SANTA CLARA – When Michael Crabtree speaks to the media – he rarely does, but on Wednesday he did – he’s detached, like he’s watching himself talk. He keeps an ironic distance from the interview. It always seems like he has another private thought and you’d love to know what it is, but he’ll only give you 25 percent. He looks at you through sleepy, mysterious eyes. These are all…
SANTA CLARA – First-round pick A.J. Jenkins, who had been making progress the past few weeks, took a step back today. He bobbled an easy pass, dropped another one and fumbled – he was running a reverse and as he got to the sideline it seemed like he expected cornerback Tarell Brown to tag him, but Brown punched the ball out of his hands instead. Second-round pick LaMichael James, who…
SANTA CLARA – The first-team offense and defense mainly faced scout teams (third stringers) at today’s practice, so most of the starters looked unstoppable. With that in mind, here was the best of the best from Tuesday. At one point in a red-zone seven-on-seven drill, Alex Smith threw four touchdowns over a five-pass span. Randy Moss caught two of those TD passes. He was being covered by undrafted rookie Deante…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh announced Tuesday in the media tent that Colin Kaepernick has tentatively emerged as the 49ers’ No. 2 quarterback. Here’s everything Harbaugh said about Kaepernick and the other QBs. Q: Is it possible that you’ll carry four quarterbacks on your roster during the regular season? HARBAUGH: Anything is possible. We’ll do what’s best for our football team. This is one of those things that was foreseen,…
Alex Boone, the 49ers’ new right guard who had never played guard before Friday night’s exhibition opener, spoke in the media tent Monday afternoon. He talked about his transition from tackle to guard, the advantages and disadvantages of being tall and long-armed, and more. Here’s a transcript. Q: How’s the transition from tackle to guard going for you? BOONE: A lot easier than I thought it would be. The biggest…
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…
SANTA CLARA – Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick both made a few beautiful throws against the second- and third-team defenses in Monday’s practice. Smith hit Vernon Davis (covered by reserve linebacker Mike Wilhoite) on a deep route for a 25-yard gain, and then on the very next play Smith hit Randy Moss (covered by reserve cornerback Anthony Mosely) deep down the left sideline for a 30-yard gain. Smith’s best throw…
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 – Delanie Walker left practice early with a right knee injury. He got tangled with Ian Williams when he was blocking and he fell to the ground in pain. He stayed on the ground for a couple minutes, and then he stood up and took several more minutes before he slowly walked off the field. He watched most of practice sitting on the bench, and the right knee…
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…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my preseason Week One grades for the Niners’ offense. Offensive line: A. In the running game, they completely pushed the Vikings’ defensive line around. The 49ers averaged 6.3 yards per rush because the offensive line created gaping holes all night. Rock Cartwright gained 44 yards on 8 carries. When was the last time you saw Cartwright do that? In pass protection, the offensive line looked…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my Preseason Week One grades for the 49ers defense. Defensive line: B+. Justin Smith didn’t play. The rest of this unit allowed 4.3 yards per carry to the Vikings, which is below the Niners’ stellar standard of run defense. The standout player of this group was Demarcus Dobbs, who completely dominated the Vikings’ backup left tackle. In the second half, Minnesota had to give Dobbs…
SAN FRANCISCO – Alex Smith spoke at his locker after the 49ers 17-6 preseason victory over the Minnesota Vikings on Friday night. Smith gave big praise to Brandon Jacobs, Brett Swain and the offensive line. Here’s the transcript of the interview, courtesy of the 49ers. What were your thoughts on the performance of the offense? “We ran the ball really well on the opening drive and all game. I…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here’s the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s postgame press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “We have a game under our belt now. A lot of data to study, on top of what we have been doing in training camp. But, good to have a foundation. Pleased with the way our guys competed. Thought there was a lot of good play out of our starters, and things…
SAN FRANCISCO — This is the live blog for the 49ers’ preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings. I’ll be updating this from the press box throughout the game with information and analysis. 5:17 Both Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss are doing all the pregame warmups. This is Moss’ first game since 2010 and Crabtree’s first preseason game ever. 5:23 Four 49ers are not suited up: DT Will Tukuafu, WR Joe Hastings,…
SANTA CLARA – Alex Smith spoke in the 49ers’ media tent after Jim Harbaugh on Thursday. Smith answered questions about Ted Ginn Jr., Leonard Davis and Mike Singletary, among other topics. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Guys are predicting in the preseason that you are not going to do a lot of running, establishing a running game, is that going to be the same story this year? “No…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke in the 49ers’ media tent on Thursday. He announced Michael Crabtree and Ted Ginn Jr. are his starting wide receivers for Friday’s preseason opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Here’s the transcript courtesy of the 49ers. How much do you expect to play the regulars on Friday? “Well, it’ll vary from regular to regular.” How about the starters? “The starters? We’ve got a number…
