Morning everyone, Ninjames here, now with more stalling due to not being able to write about my dad because it's not father's day (or at least one day removed from father's day). We're in another slow part of the offseason, speculation is running rampant and it's the best we can muster at the moment. Speculation before the pads go on is hard, because everyone is so... enamored in what will happen once they do go on. Best we can do here at NN is work to provide you with unique content on a daily basis and get as much discussion going as possible. I have a few links for you today, more than yesterday, I'll do my best to make sure they're good and complete today. There are a few more unique links but mostly they're not very well-done articles and things of that nature. I'm also doing these early tonight as I've got plans in the morning so there may be links posted at or after midnight that I won't be able to get to, if you come across something like that, post it in the comments and I'm sure everyone will be grateful. Enjoy.
Ex-49ers GM Scot McCloughan has joined the Seahawks. I gave my thoughts on this yesterday, I'm not overly concerned with it. There's a legitimate connection there, but if it was at all spurred by looking for inside information, well, I'm inclined to consider that a sign of weakness from our division rivals. Take our cast-offs, we'll build around stable people. (ESPN.com)
Kawakami has an offseason in review. As a rule, I'm not going to read it but I won't shy away from a good piece - I hold no grudges. You folks will have to tell me if it's a good piece or not. I will say Tim has had moments of relative sanity before. His blog was highly regarded at some point. (MercuryNews.com)
A good run-down of how the 49ers draft picks performed in the voluntary OTAs and mandatory minicamp. (Examiner.com)
The Manny Lawson debate--we had a post on this awhile ago, but it's worth reading a bit more on it. (SFGate.com)
It's interesting to hear the comments from both Ahmad Brooks and Manny Lawson on the subject of minicamp starting time. Brooks seems a little defensive, doesn't he? (PressDemocrat.com)
Barrows also has a review of how the rookies have looked so far, this post focusing on the initial three of Davis, Iupati and Mays. (SacBee.com)
Maiocco has a player-by-player review, as he's prone to do recently. Not a bad read, this post focuses on the defensive side of the ball. (CSNBayArea.com)
Who climbed and who fell during the 49ers offseason? It's a good piece by Barber but it seems a bit rushed, as in, I'd think players like Alex Boone and Ahmad Brooks should have a place on the list somewhere, still - a good look. (PressDemocrat.com)
Just in case you missed it, NFL.com is following five players who are "on the fringe" to make a final roster this offseason, and Alex Boone is one of them. (NFL.com)
Here's some o-line rankings from Yahoo, and I'm shocked at the lack of...well, thoroughness... knowledge on specifics they entail. Apparently everyone outside the 49ers organization has no idea who Eric Heitmann is--they noted this over at ROTB as well. Just odd, Yahoo is usually really good with this kind of thing, and I'm not only speaking about the 49ers, this is definitely not a biased statement, I'm fine with 25 until our line proves themselves. (Yahoo.com)
Again, not a lot going on with the beat writers recently, so it's up to you guys to get on there and drill them for questions. Phil Barber, Matt Maiocco, Samuel Lam, and Matt Barrows. Myself and Tre9er are also down to always talk 49ers on Twitter.
Rival Blog Buzz At Revenge of the Birds, they continue to project their 53-man roster with a look at the nose tackles. At Turf Show Times, a look at offensive lineman and their veteran trade value. Nothing going on at Field Gulls.
Yesterday On Niners Nation Kicked off with the Nuggets, we had a post about Jarrett Brown in the morning, a bit about the Nutcracker drill's return, a post about Roger Craig's recent comments, and closed with our post about the McCloughan situation.
Today On Niners Nation (All times pacific and subject to change)
7:00 AM - Fooch continues his 53-man roster projections in the morning, always good for discussion and debate.
11:00 AM - Smileyman will have a By The Numbers post, I believe.
2:00 PM - I'm sure this spot falls to me and I'll get something up here.
Yesterday's Best Comment "It falls right in with the emphasis on competition being made. In a game, many injuries occur because of 11 on 11 scenerios – lotta bodies flying around catching unsuspecting players at a bad angle. For 1 on 1, head-on contact with two players in condition and warmed up, it will simulate the intensity of game action in a low risk, semi-controlled environment. If you needed to eliminate all chance of injuries, there couldn’t be any practice." from DeathValleyCarl. A very good opinion on why the Nutcracker drill is more than acceptable.