Teams San Francisco 49ers - The Niners

coasting

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49er player dies

Niners Lineman Thomas Herrion Dies

By EDDIE PELLS, AP Sports Writer

(08-21) 00:32 PDT DENVER (AP) --

An offensive lineman for the San Francisco 49ers collapsed in the locker room and died Sunday morning, shortly after the team played the Denver Broncos in a preseason game.

Players had finished listening to coach Mike Nolan address them in a post-game meeting when Thomas Herrion, a 6-foot-3, 310-pound first-year player, collapsed. Medics administered CPR on him and took him to an ambulance that rushed him to a nearby hospital.

About three hours later, 49ers spokesman Aaron Salkin confirmed that Herrion had died. The cause of death was not immediately known.

"This is a colossal tragedy for the 49ers and the entire NFL community," Salkin said. "We still do not know all the details. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Herrion family."

The death comes a little more than four years after offensive lineman Korey Stringer of the Minnesota Vikings died of heatstroke during a training camp practice on a day during which the heat index soared to 110.

Since Stringer's death, NFL teams have increased their efforts to teach players about hydration and how to manage the heat, experimenting with sensors to measure players' core body temperatures.

On Saturday night in Denver, temperatures were in the mid-60s with 50 percent humidity, although experts say heatstroke can occur even in cool conditions.

After the game, Nolan said he had no comments about San Francisco's 26-21 loss to the Broncos.

"There are more important things on our mind than the game," he said. "Right now, our thoughts and prayers are with Thomas Herrion."

Stringer's death was thought to be the first of its kind in the NFL. In 1979, St. Louis Cardinals tight end J.V. Cain died of a heart attack during training camp. Chuck Hughes, a wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, died of a heart attack Oct. 24, 1972, during a game in Detroit against the Chicago Bears.
 

Swifty_446

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Re: 49er player dies

He died because he was a fat bas*ard, just like the other 60% of players that are obese in the NFL. What a joke of a sport, you dont even need to be fit.

Epitomy of Americanism.
 

FIGJAM#51

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Re: 49er player dies

Swifty_446 said:
He died because he was a fat bas*ard, just like the other 60% of players that are obese in the NFL. What a joke of a sport, you dont even need to be fit.

Epitomy of Americanism.

Good on ya mate, a bloke has died and all you can say is that it's a joke of a sport!!

You know that there are different compnents of fitness, just because you cant run a marathon doesnt mean youre unfit. In the NFL you would need a high anerobic capacity (used for more explosive sports where muscles need a substitute for lack of oxygen) as oposed to aerobic capacity (where oxygenis used for muscles and pump blood around the body while you work)
 
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Re: 49er player dies

Unfortunately American Football and WWE wrestling and associated offshoots are coming under serious scrutiny in regards to early deaths.

I will wait till an autopsy has been done but would not be surprised if it is a chemically enhanced death

The prize of fame and glory is a high one to reach..and its also a price some are willing to pay with their lives
 

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Re: 49er player dies

FIGJAM#51 said:
Good on ya mate, a bloke has died and all you can say is that it's a joke of a sport!!

You know that there are different compnents of fitness, just because you cant run a marathon doesnt mean youre unfit. In the NFL you would need a high anerobic capacity (used for more explosive sports where muscles need a substitute for lack of oxygen) as oposed to aerobic capacity (where oxygenis used for muscles and pump blood around the body while you work)

Anerobic capacity is 1 part of the 7 components of fitness. These guys are not fit in any sense, they're bulky and fat.

Lame overated "sport", which is what all American sports are at the end of the day I suppose......
 

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Re: 49er player dies

Yahoo Sports! said:
Coroner says Herrion died of heart disease

September 6, 2005
DENVER (AP) -- San Francisco 49ers lineman Thomas Herrion died from heart disease when he collapsed after a preseason game in Denver on Aug. 20, the Denver County coroner said Tuesday.

Herrion had ischemic heart disease, with significant blockage in his right coronary artery that caused the death of heart muscle, the city health department said in a news release. Herrion's heart was slightly enlarged.

Drug screens on Herrion's blood and urine found only atrophine, a drug administered when medical personnel tried to revive him.

Herrion, 23, was pronounced dead early on the morning of Aug. 21. The 6-foot-3, 310-pound guard was on the field for San Francisco's 14-play, 91-yard drive that ended with a touchdown with 2 seconds left.

Players had finished listening to coach Mike Nolan address them in a postgame meeting when Herrion collapsed. Medics administered CPR on him and took him to an ambulance that rushed him to a nearby hospital.

About three hours later, 49ers spokesman Aaron Salkin confirmed that Herrion had been pronounced dead.

Herrion, a first-year player with the 49ers, grew up in Fort Worth, Texas, and played college ball at Utah. He spent part of last season on the San Francisco and Dallas practice squads and also played this season with the Hamburg Sea Dogs of NFL Europe.

At his Aug. 27 funeral in Fort Worth, he was was remembered as a player who brought joy to everyone and who was dedicated to his family, his religion and to football.

There we have it folks. The athlete died of heart disease, at 23.
 

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PerthCrow said:
Unfortunately American Football and WWE wrestling and associated offshoots are coming under serious scrutiny in regards to early deaths.

I will wait till an autopsy has been done but would not be surprised if it is a chemically enhanced death

The prize of fame and glory is a high one to reach..and its also a price some are willing to pay with their lives

That is a great post.

I did a research paper last year at Uni looking at the drugs involved in wrestling and something needs to happen.
 
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Re: 49er player dies

Swifty_446 said:
Anerobic capacity is 1 part of the 7 components of fitness. These guys are not fit in any sense, they're bulky and fat.

And if you knew anything about the sport you'd realise the position he plays demands it. Not all the players are of the same build as offensive linesman. Line backers, wide recievers, running backs etc are as fine athletic specimans as there are in world sport.

Lame overated "sport", which is what all American sports are at the end of the day I suppose......

Can you keep your anti-American and Anti NFL rhetoric off this board please? If you do not like the sport then you have no business being here....cheers.
 
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Re: 49er player dies

medical coroner said:
Herrion had ischemic heart disease, with significant blockage in his right coronary artery that caused the death of heart muscle, the city health department said in a news release. Herrion's heart was slightly enlarged.
Dont the NFL teams have medicals etc before drafting players? And wouldnt this be picked up earlier? I would hope in the pursuit of fame the young man didnt fudge his medical reports
 
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Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

As a 49ers fan I think Alex Smith is getting totally massacred out there, he lacks confidence and just looks totally outclassed at present. His first year seems to be comparable with how bad Carr's first year was at the Texans.

I am not sure if it more worthwhile letting Smith have the rest of the year for his development or go back to Tim Rattay (even though Rattay is only about as good as a 2nd string quarterback).

Earlier this season I would have said play Alex, but the appauling numbers he is getting has changed my mind.

Maybe the 49ers can get Matt Leinert next year (the QB they originally wanted who decided to do a further season in college) as it seems very clear that we will be getting the first draft pick again this season.
 
Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

I don't think 49ers will have pick number 1 as the Texans will get that and even if the 49ers do get pick number 1 it would be foolish to pick Matt Leinert as a number 1 pick would have been wasted on Smith. Smith needs time to develop but I dont think they should give up on him in his rookie year after like 4 games or wateva it is
 
Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

keep smith in there, considering that rattay was traded to tampa bay last week and the backup options are cody pickett and ken dorsey. there is no way the niners or texans will take leinart if they are in the top 2, which is likely. niners would take reggie bush and texans would take someone like d'brickashaw ferguson
 

coasting

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Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

They will stick with him. They have no other choice now they traded Rattay. I guess there is Ken Dorsey and Cody Pickett, but they are both terrible.
 
Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

It's a tough call, most of the top QBs in the league at the moment (Brady, McNair, McNabb, Culpepper, Palmer, Vick, Bulger and Hassleback) spent some time carrying the clipboard and seem to have become better QBs because of it.

In recent years, the QBs that have been thrown into the starting position have never developed into "the guy" (such as Akili Smith, Cade McNown, Tim Couch, David Carr, Joey Harrington). Although there are some exceptions like Peyton Manning.

Unfortunately the Niners don't have a veteran that Alex Smith can learn from, and while he is the most talented of the QBs on the roster, he will start. I have a feeling he'll be more like Carr than Manning.
 
Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

I've always been one for throwing the kids in the deep end and seeing if they sink or swim, so I don't disagree with what they've done with him.

But if he's struggling like he obviously is, then he should be taken out.

The team around him doesn't help much either...young QBs need good TEs and pass catching RBs. They really miss the TE what's his name again? Eric... something.
 
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fuey said:
I've always been one for throwing the kids in the deep end and seeing if they sink or swim, so I don't disagree with what they've done with him.

But if he's struggling like he obviously is, then he should be taken out.

The team around him doesn't help much either...young QBs need good TEs and pass catching RBs. They really miss the TE what's his name again? Eric... something.

A half decent offensive line would also be a big help. The kid has absolutely no time in the pocket to find an open target.
 
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Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

Surely the only reason you'd bench him would be if you feared for his safety. The line is giving him horrible protection.

With their season in the toilet now there would be no benefit to benching him. May as well let him see a variety of blitzes and get to learn the plays in the heat of battle
 
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Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

i agree with broken.it does them no good too throw them in.I think they should use rattay and use smith now and again.I also agree some protection would be nice but that might come from lack of confidence in him
 

coasting

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Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

fuey said:
I've always been one for throwing the kids in the deep end and seeing if they sink or swim, so I don't disagree with what they've done with him.

When you are trying out guys taken late in the draft, like Kyle Orton for example, I think this is a sound theory but when you take a player high in the draft and pay him lots of money I think you have to be extra careful with them. Too many times good college QBs are thrown in the deep end with bad teams and then washed out after 2-3 years when they never really had a chance to succeed. Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Ryan Leaf and others were all rushed in by bad teams and failed. Then when the player is cut the huge amount of dead money stops you from signing players and can set a club back years. As a Bengals fan, I have had to watch this for the last 10-15 years, lots of high picks that turn out to be busts and the dead money kills the team from doing anything in free agency. Thankfully with Carson Palmer they let him sit for a year and we finally hit the jackpot.
 
Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

dockers_bengals said:
i agree with broken.it does them no good too throw them in.I think they should use rattay and use smith now and again.I also agree some protection would be nice but that might come from lack of confidence in him


rattay is gone. all they have is ken dorsey and cody pickett
 
Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

coasting said:
When you are trying out guys taken late in the draft, like Kyle Orton for example, I think this is a sound theory but when you take a player high in the draft and pay him lots of money I think you have to be extra careful with them. Too many times good college QBs are thrown in the deep end with bad teams and then washed out after 2-3 years when they never really had a chance to succeed. Tim Couch, Akili Smith, Ryan Leaf and others were all rushed in by bad teams and failed. Then when the player is cut the huge amount of dead money stops you from signing players and can set a club back years. As a Bengals fan, I have had to watch this for the last 10-15 years, lots of high picks that turn out to be busts and the dead money kills the team from doing anything in free agency. Thankfully with Carson Palmer they let him sit for a year and we finally hit the jackpot.

I don't think it's the method in which the kid is handled, it's the kid himself...

Peyton Manning has started since day one and hasn't turned out half bad...

The Leafs, Couchs and Smiths weren't good enough plain and simple, if they were they'd still be in the league. Whether they were sat down for a year or started right away doesn't matter. They didn't have what it takes above the shoulders...

Had Carson started day one, would he have had some growing pains? Of course he would... but he'd still be where he is today no matter what.

Just my opinion anyway...
 
Re: Should Alex Smith keep starting for the 49ers ???

I agree the rookie has to have some talent, but a good supporting cast and coaching helps a lot. I reckon the only decent QBs that have become good/great and started their rookie season in week 1 have been Manning and Bledsoe (and recently retired Aikman) and they all had good support.
-Manning has James, Harrison and Tony Dungy.
-Bledsoe had Ben Coates, Martin and Parcells.
-Aikman had Irvin, Emmitt and Jimmy Johnson

I can't see the same for Alex Smith. No RBs, no WRs, and I don't rate Mike Nolan as a coach, he was terrible as Washingtons D-Coordinator and only benefited at Baltimore because of the talented players.

Other rookies to start from week 1 (David Carr, Cade McNown, Joey Harrington, Akili Smith) have struggled to be the QB those franchises wanted.

But I guess it takes a few years, Rick Mirer was rookie of the year in 1993 and he had a brilliant career... :confused:
 
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