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Camp Notes: Day 5
by Vini Chopra – 49ersNews.com

08.02.06 – Vin back with another training camp report. I’m a bit later than usual, but I had some engagements after practice so I apologize for the delay.

- After Monday’s padded practice, today’s practice was in shorts and thus the hitting and contact was minimal as expected.

- The intensity of practice; however, still remained high. Even in shorts, the defensive backs were very aggressive in their coverage of the WRs. We hired a new DBs coach in the off-season, who was with the Baltimore Ravens prior to us, I believe. His philosophy is showing. The DBs look to be bumping WRs and playing a more aggressive game.

- Sammy Davis has stood out the past few training camps and today was no exception. He had an INT, and has looked like a really solid nickle/dime option. He might not ever be a starter in the NFL as the Chargers used him, but he does give us an experienced corner who may end up being the 4th guy back there on situations. For that, he’s done well and has looked a lot better than Mike Rumph who still, to this day, hasn’t really made an impact during camp. At least not in the practices I’ve witnessed.

- Shawntae Spencer looked really good today. He picked off a pass from Alex Smith that was intended for either Antonio Bryant or Arnaz Battle. He also had a beautiful pass break up of a throw intended for Eric Johnson in the end zone. Spencer has been playing the part of our #1 CB all training camp long, and today, he really showed separation amongst all the other CBs out there. He also held his own against Antonio Bryant, which wasn’t the case 4 days ago.

- Speaking of the WRs, Antonio Bryant had a strong practice. He didn’t drop a pass (as I recall), and he made a spectacular grab on a deep throw from Alex Smith where he was able to obtain position over the DB and leap up to grab the pass. That’s the 3rd or 4th time I’ve seen him do that, so perhaps some fade routes in the end zone are in order for Bryant, who really uses his size to out position DBs.

According to ESPN.com’s John Clayton, the asking price for Lelie is a third-round pick and there are teams willing to give up a fourth-rounder. The situation is stalemated at the moment, but a receiver injury could speed up the process. It’s not going to be a matter of if Lelie is traded. It’s a matter of when Lelie is traded.

Update: 08.02.06

“If someone offers us the (draft) choice we want or a representative player and the $4 million bonus he took from us this year, we’ll respond,” Owner Al Davis said. “They got to get it done. (Porter’s) agent has known this since the draft (in April). Before the draft, he knew what he had to do. He couldn’t get it done.”

08.01.06 – Al Davis acknowledged Tuesday that he has given Jerry Porter permission to seek a trade, saying the Raiders wide receiver had “lost his way.”

Coach Mike Nolan on Tuesday described the competition for the 49ers’ starting tailback job as “wide open’’ between Kevan Barlow and Frank Gore, and added that Maurice Hicks and rookie Michael Robinson also were making their presence felt.

“I want to see who that guy is,’’ Nolan said. “I’m wide open. I’m not closed at all. I have every reason not to be.’’

“Frank is pretty strong and he runs north-south all the time, hopefully a lot more north,’’ Nolan said. “Kevan is more of a shiftier back. He picks his holes a little differently than Frank does. All backs have their styles. There’s good backs that do it either way.’‘

[It’s `wide open’ in 49ers’ backfield] – Mercury News