Over the course of training camp I've occasionally chimed in with some of Mike Nolan's answers from post-practice media sessions.  I think Nolan's Nuggets is a quality title for this piece.  While he's the master of "coach-speak," I still like to throw out some of his thoughts.  One reason is the chance to try and read through the lines and figure out what he's "really" saying. 

For this particular week, we're focusing mostly on the wide receivers.  As previously stated, injuries have complicated things there.  I'll be doing one last 53-man projection later today and that is certainly one of the bubble-ish positions.

Nolan was asked about the starters for this Friday's game against the Chargers.  Josh Morgan is out with what sounds like a really bad illness.  Must be a nasty flu bug or something.  On who would start otherwise:

“It will be between Bryant Johnson and Ashley Lelie. Bryant Johnson, if he’s well, looks like he was able to go today pretty good, so it’ll be nice to see him, and at the other position it will be Isaac Bruce and Arnaz Battle, three wide receivers. Obviously all three receivers will be in the game at the same time.”

On how much time Johnson and Lelie might see:

“Yes, those guys haven’t played much, so a quarter, if not a half. I hope to see more of them. Some of the [reps] will depend on them. If they start to feel it tightening up or whatever, they absolutely won’t get as much. I hope that does not occur because, just liked we talked about, we want to get in that first [season] game with that healthy group.”

On work outside of the game:

“We did put a lot of emphasis these practices this week. We went good against good the entire week, which is not typical for this week, so we got a lot of good work and that was exactly what you guys were talking about. J.T. [O’Sullivan] got a lot of work with those guys that you were talking about in practice. Even though it maybe limited in the game, like I said, we tried to get in three days here this week as opposed to one game and I thought that was more important.”

Best answer of the day came in response to: Getting back to the receivers, during the offseason, you cut ties with Darrell Jackson and you kept [Ashley] Lelie around. You could argue that Jackson was more productive last year than Lelie. What is it about Lelie that you saw in him, that maybe this guy is going to be a worthwhile 49er. Was it Jerry Sullivan chiming in on that?

Nolan response: “I can’t recall.  I can’t answer that.”

Considering Lelie was in Sullivan's doghouse for parts of last season, the whole thing just blows my mind.  Maiocco made an excellent point when discussing his own 53-man roster projections:

If the 49ers keep five receivers, Lelie does not make it. But the 49ers proved Monday that Lelie is still in the game. If they had written him off, they would not have allowed him to practice. But they want him to make this team because he gives them a proven speed element. If they were set on cutting him, they would've cut him as soon as he passed the physical. Instead, they're taking a chance that he'll get reinjured, and then they'd owe him a good chunk of change in an injury settlement.

Is his speed element truly worth all this hassle?  He's a burner but is it possible Josh Morgan could bring a legit deep threat to the team?  Lelie's best season was in 2004 and his numbers went down every season since.  If he could stay healthy I suppose the speed is there, but we also have to consider who would be cut in his place.

So I guess burning question we're left with is simple: If healthy, is Ashley Lelie that good?

So, SB Nation has a fantasy sports blog called Fake Teams.  They came up with a good idea of having each team throw up a Fan Post about their best player and their sleeper pick for fantasy purposes.  Today is NFC West day and I threw up my Fan Post about the 49ers fantasy options.

Nothing too shocking as it's obvious Frank Gore is the best fantasy option.  I went with Josh Morgan as the sleeper.  He was shutout last week, but clearly he's shown the goods.  I don't think a guy like Vernon Davis would be a sleeper simply because people around the country know about his abilities. 

Any other sleepers you'd consider "sleepers" on the 49ers for fantasy purposes?  If we're to believe Mike Martz, Delanie Walker could be a possible bye week TE option.  It sounds like he'll be lined up all over the field, like the Duke, so that opens up some options.  Isaac Bruce is always a safe 3rd or 4th receiver to have, as is Arnaz Battle.  Bryant Johnson could be a sleeper 1 or 2 if he steps up his game.

On a related note, we've got 3 Niners Nation leagues through Fleaflicker.  Right now I've got 8 people interested in a 4th league, so if I could get 4 more people that'd be awesome. 

Why should you take part?  Well, it's free but you'll be able to win a prize if you win your league.  The tentative prize plan is a gift certificate for the 49ers online store.  If we got to a 4th league the gift certificate will be in the $80 range, meaning you could conceivably get one of the $75 replica jerseys the team sells.  Or you could get a few items that add up to the $80.  I'd order them online and ship them to you (rather than you buy and me reimburse you).  If that's not reason enough to join, I don't know what is.

So, the first 4 people to express in the comments will be included in this fourth league.  If there is sufficient interest (10-12 people) I'll even create a fifth league.  If the fifth league is created it would lower the prize value for each league, but would allow more people in obviously.

After being dogged by a calf injury the last few weeks, Ashley Lelie was finally back in full practice yesterday.  The emergence of Josh Morgan, coupled with Lelie's injury has pushed Lelie to the cusp of being cut.  Including yesterday's practice, Lelie has 4 practices and 1 game to show he can bring something to the table.

However, we've gone over Lelie's situation enough to know what's what.  He's down to battling with Dominique Zeigler for consideration as a 6th receiver and that's that.  Other injuries have raised additional questions that are more important than the 6th receiver.

The question for the 49ers is who will be starting where and who will be coming off the bench to start the season.  The guys who entered training camp as the favorites to be the #2 and #3 receivers were Bryant Johnson and Arnaz Battle.  I qualify Bruce as the #1 more out of seniority than anything and really it's just a hypothetical. 

Anyways, Johnson and Battle have spent much of training camp dinged up.  From earlier reports, Johnson was performing quite well in camp before going down with a hamstring injury during the combined practice with the Raiders.  Battle on the other hand seems to be nicked up every offseason before coming in and producing as usual.

Josh Morgan has had ups and downs in training camp, but has shown serious talent.  He's got size, speed and good chemistry with J.T. O'Sullivan.  He didn't produce much against Chicago, but we know rookies will have good and bad moments.  However, his performances to date have created a tough situation for Mike Nolan, which he has readily acknowledged.

Isaac Bruce appears locked in at the flanker (Z) position as the "featured receiver."  Johnson is probably more talented at this point, but the Hall of Fame receiver with something left in the tank will get his crack as the #1.  Personally, I think one of the other receivers will surpass Bruce as the go-to guy, but for now, Bruce is in that role.

The split end (X) position is the one creating headaches (but I think a good kind of headache).  On the one hand, Bryant Johnson is the guy they brought in to be the man opposite Bruce.  Johnson is supremely talented and wants a chance to prove that and net a big money contract.  Unfortunately, he's been MIA the last few weeks as Josh Morgan has impressed the coaches.  And, you certainly can't forget Arnaz Battle.  He's been out of commission much of camp but if healthy I think we can safely assume another solid season.  The final option that really hasn't been discussed is Jason Hill.  He had a nice little game against the Bears but is still developing his skills.  If he finished up with a big game against the Chargers it wouldn't mean a heck of a lot but it would give him an equal number of quality games as compared to Morgan (just a thought).

So, assuming everybody is relatively healthy at the start of the season (e.g. Bryant Johnson is playing although he might not be quite 100% come week 1), who is in the starting lineup at split end for the early part of the season?  I'm not including Ashley Lelie because even if he does make the team he is in that specialized deep threat role and not the normal starting role in my opinion.  If you disagree, let me know.  A quick review of the candidates:

Bryant Johnson - Brought in to fill this very role and while he hasn't matched expectations he brings a ton of talent.

Josh Morgan - The rookie has shown incredible talent and had some of us thinking Marques Colston after two exhibition games.  We'd clearly have to temper expectations but to quote Hubie Brown, there is some tremendous upside here.

Arnaz Battle - May not be the most talented receiver, but he's the most consistent and will bust his butt every play.

Jason Hill - Like Morgan we're thinking upside with him.  If he were to end up as the #2 it would take some development over the course of this season.

After answering the poll, I'd be curious how you see the position shaking out completely.  If you vote for one, feel free to mention in the comments where you think everybody else falls.

As we approach the last game of the preseason, it's all about keeping guys healthy.  The 49ers have done fairly well in keeping healthy (KNOCK ON WOOD) and they're taking serious precautions this Friday against San Diego.  The first-team units will apparently only play a series or so.

Of course, with some of the recent injuries, the question becomes who will be out there and who will be on that first unit.  Brian De La Puente has an arm injury that has sidelined him recently.  Today saw Tony Wragge move over to left guard and Chilo Rachal took over at right guard.  However, David Baas is due back to the practice field this week, so we could see the Baas-Wragge combination at guard.

Some folks who missed practice include Keith Lewis and Josh Morgan due to illness.  On the other hand, Arnaz Battle and Ashley Lelie were finally able to take part in team reps today.  I'll have a bigger post about the wide receivers tomorrow, but Lelie certainly has his work cut out for him in the next five days.  Nolan has said he's on the fence about keeping 5 or 6 receivers so Lelie needs to give him a reason if he wants to stick around.

As for Friday's game, Nolan has indicated Adam Snyder, Jonas Jennings and Allen Rossum are all likely out.  Robert Ortiz will be returning punts, with Michael Robinson and Delanie Walker getting some action in the kick return game.  It's good to see Robinson back on the field.

In a somewhat related note, the final cutdown to the 53-man roster has to happen by Saturday.  Since that's the day after an evening game, I'm planning on doing a final 53-man projection on Wednesday or Thursday.  If there is anything that could dramatically affect a given player I'll throw up a post but if nothing big happens I probably won't since cuts could happen pretty quickly, making a same-day post rather dated.  Game-time decision.

425 yards of total offense by the 49ers tonight against the Chicago Bears.  Last week, 355 yards of offense against the Green Bay Packers.  Take a minute to soak those numbers in.  While it is only the preseason and backups were in for significant chunks, we can still enjoy ourselves on occasion. 

While the 49ers only won by 7 tonight, I really don't think the game was that close.  Even when it was tied 20-20, I actually felt like the 49ers offense could pull this thing out.  I can honestly say I don't remember the last time I had that feeling with the 49ers.  Even when they were 2-0 last year, the team had struggled in victory.  The year before most of us were surprised when they were 7-9 so we didn't expect anything.  The two previous years they were 4-12 and 2-14, nuff said.

The Bears defense finished up pretty abysmally last season and they look well on their way to another horrid season in 2008.  The way I look at it, the 49ers offense is clearly not 34 or 37 points a game good, but they're clearly not as bad as they were last year.  If the defense can get some teeth, a league average offense could be more than enough to make some noise.

So, preseason game #3 is in the books and we had some more questions answered.  Some questions will not be fully answered until the season starts, but we're getting some nice hints of things to come.

QB situation: It's official.  J.T. O'Sullivan is the starting quarterback for this team.  Maybe he loses the job midseason, but on September 7, O'Sullivan will be leading this offense against the Arizona Cardinals.  Whether you still prefer Alex Smith, I think it's safe to say that O'Sullivan has not done anything to lose the job.  Maybe he didn't deserve all the #1 snaps initially, but he showed he can make plays.  He won't throw the prettiest pass and I'm sure he'll make at least one vomit-inducing poor decision every game.  However, he knows this offense and will move the chains.  I've got thoughts on Alex Smith, but I'm going to leave them for another post involving a whole lot of film breakdown.  Suffice to say, his accuracy (or lack there of) is the death of him in the Mike Martz offense.

And briefly as to Shaun Hill.  I realize he has a sizable fan contingent.  As Rishi pointed out in the game thread, he was one of the lone bright spots in a season of crap.  I do agree that he deserved better.  At the same time, the physical attributes simply aren't there.  I realize you don't need to have all the physical tools as many professional athletes have shown.  At the same time, I think JTO has done enough for now to hold onto the job.  I'm sure he'll have me eating my words within the first two quarters of the regular season.

Offensive Line: They only gave up one sack and O'Sullivan et al. seemed to have enough time in the pocket most of the time.  I do need to rewatch the offense again to verify my thoughts.  This is more just insticts (which have been wrong many times).  I'm still anxious to see how they perform once the regular season gets here, but this is one question that I feel is hinting towards a rebirth.  I think Eric Heitmann needed last season to reach a full recovery and should be solid this year.  I'd like to keep De La Puente but I don't think the numbers will allow it.  As for their abilities in the running game?

Running Backs: Thomas Clayton is officially THE MAN against backups!  While partially joking, I'm serious in the fact that I really don't know what he'll be for the 49ers.  If he goes back to the practice squad he can be signed by any other team.  If your running backs are banged up, or you lack depth, wouldn't you take a flyer on the second year Clayton?

And what else needs to be said about Frank Gore?  Frank the Tank looked to be in midseason form.  I believe he shed some weight and he definitely seemed to have a little extra shiftiness tonight.  He was bobbing and weaving and finding holes like the Pro Bowler that he is.  Throw in the succesful screen plays and it's safe to say that Frank Gore is due for one hell of a season.  Martz may be a passing fool, but his use of Gore has me excited.

Wide Receivers: After back-to-back impressive performances, Morgan was thrown to three times tonight and had no receptions.  He got creamed on one over the middle play so I won't go calling him Alligator Arms (like our boy B. Lloyd).  He's a rookie so there will be the occasional regression.  He has no worries about a roster spot but this certainly didn't help his bid to score a starting spot.

Jason Hill on the other hand made some nice plays and combined with Morgan leaves me somewhat excited about the future of the wide receiver position for now.  One disappointment will be if Zeigler doesn't make the team.  I'm going to put together a 53-man roster look tomorrow or the next day and see what it would take to get him on the roster.  He's been really consistent receiver with 4+ catches each game and making plays at opportune moments.  They keep saying he'll be easy to slip through waivers to the practice squad, but I'm not so sure anymore.

Special Teams Coverage: Like clockwork, the 49ers had major headaches on special teams.  The Bears averaged 40 yards per kick return and 20 yards per punt return.  If this keeps up, the 49ers will be in trouble because the defense can't constantly defending only 50 or so yards per series.  I honestly have no answers for these problems.  Any ideas?  I'm going to see what I can dig up.

Pass Rush: After a pass rush run wild against the Packers, the front seven was contained this week.  I think this preseason sums up what we can expect from the pass rush.  There will be some truly amazing performances, but there will also be some wild inconsistencies that make us want to pull our hair out.  Ray McDonald ripping a couple sacks, followed by a couple offsides penalties.  Hopefully it's more of the former, but we'll see.

General Thoughts: Normally I would say to myself, oh don't get too excited about high scoring in the preseason.  However, I do NOT think this is a complete aberration.  The running and passing game will lead to some high scoring games.  While there will be struggles, the offense is clearly better than last season.  In last year's preseason, the 49ers scored 13, 26, 28 and 13 points.  So far this preseason it's 6, 34 and 37.  Preseason is clearly the ultimate in small sample sizes, but nonetheless I'll take what I can get to stay excited.

Participation: Finally, another SB Nation site came up with an interesting website that allows me to plug in the game thread and figure out who commented in the thread and how many comments they posted. Aside from myself, bondslegend had 216 comments, 49ersLou had 98, Cruithear had 43, 408 had 26, CB30 had 6, Muy Macho had 4, and Rishi, gatling, jtoj and metal_militia all had 1 comments.  Thanks to all for participating.  Always good to get everyone's insights on the game.

A month ago, as we were heading into training camp, I took a look at position battles and who the leader was at the first turn (Part I and Part II).  Although the 49ers have only played two games, the third game is really the final game of importance.  That's when you get the most snaps for your starters.  The fourth game, on the other hand, is all about staying healthy and you usually know what your roster will be at that point.

Since the 49ers and Bears are throwing down later tonight, we might as well see where we're at in the various position battles.  We've got some answers and we've got some new questions raised.

QB
Leader coming down the home stretch: J.T. O'Sullivan
I think it's safe to say that barring injury or an incredibly bad performance, "Just Touchdowns" O'Sullivan will be quarterbacking the 49ers week 1 against the Cardinals.  This has been one of the more bizarre quarterback competitions in recent memory, but we have no say in this, so that's life I guess.

Ted Linebacker
Leader coming down the home stretch: N/A
This is a unique positional battle.  Up to this moment Jeff Ulbrich has outperformed his competitors.  However, the 49ers signed Takeo Spikes to play the Ted role, not to come off the bench.  Mistakes in his first game are excusable as he is still learning the defense.  It wouldn't surprise me to see a bit of a split in playing time at the Ted initially as Spikes continues to get his feet wet.  However, even though Ulbrich has gotten the lion's share of the time there, it's Spikes's job to lose.

Right Guard
Leader coming down the home stretch: Tony Wragge
The saying goes that a veteran won't lose his starting job due to injury.  However, Wragge has been getting rave reviews and may be doing just enough to take control of the job.  In every discussion of this positional battle I've made mention of the chemistry and cohesion issue.  I think Wragge is certainly playing himself into a starting role, but it wouldn't surprise me to see Baas reinserted into the starting lineup.  Of course, with the other injuries along the offensive line, another opportunity may open up for Wragge.

3rd/Nickel Cornerback
Leader coming down the home stretch: Shawntae Spencer
The great hit on Rodgers aside, Spencer has not really done anything too bad or too good to change his status with the team.  He's done enough to maintain his hold on the third corner position, while none of the younger folks have done anything to force him aside.  I certainly wouldn't have minded Reggie Smith or Tarell Brown pushing him a little harder.  However, we all know Spencer is a solid DB when healthy so I'm not concerned.

Right Outside Linebacker
Leader coming down the home stretch: Parys Haralson
Tully Banta-Cain appeared to have the lead, but in reality I think the coaching staff realized he is better coming off the bench in a variety of roles.  TBC started the first game of the exhibition season, but against the Packers he gave way to Parys Haralson.  I think TBC will get plenty of playing time each week on defense and special teams, but Haralson seems to have a bit better motor for the job.

#2/#3 Wide Receiver
Leader coming down the home stretch: Hell if I know
I honestly don't know what is going on with the wide receivers.  Josh Morgan has clearly been the man of the hour and is pushing for starter snaps.  He's shown a chemistry with O'Sullivan, has made some seriously big plays and has shown improvement each week.  So why have I not plugged him right in?  Well I honestly don't know what the plan is with Bryant Johnson and Arnaz Battle.  Neither has seen the field in a preseason game.  Both are veterans who know how to prepare for the season, but I wonder how ready they'll be without game action? 

I'd like to hope we'll see them next week against San Diego, but even then I wouldn't expect a lot of time.  A QB and his wide receivers need to be on the same page to make things happen.  I can honestly say I don't know what to expect from those two early in the season.  So now, if Josh Morgan has another quality performance, does he get the initial starter snaps while Johnson and Battle get up to speed?  It follows the idea of "going with the hot hand."  I think I'll throw up a poll question following the Bears game on this topic.

Free Safety
Leader coming down the home stretch: Mark Roman
On the one hand I love the ball-hawking skills of Dashon Goldson.  On the other hand I feel safe with the veteran presence of Roman.  The good news to come out of all this?  The emergence of Goldson makes the 49ers' six DB package that much better.  I'd be rather surprised if Goldson didn't wrest away the starting job next year, but for now, he'll be an amazing asset off the bench.

EDITOR'S UPDATE 4:25PM: Jennings had surgery on his right hand for a broken knuckle (sounds painful).  He'll be out Thursday, but apparently should be back for the exhibition finale against San Diego.

On Saturday Jonas Jennings apparently injured a knuckle on his right hand.  Now it looks like he'll miss Thursday's showdown with the Bears.  There is no word on the extent of the injury, but he's definitely out.

Jennings had been having a great camp, so it's definitely not good to see him get hurt.  At the same time, he's struggled to stay healthy during his career, so this isn't exactly a shocking piece of nice.  Barry Sims will get the start in his place.  While I'd prefer Jennings be healthy, it'll be good to see what Sims can do with the first team offensive line.  When Sims was signed, the coaches indicated he'd get a chance to compete for a starting position.  In reality, I have no doubt he was actually signed as insurance for Jennings.

In other injury news, Ashley Lelie is really hoping to play Thursday.  He wore a sleeve on his left calf to increase circulation and speed up his healing process from a small tear in his calf muscle.  Barrows indicated Lelie is planning on applying some pressure to the leg to see where he's at.  You know he's feeling a lot of pressure from the younger receivers.  Josh Morgan has shot past him and it's possible this is now a competition between Lelie and Jason Hill, if even that.

Finally, Michael Robinson seems to be closer to full health.  It sounds like if this were the regular season he could definitely play in the exhibition finale, but we'll see if they hold him out.  Considering the struggles of the kick off and punt coverage units, his importance is only amplified.

Aside from the quarterback situation, Josh Morgan has been the next biggest story over the last ten days.  He was making a name for himself with the coaching stafff in practice as he got first team reps due to Ashley Lelie, Bryant Johnson and Arnaz Battle suffering injuries.  Then in game situations against the Raiders and Packers, the 6th round pick out of Virginia Tech took it up a notch, making a name for himself on a more national level.

After last week's game, I broke down each of Morgan's four impact plays (all receptions).  Morgan had an even better game against the Packers, so it only seemed right to break down his performance.  Morgan was involved in eight passing plays, finishing with 5 receptions, 114 yards and 1 touchdown.

Play #1 - Incomplete Pass - Morgan was covered by Al Harris - He ran a short 2-yard crossing route across the middle of the field (Harris had dropped back into a zone coverage and nobody picked up Morgan); O'Sullivan just overthrew Morgan so that it went off the very tips of his left hand.  Had the pass been on the money, the safety was closing in and would have likely stopped him for a short gain.  Nothing Morgan could really do there

Play #2 - Incomplete Pass - Morgan was covered by Charles Woodson - I couldn't tell where he lined up or what the route was because of a graphic CBS had up at the snap.  Woodson broke up the pass with a nice little reach, however it looked a little underthrown.  in reviewing O'Sullivan's throw, he had some decent protection but a couple guys were breaking through and he seemed to short arm the pass just a little bit.  A little more behind it and he could have thrown it into Morgan's outstretched hands beyond Woodson's reach.

Play #3 - 3-yard reception - Morgan lined up to the right and was covered by nickel back Tramon Williams.  He ran a very quick 3-yard pattern on 3rd and 2, giving him enough space to make the first down.  Last week on 3rd and 18 or so he ran 15 yards out and after the catch couldn't get the first down.  Obviously it is easier to get past the sticks when you only have to go 3 yards, but it was still a good thing to see him do.

Play #4 - 22-yard reception - Morgan lined up to the short left covered by Jarrett Bush, a 2nd or 3rd string CB (depending on who you ask).  Hill had been split out wide to the other side of the field, but went in motion to line up just past Morgan.  Morgan ran a corner route and O'Sullivan dropped the pass right over his left shoulder.  It bobbled a little but he gained possession before going out of bounds at the Packers 3.  It wasn't the prettiest pass from O'Sullivan but the location probably could not have been more perfect.

Play #5 - 59-yard TD reception - Morgan lined up to the far right and was covered by Jarrett Bush.  Bush gave Morgan a push at the line but Morgan just pushed Bush away and ran what appeared to just be a go route.  On the replay, it appeared Bush was playing a short zone coverage, expecting the free safety, Nick Collins to cover him over the top.  A key to breaking such a big play was that Collins went to cover Jason Hill when Hill ran a short out pattern, even though Bush had Hill covered in his zone.  That allowed Morgan to blow right past him (Collins) and with the money pass from O'Sullivan, Morgan was going to the house.  Atari Bigby got a hand on Morgan's leg at the 10 but Morgan kicked it away pretty easily.

Play #6 - Incomplete Pass - Morgan lined up to the left in the slot, covered by Bush.  He had Bush beat easily by a couple yards but Smith underthrew it.  If it had been thrown in stride Morgan has his 2nd TD of the game.

Play #7 - 3-yard reception - Morgan lined up to the right in the slot, covered by 2nd string linebacker Tracy White.  Morgan zigged in and then quickly cut out on a play-action by Smith.  Morgan appeared to be the dump off option after Smith rolled out looking down field.  He went down to his knees and had to reach a little to haul it in, and I thought he showed good hands as he had to bring it in while sliding out of bounds.

Play #8 - 27-yard reception - Morgan was split out wide to the right, covered again by Jarrett Bush.  He ran what appeared to be a long 20-yard curl pattern.  Smith threw it a bit high, but Morgan was able to jump up and haul it in and pick up an additional 7 yards thanks in part to a nice stiff arm on Bush.

The running theme in most of these plays?  Jarrett Bush was Josh Morgan's personal bitch.  Bush's scouting report indicates he's more of a special teams dynamo who lacks deep speed and recovery ability when working as a cornerback.  Over at the Packers website, Bush is listed as a third teamer so clearly he's not going to see a ton of action at corner.

While I definitely enjoyed the 59-yard touchdown reception, it was in large part a product of a mistake by Nick Collins.  The two plays I enjoyed the most were actually play #6, an incompletion and play #8, the 27 yard reception.  In the first one he clearly burned Bush and was ready to make the big play.  In the latter play, he appeared to find a perfect seam in the zone and then used his physicality to gain an additional 7 yards.

In re-watching Morgan I'm able to temper my enthusiasm somewhat.  I still think he's got all the tools to be a very solid cornerback and in two games he's shown steady improvements in his game.  One key for any young receiver is recognizing mistakes in the defense and taking advantage of them.  At the same time, stick a #1 or #2 corner on him and he will probably struggle a little bit; not exactly a shocking statement considering he is only a rookie.  I certainly hope I'm not coming across as Debbie Downer.  I simply want to present both sides of the case.  Trust me, I'm still excited for what Josh Morgan is capable of doing.

This Thursday against the Bears will be the next test in the youngster's developing career.  The Bears bring very solid cornerbacks so we'll see if Morgan can make some plays early against the #1s.

First off, I wanted to lead with one of the most bizarre but great quotes of the season so far. At one point they were talking about how intense Justin Smith was, even to the media.  They then showed a picture and Eric Davis said, "That guy may have stolen a car."  I mentioned it in the game thread, but wanted to point it out one more time.  I just don't really know what to do with a great line like that.  Eric Davis may not be the best color guy, but he reeled me in with that one.

49ERS HEAD COACH MIKE NOLAN

On the win
“A win versus a good football team: I’m pleased with that. We do want to keep in perspective that it was a preseason game although preseason games are important, naturally, in the development of the offense, defense and special teams, and the cohesiveness of the group."

On the defensive performance
"...I thought we played very physical defensively. We had several turnovers in the game. Some of it was our causing, some of it was their mistakes. Nonetheless, those were important. We kept the yardage down."

On Ray McDonald and Justin Smith
"I saw several players make some plays but I know one player that caught my attention on some plays was Ray MacDonald. He’s working very well on the defense both on the base-downs and in the sub-package. He works closely with Justin Smith. The two of them are working together well as far as pass-rush situations, whether it’s on the outside or whether it’s the inside. They mix it up, both."

49ERS WR JOSH MORGAN

On scoring his first TD
"It really feels great. It’s a blessing from God. The cornerback tried to play me press and I beat him off the line. Our quarterback made a great throw. I just went up to get it."

On facing the Bears this week
“It’s football. That’s the way I look at it. It’s football no matter where you’re at. God put me here to play this sport. It’s football, so were going to play football just like we play at home.”

Editor's Note: Not only is he mastering the offense, he's also mastering the thanking of God and the cliches.  Just an all around talent!

49ERS OLB TULLY BANTA-CAIN

Comparing his performance this week versus last week against Oakland
“I think I improved a little bit [since] Oakland. I think I got more snaps than I did [in the first game]. As the fourth quarter came, I started getting a rhythm and getting a feel for the game, so I was able to make a couple of plays in the fourth quarter. I feel I improved a little bit, but I’ve got a long way to go.”

49ERS QB J.T O'SULLIVAN

On the gelling of the offense
“It is about everybody doing what they are supposed to do – trusting each other to be exactly where they’re supposed to be, especially the wide receivers. Trusting the offensive line to hold up and protect like they did tonight. And for us [QB’s] to put the ball exactly where it’s supposed to be. When all those things and the running game are jelling, it is going to be really fun to watch this offense.”

Alex Smith and Allen Rossum, as well as some Packers quotes, after the jump

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The one drawback to doing clips the day after this kind of victory is that it's possible people will be a little too excited.  It was after all just a preseason game.  Of course, given the run of events the last few years, a little excitement is always welcome.

Maiocco rolled out his All-81 recap.  Through the game-tape and his vantage point MM is definitely able to spot some things many of us would otherwise miss.

Barrows had his quick post game notes on the game.

Everyone's favorite miser, Ray Ratto, believes the QB depth chart is more or less set now.

As the Chronicle recap points out, it's amazing what a difference a week makes.

Aaron Rodgers definitely didn't make the 49ers pay in this case.  It's only a preseason game, but he struggled.

If you head over to the 49ers clubhouse, there's some video of John Clayton discussing Aaron Rodgers struggles compared to Favre's success.  2/3 of the way in he discusses the 49ers QB battle.

Some quality pictures from last night's game.

A former 49ers beat writer says fans should believe in Martz's call at QB.

Sam over at Mining the Gold Rush is very excited after last night's performance.  I've tried to mellow my own excitement but optimism is always welcome.

Best line about the O'Sullivan: "He's not anywhere near John Elway, of course, but not too much like Cody Pickett, either."

Craig Massei at SF Illustrated has a detailed breakdown of the game.

Frank Gore is really enjoying himself after a tough 2007.

Odds and ends from the game over at 49ers.com.

Josh Morgan has been psyched about the opportunities and challenges in the preseason thus far.

Who helped and hurt themselves last night.

Mike Nolan brought in an MMA fighter to discuss motivation and conditioning with the team.

Mike Martz spent the Packers game on the sideline, instead of in the booth.  If he's using the preseason to teach the players it makes sense to be down there to talk to them.

I'm sorry, but this just isn't going to work.

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