Posted By: Ben (21/09/2007 3:11:47 PM)
Comment: I just realized that the Steeler tight ends are kind of slow. Losing Manny Lawson for his coverage skills should hurt us less when going up against big, slow tight ends like they have in Pittsburgh. We'd be much worse off if facing a jeremy shockey.

Posted By: Joe L (20/09/2007 10:17:59 PM)
Comment: Sorry to hear about Manny Lawson. Bummer. How about the Niners bringing back Roderick Green? I think that the Niners made a mistake in letting him go. Hope they realize it and re-sign him back. He would really help with the Niners pass rush as he had consistently shown last season.

Posted By: Jawn'tae in SD (20/09/2007 10:04:04 PM)
Comment: Manny down is a tough loss...but it is like a Marine platoon....when one guy goes down, his brother takes his spot. Parys will play with passion/courage in his heart for his good friend The Man Mann

Posted By: Huck Finn (20/09/2007 5:03:10 PM)
Comment: Matt, I have been a faitful follower of your blogs for some time and will spare you the accolades at this time because you already know your value as an insightful, respected inside source of 9er info. But with all this talk previous talk of your softball prowess, why hasn't a man of your stature organized a softball tourney between the Niner and Raider fans. Your blog vs. their blog. Hint: could be an excellent charity event. I work with inner city youth and knowmany true, honest organizations that could use the dupport. Tournament could even be held it in the Spring with players having the oportunity to walk to the plate for a free hack. Al Davis should should be warned though about hitting up the Pitcher's alley and messing with the line-up. This is just a brainstorm, Matt,but think of the potential. I am sure there are readers here who would want to step up. Sorry, I am new father of twins with another (whoops) coming. But I would help to the greatest extent possible. Good causes like this always bring a rewarding enthusiasm. sometimes we got to earn a moral paycheck.

Posted By: StonerLab (20/09/2007 4:31:21 PM)
Comment: On the bright side of thing Nate Clements was just named GMC Defensive Player of the Week. He blew away the field going away! Man, it's tuff with manny being gone now. Oh well, time to move on & see what Parys has because we already know what Brandon Moore brings to the table.

Posted By: mike (20/09/2007 4:15:12 PM)
Comment: thanks Stonerlab...I'm pretty sure your right. I've never heard of that injury taking that long. Culpepper made his comeback I believe in a few months (but too soon). Manny's still young so his healing powers will be faster. I like his attitude that he really wants to be out here & is already determined to put in the work for his rehab. Manny..if you're listening, sorry for the injury but I agree w/you that things happen for a reason. You were playing awesome. Hey that 17 lbs of bulk you added looked good on you. If possible, try to add even more. I think it will really help you & not effect your speed much at all. Good Luck!!

Posted By: allen49starsinDallas (20/09/2007 4:06:55 PM)
Comment: Thats sucks big time! Manny was turning into a stud, but Patrick Willis is looking like a top five linebacker in the entire NFL. I bet we will be impressed with Parys Haralson, he looked solid in preseason. Moore is on IR...

Posted By: Ty (20/09/2007 4:00:06 PM)
Comment: If the surgery goes well, which it almost always does, Manny should be back to normal in about a year (NFL scouts say it takes another year to gain back all your speed). The recovery time ovbiously differs depending on the person, but he will come back with about 90% of the strength he had before. I don't think it will have too big of an impact, because Lee Evans, Willis McGahee, and Jerry Rice all had ACL surgery and came back just fine. Best of hope to Manny and his doctors, can't wait to see him next year.

Posted By: Cyrus (20/09/2007 3:28:24 PM)
Comment: This just makes my heart drop. I was loving watching him and Willis develop into bonafide stars of the defense. At his age and athletic ability, I'm sure he'll be back strong in 08.

Posted By: darklord (20/09/2007 3:23:31 PM)
Comment: bad news for sure;however we will find out what we have with Harleson and Brandon Moore will see the field more as a pass rusher. Lawson not being in hurts us in coverage more than anything. Hope for a speedy recovery

Posted By: Nate (20/09/2007 3:16:57 PM)
Comment: Ugh I think I'm gonna hurl

Posted By: Bill P (20/09/2007 3:05:33 PM)
Comment: Matt. Any update on Lelie? He would be very useful on the field. Enough already with him missing training camp. That can't be the issue.

Posted By: StonerLab (20/09/2007 3:01:04 PM)
Comment: With all duo respect to Billy Blaine I don't think he knows what he's talking about. The fact that this happened so early in the season he'll be fine by the start of the regular season next year.

Posted By: mike (20/09/2007 2:27:59 PM)
Comment: Whoaa...someone clear this up. With this torn ACL is it going to take 1 or 2 years for him to fully recover? He's not a QB (Palmer, Culpepper) & he'll really need that knee fully healed to take the pounding. So what's the deal...is he going to be fully recovered after 1 year or he'll be OK to play after the 1st year but will need an extra year to fully get his strength back in the knee & all of his speed?

Posted By: StonerLab (20/09/2007 2:26:59 PM)
Comment: This is a bummer & he'll be missed but as Jake stated in his post we'll be fine. When injuries happen I tend to look at the bright side & look at this as an "opportunity" for another player or players to take up the slack. That being said Brandon & Parys will have to step up & I feel confident that they will be up for the challenge. I look forward to seeing Parys in action, this is the NFL & it waits for nobody so let's move on now.

Posted By: oneniner (20/09/2007 2:20:18 PM)
Comment: This sucks, wish him the best....lucky we have moore.

Posted By: Ron in Sacramento (20/09/2007 2:02:48 PM)
Comment: Two things to consider for Manny's injury. One, he is still learning the linebacker position and two speed is one of Manny's top attributes, if not the top. His football development will be relegated to the film room and the sideline now. Speed usually takes a person two years to fully recover from a knee injury, if he recovers it. One thing I have noticed about the Nolan regime, they do not sit around waiting for someone, especially someone who has only just started to prove his worth, to help the team in one to two years time. In next year's draft I was looking for the 49ers to draft in the first round the highest rated player from either the o-line, d-line, or possibly wideout, now I would say linebacker would be added to the equation. Sorry Manny, but football moves on and this regime is proactive. As a 49er's this is unfortunate. As a Nolan observer, if Manny comes back and contributes great, if not no problem they've got it covered.

Posted By: Mike (20/09/2007 1:47:44 PM)
Comment: This is life in the NFL. All teams deal with injuries and backup players need to step up every week. Yes it sucks, but it's not like SF is ready to grab a ring this year and this will provide an opportunity for one of the other players to establish himself. Lawson will be back at full form next year when the club is ready to make a run. This is just one injury and there will most certainly be more throughout the year...for all teams.

Posted By: Mike in SF (#2) (20/09/2007 1:39:31 PM)
Comment: Matt - On a side note... this comment appears in an interview on Steelers.com with their head coach Mike Tomlin: "Q. Also in that category would be fake punts, onside kicks? A. Absolutely. We had a fake punt ready to go vs. Cleveland based on field position and the distance that we needed. That situation presented itself in the game, but because we were up by 17 points - the circumstances of the game - we decided to punt the ball." Matt - Is this something the Niners coaches/staff pay attention to leading up to this Sunday's game? Seems to me like Tomlin tipped his hand a bit and the Niners SHOULD expect a little special team trickery. I'm a little surprised he would say this in an interview.

Posted By: tgflynn (20/09/2007 1:31:35 PM)
Comment: Personaly I think Jake's right on the money. Horrible loss especially for Manny who looked headed for leagues elite, but B. Moore looks like a very good replacement. Let's not forget the defense was often a 4-3 last year with Moore on the outside and he was one of if not our best defender(led the team in sacks and tackles). Few players in the league have Manny's potential, but Moore will be more than adequate as a replacement and I have not heard any concerns about a lack of speed. Haralson and Navies will also help.

Posted By: Kenny (20/09/2007 1:05:09 PM)
Comment: Hey Matt, do you think that we'll resign Roderick Green? Who do you expect to start in Manny's place? Thanks.

Posted By: Jeff in Los Angeles (20/09/2007 12:58:30 PM)
Comment: *Ring*Ring*... "Hello?"... "Roderick, this is Coach Nolan, pack your bags, you have a job in the NFL again."

Posted By: Robert (20/09/2007 12:58:19 PM)
Comment: What makes this whole thing hurt even worse is that it happened in practice... :( So much optimism down the drain.

Posted By: Billy Blaine (20/09/2007 12:53:43 PM)
Comment: Manny is irreplacible. Moore, Haralson, Ulbrich, whomever, won't get it done like Manny. They say it takes 2 years to revover from a torn ACL...we will see you full speed in '09 buddy.

Posted By: Pat (20/09/2007 12:49:46 PM)
Comment: Horrible news Matt! Since Manny has been a huge part of our transition to the 3-4, is there any chance that Nolan is going to go back to the 4-3. He's famous for saying that the best 11 will play. Possibly he see's a combo of Sopoaga and Franklin at tackle being better then sticking Navies or Haralson in there at OLB. I worry that Manny is one of the keys to our dynamic 3-4 D. I also hope that we don't dial down the aggressive nature of our D thus far. Thanks for your great coverage.

Posted By: OrlandoNiner (20/09/2007 12:11:58 PM)
Comment: WOW, WOW I hate the injury bug. Well one thing we learned in preseason is we got depth. I guess we get to see Navies and Haralson. Can't wait to see Haralson, he was all over the QBs in preseason.

Posted By: Jake (20/09/2007 12:08:09 PM)
Comment: Losing Manny is a big loss, but I don't think it will be devastating like some are suggesting. They will miss his pass coverage the most. He hasn't been a big time pass rusher to this point. I think they need to get Brandon Moore back on the field at Lawson's position. They will lose some coverage but he is as good or better pass rusher and run stopper than Lawson. It just sucks for Lawson to have an injury like this happen so early in his career. Good thing for the 49ers it is one of the deeper positions on the team. Keep those DB's and Frank healthy.

Posted By: Chris (20/09/2007 12:07:04 PM)
Comment: I am so bummed right now. He had such a great start to the season and is huge part of the success of the 49ers in the future. We need our top draft picks to be successful. I am officially depressed.

Posted By: Quinn (20/09/2007 12:02:36 PM)
Comment: Given Manny's work ethic, you just know he is going to come back bigger, faster, and better than ever.

Posted By: Quinn (20/09/2007 11:57:39 AM)
Comment: Do some of the people who post comments here actually watch the 49ers? So upset right now. Sorry Manny. Given his work ethic you just know he is going to come back bigger, faster and better then ever.

Posted By: James in GB (20/09/2007 11:56:27 AM)
Comment: If Hannibal Navies is chosen to start in Manny Lawson's spot, it is my opinion just as an observer that he will not let anybody down. He does not have Lawson's range and playing speed from what I can see but is no slouch and was a high-school sprint champion. He also has a deal of veteran savvy and has played really well in limited opportunities since joining the club. If you read about his career, he has twice been injured at really inopportune moments, having seemingly established a starting spot; you could say it is ironic he may get this chance in such circumstances. Navies is also a specilaist at Lawson's strong-side linebacker spot, having made 118 tackles for Green Bay in 2003 while starting all 16 regular season games and two playoffs. Clearly this is a serious blow, but the drop-off is probably not as big as many will think. Another Hannibal crossed the Alps, now we will see if this one can stop opponents crossing the line of scrimmage.

Posted By: Solomon88 (20/09/2007 11:55:20 AM)
Comment: He was able to get on the stationery bike afterwards, so, let's possibly hope that it isnt as worse as it was first diagnosed. (I guess, I hoping...)

Posted By: marc (20/09/2007 11:49:05 AM)
Comment: huge, huge blow. manny was starting to enter the conversation as 1 of the best all around LBs in the league. i hope brandon moore sees action over there.

Posted By: Mike (20/09/2007 11:45:59 AM)
Comment: Dude...Manny was a starter, not a backup. Get your facts straight before making stupid comments.

Posted By: mike (20/09/2007 11:41:44 AM)
Comment: Navies next on the depth chart..what's his game like? His pash rush & run stopping s/b alright but Manny dropped back in coverage a lot & also covered the TE. Does Navies have decent speed & cover ability? Same question w/Haralson. JMoore is a Rook but he does have speed & to me resembles Lawson's game the most minus the long arms.

Posted By: SonocoNinerFan (20/09/2007 11:37:19 AM)
Comment: This blows. He was off to a great start. Sigh. I feel really bad for Manny.

Posted By: KG (20/09/2007 11:32:23 AM)
Comment: Drew - If I'm not mistaken, I thought Jay Moore was put on the IR after camp? What awful news for the Niners. Manny was looking amazing in the first two games.

Posted By: Mike in SF (#2) (20/09/2007 11:24:17 AM)
Comment: Guys - Manny was our starter and playing SPECTACULAR football. Have you watched the two games??? Drew - Jay Moore is also on Injured Reserve and lost for the season due to injury. Thi is Crushing!!! In Tuesday's press conference Mike Tomlin singled out Manny as a player to watch out for who looked spectacular on film. He was having a pro bowl caliber year and his speed with P-52's was an awesome mix. Damn!!!!!! Manny was great in drops and coverages, I don't think B. Moore, Hannibal or Parys could even BEGIN to replace that aspect of his game.

Posted By: jeremy (20/09/2007 11:20:11 AM)
Comment: Haralson will get hurt eventually. When will Jay Moore be ready!

Posted By: Sandeep (20/09/2007 11:19:31 AM)
Comment: Wow. Tough blow. I just bought my 99 jersey a couple months ago, expecting a big year out of Lawson. Matt- do you think the Niners might try and use Brnadon Moore at Manny's spot to try and fill the void? I know Moore's strength is playing inside, but do the coaches trust Haralson and Navies enough to start?

Posted By: James (20/09/2007 11:16:49 AM)
Comment: hey fattymatty when did Lawson get demoted form his starting position? Missing Lawson will be bad for the D. I envision Brandon Moore sliding overfrom the middle but I question his speed. Navies is not a starting linebacker, I would however be interested to see what Haraylson can do in that role. I bet they will bring back Bockwoldt, or maybe Mark Washington from the practice squad.

Posted By: mike (20/09/2007 11:15:39 AM)
Comment: Just a HUUUGE BLOW..man this really hurts...sorry Manny. He was playing so damn good too & worked so hard this off-season. Got to pull out something from our depth. Take care of yourself Manny & get yourself ready for next season. We'll really need you in '08 when bigger & better things will come. Man this hurts.

Posted By: Dave SF (20/09/2007 11:13:17 AM)
Comment: Devastating news - you could just feel he was about to have a breakout season. Get better Manny!!

Posted By: Arun (20/09/2007 11:12:16 AM)
Comment: BAD BAD BAD NEWS..... Matt, do you know who might be availble in the market? Is Ed Hartwell (Nolan guy from Ravens days) still in the market? He was cut by the Bengals ... any news?

Posted By: Vendark (20/09/2007 11:10:51 AM)
Comment: Manny was never demoted from his starting position. You're thinking of Brandon Moore.

Posted By: Drew (20/09/2007 11:10:23 AM)
Comment: A terrible blow to one of the coming stars on defense. But, as noted in the title John Feinstein's book on the NFL (and the Ravens with Nolan) its "Next Man Up." I suspect this means that Jay Moore may also figure in the mix. The 49ers need to keep the athleticism on defense and with the linebackers. Did Roderick Green sign anywhere?

Posted By: tgflynn (20/09/2007 11:10:08 AM)
Comment: Aren't they considering moving Brandon Moore over there?

Posted By: efyoo2 (20/09/2007 11:06:54 AM)
Comment: Damn! Would you trade away 49ers DST if you had them on your Fantasy team after hearing this news?

Posted By: Steve (20/09/2007 11:06:28 AM)
Comment: Even more pressure on the offense to step up now.

Posted By: Joe (20/09/2007 11:05:40 AM)
Comment: Lets hope this doesn't start a trend...

Posted By: FattyMatty (20/09/2007 10:57:23 AM)
Comment: This is awful news. Even though he had been demoted from his starting position, Manny was making all sorts of plays on the field. A serious blow to our up and coming defense.

Response: Manny Lawson was never demoted. He was one of the team's best players in the first two games. --Matt M.

Posted By: Simran (20/09/2007 10:56:23 AM)
Comment: NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Posted By: Allan (20/09/2007 10:50:04 AM)
Comment: Huge, huge blow! Very said news for the Niners