What started as a nightmare of an offseason for the San Francisco 49ers with the firing of head coach Jim Harbaugh, has now gone from bad to worse with the news of not one but two of the team's star linebackers announcing their early retirement from the game of football less than a week between one another. After learning just days ago that the 49ers would be without All-Pro linebacker Patrick Willis who has been the heartbeat of the San Francisco defense since being drafted eight years ago, news broke that the team's brightest young star on defense -- Chris Borland, is also walking away from the sport just one year into his professional career. While Willis, 30, admitted it was past injuries that led to his decision, most notably those to his feet which he explained have bothered him for years during his press conference, the 24-year old Borland cited the dangers of what could happen rather than what did as his reason to hang 'em up.
It's no secret that the game of football is as dangerous as any with what we know today regarding the studies of repeated head trauma that occur during tackles and after doing his research, Borland is among those well aware of the safety concerns and long-term effects it could have on ones life. But it does come as a shocker with Borland announcing his decision so early on in his career. Selected out of the University of Wisconsin in the third round of last year's NFL Draft, Borland shined and was a tackling-machine for the 49er defense after getting the starting nod in Week 7 when asked to fill in for the injured Patrick Willis. From his Week 7 start until Week 15 when he suffered an injury of his own, the rookie linebacker led the league in tackles with 98, eight more than the next closest player during that span and was awarded Defensive Rookie of the Month for the month of November. Borland led the 49ers with 108 total tackles while averaging a tackle per every 4.5 snaps played which was the best in the league. In the wake of Willis announcing his retirement plans, the expectations for Borland next season were sure to skyrocket following his impressive rookie campaign. Instead, the team will now be left searching for an alternative replacement who's unlikely to step up in the way Borland was capable of while also holding their fingers crossed that Pro Bowl linebacker NaVorro Bowman can return to full strength after missing all of last season with ACL and MCL tears in his left knee.
As if the 49ers weren't already expected to showcase a completely different team defensively in 2015 under a new regime with former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio departing for the Chicago Bears, the franchise will virtually feature an entirely new roster with both Willis and Borland gone as well as fellow linebacker Dan Skuta, cornerbacks Chris Culliver and Perrish Cox all signing elsewhere for bigger paydays. The defense isn't the only area that was dealt a blow in the early goings of the offseason, however, as the Niners' o-line saw their 3-time Pro-Bowl guard Mike Iupati sign with the rival Arizona Cardinals. Another name that will soon follow is Michael Crabtree who's a free-agent and isn't expected to return with the team that drafted him in 2009. And then there's the franchise's all-time leading rusher in Frank Gore who inked a contract with the Indianapolis Colts over the weekend after 10 memorable seasons in San Francisco. The busy free-agent frenzy wasn't all about losing players, though, as the 49ers also made a number of acquisitions by signing 3-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle/defensive end Darnell Dockett who the team is quite familiar with having played his entire 11-year career in Arizona. Other signings include cornerback Shareece Wright formerly of the San Diego Chargers, running back Reggie Bush who gives the Niners another dimension in the running game after spending the last two seasons with Detroit and former Ravens wide-out Torrey Smith who provides the 49er offense with a deep threat they've so desperately needed.
As for the linebacker position, the unexpected retirement of two of their top three players at the position has to throw off the team's initial plans heading into next month's NFL Draft, but it's better to have happened now rather than after the draft. It would be hard not to see the Niners address the position come Draft day, however, unless they plan to hang onto Michael Wilhoite who was recently placed on the trading block or decide to possibly kick the tires on LB Nick Moody who saw limited action on the field a season ago.
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Over the last decade or so, the NFL has become the entertainment powerhouse of the world. Leaving most of its competitors in the dust, the multi-billion dollar brand that is the National Football League is the reigning champ when it comes to being the most lucrative product in the U.S. and has always been about "more." With the proposals of more regular season games being added to the NFL schedule to the addition of more playoff teams thrown into the postseason mix, rule changes are also a hot topic and is something the league looks to add more of. And with the NFL Annual Meetings this week, many of those potential rule changes that were discussed whether accepted and declined, were the talk of the sports world. Here's just a few rule changes the NFL looks to tackle at the start of the 2014 regular season.
One of the most talked about and more controversial rule changes that the league hopes to take head on is banning the use of the 'N' word. In hopes of cracking down on those who use the word on the field, officials will now be assessing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against anyone who's seen or heard using the term which derives from and often reminds us of some of the darkest days our country has ever seen. In the eyes of league officials, cleaning up the language used on the field and eliminating this word is the NFL's way of addressing a mutual respect sportsmanship issue according to the suits. Though playing football in the NFL isn't your everyday occupation, it's a job nonetheless and if someone working at the grocery store for example isn't allowed to use the word when on duty, the same should be said in this case. Not to mention the case that if not all players can say it (those that aren't African American), nobody should be able to. But then again there's always the possibility of calling the penalty on the wrong player which could could open up a can of worms and cause more harm than good.
While the next potential rule change isn't exactly as controversial as the last one, it's guaranteed to be equally as unpopular among players. Having taken a bad wrap for being known as the "No Fun League," the NFL just got a lot less fun for players who enjoy celebrating a certain way after scoring a touchdown. Several seasons ago the NFL went forward with the ban on using the football as a prop immediately following celebratory antics by the creative minds of Chad Ochocinco and Terrell Owens among others who didn't quite invent the touchdown celebration but without a doubt changed the way we look at them today. Starting next season, officials will be issuing penalties to those who dunk the football through the goalpost. While it's not yet known how many yards will be assessed on the call, this has to be devastating news for Saints tight-end Jimmy Graham who's made it his signature move after paying the end zone a visit. With 41 career touchdown receptions under his belt, including a personal-best 16 TD's last season which led the league, Graham slamming the ball through the uprights has become just as synonymous with his game as his scoring ability. Unfortunately for him, it'll now be followed by a penalty unless he picks up a new move.
But Graham can't get too infuriated regarding the rule change because he's partially to blame. During a road meeting with the division-rival Atlanta Falcons back in November, Graham scored a go-ahead touchdown and put an exclamation mark on the play by dunking the ball Shaquille O'Neal style with two hands, tilting the goalpost in the process. What would end up being a goalpost malfunction, would create a delay of game, requiring a maintenance crew to bring out a ladder and a level to straighten things out (pun intended). Graham took to his Twitter account after news broke about the new rule change, giving us some laughs by tweeting: "I guess I'll just have to lead the NFL in penalties next year! #FunPolice". Antonio Gates of the San Diego Chargers is another dunk happy tight-end that'll be saddened by this news. Meanwhile, former tight-end Tony Gonzalez who like Graham and Gates comes from a basketball background and also took to the slam dunk quite a few times throughout his Hall of Fame career, seems to have hung it up at the perfect time as he announced his retirement at the end of last season.
While adding another 5 feet to the goalpost was passed with little debate, potentially tweaking the PAT (point after touchdown) to the 25 yard line has not yet been approved and will be tested during the first two preseason games starting at the 20. It's no wonder that kickers successfully converted on 1,256 of 1,261 extra point attempts this past season, making the PAT virtually outdated and downright unnecessary given how automatic they are. Commissioner Roger Goodell who's looking to breathe some excitement back into the PAT, is hoping this proposed experiment which would basically make the extra point a 37-yard field goal attempt, will do just that. It'll also be a hell of a lot more exciting for teams in the mid-west or far east who play outdoors and endure extreme weather conditions. Assuming it gets approved, it'll also be interesting to see what influence this will have on teams in favor of the two-point conversion.
A few other needed adjustments moving forward include what's being called the "NaVorro Bowman Rule" which allows officials to make the recovery of a loose ball in the field of play a reviewable call. This comes after the blunder that took place during January's NFC Championship between the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks in which Bowman severely injured his knee after clearly recovering a fumble to no avail due to the play being non-reviewable. And while we're on the subject of reviews, refs can now seek help if needed by consulting with the officiating department in New York during replay review. Lastly, the game clock will now continue following a quarterback sack outside of two minutes. While many including myself would say the league has tacked on far too many penalties when it comes to hits on the quarterback or players in general, this latest batch of proposed rule changes seem a lot more tolerable than those added in the past.
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