The beat goes on

      While reading posts about Gonzo and the nice problem we have of what the coaching the staff will do when he returns, I can remember back when he was drafted and at the time I was thinking, yep here's the guy who will replace Brandon Stokely and give back the slot receiver  we lost to injury/free agency.  As the season progressed, Gonzo's play was limited as he learned the playbook and learned to play within the offense(injuries also limited his time) but the more I seen him play the more I thought, this guy isnt  here to replace Stokely in the slot. Number 11 is here to replace Marvin Harrison.  I hated the thought  of  Marvin Harrison going, Unfortunately after seeing the erosion of his skills last season,  the writing was on the wall for all to see,    

    I have always been of the opinion that Austin Collie is a slot receiver.  I don't believe Pierre Garcon has looked comfortable in that position, he looks much more comfortable going deep , running post routes.  You can see his practice habits are paying off and he is not afraid to mix it up with trash talking corners.The confidence,I see in him, is something that cannot be taught and you either have that belief in yourself or not.  Familiarity breeds  confidence in what you are doing. Over and over, repetition reinforces what you believe. Plus the man has speed.  But during the course of games I have been watching, I feel like I am watching another young receiver I saw come on the scene.  A man who I've had the pleasure to watch a few Sundays now. But as with anything, time seems to fly. The rookie season has turned into his 9th season and the yards and td's have piled up,   The more I see of Garcon the more I see the eventual replacement for Reggie.                                                 

     Reggie is in his 9thseason and I have seen no signs of him slowing down.(even though speed has never been his game) He is a leader, on and off the field.  I know his game is different than Marvin Harrison's was....but age in the NFL seems to come overnight. Reggie signed a 6 year contract in 2006, which means he could be with us thru 2012.  But it is his 9th season and I believe the changing of the guard is coming and the grooming process has begun right before my eyes. 

     It is great to be a fan of an organization with it's eye to the future, a plan in place, a program that is constantly bringing pieces to fit into the puzzle of producing excellence on the field.  As a fan I hated to see Marvin's downfall last year. But if there wasn't a plan in place to replace players at positions where would this organization be?(check the 49ers from the 80's into the early 90's) Everyone gets old and slows down a little. In the NFL a little is alot.

    Gonzales,  Garcon and Collie. It's got a nice ring to it.