Warren Sapp says the 49ers and Ravens defenses are opposites, Ngata is unimpressive and Iupati is top-heavy

Warren Sapp spoke on KNBR Thursday afternoon. Here is his breakdown of the 49ers and Ravens defenses, as well as his scouting report of the 49ers’ offensive line and the Ravens’ defensive line. Q: What do you think of the Ravens’ defense? SAPP: We love the Baltimore defense because of Ed Reed, Ray Lewis, Haloti Ngata, T-Sizzle – the names roll off the tongue. And everything they’ve gone through this…

January 31, 2013
Read More >>

Steve Young on Kaepernick: “They cannot put him in a situation where he’s deep in a hole.”

Steve Young held a teleconference Wednesday and spoke about the NFL playoffs. Here’s what he said, courtesy of ESPN.   Q.  I wanted to ask you about Atlanta and how this team seemed pretty easy to dismiss or forget about, the Falcons and obviously they have not won a playoff game with Matt Ryan and they almost lost some of the easier games at home this year.  How do you…

January 10, 2013
Read More >>

Cosell: “Did you know the Patriots run the ball more than the 49ers?”

Greg Cosell spoke on KNBR Thursday morning. Here’s what he said about the 49ers. Q: What stood out to you in the 49ers win over the Dolphins? COSELL: The 49ers ran 17 snaps in the pistol formation. 31 percent of their offensive plays were in the pistol. I think that’s indicative of the fact that the transition has likely been made, because when you go that heavy with pistol –…

December 13, 2012
Read More >>

Kaepernick cracks Berry’s top-10 fantasy QBs

ESPN’s fantasy football guru Matthew Berry just posted his top-10 fantasy quarterbacks for Week 12. They are: 1. Aaron Rodgers 2. Peyton Manning 3. Robert Griffin III 4. Matt Ryan 5. Tom Brady 6. Andrew Luck 7. Drew Brees 8. Colin Kaepernick 9. Cam Newton 10. Andy Dalton Who’s not on the list: Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, Tony Romo, Matthew Stafford, Alex Smith.

November 21, 2012
Read More >>

How the 49ers got the Packers in checkmate

Some things I forgot to mention about the 49ers’ performance against the Packers: Alex Smith and Greg Roman called brilliant running plays. What Smith did: Each time the Packers brought an extra linebacker or a cornerback to the line of scrimmage, Alex Smith audibled to a running play away from the blitz. These audibles worked beautifully. Peyton Manning couldn’t have made better pre-snap adjustments. Smith’s were near perfect. Before the…

September 13, 2012
Read More >>

Preseason Week 3 grades

Here are my grades for the 49ers preseason game against the Denver Broncos. QUARTERBACKS: B. Alex Smith and the first-team offense was 1-for-4 on third down and 0-for-1 in the red zone (Peyton Manning was 2-3 on third down and 2-2 in the red zone). Smith did complete 5 of 7 passes, including a deep TD to Vernon Davis. Smith also had one fumbled snap, one delay-of-game penalty and two…

August 26, 2012
Read More >>

5 keys vs. the Broncos

SANTA CLARA – The 49ers play the Denver Broncos today in their third preseason game. As you already know, the third preseason game is typically the most serious preseason game, the “dress rehearsal” before the regular season – starters play into the second half and coaches game plan for the opponent. But Jim Harbaugh said this preseason game would be no different than the other Niners preseason games. He doesn’t…

August 26, 2012
Read More >>

Harbaugh Part II, on Peyton Manning: “Does it matter what I think in that regard?”

SANTA CLARA – Here’s Part II of Jim Harbaugh’s Thursday press conference – the part where he talks about football. He confirmed three things: 1. Colin Kaepernick is the No.2 quarterback. 2. Brandon Jacobs has made the team, and 3. Harbaugh doesn’t want to talk about Peyton Manning. This third preseason game – do you see this as the closest thing to the regular season as far as a dress…

August 23, 2012
Read More >>

Harbaugh says he did not pursue Manning

I’ve posted the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers, below. Here are the salient points: The Niners never “pursued” Peyton Manning, they merely “evaluated” him. If they had signed Manning, they wouldn’t have paid nearly as much as the Broncos paid – $96 million over five years. If they had signed Manning, they still would have signed Alex Smith, and the two would have competed…

May 30, 2012
Read More >>

Manning to Broncos. Alex Smith or Mike Wallace to Niners?

Peyton Manning chose to sign with the Broncos this morning, according to Chris Mortenson. What a bad choice by Manning. His chances of winning a Super Bowl in Denver are modest at best (the team is no big deal), and the chances of reinjuring his brittle neck soar in the mile-high cold (To read my dad’s take on Manning’s decision: click here). But, those are the Broncos’ issues. Now the…

March 19, 2012
Read More >>

Alex Smith willing to be Niners’ backup plan to Peyton Manning

It only took Alex Smith a few hours to get over his anger at the Niners for pursuing Peyton Manning, apparently. According to Jason Cole, Smith will not sign with the Dolphins unless the Niners sign Manning. Even if the Dolphins offer more than the Niners, Smith wants to be in California. In other words, he wants to swallow his pride and win. Now, Smith has to wait like the…

March 18, 2012
Read More >>

Seahawks sign Flynn, Smith running out of options

Alex Smith will not be flying to Seattle this week, contrary to earlier reports. That’s because the Seahawks just signed free agent quarterback Matt Flynn to a three-year, $26 million contract ($10 million guaranteed), according to Adam Schefter. If the Niners sign Peyton Manning, Smith’s final option could be to sign with the desperate Dolphins. It feels like the world is closing in on Smith. Who knows, he could become…

March 18, 2012
Read More >>

49ers sign Mario Manningham, or Ham On Rye

The Niners just signed wide receiver Mario Manningham to a two-year deal, according to Mike Florio. Just a few hours ago it looked like Manningham would sign with the Rams, but the Niners seem to have made a competitive offer for him, and Manningham seems to not be stupid. Manningham is a good replacement for Joshua Morgan at flanker. He was the No. 3 receiver for the Giants last season,…

March 17, 2012
Read More >>

Source: 49ers offered Alex Smith three years, $24 million

Kevin Lynch broke news this afternoon. Citing a league source, Lynch reports the Niners offered Alex Smith a three-year contract worth $24 million. What’s more, according to the source Smith wants to change agents, too. His current agent, Tom Condon, also represents Peyton Manning, the quarterback the Niners seem to really want. Condon is doing a great job pumping up the price tag for Manning, but he doesn’t seem to…

March 17, 2012
Read More >>

Why the 49ers must sign Peyton Manning

Here’s another reason the 49ers should definitely sign Peyton Manning. It’s a given they would become instant Super Bowl favorites with him. We know this. But they’d also become the most watched, talked about, intriguing sports team in the world. In other words, they’d be the 49ers again. Sign the guy.

March 17, 2012
Read More >>

49ers want Manning

Secretly, Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman have already watched Peyton Manning work out and have given him a physical, according to Adam Schefter, who calls the 49ers the mystery suitor for the Hall of Fame quarterback. Apparently, Harbaugh and Roman flew to Durham, North Carolina on Tuesday to meet Manning and watch him work out Tuesday night. In my previous post I guessed the Niners and Alex Smith were waiting…

March 16, 2012
Read More >>

What’s going on with Alex Smith

Look, this is how I read what’s going on with Alex Smith. I’m trying to dope out the situation and these are my hypotheses: Alex Smith is waiting for Peyton Manning to sign before he does anything. His agent has implored Smith to wait until he is the No. 1 QB left on the market before he signs a contract, just to see what happens when he’s in a relative…

March 16, 2012
Read More >>

Why the Niners don’t want to sign Peyton Manning

I’m trying to be open minded about the Peyton Manning debate. I want to see things from both sides. Yesterday, my dad and I came out strongly on the Pro-Peyton side. Many readers agreed with us, and many did not. Both sides had good arguments. I’ve been thinking all night, and I want to give a new Anti-Manning argument. Here it is. The Niners might not want to sign Peyton…

March 8, 2012
Read More >>

The Niners should sign Peyton Manning

A “well-placed source” told the great Matt Maiocco that the 49ers have an offer on the table for Alex Smith and they have no interest in signing free agent Quarterback Peyton Manning, to which I say, slow down, 49ers. That’s a lot you’re asking us to accept there. Let’s break that claim down bit by bit. First, Alex Smith has an offer from the Niners. Good for him, but we…

March 7, 2012
Read More >>

Re: the offense, Cosell wonders: “Do they not have enough dimensions, or do they not have enough talent?”

Here is the transcript of this morning’s Greg Cosell interview on KNBR’s Murph and Mac Show. Enjoy. Q: You told us the Ravens were a homework week – that they presented so many different problems on defense that you needed as much time as possible to prepare. That set off a little red flag in my brain and sure enough, nine sacks for Alex Smith. Do you credit that partially…

December 1, 2011
Read More >>