This. We just don't have the personnel for the 3-4 defense. Rob Ryan brought some guys in but they are out for the year. I'm sorry, but when Will Smith is swinging your 3-4 you're fucked.
You're right about Smith, but we don't play a true 3-4. As mentioned, they don't have to be great. They just have to be better than last year, which they will be.
Just saw that as well, CS. The good news is, I don't think he was ever a long-term solution at LB anyway. I think sometime this season he would have lost the job to Wilson. The bad news is, Wilson will have to step up now, and he may not physically be ready yet. Also, the door opens for yet another UFA to make this team, probably Eric Martin.
Man that is brutal news. Our D can't catch a break this year. I agree he is not a long term solution. But he is good enough for this year's D.
Smith's injury didn't look like it was that bad and he was able to walk off the field. Guess he's pretty tough. The light at the end of the tunnel is that the Saints traded for 49ers OLB Parys Haralson today. A damn good player and probably an improvement over Smith at the position.
I'm reading some encouraging things from 49rs fans about him. Seems to be damn solid player who just got caught up in a numbers game in a corp of excellent players.
He was the "Will Smith" of the 49ers, in that he was the 49ers' longest-tenured player just like Will Smith is the Saints' longest-tenured player. He joins Jabari Greer as the other John Chavis-Tennessee product on the Saints D A DE in high school in Mississippi, Haralson was #70 on the Rivals250 as a 4-star DE and #114 on the Scout300 as a 4-star DE (compare to Mingo who was #138 on the Scout300 and #155 on the Rivals250, 4-star on both) Haralson chose to play for Chavis at Tennessee over offers from Florida, Georgia and in-state Miss State and Ole Miss As a 3-year starting left DE for Chavis at Tennessee, Haralson was team captain and 2nd Team All-SEC as both a junior and senior, putting up the following numbers even though he was not redshirted: 2005 - 8.5 sacks, 12 QBH, 16.5 TFL, 45 tackles, 3 forced fumbles 2004 - 7 sacks, 21 QBH, 13.5 TFL, 43 tackles, 2 forced fumbles 2003 - 4.5 sacks, ? QBH, 14.5 TFL, 44 tackles 2002 - 1 sack, ? QBH, 2 TFL, 25 tackles Compare to Mingo at LSU (who was also 2nd Team All-SEC in his 3rd and 4th years): 2012 - 4.5 sacks, 12 QBH, 8.5 TFL, 38 tackles, 2 forced fumbles 2011 - 8 sacks, 11 QBH, 15 TFL, 46 tackles, 1 forced fumble 2010 - 2.5 sacks, 4 QBH, 5.5 TFL, 35 tackles, 1 forced fumble 2009 - redshirt in Tennessee's last victory over LSU (Miles' first year), it was the only time Haralson played vs LSU. He had 2 sacks, 3 TFL, and 5 tackles. His sacks were the only two Tennessee sacks of the game (both to JaMarcus Russell) and his 2 sacks and 3 TFL were more than any LSU or Tennessee player had in the game
