Richard Sherman recently was “running at full speed, but walking with a slight limp after a full day’s workout at Stanford,” according to a report.
This is my Thursday column. Your favorite NFL team probably isn’t good. Ten weeks into the season, only 11 of the 32 teams in the NFL have winning records. That’s the fewest number of winning teams this late in a season since 1990, when the number was also 11. Then, the league had 28 teams, not 32. When did the NFL become so mediocre? Where have all the good teams…
SANTA CLARA This is the transcript of Blaine Gabbert’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. What did you do over the bye week? “I actually got a chance to go back to St. Louis. Hang out with the family a little bit. I got to see my little brother’s state semi-final game, so that was pretty fun.” How did he do? “He’s a freshman so he’s…
These are the players the 49ers should take in the upcoming draft given the players they already have signed in free agency. Round 1: Andrus Peat, OT/G, Stanford Andrus Peat is the most athletically gifted offensive lineman in the upcoming draft. He’s tall (6’7”), he has long arms (34 3/8 inches) and quick feet. He has the potential to become a Pro Bowl left tackle, but his rookie season he…
This is the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ p.r. department. Opening statement: “Morning. Getting ready for a very good Seattle defense. I think these guys have gotten healthy the past couple weeks and are playing at a very impressive level. Very impressed at their Philly game and they certainly did a good job against us a couple weeks ago. I think we helped them…
Colin Kaepernick gave the best interview of his pro career Wednesday morning on KNBR. Here is a transcript. Q: You look relaxed. KAEPERNICK: Once the season ends I can relax a little bit, talk a little bit more to the media. Q: Why are you shorter during the season and looser during the offseason? KAEPERNICK: To me, during the season the media is trying to find things to pick about,…
This is my column for Wednesday. The 49ers need a new quarterback. This is not to say the 49ers should give up on Colin Kaepernick — with the right coaching he may still have a future. But they shouldn’t go all in with him, either. The 49ers should hedge their bets, draft a quarterback who could back up Kaepernick as a rookie and could eventually take over as the starter…
What do you make of these stats for the Seahawks? Passer rating allowed this season: Richard Sherman: 45.9 Byron Maxwell: 47.2 Walter Thurmond: 67.3 Kam Chancellor: 61.1 Earl Thomas: 78.4 Yards per carry allowed the past five games: 3.34 Yards per carry allowed at CenturyLink Field this season: 3.6 Points per game allowed at CenturyLink Field this season: 13.8 Yards per play allowed at CenturyLink Field this season: 4.4 Opponent’s…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers’ 19-17 win over the Seahawks. KAEPERNICK: D+. He was pretty good in the first half and awful for most of the second half until his 8-yard run to seal the win on third-and-7 at the end of the fourth quarter. That’s why I give him the “plus.” He missed wide open receivers all game and completed just 52 percent of…
Here is my Friday column on how the 49ers are like Muhammad Ali. Of the 49ers’ remaining opponents, which ones have a defense that can cause problems for a 49ers’ offense with a spotty passing game? That is the key question. If a team can’t stop Frank Gore and Anquan Boldin, that team can’t beat the 49ers. But if a team has a good run defense and at least one…
SANTA CLARA – Frank Gore spoke at his locker Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: You haven’t had much production the first two games. Are you frustrated about that? GORE: I’m frustrated about the loss, really. We’ve got to get better in the running game. We’ve got to get it done. A lot of teams are playing us with eight or nine men in the box. We’ve still got…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Vance McDonald said at his locker Tuesday afternoon. Q: After watching the film, what did this offense learn? V. McDonald: First and foremost we’ve just got to take care of the ball. That’s the most important thing. Without the ball you can’t score points. Q: We all know that’s a very physical defensive front in Seattle. Did they bring anything different than you expected? V….
SANTA CLARA — Here is a transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Monday press conference courtesy of the 49ers. Anything going on with NT Ian Williams? What’s his prognosis? “It looks like he’s going to be out for the year. Disappointing, he’ll have surgery today.” It was a broken ankle? “Yes.” After watching the play, any thoughts on just the block? “No, an unfortunate play.” How do you…
Here is what Greg Cosell about the upcoming 49ers-Seahawks game on a Sports Illustrated podcast. Q: Last year before the Super Bowl, we talked a lot about the creativity that Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman implemented in the run game. This year, they’ve taken that creativity to trips and bunch, and the way they set Anquan Boldin and Vernon Davis up in those multi-receiver formations was a thing of beauty….
The 49ers cannot line up Anquan Boldin at flanker across from Richard Sherman all game and expect Boldin to play well. Sherman will get the better of that matchup. Sherman got the better of Boldin two years ago when Boldin was a Raven and Sherman was a rookie. Boldin caught zero passes when he was covered by Sherman. Boldin only caught two passes total in that game. Brandon Browner shut…
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. WR Kassim Osgood is back on the team, what do you expect from him? “He is. I expect major contributions on special teams.” Will he be a gunner? “He’ll be a core player.” What weighed into the decision to put LB Nick Moody on short-term IR rather than…
SANTA CLARA – Pete Carroll spoke to Bay Area reporters on a conference call Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: What were your impressions of the 49ers’ Week 1? CARROLL: They couldn’t have been much more explosive in the throwing game. It was a fantastic day for the quarterback, a great breakout day for Anquan Boldin in the new uniform. Vernon Davis was no surprise, he did great. They…
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…
Many of my readers have been comparing and contrasting the 49ers and Seahawks this week, so I thought it would be interesting to break down the two clubs by offensive, defensive and special teams units. In other words, at this point in free agency which team has the better starting QB? Which team has the better backup QB? Which team has the better group of running backs? And so on….
The Seahawks were my pick to win last week in DC, but I don’t see them winning this week in Atlanta. They have another long road trip, plus fatigue from their game on Sunday, and that injury to Chris Clemons – he tore his ACL and he is out. I think the heat really is on the Falcons, especially offensively. Matt Ryan is the toast of the town, but has laid…
