SB Nation - Marques Harris

Golden Nuggets: Looking for an o-line, any o-line..

Ninjames — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:00:57 -0000

Well, maybe not the Packers o-line. Anyway, the 49ers made some moves yesterday, though I'm not sure how to take them. Or rather, I'm not sure how I feel about losing T Tony Pashos to IR. I mean of course it's never good to see somebody hurt but at the same time I feel that he wasn't playing so well at RT and his promotion to starter came because he was simply there. Still, does this mean Barry Sims gets the start? If so, I doubt I'll even watch the Colts game because I have zero faith in him whatsoever. Still, the team did promote a certain linebacker to the active roster, a certain linebacker that I happen to think can be really good when it all comes down to it. So I've got some links for you, should be a good day news wise but I'm still not optimistic about the game on Sunday and I doubt I will be at any point.

The 49ers lost Tony Pashos to injured reserve yesterday with a shoulder injury. (PressDemocrat.com)

They then signed a tackle from the Chief's practice squad who I've never heard of. (SacBee.com)

LB Marques Harris was released yesterday as well, and the 49ers elevated Diyral Briggs from the practice squad. This move I have a small bit of optimism for, seeing as how I believe Briggs can be a great LB of the future. (49ers.com)

Here's a look at the 49ers wide receivers, or rather, who the receivers will be for the future of the franchise. (SacBee.com)

There are those who think QB Alex Smith can play. There are those that think he will be very good. Then there are those like me and well.. I'll not get into it. (NFL.com)

I mean, it really will be hard for me to adjust. Can Alex be a different quarterback this time around? We'll see. (SFGate.com)

How about some Insight on Indy? A look at the team that the 49ers are playing on Sunday. (49ers.com)

Here's The Wrap Up for last Sunday's game against Houston. (49ers.com)

QB Shaun Hill says fellow signal caller Alex Smith has improved over the four years he's seen him. (PressDemocrat.com)

The team seems to be playing it safe with S Michael Lewis, which is a good thing to me. He's a good player with good instincts and I'd hate to lose him for the season and possibly his career by throwing caution aside. (SFGate.com)

What all do the 49ers have to worry about? A lot more than just the quarterback situation, it seems. (MercuryNews.com)

There's a bit of an update on the 49ers new stadium, but I didn't take the time to read this article, I confess. I just don't follow it with much interest, is all. (MercuryNews.com)

Why don't you head over and answer any questions Colts fans have for us Niner fans at SBNation's resident Colts blog? While you're at it, if you have any questions for them head over to their thread at NN here. (StampedeBlue/NinersNation.com)

Why not head over to NFL.com and do some pro bowl voting? Of course if you feel like any 49ers deserve it, vote for them, I try to keep mine realistic. I voted for TE Vernon Davis, ILB Patrick Willis and C Eric Heitman. I hate this though, how early this voting is. It's pretty much a joke at this point, but oh well. (NFL.com)

49ers Make Roster Changes; Pashos to IR

Ninjames — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 20:24:35 -0000

The San Francisco 49ers today announced that they have placed T Tony Pashos on the Injured Reserve List. Pashos suffered a fractured scapula in Sunday’s game at Houston. Pashos was signed by the 49ers on September 7, 2009, and went on to appear in five games, starting for the first time this past week at Houston.

They have since signed T Chris Patrick from the Chiefs practice squad to fill his roster spot. As for who will get the start at RT, nothing has been stated as of yet.

The team has also announced that they have released LB Marques Harris and promoted LB Diyral Briggs to the active roster from the practice squad. Briggs spent the first six games of the regular season on the 49ers practice squad, after being signed as an undrafted free agent by San Francisco in 2009 out of Bowling Green.

Harris was signed by the 49ers on April 30, 2009, and appeared in four games this season

Atlanta Falcons @ San Francisco 49ers Open Thread

Dave the Falconer — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 16:00:32 -0000

More photos » by Charles Krupa - AP

Neither rain nor 49er will stop Matt Ryan. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Browse more photos »

It's time to get back in the saddle, this time against a tough defensive team that would like very much to prove it's a contender. Sound familiar?

It's been a crazy week around The Falcoholic, so I apologize for the lack of a couple of familiar features. The important thing is that we're here today to (hopefully) witness a good game where the Falcons keep pace with the New Orleans Saints. In order to keep up in a competitive NFC playoff race (and yes, I know it's early), we better start piling those wins up early. Let's hope for 3-1.

See you guys in the game thread. May the Falcons kick butt!

Who? Atlanta Falcons and San Fransisco 49ers, 4:05 p.m.

Where? Candlestick Park ,San Fransisco, California

Weather? Sunny with a chance of Niners fans flooding the field with their tears.

Fun Fact? For the really young Falcons fans on this site, the Niners were once a hated division rival who made our lives miserable for quite a long time. What makes this fact fun, of course, is if we destroy them on Sunday and return the favor.

Injuries? Hat tip to the Official Site for their report. Jason Elam and Jerious Norwood are probable and virtual locks to play, while special teamer Antoine Harris is out. Hopefully we won't miss him too much for one game. The biggest names on the Niners end are Frank Gore (who's out) and LB Marques Harris (who is questionable).

Odds? San Fransisco over Atlanta 2.5, O/U 40.5

Foe? The talented Fooch and his merry band of trash talkers will be discussing the game over at Niners Nation. Be good sports if you head that way.

GO FALCONS! Let's give these Niners fool's gold!

49ers-Falcons: Final Injury Report

Fooch — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 20:57:54 -0000

We've got the final injury report for the week and the only big change is several probable players for the 49ers. Having seen the practice reports, and now seeing this lit, probable players really end up being no big deal. However, it sounds like with Marques Harris and Reggie Smith out, Curtis Taylor supposedly might be activated this week. It sounds like it would be primarily for special teams work, but maybe he'll get a chance out in the secondary.

49ers
Out
RB Frank Gore (ankle, foot)
S Reggie Smith (groin)
LB Jeff Ulbrich (concussion)

Questionable
LB Marques Harris (hamstring)

Probable
G David Baas (ankle)
WR Arnaz Battle (hand)
LB Manny Lawson (illness)
CB Allen Rossum (back)
LB Patrick Willis (abdomen)

Falcons
Out
S Antoine Harris (knee)

Probable
K Jason Elam (left hamstring)
RB Ovie Mughelli (hamstring)

Mike Singletary Approval Rating, Week 4

Fooch — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 15:15:21 -0000

Last week when I ran the Mike Singletary approval rating, my biggest concern was how the team would rebound from the devastating loss in Minnesota. Mike Singletary is a great motivator, but even many optimists had to be concerned following the loss.

Well so much for those concerns. The team rebounded to paste the Rams 35-0. One might initially argue that the team obviously struggled out of the gate, only leading the Rams 7-0. Offensively the struggles were certainly there. The offensive execution was a little less than stellar in the first half. However, given prior offensive struggles, I don't see that as an issue of coming out flat after the previous game. I say that in part because the defense was flying all over the field in the first half. They absolutely shut down the Rams throughout the game and were playing at an extremely high level.

The defense is certainly talented, but I'm willing to give credit where credit is due. Mike Singletary has been masterful with this team from a psychological edge. The team made some additions to the roster this offseason, but they're really not a whole lot different from last year's squad. The major variable in all this has been Mike Singletary. Bill Walsh will always be the coach on the Mt. Rushmore of 49ers legends. And yet, while it's still early, Mike Singletary seems to be on his to securing his own little spot in 49ers lore. We'll certainly have to re-address this in the future, but consider me happy so far.

I've attached Coach Singletary's Monday press conference after the jump, but I wanted to point a couple more things that jump to my attention about his actions with the team. I found his thoughts on halftime particularly interesting. It showed the level to which the players are truly buying in to the message:

On whether players have begun to take ownership of his message and he can take a step back at halftime and let the players carry on his message:
"I thought yesterday I saw a lot of guys disappointed in the way the first half went. Like I said, there were no shouting matches, it was just a matter of, ‘Guys, just remember what we said we needed to do.’ They kind of took it from there. ‘Yes, we’ve got to go out and we’ve got to do this. And, we’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to execute better.’ The coaches didn’t really have to talk a whole lot. Whenever you have that situation, you know you’re going in the right direction."

On whether he wants the players to carry out his message:
"The less I have to say the better. The less I say, the better I feel because I’m going to say what has to be said and hopefully they beat me to it all the time, so we can stay on the same page."

The team has bought into the Mike Singletary philosophy hook, line and sinker (to steal Danny's VD metaphor). This is not a team that will be quitting on their coach anytime soon. The team never seemed to quit on Mike Nolan during the down times, but in my opinion this is a different kind of buy-in. It's more of a playoff mentality (ironic enough given Mike Nolan's "Win the West" mantra!)

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Press Conference – October 5, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

Opening statements:
"Good afternoon. To start with, I’m very thankful that we came out of yesterday 3-0 in our division. I’m very proud of our guys and the way they played. To talk about some of the injuries, we still have [RB] Frank Gore and [S] Reggie Smith. They will be out. From last week, it’s just carry-over. [LB] Marques Harris has a hamstring strain. [LB] Jeff Ulbrich, concussion. [FS Dashon] Goldson just got the wind knocked out of him. He’s OK. [LB] Manny Lawson just got hit in the nose. He’s fine. Other than that, I think we’re in pretty decent shape.

Overall, our guys played hard. I think, offensively, the best thing that we did was just protect the football. I think going into every game, if that’s something, if that’s the mindset going into the game, just protect the football, I think we have a chance of being in it – as long as we don’t take ourselves out of it. I thought [QB] Shaun [Hill] did a good job spreading the ball around. He got the ball to several different receivers. I thought [RB Glen] Coffee, his first start, I thought he ran well. I thought he ran hard. He’s just going to have to continue to get in a grove and really understand exactly what he needs to do on every down. I thought our receivers did pretty well, for the most part. Obviously, there were some passes that we dropped that we have got to catch. [WR] Josh Morgan, I thought, did a good job coming back after missing the first ball, the deep ball, and coming back and catching a touchdown. That was good. Shaun just went right back to him. I thought our tight ends did a good job. [TE] Vernon Davis did a good job continuing to mature and staying involved in the offense, and I think Shaun is doing a good job of developing a rapport with him. [TE] Delanie [Walker] did well. He’s just continuing to do the things that we need to have him do, getting involved in the offense and creating mismatches. The plays like the reverse that he had, I thought he did a good job.

The o-line, we just have to continue to get better. [Offensive line coach] Chris [Foerster] and I have to sit down and look at some things we need to do in terms of what’s going to help our offense, but at the same time, there are a couple of guys who are doing a good job. [C Eric] Heitmann is working his tail off. Every down, he’s battling somebody. Thankfully, we have a center because everything wants to be from the inside out. So, if that’s where it starts, if you don’t have a problem at center, that’s a great problem not to have. I think [LT Joe] Staley is continuing to mature and get better. I think the right tackle situation, those guys are continuing to work it out over there, working together and taking plays here and there. Overall, they did a pretty solid job yesterday. I think we just have to get better overall, and we will.

Defensively, when you look at the film, the first thing that jumped out at me when I looked at the film was just guys running. Every time you looked at a play, guys were running to the ball. So, when we talk about being relentless, obviously, that’s what you see on the film. I think we had a couple of missed tackles here and there, but a lot of times, guys were just taking their shots. They were just coming in and just getting in there. That’s something that we have to continue to do a better job on. On defense, that’s something that we pride ourselves on. We have to be a good tackling football team. I think it’s very nice when you turn the film on and you see 11 guys sprinting to the ball. That’s the best thing that we have going right now. Obviously, [LB] Pat [Willis] had a nice game. He went out there and he just continues to get better. Any time you have a game like he had yesterday, that’s a great thing to see this early in the season. [LB] Takeo Spikes, also, I thought Takeo did very well, had a very nice game. Did all the fundamentals and the details of the position, did it very well. Our outside guys, [LB] Parys [Haralson] and Manny Lawson … thought they did a good job. [LB] Ahmad Brooks, continuing to come back from the knee scope, after being out a little while there are still some things that he has to get down, but he’s coming and coming fast. On the back end, we did a pretty decent job. [SS] Michael Lewis had a great game. He had several tackles, I think a couple for losses, a couple hits on the quarterback. I thought he did a nice job. So, defensively, it was a great day, and I think all of the guys get a game ball, simply because of the zero, the shutout.

Special teams, [LB] Scott McKillop, I thought, he came up big getting the ball in the end zone and scoring a touchdown. [RB] Michael Robinson, [P] Andy Lee and [CB] Tarell Brown did a nice job, in terms of special teams. [WR] Arnaz [Battle] fumbled one of the punts. We’ve got to work on that. It was his first time being back there in a while, and that’s just something that we can’t do and we have to get better at."

On the reason why KR Allen Rossum was inactive:
"My thinking was to get another linebacker up, a defensive player so that Parys and Manny – rushing the quarterback as much as they have to – giving them a break. And, Ahmad coming back from the knee, not giving him too many reps and hurting ourselves in the long run. So, getting Marques up and Ahmad so they could go in, as well as play special teams, just taking some of the load off. That’s really the biggest thing there."

On whether he’s thinking about personnel changes on the offensive line:
"It could. Hopefully not. Hopefully, we’re able to work it out because we do feel that our best five guys are on the field, but if it comes to that, it could. But, right now, hopefully not."

On whether he is unhappy with the offensive guards:
"I would just say that they did not play up to par. I know that whatever it is, we’ll just have to figure it out. [LG David] Baas could still be banged up a little bit. I don’t know. Sometimes, if you know a guy, when you’re playing on the offensive line, it’s just one of those things where, ‘Yes, I can go.’ But, at the same time, you’re not 100 percent. We’ll get to the bottom of it and find out exactly what it is because both of those guys, we have to have the whole offensive line in sync, and we’ll get there."

On whether it is his aim to have a 50-50 run-to-pass balance on offense:
"That’s always – that has always been, from the very beginning. I say we want to be able to run the ball, but I say we want to be able to run the ball when we have to run the ball. So far, we haven’t been able to do that, but I always want to have a balanced offense. I think people interpret what I said previously, thinking I want to be three yards and a cloud of dust. That’s not me. That’s not what I want. [Offensive coordinator] Jimmy Raye understands that, and I think our offense understands that, and that’s something that we’ll strive for. Obviously, in every game, sometimes you’re not going to be able to run as much as you want. Sometimes you’re not going to be able to pass as much as you want. The No. 1 thing is you want to be able to win the game, and we’re going to do whatever we have to do to win the game, but the goal is to be able to have a balance and do both."

On whether players have begun to take ownership of his message and he can take a step back at halftime and let the players carry on his message:
"I thought yesterday I saw a lot of guys disappointed in the way the first half went. Like I said, there were no shouting matches, it was just a matter of, ‘Guys, just remember what we said we needed to do.’ They kind of took it from there. ‘Yes, we’ve got to go out and we’ve got to do this. And, we’ve got to do a better job. We’ve got to execute better.’ The coaches didn’t really have to talk a whole lot. Whenever you have that situation, you know you’re going in the right direction."

On whether he wants the players to carry out his message:
"The less I have to say the better. The less I say, the better I feel because I’m going to say what has to be said and hopefully they beat me to it all the time, so we can stay on the same page."

On who those guys are that are beating him to it now:
"Well, you can pick any guy on defense. The leadership on the defensive side of the ball has really picked up, whether it’s [DE] Justin Smith,[LB] Patrick [Willis], [LB] Takeo [Spikes], [S] Michael Lewis, all those guys are talking. On the offensive side of the ball, primarily [QB] Shaun Hill has really stepped up and has been a real bright spot in terms of the leadership and, ‘Hey guys, we have to do this, we have to do that. This is what we said we were going to do and let’s do it.’ So that’s great to see. On the offensive line, [T] Joe Staley and [C Eric] Heitmann, it’s great to see those guys step up and they will continue to do so because we will continue to get better."

On how close he thinks the team is to being one of the best teams in the NFL:
"I think we are a ways away. I won’t even go there and try and be philosophical about it. We are a ways away and I only say that because sometimes you’ll say, ‘Well, we are about this much away,’ but when you really measure that, it’s a ways away. I’m always looking at the tape and looking at other teams and looking at where I think we are compared to some of the better teams in the league. Right now, we are just trying to get better each week and that’s really the bottom line and as we go forward, that is the goal, is to go out and get better in practice, just get a little bit better in practice each day and each game we play, just get a little bit better in some area and at some point in time, it’s going to come together, but obviously right now we are a ways away from it and we are continuing to work to get there."

On what he sees in this defense:
"The No. 1 thing that I see in this defense in unselfishness. That is the number one trait in this defense. These guys don’t care who gets the credit. You don’t have guys arguing about, ‘Now, wait a minute I got that sack.’ You don’t hear that. These guys are excited, they play together, they get along together, they sit in a room together and talk about the game plan, they talk about who’s doing what. It’s just a joy to be around and normally guys that are playing defense sometimes are a little more selfish, but not these guys. That is amazing to me. Defensive line, linebackers, DBs, there’s a lot of unselfish guys. So that lets me know right now that we are going to have a great defense. How great? Some guys just have to continue to mature and get there, but its coming."

On how much credit Mike Nolan gets for the way things are now:
"It’s the big thing that I talked about last year. It’s amazing. Any success that we have here, I always attribute a large part of that to Mike because I know what he was trying to do and I know where he was trying to go and it was just a matter of guys really understanding it, guys really believing it and stepping into it this year and just taking it to the next level."

On how he has turned the team into one of the league leaders in turnover differential this season:
"One of the things we talk about as a team is not losing football games. Making other teams earn every point they get. When you turn the ball over, it is a formula for disaster, and our guys understand offensively. Our guys understand that defensively. It just takes the breath out of you. The more turnovers you get, the more it lessens your opportunity to be successful."

On the approach he will take towards Atlanta:
"When I look at Atlanta, and I have not looked at them yet on film, I am still looking at our film and trying to dissect that a little bit more, but everything I know about Atlanta, they have great personnel on offense and defense. Defensively, they are flying around. They have good rush outside linebackers. They have good inside guys. Their defensive ends, John Abraham, they are coming from everywhere. On the offensive side of the ball, they have the young quarterback Matt Ryan, who was a huge success last year. They have good receivers and good running backs. So we are going to have our hands full once again. I think when the guys talked about the week we played Minnesota, and maybe there was a difference in me. Any time we have an opportunity to get better, any time we have an opportunity to measure ourselves, I think if you’d ask them there was also a difference in me for the first game. Each and every week there are different challenges for our team. This past week, yesterday, that was a mental challenge. That was a character challenge, in terms of where are we. Are we mature enough to be able to go into a game where we are supposed to be nine-point favorites? You have a young team just starting to develop a mindset of winning, are we mature enough to go into a game like that and win and play well and continue to get better? So we have to answer something every week, and I think yesterday, that was huge for us for different reasons. So each and every week we have a challenge. When I look at the film of Atlanta, we’ll look at the challenges we have there."

On whether he considered playing QB Alex Smith at the end of the game:
"No. Not really. Probably, the biggest reason why, is I want Shaun to get all that he can right now because he needs it. And I think it would be different if he had started for a couple of years and had a lot of games under his belt, a lot of success under his belt. I think right now, he needs to see all the looks he can get because it is going to serve him well down the line."

On the hits Hill took yesterday:
"They came from, sometimes, the safety inserted late in the game. Sometimes it was just a rush from the outside. But for the most part, it was definitely too many hits. Once again, the offensive line, some was due to them. And some, Shaun got no protection-wise, where not to go after the ball is snapped. It is getting better, but is too much. We will have to keep working on it."

On whether the team needs WR Michael Crabtree:
"Same answer. Same answer. I am going to say it again Any guy that can play and that can help us win, I am never going to say no, we don’t need him."

On whether Crabtree is perhaps a diva:
"You said the key word: perhaps. I don’t know that. I don’t know that for sure. Why say no to someone who may be one heck of a kid? Like I said, I met him, I talked to him and I had a good feel for him. I haven’t been wrong too often. I think he is a great kid. But this is your rookie year, you’re just coming into the NFL, all you know is what they are telling him."

On whether he has any indications that Crabtree will sign soon:
"I just hope he is right. It would be great."

Poll

Do you approve of the job Mike Singletary is doing as head coach?

Yes

1116 votes

No

9 votes

1125 votes | Poll has closed

Ouch.

John Morgan — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 23:38:44 -0000

Think Seattle's starters shouldn't be returning kicks? Think valuable players at positions without depth especially should not be returning kick? I think we can add Josh Wilson to the list of players injured while returning. Marques Harris ankle tackled Wilson and Wilson did not return for the second half.

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

San Diego Chargers' Roster: 2009 vs. 2008

John (obviousman) — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 14:02:57 -0000

More photos » by Dave Martin - AP

3 months ago: San Diego Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson (21) and quarterback Philip Rivers (17) watch from the sidelines during their NFL preseason football game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta Saturday Aug. 29, 2009. (AP Photo/Dave Martin)

Browse more photos »

With the San Diego Chargers' 53-man roster set, I want to compare where the team is today compared to where they were one year ago. How do the position groups match up to each other? On talent alone, has the team gotten better or worse?

QB (2009): Philip Rivers, Billy Volek, Charlie Whitehurst

QB (2008): Rivers, Volek, Whitehurst

Verdict: Equal. There's been no change, but Rivers enters 2009 with no questions about his health (as he did in 2008) and a year of learning how to carry an NFL team on his back. Volek looks more polished as he gets even more comfortable with Norv Turner's offense. Still, any improvements here have more to do with time and chemistry rather than any talent improvement.

See the comparisons and verdicts of the rest of the position groups after the jump.

HB (2009): LaDainian Tomlinson, Darren Sproles, Michael Bennett, Gartrell Johnson, Jacob Hester, Mike Tolbert

HB (2008): LT, Sproles, Hester, Tolbert, Andrew Pinnock

Verdict: Better in '09. The Chargers went into 2008 thinking that Hester could fit the role of power RB and backup to LT. He has shown himself to be a fine FB, but not an NFL-caliber running back. So, based on the fact that there is at least one decent backup to LT in 2009 (Bennett) and possibly another (Johnson), 2009 wins.

WR (2009): Chris Chambers, Vincent Jackson, Buster Davis, Malcom Floyd, Legedu Naanee, Kassim Osgood

WR (2008): Chambers, Jackson, Davis, Floyd, Naanee, Osgood

Verdict: Equal. Same players, same result. Jackson, Floyd and Naanee may be better than they were at the start of 2008, but there's really no way of predicting that. The expectations for Chambers and Davis have dropped in the last year.

TE (2009): Antonio Gates, Brandon Manumaleuna, Kris Wilson

TE (2008): Gates, Manumaleuna

Verdict: Better in '09. Kris Wilson offers great blocking and good hands out of the 3rd TE position. Having a player like that on the end of the line (possibly next to Manu), offers a great improvement for goal line packages. Expect a lot of "Off Tackle" runs to his side when the Chargers are inside the opponents' 5 yard line.

OT (2009): Jeromey Clary, Marcus McNeill, Brandyn Dombrowski

OT (2008): Clary, McNeill, L.J. Shelton, Corey Clark

Verdict: Better in 2008. Although I really like Dombrowski, I'd certainly prefer to have 2 legitimate backup Tackles and a veteran mixed in there (like Shelton) makes me more comfortable as well. Shelton did a decent job filling in for McNeill in 2008, and it's always nice to have a proven commodity sitting on the bench should anything happen.

G (2009): Kris Dielman, Louis Vasquez, Tyronne Green

G (2008): Dielman, Mike Goff, Scott Mruczkowski

Verdict: Better in '09. Dielman is healthier than he was going into 2008, Goff was a train-wreck last season and has since flopped in KC, and Mooch is still on the team. Louis Vasquez brings a massive presence to the right side of the line that should eventually help balance it out.

C (2009): Nick Hardwick, Mruczkowski

C (2008): Hardwick, Jeremy Newberry, Cory Withrow

Verdict: Better in '09. Hardwick is healthy, which is the biggest improvement here, and Mooch is a better blocker than Newberry and Withrow combined. The reason the Chargers were able to go with only 8 offensive linemen is because Mruczkowski and Green can both play Center and Guard. Dombrowski can also play either Tackle or Guard.

Defense

DT (2009): Jamal Williams, Ogemdi Nwagbuo

DT (2008): Williams, Brandon McKinney

Verdict: Equal. Both McKinney and Nwagbuo are young and have shown themselves to be capable in the preseason. Regular work in the season will let the team know if Nwagbuo is ready to fill that backup NT slot long-term.

DE (2009): Luis Castillo, Travis Johnson, Vaughn Martin, Jacques Cesaire

DE (2008): Castillo, Igor Olshansky, Cesaire, Ryon Bingham

Verdict: Incomplete. For as bland as Igor was as the Chargers' DE, he stayed healthy and was consistent enough to almost never get bowled over. Cesaire's health will help determine if this group has been improved over 2008, as well as how well Travis Johnson can transition back to the 3-4 and if he's improved work ethic. Since neither is a starter, I'll call Martin and Bingham a tie.

ILB (2009): Kevin Burnett, Stephen Cooper, Tim Dobbins, Brandon Siler

ILB (2008): Dobbins, Siler, Matt Wilhelm, Derek Smith, Anthony Waters

Verdict: 2009, better by a long shot. Cooper wasn't on the initial 53 man roster from 2008 because he was serving a 4 game suspension, so that's a big improvement. Burnett has shown himself to be a major playmaker in the Chargers defense, which puts him leaps and bounds ahead of Wilhelm, Smith and Waters.

OLB (2009): Shawne Merriman, Shaun Phillips, Larry English, Jyles Tucker, Antwan Applewhite

OLB (2008): Merriman, Phillips, Marques Harris, Jyles Tucker

Verdict: 2009 wins. A healthy Merriman (remember, the Chargers knew he was planning on playing 2008 on a bad knee), plus a first-round draft pick, makes this an easy choice.

CB (2009): Quentin Jammer, Antonio Cromartie, Antoine Cason

CB (2008): Jammer, Cromartie, Cason, Cletis Gordon, DeJuan Tribble

Verdict: Tie. Gordon and Tribble don't bring anything to the 2008 group. Figuring that out helped the Chargers to take the risk and go with only 3 CBs in 2009.

FS (2009): Eric Weddle, Paul Oliver, C.J. Spillman

FS (2008): Weddle, Oliver

Verdict: 2009, but just barely. I don't know that Spillman will see a lot of time as a FS in '09, but he should be a force on special teams and could eventually develop into the backup FS or a starting SS.

SS (2009): Clinton Hart, Steve Gregory, Kevin Ellison

SS (2008): Hart, Gregory

Verdict: 2009, but just barely. Ellison brings something to the table in goal line situations (where he can't get burned deep), and I hope he can do something for special teams, but that's about it right now. If he continues to develop, keeping him this season will pay dividends in the future.

Special Teams (LS/K/P): David Binn, Nate Kaeding and Mike Scifres are rocks in this group. The Chargers, and their fans, are hopeful that this trio stays together for another five seasons.

Do you have a question for next week's mailbag? Don't hesitate to e-mail me directly with your question and I'll make sure to answer it before next week's game.

Golden Nuggets: Dominated?

Ninjames — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 10:00:27 -0000

Good morning folks, Ninjames here. Still a bit numb from the loss last night, but I'm come to terms with the fact that it was our backups' backups playing most of the game. Still, I have some question marks about some of our starters. Then again, I can't make too many judgments on the starting unit based on preseason. One thing I am excited for, however, is the roster cuts today. I mean, I'm not excited that some 700 people will be collectively losing their jobs, but I'm excited to see what the roster looks like. Will Micheal Spurlock be around for kick returning, or was the lone return from Kory Sheets enough to make us want to try him some more at the position? I just feel like Rossum may not have a whole lot left in the tank. Anyway.. I'll stop ranting and get to your links.

The 49ers will bring their roster down to 53 players later on today. (PressDemocrat.com)

Yep, the Niners lost to the Chargers yesterday. Pretty self-explanatory here. (SacBee.com)

Apparently, we were dominated. This is debatable, but it makes a good point in "the 49ers first string offense did not look good." Granted we only saw one series, and without Frank Gore, but this is the fourth game now that the starting offense didn't look good. (SacBee.com)

WR Jason Hill is upset that he's not getting enough reps. I really hope he makes the roster, I like the guy a lot, and I'll admit I've been one of those who've been kind of ignoring him as far as discussion goes, but he's a solid player and deserves to make it over Spurlock and Zeigler. Also, some notes about the other battles. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here's a video or some such that I didn't watch due to slowing internet connection, but it's titled "Where's Crabtree?" (NFL.com)

This began as a semi-inspired article, but the bit about the 49ers is something to be interested in. I agree. (Yahoo.com)

A recap of sorts, focusing mainly on the drives in the first half. (SFGate.com)

And here's a look at the second half. (SFGate.com)

Deion Sanders speaks for Michael Crabtree. Apparently Crabtree is willing to sit out the whole season. Hm.. I really like Prime, in fact, he and Rich Eisen are the only reason I watch the NFL Network but really, the bit where he talked about Crabtree.. he just sounded so stupid, and I'm sure he did to non-49ers fans as well. What an uninspired crock. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here's a recap of sorts. (MercuryNews.com)

Here's a guy I hope makes it, perhaps at the expense of... Marques Harris. Road to the Roster: Diyral Briggs. (49ers.com)

And another one who looked solid last night.. Road to the Roster: Alex Boone. (49ers.com)

Here's an in depth drive-by-drive recap. (49ers.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.