SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Vic Fangio said Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of the 49ers. So, offensive coordinator Greg Roman had said yesterday, obviously he’d been through two offensive installs already and it was more for him about execution. What is it about for you during this mini-camp with the defense? “Well, the mini-camp is just a continuation of the OTAs where we’re installing our defense. Teaching the assignments, the…
This offseason, four 49er cornerbacks will compete for three primary cornerback jobs – left cornerback, right cornerback and slot cornerback. The competing cornerbacks are Carlos Rogers, Tarell Brown, Chris Culliver and Nnamdi Asomugha. Which cornerback do you think will win each job, and who do you think will be the odd man out? To educate our guesses, here are some stats, courtesy of Pro Football Focus. Carlos Rogers Slot…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the good and the not-so-good from the 49ers’ Wednesday OTA session. THE GOOD 1. Craig Dahl – He was the starting free safety, and he had the best day of all of the 49ers’ defensive backs. Dahl almost picked off Colin Kaepernick twice. First, Kaepernick tried to fire a pass to Chad Hall in the end zone in a 7-on-7 drill. Hall was running straight down…
SANTA CLARA – Carlos Rogers spoke to Bay Area reporters this afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: What’s the mood like on the team right now? ROGERS: It’s always every team’s goal to win the Super Bowl. This is where it starts. Preparing, getting stronger, learning the offense, defense and special teams. Q: What kind of role do you think Nnamdi Asomugha will have this year? ROGERS: I don’t know….
Here are the top-10 position battles on the 49ers I’m looking forward to this offseason. Which battles interest you the most? 1. No.2 and No.3 cornerback: Carlos Rogers vs. Nnamdi Asomugha vs. Chris Culliver. Tarell Brown probably is a lock to start, so Rogers, Asomugha and Culliver will compete for the other two cornerback spots in the 49ers’ Nickel defense. Rogers and Culliver will compete to cover the slot. The…
The newest 49ers’ cornerback, 31-year old former two-time All Pro Nnamdi Asomugha, spoke on a conference call Wednesday afternoon with Bay Area reporters. Among other things, he spoke about his desire to finally win. Remember, Asomugha never has played on a winning team in the NFL. Here’s a transcript of his interview. And here’s a link to my most recent column on Yahoo! Sports: Does Nnamdi Asomugha bring anything to…
The 49ers just signed cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha to a one-year deal worth up to $3 million, but none of that money is guaranteed according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Asomugha will be 32-years-old next season. He’s four days younger than the 49ers’ oldest cornerback, Carlos Rogers. Do you like this signing? Do you think Asomugha will be one of the 49ers’ three best cornerbacks when the regular season begins? Do you think he’ll…
This is my second attempt to mock the 49ers’ draft. My first attempt was on the money, but this second attempt is even more on the money. Note: I mock the first four rounds only. The 49ers will trade up and draft CB Xavier Rhodes with the 11th pick. They will trade the Chargers picks No. 31, 34 and 94 for picks No. 11 and 145. Rhodes will start at…
The 49ers need to draft a slot cornerback, someone quick and fast enough to cover receivers like Percy Harvin, Danny Amendola, Victor Cruz, etc. In your opinion, who are the best slot cornerbacks in the draft? I’ll give you ten names and I want you to rank them. If there are any slot cornerbacks I’m missing, please tell me. Robert Alford, Southeastern Louisiana. 5-10, 188 pounds. 4.39 40-yard dash. 4.23…
The 49ers will face Percy Harvin at least two times next season. Can they match up with him? They couldn’t last season when he was on the Vikings. Harvin caught nine passes for 89 yards and he ran once for nine yards. A couple of his catches were screens and a couple were swing passes out of the backfield. I want to show you three plays in which Harvin beat…
Matt Barrows wrote a blog this morning arguing why the 49ers’ biggest offseason issue is the pass rush, not the secondary. I love Matt’s work and I usually agree with his opinions, but I disagree this time. The 49ers need to address the secondary with greater urgency than the D-line. If Isaac Sopoaga and Ricky Jean Francois leave in free agency, then the 49ers need to address the D-line after…
Now that the NFL Scouting Combine is over, let’s try to predict what the 49ers will do this offseason. Here’s my best guess. I’m eager to read yours. FREE AGENCY OUT: Dashon Goldson, Isaac Sopoaga, Ricky Jean Francois, Larry Grant, Leonard Davis, Tramaine Brock, Clark Haggans and Ted Ginn Jr. Goldson wants too much money, and the 49ers want a free safety with cornerback skills. Jean Francois signs with the…
Last week I listed the five biggest questions the 49ers must answer this offseason. This morning I’m sitting on my bed thinking about the five biggest storylines of the 49ers’ offseason. Here’s what I came up with. Trent Baalke. He’s been inconsistent. In 2011, he arguably had the best offseason in the NFL, drafting Aldon Smith and Colin Kaepernick and Bruce Miller and signing Carlos Rogers and Jonathan Goodwin and…
The Green Bay Packers just released eight-time Pro Bowler Charles Woodson. Should the 49ers sign him? Woodson will be 37 years old next season. He missed nine games last season with a broken collarbone, but he had made the Pro Bowl four-straight seasons prior to 2012. He says he wants to play for a contender. Could the 49ers use him? Woodson plays strong safety and covers the tight end in…
What are the top-five questions the 49ers must answer this offseason? I’ll give you my list, and I’d be interested to read yours as well. Can the 49ers’ defense improve? Once Justin Smith got hurt in the third quarter of the Week 15 game against the Patriots, the 49ers’ defense imploded. They went from elite to awful, giving up 34.4 points per game in five of their last six games…
The 49ers have four picks in the first three rounds of the upcoming draft: The 31st, the 61st, the 74th and the 93rd pick. How would you like the 49ers to use those picks? Should they package them or some of them in a trade for an elite player, like Jets’ cornerback Darrelle Revis? Or should they package the picks to trade up in the draft? Or should they stand…
The 49ers lost the Super Bowl 34-31 on Sunday. Here are the grades for the defense and special teams. Defensive line: C. Ray McDonald got pressure and recorded a sack, but the other defensive linemen were invisible. It was hard to tell Justin Smith was even on the field most of the time. He had almost no impact on the game, finishing with just three tackles. Linebackers: C. Credit the…
NFL.com just reported the 49ers are “highly interested” in trading for the New York Jets’ 27-year-old three-time All Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis. The 49ers are not the only team that wants Revis. The Seahawks, Broncos, Packers, Patriots and Bills are also reportedly interested. The Jets apparently want draft picks in return for Revis. The 49ers have a first round pick, a second round pick and two 2013 third round picks…
SANTA CLARA – Aldon Smith spoke in the 49ers’ locker room Wednesday afternoon. This is what he said. Q: Have offenses been double-teaming you more and more as the season has progressed? ALDON SMITH: Yeah, I’ve gotten doubled a lot more. Quarterbacks are doing a good job of getting the ball out of their hands. Stuff like that. Q: How do you deal with that? ALDON SMITH: It’s freeing somebody…
ATLANTA – The 49ers beat the Falcons 28-24. The 49ers are going to the Super Bowl. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ defense and special teams. Defensive line: B. Justin Smith and Ray McDonald didn’t get much pressure on Ryan, but in the second half they were able to push the pocket up the middle. It became difficult for Ryan to step into his throws. Also, the 49ers’ defensive…
