Archive for July, 2008

Newly assigned left tackle Joe Staley joined the 49ers training camp workouts Wednesday. The day before he was to report to training camp his right foot started to swell due to an infection. He went to Stanford Hospital twice to treat his infection called cellulitis. Staley was a first-round draft pick last year and he was the first 49ers offensive lineman to start every game. Even though Staley missed the first days of training camp he has been promoted to left tackle to protect the quarterback’s blind side. He has experience at left tackle as he played most of his [...]

Running back Michael Robinson underwent surgery on his torn right knee on Monday . It is unsure when he will return to practice. He was hurt on Sunday in a non-contact drill. With DeShaun Foster as the primary back-up to Frank Gore this season Robinson’s injury has more of an impact on special-teams. He led the special-teams with 27 tackles last year. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz will be calling plays from the press box this season. “It’s the most effective spot for me,” he said. “With Ted coaching the quarterbacks, we’ve got plenty of guys on the sideline.” Martz also [...]

It is that time of year when the dog days of summer are turning out their last few weeks of heat and sunshine and the season turns to the fall which means the start of NFL training camps and more importantly nearing the start of the NFL regular season. Training Camp starts today for the 2008 San Francisco 49ers as players report to the teams headquarters in Santa Clara. The first practice will take place tomorrow starting at 9:00 am. As the 49ers prepare for another season the expectations are lower than they were last year when they reported to [...]

Unrestricted free agent Larry Allen has incited to 49ers offensive line coach George Warhop he wants to play. The real question is does Allen want to play his 15th NFL season as a 49er. All off-season it looked as if Allen might retire because he had made no public comments about his future. When the free agent signing period began G.M. Scott McCloughan said the 49ers would not get into a high bidding contest for Allen’s services. I agree with McCloughan, the 49ers do not need to get into a bidding war for Allen who can still be effective but [...]

The Dark Knight comes out today. You don’t need me to remind you to go see this movie. I have never been so excited to see a movie. This might be the only movie in recent memory that not only lives up to the hype but surpasses it. Adam, our web master of the fansided.com network, did a great write up of the Batman villains and which NFL wrongdoers and wackjobs were the most like them. Check it out: The Best View: Batman’s Rogues Gallery–Done NFL Style! I started to think of which villains the York Family most resembled but [...]

The Red and Gold waived DE Melvin Oliver on July 15. Oliver was picked by the 49ers in sixth round in 2006 out of LSU. Oliver missed all of last season with a knee injury. In his rookie year in 2006 he played in all 16 games and had 14 starts where racked up 50 tackles with one sack and fumble recovery he ran back for a touchdown against the Oakland Raiders. His release does not impact the depth chart for the 49ers who have a plethora of defense ends including recently signed Justin Smith and the 49ers first round [...]

With the start of training camp a couple of weeks away I wonder: How many wins will Mike Nolan need to secure his job? If he does not get the team back to 8-8 he is fired at the end of the season. Will he even make it through the season? If by the middle of the season the team has only one or two wins he is canned. Who would take over as head coach if he does get canned in mid-season, Mike Martz or Mike Singletary? One would think Martz would take-over and that very well might be [...]

 Dear Brett Favre, Stay retired! Signed, The 49er Faithfull All of this talk of Brett Favre coming out of retirement to return to the Packers or possibly being traded brought to mind too many bad memoires between the 49er vs. Packers in the playoffs. For years in the regular season and in the playoffs, with the 49ers holding onto their final glory years and the Packers in the midst of their own, the 49ers could not defeat the Packers. It was the similar to the choke hold the Patriots had on Peyton Manning and the Colts until Manning finally beat [...]

Quarterback Kyle Wright was claimed off the waiver wire from the Minnesota Vikings who signed him as an undrafted rookie free agent. With the depth of quarterbacks stacking up the Niners released former UCLA QB Drew Olson in order to make room on the roster. Wright went to Danville Monte Visita High School in the Bay Area which allowed him to attend the 49ers Local Pro Day that was held before the NFL Draft. He must have impressed the Niner scouts and fellow Miami Hurricane Frank Gore who was in attendance for the pro day workout. Wright will most likely [...]

In Mike Nolan’s tenure as head coach of the 49ers he has had two draft picks in the top ten. Both of the draft picks, Alex Smith (#1, 2005) and Vernon Davis (#6, 2006), are at defining moments in their respective careers this year. Smith is facing heavy competition at QB from Shaun Hill who won the two games he started last year. The 49ers (dis)organization is holding onto its last hopes of Smith becoming the franchise quarterback they envisioned when they made him the number one pick. Smith has endured a lot as pro, four different offensive coordinators in [...]