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Roger Craig semifinalist for first time for NFL Hall of Fame
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/26/SP3H14C2JU.DTL
Roger Craig is another step closer to enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 10 years after he first became eligible for induction.
The former 49ers running back was among the 25 players and contributors to make the semifinalist cut for the class of 2009, the first time he has made it that far in the selection process.
Another prominent former 49er, pass rusher Charles Haley, also made the semifinalist cut, for the third time in the last four years. Haley is the only player with five Super Bowl rings, winning two with the 49ers in the 1980s and three with the Cowboys in the '90s.
Once again, Raiders punter Ray Guy is among the semifinalists and is widely expected to make it through one more voting reduction, in December, that will take the list to 15 modern-era candidates and two senior nominees, Bob Hayes and Claude Humphrey.
Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler and cornerback Lester Hayes also made the modern-era list.
Eddie DeBartolo, the former 49ers owner who led the franchise during its most successful period, was on the preliminary list of 133 nominees but did not make the cut to 25. Former 49ers tight end Brent Jones also made the initial nominees list but failed to make the semifinalist list. Former Raider greats Jim Plunkett and Lincoln Kennedy also were left out.
Former 49ers and Raiders defensive back Rod Woodson is among the four first-time eligibles, along with NFL career sacks leader Bruce Smith, tight end Shannon Sharpe and defensive end John Randle.
The semifinalist list also includes three notable non-players: Bills owner Ralph Wilson, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and former Browns and Ravens owner Art Modell.
The final vote for the class of 2009 takes place on Jan. 31 in Tampa, Fla., the day before Super Bowl XLIII. A minimum of five and no more than seven players and contributors will be chosen by the 44 selectors.
Pro Football Hall Of Fame nominees
These 25 people made the latest cut for the Hall. They face two more cuts. Those who played for Bay Area teams are in bold face:
Cris Carter, WR - 1987-89 Eagles, 1990-2001 Vikings, 2002 Dolphins
Roger Craig, RB - 1983-90 49ers, 1991 Raiders, 1992-93 Vikings
Terrell Davis, RB - 1995-2001 Broncos
Dermontti Dawson, C - 1988-2000 Steelers
Richard Dent, DE - 1983-93, 1995 Bears, 1994 49ers, 1996 Colts, 1997 Eagles
Chris Doleman, DE/LB - 1985-93, 1999 Vikings, 1994-95 Falcons, 1996-98 49ers
Kevin Greene, LB/DE - 1985-92 Rams, 1993-95 Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Panthers, 1997 49ers
Russ Grimm, G - 1981-91 Redskins
Ray Guy, P - 1973-86 Raiders
Charles Haley, DE/LB - 1986-91, 1999 49ers, 1992-96 Cowboys
Lester Hayes, CB - 1977-86 Raiders
Cortez Kennedy, DT - 1990-2000 Seahawks
Bob Kuechenberg, G - 1970-84 Dolphins
Randall McDaniel, G - 1988-99 Vikings, 2000-01 Buccaneers
Art Modell, owner - 1961-95 Browns, 1996-2003 Ravens
John Randle, DT - 1990-2000 Vikings, 2001-03 Seahawks
Andre Reed, WR - 1985-99 Bills, 2000 Redskins
Shannon Sharpe, TE - 1990-99, 2002-03 Broncos, 2000-01 Ravens
Bruce Smith, DE - 1985-99 Bills, 2000-03 Redskins
Ken Stabler, QB - 1970-79 Raiders, 1980-81 Oilers, 1982-84 Saints
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner - 1989-2006 NFL
Steve Tasker, special teams/WR - 1985-86 Oilers, 1986-97 Bills
Derrick Thomas, LB - 1989-99 Chiefs
Ralph Wilson, owner - 1960-current Bills
Rod Woodson, CB/S - 1987-96 Steelers, 1997 49ers, 1998-2001 Ravens, 2002-03 Raiders
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/11/26/SP3H14C2JU.DTL
Roger Craig is another step closer to enshrinement into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, 10 years after he first became eligible for induction.
The former 49ers running back was among the 25 players and contributors to make the semifinalist cut for the class of 2009, the first time he has made it that far in the selection process.
Another prominent former 49er, pass rusher Charles Haley, also made the semifinalist cut, for the third time in the last four years. Haley is the only player with five Super Bowl rings, winning two with the 49ers in the 1980s and three with the Cowboys in the '90s.
Once again, Raiders punter Ray Guy is among the semifinalists and is widely expected to make it through one more voting reduction, in December, that will take the list to 15 modern-era candidates and two senior nominees, Bob Hayes and Claude Humphrey.
Raiders quarterback Ken Stabler and cornerback Lester Hayes also made the modern-era list.
Eddie DeBartolo, the former 49ers owner who led the franchise during its most successful period, was on the preliminary list of 133 nominees but did not make the cut to 25. Former 49ers tight end Brent Jones also made the initial nominees list but failed to make the semifinalist list. Former Raider greats Jim Plunkett and Lincoln Kennedy also were left out.
Former 49ers and Raiders defensive back Rod Woodson is among the four first-time eligibles, along with NFL career sacks leader Bruce Smith, tight end Shannon Sharpe and defensive end John Randle.
The semifinalist list also includes three notable non-players: Bills owner Ralph Wilson, former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue and former Browns and Ravens owner Art Modell.
The final vote for the class of 2009 takes place on Jan. 31 in Tampa, Fla., the day before Super Bowl XLIII. A minimum of five and no more than seven players and contributors will be chosen by the 44 selectors.
Pro Football Hall Of Fame nominees
These 25 people made the latest cut for the Hall. They face two more cuts. Those who played for Bay Area teams are in bold face:
Cris Carter, WR - 1987-89 Eagles, 1990-2001 Vikings, 2002 Dolphins
Roger Craig, RB - 1983-90 49ers, 1991 Raiders, 1992-93 Vikings
Terrell Davis, RB - 1995-2001 Broncos
Dermontti Dawson, C - 1988-2000 Steelers
Richard Dent, DE - 1983-93, 1995 Bears, 1994 49ers, 1996 Colts, 1997 Eagles
Chris Doleman, DE/LB - 1985-93, 1999 Vikings, 1994-95 Falcons, 1996-98 49ers
Kevin Greene, LB/DE - 1985-92 Rams, 1993-95 Steelers, 1996, 1998-99 Panthers, 1997 49ers
Russ Grimm, G - 1981-91 Redskins
Ray Guy, P - 1973-86 Raiders
Charles Haley, DE/LB - 1986-91, 1999 49ers, 1992-96 Cowboys
Lester Hayes, CB - 1977-86 Raiders
Cortez Kennedy, DT - 1990-2000 Seahawks
Bob Kuechenberg, G - 1970-84 Dolphins
Randall McDaniel, G - 1988-99 Vikings, 2000-01 Buccaneers
Art Modell, owner - 1961-95 Browns, 1996-2003 Ravens
John Randle, DT - 1990-2000 Vikings, 2001-03 Seahawks
Andre Reed, WR - 1985-99 Bills, 2000 Redskins
Shannon Sharpe, TE - 1990-99, 2002-03 Broncos, 2000-01 Ravens
Bruce Smith, DE - 1985-99 Bills, 2000-03 Redskins
Ken Stabler, QB - 1970-79 Raiders, 1980-81 Oilers, 1982-84 Saints
Paul Tagliabue, Commissioner - 1989-2006 NFL
Steve Tasker, special teams/WR - 1985-86 Oilers, 1986-97 Bills
Derrick Thomas, LB - 1989-99 Chiefs
Ralph Wilson, owner - 1960-current Bills
Rod Woodson, CB/S - 1987-96 Steelers, 1997 49ers, 1998-2001 Ravens, 2002-03 Raiders
LB Grant Gone
The St. Louis Rams plucked linebacker Larry Grant off the 49ers practice squad for their active roster. Grant was a seventh-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2008 NFL Draft.
WR Battle and Morgan Expected to Return to Practice
The 49ers will likely practice today under a steady rainfall, that much better for setting the stage for Sunday’s game in Buffalo where snowfall is expected.
“It‘s going to be a physical game, a black and blue game,” said head coach Mike Singletary. “It’s going to be cold, the weather is not going to be great. The rain today, yes, it can certainly help set the environment weatherwise for what it is going to be like.”
Wide receivers Arnaz Battle and Josh Morgan are expected to take part on a limited
basis in today’s afternoon practice. Battle has been out since the Seattle game when he suffered a foot injury, while Morgan has missed time since suffering a groin injury in the Monday Night game against Arizona.
Safety Dashon Goldson has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with a knee injury that has sidelined him for the last four games. Return specialist Allen Rossum has also been ruled out with an ankle injury that he sustained in the Dallas game as he awaited a punt.
Cornerback Walt Harris (hamstring), linebacker Takeo Spikes (rest) and linebacker Patrick Willis (ankle) are not expected to practice.
A Few 49ers Make HOF Cut to 25
Former 49ers running back Roger Craig has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 1999, but today marks the first time that Craig has made it as one of the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Defensive back Rod Woodson, who played for the 49ers from 1998-2001, was meanwhile one of four first-year eligible players to make the semifinalist list.
Other players who are on the list and who spent time with the 49ers include Chris Doleman, Richard Dent, Kevin Greene and Charles Haley. All four of those players have been on the semifinalist list at least once prior to this year.
The 25 semifinalists were chosen from a recently announced list of 133 preliminary nominees. The next step? The 25 will be trimmed to 15 finalists in early January.
The St. Louis Rams plucked linebacker Larry Grant off the 49ers practice squad for their active roster. Grant was a seventh-round pick out of Ohio State in the 2008 NFL Draft.
WR Battle and Morgan Expected to Return to Practice
The 49ers will likely practice today under a steady rainfall, that much better for setting the stage for Sunday’s game in Buffalo where snowfall is expected.
“It‘s going to be a physical game, a black and blue game,” said head coach Mike Singletary. “It’s going to be cold, the weather is not going to be great. The rain today, yes, it can certainly help set the environment weatherwise for what it is going to be like.”
Wide receivers Arnaz Battle and Josh Morgan are expected to take part on a limited
basis in today’s afternoon practice. Battle has been out since the Seattle game when he suffered a foot injury, while Morgan has missed time since suffering a groin injury in the Monday Night game against Arizona.
Safety Dashon Goldson has been ruled out for Sunday’s game with a knee injury that has sidelined him for the last four games. Return specialist Allen Rossum has also been ruled out with an ankle injury that he sustained in the Dallas game as he awaited a punt.
Cornerback Walt Harris (hamstring), linebacker Takeo Spikes (rest) and linebacker Patrick Willis (ankle) are not expected to practice.
A Few 49ers Make HOF Cut to 25
Former 49ers running back Roger Craig has been eligible for the Hall of Fame since 1999, but today marks the first time that Craig has made it as one of the 25 modern-era semifinalists for the Hall of Fame Class of 2009.
Defensive back Rod Woodson, who played for the 49ers from 1998-2001, was meanwhile one of four first-year eligible players to make the semifinalist list.
Other players who are on the list and who spent time with the 49ers include Chris Doleman, Richard Dent, Kevin Greene and Charles Haley. All four of those players have been on the semifinalist list at least once prior to this year.
The 25 semifinalists were chosen from a recently announced list of 133 preliminary nominees. The next step? The 25 will be trimmed to 15 finalists in early January.
Singletary's Notebook: Nov. 26
http://www.49ers.com/pressbox/news_detail.php?PRKey=4934§ion=PR%20News
RE: Another opportunity against a playoff caliber team, what do you see when you look at the [Buffalo]Bills?
“I see a very big team, particularly offensively. They’re offensive line is very big and [their] running back is really a good running back. [They’ve] got good receivers, the quarterback is playing pretty well, so it’s a tremendous opportunity. It’s going to be a physical game, a black and blue game. It’s going to be cold. Weather’s not going to be great so it sounds perfect.”
RE: Can practicing in conditions like this prepare you for bad conditions in Buffalo?
“Yes, it can certainly help us set the environment weather-wise for what it’s going to be like.”
RE: Do you think that your team is set up for this type of cold weather black and blue game with the power running attack?
“Absolutely.”
RE: Shouldn’t teams that are a power running team be able to run no matter what?
“No, I think you have to really look at if a team has nine [or] eight people in the box then yeah, you can run it all day but particularly if you get behind in a game, no. You’ve got to do something else and I think that we will find that blend of what we need and I think we’ve been doing a pretty decent job. So we just have to make sure that going into this game we want to be able to run the ball some. We want to be able to have more of a balanced… It just depends on what they’re thinking about and it also depends on the conditions of the game.”
RE: Do you have the offensive line to power run?
“You said do I?”
RE: Yes:
“I think that when you look at our offensive line they get excited about being a power running team. I think they can do that, absolutely.”
RE: Are you not having a walk-thru this morning because of the rain?
“I don’t see why not. Yes. I think yes. I don’t see why we wouldn’t have it.”
RE: That will be the same time as always?
“Yes. I don’t see why we wouldn’t.”
RE: What kind of mindset does a team have to have to go into an environment like you might be facing in Buffalo and not let that get you out of your game?
“We’re opportunists. You’ve got to have a great mindset, and it’s one that we just have to get more and more in that frame of mind each day that we have to prepare. When we get there, we’ll be ready.”
RE: In that cold NFC Championship game where it was Chicago Bears weather. The 49ers, the finesse West Coast team, comes in there and puts a pretty good licking on you guys. What happened in that game? Looking back on that, how did the mindset of the cold weather Bears get defeated in that environment?
“We had the mindset, but we didn’t have enough players healthy enough to carry out the mindset. If you remember in that game, now that you mention it, we had a best pass-rusher out: Richard Dent. We had Dan Hampton out, the nose guard. So there were a lot of things that lead up to that game, not to say that they couldn’t have won anyways. They were hot that year and they did a great job that day. But I remember very specifically thinking in the middle of that game, ‘If I only had those guys out here with me, it would certainly help.’ So yes, I remember that day very well. When it comes down to games, weather can be a factor if you let it be. But if you see past the weather and look at the victory, the possibilities, the opportunity, it’ll take you past the weather. It just depends on how much you want it.”
RE: How do you think the 49ers formula for success is coming along in the couple of weeks since you’ve unveiled it?
“I think we are making progress. Obviously when we do those things, we will. We will win. That is our formula. So as I look at it, and I reiterated that this morning, ‘Guys, when we do this, we will win.’ It really comes down to doing those things. It comes down to knowing in your heart that that really is the key to our victory each and every week.”
RE: Does having the formula sign posted every day at practice, does that reinforce it to the players or do they start to take it for granted?
“For the most part, it reinforces. It’s like anything else, you can say something and don’t say it anymore. Just put it up on the wall. A lot of companies have a mission statement that means absolutely nothing, but I think that everything that we do is geared towards those things. Everything that we talk about as a football team, as an offense, as a defense, there’s not a day, there’s not a practice, there’s not a session that goes by that those things aren’t mentioned. The majority of the team understands it and expects it, and really have come to know that, ‘You know what? This is it. This is what we have to do.’ So yes, I don’t think it’s something that they take for granted. It’s something that they listen to and they understand.”
RE: I know that guys are fighting for their jobs every week in this business. How much have you talked to the players about this last month of the season being an evaluation process for what happens in the offseason. Have talked about that at all to them, and what are your thoughts on that?
“In terms of evaluation?”
RE: In terms of what moves are going to be made in the offseason:
“No, we don’t talk about that at all. Right now, we’re still in a fight to try and finish the season on a great note. And I don’t want to talk about what’s going to happen after the season. I don’t want to talk about… Because the only thing I really want to focus on is Buffalo. That’s all I want to talk about. That’s all I want to think about. All of the energy that I have, all the energy that the staff has, I don’t want to talk about next week. I don’t want to talk about the week after that. I just want to talk about Buffalo. Because we’re going to need every thought, every heartbeat, to be in that game to win it.”
RE: How much are people auditioning for next year?
“The mindset is you don’t really audition. You just do your job every day. I’ve said that before. I’m not auditioning. I’m just doing my job. Everything else will take care of itself. Either it’s good enough or it’s not. But I don’t put a cloud over anybody’s head. I certainly don’t put one over my own. I’m very humbled by the opportunity but at the same time, it’s going out every day and doing the best that I can to prepare this team to win. Both players and staff. And that’s it.”
RE: Back to your formula, how do those things differ from what other teams need to do? Isn’t that every teams’ formula? What makes those things unique to your team?
“They’re unique to us because it’s our lifeblood. When you talk about total ball control, our room for error is very, very small. There are other teams that can throw a few interceptions and overcome it. There are other teams that they don’t have to execute flawlessly to win the game. They’ve got enough talent to overcome it. There are other teams that they don’t have to win in the trenches. They don’t have to do that. We do. Everything that’s on that board is what we have to do game by game to win. It’s as simple as that. I think you’re right in saying that every team wants to do that but there’s not one thing on that board that I don’t reinforce. And if it’s not on that board, then I’m probably not talking about it. If it’s on that board, they’re probably tired of hearing me talk about it. But they need to understand it’s not going to go away.”
RE: You’ve said a few times that your margin of error is very small. Are you worried that that might result in the team playing tight and trying not to make errors instead of trying to make plays?
“It’s all in the way you present it. They know that they have every opportunity to play as hard and as physical and as loose as they possibly can. Just do your job. We don’t need any heroes. We don’t need any, ‘I thought this was going to happen so I did…’ We don’t need that. We just need you to do your job. That’s where we are. We’ve got enough talent that if everyone does their job, we’ll be just fine.”
RE: With that in mind, do you want to simplify things a bit?
“They’re simple enough right now. They’re pretty simple right now. There’s nothing that we’re doing right now that they don’t understand or know. It’s just a matter of staying focused and just doing your job. So we’re pretty simple right now.”
RE: In the past Paul Lamont has talked about the CEO Head Coach; the overseer, he administrator. Is that you? Or do you get in and game plan and talk to Greg [Manusky] and Mike [Martz] and set the tone? Or do you give those guys complete autonomy?
“What I do on Mondays, Tuesdays, my focus is mainly on the players and the staff. Where are they? Because I want to make sure that Greg and Mike aren’t coming in here thinking, ‘Man, we’re just not very good. We don’t have a chance.’ So the game plan is going to reflect that. The way they going about doing the game plan is going to reflect that. The way they respond to their coaches is going to reflect that. I don’t want that. My job is to make sure that our coaches, every one of them, how attentive are they? How focused are they? My job is to make sure that as I look at those players that they’re on one accord. That they’re not separating and going into their own little corners and cliques and whatever, and making sure I keep them together. Just keep bringing everybody back together and then overall let Greg and the staff, I’m in the room when they’re talking about doing this and doing that, I just sit back and think, ‘We need to think about this. We need to think about that.’ Mike Martz is a little bit different, but I’m in that room listening to the things that they’re thinking about doing or think that they can do. But I have more one on one with Mike Martz so that I can talk about, ‘Let’s talk about what you’re thinking about.’ Because Mike Martz is the guy that he’s been doing it for so long and he pretty much knows exactly what he needs to do and what he wants to do so that’s more of a one on one. Greg, it’s more of the staff, more of the defensive staff because that’s the way we’ve always done it. So my job, as I said before, CEO or however you look at it, my job is to make sure that the environment is right. To make sure that the mindset is right. And as I look at the game plan and talk to Mike Martz about, ‘This is what I think. Tell me what you think.’ And we kind of go through that. And as I look at the defensive staff, that’s a little bit different because we have more input from everyone. So I just make sure that, ‘We need to think about this. We need to think about that.’”
RE: With that, we talked about the meshing of offense and defense. Do you talk to those coordinators like, ‘This is what we’re doing offensively, so defensively let’s try this’?
“Absolutely. At the beginning, I don’t really do it early on. Defensively, guys know what my mindset is going into each game. And maybe on Thursday, Thursday afternoon you begin to talk about that. But I want to have them go ahead and set their game plan in place and what they think they can do to win. And as we head toward the end of the week, now we need to think team here. This is what… ‘You’re thinking this on this side. You’re thinking that on that side. Let’s make sure that that fits. Now we’ve got it all together. Now we can go.’”
RE: Do you expect Buffalo to try to do some of the things that Dallas did last Sunday, specifically in the passing game? Are they that kind of team that can do those things?
“Every team tries to do what the last team did if the last team was victorious. I think that Buffalo is going to try and look at how they can win, best win the game, just like we’re going to look at some of their weaknesses and try to exploit those. The biggest thing for us is we just have to make sure that what happened in the Dallas game, knowing that not only Buffalo, but the next five teams will try and do that, that we just try and do the best job that we can to ensure it doesn’t happen.”
http://www.49ers.com/pressbox/news_detail.php?PRKey=4934§ion=PR%20News
RE: Another opportunity against a playoff caliber team, what do you see when you look at the [Buffalo]Bills?
“I see a very big team, particularly offensively. They’re offensive line is very big and [their] running back is really a good running back. [They’ve] got good receivers, the quarterback is playing pretty well, so it’s a tremendous opportunity. It’s going to be a physical game, a black and blue game. It’s going to be cold. Weather’s not going to be great so it sounds perfect.”
RE: Can practicing in conditions like this prepare you for bad conditions in Buffalo?
“Yes, it can certainly help us set the environment weather-wise for what it’s going to be like.”
RE: Do you think that your team is set up for this type of cold weather black and blue game with the power running attack?
“Absolutely.”
RE: Shouldn’t teams that are a power running team be able to run no matter what?
“No, I think you have to really look at if a team has nine [or] eight people in the box then yeah, you can run it all day but particularly if you get behind in a game, no. You’ve got to do something else and I think that we will find that blend of what we need and I think we’ve been doing a pretty decent job. So we just have to make sure that going into this game we want to be able to run the ball some. We want to be able to have more of a balanced… It just depends on what they’re thinking about and it also depends on the conditions of the game.”
RE: Do you have the offensive line to power run?
“You said do I?”
RE: Yes:
“I think that when you look at our offensive line they get excited about being a power running team. I think they can do that, absolutely.”
RE: Are you not having a walk-thru this morning because of the rain?
“I don’t see why not. Yes. I think yes. I don’t see why we wouldn’t have it.”
RE: That will be the same time as always?
“Yes. I don’t see why we wouldn’t.”
RE: What kind of mindset does a team have to have to go into an environment like you might be facing in Buffalo and not let that get you out of your game?
“We’re opportunists. You’ve got to have a great mindset, and it’s one that we just have to get more and more in that frame of mind each day that we have to prepare. When we get there, we’ll be ready.”
RE: In that cold NFC Championship game where it was Chicago Bears weather. The 49ers, the finesse West Coast team, comes in there and puts a pretty good licking on you guys. What happened in that game? Looking back on that, how did the mindset of the cold weather Bears get defeated in that environment?
“We had the mindset, but we didn’t have enough players healthy enough to carry out the mindset. If you remember in that game, now that you mention it, we had a best pass-rusher out: Richard Dent. We had Dan Hampton out, the nose guard. So there were a lot of things that lead up to that game, not to say that they couldn’t have won anyways. They were hot that year and they did a great job that day. But I remember very specifically thinking in the middle of that game, ‘If I only had those guys out here with me, it would certainly help.’ So yes, I remember that day very well. When it comes down to games, weather can be a factor if you let it be. But if you see past the weather and look at the victory, the possibilities, the opportunity, it’ll take you past the weather. It just depends on how much you want it.”
RE: How do you think the 49ers formula for success is coming along in the couple of weeks since you’ve unveiled it?
“I think we are making progress. Obviously when we do those things, we will. We will win. That is our formula. So as I look at it, and I reiterated that this morning, ‘Guys, when we do this, we will win.’ It really comes down to doing those things. It comes down to knowing in your heart that that really is the key to our victory each and every week.”
RE: Does having the formula sign posted every day at practice, does that reinforce it to the players or do they start to take it for granted?
“For the most part, it reinforces. It’s like anything else, you can say something and don’t say it anymore. Just put it up on the wall. A lot of companies have a mission statement that means absolutely nothing, but I think that everything that we do is geared towards those things. Everything that we talk about as a football team, as an offense, as a defense, there’s not a day, there’s not a practice, there’s not a session that goes by that those things aren’t mentioned. The majority of the team understands it and expects it, and really have come to know that, ‘You know what? This is it. This is what we have to do.’ So yes, I don’t think it’s something that they take for granted. It’s something that they listen to and they understand.”
RE: I know that guys are fighting for their jobs every week in this business. How much have you talked to the players about this last month of the season being an evaluation process for what happens in the offseason. Have talked about that at all to them, and what are your thoughts on that?
“In terms of evaluation?”
RE: In terms of what moves are going to be made in the offseason:
“No, we don’t talk about that at all. Right now, we’re still in a fight to try and finish the season on a great note. And I don’t want to talk about what’s going to happen after the season. I don’t want to talk about… Because the only thing I really want to focus on is Buffalo. That’s all I want to talk about. That’s all I want to think about. All of the energy that I have, all the energy that the staff has, I don’t want to talk about next week. I don’t want to talk about the week after that. I just want to talk about Buffalo. Because we’re going to need every thought, every heartbeat, to be in that game to win it.”
RE: How much are people auditioning for next year?
“The mindset is you don’t really audition. You just do your job every day. I’ve said that before. I’m not auditioning. I’m just doing my job. Everything else will take care of itself. Either it’s good enough or it’s not. But I don’t put a cloud over anybody’s head. I certainly don’t put one over my own. I’m very humbled by the opportunity but at the same time, it’s going out every day and doing the best that I can to prepare this team to win. Both players and staff. And that’s it.”
RE: Back to your formula, how do those things differ from what other teams need to do? Isn’t that every teams’ formula? What makes those things unique to your team?
“They’re unique to us because it’s our lifeblood. When you talk about total ball control, our room for error is very, very small. There are other teams that can throw a few interceptions and overcome it. There are other teams that they don’t have to execute flawlessly to win the game. They’ve got enough talent to overcome it. There are other teams that they don’t have to win in the trenches. They don’t have to do that. We do. Everything that’s on that board is what we have to do game by game to win. It’s as simple as that. I think you’re right in saying that every team wants to do that but there’s not one thing on that board that I don’t reinforce. And if it’s not on that board, then I’m probably not talking about it. If it’s on that board, they’re probably tired of hearing me talk about it. But they need to understand it’s not going to go away.”
RE: You’ve said a few times that your margin of error is very small. Are you worried that that might result in the team playing tight and trying not to make errors instead of trying to make plays?
“It’s all in the way you present it. They know that they have every opportunity to play as hard and as physical and as loose as they possibly can. Just do your job. We don’t need any heroes. We don’t need any, ‘I thought this was going to happen so I did…’ We don’t need that. We just need you to do your job. That’s where we are. We’ve got enough talent that if everyone does their job, we’ll be just fine.”
RE: With that in mind, do you want to simplify things a bit?
“They’re simple enough right now. They’re pretty simple right now. There’s nothing that we’re doing right now that they don’t understand or know. It’s just a matter of staying focused and just doing your job. So we’re pretty simple right now.”
RE: In the past Paul Lamont has talked about the CEO Head Coach; the overseer, he administrator. Is that you? Or do you get in and game plan and talk to Greg [Manusky] and Mike [Martz] and set the tone? Or do you give those guys complete autonomy?
“What I do on Mondays, Tuesdays, my focus is mainly on the players and the staff. Where are they? Because I want to make sure that Greg and Mike aren’t coming in here thinking, ‘Man, we’re just not very good. We don’t have a chance.’ So the game plan is going to reflect that. The way they going about doing the game plan is going to reflect that. The way they respond to their coaches is going to reflect that. I don’t want that. My job is to make sure that our coaches, every one of them, how attentive are they? How focused are they? My job is to make sure that as I look at those players that they’re on one accord. That they’re not separating and going into their own little corners and cliques and whatever, and making sure I keep them together. Just keep bringing everybody back together and then overall let Greg and the staff, I’m in the room when they’re talking about doing this and doing that, I just sit back and think, ‘We need to think about this. We need to think about that.’ Mike Martz is a little bit different, but I’m in that room listening to the things that they’re thinking about doing or think that they can do. But I have more one on one with Mike Martz so that I can talk about, ‘Let’s talk about what you’re thinking about.’ Because Mike Martz is the guy that he’s been doing it for so long and he pretty much knows exactly what he needs to do and what he wants to do so that’s more of a one on one. Greg, it’s more of the staff, more of the defensive staff because that’s the way we’ve always done it. So my job, as I said before, CEO or however you look at it, my job is to make sure that the environment is right. To make sure that the mindset is right. And as I look at the game plan and talk to Mike Martz about, ‘This is what I think. Tell me what you think.’ And we kind of go through that. And as I look at the defensive staff, that’s a little bit different because we have more input from everyone. So I just make sure that, ‘We need to think about this. We need to think about that.’”
RE: With that, we talked about the meshing of offense and defense. Do you talk to those coordinators like, ‘This is what we’re doing offensively, so defensively let’s try this’?
“Absolutely. At the beginning, I don’t really do it early on. Defensively, guys know what my mindset is going into each game. And maybe on Thursday, Thursday afternoon you begin to talk about that. But I want to have them go ahead and set their game plan in place and what they think they can do to win. And as we head toward the end of the week, now we need to think team here. This is what… ‘You’re thinking this on this side. You’re thinking that on that side. Let’s make sure that that fits. Now we’ve got it all together. Now we can go.’”
RE: Do you expect Buffalo to try to do some of the things that Dallas did last Sunday, specifically in the passing game? Are they that kind of team that can do those things?
“Every team tries to do what the last team did if the last team was victorious. I think that Buffalo is going to try and look at how they can win, best win the game, just like we’re going to look at some of their weaknesses and try to exploit those. The biggest thing for us is we just have to make sure that what happened in the Dallas game, knowing that not only Buffalo, but the next five teams will try and do that, that we just try and do the best job that we can to ensure it doesn’t happen.”
Good win today. Looking at the remaining four games on the schedule, the only game I see the 9ers getting a win is against the Rams. But it would be nice if they won 3 out of the last 4.
NY Jets @ SF
SF @ MIA
SF @ STL
WAS @ SF
I wonder what will happen next season with Singletary. I guess it depends on what happens these last few games.
NY Jets @ SF
SF @ MIA
SF @ STL
WAS @ SF
I wonder what will happen next season with Singletary. I guess it depends on what happens these last few games.
Niners finding an identity
http://sfo.scout.com/2/817312.html
It took a bad-weather game to force them into the style, but the 49ers might have found their identity. They will likely use a similar no-nonsense mentality when they return home to Candlestick Park to face the New York Jets on Sunday.
"We want to be able to run the ball a lot," 49ers left tackle Joe Staley said. "We want teams to feel they have to commit more defenders to the box. That opens things up and creates the kind of mindset we're trying to establish."
In the 49ers' upset victory over the Buffalo Bills, offensive coordinator Mike Martz opened the game with five consecutive running plays to Frank Gore. The 49ers consequently marched down the field and scored the only touchdown of the game.
The rest of the game, the 49ers played it conservatively on offense to make sure they did not risk adding to their league-high number of turnovers.
Gore is clearly the centerpiece of the 49ers offense, but he knows he will have to perform a lot better on Sunday against the Jets. Gore carried 24 times for 66 yards. He also caught three passes for 23 yards. Gore was not pleased with his performance, especially a fumble after the 49ers had gotten into field-goal range.
"I feel like I could've played a lot better," Gore said. "I told my offensive line that I owe them. In that situation down in the red zone, I can't be putting the ball on the ground. I'll get better (Sunday)."
The 49ers appear to be buying into interim coach Mike Singletary's message. The 49ers played a rough-and-tumble style of game in defeating the Bills. Quarterback Shaun Hill did a fine job of managing the game.
The 49ers are 2-3 under Singletary. The defense finished the game strong against the Bills, routinely turning them away when they were threatening to score. The victory is exactly what the 49ers need to build a little momentum, Singletary said.
"It gives us confidence," Singletary said. "These guys are working hard. They're trying to do all the things that we're asking them to do. When you stay together and work together and fight together and win together, it's something that's very, very rewarding. Because they've been working so hard, it's one of those things that we're thankful for sticking together. "We just got to keep doing it."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I hate (the term) spoiler. What it says is that you're team is not going anywhere. I don't have anything against a team that I don't want to see them in the playoffs because of us. But whichever team we're playing, we want to win because we want to win." -- Interim coach Mike Singletary
TRENDING: The 49ers have played inconsistently on defense. But one area of the team that has been good is its red-zone defense. The 49ers rank fifth in the league, allowing the opposition to score touchdowns just 42.2 percent of the time inside the red zone. The 49ers held the Bills to one field goal in four red-zone possessions in last week's 10-3 victory.
PLAYER/PERSONNEL NOTES
--- CB Nate Clements rebounded from a poor showing against the Dallas Cowboys a week earlier to put together a strong game for the 49ers against the Bills. Clements was a presence in run support with six tackles. He did not get many balls thrown his way.
--- DE Justin Smith had a strong all-around game with five tackles, 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries.
--- WR Isaac Bruce put together his second strong game in a row. Bruce caught five passes for 67 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown grab to culminate the 49ers' game-opening drive. It was the only touchdown of the game.
--WR Jason Hill is making a bid to hold onto the job of the slot receiver even after injured Arnaz Battle returns. Hill caught five passes for 55 yards in Sunday's game. He caught a 15-yard pass on third-and-7 in the first quarter to provide a key play on the 49ers' eventual touchdown-scoring drive.
--WR Chris Hannon was activated from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday's game. However, he did not see any action. He will likely be waived and placed back on the practice squad.
http://sfo.scout.com/2/817312.html
It took a bad-weather game to force them into the style, but the 49ers might have found their identity. They will likely use a similar no-nonsense mentality when they return home to Candlestick Park to face the New York Jets on Sunday.
"We want to be able to run the ball a lot," 49ers left tackle Joe Staley said. "We want teams to feel they have to commit more defenders to the box. That opens things up and creates the kind of mindset we're trying to establish."
In the 49ers' upset victory over the Buffalo Bills, offensive coordinator Mike Martz opened the game with five consecutive running plays to Frank Gore. The 49ers consequently marched down the field and scored the only touchdown of the game.
The rest of the game, the 49ers played it conservatively on offense to make sure they did not risk adding to their league-high number of turnovers.
Gore is clearly the centerpiece of the 49ers offense, but he knows he will have to perform a lot better on Sunday against the Jets. Gore carried 24 times for 66 yards. He also caught three passes for 23 yards. Gore was not pleased with his performance, especially a fumble after the 49ers had gotten into field-goal range.
"I feel like I could've played a lot better," Gore said. "I told my offensive line that I owe them. In that situation down in the red zone, I can't be putting the ball on the ground. I'll get better (Sunday)."
The 49ers appear to be buying into interim coach Mike Singletary's message. The 49ers played a rough-and-tumble style of game in defeating the Bills. Quarterback Shaun Hill did a fine job of managing the game.
The 49ers are 2-3 under Singletary. The defense finished the game strong against the Bills, routinely turning them away when they were threatening to score. The victory is exactly what the 49ers need to build a little momentum, Singletary said.
"It gives us confidence," Singletary said. "These guys are working hard. They're trying to do all the things that we're asking them to do. When you stay together and work together and fight together and win together, it's something that's very, very rewarding. Because they've been working so hard, it's one of those things that we're thankful for sticking together. "We just got to keep doing it."
QUOTE TO NOTE: "I hate (the term) spoiler. What it says is that you're team is not going anywhere. I don't have anything against a team that I don't want to see them in the playoffs because of us. But whichever team we're playing, we want to win because we want to win." -- Interim coach Mike Singletary
TRENDING: The 49ers have played inconsistently on defense. But one area of the team that has been good is its red-zone defense. The 49ers rank fifth in the league, allowing the opposition to score touchdowns just 42.2 percent of the time inside the red zone. The 49ers held the Bills to one field goal in four red-zone possessions in last week's 10-3 victory.
PLAYER/PERSONNEL NOTES
--- CB Nate Clements rebounded from a poor showing against the Dallas Cowboys a week earlier to put together a strong game for the 49ers against the Bills. Clements was a presence in run support with six tackles. He did not get many balls thrown his way.
--- DE Justin Smith had a strong all-around game with five tackles, 1.5 sacks, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hurries.
--- WR Isaac Bruce put together his second strong game in a row. Bruce caught five passes for 67 yards, including a 12-yard touchdown grab to culminate the 49ers' game-opening drive. It was the only touchdown of the game.
--WR Jason Hill is making a bid to hold onto the job of the slot receiver even after injured Arnaz Battle returns. Hill caught five passes for 55 yards in Sunday's game. He caught a 15-yard pass on third-and-7 in the first quarter to provide a key play on the 49ers' eventual touchdown-scoring drive.
--WR Chris Hannon was activated from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday's game. However, he did not see any action. He will likely be waived and placed back on the practice squad.
49ers Re-Sign Brooks, Waive Hannon
http://www.49ers.com/pressbox/news_detail.php?PRKey=4954§ion=PR%20News
December 02, 2008
The San Francisco 49ers announced on Tuesday that LB Ahmad Brooks has been re-signed to the 53-man roster and that WR Chris Hannon has been waived from the 53-man roster.
Brooks was waived by the 49ers on Saturday, and Hannon was signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster due to injuries to the 49ers wide receivers.
http://www.49ers.com/pressbox/news_detail.php?PRKey=4954§ion=PR%20News
December 02, 2008
The San Francisco 49ers announced on Tuesday that LB Ahmad Brooks has been re-signed to the 53-man roster and that WR Chris Hannon has been waived from the 53-man roster.
Brooks was waived by the 49ers on Saturday, and Hannon was signed from the practice squad to the 53-man roster due to injuries to the 49ers wide receivers.
CB Clements had Surgical Procedure
http://49ers.com/blog49/?p=298
It’s a rather dicey situation this Sunday for cornerback Nate Clements, who is listed as questionable on the injury report. Clements has not practiced all week after suffering a hairline fracture in his thumb in the 49ers win over his former Buffalo Bills team. Singletary revealed on Friday that Clements had a surgical procedure done this week to insert some screws and pins into his broken thumb.
“We know how Nate feels. I don’t even want to talk to Nate because I know he wants to play,” said Singletary. “That’s not even a question, and I know he’s hoping it works out where he can play. We just have to wait and see. It’s an issue of jamming, it’s falling on the ground, being able to protect yourself, and being able to protect the thumb. When you play this game, you’ve got to play it. You can’t be thinking about it or compensating, then you hurt something else. He understands that. We just have to wait and see.”
Clements said the procedure took place on Tuesday, and that he is day to day, and optimistic that he can go on Sunday, which would keep his impressive 116-game starting streak alive. On top of his starting streak, the eight-year corner has never missed a game in his NFL Career.
“On one side, I’m saying get out there. The other side is saying, you don’t want to hurt yourself permanently, so I’ll wait and see how it feels,” said Clements.
Clements could be outfitted with a large cast to protect the thumb, which was broken when he made a stop of Marshawn Lynch last week on a run play. But given his aggressive style of play, there is some concern that he could make the injury worse.
“I’m not really concerned about having the cast or anything,” said Clements. “It’s just the way I play, I guess it would be aggravating it or falling on it.”
Clements, who actually doesn’t remember ever missing a game in college or high school, once before had his NFL streak placed in jeopardy due to a separated shoulder. Clements suffered the separation when he laid a pop on Lions running back Artose Pinner in a preseason game a few years ago when he was still in Buffalo. The injury lingered on and ended up being a game time decision, but Clements did get clearance to play.
He’s hoping for a similar outcome this Sunday.
http://49ers.com/blog49/?p=298
It’s a rather dicey situation this Sunday for cornerback Nate Clements, who is listed as questionable on the injury report. Clements has not practiced all week after suffering a hairline fracture in his thumb in the 49ers win over his former Buffalo Bills team. Singletary revealed on Friday that Clements had a surgical procedure done this week to insert some screws and pins into his broken thumb.
“We know how Nate feels. I don’t even want to talk to Nate because I know he wants to play,” said Singletary. “That’s not even a question, and I know he’s hoping it works out where he can play. We just have to wait and see. It’s an issue of jamming, it’s falling on the ground, being able to protect yourself, and being able to protect the thumb. When you play this game, you’ve got to play it. You can’t be thinking about it or compensating, then you hurt something else. He understands that. We just have to wait and see.”
Clements said the procedure took place on Tuesday, and that he is day to day, and optimistic that he can go on Sunday, which would keep his impressive 116-game starting streak alive. On top of his starting streak, the eight-year corner has never missed a game in his NFL Career.
“On one side, I’m saying get out there. The other side is saying, you don’t want to hurt yourself permanently, so I’ll wait and see how it feels,” said Clements.
Clements could be outfitted with a large cast to protect the thumb, which was broken when he made a stop of Marshawn Lynch last week on a run play. But given his aggressive style of play, there is some concern that he could make the injury worse.
“I’m not really concerned about having the cast or anything,” said Clements. “It’s just the way I play, I guess it would be aggravating it or falling on it.”
Clements, who actually doesn’t remember ever missing a game in college or high school, once before had his NFL streak placed in jeopardy due to a separated shoulder. Clements suffered the separation when he laid a pop on Lions running back Artose Pinner in a preseason game a few years ago when he was still in Buffalo. The injury lingered on and ended up being a game time decision, but Clements did get clearance to play.
He’s hoping for a similar outcome this Sunday.
CB Clements had Surgical Procedure
http://49ers.com/blog49/?p=298
It’s a rather dicey situation this Sunday for cornerback Nate Clements, who is listed as questionable on the injury report. Clements has not practiced all week after suffering a hairline fracture in his thumb in the 49ers win over his former Buffalo Bills team. Singletary revealed on Friday that Clements had a surgical procedure done this week to insert some screws and pins into his broken thumb.
“We know how Nate feels. I don’t even want to talk to Nate because I know he wants to play,” said Singletary. “That’s not even a question, and I know he’s hoping it works out where he can play. We just have to wait and see. It’s an issue of jamming, it’s falling on the ground, being able to protect yourself, and being able to protect the thumb. When you play this game, you’ve got to play it. You can’t be thinking about it or compensating, then you hurt something else. He understands that. We just have to wait and see.”
Clements said the procedure took place on Tuesday, and that he is day to day, and optimistic that he can go on Sunday, which would keep his impressive 116-game starting streak alive. On top of his starting streak, the eight-year corner has never missed a game in his NFL Career.
“On one side, I’m saying get out there. The other side is saying, you don’t want to hurt yourself permanently, so I’ll wait and see how it feels,” said Clements.
Clements could be outfitted with a large cast to protect the thumb, which was broken when he made a stop of Marshawn Lynch last week on a run play. But given his aggressive style of play, there is some concern that he could make the injury worse.
“I’m not really concerned about having the cast or anything,” said Clements. “It’s just the way I play, I guess it would be aggravating it or falling on it.”
Clements, who actually doesn’t remember ever missing a game in college or high school, once before had his NFL streak placed in jeopardy due to a separated shoulder. Clements suffered the separation when he laid a pop on Lions running back Artose Pinner in a preseason game a few years ago when he was still in Buffalo. The injury lingered on and ended up being a game time decision, but Clements did get clearance to play.
He’s hoping for a similar outcome this Sunday.
http://49ers.com/blog49/?p=298
It’s a rather dicey situation this Sunday for cornerback Nate Clements, who is listed as questionable on the injury report. Clements has not practiced all week after suffering a hairline fracture in his thumb in the 49ers win over his former Buffalo Bills team. Singletary revealed on Friday that Clements had a surgical procedure done this week to insert some screws and pins into his broken thumb.
“We know how Nate feels. I don’t even want to talk to Nate because I know he wants to play,” said Singletary. “That’s not even a question, and I know he’s hoping it works out where he can play. We just have to wait and see. It’s an issue of jamming, it’s falling on the ground, being able to protect yourself, and being able to protect the thumb. When you play this game, you’ve got to play it. You can’t be thinking about it or compensating, then you hurt something else. He understands that. We just have to wait and see.”
Clements said the procedure took place on Tuesday, and that he is day to day, and optimistic that he can go on Sunday, which would keep his impressive 116-game starting streak alive. On top of his starting streak, the eight-year corner has never missed a game in his NFL Career.
“On one side, I’m saying get out there. The other side is saying, you don’t want to hurt yourself permanently, so I’ll wait and see how it feels,” said Clements.
Clements could be outfitted with a large cast to protect the thumb, which was broken when he made a stop of Marshawn Lynch last week on a run play. But given his aggressive style of play, there is some concern that he could make the injury worse.
“I’m not really concerned about having the cast or anything,” said Clements. “It’s just the way I play, I guess it would be aggravating it or falling on it.”
Clements, who actually doesn’t remember ever missing a game in college or high school, once before had his NFL streak placed in jeopardy due to a separated shoulder. Clements suffered the separation when he laid a pop on Lions running back Artose Pinner in a preseason game a few years ago when he was still in Buffalo. The injury lingered on and ended up being a game time decision, but Clements did get clearance to play.
He’s hoping for a similar outcome this Sunday.
Good News at Receiver
http://www.49ers.com/pressbox/news_detail.php?PRKey=4975§ion=PR News
Chrissy Mauck
December 05, 2008
The 49ers look to welcome back two of their top receivers this Sunday for the Jets game in veteran Arnaz Battle and rookie Josh Morgan.
Battle suffered a foot injury in the 49ers home game against the Seahawks, and has since missed four games. He is listed probable after taking his second full day of practice.
“I was a little sore at first but I feel like I’ve got great preparation this week so that I can go out and perform on Sunday,” said Battle. “I’ve been out five weeks including the bye week so I’m anxious. Things have turned around, Coach Singletary has got the mentality transformed and we are getting on that path to where we feel we can go out and dominate, so I’m excited to get back out there and play in a game.”
Despite being sidelined over the last month, Battle still ranks fourth on the team in receiving with 24 catches for 318 yards.
Morgan also earned the probable designation after taking his first full practice of the week on Friday, although head coach Mike Singletary said the decision could come down to the wire.
“It was great to see him out here, but we really won’t know until game time,” said Singletary.
Morgan enjoyed his longest touchdown pass of his career, a 31-yarder from Shaun Hill in the 49ers Monday night game against the Cardinals, but suffered a groin injury late in the game. He’s been inactive the last three weeks, following the injury.
It’s a rather dicey situation this Sunday for cornerback Nate Clements, who is listed as questionable on the injury report. Clements has not practiced all week after suffering a hairline fracture in his thumb in the 49ers win over his former Buffalo Bills team. Singletary revealed on Friday that Clements had a surgical procedure done this week to insert some screws and pins into his broken thumb.
“We know how Nate feels. I don’t even want to talk to Nate because I know he wants to play,” said Singletary. “That’s not even a question, and I know he’s hoping it works out where he can play. We just have to wait and see. It’s an issue of jamming, it’s falling on the ground, being able to protect yourself, and being able to protect the thumb. When you play this game, you’ve got to play it. You can’t be thinking about it or compensating, then you hurt something else. He understands that. We just have to wait and see.”
Clements said the procedure took place on Tuesday, and that he is day to day, and optimistic that he can go on Sunday, which would keep his impressive 116-game starting streak alive. On top of his starting streak, the eight-year corner has never missed a game in his NFL career.
"On one side, I'm saying get out there. The other side is saying, you don't want to hurt yourself permanently so I'll wait and see how it feels," said Clements.
Clements could be outfitted with a large cast to protect the thumb, which was broken when he made a stop of Marshawn Lynch last week on a run play. But given his aggressive style of play, there is some concern that he could make the injury worse.
"I'm not really concerned about having the cast or anything," said Clements. "It's just the way I play, I guess it would be an issue of aggravating it or falling on it.”
Clements, who actually doesn't remember ever missing a game in college or high school, once before had his NFL streak placed in jeopardy due to a separated shoulder.
Clements suffered the separation when he laid a pop on Lions running back Artose Pinner in a preseason game a few years ago when he was still in Buffalo.
The injury lingered on and ended up being a game time decision, but Clements did get clearance to play. He’s hoping for a similar outcome this Sunday.
Return specialist Allen Rossum is doubtful for Sunday after missing the week of practice with an ankle injury that kept him out last week against Buffalo.
That means that more than likely, Battle will handle the team’s punt return duties, a job that was primarily his back in 2004 when he returned 31 punts for 266 yards, including a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown. Battle has been used from time to time in the last four seasons since then, coming up with a long return of 60 yards against Arizona in 2006.
“I’ll be ready for it. It’s something in my resume,” said Battle. “I haven’t done a lot of it the past couple of years because of my role as a receiver, but it’s definitely an opportunity to get the ball in my hands and make a play, so I’m ready to step up for the challenge.”
Safety Dashon Goldson, who saw extensive action in the team’s big sub defense during the first half of the season, also looks to make a return to the grid-iron after missing the last five games with a knee injury. Goldson was limited the last two days, but took a full load on Friday and is probable for Sunday.
http://www.49ers.com/pressbox/news_detail.php?PRKey=4975§ion=PR News
Chrissy Mauck
December 05, 2008
The 49ers look to welcome back two of their top receivers this Sunday for the Jets game in veteran Arnaz Battle and rookie Josh Morgan.
Battle suffered a foot injury in the 49ers home game against the Seahawks, and has since missed four games. He is listed probable after taking his second full day of practice.
“I was a little sore at first but I feel like I’ve got great preparation this week so that I can go out and perform on Sunday,” said Battle. “I’ve been out five weeks including the bye week so I’m anxious. Things have turned around, Coach Singletary has got the mentality transformed and we are getting on that path to where we feel we can go out and dominate, so I’m excited to get back out there and play in a game.”
Despite being sidelined over the last month, Battle still ranks fourth on the team in receiving with 24 catches for 318 yards.
Morgan also earned the probable designation after taking his first full practice of the week on Friday, although head coach Mike Singletary said the decision could come down to the wire.
“It was great to see him out here, but we really won’t know until game time,” said Singletary.
Morgan enjoyed his longest touchdown pass of his career, a 31-yarder from Shaun Hill in the 49ers Monday night game against the Cardinals, but suffered a groin injury late in the game. He’s been inactive the last three weeks, following the injury.
It’s a rather dicey situation this Sunday for cornerback Nate Clements, who is listed as questionable on the injury report. Clements has not practiced all week after suffering a hairline fracture in his thumb in the 49ers win over his former Buffalo Bills team. Singletary revealed on Friday that Clements had a surgical procedure done this week to insert some screws and pins into his broken thumb.
“We know how Nate feels. I don’t even want to talk to Nate because I know he wants to play,” said Singletary. “That’s not even a question, and I know he’s hoping it works out where he can play. We just have to wait and see. It’s an issue of jamming, it’s falling on the ground, being able to protect yourself, and being able to protect the thumb. When you play this game, you’ve got to play it. You can’t be thinking about it or compensating, then you hurt something else. He understands that. We just have to wait and see.”
Clements said the procedure took place on Tuesday, and that he is day to day, and optimistic that he can go on Sunday, which would keep his impressive 116-game starting streak alive. On top of his starting streak, the eight-year corner has never missed a game in his NFL career.
"On one side, I'm saying get out there. The other side is saying, you don't want to hurt yourself permanently so I'll wait and see how it feels," said Clements.
Clements could be outfitted with a large cast to protect the thumb, which was broken when he made a stop of Marshawn Lynch last week on a run play. But given his aggressive style of play, there is some concern that he could make the injury worse.
"I'm not really concerned about having the cast or anything," said Clements. "It's just the way I play, I guess it would be an issue of aggravating it or falling on it.”
Clements, who actually doesn't remember ever missing a game in college or high school, once before had his NFL streak placed in jeopardy due to a separated shoulder.
Clements suffered the separation when he laid a pop on Lions running back Artose Pinner in a preseason game a few years ago when he was still in Buffalo.
The injury lingered on and ended up being a game time decision, but Clements did get clearance to play. He’s hoping for a similar outcome this Sunday.
Return specialist Allen Rossum is doubtful for Sunday after missing the week of practice with an ankle injury that kept him out last week against Buffalo.
That means that more than likely, Battle will handle the team’s punt return duties, a job that was primarily his back in 2004 when he returned 31 punts for 266 yards, including a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown. Battle has been used from time to time in the last four seasons since then, coming up with a long return of 60 yards against Arizona in 2006.
“I’ll be ready for it. It’s something in my resume,” said Battle. “I haven’t done a lot of it the past couple of years because of my role as a receiver, but it’s definitely an opportunity to get the ball in my hands and make a play, so I’m ready to step up for the challenge.”
Safety Dashon Goldson, who saw extensive action in the team’s big sub defense during the first half of the season, also looks to make a return to the grid-iron after missing the last five games with a knee injury. Goldson was limited the last two days, but took a full load on Friday and is probable for Sunday.
