I was originally going to do this as an open thread as information came in, but I decided to instead wait until the deadline and all the news came out.  The 49ers had until 1pm today to cut down to the 53-man roster limit.

Released

Ashley Lelie
Moran Norris
Thomas Clayton
Dominique Zeigler
Cam Colvin
Jerard Rabb
Robert Ortiz
J.J. Finley
Brian De La Puente
Alan Reuber
Joe Toledo
Chris Patrick
Walter Curry
Atiyyah Ellison
LaJuan Ramsey
Louis Holmes
Larry Grant
Dennis Haley
Markus Curry
D.J. Parker
Ricky Schmitt

Injured Reserve

As was posted yesterday as a preliminary report, Jay Moore was officially placed on the IR list.  This is the second time in as many years Moore has been injured in the final game of the preseason and placed on injured reserve.  Last year it was a high ankle sprain.  Maiocco and Barrows seemed to think Moore would not make it through waivers to the practice squad if he had been healthy, so this might be a blessing in disguise.  Or, we could just be delaying the inevitable.  Either way he won't count against the 53-man roster so that's one man down.

It looks like this means Roderick Green made the roster.  Parys Haralson injured his shoulder last night, but Barrows reported he was told it was nothing to worry about.  I wouldn't be surprised if the keeping of Roderick Green was a bit of insurance, although he can bring a solid pass rush.

I'll have more thoughts later, but a few notables are not that surprising, including Ashley Lelie, Moran Norris and even Larry Grant.  Lelie and Norris are finished with the 49ers, but assuming he clears waivers, Grant will be on the practice squad.  One guy I don't expect to clear waivers again is Thomas Clayton.  I hope he does, but I'm not holding my breath.

EDITOR'S UPDATE 12:55pm: Also means they kept Marcus Hudson.  That gives them 11 DBs heading into the season.  Just liked him or plan going with a lot of nickel and dime defenses?

More to come later today.

I didn't notice this during the game, but apparently Jay Moore tore his right bicep tendon.  At least that's the report according to Maiocco, Barrows and Kevin Lynch. 

It sounds like the 49ers have two options.  The first is to place him on the Injured Reserve (IR) list and keep paying him for the second straight year.  The other option is to work out an injury settlement and release him.

Jay Moore was a guy I was intrigued with before the 2007 draft and was excited when the 49ers drafted him.  I think it was more because I had done the scouting report on him in January, so it felt sort of like a "find."  However, his brief NFL career has had some pretty significanty setbacks.  Considering the 49ers have him under contract I say let him spend another year on IR and give him one last chance to win a job next season.  In the meantime, I need to do a little more research into the intricacies of the injury settlements.

Best of luck to Jay Moore and hopefully he has a speedy recovery.

While it'sonly the second preseason game of the season, it's also already the second game of the preseason.  The first team offense and defense will get a half of play under the belt.  The Packers finished last season 17th against the pass and 8th against the run.  Not spectacular against the pass, but Al Harris and Charles Woodson are definitely nothing to sneeze at.  Suffice to say, the 49ers offense will face a stiff challenge by ground and by air. 

On the other hand, the Packers offense was 5th in the air and 9th on the ground.  I'm not sure how the passing game will translate under Aaron Rodgers, but Ryan Grant is back running the ball, looking to build on an impressive 2007.  After getting thrashed by the Raiders running game, the 49ers will be looking to bounce back and put up a slightly stiffer front (that's what she said).  Although, I just checked Acme Packing Company, and it looks like Grant might be out.  If so, even more reason to do a better job against the run.

August 26 is the first cut-down date (to 75 players) and some positional battles are heating up, both for roster spots and for depth chart rotation.

Josh Morgan - We've talked plenty about the rookie receiver from Virginia Tech.  However, this is a particularly interesting matchup because of the corners he'll be facing.  Due to injuries, Morgan will be in the starting lineup.  This means a chance to square off against Charles Woodson or Al Harris.  This will be a big test for the rookie (as well as J.T. O'Sullivan).  You never want to get too excited after just one good performance in the preseason.  However, if Morgan can put up a second good performance against a Pro Bowl-caliber cornerback, I think it's safe to say Fooch will be getting more excited (first ever reference to myself in the 3rd person I think).

Louis Holmes - Holmes has been getting more and more press as he seems to be impressing during practice, even getting some first team reps.  However, he now finds himself in a potential numbers crunch, competing with Tully Banta-Cain, Roderick Green and Jay Moore.  Barrows had some interesting comments about the four players:

Holmes, who has shown real promise as a pass rusher, is an obvious practice-squad candidate, but the 49ers would risk him being plucked off it by a team with room on its active roster. Banta-Cain disappointed last year with just 3.5 sacks, but he is the most versatile of the bunch and there's a sense that he'll be more effective in a reserve role just as he was in New England. Green has been perhaps the best pass rusher of this latter group. But his versatility is limited and the 49ers know (from history) there's little risk in cutting him and bringing him back midseason if need be. Moore, meanwhile, hasn't shown much of a pass rush and is still very much in learning mode when it comes to coverage duties. He is practice-squad eligible.

I would like to see Jay Moore make the roster, but I'm feeling more and more like he will end up on the practice squad.  Holmes sounds motivated to make the roster, but the numbers crunch might get in the way.  If he can make some noise against the Packers, maybe he can force the situation.

Keith Lewis - Up to this point I considered Lewis pretty secure in his roster spot.  Barrows mentioned today that he thinks one of the final defensive backs could come down to either Lewis or Marcus Hudson.  In comparing the two, Barrows said Lewis's strengths being special teams place and solid backup play at strong safety, while his main weakness is a lack of speed and versatility.  Hudson, on the other hand, has less experience but more versatility in the secondary and is showing some special teams spark.  I'm not sure how strong a performance Lewis would need to secure his spot, but it'd be interesting to see which way the 49ers go.  Lewis has always been an under the radar guy, but considering he led the team in special teams tackles in 2007, he might be worth keeping around.

The team still has the Packers game and next Thursday's matchup at Chicago (along with several more practices) before the 75-man cut down date.  The third preseason game is usually where the starters go upwards of 3 quarters, so backups need to make things happen sooner rather than later.

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.

The 49ers got through their second day of padded practice with a few bumps and bruises but some interesting developments as well.

1. Mr. Goldson, please answer the white courtesy phone.  Mark Roman had to sit out today's practice with a hamstring strain, meaning Dashon Goldson practiced with the first team defense.  As long as Roman gets back to healthy I'd imagine he'll hang on to the starting free safety job for at least the beginning of the season.  However, if Goldson continues to make plays, as he's done in practice so far, he could snatch the job away.  Of course, if both are playing well, I'd imagine the team would find ways to get both in the lineup.  Goldson played a good bit of cornerback in college so he has the necessary flexibility.

2. Now if only Jennings could stay healthy and keep his head on straight, for crying out loud. Both MM (see the comments at the bottom) and Barrows have pointed out that Jonas Jennings has been the best offensive lineman in camp, with MM also giving a plug to Eric Heitmann.  Heitmann struggled last season after coming back from a busted up leg.  Jennings has had off the field issues and injury issues crop up ever since he signed his 7-year deal with the 49ers.  If these two guys can stay healthy and have bounce back years, I think this offensive line goes from weakness to strength.  Staley still has to prove himself at left tackle and Baas/Wragge/Rachal have their work cut out for them.  However, the talent is there for the 49ers to have a very good offensive line this season.  That would be HUGE for whomever is leading the team at QB.

3. QB numbers. Maiocco has been so kind as to provide his unofficial pass statistics for the 11-on-11 dills: Alex Smith is 65 of 99 (65.7%) with 1 TD and 3 INTs.  Shaun Hill is 60 of 94 (63.8%) with 1 TD and 4 INTs.  A couple things to keep in mind on those statistics: 1) The 49ers have worked inside the redzone in only one practice, 2) It's not a TD if it's not caught in the TD or there is no defender between the receiver and the end zone when he catches the ball.  So those numbers certainly have to be taken with a grain of salt.

4. Thank the lord he didn't pull a Jay Moore. Kentwan Balmer injured his ankle when a teammate fell on it during a running drill.  There were worries it was a high ankle sprain, but it appears to only be a mild sprain.  Moore suffered a high ankle sprain last year and missed the whole season.

5. Some other injury news.  Arnaz Battle was held out of practice but it appears to be a simple precautionary measure.  He has had knee injuries and other bumps and bruises in the past.  Battle has reached that point where he's turning into an established veteran where you know what you're gonna get from him.  You never want a guy losing reps in practice, but if it keeps him healthy I suppose it works.

I wanted to wrap up with an interesting quote from Mike Nolan after practice:

"Yesterday we had three turnovers and a couple of incomplete passes that when we get our timing and all down will be big gains. They turn into interceptions because they bounce off a guy’s pads or something happened that we might have gone to an inside guy instead of the outside with the ball. Just little things that when we get it down is an opportunity for a big play. We have to understand that. Guys come out and say, ‘Well I saw this with turnovers.’ But when you analyze it, it’s the right decision and makes us a big play that we didn’t have before. So there’s excitement. The guys see it, but you have to point it out so they’re not wondering, ‘Did I really see that, or did I not?’ When the coach talks about it, it’s a little bit more real than them looking at each other and saying, ‘Did you almost make a big play?’ ‘Yes, I did.’ Players are always going to say, ‘Well I almost hit it out of the park.’ And they popped out. It’s not really the same thing.”

This is one thing we all have to keep in mind as we roll through training camp.  With the new offense, it will definitely take some time for the offense to come together.  Mike Martz mentioned he had never been in a situation like this with an even split of snaps between the top 2 QBs.  I certainly hope that isn't detrimental to the development of some sort of cohesiveness in the offense.

This continued development of the offense will be something to keep an eye on through each othe preseason games.  I definitely want to try and do some charting of plays and see what kind of success Smith and Hill have early on.  It's only preseason, but for a small stretch Smith/Hill will still see #1 defenses so there should be some valuable analysis available.

[EDITOR'S NOTE 7/29 11:40PM: I've noticed many people googling "49ers training camp" are coming across this post.  If you end up here and have not been to Niners Nation before, feel free to explore the proverbial studio space.  If you want to leave comments here, scroll to the bottom and you'll see an option for registering.  Registration is free and it gives you the power of commenting and writing your own Fan Posts, which are like blogs within the blog.  Anyways, hope you enjoy your time here, as we've got a great little community that is growing every day.  We'd love to hear from you.]

The long "winter" that is the NFL offseason is finally at an end.  While games do not kick for another couple weeks, practice is officially underway today.  Thursday saw the 49ers report for duty and take care of phsyicals and whatnot.  Thankfully all the rookies are under contract and in camp.  To throw some cliches your way, in July everybody's a contender.  Some more than others, but every team has some reason or another for hope.  The 49ers hope comes in the form of Mike Martz and Justin Smith among many others.

We've broken down different training camp battles (twice).  We've looked at the new 49ers on the field and amongst the coaching staff.  We've even looked at possible best and worst case scenarios.  Consider this post then a quick overview for those who may have been away from Niners Nation awhile, as well as general info on training camp in Santa Clara.

Practice Facilities
Marie P. DeBartolo Sports Center
Santa Clara, CA
8 practices open to the public: July 25, 26, 27, 28, 30; August 1, 2,3

John Clayton with quick thoughts on the 49ers training camp and things to do away from camp:

• What John Clayton says: What's better than 49er camp? First, it's located on the outside of Great America amusement park, which could make for a great doubleheader for the entire family. Catch a morning or afternoon practice with one of the up-and-coming teams in football and slide over to the theme park. The 49ers train at their headquarters and have a nice setup for fans, with stands and refreshments.
• What to do besides training camp: Santa Clara is 45 minutes from downtown San Francisco; visit 49ers' camp in the morning and shop in Union Square in the afternoon. Other must-see places in San Francisco include Alcatraz, Pier 39, Golden Gate Park and the Ferry Building. Back at team headquarters, the Santa Clara Golf & Tennis Club is located but a few feet away, should campgoers wish to take some swings while in town. For a true taste of Silicon Valley history, the Intel Museum also is just down the street. And nearby Triton Museum of Art offers free admission.

Veteran Additions
Isaac Bruce, WR
DeShaun Foster, RB
Bryant Johnson, WR
J.T. O'Sullivan, QB
LaJuan Ramsey, DT
Alan Reuber, OT
Allen Rossum, KR/PR
Barry Sims, OT
Justin Smith, DE
Dontarrious Thomas, LB

2008 Draft Class
Kentwan Balmer, DT/DE
Chilo Rachal, G/T
Reggie Smith, CB/S
Cody Wallace, C
Josh Morgan, WR
Larry Grant, LB

Training Camp Battles to watch
QB1: Alex Smith vs. Shaun Hill vs. J.T. O'Sullivan (no snickering please)
Ted Linebacker: Jeff Ulbrich vs. Larry Grant vs. Brandon Moore
RG (winner does battle with Baas): Chilo Rachal vs. Tony Wragge
CB #2/3: Walt Harris vs. Shawntae Spencer vs. Tarell Brown vs. Reggie Smith
WR #2/#3/#4: Bryant Johnson vs. Arnaz Battle vs. Ashley Lelie vs. Jason Hill vs. Josh Morgan
FS: Mark Roman vs. Dashon Goldson
ROLB: Tully Banta-Cain vs. Jay Moore vs. Parys Haralson
World Wide Supremacy: Patrick Willis and Andy Lee vs. God (trick question, Lee and Willis ARE God)

We'll have wall to wall coverage of training camp.  I'm going to attend one of the eight practices, although that may expand to more if I have time.  In the meantime, if ANYBODY here attends training camp, we'd love to hear your thoughts in a Fan Post.  In the meantime I'll be scouring the Internet for information as things happen.  I hope everyone is as excited as I am for the return of football!

And of course, if you haven't yet signed up, the random drawing for spots in the first Niners Nation Fantasy Football League will be held July 31.  For those not selected, additional leagues will be created to fill all demand and there will be equal prizes to all winners.

Training camp starts tomorrow for the 49ers.  That much everybody knows.  What will be the end result nobody really knows.  Accordingly, I thought we'd take a look at the possible best and worst case scenarios for the 49ers.  The plan is to look at them now and then again at the end of training camp when injuries have occurred or been recovered from. 

I had thought about considering injuries, but the worst case scenario could then result in injuries to half the starters.  So, instead the closest I'll come to injuries is certain starters "wearing down" from overuse.  Normally I'm not a really negative person, but I think it's useful to consider the extremes in this case.  Additionally, when I say extremes I'm not saying 16-0 and 0-16.  I'm not predicting starting QB in the Pro Bowl for Alex Smith or 1,800 receiving yards from Bryant Johnson.  Rather these are "realistic" best and worst case scenarios based on the past and thoughts about the future.

Best Case Scenario
While I know plenty of folks are on the Shaun Hill bandwagon, the best case for the 49ers has to involve Alex Smith taking the next step.  If Shaun Hill steps up and takes the starting job that would be a close second.  However, given the investment in and expectations of Alex Smith, the absolute best case scenario is his continued evolution as the starter.

Smith seemed to be making some progress in 2006, so this would involve him taking a step up from that season, as opposed to 2007.  This would involve about 3,500 passing yards (he had 2,890 in 2006) and getting above 60% in completion percentage.  These are numbers that would put him in the top 10-15 QBs in the league.

Frank Gore would bounce back from a relatively sub-par 2007 to finish with 2,000+ combined yards (1,500+ in 2007, 2,170+ in 2006).  Bryant Johnson steps up with 70+ receptions and the 49ers finally have a 1,000+ yard receiver.   At the same time, Vernon Davis takes the next step to 70+ receptions and over 1,000 yards as well.  Finally, after a step back last season, the offensive line gels and keeps Smith off his butt most of the time.  While I'd hope for Chilo Rachal to step up into the right guard role, he settles in as a solid sub and David Baas holds down the job for one season.

On defense, Patrick Willis sees his tackle total go down, but more because the rest of the defense has improved.  Manny Lawson bounces back and the combination of Tully Banta-Cain, Jay Moore, Parys Haralson and some Justin Smith creates a somewhat viable pass rush.  The secondary's statistics improve because of this pass rush and the 49ers defense finishes in the top 10.

Best Case Record: 11-5, division champion.  While I'm not expecting this by any means, I think if things break the 49ers way and players develop like some of us hope, this is not out of the realm of possibility.  The 49ers face a tough schedule outside of the division but there are some upset possibilities.  11-5 can happen with upsets of the Eagles and Redskins and sweeps of the Cardinals OR the Rams.

Worst Case Scenario
Neither Alex Smith or Shaun Hill steps up and J.T. O'Sullivan proves to be the career backup that we expect.  If Smith and Hill both proved mediocre at best, the 49ers would be in the worst possible situation and I'd expect Mike Nolan would be out the door, possibly before the season is over.  The team would realize they need to draft, trade for or sign a new QB of the future and would have wasted the last four seasons and I'd imagine 49ers would be just a little bit frustrated.

Frank Gore could still be decent in a 49ers worst case scenario but I think he wears down over the course of the season and finishes with 900 or so rushing yards, but an increase in receiving yards because none of the receivers are getting open.  So he still finishes with 1,500 combined yards, but they're not "good yards."  The wide receivers struggle as Bryant Johnson will clearly never be more than a backup and Isaac Bruce hits the wall that 35 year old NFL players tend to hit.  Ashley Lelie is cut before the end of September and Jason Hill struggles in learning the NFL game.  Finally, the offensive line does not gel as Jonas Jennings continues to have personal issues.  David Baas is not fully recovered from his pec muscle tear and Chilo Rachal and Tony Wragge are not the answer yet.

On defense, Patrick Willis has an even higher tackle total than last season because the rest of the defense just plain stinks.  The pass rush continues to be non-existent in part because Manny Lawson is slow to recover from his injuries.  Walt Harris hits the same wall as Isaac Bruce and the 49ers are forced to give more playing time to rookie Reggie Smith and second year man Tarell Brown.  Clearly neither is prepared for this situation.

Worst Case Record: 3-13, Nolan is canned and somebody has strangled Mike Martz.  This would actually involve the 49ers going 0-8 on the road and 1-5 in the division.  Of course, they would still beat the Detroit Lions!

Since training camp starts later this week, I put together a short list of position battles heading into training camp.  I could wait until the day before, but since nothing is likely to change in the next few days, now is as good a time as any.  We previously went over quarterback, right guard and the third/nickel back.  At each position I've posted who I think is the early leader in the battle.

Right Outside Linebacker
Leader at the first turn: Tully Banta-Cain
When TBC was brought in last season, there was hope that he would help generate the pass rush that has been missing for some time.  Unfortunately it did not work out quite like that.  While he pounced on Kurt Warner's end zone fumble in overtime, that was probably the only highlight of significance from 2007.  While with the Patriots, TBC was a veritable super-sub and it's possible he ends up back in that role with the 49ers.  I list him as the leader simply because he's the incumbent.  He'll see competition from my boy Jay Moore and Parys Haralson and will lose playing time to Justin Smith if the 49ers continue mixing him into the linebacker corp.  Moore missed all of last season with a high ankle sprain but certainly had an opportunity to learn the system.  I'm quite curious to see how he looks once the games get going.

Haralson got a big bump in playing time and while he wasn't spectacular, he certainly showed some skills.  I would expect even more playing time for him this season.  Considering the competition for playing time, I could definitely see the right OLB being a rotation between TBC, Haralson, Moore and Smith.  While it'd be nice to see a single guy step into the role, each competitor brings something different to the table.  Would you expect a platoon situation?

#2/#3 Wide Receiver
Leader at the first turn: Bryant Johnson and Arnaz Battle
It seems pretty clear that Bruce and Johnson are the guys we'll see starting every week.  While the team isn't rolling out the likes of Boldin and Fitzgerald or Holt and Bruce (back in the day), the depth at wide receiver is intriguing nonetheless.  Arnaz Battle is the guy who comes into training camp behind some new toy and is expected to take a step backwards.  And then every year he steps up once again and is the 49ers most consistent receiver.  Barring Isaac Bruce losing all his skills, Battle will primarily be battling Bryant Johnson for playing time.  As much as I enjoy Battle on the field, I also know that if Johnson steps up and takes the #2 (or even #1) position, the 49ers will be better for it.  Johnson brings more athleticism to the position and I think long term, Battle is better suited as the #3 guy.

I certainly would like to see Ashley Lelie step up and make a name for himself, but I honestly wouldn't be surprised to see Jason Hill or even Josh Morgan leap him on the depth chart.  He has supposedly climbed out the doghouse, but until he produces, I'm not holding my breath.  Hill is an interesting option as he spent much of last year injured.  This training camp, particularly the exhibition games, will be very important if he wants to not get relegated to the scrap heap.

Free Safety
Leader at the first turn: Mark Roman
We've heard plenty of reports about Dashon Goldson looking sharp in practice.  Roman had to get his shoulder cleaned out and that gave Goldson more first team time during OTAs.  Roman isn't getting any younger and as is the case so often in professional sports, it's always nice to improve the team while getting younger.  This may actually be the training camp battle I'm most excited about.  Assuming Roman is healthy, I'd imagine he'll have the edge.  They say the challenger has to truly beat the champ to take the title and Goldson will really have to step up.  Roman is a solid free safety, but it would certainly be nice to get the position locked up with a young talent like Goldson.

Aside from the positions mentioned above and previously, the remaining positional battles are more playing time than starting or not starting.  Nose tackle will be interesting because there are so many bodies to mix in that I don't see a single full-time guy there.  Aubrayo Franklin is the nose tackle, but Balmer will get some time and I'm curious to see how they move around Sopoaga.  And, of course, if they mix in some 4-3 schemes the nose tackle disappears.

So, if there's a position battle you think I missed, feel free to let us know about it.

After putting together a 53-man roster and practice squad projection, the next step is looking at the specific players that are battling for the final few spots on the 49ers roster.  This first one is probably not as difficult a choice as some of the ones to come in the next few weeks.  "My Boy" Jay Moore was drafted as a defensive end with the intention of moving him to outside linebacker.  The experiment was cut short when Moore went down with a high ankle sprain that ended up putting him on injured reserve for the season.  One could argue that was beneficial for Moore as he was able to spend the entire season learning what it takes to play outside linebacker.  You never want to see a player lose a season to injury, but if it's going to happen, it might as well be when you're still learning to play a new position.  You learn most on the field, but being able to observe has it's positives.

Way back in January of 2007 I got a scouting report on Moore from Corn Nation, the Nebraska blog for SB Nation.  The big problem for Moore heading into the draft was his size.  He was too small to be a traditional down lineman, but too big to be a linebacker.  The 49ers picked him up with the intention of converting him to OLB, in part because he brought solid speed to the table.  It's hard to make any predictions about his performance because his only NFL playing time was last preseason.  Furthermore, we still don't have a complete idea of how he will contribute.  Over at sf49ers.com, there was an article today in which they discussed the injury and what to expect this coming season.  After looking this over, it sounds like he'll play a role somewhat similar to new 49er Justin Smith:

With the ankle healed, Moore shifted his focus from rehab to losing a good amount of weight to help him in his, “hybrid” role with the defense. As of the second week of OTA’s Moore has been lining up at outside linebacker and has also been in a four-point stance as a defensive end in the 49ers 4-3 alignment. His combination of size and speed has also been utilized on the punt team.

I don't know if it's accurate to say he is being groomed as a poor man's Justin Smith.  However, Smith has been lining up an awful lot at outside linebacker, and Mike Nolan has discussed the plan to move Smith back and forth between defensive end and outside linebacker.  Smith is a more natural fit at the end position, but is athletic enough to make a big impact at outside linebacker.  The question is how Jay Moore perform in a similar role?  Going into the OTAs I would have guessed Smith would spend most of his time at DE and mix in some OLB, while Moore would be the opposite.  Now, Smith could very well be the starting OLB leaving Moore, TBC and Parys Haralson battling for playing time behind him and Lawson.

However, back to the bubble battle.  I think the only reason it's even a little questionable if Moore will make the roster is because of all the time Smith is getting at outside linebacker.  However, while contracts can certainly be voided, I don't see why you'd give Moore a 4-year deal if you didn't think he could make some sort of impact.  One could argue for a linebacker like Roderick Green or Dennis Haley since they're both only two years older than Moore.  However, I think Moore brings a little more upside to the table as far as the hybrid role he could fill.  Part of it is my own irrational bias towards Moore.  Either way, it could make for an interesting battle through training camp.  While I think Moore is relatively safe to make the roster, I think Green and Haley are two of the primary guys he's battling for a spot.

So last week we had some fun projecting the 49ers 53-man roster for the upcoming season.  A vast majority of the spots were easy to fill, but as we got to the last few guys in and out, things got a little dicier.  There are definitely a few guys on the bubble when it comes to filling out the roster.  So, I thought it'd be fun (or at least useful information) to try and project out potential cuts and practice squad players.  In order to do that, I did some research in the NFL Collective Bargaining Agreement on who is eligible for the practice squad.  After the jump I've included the specific rules, word-for word, but in the meantime here's the quick and dirty version. 

A player is NOT eligible for the practice squad if he one accrued season of NFL experience.  An accrued season occurs when a player is on full pay status for a total of six or more regular season games.  After two seasons on the practice squad, a player can be on it for a third year, only if his team has at least 53 players on the Active/Inactive List the entire time.  That's a little more confusing too me, so I've made some notes on some of the guys below to whom that might apply.

After listing every player I went through and sorted guys into four groups: 1) Pretty much a lock to make the 53-man roster; 2) Ineligible for the practice squad, so on the bubble of making the 53-man roster or being cut; 3) Eligible for the practice squad but somewhat of a chance of making the 53-man roster, so on the bubble of making the 53-man or practice squad; and 4) eligible for the practice squad, but slim to no chance of making the 53-man roster, so on the bubble between the practice squad and being cut.  I determined practice squad eligibility by going through player bios at the 49ers website.  Also, there were a couple guys on my projected 53-man roster that are definitely bubble guys, so I've moved them off and added them to one of the groups.  All the players listed are in no particular order.

1. 53-man/Cut
FB Zak Keasey, OT Alan Reuber, DE Melvin Oliver, LB Roderick Green, LB Dennis Haley, G Jeb Terry, DE Atiyyah Ellison, DB Marcus Hudson, DB Markus Curry, G Qasim Mitchell, QB Drew Olson, TE Cooper Wallace, DT Walter Curry.  The last three might be eligible for a 3rd year on the practice squad, but I'm not 100% sure.

2. 53-man/Practice Squad
LB Larry Grant, LB Jay Moore, WR Josh Morgan, RB Thomas Clayton, DT Joe Cohen, WR Dominique Zeigler

3. Practice Squad/Cut
WR Cam Colvin, LB Shaun Richardson, S D.J. Parker, S Lewis Baker, WR Robert Jordan, WR Jerard Rabb, G Brian De La Puente, DE Louis Holmes, G John Booker, TE J.J. Finley,  P Ricky Schmitt

If my information is correct, we have at least 17 and possible 20 guys eligible for the practice squad (depending on how Olson, Wallace and Curry fall).  As the groupings are currently set, there are 51 guys on the 53-man roster.  I removed Larry Grant and Josh Morgan to reflect their bubble status.  Damane Duckett would be in trouble if the team signs Barry Sims and he made the 53-man roster as Duckett is not eligible for the practice squad.  Other than that, I think that leaves roughly 51 guys pretty locked in to the 53-man roster (obviously not factoring in any potential injuries). 

So, the question becomes, who makes up the practice squad?  If he stays healthy, I wouldn't be surprised to see Robert Jordan stick around, as well as Shaun Richardson and/or Louis Holmes.  I'm going to say that Jay Moore bounces to the 53-man side of the bubble as my 53-man only has 3 natural outside linebackers (Lawson, TBC and Haralson).  It looks like Justin Smith will get plenty of time there but he'll be moving all over the place.  So for this exercise I see last year as like a practice squad year for Moore and will bump him into the 53-man.  I think Josh Morgan is a good bet to end up on the PS.  Thomas Clayton spent last season on the practice squad, but the signing of DeShaun Foster leaves him in a bad position, unless he can beat out Michael Robinson.  While he may be a more talented running back than Robinson, the team seems committed to turning Robinson into something of use.

In the end, the practice squad is much harder to project because you're inherently dealing with guys who are on the bubble as a whole.  Does the team want to keep some guys with a little NFL time around just in case, or do they go with young, fresh bodies?  For argument's sake I'll throw out 8 guys and wouldn't be surprised to get at least half of them wrong:

1. Josh Morgan, WR
2. Robert Jordan, WR
3. Shaun Richardson, LB
4. Louis Holmes, DE
5. Joe Cohen, DT
6. J.J. Finley, TE
7. Brian De La Puente, G
8. Thomas Clayton, RB

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