With the Bears, Falcons and Dolphins making the big free agent signing splashes of the weekend 49ers general manager Scot McCloughan got right into the action by signing a former number one draft pick.  Normally that would be huge headlines but in this case the player is a number one draft pick, bust.  Quarterback David Carr signed a two-year deal on Sunday and had spent the last two seasons with the Giants as Eli Manning’s backup.  As the 49ers add to their roster of former number one draft picks I wonder what the real meaning of this signing will be?  We all know that head coach Mike Singletary likes competition and he said that when he talked at the NFL scouting combine naming Alex Smith the starting quarterback going into the off-season.  Carr is an unproven quarterback because he has really never had an opportunity to be a starter on a good team.  He was drafted by the Texans when they became an expansion team in 2002 and he went on to set the record for most sacks in a season with 76.  It is perplexing as to why Carr would want to sign with the 49ers.  As much as his confidence was shattered in his five seasons with Texans and that he has been a backup QB with the Panthers and Giants the last three seasons he still believes he can be a starter in the NFL.  That maybe true as he has never been given a chance to start under center behind a good offensive line but I don’t think signing with the 49ers is going to give him that chance.  Singletary and his coaches will want to see what they can build on from last year with Smith as the number one quarterback especially with offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye coming back for a second straight season.  Raye was not the best offensive coordinator last year but he adapted the offense to Smith’s best qualities, the spread formation, and he is the first play-caller to return for the next season in over eight years.

What the signing of Carr really means is bad news for Shaun Hill who will most likely be cut from the roster.  I disagree that Carr would make a better backup than Hill mainly because Hills knows the current offensive system of the 49ers and Carr is coming in cold.  But then again Hill did not look all the impressive last year when he started.  Third-string quarterback Nate Davis will be a starter at some point in the coming years but relying on a second year QB to be the backup to Smith most likely gave McCloughan and company the hibbie jibbies so they signed Carr.  Problem is, I think this might be the 49ers biggest free agent signing this off-season even though the 2010 NFL season is uncapped.  The 49ers did improve their record to 8-8 but if they think by only signing Carr and whoever they take with the 13th and 16th picks in the draft will make them a playoff contending team, they should reevaluate their current roster.  If it does play out this way McCloughan is sending a message that the 49ers are taking baby steps towards contending in the NFC West while the Cardinals and Seahawks are taking steps to stay atop of the division.

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At 9:00PM (PST) last night the 2010 NFL free agency period started and even with the Niners needing upgrades at safety, cornerback and offensive line don’t expect the team to make any big signings like they have in past years with DE Justin Smith and CB Nate Clements.  I suspect the 49ers will sign some free agents but none of the big names available unless they are still around later in the free agency period.  I would love to see the 49ers upgrade the cornerback position by singing former Texans CB Dunta Robinson but with him making $10 million last year because he had a franchise tag he will most likely be aiming for around those numbers when a team approaches him.  If Robinson is still looking for a team a couple weeks from now the 49ers could offer him contract.  The offensive line, notably the tackle position, will be upgraded with one of the two first round draft picks the Niners have.  When free agency is over and if the 49ers have not upgraded the secondary, expect them to use one of the first round picks on a safety or cornerback.  Secondary and offensive line positions have consistently shown that they can make the most impact right away as starters in the NFL.

With all the available running backs in free agency this year it might be wise for the Niners to go after one of them to take some of the load off running back Frank Gore.  Gore is still the number one option at RB but I think head coach Mike Singletary still holds onto his vision of a smash-mouth style of run game which Gore by himself cannot do.  Going after the likes of Jason Snelling (restricted free agent), Larry Johnson (unrestricted free agent), Darren Sproles (RFA), Ronnie Brown (URA), Thomas Jones or LaDainian Tomlinson to name a few would be a good move.  Problem is some are over 30 (Johnson, Jones, Tomlinson) and would still want a chance to be a starter no matter how much their skills have diminished and the younger players will must likely only sign with a team knowing they can start.  I love Gore and think he should be the featured back but in a few years the Niners but be in a position like the Chargers are in now where they have had their star running back return dismal numbers because of age.  Niners backup RB Glen Coffee is still a work in progress as he showed last year replacing an injured Gore so it would make sense for the Nners to bring in another running back, no matter the age, to take off the pressure for Coffee even if for just one or two years.  If Gore or (insert over age 30 free agent running back here) gets hurt Coffee would have to come into action and we don’t know what we would get out of Coffee.  That is a problem but having Coffee learn under not only Gore but maybe someone like Tomlinson or Jones would be beneficial.  But the only way the 49ers are going to sign any of the big free agent running backs is if other teams stay away and go for the younger backs available giving up draft picks for RFA’s.  Don’t expect the 49ers to sign a RFA because of the draft picks they have or to draft a running back in any of the early rounds.  They will address their secondary and offensive line issues first in the draft before going after a running back.

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Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin was a big reason why the 49ers improved with their pass rush last season and helped win games on defense for the 49ers by shutting down multiple Pro Bowl running backs last year.  Franklin’s lone interception last season against Bears quarterback Jay Cutler was his most impressive play of the year as the Bears where on the 49ers one yard line poised to score.  GM Scot McCloughan and head coach Mike Singletary understand the value Franklin brings to the defense which is why they placed a non-exclusive franchise tag on him which means he can negotiate with other teams when free agency starts next month but the 49ers can match any offers or receive two first-round draft picks if he signs with another team.  McCloughan said he will work with Franklin on a long-term contract to avoid him getting into the free agent market.  Franklin will make a guaranteed $7 million this season with the tag.  Franklin is only 29 years old and signed with the 49ers in 2007 and was a fifth-round draft pick in 2003 selected by the Ravens.

Franklin’s 2009 stats:

39 tackles

2 sacks

1 INT

3 pass deflections

Singletary says Alex Smith is the starter

At the start of the NFL scouting combine yesterday Singletary said Alex Smith is the starter going forward. 

“I’m always going to use words like ‘probably’ because I like competition. I like guys knowing that they’re always going to compete. But I feel very comfortable in saying Alex Smith is our starting quarterback going forward.”

This was a good move to name Smith the starter so early in the off-season because of how long it took Singletary to name the starter last year.  Smith is the best option for the 49ers as there are no starting quarterbacks available in free agency and even if the 49ers select a quarterback at any point in the draft they will not be ready to start next season.  The 49er Faithful should be excited about Smith being the man under center.  He showed a lot of promise last year which I did not expect after he was out for almost a year and a half due to injuries.  Backup Shaun Hill is just that, a backup and Nate Davis is a long way from being ready to be a starter in the NFL.  Another reason to be excited with Smith as the starter is that this will be the first time in his career that he has had the same offensive coordinator, Jimmy Raye, in back-to-back seasons.  Next year is Smith’s make or break year and his last chance to brush off the one number draft pick bust label.

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The fight for keeping the 49ers in San Francisco is beginning to intensify.   On June 8 Santa Clara residents will vote whether or not they want to fund a new 49ers stadium.  The 49ers have already spent $350,000 on the stadium campaign but is it working?  A recent poll released by KCBS 5 in the Bay Area said a majority (54%) do not support using local taxpayer dollars to help build the $937 million facility while 40% said they supported the new stadium. KCBS Poll

Team President Jed Joke is working with Santa Clarans for Economic Progress to help run the campaign of passing out information and spreading the word around the city convincing people their taxpayer money will be best spent on a new stadium that will bring 5,000 jobs.  Problem is many people realize that most of the jobs are only available at 49er home games during the NFL pre and regular season and taxpayer money could be used for better projects.   This is part of the scheme the 49ers are trying to pull over Santa Clara residents trying to convince them it is in their best interests to build a new stadium when Jed Joke is only after the available land in Santa Clara.  I highly doubt Jed Joke cares about bringing new jobs to Santa Clara.  It is funny how the 49ers will highlight how many jobs are going to be created with the new stadium but they fail to highlight all the jobs that will be lost to San Franciscans if the 49ers build their new stadium in the South Bay.  But I would not except anything less from the York family who have only been running the 49ers for a little over a decade with blatant disregard of caring about putting a winning team on the field and keeping the traditions of the 49ers in San Francisco.  

There is opposition to the new stadium aside from the recent poll conducted.  A group called Santa Clara Plays Fair has been the biggest opposition to stand up to the 49ers.  Even though the group has only raised $825 for the campaign it seems the truth always wins out over the spin and big money machine. Organizations like the 49ers can pump big money into local ballot measures to get taxpayer money to spend on a stadium that will make the organization hundreds of millions of dollars however when the truth comes out about how the economic returns for Santa Clara residents will most likely run them deeply in debt as past stadium issues like the Bengals and Colts, with costs skyrocketing well beyond estimates, are indications of what they will face.  Remember, the Hunters Point redevelopment which includes a new 49ers stadium in San Francisco has already been approved.

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Congratulations to the Saints and all their fans in winning the Super Bowl.  It was a great game to watch and a much needed win for the city of New Orleans.

The day before the Super Bowl the NFL announced the 2010 Hall of Fame inductees which included 49er legend Jerry Rice.  First,  congratulations to Mr Rice, your induction is very much deserved.  It was always automatic that he would be named to the NFL HOF when he retired but for all the records he set at wide receiver and for his legendary work ethic and hunger to always be better it was not always apparent that he would become the best wide receiver of all-time and one of the best NFL players to put on a uniform when he entered the league.  In the 1985 draft Bill Walsh traded the 49ers first two draft picks with the Patriots for their 16th pick to select Rice.  NFL scouts liked what they saw from Rice while at Mississippi Valley State but most teams regarded him as a second or third round pick because of his speed.  Walsh loved what he saw in Rice and knew he had to trade up in the draft if he wanted to land the wide receiver.  The rest is history.

Rice credits his work ethic to his father, Joe Nathan Rice, who was a brick mason.  As a teenager Rice would help his father with his brick work which created the well-known story of his father throwing bricks up to him on a second floor for him to catch. If Rice dropped any of the bricks from the scaffolding he would have to pay for the broken ones.  The elder Rice was not preparing him to be an NFL player but was instilling in him a work ethic that he translated into his off-season workouts as an NFL player.

Growing up in Orange, California I was lucky enough to see Jerry Rice play numerous times.  Anaheim, CA which was 10 minutes from my house was where the Los Angeles Rams played and the 49ers would come into town each year to play their division rivals.  My dad had season tickets for the Rams and I was able to watch Rice and the 49ers destroy the Lams each year until they moved to St. Louis in 1995.  One of my most favorite memories of Rice was in 1993 when he caught a ball one-handed on the sideline and continued into the end zone, untouched.  He instantly become my idol growing up and I was lucky enough to interview him late last year and of his potential HOF induction he said,  “It would mean the world to me.”

My favorite memory from watching him on TV was on September 5, 1994 when he broke Jim Brown’s long standing career touchdown by scoring his 127th TD of his career.  I remember Rice catching it between two Raider defenders and I instantly jumped up into the air as he raised both arms to celebrate the touchdown.  I still have the newspaper from the day after he broke the record and now I get to add to my 49ers newspaper clippings with his HOF induction.  As a first-ballot inductee Rice will be enshrined on August 6.

Rice by the numbers

Receptions: 1,549

Receiving yards: 22,895

Touchdowns: 208

Awards

13-time Pro Bowl selection: (1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2002)

3-time Super Bowl champion: (1988, 1989, 1994)

NFL 75th Anniversary All-Time Team

NFL 1980s All-Decade Team

NFL 1990s All-Decade Team

Super Bowl MVP in 1988

Rice’s NFL records

All-purpose yards: 23,546

Total yards from scrimmage: 23,540

Receiving yards: 22,895

Touchdowns: 208

Receiving touchdowns: 197

Single season receiving yards (1995): 1,848

Receptions: 1,549

100-yard receiving games: 76

1,000-yard seasons: 14

Consecutive games with a touchdown catch: 13

Super Bowl receiving yards: 589

Super Bowl receiving yards in a single game: 215

Super Bowl receptions: 33

Super Bowl touchdown catches: 8

Video of Rice being selected to hall of fame

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