I'm really hoping they bring back Goldson. Too much dramatic turnover and change more often does more harm than good. Goldson has given this defense identity, and he strikes fear. He's an intimidator. I would hate to see him go. And with Alex's 8.5 million, and a cool 3 million they will probably save by unloading Akers, it can be done. I also think our safeties didn't appear to perform as well later on because the pass rush fell off, Justin was hurt and Aldon disappeared. Another pass rusher(Avril?) and Whitner and Goldson suddenly wouldn't look like liabilities. Also, replacing Culliver would be a big improvement to the area right away. He was terrible down the stretch. I do think some of his thing also was related to the disappearance of the pass rush, but he also had mental lapses and positioning breakdowns that were just inexcuseable.

As for Akers, bye bye. You can use a draft pick to find a strong-legged college kid who can do at least what Akers did all season, if not better, at a fraction of the cost. Money saved and much better spent on DL or another pass rusher. Or WR.

We do have reason to trust in Baalke and Harbaugh, but I really hope they don't break ties off with Goldson just yet.