Brandon Jacobs (1 Viewer)

[Ghost of Bill Walsh]

Jacobs signing may push Dixon off the team and he'll certainly take GL carries so that might hurt Gore's value some. We've now signed two NYG's(Manningham,Jacobs) coming off a SB win. We've also signed a retired WR in Randy Moss. We made it to the NFC title game last year but will these recent signings be enough to get us over the hump and to the Superbowl? Not sure. If we see an improvement from Alex Smith it could really send us on our way to a title but if he doesn't play at a top level I'm not so sure he'll win us a superbowl. What do you guys think about these recent additions to the 49ers. Can they hep us tae the next step?

Manningham- could be a decent #2 guy if he works hard & stays healthy

Jacobs- still brings baggage with him but Harbaugh won't have it. Maybe a new team will inspire him? Time will tell.

Moss- how much does he have left and can Smith get it deep enough to him. He's also an attitude problem that could erupt at any time.

With both Jacobs & Moss the Niners are taking a chance that could backfire on them at any time and the season could be a rough one if that happens. How do some of you see this playing out?

 

[jdubs952]

Give him a hole and that man will run over the 2nd level and average 5-6 YPC. Look at jacobs stats in 2010 = 5.6 YPC

Giants were terrible run blocking in 2011. Jacobs still has something left

 

[Hendo]

I think Jacobs is finished, hes an aging bruising RB that was out played by Bradshaw. I'm staying far far away.

 

[finito]

I think Jacobs is finished, hes an aging bruising RB that was out played by Bradshaw. I'm staying far far away.

He doesn't make much on his own, but with an improved offensive line he can be pretty good.

 

[johnadams]

All those signing won't mean a thing if Smith doesn't progress past mediocre. SF 2011 offense won't wash in 2012. Every team in their division will be better (ARI finished 7-2 with one win over SF, SEA closed 5-3 with one loss to SF and one to ARI, and STL has to be better). I'm hopeful that Smith's 2011 improvements were a product of finally having a coach that understands QBs and that another year will have even greater strides, but the skeptic in me says that Kaepernick better develop faster than I think he will. But if not, we've seen as far as SF can go. They can bring in the ghost of Jerry Rice, Roger Craig, and John Taylor and still not get to the promised land if Smith doesn't progress.

BTW, Moss will not backfire. Worst case, he gets cut. Harbaugh won't let a locker room issue stay around when the guy is on a one year contract.

 

[Avery]

Give him a hole and that man will run over the 2nd level and average 5-6 YPC. Look at jacobs stats in 2010 = 5.6 YPCGiants were terrible run blocking in 2011. Jacobs still has something left

He's a load that tends to run too upright and tends to try to be too nifty, especially near the line of scrimmage. That style, gives him a reputation for running "soft" for a big guy for he can get chopped down relatively easily near the line. If he breaks through, he runs with better lean once he gets to the second level and looks much tougher there.So if the line can regularly get him to the second level, he would do just fine.

 

[scothawk]

Getting near pre draft cut down time in my 45 man roster IDP dynasty league.

My RBs need help but I still think I will cut this guy rather than hold him. I dont want to wait until September to see how he is used in this offense but before that there is a small chance he doesnt even make the 49ers squad.

Floor and ceiling are the opposite way from where I want them now with this guy.

 

[houndirish]

Maybe this belongs in the "Official Niners 2012" thread but seeing as I'm a Giants fan I'm not sure if I'm allowed to post there.

Here's my take on the Niners upcoming season:

That defense clearly is championship caliber. They were a play or two away from making the Super Bowl thanks in large part to the strong overall play by that unit. I don't see it getting any weaker this season and with another year of playing together and knowing each other's assignments, you figure there's even more wrinkles they can inflict on opposing offenses.

On offense there was a major need to add playmakers. I'm not convinced Moss will look 5 years younger but playing on a winning team with a legitimate Super Bowl chance will keep him motivated enough to contribute and provide an upgrade at WR versus what was there. Manningham is a good signing if you maintain the perspective that he is a contributor, not a carrier, of the receiving corps. Mario isn't going to command doubleteams and if he actually did get them he won't beat them. He's athletic and can get good separation but he's a sloppy route runner, he's not physical and his hands are average. I don't see Manningham making Alex Smith better since he won't outmuscle a defender to snare a ball and he may not always be exactly where Smith thinks he's going to be based on his route running. Despite his age, I think Moss will help Smith more because he can outbattle a defender for a ball or simply outrun them. It'll be interesting to see what the Niners do on 3rd down passing situations. Besides V-Davis, there doesn't appear to be a reliable target that can be trusted.

Jacobs will be a role player. Dixon has done nothing to impress so Jacobs will likely fill the spot Dixon had. Jacobs is a plodder who can serve a valuable role getting 8-10 carries a game. He has enough legs to still give defenses problems assuming there's a hole to run through. He doesn't make anyone miss and the only time he runs over defenders is once he's past the line of scrimmage and has some momentum. The Giants didn't do him any favors in short yardage situations as they completely sold out and lined up in jumbo double tight ends sets and essentially told the D they were going to steamroll forward for a yard to get a first down or a score. Seems like Gilbride could've made it a lot easier by splitting out some receivers wide to at least keep the D a bit more honest and prevent them from completely selling out to stop the run up the gut. Jacobs is better than he appeared the last two years on short yardage but that being said, he's still a surprising easy stop for a guy his size if you hit him in the backfield. He also has a horrible habit of trying to bounce it outside even though he can't outrun d-linemen, much less linebackers. Don't expect Jacobs "mouthy nature" to end because he's playing for Harbaugh. Coughlin is every bit the disciplinarian Harbaugh is but that didn't prevent Jacobs from being a bonehead at times. That's just the type of player he is.

I don't see the Niners going 13-3 again but that's primarily because they'll be facing a stiffer schedule. Good news for SF fans is the division hasn't gotten a lot better so they should be a shoo-in for 4-5 divisional wins. 11-5 and another division title looks pretty attainable.

 

[drummer]

They'll use Jacobs more in the Jumbo packages Harbaugh runs, for power and size. The 49ers since McGloughan to Baalke have been building with beef in mind in the trenches. Beat writer Kevin Lynch thinks McGlouhan tried to build the 49ers into a early 90's Dallas Cowboys mold, but on steroids. Baalke was a scout for McGloughan, and the team is now built for Harbaugh's power run game, even though Harbaugh wasn't in the picture at the time.

Mike Nolan and Mike Singeltary had the same idea of smashmouth, but couldn't coach it out of a paper bag. McGlouhan drafted size and BPA, but the downside of some of that was speed. Jacobs is more spackle on a hole than a feature, yet goal line offense with he back there and maybe Soap on the line gives Harbaugh more of his threat of the run that should help the 3rd down and RZ passing offense. Which should help David Akers when he lines up over center in the RZ .

 

[Bri]

Jacobs couldn't be more transparent. We all know what the Niners got in Jacobs.

He has been utilized in a well schemed RB share for most of his career and as long as the Niners make his role clear to him, he'll probably be a good role player. He whines if he doesn't know what his role is.

He can wear down a D and give Gore a breather. He can take anything a D can dish out and then give them a shot back. IMO He's an awesome fill-in for a breather and Gore will benefit.

The TD vulture stuff will be overplayed. The predictability of Jacobs getting the rock forces a coach or OC to call a different play and leaves the outside WR with some space. Tiki raced to the corner and Plax caught a ton of lobs while Jacobs was there. It would seem to me Ds expected Gore plenty so I'm not sure if there is a change. I don't even know that Jacobs is better than Gore at the GL. To be candid, I'd prefer the Niners line up VD out wide like a receiver on GL packages. On an island out there, I think he wins that battle against most CBs. Young Moss would surely do well like Plax, I don't know if he still has "ups."

Maybe the only thing not discussed in these Niners threads is Jacobs in practice.

A million years ago Osi said how tired and beat up he got in practice and that he was glad to not have to tackle Jacobs on gameday. Oh so many Giants concurred ever since.

Yes the NFL has different contact practice rules now for the regular season. During the summer, I think the defenders are going to hate a coach calling the same short yardage play over and over and having to stop Jacobs.

I wasn't sure how or if the Niners could improve their excellent D, this is a great idea. Despite plenty of toughness, they'll be even tougher now. Further, I wouldn't be surprised if their GL D is a smidge better in 2012.

The Giants generally had the worst LBs in their franchise's storied LB history during Jacobs tenure and Coughlin has really tried to address it time and again in practice. Their DL has been phenomenal during his tenure with the Gmen surely learning they couldn't count on LBs having their back. The Niners are different, no doubt, but Coughlin saw huge value in having Jacobs at practice and I gotta believe Harbaugh will too. I would guess every single camp some pampered soul got plowed over by him giving a half-way effort. Jacobs is good to have around.