49ers Notes: Draft Day

For a team who came just short of a Super Bowl victory just over 2 months ago, the 49ers' brass still sees a lot of areas that this team can improve upon. They've been pretty aggressive in free agency, and today, weeks of waiting will come to an end as we'll finally find out exactly what they do with that 30th pick in round one.

So far leading up to this 2013 draft, the 49ers have done a pretty good job of identifying their needs and bolstering their roster in any way they can. They started out by signing of Nnamdi Asomugha, which could end being one of the steals of the offseason if he can take advantage of his fresh start in San Francisco, which I think he will absolutely do. He's expected to be the 49ers 3rd corner coming into camp, but it wouldn't surprise me to see him take a starting gig if he gets back into his Oakland form, which playing press coverage should allow him to do. The 49ers also added Craig Dahl as a backup option at free safety should they not find a more suitable replacement for Dashon Goldson by the time training camp starts. That's the one area they could go after with their first round pick, but outside of Texas' Kenny Vaccaro, who will likely be gone by the middle of round one. Dahl has started the last few seasons for St. Louis and is a solid player, but isn't quite the play-maker that Goldson was and not as good in coverage. The 49ers also added DE Glen Dorsey, a former first rounder from the Chiefs, to add some much needed depth to their defensive line, another area I wouldn't be surprised to see addressed with one of their top few picks.

Offensively, the 49ers have been aggressive as well. The biggest move perhaps made by them all offseason was trading for Anquan Boldin, who I think will be a tremendous add to the offense. Boldin never quite fit in with Baltimore like the Ravens hoped, but he still was a consistent target for Joe Flacco, and I expect him to be even better with Colin Kaepernick. I mean, before heading to Baltimore, this guy was a shoe in for 1,000 yards and 10+ TD's each season, and he's still got plenty of good football left in him. The Niners also signed Phil Dawson, who expects to take over for David Akers after the horrible season Akers had in 2012. Dawson isn't the most flashy kicker in the game, but he does get the job done and has the leg to kick the 55-yarder through the gusty winds at Candlestick.  The 49es also had to fill Alex Smith's backup QB role after dealing him to KC last month, and did so by acquiring Colt McCoy from the Browns. McCoy has the ability to move around a bit and is smart with the ball, drawing a lot of similarities to Smith in many aspects, so he should be just fine as QB 2. Of course, hopefully he won't really be needed, but if he has to come in and finish a game or fill in with a spot start, I think he's more than capable of leading this team on the short term.

With the draft getting ready to start here in an hour, I'll be back with an updated post with both the 49ers and Raiders first round picks. For the 49ers, again, defensive line, or secondary would be my guesses for their first pick. Many expect them to try and move up to make a play on Vaccaro or someone like DT Sheldon Richardson from Missouri. The Raiders are much less of a mystery, as they have the 3 pick and likely will take the best OT available, either Luke Joeckel  or Eric Fisher... Stay tuned!

Bay Area Sports Notes

There's been a lot going on around the Bay Area Pro Sports scene the last week, and we figured we do sort of a bullet point on each team to catch up.

Giants: Obviously, we've posted here since the Giants won the Series in Detroit last month, but that hasn't stopped them from jumping right into the fire in terms of putting next years team together. They announced last week that they will tender Hunter Pence a contract for 2013, his final year under team control, and they just signed Jeremy Affeldt to a new 3-year, $18 million deal. They're also discussing a deal with Marco Scutaro and have optimism on that front. They still have big decisions regarding Angel Pagan, Brian Wilson and the infamous Melky Cabrera.

A's: There's really nothing big to report here. I doubt the A's will be much of a player in free agency, besides attempting to bring back Grant Balfour. They already severed ties with Stephen Drew, and probably won't be able to compete to keep Brandon McCarthy in town. They'll once again rely on upcoming talent and maybe a few mid-low level free agent signings they hope they strike gold on (a la Johnny Gomes in '12). Then again, after the season they just had, Beane could surprise us and go make a splash this winter. We'll certainly be keeping tabs on them in the upcoming months.

49ers: Well, we've been covering mostly 49ers news here for the better part of the last two months, but there have been some new developments over the last week-plus. Mainly the pitiful meaningless game we all saw them play vs. St. Louis this last weekend. For some reason, David Akers can't hit the broad side of a barn all of the sudden, and Alex Smith's health is now in question after suffering a concussion early on in the game. That brings up point number two, which we'll discuss more in the coming weeks. It looks like Colin Kaepernick will get the nod this Sunday, and if he puts up big numbers, do the 49ers stick with him even when Smith is healthy enough to go? We know what Smith can do, but Kaep has shown glimpses of having both Andrew Luck and RGIII skill sets. He's still a little raw on decision making, but pretty impressive overall.

Raiders: Well, like with their fellow Oakland counterparts, there's not much new to report here other than the Raiders suffering through another sub-par season. They've had their moments in some games when Carson Palmer has carried the team, but DMC has been a major dissapointment in his first year as full-time back, and that defense is still having trouble stopping anyone. On the bright side, Brandon Myers looks legit at tight end, and Heyward-Bay and Moore look to be rounding into form at wideout.

Warriors: Last, but certainly not least are the Golden State Warriors. The 'Dubs have had an up and down first two weeks to 2012-13, and a big part of what happens next lies in the health of Andrew Bogut. The big man has been sit down for the next week-plus as he tries to regain strength in that repaired ankle of his. If it takes a week, or three, the W's need to be patient with him. As long as he's healthy and able to play 30 minutes by mid-December, the Dubs should be fine. We've seen how good they can be with a injured Bogut, so imagine what they can do with a healthy one. On the positive, Steph Curry looks to be in great shape and showing no ill-effects with his ankle problems... Finally, Harrison Barnes has been a little slow to come along here early on. Hopefully he steps up as the W's need him more than ever without Brandon Rush.

NFL Refs to Return for Week 4

Well, the lockout that was having more of an impact on the outcome of games than I think anyone was expecting has officially come to an end.

The NFL and the referee association came to an agreement on Wednesday, just 2 days after what many are calling one of the biggest blunders in NFL officiating history. If you saw that Monday Night game between Seattle and Green Bay, then you know exactly what I'm talking about. What should have been a game ending interception by Green Bay in the end zone was miscalled and was ruled a catch by Golden Tate, who didn't even have a hand on the ball when the Packers defender came down with it. That was the most publicized miscall to come from these replacement refs, but they've been atrocious since game one between the Giants and Cowboys. I know one guy who will be extremely pleased to see the return of the professional zebra's is 49ers coach Jim Harbough. The replacement refs did about everything they could to prevent the 49ers from beating Green Bay in week one but the 49ers prevailed. They didn't have such luck in week 3 in Minnesota though, as the refs again played a big role in the 49ers 24-13 loss. Now that the real officials have returned and your looking to do some wagering on upcoming games, check players rewards card!

As bad as the officiating was in last Sunday's game though, the 49ers really didn't play well. It was the worst game I've seen them play since early 2011, as it looked like they completely underestimated the Vikings, which is something you don't expect to see out of a Jim Harbough coached squad. Their defense looked slower than usual off the ball, and their pass coverage and pass rush was nowhere near where it was in the first two weeks of the season. It almost seemed like the Vikings and 49ers switched identities before Sunday's game because the 'Vikes were the ones getting pressure on Alex Smith and really making the running game non-existent. Frank Gore ran well with the opportunities he got, collecting 63 yards on 12 carries, but the 49ers were down early and went into passing mode often. Unfortunately for them, Alex Smith didn't have the best of days, turning the ball over for the first time since week 12 of last season not just once, but twice. Smith had both a pick and lost a fumble and couldn't execute when the 49ers needed to keep drives alive.

Across the bay, the Raiders got their first victory of the season in impressive fashion over the Pittsburgh Steelers. We haven't talked much about the Raiders since the start of the season, but they re-inserted themselves into the conversation with that big win last weekend. The Raiders got the Carson Palmer they hope they'll be seeing more often than not, as the former Heisman winner had one of his more efficient games in the Silver and Black. He threw for just 209 yards, but had 3 TD's and a 104 passer rating vs. a top notch defense. The guy that really propelled the Raiders though was start running back Darren McFadden. 'Run DMC' had his first 100-yard game of the season and set the tone early for Oakland with a 64-yard touchdown scamper in the first 3 minutes of play. The Raiders have their holes on defense, but this offense can put up some numbers, and they'll be competitive as long as Palmer and McFadden are on their games.

Niners, Raiders Ready for Camp

It's about that time of year when football training camps will be starting up all across the nation in a week, and we start shifting some of our focus back to the gridiron.

Moss Should Help WR's

Things have been extremely quiet on the player movement front for both Bay Area franchises, but expect to start seeing some serious football articles in papers and on the internet over the next few weeks. For me, I like to focus on a particular area on each team to see how things shake out early in the preseason. With the 49ers, this year it will be their receiving corps. They did a major overhaul to that department in the spring, and have a lot of new faces for Alex Smith to develop chemistry with. First and foremost, of course, has to be a guy who many are expecting to either be a blessing, or a train wreck, and that's Randy Moss. So far, in mini-camp workouts, Moss has drawn rave reviews from 49ers staff and his new quarterback, but he's not the only new guy in town expecting balls thrown his way. Moss has always been the central figure of his teams passing attack, but that may not be the case in San Francisco. The Niners also used their first round pick on Illinois speedy wideout, A.J. Jenkins, and he's expected to challenge for a starting spot this summer. Finally, the 49ers also added Mario Manningham from the Giants, another guy who's used to having the ball thrown at him half a dozen times per game. You mix those guys in with Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Delanie Walker and all the sudden the 49ers go from having a limited passing attack to a potentially wide open one. Should be interesting to see if that shifts their focus away from being so run-heavy on offense?

Big Year for CP-3

Across the bay, the Raiders didn't have near the cap space the 49ers did, so their moves were all much more under-the-radar this offseason. They did managed to get their star safety, Tyvon Branch, locked up long term last week though, and they feel like they have the pieces in place to be a contender. They started last year off well with much of the same cast, and they're hoping they get a little more luck in the health department this time around. Obviously Darren McFadden will be very key to this teams success, but they aren't going to win many games unless Carson Palmer reverts back to his Bengal form. He was very sporadic during his run with the Raiders last year, but a lot of that can be attributed to his half-season layoff and trade to a new team. This time around, he won't have those excuses, and the Raiders paid dearly in order to get him, so they'll be counting on him to be there guy for a couple of seasons here. This will be his first training camp with the Silver and Black, and he has to use it to get in tune with his wideouts and learn the O-line, something he was never really able to do after the trade last year.

2012 NFL Drafts Biggest Winners, Losers

Well, I don't fell like going through every single team's draft and grading out how I felt they did in the recent draft. We won't know how any of these players fair until they start playing anyway, so obviously, my winners and losers are the teams who I felt either picked the best prospects, or missed the best prospects, and unfortunately for the Silver and Black fans, they fall into the bad category in this one. This doesn't account for any un-drafted signings, just what each team did with it's draft selections.

Biggest Winners:

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals, In my opinion, dominated this draft by nabbing some of the best prospects at each position. They ended up getting 5 guys who projected into the first round in various mock drafts, from their first pick, Dre Kirkpatrick through guys like DT Devon Still, WR Mohammed Sanu, G Kevin Zietler and DT Brandon Washington. They also added a sound run blocking tight end in Orson Charles, who was a top-5 tight end on most boards. Just an all around good draft when you get a potential shut-down corner, starting wideout, guard and two stud DT's. They did well with their other selections as well.

Luck Goes #1 to Indy

Indianapolis Colts: They got their franchise QB, and got him two good tight-ends, as he's shown a knack for using them quite often. They even were able to get his buddy in from Stanford, Coby Fleener, with whom he connected for 10 TD's last season with. He'll take Dallas Clark's old spot, but provide more athleticism and speed to beat LB's and Safeties in coverage. They also got a good blocking TE in Dwayne Allen, a guy who can also catch the ball but makes it a priority to knock defenders down. For these picks alone, they have to be considered one of the top-5 winners of this years draft. They have a whole new makeup on offense now.

New Enlgand Patriots: Now, this hurts to admit cause this is not a team that needed to improve like they did in this draft. They took an ordinary, beatable defense and have really made it over. They took two front-7 players in Dont'a Hightower and Chandler Jones, that have the chance to wreck havoc on opposing QB's. They also helped out their thin secondary by adding a solid CB in the later rounds in Alfonzo Dennard, a guy I was hoping the Raiders or 49ers would select. It wouldn't surprise me if all three of these guys are starting for them come September and not only that, but producing!


St. Louis Rams: They didn't need RGIII, and it paid off dearly because of it. Instead, they turned that #2 into a whole bunch of picks, with which they landed a ton of value and potential. Michael Brockers should start immediately at DT for them, and could contribute 8-10 sacks as early as his rookie season, that's how good he is at penetrating the line from the DT spot. Then they got the uber-talented, built and fast Brian Quick, who has been gaining favorable comparisons to Terrell Owens. The pick that really sealed it though was grabbing Janoris Jenkins with one of those picks they got from Washington. They ended up with 3 first round talents with those guys. Isaih Pead is also highly thought of, so much so that some NFL people believe he'll start to take over RB duties for STL. and take time away from Stephen Jackson starting now. I don't know about all that talk, but at least he'll give them a nice C.O.P. back that will take the load of Jack and give the Rams a Ben Tate-type back to rotate with their pro-bowler. All around good draft for St. Louis as they seemed to get everything, they even got good value at corner (Trumaine Robinson) and LB (Aaron Brown) late in the draft.

Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles are another team that had some gaping holes on their D that they addressed. They added the best pure D-lineman in the draft in Fletcher Cox, and then got stout ILB Michael Kyndricks and another D-lineman in end and pass-rush specialist Vinny Curry who was 6th in the nation in sacks last season. They also added a corner that's no slouch in Brandon Boykin and finally, they added potential heir apparent to Mike Vick in Arizona's Nick Foles. I almost forgot, they also got Miami G Brandon Washington, a big-time talent who just needs the right coaching to keep his motor running at all times. I think the Bengals were far and away the best in the AFC in terms of draft choices, and the Eagles have to get the NFC's honor.

Honorable Mention: Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Pittsburgh Steelers

Biggest Losers:

Seattle Seahawks: The Seahawks had a top-10 pick, and surprised the whole nation by selecting LB Bruce Irvin, a D-2 Linebacker who, granted dominated for his respective school, was a projected mid-round choice. They passed up more sure bets at spots they could have used help (O-line especially) than any other team. There other picks were even worse, as they took ILB Bobby Wagner and QB Russell Wilson way higher than they were thought to be going. Wilson really boggles my mind because the Seahawks need a QB of the future, and there were some nice ones out there when they chose the 5'11" Wilson in round 3! As solid and as good of value Cinci and Philly's drafts were, Seattle's was the complete opposite.

New Orleans Saints: Seattle's draft was bad, but nobody has been struggling like the New Orleans Saints of late, and it carried over into their drafting. They didn't have a first rounder, trading it last year to ensure they got the so far un-productive Mark Ingram, so they were behind the 8-ball to start with, sorta like the Raiders. I think the best player NO drafted was WR Nick Toon, who they got in the 3rd round, but their first pick of the draft was a reach in DT Akeim Hicks. He could end up being a hog, or he could end up being cut bu opening week, that's how up uncertain their 2nd rounder is. Toon, I expect, will thrive with Drew Brees throwing to him and should make in impact right off the bat, the only pick they can say that about.

6'8" Brock Osweiler

Denver Broncos: The Broncos didn't get one single player I think will ever be a good starter at the NFL level. Their draft is average at best, and that has them as a clear loser. Brock Osweiler is the only bright prospect that could turn into something special, because of his size and rocket right-arm, but Derek Wolfe is not a star player, he was good in college, but is too slow and small to dominate the NFL, and they passed up a lot of talent at pick 36 in order to pick him. I also think the QB would have been there for them just 10 picks later in the next round, and they could have gotten two studs in the 2nd like, for instance, Janoris Jenkins and WR Rueben Randle, a stud Corner and a stud WR that Peyton Manning could have turned into a pro-bowler. Had they gone that route, then gotten their QB in round 3, they would have gotten some real value in round 2. Instead, they have an average D-End and a project QB.

Oakland Raiders: Last But not least in our list of the Draft's losers is are our very own Oakland Raiders. Yes, it sucks to admit if your a Raider fan, but face it, they weren't in any great shape for this draft after the Carson Palmer deal. That was their draft, and unfortunately, much of next years as well. They ended up with a very ordinary lineman in Tony Bergstrom with the last pick in the third round, but I think they could have gotten more talent with that pick. I did like the Juron Criner selection, but the Raiders are already stock-piled with upside wideouts that just need work and Criner will be just another face in the crowd. Weak draft for them, you'd think they would have taken a chance on a QB or something and hoped to hit gold late in the draft, but they just went mostly with lineman and linebackers. Needless to say, they won't be getting much help from this years draft class.

That's really it as far as losers in my mind. Every other team got at least one player that I think can turn into an NFL superstar, or at least has to tools to do so. The Falcons were almost on the list, as they to were without a first rounder, but they came up with one a guy many thought to be a top-10 pick in Peter Konz in round 2, so you have to give them that.

NFL Draft Day 3, 49ers Trade Down Again

Well, the 49ers were apparently so enamored with their first two selections, that they felt as if they didn't need a third rounder in this year's draft. After taking A.J. Jenkins in the first round, and LaMichael James in the 2nd, the 49ers traded down into the 4th round to finally choose their first offensive guard, Joe Looney out of Wake Forest.

A.J. Jenkins Introduced

It was obvious heading into this offseason, when your fastest offensive player is your Tight End, you have to improve team speed. With their first two picks, the 49ers tackled that problem, and some. They added arguably the most explosive, quick backs in the draft, albeit an undersized commodity, and a WR that after doing my homework on, almost reminds me of a young Jerry Rice. Jenkins is a super smooth route-runner and has big-time speed. One draft site had him as his NFL upside being Greg Jennings, and that shows you exactly what type of player he should develop into. I've watched plenty of video on him and have been nothing but impressed with the game film. The dude always seems to get open, finds soft-spots in zone coverage and has no trouble beating DB's off the line with his 4.3 speed. And while watching some of that film, especially the dominant game vs. Northwestern, and watching this kid run routes and catch the ball and go, he really reminds me a lot of Jerry Rice. He's got a similar build, though a tad smaller than Rice, he is faster. He's got incredible hands that catch everything they touch and revealed his nickname of E.T. because of his long alien like fingers and huge paws. After being somewhat dumbfound after hearing his name called at 30 while guys like Stephon Hill, Ruben Randle and Janoris Jenkins were sitting there, I'm starting to really come around on this pick, and I've made no bones about my liking the choice of LaMichael James in round 2. I mean, even if James doesn't quite pan out, the 49ers are taking chances on guys that could be explosive football players. James' downside is that he becomes another Kendal Hunter-type C.O.P. back, but his upside is so much more than that, and I'm glad the 49ers saw that.

Raiders Pick Miles Burris in 4th

Across the Bay, the Raiders didn't get the luxury of having a top-2 round pick, as we all know where those went, but they did get a few nice pieces in round 3 and 4 that have some upside. We talked about Bergstrom yesterday, as he's a big tough, versatile O-lineman that does not shy away from any defender. With their 2nd pick of the draft, the Raiders went linebacker Miles Burris out of San Diego St. Burris is strong pass-rusher who collected 9.5 sacks last season, and is adept at bringing heat from the outside. He's also got flexibility to drop back into coverage and has a thick lower-body, which allows him to really drive into his tackles. I'm not sure he'll come right in and play a bunch on defense right off the bat, but he could provide some competition in camp and will surely be a contributor on special teams. The Raiders and the 49ers each still have a 5th round choice remaining, and we'll keep you posted with notes below as the picks come in throughout the day, with brief comments on each player. Of course, we'll review both teams drafts after the thing finishes up, but for know, I still see some quality prospects on the board, including CB Chase Minnifield and G Brandon Washington, who each were expected to go as high as round 2.

5th Round:

Raiders

Jack Crawford, DE, Penn State- Raiders take another edge defender and deepen their D-Line. Crawford has the ability to get to the QB, but is a tad undersized and needs to add some muscle to be a factor.

Juron Criner, WR, Arizona: I really like this choice for the Raiders at the end of round 5. Criner had a big senior year as Nick Foles prime target, catching 75 balls for 900 yards and 11 TD's vs. premium talent in the Pac-12. I think the Raiders were hoping Cal WR Marvin Jones would fall to them, but he went just 2 picks before they choose. Great value pick this deep in the draft though, as I think the 6'4", 215 pounder will be a nice target for Carson and could be the Raiders choice to make the most impact in year one.

49ers

Darius Flemming, OLB, Notre Dame: With talented CB Chase Minnifield still on the board, I thought the 49ers would add to their Defensive backfield here, but they choose Flemming, who's a ball-hawk, but a bit of a tweener and doesn't project out to be much more than a special teams contributor and backup linebacker. Again, very surprised they didn't go Minnifield here, especially seeing the success they've had with mid-round CB's in recent drafts (Tarrell Brown, Chris Culliver). They pick again in just 15 picks, so maybe he'll last till then. Also, G Brandon Washington, projected 2nd rounder, is still out there for the taking.

6th/7th Rounds

49ers

Trenton Robinson, FS, Michigan St.: Robinson was ranked by NFP as the third best Free Safety in this years class. He's a little bit small (5'10", 195) but plays bigger, is a 3-year starter and has produced at  He's adept in coverage and displayed ability to come up and help stop the run. He met a need to as the 49ers were currently sitting with just 3 safeties under contract. Not a bad pick but still wish they would have gotten the strong Virgina corner, Chase Minnifield or Miami guard Brandon Washington. They select again in later this round, so they could still end up with one of these guys, as they represent the best value for the 49ers IMO.

Jason Slowey, T, Western Oregon: Well, the 49ers choose to go O-line again, as the player taken immediately after Slowey was the guy I was hoping they'd choose under these circumstances, Miami's Brandon Washington. I also wonder what they would have done had Miami WR Tommy Streeter had fallen to them. He's a bigger, stronger wideout (6'5", 226 pounds) that is a prime red-zone guy, but they take another O-lineman I'm unfamiliar with. 

Cam Johnson, DE/OLB, Virgina: Now this is a guy I mentioned as a possibility as high as round 3-4, so on that basis alone, I love the pick. He's a bit of a tweener at 6'5" 270, but has the frame to easily add 25 pounds and be a down D-End at the NFL level. He's got plus-pass rush ability (11 sacks in 22 games in Jr./Sr. seasons as D-End), and I think the 49ers saw some shades of Aldon Smith, similar size and attributes, when watching his game film and had ecstatic he fell to them in the 7th.

Raiders

Christo Bilukidi, DT, Georgia State: Don't know anything about him, as he's the first player drafted from Georgia State into the NFL. Supposedly athletic and has good size at 6'3", 310 pounds.

Nathan Stupar, LB, Penn St.: With the Raiders final pick of the 2012 Draft, they choose little known LB Nathan Stupar, another guy I never heard of before hearing his name called today. Supposedly he was an over-looked talent in the mess that went through Penn St. last season, and could challenge for linebacking depth, but I think he's got special teams written all over him at slender, yet powerful and agile 6'1" and 230 pounds.

________________________________________________________________________

So concludes our pick-by-pick analysis of the 2012 NFL draft. Great way to end the draft for the 49ers with a nice prospect late, and there are still a number of top-100 prospects that didn't even go, so be ware of potential UDFA's over the next few days for both the Raiders and 49ers. We'll have a whole post dedicated to those guys tomorrow as the dust settles on the draft and we have some prospective.

Raiders Take Guard Tony Bergstrom at 92

Well they had to wait until the last pick of day 2 to make their first, but the Raiders finally got to chose a player in the 2012 draft, and the new regime went with with a re-enforcement for their offensive line in the form of Tony Bergstrom, a somewhat surprising pick judging by some of the other players that are still available and the Raiders needs on defense especially.

#70, Fits Raider Moto

I don't know a thing about Bergstrom, other than he played his college ball at Utah and is a pretty big load at 6'6" and 315, He played his high school ball in the Bay Area at Skyline High, and is coming home. However, this move caught a lot of Raiders fans by surprise that were hoping for a pass-rusher like Cam Johnson and Jared Crick or a potential shut-down corner like Chase Minnifield. They didn't go after a name, instead going after a guy Reggie McKenzie obviously had his eye on for a while as the Raiders didn't hesitate to choose the Utah guard when their number was called. This now leaves them entering tomorrow with a stict focus on defense, one would think, but with the way the first three rounds of this draft have played out, I really don't know what route they or any other team will go at this point. The one team that has improved themselves immensely by drafting two former collegiate Bay Area stars from Stanford are the Indianapolis Colts. I mean, they got themselves a sure-fire, number one QB for years to come in Luck, and while he may not be Peyton Manning 2.0, he's going to be one of the top-5 NFL QB's within a few years, just watch. Then they went out in round two and nabbed one of Luck's favorite targets and arguably the drafts most talented tight end in Coby Fleener. I mean, that's a squad that had their blue print down and they executed it perfectly. Speaking of tight-ends, I'm a little surprised the Raiders didn't go with talented TE Orson Charles out of Georgia. Their offense suffered last year in the wake of losing top pass-catcher Zack Miller, and they missed that strong presence at tight end. He's a name to keep an eye on for them in round 4 should he fall that far.

2012 NFL Draft Day

2012 NFL Draft Updates

Well, after a long wait, it's finally here, as the Colts are just 3 hours away from going on the clock for pick one, although each of the first 3 teams should already know exactly who they're choosing. After that though, it should get interesting, so stick here as we have updates, surprise picks and, of course, the 49ers selection and thoughts on that choice when it happens, though they won't pick until later this evening. We'll do sort of a "bullet point" post as we periodically add notes here throughout the day, so be sure to check in for updates every hour once the draft starts at 5 PM

• We have our first trade of the day, as the Cleveland Browns traded up a spot to most likely ensure they land their targeted running back, Trent Richardson. It's a little surprising, seeing that they dealt with the Vikings, who were certainly not going to take Richardson with Adrian Peterson on their roster, but the Browns likely did this deal so no other team seeking Richardson can move into that 3-spot. Draft time is still about 40 minutes away.      

Well, the draft is underway, and the first three picks are already in, to nobodies surprise, Luck goes 1 to Indy, Griffin to Washington and Trent Richardson to Cleveland. The Vikings now may trade back to get more picks as Tampa wants Morris Claiborne and may move up to get him. We're not going to be a draft tracker and bring every single pick, but we'll likely do so for the top-10. We'll see what the Vikes, Bucs and Rams do.                                           

The first round continues to be littered with trades left and right, as the Cowboys are the latest to move up, into the the 6th spot trading with St. Louis, and have just selected Cb Morris Claiborne. The 5th pick was no surprise, as Jacksonville Jaguars took a much needed WR, Justin Blackmon. Now that the top-6 picks have gone off the board, none of which were any surprises as these 6 were expected to go top-6 all along, but we may now start to see some surprises. The Bucs surprised with Mark Barron at 7, a guy expected to go mid-late first round, but he's the best safety in the draft and makes sense as far as a needs standpoint in Tampa. Now the Dolphins are locks to take Ryan Tannehill at 8, but after that, it's going to be guess work as I wouldn't have thought Barron would have made it to the top-10, so who knows how things will go the rest of the way.

• Top ten are in and here are the notes on them below, again, not too many surprises, though I guess the two biggest in my opinion were Barron going 7 and Kuiechly 9. Best value in top-10 I think goes to Dallas as they got a difference making DB, who could single-handely improve their pass defense. Biggest reach IMP was Gillmore at 10.

1. Andrew Luck, QB- Colts: No surprise here.
2. RG III, QB- Redskins: No surprise here.
3. Trent Richardson, RB, Browns: They traded picks to move up 1 spot for Draft's top back.
4. Matt Kalil, T, Vikings: Kalil will open up holes for Peterson and provide protection for Ponder.
5. Justin Blackmon, WR- Jaguars: Again, not much of a surprise here as they need a #1 WR.
6. Morris Claiborne, CB- Cowboys: The 'Boys needed a DB, and traded up for the best in draft.
7. Mark Barron, S, Buccaneers: The Bucks loaded up on offense in FA, now shift focus to D.
8. Ryan Tannehill, QB, Dolphins: Could be Ryan Leaf 2.0 or Ben Roethlisber 2.0. Project pick.
9. Luke Kuecihly, LB, Panthers: The Panthers needed defensive help, and got a rock solid LB.
10.Stephon Gillmore, CB, Bills: The Bills needed defense too, though this could be a reach.

• Now, since the top-10 picks are in, we'll slow up a little on the coverage and not note every single pick form here on out. There are still a ton of elite prospects available, including Chandler Jones, Michael Floyd, Riley Rieff, David DeCastro, Dre Kirkpatrick, Melvin Ingram and possibly the best available, Fletcher Cox (expected to go as high as top-7). I think the 49ers may be surprised at who ends up falling to them at this rate.

Picks 10-20 Update: Some of those expected top-10'ers are starting to come off the board left and right. Since our last update, Cox, Dontari Poe and Floyd have gone off the table. I think the Rams were a bit surprised, as I think they dealt back to 14 thinking they'd be able to land WR Michael Floyd. I think we're going to start seeing the premium offensive players drop off the board quick. 49ers divisional rivals, the Rams, went with DT Michael Brockers at 14, and at 15, Seattle went OLB pass-rusher Bruce Irvin (A guy the 49ers were supposedly eying at 30). So As get ready to hit round 2 and all the NFC west picks in besides San Francisco's, I think the 49ers are going to have their choice of some players they didn't think would fall to them at 30. We'll continue our tracker type follower like we did the top-10 once we get to pick 20, as the 49ers close in on their choice. So far, in the first 15 picks, best value is Claiborne at 6 and biggest reach is Irvin at 14 (though he also could be steal if he realizes his talent and avoids off-field troubles). At 16, one of my favorites, OLB-hybrid Quinton Coples went to the Jets, taking away one possible target for the 49ers. And in the spot the Raiders should have picked, had they not traded it to Cincinatti, the Bengals took Dre Kirkpatrick at 17, arguably the 2nd best corner in the draft behind Claiborne and another player I was hoping might stick around until SF picks at 30. There have been some very good value picks but non more so than Chargers' linebacker (pick 18) Melvin Ingram, expected to go as high as pick-7 in a lot of mocks.

• Update: As the 49ers go on he clock, they have a plethora of choices to choose from: WR Stephen Hill, G Cordy Glenn, T Mike Adams, CB Janoris Jenkins, LB Courtney Upshaw and Stanford's T Jonathan Martin and TE Coby Fleener, would all fit and I'd be happy with any of the above. 
• And the 2012 49ers First Round Draft Pick Goes to WR A.J. Jenkins?

20: Kendall Wright, WR, Titans: The speedy, dynamic Baylor WR should complement Kenny Britt well.
21: Chandler Jones, DE, Patriots: A potential top-10 pick will vastly improve a woeful D.
22. Brandon Weeden, QB, Browns: Cle. strategizing beautifully with first picks, need WR in Rd. 2?
23. Riley Rieff, T, Lions: Solid value pick here, should be key in protecting Stafford.
24: David DeCastro, G, Steelers: Great pick, I was hoping he'd go to SF as he's best G in draft.
25. Dont'a Hightower, LB, Patriots: Another defensive pick for NE, another explosive defensive piece.
26. Whitney Mercilus, DE, Texans: Odd pick here as they have a good D, but could have used help on O.
27. Kevin Zietler, G, Bengals: The Bengals add to their O-line and get a highly ranked one in Zietler.
28. Nick Perry, DE, Packers: As I mocked, they add to A.J. Hawk and Clay Matthews with a great LB.
29. Harrison Barnes, S, Ravens: Solid defender adds to a solid
30. A.J. Jenkins, WR, 49ers: I'm not sure about this pick here? Would have went with Hill!

There you have it, the 49ers went with an expected 2nd-3rd round receiver in A.J. Jenkins, which makes little sense to me seeing that they could have gotten him in the 2nd round. He's supposedly polished and a smooth route runner, but with their adds at wideout in free agency, I don't know why they just didn't go guard or defense? Still on the fence on this pick, but after a 3 hour wait, I'm as surprised as any about this pick!

2012 NFL Draft: What Will the 49ers Do?

Well folks, draft enthusiasts will likely not get a wink of sleep tonight, resembling a kid on Christmas Eve as the NFL Draft, the biggest draft of the three major sports, gets kicked off Thursday afternoon.

2012 NFL Draft's Eve

The three-day extravaganza will begin with rounds 1 and 2 going Thursday, and unless they can swing a deal to get into one of the first two rounds, the Raiders can pretty much sit back and watch Thursday and Friday. We all know about them giving up their first rounders this year and next to get Carson Palmer, and they'll also be without a 2nd rounder Friday unless Reggie McKenzie gets creative. It's a big reason why we've focused so much on the 49ers and their draft needs and prospects heading into this draft, the Raiders just don't have enough value picks to even talk about yet and unless they strike gold in round 3, they won't be improving via the draft this year. Now, when Saturday rolls around, they'll be doing their best to fill some of their many holes with mid-round picks. Therefore, most of the focus in the Bay Area Thursday and Friday at least, will be around the Red and Gold. However, due to the state of the team, their particular needs and who may be available to them at 30, there's been a lot of talk that the 49ers could be a team that either trades up in the first round or out of it all together. A team like the Browns, for instance, could be a team worth consulting, as they would love to get their hands on Brandon Weeden, and are not sure if he'll last until they pick in round 2. The 49ers would ideally like to get a play-making receiver, or a right guard they can pencil into their starting lineup, but they're in a unique situation that they haven't been in for years, as they really don't have a bunch of glaring holes that they need to fill with a bunch of draft picks. It's why they could package some picks together and maybe move up to get a stud guard like David DeCastro or burner WR like Stephen Hill, or, ideally, Michael Floyd.

We won't know exactly until tomorrow, but the 49ers have been saying they have their eye on a particular player they believe will be available when they pick at 30. Not exactly sure who that player is yet, but that piece of info alone leads me to believe they'll end up keeping pick 30 rather than moving up or down. We'll have full NFL Draft coverage here at The Bay Area Sports Journal all day Thursday, posting notes periodically throughout the evening, so be sure to check here first for all your 49ers and Raiders draft news, notes and analysis. We didn't really talk much about who the 49ers could go after in round 2 yet, and we'll discuss that much more tomorrow after Round 1 is in the books and we see the pool of players still available. A few names I like just off the top of my head who could quite possibly last that late though are Guards Amini Silatolu (Midwestern State) and Brandon Washington (Miami), WR Alshon Jeffery (Alabama), D-Ends Cam Johnson (Virginia) and Jared Crick (Nebraska) or DT's Almeda Ta'amu (Washington) and Brandon Thompson (Clemson). A dark-horse candidate could be talented Virginia corner, Chase Minnifield (projected to go anywhere from late-1st to late to the 4th round), especially if they don't get a CB in Round 1. Any of these guys I think would provide the Niners much needed depth to areas this team could use, and any would be fine by me in round 2 at pick 62, depending on who they take at 30.

Ahh, the NFL draft, perhaps the most "speculative" time in all of sports and a time in which every NFL team and fan get's a glimmer of hope that their team gets that game-changer, that play-maker with their top pick. That is, unless your a fan or member of the Raiders, of course, then you have to wait until day 3 for your excitement. And we wonder why this blog is so heavily tilted towards 49ers coverage?

Bay Area Sports Notes: NFL Draft, MLB Talk

There's a lot going on in the world of sports right now. Major League Baseball is now in full swing, and the NFL draft is just a few short weeks away. And as the 49ers and Raiders go through the final stages of preparation, we're hearing all sorts of rumblings and rumors.

We'll start out with some baseball talk, as the A's and Giants haven't exactly gotten out to scorching starts. For a second straight start, Tim Lincecum was lit up pretty good, this time in Colorado by the Rockies. Not the start he was looking for after getting lit up for 5 runs in the five innings on Opening Day vs. Arizona last week, and if it weren't for Barry Zito's terrific outing and Madison Bumgarner's gem Thursday, this team could have been looking at coming home for Friday's opener at 0-6. Luckily for them, they took the Colorado series and are sitting at 2-4 and appear to be at least moving in the right direction. The A's have fared a little better, as their schedule has been a lot easier than the Giants early on here, but they're just 3-4 going into play Friday. However, opposite of San Francisco's start, Oakland has gotten terrific starting pitching but hardly any offensive support. The only exception to that has been young Yeonis Cespedes, who's really started out the year well with the bat. He's got 3 long balls and 7 RBI and leads everyday players with a .273 average. Johnny Gomes has also had a couple big home runs for the A's early on, but that's been about it, as he's 3 of 18 on the season. The real rough starts though have come from guys the A's were hoping would be offensive catalysts. Coco Crisp (.192) has not adjusted to hitting 3rd, and Kurt Suzuki (.200) has struggled out the gate once again, making everyone wonder if he'll ever return to that .275/15/80 guy he was in his 3rd season in the bigs in '09. Since then though, he's hit just .240, although he did drive in 74 runs in 2010.

Another big topic, outside of the beginning of the baseball season, has been the rising coverage of the NFL draft, which always go hand in hand. This is one of the most busy times of year to cover sports because of it and all the attention the draft gets, by far and away the biggest draft of all the major sports. The Raiders and 49ers each enter the 2012 draft in completely different modes. The Raiders, as we all remember, gave up this years 1st rounder and next years for QB Carson Palmer, a move that I'm sure their new GM is non to thrilled about. The 49ers will be the only Bay Area team with a first round pick in this draft, and the next one, barring any trades, and their could be. Matt Barrows was on KNBR Thursday to talk a bit about the draft and who the 49ers may target and a few different names he mentioned interested me. Supposedly, the 49ers have had Notre Dame WR Michael Floyd, an expected top-10 pick in for a workout, as well as LSU's Rueben Randle, another guy expected to go way before the 49ers select at pick 30. There's been plenty of talk about the 49ers possibly moving up in the draft to grab talented Stanford guard, David Decastro (pictured), who would be an ideal fit in Harbough's system. That's really the only spot the 49ers need to find another starter at, that right guard spot on the O-line and DeCastro is one of the best in this class. My guess is that the 49ers will stand pat and take the best available player on the board when they're number is called, whether it's a wide receiver, safety or a good young lineman, either defensive or offensive. I think if they had their choice, they'd get another corner or a good young D-lineman like DeCastro, but again, unless they trade up or down to target a specific player, I expect them to go after talent rather than positional needs with their first rounder.

Bay Area Sports Notes: 49ers, Raiders, A's

Well, like we try to do at least once a month here at the Bay Area Sports Journal, we're going to use today's post to sort of touch on a lot of different topics happening right now in the Bay Area sports scene. From the Raiders hiring a new coach, the 49ers #1 offseason priority to A's offseason and their pursuing of Manny Ramirez.

49ers: We'll start with the hot topic team around the Bay Area right now, which is the San Francisco 49ers, who came within 15 minutes of representing the NFC in Indy at the Super Bowl on Sunday. However, they were unable to pull it out in the end, and much of the can be attributed to their horrid third down percentage and poor play from their receiving corps. Alex Smith didn't have his best day, in wet conditions, but his receivers failed to do much of anything to help them out as the wideouts attributed for just 1 catch and 4 yards on in game. So obviously, the 49ers number one priority in terms of the area they need to upgrade the most, I think it's unquestionably the receiving corps. Luckily for them, this particular draft comes stocked with at least 5 potential first round wideouts, and this years free agent market certainly has no shortage of impact receivers either. Now, we'll spend many of hours and posts between now and the summer discussing who the 49ers could potentially target in free agency, as well as who may fall to them in the late first round of April's draft, but I just wanted to get out my early targets if I were running the team. Their are three free agent, number-one receivers hitting the market, assuming they don't get franchised, and I'd be happy with either of them. Those three names are Dwaye Bowe, Vincent Jackson and Marques Colston, and I'd probably rank them in that order too.

Raiders: Also, being so wrapped up in the NFL playoffs and the 49ers over the last few weeks, we haven't yet talked about Reggie McKenzie's first big hire as Raiders GM, bringing in Dennis Allen, who was Denver's defensive coordinator in 2011. He's just 39 years old and brings a focus a defensive philosophy to the Raiders head coaching spot, something they haven't had in many years. Ultimately, horrid defensive play down the stretch is what cost the Raiders a trip to the playoffs as they were definitely the best team in the AFC West in 2011. I'm not too sure yet what to make of the Allen hiring, as he's young and doesn't have a bunch of experience to judge from, but I think the Raiders looked just across the Bay and saw just how successful the 49ers were with a premium defense and average offense and figured it was time they change philosophy. That's a good move in my opinion, so I see this move as a step in the right direction.

Athletics: And the third and final team we're going to discuss here today are the Oakland Athletics and the somewhat bizarre offseason they've had. They started off by dealing every player that had any value on the roster, including their top three pitchers, Trevor Cahill, Gio Gonzalez and Andrew Bailey. Then in this latter part of the offseason, they've all the sudden started adding veteran pieces back to the puzzle, including the re-signing of Coco Crisp, and now their apparent serious interest in Manny Ramirez. They also inked Bartolo Colon to a deal after dealing away Guillermo Moscoso. I can kind of understand pursuing Ramirez, being that he'd draw some fans out to the Coliseum, would come pretty cheaply and would provide offense at the DH spot. However, I feel like they may have just blocked one of their better prospects in Michael Taylor, from his natural position by bringing back Crisp, and I just don't get the Colon signing a bit. Maybe they added him hoping he'll dominate the first half and they'll have a trading chip come July? I just don't really get those two signings with the theme of their offseason being in fire sale mode and looking to rid as much payroll as possible. I do like the addition of Seth Smith and the signing of Jonny Gomes, who came cheaply but could payoff big time if he just hits .250, with the pop he has. Smith is a very solid hitter who will now have an everyday gig and should respond with a .280/25/85 line, or thereabouts. Watching him over the years as a Giants fan, he's sneaky good. The A's have been one of the more active teams over the last couple of weeks, and according the Lou Wolfe, they'll be adding more before Opening Day! Like with the 49ers, we'll have much more A's talk with Spring Training quickly approaching.

Raiders Give Jackson the Axe

Well, in a week that has the 49ers squaring up with the Mr. Unstoppable, Drew Brees, at Candlestick Park, the big talk in the Bay Area Tuesday lied around the Oakland Raiders. After just one season as head coach, Hugh Jackson was ousted after his squad finished the season terribly.

It came as a surprise to me, I'll tell you that much. I mean, I heard the rumblings over the weekend, but you normally hear some level of that with every team that just misses the playoffs and probably should have made it. This shakes up the whole Raiders organization because Jackson had full control and last say on player movement. He was the one that, probably, signed off on the Carson Palmer deal and then once his team lost 4 of their last 5 ballgames, and their stronghold on the AFC West. But what I think really sealed his fate was after the season when he threw his players, mainly star linebacker Rolando McClain, under the bus and blamed missing the playoffs solely on the players. Now, I've coached, granted at Senior Little League level, but one thing you never, ever do as a coach, is place blame on players publicly. If you have a problem with a player, it's between you and them, you don't make it a public issue, and Jackson had no problem doing just that. Couple that with the fact that the team just hired, Reggie Mckenzie and the two probably did not hit it off, as Jackson wanted more say in personnel issues and McKenzie was probably less than impressed with Jackson's performance as a coach and leader over the last month or more. All that said, I think Jackson did a pretty good job until that end of season meltdown. I wouldn't have done the Carson Palmer deal, would have held out for Orton at like 1/16 of the price, but that's water under the bridge now. I do think Jackson will find another home as an NFL head coach at some point, but this was the right move for the Raiders.

Whichever coach is brought in will immediately enter a tough situation, as the Raiders are set to enter 2012 with 2 QB's expecting to start in Carson Palmer and Jason Campbell. My guess is they deal Campbell and try and get some draft picks back. There is a major lack of QB options this winter, outside of RG3, Andrew Luck, Kyle Orton and Matt Flynn (who I'm still not really sold on), there aren't any starting caliber QB's who will be free this summer. I could see Miami definitely having some interest in Campbell, as well as Washington. I think whatever team doesn't get Griffin or Luck should go after Campbell before trying to sign Matt Flynn. That's just my personal opinion. Campbell had the Raiders on a clear road to the playoffs and he went down and this team was never the same. At the same time, after an offseason and preseason working with Raider receivers, I'd expect a much better Carson Palmer in 2012 Raider fans, and as long as Run DMC is healthy and those receivers stay on the field, this team will be a playoff squad. As for coaches, I'm haven't a clue yet who they're thinking of, but with Al Davis passed on, it may make coaching the Raiders a little more desirable. When Davis was alive, bless him, he had complete control of everything, rumors spread that he'd even call down plays to head coaches on occasion.

Still the Raiders aren't going to get an established head coach like a Bill Cowher or Jeff Fischer. Heck, they probably couldn't even get Steve Marriuci out of retirement and he loves the Bay Area. Unless they want to go with a guy desperate for a HC job like Mike Martz or Denny Green, they need a bright eyed, rattle the troops, college-type coach if you ask me (Chip Kelly anyone?). They need a Pete Carroll-type would be ideal for the Raiders, though he's locked up with the Seahawks, but maybe try and pluck a premium college coach up. Jim Mora Jr. would have been another young, fiery head coach perfect for this job but he just signed on with UCLA They need someone who's well known enough to the players to command their respect, at the same time, they need someone with energy and who will fire that team up rather than sit back and point fingers.

49ers Clinch 2 Seed, Send 8 to Pro Bowl

It was a great week in the Bay Area for 49ers fans as the Niners finally got some long awaited respect again. Not only are they returning to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years, they're also sending 8 players to Hawaii for the Pro-Bowl in February.

Now, before we get ahead of ourselves and start talking potential 49er opponents for round two of the playoffs, I have to say, I was less than impressed with Sunday's win vs. the Rams. Not only was St. Louis starting a backup QB, but they're one of the worst teams in football, and they nearly came back and took that #2 seed away from San Francisco. It wasn't the offense's fault either, as they cruised through the Rams' defense, with Smith completing nearly 70% of his passes and throwing for a score and 220 yards. The team also rushed for over 100 yards again, although they did rest Gore for much of the game. The 49ers rush defense, which hadn't allowed a rushing score heading into week 16, allowed two more TD's via the ground, one coming against the first unit too. Granted, most of the Rams comeback was in the 4th quarter when most all 49ers starters were sitting, it was a tad unsettling to see them come that close to losing out on the crucial first round bye. But besides the 4th quarter meltdown, things went well in the first half, as Michael Crabtree continued his assault on NFL corners with 2 more TD's and 9 catches for 92 yards. The dude just catches everything you throw in his direction, as evidence of that TD reception from kicker David Akers. The dude is finally coming into his own, and has become a clear cut #1 wideout (starting to be a leader on field as well!).

Crabtree, unfortunately though, won't be joining 8 of his other teammates in Honolulu next month for the NFL version of the All-Star game, as the AFC and NFC square off in the ever meaningless Pro-Bowl. The 49ers and the Patriots each are sending 8 players, which leads all NFL teams. For the 49ers, both kicker and punter David Akers and Andy Lee will get a much deserved trip as those two were arguably a couple of the most valuable 49ers this season. Joining them and starting on the NFC's defense will be Patrick Willis and Carlos Rogers (pictured to right saving a big TD), while Joe Staley will start at RT for the offense. The other three players who earned the honor are Frank Gore, Justin Smith and Dashon Goldson. All who had huge years for 49ers playoff run. Also selected as alternates (which means some of these guys will probably make it) are linebackers NaVorro Bowman (how he wasn't a first-balloter is blowing a lot of minds around the Bay Area) and Ahmad Brooks as well as Vernon Davis, Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin, Ray McDonald, Ted Ginn Jr., Blake Costanzo and Bruce Miller. My guess is Bowman and Davis end up making the team.

Going for the Raiders will be kicker Sebastian Janikowski, punter Shane Lechler and DT Richard Seymour.

Bay Area Sports Notes for the Holidays

Well folks, Christmas and the New Year are just around the corner, and we here at The Bay Area Sports Journal wish all our readers and their families the very best. We'll be away for a few days starting Christmas eve and returning December 27th and won't be posting at that time so I figured I just do another quick version of the Bay Area sports notes.

A's: The A's have gone into full on fire-sale mode and it's making one wonder whether this team is long for the Bay Area. Tearing down your team and dealing away your young, marketable stars is not the way to get baseball to help back you for a new ballpark. They've lost half their lineup to free agency, and dealt away 23 year-old fan favorite, Trevor Cahill. Their latest giveaway was left-hander Gio Gonzalez to the Nationals in exchange for 4 minor leaguers. While I really like young Brad Peacock and A.J. Cole, I just think they could have gotten at least one major league proven player with those two for a healthy 26 year-old left-handed all-star starting pitcher. Ian Desmond would have been nice! Danny Espinosa would have upgraded the offense, but the deal obviously shows the A's are not worried about 2012 or 2013.

Raiders: Each Bay Area team gets the Saturday game this week, as the NFL switches over to Saturdays now with the NCAA regular season finished. Both have games that favors them, though the Raiders will have a tough go of it in Kansas City again without Darren McFadden and the Chiefs coming off the Green Bay upset. I still think the Raiders win this game on the arm of Carson Palmer, who's quietly been great after coming in mid-season with no training camp. He's kept the Raiders playoff hopes alive but they have to win Saturday to stay on track. They should do that though as long as their defense keeps Kyle Orton in check and the Raiders can keep their wideouts (mainly DHB and Denarious Moore) on the field cause KC has a good secondary and a lock-down corner in Brandon Flowers, so the Raiders need options! Still should see a lot of Michael Bush though too.

49ers: The Niners are facing a similar situation with the Seattle Seahawks, who have come on tremendously strong in the 2nd half of the season. If they take them too lightly, the Seahawks will take advantage of the 49ers, so they have to stay on their game. They're still fighting for a first round bye with New Orleans and have plenty to play for, so it's not a game where you take your starters out at halftime. They have to let Smith loose cause Seattle packs a tough front-7 that will focus on Frank Gore. With the emergence of Kyle Williams and the strong play of Mike Crabtree and Vernon Davis though, that shouldn't be a problem for the Niners. To get them ready for the playoffs, I'd like to see Alex throw the ball 30 times just for the heck of it, even if they're leading 23-7 or something like that. Take some shots down field. You know if you see New Orleans or Green Bay in January, your going to have to do it, my as well start now.

For Warriors and Giants talk, be sure to check out The Warriors Rundown and The Giants Baseball Blog! Also, we'll be talking a lot more Fiesta Bowl upon our return as well as Andrew Luck and his chances our votes for the Heisman. Cal also has the Holiday Bowl on the 28th and we'll be sure to get our thoughts on that as well!

So, we'll should be back by the 27th for sure, maybe even a late post on the 26th, but definitely by the 27th. Merry Christmas all from here at The Journal!

Raiders Get "Megatroned" vs. Lions

In easily one of the best football games I've laid eyes on this season, the Raiders and Lions squared off in a good old shootout in the Black Hole and it came down to a last second, epic blocked field goal that sealed it for Detroit.

It's been a while since we dedicated a post solely to the Raiders, and with the 49ers playing in Monday Night's game, it gives us a chance to look at their contest with Detroit a lot closer. I thought it was a very well played game on both ends, especially offensively. Both teams didn't seem to have trouble throwing the football, as Carson Palmer went 32-40 for 370 yards while Matthew Stafford bested him with 391 yards and 4 scores. The most impessive TD's, easily in my mind, came from MegaTron himself, Calvin Johnson who had one of his best games of his career. He hauled in both a 51-yard and 16-yard strikes from Stafford and finished the day with 9 grabs and 214 yards. He really was the difference maker out there Sunday as the Raiders were again without Darren McFadden. Michael Bush struggled to get it going on the ground, which stumped the Raiders offense a lot on 3rd-and-short. Early on in the game, I thought Oakland had the hold on them though. Speaking of career type games, Darrious Heyward-Bey easily had his, reeling in 8 passes for 155 yards and a TD. It makes me wonder what happened to him in the offense after the Palmer trade when he became non-existent until a week ago. I know there was some injury issues there, but this guy is rounding into the Raiders top pass-catcher.

It really just came down to two good football teams battling it out and the better team won. The Lions, even with the question mark at running back, clearly are the superior team to Oakland, especially without Run DMC. It also took a last second block of a "Seebass" 65-yard attempt that may have very well been the game winner. You hate a loss, and this one hurts, but the Raiders, especially their offensive passing unit and O-Line should take plenty of positives out of this game. What they do need to figure out, is how to contain teams' big-play recievers without negating the rest of the offense, which is why Hue Jackson makes millions of dollars of dollars per year!

Bay Area Sports Notes

With the Holliday season upon us, I thought I'd run down the various teams in the Bay Area that we cover her at The Journal, and let you know where each team currently stands. We've been talking Niners in every post so we'll hold back off them (just scroll down for our last post on the), but what about the Warriors, the Giants, the A's and Raiders?
_____________________________
Warriors Notes:

First off, the Warriors made a move for a much needed big man this week, inking former Michael Jordan protege and #1 pick Kwame Brown. I don't necessarily love the deal, but it sure beats throwing huge dollars at an un-proven DeAndre Jordan in my eyes. I don't get the infatuation with Jordan, he can jump and rebound and cause havoc in the middle, but so can Epke Udoh and Brown will bring just that kind of presence if he's motivated and healthy. Not saying I think Brown's a better player than Jordan, just saying that the W's have overpaid their share for mediocre big men already. I'm glad they didn't waste a bunch of money in order to do so and got themselves a defensive presence in Brown. Kwame's never lived up to his #1 pick billing, so people will always look upon him with a frown, but he's a Warrior now and he's got my full backing. If the W's get the player who showed up in Charlotte in the 2nd half (10/7 per night), then he'll probably take the starting job from Biedrins without much of a fight. The only other center being possibly discussed was Samuel Dalembert, so Brown doesn't look so bad considering. What surprised me the most upon hearing this signing was that Biedrins was not amnestied, instead they used it on Charlie Bell. Should make for an interesting small preseason!
_______________________________
Giants Notes:

On the Giants front, their offseason has been very quiet outside of two mid-range trades in which they've added Angel Pagan from New York and Melky Cabrera from Kansas City. With the two moves, the Giants appear to have done their major work this winter, with the chance of them still signing a utility infielder and a right-handed hitting outfielder before spring training. If they are indeed done though, I can't say I'm overly impressed with what Sabean has done. I like Pagan and Cabrera as players and believe the Giants made good deals, but they still need pop in that lineup. Someone who can hit more than the 20 HR's Pablo and Buster will give them. They're banking on Huff, Sanchez, Posey, Crawford and Belt all improving by standing pat, and that's a lot to ask. As always, for our daily, in-depth Giants talk, check out The Giants Baseball Blog!
_________________________________
A's Notes:

Onto the A's, who have moved into full on sale mode once again. Luckily though, they traded the right pitching in my mind in Cahill instead of Gonzalez, but they still could deal Gonzalez away as well. They sent Cahill to Arizona for a speedy average hitting outfielder in Collin Cowgill, and a few young arms in Jarrod Parker (starting pitcher) and Ryan Cook (relief pitcher). Now, Parker is a nice young arm, who projects out to be a 3 or 4 starter, but Cook looks like a mid-reliever and I'd be surprised if Cowgill becomes a successful MLB regular. In other words, I think AZ won this deal hands down, getting a potential 23 year-old ace under control for years and not even near his prime yet. I know he had a hiccup in 2011, but he was still one of the most consistent starters in that rotation and again, he's 23! Seems to me for a 23 year-old #1-2 starter, they could have gotten an already proven everyday player (Drew, Montero, Perra?), as well as the team's top pitching prospect like Parker. I mean, Cahill's younger than Parker, and already has years under his belt!
________________________________
Raiders Notes:

I'm going on longer than I was planning, so I have to keep the Raiders notes short and sweet. This team hasn't tanked like everyone in the Bay Area media is saying they have, they've actually played quite well up until the last few weeks considering the QB change in season and all the injury problems on the O-line and wideout spots, but the ultimate missing piece has been Darren McFadden, who just made this offense go when he was on the field. No knock on Mike Bush, who's playing well in DMC's absence and is good enough to start in this league, but he doesn't catch the ball like DMC or have that game-breaking speed. Also, Denarious Moore and Jacoby Ford, arguably the two most vertical threats on the roster, who also have great rapport with Carson Palmer (who we'll analyze more since the trade soon!), have been non-existent the last month. Even so, the only game this team lost that they really shouldn't have since the bye was the game vs. Miami in week 13. They could have played better vs. Green Bay, but they weren't winning that game with Rogers having the year he is. All in all, the Broncos are in better shape right now, as they both have pretty equal ending schedules, but Denver hasn't lose a game since October!
_______________________________
49ers: Since we do so many 49ers posts here and this blog has become a psuedo-49ers Blog, this post will be 49ers-free. Just scroll down for plenty of current Niners talk, including thoughts on Sundays rough loss here?

Also, please join our Twitter Feed here, (under GiantsBlogger) for news on new posts and breaking Bay Area sports news!

49ers Return to Old Ways Vs. Arizona

I was enjoying my time in beautiful Santa Barbara Sunday morning, and getting ready to watch another 49er's clinic of fundamentally sound football vs. the lowly Arizona Cardinals. However, instead, we saw one of the worst 49ers offensive outputs of the year, and it just so happened to come against one of the NFL's most generous defenses.

They were in Arizona territory for most of the first half of the game, but could only come away with David Akers field goals, and that's what ended up costing the team. Yes, they did give up a lead late and their defense let them down a bit, but if they perform like they should have on offense in

the first quarter and the passing game was more in tune, it would have been a blowout early rather than a field goal parade. Three times in the first half the 49ers got inside the 10-yard line of Arizona, and were held tofield goals on all three trips. The turning point in the game though, in my opinion, came in the 2nd quarter when the 49ers executed a fake field goal perfectly when holder Andy Lee hit All-Pro center Jonathan Goodwin on a perfect lob pass that would have put the 49ers inside the 5-yard line, or possibly into the endzone. However Ken Whisenhunt threw a challenge flag for the previous play a spit second before the snap, challenging the previous Kyle Williams catch which put the Niners in field goal position. It was a such a bad luck play for San Francisco because replay booth didn't even allow the officials to challenge the play so it was all moot anyway. Then Akers went on to miss the 50-yard field goal attempt, giving the 49ers zero points instead of 7. Then to top it off, Josh Skelton hit Early Doucet on the very next play for a 60-yard TD pass and it was all down hill from there.

The 49ers didn't play their normal hard-nosed style defense either, as their front-7 failed miserably at getting after Josh Skelton. They shut down Wells and the running game, and did a fair job in pass coverage except for a few big plays they gave up.

Skelton's TD pass to Larry Fitzgerald was classic Fitz, beating good coverage and going up to get a tough pass then taking it to the house. The Doucet TD, then that little Andre Roberts dump off TD pass were each plays the 49ers stop when they're on, so that was more than a little concerning to see them play like that. The offense struggled all day long, and Alex Smith completed just 48% of his 37 pass attempts while Frank Gore was running wild on them early (10/72 TD) but then Harbough abandoned the run in the second half. Basically though, if Alex Smith plays Sunday like he has for most of the 2011 campaign, the 49ers win this game, but we got pre-2011 Alex, and it caused a ripple effect. It's not entirely his fault, as receivers dropped balls all day, including one by Kyle Williams in the end-zone, and also a key one by Vernon Davis. They better get right this week, cause they have Pittsburgh next Sunday and if they show up like this against them, they're in for another loss and another hit to their attempt at a first-round bye.

On the Raiders front, it was a mess, again. You can really see how important Run DMC was to that team cause they've been a mess without him. Their receiving corps has been banged up all year and their best pass catcher can't seem to stay healthy. Carson Palmer is trying to work with what he's got, and I think the Raiders don't have too far to go to really improve themselves, but a makeover on the O-line as well as their secondary would be a good place to start.

Gore Ready for Sunday, McFadden Out Again

Coming off his worst start as a pro in an injury shortened game vs. the Giants last weekend, Frank Gore is healing up surprisingly fast. The Raiders aren't so lucky, as their start back Darren McFadden will miss at least another game with his bum foot.

The pro-bowl back said he fully expects to be on the field Sunday for the 49ers match-up with the Arizona Cardinals. Even if that is the case though, I expect his workload to be a fraction of what it typically is, especially if the 49ers gain control of the game early like expected. Kendal Hunter has been outstanding as the change of pace back thus far and filled in admirably for Gore vs. the Giants. I still expect Gore to start as long as he's healthy, and get the majority of the carries, but if the 49ers are smart, they'll pace the 28 year-old and not give him more than 12-15 touches. The 49ers need to be taking advantage of their schedule right now and if it means resting a key player or two vs. the weaker teams in the league like Arizona, then I'm all for it. However, the 49ers need to be on their game and must take advantage of the light schedule if they are going to start resting their veterans a bit more. Staying on the injury front, it was very good to see Braylon Edwards back on the field after his brief absence. Michael Crabtree leaped into the forefront of the 49ers passing game in his absence, but he appeared to be on the same page as Alex Smith last Sunday like he never missed a beat. The 49ers didn't have him out there for every offensive snap though, as they're bringing him along a little slower than they have to. They need to use the same logic with Frank Gore.

Across the bay, the Raiders have their own backfield injury to deal with, as Run DMC has missed the last two games with a foot sprain, and will likely miss a 3rd consecutive game this weekend vs. Minnesota. Luckily for the Raiders though, they have Michael Bush backing him, and Bush has been a monster the last few weeks. I've always thought that Bush would be a great featured back because of his power and speed, and he's showed it November. So much so that the Raiders could find themselves shopping the former Rutgers star this offseason. I'm sure they'd like to hang onto Bush as McFadden's caddy, but I'm sure he'll want more carries after his showing over the last 2 seasons, and this could be the time for the Raiders to really cash in on him. I mentioned trading him before the deadline as part of the Carson Palmer deal, but his name was never brought up. Speaking of Palmer, in McFadden's absence, Carson has taken reigns of the offense and begun to get very comfortable. After his miserable start vs. KC before the bye, he's torched the Broncos and Chargers, throwing for 631 yards and 5 TD's in the last two weeks. He's also found his favorite target, taking a real liking to rookie Denarious Moore and putting the talented wideout right back on the pace he was at in the beginning of the year. With their passing game now catching up with their rushing attack, the Raiders have improved to 6-3 and look destined playoff football for the first time Since 2002.

Stanford Falls to #9: Unfortunately for the Stanford Cardinal, they couldn't keep up with the 49ers and Raiders winning ways last weekend. They fell to the speedy Oregon Ducks, who really laid it to Stanford like I haven't seen in a few years. They had control of the game from the get go and really gave Andrew Luck trouble all night long. I knew it was going to be a battle, but Oregon really made it look easy. We'll talk much more Stanford football as we gear up for Bowl season, but this loss eliminates any hope at a National Championship appearance for the Cardinal.