Week 1 Pre-game Notes: Raiders @ Titans

It seemed that during the week that Michael Bush was going to be able to play this week, after all he was practicing even though it was limited.

Here is the inactive list for the game:

Oakland

QB Kyler Boller (3rd QB)
RB Michael Bush
WR Chaz Schilens
WR Nick Miller
G Bruce Campbell
DT Desmond Bryant
LB Travis Goethel
CB Walter McFadden

Tennessee


QB Rusty Smith (3rd QB)
WR Lavelle Hawkins
OL Mike Otto
OG Ryan Durand
DE William Hayes
LB Rennie Curran
S Robert Johnson
S Nick Schommer

Injury Report:

Oakland

Out: LB Travis Goethel (lower back), CB Walter McFadden (hamstring), WR Chaz Schilens (knee)
Questionable: DT Desmond Bryant (elbow), RB Michael Bush (thumb),

Tennessee

Out: OT Mike Otto (knee)
Questionable: Colin Allred (ankle), DT Tony Brown (knee), C/G Leroy Harris (ankle), DE William Hayes (knee)
Probable: DE Jacob Ford (knee), WR Justin Gage (hand)

Week 1 NFL Picks

I blew it for the first game and did not post my pick in time for the Saints/Vikings game but I would have taken the Saints (-5) and been wrong.  So to start I am 1-0 straight up and 0-1 against the spread.

Here are my picks, what are yours?

- San Francisco (-3) at Seattle: 49ers go up to Qwest Field and get their first win of the season.  Big win for them as they are expected to win the NFC West.  Seattle is bad all over and 49ers win by 10. 49ers 27-17

- Tennessee (-6.5) vs. Oakland: The Raiders are improved but Jeff Fisher is going to make sure that the Titans are not going to start 0-6.  Raiders also have some questions about their rush defense and that could mean Chris Johnson has a huge game.  Titans 31-17

- Carolina (+6.5) at New York Giants: Carolina beat the Giants last year and I have some serious questions about the Giants defense.  Giants 21-17

- Miami (-3) at Buffalo: The Bills are still bad and Miami has a new toy, Brandon Marshall.  Dolphins 28-9

- Atlanta (-1.5) at Pittsburgh: The Steelers will be starting Dennis Dixon at QB and although he is a nice player he will not be able to get a victory here.  Falcons 21-10

- Detroit (+6.5) at Chicago: Two bad teams meet each other.  If the Lions can get to Cutler then they will win big.  Bears still not have found a decent wide receiver and they have Martz as their offensive coordinator.  Lions 14-10

- Cincinnati (+5) at New England: Bengals have some weapons on offense and the Patriots are a question mark but    the Pats are at home.  I don't see how the Bengals could come in and win.  Patriots 27-24

- Tampa Bay (-3) vs. Cleveland: Browns will be the worst team in the league this season.  Mangini is not a good head coach and Delhomme is not the answer at quarterback.  Tampa Bay is a better team and win easily.  Buccaneers 10-3

- Denver (+3) at Jacksonville: Kyle Orton has had a great pre-season and although they are likely not as good as last year they should be able to beat a team that just can't get it done in the Jaguars.  Broncos 10-7

- Houston (+2) vs. Indianapolis: Texans are finally going to get over the hump and beat the Colts with Arian Foster having a huge game.  Texans 34-31

- Green Bay (-3) at Philadelphia: The Packers are probably the best team in the NFC and the Eagles have some questions at QB.  Packers 42-17

- Arizona (-3.5) at St. Louis: This could be the battle of last place for the NFC West.  The Cardinals are starting Derek Anderson and the Rams will have many growing pains.  Low scoring game with a lot of turnovers. Cardinals 12-3

- Dallas (-3) at Washington: Just like when McNabb was with the Eagles he doesn't have a lot of options.  The Cowboys win in DC.  Cowboys 14-10

- Baltimore (+2) at New York Jets: The Jets are extremely overrated and Sanchez looks awful.  The Ravens meanwhile have gotten much better.  Ravens 17-14

- San Diego (-5) at Kansas City: Chiefs are bad and so are the Chargers as they lost their three best players from last year.  The AFC West is awful but someone has to win the game.  Chargers walk over the Chiefs.  Chargers 20-10

49ers sign Vernon Davis to extension

The 49ers have announced that they have signed TE Vernon Davis to a five-year contract extension.  The deal is reportedly worth $37 million which includes $23 million in guarantees.  If these contract numbers are correct, this contract will make Davis the highest-paid tight end in NFL history.

2009 was a big year for Vernon Davis who emerged as one of the best tight ends in the NFL.  Quite the turnaround for the former Maryland Terrapin who was kicked off the field the year before by interim head coach (at the time) Mike Singletary.

Prior to the 2009 season, Vernon Davis was made a captain by head coach Mike Singletary which at the time was a questionable move based on what happen the previous year.  It turned out to be a good move as Davis ended the season with 13 touchdown catches which tied Antonio Gates NFL record.  Davis led the 49ers in receiving with 78 catches for 965 yards as well as making his first Pro Bowl.  At this point of his career he is considered by many as one of the best tight ends in the NFL. and with his contract set to expire at the end of the season he was likely going to get a big payday.

Davis is the second of their young stars to be extended as the 49ers recently extended middle linebacker and defensive captain Patrick Willis to a five-year extension.  The Niners have ten more players that contracts will expire at the end of the season including quarterback Alex Smith and safety Dashon Goldson.  The 49ers will likely not work on an extension for Smith until after the season based on how he performs.  Goldson appears to be a up and coming star and recently signed on with Drew Rosenhaus in an effort to make sure he gets paid.

Ted Ginn Jr. named starting punt returner

Yesterday, Mike Singletary announced that Ted Ginn Jr. was going to be the teams primary punt returner against the Seahawks.  This is not exactly what everyone thought was going to happen once the season started.  During the preseason Singletary said that he wanted Ginn to focus on being a wide receiver and just doing kickoff returns and was looking for someone else to be their punt returner.

It appeared that wide receiver Kyle Williams was on his way for that role before he was injured in the first preseason game.  Then cornerback Phillip Adams had looked good in that role and it appeared he was going to be the 49ers punt returner going into the first game. 

Singletary stated that he spoke with special teams coordinator and they just felt more comfortable with Ginn back there returning punts.  He left it open for Adams to possibly still return punts.

During the offseason the 49ers traded with the Miami Dolphins for Ted Ginn Jr. in order to shore up the punt and kick return game that had been atrocious last year for the 49ers.  Ginn has a lot of experience returning punts and kicks when he was at Ohio State and then later when he was with the Dolphins.  During three years with the Dolphins, Ginn returned 147 kickoffs with an average of 23 yards/return and scored two touchdowns and has returned 36 punts for an average of 8.7/return with one touchdown.

In 2009, the 49ers averaged 4.4 yards/return on the punt returns which put that in last place in the NFL and on kickoff returns they averaged 21.8 yards/return which was 23rd in the NFL.

Week 1 Pre-game Notes: 49ers @ Seahawks

Usually the pre-game notes come out a couple of hours before kickoff but since Coach Singletary is on top of his game, it allows us to give some pre-pre-game notes.  

Singletary has already announced who will be on the inactive list for the 49ers game against the Seahawks.

Inactive List:

QB Troy Smith

WR Kyle Williams

OT Barry Sims

OT Alex Boon

OC Eric Heitmann

LB Ahmad Brooks

CB Tramaine Brock

CB William James

Injury Report: 

San Francisco

Out:  LB Ahmad Brooks (lacerated kidney), OC Eric Heitmann (fibula), WR Kyle Williams (toe)

Doubtful: CB William James (ankle)

Probable: LB Diyral Briggs (concussion)

Seattle

Out: OT Russell Okung (ankle)
Questionable: OT Chester Pitts (knee)
Probable: DE Raheem Brock (back), TE Anthony McCoy (ankle)

Thursday Giants lineup

First game of a four-game series with the Padres.  Giants will need to come out of the series having won at least two games with a hope for make three out of the four.

Here's how the pitching matchups are lined up:

Thursday: Matt Cain (10-10, 3.18 ERA) vs. Jon Garland (13-10, 3.31 ERA)

Friday: Jonathan Sanchez (10-8, 3.39 ERA) vs. Clayton Richard (12-6, 3.43 ERA)

Saturday: Madison Bumgarner (5-4, 3.44 ERA) vs. Tim Stauffer (3-3, 1.72 ERA)

Sunday: Tim Lincecum (13-9, 3.69 ERA) vs. Mat Latos (14-5, 2.21 ERA)

And now for the lineups...

Torres CF

Sanchez 2B

Huff 1B

Posey C

Guillen RF

Burrell LF

Sandoval 3B

Uribe SS

Cain RHP

Durango CF

Eckstein 2B

Ludwick RF

Gonzalez 1B

Tejeda SS

Headley 3B

Torrealba C

Venable LF

Garland RHP

Warriors sign swingman Rodney Carney

It's been rather quiet in Warriorland which is probably a good thing, for the Warriors.  The only real news is that Stephen Curry has been playing with Team USA and appears to be doing well.

But, who knows--no one appears to be watching.

The silence has stopped.  The Warriors have announced that they have signed for 76er, Rodney Carney, to a contract.  Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Here's the press release:

The Golden State Warriors have signed free agent guard/forward Rodney Carney to a contract, the team announced today. Per team policy, terms of the agreement were not released.

Carney, 26, appeared in 68 games for the Philadelphia 76ers last season, averaging 4.7 points and 2.0 rebounds in 12.6 minutes per contest, while shooting 40.1% (113-282 FG) from the field, 30.4% (41-135 3FG) from three-point range and 82.5% (52-63 FT) from the free throw line. He tallied a season-high 16 points in 20 minutes at Golden State on February 23.

Originally selected by the Chicago Bulls in the first round of the 2006 NBA Draft (#16 overall) out of the University of Memphis, Carney was traded to Philadelphia in a draft night deal and has spent three of his four NBA campaigns with the 76ers. Overall, he owns career averages of 6.1 points and 2.0 rebounds in 272 regular-season games with Philadelphia and Minnesota.

Carney will wear uniform #25. 

The signing of Carney leaves the Warriors with about one more roster spot available and according to a source close to Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com that spot could go to center Louis Amundson.

The Warriors have also shown interest in guard Jannero Pargo for their backup PG spot and it was reported that Pargo and the Warriors agreed on a deal, but that deal never came to fruition.

Nate Davis clears waivers, moved to practice squad

It was much ado about nothing.

Bloggers (like myself) and fans all over the Bay Area were upset that Nate Davis was released by the 49ers so they could sign QB Troy Smith.  We all thought that Davis was a NFL ready quarterback and he for sure would be picked up  off waivers by another team, especially the Seahawks.

Guess we were wrong.  Davis cleared waivers and the 49ers have signed him to their practice squad and in another corresponding moved waived quarterback Jarrett Brown.

***

Mike Singletary announced the team captains today.  They are the same people from last year with one addition, Alex Smith.  Singletary explained that Smith was not given this honor because he was the quarterback but because of the leadership that he has showed and the amount of work he put in.

2009 49ers team captains

"Alex really put in the time.  You know he's out here when no one was out here.  He was the guy that got the receivers together and threw to him, and changed his schedule around to meet with some other receivers.  So, he was not just doing it once a day, he was doing it twice a day, as well as in the classroom.  He was wearing Jimmy Raye and [quarterbacks coach] Mike Johnson out all offseason."

 The captains from last year and now for this year again are: Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, Eric Heitmann, Justin Smith, and Takeo Spikes.

Timmy back on track, Velez & Burriss called up

Important win for the Giants tonight and as earlier suggested the Giants needed to see where Timmy was at if they had any hopes of making a run in the playoffs.  I don't want to say he's back but I will say that if that's the Tim Lincecum the Giants roll into the 1st game of a playoff series then I would be pretty comfortable in saying that the Giants are going to be tough to beat.

Another important aspect to tonight's win was the Giants are putting some heat on the Padres, finally.  Although, the Padres still won they are no doubt scoreboard watching and every-time the Giants win they put some major pressure on the Padres to win.  This is much different then before when the Padres were the ones putting the heat on the G-man.

***

Good sign tonight to see Aubrey Huff and Freddy Sanchez hit the ball out.  The top 3 spots in the lineup has been struggling lately and they need those guys hot for the trip to San Diego.

The Giants had three homers tonight and both Buster Posey and Jose Guillen came within three feet of hitting their first inning hits out.

***

Giants made a move today activating Guillermo Mota from the 15-day DL and calling up both Emmanuel Burriss and Eugenio Velez.

Let's just hope that Velez stays down in the clubhouse when Pat Burrell is up at bat.

Was releasing Nate Davis the right move?

Mike Singletary made it be known, a few times, that he was not impressed with Nate Davis' work ethic and even questioned whether he would make the team.

"That's a question mark.  It will be a topic of conversation..."

The question was whether the public comments were a motivational tool or Singletary had truly gone sour on Davis. Singletary has been known to use press conferences as motivation for players (see Davis, Vernon).

In related news, the 49ers released Davis and signed former Ohio State QB, Troy Smith.

Singletary has been less than thrilled with his backup QBs and when asked about his comfort level he said:

"When you say comfortable, I'll put it this way," he said. "I feel good about Alex Smith. I feel very good about where he's at. I think we have to do a great job of protecting our starting quarterback. When it comes to David Carr, I think David Carr is a guy that I could grow to feel comfortable with. I think he's a guy that has a good command of the offense. I think he understands, I just think that he's still thinking a lot and he's still having to get the rhythm and all the other things, but I think David Carr, I could grow to feel comfortable with him."

That's not exactly praising words for Nate Davis or David Carr.  After those comments it was no doubt that Singletary sent Trent Baalke shopping for a new QB.

The question was would it be Carr or Davis that would be cut.  Personally, I would have thought they would cut Carr.  He has a higher salary and you already know what you have with him.

That move speaks more to Singletary's lack of confidence in current starter, Alex Smith, then his frustration and lack of confidence in his backups.

The whole "why did we cut Nate Davis" sentiment could be all for not.  It's possible he is nothing more than a gunslinger who will never make it in the NFL but why stop the "Nate Davis project" early.  When he was drafted the 49ers brass stated he was a three-year project but then he was cut after the first year and a half.

Tuesday Giants lineup

The Giants playoff hopes lie in Tim Lincecum's hand.  If he does well then the Giants could take over 1st place and have the confidence that he is BACK!!  But, if he reverts back to 2010 Timmy then this would not be good for the Giants.

Torres CF
Sanchez 2B
Huff 1B
Posey C
Burrell LF
Guillen RF
Uribe 3B
Renteria SS
Lincecum RHP

Morning Links

Every year there are good stories in the NFL about how a player beats the odds to make it to the NFL.  Sometimes those players are drafted in the sixth or seventh round and sometimes those players are undrafted.  

The 49ers have one of those this year, CB Tramaine Brock.

Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area, writes and interesting column about CB Tramaine Brock and how he made it to the NFL by earning a spot on the 49ers' 53-man roster.

Here's your morning links, after the jump.

Former Spartan, Jarron Gilbert cut by the Bears

YouTube sensation and former San Jose State Spartan Jarron Gilbert has been cut by Chicago Bears.  Apparently, being able to jump out of a pool is not a skill than transfers well to the NFL.

It was first reported that Gilbert had been claimed by the Jets but since they won the claim on Marcus Dixon they pulled back their claim on Gilbert.  This now makes Gilbert a free agent.

Gilbert was a third-round pick in 2009 who played in 4 games last year and got one tackle.

Another 49er to the Seahawks

The Seahawks have become "49ers North" with their recent acquisitions of Kentwan Balmer, Brandon Jones (has since been released), and now RB Michael Robinson, according to Brian McIntyre.  Michael Robinson was originally drafted by former GM Scot McCloughan, who consequently works for the Seahawks now, and former head coach Mike Nolan.

Although Robinson turned out to be a very good special teams player he never worked out as a running back.  The Seahawks are so short on talent at this point they are adding anyone of value they can find.

Davis/coaching staff disagree, practice squad finalized

There was much confusion yesterday when safety Stevie Brown told reporters that he had made 53-man roster and then was cut later in the afternoon.

According to former Raider employee and current radio talk show host, Andy Slater, it was due to a argument between Al Davis and the coaching staff on who should be kept between Brown and safety Mike Mitchell.  

As we remember Mitchell was the player that was drafted in round 2 of the 2009 NFL draft and caused draft experts everywhere to rip the Raiders for the pick.  Most teams had Mitchell as a seventh round talent at best.

The current rumor is that the coaching staff wants to cut Mitchell and keep Brown while Al Davis does not agree.  We know who's going to win that argument.

Either way it has worked out as Stevie Brown was not picked up by another team and has landed back with the Raiders on the practice squad.

Here is the practice squad:

Sunday Giants lineup

Giants are on ESPN today for Sunday Night Baseball and that means unfortunately we have to hear Joe Morgan talk about himself.

Torres CF
Fontenot 2B
Huff 1B
Burrell LF
Posey C
Guillen RF
Sandoval 3B
Uribe SS
J. Sanchez LHP

Brian Wilson's neighbor

Anybody who has ever seen Brian Wilson interviewed or watched "Life of Brian" and seen the way he carries himself could tell you he is definitely and interesting guy and I would venture to question his sanity but that's part of the territory.  To be a closer you have to be off your "rocker", no pun intended.

Thanks to Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News, I have found further proof of the weirdness of Brian Wilson.

Last week Brian Wilson appeared on Chris Rose's show "The Cheap Seats" and during the interview a man with an S&M outfit known as "The Machine" walks into the camera's view and back out of it.  It is a rather hilarious as Wilson denies anything happening and Chris Rose completely loses it.

If it ended there, that would be enough to make one wonder about Wilson but then he took it further.

But of course it didn't.

A few days ago Brian Wilson was on "Rome is Burning" and at the end of the interview he answers a Zach Morris style cell phone and begins talking with "The Machine."

While on the phone, "The Machine" tells him that he put something in his back pocket to bring on the show.  Wilson then pulls out a mask, the kind of mask that would go with the outfit that "The Machine" wore on Rose's show last week.

I doubt this will be the last we will see of "The Machine."

49ers practice squad is set

49ers practice squad has been set.  Two local kids, Elk Grove's Matt Kopa and San Jose State's Kevin Jurovich.

QB Jarrett Brown - Virginia Tech
FB Jehuu Caulcrick - Michigan State
WR Kevin Jurovich - San Jose State
OLB Bruce Davis - UCLA
OT Matt Kopa - Stanford
DL Will Tukuafu - Oregon
ILB Keaton Kristick - Oregon State
S Chris Maragos - Wisconsin

Raiders finalize cuts, 53 man roster

Update: The Raiders have cut one more player to get their roster down to 53, defensive back Stevie Brown.

Unlike the rest of the teams the Raiders did not make it easy to find their roster cuts.  After some research, here is the cut players.

QB Colt Brennan
FB Luke Lawton
FB Manase Tonga
WR Shaun Bodiford
WR Todd Watkins
TE John Owens
C Chris Morris
G Alex Parsons
G Brandon Rudd
DE Alex Daniels
DE Greyson Gunheim
DE Jay Richardson
DT Kellen Heard
DT William Joseph
DT Chris Cooper
LB David Nixon
LB Slade Norris
CB Joe Porter
CB Joey Thomas
S Jerome Boyd
P Swayze Waters

The Raiders have one more player to cut but here is how the current roster of 54 breaks down.

Big news in the NFC West today

Some big moves are being made in the NFC West as the roster cutdown to 53 gets near.

• The Seattle Seahawks have released wide receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh after signing him to a five-year deal last year.
• The St. Louis Rams have jumped back into the Vincent Jackson chase to try and find a replacement for Donnie Avery who is out for the season.
• St. Louis Rams head coach Steve Spagnuolo has named Sam Bradford the starting QB for the Rams.
• Arizona Cardinals have released Matt Leinart which now leaves them with Derek Anderson as the starting QB.

Friday Giants lineup

BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!! BEAT LA!!

Nothing greater than Giants/Dodgers.  Big game for Zito who tries to get back on track.  Lineups after the jump.

More 49ers cuts

49ers are now down to 53 with the final cuts that were made.  Here is a complete list, thanks to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.  I'm a big fan of who they kept.  The current roster is below the cuts, broken down by position.

QB Jarrett Brown

RB Michael Robinson

FB Brit Miller

FB Jehuu Caulcrick

WR Bobby Guillory

WR Jason Hill

WR Kevin Jurovich

TE Tony Curtis

TE Jon Jon Finley

T Matt Kopa

G Brian de la Puente

C Cody Wallace

DT Derek Walker

DT Will Tukuafu

DT Khalif Mitchell

LB Mike Balogun

LB Bruce Davis

LB Keaton Kristick

LB Matt Wilhelm

CB Karl Paymah

S Chris Maragos

K Shane Andrus

Roster cuts: 49ers cut five

Roster cutdown day is among us with teams needing to get their roster down to 53 players by tomorrow.  Most of the moves that are made are pretty obvious but then there are always those surprise moves. 

The 49ers made one of those surprise moves today, the 49ers cut special-teams captain Michael Robinson.  Robinson was drafted in the 4th round of the 2006 NFL draft by former coach Mike Nolan.  When he was drafted it was a questionable move to take the former quarterback but Robinson became a great special-teams leader.

The 49ers also cut wide receiver Jason Hill, a local kid from San Francisco, veteran cornerback Karl Paymah, and fullbacks Brit Miller and Jehuu Caulcrick.

Darren Ford for President

The kid who was a traded for an aging Ray Durham has finally made a name for himself.  There has been many tales of how Darren Ford scored from second on a fly-out.  Well let's add another story to "The Tales of Darren Ford."

On a day where Darren Ford's flight was delayed two hours, which caused him to get to the ballpark during the game, he may have put himself into Giants playoff run lore. 

There is no doubt that people will not forget the day they saw Ford takeoff for third on a ball that bounced once in front of the catcher and help Tim Lincecum get his first win since July 30th against the Dodgers.

That has to be one of the most amazing plays I have ever seen.  To take off like that when you have no idea how far the ball would bounce and then cause the throwing error by Miguel Olivo that allowed him to score the winning run.

I doubt he will get much playing time from Bochy outside of late inning pinch-running duty but he will always be remembered and may become the next cult fan favorite.

ARod leaves Scott Boras

Pretty interesting news to come out of New York today.  It has been reported by Bob Nightengale from USA Today that Alex Rodriguez has sent a letter to Scott Boras to advise him that he will be leaving him and looking for a new agent.

The whole move makes sense to me.  Why would Alex Rodriguez need an agent anyway?  His current contract will take him through the age of 43 and I doubt that he will continue to play past that.

Especially, since he is no longer taking steroids.

It is possible the ARod is looking to get involved in the entertainment business and Scott Boras is not really known for his contacts in the entertainment industry. 

Just imagine, ARod on the next episode of Desperate Housewives.