FanHouse Kwame Harris

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

The 2008 season might go down as one of the most bizarre campaigns in the history of the Oakland Raiders. Lane Kiffin and Al Davis clearly didn't get along, while Kiffin pulled off the impossible task of making Davis look like a sane, rational person.

A team spokesperson nearly decked a beat writer; the punter was, reportedly, punched out by a defensive lineman; and the team on the field finished with a losing season, failing to win more than five games for the sixth consecutive year. Just a disastrous season in every way imaginable.

Through the first six years of his career, Oakland Raiders left tackle Kwame Harris hasn't exactly lived up to the expectations that come with being the No. 26 overall pick in the NFL draft. After being, basically, a bust of a selection for the 49ers, Harris moved across the bay prior to this season and inked a three-year, $16 million deal with the Raiders.

Thus far, the move has been maddening, if not completely frustrating, for the Raiders and their fans. Fortunately (I think) for silver and black faithful, the madness is coming to an end this Sunday, when Harris is going to be taking a seat on the bench in favor of Mario Henderson when the Raiders host New England.

According to Raiders beat writer Jerry McDonald, the reason for the benching is because Harris can't seem to grasp the concept that offensive lineman aren't allowed to move before the snap, and because he's been a turnstile when it comes to protecting JaMarcus Russell's blindside.

I'm sure most NFL fans are sitting around tonight thinking to themselves, "hey, I wonder when Warren Sapp is going to say something crazy again?" What's that you say? You're not thinking that? Well, too bad, because he's struck again.

Lately, Sapp has been spouting off all sorts of nonsense, from telling Oakland offensive tackle Kwame Harris he couldn't block Sapp's daughter, to calling his former teammate, Keyshawn Johnson, a "naughty word for a female dog." And that's when he's not screaming in the general direction of Raiders owner Al Davis.

Well, apparently he crossed some sort of line when he went after Keyshawn, and Sapp's mom didn't exactly approve of her son's potty mouth. From NFL.com's Adam Schefter:

"A week ago I took a shot at an old teammate of mine and I really felt like I crossed the line," Sapp said. "My mother was watching that show and she gave me a buzz and said, 'You know what, that's wrong because you and that boy and the kids and all of your families have played together and won together and you've got to apologize.'

Yeah, Warren, play nice with your friends.

Former defensive tackle Warren Sapp has never been at a loss for words, especially when Al Davis and the Oakland Raiders are the topic of discussion. If you'll recall, earlier this season Sapp fired his first shot at his former team when he told us that, pretty much, they were going to suck.

A few weeks later, when the Davis vs. Lane Kiffin saga was just about to hit its peak, Sapp reminded the 80-something-year-old Raiders owner that Cliff Branch wasn't ready to step out onto the field and haul in bombs from Jim Plunkett. Beyond that, he's also voiced his displeasure for the Dolphins' wildcat offense, and informed the football-watching public that he isn't exactly a fan of Keyshawn Johnson.

Who's next on Sapp's agenda? Starting left tackle Kwame Harris, naturally. From Mike Florio at PFT, quoting Sapp on his WQAM radio spot in Miami:

Lots of speculation concerning the Niners and Adalius Thomas, but the 49ers might not stop there. 49ers blog Niners Nation has a story up concerning rumored interest by San Francisco in left tackle Leonard Davis.

Davis has been with Arizona since being drafted second overall in 2001, but he didn't quite live up the Cardinals expectations. He played guard his first three seasons, and moved to left tackle in 2004. It's hard to tell where the 49ers would place him, since their current left tackle Jonas Jennings is pretty solid. Right tackle Kwame Harris didn't impress this past season though, so it's possible that Davis could slide in on the right side.

Regardless of where he'd go, offensive line depth is always a great thing to have, but you have to wonder if the attraction to Davis doesn't have something to do with the fact that he's a "name guy". San Francisco is pretty close to being a playoff team, and I'm not sure they need to be spending their money on an area that was pretty solid last season. The line's pretty young as well, and I'm guessing they still have improvement left in them.

And if this somehow were to interfere with the Niners picking up a guy like Adalius Thomas then it'd become firmly entrenched in the "bad idea" category. Defense has to come first with this team.

The 49ers have a shot to win this weekend against the Vikings, but only if there defense shows up. The 49ers can not turn the ball over and be forced to play catchup like they did against the Bears and other teams this season. Here are five 49ers to watch who will have a major impact on the outcome of the game.

Alex Smith: Smith is still playing well. He has a few hiccups here and there but that is expected since he is still young and learning. He has to avoid turning the ball over and needs to his open man. Smith needs to get the ball to Antonio Bryant more.

Frank Gore: Gore ran for over 100 yards against the Bears but only on 12 carries. The 49ers must keep the score close to keep Gore in the game. Gore also needs to find the endzone he has only three touchdowns on the season.

Kwame Harris: Harris is still starting at right tackle, which is a head scratcher since he has been a liability all season. He can't handle the speed rushers, actually he can't handle any rushers. Harris needs to avoid penalties and getting beat to help the line push through the Vikings defense.

Derek Smith: The Sandy Duncan of the NFL has decided not to have surgery on his injured eye. Both he and the 49ers acknowledge that his play has declined due to this injury. So instead of season injury surgery Smith has decided he wants to play. Which means look for more missed tackles and poor coverage since Smith can only see half of what is going on.

Manny Lawson: Lawson has taken over as one of the elephant players of the defense. Lawson must put pressure on the quarterback. Without any pressure on Brad Johnson he'll carve the 49ers secondary to pieces. Just as most quarterbacks have done this season.