FanHouse Takeospikes

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.

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

After the uneventful tenure of head coach Mike Nolan, the San Francisco 49ers decided to promote Mike Singletary to interim head coach during the 2008 season.

After a bizarre debut that saw Singletary address his team without pants, the 49ers finished the season on a 5-4 run under their new coach, ending the year with a 7-9 record. Had it not been for a confusing ending to a Monday night game against Arizona, the 49ers would have finished with a .500 record for the first time since 2002. So close, yet so far.

Despite a belief that Takeo Spikes didn't have the ability to be a starter in the NFL anymore, both San Francisco, where he signed, and Detroit, where he didn't, had visions of him running with their first teams. And now that Spikes has chosen the 49ers over the Lions, there's a hole at strongside linebacker in Detroit. Technically the Lions do have a depth chart at that position in that they've got names written on paper, but in an ideal world there will be a better option than Darnell Bing, Alex Lewis, or Leon Joe taking backs head on this season. And so a decision has to be made.

Spikes was the best option available, unless the team wants to try to finagle Bobby Carpenter, who has been a disappointment playing out of position in a 3-4, from Dallas via trade. So a bit of creative accounting is in order, and the Lions are pretty flush at middle linebacker.

Rookie Jordan Dizon, incumbent starter Paris Lenon, and Buster Davis, a talented 2007 third-round pick let go by Arizona, all reside in the middle, and the starter will either be Dizon or Lenon. The thinking is that the loser of that battle will automatically win the strongside spot. But for now it's all moot anyway as defensive coordinator Joe Barry keeps any potential leverage with outside help in tact by insisting nobody is changing positions. Don't expect that to last.

It seems smart to just move forward with the guys you've got and pick a guy to slide over so that he can get reps at that position, but that's not happening. And thus, the Lions will probably begin their season with an underprepared linebacker on the outside.

Saints GM Mickey Loomis might have been right in blaming the agents for the pronounced slowdown on negotiations for first- and second-round draft picks this year, but these players are grown men, and their agents are under their employ. At some point it falls on the players to realize what's best for them and make sure their representatives get in line.

Jordan Dizon, Lions' second-round pick, is not doing this. In fact, he hasn't made one right step since his college days ended.

To be fair, he's not the only second-rounder still unsigned. But he is the only second-rounder who was arrested six days before the draft for DUI, and certainly the only one to withhold that information from his eventual employer, leaving it to a newspaper to clue the Lions in two months later. That's a big strike one, and you'd think he would have responded by building good will with the team.

Especially since this camp is very important for him -- the Lions are all but handing the middle linebacker job to him, but Dizon's stubborn holdout is causing more damage than the few hundred thousand dollars he's fighting for are worth. And the Lions are seemingly (and rightfully) growing tired of it.

Which might explain the interest in Takeo Spikes. At this point, Spikes doesn't have as much to offer as Dizon, but he's proven he can handle the responsibilities of being an adult in the NFL. Dizon is proving the opposite.

A few years ago, I could see Takeo Spikes choosing to be selective in free agency. Of course, a few years ago Takeo Spikes wouldn't be a free agent at the end of July.

But injuries and age have diminished the linebacker's skillset. And as he looks for a home to settle in come training camp, the Lions appear to be very interested, but it remains to be seen how interested Spikes is.

"There's an interest there on both sides," president Matt Millen said. "I think he wants to still look at some things. We'll be patient."

I'm not sure what Spikes wants to look at. The Lions were only the second team he visited this offseason. The first was the 49ers, months ago, so he's had a lot of time to mull that opportunity over. It doesn't appear there's a lot of interest otherwise.

Regardless, the Lions wanted to get Spikes into camp on time but players reported this morning. Practices begin tomorrow, so there's still time to get him in when it matters, but the ball appears to be in his court. In the meantime, the Lions might want to make sure their top draft picks are signed on time.

The 49ers are one of those teams that seem like they could hold it together long enough to qualify for the playoffs, but no one's confident enough to actually put money on it happening. Kinda like the annual preseason predictions about the Arizona Cardinals.

San Francisco's defense was good but not great last year, and compared to the offense, it was otherworldly. There's always room for improvement, of course, and with Mike Martz now on staff to salvage the offense -- and save Mike Nolan's job -- the club is looking to fill the few remaining holes.

Linebacker Takeo Spikes, released by the Eagles earlier this spring, is a possibility, but the 31-year-old two-time Pro Bowler currently thinks a little too highly of his deteriorated skills:

Veteran free-agent linebacker Takeo Spikes, who visited the 49ers on March 13, is seeking a contract that will pay him $2.5 million annually, a league source said. Apparently, the 49ers are not willing to go that high.

According to the Press Democrat's Matt Maiocco, Nolan says the defense lacks a linebacker who can take on blockers and keep things uncluttered for 2007 Defensive Rookie of the Year Patrick Willis. Apparently, nobody knows if Spikes could fill the role -- he played on the weakside in Philly's 4-3 scheme (the 49ers are a 3-4 team) -- but San Francisco remains interested if he lowers his price to, say, something much closer to the veteran minimum.

What's the most significant thing about the Eagles signing reserve linebacker Rocky Boiman? Oh, I don't know? Not much besides all the bad puns people have been making about a man named Rocky joining a team in Philadelphia.

I hope to avoid the puns and will instead share with you Mr. Boiman's take on sharing the name of perhaps Philly's greatest sports legend, "There's definitely some irony there. It should be a fun thing." Boiman will likely backup a player younger than him, whether it be Stewart Bradley or Chris Gocong. The Eagles signed him to a one year deal but if things go well, he could certainly be here longer.

One of the aspects that makes this a real nice signing is Boiman's extensive experience on special teams, an area the Birds have been severely lacking in the past few seasons.

Boiman's addition helps add some depth where former Eagle Takeo Spikes left a void. At six foot four and 240 pounds, Rocky is best known for his run stopping ability and his penchant for raw eggs. Doh!

As I posted yesterday, Takeo Spikes was released by the Eagles on Thursday. Philly fans, while not caught completely off guard, were a bit surprised by the move. Spikes was set to makeover $5 million in 2008 and with surging play by younger guys at the linebacking position, that's a hefty price tag for a guy who might not have even started.

Spikes lone season as an Eagle wasn't a horrible one but any season that ends before a trip to the playoffs is a disappointment in Philadelphia. Spikes came to Philly touted as the hard-nosed former Pro Bowler who was going to anchor the defense along with Jeremiah Trotter. It didn't exactly go down like that. Trotter was cut before the '07 season ever started and Spikes presence was never what Jim Johnson had hoped for.

In an interview yesterday on Sports Talk 950 in Philadelphia, Spikes says he has no ill will towards the Eagles organization. He seemed to genuinely love his time in Philadelphia and said, even in the past few days, Andy Reid treated him with nothing but the highest respect.

Spikes hinted that the Eagles would have thought about keeping him around for another season if he had agreed to a pay cut but that didn't seem to be an option for Spikes. I believe Spikes can be an effective linebacker for an NFL team. His intensity and leadership should certainly help another franchise. Just not at $5+ million a year.

Ron Jaworski will be in attendance tonight for the Eagles matchup with the Washington Redskins at the Linc. Donovan McNabb will join Jaws to become part of an elite group. No, McNabb won't be working the booth with Tony Kornheiser. Donovan, with a start tonight, will become the third quarterback in Eagles history to start 100 games joining Jaworski and Randall Cunningham.

According to the Elias Sports Bureau, the Eagles and the Houston Oilers-Tennessee Titans are the only teams in NFL history to have three quarterbacks with 100-plus starts. Dan Pastorini, Steve McNair and Warren Moon all started 100-plus games for that franchise, but playing in Houston and Nashville isn't quite the same as playing in Philadelphia.

It's a pretty impressive accomplishment to be able to deal with the fans of Philadelphia as the quarterback of the Eagles and take the heat. Jaws puts it all into perspective nicely, "I believe this can be the toughest town to play in and the best town to play in. When things are going well and you're playing well and winning, you're the toast of the town. When the team is losing and you're not sharp, you're a bum. There's a tremendous passion for the game, and the quarterback is always the focal point."

In other interesting MNF news, tonight will mark the first time Eagles linebacker Takeo Spikes will ever play on Monday Night. Despite being a seasoned veteran, Spikes has yet to play on the biggest regular season stage.

Last season the Buffalo Bills won seven games. Depending on who you ask, that's anywhere between four and seven more games than was expected. A month into free agency, the Bills have cleaned house, choosing not to re-sign cornerback Nate Clements and linebacker London Fletcher-Baker, trading running back Willis McGahee, linebacker Takeo Spikes and backup quarterback Kelly Holcomb.

The question, now, is if Buffalo is a better team than they were when the season ended. The Democrat and Chronicle's Sal Maiorana writes that general manager Marv Levy made the correct personnel decisions given that (a) Clements ended up signing a $8 million, $80 million contract with the 49ers -- something that wasn't happening in Buffalo, (b) McGahee told the Baltimore Sun he couldn't wait to get out of town, and (c) Spikes, after suffering an Achilles injury in 2005, isn't the player he once was and worth trading.

Second-year cornerback Ashton Youboty will get the first crack at replacing Clements. Angelo Crowell could be moved to middle linebacker, taking over for Fletcher-Baker. Buffalo will go to a running back by committee with McGahee now in Baltimore. The names Anthony Thomas, Shaud Williams and Fred Jackson don't exactly instill fear in opposing defenses, but their collective jobs should be easier with the signings of offensive linemen Derrick Dockery, Langston Walker and Jason Whittle.

Still, as Maiorana notes, outside of the upgraded o-line, "nothing else the Bills have done bodes well for the upcoming season as they will be weaker in the secondary, at linebacker, and at running back." There is still the draft -- it's not very often three starters are found in two days, though -- but if the Bills land Adrian Peterson with the 11th-overall pick, it would be a good start.