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There's always the UFL if the Detroit Lions aren't there to embrace NFC West castoffs.

I counted nine former NFC West players among the 60 chosen in the 2010 UFL draft Wednesday (story here).

Tony Parrish's love for the game might be admirable and it's his business how he wants to earn a living. As someone who admired his contributions to the 49ers years ago, though, I had a hard time picturing the former ball-hawking safety, out of the NFL since 2006, playing out his career with the Las Vegas Locomotives at age 34.

Parrish won a UFL championship with Las Vegas last season.

The chart breaks out UFL choices with NFC West ties. Former Cardinals coach Dennis Green is coaching the Sacramento Mountain Lions. Each team was allowed to protect 20 holdovers from last season heading into the 2010 draft.

49ers eligible for practice squad Pos. Current Status Kentwan Balmer DL 53-man roster Jason Hill WR 53-man roster Josh Morgan WR 53-man roster Chilo Rachal OL 53-man roster Reggie Smith DB 53-man roster Cody Wallace OL 53-man roster Thomas Clayton RB Practice squad Dominique Zeigler WR Practice squad Atiyyah Ellison DL Practice squad J.J. Finley TE Practice squad Louis Holmes DL Practice squad Larry Grant LB Practice squad Joe Toledo OL Practice squad Jay Moore LB Injured Reserve Brian de la Puente OL Claimed by Chiefs Robert Ortiz WR Waived D.J. Parker DB Waived Chris Patrick OL Waived Jerard Rabb WR Waived Ricky Schmitt P Waived Markus Curry DB Waived Cameron Colvin WR Waived

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The 49ers' practice squad began to take shape when the team signed six players released Saturday.

San Francisco carried only five defensive linemen and five receivers on its 53-man roster. Those are low figures.

The defensive-line number reflects Justin Smith's status as an outside linebacker. Still, the 49ers signed two defensive linemen to their practice squad. A third released defensive lineman, LaJuan Ramsey, does not have practice-squad eligibility.

The chart shows every 49ers player with practice-squad eligibility.

The 49ers will presumably add to their numbers at receiver. Cam Colvin appeared to be a candidate for the practice squad, but the 49ers did not sign him immediately.

The team described veteran receiver Ashley Lelie, released Saturday, as a potential injury risk. Carrying him on the opening-day roster would have forced the 49ers to guarantee his salary. It's unclear if San Francisco might re-sign him heading into Week 2. The 49ers might not want him now, but can they find anyone better?

Losing Brian de la Puente probably hurt a little, but the 49ers had to keep second-round choice Chilo Rachal and fourth-rounder Cody Wallace. De la Puente started an exhibition game at guard for the 49ers this summer, but he was undrafted, so he goes.

Update: The 49ers added Joe Toledo to their practice squad Monday, Sept. 1, Chrissy Mauck of 49ers.com notes.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic wonders whether Matt Leinart did enough in the Cardinals' final exhibition game to emerge as the opening-day starter. Left tackle Wayne Gandy returned to the game after suffering a knee injury. Nose tackle Alan Branch did not return after suffering a sprained ankle. Rookie running back Tim Hightower, impressive most of the summer, fumbled again.

Also from Somers: a longer look at Leinart's night. Leinart completed 10 of 14 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown against the Broncos.

Mark Purdy of the San Jose Mercury News says the 49ers should have given J.T. O'Sullivan one last tune-up before the regular season. He also thinks Alex Smith is closer to the third-string quarterback than the No. 2 guy.

Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News singles out three players who helped themselves for the 49ers in the final exhibition game: Larry Grant, Jason Hill and Kentwan Balmer. Three who hurt themselves: Walter Curry, Alan Reuber and Robert Ortiz.

Also from Brown: "Smith cemented his spot on the bench with two unsightly interceptions and his general slowness in getting rid of the ball."

Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News Tribune thinks the Seahawks might keep rookie running back Justin Forsett to return punts after the team lost Ben Obomanu to injury. Mike Holmgren will want Forsett to catch the ball when opponents punt it to him.

Gary Washburn of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer checks in with T.J. Duckett following the veteran runner's impressive showing in the exhibition finale.

Kevin Lynch of Niner Insider thought O'Sullivan looked better by not playing. That's how bad the other quarterbacks looked.

Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle hits on several notes from the 49ers' game, including the fact that running back Michael Robinson lost a fumble. Delanie Walker's 101-yard touchdown return had to be a record for a tight end, no?

John Morgan of Field Gulls projects the Seahawks' 53-man roster. He places Deion Branch on the PUP list to open the season. Can Seattle wait that long to bring back Branch? Morgan also sees the Seahawks keeping nine defensive backs.

Matt Barrows of the Sacrament Bee says Roderick Green and Tully Banta-Cain become locks for the 53-man roster if Parys Haralson's shoulder injury is serious. Aubrayo Franklin and Ronald Fields also suffered injuries. Fields returned. Franklin did not.

Michael Silver of Yahoo! Sports says sources told him 49ers offensive coordinator Mike Martz disparaged Smith under his breath during practices.

Matt Maiocco of Instant 49ers asked Smith about those allegedly disparaging comments. Smith said he knew nothing about any such remarks. "That's news to me," Smith said. Maiocco also says Haralson's injury could force the 49ers to tweak their roster, according to coach Mike Nolan.

49ers eligible for practice squad Pos. Probable Status Kentwan Balmer DL Keeper Jason Hill WR Keeper Josh Morgan WR Keeper Chilo Rachal OL Keeper Reggie Smith DB Keeper Cody Wallace OL Keeper Larry Grant LB Keeper Thomas Clayton RB Likely cut Cameron Colvin WR Likely cut Markus Curry DB Likely cut Brian de la Puente OL Likely cut Atiyyah Ellison DL Likely cut Joe Jon Finley TE Likely cut Louis Holmes DL Likely cut Jay Moore LB Likely cut Robert Ortiz WR Likely cut D.J. Parker DB Likely cut Chris Patrick OL Likely cut Jerard Rabb WR Likely cut Ricky Schmitt P Likely cut Joe Toledo OL Likely cut Dominique Zeigler WR Likely c ut

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

The chart shows each of the 49ers' players with practice-squad eligibility, according to the team.

Practice-squad rules can be confusing, and exceptions sometimes apply to relatively experienced players.

I've categorized each player based on his perceived likelihood of earning a spot on the 53-man roster. Those are rough characterizations. Teams still have not made decisions. It's conceivable that a player listed as a "keeper" could face his release.

As noted: Rosters spots are serious business for NFL players lacking job security. For some, the next 30 hours or so will determine whether they'll earn $17,352.94 per week or whatever the real world pays.

The minimum NFL salary is $295,000. Players get paid in 17 installments, one for every week they spend as a paid member of the organization.

NFL teams must trim rosters from 75 players to 53 players by Saturday afternoon. Teams can establish eight-man practice squads beginning Sunday. Practice-squad players earn a minimum of $5,200 per week during the regular season and playoffs.

Once a player signs with a practice squad, he can practice with the team. He becomes eligible to play in games only if a team signs him to its 53-man roster. Practice-squad players are free to sign with any team's active roster at any time during the season.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic takes a stab at the Cardinals' 53-man roster. He favors Sean Morey over Lance Long for the sixth receiving spot. He saves a spot for Pat Ross because the team is low on depth at center. He can't find a spot for Joe Tafoya. He makes room for Monty Beisel and Ali Highsmith.

Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says safety Eric Bassey might have earned a roster spot after forcing a fumble in the Rams' final exhibition game. I figured Bassey would make it anyway given depth issues in the secondary. Center Nick Leckey was the only projected opening-day starter to play for the Rams in this game.

Also from Thomas: Running back Steven Jackson can void the final two years of his new six-year deal by averaging 1,200 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving over the first four seasons.

And this from Thomas: The Rams' radio headsets did not work against the Chiefs. Coach Scott Linehan: "We are running plays like they do in high school."

Bill Coats of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch says the Rams' special teams struggled against the Chiefs. That can happen with so many backups playing. Kicker Josh Brown missed a 40-yard field-goal try. That would have been no big deal in the past, but money changes everything. Coats: "In a downpour, Brown pushed the ball wide right, a rare miss for the highest-paid kicker in NFL history."

Also from Coats: Marques Hagans caught four passes for 47 yards in a last-ditch effort to secure a roster spot at receiver.

Clare Farnsworth of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer checks in with the Seahawks' bubble players. The situation at receiver continues to intrigue. Farnsworth expects Bobby Engram and Deion Branch to miss the regular-season opener.

Frank Hughes of the Tacoma News Tribune expects Justin Forsett to play extensively with the Seattle starters tonight. The rookie running back has been working with the first unit in practice this week. Forsett appears headed to the practice squad if the Seahawks cut him.

Jose Romero of the Seattle Times describes Seahawks receiver Ben Obomanu as confident despite weak preseason stats. Obomanu, who is on the bubble for a job at receiver, put it this way: "Catching passes in a preseason game doesn't always tell the story of whether you're doing a good job." Obomanu caught eight passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the 2007 exhibition season. Each of those figures led the team. He earned a roster spot but was not active for the regular-season opener.

Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star covered Trent Green's return to Arrowhead Stadium, but there wasn't much to see. The Rams gave Green three snaps, then replaced him with Brock Berlin.

Dan Brown of 49ers Hot Read takes a closer look at the team's receivers. How bad were they last season? Well, three NFL players finished with more receiving yards than the 49ers as a team in 2007. Brown lists the current receivers in this order: Isaac Bruce, Bryant Johnson, Arnaz Battle, Josh Morgan, Ashley Lelie, Jason Hill, Dominique Zeigler, Cam Colvin, Jerard Rabb and Robert Ortiz. I might put them in this order: Bruce, Battle, Johnson, Morgan, Hill and Lelie. And I do think the 49ers want to keep six, a good number for the Mike Martz offense.

Kevin Lynch of Niner Insider projects five receivers hanging around on the 49ers' cutdown to 53 players. At other positions, he expects Moran Norris and Marcus Hudson to miss the cut.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee outlines positions of interest heading into the 49ers' final exhibition game: receiver, fullback, outside linebacker and defensive back. He thinks Roderick Green and Tully Banta-Cain will stick around.

Also from Barrows: an in-depth look at the 49ers' defensive linemen. He sticks up for rookie first-round choice Kentwan Balmer. I see his point. Balmer plays a low-profile position (defensive end in a 3-4 scheme). He's not going to gain much notice even if he's playing well. Ask Bryant Young. He became invisible when the 49ers went from 4-3 to 3-4, but that didn't mean he was playing poorly. The position simply specializes in grunt work.

Matt Maiocco of the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat says this is a brutal time of the year for players on the bubble. But as J.T. O'Sullivan has proved, persistence can pay off. NFL teams have waived O'Sullivan five times, Maiocco notes.

Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle says the 49ers' starting offense might play only a series in the exhibition finale. FitzGerald's bubble players include: Norris, Thomas Clayton, Ashley Lelie, Roderick Green, Larry Grant, Marcus Hudson, Zeigler and Brian de la Puente.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

Season ARI SF STL SEA 2007 6 6 6 6 2006 4 5 5 4 2005 6 7 5 7 2004 6 6 6 5 2003 6 6 5 4 Average 5.6 6.0 5.4 5.2 WR on roster today 10 10 12 11

Races are heating up at receiver as teams work through their exhibition schedules.

I'll put the NFC West races in perspective with a little help from the graphics department.

The chart shows how many receivers NFC West teams have kept on their opening-day rosters over each of the last five seasons. The bottom row shows how many receivers each team is carrying now.

Arizona: Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are the starters. Steve Breaston tightened his grip on the No. 3 job by catching three passes for 50 yards in the opener, including a 34-yard grab. Rookie third-round choice Early Doucet is resting a sore hamstring, but the Cardinals will save a roster spot for him. Jamaica Rector and Jerheme Urban each caught four passes against the Saints on Thursday night. Lance Long has enjoyed a strong camp. Sean Morey, the fourth receiver last season, is fighting for a spot. Also in camp: Ahmad Merritt and Jemalle Cornelius.

St. Louis: Torry Holt and Drew Bennett are the starters. Second-round choice Donnie Avery and fourth-rounder Keenan Burton will make the team. Veteran Dante Hall has value as a return specialist. Dane Looker always seems to find a way to stick around. Reche Caldwell and Derek Stanley could be in the mix for a sixth spot. Stanley has value as a returner. Marques Hagans, Brandon Williams, Shaine Smith and Matt Caddell have a chance to state their cases when the Rams open their exhibition schedule at Tennessee tonight. Avery has a hip injury and probably won't play.

(Read full post)

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando

SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Lots of catching up to do here at 49ers camp. Let's start with a few notes and observations from the morning practice. I'll save some of the heavy lifting for future posts, particularly once I speak with new offensive coordinator Mike Martz tomorrow.

• First-round draft choice Kentwan Balmer missed most of practice after suffering an injury to his lower left right leg during contact drills. I saw the tail end of the sequence in question, just as Balmer was hitting the ground. He clutched his lower leg. He walked with a limp thereafter. Coach Mike Nolan did not yet have a diagnosis. He said the injury was to the ankle. Balmer watched the remainder of practice from the sideline.

• Patrick Willis picked off Alex Smith on a short pass to the right side. Smith shouldn't feel bad. Willis is one of the very best defensive players in the league after only one season. That becomes obvious even watching him practice.
• Backup receiver Jason Hill worked quite a bit in the three-receiver packages with Isaac Bruce and Bryant Johnson. Bruce seemed to be the primary target today. Of course, the 49ers continue to install Mike Martz's offense piece by piece, so we're not always getting a complete picture of the offense. Also worth noting: Arnaz Battle remains sidelined by injury.
• Robert Ortiz and Allen Rossum each dropped one punt while working in punt-fielding drills. Ortiz, newly signed after the team released receiver Robert Jordan, caught five of six punts. Brandon Moore pounced on the one he let get away. The ball Rossum dropped caromed off his chest. Rossum also bobbled another ball, but he caught six of seven overall. Rossum, 32, averaged 23.3 yards per punt return for Pittsburgh last season.
• Most of the lopsided confrontations during pass-rush drills involved lesser-known players. The exception during the morning session: right Jonas Jennings' battles with linebacker Parys Haralson. Haralson ducked under and around Jennings with at outside move during their first encounter. Jennings all but made Haralson disappear in the rematch. That's how these pass-rush drills often work. They're a great test for offensive linemen because the defender doesn't have to worry about a draw play or screen, and the offensive lineman doesn't have help.
• Running back Thomas Clayton apparently doesn't like it when people deck him. A teammate had to restrain Clayton from coming after cornerback Marcus Hudson after Hudson flattened Clayton with a hard hit near the sideline. The two traded high-decibel insults before coaches indelicately told them to pipe down.
• Shawntae Spencer extended nicely to break up a short-to-intermediate pass from Smith to Bruce.
• Coaches employ a range of unconventional tactics in running players through drills. Redskins coach Jim Zorn has had quarterbacks fling themselves across slip-n-slide contraptions to learn how to avoid contact after scrambling.

In San Francisco, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, a former NFL linebacker, stands inside a white ring (a giant hula-hoop, basically). He wears a red pad on one forearm. Linebackers simulate a pass-rush situation by running toward Manusky and then around him, their feet just outside the hula hoop. Manusky whacks them with the pad as they run by, then turns and whacks them again for good measure after they turn the corner and complete the circle.

Haralson fell to the ground after one of their encounters. Manusky was clearly enjoying his work. Jay Moore, Tully Banta-Cain and Manny Lawson were the other linebackers participating.

• Arid conditions have left the practice fields with a dry look. Defensive backs slipped during one drill in which they backpedaled hard before planting and reversing direction.
• The aluminum grandstands set up for fans are close to the field. Bruce hit them hard enough to cause a commotion when his momentum carried him off the field and over the white plastic links that serve as a boundary. Bruce was smiling as he returned to the field unhurt.

So much more to get to here. The 49ers have a special-teams practice in about 20 minutes, and I have interviews scheduled as well. Look for some hard-core roster analysis in a bit.