My friend has a blog that I write for from time to time and we're in the middle of the Would you do tournament. Big matchup today and it's close so far, so go vote!

With the NFL's trading deadline less than a week away, there is already one big name that has hit the rumor mill.

There are reports that the San Francisco 49ers are interested in the Bengals T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Housh is a free agent after this season and there doesn't seem to be any way the team can keep him (other than using the franchise tag).

According to a league source, Houshmandzadeh's name has come up quite frequently during conversation at Niners headquarters in recent weeks. Apparently, 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz is enamored with Houshmandzadeh and may have learned some positive things about the receiver from a member of the Zampese family who Martz remains close to.

Housh tied the Patriots' Wes Welker for the NFL lead in receptions last season. Currently, he is by far the team leader in receptions (31), receiving yards (351) and touchdown receptions (three). He caught seven passes for 85 yards and two TDs against the Cowboys last week.

Despite being 2-3, the Niners have a great shot at winning the weak NFC West. The Arizona Cardinals lead the division at 3-2 but doesn't have the look of a runaway champion. The Seattle Seahawks are in shambles right now and the St. Louis Rams look like the worst team in the NFL. It is there for the taking and adding Houshmandzadeh to the Niners could put them over the top.

This has nothing to do with the 49ers but I think is pretty big for those of us who own Nintendo Wiis. One of the greatest video games ever is getting updated.

Took long enough?

"I asked a defensive coordinator about Smith over the summer. He thought Smith would need a full season with good pass protection to become a confident player again. No team is realistically going to give that chance to Smith anytime soon. His best bet would be to get healthy and sign as a backup somehwere without expectations. His former coordinator, Norv Turner, seemed to like Smith and work well with him. Smith is from California, so a fit with the Chargers seems natural at some point, at least on the surface."

Yep, Ashley Lelie is now with the darkside.

Interesting article from Mark Kreidler

In my opinion, Kreidler oversimplifies. No, the 49ers did not have to draft a QB in '05. The offense and the defense were full of holes. There were impact players at the top of the 1st round, such as Braylon Edwards (who would have filled a need at WR). The Niners decided to draft a QB when they thought Leinart would be in the draft, and ended up settling for Smith rather the re-evaluating if QB was the right way to go.

The Niners botched a lot the last few years, but Smith is to blame for his current situation. He went into a QB competition which was, based on his contract, his competition to lose. And he lost to a journeyman who couldn't get off the bench in Minnesota or Detroit. I'm a Niners fan, and I've been holding out hope for way too long. It's time to call Smith a bust.

How often are we considered a "quality NFL defense" ? Things are definitely looking good for the 49ers!

It's a PDF, so don't be surprised if you don't have Adobe and your computer's all like "What the hell?"

It's a pretty fun read, though. Seriously, the more I learn about McElhenny, the easier it is to just love the guy.

I got the image from Custom Sports Covers, but I tweaked up the back cover. Check it out and DL the 49ers version or download another version featuring a drama-free quarterback.