Remember two seasons ago when a talented 49er was criticized for being inconsistent and not a team player? Remember how we all moaned that Vernon Davis had such untapped talent that if applied properly, he would become an All-Pro? Last year Davis had the highest average-per-catch of any tight end in the NFL, 16.3 yards. He was the first tight end in 49er history to lead the team in catches, receiving…
Is Roger Goodell merely a puppet for the owners?
The question has been asked many times of many commissioners in America’s three major sports. Rich men do not take orders from someone they view as a power subordinate. The question is now being asked of the NFL commssioner. Jason Cole, who covers the NFL for Yahoo!, told KNBR last week that Dallas owner Jerry Jones and New England owner Robert Kraft are orchestrating the owners in negotiations. Jones playing…
John Madden on Jim Harbaugh
In a recent story in the Oakland Tribune, ex-Raider coach and Hall of Famer John Madden talked about the 49ers’ new head coach. “I was surprised he (Harbaugh) took the job,” Madden said. “When I heard Andrew Luck (Stanford quarterback) was going back, I said to myself Harbaugh would go back, too. With everyone knowing the lockout was coming, this wasn’t the year to start being a head coach in…
Normally I wouldn’t agree with much of anything Deion Sanders says
Deion Sanders is a Hall of Famer and was a colorful quote as a player but restraint, well, I never saw much of it. Deion made it a point to be outrageous. Yet, what Deion told WCNN, via SportsRadioInterviews.com, I couldn’t disagree. “Everybody around them (are) ‘yes men’,” Sanders said. “You gotta start hiring ‘no man’. Somebody is going to tell you no. Someone who is going to tell the truth…
What to do with Nate Clements?
How can the 49ers justify keeping Clements around this season for $15.2 million ($7.25 million base salary, $7.95 million reachable incentives)? After a CBA is reached, NFL teams will have three days to deal exclusively with their own free agents. Clements, an average-producing cornerback, will be the first name on the what-do-list. Yes, Clements was third on the team in tackles last season. He did have three interceptions, and forced…
Jim Harbaugh’s toughest job this season
How many incomplete passes from Alex Smith will it take for the head coach to yank him? How many looks of indecision will Smith give him before Kaepernick starts? How many times will he wish Andrew Luck was taking the snaps? NFL conventional wisdom always has had the promising rookie quarterback waiting, developing, maturing. Don’t throw him in there right from the get-go like the Patriots did once to Jim…
Jim Harbaugh said what so many people were hoping he would say
Friday night, interviewed before the Governor’s Dinner in Carson City, Nevada, the 49ers head coach said rookie quarterback Colin Kaepernick has a legitimate chance to start for the 49ers this season, so reported the Nevada Appeal newspaper of Carson City. Harbaugh made it very clear the starting quaterback would earn the job based on productivity and nothing else. “The best guy will play,” Harbaugh said. “The guy who practices the best, who…
When will you guys hit the throttle?
I mean, the comments I have been reading has been restrained, thoughtful, maybe just a touch angry. I wonder when 49er fans will cross over to that great Peter Finch line from the movie “Network” – “I’m mad as hell and I’m going to take it anymore!” I see so much passion in these comments. Wonder, for Niner fans, when it’ll be time to hit the throttle and get angry?…
This will make you nostalgic. . .
which is probably why it would be a good idea to head down to Santa Clara on July 23rd. To celebrate the team’s 30th anniversary of their first Super Bowl victory – 30 years ago! – the 49ers will host a free ticketed event beginning at 8:30 p.m. on their practice field. There will be a special screening of the 49ers’ first SB victory, with pre-movie and intermission entertainment for…
Why the July 15th date has been mentioned so often
Tedy Bruschi, the former Patriot linebacker, now commentator for ESPN’s NFL Live, said Thursday July 15th is a big date for the owners, not the players. It’s all about not putting the ticket sales at risk for the upcoming pre-season games that begin in early August. That, and general managers would like more time to work the free agent market they is expected to produce a glut of talent. For the…
This is why the lockout won’t matter
The minute it is settled, if you’re a Niner fan, you won’t care what percentage of the revenues the players receive, how much of a financial contribution will be directed to the retired players. You won’t care to read those stories about which side won, which side lost. Rather, you’ll be thinking about how good this team could be in the NFC West. You’ll be stoked because you will have…
Show me the money and the bulldozer.
That’s what I am waiting for. The Niners announced yesterday they reached agreements with sub-contractors, concessionaires, a marketing sales agency and design people about a new stadium. Great. Fine. Except one thing. Where’s the stadium? Where’s the heavy equipment? Heck, give me a picture of a vacant lot with John York standing in front of it in a hard hat, drinking a pina colada. Better yet, show me the check!…
I hate to disagree with Matt Maiocco but…
I have known Matt for years, respect his judgement and work ethic as well as anyone, but I can’t agree with a recent blog of his in which he said some voters may not jump at the chance to vote Terrell Owens as a first-ballot Hall of Famer. Matt correctly points out that Owens was given the boot by the Cowboys, Niners and Eagles for being a royal pain the…
Check out this satire. Very cool
for those of you who can’t wait for the lockout to be over, this one is for you…… http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/7836326dd7/field-of-dreams-2-nfl-lockout-with-taylor-lautner?playlist=featured_videos
Michael Vick better than Steve Young?
That’s what Marty Mornhinweg, the Eagles’ defensive coordinator, recently told the Philadelphia Daily News. “Mike’s got a long way to go but you know what? I think he can be better than Steve,” Mornhinweg said. His opinion is worthy of consideration in that Mornhinweg coached Young in Young’s last two Pro Bowl seasons in San Francisco, 1997 and 1998. Mornhinweg was also Brett Favre’s coach when Favre won his only…
I picked Michael Carter and Tom Flores
My annual Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame ballot arrived and this one didn’t have a lot of headline grabbers but enough to make it tough. I could pick a maximum of two in any category. Gary Payton, among the best defenders ever in NBA history, was easy. So was wrestler Mark Schulz, Olympic and World Champion. Football was a hard-to-figure category, with seven names, six of them 49ers: Eric…
One thing about Eric Branch…
If you ever get a chance to meet him, do. Shake his hand. Introduce yourself. Eric won’t big-time ya. Eric is one the classiest guys I have met in the business. Even-handed, fair, funny, likes Mt. Dew, his family, Eric is a gem. I was very sorry to see him go. The Chronicle has a real keeper. He’s a quick read, learned the beat and the team well. The only drawback:…
Did Singletary go too far?
Former Niner coach Mike Singletary loved the Nutcracker Drill in which two players would square off facing each other, one trying to knock the other backwards. Singletary said it showed the toughness and character of players, as well as teaching the technique and value of leverage when coming out of a stance. He even said at the time he modified the Nutcracker a bit, to reduce trauma. But should Singletary…
Bob Padecky, the name may be familiar
For the time being I will not be writing as much as I have been about Sonoma County sports but instead will be tracking the 49ers through this blog. It will not be an easy chore since the lock-out has locked things down, in which the most mundane of activities becomes newsworthy. To wit: The magistrate in the labor dispute is enjoying himself these days by sliding a 40-pound rock…
Saying goodbye to a great newspaper
This is my final blog for The Santa Rosa Press Democrat. I will resurface at another publication in the near future.
