Between them, tackle Anthony Davis and guard Mike Iupati were guaranteed $26.8 million when they signed their first NFL contracts Friday. But no one guaranteed them starting jobs. That fact was reinforced this afternoon when the 49ers lined up for their first practice of Training Camp 2010. The two high-end rookies got hardly any time with San Francisco's first-team offensive line during team period, working with the second unit while David Baas and Adam Snyder got the call at left guard and right tackle, respectively. The smart money says the rookies will be in front come September, but head coach Mike Singletary and offensive line coach Mike Solari clearly are going to make them earn the distinction. "The thing that I don't want to do is, I don't want to just throw a couple of rookies in there and risk that they can't swim," Singletary said. "I want to make sure that we give them an opportunity - and there's enough opportunity. They're gonna work with the first group, they're gonna work with the second group. They're gonna get a lot of reps. But why throw 'em in there and say, 'OK, sink or swim'? I just think it's very smart for us to allow David Baas and Snyder to understand that, you know what? If you come out here and work your tail off, we'll just have to see what happens. But I don't want to give anybody anything. I want the guys to work for it." Source: The Press Democrat
