Niner News Thread

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Chree

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Dec 7, 2005
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#1
I think that in order to avoid cluttering of threads, there should just be 1 thread on the latest news :)

So heres the 1st bit....

The niners have Signed All 9 draft picks, and Gave Vernon Davis the most money for a TE in the NFL.


WR Derrick Hamilton hurt his hamstring in training Camp today.
 

Chree

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#3
Everyone wants to know about our 2 first round picks so that’s where I am going to begin:

- Vernon Davis was one of the first players out there on the practice field. He was catching passes with, surprisingly NOT Alex Smith, but Issac Sopoaga. And if it’s anyone’s guess, Issac Sopoaga looks really good throwing the football. He also looks a lot bigger and meaner than before. It seems that the 49ers’ new strength trainer has paid off. Either that, or Issac Sopoaga and Larry Allen have been hanging out together quite a bit.

- Vernon Davis’ first pass catch attempt was somewhat of a dud. Alex Smith fired a beautiful, high velocity pass to him on a little crossing route, but VD dropped the pass.

- It was his only drop of the afternoon, as he caught everything else. The thing that really stands about VD is that when he catches the ball, he is all hands. Many TEs have the tendency to use their body to catch since their frame is so huge. VD is a hands catcher and once he gets used to the routes and such, that’ll only help him.

- VD also served for the highlight play of the day. He caught a pass near the middle of the field, proceeded to run and make a cut and then his pants fell down. So he caught the ball with his pants down…literally.

- And as long as he can keep his pants on, VD is looks tremendous in his cuts. He’s very quick and runs low. It’s fun to watch him in the open field, albeit, there was little contact out there today so I’m only going by what I saw.


- Manny Lawson, the 2nd of our first round picks, also looked pretty solid out there. We brought him in to help the pass rush, and he seemed to have a nice burst out there. On one play, he came flying in and beat Jonas Jennings. That was encouraging to see.

- In one on one drills with the offensive linemen, Manny Lawson made Kwame Harris his bitch. I have to be that up front about it. Before Kwame Harris could even get settled on the block, Lawson just zipped past him. An amazing show of speed and athleticism, which is what we he was billed up for.

- That Manny Lawson disruption I mentioned earlier could/should have been a sack. Luckily Antonio Bryant managed to get down the field and Alex Smith threw him a bomb. Antonio Bryant then leapt in the air, over Shawntae Spencer, and caught the pass.

- That was the first time in practice that happened. The second time, Antonio Bryant did it again on 11-11 drills. In fact, Antonio Bryant was probably the most impressive player out there today. He dropped a few easy catches here and there, but when the deep balls came, Antonio Bryant wasn’t shy about fighting a defensive back and leaping over them to catch the ball. That big, physical presence at WR has been missed for so long, and it seems that Antonio Bryant finally gives us a legitimate, go to target at the position.

- Unfortunately, if Antonio Bryant gets injured, I worry about our WR corps. The other standouts of today at the position were Bryan Gilmore and Marcus Maxwell. Neither of them is proven, but Maxwell looked big and physical and should make the team. Gilmore looked very quick and had a beautiful stride. He looks like a nice #3 option. After them it’s pretty much unimpressive or too raw to call for positions.

- Derrick Hamilton practiced for about 10 minutes. Then, on a go route, he pulled up and grabbed his hamstring. He was done. And I think his career as a 49er is on a short leash. Before that, Hamilton looked very sluggish. He wasn’t quick out of his break or cuts at all. He just kind of lugged around. Poor showing and then the injury was the icing on the cake.

- Brandon Williams looked great returning punts. First of all, he actually caught the punts in the air in a consistent manner. Then he proved to have the speed and cutting ability needed to make yards after the punt.

- But as a WR, Williams still has work to do. His quickness is his best asset, but he needs to work on his route running and he seemed to be a bit tired out there. It’s the first day for a rookie, so I’m not harping on his case too much. However, he will need to improve as an all around WR and show some of that vision that he possesses while returning kicks when he’s making catches.

- Larry Allen just looks like a monster out there. Just his presence, as in when he’s sitting there on the field, is enough to make people cry and run away. Unfortunately, we didn’t see the Clash of the Titans as Sopoaga and Allen never went at it one on one….yet. When they do, I expect the bleachers and Earth to tremble.

- Mike Rumph was beaten by Bryan Gilmore on one occassion down the sidelines. The scary part was that Rumph looked so reactionless to the play. He was practicing as the #2 CB today, but Rumph needs to work on his instincts.

- Many of the vetran players did not practice in today’s afternoon session. This included Bryant Young, Tony Parrish, Jeremy Newberry, Trent Dilfer and Arnaz Battle (knee injury).

- Parys Haralson, like Manny Lawson, looked very quick. He seems to have a nose for the QB, and was getting in on plays. He also looks to be built very well, as he’s stocky and almost looks like an RB.

- Today was a very basic practice it seemed. There wasn’t too many over the top, eye popping plays. This is good in some ways as the team seemed to focus on the fundamentals to build the team. Norv Turner was there in full force correcting players. The 2 TE formation was used, but many times it was VD working with the #1 team and then Eric Johnson working with the #2 team.

- Shaun Hill, the QB brought in to compete with everyone else, looked terrible. He looked awkward dropping back to throw and then he had some Jeff Garcia like moments where he was just throwing the ball into the ground. He’ll be cut soon, I expect/hope.

- The most amazing battle in training camp went to a draw — Andy Lee vs Tom Rouen. Rouen had the best punt of the day, but also had some shanked/mediocre punts. Lee looked like Lee, and if Nolan is looking for consistency, then Rouen didn’t do anything today to change anyone’s mind.

- Kevan Barlow looked about the same as he’s looked the past 3 years. If that’s any indication, then his training camp results will look good as he made several nice cuts and looked to go by defenders. However, without any real contact to judge him, it’s hard to judge how many of those cuts were dance moves and when he needs to hit the hole. None the less, Barlow is good to have out there. But based on today’s results, he will split carries with Gore. Gore looked really good out there. His running style makes him lethal as he runs low to the ground and squeezes underneath pile ups.
 

Chree

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#4
Only one full day into training camp, the San Francisco 49ers have moved to strengthen their secondary, with ESPN.com learning that the team has reached a contract agreement with veteran safety Mark Roman, who was released Thursday by the Green Bay Packers.

Contract details were not yet available, but the acquisition of Roman provides the 49ers a starting-caliber defender and enhanced depth. The 49ers also signed veteran free agent defensive lineman Jerry DeLoach, released by the Houston Texans earlier this spring.

Roman, 29, was jettisoned by the Packers despite having started 31 of a possible 32 games over the last two seasons. The six-year veteran was irked when Green Bay added former Seattle safety Marquand Manuel as an unrestricted free agent early in the signing period, and suggested then it might be time to move on.

When the Packers finally decided to cut Roman loose, it didn't take long for him to find a new home. He was contacted by several teams but felt the 49ers' situation provided him the best opportunity.

The former LSU standout, who entered the league with the Cincinnati Bengals as a second-round choice in the 2000 draft, is a solid interior secondary defender. Roman is not a big-play performer, as evidenced by just four career interceptions, but he is fundamentally sound and is a good addition for the 49ers, whose depth at safety is thin.

San Francisco already has an excellent strong safety in Tony Parrish, but the seven-year veteran is still recovering from a broken left leg in 2005 that ended his streak of 121 straight appearances, and Roman gives the team an experienced insurance policy. Since he also has started at free safety in the past, there is a chance Roman could challenge Mike Adams for the starting job there.

Roman registered 90 tackles and two interceptions for Green Bay in 2005, but the new coaching staff did not feel he fit in with its plans. For his career, Roman, who signed with the Packers as a free agent in 2004 after spending his first four league seasons with the Bengals, has 332 tackles, six sacks, 24 passes defensed and three fumble recoveries, while appearing in 82 games.

DeLoach, 29, is a five-year veteran who has played with Washington (2001) and Houston (2002-2005), and has 131 tackles and three sacks in 73 games. He has played all three defensive line spots in a 3-4 scheme, and that versatility is what interested the 49ers.
 

Chree

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#6
IronLungs420 said:
i cant wait till Vernon Davis gets a touchdown and for his celebration he starts shakin his dreads!
Hahaha too bad he cant take off his helmet and do it.....
 

Chree

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#7
Day 2 of training camp. This was the morning practice, open to the public:

- In general, today’s practice didn’t have much contact. The players were in shorts and seemed to working on fundamental things like technique and footwork. For example, the WRs were doing a lot of drills where they were working on catch the ball towards the sideline and making sure that their feet stay in bounds.

- This is important to note, because it distinguishes Norv Turner’s style from Mike McCarthy of last year. Last year, the 49ers seemed to be throwing plays around in a more unorganized manner. They would start with the option and what not. Norv Turner has them working on the basics and that’s a good thing.

- On that note, Arnaz Battle practiced today although when the 49ers revealed their 3 WR set, Battle was positioned in the slot with Bryan Gilmore as the #2 WR on the outside, opposite Antonio Bryant. Battle caught the ball well today and looked fairly good health wise. He did not show any effects of the knee, or make any indications that the knee was bothering him.

- Antonio Bryant has been criticized for dropping passes with his previous teams. Today, this problem manifested itself. On some routine fly routes, Bryant dropped two easy passes. They were just drills with the QB, but still, you’d hope that he can concentrate on those easier passes. Yesterday he showed that he’s one to fight for the tough grab. Then again, it is only the 2nd day of training camp.

- Bryan Gilmore looks really good out there. He’s quick and has a beautiful stride, as I mentioned yesterday. He’s a burner and was always putting some distance between himself and the defender. He looks like an option for the deep ball.

- Another guy that showed his speed today was Brandon Williams. On a one on one drill against Kris Richards, Williams flew past Richards and made a nice catch over the top.


- With that said about the WRs, many of the passes today went to the TEs. The 49ers revealed more of their 2 TE formation with EJ and Vernon Davis. The two were getting a lot of work, and the team seemed to be getting EJ involved as well.

- EJ didn’t stand out as much yesterday, but with more oppurtunities today, he showed that he is a still a solid, security blanket type TE. On one play during redzone drills, he was able to snatch the ball away from a defender who would have otherwise come down with the INT. He also looks a lot healthier and bulkier than last year.

- The play of the day game during the red zone drills and it involved our two first round draft picks. Vernon Davis, in a two TE set, stayed inside to block Manny Lawson. As Lawson came in from the edge, VD threw him down to the ground much like in some videos we’ve seen of Vernon Davis throwing away defenders as they try to tackle him. The two really seemed to battle it out, and VD won that one quite convincingly.

- However, on the next play, Parys Haralson went at it with VD, and as the play was a run to Michael Robinson, Haralson came in, made a beautiful inside move on VD, and would have taken down Robinson for a loss had it been a real game with contact. So VD still has to work on his blocking. Parys Haralson, on the other hand, looks really solid out there. He seems to have a gnack for finding the QB and adds a presence. I would like to see him, and all our other pass rushers, get to the QB a bit more though. Although it is hard to tell when a play will be a sack or not without contact.

- Staying with VD for a bit, today the coaches seemed to be working with him on route running. Not a lot of plays were designed to go his way. His rookie experience showed, as several times, he ran into double coverage or into a trap set up by the LB and safeties. However, this did allow other players to get one on one. Catching the ball, VD looked good though and I still love the way he runs low and makes quick cuts to get to the end zone.

- I didn’t focus much on Alex Smith in yesterday’s report because he didn’t do too much in one way or the other to really highlight him. Today, he did. However, it wasn’t for the positives. Alex Smith was off today. He overthrew several deep passes and his out routes and posts were off as well. Sometimes he’d overthrow the player entirely on the posts, or over the wrong shoulder, or into the ground and short. One on his endzone passes was picked off. It’s one practice, and while Alex does look noticeably quicker in getting the ball out of his hands, he still needs to work on reading coverage and making the right throws. On more than one occassion, I saw him forcing some passes.

- Trent Dilfer practiced and looked fairly solid. He did throw an INT himself, which was nicely tipped and landed right into the hands of Keith Lewis (who has been a bit of a ballhawk the last two days). The best thing about Dilfer is the commanding presence he displays on the field. He’s always watching what Smith does intently, and looks to be the vetran QB to mentor Alex.

- The offensive line was opening up some huge holes for the running backs today. Larry Allen and Jonas Jennings…that left side looks really strong. Frank Gore was hammering himelf into those holes as well, while Kevan Barlow was doing a bit more of catching the ball today.

- Michael Robinson was noticeable today as well. He looked really solid as a pass catcher out of the backfield, and he showed some quickness as a runner. He still needs to get down lower, but he the conversion is underway.

- During one on one drills, Sammy Davis looked really solid with his coverage. He was on top of the WRs and provided very little space for them to catch the ball.

- Corey Smith stood out a lot in today’s practice. He was getting in on several plays as a pass rusher from the edge. He and Haralson were probably the most consistent at adding heat on the quarterback.

- Funny moment of today’s events was when Anthony Adams grabbed a drink from a little kid in the stands who was walking towards the autograph area. It should also be noted that, on the field, Adams was being used as a DE and not just inside as a NT.

- Mike Rumph still looked sloppy today. Once, during one on one drills, he slipped while trying to cover Bryan Gilmore and he never recovered. He has work to do.

- Rasheed Marshall is a liability as a WR. His hands are shakey and he’s dropping passes like he did last year.
 

Chree

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#9
hes gonna be on some trick plays too :) i think hes the steal of the 06 draft, alotta ppl dont know what kinda player the niners got..........
 

Chree

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#12
^ lol exactly, 2 of the battles 2 watch in camp are

Kwame Harris Vs Adam Snyder - Predicted Winner = Adam Snyder
Barlow vs Gore - Possible Barlow Trade scenario may put gore as winner.......



ALSO


They signed Mark Roman Officially, and Cut S Ben Emanuel......
 

Chree

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#13
^ and Clinton Portis dont 4get that lol,

and Dont 4get Michael Robinson, he got converted to RB/WR, he could be a good back along with gore and hicks......
 

Chree

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#14
yeah, I think Robinson, if he has the chance, even tho hes still raw talent, could take the #2 spot @ RB, but imagine the trick plays the niners could run with him in the back field.....we could see some sick shit, i wonder if alex smith can catch well......
 

Chree

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#15
Lmao ^

Battle is cool too, but i just hope his knee is all good, i really think we have a top 5 O line if every1 can stay healthy, Jennings, Allen, Newberry,Snyder, Heitmann is a pretty good line.....

I really believe Nolan has his eyes on Porter, he didnt seem to interested in Lelie before, then all of a sudden he hears news on Porter, and says hes interested in a WR..... u see what im sayin?
 

Chree

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#16
lmao @ refering to it like a madden franchise, i actully like rumph tho, i think he has some good in him, Barlow and HArris needa be traded tho, did u ever hear b4 the draft ATL offered a 2nd rounder for harris and nolan turned it down?
 
Feb 7, 2006
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#18
- That Manny Lawson disruption I mentioned earlier could/should have been a sack. Luckily Antonio Bryant managed to get down the field and Alex Smith threw him a bomb. Antonio Bryant then leapt in the air, over Shawntae Spencer, and caught the pass.


- Derrick Hamilton practiced for about 10 minutes. Then, on a go route, he pulled up and grabbed his hamstring. He was done. And I think his career as a 49er is on a short leash. Before that, Hamilton looked very sluggish. He wasn’t quick out of his break or cuts at all. He just kind of lugged around. Poor showing and then the injury was the icing on the cake.



^yeah those 2 things happened right in front of me. i think nolan should have given rashaun woods another chance. he seemed the most polished. scored some bears tickets for friday too
yeeeeee
 

Tony

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May 15, 2002
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#20
Looks like Alex Smith is still boo-boo huh.....
And Nolan's dumb as needs to move Rumph back to safety. The man can't cover. It was Nolan's dumb as who had Ray Lewis playing in a 3-4 defense.
Vernon Davis looks good from what I've read.