First off, I've decided to go with a 3-4 defense.  Instead of picking a "nose tackle," we'll vote on one defensive tackle and then we'll have a vote on a second defensive tackle.  So kind of going with my 4-4 idea, but not 100%.

Second off, I'm done with finals and done with year 1 of law school.  Suffice to say, I could not be happier.  I'm working on some internship options for the summer, but without studying taking up time I'm hoping to be extra active over the summer.  It'll be a slow time until training camp starts, but we've got some cool stuff coming down the pipeline.

So now, for today we're going to open up the polls for the first cornerback on our all-time team.  The 49ers have had some impressive defensive backs in their history, from Hall of Famer Jimmy Johnson to current stalwart Nate Clements.  In my research, I noticed that prior to the more well known 80s and 90s 49ers, many of the great corners in franchise history stretch back to the beginning of the franchise.  Also, I know that one issue to come up has involved Deion Sanders.  He only spent one season in San Francisco but he was the Defensive Player of the Year and that may have been his greatest year, in a career filled with amazing numbers.  The way I've decided to handle it is while I will NOT be including him in this vote, he will be included in the vote for the #2 cornerback.  That way he can get recognition, but it's my own personal belief that the overall  career with the 49ers has more value and thus he should be penalized in some way.  People may disagree, but I think it's a fair compromise.  On to the nominees.  There are some that could have probably been included, but I think we have a solid list of guys here.  And like I said, Prime Time will be added for the #2 list.

Jimmy Johnson (1961-1976): Aside from one year as a wide receiver, Johnson played in five Pro Bowls over his 16 year Hall-of-Fame career and is #2 to Ronnie Lott in interceptions.  Johnson is recognized as one of the best man-to-man defenders in NFL history and definitely was the precursor to Deion and Champ in shutting down his entire side of the field.  He spent time at safety and wide receiver, but is primarily remembered as a cornerback, and a great one at that.

Kermit Alexander (1963-1969): Alexander spent seven seasons with the 49ers amassing an impressive 36 interceptions, a rate of just over 5 per season.  As impressive is that he came out of college as a running back and was the outstanding offensive player at the Hula Bowl.  Mix in some quality kick and punt return stats and you've got one heck of a player.  Also, just noticed he recovered 23 fumbles in his career.  Nothing on Johnson for that, but Alexander is the franchise leader there by a safe margin.

Lowell Wagner (1949-1953): Wagner was with the team in its last year in the All-America Football Conference and then the first four years in the NFL.  Although the team struggled a bit early on, Wagner was a highlight, snagging 31 interceptions in just five full season with the team.

Eric Wright (1981-1990): No vote would be complete without Wright.  While not a ball hawk like some of these other guys (7 of his 18 career INTs came in a single season), Wright was a very solid corner who is on the short list of 4-time Super Bowl winners.

Don Griffin (1986-1993): I'll be honest, I don't remember a whole heck of a lot about Griffin.  He is 9th on the 49ers INT list and was the successor to Eric Wright at right CB, and a fitting successor he ended up being.

EDITOR'S NOTE 10pm: Alright folks, I'm taking my last final Thursday morning (oh hell yea).  Once I get done, the next All-Time Team vote will go up in the afternoon.

I'll have the next player vote up later in the morning, but for now I wanted to throw this out for a vote.  While the 4-3 seems to be generally more used, the 49ers have been making the move to the 3-4.  However, I was checking out the 49ers starting lineups over the last few decades and it seems like the 3-4 was in vogue for them from 1981 through approximately 1993.  Considering that was more or less the height of the dynasty, it certainly makes it interesting to consider what defensive alignment we should use in our all-time team.

So here are the options I'm considering and I've thrown it open for a vote.  We could go 3-4 or 4-3.  Another option is to go with 4-4.  Even though that would mean 12 men on the field with 4 defensive backs, I figure it'll allow us an optimal number of linebackers and defensive linemen.  I've included an "Other" option in case somebody has another idea.

EDITOR'S NOTE 8:55AM: So I'm putting together a list of cornerbacks to consider for our all-time team and I've run into a bit of a problem.  The 49ers home page has a list of every single starting lineup in team history.  However, the older squads have different names for some positions.  Does anybody know what some of those old position names would be?  For example, 49ers Hall of Fame cornerback is listed next to the position RH, LH and RS.  I'm assuming the R and L stand for left and right, but I have no idea what the H and S stand for.  Any ideas?

Well, first off, it's no too surprising but congratulations to Steve Young as he ran away with the backup QB position on our All-Time team, with over 90% of the vote.  Take that Andy Lee.

While deciding on the next position, I looked over the various options and thought tight end seemed as good a place to go to next as any.  In the short passing game of the West Coast offense, the tight end proved quite important and since then the league has seen an expansion of the tight end to elite athletic levels.

However, while looking through the 49ers history, I noticed that there really haven't been that many great tight ends wearing the red, white and gold.  As I've said repeatedly, I think Vernon Davis will reach that elite level at some point, but until then, the competition at the all-time TE position is scarce.  Accordingly, I've decided to not even hold a vote.  Simply put, Brent Jones is the best tight end in 49ers history and it's not all that close.  Jones leads all 49ers tight ends in receptions, yards, touchdowns and Pro Bowl appearances and ranks in the top among all 49ers receivers in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

While Jones was never overrated as a tight end, I don't think he would qualify as underrated.  I can't imagine anybody not recognizing the talent of Brent Jones and his major contributions during the 49ers glory days.  He earned 3 Super Bowl rings and made four trips to the Pro Bowl.  The 49ers had great receivers in Rice and Taylor and a great rushing/receiving threat in Roger Craig, but the importance of Jones to the West Coast offense is considerable.  Throw in a streak of 125 consecutive games and you've got not only a franchise great, but an all-time great.

Honorable Mentions: Like I said, there is not a lot in the way of tight end talent in 49ers history.  Ted Kwalick was a 3-time Pro Bowler at tight end in the early 70s, while Russ Francis was the primary TE and immediate predecessor of Brent Jones.  I really thought Eric Johnson might have worked his way onto this type of list, but injuries have derailed him and now he's off in New Orleans.  If Vernon Davis can continue to improve (he did improve his receptions and yards from year 1 to year 2), I don't see why he won't pass Brent Jones in the 49ers record books.  Davis is a receiving tight end who is immensely athletic and could become the primary target of Smith/Hill/whomever.  But that's an argument for another day.

The polls will remain open, but congratulations to Joe Montana as he has rolled to an impressive victory.  Maybe it's not quite an Andy Lee-esque whooping, but Montana definitely stepped above and beyond his counterparts.  Considering the talent the 49ers have produced at the quarterback position, I thought it was worthwhile to include a backup quarterback on our all-time 49ers team.

Steve Young (1987-1999): As it was fitting for Montana and Young to duke it out for the starting position, it' would be even more fitting if Young ended up as Montana's backup.  Young finished his career with the greatest QB rating in NFL history.  While he may not have had the speed of a Vick, Steve Young was one of the truly great rushing quarterbacks in NFL history.  Combine that with uncanny accuracy and you're talking about an all-around threat rarely seen in NFL history.

John Brodie (1957-1973): Brodie finished his career third in the NFL in all-time passing yards and ranks as one of the greatest players NOT in the NFL Hall of Fame.  Brodie ranks second in 49ers history in passing yards and third in touchdowns, while playing for plenty less than stellar teams.

Y.A. Tittle (1951-1960): While Tittle spent plenty of time in Baltimore and New York, his formative years came with the 49ers as a 4-time Pro Bowler.  Considering the slowly developing passing game back in the day, 16,000+ yards in San Francisco is nothing to sneeze at.

Jeff Garcia (1999-2003): While we might all agree Jeff Garcia was not the greatest quarterback on straight numbers, he certainly ranks up there for what he did in spite of his shortcomings.  Garcia was rescued from the CFL by Bill Walsh in one of his best moves since trading for Steve Young.  Garcia was a 3-time pro Bowler in his five seasons and in spite of such a short tenure, he ranks 4th in franchise history for passing yards and fifth in passing touchdowns.  While he was certainly not a scrambler the caliber of Steve Young, he was quite fleet of foot, which helped for his lack of traditional passing tools.  And the fact that he had to put up with T.O. certainly counts for something.

First off, heartiest congratulations to our All-Time Punter, Andy Lee, who absolutely ran away with the victory, getting 81% of the vote.  I think it's safe to say that Andy Lee will end his time with the 49ers as the all-time leading punter and a fan favorite.

When I was trying to decide what position to go with next, I initially was thinking something safe and non-controversial, like an offensive lineman or maybe a linebacker position or even just declaring Jerry Rice or Ronnie Lott at WR and FS.  Then I thought better of that and decided, let's get controversial and mix it up a little.  When you think of the 49ers, Joe Montana is certainly one of the guys you automatically think of.  he won Super Bowl titles while earning a clutch reputation that endures to this day.  On the other hand, Steve Young brought some sizzle that moves him to the front of the list for some folks.  People are quick to forget greats like Y.A. Tittle and John Brodie who may not have won titles, but certainly made an imprint at the quarterback position.  I'm not sure Tittle or Brodie will get many votes, but they certainly deserve consideration.

The plan is to go with a starting QB and a backup QB.  I've decided to go with five options in this poll, with the four losing options then being revoted on for the backup position.  I have a pretty good idea of how this vote will turn out, but I want to include all the potential options anyways.

Joe Montana (1979-1992): I could include absolutely nothing here and it wouldn't matter.  Joe Montana was the face of the 49ers in the 80s as they went from perennial doormat to Team of the 80s.  Montana stands #1 in franchise history in career passing yards, touchdowns, completions and of course Super Bowl rings.  In polls of who you would want leading your team down with less than 2 minutes to go, most people take Montana.  While he was surrounded by plenty of talent, he made the most of it and was a leader of his teams.

Steve Young (1987-1999): It's fitting that Young and Montana will be battling for the starting position.  After years in Montana's shadow, Steve Young got the proverbial monkey off his back in 1994 with one of the greatest single seasons.  Young finished his career with the greatest QB rating in NFL history.  While he may not have had the sped of a Vick, Steve Young was one of the truly great rushing quarterbacks in NFL history.  Combine that with uncanny accuracy and you're talking about an all-around threat rarely seen in NFL history.

John Brodie (1957-1973): Brodie finished his career third in the NFL in all-time passing yards and ranks as one of the greatest players NOT in the NFL Hall of Fame.  Brodie ranks second in 49ers history in passing yards and third in touchdowns, while playing for plenty less than stellar teams.

Y.A. Tittle (1951-1960): While Tittle spent plenty of time in Baltimore and New York, his formative years came with the 49ers as a 4-time Pro Bowler.  Considering the slowly developing passing game back in the day, 16,000+ yards in San Francisco is nothing to sneeze at.

Jeff Garcia (1999-2003): While we might all agree Jeff Garcia was not the greatest quarterback on straight numbers, he certainly ranks up there for what he did in spite of his shortcomings.  Garcia was rescued from the CFL by Bill Walsh in one of his best moves since trading for Steve Young.  Garcia was a 3-time pro Bowler in his five seasons and in spite of such a short tenure, he ranks 4th in franchise history for passing yards and fifth in passing touchdowns.  While he was certainly not a scrambler the caliber of Steve Young, he was quite fleet of foot, which helped for his lack of traditional passing tools.  And the fact that he had to put up with T.O. certainly counts for something.

First off, congratulations to Super Bowl champion Ray Wersching, the Niners Nation All-Time 49ers Kicker.  I haven't seen any updates, but if he ends up going to jail, hopefully this gives him some small comfort.  Joe Nedney made a small run late, but Wersching is the winner going away with 60% of the vote.  Nedney has a higher percentage, but Wersching is far and away the franchise leader with a respectable FG% as well.

Now onto the punter.  The all-time punter will be a guy who doesn't get all that much media, as is the case with any punter really.  It's just about the least glamorous position on the field, but he can have such a huge impact.  The 49ers haven't had many great punters, although two of their punters rank in the top 100 all time in total yards, both of whom are top 20 all-time in yards per punt.

Tommy Davis (1959-1969): Davis was an option at kicker, but he appears to have been a much better punter.  Davis is the 49ers all-time leader in punt yards with 22,833 and is second in NFL history to the legendary Sammy Baugh in yards per punt.

Andy Lee  (2004-present): Lee has quietly become an excellent punter for the 49ers, landing himself in the Pro Bowl in his first season after signing a six year contract.  Lee currently ranks second in team history in total punting yards at 17,030 and barring injury will pass Davis in 2009 for the all-time lead.  Additionally, Lee sits tied for 12th in NFL history in yards per punt.  If Lee sticks with the 49ers for the entirety of this 6-year deal, he's going to put quite a bit of distance between himself and the rest of the punters in 49ers history.

Frankie Albert (1946-1952) - Albert was drafted by the Bears in 1942 but didn't play until 1946, by then a member of the 49ers (I'm guessing WW II had something to do with that).  Albert actually played a lot of quarterback as well, but finished as the #4 punter in 49ers history with 12,866 yards.  One drawback: he was 1 of 5 on extra points.  Seems odd to be that bad even if such a limited number of opportunities...must have been an injury replacement issue.

Tom Wittum (1973-1977) - Wittum had a limited career with the 49ers but did well in that short time.  He made the Pro Bowl his first two seasons and finished 3rd in 49ers history with 15,494 yards, averaging 40.8 yards per punt.  According to his Wikipedia page, Wittum now teaches drivers' ed classes at a high school in Illinois.
  Not quite an indictment for embezzlement, but interesting nonetheless.

Before making the switch to SBN 2.0 I got the ball rolling on discussions about the 49ers all-time team here at Niners Nation.  While there is plenty to discuss about the draft, I thought it'd be nice to mix things up and get going on this team. After 100+ votes, 80% are in favor of using players from the 49ers entire history, so that's what we'll be going with.  I'll do my best to get as much info as possible on the more old-school players.

We'll start with a little special teams action at kicker.  Not a super-controversial position and not a ton of guys worth nominating.  Prior to Joe Nedney coming to town in 2005, the 49ers had some major issues in getting consistency at kicker ever since Jeff Wilkins left town.  Aside from big field goals late, I think it's safe to say that you want a kicker that doesn't make a lot of noise and doesn't inspire fear when he comes on the field.  The 49ers have not had a long history of kicking excellence, but they have certainly had their share of solid kickers.  So, below is a list of 4 nominees for your consideration.

Ray Wersching (1977-1987): After 4 season with the Chargers, Wersching spent 11 seasons with the 49ers and currently sits atop their all-time list of field goals made, field goal percentage with at least 100 attempts and extra points made.  Furthermore, Wersching was the kicker on the 1981 and 1984 Super Bowl championship teams.  I'd like to think that character is not an issue for our All-Time Team, but for those concerned, Wersching was indicted in 2006 for embezzling more than $8 million in insurance premiums.  GOOD TIMES!

Tommy Davis (1959-1969): Davis was drafted by the 49ers and spent his entire career with the team.  He currently sits second in field goals made while actually also being the all-time leading punter in team history (so we'll see him again for that vote).  One thing to take into consideration: While he is 2nd in made field goals, he finished with a 47% field goal percentage. Ouch.   Of course he is second in made and attempted extra points and finished with a 99.4% XP%, only missing two in his career.

Mike Cofer (1988-1993): Cofer played six of his eight years with the 49ers, kicking for the back-to-back Super Bowl champions in '88 and '89, making the Pro Bowl in the latter year.  He is #3 with 128 made field goals, but only at a robust 67%, good for 99th in NFL history!

Joe Nedney (2005-Present): I realize Nedney has only been a 49er for 3 years, but on the all-time list, he's currently 5th in field goals made with 72 and second in FG% behind only Jeff Wilkins (who was 42-47).  This 4th spot was between Nedney and Wilkins and I think the higher number of field goals made and attempted pushed Nedney over the top.  Nedney has made 87.8% of his field goals, 100% of his extra points and has been one of the few bright spots in otherwise disappointing 49ers teams.

So vote away.  As we get bodies selected I'll create something for the sidebar to keep track.  Additionally, I'm posting this article through a new section I've created called All-Time Teams that you can click on towards the top of the left column on the front page.