On June 8 center David Baas flew from Florida to the Bay Area to take part in the final day of a player-led minicamp. In fact, when the 49ers lined up on offense, Baas was the team's starting center. The minicamp was designed to give the 49ers, who had copies of Jim Harbaugh's playbook, a head start when the lockout ended.
Like quarterback Alex Smith, Baas was a free agent at the time. And like Smith, Baas expected he would be back with San Francisco when the lockout was over. "I have a feeling that they definitely, that they want me back," Baas said at the time. "And like I said, I want to be back. I've got my house out here, a lot of things that I'm still hanging onto. But I'm just preparing and when the time comes, everything will work out."
It didn't work out. The Giants offered Baas more money than the 49ers, and he went to New York. The question now is whether Baas' exposure to the playbook gives the Giants an advantage.
"I don't think so," Jim Harbaugh said today. "There's eight games on tape. I'm sure they have a good idea of what we do offensively. ... I assume he won't be in the huddle, you know, prior to the snap. I think they have what they have on tape, and that's the bulk they'll go off of."
Baas has dealt with stinger and knee injuries this season, and he missed the Giants' last game against New England. He practiced on a limited basis today, and barring a setback, Giants coach Tom Coughlin expected Baas would play against his former team Sunday.
"David has come in and done a nice job," Coughlin said. "He's jumped right in and really been a nice fit for our offensive line. He's grabbed his lunch pail and he's gone to work. Now he's had a couple of nicks, he's been injured a little bit and that's a concern for us."
-- Matt Barrows
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