SANTA CLARA – The name implies simplicity – Ted. The position, however, is anything but.
The guy who plays the Ted linebacker spot in the 49ers' 3-4 defense must be rugged enough to take out guards at the line of scrimmage. He must be fleet enough to keep up with tight ends. He has to be smart enough to set the alignment for the front seven defenders.
And perhaps most important, he has to be selfless enough to allow the player next to him – Patrick Willis – to get the glory.
Which is why a good Ted is so hard to find.
Derek Smith played the position last season, and his veteran savvy was a nice complement to Willis' youth and athleticism. But the 49ers deemed Smith's 2008 salary – more than $3 million – too high for his age, 33, and released him in February.
Since then, the 49ers have struggled to find a replacement.
Last year, they flirted with Chicago's Lance Briggs, but that pursuit only got them in trouble when the Bears levied tampering charges against them. In April, they strongly considered drafting Oklahoma linebacker Curtis Lofton at pick No. 29. They probably would have done so had defensive lineman Kentwan Balmer not been available.
They've looked at 30-something veterans Jeremiah Trotter and Takeo Spikes. The 49ers concluded Trotter was too old and Spikes wants too much money. They're still interested in Spikes but are waiting for his asking price to come down.
In a defense in which there are four linebackers, coaches keep them straight by giving them men's names.
The strong-side linebacker, who plays opposite the tight end, is known as Sam. The weak-side linebacker (no tight end) is Will. The middle linebacker is Mike. In the 49ers' 3-4 scheme, there is another inside backer who plays on the tight end-side of the field. That's Ted. Because offenses usually run the ball to the tight end's side, Ted's main task is to make sure blockers – usually a guard or fullback – don't get into the second level of the defense.
"I would put it this way," linebackers coach Mike Singletary said. "The Mike in this defense is the playmaker, very much like Ray Lewis, (Brian) Urlacher and those guys. Ted is the guy that a lot of people don't appreciate as much.
"But Ted is going to clean things up. Ted is going to pave the way for the Mike. I would say Ted is the big brother. If you're going to touch Mike, you've got to come through me first."
In the 49ers' defense, Ted has a very important person to protect.
The 49ers knew that Willis was going to be good when they drafted him 11th overall in 2007. But his 174-tackle performance that season surprised even them. Willis is still improving, and earlier this year, coach Mike Nolan said he thought Willis would be a defensive MVP candidate this season.
The 49ers have spent the offseason building their defense around Willis the way a team builds an offense around the quarterback or running back.
In fact, defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said Ted's role on defense is very much like a fullback's role on offense.
"He's the bus driver," Manusky said. "Everyone else is behind him."
So who is driving the bus for the 49ers' defense this season? As it stands, three players – Jeff Ulbrich, Dontarrious Thomas and rookie Larry Grant – are vying for the job.
Ulbrich, an eight-year veteran who played Ted when Smith was hurt last season, is the early favorite. Still, coaches are concerned about Ulbrich's durability and say they need him healthy enough to contribute in nickel packages and on special teams.
Newcomers Thomas and Grant are still learning the position. At 245 pounds, Thomas has the best body for Ted, but because the team has yet to have a full-contact practice, he has not hurled that body into the trenches.
"I haven't seen enough," Singletary said. "You never can tell about a linebacker until you put the pads on. Right now, they all look pretty. But when you put the pads on, it's something else."
Read Matthew Barrows' 49ers blog at www.sacbee.com/blogs.
