Singletary stopped practice early in the 49ers' organized team activity today to implore the team to get its act together. After practice he gathered the team around to deliver another impassioned pep talk.
"We lost a day," Singletary said of the practice session that did not meet his approval.
When asked about what he didn't like, Singletary said, "I don't even want to get started. It was not good."
--Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich is fully on board with Singletary's demands. "He's got a standard," Ulbrich said. "It's frustrating at times because guys are trying to adapt. It's not quite there yet. There are still some guys who are not fully on-board. But if you don't adjust and starting doing it, you're going to be out of here."
Ulbrich wants to make sure he's not out of here. That is why he accepted a pay cut this offseason from a scheduled salary of $2.23 million to $950,000. Ulbrich's goal is to do what's necessary for him to earn a roster spot this season, which would make him a rare 10-year player for the team. Ulbrich was very realistic in agreeing to the pay reduction.
"I was getting paid too much for what I'd be contributing," he said.
Ulbrich's role will primarily be on special teams. That is why he dropped 10 pounds -- from 245 to 235.
"When I've been watching film of special teams, the guys who stand out are the guys who are really fast," he said.
--The 49ers have waived defensive back Jimmy Williams, who was out of the league last season after being a second-round pick of the Falcons in 2006. The 49ers took a chance to see if Williams could succeed at safety. The answer, they've figured, is no.
"Right now, we just felt it was the best thing to do," Singletary said. "It is a numbers game. We feel good about the guys that we have and wanted to give it a look and see how it would work out, and just felt like, 'You know what, right now is the best time to make that decision.'"
--With Williams out of the picture, Singletary said there's a "strong possibility" second-year player Reggie Smith will remain at safety.
--The QB competition continues. Shaun Hill was probably a shade more accurate on his passes. Alex Smith is throwing the ball pretty well. A year ago he was being held back during these offseason camps. This year, he wants to get his arm into training-camp form earlier. Singletary said he believes Smith looks healthy.
But when asked specifically about the play of QBs, Singletary - not surprisingly - said, "We've got a ways to go."
--Safety Curtis Taylor, a seventh-rounder, became the third 49ers draft pick to sign.
--The only veterans who are not here are receiver Isaac Bruce and safety Mark Roman. Singletary said he has never wavered that he wants Roman on the team this season. Roman was given permission in the offseason to seek a trade after he lost his starting job to Dashon Goldson.
Roman underwent surgery this offseason to remove bone spurs in his ankle. He rehabs regularly at the 49ers' practice facility, Singletary said.
--Two rookies are unable to participate because of a rule that prevents them from practicing with the team until graduation ceremonies are held at their respective schools. The two players are: offensive tackle Alex Boone (
--The following players are here but are being held out with injuries: safety Michael Lewis, cornerback Shawntae Spencer, defensive end Ray McDonald, receivers Arnaz Battle and Michael Crabtree. Offensive tackle Marvel Smith worked in individual drills but did not take part in team work.
--The 49ers were one of a reported nine organizations that opted out of the pension plan for non-player employees. Niners offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye is the president of the NFL Coaches Association. He recently released a statement "to express the desire in obtaining a unified pension plan that has portability and carries vestment from team to team."
When Singletary was asked if this might be an issue in the future in luring assistant coaches to the 49ers, he answered:
"There is so much to that, that whole thing - who's doing the pension plan? Who's not doing the pension plan? To what degree are they doing the pension plan? I think we're going to let all that stuff work out. We've talked about it as coaches. The most important thing we have is the focus on these players out here and getting team ready to play. All the other stuff will work itself out.
"We talked about it as a staff, and certainly there are teams around the league that respond one way or the other. Any time you have 20 coaches, you're never going to have everybody saying, 'Hey, way to go. Great.' Everybody has their opinion. But at the same time, we all understand that it's all about winning. We do have a pension in place, it's just a bit different than what we had before. So we just go forward with that."
* * *
"Ulbrich's role will primarily be on special teams. That is why he dropped 10 points from 245 to 235."
Do you mean he dropped 10 pounds?
Sing sure doesn't mess around
Matt, do you have any idea when Crabtree will start running routes and catching balls from Hill & Smith?
Wow,
So much for the Jimmy Williams experiment. I guess he's done playing in the NFL.
Matt,
This leaves our DB inventory as:
CB: Clements, Harris, Brown, Spencer, Hudson, Word-Daniels, Lambert, Thomas
S: Goldson, Lewis, Roman, RSmith, Taylor, Baker
That's plenty of bodies for TC, but solid depth looks to be about 4 CBs and 3-4 safeties. Do you think the most likely veteran FA addition for us before the season begins would be a DB? Do you see anybody available out there that could help us at the bottom of the depth chart?
Matt,
I believe Williams had a problem with conditioning which partially led to his being out of the league last year. Did he show up out of shape so the 9ers decided to cut him right then and there? It seems odd to cut a player before the OTA.
game day depth looks.....
CB: Clements, Harris, Brown, Spencer, Hudson, Rossum*
S: Goldson, Lewis, RSmith, Taylor, Roman*
well I think Chris McAlister would be an ideal pick-up. I think he is exactly the type of player Singletary loves. Plus he played in Baltimore when Sing coached there in 03 and 04.
I believe he would at least be a very good mentor for the young DBs if he cant come back from injury at full strength.
..from Mr. Zero - REMINDER why There is very good reason to doubt Shaun Hill
7 wins vs 6 teams that have combined winning % .380
Win 1 vs Bengals who are 6-12 since that game.
Win 2 vs Buccaneers, TB out gained the 49ers 434 to 213, held the ball for nearly 35 minutes and lost by 2 points. They were already playoff bound and pulled their starters early.
Win 3 vs Rams, they are 5-23 over two seasons!
Win 4 vs Bills, Buf out gained them 350 to 195 and couldn't even kick a few FG's from 20 yards out that day. They finished 3-9 after starting out 4-0 vs Oak, Sea, Jac, and StL all bad teams.
Win 5 vs Jets, Farve's arm was a noodle at that point, the Jets finished the season 1-4 including the loss to SF and even lost to Seattle who was crap.
Win 6 vs Rams, 5-23 I repeat 5-23 the past two seasons and they still needed to come back at the end to win this game!
Win 7 vs Redskins, another bad team that finished 1-5, 2-6 over the last 8 games of the season.
Hill's 3 losses:
Loss 1 vs Cardinals, he turned the ball over twice late in that game, got it back both times on penalties and within a couple of plays he turned it over again both times! Those turnovers gave the Cardinals the ball inside the 49ers 20 both times and gave the Cardinals 10 points. He cost the 49ers that game and NO ONE talks about that. Instead they want to blame it on Martz, if it wasn't for Hill's turnovers the end of the game would have never been an issue!
Loss 2 vs Dallas, not even a close game. The 49ers had no chance to win this game, it was 32 to 9 at the start of the 4th. They got a couple of TD's in the 4th, but that was pretty much garbage time at that point.
Loss vs Miami, they scored 9 points, Gore was out where was Hill when the team needed someone to step up? Oh yeah the TD that Roman gave up in the 1st quarter was the excuse for this one. Right!
Roderick Hood.
Hudson - only appeared in 9 games last season. He might stick out his rookie contract, but appears vulnerable.
Rossum - has to make the team as a returner first.
Chris McAlister would be a great pick-up, but I'm guessing that he and the other top FA corners are waiting to see if a starting slot opens up. I'm just curious whether a less highly regarded vet, like a Deltha O'Neal (go Bears!) or Roderick Hood, would be worth the veteran's premium over the camp UDFAs.
Matt,
You may have answered this in the past, and if so...I apologize for asking an old question. If a player is signed to a four year deal, are they guaranteed a roster slot (for example Taylor)? If not then is the money that he signed for guaranteed to him even if he's not playing? It seems like the 49er's are investing a lot of money on a player who isn't proven.
Dirk,
The only money Taylor gets if he was to be cut anytime from now until the regular season would be his signing bonus (59,880) plus I believe anybody on the active roster get's a weekly check (minimum amount).
I believe only the way the rookies contracts are set up (Taylor, RJF and Killer), only their signing bonus is guarenteed. They are also not guarenteed a roster slot. They still have to fight for one. That being said, you can be pretty sure that Crabtree and other high draft picks are guarenteed a roster spot. 1.8 Million over 4 years represents about 450K/yr. Not a huge investment considering what NFL salaries are these days.
Can we stop "breaking down" Hill's W/L and Alex's salary per win? We have no control over the decision, they are both moving forward, and we have had the same discussion for the last 2 1/2 years.
Any word on the niner's possible interest in Plax? it was a teaser headline for espn insider rumors this morning
Why doubt him with such conviction? 7-2 no matter what is good in the NFL. Especially in SF the last 5 years. We are not asking Hill to throw it around like Drew Brees. This year, the plays around the QB position will be better than it has been for a long time. I like Hill, but I still look forward to the day we have a better option.
Here you go again...
It's become comical reading your Anti-Hill posts. It's like watching a cat trying to swim!!!
Matt,
Just read on ESPN the Raiders and 49ers could be interested in Plaxico Burress and obviously the Jets as well. Nothing would happen until after his June 15th court date. Could you keep an eye out for us? I'll see whats going on with the Jets and plaxico on my end. Thanks
Matt- I get that Sing didn't want to say what he didn't like, but do you know? Lack of effort? Not knowing assignments? Poor form?
Why would we be interested in Burris? Seems to me that the WR position is one of the few positions where we have talent and depth. Crab, Hill, Morgan make a great young core. Battle is a steady vet. Zig is a wild card. Bruce is the grizzled vet. Who would you cut to sign the gangster?
Shaun Hill will be the starting QB if they don't get any other QB's before the season starts. Next subject please. We know how you feel and it is time to let go my friend. Alex will get a chance if Hill sucks or gets hurt. They don't want to anoint Hill the starter because they want him to know he's on a short leash. I think the team knows he performs well in adverse situations. I agree that his wins were not playoff wins, but he has a better gameday resume than the others. We all want Smith to succeed so the Niners don't have a bust on their hands, but it hasn't happened yet. This is my opinion of course, but you are the only person who seems to have a different one. I'm pretty sure all QB's on the roster are band-aids for now anyway. Hill included. I have no doubt in my mind that their search for a franchise QB will continue. We hope "the guy" is in the locker room, but the proof is not in the pudding. Everyone on this blog wants the players that give us the best oppertunity to win on the field. Right now it is Hill.
Very rational and dead on!
I find your comments amusing. With Hill under center this football team moves the chains and scores more points than with anyone else we have. The entire team picked up its play since the day Sing put in Hill. Hill could not control the level of competition they were facing. Your comments are all about stats of teams he faced, did you even watch him play? If you did you would have been able to see that he has a unique ability to make plays, even though they are not pretty. He has very good accuracy, he makes good reads and is tough. No one is saying he is the next Joe, but he is the best we got right now. Case closed.
How do you evaluate a quarterback by listing yards that the defense gave up?
I evaluate quarterback by a lot of things.
1. How well protected was the quarter back during the season? Was he running for his life?
2. How often was the QB playing from behind and the opposing defense could just rush hard after the QB?
There are many things you can blame on the QB, but one is not defense.
Lets remember, this is not Montana/Young, this is Hill/Smith.
Just stop it OneNiner! ............Your cred is shot!! ........First a "building a band" reference. Terrible!!.......... I mean get out of here wiith that......................................................................CRAP!!
Then some other reference from some guy from another blog.......................................................... I guess................Mr Negetive to the 3rd power..............who frigin cares..............what some..........closet wanna be.............sports............writer...................says................I mean................please................................
Let's.........................not make people.................punch.....
their monitor............OneNiner...........talk about annoying stuff for a ......................49er blog..............Pathetic..........You got no cred left.......Is....that.....guy mr negetive number from ............Sando....the worst............sports writer.......I have ever.........read???????????????...How annoying.......
I'd like to know what players are "not fully aboard" Capt. Singletarys' ship. What are they waiting for? Can't be treasure.
Maiocco: Singletary said he believes Smith looks healthy.
Lynch: When asked about Alex Smith, Singletary said he thought he was healthy but rusty.
Singletary: [Smith] looks healthy. He’s making some good throws. Obviously, a little rusty ...
In Matt(s) we trust? Not about Smith. Never. Ever. (That goes double for Barrows)
URL correction
Singletary: [Smith] looks healthy. He’s making some good throws. Obviously, a little rusty ...
...i just thought it would be helpful to go over WHAT REALLY HAPPENED, it seems there is a lack of memory....
...most of you need to stop getting emotional about the QB contov.. and use your head and think about what really matters - the game -
... :) this is your "it" guy...lol
...don't shoot the messenger -
J.Williams is the typical draft bust. Rarely does a young guy who was a high draft pick get released and then do well for another team. When he was first picked up, he was quite popular on all the Niner blogs. He can't play, not at corner, not at safety. Once in a while a team can pick up an aging vet, like T. Spikes, who can make a contribution. Buffalo released him because they wanted to go younger AND save money. Once in a while a low pick or UFA doesn't get a fair chance with a team and succeeds with another team. But high picks like Williams get paid and teams bend over backwards to justify their investment and high pick. The guy must really lack "it" to be released in his first 2-3 years.
damn dude - i guess you do get a chill down your leg when hill is playing.....relax - focus on my comment and counter with your opinion or facts if any exist....
I'd like to officially declare myself eligible for the 2009 NBA draft as well as the 2010 NFL Draft. I didn't go to college so I could probably redshirt on the 49ers practice squad this year.
About a week ago I asked Matt to give a little backgroung on McCloughan. Guess you didn't have time, or the interest. There has been what turns out to be a lot of misinformation about his career, so I did a little research.
Matt is the son of former Raider Pro Bowl CB Kent McCloughan. He was a standout baseball player at Wichita State, playing twice in the College WS. Played a couple of years in the minors and was then hired by legendary Ron Wolf to join the GB scouting dept. He scouted the Midlands for 3 yrs. and then the Southeast for 2 years and in 1999 was hired by Holmgren in Seattle to be the Director of College Scouting, where he remained until being hired by the Niners to a similar post. Was selected as GM on January 2, 2008.
When Seattle played in the Super Bowl, 25 of the 28 players he drafted were on the active roster. Wolf said, " He has an exceptional eye for talent."
Hopefully his previous success spills over to us soon.
Hi Matt,
do you think 49ers can be interested in adding some veteran to their S corp?
Here is the list of FA
Mike Brown
Michael Boulware
Oliver Celestin
Keith Davis
Mike Green
Rodney Harrison
Terrence Holt
Calvin Lowry
Marlon McCree
Giving that Nolan had no interest in retaining McCree, I think he can be a good player for us :-)
-Ciro
What's your point, latopia? Singletary said he was healthy. He hasn't played in a year, of course he's rusty. Rusty doesn't mean unhealthy. Matt Maiocco has the best 49ers coverage, and I'm including the Chronicle and the Bee.
I was really surprised about Jimmy Williams. Day one? Damn. Must not have made his weight.
I think we're good at safety good mix of talent and youth, now that smith and Taylor are in the mix. where we're thin is CB. That is where I would like to see us add a playr
Getting back to Sing's displeasure on the 1st day of OTA's I think he's setting the tone for the team's expectations of what he wants thru this week, mini-camp & TC. By the time the season starts this team will be ready to "run thru a wall" for him. You gotta love that! No more just going thru the motions with these OTA's.
F49er, I think you are correct about "setting the tone." I dare say Sing knew he would be displeased when he awakened yesterday morning. Coming off last year and the late season wins all the good feelings, well that means nothing if you don't build upon it significantly. What better way to get people's attention that the past means nothing without builiding upon it. You make an emphatic impression at the first late spring get together for the full squad. I think that factored into why Williams was also cut now too. No better way to get attention then to show your displeasure and have an appropriate early sacrificial lamb. And, Ulbrich interpreted the message for those who may be slow on the uptake with his statement. I'm reminded of a John Madden story and scene from one of the first "Hard Knocks" type shows. It involved the Raiders and John Madden in Santa Rosa. The Raiders were going through calistentics on the first day of training camp, practice hadn't even started, and a few minutes in Madden cut a lineman during jumping jacks. He cut him right there in the exercise line in front of everyone - told him to go in and turn in his stuff he was done. It is the work that is done now in the off-season that significantly improves individual performances during the season. Singletary sent the message - what we are doing here is important. "I want winners" and winners are built for the long season during the off-season.
Go Sing!
Couldn't agree w/ you and F49er more. Seems like the last few years under Nolan, the team would catch a little fire toward the end, when their season was pretty much all said and done. But they would scoop up a couple wins at the end and feel good about it. Then they'd roll into next season feeling all warm and fuzzy, start ok, but get rolled over a 6-8 week span. I like what Sing is doing, intentional or not, it's saying that there's no room for complacency. I think contentment was one of their worst enemies over the last few years.
And I'm sorry, I know I should ignore it, but oneniner...seriously??? Get a grip bruh.
And Jeff Ulbrich is a class act. Congrats on 10 years w/ the Niners. *golf clap for J Ulbrich*
...am glad you r not disputing the facts....
..that was what happened when Hill was QB on game day...
....if i am wrong - dispute it....seriously!!!!!!
blah blah blah (I LOVE Smith;) blah blah blah (I LOVE Smith;) blah blah blah (I REALLY REALLY LOVE Smith;)
This topic is dead and buried... we can dispute facts like 2 politicians all day long but it doesn't matter now. Like Sing said... The "Huddle" is going to determine the starter.
MATT!!!
WHEN IS CRABTREE gonna start catching the ball?!? Seems to me like he's going to have to play major catch-up to Morgan. All we keep reading is "60 yrd TD to Morgan" or "Morgan with a great catch from Hill"
Sounds like JayRaye (my new nickname for jimmy) is gonna have to get creative to get both these guys on the field. And the absolute best part is these are OUR guys. Not some FA from another team. I have to give our GM some props.
Having been in the military and stationed near the Green Bay Packers during the Lombardi era, Coach Singletary is, so far, exibiting some of the same qualities as Lombardi--and we know how that turned out. By example, there was a game won by the Packers but the sweep wasn't working. The next week in practice the only play they practiced was the sweep. The next game they successfully ran the sweep even though the whole world knew what was coming. (They won that one, too.) I think the year was 1963. When Singletary says he wants to extablish the run I think this is what he means.
Re the quarterback situation, nobody cares what happened last year, it's what will happen this year and it's up to the coaching staff to determine the best man for the job NOW.
It appears Singletary won't stand for anything less than perfection, at least as much as the talent will allow.
Oh the facts are simple my friend. S-Dot-Hill for his career has done the following thus far:
235/367 Comps/Atts with a 64% comp percentage, 2,547 yds, 18TDs and a 90.5 QB rating.
Any questions? I see no hands. With that said, I agree w/ everyone else, this discussion is dead, over, gone, bye bye, peace see ya later!
Yo Matt
Do you know when the first open to public practice will be?
The last info we had was that Crabs would be held out until training camp. He'll be around learning the playbook, working our and taking "mental reps"
Hey Matt....whats are salary cap looking like as of today?
Question: Hey Matt....whats are salary cap looking like as of today?
My response: Last I checked, they're about $25M under. That number won't fluctuate too much after the lower-round signings. --Matt M.
These comments from another blog that shalll go nameless (another Matt)...
---------------------------------
Alex Smith tried to throw a pass underneath to Frank Gore, but rookie inside linebacker Scott McKillop sniffed it out, stepped in front of Gore and got a pick-six type interception. It's not the kind of play one expects from a rookie.
Shaun Hill attempted a deep pass down the middle of the field to Josh Morgan. The ball had more wiggle than Shakira, but Morgan was still able to maneuver underneath rookie CB Carlos Thomas to make the reception.
Perhaps the best play of the day was Dashon Goldson's leaping sideline interception of an Alex Smith pass to Morgan
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It looks to me that no matter how some irrational fans (fan) wants things to change at the QB spot,they remain the same.Smith can't play the position in the NFL and although Hill has a lesser arm he still completes far more passes (long and short) than Smith does. It's exactly in games the way it was in todays practice. Smith can't hit a receiver if his life depended on it and Hill sometimes throws up a duck but still completes the pass !!! Hill IS the starter ,hopefully until Nate Davis takes over from him in a year or two. Alex ? Who cares?
GREAT reply!! You hit ALL the points and it's time to move on to pre season!! It's Hill right now!! Let's go from here and hope we add a few more wins than last year!