CHARLOTTE – Here are the grades for the 49ers’ 23-10 divisional playoff win over the Panthers. KAEPERNICK: A-. He played terribly before the 49ers defense made their second goal line stand but, then again, most of the Niners played terribly before the second stand. After that, Kaepernick and the rest of the Niners were just about unstoppable. Kaepernick accounted for two touchdowns – a pass to Vernon Davis while rolling…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers. They almost blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead, but ended up beating the Falcons 34-24. KAEPERNICK: B. His passer rating was 108.6 and he ran for 51 yards and a touchdown against a terrible defense. He also completed just 13 passes, and only a few of his completions actually hit his intended receiver in stride. All night, receivers had to adjust…
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Thursday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. How do you replace FB Bruce Miller and everything that he brought to the table? “Well, a fantastic football player, does so many things for us. [RB] Anthony Dixon will step up and do a great job, as he has been doing in that backup fullback role….
SANTA CLARA – Vic Fangio spoke in the media tent Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. FANGIO: I just want to let you guys know we’re going to miss Parys (Haralson) here. I want to laud his career here and his stay here. He was a great teammate, a great friend of the organization, a really good player and we’re all happy for him that he’s going to be able…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: Jon Baldwin practiced yesterday. What was your initial reaction to him and how he’s fitting in? HARBAUGH: Just one day, but good so far. Q: Can you tell what skills he has and how he could potentially fit into your offense? HARBAUGH: I think most people can. He’s somebody with great athletic ability….
SANTA CLARA — Justin Smith spoke to Bay Area reporters Wednesday afternoon for the first time this offseason. Here’s what he said. Q: How did you elbow surgery go? JUSTIN SMITH: I thought it went pretty well. They went in and repaired it. The strength and everything came back pretty good. I’m almost 100 percent. I’m looking forward to that. Q: Are you still rehabbing? JUSTIN SMITH: I don’t know…
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…
There’s been some confusion regarding exactly how the 49ers will use their newest defensive lineman, Glenn Dorsey. So I wrote an article explaining Dorsey’s role. He will start at nose tackle for the 49ers, meaning he’ll line up in the strong side A gap, the position Isaac Sopoaga played for the Niners the last two seasons. Dorsey also will backup Justin Smith at “Under tackle,” or right defensive end. But…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Friday afternoon. This is what he said. Q: Why promote Tony Jerod-Eddie to the active roster and not a receiver? HARBAUGH: We felt that’s where we needed the depth this weekend, this game. Q: What do you like about him? HARBAUGH: He’s been a big body, been strong, has a good understanding of our system and he gets an opportunity….
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…
The 49ers’ offense played 61 snaps against the Giants. Here’s a playtime breakdown for the 49ers’ offensive skill players. Vernon Davis: 61 snaps (100%) Michael Crabtree: 49 (80%) Alex Smith: 45 (74%) Frank Gore: 44 (72%) Mario Manningham: 41 (67%) Kyle Williams: 34 (56%) Delanie Walker: 21 (34%) Kendall Hunter: 17 (28%) Randy Moss: 17 (28%) Colin Kaepernick: 16 (26%) Bruce Miller: 11 (18%) Will Tukuafu: 4 (7%) Garrett Celek:…
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 – This afternoon offensive coordinator Greg Roman spoke for the first time this offseason. He explained how the offense is working on red zone and third down situations, and he said the main goal for the team is to not jump offside at all this minicamp. Below is everything Roman said. ROMAN: Obviously we’re knee-deep in minicamp right now. It was neat during Phase 1, with our first…
SANTA CLARA – 49ers running backs coach, Tom Rathman, spoke to a group of reporters after practice this afternoon. I transcribed the interview below. Here are Rathman’s main points: Brandon Jacobs “is a very physical runner” who “has the ability to pack it up inside and run over guys…If we want somebody to run outside, we’ll put somebody else in.” The Niners want to keep Frank Gore “fresh so he’s…
SANTA CLARA – Below is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Tuesday post-practice interview, courtesy of the 49ers. Here are Harbaugh’s main points: Will Tukuafu is playing defensive tackle and full back in practice, like Isaac Sopoaga did last season. Vernon Davis has improved his route running and he’s having an excellent offseason. Rookie defensive end Cam Johnson did not attend practice due a minor procedure but he should be ready…
SANTA CLARA – This is the last week of OTAs for the Niners, and today was the one practice open to the media. It started like all their other practices – drills first, then scrimmaging, but one thing was different. Alex Smith flat out dominated the quarterback drills. Nearly every warm up pass to every uncovered receiver was perfect. Last year during training camp he’d miss a few passes as…
Alex Smith wants a five-year contract, but the Niners only want to sign him for three years – that’s what the Sacramento Bee is reporting. What does this say about the Niners’ true feelings towards the quarterback they call “their guy?” It says Smith is their guy for now, but not for the long-haul. They like Smith and they want him presently, but they also want to keep their options…
SANTA CLARA – The competitive portion of practice was brief but it was also violent. The offensive lineman took turns trying to prevent defensive linemen and linebackers from sacking a ball boy who was standing behind them in the pocket. Every time the coach yelled “hut,” the players collided and their helmets crashed. It was definitely nutcracker-esque. First, the drill was one-on-one. Aldon Smith had Joe Staley’s number, beating him…
SANTA CLARA – Practice ended with Colin Kaepernick leading the first team offense against the first team defense in a 2-minute drill. Kaepernick was 4-6 on the drive, but Aldon Smith sacked him on the last play, and the offense put up zero points. Over the last 90 minutes of practice, Kaepernick took 22 reps with the first team while Alex Smith took 20. This was the first time in…
Spikes, who was sharing time with rookie NaVorro Bowman earlier this season, assumed a full-time role and shares the team-lead with three interceptions while posting the 10th 100-tackle season of his career.
