WitP: Bess, Ulbrich

Davone Bess talks to Rob and Russ about his off-season training, the upcoming season and the fool who impersonated him. Excellent interview. Best of luck to Rob DeMello, who is leaving the show.

Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee, who earlier analyzed Isaac Sopoaga and the 49ers defensive line, has a similar analysis of the 49ers linebackers, including Jeff Ulbrich.

Ulbrich is the only defender who dates back to the Steve Mariucci era. The secret to his longevity? He's a hard worker who is willing to do anything to stay on the team. A few years ago when it was clear the 49ers were moving to a younger linebacking corps, Ulbrich dedicated himself to special teams and became one of the stars of that unit. This offseason, Ulbrich realized his salary might make him a roster casualty, so he reduced it from $2.23 million to $950,000. Perhaps more than anyone in the locker room, Ulbrich loves to play the game. He's one of the oldest players on the team, but he has retained the youthfulness with which he entered the league and it truly looks like he is having fun. Ulbrich, however, is not as fleet of foot as he used to be, and he must hold off Washington and Justin Roland, who are eight and nine years his junior respectively. If he can, Ulbrich's mug would go up on the 49ers' 10-Year Wall, a coveted honor in Santa Clara.