San Francisco 49ers

Mining the Gold Rush

ALL
OUTSIDER

Who among us can really judge Steve McNair?

By TonyLombardi | July 8, 2009 | Ravens Roost

It's been four plus days yet seemingly months ago since Steve McNair was taken from this earth in a violent and unnecessary way. I've taken in the talk on sports radio and I've read the feedback submitted by Ravens fans and clearly the opinions vary on how McNair will be remembered. When I think back, I recall the nickname Air McNair as the former Alcorn State Brave emerged on to the NFL scene as the third overall pick by the Houston Oilers in the 1995 NFL Draft. At the time I thought the nickname was a bit unusual since his legs can be credited with most of his early success. Right around the time McNair was maturing as a professional my son Tyler, to the delight of his proud Dad began to really develop an affinity for the NFL and in large part the credit for that can be attributed...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: Baltimore Ravens, Eddie George, Steve McNair, Tennessee Titans

Mayor Newsom discusses 49ers and new stadium

By Samuel Lam | July 8, 2009 | Mining the Gold Rush

Mayor Gavin Newsom was on Comcasat Sportsnet's Chronicle Live on Tuesday night. He talks about the current stadium situation and how the San Francisco wants to keep the 49ers in the city, but there are some difficulties in doing so.There are a handful of videos of the interview. Just search under 49ers content at this link and you'll get to all of Newsom's clips....

Read more | Discuss | Tags: San Francisco 49ers

RAY LEWIS ISN'T PAID TO BE A BABYSITTER

By TonyLombardi | July 8, 2009 | Ravens Roost

Whenever an NFL player becomes available who might be a match for the Ravens on the field yet is a problem off the field or in the locker room, fans inevitably look to Ray Lewis and conclude that he can be the voice of reason and stave off any potential issues. Fans think that Ray can turn a drama queen into his own little dancing queen who will march to his beat on demand. Look up babysitter in the NFL Glossary and fans expect to see the willing and smiling face of Ray Lewis. And given this widely held belief among fans, they precipitously conclude that the problem child flavor of the month can be the missing ingredient for the Ravens - particularly if the player is a wide receiver. Plaxico Burress - bring him on! Brandon Marshall - no worries, besides what has he been CONVICTED of... If either...

Read more | Discuss | Tags: baltimore Ravens, Ray Lewis

Can the Ravens surpass Steelers without No. 1 WR?

By TonyLombardi | July 8, 2009 | Ravens Roost

This article was written by Tony Lombardi of Ravens24x7.com The Ravens are just a wide receiver away from overtaking the Steelers in the AFC North. How many times have you HEARD that? If the Ravens had a true No. 1 receiver they may have advanced to and won Super Bowl XLIII. How many times have you SAID that? The Ravens would love to have a player in the mold of Larry Fitzgerald or one with the skills of Brandon Marshall. But is that the only way for the Ravens to take that next step? Can they take that next step with the wide receiver talent currently on their roster provided they improve in other areas? That's a reasonable assumption don't you think? But before we go there, let's look at the receiving talent the Ravens do have heading into the 2009 season. Derrick Mason: It's safe to say that...

Read more | 7 Comments | Tags: baltimore Ravens, Derrick Mason, Joe Flacco, Marcus Smith, Mark Clayton

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Carolina Panthers

By Staff Report | July 8, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Joe Coward from CatCrave.com gives insight into what to expect from this year's Carolina PanthersCarolina Panthers, 2009 Season Preview Some Negative Comments Most Carolina fans think of the horrendous playoff game Delhomme last played more often than the season opener he won for Carolina in San Diego. Some call Delhomme's extension a blessing in disguise, for salary cap room, if nothing else. In time we will sort it out and see if a contract extension for Delhomme was right or wrong. Some worry about Julius Peppers. He will have a solid season in 2009 if he wants to move elsewhere that bad in 2010. Some Positive Comments Carolina has become a force...

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Carolina Panthers, NFL

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Kansas City Chiefs

By Staff Report | July 7, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Josh Knox from KCChiefsFootball.com shares his insight on the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs. Check in on other teams here.Chiefs 2009 NFL Season Preview Last year was a very rough year to be a Chief. One positive that can be taken from this is finishing 2-14 there is really nowhere to go but up and Chiefs seem to doing everything in their power to make the best on and off the field decisions to help their organization for both now and the future.. Let's talk about some of the key losses for the Chiefs and then we will go on and see what they added. . Key Losses: Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards, Tony Gonzalez, Donnie Edwards, Patrick Surtain If you watched...

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Chiefs, Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel, Scott Pioli

Jerry Rice featured on ESPN's 'Homecoming'

By Samuel Lam | July 6, 2009 | Mining the Gold Rush

ESPN's Mike Sando has notified us on his blog that Jerry Rice will be on ESPN's "Homecoming" show with Rick Reilly.49ers legend Jerry Rice takes his turn on ESPN's "Homecoming with Rick Reilly" at 7 p.m. ET Thursday. The show, taped in May, featured about 1,000 season-ticket holders in the audience. If you attended, let the rest of us know how it went.Steve Young and Eddie DeBartolo Jr. were among those who participated in the program. I've only seen one of these before and it featured baseball's Josh Hamilton. Rick Reilly has been one of my favorite writers since he wrote for Sports Illustrated. I recommend you all check this show out. ===EDIT: 49ers sign LB Brit Miller from Carolina by claiming him off waivers....

Read more | Discuss | Tags: San Francisco 49ers

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Carolina Panthers

By Staff Report | July 8, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Carolina Panthers, NFL

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Kansas City Chiefs

By Staff Report | July 7, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Josh Knox from KCChiefsFootball.com shares his insight on the 2009 Kansas City Chiefs. Check in on other teams here.Chiefs 2009 NFL Season Preview Last year was a very rough year to be a Chief. One positive that can be taken from this is finishing 2-14 there is really nowhere to go but up and Chiefs seem to doing everything in their power to make the best on and off the field decisions to help their organization for both now and the future.. Let's talk about some of the key losses for the Chiefs and then we will go on and see what they added. . Key Losses: Carl Peterson, Herm Edwards, Tony Gonzalez, Donnie Edwards, Patrick Surtain If you watched...Read more

Read more | 1 Comment | Tags: Chiefs, Kansas City Chiefs, Matt Cassel, Scott Pioli

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: Pittsburgh Steelers

By Staff Report | July 6, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Donald from Steelerstoday.com gives insight into what to expect from this year's Pittsburgh Steelers.2008 regular season record: 12-42009 predicted record: 13-3Predicted finish in AFC North: 1st The Pittsburgh Steelers ended 2008 by taking home their sixth Lombardi Trophy. However, repeating in 2009 is not going to be an easy task. Steeler Nation is not going to like hearing me say this, but I don't think the Steelers were the best team in the NFL last season. However, the Steelers got hot at the right time, and had a few breaks go their way. Next thing you know, they're throwing a parade in Pittsburgh. Key Weaknesses:If the Steelers hope to repeat, they are going to have...Read more

Read more | 4 Comments | Tags: Ben Roethlisberger, Mike Tomlin, NFL, Pittsburgh Steelers, Steelers

NFL Top 10: The Best Offseason Moves Not Made

By Greg Trippiedi | June 30, 2009 | MVN Outsider

We tend to judge coaches by how their actions effect games. We tend to judge front office types by their acquisitions. These are fair game of course, but the best offseason moves are often the ones that weren't made.In today's NFL Top 10 column, we'll take a look back at all aspects of the offseason, and narrow down just ten player personnel moves that were not made, and how the discussed party is much better off.10. The Detroit Lions pass on an offensive lineman in the first round of the NFL DraftThis is coming from a man who thinks that Jason Smith should have been the pick at No. 1, the prior Lions regime might have decided that after taking Matthew Stafford at No. 1, the No. 20 pick should have been the best lineman available. And even with OT Michael Oher available, the Lions decided that TE Brandon Pettigrew...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, NFL Top 10, Oakland Raiders, Philadelphia Eagles, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins

NFL Outsider Season Preview 2009: San Francisco 49ers

By Staff Report | June 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider is hosting a season preview of all 32 teams. The NFL regular season begins on September 10; in the meantime follow the best NFL bloggers as they analyze their teams in this 2009 season preview.Samuel Lam from Mining the Gold Rush gives insight into what to expect from this year's San Francisco 49ers. Check in on other teams here. The 49ers are hoping to make it back to the playoffs after their 2008 finish. With Mike Singletary's promotion as full-time head coach, the team will have a discipline, no nonsense approach to the new campaign. The biggest discussion this off-season has been the quarterback position. Shaun Hill's finish last year should have given him an automatic nod for the starting job. But the 49ers are still hoping that 2005's #1 draft pick Alex Smith can come back from shoulder surgery. At this point, both of them have been splitting...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: 49ers, NFL, San Francisco 49ers

NFL Great Debates: What to Do with Michael Vick?

By Staff Report | May 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

NFL Outsider's Greg Trippiedi and Anthony Brown debate the issue: Which team is the best spot for Michael Vick if he overcomes the enormous hurdles necessary to get on the field this year?Greg Trippiedi says Vick shouldn't be a starting quarterback:It's pretty clear that Michael Vick is not going to have a job waiting for him when he gets back. He's 29 years old -- too old and too young in different ways. Vick's open field running abilities were already in decline when we last saw him, and that was in 2006. But that doesn't mean he won't stick somewhere. He's still got a good five or six seasons ahead of him as an effective athlete. The question though remains: Where will Michael Vick fit in, and who will take a chance on him? I don't think Vick is a good fit on a team with a clear need...Read more

Read more | 2 Comments | Tags: NFL

NFL Outsider's Draft Winners and Losers

By Greg Trippiedi | April 27, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Tomorrow, we'll take a look at process points to see who had the best draft objectively. Right now, I'm just going to give some off the cuff reaction on some teams that did really well and others who did not so well.Winners1. Arizona CardinalsI was amazed with the quality of player drafted by the Cardinals. They never moved up or down in the draft, but still managed to have great draft position to land great values at positions of need in every single round. Every one of their draft picks, except for RB LaRod Stephens-Howling, an intriguing prospect, was on the MVN Top 150 big board. There should be between 5-6 full time starters in this draft, and the Cardinals figure to be the class of their division in the next few seasons.2. Cleveland BrownsConversely, the Browns traded down three times in round one, and ended up picking four times...Read more

Read more | 3 Comments | Tags: Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, New England Patriots, NFL, NFL Draft, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, San Diego Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Washington Redskins

Derrick Williams, Jarron Gilbert, Jared Cook Lead Round 3 Recap

By Greg Trippiedi | April 26, 2009 | MVN Outsider

Process points become negligible after the first day, so lets look at round three and the players that each team got in the middle of the draft.65. New York Jets -- Shonn Green, RB, IowaThe Jets traded up for this pick, so the Green pick was really disappointing. I didn't think he was anywhere near the best available, and with this being the first pick of the day, I expected a great pick here.66. St. Louis Rams -- Bradley Fletcher, CB, Iowa67. Kansas City Chiefs -- Alex Magee, DE, PurdueThe Chiefs pick their second 3-4 DE of the draft. So what does this mean for Glenn Dorsey? Will he split time with Magee and Tyson Jackson, or is he already on his way out?68. Chicago Bears -- Jarron Gilbert, DE, San Jose StateChicago moves forward looking for best player available, while making sure to add a defensive lineman every year. ...Read more

Read more | Discuss | Tags: NFL, NFL Draft

MVN: Most Valuable Network