SANTA CLARA – Here’s the best of what I could see at Thursday’s padded practice:
NaVarro Bowman picked off Alex Smith on the second play of a red zone seven-on-seven drill. Smith was throwing to Vernon Davis, but Bowman had great coverage and easily snatched the pass away before Davis could get his hands on it.
Frank Gore was the best running back on the field once again today. It seems like he takes one of every three rushes all the way to the end zone. No other Niner running back breaks into the “second level” of the defense in practice as consistently as Gore does.
Nathan Palmer caught all four passes thrown his way. He even beat No. 1 cornerback Carlos Rogers twice in seven-on-seven drills. He keeps getting better, and if final cuts were made tomorrow he would deserve a spot on the Niners.
49ers RSS feed
Loading ...
Nathan Palmer, a cross town rival Central Highschool Blue Blazer. That would be something if he were to make the team.
Maybe there was a good reason beside a play on his name that Nate Palmer was given the Napalm nickname. The kid looks to be ‘explosive’ and could become this years biggest TC pleasant surprise. If he’s beating some of our best DB’ on shear physical skill right now, wait till he learns the nuances of the game.
We may have found a real ‘diamond in the rough’ in this kid!
Victor Cruz was a UDFA too. Stranger things have happened.
Doug Baldwin…
nathan palmer plays well and stays healthy look out crabtree
And a flurry of attacks coming in
1….2….
Good to hear Napalm is doing well. Will be interesting to see what he can do starting Aug 10.
It’s more like look out Williams
the problem with that is that Williams is also having a GREAT camp. the odd man out here is Crabs.. specially if he keeps skipping practices/pre-season games. My thoughts are, trade him and try to get a 3rd rounder out of him.
Williams is one of the best WR’s in camp,
I’d bet he doesnt get cut.
But if Palmer keeps it up (which he will) I bet they protect him on the 53, even if it means keeping 7 WR early in the season
Dont rule out the Niners trading a big name either
You people need to chill on crabs, yeah he got a minor injury… but give him a break he has been at the OTA’s and has been working hard. Lets not forget he was the most productive receiver last year. No way they give up on him just yet.
Cools
I’d be surprised to see a trade of a WR. Moss was available, nobody really went after him. If any trades happen, it would have at draft time.
MM – Was a FA pickup. If teams wanted him that much to trade picks for, he isn’t a Niner
MC – Hasn’t done anything of merit. Plus they would have to renegotiate his salary because he hasn’t earned what he gets this year. Would MC be open to that? Doubt it. I doubt he negotiates with us if we ask him. He held out thinking he deserves more. He isn’t changing his mind now.
KW – Could be said he cost us the title game and has little else on film. No way he gets traded.
Can we at least wait to see Napalm in a game before we give him the starting job and cut Crabtree? Is that too much to ask?
rocket
Best players play. Salary means nothing. Like I said, TC detrmines all, for the WR’s especially. Not a 1 of them have proven to br irreplaceable for the Niners based on what they have done so far as a Niner player. Thus the WR pecking order is undetermined.
Sigh…DS the WR pecking order has been determined. You just choose to live in an alternate reality. Nathan Palmer is fighting to make the team as the last receiver. He’s competing with KW and will most likey lose that battle and be cut unless he plays so well they decide to keep 7. The team will try and get him onto the PS and most likely will succeed. That is my prediction. We’ll see if I’m right in 4 weeks.
Nate dog in the heezy baby . I love the unknowns who make it. Yogowypi, you only get out what you put in
I’m rooting for the kid but the numbers are really against him. The four active on game day Crab, Moss, Mann and Ginn and inactives Jenkins and Williams. He’s got some buzz about him so getting him through waviers and on the practice squad might be tough. Is it possible we keep 7 wr to keep him on board.
He could beat out Williams
He can beat out everybody. TB has done a superb job. We can dump our top 3 paid WR’s (-AJ), and not suffer any salary cap pain if there are 3 better undrafted WR’s.
Not a great liklihood of that happening. But because of what TB did with contracts, every coaches dream is a reality with this team in terms of the best players play. Their contracts mean absolutely nothing . Every team says they do that, but they (most) are lying. This team really can do it. And it is all due to TB.
Now JH must select the best, and the best of the best, to be the starters. And I have full faith he will.
In JH I trust!
DS
It will be interesting to watch
every year we have a guy like palmar we get all excited then he dont make the team our does not have a nig impact on team.
@ jamar
1st, I’m pretty sure you meant big impact…….
I do remember all the fuss last year about the dude from USC (Johnson?), but this year I think that’s more Owusu. Palmer seems to be making plays against the big boys, might be the real deal.
Barrows just wrote this: “Jim Harbaugh gave a passionate defense of A.J. Jenkins this week, but the best-looking rookie wideout in training camp has been undrafted Nathan Palmer from Northern Illinois. Said offensive coordinator Greg Roman: “I like his demeanor, his athleticism, quickness, balance, ball skills, attention to detail, knowing what to do. Making instinctive adjustments that you can’t coach, or you can talk about coaching, but not everybody gets. Very positive. He’s done a great job. Nate, day-in, day-out — his stock’s going up.” To be sure, Roman would give a rosy description of any player he was asked about. But Palmer has been consistently solid since the spring, and he’s shown good downfield ability on a couple of long balls this summer. He’ll be one to keep an eye on when the preseason starts a week from today.”
Grant
Come game time, do you think NP gets a long look with the first team and AS as QB?
I think Moss, Manningham and Crabtree are the best receivers on the team, but Kyle Williams and Nathan Palmer are right behind those three right now in my opinion.
Grant
From the moment the Title game ended till now, I have not read/heard anything bad or can be construed as Not good about KW. I think if he stays healthy he makes the team. Of the players from last year he and MC have the most to prove. I have read /heard less than glowing things from/about MC in that same time frame.
Crabtree looked terrific before he got hurt. He was turning cornerbacks around in one-on-one drills.
I have read /heard less than glowing things from/about MC in that same time frame.
Really? Please share the sources of these things you’ve heard and read DS. I would love to hear and read them too.
rocket
Less than glowing opinion on MC – JR talking about how his weight and lack of seperation. And, MC postgame interview.
In the same area (fitness), TB said KW is working hard getting in better shape. This was awhile ago now from SFGATE. May take an hour trying to find it thru all the other blog entrys. And KW postgame interview was perfect.
The fact MC continues to get hurt early in TC means something rocket. You like to ignore it. He gets hurtbefore contact drills a little too often to be chance or bad luck alone.
Grant
True. All of you guys said that. But I’ve read great things about RM/KW/MM as well. And JH isn’t saying anything bad about anybody, so that evens out.
Can you ask JH straight up if he can tell us the WR starters now? It would clear a lot of questions.
DS,
Less than glowing opinion on MC – JR talking about how his weight and lack of seperation. And, MC postgame interview
Jerry Rice:
“I just did not see separation (from defensive backs),” Rice said to my Chronicle colleague, Ron Kroichick, and Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. “… I don’t know exactly what he weighs. Maybe he needs to lose 10 or 15 pounds and be more explosive.”
In his final 11 regular-season games, Crabtree, who is listed at 6-foot-1, 214 pounds, was on an 89-catch, 1,079-yard pace. Rice suggested the No. 10 overall pick in the 2009 draft is capable of more.
“I really don’t know him so I can’t comment on his work ethic,” Rice said. “They feel there’s potential there. It will be up to him to say ‘I’m going to be the best receiver I can be and I’m going to have to sacrifice some things.’”
I love JR as much as anyone, but these comments were made with absolutely no knowledge of Crabtrees weight or who he is as a person. He’s throwing opinions out with no knowledge of the subject. He’d fit right in on this board.
As you can see, Crabtree was much more productive the last 11 games. Now could there be a reason for that? Like maybe a broken foot that finally healed allowing him to run better and practice harder?
Stop looking for reasons to knock the guy down DS. Whether you like it or not he’s the Niners #1 WR. I don’t say this because I like Crabtree; I say it because it’s true. If he remains injured throughout TC, then there is a possibility Manningham moves to #2 and Crabs drops to #3, but if healthy, he’s the #1 guy.
rocket
I’m fine with you liking MC. This is a blog. Different people, different opinions. Don’t treat others like a jerk, and I’m cool with you.
You say you are not trying to convince me, but the evidence clearly leans towards the idea you are.
You don’t like my reasons. So, why not do something different rocket.
You tell me good reasons to not have MC as the starter/on the team. If you can’t (as I suspect) you don’t have a problem with my reasons at all. You have a problem with the notion that MC is anything but average and he is not assured of a spot. That it matters not my reason, the idea is what you have problems with.
Which is ok. But is inconsistent with the purpse of blogs. Different people coming together with different ideas in 1 spot.
I’ll even do the opposite. Reason he is all but assured of a starting spot.
You game?
PS This post adult enough for you?
Rocket,
You are wasting your time with this. DS’s dislike of Crabtree is too strong to be overcome by logic and facts.
Jamar,
Amen. I’m happy to hear Palmer is tearing up practice but everybody needs to keep things in perspective. Let’s see his impact in the games. If he looks as good in the games as he does in practice, then there will be some decisions to make. Right now he is an UDFA who is going balls out to make a team or at least the PS.
All Football all i like it,
Let’s assume he continues to perform well into the pre season. Do they cut him and hope makes it through waiver or do they keep seven wr on the roster. It’s possible that Moss and Ginn won’t be back next year so it would be nice to have a young talent like Palmer ready to step in. I would sacrifice someone like Rock Cartwright who is an older player who only plays on special teams.
Criggles
I believe they keep him on the PS. The bubble WR I see is K.Williams.
If Williams makes the roster, Napalm goes to the PS. If Williams is released, Napalm could get the roster spot.
But as rocket said, we need to see what NP can do in a game. We already know that KW is a good WR. My concern with KW is the health issue with concussions. He is one big hit going over middle away from some major concussion issues. If KW can stay healthy, he’s a keeper.
I think Williams has a spot, he’s next in line after Ginn as a returner despite his muffs in the chapionship game. Palmer would have to get cut and then get through waviers before he got to the practice squad. They may choose to risk it but he may look pretty tempting to a receiver starved team. I guess it’ll come down to how much potential they see in him.
Grant,
Bit of an odd request here. I’m coaching our local pop warner team here in town and I’d love to have them run a drill that the pros run. If able, could you describe a tackling or a blocking drill for me so I can tell the kids they run a pro drill it would be a lot of fun for them. I need to know general bag,cone set up and how the players move.
I realize that could be a lot so if so no worries but thanks anyway.
Thanks in advance from the Calistoga Cubs
Couple of thoughts. LaMichael James is going to replace Ted Ginn Jr next year as punt returner. Moss is only a temporary fix at WR. He has probably 1 of 2 years left in his tank, so the Niners needs to stockpile talented receivers(like Palmer and Williams). Although Williams is on very shaky ground.