SB Nation - Babatunde Oshinowo

2009 49ers Training Camp: Sorry Oshinowo fans

Fooch — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 00:23:23 -0000

I'm guessing this is gonna kill our lone Babatunde Oshinowo fan: According to Barrows Twitter page, the 49ers released Oshinowo and signed wide receiver Chris Francies. Francies went undrafted in 2006, signed as a free agent with the Green Bay Packers and spent 2008 on the New Orleans Saints practice squad. Given the extended downtime for Brandon Jones, Francies isn't much more than a camp body.

In the meantime, the 49ers practiced this morning and it wasn't exactly a good day for Alex Smith, who was 2 of 7 (recaps by the 2 Matts are below). Hill was much more accurate, but he was also throwing mostly underneath stuff, and wasn't all that successful going deep. From what I've read, it sounded like Brandon Jones was going to be the deep threat for this team. I think a guy like Morgan can fill that role, but for now this is definitely not a team that will be going for the homerun pass all that often. At least that's my thought for now.

Maiocco described the practice as more of a successful day by the defense than anything else. It sounds like Dre Bly is coming around. As long as Brown is on the shelf with his toe issue, Bly is able to put some distance between them. I think Bly was likely to be starting week 1 anyways, but this is pushing back any chance Brown has of passing him on the depth chart. I know some folks are down on Bly as a starter, but we could very well see a resurgence from him. As I recall, Walt Harris was thought to be on the downside when the 49ers signed him and he turned in a Pro Bowl season.

It sounds like injury-wise, not a lot has changed. Nobody appeared to get hurt today and Parys Haralson and Jay Moore were both back in full practice today. Brown, Willis, Walker, Baas and Robinson remain out of action. Let's hope folks can stay mildly healthy going forward.

After the jump I've posted a transcript of Mike Singletary's press conference today.

Sources
Matt Barrows Recap
Matt Maiocco Recap

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Practice – 08-07-09
San Francisco 49ers

On how long Brandon Jones will be out:
"It’s going to be longer than a couple of weeks. It’s more like eight weeks. Yes. We had the X-Ray this morning. [There’s] a little bit of a fracture there, so it’s going to be longer than we anticipated. But, we’ll work through it. The receiver’s that we’ve got here, we’re very confident in our guys here. They’ll continue to work, and thankfully we’ll get him back after that eight-week period."

On how Brandon Jones’ injury and the fact that Michael Crabtree is not in camp affects the receiving corps:
"It doesn’t do anything, to be honest. As I said before, this is not a political speech. It’s the truth. We’ve got wide receivers that Jerry Sullivan is working his tail off with them. They’re growing, progressing. We’re fine for right now."

On who steps into Brandon Jones’ role as the No. 3 wide receiver:
"I think that’s something that Jerry Sullivan and myself, along with coach [Jimmy] Raye, sit down and talk about. Thankfully, as I’ve said before, we have some receivers, and I know we have some who are capable of stepping in and doing a good job. I hate that we lost Brandon Jones. He’s making great strides, doing a great job. Thankfully he will be back after that period."

On how much it hurts Michael Crabtree’s learning curve missing this many days of camp:
"You just never know. It all depends on how his learning curve is. If I know him, he’s working his tail off. He’s studying the playbook, but it doesn’t really come together until you come out and execute it. Hopefully, when he comes in, the learning curve is not as great as it may take some others. Hopefully he’ll just catch right on and go from there."

On whether Michael Crabtree has a playbook:
"Some of the things that we had in OTAs. I’m sure, somehow, someway he’s got something that he’s working with."

On whether the reports that Michael Crabtree may sit out the season perturbed him at all:
"No. Not at all. Not at all. For me, as I’ve said all along, when I come out here, the most important thing for me is to look at the guys that we have here and try to find the players that we need out of those guys and win football games. Thankfully, we have enough guys to do that. But, the whole Crabtree thing, as I’ve said before, I’m very excited about him when he comes in, but I’m going to focus on those guys out there and be true to the vision at hand."

On whether Michael Crabtree has become a distraction:
"No. We don’t talk about it. Hopefully we don’t ever talk about it because the thing we need to do is take care of business out here."

On when the last time he talked to Michael Crabtree was and how the conversation went:
"The last time was right before training camp. Just a matter of letting me know how he was doing. It was a good conversation, but nothing in-depth. He was doing well, just letting me know he was doing fine."

On whether he gave Michael Crabtree things to work on during that conversation:
"No."

On how surprised he is that the situation with Michael Crabtree is escalating in the media:
"You just never know what’s going to happen. When you have players, you have agents, you have the media, nothing surprises me when those three things are involved. As I’ve said before, I just focus on what’s out here. But, I’m not surprised at all, don’t know what to expect. I just have to keep it going out here."

On whether there’s a point where he says that Michael Crabtree has to get to camp:
"I will say this: I think, for me, it’s just – if I can just keep my focus here, and in terms of Crabtree, when he comes in, he comes in. Would you love to have him in? Absolutely. You’d love to have him. Would you want him here? Yes, we want him in. But, until that happens, I just can’t sit back and think about the what-ifs. All I can do is concentrate on what is, and control that."

On how much he thinks media, family and agents factor into a player’s contract demands:
"It all depends on the trust that the player has in the relationship. If he really trusts the guy, who knows? If he’s not sure, you just never know how that’s going to work out, but it all comes down to the trust of the player and the agent, and no one can really judge how strong that is."

On whether the team will bring in another receiver in light of Brandon Jones’ injury and the Michael Crabtree situation:
"At this point, we may or may not bring another receiver in and work him out and see what we have. But, there’s no sense of urgency in terms of doing anything right now, but continuing to work. As I’ve said before, we feel very good about what we have. It’s unfortunate that it happened to him, but we’re just going to keep working."

On whether surgery is necessary for Brandon Jones:
"No."

On whether Brandon Jones’ injury will heal on its own:
"Just time. He just needs time."

On Isaac Bruce playing every practice without veteran’s time off and whether he has considered giving Bruce time off:
"As I’ve said before, and I mean this in all honesty, I talk to these guys. I talk to our trainers. I talk to our doctors. How are they doing? How’s it going? Isaac Bruce wants to work. We’re watching it. It’s not like he’s out here running 80 routes a day. He’s smart. He’s a veteran. He knows what he needs to do. He knows what he needs. So, Isaac’s doing just fine."

On how soon he expects to get Patrick Willis back on the field:
"I don’t know. It’s a day-to-day thing. With Patrick, it’s not one of those things that I’m really thinking about a lot. I think Patrick is doing fine. When he comes back, he’ll pick up where he left off."

On whether he is being overly cautious with Patrick Willis given that Willis is the team’s best player:
"I think, with Patrick, he’s just one of those guys who will work himself to death. We’ve got a few of those guys. You’re blessed with them, but at the same time, the worst thing you can do is ask them a question and ask them how they’re feeling because they’re always going to say ‘great.’ So, you always have to, with Patrick, keep your hands on him and make sure you watch him. But, he’s fine. He’s doing great and feeling great."

On whether Dominique Zeigler could be the guy to step into Brandon Jones’ role:
"Certainly Dominique has continued to make strides since he’s been here. We’ll just have to sit down and talk about it and see what we’re thinking and we’ll go from there."

On whether he is satisfied with the progress the team is making one week into camp:
"We just talked about that a little bit as a team. I think right now, we’re on track. We’re not executing the way we want to execute right now, but I don’t think anyone is outworking us. As long as we continue to work, gain progress and confidence, the execution will come. I’m very proud of the guys in terms of the work ethic, but in terms of the execution, we’re not there yet. We just have to keep plugging away."

2009 49ers Training Camp: AM practice update and picture time

Fooch — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 20:47:53 -0000

More photos » by Jeff Chiu - AP

Browse more photos »

The 49ers wrapped up their morning practice earlier today and we've got another 15 pictures for you guys to check out. If you scroll over the picture above, you'll be able to click over to a gallery with more pictures from practice. This particular shot is Adam Snyder and everyone's favorite new defensive lineman Babatunde Oshinowo going at it. Given that Snyder has been getting first team reps at tackle, I'm guessing this was more individualized DL vs. OL drills.

Maiocco and Barrows have their respective recaps of the AM practice for you to check out. After the jump, I thought I'd point a couple of their comments that caught my interest:

Due to the strong divide in the Thomas Clayton debate, I thought it was worth pointing to Maiocco's comment that Clayton has seen very little practice time in 11-on-11 drills. I don't know specifics on how much time he's getting, but it sounds like Sheets has leap frogged Clayton on the depth chart.
Barrows indicated that aside from an ugly performance on one drill with veteran Marques Harris, Alex Boone has continued to look solid. I'm getting really curious about seeing him in the first preseason game
Josh Morgan continues to make some impressive plays. I'm looking forward to checking him out tomorrow and into the preseason
Shaun Hill ran the first team offense today and it sounds like he was pretty solid.
An interesting little tidbit: Moran Norris was back practicing today, but Michael Robinson still got a lot of time at fullback.
As previously mentioned, Patrick Willis missed the AM practice with an ankle strain. Justin Smith missed the contact portion of the AM practice, but I think it was just a veteran's exception. Parys Haralson and Tarell Brown remain out with their respective hip and toe injuries.

A quick scheduling note: Andrew Davidson will have a fantasy football-related post coming in a couple hours and then I'll be back later tonight with a recap of the PM practice.

Panthers Position Review – Defensive Tackle

Jaxon — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 20:59:09 -0000

In 2008 the Panthers carried four DT’s on their roster into the season opener against the Chargers, two starters (Kemo, Lewis) and two back-ups (Walker, Gibson). Though I expect both starters to remain the same this season both back-ups are no longer on the roster leaving a wide-open competition for those two back-up spots. The following post lists each DT on the roster and where they do or might fit into the Panthers plans.

Maake Kemoeatu – 6-5 345 8^th yr Utah – Starter at LDT

Kemo is one of the unsung players of the Panther defense whom I came to appreciate a lot more last season when he missed the last few games. You may recall the Panther defense got run all over in that stretch. The big guy is a pure run stopper (36 tackles, 31 solo) whos job is simply to occupy two or more blockers and clog up the middle running lanes. He remains a favorite of the Panthers staff and there is no doubt he will start at LDT come game one.

Damione Lewis 6-2 301 9^th yr; Miami (FL) - Starter at RDT

Though Lewis has performed better in a reserve role in his first season in Carolina (2007) I think he will remain the starter on the right side as long as his repaired shoulder holds up. Lewis is more of a pass rushing threat (3 sacks) from the DT spot than Kemo though he bested him in tackles (43) and solo tackles (33). Lewis was essentially an every down DT in 2008 but that could change in 2009 if one of the players listed below presents a better option either against the run or pass, but I’m not banking on I this year.

Corvey Irvin 6-3 302; Rookie 3^rd round pick; Georgia

I give Irvin the inside track on one of the back-up spots simply because the Panthers spent a 3^rd round draft pick on him. Irvin was known more as a run stopper in college, a ‘high-motor’ guy who could potentially develop into a pass rusher if he can combine his long arms with improved technique. Irvin was not highly recruited going into college yet he beat the odds to get to where he is today. I wouldn’t be surprised if that work ethic resulted in a starting assignment by the end of the 2009 season. He would have to completely bomb in TC to not make the roster. Roster Chance: 95%

Nick Hayden 6-4 292 02/04/1986 1 yr, Wisconsin

After spending most of his 2008 rookie season on the Panthers practice squad he finally got the call to replace the injured Damione Lewis and played in the final two games of the 2008 season. Though he didn’t do too much (3 tackles total) in those games he did enough to warrant continued execution of his contract. Whether that results in a roster spot come September though is anything but a sure thing. Roster chance: 60%

Marlon Favorite 6-1 317 UDFA Louisiana State

Favorite is the only remaining guy on this list I have heard of and he comes into Carolina with a lot to prove. He was a Top 100 recruit out of HS but never earned a starting job at LSU. Granted he played along some great LSU DT’s and he struggled with injuries but overall he has to be disappointed with how this has all played out. If Favorite can put all that out of his mind he could be a darkhorse to make the roster as the back-up to Kemo. Though shorter than ideal he is big, strong and plays the run very well. If the Panthers decide that the pass rush will come simply from the multiple DE sets then they may prefer to keep more run stoppers at DT to prevent a repeat of last years run defense collapse down the stretch. Roster Chance: 20%

Lorenzo Williams 6-0 310 1 yr Missouri

Williams is a 2^nd year player who has yet to play a down in the NFL. Williams spent most of the 2008 preseason with Baltimore before being waived at the end of August. Williams looks like another player who may compete for a back-up run stopper position but the odds are not in his favor. Good work in TC though could produce a practice squad placement as I’m sure the Panthers will want depth available at this position. Roster Chance: 10%

Justin Kershaw 6-4 271 UDFA Michigan State

Kershaw looks like an undersized DT looking to score a quick payday at TC for as long as he can ride the pony. I can’t think of a scenario where I guy like this makes the roster on his first shot. His best shot will be the practice squad at best. Roster Chance: 1%

Lonnie Harvey 6-3 342 UDFA Morgan State

Harvey is simply training camp meat, a huge body to beat on some of the o-linemen trying to make the roster. Roster Chance: Nil

UPDATE: I'll leave these guys for posterity, but both were waived on 6/26 to accommodate the signings of Mike Goodson and Tony Fiammetta.

Babatunde Oshinowo 6-1 305 1 yr Stanford

Though he only shows one season of NFL experience he has played in 2 games across two seasons for the Bears. Oshinowo has since bounced around a few training camps since the two year dance with the Bears. The Panthers signed him away from the Eagles PS shortly after the 2008 season ended. He’s a smart guy with a EE degree who could surprise anyone taking him lightly in camp. Still the odds are very low. Roster Chances: 5%

Patrick McDonald 6-2 265 1 yr Alberta

McDonald is a former CFL player that must be part of the Canadian intern program? He seems too small to play DT in the NFL and being from Alberta he just might prune up in the Carolina heat in August. Roster Chance: Nil >> Sun-dried Prune Chance: 80%

Update for McDonald: Hat Tip to MP for jogging my memory. McDonald was brought in to compete for the long snapping position though he is listed as a DT. You may recall that our 2008 long snapper Jason Kyle was listed as a LB.

Cleveland Browns Final Cuts Announced - Travis Wilson Among Them

Chris Pokorny — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 15:42:41 -0000

It's one of the more exciting days as a fan to find out who will be available on gameday during the regular season, but for those who have been cut, it has to feel like a downer. Overall, my projections were pretty good, but there was a shocker -- the removal of wide receiver Travis Wilson. You have to wonder if that one dropped catch against the Bears cost him everything.

FINAL TRANSACTIONS (TO GET ROSTER DOWN TO 53)

Players Waived

WR Travis Wilson - I wouldn't be surprised if he still gets brought back at some point though, if we run into another injury.
WR Steve Sanders
WR Efrem Hill
WR Lance Leggett
TE Brad Cieslak - Good luck to wherever he goes next.
TE Kolomona Kapanui
OL James Lee - I hope to see him on the practice squad.
OL Jonathan Palmer
DL Melila Purcell
LB David McMillan - A shame he never caught on.
LB Chase Ortiz
DB A.J. Davis
DB Jereme Perry
DB Travis Key - Big-time playmaker in little time with the Browns; hope to see him on the practice squad.
DB Brandon Mitchell
K Jason Reda - If Dawson gets hurt, I think he did enough to get the first phone call.

Waived-Injured

RB Travis Thomas
OL Derrick Morse
OL Marvin Philip
DL Chase Pittman

Terminated-Vested Veteran

LB Shantee Orr

Injured Reserve

OL Lennie Friedman

Here are some of players who were on the bubble and made the final 53-man roster:

POSSIBLE SURPRISES (THEY MADE THE FINAL ROSTER)

WR Syndric Steptoe - His strong preseason effort paid off, and I'm sure his progress on kick returns helped him in case Joshua Cribbs gets banged up again.
WR Paul Hubbard - This is probably a fairness issue -- they gave Travis Wilson several years to develop before cutting ties with him, so why not give Hubbard at least a year to progress?
OL Nate Bennett - With Lennie Friedman being placed on the injured reserve (speaking of which, when did he get banged up?), Bennett takes his roster spot. I don't think anyone could've projected this one unless they had inside information on Friedman.
OL Isaac Sowells - My reasons hold true. Take that, doubters! ;)
DL Louis Leonard - He adds some versatility, because he can play nose tackle or defensive end.
DL Ahtyba Rubin - Showed more progress in his first camp than Babatunde Oshinowo seemed to.
DB Gerard Lawson - He had some trouble tackling in the final preseason game, but I thought his awareness level was a little higher than the rest of the guys trying to make the team. He's also taken a few reps at kick and punt return -- if Cribbs is out Week 1, the Browns could put Steptoe at kick returner and Lawson at punt returner (or Lawson could do both if Steptoe is out for a week too).

Leave your thoughts on the cuts here. I correctly projected 49/53 roster spots, which is 92.4% accuracy. Grade me with an "A" ;). I will be updating this post shortly with a little note next to some of the players.

Poll

Which roster decision are you most surprised about?

Paul Hubbard over Travis Wilson & Steve Sanders

104 votes

Shantee Orr getting the boot

71 votes

Isaac Sowells making the final roster

24 votes

199 votes | Poll has closed