At safety, it’s a question of Lewises

By Darrell Laurant  |   Thursday, August 02, 2007  |  Comments( 6 )

San Francisco 49ers
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On the San Francisco 49er message boards, the debate has already begun. It involves a couple of guys named Lewis.

Last season, former special teams warrior Keith Lewis stepped into the starting lineup at free safety and finished with 72 tackles, two interceptions and a sack. He also carried a special teams attitude into the defensive backfield.

His partner at strong safety was Mark Roman, who had 105 tackles, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries.

The problem was, the 49ers surrendered 3,571 passing yards and ranked 26th in the league in total defense. They were also 25th in takeaways.

That's why the team grabbed Michael Lewis during free agency. A full-season starter with Philadelphia in 2005 (piling up an eye-catching 141 tackles), Lewis found himself splitting time with Sean Considine as the Eagles' strong safety last year. This demotion occurred after he was undressed on long passes in consecutive weeks by Terry Glenn of the Cowboys and Joe Horn of the Saints.

Yet few safeties can play the run better than the husky (6-foot-1, 226 pounds) University of Colorado product, who came to San Francisco in part to be reunited with his former Colorado Buffaloes' position coach, Vance Joseph. Lewis also moved to the Bay Area to work out during the offseason, pronouncing himself stronger than last year.

Those were probably the deciding factors leading to Michael Lewis being anointed the front-runner at strong safety going into summer drills. Roman has been switched to free safety, the position he played in college and one better suited for his speed and lighter frame. Keith Lewis is now Roman's backup, although head coach Mike Nolan calls that position wide open for competition. And if Michael Lewis doesn't start at strong safety, the other Lewis probably will.

On the message boards, the Michael faction talks about how he's strong enough to function as a linebacker in certain situations. The Keith faction brings up Terry Glenn and Joe Horn.

And then there's Darnell Bing, retrieved from the Oakland Raiders' scrap heap. Another brute of a DB at 6-2, 220, Bing was on injured reserve last season across the Bay, so he has to be considered an unknown. Donald Strickland and Dashon Goldson should also push for playing time.

The question is, Can Michael Lewis' emphatic tackling overcome his occasional lapses at the back end of his coverage area? Or will the addition of Nate Clements at cornerback offer less possibility of leaving Michael exposed on a one-on-one island against one of the league's whippets?

It remains to be seen. That's what preseason games are for.

Make sure to checkout our new "News & Fantasy" section on the upper right-hand side of the homepage. Get daily San Francisco 49ers insight at RealFootball365.com
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CommentsComments: 6  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
EverYoung49		12:51 AM
08/03/2007
God where do I begin? Ive been waiting for this article. A player like Keith Lewis is a fans dream. Hard working blue collar guy ...
No.2
Youknow whoIAm		09:13 AM
08/03/2007
"If Micheal Lewis doesn't start, the other Lewis probably will" WHAT? Did I miss something? Micheal Lewis will start that's why ...
No.3
Mike		10:12 AM
08/03/2007
Keith will get plenty of action either way. Nolan likes to rotate players to keep them fresh; he will have the luxury to do so ...
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