SANTA CLARA – Aaron Rodgers spoke to Bay Area reporters this afternoon on a conference call. He spoke about the Justin Smith, NaVorro Bowman, Alex Smith and the term “game manager.” Here’s a transcript. Q: What makes the 49ers’ defense stand out among the NFL’s defenses? RODGERS: They have the best players. Front the front-seven to the back end they’re solid. They don’t have any weaknesses. A lot of Pro-Bowl…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s a snippet of Packers head coach Mike McCarthy’s Wednesday teleconference, in which he discussed Jim Harbaugh, Alex Smith, and Colin Kaepernick. Q: Is the read-option play with Colin Kaepernick something you have to prepare for? McCARTHY: It’s definitely something you have to prepare for. You have to put the time in, and we feel fortunate to have had the extra time to prepare for the 49ers….
The 49ers play the Green Bay Packers in four days. In the meantime, I’ll break down two key matchups a day. WR Randy Moss: 6-4, 210 pounds, 35 years old, 4.40 40-yard dash vs. CB Tramon Williams: 5-11, 191 pounds, 29 years old, 4.59 40-yard dash Although Williams ran a slow 40-yard dash at his Pro Day in 2006, he plays extremely fast. He’s also an explosive jumper – 37.5…
SANTA CLARA – When asked whom he expects to face this Sunday, Michael Crabtree smiled, shrugged and said, “I don’t know, man. I don’t know what to expect.” Here’s what you can expect: He probably will not face much of No.1 cornerback Tramon Williams, whom the Packers list as their left cornerback. Left cornerbacks typically line up against flankers and the 49ers list Randy Moss, not Crabtree, as their flanker….
The 49ers play the Green Bay Packers in five days. In the meantime, I’ll break down two key matchups a day. CB Carlos Rogers: 6-0, 192 pounds, 31 years old, 4.44 40-yard dash vs. WR Greg Jennings: 5-11, 195 pounds, 28 years old, 4.42 40-yard dash Jennings plays every wide receiver position, but over his final five games last season he lined up in the slot on roughly 65% of…
The 49ers announced today that they’ve signed 35-year-old outside linebacker Clark Haggans to a one-year contract. He will take Parys Haralson’s roster spot, because Haralson was placed on the Injured Reserve list this afternoon. Haralson seemed to injure his left arm against the Denver Broncos in the third preseason game, but his specific injury is unknown. Haggans will have a hearing with the NFL on Wednesday for a 2011 DUI…
On Saturday afternoon, Jim Harbaugh addressed the media in the media tent. He explained how the four captains were chosen and why TE Garrett Celek made the team, but Harbaugh declined to explain why Scott Tolzien made it over Josh Johnson. Here is the transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Do you guys have captains? “We voted for captains, yes. [RB] Frank Gore on offense, [LB] Patrick Willis on defense. They…
The 49ers players voted for their captains today. They are: Patrick Willis Frank Gore Justin Smith Alex Smith Last season, Gore and Willis were the only captains. Vernon Davis was a captain in 2009 and 2010 under Mike Singletary, but Davis has not been one under Jim Harbaugh.
The 49ers announced their practice squad this afternoon. It consists of these eight players: DT Tony Jerod-Eddie LB Cam Johnson DT Matthew Masifilo T Al Netter WR Nathan Palmer S Michael Thomas T Kenny Wiggins LB Michael Wilhoite Five surprises: The San Diego Chargers picked up Chris Owusu and placed him on their practice squad. WR Nathan Palmer received practice-squad offers from the New England Patriots, Miami Dolphins and Arizona…
Here’s the 49ers 53-man roster QB: Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Scott Tolzien OL: Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin, Alex Boone, Anthony Davis, Leonard Davis, Daniel Kilgore, Joe Looney RB: Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, Brandon Jacobs, Anthony Dixon, LaMichael James, Bruce Miller WR: Michael Crabtree, Randy Moss, Mario Manningham, Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn Jr., A.J. Jenkins TE: Vernon Davis, Delanie Walker, Garrett Celek DL: Justin Smith, Ray McDonald, Isaac Sopoaga,…
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…
SAN FRANCISCO — Here’s the second live blog for the 49ers final preseason game. I’ll be updating this one, not the other one. 9:05 Josh Johnson is back on the field for his second series. 9:13 Great drive for Josh Johnson. He converted all three third downs, including a 13-yard completion to Brett Swain on third-and-6. Johnson finished the drive with TD pass to a wide-open Garrett Celek in the…
SAN FRANCISCO — This is the live blog for the 49ers’ final preseason game. I’ll be updating this frequently with analysis from the press box. 5:28 I just found all the preseason stats. If you were wondering, here’s how the four QBs have fared so far: Alex Smith: 13 for 19 (68.4%), 7.1 yards per attempt, 123.6 QB rating Colin Kaepernick: 13 for 21 (61.9%), 6.6 yards per attempt, 81.3…
The 49ers cut 12 players yesterday and they will cut 22 more on Friday, trimming their roster down to 53 guys. After watching them all preseason, this is my best prediction for who those 53 guys will be. QB: Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Scott Tolzien OL: Joe Staley, Mike Iupati, Jonathan Goodwin, Alex Boone, Anthony Davis, Leonard Davis, Daniel Kilgore, Joe Looney RB: Frank Gore, Kendall Hunter, Brandon Jacobs, Anthony…
SANTA CLARA – Two key 49ers were limping in the locker room this afternoon – Ted Ginn Jr. and Demarcus Dobbs. Dobbs was on crutches and his left leg was wrapped from the ankle to the knee. He hardly put any weight on the injured leg. Ted Ginn Jr. had a boot on his right foot, and as he limped slowly out of the locker room I asked him if…
SANTA CLARA – Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke in the media tent Monday afternoon. He said he did not game plan for the Denver Broncos. He also discussed what the defense did well and not-so-well on Sunday. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Is it time to push the panic button? “In regards to what? The defense. “No, not yet.” How do you take what happened yesterday?…
The 49ers just tweeted their first round of roster cuts. There’s only one surprise: They cut their sixth round pick, Jason Slowey. Here are the cuts: FB Cameron Bell OLB Kourtnei Brown DT Patrick Butrym WR Ben Hannula WR Joe Hastings DT Matthew Masifilo CB Cory Nelms CB Deante’ Purvis TE Joe Sawyer OL Jason Slowey K Giorgio Tavecchio WR Brian Tyms The 49ers also placed Jewel Hampton on the…
Here are my grades for the 49ers preseason game against the Denver Broncos. QUARTERBACKS: B. Alex Smith and the first-team offense was 1-for-4 on third down and 0-for-1 in the red zone (Peyton Manning was 2-3 on third down and 2-2 in the red zone). Smith did complete 5 of 7 passes, including a deep TD to Vernon Davis. Smith also had one fumbled snap, one delay-of-game penalty and two…
Here is the live blog for the 49ers preseason game against the Denver Broncos. I’ll be updating this frequently from by bedroom, where I have the big screen TV. FYI – I will be at the 49ers’ final preseason game and the season opener in Green Bay. I’ll be your eyes on those games. 1:05 Terry Bradshaw just said re: the 49ers’ offense today, “I do believe they’ll go deep.”…
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…
