It's not like the 49ers are exactly reeling from this, but the sudden and unexpected retirement of second-year RB Glen Coffee is a stunner to be sure.

It has been a tough week, especially for the scouting staff. Former first-round pick Kentwan Balmer is acting like he wants no part of football, either, having sat out the past five days of practice. This is what I would do if I didn't want to play. The rumor is that the team is going to go after Balmer's fairly sizeable signing bonus. To date, he earned but a sliver of it.

Balmer has been a dog to date. Coffee never was going to start for this team, but his loss might actually be felt more. Right now, the team has only Anthony Dixon and Michael Robinson has Frank Gore's backups.

Everyone wants to vault the 49ers to the top of the NFC West. I admit that I have thought about this, too. And though I would not qualify this as a major blow to the team, I wonder about their depth at a few spots.

The 49ers remain intriguing to me. Their schedule is relatively cakey, though they have a few whoppers (New Orleans in Week Two, Philly in Week Five, Green Bay in Week 13 and San Diego in Week 15) in there, too.

I just need to feel a little better about this team before I can put them atop this division, even if it is the lowly NFC West. Otherwise their stay atop my personal division rankings might be as short as a cup of coffee. (Forgive me. Please.)