SB Nation - Ricky Jean-Francois

Defensive Line: Long look back, brief look forward

Fooch — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:00:24 -0000

In looking at the 49ers defense, the front seven is generally a fairly quiet group. Obviously you've got Pro Bowlers like Patrick Willis and Justin Smith (even if it was because of injury, I'll still refer to him as such), but as we mentioned in discussing the outside linebackers, you don't think much about them and then come the end of the game you realize they've put on an impressive effort. The defensive line personifies this across the board as a unit that handles its business in an unassuming manner.

There are some talented guys on draft boards and in free agency this offseason, but I really wonder how much money the team is going to invest in additional players. Obviously you're always looking to improve, but how much do they need on the line at this point? Kentwan Balmer hasn't exactly set the world on fire up to this point, but I think they'll give it another spin in 2010 and make a decision at that point what to do next.

Justin Smith

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Justin Smith	16	6	65	0	0	0	40	15	55

After years of excellent but under-the-radar play, Justin Smith was finally rewarded this season with his first Pro Bowl appearance. His numbers were actually down from last year (1 less sack, 18 fewer tackles), but as is always the case with Smith, it felt like he was all over the field all the time. In 2008, Mike Nolan used him all over the field in 7 of the 8 front seven positions at some point or another. Once Mike Singletary took over, Smith settled in at right defensive end. The defensive ends in the 3-4 are not going to put up monster numbers. They often are there to clear space for the OLBs to bust through and make the plays. Nonetheless, Justin Smith still was a big-time impact player and a leader of this defense.

As we head into 2010 and the potential of an uncapped year, salary discussions don't exactly jump out as much. However, if the league comes through this season with a salary cap on the other end, Smith is in a fairly decent position contract-wise. The team loaded up year 2 of his contract (2009) with almost a quarter of the cap charge ($10.583 million), with the remaining years all under $10 million. He's signed through 2013, which would put him at 34 by the time his contract expires. He won't exactly be a young pup, but if he makes it to the last year of his deal, he won't exactly be a drain on the team. For the next couple years though he'll be the anchor of that defensive line.

After the jump we look at the rest of the defensive line and the options on the market...

Aubrayo Franklin

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Aubrayo Franklin	16	2	14	1	10	0	26	11	37

Franklin's performance in 2009 might have some people thinking, "Oh it's just a contract year push." Well, I'd say it's been more like a two-year push, or at least a year and a half push for Aubrayo Franklin. After a very quiet first year with the 49ers, Aubrayo Franklin came on strong in 2008 and really made a name for himself in 2009. While Franklin isn't exactly a prototypical 3-4 nose tackle, he handles the role he's been assigned with great skill. I lost count of the number of times he burst through the offensive line to take down a running back in the backfield. He showed some decent pass defense abilities with 3 pass deflections and an interception. All in all, he's provided a strong, steady presence in the middle of the 3-4.

Of course, given his big push over the last two seasons, the issue naturally turns to money. Patrick Willis has gone on record in support of re-signing Aubrayo Franklin. Obviously there are other opinions to be considered, but Willis is one of the guys who has benefited from Franklin's strong play, and he knows it. At this point in time there are no updates on contract negotiations. The 49ers would appear content to simply slap him with the franchise tag and see what they can do from there. If the team uses the franchise tag they get a sizable window of time to try and re-sign him before the tender must be signed. The question in considering a long-term deal is whether he'll maintain such a high level of play. He turns 30 this August, so it's questionable even how long a deal you would want to give him.

If you were GM, how would you handle this contract situation? Obviously you can franchise him, but if you'd elect to do that, what else would you do in terms of long-term planning at the nose tackle position.

Isaac Sopoaga

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Isaac Sopoaga	16	1	8	0	0	0	19	10	29

Isaac Sopoaga is a guy I've always had a tough time assessing. Given his role in the 3-4, that's not exactly shocking. Of course, Justin Smith and Aubrayo Franklin play in the same 3-4 and people are quick to jump on their bandwagon (and rightfully so). Sopoaga doesn't put up the monster numbers, but he's another guy who seems to be doing what he needs to do whether it be opening up holes for the OLB behind him, or closing off a potential running lane for a running back. He's no superstar, but he seems to do the little things. I'd love to hear more informed opinions on the work of Isaac Sopoaga.

Given the need to develop Kentwan Balmer, the question is how this affects Isaac Sopoaga, among others. Thanks to a 5-year deal signed in 2008, Sopoaga is locked up through 2012 with reasonable cap figures. If Balmer can actually turn into a valuable asset, will Sopoaga drift into the background as a guy who provides some depth, or does the team move to some kind of platoon at the left defensive end spot?

Ray McDonald

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Ray McDonald	16	3	19	0	0	0	6	2	8

Ray McDonald doesn't put up mind-blowing statistics, but he appears to be turning into an impact player in the pass rush. McDonald is fast becoming known for his ability to block field goals (replay is about 25 seconds in). This season he managed a blocked field goal and a blocked extra point. He has proven himself to be a solid pass rush specialist. I doubt we'll ever see him as an everydown player, but he fills a specific role quite capably. McDonald has his struggles with jumping offsides at times, but generally when we hear his name called, it's because he's just made an impact play. You need those kind of role players to help take your team to the next level.

McDonald is actually a free agent after this coming season. His free agent status will depend on what happens with the collective bargaining agreement. If this offseason's rules roll over to 2011, McDonald would be a restricted free agent. Of course, who knows what will end up happening with the labor strife. For now, the 49ers could probably lock him up fairly cheap. Although, McDonald and his agent may think they can find somebody else out there who would give him more money and insert him into the starting lineup.

Kentwan Balmer

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Kentwan Balmer	11	0	0	0	0	0	5	7	12

Balmer's 2008 rookie season, while not completely lost, did not see a whole lot of development for him. When you're a defensive lineman who has almost as many kick returns as tackles, something clearly is amiss. As one of the up-men (not sure if that's the proper term) in the kick return unit, Balmer has ended up with 7 kick returns in his two seasons as a 49er. Of course, given that he was drafted in the first round as a defensive lineman, those return numbers have become more of a sick joke than anything else.

In 2009, before a torn labrum ended his season in early December, Balmer was slowly gotten more playing time. While it's probably too soon to label him a bust, another poor season in 2010 could end the Kentwan Balmer 49ers experience before it even gets going. I took a look at some of MM's player-by-player reviews for last season (or at least the ones I could find), and it's generally a mixed bag of comments. There are times it sounds like Balmer is making improvements, and there are also times when he struggles. I know one comment I've read a lot around here is that he really would have been better suited as a 4-3 defensive lineman. Any further thoughts on that? This coming training camp will be a big one for him. It seems like the team could rotate him along the line and mix in some time for him at nose tackle on occasion. Part of the problem with assessing his development is knowing where he actually belongs on the field.

Demetric Evans

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Demetric Evans	14	1.5	14	0	0	0	5	7	12

Evans signed a 2-year deal last offseason and has spent his time as a reserve lineman for the team. He'll be 31 at the beginning of the 2010 season and depending on what happens this offseason, he could quickly find himself on the bubble in training camp.

Ricky Jean-Francois

		Sacks		Interceptions			Tackles
	G	Sacks	YdsL	Int	Yds	IntTD	Solo	Ast	Total
2009 - Ricky Jean-Francois	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

As as seventh round pick, not a whole lot was expected of RJF, and he more or less met expectations. He saw some action on special teams and on the defense in late December, but otherwise was inactive the whole season. Even with low expectations, the 2010 training camp is big for him. He'll need to show he can actually bring something to the table and earn a roster spot. I really hope he can at least prove himself better than Demetric Evans. Evans made contributions last season, but it'd be nice to get a much younger guy in there in that rotational depth role.

Looking Forward
Free agency
First off, for a simple alphabetical rundown, check out this on defensive ends and defensive tackles. Football's Future provides some good info, but the one problem is that they've included a bunch of outside linebackers in the mix. So take it for what it's worth. At this point, given what the 49ers have in place, I don't know if I see them adding much more than camp bodies. Nonetheless there are some talented individuals on the market.

2010 NFL Draft
In looking at draft options, the defensive line requires a bit of massaging of the possibilities because many players make a position change when they get into the NFL. A lot of college defensive ends are way too undersized to be effective at the next level, so they become outside linebackers more often than not. Of course some might end up being effective as 4-3 defensive ends, but not as 3-4 defensive ends. For now I've posted the rankings for 3-4 DTs and 3-4 DEs. If you'd like to view the rankings for 4-3 DEs and DTs, click on the draft link above.

Overall Rank	3-4 Defensive Tackle	School
17	Dan Williams	Tennessee
49	Terrence Cody	Alabama
102	Cam Thomas	North Carolina
276	Jeff Owens	Georgia
324	Boo Robinson	Wake Forest
345	Martin Tevaseu	UNLV
355	Jaron Baston	Missouri
478	Abe Koroma	Western Illinois

Overall Rank	3-4 Defensive End	School
1	Ndamukong Suh	Nebraska
11	Carlos Dunlap	Florida
24	Jared Odrick	Penn State
34	Corey Wootton	Northwestern
98	Alex Carrington	Arkansas State
124	Arthur Jones	Syracuse
145	Mike Neal	Purdue
180	Vince Oghobaase	Duke
194	Linval Joseph	East Carolina
229	Clifton Geathers	South Carolina
318	Doug Worthington	Ohio State
364	John Fletcher	Wyoming

Golden Nuggets: You must be swift as...

Ninjames — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 11:00:41 -0000

Morning, morning to all of you. Another day, another version of the Nuggets and... hey, check it out, we have a pretty fair amount of links to sort through, again. I'm hoping throughout the offseason I'll be able to keep the pace that I'm setting, my goal every day will be, of course, the make the jump in each article. Still, I'll be doing my best every time to keep each link providing new content as opposed to throwing in the same news and opinions from different sites, but then again I don't always read everything, ya know? We've got some more looks at the draft, which I'm sure we'll be taking every day alongside free agency previews and question marks. Free agency was dull this season and this upcoming one is looking like it will be even more dull. We've got some articles concerning, as always, the vacant ST Coordinator position as well as one looking at a couple 49ers who may not be returning next season, despite still being under contract. One of these is CB Nate Clements, who, I'm really not sure at this point deserves that large contract. Hmmm... either way, let's get down to business. (To defeat... the huns! Did they send me daughters... what, no Mulan reference? Heh. Your loss, Bro.)

Maiocco asks the question.. will these three players be on the opening day roster next season? The players are Clements, Lewis and Jones. I can't say I have very strong votes of confidence for Jones or Clements, but what do I know? (PressDemocrat.com)

Bobby April is reportedly the leading candidate for the special teams coordinator job, which I suppose is a good thing. The team has yet to make him an offer, however. (SacBee.com)

49ers DE Ricky Jean-Francois has some family in Haiti, currently and is waiting to here from them. What a horrible tragedy... (SacBee.com)

On the official website, Gary Plummer wraps up his "Points of the Game" series with a look at the team as it stands currently at the end of the season with "Points of the Season." (49ers.com)

LB Patrick Willis was named All-Pro... again. Need I say more? (49ers.com)

Touched up on this yesterday, but the 49ers reorganized the business operations within the organization. (49ers.com)

Hey uh... you can help the 49ers win the "Best Sports Twitter" award... That's almost like a Super Bowl, right? Right? (49ers.com)

Over at the WebZone, one of the writers has a pretty good (and very depressing) look at the last decade in 49er-land... "A little revenge," he says. Let's hope that this decade is of the kind and bubbly variety. (49ersWebZone.com)

A look at the 49ers draft order, as well as a few suggestions for their first couple picks from Lam. (Examiner.com)

The 49ers are seeing orange.. I like Bulaga a lot. Just saying. (SFGate.com)

Why not check out the latest edition of the 49ers Fancast with Indiana Jim? I wish I had linked to this more during the season as I have always found these to be interesting. I mean, it's certainly better than MY podcast, but then again mine is all about being a bro and nothing about the 49ers. Huh. Still, good stuff right here. (49ersFancast)

Sando answers some questions pertaining to the 49ers in his mailbag. (ESPN.com)

LB Patrick Willis finished sixth in Sporting News voting for the DPOTY award. I knew he wouldn't get it this season but I was hoping he'd get a bit more votes. Ah well, dirt on the shoulder, no? You do after all gotta get, that, dirt off your shoulder... Alright, maybe Jay-Z references aren't as awesome as Mulan references. (MercuryNews.com)

Hats off to the Rams, the 49ers weren't the only team to have a drastic improvement on the defensive side of the ball. (TurfShowTimes.com)

The Seahawks may be after C.J. Spiller... man, is it weird that they still scare me more than the Cardinals? At the beginning of the season I said the 'Hawks would be the team to beat. Turns out Aaron Curry provided to suffer from massive amounts of suck, but I still think they are one good draft away from being scary good. (FieldGulls.com)

The fans might be being lulled into a false sense of security when it comes to Curry. Apparently he got a pretty good amount of pressures. I'll admit, I'm watching that comment board just waiting for Frog to go off on someone. (FieldGulls.com)

Kurt Warner's future in the NFL and thusly, the Arizona Cardinals may be in question just a little bit. (RevengeOfTheBirds.com)

49ers-Lions Wednesday Injury Report

Fooch — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:56:34 -0000

Not much in the way of big news today. Nate Clements did not participate in practice today, but he's been removed from the Out (definitely will not play) category, which is a step forward. I believe I read somewhere that he would potentially be back for the final game of the season. We'll see. Some interesting news for the Lions. Matt Stafford will be out, but Drew Stanton will get the start over Daunte Culpepper. Stanton is a Michigan State product so I'd imagine he gets a little love back in Detroit.

After the jump I've posted the daily press transcript for Coach Singletary and Alex Smith. Also, check back at 5pm as we'll have an open thread for the Poinsettia Bowl featuring Cal and Utah. Drew K has put together a list of players to keep an eye on for draft purposes.

49ers
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
K Joe Nedney (left hamstring)

Did not Participate in Practice
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
RB Glen Coffee (hamstring)
DE Justin Smith (not injury related)
LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)

Limited Participation in Practice
OT Joe Staley (knee)

Full Participation in Practice
CB Marcus Hudson (back)
RB Moran Norris (toe)
RB Michael Robinson (shoulder)
CB Shawntae Spencer (ankle)

Lions
Did not Participate in Practice
CB Phillip Buchanon (shoulder)
LB Larry Foote (foot)
QB Matthew Stafford (left shoulder)

Limited Participation in Practice
S Louis Delmas (ankle)
DT Grady Jackson (knee)
WR Dennis Northcutt (groin)

Full Participation in Practice
DT Joe Cohen (knee)
WR Calvin Johnson (knee)
LS Don Muhlbach (concussion)
DE Dewayne White (toe)

Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Walk Thru - December 23, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On K Joe Nedney:

"Joe Nedney, the MRI revealed that he had a little bit of fluid. It was more than we expected, so he's going to be down this week, and we're just going to take it day-to-day from there. [K] Ricky Schmitt will be the guy that we bring on and see how it goes this week. We'll evaluate that as we go forward."

On Schmitt being here two years ago:

"Yes."

On whether Schmitt has a powerful leg:

"Yes. It's just a matter of controlling it, yes."

On whether it was a priority to bring in a left-footed kicker:

"Lefty, righty - just as long as it goes through the deal, I'm good. I really don't care."

On what the focus is going into this week's game:

"Finish. With everything that we have, finish. That's the most important thing, and not so much the two weeks, but this week. Let's go out, Detroit, when we look at Detroit, Detroit is a blue collar team. They're playing hard and trying to make the most of what they're doing. I think here, for us, once again, it really isn't about Detroit, it's about us. It's our last home game. We want to make a good showing. So, we're going to go out and we're going to finish the football season at home."

On whether the team is under pressure playing a team that the 49ers are expected to beat:

"It's like this: Expectations to me, I don't know about everybody else, I expect to win every game that we play. Obviously, it hasn't happened that way, but there's no pressure on us. The thought process, the reason you play football, is to win games. So, if we're thinking, ‘Wow, we've got to win.' What the heck is that? We're in the wrong place. We're in the wrong business if that's our thought process."

On whether there is any thought to playing some of the young players like C Cody Wallace:

"Cody will be up this week. I want to get a chance, hopefully the game allows an opportunity to see him a series or so, depending on how the game will dictate that. But, I really do want to get a chance to see him and if he can do it or if he can't."

On whether Wallace will play center or guard:

"Center."

On whether LB Scott McKillop or DT Ricky Jean-Francois will get playing time in the last two games:

"It's not likely."

On whether there are any other young players who he wants to see specifically:

"I think right now, Cody is the main focus when I think of the younger guys. He really knows, he knows what he's doing. He knows the system. It's just a matter of having the opportunity. I want to get a chance to see if - really, hopefully the game dictates that where we can get him in there and get a chance to see it."

On whether CB Nate Clements will back off as the season ends:

"No, Nate will come out here and work a little bit, maybe some individual or something like that. We're not going to get him back, try and get him back out here - no. We'll just continue to stay on the plan that we're on, let some of the younger guys that are getting a chance to play play it out."

On whether WR Isaac Bruce is shut down for the year:

"Yes sir."

On whether there is any thought to dressing him for the final game at St. Louis:

"I think it's like this: When I think about Isaac Bruce, maybe some other people might want to see it, but I think Isaac knows who he is and he knows a final hurrah and all that stuff, I don't think it's that big to him. I think he's done his damage. He's done a great job. He's a great pro and a future Hall of Famer. We're just fortunate enough to have him in the capacity that we do, continuing to build into our young guys. That means the world to us."

On the importance of a winning record:

"It's very important. We always have to set goals. Week-in-week out, it's always important to have some direction in terms of where you're trying to go and what you're trying to achieve. For our team, to finish 8-8 would be good for us. It's something to build on and go from there. It is important, very important."

On whether QB Nate Davis will play in the final two games:

"No."

On why he won't get in:

"That would be because it would be different if [QB] Alex Smith was a proven veteran player, got everything under control. I want Alex to get all the playing time he can get. I want to see every drop of everything that he has, and I think it's very important for us and for him just to get - he hasn't played for a year-and-a-half before he had a chance to get back in there. Every situation that he can possibly be in, I want him to learn every lesson that he can possibly learn. So, that's where that stands."

On whether QB Nate Davis has practiced:

"He gets an opportunity from time to time against the first-team group. But, he'll have to wait for this offseason and kind of go from there."

QB Alex Smith
Post-Walk-Thru- December 23, 2009
San Francisco 49ers

On whether he likes to hear head coach Mike Singletary say that he wants Smith to be exposed to all situations in the final two games:

"Yes, no question. Yes, I want to be out there. Absolutely. It's definitely what I want to hear."

On what he hopes to accomplish in the final two weeks:

"Playing good football. I think that's it. Play winning football. Nothing crazy, just go out there and do my job. Offense go out and do our job as a unit and put us in a situation to win the game."

On whether winning football means limiting mistakes:

"Yes, it's that fine line of making plays and not making mistakes, yes. Going out there and - we're not going out there to not make mistakes. We're going out there to win a game, and within that, play good football, as error-free as possible, especially mental mistakes and things of that nature."

On how important these next two games are in terms of professional development:

"I'm really not thinking about that right now. I guess really focused on playing good football this week, bouncing back from last week and playing well this week, playing well against Detroit. I think in a couple of weeks I'll have plenty of time to think about the rest of that stuff."

On whether anything surprised him about Philadelphia's defense after watching film on Monday:

"No, I think more apparent than anything was the amount of self-inflicted wounds we did. Yes, they were bringing a lot of pressure and caused some problems for us, but we did a lot to ourselves as well. I think that's kind of the thing that showed up on film for me."

On whether the comment that head coach Mike Singletary made about owing him an apology surprised him:

"I don't know. I didn't really feel like he owed me an apology. We talked after the game. It was an emotional time. There was a lot on the line there. You work so hard all off season, on camp and all season for that and all of us were disappointed to lose and have the playoffs hopes die. It's hard. It's tough when you put that much time and commit so much of yourself to that and to have it end. It's hard, and you get emotional. We talked the next day, and I kind of understood that at the time."

On what he can learn from that experience:

"I think for this team, since I've been here, we've never played in a game of that magnitude this late in the season. To be mid- to late- December and playing for playoff contention, for your playoff life, this team has never done that, at least since I've been here. I think that it's a good experience."

On what he learned from it:

"I think it helps change expectations in a sense, and it's something I think we've been doing a lot this year, especially Coach Singletary has been trying to do since he took over is to change that expectation level, and I think that we're moving there. I think that kind of taste in our mouth right now is still there, and I thnk it will help us moving forward."

On whether the 49ers teams that he played with in the past didn't have the expectation to win the NFC West:

"Obviously, that is an expectation. I'm talking about, I guess, more the feeling, the unspoken element of it. Not talking about it but really the collective expectation level for all of us, and really talking about it but doing it."

On possibly taking snaps from C Cody Wallace in the game against Detroit:

"I've taken snaps with Cody at practice, all offseason, training camp, and through the first part of the season."

On what it would be like to have the same offensive coordinator for two straight seasons:

"Ask me that question in a couple of weeks, right now, honestly I think it's easy to get distracted and start thinking about this offseason and next year. I think we have two important games ahead of us and, most importantly, this last home game here and really trying to focus on that. But, obviously, stability is a great thing to look forward to. We're really trying to stay focused on Sunday and not think about this offseason or next year or anything like that."

On the difference in personnel on center exchanges:

"Yes, it's a different feel, different timing sometimes. There is a little adjustment there."

On how did T Joe Staley fair in his return against Philadelphia:

"I thought that he played well. I'm far more self-critical when I watch the film, so I'm not really evaluating the other guys. I thought that he did well though. I thought that he came in and didn't miss a beat."

On watching his former college team playing in a bowl game tonight:

"Yes, definitely. It's the longest post-season win streak on the line tonight, the Utes. I think that it's eight or nine bowl games that they've won. I'll definitely watch once I get out of here."

On the type of challenge that the Lions defense presents:

"I think watching them they play good football. You turn it on and, yes, they're a 2-12 football team. You may expect to see some lopsided games, but you turn it on and they are playing good football. They play sound football. They play tremendously hard, I think the team's been in a lot of games this year and that their record is little deceiving. I think that they've gone after some people on the defensive side of the ball. Kind of a mix of some young players with veteran guys over there, but I think that they are going to pressure you like any team, any other defense. The thing that I see is that they are playing really hard and really sound defense over there."

Golden Nuggets: Testing the run defense

Ninjames — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:15:18 -0000

Good (insert time of day here) everyone. Got a couple links for you today, though not as many as yesterday. In fact, I'm going to start leaving links out! From what I can tell, when I have more links in the Nuggets I actually get very little comments on the links. Of course, I'm like a little preteen girl checking her MySpace Photo Album when it comes to comments, I love 'em. ESPECIALLY if they're singing my praise, really brings me up. (Been having a really rough couple of days, hint hint.) So instead I'm only going to give you a couple! In actuality though, I just simply don't have a whole lot because well... nothing happened yesterday and it doesn't look like anything is happening today. Still, should be able to come up with a couple previews and what not for you. Enjoy.

Coach Mike Singletary has reached a critical point in his first season as the 49ers head coach. (SacBee.com)

The team is in no hurry to change its offensive philosophy. (PressDemocrat.com)

Jimmy Raye specifically, says the team will stick to its blueprint as far as offense goes. Call me unconvinced, and if they do--well, I think we'll be screwed. (MercuryNews.com)

Ricky Jean-Francois is looking to get his first regular season action on Sunday and Kentwan Balmer is looking to have an increased role. This is all of course because of the injury to Demetric Evans, a player I've been (rather vocally) against. (PressDemocrat.com)

The Titans will come in hoping to test the 49ers run defense. (49ers.com)

The 49ers need to go to the spread... but sloooooowly. (SFGate.com)

Jimmy Raye has some thoughts on the spread and the running game. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here you can listen to the audio of a couple of the conference calls from the Titans. (SFGate.com)

Frank Gore is having a weird year as far as rushing is concerned. I'm not sure exactly how to look at it, good or bad. (SFGate.com)

Didn't get a chance to read this article but it has to do with the 49ers and their third down woes. (SFGate.com)

Alex Smith and Vince Young are returning from some pretty rough roads as far as quarterbacks go. (MercuryNews.com)

The team seems confident in Barry Sims. Oh God. I'm not. Not in the very least. (SacBee.com)

Golden Nuggets: Oh no, not Sims!

Ninjames — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 11:15:24 -0000

Morning everyone. So I've finally got my new laptop, the one I really wanted and man, I've been eager to do the Nuggets like all day. I just like using this thing, seriously. To continue to stray for a moment, if any of you have Vista and you are disappointed, I implore you, upgrade to Windows 7 and you will NOT be disappointed. But back to football, there's not much going on in 49erland today. As far as I can tell there's no personnel changes, no new injury updates--mostly just previews and looks ahead at the game against Tennessee. I experienced my first in-person loss when the 49ers played the Falcons and I can say it felt about a million times worse than it did when I watched a loss on TV. So if we lose to the Titans you're going to see a very angry Nuggets writer come Monday morning. On to the links!

This is the most interesting matchup to me in Sunday's game: the 49ers second ranked rushing defense versus the Titans second ranked rushing offense. I feel like the 49ers can contain Chris Johnson, but I'm sure I'll flip-flop on that prediction a few times. (MercuryNews.com)

So is QB Alex Smith gearing up for a huge fantasy performance? I'm not going to be picking him up, but some of you with a less than stellar quarterbacks may want to consider him. (Yahoo.com)

Run for the hills Niner fans, Barry Sims looks to be in the starting lineup for some time. (PressDemocrat.com)

NT Aubrayo Franklin is getting some recognition--and it's well deserved. At the beginning of this season I mentioned Franklin as a player the 49ers sorely needed to replace. I believe I said "just good enough to keep around." Now I'm hoping he stays for a long time. (49ers.com)

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

The 49ers offense is looking to get on track. Not back on track, just on track. (Yahoo.com)

A summary of yesterday's goings on. Most notably (to me) is Ricky Jean-Francois replacing Demetric Evans in the lineup. I've been very much opposed to Evans being on the team, he brings absolutely nothing to this team. Maybe the fact that he's a veteran makes him more important than RJF but I feel the experience and maturity of playing games will help the young guy more than Evans will help the team right now. (SFGate.com)

CB Tarell Brown is looking to do some hitting of Vince Young--something he never got to do for three years in college as they were on the same team. (SacBee.com)

Here's another summary of things from yesterday, this one from Maiocco. (PressDemocrat.com)

The 49ers signed a tackle to their practice squad, once again filling it up. (49ers.com)

Here's a preview of the game on Sunday. (CBSSports.com)

Be sure to check out the NFL.com game center for a preview and stats. (NFL.com)

Alex Smith isn't the only quarterback looking to redeem himself on Sunday--another early pick in Vince Young has come back from the bench recently. (PressDemocrat.com)

Titans coach Jeff Fisher says the 49ers formula is working and they shouldn't change it. (PressDemocrat.com)

The team can sell the naming rights to Candlestick Park yet again. Thrilling. (ProFootballTalk.com)

Ratto has some thoughts on Singletary's first year as a head coach. (SFGate.com)

As it stands (is likely to stand) the game on Sunday will be decided on the ground. (Examiner.com)

Why not head over the our resident Titans blog and answer any 49ers related questions they may have here or visit their thread here for any Titans questions you may have. (MusicCityMiracles/NinersNation.com)

Golden Nuggets: Back again

Ninjames — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:00:44 -0000

Hey there everyone, back from my.. well, absence from the Nuggets. Had, once again, some things to do that were rather.. complicated. Still, I'm back, again. Hopefully this time for good. A lot of things going on for the 49ers of late--the most notable of which are the injuries (bad) and the releasing of WR Micheal Spurlock (very good, maybe?) considering he was doing literally nothing for this team. I feel bad too, because at the beginning of the season I thought he was going to be a solid edition to the team. Oh well, live and learn, right? Still, his replacement doesn't look to factor in much but still. I'll just get to the links.

The 49ers did indeed release Spurlock, and signed a CB to make up for Nate Clements and his injury. (MercuryNews.com)

The defense seemed to be a hit last Sunday. (SFGate.com)

Some moves were already made due to injuries such as the CB signing, but others may be forthcoming. I'm personally excited for Ricky Jean-Francois, that is, if the 49ers aren't still upset with him. (SacBee.com)

Here's the Wrap Up for the Colts game. (49ers.com)

Coach Singletary can lead, that's for sure. But can he coach? (NFL.com)

Because it now seems like he has to change. (SFGate.com)

Maiocco has his every player review from Sunday's game and also takes a look at the offensive line in particular and how it played. (PressDemocrat.com)

Here's the most recent edition of Singletary's Notebook. (49ers.com)

Here's a look ahead at the Titans game. (49ers.com)

Weekend Whirlwind Part 2: 49ers defense heading into 2009

Fooch — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 21:00:24 -0000

And we're back for the second part of this holiday weekend roundup. If you missed the first part, we covered the offense earlier this morning. The 53-man roster decisions made for some interesting options on offense. This afternoon we're here to check out some of the roster decisions for the defense.

Shawntae Spencer
I have to admit, this stunned me. Even though Coach Manusky said it was a 3-way battle for the #2 cornerback position, I still didn't believe it. I like Shawntae Spencer, even throughout the injuries and less than stellar play at times. When he was starting, he never came across as a #1 shutdown corner. At most he was the #2 guy, but in reality I felt like he was best served as the nickel back. He's certainly a talented cornerback, but there have been a lot of inconsistencies over the years.

So what does this mean for the 49ers in the coming days, weeks and months? I can truthfully say I have NO idea at this point. It definitely means I should pay closer attention to Coach Manusky post conference transcripts, that's for sure. However, in terms of the on-field product, there are several things that could be in play here, all, some or none of which could be true.

At this point, Coach Manusky and Coach Singletary think Shawntae Spencer is the best man for the #2 job. While I can buy it, it's still amazing how easy it was to overlook Spencer on game-day. Is that a good or a bad thing? One possibility is that Brown missed a good chunk of time with his toe injury and this is one way for the team to ease him back into things in terms of game action. He's seen the field in the preseason, but not nearly as much as Dre Bly did. So, we very well could see Tarell Brown re-asserting himself as the starting corner at some point this season.

While I do not disapprove of the decision, it remains a bit of a mystery. In the transcript before the Chargers game, Manusky simply said they would be looking at all three guys. Later tonight I'm going to check out the game tape and I definitely will be keeping a close eye on Shawntae Spencer.

Seventh Round duo
Aside from Spencer, the most interesting decisions seemed to involve the youngsters on the roster. Most notably, Ricky Jean-Francois and Curtis Taylor both made the 53-man roster. This isn't a stunning decision, but at the same time, it certainly has me curious. One upside to having a pair of rookies on the roster is the ability to use them as fodder for the inactive list.

At this point I'd imagine Curtis Taylor will see a lot of time as an inactive, barring injuries. The team has depth at safety (even if you don't like some of it) in Mark Roman and Reggie Smith. On the defensive line, RJF is also likely to spend a fair amount of time on the inactive list. Justin Smith can be penned in at right defensive end. On the left side Isaac Sopoaga and Kentwan Balmer will be battling for playing time. Ray McDonald would seem to fit in as the situational pass rusher, while Demetric Evans will be playing a bit of a utility role. Again, whether you "like" the depth or not, that's a lot of bodies for a rookie to leapfrog on the depth chart.

Aside from Spencer and the two 7th round picks, the defense more or less fell into place. I know there are some folks who are disappointed to see Diyral Briggs get waived. The 49ers do have an extra spot on the practice squad and I (along with Barrows and others I'm sure) fully expect Briggs to end up there if he clears waivers. If this posts after the Briggs issue is resolved and I have not updated this post, I'll get to it.

At this point, we head into the season with the defense more or less as we expected...except for the whole Shawntae Spencer resolution. Just reading that still blows my mind. I honestly figured his starting days were absolutely done. I certainly don't mean that as a sign of disrespect for Spencer. However, he's coming off a torn ACL and has always struggled to stay healthy. Is there a reason to expect him to make it through the season healthy as a starter?

Poll

How many games will Shawntae Spencer start as CB #2 in 2009?

0-2

86 votes

3-5

187 votes

6-8

124 votes

9-11

77 votes

12-14

45 votes

15-16

73 votes

592 votes | Poll has closed

NFC West Breakdown: San Francisco 49ers

Pyromnc — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 20:00:10 -0000

Key Additions: CB Dre Bly (Broncos), QB Damon Huard (Chiefs), WR Brandon Jones (Titans), OT Marvel Smith (Steelers), FB Moran Norris (Lions).

Key Losses: S Keith Lewis (Cardinals), CB Donald Strickland (Jets), QB J.T. O'Sullivan (Bengals), WR Bryant Johnson (Lions).

Draft: WR Michael Crabtree (1st), RB Glen Coffee (3rd), LB Scott Mckillop (5th), QB Nate Davis (5th), TE Bear Pascoe (6th), FS Curtis Taylor (7th), DT Ricky Jean-Francois (7th).

The 49ers have had a rough go of it the past several seasons failing to register a winning record since the 2002 season. Part of the problem for the team has been bad drafts after bad drafts, failing to create that homegrown talent that most teams use to be successful. By making the intense Mike Singletary the full time head coach, the 49ers' front office hopes that his mindset and pedigree can change their fortunes when it comes to getting good prospects to rebuild this team and make it the perennial winner 49ers fans had become accustomed to.

In the 2009 draft, the 49ers were able to get some players full of potential epitomized by Michael Crabtree who slid to the 10th pick yet many draft pundits projected him to be a top 3 talent before the draft. Crabtree is an immense talent coming out of college having more than 20 TDs this past season for Texas Tech. His talent and potential has been compared to Larry Fitzgerald. This would be awesome for the 49ers offense that has lacked a consistently talented receiver since Terrell Owens was traded. The problem is that Crabtree hasn't signed yet and is threatening to holdout and re-enter the draft next year. This would set them back in trying to add talent to this team as it would be another "wasted" first round pick, yet even worse than the Alex Smith or Vernon Davis picks with nothing to show but boxes of unsold #15 jerseys. Even though the team has done right by not giving into Crabtree's demands of being paid as a top three player, they need to get him in as fast as possible as every game he misses inhibits his impact as a first season player.

Another dark cloud looming over this offense is the quarterback situation. In 2005 they drafted Alex Smith with the first overall pick and so far he hasn't lived up to expectations. This season he hopes to change that and prove he can be that player the team thought they were drafting; he's shown his willingness to be a team player by reworking his rookie contract. The 49ers also have Amsterdam Admiral alum Shaun Hill who won five of his last eight games to finish last season helping the team salvage what was looking like another double digit loss season. If the wheels completely fall off the Niners', Damon Huard's veteran savvy can only help the younger players and run the offense. This team needs one of these QBs to step up and lead this team as Frank Gore cannot do it alone on offense especially with opposing defenses scheming to take him out of the game. If the passing and running game is going to improve, they will need their offensive line to stay healthy and key players to step up. Vernon Davis exploded onto the NFL scene with his impressive NFL Combine performance but has not lived up to expectations as he was supposed to completely change the tight end position in the NFL. Since Singletary has taken over, Davis has looked completely different and most Niners' fans thinks he might have a breakout year. The team also has Josh Morgan and Isaac Bruce at wide receiver to provide passing targets but the depth is full of unknowns and lofty "Fooch Potential", especially as long as Michael Crabtree isn't suiting up. If this team loses any of these mentioned players this year, especially Gore, than they are in trouble as again there isn't much experienced depth on this team.

The defense on this team has the potential to be one of the top units in the league. Not only is it influenced by one of the most physical players in his day, Mike Singletary, but they also have one of the best, if not the best, linebackers in the NFL with Patrick Willis. This guy is an anchor to this team making key plays every game. They also have a strong coverage corner in Nate Clements and a lot of potential in safety Dashon Goldson and Tarell Brown. Like the offense, the defense has its questions with certain players such as Manny Lawson who yet to meet the expectations that come with being the player they drafted in the first round two years ago. They also need to keep Takeo Spikes healthy as there isn't much depth behind him. This unit by far is looking like the better part of this team going into the 2009 season.

Since Mike Singletary has taken over this team, they have been looking better by the day but it still has its problems, the biggest being a lack of depth necessary to have a winning team. They also need to get Crabtree in camp because he is a major key to their future and they don't need any more players labeled "busts". Still, there is a lot to look forward to if you are a 49ers fan especially in the NFL West where a couple of key injuries to any given team can completely alter the playoff landscape.

Record for 2009: 7-9
Record Vs the Cardinals: 0-2 Really tough to predict this one as they have been playing close games lately but I am going to give both games to the Cards as I think the 49ers fall short in the end as they are not quite there yet in getting back to their winning ways.
Record Vs the NFC West: 3-3

Poll

Most Important Story Lines for the 2009 Season.

Getting Michael Crabtree Signed

206 votes

Vernon Davis Having a Breakout Season

159 votes

Alex Smith Winning the QB postion

37 votes

Something Else

83 votes

485 votes | Poll has closed

Projecting the 49ers 53-man roster #2

Fooch — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 15:00:18 -0000

Approximately six weeks ago I rolled out my initial projection of the 49ers 53-man roster. While there is still plenty of preseason football to be played, I thought a couple weeks of training camp and a preseason game is enough time to consider revisions to our 53-man roster projection.

I have to admit that this has gotten really difficult to figure out given some of the injuries and the Michael Crabtree holdout. Brandon Jones is out until early October with his shoulder injury and Zak Keasey is out for 8-10 weeks with his forearm injury. Neither player can go on the PUP list since they passed physicals at the start of training camp. I think that means Keasey is likely to be cut at some point soon and potentially placed on injured reserve if he clears waivers (if I'm getting the rules correct).

Then there's Crabtree. Given his holdout he's still not a member of the 49ers. That basically means we'll come up with a list of 54 players because once Crabtree is signed, he'd have to go on the 53-man roster and somebody would need to be cut. At this point Crabtree is not included in this projection. After the jump we discuss that impact among other things.

Also, I've underlined new additions to the 53-man roster.

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, Alex Boone
LG (1): David Baas
C (2): Eric Heitmann, Cody Wallace
RG (2): Chilo Rachal, Tony Wragge
RT (2): Adam Snyder, Marvel Smith

Defense
DE (5): Justin Smith, Kentwan Balmer, Demetric Evans, Isaac Sopoaga, Ricky Jean-Francois***
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, Ricky Jean-Francois, Alex Boone

First 5 off: Jay Moore, ~~Barry Sims~~ Curtis Taylor, Micheal Spurlock, Damon Huard, Brit Miller

***Ray McDonald is on the PUP list and would need a spot on the roster at some point in the season. Replacement TBD

After the jump I take a look at some of the changes and some of the notable omissions. After you've read that over, feel free to tear me a new one on some of these selections.

There are a few players that are giving me all sorts of trouble. Let's start at wide receiver. Once Crabtree signs, who do you cut? The quick thought is to get rid of one of the receivers (either Zeigler or Battle). However, if Crabtree signs before the season starts, or even that first week or two, Brandon Jones will not be back yet. Given that Crabtree has a ton of ground to make up, I don't think you want to cut a guy who's been playing since day 1. So who exactly do you get rid of to make room for Crabtree on the 53-man roster?

Quarterback
I'm a bit conflicted here, but I think it's just that initial rush of a good performance from Damon Huard. If Nate Davis doesn't get much playing time, can the team afford to have him sitting at #3 if they elect to waive Damon Huard? Or is this an indication that Huard isn't going anywhere and they might actually keep 4 QBs? Given the injury issues, can this team afford to give a roster space to a 4th quarterback at this point?

Running Backs
The season ending injury to Thomas Clayton helps Kory Sheets, but doesn't guarantee anything. I kept Sheets on the roster, but I actually am thinking that his real "nemisis" for a roster spot is Micheal Spurlock. Spurlock has shown a good bit of potential and has been getting moved around all over the field, including in the wildcat/taser formation. At this point, I think either Spurlock or Sheets makes the roster, but not both.

Fullback
Close to 2/3 of you think Brit Miller will make the 53-man roster for week 1 of the regular season. I'm not quite comfortable adding him in yet given the presence of Moran Norris and Michael Robinson. At the same time, I've elevated him to first 5 off the roster. Miller will see a whole lot of playing time and if he puts up similar performances in the coming weeks, he might bump somebody off the roster. Who that would be exactly, I'm not so sure.

Offensive Tackle
I succumbed to the pressure and replaced Barry Sims with Alex Boone. Sims did perfectly reasonable in his backup role last week, but consider me on the upside bandwagon of Boone. At this point, I wouldn't be surprised with any outcome in this battle. However, as I said before, it's going to be either Boone or Sims, not both, on the roster.

Miscellaneous
I thought I'd close with a few miscellaneous thoughts on other roster spots. I added in RJF with McDonald on the PUP list, but I think RJF is still in a tenuous position at this point. He'll need to build on last weekend's performance. I moved Jay Moore off my projection, and went with Marques Harris. Harris has experience in the Manusky defense and that veteran presence would likely give him an edge. And Moore retains practice squad eligibility.

Golden Nuggets: No Leader in QB Battle...

Ninjames — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 10:00:21 -0000

Good morning everyone, James here, reporting for duty, coming at you with your August ~~8th~~ 6th edition of your Golden NUggets. What a run on sentence that was. Any way, as far as news goes I'm not sure at all what we have considering I've spent most of today trying to repair my installation of Windows and considering deleting the whole XP partition altogether. So I'll make a bit of a prediction: WR Michael Crabtree was not signed, somebody came back from an injury, somebody got injured and um... some receiver or another did exceptionally well or something like that, as per the last few days. I think I covered--so on with the links. Enjoy.

Barrows has some insights on the Michael Crabtree situation, namely why Crabby's agent is calling for more money. (SacBee.com)

Manuksy has pretty much free reign on the defense--Singletary has made it clear what he wants, and they're on the same page it seems. (PressDemocrat.com)

QB Alex Smith seems to be pushing Shaun Hill for the starting job, still... I'm favoring hill based on this training camp. (PressDemocrat.com)

DL Ricky Jean-Francois was activated from the NFI list yesterday. (49ers.com)

Here's a recap of yesterday's training camp from Maiocco. (PressDemocrat.com)

Notes from the fifth day of camp. (MercuryNews.com)

The 49ers place huge value on their special teams play. I've always been satisfied with it, myself. (49ers.com)

A bit about the position battle going on at RT between Marvel Smith and Adam Snyder. (Yahoo.com)

A look at a few of the players who are a bit under the radar at training camp. (SacBee.com)

Maiocco has a few thoughts on the QB situation, as well as the Crabtree situation. Too many situations if you ask me. (PressDemocrat.com)

Mike Singletary says yesterday was perhaps their best practice thus far, which I suppose is a good sign. (49ers.com(

More links after the jump..

Lynch also has some QB insights. (SFGate.com)

The 49ers seem to have the strongest receiving corps they've had in years. Not including Michael Crabtree, huh..? (SFGate.com)

An article that seems to talk about the Crabtree situation, but I couldn't continue reading it on the grounds that the man writing it seemed like he didn't have half a clue what the [site decorum] he was talking about. (SFGate.com)

So are you buying into Singletary? I suppose I am. (ESPN.com)

Barrows reports on Sinlgetary being satisfied with yesterday's practice, and has a few notes from camp. (SacBee.com)

We're looking to Manny Lawson to improve our pass rushing. I think he can do it, personally, but I'm a bit biased in his favor. (MercuryNews.com)

Instead of linking elsewhere, you can find Mike Singletary's post-practice press conferance in this post from Fooch. (NinersNation.com)

Or a video here from the official website. (49ers.com)