NFL 2009

[TwinkieGorilla]

but what does that have to do with Jamie Dukes?


EDIT: ok, you fixed your quote thing. i get it now. (you DO know that NFL.com is free, right?)

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Nothing at all. I'm not good at segues. So fuck me.

(you DO know that NFL.com is free, right?)

I guess I didn't, the channel is simul-streamed or something? I tried watching the NFL network games online but those douchebag studio guys kept interrupting, it wasn't worth watching.

 

[UniversalWolf]

Since I'm also too cheap to upgrade to get NFL Network, but I used to get it for free, I can tell you it's awesome, especially if you're into fantasy football. The two things I miss most about it are The Red Zone and NFL Replay. The Red Zone runs during the games on Sunday, and is nothing but constantly updated stats from all the games with audio from the radio coverage of the highlights. For NFL Replay they take the five or six best games from the weekend and condense each of them down into an hour, then re-run them all week. They remove all the huddles and all the kickoffs where nothing special happens, so it cuts instantly from one play to the next. For big plays they add a little window with player or coach commentary from the post-game pressers. It's a great way to scout teams you may be unfamiliar with. NFL Network completely crushes ESPN football coverage as far as I'm concerned.

 

[TwinkieGorilla]

um....(shaking my head in amazement) you two HAVE heard of the internet, right? all the shit on their station ends up on their website.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

It's besdies the point, I have a TV tuner in my PC and still can't be fucked to sit at a desk and chair watching TV.

 

[[PCE]el_Prez]

NFL Power Rankings

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/powerranking?season=2009&week=0

Wow they cocked up the NFC West. Cardinals don't even crack the top 10? Seahawks ranked above the 9ers...

Also, I think the Colts are ranked too high. It's been a couple years since their SB success. They make it to the playoffs but then get worked by the Chargers. Their key players keep getting older, getting hurt, or going to other teams. The biggest factor is the loss of Tony Dungy. We're going to find out REAL quick if his replacement can fill his very large shoes.

Last but not least - the Vikings are Ranked 9! It's "noted" that this ranking was really high because of the expectation that Farva will be the Viking QB this year. WTF?

 

[Brother None]

Re: NFL Power Rankings

Hey, the normal offseason griping about power rankings.

el_Prez]Wow they cocked up the NFC West. Cardinals don't even crack the top 10? Seahawks ranked above the 9ers...

The 'Hawks are clearly better than the Niners. 49ers will have a terrible year.

Football Outsiders puts the Cardinals even lower, and absolutely destroys the Niners in their write-up; 9.9 wins for the Seahawks, 8.2 for the Rams (a “reasonable chance” for a “miracle season”, huh?), 5.7 wins for the 49ers and the Tardinals dead last with 5.6 wins, so what FO says.

Honestly, it's a pretty shitty division anyway. 'Hawks got it provided they stay healthy. I don't like the Cardinals' chances at all, especially not since Warner is guaranteed to go down. Niners and Rams are both the kind of off-season darling some people fall in love with, they'll likely both suck.

el_Prez]Last but not least - the Vikings are Ranked 9! It's "noted" that this ranking was really high because of the expectation that Farva will be the Viking QB this year. WTF?

*shrug*

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

Cards are frauds in my book, only 9 wins last year, coming from that week division. Who can't beat the Hawks, Rams and 9ers twice and then win 3 of 10 other games? And we saw what happens to them in Dec. when they have to play outside - they fucking laid down something embarassing-like when they came to Foxboro last year, and the Pats weren't even that good. Winning the NFC West is like being being crowned Ms. Newark. I didn't like a team like that even representing the NFC in the SB.

And the door is closing on the Colts and Manning. I'm going to enjoy watching his career go down the shitter. Him and his fucking incessant pre-snap histrionics.
Have to say Dungy is such and excellent, classy human being. He's bigger than football though, he actually gives it up to make an impact on the world/people's lives. Have to respect that.

 

[Brother None]

Manning and the Colts aren't done, but they'll certainly recede. They're still playoff worthy, I guess, but then they always were.

I wouldn't call the Cards a fraud, but they were pretty bad for the entire regular season. They showed they could play well in the post-season, tho'. You don't beat a bunch of good teams and then play the Steelers that close if you're a fraud.

But yes, the NFC West is a horribly terrible division, and with Warner guaranteed to peter out, I really don't see them as having the strength to impress again.

Also guys, Vick is back

 

[[PCE]el_Prez]

Re: NFL Power Rankings

Hey, the normal offseason griping about power rankings.

Yeah but what the hell else do why have to do?

el_Prez]Wow they cocked up the NFC West. Cardinals don't even crack the top 10? Seahawks ranked above the 9ers...

The 'Hawks are clearly better than the Niners. 49ers will have a terrible year.

No way. Hawks might be a little improved, but it will be AZ or San Fran contending for the NFC west. Hasselbeck is over the hill and was plagued with injuries - seems like his time as an elite NFL Qb is over. He could still be productive, and the addition of TJ Housh will help, but I don't expect much.

Football Outsiders puts the Cardinals even lower, and absolutely destroys the Niners in their write-up; 9.9 wins for the Seahawks, 8.2 for the Rams (a “reasonable chance” for a “miracle season”, huh?), 5.7 wins for the 49ers and the Tardinals dead last with 5.6 wins, so what FO says.

They put the Cards at 5.6 wins? The RAMS were predicted to get 8 wins and contend for the NFC west? That kind of throw's their credibility out the window if you ask me. Sure, I'm a cards fan - but do you really expect me to believe that they will only have 5-6 wins? Having Ken Wisehunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquon Boldin should account for 7-8 wins right there. Not to mention the Cardinals were LAST in rushing in the NFL - If Beanie Wells turns out to be half of what he's supposed to be the Cards are looking at another trip to the playoffs.

Honestly, it's a pretty shitty division anyway. 'Hawks got it provided they stay healthy. I don't like the Cardinals' chances at all, especially not since Warner is guaranteed to go down. Niners and Rams are both the kind of off-season darling some people fall in love with, they'll likely both suck.

It HAS been a crappy division in the past. It's just part of transition. Most of the teams in the NFC west have gone through at least one coaching change. The 9ers will have had 4 different Offensive Coordinators in the last 5 years. But besides names like Kurt Warner and Matt Hasselbeck (and a few others) the NFC west is a very young division. The NFL goes through cylcles and most teams struggle to stay on top for more than a couple years. They fade for a few and then come back for a few (The Titans are a good example). Only the truely elite are in contention EVERY year. If the last 2 super bowls have taught us anything - the NFL is NOT predictable.

 

[[PCE]el_Prez]

Cards are frauds in my book, only 9 wins last year, coming from that week division. Who can't beat the Hawks, Rams and 9ers twice and then win 3 of 10 other games? And we saw what happens to them in Dec. when they have to play outside - they fucking laid down something embarassing-like when they came to Foxboro last year, and the Pats weren't even that good.

That's a bit distorted.

1. A few of the Cards non-conference games they lost early in the season were very close games. They lost to Carolina by 3 in the final minute of the game

2. Some of the non-conferences losses later in the season (like against NE) were played after the Cardinals had already clinched the division. The Pats on the other hand were desperately trying to get in. You can see that the Cards didn't really give a shit about that game - they were more concerened with the playoffs?

3. Once they got to the playoffs - They beat down Atlanta, Carolina, and Philly. Sure Philly embarrassed them in the regular season - but I'd say that the Cards go the last laugh

4. They were seconds away from winning the SuperBowl. Once you get to the big game you are no longer a pretender - and you better believe the Cards were contenders last year.

Winning the NFC West is like being being crowned Ms. Newark.

Whatever. If Ms. Newark beats the fuck out of Ms. Califronia, Ms. Texas, and Ms. Flordia at the Ms. USA pagent - that's the one I want.

I didn't like a team like that even representing the NFC in the SB.

That's what is so awesome about football. No 7 game series where the most talented team is most likely going to win. Football is one game - you might be the better team by a substantial margin - but if you don't bring your A game you will be sent home and will be watching the big game on TV.

And the door is closing on the Colts and Manning. I'm going to enjoy watching his career go down the shitter. Him and his fucking incessant pre-snap histrionics.
Have to say Dungy is such and excellent, classy human being. He's bigger than football though, he actually gives it up to make an impact on the world/people's lives. Have to respect that.

Agreed. Manning is annoying, I'm not too big a fan of his brother either but It's fun watching the little brother show up Peyton. Seriously I get sick of his face on EVERY damn TV ad during football season.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

I give them credit, them beating Carolina was stunning for sure.
And I do like the parity era of the NFL, teams can go from top to bottom and back in the blink of an eye, unlike the old days where a few dynasties would snatch up all the talent and the basement dwellers never progressed any.

Agreed. Manning is annoying, I'm not too big a fan of his brother either but It's fun watching the little brother show up Peyton.

Me too, partly because I have a jockier older brother, and partly because Payton is the better QB. It's nice to see the little brother upstage the MVP.

 

[Brother None]

Re: NFL Power Rankings

el_Prez]No way. Hawks might be a little improved, but it will be AZ or San Fran contending for the NFC west. Hasselbeck is over the hill and was plagued with injuries - seems like his time as an elite NFL Qb is over. He could still be productive, and the addition of TJ Housh will help, but I don't expect much.

Neither do I. In fact, if someone is not drinking the cool-aid on the 'Hawks, it's me, and I'm a huge Hawks fan.

But honestly, it just doesn't take much to win the NFC West.

el_Prez]They put the Cards at 5.6 wins? The RAMS were predicted to get 8 wins and contend for the NFC west? That kind of throw's their credibility out the window if you ask me.

It would if they turn out to be wrong. I don't know if they are, yet, we'll see, but FO does tend to be more accurate than most.

And the logic is solid; last year, the Seahawks had the highest Adjusted Games Lost due to injury since they started tracking it in 1996. Since injuries tend to regress to the mean, one can't expect the Hawks to suffer such a historic injury rate again. And heck, the Hawks would make a big jump if they just stay healthy in a weak division (the schedule isn't the most difficult either). It's the health that concerns me, but if (and that's a big if) the likes of Kerney, big Walt, Deion Branch and Hasselbeck all stay relatively healthy, Seahawks are a lock to win. Why? Because the division SUCKs.

The logic for the Rams is pretty solid too:
1. They drafted high and well for the OL.
2. They were third in Adjusted Games Lost due to injuries by offensive starters, after Hawks and Cincinnati.
3. Their redzone offense was abysmal and can only go up.
5. Their offensive fumble recovery rate was a bit of an anomaly.

el_Prez]Having Ken Wisehunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquon Boldin should account for 7-8 wins right there.

But they won't. There's still some question marks around Boldin but I expect him to play his heart out, but Warner? Warner has had 3 16 game seasons in his entire career, never back-to-back, and he's 38. Anyone who expects him to finish the season needs a serious wake-up call.

el_Prez]It HAS been a crappy division in the past.

They're just coming of a 10-32 combined record outside the division last season. Forget that they sent two teams to the Superbowl this decade; they suck.

el_Prez]The 9ers will have had 4 different Offensive Coordinators in the last 5 years.

Yes, because their front office sucks. San Francisco does not just have a bad record, they're showing all the signs of just being a horribly-run franchise. Hot Read has the best FO quote; “the only difference between the Matt Millen-era Lions and the Scot McCloughan-era Niners is context and luck.”

McCloughan was VP of personal since 2005, yah, and GM since 2008. I think but I'm not sure we can blame Alex Smith on him (seriously, they're putting up Alex Smith for a QB competition? That clown should have been in the UFL months ago), but even without factoring in Smith his draft skills are awful. In the fairly hyped but solid 2006 draft, he gave the team two busts: the highest-ever drafted tight end in Vernon Davis, and a presumptive LB bust in Manny Lawson. Patrick Willis is awesome, but 3 busts out of 4 picks is a pretty low pitching rate.
His day two picks are even worse. Parys Haralson is the only day-2 starter drafted by him. That's not enough for a rebuilding team.

Nah, the Niners are clearly being badly managed. Expect them to be a "rebuilding team" for some years still, kinda like the Raiders.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

The '9ers management never recovered from Eddie Debatolo's getting pinched. They were the model franchise of the 80s & 90s, smart, innovators, everyone copied them, half the league was coached by former '9ers assistants. The Debartolo thing was like the death knell for them (not like Bill Walsh could be replaced either though, what a brilliant football strategist, he really put his stamp on the league).

And the decline of Hasselbeck due to injury is kind of a pity, you hate to see a talent like that get cut short. Back injuries never seem to go away though.
Those Jesuits at BC sure can pump out some fine QBs though.

 

[[PCE]el_Prez]

el_Prez]No way. Hawks might be a little improved, but it will be AZ or San Fran contending for the NFC west. Hasselbeck is over the hill and was plagued with injuries - seems like his time as an elite NFL Qb is over. He could still be productive, and the addition of TJ Housh will help, but I don't expect much.

Neither do I. In fact, if someone is not drinking the cool-aid on the 'Hawks, it's me, and I'm a huge Hawks fan.

But honestly, it just doesn't take much to win the NFC West.

I don't really buy into that whole "weak confernece" thing. All NFL teams compete with each other very strongly. Especially conference rivals. The Cardinals playing the 49ers isn't the same is the Colts playing the 49ers. There is more on the line in confernece games - and it tends to really bring out the competition from both teams. More on this in a sec..

el_Prez]They put the Cards at 5.6 wins? The RAMS were predicted to get 8 wins and contend for the NFC west? That kind of throw's their credibility out the window if you ask me.

It would if they turn out to be wrong. I don't know if they are, yet, we'll see, but FO does tend to be more accurate than most.

It seems like a ridiculous claim to me. I can see someone putting the Seahawks narrowly edging out the Cards for the division. But ot have St. Luis to have 3 more wins than the Cardinals - to me, thats absurd.

And the logic is solid; last year, the Seahawks had the highest Adjusted Games Lost due to injury since they started tracking it in 1996. Since injuries tend to regress to the mean, one can't expect the Hawks to suffer such a historic injury rate again. And heck, the Hawks would make a big jump if they just stay healthy in a weak division (the schedule isn't the most difficult either). It's the health that concerns me, but if (and that's a big if) the likes of Kerney, big Walt, Deion Branch and Hasselbeck all stay relatively healthy, Seahawks are a lock to win. Why?

Injury aside, Deon Branch is not very good anymore. He might not be the #2 reciever for the Hawks next year.

I check FO on some of their player rankings

They give a QB advantage to Warner. Now obviously last year is not a good stat year for hasselbeck but even if you take his score from 2007 (which he probably won't be able to reach that level this year), Warner's score is significantly better. When it comes to injuries - I'd say that's even. We can't really predict who is going to get hurt if either of them do at all - but I'd say they both have about equal chances. Overall - EDGE AZ

RB is another that is difficult. Both teams had pretty shitty run game last year and both 1 and 2 RBs for both teams are on the bottom of the rankings for RBs at FO. At first glance it would seem that SEA has the advantage because they are above AZ RBs on the rankings. However - AZ drafted Wells who is a big name. Could be a home run, could be a strikeout. We'll see.
Overall - EVEN (maybe TINY edge SEA)

OL This one is pretty clear cut EDGE AZ. Both teams are in the shithouse for run blocking (SEA ranked 27, AZ ranked 30) but in Pass blocking AZ does significantly better (AZ - 8, SEA - 22). SEA drafted a center in the 2nd round and AZ grabbed a couple gaurds in the later rounds. I still think AZ takes it.

WR. Of coures this is where AZ really pulls away. No SEA reciever is ranked above Steve Breaston. Only TJ is ahead of Jerheme Urban (Cards #4 WR).

el_Prez]Having Ken Wisehunt, Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquon Boldin should account for 7-8 wins right there.

But they won't. There's still some question marks around Boldin but I expect him to play his heart out, but Warner? Warner has had 3 16 game seasons in his entire career, never back-to-back, and he's 38. Anyone who expects him to finish the season needs a serious wake-up call.

He has the same chance of getting hurt as Matt Hasselbeck (or Marc Bulger for that matter). Also, If the addittion of Beanie Wells creates a significantly improved run game - Warner really won't need to carry the offense as much as he did. Even Matt Leinart can win games with a somewhat effective run game and 2 awesome recievers.

el_Prez]It HAS been a crappy division in the past.

They're just coming of a 10-32 combined record outside the division last season. Forget that they sent two teams to the Superbowl this decade; they suck.

Why would you forget that? That's the 2nd most important team stats there is - Super Bowl appearances.

Besides - oustdie the division the NFC West faced a lot of good teams. 7-8 of those teams finished at or above .500

el_Prez]The 9ers will have had 4 different Offensive Coordinators in the last 5 years.

Yes, because their front office sucks. San Francisco does not just have a bad record, they're showing all the signs of just being a horribly-run franchise. Hot Read has the best FO quote; “the only difference between the Matt Millen-era Lions and the Scot McCloughan-era Niners is context and luck.”

McCloughan was VP of personal since 2005, yah, and GM since 2008. I think but I'm not sure we can blame Alex Smith on him (seriously, they're putting up Alex Smith for a QB competition? That clown should have been in the UFL months ago), but even without factoring in Smith his draft skills are awful. In the fairly hyped but solid 2006 draft, he gave the team two busts: the highest-ever drafted tight end in Vernon Davis, and a presumptive LB bust in Manny Lawson. Patrick Willis is awesome, but 3 busts out of 4 picks is a pretty low pitching rate.
His day two picks are even worse. Parys Haralson is the only day-2 starter drafted by him. That's not enough for a rebuilding team.

Well, the whole coaching carousel is a real problem in the NFL. That's the reason a lot of shitty teams stay shitty. If you want a good NFL read - check out Gregg Eastrbrook at ESPN.com Page 2.

Here is an article he read about coaching stability that = NFL Success:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/081021

Oh, BTW. Manny Lawson wasn't a "bust". He's a starter who made a transition from college DE to NFL OLB (which is a very similar position - but still).

Last year he had 45 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 blocked kicks!

Nah, the Niners are clearly being badly managed. Expect them to be a "rebuilding team" for some years still, kinda like the Raiders.

Well, the Raiders are being bled to death slowly by Al Davs - I don't think it's fair to put the 9ers in the same boat.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

I don't really buy into that whole "weak confernece" thing. All NFL teams compete with each other very strongly. Especially conference rivals.

It's an artificial conference though that sprang up out of realignment. The Hawks are from the AFC and the Cards are cast offs from the NFC East, their rivalry with the other two is pretty nascent at this point.

And I it's not that the Hawks or Rams can't get up for games, they do. But it's a lot different than what you see in say the NFC east (says the east coaster who doesn't get all the west coast games).

It seems like a ridiculous claim to me. I can see someone putting the Seahawks narrowly edging out the Cards for the division. But ot have St. Luis to have 3 more wins than the Cardinals - to me, thats absurd.

Despite what I said about the Cards, they are still a step above the rest of the NFC west to me too. They're the same team the were last year but replaced a worn out Edge with a bona-fide big game HB (tape that ankle up good please).

Injury aside, Deon Branch is not very good anymore. He might not be the #2 reciever for the Hawks next year.

I loved the guy in NE and was sad to see him go, but you're right. He's a decent #2 at best, and not worth the money he left for.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/081021

Sure, the Patriots lost their starting quarterback to injury, but so did Tennessee!

Easterbrook is wacky.

 

[[PCE]el_Prez]

I don't really buy into that whole "weak confernece" thing. All NFL teams compete with each other very strongly. Especially conference rivals.

It's an artificial conference though that sprang up out of realignment. The Hawks are from the AFC and the Cards are cast offs from the NFC East, their rivalry with the other two is pretty nascent at this point.

And I it's not that the Hawks or Rams can't get up for games, they do. But it's a lot different than what you see in say the NFC east (says the east coaster who doesn't get all the west coast games).

Well, the NFC West doesn't have a lot of historic rivalries - but that doesn't really matter. Free Agency has really put "history" and "nostalgia" on the back burner. Bottom line is that EVERY team wants to go to the playoffs and there are only so many spots. You better believe that the Rams are as jacked up when they play the Seahawks as the Giants are when they play the Eagles. I mean really. Remember when Kansas City and Oakland was a big time rivalry? But it doens't really matter anymore because neither of them are good enough to take the conference. Denver or San Diego always puts them in their place. The NFC West is different. Every team has a legit shot which means that conference games are played with more fire.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/081021

Sure, the Patriots lost their starting quarterback to injury, but so did Tennessee!

Easterbrook is wacky.

Easterbrook is great. Probably one of the smartest analysts there is and is pretty damn entertaining too.

 

[Cimmerian Nights]

I think there's a bounty on Easterbrook's head in Boston. He's been persona non grata since he wrote this gem.

 

[[PCE]el_Prez]

I think there's a bounty on Easterbrook's head in Boston. He's been persona non grata since he wrote this gem.

Heheh. So what. With all the Boston brown nosing that Bill Simmons does, good to have someone who calls out coaches for being cheating pricks.

 

[Brother None]

el_Prez]I don't really buy into that whole "weak confernece" thing. All NFL teams compete with each other very strongly. Especially conference rivals. The Cardinals playing the 49ers isn't the same is the Colts playing the 49ers. There is more on the line in confernece games - and it tends to really bring out the competition from both teams.

That's...pretty irrelevant. When someone says "weak conference", then he hardly means "compared to itself", he means "compared to everyone else". NFC West sucks against other conferences, hence it is weak.

el_Prez]But ot have St. Luis to have 3 more wins than the Cardinals - to me, thats absurd.

Sure. Just like it was absurd to have Atlanta or Miami in the playoffs last year. This is still the NFL.

el_Prez]Injury aside, Deon Branch is not very good anymore. He might not be the #2 reciever for the Hawks next year.

He's definitely not. But he doesn't need to be. TJ Houshyodaddy is a better receiver than anyone Hasselbeck ever threw too. Throw in a young, top-10 TE in Carlson, a good supporting cast for TJ in Branch, Burleson and perhaps Butler (good blocker, good route runner), and a RB who can catch passes out of the backfield quite well in JJ, and this is easily a better receiving corps than Hass ever had.

el_Prez]When it comes to injuries - I'd say that's even. We can't really predict who is going to get hurt if either of them do at all - but I'd say they both have about equal chances.

That's ridiculous.
Hasselbeck - doesn't have as much wear 'n tear as his career didn't take off too soon (Warner's wear 'n tear is also relatively light since he spent so long in arenafootball and NFLE, but still not as light as Hass'), has 4 full seasons to his name as a starter, is 34, returning from a single, if niggling, injury
Warner - is 38, has never had back-to-back full seasons, is returning from hip injury

Hass has a back injury, and those can be hard to peg. The odds of him missing a few games are pretty big, yeah. The odds of Warner missing time is 100%, easily.

el_Prez]At first glance it would seem that SEA has the advantage because they are above AZ RBs on the rankings.

The Seahawks running game is set to improve, even FO says as much, pegging Julius Jones for a 1000+ yards season.

el_Prez]OL This one is pretty clear cut EDGE AZ.

Ya weren't listening? Historically the most injured offense since 1996. The OL was one of the worst; Locklear went out, Jones went out, Sims went out. The Hawks played the last two games of the season with the ENTIRE starting offensive line on injured reserve.

el_Prez]WR. Of coures this is where AZ really pulls away.

Oh indeed, no team in the NFL has a better WR corps than Arizona. Won't make a bit of difference when Leinart is throwing to 'em, tho'. Unless Leinart is not a bust, who knows...

Notice you conveniently skipped the entire D. Short analysis: Seahawks decent, Arizona terrible. As much as I admire quite a few of their players individually, and I think getting McFadden was a coup, I don't see them improving while transitioning, and they weren't that good last year.

Team edge: Seahawks. Hurray!

el_Prez]Also, If the addittion of Beanie Wells creates a significantly improved run game - Warner really won't need to carry the offense as much as he did. Even Matt Leinart can win games with a somewhat effective run game and 2 awesome recievers.

He can? He has a 5-9 record throwing to two awesome receivers last time I checked.

el_Prez]Why would you forget that?

Because it's fluky. The Arizona D played better in this offseason than they did in the regular season or will in the next season. And the Hawks were carried on the broad shoulders of Shaun Alexander.

el_Prez]7-8 of those teams finished at or above .500

I could finish above .500 too if all I have to do is stomp on bad teams.

el_Prez]Manny Lawson wasn't a "bust". He's a starter who made a transition from college DE to NFL OLB (which is a very similar position - but still).

Last year he had 45 tackles, 3 sacks and 2 blocked kicks!

Wow, special team plays, just what you're looking for in a first-round draft pick.

Man, I seem to be oozing sarcasm here.

So far, Lawson is a bust. I don't think he'll do well next year, since I fully expect the entire 49ers D to suck and for Willis to have to do all the cleaning again, as their messy transition from 4-3 to hybrid to 3-4 continues.
Injury did shorten last year, so he can still prove himself. In some ways, so can Vernon Davis. But so far, they're both busts. Lawson is just more anonymous about it.

el_Prez]Well, the Raiders are being bled to death slowly by Al Davs - I don't think it's fair to put the 9ers in the same boat.

Why not? After Denise and John York took over in 1999, the 49ers have gone a combined 64-91 in - again - a terrible division. The output of their current GM is bust bust bust and nothing from day 2 drafts. They made the playoffs in 2001 and 2002, sure, but so what? The record under their three last head coaches is 32-64. And I have my doubts about the long-term prospects of Samurai Mike. So far both he and Hill have only shown winning percentages when faced with scrub teams.

The 49ers are a storied franchise, but they're being run into the ground just as much as the Raiders are, or the Lions under Millen. The low quality of the division just masks a lot of that.