Chris Borland

[Thrashen]

Today is a potentially career-defining moment for 49ers rookie LB, Chris Borland. Patrick Willis’ toe injury has caused the veteran to be placed on IR, leaving Borland the starter at MLB for the remainder of the season. Willis was injured right before halftime of the 49ers-Rams game on October 13. Since then, in some 3.5 games of work, Borland has registered 45 tackles, 1 sack, 2 PD, 1 FR, and 5 TFL.

Like so many thousands upon thousands of other white American teenagers, Borland was an amazing high school athlete in the state of Ohio. In addition to being a tackling-machine at LB, he was also one of the best running backs in the state and his team (Archbishop Alter High School) won their only two state football titles during Borland’s junior and senior seasons. He was also the state champion in shot-put and discus. The most surprising aspect of his biography is that he actually wasn’t a collegiate “walk-on,” unlike so many current and former NCAA/NFL players who are white.

Something tells me this guy will be terrorizing Negroes for a long time.

 

[Riggins44]

Borland would be going to the Pro Bowl this year if he has enough games played. Not sure what the minimum is. He is already playing like one of the best MLBs in the league. Of course we at CF know that production is no guarantee of playing time in the NFL if you are white. But if you are playing at the JJ Watt, Clay Matthews, Luke Kuechly level, they just can't keep you on the bench.

I picked him up in my fantasy league last week. Glad I did!

 

[celticdb15]

Proving that all around he was best lb in last years draft class! Been following his career for years and it couldn't happen to a better more talented guy. The Zack Thomas reincarnation comparisons are spot on. On the field he sideline to sideline player and 5'11 245 is great size for his body type.

 

[PHillisFan]

I dont know, but kind of reminds me of a young Chris Speilman. I hate what the 49ers have become, but i will root for Borland.

 

[Thrashen]

A surprisingly-good article about Borland from, of all places, NFL.com…

Chris Borland is going to force the San Francisco 49ers into a difficult personnel decision next year.

The third-round rookie has racked up 47 tackles over the past three games. In Sunday's victory over the Giants, he became the first 49ers linebacker since Ken Norton Jr. in 1995 to record two interceptions in the same game.

Despite starting just four games, Borland is second only to Luke Kuechly in Pro Football Focus' inside linebacker ratings for the season. He is even beginning to draw consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
"He's like a thief in the night," coach Jim Harbaugh beamed Monday, "coming to steal your football."

Perhaps the most telling sign of Borland's value is that Vic Fangio's defense hasn't missed a beat with five-time first-team All-Pro Patrick Willis out of the lineup.

The 2013 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year set the conference record for career forced fumbles. He was a demon at the line of scrimmage during his Wisconsin career, but slid in the 2014 NFL Draft due to size (5-foot-11) and straight-line speed (4.83 40-yard dash) concerns.

What jumps off the screen on Game Rewind is that Borland boasts impeccable instincts, above-average power and better than expected closing speed, resulting in the best run-stop percentage in the league.
"He's just dripping with instincts," NFL Media's Daniel Jeremiah explained Monday on NFL NOW's Scout's Eye. "We like to say in scouting, 'You really want a linebacker to shoot his gun and make a decision.' ... And he does that."

If Borland has a weakness, it might eventually surface in man coverage. As Jeremiah points out, though, he has been impressive as a zone defender.

With Willis out for the season, Borland is locked into the starting lineup through 2014. His 2015 role will hinge on All-Pro NaVorro Bowman's form in returning from reconstructive knee surgery the rest of the way.

The bottom line is the total Borland package is too good to keep off the field.
How the 49ers deal with that realization will be one of the many interesting stories to track out of the Bay Area during the offseason.

Link: http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap30...land-emerging-as-star-for-san-francisco-49ers

Pretty high praise for a white rookie, especially from a Caste Media knowing that Borland is making DWF's forget Patrick Willis. In watching him play over the past month, I believe that Borland is a better linebacker than Luke Kuechly. He’s always around the ball-carrier, he’s great in coverage, he’s sheds blockers with amazing efficiency, he’s always swiping at the ball, and he shoots the gaps with reckless abandon. He doesn’t seem to be an “awe shucks, boy scout” type, either, judging by some of his primeval, post-play antics…

With 6 games remaining, Borland is on pace for 140 tackles. Patrick Willis, who has been an undeniably great player for years, is signed through 2017. We’ll see what happens this off-season.

 

[jaxvid]

Borland, Kuechly, Watts, soon every NFL defense is going to want one of these white guys playing on it. But just one.

 

[woody39]

Looks like Patrick Willis is going to retire according to espn's schefter, which solidifies Borlands starting position for them and should see his star continue to rise!

 

[FootballDad]

Looks like Patrick Willis is going to retire according to espn's schefter, which solidifies Borlands starting position for them and should see his star continue to rise!

This is somewhat fascinating. Willis just turned 30, which isn't that old for a star LB, and has only played 8 years. Either his injury recovery did not go well or he doesn't want to try to compete with Borland for the starting gig. Knowing the black psyche, I wouldn't be surprised if that second guess wasn't the main reason.

 

[Thrashen]

Awesome news! I believe that Borland has the potential to be better than all of the current white star LB’s (Kuechly, Lee, Laurinaitis, Posluszny, Greenway, Matthews, Cushing, Alonso, Worrilow, etc). With one full season as the starter, he could seriously challenge Chris Spielman’s single-season NFL tackle record from 1994, where he recorded 194 stops…

 

[celticdb15]

Awesome news! I believe that Borland has the potential to be better than all of the current white star LB’s (Kuechly, Lee, Laurinaitis, Posluszny, Greenway, Matthews, Cushing, Alonso, Worrilow, etc). With one full season as the starter, he could seriously challenge Chris Spielman’s single-season NFL tackle record from 1994, where he recorded 194 stops…

Wow knew Speilman was LB but didn't know he was the man like that! He's also a very fair intelligent announcer. I've watched a few games he's call ed!

 

[Don Wassall]

Accurate tackle stats unfortunately are often difficult to obtain, and there is a large variance in how solo tackles and assisted tackles are awarded from team to team (the home team is in charge of defensive stats for NFL games). I was trying to find the tackle stats for the now forgotten Scott Studwell, who was an incredible tackling machine at linebacker for the Vikings from 1977 to 1990, but there's nothing from before 2001. I did find this snippet on Wikipedia:

"[Studwell] retired as the Vikings all-time leading tackler with 1,981 in his career and holds team records for single-season tackles with 230 in 1981 and 24 in a game against Detroit in 1985."

 

[Leonardfan]

I wouldn't be surprised if hgh/steroid abuse played a role in Patrick Willis injury and decision to retire.

 

[davidholly]

...and he's retired. White players have to be much more conscious of concussions I guess. Much more to lose from them.

 

[celticdb15]

****!

 

[whiteathlete33]

All I can say is wow! Here is a guy who had the potential to be the best linebacker in the entire league, maybe even better than Kuechly. It's not like he made a lot of money as he's only a rookie. He must had seen some very conclusive evidence about how dangerous the game really is.

 

[Thrashen]

Borland didn’t have a single diagnosed concussion as a rookie in the NFL, he just "researched concussions," is worried about getting one, and is "being proactive" by retiring.

Instead of retiring from a job that could earn you millions of dollars, permit you to express your masculinity (in a world devoid of that right), and make you famous in a handful of years (in which there are long off-seasons with no contact), why not just wear better head equipment? Wes Welker, who actually had multiple concussions, started wearing an extra-large helmet and was fine ever since…

Why not try something like that instead of bowing out after one season like a p-ssy? Borland played fantastic and earned the starting job, Willis retired, and it was a perfect circumstance for Borland’s impending stardom. Think of all the hundreds of white LB’s that were every bit as dominant as Borland in college, but never got the chance to be drafted (due to the Caste System) and start as a rookie.
Our only hope is that he’ll reconsider this inexplicable decision in the next few months.​

 

[Lew]

Well said Thrashen. I feel the same way

 

[Awake in America]

A relatively simple helmet design with a very thin layer of soft padding on the outside would solve a huge part of the concussion issue. Players have used them in the past (Mark Kelso, for instance). High school players are wearing an outer padding more and more. The NFL says almost nothing on the subject. Why?

Locker retiring was one thing; the guy had multiple injuries in a short period of time. Borland should be a warning shot to the NFL. They need to stop trying to make tackling illegal, and find a better helmet solution.

 

[seattlefan]

I find his retirement bizarre. It also happened to a promising white receiver a year or two ago(name?). Not that many NFL players end up with serious brain injuries in their retirement. Borland isn't even from a wealthy background from what I can tell. What's he gonna do now really, work some job for 60k/year?

 

[Wes Woodhead]

When Ryan Swope retired I knew this new concussion concern was going to start ending young White players careers prematurely. Expect more of this at an increased rate in the future.

Has any young black player done anything like this?

 

[Thrashen]

I find his retirement bizarre. It also happened to a promising white receiver a year or two ago(name?). Not that many NFL players end up with serious brain injuries in their retirement. Borland isn't even from a wealthy background from what I can tell. What's he gonna do now really, work some job for 60k/year?

You're likely referring to former Texas A&M/Cardinals WR, Ryan Swope, who inexplicably retired from concussions before his rookie campaign even began. Swope had great speed (4.34 40-yard dash), hands, confidence, and collegiate stats. He was a 6th round pick...

[video=youtube;2ZlJNCCW6Ps]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ZlJNCCW6Ps[/video]

Contrast Borland and Swope with former BYU/Colts/49ers/Patriots WR, Austin Collie, who endured some of the worst concussions of any modern player and kept playing. Despite looking good for New England during the 2013-2014 season, he wasn't brought back and went unsigned for the 2014-2015 season. Collie, once a budding NFL star, is currently on the roster of the CFL's BC Lions.

http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Lions+take+chance+veteran+Austin+Collie/10771929/story.html

Hopefully, he becomes a star in the CFL and remains concussion-free.

 

[Thrashen]

In addition to wearing a bigger helmet, I remember reading that a post-concussion Collie used to wear one of those elastic skull caps fitted with extra padding in the top. In addition to the bigger helmet, Borland could’ve also done this to protect his head…

 

[Leonardfan]

When Ryan Swope retired I knew this new concussion concern was going to start ending young White players careers prematurely. Expect more of this at an increased rate in the future.

Has any young black player done anything like this?

Jason worilds retired this season at 27. Most white players at least have a degree to fall back on once they leave or are purged from the league. Blacks for the most part never complete their degree program so it's football or bust.

 

[Westside]

Great insightful story on Chris Borland's life and decision to leave the NFL with his brain in tack at BSPN. Every now and then they get a story right.

 

[Leonardfan]

Great insightful story on Chris Borland's life and decision to leave the NFL with his brain in tack at BSPN. Every now and then they get a story right.

I read that story as well. I thought it was pretty well done (like you said even Bspn gets the story right every now and then). I appreciated the fact that he doesn't offer advice or pretend to act
like their is some sort of cure all for concussions in football. I do feel that fundamentals can help though.

I do think he would still be in the league if all the concussion hysteria was not at its current fever pitch but it's his body and brain and none of my business.