SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers destroyed the Chicago Bears 32-7 Monday night. Here are the grades for the 49ers defense and special teams. Defensive line: A. They held the Bears rushing attack to just 3 yards per carry. Justin Smith got consistent pressure on the quarterback for the first time this season. Ray McDonald tackled Chilo Rachal in the end zone for a safety. Linebackers: A. NaVorro Bowman had a…
SAN FRANCISCO — The 49ers tied the Rams 24-24. Here are the grades for the 49ers defense. Defensive line: D. Isaac Sopoaga was a liability at nose tackle. He actually got planted on his back by Steven Jackson in the first quarter. Sopoaga was briefly benched for Ricky Jean Francois. Ray McDonald was flagged for a 15-yard helmet-to-helmet hit on Bradford. Justin Smith finished with eight tackles and two pressures….
SANTA CLARA – Ahmad Brooks spoke at his locker Friday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers defense. Q: How can your defense get even better the second half of the season? BROOKS: We just need to stay together and keep doing the things we’ve been doing all season. And learn from the previous games that we had, the games that we lost. And then on top of that,…
SANTA CLARA – Ahmad Brooks spoke at his locker Friday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers rivalry with the New York Giants. BROOKS: With them, it’s kind of like we’re fighting somebody in a battle, or we’re fighting somebody in a boxing ring and we keep getting knocked down. We’ve got to keep getting up and facing our opponent. Last year they beat us in the Championship and…
Here’s what Greg Cosell said on the Murph and Mac Show Thursday morning about the 49ers outside linebackers – Aldon Smith and Ahmad Brooks. COSELL: “I’ve got to tell you, I was talking to my guys about this here at NFL Films – I think with [Aldon] Smith and [Ahmad] Brooks, [the 49ers] have the most athletic outside linebacker duo in a Base 3-4 in the NFL. “And of course,…
Some of you may be wondering why Aldon Smith and Dashon Goldson were not finalists in my midseason defensive player awards. Let’s be clear – they’re both having Pro Bowl seasons. Dashon Goldson is having the best season of any safety in the NFC. He’s defended two passes, intercepted two passes and scored a touchdown. He also made the hardest hit of the 49ers season Monday night on Early Doucet….
Here are the grades for the 49ers defense from their 24-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Defensive line: A. They completely shut down the Cardinals run game, holding it to 7 total yards. The defensive line often tackled running back LaRod Stephens-Howling five yards behind the line of scrimmage. Justin Smith got consistent pressure on a quarterback for the first time this season. Linebackers: A. The outside linebackers had dominant…
The 49ers play the Cardinals in Arizona Monday night. In the meantime, I’ll break down a couple of key matchups every day. The 49ers pass rush vs. the Cardinals offensive line and QB John Skelton The Niners have really struggled to sack the quarterback this season. They’re tied for 24th in sacks with just 11. Pro Football Focus ranks them 17th in overall pass rush. On the other hand, the…
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers beat the Seahawks 13-6. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ defense. Defensive line: C+. Marshawn Lynch rushed for 103 yards on this group, which has given up 100-yard rushers two weeks in a row. However, when Lynch came Justin Smith’s way, Smith stopped him most of the time. Smith finished with a team-high 9 tackles, but he did get planted on his back by…
SAN FRANCISCO — Here are the Week 6 grades for the defense and special teams. Defensive line: D. They got zero pressure on Eli Manning. They held Ahmad Bradshaw to 23 yards on 11 carries in the first half, but they gave up 93 yards on 16 carries to Bradshaw in the second half. At one point in the fourth quarter they gave up almost 70 rushing yards on 7…
SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Vic Fangio said about Justin Smith in particular and the 49ers pass rush in general at the Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. How has DT Justin Smith been playing this year? And how do you expect the Giants to counter him? “He’s been playing the same that he always has at a very, very high level, Pro Bowl level. He’s one of…
Here’s the second installment of the 49ers team MVP standings. To read the first installment, click here. Vernon Davis: The best player on the team, but he isn’t even the leading receiver. That’s Michael Crabtree, who has been targeted 31 times by Alex Smith. Still, Davis has caught 4 touchdowns in just 22 targets, and he’s an elite blocker. NaVorro Bowman: The best linebacker in the NFL. He’s giving up…
Here are the grades for the 49ers 34-0 trouncing of the Jets – the worst team in the NFL despite their 2-2 record. Quarterbacks: C. Alex Smith completed 12 of 21 passes for 143 yards. No touchdowns or turnovers. He did not complete a pass on third down. Twice he was sacked because he held ball for more than three seconds in the pocket. Colin Kaepernick attempted one pass –…
New York Jets head coach Rex Ryan spoke to Bay Area reporters on a conference call Wednesday morning. He talked about the key players on the 49ers’ offense, the seven blue-chip players on the 49ers’ defense and the how the Jets’ defense will adjust to the loss of Darrelle Revis. The transcript. Q: Donte Whitner said the key for him in facing the Jets offense is keeping an eye on…
The 49ers play the Green Bay Packers in three days. In the meantime, I’ll break down a few key matchups a day. LOLB Ahmad Brooks: 6-3, 259 pounds, 28 years old, 33 ½-inch arms vs. RT Bryan Bulaga: 6-5, 315 pounds, 23 years old, 33 ¼-inch arms. Brooks has been a consistent pass rusher the last three seasons – averaging 6 sacks a season over that stretch. Bryan Bulaga gave…
SANTA CLARA – Tuesday was a defense-dominated day in the 49ers’media tent – Vic Fangio, Larry Grant and Ricky Jean Francois all spoke at the podium, and I spoke one on one to Chris Culliver in the locker room. I asked each guy the same few questions, and here are their responses followed by my conclusions. Question 1: How would you characterize this defense? FANGIO: To me it’s in the…
SANTA CLARA – Starting outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks spoke in the media tent on Wednesday and discussed what he did this offseason, the level of his current conditioning and the progress of the young outside linebacker, Aldon Smith. Here’s a transcript. Q: What went into your offseason? BROOKS: I really wanted to stay out here and stay close to the guys. Coming off a good season last year, I thought…
SANTA CLARA – It was defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s turn to speak in the 49ers’ media tent on Wednesday. He discussed Friday’s upcoming preseason game against the Minnesota Vikings, the progress of his starting outside linebackers and a couple young defensive tackles. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. What are you hoping to see out of your defense in this first go around, Friday’s game? “I’m anxious to just…
SANTA CLARA – Michael Crabtree increased his practice participation on Tuesday, catching three passes from Alex Smith within the first ten minutes of team drills. Crabtree mostly watched from the sideline after those catches, but he looked like the best wide receiver on the team and Alex Smith’s favorite target when he was playing. Ahmad Brooks is having the best offseason of his career according to the coaches, and he’s…
SANTA CLARA – On Monday, Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent and discussed the current quarterback depth chart, Michael Crabtree’s injury status and why Kendall Hunter is having a great training camp. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “Hello. I want to send our condolences to the Reid family on their loss. We’re saddened with grief for them. Our prayers are with them and Garrett, at…
