Here are my week 3 NFL picks. 49ers @ Cincinnati: 49ers. The Bengals won’t be able to establish Cedric Benson and the running game – the Niners front seven won’t let them. Then rookie QB Andy Dalton will have to pass to win, Vic Fangio will call blitzes to pressure him, and Dalton will turn the ball over more times than Alex Smith will. Bengals lose. New England @ Buffalo:…
Goldson expects to start on Sunday
SANTA CLARA — Dashon Goldson told a group of reporters today at his locker that he expects to start on Sunday against the Bengals. So, expect Goldson to replace Madieu Williams as the starting free safety. Here are more quote from Goldson. Q: Have you been able to gauge from practice how much you’re going to play on Sunday? GOLDSON: This week the focus was on getting me ready so…
Friday’s injury report
Here’s what Friday’s injury status report looks like: 49ers: Out: WR Braylon Edwards (knee), RB Moran Norris (fibula) Probable: CB Tramaine Brock (hand), WR Michael Crabtree (feet), QB Alex Smith (concussion) Bengals: Out: LB Dontay Moch (foot), WR Jordan Shipley (knee) Doubtful: DE Robert Geathers (shoulder), G Otis Hudson (knee) Questionable: WR Jerome Simpson (not injury related) Probable: WR A.J. Green (toe), S Taylor Mays (knee), T Andre Smith (ankle)…
Harbaugh on spread offense: “It’s what we’re working on.”
SANTA CLARA – Here is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. With all these points, yards, and stuff going around the league, are you ever tempted to get three receivers in shot gun and just chuck it around the yard? “Yeah, that’s part of our plan. We want to be good at that. And we have done that, gotten in three wide receivers.” Well…
How the Niners can beat the Bengals
I’m going to propose something that might seem counterintuitive, but please bear with me. Through the first two games the Niners have been much more successful throwing than running on first and ten. With first and ten or more yards to go, Alex Smith has completed 14 of 16 passes for 124 yards and one touchdown; he has been sacked twice. On first and ten or more, Frank Gore has…
Roman: “I’ll definitely ask for opinions (from Harbaugh) on plays at times.”
SANTA CLARA – Here is the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. [Opening Statement] “We’re getting ready to play a Bengal team that had a very similar situation to us: had a big division win to start the season and lost in a dog fight last week, came up a little short. Really well-coached defense, [Bengals Defensive Coordinator] Mike Zimmer has been doing this for…
Fangio on the Cowboys: “They threw it and caught it better than we defended it.”
SANTA CLARA – Here is the transcript of Vic Fangio’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. How have the Bengals managed to have a rookie quarterback do very well in two games? “Well he’s a good quarterback number one. He was a highly thought of guy coming out of college, won a lot of games at TCU and his career there. He’s very efficient. He’s got a really good…
Alex Smith sort of explains his concussion
SANTA CLARA – When it came time to talk about his concussion, Alex Smith didn’t want to get into specifics. He stood in the middle of the locker room and explained to reporters that he’s feeling great. Here’s the full transcript. ALEX SMITH: Feel great. Went through all the protocol that the league requires and the doctors require. Took all the tests. Everything looks great. Cleared to play. Q: When…
Bruce Miller: “I’m going to do my best to bring what Moran brought to this offense.”
SANTA CLARA – With Moran Norris out indefinitely with a fractured fibula, rookie Bruce Miller will be the new starting fullback. Here’s what Miller said to reporters at his locker this afternoon. Q: How comfortable are you at fullback? MILLER: Very. Very confident in knowing the game plan and what I have to do to execute the fullback position. Q: Is that easy for you to say – fullback? MILLER:…
Crabtree: “Really just trying to be obedient.”
SANTA CLARA – Michael Crabtree made himself available to talk today at his locker, and this is what he said. Q: What adjustments do you guys makes with Braylon out? CRABTREE: It’s the same. Each guy out here right now has got pretty much the same type of talent. We’ve got fast guys, strong guys. Everybody can block. I’m sorry that he’s hurt, but we can all get the job…
Greg Cosell on Alex Smith, Andy Dalton, and the Niners’ secondary
Greg Cosell spoke on the Murph and Mac show again this morning, so I’m giving you a transcript of the things he said about the Niners and the Bengals. It’s fair to say Cosell is no Smither. He articulates just why he believes Smith is not a good enough quarterback for the Niners. If Smith outperforms Dalton on Sunday, Cosell will have some serious words to eat. Q: What’s up…
Full participation in practice: QB Alex Smith (concussion)
Apparently the Cowboys concussed Alex Smith on Sunday. The 49ers just released their Wednesday injury report, and it looks like this: Out (Definitely will not play): WR Braylon Edwards (knee), RB Moran Norris (fibula) Limited participation in practice: Michael Crabtree (feet) Full participation in practice: CB Tramaine Brock (hand), QB Alex Smith (concussion) I didn’t notice any concussion symptoms when Smith spoke after the game or when he spoke this…
Alex Smith on whether he feels left out: “Whatever it takes to win.”
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Alex Smith’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Did things change at all with [WR] Braylon [Edwards] being out of the lineup, from your standpoint? “Not sure at this point early on. We haven’t even practiced yet, so we’ll see. Guys are going to have to step up and be ready to go.” As he just evened the game Sunday did it…
Harbaugh: “We envision the offense running at a high level.”
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. The decision to stay in Youngstown, what went into that? Why are you guys doing that? “Some different reasons. The two back-to-back east coast games, number one, take the air travel out of it, some of the jet lag out of that. Also, I feel like we have a team that enjoys each other’s…
Vernon Davis on Harbaugh: “I have to agree with everything he says.”
SANTA CLARA — Vernon Davis spoke at his locker this afternoon, and this is what he said. Q: Coach Harbaugh said you guys had a talk and that it was a two-way conversation. He didn’t elaborate much. Can you shed some light on that? VERNON DAVIS: We just talked about some things. I always talk to Coach Harbaugh. He pretty much took over for Coach Singletary. He’s the head guy…
Injury update: Crabtree in, Edwards out, Norris on crutches
SANTA CLARA — Don’t expect to see Braylon Edwards playing on Sundays for the 49ers any time soon. Today Jim Harbaugh revealed that Edwards had a little procedure done on his injured right knee, and that he will miss a little time. I don’t have any inside information, but that sounds like he will miss multiple weeks. On the other hand, Harbaugh says he expects Michael Crabtree to play this…
Marvin Lewis Q&A
The Bengals’ head coach, Marvin Lewis, spoke to Bay Area reporters this morning over a conference call, and here’s what he said. Q: Will Manny Lawson be the guy who mostly covers the tight ends? LEWIS: It depends on our defensive front and our coverage. Q: Is that something you saw in him in free agency? LEWIS: They kind of had him as the drop side backer as much as…
Nate Clements Q&A
The former 49er cornerback and current Cincinnati Bengal, Nate Clements, spoke with Bay Area reporters this morning on a conference call, and here’s what he said. Q: What’s it like having so many former 49ers in your locker room? CLEMENTS: It’s one of those things where it’s just a coincidence. It happened to work out that way. Q: When they brought in Taylor Mays, did they talk to you about…
Grant on television
At 6:45 tonight I will be on KRON 4 with Gary Radnich talking Niners. Please tune in and watch us. Remember, Kron 4 is channel 4. I think we’ll be talking about the Niners need to open up their passing attack, but with Gary you never know. Whatever we end up talking about will be fun. If you missed it, you can watch the video here. It’s on the right side…
Phil Simms condemns conservative offenses
Yesterday on the Dan Patrick Show, guest Phil Simms, the former quarterback the the current TV analyst, explained why he thinks there has been so much offense the first two weeks of this NFL season. Here’s what he said: “What we’ve got right now is flag football, baby…The coaches, you’ve got to give them credit. I give them credit. They’re spreading the field, and they’re taking advantage of the rules…
