SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Greg Roman said at his Saturday press conference about Colin Kaepernick. ME: How would you grade Colin Kaepernick’s performance against the Rams? Are there any plays you’d like to have back, and if so, which ones? ROMAN: I’m not going to get into which ones. I thought he did a very good job of coming into the game and moving the team. There were definitely…
SANTA CLARA – Joe Staley had a concussion a few weeks ago. He spoke the media tent Saturday afternoon and explained the final contact test which determines if a concussed player can play, and which Alex Smith will have to take before the Bears game. MM: What’s the final step before coming back from a concussion? STALEY: The final step is a contact test. That can occur basically any time…
SANTA CLARA – Greg Roman spoke in the media tent Saturday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Alex Smith, whom the 49ers have listed as questionable to play Monday night against the Bears. LC: Is Alex Smith going to play Monday night? ROMAN: Alex is going through the protocol right now, and that’s in the doctor’s hands. When we know, you will probably know. LC: Does he have to do…
Earlier this season, Alex Smith said taking a sack is “not the end of the world.” I wrote a follow-up blog explaining that on every series in which an NFL offense allows a sack, it has just a 14 percent chance of scoring a touchdown. Through the first nine games of the season, the 49ers offense has taken a sack on 28 drives, and scored a touchdown on just four…
Statistical correlation to winning or losing is up to the eyes of the beholder. But there are some consistencies when you go back week to week and examine the same statistical categories, like number of offensive plays, rushing attempts and sacks allowed. Last week, winners averaged 60.9 snaps, not including penalties, while losers averaged 63.7 snaps, not including penalties. 10 of the 14 winners had fewer or equal sacks than…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Carlos Rogers said Friday afternoon in the media tent about the Bears wide receivers and how they compare to Danny Amendola and Victor Cruz – two receivers Rogers has struggled to cover. Q: What makes Brandon Marshall stand out at wide receiver for the Bears? ROGERS: That guy’s big – 230, 240 [pounds], 6-3, 6-4. And he’s got a quarterback who can get him the…
SANTA CLARA – Carlos Rogers spoke in the media tent Friday afternoon. Here’s what he said he expects from the Bears offense Monday night. Q: The Bears have named Jason Campbell as their starter for the Monday night game. How much does that impact the game? ROGERS: It doesn’t matter. I think both of them have strong arms, the ability to throw any throw. We know what Cutler can do….
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh seemed like his normal self when he spoke in the 49ers media tent Friday afternoon. He was in a good mood, he was talkative and he smiled a lot. As you are probably aware, he had an irregular heart beat Wednesday night and missed most of Thursday’s practice as he underwent cardioversion at Stanford Hospital. Here’s what Harbaugh said Friday about his health, courtesy of…
As I explained in my previous post, the Bears defense uses a Tampa 2 scheme which is tough to pass against. The 49ers heavy personnel formations may give the Niners an opportunity to avoid passing into that Tampa 2 shell. From the heavy formations, the quarterback can throw play action passes to a receiver working against a corner man-to-man or in a 3-deep zone, which definitely is better than throwing…
Yesterday I broke down the matchup between the Bears rushing attack and the 49ers run defense. Today, I’ll break down the opposite matchup, the one between the 49ers run game and the Bears run D. The 49ers run game should be favorable against the Bears if the Bears continue to feature their Tampa 2 scheme. The Bears may have to drop a safety down in the box and play the…
Now that Jason Campbell has officially been named the starting quarterback against the 49ers, the Bears’ passing game definitely will be impacted and mostly restricted to a conservative, low risk play calling style by offensive coordinator Mike Tice. Campbell’s release is nowhere as quick as Cutler’s, and Campbell’s ability to extend a play is marginal when compared to Cutler’s, so the Bears’ run game must keep the down and distance…
The Chicago Bears official twitter account just announced that backup quarterback Jason Campbell will start at quarterback against the 49ers Monday night. Their starting quarterback, Jay Cutler, suffered the sixth concussion of his career a few days ago. Alex Smith suffered his second concussion in two years on Sunday. The 49ers are expected to decide today whether or not he will play against Bears on Monday, but the 49ers may…
Earlier I wrote that Bears offensive coordinator Mike Tice has been too focused on passing this season. One poster on this blog cited Tice’s 50-50 run-to-pass ratio as a counterargument. A 50-50 run to pass ratio does not prove anything other than a coach in the press box tracking runs and passes, for whatever inane reason. Calling plays is not like handing out M&Ms – one for you, one for…
A quarterback’s best friend is a good running game, and although the Bears have two decent running backs in Matt Forte and Michael Bush, offensive coordinator Mike Tice often has strayed from attempting to establish the ground game, and is way too focused on passing. The biggest weakness for the Bears from an offensive-structure standpoint is their pass protection. They continually expose Jay Cutler, or subsequent QBs, to hits, knock downs and…
I’ve been in contact with a doctor, asking him what this minor heart procedure for Jim Harbaugh might be. The doctor wrote back, stressing that this is a rough guess based on very limited data. He wrote: “Could be a pacemaker. Doubt it is a catherization procedure, no one would consider that minor. Could be a cardioversion, where they use electrical current to change an irregular atrial rate to a…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh is having a minor procedure today at Stanford University Hospital for an irregular heartbeat. Here’s what the 49ers public relations director and Patrick Willis said about it today in the media tent. P.R.: “Some of you may have noticed Coach Harbaugh isn’t here today. Coach Harbaugh is not at the facility today under doctor’s orders. He’s having a minor procedure done today at Stanford University…
SANTA CLARA – Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith spoke to Bay Area reporters on a conference call Thursday morning. Here’s what he said about preparing for the 49ers two quarterbacks, Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick. Q: Do you guys have to prepare for both Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick? LOVIE SMITH: We’re going to prepare for the quarterback position for the 49ers. Whether it’s Smith or Colin, it doesn’t…
NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell spoke on the Murph and Mac Show Thursday morning. Here’s what he said about the Bears defense and Vernon Davis. Q: What have you seen from the Bears defense? COSELL: “I think the Bears defense is as fundamentally sound as any defense in the National Football League. They would probably be viewed by coaches as not being that complex to play against, although they do…
NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell spoke on the Murph and Mac Show Thursday morning. Here’s what he said about Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman. Q: What warts are you seeing on the 49ers defense? COSELL: We can start by throwing out a few numbers. If you subtract the Arizona game – Arizona’s not a very good offense – they played in the other three games New York (Giants), Seattle and…
Steve Young spoke on KNBR Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Colin Kaepernick. Q: How do you think Kaepernick did against the Rams? YOUNG: I thought he was thumbs-up. A young player in a tight spot. Had to go down and kick a field goal – did it. Had to bring the team back – did it. For young players, those are big deals. Now, was it pretty? No….
