Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
James from Pennsylvannia writes: Do you think there is any possibility of the 49ers signing Daunte Culpepper?
Mike Sando: I'm ruling out nothing when it comes to the 49ers and their quarterbacks. Mike Nolan did say the team finds none of the currently available quarterbacks appealing. That could change depending on how the team's current quarterbacks play. So far, not so good.
The 49ers are a little difficult to figure out because they have several people figuring into the decision-making process. They have even said the QB choice will be made by committee.
General manager Scot McCloughan is in charge of personnel, but like most GMs, he'll generally act with the needs of his coaches in mind. Head coach Mike Nolan will have opinions. Offensive coordinator Mike Martz will have opinions. Quarterbacks coach Ted Tollner will have opinions. Etc.
Steve from Bellingham, Wash., writes: Could you please comment on how the contracts of the Seahawks' running backs might influence their roster decisions? Jones and Duckett have some guaranteed money, will that make it more difficult to cut either?
Mike Sando: The salary-cap ramifications of cutting those players would indeed be greater than the ramifications of cutting lesser-compensated players at the position. However, the ramifications are no so great as to prevent the team from making such moves now or in the future.
I don't think the Seahawks have any desire to release either one of them at this point. Jones could be their starter. Team president Tim Ruskell has shown interest in Duckett for some time. Smart personnel people do not overreact after one bad game.
Adam from Sacramento, Calif., writes: Observations from the 49ers game... JT O'Sullivan can't hold on to the rock, Alex Smith can't lead a receiver on a crossing route and Hill made some horrible throws... on the bright side... Josh Morgan looks like he has a lot of potential... he is good at shielding the defender from the ball and has good hands... and Goldson will be the starter over Roman by the season opener... any chance one of the QBs will step up their game?
Mike Sando: I would have expected one of the quarterbacks to have separated himself by now. It hasn't happened to this point, so I'm not sure it's going to happen anytime soon. We might be more apt to see one or more of the quarterbacks suffer through an obviously poor outing, in which case a starter might emerge by default. That seems at least as likely as one of the quarterbacks suddenly emerging as a solid starter.
Mijonz from Seattle writes: What's up with all the Seahawks hatred from the National Media? If it were any other team that had done so well lately, they'd be singing their praises. ESPN's coverage on Sportscenter was insulting, even though the Seahawks won! I guess I should just stick to reading the local media if I wish to learn anything useful on the team.
Mike Sando: We've been covering and analyzing the Seahawks quite a bit here on the blog.
Tony from parts unknown writes: Mike should the Seahawks go for Terry Glenn????
Mike Sando: Glenn would seem to have the most value to the Cowboys, and they moved on.
Brad from New Castle, Pa., writes: I was just wondering, with brian westbrook signing his new contract, would you think that would help the contract situation between the rams and steven jackson? or possibly make the talks more challenging?
Mike Sando: I've seen no evidence of Westbrook's deal making a difference to this point. The sides are not talking. There is nothing new. Jackson has little incentive to show up if the Rams are going to struggle mightily without him during the exhibition season. The daily fines aren't a huge deal because players tend to recoup the money when they agree to a new deal.
Matt from Chicago writes: Hey Mike first off thanks for all the hard work you do on the Hawks and the NFC West. My question is if Frye does well this preseason and shows he is ready to handle backup duties for Hasselbeck which gives way for Wallace to do different things; how does the coaching staff know what he is capable of? I mean I have heard he is fast, but does he have good hands? How fast is he? Does he have any expierence playing reciever or punt/kick returner? Are they working him out this offseason in those roles, or is it just something they feel he is able to do? Thanks man
Mike Sando: Wallace would remain the No. 2 quarterback. I think Mike Holmgren mostly wants to have Wallace available as an option at receiver. I would not expect Holmgren to feature Wallace at receiver unless injuries dictated otherwise. This is one of those stories that gets lots of play because it's exciting, but in the end, Wallace is probably not going to become a full-time receiver.
Andrew from Cave Creek, Ariz., writes: Sando, these division blogs are the best thing to happen to ESPN.com in a while and they keep me coming back. Keep up the even and fair work. thanks!
Mike Sando: Glad you like them. This is what I love to do.
Aaron from Redmond, Wash., writes: This is just a suggestion that I'm hoping you can pass along to the people in charge of the layout of the blog. I would really like it if at the end of each blog entry where it says "Read comments or leave a comment" if it said the number of comments posted already. I check the blog periodically throughout the day, and usually I'll check the comment section to see if there is anything interesting posted there. It would be nice to be able to see at a glance if there are any new comments under an entry without having to click on each one everytime I check the website. It might also be nice if they added something that indicated when you have made a post in the comment section as well, such as a little graphic that shows that there is a post by an admin. Sometimes you make interesting comments or answer questions that I'm guessing are often missed by other readers who don't normally check the comment sections. Thanks Mike!
Mike Sando: Thanks for the suggestions. Consider them passed along.
Note: I'm not excluding Cardinals-related questions from these mailbag sessions. We simply aren't receiving as much feedback from them. Much of the news is coming from elsewhere in the division. The Cardinals have undergone fewer staff changes and fewer offensive personnel changes than the other teams in the NFC West.
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