San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Braylon Edwards was released on Tuesday after an injury-riddled season.  He suffered a knee injury in week 2 that sidelined him for five weeks, and then suffered a shoulder injury two weeks later.

On his website,  www.braylonedwards.com, he posted a message to his fans, saying “I was released today by the 49ers due to my injury that required more time to rehab and hasn’t allowed me to re-sync with the offense. I wish the 49ers organization the best of luck during the Playoffs. I will be working hard this off season to strengthen my knee and prepare for the 2012 season. Thanks for your continued support and for being such loyal fans.”

Braylon Edwards signed a one-year, $1 million contract with the 49ers in August. In 2010 with the New York Jets, Edwards had an impressive year, catching 53 passes for 904 yards and 7 touchdowns. 2011 is a much different story, with his stats totaling 15 receptions for 181 yards and no touchdowns.

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 It’s been clear that the 49ers and Edwards were both unhappy. After a 21-19 loss to Arizona on Dec. 11th in which Edwards did not have a catch and only played 12 snaps, he refused to answer questions from reporters, telling them to talk to receivers who played. The following week, he was benched for “non-injury” reasons. Jon Harbaugh, the head coach of the 49ers, said the benching was due to performance.

The 49ers wide receiver corp. has been anything less than impressive this year. They rank 29th out of 30th in the NFL in passing, but have maintained their NFC West leading 12-3 record by having the number 1 ranked defense in the league – a defense that allowed their first rushing touchdown of the year last week to Marshawn Lynch.

With Braylon Edwards now gone, the 49ers only healthy receivers are Michael Crabtree, who has 64 receptions for 788 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Brett Swain, who has 1 catch on the year.  Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn and Vernon Davis, who collectively have 9 touchdowns for over 1000 yards, are all injured. The team is expected to sign a veteran free agent to fill the gap.

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The setup: The Cardinals trailed 16-0. They had the ball on their own 40-yard line. It was first and 10.

The situation: The 49ers started the second half with a monstrous touchdown drive consuming 7:48. The Cardinals needed to get back into the game fast.

The call: John Skelton’s deep pass to Larry Fitzgerald was badly overthrown and easily intercepted by the 49ers’ Donte Whitner, who returned the ball 48 yards.

The impact: Four plays later, Alex Smith threw a touchdown pass to Vernon Davis against an exhausted Cardinals defense, putting the game out of reach.

The quote: “We didn’t play well enough offensively, especially at the quarterback situation, to give us a chance against a good football team.” – Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt

The San Francisco 49ers are well put together football team offensively, defensively, and even on special teams. While Delanie Walker(notes) doesn’t play on the defensive side of the ball, if he had to I think he probably could do so with ease. Walker’s impact on the field for the 49ers has meant as much to the team this year as any other contributing member, but there’s something special about Walker which does not go unrecognized.

Walker has become a fan favorite in San Francisco and personally, he is one of my favorite 49ers. Not that I don’t like to root for Frank Gore(notes) or Patrick Willis(notes), but there’s something about Walker’s focus and ability on the field that makes him a standout player to me. It is his versatility and athleticism that allows for Jim Harbaugh and his coaching staff to put him virtually anywhere on the field. Whether he is catching a pass, recovering an onside kick on special teams, or blocking for Frank Gore, Walker does it all and he does it well.

Via a Twitter contest, 49er fans were able to tweet in what they thought Delanie Walker’s nickname should be. Some of the ones that came back included Skywalker, Walker SF touchdown Ranger, and even Swiss Army knife. My favorite one however was Option D, meaning that he can do “all of the above”.

Catching Passes

Not only does Walker create a mismatch with most defensive players, much like Vernon Davis(notes), due to his speed and athleticism, he also has great focus when catching passes. So far this season he has caught three touchdowns and also has an opportunity for career highs in both receiving yards and passes caught. He needs just 10 catches and 133 yards over the next seven games, in order to surpass his current career highs – his three touchdowns are already a career-high.

Blocking

Walker has the ability to seal the edge, block out of the backfield, pick up blitzes, and block for screen passes. If you were to tell me that Walker can’t get it done in any facet of the blocking game, I would tell you to watch the game against the Detroit Lions as evidence of what he brings to the football game. Walker believes that it is his ability to block and not his ability to catch passes which keeps them on the football field.

Special Teams

Often times when I’m watching the 49ers play and there is a kickoff or punt, you often see number 46 sprinting down the field and being one of the first players to the ball. This is one of the facets of the game were delays athleticism, again, works to his advantage – not that his athleticism wouldn’t play into other aspects of the game. In fact, it was Walker’s recovery of an onside kick against the New York Giants on November 13 that was one of the key plays of the game giving the 49ers a 27 – 20 victory.

Delanie Walker will be a key factor as the 49ers face the Arizona Cardinals on November 20. Although the 49ers are a run first offense, it would be nice to see his career highs capped in this game against the Cardinals. His speed, along with Vernon Davis’, will certainly create mismatches against the Cardinals’ defense. Maybe the 49ers will try another onside kick, hopefully won’t be because they have to, but if they do I know Walker will be able to go up and get it for them.

David is co-founder of wrapupp sports blog where they post fresh content daily and present sports blogs and sports opinions – all with a West Coast bias. Growing up in the Bay Area, David is a huge supporter of all the local sports teams; the Giants, Athletics, Warriors, Sharks, 49ers, and Raiders. His one fault, admittedly, as many of his friends and family would say, is his love for the Los Angeles Lakers. Growing up, Magic Johnson was his favorite basketball player and he fell in love with the team. He chalks it up to, “Not knowing any better”. Now his love for sports has turned just as academic as it is intuitive and he follows most all sports all over the nation.

You can follow David on Twitter: @officialwrapupp .

Sources:

49ers.com. Walker gives 49ers Options. NFL 2011.

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