General off-season discussion/plan thread

[Forge]

13 minutes ago, PapaShogun said:

49ers are one of the few franchises though where the color is a part of their identity. 49ers concept has to do with the color gold. That should always be prominent. 

Why do I care about a fashion identity? 

Does my fandom change for some reason if they are wearing purple and green? Would I suddenly like the team less?

[Forge]

I basically have one requirement when it comes to uniforms:

Be visually appealing.

That's pretty much it. Don't care about colors or anything else. If they look good I'm in. The black jerseys get a strike because they aren't really legible which takes away from the appeal. Most other jerseys (for all teams) just fall into a "fine, whatever" category. If they look bad, I'll hate the Jersey, love the team, and it won't bother me in the least

[TecmoSuperJoe]

11 minutes ago, Forge said:

Why do I care about a fashion identity? 

Does my fandom change for some reason if they are wearing purple and green? Would I suddenly like the team less?

Oh I didn't say you had to care. I'm saying there is a reason the team probably cares to be creative. An opportunity to cement identity with the city is probably something a franchise wouldn't want to squander if it arises. Gold has to do with 49ers. 49ers have to do with the city of San Francisco/bay area. Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. All that jazz. 

I like that the 49ers are one of the few franchises that has a name to actually do with the city that they represent. Like the Oilers did with Houston. Just seems less boring. 

Edited May 15, 2020 by PapaShogun

[Forge]

Just now, PapaShogun said:

Oh I didn't say you had to care. I'm saying there is a reason the team probably cares. An opportunity to cement identity with the city is probably something a franchise wouldn't want to squander if it arises. Gold has to do with 49ers. 49ers have to do with the city of San Francisco/bay area. 

Oh yeah, for sure. I'd agree with that. I think any time the jersey changes, there will almost always be some gold in there because that probably means something to them. At least under current ownership. Can't say for sure that there isn't some crazy kook future owner like me who may just go off the wall. 

[Forge]

7 minutes ago, PapaShogun said:

 

I like that the 49ers are one of the few franchises that has a name to actually do with the city that they represent. Like the Oilers did with Houston. Just seems less boring. 

Now I totally just want to rename the team every year to keep things spicy. Could be a lot of fun

 

[TecmoSuperJoe]

Just now, Forge said:

Now I totally just want to rename the team every year to keep things spicy. 

 

Ha! Good luck telling that to all of the merchandisers  

Would be a fun...uh..."intellectual" exercise though. 

[y2lamanaki]

10 hours ago, 757-NINER said:

I've also been saying for YEARS that we're long overdue for a gold jersey. I just don't get why this hasn't happened yet...

 

This is the change to which I'm most amenable as an alternate (gold jerseys), so long as the color or design doesn't make me want to vomit (like those two).

[GW21]

6 hours ago, y2lamanaki said:

This is the change to which I'm most amenable as an alternate (gold jerseys), so long as the color or design doesn't make me want to vomit (like those two).

Yeah, the idea of a gold jersey sounds cool, but i have yet to see one that hasn't looked awful. I feel the same way about the black jerseys, unfortunately when we tried it the execution was poor. 

[Chrissooner49er]

18 hours ago, Melbourne 9er said:

However, no black unis, no black catsuits. You're thinking with your wrong head.

Definitely no black unis....but the catsuits....   I am ashamed to say, I kinda like 'em. 

[N4L]

17 hours ago, Gore Whore 21 said:

Yeah, the idea of a gold jersey sounds cool, but i have yet to see one that hasn't looked awful. I feel the same way about the black jerseys, unfortunately when we tried it the execution was poor. 

I could not agree more, gold sounds great but the gold jerseys aren't gold. They are like a weird tan color. It kills the whole vibe for me 

Execute the fabric of the gold jerseys so it looks good and I am in. Metallic gold. Red trim everywhere with some white to make it pop 

 

Someone posted this website in the thread that papa posted in general, this is just the 49er logo section but they had some super cool ones for other teams too that are work checking out

http://www.footballasfootball.com/san-francisco?s=b378 

The German one is nice 

I like the old fashioned 49ers logo that is now in the endzones. Thinking more about that helmet redesign, you could do that inflated SF on one side and then have "49ers" on the other side and it would look pretty cool 

[757-NINER]

I also would really like to see us in a away jersey with gold numbers. I think the Saints pull it off well but think we could do it even better with the red accents.

[49ersfan]

What do you guys think our 2020 strengths/weaknesses will be? 

Strengths - run offense/run blocking, short-intermediate passing offense , pass rush, pass coverage from the LB's/S , kicking, punting, return coverage

Weaknesses - deep passing game/pass blocking, run defense (part of the wide 9 experience), pass coverage from the DB's, return game.

Reasoning for strengths: Run offense is obvious. Short-Intermediate pass offense should still lead to some big gains due to creative play-calling and YAC potential from Kittle/Samuel/Aiyuk. Pass rush may take a step back with Buckner's loss but we've still got a talented group. Hope Ford + Blair are healthier this year & Bosa is Bosa. LB's are pretty solid with pass coverage. Ward/Tartt were a great S combo last year and both are entering their primes. Gould settled down with field goals as the year went on; perhaps the LS instability in the beginning threw him off? Mitch has a year of experience, and we were pretty solid containing returners (except for the Saints game).

Reasoning for weaknesses: Our pass blocking is not the best which doesn't lead to deep throws. Will we get better RG play than we did last year? Chris Jones almost single-handedly wrecked our comeback attempt in the SB. I could see a step back in the DB room with age. Sherm got beat deep multiple times in the playoffs. I also don't trust Witherspoon at all, way too streaky.  Moseley looked solid. Due to age/expiring contracts, CB is projected to be one of my top needs in 2021. Our return game with James is just ok. Although i read or saw somewhere that he leads the NFL in yards per return, it still feels like we could get a few more yards each time. 

Projected 2021 needs: CB, RG, LT (if William's doesn't re-sign). Could also see us target depth at DE, LB, WR. 

[Chrissooner49er]

@49ersfan. I actually think Aiyuk could improve our deep passing game. That may be where he impacts first, other than sweeps and slants. He's got more speed than most of our O outside of Breida...who is now a Dolphin.

[J-ALL-DAY]

Here is the thing, the coverage in this type of defense is usually determined by the LB and safety play. The backers HAVE to be able to cover in this scheme and they have to be disciplined along with the safeties. Health is going to determine the success in that unit but our pass coverage was really good all last season and should be good again. If Tartt and Ward stay healthy, then the big plays for the most part will be prevented and the defense will be one of the best again. If they aren't healthy? Then as we saw last season, it could get rocky. 

[NinerNation21]

6 hours ago, 49ersfan said:

What do you guys think our 2020 strengths/weaknesses will be? 

Strengths - run offense/run blocking, short-intermediate passing offense , pass rush, pass coverage from the LB's/S , kicking, punting, return coverage

Weaknesses - deep passing game/pass blocking, run defense (part of the wide 9 experience), pass coverage from the DB's, return game.

Reasoning for strengths: Run offense is obvious. Short-Intermediate pass offense should still lead to some big gains due to creative play-calling and YAC potential from Kittle/Samuel/Aiyuk. Pass rush may take a step back with Buckner's loss but we've still got a talented group. Hope Ford + Blair are healthier this year & Bosa is Bosa. LB's are pretty solid with pass coverage. Ward/Tartt were a great S combo last year and both are entering their primes. Gould settled down with field goals as the year went on; perhaps the LS instability in the beginning threw him off? Mitch has a year of experience, and we were pretty solid containing returners (except for the Saints game).

Reasoning for weaknesses: Our pass blocking is not the best which doesn't lead to deep throws. Will we get better RG play than we did last year? Chris Jones almost single-handedly wrecked our comeback attempt in the SB. I could see a step back in the DB room with age. Sherm got beat deep multiple times in the playoffs. I also don't trust Witherspoon at all, way too streaky.  Moseley looked solid. Due to age/expiring contracts, CB is projected to be one of my top needs in 2021. Our return game with James is just ok. Although i read or saw somewhere that he leads the NFL in yards per return, it still feels like we could get a few more yards each time. 

Projected 2021 needs: CB, RG, LT (if William's doesn't re-sign). Could also see us target depth at DE, LB, WR. 

There's a lot to breakdown here.

 

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What do you guys think our 2020 strengths/weaknesses will be? 

Strengths:

• Pass rush - Talent and depth will once again allow our pass rushing to be suffocating and soul-crushing.
• Pass defense - One of the best coverage units at LB in the league cannot be overlooked. We have 3 LB's that cover like safeties. Sherman is another year older, but teams go after our right corner, which I think will be Moseley and Moseley has an opportunity to show he's a starting corner. We need Witherspoon to make this thing work this season, though. 
• Run game - Deep running back stable, excellent run blockers, and a creative run scheme that's tendency agnostic. Even without Brieda, this is one of, if not the most, difficult run games to stop in the NFL.
• Short-to-intermediate passing game - We excelled in this last season and it should only get better with Aiyuk, a healthy Trent Taylor, a healthy Hurd, and a healthy McKinnon.

Weaknesses:

• Health - The injury bug has been all over the 49ers since Shanahan walked through the doors. I don't know if that's a coincedence or not, but this team's single greatest obstacle is staying healthy. They can compete with any team in the NFL and have an excellent chance to win. Heath is always the downfall of this team.
• Run defense - Our scheme allows for rushing lanes up the middle. It is what it is.

 

* I don't consider our deep passing game to be a weakness. Yes, we don't do it often, but when we do, it usually works. See below, Jimmy's deep pass completion percentage was 6th in the NFL. This isn't a staple of our passing game in 2019 mainly because of Goodwin losing his role, but when Jimmy threw it deep, he usually connected. With Aiyuk in the mix now, we could see more deep shots taken as Aiyuk was a true deep threat in college, among other things. 

 

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Will we get better RG play than we did last year?

Yes. Emphatically, yes. Brunskill is projected to take over RG duties, which is a huge upgrade from Person. Remember, Brunskill was one of the top tackles in the league last year in both run blocking and pass blocking. According to PFF, he only allowed 2 sacks on the year and 1 penalty. His pass blocking grade was 4th among all tackles in 2019. We're getting, at worst, an above-average tackle and putting him at RG. This is a huge upgrade. 

 

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Projected 2021 needs: CB, RG, LT (if William's doesn't re-sign). Could also see us target depth at DE, LB, WR. 

• CB - Yeah, it needs to be addressed. Sherman, Witherspoon, and K Williams are all FA's. If I had to pick 1, I'd pick Williams. He's been quietly one of the best nickel defenders in the NFL. I think CB is a 1st-round target in 2021.
• RG - No, unless Brunskill craps the bed, which I don't see happening. Either Brunskill takes over at LT or he stays at RG in 2021.
• LT - Yeah, if we can't re-sign Williams. LT is a huge need if that happens. This would also be a 1st-round target. Assuming Brunskill sticks at RG.
• DE - If Ford is a cap casualty, then yes. Even if he isn't, I'd like to see use spend a mid-round pick on an EDGE defender in 2021 at the very least.
• LB - No way. Even if we somehow release Alexander in 2021 (which we will not because of the restructure of his contract this offseason), we still have Warner and Greenlaw. We don't play much base, so we don't need to invest in a LB. The Hot Boyz should all be around in 2021.
• WR - Only if we let Taylor and Bourne walk, have traded or released Pettis at some point in the season, and Deebo and or Aiyuk played poorly. We've created a deep WR room, so I'm not seeing a ton of space for a FA or high draft pick unless we cleared room for it. Now, if we trimmed the group down a bit, then yes, I could see WR being a low priority need.

 

Needs that I see:

• IOL - While I said that RG wasn't a huge priority because of Brunskill, our depth at the interior is still a problem. We have zero depth or future talent here. I like Garland a lot, I think he's a high-level run blocker, but he's terrible in the passing game. Richburg isn't going anywhere, but he can't stay healthy, Tomlinson has been very steady for us, but he's a FA in 2022. I'd like to see some young depth here to groom.
• FS - Ward is not a long-term answer and the jury is still out on Moore. Even if Moore shows enough this season, I'd still like to draft a FS.
• SS - Tartt is a FA after this season and will be 29 when he hits the market. I'd bring him back on a 2 year deal, but I don't want Harris being the heir apparent at SS. I'd like to see us draft a SS next year.