SB Nation Bay Area - 49ers Guard Position Up For Grabs With Alex Boone In The Mix

Brandon Jacobs On 2012 49ers: 'It's Gonna Be Hard To Stop Us'

2012-04-11T17:41:09Z

The San Francisco 49ers have certainly been staking their deck this offseason with upgraded talent all over the board, while bringing some guys on board to create more depth and stronger competition within the team. One of those such players in veteran running back Brandon Jacobs, who took some time to speak with KNBR Wednesday morning to discuss his fellings of his new team.

Simply put, Jacobs feels other teams should look out for the 2012 49ers.

Jacobs discusses why he chose San Francisco, noting his love for the 49ers growing up and this opportunity being a way to put that 'dream to sleep.'

On why he chose San Francisco:

"Well, ya know, they had the best offer for me... At the end of the day we go out and play this game for it being football, what we all love playing...I think that's a special group of guys in that locker room, and coaches and the whole organization. And I grew up a 49er fan and I've loved the 49ers always. So it's a good opportunity for me to put a dream to sleep."

He also was asked about his role on the 49ers, to which Jacobs mentioned that he has not yet discussed with members of the organization:

On his role with the 49ers:

"I have not spoke to anyone about my role. I just, I'm going there, earning everything they give me and I guess whatever I don't get I didn't earn, right? My goal is to go out there and give it all I've got and be able to come and be able to be a big part of this football team."

When asked about the Niners defense, Jacobs had nothing but glowing remarks:

On the 49ers defense:

"I've been in the league for, I'm going on eight (years), and I've had my chance to dissect some very good defenses. San Francisco 49ers defense has speed, they play physical up front, they have linebackers that were probably the best disciplined I've played against. They didn't care who really made the play, they just wanted to do their job...With a defense like that, and with as many weapons as we have on offense, it's gonna be hard to stop us."

And what of Frank Gore? Jacobs is a big fan, and is glad to be on board to make the running game more dangerous:

On his new backfield mate, Frank Gore:

"Frank is a beast, man...I think Frank is a all-around back, and it's great for me to come in and team up with those guys and be able to make our offense better."

There certainly will be some competition come training camp between these two. But one thing is for sure, the Niners running game may be as potent as it's been in a long time.

For more on the 49ers, make sure you head over to Niners Nation.

49ers To Try Out Alex Boone At Right Guard, But What About Anthony Davis Instead?

2012-04-11T13:15:03Z

Well, the San Francisco 49ers certainly have an interesting situation with their offensive line going forward. The line currently consists of Joe Staley and Anthony Davis as the starting tackles, with Alex Boone as the swing man to backup, Jonathan Goodwin at center, Mike Iupati at left guard and, supposedly, 2011 draftee Daniel Kilgore penciled in as the starter at right guard.

In short, the 49ers have no backup interior linemen and only one backup tackle. Boone is pretty versatile as a tackle, so they're pretty set there, but they have, at best, a fringe starter at right guard and no backups on the interior right now. Many have said Kilgore could be the guy going forward, and that could turn out to be the case, as a late-round guy without a full offseason of work due to the lockout.

As it turns out, the 49ers may be in the market for a new backup tackle. Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area reported yesterday that the team plans to let Boone compete for the starting right guard position. As it stands, Boone would be competing with Kilgore. He should be favored to beat him for the spot, provided he can make the transition.

Boone played well in relief last season, and many started to wonder if he should take over the right tackle position currently manned by Davis, given his propensity to be eaten alive by speed rushers. He should be able to beat Kilgore at this point, but who knows how he'll fit in the position? In the piece from Maiocco, there's a quote from LeCharles Bentley, a two-time Pro Bowl lineman, who suggests that Boone is a better tackle than a guard.

He goes on to say that the guards in the 49ers system are a dime a dozen, and Boone could be an exceptional tackle. This writer tends to agree with that, which bring up one question: why not kick Davis inside and make Boone the right tackle? It's obvious Boone has talent at the tackle position, and his biggest issues on the inside would be just how tall and lanky he is. He might just be too big to play the guard position.

Davis is a big fella himself, but it would make a lot more sense to have him next to Goodwin than Boone, who is actually pretty quick on his feet for someone his size. The only caveat to this is the fact that so much was invested in Davis -- but if it's better for the team, then it's better for the team. Draft status can't factor into what's happening on the field. Then again, Davis is still very young and could develop into a top-flight right tackle.

Still, the 49ers are going to try Boone out there - and it really does fit the "put your best five players on the line" mantra. It will be interesting to see where the 49ers go with the draft -- it's safe to assume they'll draft at least two offensive linemen --will there be some stiff competition in those draftees?

NFL Draft 2012: 49ers To Host Local Pro Day April 18th

2012-04-11T12:30:12Z

The San Francisco 49ers will host a pro day for local area players next Wednesday, April 18th, per CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. It will take place at the team's practice facility in Santa Clara, and will give some of the lesser known local draft prospects a chance to showcase their talents.

NFL teams are allowed 30 'official' non-local prospect visits prior to the Draft but there's no limit with how many 'local' players they host in the run up to the big day, and these local visits include players from area schools and players that grew up in the region. The 49ers certainly have a slight advantage here, with several schools in the area and are boosted by Southern California's rich tradition of churning out NFL-caliber football players.

Per Matt Maiocco, the following local players are expected to be in attendance, with asterisks representing players that were invited to the Combine.

Cal: P Bryan Anger*, WR Michael Calvin, S D.J. Campbell, S Sean Cattouse*, OL Justin Cheadle, LB Ryan Davis, WR Coleman Edmond, OL Justin Gates, DL Trevor Guyton*, LB D.J. Holt, WR Marvin Jones*, LB Mychal Kendricks*, DB Virdell Larkins, TE Anthony Miller, DL Ernest Owusu, T Mitchell Schwartz*, PK Giorgio Tavecchio.

Stanford: S Johnson Bademosi, G David DeCastro*, TE Coby Fleener*, WR Corey Gatewood, S Delano Howell*, QB Andrew Luck*, T Jonathan Martin*, DE Matt Masifilo, WR Chris Owusu*, RB Jeremy Stewart, S Michael Thomas and WR Griff Whalen.

San Jose State: WR Michael Avila, CB Brandon Driver, QB Matt Faulkner, LB Pompey Festejo, DB Alex Germany, S Duke Ihenacho*, OL Fred Koloto, DE Mohamed Marah, DT Andrew Moeaki, RB Lamon Muldrow, S Manu Ngatikaura, C Robbie Reed, RB Brandon Rutley, CB Peyton Thompson, OL Andres Vargas, LS Ben Zorn.

For more on the 49ers, make sure you head to NinersNation and join in on the discussion.

NFL Free Agency 2012: Free Agent Safety Madieu Williams Signs With Redskins

2012-04-10T19:44:42Z

The San Francisco 49ers just took a big blow to their defensive backfield as free agent safety Madieu Williams has signed with the Redskins, according to a tweet from CSN Bay Area's Matt Maiocco. Williams had visited with the Falcons as well as the Redskins before deciding to sign with the NFC East team.

This now leaves the 49ers barren at the backup safety spot which now will probably have to be filled through the NFL Draft that's right around the corner. The Niners have already lost Reggie Smith to the Carolina Panthers, leaving starters Dashon Goldson and Donte Whitner to have to rely on C.J. Spillman and Colin Jones as their backups. Spillman is more of a special teams player, used sparingly in actual defensive packages and Jones had only one snap last season.

It's one of the few spots the Niners don't look settled in and it will have to be watched closely in the coming weeks.

For more on the 49ers offseason, visit Niners Nation.

NFL Free Agency 2012: Brandon Jacobs' Deal Includes 150K In Guaranteed Money

2012-04-10T17:29:09Z

As with some of the other deals the San Francisco 49ers have made this offseason, like those for Randy Moss and Perrish Cox, Brandon Jacobs' deal comes with minimal risk, just like the Niners like it.

Jacobs, the former New York Giants running back who signed last week, will account for $1.575 million on the 49ers' salary cap, according to CSN Bay Area. The deal includes a $150,000 signing bonus and the rest of the money in the contract is not guaranteed.

Jacobs, a seven-year veteran, will add yet another short-yardage, power back to the Niners backfield to give Frank Gore some experienced backup. Jacobs, who is used to sharing the load in a backfield after playing with Ahmad Bradshaw in New York, has 56 rushing touchdowns in his career including seven in his last year with the Giants.

To keep track of other free agency signings and other news surrounding the 49ers, visit Niners Nation.

Madieu Williams Visiting With The Falcons, 49ers Don't Have Much In The Way Of Backup Safeties

2012-04-10T16:40:17Z

It's going to be interesting to see how the safety position plays out for the San Francisco 49ers in 2012. Dashon Goldson had a decent year, with plenty of mistakes but reinforced with some big, big plays, while Donte Whitner exceeded expectations of every single 49ers fan and was like a shotgun shell on every single play. Whitner is under contract, while Goldson was given the franchise tag - but the real question mark is the backups.

That being the fact that the 49ers don't really have a backup right now. They've got four safeties on the roster, but both backups aren't really "backup" material. C.J. Spillman is used occasionally in goal line situations (and was fantastic there), but is limited outside of that one situation and is a core special teamer. Colin Jones only say one snap last season that wasn't special teams: on offense.

Reggie Smith has departed for the Carolina Panthers, leaving Madieu Williams the only real option for the 49ers, except for the fact that he's a free agent. Williams already visited with the Washington Redskins, and ESPN's Adam Schefter is now reporting that he visited with the Atlanta Falcons on Monday.

If Williams goes, it's going to create an interesting situation for the 49ers. They'll likely need to draft a replacement early on, but the draft isn't all-that strong in regards to the position. Williams didn't see much time in 2011, but the 49ers assumed he was going to be the starter before it was found that Goldson wasn't going to get an offer from the New England Patriots after all, and he was brought back on a one-year deal.

It might be in their best interest to re-sign him at this point, lest Goldson or Whitner go down an injury.

49ers Free Agency: Madieu Williams Receives Contract Offer From Washington Redskins, According To Report

2012-04-07T20:44:11Z

According to a report from The National Football Post, the Washington Redskins have offered a contract to the San Francisco 49ers' free agent safety Madiew Williams. The 30 year old safety played his 8th season in the league for the 49ers in 2012 after two longer stints with the Vikings and the Bengals. Williams played in 15 games for the 49ers but did not see heavy rotation, and he registered only 9 tackles, significantly fewer than in previous years.

The terms of the Redskins offer to Wiliams are unknown at this time. The 49ers defensive backfield has already seen some action this offseason: the team parted ways with Reggie Smith, who signed with the Carolina Panthers, and they applied the franchise tag to Dashon Golson. With depth at safety a concern for the team, if Williams leaves for Washington the team would likely be looking for safety help in the upcoming draft.

NFL Free Agency 2012: 49ers Sign Wide Receiver Brett Swain

2012-04-07T01:07:30Z

The San Francisco 49ers were not expected to sign any other wide receivers in the offseason with the recent acquisitions of Randy Moss and Mario Manningham, but the club has now signed receiver Brett Swain for the 2012 season. The news came on Friday evening from the agent of Swain:

WR Brett Swain has agreed to terms with the 49ers. Congrats Brett! #aztecs
— Rep 1 Sports (@Rep1Sports) April 7, 2012

The recently signed wide receiver is unlikely to see too much time on offense, meaning he'll likely serve as a special teams guy on kickoffs and punts. No word on any contract details, although I'm sure it's not much more than the league minimum. A solid move on paper, this should provide coach Harbaugh and the staff yet another option to catch passes from Alex Smith should a few injuries come up.

Swain appeared in just five games last season, catching two passes for 15 yards.

For more on Swain and the 49ers, head over to Niners Nation.