SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers blew out the Bills by 41 points, but the game was close late into the second quarter. With a minute until halftime the Bills were losing by seven points and they had the ball. They had just put together an 80-yard field goal drive against the 49ers elite defense. They were fighting and they were having some success. But then Patrick Willis stripped Scott Chandler,…
SAN FRANCISCO — Here are the grades for the 49ers 45-3 demolition of the Bills – a truly awful team. Quarterbacks: A. Alex Smith had the best statistical performance of his career. His QB rating was a near-perfect 156.2. He also rushed 3 times for 49 yards. He completed 18-of-24 passes, but only two passes were bad – a screen he threw too early to Kendall Hunter, and an overthrown…
Alex Smith will throw out the first pitch tonight at AT&T Park for the San Francisco Giants’ playoff game against the Cincinnati Reds. A few hours before the game, the Giants’ manager, Bruce Bochy, was asked about Smith throwing out the first pitch: “This club has a lot of 49er fans. We may take a look at him, too. He’s got a pretty good arm,” Bochy said, giggling.
SANTA CLARA — Wednesday at his locker, Alex Smith answered questions about throwing deep passes, among other things. Here’s a complete transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Can you talk about just the challenge that the Bills bring? Head Coach Jim Harbaugh called them the best defensive line you guys have faced. “Yeah, extremely talented on the defensive side of the ball, across the board. It starts up front with their…
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’s Jim Harbaugh’s Monday press conference transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Sorry I am posting this so late. My dad and I returned from New York late last night, and I wanted to post my previous blog first. You can read it here. Opening statement: “Good morning. Good to be back, back here in our facility and back in California, and 3-1. It’s good, positive.” What was it…
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 –…
The 49ers will beat the New York Jets 23-13 on Sunday. Here’s how it will happen: The Jets will get the ball first. Either they’ll win the toss and choose to receive the kickoff or the 49ers will win the toss and defer. Tony Sparano, the Jets’ offensive coordinator, will call a Shonn-Green run up the middle on first down, and Green will gain one yard. Sparano will call a…
Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening statement: “Is it afternoon yet? Yes it is, good afternoon. If I appear unshaven I apologize, but this Jets defense forces our whole staff to stay up into the wee hours of the morning. We know [Head Coach] Rex Ryan, I worked with Rex, [Defensive Coordinator] Mike Pettine and [Defensive Backs Coach] Dennis Thruman. Some really good coaches,…
Here’s what Greg Cosell said on The Murph and Mac Show Thursday about the 49ers’ loss to the Vikings on Sunday. Q: How were the Vikings able to put together three 80-plus-yards drives against the 49ers? COSELL: It was a very good mix of run and pass. It was a case for the most part where they didn’t necessarily make a ton big plays, but their running game was sustaining….
Alex Smith’s Wednesday press conference transcript from Youngstown, Ohio, courtesy of the 49ers. I think a lot of fans were wondering, in the 2nd half, why you guys didn’t push the ball down field more. Is that a factor of being down 17-3 and they’re just kind of taking that stuff away from you? “Yeah, for sure. I thought looking back on it, especially there in the 2nd half, a…
Jim Harbaugh’s Wednesday press conference transcript from Youngstown, Ohio, courtesy of the 49ers. How was the walk through back there? Seemed like old times being back in the parking lot? “Yeah, very familiar.” Are the buses a new addition this year? “Yeah, that was, Lou [Pezzola] added that.” Who’s Lou? Help me out. “Lou’s one of our security personnel.” So he came up with that one on…
Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Is this time away going to be rough on you, the new dad? “Yeah, away from the family. But, with our other family here, we’re with our 49er family. And a lot of opportunity there. A lot to look forward to. But the main thing is we’re focused on this game. The all importance of winning this ball game….
Put yourself in Leslie Frazier’s shoes. You’re the head coach of the Vikings, you have to play the 49ers this Sunday and you’re probably going to lose. Your offense doesn’t have one matchup advantage over the Niners’ defense. What would your game plan be? How would you strategize to pull off the upset? So I’m proposing a contest to you readers. Write your Vikings game plan in the comment section….
On Wednesday at his locker, Alex Smith explained to Bay Area reporters why taking a sack is not all that bad. Here’s Smith’s exact quote: “A sack’s not the end of the world. Sometimes the best thing is to protect it in the pocket and take a sack. A lot of times, the ability to make plays with your feet, you get out of the pocket, you scramble, you run,…
Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “Good afternoon. Didn’t take our players long watching the film of cleaning up the Detroit game, moving on to Minnesota and seeing that these guys are a very, very good defense. They’re well coached. They’ve got a diverse scheme. They’ve got [Vikings DE] Jared Allen, who some regard as the best pass rusher in the National Football…
SANTA CLARA – Alex Smith’s Wednesday press conference transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. How’s that gash doing? “Doing alright. Healing up hopefully.” Kind of makes you look like a football player. “It’s tough for me to look any tougher, but I guess it does.” Is it sore? “Pretty cosmetic, not too bad. Just kind of a surface thing.” Has T Joe Staley been swapping tales about…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh’s Wednesday press conference transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. You added a new/old outside linebacker? “Added yeah, [LB] Eric Bakhtiari.” Is that a guy that when you released him you told him stay close by the phone? “No. I wouldn’t say there was anything said like that. We knew that whenever you let somebody go they’re exposed to the rest of the teams in…
My Week 2 Power Rankings, in tiers. Tier 1: The 49ers. Tier 2: Empty. Tier 3: Empty. Tier 4: The Texans and a few other teams. Tier 5: It doesn’t matter. No team ranks anywhere near the 49ers right now. They’re in another universe. They’re so good, it’s more interesting to rank the 49ers players against the other 49ers players. So let’s forget the Power Rankings for now. Let’s create…
SANTA CLARA – This afternoon at Jim Harbaugh’s Monday press conference, I asked him two questions about Alex Smith. Here they are, followed by Harbaugh’s responses. ME: How has Alex Smith matured and progressed when it comes to choosing between two plays at the line of scrimmage? HARBAUGH: He’s an expert in this system. To accomplish that in just a year speaks volumes. How has he matured? He’s matured intellectually….
