Day 4, practice 6: Linemen injured
Offensive guard David Baas and defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer sustained injuries that knocked them out of practice this morning.
Baas sustained what a club spokesman described as a foot strain during Mike Singletary’s signature “nutcracker” drill when offensive and defensive players square off in a straight-ahead physical battle to see who can drive forward. He walked slowly off the practice field to receive medical attention.
Balmer’s sustained a left knee sprain. He said he was all right, but that it scared him. When he went to the ground with the injury during a run drill, Balmer took his helmet off and slammed it down.
The club did not disclose the severity of the injuries. Tony Wragge replaced Baas with the first team at left guard, while Demetric Evans took over at right defensive end after Balmer went out. (Justin Smith did not practice today, as he was given a rest morning for the second day in a row.)
Also, back Michael Robinson (groin) and Moran Norris (hamstring) missed practice time. Patrick Willis (ankle), Jay Moore (left middle finger cut), Parys Haralson (right hip flexor strain) and Tarell Brown (left big toe sprain) sat out the morning..
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When the position groups split up before the main part of practice, I went over to where the receivers were stationed to check out Jerry Sullivan’s group. What struck me was how Isaac Bruce was hanging on every word Sullivan said on how to run a particular route.
After Sullivan explained the route to the entire group, Bruce approached Sullivan and engaged him in conversation, apparently asking questions about the route’s intracacies.
Bruce had a very good day of practice. He got past the secondary to haul in a long TD pass from Alex Smith in 11-on-11 drills.
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Vernon Davis, who caught everything is sight the first three days of camp, got some “encouragement” from Singletary after failing to come down with a nicely thrown pass from Smith in 7-on-7. Manny Lawson had a pretty good coverage, but he ball deflected off
Also on 7-on-7,
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In a run drill, linebacker Scott McKillop had quite a collision with pulling right tackle Marvel Smith. Smith seemed to get the worse of it, but the ball-carrier got through the hole past McKillop.
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In 11-on-11 work . . .
–Cornerback Dre’ Bly somehow did not get an interception on a Smith pass to Gore. The ball slipped through Bly’s grasp, and Gore made the reception.
–There were a couple times where a sack clearly would’ve been achieved if the defenders were allowed to touch the QB. Fullback Zak Keasey did not come close to blocking Manny Lawson, who forced Hill into an incomplete pass. Ahmad Brooks came free on a play, forcing Hill to pull down the ball and scramble. And Marques Harris got around Marvel Smith, as Singletary instructed Smith to get the ball out of his hands.
–Dashon Goldson made a nice play on Dominique Zeigler crossing route to break up Smith’s pass. Later, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said he had a conversation early in the offseason with Goldson about playing in games as well as he practices. Manusky said Goldson has been guilty of not carrying over his practice success into games.
–Running back Thomas Clayton has not gotten much action. He has fresh legs and it showed when he blasted through the left side on his two rushing attempts.
–The QBs threw mostly underneath passes. Smith connected on passes of more than 20 yards down the field to Bruce and Davis, while Hill tossed a 15-yard pass at the sideline to Brandon Jones, who tip-toed his way inbounds.
–Manny Lawson is being counted on to get some sacks, but he can also be a factor, playing the role of Wilt Chamberlain, Manusky said. Lawson, coming off the left edge, batted down a Hill pass at the line of scrimmage.
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Coming up later today: A look at Bear Pascoe’s camp.
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It’s impossible to blog during practice, that’s why I’ve been doing some live “tweeting.” Check there for the latest updates. You’ll read stuff like this: “T-shirt fashioned by QB Shaun Hill: ‘100-% Steroid-free.’ Whew, that clears up that.”
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