The Facts: In a move that should provide stability for the 49ers' placement game, the team has reached agreement in principle on a multi-year contract with the 10-year veteran kicker. Because Nedney signed a one-year contract for the minimum base salary of $655,000 in 2005, he must wait until the start of the new league year, March 3, to sign the new deal.

Diehards Line:Nedney converted 26 of 28 field goal attempts and all 19 extra point tries last season, for 97 points. His 92.9 percent field goal conversion rate was the third best in the NFL among kickers with more than 20 attempts. Nedney made 12 of 13 field goals of 40 yards or more. Better still, Nedney, who missed one game last year, was able to avoid the kind of major injuries that limited him to just one game over the previous two seasons.