Camp Notes: Day 3
by Vini Chopra – 49ersNews.com

07.31.06 – Okay, another day, another practice.

Today was the first padded practice open to the public, and there was definitely a different kind of intensity in the air. In general, people were banging each other and colliding against one another like nothing else I’ve witnessed before at a TC. Lots of contact. You could hear the "POP!" all the way into the bleachers. It was very intense and very fun. You could tell that the players were loving their first real contact in front of fans, and put on a show from time to time.

- One of the players who lived on this mentality today, and the guy who really leaped out, was Vernon Davis. Remember those reports that questioned VD’s blocking ability? That was answered somewhat today, and the guy looks like he loves to block as much as he loves to go out and catch passes. And when I say loves to block, that’s an understatement. The intensity he showed, just by being out there and picking up blitzes from the LBs when the team was practicing that, was something I haven’t seen a player exhibit in quite a long time.

- Among the highlights of VDs blocking was when he went one on one with David Dixon (at least that’s who I believe this player was, as "#51" is unlisted on the official roster they hand out). Dixon earned a lot of attention himself today, as he had a real bullrusher mentality. Instead of fancy moves, the guy was just going toe to toe with blockers and running right at them, taking them off of their guard. When VD came along, Dixon was stopped in his tracks and owned. The two proceeded to wrestle a bit before VD showed off his triumph and raised up his arms, yelling. Even Jeff Ulbrich couldn’t get by Vernon Davis today.

- One guy who did manage to beat VD off his block was Manny Lawson, using pure speed.

- Delanie Walker did a solid job of blitz pick up today as well. He was stout, and while he didn’t really "OWN" anyone, he stood his ground and showed he’s more than capable. In fact, with pads on, bigger players like Walker showed their worth. Walker was very impressive today and made some nice catches out of the backfield and showed some power and stride in his runs. He stood out today moreso than any other day.

- Another guy that keeps making an impression is Corey Smith. This guy has a gnack to attack the QB. He’s so quick off the line on his initial rush, and comes out with a ton of momentum for blockers to handle.

- Staying on top of the LBs, another guy that showed a lot of aggression today was Derek Smith. He was really in the face of RBs and TEs trying to block him, and was going for the ball during coverage drills for the LBs. Good to see him show that side to him.

- If it’s any indication, TJ Slaughter is going to be a big hitter and a special teams contributor on our team. He really set the tone for practice today when he POPPED Brandon Williams and Williams was running down the sideline after making a catch. It was one of those "Hey rookie, welcome to the NFL" moments. He looked really good in LB blitzing drills as well, showing that same intensity and power.

- Brandon Williams stood out quite a bit today. He looks so nimble and quick, and when he’s in pads, he looks stout despite his 5’11 (that’s what they list him as) frame. He worked primarily as a slot WR, and was really using the lanes and getting open. Also, when he runs, he has this nice stride to him. He looks almost effortless running. I hate to be stereotypical and roll out the Steve Smith, Santana Moss, and any other small, successfull WR comparisons, but Brandon Williams looks like the slot WR we’ve been looking for.

- Michael Robinson showed a lot of toughness today. He was roughed up and hit on more than one occassion, but he still held on to the ball, made solid catches out of the backfield, and then went back into the huddle. He’s going to be a weapon there.

- Frank Gore showed the vision to find holes all day today. He also looked like the most explosive back on the roster, hitting that hold with authority. Gore was no slouch when it came to blitz pick up. He more than held his own against incoming LBs, giving up a great fight.

- His counterpart, Kevan Barlow, still doesn’t show a lot of explosion while hitting the hole. This is practice afterall, but Barlow didn’t seem to be going at full speed. He was impressive at blocking from the backfield though.

- Mike Rumph had a much better practice today. I believe that he picked off a pass, and he looked aggressive at hitting and jamming WRs when the pads came on. That said, he still didn’t show fluidity in his hips and overall quickness. He looks like he wants to hit the offensive players more than he wants to cover them.

- Call it cautious concern on my part, but Antonio Bryant dropped about 2-3 easily catchable balls today as well. One of these was on the 11-11 drills and was just a routine catch. The other was a deep throw from Alex Smith that was thrown perfectly and hit Bryant in stride. He just flat out dropped it. So it seems that those criticisms of Bryant, as one who will drop one or two every now and then, have some merit. However, he did make several grabs in practice. You’d just hope to see a bit more concentration out of him. He still displays the presence and playmaking ability that no other WR on our team has shown thus far.

- Practice started today with a reverse to Bryan Gilmore. Gilmore fooled the defense and made a ton of progression. In the process, he showed just how fast he is. In fact, with Battle only practicing one time everyday, Bryan Gilmore has really shown something and is really cementing himself as a dependable 3rd WR. No one made much of that signing during the off-season, but he’s drawing some attention and looking to stand out.

- It’s time to commend the fact that Norv Turner is our OC this year. Last year, I couldn’t remember our offense being as varied and exciting during practice as it was today. Not only are we working all parts of the field during our passing plays, but we’re also using a lot of formations and sets, and moving players around to make the most out of our personnel. For example, a lot of plays today saw Vernon Davis just roll out for a TE screen. But then, there were plays where VD was lined up as a fullback in a split back formation, who then went out and proceeded to fool the defense. The two TE set is also in the mix, and is looking really good, as Eric Johnson is making catches and getting open as a 2nd TE. I even saw VD line up as a slot WR today.

- There was a bit of a scuffle between the d-linemen and o-linemen during blocking drills with one another. It quickly dissolved and had Anthony Adams playfully hanging on to Jonas Jennings. Justin Smiley did look a bit angry, and some yelling proceeded. That’s when you know the team is really concentrating on football.

- Maurice Hicks didn’t look particularly great when asked to stay in and pick up blitzes from the LBs. He also relied a bit too heavily on his first move, rather than hitting the hole.

- Of some note, Larry Allen did not practice during the afternoon session. He was out there, he stretched, but he was only in shorts and his practice jersey, with no pads. He briefly talked with the trainer and walked around the field with the trainer, then went inside the locker room and came back towards the end of the practice. During autograph signings, I think he mentioned that he was perhaps bothered by an injury, but that it was nothing serious although I did not pick up on this conversation entirely.

- Alex Smith looked a lot better today than he did on Saturday. One thing I’m impressed with is his release timing. He does tend to get the ball out a lot quicker. He’s also throwing much harder passes (i.e. velocity wise) than I can remember. He had some very good throws, many targeted to Antonio Bryant who has emerged as his favorite target earlier on.

- Andy Lee is winning the punting battle. Tom Rouen gets a pretty hang time on his punts, but his distance is usually in the lower 40 yard range. Lee was booming punts today, against the wind.

- Shaun Hill, the QB battling for a roster spot against Jessie Palmer, looked A LOT better today than he did on Friday as well. He did have one instance where one of his passes was just thrown up in the air because he held on to the ball too long (coaches looked upset about this), and the ball was then intercepted. However, he made much more accurate throws on drills which is something he wasn’t doing the previous 2 days.