Let the nutcracking begin!

Just as advertised, Mike Singletary inaugurated Training Camp 2010 with a rousing nutcracker drill. The linemen, linebackers, fullbacks and tight ends were divided into three adjacent stations, with battles rotating quickly among the three.
It was a violent and fast-moving spectacle, and Singletary had to stop the action a couple times early to warn players not to hit after the three-second whistle. The second time he threatened to make the whole team run if the whistle wasn’t obeyed. He also commanded his assistants to blow the whistle if the grapplers turned sideways.

August 2, 2010
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Notes and observations from today’s practice

Notes and observations from the first practice of the 49ers’ 2010 training camp…
• Despite his usual bluster, TE Vernon Davis is taking the high road on talk of a contract extension. When I asked him if he had seen the numbers on the five-year extension the San Diego Chargers recently gave Antonio Gates – a maximum of $36 million, with $20.4 million guaranteed – he said he had, but that he’s more worried about training camp than being the league’s highest-paid tight end.
“It’s not something on my mind at the moment,” said Davis, who is in the final year of his contract. “I just don’t want to deal with it.”

August 1, 2010
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Davis and Iupati open camp as backups

Between them, tackle Anthony Davis and guard Mike Iupati were guaranteed $26.8 million when they signed their first NFL contracts Friday. But no one guaranteed them starting jobs.
That fact was reinforced this afternoon when the 49ers lined up for their first practice of Training Camp 2010. The two high-end rookies got hardly any time with San Francisco’s first-team offensive line during team period, working with the second unit while David Baas and Adam Snyder got the call at left guard and right tackle, respectively.

August 1, 2010
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No sign of Aubrayo Franklin yet

The 49ers’ veterans were supposed to check in between 8 and 9:30 this morning. The period came and went with no sign of NT Aubrayo Franklin, the Niners’ unhappy franchise player.
The team was not yet marking Franklin as officially absent, with meetings set to begin at 10:30. But as training camp gets set for kickoff with an afternoon practice tomorrow, it is looking less and less likely that the eighth-year veteran will begin the summer campaign with the 49ers. He would net about $7 million by signing his franchise tender, but presumably wants a long-term deal instead.

July 31, 2010
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How Taylor Mays became a film buff

With a sizable chip on his shoulder (at least if you judge by the barbs aimed at Pete Carroll on draft day), a new style to learn and a lot to prove in the NFL, it made sense that Taylor Mays would be an early signing. He was neither early nor late, putting pen to paper this morning, a couple hours before he was scheduled to sit in his first meeting of training camp.
Now we know why Mays didn’t sign earlier: He had to wait for the player slotted directly in front of him, former Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen.

July 30, 2010
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49ers’ rookies ready for some contact

We’ve seen plenty of the 49ers’ rookies by now, after two minicamps and numerous voluntary practices. But when the Niners put on the pads and do some hitting Monday – the team will line up in shells on Sunday afternoon – it will be a whole new viewing experience.
Watching a football team in non-contact practices is like watching a professional boxer hit the speed bag. It may be impressive in some ways, but it isn’t highly instructive.
Now the gloves comes off, so to speak.

July 30, 2010
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49ers sign all their draft choices

The 49ers had a busy and encouraging Friday morning, signing all four of their top draft choices to contracts by 10:30 a.m.
Tackle Anthony Davis, the No. 13 overall pick, signed a five-year deal worth as much as $26.5 million, with nearly $16 million of it guaranteed (as first reported by ESPN). Guard Mike Iupati, taken four picks later, bagged a five-year deal of his own that will bring a maximum of $18.25 million, with $10.8 million guaranteed (first reported by NFL Network).
Safety Taylor Mays (second round) and linebacker NaVorro Bowman (third) each signed a four-year contract. Money figures were not immediately available.

July 30, 2010
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Two coaches, two approaches

I went out to the field behind the Napa Valley Marriott on Wednesday to see what Tom Cable had to say about the Raiders and the start of training camp.
There was one awkwardly funny moment worth repeating. A writer for one of the big national web sites asked a couple questions regarding Jason Campbell, Oakland’s new starting quarterback, then followed up with this query: How strange was it to deal with a QB who had no love for the game?

July 29, 2010
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Dusting off the summer hot seats

Unless you are Patrick Willis or Frank Gore or a similarly tenured NFL veteran, training camp is one giant hot seat. Every practice is significant, every rep an opportunity to stand out (for better or worse). But training camp 2010 will not treat every Niner equally. Here are the players with the most to prove when practices begin next week.

July 26, 2010
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Rip Van Winkle is back on the 49ers beat

During the latter stages of my admittedly epic vacation, I started to feel remiss, even lazy. How could I abandon my readers for a full month, leave them bereft of 49ers minutiae during the heart of summer? In the past week, the whisper inside my ear became a full-throated roar: GET BACK TO WORK!!
But playing hooky didn’t teach me any valuable life lessons. Catching up on Niners news, it appears that the only significant occurrences during my month away were (1) the signing of sixth-round draft choice Nate Byham and (2) Frank Gore’s unexpected entry into the event-planning profession.

July 26, 2010
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Hill (and his back) is back

Hill (and his back) is back   No, 49ers quarterback Shaun Hill did not require assistance to walk. Instead, there he was jogging around the perimeter of the field prior to the start of practice this morning.  

August 27, 2009
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Main man on offense is RB

Main man on offense is RB   For the fifth time since the opening of training camp, 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye met with the media. Raye has been a delight during these sessions with his well-reasoned and straight-forward answers to the media’s questions.

August 25, 2009
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Help is on the way for pass rush

Help is on the way for pass rush   The 49ers activated defensive lineman Ray McDonald today off the physically-unable-to-perform list just three days after coach Mike Singletary said he did not know whether McDonald would be available for the regular-season opener.

August 24, 2009
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Smith gets his big chance

Smith gets his big chance   Coach Mike Singletary said he’s closer to a decision at quarterback, which is good news because the 49ers open the regular season in three weeks. Don’t read anything into it, but Alex Smith will get the start Saturday night against the Raiders.

August 21, 2009
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Singletary: We made progress

UPDATE: The 49ers reached an agreement on a one-year contract with free-agent cornerback Eric Green, National Football Post reported. Green, a fifth-year pro, signed with the Dolphins this offseason after spending his first four years with the Arizona Cardinals.   The 49ers must create a spot on their 80-man roster for Green. The 49ers informed fullback Zak Keasey they will release him with an injury settlement, a league source said. Keasey is expected to…

August 19, 2009
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