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49ers cornerback looking to offseason role reversal
By Cam Inman
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Inside the NFL
Only four teams remain in the hunt for Super Bowl XL, leaving 28 other teams and approximately 1,700 players to forge ahead into their offseason plans.
Cornerback Shawntae Spencer has something up his sleeve besides the "voluntary" workouts coach Mike Nolan insists his 49ers attend. Spencer also will train as a wide receiver this offseason in Coral Springs, Fla.
He'll do so under the tutelage of Cris Carter, a former Minnesota Vikings receiver who has welcomed athletes from various sports to his "Fast Program" training center for nearly a decade.
"As a cornerback, you need to understand receivers' routes. It'll give me a better understanding how receivers line up and how they run routes," Spencer said earlier this month. "I'll do cutting drills and ball drills, too. My goal in the offseason is to improve my ball skills."
Learning about the skills wide receivers use against him should help Spencer when he returns for his third NFL season.
"There's so much carryover between the two positions," Carter said in a phone interview last week, "and one of the unique ways to reach your potential defensively is to understand what's going on offensively.
"You teach what wide receivers are trying to do to them," added Carter, an analyst on HBO's "Inside the NFL." "A lot of it is reaction time. The faster you can recognize things, the better you can react."
Carter has mentored other defensive backs in recent years, including the Atlanta Falcons' DeAngelo Hall, the Baltimore Ravens' Dale Carter, the Indianapolis Colts' Mike Doss, the Minnesota Vikings' Fred Smoot and the Jacksonville Jaguars' Kenny Wright.
So how did Spencer get the idea to fly south for the offseason?
Larry Fitzgerald, a former University of Pittsburgh teammate of Spencer's and a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, has known Carter since serving as a Vikings ball boy as a teenager.
Having lined up against Fitzgerald in college practices and in their NFC West meetings, Spencer's already picked up a few tricks. For instance, after defending a fade pass in the end zone in the 49ers' season finale against Houston, Spencer credited Fitzgerald for teaching him to keep his chin in receivers' chests on fade routes.
With 26 starts in two seasons, Spencer's had to learn on the fly. It's nice to see he realizes he has more to learn. A second-round draft pick in 2004, he's shown more promise and aggressiveness than most other young cornerbacks the 49ers have trotted through in recent years.
"He has a lot of the necessities," Carter said of Spencer. "He's got good ball skills, great instincts and the desire to be better."
After not producing an interception as a rookie, he tied with Mike Adams for team-high honors this season with four, one of which he returned 62 yards for a touchdown in a 33-22 loss at Tennessee.
The 49ers' 4-12 record shows they need improvement in all areas, including the secondary. Don't be surprised if they use one of their first few draft picks on a cornerback, especially if they cut ties with veteran Ahmed Plummer, who's been plagued by injuries the past two seasons.
Spencer will stay in Nolan's good graces by participating in the "voluntary" offseason conditioning program, which starts March 20.
"He went through it last year and did an outstanding job, so I would hope he'd be back," Nolan said last week.
Nolan has "highly recommended" all players report to the offseason program. "It will have a bearing on their position on our football team as far as competing with the other players. The more we know about them, the better their chances are for making our squad."
Spencer initially planned to work out under Carter's watch in early March but now intends to head to Florida once the 49ers' spring minicamps and organized activities are done in early June.
Two years ago, Spencer was a little-known cornerback at Pittsburgh. He wasn't invited to the NFL combine. But by working out alongside Fitzgerald at Pittsburgh's Pro Day, NFL teams took notice, including the 49ers. That's also where Fitzgerald introduced Spencer to Carter, who retired in 2003 after 16 seasons.
"He said if I ever needed anything, call him," Spencer said. "So I talked to him throughout my rookie year."
Later this offseason, he'll be calling on Carter once again.
By Cam Inman
CONTRA COSTA TIMES
Inside the NFL
Only four teams remain in the hunt for Super Bowl XL, leaving 28 other teams and approximately 1,700 players to forge ahead into their offseason plans.
Cornerback Shawntae Spencer has something up his sleeve besides the "voluntary" workouts coach Mike Nolan insists his 49ers attend. Spencer also will train as a wide receiver this offseason in Coral Springs, Fla.
He'll do so under the tutelage of Cris Carter, a former Minnesota Vikings receiver who has welcomed athletes from various sports to his "Fast Program" training center for nearly a decade.
"As a cornerback, you need to understand receivers' routes. It'll give me a better understanding how receivers line up and how they run routes," Spencer said earlier this month. "I'll do cutting drills and ball drills, too. My goal in the offseason is to improve my ball skills."
Learning about the skills wide receivers use against him should help Spencer when he returns for his third NFL season.
"There's so much carryover between the two positions," Carter said in a phone interview last week, "and one of the unique ways to reach your potential defensively is to understand what's going on offensively.
"You teach what wide receivers are trying to do to them," added Carter, an analyst on HBO's "Inside the NFL." "A lot of it is reaction time. The faster you can recognize things, the better you can react."
Carter has mentored other defensive backs in recent years, including the Atlanta Falcons' DeAngelo Hall, the Baltimore Ravens' Dale Carter, the Indianapolis Colts' Mike Doss, the Minnesota Vikings' Fred Smoot and the Jacksonville Jaguars' Kenny Wright.
So how did Spencer get the idea to fly south for the offseason?
Larry Fitzgerald, a former University of Pittsburgh teammate of Spencer's and a Pro Bowl wide receiver for the Arizona Cardinals, has known Carter since serving as a Vikings ball boy as a teenager.
Having lined up against Fitzgerald in college practices and in their NFC West meetings, Spencer's already picked up a few tricks. For instance, after defending a fade pass in the end zone in the 49ers' season finale against Houston, Spencer credited Fitzgerald for teaching him to keep his chin in receivers' chests on fade routes.
With 26 starts in two seasons, Spencer's had to learn on the fly. It's nice to see he realizes he has more to learn. A second-round draft pick in 2004, he's shown more promise and aggressiveness than most other young cornerbacks the 49ers have trotted through in recent years.
"He has a lot of the necessities," Carter said of Spencer. "He's got good ball skills, great instincts and the desire to be better."
After not producing an interception as a rookie, he tied with Mike Adams for team-high honors this season with four, one of which he returned 62 yards for a touchdown in a 33-22 loss at Tennessee.
The 49ers' 4-12 record shows they need improvement in all areas, including the secondary. Don't be surprised if they use one of their first few draft picks on a cornerback, especially if they cut ties with veteran Ahmed Plummer, who's been plagued by injuries the past two seasons.
Spencer will stay in Nolan's good graces by participating in the "voluntary" offseason conditioning program, which starts March 20.
"He went through it last year and did an outstanding job, so I would hope he'd be back," Nolan said last week.
Nolan has "highly recommended" all players report to the offseason program. "It will have a bearing on their position on our football team as far as competing with the other players. The more we know about them, the better their chances are for making our squad."
Spencer initially planned to work out under Carter's watch in early March but now intends to head to Florida once the 49ers' spring minicamps and organized activities are done in early June.
Two years ago, Spencer was a little-known cornerback at Pittsburgh. He wasn't invited to the NFL combine. But by working out alongside Fitzgerald at Pittsburgh's Pro Day, NFL teams took notice, including the 49ers. That's also where Fitzgerald introduced Spencer to Carter, who retired in 2003 after 16 seasons.
"He said if I ever needed anything, call him," Spencer said. "So I talked to him throughout my rookie year."
Later this offseason, he'll be calling on Carter once again.
