SB Nation - Dominique Zeigler

Golden Nuggets: Transition all you want, just win a game!

Ninjames — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:00:35 -0000

So after a full day of playing my new video game until it hurts to keep my eyes open, I'm ready to do some thinking about my Niners. They're troubling thoughts, this season honestly felt different from seasons past. It however, isn't looking so good. Still, I'm not going to give up. I'll be leaving very early for the game tomorrow and I'll be rooting just as hard as everyone else in that stadium. Also, I just thought I'd throw this out there--if any of you readers are attending a game this season and want to meet up or anything like that--I have season tickets so I'll be at every home game. I bring this up because every now and then I find myself looking around during a game and wondering if any of you are there. I'm seriously hoping none of you are the guy a few seats to the right of me who will not stop with the "COME ON ALEX, DON'T BE SHY. HIT YOUR TIGHT END OVER THE MIDDLE!" on every single play, even like... when the punter is out there. I think he said it a few times while the defense was out on the field to. Anyway, on to the links!

I'm all for the offense being in a transition, so long as it's a positive one. If more shotgun will help, then bring on more shotgun. I'm not a coach, so I can't really say what I think will work the best, I just want whatever it is to actually work. (Scout.com)

A good look at WR Jason Hill and his rise into the starting lineup. I've been all for Hill, ever since Zeigler got put on the practice squad again I've been a staunch supporter of Hill. He's explosive, has great speed and has the route running skills akin to Isaac Bruce. (PressDemocrat.com)

Ex-49ers head coach Steve Mariucci breaks down Thursday's game against the Bears. (49ers.com)

Hm, another midseason report card for the 49ers. That's two sources and two times the coaching staff has received a C grade. (Scout.com)

QB Alex Smith is moving on and concentrating on the game against Chicago. He'll need to be incredibly focused to win this one. (Yahoo.com)

Davis had some words concerning the Bears; and also some quotes from Alex Smith. (PressDemocrat.com)

Seriously, props to who made this video, it's every pass that Nate Davis threw in the preseason, and it's.. impressive. (49ersWebZone.com)

Specifically, Vernon Davis thinks that the 49ers could "destroy their front." I certainly hope so. (MercuryNews.com)

I'm pretty pessimistic myself, but this article DOES say it best: "Too Early To Say It's Over." (49ersFancast)

LB Lance Briggs harbors no hard feelings towards the 49ers after all that tampering nonsense took place. (PressDemocrat.com)

RB Glen Coffee will for sure miss tomorrow's game. (NFL.com)

How about a midseason analysis? I didn't read it, but you may want to. (SFGate.com)

How about another midseason report card while we're at it? Always a good read, in my opinion. (Examiner.com)

Breaking Down The Bears, a preview from the official website. (49ers.com)

Mike Singletary says the loss on Sunday can't be attributed solely to QB Alex Smith, in fact he said Smith didn't have much to be at fault for. (SFGate.com)

WR Jason Hill is making the most out of his chance. (SFGate.com)

49ers Practice Squad 10/14/09

Fooch — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:26:48 -0000

Over the past week the 49ers have made multiple adjustments to their practice squad, leading folks to inquire as to who exactly is on the roster at this point. I'm posting this on the front page so it's easy for people to find via search. Additionally, the 49ers.com roster page usually is updated with the practice squad.

Alex Boone - OL
Diyral Briggs - LB
Martail Burnett - LB
Joe Jon Finley - TE
Brit Miller - FB
Khalif Mitchell - DT/quasi-OL
Dominique Zeigler - WR

First off, I mention quasi-OL for Khalif Mitchell because it sounds like he's been getting some time in as an offensive lineman. Not sure how successful that will be, but it's at least worth noting. Otherwise, any thoughts on the practice squad as a whole, or who will be next to come off the squad? Anybody who could contribute immediately, as opposed to just riding the pine as an inactive player?

Poll

Who will be the next player signed to the 49ers 53-man roster this season?

OL Alex Boone

377 votes

LB Diyral Briggs

97 votes

LB Martail Burnett

7 votes

TE Joe Jon Finley

22 votes

FB Brit Miller

38 votes

DT Khalif Mitchell

28 votes

WR Dominique Zeigler

52 votes

621 votes | Poll has closed

Weekend Whirlwind Part 1: 49ers offense heading into 2009

Fooch — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:01:16 -0000

by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

View full size photo »

First off, HUGE thanks to Ninjames for kicking butt in keeping things going all weekend long. I was out of town for Labor Day weekend with limited Internet access that basically entailed a little email access. I knew this was going to be a rather news-worthy weekend, given the final preseason game and roster cuts and all. However, things seemed to be especially hopping for the 49ers all weekend long and into yesterday. Thanks to Andrew Davidson for his Pashos post of course. However, this weekend would have been pretty bad without Ninjames stepping up.

I'll actually be mid-flight from Atlanta when this post goes up (rock on scheduled posting!). However, I wanted to use today to sort of catch-up with all the happenings from the weekend. We've got a whole bunch of posts and FanPosts and I thought we would bring the discussion together in more compact posts. This post will be about how the holiday weekend has left the offense. Later this afternoon (around 2pm or so pacific time) I'll have a post related to the defensive side of the ball and this weekend. This will be a bit more interesting for me because I still have no seen the final preseason game. I recorded the game and will watch it at some point tomorrow. One plus is that, as to be discussed in the defense post, I can focus in on Shawntae Spencer a bit more. Craziness I tell you (we'll see if it's good or bad).

Also, as you can see, I've posted a new Official Crabtree post. People have had a whole lot of thoughts on it, and things are only going to pick up this week before the Cardinals game. Feel free to respond in the various existing Crabtree threads, but for now let's avoid creating new Crabtree threads.

I have to admit, initially I was a bit surprised by some of the decisions regarding the 53-man roster and the final roster cuts. Initially I was surprised to see Micheal Spurlock and not Dominique Zeigler. Initially I was surprised to see Bear Pascoe AND J.J. Finley get the axe, and then even a little more surprised when Finley was placed on the practice squad over everyone's favorite, BEAR (ProfessorBigelow must be absolutely crushed). And, of course, I was surprised Kory Sheets was cut.

And yet, in the end, maybe none of these should surprise me, or us. After a moment or two of reflection, Spurlock over Zeigler is actually perfectly sensible at this point for me. Zeigler has great hands, but he never showed himself as much of a special teams force. Whomever was potentially going to be the 6th wide receiver on the 49ers would need to show a lot more than pass-catching ability. Let's be honest: how often will that 6th receiver sniff the field? Obviously they'll get playing time, but it will NOT be remotely significant. So, that means you need a guy who can step up in other facets of the game.

That makes Micheal Spurlock your man. He's seen time returning kicks and punts, he's seen time as a receiver, and of course, we've seen him in the Taser formation. Maybe he does none of those things. Maybe he's cut in three days when Michael Crabtree signs and never dons the sweet new unis. However, he brings a lot more of a well-rounded game than Dominique Zeigler does at this point in his career. Oh, and Zeigler has practice squad eligibility. Oh, and nobody claimed Zeigler. So, in hindsight, everything is hunk-dory. Of course, given how fantastic this community has become, this is the kind of move that generates discussion, when most fans are likely to ignore it.

After the jump, we take a look at some of the other cuts, and of course the Tony Pashos signing.

Tony Pashos
We might as well talk about Tony Pashos, right off the bat. The whole thing is a little bizarre. Pashos was complaining about his salary in Jacksonville and after being cut, signed a 1-year deal for less than what he was making in Jacksonville, with a team where he's not guaranteed starting time. Of course, given his talent, it's entirely possible he surpasses Adam Snyder on the depth chart, shows his stuff and signs a big fat contract in the offseason. A lot of things could happen. Here's what the fine folks at Scout's Inc have to say about Pashos (Insider protected):

He started all 16 games at right tackle for the Jaguars in 2008 and does a good job of anchoring that side of the offensive line. He is a massive tackle with long arms, excellent strength and adequate athleticism. He is a powerful drive blocker that often simply engulfs opponents and uses his long arms to lock up opponents and drive them off the line. He is not a natural knee bender and has to work to keep his pad level down to leverage his blocks. He tends to grab wide to engulf opponents and has just enough foot agility to work his way around and seal opponents off. He has limited lateral range in pas protection and often has to turn his hips to run rushers on by the pocket. He is susceptible to counter moves but can sink his hips to hunker down versus the bull rush.

I realize based on comments made in the Pashos thread and every other thread about offensive tackles, that people will complain about not drafting a tackle in the draft. Feel free to continue complaining as it is certainly a gripe to be considered. At the same time, for a short term move, I think the 49ers have done a good job. No matter what anybody says, offensive tackle was a definite area of concern. Barry Sims causes most people to shudder.

It's going to be very interesting to see how these first few weeks go with the offensive line. The offensive line will be completely together and we can truly start to judge them. At times this preseason the offensive line has looked solid and at times the line has struggled. Now that we've got Staley, Baas, Heitmann, Rachal and Snyder all together for week 1, I'm actually rather excited. My season preview (coming Friday or Saturday as part of the final divisional roundtable) will reflect this, but I think this could be a pretty decent line in 2009.

As you can tell, I've officially entered the kool-aid chugging phase of the offseason.

Tight End
In looking over the 53-man roster, the decision to cut Kory Sheets caught me a bit off-guard, as well as the decision to only go with two tight ends (and that has nothing to do with the cutting of Bear Pascoe). The team did not seem to like Finley enough to keep him around, so the question becomes, who do they bring in as the #3 tight end? Or do they bother with one? Normally that third tight end is strictly a blocking tight end, along the lines of a Billy Bajema.

Bear Pascoe was not going to be that guy at this point, so either the team is happy with Davis being the blocking tight end, or the free agent market is not dried up yet. Any thoughts on where the team goes with this one? The tight end position raises a lot of questions, particularly given Jimmy Raye's comments about using Vernon Davis like Tony Gonzalez back in Kansas City. Mike Martz said something along the same lines last season, but we all know how that turned out. This is a completely different offense so I'll remain open-minded, but as always with the 49ers tight ends, I'm not holding my breath for monster numbers....wait...I need a quick drink. And we're back. Vernon Davis named to the Pro Bowl as more than just an alternate!

Running Back
The running back situation is intriguing because of the potential implications. At this point there are numerous possibilities, not including signing another running back: 1) Frank Gore is getting a heavy load of carries (least likely); 2) Glen Coffee is going to see the field a whole lot his rookie year (most likely); 3) Michael Robinson is going to get a decent number of carries. As to this last option, Robinson will clearly be involved in the offense. We know he's a key aspect of the Taser formation. But beyond that, will we see much more out of him? I know most folks are praying for fewer goal line carries. Do the 49ers have that kind of goal line back at this point?

I say no, that it's more just a mix of quality running backs in Frank Gore and Glen Coffee; neither of whom is the traditional big hulking goal line back in the Brandon Jacobs mold. Now that's not necessarily a bad thing, or even a good thing. It simply is what it is. I'd imagine the 49ers are in a position where they can use either Gore or Coffee in short yardage situations.

The plus to the 49ers running back situation (not factoring in potential additions), is that the 49ers have some flexibility in who will be in the game in what situation. When Coffee was drafted, a lot of folks were disappointed because he appeared to be a similar type of runner to Frank Gore. Why add another Gore-type instead of some kind of offsetting back? Well, in this league, I think you're just looking for talented players, even if they play in a similar fashion to your current players.

As with everything else in this and all analysis leading up to this Sunday, the cards (no pun intended) will finally be on the table Sunday afternoon. On the offensive side of the ball I'd imagine the news is not finished yet. Aside from Crabtree (as always), I would be shocked if the team stood pat as is. There are a couple of spots that might still be filled and we'll certainly have all the info when it comes down.

We'll be back later this afternoon (around 2pm pacific time) with a look at what's gone down with the defense and how things are shaking out for it heading into this weekend's game at Arizona.

Golden Nuggets: Could end up with an awesome practice squad..

Ninjames — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 10:00:37 -0000

So the roster cuts have been made, and everyone is in the same shoes right now. Not a single person on this site (I think) thinks that the 53 we can see now is the actual final 53. It'll be interesting to see what the 49ers do in the way of waivers and practice squad. Is the team actually content with two tight ends? Do they want to look for a backup offensive tackle? How about a starting offensive tackle? The Jaguars just released a pretty solid player, but he's another guy who only knows one language: money. Personally, I'm sick of talking nothing but money these days. (See Crabtree, Michael) but I digress... I should get straight to your links and get you caught up. So here 'goes.

Here's a list of the twenty players the team released for roster cuts yesterday. Noteable releases include Kory Sheets, Bear Pascoe and Brit Miller. (49ers.com)

Mike Singletary discusses the cuts and some of the players that were kept on the team. He doesn't seem to be hiding behind anything here, he's telling it how it is and I respect that. (MercuryNews.com)

Among the themes and reasons certain players were kept, work ethic seems to be near the top of the list. (49ers.com)

The team should begin building its practice squad today, as they are now eligible to do so. (SacBee.com)

Here's what the 53-man roster looks like as of the writing of these Nuggets. (PressDemocrat.com)

Previously disgruntled receiver Jason Hill seems to be glad to make the team. I'll admit I was one of those that kind of ignored him this offseason, but I am very glad to see him back. You all should know what a big step that is for me, considering my fan-boyish exploits of Dominique Zeigler, who didn't make the cut. (PressDemocrat.com)

The NFL doesn't intend to investigate Deion Sanders' claims that teams have contacted the Crabtree camp/the team about a trade for tampering. Say's that it is between the 49ers and Crabtree. (PressDemocrat.com)

A link I missed yesterday (shocking) concerning the readiness of the 49ers to be a great team this coming season. (SFGate.com)

Not a 49ers link, but... Maybe it was a cash-in on desperation, but I really liked the On The Fringe thing they were doing over at NFL.com and what not. Was really pulling for Coy Wire, and he came through. (NFL.com)

Golden Nuggets: Last Chance to Impress

Ninjames — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 10:00:48 -0000

Moooorning everyone, James here with your Nuggets. It's game day, and I'm pumped. I know it's just preseason, but I'm excited nonetheless. I'm hoping to see QB Shaun Hill put out a nice, decent drive, and then I'm hoping to see Nate Davis show the same poise he's done thusfar. I don't need a monster game from him, but I'd like him to keep the good press coming. Mostly, I'm just looking forward to seeing some of the young guys and see if they can make a case for themselves. I'm hoping to be decided on our third string tight end position, and I'm hoping to see good things for either Micheal Spurlock or Dominique Zeigler. There's just a ton of question marks and hopefully a lot of questions will be answered today. On to your links.

I don't think this is news to anyone, but here's a grim reminder regardless. WR Michael Crabtree not likely to be on the field for the season opener in Arizona. (PressDemocrat.com)

The team is not going to wait for him, either. It's full steam ahead. (NFL.com)

Barrows has his own 53-man roster projection. (SacBee.com)

WR Arnaz Battle figures to make the final roster without having to perform well tonight. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here's yesterday's edition of Singletary's Notebook. (49ers.com)

Tonight is the last chance for people to impress to make the roster. (49ers.com)

It seems there aren't many spots open. In fact, only a few are up for grabs. (MercuryNews.com)

Here's a list of the players who wont be active for tonight's game. (SFGate.com)

Baas' Training Camp Diary: Talent Show. (49ers.com)

The team has established its identity, and the roster is close. (SacBee.com)

CB Dre' Bly eager to start fresh for the 49ers. Too bad, I want Tarell Brown to take his job. (Yahoo.com)

CB Nate Clements says he'll be ready for the regular season... I really hope so, because I haven't been impressed so far. (PressDemocrat.com)

Projecting the 49ers 53-man roster #4

Fooch — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 15:00:18 -0000

As the preseason rolls along, more and more positional battles are won, meaning more and more folks lock up roster spots. For example, yesterday's release of Damon Huard not only locks in Nate Davis's roster spot, but as far as I'm concerned, it removes him from our last 5 on list. I'd imagine it's not a major concern to Nate, but still worth considering.

As you'll notice, I've bumped down Bear Pascoe to last 5 on. Maiocco rolled out his 53-man roster projection (feel free to compare with mine) and actually went with J.J. Finley as the third tight end. He based his decision on the fact that Finley is getting the lion's share of playing time, although he admitted he's not completely sold on that pick. I can see why he might pick Finley, but for now I'm gonna stick with Bear, albeit rather tenuously. I've listed Finley as one of the first 5 off because honestly nobody else really jumps out at me for that list.

Offense
QB (3): Shaun Hill, Alex Smith, Nate Davis
RB (4): Frank Gore, Glen Coffee, Michael Robinson, Kory Sheets
FB (1): Moran Norris
WR (6): Isaac Bruce, Brandon Jones, Josh Morgan, Jason Hill, Arnaz Battle, Dominique Zeigler
TE (3): Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Bear Pascoe
LT (2): Joe Staley, Barry Sims
LG (1): David Baas
C (2): Eric Heitmann, Cody Wallace
RG (2): Chilo Rachal, Tony Wragge
RT (2): Adam Snyder, Alex Boone

Defense
DE (5): Justin Smith, Kentwan Balmer, Demetric Evans, Isaac Sopoaga, Ray McDonald
DT (1): Aubrayo Franklin
OLB (4): Manny Lawson, Parys Haralson, Ahmad Brooks, Marques Harris
ILB (4): Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Ulbrich, Scott McKillop
CB (5): Nate Clements, Dre Bly, Tarell Brown, Shawntae Spencer, Marcus Hudson
FS (2): Dashon Goldson, Mark Roman
SS (2): Michael Lewis, Reggie Smith

Special Teams
K: Joe Nedney
P: Andy Lee
LS: Brian Jennings
KR/PR: Allen Rossum

Last 5 on: Ahmad Brooks, Kory Sheets, Dominique Zeigler, Alex Boone, Bear Pascoe

First 5 off: Jay Moore, J.J. Finley, Curtis Taylor, Ricky Jean-Francois, Micheal Spurlock

After the jump, I include a practice squad projection and some further thoughts...

Practice Squad (8): TE J.J. Finley, OLB Jay Moore, FS Curtis Taylor, DL Ricky Jean-Francois, FB Brit Miller, OLB Diyral Briggs, G/C Matt Spanos, DL Khalif Mitchell

I doubt Crabtree signs when the practice squad is first put together, but if he signs before the season, I'm thinking he gets Zeigler's roster spot and Zeigler gets to use his last year of practice squad eligibility. The Crabtree situation definitely makes the wide receiver decisions a little more difficult...if not now then at some point.

Maiocco's 53-man projection, as compared to my own, is particularly interesting for a couple of reasons. Under running backs he lists six, with the last being "Unnamed Fullback Not on Roster." I find that rather interesting given Michael Robinson's occasional use as a fullback. I'm curious what fullback that is. Lorenzo Neal? Is he considering Brit Miller "not on the roster" at that point? Although fullback isn't a glamorous position, I find myself immensely curious by what Maiocco means with that. I even shot him a tweet about it. Anybody have any thoughts on this?

The other major area where we differed was at offensive tackle. Maiocco had Alex Boone on his practice squad and Barry Sims as the only backup tackle, basically acting as a swing tackle. I know how most people here feel about Barry Sims, and since the retirement of Marvel Smith, I figured Boone had moved into much safer territory. This kind of has me wandering back to his unnamed fullback. Is it necessary to grab another fullback over a second backup offensive tackle? Riddle me that....

Other than that our 53-man rosters don't differ all that much. That is primarily due to the fact that the 49ers are in a position where they have sufficient talent to actually fill a 53-man roster (unlike a few years back). Following the departure of Damon Huard (making Davis a lock), probably 46 of the roster spots are close to locks. Non-locks on top of the last five on might include Marques Harris and Marcus Hudson. So not exactly a lot there.

Golden Nuggets: In Davis We...Will Eventually Trust?

Ninjames — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:00:20 -0000

Good morning folks, James here with your Nuggets for the day. Sorry for my brief two-day absence but there were some personal issues. Plus, I decided that Fooch didn't pay me enough. Now that we've decided it's three bags of gummy worms, I'm back and ready to provide you some linkage. The regular season is fast approaching and the news isn't necessarily plentiful but there's a good amount of links. Of note today is that we released veteran QB Damon Huard, which, while expected, I didn't see it coming that fast. I suppose we wanted to give him a chance to sign with another team. Either way, he's some links for you.

The team cut QB Damon Huard today--rookie Nate Davis is now slotted to be the third string QB behind Shaun Hill and Alex Smith. (SacBee.com)

A little bit about the readiness of Nate Davis and how he's progressing learning the offense. (SFGate.com)

Nate Davis and ... Mark Roman earned MVP honors for last week's game at Dallas. (49ers.com)

Maiocco has a nice looking projection for the final 53-man roster, not sure I'm completely sold on it however. (PressDemocrat.com)

The starting offensive line is now intact with Adam Snyder and David Baas returning from injuries. (SacBee.com)

Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye is envisioning a 60/40 ratio of running to passing this season. I'm not quite sure we'll make the ratio, but I'm thinking we'll get close. (MercuryNews.com)

So should we be worried about our cornerback situation? No, I don't mean on the left side with Tarell Brown and Dre' Bly--I mean on the right side with Nate Clements. I'm hoping he plays much better in the regular season than he did in the preseason. (SFGate.com)

Got some more links after the jump...

Here's a gem of a quote from Nate Clements about Larry Fitzgerald. Clements is possibly one of my least favorite players on the team, but I wont get into that right now. (MercuryNews.com)

Singletary pushed the 49ers to their limit in training camp. The team suffered a few bumps and bruises, lets hope it prepared them for the regular season. (SacBee.com)

The 49ers (that's the team we're fans of, for you slow folks) are leading the preseason in rushing right now. Awesome. (Yahoo.com)

Road to the Roster: Joe Jon Finley. I gotta say, I'm liking him more and more, but I like the potential of Bear Pascoe.. Or maybe I like the name of Bear Pascoe. I'm not sure which it is. (49ers.com)

Here's a look at some of the injuries the team is recovering from and suffering from. (SFGate.com)

Jimmy Raye is very pleased so far with QB Nate Davis. Now if only another Davis on our team could produce... (SacBee.com)

Does Mike Singletary regret the praise he gave WR Michael Crabtree on draft day? (PressDemocrat.com)

So what are we going to do with our offensive line, or more clearly our right tackle position? I'm unsure but here's a few options. (NFLTouchdown.com)

So what is going to happen at the WR position? I really am at a loss at who is going to win a roster spot. I'm a huge Dominique Zeigler fan, and I'd love it for him to make the team. But right now I'm thinking WR Micheal Spurlock has more to offer this team. (SacBee.com)

Takeo Spikes appreciated every minute of training camp. Somebody's a suuuuck up. (49ers.com)

Projecting the 49ers 53-man roster #3

Fooch — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:00:15 -0000

It is indeed that time of the week. Eight days ago we rolled out the second 53-man roster projection and plenty has happened since then to mix things up a little bit more. The biggest news affecting our roster projection is probably the return of Ray McDonald from the PUP list. As with before, new additions are underlined. After the jump I go into some of the details of my changes.

Special Teams
K: Joe Nedney
P: Andy Lee
LS: Brian Jennings
KR/PR: Allen Rossum

Last 5 on: Ahmad Brooks, Kory Sheets, Dominique Zeigler, Barry Sims, Nate Davis

First 5 off: Jay Moore, Alex Boone, Curtis Taylor, Ricky Jean-Francois, Micheal Spurlock

Right off the bat, I'm sure the Barry Sims projection will have folks up in arms. The problem with this projection is deciding whether it's more predictions, projections as things currently stand, or a mix of both. I mention this because in his recap of yesterday afternoon's practice, Barrows mentioned that Sims was getting first team snaps over Boone. Marvel Smith only practices once a day, so in the second practice somebody else has to fill in at right tackle (since Snyder is out). I certainly reserve the right to adjust this depending on how practice and this weekend shakes out, but for now Sims seems to have an edge. I definitely would prefer to see Boone on the roster, but I'm just not seeing it right now. I'm sure there will be plenty of comments about this one.

The return of Ray McDonald does not bode well for Ricky Jean-Francois. The bump off the squad for now also bumped FB Brit Miller off the first 5 off. While he has looked solid, I think the five guys listed there are significantly closer to securing a roster spot than Miller. If the team keeps 4 running backs, I can't see more than one fullback (assuming we're not counting Michael Robinson as a fullback). Miller and Boone are two prime practice squad candidates. They're also two guys who might be tough to slip through waivers; Boone more so than Miller.

Other than that I just don't see a lot changing at this point. One guy who has gotten a decent amount of publicity is Diyral Briggs. Takeo Spikes was talking him up on the sideline last weekend during the Raiders game. He continued to impress this past weekend and has probably made a sufficient case for the practice squad. It would be tough for him to crack the 53-man at this point, although certainly not impossible. At this point he's listed behind Parys Haralson and Ahmad Brooks at the Will outside linebacker position. Personally I'd keep Brooks just because of that impressive goal line play when he made the leap and almost sacked Russell. I just don't see the team taking Briggs over Brooks at this point. Harris is backing up Lawson on the other side with Jay Moore behind them so again, I don't see him leaping them, at least for now.

At this point, as the starters are being figured out, the last few roster spots remain up for grabs. That list of first 5 off, among many others are all scratching and clawing for some ~~craps~~ scraps off the table. Most would argue Alex Boone has the best chance of making the roster. I would tend to agree, but it remains a tough road ahoe. I continue to root for Jay Moore, but Harris's experience in the Manusky defense gives him a big advantage.

At this point, who do you find yourself rooting for the most among the numerous "roster underdogs?"

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.

Arnaz Battle: Harder to kill than Jason, Freddy Krueger and Michael Myers combined

Fooch — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 15:00:09 -0000

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One of my favorite 49ers is Arnaz Battle. I realize he's not a superstar receiver, but something about him is appealing to the fan in me. Actually it's multiple somethings. He came out of Notre Dame basically learning a new position (I believe he played some WR at Notre Dame). Not only did he learn the position, but he actually became a pretty decent receiver. This plays into the next reason I'm a fan: the fact that he stuck it out on some god-awful 49ers teams. Given how bad the talent was it makes sense that even a decent receiver would stand out. The final reason? Well I like his official website.

I bring him up now because yet again, he is making some noise in camp and battling for some considerable playing time. A few weeks ago I had him battling Dominique Zeigler for a sixth wide receiver role that might not even exist. Now? Well, Maiocco had a good line about Battle yesterday:

Michael Crabtree is nowhere to be found (there's still no progress on his contract). Brandon Jones is out through September with a broken shoulder. And third-year player Jason Hill has yet to assert himself.

Don't look now, but here comes Arnaz Battle.

When MM did his offensive review before the first exhibition game, of Battle he said: "He has to step up with Jones out and prove his legs can handle the rigors of training camp. Battle clearly elevated his game late in the week. He'll have to keep it up to solidify his role on the team." When Bruce sat out last week's game against Denver, Battle got the start in his place. On the 49ers unofficial depth chart (in the game release for this week), Bruce is listed as the #1 flanker, followed by Brandon Jones (in brackets for his injury) and Dominique Zeigler. Josh Morgan is listed as the starter at split end, with Jason Hill second and Battle third. At this point, it seems like Battle has been elevated to the primary backup behind Bruce. It's a bit of speculation on my part, but something to keep an eye on.

In his post-practice press conference, Jimmy Raye was asked about Battle (full transcript after the jump):

"Steady, smart guy that can do a lot of things. He can handle the ball as a runner. He’s a good intermediate route, possession receiver and he’s sneaky fast. I hadn’t seen much of him prior to training camp because he was rehabilitating an injury from the offseason, so we didn’t see him in the OTAs or the offseason program, but we’ve been very pleased with what he’s done as long as [Jeff Ferguson] and the rehab people tell us he’s doing okay, he’s done well."

That description seems to sum up Arnaz Battle in a nutshell: Steady.

I know there are folks out there who don't think particularly highly of Arnaz Battle. However, with Brandon Jones injured and Michael Crabtree nowhere near camp, we're going to get a decent dose of Arnaz Battle. Any thoughts on what kind of production we see from him this season if he stays healthy? Will he stay ahead of Dominique Zeigler on the depth chart? Will he end up battling Jason Hill for slot receiver playing time?

Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye
Post-Practice – 08-19-09
San Francisco 49ers

On whether he knows if Frank Gore will play this Saturday:
"No, I don’t. We’re going to make a decision about play time in our normal routine on our Thursday meeting. The way that he’s been going has been very good, but we’ll make that decision when we do the personnel depth chart."

On taking precautions in the playing of Frank Gore:
"I don’t know if that will be a factor when we do it. Basically, we’ve got to look at the number of competitive snaps we can get in a live situation between now and the last exhibition game and how much time we are going to give the offensive line. So it would depend a little bit on the combination of things. How much time do we give the offensive line, how much time we think he needs and then we go from there and make that decision."

On the effects of the Raiders defensive coverage on the 49ers wide receivers:
"Well that’s all perception. A part of that is the rush, a part of that is the different style of defense that they play that we don’t have free access. It’s good to see man-to-man bump and run, work on our releases and see if we can get up the field against that style of play, but it’s a combination of rush and pressure as well as the bump and run coverage that they’re playing."

On the quarterbacks getting an equal amount of playing time this Saturday:
"Yes, that’s what we’d like to do. We made the decision last week because of the play sequence not to put the guy that started the game back in because it would spill over and run us in to a situation in the second half that we didn’t want to be in with the time and the offensive line. Whoever we talk about in the Thursday meeting to start the game, the next guy that’s in competition with him we hope that he gets the snaps. That’s controlled a little bit by how they control the ball and the quarters running out and the time, so we’ll either go snap and series based on how the game is unfolding, but we’d like to get each one of them about 15 snaps a piece."

On what he has noticed about running back Glen Coffee during training camp:
"He has really been exceptional for a rookie running back in terms of all of things that we’ve asked him to learn and the things that he does. I think that he’s way ahead of the curve in terms of his pass protection. Its unusual for a college back because they are not asked to protect much from the I-back position. If he continues to develop the way that he has – he’s a rugged player, he is mentally tough, he plays physical and rugged, and I think that he has a bright future."

On Coffee’s intangibles:
"I think what he has is vision and he has the ability to get fast in the hole. I don’t know that in a footrace that he would run that fast, but he has instincts and [a] second-level spurt that is a little bit unusual, uncanny."

On why he excels in pass protection:
"I think part of that too is peer pressure. I think that coach Rathman does a great job with that. And, he sees that he tries to imitate Frank Gore, who is an excellent pass-protector, is a plus for him. So that is a standard that is set that he’s working up to that helps him in terms of what he does that way."

On whether pass protection is what makes coaches most nervous when it comes to rookie running backs in a game situation:
"Very much so. Most of the time that guy has to protect the quarterback’s back side and [if] you lose pass protection with a rookie running back, you probably lose your quarterback so you are in a situation where you don’t want to jeopardize the quarterback’s health because of a rookie running back that is getting up to speed in terms of the pass protection."

On Glen Coffee’s pass catching ability in this offense:
"I think he’ll catch the normal progression of passes that a back would catch based on the flood control, but I don’t see him or envision him being a guy we would want to feature and throw the ball to. We want him to run the football. That’s his strong suit. He’s a physical, inside slasher. He’s shown in the first exhibition game and if he continues to do that going forward, I think that would be the thing that we would lean on."

On how QB Alex Smith is doing getting rid of the ball:
"Yes, he’s getting better at it. That three second clock was a little bit of a nuisance to them earlier, but I think they have adjusted to that and they understand that their body time clock has to speed up as well as their feet and we’ve emphasized and stressed the ball coming out and he as well as all the other guys have done pretty well with that."

On what he’s seen from WR Arnaz Battle so far:
"Steady, smart guy that can do a lot of things. He can handle the ball as a runner. He’s a good intermediate route, possession receiver and he’s sneaky fast. I hadn’t seen much of him prior to training camp because he was rehabilitating an injury from the offseason, so we didn’t see him in the OTAs or the offseason program, but we’ve been very pleased with what he’s done as long as [Jeff Ferguson] and the rehab people tell us he’s doing okay, he’s done well."

On whether he agrees that this is one of the best camps Frank Gore has had:
"Well, I really don’t have anything to compare it to in terms of prior deals, but from what I’ve seen and the guys that I’ve had, he has had an outstanding training camp. His weight is down, his body is rocked up, he’s ready to go. He’s been exceptional in training camp if I were to compare him with other guys that I’ve had that were in an elite category in terms of runners, he’s been exceptional."

On whether Isaac Bruce will play on Saturday:
"I think I said earlier that we were going to talk about the personnel on Thursday and make a decision on who was going to get snaps and who wasn’t going to get snaps and that will include Isaac Bruce."

On how the first team offensive line is jelling:
"I think this morning they made a big step. I think under the conditions of them being up here for four practices against the Raiders, this is a different front for us because the guards are covered. In our training camp they’ve been uncovered because of the 3-4 scheme. I thought we created some movement. I thought it was excellent work for us and I think their progress has been really good."