Offensive Line Assessment

Anthony Davis, sans pads, returned to practice on Tuesday for the first time this offseason. Davis underwent offseason shoulder surgery and has missed OTAs, minicamp and the first three weeks of training camp. Jim Harbaugh revealed Davis' status earlier in the day before commending the performance of his replacement on the offensive line.
"Jonathan Martinhas done very well, been a great addition to our football team," Harbaugh said of the player he coached at Stanford University. "Sure glad we got him. Like everybody else on our football team, (he's) working to improve in certain areas. He's been very effective and efficient." Martin matched up against Denver Broncos outside linebacker DeMarcus Ware and did not allow a sack. "I'm trying to get better every day and trying to make improvements on my technique and eliminate mental errors," Martin said. "I think I played alright, but there are things to clean up for sure." Harbaugh also praised another offensive lineman with the same last name but unrelated to the veteran. That player would be third-round draft pick Marcus Martin. "Marcus Martin had a very good game, a very physical game," Harbaugh said of the second-team center. "Great to get him back, get him going again." Marcus Martin missed the first week of camp due to an ankle injury. But since he was activated off of the Active/Non-Football Injury List on July 27, the rookie has steadily improved. He's also picked up his playing time in the preseason. Marcus Martin didn't play in San Francisco's preseason opener. He did, however, play the majority of last week's loss to the Broncos. "I was just excited to get the opportunity to play that many snaps," the young center said of his NFL debut. "It was encouraging to see myself play well in a game." At 20 years young, Martin finds himself entering his rookie year very similarly to what Davis experienced in 2010. Davis happened to be a Week 1 starter as a 20-year-old lineman. Martin has a ways to go to unseat Daniel Kilgoreto be San Francisco's starting center by the team's Sept. 7 opener against the Dallas Cowboys, but in the interim, he's developing his blocking skills to be ready down the road in case he's needed. Martin credited his veteran teammates for helping his development. "Anthony Davis and (guard) Mike Iupatiboth have been huge mentors throughout this process," the rookie said. "A.D. has really looked out for me throughout this whole thing. He told me to compete, it doesn't matter how old you are. It's the heart that matters."

http://www.49ers.com/news/article-2/Jim-Harbaugh-Pleased-with-49ers-Linemen-Marcus-Martin-Jonathan-Martin/fb1f908f-eeb2-46d9-a762-82edca03bc1c

It sounds like we won't see Davis in the preseason, so we'll just have to hope they get him game-ready in practice.

At this point, I kinda hope Boone stays away. He's not going to be ready to play week one at this point, and I don't want to cut Seymour or J. Martin.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
It sounds like we won't see Davis in the preseason, so we'll just have to hope they get him game-ready in practice.

At this point, I kinda hope Boone stays away. He's not going to be ready to play week one at this point, and I don't want to cut Seymour or J. Martin.

I'd kind of like to see what we have in Looney and see if he can do the job. Or at least if he's worth keeping after 2015 as a backup.

Originally posted by Gore_21:

Originally posted by WRATHman44:
It sounds like we won't see Davis in the preseason, so we'll just have to hope they get him game-ready in practice.

At this point, I kinda hope Boone stays away. He's not going to be ready to play week one at this point, and I don't want to cut Seymour or J. Martin.

I'd kind of like to see what we have in Looney and see if he can do the job. Or at least if he's worth keeping after 2015 as a backup.

Me too! I just hope Davis is in shape but if J.Martin can continue to play like he did last game, I feel really good about that right side of the line...and we have two more tune-up games.

On Looney:

As a first-time starter, every day you've got to be on the details of things every single day, every single play," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "It's a little different when you get put into that role than being in the backup role. Every play there's pressure on you to do your job and to do it in the way that you're being coached to do. Players that respond in that fashion generally do well and (Looney's) doing that." Looney made his pro debut last year, his second season, when he was asked to play right guard when Boone moved over to left tackle to replace the injured Joe Staley in Week 13 against the Rams.

He performed well against St. Louis' talented defensive front, making a case the team won't be squarely behind the eight ball should Boone remain away.

"(Looney) came in last year for us and played well," Kaepernick said. "So I think he's someone that we have confidence in and the more time he's on the field, the more confidence we have."

Given the staunch stance of both Boone's representatives and the 49ers' brass, it appears Looney could be starting for the remainder of the preseason, where both he and his coaches feel the most improvement in his game has been made.

"When I first got here," Looney said, "coach Roman told me in order to get better at football you have to play. Being in the games, preseason games, helps everybody out."

http://sfo.scout.com/2/1436492.html#/2/1436492.html

Originally posted by AmpLee:

Originally posted by NCommand:
On Looney:

As a first-time starter, every day you've got to be on the details of things every single day, every single play," offensive coordinator Greg Roman said. "It's a little different when you get put into that role than being in the backup role. Every play there's pressure on you to do your job and to do it in the way that you're being coached to do. Players that respond in that fashion generally do well and (Looney's) doing that." Looney made his pro debut last year, his second season, when he was asked to play right guard when Boone moved over to left tackle to replace the injured Joe Staley in Week 13 against the Rams.

He performed well against St. Louis' talented defensive front, making a case the team won't be squarely behind the eight ball should Boone remain away.

"(Looney) came in last year for us and played well," Kaepernick said. "So I think he's someone that we have confidence in and the more time he's on the field, the more confidence we have."

Given the staunch stance of both Boone's representatives and the 49ers' brass, it appears Looney could be starting for the remainder of the preseason, where both he and his coaches feel the most improvement in his game has been made.

"When I first got here," Looney said, "coach Roman told me in order to get better at football you have to play. Being in the games, preseason games, helps everybody out."

http://sfo.scout.com/2/1436492.html#/2/1436492.html

If Looney turns out to be pretty good, Boone has really shot himself in the foot with this holdout; also, especially if Martin continues to get better as the backup swing T. These game experiences for the right side of our line for our backups are proving to be invaluable despite who starts in week 1. I really think we have some talented depth on line and the holdout with Boone and injury to Davis is kind of a silver lining for Looney and Martin to gain experience and confidence.

I'm hoping we keep Boone until the offseason, so we can use the presence of one to negotiate the deal we want with the other. This is Looney's 3rd season, so he's eligible for an extension when the season is over.

Originally posted by AmpLee:

I'm hoping we can keep Boone until his contract is over and either sign him to a cheap extension or have one of our other guys take over. I really think Boone is a valuable cog in our championship roster. He just needs to pull his agent's head out of his ass.

Agree.

Boone played VERY well and never missed a game.

NC, we doing this again? It still seems like a waste of time to do Staley, unless he suddenly looks crappy at first glance. That would leave Iupati, Kilgore, Looney, JMart, MMart, and possibly Seymour as persons of interest. Might be fun, but the starters are going for more drives this game, which could be a hell of a lot more work...

I'd like to request an assessment on MMartin. He had a good showing versus DEN considering 1 week of practice.

Dbl

Absolutely! th, yes, take M.Martin. That's my favorite battle right now. WRATH, I'll take J.Martin and Seymour. Who wants to take the two guards and who wants Kilgore? Mr.McMigglits?

Originally posted by thl408:

I'd like to request an assessment on MMartin. He had a good showing versus DEN considering 1 week of practice.

To clarify, you were not asking to analyze MMartin yourself, right? Just asking that he be analyzed here? That's how I read it.

I'll do the starting guards again, and I can do MMart a day or two later, as long as thl wasn't asking to do him.

Originally posted by WRATHman44:

Originally posted by thl408:

I'd like to request an assessment on MMartin. He had a good showing versus DEN considering 1 week of practice.

To clarify, you were not asking to analyze MMartin yourself, right? Just asking that he be analyzed here? That's how I read it.

I'll do the starting guards again, and I can do MMart a day or two later, as long as thl wasn't asking to do him.

Oh I meant for you or NC to provide an assessment of his play vs SD so that I can enjoy it.

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by WRATHman44:

Originally posted by thl408:
I'd like to request an assessment on MMartin. He had a good showing versus DEN considering 1 week of practice.

To clarify, you were not asking to analyze MMartin yourself, right? Just asking that he be analyzed here? That's how I read it.

I'll do the starting guards again, and I can do MMart a day or two later, as long as thl wasn't asking to do him.

Oh I meant for you or NC to provide an assessment of his play vs SD so that I can enjoy it.

No worries, mang! I'll be looking forward to your passing game posts during the reg season, so I don't mind you kicking back now at all!

Originally posted by WRATHman44:

Originally posted by thl408:

Originally posted by WRATHman44:

Originally posted by thl408:

I'd like to request an assessment on MMartin. He had a good showing versus DEN considering 1 week of practice.

To clarify, you were not asking to analyze MMartin yourself, right? Just asking that he be analyzed here? That's how I read it.

I'll do the starting guards again, and I can do MMart a day or two later, as long as thl wasn't asking to do him.

Oh I meant for you or NC to provide an assessment of his play vs SD so that I can enjoy it.

No worries, mang! I'll be looking forward to your passing game posts during the reg season, so I don't mind you kicking back now at all!

Me either!