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Training camp is in full swing and we're learning a lot. There are some revelations, pleasant surprises and disappointments. But the biggest news of all is the injury bug biting us hard. Both Chris Culliver and Darius Fleming were lost for the season to knee injuries. Fleming was cut and replaced (hey, it's a business). Culliver's loss will be harder to deal with. Patrick Willis also suffered a fractured wrist, though it appears to be of the most minor variety. We know with Willis that he'll be able to miss the preseason without any loss in performance and it would appear that we've avoided the worst.
Aside from the injuries of the serious variety, it appears that every receiver not named Anquan Boldin is suffering from one benign ailment or another. A.J. Jenkins, Kyle Williams, Quinton Patton and Ricardo Lockette are all limited in practice. All but Patton are suffering leg injuries. These were the four players tabbed to be in a battle for the No. 2 and No. 3 wide receiver spots. As it turns out, Chad Hall and Marlon Moore, being able to walk, have stolen the show. While it appears that all of the wounded will be back before too long, it throws the whole competition into disarray. It also deprives the young quartet of chemistry-building time with Colin Kaepernick. Add to this the news that the 49ers just signed Austin Collie and Lavelle Hawkins to compete at WR and I have no idea who will emerge.
Injuries, OUCH!
First to go down during the week was Darius Fleming. The poor guy has never even made it out of camp, having done the same ACL during offseason activities in each of his two seasons. He was waived by the 49ers, will receive a settlement and was replaced immediately. The loss to the team is negligible as he's had no impact whatsoever due to injury. Our thoughts go out to him. | 49ers injury report: Darius Fleming suffers knee injury beat writers reporting as serious (Fooch)
There were a lot of injuries around the league lately. Both Jeremy Maclin and Dennis Pitta were lost for the season for PHI and BAL. The injury that affects us the most was Percy Harvin and his bum hip. There are different ideas as to when he'll return or if it will be this year. If he does, it will be toward the end of the season and he'll have to develop chemistry on the fly with a second-year quarterback during meaningful games. That's a tough ask. | Percy Harvin's surgery and feasibility of return (SoCaliSteph)
There are two comments I want to make about this article. The first is in regards to Patrick Willis' importance to the 49ers. Aside from Colin Kaepernick, there is nobody I'd be sadder about losing than Willis. With NaVorro Bowman playing at an All-Pro level he may not be the hardest to replace, but he is the heart and soul of the defense and my favorite Niner. The other thing I wanted to say is that Steph has been a great addition to the staff here, bringing insight to injuries that we didn't have before. Good job, Steph. | Patrick Willis injury: What does a "slightly" fractured hand mean for the 49ers? (SoCaliSteph)
And most critically, Chris Culliver has torn his ACL and is gone for the year. We've added Nnamdi Asomugha to the position group and he's been getting positive reviews in camp, so we may be OK. There are concerns about the secondary, which underperformed in the postseason. Culliver was the only potential starting CB to have an upside, so the future of the 49ers will miss out on his growth and development. And with nobody but Cully and Carlos Rogers signed past this year, there are some serious questions. | Chris Culliver injury: Assessing the 49ers cornerback depth chart (Fooch)
Colin Kaepernick News
The man with the golden arm and the golden offseason, Colin Kaepernick is back. All reports from training camp say he looks amazing. He's developed some touch (one of the few things we could criticize from his stellar breakout year) and it looks like his rapport with Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis is already in high gear. Who else he'll have to throw to this year looks like a mystery. James Brady gives us the scoop. | 49ers Roster, 90-in-90 breakdowns: Colin Kaepernick (Brady)
Gregory Lee discusses the amazing summer that Colin Kaepernick has had. He was the biggest name of the offseason in the NFL. The hottest selling jersey in the league has led him to wear sunglasses indoors (due to the heat). Some are worried that it's going to his head, but he's never appeared cocky before. I think he'll be fine. | The Summer of Kap (Lee)
Other News
Tarell Brown has hired a new agent in the wake of Bonus-gate (I haven't seen it written yet, don't know if I invented the phrase, but hey...I know how journalism works). Whenever I think about it, I'm still baffled. I saw it suggested this week that had his agent had more clients with the 49ers he probably would have gotten a heads up, so as not to poison other relationships. Lots of blame all around. And we're still waiting for a solution. | What should 49ers do with Tarell Brown contract situation? (Fooch)
As per custom, people sent in questions on Friday afternoons at 2 pm PT and got answers. With training camp underway, there was a lot to talk about. It's only going to get busier from here on out, so stop on by if you haven't. | Niners Nation #Channel49 Twitter Q&A Mailbag, 49ers Training Camp Edition: Camp Battles, Tarell Brown's contract, Kaepernick, and more (Woods & Malone)
Nick had the misfortune of predicting Carlos Rogers' chances to make the roster before the Chris Culliver injury. I bet he'd like a do-over now. There's no do-overs in roster projections Nick. It's permanent. I tease. What we do know is that we need 2011 Carlos more than ever. | 49ers Roster, 90-in-90 Breakdowns: Carlos Rogers (Chiamardas)
Did you hear that Niners Nation is doing a podcast? If you always wondered what Fooch sounds like, now's your chance to find out. It's something like a mix of Rocky Balboa and Shakespeare. "Oy, yous! Doth thou liketh the new signing." You can get the archived ones through iTunes and subscribe to receive future episodes. Here's episode two. | NN Podcast, Episode 2: Breaking down the first week of training camp (Fooch)
The competition for free safety is one of the ones to watch this offseason. Craig Dahl was brought in to add depth, compete for the starting job and upgrade the special teams unit. The early reports from camp are that he's not impressing, and the safeties as a whole are getting beat deep. Eric Reid, after a slow start (expected for a rookie), has looked better defending the deep balls. We need him to beat out Dahl and shore up the secondary. | 49ers Roster, 90-in-90 Breakdowns: Craig Dahl (Woods)
Camp Reviews
I'm going to include the complete list of Fooch's daily recaps from camp for the week. If we're revisiting the weeks news, it's what mattered. I won't say much about them, because the titles do as good a job as I would.
49ers training camp, Day 3: Ian Williams, Cam Johnson could be emerging (Fooch)
49ers training camp recap Day 4: Eric Reid, Marlon Moore among those standing out (Fooch)
What have we learned through four days of 49ers training camp practices? (Fooch)
49ers 53-man roster projection: One week into camp (Fooch)
49ers training camp recap, Day 5: Chad Hall's turn to stand out (Fooch)
49ers training camp recap, Day 6: Nnamdi Asomugha among cornerbacks showing their stuff (Fooch)
FanPosts
The winning FanPost is a thought provoking letter to the 49ers front office about the Tarell Brown contract situation. What do we do in this situation? I don't have any answers. So far, it doesn't seem as though the team does. Still waiting for something to get done. | An open letter to the Front Office regarding Tarell Brown (jfjlax)
One development to come out of camp is Vernon Davis getting reps with the wideouts. I think it's mostly for him to get some practice at catching the ball and route running. He does weird things like jump for no reason and lets the ball hit him in the gut instead of catching it out in front with his hands. But the idea is intriguing. | The Pros and Cons of Vernon Davis Playing Wide Receiver This Year (QuestFor6)
Being a Sheep
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