Tedd Gin Jr: Decoy or Weapon?
Recently we heard that the 49ers moved Crabtree to the slot during three receiver sets. Which translates to Ted Ginn being pushed outside to the X or Y receiver during these sets. This means a couple of things. First it means that Kyle Williams probably isn’t going to make an impact this season. It could also mean something for Ted Ginn, it either means that he has impressed the coaches enough that they want to give him an expanded role in the offense, or that they see him as a decoy. There’s no doubt that Ginn is fast enough to be a decoy but if his hands don’t come around that might be the only thing he’s good for. I hope he can do more than that, we will see when camp starts.
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2010 NFL Pre-Camp Power Rankings
1. New Orleans Saints
The defending champs did a good job in the off-season; retaining their players and setting themselves up to make another run at the title.
2. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens were the winners of the off-season. They had a great draft, their young O-Line got older, and they were able to acquire Anquon Boldin. Right now the Ravens are the favorite in the AFC.
3. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts are the Colts but we have to wonder when they will feel the effects of losing Tony Dungy. As long as they have Peyton Manning they will be in it at the end of the year.
4. Dallas Cowboys
Dez Bryant will help this team immediately. The McNabb trade helps the Cowboys by weakening the Eagles; it will take a year or so for the Redskins to figure out how to use him.
5. New England Patriots
New England’s young players will be better this next year, but their old players will be older. If Randy Moss can keep his speed and having a healthy Tom Brady, the Patriots should win the AFC East.
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49ers: The Nolan Era’s lasting effect.
If you follow NinersCentral you know that I like Mike Singletary, he gets the best out of his players and knows how to handle the media. Singletary has found success as the 49ers head coach going 13 and 12 so far. Considering the dire state that the 49ers were in before he took over, his record is impressive. As a coach Singletary is a fan’s favorite and is gaining respect with the media and his peers. It looks like he could be ready to take the 49ers to the playoffs this year, however he should be thanking somebody for his success. That person would be Mike Nolan.
When Nolan was hired as the 49ers head coach, he brought Mike Singletary along with him. At this point Singletary was the linebacker’s coach under Nolan with the Baltimore Ravens. Nolan made Singletary his assistant head coach and linebacker’s coach. This doesn’t sound like a big deal but at this point there weren’t many teams giving Singletary a chance at a promotion. This became even more prominent when the Rooney Rule was stringing Singletary along the league. In 2007 he interviewed with Dallas and San Diego; both teams already had plans in place in regards to their head coaching positions. So Nolan was the first to give Singletary a chance.
Another reason Iron Mike should thank the well-dressed Mike would be the players he left him with. While Nolan was running the team, he put together a pretty decent roster. Dashon Goldson, Frank Gore, P-Will, Vernon Davis, and Aubrayo Franklin are all players that Nolan had a hand in bringing to San Francisco. Nolan did a decent job picking out the groceries; it just took Singletary to cook them up.
Most 49ers fans have bought into what Coach Singletary is selling, however he was taught how to sell a fan base by one of the best to do it. Mike Nolan had the 49er fan base believing that he was their savior. He was able to convince the York’s that they should give a guy with no head coaching experience the keys to the franchise. It seems like Singletary has done the same thing.
49ers Position Breakdown: Strong Safeties
Michael Lewis
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Lewis has to be the most underrated player on the 49ers. He has been productive his entire career and last year was no different. Even with an injury, he still managed 82 tackles and an interception. Lewis is better suited to play in the box; this doesn’t bode well with the 49ers because they are weak at the corner position. Basically if you can’t cover with your corners, you can’t afford to have a safety in the box to stop the run. The 49ers coaching staff has also said that they would like their safeties to mirror each other, Lewis wont be able to do that. It’s odd that a solid contributor like Lewis is on his way out even though he is still able to contribute. The 49er Faithful will hope that this is caused by a growth in talent by other players.
Taylor Mays
Lewis is the starter at the moment but he won’t be for long. Taylor Mays is a monster; he stands at about 6’2 and 230 pounds. He is built like a linebacker but runs like Chris Johnson. Mays will be great at some point, when is a matter of how quick of a study he is. That’s good news for the 49ers because the knock on Mays has never been his work ethic. He studies the game and works as hard as anybody. Most of his flaws come from a lack of knee bend, this affects his change of direction and his back peddle. Taylor Mays will be the defensive version of Vernon Davis within the next two years.
Players like Curtis Taylor and Reggie Smith also play strong safety, I didn’t put them on here because they are better suited to play free safety.
49ers’ Position Breakdown: Free Safety
The 49ers would like their safeties to mirror each other, but since they don’t quite yet have the personnel we will still talk about the “Free” and “Strong” safeties separately.
Dashon Goldson
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Coming into the league, Goldson was more of an athlete then a safety, last year he turned that potential into on field production. Goldson ended the year with 94 tackles and 4 interceptions. He also put in the national spotlight by having his best game of the season in the 49ers’ Monday Night Football game verses the Cardinals. On national television, Goldson had 6 tackles and interceptions and 2 forced fumbles; making it the best game played by a 49ers’ safety since Ronnie Lott. Goldson’s talent is obvious and he will become an elite safety in this league, the problem is that I don’t know if it will be with the 49ers. Goldson has made it abundantly clear that he wants to get paid. Publicly showing that you are about your money tends to make you less popular with the media and the front office. This came out recently when the 49er Faithful clearly wanted the 49ers to sign OJ Atogwe. The 49ers weren’t interested in OJ, but their fans were. This speaks to Goldson’s standing with the fans. Goldson had a better season statistically and OJ hurt his shoulder, but the 49er Faithful still were clamoring for the Ex-Ram. If Goldson and the 49ers’ defense improve like they should, then Goldson will be a top 5 safety in the league this year.
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