49ers' Second Year Players: Second Chance, First Impression

Fans are going to be looking at many things this upcoming training camp and preseason.

Manny Lawson must have a much greater presence in the pass rush, and everyone and their grandmother will be watching him.

Dashon Goldson will need to show that he is just as good during weekends as he is weekdays.

And there are several other high-profile positions that will also receive a lot of eye real-estate, but somehow, I get the feeling that the 49ers second-year players are going to make or break the 2009 season.

1) Kentwan Balmer—A little under the radar, watch out for this Balmer, he might just blow you up. Do you love him? No? Then you probably hate him. But don't let first impressions fool you.

Balmer's coach at UNC, John Blake, has said that Balmer is “very raw” and has his best football ahead of him. Being "very raw" in the NFL is like a car without antifreeze that is very cold, its basically a non-"starter."

But Balmer is a big, explosive athlete, and since he's befriended Justin Smith, apparently he's also willing to work his tail off.

Big cats that work their tails off for a living are normally known as tigers; you can find them in Siberia. But on occasion, “big cats” can be found on an NFL football field, and if Balmer turns into one, words cannot describe the impact it will have on the 49ers defense.

2) Josh Morgan—Josh Morgan was basically a sixth round steal from the 2008 draft. He stands out on the field and makes plays in practice and in the games. If not for an unfortunate staph infection early in 2008, he could have made a bigger mark with his statistics.

Nevertheless, coaches and fans are expecting him to be a force in the passing game next season. The feeling with him, as with many of the 49ers players, is, please just stay healthy.

I put him at number two, instead of one, because we already know he's pretty good.

3) Chilo Rachal—Do you recall when Larry Allen played for the 49ers? Opposing players were still afraid to face him. Do yo recall what Scot McCloughan said when he drafted Chilo Rachal in the second round of the 2008 draft?

To paraphrase, “He's like a poor man's Larry Allen.”

When Mike Singletary placed Chilo Rachal in the starting lineup last year, most observers agreed that the line played better.

Rachal certainly has the ability to pancake and dominate, we'll see if he can hone that ability like a lower-middle-class man's Larry Allen this year.

Although, it is unlikely opposing players will ever come down with “Rachalitis,” his development could prove to be more important than most realize, especially with the “demoralize the opponent” mentality that Singletary wants to bring to the offensive line.

4) Reggie Smith, Cody Wallace, Jay Moore—Yes, Jay Moore. Jay Moore has been on injured reserve so much, that he is basically like a second year player. And don't act like we don't need depth at 3-4 outside linebacker, because we do.

Cody Wallace and Reggie Smith have not really had an opportunity to play important roles, but again, depth at these positions could turn out to be very important.

Remember, not so long ago, we had to pluck DB's off the street, and teach guards to snap a football mid-season. Depth sounds boring, until you need it, and in the NFL, you always need it.

If you can't do it twice, you can't do it at all

Critics of the 49ers say they are missing too many “pieces.” I think the under-the-radar second year players on the team are the pieces they are referring to, because if they can perform to their potential this season, opponents will be left scratching their heads, and picking up the pieces.