SB Nation - Jacob Bender

49ers Right Tackle options

Fooch — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 14:16:43 -0000

The retirement of Marvel Smith naturally brought a lot of consternation as to what the 49ers might do to shore up the now thin offensive line. The team has their 5 starters, but there are big questions at the backup offensive tackle position. Adam Snyder missed Saturday's game due to a knee injury, but is expected to be fine coming opening day. However, he has yet to prove himself as a consistent force at the right tackle position, so depth is certainly a necessity.

The 49ers currently sit with Barry Sims and Alex Boone as their primary offensive tackle backups. Beyond that they have guys like Jacob Bender, Joe Toledo and Matt Spanos. A week ago they had no prayer of making the roster. Today they've certainly got a chance, although I still don't see them making the roster. I'd imagine we've heard all we need to hear about Barry Sims. He's old and lost many steps in his game. He was pretty atrocious last year, but one has to wonder how much of that was due to his aging and how much was due to the Martz offense. Any thoughts on that?

The other man is of course fan favorite Alex Boone. Boone has shown some skills and could very well end up being a player in this league. One would imagine the retirement of Smith has come pretty close to locking up a spot on the roster for Boone. Many would argue that it's way too soon to expect much out of him other than as an emergency fill-in. I would tend to agree with that, although we all have heard his draft story. He has talent and would have been drafted if not for his off the field problems.

No matter who you take from the above mentioned offensive tackles, I wouldn't exactly call it an awe-inspiring group at this point. Certainly some upside, but a whole lot of "rough around the edges."

So where does that leave us? Well, potentially in need of another offensive tackle. Adam Caplan of Scout.com developed an updated list of best free agents still available on offense. After the jump we break down some of the more intriguing options from that list. We also utilize an older list from February.

Jon Runyan
This is definitely my favorite option at this point. Runyan had microfracture surgery at the end of January, which was expected to keep him out four to six months. Well, as of a few days ago, Runyan was cleared for full contact. Back in February Caplan had an interesting comment about Runyan:

This mauling type of lineman is nearing the end of a solid 13-year career. Despite playing in a passing offense, Runyan actually may be a better fit for a team that uses a power running game.

Well, ya don't say? Of course, before we get ahead of ourselves, both sides would have to want this to happen. Runyan was drafted by the Oilers/Titans, but spent the majority of his career in Philly. Would he be interesting in coming to the West Coast? Adam Snyder is currently the starter at right tackle, but we know that's not a sure thing. The team could ease Runyan back into things and if Snyder falters, Runyan could pounce on the job. I'm not holding my breath for this to happen, but I am definitely intrigued by the possibility.

Mark Tauscher
The big problem for Tauscher is his recovery from ACL surgery. There were reports that his knee was in pretty bad shape, but the last report I could find (end of July) indicated his rehab was running ahead of schedule, and he could be ready for game action in September. Obviously take that with a grain of salt, but again, this is a guy the 49ers could ease back into the swing of things.

Charles Spencer
Spencer generally was considered a solid talent before going down with what sounds like a pretty nasty compound leg fracture. He tried out for the Giants in May, but nothing ever came of that. Spencer recently signed with the UFL so he's certainly looking to make a comeback. As is the case with most everybody still available, plenty of injury baggage. At one point he was going to be Houston's left tackle of the future, so the talent level was certainly there at one point.

Jason Fabini
Fabini is generally considered a serviceable backup at this point in his career who can play 3 positions (right tackle and I think both guard positions). Of course, he's 35 years old so I wouldn't expect the 49ers would do much in terms of kicking the tires.

Levi Jones
The 49ers have denied interest in Jones, but I'll throw him on here anyways. Jones is certainly talented, but it sounds like he wants a starting job and that won't happen at this point in San Francisco.

I refuse to list the two former 49ers that are on Caplan's list.

There are numerous other offensive tackles on their last legs that I certainly could have included. For now though, I think this list includes the most pertinent options at the position.

In general, injuries are the overriding concern with any of the offensive tackles available. I'm curious how one views knee injuries as compared to back injuries. Do we have any old offensive linemen who would be able to provide us with some insight? I ask because people might complain about bringing in another injured free agent tackle, but maybe a knee injury can be worked around a little more than a back injury. Any thoughts?

Who do the 49ers axe? NFL roster cut-down date approaching

Fooch — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 18:42:48 -0000

On Tuesday September 1, NFL rosters have to be cut down to 75 men. According to Mike Sando, rosters have to be at 80 men by tomorrow. The deadline for the final cut to the 53-man roster is September 5.

For the 49ers, the retirement of Marvel Smith appears to bring them down to 80 men at this point (counted up their roster and subtracted Crabtree). The question becomes who to release by Tuesday. They need to release five guys in the coming two days, although they would need to cut a sixth person if they wanted to sign a veteran offensive tackle (Jon Runyan anybody?). So, who gets the axe at this point?

A quick look at an unofficial depth chart (page 13 of this pdf) would probably yield some combination of the following:

K/P Alex Romero, WR Maurice Price, WR Mark Bradford, WR Chris Francies, FB Bill Rentmeester, one of the three young CBs (Carlos Thomas, Terrail Lambert, Jahi Word-Daniels), one of two LBs (Mark Washington, Justin Roland), one of the younger offensive linemen maybe (Jacob Bender, Joe Toledo, Matt Spanos).

The team is high on Lambert, and I'd imagine they'd prefer to avoid releasing any offensive linemen at this point. However, I just wanted to get the names out there for consideration. Given that Brandon Jones will be sitting on the roster, I bet at least 2 of the 5 cuts are from the wide receivers. At fullback, Brit Miller will make it to the last roster cuts, so the only reason to hold onto Rentmeester is if Moran Norris won't play at all next Friday, you don't want Miller playing the whole game and you don't want to use Michael Robinson at FB. So basically I'm saying, Rentmeester might not make it past Tuesday.

Anybody I'm missing or shouldn't be including? I realize the offensive linemen are probably safe right now, but I figured I"d just include them anyways.

Marvel Smith officially retires: The bright side of life

Fooch — Sat, 29 Aug 2009 17:09:19 -0000

It's official. Marvel Smith has announced his retirement The 49ers announced it just now and Coach Mike Singletary had this to say:

"I would like to thank Marvel for his service to the 49ers organization over the last several months," said head coach Mike Singletary. "Marvel and I have spoken, and I know that this was not a decision he took lightly. We appreciate that he came to us when he did with this decision, and wish him well in the next chapter of his life."

Personally I feel bad for the guy. He's spent his life as a football player and he has reached a point where his body just won't let him do this anymore. It's a shame for it to happen to anybody, but particularly a young guy (he only just turned 31).

When Pro Football Talk's report that Marvel Smith was going to retire went down yesterday, reaction was certainly swift and mostly negative. Obviously given the circumstances it's understandable for people to be upset, but as many of you should expect, I'd like to look at the positives related to this...or at least why things could be worse. After the jump I've got my thoughts, but I thought I'd lead you past the jump with this classic scene from Monty Python's Life of Brian.

As the day went on I think people started to give the positives a little more consideration, but I thought I'd spell out some of the things I see with this impending retirement (since we have to hear from Marvel Smith).

First off, not a positive, but just a point to be made: Barrows confirmed the 49ers are NOT interested in free agent Levi Jones.

So, first the timing of the decision. When the 49ers and Smith began discussions and he eventually signed, much of the talk centered around his back injury. While it was a concern in my mind, I also was hoping he had moved past it. Obviously that's not the case. However, I'm not going to lay blame on him. A few mentioned it but I'd certainly rather hear this news now than after the last preseason game, or even worse, a week into the season after the 49ers have possibly waived and lost Alex Boone.

Of course, it would have also been nice to know this back in March before the draft and before other players were snatched up in free agency. It's easy to be critical of 49ers management for rolling the dice on a guy with a bad back and they certainly deserve criticism for that. At the same time, I think Smith had high upside if he had been able to remain healthy. Sometimes you roll the dice and crap out. That's just life. If they had been looking at a guy who would be the starting left tackle I think I would have been more upset about all this.

Then there's the fact that Adam Snyder seems to have won the job. Some folks don't think Snyder is any good. I've decided to reserve judgment given that he's never had a legit opportunity to stick at one position, having moved back and forth from tackle to guard throughout his career. I'm open to giving him a little bit of time at the position before saying he's useless. Of course, he's also hurt at this point and out for tonight's game. The upside to that? We get to see more of Barry Sims and Alex Boone. Ok, maybe more Barry Sims is not "upside." However, if Smith makes this retirement official, and barring some late free agent addition or trade, Boone and Sims would seem to both be locks to make the 53-man roster.

I have had Boone teetering on the bubble in all of my 53-man roster projections and now he's certainly moved into safer territory. You never like to see it happen because of injury, but at this point we'll take it any way we can get it. Alex Boone may not be ready to start in the NFL, but he's clearly better than an undrafted free agent. As long as he can keep on the ole straight and narrow, he could have himself a solid NFL career.

These next two games, and tonight in particular, will be very interesting to watch. Either Sims or Boone will get the start at right tackle. The question then is who comes in where behind the RT starter, and then behind Joe Staley at left tackle. The only other backups at this point are Jacob Bender and Joe Toledo. Both seem to get time at both tackle and guard. I don't think either is likely to make the roster, but they've certainly been given a better shot if they can put something together these next two games. Bender also has some time on the 53-man roster after being signed from the Patriots practice squad last season. His last regular season playing time was for the Jets in 2007.

The question is, do you just roll with Boone and Sims these last two playoff games to give them the most amount of time to show something? Or do you try and grab a free agent who would seem to be in an awkward position trying to learn the playbook and impress the coaching staff in a very limited amount of time? The poll is fairly simple but it'd be a waste of time to just throw a bunch of random free agent names on a poll.

Poll

How should the 49ers address the backup offensive tackle(s)

Stick with Sims and Boone

170 votes

Add a veteran free agent

230 votes

400 votes | Poll has closed

49ers training camp battles heading into the stretch

Fooch — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 15:00:23 -0000

A month ago we did our rundown of training camp battles, adding an additional battle three weeks ago. My how things have changed...Some of the battles have been won and others are no longer really the same battle they were at the beginning of training camp. Additionally I think we can add a battle or two given how things have changed in the past week or so.

Quarterback
Participants: Shaun Hill, Alex Smith
Winner: Shaun Hill
And there you have it. Shaun Hill didn't exactly inspire confidence with his performance last weekend, but it apparently was just enough. Hill will be the starting quarterback week 1 at Glendale, Arizona and Alex Smith will be on the sideline. As somebody mentioned in the Hill post yesterday, Smith sprained his thumb making the post-interception tackle. It sounds like he won't be practicing this week, and thus won't be playing this weekend. Of course, that makes for an interesting question with our newest addition to the training camp battles:

QB #3/Practice Squad/Cut
Participants: Damon Huard, Nate Davis
Leader: Nate Davis
According to Barrows, Nate Davis took all the back-up reps in yesterday's practice. While Davis did not blow anybody away against the Raiders, he showed solid signs for a rookie who faced a lot of criticism coming out of college. The question in all this is whether the team would dare place him on waivers in order to put him on their practice squad. I've said no from the beginning. I started to question it a bit when he had no pass attempts against the Broncos. It will be interesting to see how the snaps break down this Saturday. I'd imagine Hill and the first team offense will play the entire first half. Maybe then go Davis in the third quarter and Huard in the fourth quarter? Or do you know what Huard can do and give Davis the entire second half? Either way, Davis is getting enough playing time that it might be tough to sneak him through waivers at the end of the preseason.

Right Tackle
Participants: Adam Snyder, Marvel Smith
Winner: Adam Snyder
In his post-practice press conference, Mike Singletary stated that Adam Snyder would be the starting right tackle week 1 at Arizona. Snyder was knocked out of last weekend's game with a knee sprain and will sit out this Saturday at Dallas. He'll be day-to-day next week but I wouldn't expect to see much of him at San Diego anyways, given that it's the last preseason game of the year. However, I was certainly a bit surprised to see Snyder grab hold of the first team reps and run with it. Marvel Smith was supposedly going to get his crack and take over the starting job. However, looking at Singletary's comments, it sounds like Smith really isn't completely healthy (or at least we can infer that from the comment):

"Well, right now we need to look at how Marvel is progressing. That’s the thought right now, but we don’t want to rush the program that we have Marvel on. We want to make sure that he is ready to do that, full time."

Smith is practicing once a day (as opposed to the normal two-a-days). Rotoworld said that Marvel Smith would be the "swing" tackle, backing up Snyder and Joe Staley, but that seemed more like random speculation on their part. At this point, if Smith isn't completely healthy, I'd hope the 49ers think Sims or Boone will be a sufficient backup. We'll definitely keep an eye on Marvel Smith's situation. Snyder may have won the job, but I wouldn't be surprised to see some instability at right tackle this season.

Backup Offensive Tackle
Participants: Alex Boone, Barry Sims
Leader: Barry Sims
I realize folks are high on Boone and might strongly disagree with me on this. And Alex Boone may very well end up making the roster. However, at this point, playing time would seem to dictate that Sims has the lead on this job and Boone could be headed to the practice squad. I see this primarily because Sims is playing ahead of Boone so far. This weekend could be interesting because of Snyder's absence. Marvel Smith played last week so I'd imagine he'll get the start at right tackle. After he and Staley leave the game, we might get a chance to see Boone AND Sims on the field at the same time. Obviously different sides of the line, but I'm still intrigued to see what they do at the same time. I'd really like Boone to win the backup job, but time is running short. Speaking of this battle, any thoughts on Jacob Bender at this point? Folks seem to like him, but it doesn't seem like he's gonna end up with enough love to make the roster.

4th? Wide Receiver
Participants: Arnaz Battle, Dominique Zeigler, Micheal Spurlock
Leader: Arnaz Battle
Battle is seeing the most immediate playing time as he filled in for Isaac Bruce when Bruce left after the first series. Battle continues to hang around and seems to be look at some serious playing time this season. Heck, he might even be ready to move past Jason Hill on the depth chart if Hill isn't too careful. I've found the positioning of the wide receivers to be fascinating in light of Michael Crabtree's holdout and Brandon Jones' injury. At this point, Micheal Spurlock could very well be playing his way into a roster spot, at least until Crabtree signs. The problem in all this is the albatross hanging around the 49ers neck in Brandon Jones. He was looking good in camp until the injury, but now the team has to hang on to him until he gets healthy, as they cannot place him on the PUP list. Unless the team keeps Spurlock around special teams' purposes, it's gonna be a tough sell at this point.

Left Defensive End
Participants: Isaac Sopoaga, Kentwan Balmer, Demetric Evans
Leader: Isaac Sopoaga
Balmer really seems to be showing some skills in the preseason, but the team is pushing Isaac Sopoaga as well. He got a ton of playing time last week, even moving over to nose tackle for a bit in the second half. This rotation could be rather interesting. The team will be rotating bodies along the line so all of these guys will need to be read and able to jump right in at a moments notice. Although one person will win the "starting" job, I think all three of these guys will see significant playing time this season.

Cornerback
Participants: Dre Bly, Tarell Brown
Leader: Dre Bly (but maybe closer than expected)
Bly has gotten almost all the first team reps in camp thanks to Tarell Brown's toe injury early on. And yet, I think this race somehow remains tight. Brown has finally returned to practice and at times both Brown and Bly have been getting first team reps, sometimes at the same time, with Clements sitting out. Additionally, in the team's game release for this weekend, they've included an unofficial depth chart which still lists Tarell Brown as the #1 cornerback. Hmmmmmmm? Reason to be suspicious, or nothing to consider all that much? I'm not all that sure at this point what's going on with this. Maybe they figure the #3 corner will see a ton of playing time so it's worth getting them both time with the 1s.

We'll be back again later next week to provide one last round of these battles coming down the home stretch heading into the final preseason game of the year.

Alan Faneca Breaks Finger

John B — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:45:08 -0000

More photos » by Rich Schultz - AP

Browse more photos »

Alan Faneca will sit out the preseason opener with St. Louis after breaking his finger.

Faneca didn't practice with the team at Hofstra on Wednesday night because he injured the middle finger on his left hand earlier in the week. He said he broke it a few days ago and then aggravated it near the end of practice Tuesday at SUNY Cortland.

"One of the last couple of plays of practice, I really caught it," Faneca said.

...

Stanley Daniels will likely get the start in Faneca's place, with Robert Turner starting at center and Wayne Hunter in for Woody at right tackle.

One thing that sticks out is Matt Slauson failing to crack the starting lineup even with three starters on the line out. Move over, Jacob Bender and Nate Garner. It looks like we may have our next Tannenbaum late round miss attempting to build depth on the line.

A theme you've heard over and over from us is how scary the lack of offensive line depth is for this team. It plays out again here. Faneca should be healthy for the Houston game, but the Jets are one play away from having real problems. Considering how physical it gets up front, it's a minor miracle Gang Green didn't lose a single start to injury on the offensive line in 2008. Even a fluke play like what happened to Faneca can bring a disaster. Losing even one of the five could throw off the entire equilibrium. Lines function as a unit. Think back to how much losing Pete Kendall hurt in 2007.

I like Mike Tannenbaum. Overall I think he's been a good talent evaluator and cap worker who is not afraid to make the bold move to improve the team. The misses on Bender, Garner, and potentially Slauson sure could loom large this season. Line depth is key, and the Jets have none.

2009 Roster Projections: Offensive Line

Fooch — Mon, 18 May 2009 15:00:17 -0000

The next round of offseason training activities gets going today, so it's time for another round of 2009 roster projections. Two weeks ago we discussed the defensive line and last week we discussed the running backs. Today we move on to the offensive line. The o-line has managed to be both a cause for concern (right tackle), and somewhat of a source of burgeoning pride (Staley, Heitmann, Rachal). I actually think the offensive line could be a strength this year, but it's just going to take a few things going the right way.

Locks
Eric Heitmann, Joe Staley, Chilo Rachal, David Baas, Marvel Smith, Adam Snyder, Tony Wragge

No Chance
Jacob Bender, Matt Huners, Kyle Howard, Joe Toledo

Bubble
Cody Wallace, Barry Sims, Alex Boone

In reality I think Alex Boone is the only big time bubble guy. I decided to go slightly more conservative with the bubble list and include some folks who are likely on the roster, but don't have quite the lock of others. Wallace saw no playing time as a rookie after being drafted in the fourth round fo the 2008 draft. As strictly a center he has legit value as a backup for Eric Heitmann. At the same time, I include Wragge as a lock because of his versatility. He can play guard and center, which gives him tremendous value. The same holds true for Adam Snyder who can play both guard and tackle. When it comes to the offensive line, such super-subs cannot be valued highly enough.

In my mind, the real question surrounds Barry Sims and Alex Boone. All things considered, if the team decided to keep Alex Boone on the 53-man roster, I really do think it would be at the expense of the aging veteran Sims. Of course, the 49ers could try and slide Boone onto the practice squad. While that'd be nice, a decent preseason showing might prevent that from becoming a reality. Last year the 49ers saw some solid preseason work from OL Brian De La Puente, but he was signed by the Chiefs before the 49ers could place him on their practice squad.

The way I look at it, the biggest question becomes what will the 49ers do with Boone? His draft stock was destroyed by his alcohol problems, but there is no denying his talent. So, now I wonder just how the last spot on the 49ers offensive line shakes out. Do you agree that it could come down to Boone versus Sims in the "Showdown at Santa Clara" battle royal?

Poll

Who will be on the 49ers 53-man roster week 1 of the regular season?

Alex Boone

638 votes

Barry Sims

95 votes

Both

107 votes

Neither (Boone cut)

16 votes

Neither (Boone on practice squad)

98 votes

954 votes | Poll has closed

Golden Nuggets: Interim praise all around!

Ninjames — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 11:51:26 -0000

Good morning guys, here's this week's Thursday edition of Golden Nuggets. There's a lot more links here than there were yesterday, and there's quite a lot of info to be had this morning. The title of course, is a nod to Singletary and Hill, interim coach and quarterback respectively. Anyway, as always I'll try and update throughout the day and once again encourage you to post any links you may find that I've missed. Hell, you could even post, tell me I'm lazy because you've found one, and I assure you I'll run off to find it myself. At any rate, get involved if you think you've got some info. Without further blabbing, here's your links. Enjoy and good reading.

We'll start off with a very long, very informative article from Chrissy Mauck. It talks about Dallas and the upcoming game, it talks about Shaun Hill and how he feels he's playing, how his teammates feel he's playing, injury report.. Its got everything. (49ers.com)

A quick take on our upcoming game against Dallas. (NFL.com)

Practice doesn't make perfect--at least for Shaun Hill who is a "gamer." (SFGate.com)

Here's a rare article about Alex Smith and him fading into obscurity. (SFGate.com)

Shaun Hill isn't a big fan of the draft. After reading this article, I really don't blame him. (SFGate.com)

Quick little article from Matt Maiocco on the 49ers options for QB in 2009. (PressDemocrat.com)

Another article from Matt, talking about SIngletary and Hill being in "interim" positions and what the coming weeks mean to them. (PressDemocrat.com)

Mike Martz football sins. But hey, we already knew this, didn't we? (PressDemocrat.com)

More on Hill's award, and a brtual lynching of Martz seems in order. (At least after this article.) (PressDemocrat.com)

T.O. didn't practice, seems he was actually sick and missed the conference call accordingly. Or, you know, he could just be a big baby. And an addition to Singletary's five golden rules. (SacBee.com)

Apparently Shaun Hill isn't good in practice because Mike Martz is all over him. I don't think I could take Martz scrutinizing me all the time. Mostly because I have the suspicion I'm smarter than him. But hey, he's not complaining. (SacBee.com)

Mike Sando's observations on the 49ers new offense. (ESPN.com)

A few quotes from Jacob Bender, newly acquired from the Patriots' practice squad. (49ers.com)

Yesterday's edition of Singletary's Notebook, always a good read. (49ers.com)

Battle is on the mend. You know, to me it seems like he knows he's not going to play regardless. I want to see more of the young guys, sorry Battle. (49ers.com)

Hey the Niners are getting a little respect from a Dallas blog. Woooh. (ACowboyNation.blogspot.com)

That's all for now, enjoy.

49ers OT Jonas Jennings placed on injured reserve

Fooch — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 23:13:05 -0000

The 49ers just announced that they officially placed Jonas Jennings on injured reserve. It seemed like he was getting back into game shape, but the pain apparently was too much. Jennings wanted to avoid having surgery at any cost, but according to GM Scot McCloughan:

“Jonas did everything in his power to get back from the injury, and he was cleared to return to practice as long as he wore a harness,” said general manager Scot McCloughan. “It was a matter of pain tolerance, but he wasn’t going to be 100% without surgery. We discussed it with Jonas and our medical team and all parties agreed that it would be the best thing for Jonas, and his future, to go ahead and have the surgery now.”

Barry Sims originally replaced Jennings but he injured himself and that led to Adam Snyder moving into the right tackle position.

“I think Snyder is working his tail off,” said Mike Singletary. “Snyder is doing a good job. He’s done the things that we’ve asked him do. Right now, Snyder is the guy.”

If Snyder can continue to impress, maybe we'll finally be settled at right tackle for the foreseeable future. Either way, I think Jennings is probably finished with the 49ers. He signed a big deal and has not been able to overcome numerous injuries over the years. As long as the team has the salary cap space to take the hit, they might as well cut him after this season instead of continually rolling the dice with him going forward.

EDITOR'S UPDATE 3:18PM: To replace Jennings on the 53-man roster, the 49ers signed OT Jacob Bender off the New England Patriots practice squad. Bender (6-6, 315) was originally selected by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2007 draft out of Nicholls State. He saw action in two games for the Jets as a rookie on special teams as a lineman in field goal formations and was inactive for 14 contests. Bender was waived by the Jets following training camp in 2008 and was then signed to the New England Patriots practice squad.

Poll

Will Jonas Jennings be a 49er in 2009?

Yes

6 votes

No

111 votes

117 votes | Poll has closed