SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers massacred the Packers 45-31 on Saturday night. Here is the grade for the 49ers offense. Offensive line: A. Joe Staley gave up the one and only sack. He injured his arm in the game and did not play particularly well. But the other four offensive linemen sure did. Mike Iupati, Alex Boone and Anthony Davis all were terrific run blockers. Jonathan Goodwin only had one…
SANTA CLARA – Greg Roman spoke in the media tent Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Jim Harbaugh and the 49ers offense, courtesy of the 49ers. We don’t get to watch WR A.J. Jenkins in practice but can you describe how he’s done this year and I guess the progress he’s made through the course of the season? “Yeah, A.J. is making really good strides, week-to-week. He hasn’t…
SANTA CLARA – The last time Joe Staley faced Clay Matthews, Staley gave up three sacks and got his nose broken. Staley will face Matthews again Saturday night. Staley spoke about Matthews Monday in the 49ers media tent, and here’s what Staley said. Q: When you found out you were playing the Packers, what was the first thing that came to your mind? STALEY: Excited. Excited for the opportunity to…
SANTA CLARA – LaMichael James spoke at his locker Friday afternoon about the 49ers offensive line and his college coach, Chip Kelly. Here’s what James said. Q: What’s it like running behind the 49ers’ offensive line. JAMES: A lot of holes. I really feed off of them. I think they believe in me. During the game they keep me motivated. Q: What’s it like running behind Joe Staley in particular?…
There are two reasons why this game against the Arizona Cardinals matters deeply to the 49ers. First, there are playoff implications. If the 49ers win, they’ll be 11-4-1. They’ll get the No.2 seed and a first-round Bye if the Packers lose to the Vikings. If the Packers beat the Vikings, the 49ers get the No.3 seed and they would not get a Bye. They would play the No.6 seed at…
SANTA CLARA – Joe Staley spoke at his locker Friday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: The Seahawks have the third ranked defense in the league. What makes them so good? STALEY: Very, very fast. Their defensive front is the fastest in the NFL, especially those two guys on the edge (Chris Clemons and Bruce Irvin). They want to get you in third-and-long situations, so we have to do a…
FOXBORO, Ma. – The 49ers beat the Patriots 41-34 and clinched a playoff berth. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ offense. Offensive line: B+. They gave up just one sack – Rob Ninkovich beat Joe Staley. Other than that, the offensive line gave Kaepernick a ton of time to throw all game. They also created huge holes in the running game in the first half when the 49ers averaged…
The 49ers play the Dolphins Sunday at Candlestick. In the meantime, I’ll break down five key matchups. DE Cameron Wake vs. LT Joe Staley According Pro Football Focus, Wake is the No.1 rated pass rushing 4-3 defensive end in the NFL this season, and Staley is the No.17 rated pass blocking tackle. Staley is the best run blocking tackle in the NFL, but Wake is a terrific run stopper, too….
SANTA CLARA – Joe Staley spoke in the 49ers locker room Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Colin Kaepernick. Q: Jim Harbaugh said this afternoon Colin Kaepernick has earned the right to play this Sunday. Do you expect this to be a week-to-week thing? STALEY: No. Kaepernick is our starter and we support him 100 percent. All that other stuff, I think it’s moot. We’re all worried about doing…
This is what Adam Schefter just said on Sportscenter. SCHEFTER: “It’s not just 49ers fans fans who have gotten emotional about the decision to bench Alex Smith and start Colin Kaepernick. “It turns out that offensive tackle Joe Staley has as well. One day during practice last week when 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh noticed Staley seemed down, he pulled him aside, and the two had a discussion about it….
The 49ers play the Bears Monday night at Candlestick. In the meantime, I’ll break down five key matchups. DE Julius Peppers vs. OT Joe Staley and OT Anthony Davis Peppers had a terrific game against the Texans last week, recording 1 sack, 1 QB hit and 2 hurries. Peppers is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL. He rushes from both the right and left defensive end positions….
SANTA CLARA – Joe Staley had a concussion a few weeks ago. He spoke the media tent Saturday afternoon and explained the final contact test which determines if a concussed player can play, and which Alex Smith will have to take before the Bears game. MM: What’s the final step before coming back from a concussion? STALEY: The final step is a contact test. That can occur basically any time…
In the past, Anthony Davis needed help from tight end Vernon Davis in pass protection. This season, Anthony Davis is the best pass blocking offensive lineman on the 49ers. Now it’s Joe Staley who’s getting occasional blocking help from Vernon. Anthony Davis mostly is holding his own. He gave up three sacks against the New York Giants in Week 6, but he hasn’t given up a sack in the other…
The 49ers are halfway through their season. Today, I’ll give midseason awards for the best offensive and defensive players. Best offensive player: Honorable mention – LT Joe Staley. The strength of the 49ers offense this season is their offensive line, and Staley is the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL by far. He’s cleared the way for two of Frank Gore’s four touchdown runs. Staley struggled in pass protection early…
SANTA CLARA – Joe Staley spoke at his locker Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Alex Smith. Q: Did you see your coach’s “gobble, gobble, turkey” quote about criticism directed toward Alex Smith? STALEY: I did. Q: Has he ever used that language with you guys? STALEY: Never. Q: Do you know what it meant? STALEY: Just a lot of talk. Gobble, gobble. That’s never been an issue in…
I’m passing along Pro Football Focus’ player rankings for the 49ers because I think you’ll find them fascinating. If you want to know how PFF grades players, you can read that here. If you want to see the grades, you have to purchase their premium stats. According to Pro Football Focus, Joe Staley currently ranks as the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL by far. Alex Boone and Mike Iupati…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said Monday afternoon about the 49ers upcoming Thursday night game against the Seattle Seahawks. Q: What kind of challenges are there for you guys on the short turnaround? HARBAUGH: What they are is a short week for both teams. We’ve just got to go. We’ve got to go right away starting today. Q: Does that give you enough to time for Joe Staley…
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers just lost 26-3 to the New York Giants. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ offense. Quarterbacks: F. This was Alex Smith’s worst game under Jim Harbaugh. Smith threw three picks – the most he’s thrown since 2007. In the first half he missed a handful of open receivers. Then he tried to force a few passes and got picked off. At the end of…
Yesterday I broke down a couple of 49ers offensive line matchups with the Giants defensive front. I want to point out something. The matchups will not always be as simple as Joe Staley vs. Jason Pierre Paul and Anthony Davis vs. Justin Tuck. If you noticed against the Browns last Sunday, the Giants tried a variety of defensive linemen over all of the Browns’ offensive linemen looking for a soft…
The 49ers play the Giants on Sunday at Candlestick. In the meantime, I’ll break down a couple of key matchups per day. LT Joe Staley vs. DE Jason Pierre-Paul and DE Osi Umenyiora Staley did not play well against the Giants last Season. Week 10, he gave up 1 sack, 1 QB hit and 3 QB hurries to Pierre-Paul and Umenyiora. That was the worst game of the season for…
