Dre Bly transcript following first practice with 49ers
Niners Nation — Earlier today Dre Bly took part in his first practice with the 49ers.  As is usually the case, he was brought before the media for a Q&A.  I definitely have to say, the man does not lack confidence.  He had a few pearls, but by far my favorite came when asked about his physical condition: Oh yeah, my instincts are still very instinctive. Maybe it's not the funniest thing anybody's ever said, but there's something just so fantastic about that line.  One might call it ...

Whither Shawntae Spencer?
Niners Nation — ... The 49ers cornerback situation currently sits somewhere around questionable.  I do like Dre Bly, but he did struggle last season.  Our own ...

Former Lions OT George Foster Signs With Browns
Dawgs By Nature — ... in 2003. In total, Foster has started in 57 of the 67 career games he has played in. The Broncos lost him when they traded for former Lions CB Dre Bly. Not surprisingly, Foster's build is right in line with what Mangini is seeking: 6-5, 338 pounds. ...

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
The Mile High Report — ... mn.  NYC originally made this point, but it bears repeating how asinine it is to say that the Broncos are paying Dre Bly anything this season, since they're not.  Many people don't know this, but in the NFL, unlike all the other major sports, there are no quaranteed annual contracts.  The Broncos paid Dre some bonus money in the past, but they'll pay him nothing this season.  The dead money is merely an acceleration of the prorated bonus, so anything Dre does this year is not "literally at Denver's expense."  Next time you see this ...

49ers Power Rankings: The 10 most important players for 2009
Niners Nation — ... take the left defensive end starting spot, but I'd expect that later in the season, if at all this year.  So, if Sopoaga is going to be manning the LDE, he needs to step up and give this team a viable defensive threat opposite Justin Smith.  Whichever OLB is coming off the left side will need their defensive end occupying bodies.  Initially, Sopoaga better be that guy. There are obviously a lot of guys left off this list.  Guys like Nate Clements and Dre Bly are going to be important.  Moran Norris will be ...

Projecting the 49ers 53-man roster #1
Niners Nation — ... Tony Wragge RT (2): Marvel Smith, Adam Snyder Defense DE (5): Justin Smith, Kentwan Balmer, Demetric Evans, Isaac Sopoaga, Ray McDonald*** DT (1): Aubrayo Franklin OLB (3): Manny Lawson, Parys Haralson, Jay Moore ILB (5): Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Ulbrich, Scott McKillop, Ahmad Brooks CB (5): Nate Clements, Dre Bly, Tarell Brown, Shawntae Spencer, Marcus Hudson ...

Will there be a 2009 Takeo Spikes signing?
Niners Nation — ... In looking over the depth chart, it's rather difficult to determine.  If you're looking for a signing after the free agency storm, maybe it's Dre Bly.  Bly is a veteran who had his share of struggles last season and some people might be writing off.  We're not talking about a guy who everybody is writing off.  When Takeo Spikes was becoming a possibility, there were plenty of folks who were excited, or at the very least, positively intrigued by the idea of Spikes as a 49er.  Dre Bly could be that guy.  Agree? Disagree? Don't ...

2009 Denver Broncos -- Breaking Down The Roster -- Cornerbacks
The Mile High Report — ... The 2006 Broncos were pretty strong in coverage, and following Darrent Williams' tragic murder, the Broncos traded for Dre' Bly.  The combination of Bailey and Bly looked to be outstanding on paper, but Bly struggled in 2007, and Bailey spent most of 2008 injured, (though Bly played a lot better than he was given credit for, in Bailey's absence in 2008). ...

2009 49ers Training Camp: Sorry Oshinowo fans
Niners Nation — ... Maiocco described the practice as more of a successful day by the defense than anything else.  It sounds like Dre Bly is coming around.  As long as Brown is on the shelf with his toe issue, Bly is able to put some distance between them.  I think Bly was likely to be starting week 1 anyways, but this is pushing back any chance Brown has of passing him on the depth chart.  I know some folks are down on Bly as a starter, but we could very well see a resurgence from him.  As I recall, ...

Denver Broncos at San Francisco 49'ers - A Few Good Questions with Fooch from NinersNation
The Mile High Report — ... will be looking to kickstart his career after a rough rookie season and your boy Dre Bly will be looking to nail down the #2 cornerback job.  Bly hasn't blown anybody away in practice but his primary competition, ...

NFC West Roundtable: Cornerback
Field Gulls — ... was relatively entrenched as the #2 cornerback.  A blown ACL later and the team went out and signed Dre Bly to compete for the #2 job.  His opposition was ...

What I Saw in the First Pre-Season Game ('09)
The Mile High Report — ... First. let's start with a player who isn't a Bronco.  I (and a few other fans) thought Dre Bly never received a fair shake in Denver.  He played without a safety playing over coverage behind him in most cases (we had a safety in the box), and his DL provided no pass rush.  Folks didn't like his low INT numbers, his poor tackling, his poor run support, etc.  Worth noting is that Bailey didn't look so hot either, but got thrown aganst much less. ...

Projecting the 49ers 53-man roster #2
Niners Nation — ... Evans, Isaac Sopoaga, Ricky Jean-Francois*** DT (1): Aubrayo Franklin OLB (4): Manny Lawson, Parys Haralson, Ahmad Brooks, Marques Harris ILB (4): Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Ulbrich, Scott McKillop CB (5): Nate Clements, Dre Bly, Tarell Brown, Shawntae Spencer ...

49ers training camp battles heading into the stretch
Niners Nation — ... He got a ton of playing time last week, even moving over to nose tackle for a bit in the second half.  This rotation could be rather interesting.  The team will be rotating bodies along the line so all of these guys will need to be read and able to jump right in at a moments notice.  Although one person will win the "starting" job, I think all three of these guys will see significant playing time this season. Cornerback Participants: Dre Bly, Tarell Brown Leader: Dre Bly (but ...

49ers QB Shaun Hill day-to-day with a sprained lower back
Niners Nation — ... "I think all of our guys, Tarell Brown, who’s had the toe, Dre Bly, Shawntae [Spencer], they’re just going to continue to compete just like they do when they come out here. And, they understand that. It’s just, they’re going to continue to compete for that position and we’ll go from there." ...

49ers-Cowboys: Time for the defense to step up?
Niners Nation — ... The final question I have, at this point, heading into tomorrow's game at Dallas is the battle for the right cornerback position.  Dre Bly has received just about all the first team time there due to ...

Cowboys vs. 49ers: 5 Questions with Niners Nation
Blogging The Boys — ... Other than that, the team is still trying to determine their starting right cornerback between veteran addition Dre Bly and third year corner ...

Dallas Cowboys 10 - San Francisco 49ers 3: Second Half Thread
Niners Nation — ... didn't help himself today.  He continues to give the opposing wide receiver too much of a cushion and gets eaten alive on come back routes because of that.  Here's a question: Does he (or Manusky) not trust the safeties to cover him over the top if he played closer coverage?  On the other side, Dre Bly had what I thought was a mostly solid first half covering ...

Our Scrubs Are Worse Than Yours: The 49ers Out-Reserve the Cowboys 20-13
Blogging The Boys — ... -- Felix Jones missed a block and let a blitzer get into Tony Romo's face.  Romo tried loading up on a deep throw to an open Ogletree, who got behind Clements on a go route. Romo could not follow through and his duck was picked off by Dre Bly. ...

San Francisco 49ers 20 - Dallas Cowboys 13: Should I order my Nate Davis jersey yet?
Niners Nation — ... and Dre Bly.  None was a lights out performer, but they made plays and looked to be improving upon 2008.  My favorite Balmer play came in the second quarter when he brought down ...

Coach Singletary's 8/31 press conference: Odds and Ends
Niners Nation — ... , Morgan has not exactly blown folks away in the preseason games, so he probably would like to put on a nice little performance on Friday.  I’d also imagine Dre Bly and ...

Projecting the 49ers 53-man Roster One Last Time
Niners Nation — ... (4): Manny Lawson, Parys Haralson, Ahmad Brooks, Marques Harris ILB (4): Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Ulbrich, Scott McKillop CB (5): Nate Clements, Dre Bly, Tarell Brown, Shawntae Spencer ...

2009 San Francisco 49ers 53-man roster
Niners Nation — ... Brooks, Marques Harris ILB (4): Patrick Willis, Takeo Spikes, Jeff Ulbrich, Scott McKillop CB (5): Nate Clements, Shawntae Spencer, Dre Bly, Tarell Brown ...

Weekend Whirlwind Part 2: 49ers defense heading into 2009
Niners Nation — ... At this point, Coach Manusky and Coach Singletary think Shawntae Spencer is the best man for the #2 job.  While I can buy it, it's still amazing how easy it was to overlook Spencer on game-day.  Is that a good or a bad thing?  One possibility is that Brown missed a good chunk of time with his toe injury and this is one way for the team to ease him back into things in terms of game action.  He's seen the field in the preseason, but not nearly as much as Dre Bly did.  So, we very well could see ...

Seahawks Last Gasp, Pt. One
Field Gulls — ... , but so did Dre Bly. Bly was sitting on the route. Housh took a shot, but Bly wanted the ball. A few years back, Bly cuts the route and takes it to the house. Seattle was in luck. Instead, their $40 million dollar wide receiver with back spasms took a shot for an incomplete pass. That completion could have been big. Four yards big. ...

Vikings 27 - 49ers 24: Injury recap
Niners Nation — ... the backfield.  And heading into a home game versus the Rams, it could have been a lot worse of a matchup. The offensive line suffered a loss of Joe Staley to a leg whip-induced right knee contusion and David Baas to a sprained ankle.  Baas did return and it sounds like Staley should be fine.  However, it's safe to say none of us ever want to see a left side of the line containing Barry Sims and Tony Wragge going forward. Dre Bly and Reggie Smith both left with injuries before ...

Falcons And 49ers Recap: The Win Is The Thing
Sports Page Atlanta — ... , so why not put him right up top? The wide receiver I fretted over was nowhere to be seen on Sunday. White blew through coverage frequently on his way to 210 yards on 8 catches, a staggering 30 yards per catch, and a pair of touchdowns. He also had a great heads up play when 'Dre Bly picked Matt Ryan, taking down the showboating defensive end and forcing a timely fumble. This was Roddy making up for three games worth of a slow start, and he certainly showed that he's a force to be reckoned with. Before his career is over, ...

Mike Singletary: Not taking crap, but treating his players like men
Niners Nation — ... Most of us were incredibly angry with the antics of Dre Bly during yesterday's 45-10 loss.  Bly intercepted a Ryan pass and proceeded to showboat with 75 yards of field in front of him.  A speedy ...

Shallow Thoughts & Nearsighted Observations
The Mile High Report — ... after Roddy White's 90 yard TD in the second quarter.  Nate Clements got beat on that play, and had a tough game overall.  The defense was physical, and maintained their run lanes, but didn't tackle well, at all.  I expect that Mike Singletary will re-focus his team, and they'll show better in their next game, after their bye.  Since they're clearly not built to play from behind, they need to establish early leads. g.  A lot was made of Dre Bly's idiotic celebration Sunday, but Donnie Avery deserves some ...

Mike Singletary Approval Rating, Week 5
Niners Nation — ... yesterday.  For those that missed it, Dre Bly basically came out and publicly apologized for his actions in Sunday's loss.  Initially I was going to use this spot to discuss Singletary's handling of these sorts of situations.  It's an interesting angle, but something that, frankly, has been beaten to death. ...

This is the accountability needed in DC.
Hogs Haven — ... Mike Singletary and the 49ers organization have built their team around football players, not bloated salary seeking me first individuals, which is what much of the Redskins roster consists of.  If an individual like Dre Bly appears to be losing sight of the common goal, he is held accountable, as you just saw in the video. Imagine if Zorn trotted ...

49ers run over in the red zone by a Dirty Bird
Niners Nation — ... rushing touchdowns and a Matt Ryan rushing touchdown.  The other appearance in the red zone resulted in the Dre Bly interception that was eventually fumbled. ...

Football Outsiders and the 49ers: Team Stats through Week 5
Niners Nation — ... - in the form of Dre Bly's interception (INT). In contrast, we saw epic fail in run DEF for the reasons Fooch cited yesterday. All in all, I'd take it with a grain of salt. ...

Twitter mania: 49ers, Michael Lewis, Tarell Brown, Brandon Jones
Niners Nation — ... the 49ers signed CB Tarell Brown to a 3-year, $7.125 million extension that included a $2.5 million extension.  Brown had injury issues that cost him time and likely a starting role this season.  Dre Bly wasn't spectacular in camp but did enough to lock down the job for now.  I'm guessing we'll see much more of Brown next season, assuming he can stay healthy. ...

Tarell Brown to start at CB over Nate Clements
Niners Nation — ... are in their nickel defense, with Dre Bly now being the fourth corner.  According to Maiocco this is a one-week demotion of Clements based on the belief that Brown provides a better matchup against the ...

49ers sign CB Keith Smith, Release WR Micheal Spurlock
Niners Nation — The loss of Nate Clements meant the team needed some cornerback depth behind Dre Bly and Marcus Hudson.  Today the 49ers made an initial move to shore up that depth by signing CB Keith Smith.  To make room for Smith, the 49ers released much maligned KR/WR Micheal Spurlock. Below are some details from the 49ers about the move.  I was looking for some info and found some interesting stuff.  Our Lions blog had some comments when Smith was released at the final roster cut: ...

49ers defensive role reversal in the red zone
Niners Nation — ... rushing in for three touchdowns.  The only "unsuccessful" red zone trip was the drive where Dre Bly intercepted the pass and fumbled it away on the return (leading to 3 Falcons points).  Not exactly a fun day in the red zone for a 49ers defense that was run absolutely ragged all day long. ...

The State of the Team
NFL Touchdown — ... , Az Hakim, Roland Williams, Torry Holt, Dre Bly, Rich Coady, and Cameron Spikes. All within three years. If you remember, all of those players were key members of the Super Bowl team. ...

San Francisco 49ers 10 - Chicago Bears 6: Roman robs Cutler, Defense steals win
Niners Nation — ... to end the Bears scary comeback drive with just seconds remaining on the clock.  If San Francisco can take one thing away from this game, it is a "W".  The team converted 5 INTs into just 10 points, and the defense kept everyone on the edge of their seats during the final drive.  Cutler had the Bears marching after Dre Bly's Illegal Contact penalty gave the Bears a fresh set of downs. ...

Greg Manusky Approval Rating, Week 10
Niners Nation — ... the season ranked 18th.  They were 20th against the pass and 17th against the run.  Fairly middle of the road.  In looking at the current depth chart, we've had a couple big changes, but really most of the defense remains the same in terms of personnel.  The two biggest changes since day 1 are: 1) Dashon Goldson moving into the starting lineup in place of Mark Roman, and 2) Shawntae Spencer returning to the starting lineup ahead of Dre Bly (and Walt Harris since he was injured).  The second change ...

Tex's Friday Preview - Niners
Acme Packing Company — ... Willis might be the best linebacker in the NFL. Every time I get a chance to watch him, I am more impressed by his tenacity and ability. The rest of the defense, frankly, doesn't blow me away. There are a few solid, established veterans like Dre Bly, ...

49ers-Jaguars: Wednesday Injury Report
Niners Nation — ... Although tomorrow is Thanksgiving, the 49ers will be holding practice as normal this week, which means we get the normal injury report and coach press conferences.  The most intriguing comment was that we might see Dre Bly starting over ...

49ers-Jaguars: The World According to Madden
Niners Nation — ... down. A three-and-out for the 49er offense. Lee with a decent punt, but the Niners punt coverage cannot get to Witherspoon and he gets a 15 yard return. Ball on the 49er 47. Niners blitz one corner on each side, and Garrard can only throw the ball away. MJD up the middle on 2nd down, but Lewis stuffs him for just a 2 yard gain. On 3rd and 8 Garrard drops back feels almost immediate pressure from Manny Lawson, and throws it quickly to Torry Holt on the left side but Dre Bly with the blanket coverage knocks it down. A three-and-out for ...