Well, that was certainly an interesting ending to the game.  After a relatively bland first 3+ quarters, the game reached a fevered pitch in the final two minutes following a Robert Ortiz fumble on a punt return (thank you for playing Mr. Ortiz, you may have cost yourself some parting gifts).  The Chargers had a first and ten on the 49ers 17 and won the game notwithstanding a mostly great job inside the five yard line.  For those who missed the game, here's how the Chargers final four plays worked out:

If you missed the last drive, Buckley's touchdown reception was one-handed as he was being interfered with by Marcus Hudson (Hudson had hold of his right arm before the catch).  A stop there would have been a nice capper to the preseason, but such is life.

We'll have plenty of in depth analysis on winners and losers in the coming days, but for now, here's who helped and hurt their cause in this final game.

HELPED
Jason Hill - The leading receiver for the second straight game, Hill made some quality catches while appearing in all four quarters of play.  One thing I am definitely excited for in the coming season is the use of 4-receiver formations, for two reasons: 1) We've got a very solid crew of receivers, all of whom can make plays anywhere on the field and 2) Spreading out the defense will soften up middle of the field for Frank Gore if they decide to run some draws from the formation.

Shawntae Spencer - Spencer was not in danger of missing the 53-man roster, but with the starting DBs getting a breather, he stepped up with some big plays.  When healthy, Spencer is an extremely talented cornerback.  He might not have #1 talent, but I think he is as good a 3rd corner as there is in the league.  Hopefully he can stay healthy this season and provide a lift to the defense.

Michael Robinson - Welcome back #24.  While Robinson is not a star on this team, he showed why he's an integral part to the special teams and offense.  He threw up a nice block (not quite the de-cleater the announcers would have you think) to bust open Delanie Walker's kickoff return.  He made some very good runs and had three good catches.  69 total yards on 15 touches (rushes and receptions) is certainly a nice welcome back for Robinson who did not seem to have any after effects from his injury.

Special Teams - It's certainly a small sample size, but the special teams coverage was much improved this week, with no big run backs.  Throw in Nedney's booming field goal and Walker's touchdown and it was a solid performance to close out the preseason.

HURT
Ashley Lelie - He had 3 balls thrown in his direction and finished with no receptions.  If he's been phenomenal in practice then I suppose they can justify keeping him for now.  However, even if he didn't hurt his cause tonight, he certainly did nothing to help himself, aside from not actually hurting himself.

Alex Smith - If there was any debate over O'Sullivan getting the starting nod, Alex Smith did nothing to increase that debate.  Smith was given the start to protect JTO and given somequality weapons with which to work (no Bruce, Morgan or Gore).  He did have the touchdown but that was more due to Billy Bajema snatching it from the DB.  He hit some wide open receivers and he overthrew some wide open receivers.  It wasn't an atrocious game, but his mistakes were pretty ugly.

Nate Kaeding - He's not a 49er but I have to admit it was pretty weak when he let Delanie Walker run right by him.  I realize he doesn't want to get hurt but can't you at least stick an arm out and pretend you're trying to stop him?  Or at the very least don't be sauntering towards the sideline at a less than brisk stroll.  Woulda been nice to see someone roll up and just de-cleat him.

All in all, not the prettiest way to end the preseason.  The defense didn't give up a ton of points but was definitely struggling to stop the running backs.  Missed tackles was the primary culprit.  Nonetheless, they battened down the hatches in the second half and in spite of the loss, things could have been worse.

So, we'll be back tomorrow with news of the 49ers final roster cuts.  Now that there are no more roster projections to be done or exhibition games to be played, we can finally get settled down for some actual meaningful football.  Arizona comes to town in nine days and the road to the Super Bowl (or at least respectability for the 49ers) begins.  Let the J.T. O'Sullivan era begin (and yes a chill just went down my spine).

EDITOR'S UPDATE 10:35PM - Considering people made comments to appear in the roll call, I almost forgot about it! Thanks to the following folks for joining in the discussion.  This week's winner with 10 comments is StrictlyFootball.  Thanks also to myself with 5, bayboy with 4 and 408, BawLa, howtheyscored, jjham15, tanos135 and 49ersLou with 1 each.  Without bondslegend, it was a pretty quiet night.  Once the regular season starts I'm aiming for us having to open multiple threads each game.

June 6 we did our first 53-man roster projection.  Probably a little early, but most major transactions had taken place at that point.  August 11 we did our second 53-man roster projection, one game into the exhibition season.  With one game remaining for the 49ers, the final cut down date is Saturday, so now is as good a time as any for this final roster projection.

49ers blogger Chrissy Mauck actually posted some thoughts on the 53-man rather than project it out.  She works with the players on a daily basis so it's probably not as easy coldly saying cut or no cut.  I thought I'd run some of her thoughts before putting my final projection.

On Ashley Lelie
I would be absolutely SHOCKED if they cut Ashley Lelie. I know everyone else is putting him on the bubble, but in this Martz’ offense, I think you want six receivers and Martz talked many times this off-season about how talented he thinks Lelie is. I don’t think the guy gets cut because he had a calf injury.

On OLB
At the start of camp, I thought it would come down to Tully Banta-Cain or Parys Haralson, but I think Roderick Green has also made a case for himself. The 49ers could end up keeping two out of the three.

On Keith Lewis
He has had some mistakes on special teams during the preseason, but special teams coach Al Everest knows Lewis is one of the best around the league. Since the units have struggled, I think Al definitely fights for Lewis to be on the 53.

Nothing stunning there, but people really think Ashley Lelie is going to stick around.  At the same time, if the 49ers can keep Zeigler on the practice squad and Lelie struggles early on, I think he could be cut at any point during the season.  Additions since projection #2 are bolded and underlined

Offense
QB (3): Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, J.T. O'Sullivan
RB (3): Frank Gore, DeShaun Foster, Michael Robinson
FB (1): Zak Keasey
WR (6): Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson, Arnaz Battle, Jason Hill, Josh Morgan, Ashley Lelie
TE (3): Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Billy Bajema
LT (2): Joe Staley, Barry Sims
LG (2): Adam Snyder, Tony Wragge
C (2): Eric Heitmann, Cody Wallace
RG (2): David Baas, Chilo Rachal
RT (1): Jonas Jennings

Defense
DE (4): Isaac Sopoaga, Justin Smith, Kentwan Balmer, Ray McDonald
DT (2): Aubrayo Franklin, Ronald Fields
OLB (3): Manny Lawson, Tully Banta-Cain, Parys Haralson
ILB (5): Patrick Willis, Jeff Ulbrich, Dontarrious Thomas, Takeo Spikes, Larry Grant
CB (6): Nate Clements, Walt Harris, Shawntae Spencer, Tarell Brown, Donald Strickland, Reggie Smith
FS (2): Mark Roman, Dashon Goldson
SS (2): Michael Lewis, Keith Lewis

Special Teams
K: Joe Nedney
P: Andy Lee
LS: Brian Jennings
KR/PR: Allen Rossum

Last 5 on: Ashley Lelie, Larry Grant, Chilo Rachal, Cody Wallace, Zak Keasey (as opposed to Moran Norris)

First 5 off: Moran Norris, Dominique Zeigler, Thomas Clayton, Brian De La Puente, Roderick Green

I added Ashley Lelie to the 53-man projection simply because of the buzz in the media.  Personally, I'd rather see what Zeigler can do on game day, but unfortunately I was recently informed that I don't have a vote in the matter (shocking, I know).  However, like I said above, if Lelie struggles, I think he's on an especially short leash.

In order to make room for Lelie I left off Moran Norris.  As Scot McCloughan said, Norris should have been a Pro Bowler two years ago.  Unfortunately now, the shift in the offense seems to make him significantly less useful.  He'll always have a use, but in the Martz offense it might not be enough for a roster spot.

Over the course of training camp I've occasionally chimed in with some of Mike Nolan's answers from post-practice media sessions.  I think Nolan's Nuggets is a quality title for this piece.  While he's the master of "coach-speak," I still like to throw out some of his thoughts.  One reason is the chance to try and read through the lines and figure out what he's "really" saying. 

For this particular week, we're focusing mostly on the wide receivers.  As previously stated, injuries have complicated things there.  I'll be doing one last 53-man projection later today and that is certainly one of the bubble-ish positions.

Nolan was asked about the starters for this Friday's game against the Chargers.  Josh Morgan is out with what sounds like a really bad illness.  Must be a nasty flu bug or something.  On who would start otherwise:

“It will be between Bryant Johnson and Ashley Lelie. Bryant Johnson, if he’s well, looks like he was able to go today pretty good, so it’ll be nice to see him, and at the other position it will be Isaac Bruce and Arnaz Battle, three wide receivers. Obviously all three receivers will be in the game at the same time.”

On how much time Johnson and Lelie might see:

“Yes, those guys haven’t played much, so a quarter, if not a half. I hope to see more of them. Some of the [reps] will depend on them. If they start to feel it tightening up or whatever, they absolutely won’t get as much. I hope that does not occur because, just liked we talked about, we want to get in that first [season] game with that healthy group.”

On work outside of the game:

“We did put a lot of emphasis these practices this week. We went good against good the entire week, which is not typical for this week, so we got a lot of good work and that was exactly what you guys were talking about. J.T. [O’Sullivan] got a lot of work with those guys that you were talking about in practice. Even though it maybe limited in the game, like I said, we tried to get in three days here this week as opposed to one game and I thought that was more important.”

Best answer of the day came in response to: Getting back to the receivers, during the offseason, you cut ties with Darrell Jackson and you kept [Ashley] Lelie around. You could argue that Jackson was more productive last year than Lelie. What is it about Lelie that you saw in him, that maybe this guy is going to be a worthwhile 49er. Was it Jerry Sullivan chiming in on that?

Nolan response: “I can’t recall.  I can’t answer that.”

Considering Lelie was in Sullivan's doghouse for parts of last season, the whole thing just blows my mind.  Maiocco made an excellent point when discussing his own 53-man roster projections:

If the 49ers keep five receivers, Lelie does not make it. But the 49ers proved Monday that Lelie is still in the game. If they had written him off, they would not have allowed him to practice. But they want him to make this team because he gives them a proven speed element. If they were set on cutting him, they would've cut him as soon as he passed the physical. Instead, they're taking a chance that he'll get reinjured, and then they'd owe him a good chunk of change in an injury settlement.

Is his speed element truly worth all this hassle?  He's a burner but is it possible Josh Morgan could bring a legit deep threat to the team?  Lelie's best season was in 2004 and his numbers went down every season since.  If he could stay healthy I suppose the speed is there, but we also have to consider who would be cut in his place.

So I guess burning question we're left with is simple: If healthy, is Ashley Lelie that good?

After being dogged by a calf injury the last few weeks, Ashley Lelie was finally back in full practice yesterday.  The emergence of Josh Morgan, coupled with Lelie's injury has pushed Lelie to the cusp of being cut.  Including yesterday's practice, Lelie has 4 practices and 1 game to show he can bring something to the table.

However, we've gone over Lelie's situation enough to know what's what.  He's down to battling with Dominique Zeigler for consideration as a 6th receiver and that's that.  Other injuries have raised additional questions that are more important than the 6th receiver.

The question for the 49ers is who will be starting where and who will be coming off the bench to start the season.  The guys who entered training camp as the favorites to be the #2 and #3 receivers were Bryant Johnson and Arnaz Battle.  I qualify Bruce as the #1 more out of seniority than anything and really it's just a hypothetical. 

Anyways, Johnson and Battle have spent much of training camp dinged up.  From earlier reports, Johnson was performing quite well in camp before going down with a hamstring injury during the combined practice with the Raiders.  Battle on the other hand seems to be nicked up every offseason before coming in and producing as usual.

Josh Morgan has had ups and downs in training camp, but has shown serious talent.  He's got size, speed and good chemistry with J.T. O'Sullivan.  He didn't produce much against Chicago, but we know rookies will have good and bad moments.  However, his performances to date have created a tough situation for Mike Nolan, which he has readily acknowledged.

Isaac Bruce appears locked in at the flanker (Z) position as the "featured receiver."  Johnson is probably more talented at this point, but the Hall of Fame receiver with something left in the tank will get his crack as the #1.  Personally, I think one of the other receivers will surpass Bruce as the go-to guy, but for now, Bruce is in that role.

The split end (X) position is the one creating headaches (but I think a good kind of headache).  On the one hand, Bryant Johnson is the guy they brought in to be the man opposite Bruce.  Johnson is supremely talented and wants a chance to prove that and net a big money contract.  Unfortunately, he's been MIA the last few weeks as Josh Morgan has impressed the coaches.  And, you certainly can't forget Arnaz Battle.  He's been out of commission much of camp but if healthy I think we can safely assume another solid season.  The final option that really hasn't been discussed is Jason Hill.  He had a nice little game against the Bears but is still developing his skills.  If he finished up with a big game against the Chargers it wouldn't mean a heck of a lot but it would give him an equal number of quality games as compared to Morgan (just a thought).

So, assuming everybody is relatively healthy at the start of the season (e.g. Bryant Johnson is playing although he might not be quite 100% come week 1), who is in the starting lineup at split end for the early part of the season?  I'm not including Ashley Lelie because even if he does make the team he is in that specialized deep threat role and not the normal starting role in my opinion.  If you disagree, let me know.  A quick review of the candidates:

Bryant Johnson - Brought in to fill this very role and while he hasn't matched expectations he brings a ton of talent.

Josh Morgan - The rookie has shown incredible talent and had some of us thinking Marques Colston after two exhibition games.  We'd clearly have to temper expectations but to quote Hubie Brown, there is some tremendous upside here.

Arnaz Battle - May not be the most talented receiver, but he's the most consistent and will bust his butt every play.

Jason Hill - Like Morgan we're thinking upside with him.  If he were to end up as the #2 it would take some development over the course of this season.

After answering the poll, I'd be curious how you see the position shaking out completely.  If you vote for one, feel free to mention in the comments where you think everybody else falls.

As we approach the last game of the preseason, it's all about keeping guys healthy.  The 49ers have done fairly well in keeping healthy (KNOCK ON WOOD) and they're taking serious precautions this Friday against San Diego.  The first-team units will apparently only play a series or so.

Of course, with some of the recent injuries, the question becomes who will be out there and who will be on that first unit.  Brian De La Puente has an arm injury that has sidelined him recently.  Today saw Tony Wragge move over to left guard and Chilo Rachal took over at right guard.  However, David Baas is due back to the practice field this week, so we could see the Baas-Wragge combination at guard.

Some folks who missed practice include Keith Lewis and Josh Morgan due to illness.  On the other hand, Arnaz Battle and Ashley Lelie were finally able to take part in team reps today.  I'll have a bigger post about the wide receivers tomorrow, but Lelie certainly has his work cut out for him in the next five days.  Nolan has said he's on the fence about keeping 5 or 6 receivers so Lelie needs to give him a reason if he wants to stick around.

As for Friday's game, Nolan has indicated Adam Snyder, Jonas Jennings and Allen Rossum are all likely out.  Robert Ortiz will be returning punts, with Michael Robinson and Delanie Walker getting some action in the kick return game.  It's good to see Robinson back on the field.

In a somewhat related note, the final cutdown to the 53-man roster has to happen by Saturday.  Since that's the day after an evening game, I'm planning on doing a final 53-man projection on Wednesday or Thursday.  If there is anything that could dramatically affect a given player I'll throw up a post but if nothing big happens I probably won't since cuts could happen pretty quickly, making a same-day post rather dated.  Game-time decision.

EDITOR'S UPDATE 4:25PM: Jennings had surgery on his right hand for a broken knuckle (sounds painful).  He'll be out Thursday, but apparently should be back for the exhibition finale against San Diego.

On Saturday Jonas Jennings apparently injured a knuckle on his right hand.  Now it looks like he'll miss Thursday's showdown with the Bears.  There is no word on the extent of the injury, but he's definitely out.

Jennings had been having a great camp, so it's definitely not good to see him get hurt.  At the same time, he's struggled to stay healthy during his career, so this isn't exactly a shocking piece of nice.  Barry Sims will get the start in his place.  While I'd prefer Jennings be healthy, it'll be good to see what Sims can do with the first team offensive line.  When Sims was signed, the coaches indicated he'd get a chance to compete for a starting position.  In reality, I have no doubt he was actually signed as insurance for Jennings.

In other injury news, Ashley Lelie is really hoping to play Thursday.  He wore a sleeve on his left calf to increase circulation and speed up his healing process from a small tear in his calf muscle.  Barrows indicated Lelie is planning on applying some pressure to the leg to see where he's at.  You know he's feeling a lot of pressure from the younger receivers.  Josh Morgan has shot past him and it's possible this is now a competition between Lelie and Jason Hill, if even that.

Finally, Michael Robinson seems to be closer to full health.  It sounds like if this were the regular season he could definitely play in the exhibition finale, but we'll see if they hold him out.  Considering the struggles of the kick off and punt coverage units, his importance is only amplified.

Coach Mike Nolan made the QB rotation official for this Saturday against Green Bay.  It'll be the Battle for California as former UC-Davis great J.T. O'Sullivan squares off against former Cal Bear Aaron Rodgers.  The rotation is the same as last week with Alex Smith relieving O'Sullivan and Shaun Hill relieving Smith.

It's only the second game of the preseason, but clearly the pecking order has been established.  I mentioned previously how I just wanted somebody to be the #1 guy, and it seems like we're getting that.

Considering the amount of money Alex Smith is owed in 2009 and 2010 ($9.625M and $15.05M), if O'Sullivan becomes the starter this season and lasts as the starter, I'd imagine Alex Smith would get cut next offseason.  Not a stunning proclamation, but definitely hits pretty deep considering he was a #1 overall pick and the guy Nolan was going to build around.  Of course, if the season goes south, well Nolan won't be around either.  And it makes me annoyed that I bought the Alex Smith jersey.  Great call there.

In another starting note, it looks like Josh Morgan will be starting opposite Isaac Bruce on Saturday.  Hopefully O'Sullivan and Morgan can continue the rapport they seemed to establish last game.  It sounds like Bruce won't get a lot of playing time so Jason Hill will get starter quality minutes. 

Arnaz Battle, Bryant Johnson and Ashley Lelie will apparently all be in street clothes on Saturday.  Battle's hamstring was feeling ok but he felt it "grab" in practice on Tuesday.  So definitely better safe than sorry.  As for Lelie, well, if he's not cut before the start of the regular season I'd be somewhat surprised.  He brings the vertical threat, but you really can't bring it on the sideline.  He'd need to get healthy for the last 2 games and really wow people to secure a roster spot.

Two months ago we ran a little exercise of projecting the 53-man roster.  Since that time, enough has changed to allow us the chance to revise our projections.  If you've had a chance to check out Mike Sandos NFC West blog, he went through each team and gave roster analysis at all of the units (since updated with some of the 49ers injury and roster moves).  Feel free to throw out any disagreements you have with some of my projections.  I've bolded and underlined additions and will mention subtractions down below.

Offense
QB (3): Alex Smith, Shaun Hill, J.T. O'Sullivan
RB (3): Frank Gore, DeShaun Foster, Michael Robinson
FB (2): Moran Norris, Zak Keasey
WR (5): Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson, Arnaz Battle, Jason Hill, Josh Morgan
TE (3): Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Billy Bajema
LT (2): Joe Staley, Barry Sims
LG (2): Adam Snyder, Tony Wragge
C (2): Eric Heitmann, Cody Wallace
RG (2): David Baas, Chilo Rachal
RT (1): Jonas Jennings

Defense
DE (4): Isaac Sopoaga, Justin Smith, Kentwan Balmer, Ray McDonald
DT (2): Aubrayo Franklin, Ronald Fields
OLB (3): Manny Lawson, Tully Banta-Cain, Parys Haralson
ILB (5): Patrick Willis, Jeff Ulbrich, Dontarrious Thomas, Takeo Spikes, Larry Grant
CB (6): Nate Clements, Walt Harris, Shawntae Spencer, Tarell Brown, Donald Strickland, Reggie Smith
FS (2): Mark Roman, Dashon Goldson
SS (2): Michael Lewis, Keith Lewis

Special Teams
K: Joe Nedney
P: Andy Lee
LS: Brian Jennings
KR/PR: Allen Rossum

Changes
I made three changes, and only one of them is my own judgment call.  Damane Duckett was placed on injured reserve and Sims is looking like a sure bet to make the team.  Spikes is clearly in to replace Brandon Moore, so no surprises there. 

The only "big change" I made was to plug in Zak Keasey and take off Ashley Lelie.  It sounds like Lelie might miss another week, which puts him that much further behind.  Couple that with the continued emergence of Josh Morgan and Lelie has to be considered on thin ice.  Keasey has received a lot of playing time with the first team offense and got into quite a bit of action on Friday.  The other option is keeping Keasey and dumping Moran Norris.  I'm curious what people think about the fullback situation, even if it isn't the most glamorous of positions.

The Bubble
As roster spots become more secure, the questions becomes who remains on the bubble?  Jay Moore made some plays (including a sack) last Friday and definitely helped himself.  At the same time, Mike Nolan specifically said that while he'd done some positive things, he wasn't going to get bumped up because he still had areas to improve.  While Tully Banta-Cain looked solid, I could certainly see him battling Moore and Roderick Green for a roster spot.  However, I think TBC is the likely winner in that battle.  I'm curious if Moore would eventually find himself on the practice squad.

I think Ashley Lelie is not necessarily on the bubble, so much as in some kind of purgatory.  If he doesn't get healthy I don't see how he doesn't get cut.  Josh Morgan certainly has room to improve, but if he keeps it up at this pace he's certainly not going to lose his spot to Lelie.  A final addition to the bubble would be Louis Holmes.  It sounds like he's been really impressing folks, although it's an uphill battle for him to make the 53-man roster.

Alright, anybody I'm overlooking or over-rating?  I'm pretty sure most of us are praying for a whole lot of answers this Saturday against Green Bay.  While there are bubble players, the questions are more related to the depth chart of the existing roster.  A guy like Moore or Holmes will definitely need to step up their game Saturday night.

There's under 30 hours until kickoff (34+ thanks to the blackout) and we're getting a better idea of who we'll see tomorrow and who will be in street clothes.  I thought I'd take a look at the injured players and the impact it will have tomorrow and going forward.

Michael Robinson - This is definitely not surprising at all.  Robinson is not expected back until the regular season, maaaaaybe the last preseason game.  He's looking at more of a special teams role with the addition of DeShaun Foster but will still get time in some offensive formations.  His absence likely means more carries for 2007 preseason MVP Thomas Clayton.  Of course preseason MVP has absolutely no value, other than an apparent ticket to the practice squad.

David Baas - Another non-surprise.  Tony Wragge appears to taken control of the position ahead of Chilo Rachal.  If Wragge looks good in the preseason, I'm curious what happens when Baas is healthy.  We'll also see the likes of Jeb Terry and former Cal guard Brian De La Puente getting some reps in the second half.

Bryant Johnson and Ashley Lelie - Johnson tweaked his hamstring in the morning practice against the Raiders.  It sounds like he was performing pretty well up to that point so let's hope it's a short term issue.  As for Lelie, well we've discussed his issues at length.  In addition, Isaac Bruce is a game-time decision.  If he does play I would imagine it would only be for a series or two.  The absence of these receivers means more reps for the likes of Josh Morgan, Jason Hill and Dominique Zeigler, which could help all of their chances at more playing time.

Mark Roman - Apparently Roman was scheduled to wear the defensive radio receiver, but with his injury, Michael Lewis will be the guy.  Roman's absence means more time for Dashon Goldson.  He's been a ballhawk in practice, so let's see if he can transfer that over to game situations.

Lewis Baker - Baker is a long shot to make the roster and this thigh bruise is certainly not helping his chances.  He'd apparently been playing pretty well, so it's a shame to see this happen.  This means more playing time for DJ Parker and probably extra time for Keith Lewis as the 49ers are a bit low at safety for this game.

Yesterday I mentioned how Dominique Zeigler had impressed folks in the early part of camp.  While that certainly doesn't meant he'll make the roster, we're always going to get excited when an underdog makes a statement.  As previously stated, every training camp sees some unknown (or just lesser known) player make some plays and makes a name for himself with the media.  This year is no different and I thought I'd take a look at some of the guys who have impressed so far.

Zak Keasey: Zak Keasey is certainly not unknown and may not even qualify as lesser known.  He's spent time on the practice squad over the last couple years and actually made appearances in 13 games, primarily on special teams but also on offense occasionally.  I mention him first because he has clearly impressed the coaching staff.  When the team has used a fullback, Keasey has seen a majority of the first-team action over previous starter Moran Norris.  Also, Mike Martz had some interesting comments when chatting with the media yesterday:

"I think Zak has a real good feel for getting through traffic and getting on linebackers and DBs as a blocker. He's unusual that way. It's kind of a lost art, if you will. He sees things and reacts to things very, very well -- very quickly. He's got such good body control, he can avoid and get into little tiny holes and get to a linebacker. It's hard to find guys who can do that. He does that very well. Mo (Moran Norris) is more of a real powerful, get-on-that-line-and-blow-them-up kind of deal. So they're different kinds of fullbacks, but they're both effective."

Considering the fact that there are not an unlimited number of roster spots, I'm curious if the team would keep both fullbacks.  Keasey brings special teams value, which is certainly a plus for him.  Throw in the fact that the fullback is not exactly the most utilized position in the Martz offense and it leaves me wondering if Moran Norris might see his time with the 49ers coming to an end.

Josh Morgan: Again, not an unknown guy, but somebody I thought was more destined for the practice squad.  I've read nothing but good things about Morgan going back to June OTAs and they continue into minicamp.  MM said about Morgan:

There is competition at the wideout spots. The competition right now is for spots on the team. As Mike Nolan said, the question is who are the five receivers? And, then, do they have a sixth who should make the squad.

My opinion: Josh Morgan makes the team. But Ashley Lelie better back in a hurry or he's going to have a difficult time making the final roster.

Morgan continues to shine. When asked what kind of impression he's making, Morgan answered, "I'm not sure -- hopefully a good ones."

He's getting a lot of reps and -- to the untrained eye -- does not appear to be doing much wrong. Seems like he has a decent grasp of the offense and he's catching most everything in sight.

I can honestly say at this point that I'd rather add Morgan to the roster and cut ties with Lelie.  Realistically, Lelie would be no more than the #4 receiver on this roster behind Bruce, Johnson and Battle and maybe ahead of Jason Hill.  All things considered I'd rather just roll the dice with Morgan as the #5 and give Hill reps as the #4 receiver.  Maybe Hill and/or Morgan don't pan out, but right now I think we all realize the limited upside of Lelie.  Consider me officially on the Morgan over Lelie bandwagon.

When I began this post I was hoping to discuss the likes of Lewis Baker, Louis Holmes and Brian De La Puente among others.  Barrows and Maiocco have pointed out that they're looked good in practice.  Unfortunately there has not been anything beyond that.  If anybody has seen or heard anything about some of the undrafted free agents, we'd all love to hear more.  Holmes and Baker are both practice squad candidates as I think the numbers game would keep them off the 53-man roster.  I'd imagine they'd have to absolutely blow up to make the roster.  And even then, they might need an injury to somebody ahead of them.