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You will never hear Patrick Willis question the importance of practice. Not in mid-June, or in any month for that matter.

The 49ers three-time Pro Bowl linebacker and unquestioned defensive leader has been eager to return to the practice fields ever since he underwent a minor knee surgery this offseason.

In recent weeks, Willis has been slowly working over 49ers head athletic trainer Jeff Ferguson for permission to practice, asking him what he’s allowed to do each and every day he’s been around 49ers headquarters. And while Ferguson has limited Willis to individual work in last week’s organized team activities, this week was a different story.

Willis’ self-described gnat-like behavior must have paid off as Ferguson gave him the clearance to join 11-on-11 periods during Monday’s OTA session.

The wait was difficult for Willis, but he understood Ferguson’s reasoning and respected it.

“He’s one of the best trainers in the league and with my injuries before he’s done a great job of getting me ready, preparing me,” Willis said while standing in front of his locker. “I was just going to listen to him and let him tell me what to do, but at the same time, I had to bug him a little bit to let me get back out there. He gave me the ‘OK’ to participate in some of the drills and it felt good to get my feet wet and get back on the field with the boys.”

The feeling was beyond mutual.

Once Willis stepped into the huddle, outside linebacker Parys Haralson remarked, “The X-Factor is back!” Others chimed in, “Welcome back 52!”

Willis wasted no time validating the opinions of his teammates. He instantly got involved in the action by perfectly timing a delayed blitz for a would-be sack of quarterback Alex Smith.

Several plays later, he read an inside handoff to running back Glen Coffee and was in perfect position to make a play on the second-year back.

Not bad, considering Willis told reporters how he felt slower with his eyes than his feet after Monday’s practice.

With Willis back in the fold for the remainder of the offseason, the leader of the defense only sees a better performance for the entire unit in 2010.

“I think our defense can be exceptionally good. It’s going to take a lot of hard work. It’s going to take guys continuing to grow and be hungry and want to be stronger than we were before. We want to be No. 1, but if we can get in the top-3, I feel like that’s putting us in a great spot as an overall defense.”

Notes and Quotes

With Willis amongst his teammates for team periods, safety Taylor Mays took the opportunity to stand beside head coach Mike Singletary and secondary coach Johnnie Lynn deep in the 49ers defensive backfield. That location, some 40 yards behind the play, was Willis’ destination for most of the offseason. But on Monday, Mays took mental reps and asked questions in between the plays he participated in during the team period.

The first and only turnover of the day took place in the first team period, when safety Michael Lewis intercepted Smith’s pass intended for tight end Joe Jon Finley. The deep crossing route was first deflected high in the air by cornerback Kary Paymah, which allowed Lewis time to catch the ball and run it down the right sideline for a nice return.

The best offensive play took place later in practice as third-string signal caller Nate Davis found rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams 35 yards down the field on a go route over the coverage of undrafted cornerback Tramaine Brock.

Saturday will be another action-packed day here at the 49ers 10th Annual Celebrity Winter Fest.  Center Cody Wallace and guard Tony Wragge got things started, participating in a Cardiogolf session taught by Karen Jansen.

Jansen walked the two offensive linemen, guests and Gold Rush cheerleaders through a series of warm-up movements and then broke down the golf swing step by step.

“It was a lot of fun,” Wragge said.  “Karen taught me that the basic principles of the swing haven’t changed, but they need to be perfected.  That’s one of the things I really need to work on as a big guy.  I need to work on my flexibility, core strength and the basics.  I need to focus on following through properly.  I don’t always get out enough since I’m focused on football, but I always like to improve my game.”

With a golf club not much more than two feet long, Wragge did feel somewhat awkward while receiving the instruction.

“The club probably goes up to my mid-thigh so it was kind of goofy but the principles were still the same,” Wragge said.  “It makes a lot of sense when you use the club, but it started to feel like kiddie golf for since I’m so big.”

There will be an ice sculpting demonstration and competition at 1:00, followed by a Chalk Talk session with the players and coached at 3:00.  Stay tuned!

UPDATE: 2:00

We just got finished with the ice carving competition where teams were asked to carve 49ers helmets.  Each team of two went with their own creative touches, including everything from hollowing out the face mask as well as adding eyes and cracks from game play.

“We have fractures in the top of the helmet,” said Seth Gersch, 49ers Foundation board member.  “We have a bad, bad bruise in the front of the helmet.  We have a very abstract look to our helmet and we’re very pleased with the result.”

“This is the helmet after the Super Bowl game,” added James Kyson-Lee, the actor who play’s Ando from Heroes.  “It’s a true work of art.  It represents the journey of an athlete through the Super Bowl after an NFL season.”

Pictured: Seth Gersch and James Kyson-Lee

While Kyson-Lee and Gersch were thrilled with their final product, linebacker Parys Haralson was left frustrated after experiencing technical difficulties when his drill bit broke.

“Our drill bit was a little short,” Haralson said.  “I told [the instructor] my bit wouldn’t get deep enough because we were trying to get up in there.”

Josh Morgan also had some hardware problems after giving his carving took to the neighboring Takeo Spikes.  Morgan’s team still managed to finish with a very nice looking helmet.

“I was the inspiration, but my partner did most of the work,” Morgan said.  “We carved it to perfection.  We were doing fine until we tried to share [with Spikes] and be good sports and they broke our tool so that put us back a little bit.  We’re going to win.  We have the eyes, my umber in the back and the S-F.  If it wasn’t melting so bad, it would look perfect.”

The teams will have to wait until the dinner reception tonight to find out who won.

4:30 UPDATE

The Chalk Talk this afternoon was a huge success.  Head coach Mike Singletary started the event by stating the team’s philosophy and mission heading into the 2010 season.

Then, running backs coach Tom Rathman demonstrated the four points of pressure in order to ensure ball security, the key component of Rathman’s coaching philosophy.   It was evident that Rathman had given his daughter Samantha the same instruction as his players as the coach enlisted her help to go over proper ball carrying technique.

Each of the players also walked the audience through several plays in a film session similar to what the they might go through in one of their team  meetings.

One of the most interesting moments came in the Q&A session that followed, when quarterback Alex Smith broke down offensive play calls, describing what each part of the call means and the many options he has  to change a play after it has been called in the huddle.  Having played in several different offensive systems, he described the different ways of calling plays in the digit system the team uses currently and the West Coast offense which Smith ran during his first year in the NFL.

“It was incredible,” Eileen Goodwin said after the conclusion of the Chalk Talk.  “As a person who watches football but has never played, they really made it understandable.  Every one of them has a terrific personality and it really came through in their answers.”

Goodwin was also the winner of the raffle for an autographed football.  However, since Rathman drew her number, the coach pulled a pop quiz and made her recite the four points of pressure he taught earlier.  Being put on the spot, Goodwin passed and was able to receive her reward.

“I remember when he played and I can see why he’s a great coach,” Goodwin said about Rathman.  “It stuck in my head.  Having his daughter come up and demonstrate made it easier for me to perform it later.”

The evening schedule is the same as Friday night.  There is a reception and silent auction at 5:30 followed by dinner and a live auction at 6:30.

UPDATE: John Rzeznik of the Goo Goo Dolls closed the event with an exclusive concert for all the guests at the Celebrity Winter Fest.  Here are a few photos from the final night.

February 2, 2010 Update:

Congratulations to Justin Smith who won with 40% of the vote. Ahmad Brooks finished a close second with 38% of the vote. Aubrayo Franklin (12%) and Parys Haralson (9%) rounded out the top four sacks of the season in the polls.

                     
This week’s 49ers.com poll asks our Faithful fans to decide which sack was the best in 2009.

The 49ers totaled 44 sacks this past season, tied for third most in the NFL and tied for second most in the NFC. It was the best sack totals the team has posted since 1998 in which they racked up 51.

Picking the top four sacks was no easy task.

Manny Lawson led the team with 6.5 sacks and 13 other 49ers registered at least one sack in 2009. But without further delay, let’s take a look at your choices for best 49ers sack of 2009.

Our first nominee is matchup nightmare Justin Smith’s game-ending sack of Kurt Warner.

Smith out-worked and dominated the Arizona Cardinals offensive line in the 49ers Week 1 road victory over the division champs. The defensive tackle totaled an amazing 13 quarterback pressures and nine hits on Kurt Warner.

Smith hit Warner so many times, I’m not even sure this is the picture of the sack that closed Arizona’s chances for a comeback in the season opener. But it just might be the image of Smith sacking Warner with less than 10 seconds at midfield.

The man referred to as “Cowboy” inside the 49ers locker room, lassoed Warner and through him to the ground in a decisive manner. It was the perfect exclamation mark to a solid win.

Our next hopeful is last week’s 49ers.com poll winner, nose tackle Aubrayo Franklin.

Franklin gets the nod this week for his sack of four-time NFL MVP quarterback Peyton Manning. Franklin was one three 49ers to take down the never-sacked signal caller. Manning was only brought down 13 times during the regular season.

Franklin’s sack was impressive on a number of fronts. It showed all the tools that gave him a breakout season in 2009. First, he beat a double team of center Jeff Saturday and left guard Ryan Lilja to get to Manning which demonstrated Franklin’s non-stop motor. It also displayed his amazing hands as he swatted away Lilja’s block and broke through the two blockers to get to Manning.

Franklin picked up honors for best interception in 2009, will he get another award for best sack? It’s up to you to make the call.

Our third nominee is more of a group nominee, but really since one of the primary participants was already nominated (Smith), outside linebacker Parys Haralson will get the call as our third choice.

Out of the 49ers six sacks against David Garrard and the visiting Jacksonville Jaguars on Nov. 29, Haralson’s was easily the most memorable, and perhaps the most violent.

On the first play of the fourth quarter with the 49ers leading 20-3, Haralson made sure those numbers remained as the final score with a devastating sack on Garrard with the help of some friends.

Jaguars rookie left tackle Eugene Monroe decided it would be better to leave Haralson unblocked even though he was lined up directly across from him. Instead of disrupting Haralson’s route to his quarterback, Monroe looked outwards to kick out 5-10, 188-pound cornerback Dre’ Bly.

From there, Haralson corralled Garrard by the shoulder pads until Smith came over to finish the play off, knocking the ball out in the process. Defensive tackle Ray McDonald rallied to the ball and fell right on top, giving possession and momentum back to the 49ers.

Our final nominee is another outside linebacker, Ahmad Brooks, who also turned in another sack-forced fumble play.

One of Brooks’ three sacks of Warner on “Monday Night Football” took the air right from under the Cardinals’ wings.

Brooks’ performance added to the 49ers 27 sacks in the final eight games of the season which led the NFL.

The outside linebacker was also a matchup nightmare for all of Arizona’s tackles, especially left tackle Wayne Gandy.

The athletic edge rusher closed out the first half with a sack and forced fumble on Warner that silenced Arizona’s comeback bid. He did it in style by blowing past Gandy and knocking the ball out of Warner’s right arm at the top of the pocket. Smith again was involved in another one of our nominees, as he recovered the fumble.

The turnover enabled the 49ers to keep their 17-point lead intact as they head into the locker rooms for halftime. They went on to keep that lead and finish the season sweep of the Cardinals.

You can vote as many times as you’d like all week long by finding the poll on the bottom left corner of the 49ers.com home page. The winner will be announced next Monday, along with a new “Faithful Vote” for 49ers fans to debate on.

With the playoffs out of the picture, the 49ers are vowing to finish the 2009 season on a strong note.

“You’re disappointed, but we still have two games left. We’re going to prepare just like we have a chance of going [to the postseason],” outside linebacker Parys Haralson said. “When you play this game, you always play like you’re going to give it your best all the time. We’re upset about the playoff situation, but we still have two games to play. We enjoy playing football and we want to go out and play for each other.”

Head coach Mike Singletary elaborated that point even further by emphasizing the importance of the 49ers finishing the season 8-8. The team can do that with wins at home this Sunday over Detroit and the following Sunday on the road in St. Louis.

Asked if he would use the final two weeks to evaluate backups on the 53-man roster, Singletary said that would not be on top of his agenda.

“The last message I want to send is: we want to evaluate before we want to win. We want to win. Every time we step on the field, I want our guys to know we want to win and we want to compete.”

However, Singletary said young players could get valuable experience in limited playing time without having to sacrifice for the greater good of the team. According to Singletary, backups could be involved for a series at a time, but not at the cost of winning.

“Both these games are definitely important, no question,” quarterback Alex Smith said. “I’ve been here five years now and [8-8] would be the best record.”

Despite the frustration of losing another game because of “self-inflicted wounds,” Smith said he undoubtedly feels something special developing in the 49ers locker room.

“I’m not just saying this to say this, but I do feel like there’s been a bit of a mindset change around here, an expectation level, a confidence in what we can do,” Smith added.
More Monday Notes

-Singletary opened his press conference by sharing an exchange he had with quarterback Alex Smith last night. “I owe him an apology,” Singletary said a day after he was critical of his quarterback’s performance in a 27-13 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. “I talked with him after the game and we had a conversation where I really kind of challenged him on some things, some of those throws or whatever. After looking at it, I have a better perspective.”

-Smith said the talk between the two was a positive one for him as well. “He did [apologize]. He doesn’t owe me an apology though,” Smith added. “We were all disappointed with yesterday. That wasn’t the only thing we talked about. The point is to get better moving on. It was a good talk. I did take a lot away from it.”

-Singletary went on to detail each of Smith’s first-half interceptions. According to the head coach, tight end Vernon Davis could have made a better play on Smith’s first interception that was picked off deep over-the-middle by Eagles safety Quintin Mikell. “I think the ball was there. It’s just one of those situations where Vernon either has to make that play, or either he has to stop that DB from making that play. He’s got to help the quarterback as well,” Singletary said.

-The second interception was due to a “trap coverage,” in which the Eagles baited Smith into throwing to Davis. “It’s a trap coverage where you’re throwing the ball on timing, and it looks like the receiver, or the defender is going with that receiver, and you come back and get in front of the second guy that the quarterback is going to try and throw the ball to because he feels that either the corner or the safety has run off, but they come back.”

-Singletary had no grandiose explanation for the final Smith turnover, other than it “was just a poor decision.” Smith tried to dump the ball off while he was getting hit in the pocket. Singletary said it was Smith’s fault for trying to force the issue.

-The 49ers head coach expressed remorse for not getting the ball in the hands of Frank Gore more often, who finished with a game-high 16 carries for 107 yards. ‘I thought Frank ran the ball well when he had the opportunity,” Singletary said. “It’s a shame we couldn’t have gotten him the ball more last night. That’s kind of the way we were built in thinking this week, running the ball a little bit more this week because they’re a smaller front. When we got behind – which is what they’re built for, coming from behind, rushing the passer, stunting, those kinds of things – they got to do what they do more than we did. That’s kind of the situation there.”

 -The game’s injury report included, kicker Joe Nedney who re-injured a hamstring injury on a kick-off following his 25-yard field goal. Nedney underwent an MRI on Monday, with results to be determined. Singletary said if Nedney can’t play against Detroit, the team would likely bring someone in to handle the kicking duties. Singletary noted that he didn’t think punter Andy Lee could handle duel kicking responsibilities.

-Other than Nedney, rookie running back Glen Coffee had a thigh strain and also underwent an MRI on Monday. Singletary noted that left tackle Joe Staley was feeling fine after his first start in months.

-In other injury news, cornerback Nate Clements is unsure if he’ll return this season. He has been rehabbing diligently to return to the 49ers lineup, but isn’t sure if he’ll be able to participate in either of the final two games of the season. He’ll have to undergo one last MRI to make sure his fractured scapula is completely healed. “I’m taking it one day at a time, just doing what the trainers having me doing for rehab. I’m trying to get my shoulder back right,” Clements said. “Right now the range of motion is good, strength-wise; I’m kind of weaker there. I think it comes with time and the healing of the bone.”

-It’s been the longest period of games missed in Clements’ nine-year NFL career. “I missed one game last year, but this is the first time where I’ve been out a consistent period of time. It’s been frustrating not being out there to help the team.”

Head coach Mike Singletary just concluded his weekly Monday press conference with the Bay Area media. The 49ers head coach answered a number of questions pertaining to the 49ers 20-16 season opening victory from one day earlier.

“It was indeed an ugly game,” Singletary said. “But it was beautiful to see our guys work through all of the stuff and come out with a win. We fought together and ended up winning together.”

Singletary was pleased that his team was able to go into a hostile environment and come out with a win against a good football team. He also expressed his disbelief in rushing for under 30 yards as a team but still coming out victorious.

“I find it hard to do but that’s we ended up doing,” he said.

Singletary praised several of his player’s performances on both sides of the ball, but called out the play of his offensive line.

“We did not play well up front, but it will get better,” he said.

Despite not being able to move the ball efficiently in the first three quarters, Singletary was pleased that his offense put together a 15-play drive in the fourth quarter that put the 49ers up for good.

“I think the best thing that helped us offensively was that fourth quarter,” Singletary said. “Shaun [Hill] did a good job, everybody settled down and we took it down the field. They really did what they had to do when they had to do it and that’s the sign of something special.”
 
Other notes from Singletary’s presser:

-According to Singletary, Hill did a good job of managing the game and taking what the defense gave him.

-Vernon Davis, Isaac Bruce, Josh Morgan and Arnaz Battle were highlighted for making “critical plays” during the 49ers fourth quarter go-ahead touchdown drive.

-Arizona’s penetrating defense was a bigger factor than Singletary and the 49ers anticipated. “I think it got to our guys early on but it didn’t on that 15-play drive,” he added.

-Defensively, Singletary thought his guys played relentless. “We did things we needed to do in order to win. Our defense challenged their wideouts,” he said.

-Patrick Willis was everywhere. Singletary said his first quarter interception was a result of tremendous coverage that was very well played.

-Singletary also complimented the play of his secondary as well as the pass rush supplied by the likes of Justin Smith, Manny Lawson and Parys Haralson.

-Recently signed tackle Tony Pashos will begin sharing snaps with Adam Snyder this week, so Singletary and the rest of the 49ers staff can evaluate the 49ers new tackle.

-The 49ers suffered no major injuries against the Cardinals.

-Also, wide receiver Brandon Jones will return to practice this week. But, it has not been determined if he will play against the Seattle Seahawks this Sunday at Candlestick Park.

The 49ers made a roster move just before the start of Friday’s afternoon training camp workout. The team announced the signing of wide receiver Chris Francies. To make room for Francies, defensive lineman Babatunde Oshinowo was released.

Francies joined his new teammates as they were already on the practice field working on form tackling and ball security drills which they’ve done sporadically during camp at the start of practice.

The other noticeable change was in the equipment department, as the players participated in their first non-padded training camp practice.

In his first day of participating in team drills after suffering a hip flexor injury early in camp, outside linebacker Parys Haralson came up with an interception during 11-on-11 work. Shaun Hill’s pass was tipped at the line by Isaac Sopoaga and Haralson was able to make an impressive fingertip catch before the ball hit the ground.

“Ice (Sopoaga) tipped it up and I caught it – that’s basically what happened,” Haralson said of the play. “I got good hands, so I was able to catch it with my fingertips.”

Haralson said he felt no lingering pain from the hip injury.

“Everything is feeling good. I’m excited to get back on track,” he added.

Other highlights of practice included both Hill and Alex Smith leading the first- and second-team offenses on two-minute drives to close out the workout. Hill’s first series ended when Vernon Davis was stripped from behind by Nate Clements. The fumble was recovered by Reggie Smith.

Smith’s drive ended with a 25-yard field goal from undrafted kicker Alex Romero. Romero was able to attempt a kick thanks to two nice catches from Dominique Zeigler, including a 25-yard dig route that put the offense in field goal range.

Although they weren’t able to shutout Smith’s drive, the defense was pleased with their performance in the two-minute scenarios as well as their play for the entire day.

“We’re happy with how we played today but there’s always room for improvement,” Haralson said. “We’ll look at the film, watch our mistakes and come back out here tomorrow morning ready to go again.”

The team will be back on the practice field early Saturday morning for the first of two more practices.