Wow. I'd guess he moves to FS next year, with Goldson moving to SS. Very nice secondary that would be.

wow... this is kind of a bombshell.

has t. brown looked that good in practice? I didn't know the niners were so high on him?

I see the matchup problem... clements is all about press coverage, and his recovery speed isn't the best, but still?

I can see this. Clements has been getting burned deep this year, he doesn't have the closing speed he used to, and the Colts WRs are all about speed. Put the young guy with some closing speed in there.

I mean, what's the worst that can happen? They lose by 24 instead of 21? This is not the year to be facing Peyton regardless of who's in the secondary.

He would look great at safety!

If Clements moves to safety it will be at Strong Safety.

Terrell Brown was not even the team's nickle back, and perhaps not even the dime back. Dly was the nickle and the team like to have a safety at dime (Roman for most of the season, and last week was Hudson). All of a sudden, after signing a contract extension for backup money (three years and $7.125 million contract) he is in the starting line up. I do believe he is talented and can be a starting corner in the NFL. The match up excuse also make sense. But I have to say Terrell Brown was being cheated by the 49ers, that he wouldn't get much playing time before signing the extension. Once he crack into the starting lineup, he would worth a lot more money than the contract he just signed. You can say the Niners is smart, but I think the team is doing a little too much of these things and it doesn't fit the Mike Singletary style.

A bit like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic . . . . That said, it's good to see that no one's job is guaranteed.

I really thought Clements would be a lock-down corner for many years but I was wrong. Thanks for the update Matt. You are a lock-down 49er insider! I really think you are gonna be the next Adam Schefter, who is extremely popular now nation wide. Schefter worked for the Denver Post for about 15 years and was a Bronco insider before joining the NFL network and now ESPN. Nobody works harder than you Matt and you have tremendous football knowledge! I hope you don't leave us too soon for a big time offer. Ok that's enough butt kissing, now I'm done.

I dont know if this means he doesnt have the speed he once did the last 2 years ive seen him play, but he always looked like he was 2 DBs playing on 1 island as in CB and FS into one basically covering 2 to 3 people at a time. Other teams probably found out a schemes that he might bite on. Maybe this is a test for him since he will play the inside of the field more. But he should clear his mind and start from chapter 1 again.

Nate is not a good CB anyway. He is average at best. He gets embarrassed week in & week out. I'm sure Brown is not better, but lets be real. The colts are going to blow the niners out severely.. If the falcons can dominate, just think of how ugly this is goinig to be. I totally understand this move. The team needs to see if they can cut Nate next year.

Any chance that this is a precurser to nate moving to safety? I think that could be a very good move for us.

Yeah but im pretty sure Matty Mai has way more comments than Shefter.

I'm not surprised. It's obvious that Clements speed has been declining as he constantly seems to have trouble with shifty, speedy receivers. He's great against the run of course, and hits like a Mack truck. Time for some action at safety? I think it's very likely, especially with Lewis' recent concussions becoming an issue that likely won't go away. Let's see, Mark Roman or Nate Clements? Seems pretty obvious.

6 million is a lot to pay a safety who has never played the position. If the guy who you spent top money on to be a shutdown corner can't do the job, then it becomes a financial issue. The only way the move him to safety is if they re-do his contract.

It's #1 corner or release for clements with his present contract.

Just make Clements a Safety, I have nightmares of Mark Roman starting.

Probably a precursor to the future but sounds like a temp. move for this particular game. I just hope we can generate pressure on Manning somehow -there isn't a secondary in the league that holds a QB / receiver corps of this caliber when given time.

No doubt. I would think that goes without saying. Will he take reduced money or does he think he can go to another team and continue to play corner? Hard to say.

Randy: I don't know what the salary cap ramifications would be if he re-did his deal. I 'm not sure he would even say yes to it, or If the 9ers think it's a viable option... Maybe Matt knows if there is a cap penalty to re-doing a deal? I'm not totally clear on that.

I do think that there is no way they move him to safety at his present contract... not unless they really thought he was going to be pro bowl caliber.

Is that 6 mill enough to lure a FA pass rusher? Don't know about the going rates. Are they just seeing if that 6 would be best spent to keep him or go for it with the two 1st round (expensive!!) picks and not trade back? I sure don't know but I like the fact they know they can not stand pat.

Matt,

Do you know how long it takes for a CB to learn the safety position? I think Mike Rumph is the last 9er to make the switch and it didn't work out for him. Please advise as this is a little bit of a shocker before the biggest game of the year. Thanks.

Is Spencer really doing that good of a job at CB? I can't watch the 9ers over here so I have to listen to the game on the radio. Last time I watched and Spencer was playing, he played 10 yds. off the LOS and gave up a lot of catches. Anyone have some insight?

Geeze when Matt reported that clements MIGHT be a kick returner, I thought wow, he's in the dog house, but I did NOT see this coming, yet.how do you go from 4th DB to a starting DB is pretty crazy. I hope this gamble works, because clements has been taking ALOT of gambles himself and not getting the rolls lately.

He costs too much as a safety.

I think another factor is that run support isn't as important this game. Clemens is one of the best run support corners I've seen. I hope Brown shines. Also I wonder if Jones is going to get more PT. The coach made reference to his hard work pre-injury, everyone else with a new contract is getting more playing time.

I would be shocked if they cut Nate. He is still one of our best overall DB that can support the run and shut down the big recievers. Nate will be in our future.

Spencer has been playing very good at corner. Pretty impressive considering he seemed to have disappeared the last two years with his injuries and all. Besides a blown coverage against Owen Daniels last week, he's been very consistent. Can't really say that about the rest of the CB's...

Chicago49er: Believe me.... they would cut him in a second at the end of the season no problem. have you seen how his contract starts escalating?

look at like this... If at the end of the season you feel like you get 90% of the play quality from another much cheaper CB, or keep him at 6-8 million a year? dude. this is a business and good players get released all the time because their contracts are back loaded. They do it to pro bowlers... He's almost 30 and probably hit his ceiling. He's playing for his job just like everyone else. and his contract starts getting pretty unmanageable soon.

6 MIL bro. Way too much money. Spencer is playing a lot better this year. Is spencer worth 6 million? Negative. At Nate's price, he should be locking down with or without a pass rush. if they fix the pass rush next year, they can go DB by committee like the Pats and others. Nate is in the Niners future if he pulls an Alex Smith, and takes backup money.

Matt, do you think the Niners are doing this so they can put Clements on Dallas Clark through the whole game? I think it's an ingenious idea, considering Reggie Wayne is battling a groin injury and probably won't be as crisp as usual.

> Is Spencer really doing that good of a job at CB?

Yes he does. He has been our best CB all for all 10 games, including preseason. Commentators hardly ever mention him. That's the very best thing you can say about a CB. Normally, when a CB gets mentioned, it's because he got beaten. Spencer does not. The only person seeing Spencer is the QB. Then the QB decides not to throw there.

I completely agree with Skeebers, I too believe that at this stage in Clements career he would be better suited at FS. Clements has been on the wrong end of way to many plays this season and if moved to FS the team could take advantage of his aggrassive tackling and ball-hawk abilities.
I for one, would like to give 'big ups' for the solid play of Shawntea Spencer thus far. Happy to see him regaining his true playing form. To Oregon49er, last time I looked, teams were throwing more to Clements' side than to Spencer' enough said!

Indiana Jim: that could be a possibility, but considering how often Indy lines up 3 wide, I imagine he will be covering the slot.

Now when they have a 2 receiver formation with Clark spread wide in the slot, it will be interesting to see if Manusky keeps Nate on him. I think the 9ers will be playing nickel and dime for most of the game, So Nate will still be out there plenty.

Yes, Spencer plays off. Yes, Spencer gives up short-area passes. Yes, he even gives up occasional TDs. Yes, he's pretty much worthless against the run. Yes, he's generally been worthless against big WRs and been tossed to the ground after he put on one of his weak hits. No, he doesn't offer a lot of play-making in pass defense and his big INT was off a tipped ball if I remember right.

But he's not sucking like he used to do. So even though I'm not much of a Shawtee Spencer fan after watching him disappoint game-after-game-after-game, I have to say he's played surprisingly well over-all this year.

Clements, OTOH, is getting a bit too much blame in these parts. It's been pretty clear that there is quit a bit of blame that hasn't been assigned to some Goldson mistakes/way-late arrivals which have turned some short passes where Clements gambled on the INT into long TDs.

I don't know if Clements was ever considered a ball-hawk. He causes a lot of turnovers (fumbles, not INTs) with his reach-around move once he gets beaten by knocking the ball out of the carrier's hands from behind. But that move also cost him big-time against Roddy White couple weeks back when he came up empty.

Just a fan and Ronnie, I understand this is a business and Nate has not performed to our expectations in some games. But don't you think he is aware of his performance! I like the way he hits people. Hopefully, he would consider restructuring his contract so we can at least use him as a safety or a nickle CB.

Also,I hope they are planning to use nate to blitz Payton from the blind side with Mac and Smith doing stunts to the middle. Go Niners make my sunday, please i need a win!!!

Thanks for the update fellas. I wasn't trying to knock Spencer, just hadn't seen him play in a while. Thanks for clearing that up as it is hard living in Seabirds territory. I am still flashing my Niner red n' gold proudly.

Keep the faith brothers. 9ers are on their way!!!

The real problem is the total lack of pass rush. As much time as the Niners give the opposing QB, even a defensive backfield of Lott, Wright, Williamson and Hicks will struggle.

It does not matter who starts at CB. Unless the outside linebackers can rush the QB, someone will get open down-field eventually.

Notice how both our corners line up 10+ yards off the receivers on most plays. They are clearly worried about the big play because they know the QB will have lost of time to let the pattern develop.

Fix the pass rush and the DB position will take care of itself.

I really, really like Clements but at 80 million dollars you should feel extremely confident that he can and should match up with any receiver in the league. Especially guys like Austin Collie and Pierre Garcon. This is a smoke signal for the future of Clements career with the team. I think he would make a good safety at some point, but I would only do it at a reduced pay.

Hey Oregon, are you in Portland? The local fan club meets at the Wooden Chicken - NE 122nd & Sandy. I think there's a place on the westside, too. or you can do what I"ve been doing and pick it up on www.justin.tv - at least most of the time.

Thanks for the info John. I live in Dallas, over by Salem. Good to here I am not alone up here!!!

I don't think Nate is that bad of a player. Is he a shut down corner? NO! But he is a solid player who tackles very well and stops the run. What's wrong with Nate blitzing the QB and helping shut down the run? He'll still contribute in the passing game. With him having the ability to float I believe he'll be more productive because we won't have to worry about him being beaten on the play. The contract is another issue. If he produces as a FS I'm sure that he would restructure to a fair deal for both. Clements is a competitor. He knows he is being beaten. I know he can't like the way that feels. Nobody does. But if there is a way that you are still a starter and you are making plays, then it's like being born again! Why would you not want to be a part of that?

I don't know how long it would take Clements to learn how to play safety, but Runph was a poor example. Rumph was never any good at CB either. Ronnie Lott made the transition from All-Pro CB to All-Pro safety in about 15 minutes. Clements was at least once a good CB and knows the game; I would imagine he could make a smooth transition if he embraced the change.

You guys will probably think I'm nuts. But I thought on the final day of cuts that the 49ers would release Clements. I wrote that but it didn't happen. He did not look that good in the preseason and I thought it would be one of those surprise releases that happen on the final day of cuts even though the CB spot is a real need with all the teams.
I like Clements, and he is aggressive but it just seems he gets burned at the worst times or is involved in a confusion in coverage too many times. Maybe it's Roman, but it's the times it happens. And it usually is a real bad time in the game when it does.
But I really think this doesn't bode well for Clements.

I thought Brown would be the starting CB across from Clememts at the start of this season. He had that toe injury and lost his chance .
I didn't think spencer had a shot to start ,since he was nowhere on the radar for the last 2 years,but he is the best Corner we have this season and if he stays healthy he should be there for quite some time.

The staff knew what they were doing in the Spencer case ,so I think it wise to believe they will do the right thing with Clemments/Brown/Bly/etc also .

You guys will probably think I'm nuts. But I thought on the final day of cuts that the 49ers would release Clements. I wrote that but it didn't happen. He did not look that good in the preseason and I thought it would be one of those surprise releases that happen on the final day of cuts even though the CB spot is a real need with all the teams.
I like Clements, and he is aggressive but it just seems he gets burned at the worst times or is involved in a confusion in coverage too many times. Maybe it's Roman, but it's the times it happens. And it usually is a real bad time in the game when it does.
But I really think this doesn't bode well for Clements.

Well if Brown plays well, we will have a young stud for years. Also the Colts play three wide as their basic formation, so Clemens won't miss that many snaps.

At least from a salary cap standpoint, Clements wouldn't cost $6M next season; he would cost the difference between the $5M it would cost to cut him and the $6M he would earn, or about $1M. Almost anyone of any worth would cost at least $1M.

Great physical CB's that have lost a step have made very smooth transitions to safety as long as they don't fight the switch. Lott is but one example. And there is nothing wrong with paying a good game changing safety. Ed Reed aand Troy Polamalu make a lot of money with the Ravens and Steelers respectively. For some reason the 49ers devalued the position after the Walsh/Siefert regimes; but I don't think everybody else does.

Rick...you're going on all cylinders with your comment! I agree that the pass rush really defines the CB play! You don't have the rush and it doesn't matter who you've got there at the DB's!
GREAT comments guy!

Rick...you're going on all cylinders with your comment! I agree that the pass rush really defines the CB play! You don't have the rush and it doesn't matter who you've got there at the DB's!
GREAT comments guy!

I'm a realist. I know our team has flaws. However, I go into every game thinking we have a chance at that game. That's why they play the game and not just compare stats and hand out victories. I don't understand how a true fan of the team goes in thinking that the battle is lost before even being played.

Also, some people criticize the coaches for 1. sticking with favs or the highest paid and 2. for not game planning. Moves like this show both that coach will put the best players on the field to put us in position to win. Obviously, they see stuff we don't in practice. This is not the Nolan era any longer.

Plus those that point to the ATL game was close until the bad play by Clements against White and the unreviewable fumble by Walker.

I say the Niners will be very competitive in this game.

At 6 million a year should we get Nate or Atogwe as a FS? If Nate can be as effective at the transition as lott was he would be worth 6 million a year (but we could also try to restructure). This would give us a solution in case Atogwe is franchised again. If Atogwe is not franchised we can go after him and if we get him then we can keep or cut Nate as a CB. Atogwe has more years left in him and wouldnt need to transition so he would be my first choice for FS.

Clements' scheduled cap figure for next year (if there is a cap) would be $8.16 million if he's on the team and playing under his current contract. If the 49ers released him, he would count $5 million in dead money for a cap savings of $3.16 million. There is NO WAY the 49ers would demote him to safety and still pay him the full $6 million he is scheduled to earn. --Matt M.

Jumping the subject for a moment. At about the half-way point of the season has the 49er front office been able to define its most glaring needs for the 2010 draft?
At the very top of my list (not that it means anything), is the pressing need for OL-men who can hold down the 'fort' for at least 5-7 years. Then, we look at finding a couple of DL-men who can pressure the QB (which can make our DB' look good). If Payton has a great day against us tomorrow, it will likely be because the lack of a pass rush.

Matt -

Besides P.Willis is there anyone 1-3rd draftee (past 4) that hasn't been extended yet for the Niners?

In your opinion, would the Niners draft an OT next year and move Staley back to the right side where he was stronger?

For those of you that can not get the 9ers on the tube there is this link:
http://www.atdhe.net/
or http://www.justin.tv/2k9network
You need to "tweet" for their passcode sometimes.
Check it out!!

Vernon Davis hasn't gotten an extension yet.

Yeah man. Justin and atdhe saves me a 10am trip to the sports bar every Sunday. Although it gets frustrating when they shut down channels. But when its good, its good. Just connect the laptop to the big screen and enjoy!

Wow this seems desperate.I know clements gives up big plays but overall he is more good than bad.with no pass rush it will make no difference. Who covers who manning will audible and move guys around until he gets the match up he wants anyways.since obviously the the coaching staff is panicing why don't we sit jimmy raye?you could see from week 1 when we passed the ball we had slot more success than running it.take away franks 2 big ones and we got nothing.the I line is the worst since alexs rookie year why wasn't this addressed in the draft did they think they would be able to run into 9 man fronts and be successfull?it's like in mink when they ran 3straight times with0 success instead of going for the kill when we had success throwing the ball most of the day.oh yeah where the heck is paris harrilson he's disappeared he needs to be benched if were trying to point fingers.I like singletary but this seems a oil much I think panic is setting in.that being said go niners this game is big I hope alex doesn't turn the ball over he looked great last week I hope that is the real alex!

Thanks Matt; I misunderstood your blog comment re: salary. A $3.16M cap savings will probably get him cut. However, my comments were based upon Clements making a transition to an All-Pro level safety. There is plenty of precedent for paying safties in the $6M range. Some of them are Deon Grant, Seahawks ($5M +); Troy Palomalu, Steelers ($7.5M); Bob Sanders, Colts ($7.5M); Kerry Rhodes, Jets ($6.7M); Ed Reed, Ravens ($6.34M), and Jason Allen, the Dolphins' 1st round safety in 2006 signed a deal between $8 and 9M per year. Again, though, I don't think the 49ers value the position that highly.

Roscoe: I am with Matt on this one...

I see your point about Palomalu and Reed. And they are paid extremely well. The 9ers would have to believe beyond a shadow of doubt that Clements would be in that class to even merit the idea. and even then, I still think they would want to restructure his contract.

It's just plain easier to find good safety's than it is a #1 shutdown corner. SO unless you are in the Palomalu/Reed class, you're simply not going to pay the same as a top corner.

Also, Clements hasn't played that badly... he gives up the big 1 to fast receivers, but the first 3 games he played really well... I thought he ate Fitzgerald up. Roddy White destroyed him, however

Roscoe,

I know Rumph isn't the best player to compare Clements to but I believe I said the last person to convert to safety from CB was Rumph. Obviously Lott was the best but I don't think you use that comparison either. I would take worst case scenario before I start with a comparison to Lott. Get real dude.

One thing I do like about tomorrows game. The players get to sleep in one hour longer. We need be ready when it's kick off time or it could get ugly fast. I like our chances. Especially with A.Smith in there now. I do expect a win. I believe the defense is going to give them fit's.

As a few of us mentioned last year, he'd be a natural at safety. Like they were just saying about Crabtree as a receiver, Nate's a football player playing DB, a very good tackler with pretty good coverage skills and a very good runner with the ball in his hands. Reminds me aLott of a guy named Ronnie. I think Lott played safety at USC before the Niners put him at corner then safety, don't know if Nate ever did in college. There might be a small learning curve.

IMO if the Niners let him go, it'll be a major step backwards. He's too good a football player!!!

John from HB Cali: you are an eternal optimist...

GilroyAl: I think Ronnie played CB in college. They had Dennis Smith and Joey Browner at Safety.... Jeff Fisher was the other CB.

pretty good college secondary, don't you think?

Well guys! The way I see it, if we win tomorrow, we're still in it! If we loose, unless the Cards completely collapse, we're done, cooked, barbecued, sliced, eaten, and the rest goes in the fridge! And then maybe we should begin to look at next years draft! And follow the Panthers games to see what number one draft pick will be!

Matt...

Sando just put up a piece on his blog about the Clements situation where he links directly to this entry

I Did not realize he was due 8 MM next year. In that case a restructuring is important regardless of outcome. That is top CB money and I think he has not been preforming as a top CB as of late. I agree this could be because of the poor pass rush but try to pay him less and use the money saved to enhance the rest of the lineup.

I say try to resign him to a new contract more commiserate of a FS telling him he will be moved to FS if he stays with us. Then go after Atogwe. If we get Atogwe then we have Nate as a CB (maybe a #1 or #2 CB) still and the $$ to go after another CB or other position.

As far as O Line, I still say Offensive Guard availability is looking strong in next years Free Agency....

Fact of the matter is, the more positions we are capable of improving in FA the better options we will have when the draft begins regardless of where our picks are. No more injury prone FA's though! Please!

As far as draft picks go, we can only dream and speculate until we know where we are drafting and who is coming out.

Why don't you just flip a coin, c'mon Terry, this team is just starting to get interesting. Thru 5 1/2 games this team's "O" was so predictible it leads the league in 3 and outs & punts. Unless Raye stays ultra-conservative this "O" will have a chance to move the chains since they have the playmakers. If Smith plays at least decent, they'll be much better than before, both running and passing.

Brian Billick said the other day on the NFL Network the 49ers Defense were exposed by the Falcons as having a slow secondary

The NFL is brutal at finding weaknesses

Hey Dude, you get real. I would much rather use Ronnie Lott's successful transition to safety as a comparison than I would Mike Rumph's failure. Rumph was a a classic NFL draft bust that couldn't play at any position. How can you compare his failure at transition to predict the outcome of transitioning Clements, a former pro-bowl CB that was good enough to command an $80M free agency contract?

Also, Rumph was not the last CB to convert. We have Reggie Smith on the current roster that has been converted from CB to safety; and, Marcus Hudson has alternately played both at CB and safety. Throughout the NFL too slow CB's and speedy, undersized LB's are frequently converted to safety. A good many of NFL safeties were collegiate CB's drafted as safeties. John Lynch was a HOF caliber safety for the Denver Broncos and he converted from QB in his final year at Stanford; Kerry Rhoades, an all-pro saftey for the Jets converted from QB to safety at Louisville.Moving to safety is not that difficult of a transition for a good hard-nosed athlete with the proper instincts.

Hi Matt, It's 5:47am in India and I'm waiting for the Yankees-Phillies game to start. The move to demote Clements is his ticket out of town. A guy that makes that kind of money should be a play-maker, Nate has never shown that ability. He is torched by receivers with speed on a consistent basis. Let him return punts, maybe he can resurrect himself, he was never a shutdown corner.

Roscoe: I actually agree with you. I think Clements skill set would fit nicely at safety...

but as Sando points out in his blog (he was asked the question a few times too) he still has value as a cornerback in this league. his contract is the problem. NO team in the NFL is going to pay him 6 mill and more as the years go on to play safety... period. end of story.

Next year his cap # starts getting really heavy and the year after, it borders on insane. I believe the last year has already been voided, but I would need confirmation on that. contract renegotiation is the obvious route here. he got 22m guaranteed.. that money is gone. Also, I think there would be a lot of interest from other teams for Clements at the CB position. so it's probably going to be restructure or play elsewhere. the 5 mill dead cap hit, makes a lot of sense to the niners at this juncture. I suspect they like Nate and will try to work out a deal to keep him here. he's well thought of and good in the locker room.

Davis and Willis are going to wait to see what happens with the CBA before making any deals... It's not a loyalty question, it's just business... They would be stupid to sign till they know whether or not there is a cap... Their value is at an all time high and they know that. I would think that eating the 5 mill for Clements, would be well worth it to make sure to get Willis and Davis resigned. the 9ers are in pretty good shape with the cap, but they can never let Clements see money from last 2 years of the contract... that would still be the case if he was playing like champ bailey.

"...even a defensive backfield of Lott, Wright, Williamson and Hicks will struggle. "

What about a backfield of Hanks, McDonald, Davis, and Peion?? That '94 DBackfield was nasty!!

You guys forgot to mention, former 49er, and one of the greatest DB's of alltime - Rod Woodson

I'm happy to see T Brown get a chance to play... Clements obviously is not the guy long term. The organization needs to know who fits into the plans and who has got to go. If Clements moved to safety I think he would play well there... but I would still rather see Berry or Mays back there next year... Carolina will win no more than 4 games this year

I think that's a very good assessment of the situation. Actually I was not advocating that the 49ers keep Clements. I was just arguing against positions that it would be too hard for him to transition to safety, or that $6M is too much to pay for a game-changing safety,if that's what he became. But when I started that argument I didn't understand that his cap number was that high, or that his salary continues to climb.

Matt,

Why are the 9ers willing to make this move with a guy who's a key component to the defense when a guy like Isaac Bruce who has contributed little or nothing to the offense is still starting?

St Elmos, Matt I'm jealous -ribeye medium rare?

Late to the party and didn't read it all... but c'mon.

Brown, who couldn't beat out Bly, who lost the starting job to a guy who didn't even play in the preseason... Just took the starting job from the only pro-bowl db on the team? Really? Who here thinks D is the problem with the team? Bad time to try to 'light a fire' under one of your best defensive players. IMHO, anyway.

Looking like another lost season... sad. I'll still watch and hope.

Hi Andrew, it is currently 6:51am in Chicago. Dude, what do you want? A samosa? No one cares that you're high up in the mountains in India or even what time it is there when you decide to enlighten us with your posts.

Sincerely,
The Indian living even farther away from home than you.

Nate Clements only made the Pro Bowl once in his career and that was about 6 years ago. To call him a "pro-bowl db" is
somewhat stretching it. He's been what you would call a solid db is entire career. I don't know that he's ever really been a superstar other than getting that praise that one year. He's certainly not anywhere near the top-flight corners such as the ones they have in Oakland & Denver these last few years.

Namaste Sandip, I'm Italian and I choose to live in India. I was born in the Bronx near Yankee stadium and Matt has fans in all time zones all around the world, oh but I guess you have a problem with that. By the way samosas aren't good for you, they're deep fried using the same oil over and over again.

Unless you bake them like I do. Touché.

I'm just giving you a hard time..

Matt who else is on the benching bubble? Harlason I havent heard anything from this guy since the first game of the season.

Houston: In answer to your question...
Bruce is already getting less playing time than Clemments will now be getting,even if Brown takes over full time.Clemments is now playing in Bly's place and will probably get almost as much playing time against Indy as Brown will,since they use 3 WR's almost all the time. Bruce has already taken a back seat to Morgan in playing time starting last week,with Crabs getting the most snaps,with Morgan next and then Bruce.
So Bruce and Clemments ARE sort of in the same boat right now,both getting reduced time,as you wished

...And Shootme:
Brown was thought by many (me) to be one of the starting Corners coming out of camp this year. But he was injured and could not get on the field,so Spencer got the job. The future is probably Spencer and Brown,or at least Brown as the nickle.
And remember guys,the Niners say this is only a temporary move against the Colts,because of the offense the Colts play.Who knows,that may or may not turn out to be correct in the long run?

Hi Andrew

I am curious about something. Does the average Indian know or care about Football at all. I know the NFL is trying hard to make the game global. They have tried Japan, England and Mexico City. With a population pushing a billion, plus English spoken extensively, I am sure the NFL would love to make an inroad into India.

What do you think. Can you foresee an NFL game played in Mumbai in a couple of years.

I like it that Sing is not afraid to try things to try to improve, when it makes sense. We need to see what Brown can do, so hopefully he will come through big time today. Clements is a high quality cb and since the road to the playoffs for the Niners goes through Arizona (the team), we will need him to have a chance to win.

What is it about this advertising ( Game Time Live )?
Its all over everyones comments and I cant get rid of it.
You cant read half of the peoples comments because of it.

Try closing the window and logging back on in a new window. Are you using Ineternet Explorer ? I am and am having no such issue as the one bothering you .

The season is 16 games long, we really won't know the actual state of the Niners until late in the season.

However one thing that will make or break any DB is a pass rush or lack of it and the ability of the Offense to control time of possession.

It's a team sport and while Clements isn't worth his inflated salary we need to push pressure on the QB

Marco:
I have always said that I believe pass rush is the single most important thing in NFL football in regards to winning . There are several key components to winning but I still believe that a great pass rush produces more results than anything else.Of course you must have a fairly good team in other areas (decent offense to score at least some points etc) or you won't win ,even with a great pass rush.But if you have a fair team overall,I believe pass rush makes all the difference.

"The future is probably Spencer and Brown,or at least Brown as the nickle."

This is why I don't really like the move. Unless Sing is using it to try to motivate Clements, it makes no sense. As has been stated, Clements will still be on the field a lot because of the sets Indy uses... so why not use Brown as the nickel corner for this one?

Shootme: Because Brown is better suited to cover the faster WR's that the Colts have and Clemments is better suited to cover the slower guys in the slot.
As was stated before,Clemments is invaluable for covering the bigger WR's,like Fitts with Arizons etc,but the coaches thought for today's game that Clemments would be best used in the slot and Brown's speed would be better used at Corner.
It makes all the sense in the World ! I don't know if anything we do will stop the Colts offense but at least Sing and his staff are tring evething they can think of and are using their players in what they see as the best way to take advantage of their indivigual skills. Isn't that what we want in a coaching staff,on defense AND on offense etc ?

Its time for the 9ers to show "THE BEST D ON TURF" THE 9ERS GOTTA SHOW THEM WHAT HI-OCTANE IS REALLY ABOUT!

I made a mistake by saying the guys in the slot are slower all the time.Sometimes the TE's will be covered by Clemments but sometime the faster guy will be there on 3rd down for example. So Clemments will still cover somew quick guys but it will be inside and not on the outside,where he will have help and can use his strength better to bump the receivers and use his cover skills better ,without so much risk that a quick guy will beat him deep.

I'd agree with you, but Indy tends to put speed in the slot. I'd much rather see Clements getting physical with Wayne. Unless Brown has that physicality... dunno, I live in CO and can't watch the players :(

In short, no. Indians love Cricket. Before they start liking American Football I can see them following the other football first. Also, Indians like sports that aren't purely physical in nature like football is. Cricket is often referred to as a 'gentleman's game' and they seem to really like that. To be perfectly honest, the other football (soccer) is my favorite sport. I grew up watching American Football as my favorite sport, but once I went to the World Cup back in '94 I fell in love with soccer. The skills these guys have are amazing and it is still truly a 'pure' sport. That said, I still enjoy our football. But I hate that there needs to be a rule book a thousand pages long- it kills the purity aspect and appeal of a sport.

I'd agree with you, but Indy tends to put speed in the slot. I'd much rather see Clements getting physical with Wayne. Unless Brown has that physicality... dunno, I live in CO and can't watch the players :(

How about a day of silence as I don't wanna here/read any Monday morning QBs on Sunday.