There is a new disciplined culture in San Francisco stemming from the transition to ‘Samari’ Mike Singletary as head football coach. The 49ers tradition of excellence has been everything but that since Steve Young retired back in 1999. Sure the team had a successful filler in Jeff Garcia for a number or years, but he never proved the ability to take the team to the next level. After Garcia, enter incumbent journeyman Tim Rattay, whose inconstancies continued to contribute to the demise of this once proud organization. After finishing with the league’s worst record in 2004 and being ‘rewarded’ the consolation of the first overall selection in the NFL draft, the 49ers had their franchise quarterback in sight.
San Francisco took Utah quarterback Alex Smith with the first pick, hoping he would fill the role as Steve Young’s successor. Four years later, after posting a cumulative 63.5 passer rating, being marred by injury, and failing to deliver a winning season, Smith has failed to grasp the job and run with it.
As the 2009 season approaches, the San Francisco 49ers are once again looking for someone to take hold of the quarterback position. In the competition are Smith, Shaun Hill, and Damon Huard. While no decision has yet been made, all signs point to Shaun Hill. Hill has been given end of the year scrap duty each of the past seasons, and quite frankly has played exceptionally well. Hill started two games at the end of the 2007 season, throwing for 5 touchdowns with only 1 interception in two 49er victories. This past season it was more of the same for Hill who compiled an 87.5 passer rating in eight starts. Hill helped save the 49ers season, in which they were arguably the league’s worst team for a period of time. I personally believe that with some of the offseason moves San Francisco made, they can compete for the NFC West crown if Shaun Hill is indeed the man. Look for the 49ers fortunes to take a dramatic rise this coming season.
Robert Ourisman
Let the soap opera start again. The Brett Favre saga is slowly gaining momentum as his name and the potential of a comeback are once more making headlines. Favre, who retired from the NFL for what seems like the 83rd time after this past season, may very well be playing on Sundays once more. Everyone figured he was serious this time when he said he was truly walking away. However, skepticism grew when the New York Jets released Favre, giving up his rights. If you recall from last year, the Minnesota Vikings and Brett Favre had a mutual crush on each other—but being bitter division rivals there was zero chance Green Bay would have dealt him there. Now that Favre has no ties to any team, the idea of Favre finally ending up in Minnesota went from fantasy to reality. It seems like every offseason people claim Minnesota is just one quarterback away from becoming a championship caliber team. It seems too perfect to be true for Favre who will most likely have the opportunity to get his revenge on Green Bay.
The 2009 draft class saw a large quantity of talented players with impact portential selected early and often. Household names such as Aaron Curry, B.J. Raji, Malcolm Jenkins, and Brian Cushing were off the board after the first 15 selections. While these players are sure to make an immediate impact for their respective ball clubs, it is a second round pick that I believe will make the biggest impact this season. Louis Delmas, the first pick of the second round taken by the Detroit Lions, is my pick for defensive rookie of the year. Considered a second or third round prospect at safety coming out of Western Michigan, some considered Delmas a reach at 33. However if you turn on college game film, he plays with great speed, instincts, and aggression. Undersized at 6’0” and only 195 pounds, he appears and plays strikingly similar to Indianapolis Colts all-pro safety Bob Sanders. Delmas stands out more than any player on the field when you watch him play, as his unique ability to be a force in both run and pass defense makes him extremely valuable. Detroit’s defense has been an absolute disgrace for several years, giving up a league high 404 yards of total offense per game. Delmas can come in on day one and instantly make this defense substantially better. Detroit is also in dire need of a middle linebacker, and with Rey Maualuga on the board at 33 it looked like a done deal. However, the Lions brass saw enough in Delmas to take him over Maualuga.
As the college football season ended and the pre-draft circus got under way, there was one prospect in particular whom I kept my eye on. The player was Ramses Barden, a 6’6” 230 pound receiver from Cal-Poly drafted by the New York Giants in the third round, who caught 36 touchdown passes in his last 22 games. Barden is a physical specimen who is the ideal size to be a dominant red-zone target against any competition. Not only was Barden a scoring machine in college, but he also averaged an unprecedented 20.5 yards per catch during his four years. Was Barden playing against the top competition? Absolutely not. However, many feel (myself included) that if Barden played in a power FBS conference, the numbers wouldn’t look too different. People tend to forget the surplus of top-notch receivers who came from small schools. Jerry Rice, Terrell Owens, and Marques Colston are a few who played with “inferior” competition and they turned out pretty well I would say.
I strongly believe that the Cincinatti Bengals did more to improve their roster and overall depth than any other team. While some were not in favor of taking Andre Smith at number 6, he is a franchise caliber tackle. If you watch the film and ignore the combine mishap, he simply dominates at the point of attack. He is a phenomenal run blocker and a very good pass protector. I can assure you both Cedric Benson and Carson Palmer were ecstatic about the selection. With their second selection, number 38 overall, they got a steal in having Rey Maualuga fall in their lap. He plays with a tenacity that toughens and improves this defense day one. Maualuga and Keith Rivers, selected from USC last year, make going across the middle a nightmare for anybody. Look for him to be a candidate for defensive rookie of the year. 
