As you know, I’ve criticized offensive coordinator Greg Roman for Vernon Davis’ disappearance from the 49ers passing attack three-of-the-last-four games. Many of you have argued on Roman’s behalf, praising the way he’s used Davis to open up other players on the offense. I guess I just come from a different school of thought. In baseball, for example, you can intentionally walk or pitch around a batter, and there is not…
Tuesday is the NFL trading deadline, and according to Peter King, Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is available. Evan Silva tweeted last night it would take at least a third round pick to trade for Bowe. The 49ers happen to have two third round picks next year. So, I ask you: Should the 49ers trade for Bowe? He’s big, he’s fast and he’s one of the…
Jim Harbaugh spoke Saturday afternoon in the 49ers media tent. Here’s what he said about Alex Smith’s injured finger. QB Alex Smith said he thought he benefitted from having three days off where he didn’t throw, just as far as his finger was concerned. Can you tell any difference in the way he’s chucking it in practice this week? “Yeah, it was a good week throwing the ball, very…
The biggest advantage for the 49ers is the Cardinals QB, John Skelton. He struggles mightily in most situations and unfortunately for their team, it is a battle to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. Nothing like having a quality player on offense and not be able to get him the ball. Does that sound familiar? I don’t think the 49ers will blow out the Cardinals. I don’t think the 49ers…
SANTA CLARA — Alex Smith spoke at his locker Thursday afternoon. Here’s what he said about his injured finger, and the perception that he has lost confidence. Q: After the Seahawks game, there were a couple of national stories written about you and your confidence. ALEX SMITH: How’d they say it is? Q: Not good. ALEX SMITH: Oh, OK. Q: They said your confidence was shaken in that game. What’s…
SANTA CLARA — Alex Smith did not throw a pass to Pro Bowl tight end Vernon Davis last Thursday Night. Here’s what Alex Smith said about that Thursday at his locker. Q: You didn’t throw any passes to Vernon Davis last week. How important is it for you to get him involved in the offense early and often? ALEX SMITH: He’s a key for us. He’s a great player, a…
SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Alex Smith said Thursday afternoon about the 49ers upcoming game against the Arizona Cardinals. Q: Do you hate the Arizona Cardinals with a passion? ALEX SMITH: Hate is a strong word. They’re a division opponent. Obviously, there’s a lot of history there – we play them twice a year. Great rivalry. Hate is a word I wouldn’t use. Q: Every time you go there it…
Here’s what NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell said about Alex Smith Thursday morning on The Murph and Mac Show. COSELL: “I don’t know what’s in Jim Harbaugh’s head. I don’t know what’s in Alex Smith’s head. I can tell you my sense watching the tape was that Alex was concerned about throwing interceptions. He checked down fairly quickly – if the primary read was not there, he checked it down….
Here’s how Greg Cosell explained Vernon Davis not catching a pass against the Seahawks Thursday morning on The Murph and Mac Show. COSELL: “First of all, I don’t think their pass game was very dynamic. I don’t think it was very multidimensional this week. Watching the film, I definitely got the impression they felt this would be a low-scoring game. They were going to run the ball. “I don’t think…
There’s been a lot of debate lately about whether the 49ers should pass the ball more to Vernon Davis. Here are some stats to help inform the discussion: Last season, the 49ers targeted Vernon Davis on 21 percent of their passes. They targeted Michael Crabtree 25 percent of the time. This season, Crabtree is still receiving a quarter of 49ers the targets, but Davis’ target percentage has dropped to 17…
I’m passing along Pro Football Focus’ player rankings for the 49ers because I think you’ll find them fascinating. If you want to know how PFF grades players, you can read that here. If you want to see the grades, you have to purchase their premium stats. According to Pro Football Focus, Joe Staley currently ranks as the best run-blocking tackle in the NFL by far. Alex Boone and Mike Iupati…
I’ve been watching the coaches’ film of the 49ers 13-6 win over the Seattle Seahawks this morning. I’ve been looking for the Y-Stick and the Y-Stick Lookie. Those are basic pass plays designed for the tight end – Vernon Davis. He runs a quick hitch in the middle of the field. The quarterback takes a three-step drop from undercenter and throws the ball to Davis. It’s an easy way to…
SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said Friday about Alex Smith’s injured middle finger on this throwing hand. Not committing a turnover has been a big emphasis for this team and QB Alex Smith after being stellar in that last year, four interceptions in the last two games. What do you most attribute that to? “Well, we had one game that was out of our character, out of…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said Friday about the 49ers’ 13-6 win over the Seattle Seahawks Thursday night. Last night you talked about it being the most physical 30 minutes. RB Frank Gore was talking about playing through bruised ribs. Can you just talk about how well he played with that injury and what you saw out of him last night? “Yeah, great game from Frank. Tough…
Vernon Davis, the most explosive player on the 49ers offense, caught zero passes in the 49ers 13-6 win over the Seahawks. Alex Smith didn’t throw it to him once. After the game, Davis told the San Francisco Chronicle: “Nothing’s there. When I run my corner routes the cornerback is dropping to the corner. They are just taking stuff away, some of my explosive routes and stuff.” Ironically, various 49er players…
SAN FRANCISCO — Here’s the transcript of Alex Smith’s post-game press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. How does it feel, taking care of the business in the division? “Yeah, great. All you care about is coming out with a W. Short week, getting ready, a division game. A lot of history between these two teams. Anyway, anything to get it done, whatever it took. ” What changed in…
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers beat the Seahawks 13-6. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ offense. Quarterbacks: D. Alex Smith did not have a good game, but he did lead one touchdown drive in the third quarter and that was all the 49ers needed to beat the Seahawks. Smith was five-of-five on that drive for 60 yards and a touchdown. On the other drives, he was 9-of-18 for 90…
The 49ers will beat the Seahawks 12-6 tonight. If the game was in Seattle on turf, I would have to favor the Seahawks in a short week. But the game is at Candlestick, and the grass field will negate the great quickness and speed of Seattle’s defensive front. Both the 49ers and Seahawks will run more than they pass. Marshawn Lynch will carry the ball 30 times for 80 yards, Frank…
SANTA CLARA – Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll spoke to Bay Area reporters Tuesday on a conference call. Here’s what he said. Q: What are you impressions of your rookie QB, Russell Wilson? CARROLL: He’s an amazing young man. He has been impressive since the first the first time we ever talked to him. Russell’s never taken a step sideways. He’s just been right on point with his identity, with…
On Sunday, the New York Giants defense sacked Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick 6 times, hit them 3 times and hurried them 18 times according to Pro Football Focus. On Thursday Night, the 49ers have to face an even better pass rush. Seattle’s defense has 19 sacks through 6 games. Chris Clemons has 7 sacks. Bruce Irvin, the nickel pass rusher, has 5 sacks and he’s played less that 50…
