Dashon Goldson News

SAN FRANCISCO - During a three-week stretch, wide receiver Justin Gage all but disappeared from the Titans offense.

Dallas Clark #44 of the Indianapolis Colts is tackled by Dashon Goldson #38 and Dre' Bly #31 of the San Francisco 49ers during the NFL game at Lucas Oil Stadium on November 1, 2009 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The performance of the 49ers ' defense against the high-powered Colts drew rave reviews both for its design and its execution.

Michael Crabtree is Scot McCloughan's wide receiver, Vernon Davis is his tight end, Joe Staley is his left tackle, and Frank Gore is his running back.

That would be the helmet that has a radio receiver installed in it, allowing the player to get instructions and calls from the coaches.

The green dot is moving on. Safety Dashon Goldson will now wear the helmet with the radio in it, and not just for Halloween.

Patrick Willis has been relieved of the green dot. Which is to say, safety Dashon Goldson will wear the radio receiver and bark out the defensive calls Sunday against the Colts.

Michael Crabtree's first NFL game with the 49ers was overshadowed by a quarterback shake-up. Crabtree started in his NFL debut and had five receptions for 56 yards, only he caught most of those passes from Alex Smith.

As Michael Crabtree gears up for his NFL debut, the rookie hazing remains at full blaze.

When Michael Crabtree finally arrived at 49ers headquarters, offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye expected to get a talented but raw rookie who had never run an NFL route and who was only partially familiar with the 49ers playbook.

On a Sunday of unexpected results, it didn't take long for all that 49ers feel-good to come crashing down onto the old sod of Candlestick Park like a sick and bloated seagull giving up the ghost.

A few weeks back we were discussing Seattle Seahawks TE John Carlson and defending him, given his abilities.

Typically when you look at the tape of a game, the loss doesn't seem as bad. Not so with this one.

Practice No. 3 for Michael Crabtree came and went without incident. Crabtree is still wearing a logo-less helmet with "Crabtree" taped to the front - "That will take care of itself," Mike Singletary said - and he still ran routes with the scout-team offense.

The San Francisco 49ers are playing some of their best defensive football of the past decade, and it's just about the entire unit that's doing it.

The San Francisco 49ers are playing some of their best defensive football of the past decade, and it's just about the entire unit that's doing it.

Eds: APNewsNow. Will be updated. SANTA CLARA, Calif. The San Francisco 49ers are playing some of their best defensive football of the past decade, and it's just about the entire unit that's doing it.

Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando SAN FRANCISCO -- It's become custom on the NFC West blog for me to find several "silver linings" to help fans deal with their teams' defeats.

Nate Clements, above, presented himself for the admiration of Vikings fans after he picked up a blocked Vikings field-goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown to end the first half.

After looking outstanding in an August scrimmage against the Raiders that more than a few observers and 49ers players said might have been the team's "best practice ever," CB Nate Clements' level of play suddenly went straight downhill.