SANTA CLARA, Calif. (Map, News) - Mark Roman is still getting used to that little voice in his ear telling him where to go and what to do.

The San Francisco 49ers safety knows he'll have to adjust to the NFL's new way of calling defensive signals with the freshly installed communication device in his helmet. At San Francisco's minicamp, Roman and three fellow safeties joined dozens of players across the NFL this weekend as the first to try out the league's next technological step forward.

Quarterbacks have used the sideline-to-field devices for years, allowing coaches to relay plays to the offensive huddle without elaborate hand signals or shuttling in the plays with substitutes. NFL owners only approved the headsets for defensive players at league meetings last month, overcoming a bit of dissent from offensive-minded head coaches.

"I didn't even know the rule had passed until they said we're going to try it with the headset," Roman said. "It's cool. It's going to help out because we aren't going to have to be scrambling to get the calls."

Only one defensive player at a time can wear the helmets with the bright-green dot on the back. While many teams plan to put the headsets on linebackers who play every down and typically call the defensive signals in the huddle anyway, the 49ers are passing the helmets around and familiarizing their safeties with the whole procedure first.

Safeties Keith Lewis, Michael Lewis and Dashon Goldson also had the headset helmets Saturday, and secondary coach Vance Joseph relayed personnel groups and plays from his sideline headset.

"You can communicate with speed if you know the plays," said Roman, who's entering his third season as a San Francisco starter. "Once I hear it, I'm thinking about everybody I've got to tell, and everything I've got to do. It's real good."

Coach Mike Nolan, a longtime defensive coordinator who voted in favor of the rule change last month, is still experimenting with the best way to use the technology. The 49ers haven't decided who will wear the headsets during the regular season, though defensive coordinator Greg Manusky said it's most likely to be linebacker Patrick Willis or cornerback Nate Clements, who both rarely leave the field.

"They're all veteran players for us, and we're playing with that," Nolan said. "We're not sure how we'll utilize it, but we'll see where it goes. ... If somebody is good at calling the huddle but doesn't want the noise in the helmet, we'll do it with hand signals."

Roman and linebackers Derek Smith and Jeff Ulbrich ran the defensive huddle last year, but San Francisco's defensive sets typically aren't communicated by just one player in the huddle. The three down linemen often have different instructions than the four linebackers and four defensive backs.

Willis, the NFL's leading tackler and top defensive rookie last season, isn't sure how he'll like having a voice in his ear. In Saturday's practice, Roman got the defensive alignment from the sideline and then gave it to Willis before the 49ers met in the huddle, where Willis relayed it to the team.

"If they were to ask me to wear it, I would," Willis said. "Normally, we just look to the sideline and get the call. For us linebackers, from Day One we've got to talk to the D-line and the DBs. We all just kind of go hand in hand. The one thing we're working on in minicamp is really communicating."

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SILENT JONAS:@ Don't ask Jonas Jennings how his move from left tackle to right tackle is going so far.

"I'm just getting started there, really," Jennings said Saturday before ending his first interview since going on injured reserve last season.

Jennings, who signed a seven-year, $36 million deal with the 49ers in 2005, has lost his job at left tackle to Joe Staley, last year's first-round pick and starting right tackle. San Francisco hopes Jennings can establish himself at right tackle - but after three injury-plagued years, they're not expecting anything special from one of Nolan's biggest free-agent busts.

Jennings has missed at least part of 32 of the 49ers' 48 games since he joined the club because of injuries, including last season's ankle sprain. He has played fairly well when healthy, which makes his injury problems even more frustrating to the 49ers.

Just getting Jennings back in practice has been an achievement for the 49ers and Nolan, who has grown disenchanted with Jennings' frequent absences and locker-room leadership.

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EXTRA POINTS:@ LB Shaun Richardson, a rookie free agent, missed practice with an apparent groin injury. LB Manny Lawson, DT Joe Cohen and DE Melvin Oliver also sat out, but everybody else participated, including WR Arnaz Battle, who missed Friday's workouts with a minor ankle tweak. ... A day after TE Vernon Davis' big fight with LB Parys Haralson in which Davis ripped off Haralson's helmet and threw it, Saturday's morning session only yielded a minor shoving match between rookie C Cody Wallace and DT Ronald Fields. "I was disappointed we didn't have any fights going on," laughed Nolan, who doesn't mind training-camp scraps as long as nobody gets hurt.

Comments from Examiner Readers

9:17 AM MST on Mon., Oct. 8, 2007 re: "Niners offense consistently bad through four games"

Examiner Reader said:
Nolan finally after months admits he doesnt have a clue on offense (like the rest of the nfl world didnt know!)How do you rely on an OC who has never called NFL plays before? He's a D coach who took over the D last year, this year he cant take over the offense! He should have fired the OL coach right after he made the statement the first 3 weeks were good. (last in every offensive category and somehow its not the OL fault?)His standards are very mediocre. (Dilfer was almost cut in half during the passes leading to the td) We need an offense consultant now to start planning for next year and help Nolan Hostler and York. (clarification: the Ravens saying they should not have given the niners a first down is NOT a good thing, its down right disrespectful) Get Wyche, Fassel, Coreyll anybody! Policy can help, he knows what it is to win. I'm actually encouraged now that Nolan admits he needs offensive help! First thing needed to get well, admit your sick! (Hey, Belechek got better!)

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