Official San Francisco 49ers Off-Season Thread (5-7): Let's get ready for the Draft!

[Los Angeles]

anyone else hoping we draft BJ Raji?

 

[Los Angeles]

49ers Sign DB Jimmy Wiliams

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January 22, 2009
The San Francisco 49ers announced today the signing of DB Jimmy Williams. Terms of the contract were not announced by the team.

Williams (6-3, 220) was originally drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the second round (37th overall) of the 2006 NFL Draft out of Virginia Tech. In two seasons (2006-07) with Atlanta, Williams tallied 40 tackles, one interception and three passes defensed in 27 games played with seven starts, seeing action at both cornerback and safety. He spent the 2008 season out of football.

Brunner's Blog: Senior Bowl Wrap-up

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January 22, 2009

Area scout Todd Brunner checks in for the final time from the Under Armour Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama.

I'm in the airport on my way home from the Senior Bowl and I thought the week went well. Obviously coaching the game the last two years was a big help. It was the first time in a few years we had to come down here and approach the game the same as every other team, so it was a little different. We were able to get the information that we needed and I think we've made good evaluations down here that will really help us as we continue the draft process.

The quarterbacks that impressed me were John Parker Wilson from Alabama and Rhett Bomar from Sam Houston State who's a transfer from Oklahoma and then Pat White.

I thought all of the quarterbacks got better as the week went on. Taking snaps from under center was initially difficult and every now and then there will be a fumbled snap so it's still a work in progress. The snaps got better as the week wore on, but you can still tell that they're not completely comfortable.

All the practices are pretty the much the same as they are at this level. It starts off with offensive and defensive walkthrough and then after stretch they'll go to their individual drills. The quarterbacks they are constantly throwing and working on their footwork. Then they start taking snaps with the centers because these guys need to practice that. The tight end are practicing their routes as well as doing blocking drills with the wide receivers. They aren't banging with people every play like the lineman or the linebackers though. They go through all the individual stuff for about 15-20 minutes and they'll get into groups with the quarterbacks and wide receivers and they'll start throwing easy to each other. Then the running backs will get into the mix and catch some passes as well. The offensive and the defensive lines go up against each other in some one-on-one drills. It's normal in practice. You may do different things here and there as some coaches have different philosophies, but all in all it's pretty much the same.

One of the tight ends who stood out was Shawn Nelson from Southern Miss. He looked really good. He caught the ball well and he blocked well so he really looked the part. He also runs well so he's the whole package.

You always tend to watch the guys from you're area because you are anxious to see what they do. You watch them in the fall and you want to see them when they come down here to see how they look. Granted it's only a week of practice so your opinion is not going to change much, but you do want to check in on them.

One guy from my area I wanted to see was Clint Sintim, a linebacker from Virginia. I wanted to see how he would do down here. I liked him when I saw him at Virginia and I think he'll be a 3-4 outside backer. I just wanted to see how he would do in the pass coverage and pass rush drills.

Two other guys I wanted to see were the defensive tackles from Boston College, B.J. Raji and Ronald Brace. They looked really good. Both of them are big, strong guys. They were definitely a force in the middle and they're big time run stoppers. They really showed their strength throughout the week and they dominated the offensive line they were going up against.

We ranked all of the guys at our positions last night. Between now and next Thursday, when I head back to Santa Clara, I'll be taking a look at some of the juniors who have declared and evaluate them. I'll start calling their schools and talking to their coaches in order to get some background information on all of them.

Some of the juniors from my area that declared are Cody Brown, a linebacker from Connecticut, and running back LeSean McCoy from Pittsburgh. Two defensive ends from Penn State also declared and do did the receiver from Maryland, Darrius Heyward-Bey. Kenny Britt from Rutgers, Kevin Ogletree from Virginia and an offensive lineman out of West Virginia declared as well. I just want to get a jump start on that because we'll head out to California and start meetings next week. We go position by position and when one of your guys starts being discussed, you want to make sure you're reports are completed so you aren't scrambling in the meetings.

When all the scouts arrive at the team's headquarters, we'll spen Friday and Saturday watching the All-Star Games. Then, we watch the juniors and select the guys that we want to evaluate further.

Since Scot McCloughan has been on board, we start with the offensive tackles and we'll go through the alphabet, A through Z. We'll go through the board and pull a guy off and if we want to see film on him. We'll read his report and we'll watch his tape, two or three games, and then we will read his stats and then discus what we all think about him. Scot will try to get a consensus and come to a decision on what his grade should be. The grade that we give a player in the fall isn't the be all, end all. Once we get in there and put him on the board, it's the 49er grade.

We're all watching the film together so it gives us a sense of the talent across the country. That helps you because there are great guys all throughout the northeast, some of which I might view as a second round pick. While we are watching film of other players at that position, I may see another guy in some other part of the country who may look a lot better and we have him as a second round pick. That means I rated him too high or maybe it's just the opposite. You get a better feel for all of the players by doing it that way. Then when the draft some and people start talking about different players, you have a good idea of where you think they should go.

That's it from the Senior Bowl. I hope Ethan and I kept you well informed.

 

[vctry20]

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/49ers/archives/018877.html

Senior Bowl: Three who are 10-worthy

Perhaps time will prove everyone wrong, but the general consensus in Mobile this week was that there was a dip in talent level from last season. In fact, you could say that the draft pool as a whole is more shallow than it was last year. Still, it seemed that there were a few players worthy of the 49ers' 10th overall pick.

2. B.J. Raji, DT-NT, Boston College. Raji was one of the most hyped players coming into this week and he didn't disappoint. He weighed a nose-tackle worthy 334 pounds on Monday and proved that he could move that weight in practice all week. He had his way with all of the North squad centers save Cal's Alex Mack, and his match-up against the less acclaimed South centers Saturday will be worth watching. The 49ers have shown no signs of re-signing back-up nose tackle Ronald Fields at this point, and although Aubrayo Franklin came on at the end of the season, the 49ers have signaled in the past that they want to upgrade the position.
3. Michael Oher, OT, Ole Miss. Another big body who can move. Two other offensive tackles, Virginia's Eugene Monroe and Alabama's Andre Smith, also have been mentioned as worthy of a Top 10 selection, but it's hard to imagine them being any better than Oher, who absolutely crushed and demoralized some of his opponents this week. Questions remain, however, about how quickly Oher can pick up a team's playbook. The 49ers are set at left tackle with Joe Staley but need a long-term solution at right tackle. But would they select their right tackle at No. 10 and pay him more than Staley?
4. Rey Maualuga, LB, USC. It's hard to rate linebackers at Senior Bowl practices because they're not allowed to hit. And that happens to be Maualuga's specialty. The USC linebacker weighed in at 254 pounds and he seems custom-built for the 49ers' "Ted" linebacker position where the team has no young prospects. But like offensive tackle, there is politics to consider. Say the 49ers re-sign Takeo Spikes. How would he feel knowing there's a No. 10 pick waiting in the wings? Also, Maualuga would earn more than the understood star of the linebacking corps, Patrick Willis.

-- Matt Barrows

 

[Los Angeles]

i really really reallllly want the niners to draft bj raji, dude is a monster and has speed.

he'll do things for patrick willis getting through.

i like malulga too.

 

[i3allistic]

BJ Raji would be nice for the niner at the NT....I dont think we need a Ted LB yet if we resign Spike ...we got other bigger holes to fill ...

 

[nothingtol0se]

Dan Reeves to interview for 49ers OC job ??

isnt dude like 70 something?

 

[nothingtol0se]

and supposedly linehan who turned down the niners OC job due to "personal" reasons....will be interviewing with the raiders?


boo this man.

 

[jawnstockton]

Man Jimmy Williams was a beast in college. I wonder if he has his head on straight now.

I'd like to see the 49ers take the best player on the board, and then go after some FAs...maybe trade down a some slots and take Kno-show to complimentFrank (not sure if this would make Frank choke somebody in the front office). I figure we'll be running the ball a lot more next season...

 

[eagle 0n]

Dan Reeves?

 

[i3allistic]

dan reeves a good coach ...

 

[gokickrocks]

Linehan took the job in Detroit. Wow @ Dan Reeves being a candidate for the job. Not sure what to think about that.

 

[tsamshox]

Originally Posted by NikeTalker23

Originally Posted by ReliantJ

What in the world does Shaun Hill have to do for the team to get some faith in him. lol

get a stronger arm..

You mean the one that Alex Smith DOESN'T have?

 

[jchildress22]

$@! Adam?

The 49ers are being secretive about their offensive plans, but it's not hard to connect the dots in this case.

The 49ers are interviewing former Falcons head coach Dan Reeves today. Reeves was the head coach when the Falcons traded for the No. 1 overall pick to use on QB Michael Vick.

One day earlier, the 49ers interviewed former Falcons and current Ravens quarterback Hue Jackson, who used to coach Vick in Atlanta. And San Francisco also has expressed some interest in former Falcons wide receivers coach Mike Johnson, who coached quarterbacks in Baltimore and also knows Vick well.

So, some of the candidates the 49ers have begun to focus on all have connections to Vick, who could be back in the NFL as early as this summer.

No team has a greater need for a quarterback than the 49ers, but this isn't to say they will pursue him. But the coaches they're pursuing now all know and have worked with Vick.

And if that's not enough of a conspiracy theory, then consider this: On Thursday, the 49ers also signed former Falcons cornerback Jimmy Williams, Vick's college teammate who lives in Hampton, Va., the next town over from where Vick lives.

Might all just be coincidence. But might not.

 

[ady2glude707]

Originally Posted by JChildress22

$@! Adam?

The 49ers are being secretive about their offensive plans, but it's not hard to connect the dots in this case.

The 49ers are interviewing former Falcons head coach Dan Reeves today. Reeves was the head coach when the Falcons traded for the No. 1 overall pick to use on QB Michael Vick.

One day earlier, the 49ers interviewed former Falcons and current Ravens quarterback Hue Jackson, who used to coach Vick in Atlanta. And San Francisco also has expressed some interest in former Falcons wide receivers coach Mike Johnson, who coached quarterbacks in Baltimore and also knows Vick well.

So, some of the candidates the 49ers have begun to focus on all have connections to Vick, who could be back in the NFL as early as this summer.

No team has a greater need for a quarterback than the 49ers, but this isn't to say they will pursue him. But the coaches they're pursuing now all know and have worked with Vick.

And if that's not enough of a conspiracy theory, then consider this: On Thursday, the 49ers also signed former Falcons cornerback Jimmy Williams, Vick's college teammate who lives in Hampton, Va., the next town over from where Vick lives.

Might all just be coincidence. But might not.

I definitely wouldn't mind vick!

 

[i3allistic]

Originally Posted by ady2glude707

Originally Posted by JChildress22

$@! Adam?

The 49ers are being secretive about their offensive plans, but it's not hard to connect the dots in this case.

The 49ers are interviewing former Falcons head coach Dan Reeves today. Reeves was the head coach when the Falcons traded for the No. 1 overall pick to use on QB Michael Vick.

One day earlier, the 49ers interviewed former Falcons and current Ravens quarterback Hue Jackson, who used to coach Vick in Atlanta. And San Francisco also has expressed some interest in former Falcons wide receivers coach Mike Johnson, who coached quarterbacks in Baltimore and also knows Vick well.

So, some of the candidates the 49ers have begun to focus on all have connections to Vick, who could be back in the NFL as early as this summer.

No team has a greater need for a quarterback than the 49ers, but this isn't to say they will pursue him. But the coaches they're pursuing now all know and have worked with Vick.

And if that's not enough of a conspiracy theory, then consider this: On Thursday, the 49ers also signed former Falcons cornerback Jimmy Williams, Vick's college teammate who lives in Hampton, Va., the next town over from where Vick lives.

Might all just be coincidence. But might not.

I definitely wouldn't mind vick!



vick as a niner will be dope, might as well hire steve young as vick mentor too

...

 

[niketalker23]

NO VICK...ANYBODY BUT VICK..

 

[mister friendly]

Originally Posted by JChildress22

$@! Adam?

The 49ers are being secretive about their offensive plans, but it's not hard to connect the dots in this case.

The 49ers are interviewing former Falcons head coach Dan Reeves today. Reeves was the head coach when the Falcons traded for the No. 1 overall pick to use on QB Michael Vick.

One day earlier, the 49ers interviewed former Falcons and current Ravens quarterback Hue Jackson, who used to coach Vick in Atlanta. And San Francisco also has expressed some interest in former Falcons wide receivers coach Mike Johnson, who coached quarterbacks in Baltimore and also knows Vick well.

So, some of the candidates the 49ers have begun to focus on all have connections to Vick, who could be back in the NFL as early as this summer.

No team has a greater need for a quarterback than the 49ers, but this isn't to say they will pursue him. But the coaches they're pursuing now all know and have worked with Vick.

And if that's not enough of a conspiracy theory, then consider this: On Thursday, the 49ers also signed former Falcons cornerback Jimmy Williams, Vick's college teammate who lives in Hampton, Va., the next town over from where Vick lives.

Might all just be coincidence. But might not.

That would be great!Getting a 3 time pro bowler in Michael Vick.Vick used always torch the 49ers. The 49ers would defintely be a Super Bowl contender with him.Reeves was only coach to fully utilize Vick.

 

[100proof]

Originally Posted by JChildress22

$@! Adam?

The 49ers are being secretive about their offensive plans, but it's not hard to connect the dots in this case.

The 49ers are interviewing former Falcons head coach Dan Reeves today. Reeves was the head coach when the Falcons traded for the No. 1 overall pick to use on QB Michael Vick.

One day earlier, the 49ers interviewed former Falcons and current Ravens quarterback Hue Jackson, who used to coach Vick in Atlanta. And San Francisco also has expressed some interest in former Falcons wide receivers coach Mike Johnson, who coached quarterbacks in Baltimore and also knows Vick well.

So, some of the candidates the 49ers have begun to focus on all have connections to Vick, who could be back in the NFL as early as this summer.

No team has a greater need for a quarterback than the 49ers, but this isn't to say they will pursue him. But the coaches they're pursuing now all know and have worked with Vick.

And if that's not enough of a conspiracy theory, then consider this: On Thursday, the 49ers also signed former Falcons cornerback Jimmy Williams, Vick's college teammate who lives in Hampton, Va., the next town over from where Vick lives.

Might all just be coincidence. But might not.

I highly doubt they are angling to get Vick, but I would love to see it just to everybody crying that A smith didnt get a fair chance after hegets outplayed by Hill and Vick.

Add the fact it would piss PETA offand it would be a great move.

 

[gokickrocks]

Originally Posted by JChildress22

$@! Adam?

The 49ers are being secretive about their offensive plans, but it's not hard to connect the dots in this case.

The 49ers are interviewing former Falcons head coach Dan Reeves today. Reeves was the head coach when the Falcons traded for the No. 1 overall pick to use on QB Michael Vick.

One day earlier, the 49ers interviewed former Falcons and current Ravens quarterback Hue Jackson, who used to coach Vick in Atlanta. And San Francisco also has expressed some interest in former Falcons wide receivers coach Mike Johnson, who coached quarterbacks in Baltimore and also knows Vick well.

So, some of the candidates the 49ers have begun to focus on all have connections to Vick, who could be back in the NFL as early as this summer.

No team has a greater need for a quarterback than the 49ers, but this isn't to say they will pursue him. But the coaches they're pursuing now all know and have worked with Vick.

And if that's not enough of a conspiracy theory, then consider this: On Thursday, the 49ers also signed former Falcons cornerback Jimmy Williams, Vick's college teammate who lives in Hampton, Va., the next town over from where Vick lives.

Might all just be coincidence. But might not.

I wouldn't mind ithappening, though I doubt it will actually go down.

 

[livemyreality]

Doesn't Vick still have to be reinstated by the league before any team would consider him next season? Will he be out of jail soon?

 

[jchildress22]

First week of June i believe and yes Goodell will have to sign off on him playing.

 

[Los Angeles]

49ers Sign WR Michael Spurlock

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January 23, 2009
The San Francisco 49ers announced today the signing of WR Micheal Spurlock to a future contract. Terms of the contract were not announced by the team.

Spurlock (5-11, 200) was originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2006 by the Arizona Cardinals out of Mississippi. He spent the entire 2008 season on the practice squad of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2007, Spurlock saw action in seven games for the Buccaneers, returning 16 kickoffs for 444 yards (27.8 avg.), which included a 90-yard touchdown return, to go along with four punt returns for 30 yards. In his rookie season with the Cardinals, he spent the first 15 games of the year on the team's practice squad before being signed to the active roster for the season finale at San Diego (12-31). In that game, Spurlock caught four passes for 31 yards and returned five kickoffs for 106 yards.

 

[Los Angeles]

A couple thoughts:

I'm straight on Dan Reeves, I know Sing wants old-school type football - and Reeves is old school, but the game has changed so much ....
Dan Reeves doesn't seem like the "long-term" fix, I mean really ... an OC? No way.
Eh, I'm on the fence with Mike Vick, although I'm for second chances and all ... if theres anyone that can mentor and get into Vicks head, Sing wouldbe that dude.
& Vick would be no quarterback, he'd be a good option for the wildcat (maybe taking Robinson's role)

Does anyone know info on Jimmy Williams? dude has good size, and theyre gonna give him an opportunity to get a safety position.

 

[acidicality]

^I'm with you, don't like Reeves as the OC, but I'd welcome having Vick on the roster. Like you said, Singletary could be that kind of coach thatVick can get his career back on track with.

 

[mister friendly]

Reeves and Singletary could get thru to Vick. Vick's best seasons were with Reeves.