|
|
 |
 |   |
|
EVENTS Fantasy Central Inside Game Video Plus Statitudes Your Turn Message Boards Email Newsletters Golf Guide Cities 
CNNSI.com GROUP
COMMERCE
|  |
Reactions
49ers fans remember the heartbreakersCNNSI.com looked at a few of the transactions that made Niners fans shout, "Say It Ain't So." Then we opened the mailbag and let users vent on those and other dirty deals from over the years. Here is a sampling of your reactions:
I have been a longtime 49er fan and I never thought I'd see the day when Jerry Rice would be forced to either leave football or sign with another team. From the days of Dwight Clark to Freddie Solomon, I never imagined Jerry playing for any other team then the 49ers. I can't believe the 49ers let him go. No, I agree, he's not the same player he was in the "Glory Days" for the Niners but he is still one of the top receivers in the NFL. Putting all his records aside, he can still be a playmaker. To see him catch a pass for another team, is unthinkable. Especially if it's against the new Niners defense. I will truly miss him as a 49er and feel that his off the field leadership will be missed by the 49er organization. Best Of luck, Jerry!
I died when the Niners let Joe Montana, Ronnie Lott, Roger Craig and Tom Rathman all leave because of financial concerns. Those guys were the heart of the titles we won and it near killed me when we lost them. Now the same thing is happening with Jerry Rice. It is a shame.
When the 49ers signed Lawrence Phillips two years ago. They knew the guy was trouble, they knew he'd screwed up every chance in the NFL that he'd ever received, and they signed him anyway. And he cost Steve Young his career. Jim Longo, New York City
Chris Hawkins, Bloomington, Ind.
My heart was broken when money-grubbing and attention-grubbing Deion Sanders and Ricky Watters left the 49ers after winning the Super Bowl. We finally beat the Cowboys that year and it was clear that it was one of the greatest 49er teams ever put together and it was not because of offense but defense, and those two selfish players left for the money, and the former went to our rivals Dallas, and they won the Super Bowl. We were left with a depleted secondary that still hasn't recovered and we had no starting tailback, and you can't win the Super Bowl without being able to run. Deion and Ricky broke my heart!
I remember back in 1991 when the Raiders unceremoniously took Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig away from the Niners through Plan B free agency. The subsequent season was terrible for the Niners, as they missed the playoffs. Maybe a running game and some defense would have turned the tide at the beginning of the Steve Young era?
As a 49ers fan, I've seen a lot of heart-wrenching cuts and trades over the past decade. Two of the ones that hurt the most were when San Francisco let safety Ronnie Lott go to the Raiders and watching Joe Montana get traded to the Chiefs. Even though the 49ers were Steve Young's team at the time, it still would have been nice to see Montana stay a 49er and ride out his last couple of years coming off the bench to rescue the team if needed. Instead, he bolted for K.C. and a couple years as an often-injured starter.
I remember the day the 49ers traded Joe Montana. I was only 13 years old and too me, Montana was everything. I was so crushed I stayed home from school that day.
I've been a 49ers fan for well over 30 years and there have been many 49ers departures which have broke my heart. Gene Washington, the day John Brodie retired, Tommy Hart, Cederick Hardman, etc. But it was the departure of Ronnie Lott that devastated me. He was the heart and soul of the 49ers throughout those championship seasons. And to make it worse, he signed with the Raiders. My heart was broken. When an organization admits a mistake ... well you understand. Good Luck, Jerry. We will always love you. And you will always be a 49er.
Maybe it is because I had time to prepare myself for this. Because I really didn't feel any kind of depression when Jerry Rice was released by the 49ers. What I feel is RAGE. Rage, at the 49ers for kicking Rice to the curb, when he still their 2nd best receiver. Rage, at the NFL for giving us this stupid salary cap we have to deal with, that gives teams excuses to make moronic personnel moves. Rage, is what I going feel when J.J Stokes turns in another mediocre season, while Jerry Rice catches 60-70 balls for the Raiders. Rage is what I feel, because the 49ers once again, kicked one of their heroes to the curb.
You forgot one huge mistake that Bill Walsh had to put up with before he came to turn the franchise around. Two first round picks for a washed up running back named O.J. Simpson? Gimme a break.
My heart was ripped apart when Deion Sanders decided to leave San Francisco to sign with the Niner nemesis Dallas Cowboys. Deion was arguably the best corner during that time, making his departure a painful one.
|
In his 15th season 