More 49ers: Davis making strides

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – There's a little irritation brewing between the San Francisco 49ers coaching staff and wide receiver Darrell Jackson, who was acquired in a trade from Seattle during the NFL draft. Not enough to be a big problem right now, but certainly noteworthy.

In short, the 49ers haven't been all that impressed with Jackson's practice habits. Jackson, who has been battling turf toe and missed the afternoon practice Wednesday, has been productive over his career. He has had at least 60 catches in five of his seven seasons in the NFL and worked very well with Seattle quarterback Matt Hasselbeck.

"He doesn't always finish the routes out the way you want and he's not always the first guy in line to listen, but he has always produced," said 49ers Vice President of Player Personnel Scot McCloughan, who worked with Jackson in Seattle. "From Day 1 as a rookie, he has produced and for a guy to do that, he has to be doing something right."

However,

More 49ers: Jackson still adjusting

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – This is what happens when you open your eyes to the world.

Second-year San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is lined up in the slot on the right in practice with linebacker/teammate Manny Lawson opposite of him. As the ball is snapped, Davis runs 15 yards downfield, taking glances at the defense as he goes, seeing that Lawson has peeled off him and into the shallow part of the zone coverage.

Davis does a quick turn and catches the ball just as his shoulders get completely square to quarterback Alex Smith. He then quickly turns before two defensive backs and Lawson can close on him, and looks like he has a good chance to break away if this were a live-game situation.

A year ago, none of this might have happened. It's not that Davis didn't possess the raw physical skills to run the route or catch the ball. It's just that someone would run over and knock the pass away, or the defenders would close so quickly that Davis was

More Seahawks: Restoring faith in secondary

KIRKLAND, Wash. – Aside from bringing in safeties Deon Grant and Brian Russell, the Seattle Seahawks figure to have new starters at every spot in the secondary. Second-year man Kelly Jennings is slated to start at the right corner spot as Marcus Trufant has been moved back to the left side where he began his career.

Though Trufant and Jennings looked solid on the first two days of camp, the real find in the secondary could be second-round pick Josh Wilson. Wilson showed an impressive combination of speed, quickness and acceleration, assistant head coach Jim Mora Jr. said.

"Not only does Josh have speed, but he has the quickness in a tight space and he has the acceleration to close on a deep route if someone gets behind him," Mora said.

Wilson was consistently around the ball during the first two days and made an impressive interception after falling to the ground. He then quickly popped up to get ready for the return.

Wilson may also end up

More Seahawks: Wilson looks impressive

KIRKLAND, Wash. – The duo has practiced this routine for months now. The moves and voices working in perfect syncopation, the choreography simply splendid to behold.

No this is not "American Idol Live!" with Sanjaya Malakar and Blake Lewis entertaining people. Instead, this is Seattle Seahawks practice with safeties Deon Grant and Brian Russell on display. They are the new starters for the Seahawks, both signed as free agents and charged with orchestrating the team's revamped secondary. Moreover, they are here to rebuild the confidence of an entire defense that gave up big plays by the bushel last season.

Yet, the theme doesn't stop with Grant and Russell. Everywhere you look, the Seahawks are trying to rebuild the teamwork they had in 2005 when they went to the Super Bowl. The offensive line, still trying to overcome the free agency departure of premier guard Steve Hutchinson in '06, is attempting to build cohesion with center Chris Spencer

SEATTLE – Seattle Seahawks coach Mike Holmgren got his start in professional football under Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh. On Monday, when he received the news his mentor had passed away, Holmgren said he was relieved for Walsh.

Walsh had battled leukemia for more than a year before he succumbed to the disease. Holmgren likened it to when he lost his mother two years ago after a lengthy illness.

"You never quite know how you're going to react to news like this. I remember when my mother – we were very close and I loved her dearly – passed away, and my sister called me and said she had passed," Holmgren said. "(My mother) had been with us in Green Bay and had been confined to a bed for five years, maybe four years. So her quality of life was just brutal. Her mind

An admiral, a politician, a clothes designer and a militant black activist/professor.

This isn't the opening line to some elaborate joke. It's the collection of people football coach Bill Walsh assembled for a late-night discussion before he led the San Francisco 49ers in a road game against the New York Giants in October 1987.

The coach was ready to bend his mind, professor Harry Edwards recalled of the night with Walsh, his friend of more than 25 years. Yet none of the talk was about football.

For Walsh, an atypical coach in a single-minded profession who passed away Monday after a lengthy battle with leukemia, the discussion was common. The group, which included Adm. James Stockdale, talked about the Vietnam War and its lasting

The Cleveland Browns took a calculated risk to get one of their first-round picks in training camp while the other one continues to wait for acceptable contract terms.

No. 3 overall pick Joe Thomas received a six-year deal with a voidable final season, according to multiple sources, because the Browns were concerned about getting Thomas into camp early and having him inked before top two picks JaMarcus Russell and Calvin Johnson could raise the market to an uncomfortable level.

"If Johnson and Russell had come in at six years, $60 million, we might have had a real problem," Savage said. Last year, top picks Mario Williams, Reggie Bush and Vince Young all received six-year deals that could top out at more than $56 million. "We weren't going to be above the Young deal … ."

Thomas, slated to start at left tackle, can earn a maximum of $42.5 million over five years with incentives. Barring injury or poor play, Thomas is likely to make at least $33.5 million and he was guaranteed $23.5

SAN ANTONIO – As former NFL coach Bum Phillips observed his son Wade preside over Dallas Cowboys practice, he was asked if he ever had a problem dealing with a player in his nearly 35 years in coaching.

"Not that I can remember," Phillips said, hesitating just a bit under his trademark Cowboy hat. "Not twice anyhow."

That's an important consideration for the Cowboys these days because the face of the franchise is wide receiver Terrell Owens, a guy who wears controversy the way most people do underwear. Owens is known for clashing with authority. He is a man looking for unconditional love in a game where appreciation rises and falls with every win or loss.

When Owens arrived in Dallas last year, he gave then-coach Bill Parcells all due respect. When Parcells gave Owens the cold shoulder throughout the season, making Owens work for appreciation, Owens produced mixed results. Owens led the league in both touchdowns receptions (13) and dropped passes (17). Owens eventually turned on