David Baas will start Sunday's game against the Seahawks at left guard, replacing Adam Snyder, who started the first seven games at that spot for the 49ers this season. Baas, the No. 33 overall pick in the 2005 draft, has seen limited action this season. Baas said he continued to prepare diligently so he'd be ready when he got his chance.
"I did my part and was working very hard and showing that I was ready to play," Baas said. "This is a great opportunity to do the things that the team needs from me. . . . I'm excited. I'm ready to roll."
Baas has started 13 of his 51 career games after being the 49ers' second-round pick of the first Mike Nolan-Scot McCloughan draft class. He started eight games last season at right guard after Justin Smiley's season-ending shoulder injury/surgery.
Baas was slated to be the team's starter at right guard this season, but those plans were derailed when he sustained a torn pectoral tendon while lifting weights in April. When he returned to action late in training camp, Tony Wragge had taken over at right guard and Snyder was entrenched at left guard.
The elevation of Baas into the starting lineup comes after the 49ers fired Warhop, who was let go the same day the 49ers fired head coach Mike Nolan. Foerster was added to the coaching staff in February to assist Warhop, who came under fire last season when the 49ers surrendered a franchise-worst 55 sacks.
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The 49ers-Seahawks is not a GPS game. It is an elimination game in the NFC West. The 49ers (2-5) and the Seahawks (1-5) need victories to have any hopes of remaining in the hunt.
Of course, it's the head-coaching debut of 49ers interim coach Mike Singletary. The players should be fired up; the crowd at Candlestick should be excited, too.
Here are some of the key matchups for Sunday's game, beginning with the new addition to the 49ers' starting lineup:
LG Baas vs. DT Rocky Bernard: You know all about Bernard. He's the 309-pounder whose belly-flop on Alex Smith changed the course of the past two seasons. Bernard does a good job clogging up the middle. Baas is a powerful player. It's power vs. power. Bernard might not make a whole lot of tackles, but if he ties up Baas, he will make it difficult for Frank Gore to get yards up the middle.
QB J.T. O'Sullivan vs. FS Brian Russell: O'Sullivan has to do a better job of valuing the football. He has committed 12 turnovers and lost another fumble that resulted in a safety in the past four games. Russell has to feel like he can confuse O'Sullivan into some ill-advised throws. Russell does not have an interception this season, as the Seahawks have managed just one pick in the first six games. O'Sullivan threw for 321 yards when the clubs met earlier this season.
For the first time in his career, O'Sullivan is getting a second start against the same opponent. His approach:
"It's a fine line, you're preparing, you want to prepare as hard as you can every single week. There's just the familiarity of a division opponent, especially when you've already played this season, where you might be a little bit more familiar with how they do things or what their adjustments might be but at the same time, you don't want to go.... There's a fine line between being almost, the wrong word is over-prepared but, you don't want to be out there anticipating what they're going to be in and guessing and then all of a sudden they're not in that and now you're allotted to that. You still have to play the game, prepare, be able to make the adjustments. You can't be, 'Oh, I know these guys. They're going to be in this versus that.' We'll get this and then all of a sudden they're in something else, now I'm guessing what they're in."
RB Frank Gore vs. MLB Lofa Tatupu: In the past five games against the Seahawks, Gore has 715 scrimmage yards (143.0 per game), including 568 rush yards (113.6 per game). He set career-highs in rush yards (212) and scrimmage yards (238) in 2006 against the Seahawks. He is coming off an 11-carry, 11-yard performance against the Giants, so it should be a priority for Mike Martz to get him going. Tatupu is the Seahawks' second-leading tackler with 39 stops on the season.
FS Mark Roman vs. QB Seneca Wallace: Roman, the nine-year veteran, has to be able to take advantage of Wallace's relative lack of experience. Wallace gets his second start of the season in place of injured Matt Hasselbeck. Roman has just one interception in 39 career starts since coming to the 49ers as a free agent.
LB Manny Lawson vs. TE John Carlson: Lawson did not play a snap of defense when the teams met earlier this season. The 49ers went with five defensive backs the entire game at Lawson's expense. The 49ers figure to play the Seahawks straight-up this time. Carlson was the Seahawks' only threat in the passing game the last time, and he had a big game. This meeting, Lawson will line up over Carlson and will be responsible for keeping the rookie in check. Carlson is the Seahawks' leading receiver with 19 catches for 201 yards.
CBs Nate Clements and Walt Harris vs. Seahawks WRs Koren Robinson and Deion Branch (or whomever plays WR for that team): Both Robinson and Branch are on the injury report. Clements and Harris have experienced up-and-down seasons. They seem to do better against established receivers. Clements is coming off a strong showing against the Giants' Plaxico Burress. Both 49ers corners have been susceptible to the deep ball. Robinson and Branch did not play against the 49ers when the clubs met earlier this season.
LT Joe Staley vs. OLB/DE Julian Peterson: Staley struggled at the beginning of the season, but his play has gotten better. Peterson poses a major challenge for him. Peterson ranks second on the Seahawks with three sacks. He always gets a little extra fired up to play against his former team at Candlestick. The 49ers allowed eight sacks against the Seahawks last season. Barry Sims will have a tall order on the other side against Patrick Kerney.
Matt I'm a big fan of BALL CONTROL. Until we get this line settled and learn to use Frank properly, Wins will be hard to come by.
I have not understood the issues with Baas, often wondering if his situation was personal with Nolan or not, but perhaps this was the dysfunctional aspect of at the core of the OL?
Warhop, Allen, Kwame, Baas, the constant finger pointing and of course, the expensive FA Jonas.
Let's hope Baas takes this opportunity to earn a starting spot or clears our collective vision about where the 'Blind Spot' exists with getting this OL to gel.
GPS=Game Plan Strategy! Find a weakness (QB) exploit it.
Seneca in the Crosshairs, don't let him get settled.
Frank carries 25-35 times and, HOPEFULLY, we learn to keep the opponent's Defense on the field for 40 minutes?
I want Singletary to get our defense in a lather for 3 and outs. Once that happens, swagger is born.
Nolan out, Singletary in. Warhop out, Baas in. Let's see if these changes make a difference. Are there more changes we'll see in Sunday's game?
Let's hope so, a once proud franchise that can't seem to find leadership is extremely frustrating.
It starts with a plan. Someone has a vision, they work to indentify the goal.
Nolan spoke of the Division first, rightly so, and it remains the focus at hand.
Next 2 games, as Matt has already eluded to, are for Division survival. Singletary has his hands full. Nothing is going to be easy with Holmgren and Whisenhunt, but I'm hopeful that Mike's fire and passion for the game will be a huge first step.
It's a chess game, all phases have to execute.
Seattle is certainly beatable without Hasselbeck.
Come's down to who makes the plays and, I'd love nothing more then to see an inspired, pressure filled, defensive scheme.
RK in LA... The changes I'd like to see in after the bye is Roman riding the pine and Goldston in his place. 1 INT in 39 starts is unacceptable for a FS. It's not like he's all that great at run support either. I bet Singletary would seriously consider starting Goldston this week if he weren't injure
d. The other change I want to see is Rachal in place of Sims. I think JTO will breathe a sigh of relief with Sims out of the starting lineup. He's constantly getting beat week after week. I know that he was not the starter at the beginning of the season but he's got to play like he's a starter now. Another move would be to bench Franklin. He doesn't deserve to start, period. If Walt Harris continues to play 10 yards off receivers, it's time for Terrell Brown.
With all that being said, I'm very excited for this game. At least the coaches are being proactive and benching Snyder. Hopefully this sends a message to the slackers to pick up their game.
Matt, I know that you had stated earlier that Nolan likes Roman. With Nolan being gone, do you think there's a realistic shot at Goldston starting after the bye week? Please don't say if Roman plays better he won't be bench. I think we all can see clearly that Roman is not an NFL quality FS in terms of talent.
Now Snyder is in a position to replace Sims if necessary.
RK I think the message from the start when Nolan and Warhop got the boot was that business as usual isn't good enough.
Bottom line, Nolan refused to tinker or experiment. He stuck with guys no matter the results.
This is where the change needs to occur, line play and defensive scheme. Today should feature a new attitude if nothing else.
Out with favoritism, out with mediocre play, out with the same old same old. Didn't work, rah,rah,rah, whatever.
Get after it and leave it all on the field.
Let's go SINGLETARY! Let's go MARTZ! Let's go MANUSKY!
Great comments. I think to be a winning NFL coach, HC, OC or DC, it takes a very unusual combination of creativity and discipline. Usually the creative types lack discipline and the highly disciplined types lack creativity. Walsh, of course, had both as core strengths. Nolan lacks creativity. Martz allows his creativity with the passing game get in the way of disciplined thinking. Nolan didn't have a clue about what to do when things weren't working (except to tell the players to play better). It will be interesting to see what Singletary and Manusky do with the defense over the next few games.
Please tell me this is a April Fool's joke in October.
49ERS INTERESTED IN CONDOLEEZZA RICE
Bush administration officials will be looking for new jobs soon, and there’s another report out today that one of them could be headed to the NFL.
Adam Schefter reported on NFL Network’s NFL GameDay Morning that the San Francisco 49ers want to talk to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice about a high-level position within the organization.
Per Schefter, the 49ers’ ownership believes that Rice would make a great team president and that she would be likely to help them get financing for the new stadium they want.
Rice was already planning to return to the Bay Area when her work in Washington is finished. She previously served as provost at Stanford.
Rice has also been mentioned as a potential candidate to become either the commissioner of the NFL or the head of the players’ union.
Louisiana49er,
May be they thought she is related to Jerry Rice and somehow anybody related to 'Rice' would bring back the glory.
In any case nothing Yorks do surprise me anymore. But I do think Jed York is way better than mom and pops.
I heard her say a few years back that she was interested in purchasing an NFL team. It wouldn't surprise me if a franchise wanted to bring her in and see what she can do... she's VERY passionate about football.
Matt - Please tell me this Condelezza Rice thing isn't true. Please. Can you get any more info on this? She would be a DISASTER for the 49ers. We just fired a Bush-like coach, and now they mention someone from his administrator to join the SF 49ers??
If this becomes Jed's first front office move, it would ruin him in the eyes of 49er fans forever.
Condi Rice is a brilliant person, but it would be a pc choice and like many the 49ers have made. What we need is FOOTBALL people. Not former secretaries of state. not bean counters, not shoe marketing people, not more people who know little about the brutal game of pro football. Singletary is starting a new career, Head Coach. I wish this very good and decent man all the best!
Only the Yorks would be stupid enough to bring in a
Republican political figure to a team in the most
liberal-voting city in the country.
Dirk hit the nail on the head. The move is much more about tackle play than guard. And not really a shocker, I seem to remember folks saying at the beginning of the season that when Baas gets his strength back, Snyder will move to tackle.
Baas finally starting? It's about time! Now why not flip Snyder over to right tackle and let Sims back up? And can we also assume the 3-4 defense scheme is officially dead znd that the QBs will move up to the line and knock the WRs off their patterns? If so, this team might actually be fun to watch again.