49ers mini-camp: Phase 2 of a laid-back offseason?

Last year’s offseason was completely different than this year’s offseason. Last year was strenuous. Jim Harbaugh made every practice extremely competitive. Players got hurt. Michael Crabtree blew out his Achilles’ tendon right away. So, Harbaugh created an open competition for the No.2 WR job. That didn’t work out so well. Quinton Patton broke his finger during training camp. This year’s offseason has been much more laid back. Michael Crabtree, Anquan…

June 14, 2014
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49ers draft grades (the ones that count)

Here is my Monday column grading the 49ers’ draft. Before we grade the 49ers’ draft, we have to agree on a grading criterion. I propose a simple one: Are the 49ers better than the Seahawks now? That’s the only question that should matter. That’s a pass-fail question. The 49ers added depth. They addressed needs. They drafted 12 players. But are the Niners better than the Seahawks? The first player the…

May 12, 2014
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Do the 49ers really need a speed receiver?

The 49ers need a third receiver. That is clear. Most draft gurus agree that the Niners need a burner, someone who can “take the top off the defense,” someone who runs a 4.3 40-yard dash or a low 4.4. Someone like Brandin Cooks or Odell Beckham. I agree, the 49ers need a deep threat. The Niners already have two possession receivers who excel on underneath and intermediate routes — Anquan…

April 9, 2014
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49ers stock report

Here is my Wednesday column. Here is the current stock report of six prominent 49er figures, letting you know if their stock is up or down. Jim Harbaugh: Stock down For eight consecutive years, his stock was up, up, up. That trend ended Jan. 19, the day Harbaugh lost the NFC Championship to the Seahawks the same way he lost the Super Bowl to the Ravens the season before —…

March 5, 2014
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What’s up with Boldin?

Now it has been five days since Adam Schefter tweeted the 49ers and Anquan Boldin are “closing in on a deal.” What do you think is taking so long? Do you think the Niners and Boldin will agree to a deal before free agency starts on March 11? If not, which teams possibly could outbid the 49ers for Boldin, like last year when the Broncos outbid the Patriots for Wes…

February 28, 2014
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49ers close to signing Boldin

According to Adam Schefter, the 49ers are close to signing wide receiver Anquan Boldin. “Deal expected to get done,” Schefter tweeted. What do you expect the parameters of this deal to be?  

February 23, 2014
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Baalke: “I like long arms.”

Trent Baalke held a press conference Friday at the NFL Scouting Combine. Here is a transcript. Q: Frank Gore will count $6 or $7 million against the salary cap this season. Is that reasonable? BAALKE: The simple is there is no reason it can’t be. We’re in a good shape from a cap standpoint. There really is no decision to be made. We can move forward exactly as is if…

February 21, 2014
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49ers grades and projections

This is my Thursday column. Dear player or coach for the San Francisco 49ers, This is your final report card for the 2013 season. Show this to your mother and make sure she signs her name at the bottom. COLIN KAEPERNICK: C+. I assumed you would improve, but you got worse. Somehow you became a less accurate passer, only occasionally hitting a receiver in stride. How did you get less accurate…

February 6, 2014
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Why mute Marshawn is wrong

This is my Thursday column on Marshawn Lynch. Should you care that Marshawn Lynch refuses to talk to the media? Yes, you should. He’s not honoring his contract, the standard player contract which mandates talking to the media. I understand not caring. Fans don’t like the media. If Lynch wants to bail on interviews, that’s his business. He earns $5 million per year. He can afford to pay the fine….

January 29, 2014
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Should the 49ers re-sign Boldin?

On one hand, yes, the 49ers obviously should re-sign Anquan Boldin. He is the only receiver on the roster, besides than Michael Crabtree, who appears to be game ready on a consistent basis. On the other hand, Boldin will be 34 years old next season and could demand a contract worth between $10 and $12 million over two seasons. Not cheap. If the 49ers re-sign Boldin, they probably will have…

January 29, 2014
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Greg Roman’s third down tendency

I wrote a column this week on the NFL catching up to the Seahawks offensive coordinator’s tendencies. In the interest of balance, I want to share a tendency I’ve noticed about the 49ers’ offense, although I don’t think the NFL has caught up to it. Since Michael Crabtree returned Week 13, he has received 15 targets on third down and Anquan Boldin has received 16 third-down targets. Since Week 13,…

January 17, 2014
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Crabtree: “Anquan pretty much has the most energy on the team.”

SANTA CLARA — This is the transcript of Michael Crabtree’s Thursday press conference courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.   What was your reaction in March when you found out that Anquan Boldin was traded to the 49ers? “I got some help. You know, a lot of guys left. I am pretty much the only receiver that is back from last year. So that was a plus for us.”  …

January 16, 2014
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49ers 23, Panthers 10: Grades

CHARLOTTE – Here are the grades for the 49ers’ 23-10 divisional playoff win over the Panthers. KAEPERNICK: A-. He played terribly before the 49ers defense made their second goal line stand but, then again, most of the Niners played terribly before the second stand. After that, Kaepernick and the rest of the Niners were just about unstoppable. Kaepernick accounted for two touchdowns – a pass to Vernon Davis while rolling…

January 12, 2014
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It’s Panthers by a whisker

This is my Friday column on the 49ers upcoming playoff game against the Panthers. Before I write off the 49ers, I want to say I underestimated them this season. When Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles’ tendon during OTAs, I thought the 49ers’ season was dead. And when Aldon Smith drove his truck into a tree and the 49ers started the season 1-2, I thought the season was really most sincerely…

January 10, 2014
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It comes to pass for 49ers, Panthers

This is my Thursday column on the difference between the 49ers and Panthers. SANTA CLARA – The 49ers face a version of themselves this Sunday. If the 49ers are a “Bob,” the Panthers are a “Roberto.” For the most part, the 49ers and Panthers are the same team: Excellent, hard-hitting defenses. Quarterbacks who run and throw. Offenses built around running the ball. And coaches who are the sons of coaches…

January 9, 2014
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49ers’ weak pass rush gives Packers hope

Here is my Saturday column on the upcoming 49ers-Packers playoff game. GREEN BAY, Wis. — The 49ers can beat the Packers, have beaten the Packers, know how to beat the Packers, should beat the Packers and probably will beat the Packers on Sunday.But don’t count out the Packers just yet. A few factors work in their favor.The first factor is their quarterback, Aaron Rodgers. That’s an easy one. He’s still…

January 4, 2014
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Roman on last week’s short-yardage failures: “I think we could have executed those plays better.”

SANTA CLARA — Greg Roman spoke in the media tent Thursday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department.   Opening comments: “I’m very proud of our guys for finishing the regular season 12-4, qualifying for the playoffs. That’s why we all do this, for the opportunity to compete for a championship. We know what’s at stake and we’ve got a very good opponent coming up on Sunday in…

January 2, 2014
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Harbaugh boils it down Barney-style

SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here is a transcript.   Both teams talked about how Week 1 there’s been an evolution for both teams. What do you see is the major difference of the Packers now and the way that they played last week and the weeks before that, as oppose to the team you saw Week 1? “We saw a top-notch team…

January 1, 2014
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49ers 23, Cardinals 20: Grades

Here are my grades for the 49ers. They beat the Cardinals 23-20 on a last-second field goal by Phil Dawson. KAEPERNICK: B+. Excellent in the first and fourth quarter, bad in the second and third quarter. He was flagged for a delay-of-game penalty on the final drive of the game, but he also made two beautiful throws on that drive – one to Anquan Boldin for 18 yards and one…

December 29, 2013
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Kaepernick’s foot faults

Here is my Saturday column on Colin Kaepernick. Watch Colin Kaepernick’s feet this Sunday. The 49ers play the Cardinals in Arizona and the game means very little to the Niners. Win or lose, the 49ers will make the playoffs. They’ll be a wild-card team if the Seahawks beat the Rams, and the Seahawks probably will beat the Rams. And the 49ers probably will beat the Cardinals. You already know the…

December 28, 2013
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