San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers won’t use a fullback as much in 2008

admin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:26:38 +0000

With Mike Martz calling the plays for the Niners this season look for them to use extra WRs instead of a classic fullback often. That’s bad news for Moran Norris who is a good lead blocker in the running game but that’s about the extent of his skills. He played in 16 games (5 starts) for the 49ers last season and he carried the ball 7 times for 17 yards (2.4 ypc). He also caught 6 passes for 38 yards (6.3 avg). Look for the 49ers to use Norris on more special teams units as they will try to keep him busy this season. Norris has now played in 92 games (30 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 10 times for 25 yards (2.5 ypc). He has also caught 23 passes for 131 yards (5.7 avg) with 3 TD grabs in his career.

Converted linebacker Zak Keasey will be the backup at fullback this season. He has the size for the job at 6′0″, 245 pounds but he will have a lot to learn before he’s ready for the field on Sundays. Keasey played in 13 games (0 starts) for the 49ers last season and he made 7 tackles. He has only played in one other game in his career and he didn’t do anything in it.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: C

The San Francisco 49ers claim QB Kyle Wright off waivers from the Vikings

admin — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 02:51:33 +0000

The San Francisco 49ers have claimed undrafted rookie Kyle Wright off waivers from the Minnesota Vikings. Wright is a big guy at 6′4″, 220 pounds but he’s not the toughest guy around as he gets gun shy after taking hits. He was very hyped coming out of high school but he never lived up to it at Miami (Fla). Wright played in 33 games (29 starts) at Miami (Fla) and he completed 478 of 807 passes (59.2%) for 5,835 yards with 38 TD passes and 31 interceptions. Wright has a strong arm but he has a lot to learn about playing QB. It will be interesting to see how well Wright adusts to the 49ers playbook.

The San Franciso 49ers are set at RB heading into the 2008 season

admin — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:51:18 +0000

The 49ers are set at running back and new offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz thinks that Frank Gore can have a few seasons like Marshall Faulk did for him in St. Louis. Gore isn’t the receiver that Faulk was but he has more power between the tackles. Gore played in 15 games (all starts) for the 49ers last season and he carried the ball 260 times for 1,102 yards (4.2 ypc) with 5 TD runs. He also caught 53 passes for 436 yards (8.2 avg) with 1 TD grab last season. The biggest issue with Gore is just keeping him healthy as he has had a lot of surgeries in the past. Hopefully, free agent signee DeShaun Foster will be able to give Gore a break once in a while. Gore has now played in 45 games (32 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 699 times for 3,405 yards (4.9 ypc) with 16 TD runs. He also has caught 129 passes for 1,052 yards (8.2 avg) with 2 TD grabs in his career.

DeShaun Foster will give the 49ers a solid backup running back who should help keep Frank Gore fresh. Foster has a lot of things in common with Gore as they both have had problems with injuries in the past and they are both power runners. Foster is also pretty fast which should help benefit the whole offense when he is on the floor. Foster played in 16 games (all starts) for the Panthers last season and he carried the ball 247 times for 876 yards (3.5 ypc) with 3 TD runs. Don’t look for Foster to put up big numbers unless Frank Gore gets hurt in 2008. Foster has now played in 63 games (40 starts) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 851 times for 3,336 yards (3.9 ypc) with 10 TD runs. He also has caught 126 passes for 996 yards (7.9 avg) with 4 TD grabs in his NFL career.

Michael Robinson has turned into a decent running back who specializes in trick plays as he played QB at Penn State. Robinson has enough speed to get to the corner on sweeps but he needs to work on his hands a little bit in the passing game. Robinson played in 15 games (1 start) for the 49ers last season and he carried the ball 26 times for 121 yards (4.7 ypc) and he also caught 11 passes for 73 yards (6.6 avg) but he didn’t score a TD. Look for Robinson to get a little more playing time than he has in his first two seasons. Robinson has now played in 31 games (1 start) in his NFL career and he has carried the ball 64 times for 237 yards (3.7 ypc) with 2 TD runs. He also has caught 20 passes for 120 yards (6.0 avg) without a TD reception in his NFL career.

Thomas Clayton was a rookie in 2007 but he never made it to the field for the 49ers. He will be a longshot this season to help out the 49ers much.

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: A-

The San Francisco 49ers sign OT Barry Sims

admin — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:19:58 +0000

The 49ers have signed 33-year old offensive tackle Barry Sims to a 2-year contract. The 6′5″, 300 pound Sims will likely be a starter for the Niners in 2008. He played in 16 games for the Raiders last season (all starts). Sims has now played 9 seasons in the NFL covering 136 games (119 starts) in his NFL career. This was a good move for the 49ers.

Will this be the year Alex Smith steps up for the San Francisco 49ers?

admin — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 19:33:19 +0000

It will be interesting to see if Alex Smith can excel in new offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz’ fast break offense. The 49ers surely hope so or Smith might find himself on the bench after Shaun Hill’s emergence late last season. Smith has a good arm and he’s mobile in the pocket but he often throws the football to the other team and that won’t be tolerated anymore. Smith played in 7 games (all starts) last season for the 49ers and he completed 94 of 193 passes (48.7%) for 914 yards with 2 TD passes and 4 interceptions (57.2 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 13 times for 89 yards (6.8 ypc). If Smith doesn’t improve his game soon he might get banished to the bench for good. Smith has now played in 32 games (30 starts) in his NFL career and he has completed 435 of 800 passes (54.4%) for 4,679 yards with 19 TD passes and 31 interceptions (63.5 QB Rating). He has also carried the ball 87 times for 339 yards (3.9 ypc) with 2 TD runs.

Shaun Hill will battle Alex Smith for the starting job on the 49ers and he might win it based on how well he played last season. Hill might not be the most athletic QB but he knows where to go with the football and he could excel in the Niners’ new offense. Hill played in 3 games (2 starts) last season for the 49ers and he completed 54 of 79 passes (68.4%) for 501 yards with 5 TD passes and 1 interception (101.3 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 12 times for 14 yards (1.2 ypc) with 1 TD run. Hill only played in 1 game in his NFL career before last season and he didn’t attempt a pass. He ran the ball 2 times for -2 yards (-1.0 ypc) in his only game before last year.

J.T. O’Sullivan came west to the 49ers with offensive co-ordinator Mike Martz from Detroit where he was the backup QB last season. O’Sullivan is clearly the third best QB on the 49ers’ roster but he will at least have the edge of knowing the playbook. He played in 4 games (0 starts) for the Lions last season and he completed 13 of 26 passes (50%) for 148 yards with 1 TD pass and 2 interceptions (48.2 QB Rating). He also carried the ball 4 times for -10 yards (-2.5 ypc). O’Sullivan only had played in 1 game (0 starts) in his career before last season and he did not attempt a pass while carrying the ball 2 times for -2 yards (-1.0 ypc).

PROJECTED GRADE FOR THE 2008 SEASON: D

7. (214) Larry Grant, OLB

admin — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:37:49 +0000

Larry Grant benefitted from playing with a lot of great players at Ohio State. But he didn’t take advantage of all of the help as he didn’t make a lot of big plays. Grant is 6′1″, 235 pounds so he should be able to handle the heat around the corner. He played in 25 games (14 starts) for the Buckeyes and he made 69 tackles, had 5.5 sacks, 10 tackles for a loss and he has 2 interceptions. Grant will likely have to make the team playing on special teams.

6. (174) Josh Morgan, WR

admin — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:34:59 +0000

Josh Morgan is a great athlete and the Niners need help at receiver so they might be able to overlook how selfish he is. Morgan is 6′0″, 218 pounds but he runs a 4.49 40. Morgan played in 51 games (24 starts) at Virginia Tech and he caught 122 passes for 1,817 yards (14.9 avg) with 16 TD grabs. If Morgan can just get a team first attitude he will be able to help out the Niners big time in Mike Martz’ new offense.

4. (107) Cody Wallace, C

admin — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:28:23 +0000

Cody Wallace is rare in that he can only really play center. He is big enough at 6′4″, 290 pounds to do a solid job inside for the Niners. He is strong and smart but he’s limited athletically as he doesn’t have much speed. Wallace played in 42 games (37 starts) at Texas A & M. Wallace will be a backup as a rookie but if he gets coached up he could start at some point in the future for the Niners.

3. (75) Reggie Smith, CB

admin — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:24:54 +0000

Reggie Smith is one of the best corners that came out this season in the NFL Draft so the Niners were happy to see him slide to the 3rd round. Smith is 6′0″, 200 pounds but he’s a tad slow running a 4.55 40. If he doesn’t get faster his future might lie at strong safety as he is a good run defender. He’s very physical and loves to hit. Smith played in 39 games (36 starts) at Oklahoma and he had 166 tackles, broke up 25 passes, had 8 interceptions and he recovered 3 fumbles. Smith will likely be a nickel back and special teams player this season but he looks like he might be a starter down the road for the 49ers.

2. (39) Chilo Rachal, OG/T

admin — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:40:06 +0000

The 49ers might have reached a little bit here but that’s only because Rachal probably could have used another year in college. His mother has been sick and needed money for an operation and that’s what likely motivated Rachal to come out early. Rachal will begin his career in the NFL likely as the backup at left guard but he has the potential to start at either guard or tackle for a long time. He’s a very good technician in the passing game and he also finishes his blocks in the running game often planting defenders in the ground. Rachal was a first team All-American last season at USC. He stands 6′5″, 315 pounds so Frank Gore will likely enjoy running behind him often in the future. Rachal played in 35 games (22 starts) at USC. This was a good pick for the Niners as Rachal would have been a first round pick if he stayed in school one more season.