SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers 35-3 preseason victory over the San Diego Chargers, who may or may not have shown up to play. Alex Smith: P. Smith gets a “Pass” even though he didn’t pass the ball once. He played five snaps and handed off five times, and he looked good doing it. Smith may be the finest hander-offer this side of the Mississippi. Colin…
SANTA CLARA – Sorry this post is so late; practice ended at 7:30 tonight. This is the good. The not-so-good will follow. Chris Owusu caught roughly five passes, including the catch of the day against the first-team defense. He beat starting cornerback Tarell Brown deep down the sideline and leaped to catch a Josh Johnson pass over free safety Dashon Goldson. Owusu has been on a tear for the last…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my preseason Week One grades for the Niners’ offense. Offensive line: A. In the running game, they completely pushed the Vikings’ defensive line around. The 49ers averaged 6.3 yards per rush because the offensive line created gaping holes all night. Rock Cartwright gained 44 yards on 8 carries. When was the last time you saw Cartwright do that? In pass protection, the offensive line looked…
Some readers have expressed concern regarding my minicamp analysis of Niners rookie wide receiver, A.J. Jenkins. I called him the biggest letdown of minicamp and one of the worst wide receivers on the field for those three days. Some readers said those statements were hyperbolic and lacked evidence. Below are my unofficial stats from last week’s minicamp. Hopefully, they clear up my statements from my minicamp review. Keep in mind…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke to reporters after Thursday’s practice. He was thrilled with how his team performed in this minicamp, and he detailed what he liked so much. Here’s the transcript of his interview, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “Very excited. That was an A++ practice today, and that goes for the whole Mini-Camp. It was outstanding by our guys. Tremendous effort, and really over the…
SANTA CLARA – At certain points in this morning’s Rookie Mini Camp, first round draft pick A.J. Jenkins looked like the best receiver on the practice field by far. At other points he got outclassed by undrafted players like Stanford’s Chris Owusu. Here’s what I mean. All the players raced this morning, but they didn’t run straight. They ran 20-yard figure-eights around giant hoola hoops. This drill tested quickness –…
