So yes, this is another rant about why I don’t like the Anquan Boldin deal as a 49ers fan. But in a simplified manner. It seems I didn’t break down my focal points well and instead, focused on Victor Cruz. My bad. (Click here for original)
What my main point was that six million dollars is a lot to spend on a player that is awaiting release and would likely receive no more than four million dollars per season in the coming years. Also, you lose a key player in the current offensive system, Delanie Walker. An offensive system that put up 31 points in the super bowl. Against a premiere defense not just in the league, but the history of the league.
The offense was not broken one iota.
Kaepernick: “I don’t think we have an offensive weakness. I think our offense is going to come down to our preparation. We have great players, great coaches. It’s going to come down to how hard we work during the week.” On Boldin: “I don’t think you’re going to find anyone in the sixth round that’s going to come in and play like he is right now.”
To focus more on Walker for a second, he was a single roster spot that cost only two-million-dollars per year, but filled the needs of six different positions. Special teams cover. Fullback. Right tackle. Slot receiver. Running back. Tight end.
That’s a lot to refill, with not a lot of options at present day.
The 49ers currently have no options beyond Garrett Celek at the TE2 spot either, leaving the offense in a quandary should Vernon Davis go down.
The 49ers also are without a qualified slot receiver, a void that any fan should hope to see Cruz fill when the new Santa Clara stadium opens up in August 2014 (Don’t forget that the highest paid slot receiver in the NFL is Wes Welker, $6M, and Danny Amendola will receive a maximum average of $5.8M over his new contract. No slot receiver will ever get a contract like a top wide receiver).
They are also without a legitimate deep threat. But that’s not the issue in this particular rant.
This is about restructuring concepts that have plagued the 49ers to falling one step short. Then one step short, again. Anquan Boldin had four regular season touchdowns in 2012. Not really a game changing stat. He was ranked 26th in first down receptions last season. Surely keeping drives going is a key to success, no doubt. But Jacoby Jones scored 14 of the 34 points that Baltimore beat San Francisco with.
The deep threat that spread the defense thin, Culliver and Goldson left backpedalling, as Boldin received another pass for a first down. Without that, Boldin isn’t the same player. Without Torrey Smith making defensive coordinators nervous, Boldin is not the same type of threat. And for the cost of Delanie Walker, Ricky Jean Francois and Ted Ginn Jr.
Three of the best special teams players on the team that lost a super bowl due to one special teams play.
Do I like Boldin? Yes. I like him a lot. He opens up the run game, he is not afraid to go get the ball and creates some matchups problems for certain teams. He might even be able to run over Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor when they press him too hard. I simply don’t like the cost associated with him, particularly considering the impending release due to salary cap issues in Baltimore.
I’m sure Seattle fans understand.