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49ers Sign McDonald, Smith and Wragge

The San Francisco 49ers today announced they have signed DT Ray McDonald to a five-year deal. QB Alex Smith and G/C Tony Wragge were both signed to one-year deals.

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McDonald and Roman’s Thoughts on UF vs LSU

We continue our weekly college football rivalry series with the high profile matchup between the No. 1 Florida Gators and the No. 4 LSU Tigers.  Defensive end Ray McDonald will be rooting for his Gators while there may be no bigger LSU supporter in the world than safety Mark Roman.

When I asked Roman on Thursday for his analysis of the game, he said he wanted to wait a while in order to do some homework on the matchup.

“I did a little bit of research.” Roman said.  “The Tigers are going to win, but it’s going to be a close, hard-fought game.  I got to thinking about the last time Florida came in and they were ranked no. 1 and we beat them up pretty good.  I was on that team and we pretty much routed them.  I don’t think this game is going to be a rout, but we’ll definitely come through.”

The main storyline from the game is whether Gators quarterback Tim Tebow will play after suffering a concussion against Kentucky.  If Tebow does not go, sophomore John Brantley will get the nod.

“Tebow’s an impact player and he makes that offense go,” McDonald said.  “They recruit well and the backup quarterback [Brantley] is pretty good.  I have faith in all of those guys.  He’s a good player with a Heisman Trophy guy in front of him.”

Brantley went 4 of 6 with a touchdown after he replaced Tebow in the game against Kentucky.  A former Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Florida, Brantley’s teammate say he has a very strong arm.  However, Brantley is more of a pocket passer than Tebow and will go up against a very talented LSU secondary.

“Their whole defense is very good because they returned almost everybody,” Roman said.

Roman was quick to point out that the veteran Tigers defense will still have a tough task against the Gators, no matter who is at quarterback.

“It doesn’t really matter if it’s Tebow or Brantley,” Roman said.  “Florida is a really good team, but I think a lot of times, their speed can be very overwhelming for their opponents.  LSU has a whole lot of speed back there so I think that evens it out.  Their quarterback is a great player and he can make a lot of plays.  I just don’t see the Tigers losing this game, especially at home.”

LSU enjoys one of the best home field advantages in college football and playing night games at Tiger Stadium has always been tough on the visiting teams.

“That was really loud, one of the loudest stadiums I’ve ever played at in my life,” McDonald said.  “All the fans scream and it gets noisy, but it’s not like playing in the swamp.”

Roman begged to differ.

“There ain’t no place better to play on Saturday nights than Death Valley,” Roman said.  “The atmosphere’s going to be set for a really good game.  Hopefully both teams come ready to play.  Down the road, I’m sure they think whoever wins this game has a good chance to go on and play for the national championship.”

Roman’s prediction: “It’s going to be tight, but if I had to pick I would say 24-17 in favor of the Tigers.  As long as we don’t give the ball up on offense, it should be a pretty good game.”

McDonald’s prediction:  “24-7, Gators.  It’ll be a rout.”

So stay tuned on Saturday as one of these two SEC alumni will have bragging rights come Sunday.

McDonald and Clements Up for Sprint Award

For the second consecutive week, the 49ers have been honored for having one of Sprint’s “Can’t-Miss Plays.” Last week, Frank Gore’s touchdown runs of 80 and 79 yards earned him recognition from Sprint.

This week, the nominee was given to defensive tackle Ray McDonald and cornerback Nate Clements, who were responsbile for the 49ers blocked field goal against the Minnesota Vikings that led to a 59-yard touchdown at the end of the first half.

You can vote for McDonald and Clements by clicking this link or by using the NFL Mobile Live service on your Sprint phone!

Voting opens today and closes this Saturday at 3 pm ET, so be sure to vote early and often!