Most everyone came to a solid agreement on Jonathan Goodwin when it came to yesterday's grades, and next we're going to take a look at an impact player who was not a starter. I chose this one from the beginning when Fooch was divvying up the grading posts, and that's because I paid a lot of attention to this guy even before he saw the field in a San Francisco 49ers uniform. Today, we'll look at inside linebacker Larry Grant.

Grant was brought in as a free agent on a one-year deal and was given the backup role after Takeo Spikes left for the San Diego Chargers and NaVorro Bowman was thrust into the starting role. Grant played in all 16 games during the regular season and each playoff game, and made three starts in place of an injured Patrick Willis.

He's now a free agent, and remains the only real backup at inside linebacker as Blake Costanzo is a pure special teamer (a very good special teamer, as evidenced by the grading post we already had on him) and Tavares Gooden seems to be finding his niche on special teams, as well. Gooden played a little on defense in 2011, but only recorded one tackle in that regard. So how did Grant perform as a backup? Let's explore after the jump.

Continue reading this post »

Earlier today, Matt Barrows put together a blog post discussing how the 49ers might approach free agency at the wide receiver position in 2012. He made a very useful comparison to the 49ers approach in the cornerback market last summer. When the lockout ended and free agency began, the 49ers appeared to start with the top name on the market in Nnamdi Asomugha. When his price got out of hand they moved down the list of cornerbacks before ending up with former Redskins CB Carlos Rogers.

This year, it will be interesting to see how the philosophy plays out with free agency back in its rightful place before the Draft. The 49ers (and the rest of the league) will be able to kick the tires on some players in free agency, and if they are not happy with what they see, they can always hope for the best in the draft.

Starting next week we'll begin looking at free agent and draft eligible players at pertinent positions for the 49ers. A single post will provide some of the top names in free agency and the draft so we can see how the options best fall out. For now, I grabbed the list of unrestricted wide receiver free agents from Barrows discussion and posted it after the jump.

After Dwayne Bowe, Vincent Jackson and Marques Colston, if Stevie Johnson, DeSean Jackson and Wes Welker all remain with their current teams, who are your next level of receivers? Does anybody strike you as the potential Carlos Rogers bargain of this group?

Continue reading this post »

The Combine is right around the corner and draft season is in full swing, to be sure. The most popular position of need being discussed with regards to our beloved 49ers is wide receiver (WR). Most of us feel that if we had a "stud" WR on the roster we could go even further. Alex Smith's deep balls would have a higher percentage of being completed with a guy who can get up and fight for the ball, even if underthrown. A player with sure hands would also help stabilize a WR corps that saw it's fair share of drops in 2011.

The "bad news" is that this draft is not deep in top-tier WR's. It's believed that there are four really good prospects that will likely go early in the draft, then there's a significant drop-off. Granted the second-tier guys are still good players, and it's not like the NFL world has never seen a guy rise above his draft position, but you can't go to sleep at night feeling like all of our problems at WR are solved with a mid-round pick.

That being said, I think it's time for the 49ers to start thinking about trading up. Steve Berman, the Bay Area Sports Guy, wrote an article about how Michael Floyd would be the perfect WR for the 49ers with his size, strength, speed and hands. Floyd doesn't have elite speed, but for a 6'3" guy who's also very strong and surehanded, he can run quite well.

Floyd figures to be one of the first WR's taken in this draft along with Baylor's Kendall Wright, Oklahoma State's Justin Blackmon and LSU's Rueben Randle. All of these players could go as high as the top 15, making them likely out of the 49ers reach. Floyd however has some legal incidents that somewhat affect his value. Still I don't feel he would slide to the 30th pick, which is essentially the top of the second round.

The question is: If it starts to become clear that one of the top WR prospects won't be available at pick 30, should the 49ers trade up to get one?

If you really feel that this is a different/better team with the addition of a true playmaker at WR, then the answer should be yes. What would you give up and how far would you move in order to get a player like this? Which guy would you pick?

Ron Jaworski never lost his love for playing the game. Since retiring, he's never stopped missing being a football player in the National Football League, feeling that deep sense of camaraderie with a close-knit group of football players. Whether in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Miami, or Kansas City, it's safe to say that the one thing that kept Ron Jaworski going was playing football. He never lost his passion for strapping on the pads. He never lost his competitive fire. He never lost the burning desire to prove that he could still play football in the National Football League.

That's why Ron Jaworski still takes every opportunity he can to lace up a pair of cleats and step back out on the gridiron. Ron Jaworski isn't afraid to get a little dirty. When Ron Jaworski steps out on the turf, he'll take on anyone. Brian Urlacher? Bring it. Mike Singletary? Ron Jaworski says yes. Patrick Willis? Justin Smith? Ed Reed? Bring 'em on! Small children? Abso-frickin'-lutely!

And let me just tell you one thing, one thing about the legend that is Ron Jaworski, one thing that you simply may not know: When it comes to playing football, he can still enjoy beating the crap out of small children.

Oh, Ron. You're so enthusiastic about stuff. You almost make it too easy.

Now it's up to you, good readers. The photo is there. All you need to do is give it a caption. If you see a caption that makes you laugh, give it a rec. mcwagner and David Fucillo tied last week for the most recs.

Today we get to a player that will raise an assortment of opinions as the 49ers continue looking to build for the long term future. The 49ers rushing attack had its ups and downs in 2011 with dominant performances some days and next to nothing on other days.

Frank Gore surpassed the franchise NFL rushing record and had a strong run of big games, including five straight 100+ rushing performances, four of which were 125+ yards. There were times where Gore looked like the back of old, cutting and slashing through defenses with relative ease.

Of course, there were also the early season struggles, the late season struggles, and the injuries mixed in that resulted in Gore occasionally pulling himself from games for a breather. There have been times we have proclaimed the need for a bit more balance in the rushing game with a solid backup, but at the same time there was something funky about Gore's struggles at times.

It is worth noting that Frank stepped his game back up come playoff time. He rushed for 89 yards, averaging 6.8 per carry against the Saints, and then rushed for 74 yards, average 4.6 per carry against the Giants. It is also worth noting that he had 13 catches for 83 yards in two playoff games after a regular season total of 17 catches for 114 yards. Given how little the 49ers were going to Gore in the passing game during the regular season, it was interesting to see them pick it back up in the postseason.

Continue reading this post »

Although the NFL world is mostly waiting for the start of the NFL Combine next week, contract discussions do continue for some players. We mentioned this past weekend how the Philadelphia Eagles were likely going to franchise wide receiver DeSean Jackson. Now it looks like another receiver could come off the market before free agency.

According to reports out of Buffalo, the Bills and wide receiver Stevie Johnson have exchanged contract proposals and will meet at the Combine to discuss things further. This does not mean the two sides are close to a deal since we don't know what numbers were exchanged. However, the fact that they are talking would seem to be somewhat positive news for Bills fans who want to keep Johnson and 49ers fans who do not want the 49ers considering Johnson.

The Bills receiver has a ton of talent, but he also has had plenty of mental miscues that can lead to some headaches. He has put together back-to-back solid seasons, although sometimes it has felt like he could have done more this year. There has occasionally been a bit of inconsistency in his performance. Not wildly inconsistent, but enough that it's noticeable and a little bothersome for some reason.

For those interested in signing Johnson, it is worth noting that he was born in San Francisco.

I hate the offseason so much, and I'm wishing that it were a tangible thing I could punch in the face repeatedly. It's crazy, really ... because I'm so ridiculously busy with all kinds of things I need to be doing, and yet I still want the added stress of the NFL season and having to cover it. I miss the 49ers, and I bet all of you do, too. Free agency and the NFL Draft really needs to hurry up and get here. Anyway, I'm going to get to the linkage for the day, though there isn't really a ton of new stuff. I'll probably be posting repeats here and there. Enjoy, chillldren!

49ers expected to allow Spencer to seek trade (CSNBayArea.com)

With the 30th pick in the NFL Draft, the 49ers should select... (BayAreaSportsGuy.com)

Shawntae Spencer switches agents (SacBee.com)

Continue reading this post »