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After a bountiful, seven-win campaign (don't laugh—it's their most since 2003) and an even more bountiful off-season (see Darrell Jackson, Nate Clements), the newfangled 49ers suddenly matter. Which made us realize it's been so long since this was true that we have no idea who these guys are. So we asked six go-to players on the NFL's latest darling to help us assemble some revealing dossiers. Because you really should know a team before you jump on its bandwagon. NAME NATE CLEMENTS
USER ID 80milman
AGE 27
JOB Shut-down corner
EDUCATION Attended Ohio State University, but not until I scored high enough on the SATs, which took me six tries. Know how I celebrated? By signing my scholarship.
RELATIONSHIPS I'm married and have a 6-year-old daughter named Brooklyn, but my first priority is God. Religion, family, work. In that order.
NICKNAME My new teammates call me Nasty Nate, but back when I was a Bill, they called me Playmaker. What can I say? Whether I'm returning punts or picking off passes, I just have that instinct. I like to think of myself as a receiver playing defense. Guess that's why I've averaged more than a touchdown a year in my six NFL seasons. (BTW, everybody in my family calls me Junior, except for this one aunt who calls me Fat Cheeks.)
INTERESTS Muscle cars. I used to have a '64 Ford Galaxie 500. Now I've got a Dodge Charger SRT8.
My guilty pleasure is going fast. Don't tell anybody, but I once hit 180 on a straightaway in Houston. The back end drops, your palms get sweaty and your heart rate skyrockets. There's nothing better.
FOR FUN I'm a huge golfer, and I'm not too shabby. I shoot mid-to-high 80s, and that's after growing up in Cleveland and playing in Buffalo, where you get only two months of good weather. Now that I'm in San Fran, watch out. My goal is to get my Tour card after I retire.
LAST READ Lawrence Taylor's autobiography, LT: Over the Edge.
ABOUT MY LIFE AND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR I just signed an $80 million contract with $22 million guaranteed. What could I possibly be looking for? (Well, playing in my first postseason game would be nice.) NAME VERNON DAVIS
USER ID clickclack
AGE 23
JOB Tight end
NICKNAME My dad was always known as Duke. Ever since I came along, folks have called me Little Duke. Pretty funny, considering I'm 6'3'' and 253.
EDUCATION Spent more than half my rookie season watching from the sideline, thanks to a fractured fibula. Frustrating, but by the time I got back, I had the hang of this whole NFL thing. Want proof? If you take my numbers from the last four games and project them over a full season, you get 50-plus catches, almost 800 yards and 8 TDs. I can live with that.
BEST FEATURE My guns. Me and Moran Norris (one
of our fullbacks) do arm curls before every game before we go out on the field. We'll do like 40 or 50 reps with 40-pound dumbbells—nothing too heavy. I've been doing it ever since college.
BODY ART On my left pec, I've got a tattoo of my grandparents on draft day. It was taken from a sketch I did of them.
INTERESTS I was an art studio major at Maryland (love Michelangelo and anything Renaissance or African-American), and I still paint every chance I get. Acrylic on canvas mostly, but I also dig mixed media, like graphite and charcoal with paint.
RELATIONSHIPS My grandmother is the most important person in my life. She raised seven grandchildren—including me—after she'd already raised her own kids. So of course I got her a house and a Cadillac CTS after I got drafted. But she hasn't even driven the car yet. She'd rather roll in her beat-up old Escort. She's old-school like that.
FOR FUN I get off on outrunning linebackers and safeties with my freaky big-man speed—4.38 40, in case you're wondering. NAME FRANK GORE
USER ID employeeoftheyear
AGE 24
JOB Running back
EDUCATION Learned the game playing Pop Warner
in Coconut Grove, in Florida. I started out playing noseguard and tight end. First time they tried me at running back, I scored like eight touchdowns in one game.
RELATIONSHIPS I'm pretty tight with my mom. I talk to her before every game, usually on the way to the stadium. She tells me to play hard, play smart and just let the game come to me.
BEST FEATURE My vision. During my two seasons in the league, no one has called me the fastest cat. Never have been. And I ain't the biggest, either. But I get the job done, and I don't take a lot of big hits, because I have great vision.
BODY ART I got a tat between my right shoulder and bicep that says, "Only God can judge me." It means a lot to me, because folks talk about me always being injured, but I don't worry about what they say. That's especially true now, since I broke my hand the first week of camp. The tattoo also has praying hands and a chain and a 3, which was always my number. But in the NFL, you can't get a single digit if you're a running back. So instead I got 21, because 2 + 1 = 3.
INTERESTS 30 dive fan! Seriously. It's a zonerunning play that we run. Against Seattle last year, I cut back on it, broke a linebacker's tackle, made the safety miss and went for like 50 yards. All from one little tiny crease.
FOR FUN Chillin' at the crib with my kids. Frank Jr. is 5, and Demetrius is 1. I call Demetrius Dooley because he's built like a Dooley truck.
FAVE READ Emmitt Smith's autobiography. I always liked him and Barry Sanders and Ricky Watters. They're like me—not that fast, but they got the job done. NAME DARRELL JACKSON
USER ID iluvmattalex
AGE 28
JOB Wide receiver
EDUCATION SEC academic honor roll (business major) at Florida.
RELATIONSHIPS Spent seven years in the Pacific Northwest trying to get my quarterback's undivided attention. Too bad his eyes were all over the field. Came thisclose to getting a ring. SF = fresh start = :)
INTERESTS Physical therapy, moving the chains, beating the Seahawks.
FOR FUN Love watching NASCAR (Matt Kenseth, Jimmie Johnson and Junior are my faves) and fishing at my lake house in Tampa. Also get a big kick out of cutting hair. Matter of fact, I want to open my own barbershop when I retire. It'd be called D-Jizm's, because that's one of my nicknames. D-Jack is the other.
FAVORITE READ To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.
MY LIFE AND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR I'm not like all the other guys. For example, you know how we're supposed to be at the stadium two hours before the game? Well, I usually show up a little late cuz I don't wanna sit in the locker room and think too much. I'd rather just get dressed and get on the field. Another thing about me? I like to feel hungry. I'm probably the only guy in the league that doesn't eat breakfast on game day. Ever. Something about having that rumble in your stomach.
FAVORITE THINGS Comebacks, digs and curls—basically any route that involves coming in and
out of breaks. Oh, and proving people wrong. Like back in 2000, there were 14 other receivers drafted before me, but guess what … I've got more career TDs than any of them! And only one guy—Laveranues Coles—has more receiving yards than I do. He's got me by like only 100, even though I've played around a dozen fewer games than he has. And if you think for a second that getting traded for a measly fourth-round pick after all that doesn't get my juices flowing, well … NAME BRANDON MOORE
USER ID underrated56
AGE 28
JOB Linebacker
RELATIONSHIPS You've probably heard of my brother, Rob. He used to be a wide receiver for the Jets and Cards. Anyway, he's kind of the reason I'm even in the NFL. After getting hurt my junior year at Oklahoma, I got benched, but somehow Rob's connections got me to the Senior Bowl. Guess I had a pretty good game, cuz the 49ers ended up giving me a look as an undrafted free agent back in 2002. They cut me, then New England signed me and cut me. Then the Niners brought me back.
NICKNAME My grandfather was a Golden Gloves boxer who trained fighters, and he spoke Spanish. He called me su paquito, which means "little one." To this day, my brother calls me Supaq (rhymes with Tupac). Cute, huh?
BEST FEATURE My ego, or lack thereof. A lot of Mike linebackers seek the spotlight, but I know my limitations. If I can't make a play, I don't try to be a hero and vacate my gap. I run the defense that is called. Also, because I was undrafted, I play like every down is my last down. Guess that's why I led the team in tackles and sacks last year.
DAILY DIET Would you believe I watch The Golden Girls on Lifetime every day?
INTERESTS I was a psych major in college, and I'm really into philosophy. The Marquis de Sade. He's sort of crazy. I'm also into Descartes and Socrates.
FOR FUN Don't tell anyone, but I'm a huge Justin Timberlake fan.
LAST READ Angels & Demons by Dan Brown.
EDUCATION I've mainly been a middle linebacker. But now that we're playing the 3-4 this year, I'm called the Ted, which is the strong-side inside linebacker. The Mike is the weak side. Some teams call the Ted the Mike, others call the Mike the Plugger. But with us it's Sam, Ted, Mike and Will. Confusing, huh? NAME ALEX SMITH
USER ID iluvantoniodarrell
AGE 23
JOB Quarterback
EDUCATION I'm not one to brag, but I did graduate high school with a 4.4 GPA. Not to mention, I had so many AP credits (including microeconomics, computer programming and statistics) that I started college (go Utes!) as a junior and got my econ degree in two years.
RELATIONSHIPS No question I'll miss Norv Turner now that he's in San Diego, but the good news is that for the first time in four years, I don't have to learn a new system. What a relief. Now I can just worry about playing. NICKNAME I was a No. 1 pick, so two years ago, while I was a rookie, they started calling me Dollar Bill. Brandon Moore and Cody Pickett came up
with it. Now they just call me Dollar.
BEST FEATURE Hard to pick one, because I can beat you with my arm or my feet. Or both. Like against Seattle last year in mid-December. National TV, monsoon conditions, trying to keep our playoff hopes alive. Midway through the fourth quarter, they get a free rush on me, but I break the tackle, scramble out and hit Frank Gore for a 20-yard TD to help seal the win. On the road, no less.
DAILY DIET Film, and lots of it. I probably watch three hours of game tape per day, minimum. I guess you could say I'm a film junkie.
INTERESTS Improving on third-down conversions (we were 26th last year), red zone efficiency (29th) and turnovers (tied for 23rd). Come to think of it, I'm not sure how we won even seven games!
LAST READ The Last Juror by John Grisham.
ABOUT MY LIFE AND WHAT I'M LOOKING FOR How many third-year NFL quarterbacks do you know who still haven't bought a car? Well, I'm one. Let's see, what else … I live with two high school buddies … I've got a Ping-Pong table where my diningroom table should be … Let's just say I'm low maintenance. All I need to be happy is an NFC West title. That's not asking too much, is it?
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