If Anthony Dixon created the most buzz among the 49er Faithful yesterday, safety Reggie Smith was right behind him.
Smith made the single biggest play of the 49ers’ 37-17 victory over Indianapolis. On the third snap of the second quarter, with the Colts driving, he found a tipped pass coming his way. Smith secured it and took off for a 91-yard touchdown that cut into the Colts’ 10-0 lead and began the Niners’ onslaught.
Williams, James excel — then get hurt
They were two of the hottest players in training camp this past week, making numerous plays on either side of the ball. And now they’re both dealing with injuries. WR Kyle Williams sprained his right big toe on a second-quarter punt return, while CB Will James sprained his right ankle with about five minutes to play in the game.
James’ situation looked worse at the time. He stayed on the field for several minutes and eventually left on a cart. Williams exited the game more quietly, but was limping noticeably in the locker room afterward and seemed a bit glum.
Dixon runs over Colts, gains on Robinson
Just three days after running back Glen Coffee unexpectedly left the team to devote his life to Jesus, Anthony Dixon may have gained on Robinson in the competition to back up Frank Gore.
Robinson started and had a touchdown in place of Gore, who sat this one out, but he fumbled on the first play from scrimmage when safety Antoine Bethea hit the ball with his helmet. Indy’s Robert Mathis recovered, setting up an easy field goal for Adam Vinatieri.
Dixon didn’t get a snap until the 49ers’ first possession of the second quarter, but he managed to steal the show. On one run, he shed one Colt in the backfield and juked two others on the way to a 23-yard gain. On his fourth-quarter touchdown run, he bounced outside and flattened defensive back Mike Newton with a stiff arm.
Final: 49ers 37, Colts 17
Whatever life permeated Lucas Oil Stadium in the first half slowly drained away in the second as the 49ers’ backups beat up on the Colts’ backups.
As Curtis Painter and Tom Brandstater were slogging along in place of Peyton Manning, rookie running back Anthony Dixon was stealing the show for the 49ers. On one run, he juked three Colts on the way to a 23-yard gain. A little later, he took off around the left edge and absolutely threw Indy safety Mike Newton to the ground before scoring on a 5-yard run. Dixon finished with 98 yards on 20 carries.
Halftime: 49ers 20, Colts 10
When Glen Coffee walked away from the 49ers three days ago, the news was shocking. Now it’s downright alarming.
With Frank Gore being rested in the preseason opener, Michael Robinson got the call at halfback, and things couldn’t have started worse. On the 49ers’ first play from scrimmage in 2010, Indy safety Antoine Bethea stuck his helmet on the ball and forced Robinson to fumble. Robert Mathis recovered for the Colts, and seven plays later the home team had a 3-0 lead.
Alex Smith and arm-weariness
The 49ers put in an hour of solid work on the practice field Friday morning before dialing back to three-quarters speed. Quarterback Alex Smith looked pretty sharp during that short span, misfiring just once in his 11 throws during team period and 7-on-7.
Whether or not that comes as a relief to the Niners and Smith, it’s certainly a positive sign. As the team prepares for its first enemy action of 2010 – against the Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium at 10 a.m. (PST) tomorrow – Smith’s development in Jimmy Raye’s offensive system remains the most important issue facing the team.
Crisp QB play before practice falls asleep
What, there was football today? The 49ers have gone so tabloid this week that it’s easy to overlook that they’re preparing for an actual game this Sunday.
Another factor that made this morning’s practice so forgettable: It was a snoozer. Coach Mike Singletary first combined what had been scheduled for two separate practices into one, then wound up cutting the lump sum from 3½ hours to 2½ hours. That’s all fine. But after two team periods and a mix of 7-on-7 and 1-on-1 blocking, the 49ers began running everything at three-quarters speed. Super Bowl XXIII it was not.
The good news? Some crisp quarterback play before things slowed down.
49ers as shocked as anybody
Think Glen Coffee’s decision to walk away from football – possibly forever – took the 49ers by surprise? Check out their web site. The lead story this morning was titled “49ers Eagerly Await Full Contact.” It was a look ahead to this Sunday’s game at Indianapolis, and it prominently featured… Glen Coffee.
The article talks about a couple of the 49ers’ more physical players, leading with rookie safety Taylor Mays. It then moves on to the player who told coach Mike Singletary this morning that he is leaving the game:
Coffee’s departure: the reaction
The first words on the subject came from Glen Coffee himself, in a brief statement distributed by the 49ers PR department after this morning’s practice: “This has been a tough decision for me to make, but at this time in my life I feel it is best for me that I move on from football. I appreciate what the 49ers, my teammates and coaches have done for me, and I wish them a blessed season and all the best in the future.”
The news came so suddenly that there wasn’t much time to gather thoughts from teammates. While waiting for resolution – apparently, Coffee has not filed retirement papers with the NFL office yes – here is some of the reaction we did get in Santa Clara today.
Newest mystery: Glen Coffee
As the 49ers deal with the Kenwan Balmer situation, another drama looms. RB Glen Coffee is not on the practice field this morning, and the 49ers are not yet offering an explanation.
Coffee is locked in competition (with rookie Anthony Dixon) for the No. 2 job at halfback behind Frank Gore, but there had been no indications he is unhappy with the team or his role here. Because the 49ers feel comfortable resting Gore, Coffee has been getting lots of work on the practice field.
His representative, Todd Crannell, did not return a message left on the answering machine of his agency, Q2 Sports and Entertainment, and has not yet replied to my e-mail.
Singletary spins the hits
After hitting them with a little 1970s soul Wednesday afternoon, coach Mike Singletary went backwards this afternoon and unleashed some Motown on his offense, turning the music up to 11 to (sort of) simulate the crowd at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.
More specifically, Coach Sing went Temptations as the team practiced short yardage and goal line. Singletary is a master motivator, always thinking of ways to tweak his troops. So I wouldn’t be a bit surprised if his song selection carried some subliminal messages.
Mays: ‘I should be the best right now’
Taylor Mays finally had that conversation with Pete Carroll.
Their father/son relationship seemed to go south on draft day, when the new Seahawks coach drafted another safety, Texas’ Earl Thomas, instead of his star from USC. Mays went to the 49ers in Round 2 and immediately complained that Carroll had misled him about what he needed to do to become a first-round pick. It was great theater, probably more memorable to writers than to the central characters.
Last month, the two finally spoke by phone.
49ers hunker down for short yardage
Those of you who like to bandy around the term “smashmouth” might have enjoyed this morning’s practice, as the 49ers practiced a lot of short-yardage situations, some of it around the goal line.
The offense predominately ran “22” personnel – that is, two running backs and two tight ends – and the defense countered with its BIG package, basically a 4-4-3 alignment. OLB Parys Haralson is a little sore and got the day off; Diyral Briggs got a ton of work in his absence. The rest of the group included Justin Smith, Isaac Sopoaga, Ricky Jean Francois and Ray McDonald on the line, Manny Lawson at OLB, Nate Clements at CB, and Michael Lewis and Dashon Goldson at S. Khalif Mitchell worked in some, too.
Crabtree injures neck in afternoon practice
No idea yet of the severity of the injury, but the bearer of the pain makes it worth monitoring: WR Michael Crabtree went up for an Alex Smith duck during 7-on-7 this afternoon, and landed hard on his back. He stayed down for a minute, then spent much of practice consulting with a trainer on the sideline. The preliminary diagnosis: a neck strain.
Crabtree eventually headed to the training room for further observation.
It wasn’t like Crab had been a big part of the 49ers’ offense in recent practices. He got “veteran courtesy” – not bad for a guy with 11 career NFL games – Tuesday morning and again Wednesday morning. In between, he sat out a special-teams practice.
Meager notes from a meager practice
Notes and observations from this morning’s practice…
If these notes are a little skimpy, I offer four points of defense: (1) The 49ers were in shells, not full pads. (2) The third-stringers got a ton of work today. (3) It was heavy on running plays, never very illuminating without contact. (4) The whole session lasted 65 minutes.
It all added up to a highly forgettable practice. Here are a few notes that must stand in for actual highlights.
Balmer’s absence now unexcused
Kentwan Balmer was not on the practice field today, just as he was not yesterday. There was a difference, though. Yesterday’s absence was excused. Today’s wasn’t. Mike Singletary told Balmer, the third-year defensive lineman, to show up, an order that went unheeded.
There is a great deal of mystery surrounding Balmer’s absence. His name has been mentioned regarding an NCAA investigation into the dealings between a coach, John Blake, and an agent, Gary Wichard. Wichard represents Balmer, who supposedly paid for trips by North Carolina tackle Marvin Austin.
Injuries at OLB open door for Davis, Long
Much of the talk here over the past couple days has revolved around the broken fibula suffered by C Eric Heitmann. Indeed, Heitmann is the most important 49er currently on the mend. But no position group has been hit harder than linebacker, where Scott McKillop, Travis LaBoy, Ahmad Brooks and Martail Burnett all have been cut down since the start of training camp.
McKillop, the ILB who tore his left ACL and patellar tendon, is likely gone for the season. He will be missed both as a backup linebacker and a core special-teams performer.
The real problem, though, is outside, where LaBoy (concussion), Brooks (lacerated kidney) and Burnett (sprained knee) represented half the workforce as camp began.
One step back for Alex Smith
Today’s morning practice wasn’t nearly as ragged as yesterday’s, and the 49ers seemed to suffer no major injuries. But one element was off-kilter: QB Alex Smith, who has looked fairly accurate through most of camp, had perhaps his worst day of the summer.
It wasn’t like Smith missed everything. For example, he threw one gorgeous pass to rookie WR Kyle Williams down the right sideline, hitting him in stride for a sure 58-yard touchdown over CB Will James.
All in all, though, it was a morning the 49ers’ field leader would like to forget.
49ers’ new game: Where’s Kentwan?
Where’s Kentwan?
DL Kentwan Balmer was nowhere to be seen for the 49ers’ afternoon practice. In fact, none of the writers were sure Balmer had been there for the a.m. practice. It’s a statement on Balmer’s lack of development that you can watch two hours of field action and not remember if you saw No. 96 or not.
“He and I have to talk, and kind of figure some things out,” Singletary said after the p.m. practice. “And I don’t want to go any further than that right now.”
Another word on Jason Hill
When I included Jason Hill in my recent rundown of declining stocks in Santa Clara, it ignited a pretty fierce debate.
Hill, a San Francisco native and a fourth-year wide receiver out of Washington State, has his supporters. His speed is undeniable, and it seems a lot of fans have been waiting for him to emerge as the 49ers’ clear No. 3 receiver. I wrote that Hill has been dropping passes lately, and met some skepticism.
