Matt, I mentioned this in a previous post. But how do you have 35 million in cap space and not use it on anyone? Didn't the 49ers sign Clements to such a huge deal because of the salary floor? It just seems odd that with that much space you wouldn't do anything other than resign a handful of your own players.

So that leaves BJ Raji and the OT's? I'd be fine with that.

Maybe BJ Raji in the first, a pass rusher like Larry English in the second and fix OT through FA.

Question: But how do you have 35 million in cap space and not use it on anyone?

My response: They'll sign some free agents, to be sure, but I agree with their apparent philosophy of refraining from spending money just to spend money. With franchise tags and players re-signing with their previous clubs, a lot of talent has already been taken off the market. --Matt M.

Matt, sorry to hear of your loss. My condolences to you and your family. Take all the time you need and then celebrate Lucy's birthday.

Hi Matt, glad you made it home ok, in the end...

I wouldn't mind adding a couple FA's from winning teams, to instill that winning/play-off attitude...top of my list Dawkins and Runyan.
I know they're older than the moon, but they would bring toughness, leadership winning attitiude and buy us a year or two to find suitable replacements. Is any of this likely?

I'm glad we don't exhaust all of our cap space just for the sake of doing that. That's how (even if next year isn't capped) we'll be screwed in terms of cap space 3-4 years down the line. Very weak FA market this year after all the tags were applied. Sign some guys to extensions if the timing's right, and then just sit on the cash if need be.

Hope you are doing alright, Matt.

Hey Matt,

I watched the whole Combine yesterday for the DL and LBs. I was VERY impressed with Clay Matthews and think he could be a great pick for the Niners, just maybe not at 10. But do you think Singletary is at all interested in him?

Throwing money around just to do it is foolish. That's what the Raiders do.

And apparently the Redskins do it too...

http://www.rotoworld.com/content/playerpages/player_main.aspx?sport=NFL&hl=139915&id=2636

How about the West Virginia QB White. The guy looked very good at the combine and is a legit QB. If he's there in round 2, I'd take him.

Also, I think the USC LB Malauga (sp) would be fantastic 1st round pick. Willis and Mauluga ??? wow.

Rang is spot on thus far with his prognostication.

If Sanchez falls to 10, maybe McGM will swing a first round swap and extra 3rd round pick from the Jets.

Broadway Sanchez.

What gives you the impression Orakpo wouldn't be an option? I think he solidified himself as the top pass rusher in this draft during the combine. Mayock said he may be the next Demarcus Ware. What's up?

Matt...What seems to be going on with RB Clayton? The team has kept him around. Does he have weaknesses with blocking? His name has come up only once in your blog quite a while ago. Has the team concluded that he can't help the offense now? It seems he could be a change of pace back for the offense.
No hurry with the answer. Take this time for yourself and family.

matt, any chance the niners go after deuce mccalister or fred taylor?

Matt, you don't think they got Orakpo on their radar? Maybe they like Maybin better.

Matt, how about Stinchcomb, the tackle from the Saints, do you think he is on their radar? Any possible big names like TJH at all? And if they don't like rakpo or Brown are they focusing on second round guys like English, Johnson, or Barwin to rush the passer. And last, any news on possible trades, McCloughan mentioned trades at the State of The Franchise meeting. Thank you and best wished to you and your family.

I don't think you have to worry about the Niners and salary cap. Each and every year that McCloughan/Parage(?) have been running this thing they've been way below the cap, even when they've signed guys like Smith/Jennings/VD/Clements and J. Smith to VERY lucrative contracts. They know how to run the system and space out the amounts so that they aren't hit with a big cap number in one year over the next.

my top 3 draft picks for 9ers at #10:
1.aaron Maybin(reminds some of demarcus ware)
2.andre Smith(good value at # 10, the best finisher of all the tackles)
3.BJ Raji(a prototypical nose, takes two people off our backers)
Any on of these 3 and i'll be happy.

How about that C from Oregon in the 2nd as a safe pick. Then we could move Heitmann to G, and if we land a good T with our 1st, we'll have a good line going into '09! Assuming we get Andre Smith, our line would look like this:T-Staley, G-Heitmann,C-(the guy from oregon, can't remember his name)G-Rachal, T-A.Smith(andre not alex LOL) not bad

Matt, is there any hope the Niners will land TJ Houshmandzadeh this offseason? I heard this a.m. that Philly's shown some interest. I think they'll be playing it smart if they extend current players, but if Bruce bails, we are gonna be thin @ WR....at least quality ones.

Question: you don't think they got Orakpo on their radar? Maybe they like Maybin better.

My response: That's my impression, but it's also my feeling at this point that Maybin is certainly not a top-10 pick. --Matt M.

Matt - Glad to hear you made it back safe. My condolenses to you and your family.

Question: How do you definitively know Bryant Johnson won't be back? This wasn't clear to me. Did the Niners never make an attempt at resigning him?

Hello Matt,

Who are some of the current players the 49ers might want to work out contract extensions with this off-season?

And, why not Orakpo with the 10th pick? Our biggest need is still pass-rush, and it seems like Orakpo would be a good fit in the 49ers 3-4 scheme.

Thank you!
-Hank

Matt, I'm sorry for your loss. I will pray for your family. Thank you for your hard work.

Hank in SD,
Im thinking they want to tie up Willis and Gore for sure to long term deals. This also might be a good time to extend Davis and Lawson because Davis has a legit chance of having a big year with the new offense and Lawson should be fully healed and could have a really strong year after ending last season well and we should lock them up before they can command big money.

Oh no question about it, Paraag gets a lot of heat from the "internet community" but I think the guy is very valuable to us. I was just saying that to back up my belief that we really don't need to be spending money just for the sake of it. Getting into a bidding war for most of the guys that will be on the market isn't a great move, IMO.

I hope these scouts are smokescreening, Matt. Why would a 3-4 team give Brown a lower grade just because he is 6-2? James Harrison, Parys Haralson and LaMarr Woodley are all 6-2 or under. How are you going to down grade Jeremy Maclin because he is "tightly wound" and you think he MIGHT have durability issues?

I can understand a scout saying a player doesn't fit our system, or he doesn't have first round talent or production, but if the 49ers fail to address their pass-rusher and receiver needs and these guys ends up being as productive in NFL as they were in college, I will make it my mission to find Jed York and say," remember when McCloughan passed up on Brown because he was 6-2?" Or, "remember when McCloughan passed on Maclin because he didn't like his build."

Matt, In an earlier post you made a definitive statement that Bryant Johnson would not be back, but did not give a reason. Can you elaborate (and if you can't because of an agreement with the team, I understand). But I'd be interested to know if it was due to contract demands or fit. Given the amount of money SF has to spend, resigning BJ for a reasonable amount would seem to free it up to fill holes elsewhere in the draft. (BTW, my view: *if* possible, you trade down, select Oher between 15-20, and use the extra pick to add depth elsewhere.)

Shying away from FA because of a crap call penalyzing SF last year (for doing something EVERY team does) would really p*** me off. It's going to take more than helicopter rides to get good players here. Nate Clements came here for 1 reason: We paid more than anyone else.

We have an opportunity to get a very good player for the 3rd year in a row that would help our team (Clements, Smith, ?)and extending contracts for players on our own team WILL NOT help. Everyone knows FA is all about overpaying, which doesn't necessarily equal breaking the bank.

Great teams are victims of their own success because sooner or later they lose players that they shrewdly drafted because they can't afford to keep them (see Baltimore, NY, NE, IND) but we're not close to being in that leaugue and we won't get there by taking the Mike Nolan approach and signing the Tully Banta Cain's and the Zak Keasey's of the NFL because they have potential. We need very good players!

"Great teams are victims of their own success because sooner or later they lose players"

And when we do break the bank, we get the best players from terlible teams(Nate Clements-Bills, Justin Smith-Bengals)

I would understand if we went after Asante Samuel last year, or someone like that. An FA from one of those great teams.

I meant terrible teams.

Having room under the cap and having cash to spend are two very different things. A point that some folks seem to have trouble understanding.

Just ask yourself if you're as willing to make a big purchase this year as you were last year? Car,house, boat etc.? Most owners are no different including the Yorks. They'll spend as little as they can get away with.

Interestingly enough, that makes it an excellent year to trade up in the first round because several of the top teams want to avoid paying huge signing bonuses. Good trade deals will be there for the taking. If I were McJed and there was a sure fire franchise QB or perennial pro-bowl tackle or a sack monster DE up higher, I'd be making a few calls. But only for those positions. Not worth it for any other.

I'm with you Hank in SD,

If neither top 2 OT's are not there at #10 then why not Orakpo? they REALLY need a true pass rusher not another OLB, the 49ers already have too many of them & have shown they can't pass rush so what's the point in wasting a 1st round pick (Maybin) on another one? At least Orakpo is a true D-lineman who can not only pass rush but hold his ground on the corner on run plays. I don't see where the 49ers can justify drafting any other position other than OT or D-line (Raji) on their 1st pick.

Ok fellas what is up with this quote? "OLB Brian Orakpo: Not sure exactly why, but that's my impression (I'll try to find out more as the draft nears)."
Are the 9ers doing a decoy here? Brown and Orakpo are pretty good looking players. Neither seem to shy away from contact.
If you couldn't get one of the top 3 OT's one of these guys would have to be the 10 choice right?

Matt, I notice that you skillfully left TJ Houshmandzadeh off your list of "49ers won't go after" while avoiding the idea of him as someone we might pursue.

Knowing what you know now, do you think the chances of a run at Housh are more or less likely? And if they do, what kind of contract would a guy who will start the 09 season at 32 years old be able to collect?

what odds to you put on the 49ers going after housh, and possibly a guy like yeremiah bell from the dolphins, and stinchomb from the saints.

PFW is projecting Orakpo to be an OLB at the next level, not a DE. We don't need to drop franchise dollars on another OLB. We have someone named Manny Lawson who needs more seasoning.

If we're going to pass on Sanchez (which is a mistake IMO), then if that impenetrable pile from Boston College is available, take him. Andre Smith would be a slim possibility here also, assuming the top 3 OTs are history before 10.

Otherwise trade down and harvest extra pickings.

O Line D Line

Matt, I am sorry for your loss. He is in a better place. Question about the D. If we are going to continue with the 3-4 shouldnt we be looking at Raji from BC. You can not run a successful 3-4 without the push in the middle. Now we can talk about outside pass rushers all day, but if we dont get the push in the middle our pass rush will still be ineffective.Dallas(Ratliff,Pitt. Hampton, Baltimore Haloti, Jets Jenkins 49ers?)

Im with you brother!

If we already have determined khalif and marvel are too pricey,that pretty much explains why we are a bottomdweller team and shall remain one.the very notion,with all our needs,that we would use #10 for a left tackle is so sad.when did staley become kwame harris.lousy o-line,lousy team,but our most pressing need,right tackle,should be proven free agent.then we can use the draft to get an explosive playmaker on each side of the ball.

Matt, take all the time you need but please be back for the draft. I am sorry for your loss and my prayers are with you and your family.

I think I speak for all Niner fans every where when I say that you are apart of the family (niner Family) so to speak so when your pain is our pain.

I do think though that the NFL requires teams to be within X amount of dollars of the cap figure. They dont want any Kansas City Royals in the NFL. I think it may be 10 or 15% at most, maybe Matt can confirm, but if the Niners are 25 to 30 million under the cap, they will still have to spend some of it to get to that magic minimal salary number. And the Yorks havent shown, for the last 4 years, any issues with dolling out the big dough.

Just saw BJ Raji running the 40. His lower half is HUGE.
The funniest thing I have ever seen was the breakdown of Rich Eisen and ANYONE running the 40.

Everette Brown's YouTube was truly awe-inspiring and admittedly I'm pretty ignorant about him otherwise but hope they grab that guy. An amazing playmaker. Worrying about height and weight and 40 times more than how players did in college competition is truly stupid. For example, while Vernon Davis isn't a bust, exactly, he certainly hasn't been the football superman his numbers suggested.

Matt,

Which players are the 49ers targeting to extend with long term deals, and who are the players on other teams the agents will be pointing to as comparable contracts?

I'm getting more curious about the odds that we snag the top RB now.
I wanted OT/DE/NT at 10, but if all the good candy is sold, BPA could lead them to WR/RB?
Who can figure at this point, but I would agree that FA is looking less and less attractive at the starting gun.
Perhaps the better deals come late when the big money contracts are sent packing so the Draft picks can get signed.
It's a fun process to watch, but it takes too damn long.

We will take Smith or Oher IMHO.

Franchise,

Although I agree with your strategy that the 49ers trade out of the the 1st round for more picks if the top 3 OT's are gone I totally disagree with your assessment of Many Lawson being a pass rusher & putting Orakpo in that same category. You simply only need to look at the build of each man & there's no comparison what so ever! Manny's never going to be a true "pass rusher" but he does have other talents to his game. Orakpo on the other hand has the physical measurables to not only be a very good pass rusher but add weight & strength if that's possible to man the corner on the D-line. There's just too much upside not to take him at #10 if he's available. But if he's gone too then take Raji to anchor the middle. I would be happy with that also.

Valid points taken. Beggars can't be choosers – Prototypical DEs like Mario Williams come around probably once in a decade. Now we can credit a slice of genius to Charlie Casserly for graciously passing on a Bush to take a Mario.

At best – Andre Carter, at worst – Todd Kelly. Ah Todd, where are you now....

Hey Matt, any impressions on what the niners think of the various OTs who could be there at 10? And do you really buy this nonsense Sando seems to be buying about the niners moving Staley back to the right side if they draft someone higher? Doesn't seem to match his strengths at all.

Also, do you think the niners might look at Crabtree if he falls? Between the injury, no 40 and being 2 inches shorter than thought, it isn't out of the realm of possibility that he would slide.

Also please guarantee me theres no way we take Vernon's little brother at any spot.

Question: do you really buy this nonsense Sando seems to be buying about the niners moving Staley back to the right side if they draft someone higher?

My response: It's not nonsense at all. This is what I wrote five days ago . . . "The 49ers are flexible whether Joe Staley plays left or right tackle. Singletary and McCloughan both said that if the club signs or drafts a better left tackle, then they'll have no hesitation about moving Staley back to right tackle."

http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers/2009/02/day-2-niners-news-and-notes.html

That same day, here is what I quote McCloughan as saying, "If we can get better and move Joe Staley to the right side, then we've improved the offensive line quite a bit. If that's possible, I'd love to do it. I know this - with Joe Staley being out starting left tackle, we can win a lot football games with him."

http://blog.pressdemocrat.com/49ers/2009/02/day-2-mccloughan-looks-for-rb-to-share-load-with-gore.html

--Matt M.

Do the 49ers make a play for Chris Canty or Bart Scott?

"What gives you the impression Orakpo wouldn't be an option? I think he solidified himself as the top pass rusher in this draft during the combine. Mayock said he may be the next Demarcus Ware."

If I remember correctly, Mayock also stated that he's still 2-3 years from being a 3 down backer. He needs some time in the weight room, as he can't set the edge. He's a pure pass rusher at this point. I'd venture to say the niners would have to decide whether they want to drop the number 10 pick on someone who will likely only play on third downs right now.

you must be referring to the wrong guy because no one would say Orakpo needs MORE time in the weight room. As i said before Mayock was quoted as saying "if you're looking for a Demarcus Ware in this draft, Orakpo is the closest to it"

Shoot me – You have confused Maybin and Orakapo. The one knock on Orakapo is the Weight room - as in TOO MUCH of the Weight Room. The guy is an absolute beast and the concern is he is too much like a Vernon Davis and not as fluid of an athlete as Maybin. Your Mike Mayock comments were directed towards Maybin, who has weight issues and may be too small/learn for the NFL. He needs a few years to grow into his frame (Sounds a lot like Manny Lawsome to me). Orakapo on the other had has an NFL ready body and the real concern with him is injuries. Again - the weight room rats like Vernon/Orakapo, get a lot of muscle pulls and are often injured. Remember – Bill Walsh always preferred the fluid athletes and not the “Body Beautiful” weight room rats. Watch this video from SportsCenter and then re-read what you wrote about Orakapo needing work in the weight room:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGUc3UL64f0

I couldn't remember if it was Maybin or Orakpo that I was thinking of... just assumed that was the reason they wouldn't be looking at him with the number 10 pick.

I apologize if this is off topic, but man.....gotta love Bill Walsh!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uTnsWWfgml0&feature=channel_page

Thanks for sharing Norm. it's officially in my YouTube faves.