;)
Receiver Taylor Jacobs is a soft-spoken guy who does nothing to stand out in the locker room. For the most part, he stays to himself. Jacobs has been speaking loudly on the field with his actions since an incredibly difficult first season with the 49ers.
Today in the paper I wrote about how Jacobs used his strong Christian faith to get through every parent's worst thought. Taryn Elizabeth Jacobs was 2 1/2 months old when she died of sudden infant death syndrome.
Taryn died Oct. 12. He missed the game three days later against the Chargers. He dealt with all that turmoil while also being new to the 49ers and trying to learn a new system.
This offseason, Jacobs has flourished. Coach Mike Nolan calls him one of the most skilled receivers on the team. He has looked very good in training camp after an impressive offseason program. Jacobs has a real chance to make the team.
* * *
It caught my attention today when Nolan was asked whether the club would keep five or six receivers. He said it was not likely the team will keep six.
Then he said of the decisions he'll face, "I don't think in the end it'll be very hard."
Right now, the 49ers have 10 receivers. Let's take a look at them:
--Arnaz Battle is going to be on the team. He is currently nursing a sore knee, but he has proven himself with the club.
--Darrell Jackson figures to be the likely starter at split end. He seems to be holding back a little, perhaps because of the toe injury that plagued him from the end of the season through the offseason. There is some question whether he'll be able to hold up.
--Ashley Lelie has been healthy from the start of training camp. The 49ers brought him to the club for a reason, but he still has to prove he can stay on the field for the long haul.
--Bryan Gilmore plays every position and is a good special-teams player. Still, the 49ers need more production than he gave them last season from the No. 3 spot.
--Brandon Williams doesn't appear to be one of the team's top four receivers, but he might be that guy if the team determines his return skills make him indispensable.
--Taylor Jacobs looks very good. If he can prove he can catch punts and be a threat in the return game, perhaps he gets the nod over Williams.
--Jason Hill has a heck of a lot of talent. He seems to be getting more comfortable every day. The third-round pick will certainly be on the 53-man roster, though it's uncertain how much of a factor he'll be as a rookie.
--Marcus Maxwell, C.J. Brewer and Dominique Zeigler each face difficult tasks of getting enough practice time to make an impact. They'll probably get their chances in the exhibition games, but it's looking as if it'll be difficult for any of them to crack the top seven.
* * *
Here are some more bits and pieces:
--Derek Smith and Patrick Willis are competing for the starting middle linebacker job. Both are doing well this training camp. Willis shows tremendous ability, but he still has a lot to learn. Smith knows the ropes and those troubling eye problems from last season no longer appear to be a factor.
"It's Derek's job to lose or someone to take from him in the base downs," Nolan said. "In third downs, it's Patrick's job to keep or lose."
--When the 49ers signed outside linebacker Mark Washington after he went unclaimed in the supplemental draft, the club moved Hannibal Navies to inside linebacker. Washington shows a lot of athletic ability. In a perfect world for the team, he will show enough to spend the year on the practice squad.
--Darnell Bing is getting limited reps at safety. The Raiders tried him at linebacker after drafting him out of USC in the fourth round of the '06 draft. But coach Mike Nolan said Bing doesn't play that well being close to the line of scrimmage.
"Hopefully, it's our fortune and their misfortune," Nolan said of the 49ers' decision to claim him off waivers from the Raiders. "He has a lot of work to do before we'll really know. I like the way he looks. He passes the 'look test.' That's somewhat important. You want bigger, stronger, faster guys. But it's too early to tell where he is as a football player."
--Michael Robinson was held out of practice another day, but he was very active nonetheless. Robinson took it upon himself to help out newcomer Arkee Whitlock. Robinson followed Whitlock into the huddle and then told him what to do on every play after the play was called.
"He's a great teacher," said Whitlock, a rookie. "He helped me out a lot. He definitely has a future as a coach."
Robinson said he would love to be a coach someday but hopes to have a long and prosperous NFL career first. "I think you really have to be a student of the game to play it and understand it."
As for why he would help a player against whom he's competing, Robinson said, "We're all here to make each other better and make the team better. You don't want to see someone get embarrassed and not know what he's doing. The best way for the team to get better is for everyone to be playing at their highest level. If one person doesn't know what he's doing, it slows down the practice and the whole team doesn't get better because of it."
--Nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin has an inflamed elbow and is scheduled to undergo an MRI. It's not believed to be serious.
--Guard Sean Estrada is back after a knee injury doing some work, but should be ready to go for Monday's practice.
--Guard Tavares Washington sustained an MCL sprain and is expected to miss about eight days of practice, Nolan said.
--Safety Michael Lewis showed some good leaping ability when he went up high in the back corner of the end zone to break up a pass for 6-foot-8 tight end Zach Hilton in a red-zone session.
--Jacobs had a phenomenal catch when he hauled in a deep pass from Trent Dilfer. Jacobs was being mugged by cornerback Nate Clements but kept his concentration. A penalty for PI was called on the play.
--By the way, four NFL officials and vice president of officiating Mike Pereira were in attendance during the practices. The officials are here to get a little practice themselves and allow the players and coaches to ask questions. The officials are scheduled to meet tomorrow with the media to go through the rules changes. During that time, we'll be given an opportunity to ask any questions regarding the rules.
--Ashley Lelie made a nice catch for a first down despite a well-timed hit by cornerback Sammy Joseph. Lelie gathered the ball by pinning it against his right shoulder pad. "Way to finish, Ashley," offensive coordinator Jim Hostler told him.
--And finally we end with this - let's just say I had a unique experience in the locker room with Frank Gore.
Because of the brace on his broken right hand, he wasn't able to get his towel around his waist prior to going into the shower. I was standing about 10 feet away and he asked, "Can you help me with this?"
I wasn't quite sure what he wanted. Frankly, I was a bit concerned as I approached him. Turns out, I had reason to be worried. He asked me to grab the other part of his towel, which was hanging down around his backside, and bring it around his back so he could grab it with his left hand. The problem was - well, never mind. You can figure that out.
It was a very delicate procedure, to be sure, and something I hope I'm never asked to repeat.
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Comments | Add Comment
Posted By: mike (07/08/2007 4:14:25 AM)
Comment: Very sad story about Jacobs & the timing really made it difficult to learn the new offense his 1st year. Him being one of Sullivan's favorites has to say something & it's showing right now. I really like this guy & am pulling for him. Only him & Battle have beat Nate (but now Nate's light is on & will be able to zero in, no more surprises.) He's practicing punt returns which he did way back in H/S & if he looks good at it I think he'll be the last pick at #5. He's bigger than Williams & TC reports say he's explosive. Pre-season games will show us the final story & I hope he can bring it here where it really counts & not just TC. DSmith is the ultimate team player & he deserves huge props for playing his guts & heart out year in & year out for MANY years esp. through our dog days where he played solid holding the middle. He's an accomplished VET & true professional. Camp says he's back to form w/his quality play & I'm w/Chuck..if Willis does take the starting job fr him down the road no doubt he'd be a quality backup & I think he would accept this no problem, he's got a lot of mileage. We've come a long way because many teams will pick up our cut WR's who should be able to contribute something to those teams. It feels awesome to have the quality depth for a change. Maxwell & Williams have been busting their tails working hard (I haven't followed Gilmore)..if they don't make the team Good Luck to those guys.
Posted By: http:// (07/08/2007 4:10:45 AM)
Comment: Very sad story about Jacobs & the timing really made it difficult to learn the new offense his 1st year. Him being one of Sullivan's favorites has to say something & it's showing right now. I really like this guy & am pulling for him. Only him & Battle have beat Nate (but now Nate's light is on & will be able to zero in, no more surprises.) He's practicing punt returns which he did way back in H/S & if he looks good at it I think he'll be the last pick at #5. He's bigger than Williams & TC reports say he's explosive. Pre-season games will show us the final story & I hope he can bring it here where it really counts & not just TC. DSmith is the ultimate team player & he deserves huge props for playing his guts & heart out year in & year out for MANY years esp. through our dog days where he played solid holding the middle. He's an accomplished VET & true professional. Camp says he's back to form w/his quality play & I'm w/Chuck..if Willis does take the starting job fr him down the road no doubt he'd be a quality backup & I think he would accept this no problem, he's got a lot of mileage. We've come a long way because many teams will pick up our cut WR's who should be able to contribute something to those teams. It feels awesome to have the quality depth for a change. Maxwell & Williams have been busting their tails working hard (I haven't followed Gilmore)..if they don't make the team Good Luck to those guys.
Posted By: DEE (03/08/2007 10:18:55 PM)
Comment: Mike 1:44:41 - thanks for the info, Brother, you failed to mention anything about Keith Lewis and since you know so much - who's going to play the LB spots in Nickel? Thanks for your astute observations.
Posted By: smashmouth51 (03/08/2007 1:58:37 PM)
Comment: Nolan knows how to motivate guys. If he says the team will only keep 5 wrs, I think that he really hasn't made up his mind. It is mor
Posted By: oneniner (03/08/2007 11:44:53 AM)
Comment: Am just not sold on Gilmore, but for sum reason i think he his valuable to the team, how i dont have a clue....i think we have our first disagreement btw nolan and Mc..... i read nolan wants jackson to practice harder and Mc says not to worry that Jackson will show up during games....Jackson sounds like trouble....Why cant we find a receiver like RICE....i mean what have we done to deserve this?
Posted By: Mike (03/08/2007 10:44:41 AM)
Comment: Dee - If you have read a single headline or followed the Niners at all this off-season you would know that they will now be running the 3-4. That means two middle LBs. I think its Gilmore that's left in the Cold - Lelie, Djack, Hill, and Battle are locks. Williams, Taylor, and Gilmore battle for the 5th. Way more upside in Taylor and Williams could double as our return man (although he did NOTHING last year). Very interesting since none would pass waivers and make the Practice Squad we can assume they are gonzo if they don't make the final 5. Great problem to finally have a little depth at WR.
Posted By: Michael (03/08/2007 10:30:57 AM)
Comment: Sounds like it's Williams against Jacobs for the #5 recevier and returner and Jason Hill deactice on gamedays. That would leave Gilmore out of the picture. Lelie would be the wild card if he gets injured again. Both Williams and Jacobs have had good off season you have reported but Nolan doesn't think the decision will be hard. Can't imagine it'd be easy to release a 3rd round pick of his. Your thought as to who has the edge?
Posted By: StonerLab (03/08/2007 7:32:23 AM)
Comment: Matt,
The "towel gate" was hilarious! Obviously it's way too early to predict who the 5 WR's are going to be when the roster is finalized but we all knew that this particular unit was going to be the toughest competition. I can't wait for the 1st pre-season game against the Broncos. By the way 49ers fans, I have tickets for that Monday night game & I'm willing to sell them for $80.00 for the pair (regularly $64.00 each) With the new e-mail system the 49er ticket office has set-up on their website I can easily e-mail you the tickets so long as you have a printer to print the tickets out. Thanks!
Posted By: oneniner (03/08/2007 7:08:54 AM)
Comment: Nice Read Matt.....interesting story about Jacobs, i had no clue he was going through that stress, sad story....So does that mean we keep 5 receivers, this is getting confusing and fustrating....how can we let B.Williams go, its just his second yr.....It sucks when i read your bits and pieces i am overcome with the fear someone got hurt...this is so intense, i dont want anyone hurt, especially A. Franklin, i pray it is not serious......and finally, the story with Gore, i thought that was the funniest event i ever read you wrote, you are definately the inside man....lol.."very delicate procedure"....funny.....thanks for the news........I cant believe we get to watch football this sunday.....Go niners
Posted By: Jon in SoCal (02/08/2007 10:54:58 PM)
Comment: Dee:
I think Matt means the OTHER MLB position.
Posted By: DEE (02/08/2007 10:17:40 PM)
Comment: Maybe I am not paying attention but isn't B-Moore the starting MLB??? I think he is the BADDEST of them all. And what about Keith Lewis??? I haven't heard a thing about him. Please fill me in one of you guys.
Posted By: Ken (02/08/2007 8:18:55 PM)
Comment: Matt, would you be surprise to see Ashley Lelie or Brandon Williams not make the team?
Posted By: steveW (02/08/2007 7:53:58 PM)
Comment: Matt, we are hearing alot about the defense and Vernon Davis - how does Alex Smith Look?
Posted By: sddave (02/08/2007 6:17:46 PM)
Comment: Matt, Welcome back, hope all is well with your father. We all appreciate your updates as you know. I just noticed you have the passing rater calculator on the blog. I have it on my computer, thought the guys would like to know that Alex had a 125 NFL converted rating his last year at Utah. His upside is phenomenal.
Posted By: chuck (02/08/2007 6:07:22 PM)
Comment: Even if willis beats out smith for the job, would it be so tragic to have someone like smith coming off the bench as a fourth backer?We need to remember the days when we thought it was awesome that jim maxwell was our fourth best linebacker!
Posted By: Bruce (02/08/2007 5:44:22 PM)
Comment: Matt, if you get the chance tomorrow you should ask the officials about the field goal last year that was called a miss and if there was any thought into if they might allow teams to challenge field goal calls. Thanks!
Posted By: Sean Matteson (02/08/2007 4:20:40 PM)
Comment: Matt, sounds like you have a future as a "towel boy." Did he give you a tip? That's some serious inside information right there. I wonder if we'll find Len Pasquarelli claiming the same story for himself later. When Mike Pereira is there would you mind asking him about the call in the Rams game where they ruled the pass incomplete to Tory Holt when Walt Harris had clearly caused a fumble. Please make it clear that they owe us one this year.
Posted By: Mark (02/08/2007 3:11:59 PM)
Comment: I just found this blog and its great. I added the feed to My Yahoo and look forward to checking it daily. Great insights. Last year, the 9ers defense woke up when they started keeping the players fresh by subbing often. Will that be the case with Derek Smith and Patrick Willis? Regardless, this is great to have such a deep linebacking corp!!!
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