49ers Sign Brian Westbrook

When ESPN's John Clayton said Brian Westbrook was likely headed to the Rams, we pointed out that Westbrook may see if anything develops in the final set of preseason games before making a decision. We were thinking that a player might get injured, opening a new door for Westbrook. A surprise retirement did the trick instead. Westbrook agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the 49ers, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Westbrook will help fill the backup role vacated by Glen Coffee, the second-year player who officially filed his retirement papers on Monday. Rookie Anthony Dixon looked good in San Francisco's preseason opener, but he's a novice on passing downs. If Westbrook can avoid further concussions a gigantic if he can handle third down duties in his sleep. The non-game games have returned, we've actually got some football action to discuss. when they play the San Fransisco 49ers early this season, now it appears they may be facing a particularly ugly 2 headed monster.



The San Francisco 49ers acted quickly to fill the hole on their running back depth chart, signing Brian Westbrook to a one-year deal with a base value of $1.25 million. Westbrook, who spent all eight seasons of his career with the Philadelphia Eagles, was released by his longtime team after an injury-plagued 2009 season. His signing was precipitated by the retirement of Glen Coffee, who decided to hang up his cleats after just one season in the NFL. Coffee was to be the 49ers' second-string running back in 2010. Westbrook has two Pro Bowl seasons to his credit, including a remarkable 2007 season where he rushed for 1,333 yards while recording 90 catches, both career highs. At 30 years old, Westbrook was reportedly deciding between backup roles with the 49ers, Rams and Redskins. With the 49ers, Westbrook could double his $1.25 million salary should he reach certain incentives in his contract. The Hall of Fame will now fade into the background as the season approaches, surfacing again in late January, when it's time to debate and elect the next class of new members.

The Hall to bed with a PFTV segment that tackles the question of whether the voting process needs to be changed to take into account the opinions of players, coaches, and (possibly) fans. we had gone 14 weeks at PFTV without talking about Brett Favre. Even more amazingly, Brocato knew that we had gone 14 weeks without talking about Brett Favre. Though not much can be gleaned from a team's first preseason game, the fact that the Bengals repeatedly targeted receiver Terrell Owens (a/k/a Batman) and largely ignored receiver Chad Ochocinco (a/k/a Robin) on Sunday night could be a sign of things to come. The San Francisco 49ers have signed free agent running back Brian Westbrook to a one-year deal, giving Westbrook the second chance he's been seeking in SANTA CLARA, Calif. The Niners had a need after Glen Coffee, starter Frank Gore's backup, abruptly announced his retirement from the NFL on Friday.