The scale of changes in Baltimore is perhaps not surprising given the overall age of the team and the fact they just reached the summit of the sport, but I'm struck by just how many starters or near starters are leaving San Francisco too.

So far we've lost Smith, Walker, Sopoaga, Jean-Francois, Goldson and Akers, with Ginn likely to follow shortly. I'm wondering how many of these departures were planned regardless of the outcome of the Super Bowl.

If reports can be believed, it seems they were, with a view to freeing up enough money to wrap up young players like Iupati, Davis and Kaepernick next year, even if it means making some sacrifices on defense. As one writer pointed out, the 49ers invested heavily in their defense in order to get the team on track to contention but now it's time to make needed investments in the offense. I wonder what kind of effect that shift will have on the team over the next few years.

Last Edited By: Win80 03/14/13 05:43 PM. Edited 1 times.