CB Nate Clements (San Francisco 49ers)

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Can't say I'm surprised.. if someone said he's looked average this year, it'd be a compliment. Bad year so far.

[Buckskin86]

49ers notebook: Clements' season could be over
By Daniel Brown
San Jose Mercury News
Posted: 11/01/2009

INDIANAPOLIS ? Further medical tests today could decide the fate of cornerback Nate Clements and left tackle Joe Staley.

Clements sustained a fractured right scapula against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday. The 49ers withheld announcing whether Clements was finished for the season, although a similar injury sent tackle Tony Pashos to the injured-reserve list a week ago.

Clements' injury came late in the first half, although the 49ers did not reveal whether the injury came on a punt return. Clements, serving as a returner for the first time this season, had four punt returns for 31 yards.

He did not start on defense, as the 49ers went with Tarell Brown. Coach Mike Singletary said Brown's place in the starting lineup was supposed to be a one-week experiment based on the Colts' personnel.

"We were going on basic matchups,'' Singletary said.

Now, Brown could wind up the starter for good. Against the Colts, he was credited with two tackles and a quarterback hurry.

49ers notebook: Clements' season could be over - Inside Bay Area

[Buckskin86]

49ers Hot Reads: Injury calls Clements' future into question
By MATT MAIOCCO
The Press Democrat
Published: Monday, November 2, 2009 at 5:20 p.m.

When Nate Clements signed with the 49ers on the first day of free agency in 2007, the thing that grabbed headlines was the size of his contract.

It was a reported eight years, $80 million ? certainly a flashy and easy-to-remember deal.

But here?s the thing about Nate Clements: He?s not flashy at all. (And because the final year of the contract automatically voided, the deal was actually $64 million for seven years with $20 million guaranteed.)

Clements is a hard-working, blue-collar performer who is at his best when he?s crashing in from his position at cornerback to help in run support. It has led some ? including individuals inside the 49ers? organization ? to the conclusion that someday he could make a seamless conversion to safety.

But Clements? future beyond this season with the 49ers was called into question when third-year player Tarell Brown replaced him in the starting lineup Sunday against the pass-happy Indianapolis Colts.

And things got further complicated when Clements sustained a broken shoulder blade while returning a punt in the second quarter. Coach Mike Singletary said Clements will not be placed on injured reserve because they want to leave the window open for him to contribute late in the season ? and, perhaps, the playoffs.

49ers Hot Reads: Injury calls Clements' future into question | PressDemocrat.com | The Press Democrat | Santa Rosa, CA

[Buckskin86]

Moving time

One-time Pro Bowl cornerback Nate Clements, who in 2007 signed a back-ended, eight-year $80 million contract with the San Francisco 49ers as a free agent, currently is sidelined by a broken shoulder blade. But when Clements returns, it could be as a safety, since 49ers coaches seem satisfied with younger cornerbacks Shawntae Spencer and Tarell Brown (who two weeks ago signed a three-year extension). Clements will be 30 next month and, while still a physical defender at times, has lost a step in coverage. If he is back in 2010, it will almost certainly be as a safety. Of course, his contract is hardly a safety-level deal, and that could enter into a decision about his future in the Bay Area.

NFL: Buffalo Bills rookie safety Jairus Byrd, son of former pro Gill Byrd, is fulfilling his destiny far ahead of schedule. - ESPN

[Buckskin86]

ACTIVE-DUTY TROOPS

Nate Clements: (at OSU 1998 to 2000) Clements' fine play in six seasons in Buffalo, including a Pro Bowl in 2004, paid off in a big way for the former first-round draft choice. The eight-year, $80 million contract he signed with San Francisco in 2007 was at the time the richest free-agent contract ever awarded a defensive player. Clements had made 119 consecutive starts before missing a game late last season; he currently is out because of a broken right shoulder blade.

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