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Pro Bowl Update: Week 10

The 49ers players need your support to get to the 2010 Pro Bowl in South Florida.  Here’s a recap of what some of the 49ers top Pro Bowl candidates have done through the first nine weeks of the season.  You can vote as many times as you like at nfl.com/probowl.

TE Vernon Davis: Davis is having a career-year, ranking tied for 1st in the NFL with a career-high 7 TD rec. He is also leading the 49ers with 42 rec., 477 rec. yds., and 7 TDs. Davis is on pace to set career-highs in both receptions as well as receiving yds.

LB Patrick Willis: Willis  leads the 49ers with 86 tackles to go along with 2.5 sacks, 2 INTs (1 returned for TD), 2 FFs, 6 TFLs and 8 PDs. According to gamebooks, Willis ranks 3rd in the NFL in tackles (77).

NT Aubrayo Franklin: Franklin is the force in the middle of the 49ers run defense and leads the defensive line with 50 tackles and 6.5 TFLs. He has also set a career-high with 2.0 sacks. Franklin has helped limit opponents to 3.4 yds. per carry (2nd in NFL) and the 5th-fewest rushing yds. allowed (746).

P Andy Lee: Lee leads the NFC and ranks 2nd in the NFL with a 42.5 net punting avg. He also ranks 1st in the NFC gross punt avg. (48.5) and 5th in the NFL with 18 punts downed inside the 20-yd. line.

RB Michael Robinson: Robinson ranks 2nd on the team in special teams tackles (16) and has led the team in special teams tackles in three different games. He was a Pro Bowl alternate in 2008.

LB Scott McKillop: McKillop has been a special teams standout in his rookie season. He leads the team in special teams tackles (21) and also registered a special teams fumble recovery for a touchdown vs. StL.

Franklin’s Strong Play Gets Recognized

Sports Illustrated columnist Peter King writes a weekly Monday Morning Quarterback column in which he names players of the week and provides other analysis of Sunday’s games.  This Monday, King named 49ers nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin as his defensive player of the week.

Franklin finished the game with 1 sack and 3 tackles, but King notes that the play of the nose tackle doesn’t always show up in statistics.

“It’s a thankless job,” Franklin said.  “I just go in there and try to keep guys off Pat [Willis] and Takeo [Spikes].  I take pride if those guys can run to the ball free.  Then I feel like I did my job.”

The 49ers interior lineman certainly did his job effectively in terms of stopping the run against Indianapolis as the Colts were held to 61 yards rushing at an average of 2.9 yards per carry.  Effective at stopping running back Joseph Addai, Franklin also proved that he could have a similar effect on the Colts’ quarterback, sacking Peyton Manning for the first time in 178 pass attempts.

“It was big,” Franklin said of his sack.  “I have to credit the other guys too.  The DBs were doing a great job on the back end covering and also those edge guys forced him to step up.  Luckily, he stepped up into my arms.”

Franklin now has 2.0 sacks and 43 tackles on the year, making him a key part of the 49ers defensive success so far this season.

“I just think it all started to click last year,” Franklin said.  “Our defense started making strides and we were just doing the things that we did well.  I think it’s a continuation of last year and I’m just trying to pick up where I left off last year and take my game to a different level.”

Singletary Names Smith Starting Quarterback

Mike Singletary began his Monday press conference by announcing that two starters in right tackle Tony Pashos and inside linebacker Takeo Spikes will undergo MRI’s today on the shoulder injuries they sustained against the Texans.

Singletary went over the rest of the 49ers injury report from the Houston game and then made an announcement on the team’s starting quarterback position for the 49ers next game at Indianapolis and for the foreseeable future.

“As far as this upcoming week in terms of quarterback, Alex Smith will be the quarterback,” Singletary said.

“As far as, ‘Will Shaun Hill be back?’ and all this other stuff… we’re not going to be a flavor of the month kind of team,” he added. “I wanted to make the decision based on who gives us the best chance to win.”

More Notes from Monday

-Singletary said Pashos suffered a left shoulder contusion, outside linebacker Marques Harris suffered a hamstring strain, defensive tackle Justin Smith suffered a left calf strain, nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin suffered a right knee sprain and Spikes suffered a right shoulder sprain.

-The 49ers head coach touched on the play of his offensive line again on Monday, but he sounded confident that the group would improve its play and reestablish Frank Gore and the 49ers running attack.

“We want to run the ball, but usually they have 8.5 guys in the box, sometimes nine. Sometimes that makes it a little more difficult. When you have an offensive line that has been banged up and is trying to get things right, it makes for not a good combination. But as we build confidence and continue to get better, it will work itself out.”

-If Pashos is unable to return in time for Sunday’s game against the Colts, Singletary said the team would “figure it out,” in naming a replacement.

-Singletary sat in on the team’s defensive meeting this morning to cover some communication issues that have been hampering the unit’s play. Singletary wants to see better results from that side of the ball, but was sure to remind them know how highly he thinks of them.

“We’re a good defense with the opportunity to be a great defense,” he said of his message to the defense. “But because of the communication factor, particularly in the last couple of games, you get guys starting to do their own thing. That’s when you really have to communicate very well, to make sure guys don’t start doing their own thing. We just have to get on one page, relax, settle down and let’s go from there.”

-Singletary said nothing stood out to him from watching the film in regards to the play of Michael Crabtree.

“Nothing jumped out to me, it was very evident yesterday,” Singletary said. “I just wanted to see it on film, just like when you see a good movie; you want to see it again.”

-Singletary spoke with Crabtree earlier this morning to let him know how he appreciated all the work Crabtree did while he was away from the team.

“All of the work he did, all of the studying he did while he wasn’t here – it showed,” Singletary said.