It looks like teams are wrapping up their OTA’s (Organized Team Activities) including our very own Arizona Cardinals. But I wanted to focus on one of our division rivals who happen to be the San Francisco 49ers. You’ve got to be wondering what Mike Singletary has cooking up his sleeve, is he going to go all out this season and try to wrestle away the NFC West Division Crown from the Cardinals? Maybe he still needs more firepower on offense, which is why they drafted Michael Crabtree at WR.
As with Mike, word is he had already gotten on his team midway through their first OTA and told them to pick up their intensity level. Like I said in my first breakdown on the 49ers, Mike Singletary doesn’t mess around and will have this team prepared come opening day. And guess who we play on opening day? You guessed right, the 49ers. This will be a statement game right off the bat. It’s a division game, we just came off the Super Bowl and the 49ers feel they can contend for the division title. Hey, it’s on.
Rookie linebacker Scott McKillop supposedly has looked pretty solid as well as rookie running back Glen Coffee. Running back Frank Gore looks like he is completely healthy from the severe ankle injury he suffered last season. Frank Gore is a dangerous back and I always cringe when he touches the ball, thank goodness he didn’t get the call for the last carry of the game during the Monday Night Football game last season. So, thank you again Mike Martz for the play you called. Maybe that’s why the 49ers have a new Offensive Coordinator in Jimmy Raye. He’s more of a Singletary kind of guy, I think Mike Martz was a little too creative and wild on offense for Singletary’s tastes.
High priced free-agent Nate Clements was overheard doing some light-hearted trash talk, glad he’s not backing it much on gameday when he playing against the Cardinals. Nothing has changed in the battle for the starting quarterback position between Shaun Hill and Alex Smith, it will probably go the whole distance between now and through training camp and pre-season games. Kind of reminds me of the Cardinals last season when it was between Kurt Warner and Matt Leinart. Like I said before, I’d like to see Alex Smith get the nod just because I think that Shaun Hill is the better player.
Cornerback Walt Harris will be out for some considerable time after suffering an injury to his ACL, he’s going to have surgery in a couple of weeks. What most fans don’t realize or that they take for granted, is that the road to the Super Bowl starts now. As soon as you start the mini-camps, OTA’s and training camp, it all matters. A part of the success required to get to the Super Bowl is luck as well, it’s having players being able to stay healthy and avoiding injuries, especially with key players. An old friend dropped by the 49ers facility and it was none other than Jerry Rice. He gave the whole team an inspirational talk and even passed around his Super Bowl bling (rings). I just want to say Hi Jerry and I’m glad to not have to see you on the field anymore.
With the loss of Walt Harris the 49ers gave cornerback Dre Bly a one year deal. To me that’s a definite bolster to their defensive secondary, Dre Bly is good and is a ball hawk too. You definitely have to be aware of his presence on the field. Since his rookie season in 1999, his 40 interceptions ranks as fourth highest among NFL players and his 18 forced fumbles rank as highest during that time. He is a force to be reckoned with, let’s hope he’s not on his A game when they play the Cardinals.
That’s it for some info on the 49ers camp and what they’ve been doing to prepare for the 2009 season. I’ll keep the Arizona Cardinals fans updated on our division foe.
Tags: 49ers, nfc west news