SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Frank Gore said at his locker this afternoon. Q: Is the short week going to be a little bit of a test for you? GORE: Coach is doing a great job with us. I feel that a short week for everybody it’s kind of tough. You’ve got to be smart. Q: How much game plan have they been able to put in? GORE: They’re doing…
The Niners are going to blow out the Baltimore Ravens 30-3 on Thursday, and I’ll explain why. First, the football reasons. The Ravens offense revolves around their running back, Ray Rice. The Niners defense will stop him with their front seven. That means the secondary can double team both wide receivers, Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith. Those are the Ravens three main weapons on offense, and the Niners D is…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Monday morning press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Did you get a chance to hear your brother’s national conference call? “No.” Didn’t know if you had any rebuttals to anything he said. “I’ll get a chance to take a look at it at some point maybe if I have time.” What are you going to say to him on the field…
SAN FRANCISCO – About a week and a half ago John Madden said on the radio that the NFL should discontinue Thursday night football games because they’re unfair for players. They don’t get enough rest between games, so the Thursday night game becomes dangerous. I asked Vernon Davis and Donte Whitner, two of the team’s spokesmen, if they agree with Madden. Here’s what they said. Q: Vernon, do you agree…
Here’s the transcript of the Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh’s Monday conference call. Q: Do you think that your childhood competition with Jim helped get you where you are today? JOHN HARBAUGH: I don’t know. I don’t think it was any different than most other childhoods or brothers. It definitely impacts who you are as a person. We both competed with each other and against each other. I know…
Here’s the transcript of Ray Rice’s Monday morning conference call. Q: The 49ers haven’t allowed a 100-yard rusher or a rushing touchdown this season. What are your thoughts on facing them? RICE: You look at the other side of the ball and you look at what’s going on over there and it kind of reminds us of our own defense. They take a lot of pride in not only stopping the run,…
Ray Rice will speak on a conference call at 10:00 am and John Harbaugh will speak at 10:30 am, but before I got to transcription land let’s play a game. Who are Alex Smith’s top-five weapons in the pass game? Smith has thrown the ball 68 times the last two games as Greg Roman tries to establish the pass attack before the playoffs. Over these last two weeks we’ve gotten…
SAN FRANCISCO — Here’s an all-time great postgame transcript, courtesy of Vernon Davis and the 49ers. If you haven’t noticed, Vernon Davis is becoming the voice of the team. He relays Harbaugh’s message as all the other players do, but he’s also honest and he goes deep when answering a question. Vernon, what’s it like to say you are on a winning team? You have been here for a long…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here’s the transcript of Alex Smith’s postgame press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. What was the message in the locker room at halftime? “I think looking forward, it’s cliché, but really coming out and looking to put that first drive together and get back on track, kind of back to basics. I think we all realized, especially on offense, how much we left out there. But we…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here’s the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s postgame press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. What does it feel like to be the first 49ers head coach to lead this team to a winning record since 2002? “First of all, congratulations to our players on this win. They’re the ones who are leading it; I just want to make that perfectly clear. We’ve had success on the field. We’ve…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my Week 11 grades for the 9-1 49ers. Alex Smith: B. After the game Jim Harbaugh said the passing attack wasn’t “on point.” Smith called his performance “frustrating,” and he called the offense’s red zone efficiency “bad” – the 49ers scored two touchdowns in six trips inside the Cardinals’ 20 yard line. Smith completed 20 of 38 passes for 267 yards, two TDs and one…
SAN FRANCISCO — This is the live blog for the 49ers Week 11 content against the Arizona Cardinals. I will be updating this frequently throughout the game from the Candlestick Park press box. 11:34 The 49ers inactive players are Madieu Williams, Brett Swain, Scott Tolzien, Daniel Kilgore, Mike Person, Ian Williams, Moran Norris. 11:38 Kevin Kolb is inactive for the Cardinals, so John Skelton will at quarterback. Tight end Todd…
Here’s the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Good week of practice? “Good week, good week. Always excited about this game.” Jim, if you had to pick a name, who would you say is the go-to receiver on your team? “They all are, that’s how we look at it. Probably going off the last game, [WR Michael] Crabtree was targeted the most. [TE] Delanie [Walker]…
Here’s what Friday’s injury report looks like: 49ers: Questionable: CB Tarell Brown (knee), RB Frank Gore (knee), DT Ray McDonald (hamstring) Probable: LB NaVorro Bowman (neck), WR Michael Crabtree (foot), CB Chris Culliver (shoulder), WR Braylon Edwards (knee), CB Shawntae Spencer (toe) Cardinals: Out: LB Joey Porter (knee), S Kerry Rhodes (foot) Questionable: CB Michael Adams (hamstring), T Jeremy Bridges (back), TE Todd Heap (hamstring), TE Rob Housler (groin), T…
Here are my Week 11 NFL picks 49ers vs. Cardinals: 49ers. This will not be a “trap game” for the Niners. Jim Harbaugh is too good of a coach right now to let his team come out flat on Sunday. His motivational theme of the week is “rivalry game.” My guess is he’ll use this theme for the rest of the divisional games. The Niners are 9.5 point favorites to…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “We’re working hard on this Arizona defense. They had a coordinator change this year. Their defense is a Pittsburgh Steelers scheme. They brought in their defensive coordinator who had been with the Steelers for quite awhile. They play extremely hard. They’re getting much better, playing with much more confidence and expertise within…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Vic Fangio’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Is there any question in your mind which quarterback you’re going to be facing on Sunday? “Well, it seems like it’s going to be [Cardinals QB John] Skelton based upon the reports and the comments.” What about him and is there anything about him that stands out? He’s obviously had a couple of nice…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Frank Gore said in the locker room today. Q: You missed practice yesterday. Was that related to the knee or were you getting some midseason rest? GORE: Rest. Q: The knee’s fine? GORE: Yeah, it’s fine. Q: Are you going to practice today? GORE: Yeah, I’m going to practice today. Q: So you’re expecting to play Sunday? GORE: Yeah I’ll play. I’ll play good. Q:…
Here’s the transcript of Greg Cosell’s Thursday morning interview on KNBR’s Murph and Mac Show. Enjoy. Q: What did the eye in the sky say about Alex Smith? COSELL: I think what they did was they came out a little more aggressively and they threw on first down early in the game – which, by the way, is always the best down to throw, because normally you’re throwing at base…
Here’s the transcript of Wednesday afternoon’s Steve Young show with the Razor and Mr. T on KNBR. Enjoy. Q: Here’s Steve Young, who’s convinced us over the years that playing quarterback is an art. YOUNG: Did you see Tom Brady in the third quarter? I want to say at the end of the third quarter they were up sixteen to nine I want to say, and he drove 82 yards…
