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Expectations

For those of you who haven't checked it out, Sport Spyder is an excellent resource for finding articles about the 49ers.  They combine mainstream media coverage with independent coverage such as Niners Nation, RealFootball365, and many others.

The reason I bring this up is because I found an interesting article this morning I thought was worth mentioning.  Matt Barrows over at the Sacramento Bee  discussed the growing confidence that was on display at last week's minicamp (password required, see end of this post).  

Tentative for much of last season, linebacker Manny Lawson now prowls the line of scrimmage like a puma itching to be sprung from a cage. On offense, tight end Vernon Davis catches touchdown passes and then tells everyone within earshot that he can't be stopped.

Obviously many of us are a little worried about Vernon Davis's constant chirping and over the top emotional style of play.  It's good to show some emotion, but it's something that he'll also need to learn to keep in check at certain times.

With all of this confidence, I personally get a little worried that over-confidence could be an issue early on.  Of course, I think that's one of the benefits of having a coach like Mike Nolan.  He's enough of a no-nonsense type of guy that he won't put up with this for very long:

Mike Nolan has no problem with all this swagger -- as long as there's substance behind it.

Before breaking camp Sunday, he gathered his players and told them that having high expectations is one thing. Living up to them is another.

"We're feeling good about ourselves, but if you don't pay the price, you don't get what you expect," he said. "We have a lot of work to do. The players see it -- all of that is good stuff -- but in the end you have to play the game on Sundays."

It often seems like trendy picks don't come out of the gate to well and it's the unexpected teams (see: Saints, New Orleans) that shock people instead.  For the 49ers this year, dealing with lofty expectations will be just as important as getting all the new bodies gelling come game time.

Obviously over-confidence can be an issue, but do you think it will cost this team games?

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