James Laurinaitis to visit the 49ers?

The seven-man pass protection in today's NFL seems a little foreign, considering how much the tight end position has evolved over the last 20 years. Today's hybrid tight end, a man built from DNA spliced from a sprinter, basketball player and professional wrestler, has an integral role in the passing attack. A generation ago, San Francisco 49ers tight end Brent Jones finished his career averaging 36.3 receiving yards per game. Flash twenty-five years in the future and tight end George Kittle is averaging 65.4 yards per game over his first three seasons. Head coach Kyle Shanahan's system is firmly rooted in the West Coast Offense, even mimicking some of Bill Walsh's old

Levin T. Black is an unsung podcast hero. Carefully striking a balance between obsessed analytics nerd and the wise elder statesman at the bar. His insights, humor, and wit are one-third of the very best 49ers podcast out there — the 49ers Webzone "No Huddle Podcast" (available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Google PlayMusic). I don't say this because I write for the Webzone myself. Long before I volunteered to write here, I would search for a good 49ers podcasts to listen to. It would take quite some time before I found the No Huddle Podcast. At that time, Levin T. Black was yet to join the crew, but it didn't take long to get hooked by host Zain Naqvi's commentary on the best franchise in sports. When Levin T. Black joined the

LB Dre Greenlaw is currently known as the hero who capped off the NFL's 100th year by stopping Seahawks TE Jacob Hollister at the goal line, crowning the San Francisco 49ers as NFC West champions. It's easy to root for any player who puts the team in the win column, but it's what he's overcome off the field that's made him a player who is impossible not to love. Growing up, Dre didn't really have stability. His mother never held a stable job, and his father was not very involved in the family. He initially lived with his two parents, along with all eleven of his siblings. However, his parents eventually separated, consequently splitting up all of Dre's siblings as well. The father took care of five siblings while the mother took care of seven children, including Dre. This