Over time we've heard some great stories about 49ers players and their lives off the field. Whether or not you think having "good guys" on your team matters when it comes to winning, there is still something nice about having guys that are to cheer. Running back Xavier Omon has quickly added one of the most intriguing stories we may ever hear. Also, in advance, apologies for this being a slightly running back heavy day. Slightly screwy planning on my part. But I promise to provide a 49ers game later tonight, so hopefully that'll make up for it!
I front-paged a Fanshot last night but wanted to follow up for those who missed it. ESPN's Elizabeth Merrill wrote a story about Omon that looked at the story of Omon and his half brother, Ogemdi Nwagbuo of the San Diego Chargers. It turns out they learned about their familial relationship within the last year and have only communicate via phone, skype, email etc. Later tonight, when they meet before the game, it will be their first in-person meeting ever. Check out the story. It's an interesting one.
Omon has shown some solid skills against third string defenses. It's probably not enough to land him on the 53-man roster, but he has practice squad eligibility, so he could very well end up there. However, I've noticed a few people making the argument for keeping him around. While it might be valuable to see him get some first string snaps, with Dixon and Hunter in the rotation I just don't see that happening tonight.
We've gone through discussions of irrational player fandom, whether it be Thomas Clayton, Kory Sheets, my own personal choice of Jay Moore, or anybody really. There are players we think deserve a better shot even if most of the free world disagrees.
With roster cuts coming up in the next couple days, there are a host of players that are probably strong candidates to be cut. That primarily includes undrafted rookies like Chase Beeler, Kenny Rowe and Monte Simmons, among others. But there are also veterans like Omon, Alex Joseph, Keaton Kristick, and others.
Among the players that seem likely to be cut, do you have one or two that you think will fall victim to a numbers game, but could have made an impact on the 53-man roster? Maybe you think Kenny Rowe is wildly unappreciated. Or maybe you think Chase Beeler brings more to the table than Adam Snyder and thus is worth holding onto rather than risking him on waivers. You can be a little irrational with this, but really it's about players in a situation that maybe deserves a second look.
Ignore the fact that some of these waived players are going to end up on the 49ers practice squad. We're just looking at the 53-man roster. And if you think they all deserve the axe and none are worthy of keeping around, so be it. Also, guys like Demarcus Dobbs don't really apply in this discussion since he is at worst on the bubble, at best on the roster.