Sports Radio Service


		Big hopes for Jones; Warner mulling his offer with Cards By David Zizmor March 3, 2009

	SANTA CLARA--New acquisitions for the 49ers free agent wide receiver Brandon Jones who came from the Tennessee Titans this week and was with the Titans for four years. Jones didn't have a huge impact there he was injured in two of his first three seasons. In his fourth year which was last year he started to fulfill some of the promise that everyone expected of him. Jones had 40 plus catches with the Titans and he was kind of dinged up earlier on but he really started to come on late in the season. When you talk about the Titans your not talking about a pass happy team. The Titans are one of those teams who runs the ball 60% of the time. Frankly if you watch the Titans play you can get the impression if they could they'd run it 100% of the time they would. They do throw the ball every now and then and Jones is one of their main guys catching the ball down field and Jones brings a big down field threat to the 49ers that is going to be his role. He's a speedy guy, he's one of the fastest guys they've had in a few years. He really kind of reminds you of Ashley Leigh except for the fact that Leigh was a terrible wide receiver other than his speed. Jones has shown some of his talent and this is a guy who has decent hands and got down field and made his moves and should provide the Niners with a guy who can finally stretch the field that's one of the problems that they've had last season is that none of their receivers were speedy enough to make the defense worry about them down field. When that happens the defense can bunch up around the line and it makes it a lot tougher to run. It makes the running lanes clogged up and it makes it more difficult for Frank Gore to find running room. Jones is a guy who'll make it difficult for the defense to plug up the line and forget about Jones and Jones is a guy who can go over the top and make you pay for it on the deep pass. So this looks to be his role with the 49ers as the deep threat and if he starts paying off it could be a real difference maker for the 49ers. You get one guy who can break it down field it really changes up how the defense has to play. So Jones could be a very important acquisition for the 49ers. Kurt Warner at 49ers offices: The Arizona Cardinals have under bid for quarterback Kurt Warner who is asking for four years and $29 million and the Cardinals have countered with $20 million and four years. Warner at that point has opened up his horizons and is now talking with San Francisco this week. Warner is a free agent after leading Arizona to the Super Bowl last season. Warner is coming to see the 49ers about maybe signing on. How serious are the talks at this stage? Warner is simply coming in to look at the 49ers, to talk with them to see the facilities, and it could be serious Warner could legitimately want to come to San Francisco at the same time this could be the 49ers playing some head games not just Warner but with the Cardinals a team that is a rival and a team that the Niners have to play twice a year because their in the same division and the 49ers could be bringing Warner in for the simple fact that by making an offer to Warner the 49ers could be forcing the Cardinals to pay a lot more money for Warner to keep him. We all know that this is a league that is controlled by the salary cap and if the 49ers can get the Cardinals to squeeze out two or three more million dollars to keep Kurt Warner, well that's two or three million less that the Cardinals have less to spend on other guys. So this just might be a negotiating ploy by the 49ers to screw with the Cardinals and on the flip side it could be a legitimate move by the 49ers to add Warner as a quarterback. We all know that while Shaun Hill has been decent as the 49ers quarterback there hasn't been a ton of satisfaction with what he's done and there has been a lot of skepticism as to whether if Hill can be the starter on a long term basis with this 49ers team. Everyone sees him out there and he seems to do well during games he's a supposedly a terrible practice quarterback and he doesn't throw a great deep ball and it seems to flutter when it gets down there about 20-30 yards. Warner on the flip side is a pro bowl quarterback a guy whose been to the Super Bowl and who has won a Super Bowl and a guy who even at the age of 38 still can take a hit and still can launch his rocket arm and launch rocket passes down field and make things happen. David Zizmor is covering the 49ers in the NFL draft watch for David each week for Sportstalk Radio