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.

Over the ten days of camp, one of the standouts has been Jonas Jennings.  Barrows and Maiocco both seem to be in agreement that he has stood out in the various drills thrown his way.  It's been beaten into the ground, but Jonas Jennings has always been immensely talented.  The problems that have kept him off the field and/or kept him from being a true standout have always appeared to be a combination of injuries and personal issues.  Last season he left the team with personal issues and that was one of many problems that hurt the team.

After the morning practice in Napa yesterday, Jennings was willing to open up and go on the record with Maiocco.  Events have certainly piled up on Jennings.  I don't think it's necessarily to blame anybody in particular.  At the same time, the tone portrayed about the situation ranges somewhere between annoyance and down right pissed off.

On moving to the right side of the line:

"I'm not going to lie to you. I'm not happy about it. But I'm just trying to be a team player . . . It's different when you play three years in college at left (tackle) and seven years in the league on the left and then in the eighth year you have to switch. It's something I have to get used to."

On last season:

". . . nobody still knows what really happened last year. First, I have personal problems, then I'm back at practice the next day. You do the math. Then I (reportedly) have problems in the locker room but then (it's reported) everybody loves me in the locker room. You know what I'm saying? People are doing a lot of guessing and wishy-washy stuff. People will write things. I don't know what you wrote, but I've been staying away from that and those types of questions because you can just go back to your sources."

One his mental state now:

"I'm under contract. I'm a loyal guy, so I'm going to carry out my contract and do my duty as a 49er. That's where it is."

On the injuries:

"Being hurt . . . I don't worry about things I don't control. People say this and say that, but everything I've been out for I've had to have surgery for. What can I do about that? Two shoulder surgeries, hand, ankles. If you play a violent game violently, man, of course something's going to come out of it. But I can't stop this guy from rolling me up in the back. That stuff is unavoidable. If I got caught up in that and worried about all of that, I'd probably have same amount of gray hairs you have . . .

If you're going to put out all that stuff . . . the Ronnie Lott thing and what he heard, that I don't get along . . . well, why am I around? I was just a permanent captain a year ago, and now I'm the scapegoat? It doesn't add up to me."

On dealing with the negative talk:

"Some (expletive) you just don't hear. There's no negative in my mind. You know what I mean? People are going to have their opinions and think what they want to think. If I'm such a bad guy, why am I still around? That's the way I look at it. I know I didn't do anything, but be hurt. What can I do about that? Especially when I needed surgery for it? Everything I've been out for needed to be fixed. They can think what they want to think, but when I'm going, I'm going."

If you get a chance to read through the entire interview, I highly recommend it.  While there is plenty left to inferrence, you can get a good idea of the mindset of Jennings.  I think he was really convinced he was going to get cut by the 49ers at some point before training camp.  Maybe I'm inferring too much from the conversation but it seems like he realizes the true business nature of it and he does not want to get emotionally invested in the team.

The team added Barry Sims in the offseason to compete at right tackle.  I am certainly glad to have a capable replacement in case Jennings misses more time.  However, I also think that if this o-line is to return to the form of 2006, Jennings needs to be the guy at right tackle.  In 2006 he played in 13 games and the 49ers rushing attack reached record highs.  It certainly was not all him, but he was an important key.

At 30 years of age, Jennings is in year 4 of the 7-year contract he signed.  Considering he's never actually played a full season I'd like to think his tires aren't too worn down.  Of course, the various surgeries certainly don't help.  So I see two questions coming out of all this.  First, what can the 49ers expect from Jonas Jennings this season and through the rest of his contract (or if he'll even last the final 4 years of his deal)?  Second, can the 49ers put together a solid offensive line with Barry Sims (or anybody other than Jennings) manning the right tackle position, or is Jennings a significant cog in this machine?

[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.

Aside from OTAs and a short minicamp, May, June and much of July are pretty quiet on the football front.  I'm guessing that's why the various publications put out their annual NFL Preview issues.  A lot will change in training camp, but for now, football fans demand information.  My first memories of this revolved around Street & Smith's.  Others have come along, including Athlon Sports and Lindy's Pro Football Preview, but for me, it all goes back to Street & Smith's.

We'll look at those magazines later, but for now I thought we'd start with CBSSports.com's Pro Football Weekly.  PFW gives letter grades to eight offensive and defensive units, a projected record and odds on winning the Super Bowl.  I've put all the pertinent information about all 4 NFC West teams in this handy-dandy chart:

As you can see, PFW seems rather bullish on the Cardinals and incredibly down on the 49ers.  I have no problem with the long Super Bowl odds, but does anybody honestly see this team going 3-13?  I suppose anything's possible and I'm probably more optimistic than an objective football analyst.  However, I honestly see both the offensive and defensive units improving in 2008.  I'm not predicting 13-3, but I think a 7-9 or 8-8 prediction is completely reasonable and safe guess.  Furthermore, even though the grades aren't all that good, there is no one unit that is so awful as to warrant 3-13.

Right off the bat, let's look at the running back position.  Steven Jackson is arguably the better running back in the NFC West.  Even conceding that point, would you rather have DeShaun Foster as your #2 back or the combination of Travis MInor and youngsters Brian Leonard and Antonio Pittman.  Sure there is upside in those last two, but Foster brings more to the table this season.

Looking at the offensive line grades, it's fair based on last year's performance.  However, I definitely think the offensive line will perform above a C- if they can stay healthy.  The addition of Barry Sims gives them a very capable backup to Jonas Jennings, meaning they won't be sliding guards to tackle and tackles to guard.

As far as the defensive backs are concerned, I think this a clear sign of not doing enough research.  It seems like they saw the 49ers final numbers and assumed the DBs were just as bad as everybody else.  They did acknowledge that Clements played well under his "$80 million contract" (that we all know is NOT $80M).  While Walt Harris certainly regressed from 2006, the depth behind him has grown.  Shawntae Spencer remains a talented back up and the youth movement of Tarell Brown and Reggie Smith brings a lot to the table.

They wrapped up the preview stating that:

At the very least, the Niners should be a lot more interesting with Mike Martz in charge of the offense.  But with so many holes to fill on both sides of the ball, a sixth straight losing season seems more than a little likely.

Considering they predicted 3-13, it seems like they think it's more like a lock.

Other Stuff
As with every preview magazine, PFW has several feature articles on everything ranging from the 10 players to keep an eye on throughout the year to the top rated players overall and at each position.  I'm disappointed to say that Patrick Willis didn't make the top 10 players to watch each week, or even the honorable mentions.  Of course the top 10 were all the usual suspects on offense.  The honorable mentions did include Ed Reed and Antonio Cromartie.  Personally, I think you're gonna see something special every week when Bamm-Bamm takes the field.

As far as the player ratings, 4.0-5.0 goes Pro Bowl, blue chip guys who "consistently make big plays."  3.0-3.9 goes to impact players who fall short in at least one area.  2.4-2.9 goes to starters who get the job done or a "still-developing player who has the potential to get it done."

Coming in at #50 and the highest rated 49er is Bamm-Bamm himself, Patrick Willis with a 4.0 (for new readers wondering about the Bamm-Bamm, Chad Johnson gave Willis that nickname just prior to playing against him last season.  Suffice to say, it has stuck here at Niners Nation). 

Next to many players they included little initials, such as u (upside), uu (huge upside), c (player is at a crossroads) and d (begun to decline or will soon).  Willis is notched with a uu meaning huge upside.  Only Brian Urlacher ranks higher than Willis, while Lofa Tatupu and DeMeco Ryans are also given 4.0.  Since Willis has uu, and those two don't, he gets the tiebreaker.  An interesting point is made in his little bio:

Willis had one of the all-time great seasons for a rookie linebacker, leading the NFL in tackles by a wide margin...Such a high tackle total is usually an indicator of a weak defense, but make no mistake: Willis had an outstanding first season.  A fast, tough inside linebacker who makes tackles sideline-to-sideline, Willis could be an All-Pro for the next 10 years if he stays healthy and hungry.

Aside from Willis, the 49ers get high marks for Frank Gore (3.75, although I think there should be a u next to Gore considering the impact Martz could have on the offense).  Vernon Davis comes in at 3.4 with uu and in the team preview they think he could blow up in the Martz offense (shocker there).  Joe Staley checks in at 3.3 with a uu, Justin Smith is a 3.4, Nate Clements is a 3.7 and MIchael Lewis is a 3.4.

And just to cap it off, the man, the myth, the legend, Andy Lee comes in at 3.8 with a u.  You have to love a punter with upside!

For those who missed it from earlier, the 49ers won the every exciting and popular Barry Sims sweepstakes, outlasting the Rams, Patriots and Ravens.  Sims signed a two year deal, although financial terms were not revealed.  In deciding on the 49ers, it sounds like it was a combination of locale, $$$ and playing time:

"What maybe tips it a little bit is the money is a little bit better and you don't have to move to play here," said Vierra, who declined to reveal terms of the deal. "All I can tell you is he had a good feel in San Francisco."

Sims previously played for the Raiders and had a home in San Ramon I believe, so not having to relocate probably helped.  He'll compete with Jonas Jennings at right tackle, but he has the flexibility to play both tackle positions, making him an extremely valuable asset off the bench.

53-man roster
The question now is how this affects everybody else.  While it's probably not a 100% lock, I'd imagine Sims is a pretty likely candidate for the 53-man roster.  I had indicated in the 53-man projection post that if the 49ers signed Sims, Damane Duckett would be the likely candidate to get axed.  Of course Duckett seems to be a pet project of the coaching staff, which might work out in his favor.  If they went with Sims OR Duckett, the team would carry 9 offensive lineman into the regular season.  One reason to go with just Sims is his availability as a right and left tackle.  Any thoughts on who is out of luck with the Sims signing?

Chilo Rachal
After being drafted as a guard, word was that the coaching staff was going to move Rachal to right tackle in large part due to lack of depth.  Now that there is a bit more depth, I'm curious if they still try and get Rachal some time at tackle.  It'd be nice if he could get a little time at both tackle and guard.  A versatile offensive lineman is a valuable commodity and considering how young he is, Rachal has time to develop both guard and tackle skills.

Jonas Jennings
Jennings is immensely talented, but unfortunately quite injury-prone.  If Sims has a good camp, this could very well be the end of Jonas Jennings as a 49er.  He has never been guaranteed a spot in 2008 and this gives the 49ers some more options.  Cutting Jennings could open up a spot for one of the other young options in camp, whether it be Joe Toledo, Alan Reuber, or Damane Duckett.  Of course, if Jennings is solid in camp and can stay healthy, that's kind of a moot point.

Barry Sims met with the 49ers brass yesterday and continues a brief NFL tour that includes the New England Patriots, Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams.  I'd certainly have preferred that Sims have visited Santa Clara and quickly signed with the team.  Unfortunately that is not the case and we get a little competition for his services.  The question becomes who has the best shot of landing him and where does he actually end up.  I had thought about a poll but I'd rather just hear the reasons why people think he'll end up in a given location.  So I thought I'd put together a breakdown of the different situations, helped in great part by Maiocco's article linked above.  Most guys in the league are motivated by either a big paycheck, significant playing time or both.  Let's see what each situation brings to the table.  I was going to look at the salary cap situation for each team, but I'm struggling to find that information.  Google searches revealed May updates by John Clayton of each team's status but I can't find it for 2008.  If anybody can find that information, it would certainly be useful for potentially knocking out a team that lacks the kind of space the 49ers should still have.

San Francisco 49ers: Joe Staley and Jonas Jennings are slotted in as the tackles. 
Beyond that, the team certainly has some issues, particularly considering Jennings' injury history.  The current backups are Damane Duckett and Chilo Rachal, a man who hasn't played the tackle position full time since high school.  They've got an assortment of bodies that could move over to the tackle position, but it's not exactly a stable backup situation.  Nonetheless, the 49ers offensive line situation has been discussed ad nauseum so we'll move on to the other teams in contention.

New England Patriots: The Patriots are a team you usually don't want to be competing against for free agents.  They've become the premier franchise in the league and can sell many free agents on that winning atmosphere.  Their current tackles are Matt Light and Nick Kaczur.  Maiocco indicated Kaczur could be face disciplinary action following a recent drug possession charge.  Kaczur's backup is former Cal lineman Ryan O'Callaghan and he seemed to do ok his first couple years in the league.  Kaczur and O'Callaghan are both young guys, whereas Sims is 33.  While I could see the Patriots bringing in Sims to push O'Callaghan, I'm not sure they would view him as anything more than a stopgap until Kaczur's problems are cleared up.

Baltimore Ravens: Jonathan Ogden is contemplating retirement, which would certainly be quite a blow to their offensive line.  Baltimore Beatdown thought he'd return for another year back in January, but doesn't seem quite as sure now.  If he does, it sounds like Adam Terry and Jared Gaither are the two main competitors for that left tackle spot opposite Marshall Yanda.  Neither Gaither or Terry has a lot of experience and a veteran like Sims could be brought in to both work with them and push them for a starting spot.  If the Ravens don't feel either guy is ready to be a starter, Sims could easily be pushed in.  Sims has spent quite a bit of time at left tackle so he could certainly fit in there quite well.

St. Louis Rams: Simply put, the Rams have had some offensive line issues in the recent past.  Orlando Pace has had injury issues and while Alex Barron is certainly a decent option at right tackle, they have a considerable lack of depth behind those two.  If Pace can stay healthy he's still got plenty left in the tank, but the injuries are definitely something for the Rams to worry about.  Unless Sims beat out Barron for a job, it seems like Sims would simply be an insurance policy against a Pace injury.

So where do I think he ends up after all this?  I think the Ravens are a very real possibility.  Jonathan Ogden seems to be leaning towards retirement and I could certainly see Sims getting a very good chance to win the left tackle job for now.  He wouldn't be a long term answer for them, but he could prove a solid mentor to Gaither and Terry.  Aside from the Ravens I do see the 49ers as a legitimate possibility.  I do believe there is a possibility Jennings is not with the 49ers by the end of training camp.  He is immensely talented and immensely fragile.  Sims could be a short term solution considering he has not had major injury issues.  While the Patriots can always seem to convince free agents of the allure of Foxboro, I would imagine they'd stick with the young guys, particularly since any discipline of Kaczur would not be all that long.

So, if I had to handicap this race I'd say:
1. Ravens
2. 49ers
3. Patriots
4. Rams

I was planning on giving a brief recap each day for the 49ers organized team activities.  However, some days are slower than others so this will be more of random summaries to date with no particularly organized time pattern.  Additionally, it will likely be a combination of open thread on the OTAs and a link dump of anything remotely related, so feel free to throw in any links you might come across.

Arnaz Battle
After falling off the face of the earth for much of this week, Arnaz Battle has made contact and will be attending next week's workouts.  Battle gave the ever popular "personal reasons" as his excuse for missing the first week.  A lot of times you can figure out the real reason, whether it be a contract issue, playing time, or general unhappiness with the team.  In this case, I honestly don't know what would be the cause of this, other than something that actually is a "personal reason."  At some point some reason is bound to slip out, so I guess we'll just wait and see until then.  In the meantime, assuming all is well, Battle is definitely in a position for another solid season considering his past and the incoming Mike Martz-offense.

Barry Sims
Depth along the offensive line is viewed as a big problem going into the 2008 season.  Nolan has admitted as much and injuries over the past few seasons have created problems along the OL.  Any and every able body helps and so the 49ers have been talking with 10-year veteran Barry Sims.  It certainly helps that he's been playing in the Bay Area for so long and he is represented by a San Francisco-based agent.  I was looking over his Scout's Inc scouting report and he could definitely be useful this season:

Sims has adequate bulk and strength to go with good foot quickness and agility. He is a smart player with the ability to learn and has played both tackle spots as well as guard. He is a tough lineman who plays with a lot of confidence and tenacity. He can struggle in a strength contest but will fight and scrap and generally get the job done. He understands angles and blocking techniques and rarely allows himself to get into bad situations. He lacks the stride length to be effective out on the island as a tackle and lacks the bulk and power to be real effective inside against the NFLs bigger nose tackles and defensive tackles. He works blocks and rarely lets his feet die, so he always has a chance to get the job done but it won't always be pretty. Sims is the kind of lineman you love for his leadership and competitiveness, and while you hope to have enough talent to keep him on the bench as a backup but he won't hurt you as a starter.

This is definitely something to keep in the back of our minds.  Even if he's not productive on the field, a guy like Sims seems like a perfect mentor for Chilo Rachal.  Sims is experienced and as a tackle he could definitely show Rachal the ropes.  I just hopped over to Barrows blog and he had an interesting comment on what could potentially happen if Sims were signed.  It seems there is some disagreement on moving Rachal to tackle.  Bringing in Sims would provide the necessary depth at tackle and allow the team to move Rachal back to his more natural guard position.  We'll see how this plays out.

Take Spikes
The rumors had floated around about Spikes for the last couple of months and it seems like we can finally stick a fork in them.  Spikes is on the downside of his career and I'd prefer to see guys like Ulbrich and Thomas get a crack at the Ted position.  Veterans are always nice, but I didn't see Spikes contributing anymore than the guys we've already got.

If anything else comes along today I'll update this.

EDITOR'S UPDATE 10:15PM: MM is reporting Barry Sims will be coming in for a workout next Monday.