49ers - A Look Ahead (Defense Edition)

By Kalen Patrick

Yesterday we analyzed what the 49ers may be looking at doing this offseason with the Offense. Today we will take a look at the Defense. Oddly enough, the 49ers defense which for years has clearly been superior to the Offense, faces more serious questions than the Offense. We will now take a look at the issues surrounding the 49ers Defense.

1. What to do with the secondary? Especially at Safety with Goldson and Whitner.
2. Aldon Smith playing too many snaps last season? Has the NFL "figured" him out?
3. Will Justin Smith come back 100%?
4. Is Patrick Willis overrated?

Secondary
In the Superbowl there is no question that the secondary was a major weakness that the Ravens exploited. Chris Culliver had the worst game of his career and was continuously picked on and beaten badly. I really do like Culliver's potential but perhaps he is not going to be the player we all hoped he would. Maybe I am being too critical, after all he is only a 2nd year player, and he had a rough week in the media leading up to the game (which was his own doing). I'd like to see him mature and really step up some more.

Carlos Rogers seems to get a bad rap among 49er fans but I think he played pretty solid this year. He is a good #3 CB despite being paid more like a #1 or #2 CB. I wonder if Vic Fangio and the 49ers will explore putting Rogers back on the outside instead of covering the slot receiver. In 2011, Rogers had his best year as a pro. Anquan Boldin made some incredible catches in the Superbowl despite very good coverage by Rogers. Tarrell Brown is another very good CB and I think he is definitely worth keeping long term.

BRINGING BACK DASHON GOLDSON SHOULD BE A TOP PRIORITY FOR THE 49ERS

I feel Dashon Goldson is a player the 49ers must hold on to. Goldson makes plays with Interceptions, Forces Fumbles, makes big hits, is very durable, and his tackling has improved greatly. I think he should be priority #1 this offseason. As for Donte Whitner, if we can keep him at a very reduced salary I would do that, I like him as a vocal leader and in run support. However, I would like to see the 49ers draft a Safety in either rounds 1 or 2 and hopefully get playing time immediately.

Front 7
Moving away from the Secondary and focusing on the Front 7, I wonder if the NFL has figured out ways to seriously slow down Aldon Smith. I never realized how dependent Aldon was on Justin Smith until we saw how he played without the "Cowboy" beside him. Even with the return of Justin Smith in the Playoffs, Aldon just didn't look the same. I wonder if either the NFL has figured him out, or perhaps he is playing too many snaps? Maybe with fatigue and playing more in run support he loses that burst as the season goes on and on. Hopefully the return of Parys Haralson and if 2nd year man Darius Fleming can spell Aldon and keep him fresh and retain his explosiveness.

BOWMAN AND WILLIS FORM THE CORE OF A STRONG 49ERS DEFENSE

Justin Smith should and I believe will come back healthy as ever, my bigger concern than his Triceps would be his age. He has been very durable, that also means he has played a lot of snaps and I hope this first injury won't be a sign of things to come. Ricky Jean-Francois has done an admirable job when given the opportunity, but he is not the long term answer there. I wonder if the 49ers will focus on draft Justin Smith's replacement in round 1 or 2 this year? I sure hope there is a plan in place. The 49ers defensive performance dropped significantly when Justin Smith was out.

NaVorro Bowman is better than Patrick Willis. There I said it. I look forward to the back lash but I firmly believe this. Patrick Willis was incredible the first 3 years of his career, since then however I am far from impressed. Now don't get me wrong, he still plays at a very high level, but the expectations for Patrick Willis are sky high and he has not lived up to them as of late. I suspect NFL offenses have looked at ways to neutralize Patrick Willis, but the truly great players, especially at Inside LB, find ways to make plays all the time. He is a great player, but will not come even close to the all time great ILB's such as Ray Lewis and Mike Singletary. The 49ers are blessed to have two great ILB's in Willis and Bowman. I can't imagine many offenses running well against the 49ers consistently over the next 5 years.

The 49ers Defensive unit as a whole is very solid, but I would like to see Baalke focus on adding some more talent here early in the draft. Depending on the value available, I think going Safety in Round 1 and D-Line in round 2, or vice-versa would be the best way to go.

Coming in the next few days I will focus on the Alex Smith situation and finish up my "A Look Ahead" series with a close look at Special Teams. Until next time.

Over and Out.

49ers vs Jets Recap and Week 5 Preview

By Kalen Patrick

Week 4 turned out to be a walk in the park for the 49ers with a comfortable 34-0 win over the New York Jets. I don't want to spend too much time on this considering it was such a slaughter. Some of the things I really liked in particular was the 49ers ability to rush the passer. Aldon Smith was back creating havoc in the backfield, and over all credit has to go to the guys up front and Vic Fangio. Not to mention guys like Tarrell Brown, Carlos Rogers and Chris Culliver shut down the Jets receivers. The play of the entire game for me was on a deep Mark Sanchez pass to Santonio Holmes that Dashon Goldson swatted away at the last second. That was beautiful.

Offensively the 49ers did what the 49ers do and that is run the football well. Gaining nice chunks of yards every time it seemed. Colin Kaepernick had some big runs and scored his 1st career TD. The one big concern for the 49ers is Alex Smith's ability to hit the deep passes to anyone not named Vernon Davis. I remember 2-3 times Manningham had beat his man and Smith had just about overthrown him each time. Overall the score was 34-0 and it easily could have been 48-0. Sorry Jets fans. That game was ugly.

THE 49ERS DEFENSE SMOTHERED MARK SANCHEZ AND THE JETS

Week 5 the 49ers will welcome the Buffalo Bills to Candlestick Park. The Bills are coming off a crushing loss where they gave up 45 2nd half points to the Patriots. The 49ers have had only 1 home game so far (a win against the Lions) so it will be rocking in Candlestick come Sunday. I do like the 49ers chances in this game. The Bills defense is shaky at best and all the money invested in Mario Williams has not paid off so far. I expect Alex Smith to have consistent time back to throw and the 49ers should be able to run the ball and control the clock. I want to see Alex Smith make some nice passes down the field, if he can start hitting those consistently than I found it very difficult to name more than 3-4 teams who could beat the 49ers.

JIM HARBAUGH NEEDS ALEX SMITH TO GET ON THE SAME PAGE AS HIS WR'S

The Bills love the big play, CJ Spiller has been hitting huge runs all season long. Ryan Fitzpatrick is not afraid to throw the football into tight coverage. He is prone to mistakes but can make some very nice throws too when given the time. I think an underrated match up will be Willis/Bowman in coverage vs TE Scott Chandler who is having a good season so far. The Bills mix it up a lot with the dink and dunk passes and try to use their speed to make big plays out of it, with both Stevie Johnson and CJ Spiller expected to get a lot of short passes thrown their way.

I have confidence the 49ers defense will be able to contain the Bills and the offense should be more than capable of putting up enough points for the 49ers to come away with a win. As usual I hate predicting the score but if I had to guess I'm gonna go with something along the lines of 27-17 in favor of the 49ers.

Over and Out.

Week 4: 49ers vs Jets Preview

By Kalen Patrick

One of the better games this week will be taking place in East Rutherford, NJ when the 49ers (2-1) take on the Jets (2-1). The 49ers are coming off a bad loss to the Vikings, while the Jets won a dramatic game over the Miami Dolphins in Week 3. The 49ers are looking to bounce back from their loss, while the Jets are anxious to show they can win without their star CB Darrelle Revis. This being the SF Sports Cave I will being focusing on what the 49ers can and need to do in order to leave week 4 with a Win and head back to SF with a 3-1 record.

I think the biggest thing the 49ers will need to improve upon is their Pass Rush. Last week against the Vikings the 49ers ran what seemed to me, to be a very basic defense. I rarely saw any Safety or CB blitzes, I felt that the ILB's Willis and Bowman were blitzed sparingly. It is not a matter of just blitzing extra players, it's more keeping the opposing offense off balance and not knowing what to expect. Blitz Dashon Goldson and make Aldon Smith drop back in coverage for example. Just mix it up is what I'm saying. Mark Sanchez has shown that he will force some throws when under pressure. The 49ers have to make sure to get to him early and rattle him and shake his confidence.

THE LAST MEETING BETWEEN THE JETS AND 49ERS (2008) WAS A 24-14 VICTORY FOR SF

The 49ers were able to get some late, almost meaningless turnovers against the Vikings last week, but this week, they need to be able to turn the ball over early and get a lead. We know that the 49ers will be able to stop the run and I really don't see many threats in the Jets backfield that will beat the 49ers defense. It's a matter of getting a good, consistent pass rush. What I'm trying to say is that I want to see the 49ers defense that rattled Drew Brees and Eli Manning and not the one that let Christian Ponder pass and run all over them.

On offense, I think the 49ers really have to stick to what they do best, run the ball with Frank Gore and then hit the Jets on short/intermediate passes and occasionally take a shot down the field. I wanna see much more of Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter this week, get Brandon Jacobs in there too to get some tough yards. If I were the 49ers I would go with mostly Gore in the 1st quarter. Then hit the Jets with Hunter and Jacobs in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, when the defense is weak and been pushed around all day, go with Gore again and get those big chunks of yards.

49ERS OFFENSE LOOKS TO GET BACK ON TRACK AFTER A WEEK IN YOUNGSTOWN, OH

I really love how well Crabtree is doing this year, I would just like to see the 49ers take some shots down the field to Moss and Ginn Jr so they can make the defense respect the deep pass, which will naturally open up Crabtree, Manningham and Vernon up on the intermediate routes. Also as I mentioned earlier Darrelle Revis is OUT so you have to take advantage of that and put the pressure on the Jets defense. Especially at home, there is no way the Jets are going to be an easy game and this could very well become a slugfest.

If I had to guess I would say the 49ers do win, but it will be a very close game. Something along the lines of 27-24. I just can't imagine any scenario where Jim Harbaugh will allow his players to play and coaches to coach like they did against Minnesota last week. Let's see if the 49ers can get back on track this Sunday.

Over and Out.

Week 3 Recap of 49ers vs Vikings

By Kalen Patrick

The San Francisco 49ers suffer their 1st loss of the season to the Minnesota Vikings today by the score of 24-13. One of the things I heard throughout this game was that the Vikings were beating the 49ers by playing the 49ers style of football. This is something I could not agree more with. Besides for the Kyle Williams return, the Vikings soundly beat the 49ers in all 3 phases of the game. In my opinion this was the worst overall game the 49ers have played under Jim Harbaugh. The key to the Vikings win was their 3 touchdown drives, each of which went for 80+ yards on the highly regarded 49ers defense. I do want to give the entire Minnesota Vikings team props for their sound beating of the 49ers. There is no doubt they deserved to win the game.

JIM HARBAUGH WAS NOT A HAPPY MAN TODAY IN MINNESOTA

Lets now discuss some of the reasons why I feel the 49ers were beaten badly today.

1. ZERO Pass Rush - It seemed that for the vast majority of the game the 49ers simply rushed their front  four (Ahmad Brooks, Aldon Smith, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald) and they rarely got near Ponder. There was little to no variety in the blitzes, very rarely did I see guys like Aldon Smith drop into coverage and see blitzing LB's or Safeties. I don't know if Fangio just put too much faith in his front four to get pressure or what, but what I do know is that he was definitely out-coached by Vikings OC Bill Musgrave. I would love to see some major changes in the blitz packages in the coming game against the Jets.
2. Lack of Frank Gore - The Vikings opened up the game with an exhausting drive, then it seemed like the 49ers reacted (panicked?) and they went Pass, Pass, Pass. Almost immediately the 49ers went away from what they do best, which is run the football, and then hit on short/intermediate passes off the play action. Frank Gore had only 6 rushes in the entire 1st half. This is simply unacceptable. The 49ers made themselves 1-dimensional (which is usually what the 49ers FORCE other teams to do). For most of the game the 49ers just didn't run the ball and the Vikings were able to tee off on the pass. 



ALEX SMITH IN ACTION AGAINST THE MINNESOTA VIKINGS

3. Defense couldn't make THE stop - At halftime the score was 17-3, then quickly the 49ers made the score 17-13, Kyle Williams return set up a David Akers FG, then Minnesota had a 3 and out, followed by a 49ers TD drive. ALL the momentum was with the 49ers. Then what happened? Oh just an 80 yard TD drive that ended with a one handed catch by Kyle Rudolph in the endzone. Not only is it terrible to give up the TD, but a LONG drawn out time consuming drive is just a killer. Suddenly it's back to a 2 score game and it's around the 4th quarter. That was the stop the defense needed to make, not even a 3 and out, just a stop. Of course, the reason why they couldn't stop the Vikings was largely due to point #1, in addition to the defense never being able to stop the short dump off passes to Percy Harvin and others. The following 49ers drive resulted in a Frank Gore fumble, the defense kept them in the game after that, but the entire 4th quarter was filled with harmless turnover prone offense.

Ultimately it was a really poor and sloppy performance by the 49ers and I really want to chalk this one up as one of those games that every good team has at some point during the season. Me trying to be as optimistic as possible, I will look at this as a "kick in the ass" game and maybe get the players working extra hard and not taking any game or play for granted.

Week 4 against the Jets is going to be a slugfest. Neither team is really capable of putting up huge offensive numbers and the defenses will most likely control the game. I'd like to see the 49ers become much more creative with their defense, and on the offensive side, maybe take more chances down the field. I'm not saying abandon what we have been doing, but you have to adapt in the NFL or else other teams will catch up. One thing I do know is that Jim Harbaugh is gonna make sure the 49ers are better prepared for next weeks game. I expect to see quite a few new wrinkles to the offense in particular.

Over and Out.

Recap of 49ers vs Lions

By Kalen Patrick

In a very convincing manner, the 49ers beat the Detroit Lions 27-19. If you had read my Preview for the game I had predicted a 27-17 victory for the Niners so I would say I wasn't too far off. Similar to the Packers game, I feel the score was a lot closer than the actual game. Stafford lead a late desperate TD drive to bring the score a whole lot closer. Literally from start to finish I feel the 49ers were comfortably in control. Alex Smith finished off the opening drive with a great over the shoulder pass to Vernon Davis for a Touchdown. That opening drive was incredibly impressive. The teams went back and forth, the Lions made the score 7-6 after Kendall Hunter fumbled the return after the Lions first Field Goal.

LED BY ALEX SMITH, THE 49ERS OFFENSE IS FIRING ON ALL CYLINDERS

Not long after, 49ers RB Frank Gore burst in for a 1 yard TD run, a drive that started with a Dashon Goldson INT, followed by 2 key penalties against the Lions (running in to the kicker, and then Defensive PI in the endzone). The score was 14-6 and from then on out the Lions never really got any closer. The 49ers closed it out in the 4th quarter when Alex Smith connected with Vernon Davis again, this time, Vernon made some nice moves to get in the end zone.

Some of the key things I want to mention is that Alex Smith was incredibly impressive yet again. For the 2nd straight game he threw for 2 TD's without an interception. He was 20-31, and if you look at the tape of his 11 incomplete passes, I remember 5 of them being very poor drops by the receivers and another 2 being "catchable" balls. For example, when Alex Smith passes to Vernon deep and he couldn't hold on. Despite all of this, after week 2, Alex Smith has the #2 QB Rating in the NFL and is showing yet again, hit ability to not turn the ball over, but is making more plays with the improved weapons he has.

ANOTHER BIG GAME FOR 49ERS TE VERNON DAVIS

The 49ers did an excellent job at exploiting weaknesses in the Detroit defense and they were able to run the ball with relative ease. It seemed like every time Gore got the ball he got big chunks of yards (5.2 YPC) and Hunter although seeing limited action did a good job too (4.6 YPC), the 49ers gashed the Lions in the run game and out gained them 148 - 82 yards. Obviously Vernon Davis had a great game, and for the 2nd week in a row, Michael Crabtree made his presence felt. He was key down the stretch picking up multiple 1st downs and keeping the ball out of Matt Staffords hands.

DASHON GOLDSON HAD A POLAMALU TYPE GAME

Overall the defense yet again had another very good game, you know your run defense is amazing when you feel the Lions ran well, and then you look at their stats and they averaged only 3.2 YPC. In pass defense the 49ers played a lot of Cover 2, and I have to credit the Secondary for doing a great job, especially Dashon Goldson who seemed to be every where. Not only did he pick off Stafford but he did an excellent job in run support, covering a lot of ground and making some big stops for the defense.

The Lions O-Line did a great job in stifling the pass rush, Stafford seemingly had a lot of time to throw back there. The nickel front four (Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald) really didn't have their best game. And even then, Aldon Smith had 2 sacks and essentially made the Lions pass game look average at best. This defense is legit and it's going to be hard for any team to score on them consistently.

Anyways, another very convincing victory for the 49ers, and rightfully sit atop my updated Power Rankings which can be viewed on the side bar. Check back for a preview of the Week 3 match up when the 49ers take on the Vikings in Minnesota.

Over and Out.

Week 2: 49ers vs Lions Preview

By Kalen Patrick

Two years ago this would have been one of the least anticipated games of the week, fast forward to 2012 and this is now a marquee match-up as we get week 2 in to full swing. Both teams are coming off wins from Week 1, the Detroit Lions escaped their home opener with a sloppy win against the lowly Rams, while the 49ers entered Lambeau Field and dominated the Green Bay Packers. There are going to be some very intriguing match ups in this game, with the abundance of talented football players on both teams. Here are some key battles that will be taking place:

49ers Offensive Line vs Lions Defensive Line
The latest injury report for the game has the Detroit Lions likely to be missing 3 of their 4 starters in the secondary. Safety Louis Delmas and CB Chris Houston are Doubtful, while CB Bill Bentley has been ruled out. We saw what Alex Smith was able to do against a more talented secondary in Green Bay (20-26 211 Yards 2 TD and 0 INT, 125.6 QB Rating), if he (Smith) gets ample time in the pocket, the 49ers now have the talent at WR to really exploit the Lions weak secondary. Smith is looking extremely comfortable in the 49ers offense now, even getting sacked 4 times last Sunday he never looked out of rhythm. Alex Smith is playing at a level we have never seen from him, he has (including playoffs) attempted 241 consecutive passes without an Interception.

LAST SEASON'S MATCHUP ENDED IN A DRAMATIC 49ER VICTORY

The Lions D-Line has a very tough challenge ahead of themselves, they can't count on their coverage to bail them out on passing plays, they will also have the unenviable task of trying to shut down the 49ers run game. They should expect Frank Gore early in the game, then a lot of Kendall Hunter in the 2nd and 3rd quarter, and just as they are getting worn down, I'd expect the 49ers to use a heavy dose of Gore again to pick up good consistent chunks of yards in the 4th quarter.

Suh, Fairley and Corey Williams will have be at the top of their game to allow edge rushers Cliff Avril and Kyle Vanden Bosch wreak havoc on the outside. Even if they do pressure Smith a lot, he has shown the ability to take the sack rather than force a throw into coverage. Jim Harbaugh has no problems with this and trusts his defense to win him the game. The Lions D-Line will need to have an A+ type game for 60 minutes.

Matthew Stafford vs 49ers Pass Rush
In Week 1 vs the Rams Stafford threw 3 INT's in the game and the Lions still won. If he does that against the 49ers, I give the Lions 0.01% a chance of victory, and that is only because anything is possible in Football. The 49ers run defense is so good and the Lions have a serious lack of talent at RB, that this game is going to be on the shoulders of Matt Stafford. However, the 49ers Pass Rush has been relentless since Vic Fangio became the Defensive Co-ordinator, and you can bet guys like Aldon Smith, Ahmad Brooks, Justin Smith and Ray McDonald are licking their chops at all the long developing passing plays the Lions incorporate into their offense.

WILL THERE BE ANY POST-GAME DRAMA THIS TIME?

Stafford is going to be making throws with pressure in his face, and if they Lions want to have any chance at winning, they better hope those passes end up in the hands of guys like Calvin Johnson, Brandon Pettigrew and Nate Burleson. Ultimately, we all know that Calvin Johnson is going to get his catches and yards, and maybe even a TD or two, but the game will come down to the "other" guys making plays for the Lions. Along with the Lions D-Line having the game of their lives.

I think that with the game being in San Francisco, on a most likely cold and windy Sunday Night at Candlestick, I like the 49ers chances of coming away with a victory. I hate guessing scores, but if I had to I would say the 49ers win 27-17. The 49ers are just too complete of a team, too talented and playing at such a high level, that it will be incredibly difficult for ANY team to win in San Francisco on a night game. We all remember what the 49ers did to the Steelers on Monday Night Football last year. That's it for now, check back Monday or Tuesday for an in-depth recap of the game.

Over and Out.

My Take on the 49ers 53 Man Roster

By Kalen Patrick

It is the time of year that players on the bubble of making a team fear the most. Competition is fierce in each and every play of practice. Some of these guys know this could be their last Training Camp, some of these guys will be in different parts of the country playing for different teams. Here at the Sports Cave we focus particularly on San Francisco Bay Area Teams. So lets now go ahead and I will give you guys a preview of what MY 49ers 53 man roster would look like.

OFFENSE (25)
QB - Alex Smith
        Colin Kaepernick
        Scott Tolzien

ALEX SMITH LEADING THE 49ERS HUDDLE

RB - Frank Gore
        Kendall Hunter
        LaMichael James
        Brandon Jacobs
FB -  Bruce Miller

WR - Michael Crabtree
         Mario Manningham
         Randy Moss
         Ted Ginn Jr
         Kyle Williams
         AJ Jenkins

TE - Vernon Davis
        Delanie Walker

OL - Joe Staley-Mike Iupati-Jonathan Goodwin-Alex Boone-Anthony Davis
         Jason Slowey-Leonard Davis-Chase Beeler-Daniel Kilgore

The Offense is very difficult when it comes down to the final cuts, some hard decisions for sure. The 49ers have a lot of depth at RB and WR, I managed to get in all of the offensive playmakers including Ted Ginn Jr who will primarily be the Returner for the 49ers. The hardest part is the Offensive Line, there is a lot of depth at the interior of the Line, should anything happen to any of the Guards or Center we are covered well. If Joe Staley or Anthony Davis go down, then Boone can take their spot and either Leonard Davis, Daniel Kilgore or Slowey can take Boone's spot.

DEFENSE (25)

THE 49ERS VAUNTED DEFENSE

DL - Ray McDonald-Isaac Sopoaga-Justin Smith
        Demarcus Dobbs-Ricky Jean Francois-Ian Williams-Will Tukuafu

LB - Ahmad Brooks-Patrick Willis-NaVorro Bowman-Aldon Smith
        Larry Grant-Parys Haralson-Tavares Gooden-Eric Bakhtiari

CB - Carlos Rogers                      S - Dashon Goldson
        Tarell Brown                             Donte Whitner
        Chris Culliver                            Trenton Robinson
        Perrish Cox                              CJ Spillman
        Tramaine Brock                        Colin Jones


The 49ers defense is stacked. All 11 starters return, plus there is great depth essentially all over the defense. Safety depth is a little worrying and most of the backups here are Special Team stars (Spillman and Jones in particular). Hard to beat the depth and talent at DL, LB and CB.

SPECIAL TEAMS (3)
K - David Akers
P - Andy Lee
LS - Brian Jennings

Notes: Rookie LB Darius Fleming will be on IR. Rookies Cam Johnson, Chris Owusu and Joe Looney to the Practice Squad, along with 2nd year TE Konrad Reuland. Demarcus Dobbs versatility allows the 49ers to get away with only 2 TE's on the 53 man roster. Very solid team top to bottom and that about sums it up.

Over and Out.

49ers - Texans, Who to Watch

By Kalen Patrick

A week ago I talked about which players to keep an eye on for the 1st preseason game. I'm going to essentially be doing the same thing for tomorrow's game against the Texans. Typically with Preseason it is the 2nd and 3rd games where you get to see a little more from the team, not only this, but you get to see the guys who are fighting to make the 53 man roster push it to the limit. So here are the guys to watch.

Eric Bakhtiari OLB/DE - Bakhtiari has been the talk of 49ers Training Camp so far. With the injuries to Aldon Smith and with Ahmad Brooks and Parys Haralson seeing only limited time so far, Bakhtiari has made the most of his opportunities. With 2 sacks in game 1 against the Vikings, look for him to be going all out in game 2 to continue his impressive offseason. Keep in mind that not only is Bakhtiari fighting for a spot on the very talented 49ers defense, but he is also on display for the entire NFL to watch. There will be another team ready to snatch him up should he not make the 49ers roster.

49ERS OLB ERIC BAKHTIARI - MAKING A NAME FOR HIMSELF

AJ Jenkins WR - Jenkins has definitely had his ups and downs early in his 49ers career, and the same could be said for his performance against the Vikings. Jenkins had 2 nice catches and 2 bad drops, so I would definitely love to see some more consistency out of AJ. One of his strengths is definitely his speed so I would like to see him use that and maybe make a big play.

ALEX SMITH QB 49ERS 

Demarcus Dobbs TE/DL - Up to their tricks again the 49ers have tried using Dobbs on the offensive side of the ball at TE. With the injury to Delanie Walker at Training during 49ers FanFest and with Nate Byham out for the season, this is the perfect chance for Dobbs to prove his worth and earn a spot on the roster.



Alex Smith QB - Everything I have heard about Alex's performance in Training Camp has been very positive, I saw for myself at FanFest and I believe Alex was definitely the most impressive QB. I am looking for him to play the entire 1st quarter, I really don't care about stats or whatever, I'm just looking to see him have command of the offense, make smart decisions, and above all I would love to see accuracy and consistency on the deeper passes.

These are the guys I will be watching in particular, Overall I really don't put too much stock in to preseason games with regards to players who basically have their starting positions locked down. It's in the backup position battles where you see the real good stuff.

49ers - Vikings, What to Watch for

By Kalen Patrick

FOOTBALL IS BACK! The 49ers open up the preseason against the Minnesota Vikings on Friday at 5PM  Pacific Time. I am never one to care about the scores in preseason games, I much prefer to focus on how certain individual players perform. I am going to compile a list of players that I will be focusing on and I will explain why.

49ERS QB - COLIN KAEPERNICK

1. Alex Boone RG - Boone is currently leading the competition for the starting RG spot, this will be his first chance to prove this when he takes on an opponents D-Line. The Vikings have a pair of very good linemen in Kevin Williams and Jared Allen. If Boone can do a good job on Friday it will help his chances of earning that starting spot. Guards Leonard Davis and rookie Joe Looney will be eager to prove themselves, Boone cannot take this competition lightly.

2. Colin Kaepernick QB - It has already been laid out that Alex Smith is the unquestioned starter, however, Smith does have a history of shoulder injuries and at any time Kaepernick could be asked to come in and play. In the NFL you need to have a good backup QB so that you're season isn't completely over if your starter goes down (Colts 2011 are an example of what not to do). I am very interested to see the progression of Kaepernick having a year in the offense, last preseason he was a disaster, but with a strike shortened offseason and Kaepernick being a very raw player that was to be expected.

3. Aldon Smith OLB/DE - We all know what Aldon Smith is capable of doing when rushing the passer, he is a beast and is already at the cusp of being an elite pass rusher. What makes me want to focus on Aldon is that I expect Vic Fangio to try and get Aldon to focus on his coverage skills and run stopping skills to make him a better all-round player. This way Aldon with his immense talent can see the field a lot more on 1st and 2nd down.

49ERS HC - JIM HARBAUGH HAS FAITH IN ROOKIE WR AJ JENKINS

4. A.J. Jenkins WR - The rookie WR was receiving not only footballs but a fair amount of criticism when he first started taking the field at mini-camps and OTA's. Said to have been out of shape, not catching on as quickly as anticipated, Jenkins is out to prove all his doubters wrong. Unlike last year, the 49ers have quality depth at WR with Crabtree, Manningham and Moss. Jenkins is in a fierce battle with Kyle Williams and Ted Ginn Jr at WR. Lets not forget that Jenkins is a 1st round WR, he has a lot to prove to show he was worthy of the 30th overall pick. Harbaugh has already put it out there that Jenkins is a quality player who can contribute now, lets see if AJ can back that up on the field.

49ers Season In Review

By Kalen Patrick

Wow! Well where do I even begin? My last post talked about the Ravens game on Thanksgiving, which was a tough loss. The 49ers went on to finish the season with a 13-3 record, arguably the top defense in the league and a solid offense that centered mostly around not turning the ball over. This was the best record the 49ers have had since Steve Mariucci's first season with the 49ers when he also went 13-3 after taking over for George Seifert in 1997.

Alex Smith finished the year with a career high in passing with 3144 Yards and most importantly he finished with a QB rating of 90.7 and only threw 5 Interceptions all year long. This was basically the philosophy of the 2011 49ers. Play great opportunistic defense (check), play great Special Teams (check) and play smart offensive football, meaning do NOT turn the ball over, settling for 3 points rather than make a risky throw for 7. Basically the 49ers gameplan is to win the field position battle. The 49ers led the league in drives starting in the opponents half of the field. That was Jim Harbaughs plan and it worked very well.

49ERS FUTURE IS BRIGHT WITH JIM HARBAUGH ON THE SIDELINES

Then came the playoffs, on a Sunny Sunday afternoon, the New Orleans Saints came to town and this game ended up being maybe the greatest game of football I have ever seen. The first quarter was ALL 49ers and we jumped out to a 17 point lead. Donte Whitner set the early tone when he gave Pierre Thomas a crushing blow inside the 49ers redzone which led to a fumble which the 49ers recovered. Drew Brees was intercepted by Safety Dashon Goldson. The 49ers were able to capitalize on these mistakes which gave them the early lead.

As the game went on, the 49ers became stagnant offensively, the Saints were finally able to break down the 49ers and got right back in the game. In the 4th quarter the 49ers were leading 23-17, then Drew Brees hit Darren Sproles over the middle and with his explosion he was gone and the Saints took their first lead of the day 24-23. On the following drive, Frank Gore had a big run and put the 49ers in great position to score. It came to a 3rd down and 8 on the Saints 28 yard line. Greg Roman called a gutsy play which was a designed run by Alex Smith, it lead to a 28 yard run for a touchdown by the sideline. The stadium erupted and so did I. The game was far from over however, not long after, the Saints reached in to their bag of tricks, with a handoff to Sproles, who then flicked it back to Brees and hit Jimmy Graham for a 66 yard TD with less than 1 minute left in the game, score 32-29 Saints.

ALEX SMITH 28 YARD RUN FOR THE LEAD

The next drive will never be forgotten for any 49er fan watching that day. The Saints were not playing prevent by any means, and it may have cost them. Saints DC Gregg Williams called a heavy blitz, Smith was able to hit Vernon Davis over the middle who scampered down the field and put the 49ers within FG range to tie the game. However, there was still time on the clock, and everyone on the 49ers sideline had other ideas. 14 yards from the endzone with just over 10 seconds left, Alex Smith fired a rifle between 3 Saints defenders and hit Vernon Davis for the Touchdown and Win. It was a perfect throw at the perfect time. Vernon Davis running off the field crying his eyes out, brought back memories from 1997 when Terrell Owens caught a Steve Young pass to win the game against the Packers in the Playoffs.

VERNON DAVIS CATCH TO SEAL THE WIN

The Vernon Davis catch will go down as one of my greatest 49er and Sports memories ever, up there with the 2002 comeback against the NY Giants, the SF Giants winning the World Series and as a kid the 49ers winning the Superbowl in 1994.

The 49ers went on to lose to the NY Giants in the NFC Championship game. (Can you tell I'm still hurt by this?).

#99 ALDON SMITH WAS RELENTLESS FOR THE 49ERS ALL YEAR LONG

Overall, it was a great season, the 49ers were ultimately 14-4 with a trip to the Championship Game. Before the season on 49erswebzone.com I had predicted a 6-10 season I believe. Obviously they far exceeded any expectations of mine. One of the great stories of the season would be Alex Smith bouncing back from many tough years in San Francisco, also rookie Aldon Smith recording an astonishing 14 sacks in the regular season, and added another 2 in the playoffs. There were so many great moments, from the Ted Ginn returns for TD's to Delanie Walkers catch to beat the 5-0 Lions to Justin Smith sealing the Giants game with a bat down or when he stripped Jeremy Maclin of the Eagles to clinch the win in Philly. This season was so impressive and 2012 will no doubt be a lot of fun to watch, in the words of Bart Scott "CAN'T WAIT"



UP NEXT: 49ers Offseason; What to expect from Trent Baalke and Jim Harbaugh?

San Francisco 49ers Week 8

By Kalen Patrick

Well the 49ers were able to avoid the trap game that was the Cleveland Browns and won the game 20-10. The 49ers absolutely dominated the Browns the entire 1st half and it is mind boggling the score was only 10-0 at the half. The 2nd half was mostly sloppy play on both sides, the Browns at one point did pull within 17-10, but a late David Akers FG sealed the game for the 49ers, who won for the 5th consecutive game. It's been 13 years since the 49ers have been 6-1.

The respective stars of the game were Frank Gore on offense and Navarro Bowman on defense. Frank Gore essentially had his way with the Browns defense rushing for over 130 yards (and passing Roger Craig for 2nd on the 49ers all-time rushing list). The 49ers had a solid pass attack, with some very clever trick plays thrown in (passes to LT Joe Staley and NT Isaac Sopoaga).

ILB NAVARRO BOWMAN HAS BEEN RELENTLESS BESIDE PATRICK WILLIS

The defense lead by Patrick Willis and Navarro Bowman was stout yet again. Not until the 4th quarter did the Browns ever really get anything going. The defensive line had another great game and the 49ers got great pass rush from Ahmad Brooks, Aldon Smith and Justin Smith.

#21 FRANK GORE HAS BEEN ON A MISSION IN 2011

The one key area for the 49ers to really improve upon is becoming more consistent in the passing game. Almost the entire 2nd half Alex Smith seemed out of sync with the offense and never really looked like much of a threat. Thanks in big part to the effective running of Frank Gore, that Smith didn't need to light up the stats sheet in order to get the win. I'm looking forward to seeing the 49ers open up the passing game more. However, the running game is working so well, it's very hard to go away from that. Ultimately, if it ain't broke then don't fix it. I'm liking the connection Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree have shown and look forward to more Braylon Edwards.

The 49ers will travel back to the East Coast to take on the struggling 3-3 Washington Redskins this Sunday. It's never easy to go West to East, and while I like the 49ers chances, especially against Grossman/Beck, anything can happen come Sunday. The 49ers do have a shot at wrapping up the division ridiculously early. Not sure whether thats a good thing or bad thing.

49ers Stats Leaders
Alex Smith - 1267 YARD's, 9 TD's, 2 INT's, 95.7 QB RATING
Frank Gore - 675 YARDS, 5 TD's
Vernon Davis - 297 YARDS, 3 TD's

Navarro Bowman - 68 TACKLES
Aldon Smith - 6.5 SACKS

San Francisco 49ers Week 8 Preview

By Kalen Patrick

The 5-1 San Francisco 49ers will host the 3-3 Cleveland Browns tomorrow at 1:15pm (PT). First things first here, I definitely like the 49ers chances in this game don't get me wrong. However, I do have a bad feeling that this could be a trap game. 49ers feeling great after their big win in Detroit, a week off, and then a Cleveland Browns team that while struggling, is 3-3 and will put up and won't be an easy out.

While the 49ers run game has been the driving force lately for the 49ers offense, I think Harbaugh will surprise the Browns by opening up the playbook more for Alex Smith and really getting guys like Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Delanie Walker and Braylon Edwards involved early and often. Thus keeping the defense off balance, and allowing Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter to pick up big chunks of yardage. Overall I do like how the 49ers match up against the Browns. I expect another solid and efficient outing for Alex Smith. Maybe 200-250 yards, 1/2TD's and 0INT's. Minimizing mistakes and avoiding costly penalties will be key here. As long as the offense doesn't kill itself with false starts and holding calls, I like how the 49ers should be able to move the ball.

KENDALL HUNTER - 49ERS RB

As for the defense, I think the 49ers always fare pretty well when they face slower and bigger backs like Peyton Hillis, usually is the smaller faster RB's that the 49ers struggle with. I'm gonna be keeping a keen eye on the pass rush, especially rookie Aldon Smith who has been a force his last 3 games (5.5 sacks). As usual, expect the 49ers under Vic Fangio, to come out blazing with lots of different blitzes. The 49ers will try to force Colt McCoy in to tough situations which could lead to turnovers.

Overall I'm confident in the 49ers ability in this game, I'm not really good at predicting scores, but if I had to guess I'm gonna say something along the lines of a 24-14 win for the 49ers. I really don't like being cocky going in to a game. I certainly hope the 49ers are up and ready for a tough challenge. The thought of going 6-1 is pretty incredible. Can't wait to check back and write the review for the game.

San Francisco 49ers Week 7 - Bye Week

By Kalen Patrick

After a great come back win over Detroit, and a very successful first 6 weeks to the season, the 49ers had themselves an extra week to relax and then game plan for the Cleveland Browns who will be visiting Candlestick Park this Sunday (1PM PT/4PM ET - CBS). The 49ers are at a very impressive 5-1, however, there is still a lot to work on. I think the main issue that needs to be addressed is the passing game. While the passing game is by no means awful (8 TD's and only 2 INT's), getting in to more of a rhythm and being able to execute more consistently will be key moving forward.

ALEX SMITH #11 TO MICHAEL CRABTREE #15

Alex Smith has been very efficient this season, and while he did pile up the yards in a very impressive come back victory against the Eagles, it would be nice to see him move the ball for effectively. The 49ers struggle on 3rd downs, a lot of this has to do with QB-WR chemistry, timing of the short passes, or making sure the route will take the receiver beyond the 1st down marker. What I did like was the ability of Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree to regain that confidence in each other as they hooked up for 9 receptions in Week 6 at Detroit. Improving upon this and the return of Braylon Edwards will be big for the passing game.

BRAYLON EDWARDS #17 IS EXPECTED TO RETURN THIS SUNDAY

When a team is 5-1 it can be hard to point to too many flaws. The defense and special teams have been incredible, Rookie Aldon Smith has been a beast the last 3 games (5.5 sacks). Ted Ginn and the special teams look like a threat every time he is ready to return a punt/kickoff. Also on offense the run game has really come together with Frank Gore going over the 100 yard mark 3 straight games and Kendall Hunter has provided a nice change of pace.

I do expect the 49ers the open up the pass more as they are able to delve more in to the playbook. With an effective passing attack, it will open up the running game that much more, and could make the 49ers a serious threat come playoff time.

Also to note, all 3 other NFC West teams lost in Week 7, the NFC West has been a total and complete disaster besides for the 49ers, and it could be very early that the 49ers clinch the division assuming they can keep up the level of play they have showed so far.

I like the 49ers chances against the 3-3 Cleveland Browns, especially with it being a home game. Even though teams coming off bye weeks have struggled this year, I still expect a W from this game. Should be a good one.

NFC West Standings
San Francisco 49ers - 5-1
Seattle Seahawks -     2-4
Arizona Cardinals -     1-5
St. Louis Rams -         0-6

San Francisco 49ers Week 6

By Kalen Patrick

The 49ers headed in to Detroit leading the NFC West with a very impressive 4-1 record. As I mentioned in my last post, I knew that the match up against the Lions was going to be no easy task, in fact I predicted a very close game that could go either way. Well luckily for the 49ers, it went there way in the end as the 49ers left Detroit with a 25-19 Victory over the previously undefeated Detroit Lions.

49ERS RB FRANK GORE RAN ALL OVER DETROIT

This was one of those well fought games that went back and forth, and only fans of each team could really appreciate. The 49ers started out slow in this game, trailing 10-0 in the 1st quarter, with Kyle Vanden Bosch's forced fumble and recovery playing a big part in that. However, the big difference maker on offense for the 49ers, Frank Gore, then took over (141 Yards on 15 Carries). A big run of 45+ yards set the 49ers up at the 1 and Gore himself punched it in. The game ended up going back and forth a lot all the way through, until Alex Smith's touchdown pass to Delanie Walker ultimately sealed the Victory for the 49ers.

The Victory was in big part to the excellent play of the 49ers defense, Frank Gore and the run game, good special teams, and Alex Smith making the play when the 49ers needed it most. One positive was how involved the 49ers got Michael Crabtree in the game. That will be vital going forward in the season especially since Joshua Morgan is on IR. 49ers will also get a nice boost after the bye week with the return of Braylon Edwards.

49ERS OLB/DE ALDON SMITH

The 49ers front 7 dominated the Lions, Willis and Bowman covered the entire middle of the field, while Justin Smith and rookie Aldon Smith both tormented Matthew Stafford all day long. Aldon Smith also forced the Safety in the 2nd quarter which turned out to be a huge momentum changer. He now has 5.5 sacks on the season and that is with little to no playing time in Weeks 1 and 2. Keep an eye on Aldon Smith as a potential Defensive Rookie of the Year.

So whats next for the 49ers? Well they now have a bye week, which will be big in allowing Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman to implement more of the offense and allow for the return of Braylon Edwards. The 49ers will then open the 2nd half of their season at home against the Cleveland Browns, which is a favorable match up to get the 49ers going again.

The 49ers now sit at 5-1 with a nice matchup coming out of the bye week and also 5 games left against weak NFC West opponents.

49ers Stats Leaders
Alex Smith - 1090 YDS, 8 TD, 2 INT, 63.3% CMP, 95.2 QB Rating.
Frank Gore - 541 YDS, 4 TD, 5.0 YPC
Vernon Davis - 24 REC, 241 YDS, 3 TD, 11.3 AVG
Navarro Bowman - 56 TACKLE
Aldon Smith - 5.5 SACK

San Francisco 49ers Updates Week 4+5

By Kalen Patrick

The last 2 weeks have been to put it simply "awesome" for the 49ers. Week 4 was a dramatic finish in Philly where the 49ers pulled out a 24-23 victory over the self-proclaimed 'Dream Team'. The 49ers followed that up with a very impressive victory in Candlestick Park against Tampa Bay with a 48-3 ass-kicking of the Bucs. This now leaves the 49ers in great position at 4-1 with a road game against the Lions coming up. That game will be no easy task but a win there would be HUGE going in to the bye week.

ALEX SMITH IN ACTION @ PHILLY IN WEEK 4

Lets take a look back at the last 2 weeks now. The most impressive individual player has definitely been Alex Smith (461 yards 5 TD's 0 INT's and 60% COMP. For a player like Alex Smith, in fact, for ANY QB those numbers are amazing. Alex Smith brought the 49ers back against the Eagles in the 2nd half and was dominant in the Tampa Bay game. The development of Smith has been key to the 49ers 4-1 record. After 5 games Smith has only 1 INT and has been extremely efficient passing the ball.

Gotta credit Justin Smith for stripping the ball off Jeremy Maclin to end any possible comeback for the Eagles in Week 4 and the entire defense was just legendary against a very capable Tampa Bay team.

49ERS CB - CARLOS ROGERS

All facets of the game have been playing very well the last 6 quarters of football. The Offensive-Line has really stepped it up, which has also allowed for Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter to pile up the yards. Most impressive has been the defense. Carlos Rogers has become a stud shut down CB, with INT's in 3 consecutive games. Quieting the myth of him being Mr.Stone Hands. The front 7 has been dominant, with Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, Navarro Bowman and Patrick Willis all playing at Pro-Bowl caliber level while Rookie Aldon Smith has been disruptive in passing down situations.

This Sunday in Detroit will be a huge test for the 49ers and Alex Smith in particular. With leading WR Joshua Morgan placed on IR, his weapons on the outside will be Michael Crabtree, Ted Ginn, Kyle Williams and newly signed Brett Swain. Expect a big week for Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, and I also expect Gore/Hunter to pile up the receiving yards.

The biggest question on defense is how do you stop Calvin Johnson? Long story short, you don't. All you can do is contain him and hope he doesn't completely kill you. Niners gotta get their run game and short pass game working, to hold the ball, keep it out of Stafford and CJ's hands. I think this will be a very very competitive game. Obviously I'm hoping for a 49er win, and I think it is possible, but even if the 49ers lose, we will be 4-2 at the Bye Week, with 5 divisional games, the Browns, Giants and Redskins all being very winnable games. Pittsburgh and Baltimore will be very tough but could even pull out a win in one of those games.

49ers Stats Leaders
Alex Smith - 965 YDS, 7 TD's, 1 INT, 65.9% COMP with a 104.1 QB Rating
Frank Gore - 400 Rush YDS, 4.3 AVG, 3 TD, 66 Receiving YDS.
Vernon Davis - 22 REC, 263 Yards 3 TD's
Navarro Bowman - 42 Tackles
Aldon Smith - 3.5 Sacks

San Francisco 49ers Pre-Season Week 1

By Kalen Patrick

Final Score:
San Francisco 49ers - 3
New Orleans Saints - 24

As the score suggests, the game was pretty brutal for the 49ers. Jim Harbaugh had an extremely tough task ahead of him this year. The lock-out prevented many offseason activities for the young 49er team and throw in MAJOR question marks at QB and you had to expect a very shaky first viewing. Throw in the fact Gregg Williams (Saints DC) decided to blitz the vast majority of the plays, which is typically a rarity in pre-season games.

While Alex Smith looked well like Alex Smith, the blame cannot be put completely on him. Alexcuses? Perhaps, but the o-line was awful, maybe Brady/Manning can work behind a garbage line, but 90% of the NFL QB's can't. Simple fact. The O-Line must get it together, for the 49ers to stand any chance this year. I do expect them to improve and look a whole lot better by September 11th (week 1) when they are much more comfortable in the offense. The positives on the offense were definitely at RB. Gore looked like his old self and Hunter looks like a great pick so far. Of course we can't look too much in to this. We all remember Thomas Clayton.

Colin Kaepernick got the majority of snaps at QB. And was pretty much what I expected, flashes here and there, bad decisions, and athletic. All things considered with the lockout and everything, he performed just as I thought he would.

The defense almost has the feel of the defense the 49ers have had the last few years. Bend not break, will keep the team in most games, and will need the offense to provide much more production if the 49ers aim to go anywhere this year. Aldon Smith looked very solid in his 49er debut, getting the only sack and providing a great rush all night. Newly signed Donte Whitner had a good game at safety too. Again, I feel this defense will be good enough to keep the team in games, just a matter of what the offense can do.

Harbaugh has essentially 1 month until the season opener. The offense will look better than it did tonight, the real question, is how much better will it look?

NFL - Crazy Times Ahead

By Kalen
In recent reports from reputable sources like ESPN's Chris Mortensen and SI's Peter King, all indications are the talks between the NFL Owners and Players Association have been very positive. It has been speculated that a deal could be reached and Free Agency could be upon us in mid-July. If this happens, well let the craziness begin!

The Free Agency period is always a crazy time of year, but this year it would be magnified 10 fold. Teams will be scrambling to sign their draft picks, re-signing their own potential free agents, looking in to signing undrafted rookie free agents and then of course bringing in other teams free agents. And for the cherry on top, players and coaches will be extremely busy planning Training Camp practice sessions and in the film room all day. So now I wanna give my thoughts on some of the burning questions many people will have. Lets do this.

Question #1

Which rookies (defense and offense) will have the biggest and most successful impact?

Offense: Julio Jones WR - Atlanta Falcons. Jones basically has everything going for him, he is in by far the best situation to succeed compared to any other rookie. He has a very talented franchise QB throwing to him, the Falcons already have well established veteran weapons in Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez and Michael Jenkins and they have a great Offensive Coordinator in Mike Mularkey. While we can argue how much it cost the Falcons to land Jones, I absolutely envision a big season for the rookie. If I had to guess I'm thinking he has approximately 900-1000 yards and 5+ TD's. Teams won't be able to matchup with the Falcons receivers and I also predict for Matt Ryan to have best season by far as a pro.

JULIO JONES IS A PERFECT FIT FOR THE FALCONS

Defense: Aldon Smith OLB/DE - San Francisco 49ers - In a recent post, I talked about how initially the pick seemed like a headscratcher, but in fact Aldon looks to be in a perfect situation to succeed. He will be the Demarcus Ware/Clay Matthews of the defense, his responsibility will be to get the QB or go where the ball goes. And I think he will be damn good at it. Of course being a 49er fan my opinion is biased but I don't care, he is not even close to being the focus of an opposing OC, and should be able to make many plays. It's too tough to predict tackle numbers, but I think he shocks the NFL world by attaining 10+ sacks and help the 49ers have one of the top defenses in the league.

Question #2

Where will Nnamdi Asomugha end up?

To answer this question, lets ask ourselves some other questions, what team has an obvious need at CB, has money to spend and is gonna be competitive right now? OK so the team I am going to say is more a team that is projected to be competitive. I'm gonna throw a curveball and say the Detroit Lions make the move to bring in Asomugha. Can you imagine that defense then? Suh, Fairley anchoring the line with arguably the best CB in the backfield. The Lions need help in their secondary, especially at CB. Asomugha is as shutdown as they come and would help tremendously in stopping the pass happy NFC North opponents. The Lions are most peoples surprise team, but if they add Asomugha they won't be sneaking up on anybody. Other possible destinations include: Baltimore, San Francisco, San Diego, Pittsburgh.

WOULD GOING TO DETROIT BE A WISE MOVE FOR NNAMDI ASOMUGHA?

Question #3

Where will the following QB's play in 2011; Carson Palmer, Kevin Kolb, Donovan McNabb and Kyle Orton?

Lets take it in the order I posted, if you guys have checked out my older posts, you'd already know my answers to Palmer and Kolb, I will keep it short, Palmer goes to Arizona and Kolb goes to Seattle. Both teams need franchise quality QB's and those QB's fit their potential respective teams perfectly. As for McNabb? I think he ends up in Minnesota. I don't think you wanna throw Ponder to the wolves just yet. McNabb can suffice for most of 2011 and give them a fighting chance. I think Orton probably stays in Denver for this year. It's a big transition year in Denver and while Tebow looked well in his play time in 2011, you can't trade away Orton just yet until the new coaching staff knows and trusts Tebow to be 'the guy'.

These were all the questions I could think of right now, if anyone has any questions just let me know and I will try and give my best answer. It's great hearing some positive news about the NFL and I for one am sooooo ready for some crazy times ahead!

Kalen from the Sports Cave.

SPREAD THE WORD

Aldon Smith - The 'Other' A.Smith

By Kalen
With the 7th pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the San Francisco 49ers select Aldon Smith, Defensive End Missouri. After Roger Goodell had said the previous words, followed confusion and anger among many 49er fans (including myself). I was 100% positive the 49ers would be taking Prince Amukamara or Blaine Gabbert, but no, the 49ers selected Aldon Smith or as I called him on facebook immediately after, Aldon who?

ALDON SMITH PICTURED WITH HEAD COACH JIM HARBAUGH AND GM TRENT BAALKE

Already I feel like Aldon Smith has become forgotten, which is so strange for such a high draft pick. Of course the NFL Lockout probably has a lot to do with this, but I still find it strange that the 7th overall pick is getting zero media attention in the Bay Area. Aldon Smith in my opinion has higher potential than 2nd overall pick Von Miller, of course my opinion is biased but even Miller himself kind of agreed with me. Miller was asked who he thought would be Defensive Rookie of the Year, did he say himself? Patrick Peterson? Marcell Dareus? No he said he thought it would be Aldon. Throughout the entire draft preparation process, Miller would have gotten to know the other top Defensive prospects very well, there must have been something about Aldon that thought "Hey, this guy is the real deal". 

While so many draft experts called the pick a 'reach', I say, wait 3 years and then see if the pick was a reach. When I first started watching the draft, I would slam every team that "reached" for a guy, but when I realized that players who were considered steals failed just as often as players who were considered reaches, I came to the conclusion, that every team has their guy. No GM or scouting department is perfect. The draft prep process is so long and detailed, I never buy when "draft experts" say one team panicked when a player got picked, and then reached. That is the biggest load of garbage I have ever heard. These guys have spent months and months, planning out the draft days, you think GM's don't have a Plan B, C, D, E, F? Come on now!

Of course the 49ers wanted Patrick Peterson there at 7, but I have no doubt in my mind, that the 49ers had imagined every possible scenario of what could happen, and then took the best player available on their board (Aldon Smith). Trent Baalke mentioned, calling teams to trade down, sure, in a perfect world the 49ers get an extra pick or two and still get Aldon but it takes two to tango and it takes two teams to make a trade work. 49ers tried and didn't get an offer they liked, so they took the guy they had highest rated on the board. After some research into the pick, I love it more and more.

THE 49ERS HOPE AND EXPECT TO SEE ALDON SMITH TERRORIZE QB'S

In the 2009 college season Aldon may have been one of the top pass rushers in college, in 2010 he suffered through an injured year, yet played through it (shows toughness and competitiveness), had a productive year all things considered, and is 100% healthy as we speak. He has a variety of moves and has potential through the roof. I know potential is one of those words people tend to hate, but this guy seems to have all the tools to succeed. Not to mention he is going to a defense which will be very aggressive under new Defensive Coordinator Vic Fangio. What Clay Matthews does in Green Bay, is what Aldon will do in San Francisco, only difference is Aldon will have the best MLB in the league beside him in Patrick Willis. 

If I'm 49ers GM Trent Baalke, I'm building the defense around these 2 guys, meaning, you have to give them protection with a good D-Line, and always put them in a position to play to their strengths. Which is why I think the 49ers should do what they can to bring back Aubrayo Franklin, Takeo Spikes and Manny Lawson. These 3 players are very talented, and along with Pro-Bowler Justin Smith, provide enough talent to allow guys like Willis and Aldon to make plays. I think Aldon is in the perfect defense for his skills, I think he will become a star in this league, I think he will be a pro-bowler, and I think the NFL world will soon (if there is football) know the name Aldon Smith, even if most 49er fans don't right now. 

This is Kalen from The Sports Cave. SPREAD THE WORD.