FanHouse IsaacSopoaga

If the Rams learned anything year it would be: employ many lineman (other pearls of wisdom -- "don't let Marc Bulger develop post-traumatic stress disorder," or, "make sure Steven Jackson doesn't require a body cast" are all branches of this tree).

They tried, and whiffed, on Alan Faneca. But they did manage to snag up-and-coming young guard Jacob Bell from the Titans. Bell's only 27 and a player who is still getting better, and he'll step into the starting left guard position, which was been one of the most maligned on the line.

Scott Linehan claims that Bell was the highest-rated guard on their radar, adding the interest in Faneca was only because of his leadership, but I don't buy that for a second. If they wanted Bell, they wouldn't have waited until the second wave of free agency; he's a consolation prize. Still, this is a big improvement for the Rams, who get a talented young player who can play both guard and tackle spots in case his malleability is needed.

The only knock on Bell is his strength. That might come into play in a division with large defensive tackles like Rocky Bernard, Gabe Watson, Aubrayo Franklin, and Isaac Sopoaga. Still, there's not much line help on the market, and the Rams got some (at a palatable price -- $36 million over six with $13 million guaranteed -- as well). Now they just have to take the right Long at the end of April.

A word of advice: don't trust San Francisco 49ers general manager Scot McCloughlan. Here's Scot two days ago, hours before the free agency free-for-all broke out (via the Sacramento Bee's Matthew Barrows):

Just got off a pre-free agency conference call with Scot McCloughan, who began the session by managing expectations. The 49ers, of course, made a huge splash last year with the first-day signing of Nate Clements, Michael Lewis and Aubrayo Franklin. McCloughan seemed to suggest that this year won't be as flashy. "We want to do most of our damage through the draft," McCloughan said.

Hmm, let's see: in the last 48 hours the 49ers have signed Isaac Bruce, allegedly tampered with and then signed Justin Smith, and re-signed defensive lineman Isaac Sopoaga. So, yeah, it's not like the first days of the 2007 free-agency season, but I wouldn't exactly call it slow either.

Whether McCloughlan was smokescreening or Barrows just misinterpreted his remarks, the point's the same: for the second consecutive off-season, San Francisco has been pretty active in free agency (maybe McCloughlan meant things would quiet down in 2009).

With Albert Haynesworth and Corey Williams both franchised by their teams, young nose tackle Isaac Sopoaga was set to make a lot of money in free agency. At just 26 and and a 325-pound truck up the middle (with decent speed, to boot), teams would have justifiably been all over the big guy, even if the interest was based on supply/demand and potential instead of his production thus far.

But alas, the whole thing is moot. The 49ers re-inked Sopoaga to a five-year extension, keeping him in San Francisco before the feeding frenzy begins in a couple of days. The deal, according to the excellent Matt Maiocco, is supposed to be comparable with Jay Ratliff's deal with the Cowboys, which went for $20.5 million over five years and $8 million guaranteed.

That's a good amount less than what I think Sopoaga could have found on the market, but his agent says he took a potential discount because he doesn't like change (I hear ya) and is comfortable in San Francisco. Those guys are rare. And even though Sopoaga isn't the starting nose tackle, he's a valuable -- and potentially unstoppable -- piece for this defense. Keeping him away from everyone else was important in and of itself; getting a bargain like the one the 49ers got is just icing.

The 49ers kept what could be their best quarterback talent in Shaun Hill so far, but they don't seem so urgent to hold onto their other free agents. You know that old adage about successful teams being built on the lines? Yeah, they're not buying into it.

Keep in mind, letting players reach free agency isn't necessarily an indicator that those players will definitely leave. But it's also a sign that said team isn't feeling much of a sense of urgency. So the news that the team is willing to risk losing defensive end Marques Douglas and tackle Isaac Sopoaga is sort of surprising.

Douglas -- who seems more willing to sign with the 49ers than vice versa -- was great last year, and while Sopoaga hasn't reached his potential yet, he's still a monster 26-year-old tackle who can be an absolute force up the middle. The two will get considerable attention once free agency begins.

The 49ers already lost their other starting end, Bryant Young, to retirement. Losing Douglas and Sopoaga (who's a part-timer) would do a lot of damage to the line's talent and depth. Why the team would open the doors for those two, tacking yet another step back in their development, seems beyond me.