Michael Lewis leaves - these are desperate times

The image of a desperate team in disarray gained more momentum with the news that strong safety Michael Lewis left the team and now wants his release.

This follows Sunday night's sacking of offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, a blow up by the head coach on regional television, a shuddering 0-3 start and two other players, defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer and running back Glen Coffee, who have unceremoniously bolted from the 49ers' Santa Clara facility during training camp.

What's going on here?

The most disturbing aspect of Lewis's departure is the suggestion of duplicity. Lewis's agent, Rodney Williams, said his client left after the team apparently reversed itself. When a report surfaced that Lewis and Takeo Spikes were going to get benched, Williams told CSN Bay Area and the Sacramento Bee that Lewis was assured his starting job at strong safety was safe. Then, four days later, Lewis was told that rookie Taylor Mays was phasing into the Lewis's starting job. That's when Lewis said, "Later."

What Coach Mike Singletary has always had is the trust of his players and coaches. They always say that Singletary would also tell it to them straight. But Singletary's latest moves calls that into question.

After the flattening by the Chiefs, Singletary said offensive coordinator

Jimmy Raye's

job was safe. That was Sunday afternoon. By Monday morning, Raye was fired. Now, it appears Lewis was told his job was secure, only to be informed days later that it isn't.

This isn't necessarily an indictment of Singletary's integrity, but rather a commentary on his desperation. He is rapidly pulling levers and hitting panic buttons in an effort to salvage a season that might end by mid-October.

Read More 'Michael Lewis leaves - these are desperate times' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | October 01 2010 at 08:23 PM

Michael Lewis absent

Daytime soap operas are rapidly getting canceled these days and really who needs them particularly for those fans following the 49ers? The team encountered what could be another developing situation Friday when starting strong safety Michael Lewis didn't show up for practice. Coach Mike Singletary threw the absent-for-personal-reasons blanket over the situation and refused to speak further on the issue.

Lewis was forced to take a pay cut before the start of the season, then has seen Reggie Smith eat slowly into his playing time. Last Sunday in Kansas City, Lewis sprained his ankle, then a report surfaced that he and fellow veteran Takeo Spikes were getting benched. Singletary said the report was false and on Wednesday said he wasn't benching anyone for Sunday's game in Atlanta.

The situation could clear up quickly should Lewis show up in Atlanta and resume his duties with the rest of the team. But the way this season is going, don't count on it.

For those still on the team, here's the injury situation: WR Ted Ginn Jr. (knee) doubtful; C Eric Heitmann (fibula) doubtful; LB Takeo Spikes (knee) probable; CB Will James (ankle) questionable; S Dashon Goldson (foot/knee) probable; S Michael Lewis (ankle) probable.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | October 01 2010 at 01:58 PM

Safety Assessment

Now for a preview of the safety position, one of the most enigmatic and underrated positions on the team. The tandem of Michael Lewis and Dashon Goldson compose one the better pairs in the conference. Goldson broke out last year, leading the team in interceptions with four and ranking second on the team in tackles with 94. The question is, can Goldson take another large step to become an elite player?

Lewis contributes to the team's deserved reputation as a run-halting unit with his skills as an in-the-box player. But it begs another question - Is that what's needed in a league increasingly dominated by the pass? Lewis's speed and coverage skills are underrated, but he's still considered much more of a run player. It might be one reason the 49ers drafted the physically-freakish Taylor Mays in the second round. However as it stands now, Mays isn't ready to challenge Lewis as a starter, but he may be used in special packages and the team would love him to become a special teams threat. He certainly has the size and speed to do so.

The team isn't likely to keep more than four safeties, which makes for a training camp duel between the surprising Curtis Taylor and Reggie Smith. A third-rounder in '08, Smith started as a cornerback but has settled in at safety. However, he didn't flash as much as Taylor during OTA's. Taylor, seven-rounder from last year, showed a greedy pair of hands particularly in the June workouts. Taylor, at a rangy 6-2, 208, has more of a traditional safety frame than Smith (6-1, 200). The determining factor here could their special teams work.

Rookie free agent Chris Maragos, a former team captain at Wisconsin, will need to make a huge impression to unseat Taylor or Smith. He did lead the Badgers in interceptions last year with four.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | July 19 2010 at 09:35 PM

Joe Haden re-visited

I like the rollicking discussion on Florida cornerback Joe Haden and his sluggish 40-yard dash time at the just concluded scouting combine. Thought of as the top cornerback in the draft, Haden's 4.57 and 4.60 in the 40 raise questions. Has a cornerback with that slow a time ever been successful? This, I don't know.

History dictates that bust potential is huge for cornerbacks in the first round, so any red flags have to be taken seriously. Haden's time has brought up other concerns. NFL draftscout.com's Rob Rang wrote he had a concern about Haden's deep coverage even before his slow time because Florida's pass rush was so good, Haden didn't have to cover deep that often.

Teams will obviously look at Haden more extensively and the 40 at his pro day on March 17 will be followed closely.

Many of you compared Haden with former 49ers cornerback Ahmed Plummer, which I don't see. The knock on Plummer coming out of Ohio State was that he had already reached his potential in college. Haden came to Florida as a quarterback, then switched to wide receiver before finding a home at cornerback. He still has plenty of developing to do at the position. Also, Plummer ended his career controversially. He clashed with Mike Nolan, who thought Plummer should have played with a foot injury (Nolan wasn't the only one). Plummer eventually just retired.

Haden seems to love the game, but if he's slow, the 49ers might not see him as a first-round player. Haden is not the only cornerback in the draft, Florida State's Patrick Robinson ran a 4.42 and he's faster than that on the field. He carries his pads well and take a look at him turn and run down quick West Virginia runner Noel Devine in this year's Gator Bowl. Robinson is also a willing tackler, but can also be inconsistent and that might drop him out of the first round.

Rutgers's Devin McCourty is a likely second-round pick who ran a 4.48 forty. He also ran a kickoff back 98 yards for a touchdown in his college career and also blocked seven kicks. He was named the Scarlet Knights MVP, and his twin brother, Jason, was a sixth-round draft pick of the Titans last year as a cornerback.

So even if Haden runs slowly, there are plenty of other corners to consider. Also, it would free up the 49ers 13th and 17th overall picks for other needs like guard and tackle.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | March 03 2010 at 04:39 PM

DB's at the combine

Good news for the 49ers at the combine, Florida cornerback Joe Haden didn't perform well. He wanted to run a sub-4.5 40, instead it was over 4.56. He also wasn't that great in the field drills, which could drop him out of the top 10 and possibly make him available for the 49ers at no. 13. The team could be in desperate need of cornerbacks if Dre Bly and Nate Clements don't return. Clements could be asked to take a pay cut and that might make him ask for his release. The 49ers also didn't offer a tender to Marcus Hudson, who will now become a free agent when the new league year opens March 5.

The 49ers might be in better shape at safety than most believe. General manager Scot McCloughan appears comfortable with Michael Lewis as his strong safety, and Lewis did have a good year. However, he does have a concussion history, he's due to make a lot of cake in 2010 and he's a run-support safety in a passing league. Also, if Lewis balks when and if the 49ers ask him for a pay cut, the team has two young safeties in Reggie Smith and Curtis Taylor who could take his place.

Other considerations to keep in mind - the 49ers don't have a cornerback-driven defense. They rarely play man, and Dashon Goldson's range at free safety allows the corners to play the short zones more often. This defense is fashioned after the Ravens scheme, which highlights the free safety, not so much the corners. That said, the 49ers simply need bodies at the position. Of course, the more talented those bodies are, the more flexibility coordinator Greg Manusky will have to dial up blitzes. Also, McCloughan comes from the Ron Wolf school of wanting big cornerbacks who can tackle. If a corner is less than 5-10 in height, McCloughan isn't interested unless they have huge talent.

Here's one corner who performed well at the combine - Devin McCourty, Rutgers. He passes the eye-ball test with his stature 5-11, 186 and he ran a 4.43, which was faster than expected and he had a vertical leap of 42 inches. He also conducted himself well on the field drills. McCourty can also return kicks, and maybe with some coaching, he could return punts as well. He could possibly last until the 43rd pick for the 49ers.

Fresno State's A.J. Jefferson also looked explosive at the combine and he's listed at 5-11 185. He doesn't have return skills, but he could be fetched as low as the fourth round. South Florida's Jerome Murphy is an overly aggressive cornerback and he has the size a 6-1, 190 to contend with the big receivers in the NFC West. He also loves to tackle.

Cal's Syd'Quan Thompson ran a slow time and is too short at 5-8 for the 49ers to be interested. But I like this guy. Mike Myock called him the toughest corner he's ever seen and says he hits like a safety. He'd be perfect as a nickel corner in press coverage as long as he doesn't have to cover deep down the field. He also returns punts. If he's still around in the fourth or fifth rounds, the 49ers should consider him.

The safeties looked terrific at the combine. USC's Taylor Mayes possibly ran a sub-4.4 40 (there's some controversy about his time) at 231 pounds and looked smooth in field drills. But I still wouldn't draft him. Only one interception in his final two seasons just isn't enough (although he had an interception at the Senior Bowl). Nevertheless, he has the measurables that could intrigue the 49ers.

Myock called Earl Thomas of Texas the most instinctive safety he's ever seen. Thomas had eight interceptions last year, but at 5-10, 185 he's not big. He's also much more of a free-safety or even cornerback, than a strong safety. Nevertheless, his on-field production is hard to dismiss.

By the way, those who want to know more about the draft, should really go to profootballweekly.com and subscribe to their draft newsletters. You get four of them and they're packed with information. My last one is nearly in tatters because I look at it so much. One admission, I am a ProFootballweekly correspondent, but I don't get any kickbacks on newsletter sales. The reason I mentioned it is because it's really a terrific resource.

Peace. Out.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | March 02 2010 at 11:59 AM

Thoughts on Thanksgiving Day tinkerings

Before carving his Thanksgiving turkey, Mike Singletary took a knife to his lineup. He cut Tarell Brown out of his starting cornerback job and installed Dre Bly, and then he cut out Isaac Bruce nearly all together. Bruce's lingering ankle injury and his general ineffectiveness will put him on the inactive list Sunday in a desperation game with visiting Jacksonville.

The benching of Brown seems slightly premature. He's young; he's the future, he's one of the fastest players on the team and the 49ers need to see if he can be a starter. He's also a tough kid who could rebound from his atrocious showing last week in Green Bay. But Singletary is still trying to salvage the season and get his team into the playoffs, so Bly is his man. The veteran has been the most consistent cornerback outside of Shawntae Spencer, and Bly is more of a interception threat than Spencer is. Still, Singletary should have given Brown another corner or half to rebound.

Bruce may be inactive for the rest of the season, a move that makes sense because now Jason Hill gets a shot as a third receiver and we might even seen Brandon Jones dirty his cleats. I've never understood the demotion of Hill after his productive performance last year and his fine game in the exhibition season when he needed it to save his job. The catch rate for Hill has always been high, and he's a good special teams player. Hill actually reminds me of Bruce, his physique and body language are similar, and he has that slippery knack of getting open. It's interesting with the instability at quarterback the last two years, that back-up wide receivers have been getting more playing time at mid season than the starters at times. When Shaun Hill (last year) and Alex Smith were named the starters at midseason, they were used to throwing the backups on the scout team, so backups like Hill and Dominique Zeigler last year, go from scout team to real team to help out the newly-named starting quarterback.

The constant lineup changes by Singletary are a little disheartening. It means that either the 49ers aren't very talented, or that the coaches don't know how to determine the best player in training camp. Either way, the team is once again looking for quick fixes in what now has become a desperate bid to make the playoffs. Many fans and bloggers rightly pine for the glory years, and one of its features was lineup stability. Except for the high profile quarterback changes at times, the lineups stayed remarkably constant.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | November 27 2009 at 01:51 PM

Green dot racing

UPDATE: Terell Brown came into the press room after practice to talk about his contact, a three-year extension that will take through 2013.

"I love this team, I love what Coach Sing is doing and I would love to end my career here," Brown said. The extension is worth $7.5 million with $2.25 million guaranteed. Brown was slated to compete with Dre Bly and Shawntae Spencer for the starting job at right cornerback in training camp when he was waylaided by a toe injury.

Since then, he's mainly be used on special teams and as an occasional nickelback behind Bly.

Check out the list of the Colts held out Wednesday's practice DE Dwight Freeney,K Adam Venatieri (knee), WR Reggie Wayne (groin), RB Donald Brown (shoulder), DT Eric Foster (shoulder), CB Marlin Jackson (knee). The 49ers held out S Reggie Smith (groin) and LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder).

The green dot is moving on. Safety Dashon Goldson will now wear the helmet with the radio in it, and not just for Halloween. He'll be the one who makes the last second checks to his fellow defensive backs. The move was made so the secondary gets the last word on what to look for.

This could solve the communication problems head coach Mike Singletary referred to early this week. Previous green dot helmet man Patrick Willis couldn't always get the last second check to the secondary, where it's urgently needed. For example, 49ers defensive coaches warned the defense about warding against the deep pass to tight end Owen Daniels before he scored on a 42-yard touchdown pass. But Willis couldn't get the call to the secondary in time.

It means that calls might not filter to the defensive line, but Singletary said if the line messes up there are linebackers and defensive backs that can prevent a touchdown, not so with a mistake in the secondary.

"I'm for anything that makes our defense better," Willis said. "If it makes me play faster, I'm all for it."

In other news, strong safety Michael Lewis will resume his starting duties at strong safety after missing last week while recovering from a concussion sustained against Atlanta. It could help the team guard the tight end. Owen Daniels caught seven passes for 123 yards last week and the 49ers will now face another elite tight end in Dallas Clark.

Players say the Colts use Clark much differently than the Texans use Daniels, who plays more of a traditional tight end role. "They use him more as a receiver," Willis said of Clark. "He runs good routes, Peyton Manning always knows where he is and he has good hands."

Singletary said communication and lack of playing proper technique allowed Daniels to have a big day.

ULBRICH BACK: Linebacker Jeff Ulbrich was back with the team Wednesday after taking a week to mull his options. Ulbrich was placed on injured reserve after sustaining a concussion on a kickoff against the Rams. Ulbrich isn't ready to talk publically about the "R" word (retirement) until after the season.

"It was a tough week," he said. "I would never tell Scot McCloughan or Terry Donahue or whoever our general manager was, but I would've played for very little. I love to play."

Ulbrich will be a resource for his fellow linebackers and special team mates for the rest of the season. Coaching is something he's always to do.

EXTENSION FOR BROWN: Cornerback Terell Brown received a three-year extension that now takes his contract through 2013. The deal is work $7.125 million with $2.5 million in guaranteed cash.

PATRICK SIGNED: To replace Tony Pashos, the 49ers announced they signed former Giants tackle Chris Patrick. In a short two-year career, the 6-5, 305-pound Patrick has been with the Lions, Packers, Eagles Chiefs, and briefly, even the 49ers before the start of last season.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | October 28 2009 at 11:12 AM

Dre Bly Signed

The 49ers just signed former Ram and Lion cornerback Dre Bly, the man with the shortest name in the NFL. Bly replaces Walt Harris, another Pro Bowl player with a short name, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.

Bly, who's entering his 12th season, made a convincing case for himself on a conference call. Bly was released Feb. 17 after two seasons as a starter in Denver. He was part of a six-player purge partially instituted by former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan, who's the new Broncos defensive coordinator.

"I'm hungry," Bly said. "Football-wise, I've never been released."

Bly also said that he's just as good as he's ever been, in his Pro Bowl days with the Rams and Lions. "There are two reasons corners slow down, either because of injuries, or because they get a little bigger. I haven't missed a game in three years and I'm lighter now than I was when I first got into the league."

Bly began his career at 192 pounds, he now says he's in the 187-8 range.

Bly also contacted mentor and former Rams teammate Isaac Bruce when the 49ers made contact with him. "Isaac said it was a great place," Bly said.

Bly flew in from Denver early Thursday morning, signed a one-year deal and was at the airport with a 49ers playbook by early Thursday evening awaiting a flight back to Denver. The 49ers will have a manatory minicamp the first week in June and Bly was asked about his plans for that.

"Oh yeah," he said, "I'll be there."

-Singletary said since blasting the team after Monday's practice that Tuesday's and Wednesday's practices improved. He was hoping for an outstanding practice today but it didn't happen.

A 49ers source alerted my attention to Thursday's practice with rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Apparently he spent most of it beside offensive coordintor Jimmy Raye, asking plenty of questions. Wednesday I wrote about Crabtree's disinterest in practice.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | May 21 2009 at 04:45 PM

Left Cornerback and Raiders

Left Cornerback Assessment

One question dominates the right-cornerback spot. Is Nate Clements worth the money? The eight-year $80 million deal with $22 million in guarantees Clements secured last March is no longer the richest contract for an NFL defender (Dwight Freeney and Richard Seymour have richer deals) but Clements remains the league's highest paid defensive back.

Undoubtedly last year, he earned his money. He continued to stay healthy, he quickly became a leader with his maniacal in-season workout regiment, positive jabber and the controlled desperation with which he plays. And according to the game charters at our favorite web site, profootballoutsiders.com, he took the opposition's best receiver more than any other NFL corner - a whopping 63 percent of the time.

And while this is unknowable, he probably covered that receiver one-on-one with little help. His knifing open-field tackles made fans and media utter, "wow" in a season with few "wow" moments. His hammer chop of Rams wide receiver Torry Holt led to a fumble recovery and a 14-point turn around in the 49ers' 17-16 September win in St. Louis.

While he doesn't drape a receiver with cellophane coverage, like a Champ Bailey or Deion Sanders, he's damn good. The 49ers ranked 16th in defending the top receiver last year, pretty good considering that was Clements' duty almost exclusively. That number could go down this year. Coming from Buffalo, he didn't know the NFC receivers well and he also had to learn a new defense. For a student like Clements, familiarity will make him better.

However, what was disappointing last year was the defense's inability to take advantage of Clements's skills. With Clements matched against the top receiving threat, theoretically, there were more bodies to blitz or cover the rest of the opposition's receivers. But the 49ers ranked 25th in adjusted sack rate, which is computed by dividing sacks and intentional grounding penalties by total pass plays.

Also, while Clements fared well against the top receiving threat, the 49ers coverage of a team's second receiver plunged from 9th last year to 23rd according to profooballoutsiders.com's DVOA calculation. In fact, in the last four years, the 49ers have ranked last, next to last, 29th and 29th in pass defense according to their DVOA, a ranking the 49ers hope Clements will lift. But he needs help.

BACK UPS

The hand fighting will be on the other side, where rookie Reggie Smith, veteran Walt Harris and second-year prospect Tarrell Brown will compete for the starting job. Last season, veteran Shawntae Spencer and second-year player Marcus Hudson backed up Clements.

It's a mad jumble of players at cornerback with the aforementioned defenders, plus veteran Donald Strickland, who almost has to make the team because of how his contract is structured. The team embedded a $7 million unlikely-to-be-earned incentive in Strickland's deal, which will carry into next year's cap space.

Keeping Strickland is a good move because of his intelligence, toughness and versatility. Twice last year, he started as a nickel linebacker and he can play all the corner spots including the slot, and even a little safety.

It means that Brown, Spencer, Hudson and maybe even Harris will be fighting for two or three spots.

Spencer is a polished pro, has a good locker-room presence and moves and cuts like someone shorter than 6-foot, 1-inch. He's also due to make over $2 million this year, and he wasn't a Mike Nolan-regime pick.

The 49ers feel they got a second-round talent in Brown after selecting him in the fifth round of last year's draft. The team did a lot of research on his two arrests in college and feel Brown is mature enough for the NFL. He sprained his knee in the season finale and was limited in OTA's. But he should be fine for training camp.

Hudson can play both corner and safety and will have to do both expertly to stay with the team.

DA RAIDA'S

The 49ers and Raiders will conduct a joint practice in Napa on Monday, August 4. The teams will practice that day before meeting four days later in Oakland for the exhibition opener for both teams. The practice will be closed to the public.

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | July 24 2008 at 03:50 PM

Inspiration

For the rest of the blog we thought we'd switch it from the standard doomsday fare, instead we figured on a little inspiration.

Consider for one blog post, cornerback Donald Strickland. If a Hall of Fame for the Unassuming existed, Strickland would be a member. He neither dresses nor talks loudly, but pound-for-pound and synapse-for-synapse, he might be the toughest and smartest man in the 49ers' locker room.

Twice, the 5-10, 187-pound cornerback started at linebacker this year against the pass-dominated Saints and Seahawks. He earned his degree in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Colorado after attending academically rigorous Riordan High in San Francisco. He writes poetry and wrote a rap song when he played with the Colts that got some air time.

The native San Franciscan attended business classes through the NFL's Business Management and Entrepreneurial Program at Harvard Business School in 2006 and then attended Stanford last season through the same program. He created an device to display memorabilia that he hopes to bring to market.

But Strickland would give it all back, the adulation, the four interceptions he returned for touchdowns at Colorado, the third-round bonus he received from Indy in 2003, even his first NFL interception against Patriots quarterback Tom Brady, if it meant jeopardizing his religious faith. Strickland didn't always feel that way, but his life changed dramatically two years ago.

Read More 'Inspiration' »

Posted By: Kevin Lynch (Email) | December 26 2007 at 02:38 PM