The 49ers right guard battle is shaping up to be one of the most interesting of the preseason. There has been some discussion of Alex Boone and Anthony Davis potentially getting some preseason work at guard, but I would not be surprised if the 49ers were hoping Daniel Kilgore or Joe Looney took firm control of the right guard position. Martin Rickman, managing editor of BSD, took a few minutes to discuss some of Looney's strengths and weaknesses as he prepares to enter the NFL. Thanks to Martin for taking a few minutes to discuss Looney.

We don't know if concussions have anything to do with Junior Seau's death, but we do know that adjusting to life after football isn't easy. And, personally, I know that concussions changed my life.

"Coach Grobe is just such a great guy to talk to,’’ Spanos said. "I’ve had a lot of scouts comment to me what a great guy he is. He’ll take the time to come up to you during practice and talk. Some coaches you talk to and you get the feeling they’re just giving you the company line. But when coach Grobe is talking to you, you can tell he’s really genuine and he’s real authentic, which is appreciated by all us scouts. "So it’s known among league circles, and scout circles as one of the best visits for that reason.’‘

Of the 10 players on the first two offensive-line units to take the field in Saturday's first scrimmage of the spring, only junior center Garrick Williams had ever started a game. The Deacons lost four starters from last season to graduation, and coach Jim Grobe said Saturday that Steven Chase, a sophomore tackle who started three games last season, has been dismissed from the team for a violation of an unspecified university policy. The starters Saturday were redshirt freshman Dylan Heartsill at left tackle, junior Gabe Irby at left guard, Williams at center, redshirt freshman Daniel Blitch at right guard and redshirt freshman Colin Summers at right tackle. Himebauch said that redshirt freshman Antonio Ford would most likely have started at left guard if not for a sprained ankle. The second team was made up of junior Ramon Booi, a converted defensive tackle, at left tackle, freshman Cody Preble at left guard, sophomore Whit Barnes at center, freshman Dylan Intemann at right guard and sophomore Devin Bolling at right tackle.

"It can't get worse," McKie said. "I've been through the two worst years in Wake Forest history. Last year we might have been the worst team in ACC history. It can't get worse."

Instead they’ll finish ninth if N.C. State wins at Virginia Tech tomorrow and 10th if the Hokies prevail. They’ve taken a step, but it’s a halting step by a short baby.

"Today we actually showed some teeth and fought back." --Nikita Mescheriakov

At a time that could be transformational for Wake basketball, Wellman might not have the money and sway to act. It’s a situation he’s not often encountered during his tenure, which started way back in 1992.

The Joel wasn’t always a tomb. Not all that long ago, it was known as "The Jungle"—the rocking and rollicking home to a team poised to take over the ACC, led by a wizard named Chris Paul and a charmer of a coach named Skip Prosser, who seemed ready to push Wake’s program into the Final Four for the first time since 1962. Prosser loved fast-paced basketball and quoting Shakespeare, and wore his ambition openly. At a small liberal arts school that had spent decades subsisting on unfulfilled potential, Prosser was poised to become Wake’s Coach K or Roy Williams, with a charisma and style all his own. And then, in July 2007, he dropped dead of a heart attack in his office at the age of 56, after going for a jog on campus

"Oh heavens, yes," Wellman said. "You'd better believe it."