So first a little background.  Last week I received an email from Jason Jenkins, the 49ers Director of PR Operations.  He mentioned seeing the site and wanted to see if I could make it down to training camp on Saturday.  Naturally, I was very much down for that.  So, I took Cal Train down and spent Saturday afternoon at 4949 Centennial Boulevard.

I made it down to practice a couple times last year, but they were pretty limited and I was just sort of on my own.  This time, I had a PR person with me who was very open to discussing the team and where things stood.  While PR folks can certainly throw some spin, Jason seemed to be genuinely psyched for the season.  Also, it was a closed practice so there were only a few of us there.  As the interview below indicates I was with a couple fellows from 49erswebzone.com.  So it was the two of them, myself and Jason with practice all to ourselves.

Before hitting the practice field we got a tour of the facilities.  The locker room is rather large and with the 81 (and now 75) men on the roster, a bunch of temporary lockers are set up for all the rookies and training camp bodies not likely to make the roster.  This picture shows the temporary lockers for the youngsters.  This was shortly after the five cuts were announced and I kinda wish I had gotten a chance to take a picture of Kyle Wright's locker.  Just to show the transition and whatnot.

The first locker I saw coming in was the memorial locker to Thomas Herrion.  Herrion was the offensive lineman who collapsed and died after an exhibition game wiht the Broncos.  The 49ers have kept Herrion's locker as it was when he passed away.  I definitely wanted a shot of this.

After the tour we went out to practice.  Unfortunately I could not take pictures at practice because the team was implementing their offensive and defensive game plans for Friday's game against the Chargers.  Apparently in the recent past, some clown video-taped one of these types of practices and had it up on the 49ers Message Board.  It was not up for very long.

Josh Morgan was out (I think the illness that has kept him out this week as well).  I was disappointed as I wanted a chance to see him on the practice field.  However, I saw plenty of other things that excited me. 

Frank Gore was involved in some running and passing plays and he is looking unbelievable.  There was mention of him shedding some weight, which I noticed on tv and on the practice field.  He was flying around the field and squeezing through some really tiny holes.  A lot of publications are down on Gore this year, in part because I think they're down on the 49ers o-line.  However, I think the line will surprise folks and Gore is due for a monster season.

Additionally, and I know this is stating the obvious, but Vernon Davis is just a physical beast.  The team was running a red zone drill and Davis ran a corner pattern.  I think it was O'Sullivan (not 100% sure) who threw up a pass and Davis went up over the corner covering him to make the catch.  He looked like he was a solid head length plus above whomever was trying to cover him.  I realize some people have labeled him a workout or practice warrior, but I honestly think there's just too much talent and ability for him not to pan out as a great pass-catching tight end.

One thing I did really enjoy watching was some passing drills with Mike Martz looking over things.  O'Sullivan, Hill and Smith all took reps with the receivers with no defense.  Martz was taking the entire time, whether it be to the receiver or the quarterbacks.  He'd emphasize a specific location on the field or a harder cut a receiver needed to make.  After a QB would overthrow or underthrow a receiver, Martz would take the QB aside to discuss the mistake.  At the same time he threw out encouragement on solid performances.  It's hard to get a read on a guy standing across the field and yelling, but I liked what I saw.  I got the proverbial "good vibe."  I'm sure this will be discussed in the future depending on the outcome of the offense's season.

The same could be said of Mike Nolan during team drills.  You can see how much he loves the defensive side of the ball.  After a play would be run he was out giving some hands-on coaching to a defensive player.  Usually it was with the defensive backs, particularly the younger ones.  He must have called out DJ Parker's name five or six times in the space of five or ten minutes.

After practice and the interview with Scot McCloughan, I definitely had to get pictures with the Super Bowl trophies.  The first is just me and the second is me with Jason Jenkins.

I really want to thank Jason for reaching out to me and providing this opportunity.  A lot of my fellow SB Nation Football writers have had a difficult time getting in touch with their respective teams.  A lot of professional sports franchises are not what you'd call "blogger-friendly."  In reaching out to me and to some of the other 49ers blogs, they're clearly much more accepting of the proverbial "alternative media."  Thanks again to the 49ers.

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.

Last season I signed up for text message updates from the 49ers and I have to say, some of the time I'm receiving them before seeing anything online.  Being in the slow days of June, not a whole lot is going on so not too many messages.  However, early yesterday afternoon I learned that the 49ers had successfully claimed QB Kyle Wright off waivers from the Vikings and waived QB Drew Olson.

Considering the quarterbacks already in camp, I'd be shocked if Wright was on the roster at the end of August.  At the same time, Wright could be a prime candidate for the practice squad.  Drew Olson actually spent a small part of the season on the practice squad.  In the meantime, the claim of Wright has inspired me.  The 49ers currently have 81 players on their roster, including unsigned draft picks.  Just for sh$#s and giggles I thought I'd put together the "worst starting lineup possible."  All of these players are certainly world class athletes, but many of them are not starter quality.

OFFENSE
QB: Kyle Wright - He was ok for the U last season but definitely the worst option.
RB: Michael Robinson - Robinson brings a lot to the table, but I'm convinced Thomas Clayton is a better pure running back.  We're not factoring in potential special teams contributions either.
WR: Dominque Ziegler & Jerard Rabb - I actually like most of the 49ers less wide receivers, especially Robert Jordan.  Ziegler has struggled with injuries problems and Rabb was the 1A banana at Boise State in 2006 (he was the guy who caught the lateral and tied the game).
TE: Cooper Wallace - At least JJ Finley is a rookie and put up better college numbers.  Wallace has been in the NFL a couple years and hasn't made a big impact yet.  I'd imagine he's coming to the end of the road pretty soon.
OT: Damane Duckett & Alan Reuber - Duckett is a pet project of Nolan and considering he's never actually played in a game as a tackle.  Reuber has been around since 2004 and has seen scattered action during that time.
C: Cody Wallace - Not exactly an inspired pick.  I'm tempted to just see Wallace starting over Heitmann, but this is more a default pick since the 49ers only have a pair of centers.
OG: Brian De La Puente & Jeb Terry - Terry has been around the league for a few years and seen some action mostly on special teams.  De La Puente is a rookie out of Cal and I wouldn't mind seeing him on the practice squad.

DEFENSE
DE: Atiyyah Ellison & Louis Holmes - Ellison joins the running theme of practice squad bodies on this squad.  Louis Holmes is an undrafted free agent, so it's certainly too early to tell what he brings to the table.
DT: Walter Curry - LaJuan Ramsey was battling for this spot, but Ramsey has actually registered real NFL statistics.  Curry was an undrafted free agent in 2005 and has bounced from practice squads to NFL Europe and back.
OLB: Roderick Green & Parys Haralson - The linebacker positions show you the deth the 49ers have.  Green and Haralson are probably not starting caliber (at least for the 49ers), but they provide quality depth
ILB: Dennis Haley & Larry Grant - As seen in the outside linebackers, inside linebacker would also be a strength of this particular team.  Grant is a favorite of mine, so we'll see how he looks in training camp.
CB: Markus Curry & Marcus Hudson - Curry has bounced around practice squads since 2005 and I'd imagine he'd be an early cut in training camp.  The second CB spot was tough.  Tarell Brown brings way too much upside and Strickland gets a pass thanks to his huge defensive play against the Cardinals.  Reggie Smith is too green to be considered here so that leaves "veteran" Marcus Hudson.
FS: Lewis Baker - He's an undrafted free agent with some potential, but I certainly don't see sticking Mark Roman or Dashon Goldson in this spot.
SS: DJ Parker - Similar to Baker above, I don't see sticking Michael Lewis or Keith Lewis in this spot.

There's a back-up punter but that would just be ridiculous to talk about.  Of course considering I just did an analysis of the bottom end of the roster pool, maybe I should have included Ricky Schmitt.  I'd imagine this team would probably go 0-16.  Although, I definitely think this would make for an impressive college team.  So, would this team be able to win at the NFL level?  Considering we're playing Miami this year, it's entirely possible 1-15 is a better bet.