In the grand scheme of things, a 2-minute drill in June, with key players missing on both sides of the ball, is about as meaningful as a Battle of Gettysburg reenactment in Fresno. But to those of us starved for action during the NFL lean months, it was the climactic conclusion of Super Bowl XXIII all over again.
The 49ers ran the 2-minute drill twice at the end of practice today, moving the chains and the huddle down the field as they went.
Singletary vows to take it easy on officials
I didn’t go to Family Day at Candlestick Park last Saturday, but I listened to part of the proceedings on KNBR. At one point, 49ers coach Mike Singletary was asked whether he was changing anything in his approach for 2010.
Singletary said he planned to talk to the officials less. He had a smile in his voice, and the KNBR crew chuckled. But I wondered whether there was some truth in Singletary’s pronouncement, so I asked him today after practice.
Notes and observations from the 49ers’ final OTA
After the 49ers’ final organized team activity (read: voluntary practice) of the year, coach Mike Singletary said, “I thought the offense got better. I thought Alex (Smith) did a great job executing the offense.” But the defense may have won the day. Here are some notes and observations from today’s activity…
Franklin, Lawson are the mystery men
The 49ers will assemble Thursday afternoon, just as they will Wednesday morning, but the vibe will be a little different. Thursday marks the start of a three-day minicamp. Attendance is mandatory, and it will be very interesting to see who is here.
Of the four defensive regulars who have skipped voluntary practices this offseason, cornerbacks Shawntae Spencer and Nate Clements are both expected to arrive Thursday. They simply prefer to work out on their own this time of year.
The other two, nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin and outside linebacker Manny Lawson, are the big question marks this week.
Notes and observations from today’s practice
Notes and observations from today’s voluntary practice in Santa Clara…
• RB Michael Robinson, absent Monday, was back at practice today. TE Vernon Davis remained elsewhere. He tweeted about running “the biggest hill in San Jose” and filming a movie. The other missing 49ers were the same ones we’ve gone without all offseason: NT Aubrayo Franklin, LB Manny Lawson and CBs Shawntae Spencer and Nate Clements.
• WR Brandon Jones (ankle) and T Matt Kopa (foot) did not practice. DL Kentwan Balmer and CB Will James were limited to position drills. After practice, LB Travis LaBoy and FB Brit Miller stretched while their teammates ran.
Matt Wilhelm is ready for his screen test
About five weeks before training camp, Matt Wilhelm will be going to boot camp. Fortunately, it won’t require a high-and-tight haircut.
Wilhelm has been selected to participate in the fourth annual “NFL Broadcast Boot Camp,” an intensive four-day crash course that teaches current and former players how to be media piranhas. (Lesson 8: How to Hoard Marriott Points.) “It’s gonna be exciting,” he said Monday. “Just to understand what it’s like to have a pen and paper in your hand, and taking the notes.”
After living through war, football is easy to Caulcrick
When Bonita Caulcrick finally got into war-torn Liberia, finally located her two children, finally eluded the soldiers and bullets long enough to make it across the border to Ivory Coast, she ran up against one more challenge.
Bonita had been living in the United States for a few years, and had picked up a trace of American accent. The bureaucrat at the embassy in Ivory Coast didn’t believe the children were hers, and wouldn’t stamp their passports. She returned the next day, and got a similar reaction. The next day, same thing.
Caulcrick, her nerves frayed by months of worry, had heard enough. “Fine,” she said. “You keep them.”
Willis is back, and the 49ers are revved
Jeff Ferguson, the 49ers’ head trainer, had a surprise for the media today, and he watched with a mischievous grin as we “unwrapped” it. Patrick Willis, the heart of the San Francisco defense, and by now the team’s most recognizable player, was back on the field during team period for the first time since undergoing surgery to repair a bursa sack in his right knee in March.
“There’s nothing like being inside the huddle and actually participate in the practice,” Willis said in the locker room afterward. “It was good just to watch and to get my eyes back right again, but it’s even better to be out there practicing.”
Notes and observations from today’s practice
Notes and observations from today’s voluntary practice in Santa Clara…
• NT Aubrayo Franklin, OLB Manny Lawson, and CBs Shawntae Spencer and Nate Clements continue to skip the voluntary OTAs. TE Vernon Davis and RB Michael Robinson were absent today, too. DL Kentwan Balmer took part in individual drills for the first time this offseason, while WR Brandon Jones (ankle), CB Will James (pelvic bone) and T Matt Kopa (foot) continue to rehab. Rookie RB Anthony Dixon did individual work but no team period. And the big news: LB Patrick Willis was back in team sessions for the first time this offseason.
McDonald apologizes for distraction of DUI
As first reported by Comcast SportsNet, 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald was arrested in San Mateo County on Saturday night for suspicion of driving under the influence. A representative of the San Mateo County Sheriff’s Office told Comcast that McDonald was booked at San Mateo County Jail at 7:57 p.m Saturday and released at 9:39 p.m.
McDonald issued a short statement directly to reporters after practice, addressing what he called “the incident Saturday night.”
Another confident CB: Karl Paymah
Karl Paymah has been a fixture at cornerback with the 49ers’ first team recently. Shawntae Spencer and Nate Clements have been avoiding voluntary practices, and Paymah has been one of the big beneficiaries.
I talked to Paymah during this last round of OTAs. If you read my piece on rookie LeRoy Vann, you got a glimpse of a brash young athlete (even the gold teeth seem to fit the picture). Paymah has a much quieter demeanor, but underneath he seems to be just as confident.
Vann showing up at cornerback
You know by now that LeRoy Vann is competing to return punts and/or kickoffs for the 49ers this season. He has been sharing repetitions with Ted Ginn, Kyle Williams and Brandon Jones.
But Vann doesn’t want you to write him off as a cornerback just yet. Though he stands just 5-8½ and weighs 177 pounds, and though some analysts thought he’d be used at wide receiver in the NFL, the undrafted rookie from Florida A&M has looked capable at the corner during offseason practices.
Singletary demanding better special teams
During these recent OTAs, the 49ers’ coaching staff put together cut-ups of the best and worst of the team’s special-teams plays from 2009. As Scott McKillop said: “We saw some of the things we did effectively, some of the things that we didn’t. And just constructive criticism.”
Can you guess what showed up on the WORST disk? Here are some hints:
Notes and observations from today’s practice
Notes and observations from today’s voluntary practice in Santa Clara…
• Finally, the first intra-squad wrestling match of the spring, as OLB Parys Haralson scuffles with, I’m pretty sure, TE Delanie Walker. Other players jumped in before it escalated. Coach Mike Singletary was not the least bit amused. The whole team had to run lines for the transgression.
Manusky goes hoarse yelling at 49ers’ defense
Friday will not be remembered as the greatest day ever for the 49ers’ defense. Yesterday, the team ran 60 plays in red zone during team period and scored 3 touchdowns. Today, the offense scored 4 touchdowns in its first 20 plays.
But it wasn’t just the yardage or scoring. The defensive unit looked discombobulated.
Brooks would be happy with a mere 17 sacks
Who was the most surprising 49er last season? Think a minute. Vernon Davis and Dashon Goldson certainly turned important corners, but both had been recognized as having the talent. Michael Crabtree may have exceeded expectations considering how late he got into the game. Aubrayo Franklin?
It’s hard to believe any of them raised more eyebrows that outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks.
Mays defends Carroll, Garrett – and the end zone
What a day it was for Taylor Mays, the rookie safety. He got a bunch of reps as the 49ers practiced nickel situations. He broke up a pass in the end zone, and got to chat with Hall of Fame defensive back Rod Woodson. And after all that, the main topic of the day was the sanctions handed down against the USC sports program.
Chastened Kristick finally makes it to Santa Clara
The 49ers moved one step closer to assembling the entire roster today. And no, Patrick Willis didn’t make a surprising recovery from knee surgery, nor did Manny Lawson decide he was happy after all. But another linebacker, rookie Keaton Kristick, finally entered the fold.
Kristick’s class graduated at Oregon State, meaning he could practice with his new team. He was the final 49ers rookie to take the field this offseason. He confirmed that it pretty much drove him crazy to follow his NFL team from afar for the past month.
Notes from today’s practice
Impostor linebackers, Hall of Fame defensive backs and other notes from today’s voluntary practice in Santa Clara…
•The 49ers practiced third-and-long plays on the short end of the field today, with the defense in nickel coverage. That led to some interesting formations. The defense frequently lined up just two D-linemen (Ray McDonald and Justin Smith with the first team), flanked by two outside linebackers, with two inside backers behind them. On some plays, the OLBs had their hands on the ground while the DTs were standing and showing rush. S Michael Lewis manned one of the ILB positions for a while.
Jed York hits the media circuit to push stadium
The truth can now be told: Jed York was so determined to win over one stubborn voter in his midst – a Dallas Cowboys fan living in Santa Clara – that he contacted people he knew in the Cowboys’ front office and asked them to personally call the Measure J holdout. Alas, when York returned to the man’s house, he wasn’t home.
York insinuated he’d been ready to enlist Jerry Jones himself if that’s what it took to get this one vote. And a day after the 49ers’ lopsided election victory, York is no less determined.
