SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at the 49ers’ Thursday afternoon pad-less training camp practice. THE GOOD 1. Kyle Williams – He looked as explosive and fast as he did last offseason. In 7-on-7 drills, Williams blew past Marcus Cooper on a deep route and easily caught a 40-yard toss from B.J. Daniels. 2. Anquan Boldin – He snatched a sure interception away from Tarell Brown on…
SANTA CLARA – Here is what stood out to me at the 49ers’ Tuesday mini-camp. THE GOOD 1. Anquan Boldin – He was every quarterback’s favorite target, as usual. Five-of the-first-nine plays during 7-on-7 drills were passes to Boldin. He finished competitive team drills with seven catches and two touchdowns. He lined up at flanker and split end, but before the snap he usually went in motion and ended up…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what A.J. Jenkins said Tuesday afternoon. Q: Did your mindset change when Michael Crabtree got hurt? JENKINS: My mindset going into this offseason was just trying to play more, regardless of whether Crabtree was hurt or not. It’ s unfortunate that he got an injury, but my mindset didn’t waver at all because he got hurt. Q: Roman said last week was the best you’ve practiced…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the good and the not-so-good from the 49ers’ Wednesday OTA session. THE GOOD 1. Craig Dahl – He was the starting free safety, and he had the best day of all of the 49ers’ defensive backs. Dahl almost picked off Colin Kaepernick twice. First, Kaepernick tried to fire a pass to Chad Hall in the end zone in a 7-on-7 drill. Hall was running straight down…
Here are the top-10 position battles on the 49ers I’m looking forward to this offseason. Which battles interest you the most? 1. No.2 and No.3 cornerback: Carlos Rogers vs. Nnamdi Asomugha vs. Chris Culliver. Tarell Brown probably is a lock to start, so Rogers, Asomugha and Culliver will compete for the other two cornerback spots in the 49ers’ Nickel defense. Rogers and Culliver will compete to cover the slot. The…
In my humble opinion, you’re doing pretty well so far this offseason, Trent. I’m not going to give you a final grade today. That wouldn’t be fair. You still have the draft in a few weeks, and that’s when you need to perform your best. You have 14 picks. You may feel this year’s rookies will be better and cheaper long term than what’s available on the free agent market,…
This is the opening to my Thursday article on the 49ers’ pattern of winning two games and not winning the third. SANTA CLARA — The 49ers suffer from a rare condition called Third Game Syndrome. They win two games in a row and then they don’t win the third. They’ve repeated this pattern five times this season. They’ve just notched their sixth two-game win streak, and the third game looms. Third…
This is the opening for my Thursday article on what makes Aaron Rodgers special. SANTA CLARA — The 49ers face Keyser Soze this Saturday night. I’m not talking about the mythical villain from the 1995 movie The Usual Suspects. I’m talking about Aaron Rodgers, the Packers’ quarterback, the best quarterback in the NFL. When he played at Cal, NFL scouts mistook him for Verbal Kint, Soze’s diminutive, handicapped alter ego….
SAN FRANCISCO — If you were calling plays for the 49ers in the second half, would you call designed runs for Colin Kaepernick – his specialty – or is it too dangerous? The third string quarterback, Scott Tolzien, is not active.
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the complete transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Harbaugh explained why he suited three quarterbacks against the Lions. He also told two Muhammad Ali stories, praised Michael Crabtree’s “frog-like” catching ability, and more. Enjoy. “Sorry I’m late. I was getting a little something to eat. A little hungrier today than normal.” Did you have a $2 steak? “No. It was…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers 35-3 preseason victory over the San Diego Chargers, who may or may not have shown up to play. Alex Smith: P. Smith gets a “Pass” even though he didn’t pass the ball once. He played five snaps and handed off five times, and he looked good doing it. Smith may be the finest hander-offer this side of the Mississippi. Colin…
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…
Each quarterback made one great play against the Texans, but overall the QBs did not play well like they did against the Vikings last week. QUARTERBACKS: C-. Alex Smith made one brilliant play: On the first series of the game he faced third and five. He bought time by rolling to his right, he kept his eyes downfield looking for receivers and he threw an accurate pass as he took…
SANTA CLARA – Scott Tolzien made a few nice throws, but he got intercepted twice, and he should have been intercepted three times. All three passes were deep ones he slightly under threw. The first interception, Tolzien underthrew A.J. Jenkins. Perrish Cox picked it off. The second interception, Tolzien underthrew Nathan Palmer, and C.J. Spillman picked it off. Toward the end of practice, Tolzien tried the deep pass down the…
Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke in the 49ers’ media tent this afternoon. He discussed Aldon Smith’s injury, backup QB Scott Tolzien and the overall performance of the defense in Friday night’s preseason opener. He’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. What’s the takeaway, for you, from seeing your first team defense play a couple of series Friday night? “Well, we didn’t play as well as we’re capable of playing…
SAN FRANCISCO – Scott Tolzien was on the side of the field at Candlestick Park signing autographs today when Donte Whitner officially dubbed him “Baby Drew Brees.” A few writers walked over to Tolzien afterward and he was happy to talk. He had a big smile on his face and he answered each question with earnest humbleness. Here’s what he said. Q: How do you think you did against the…
SAN FRANCISCO – Donte Whitner spoke to the media in the middle of Bill Walsh Field after Fan Fest on Sunday. Someone asked him a question about backup quarterback Scott Tolzien, and this is what Whitner said. Q: What is it about Scott Tolzien that makes him effective? WHITNER: I call him “Baby Drew Brees.” I remember the other day, (Brian) Tyms ran a fade in the back of the…
SAN FRANCISCO – Alex Smith had his best practice of training camp, and the 49ers’ first team-offense beat the first-team defense for a change. Smith completed 9 of 10 passes on a 90-yard drive to end practice. On third and 9 from the defense’s 14-yard line, he connected with a wide open Konrad Reuland for a touchdown Colin Kaepernick threw the best touchdown pass of the day in a red…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers quarterbacks, all four of whom played well against the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason opener on Friday night. Quarterbacks: A. Alex Smith played the first series of the game and was perfect, completing three short passes including a screen to Kendall Hunter and a four-yard fade to Brett Swain for a touchdown. Smith did not convert the one third down…
SANTA CLARA – All four of the Niners quarterbacks struggled in practice today. Alex Smith threw three interceptions – one to Bowman, one to free safety Darcel McBath and one to reserve linebacker Mike Wilhoite. McBath’s interception came after a Mario Manningham tip in the middle of the field, but the other two picks were in the end zone. The entire offense was working on red zone efficiency, so Smith…
