True but even then the parents spend a lot of money on club teams and academies. Countries like france, germany, england, belgium, italy etc, can afford it. Unlike football, most of the talent doesn't come from college but instead from private academies. Those organizations would have adapt having a college system instead of these club teams. Interesting note: the guy that scored today for Arsenal against the MLS all stars, he'd been in the Arsenal youth system since he was 6 years old.

So apparently Josh Garnett is still unsigned…u wut? Hopefully they get that done soon absolutely 0 reason for him to not be signed at this point. Not sure what his agent is thinking…this isn't exactly Michael Crabtree situation. Everyone thought the move to trade UP for him was unnecessary so it's not like his agent can be playing the "he deserves more card"

I know he's been with the team but if he wants to start then he needs to be in camp day 1.

Yeah sure if you want to get to a certain level and get taught/coached by the best then it takes more cash but it's easier to love the game and try to get better at it when you can play it easily.

How many people in these 3rd world countries can afford pads and equipment to really let you get your game right. Plus football is way more involved with running plays. Funny enough football is a sport typically considered by people not in the know to have a lot of dummies playing it…and there are certainly plenty of dummies playing this game but there is quite a lot to learn in regards to football playcalls and what needs to happen on a given play by each player.

In the other sports you more or less just do your own thing and just have to keep an eye on the other team so you don' turn the ball over. Football, especially on defense requires all starters to be on the same page or bad things will happen. QBs not only have to know the play they're running but they also have to see what the other team is doing pre-snap then try to identify if that read is correct post snap and make adjustments if necessary while his receivers have to be on the same page. QB makes one read and WR makes another and you get some horrendous interceptions happening.

I know what you mean about 3rd world countries but a lot of countries in Europe have the infrastructure, which is why it's usually a Euro team winning the world cup. Hell, baseball isnt cheap but somehow cuba, venezuela, DR, puerto rico are able to produce top baseball players. Coaching for me would be the biggest issue, teaching a group of people who have never played the sport. As for the mental aspect, if you do your own thing in soccer, the whole team is going to suffer. Just watch an offside trap and see how each player is in a perfect line.

Wtf??? What the **** is up with Ian Williams? As good as he when healthy it is time to say goodbye.

Judging by the other countries soccer players, I'd say a lot of countries would have a tough time finding athletes tough enough to play football.

I'm not that excited about Davis. I don't know how fit he is and even more concerned about his mind set going in. Although I do give him the benefit of the doubt if he was concerned about his health, concussions and all.

Crazy dude just can't stay healthy. You wonder how good he could've been if he didn't get chopped blocked couple of years ago. Seems like he's been injury prone ever since. Though I think if things go well a starting OL of Buckner, Dial and Armstead can be pretty beastly. Lots of batted down passes.

The 49ers offense will have a hard time if their own defensive lineman are batting down their passes.

I saw a pick of Anthony Davis and he physically looks his listed playing weight as opposed to 400 pounds when he last played.

Sucks that Williams is out, Dorsey is getting healthy and Purcell is capable IMO. I am glad we got Dial, Armstead and Buckner to help along the DL tho now.

I'm glad Davis is back, hoping Pears doesn't make the roster and we roll with T Brown and AD at RT.

Super happy about camp.

I hear that…finally some consistent football news.

Not sure how to read the Lynch story about him drinking too much water. Sounds kinda BS but at the same time the dude hasn't had any issues off the field since being drafted so I tend to go with the side that he legit overhydrated cuz I know the NFL and other testing agencies are not lenient at all with diluted samples…obviously the idea there is that the player took something and tried to flush it out of his system.

Sucks for him though that he was in the program due to college, i don't think that's fair for the NFL to do. Guys are still young and immature in college and many of them turn their lives around after turning pro or graduating. Should start with a clean slate once they get into the NFL. If he wasn't in the program already he wouldn't have been suspended and could've simply been more careful next time. We'll see how it goes though.


I still don't trust Anthony Davis but I'm glad to hear about his weight loss, honestly I expected him to drop dead in first practice so maybe he wasn't all talk…still I don't like the idea that this dude quit when he felt like it. i don't like having players who aren't 100% in and it's going to take a lot for Davis to lose that stigma.

Some notes from today's practice

THE GOOD

1. CB Jimmie Ward. Picked off a Blaine-Gabbert pass intended for Bruce Ellington on third-and-three and returned the interception for a touchdown. I just disguised my coverage, Ward said after practice. We were in man-free, and I kind of confused the quarterback. Then I ended up jumping outside to my leverage I was supposed to have and I knew where my help was. And he ended up throwing me the ball, and I just made a play on itThat was a correction from yesterday. I got beat on that route the first day. It was an option route from the slot. So we went in (the) film (room), he told me what to do and we made corrections.

2. DE DeForest Buckner. Joined the starting lineup for the first time this offseason and played both left and right defensive end in the 49ers base defense. He seems like a lock to start until Glenn Dorsey returns.

3. DE Arik Armstead. The best player on the field today. Recorded at least three tackles for loss during 11-on-11s, including once when he broke into the backfield so quickly he smacked the ball out of Carlos Hydes hands before Hyde had taken a single step.

4. WR DeAndre Smelter. Played split end and made three catches during team drills. First, he beat Jimmie Ward with a quick slant. Then, he beat Kenneth Acker with a quick slant. And then he caught a tunnel screen pass thrown by Colin Kaepernick. By the end of practice, Smelter was playing with the starters. He seems to be Quinton Pattons primary competition for the starting split-end job.

5. WR DeAndrew White. The slot receiver for the second-team offense. White beat nickel back Chris Davis twice with option routes on third down once on third-and-3, and once on third-7. Both passes were thrown by Kaepernick. He and White seem to have chemistry.

6. QB Colin Kaepernick. Threw no interceptions and completed 16 of 20 passes, although just six of those passes came when he was playing with the starters. Kaepernick mostly played with the backups and seemed much more prepared and confident than yesterday even though he didnt attempt a deep pass. Kaepernick mostly dinked and dunked while reading one side of the field.

THE NOT SO GOOD

1. QB Blaine Gabbert. First, the good. Threw 20 of his 23 passes while playing with the starters and launched a perfect deep pass down the left side line to Jerome Simpson who caught the ball in the end zone. This was the best pass of the day. Now, the not so good. Gabbert threw one pick and completed just 14 of 23 passes during team drills. On third down, he completed only one pass and threw short of the first-down marker three times even though it was a 7-on-7 drill and there was no pass rush. At least he practices the way he plays.


Great to hear about Ward looking good and great to hear Armstead and Buckner doing well.

^ Thanks for the updates… I was able to check a little bi tout and see that practice was around 2 hours or something like that. Also it looks like Kap is doing all right for missing a lot of time. Hopefully he gets more comfortable and settles back down. I still prefer him over Gabbert even though he post a bunch of **** online. If he starts posting #7storms type stuff again I will get excited.

I have 0 expectations for Kap this year but I do appreciate that it at least looks like Chip is giving a fair competition this way the team won't be torn apart if anyone is handed anything.

If Kap wants his starting job back he knows what he has to do. Best man wins.

I also like hearing that Rashard Robinson appears to be showing up well in practice. Several reporters have mentioned he certainly looks like a natural physically so we just have to see if he has it mentally(which was a question mark with him)

I'm hoping to hear some stuff about Driskell as well but he may be 4th on the depth chart right now so his snaps will be limited and we won't hear/see much til preseason.

I am pretty excited about Robinson too.

Agree in regards with Kap. I really have no big expectation but I still feel he would be a better kit under Kelly's system. We shall see what happens…

Also curious to hear/see what AD does.

My gut tells me that Kaepernick will start by week 1. Gabbert just makes too many mistakes and lacks the explosive plays to compensate for them.

I feel that way too. I just hope he can fix the mental issues that he has had. He is just a much better fit under Kelly.

I think Gabbert limited his mistakes last year but in the process he became like Alex Smith the generic version.

There was a pretty decent Grant Cohn article(broken clock being right twice a day and all that) regarding Gabbert's throws on 3rd down and how a large chunk of them were behind the down marker. Certainly improves your numbers as far as accuracy and lowers chances of turnovers but also gives you less of a chance to convert those 3rd downs to keep drives going.

First padded practice today. Can't wait to catch the highlights!

I read Gabbert was throwing short of the sticks on 3rd down on the first two days of practice even in like 7 on 7 drills or like when there was no defense or some **** like that.


I always was and am still on team Kap. I don't hate Gabbert and if he is our guy I will root for him and the team no matter what, but agreed heavily he is like the not as good version of Alex Smith.

Nice to hear Dorsey is recovering well. Gonna need him since Williams is out for the year again

Navarro getting a 4 year extension!

Nice! Hopefully he's back to pre-injury form this season and beyond. Would love to see him get a ring as a 49er. Won't happen this year but glad to know he's with us for a while longer.

Good for him. I love it when you players spend their entire career on a team. He is only 28 and could easily play longer if he stays healthy after this contract.

Crazy things are going on… Foles to the Chiefs? Who would have thought. Maybe he will pull a Kap and win the job over Alex?

Where is Dave, and WRXbrah? I know Humpty messaged a few of us last year but I would to see him come back for some lolz… We need to old crew back together.

I'm sure Dave and Wrx will be sometime in the preseason hopefully. Humpty picked the right time to quit posting last year as he didn't have to endure the Tomsula year.

Sounds like an ugly practice for the offense

Gabbert 4-of-13, nice TD to White
Kaepernick 6-of-14, nice TD to Smith

And 4 receivers banged up/hurt.

Torrey Smith
Bruce Ellington - damnit Bruce!
Jerome Simpson
Eric Rogers

Sounds like Smith, Ellington and Simpson stuff is minor. Rogers is up in the air possible ankle situation…hopefully minor.

THE GOOD

1. DE Arik Armstead. Supremely confident. Carries himself like he’s the best player on the team. Hardly breaks a sweat unless he’s facing someone really good, like Joe Staley, whom he faced a few times today during a run-blocking drill. Staley would double-team Armstead with left guard Zane Beadles, then Beadles would peel off and leave Staley to block Armstead one on one. Then those two would try to annihilate each other. They seemed like they were fighting to the death. But neither could move the other player an inch. Each battle was a draw.

2. DE DeForest Buckner. Not as powerful as Armstead, but much more difficult to block on pass plays. Buckner uses his arms as weapons – constantly punching and clubbing the offensive lineman he’s facing. Today, no one could block Buckner on third downs – not Trent Brown, Andrew Tiller, Daniel Kilgore, Zane Beadles or Joe Staley. Buckner was equally effective rushing from the inside or the outside, from a three-point stance or a two-point stance.

3. CB Rashard Robinson. The best cornerback on the field today. Knocked down five passes and intercepted a sixth. On the interception, Robinson read Colin Kaepernick’s eyes and undercut his pass near the sideline before the coaches blew the play dead. Easily could have been a pick-six.

4. CB Jimmie Ward. The second-best cornerback on the field today. Knocked down two passes and intercepted a third. On the interception, Ward read Kaepernick’s eyes and undercut his pass near the sideline – almost an exact replica of Robinson’s interception.

5. WR Aaron Burbridge. Caught a team-high seven passes during team drills (3 on 2, 7 on 7 and 11 on 11), including a deep catch while running a back-shoulder fade route against Prince Charlos Iworah, and a deep touchdown catch while running a post route against Kenneth Acker.

6. WR DeAndrew White. Caught a touchdown pass from Blaine Gabbert during a red zone drill while running a fade route toward the back-left corner of the end zone. Also beat rookie nickel back Will Redmond for a deep catch on a corner route. White is the first receiver to beat Redmond during team drills in training camp.

7. WR Devon Cajuste. Dropped a couple passes from Gabbert early on, but caught three in a row from Kaepernick during a stretch of 7 on 7s. Cajuste clearly was Kaepernick’s favorite receiver. Kaepernick likes big targets.

8. QB Blaine Gabbert. Completed 17-of-30 throws during team drills and tossed one touchdown pass. Went through his progressions quickly and efficiently, often throwing to the third receiver in the pattern.

THE NOT SO GOOD

1. WR Torrey Smith. Caught five passes, including a deep pass from Kaepernick while running a go route. Then tweaked his left knee and sat out the rest of practice.

2. WR Bruce Ellington. Caught four passes, including a deep pass from Kaepernick while running a post route. Then jammed his right index finger trying to catch a Kaepernick fastball and sat out the rest of practice.

3. QB Colin Kaepernick. Completed just 10-of-27 passes during team drills – 37 percent. Also threw two picks and six other passes which defenders knocked down. Locked onto his first read most of the day. Frantically searched for a second read as a last resort and almost never reached his third read. Telegraphed almost every other pass. Moved his head slowly while standing in the pocket and released the ball slowly, too. His windup seems longer than ever. Kurt Warner can’t be happy.


Really like hearing the stuff in bold. QB competition is still a mess right now but guess it's somewhat expected.

Hope to hear more and more from the young guys, especially Armstead and Buckner. If those guys can go beast mode out there good things will happen all the way throughout the defense.

I think it's the other way around but we'll see. Lots of people think Gabbert has the team while Kap lost them last year and is an outsider.

Of course the team will rally behind the better player and so far it's been neck and neck…and really depends on who you believe. Funny enough Cohn lists Kap as not so good while listing Gabbert on the good list but if you check other writers they said Kap was better today so who the fuk knows.

Preseason will tell IMO. Hopefully they can not embarrass the team too much.

Definitely don't like reading that Kap is telegraphing his passes still and all his mechanics work went out the window but Cohn does have a tendency to spin chit his own way and none of the writers know what the team has the QBs working on a given play.