FanHouse MannyLawson

With Fantasy Football season ready to kick in high gear, FanHouse is here to preview each and every team -- one per day until we've done them all.

Meet the ...
Perennial sleepers. It seems like almost every season, people are discussing the fact that the 49ers are ready to break out and surprise people and win the NFC West. And then, almost every season, they suck. They might not be great this year either. Mike Singletary brings a more disciplined approach than even Mike Nolan, but you can't possibly expect Shaun Hill or Alex Smith to lead a team to the playoffs. Or can you? Well, actually, for fantasy purposes, who cares? There's going to be a lot of running and a lot of surprises on defense in San Fran this year, and that's going to be where you pick up the value.

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Everyone makes mistakes. But when those mistakes are magnified by intense scrutiny of the NFL draft, well, they become much more embarrassing than, say, my typical Friday morning, mustard-stain-on-khakis incident.

Which is why the NFL FanHouse braintrust got together to determine who is the biggest bust for each NFL team. They're not listed in terms of stupidity -- they're all stupid relative to a team's total draft performance. Meaning, of course, some teams "bust" is much different than another organization's; we did it this way to avoid just linking you to DetroitLions.com.

Instead, we're putting it in current draft order, sans trades, and allowing this list to serve as a reminder of each's team's ability to properly execute a fail. The "bust factor" was based primarily on three things: statistical production (or lack thereof), position in the draft and other available options during that year's draft.

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With each pick of the FanHouse mock draft, we get into the head of an NFL general manager and let you know who he'll pick and why.

The 49ers are in a rough spot here. In real life, with pretty much no viable options where need and value intersect, I think they trade back. Since that's not an option here, they have to reach.

Ideally, the team wants Gosder Cherilus to bookend the offensive line with Joe Staley. With him off the board, and Kentwan Balmer -- a defensive tackle who could play end in the 49ers' 3-4 -- gone as well, it's about the pass rush.

The 49ers like Quentin Groves, and he's got the measurables to play the pass-rush role in the 49ers' scheme opposite of Manny Lawson, but his actual game skills are slightly more cloudy. Worse yet is his reputation as having an inconsistent motor, which is a death blow when you want someone speeding towards the quarterback on almost every single down. Still, he's the best of what the 49ers need at this point. He can start from Week 1, but 49er fans will have to expect some sort of learning curve.

Calais Campbell is a backup plan to Balmer in case the team feels it's necessary to fix the end position, but that would really be a stretch. Likewise, the 49ers love Notre Dame's Trevor Laws. Though Laws played tackle in college, he's got the frame for a 3-4 end and all the intangibles Groves doesn't have. Still, he might likely last until the 49ers pick only 10 selections later at #39.

The Skinny:
Team Needs: DE, OLB, OT, OG
Player Selected: Quentin Groves, OLB, Auburn
Also Considered: Calais Campbell, DE, Miami; Trevor Laws, DT, Notre Dame

Previous Pick: No. 28,

Next Pick: No. 30, Green Bay Packers

Some in the San Francisco media are questioning whether the 49ers have done enough to upgrade their pass rush, something woefully lacking last year. Marquee signing Justin Smith -- while very talented -- isn't known as a pass rush specialist, and they're content letting underrated end Marques Douglas liberally explore the market, though Manny Lawson and Jay Moore should help.

When asked whether the team really improved that dimension, Scot McCloughan pulled out the ole' "improving our offense will improve our defense" cliché.

"I think our improvement is going to come on offense - us keeping our defense off the field....

"We're going to be twice as good, from my standpoint, on offense, as far as keeping the ball in our hands. It'll make the defense that much better.

I obviously understand that logic and it's valid ... except when your offensive coordinator is Mike Martz. To allow your defense to rest, you have to maintain ball control, as McCloughan readily notes. But that has never, ever, ever been the objective of Martz's offense, which, when not quick-striking its way to the endzone, is prone to turnovers.

If ball control really is a priority, paired with the rumor that they will rely heavily on Frank Gore, it makes me wonder whether the 49ers eternal sunshined Martz after hiring him.

NFL Offseason Roadmap is a series focused on the needs of NFL teams as they begin the offseason.

1. Offensive Tackle. There is a reason the 49ers gave up the most sacks in the league last year. There's a reason Frank Gore had a letdown year (a few, actually, but this is one). The 49ers are off to a good start at overhauling the position with Joe Staley, but Staley's moving over to the left side, and it's up in the air how he'll respond. Backup Kwame Harris is a free agent, and the 49ers aren't really fans of either him or Jonas Jennings. The team is going to need a starter at right tackle, whether that's Jennings or someone new. But the team need a general upgrade in talent and depth. Bad news. The 49ers don't have a late first round pick. They could hope that Jeff Otah, Ryan Clady, or Sam Baker fall to them. An intriguing pick for later in the first day is Heath Benedict from Newberry. They'll have to get some help out of the draft, because free agency is scarce. Max Starks looks to be the the best available, meaning someone will grossly overpay for him.

Quarterback has been an issue in San Francisco lately. Getting to the quarterback has been, as well.

In fact, after sacking the quarterback 11 times in the first four games, the 49ers have just a single sack – on Giants quarterback Eli Manning on Oct. 21 – in the three games since.

The drop-off has been attributed to two reasons -- opposing game-plans and injuries. Mike Singletary's subordinate defensive coordinator Greg Manusky says that teams have been getting rid of the ball quicker, using more short routes and three step drops.

The other reason has been injuries. The team's two starting outside linebackers -- Manny Lawson and Jay Moore -- are out for the season, and the outside linebackers are the primary pass-rushers in the 3-4 defense. Their other pass-rush specialist, Tully Banta-Cain, has had to deal with a high ankle sprain -- a total hinderance for a player utilizing speed. Banta-Cain had 1.5 sacks before the injury and none since.

Banta-Cain claims he's healthy now, which should be music to the ears of the 49ers' secondary, who is allowing 220 yards per game and 11 touchdowns this season with no pressure up front.

San Francisco 49ers linebacker Manny Lawson will miss the rest of the 2007 season after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in practice Wednesday.

"I heard a pop and I remember that was what CJ Brewer had talked about when he did his, so I was nervous," said Lawson. "I tried to test it out but really I just had to wait on the MRI. ...

"I was really looking forward to doing big things this year for my team, but the hardest things is just knowing I won't be able to be out there practicing and playing in games with the guys," said Lawson. "But, things happen for a reason and I will be back."

The 49ers took Lawson in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft, and he started 11 games for the 49ers as a rookie. This is a big loss for the 2-0 49ers.

The injury occurred during a routine pass-coverage drill, and Lawson described it as "Just a little tweak, that's it." But an MRI revealed significant damage. ACL tears can take a year or more to heal, but Lawson should be ready for the start of the 2008 season.

To get you ready for the season, FanHouse is previewing all 32 NFL teams. Here's San Francisco's outlook.

2006 Record: 7-9

2006 Offense: Frank Gore stepped into the upper echelon of running backs; unfortunately, the rest of the offense is a year or two behind. Still, this unit showed marked improvement over the second half of the year. Alex Smith made his bones without any real playmakers in the passing game, especially with Vernon Davis missing a chunk of his rookie year because of an injury. A lot of this has been attributed to the work of offensive coordinator/quarterback guru Norv Turner, who's now preparing to fail as a head coach again running the Chargers.

2006 Defense: The 49ers defense finished 26th last year, Mike Nolan's last employing the 4-3. That's what you'd about expect from a unit that, Manny Lawson aside, was comprised of aging, unspectacular veterans. The team ranked in the second half of the league in rush defense, pass defense, interceptions, and sacks. Pretty substandard all around. They also didn't benefit from weak field position (see below).