So once again, the 49ers have been aggressive in acquiring talent prior to the draft. The additions of DE Justin Smith, WR Isaac Bruce, RB DeShaun Foster, K/PR Allen Rossum, QB J.T. O'Sullivan, LB Dontarrious Thomas, and WR Bryant Johnson have signaled that the front office is confident that this team can win and win now. In my opinion, these have been some fine acquisitions, and I want to break each one down.
DE Justin Smith (Cincinnati Bengals)
This by far has been the most high profile signing of the offseason for the 49ers, and the local media has been very supportive of the deal from the start. I think the pricetag was a bit high for such a blue collar player, but I really can't complain since it really doesn't hurt the Niners in terms of overall cap space . The bottom line is the 49ers defensive front needs to get more pressure on opposing quarterbacks; Smith ought to be more of a factor in that regard than Bryant Young was in the past few years. Smith brings youth, speed, and intensity to the position. Perhaps most importantly is the hope that Smith's work ethic and enthusiasm bleed into the rest of the defense, getting the rest of the ten guys on the field to play with a chip on their shoulder (something that's been lacking in recent seasons). If the Niner's are truly trying to recreate the defense Nolan oversaw in Baltimore, then they have to know a big part of Baltimore's success was their attitude and aggressiveness. Smith is a step in the right direction for this young team. But, will Smith alone be enough? At this point, I honestly don't think so.
WR Isaac Bruce (St. Louis Rams)
It's questionable as to how Bruce will fall into place with the team. His production understandably fell off in St. Louis, but this could be partially attributed to the change in offense that Scott Linehan brought to the Rams. Bruce obviously knows how to play in Martz's system, but I don't think that's going to be as large a factor as his chemistry with whoever becomes the 49ers starting QB in 2008. I'm still presuming that it will be a healthy Alex Smith under center when all is said and done, and it will be crucial that Bruce grows acustomed to catching passes from the young thrower. In a best case scenario, Bruce will help the other 49er receivers adjust to Martz's system and will accelerate the implentation of the system as well. It's not unreasonable to speculate that if Bruce gets in a groove with the quarterback, he could have a 1,000 yard season.
RB DeShaun Foster (Carolina Panthers)
I was pretty suprised by this signing, but I think it's a great pickup for San Francisco. In watching the most successful teams in the league, most now have two backs that can be effective in different situations (the New York Giants used about 17 guys in their backfield this past year). I've watched Foster pretty closely over the years (he's not a bad fantasy back), and he can indeed be a "home-run" playmaker that can score from anywhere on the field... when he's healthy. Frank Gore is more aggressive in his running style, and my hope is that after the defense tires of getting pounded by Gore, Foster will come in and have some opportunities to break some long ones. Conversely, Foster can help shoulder the load so that when the offense gets down near the goal line, Frank Gore will be fresh and even more difficult to stop. I know everyone likes Michael Robinson (and I do too), but he hasn't proven enough to be the #2 as of right now... and he's not the change of pace that Foster can be for the Niners in 2008.
RB Allen Rossum (Pittsburgh Steelers)
Rossum's been around for a long time, and as we all remember, he did take one to the house against the Niners last season. He's not getting a ton of money to do what he does, so there's really no reason to gripe about the acquisition. Still, it's questionable as to what kind of impact he'll really have. Returning kicks appears to be more of an "instinct" kind of thing rather than something that can be learned, so he's got value there. Just knowing that a pair of sure hands will be doing their job on special teams is an undervalued asset.
QB J.T. O'Sullivan (Detroit Lions)
I don't really know much about O'Sullivan, other than he played under Martz in Detroit and became the unlikely backup to Jon Kitna without really having any kind of offseason preparation (he came straight to the Lions in 2007 from a co-MVP season in NFL Europa). This guy has been in the league for around 7 seasons and has played with 8 different teams, so he's a journeyman quarterback if there ever was one. Still, O'Sullivan must be doing something right to continue to get chances, otherwise he'd have gone the way of Jim Druckenmiller by now.
LB Dontarrious Thomas (Minnesota Vikings)
I know even less about Thomas than I do J.T. O'Sullivan, but the talking heads seem to think he's going to be the full-time counterpart to Patrick Willis. That means he'll be taking on blockers much larger than him frequently to clear the way for Willis to make tackles. Thomas weighs in at about 240 lbs., and I'm wondering if that will be enough to contend with massively-sized guards trying to block our defense at the second level. Nevertheless, he adds depth to an already solid LB corps. I think the more options and fresh bodies the Niners can use in this regard, the better the results will be on the field. Personally, I'd like to see Brandon Moore step up and show us the same level of play that he did in 2006. But still, if Nolan thinks it ought to be somebody else, then I'm all for it.
WR Bryant Johnson (Arizona Cardinals)
This was a late addition that few really saw coming. Johnson's a former 1st round pick from the 2003 draft, but he's always been overshadowed by 2nd rounder Anquan Boldin. With the further addition of Larry Fitzgerald, Johnson was pretty much forced into the #3 position on the reciever-heavy team (Denny love's his wideouts, which is puzzling for a man of his spherical dimensions). Johnson filled in well when both of Arizona's starting wideouts came up injured during last season. He was never dominant as a starter, but he did the job better than most considering the situation. Johnson's a big strong body at 6'2" and about 210 lbs., which is a departure from the build of the typical "Martz-offense" receiver. With the sudden release of Darrell Jackson, it appears that the Niner brass thought Darrell's contribution to the team was marginal... and that his "damage" to the salary cap was more significant. The current belief seems to be that the 49ers have enough veteran wideouts to make it work in 2008, and clearly Johnson has contributed to this line of thinking. Hopefully, Johnson will prove he was worthy of that 1st round pick in 2003 while he is with the Red and Gold.
In closing...
There are still significant needs to be addressed before the 2008 season begins, but I feel this is a pretty good start before the NFL Draft in April. The 49ers' defensive line is clearly a question mark, even after the addition of Justin Smith and the re-signing of Niner nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga. Perhaps the second most pressing need is at WR, and although the Niners didn't get a true "#1" guy in the prime of his career, Isaac Bruce should be able to help and also assist in shaping the attitudes of his teammates. The only area that we didn't see get addressed during this latest free agency flurry was with the offensive line. With Larry Allen still on the fence with his retirement plans (and I'm not sure we even want him to come back) and the departure of Justin Smiley to Miami, there's are some holes to fill. I wouldn't mind seeing the Niners use their first draft round pick on a new lineman, if a good one were to fall to San Francisco late in the first round. If Joe Staley and the Browns' Joe Thomas have proven anything, it's that there are NFL-ready tackles playing in the college ranks right now. If the Niners could get one to contribute immediately, that would be a nice situation to be in.
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