Jason writes…

I keep hearing all of these people say the 49ers need to draft C.J. Spiller if he is avalible because they need a home run threat on offense and they can use him like the Jets use Washington and the Chargers used Sproles and I can’t help but see their logic, you didn’t have the Niners drafting Spiller though, why not?

This is a question that many people have on their minds right now, in fact I think that it is a question that most 49er fans have on their mind right now. Frank Gore is not a burner, Glen Coffee is just a poor mans Gore right now and Kory Sheets hasn’t worked out yet so the Niners could defiantly use a scat back to add some explosiveness to their offense, however, Jason brings up a good point with both Washington and Sproles because they were both fourth round picks. If you are going for a pure Reggie Bush style scat/receiving back and punt returner you don’t use a first round pick on them and that is why Bush is a bust and Sproles is a steal despite the fact that Bush has had more production.

Also, when it is a player that is only going to be on the field in certain situations and is not going to be an every down player you don’t need to draft a complete player and since you are only really looking for speed and elusiveness with the ball there are players that will be available in later rounds with those skills. Not to mention, hopefully Kory Sheets will show some improvement in his second year specifically as a punt returner where he has the speed to make a difference.

Travis writes…

What do you think of the thought that the Niners should look at T.O.? I think it would be a horrible choice but the idea that a adding a veteran wide receiver might not be so bad. I have no faith in Brandon Jones and Jason Hill is still developing leaving us with just two bright and you, though unproven, commodities at receiver, but who would the Niners look at?

Agreed and Agreed. Owens would be a bad choice, although Josh Morgan and Michael Crabtree could learn a little something from his work ethic (not that either are bad in that area but Owens prepares as much as almost any player in the league) the only problem is that might not be all that they learn from him and that is a risk that the Niners can’t take right now.

As far as Branson Jones I agree that he is no more than a number two X receiver (left side) but to be fair that’s all he is going to do, that and back up Jason Hill in the slot and I believe he is good enough for that role, what would be nice would be having a proper back up Z receiver so Morgan wouldn’t have to play both positions and to minimize Jones playing time. As for what veteran would the Niners look at, that is a good question. The best answer might be Chris Chambers, which means that the free agent pool is looking bleak, there are better receivers out there but they are either too old, not great mentors, or a combination of the two. The other option, though there are a few ifs in this scenario, would be getting Derek Mason. However, that is only if the Ravens don’t resign him (big if) and if the Niners are willing to sign a 36 year-old for just a year or two to be a second string player and mentor (smaller if) but that is the only way they would consider him.  

That’s all I got for you guys this week, keep sending in your questions though and I will try to answer them even if I don’t get to them in the mail-bag, again the e-mail is antoniouriarte@rocketmail.com

I am sure there are some of you out there that realize the irony in my creation of a Mock Draft considering how critical I have been on them in recent articles but they are fun…to read, so I thought I would give my readers a little pre-combine look at how I think the first round is going to play out. Yes, there are some surprises here, but there are always surprises in the draft and since Mock Drafts never end up being particularly accurate anyway why not be bold with my picks? So I tried to really get in the mind of the Dan Snyders, Jerry Jones’, and Al Davis’ of the world and pick someone that they would like to take not just pick whoever makes the most sense for their teams to take based on someone else’s draft board. I did not, however, account for any trades, either in the draft or trades that may happen before the draft. For instance, I know there is a very good chance that Jason Campbell will be starting in either St. Louis or Buffalo next year but I chose not to speculate on such things and imagine teams are going into the draft equipped with the players they have right now. Now that all of that is out of the way, with the first pick in the 2010 NFL draft the St. Louis Rams select….

1) STL – Sam Bradford QB, Oklahoma

Plain and simple there are only a few positions that are worth taking with the first overall pick because of how much money you have to pay them. That being said the Rams have already addressed two of those positions in the last two drafts with offensive tackle Jason Smith last year and defensive end Chris Long the year before. That is why I think they will go quarterback and I think they will go Bradford because Steve Spagnolo is a defensive guy who is interested in getting a QB who can complete a high percentage of passes and have a good TD-INT ratio and that is right in Bradford’s wheelhouse where as Clausen is more likely to sling it around and throw some balls up for grabs.

2) DET – Ndamukong Suh DT, Nebraska

Detroit needs all of the talent they can get so by getting who most people see as the best player in the draft with the number 2 pick they can be happy with the value of their pick. Also, Detroit does not have a bad linebacking corps. With Ernie Sims, Larry Foote, and Julian Peterson getting a defensive tackle that can take up bodies and let them run around and make plays their defense could take a large step foward. Just look at what Abrayo Franklin did for the 49ers defense this past year, and he is getting 7 million next year and the franchise tag because of it.

3) TB – Gerald McCoy DT, Texas

The Bucs would be ecstatic to see one of the two great DTs in this draft be available for them at the 3 spot because it is a major area of need for them and McCoy is a big time talent. McCoy might even be the Bucs first choice of DTs as well since they have had so much trouble getting to opposing quarterbacks as of late (they were tied for 26^th in that category last season) and that is exactly what McCoy does better than Suh.

4) WAS – Jimmy Clausen QB, Notre Dame

While I still think Campbell is a decent young talent who is a starter in this league he is not a Shanahan kind of quarterback, yes he has a strong arm and can throw deep on roll out plays that we all know Shanahan loves but its more his demeanor and mentality in the game that don’t match up with the kind of quarterbacks Shanahan has had success with, and that is where Clausen and Shanahan seem like they would be good together. Clausen has a bit of the gun slinger mentality that Cutler had coming out of college, the mentality that you would rather throw a ball up for grabs (cheating a bit deep or to the sidelines where there is less of a chance for it to get picked off not just throwing it down the middle of the field) than take a sack and is a fiery competitor in game that doesn’t mind getting in teammates faces.

5) KC – Russell Okung OT, Oklahoma St.

Everyone has Kansas City taking the best tackle in this draft class with the number five pick for a reason, they need O-line help desperately and they need to protect their investment in Matt Cassel. True there are a few different ways they could go with this pick as there are many positions they need help at but when a franchise left tackle is available to you and that is one of your biggest areas of need you have to take it. Period.

6) SEA – Eric Berry S, Tennessee

Safety may not be the area where the Hawks need the most help but they did have coverage problems in their secondary last year and getting Berry here would be a very good value pick, not to mention with the Cardinals receiving corps. and the emergence of Vernon Davis and Michael Crabtree for the Niners you need to be able to cover people deep to win this division.

7) CLE – Joe Haden CB, Florida

Considering the Browns have a young, recent first round pick QB, two second round picks from last year at receiver, an emerging young running back, and Joe Thomas at left tackle the Browns really need to go defense heavy this draft. If you don’t think so watch a replay of the Browns game against the Lions last year. That being said Joe Haden would add immediate help to a secondary that desperately needs it and Haden has the talent to develop into a perennial pro-bowler in a short amount of time.

8 ) OAK – Anthony Davis OT, Rutgers

If there is one thing I have learned as a Bay Area sports fan its that when the Raiders are up to pick in the first round they select their one biggest area of need and take the player at that position with the best physical attributes…or at least what Al Davis feels are the best physical attributes. This year that player is going to be Anthony Davis, after years of having the worst O-line in the league even Al Davis knows a top flight OT is a need for this draft so of course he is going to go with the most physically gifted tackle of the bunch. This year, unlike last year, that could actually work for them as Davis would indeed be a strong selection here…that is also why I am thinking they wont do it, picks that make too much sense aren’t exactly Al Davis’ style.

9) BUF – Brian Bulaga OT, Iowa

The run on offensive tackles begins to take off here in the first round. However, it is no coincidence that tackles tend to all go so high, not just because they get paid a lot of money anyway, but because teams that can’t protect their QB and create running lanes for the RBs are always in possession of high draft picks and the Bills are no different. Yes they could use on defense since they are switching to a 3-4 and Rolando McClain is still on the board in this scenario, but the Bills are never going to develop a young QB if they can’t protect him and watching the growth of Chad Hene and Mark Sanchez in their own division after living with JP Losman and Trent Edwards has to hurt, but giving the next guy a solid line could turn their fortunes around.

10) JAC – Derrick Morgan DE, Georgia Tech

Another pick that you will see on many mock drafts, and that’s just because it makes so much sense. The Jags need help on their D-line, Morgan is the best DE in this draft (at least the surest bet and best all around player at that position going into the draft), Jacksonville has a history of drafting defensive players and linemen, its defiantly a round peg with a round hole scenario.

11) DEN – Dez Bryant WR, Oklahoma St.

Even if the Broncos hold on the Brandon Marshall this should be the pick. Brandon Stokley is almost done and Josh McDaniels has not figured out how best to use Edie Royal (which is odd considering how much he reminds me of Wes Welker) so they could use more options at receiver. This team could also go with some help in their defensive front seven as well since that unit is not likely to repeat its performance from last year with Mike Nolan gone, and helping out the offense can help out the defense too, the biggest difference between the first half and second half of the season for the Broncos was how well the offense ran, when this offense is on and the defense doesn’t have to play many series this team can be very hard to beat.

12) MIA – Rolando McClain LB, Alabama

They need help at linebacker with Joey Porter about to get released as soon as the salary cap is officially lifted so look for Miami to fill that need immediately in the first round with the best linebacker in this years draft. Side note, many people say the pick will be Dez Bryant if available, lets not forget Bill Parcells doesn’t draft receivers in the first round, and the development of Devon Bees will have only reassured him of this, if not McClain I say the pick is Jason Pierre-Paul.

13) SF – Earl Thomas S, Texas

There is a good chance that the Niners are going to part ways with Mark Roman this offseason and Michael Lewis has not been aging as well as some might have hoped. On top of that I feel, despite his lack of traditional size for the position, that Dashon Goldson could play strong safety thanks to his big hitting ability (as evident by his three forced fumbles last season) and having two physical safeties that can cover a lot of ground would free Niners D-coordinator Greg Manusky up to use his safeties similarly to how Belichick uses safeties in his 3-4, not to mention it could give the Niners a pair of talented safeties for years to come.

14) SEA – Trent Williams OT, Oklahoma

Upgrading their offensive line is a huge priority for the Hawks this offseason and they were able to take Berry earlier in the draft because there would most likely still be a very good OT on the board at 14. Between Bruce Campbell and Trent Williams I have to think the latter is more of a Pete Carroll kind of guy, who quietly goes about his work with great discipline, he may have the lowest upside of the tackles that will be taken in the first round but he is also one of the most ready to step in and play right away.

15) NYG – Brian Price DT, UCLA

Last year the Giants found out they do not have the defensive line depth that they thought they had going into the year. That being said Chris Canty wont be out all season two years in a row most likely, but he is a defensive end not a tackle, and Osi Umenyiora may not be with the team at the beginning of the 2010 season. But we all know how much the Giant love having depth at the defensive line and they could use pro-bowl caliber defensive tackle and 15 would not be a reach for Price.

16) SF – Bruce Campbell OT, Maryland

The rise and fall of Bruce Campbell’s draft stock has been interesting to watch, though from what I can tell it is more because Anthony Davis and Brian Bluaga have been given better draft grades after people watched more film on them than Campbell’s stock dropping. This isn’t such a bad thing though, Campbell has been considered one of the top 5 tackles and a first round prospect for a while now and the fact that he hasn’t lost any points in his draft grade while being on so many people’s radar is a good sign and should provide the Niners with an immediate upgrade at RT.

17) Ten – Jason Pierre-Paul DE, South Florida

The Titans need to start getting younger at defensive end and JPP would be perfect for their 4-3 attacking scheme that they run. Pierre-Paul is a little raw right now, but give him a year to put on a little weight and learn from pro-bowlers such as Jevon Kearse and Kyle Vanden Bosh would set them up to have a stud DE in the long term after Kearse and Vanden Bosh call it quits.

18) PIT – Mike Iupati OG, Idaho

This is a pick that was tough for me, The Steelers don’t have many glaring needs but are getting older at some key positions such as DT that they may try and get younger at, but they have had O-line troubles for a while and for a team that loves to pound a team into submission with its ground game being physical along the interior of their O-line is important. I am just not sure if the Steelers feel their offense is what needs help right now when Big Ben just passed for over four thousand yards for the first time in his career yet Pittsburgh had no playoff berth to show for it.

19) ATL – Kareem Jackson CE, Alabama

There is a chance that this pick will be Navarro Bowman to address their need at outside linebacker as he seems like the best natural 4-3 OLB in the draft but he isn’t the best value at this point in the draft and that is why I have them going to their second biggest need at corner back.  Seeing as Jackson would be a good value pick at a position I see them over looking their top need at OLB for this round.

20) HOU – C.J. Spiller RB, Clemson

Granted Spiller is similar to Steve Slaton, who is already on the Texans roster, as they are both leaner, faster backs, but think of Spiller as Slaton 2.0, newer and better with a few of the problems from the old model worked out. However fast backs do well in zone blocking schemes and the Texans need a lot of help at running back and unless they want to reach for a player such as a Patrick Robinson or Taylor Mays expect the Texans to take Spiller if he is still on the board.

21) CIN – Jermaine Gresham TE, Oklahoma

There is a good chance that this pick will end up being Arrelious Benn since they do need to start looking at the future of their receiving corps and they still aren’t sure if Laveranues Coles is a Number 2, but Andre Caldwell has been developing nicely and they have no one at tight end, at least no one that compares to Gresham in terms of talent and if he can prove he is back from his injury he can immediately contribute as both a blocker and a receiver.

22) NE – Brandon Graham DE/OLB, Michigan

Graham is versatile and disciplined and those are two of Bill Belichick’s favorite words. Picking Graham here would not only be a decent value but take care of two immediate needs for the Patriots, help the pass rush, and get younger at linebacker.

23) GB – Charles Brown OT, USC

At first I had this pick as Taylor Mays, and it still could be depending on the grades Packers GM Ted Thompson gives Brown and Mays but this fills a position of bigger need for the Packers then going with the safety. Sure Atari Bigby is a liability in coverage and they aren’t getting any younger at cornerback but Mays is not going to provide much (if any) better coverage than Bigby so drafting Mays doesn’t fix that problem. On top of that Aaron Rodgers proved he is an elite QB in the making last year making it consecutive years with a ton of production to start his career and because of that the Packers need to keep him up right and keep him healthy.

24) PHI – Carlos Dunlap DE, Florida

Even though Philly doesn’t have as strong of a locker room with Brian Dawkins gone the Eagles don’t tend to shy away from a high value pick because of the players potential off the field issues, they are confident in their organizations ability to turn out good young men as well as players and if Dunlap lives up to his potential they might strike gold getting him this deep in the first.

25) BAL – Kyle Wilson CD, Boise St.

It was very tempting to have them take a wide receiver here but with the ability to still get the fourth or fifth WR in the whole draft when they come around again in the second I think they will address their aging secondary that desperately needs an injection of youth.

26) AZ – Sergio Kindle DE/OLB, Texas

Considering the Cardinals were 6^th in the league in sacks this seems like a luxury pick, and in a way it is and that’s what you can do when you are talented enough to be in the Super Bowl one year and the Divisional round of the playoffs the next, but mainly the Cardinals would be making this pick to maintain that level of production. With Dansby and Dockett up for new contracts soon and the Cards not likely to re-sign both this would be a good move to make sure the front seven is solidified even after one of them takes off.

27) DAL – Dan Williams DT, Tennessee

The Cowboys would love to add some depth to their defensive line and have a player that let Jay Ratliff have a play or two off from time to time.  Williams would do both of those and potentially provide the Cowboys the versatility to line up different linemen in different positions on different plays to confuse the O-line such as the Giants like to do.

28) SD – Jared Odrick DT, Penn St.

The Chargers have dealt with inconsistency and injury along their defensive line the last couple of seasons and will look to fix that problem but adding some depth and pick up a potential future star in Odrick.

29) NYJ – Arrelious Benn WR, Illinois

The Jets desperately need a true number one receiver to help the development of Mark Sanchez and while Braylon Edwards flashes that ability at times he makes way too many mistakes for a coach like Rex Ryan and they will be looking the replace him this offseason, or at least add another receiving threat to the team, one Sanchez can rely on to get open and make the come down with the ball on a crucial down and Arrelious Benn fits that bill.

30) MIN – Patrick Robinson CB, Florida St.

When it comes to cornerbacks the Vikings don’t have much after Antonie Winfield with Cedric Griffin down, and considering he wont be back until after the start of next season and there is no telling how good he will be when he gets back from a pretty devastating injury and if they Vikings want their defense to stay towards the top of the league they will need to address the issue, and can with Patrick Robinson.

31) IND – Everson Griffin DE, USC

With a contract year for Robert Mathis coming up in a little bit for the Colts they might be looking to find his future replacement in the draft. Yes Mathis has been great for the Colts and they would hate to see him go, but with the contract they gave Freeney they might not be able to offer Mathis the type of deal his great skill set will demand without having an inordinate percentage of their cap space tied up in defensive ends, by drafting Griffin here they give him time to develop into the player they need him to be before having him replace Mathis at a much lower cost.

32) NO – Sean Weatherspoon OLB, Missouri

With their secondary looking much improved thanks to Greer, Porter, Gay, and Jenkins the Saints will most likely look to get younger and more explosive at linebacker and Weatherspoon should be able to do just that. The major question is can he do that better than Navorro Bowman out of Penn St, the tie breaker for me came down to size and system. Bowman is the size of a fairly prototypical 4-3 OLB, which is a little smaller than people usually want their 3-4 OLBs because in a 3-4 the OLB has to take on offensive linemen more often, so with both of them grading out so similarly I went with the larger one who will probably fit them system better and I think the Saints will too.

Another week another mail bag here at the 49er blog. Since it has been the offseason for the 49ers and most Niner fans have been distracting themselves with what’s been going on with the teams that actually made the playoffs the mail has slowed down here but I encourage you all to send me any questions you have about the 49ers or NFC West to antoniouriarte@rocketmail.com and I will try to get to the in the weekly mail bag column.

 This week we start with a draft question that touches on something that I feel strongly about, mock drafts.

 Peter writes, What prospect in this years draft would the Niners be most happy to have fall to them the same way Crabtree fell to them last year when they really needed a wide receiver? And are you going to be doing a mock draft? I always find it interesting how Niner writers always have them taking different players in the mock drafts than the national writers.

 The 49er brass would be pinching themselves if Russell Okung was available when they make their first pick, if this happens the 49ers would have very solid bookends for their offensive line for the foreseeable future. Okung would help the offense in both the running and the passing game and could come in and start right away and bring a physicality to the offensive line that only Joe Staley could match and would be a big step forward for the Niners O-line. Unfortunately there is less than a slim chance of this happening as Okung is rated as the best offensive tackle in the draft by most scouts but that doesn’t mean the Niners can’t get a good tackle in the draft, last year Micheal Oher was the 4^th offensive tackle taken in the draft and the best of them during the year.

 Here is the problem, however, with speculating on what is going to happen in the draft much less months ahead of time before any pro-days or the combine, everyone has a different grade for every player in the draft. Every single mock draft that you read is one persons assessment of all of the players in the draft and every teams needs. In real life there are teams of scouts and GMs and position coaches that have a say on how well they think a certain player is going to do in the pros and each NFL team has five or so different people in the organization with completely different ideas of what the team needs most. To sum it up in a nut shell, mock drafts are a crap shoot meant to spark discussion and entertain fans briefly by giving them a look at what the future might hold. That being said I am not completely against mock drafts and have read more than a few myself this off season already, but take them for what they are, fun.

 Jose wrote in, With there being so much talk about how the 49ers need to get younger in the secondary and there only being four DB’s good enough to be drafted in the first round this year do you think the 49ers will end up with any of them?

 Again, this questions about predicting who will end up where are very hard to respond to because I have no idea what GM’s think of the top four defensive backs in this years class, however, it is safe to say that at least one of not two of them will be gone even by the Niners first pick at 13. Eric Berry, the best DB in the draft, will be off the board before the 8^th pick is in and that is all but guaranteed so unfortunately the Niners wont have a shot at the best DB in this class, even if they tried to trade up I think it would cost the Niners more than they are willing to spend to jump enough picks to land him. The second best DB in the draft, Florida corner back Joe Haden, will also most likely be off of the board by the first time the Niners are on the clock, if not the Niners could easily go for him and I would not be disappointed, however it would also depend on what offensive tackles are still available, if there is an OT they love on the board I would prefer to see them go that direction with the 13^th pick. The third best DB, according to most sources, is Texas safety Earl Thomas. Thomas right now seems like a poor mans Eric Berry, he can cover a lot of ground, he is a ball hawk, and he doesn’t mind helping out in the running game, but he just isn’t as explosive and disruptive as Berry. Fourth in this group is USC safety Taylor Mays, the big athletic freak of the group who has more raw talent than ball skills right now but has all the talent to make it big in the NFL.

 The realistic scenario is that the Niners will be picking between Mays and Thomas in one of their two first round picks if they are looking to address the secondary then. I like Thomas, but I might have to say Mays would be the better selection. Remember, there are two different types of safeties with different roles, the strong safety who usually plays closer to the line, and the free safety who spends more time in coverage. This past year the Niners got a very good year out of 25 year-old Dashon Goldson who had over 90 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles, so they are fairly set at one of their safety positions for now, but which one? This is the question I feel the Niners need to answer because that should tell them which of the two to take between Mays and Thomas as Thomas clearly looks like a free safety where Mays looks more like a strong safety. With Goldson getting four picks in his first year starting at safety he seems to have the hands and speed to play free safety at a high level, which tells me the Niners should go with Mays. Another reason this could work well for them is because right now they have a good, but aging strong safety in Michael Lewis who can mentor Mays along for the first year.

 Thanks again for reading the mail bag this week, and don’t forget to keep sending any and all questions to antoniouriarte@rocketmail.com

Hello again fans and casual followers, I am sorry for the long break between posts but what can I say, sometimes life just gets a little crazy for a few weeks. Anyways I am back and kicking off the offseason of blogging with a mail bag. Thanks again for sending your questions in guys and for anyone that forgot you can e-mail me any questions about the 49ers or NFC West to antoniouriarte@rocketmail.com and I will try to get to it in my mail bag. Most of the questions I have gotten since the end of the 49ers season have been related to the direction the 49ers are headed (go figure) so with that in mind the question I got from Jason in Vacaville seems like a great way to kick it off.

Jason Writes, With the success that the Jets have seen this post season using the same formula that Mike Singletary hopes to implement in the 49ers organization do the 49er brass have more confidence in Singletary than they would have otherwise had?

That is an interesting thought Jason, but I don’t see the Jets success having much to do with the confidence level York and the rest of the Niner brass have in Singletary. The Niner organization gave Singletary their vote of confidence before the Jets even won their first playoff game and the Jets formula is nothing new, just look at last years Super Bowl Champion Steelers, they got it done with the number one rated defense in the league and the ability to run the ball. Anyone that follows football can tell you that being strong on both sides of the line and having the ability to run the ball for over 150 yards per game will get you far in this league so that was defiantly not news to York or the rest of the Niner organization.

It is worth pointing out, however, that while the Jets were one of the last four teams standing because of their old-school smash-mouth football ways the other three teams (Vikings, Saints, and Colts) all made it by relying on one of the top four quarterbacks in the league. Being strong on both sides of the line is a must if you want to go to the super bowl but you still need an above average quarterback pulling the trigger for the offense. The last Super Bowl to be won by a team without a particularly good quarterback was the Bucs in 2002, and even then Brad Johnson had a pro-bowl year that year, the one before that was the Raves with Trent Dilfer who still had a QB rating over 80 in the game and one of the best defenses in the history of NFL backing him up (Same goes for Brad Johnson, by the way, in case you forgot how good that Bucs defense was).

Craig from Berkley writes, With Smith having such an up and down year at quarterback and all the praise you hear coming out of the Niner coaching staff for Nate Davis do you think it will be an open competition at quarterback going into training camp?

Craig this is in fact a question that Mike Singletary has already addressed but it is still a question that I have been hearing 49er fans asking so I felt it was worth answering. Singletary has said that Smith is the starting quarterback going into the off season, now what does that really mean? What it means is Smith will be getting the first team reps through OTAs and training camp with Davis most likely working exclusively with the second and third team offenses. However, as you pointed out in your question, there is a lot of good things coming out of coaches mouths’ about Davis so I am expecting the staff to keep a close eye on him through out the pre-season to see how he is coming along. That being said I still believe it would take Davis clearly out performing Smith in pre-season games for there to be a chance for him to be the starter going into the regular season.

Keep in mind the number one aspect of the quarterbacks game that Singletary relies on is being able to protect the ball and avoid turnovers and the younger the quarterback is the more likely (for the most part) they are to turn the ball over. On top of that, despite doing a decent job of protecting the ball in last years pre-season games Davis came out of college being known as a little bit of a gun slinger, not to the extent Cutler was coming out, but still had a reputation for attacking defenses more than taking what the defense gave him and unless Davis has been able to shed that label in practice then it will be hard for him to take hold of the starting position.

Well that is all the time we have for today, I do have some what of a back log of  questions and although I wont be able to get to all of them I hope to get to at least a couple more later in the week. Although I can’t guarantee I will get to your question on the blog questions are always appreciated and again the e-mail is antoniouriarte@rocketmail.com

What is there to say about this past 49ers season other than it is this kind of drama that keeps me loving the NFL. There were highs and lows, last second finishes, veterans reclaiming their place on the field, and talent that finally blossomed after a few years of mediocrity and much speculation. Drama really is the only word for it, and for the people that love to know the back stories of the teams and players that line up on Sundays its just as addicting as any daytime soap opera. The ups and downs of this season though were more drastic and frequent than usual which made this a very entertaining year and one that hopefully the young Niners can learn from going forward.

To really appreciate all that happened to the Niners this season we have to go back to the beginning. After finishing the 2008 season 4-1 in their last five games there was a bit of a buzz around the 49ers and the effect new head coach Mike Singletary was having on the team, with their eyes set on taking the NFC West crown many analysts were talking about Singletary’s stingy defense. Week one ended with the Niners sending the message that they were in fact not only in the running for the NFC West title, but that they should be considered the favorites by beating last years NFC champions the Arizona Cardinals 20-16 in Arizona. The next week the Niners disposed of their other division threat by beating the Seahawks by 13 points in Candlestick park. Week three saw one of the best games of the year in the Vikings-49ers match up that was capped off by one of the most exciting finishes any game has had so far this year in the NFL, and with the Vikings being considered a favorite for the Super Bowl the Niners had finally gotten the attention of sports nation. After beating the Rams in week four the Niners faced their next test in the Atlanta Falcons who absolutely embarrassed the Niners giving them their worst loss in over half a century.

The football critics lined up for their chances to take shots at the 49ers at this point, saying they didn’t have the talent to compete with the upper echelon teams and had just good enough coaching and personnel to beat the bad teams. All of the sudden their title of “Cinderella of the NFL” started to loose some of its luster. Unfortunately the next three weeks of the season saw a dropping of the title all together as the Niners lost to the Texans, Colts, and Titans respectively in three straight weeks. But through darkness there was a light, former 1^st overall pick Alex Smith had retaken the reigns as the starting quarterback. Smith came in at the beginning of the slide, taking over in the second half of the Texans game yet still throwing for over 200 yards and three touchdowns almost taking the team back from a 21 point deficit. At this point the team had a loosing record, but after such a tough stretch of their schedule to see Smith perform well and rookie Michael Crabtree come out of his holdout to firmly grasp a starting role gave the Niner faithful hope.

And this hope grew as the team grew, as the season went on people started talking, asking if Vernon Davis was going to tie or even break the record for most touchdown receptions by a tight end in a single season, was Abrayo Franklin one of the best nose tackles in the league, and had Patrick Willis established himself as the best interior linebacker in the league? Unfortunately as the season went on there were also many injuries to discuss as well. Week 8 was the last the Niners would see of star cornerback Nate Clements, and with their number two cornerback Walt Harris going on IR before the season started the loss of Clements was a tough hit to swallow. Mid season also saw the Niners loose their best player at one of their weakest positions when Joe Staley went down for seven weeks with a knee injury forcing back up Barry Sims to take over full time. At almost the same time Tony Pashos, one of the two right tackles the Niners were playing in a rotation went on the IR forcing career underachiever Adam Snyder to take over full time on the right side. For a line that already had problems loosing their two tackles seemed like it would be the beginning of the end for the Niners.

With the Niners 3-5 at the half way point in the season, with a seeming identity crisis on offense as well as a depleted offensive line and defensive secondary it seemed as if there was little chance for the Niners to end their streak of loosing season, and worse people were starting to wonder if they were going to be in line for a top ten pick once again. That is when the team finally took all of the talk of what they were and what they were supposed to be and threw it out the window to simply play their tail off for the second half of the season, injuries be damned. With their focus restored the Niners went on to surprise the Chicago bears and the hot Jacksonville Jaguars to start the second half 2-1 giving them a 5-6 record on the year and new hope to take the division.

Unfortunately the focus that got them seemed to have stayed in the Bay Area when they left for their trip to Seattle. A disappointing 20-17 loss to the Seahawks all but ripped the chances of an NFC West title out of the Niners hands. They had one more shot at the division leading Cardinals but besides that their future lay with how well the Cardinals fared the rest of the season, and the Niners needed them to loose a bunch of games, starting with their head to head match up in week 14. That match up saw the 49er defense (injuries and all) produce better than they had all season and once again show the league why people feared that unit at the beginning of the season. After that the 49ers dropped (expectedly) to the growingly sheik NFC Super Bowl pick in the Eagles and then beat (expectedly) the Lions and Rams to finish the season 8-8 and sans a loosing record for the first time since 2002.

No they didn’t have a winning season nor did they make the playoffs, but they were competitive and not just with the lesser teams in the league. That combined with the fact that they had so many injuries (so many in fact that they had to release their punt/kick returner because they couldn’t afford to have a player that only did returns) and a much tougher schedule than the year before (see prior article) this season was a step forward. I would defiantly say that if they can stay a little more healthy next year and add some talent in the offseason via the draft and free agency (if there is a true free agency period this offseason) they have a real chance to challenge the Cardinals for the NFC West title…next year.

You know an organization is having a rough time when all that the players can rally around going into the last game of the season is the fact that if they win they wont have a loosing record. But for a team trying to get its 8^th win in the 17^th week of the season having something to rally around is important. It sure has been a disappointing season for the 49ers considering their expectations after their hot end to last year and 3-1 start to this season. Unfortunately they went 4-7 after that and are hoping to make it 5-7 so they can sport a .500 record but there are still positives from this season to build on.

The most important piece of the Niners performance this season would be their 5-1 record in the division (if they beat St. Louis this Sunday). When rebuilding a franchise people say the first thing you need to do is be able to win games in your division, just ask Gary Kubiak how important that is. And secondly the Niners ended their season with a 6-2 record at home which means if the Niners and the Eagles win out they will both have the same home and divisional record this season, and for the Eagles those two statistics are a big reason they will probably end the year as the champions of one of the tougher divisions in football.

Obviously the Niners have a bit of a ways to go before they are as good of a team and organization as the Eagles but their home and divisional records show that they are on their way to being a playoff team. As for the people that didn’t think this year was a big step forward for them because they might only finish with one more win than they had last year aren’t looking closely enough. This year the Niners had a tougher schedule with the teams they played this year averaging an extra win over average of the teams they played last year and this year they played more playoff bound teams than last year as well. This year also saw more injuries on defense and changes to the offensive scheme than almost any other team with more than four wins.

That being said very few teams turn it around in one year, and teams that do are usually more of a flash in the pan than perennial playoff teams, which is exactly what head coach Mike Singletary has been trying to do with turn this organization into. I for one think he has made strides towards that, this team is undoubtedly more competitive than last years Niners. Sure they are inconsistent but young teams in their first year of being that competitive usually are and consistency will come with continuity and experience and that is exactly what Singletary is banking on.

I may be jumping the gun here a bit though, many of the things I just said are dependant on the Niners beating the St. Louis Rams in the final game of the season and ending with an 8-8 record. Granted, a team with literally seven times as many wins should be able to beat a team whose lone win came against the lowly Lions but you have to show up to win in the NFL, and I don’t just mean physically.

However, as one would imagine, on paper the Niners stack up very favorably against the Rams. The Ram’s defense has a hard time stopping anyone and the one bright light on their offense, their running game led by Stephen Jackson, plays right into the strength of the Niners, their run defense. A few things that would be nice to see though are Vernon Davis tying or beating Antonio Gates record for touchdown receptions by a tight end in a single season (13), Frank Gore surpass the 1,100 yard mark, and Alex Smith follow up his solid but unspectacular showing against the Lions with a stellar performance in the last game of the season.

No matter how it gets done though the Niners need to win this game, and impressively. Plain and simple playoff caliber teams should rout teams that are in the running for the first overall pick in next years draft. Sure the Niners aren’t a playoff team right now, but Smith said he wants to end the year with the Niners considered the best team that didn’t make the playoffs, and that would defiantly require a sound beating of a clearly inferior team.

Yesterday was a good day for San Francisco fans, the 49ers beat the Lions and the Raiders lost to the Browns. No, the cross bay rivalry is really not that strong but when neither team is doing particularly well Niner and Raider fans both seem to get a bit of solace out of the fact that at least that other team in the bay isn’t very good either.  At least that is the approach a friend of mine from Oakland takes, and after watching his team loose to the Browns he was more than ready to watch the Niners go down to the Lions.

My friend loved the first half the Niner game. The Niners never trailed in the game, but at the end of the first half the Niners were struggling to put away a team that gave up the ball three times and yet held the Niners to a one possession lead, facts that my Raider-loving friend most certainly did not let me forget.

Luckily the third quarter shut him up as it saw the Niners score two touchdowns and finally put the Lions out of reach. Both touchdowns were the result of the Niners focusing their offensive attack around getting the ball to Frank Gore, who became the first running back in 49er history to have four consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Gore had 132 yards of offense with one rushing touchdown against the Lions and most of that came in the third quarter. Speaking of records Vernon Davis caught his 12^th touchdown pass of the season putting him just one away from tying Antonio Gates record for receiving touchdowns in a season by a tight end although he only had three receptions for 18 yards putting a 1,000 yard season all but out of reach for the young tight end.

This last Sunday also saw another adjustment in the 49ers offensive game plan as it took another step back towards a pro-set oriented offense. This move was made because of the Niners lack of scoring when Gore’s role was diminished in the offense, with Gore heading up the offense once again the Smith put up solid numbers and the offense put up 20 points. Many Niner fans are quick to point out that Smith did not have a great game against a bad team and missed a few open receivers, but he proved that if need be he can be the same type of game managing quarterback that Shaun Hill was while being able to keep the playbook open because of his arm strength.

In that way, Smith’s game may not have been what fans were hoping to see but it may have been what Singletary was hoping to see (to a certain extent anyway) as Smith was able to have an efficient game while operating from under center. Given the fact that Smith has shown he can be efficient and win games in both the pro-set and spread offenses that Jimmy Raye has designed I would say he has done enough for the Niners to keep him around as the probable starter going into next year. However, “probable” is the key word in that sentence as Smith has not done enough to go into the off season to be the undisputed Niners starter going into 2010 and because of that Smith might find himself once again in the midst of a quarterback competition heading into the pre-season next year.

The question is who will Smith be competing against? There seem to be more and more people wondering if the Niners would consider drafting a quarterback in the second or third round if someone like Colt McCoy drops to them. I don’t see that happening however as the Niners have two quarterbacks that they drafted between the ages of 22-25 on the team already, Smith and Nate Davis. Davis has been getting high praise from the 49er organization and Mike Singletary himself in press conferences as well as a growing number of 49er fans who liked what they saw out of him in the pre-season and what to see what he can do when it counts. I don’t think Davis will get a chance to show them this season but I think he will get a chance to be the man next season if he can beat out Smith for the starting job. Whoever wins the job Niner fans just want them to win games, maybe then the fans from across the bay will shut up.

The playoffs might be out of the picture for the 49ers with just two games left in the season but there is still one important thing this Niner team is playing for, a sense of pride that no Niner team has been able to feel for seven years. That’s how long it has been since a Niner team has been able to lay claim to a non-loosing season. No they don’t have a shot at a winning season but after seven consecutive loosing seasons a team has to take what it can get. That being said just because they play two of the worst teams in the league to end the year an 8-8 season is far from guaranteed, just ask Arizona what happens when you look past the Lions.

In these last two games the Niners need to prove to themselves that they have an identity and they are on the up and up. One of the ways that they can do that is not just by winning but also by helping out their star players finish the year strong. Every time a player has a great season it is the result of them getting a lot of help as much as it is about the individual players performance that year.  Just ask Patrick Willis if his stats would be the same if Abrayo Franklin wasn’t having a great year. In that way it can mean a lot to a team to have their stars go to the pro-bowl and if the Niners can get a few players to the pro-bowl (Vernon Davis, Justin Smith, Abrayo Franklin, Patrick Willis, and Andy Lee all have a good chance of going) it can do a lot for the morale of the team going into next year.

It may even take all of the aforementioned players having a good game to beat the Lions. Yes the Lions are…. well the Lions, but they are also the team that gave the Cardinals a run for their money last week, and the reason the NFL is such an interesting league is because it is such a fine line that separates the haves from the have-nots. Not that I expect the Niners to look past the Lions, when you have a loosing record you can’t afford to look past anyone, but I hope to see the Niners as focused as I have seen them all year in both of these last games of the year.

The game plan for the Niners must be simple, when you have the advantage of better personnel the key is to not get too fancy and let your players line up and do what they do best. In the case of the Niners that’s let Frank Gore pound the ball and open up the field for Smith to sling the ball around to Davis and Michael Crabtree out of the spread while mixing up formations and play calling enough to keep the defense on its toes.

On defense the critique is the same it’s been for the last few weeks, just don’t allow the big play. This might not be as easy as it sounds even against an offense that has struggled as much as the Lions offense has as they still have Calvin Johnson and Brandon Pettigrew. Considering the fact that the Niners offense isn’t what most people would call prolific and add on the fact that Mike Singletary prefers to take up time opposed to put up points when his team has the lead and the chance of a big play from the Lions offense changing this game gets even higher.

The best way for the Niners to take away the explosive plays is by making it a multiple possession game as quickly as they can. The sooner the Lions are forced lean on their passing game the harder it will be for them to set up the long pass play by running the ball and calling play-action. If the Niners can do that they have a good chance of going into the final game of the season with a .500 record staring them in the face.

For about the fifth time since the fifth week of the season the 49ers decided to only play one half of good football. Just as one might expect that is not enough to win a football game in the NFL. It wasn’t enough against Huston so it sure wasn’t going to be enough against the Eagles who have Super Bowl aspirations.

With this loss the questions about the 49ers personnel are mounting higher than ever. After another less than impressive game from Alex Smith there are more and more Niner fans that are wondering if they are going to see Nate Davis on the field at any point this season. To be fair though not all of Smith’s performance is on him. There were many times where he had absolutely no time to throw the ball and even more times when he had to throw the ball before the play could develop. Throw into that mix the match up of the Niners inexperienced receiving corps and the Eagles very experienced secondary and it really is not a surprise that Smith didn’t have a great outing but the three interceptions were the big sore thumb in his performance.

One of the interceptions, the first one on the deep pass to Vernon Davis, was not Smith’s fault. Granted over throwing a receiver in the middle of the field is a no-no, but when Davis is going to long and you are going to lead him in any direction it better be deep. The main reason it was Smith’s fault though was because Davis saw the throw was too long and gave up on the play. When a receiver realizes they are not going to make the catch they need to then become defenders and make sure the ball doesn’t end up in the hands of one of the other teams’ defensive backs. The Second was clearly a bad decision by Smith who force a throw to a covered receiver and the third was an over throw to the outlet while he was scrambling from the rush.

You can’t blame a quarterback for trying to sling it around a bit when their team is down 17 points, but Smith needs to know not to go into panic mode in the first half. The second half was another story for Smith as he went 13 of 21 with 116 yards and a touchdown. His stat line for the game as a whole was not pretty, but bouncing back after starting a game off slow is one of the tougher things for a young quarterback to do in the NFL and at least Smith showed he is capable of doing that.

The 49er defense had another solid game against the run, however they continue to allow the big play in the passing game. Yes DeSean Jackson is the most electrifying player in the NFL right now and yes Donovan McNabb is one of the best quarterbacks in the league but if you know that going into the game then you need to play them as such. The Niners almost played Jackson as if he was any other number one receiver and you just can’t do that, that is why McNabb connected on one of three deep balls to Jackson and was about five inches away from it being two of three. On top of that the Niners secondary let the Eagles get the ball to Jackson underneath in space. As a defense DeSean Jackson and space need to never be said in the same sentence, when they are bad things happen for your unit.

The lack of a pass rush from the 49er defense was also very apparent this Sunday and I am looking towards the defensive ends and outside linebackers. I am a fan of Sopoaga’s but I think he is a back up caliber player on a playoff team, there are a lot of things he can do for you and he does a great job taking on bodies to leave the linebackers free but the Niners need someone like Justin Smith on that side as well. If the Niners can upgrade that defensive end position it will open up more room for Manny Lawson to rush the passer, and if the Niners upgrade the other outside linebacker position (possibly with Rolando McClain out of Alabama) behind Justin Smith it would do wonders for the Niners ability to get after the quarterback. That being said defensive end and a starting caliber outside linebacker are two things that Niners should target in the draft and either McClain, Derek Morgan, or Jason Pierre-Paul should be available for one of their picks and could be a good use of it as well.

If there is an uncapped year this next year that could possibly make it harder for the Niners to upgrade some of their positions. The Niners are in a spot where they need not only young talent from the draft but experienced talent that can step in and play. For example if the Niners don’t get McClain but get a defensive end then they really should look to free agency for a complete outside linebacker that can rush the passer, if there is no free agency then they will most likely be heading into next year with the same crew at that position. The same goes for the offensive line, there is not enough offensive line talent (and too much defensive talent) in this years draft for the Niners to get all they need to solidify their line, a few free agency moves could really help, but only if there is a full free agency period this offseason.

The Niners have a number of positions they need to look at in these last two games of the season, but on the bright side they are both very winnable games, and if they win both they officially wont have a loosing season, and for this Niners team that could mean a lot.

Thanks to their spectacular defensive effort last week against the Arizona Cardinals the San Francisco 49ers are not out of the playoff picture yet. However, they will be if they loose to the Philadelphia Eagles this Sunday at Lincoln Financial Field and unfortunately for the Niners that is what most people are predicting will happen. Then again, the Niners have heard this before, as recent as last week as a matter of fact. There was supposed to be no way the slumping Niners could take on the soaring Cardinals even if they were playing at home, but we all know how that one ended. On top of that the Eagles have been a very up and down team all year loosing to the Raiders and being taken to the wire by the Redskins and the Bears. Considering the 49ers are better than at least two of those three teams I would have to say they have a shot.

To make good on that shot though the 49ers are going to need another defensive effort like the one they had last week. As the Raiders showed everyone in their win over the Eagles the simple way to disrupt any offense is to get into the opposing team’s backfield as they sacked Donovan McNabb six times on their way to holding the Eagles offense to a mere nine points. You don’t always have to get sacks to disrupt the backfield though and right now the Niners front seven is doing a great job of attacking the line of scrimmage, especially when Ahmad Brooks gets rotated in at outside linebacker. Brooks abused Mike Gandy, a very good tackle in this league, last week for three sacks and two forced fumbles in the back field.

The Niners defense can’t count their job done just because they get backfield pressure however. McNabb is one of the best quarterbacks in the league at making plays on the move and getting something out of nothing, so if the Niners are going to stave off one of the most prolific passing offenses in the league they will also need their secondary to do as well in coverage as they did last week. There is a lot of talent and big play ability on the Eagles offense but for the most part it is named DeSean Jackson. Jackson makes this offense so much more effective because of his speed. If a team focuses too much on stopping the big play than McNabb is happy to use Brent Celek, Jason Avant, and LeSean McCoy on the underneath routes to dink and dunk his way down the field. Pay too much attention to the short game and you are going to get burnt deep by Jackson. However, looking at last week again, the Niners just played, and shut down, an offense that has as much talent at wide receiver as any team in the league in the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals had three 1,000 yard receivers last year and none of them had more than 40 yards last night including Larry Fitzgerald who was held to two receptions for 22 yards.

The main reason that the 49ers need to be so successful on defense in this game is because of the Eagles defense. The Eagles defense is almost as talented as their offense and is currently ranked tenth over all in yards allowed. However, while the Eagles rank tenth against the run (again in yards allowed) they rank eighteenth against the pass. Granted the Eagles secondary still has more experience and accolades than the Niners receiving corps right now but if Jimmy Raye can mix in the passing plays well while eating up the clock with the same kind of running game we saw in the Cardinals game the 49ers have a good chance to have some long sustained drives that end in points.

The key to any long sustained drive is winning the battle in the trenches which will not be easy against the Eagles front seven, but will be even more possible thanks to the return of left tackle Joe Staley. Staley was reportedly ready, willing, and able to play last week but because of the long-term extension he just got from the organization they decided to play it safe and have him sit one more week so he could rest and get another full week of practice in before going out on the field for the real deal. Hopefully this approach paid off as Staley will need to hit the ground running this week with Trent Cole lining up against him all day. Cole, a pro-bowler two years ago, already has nine and a half sacks on the season and could be on his way to another pro-bowl but if Staley can minimize Cole’s effect on the game it would do a lot to help the Niners offensive line sustain the point of attack giving Frank Gore holes to run though and Alex Smith time to pass.

If the Niners manage to win this game then they will have a good chance at winning out the remainder of the season, thanks to games against the Rams and the Lions, putting them at a 9-7 record. If that happens there is still a shot of them making the playoffs, however, the Cardinals would have to finish with the same record or worse but seeing as they also play both the Rams and the Lions in the last three weeks of the season it would be hard to see them not winning at least two games and taking the division. Even if the Niners don’t go to the playoffs though if they get a 9-7 record it will be their first winning season in seven years and to accomplish that in a year with so many personnel and schematic changes it would defiantly be something for this young team to hang its hat on.