49ers Clubhouse

San Francisco Chronicle

49ers remain too good -- and not good enough

February 25, 2003

Glenn Dickey
The 49ers are stuck in an NFL swampland, not good enough to be serious Super Bowl contenders but with a record that keeps them in the lower regions of the draft.
They still need another cornerback and defensive line help; once-great Bryant Young had a subpar season in 2002, an indication that he's on the downside of his career, and Dana Stubblefield has been on that downside for years.
They also need a speedy wide receiver to take the heat off Terrell Owens, and help for the small and aging offensive line.
They can get a receiver because there always are several good ones in the draft; the J. J. Stokes era finally may be over. But the top cornerbacks and stud linemen go much earlier than the 49ers' turn in the first round.
DRAFT STRATEGY: As a result of the Jon Gruden move, the Raiders have an extra first-round draft pick, but it's the very last in the first round. Their own pick is next-to-last. It's unlikely they'll be able to package the two to move up very far in the first round, so they'll probably keep both picks. With the salary cap forcing cuts of veteran players, they'll need to re-stock with younger players, anyway, and two bottom-of-the-round picks won't be expensive.
MOVING UP: Kyle Boller has taken another jump with his showing at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, demonstrating that he's more athletic than scouts had realized. Boller may be the second quarterback taken, behind USC's Carson Palmer, with Florida's Rex Grossman probably third. Miami's Ken Dorsey has not been highly regarded by pro scouts, who question his arm strength and think his collegiate success was more the result of playing with great teams than his own ability. . . . Stanford's Casey Moore was one of the few backs to run at the combine. He was timed in 4.65 for the 40 on what is regarded as a slow track (it was the same time Mike Alstott ran when he was coming out); combined with weight-lifting numbers that ranked him with offensive linemen, that gave Moore a boost in the scouts' eyes. . . . Scouts were intrigued by Cal defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha's combination of size (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) and speed (a 4.43 40).
A DIFFERENT APPROACH: Losing 24 lettermen, including 15 starters, forced Cal football coach Jeff Tedford to change his recruiting strategy. Normally, he'd like to concentrate on high school players, with only 5-6 junior college transfers, but he took 12 JC players this year.
Among them is the quarterback, Aaron Rodgers of Butte JC, who's the likely starter this fall. "He's going to have to catch up in a hurry in our training camp," Tedford said, "but he's got good mechanics, good size (6-2, 205), some 'escapability' and a good arm. He can make any throw you want him to make." Rodgers threw for 28 touchdowns with only four interceptions last season.
For the long-term, remember the name Cary Dove, a 6-2, 160-pounder from Taft High in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles County) who was compared to Akili Smith by one recruiting service. Dove probably will redshirt this fall, but he appears to be the quarterback of the future. He's already in school at Berkeley, having graduated from high school early.
"I told him he should stay in school for his final semester," Tedford said. "That's when you enjoy what you've worked for in your first couple of years." But being able to participate in spring drills undoubtedly will give Dove a good boost for his collegiate career.
Tedford used the same approach that he had learned at Oregon, working on getting good players across the board, and two recruiting services ranked the Cal class 16th in the nation and second in the Pac-10, behind USC. Now, Tedford and his assistants have to coach the players, but they've already proved they can do that.
WHAT DID HE REALLY SAY?: Readers have sent me three changed versions of the "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing" quote I attributed to Vince Lombardi, with the altered versions stressing "trying," "desire to win" and "will to win."
David Maraniss's excellent biography of Lombardi, "When Pride Still Mattered," points out that the slogan I quoted was posted in block letters in the Packers' dressing room. Nobody who knew Lombardi would think that a player could excuse missing a block or dropping a pass in the end zone by saying he was trying. Winning truly was the only thing for Lombardi.
HOT PROSPECT: If Pedro Feliz really is 29, it's good news for him because he's finally at an age where the Giants will consider playing him. Tough luck for Tony Torcato and Todd Linden; they've got years to go.

Tell us what you think on the new 49ers Clubhouse message board.

Glenn Dickey

The 49ers are stuck in an NFL swampland, not good enough to be serious Super Bowl contenders but with a record that keeps them in the lower regions of the draft.

They still need another cornerback and defensive line help; once-great Bryant Young had a subpar season in 2002, an indication that he's on the downside of his career, and Dana Stubblefield has been on that downside for years.

They also need a speedy wide receiver to take the heat off Terrell Owens, and help for the small and aging offensive line.

They can get a receiver because there always are several good ones in the draft; the J. J. Stokes era finally may be over. But the top cornerbacks and stud linemen go much earlier than the 49ers' turn in the first round.

DRAFT STRATEGY: As a result of the Jon Gruden move, the Raiders have an extra first-round draft pick, but it's the very last in the first round. Their own pick is next-to-last. It's unlikely they'll be able to package the two to move up very far in the first round, so they'll probably keep both picks. With the salary cap forcing cuts of veteran players, they'll need to re-stock with younger players, anyway, and two bottom-of-the-round picks won't be expensive.

MOVING UP: Kyle Boller has taken another jump with his showing at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, demonstrating that he's more athletic than scouts had realized. Boller may be the second quarterback taken, behind USC's Carson Palmer, with Florida's Rex Grossman probably third. Miami's Ken Dorsey has not been highly regarded by pro scouts, who question his arm strength and think his collegiate success was more the result of playing with great teams than his own ability. . . . Stanford's Casey Moore was one of the few backs to run at the combine. He was timed in 4.65 for the 40 on what is regarded as a slow track (it was the same time Mike Alstott ran when he was coming out); combined with weight-lifting numbers that ranked him with offensive linemen, that gave Moore a boost in the scouts' eyes. . . . Scouts were intrigued by Cal defensive back Nnamdi Asomugha's combination of size (6-foot-2, 215 pounds) and speed (a 4.43 40).

A DIFFERENT APPROACH: Losing 24 lettermen, including 15 starters, forced Cal football coach Jeff Tedford to change his recruiting strategy. Normally, he'd like to concentrate on high school players, with only 5-6 junior college transfers, but he took 12 JC players this year.

Among them is the quarterback, Aaron Rodgers of Butte JC, who's the likely starter this fall. "He's going to have to catch up in a hurry in our training camp," Tedford said, "but he's got good mechanics, good size (6-2, 205), some 'escapability' and a good arm. He can make any throw you want him to make." Rodgers threw for 28 touchdowns with only four interceptions last season.

For the long-term, remember the name Cary Dove, a 6-2, 160-pounder from Taft High in Woodland Hills (Los Angeles County) who was compared to Akili Smith by one recruiting service. Dove probably will redshirt this fall, but he appears to be the quarterback of the future. He's already in school at Berkeley, having graduated from high school early.

"I told him he should stay in school for his final semester," Tedford said. "That's when you enjoy what you've worked for in your first couple of years." But being able to participate in spring drills undoubtedly will give Dove a good boost for his collegiate career.

Tedford used the same approach that he had learned at Oregon, working on getting good players across the board, and two recruiting services ranked the Cal class 16th in the nation and second in the Pac-10, behind USC. Now, Tedford and his assistants have to coach the players, but they've already proved they can do that.

WHAT DID HE REALLY SAY?: Readers have sent me three changed versions of the "Winning isn't everything; it's the only thing" quote I attributed to Vince Lombardi, with the altered versions stressing "trying," "desire to win" and "will to win."

David Maraniss's excellent biography of Lombardi, "When Pride Still Mattered," points out that the slogan I quoted was posted in block letters in the Packers' dressing room. Nobody who knew Lombardi would think that a player could excuse missing a block or dropping a pass in the end zone by saying he was trying. Winning truly was the only thing for Lombardi.

HOT PROSPECT: If Pedro Feliz really is 29, it's good news for him because he's finally at an age where the Giants will consider playing him. Tough luck for Tony Torcato and Todd Linden; they've got years to go.

Tell us what you think on the new 49ers Clubhouse message board.