FanHouse DonaldStrickland

Because the NFL season never ends, we present our 2009 Offseason Roadmaps for front offices to navigate through the summer.

After the uneventful tenure of head coach Mike Nolan, the San Francisco 49ers decided to promote Mike Singletary to interim head coach during the 2008 season.

After a bizarre debut that saw Singletary address his team without pants, the 49ers finished the season on a 5-4 run under their new coach, ending the year with a 7-9 record. Had it not been for a confusing ending to a Monday night game against Arizona, the 49ers would have finished with a .500 record for the first time since 2002. So close, yet so far.

Arizona Cardinals:

Out - Defensive tackle Alan Branch (hand) and defensive tackle/defensive end Ross Kolodziej (knee).

Probable - Center Nick Leckey (knee).

The last thing the Cardinals need is to lose depth on the defensive line when going up against one of the NFL's best running backs. Unfortunately, injuries are unavoidable and they'll just have to make due.

In addition to Branch and Kolodziej, the Cardinals have already lost Chike Okeafor for the season. For that reason, the current front seven, led by Bertrand Berry, will have to step up.

San Francisco 49ers:

Out - Safety Dashon Goldson (elbow).

Probable - Cornerback Donald Strickland (chest).

Health is one of the keys to success, and while most NFL players are dropping like flies, the 49ers have stayed away from significant injuries. Obviously, they have a few bumps and bruises here and there, but that's to be expected. However, when you look at their injury report and compare it to other NFL teams, they're in fantastic shape.

The San Francisco Chronicle has failed me. As a newspaper, they're supposed to deliver all of the facts. And quite frankly, I could do without the exhaustive camp reports and roster breakdowns. But when Patrick Willis impersonates James Brown, the ultimate badass, at the 49ers' talent show, I need every detail.

Mike Nolan also singled out the performances of cornerback Donald Strickland, who delivered a serious reading of a poem he wrote, and rookie linebacker Patrick Willis, who sang a song dressed as James Brown.

"He was pretty funny," Nolan said of his No. 1 draft pick. "Put a big wig on. There was no chance he was serious."

Was it a Brown song, or just an imitation of Brown? And if it was a Brown original, which one? I'm hoping for "The Payback," personally, if only because I'd love to see Willis get in Alex Smith's face and shout "I don't know karate, but I know kuh-razy!" Also, what James Brown era was Willis, who is apparently a brilliant young man with excellent taste, shooting for? This one? This one? Please, for the love of God, say it was this one? See, John Crumpacker, you should focus less on your silly name and more on providing these kinds of details. Inquiring minds want to know this stuff.