Stop blaming O'Brien and start blaming the ownership and management

[steelbtexan]

AJ did more than enough over the years to earn the opportunity to compete for the #1 role. He didn't deserve O'Brien telling him he's on his way to the glue factory without being given a chance to prove otherwise.

So being honesty with AJ was the wrong thing to do? Father time waits on no one.

 

[Brisco_County]

So being honesty with AJ was the wrong thing to do? Father time waits on no one.

O'Brien easily could've said, "Look bud, we think you're losing a step, but we'll give you a chance to prove us wrong."

That wouldn't have been so hard. And it would've been appropriately professional. But O'Brien had to take the blunt instrument approach to every single thing.

 

[steelbtexan]

O'Brien easily could've said, "Look bud, we think you're losing a step, but we'll give you a chance to prove us wrong."

That wouldn't have been so hard. And it would've been appropriately professional. But O'Brien had to take the blunt instrument approach to every single thing.

Telling AJ he was going to probably catch 40 balls next season was telling him what you are saying. It also gave AJ the chance to find another team to play for if he disagreed with BOB. The way I see it is BOB gave AJ options and AJ took that option. Like I said, if this can happen to Montana/Rice/Hakeem then it's just part of doing business.

 

[Brisco_County]

Telling AJ he was going to probably catch 40 balls next season was telling him what you are saying. It also gave AJ the chance to find another team to play for if he disagreed with BOB. The way I see it is BOB gave AJ options and AJ took that option. Like I said, if this can happen to Montana/Rice/Hakeem then it's just part of doing business.

I don't think O'Brien insinuated a "probably" or a real opportunity for AJ to compete. His intention was clear enough to encourage AJ to seek an exit.

AJ was not an exception to age related decline, but he earned the opportunity to let the game determine when he was done with the Texans and an offense he already knew.

 

[Lucky]

Fans should get attached to the team not the players.

That’s a sad way to be a fan. I’m a fan of the team and it’s the players that make the team. I never forget the guys that played here, even if they move on.

I’ll never forget you, Jon Weeks.

 

[Thorn]

May I point out the obvious that you can be a fan in any manner you like?

 

[steelbtexan]

That’s a sad way to be a fan. I’m a fan of the team and it’s the players that make the team. I never forget the guys that played here, even if they move on.

I’ll never forget you, Jon Weeks.

True, but if this happens to every org.

Packers- Favre
49ers Montana-Rice
Cowboys- Emmitt
Philly McNabb
Etc.... it's part of the business

 

[steelbtexan]

I don't think O'Brien insinuated a "probably" or a real opportunity for AJ to compete. His intention was clear enough to encourage AJ to seek an exit.

AJ was not an exception to age related decline, but he earned the opportunity to let the game determine when he was done with the Texans and an offense he already knew.

Montana- Rice
Favre
Emmitt

Would disagree with this post.

 

[texanhead08]

AJ was done he just didn't realize it you could say it was like when the Rockets wouldn't give Hakeem a third year and he went to the Raptors and barely made it through one year and retired.

 

[JB]

For those that forgot or weren't paying attention, the issue was never if AJ was done or not. It was about OB's handling of the situation

 

[ShinobiMusashi]

He did, he signed a one day contract and retired with the Texans. What makes AJ different than say Montana and Rice, or Watt for that matter. Fans should get attached to the team not the players.

I like the Redskins approach to guy like Riggins, was pretty well done at 35 after putting in all he had in 1984. The Redskins didn't need him in 1985, he wasn't going to start, he was 36 and they knew they couldn't base their offense around him as the #1 ballcarrier anymore. But they kept him around another season in 1985 as a thank you for what he had done there. So he had 600-something rushing yards in 85 on 170+ carries but that didn't matter, Riggins didn't go out as a Cardinal or a Cowboy meant something. That kind of stuff gives a team a culture, a backbone, a soul. Something this team has pretty clearly struggled to find in my 23-24 years as a fan. That type of loyalty to Riggins perpetuated a culture for a team that won 2 more Super Bowls in 87 and 91 for that team. This team could maybe learn something from that approach.

Montana should have been kept around and given a shot to keep running that offense, that 49ers team only winning 1 title with Steve Young says it all. How you can justify that 49er team only winning 1 ring during those Steve Young years with the talent they had around him I'd be interested to hear. They played different when Montana was under center, hard for me to imagine they lose at home in 92 NFCCG against a team as young as Dallas with him in there. Or that they don't play with more heart in 93 with him(he didn't get a first round bye in the AFC playoffs that year with KC). And I'm sure Montana could have got it done in 94 too with what they had around him on that team that season. Montana had got it done for them and won 4 Super Bowls for them, no loyalty they move on and go with Steve Young. They could have got a lot in trading Steve Young, kept Bono as Montana's backup since you knew he was going to miss a few games a year. So I would argue not letting Montana retire as a 49er was a huge huge mistake and they could have won possibly 1-2 more Super Bowls with him than what they did with Steve Young.

Same goes for Jerry Rice. How can you argue that was a positive move for the culture of the 49ers going into the 2000's? Look at where they went after that. T.O. wrecked the team and they went to **** quick, T.O. was gone after 2003 and they were the worst team in football by 2004. And look how long it took them to re-establish a new winning culture there after that was lost. Moving on from Montana and Rice and letting them go play and retire on different teams was a mistake for San Fran I would argue.

Watt to me is an all time legend and near god level for me. 2014 I think he was one of the best players in NFL history at any position. But as much as I love that man I still have him a tier below the man, Andre Johnson, hands down the best Texan player in franchise history, the original backbone of the team. That's just me being a fan of this team since day 1 not when they started making the playoffs. Andre should have never left this team and then retired as a Texan, whatever they had to do to make that happen should have happened. Look how it turned out the guy that ran him off tried to kill the franchise.

 

[steelbtexan]

I like the Redskins approach to guy like Riggins, was pretty well done at 35 after putting in all he had in 1984. The Redskins didn't need him in 1985, he wasn't going to start, he was 36 and they knew they couldn't base their offense around him as the #1 ballcarrier anymore. But they kept him around another season in 1985 as a thank you for what he had done there. So he had 600-something rushing yards in 85 on 170+ carries but that didn't matter, Riggins didn't go out as a Cardinal or a Cowboy meant something. That kind of stuff gives a team a culture, a backbone, a soul. Something this team has pretty clearly struggled to find in my 23-24 years as a fan. That type of loyalty to Riggins perpetuated a culture for a team that won 2 more Super Bowls in 87 and 91 for that team. This team could maybe learn something from that approach.

Montana should have been kept around and given a shot to keep running that offense, that 49ers team only winning 1 title with Steve Young says it all. How you can justify that 49er team only winning 1 ring during those Steve Young years with the talent they had around him I'd be interested to hear. They played different when Montana was under center, hard for me to imagine they lose at home in 92 NFCCG against a team as young as Dallas with him in there. Or that they don't play with more heart in 93 with him(he didn't get a first round bye in the AFC playoffs that year with KC). And I'm sure Montana could have got it done in 94 too with what they had around him on that team that season. Montana had got it done for them and won 4 Super Bowls for them, no loyalty they move on and go with Steve Young. They could have got a lot in trading Steve Young, kept Bono as Montana's backup since you knew he was going to miss a few games a year. So I would argue not letting Montana retire as a 49er was a huge huge mistake and they could have won possibly 1-2 more Super Bowls with him than what they did with Steve Young.

Same goes for Jerry Rice. How can you argue that was a positive move for the culture of the 49ers going into the 2000's? Look at where they went after that. T.O. wrecked the team and they went to **** quick, T.O. was gone after 2003 and they were the worst team in football by 2004. And look how long it took them to re-establish a new winning culture there after that was lost. Moving on from Montana and Rice and letting them go play and retire on different teams was a mistake for San Fran I would argue.

Watt to me is an all time legend and near god level for me. 2014 I think he was one of the best players in NFL history at any position. But as much as I love that man I still have him a tier below the man, Andre Johnson, hands down the best Texan player in franchise history, the original backbone of the team. That's just me being a fan of this team since day 1 not when they started making the playoffs. Andre should have never left this team and then retired as a Texan, whatever they had to do to make that happen should have happened. Look how it turned out the guy that ran him off tried to kill the franchise.

You certainly are a fan of players.

Riggins is an outlier.