Inside the 49ers » Michael Crabtree

Seahawks-49ers unmatched as rivalry

Grant Cohn — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 23:53:26 +0000

Here is my Tuesday column on the Seahawks-49ers rivalry.

The 49ers and the Seahawks have the best rivalry in sports right now, and it isn’t even close.

Here are the top five reasons why:

1. They are two of the best teams in the NFL.

2. They are in the same division.

3. Their head coaches hate each other.

4. Their players hate the other team’s coach.

5. Their players hate the other team’s players.

That’s a five-tool rivalry.

It’s not yet an all-time-great rivalry like Lakers-Celtics, Yankees-Red Sox or Bears-Packers. Those rivalries have been great for generations. 49ers-Seahawks hasn’t been the sport’s top rivalry for more than seven months. It’s only getting started.

49ers-Seahawks isn’t even the quintessential rivalry in 49ers history. The Rams are the 49ers’ natural rival. The Rams used to play in Los Angeles, and during the 1980s they had terrific teams featuring Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson. The Rams moved to St. Louis in 1995, and the two teams have maintained a respectable rivalry since then, respectable but not hot.

49ers-Seahawks is hot to the point of burning.

The Seahawks have been an NFC team for just 11 seasons. They moved from the AFC West to the NFC West in 2002, just when the 49ers were starting their eight-year run of failure.

49ers-Seahawks didn’t officially become a rivalry until Jan. 7, 2011, the day the 49ers hired head coach Jim Harbaugh from Stanford, almost a year after the Seahawks hired Pete Carroll from USC.

Carroll was the best college coach in the nation, winning the national championship in 2003, 2004 and 2005. He’d also been a defensive coordinator for the 49ers and a head coach in the NFL.

Stanford hired Jim Harbaugh in 2006, a year after the Cardinal football team had gone 1-11. As a coach, Harbaugh was a novice taking over a nothing program. He wished he was Carroll’s rival, because that would mean Stanford football was on USC’s level. But Harbaugh wasn’t even on Carroll’s radar yet.

That changed on Oct. 6, 2007, when Harbaugh’s Cardinal beat Carroll’s Trojans – a 41-point favorite – 24-23 at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.

Two years later, Harbaugh beat Carroll in the L.A. Coliseum again, this time by a score of 55-21. Late in the game when Stanford already was up big, Harbaugh ordered his team to go for a two-point conversion after a touchdown just to rub it in. After the game, Carroll approached Harbaugh at midfield and asked the now-famous question, “What’s your deal?”

Carroll probably figured out Harbaugh’s deal a few days later. He was building his coaching reputation at Carroll’s expense.

Carroll left USC in 2010, just before the NCAA started sanctioning USC for all kinds of violations perpetrated under Carroll’s watch. Carroll signed with the Seahawks, a rebuilding team in the worst division in the NFL. He’d be back on top in no time, he thought.

And he was right. The Seahawks won the NFC West Carroll’s first season in town. The team wasn’t great – 7-9 in the regular season – but they beat the defending champion New Orleans Saints in the playoffs, and Carroll resurrected Marshawn Lynch’s career. Things were starting to go Carroll’s way again.

Then the 49ers hired Harbaugh. He did not inherit a rebuilding team like Carroll. Harbaugh inherited a talented, veteran roster that had been bungled by Mike Singletary, perhaps the worst head coach in NFL history.

In Harbaugh’s first season with the Niners, he beat Carroll twice, won the NFC West and the Coach of the Year award. Harbaugh completely stole Carroll’s thunder for the second time.

Cut to the present. The 49ers and Seahawks are the two favorites to win the NFC this season according to Las Vegas oddsmakers. Both teams have young franchise quarterbacks – Colin Kaepernick and Russell Wilson. Both teams made the playoffs last season, although the Seahawks wiped the floor with the Niners 42-13 the last time they played, while the 49ers won the NFC West and went to the Super Bowl.

Harbaugh is the undisputed king of the division, and Carroll is maniacally plotting a way to dethrone him. In 2007, just six years ago, it was the opposite.

These days, everything Carroll and the Seahawks do is specifically geared toward taking down the Niners. The Seahawks are building a team to beat the Niners.

Carroll wants to hit the 49ers where they’re vulnerable. He’s been gashing the 49ers’ defense with Baldwin, a slot receiver, for two seasons. Baldwin is just a guy, nothing special. This offseason, the Seahawks traded for the best slot receiver in the NFL – Percy Harvin. The message: “Harbaugh, you couldn’t even cover your former player, Baldwin, the receiver you passed up. Good luck stopping Harvin.”

Carroll also signed two pass rushers – Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett – and drafted another one, Bruce Irvin, in 2011 to attack the 49ers’ offensive tackles, Joe Staley and Anthony Davis, who are better run blockers than pass protectors.

Harbaugh did not respond to these moves. After all, Harbaugh is the king. Carroll responds to Harbaugh’s moves, not vice-versa.

Actually, Harbaugh responded in a way. Harvin is a small player – 5-11, 184 pounds, so Harbaugh drafted defensive behemoths like Tank Carradine (6-4, 276), Corey Lemonier (6-3, 255) and Quinton Dial (6-6, 318). The message: “Carroll, we’re not worried about Harvin because he’s a shrimp and he’s not making out of the game in one piece. We’re going to flatten him and we’re going to flatten Russell Wilson and then we’re going to flatten the entire Seattle team because we’re bigger, we’re stronger and we’re the bullies.”

In building the Seahawks, Carroll also got “grudge players.” He wants players who have a grudge against Harbaugh like Richard Sherman and Doug Baldwin, two Seahawks who played for Harbaugh in college, butted heads with him at Stanford and were passed up by him in the NFL draft. You can imagine what Carroll asked those two players at the NFL Scouting Combine: “Do you hate Harbaugh? Good. Do you promise to hate him for the rest of your career? Good.”

He also has Brandon Browner, a cornerback, who recently bragged he’d like to put his hands around Harbaugh’s neck.

Carroll doesn’t want his team merely to hate the 49ers. He wants the Seahawks to be their opposite, their counterpoint, the un-49ers.

Harbaugh prefers “blue collar” players who say, “Yes, sir” to him, and don’t do a lot of talking. Carroll wants loud, brash, in-your-face players who want to bully the 49ers.

The 49ers and Seahawks play each other in Seattle on Sept. 15. Whoever wins that game will be the early-season favorite to win the Super Bowl.

They will play each other again Dec. 8 in San Francisco, and it’s possible they’ll play each other a third time in the playoffs. That’s how this rivalry could play out for the next 10 seasons. If it does, it could be on the level of Giants-Dodgers.

But to maintain the honor of having the best rivalry in sports, Harbaugh and Carroll must stick around. It’s the way they loathe each other that makes this rivalry extra special.

Grant Cohn writes two sports columns per week for the Press Democrat’s website. He also writes the “Inside the 49ers” blog. Follow him on Twitter @grantcohn.

Could Vernon Davis play more wide receiver this season?

Grant Cohn — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 18:20:30 +0000

It’s worth noting that Vernon Davis participated exclusively with the wide receivers, not the tight ends, during the 49ers’ past mini-camp.

Do you think that means Davis will play more wide receiver this year?

The Niners probably need him to play more wide out because their best receiver, Anquan Boldin, is a much better slot receiver than outside receiver at this stage in his career. During team drills, Boldin lined up in the slot the vast majority of the time.

The 49ers need an outside receiver who can stretch the field, like Randy Moss and Mario Manningham did last season. Davis may be the best candidate on the roster to fill that role this season.

Browner on Harbaugh: “I’d put my hands around his neck.”

Grant Cohn — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 22:06:35 +0000

Recently on Sports Radio KJR, Seahawks’ cornerback Brandon Browner, who tested positive for a banned substance and was suspended for four games last season, took a shot at Jim Harbaugh for his comments on the Seahawks’ recent P.E.D. issue – five different players testing positive since 2011: “He’s a coach. He’s never going to be out there lined up against me. I wish he would. I’d put my hands around his neck.”

I don’t understand why Browner is upset with Harbaugh. Harbaugh didn’t take a shot at the Seahawks. He was asked if he was aware of their P.E.D. problem and he said yes, he had noticed it. He did not make a judgment about the Seahawks.

Browner is out of line and acting like he’s guilty.

What do you think?

A’s discover their modern-day Kirby Puckett

Grant Cohn — Sat, 15 Jun 2013 21:10:22 +0000

Here is my Saturday column on the A’s third baseman, Josh Donaldson.

OAKLAND – Six hours before the A’s played the Mariners Friday night, A’s hitting coach Chili Davis and I sat on stools in an empty hallway outside the empty A’s clubhouse, and he explained to me the similarities between Josh Donaldson and Kirby Puckett as right-handed sluggers.

You’ve probably heard of Donaldson by now. He’s the A’s cleanup hitter and third baseman, and he’s having an All Star season. He was a catcher at the University of Auburn, but he switched to third base last year and won a starting job with the A’s.

Puckett was a first-ballot Hall of Famer and 10-time All Star outfielder for the Twins during the ’80s and ’90s. Davis played with Puckett in 1991 and 1992. If anyone can compare Puckett and Donaldson, it’s Davis.

The A’s had sent Donaldson down to the minors twice in 2012 because he wasn’t hitting. But they called him up in August, and since Aug. 14 Donaldson is hitting .301 with 17 home runs and 66 RBIs. He’s one of the best third basemen in baseball, the best third baseman in the Bay Area. Since last August, Donaldson mostly has been going very good but last week he had a mini-slump – just three hits in 29 at bats. More on that in a moment.

Davis is a brilliant analytical thinker, and your jaw drops when you hear how honest his answers are, but if you want his time, you’ve got to catch him when he arrives at the ballpark six or seven hours before a night game. A hitting coach is the hardest working coach on a staff. He spends hours before every game watching film of the opposing pitcher and creating individual game plans for Donaldson and the 12 other A’s hitters.

So, when you get 10 minutes of Davis’ time, as I did, you step aside and let him speak for himself:

“The similarity between Kirby and J.D. is their balance, that leg kick, that free-swinging mentality,” said Davis as he sat on the stool. “I think Kirby may have been a little more under control than J.D., but they both have the ability – even with all of that movement with the leg kick – to pick up and read pitches.”

I asked, “Puckett was a great opposite-field home run hitter, does Donaldson have that ability?”

“He does,” Davis said. “That goes right along with what I’m saying. Kirby worked on that. Kirby played a game in batting practice called ‘Optimum.’ He would say: ‘Last round: Home run game. Let’s see who can hit the most home runs.’ His rule was that you can’t pull it. Anybody can pull a home run, but if you want to be a home-run guy, see how many you can knock out of the ballpark the other way. It was a great game to play because it keeps you on the ball longer and it keeps you convicted to driving the ball the other way.

“Kirby and J.D. both are collision hitters.” Chili sat up straight, pretending to hold a bat and stare down a pitcher.

“There are different kinds of hitting styles,” he said. “Take Vernon Wells. You watch how he hit in (the Yankees) series (1-for-13), and to me, that’s more of a reactive hitting style. You’re waiting to see where the ball is and then you just react to it.

“Then there is mechanical hitting, where a guy’s up there and everything looks pretty, but he’s not really on the pitches. It’s more mechanics he’s thinking about.

“And then, there’s what I call collision hitting. When a guy puts his foot down and lands, he’s going to collide with something. He’s going to hit something and drive something hard. I was more of a controlled collision hitter. I wanted to see what I was hitting and I knew what I wanted to hit, but when I got there I wanted to get there with some force behind it. I think J.D. is more of a collision hitter, and the more control we can add to that, the better.

Davis stopped. “It’s funny you want to talk about that right now,” he said staring at me, shifting his weight on the stool, letting go of his imaginary bat. “It’s something I need to talk to Donaldson about today.

“When he’s going good – when any hitter’s going good – I just let them come in and do their work, because they’re sticking to a routine. When I see that he’s changing something, I want to ask why. Why are we changing that? What are we trying to feel here?

“What I think is kind of going away,” said Davis, rubbing his head in thought, “is his ability to read pitches. When he’s going good, he’s reading pitches. He’s seeing rotation. He’s seeing where pitches are going. And that foot. He gets it up and when he recognizes the pitch, the foot lands where he thinks the ball is going. If he lands too soon, then he commits to an area and he can’t get to other pitches. Once you land, you’re firing. The more-timely landing with the front foot keeps him on pitches, keeps him seeing curveballs, changeups, in and out, up and down a lot better.”

With Davis’ guidance, Donaldson should rediscover his inner-Kirby quickly. But how did Donaldson discover his inner-Kirby in the first place? What changed for him last season?

I asked Donaldson that question Thursday morning at his locker: “Chili talked about Puckett a little bit,” he said, “not necessarily on a mechanical level. The biggest thing I was doing wrong was I was allowing the pitcher to dictate my at-bats the entire time. Sometimes I’d be hitting the ball solid, but maybe it was a pitch that wasn’t my strength. I’ve been doing a better job of zoning up pitches.”

Davis agrees. “He’s more under control. I liked J.D.’s swing from the time I saw it last year in spring training. What hurt him – which isn’t a bad thing – he was trying to be more like Jose Bautista. Every time we talked about hitting, he talked about what Jose Bautista did, which is fine. I emulated Eddie Murray as a switch hitter. I took little pieces of Eddie Murray and put it into a style of my own, and then I became the hitter that I was. And I think that’s what J.D.’s doing this year. He’s taking a little bit of what he likes about Jose Bautista, and he’s applying it to his body structure and his style, and so he’s becoming more of a Josh-Donaldson-style hitter.”

Bautista is a right-handed collision-hitter with a leg kick, but he almost never hits the ball to right field. Donaldson thrives when he drives the ball to all fields, like Kirby Puckett used to do.

So Donaldson has an inner-Kirby and an inner-Jose, and they’re at war with each other. If Donaldson is going to have a long and successful career, his inner-Kirby must win out.

Grant Cohn writes two sports columns per week for the Press Democrat’s website. He also writes the “Inside the 49ers” blog. Follow him on Twitter @grantcohn.

Harbaugh praises lots of players, including Kaepernick, McDonald and Patton.

Grant Cohn — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 01:15:11 +0000

SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said after practice Thursday afternoon.

Q: You ended practice early. Why?

HARBAUGH: I really liked the practice today and the entire offseason. It was a great effort by our team. I like our team. I like where we’re at right now. It was a good camp.

Q: It seemed like Colin Kaepernick and the first team offense really ended practice with a flourish.

HARBAUGH: They sure did. They were really sharp there. Colin has been on it all offseason. That period especially was outstanding. Saw Vance McDonald on his birthday making some spectacular grabs. We have to have more Vance McDonald birthdays. He was outstanding. Marlon Moore had a terrific day. There were others, but it was highlighted by some really good throws and catches there at the end.

Q: How was Austin Collie’s workout?

HARBAUGH: It was good.

Q: Anything more you can add to that?

HARBAUGH: Like what? He’s good. He had a patella tear seven-and-a-half months ago and he’s very far along. Very impressive.

Q: Does his concussion history scare you?

HARBAUGH: That’s for the doctors to look at and analyze.

Q: Do you know what happened to Brandon Carswell?

HARBAUGH: Yeah, unfortunately he tore his ACL. It was a real kick in the gut.

Q: How is Colin different through this weekend than he was last year?

HARBAUGH: I don’t know that I would compare the two. He’s doing a fantastic job in all regards.

Q: What about Craig Dahl’s assertion that you guys were tipping plays?

HARBAUGH: After the first game we played the Rams, we saw that we were doing that.

Q: So did you change things?

HARBAUGH: Yes, yes, adjusted.

Q: You don’t think that was an issue the second time in St. Louis?

HARBAUGH: Not as much.

Q: He just told you?

HARBAUGH: Of course we asked him. It confirmed what we knew.

Q: How often does that happen in the NFL?

HARBAUGH: Tips? Probably a lot.

Q: Why didn’t Anquan do team drills the last couple of days?

HARBAUGH: Today he didn’t. Yesterday he did. I felt he had done enough and I wanted to see the younger receivers and get them more reps.

Q: What about Eric Reid today? He didn’t participate.

HARBAUGH: Nothing like that. There’s a little minor thing he’s working through.

Q: On Tuesday you said A.J. Jenkins had his best week of football as a 49er last week. Did he build off of that this week?

HARBAUGH: I thought so. I thought he did another really good job. There’s quite a jump with Quinton Patton from where he came in. He elevated himself. Marlon Moore, as I said, had a great camp. Kassim Osgood really has been a real pleasant surprise at the receiver position. Chad Hall has done a remarkable job. Ricardo Lockette had perfect attendance, along with A.J. and Chad. Doing a really fine job. It’s fierce competition in there. They understand what’s at stake, what the team needs from them and they are rising to the occasion. That’s something that bodes very well for our team.

Q: How did you leave things with Collie today?

HARBAUGH: It’s ongoing. There are still a few things we want to have checked out.

Q: Do you think you’ll have to bring in another receiver for training camp?

HARBAUGH: Yeah, that’s a possibility.

Q: Does Collie have to get a little healthier?

HARBAUGH: We’ve plowed that ground pretty thoroughly. I don’t really have anything more to say about it.

49ers’ mini-camp: Day 3 – Kaepernick’s best practice of the offseason

Grant Cohn — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 00:55:03 +0000

SANTA CLARA – Here is what stood out to me at Day 3 of the 49ers’ mini-camp. If you have questions about anything else that happened at practice, ask me in the comment section.

THE GOOD

1. Colin Kaepernick – He hadn’t done anything spectacular this offseason until this afternoon. He’d been mostly dinking and dunking. Colt McCoy had been more aggressive throwing downfield. Alex Smith had been more aggressive throwing downfield in past training camps. But with 15 minutes left in practice, Kaepernick completed five perfect lasers in a row against the first team defense. He looked like Brett Favre in the pocket, throwing the ball as hard as he could down the field, over the middle and into tight windows.

2. Vance McDonald – Five catches during team drills, and three of those catches were flat-out spectacular. Twice he twisted his body in the air and caught passes thrown behind him. Once he ran a wheel route deep down the left sideline and caught an overthrown pass with his fingertips. He made each catch look easy. He did not drop any passes. He clearly is the 49ers’ No.2 tight end. Neither Garrett Celek or MarQueis Gray are in McDonald’s class.

3. Marlon Moore – Three catches during team drills and two were phenomenal. First, he beat Tarell Brown on a deep, inward-breaking route. The throw led Moore too far, but he stretched out and snagged it. Brown was upset – he hates getting beat, even in practice. Next, Moore caught a laser from Kaepernick. Moore stretched and snatched the ball in front of strong safety Trenton Robinson. Moore had an excellent mini-camp. He has good hands and he attacks the ball in the air. He’s very competitive.

4. Chad Hall – Five catches, more than any other receiver today. It seems the quarterbacks trust Hall, because they’ve been throwing to him more frequently than every receiver but Anquan Boldin.

5. Chuck Jacobs – Three catches, including a deep touchdown where he beat a busted coverage. Nnamdi Asomugha passed Jacobs off to the strong safety, Trenton Robinson, who happened to be covering Vance McDonald one-on-one. Jacobs was left wide open. It seemed to be a miscommunication between Asomugha and Robinson, who haven’t played with each other much. Next, Jacobs beat Patrick Willis deep down the left sideline on a wheel route and made a spectacular catch in front of the safety, but Jacobs could not get his second foot in bounds.

6. Nnamdi Asomugha – Intercepted a pass over the middle from B.J. Daniels intended for Quinton Patton. Asomugha was playing zone coverage. He read Daniels eyes, broke early and easily picked off Daniels’ pass.

7. A.J. Jenkins – He made a beautiful diving catch at the end of practice. He was lined up at split end across from Perrish Cox. Jenkins ran an inward-breaking route, but he did not separate from Cox. Cox ran step-for-step with Jenkins across the middle, but Kaepernick threw it anyway, threw it way in front of Jenkins so Cox couldn’t get to it. Jenkins dove like a centerfielder and caught the pass before it hit the ground.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

1. Anquan Boldin – He did not participate in team drills today. After practice, Harbaugh said Boldin is not injured.

2. Eric Reid – He did not participate in practice, either, and afterward Harbaugh said Reid has a small injury he’s working through. With Reid out, the starting safeties were Donte Whitner and Trenton Robinson. Surprisingly, Whitner took more than half of his reps at free safety, not strong safety.

3. Chris Culliver – He did not participate in practice all week.

4. Quinton Patton – He caught four passes, but he dropped two and fumbled one.

5. A.J. Jenkins – He caught two passes. One was a terrific catch, as I described above. The second was an easy catch on a short, inward-breaking route. He was lined up at split end across from Tramaine Brock. The defense was in zone coverage. Jenkins ran across the middle and stopped in a vacant zone. Colt McCoy delivered a strike to him. Jenkins took two steps upfield, Brock flew in and punched the ball out. Michael Thomas recovered it.

6. Brandon Carswell – Jim Harbaugh confirmed after practice that Carswell tore his ACL yesterday. The 49ers probably will sign a wide receiver, possibly Austin Collie, to replace Carswell on the 90-man roster for training camp.

Kaepernick on Boldin: “The strides we’ve made have been huge.”

Grant Cohn — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:27:59 +0000

SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Colin Kaepernick said Thursday afternoon.

Q: How tough has it been without Crabtree out here?

KAEPERNICK: We have a lot of great receivers who are out here right now. Losing Crab, losing the other receivers who were here last season obviously isn’t something you want, but we have receivers out here working.

Q: Are you worried about your timing and chemistry with the other guys?

KAEPERNICK: No. Not at all.

Q: How are things coming with Jenkins and Boldin?

KAEPERNICK: Very well. They’re both out here working hard. I’m getting a lot of throws in to them. Looking forward to seeing what they’ll do this season.

Q: You spent a lot of time with Jenkins this offseason. What kind of progression have you seen from him?

KAEPERNICK: Huge. He’s leaps and bounds ahead of where he was last year. We’ve just got to get him on the field now.

Q: What have you learned about Boldin?

KAEPERNICK: Give him a chance, that’s the biggest thing with him. Give him a chance to make a play, and more times than not he’ll make the play.

Q: What’s been your biggest growth this offseason?

KAEPERNICK: Just my leadership, being comfortable taking that role, being comfortable talking to any player on the team, telling them if they need to do something a little bit different to help our offense.

Q: Do you think you’re more vocal on the field?

KAEPERNICK: Yes.

Q: Is that different than when you took over last year? Were you a little bit hesitant to do those types of things?

KAEPERNICK: I wouldn’t say hesitant, I just wasn’t as vocal about it.

Q: Were you capable last summer, or were still in the mode of learning your own job.

KAEPERNICK: I think in the position as a backup, that’s not really your place to be as vocal.

Q: What are you going to do with this time from now to the start of training camp?

KAEPERNICK: Train. Get ready.

Q: How different are you physically? What’s the biggest difference?

KAEPERNICK: I’m just trying to improve every area of my game.

Q: How have you specifically elevated your game?

KAEPERNICK: I’m trying to improve on everything from the playbook, to getting faster and stronger, to being quicker mentally on the field, getting us in better situations, everything.

Q: Which receiver would you say you’ve had the biggest jump in improvement with?

KAEPERNICK: I think Anquan. I’ve had a little bit of time with him, and I think the strides we’ve made have been huge.

Q: How much time did you take off from football this offseason?

KAEPERNICK: I took a week off.

Q: Is the offense more wide open now that you’re in your second year as the starter? Can the offense do more?

KAEPERNICK: We’ll find out when the season comes.

Q: Are you different things out here than you did last year?

KAEPERNICK: You’re always doing something different.

Q: Has the red zone been an emphasis this offseason?

KAEPERNICK: Everything’s been an emphasis. Obviously, the red zone is an area in which we’re trying to improve, but we’re trying to improve everywhere else as well.

Q: Do you like the potential of your personnel in the red zone?

KAEPERNICK: I like the potential of the group anywhere on the field.

Q: Do you think your offense was tipping plays last year?

KAEPERNICK: As far as what?

Q: Not disguising them.

KAEPERNICK: We put up quite a few points, so I think our coaches were doing alright.

Q: There are reports that the offense tipped plays.

KAEPERNICK: I don’t read reports.

Q: What about the game in St. Louis? They seemed to know when to blitz, and they seemed to have your number.

KAEPERNICK: They had a good scheme. We should have made plays. I should have made different decisions. I’m not going to chalk something totally up to what the defense was doing. I look at ourselves first.

Gore explains why he has not been on the field this offseason: “I’m just getting my body back.”

Grant Cohn — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 20:08:42 +0000

SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Frank Gore said to the Bay Area media Thursday afternoon.

Q: What’s this offseason been like for you after getting so close in February?

GORE: It was tough at the beginning, but once I got back and worked out and stuff, I kind of got better with it. I’m happy to be back. When I got back, all the guys were working. We’re going to try to get back from where we left off last year.

Q: What’s kept you off the field this offseason?

GORE: I’m just listening to Ferg. He told me he doesn’t want me doing anything right now and I’m listening.

Q: Do you have an injury?

GORE: I’m cool.

Q: You’re healthy?

GORE: I’ll be good.

Q: You’ll be a full-go for training camp?

GORE: If Ferg wants me…If Ferg says I can go out there, I’m going to do it. I feel good. I’m good. That’s it.

Q: Did you have a procedure done in the offseason?

GORE: I’m just getting my body back. Just want to be fresh whenever I get back on the field. I’ll be fine this year.

Q: What kind of changes have you seen in Kaepernick from the Super Bowl to now?

GORE: He always works hard. Just knowing defenses, he’s getting smarter at that. He’s throwing the ball great. Everybody know he can run the ball. Just seeing him throwing the ball and recognizing defenses.

Q: He said he’s more vocal and more confident. Have you seen that from him?

GORE: Yeah. He should be. He did a lot when he got his opportunity and he took advantage of it. He had a great run. He’s looking to do even more stuff this year.

Q: What do you think of Marcus Lattimore?

GORE: He’s a good kid. I’m behind him because I went through the same thing – being one of the best backs at the school and getting drafted later in the rounds. You don’t know if you’re going to get back to you. I’m pulling for him. I think he’ll be fine. He’s a great kid, quiet, does whatever Ferg and the coaches tell him to do.

Q: When you hear people talk about the age of 30 for a running back…

GORE: I love it. I feel like every year it’s something with me. I’ve got to overcome everything every year. Coming off a hip injury, would I be able to be the same. When I turned 29, would I be able to play? Now I’m 30. I’m just going to keep working and training hard, and whenever Ferg lets me go on the field I’m going to go hard and prove everybody wrong again.

Q: Does that fuel you?

GORE: I love it. In the top-100 players, they said he’s turning 30 this year and he might not have any more left. I like that type of stuff.

Austin Collie works out for 49ers Thursday

Grant Cohn — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 18:39:33 +0000

USA Today just reported 27-year-old wide receiver Austin Collie is working out for the 49ers Thursday.

Collie (6-1, 200 pounds) started his career with the Indianapolis Colts and caught 172 passes for 1,839 yards and 16 TDs his first three seasons in the league. But he only played one game in 2012 due to a ruptured patella tendon and concussions. He was medically cleared to play football on Tuesday.

If the 49ers sign Collie, do you think he’ll win the starting split end job to start the season? If not, where do you think he would fit into the 49ers’ depth chart? Ahead of Kyle Williams? Ahead of A.J. Jenkins?

49ers’ mini-camp: Day 2 – Asomugha dominates, Boldin does not finish practice

Grant Cohn — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 04:56:55 +0000

SANTA CLARA – Here is what stood out to me at Day 2 of the 49ers’ mini-camp. If you have questions about anything else that happened at practice, ask me in the comment section.

THE GOOD

1. Nnamdi Asomugha – Played left cornerback for the first team defense and did not give up a completion in full-speed team drills. Asomugha broke up two passes from Colt McCoy in a three-play span: Asomugha dropped an interception when McCoy threw to A.J. Jenkins near the right sideline, and two plays later, Asomugha swatted away a deep pass intended for Marlon Moore.

2. Kyle Williams – Participated in half-tempo team drills for the first time this offseason and made a one-handed, over-the-shoulder catch on a deep pass.

3. Quinton Patton – Caught four passes, two against Tarell Brown. The second catch against Brown resulted in a first down on third-and-long.

4. Daniel Kilgore – Caught a touchdown pass from Andy Lee on a fake field goal. Parys Haralson and Ian Williams had tight double-coverage on Kilgore, but Kilgore would not be denied.

THE NOT-SO-GOOD

1. Anquan Boldin – It seemed like he tweaked one of his legs halfway through practice. A trainer stretched his legs for about fifteen minutes, and then Boldin watched the rest of practice from the sideline, holding his helmet in his hand.

2. LaMichael James – He looks faster and more explosive than he did last year, and I think he’ll have a good season running the ball, but he dropped a key third-down pass from Colin Kaepernick today. Kaepernick threw a strike to James, but the ball flew right threw his hands, hit him in the chest and fell incomplete.

3. Brandon Carswell – Signed a two-year contract this afternoon and injured his knee an hour into practice. He was walking around the field later, so I doubt he tore anything.

THE REST

1. Vernon Davis – Warmed up exclusively with the wide receivers during position drills.

2. B.J. Daniels – Warmed up with first with the running backs, and then with the quarterbacks, and then with the wide receivers and then with the quarterbacks again. He looked good at every position. He’s elusive, he can catch and he has a cannon.

3. Marcus Lattimore – Practiced catching over-the-shoulder passes from Trent Baalke for ten minutes. Lattimore didn’t drop any of Baalke’s passes.