So, here we are again. I don't want to rub it in or anything, but in Australia we have a four day weekend around Easter. Easter Monday is an actual holiday. I didn't even know the day existed until I came here, but here I am, about to get paid for it while sitting on my duff. This means I'll be doing a few of the Nuggets this weekend. A mumble mouth bird told me that James got a tooth pulled, so I have to pull a bit of weight around here. 'No worries', as we say in Oz.
I've been getting a bit of feedback saying the links are buried too deep in the paragraphs. Is this an issue for people? I don't personally see the issue with the link in the paragraph. But having spent my life crappy jobs, I do know one thing...for every person that complains, there are 100 or a billion or something that just keep their mouth shut. So what I'm going to do is lay them out in another way today and then I want some feedback as to which way you like better. We get so few comments on the Nuggets, and if this doesn't generate any, I don't know what will...I mean, c'mon, your opportunity to mold the Nuggets into any shape you want.
Gregg WIlliams had bounties put on the Niners. Late breaking news has it that the New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator had bounties placed on some of our key skill position personnel before our epic playoff battle in January. Alex Smith, Michael Crabtree and Kyle Williams were all purported targets. Alex Smith and Brett Favre...all the greats have been affected. (yahoo! sports)
Preseason schedule released. Fooch gives us the run down on the 2012 preseason as well as a little preseason history lesson. The annual 49ers - Raiders clash has, of course been cancelled due to attempted homicides. Also of note: a scheduled visit to Denver to face Peyton Manning and the Broncos. (Bay Area SB Nation)
Reggie Smith signs with Carolina. Reggie Smith has left the building, signing on with the Panthers after playing the last 4 years with the 49ers. Samuel Lam reporting. (Lam)
Willis moves on in the real March Madness. Also from Bay Area SB Nation, an update on Patrick Willis' quest to grace the cover of the latest instalment of the Madden franchise. Madden Madness? Are we really going to vote against him? (Bay Area SB Nation)
Patrick Willis calls Coach Harbaugh crazy. Don't know if you guys have heard, but Jim Harbaugh is crazy. So says Patrick Willis, the last man on Earth I want to argue with. Don't worry, it's the 'crazy in a good way'. Also on this link Dr. Phil has some advice for the Niners. Umm...yeah, I had to double check that, but I did just write that statement in a post. (NFL.com)
Willis talks. Cam Inman has the transcript of a conversation that Patrick Willis had with ESPN. He talks about Alex Smith, Peyton Manning, the Madden cover and, of course, Crazy Jim Harbaugh. (Mercury News)
Link to the video of interview. Self-explanatory, really. Isn't it? I mean, isn't it? (ESPN)
SI's latest mock draft. Don Banks gives his latest, greatest mock draft. Coby Fleener is our man in the world according to Banks. Another target for Alex Smith sounds good to me. (SI.com)
Workouts resume. Well, workouts have begun again for the players. There's some quotes in here from Delanie Walker and Colin Kaepernick, among others. (49ers.com)
Sando's take on the preseason. Sando, brings his A-game with a lot of info today. This post gives his take on the preseason schedule for the entire division. He notes that we play the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason and regular season giving us not one, but two, dates with Mike Singletary. (Sando)
Sando passes on insider info. Sando gives us all the divisions picks for Mel Kiper Jr.'s latest mock draft. It's an insider piece so the poorest amongst us would not get to view it otherwise. I do appreciate that, Mr. Sando, if you're reading. Stephen Hill is our man at #30. At this point I'd like to make a note that one could probably piece the entire mock draft together by visiting each divisions blog. Or, you could work the hour it would take to do that and use the money to pay to be an insider. (Sando)
Kevin Lynch talks stadium. Kevin Lynch discussed the mixed emotions of the new stadium. He also gives Jed York credit where credit is due while comparing him to his uncle, the great, Eddie DeBartolo Jr. (Lynch)
Discussion of the backup QB position. Not quite a link...but I watched it and I liked it. They discuss Colin Kaepernick and Josh Johnson and which is better suited as the QB2. This links to their multimedia player. Then the videos to choose from are on the right. The video is called Battle in the Bay. It's also got info on Alex Smith's contract. You may have to search for it but it's worth it. (ProFootballWeekly)
49 in 49: Chris Polk. Washington RB Chris Polk is the latest in the series of possible draft picks. (49ers.com)
Another mock draft. This one is from National Football Post. Coby Fleener is our pick. Is there a consensus forming among the draftniks? (National Football Post)
Yet another mock draft. This one from CBS sports. We're taking DE Andre Branch out of Clemson, which I think is a first for us in the mock world we currently reside in. From now until April 26th. Mock and Roll. Mock the Casbah...umm... what the mock am I doing here. (CBSSports.com)
Grant Cohn grades Trent Baalke's draft performance. A good one here by Cohn. He grades each selection Baalke has made in his two previous drafts. Lots of "A"s. Pretty good work from both Cohn and Baalke. (Cohn)
Well, that's it folks. The bounty story broke after midnight, and here I was, in Australia and awake to bring it to you. So, which version of the Nuggets do you like better? With the links in the paragraphs, or out in front like a headline. I think it's a lot cleaner with the headlines, but a lot less fun to write. So, let me know.
Being a Sheep
Be sure to follow @NinersNation on Twitter as well as on Facebook. You can follow SB Nation Bay Area on Twitter @sbnbayarea and also on Facebook.
If you're new here, you can register for a free account to participate in the discussion and create your own fanposts here at Niners Nation and across our entire network of 300+ sports blogs.