy Moss:  Moss is a legend for a couple reasons.  He is a physical freak with Gifts that defy evaluation.  I assert a year away from football aligned his thinking and perspective.   Randy examined many teams.  He could have chosen several NFL "contenders".  He chose SF a reason(s).  Moss is a veteran who can analyze teams needs and how he would satisfy those needs.  Moss needs a SB ring to seal his place in Canton. Moss learned, perhaps for the first time, his mouth overloaded his ass.  Moss' chances to remain in the league - and obtain that SB ring; required behavior modification and restraint on his part.  To join the team Coach demanded it from him.  To make the team he must continue acting as a player/coach; instructing younger players,setting an example for success; and providing Alex Smith a go-to guy in most any circumstance.  Success is Moss' goal.  What else explains his actions?  Moss will draw attention and coverage on and off the field.  I suspect he will ignore off the field requests and prove he remains one of the NFL's best receivers.

Mario Manningham:  He adds a veteran influence that places pressure upon Mike Crabtree.  Crabtree can lose his starting position.  Manningham wants to start too.  The best player will start.  Manningham will prove he is qualified.  Who starts remains a product of who wants it more and works to earn it.

AJ Jenkins:  We will soon learn if he is or if he isn't.  He is joining a team with much to prove and accomplish.  If he becomes Moss' shadow he can develop into a very good player.  The environment is ripe for a rookie WR to learn and thrive in SF.

LaMichael James:  James can become the next Barry Sanders.  I watched hours of video on him.  He is special.  The number of touches he gets will predicate his adjustment to the league.  One large back and two elusive backs will comprise the backfield.  Brandon Jacobs does not make the team unless a starter is injured. Jacobs has never impressed me.  Any man as large as he, who can't gain 1 yard at clutch time, is useless and a waste of size.

Vernon Davis:  I've followed him since he played at Maryland - I live there.  He, like Moss, is a physical freak.  Moss' appearance provides the offense flexibility and creates a coverage nightmare.  Davis "arrived" last year.  His 2012 stats improve in a meaningful way for the team.  Davis loves the coach who made him.  He is committed to Coach Harbaugh and will play to show it.

Offense:  This group will create serious problems for opposing defenses.  They will destroy teams.  They will develop a continuity that wins games.  Play calling will radically change from last year's "play it safe" philosophy.  More passing will occur because the talent justifies that attack AND the players have a year of experience in the Harbaugh way.  This group will give the other offensive powerhouses in the NFL a run for their money.  Jamie Dukes will have to eat his defamatory - 1 TD each game dig he saves for Alex when he is on TV.  Look Out!  This team will be special.

49er Fans -Please Support a Miss America Candidate

This blog is a gratuitous ploy to garner support for a beautiful, intelligent, and talented young woman - she's also my offspring.  I can honestly claim  make beautiful babies.  They are all college grads and good human beings too.  Not opinion... it's what I hear from others and that is my proudest accomplishment.  So without further ado...  check out the newest Miss America candidate - Allyn Rose.  She represents Washington DC:

Also - don't forget to vote on-line at missamerica.org

49ers Get No Effing Respect

Yes, Rodney is dead.  But his tag line - "I never get no respect" can be said of the 49ers.  Yes, I'm a 49er fan - who else composes blogs on any topic with dispassion?  Not me.  I'm an admitted Homer to the bone... a Homer who takes logical decisions and makes projections based upon factual matters.  I contend the League and the NFL channel in particular, do not respect the 49ers. 

The NFL does not like the Niners.  I have my suspicions why - valid reasons.  The manner in which the league and the NFL channel in particular assiduously avoid talking about the 49ers, or framing the little discussions they do direct to the 49ers with negative innuendos and left handed compliments bolsters my suspicions.

The NFL talking heads always denigrate the NFC West - implying it is a weak Division.  Over the past decade, two teams from the West reached the Superbowl.  Neither won, but getting there means something - a lot in fact.  The West is brutal internally - teams play for all the marbles each Division game.  And for all the assertions the West has bad teams - there is no Division in either Conference that doesn't include at least one bad team.  Most have two.  The Giants who won vaunted NFC East had a W/L of 9-7.  You want flukes - look there.  Only two major errors by Kyle WIlliams permitted their reaching the SB.  As I said,  the league has its favorites.

The League favorites: Steelers, Patriots, Jets, NFC North, the Manning Bros., the NFC North, even the AFC West gets more respect.  "Not a real Division" is implied and stated.  The biases are striking... and untrue.

This hatred all began back when Eddie-D, Coach Walsh, and The Joe, transformed the 9ers and the league.  More head coaches came from the Walsh training school than any other.  Each team in the league has a graduate of the Walsh school - head coach, co-ordinator, other.  Walsh's West Coast Offense is a league staple.  The useful life strategy of a player philosophy, and, a methodical management team that literally worked the Salary Cap to their favor, combined to make the Niners the most successful franchise; and hated by the league.  Only Eddie-D lost his ownership rights despite others doing the same things - cap wise.  As other teams in the league adopted 49ers' philosophies, they were noted; grudgingly.

After Eddie was removed from office, the management aspect fell apart.  It was only recently that problem was repaired.  A carousel of coaching changes didn't help matters.  By the time Mooch was fired, the die was cast.  Poor draft classes and rotating coaching spelled doom.  SF became a stopping over location.  Players and coaches came to SF while waiting to find a Real Job.  Management and coaches seemed at odds.  Players had no focus or unity.  This catastrophe happens at some point in every organizations life.  But for the Niners, any improvements are ignored... labeled as a fluke.

Enter coach Harbaugh and several great draft classes and free agent acquisitions, and a new front office.  The quality of players and management came into focus last year.  Harbaugh brought a new culture and success.  Only one team had a better record.  Despite leading the league on defense and a 13-3 season record, a playoff win, and two eff up by the odious Kyle Williams in the championship game, the Niner get no respect.  They are the Rodney Dangerfield of the NFL.

No matter.  I know Harbaugh will use this to motivate the players and fans.  This year will be special.  Mark it down.  The 49ers will destroy the West, and reach the big game.  They will annihilate the competition.  I predict this year's team will go down in history.  Alex Smith will be vindicated and the other players who have languished under the NFL's angst and indifference will prove to all they are force to be reckoned with.

Why I Still Hate Kyle Williams

Kyle Williams, like everyone else in this world, has to account for his actions.  I learned this lesson form a Chief Petty Officer who was called Stone Face.  This man was void of "Ruth" and made decisions to be respected.  He never cared for being liked.  Being loved was gay (in his opinion) and avoided at all costs.  This Chief was my father and his admonitions shaped who I became.  His advice has served me very well over the years.

CPO would have sent Williams to the locker room immediately after the first flub with instructions to clear out his locker and not be there at game's end.  The press coverage after the game would include Williams = "He was let go." The following day's press released would include the termination of Williams contract = "Actions have consequences. A successful team has players who perform well in highly stressful circumstances."

The Crisis Driven MEDIA would have a field day with absolutes.  Conversely, they criticized the Niners staff insinuating "something" should have been done about Williams.  Williams effed up - no doubt he cost the team a trip to the SB.  Williams gave the Giants points needlessly.  Avoid the  knee ball - the Giants get no field goal.  If Williams fields the first punt and doesn't risk a strip, the Giants get even fewer points.  Williams' errors gave the Giants 10 points.  Had Williams avoided the knee ball the game goes to overtime - I'll take the Niners in that scenario.

Errr....  I hate Kyle Williams.  He had to know he was subbing due to injured personnel.  If he plays conservatively, and protects the ball,  he earns a Superbowl Ring.  He did not.  Not protecting the ball - as every other player did should have cost him his job.   When a business owner, coach, or person in the position to direct employees holds them accountable, that sends a message.  That message is: Everyone is accountable.  That message is persistent eff ups have consequences.  Consider this... when the Niners were most successful, they developed a time line for each position.  When a player reached that age, they were let go.  "The Joe",  Montana was let go when that day arrived.  Williams?  Pfffft!

Pencils come with erasers.  Erasers are placed due to inevitable human errors.  Human beings make mistakes.  It is repeated and egregious mistakes that must be addressed.  Harbaugh avoided the immediate controversy - I am confident Williams will not be on the 2012 roster.  Had Harbaugh cut Williams the day of the game - his players would not complain - AND - they would take notice.  I can state from numerous experiences that firing an employee results in increased productivity.  Fear must be a component of the workplace.  Particularly in the NFL where salaries are high, and guaranteed outcomes are few, the fear of losing that salary is one of the few motivations available.  Increasing productivity enhances probabilities for success.  Leaving Williams on the roster sent a message - results do not have consequences.  Repeated errors will be tolerated.  Williams barely saw the field in 2011.  His remaining with the team sends the wrong message.

The Niners missed 2011 Superbowl due to Kyle Williams.  It was his errors that gave the Giants 10 points.  Players like Williams, who are a net negative, have no place on a team like the Niners.

NFL Head Injuries - Genetics - Part Deux

Every human being - including NFL players is unique.  We have unique compositions physically. mentally, and emotionally.  We may be equal in the eyes of our creator, but we are not all equal physically, mentally, or emotionally.  That very few athletes are gifted enough to play in the NFL proves this maxim.  The same is true for intellectually gifted people who are able to attend Ivy League schools.  Emotionally gifted folks may become actors or sociopaths.  What these realities prove is we are not all equal in every way.  These differences impact us our lives and choices in life.  They also predicate the length of our lives and the "quality" of life.

Genetics is a powerful force.  Genetics predicates our physical constitution and nothing can alter that.  What we are born with is fixed - immutable.  Who we are is a matter of choice.  What we are is owed to genetics and cannot be changed.  Many diseases and physical ailments are a direct result of our genetic composition.  Genetics predisposes many people to diseases - the very same way we are different physically: height, weight, hair and eye color, skin color etc...  Genetics predisposes these physical traits.  The cosmetic industry makes billions providing people disguises - concealing what they are.  Medicine cannot alter our genetic composition.  Our physical composition often predicates our contracting cancer, diabetes, heart problems, AND... mental ailments like Alzheimers, dementia, general intellect, and a host of peculiar mental and neurological ailments are all contained in our genetic composition.  I lost a wife to cancer.  She carried a gene that doomed her.  She did all she could to mitigate this disorder and failed.  Genetics, as I mentioned above, are powerful.

What happens to a person as they age is largely a result of genetics.  The complaints currently circulating around the news regarding concussions and mental disorders supposedly owed to playing football and the impacts of the game are seen in people who never play football.  WHat gives?  How can that be?  If concussions are the causal mechanism for these disorders, why are others who never played the game also afflicted with these conditions?  They were genetically predisposed - is the answer.  Playing football may, or may not, have contributed - aggravating the inevitable, but make no mistake... these ailments experienced by football players would arise even if they never played a down.

There is a risk of spinal chord injury playing football.  Players take the field knowing these risks.  They are paid very well - hazardous duty pay - for all the risks that lurk on a football field.  Most players know these risks.  But, as I said yesterday, some players are stupid.  The stupid are a fact of life too.  Their genetic stupidity is immutable.  Nothing can be done to change this stupidity.  Stupid people make bad decisions.  This too is unalterable when the stupid are of legal age.  When the stupid squander the millions they earn playing in the NFL, they often don't understand why.  They rejected advice to save and be frugal and the spent the money anyway.  Once broke... if someone offers them a chance for another payday, they will pounce.  This is what is happening now.  Lawyers see an opportunity to fleece the stupid one more time.

Lawyers will make the lions' share of the money in this head injury nonsense.  Those who are suffering from genetically predisposed mental disorders, and the very few who have legitimate complaints, will not see much money.  The stupid believe they will receive millions.  Oh well...

Players took the field knowing the many and varied health risks that come from playing football.  They signed the contract knowing these risks.  Just like when they signed their first contract - it is simple greed that now motivates them.

Life after football is dull and much less profitable.  This head injury flim-flam provides former players one last day in the limelight - and potentially - a payday.  Is it any wonder why more and more former players are signing up for a chance at an interview, sympathy, and a payday?  I want to know what their Wonderlic test score were.

The facts are these players would likely suffer from the physical ailments they have regardless.  Genetics predisposed them to suffer.  Others, who never played football suffer from the same ailments - they will never get a big payday, an interview, or much sympathy.  They live their lives in anonymity.  What caused their ailments and the NFL player's ailements?  Genetics provides the answers.

I am not one to suffer fools.  The stupid are what they are and they place huge demands upon society.  The roles of the indigent are cock-a-block with stupid people.  The majority of the taxes we pay goes to providing the stupid a monthly check, rent money, health insurance, and a host of government programs.  This does not include the criminal justice systems costs brought by the stupid.  Caring for the stupid is very expensive.  Add greed to stupidity and the mixture is exponentially costly.  The NFL is learning this lesson.

The NFL needs to defend itself against these charlatan lawyers and attack this problem "head on".  Risks abound on a football field.  Everyone knows physical impacts associated with football are RISKY!  There were no unknown health risks germane to playing football -- then, or now.

Spinal cord injuries are much more severe and problematic than concussion related "issues", and players agreed to take those elevated risks.  Who believes they would walk away from millions of dollars because their MIGHT be a chance of long term health problems due to concussions?  I for one think every player now complaining (and suing) would happily sign a contract knowing the concussion risks are/were present.

My advice?  STFU and stop trying to ruin a game we love..  You am what you is.  Others who never received an NFL salary find a way to live happy and productive lives suffering from the same ailments.  I don't feel sorry one bit for former NFL players who now seek another payday because they blew the salaries they earned.   We watched the NFL games and respected you because you were tough guys.  Please, for the sake of past memories, stop acting like sissies.  Accept this set back as you would any other not related to football complaint.  Geeeez!

NFL - Head Injuries - Professional Legal Lottery

NFL players make a lot of money while in the league.  Some make tens of millions.  The percentage made above the mean income of an average American is more than substantial.  The league minimum for veteran players is 10 times the combined income for the average American family.  They are paid well for two reasons.  One is because they are entertainers and talented - people will pay to see them.  The second reason is hazardous duty pay.  What's really playing out?  Some players who after earning tens of millions of dollars are now broke.  They want another payday.  There is a racial component too.  I'll leave that to the reader to discover.

Many athletes are not rocket scientists.  Why should they be?  Their gifts are physical.  Some players are born stupid.  This stupidity was present before they became professional football players.  This stupidity is genetic.  NOTHING can be done to ameliorate genetic stupidity.  It is permanent.  Importantly, nothing done on the football field caused this stupidity.

The premise here is stupidity and/or the ailments were caused by head trauma.  That assertion is not proven and ignores genetic predisposition.  Ample evidence suggest these players were stupid before they entered the league.  The Wonderlic IQ test given all new athletes does proves this stupid before the NFL assertion.  LSU's Morris Claiborne - drafted by the Dallas Cowboys - score a 4!!!! on his Wonderlic.  The test has a maximum of 50.  Morris will never be smart.  The likelihood he squanders his salary away is high.  When that money is gone, and Morris is provided a chance to sue for money under the guise of head trauma - he will sue.  With his NFL salary gone... where will he ever make silly money again?   Ditto the predisposed.    What about people who develop the same ailments and never play football?  How can that happen?  WHY... predisposition.

Now we hear tales of woe regarding head trauma on the field causing long term health problems.  WOW!  Are stupid players now performing statistical analysis for the MEDIA?   Ooops forgot it was MEDIA analysis.

Full contact sports will always result in head trauma.  Football is Full Contact.  This has been the case since the game of football was created.  What's changed?  There are more stupid players than ever in the NFL.The problem the NFL now faces is owed to allowing players who are not suited for college, (stupid) to play college football.  Allowing players who may be athletically gifted to enter college when they cannot score in the lowest realm of the SAT - a score well below what the average student entering college must score, has negative consequences.  This current crisis is the logical conclusion when stupid (and unethical doctors and lawyers) see a get rich quick opportunity.  The root of this problem - is two fold: Genetic stupidity.  When a stupid player ages, he remains stupid.  Genetic predisposition to an ailment.  Genetic predisposition to ailments are unavoidable.  Those predisposed will get sick or suffer with ailments regardless if they play football or not.

When the NCAA began allowing stupid athletes into college because of asserted superior athleticism, this legal outcome was cast.  Stupid people are those who gamble away their NFL salaries.  Now dead broke, they want another pay day and the MEDIA is providing them that pay day.  The MEDIA wants a crisis.  Crisis provides them an opportunity to flex their muscles.  They don't have the muscle to play the game, but they know better.  So do unethical doctors and lawyers - who split hairs and concoct opinions on: maybe, what if, suppose that, and possibly.  They completely ignore that human beings are unique - not all alike.

Stupidity has common traits - bad decision making, self destructive behaviors, criminal behaviors - all tied to a get rich quick mentality and an inability/unwillingness to plan long-term.  If teams paid more attention to the Wonderlic, they would avoid this problem.  In fact, the Wonderlic should be given to athletes before they're permitted to enter college.  Players who cannot pass the Wonderlic should NOT be given a seat and scholarship to a learning institution.  Children who worked hard on academics belong in college - not a blithering idiot with physical skills.  Each stupid athlete given a seat and scholarship denies a better qualified student an education.  The world is denied the potential good outcomes that result when a smart person is given a higher education.

This head trauma issue is a Chicken / Egg / Breed of Chicken dilemma - was the stupidity present before the head trauma, or did the head trauma cause the intellect problems?  Was the person predisposed to these ailments?  A review of the Wonderlic test will provide answers.  Players who scored poorly on the Wonderlic, are likely those who claim stupidity was caused by trauma.  This is an easy evaluation to make.  A genetic history of the families of those afflicted players will reveal genetic causal probabilities.  Additionally, there will be a few genuine trauma incidents - but few.

There are also players with emotional and mental disorders.  These are present in all occupations.  These mental issues are not directly associated with paying football or head trauma.  Look at the number of players with no emotional or mental disorders.  They form the majority.   If football contact is responsible, then a majority of players will be "impacted".  That is NOT the case.

The players who are genetically predisposed to mental and neurological disorders would develop ailments whether they payed football or not.  This reality, apparently, will not be considered.  However, genetic predisposition must be considered if the NFL wants to keep its audience.  People watch the NFL for the same reason they watch NASCAR and Fighting - they like the blood and guts.

Absolutely nothing substantiates the head trauma causes stupidity / neurological ailments claims.  These claims stand to ruin a game I love.  I for one do not agree with arguments made by the MEDIA and those who stand to profit from making these claims.  The league and owners could have avoided this problem by not drafting players who score poorly on the Wonderlic - see NE Patriots.  But... that might result in cries of racism.

Unfortunately, the same stupid players would not "waste" their money buying a product with no immediate gratification - health insurance - will be trotted out... Unable to form a sentence and complete a thought, they will be PROOF football caused their problems.

But there is a problem here.  I see these and other players interviewed in college - apparently, Pee Wee football impacts made them stupid.  These are players who are unable to communicate using standard verbal idioms.  When they speak, a disconnected litany of catch phrases, know wadimeans, give 100+%, step up, yadda yadda yadda.  Nothing makes any sense nor is their responses related in any way to the question asked.  This is stupidity on display and some people fail to identify the stupidity, or they ignore it.

2012 49er Draft Analysis

As I watched the 49ers select players in the 2012 draft - I was reminded of the classic movie Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.  Newman and Redford were running from a posse - who could track them across stone, water, it appeared nothing could throw the posse off their trail.  "Who are these guys?"  one asked in desperation.  The same can be said for my reaction.  I'll admit listing Jenkins as a potential 4th WR option, but in truth had three others ahead of him, and that was before the Moss signing.  Brian Quick went to division rival STL - at the top of round 2.  Apparently Jeff Fischer or one of his staff saw what I saw.  Time will tell.  What I am confident about is Harbaugh & crew's ability to find talent.  I thought the same thing last year - Aldon WHO?

Aldon Smith's stats: 14 sacks, 2 forced fumbles - only playing 3rd down... and a rookie Pro Bowl mention is note worthy for any player.  I trust the brain trust in SF.  They want players who fit their system and to whom character matters.  C&T - Character and Team does to the Harbaughs.  Moss, Jacobs, Cox, Manningham, and Johnson need to remain squeaky clean, and place their interests behind the team.  Euphemistically speaking, recalling another classic film - The Untouchables - a large bat awaits players who refuse to control themselves.

Cons are not welcome.  Cons think of themselves first and always.  You cannot be competitive with Cons on your team.

The 49ers took players they evaulated as needed using their own criterion.  Time will tell how well they chose.

The draft is a modern version of slave trading.  Well, it is....  human beings are presented and selected based upon measurables and past actions.  There is no way any coach or draft team can predict how well a player will respond after they are drafted.  The large number of draft BUSTs is indicative of how dicey the process of human evaluation is.  Consider the large number of first round picks who never developed.  These are players who underwent UBER scrutiny.  In the days before the salary cap, the first 10 picks were bore hogged.  Nuttin was missed.  The most important element of a player's abilities  - Want To - is nearly impossible to gauge.  Players will lie when a multi-million dollar payday awaits them.  Some are sick of the game and once paid stop trying.  Some other players are um-day... stupid.

The Wonderlich test is an very important predictor of a players ability to succeed in the complexities of the NFL.  Any player who scores low must be removed from a draft list - IMO.  The combination of tired of playing and stupid is fatal.  Vince Young, Jamarcus Russell, Ryan Leaf, Adam Pac-Man Jones, and this year - Morris Claiborne - are all first round picks who scored very low, some under 10, out of a possible 50 on the Wunderlich.  Morris scored a four !

I predict right here - Claiborne will never play at a level worth Dallas' trading up to get him.  He will struggle - then fail.  Or, his stupidity will lead to bad decision taking.  3-4 years tops before he is gone - or forgotten - irrelevant.  Admittedly, defense is more reaction and less thinking - but it is the other behaviors that accompany stupidity that dooms a player with limited intellectual abilities.  The slums are filled with people with low IQs.  It is not missing opportunities that places them in slums.  It is their stupidity and chosen behaviors that relegate them to the lowest rungs of success.

We will see what becomes of the draft selections and ubiquitous predictions of those players.  The entire draft hype is kinda silly - but fun.  There is another solution to FWS - football withdrawl syndrome.  Imagine....

The season is extended to 18 games.  Too many you say - wait.  Hear me out.

Instead of NFC and AFC playing each week - only one conference plays per week.  They alternate throughout the season.  This provides two weeks rest between games.  It prompts fans to pick another team to root for - a team not in their favorite team's conference.  This sells more merchandise and expands interest.  Best of all - the season expands to 40 weeks.  The season runs September through May !!!  Six weeks R&R, then training camp begins.  Players get more rest and play better.  Injuries are mitigated with more rest.  Everyone benefits.  The level of play gets better with healthy and rested players.  Win - Win - Win.