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The 49ers have lost 24-year old rookie free safety Curtis Taylor for the season with a hip injury. Taylor had 4 tackles in his rookie season for the Niners. He was a 7th round pick out of LSU so not a lot was expected of him but he made the team so it was a good pick.
The San Francisco 49ers will be without rookie running back Glen Coffee for this week’s game with the Bears. He has played in all 8 games for the 49ers this season and he has carried the ball 75 times for 198 yards (2.6 ypc) with 1 TD run. He has also caught 10 passes for 69 yards (6.9 avg). Michael Robinson will replace Coffee as the #2 RB this week for the Niners. He has played in 8 games this season for the Niners and he has carried the ball 1 time for -1 yard. He has also caught 4 passes for 16 yards (4.0 avg) this season. The Niners might be looking for someone else to return kicks this week with Robinson needed more than usual on offense. Robinson has returned 17 kickoffs for 402 yards (23.6 avg) so far this season for the Niners.
The San Francisco 49ers have lost 30-year old DE Demetric Evans for the next three weeks due to a sprained shoulder. Evans has played in 7 games this season and he has made 4 tackles. The 49ers shouldn’t miss him too much while he is out of action.
The San Francisco 49ers will be without starting left tackle for the next six weeks due to a sprained PCL and MCL in his right knee. Staley has started all 7 games for the Niners this season so Alex Smith better have eyes in the back of his head when he drops back to throw the ball. Barry Sims will replace Staley in the starting lineup. He has played in all 7 games for the Niners this season but he hasn’t started any games.
The San Francisco 49ers will be without 29-year old cornerback Nate Clements for quite a while and maybe the rest of the year due to a fractured shoulder blade. Clements had just lost his starting job recently but he was going to still be counted on as the nickel back. He has played in 7 games this season for the Niners and he has 35 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, he has defensed 7 passes and he has 1 interception. Clements has also returned 4 punts for 38 yards (9.5 avg) this season. This injury will hurt the Niners as Clements was likely going to get his starting job back at some point in 2009.
The 49ers have lost veteran right tackle Tony Pashos for the season due to a fractured scapula. He played in 5 games (1 start) for the Niners this season who had just inserted him into the starting lineup. He replaced Adam Snyder who will again be the starting right tackle for the Niners and that is not a good thing.
The 49ers have signed 28-year old linebacker Matt Wilhelm. Wilhelm played in all 16 games for the Chargers last season and he made 51 tackles, defensed 3 passes and he had 1 interception. He has now played in 71 games in his six year NFL career and he has made 220 tackles, has defensed 12 passes, has 2 sacks, 1 forced fumble and he has 6 interceptions. Wilhelm will replace linebacker Jeff Ulbrich on the roster who has been placed on the Injured Reserve List ending his season with 1 whole tackle.
The San Francisco 49ers will be without star running back Frank Gore for a couple of weeks due to a high ankle sprain. He has played in all three games for the Niners this season and he has carried the ball 39 times for 241 yards (6.2 ypc) with 3 TD runs. He has also caught 8 passes for 57 yards (7.1 avg) with 1 TD grab this year. Rookie Glen Coffee will replace Gore in the starting lineup and he has not looked too good yet. He has carried the ball 35 times for 64 yards (1.8 ypc) and he has caught 2 passes for 16 yards (8.0 avg). The Niners are also considering adding Kory Sheets from the practice squad. He was outstanding for the Niners in the pre-season and I’m sure they remember that. Still, this is a huge blow to the Niners’ offense and running game as Gore is the best player on the offense.
UPDATE: Gore will be out the next three weeks.
The 49ers will be without outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks for the next 2-3 weeks due to knee surgery. Brooks had 5 tackles in the pre-season. He did not get into a game last season for the Niners. He has played in 13 games (7 starts) in his NFL career and he has made 37 tackles, has 2 sacks and he has defensed 2 passes. The Niners won’t miss Brooks much while he is out of action.
The 49ers have released 27-year old fullback Zak Keasey with a injury settlement as he has a broken forearm that would have caused him to miss at least 8 weeks. Keasey played in 6 games last season for the Niners and he caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg). He played in 19 games in his two years with the Niners in which he carried the ball 2 times for 4 yards (2.0 ypc) and caught 3 passes for 25 yards (8.3 avg). The Niners shouldn’t miss Keasey too much in the future.