ROSTERBATION!

That's what Grant over at McCovey Chronicles calls off-season Giants lineup speculation. With the first round of cuts coming up very soon, I thought we could do the yearly "who's gonna be on the 53-man roster" guesses. Position-by-position, here's what I'm hoping:

QB (3): Hill, Smith, Davis

RB (3): Gore, Coffee, Sheets

FB (2): Norris, Robinson

TE (3): Davis, Walker, Pascoe

WR (6): Morgan, Bruce, Crabtree (he'll sign), Jones, Hill, Zeigler

OT (4): Staley, Snyder, Sims, Trade/FA pickup (not sure any FAs would be worth it. Do trades like this ever happen in the NFL? Maybe use next year's extra number 1 or something)

OG (3): Rachal, Baas, Wragge

C (2): Heitman, Wallace

DL (7): McDonald, J. Smith, Balmer, Evans, Franklin, Sopoaga, Jean-Francois

LB (7): Willis, Lawson, Haralson, Spikes, McKillop, Harris, Brooks

DB (9): Clements, Brown, Bly, Green, Spencer, Roman, Goldson, Smith, Lewis

ST (4): Jennings, Nedney, Lee, Rossum

So that's my quick list. Goldson looks like he's gonna be a lot of fun to watch. He might give up some big plays, though, so look for that. His really aggressive style is more likely to make big plays, but can definitely backfire if he's not careful.

McKillop is a tackling machine. I think that he'll probably be a very good replacement for Spikes when the time comes. That should be a very dominant defensive middle with him and P 52 back there.

Overall, I'm pretty encouraged with the defensive look of things. The offense is full of ?s. Morgan? Davis? Hill? We just don't know if these guys will be able to blossom into really good players. We'll just have to wait and see. I'm very nervous that we're going to see a version of 2007 happening again.

Hill is better than Dilfer obviously, but the look of the offense is a cause for a little bit of concern. Raye seems like he's not going to take too many chances. That FG with 4 minutes left against Dallas showed a little too much conservatism for my tastes.

I really hope Singletary is not THAT conservative as a head coach, because if so then it will only be a matter of time until we're chasing him out of town too. I really think he's a guy who can succeed, but I thought that about Nolan at one point too.

The thing that encourages me the most is that the team looks like it can win games now. They were at least hanging in every game during the second half last season, and I see no GLARING holes on the team that make me think "ohhh craaaaap we're screwed". I'm actually excited to watch them, and I wasn't last year because JT O'sullivan was our quarterback. Should be fun.

It's that time of year again!

So it's been a little while, but with the season just around the corner, here's what I've been thinkin bout:

• Starting Shaun Hill was the right call. Alex, you may very well develop into an NFL-quality quarterback one day, but today is not that day. I saw nothing different from him in his 2 starts that showed he was any different than he's ever been- great arm, spotty accuracy, and inability to make quick decisions. Shaun moves the offense and keeps things going smoothly.
  

• Micheal Crabtree- OK, when's the last time someone held out an entire season after being drafted? It never happens. As of right now, Crabtree is only losing any workout bonuses he might have had in his contract- the real money doesn't come until week 1. So yes, he's losing valuable time he could be spending learning the offense, but when do rookie WRs ever come in and set the world on fire? It's stupid, but he will sign. How do I feel about it? Exhibit A:

Yup, that's mine. He'll sign, and he'll catch touchdown passes.

• Mike Singletary: capable coach

This team can make a run this year. Maybe I'll do a deeper breakdown of the NFC west a little later, but here's a quick primer:

Cardinals: Fluke of all flukes last year. They lost both coordinators, AND they lost the superbowl. That is the kiss of death. 2 more things: they're still the cardinals, and their season rests on an octogenarian who's one hit away from a rest home.

Rams: Look at their roster. LOOK AT IT! Name me 1 legitimate impact player whose name doesn't start with S and rhyme with "spleevin waxin". Also, he's always injured.

Seahawks: Jim Mora is their coach. JIM MORA! Yes, they were an intensive care unit last year, and yes, Matt Hasselbeck will be better, and yes, TJ whosyourmamma makes them better. I think they are the biggest threat to take the division, and I don't think it's unrealistic to think they can. But allow me to re-iterate my first point: JIM MORA JR IS THEIR COACH!

I really do think the 49ers have an actual, legitimate shot at 10 wins, and 10 wins should almost certainly be enough to win the division. I love that 3 of the first 4 are inter-divisional games, because that will show us if this feeling is justified right out of the gate.

Hopefully we get this place going a little bit this year, because it should be a fun time to watch our team. Look for me on TV week 3 @ minny, I'll be the doofus with the Clements jersey (unless crabtree signs and makes it into the lineup by then- doubtful) and the 9er helmet.