Yardbarker: Vernon Davis

TE Ranking Breakdown: 11-20

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 06:58:28 -0500

Okay, now that we've got the scrubs out of the way (21-30), we can get to some guys that can really contribute to your fantasy teams. While most standard leagues only use one tight end, I've played in leagues that use two, or that use a WR/TE flex position – and don't forget about PPR leagues. These guys can help you in all those, plus can be useful in shallow standard leagues. Whatever type of league you play in, it's always useful to know what players are out there in case of the inevitable – injuries, bye weeks, or just plain unproductiveness. So, here's tight ends 11-20, and a recap of 21-30.

Niners News and Notes With Camp Almost Here

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 01:05:38 -0500

And training camp looms! It's time to step up my game as the 49ers open camp this Thursday at 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara. Here's what's been going on around the Internets: The Sacramento Bee leads off its preview by profiling the biggest 49ers issue of the offseason: The Martz effect. Martz helped the Lions become a much more dynamic offense the past couple seasons, but the Lions' personnel was almost nothing like what the 49ers have. Firstly, Jon Kitna was pretty firmly entrenched as the Lions starter when Martz arrived. The 49ers starting quarterback position is as unclear as ever, with Alex Smith and Shaun Hill (and, possibly, J.T. O'Sullivan) battling for the top spot. The Lions also had a natural number one receiver in Roy Williams, something the 49ers lack. Calvin Johnson was an immense threat last season, although he didn't have the impact many thought he would. But even Shaun McDonald and Mike Furrey are seemingly more reliable receivers than anyone the 49ers have. Now, on the flip side, the 49ers do have the type of talented tight end (Vernon Davis) and productive running back (Frank Gore) that the Lions never had in Martz's tenure… Here's a pleasant story from Daniel Brown about how Fred Dean discovered the pot of gold that is the 49ers franchise… Here is an excellent quick review of the 49ers full roster… Cornerback Reggie Smith, a third-round draft pick in April, was signed on Tuesday. Terms of the contract were not announced…

ESPYs Red Carpet Experience

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 12:17:07 -0500

Last Wednesday was the day that the ESPYs were filmed, and the entire day was SO hectic for me. I had to drive around with my broken navigation system to get my ESPY tickets from one hotel, then go over to my publicist's hotel to get the suit that I'd had custom-made. The suit was late, the valet at each place took a good half-hour, and traffic was insane, so my schedule was completely thrown off. On top of that, I was nervous about my first experience as a red carpet correspondent. I kept worrying that I would freeze up and choke, and all I could think was "What did I get myself into?" I finally arrived at the Nokia Theater to meet the Yardbarker folks just as the red carpet opened up. I was sweaty, nervous, and carrying a backpack - basically sort of a mess. On top of that, right as I got there and realized that I had forgotten my tickets for the show, I got stung by a bee. Just some icing on the cake. Even though things had gone wrong throughout the day, everything worked out great. It was really interesting to see the red carpet from the perspective of the media. Every outlet has their own designated space, but because I was so much bigger than the other reporters, they had to give me some extra elbow room to work with. It was funny, too, because everyone was so surprised to see me there with the media. They kept saying, "Who the hell gave YOU a microphone? Did you steal that?" I started off a little slow with the interviews, because I was late and didn't have a chance to prepare. All I was told was to be myself and try to work in some of the questions that had been written up for me. I was a little nervous, and for my first interview, I kept holding the microphone up to the wrong person's face while we were talking. After a while, though, I got the hang of it and just started chatting with the guys like it was before or after a game. Once we got talking, it would take me about 10 minutes to actually get to the questions. I was trying to be like Jay Leno or David Letterman and smoothly segue from the small talk to the questions, but I think I could still use a little work on that. Luckily, I wasn't the only one experiencing this for the first time. Hugh Hefner's girlfriend, Kendra, was there as a correspondent, too. When we found out that we were both doing this for the first time, we chatted for a little bit and exchanged interview tips. I'm sure it was all much easier for her, though. No matter what comes out of her mouth, she's got a pretty face and everyone will still want to talk to her. As for me, I need to be a little bit more verbally stimulating or my career as reporter will be over before it even starts. In the end, everything worked out great. The one thing that was disappointing was not making it in time to actually walk down the carpet myself, but I'm still glad I did this, because it was a lot of fun. The show afterward was amazing, too. It was definitely a SHOW, and Justin Timberlake did a great job hosting. He sang, danced, and really interacted with the audience. At one point he even sat on the floor next to Beckham, grabbed his leg, and sniffed him. And it was hilarious when he started making fun of TO for crying at a press conference. The whole place was dying laughing. Not sure if they were laughing with TO or at him, but Justin must've asked him permission ahead of time because I couldn't believe that he even went there. Another treat was watching one of my favorite artists, Lupe Fiasco, perform with a live band, but my absolute favorite part was the duet that Greg Oden did with Justin. It was funny to see Oden up there singing with Justin and playing the piano. Well, I hope you guys enjoy watching my interviews, because I really enjoyed doing them. I'll check in again with the Yard soon. Training camp starts Friday, and I'm excited for another season of football!

Fantasy Football Sleepers - July 2008

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 14:41:57 -0500

July 18th, 2008 JunkyardJake.Com Vince Young/Alge Crumpler/Chris Johnson QB/TE/RB, Tennessee Titans After chucking up 17 interceptions to go along with only nine passing TDs, Vince Young is understandably getting ignored until about the 11th round in fantasy drafts so far. While you may not want to trust him as your starter, he definitely should be useful as the type of backup that could offer surprising upside. One reason for optimism is the return of coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, who should allow Young to pass more often, and implement plays to utilize the QB's great improvisational running skills. Joining Young as a bounce-back candidate is Alge Crumpler, who is also being drafted in the 11th round. So far, the knee problems that plagued him over the past few seasons do not appear to be an issue, and he is once again in an offense that likes to employ a pass-catching TE. Lastly, don't forget about Chris Johnson, the ultra-speedy RB drafted in the first round this year. Johnson may be the fastest offensive player in the league right now, and although his small stature precludes his use as an every-down RB, he should find a significant role on third downs, and perhaps as an occasional wide receiver. Randy McMichael TE, St. Louis Rams Hey, do you remember Randy McMichael? Yeah, didn't think so. A 39-catch season will get you kicked off a lot of cheat sheets. McMichael is not the fastest, flashiest tight end, but his frequent use as an extra offensive lineman last season really destroyed his fantasy value. In 2008, things are not looking quite as dismal for McMichael. For one thing, the Rams hired Al Saunders to run the offense, and judging by the scheme he used to make stars of Tony Gonzalez and Chris Cooley when he was with the Chiefs and Redskins, McMichael should be far more involved in the passing offense this year. Also on the positive front, the Rams signed Anthony "Brick Hands" Becht this offseason, and as his nickname, which I just made up, implies, he is expected to relieve McMichael of some of his blocking responsibilities. McMichael is typically getting picked up in about the 17th round in fantasy drafts this year, so he represents a terrific value if he can bounce back to his estimated potential of about 60-70 catches. Bryant Johnson/Vernon Davis WR/TE, San Francisco 49ers Crazy Mike Martz keeps on getting hired by NFL teams for some reason. This season, "the most overrated show on turf" experiment can be observed in San Francisco, where Martz will be hopefully helping the 49ers to score more than 10 points per game. For fantasy purposes, it's difficult to see how Martz's unique brand of passing-game anarchy can make anything much worse for a 49ers' passing game that ranked definitively last (168 yards per game) in 2007. Of course, winning football games is a different issue altogether, but Martz will have the ball flying around, for better or worse. This bodes well for newly signed Bryant Johnson, who should emerge as San Francisco's top wide-receiver target. Johnson does not have the speed of some of the other receivers that Martz has worked with, like Torry Holt and Roy Williams, but he is talented enough to end up with 1,000 yards and maybe six to eight TDs. This makes him a great pick around the 11th round. Vernon Davis is a more intriguing case because he is probably the most physically talented TE in the league. Besides dealing with Alex Smith's errant throws, Davis's problem has been grasping the mental aspects of the game, but if gets his head on straight and plays to his potential, Davis is easily worth his current eighth-round draft position. Kevin Smith/Tatum Bell RB, Detriot Lions The most significant development for the Detroit Lions' offense this season will probably be a return to a reasonable run/pass play-selection ratio, with new coordinator Jim Coletto bringing a zone-blocking scheme that will emphasize the run. Last year under Mike Martz, Jon Kitna was the focal point of the offense, passing almost 70 percent of the time and absorbing a pretty good butt-kicking in the process (a league-high 51 sacks). Clearly, anything that takes the ball out of Kitna's hands more often will be a welcome change for everyone involved. On the basis of playing opportunity, RB Kevin Smith appears to be the rookie in the best position to benefit from his team's situation in 2008. Smith is a natural runner, with good vision and acceleration, but does not appear to be an elite talent. For example, his timed speed of around 4.50 is fairly average, and although he has decent size, he does not have the prototypical bulk you would want to see in a power running back. That said, he did run roughshod over inferior college defenses for Central Florida of Conference USA, especially in 2007 when his 450 carries broke the NCAA single-season mark formerly held by Marcus Allen. He ended last season with an amazing 2,567 yards, second only to Barry Sanders in NCAA history, to go along with 29 TDs, and 242 receiving yards. Whether or not Kevin Smith is the complete answer for the Lions' revived running game, it is very possible that Tatum Bell assumes at least a visible role, and possibly more. Bell was banished to obscurity last season, but he offers better speed over Smith, and a measure of veteran leadership. Kevin Smith is being taken in the late sixth round, while Tatum Bell is typically available around the 12th round in fantasy drafts so far. See the rest of the article at Junkyardjake.com

Whats the YARDS favorite fantasy football line up?

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:03:07 -0500

Whats your favorite fantasy football line up? Okay all you BARKERS in the YARD....This is your KEEPER League Team, You've been in this league for 4 years now... Needless to say, you can only keep 10 of your 20 players. You've won the Championship Game 3 of the last 4 years, so everyone is out to get your this year. So all you YARDBARKERS, you are the owners and can only keep 10 players from the team below who would you keep? And who does the YARD cut and why? Can the YARD put a competitive team together? Can you win it all? As teams of the league let their players go, we will ask the YARD what player they want to fill the positions players that the YARD cut. We will then post the updated team with the new player the YARD's team picked up. We will continue this until the YARD's team is complete. Here is the YARDBARKERS KEEPER TEAM: QB: Donovan McNabb, David Garrard and Trent Edwards RB: Adrian Peterson (both AP's - Minn and Chicago), Maurice Jones-Drew, Edgerrin James, Earnest Graham WR: Terrell Owens, Larry Fitzgerald, Dwayne Bowe , Bernard Berrian, Anthony Gonzalez, Amani Toomer TE: Kellen Winslow and Vernon Davis K: Mason Crosby and Josh Scobee D/ST: Philadelphia Eagles and Buffalo Bills

Roy Williams is Welcome in my Fantasy League

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:52:42 -0500

Perhaps, you're not quite as bored or desperate as I am these days and you don't happen to waste 4 hours reading up on Fantasy Football or even worse participating in numerous Mock Drafts provided by ESPN.com. Regardless, as it should be said "it's an obsession, but it's pleasing." I've never been openly ashamed about affinity for Fantasy Football, nor my insistent pursuit to be the Buddha of Fantasy knowledge well in advance of the various drafts of which I participate in late August. Yes, it's still only July.

Moving on, I happened upon an Expert/Athlete Fantasy draft that took place with several NFL players and the ESPN.com Fantasy staff members. It's actually the main feature on their Fantasy Football page. What caught my attention of course was the much speculated Detroit Lions WR, Roy Williams. Yes, despite what the critics think…I still believe that Roy Williams might be the last great thing the Lions have going for them. And so, I'm not at all surprised they considered trading him this past off-season.

That said; Roy was one of the featured athletes in this Fantasy draft. Now, I've heard Roy Williams is quite the Fantasy Football connoisseur. However, sadly like our beloved Lions he happens to fall short in the Fantasy brain trust category in this draft. Let's take a quick gander at just how the pride of the Lions assembled what he believes to be a Championship caliber team.

He opened with Peyton Manning as the #3 overall pick in the draft, apparently not realizing that it is 2008 and not 2004. And he also must have missed reports about Peyton's ball sac that burst in his knee cap. Not that I don't feel as if Manning isn't going to have a typical dominant Fantasy season, but to go in the Top 3 might be a bit high. However, Manning will certainly never kill a Fantasy team and can very well be a steady hand that leads to a Championship.

Yet, Roy followed up his Manning pick with a huge blunder in the form of Willie Parker. Of note, is that Willie Parker scores less than the Brandon Funston or the Talented Mr. Roto combined and that's hardly a compliment for Mr. Parker. He simply had to select himself in the third round, which I'll hardly fault the dude for doing. However, it gets dicey in Round #4.

Dallas Clark…are you e'ffing kidding me? Um, that's nice Roy that you have a solid QB-TE tandem. However, I think you reached on that one. Next up he grabbed the Chargers defense in Round #5. Perhaps, a bit early for a defense, but at least he grabbed one of the more solid units in the league. And I sure can't fault "the Edge" as a 6th round semi-steal. A lot of people are sour on the Edge these days and I'm not sure why. He doesn't have a platoon to deal with and he's going to get the touches, plus one would have to think his team is remarkably improved…right?

Next up Roy snags who I happen to believe to be the Fantasy version of a one night stand, Lee Evans. It's great that night, but usually an awkward disaster the next morning. Lee Evans is great on paper when he's having a huge 10 catch day, but it's an eventual disaster, because you know you know you'll be embarrassed the following week. However, let's not fault Roy all that much as he does eventually grab Chris Chambers a few rounds later. I happen to like Chambers this year, just a hunch. (Like, not love).

I'll spare you the late round by round analysis. However, in the end the roster is stacked with three TE's, two defenses and two kickers. Roy is riding with Matt Leinart as his QB, which just reeks of disaster. He does manage to snag a potential bust-out candidate in Vernon Davis. However, isn't Davis a "bust-out" every year? Hmm, in the comments section of the draft, Williams bestows some praise or insult of Martz…I can't tell. Anyhow, looking up and down his roster…he'd be a welcome addition in any of my leagues.

We could use the free cash, plus we'd never have to worry about his cheap ass needing to tip the Commish.

Fantasy Insider: How to Spot A Fantasy Football Sleeper

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 07:24:12 -0500

How to Spot A Fantasy Football Sleeper is a knack that could make or break your fantasy team. Daniel Kalles gives all you fantasy owners a "How To" locate and find fantasy sleepers and plenty of time to exam the players you feel could be sleepers this season. Best of luck this season. As Daniel Kalles, The first thing you need to know about finding a "sleeper" is figuring out what a sleeper is. Many people will have many different explanations as to what a sleeper really is, where to find them and how important they are, but they will pretty much agree that a sleeper is someone who doesn't have a big name, probably doesn't start, hasn't put up big numbers in the past, who now might have a chance to have a breakout season and be a difference maker on your team. Sleepers are usually either late round draft picks or waiver-wire pick-ups who went undrafted. Now how to spot sleepers, when to draft them, and how long you wait until you believe they are actually worth putting in your lineup are all a little different. Having one of the few sleepers who pan out and be a worthy starter can make the difference in winning your league or not winning. No one starts off the season knowing which sleeper will for sure breakout; all you can do is try and draft one or two and hope that a couple of things fall your way and your sleeper goes from nobody to somebody just like that. It's very hard to go into the draft focused on the guys who will be drafted in the later rounds, but the truth is many drafts are won in the later rounds. If you can have a good draft from top to bottom, it will help you down the line; having a deep team will help you in the event of an injury or to make trades. It's not very difficult to draft players in the first bunch of rounds, guys like Alexander, Tomlinson, Owens, Moss, these players have a history, they have done it before, we can look at their numbers and see where they should be drafted, but a sleeper is different. Most sleepers haven't played enough to accumulate enough stats to make decisions on, so you have to take a small sample (if one exists) to figure out who might be the sleepers of this year's draft. There are many different places and ways to find sleepers. One way is to look for 2nd or 3rd year players who had a chance to play near the end of the year before. At the end of most seasons, the teams out of the playoff hunt will look at some young players, giving them starts and letting veterans sit out. Watching these players can sometimes give you a hint into who might be a good sleeper the next season, if they play a good game or two. Look at Willie Parker who was undrafted out of college and was sitting on the bench in 2004 when the Steelers went 15-1. In the last game of the season, once they had already clinched home field advantage, they decided to rest veteran running back Jerome Bettis, and see what Parker could do. He went into Buffalo, on a cold January Sunday, to face the hottest team in football. The Bills were looking to get a victory and a spot in the playoffs. Well, Parker gained 102 yards on only 19 carries, to help the Steelers win the game, and give anyone who was actually paying attention to this Steelers backup a 1200 yards rusher out of nowhere in 2005. Now this doesn't mean things will always work out for you, but it's a good way of finding a sleeper. Another way of finding a sleeper is to watch the player and coach movement in the off-season, and see which players have been put in situations where they might be able to break out, with the help of certain coaches and their philosophies. A player who might have been going downhill in his career, or hasn't been able to find his way yet might be able to change that by being on a team whose system better suits their abilities. Koren Robinson is a good example. He's a former 1st round pick of the Seahawks, and while he had a couple of solid seasons with them (78 for 1240 yards and 5 TD's in 2002), he was let go at the end of 2004 because of off-field and poor behavior issues. He latched on to the Vikings as their top return man and part time WR. During the off-season they hired new head coach Brad Childress, who brings with him his West Coast offense, and they traded Nate Burleson, leaving the spot of #1 WR open. With those and many other changes the Vikings made on offense, they go into the season looking for players to step up and be leaders. Robinson has a good chance of doing that because he is a step ahead of most of the other WR's because he played in the West Coast offense while in Seattle. He could be in for a very big season. While all this looks good and could very well happen, many times it doesn't, and guys like Robinson will always be picked up for his potential, but might never realize it, because he can't control his other issues. These are just a couple of the many ways to find a sleeper. So, make sure to always pay attention to injury situations, and follow closely what players are doing at training camp. Doing this can help you find many sleepers. Lastly, don't forget that you can still find sleepers after the draft in the first couple of weeks of the season. If you see a player break out and do better then expected, don't sit on the sidelines and watch - make an effort to pick them up and see if they can sustain that output. Or if you know that a starting player has any injury at all, make sure you're the one to get anyone who might back that player up, because once a player goes down, whoever takes over can be a real steal.

Mike Martz and the offense… another look

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:32:11 -0500

One critic says that Mike Martz is not what the Niners need. In fact, all the players on offense are more equipped for the West Coast offense, not the Greatest Show on turf. Which that may be true, one thing is for is that the team will be more interesting to watch with crazy trick plays.

Davis to Take the Next Step w/ Martz in Charge?

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:16:53 -0500

Mike Martz has never been one to highlight tight ends in his offense. After some Pro Football Weekly-published remarks from the new Niners offensive coordinator that he might use Vernon Davis in split-wide situations, I thought I would check Martz's track record with tight ends. Using profootballreference.com and footballoutsiders.com, I noted the following info Martz's tenures as Detroit Lions offensive coordinator (2006-07) and St. Louis Rams head coach (2000-2005). All 1999 data from his season as an offensive coordinator for the Rams wasn't available. I charted the team's total pass attempts, completions, completion percentage, yards and touchdowns. Likewise, I scribbled (or typed, actually) the receptions, passes targeted (along with that percentage), yards and touchdowns for tight ends on during that time frame. Here is what I found: Detroit Lions – 2007 587 pass attempts, 368 pass completions, 62.7%, 4,216 yards, 19 touchdowns TE's Sean McHugh – 17 catches/29 passes targeted, 252 yards, 59 catch percentage, 0 touchdowns Casey Fitzsimmons – 8/10, 85 yards, 80 catch percentage, 1 touchdown Detroit Lions – 2006 596 pass attempts, 372 pass completions, 62.4%, 4,208 yards, 21 touchdowns TE's Daniel Campbell – 21/32 (66%), 308 yards, 4 touchdowns Casey Fitzsimmons – 7/10 (70%) 71 yards, 0 touchdowns Marcus Pollard – 12/17 (71%), 100 yards, 0 touchdowns St. Louis Rams – 2005 599 pass attempts, 392 pass completions, 65.4%, 4,351 yards, 23 touchdowns Brandon Manumaleuna – 13/20 (65%), 129 yards, 1 touchdown St. Louis Rams – 2004 577 pass attempts, 372 pass completions, 64.4%, 4,615, 23 touchdowns Brandon Manumaleuna – 15/21 (71%), 174 yards, 1 touchdown Cam Cleeland – 7/12 (58%), 57 yards, 0 touchdowns St. Louis Rams – 2003 597 pass attempts, 374 pass completions, 62.5%, 4,210 yards, 23 touchdowns Brandon Manumaleuna – 29/45 (64%), 238 yards, 2 touchdowns Cam Cleeland – 10/16 (63%), 145 yards, 0 touchdowns St. Louis Rams – 2002 629 pass attempts, 406 pass completions, 64.5%, 4,473 yards, 24 touchdowns Ernie Conwell 34/48 (71%), 419 yards, 2 touchdowns Brandon Manumaleuna – 8/14 (57%), 106 yards, 1 touchdown St. Louis Rams – 2001 549 pass attempts, 378 pass completions, 68.9%, 4,852, 36 touchdowns Ernie Conwell 38/52 (73%), 431 yards, 4 touchdowns Jeff Robinson 11 receptions, 108 yards, 1 (no data on passes targeted) St. Louis Rams – 2000 587 pass attempts, 380 pass completions, 64.7%, 5,492 yards, 37 touchdowns Roland Williams 11/25 (44%), 102 yards, 3 touchdowns Ernie Conwell 5/9 (56%), 40 yards, 0 touchdowns Now, obviously Davis is a more athletic tight end than any player on this list. He's certainly a more talented receiver as well, which makes me think he should be able to top these numbers. Aside from Conwell's efficient and productive 2001 season, there isn't much in the way of major tight end production. Hopefully that will change since Davis is far and away the most lethal receiving weapon at his disposal.

Davis to Take the Next Step w/ Martz in Charge?

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 07:16:53 -0500

MANUFACTURED JOY - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:49:42 -0500

By Zac, Throwing Into Traffic

Manufactured Joy is a series in which we'll be going through the NFL team by team, from the bottom to the top, and giving fans five good reasons why they should be excited to watch their team in action this season. Today, the San Francisco 49ers.

1. Vernon Davis's third year!

This is the last year I let Vernon Davis break my heart, but I'm willing to give it to him, because it's not fair to measure him as anything other than what he is: A dynamic wide receiver in a tight end's body. As such, year three, traditionally the make or break year for receivers, is going to be similarly telling for Davis, who up to this point has been a non-factor for the offense. The team still lacks a wideout with the ability to stretch the field and catch the ball the way Davis can, and if he's ever going to matter to this offense, it's going to be with Mike Martz using him as his best vertical weapon (Arnaz Battle isn't exactly putting the scares in people downfield) and Alex Smith leaning on him. Davis has all the gifts in the world to make it happen, so it's time to make it happen.

2. Frank Gore has still got it!

Ok, last year was not a great year for Frank Gore, but come on, it's not like he single-handedly murdered forward progress. Even as he destroyed fantasy teams nationwide, he put up over 1100 yards and averaged 4.2 yards a carry rushing, and threw up 436 receiving yards on 53 catches, and he did all of this while struggling with injuries! Furthermore, he was the victim of his team's inexplicable decision to get away from the run. While there's certainly an excuse for him getting less than 20 carries in blowouts like the 33-15 debacle against the Giants or the 37-16 squash against the Steelers, can someone explain how the same is true for a 9-7 grudge match against the Ravens? Again, it falls on former offensive wunderkind Martz to get Gore involved, and if he does expect things to get much easier for the offense as a whole.

3. Patrick Willis cometh!

This was the lone bright spot of last season, and to say Patrick Willis was good would do him a disservice. Patrick Willis was GREAT. Fun fact: Willis led the league in tackles with 174. The next guy down on the list had 33 fewer tackles. With the 49ers bringing in a beast of a defensive linemen to take up blockers in the middle, you have to imagine that Willis will have an even greater opportunity to destroy opponents all over the field. If that's not worth watching, then I don't know why I'm even doing these anymore…

4. Drafting for the trenches!

No matter what anyone else says about any other position, the fact remains that you turn a bad team into a good team quickly by repairing the lines. The Jets and Bears did it offensively in 2006. The Giants proved that consistent production from the line defensively can win championships last year. This past draft, the 49ers were evidently hoping they could get a similar spark. The team took three linemen in the first four rounds, including physical monster DT Kentwon Balmer and potential second round steal (if he can stay focused) OG Chilo Rachal. Both of these players are considered high risk/high reward gambles at their respective positions, but considering the state of the team last year (Willis needed some help up front to create problems in the backfield, and the offensive line gave up 55 sacks), a gamble was needed to save a whole lot of jobs, including that of head coach Mike Nolan, and in a division where literally anybody can win the whole thing (in ugly, pyrrhic fashion, but still win it), even a slight turnaround could produce big results.

5. Mike Martz + Alex Smith = ALEX SMITH IS NOT A BUST!

Seriously, can we all agree on this and shut up about the small hands already? In three years Smith has had to learn three different offenses from three different coordinators, and he's on his fourth. In 2006, but for a close scrape against the Seahawks, his team would have gone to the playoffs in his second year, and he put up almost 3000 yards starting all 16 games. Oh, and who exactly is he throwing to? Arnaz Battle? Ashley Lelie? The most potent downfield threat he's had is Antonio Bryant. HOW IS THAT FAIR TO A FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICK FORCED TO START AS SOON AS HE ENTERED THE LEAGUE?!? The point is that outside of his small hands (on which there's been an inexplicable focus), Smith has all of the tools to succeed, and has shown he can do so over the course of a season when the staff opens the offense up and lets him use his outstanding gifts, including a tragically underrated intelligence on the field, to make things happen. Under Martz, barring a wildly idiotic decision to hand the keys over to generic "We're going 6-10, tops" backups Hill and Sullivan, look for Smith to finally get the chance to sink his teeth into an offense that plays to both his physical and mental strengths, especially if even one of the hyper-talented pieces around him (ahem…Davis…Gore…) plays up to their potential.

MANUFACTURED JOY - SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 06:49:42 -0500

Niners News and Notes for a Monday

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:44:10 -0500

A few links on the first day after the midsummer holiday weekend: The Niners' official web site ran an interview with Vernon Davis in which he mentions he's more focused and prepared than ever for this upcoming NFL season. I want to find out some statistical details of how Mike Martz treats his tight ends. My little project on the side for this afternoon… Also on the Niners' web site, Bryant Johnson had one problem with moving from the Cardinals (Phoenix) to the Niners (San Francisco): the cost of real estate… Niner Insider (and Kelsey Grammar lookalike) Kevin Lynch runs through the options at wide receiver…

Niners News and Notes for a Monday

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 17:44:10 -0500

2008 Fantasy Football Projections - San Francisco 49ers

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 17:38:11 -0500

After finishing the 2006 season on a hot streak, many league officials thought that the 2007 version of the San Francisco 49ers could compete for the NFC West title. Unfortunately, this was before offensive coordinator Norv Turner bolted to take the San Diego Chargers head coaching job and the 49ers were stuck with unproven Jim Hostler calling the plays on offense. The offense was supposed to flourish under the breakout season of running back Frank Gore and third year quarterback Alex Smith showed signs of promise towards the end of the '06 campaign. Instantly, the 49ers got off to a hot start, winning their first two games, but after the quick start it all went downhill. The 49ers proceeded to drop eight straight games en route to finishing the season with a 5-11 record and another disappointing season for the once proud franchise.