Remote Controller
Well-Known Member
- -- 49ers WR Update --
Wed Jun 23, 2010 --from FFMastermind.com - CSNBayArea.com reports San Francisco 49ers WR Michael Crabtree is the team's No. 1 wideout. Crabtree caught the most passes of any of the team's wide receivers. He did not miss a practice. Last year, he did not take part in his first 49ers practice until the middle of October. He works from split end in the 49ers' base defense, and it looks as if he'll be the team's primary slot receiver three-wide formations. Crabtree demonstrated his well-round receiving style, catching all kinds of different short, intermediate and deep routes. WR Josh Morgan had a good training camp, as he secured his spot at the team's starting flanker. He caught about 15 passes over the final two weeks in 11-on-11 situations. Morgan is a powerful wide receiver who seemed to do a much better job of catching the ball in traffic and using his body to shield smaller corners. In the first competitive two-minute drill of the offseason, Morgan helped bail out the 49ers' offense. He caught a third-down pass for 18 yards and a first down, then had a 17-yard reception on a fourth-down play. WR Ted Ginn definitely has deep speed. He was on the field as the team's No. 3 receiver, but he did not separate himself from some of the other backup receivers. In those three-wide formations, Ginn took over at split end, with Crabtree moving inside to the slot. Ginn had a half-dozen catches in 11-on-11 work. His hands were a bit inconsistent. His worst play, by far, was in a two-minute drill when he was lined up wide left. He didn't expect the pass to come his way, so he did not run his route with much gusto. When the play broke down and QB David Carr decided to throw in Ginn's direction, Ginn had already given up on the play. Ginn also did not distinguish himself on punt returns, either. WR Jason Hill, who didn’t show much on the practice field during his first three seasons, practiced very well this offseason and has placed himself in position to seriously compete with Ginn for the job as the No. 3 receiver. In the past, he has shown his value as a good special-teams player, too. WR Brandon Jones had a rough offseason. Jones failed to climb the depth chart. He sustained a left ankle sprain on June 10 and did not return to the practice field. After sustaining a broken shoulder blade in training camp last year and catching just one pass during the regular season, Jones needed to make an impression during the offseason work. He'll head into training camp in a big hole. Before the injury sidelined him, Jones was working as the No. 3 flanker behind Morgan and Hill. He also saw time in the slot. WR Dominique Zeigler returned kickoffs on the final day of minicamp. You get the feeling that if wide receivers coach Jerry Sullivan had his way, Zeigler would be among the receivers he carries on the team. Zeigler is always drawing praise from Sullivan on how he runs routes. And when others aren't as precise, Sullivan will advise them to watch Zeigler. He had a pretty good offseason program. He and Hill had roughly the same number of catches behind starters Crabtree and Morgan. Rookie WR Kyle Williams worked at split end, but his best spot is in the slot. It will be difficult for him to work his way into the action on offense as a rookie. His best bet might be as a punt returner, where he looked the most secure of any of the candidates in fielding punts. WR Bakari Grant made two really nice catches at the sideline on high bullets thrown by QB Nate Davis, but he is a raw route runner. Undrafted rookie WR Jared Perry (Missouri) runs individual drills from split end, but he is the only wideout I did not see catch a pass during 11-on-11. Undrafted rookie WR Scott Long (Louisville) lined up at flanker. He did not see much action in 11-on-11 drills. He was observed catching just one pass from Nate Davis in 7-on-7.
- -- 49ers RB/FB Update --
Wed Jun 23, 2010 --from FFMastermind.com - CSNBayArea.com reports it will be difficult for the San Francisco 49ers to work another running back into the mix as long as RB Frank Gore is an option. That's because he is not only their best runner, he's also their best back in pass protection and catching passes out of the backfield. He caught nearly twice as many passes out of the backfield as any other 49ers running back, giving Smith a reliable safety-valve option on pass plays. Second-year RB Glen Coffee had a good offseason, as he got his weight into the 220s, which should enable him to better execute his style of a power back. He had an occasional drop out of the backfield, but he had a dozen catches in 11-on-11 situations. An underrated part of his game is pass protection. He picked up OLB Ahmad Brooks off the right side on a blitz and locked him up pretty comfortably. Rookie RB Anthony Dixon missed nearly a month in the offseason with a hamstring strain. That set him back, and he'll be playing catchup once training camp starts as he fights for practice time. Dixon returned to action for the offseason-ending minicamp, and looked explosive getting through the hole. He did not catch any passes during 11-on-11 drills, though. Obviously, his big test will take place when the pads go on. The 49ers will want him to run as powerfully as his 235-pound frame suggests he should. RB Michael Robinson will be on the team because of his special-teams value. The only question is whether he'll be the No. 3 or No. 4 running back. He demonstrated good hands out of the backfield, but he is not an every-down type back. A former college quarterback at Penn State, Robinson would seem to be a nice option in the 49ers' version of the "wildcat." However, unlike a year ago at this time, the 49ers spent no time working on that formation in the offseason. Ten-year FB Moran Norris is still atop the depth chart, and it's difficult to see him getting much of a challenge for the starting fullback job. He's at his best serving as a lead-blocker for Gore in tight quarters. The 49ers would like to have more confidence in having him catch the ball and run in short-yardage situations. He caught six passes during the 11-on-11 work of the past two weeks. FB Brit Miller, a linebacker in college, is still working his way into the fullback mindset. His true value to the 49ers is on special teams, where he has placed himself in good position to earn a roster spot in that role. FB Jehuu Caulcrick did not see a lot of action in the team's 11-on-11 drills behind Norris and Miller.
- -- 49ers QB Update --
Wed Jun 23, 2010 --from FFMastermind.com - CSNBayArea.com reports San Francisco 49ers QB Alex Smith took 60 percent of the team's snaps in 11-on-11 situations during the offseason program. His completion percentage was very high -- better than 70 percent unofficially. The most noticeable change in Smith was before the snap of the ball, though. It's pretty clear he has a better understanding of the offense, which enables him to speak up and let his teammates know what he expects of them. In the practices from June 7 to the final minicamp practice on June 18, he threw four interceptions in 11-on-11, including two during a two-minute drill on Thursday, in nearly 200 pass attempts. QB David Carr did not throw the ball very well in those first couple camps as he was learning the system, but his accuracy improved a lot over the final part of the offseason program. He completed nearly 65 percent of his passes during 11-on-11 drills. He got about 20 percent of the repetitions. The 49ers saw enough in the offseason to feel as if the right move was made to sign him as veteran insurance while trading backup QB Shaun Hill to the Lions for a seventh-round pick in 2011. The 49ers hoped second-year QB Nate Davis would will compete with Carr for the backup job. That remains to be seen, as things did not run very smoothly for the 49ers offense during the minicamp with Davis in the huddle. He seemed to have a difficult time getting the play call and relaying it to his teammates. Several times, the offense had to rehuddle once getting to the line of scrimmage because of confusion. Davis throws a nice ball with a lot of velocity, but sometimes he has to demonstrate better touch on his short passes. Like Carr, he handled about 20 percent of the 11-on-11 snaps and completed better than 60 percent with two interceptions. There's no question he has talent, but if he makes a serious bid for the backup role, it will be in the classroom. Undrafted rookie QB Jarrett Brown did not take one snap in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills during the entire offseason. All his throwing was limited to individual and group sessions as he learns the offense. It doesn't appear as if he has much of a chance to break into the 49ers' top three QBs.
