:::[Official] San Francisco 49ers 2024 Offseason Thread [NFC CHAMPIONS]:::

Should UnicornHunter’s faithful card be revoked for his blasphemous Patrick Willis comments?

  • Yes permanently

    Votes: 31 79.5%

  • Yes temporarily

    Votes: 5 12.8%

  • No

    Votes: 3 7.7%
  • Total voters
    39
  • Poll closed .
Show All
To quote coach, "football is reserved for the mightiest of men".

technology and science will make the concussion issue a moot point one day. I hope that day is sooner rather than later. The advancements in football helmets give hope.



Let's get it. #ninergang :pimp:  
 
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We should be excited about Chip Kelly. Lets not sulk in the Harbaugh era reminds me of the Marlo era on the Wire. It was a short great run but then it was over
 
Get bruce bruce the god damn ball. 
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 For the first time in a long time, we'll have a head coach that knows how to effectively utilize wide receivers. It'll be up the QBs to do their part.
[h2]GREG COSELL: IN CHIP'S OFFENSE, BRUCE ELLINGTON COULD CATCH 80 BALLS IF HE'S THE SLOT RECEIVER[/h2]
The San Francisco 49ers offense is a huge question mark this season, and that means plenty of questions related to fantasy football. Greg Cosell recently went on a fantasy football podcast to talk about all 32 teams. While the podcaster was looking at things from a fantasy angle, it’s always interesting to hear what Cosell has to say. You have to fast-forward to near the end to catch his 49ers comments, but I transcribed them below. He talked about the quarterback, running back, and wide receiver positions, and while we’ve heard a lot of this before, it’s interesting hearing stuff from a new voice.

On if he would rather have Blaine Gabbert or Colin Kaepernick in Chip Kelly’s offense:

Well, I think Gabbert’s skill set better lends itself to it because first of all, I think he’s a better functional mover than Colin Kaepernick. Colin Kaepernick is much faster in a straight line, I think Blaine Gabbert is a better functional mover. Secondly, it’s really a short passing style offense, not a lot of deep throws, and I think Gabbert throws with more natural touch and pace. Kaepernick is a power thrower who struggles with pace and touch throws. So I think Gabbert’s skill set fits better in Chip Kelly’s offense than Kaepernick’s.

On Bruce Ellington as option:

He’s been in the slot … In Chip’s offense, Bruce Ellington could catch 80 balls if he’s the slot receiver … Now again, is Quinton Patton the guy who’s gonna be the other starter opposite Torrey Smith? I mean, that’s a big question mark, who their second receiver is.

On DeAndre Smelter:

By the way, you ever see that kid in person? He’s huge, he’s a total specimen.

On Aaron Burbridge coming off big year at Michigan State:

Yea, I see him as a slot guy. I saw him as having a somewhat similar skill set to a Doug Baldwin type player. So it’ll be interesting. But again, this is an offense that’s a little different, so we’ll see how it all plays out. Look, with a new coach and a brand new system, everybody is starting from scratch.

On Carlos Hyde:

Yea, they’ve been talking him up a lot, but I see Hyde as more of a downhill type runner. If Chip’s going to do a lot of the same stuff he did last year with a lot of that outside zone and sweep stuff, I don’t see Carlos Hyde as that back. But they’ve been singing his praises, which every coach does during OTAs. But I think Carlos Hyde, to me is much more of a downhill type back. He’s got a pretty good skill set, he’s just been unable to stay healthy.

On Hyde having looser hips than DeMarco Murray:

Umm, yea. I would say he probably does. I would think he probably does.
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If you've got the time, this is a really good read. written by bruce miller.
[h1]                   FROM CONFERENCE USA TO THE SUPER BOWL:  Making it in the NFL as a 7th round draft pick[/h1]
Bruce William Miller was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the 7th round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played college football at UCF, receiving All-Conference honors for four years as a defensive end. He was named Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year in his junior and senior seasons.

After being chosen as the 211th overall pick, Miller switched positions to fullback for the 49ers and became a critical force in the Frank Gore-era run offense. During his second season in the league, he played in Super Bowl XLVII and was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Less than 60% of 7th round picks typically make the team their first year. And a staggeringly low 16.7% of them appear on the active roster in Year 5. Bruce Miller has defied these odds and this is his story. He is still a prominent force on the 49ers offense today.


I started playing football when I was three feet tall. It was for the South Cherokee Recreation Association in Canton, Georgia. I grew up there, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Football was my life. I played all over the field: linebacker in high school, and eventually defensive end at the University of Central Florida.

Maybe I should have known my path would lead to the 49ers — I wore #49 at UCF, and before that I wore #9 in high school. But that path to my successful NFL career would have been impossible to predict. It has been the farthest thing from straightforward. To defy the odds and achieve success, I’ve had to adapt beyond every conceivable limit.

It all started with the combine. It’s hard to explain how stressful the combine can be to someone who hasn’t been through it. There are early mornings and late nights. The schedule, and every activity it includes, is designed to test players’ reactions to intense pressure — to see how we perform under the utmost stress. It was the longest three days of my life.

Now I understand why the combine and the draft test us that way. Mental toughness is crucial, during games and throughout your career. Things don’t always go as planned, so you have to fight through and make adjustments along the way. Not to mention how intensely physically challenging the game is. Your body doesn’t always feel like working out, practicing, or rehabbing. The ability to fight through aches and pains makes or breaks a player.

After the combine, there was the draft. The coaching interviews are the most stressful part. You try so hard to say the right things. You’re sitting in a room full of coaches, ex-players, and front office executives — all scrutinizing your answers. For me, I had never even been in an interview before.

They try to ask the most difficult questions to gauge your reaction and judge your response. If I could give any players advice now, it would be to always tell the truth. They don’t ask any questions that they don’t already know the answer to, and they leave no stone unturned when it comes to your past. Even my Woodstock High football coach from Canton was interviewed on what kind of person I was as a teenager.

Even though the best way to impress teams is on the field, so many guys simply don’t realize how their personal lives, how they act off  the field, can play a part in the draft process. At that point, teams are on the brink of making a huge investment in you. They want to invest the most in players with the lowest risk. So how you conduct yourself in the classroom, in the facility, out at night, and on your social media all  play a part in the draft process. Luckily, I made it through.

I was picked 211th in the 2011 draft — the same year as Colin Kaepernick and Aldon Smith. But it was a bizarre time to be drafted. It was the year of the NFL lockout, so our rookie experience was entirely different from other classes. Usually, right after you’re drafted, you head to mini camps and off-season workouts. But because of the lockout, I had no idea when I would be able to come and join the football team. The entire league was on hold. I was just doing workouts on my own in Atlanta, feeling adrift, until I got a phone call.

“Hi, Bruce. It’s Alex… Alex Smith.” That was my first experience as a 49er. Alex called me a week after the draft. He was holding his own private workouts for the team — 7x7 drills, weight lifting, conditioning — totally off the radar. So that was when I made my first trip out to San Jose, California. Kaepernick and I rented a place together that summer, and headed to the informal practices each day.

Alex had snuck out a copy of the playbook. I’m not sure how he got his hands on it. Maybe the security was more lax since Jim Harbaugh was brand new as head coach. Together, we all tried to learn the offense. And I tried to learn the position of fullback for the first time — probably the biggest hurdle in my path.

I found out about that hurdle one day before the draft, when I spoke with the 49ers. They warned me that I could be switched from defense to offense. They had an extremely talented group of outside linebackers going into the season, including Ahmad Brooks and Aldon Smith. They told me they wanted to give me the best opportunity to make the team, and that meant a change.

So when the lockout ended and training camp began, I started switching every other day from offense to defense. No matter what unit I was practicing with, I had one singular goal: just  make the team. I didn’t want to be in the 40+% of 7th-rounders getting cut. I didn’t want to be another solid player that never reached the next level, another nameless number, and barely a footnote on the margins of the league. I wanted to defy all odds. I wanted to excel.

I had heard a tip for making it onto a squad: get to know the special teams coach really well. Spend time with him, see what makes him tick, and play hard for him. I truly didn’t expect that I would actually get moved to fullback, so I gave my all on special teams. Luckily, that coach saw something in me. I made it onto the roster as a special teams player. Even though I played on both sides of the ball during preseason games, my work with that unit is the  reason I made it onto the 49ers roster.

That first day of training camp came during the last weekend in July 2011. The lockout was finally over, so we could have our first official gathering as a team. I arrived to camp nervous, and thankful to see at least a few familiar faces — many of which I grew close to during the NFLPA’s Rookie Symposium in June.

Most fans don’t know very much about the Rookie Symposium, and 2015 was actually its final year. It’s a bygone of a past era now. Going forward, each team will do rookie orientation separately — but back then, it was crucial to my development. It brought our class together while coaches spoke to us about what to expect in the year ahead.

The Rookie Symposium focused on player wellness and development. Keeping a healthy balance in all aspects of your life (on and off the field) is the most difficult thing about the NFL. It’s hard to manage your budget as a young man with more money than you’re used to. Sometimes that causes players to get into trouble. The Symposium addressed these issues head-on.

It also allowed me to enter my first official practice with friends by my side. I still keep in close touch with every person from my draft class, whether they’re still with us at the 49ers or not.

My pre-camp nerves were a waste of energy. From the minute we arrived at the 49ers facility, we were treated as brothers. All three of the coaches I’ve had here (Jim Harbaugh, Jim Tomsula, and now Chip Kelly) all stressed that we should treat rookies as family. Coach Harbaugh hammered into our minds that order to be a successful team, every player has to perform at their absolute best. There was no rookie hazing and no one ever worried about coming to work because they might be harassed or abused.

We were successful as a unit precisely because the veterans took us under their wings. They showed us how to be professionals in every facet of the job. That’s exactly how I treat rookies now, because their support and guidance was the backbone of my success.

I got my big break during the second game of the 2011 season. The Dallas Cowboys came to Candlestick Park. Moran Norris, our starting fullback at the time, broke his fibula and I had to step in. The injury was serious enough to sideline him for weeks and I slowly started to make an impact on offense. Less than two months later, I scored my first NFL touchdown on a 30-yard pass from Alex Smith. I’ll always remember that day: November 6, 2011. It was my first offensive score since I played tight end at Woodstock High in Georgia.

I credit a lot of my ability to switch positions to the coaching I received from Tom Rathman, who played the position at the highest level. I also credit Frank Gore: one of the all-time greats at running back.

Jim Harbaugh is my favorite coach that I’ve ever had, and I thrived under his leadership. He was an outstanding teacher with an unrivaled knowledge of the game. He brought energy that most coaches just don’t have, and really knew how to get the most out of his players.

Coach Harbaugh lives and breathes football. He loved football so much that he simply couldn’t contain himself or hold it in. In meetings and at practice, he was exactly the way he appeared on the sidelines as games — full of emotion and intensity. He set the tone for the entire team, and the expectation that every player would be equally as focused.

A coach’s philosophy is the driving force behind the team. His attitude sets the standard for his players and creates an environment that’s easy to work in. There simply has to be a fit between the personality of the coach the personality of the team. Without that fit, the team will struggle.

I’ve certainly had my share of struggles surviving the pressure of the combine and the draft, pushing to make the team, and switching my position. You have to find a way to overcome all the adversity that being an NFL player brings. I handle it by consulting the people closest to me — the people that I truly trust.

Change is the only constant in the NFL and how you adapt to it determines your career. Players come and go from a team, new coaches develop new playbooks, and your position is never certain. I’ll be playing tight end this year for the 49ers — a role I haven’t played since high school. But I can’t wait for the challenge, where I can continue to serve my team, achieve my goals, and defy the odds.
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Some things that stand out from that read:

-they called the HS coach of a player they selected in the 7th round. crazy that they don't leave a single stone unturned in these drafts
-Alex Smith holding private workouts for the team, I hear it's not uncommon but I wonder if Kap was doing the same?
-Harbs "setting the tone" for the team. damn, although the headset throwing and virulent spitting out of disgust for referees could've been a distraction, loved that he coached with that kind of demeanor and style
 
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