The 49ers just announced they’ve moved Mario Manningham to the injured reserve and replaced him on the 53-man roster with rookie undrafted defensive tackle, Tony Jerod-Eddie. The 49ers could be missing as many as three defensive tackles against the Cardinals on Sunday. Justin Smith has a partially torn triceps, Will Tukuafu has an injured neck and Demarcus Dobbs is out for the year with a knee injury. Jerod-Eddie (6-5, 301…
SEATTLE, Wa. – The Seahawks crushed the 49ers 42-13 Sunday night. Here are the grades for the defense and special teams. Defensive line: F. They couldn’t stop the run or tackle the quarterback. The Seahawks ran right down the 49ers’ throat all game. Ray McDonald and Ricky Jean Francois took turns getting moved aside at the line of scrimmage. On many of the Seahawks run plays, it looked like there…
This is what Greg Cosell said on KNBR Thursday morning about the 49ers win over the Patriots. Q: Should the 49ers consider themselves lucky they beat the Patriots? There were so many fumbles they got back. COSELL: They won the game, but you know what struck me? The second half the Patriots went to their speed no-huddle and the Niners’s defense got tired and they couldn’t rush the quarterback –…
FOXBORO, Ma. – The 49ers beat the Patriots 41-34 and clinched a playoff berth. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ defense and special teams. Defensive line: B. Justin Smith did not play particularly well, and then he left the game with an elbow injury. On the other hand, Ray McDonald played his best game of the season. He had half a sack all season, and he had two Sunday…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Ray McDonald said Tuesday in the locker room about Brandon Jacobs’s suspension. Q: Were you surprised about Brandon Jacobs getting suspended? McDONALD: From the coaches’ standpoint, they don’t want any distractions on the team. They felt he was being a distraction, so they felt they needed to do something. Q: Do you agree with the decision? McDONALD: I guess. He’s not about the team. The…
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers lost to the Rams 16-13. Here are the grades for the 49ers defense. Defensive line: A. Justin Smith may have had the best game of his season. He had a team-high 8 tackles, including three for losses, 1 sack and 1 QB hit. Isaac Sopoaga and Ray McDonald helped limit Steven Jackson to 48 yards on 21 carries. Linebackers: A-. Aldon Smith had a sack…
NEW ORLEANS — The 49ers just beat the Saints 31-21. Here are the grades for the 49ers defense and special teams. Defensive line: B+. Justin Smith had 1.5 sacks – he’s coming on at the end of the season, just like he did last year. Ray McDonald almost sacked Brees on the first play of the game. McDonald didn’t do much the rest of the game. And Isaac Sopoaga was…
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers destroyed the Chicago Bears 32-7 Monday night. Here are the grades for the 49ers defense and special teams. Defensive line: A. They held the Bears rushing attack to just 3 yards per carry. Justin Smith got consistent pressure on the quarterback for the first time this season. Ray McDonald tackled Chilo Rachal in the end zone for a safety. Linebackers: A. NaVorro Bowman had a…
SAN FRANCISCO — The 49ers tied the Rams 24-24. Here are the grades for the 49ers defense. Defensive line: D. Isaac Sopoaga was a liability at nose tackle. He actually got planted on his back by Steven Jackson in the first quarter. Sopoaga was briefly benched for Ricky Jean Francois. Ray McDonald was flagged for a 15-yard helmet-to-helmet hit on Bradford. Justin Smith finished with eight tackles and two pressures….
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers beat the Seahawks 13-6. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ defense. Defensive line: C+. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 103 yards on this group, which has given up 100-yard rushers two weeks in a row. However, when Lynch came Justin Smith’s way, Smith stopped him most of the time. Smith finished with a team-high 9 tackles, but he did get planted on his back by…
SANTA CLARA — Vic Fangio’s Thursday press conference transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. You played a couple teams earlier in the year that liked to spread you out, a lot of multiple receivers. Are the Bills the same way? “They play a lot of three wide receiver formations, yes. They do.” Is that similar to what the Packers and Lions did? “In some degrees, the formations are similar….
Here’s the second installment of the 49ers team MVP standings. To read the first installment, click here. Vernon Davis: The best player on the team, but he isn’t even the leading receiver. That’s Michael Crabtree, who has been targeted 31 times by Alex Smith. Still, Davis has caught 4 touchdowns in just 22 targets, and he’s an elite blocker. NaVorro Bowman: The best linebacker in the NFL. He’s giving up…
I was in an airplane somewhere above Nebraska or Colorado when Jim Harbaugh spoke to the media in Santa Clara Monday afternoon. He reiterated all the good things his players did against the Packers on Sunday, and he spoke about the upcoming opponent – the Detroit Lions – and the “mini-controversy” surrounding last year’s slap handshake with Lions’ head coach Jim Schwartz. Here’s a complete transcript, courtesy of the 49ers….
SANTA CLARA – Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke first in the media tent this morning, and here’s a transcript of what he said courtesy of the 49ers. Your defense, the last couple of days, has obviously looked really solid. Is that what you’re seeing on tape too out of these guys? “We’ve had a couple good days. Obviously, there are some mistakes out there that don’t show up as clear…
SANTA CLARA – On Friday, Alex Smith discussed why the Niners defense has recently dominated the offense in practice, how the passing game has progressed what he thinks of A.J. Jenkins so far. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. How would you describe the last two days as far as it pertains to who has gotten the better of whom out there? “Lopsided the last couple of days….
SANTA CLARA – Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke in the media tent today, and here’s a transcript of what he said, courtesy of the 49ers. How much more of the defense are you going to be able to install with this training camp compared to last year? “Not much more. We pretty much got everything we wanted to put in last year. And then as a matter of fact,…
SANTA CLARA – After practice, the 49ers P.R. staff invited the media out to the field to interview a few players. Most Niners were already in the locker room, but sixth round pick Jason Slowey stayed out on the field with Joe Looney and Colin Kaepernick to do some extra work. Slowey lined up at center, Looney lined up at right guard and Kaepernick took about 20 snaps from Slowey,…
Let’s rank the Niners best players. Since we’re killing time before training camp, this is the kind of mind doodling we do. I already wrote a blog on the top five Niners. I ranked them like this: 1. Justin Smith 2. Patrick Willis 3. Aldon Smith 4. Vernon Davis 5. NaVorro Bowman. In a way the next five are more interesting than the top five because they’re less obvious. You…
SANTA CLARA – Justin Smith philosophized about his team and his future this morning at the 49ers facility. He said he’s got three, maybe four more good years of football in him, and that the Niners window to win the Super Bowl is right now. Here’s everything he said. Q: How’s minicamp going? JUSTIN SMITH: It’s been good, every day just keep installing, getting everything done that you can get…
SANTA CLARA – It was defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s turn to explain the state of the Niners defense today. He said it has the potential to be the best defense he’s ever coached. He also talked about turnovers, and why he’s confident his players can continue to force them at a high rate next season. Finally, he spoke specifically about Aldon Smith and new cornerback Perrish Cox, and how they’re…
