Notes and observations from this morning’s practice in Santa Clara. (Note: If you’re here for prurient nutcracker stuff, try this instead.)
• A three-hour practice to start off the padded activity this summer? This really is no place for the meek.
• Mike Singletary and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye both stopped practice at various points to roar at their troops. The sticking point seemed to be tempo.
“Right now the thing I want our guys to understand is that this is a work in progress,” Singletary said. “We have to build each day, each practice that we come out here. … This next practice that we have this afternoon, when we leave this practice, we want to make sure it was better than this morning. And tomorrow, we want to make sure it was better than this afternoon. If we can continue to build on that then we have a chance to be where we want to be.”
• G Davis Baas walked gingerly away from a 1-on-1 blocking drill late in practice and got down on one knee as a trainer examined him. Coach Mike Singletary said after practice that he believed Baas has a mild concussion. Baas had been taking all the first-team reps at left guard; after he got hurt, rookie Mike Iupati moved into his spot.
• Hit of the day: FB Brit Miller bent LB Parys Haralson backward on an attempted blitz. DE Justin Smith, with a smile, called over to reporters not to write it. Sorry, Cowboy.
• Catch of the day: Jason Hill reaches down for Alex Smith’s low throw during a position drill and scoops it up with one hand while continuing downfield.
• Another day, another interception for S Dashon Goldson. This time, Smith’s pass ricocheted off the hands of the glaringly open Hill and into Goldson’s arms.
• Ted Ginn looked good running one-on-one vs. DBs in a morning drill, beating Tramaine Brock and Karl Paymah twice on various routes – one against Paymah on a deep touchdown throw from David Carr. But he wrapped up his day’s work by dropping an easy ball that LB Keaton Kristick had batted right to him.
• The Niners also ran some passing drills with two receivers going against three defensive backs. The offense completed a couple bombs in that one, Nate Davis hitting the wide-open Josh Morgan and Alex Smith finding Michael Crabtree. There was also a broken play, as Davis throw medium-deep while Dominique Zeigler ran long.
• Smith and Brandon Jones connected on a long pass over CB Nate Clements in 7-on-7.
• Rookie LB NaVorro Bowman didn’t seem pleased when T Matt Kopa put him on the ground during one team period.
• Secondary coach Johnny Lynn twice got in the ear of rookie CB Tramaine Brock.
• Nice plays by ILB Scott McKillop (hurried Smith’s throw with a blitz up the middle), ILB Patrick Willis (a couple of pass breakups in the short zone), DE Justin Smith (good penetration vs. Baas) and RB Anthony Dixon (excellent blitz pickup on Bowman that allowed the Davises – Nate and Vernon – to hook up on a deep ball).
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