Good morning, people. How are things in Ninerlandia? Over here, same old story. Cold and wet. The rain eased up in Santa Clara and so the 49ers were able to get back to what they do best. Coach singled out a few players, Vernon Davis and Perrish Cox as having great offseasons. This despite Davis dealing with a ton of stress on the home front. Tim Kawakami has a good article on the struggles he and his family are facing. Also, Cam Johnson, our rookie OLB, has had a procedure that will keep him out until training camp. Our depth at the position has taken a hit this offseason.
An unspecified procedure has put rookie LB Cam Johnson on the shelf until training camp. With Darius Fleming out for what would appear to be the entire year, the Niners plan to add depth at OLB through the draft is not panning out too well so far. Cam Inman has plenty of other notes here as well. | Rookie Cam Johnson out until training camp. (Inman)
Tim Kawakami has a story on Vernon Davis and how our star TE is working through his family tragedy. In case you don't know, Davis' 19-year-old brother has been charged with first degree murder over a series of gruesome attacks with a hammer. | Davis working through family tragedy. (Kawakami)
Dylan DeSimone uses the 49ers defensive performance against the Saints in last years playoffs as a measuring stick for this years team. We are scheduled to play some of the most potent offenses in football this season. It's a bit worrisome that we gave up as many points as we did, but DeSimone notes that, taking away the last two Saints drives of the game (they matter, though) and we had a stellar performance. | Using Saints playoff game as a measuring stick for this years defense. (DeSimone)
One of the last links I came across was this one, that claims that Cam Johnson's unnamed procedure was cleaning out his knee. | Johnson had knee procedure. (Branch)
DE Will Tukuafu caught a pass in practice as the FB and outraced Patrick Willis to the endzone. Randy Moss caught a tipped ball for another TD. Matt Barrows has other notes from OTAs. | Barrows notes on OTAs. (Barrows)
Taylor Mays, who we dumped after one unsuccessful year, appears to have the inside track to be a starting safety for the Cincinnati Bengals. We are now searching for depth at the position following the departure of two of our backups. A reader asks Matt Barrows if it wouldn't have been better to keep him rather than trade him for a 7th round pick. | Would it have been better to keep Mays? (Barrows)
Donte Whitner believes the OTAs are giving the 49ers the confidence they need to be successful this year. Without having the benefit of OTAs before last season, now the team can identify what they need to do to get better. | Whitner believes OTAs giving team confidence. (Examiner.com)
BASG has some photos from OTAs. They're broken down into categories, such as Alex Smith and mechanics, Joe Looney takes mental reps, and the like. | BASG photo gallery from OTAs. (BASG)
Bay Area Sports Guy also has the transcript from Coach Jim Harbaugh's interview following practice. It covers Cam Johnson's aforementioned procedure as well as who stood out. | Transcript from Harbaugh interview. (BASG)
Coach Harbaugh says that Vernon Davis is getting better and better this offseason. Offensive continuity is a big part of it. Route-running is one of the main areas of improvement. | Vernon Davis keeps getting better. (CSN Bay Area)
Will Tukuafu's TD catch in practice today has lead Matt Maiocco to suppose that he may be the Niners next two-way player. | Tukuafu next two-way player. (Maiocco)
Video: Davis enjoying offensive continuity. (CSN Bay Area)
Video: Rick Jean-Francois just trying to work, work work... (CSN Bay Area)
Coach Harbaugh says that Perrish Cox has been a good addition and is having an outstanding offseason. He sees him filling roles on the defense and special teams. | Cox a good addition. (Maiocco)
Matt Maiocco and Alex Smith relive the end of the playoff game against the Saints. There is both text and video here. | Maiocco and Smith relive the glory days. (Maiocco)
Grant Cohn has a list of notes and quotes from the Coach in regards to the OTAs. | Cohn's notes from OTAs. (Cohn)
Chris Culliver is drawing on his experience to get better. Coach Harbaugh has stated that the biggest jump a player makes is from year one to year two. With many of our rookies from last years crop having played significant roles on a playoff team, the jumps should be something to look forward to. | Culliver draws on experience. (49ers.com)
Video: Nelms contributing in all three phases. (49ers.com)
Video: Press Pass: Jim Harbaugh. (49ers.com)
Photo Gallery: OTAs June 5th. (49ers.com)
Sporting News has released their list of the top tackles in the game and our very own Joe Staley has come in at #5. Hats off to Staley. Someone buy that man a drink. | Staley ranked fifth best tackle. (Sporting News)
Mike Sando has a few articles that relate to the 49ers backup QB situation. The first article assesses how the team would fare if Smith were out for an extended period of time. | Sando on 49ers backup QB situation. (Sando)
The second item up for bid is a video on why 49ers fans have little confidence in the situation if Smith goes out for some time. The question seems to be, what's better as a backup QB, a promising young talent or a journeyman with little to no upside. I think one of each is preferable. | What's the best situation at backup QB? (Sando)
Former Stanford safety Michael Thomas is standing out on kick coverage and defense. He's worked with Coach Harbaugh before and knows all the ins and outs. He's a bit undersized but has tons of speed to make up for it. | Former Stanford S Michael Thomas excelling. (SFGate)
Here's a big article on how Aldon Smith plans to get better after last year's amazing run of good play. He thinks that many people consider him a one-dimensional player. He's working toward being an every-down player. | Aldon Smith aiming higher. (Press Democrat)
NFL.com lists five reasons why the pressure will be on Coach Harbaugh this year. Without reading it I'll guess that two of them are a brutal schedule and increased expectations. HA! I was right. | 5 reasons why pressure is on Harbaugh. (NFL.com)
Being a Sheep
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