Posted By: Otis4949 (02/09/2008 3:09:26 PM)
Comment: Mr. Lloyd, It has nothing to do with his opinion - except for the fact that all he says all day every day over and over and over again usually about 4 times per post is that JTO is a cheater and that Alex Smith is is a football God... My point here, Mr. Lloyd and all others still reading this article is enough is enough - give your two cents, wait for responses - rebut and move on... I am sick of reading the same incoherent drivel that has plagued this blog since Darren decided to hate the Niners - if he indeed is "no longer a Niner fan" then he should quit muddying the boards with his incessant, rabid "Fire Nolan" "Boo the Niners at the game" and "Start Alex Smith" Nuff said...

Posted By: 49erLloyd (02/09/2008 2:55:28 PM)
Comment: Hey Otis, lay off the dude. Ever heard of talent on loan from God? Savage Nation? Damon Bruce? Point is, it's an opinion. Don't like it, don't read it. Don't respond to it would really help. It's also a fan's choice whether or not to support JT, and I'm with the support Alex Smith group. Does that mean I'm a bad 49er fan? I'm glad we had historians like Dr. Martin Luthor King that see to it we have a right to protest for a right, which include who you want as a 49er QB? JT can have the job for now, but it still belongs to Alex Smith in 09, Otis.

Posted By: Otis4949 (02/09/2008 11:17:37 AM)
Comment: Matt - going to continue to allow Darren to pollute you blog? It's enough where you're going to lose me as a loyal everyday reader.

Posted By: Darren (01/09/2008 10:42:42 PM)
Comment: Thankfully, I'll hopefully be working on sundays so I don't have to watch JT. For the first time in 28 years, I'm not looking forward to our 49ers season. I don't want JT to be a Kurt Warner. I'm scared that if JT does great, Alex's days as a niner may be numbered. I don't want that.

Posted By: Jesse O 805 (01/09/2008 9:42:35 PM)
Comment: Hey Darren!, Nice Comment! Don't open up your mouth till you see him play with the niners. I'm content with the decision to have JT as starting QB. I just want the NINERS to start winning!! Put the best QB in.

Posted By: Darren (01/09/2008 3:16:07 PM)
Comment: I would like to have Mike Nolan fired and Alex Smith kept on the team. Why should JT get 10 million next year? I hope JT is cut from the team by Bye Week. I cut him off Madden 09.

Posted By: vic valdez (01/09/2008 2:59:32 PM)
Comment: I don't think it was a bad move. Ijust think there were bettr moves to be made. I think keeping Clayton,or another o-lineman would be better.

Posted By: usemegirls_99@yahoo.com (01/09/2008 7:17:34 AM)
Comment: matt, what are the chances we use one of those two open practice squad spot's on cam colvin?

Posted By: Jake (01/09/2008 6:47:47 AM)
Comment: A BAD CHARACTER GUY who can't even make the team with the WORST DEFENSE in football! Great pick up Scotty Mac and Nolan! From a Personel STANDPOINT you two have made some bad decisions this offseason and preseason. Should have drafted DeSean Jackson instead of Balmer?? Should have cut Alex Smith in the offseason instead of giving him the roster bonus?? Should have brought in another veteran QB with EXPERIENCE to at least be the 2nd string guy?? And now follow one terrible LB signing in Thomas with Brooks???

Posted By: Frank (01/09/2008 4:06:16 AM)
Comment: Couple of things...first, Brooks is worth the gamble. He needs someone like Singletary...to help him realize his potential, which is high. De La Puente? Are you kidding me? He had a good camp/preseason, but we need OT's, not OG's, or have you forgotten we drafted Rachal, and already have Snyder, Baas, Wragge who play the position. Look at the freakin' roster! As for Lynch, no, no, no! He's over the hill...and we are deep in S. Again...look at the roster. We're no longer looking to sign whoever clears the waiver wire.

Posted By: Dirk (01/09/2008 12:17:32 AM)
Comment: Finley is no suprise at all. The scout team needs a 4th TE. Don't want starters working twice in practice. Same reason we keep 2 DL. Remaining slots are for a 2nd OL and another WR.

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (31/08/2008 11:48:38 PM)
Comment: Berger, I thought of you immediately after reading Kirwans' piece, where have you been?

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (31/08/2008 11:45:27 PM)
Comment: Interesting article on the rising trend of Hybrid Defenses from Pat Kirwan - Seems Justin Smith getting all the work in coverage had some justification?http://www.nfl.com/kickoff/story?id=09000d5d80a518b3&template=without-video&confirm=true

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (31/08/2008 11:40:08 PM)
Comment: SonocoNinerFan, for that very reason JJ has not lived up to expectations, injury prone. Hoping Nolan lit the fire to keep him focused, but for the amount of money he makes, he's missed a LOT of time. Willie Anderson may be coming to the end too, but I'd be interested to see the comparisons of games played/sacks allowed etc, he was an exceptional OT in his younger days and played on some pretty poor Bengals teams. As the story goes, what have you done for me (the team) lately in the NFL. I too hope the move back to ORT will pay off.

Posted By: Darren (31/08/2008 10:46:27 PM)
Comment: I'll start Rollin' when Alex Smith returns as our starting QB. I hope our D is good, but I don't know. Nolan must be getting desperate and can't sleep at night anymore.

Posted By: niner fan (31/08/2008 10:28:03 PM)
Comment: what about singing WR chad jackson. he was just released by the patriots. he was a 2nd round draft pick in 2006 and i thought the 49ers were really interested in him then

Posted By: ninerglory (31/08/2008 10:00:25 PM)
Comment: Bottom line after all the cuts and signings so far, we need to add an offensive lineman to the practice squad at least. The OL has been extremely injury prone this training camp and historically in prior seasons. Just this offseason and training camp, Baas, Staley, Snyder and JJ have missed time.

Posted By: Rich, San Ramon (31/08/2008 9:43:33 PM)
Comment: Brooks is an OLB or a Ted?

Posted By: SonocoNinerFan (31/08/2008 9:27:18 PM)
Comment: You guys raggin on JJ are out to lunch. I realize he's injury prone but when he plays he pulls his weight. Before he had his hand stepped on he was ballin this pre-season. I think he's going to have a good year.

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (31/08/2008 8:58:55 PM)
Comment: As long as we're going to debate the possible roster swaps, I'll lobby for OT Willie Anderson (if unclaimed) and say he'd be an upgrade to Jonas. Not sure how the salary comparisons/ramifications would factor, but I loved Willie years ago coming out of Auburn and wished we could have grabbed him in the Draft.

Posted By: Marc - NJ49er (31/08/2008 8:55:11 PM)
Comment: Matt does Dr Harry Edwards have a consultants role with the team any longer? I know he counseled players for years with Bill Walsh's staff?

Posted By: Jon in SoCal (31/08/2008 8:44:21 PM)
Comment: It is next to impossible for an OL to control his weight (see Paris, Bubba). So I wouldn't count on that. Oher is a stud. If you haven't read about his life, you should. Michael Lewis (Moneyball) wrote about him in "The Blind Side". One of the best sportsbooks out there. You should definitely check it out.

Posted By: Pat (31/08/2008 8:20:44 PM)
Comment: I think the options are... Chad Jackson as the 6th WR as mentioned. Rosevelt Colvin seems an obvious upgrade over Rod Green or TBC, Dre Moore as DLine depth, but at the expense of who? This team is so much deeper then in years past, we all should be optimistic on the future.

Posted By: mike in MD (31/08/2008 8:08:25 PM)
Comment: thanks 49er69, Keena's a good man. Good to know, we need him. There's NO COMPARISON of JJ to De la Puente when it comes to talent (except age/maybe durability). Another OT came up for me as tops on my wish list for the next Draft. 1st is still Oher who has star potential. 2nd is Andre Smith/Alabama..only thing with this guy is he HAS TO watch his weight. IF he can keep this under control he supposedly could exceed Oher. That's a BIG IF 'cause you know these guys love to chow down on their burgers & steak. Controlling his weight is Smith's ticket to becoming an elite tackle in the NFL. There's about 3-4 1st round OT's in '09.

Posted By: Randy in Santa Rosa (31/08/2008 7:02:36 PM)
Comment: Ken Jr.- Nolan likes high character guys, so Brooks doesn't fit the Nolan guy profile. But, he has big potential... And with Singletary, Manusky & Nolan coaching him up, he could be a pretty good signing as long as he stays out of trouble. Moore is overrated. The guy was always out of position and had way too many missed tackles. I wasn't surprised at all when the Cards released him.

Posted By: Jon in SoCal (31/08/2008 6:35:09 PM)
Comment: Thank you starlite! JJ is a MUCH better player than de la Puente. They would probably cut a DB like KLewis than an OL.

Posted By: http:// (31/08/2008 6:32:18 PM)
Comment: Just as long as Clayton doesnt slip away, I could care less about these other scrubs.

Posted By: Ken Jr. (31/08/2008 6:31:04 PM)
Comment: Brooks seems like a nolan guy... kicked off college team for smoking weed and punched a lady (allegedly) in the face for asking him to take a fight he was already in elsewhere because he was scaring her children. And he was released by the bengals. Your telling me this is better than brandon moore? Brandon may not have been the brightest, but he was a straight shooter who played his heart out.

Posted By: Razoreater (31/08/2008 6:12:11 PM)
Comment: De La Puenta had one good game just like O'Sullivan. Go figure.

Posted By: starlite (31/08/2008 6:01:52 PM)
Comment: I can't believe some of you wanted to cut jonas for de la puente. That's just dumb. Jonas rates out a lot better than de la puente and carries some kind of trade value. I really liked de la puente, I wish we could have kept him on the practice squad. He is going to be a good player in the NFL. Looking forwArd to the season. If it works out we can challenge for the division. Good call on cutting Thomas, hissed a lot of tackles in the games I saw him play.

Posted By: Asianxmen (31/08/2008 5:55:19 PM)
Comment: What about adding Marcus Pollard?

Posted By: James D. (31/08/2008 5:50:00 PM)
Comment: AsianXMen: I don't think the 49ers will be interested in Lynch.....At this stage of his career, he is not an upgrade over who we already have in Michael Lewis. As for your question about WRs, Chad Jackson was also cut by the Patriots. Oh, and there is always Ashley Lelie.

Posted By: Asianxmen (31/08/2008 5:36:22 PM)
Comment: Hey Matt I just notice that New England waived Safety John Lynch. Any chance the Niners can claim him and upgrade that position. Also any chance we can get another WR. Is there anyone interesting on the wire.

Posted By: 49er69 (31/08/2008 5:22:31 PM)
Comment: Mike in MD... I believe the 49ers do have the person you are asking about, he is Ex 49er Keena Turner - V.P. of Football Affairs.

Posted By: shobbrobb (31/08/2008 5:02:13 PM)
Comment: Now about the positive.We have potentially upgraded our linebacking corps with the subtraction of Thomas and Moore and the addition of Spikes and Brooks if these guys can fit in and be productive

Posted By: Asianxmen (31/08/2008 4:56:04 PM)
Comment: Matt is there any chance the Niner can pick up Marcus Pollard. I think he still has some years on him and he would be another veteran and deep threat on the offensive side.

Posted By: michael in windsor (31/08/2008 4:51:54 PM)
Comment: Brooks is nothing to be excited about he can't even make the bengals defense and there defense is horrible.

Posted By: mike in MD (31/08/2008 4:47:01 PM)
Comment: Matt - do the Niner's have anyone in their Staff to assist either Rookies or the younger players with a troubled past? McNolan is pretty good choosing good character guys but for the players that have had problems that we pickup, I think it would be a good idea to invest on a mentor for these guys. Dallas has someone who takes care of that. Do we? If not, do you think we should hire someone to take that role who could create some type of "big brother" program?

Posted By: shobbrobb (31/08/2008 4:38:13 PM)
Comment: Case in point whom would u start in a emergency? Rachal,Wallace or De La Punte? Actually the coaches already made that choice.

Posted By: ninermaniac (31/08/2008 4:37:27 PM)
Comment: Thanks Marv!

Posted By: SonocoNinerFan (31/08/2008 4:29:13 PM)
Comment: I have sense, thank you very much for asking Dan . . . criminy. By second tier I meant practice squad as opposed to 53-man roster, not second string. Like my post CLEARLY states, we weren't going to carry five OG's. De La Puente didn't rate a roster spot on this team. And I think Wragge is playing plenty good enough start.

Posted By: Darren (31/08/2008 4:17:04 PM)
Comment: Cut Jonas Jennings. Cut Jonas Jennings. That's how we could keep De La Puente. But no, Nolan let him go to another team. Are there 2 other players to sign up for PS that are any good?

Posted By: A to the F (31/08/2008 4:01:04 PM)
Comment: Sign Colvin, sign Colvin, sign Colvin!!!

Posted By: shobbrobb (31/08/2008 3:56:16 PM)
Comment: Alot of u guys get caught up in quanity the same type of thinking that before the draft there was alot of that 'WE GOT 3 QB's' talk.Not really recognizing or realizing we had 3 not to good QB's,The thing that i liked about De La Punte is he looked alot better than the rookies and Synder.Which tells me that he is a guy that will improve to a very good player in the next few seasons.wont dwell on it hes gone damn good pickup by KC.

Posted By: Dan da Silva (31/08/2008 3:50:51 PM)
Comment: How was De La Puente clearly the best of the 2nd tier 0-Linemen? Because of his 1 decent start? If you had any sense, you would realize that Wragge is CLEARLY our best 2nd tier linemen, hence the reason why he'll probably be starting this year over Snyder or Baas... If we kept De La Puente, you guys would then be crying on if we cut Rachal or Wallace since they were draft picks... And cutting Jonas Jennings makes absolutely no sense since we have almost no depth at OT, and he has clearly been our best O-Linemen throughout all of training camp according to several reporters. And keep in mind, all of Jonas' injuries required surgery so it's not like he wasn't playing because he had the flu... It's the NFL and it's a violent game, stuff happens.

Posted By: SonocoNinerFan (31/08/2008 3:39:46 PM)
Comment: De La Puente was clearly the best of the second tier O-linemen this summer, but not established enough to beat out Baas, Snyder or Wragge, and Rachal was a roster lock by virtue of his draft position, and we weren't going to carry five OG's But kudos to him for breaking through and to K.C. for maybe finding another diamond in the rough this off-season. Hey Matt is there a point in time after final roster cuts when a team can sign ANYONE to the practice squad not excluded by the accrued season rule?

Posted By: Raffaele (31/08/2008 3:37:30 PM)
Comment: Which interior lineman to drop, and keep de la Puente? That's easy--get rid of always hurt and never effective Jennings. He has not worked out well and never will.

Posted By: jeremy (31/08/2008 3:16:31 PM)
Comment: Check out Brooks in College!!!! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aErFwwUf9XE

Posted By: Cleveland Mike (31/08/2008 3:12:22 PM)
Comment: Hey Skinguy91-Even an old dog like me can still learn. You are right....my error. Let's hope the Brooks kid contributes to a good year.

Posted By: JBG (31/08/2008 3:08:15 PM)
Comment: Regarding De La Puente, assuming you want to keep 9 OL (pretty much the norm), which of these guys would you have waived in order to keep him: Staley, Baas, Heitmann, Wragge, Jennings, Snyder, Rachal, Wallace, Sims?

Posted By: Dan (31/08/2008 3:05:04 PM)
Comment: For those of you who are crying about De La Puente because he had 1 decent game in preseason, we already have 9 o-linemen! And all of our depth is in the interior line... We already have Rachal, Wallace, and Wragge as our backup interior linemen... There just wasn't enough room for De La Puente... No point in cutting someone at another position for some guy that will never see the field anyways... He would've been a 3rd string guard that would be at the very bottom of the depth chart.

Posted By: jeremy (31/08/2008 2:53:37 PM)
Comment: Great Move!! Brooks is a good player and will provide another good body on special teams. Hopefully he will push for a starting job by the end of the year! He has all the tools to be a starter in the NFL! GREAT MOVE!!!

Posted By: shobbrobb (31/08/2008 2:40:51 PM)
Comment: I applaud the Brooks pickup,but how can u drop the ball on De La Puente,We cant afford to give potentially good linemen away,especailly when its a weak area on the team,De La Puente performed well as a rookie and could have really helped thi team in the future.Im actually suprized Martz allowed it to happen,although the ultimate decision isnt his

Posted By: proenhance (31/08/2008 2:40:28 PM)
Comment: If Brooks is a decent player, then why was he released by the Bengals? It kinda makes you wonder when a horrible defense releases you at such a young age....

Posted By: Skinguy91 (31/08/2008 2:26:40 PM)
Comment: Um. Pretty sure Brooks is the son of former Redskin Perry Brooks

Posted By: Cleveland Mike (31/08/2008 2:19:09 PM)
Comment: Folks.....Brooks can play. I saw him at several UVA and Bengals games...he can flat out play. He is your Ted guy. Hopefully Mike S. can get him to produce and focus on football. He is the son of former Ram Larry Brooks. The Bengals are so messed up who knows what happened in da Jungle???

Posted By: Mike in Sac (31/08/2008 2:12:03 PM)
Comment: Brooks can't be hurt or when cut he would have received an injury settlement. My guess is since he was not starting and the Bengals have enough character problems...he was cut. If this guy has a chance I am guessing Singletary can make it work. If this guy could bloom it would be a pretty strong inside with him and Willis next year as long as we can get some type of upgrade at NT. This could be quite a steal. Niners have a pretty good short term record with alleged problem kids, see Clayton and Brown. I still think if given a chance Clayton has a future in the league.

Posted By: Rich, DE (31/08/2008 1:48:46 PM)
Comment: If he likes running through moving brick walls, we could use him.

Posted By: Darren (31/08/2008 1:45:07 PM)
Comment: There, see? Other then I don't like the QB situation, I'm feeling a little hopeful of our D. See, you ask a little bit of your team and they finallY RESPOND! Good move, but unfortunately, I got to create Ahmad Brooks on Madden 09. It was hard enough to create Zak Keasay for Moran Norris! I still hope we don't cut Alex Smith, but you almost wonder with chris Simms out there. A core of good LBs can make our crap for Dline look a little now. Slot Lawson or Willis in pass rush mode and get some good cover guys in Spikes/Brooks, maybe we have a chance. But again, Alex Smith does not go.

Posted By: mayo63 (31/08/2008 1:37:23 PM)
Comment: I really like Brooks could be our future TED. Good-bye Thomas.

Posted By: Randy in Santa Rosa (31/08/2008 1:35:15 PM)
Comment: Good move McNolan. Glad to see Thomas gone... Brooks is listed at 6-3, 260 lbs. Would love to see him at ted. Good potential. Hopefully, he can stay out of trouble...

Posted By: mike in MD (31/08/2008 1:33:49 PM)
Comment: Is Brooks healthy enough to play this year? He had a torn groin muscle in the 2nd game last year & it ended his season. Is he still rehabbing? Could be a possible TED. 6'3"/260 lbs, only 24 yrs old. He's the most athletic LB we have at that size. Has low mileage. He only played 11 games in 2006, & 1 last year. If he's still injured can he be put on IR? Could be a nice project to be put on the backburner & let him develop for the future.

Posted By: Alameda Bill (31/08/2008 1:26:58 PM)
Comment: My guess is another WR and a tackle. Finley is a surprise. Didn't show me anything. Maybe it was the 49ers intention to "keep him under wraps"

Posted By: Mike (31/08/2008 1:24:27 PM)
Comment: Hi Matt, I love the move of picking up Ahmad Brooks. Question do the Niners take a salary cap hit in releasing Thomas? How long was the contract he signed this year when the Niners signed him as a free agent?

Posted By: Michael C (31/08/2008 1:24:01 PM)
Comment: We blew it with Dela Puente. We should have signed him! I am blown away by Nolan signing Brooks. I loved him coming out of college but I thought that he wasn't angelic enough for coach.

Posted By: Jon in SoCal (31/08/2008 1:22:28 PM)
Comment: This is a bit of a whatever signing. Thomas was buried down the depth chart and this is just a swap of MLB scraps. Grant is on the PS, so we can move him up if he shows anything. Maybe we'll sign OL/DL and a WR for the PS

Posted By: josh (31/08/2008 1:15:12 PM)
Comment: Wow, really surprised about this... Wold have liked them to keep Grant and not picked up some scraps from an already bad defense.. Any info on Brooks, Matt?

Posted By: Pat (31/08/2008 1:13:59 PM)
Comment: Nice move, Thomas looked bad the other night. Any interest in Chad Jackson from the Pats ?