I've had the opportunity to meet, and work with, the editor of Niners Nation and SBN Bay Area, David Fucillo, and it's safe to say that he knows his San Francisco 49ers (not to mention pretty much every other sport that happens in the Bay Area... or Earth). David was nice enough to trade scouting reports with me on this weekend's game and I have to say he provided a really thorough, honest look at the Seahawks opponent this Saturday.

Here's what he had to say..

DK: What do you think has been the biggest difference in this year's team from last? A lot of people are quick to call Jim Harbaugh the coach of the year but do you think there are other factors at play?

DF: The 49ers winning ways are due to a few factors. Jim Harbaugh is the face of the change and his work with the team has been key. He brings a motivational factor that does more than what Mike Singletary tried. As soon as he was hired he got together with Alex Smith and seemed to get in his corner from the get go. I think he realized that the lockout was coming and Smith was really the best option he had for 2011. Whether he is the long term answer is another question entirely, but for this year, I think Harbaugh's handling of Smith has been superb.

However, in Coach Harbaugh, the team also got a great coaching staff. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio has taken a defense with modest but not huge turnover and has turned it from a strong unit to a great unit. Greg Roman gets questioned by fans rather frequently, but I think the offense is providing more than it has in recent years.

Arguably the biggest factor "off the field" has been GM Trent Baalke. Although he has had some misses in free agency and the draft, he had arguably the best offseason of any GM in the NFL. He hit on Carlos Rogers, Donte Whitner, letting Takeo Spikes walk (replaced by NaVorro Bowman), letting Aubrayo Franklin walk (replaced by Isaac Sopoaga at NT and Ray McDonald moving in at DE), drafting Aldon Smith, Bruce Miller and Chris Culliver, signing David Akers.

People say the 49ers are very similar to last year and thus think Harbaugh is the difference. However, if you look closer at the roster, there are significant changes and Baalke hit on most of those changes.

DK: The 49ers defense has been very strong, anchored by Justin Smith and newcomer Aldon Smith. What will the 49ers do to stop the Seahawks and are there any less heralded players on the D that we should watch for?

DF: The 49ers defense has been a significant team effort. Justin Smith has been the anchor of the defense, but the contributions come across the board. Aldon Smith is getting much of the publicity lately as he is closing in on Jevon Kearse's rookie sack record. He is primarily playing in the team's nickel defense, which means more snaps against passing teams that throw out frequent three receiver sets, and fewer snaps against more traditional offenses. The good news for the 49ers is he has taken advantage of his opportunities even if he is not an every down player.

The rush defense has really been the key for this team. The front seven is technically sound in tackling and maintaining discipline, which has allowed them to avoid giving up too many big runs. They haven't given up a 100-yard rusher or a rushing touchdown this season, and I think part of that is due to the athleticism and tackling ability of their front seven. They will potentially be without Patrick Willis, which hurts, but Larry Grant has played extremely well in his place.

The pass defense is an interesting one. They give up a fair amount of yards between the 20s, but like the rest of the defense, they clamp down in the red zone. The 49ers have a ball-hawking secondary that will sometimes take a few too many risks and it can burn them. However, much of their risks come through the scheming of Vic Fangio and the team's risk-taking is often fairly well calculated.

NaVorro Bowman is a guy to keep an eye on this Saturday. He leads the team in tackles and handles much of the dirty work while Patrick Willis has dropped back in coverage a bit more.

DK: On offense, how will the 49ers look to attack the Seahawks? Who are Alex Smith's main targets and who does he have the most rapport with? Can we expect Frank Gore to be 100%?

DF: The 49ers will look to establish the run game on offense. Early in the season, Frank Gore struggled to get much going. The offensive line has come together a bit better and Gore has benefited to a certain extent. He has been banged up at times this season, but he seems to be back on track. The team has mixed in backup rookie RB Kendall Hunter a bit more frequently. He can help spell Gore, but he also brings a speedier element out of the backfield.

In the passing game, Michael Crabtree has emerged as Alex Smith's primary weapon. He looks elsewhere, but Crabtree has been his main guy. In recent weeks, he has looked Kyle Williams way a bit more frequently. The second year player was drafted in the sixth round and has excellent acceleration but had not been able to work his way into the rotation. However, injuries to Josh Morgan and Braylon Edwards provided some opportunities and he has begun to take advantage of them.

DK: We all know about Aldon Smith and his quest to get the Rookie Sack record, but what other players in the 49ers rookie class have produced or shown some potential?

DF: Cornerback Chris Culliver has emerged as a solid option for the 49ers. He converted from safety to cornerback late in college and is still learning the position, but he has emerged as the team's #3 cornerback. I'd imagine Seattlewill try and attack him during the game. He has his struggles at times but you can see the talent.

Kendall Hunter has been fairly solid as a backup behind Frank Gore. He hasn't gotten a ton of consistent work, but he brings some great speed out of the backfield. He has been particularly solid on passes out of the backfield.

While Aldon Smith has been the highest profile pick for the 49ers, fullback Bruce Miller has been the best under the radar pick. He was drafted in the seventh round as a defensive end/OLB but with the plan to convert him to fullback. He has made the transition and within a few weeks had emerged as the team's starting fullback. It has been pretty amazing how quickly he has made the conversion, but he has been integral to the 49ers run game.

DK: Score prediction, and why?

DF: I'll go with 49ers winning 24-13. Marshawn Lynch has been key to this offense and if the 49ers are going to win it will be because they have contained him. Given that I never actually pick against the 49ers (and thus never bet on them), logic dictates they will contain him in my mind. Although Steven Jackson is a tough test next week, Lynch has been circled on the calendar the last few weeks given his recent performances. The 49ers rushing touchdown record (first to give up no rushing touchdowns through the first 14 games of the season) has become a note of pride for the defense.

I included at least one Seattle touchdown in part because the 49ers secondary occasionally shows a frustrating ability to get burned deep. I could see Doug Baldwin hauling in a long pass for a score. The 49ers offense showed some red zone improvement last week against the Steelers and will need to execute well in the red zone again to get up over 20 points.

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Big thanks to Fooch for taking the time out of his insanely busy schedule to answer my questions, much appreciated!

I traded a bit of a scouting report with Chicago's SBN Bears' blog, the Windy City Gridiron. Here's what WCG editor Steven Schweickert had to say:

DK: The Bears have had some hard luck this season with injuries. They're a team that was looking pretty fearsome halfway through the year, but are now limping though the final weeks and may not even make the playoffs. What is the mindset of the team right now? Have you perceived that they've given up or is there still quite a bit of fight left in them?

SS: They've taken some hits, but every team takes hits throughout the year - ours just happened to be devastating and all at once. That's one of the things about Lovie Smith teams, they usually don't get too high or too low. They'll show up, they're still in the race until proven otherwise, so they'll still be fighting like their playoff lives depend on it. Course, mindset isn't everything, they still have to execute plays.

DK: How have the fans handled it? What's the general consensus for the Bears' playoff hopes?

SS: Generally, the record says the Bears still have a chance, but a lot of fans are already writing off the rest of the season. And really, it isn't looking good - never does when you're down a solid starting quarterback and a very good running back - so the fans that think it's over may not be wrong.

Given Atlanta's win on Thursday, this is a must-win for the Bears if they are to have any playoff hope at all. Otherwise, two games behind Atlanta and (potentially) Detroit while losing a tiebreaker to Detroit with two games to play? Yeah, doesn't look good, does it.

DK: What type of gameplan do you expect the Bears to take this week against the Seahawks, both on offense and defense?

SS: Defensively, I expect the Bears to focus on Marshawn Lynch as the focal point of the Seahawks' offense. I'm not sure how seriously the Bears will take Tarvaris Jackson, given how the whole "facing him in Minnesota" thing went for him, but I don't think they'll do anything too risky to allow Doug Baldwin and Co. to beat them.

Offensively though, it's another story. The offense has shown some flashes of ability when they aren't giving the ball away, getting shut down for one or two yards, or failing to convert third downs, and they actually have a bit of a conundrum here. The Seahawks' defense appears more vulnerable to the pass than the run (15th in net yards per attempt vs the pass against 4th in yards per rushing attempt), yet the Bears haven't shown they can do anything through the air (88 yards vs KC, 86 yards vs Denver).

Given that, I'd say they'll go with their strength and give the ball to Marion Barber and Kahlil Bell.

DK: What would you call the Bears biggest weakness in their defense? Do the Seahawks have the horses to exploit this, in your opinion? How have teams beat the Bears this season?

SS: Of the units, I'd say the defensive line, actually, and here's why - the Bears have Julius Peppers, and Henry Melton is having a solid year as a pass-rushing defensive tackle, but the defense is still in the middle of the pack in sacks (even factoring in facing Tim Tebow) and the unit is fairly vulnerable against the run.

Far too often, they have several plays where they just crush the pocket, and several plays where they just may as well all be at the concession stand during halftime. It's a fairly relative thing though, because the defense has generally been excellent the last two games - the secondary's been pretty sharp after an awful early part of the season, and the linebacking corps has still been playing at a high level.

Just for the defensive line being a very strong unit on paper with one of the top ends in the game (possibly "the strength of the team" as I read earlier in the year), you want something better than "middle of the road."

As far as beating the Bears, how teams did it early in the year is with the big play (see, Saints, Lions 1st Edition) and treating Jay like their own personal pinata in the second half. But, since Cutler got hurt, it's been more of the Bears' complete inability to score than anything the opposing team's been doing. Hanie has been overthrowing receivers, underthrowing receivers; receivers have been dropping his throws... You get the idea.

DK: What players have been the biggest surprises for you on this team, this year? Are there any lesser-known Bears to keep an eye on in this one? Any guys you think are sleepers as future stars?

SS: If you'd asked two weeks ago, I'd've said Lance Louis, but he's had an awful pair of games lately at right tackle. That being said, Tim Jennings is having a solid year (if he could actually catch a pick, they'd convert him to receiver, cause he's had so many missed opportunities there) and Chris Conte has so far had a good rookie year, but for his lapse last week against the Broncos when Demaryius Thomas caught the Broncos' only touchdown.

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Here's a little Q&A recon scouting report on the St. Louis Rams as the Seahawks are set to take them on in Monday Night Football action tomorrow. The Turf Show Times' Joe McAtee was gracious enough to answer a few questions I had, and here's what he had to say.

DK: So what's the story at QB? We've heard it's likely Tom Brandstater but I'm still hearing reports that Sam Bradford might play. What's your gut on that?

Joe McAtee: My gut has been entirely destroyed by the Pepsin-killing poisons released by my gall bladder when watching the Rams...It's hard to say.

It's in the best interests of the Rams to shut Sam Bradford down for the year, tank the season for the #2 pick and regroup over the offseason. But there's a good chance that doing just that would mean the end of HC Steve Spagnuolo's tenure in St. Louis and GM Billy Devaney's as well.

So while OC Josh McDaniels suggests Bradford will be ready to go, my gut tells me 'so what?' Optimism abounds around the Rams these days, ya heard?

DK: Speaking of Bradford, it seems he's had a pretty rough season. What are your thoughts on how he's played this year? What have been his major problems, what has he done well? Do you still think he's a legitimate franchise QB for the Rams?

Joe McAtee: Overall, it's been a disappointing season on Bradford's part. Winning the Offensive Rookie of the Year in a year that saw the Rams improve from a 1-15 2009 season to 7-9 in 2010, people were expecting a playoff-caliber run from the Rams led by Bradford in an improved sophomore effort. It never came.

He looked hesitant in the red zone, confused under duress, and overwhelmed in key points in the nine games he did play this season.

If there's one thing I could point to that he did well, it's his demeanor. He's held his head high despite the losses in a season where fans and the media expected more. He's never pushed the blame off on teammates. He's never made an issue out of anything but the play on the field. For a young QB, that's essential and it's good to see in a year that's tested him, the fans and the coaching staff as much as it has.

But yes, I still think he's the answer at QB. His skill set is still exceptional. But expecting him to call O-line protections for the first time in his career with the O-line playing as badly as they did early on was obviously a huge hindrance.
Whether or not it will prove being worth it to dive headfirst into that learning curve to be worth it, we won't know for at least a few seasons.

DK: This season, from an outsider's perspective, has pretty much unraveled for the Rams. Do you think Steve Spagnolo will be fired? Will any of the other coaches on the staff be let go? Why do you think the Rams have seemingly regressed this season?

Joe McAtee: I think it's all in the air right now. Stan Kroenke, the owner of the Rams and multiple other sports franchises, understands how to manage teams from the top. That being said, there are valid cases to keep Spags, his staff and/or senior members of the front office.

You can argue that the worst thing to do to Sam Bradford is disrupt chemistry, and that the OC switch from Pat Shumur from McDaniels has been overwhelming. Also, the ridiculous number of injuries (especially at CB) was too much for this young team, and that in spite of that the defense has performed exceptionally at times. On the other hand, the reality is that the win-loss record is everything in sports. Some point to the injuries and the OC switch as mere excuses.

I understand both arguments. And because they're focused on football, both the coaching staff and the front office has avoided the question to this point as they should. Still, it's issue #1 after Week 17.

DK: What do you think will be the Rams gameplan this Monday? How do you think the Rams will adjust to the injury issues they're facing?

Joe McAtee: It depends on the QB. If it's Brandstater, I expect them to run a contracted offense like they did last week, and hope they don't get embarassed too badly with the outside chance that the defense keeps them in the game.

If it's Bradford, perhaps they can stretch thing out a bit more, but with his ankle injury I doubt he'll be able to execute his signature rollout with ease. And injury issues? We're nearing placing 20 players on IR for the season (including 10 CBs and 3 starting O-linemen).

There's little "adjustment" to make at this point. It's about getting through the season and, for the people with their jobs in question, making the case that with a healthy roster in 2012, they can put the Rams in contention.

DK: What do you think will be your biggest need in the Draft this year? Where do you envision the Rams picking and do you have a favorite at this point for that number one pick?

Joe McAtee: Oh, now you've hit a soft spot. As you noted in the last Q&A we did (far more graciously than I deserve), I likey me some draft. As for the Rams, the O-line is the premier issue on the offensive side, though plenty of Rams fans would argue the lack of a stud WR is holding Sam Bradford back.

Defensively, DT, OLB, CB (depending on the rehab results of the CBs lost to injury this year) and S are in play. As well as the defense has played at times, it's Spags' forte and with Chris Long, James Hall and Robert Quinn manning the DE spots, you would expect positive results there.

I'm of the opinion that this is a very strong draft at QB and CB, so it doesn't sync up well with the Rams' holes. I don't see the Colts winning more than one game, and I don't see the Rams winning any, so it's Colts-Rams to open the 2012 NFL Draft, methinks. So given that Stanford QB Andrew Luck should be #1 overall (and no, Peyton's status doesn't matter; it's about Luck's abilities as both ESPN explained and as I did albeit with less design fanfare), I would think it would serve the Rams best if they go after USC OT Matt Kalil at #2.

His back and forth on declaring for the draft certainly doesn't soothe Rams fans at this point, but there's always options like WRs Justin Blackmon and Alshon Jeffery, CB Mo Claiborne, OT Jonathan Martin and the opportunity to trade down to seethe the pain.

Thanks to Joe for the update, and after the jump check out some more from the Turf Show TImes!

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