Halfway finished with 49ers-Raiders work
Day 2 of the 49ers-Raiders practices is set to begin at 8:30 this morning. I'll be trying to keep my eyes peeled for anything noteworthy.
From the first day . . . --Niners RB Frank Gore definitely made the biggest splash. I've never seen him so fired up. He was so dominating during that one-on-one blitz pickup drill that it was scary. I think Frank is taking the fact the 49ers drafted Glen Coffee in the third round as a challenge. --Here are some great photos from John Burgess, including images of Gore's dominance. --Receiver Isaac Bruce participated in the morning practice and took off the afternoon. In the morning, he was very sharp. He did a number on the Raiders' cornerbacks (minus Nnamdi Asomugha). --Shaun Hill had a better day than Alex Smith, but not enough to make much of a difference in the quarterback competition. It's still tight. This game Saturday will be significant for Smith. The smart money says Smith will start against the Raiders. (But Mike Singletary has yet to make an announcement.) --Rookie QB Nate Davis got some reps yesterday. That was good for him to face an enemy defense. He appears very uncomfortable in the offense, and that's only to be expected. He needs all the work he can get at this stage of his development. --I did not see much happening on the other side of the ball. It looked as if the Raiders were having a difficult time completing passes on the 49ers. But it also didn't look as if the 49ers' pass rush was doing much. --There were no scuffles on Day 1. But what will happen today with two more practices scheduled? Also: --Running back Thomas Clayton (ACL) cleared waivers and reverts to the 49ers' injured reserve list. Clayton is out for the season but the 49ers retain his rights. It's really too bad because I felt this year that Clayton would end up on a 53-man roster, even it if wasn't the 49ers. I'd heard that the Eagles were sniffing around. * * *
The smart money says we get a health care reform bill this year....
Gore is the man - can't wait to see him break those records this yr...
The smart money says Gore will be in the probowl at the end of the yr....
Hey Matt- My impression is that Shaun Hill has been a little bit better than Alex Smith in training camp, the 1st preseason game, and now in the Raiders practices. Would you say that's correct and if so, do all those little bit betters add up to a big advantage in the competition?
Whatever it takes to light a fire under Frank Gore is fine with me. Glen Coffee can learn a lot from Gore's fire and intensity. Having Coffee around is going to make Frank more effective. Frank will see a reduction in his overall carries, but they will be more productive, stronger, better-rested carries. This will be a great one-two punch.
Yep,Nate Davis is a little uncomfortable in his new offense,as any rookie would be at this stage. But you failed to mention yesterday that Nate did as well in completeing passes as Smith did,(and both of them were not nearly as sharp as Hill ). Nate is a rookie,what is smith's excuse for continuing to look uncomfortable on an NFL field ?
Matt-How is the Niner O line holding up against the Raiders? Any news there? Are the O line reserves getting any play time against Oakland?
So called "smart money" is pretty stupid sometimes....
Sure would've liked to hear about a Bruce vs Asomugha matchup & test. Maybe we'll get some reps in the remaining practices or we'll see it on SAT night. This would also be a good test on the arm strength & timing of our QB's if they could complete a couple or few against Nnamdi. (Esp Hill..who had some decent to good pop on those passes to VD BTW...keep it up!) An old wiley Vet who still runs the cleanest sharpest cutting routes vs the best corner in the league. Edge to the younger & equally smart Aso but if Bruce could make some plays on him that would be a hell of a feat. Got to admire Bruce's longevity & how he takes care of himself & his craft. Still should have 1 solid year left in the tank. Looking forward to seeing him on the field for us striving for another strong season.
...i just want to be on record to say i don't appreciate bruce closing in on rice records.....
I really wish the Niners would've went after Nnamdi. But I can live with Bly.
If Cable had sucker punched a dog in the jaw,would he already be in jail and suspended from the League ?
..yea i really wish the Niners would've invested 1/3 of the team's salary in 2 corners.....but instead i will live with a corner that has played in the superbowl...
WOW. The 49ers D manhandled (that's an understatement) the Raiders today. I'm mean - they flat out embarrassed them.
They got Bly at a ridiculous bargain. Can't beat that. And according to the "deets" from MM's "tweets," Bly and the secondary lunched the Raiders offense.
i dont understand your rationale for wanting to go after Nnamdi. ...knowing he his going to get paid mega-bucks and we would have to give up top draft picks to have him....
Matt,
Do any of the 9er players actually wear football pants with pads that cover their knees?
That very well may be the reason he's not a Niner. Depends on what the Raiders would've been asking for though. But the rationale is simple. He's obviously one of the most dominant corners in the league, so the conversation is at least worth having. Or was I should say.
Some here may know better than me but I heard it may be due to the assistant not pressing charges. Besides, what's the big deal, just more drama from Traitor-Nation
SC: The League office is now investigating the ATTACK on a Raiders Coach by (according to everyone) their HC Cable.
If a player had done this to another player in a meeting room,he would certainly be suspended and fined by the League. Hoipefully the jerk will also be suspended for his stupid,childish behavior.
If the guy were to press charges then a felony conviction would probably follow,but it looks like the Raiders will probably pay the guy off and he won't talk to the media(although he MUST talk to the Leage investigators). If he spoke to the media or filed charges,he would probably never work in the NFL again.
Here is the latest...
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We recently heard from a very good source that the decision of Raiders
defensive assistant Randy Hanson not to press charges after getting
his face broken in early August was driven by a desire to avoid
publicity and that, because publicity has now arrived, Hanson might
change his mind.
Apparently, he has.
Per Brad Biggs of NFP, Hanson has retained a lawyer and is cooperating
with police. Among other things, Hanson has provided the authorities
with medical records reflecting not that he has a broken facial bone,
but that he has a broken jaw.
According to Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports, Hanson is "back in the
hospital" due to swelling in the jaw. Citing an unnamed source close
to Hanson, Silver reports that Cable "is definitely" responsible for
the injury, and that Cable "had to be pulled off of [Hanson] two
times."
Per Biggs, who also cites an unnamed source, "Cable knocked Hanson out
of his chair and up against the wall and into a cabinet. Cable and
Hanson fell to the floor, where Hanson was choked, . . . and Cable
was pulled off Hanson by the other men before Cable went after Hanson
again."
Cable allegedly said while allegedly choking Hanson, "I am going to
kill you, I am going to kill you."
In our view, it's possible that Hanson's decision to push the issue
was influenced by Cable's effort to pretend that nothing happened, as
explained on ESPN by Cable's former college teammate, Mark Schlereth:
"I talked to Tom, and he said, 'This is absolutely ridiculous. There
is no truth to any of these things that are going out and flying
around. He does not know how it has gotten to this point.' But he
basically told me, 'Listen, no punches were thrown.' Obviously, at
this time of the year, in camp, you're gonna have some heated
discussions. And that's what went down here."
Silver also details a series of other similar incidents within the
Raiders organization during recent years. As to Hanson, Silver
confirms widespread suspicision that Hanson is regarded by other
members of the coaching staff as the "eyes and ears" of owner Al
Davis, and Silver explains that Hanson might be moved to the personnel
department by Davis as a result of the most recent incident.
As to Cable, his ultimate fate remains up in the air. But if a league-
implemented investigation corroborates Hanson's allegations, the NFL
will have no choice but to take action against Cable.
If the league doesn't plan to punish Cable, then the league should get
out of the business of punishing players who misbehave.