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…
ST. LOUIS – Here are the grades for the 49ers’ 35-11 win over the Rams. KAEPERNICK: B+. He played very well – 115.7 passer rating – even though he rarely went through his progessions. He didn’t have to – in this game his first read usually was open. This season if his first read isn’t open, he scrambles. On one play in the fourth quarter Kaepernick started scrambling to his…
SANTA CLARA – NaVorro Bowman spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: It’s the third straight week your defense faces one of the top quarterbacks in the league. Any thoughts on that? BOWMAN: Yeah, I’m excited to face a good quarterback, one of Coach Harbaugh’s protégés. Just excited to bounce back from this loss. If you face the best early in the season then it…
SAN FRANCISCO – My grades for the 49ers after their 34-28 win over the Packers: KAEPERNICK: A. He outplayed Aaron Rodgers and shredded the Packers’ defense despite having no rushing threat, one wide receiver and one tight end. Kaepernick may be the only quarterback in the NFL who can pull that off. Here’s his final stat line: 29-of-37 for 412 yards, 3 TDs, a 129.4 passer rating, 9-for-18 on third…
Here is my Friday column previewing the 49ers-Packers game. Jim Harbaugh has to understand Clay Matthews isn’t bluffing. Matthews wants to take out Colin Kaepernick. Every Packer does. Matthews said so. If the 49ers run the read-option, the Packers will try to hurt Kaepernick. They’d be nuts not to. It’s legal. It’s smart. Knocking him out is the Packers’ best chance to win, and the read-option play is the best…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said at the podium after Sunday night’s preseason game, courtesy of the 49ers. Was that about everything you wanted to see for the third exhibition game? “Yeah. Saw a lot of good football and pleased with the way our guys worked, practiced all week and then came out and played in the game. I thought there was a lot of good football…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers in their 34-14 preseason win over the Minnesota Vikings. QUARTERBACKS: B. Colin Kaepernick played 17 snaps and played well, although he failed in his first appearance in the red zone, getting his pass tipped away on third-and-11 from the 12 yard line. But Kaepernick succeeded in his second red zone appearance. On third-and-goal from the five, Kaepernick rolled right, spotted…
Here is my Saturday column previewing the 49ers’ Sunday preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings. If you expect the 49ers to treat Sunday’s preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings like a dress rehearsal for the regular season, you may be disappointed. Most NFL teams treat the third exhibition game like a dress rehearsal. The 49ers did that last season – Alex Smith played the entire first half. But, I’ll be…
SANTA CLARA – NaVorro Bowman spoke in the media tent Monday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: How much has Michael Wilhoite improved this offseason? BOWMAN: He’s definitely a lot more focused. He understands that he has a chance to be the next guy up. I think that’s what he’s been waiting for. He’s definitely earned it with giving us everything he has on special teams. Now that he’s playing…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at Monday afternoon’s padded practice. THE GOOD 1. A.J. Jenkins – Today was his best practice as a 49er. He caught seven passes, and he caught two more in half-speed drills against the scout defense. His best catch of the day came against Tarell Brown in team drills. Lined up at split end, Jenkins beat Brown on a square in for…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at Sunday morning’s padded practice. THE GOOD 1. Aldon Smith – He practiced for the first time in a few days. Joe Staley didn’t practice, so Aldon Smith dominated. He got three sacks, and was in the backfield so often he started slowing down when he got to the quarterback so the offense could finish practicing their play. 2. NaVorro Bowman…
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent after Thursday’s practice. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Can you give us any indication on how serious CB Chris Culliver’s knee injury is? “No not yet. He’s up at Stanford getting an MRI.” How about LB Patrick Willis’ hand? “Yeah, he’s got something he’s going to be working through with his hand.” Do you expect…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at Thursday’s padded practice. THE GOOD 1. Vernon Davis – He lined up everywhere – tight end, in the backfield and out wide. In a red-zone drill, Davis lined up at split end across from Tarell Brown. Davis beat Brown on an inside move and caught a touchdown pass from Colt McCoy. 2. Nnamdi Asomugha – He was the second-team right…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at Wednesday’s padded practice. THE GOOD 1. Marlon Moore – He was the starting split end and he caught five passes and a touchdown during team drills. He also made the catch of the day, as he’s done every day of training camp. He ran a fade route against Tarell Brown, Kaepernick threw a back shoulder pass but it was at…
SANTA CLARA — Vic Fangio spoke in the media tent after Tuesday’s practice. Here’s what he said. How has NT Ian Williams looked with the first team handling the nose tackle responsibilities? “He’s doing very well. He’s having a good camp, so far. Ian’s worked extremely hard since he’s gotten here from day one but really kicked it up this offseason and he’s had a very good camp up…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at Tuesday morning’s padded practice. THE GOOD 1. Colin Kaepernick – All of his passes have been on the money this training camp, especially the deep ones. This morning, Kaepernick was on fire in 11-on-11 drills against the first-team defense. First, he hit Anquan Boldin on a post route for a 20-yard gain. Next, Kaepernick threaded the needle between two defenders…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at Sunday’s padded practice. THE GOOD 1. Eric Reid – He was the best free safety on the field by far. In 11-on-11 team drills, Reid knocked away a Kaepernick pass intended for Anquan Boldin running a slant. Also, Reid intercepted a Scott Tolzien pass intended for Garrett Celek. During individual drills, Ed Donatell had the safeties practice single-high coverage, having…
SANTA CLARA – With 20 minutes remaining in practice, Jim Harbaugh set up a fourth down drill: Fourth and five from the opponent’s 20-yard line, the edge of the red zone. The offense had one chance to make a first down or a touchdown. The first-team offense faced the first-team defense and right away, Ahmad Brooks jumped offside like he did in the Super Bowl. The 49ers replayed the down…
NaVorro Bowman was interviewed on NFL Total Access Here’s what he said about Colin Kaepernick wearing a Dolphins hat to a Fourth of July party: BOWMAN: “This is a huge mistake by Kaepernick. I am sure he understand this now. But in his defense, we are young. In our era now, we like to match our snapbacks with our outfits. The hats are now very important to the outfit. Kaepernick,…
What’s the correct name for the 49ers’ base defense: 3-4 or 4-3 Under? If you’ve never heard of the 4-3 Under, click here to read a detailed explanation of it. The article says George Seifert used the 4-3 Under when he was the defensive coordinator for the 49ers. His defense looked like a 3-4 because the weakside defensive end rushed from a standing position, a two-point stance. Here’s a description…
