SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Alex Smith said at today his Wednesday afternoon press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. You’ve got two rookies behind you and then you have a lead block in the running game, is there any from concern the coaching staff about you and being safe out there? “They just told me not to get hurt. Yeah, being smart no question. Don’t want to take dumb hits….
Carlos Rogers: “Let Romo be a pocket quarterback, and he can be a hall of fame quarterback.”
SANTA CLARA – The Niners top cornerback, Carlos Rogers, broke down Dallas’ passing attack fore reporters today at his locker. He also had big praise for Tony Romo. Here are selected quotes from Rogers. Q: Are you taking a more prominent role in the team meetings because you’re so familiar than Dallas’ offense? ROGERS: Yeah, I’ve talked with some of the guys. We’re just now getting started. I’m kind of…
Jason Garrett conference call transcript
SANTA CLARA – The Dallas Cowboys head coach, Jason Garrett, spoke to Bay Area reporters on a conference call this morning. Here are selected quotes from that call. Q: When you turn on the film of the 49ers what stands out to you? GARRETT: I’m impressed with them in so many different areas. I think the overarching thing when you watch the tape is how hard they play in all…
49ers week 2 depth chart
This is how the 49ers list their depth chart for week 2. Notice the addition of Justin Peelle as the third string tight end. Also, notice the Niners list Michael Crabtree as Joshua Morgan’s backup, and they list Shawntae Spencer as a third-stringer. Offense WR: Ted Ginn Jr. –OR– Braylon Edwards LT: Joe Staley, Alex Boone LG: Mike Iupati, Daniel Kilgore C: Jonathan Goodwin, Adam Snyder RG: Chilo Rachal, Adam…
49ers sign TE Justin Peelle
The 49ers just announced that they signed 32-year-old tight end Justin Peelle to a one-year deal, and waived S Colin Jones to clear a roster spot. Jones should join the practice squad. Peelle is 6’5″ and 255 lbs and he should play mostly as a blocking tight end for the Niners. On Sunday, the Niners had to use tackles Alex Boone and Adam Snyder as blocking tight ends. Peelle should…
How good is Tony Romo really?
How good is Tony Romo really? Yes, Romo’s been to three Pro Bowls and he throws for lot of yards. But he seems to crack in pressure moments, like Sunday night when he threw the interception to lose the game for Dallas. He did exactly what Jim Harbaugh would not have let Alex Smith do on Sunday – lose the game. In that way, Romo and Smith are opposites. Romo…
Dallas weak at cornerback
The Cowboys signed veteran cornerback Frank Walker today. Walker joins a Dallas secondary that has three nicked up cornerbacks. Terrence Newman missed week 1 with a groin injury, Mike Jenkins suffered a bruised shoulder and a hyper extended knee on Sunday, and Orlando Scandrick has a high ankle sprain. Clearly Dallas’ weakness is its secondary, and the Niners’ best shot to beat the Cowboys on Sunday is to exploit the…
Did 49ers intentionally play vanilla vs. Seattle?
The great Matt Barrows just came out with a fascinating article, and I’ll link to it here. His worthy thesis is that the 49ers kept it vanilla on Sunday against Seattle because they could, and since they didn’t reveal much, they have an unusual advantage for game 2 this Sunday against Dallas. I tend to look at it differently, and here’s why. I don’t think the Niners have more cards…
Michael Crabtree is not a diva
Some of my readers call Michael Crabtree a diva and I object to that. I have seen no diva tendencies from him. He’s a pleasure to talk to, actually. He’s never rude. He smiles when you ask him a question, a smile that suggests he’s listening carefully and he understands what you’re asking. And when he answers, he answers honestly. Here’s an example of what I mean. After yesterday’s game…
Niners sign RB Ian Johnson, cut Xavier Omon
The Niners have officially cut RB Xavier Omon, and signed former Boise St. RB Ian Johnson. You may remember Johnson. He proposed to his girlfriend on the field after scoring the winning touchdown of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl. Johnson (5’11”, 212 lbs.), weighs 15 pounds less than Omon, but what he lacks in mass he makes up for in speed. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the 2009 NFL…
Harbaugh’s first Monday presser
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said at his first regular season Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. When you watched the film, what stood out to you as the most positive aspect of that win? “A lot of things. Same things we talked about right after the game. Seems very much the same as the way it looked on film is the way it looked yesterday. A…
Tony Romo on the Niners
SANTA CLARA – Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo spoke to Bay Area reporters on a conference call this afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: Have you had any chance to look at any of the 49ers stuff yet? ROMO: Yeah, I got done watching a few hours of tape here this morning. Q: What are your impressions? ROMO: Good, they play hard. You can see, it jumps out the tape…
Reggie Smith: “A good start to what could be a pretty good defense.”
SANTA CLARA – Reggie Smith was one of the few 49ers who made an appearance in the locker room this morning. He spoke at his locker and here are some of the things he said. Q: You guys didn’t show much on defense – not many blitzes. Do you feel like you still have some tricks in your back pocket for the upcoming games? REGGIE SMITH: I think we do. We…
Game 1 grades
Here are my grades for the 49ers 33-17 win over the Seahawks. ALEX SMITH, GAME MANAGER: A-, Jim Harbaugh put the Niners offense into something called “Blue Collar mode,” where Alex Smith threw only 20 times for just 124 yards. Can you call that quarterbacking? I call that game managing. Still, he managed the game well, completing 75 percent of those few throws and committing zero turnovers. On top of…
Alex Smith: “We made plays when we had to.”
SAN FRANCISCO – Here’s everything Alex Smith said after the game, courtesy of the 49ers. Coach Harbaugh was just talking up there about blue collar offense, haven’t heard him use that phrase before, and I don’t know what he means by it. He said you were especially blue collar today, and not you necessarily, though including you, what does he mean by it? “I don’t want to speak for him,…
Harbaugh: “Offense was in a blue collar type of mode.”
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are postgame quotes from Jim Harbaugh, courtesy of the 49ers. Did you guys play the way you wanted the team to play today? “Yeah, the only goal is to win and our guys did a great job. It’s never easy to get a win in the National Football League. I thought our offense had a very blue-collar type of day. I thought Alex Smith played exceptionally…
Ginn Jr: “I cut back and it turned out to be great for me.”
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are postgame quotes from Ted Ginn Jr., the player of the game and the man of the hour, courtesy of the 49ers. When did you find out you were going to return kicks as well as punts? “It was always in the plans a lot of the week. I had the opportunity to go out and show what I had.” Did you ever have a game…
Rogers: “That front line, I was real surprised.”
SAN FRANCISCO — Here are postgame quotes from Carlos Rogers, courtesy of the 49ers. Talk about the play you made against the fade route by knocking the ball loose: “The guy came and he kind of had a two-way go and I didn’t know he was going to do a slant-fade. Obviously it was a fade away and it was to the point where I couldn’t’ look back, so I…
Staley: “We didn’t make any dumb decisions with the ball.”
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are postgame quotes from Joe Staley, courtesy of the 49ers. Talk about the game a little bit. “The offense really took care of the ball. We didn’t make any dumb decisions with the ball. We didn’t turn it over. I think that was a big key for us offensively. Obviously, we would like to get things going a little more with running the ball. I think…
Defense, Ted Ginn Jr. beat the Seahawks
SAN FRANCISCO — These are my post-game press box impressions of the Niners 33-17 victory over the Seahwaks. I’ll watch the film when I go home and give a more extensive analysis full of grades tonight. The Niners’ defense dominated the first half. In the second half, the Seahawks made a game of it until Ted Ginn Jr. returned the two touchdowns on special teams. Alex Smith played well –…
