SANTA CLARA — Vic Fangio spoke in the 49ers media tent Thursday afternoon. Here is what he said, courtesy of the 49ers. What kind of problems do the Dolphins present? “Well, they’ve got a talented young quarterback who’s a good athlete, runs well. He’s a scrambler, got a strong arm. I think he’s gaining more and more confidence with every game that he’s played. I think they’re a much…
SANTA CLARA – Here is what Vic Fangio said about the 49ers defense at his Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. How much is it a luxury for you to have all four linebackers locked up for at least three more seasons after this one? “I think it speaks well for the organization that they’ve been able to in this age of salary cap. And it’s not always…
NEW ORLEANS — The 49ers just beat the Saints 31-21. Here are the grades for the 49ers defense and special teams. Defensive line: B+. Justin Smith had 1.5 sacks – he’s coming on at the end of the season, just like he did last year. Ray McDonald almost sacked Brees on the first play of the game. McDonald didn’t do much the rest of the game. And Isaac Sopoaga was…
SAN FRANCISCO — The 49ers tied the Rams 24-24. Here are the grades for the 49ers defense. Defensive line: D. Isaac Sopoaga was a liability at nose tackle. He actually got planted on his back by Steven Jackson in the first quarter. Sopoaga was briefly benched for Ricky Jean Francois. Ray McDonald was flagged for a 15-yard helmet-to-helmet hit on Bradford. Justin Smith finished with eight tackles and two pressures….
SANTA CLARA – Vic Fangio spoke in the 49ers media tent Thursday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Dashon Goldson. Obviously Dashon Goldson was very good last year. But, have you seen significant strides in certain areas this year? “I don’t know that they’re significant. But, he’s made little strides in all areas. And again like I’ve said before, little strides in a lot of areas equals a big…
The 49ers play the St. Louis Rams Sunday at Candlestick Park. In the meantime, I’ll break down a couple of key matchups every day. WR Danny Amendola vs. CB Carlos Rogers This is the key matchup for the Rams. Amendola has missed the past three games with a shoulder injury, but he’s going to play against the 49ers. He’s the Rams’ best offensive player. He will match up against Carlos…
SANTA CLARA – Carlos Rogers spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers defense. Q: You guys are ranked No.2 against the pass right now. How have the defensive backs stepped up this season? ROGERS: It’s our second year in the system. Guys are stepping up and taking on the challenges. Our defensive line and linebackers do a good job stopping the run, so…
Dashon Goldson is the best safety in the NFC and the MVP of the 49ers secondary this season. The 49ers were reluctant to give Goldson a five-year contract extension before the season. He played well in 2011, but did not play well in 2010. The Niners wanted Goldson to become more consistent, so they gave him the 1-year Franchise tag. They’re probably going to have to give him that five-year…
Some of you may be wondering why Aldon Smith and Dashon Goldson were not finalists in my midseason defensive player awards. Let’s be clear – they’re both having Pro Bowl seasons. Dashon Goldson is having the best season of any safety in the NFC. He’s defended two passes, intercepted two passes and scored a touchdown. He also made the hardest hit of the 49ers season Monday night on Early Doucet….
Here are the grades for the 49ers defense from their 24-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Defensive line: A. They completely shut down the Cardinals run game, holding it to 7 total yards. The defensive line often tackled running back LaRod Stephens-Howling five yards behind the line of scrimmage. Justin Smith got consistent pressure on a quarterback for the first time this season. Linebackers: A. The outside linebackers had dominant…
SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said Thursday about the 49ers defense. We spoke about this on Friday but S Dashon Goldson seemed to have a really good game against the Seahawks, both against the run and the pass. Could you talk a little bit about him and how he’s produced well and what a key component he is to what you do on defense? “Yeah, talent, work…
Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt spoke to Bay Area reporters Wednesday morning on a conference call. Here’s what he said about the 49ers. Q: Calais Campbell was talking on the radio yesterday about how much he and Darnell Dockett hate the 49ers. Does that represent your whole team’s view of the 49ers? WHISENHUNT: I certainly can’t speak for the whole team, but I think one of the things I…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said Friday about the 49ers’ 13-6 win over the Seattle Seahawks Thursday night. Last night you talked about it being the most physical 30 minutes. RB Frank Gore was talking about playing through bruised ribs. Can you just talk about how well he played with that injury and what you saw out of him last night? “Yeah, great game from Frank. Tough…
SAN FRANCISCO — Here are the Week 6 grades for the defense and special teams. Defensive line: D. They got zero pressure on Eli Manning. They held Ahmad Bradshaw to 23 yards on 11 carries in the first half, but they gave up 93 yards on 16 carries to Bradshaw in the second half. At one point in the fourth quarter they gave up almost 70 rushing yards on 7…
SANTA CLARA – Patrick Willis spoke at his locker Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: Did your offense surprise you at all against the Bills? WILLIS: We got out here and practice every day and we see the way those guys practice. For them to go out there and put up the numbers that they put up, they were extraordinary numbers. We never underestimate our offense. We know that…
SANTA CLARA – Dashon Goldson spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon and he wore Patrick Willis’ jersey as he answered questions at the podium. Here’s everything Goldson said. Q: How much of a threat is Eli Manning? GOLDSON: Eli’s a very good quarterback, very accurate, tough guy. We faced him twice last year, and what I got out of those games is he’s really tough. He’s tougher than he…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Victor Cruz said about the 49ers-Giants matchup to Bay Area reporters Wednesday morning on a conference call. Q: The Niners have shut down some good QBs and limited opposing passing games. How have they done that? CRUZ: I think it’s their aggressive play. I think their safeties do a good job of being heavily involved in the run. Dashon Goldson, he covers a lot of…
The 49ers play the Giants on Sunday at Candlestick. In the meantime, I’ll break down a couple of key matchups per day. TE Martellus Bennett (6-6, 265 pounds) vs. Patrick Willis, NaVorro Bowman and Donte Whitner With Dashon Goldson and Chris Culliver taking away the deep passes, Eli Manning probably will have to throw short and over the middle against the 49ers. That’s where Martellus Bennett comes in. We know…
SAN FRANCISCO — Here are the grades for the 49ers 45-3 demolition of the Bills – a truly awful team. Quarterbacks: A. Alex Smith had the best statistical performance of his career. His QB rating was a near-perfect 156.2. He also rushed 3 times for 49 yards. He completed 18-of-24 passes, but only two passes were bad – a screen he threw too early to Kendall Hunter, and an overthrown…
Here’s the second installment of the 49ers team MVP standings. To read the first installment, click here. Vernon Davis: The best player on the team, but he isn’t even the leading receiver. That’s Michael Crabtree, who has been targeted 31 times by Alex Smith. Still, Davis has caught 4 touchdowns in just 22 targets, and he’s an elite blocker. NaVorro Bowman: The best linebacker in the NFL. He’s giving up…
