The bye week is officially over 49er  fans as the team returns to the practice field tomorrow! The 49ers  fresh off a blazing 5-1 start that seen the team win in all kinds of ways. The blowout vs. Tampa Bay, the unlikely road comeback after a 20 point deficit to the Eagles and of course the big win vs. the Lions that led to “Shake gate”.

The bye week couldn’t have come at a better time  for the 49ers  after just completing a rigorous yet wildly successful east coast road trip. After the bye week 49er fans may just get to see something we all have yet to see this season. A fully healthy team on the field with plenty of time to rest and heal up.

Wide Receiver Braylon Edwards will return to the field tomorrow and re-join his teammates after missing the last several weeks with a leg injury that required minor surgery. Edwards has been running routes and working on his own in conditioning drills the last couple of weeks, those workouts intensified last week when the 49ers held a mini practice for players who saw less than 15 snaps in the Detroit game in which Braylon was a part of. Coach Jim Harbaugh had this to say about Edwards:

“Good. I got a chance to watch him workout last week, and anticipate seeing him out there tomorrow in practice. Hoping for good things.”

Harbaugh also mentioned that injured fullback Moran Norris may return to practice Tuesday. Although I see that as a possible downgrade  for the team if he comes back and plays over rookie Bruce Miller. Harbaugh stated that he will play the player that gives them the best chance on Sunday. If Jim’s watching the same games I have this season, that guy is Miller all the way.
Page 2: More 49er News and Notes
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The 49ers  reach the bye week at 5-1 having played their best football since 1998.  It’s a good time to be a 49er fan, in a 2 part series I’ll take a look at what got the 49ers to 5-1 and what to expect the rest of the 2011 season with some outlandish predictions sprinkled in. 

The defense has emerged as one of the elite units in the NFL and nobody has run on this team in a long time dating back to last season.  Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman form the best inside linebacker duo in the NFL.  No other team has 2 guys that can run all game long and stop the run like the 49ers do hats off to Trent Baalke  once again for his confidence in Bowman allowing veteran captain Takeo Spikes  to walk in free agency in favor of Bowman. 

While the star linebackers get a lot of the credit for the 2nd leading run defense in the league the defensive line deserves a big share of the credit.  Justin Smith has been remarkable this year, I swear he looks better and better every year, a relenting DE that has set himself apart as the best 3-4 DE in the NFL.  Isaac Sopoaga and Ray McDonald have done fantastic jobs in their new roles as well Sopoaga being shifted back to nose tackle and McDonald being inserted into the starting lineup after being a backup his entire career has thrived.  Sopoaga replaced veteran Abrayo Franklin and has reinforced the teams decision to keep him over Franklin by giving the line more push up the middle taking up more of the guards attention and allowing the edge rushers more room to operate.   McDonald is an upgrade at DE over Sopoaga in defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s scheme because he’s a better pass rusher, in Fangio’s defense compared to Greg Manusky is that the DEs are expected to get pressure as well.  McDonald has excelled in the run game also which the big question mark was coming into the season.
LOTS MORE ON PAGE 2
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