Matt,

There's no question that the 49ers are not going to find a better pass rusher than what they already have thru this year's TC cuts. The 49ers will be loaded for bear come the next draft to address that specific need or NT or QB for that matter.

I would just like to say, Thank God TBC is not part of our OLB's. That guy had the worst pass rushing moves I've ever seen.

Not sold yet at OLB (one starter spot as well as the #4 man).

Lawson: We passed on Greg Ellis but, even at his age, he can provide something Manny still lacks: a genuine pass rush without relying on the blitz.

A-Brooks: He's PS-ineligible (unlike J-Moore) & remains unestablished at ST. Short leash?

Hi Matt. Keep an eye on Khalif Mitchell. He was at North Caroline with Balmer, and ahead of him on the depth chart. He transfered to East Carolina and had minor injury problems, but when on the field, he is a beast!

I thought Ricky Jean-Francois was a NT, did they move him to DE?

Ellis, like Roy Williams, was a 4-3 holdover on a 3-4 team. He wasn't going to sign with a 3-4 team (nor Williams, who went to the Bengals), which is one of the reasons why he chose the Raiders. Simply because we don't sign a player doesn't mean we passed on him. Sometimes, they pass on us.

Also, I'm interested to see how Lawson performs this year. He was drafted to rush the passer. I think it's unfair to say Manny lacks genuine pass rush when he hasn't been used that way in the pros. He recorded 10.5 sacks his final year of college, so he obviously has some skill. I think the Niners are hedging their bets that he can start putting it to good use. My hope is that if he is given a chance, like Rachal, he can use his talent to help the team.

I like the combo of Lawson and Haralson, although depth is a little thin. Hopefully Brooks can live up to his potential. Team insiders seem to be impressed with him, although we'll see if that transfers over once the pads go on, like many others on the team.

Matt I agree with your assessment that the 49ers may be a playoff team this year, but of course we will have to wait and see. My question is, how are the 2009 49ers looking compared right now compared to past 49er teams? Are they more confident? Are they more disciplined? Basically, what is the attitude like of this team and how is it different then the past few losing seasons?

I've seen it written by 2 people who comment here that Matt has said he sees the 49ers as a playoff team or now it is commented by sfsports that Matt says that the 49ers "may" be a playoff team.
I'm certainly not being negative, but I haven't read Matt writing either of these 2 statements. At least for my knowledge can somebody, including Matt, tell me for sure if Matt has said or written these statements?
Just wondering?

Matt,

I agree that we probably won't be adding a team-changing FA this late. However, we did add Takeo Spikes in August last year (although we were courting him long before that).

I do remain concerned by our (lack of) DB depth. Who is most likely to get on the field at CB in the regular season: Reggie Smith, Allen Rossum, or one of the camp UDFAs? Have any of the rookies stood out so far? Do you think we may still bring in a veteran CB for depth?

I feel like there are 5 things we can count on right now. First better conditioned, Second more physical, Third better disciplined, Fourth more confidence and Fifth more potential offensively. All five in of themselves are more than we've had in years, but with the right scheme and coaching and a little luck leads one to believe we could have a good shot at a division title.

Matt,

Thanks for killing my only hope for a pass rush. I can't see Lawson being a legitimate threat. He just doesn't have that initial burst most effective pass rushers have off the line. My brain says I'm right but my heart hopes I'm wrong.

I don't think he has mentioned much about the playoffs, but Matt has said before the 49ers have the potential to be a good team.

Ellis would have been a nice pick up.....

Really? I kinda have the opposite view. I am not sure about Manny's pass rush. I think he's fast enough and explosive enough, particularly when asked to rush only. My concern is that he isn't strong enough to throw blockers.

F49er: Why would you think the 49ers will be loaded for bear to obtain whatever they need next year? I assume that you are referring to having two #1 draft picks. One of those is Carolina's and they drafted in the #28 spot last year. And, if the 49ers become a playoff team this year (as so many of the 49er chapter of Optimists International seem to think they will), the absolute highest they will draft is at #21. You will not get a top tier player in the 20's. You cannot even package two of them together to get into the top 5 or so to get a more or less sure-fire solution; probably not even into the top 10. In 2007 the 49ers got Willis at #11; do you think they would have traded that for two picks in the 20's?

There's always the supplemental draft. How about another DE body in camp, like Jeremy Jarmon.

Lawson has great speed and burst.His problem was shedding blockers.If he's refined a couple of moves to complement his new bulk we could have an impact player.

Staley was picked at #28...he's pretty good.
I don't know if we are Loaded for bear next year. Esp if we are talking about drafting a QB. It'll take at least 1-2 years for a QB yo produce

I agree that you'll often get a pretty good player in the 20's. It is still the first round after all. Staley is a good player but entering his 3rd year he still isn't a dominant LT. The player drafted right ahead of Staley was Robert Meacham, WR. Last season he had 12 receptions. In the 2008 draft the 49ers had the 29th pick and took Antwan Balmer - not exactly a lock for stardom. Players in that range, though usually good, just aren't the locks you can get at the top of the round; and, teams aren't going to trade down that far, even for two of them.

Lawson run's a fast 40 and he's very athletic BUT he doesn't have quickness or burst off the line. As is the case with most tall athletes it takes them some time to really get going. By that time the blocker has had his chance to set his block which contributes to the perception that Lawson can't shed blocks. It's true he can't shed blocks but it's because the blocker has beaten him to the point of attack. Of course, I haven't seen him even attempt to rush the passer in 2 years so everyone is probably wrong in this entire discussion because he'll be a different player at this point.

Hey Guys (and ladies of course), its been a LONG time since I checked in. Lawson's pass rushing skills remains to be seen, but two points: 1. Before he tore up his knee at the beginning of the season 2 seasons ago, he was looking GREAT and had a VERY fast first step and 2. Don't forget NoWin was his coach and that man can ruin any good player. I have truly never seen a coach do less to develop players, and defense was supposed to be his forte!

Side note from discussions the past few days about Vernon Davis. I'd love to see Davis become who we want him to be, BUT let's talk about the tight end who does producer EVERY SINGLE TIME he's been on the field. Delanie Walker! Let's give Vernon one more chance (this year) and if he's not the stud he should be (and don't forget, he's eighter the highest paid tight end in the league or at least in the top 5) let's dump him and go with Delanie and for blocking we got the Bear Pascoe! I want/MUST see more of Delanie this year. I believe the only weakness in Delanie's game is his blocking, but I'm not sure about that. Does anyone out there have the inside scoop on Delanie's blocking, because we all know he can catch and is fast. I say we lock him up (since we're extending contracts) and dump Vernon's salary cap number if he doesn't make some real football noise this season (and I am NOT talking about his annoying VOCAL noise).

Thanks for the info on Delanie's blocking scuting report in advance. And Matt, sorry for being redundant, but damn you do a good job my man.

Sorry for the typos, I'm a stickler for that, but I just woke up and I can't see sh"t yet. Lookin' forward to hearing from my Niner bothers and sisters.

P.S. Let's go get Holmgren as our GM in the offseason after he spends this year with his wife. I am SURE she'll want him back at work and out of the house! RIP The Genius!