The SFist Football Preview: Your 2006 49ers-- "Separating Wheat From <a href=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chaff>Chaff</a>"

Thank goodness. Let it come. Let the games count once more, we pray you, let the National Football League's Regular Season begin. Once more for our entertainment, the thirty-two franchises will clamber over one another to reach the Vince Lombardi Trophy like kittens chasing a moth.

Let's look in on our San Francisco 49ers, shall we?

Strength: Tight end.
No, not joking. On paper, San Francisco's TE position is the one that changes the team's complexion for the offense. First round draft pick Vernon Davis is now the highest-paid tight end in the NFL before he ever catches his first pass, a measure of the expectations laid upon him. Eric Johnson -- he of Yale, soft hands, and bad luck with getting hurt -- is injury-free, bringing his canny receiving skill back into the fold. A 2006 sixth-round pick, Delanie Walker has been the breakout guy of the preseason for the Niners, authoring a fantastic stiff arm against Da Bearss, and showing himself to be a dynamic runner after the catch.

Historically, Norv loves him some TE usage in his offensive schemes. Remember Jay Novacek from Norv's glory years with the Cowboys? Yes, him. Now imagine if Novacek had wide receiver's top speed and danglin' dreadlocks. Go Vern, go.

By SFist Christopher Rogers, contributing

Weak point: Pass rush.
Paging Charles Haley. Heck, paging Kevin Greene, even! The Niners' defensive first-teamers had a marked difficulty in reaching the other team's QB in preseason. It was bad. And that's what 2006 first-round pick LB Manny Lawson's lanky frame is meant to change. The guy weighs 240 and ran track in college, people!

"He's extremely smart," bearded ILB Jeff Ulbrich said of Lawson in the Chron. "I've never seen a more intelligent rookie. The coaches ask him, 'Why are we calling this defense?' and he's right on it every time. He picks up the big picture, and that's rare for a rookie."

So, yeah, Manny and draftmate Parys Haralson are earmarked to develop into the Niners' pass rush of the future -- which can't come too soon 'cause it doesn't look like they have much of one at present.

Key: Alex Smith, QB.
Alex Smith is the whole point of this season, the whole point of the franchise, and the focal point of the Niners' development. With his contract and his expectations of having been the number one overall draft pick, how he progresses as a quarterback will be a monstrous factor in how goes the good ship Niners. No pressure, ja?

Nothing could be better than last year's rabbit-in-your-headlights performance, and from all accounts, Smith has learned from the wreckage of the 2005 season. Alex has Norv in his corner, a re-energized offensive line, those pass-catching tight ends, and former wild child WR Antonio Bryant as a solid free agent pick-up. See? His supporting cast is notably better. Now we need him to get better.

Outlook: The rebuilding continues. Coach Nolan got a foundation down in 2005, now comes the next phase. In this preseason, Nolan jettisoned many of the players from Terry Donahue's failed general manager stewardship. No more Rumph, Rashaun Woods, Kevan Barlow, or even Brandon Lloyd. These guys didn't fit what Nolan wanted. The new ideal of the 49er player is one that is driven, adaptive, and all for the good of the team. Hmm, sounds like good ol' classy Bryant Young, doesn't it?

The Niners can't compete to win the NFC West yet, but they have direction as a franchise and they will compete. And that's more than can be said of the teams fielded by former Coach Dennis Erickson and Donahue.

Yep, things are looking up here at Nolan's West Coast Ravens. For 2006 we predict five wins, eleven losses, and some life lessons learned.

Next up on your American Football Spectacular: The Autumn Wind is a pirate. So was the castle cat from The Last Unicorn. You see where we're going with this, yes? AFS ventures into the O-Town to bring back a 2006 season preview of our second favorite cult.