Saturday, April 30, 2011

after the second day of the draft...

There is a word I mentioned in yesterday's blog entry: reach. I don't like it.

If you like to gamble, then you don't feel the need to ever 'reach' for a player. On the other hand, if there is a player that you like, go ahead and draft him even if there is the chance that you might be overdrafting him (overdrafting being synonymous with reaching... I think).

I was thrilled yesterday when the 49ers moved up in the 2nd round to draft who could be their quarterback of the future: Colin Kaepernick. He is one of the quarterbacks I mentioned wanting to get a couple of entries ago. And the Niners gave up some picks to get him. Some were surprised that they did so, but if he was the guy that Baalke and Harbaugh wanted, then they made sure to get him. Because it only takes one team to take a player that you want.

There has been discussion on my favorite 49ers board on whether or not it's fair to criticize a team for drafting a player before they were forecast to go. Taking Kaepernick wasn't even as big a deal as when the Niners drafted DB Chris Culliver in the third round. When draft guru Mike Mayock announced that he had Culliver slated to go in the fifth (or sixth) round, then it made the Niners look like they made a major reach. A MAJOR reach. Yet, it appears other draft boards had Culliver going anywhere in the 3rd and 4th rounds. And the 49ers took him in the 3rd round. Hey, that means they really wanted him. And they did trade for another sixth round pick while losing 4 spots before they took him.

As I mentioned not long ago, GM Trent Baalke doesn't like to gamble; if he wants someone, he makes sure to get him.

There's another phrase that is used when evaluating players: high risk-high reward. The fact is, there are only so many players that can make the final team roster. Not every player that is drafted is going to make the team, thereby bumping a veteran off the roster. Obviously, every fan wants their team to improve from year to year, but cuts will be made. And if the 49ers take a flyer on a potential star with all the tools that just need to be coached up correctly, I say, Go for it! And it appears that Culliver has all the tools.

Even though he is a rookie coach with no NFL head coaching experience, I thoroughly trust Jim Harbaugh's ability to put together a winning team with the players he is working with and the coaching staff he has put together. Naturally, it remains to be seen, but I'm excited!

Friday, April 29, 2011

after the first day of the draft...

After the 49ers made their first pick of the draft, I was thinking: "Who?" "What?" "Aldon Smith?"

Not what I was expecting after the first six picks were made, so I started looking him up online - and now, I'm happy! Going into this draft (as I have been training myself to do over the last several drafts), I was prepared to accept whatever decision the 49ers brass made, so I didn't flip out or slap my head when his name was announced as many other Niners fans apparently did.

Aldon Smith was not on my radar at all; I only recognized his name as being one of the two Smiths (Tyron is the other, an offensive lineman drafted by the Dallas Cowboys two picks later) mocked to be taken in the first half of the first round. Good for the Niners for keeping their plans such a secret.

One thing I've noticed from the past two drafts, this year and last, is GM Trent Baalke sticks to his guns when he wants a particular player. Last year, he gave up a 4th-round pick just to move up two spots in the first round from 13 to 11 so he could take offensive tackle Anthony Davis. Baalke didn't want to take any chances even at such a price. He saw his player and moved up to get him. Similar to this year and Aldon Smith (if Alex Smith comes back, will they have their first and last names printed on the back of their jerseys?); Baalke couldn't safely trade back and still make sure he got Smith. Some people called drafting him a 'reach' but as the old cliche goes, it takes two to tango; it seems Baalke couldn't find a suitable trading partner, so he just stayed pat and got his man, who was projected to be taken just three or so picks later anyway.

And now the second day of the draft - how fun is that? What will they do? Move up to get one of their targeted quarterbacks? Sit and wait and take a cornerback when their turn comes... maybe they've already decided that their best bet is to resign Alex Smith or some other veteran free agent quarterback, if and when that is allowed to happen by the league. Maybe they are going to do this or do that... I don't know! Nobody knows, not even them because it depends on what happens with all the other teams. Only the nose knows. :-)

Monday, April 25, 2011

3 days and almost there...

How excited am I and how tired of waiting? For the NFL draft, of course! This lockout is really messing things up, but forge on we must. With so much more in the air, at least it is making things that much more interesting. Free agent signings will just have to fill in the holes in the roster instead of vice versa.

As always, my opinions may be in a particular direction but my faith will go with whatever the 49ers brass decides is best. Especially with the blank slate we have now - we don't know what the new coaching staff is all about yet. But for now and from what I've read, the expected players on the Niners draft board (and still available when they pick) would have to be: Patrick Peterson and Prince Amukamara at cornerback and Robert Quinn as a prospective outside/rushing linebacker. To be honest, I would be more excited about drafting a later round quarterback than one of the two projected best quarterbacks, Cam Newton and Blaine Gabbert, either of whom could also be available when the 49ers pick. The Niners may have to move up from where they pick in the 2nd round to be able to draft one of the so-called second-tier quarterbacks; from what I've been able to gather, I am most interested in getting either Christian Ponder, Andy Dalton, or Colin Kaepernick.

But we'll see how the draft goes. In spite of the sound decisions that teams will be trying to make, there could be a certain vibe that takes over the proceedings. A domino effect. If one team drafts a quarterback sooner than expected, then there could be rush of quarterbacks taken and who knows what will happen then? Fortunately, the 49ers have plenty of picks to work with if they need to trade to move up in order to get their guy (and as I mentioned in my previous post, hopefully they will have a handful of guys/quarterbacks they would be more than happy to draft).

Another thing to keep in mind is how the draft is broken up into three days, as was started with last year's draft. That means that all the teams will have a night to go over what just happened with Thursday evening's first round and prepare for the second and third rounds to take place on Friday. More time to analyze and strategize... and second guess too! Calls will be made and trades discussed. By Thursday night, each team will have (on average) one first round pick; did the 49ers trade up? Trade down? What about Friday and Saturday? Saturday should be fun because the Niners have so many picks this time around. Such intrigue!

And do I hope that Alex Smith returns for another year as well? I don't know, I just don't know...

Monday, April 18, 2011

10 days and counting down...

Back to talking football: even though there is a lockout going on now because of the need for a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the players and the owners (it's so complicated, I don't want to know the details - I just want me some football!), the NFL draft is nevertheless coming up and it starts 10 days from today on April 28th.

And as you all know by now, I'm a 49er fan. So what will they do? Realistically speaking, only they should know and nobody else. Shhh... it's a secret! Because the draft is another game, just another aspect of the all-encompassing competition that is professional sports. The less the other teams know about 49er plans the better (unless other teams are fed enough right or wrong information to help serve Niner purposes... bwahahahah). I find it endlessly fascinating because there are 31 other teams trying to do the same thing. We (I'm going to go ahead and say 'we' and 'us' although I'm just a fan, okay?) need to have the better plans and the better instincts as to which players will perform better as NFL players. And there need to be contingency plans in place; after all, we can try to project which players will even be available for us to pick at what times, but any of the other teams may well draft them ahead of us.

Since there isn't a new CBA in place right now, teams aren't allowed to sign players or make trades involving players. So teams will be going into the draft with less knowledge about their rosters than in normal seasons. And the 49ers have a new head coach, a mostly new coaching staff, and an unsettled quarterback situation. I've read articles stating that new coach Jim Harbaugh should know exactly which quarterback to target in the draft come draft day; however I contend that maybe he'll have several quarterback prospects he would like to work with and believes he can mold into champions. If two he likes get snagged by other teams, then the third will work just fine. They each have their different strengths, and Coach Harbaugh can coach each one of them up, as long as they are within the pool of quarterbacks that he approves of. The way I see it? Whichever players the Niners draft are the fortunate ones, especially the QB(s)!

Monday, April 11, 2011

photo of my friend the lizard


The other day, I was able to take a photograph of my friend from my previous post. When I took it, it already seemed a bit bigger then the 2 and a half to three inches (including tail) I estimated before. Maybe lizards really do grow that fast? I'm still wondering what species it is. Is this one nearing full adult length? Or will it get a lot bigger?

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

my friend the lizard

Outside my front door and encompassing the little patio space is my new friend of about a week and a half - a lizard. It's a tiny one, I'm guessing two and a half to three inches long, tail included. I don't know the species, but I don't see any bright color on its belly.

Whenever I go outside and when the sun is shining brightly on the patio, I can't help but look for it. What's particular about this one (I think it's always the same one, although I've spotted three lizards at the same time on opposite sides of the house wall; one of those three though has had its tail pulled off) is when I go out and stand and look for it, it usually comes out from under the plants and makes itself visible to me. It's as if we have a connection and it isn't frightened of me.

I've sat down on the concrete within a couple of feet from it and we keep each other company for a little while. Just yesterday, it eventually leapt up into the branches of a still young Mt. Diablo manzanita shrub that I'm hoping will flower for the first time next year. I didn't know our local lizards climbed into branches like that. I really don't think I'm imagining more than there is... I think this particular lizard recognizes me and that we're compadres!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

small ball and athletes

Roll my eyes and shake my head... that's what I end up doing when I hear sports announcers describe a basketball team as having gone small with their lineup. A lineup whose height averages, what, something like 6 feet- 7 inches tall? Maybe as 'short' as 6 feet- 5 inches?

Maybe I've mentioned this before, but wasn't Nate Archibald (former NBA point guard) given the nickname of 'Tiny'? All 6 feet plus of him? I know, I know, basketball players are often 6 feet- 10 inches and taller, so it's all relative, but it's still tough for me to hear.

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With the NFL Draft fast approaching, it's interesting to read that a prospective draft pick is not athletic. What's that supposed to mean? I have yet to hear what a non-athletic athlete is. Maybe it's too subjective to define and it's simply a matter of swiftness or something, but as long as they make plays and help the team win, I really don't care how athletic they are.