It's Saturday late morning, a little over 24 hours until kickoff. I consider this a little bit of final housecleaning before the game. We've got the final injury report and it definitely favors the 49ers. Prior to yesterday the injury reports only list how mcuh a person participated in practice. Yesterday we discussed the particular situations and their possible impacts on the game.
Since then, both teams submitted their final injury reports and we can make a few more deductions.
49ers Injury Report
Probable
DT Aubrayo Franklin - Knee
OLB Parys Haralson - Shoulder
SS Michael Lewis - Back
TE Delanie Walker - Calf
EDITOR'S ADDITION (per AndYourBirdCanSing): Alex Smith (Doutbful - Shoulder)
Michael Lewis was a late addition as he didn't practice on Friday. According to Maiocco,
Lewis spent the entire practice anxiously pacing back and forth along the sideline, tossing a ball to himself. He is listed as probable on the injury report, indicating a strong likelihood that he will be available to play.
I'm trying to remember the last time a Probably individual did not play. Last year Tom Brady was questionable for a chunk of the season and didn't miss so much as a snap. While a guy like Franklin has struggled, I still want him out on the field simply because of the depth he brings to the team on the defensive line. I sense a lot of rotation of bodies on the line and the more bodies available, the better.
EDITOR'S NOTE 2:05PM - Also, thanks to AndYourBirdCanSing for pointing to the article about Alex Smith's injury. Smith is now listed as Doubtful and Shaun Hill will be the primary backup. I'm guessing Arnaz Battle or Michael Robinson becomes the ermergency QB.
Cardinals Injury Report
Probable
TE Ben Patrick
OT Mike Gandy
Questionable
TE Jerame Tuman
Doubtful
C Al Johnson
DT Gabe Watson
DT Alan Branch
Doubtful indicates at least a 75% chance that a player will NOT be playing in the game. Missing two key cogs on the defensive line would certainly not be a good thing for the Cardinals. If the 49ers offensive line is in fact improved from last season, the running game could have a field day and O'Sullivan could have quality time in the pocket. Of course, those are big ifs.
On the offensive side of the ball, if Al Johnson doesn't play I'll definitely be paying attention to the QB-center exchange. Even with a full week of practice, the QB-center exchange can be tricky. It should make for an interesting situation come Sunday.
While I'm sure plenty of injuries will crop up, I have to say it's definitely nice to have a light injury report for now. The 49ers had some injury issues during training camp, but all in all it wasn't too bad. It hurt missing most of the receivers, but they're all healthy at the time that matters most. Hopefully they stay that way.