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49ers Interested in Leon Washington

Jarrod Kawashima — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 01:55:09 +0000

The San Francisco 49ers could be more active in free agency than first anticipated. Reports have surfaced that the club has been in talks with the New York Jets about running back/special teams ace Leon Washington. Judging from some of the message boards on the report (SFgate.com), I am in the minority when I say I’d be ecstatic about having Washington as the return man. I even have a nickname awaiting his arrival. The future “Scarlet Speedster” has averaged 25.5 yards a kick return and 9.4 yards on punts. The little guy was born to elude tacklers and use his 4.42 speed to race to the end zone. His services would not come for free of course.

Washington is a restricted free agent, and is tendered with a second rounder. If the 49ers offer a deal to Washington, the Jets can either match it, or accept a second round pick from the 49ers as compensation. This is where most fans become divided. The 49ers second round pick is the 49th overall. Good, talented prospects will still be on the board. A second round pick for a return man is a little steep, but we know Washington can play. The front office wouldn’t be gambling on a prospect. He is an experienced, explosive return specialist. The two first round picks should also lessen the blow of not having three selections in the first 50 picks. With Washington, there wouldn’t be any questions, he is a reliable kick returner who can take it the distance.

The biggest problem I feel is the depth already at running back. Frank Gore is the best player on offense, and he is fully capable of carrying the ball 20-25 times a game. He is however a bit of an injury concern. He has only played in all 16 games once in his five year career. Current back-up Glen Coffee had a chance to start when Gore went down, but he averaged 2.7 yards a carry. Michael Robinson would be the odd man out should any move occur. In four season with the 49ers, Robinson has not been able to find his niche. Throughout his time with the Jets, Washington has learned how to share the workload. He isn’t the typical size you’d like as a running back, but he has no fear going through the middle. I’m sure he doesn’t want to be relegated exclusively to special teams, and he would make a great third down back. Both he and Gore are excellent receivers, forcing the defense to worry about another dimension at all times.

A second round pick for the Scarlet Speedster would not be too high of a cost. He would probably demand a pretty high contract for a return man/running back, but after last season, I witnessed how important it is to have good field position. Imagine some of the losses could have been won if the offense had to go 10-25 yards less than they actually did. The main focus in the draft would be where they need it the most. The holes along the offensive line are so wide, even Scott Norwood wouldn’t be wide right. Without worrying about special teams, the 49ers can focus on the o-line first, then a pass rusher. It would also be nice to have some depth in the secondary. The revolving door of Nate Clements, Dre’ Bly, and Tarell Brown didn’t work out too well. Michael Lewis isn’t getting any younger or less concussed. The more needs taken care of before the draft will allow the 49ers to have more options come late April.

Al Everest Not Coming Back

Niner Pundit — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 03:32:29 +0000

The offseason has started off with a bang, okay more of a whimper, but the Niner Gods have given us a gift today. Al Everest the so called Special Teams coach was informed today that his contract will not be renewed. Maiocco is reporting that the Brandon Jones/Arnaz Battle fumble on that reverse punt return sealed his fate.

Now the Niner Gods need to give us another gift and get Singletary to hire recently fired Bills ST Coach, Bobby April.

First Round Draft Slotting for 49ers

Niner Pundit — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 05:46:42 +0000

The regular season is over and since the 49ers didn’t make the playoffs, we now get ready for offseason and draft discussions. First up now that all the teams have finished their regular season is draft position.

The latest reports are that the 49ers will get to draft at No. 13 for their pick and their second pick, aqcuired via trade with the Panthers, puts them at either the 16th or 17th spot. The result of their second pick will be decided based on a coin toss between the Titans and the Panthers.

Hopefully the football gods will help us out and put the 49ers in that 16th spot, since they already screwed us over on that Favre touchdown pass, the Vikings choking against the Cardinals, the 49ers sucking against the Seahawks, and the Panthers finishing the season by beating good teams, despite starting the season 0-3.

Niners Finish 8-8 Behind an Offensive Offense

Niner Pundit — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 21:06:38 +0000

Pathetic, deplorable, distressing, feeble, heartbreaking, heartrending, inadequate, lamentable, meager, melting, miserable, moving, paltry, petty, piteous, pitiable, pitiful, plaintive, poignant, poor, puny, rueful, tender, touching, useless, woeful, worthless, wretched, crappy, grotty, inferior, miserable, poor, rotten, second-rate, shabby, sub-par, third-rate, useless, worthless. And that is just on the offensive side of the ball.

There were some other happenings, like Justin Smith getting 4 sacks and Vernon Davis scoring his 13th touchdown of the season which ties him with Antonio Gates for most by a tight end in a season, but really can’t get past how shitty this offense was today.

Now discuss amongst yourselves…

Clements to Safety? Yeah Not Happening

Niner Pundit — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 20:38:33 +0000

I thought it was rather humorous when I read reports from sites outside Ninerland, that next season Nate Clements was going to be moved to safety. The funny thing is a lot of people ran with it and believed it would happen. Well I have news for those folks, well okay Matthew Barrows from the Sacbee does, and that is that next season Nate is not going to be moved to safety. He’ll stay at cornerback and by the time the season starts, Nate will be back where he belongs, opposite Shawntae Spencer. Here is the part from Barrows article.

Don’t expect cornerback Nate Clements to go anywhere next season – not to free safety and not to the waiver wire. Despite Shawntae Spencer’s improved play, Clements’ big 2010 salary – he’s set to earn $6 million – and his Week 8 demotion, the 49ers still consider him a starting cornerback. Mike Singletary said as much this week when discussing how he’d prefer not to have receiver Josh Morgan returning kicks next season.

“In terms of having your starting wide receiver be your kickoff guy,” Singletary said, “I just don’t get excited about that. No more than Nate returning punts in the Indianapolis game, your starting corner. No, I don’t get excited about that. But, sometimes guys have to step up and do that. That (return man) is a priority for us this offseason.”

Singletary Looks to Finish 8-8

Jarrod Kawashima — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 05:53:04 +0000

Christmas is a time for miracles. Too bad we didn’t get one. I thought if I wished hard enough, and wanted it more than anything, my 49ers would win the division and compete in the playoffs. It was a lot to ask for, I know. The Arizona Cardinals had to lose two of three games, two of those games being against the St. Louis Rams and Detroit Lions. Although I didn’t expect the Lions to put up much of a fight, they did a fine job trying to play spoiler. It didn’t really matter in the end as the 49ers failed in what they had to do.

Despite being knocked out of the playoffs, all is not lost. San Francisco still has a chance to finish 8-8, which would be their best record since their last playoff appearance. That would mean a great deal. If they win the last two games, which on paper they should, then they would finish 5-1 within the division. There’s a lot to look forward to. Every team that doesn’t win, attempts to bounce back by saying, “We’ll get ‘em next year!” In this case, I believe every word.

I’m not sugar-coating the situation to make myself feel better. Sure the 49ers should have had a better record, and the close losses were heart-breaking, but it is not too soon to look forward. What makes me so optimistic about the future is how young this team is. All of the key components are peaking and have proven they can compete in this league. With every game that passes, they become more experienced. Frank Gore, Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, and Dashon Goldson, these are a few of the center-pieces that figure to be around for years. 2009 may not have been the year for this young club, but think about 2010 and beyond. If the 49ers close out those tight games, something experience will bring, winning the division will be no problem. The 2-6 record in games decided by seven or fewer points speaks volumes about the youth. As does their 1-6 record on the road.

This Sunday the 49ers take on the Lions and one of their three quarterbacks. It is still undecided who will play. Whoever does though, should not fare well against one of the top defenses in the NFL, and easily the best in the NFC West. It does not matter whether it is Matthew Stafford, Daunte Culpepper, or Drew Stanton, either way I foresee a defensive touchdown. On the other side of the ball, Alex Smith looks to rebound from a terrible game and play the mistake free football he enjoyed versus the Seahawks and Jaguars. The Lions’ worst rated pass defense should be a fantastic cure for what ails him. If Frank Gore receives more than eight carries, he should also benefit from playing Detroit.

These final games will test the heart of the 49ers. In my eyes, they are not allowed to lose their final two games against arguably the two worst teams in the league. With no playoff chances left, will they pack it in, or will they finish strong? Should they decide the latter, let me be the first to say, San Francisco 49ers, NFC West champs in 2010.

(Sorry for the lack of articles these past few weeks. Like everybody else, December has been really busy. I would like to wish everyone a Happy Holiday, and continue to support our 49ers and cheer for an 8-8 finish.)

Follow me on Twitter: jarrod49ersnews

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The Fat Lady is Singing

Niner Pundit — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 00:21:56 +0000

The 49ers lost their 8th game of the season and with that loss they are now officially eliminated from the playoffs. The 49ers tried making a game of it in the second half, but fell short.

The first half however was embarassing. They only scored three points and turned the ball over four times, but despite that they were still in the game after the third quarter. Only down 20-13. But McNabb and DeSean had enough. They hooked up on a big pass play which setup a touchdown which put them up 27-13 and that was just enough to get the win.

The biggest positive of this game was that Frank Gore rushed for over 100 yards, the first time in 23 games that the Philly D gave up a 100 yard rusher. Also nice to see that even though they were down by 17 at half, they still made a game of it in the second half. The 49ers finish the season against the Lions and Rams and now are playing for an 8-8 season, which will give them some hope for heading into next season.

Jeff Ulbrich to Retire

Niner Pundit — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 14:30:56 +0000

To me it’s a sad day in Ninerland. Reports have surfaced that linebacker Jeff Ulbrich has decided to retire.

Ulbrich will never be a hall of famer, he’ll not go down as one of the greatest Niners, but to me he’ll always be one of my favorites.

Ulbrich was drafted back in 2000 and in the day and age of the salary cap and free agency, he managed to stick around and play his entire career with one team, our team. I think every Niner fan can agree that Jeff Ulbrich will be missed. The thing I enjoyed the most is he went out everyday and gave it his all, he accepted his role and he contributed a lot to this team and he’ll most definitely be missed.

Everyone say it with me…He was a Brich…House!

21 + 81 + 85 = L

Niner Pundit — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:28:33 +0000

I’m sure we can add more numbers to those that contributed to this loss, but a fumble by Frank, a fumble by Brandon Jones and a dropped touchdown by Vernon Davis get credit for this loss.

Of course better clock management could have helped at least the 49ers going into overtime, but why try and get a first down when they can go right back and give them the ball with good field position.

The thing that sucks the most is this was perhaps one of the best games Alex Smith has played. He made some great passes and threw for over 300 yards for the first time in his career.

Not only that but the 49ers had this game won. But the turnovers killed them…oh and the Seahawks had lots of help from the referees. If the 49ers still have a chance they needs lots of help from the Cardinals opponents…who am I kidding the 49ers would have to win in order for that to happen.

Is Gore Happy with the New Offense?

Niner Pundit — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:18:23 +0000

The 49ers offense of late has moved more to passing. The game against the Jags, Alex Smith lined up in the shotgun formation 25 of the 49ers’ 38 plays in the first half. Looking at those numbers it seems that Frank Gore is being left out in the cold. The past two games Gore has had 23 touches. Seven against the Packers and 16 against the Jags.

Gore isn’t the type of back that is molded for a spread offense even though he has done well in it. During the Titans/Bears game, 112 of his 187 rushing yards have come out of the shotgun formation.

The Seahawks are on the docket this week and twice since 2006 Gore has rushed for over 200 yards. So do we see more of the spread this weekend in which Smith, Davis, Walker, and Crabtree are thriving in or do they revert more to Frank’s style since when he gets his touches his owns the Seahawks?

One thing is certain, despite what Gore thinks of the spread formation he is saying all the right things.

‘As long as we win, I’m fine with it,’ ‘I can run out of any kind of offense, I know when my number is called, I do the best I can.’

Source: Matt Maiocco