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Over the offseason, I have seen countless articles and comments stating that the Patriots are on the decline, which is a false statement, to say the least.
While I’m not saying that we are a lock for the Super Bowl—which is crazy to say this early about any team—we are certainly not on the decline after adding depth and youth to the team over the past two seasons.
The secondary has been revamped with players like Darius Butler , Leigh Bodden , Devin McCourty , Patrick Chung , and Jonathan Wilhite . There was also improved play by Brandon Meriweather last season; he has become somewhat of a ball hawk and should have another good season this year.
The secondary’s speed has improved and game recaps will not be showing as much Patriot CB’s getting burned down the field as when Ellis Hobbs II was with the team.
I have seen comments about how linebacker Jerod Mayo did not play well coming back from injury last season, which is another false statement. Mayo still finished the year with over 100 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble.
A lot of Patriots haters have been nagging us about how slow linebacker Brandon Spikes is and that he will be below average. Spikes may not be fast, but neither was Tedy Bruschi . I’m not saying that Spikes will have a career like Bruschi did, but when I look at these two players, they have a lot of intangibles that are similar.
Sure, Spikes ran one of the worst 40-yard dash times I’ve seen for a linebacker, but speed isn’t everything—just ask New York Jets OLB/DE Vernon Gholston . Like Bruschi, Spikes always seems to make plays on the ball and ball carrier despite lacking speed. Spikes has good instincts that will make up for his lack of speed.
Tully Banta-Cain is the only sure pass rusher on the team and Derrick Burgess is a band-aid until Jermaine Cunningham can learn the defense. Burgess is still capable of getting sacks, though it won’t be as much as we would like.
Gary Guyton has good coverage skills and should be replaced to stuff the run with Spikes or veteran linebacker Tyrone Mckenzie.
As for the offense, there are plently of options for Tom Brady to throw to this year that could make a big impact.
Rookies Rob Gronkowski , Taylor Price , and Aaron Hernandez could all surprise other teams this year. Gronkowski, at 6’6″ and 265lbs, will be a nightmare matchup problem for any defense; he is more than capable of blocking and has good speed for his size.
Hernandez won’t be a blocking tight end, but he is elusive and has good speed. Hernandez was Tim Tebow’s favorite target in college and it resulted in a lot of touchdowns.
Price will be a slot receiver and is a clone of Julian Edelman . Price has the speed to be a deep threat and runs excellent routes. Edelman showed last season that he is tough and very hard to cover in the slot, much like the injured Wes Welker.
In the playoff loss to the Ravens last season, Edelman was the only weapon that could produce against the Ravens defense, resulting in two touchdowns.
Receiver Brandon Tate has been injured the past two seasons, but he is healthy now and Brady has already stated that Tate is one of his favorite targets. Tate has the speed to be a deep threat and could play opposite Randy Moss .
Moss is old, but has showed no signs of losing a step. Sure, he takes plays off now and then, but in a contract year, that is a highly unlikely thing for him to do. I find it very interesting that Moss was the only receiver last season to escape off of “Revis Island .”
Receiver Torry Holt has surely lost a step over his career, but he is still one of the best route running receivers in the game.
The year has finally come where running back Lawrence Maroney will be released if he has another bad season. Maroney may have never lived up to how high he was selected in the draft, but when he is not tap dancing at the line of scrimmage and actually runs through the gap, it makes me think twice about him.
Veteran running backs Sammy Morris and Fred Taylor still have something left in the tank and are hard to bring down. Veteran running back Kevin Faulk is still one of the best third down backs in the league despite some questionable calls last season, where the referees did not call it a first down.
My favorite running back on the team, BenJarvus Green-Ellis , aka “Lawfirm ,” needs to see more playing time because he runs the ball hard through the gaps without hesitation and is hard to take down.
Offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer is an up and coming player. He played well last season and even held defensive end Dwight Freeney to zero sacks last season in a game where offensive tackle Matt Light was injured.
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Even after a dynamic offseason in which “Gang Green” added a number of playmakers to the team, they still get no love from the bookies, getting 12:1 odds to win it all this year.
That puts them at seventh overall on the list, sitting behind the Colts (8:1), the Saints (9:1), the Chargers (10:1), the Pats (10:1), and Dallas (11:1).
Okay, I understand why the Colts and Saints are favored over the Jets. I understand it. I don’t agree with it, but I won’t argue with it either.
Those are proven teams that made it all the way last year. The Jets aren’t fully proven yet, so I get that the odds makers believe that they have a better shot at winning the Super Bowl in 2011.
But I’ll tell you why the Jets are better than the other three teams that Vegas believes are better fit to win the championship.
We’ll go right down the line, so that means San Diego is up first.
Did the Jets beat them in the divisional round of the playoffs last year?
Didn’t they pick off Phillip Rivers twice, a quarterback who only averaged just about one interception every two games.
Didn’t they give up 128 yards and a touchdown (a 53-yard touchdown) to a rookie running back?
Forget that game, because that was only a view of how much better the Jets are in a microcosm.
They have added a cornerback, pass-rusher, another cornerback, an offensive lineman, a running back, etc. Add in Mark Sanchez’s experience and a guarantee from me that he will have shaken those rookie jitters (because my word means that much) and you know that the Jets are better than San Diego.
Who’s there starting running back? Darren Sproles?
He can’t carry the ball that much.
Ryan Mathews? He’s a rookie. He might be great but I don’t know how quickly he can transition from college starter to pro starter.
The pro game is much more demanding and there are more games.
Next up: the Patriots.
First of all, Wes Welker. He could miss two to three months of the coming season. He is Brady’s go-to guy.
As Randy Moss continues to decline and continues to give up on routes and continues to show more and more just how lazy he is, Tom Brady continues to lean on Welker as his crutch.
But Welker won’t be there this time, and Julian Edelman can’t do that much.
They’re running game can’t be the backup plan because there isn’t anyone worth giving the ball to. They’ve had issues with the run game for the past few years and it will be very noticeable this season.
Maroney. Morris. Faulk. Taylor. There is no clear starter.
There are massive holes on their defense as well.
They have some players in Tully Banta-Cain, Jerod Mayo, Vince Wilfork, Brandon Meriweather, and Leigh Bodden.
They have a lack of players at defensive end (Gerrard Warren…who?) and outside linebackers (Gary Guyton…who?) inside linebacker (Tyrone McKenzie…who?… he is coming off an ACL tear by the way) and they have a decent, and that’s a compliment, cornerback in Jonathan Wilhite.
The Jets might not be flashy at every position, but they don’t have holes like this team does. I think those holes will show in the coming season.
Lastly: the Dallas Cowboys.
I am actually amused that I have to argue that the Jets are better than the Cowboys.
Tony Romo still isn’t a proven quarterback. He still has a lot of issues and he has still struggled with consistency.
Their running game struggled last season.
Marion Barber didn’t show up.
Felix Jones is a solid back but him and Tashard Choice and aren’t exactly the choice running corps (clever, right?).
Roy Williams is a failed project.
Miles Austin is GREAT, but if you double him there isn’t really another viable option.
Patrick Crayton is mediocre at best.
And as good as DeMarcus Ware and Terence Newman are, their defense isn’t special either.
I’m not sure what the bookies see in this team. They will probably win their division again, but I’d expect an early exit from the postseason.
So should the Jets be the favorite to win it all? Probably not.
But I do think they are better than the Colts and the Saints on paper.
Obviously, the team hasn’t played an actual football game together yet, so it is hard to put them as the favorites while the Colts and Saints haven’t done much over the offseason.
If Darren Sharper doesn’t sign, I think it would be hard to put them as the runner-up on that list.
He was a huge playmaker last season. He changed the game with his ability to make big plays in clutch times.
The Colts are still the best team in the league in my opinion, but Peyton Manning’s postseason failures make it hard for me to call them Super Bowl favorites.
His record as a regular season starter and his record as a postseason starter are not comparable at all. He simply isn’t a good playoff quarterback.
So I have changed my mind, why aren’t the Jets the favorites to win the Super Bowl?
Who’s better than them?
Not the five teams that Vegas has as better.
Right behind them are the Packers, Vikings, and Steelers.
The Pack still doesn’t have much of an offensive line, the Vikings probably won’t have a quarterback, and the Steelers lost Ben for the start of the season and no longer have Santonio Holmes.
I’m starting my own bookie agency, and my first line: Jets 4:1 to win Super Bowl XLV.
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It looks like the Patriots will be in a dog fight this year in the AFC East, the division that New England has dominated over the last decade. The Pats have captured the AFC Crown seven of the last 10 seasons, but a changing of the guard is looming on the horizon.
The Patriots are looking more like the least than the beast of the AFC East.
The New York Jets are getting better every day it seems. The team that went to the AFC Championship last year on the shoulders of rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez is loading up their arsenal.
On the offensive side of the ball they acquired disgruntled Cleveland Browns wideout, Braylon Edwards last season. A talent for sure, but has consistency issues and a chronic case of the drops. However, he showed sparks of what he is capable of when he is focused. In 12 games with New York, Edwards caught 35 catches for 541 yards with 4 TDs.
This offseason the Jets have been very busy signing former San Diego and fantasy football stud LaDainian Tomlinson. Tomlinson replaces the productive Thomas Jones, who was unsigned before landing with the Kansas City Chiefs. A puzzling signing, considering Jones was more productive than LT. Jones had 1,400 yards and 14 touchdowns in comparison to Tomlinson’s 730 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Jets also traded for Santonio Holmes, who was being unloaded by Pittsburgh due to behavior issues. The former Super Bowl MVP will help the Jets’ passing game after serving a suspension for violating the NFL’s substance policy. Holmes had 79 catches and 1,248 yards for the Steelers.
New York also bolstered their secondary with the acquisition of Antonio Cromartie from the Chargers. He will compliment Darrelle Revis nicely. All of a sudden, the Jets have the best secondary in the division.
The Miami Dolphins also made a big splash this offseason by acquiring troubled wide receiver, Brandon Marshall from the Denver Broncos. It is rumored that the Phins gave up a second rounder this year and a second round pick next year as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter . Not a bad price for an incredible talent and Pro Bowl wide receiver.
They also improved their defense with the signing of former Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby. Dansby recorded 109 tackles last year for Arizona. This has been a major upgrade on a decent defensive squad.
Miami and the Jets have got considerably better and the Buffalo Bills are the Buffalo Bills.
What about New England?
The Patriots no longer have the best wide receiving corps in the division.
Actually, far from it.
With the injury to Wes Welker and the disastrous signing of Joey Galloway last year, New England has been put in a major hole. All they have is Randy Moss, Julian Edelman, and newly-signed David Patten. Arguably, this crew may be only better than Buffalo.
They also lost both Ben Watson and Chris Baker in the passing game. Granted, Ben Watson was an underachiever and Baker was seldom used, but is Alge Crumpler the answer at the tight end position?
Staple third down running back Kevin Faulk was re-signed. He is a great signing for a veteran that has performed above and beyond his talent level. He also brings back the veteran leadership the Patriots desperately need.
Nose tackle Vince Wilfork was also taken care of finally. The centerpiece to the Patriots defensive line will be in New England for the foreseeable future. Sack leader, Tully Banta Cain was also re-signed. The defense is not worse than the 2009 edition, but as of right now they are not much better.
All Patriots fans must assume that coaching mastermind, Bill Belichick has everything under control. He will pick impact players in the draft to help the team return to the promised land. However, his work is cut out for him.
The margin for error for New England is very small at this time. They have to hit for the jackpot later this month in New York. As of right now, the AFC East is now a three horse race.
And the Patriots are closer to the glue factory than being a thoroughbred.
In Bill We Trust (fingers crossed).
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2010 NFL Mock Draft: AFC East Edition
The Jets have few holes to fill, but depth and getting younger will be key to their success to the fearless defense Rex Ryan loves to run.
New England needs to address the outside linebacker position instead of relying on old players and get bigger, faster, and stronger.
The Miami Dolphins should look to draft their biggest need by replacing the aging Jason Ferguson.
The Buffalo Bills are a complete mess, trying to create a 3-4 defense out of undersized players.
They are in a complete rebuilding phase, so selecting a franchise left tackle would be ideal.
9. Buffalo Bills – OT Bruce Campbell, Maryland
Season Record 6-10
The Buffalo Bills front five was a disaster and allowed a league-high 46 sacks in 2009. The Bills never replaced Pro Bowler Jason Peters at left tackle. Trading away Jason Peters doesn’t look so good now does it?
The Bills are in no position to start a rookie quarterback behind their existing offensive line.
Selecting Bruce Campbell with the ninth overall pick would be a great option in replacing three time Pro Bowler Jason Peters.
Bruce Campbell keeps his head up and on a swivel before and after the snap. He makes sound pre-snap reads and recognizes pressure coming off the edge, and does a good job of passing off stunting defensive linemen.
Campbell was the workout warrior at this year’s combine; height-weight-speed and Campbell’s physical tools are off the charts.
Their positional priorities continue to be quarterback, left tackle, and a nose tackle for their new 3-4 defense; however, the Bills need to keep whoever is throwing the ball upright.
The Bills have made some strides to aid their 3-4 defense with the signings of inside linebacker Andre Davis and defensive end Dwan Edwards, but still lack the overall size to even come close to the prototypical 3-4 defensive scheme.
Other Possibilities: QB Jimmy Clausen, OT Anthony Davis, ILB Rolando McClain
12. Miami Dolphins – NT Dan Williams, Tennessee
Season Record 7-9
The Dolphins are quite thin up front, and also dealing with the suspension of current nose tackle Jason Ferguson.
Jason Ferguson is 35 years old and coming off a season ending injury and facing an eight-game suspension.
Miami would be wise to get help at nose tackle through the draft, and Dan Williams is the premier two-gap player on the board.
Williams plays with good leverage and rarely gives up ground. He wins most one-on-one battles and does a good job of disengaging and redirecting to fall back into plays.
Signing Karlos Dansby in free agency frees the Dolphins to take Williams, who will in turn help a young and improved linebacking corps.
Chances are Miami will even look to let go a different route with outside linebacker Jason Taylor.
They also let go starting safety Gibril Wilson, who to me, is one of the top safeties in the game, makes me wonder if he is a locker room issue.
Overall, I think the Miami Dolphins have a lot of holes to fill while still being able to be a decent team each year.
Other Possibilities: OLB Brandon Graham, OLB Sergio Kindle, OLB Jason Pierre Paul, WR Dez Bryant
22. New England Patriots – OLB Brandon Graham, Michigan
Season Record 10-6
New England needs help at outside linebacker; Brandon Graham could shine like former Michigan football star, LaMarr Woodley in the 3-4 schemes.
Graham is highly disciplined and generally does a nice job of staying home when the plays goes to the opposite side. He keeps his head up and locates the ball quickly.
The Patriots will be looking for someone that can be disruptive in the backfield and can redirect plays back to the inside.
Brandon Graham is that exact player, while being the NCAA leader in tackles for a loss. Let’s face it, he is a terror for opposing quarterbacks.
New England’s biggest priority this year will be filling some holes with draft picks and somewhat in free agency.
Offensively they could find a receiver in the second round and continue their surge to solidify the defense with the rest of the draft.
Damione Lewis was signed by the Patriots and has a normal position at defensive tackle, but lacks the size to play nose tackle in a 3-4 scheme. This makes me wonder, does he move to end to play the run?
Bill Belichick brought back last year’s sacks leader, Tully Banta-Cain, but Adalius Thomas’ future is in doubt.
This gives the idea of signing Jason Taylor to be a quick fix, but would only be short lived.
Other Possibilities: OLB Sergio Kindle, DE Jared Odrick
29. New York Jets – DE Jared Odrick, Penn State
Season Record 9-7
The New York Jets continue to age at defensive end, a position that needs to be addressed before Marques Douglas and Shaun Ellis hit a downfall in their career.
Selecting Jared Odrick would be a tremendous key to next year’s fearless defense.
Odrick fires off the ball and shows strong initial surge with heavy hands that stack blockers up in one on one battles, with his relentless style Odrick has “Rex Ryan” written all over him.
Odrick is a player versatile enough to be a disruptive, pass-rushing threat and a strong anchor in the Jets 3-4 defense, look for him to transition to a five technique defensive end.
Trading for cornerback, Antonio Cromartie and signing running back, LaDainian Tomlinson have been big improvements.
They have lost safety, Kerry Rhodes and does Tomlinson bring back his old swagger now that he’s with a great rushing line?
Jason Taylor is even closer to a potential deal with the Jets than any other team as far as rumors go.
Bringing in a player of his caliber would basically push former first rounder Vernon Gholston, who has yet to put a quarterback on his back with zero sacks in his two year campaign, out the door.
The Jets should be in the running for a Super Bowl contender, but how will being on the HBO television series “Hard Knocks” affect their upcoming season?
Other Possibilities: OLB Jerry Hughes, best safety available
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Writer’s note: This is the third and final installment of the San Francisco 49ers’ All-”No” Team. The first part can be viewed by clicking here, “The San Francisco 49ers’ All-”No” Team, Pt. 1: Skill Positions ” and the second installment can be viewed by clicking here, “The San Francisco 49ers All-”No” Team, Pt. 2: The Linemen.”
Introduction
With the NFL draft fast approaching and free agency in full swing, I have read some great articles recounting the 49ers ‘ glory years. I’ve seen articles about favorite 49ers teams, articles comparing Steve Young to Joe Montana, and articles reliving “The Catch” and “The Stop.” Ah…those were the days!
You won’t find that here.
If I could have had a longer title, I would have added “And What Not To Do” at the end.
I have decided to assemble a 49ers team based on some of the franchise’s worst decisions in the last 30 or so years.
So as you’re reading, please keep this in mind. Being bad doesn’t always get you on the team, though it does help. The decision to bring you in, or even to release you, might be the deciding factor for this team.
“No more bread and butter, no more toast and jam.”—The Newbeats, “Bread and Butter” (1961)
The Secondary
Cornerbacks: Antonio Langham and Mark McMillan
Almost every joke about Antonio Langham’s tenure with the 49ers already has been said—“He was toast of the town” or “He was the toast of the Bay.” So I will spare you trying to pass those off as my own.
But one thing I am reminded of is when the 49ers drafted Glen Coffee. Confused? Let me explain.
When Coffee was drafted in 2009, all of the local media types tried to outdo themselves in coming up with clever names for the backfield. There was “Frank (Gore) and (Coffee) Beans,” and one even suggested bringing O.J. back for “The All Breakfast Backfield.” I thought to myself, how could you have breakfast without anything to eat—right?
Even with a continental breakfast you have to have toast.
Well, Langham and this secondary will provide plenty of that.
After four years with the Cleveland Browns/Baltimore Ravens, Langham signed with the 49ers in 1998. He had plenty of starting experience, was named Cleveland’s Defensive Rookie of the Year in ’94, had a few picks—nothing to write home about, but the 49ers’ brain trust (Carmen Policy and Dwight Clark) were convinced he was primed for a breakout season. In fact, they were so convinced that they signed him for five years and $17 million, including a $3.5 million signing bonus.
Suffice it to say—they were wrong.
Langham gave up five touchdowns and was flagged eight times for pass interference. He managed this in only 11 games as he missed five with an injury.
This is the way one fan remembers Langham’s tenure with the team:
“I still have a collage of images featuring the No. 43 chasing an opposing receiver into the end zone. That guy was @#$%^ awful…I mean, seriously. Just terrible. Worst DB I have ever seen wear a 49ers uniform. I’ve never seen a guy get beat so many times in a season in my life.
He was the ONLY scar on that ’98 Niners roster, but he was a glowing green scab that you just couldn’t take your eyes away from.” (by shleckothegecko)
I couldn’t have said it better myself.
As a parting gift, Policy and Clark negotiated an expansion draft deal and took Langham with them to the second coming of the Cleveland Browns. …
Why in the hell would you sign the smallest man in the league to play cornerback?
Well, perhaps it was because he had made a barrage of big-time plays before signing with the 49ers.
But the 5’7” Mark McMillan must have realized he was too short to cover NFL receivers when he got to the 49ers.
After signing a three-year deal, he was let go after a mere six games. In the last of those games, against the Carolina Panthers, he yielded three touchdowns.
Safties: Dana Hall and Mike Rumph
Free agency hasn’t always been kind to our secondary, but then again, neither has the draft.
With the 18th selection in the 1992 draft, the 49ers selected safety (and, they hoped, heir apparent to Ronnie Lott) Dana Hall out of the University of Washington.
Not only did Hall quickly prove that he couldn’t carry Lott’s jockstrap (apologies to Larry Holmes), but he also became a lightning rod for opposing quarterbacks and deep pass plays. Can’t you still smell the ozone?
Hall exited the Bay after three seasons. …
Mike Rumph was drafted as a cornerback but was moved to safety because of his god-awful coverage skills.
Rumph and Hall have a lot in common. Both were drafted in the first round by the 49ers. Hall had four interceptions in three seasons with the team and Rumph had three in four seasons. Hall went to the University of Washington; Rumph went to the Washington Redskins…okay, okay.
We all know what they had in common…can you hear the Newbeats?
Nickel and dimes: Marquez Pope, Tyrone Drakeford, and Eric Carter.
Dishonorable mention to the sub-6-foot secondary of the 1999 team: The 5’7” McMillan, Darnell Walker (5’8”), and giant R.W. McQuarters at 5’10” (some would say 5′ 9″).
“I’m waiting in line, would you say I’m wasting my time?”—Phil Collins, “I Missed Again” (1981)
The Linebackers: Todd Shell, Winfred Tubbs, and Tully-Banta Cain
I recently wrote an article titled “2010 NFL Draft: San Francisco 49ers—The Last 20 Years in First-Round Picks.” As you might have guessed it graded the team’s first-round choices of the last 20 years.
Had I graded every pick starting with the Bill Walsh era (as this article does), I would have handed out a big fat D- to the team’s top pick (24th overall) of 1984, linebacker Todd Shell.
Shell wasn’t a complete failure. He did manage two sacks and three interceptions, which included a 53-yard return for a touchdown against the New Orleans Saints in his rookie season.
He managed another four sacks and one interception in his sophomore campaign, in which he started 13 games.
But injuries set in and Shell was off the team and out of football after only four seasons.
In keeping with the spirit of a life of crime after football, as demonstrated by Lawrence Phillips and Adrian Cooper in part one of the All-No Team, in 2003, Shell was charged with an “extreme DUI” in Gilbert, Ariz.
If that wasn’t bad enough, he decided to duck behind a business in Mesa, Ariz., for a little blow in 2005. Police arrested Shell when they found a “clear bag that contained a white powder believed to be cocaine, along with a straw, inside of his shorts pocket,” according to the police report.
Shell was turned over to the Gilbert police for an outstanding warrant stemming from his earlier DUI arrest.
Shell proved he could finally make a prudent decision when he resigned his position as coach of the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League.
“I have decided that it is in the best interest of the Rattlers and my family to step down,” Shell said in a statement carried by NBC Sports.
After a crappy football career, and flushing his new coaching career down the toilet, Shell turned to pot…well okay, potties.
Yep, it’s true, Todd decided to “shell” out some bucks and invest in the “Porta Potty” industry.
Shell invested in a Web site that hooks up mobile restaurants (roach coaches) with portable toilets.
Jeez, there are just too many crappy jokes here to go on.
It could have been worse I suppose. The Dallas Cowboys, who picked immediately after the 49ers in the ’84 draft, also selected a linebacker. His name was Billy Cannon Jr. and he lasted only one season, appearing in eight games.
In an interesting note, Cannon’s father, Billy Cannon Sr., is a former Heisman Trophy winner (1959) and NFL running back who played for the Oilers, Raiders, and Chiefs.
He was convicted of counterfeiting in 1983 and served two and half years of a five-year prison sentence. …
Can a football player really be named Winfred? Doesn’t that sound like the guy at the Polo Club, wearing a blazer with an ascot and having drinks with his girlfriend Muffy?
After Tubbs set a Saints record for tackles (160) in 1997, the 49ers signed him to what was then a monster deal: five years, $14.25 million, and a $4 million signing bonus.
If you were to look at Tubbs’ stats, they don’t look bad at all. He was the team’s second-leading tackler two of his three years in San Francisco.
But I think what the 49ers had in mind when they signed him to replace Gary Plummer was for some of those tackles to take place inside of 5 yards—maybe even at or behind the line of scrimmage, Winfred?
The team tried moving Tubbs from middle linebacker to the outside spot, but when that didn’t work, Tubbs was off to star in a video game.
If the name Winfred wasn’t bad enough, it has to be humiliating to a former pro football player to have your biography on Wikipedia state:
“Winfred Tubbs is perhaps best known for his appearance in the arcade football game NFL Blitz.” …
Let’s just call Tully-Banta Cain “Tubbs Two” and be done with it. With the exceptions that Cain couldn’t even stay in the starting lineup and was signed to rush the passer rather than stop the run.
It is telling when a player accepts a major pay cut after only one season to stay with the team. Even at a reduced cost, the 49ers released him after his second uneventful season with the team.
Backups: Saleem Rasheed and Hannibal Navies
The Not So Special Teams
“Did I miss again? I think I missed again, oh oh…”—Phil again
Kicker: Mike Cofer
In the time between Ray Wersching and Joe Nedney, the 49ers employed no fewer than 12 kickers.
When you’re employing guys with names like Mike “Choker” and “Wide” Richey, as well as rejects from the XFL who can’t hit from beyond 39 yards, you know you have a problem.
One kicker I had completely forgotten about was Owen Pochman. My fellow Featured Columnist, Patrick Goulding II, reminded me of him in his article, “Could Be Worse: Five Players 49ers Faithful Can Be Glad to Be Rid of .” Patrick was correct: Pochman was terrible, hitting a mere 53.3 percent of his field goal tries before being released halfway though the 2003 season.
But as bad as Pochman was, Tony Zendejas was worse. In 1995, Zendejas managed just one field goal on three attempts, in three games, before giving way to Jeff Wilkins.
Zendejas had been claimed off waivers from the Atlanta Falcons to replace Doug Brien, who had just been given the boot (pardon the pun) after missing yet another last-second field goal that would have won a game.
But again, this team isn’t always about the worst player—it is about the worst decisions.
Zendejas, Pochman, Brien, and Jose Cortez all were cut after failing to do what they were signed for.
So why in the world would the team keep Mike Cofer around after he missed 12 attempts in 1990?
So he could follow it up with a 14-of-28 showing the following season?
A kicker and his confidence are fragile things; once they get a case of the yips, chances are they will never recover. Cofer certainly didn’t after his Pro Bowl season of 1989.
Just to torture fans, the team kept Cofer around for two more years and he managed to miss 34 kicks on 53 attempts.
Dishonorable mention: letting Wilkins get away and sign with the division rival Rams.
Punter: Eddie Howard
Trivia question: Who was the team’s punter before Andy Lee?
A tougher question might be to name the 14 punters the team carried prior to drafting Lee.
Going back to the start of the Bill Walsh era, that equates to a little less than two seasons for the average punter.
But one guy stands alone: Eddie Howard.
Howard and Reggie Roby both had worked out for the team prior to the start of the 1998 season. The team signed Howard because it could get him on the cheap.
After only two games, and with a league-low 36-yard average, Howard was released, and the team welcomed Roby with open arms.
Just for fun: Who was the team’s barefoot punter?
Answers to trivia questions:
1) Bill Lafleur was the punter before Lee.
2) Lafleur, Jason Baker, Chad Stanley, Howard, Roby, Tommy Thompson, Klaus Wilmsmeyer, Joe Prokop, Ralph Mojsiejenko, Barry Helton, Max Runager, Tom Orosz, Jim Miller, and Dan Melville were the 14 punters before Lee going back to 1979.
3) Miller was the team’s barefoot punter.
Here is the entire starting lineup for the All-”No” Team:
Quarterback: Jim Druckenmiller
Wideouts and Tight End: Renaldo Nehemiah, J.J. Stokes, Adrian Cooper
Running Backs: Lawrence Phillips and Johnny Johnson
Defensive Line: Israel Ifeanyi, Todd Kelly, Reggie McGrew, and Gabe Wilkins
Offensive Line (and they are offensive !)
Tackles: Kwame Harris and Jonas Jennings
Center: Terry Donahue
Guards: Ron Stone and Anthony Clement
Secondary
Cornerbacks: Antonio Langham and Mark McMillan
Safties: Dana Hall and Mike Rumph
Linebackers: Todd Shell, Winfred Tubbs and Tully-Banta Cain
Not So Special Teams
Kicker: Mike Cofer
Punter: Eddie Howard
To read about all of these these guys go to:
“The San Francisco 49ers’ All-”No” Team, Pt. 1: Skill Positions ” and
“The San Francisco 49ers All-”No” Team, Pt. 2: The Linemen “
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