Raiders overmatched even against lowly Texans

This is my column on the Raiders’ upcoming game against the Texans. WARNING: This is a Raiders column. 49ers fans, feel free to skip this. You know what Sunday’s Raiders’ game is? It’s the Raiders’ best chance to win a game until late October. They are playing the downtrodden Houston Texans. If the Raiders lose this one, they’ll be 0-2 and their next three opponents will be the Patriots, the…

September 13, 2014
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Roman: “I think we can change gears pretty quickly.”

SANTA CLARA — Greg Roman spoke in the media tent Thursday afternoon. Here’s a transcript. ROMAN: Good afternoon. We’ve got a very good Houston team coming in. We’ve got a very complete defense, a playoff team that won a lot of games there, a complete team. When you look at their defense, it starts up front but they’re really talented at every level of their defense. You look at their…

October 3, 2013
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Cosell on the 49ers: “I think they learned they can’t quite take all the training wheels off of Kaepernick yet.”

Greg Cosell broke down the 49ers’ upcoming matchup with the Texans Tuesday morning o KNBR. Here is a transcript. Q: How does the 49ers’ 27th-rated passing offense match up with the Texans’ top-rated pass defense? COSELL: If the 49ers go to three-wide-receiver personnel with Vernon Davis at tight end, the Texans are a Dime team – six defensive backs. Very often in that Dime package they line up a rookie…

October 3, 2013
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Harbaugh: “We wanted to have two veteran quarterbacks.”

SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: Would you address the move of releasing B.J. Daniels and bringing in John Skelton? What’s your reasoning for that move? HARBAUGH: Felt like we wanted to have two veteran quarterbacks, two guys who have started games, played in games, won games. Felt like that’s what we needed to do at this time. We’ll…

October 2, 2013
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Kaepernick: “Our offensive line is really going to have to be geared in this week and really handle business up front.”

SANTA CLARA – Colin Kaepernick spoke in the 49ers’ locker room Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: We talked to Jon Baldwin yesterday and he said he’s been getting some extra work with you. What’s your assessment of him and how he’s progressed since he’s gotten here? KAEPERNICK: He’s been great. Jon has come to work every day, he’s been ready, he’s been trying to make sure he’s making…

October 2, 2013
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Kubiak says the Texans must stay in their pass rush lanes and keep Kaepernick in the pocket

Gary Kubiak spoke on a conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday morning. Here is a transcript. Q: Can you talk about the challenge that faces your staff and your team after such a disappointing loss on Sunday? KUBIAK: Yeah, that makes it tough. When you go out and play pretty darn well and you don’t finish the product at the end of the day, that’s pretty hard to swallow….

October 2, 2013
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49ers v. Texans matchups: Boone v. Watt

Before the 49ers play the Texans Sunday at Candlestick, I’ll break down a few key matchups. RG Alex Boone: 6-8, 300 pounds vs. LE J.J. Watt: 6-5, 289 It’s the best defensive player in the NFL vs. the 12th-best guard according to Pro Football Focus. The 49ers have had success running power off right tackle the past two weeks, especially with Boone as a pulling blocker. Will Greg Roman and…

October 1, 2013
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Preseason Week 2 grades: The offense

Here are my preseason Week 2 grades for the 49ers’ offense. OFFENSIVE LINE: B+. They opened up big holes in the running game and played pretty well overall, but it’s important to note they didn’t have to face two of the Texans’ starting defensive linemen – Shaun Cody and J.J Watt. Alex Smith got sacked twice and took five big hits in the first quarter, but the offensive line wasn’t…

August 19, 2012
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