Goldson ready to intercept starting job

You had to look hard at the 49ers' workout Monday to spot last year's starting secondary. Walt Harris is out for the season with a torn knee ligament. Nate Clements was out with a mild case of pneumonia, and Michael Lewis was watching from the sideline because of an abdominal strain. At free safety, in place of three-year incumbent Mark Roman, was third-year man Dashon Goldson. If any 49ers fans aren't familiar with him, they will be. The 2008 season was barely over when the new head coach, Mike Singletary, anointed him as the starter over Roman. When he gave Goldson the word, Singletary stressed, "You've got to step up." Goldson, 24, was happy to oblige. "I felt pretty good," he said of the big moment. "I've been in the system for a while now. I feel I can come in here and play." A fourth-round draft pick out of Washington in 2007, Goldson has been flying around 49ers practices ever since then, making a high number of interceptions in Santa Clara while his dreadlocks flowed under his helmet. Former head coach Mike Nolan didn't think he was ready to supplant Roman, even though the 49ers were, well, interception-challenged. They picked off just 12 passes, and only seven of them were by defensive backs, even though the secondary, led by cornerbacks Harris and Clements, was supposed to be one of the team's strengths. Roman has played nine years in the NFL, but in six as a starter - counting time with the Bengals and Packers - he has made only four picks. His last came in 2006. Goldson sees himself as someone who can help rejuvenate the team's anemic pick numbers. "No doubt about that," he said. "I said to myself I've got to do something to help this team and this defense along because that's what we need. We didn't have too many turnovers." His promotion was the first of the offseason by Singletary, who has been a loud and visible force on the practice field. "He's more old-school than Nolan," Goldson said. "He wants everybody running to the ball, everybody finishing drills, everybody with a one-heart, one-mind mind-set." Singletary wasn't happy with Monday's workout, especially when linebacker Takeo Spikes nearly picked off a quick pass by Shaun Hill intended for tight end Vernon Davis, who didn't look back. The coach was further incensed to see a player fail to run off the field. So he ordered the whole team to run a half-dozen times across the field. "He's going to get what he wants out of us," Goldson said. "We don't walk on the field, and he caught a guy walking. So he punished us for it." BRIEFLY : The spirited competition between offense and defense hit a peak when linebacker Parys Haralson broke offside and the defense pleaded that he was drawn off by tackle Adam Snyder. Singletary ruled: "If we're at home, you're offside. If we're away, it's a false start. We're at home." So the offside penalty was marked off. ... Alex Smith looked sharp in the workout, and that was after general manager Scot McCloughan told reporters that his performance in last week's minicamp was "the best I've seen him throw." Smith shows no effects of the shoulder injury that shelved him last year. "He's more old-school than predecessor Mike Nolan. He wants everybody running to the ball, everybody finishing drills, everybody with a one-heart, one-mind mind-set." Dashon Goldson, on coach Mike Singletary