SB Nation - Marcus Hudson

49ers-Eagles Wednesday Injury Report

Fooch — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 00:00:18 -0000

The 49ers actually gave the team an extra day off this week and did not practice today. The schedule is thrown a bit out of whack due to the Monday Night game, but part of the reason for the day off is the team is a bit banged up following the victory. Even though the 49ers didn't practice, they have provide a practice report, so we have basically a projection for what would have happened had they practiced. Tomorrow will probably give us a better idea of things when we get a real practice report after a full day of practice.

Also, we don't have any coach transcripts today, but Maiocco has posted some comments about his conference call earlier today with Eagles coach Andy Reid, and Eagles QB Donovan McNabb.

49ers
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)

Did not Participate in Practice
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
S Dashon Goldson (chest)
TE Delanie Walker (ankle)
RB Michael Robinson (shoulder)
LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)
T Barry Sims (knee)

Limited Participation in Practice
LB Ahmad Brooks (foot)
RB Frank Gore (toe)
FB Moran Norris (toe)

Full Participation in Practice
CB Marcus Hudson (back)
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Eagles
Did not Participate in Practice
TE Brent Celek (back, thumb)
WR Jeremy Maclin (foot)

Limited Participation in Practice
DE Trent Cole (hamstring)
RB Brian Westbrook (concussion)

Full Participation in Practice
DE Victor Abiamiri (knee)
WR Jason Avant (hamstring)
C Nick Cole (knee)
WR Kevin Curtis (knee)
LB Akeem Jordan (knee)
DT Mike Patterson (wrist)
RB Leonard Weaver (hamstring)
LB Tracy White (shoulder)

49ers-Seahawks: Final Injury Report

Fooch — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 22:00:31 -0000

We've got the final injury report with one somewhat surprising addition. RB Justin Forsett was a full participant in practice today but is now listed as questionable because of a quad injury. Julius Jones is certainly no scrub, but given recent performances, if Forsett is limited or out on Sunday I'd be a much happier camper. Even when Forsett was shut down in the rushing attack at Minnesota, he still contributed big as a receiver. I'm glad the former Cal star is developing into a solid NFL running back, but I'd prefer he take a week off and not burn the 49ers.

After the jump we've got Coach Mike Singletary's post-practice press conference transcript.

49ers
Out
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)

Doubtful
OT Joe Staley (knee)
DT Kentwan Balmer (shoulder)

Questionable
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
CB Marcus Hudson (back)
LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)

Probable
WR Arnaz Battle (ankle)
LB Ahmad Brooks (thumb)
WR Brandon Jones (thumb)
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
DT Ray McDonald (shoulder)
RB Michael Robinson (shoulder)
OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)

Seahawks
Doubtful
LB D.D. Lewis (knee)
DT Cory Redding (concussion)

Questionable
RB Justin Forsett (quad)
DE Lawrence Jackson (groin)

Probable
RB Julius Jones (chest)
C Chris Spencer (thumb)

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Practice - December 4, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

Opening statements:

"Good afternoon. In terms of injuries, [CB] Marcus Hudson, questionable; [LT] Joe Staley, questionable; [CB] Nate Clements, out. I think everybody else is about what it was."

On LB Takeo Spikes' status:

"Takeo, game-time.

[Bob Lange: ‘It's actually doubtful.']

Singletary: Did I say doubtful?

[Lange: ‘You said questionable.']

Singletary: Doubtful. Sorry."

On how Staley is progressing:

"He's working. Working out and squatting. He's getting excited. So, hopefully it all works out."

On whether it gets more difficult because opposing teams are expecting more of a spread look:

"I think it really comes down to executing. You can change to any kind of offense you want to be, but if it's not effective, than it's not going to force it to be any more difficult for them. I think when you execute running the ball, when you execute throwing the ball, now that's when you make it more difficult for coordinators and teams to prepare."

On whether he gets the sense that opposing defenses are still keying RB Frank Gore as the No. 1 priority:

"I would think so. I would think if you look at Frank and what he's been able to do when he has been able to run, the possibility is always there, and you don't want to really let him get started. So, I would think that would be the first thought."

On whether the players understand the sense of urgency going into a must-win game on Sunday:

"We'll see on Sunday. We'll see Sunday. I think they do, but we'll find out."

On whether Seattle being healthier now presents more of a challenge than earlier this season:

"As you go through the year, guys are hurt, guys are up. We still have guys hurt. So, that's the nature of the game. You just go out there and play the game as best you can, and, hopefully, the No. 2 guys that you have, when they do have to play, that's what it's all about. The 53 guys that you have, they're supposed to be the best that you can get. So, hopefully, that next group of player that you have in there, you don't make excuses and say, ‘Well, we didn't have this guy. We didn't have that guy.' It's part of the game."

On whether it's frustrating as a coach that you can't practice tackling during the week:

"Tackling is more of an attitude than anything else. I believe that if you want to tackle somebody, you can, and you'll find a way to get them down. And, that's really what it comes down to."

On whether he is at a point where he is looking at the standings and trying to figure out what he needs to do to get to where he wants to by the end of the season:

"I'm just looking at winning. That's all. I don't try to be real good at math, I just try to really focus on what's really important because to me, if you're playing well, that's vitally important that you begin to - it's that team at this time of the year that begins to gain the momentum, begins to play better and begins to have a sense of urgency when they're playing. It's that team that's going to make it anyway. It's very important that you focus on winning games and being consistent down the stretch. I think that's what we're focused on. All of the other stuff about who wins and who loses and how many wins do we need, if we're focusing on that, then that's not good."

On how he felt about the week of practice:

"I felt it was a good week. It wasn't great. But, I don't think it's ever great, but it was a good, good week."

49ers-Jaguars: Final Injury Report

Fooch — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:00:13 -0000

Not a whole lot of shockers in the final injury report, although we get confirmation that Michael Robinson will more than likely miss out on the game. Doubtful means 75% chance the player won't play. Safe to say no Robinson. So does that mean we'll get a bit more Josh Morgan in the return game? I've attached Coach Singletary's press conference from yesterday, but there's no mention of the return game.

For those wondering, Morgan does have some return experience back in college. His senior year he returned 16 kicks for 276 yards (long of 34). It's nothing spectacular, but better than nothing. We'll see how this plays out on Sunday.

49ers
Out
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Doubtful
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
RB Michael Robinson (concussion)

Questionable
WR Arnaz Battle (ankle)
LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)

Probable
G David Baas (ankle)
CB Tarell Brown (knee)
CB Marcus Hudson (back)
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
S Reggie Smith (abdomen)
OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)
S Curtis Taylor (knee)
LB Patrick Willis (shoulder)

Jaguars
Out
CB Rashean Mathis (groin)

Probable
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (knee)
WR Mike Sims-Walker (knee)

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Practice - November 27, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On the status of LB Takeo Spikes:

"It's going to be a game time [decision]. He tried to practice a little bit today. We didn't have him overexert himself, but he looked pretty good. We'll see come game time."

On who takes over the leadership role on defense when Spikes is not in the lineup:

"I think [LB] Patrick [Willis] is doing a much better job. I think that Takeo and Pat work really well together, and I think that when Takeo is not there, that Pat has to pick it up a bit. [LB] Matt Wilhelm is still trying to get used to doing it, but hopefully this week Takeo steps up and is ready to go. I'll keep my fingers crossed for that."

On whether having Takeo Spikes out against Green Bay constituted to the yardage gained by Packers RB Ryan Grant:

"I'm sure that it had something to do with it, a little bit. I wouldn't go there and say, ‘well, he wasn't there,' no, I wouldn't go there. Certainly, continuity is big and Takeo really helps Pat out a lot, he really does, so he's a great asset to us."

On the challenge of containing Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew:

"It's a big challenge because you've got a huge offensive line, and next thing you know, he just comes out of nowhere. He hides really well behind them, so we really have our work cut out for us this week. They are a power team and he's a powerful runner. He's an effective guy, so we definitely have our hands full this week."

On whether he recollects having problems tackling diminutive runners when he played in the NFL:

"I would say for me - I was kind of small too, so it wasn't a big problem for me. For the linebackers, it shouldn't be a big issue. For our guys, we don't have huge guys, I think that Pat and Takeo should be just fine. The defensive linemen have to bend a little bit more to find him."

On Jacksonville RB Maurice Jones-Drew performance in short-yardage situations:

"He's a good back aside from being a shorter guy. I would say that's the only difference - he's a shorter guy, not a smaller guy. He's really compact and he keeps his legs moving behind that pile, and I'll tell you what now, the offensive line does a great job of pulling him forward. So I think that we have to reevaluate that rule before the game, but the offensive line does a great job of pulling him right along with them so that helps too."

On whether a sneak play against Green Bay should have been raised as an issue with the league:

"It should have been. The whole sneak thing when guys are pulling you forward - it should be, but I guess they don't enforce it that much, but we'll have to look at that."

On any other personnel moves to be made prior to Sunday's contest against Jacksonville:

"No."

On talking to the referees pre-game concerning the sneak plays:

"It's not really a big thing, we just have to mention things that could possibly come up in a game. Things that you see on film, those are just little things that you communicate to the referees before the game so they can look at it prior [to the game]."

On whether sneak plays are done by hitting a runner forward or pulling him forward:

"There are time when it's kind of like rugby - he's in there and they're just pushing, shoving, pulling, and the whole nine yards. They do a good job of blocking, it's not like they're cheating.They're working and they're doing what they have to do. I think that it's going to be up to us to do everything that we can do to stop them, but they do a good job of blocking for him."

On whether he agrees with offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye's assessment of QB Alex Smith maturation and assertiveness:

"Oh yeah, I think that I've been saying the same thing. I haven't quite gotten to excellent yet, but I would say that only because I haven't used that word. But I think that Alex Smith is making really good progress. I think that we're all thankful that he's making the progress that he's making, so hopefully we just continue to go forward with that. If he can continue to get better from week to week, it helps us that much more trying to get where we need to go."

On what hasn't Alex Smith done in order to make progress:

"I would say, if I had to point to one thing, whenever you look at a quarterback, it's all about winning. I think that you could say that it's kind of like your team, ‘Whoa man, we're playing hard, we're doing this, we're doing that....did you win the game? No. Well, end of conversation.' So it's kind of like the same with the quarterback. We've had some good quarterbacks come through this league, but they didn't win, so we don't know a whole lot about them. So for Alex, I think that he just has to continue working, and also our team and everything else, and we just have to bring that thing together and win."

On his comments on Alex Smith being ‘meek' and how an NFL quarterback can be successful with that quality:

"It's kind of the whole thing with leadership. You hit that point, I just want to answer that question and make sure that I define him right. Are leaders born or are they made? I think both, but when I think about Alex Smith, when I was talking about meek, I should have used the word humble. He's a guy, he doesn't want to cause any problems. To me, he doesn't have the typical mentality of a quarterback, which is, ‘Hey, this is what I want.' He's not like that and that's thing that I like about him and I'm sure going forward, I'm see more and more assertiveness, I'm seeing more and more, ‘Coach I like this, I don't like that,' and those kinds of things so I think it's a tremendous asset for him to be a guy that is still willing to be molded, still willing to listen and it's not all of a sudden, he throws a couple of touchdowns and he's not all of a sudden the greatest quarterback in the world. He's still listening and I think that's great so going forward I think he's going to find his balance. We are on this side of it saying, ‘Come on, give us the information, let us know where you are, let us know what you are thinking,' and I think he has been on the other side saying, ‘I don't want to cause any problems, I don't want to make this about me, I want it to be about the team, I want it to be about the offense,' and I think that's been his mentality and that's been great and we are saying we love that, but come on, be the guy that says ‘this is what I want,' and we'll say, ‘Okay, we are going to go here, we're going to do that and this.' Now we are where we need to be in the communication area and I think we are getting there, I just think he needed permission to say, ‘That's okay for me to say, this is what I want, this is what I need.' The answer is absolutely yes. We need to know exactly what it is and he's doing that."

On that ‘jerk' quality in most quarterbacks:

"For lack of a another word, yes, I would say that, but there are some that I know that are, I would say are very clear and concise about what it is that they want and the great thing about Alex is I think he's such a bright guy that he can do a number of things and I think he's still finding out some of those things that he likes better than others because he hasn't played as long. To me, I think it's a tremendous advantage for him and us going forward, so he's not set in his ways and so I think that's a good thing."

On whether it's hard for the quarterback not to be the natural leader of the team given he is the only one talking in the huddle:

"The way that Alex Smith is thinking right now and all that I've seen, I think Alex Smith understands that at some point in time it has to be about his point of view, but from a team aspect."

On what kind of a challenge the Jaguars defense present for their offense on Sunday:

"I guess for me, when I look at their defense, you look at those big guys up front and they come off the ball, they do a good job and are big physical guys. Their DBs look like they are communicating well on the backend, I just think that we have to go out and just do what we do. I don't think that we have to try and think up anything else, just go out and execute the offense and hopefully, we can put it together early, hopefully we can execute early and find our niche, find our balance and just kind of move forward with that."

On whether he would like to see his cornerbacks play more aggressively this week:

"We have to. Last week, for whatever reason, there were times when we were way too far off and gave them a lot more cushion than we had talked about during the week. So, yes, definitely get up there and challenge them a lot more than we did last week."

49ers-Jaguars: Thursday Injury Report

Fooch — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 22:57:39 -0000

Hope everybody is having a good Thanksgiving. We've got our Thanksgiving open thread if you want to chat about any of today's games. I wanted to get this posted before the food coma completely overwhelmed me. We've got the injury report here, followed by OC Jimmy Raye's post-practice press conference transcript.

We had some interesting comments from Jimmy Raye, including the fact that Isaac Bruce will not be active Sunday and Brandon Jones will be. Jones will be backing up Crabtree at the X position, but will also be the spot guy when Morgan comes off the field. Also, the third question addresses the shotgun statistics. I'm curious what people will have to say about that.

49ers
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Did not Participate in Practice
WR Arnaz Battle (ankle)
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
DT Aubrayo Franklin (not injury related)
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
RB Michael Robinson (shoulder)
LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)

Limited Participation in Practice
CB Marcus Hudson (back)

Full Participation in Practice
G David Baas (ankle)
CB Tarell Brown (knee)
S Reggie Smith (abdomen)
OT Adam Snyder (shoulder)
LB Patrick Willis (shoulder)
S Curtis Taylor (knee)

Jaguars
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
CB Rashean Mathis (groin)

Full Participation in Practice
RB Maurice Jones-Drew (knee)
WR Mike Sims-Walker (knee)

OC Jimmy Raye's press conference transcript after the jump...

Offensive Coordinator Jimmy Raye
Post-Practice - November 26, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On which receivers play where with Isaac Bruce down:

"Basically, it gives Josh Morgan a transition when we go three-wide and that would bring Brandon Jones as the spot player. He would back up X. Jason Hill would be the back up Z. [Michael] Crabtree would stay at X. So, we would get the addition of Brandon Jones."

On who starts where:

"[Michael] Crabtree starts at X, [Josh] Morgan starts at Z. Jason Hill backs up Z. Brandon Jones backs up X. Then three wides, Josh transitions from Z to X and Jason Hill becomes the Z."

On why the statistics are better from the quarterback in the shotgun:

"I don't think that it is a coincidence. I know the time we did it, the score was 23-3. The quantity of the yards and quality of the yards has to be measured by the score and the time in the game. I don't think the formation per se had a whole lot to do with it. The fact that we were in a semi-rally mode because we were down by four scores had something to do with it. We converted third downs, which meant we got more plays. After the first drive in the game, we went three-and-out three straight times, and when we looked up, the score was 20-3, which totally changed the complexion of the game and the thought process and plan of the game. Then, the play prior to the two-minute warning, we could have kept them off the field on 3^rd-and-7 and we didn't convert. Then they went back and got another score to make it 23-3. So, there wasn't really any reason to be in ‘21' personnel and having the quarterback operating from under center. So, the score of the game and flavor of the game kind of dictated that. If you recall in that game, the first drive in that game, we were 3^rd and less than one in a position to score, and none of those plays were out of the gun. We missed and opted to kick the field goal to make the score 3-3. From that point on, offensively, it was downhill."

On whether the offense is in transition:

"I think this offense has been in transition since I've been here. You name a week that we haven't been in transition, from an injury standpoint, from a runner standpoint, a receiver standpoint, an offensive line standpoint. The thing we have been is in transition. I don't know what exactly your question is, in terms of this offense being in transition, but in terms of continuity and players, it's been a constant flow of transition."

On Alex's next step:

"I think Alex so far, his maturation in the 14 quarters, has been very good. I would anticipate going forward that as we improve in other areas of our play offensively, his growth will continue. He's become a little more assertive. You've got to remember that as he and the offense become more compatible and friendly, I think the less anxiety he'll have as he anticipates and knows the players he's playing with, and not thinking about the calls he makes, but he has internalized that. I am hopeful his growth and maturation will be something that will be very good."

On what he means by Alex being assertive and whether he tells him what he likes:

"I don't think that's a measure of assertion. He [Alex] plays and we coach. He has the opportunity to ‘red line' his wish list. The quarterbacks get a wish list at the beginning of every week. They get to list in priority the things they like and the things they don't like. They get to red line things they don't want or don't feel comfortable with, or they can suggest things they'd rather have. As I tell them and all of the players, it's democratic, but it's not 50-50 because they don't spend as much time looking at it or preparing as we do. So, their suggestions are all listened to, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll all be used. That's not just him, but that's all of the offensive players. His mannerisms and assertion, in terms of his leadership with the players he's in the huddle with, and his presence in the meeting room and film sessions, all of that has been a win-win. Alex is a very bright individual. As he gains confidence, the more his intelligence plays to his physical ability. I hope that is what we're witnessing. Only winning and time will tell that."

On the percentage of plays Alex red lines during the week:

"It varies. There are some things that are lengthy call-wise or protection-wise that may be a little queasy that when we worked them in practice, he didn't get the look that we had shown him or he anticipated or he didn't feel as good about dialing them in the game, as he does some other things. It's not a vast change. It's nothing like John Brodie, where he was going to run what he wanted to run and the hell with the plan because he called his own plays back then. It's enough to know and have a feel for what calms the anxiety in certain calls and where he feels most comfortable with things. We try not to have a whole lot of variance of new things so he doesn't have the anxiety of that."

On whether he can recognize body language from his viewpoint during the game:

"Sure. I'm learning him. I know this having coached long enough and called plays enough to know when you go 1-to-1 pass, you're an accident waiting to happen. So, if any play caller, even with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning, you start dialing the pass repetitively, 1-to-1, something is going to happen. You have to try to sense the protection and sense the spacing in the passing game I'm speaking of. Whether he's getting hit because getting hit is more difficult for a quarterback than getting sacked. So, you have to gauge the protection, and if he's getting hit, you have gauge the coverage element and how much pressure you're getting by down and distance and how close you are to 1-and-1 and try to keep him out of a situation where something bad could happen, as far as turning the ball over. So, yeah, I can sense that."

On when things will click for Alex and the team waiting for the quarterback for everything to come together:

"I think if the team is waiting on the quarterback, then they have missed the boat. If they're waiting on the quarterback, then we're way off whack. The quarterback play has been very good, and at times, has even tilted towards being outstanding. So, if that is what the team is waiting on, the quarterback, then we're going down the wrong road. The team, as we're going forward in this drive and in this run to win the game this Sunday, the team needs to do the best that they can individually and the pieces will fit if we execute, and it won't be because of the quarterback."

On Alex Smith showing signs that he can be good player in the NFL:

"I think that he has demonstrated that. What you have to understand, if you go back and look at the development of some of the outstanding quarterbacks in this league, he's in his fourth or fifth year with a two-year hiatus where he didn't play at all. He's had four or five different systems, but he demonstrates in portions of games. You don't find many quarterbacks that throw three touchdown passes in second halves of games, be it behind or be it in the league. Once you do that, you do it. It has nothing to do with the score or the team or the opponent or if they're playing bend don't break or any of that. Once you do that, you do it and he has demonstrated on several occasions that he is capable of scoring points with the ball and that's the function of the position and throwing it. So, I would say that yeah, he's well on his way if his maturity and all of the other things that it takes to play the position - he's tough enough, he has escapabilty, he can ad-lib a play, he kept a play alive in the third quarter- got a first down with his feet and legs running the ball - so he has those things. It's his confidence that we're continuing to expand to let him be the best that he can be. Now, whether that will be good or in the upper echelon of the NFL, I don't know, but he certainly has a chance to be good enough."

On his observation of Smith's performance against Green Bay defense in the second half:

"Well, I think that they were trying not to give up the strike over the top ball, but became vulnerable to the deep ball with the style of secondary coverage that they were playing. Then they had to shift gears and try to pressure him and see if they could get the ball to come out quicker to negate [TE] Vernon Davis' speed and [WR Michael] Crabtree's verticalness up the field, so they tried to pressure him. When they tried to pressure him, he hit them. When they tried to defend, he hit them. So, then they got to a point where they mixed the pressure and mixed the coverage and he was still able to move the ball and I think that the last score that we went in on, there was 5:48 left in the game and they were in a different mode on their boundary - totally different, because they hadn't figured out a way to curtail what he was doing."

49ers sign CB Keith Smith, Release WR Micheal Spurlock

Fooch — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:04:20 -0000

The loss of Nate Clements meant the team needed some cornerback depth behind Dre Bly and Marcus Hudson. Today the 49ers made an initial move to shore up that depth by signing CB Keith Smith. To make room for Smith, the 49ers released much maligned KR/WR Micheal Spurlock.

Below are some details from the 49ers about the move. I was looking for some info and found some interesting stuff. Our Lions blog had some comments when Smith was released at the final roster cut:

Cornerback Keith Smith was released on Wednesday. Though Smith was injured for part of training camp and hadn't been great since he returned, this was an unexpected move. I personally thought Smith would make the team over Ramzee Robinson, albeit not by a very wide margin. This decision really just came out of left field, especially when news broke a few hours later that Cletis Gordon was claimed by the Lions to fill Smith's spot on the roster. Gordon is a cornerback who was cut by the Texans after spending only a few days with the team. Before that he was with the Chargers, where he spent three seasons and was a starter in one game last year.

The folks at mlive.com had some comments when Smith was released by the Lions at the beginning of the season:

Smith was Detroit's best downfield on-ball defender last year, but he never stepped up in training camp this season.

Smith (5-11, 191) was originally selected in the third round (73^rd overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. After spending five seasons with Detroit, he was released prior to the start of the 2009 season.

Smith has played in 71 career games (5 starts), registering 118 tackles, four interceptions, 14 passes defensed, one sack, one forced fumble and one touchdown.

A 29-year-old, native of Leesville, LA, Smith played collegiately at McNeese State.

Spurlock signed with the 49ers on January 23, 2009, after spending one season with the Arizona Cardinals and two with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He appeared in 11 career games (four with the 49ers) and totaled four receptions for 31 yards and 19 kickoff returns for 498 yards and one touchdown.

In addition, the 49ers have also released TE Carson Butler from the practice squad.

49ers-Seahawks Thursday Injury Report

Fooch — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 23:10:30 -0000

Fooch's Update: Was just notified that Brandon Mebane did not practice today either. If he sits out this Sunday (no guarantee obviously), that would certainly be a plus for the 49ers offense.

The only big changes today for the 49ers is that Marcus Hudson and Justin Smith were full participants in practice. Over on the Seahawks side of things Houshmandzadeh continues to sit out practice, so we'll see if there's any kind of rust on him this Sunday, assuming he plays. I'm guessing he'll be out there, but you never know. Also, Deion Branch got in some practice time today, so that could bode well for him this weekend. He sat out against the Rams but did not practice all week, so for him this is an improvement.

One interesting note for the 49ers is that Brandon Jones was a full participant in practice again. He was expected to miss all of September, but it looks like he'll be back much sooner than that. Jimmy Raye was asked after practice about Jones's availability for Sunday:

He started back to practice. He looked like a guy who has missed six weeks of practice to me. He’s got to get back up to speed and get in some shape physically. Be in position to be able to interval run routes at full speed, and that will take whatever conditioning level he’s at now, that will take a little bit of time. And, when he’s ready and we think he can go full speed, then we’ll involve him in what we’re doing.

That sounds to me like Jones will be inactive this Sunday. If they did activate him over Jason Hill that would definitely tell us even more about Hill's status with the team.

49ers
Did not Participate in Practice
LB Ahmad Brooks - Knee

Full Participation in Practice
G David Baas - Biceps
DT Aubrayo Franklin - Shin
WR Brandon Jones - Shoulder
G Chilo Rachal - Neck
DE Isaac Sopoaga - Shoulder
CB Marcus Hudson - Knee
DE Justin Smith - Elbow

Seahawks
Out
LB Leroy Hill - Groin

Did not Participate in Practice
WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh - Back Spasms
C Chris Spencer - Quadricep
LB Lofa Tatupu - Hamstring
Late Addition: DT Brandon Mebane - Calf

Limited Participation in Practice
WR Deion Branch - Hamstring
CB Travis Fisher - Hamstring
OT Walter Jones - Quadricep

Full Participation in Practice
S C.J. Wallace - Ribs

Wednesday Seahawks and 49ers Injury Report

John Morgan — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 01:37:59 -0000

This was forwarded to me. It is sent out from the team's PR department. I've gotten a taste of this stuff recently. I had heretofore thought someone actually collected and verified this information, but it's essentially a press release.



Practice Report
	Did Not Participate In Practice
	Wednesday	LB Ahmad Brooks (knee), DE Justin Smith (elbow)

	Limited Participation in Practice
	Wednesday	CB Marcus Hudson (knee)

	Full Participation in Practice
	Wednesday	G David Baas (biceps), DT Aubrayo Franklin (shin), WR Brandon Jones (shoulder), G Chilo Rachal (neck), DE Isaac Sopoaga (shoulder)



Practice Report
	Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
	Wednesday	LB LeRoy Hill (groin)

	Did Not Participate In Practice
	Wednesday	WR Deion Branch (hamstring), CB Travis Fisher (hamstring), WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh (back spasms), T Walter Jones (knee), C Chris Spencer (quadricep), LB Lofa Tatupu (hamstring)

	Full Participation in Practice
	Wednesday	S C.J. Wallace (rib)

You read that right. T.J. Houshmandzadeh has back spasms. And hamstring injuries are the new black in Seahawks camp.

49ers Unofficial Official 2009 depth chart

Fooch — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 19:24:24 -0000

At some point this week (I'm guessing), the 49ers will post what they consider their "official" depth chart for 2009. For now the site says the official depth chart hasn't been released.

The good news is that we do have an unofficial depth chart that seems likely to be pretty close to official. In that game release I received from the team, it includes a page with the unofficial depth chart. A couple weeks ago it would have meant a lot less in terms of week 1 starters. At this point though, even with a couple signs potentially in the offing (a TE and RB/FB), we probably have a pretty good take on it. I'd imagine most of us could write this on our own, but it's still worth posting what the team is saying.

The one thing I still find particularly interesting is that they only list one player at nose tackle (Aubrayo Franklin) with no backups. I'm curious to see how the team rotates players in to keep Franklin fresh. Will we see a line of Smith - Sopoaga/Balmer - Sopoaga/Balmer on occasion? On nickel it will be just as interesting. Maybe go Smith, Sopoaga, Balmer, McDonald? Just one of many things we'll find out on Sunday.

Underline: rookies
Italics: drafted rookie who has yet to sign
[player]: injured

Offense

Pos.	Starter	2nd	3rd	4th
WR	Josh Morgan	Arnaz Battle	Jason Hill	Michael Crabtree
LT	Joe Staley	Barry Sims
LG	David Baas	Tony Wragge
C	Eric Heitmann	Cody Wallace
RG	Chilo Rachal	Tony Wragge
RT	Adam Snyder	Tony Pashos
TE	Vernon Davis	Delanie Walker
WR	Isaac Bruce	[Brandon Jones]	Micheal Spurlock
FB	Moran Norris
RB	Frank Gore	Glen Coffee	Michael Robinson
QB	Shaun Hill	Alex Smith	Nate Davis

Defense

Pos.	Starter	2nd	3rd
LDE	Isaac Sopoaga	Kentwan Balmer	Ricky Jean-Francois
NT	Aubrayo Franklin
RDE	Justin Smith	Ray McDonald	Demetric Evans
SAM	Manny Lawson	Marques Harris
TED	Takeo Spikes	Scott McKillop
MIKE	Patrick Willis	Jeff Ulbrich
WILL	Parys Haralson	Ahmad Brooks
LCB	Nate Clements	Tarell Brown	Marcus Hudson
RCB	Shawntae Spencer	Dre' Bly	Allen Rossum
SS	Michael Lewis	Reggie Smith
FS	Dashon Goldson	Mark Roman	Curtis Taylor

Special Teams

Pos.	Starter	2nd	3rd
P	Andy Lee
K	Joe Nedney
H	Andy Lee
PR	Allen Rossum	Micheal Spurlock	Arnaz Battle
KR	Allen Rossum	Micheal Spurlock
LS	Brian Jennings

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.

49ers-Cowboys: Time for the defense to step up?

Fooch — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:00:15 -0000

Over the first couple weeks and first two preseason games I've focused much more on the offense than the defense. I've wanted to see who would win the QB battle, even if the offense is running through Frank Gore. Now that we've got that figured out, game three seems as good a time as any to focus on the defense, and particularly the pass rush. Greg Manusky spoke after practice yesterday and had plenty to discuss about the defense.

On what he wants to see from the pass rush:
"I think we just have to keep doing what we keep on teaching and preaching, which is turnovers, of course, sacks, want to try to get the ball out as much as possible, always. We’ve been very successful in having turnovers the last couple of weeks, and sometimes, some of those pressures lead to those turnovers. So, I’m expecting the guys to roll off and start getting a good push up the middle."

This is certainly the $10,000 question. Turnovers are not the easiest statistic to predict. Just look at Takeo Spikes last season. He had three interceptions in three games and I'm pretty sure nobody could have predicted that. Rather, it's about the pressure you're getting on the defense. When asked about how much scheming is involved in the third preseason game, he said specifically about the pass rush:

I think in the preseason, you want to see – especially the younger guys and even some of the older veterans . . . one-on-one’s in the pass rush for our defensive lineman and outside linebackers. Across the board you want to see the one-on-one matchups and for those guys, can they win? Or, do they still have it? You don’t really scheme it too much. You do to a little bit of an extent in regards to what personnel we put in the game, but you’ve got to run what you run and see if these guys can compete at a high level and make your evaluations afterwards.

In week two they mixed in some blitzing, but have we really been seeing a simplified system to date? If that's the case, does anybody actually think the pass rush will be better than what we've seen? Should we assume the pass rush remains non-existent and just hope it'll appear week 1?

The final question I have, at this point, heading into tomorrow's game at Dallas is the battle for the right cornerback position. Dre Bly has received just about all the first team time there due to Tarell Brown's toe injury, and yet Manusky had the following to say:

On whether he’s made a decision on the starting right cornerback:
"No. There’s good competition between [CB Tarell] Brown, [CB] Dre Bly and [CB] Shawntae Spencer. I think any time you have competition that’s the best thing about football. That brings out the best in each one of them, and right now it’s a good thing to have that competition with three guys. There’s not a final decision that has been made yet. We’ve still got two more preseason games to go, so they’re still getting their reps and rotations in there to see what they can do from week-in and week-out."

On whether anyone is ahead in the competition:
"I don’t think anybody is ahead. I think they’re all on the same playing surface. And it will be exciting to see what they will do this week."

If I'm looking at how things have gone down the last few weeks, do I now assume that Dre Bly has been particularly bad and can't lock down a job when Brown has been out so long? Or do I assume Manusky is BS'ing me? Anybody have an answer for that one?

After the jump we've got an assortment of transcripts from Coach Manusky, Patrick Willis and Shaun Hill...

Defensive Coordinator Greg Manusky

Post-Practice - 08-27-09

San Francisco 49ers

On who the starting quarterback will be on Saturday:

"I don’t make those decisions. That’s coach [Mike Singletary]’s job."

On who the starting inside linebacker will be:

"It will be [LB Takeo Spikes] and [LB] Patrick Willis rolling this week. It’s good that we have Pat back. So, looking, I’m looking forward to it and he’s looking forward to it as well."

On whether he wants to give his guys more playing time in the third preseason game than in any of the other preseason contests:

"That’s the way it usually is around the league. The third preseason game is where the majority of the starters start to jell and mesh together as a unit. They’ll probably be playing two quarters, some guys less, some guys more and usually come into the third quarter and play a little bit of the third quarter as well to get their air and their wings and start rolling with it."

On whether the starters will play into the third quarter:

"Right now, we haven’t discussed it totally. But, when we get to – they’ll be playing into the second quarter, and some will be playing a little bit into the third as well."

On what he wants to see out of Willis in his first preseason game:

"I think this first go around will be his first preseason game this year. As long as he gets the calls and rotates and just gets his air underneath him more than anything, get his lungs back into shape because it’s totally different when you’re practicing compared to playing the game. So, I’m expecting him to get his lungs back and then start rolling with it."

On what he wants to see from the pass rush:

"I think we just have to keep doing what we keep on teaching and preaching, which is turnovers, of course, sacks, want to try to get the ball out as much as possible, always. We’ve been very successful in having turnovers the last couple of weeks, and sometimes, some of those pressures lead to those turnovers. So, I’m expecting the guys to roll off and start getting a good push up the middle."

On how much scheming is involved in the third preseason game:

"I think in the preseason, you want to see – especially the younger guys and even some of the older veterans – man-to-man skills for the DBs, one-on-one’s in the pass rush for our defensive lineman and outside linebackers. Across the board you want to see the one-on-one matchups and for those guys, can they win? Or, do they still have it? You don’t really scheme it too much. You do to a little bit of an extent in regards to what personnel we put in the game, but you’ve got to run what you run and see if these guys can compete at a high level and make your evaluations afterwards."

On how guys have been doing in the one-on-one matchups:

"I think sometimes good. It depends. Some teams have their starters in for two quarters, or maybe even three, and then we have a second-round guy who has shown some success. It’s good for him going against a starter who’s in the National Football League. So, it’s always good to see some of our younger guys – our second-year guys, our third-year guys – going up against their starters."

On whether he’s made a decision on the starting right cornerback:

"No. There’s good competition between [CB Tarell] Brown, [CB] Dre Bly and [CB] Shawntae Spencer. I think any time you have competition that’s the best thing about football. That brings out the best in each one of them, and right now it’s a good thing to have that competition with three guys. There’s not a final decision that has been made yet. We’ve still got two more preseason games to go, so they’re still getting their reps and rotations in there to see what they can do from week-in and week-out."

On whether anyone is ahead in the competition:

"I don’t think anybody is ahead. I think they’re all on the same playing surface. And it will be exciting to see what they will do this week."

On who will start on Saturday:

"Dre Bly will be starting."

On where CB Eric Green fits into the defense:

"I remember back in Free Agency we had him in and spoke to him a little bit, then he went down to Miami. He was a fine football player for Arizona. We liked what he did there at Arizona and we brought him in and he chose to go to Miami. It’s a situation where you throw the guy in the mix and see what he can do and see how he can perform. It’s somewhat of a little bit of a similarity between Arizona’s defense and ours, not a lot of calls, but at least he has some type of base to him. So, it was good to have him added to the roster."

On whether he will play on Saturday:

"Yes."

On where he will be playing:

"He will be playing corner right, right side. Yes."

On where CB Shawntae Spencer has played during training camp:

"He’s played on the right side."

On what he’s seen from S Curtis Taylor:

"Curtis has been playing quite well. I think for a rookie DB with all the calls and adjustments, he’s still got to pick up his game in that regard, but from a physical standpoint he’s doing pretty good. He’s a good athlete, can run. He’s doing quite well."

On whether he finds out more about the younger guys in the first road game:

"I think so. Going on the road, even from the first preseason game when a lot of the younger guys are out there for the first time, it’s kind of tough for them, a little bit wide-eyed. Especially going on the road, going to Dallas, we want to see if they can play in that type of competition as well with the pressure that goes along with it."

On how he views the nickel back and the dime back and the competition at those positions:

"It usually depends on personnel, but usually the dime [back]is a linebacker or a safety. And, flipping between [S] Michael Lewis and [LB] Jeff Ulbrich at times and Takeo Spikes and [CB] Hudson, Marcus Hudson, flipping between those guys. And, the same thing with the nickel back position, a cornerback type guy – that is very important in the National Football League. So, the more guys you have playing nickel, the better off you’re going to be."

On where S Mark Roman fits into those extra defensive back situations:

"In situations when people run ‘10 personnel,’ put him as a dime. Roll him down as a dime because he is a safety still covering wide receivers."

On what "10 personnel" means:

"Four wide receivers."

On whether he needs to see anything from S Michael Lewis:

"I think we know what we have from him, but I think it’s very important going into the third preseason game that those guys get reps together as a unit, the starting unit. And, it’s good that everybody is pretty much healthy right now, and we’re going into it with every guy ready to roll. [DE] Justin [Smith] and now getting [DE] Ray McDonald back, and we’ll see. Haven’t talked about his playing time, but looking forward to getting him out in a practice and getting him out in a game. So, we’ll discuss that here today."

On whether McDonald will play:

"We’ll discuss that today."

On whether Lewis will be back in the starting lineup:

"Yes. Michael will."

On whether CB Eric Green is the fourth right cornerback on the depth chart:

"To me, they’re just corners. You know what I’m saying? I wouldn’t say he’s the fourth right corner. A lot of times, in nickel situations, we’ve got to bring [Tarell] Brown in, or we’ve got to bring Dre [Bly] in. He’s going to get playing time as a corner in the third and fourth quarter."

On whether it is a factor to have LB Patrick Willis practice getting the play-call on the helmet radio in preseason:

"I think it does, a little bit. Going into a preseason game, and he hasn’t done it for a couple of months, so it’s good for him to take control of the huddle and get the calls, and sometimes it’s not the greatest sound. Sometimes you guys should put it on, see how it sounds. But, as long as he can get the calls and relay it to the DBs and the defensive line, it will be a good little practice for him and work."

On the quality of the sound on the radio:

"It’s a little bit crackly. A lot of fans are yelling. I’m not saying it’s real bad. You can hear them. Sometimes you say,’What?’"

QB Shaun Hill

Post-practice – 08-27-09

San Francisco 49ers

On the status of his back:

"It felt good today. Everything felt good. It was nice to get out there and be able to practice."

On whether his injury was worse than anticipated:

"No, if anything, in my mind, it wasn’t as bad as everyone else thought. That’s for sure."

On whether he is planning to play against the Cowboys:

"Yes, as far as I know. Absolutely."

On when he first felt the injury:

"It was just a couple of days ago. It was kind of a freak thing, but I I knew that there wasn’t a whole lot to it."

On the precaution of sitting out of Wednesday’s practice:

"It was probably just smarter to let things settle down a little bit than to push through it at this time of the year. That’s all it was."

On whether his back strain had anything to do with his back injury in 2007:

"No, definitely not. I knew that it had nothing to do with that."

On describing the soreness of his back injury:

"It’s calmed down quite a bit. Obviously, it will just continue to get better from here on, but yeah, it’s calmed down quite a bit without a doubt."

On whether his back strain was deep tissue:

"They really haven’t told me exactly. Because, like I said, it’s not really that big of a deal as everybody thought it was, so we really haven’t even gone into details like that. It was basically ‘you know what, let’s have a day of rest and everything will be better,’ and it was."

On whether or not he could imagine the concern from people on his status as the team’s starting quarterback:

"Yeah, I guess. I don’t know about all of that stuff. It’s a little new to me. You guys are just going to have to forgive me. I’m a little naïve about all of that stuff. If it was anything pressing, my mother and father would have known without reading [about] it. They would’ve known from me instead of reading it. So, everything is fine."

On the importance of this upcoming game for the back ups trying to make this team:

"Well obviously, those guys that are on the edge every game is very important, every snap is. That doesn’t just go for them, that goes for everybody. It’s a very important game for everyone on this team. For the guys that are going to be starting, establish a tempo, do some good things, andget some confidence. Next week, some of that is kind of relieved a little bit as far as the game goes. Obviously, we’ll be going in practice, so it will be important for the starters to go out and get some good work in. As far as the back ups and everything go, this is a huge opportunity for them to get on somebody’s radar."

On whether he’s had an opportunity to set a tempo with the offense:

"Yes, we have. We’ve had some long drives. I know that we haven’t necessarily thrown the rock a whole lot, but we have offensively established some tempo. A lot of us have been [concentrating] on the running game, but we were able to get in there and get the rhythm going, get in and out of the huddle, breaking the huddle fast, getting to the line of scrimmage; those types of things that only come in games, we’ve been able to do in the first two games. So now, we just have to continue to do that in this one and then we will have an extended period of time when we’ll be able to do that."

On the importance of playing time and establishing an offensive tempo:

"Every opportunity to play is important no matter how long it is. Like I said, my goal is no matter how many series I’m out there, is to come away with touchdowns on those series. Unfortunately, we’ve had field goals in a couple of those. That doesn’t change however long I’m playing."

On playing the entire first half:

"I’m not sure to be honest with you. I haven’t heard a thing about any of that stuff. I play when they say play and come out when they say come out."

On whether he needs to create a better chemistry with the receivers:

"This week has been great for that. Obviously, it’s a process that needs to continue, but we are definitely starting to get there. Today, I felt [like] it was wonderful. The guys didn’t have the pads on, they felt light on their feet and they felt fast. So, it was great to kind of feel their speed as if they kind of had their legs back a little bit. And [with] those things, all of that stuff is going to start to come back now. It is a process, but I feel as if this week has been great."

On how he felt about the red zone offense starting to jell together:

"I felt like we did have things moving pretty well there, but not just there. Even in just the routes that were there, and even the individual routes, the timing and the rhythm is definitely starting to come."

LB Patrick Willis

Post-Practice - 08-27-09

San Francisco 49ers

On how he feels:

"I feel good."

On whether he’s looking forward to playing:

"I am. It’s the Cowboys. I always grew up a big Cowboys fan. Last year was my first time playing against them, and every play I was just excited to be out there. This year, playing them, I believe I won’t be so excited and I’ll be able to calm down and actually make a play or two."

On how big of a Cowboys fan he was:

"That was my team. I was big on Emmitt Smith, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin, and then was it Darryl Jackson? Darryl Johnston. Man, that’s what it was for me, and it’s funny that I say this now, but I couldn’t’ stand the 49ers. My cousin was a big 49ers fan. Every time he would say Jerry Rice or Joe Montana, we would fight. That’s how serious it was. So, to be playing for the 49ers and actually going back there to play against them, my heart’s here. It is what it is."

On why he was a fan of those offensive players:

"When I was growing up that’s all you – even still today, when you see highlights, how many times do you see a defensive player getting a sack or tackle? Most of the time, you have to score a touchdown in order to get some sort of highlight on TV. So, all I was seeing was the highlights they showed, and that was mostly just offensive guys."

On whether he liked watching Dat Nguyen:

"I do know who that is. He was actually a good linebacker. I was fortunate enough to meet him when I took a visit to the Cowboys through the whole draft process. I think he was the linebacker coach there, or he was just interning or something like that. I was fortunate enough to meet him and that was a great honor."

On the importance of this game for the backups in terms of trying to make a team:

"I think it’s very big. Like I said, to go out there and have a good game against a good-caliber team like the Cowboys, it means a lot across the board from the ones to the twos. Coach [Mike Singletary] will say all the time, ‘We don’t have backups. We have guys who come in and when they’re in there, they’re starters at that point in time.’ So, it’s going to be really big across the board."

On whether he’s looking forward to hitting and tackling:

"Of course it’s going to be different because I haven’t done any. But, out here, being able to practice again, I’ve had to calm myself down a couple of times. I have to make sure I get myself in the right position and kind of get a thud in here and there without going against how we work and how we practice. It’s going to be different, but it’s going to be fun to be able to hit again and tackle live."

On whether he feels he’s still catching up to full speed:

"I don’t know. I feel like, now, after having my third practice or fourth practice, it is. I feel like I’m kind of up to speed. I can’t say I’m up to game speed because I haven’t played in a game yet, but as far as getting my eyes right and feeling things and understand the field and how things are rolling again, I feel pretty good for the most part. Game time is something different, in a sense."

On where he sees the defense:

"Obviously, I never think we’re where we should be. I mean, the fans and people say we’ve done some things well. The guys on the back-end, the front, across the board have played alright, but we haven’t played to the kind of caliber that we have to play with at all times in order to win those games that we have to win – any game for that matter. But, I think we’re getting there. We still have a lot of work to do, but I think we’re just right around the corner. Coach talks about it all the time; it’s consistency. When we can get that down and play each defense fundamentally sound and do the things right that we’re supposed to do, then it won’t matter who we play."

On his physical condition:

"I feel good. My body feels good. I know the other day we were doing two-minute and I got a little winded when I just came back in it. What helped me get back through that, being a little bit winded, was I thought about my other teammates and thought about what they’ve been through this training camp, and I was like, ‘You know what? I haven’t been out here as long as they have, so I can push through what I’m going through because I know that they’re hurting worse. So, if they can go, I can go even harder.’ So you just kind of play off of each other."

On what he needs to do Saturday to get ready for the regular season:

"I don’t know. I feel like I can go out here and practice and get that same readiness that I need because the way I practice is the way I play in the game. I don’t do anything different that I don’t do in practice on game day, besides just taking them to the ground. I mean, obviously, playing in a game is going to be good because it’s game time and it’s live. That’s about the only difference."

On how much he thinks he should play:

"I don’t know, whatever the coaches say. Of course, once I get to going, I want to go. But, at the same time, I understand that it is preseason and not only is it time for the starters to get evaluated, but it’s also a time to find other guys to fill the roster and things like that. But, I’ll play for as long as the coaches will have me out there."

On the status of his ankle and Achilles:

"I feel good. I can run and cut and go again. As long as I can do that full speed then I’m OK."

On whether he anticipates blitzing to more this season:

"I don’t know. I feel like we’ve – being our third year in the defense – we are able to do some more than we have done in the past. But, the scheme is what it is, and whatever is best for our defense at that point in time for the game, then that’s what we’ll run."