Heitmann, Willis and Robinson will represent offense, defense and special teams, respectively. Harris is also included because he's the team's player representative.

Last season, the 49ers did not utilize the option to have the "C" patches. Instead, the club had 11 players as their "shop captains."

"I don't think that the team was represented as well that way," Nolan said. "Basically, this is the way that I've done it years prior, so I'm going back to that. So the experiment failed."

--Nolan met with linebacker Ahmad Brooks in 2006 when they were prepared to select him in the supplemental draft, said he is not concerned that Brooks presents a possible character risk.

The 49ers claimed Brooks off the waiver wire this week from the Cincinnati Bengals. Nolan cited vice president of football affairs Keena Turner, Rev. Earl Smith, sociologist Dr. Harry Edwards and team medical director Dr. Dan Garza as key members of the team's support staff.

Brooks will get a chance to play middle linebacker behind Patrick Willis in the 49ers' 3-4 defense. He fills the spot on the depth chart vacated when Dontarrious Thomas was released to make room for Brooks.

But Brooks' initial meeting with Nolan covered a lot more than just X's and O's, he said.

"He told me what he expected out of me," Brooks said. "He gave me detailed rules. I'm going to follow them. I've been in the NFL. I've been clean. I'm all right now. I don't have any worries. As long as I'm doing the right thing, I don't have any worries."

--Nolan has a 16-32 record as head coach with the 49ers, but he is 3-0 in home season openers.

--The 49ers will wear throwback uniforms from the 1980's and '90's on Alumni Day against the Seahawks on Oct. 26 and on Fan Appreciation Day against the Redskins on Dec. 28.

BY THE NUMBERS: 6. Number of consecutive seasons in which the 49ers have had new offensive coordinators: Greg Knapp, Ted Tollner, Mike McCarthy, Norv Turner, Jim Hostler and, this season, Mike Martz.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "Playing well and being yourself, those kinds of things take care of themselves. It's not something I'm consciously trying to exert or anything like that. I think if I play well and try to be myself, those things will take care of themselves" - 49ers quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan on whether he views himself as a leader on the team.