FanHouse Shawntae Spencer

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

After generating a significant amount of hype over the past few years, the 49ers will enter 2009 with no expectations on the board. Division rival Arizona went to the Super Bowl, while many expect a rebound from long-time division champion Seattle. To me, this makes the 49ers a dangerous team.

We haven't even gotten to training camp, but teams are already losing players for the 2009 season. Veteran 49ers cornerback Walt Harris tore his right ACL during practice on Tuesday and will likely miss the entire season, according to Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

The injury occurred when Harris got tangled up with the wide receiver Dominique Ziegler during a drill. The Niners aren't ready to rule him out for the entire campaign, but the odds are against seeing Harris on the field again this season. Or any season.

The 49ers made a wise move on Wednesday locking up starting left corner Shawntae Spencer to a contract extension. Spencer was not set to become a free agent until after the 2007 season, now the 49ers have him on the team for five more years. The contract includes a $6 million signing bonus with the base salary for the remainder of the contract as follows.

2008 - 680,000.00
2009 - 1,670,000.00
2010 - 2,850,000.00
2011 - 3,100,000.00
2012 - 3,200,000.00

Spencer was originally drafted in the second-round (58th overall) in the 2004 NFL Draft out of the University of Pittsburgh and is one of the few players left from the Donahue era. He has played in 33 games and has a total of 163 tackles, 4four interceptions, and 24 passes defended. Spencer was asked about his contract extension this afternoon, but chose not to comment because he considers talking about contract matters a distraction during the season. He did have this to say about his long term future with the 49ers.

"I'm happy to be here now. That's how I'm looking at it. It's day to day. That doesn't mean anything. I've seen plenty of players get new contracts and be gone the next year or the year after. So that doesn't mean anything to me. ... I'm happy to be here, period. I've seen a lot of people come and go in my two years."

The 49ers were hoping to escape the preseason without any injuries, but were not so fortunate. Reports are coming in that the 49ers will be without two of their key defensive players for the remainder of the preseason. The 49ers top defensive back Shawntae Spencer has a slight tear in his left hamstring, and rookie linebacker Parys Haralson is out with a foot strain. At this time head coach Mike Nolan is not revealing the extent of Haralson's injury, but early reports mentioned that the fear was Haralson tore the plantar fascia in his foot, but after further tests it was reported only as a strain.

Third-year veteran Shawntae Spencer tweaked his hammy during Wednesdays practice while defending recently acquired wide receiver Antonio Bryant. Spencer may be healed enough to play during the preseason finale against the Chargers, but the 49ers are unlikely to send him back out on the field early, and risk re-injury.

"It's not a significant tear, but it will be a few weeks," coach Mike Nolan said late Thursday afternoon. "He may not play again in the preseason. Even if he were ready, that last one we might just pull him out."

Haralson the teams fifth-round pick, who is competing for a starting job at outside linebacker injured his foot three days ago. Again, Mike Nolan did not reveal the extent of the injury, but the injury appears severe enough it will keep him out of action beyond the season opener.

"He'll be out a while," Nolan said. "I don't know that he'll be ready for the beginning of the season. He'll be out longer than that. I don't believe he's an (injured reserve) candidate. But it's severe enough that he'll miss more than the preseason."

So, Niner fans take a moment out of your day to pray to the Niner Gods that both players are back on the field soon, and the rest of the team avoids the injury bug.