Donte Whitner of San Francisco 49ers changing his name to Hitner after fine

[JonLP24]

San Francisco 49ers safety Donte Whitner, who has revealed he was fined $21,000 by the league for a hit during last Thursday night's victory over the St. Louis Rams, said Wednesday he's dropping the "W" from his last name.

"I actually put the paperwork in yesterday afternoon. Just waiting to get the paperwork out," he said in a conference call with the Houston media. "So from here on out until I retire, my name will be Donte Hitner, without the W."

Earlier Wednesday, he had revealed his name change in a tweet.

His comments later in the day confirmed he was serious. He said he had considered the name change in the offseason but that his mother wouldn't go for it.

http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/9759786/donte-whitner-san-francisco-49ers-changing-name-hitner-fine

[Auggie]

1. Okay ...

[JonLP24]

2. It looks like SF now has Skelton

I liked him, I think he has a lot of upside.

On edit - If you're interested. This guy has a hell of a lot more Primetime -- http://www.youtube.com/user/andy11981?feature=watch

[Auggie]

4. I remember your Skelton posts

I think it's huge for Harbaugh, Greg Roman (OC) and Geep Chryst (QB coach) to turn to Skelton -- they've done wonders with Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. They see potential as you do.

Thanks for the link. Bookmarked.

[Upton]

5. Yeah..well, some 49ers fans are pissed..

particularly after Seattle grabbed B.J. Daniels who was released to make room for Skelton. Read some of the comments:

http://www.csnbayarea.com/49ers/49ers-sign-skelton-take-daniels-roster-spot

I have to admit to this move being somewhat of a head scratcher for me as well.

[JonLP24]

7. Ouch

I take it they intended to develop him on the practice squad?

It is interesting he nearly cleared since the way the waiver system works, worst-to-first, the Seahawks were at the bottom. '

I do think the Cardinals have the talent to succeed, especially on defense but with young QBs, it is going to be a dogfight between Seattle-San Francisco for years to come and this looks to be just a tiny sample of that.

[Upton]

8. I don't see how Baalke or Harbaugh figured he would clear waivers..

Pete Carroll had made a big deal about saying how much Seattle liked Daniels and wanted to draft him..now the 49ers have just handed the Seahawks a Russell Wilson clone, at least in size and speed, so he'll now help the Seahawks practice..

Stunning the 49ers would subject quarterback B.J. Daniels to the waiver wire. Good, young, mobile quarterbacks are as rare as hen’s teeth, and Daniels proved he was all those things
-----
Daniels possesses poise, a strong arm, and athleticism that’s reminiscent of Seattle’s Russell Wilson. It means Daniels could run any offense, including a read-option scheme. However, also like Wilson, Daniels is listed at 5-11.

http://blog.sfgate.com/49ers/2013/10/01/surprise-49ers-release-qb-b-j-daniels/

He was by far the 49ers most exciting player in preseason. The guy can make plays. Which is why Scott Tolzien was cut to make room for Daniels.. Meanwhile, the 49ers signed another Marc Wilson..

I suppose I could be missing something but this makes no sense to me..

[JonLP24]

9. I don't know the specifics of Marc Wilson

but Skelton has a cannon for an arm and a lightning quick release. He's also 6'5". He fits the prototype.

He also played well in 2011. The following season was a disaster. I think it was a mental thing and still adjusting from the level of talent faced at Fordham. He showed some very bad accuracy problems that got worse after the injury and as the season progressed. I don't think inserting him on the road against Seattle after weeks of not starting helped matters.

If coaches can get his accuracy under control and get him to make good decisions, he can be very good for them.

On edit - He's also very good (as far as QB's go) at breaking tackles.

[Upton]

10. Look him up..

Wilson was a 6' 6" QB who played for the Raiders in the 80's...would go back in the pocket, stand there like a statue, and then when the rush got close would either throw a bad pass or fold up and wait for the sack. He was awful.

I hope you're right about Skelton, but if he has so much upside, why did the Bengals release him from training camp and nobody else cared enough to sign him?

[JonLP24]

11. I probably overstated a bit. I think he simply has upside

I know in the NFL it is hard to find to work if your last live-game experience didn't work out so well.

One thing about Skelton is he isn't a statue. He actually has decent mobility. I think the Bengals liked him initially because of this game.

http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-game-highlights/09000d5d82564b6f/GameDay-Cardinals-vs-Bengals-highlights

[Auggie]

12. Excellent post

Skelton gives the 49ers immediate back-up depth at QB whereas Daniels does not. There's something about Colt McCoy that's rubbing Harbaugh & Company wrong, and they've addressed the issue.

I liked Daniels in preseason. Someday he may be a starter. But there's no substitute for experience.

BTW, notice Harbaugh's penchant for tall quarterbacks? Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick ... and now John Skelton.

[joeybee12]

3. And the number 1 reason the public thinks football players are stupid is...Survey Says...

....

[Iggo]

13. Because they're stupid, Bob?

[joeybee12]

14. Top Answer!

[KamaAina]

6. Hitner was the name of a character in a godawful wrestling movie

called "The One and Only", starring Henry Winkler.

It was set during WWII. One of the bad guys was introduced as follows: "From Dusseldorf (boooo!), Germany (Booooooo!), Adolf Hitner! (BOOOOOOOO!) Now, Adolf's name is spelled with an 'n'. But we all know who he takes after, don't we?" The match ended with Hitner clocking his opponent with his spiked helmet.