49ers-Vikings: A 49ers blogger talking about everything BUT Brett Favre

this was actually pretty funny. That was an awesome game and HOPEFULLY we can exact some revenge in the playoffs this year.

Saw that you mentioned that in your post. Guilty of not reading all the way…lol. But still curious .on an expanded thouhgt on your thoughts on the O-Line

Mentioned them briefly above, but here’s some more:

Crabtree: #1 and obviously he’s a guy you want to look at in fantasy football. He finished with great numbers without really knowing the playbook so expect big things.

Josh Morgan: Quietly put together 52 catches for 527 yards and 3 TDs in what was his second season last year. I could see his catch total potentially evening out a bit with Davis and Crabtree back there, as well as the addition of Brian Westbrook in the backfield since he’s a great pass catcher. But I would expect Morgan’s yards and TDs to go up.

Ted Ginn: If he can catch the ball he’s the team’s deep threat and kick returner.

Dominique Zeigler: They love his ability in practice, but he’s been a PS guy thus far. I think he makes the roster, but tough to expect big numbers from him if everybody is healthy.

Jason Hill: Struggles with drops and battling for a roster spot. Another guy who won’t get much in the way of numbers.

Kyle Williams: Rookie who will likely be the 49ers punt returner if he can stay healthy. He’s out a couple weeks with turf toe so his roster chances potentially took a bit of a hit.

Overall, Crabtree and Davis are obviously the best bets. Josh Morgan is a nice late sleeper in my opinion.

The team seems to love Singletary. Balmer left because he wanted more playing time and apparently wasn’t willing to put in more work for it. Singletary puts the players through quite a bit, but I think his playing background has given him a lot more credibility to do this than a non-playing coach, or a former player who wasn’t particularly good.

Is Alex Smith. If he can’t cut the mustard this year, then he’s gone and we’ll draft a new one. Nate Davis is our 3rd stringer and he’s going to get some looks earlier in the game against better competition. I doubt he’ll turn into a starter for us though.

Defensively look for Justin Smith, he’s a beast at DE, similar to Allen. Briggs is a LB to look for also. In the secondary of course Taylor Mays is going to be on display as well as Reggie Smith.

Sorry for the delay in responding. Stepped out for much of the day.

I definitely agree that QB and o-line development are the two big questions. As to the o-line, it’s just a matter of developing the rookies.

At QB, Alex Smith is a free agent after this season. If he struggles, I’d imagine his time in SF is done. If he performs well, who knows what happens. When he renegotiated his contract (or would have otherwise been cut) he chose to stay in SF, so I’d like to think if he improves this year he’d sign a long term deal with the 49ers.

Behind Smith, the backup is David Carr. Carr is certainly not a long term answer. Nate Davis is the #3 with rookie Jarrett Brown out of West Virginia in the #4 position. Davis is actually likely to get more playing time against your better players this Sunday. I don’t know if that means against your #1s, but at least against your #2s to see where he’s at in his second preseason with the team.

On defense, Justin Smith is the anchor on the line. Aubrayo Franklin’s been solid at nose tackle but he’s sitting out another week or two before signing his franchise deal. Nate Clements and Shawntae Spencer are the top two cornerbacks but neither is a superstar. Keep an eye out for Dashon Goldson who is a ballhawk at free safety.

I have a football problem.

WR Crabs is future pro bowl, and WR Morgan is solid. TE Davis is a big threat. WR Ginn is a burner who’s look very good in camp so far. Then Kyle Williams the rook has some potential that we’re excited about.

Taylor Mays is a big hitter who struggles in coverage. Thankfully the team doesn’t need him starting immediately, so he can learn the intricacies of the safety position. He’ll be great in special teams for now. At safety, the 49ers really interchange the free and strong safeties between each other, although we see Goldson focusing on pass protection and Michael Lewis focusing on rush defense.

The WRs are young and talented, in my opinion. Michael Crabtree is going to be a special receiver. Vernon Davis, while a tight end, plays as well as many receivers. Josh Morgan is the sleeper for a big year.

I disagree that the 49ers need a stud QB. Eli Manning and the Giants won a QB and Eli is no stud. He’s not bad, but he’s no stud. And considering Jeff Hostetler and Trent Dilfer have both won Super Bowls, I think the 49ers can do well with Smith.