Coach Mike Singletary said he wants receiver Isaac Bruce to play for the 49ers this season, but they are giving him plenty of time to make a decision. Singletary said he hopes to have his answer by the first of April.
Singletary met the media this morning after a walkthrough on the first day of minicamp. The club will hit the practice field this afternoon.
Here are some of the other topics on which Singletary spoke:
–Bruce, Mark Roman (on trade block) and Jonas Jennings (does not fit into plans) are the only veteran players not at the camp, Singletary said.
–DE Ray McDonald underwent offseason knee surgery. He is expected to be limited.
–With the No. 10 pick in the draft, Singletary said the team will not go after a “need” position. He said they’re going to take the “best player available.
–One of the big focuses of this minicamp will be for new offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye to get a handle on the skills of his players.
–Alex Smith has been cleared to go full-out in practices.
–Singletary said he will take everything into consideration when evaluating the Smith-Shaun Hill quarterback competition. He said Hill’s performance in the second half of last season will be weighed. Therefore, the competition actually began last season.
–Dashon Goldson is earmarked to take over at free safety. Singletary said it is obvious that he has talent, and that he made a lot of plays in practices. He said it’s time for him to take ownership of that position and take over for Roman.
–The team might give Patrick Willis another chance to wear the green dot with the radio transmitter. Willis wore it for a couple games last year, but wasn’t comfortable with it. Singletary said Willis might start out with it again this season.
–On the 49ers’ flirtation with Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner, Singletary said, “That’s a risk we can’t afford not to take.” He said the 49ers wanted that situation to play out to see if they could add a proven starting quarterback to the team.
–When asked about Jay Cutler’s trade possibilities, Singletary declined to answer, saying he could not talk about a player who is under contract to another team.
–There was a report this week that the 49ers’ position coaches were not in the loop when it came to discussing free-agent acquisitions WR Brandon Jones and QB Damon Huard. “Everybody is going to have an opinion,” Singletary said. “That’s something we’ll handle in-house. We got a good house, and we’re going to keep that going.”
–The 49ers remain interested in signing free-agent tackle Marvel Smith. “That’s a great opportunity for us if it works out,” Singletary said. “We’ll know soon enough.” Right now, Barry Sims and Adam Snyder are competing at right tackle, he said.
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