FanHouse Larry Allen

San Francisco 49ers guard Larry Allen is expected to retire, Adam Schefter of NFL Network is reporting.

There is little doubt that Allen, who spent most of his career with the Dallas Cowboys, will be enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013, the first year he's eligible. Allen has been named to 11 Pro Bowl teams, and there was a stretch of about five years in which he was the best guard in the league. In 2002 Jay Glazer called him the best player in the NFL at any position.

One of the strongest players in football (he's said to bench press 700 pounds), Allen was the Cowboys' second-round pick out of tiny Sonoma State in 1994, and he entered the starting lineup during his rookie year and never left.

Other players who could make the 2013 Hall of Fame class include Buccaneers and Raiders defensive tackle Warren Sapp and Allen's 49ers teammate Bryant Young.

For the first time since opening day the 49ers offensive line is finally going to field all of its starters. Injured left tackle Jonas Jennings and left guard Larry "All You Can Eat" Allen both have the green light to play. Which is good news for the offensive line, but bad news for the buffet line.

Since suffering an opening-day ankle injury, Jennings has been in and out of the lineup with other wrist and paper cut injuries while Allen has not played since game one when he suffered a knee injury. The health of the O-line could not have come at a better time since the 49ers head into Soldier Field to take on the Bears who have one of the best defenses in the league. But not is all rosy on the offensive line, however, Nolan has said that the line would be the same one that started the season, which means Kwame "I Can't Block Worth a Crap" Harris is still starting at right tackle with Adam Snyder backing up both tackle spots. Which I can understand since I'm sure Jennings will suffer an ingrown toenail and have to be pulled from the game.

The good news is left tackle Jonas Jennings is ready to go. The bad news is his counterpart Larry Allen isn't. Half of the starters on the left side of the line appear ready to take the field on Sunday when the Eagles come to town. Jennings is optimistic he'll play and that is great news for this offensive line. Jennings was actually ready to go against the Rams but the team chose to deactivate him and give Adam Snyder the start.

"I kind of thought I was going. I had a protective brace, but probably I wasn't moving at the speed they wanted me to move at,'' Jennings said. "That's what I'm guessing. Plus not practicing all week probably didn't help my case.''

Jennings suffered a high ankle sprain in the season opener against the Cardinals, and to have him back after missing only one game is a plus, considering last season the offensive line was one of the major eyesores for this team. With Jennings coming back that will allow the "sixth man," Adam Snyder, to move over to left guard and fill in for veteran Larry Allen. Tony Wragge has filled in nicely for Allen, who got his first start in four years against the Rams, but having Snyder on the line gives the 49ers their strongest unit.

The 49ers will certainly need a strong line this weekend against a strong Eagles front seven who held Tiki Barber to only 50 yards rushing. The 49ers did catch a break, however, with Jevon Kearse's season ending knee injury.

If the offensive line can continue to play this solid minus Allen and/or Jennings, then just imagine what Frank Gore and this offense can do behind a complete healthy line. I salivate at the thought of it.

The 49ers made it through preseason relatively unscathed, but that all ended on Sunday when the 49ers starting left side of the offensive line when out with injuries. The early reports coming in on the injury status of Larry Allen and Jonas Jennings are not looking good. Larry Allen is scheduled to have an MRI on Monday morning to determine the extent of his knee injury. At this time Mike Nolan has said it is only a sprain, but the fear is it might be a tear of the ACL. Jonas Jennings injury doesn't appear as bad. Jennings injured himself just before halftime, but reentered late in the game. The word on Jennings' injury is a high ankle sprain. Both are expected to be out for the home opener against the Rams this weekend. Tony Wragge and Adam Snyder are expected to replace the two on the line. Allen will most likely miss more time than Jennings, which I can live with mainly because with Jennings healthy and on the line, that means Adam Snyder can move to right tackle and "drive-killer" Kwame Harris can ride the pine.

In case you haven't noticed Larry Allen is fat, or is it phat. Regardless, his weight is an issue and the team is making him pay for it. Allen is currently weighing close to four Nicole Ritchie's and every pound over 325 Allen will be fined. Head coach Mike Nolan has set 325 pounds as the target weight for left tackle Larry Allen, and if he doesn't reach that target, he'll be lighter in the wallet.

"I don't like fining guys and taking their money. But if you're overweight that's the deal."

How does Allen feel about this? Allen enjoys having the weight clause in his contract, so he is forced to keep his weight in check. Allen has three weeks to trim his target weight or he'll be fined again. So Larry if you are reading this back away from the buffet table.