The San Francisco 49ers - Marching For Greatness

[DJ Penguin]

(Whoa whoa this a family forum
But ITS FOOTBALL SEASON BABY!!)

All-Pro
G2thecore's Sliders w/ tweaks
11 Minutes
15 second run-off
Injures On
Playing All Games except Preseason

[DJ Penguin]

The 2008 Disappointment But The 2009 Preview

In 2008, like 2006 the 49ers were expected to finally do something and make a name for themselves, well, Mike Martz and J.T. O'Sullivan did nothing to help that. Alex Smith went down with shoulder surgery, and O'Sullivan lost his job after going 1-7 to start the season. With that being said, it came down to, actually out with the new and in with the old. Old being old school Mike Singletary taking over and becoming the 49ers new Head Coach. Singletary led the 49ers to a 5-3 finish and giving the job to Shaun Hill who improved to 7-3 all-time as a starter.

In what seemed to be an average off-season, with the signing of WR Brandon Jones, T Marvel Smith and CB Dre Bly to replace the injured Walt Harris, the 49ers were content with just re-signing their own players like Allen Rossum as a KR and LB Takeo Spikes. The 49ers now have had their 7th offensive coordinator in many years, which hasn't been easy for their offense especially for Alex Smith, although no one is making excuses for him.

The 49ers landed their dream scenario in the 2009 NFL Draft, falling to them at the 10th overall pick was none other then Texas Tech WR Michael Crabtree.

Crabtree wasn't the only thing the 49ers grabbed, when in the 3rd round they drafted a solid back up to relieve Gore in Glenn Coffee. They also nabbed some decent future talent in the Ball State project QB Nate Davis, who has tremendous upside and may one day be a starter. They also drafted hopeful future starting LB next to Patrick Willis in Scott McKillop from Pittsburgh. Aswell as S Curtis Taylor, DL Ricky Jean-Francois, and TE Bear Pascoe.

With training camp ending soon Michael Crabtree still has yet to sign. Mike Singletary isn't worried about him, and says "When he comes then we will worry about Michael." Crabtree is said to be looking for the range of Darrius Hayward-Bey money even though Bey was the 7th overall pick. Leave it to the Raiders to mess everything up. Crabtree was thought to holdout the entire season, but that most likely won't come down to it.

[DJ Penguin]

Training Camp Begins...or
Camp Mike

When the 49ers had their last offseason practice June 16, coach Mike Singletary told the players they had better report to training camp at the end of July in superb shape.
As with most things Singletary says, the players took him at his word and got their workouts cranked up in the six weeks before the summer fun started. Here's what some of the 49ers did to gird themselves for Camp Mike:


S Curtis Taylor
Taylor, a rookie, ran up and along levees in his native Louisiana, in all that heat and humidity.
"It was like 100 degrees," Taylor said. "I wanted to come back in shape because it's going to be a long training camp."

LB Patrick Willis
The team's star linebacker spent three weeks in Las Vegas doing mixed-martial-arts training at the gym owned by MMA's Randy Couture. Willis boxed, dabbled in jujitsu and sparred with trainers and fighters.
"It was tough fun," Willis said. "It was rough. I'm glad I put in the time to get prepared for training camp."


RB Frank Gore
Gore went back to the University of Miami and trained with his former strength and conditioning coach, emphasizing both speed and endurance work. He also ran in the sand to build up strength in his legs.
As a result, teammates are raving at Gore's condition and say they've never seen him look better.


T Adam Snyder
There's nothing a 325-pound offensive lineman can do to prepare for all the hitting that's done in a football training camp but right tackle Adam Snyder did his best to condition his body to go the distance.
"It's hard to get in football shape and get ready for camp," Snyder said. "I tried to do as much running as I could to get my breathing right."
Snyder said he did 60-yard striders as well as treadmill work in addition to weight lifting at the team facility to maintain the strength he had built in the offseason. It's working. Snyder has not missed a practice through 16 sessions.


LB Takeo Spikes
From his home in Atlanta, linebacker Takeo Spikes had several workout partners, including teammate Parys Haralson, as well as players on other NFL teams. They all kept each other honest.
"On days when you didn't feel like going, you had a guy say, 'Come on, you can't let me do this alone,' " Spikes said. "So you had that motivation."
Like Willis, Spikes did some boxing workouts and open-hand striking "to simulate football."
The end result? Spikes said he's in the best shape of his 12-year career.
A week into Camp Mike, it's apparent the players took their coach seriously and reported to camp in shape and able to handle such disparate activities as the heavy-hitting "nutcracker" drill and the heavy-breathing gassers up and back across the field.
"I'm ready for it," Spikes said.


The training-camp diet

During training camp, the 49ers stay at the nearby Santa Clara Marriott, where they eat breakfast and lunch. Dinner is at the team's facility and is always catered.
Meals at the Marriott are organized according to the needs of athletes putting in hard, sweaty work twice a day. Here's a look at a typical menu:
Start with breakfast

ANTI-INFLAMMATION TABLE

Bananas, apples, sliced cantaloupe and watermelon, nuts, dried fruits, natural peanut butter (no trans-fats).
ENERGY TABLE

Whole wheat bread, oat bran, assorted cold cereals, assorted yogurts and waffles and pancakes with fresh-sliced strawberries and blueberries, syrup and whipped cream.
MUSCLE-RECOVERY TABLE

Turkey sausage and bacon, scrambled eggs, egg whites, and omelets with whole eggs, egg whites and Egg Beaters.
Move to lunch

ANTI-INFLAMMATION TABLE

Fresh fruit, nuts, dried fruit and a salad bar with 18 ingredients.
ENERGY TABLE

Whole wheat bread, oat bran, raisin bread, sourdough rolls, regular peanut butter, brown and white rice, collard greens, corn bread and red beans.
MUSCLE-RECOVERY TABLE

Grilled chicken; fried catfish; carved brisket; deli meats (no pressed meats); cheddar, Swiss and pepper-jack cheeses; condiments; cottage cheese; curd cheese; and pecan pie.
What's for dinner?

Minestrone soup, mixed greens, Asian chicken salad, herb-roasted free-range chicken, grilled fresh tilapia, grilled New York sirloin steaks, penne pasta and meatballs in marinara sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, seasonal vegetable medley, fresh fruit salad, assorted pies and assorted Häagen-Dazs ice cream bars.

[DJ Penguin]

The 49ers are going with their old school look for the 2009. Instead of the maroon the red jerseys from the Montana-Jerry Rice days are back. The 49ers wanted to bring back their history to show they still got it. I personally love seeing it.

[DJ Penguin]

2009-2010 Roster

QB:
Shaun Hill
Alex Smith
Nate Davis

RB:
Frank Gore
Glen Coffee
Michael Robinson

FB:
Moran Norris

WR:
Isaac Bruce
Josh Morgan
Michael Crabtree
Brandon Jones
Arnaz Battle
Jason Hill

TE:
Vernon Davis
Delanie Walker
Bear Pascoe

LT:
Joe Staley
Barry Sims

LG:
David Baas
Jacob Bender

C:
Eric Heitman
Cody Wallace

RG:
Chilo Rachal
Tony Wragge

RT:
Marvel Smith
Adam Snyder

LE:
Isaac Sopoaga
Kentwan Balmer
Ricky Jean-Francois

RE:
Justin Smith
Ray McDonald
Demetric Evans

DT:
Aubrayo Franklin
Khalif Mitchell

LOLB:
Manny Lawson
Marques Harris

MLB:
Patrick Willis
Takeo Spikes
Jeff Ulbrich
Scott McKillop

ROLB:
Parys Haralson
Jay Moore

CB:
Nate Clements
Dre Bly
Tarell Brown
Shawntae Spencer
Marcus Hudson
Allen Rossum

FS:
Dashan Goldon
Mark Roman
Curtis Taylor

SS:
Michael Lewis
Reggie Smith

K:
Joe Nedney

P:
Andy Lee

[DJ Penguin]

Week 1: @ Arizona Cardinals - Sunday September 13, 4:15pm FOX
Week 2: vs. Seattle Seahawks - Sunday September 20, 4:05pm FOX
Week 3: @ Minnesota Vikings - Sunday September 27, 1:00pm FOX
Week 4: vs. St. Louis Rams - Sunday October 4, 4:15pm FOX
Week 5:vs. Atlanta Falcons - Sunday October 11, 4:05pm FOX
Week 6: BYE
Week 7: @ Houston Texans - Sunday October 25 1:00pm FOX
Week 8: @ Indianapolis Colts - Sunday November 1, 1:00pm FOX
Week 9: vs. Tennessee Titans - Sunday November 8, 4:15pm CBS
Week 10: vs. Chicago Bears - Thursday November 12, 8:20pm NFLN
Week 11: @ Green Bay Packers - Sunday November 22, 1:00pm FOX
Week 12: vs. Jacksonville Jaguars - Sunday November 29, 4:05pm CBS
Week 13: @ Seattle Seahawks - Sunday December 6, 4:15pm FOX
Week 14: vs. Arizona Cardinals - Monday December 14, 8:30pm ESPN
Week 15: @ Philadelphia Eagles - Sunday December 20, 1:00pm FOX
Week 16: vs. Detroit Lions - Sunday December 27, 4:05pm FOX
Week 17: @ St. Louis Rams - Sunday January 3, 1:00pm FOX

[DJ Penguin]

2009 Position Battles

The quarterback is clearly the biggest issue for the 49ers. Shaun Hill vs Alex Smith. Hill a 7-3 starter, has been the 49ers ending QB the last 2 years. He is not known for being so great in practice but he manages the game well and the players respond to him. He doesn't have the arm strength that Smith has, but with Smith coming off shoulder surgery, does Smith either? Alex Smith the number 1 overall pick in 2004, many busts have come at his position at that pick and in general. The 49ers are giving all opportunities to Smith to win the job. In everyone's mind they want him to be the starting QB, they want him to win, because after all he SHOULD, he has the talent, he is mobile in the pocket, he just doesn't perform well. This is probably his last year to prove anything if he shows he makes strides like he has in training camp, the 49ers may keep him, but the question marks can't continue past this year. It's make or break time for Smith. Jimmy Raye really likes Nate Davis and is expected to work with him over the years, as he sees him as a nice project with tremendous upside. Davis led Ball State to a 12-1 season last year, BUT if Davis is possibly the QB of the far off future, what if the 49ers tumble hard this year and decide to draft a QB in next year's draft? Where does that leave Nate Davis?

Another interesting fight is S Reggie Smith battling for a starting role. The CB converted safety current backs up Dashan Goldson and Michael Lewis. Lewis at this stage of his career is like a 4th or 5th LB. He isn't all that great in coverage, but is the best option at this point. If Smith shows improvement and prowess and the secondary struggles he can possible see himself replacing either Lewis or Goldson.

Dre Bly came into this team replacing the injured Walt Harris who's career may be over after his knee injury. Bly wasn't giving the job as he is battling Tarrell Brown and Shawntae Spencer for the No.2 cornerback role. Bly should win which will leave Brown and Spencer vying for the nickelback while the other settles for dime packages.

The Wide Receiver position is very interesting. Bruce picked up his option to stay with the team as he was the teams leading WR last year. Josh Morgan who has had great practices and showed signs of break outs last season in his rookie season, is expected to be the top flight target of the team this year. If and when Crabtree signs and learns the playbook it is expected for Morgan and Crabtree to be top targets for whomever the QB for years. But after that it's a toss up, with Brandon Jones out of the picture for practically the first half of the season, that leaves Jason Hill and Arnaz Battle. If Crabtree holds out into the beginning of the season they will both play, if not then Battle who has been with the team but who has been battling injures all last year, Hill has been on or off making some nice catches and practices really well.

[Joshua1207]

Should be interesting. You should draft a QB next year