Count me as one of the shocked ones when I first learned of the Braylon Edwards release.  Weird timing, I thought?  WTF is Jim and Trent doing.  Then I came to my senses, Edwards was doing nothing, I wouldn’t be surprised if he was getting a little attitude one bit.  15 catches, zero touchdowns, no impact, goodbye man.  I’m not mourning this guy, nope. I loved the signing, he looked good in the preseason.  But why do you think he didn’t last in Cleveland or New York?  Bye Bye Braylon.

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Before I get to the offense I thought I’d start with the special teams which is also among the very best in the NFL. The coverage units have yet to give up a touchdown return and its biggest error was allowing a blocked field goal in Philadelphia. Andy Lee continues to show that he is the best punter in the league; the guy can boot the ball 60 yards almost automatically 70 with regularity. David Akers has been excellent in both field goals and kickoffs hitting on all but 2 kicks (1 was blocked). Ted Ginn Jr put the game away against Seattle with 2 TD returns in a span of a couple minutes and has been excellent in the return game all season long.

Now onto the offense, Frank Gore had a horrific start to the season averaging only 2.5 yards per carry. Niner faithful everywhere were screaming about Gore losing a step, calling for more Kendall Hunter even. Then the 49ers went on an East Coast road trip that watched them and the offensive line get things together. Gore has surpassed 100 yards in each of his last 3 games capping it off with his most impressive performance at Detroit with a 144 yard performance on just 15 carries. Kendall Hunter has provided a spark and a different dimension to the running game with his scat back like around the edges style is a perfect complement to Gore’s power game.

While Gore was busy getting pelted with rocks early in the season he wasn’t alone, the offensive line was right there with him. The OLs performance the first 3 games was forgettable but not awful. Early in the season the team held up ok in pass protection but couldn’t get it right in the run game. It’s obvious now by watching this group that the running game has been given the biggest makeover on the offense and is much more complex than it was under former coach Mike Singletary. The group now seems cohesive and together, a young group that should only get better as the season goes on.  Personnel wise Mike Iupati ranks as one of the very best guards in the NFL.  Jonathan Goodwin is a very solid center that has won a superbowl and went to a probowl at 32 he’s the oldest player on the team but has less mileage than a typical 32 year old since he didn’t become a starter until his 5th season in the NFL and has played very well for the team thus far.  Joe Staley made the famous “we don’t suck” comment after week 3 when the OL was struggling has settled in at left tackle and dispite giving up what seems like 1 sack per game Staley has been solid.  I’ve heard a lot about Staley being overrated by fellow 49er fans, something to take into account is that Staley should get better as the season goes on let’s not forget he missed a large portion of last season with an injury.  The right side of the line has been the target of considerable scrutiny as guard Chilo Rachal has struggled, luckily the 49ers have serviceable backup in Adam Snyder  who has played mostly well since taking over for Rachal as the starter, this is a position the team needs to target next offseason.  Anthony Davis the young 2nd year right tackle struggled early, especially in pass protection but has put together a couple of very good games back to back vs the Bucs and Lions.  Davis has huge upside but needs to cut down on his mental mistakes especially penalties to fullfill that potential. 
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While it was widely reported and confirmed by the 49ers  brass that another Wide Receiver would be brought in soon to replace the injured Joshua Morgan  I’m betting not many thought it would end up being former Packers wideout Brett Swain   who has signed a 1 year deal with the team.   After Morgan’s injury in Sunday’s game speculation ran wild as to who the 49ers would bring in as a replacement.  Would it be Terrell Owens?  Perhaps Randy Moss?  General Manager Trent Baalke wouldn’t reveal anything and left it all open for possibility. 

The 49ers would bring a couple of household names  in for workouts today, but wisely left TO and Moss off their list.  Veteran Wideouts T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Chris Chambers both worked out with the team.  While the former stars received plenty of media attention for their tryouts Swain slipped in under the radar without any news of his tryout even surfacing until he tweeted that he had signed a 1 year deal with the 49ers. 

I’ll admit I didn’t know who the heck the guy was until I was driving home from work and Sirius NFL Radio reported the signing.  Take it for what it’s worth but the guys on air (forget who was on) raved about Swain.  They stated that they were very high on him and that he was a very tough cut for the Packers to make but one they had to make with the depth they already have at WR. 

Swain is a little known former 7th round pick with 6 career receptions for 72 yards, the highlight of his career was his 3 Special Team’s tackles in Super Bowl XLV.  While some may look at the signing and say the team could have done better had they signed one of the more accomplished veteran WRs like Chambers or Houshmandzadeh I like the signing and here’s why.
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