OT - More 49ers Schadenfreude

Submitted by kman23 on

SF becomes more of a mess. First, SF trades Vernon Davis for picks. SI is reporting 3 picks but it's really just a single pick gained (a 6th in 2017) and will flip 6th and 7th rounders this year. How SI can call that a trade for "three draft picks" makes no sense to me. Link

Second story from SF is that SF us benching Kaepernick for Gabbert. Hilarious. 49ers made the move a week before their bye in hopes of enticing a trade before the trade deadline (like some team is going to risk $31m in guaranteed salary for a questionable QB midseason). Link

Jed York and Trent Baalke, we salute you.

MGoBoard
Football
49ers
Trent Baalke
Jed York is dilusional

wwjhd

November 3rd, 2015 at 11:20 AM ^

There was no reason to pick a TE with the top 10 pick. Plus the Lions already had Pettigrew (another 1st round pick) when they drafted Ebron. Hindsight is 20/20, but they also passed on Aaron Donald, who would've been a nice replacement for Suh.

Joined: 11/01/2015

MGoPoints: 387

teldar

November 3rd, 2015 at 8:45 AM ^

     Really, since I moved to Columbus in 2000, for that matter. But I've never been sold on Stafford. If Detroit were a good team, I think he would be a good QB. But he's no game changer. He's alright. But he's never going to drag a team into the playoffs. I would be fine with the Lions trading him to see what they can get and go into full rebuild mode. Do the same thing with Megatron. He's being wasted in Detroit. Just start trading players for first multiple first round picks and stock up knowing they're going to suck for another 3 years. They've sucked for 50+ already.

     The important thing about this plan is that they have to fire the entire front office first and hire people who are not idiots. And fire the coaching staff and throw buckets of money at someone who is actually a good coach. Then pay for the assistants to make it all work. I think we've seen what a bunch of low quality assistants can do to a program. Particularly when it's two HC's in a row.

Joined: 07/14/2009

MGoPoints: 8220

lilpenny1316

November 3rd, 2015 at 10:04 AM ^

But the Lions do have two (should have been three) playoff appearances since 2011.  He has improved the level of talent on the team.  

I honestly don't think Mayhew is the problem.  It's the Ford family.  WCF cronies and holdovers are littered in the Lions college scouting system.  And the draft is where the Lions have really sucked.  Mayhew has done a pretty decent job with his free agent signings, but we've wasted a lot of draft picks.  I believe that if you gave him the freedom to hire his own guys that have no ties to the organization, you would see significantly better drafts.

 

 

Joined: 11/19/2009

MGoPoints: 61787

McSomething

November 3rd, 2015 at 10:31 AM ^

The bungling of the whole Suh contract situation should've been a fireable offense. Everyone who knows anything about the NFL could've told you he was gone first opportunity, yet the Lions tried holding onto him at the expense of their own cap health. That they didn't even attempt shopping him in a trade for whatever value they could get wasn't even a hindsight mistake, it was pretty obvious well beforehand.

Joined: 09/29/2010

MGoPoints: 36843

wwjhd

November 3rd, 2015 at 10:51 AM ^

You can't be serious...

Forget about Ebron, Van Noy, Reiff, Broyles... the entire 2011 draft class is gone! Including Nick Fairley, Titus Young and Mikel Leshoure. That's three top 50 draft picks that are no longer on the team. You have to be a terrible GM to accomplish that.

Mayhew has done a pretty decent job with his free agent signings

So you place no blame on him for screwing up the cap and not being able to resign Suh? He replaced him with a broken down Ngata.

The only reason Mayhew got the job is because WCF was stupid enough to listen to Matt Millen (even after he fired him).

 

Joined: 11/01/2015

MGoPoints: 387

Bay_Area_Blue

November 3rd, 2015 at 11:45 AM ^

Pretty funny pic of Mayhew. He looks so bewildered, which, duh. I kept watching the Lions-Chiefs game solely to keep track of fantasy stats. It's so sad. You know there's an incredibly long history of suck when you can still sit in front of the TV and watch that game and think, "Yeah, pretty much what I expected. But let's see if Travis Kelce does anything on this drive." 

Joined: 08/31/2012

MGoPoints: 463

StephenRKass

November 3rd, 2015 at 9:59 AM ^

Full disclosure:  I've never been a full bore Lions fan. I rooted for them while living in southeast Michigan for a good dozen years.

But the thing with the Lions is the ownership. I have absolutely no idea what it is with the Ford family, but they have stayed, while everything else has changed. Front office, coaching staff, players, playing venue, have all changed. I remember when they went to the Silverdome, and when they shut it down. I remember Barry Sanders.

There are only three things that haven't changed:  the name of the team, the ownership, and the losing.

The thing is, owning an NFL team is a cash cow. There actually are arguments made that you make more money by losing than by winning. For crying out loud, look at the Chicago Cubs. That stinking team has not won a World Series in more than 100 years, and hasn't played in one for 70. But they have tons of fans, and all the drunk yuppies fill the seats, win or lose. For certain craven owners, who cares whether you win or lose. As long as suckers fill the seats, and you get the TV revenue, and the "value" of the franchise rises, you're all good.

I don't see the Ford family doing something so outrageous that they are forced out of ownership. And there's absolutely no way the rest of the owners would allow an owner in good standing to be forced out:  if that happens to the Lions, it could happen to any of them. Don't see that coming.

So, the Lions suck, and they will always suck as long as they are owned by the Ford family. It must really, really suck to be a Lions fan.

Joined: 07/15/2008

MGoPoints: 23006

lilpenny1316

November 3rd, 2015 at 10:07 AM ^

Goodell offered outside help to get things in order and WCF told them no.  It was dumb and we're still paying the price for it.  The NFL still likes the Ford family and feels indebted to them (too bad the refs don't feel the same way).  I'm hoping that when Goodell talked to Martha Ford last week, he was able to convince her that the family is awful at owning a professional franchise and they need to sell it.

Joined: 11/19/2009

MGoPoints: 61787

StephenRKass

November 3rd, 2015 at 10:32 AM ^

The team appreciates in value. They still make the Ford family money. They have executive suites whenever they want to watch a game. They can go through the charade of firing and hiring a GM and a coach and front office staff, but not really change a thing. Until a coach and GM get really power and real money to make change, the Lions will always suck. This is depressing, but the truth. And I take no joy in the pain you have in being a Lions fan.

Joined: 07/15/2008

MGoPoints: 23006

UMinSF

November 3rd, 2015 at 2:03 PM ^

In professional sports, the only long-term constant is ownership, and teams with bad ownership NEVER win.  Does anyone think the Redskins have a chance with Danny Snyder as the owner?

The Wrigleys (Cubs), Yawkeys (Red Sox) and WCF are classic examples of long-term ownership that simply couldn't get it done.  

A bad coach or GM can mess things up for years, even a decade - but only a bad owner can create Lions-level ineptitude.

Joined: 04/06/2009

MGoPoints: 18204

Danwillhor

November 3rd, 2015 at 11:04 AM ^

has been the same guy since college. He's not as tall as you'd like but he's not short. He's not as mobile as you'd like but he's not running in molasses and he's not as accurate as you'd like but he's solid. That is where the "average traits" end and extreme polarity comes in. He has an amazing arm (top 3 in football, IMO) but that has paved the road he's on. It's always been a case of being crazy talented and great in HS/good in college but potential being the selling point. He was the top recruit or of HS because "WOW! With some coaching he can win champions with that arm" and then he was just "good, very solid but not great" at Georgia. Then he leaves there early, young for his class on top of that and not having accomplished much other than a few great games but the Lions needed a QB and the repeat of "WOW! With some coaching he can win championships with that arm". The issue is that he has never taken to coaching - ever. In HS he only needed his arm but he wasn't amazing in college or even polished for a college QB. He'd make the dumbest throw/decision ever for every good one. It's been no different in the NFL. His play borders on indifference, IMO. At best he shows up when he wants to. For every broken shoulder, play through the pain TD he has entire half-seasons of going through the motions. I think he's a starting QB but not for a great team. He can't lead a great team, IMO. He doesn't improve anyone around him and doesn't seem to care of he does. IMO, he's the quintessential "I still get paid" NFL player. I don't think he cares if he wins. Truly. Deep down, I think he's indifferent.

Joined: 12/02/2008

MGoPoints: 8609

canzior

November 3rd, 2015 at 1:25 PM ^

But how many players in the NFL are worth a first round pick? I'd be surprised if there were 10.  So you trade away parts to build a team full of 2nd/3rd round players over a period of 3/4 years?  Assuming that ALL of those guys pan out, you have a competitive team in a few years.  Also assuming you find a qb during that time.

Joined: 05/28/2010

MGoPoints: 9222