Over at ESPN's blogosphere, Mike Sando had an interesting post today: Future Stars of the NFC West.  He initially mentioned Patrick Willis, but due to his overwhelming success last season, Sando decided he was already a star (I can agree with that).  He also mentioned Leroy Hill of the Seahawks, who has been getting high praise from the likes of Julian Peterson and Lofa Tatupo.

Mike's looking for some suggestions and it looks like I was the first person to comment.  I mentioned the Josh Morgan love, but decided to go in a different direction from there and point to Dashon Goldson.  Goldson has been a ballhawk in practice and he is definitely close to taking Mark Roman's job.  I don't think any of us would be surprised to see him starting at free safety in 2009, if not sooner.

So, let's come up with some guys.  Would you go with safer picks like Manny Lawson and Joe Staley?  Or is there a sleeper that hasn't been discussed nearly as much.  It's a little harder to find 49ers' sleepers here since we talk about everybody and everything.  However, a guy like Jason Hill or Tarell Brown might still qualify for that sleeper category.

If you get a second, swing over to Sando's post and throw up a comment with your choice.  And of course, let us know here who you think the next 49ers "superstar" will be.

After a re-opening of the polls, Charles Haley widened his leadd enough to declare him the first outside linebacker on our all-time team.  Thanks to all those who voted.  We'll now open the polls for the second outside linebacker position.  As I mentioned before, rather than go with a 4-3 or 3-4, we decided to go 4-4 to fit the one extra DL and one extra LB.  We have three options left for one spot.  Vote wisely.

Dave Wilcox (1964-1974): Wilcox is an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker, inducted in 2000.  In 11 seasons with the 49ers, Wilcox was named to 7 Pro Bowls and was a 5-time All-NFL player.  While I missed out on seeing him play, his Hall of Fame site calls him out as one of the finest linebackers of his era, particularly when it came to jamming the tight end off the line.  One of his finest seasons came in 1973 when he recorded 104 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, two interceptions and 13 tackles for a loss.  Coaches gave him the nickname "The Intimidator."

Keena Turner (1980-1990): Turner spent 11 seasons with the 49ers serving as a standout linebacker on four Super Bowl teams.  Turner's finest season came on the dominant 1984 defense that led the league in points allowed at 14.2 per game.  Turner earned a trip to the Pro Bowl behind 4 interceptions, two sacks and general leadership abilities.  Since retiring, Turner has remained active in the Bay Area, including doing television work for the 49ers preseason broadcasts  This past January, Turner was named 49ers Vice President of Football Affairs.  The position deals with all aspects of player well being, including counseling and player development programs.

Julian Peterson (2000-2005): Consider this a combination of what he did and what he could have been.  I realize this is about production, but I'll always have a soft spot for Julian Peterson.  He made a national name for himself when he shut down Tony Gonzalez in 2002, holding the all-world tight end to 1 reception for 6 yards..  Before injuring his achilles tendon (leading to his eventual departure), Peterson was an absolute freak of nature for hte 49ers.  How many outside linebackers can capably play linebacker, defensive end, cornerback AND safety?  Now, I'm not planning on voting for him but I think he earned a spot on the ballot nonetheless.

EDITOR'S NOTE 7/29 7:40: We've got a decent number of votes but it's close enough that I thought I'd bump it to the top again.  If you haven't voted yet, take a few seconds to pick the #1 all-time OLB for the 49ers.  We'll get the backup soon thereafter.

Just because training camp begins today does NOT mean we will be suspending the voting for our 49ers all-time team.  We'll have continuous updates on training camp, but that doesn't mean we can't continue forming our team.  Speaking of which, congratulations to Roger Craig who rolled to victory with 71% of the vote.  Frank Gore finished second with 14% of the vote and I wouldn't be surprised if he passed Craig in voting after his career is done (or even within four or five years).

We now move back to the defense and some of the tough guys, the linebackers.  As previously mentioned, rather than go with a 4-3 or 3-4, we decided to go 4-4 to fit the one extra DL and one extra LB.  It means 12 men on the field but thankfully there are no refs around to blow the whistle.

The 49ers have had some very impressive linebackers in their history.  We know many of the big names from the 80s and 90s, but the 49ers history is packed with quality outside linebackers bringing it every game.

Dave Wilcox (1964-1974): Wilcox is an NFL Hall of Fame linebacker, inducted in 2000.  In 11 seasons with the 49ers, Wilcox was named to 7 Pro Bowls and was a 5-time All-NFL player.  While I missed out on seeing him play, his Hall of Fame site calls him out as one of the finest linebackers of his era, particularly when it came to jamming the tight end off the line.  One of his finest seasons came in 1973 when he recorded 104 tackles, 4 forced fumbles, two interceptions and 13 tackles for a loss.  Coaches gave him the nickname "The Intimidator."

Charles Haley (1986-1991, 1998-1999): As much as it stinks that he went to Dallas, Charles Haley was a key part of the back-to-back Super Bowl squads in 1988 and 1989.  Also, in going to Dallas, Haley became the only player in NFL history to win 5 Super Bowls.  Although things ended tumultuously for him in San Francisco, he took care of business while he was here.  Over eight seasons in San Francisco, Haley went to three Pro Bowls, was once a 1st-team All Pro and currently stands fourth in franchise history with 66.5 sacks.  He switched to defensive end when he went to Dallas, but as a pass rushing outside linebacker in San Francisco, he was an absolute beast.

Keena Turner (1980-1990): Turner spent 11 seasons with the 49ers serving as a standout linebacker on four Super Bowl teams.  Turner's finest season came on the dominant 1984 defense that led the league in points allowed at 14.2 per game.  Turner earned a trip to the Pro Bowl behind 4 interceptions, two sacks and general leadership abilities.  Since retiring, Turner has remained active in the Bay Area, including doing television work for the 49ers preseason broadcasts  This past January, Turner was named 49ers Vice President of Football Affairs.  The position deals with all aspects of player well being, including counseling and player development programs.

Julian Peterson (2000-2005): Consider this a combination of what he did and what he could have been.  I realize this is about production, but I'll always have a soft spot for Julian Peterson.  He made a national name for himself when he shut down Tony Gonzalez in 2002, holding the all-world tight end to 1 reception for 6 yards..  Before injuring his achilles tendon (leading to his eventual departure), Peterson was an absolute freak of nature for hte 49ers.  How many outside linebackers can capably play linebacker, defensive end, cornerback AND safety?  Now, I'm not planning on voting for him but I think he earned a spot on the ballot nonetheless.

Over at ESPN's NFC West blog, Mike Sando took a look at some of the acrimonious contract situations in the division.  The division has signed all of their 2008 draft picks, but that doesn't meant people don't want to get P-A-I-D. 

The Rams are dealing with a Pro Bowl holdout in Steven Jackson.  While Anquan Boldin has reported to Cardinals camp, he is not planning on sticking around when his contract expires.  The Seahawks have an unhappy Bobby Engram, not something you want out of your star receiver.

And the 49ers during all of this?  Well, Arnaz Battle missed several days of practice during the OTAs.  No official word was ever given, but most people believe it was dissatisfaction with having his #2 job handed to Bryant Johnson.  You never want your players unhappy, but it's better if it's the potential #3 receiver, as opposed to say, Patrick Willis or Joe Staley.

However, with that in mind, looking back over recent 49ers history shows very few holdouts.  I was trying to figure out who the last 49ers holdout was and I think it was Julian Peterson in 2004.  Rashaun Woods was a threat too, but I can't remember for sure and google is not much help on that.  Of course, it is Rashaun Woods, so who really cares, right?

The 49ers clearly have struggled on the field and battled with inconsistencies and being generally bad since Mooch left town.  However, while the team has struggled under Nolan, they have definitely brought in some quality talent, while also developing some of their own picks within.  During all this time, there has never been contract holdout drama.  One thing that plays in the team's favor is that a rookie's contract apparently cannot be redone until AFTER the second year.  So you get a couple years without holding out after a deal is done.

At the same time, even when it's been last minute, like with Vernon Davis, the team has gotten their draft picks into camp on time.  Making the leap from college to the pros is a big step up and rookies need every minute of training camp they can get.  JaMarcus Russell missed all of training camp last season and I can't begin to imagine how much that stunted his initial growth.  Even for a guy like Kentwan Balmer, getting in on time means he gets to meet with the likes of Bryant Young.  While Balmer probably wouldn't have missed all of training camp, maybe BY only makes it to the early part of camp and he misses out on that chance?  It's all speculation, but worth considering.

So, even though the team has stunk up the joint at times, we can at least take some solace knowing that our front office isn't entirely incompetent.  Over the last couple of months we've seen them re-sign the likes of Delanie Walker and Michael Robinson.  While neither is a starter, they are important cogs that could make key contributions this year and into the future.

So the question then becomes, do the 49ers have Patrick Willis's agent on speed dial for the moment the season ends and they can renegotiate a long term deal while rewarding Bamm Bamm for his all around awesomeness?