It's great to get away from football for a while and spend some quality family time with my wife and kids. I got my oldest signed up for baseball for the first time. He's all about football and he wants to play, but until he's old enough I'm trying to get him involved in other sports too.

As far as football goes, I am a restricted free agent. I haven't had any official talks with any teams yet, but I have spoken to several teams interested in me. Whatever happens happens, but I would like to stay in San Francisco. I understand that this is a business, though and I have to treat it as such.

The Combine is going on right now for all the new players coming in from college. I remember my Combine experience. I treated it like I was holding a once-in-a-lifetime lottery ticket. Performing well in the Combine was all I could think about.

But I got injured during the Senior Bowl. During the Wednesday practice I came out of a break and pushed off. I felt something click in my left knee. I ended up slightly tearing my LCL. I was pretty much only able to bench for the scouts at the Combine as a result. I didn't have the chance to show everything I could do and as a result I went from being a predicted third rounder to a sixth rounder.

The biggest thing in my life right now is that my wife and I are expecting our third child. I came from a family with five boys, so I expect it will be our third boy. My wife doesn't want to know beforehand, but I'm going to pull the doctor aside and find out. I want to know.

The contract situation will play out however it plays out. I know all the schemes here in San Francisco and all the plays, so my desire is to come back. But as long as I'm out there playing ball I will be blessed.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/marcushudson23.

Update: Julius Peppers signed a 6-year contract with the Chicago Bears.  Free agent quarterback David Carr visited the 49ers on Saturday and both sides are said to be working on a deal. If signed Carr will be the top candidate to be Alex Smith's back-up in the 2010 season.
 

It's time for every NFL team to maintain and improve the talent on their rosters.  Free agency and the draft is how the teams will achieve this goal.

This article will discuss various options the San Francisco 49ers could make this off-season in free agency.  Free agency begins March 5 at 12:00 a.m.

 A top priority for the Niners is adding a dominant pass-rusher to their defense.  Ironically the best player in this year's pool of free-agents is defensive end Julius Peppers. Peppers is a physical specimen who possesses amazing speed and agility for a man that sizes up at 6'7 283 pounds.

 The team does have one thing going for them so far; Peppers has stated that he would like to play in a 3-4 defense. The Niners run a hybrid 3-4 defense in which Peppers could line up at outside linebacker one play and then defensive end on another.  This will give opposing offenses nightmares trying to figure out how to block Peppers.

 Peppers will be on the Niners list, but the question is do they have the money to sign him since he will be demanding a contract that will make him one of the highest paid defensive players in the league.  If they do sign him the Niner's defense will be a force to be reckoned with in the 2010 season.

Another position that will be addressed this off-season is kick returner.  The Niners have been trying to fill this position for years and have been unsuccessful in finding a permanent fixture.  This could come to an end this offseason because there are some good prospects that can fill this position in free agency and the draft.

 The one in free- agency is running back Darren Sproles, who the Niners have been rumored to be heavily interested in.  Sproles not only will provide the team with a home run threat at the returner position he will also give them a change of pace running back to compliment Frank Gore's down-hill running style.

 The San Deigo Charges tendered Sproles, so if the Niners sign him they will have to give the Chargers a first and third round draft pick.  GM Scott McCloughan is unlikely to make that move because the team will most likely have the chance to draft Clemson's C.J. Spiller or Cal Berkley’s Jahvid Best with one of their two first round picks. Both running backs have elite speed and return skills.

The Niners will make offers for Peppers simply because he plays a position of need and he also is one of the best defensive players in NFL in the prime of his career. The club could also be shopping for cornerbacks on the open market. Apart from that do not expect the team to be big spenders like they have been in previous years.

My Next Article will analyze the draft needs and possible draft pick scenarios of the San Francisco 49ers.

It's difficult to really judge our season so soon after it ended, but we definitely feel that as a team we fell short. We know we're better than a .500 team but we didn't go out and prove it on the field. We let some games slip through our fingers and that's what hurts the most right now.

A lot of people think that the Vikings game was the most painful loss of the year, but not for me. The Seattle game in Week 13 was the one we had to win. If we had come out and won that game we would have been 6-6 and in really good position for the playoffs. We should have won but just didn't. That ended up being our only division loss this season.

The 5-1 division record is something positive for next year. We know we can compete with and beat anybody in our division. We beat the Cardinals twice, so that's a confidence builder. A couple things could have gone our way and we might have won our division.

I wish we were still playing, but I am going to make the most of my offseason. I'm planning two vacations. Gonna drop the kids off with grandma and take off for a couple weeks with my wife. When I get back it'll already be time to work back into shape. You have to be in such good shape to play football that you have to stay active even in your down time.

I'm a restricted free agent so my future is still up in the air at this point. I want to remain a 49er but we'll see what the offseason has in store for me.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/marcushudson23.

After a scoreless first half the San Francisco the 49ers score 28 points to beat the St. Louis Rams to end the NFL regular season. The 49ers finish the year 8-8 giving them their first non losing season since 2002.

San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Singletary is known to be a great verbal motivator.  Whatever he said to his team at halftime of today's game sparked a fire in the offense that was held to a season low 52 yards in the first half.  The offense scored four touchdowns and gained 277 yards in the second half to seal the 28-6 win over divisional rivals St. Louis Rams.

Offensive studs Vernon Davis and Frank Gore had memorable games to say the lease.  The duo set career milestones, team records and tied a league record.

Davis had 6 catches for 89 yards. His best catch of the day was a 73 yard touchdown, which is a career long for the 49ers' tight end.. The score displayed his raw speed; he was untouched until he reached the enzone.  The touchdown is his 13th of the year which ties the NFL record with Antonio Gates for most touchdown catches in a single season by a tight end.

Davis' 2009 season was his best as a pro. He set career milestones in receptions 78, yards 965 and touchdowns 13. His yards and scores also are 49ers team records for the tight end position.

Frank Gore's two touchdowns put the game out of reach for the Rams. His yards 107, however, gave him 20 career 100-yard games which breaks the team record that was held previously by Joe Perry. Perry's last season with the franchise was in 1963.

The 49ers defense continued to show that they can be dominating unit.  The Rams were held to six points and gained a meager 109 total yards. The defense also registered 8 sacks; with defensive end Justin Smith leading the way with 3.5.    The Rams are not rank highly offensively but the Niner's defense held their side of the bargain by containing the Rams before the 49ers offense got in sync in the second half.

The 49ers' 2009 season gave their fans a lot to look forward for next season.  Despite not making the playoffs the team showed improvement in all facets of the game.  If it wasn't for four close loses the team could have made it to the playoffs. The talent is there they just have to fine tune a couple of things to become an upper echelon team.

Alex Smith proved he can be a successful starting quarterback, Micheal Crabtree displayed playmaking ability at the wide receiver position, Vernon Davis is a mix-match nightmare for defenses, Dashon Goldson is a hard-hitting ball hawk at free-safety and the defense can play smash mouth defense and create turnovers(+9 is the teams turnover differential). 

Mike Singletary has this team playing with a tenacious attitude to win  especially on the defensive side of the ball.  The offense will only improve next year due to them finding their offensive identity and largely to the fact that offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye will be returning next year. The franchise has had five different offensive coordinator in as many years.  That rarely breeds success in the NFL.

 Click here to see the highlights of the 49ers vs Rams  

We lost another close game last week to the Seahawks and it's becoming a recurring event for us. It's s frustrating because we know we're a better team that we're showing on Sundays. We still have a playoff chance, but that loss lessened it significantly. It was a good thing that we didn't fall behind early, but some late turnovers really hurt us. We failed to make some plays and that gave them hope. They went out and capitalized on our mistakes.

One thing that is great to see is the continued progress of Alex Smith and the pass game. It's a big boost to morale that we have so many options on offense. Teams can't just stack the line to try and stop Frank Gore anymore. We have weapons at receiver and tight end as well as Gore out of the backfield and teams know that now.

As far as playing on Monday night goes, we just have to treat it as an opportunity to show people that we're better than our record suggests. People who follow us know that we're better than this and there's no better time to show it than when all eyes are on us.

I've been dealing with a bulging disc in my back that has caused me some problems. I've gotten some extra massages in on it, so hopefully I can get back to 100% pretty soon. I feel good enough to practice, so if they need me on Monday I'll be ready to go.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/marcushudson23.

The win on Sunday against the Jaguars was huge. It helped a lot in keeping our chances at the postseason a reality. For the first time in a while we came out and played like we're supposed to. We've had trouble starting out games so it was great to have a lead at halftime.

I can't tell you how different it is for a defense that has a lead to protect instead of one that is trying not to fall further behind. It allowed us to make more plays and everyone was more comfortable out on the field. The offense maintained drives and put points on the board. The best defense is having a great offense.

Our win mixed with the Cardinals loss puts us right back in the division race. Knowing that we play them again at home is huge for us. Against Seattle in week 2 we played great football. We were disciplined and believed in the system we had in place for the game. Frank Gore ran for 207 yards in that game, but now with the addition of our passing attack I feel we can open up holes for him again. We have to have the same mentality we had back when we faced them earlier.

Justin Forsett has really stabilized the Seahawks rushing attack recently, so it will be important to try and control him throughout the game. He's built like Maurice Jones-Drew so we're going to have to be on our A game and be where we're supposed to be on defense.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/marcushudson23.

     The San Francisco 49ers have fallen about as far as any franchise possibly can. They owned the 1980’s and 1990’s, winning five Super Bowls in five tries. They are now on the precipice of returning to the playoffs after an eight year hiatus that saw such poor football that I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. With a bit of help and a lot of hard work, Mike Singletary’s men can end that streak this year. The return to prominence is nearly complete.

     Currently, San Francisco sits at 5-6 and in second place, two games back of the Arizona Cardinals (7-4). It helps that SF plays in the worst division in professional sports, but games still have to be played; still have to be won. The next two weeks will go a long way in determining whether the 49ers will be playing meaningful games the last three weeks of the season or getting the young guys some valuable experience.

     Next Sunday, San Francisco travels to Seattle. As this game gets underway, so too will the Arizona Cardinals, who play host to the Minnesota Vikings. If the 10-1 Brett Favre’s can knock off the Cards, who are only 2-3 at home this season, and San Francisco can squeeze by the Seahawks, that would set up a Monday night showdown against Arizona in San Francisco, with first place on the line. I bet you thought that game was going to be meaningless, too, huh?

     With the emergence of Alex Smith, and the willingness of the coaching staff to keep an open mind, the San Francisco offense could be growing legs. For much of the year, Mike Singletary’s vision for his team was the whole physical with an ‘F’ philosophy. He wanted to run Frank Gore until his legs fell off, and then run him some more on his raw nubs. I have no problem with that mentality, but without the right players (such as an offensive line that can at least block a tackling dummy), it’s pointless.

     Alex Smith excelled at Utah under Urban Meyer and his spread offense. Smith had pin-point accuracy, a cannon for an arm, and intelligence that might make Einstein blush (graduated in two years with a bachelor’s degree in economics). He was the first pick in the draft for a reason and he finally showed a glimpse of his potential. Granted he shredded a Jacksonville defense that just plain refuses to rush the quarterback (league-low 10 sacks), but he still had to make split-second decisions with accuracy and precision.

     If the 49ers continue to run some version of the spread offense, which happens to fit Alex Smith’s skills to a ‘T’, this team could become lethal. Their defense has shown it can be dominant, especially against the run. Couple that with an offense that doesn’t go three and out every other time it gets the ball, and that could spell disaster for any opponent. I know this has yet to materialize, but they are on the cusp.

     Yes, I am a 49er fan. Yes, I said some things in this article that you may feel were overly exaggerated (like, a lot). You may even be right about it. But the truth is, if this team can score 20+ points on a regular basis (who knows with their newly found efficiency via the spread), I like their chances against anyone. For all the San Francisco fans, let’s steal the Warriors mantra from a couple of years ago: We Believe. I do.

It's been a tough few games for us and the number one thing we need to do is start games quicker. We've been putting ourselves in a bad position by falling behind early and we can't do that. At 4-6 we're still in the playoff race, but if we're gonna stay there we have to start quicker and put some points on the board early.

Most of our losses have been close. It's not like something has drastically changed since our 3-1 start. Looking back at the recent losses it's tough because I know that most of them could have been wins. Seeing a couple plays that went against us that could have gone our way is the difference between winning and losing.

We face another great running back on Sunday in Maurice Jones-Drew and the most important thing is that you have got to tackle that dude. If you don't wrap him up he will run through you. Our run D has been pretty good, but we've been missing some tackles recently that has led to some big plays.

I always look forward to Thanksgiving. My wife always cooks way too much because she loves it. She's a great cook, but it's just the two of us and our two boys so it's just too much food. There's always leftovers for about a month afterward. I'm allergic to turkey and chicken, so my Thanksgiving always consists of honey glazed ham, mac & cheese, yams and a biscuit. This year she did it just right though. She cooked just enough for us and it was great.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/marcushudson23.

     To say the honeymoon is over may be a slight over-statement.  However, San Francisco 49er Head Coach Mike Singletary is about to be thrown under the bus for his team's recent performances.

The 49ers are now 4-6 and not nly are post-season hopes fading, a 500 record may have to wait for another year, as well.  

     Singletary has turned the attitude of his team around.  This is a team that wants to win and they honestly believe they should.

     The problem is they are going about it in a way that isn't working and to be honest fans are beginning to lose faith.  Singletary is going to be a good coach if he pays more attention to his personnel.

     As I've stated before, Alex Smith will never be a successful NFL quarterback and Singeltary must face that fact.  If not, San Francisco fans should get ready for more sub-.500 seasons. 

     Sunday's 30-24 defeat in Green Bay should serve as a wake up call because if Singletary believes he can win with Smith as a starter, he's dreaming. 

     To think that these 49ers can be a run first-pass later team is ridiculous.  True, Frank Gore is one of the league's elite running backs and he's excellent at catcing passes when called upon to do so.  But there is no one else in this team's backfield that is good enough to play in a "smashmouth" offensive scheme.

     These are not the '85 Bears or '72 Dolphins.

     Singletary should remember that on his old Chicago Bears teams had more than just Walter Payton in their backfield.  Matt Suhey was an outstanding fullback and Jim McMahon was no slouch as a signal caller.

     The Niners don't have a Suhey or anything resembling a second option in the backfield.  If San Francisco plans to run the ball more than 25 times a game, Singletary may have to suit up and take a few reps himself.  He doesn't have a egitimate threat on his current roster to do so.

      With Michael Crabtree, Josh Morgan, Isaac Bruce and Vernon Davis (along with Gore, ) the 49ers should be a pass-orientent team.  Oh, that's right...Alex Smith is the quarterback.  So much for that idea.

     Smith as shown a glimmer of skill in a spread offense, but that's only because opposing defenses let his receivers have cushions on underneath routs.  A good quarterback could use these receivers to his team's advantage.  A good quarterback ( even a mediocre one ) would pass for 300-400 yards per game with these weapons at his disposal.  Even with their offensive line, which reminds me of a slice of Swiss cheese...thin with a lot of holes.

     The reality is that San Francisco's front office doesn't want to look stupid twice.  Once by drafting Smith with the first pick of the 2005 draft and the second time by extending his contract earlier this year.

     At least with Shaun Hill at quarterback, the 40ers were winning games.  I doubt there are many fans who honestly believe in Smith and sooner or later, the players will give up on him.

     In order to salvage this season and the future of the franchise, Smith must be glued to San Francisco's bench.  To insuere fans that the Niners are serious about trying to win, Smith should be forced to relinquish his playbook.  Perhaps, he could be used as a holder for kicker Joe Nedney.

     This week, it's just me.  Soon, every writer in the Bay Area will throw Singletary under the bus.  Singletary needs to stop the bleeding right now by putting Hill in at quarterback.  Maybe he would want to consider rookie Nate Davis to replace Smith.

     In watching Davis at Ball State last year, one could easily see that he can run when his line collapse and throw when it held up.  Mobility and foot speed are not among Smith's strong suits--if he has any strong suits at all.

     Whatever he decides, Singletary needs to think about utilizing his receiving corp to the best of its ability.  This team should think finesse.  It's not designed for a smashmouth style offense.

     Singletary sould leave the smashmouth style to his defense.  They are very well suited for it. 

Seriously Hurting Our Playoff Chances

After 9 games, the 4-5 San Francisco Niners still are in the hunt for a playoff spot. They've started two different quarterbacks, have only had Frank Gore for two-thirds of our games, and are at the bottom third of nearly all NFL team offensive stats, but are still in it. Now when the season just began there were high hopes for the Niners. They ended the season well, and Mike Singletary was the new head coach. Then they came out of the gate 3-1 in the first four, with their only loss being in the last second against the Vikings. It seemed like Shaun Hill was going to be the QB to lead them to the playoffs. The defense was playing well, Frank Gore played well but got injured verse the Vikings but Coffee was doing fine, and Vernon Davis looked like he finally was becoming the player we all knew he could be.

     Then they played the Falcons and absolutely everything fell apart. It was clear that only one team came ready to play. The woes continued on through the second half of the Texans game, until Shaun Hill was replaced by Alex Smith. He threw three touchdowns and brought us to within three points, at least making the game good. Against Indianapolis the defense did the impossible and held Peyton Manning and the Colts offense to only one touchdown and eighteen points. The offense played alright, but was only able to muster up fourteen points.

     Shaun Hill has had 5 starts, throwing for 943 yards on 155 attempts, with a 79.6 passer rating. He has 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions with a completion ratio of 56%.

     Alex Smith has had 4 starts, throwing for 808 yards on 122 attempts, with a 79.5 passer rating. He has 6 touchdowns and 6 interceptions with a completion ratio of 64%.

     It's clear immediately when you look at the numbers that neither of their numbers jump out at you as outstanding. Both seem to be numbers of a middle of the road team, which the Niners are. One can't help but wonder though, with one of the best running backs in the league, the best tight end in Vernon Davis, two solid young recievers in Morgan and Crabtree, and one of the better defenses in the NFL, with better QB play, could they be playoff bound? It's clear that with Alex Smith the 49er staff feel they have a better opportunity to create an explosive type offense, but he is prone to making a lot of mistakes that are much less common with Shaun Hill. Smith gives the 49ers a better chance to win the game, but Hill is much less likely to give it away with careless mistakes. Only if we could combine them....It seems that with the schedule they have the Niners do have a fair opportunity to end at around 8-8 or better and possibly make the playoffs, but without a solid quarterback, the chances look like slim to none.

     For the fans of the San Francisco 49ers, the Steve Young era of the 90's seems to get further and further away, but there definetly appears to be a light at the end of the tunnel. Frank Gore is one of the best backs in the NFL and as long as he stays healthy, puts us in a great position to win games. Crabtree looks to be all he was hyped up to be, Josh Morgan is improving and seems to be a solid number two receiver. Vernon Davis is finally playing like the Pro-Bowl tight end we have been waiting for. Though it has been inconsistent, the O-Line has shown signs of improvement, and besides the secondary which for the most part is young and still developing, is one of the best in the country. The Bay Area, for too long now has watched its sports teams fail time and time again. Though it make take a few years, it seems like the NIners may be able to recover the air of the 80's and 90's and become a playoff team year in and year out once again.

     Regardless of what the name is on the back of the jersey, or what the the number is, someone needs to step up and start taking the pressure off of Gore. The Niners need one of their quarterbacks to consistently give them a passing game without taking unnecessary risks.

     The San Francisco 49ers capitalized on errant passes by Chicago quarterback Jay Cutler to escape with a 10-6 victory over the Bears, Thursday night.

     Cutler threw five interceptions, including a 10-yard pass in the end zone on the game's final play.

     The win halted San Francisco's four-game losing stretch and put them within a game and a half of NFC West frontrunner Arizona.  The Cardinals play divisional rival Seattle this weekend, in hopes of a season sweep of the disappointing Seahawks.

     Although San Francisco has played poorly this season, they still have a chance at reaching the playoffs by winning a woefully weak division.  They have already defeated Arizona once and have also toppled Seattle and St. Louis once apiece.

     Should they sweep the Cardinals, Rams and Seahawks, San Francisco could easily find themselves in a post-season hunt, late next month.

     Realistically, this is a tem that shouldn't even think about playoffs.  But when considering the state of their weak division, there is reason for an optimisic outlook.

     What works against them more than anything is the fact that Alex Smith is once again their starting quarterback.  Perhaps Head Coach Mike Singletary hasn't read the memo: Alex Smith was a wasted pick--a total bust.  Somehow, Singletary was conviced that Smith would be able to lead this team, but it will never happen.

     Smith is simply not good enough to play quarterback ( or any other position ) in the NFL.  Maybe Shaun Hill was there to act as a bridge between quarterbacks, but he did win games.  Smith has proven time and again that he is not capable of winning.

     Maybe ownership insisted on playing Smith in a feeble attemp to get something back on their multi-million dollar investment and maybe he looks like Bart Starr in practice.  But this team is about to do a lot of serious suffering if Smith remains at the starting quarterback position.

     Smith has proven that he does one thing extremely well...hand off to Frank Gore.

     Gore chewed up 104 yards in 25 carries, Thursday and hauled in four passes for another 21, accounting for more than half of the team's 216 total yards.  He also scored the game's only touchdown with a 12-yard dash into the first quarter.

     The 49ers played an outstanding defensive game despite giving up 350 yards to Chicago.  Cutler threw for 307 of those yards on 29 completions on 52 pass attempts.

     Cutler and the Bears ran 73 offensive plys to 53 for San Francisco, although the 49ers won the time of possession battle 31:33 to 29:27.  San Francisco gave up a lot of yards but really clmped down when Chicago reached the red-zone, yeilding only a pair of Robbie Gould field goals.

     To say that San Francisco stole a victory would be understating the facts in this game.  The lackluster affair was won on timely defensive plays and the legs of Frank Gore. 

     49er fans should expect more of their victories to look this way and not expect too many more of them if Smith is not replaced at quarterback.

     The Packers are next on the schedule.  At 4-4, they aren't exactly setting the football world on fire but they do have enough to beat San Francisco, especially at Freen Bay's Lambeau Field--a place where San Francisco has very little success throughout the years.

     In a perfect situation, Smith falls flat on his face and Nate Davis gets his shot at being San Francisco's signal caller.  If Smith starts and completes that game there is no way the 49ers will beat Green Bay.

49ers have dug a deep hole of cow manure. After 8 games this team is 3-5.

What will take to sneak into the playoffs? The 49ers must go at least 6-2. Which is possible with their up coming schedule.

This team must make the playoffs this season. They are in the weakest divison in football. Coach Singletary has done a tremendous job in preparing this team.

Quite simply the players are falling short. This weeks Bears game on Thursday is a must win.

49er fans and media must not and will not blame Mike for the teams subpar record. Give Mike some time and this team will be  competitive in the future.

There are no other coaches worthy of Mikes position. Bill Cowher? Jon Gruden? Vince Lombardi's statue?

They would fit the 49ers organization like Wade Phillips coaching in New York. These hard nose coaches do not follow the model of Bill Walsh. Who is the greatest coach in the NFL.

Singletary is complete for the 49ers. The 49ers needed a little push and Mike is the guy.

With stadium issue hovering over this franchise like a thunderstorm. Lets hope this team relocates to the Silicon Valley very very soon.

And for the second half of the season heres to hoping the 49ers make a run. Other wise all focus will turn on UFL Redwoods and their hopes for a championship game on turkey day. 

It's been a tough last three games for us. After our 3-1 start we have lost three in a row. I don't think we've been playing bad, we just need to work on being able to finish games, simple as that. With the exception of the Falcons game, all of our losses have come down to the wire.

Against the Colts our approach was to try and get Peyton Manning off his game and we did that early. Everybody knows how good that guy is and that he's basically an on-the-field coach, so the fact that we disrupted him early helped us get out to the early lead.

The play that ended up beating us was a halfback pass from Joseph Addai. It was a great call. There was nothing in our scouting report that said they even had that play in their playbook. It was a great call at the perfect time and it was really surprising. None of us even knew that Addai was a lefty. As a defense we still have to take the blame for it because we all had our assignments, but our thought process didn't expect that play at all.

I think our offense is a lot more dangerous than it was a couple weeks ago. Vernon Davis has always been a guy we can count on to produce and he and Alex Smith have a great connection out there. Michael Crabtree has played real well in his first two games, so I think the passing game is more of a threat now.

The Titans are an interesting team because now they are led by Vince Young and he poses a completely different threat than Kerry Collins. We have to contain him. His game is to use his legs to move the offense and we can't let his scrambling ability become a factor. We also have to slow down Chris Johnson and the running game. All we can do is try to play sound D and go where we're supposed to go. Our run defense has been pretty solid so we just have to trust that guys will make plays.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson23.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/marcushudson23.

The Los Angeles stadium leaders have proclaimed the 49ers are a team that they are interested in.

49er fans are in extreme denial if they think this franchise will never relocate to Southern California.

They must realize the NFL is a buisness. And this team has provided excellent football through the years.

The 49ers have won 5 Super Bowls and have never been on the defeat side of one. No team has accomplished this. No team.

Yet they play in a stadium that should be used as a homeless shelter. Yet 49er fans continue to beat their chest that this venue has character. Ted Bundy and Son of Sam had character too.

The UFL and XFL wouldnt play there for free. The place should be condemned and turned into dust.

It always amazes that the Arizona Cardinals have a first class venue to play in. This franchise is the Los Angeles Clippers of football. And yes I realize they just partook of a super bowl.

Before that, the Cardinal history is about as indept as Gerald Fords legacy as president.

Generic and bland and useless.

The 49ers should be playing in a stadium made out of gold.

Yet Frisco politicians are more concerned with outhouses and clean needles being distrubuted through out the city.

Santa Clara is the last hope for the 49ers to stay in the Bay Area. No stadium in the Silicon Valley and  you can start redesigning the 49ers logo on the helmet to "LA."

As of now the voters of Santa Clara are saying "no!"

Coach Singletary will lead this team to the playoffs this season and quite possibly a super bowl in the future.

The question is will the 49ers ever get a new first class venue? Or will they continue to play in the Candlestick Outhouse?

We messed up a lot of stuff in our game against Atlanta. Obviously that was not the way we wanted to head into our bye. Losing 45-10 is definitely not what we had in mind. There was a lot of miscommunication going on on defense. It left a bad taste in our mouth, but we can always learn from our failures.

Matt Ryan is a great quarterback, and he capitalized on a lot of our mental mistakes. He is real accurate and puts the ball right on the receivers' hands, so if you make a mistake he's probably going to make you pay. That's what he did all day Sunday.

Losing going into a bye is never good because you have to sit there and think about what you could have done differently for an extra week. There's really no way to get that loss off your chest until you play the next week.

The Texans are another really good passing team so it's time we get back to basics on defense. We need to know our assignments and communicate with each other out there or Schaub will throw all over us too. We can have success against them if we bring the intensity that we played with before the Atlanta game.

It's great that we added another weapon on offense in Michael Crabtree for the game against Houston. We have accepted him as a teammate right away. There is no room to worry about what he missed or any of that. We believe that he is going to be a great receiver and I can't wait to see what he can do for us. I want him to show why he was a 1st-round pick. We all expect him to be good.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/marcushudson23.

     First and foremost, I am not mad at Michael Crabtree. I feel no ill will towards the man. I will welcome him with open arms to the San Francisco 49ers, supporting him all the way. It took every bit of 164 days, but the man has arrived. That said, this entire situation has been, and still is, very, very fishy to me. Let me breakdown (some of) the people involved in this mess and why, even now that he is signed, he is not sealed and delivered, but he is ours.

Eugene Parker – Agent

     From the reports that I've heard, the contract is bad, like spoiled milk in your cereal, bad. Eugene Parker got embarrassed, this could be the reason he didn't show up to the press conference. He could have had this deal before Tagliabue stepped to the podium to announce the Bills selection at number 11. Instead, he tried to out-muscle a high class organization, but failed miserably. Deion Sanders and MC Homer, er, Hammer were said to be involved with the long, drawn out process. Sounds like a great set of minds to me, rivaling that of the Ricky Williams and his agent, Master P's ridiculous contract negotiations. In summation, Crabtree employed a bankrupt rapper, a sinner-turned-saint-turned-deranged-old-man (all while keeping an alter-ego happy), and a greedy, self-centered, egotistical prick of an agent. It's amazing that Parker is still in the business after the stunt he pulled, or tried to pull.

David Wells – Cousin

     Why does everyone always gotta blame the cousin? This time, the cousin is an advisor and not just a wood-worker (you know, family that comes out of the 'wood work', get it?). Having a rap sheet and not the MC Homer, er Hammer kind (oops, I did it again), but the kind you get when you get cuffed and stuffed, might be cause for alarm about his decision making abilities. The threat of a season long hold-out was the worst idea ever, bar none. Someone get this guy some home-schooling, he's as dumb as my dog. For all the future professional athletes out there, please caution: family advisors are a bad idea. It is like tattooing the name of your brand-new girlfriend on your forehead.

Deion Sanders - “Friend & Co-Independent Contractor through Parker”

     Man, could this guy play football or what? Hell, he could even play baseball at the highest level. It is too bad it has come to this. Sanders needs to stop talking, like, now. I realize that is a big part of how he made his bread in the NFL, but you're not in the NFL any more, Toto. Mr. Sanders has recently been linked to Oklahoma State wideout Dez Bryant as some form of advisor or mentor, who has since been suspended indefinitely. That's illegal Deion, you should know that. He also held Devin Hester's hand through college and into the pros. Anything for the spotlight and a quick, easy buck, right?

San Francisco 49ers – Employer

     Everyone takes blame in this kind of situation. First of all, let's get this “Eric Mangini was right about Crabtree's diva-like attitude” crap quieted down; I'm done hearing about it. Mangini has done nothing since leaving Belichick. He ruined the Jets when he was there, now he has the Browns in a strangle hold. The 49ers have been mired in imperfection for six years; this was a chance to make a splash. The fan base is excited about new coach Mike Singletary and the direction he is leading this franchise. Signing the best college football receiver for two years running was supposed to vault us back into the unfamiliar territory (for the better part of a decade) of competency. The bottom line is the 49er brass failed to get the deal done. I don't care about who wanted what numbers for how long. At the end of the day, it took 164 following the draft pick. That is unacceptable.

Michael Crabtree – Player in question

     Personally, I think his biggest mistake was letting the negotiations get to this point. Regardless of the kind of person he is or what he thinks of himself, Eugene Parker works for Crabtree. Michael signs over a percentage of his paycheck to the man; that means Crabtree gets the last word. In a world driven by hunger and greed, it is difficult to tell if someone really has your best interests at heart or has their own agenda. The latter is what Michael Crabtree fell victim to. He may end up being another TO in the future, but we will burn that bridge when we come to it. A few bad decisions have gotten Crabtree to this point, but it is time to make people forget about those poor choices.

     Let’s forget about the contract mess for a minute and focus on his talent. Allow me to tell you why my hopes are not as high as any random patron in an Amsterdam coffee shop. Everyone knows what Crabtree did in college. This is not college though, this is the NFL. The gimmick offense (spread) that he played in at Texas Tech does not help his transition to the pros. The Big 12 defenses did nothing for his jump to the pros. I love the guy and hope he exceeds all expectations, but let’s wait and see if his talent translates. Not every collegiate star athlete can make the transition to professional football.

New York Jets – Team accused of tampering

     Bear with me on this one, it may be a bit of a reach. It is no secret that the San Francisco 49ers filed tampering charges against the J-E-T-S, Jets, Jets, Jets. Does anyone besides me find it coincidental that on the day Crabtree signs his contract, the Jets trade for a wide receiver in Braylon Edwards? I don’t think it was just happenstance, but I am also an alien abduction survivor. I think the Jets finally accepted the fact the Crabtree had no other choice but to sign with the team that drafted him, so they went out and got another playmaker. The Jets accused Belichick of taping signs, resulting in the loss of a draft pick. This tampering accusation is much, much bigger than “spy gate.” Karma is a bitch. The Jets should pay.

     In his press conference, Michal Crabtree said all the right things. He seemed to be humble and eager to get on the field. There is no doubt he was told what to say, but with his agent deserting him at the podium, it makes me think Crabtree was crewed by Parker. The worst part about this ordeal, yes, it has been a very trying process for me, is Michael Crabtree's reputation has taken a hit. I mean a big hit, like a scrawny wide receiver meeting Ronnie Lott or Chuck Cecil on a crossing route, type big hit. The talking is done. Contract negotiations are over. It is time to strap 'em up and show us what you're made of kid. If you are half as talented as they say you are, you are a gold mine.

We dominated the line of scrimmage on Sunday and we were able to beat the Rams to go 3-0 in our division to start the year. Everybody on defense was taking care of their responsibilities and playing sound football.

Our goal going into the game was to slow down Steven Jackson. He's a big, versatile guy and he is the key to their offense. He is a real big guy but he can move and also catch the ball out of the backfield. We were able to hold him in check and that was a big reason why we won so definitively.

People got to see how good Patrick Willis is in the game. It's ridiculous to think with how good he is right now that he still has so much room to grow as a player. He's not somebody you want to come across on the football field. He is so good I almost can't believe it.

We were able to come away with a shutout and that's always something we take pride in as a defense. Seeing that 0 up on the board is the mark that you played a great game on defense. We scored three TDs on defense and special teams in the game. I can't remember ever being part of a defense that did that. We made a lot of big plays because we capitalized on mistakes.

We got to see Glen Coffee work with Gore out and we think he is gonna be a really good player. We believe in everyone on our roster and everybody knows that if you don't start it doesn't mean you aren't any good.

The team is exactly where we want to be right now. Our goal before the season was to win our division and we have taken big steps towards that with our 3-0 division record. That gives us confidence knowing that we will probably have control of our playoff chances down the stretch when we play everybody again.

The Falcons are up next and they have a great offense. Great young QB, an excellent duo of running backs and they just added probably the best tight end to ever play in Tony Gonzalez. They have weapons everywhere so it will be a good test for us as a D.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson.com.

You may think that because I am a 49ers fan that I am biased in calling Sunday's game against the Vikings the best of the NFL season so far. But if you would go ahead and look at who won the game you will realize that you are wrong and should probably hit yourself in the face with something rusty and sharp.

We Niner fans had seen the beginning of this game play out too many times in the last few years; Gore limps off the field and with him goes every opportunity for a competitive game. The fact that it happened after his first carry was comically tragic.

The early 10-0 Minnesota lead may as well have been 35-0. Shaun Hill had roughly the same number of passing yards in the first half as I did. I like Glen Coffee as much as anyone, but he isn't ready to be a feature back yet.

With the Vikings setting up for a field goal it looked like it was going to be 16-7 with the Niners looking miserable offensively even after a nice drive capped with a 5-yard TD to Vernon Davis. It's been so long since he's caught a pass I figured he was retired.

The first momentum switch happened when Ray McDonald ran through the Minny field goal team like they feared he had swine flu. He got so close to the kicker he might have blocked the kick with his elbow. The ball bounced right in the arms of Nate Clements who was being chased by no one except his own teammate.

That 10-point swing set the stage for an epic second half.

After a Nedney field goal the momentum completely shifted the Vikings' way in the form of a 101-yard kickoff return by Percy Harvin. Harvin is stupid fast, but with that god awful coverage I think Pat Williams could've gone at least 80.

With an offense that was still struggling to do anything, I feared this to be the body shot that dropped the Niners to the canvas. But then something amazing happened. Shaun Hill remembered that as a quarterback you are allowed to throw the ball.

In what was easily the best drive of the year for the 49ers, Hill picked apart the Viking D en route to an 80-yard drive that ended in, you guessed it, a Vernon Davis touchdown.

With a minute and a half to play the Vikings were forced to drive with no timeouts left. Down 24-20, they had to go for six. The touchdown pass with two seconds to go was amazing. It makes me physically ill to recall it (namely because Favre should have been sacked 18 times during the play) but it was amazing.

I'm going to go against the grain and say that while Favre's throw was good, the play was made by Greg Lewis. When I saw it live I thought there was no way he got two feet in. But he did. So stop with all the Favre love sonnets (this means you, FOX broadcasters) and give credit to the guy who did all the work.

As painful as that final play was, it was not Favre-to-Lewis that lost the game for the Niners. It was yet again their inability to put their hand around an opponent's neck and squeeze until the deed is done.

With 1:54 to play the 49ers had the ball up four. The Vikings had all three timeouts remaining. I understand the thought process in running the ball on first and second down, but on third down the situation screamed for a play action pass or at least a dump off screen.

The Niners ran it again and after Minny called its final timeout only 20 seconds had come off the clock. It was a really pathetic display by a team that otherwise played great.

We suffered through the final years of Mariucci and his inability (or unwillingness) to finish games and we have been through the total failure that was Mike Nolan and his 'play-for-field-goals' mentality. I love Mike Singletary, but he needs to teach his team that they have to play to win rather than to play not to lose.

It was a great game, but it could have been better. I loved the effort in the second half from my guys. Last year (or any of the last five years really) that game would have ended up a 34-7 loss after that crappy start. Maybe this tough loss can become a rallying cry for the up-and-comers.

Luckily the Rams come to town next weekend. Hahaha. Oh my goodness they suck.

For the most part I think we're playing well this year. We haven't jelled together and played a complete game yet, but I think we'll be able to learn from our mistakes. We made a nice statement coming out and winning two games in our division. It lets people know that we're a team to watch out for.

We're looking forward to making this team a winner again. It would mean the world to the franchise and to the community. There's so much tradition here. That's all I knew growing up; the 49ers were a juggernaut. I think people are starting to feel the momentum shift a little bit back towards those days where the 49ers were a really good team.

As a defense we've been playing real well through two games. I think it has mostly to do with the fact that we've been under the same system for a long time. We have had consistent coordinators and system on D. When the scheme is consistent it is easier to get the players to buy in.

The offense is getting it done too. Frank Gore is one of the best running backs I have ever seen. The way he runs is like artwork. He's smart and he knows the game.

We got the Vikings up next and in order to win we have to control the ball and be solid on defense. We have the players needed in order to win the game, we just need to play smart. We know coach Singletary will have us ready to play. Players follow him so easily because he was a great player and he knows exactly what we're going through. We'll be ready come Sunday.

Marcus Hudson is a defensive back with the San Francisco 49ers. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.marcushudson.com.

     Let's take a look at the first two games of this NFL season and ask ourselves what we've learned about our San Francisco 49ers.

     It's obvious this team has a winning attitude and head coach Mike Singletary is partially--if not fully responsible for that.  It's a carryover from the point from which he took over the coaching duties from Mike Nolan.

     But attitudes don't win football games, much less breed contenders.  The team has to have good on-field direction to be successful and Singletary is providing that, so far.

     The Niners have gotten off to a good start.  They've slipped past the defending conference champion Cardinals 20-16, in Arizona--no less.   Last season, Arizona ran the table in Western Division games.

     Then San Francisco came home and defeated Seattle 23-10 to take an early NFC West lead.

     Our 49ers led the division.  Let's end the season now.  We've beatten the best two teams in our division, Singletary  has brught us a measure of respectability and our fans have every reason to believe we are contenders.  We are 2-0!

     Are we in contention?  Have we entered the playoff converstion?  

     Are we there yet?

     Is this for real?  Are the niners going to be a playoff-worthy team?

     Perhaps our reality check will will come Sunday.  That's when the Vikings will await our Niners' visit  to Minnesota.

     Granted, San Francisco has a solid defense.  Everyone knew that going into this season.  The problem was going to be the amount of time that defense would have to stay on the field. 

     Our  Swiss cheese-like offensive line would provide fans with numerous three-and-outs.  If anyone thinks the offense will pile on the yards and run up scoreboards, they are in for in for a rude awakening.

     The Vikings will show San Francisco what offense is all about.  Granted Frank Gore is and has been an outstanding running back for the Niners.  But there are only  no backs in football that can equal Adrian Peterson.

     What San Francisco has going for them is the element of surprise.  Perhaps the Vikings will take this as an easy game and get ambushed.  It will take two or three big defensive plays for the Niners to win.

     The Niners are quite capable of making those types of plays. 

     The other thing that must happen is that San Francisco's offense must do what it can to avoid turnovers.  That may be  pretty difficult when quarterback Shaun Hill is under constant pressure.   

     This is a game that favors Minnesota.  But, we 49er Faithful refuse to see that reality.

     Should our Niners pull this one off, then we can say: "Yeah, We're there!"