SANTA CLARA – Kyle Williams dropped two passes in practice today, but that’s not why Jim Harbaugh ejected him. Toward the end of practice, Williams caught a pass with undrafted cornerback Deante Purvis draped all over him. It seemed like Williams felt Purvis took too long undraping himself, so Williams head butted him. Then Purvis swung a punch back at him. Harbaugh ran in to break it up. He was…
SANTA CLARA – The Niners practiced in shorts today, and some of the time it seemed like they were going half-speed – especially the linemen. The first team offense never faced the first team defense, either. Both starting units mostly faced scout teams – third string players fighting for roster spots. Jim Harbaugh gave Vernon Davis the day off from drills, so Delanie Walker got the first-team tight end reps…
SANTA CLARA – Aldon Smith spoke after Ahmad Brooks on Wednesday. Smith talked about the level of attention he expects to receive from opposing offenses this season, his transition from defensive end to outside linebacker and his friendly competition with Ahmad Brooks. Here’s a transcript. Q: Is there a difference rushing the passer from a three-point stance as opposed from a two-point stance – standing up? ALDON SMITH: Not really,…
SANTA CLARA – Starting outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks spoke in the media tent on Wednesday and discussed what he did this offseason, the level of his current conditioning and the progress of the young outside linebacker, Aldon Smith. Here’s a transcript. Q: What went into your offseason? BROOKS: I really wanted to stay out here and stay close to the guys. Coming off a good season last year, I thought…
SANTA CLARA – It was defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s turn to speak in the 49ers’ media tent on Wednesday. He discussed Friday’s upcoming preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, the progress of his starting outside linebackers and a couple young defensive tackles. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. What are you hoping to see out of your defense in this first go around, Friday’s game? “I’m anxious to just…
SANTA CLARA – Rookie running back LaMichael James did not practice on Tuesday. This was the first practice he’s missed in training camp, and it is not known why he missed it. Backup quarterback Josh Johnson struggled today. He played with the second team offense and mostly faced the first team defense. His passes sailed high, he threw a lot of incompletions and two interceptions – one to Carlos Rogers…
SANTA CLARA – Michael Crabtree increased his practice participation on Tuesday, catching three passes from Alex Smith within the first ten minutes of team drills. Crabtree mostly watched from the sideline after those catches, but he looked like the best wide receiver on the team and Alex Smith’s favorite target when he was playing. Ahmad Brooks is having the best offseason of his career according to the coaches, and he’s…
SANTA CLARA – Greg Roman spoke Tuesday about Colin Kaepernick, Kendall Hunter and the team’s approach to the preseason, among other things. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “How’s everybody doing today? Getting ready for our first preseason game. Obviously for a lot of the young guys, it’s a really exciting week for them. They got their first game plan book handed to them today. Kind of…
SANTA CLARA – Colin Kaepernick wants to show this preseason that he is capable of becoming starting-caliber quarterback – that’s what he said at his Tuesday afternoon press conference. He also discussed his performance last preseason and his ongoing transition to Jim Harbaugh’s pro-style offense. Here’s a transcript. Q: Looking back at last preseason, did you feel overwhelmed in those games? KAEPERNICK: I definitely wasn’t as prepared as I would…
SANTA CLARA – Second-year running back Kendall Hunter is having an outstanding offseason. On Tuesday he spoke in the media tent about how he’s improved, what he’s improved and why he’s such a surprisingly good blocker for a little player. Here’s a transcript Q: Coach Roman said you’ve become a better player this offseason. Do you feel like you’ve come a long way since last year? HUNTER: Yes. I had…
SANTA CLARA – On Monday, Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent and discussed the current quarterback depth chart, Michael Crabtree’s injury status and why Kendall Hunter is having a great training camp. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “Hello. I want to send our condolences to the Reid family on their loss. We’re saddened with grief for them. Our prayers are with them and Garrett, at…
SANTA CLARA – The past few practices, the 49ers’ offense has focused primarily on the red zone. Today, they did a “four-minute drill” where they worked on sustaining drives. In this drill the offense has the lead and they’re trying to run out the clock and end the game. The first team offense went three and out the first time they faced the first-team defense. Patrick Willis knocked away a…
SANTA CLARA – The 49ers’ run defense is the best in the NFL, but their pass defense stood out on Monday. Justin Smith dominated the first half of practice, sacking Alex Smith twice. He constantly forced quarterbacks to abandon the pocket and throw on the run. He sat out the second half of practice and as a result the offense played much better. Perrish Cox picked off Alex Smith. On…
We all know Alex Smith is the 49ers’ starting quarterback, but there’s competition for the backup job and Josh Johnson may have pulled into the lead this week. Until the past few practices, Johnson appeared to be in last place, behind Colin Kaepernick and Scott Tolzien. Johnson was holding onto the ball longer than the other quarterbacks and taking more sacks. On the other hand, he’s taken a lot of…
Here are the top five performers in training camp at the end of Week One. Justin Smith – The defense has dominated the offense for most of training camp, and Justin Smith is a big reason why. He’s almost too good. Sometimes when the offense is really struggling, I wonder if they’d look better if only they didn’t have to practice against Justin Smith. Sometimes Jim Harbaugh makes the second-team…
SANTA CLARA – The two people on this list didn’t have bad practices, just bad moments. Anthony Dixon ran very hard, caught passes and made some nice blocks, but he got absolutely blasted by a cornerback (Perrish Cox), and jeered at by the defense for the rest of practice. Every time he ran into the huddle the defensive backs yelled his name. Jim Harbaugh almost one-upped Dixon. It was the…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the best of what I saw Saturday Night. Randy Moss had his best practice of training camp. He beat Tarell Brown twice in one-on-one drills. The first time he turned Brown around on a double move, and the second time he beat Brown deep down the middle of the field but Alex Smith overthrew the pass. In an 11-on-11 red zone drill, Moss beat Carlos Rogers…
SANTA CLARA – Mario Manningham spoke in the Niners media tent for the first time Saturday morning. He talked about his first impression of the playbook, his relationship with Randy Moss and the depth chart at wide receiver. Here’s a transcript. Q: Have you noticed anything with this playbook that you weren’t anticipating? MANNINGHAM: It’s easier than the offense I came from. Q: How so? MANNINGHAM: It’s a West Coast…
SANTA CLARA – Cornerback Tarell Brown spoke after Mario Manningham in the media tent this morning. He talked about what it was like to finally become a starter, what he expects from opposing offenses this year and what Manningham brings to the Niners. Here’s a transcript. Q: When you came in to training camp last season were you planning on winning a starting cornerback job? BROWN: Yeah, I definitely did….
SANTA CLARA – Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke first in the media tent this morning, and here’s a transcript of what he said courtesy of the 49ers. Your defense, the last couple of days, has obviously looked really solid. Is that what you’re seeing on tape too out of these guys? “We’ve had a couple good days. Obviously, there are some mistakes out there that don’t show up as clear…
