The 49ers Final 53

So the niners have pared down their roster to the final 53. There were some notable cuts, and noticeable keeps:

CUT: Darnell Dockett - I truly don't undersatnd this move. One, the 49ers lack veteran leadership, especially after Patrick Willis and Justin Smith retired. Why not let Dockett fester on the bench until he gets strong enough to be a factor? Let him mentor Armstead, Carradine, Dial, etc? Oh, that's right, you want to save money. Let's hope Dockett doesn't get it all together, go back to AZ so him and Calais Campbell can destroy our O-Line with anger and vengeance.

CUT: Nick Moody - He was playing with the first unit while Wilhoite recovered and he looked good and made lots of tackles. Was he better than Bellore and/or Skov? Probably...but can he play special teams like them? Probably not.

KEEP: DeAndrew White - He could easily play his way into more PT than Quinton Patton. Patton has been a disappointment, and White looked great in the preseason.

KEEP: Kendall Hunter - They stashed him on IR and he could've easily been cut. It sounds like he doesn't have that initial burst after all the injuries. We'll see.

KEEP: Jarryd Hayne - Let's hope he gets activated on Sundays and shows what he can do on the returns. Thats a big if tho, as he might be on the 53 for marketing, which would be typical 49ers.

All in all, I expect the defense to be strong and keep the 49ers in most games. The corners are very young, as are the safteties behind Bethea. If that group can stay healthy and play to their potential, and if the DL can get some pressure on the QB, then this defense could be better than last year, even with the huge losses.

The key then, again, is Kaep. Can he see the 2nd and 3rd receivers? Did the work with the grocery bagger Kurt Warner improve his vision? Can Hyde/Bush/Davis take over where Gore left off? Can the O-Line, who looks extremely bad, solidify and put together some good play? We'll see. But at this point the key folks around the league are saying 7-9. I'd like to say 9-7. What do you think?