Yesterday I broke down a couple of 49ers offensive line matchups with the Giants defensive front. I want to point out something. The matchups will not always be as simple as Joe Staley vs. Jason Pierre Paul and Anthony Davis vs. Justin Tuck. If you noticed against the Browns last Sunday, the Giants tried a variety of defensive linemen over all of the Browns’ offensive linemen looking for a soft…
The 49ers’ offense played 67 snaps against the Bills. Here’s a snap-count breakdown for the 49ers’ offensive skill players. Vernon Davis: 56 snaps (84%) Alex Smith: 53 (79%) Frank Gore: 41 (61%) Delanie Walker: 38 (57%) Mario Manningham: 32 (48%) Michael Carbtree: 29 (43%) Kendall Hunter: 21 (31%) Kyle Williams: 20 (30%) Colin Kaepernick: 19 (28%) Randy Moss: 18 (27%) Garrett Celek: 14 (21%) Ted Ginn Jr.: 12 (18%) Anthony…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said about the 49ers offense at his Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. We talked to offensive coordinator Greg Roman yesterday. He noted that it was obvious early on that QB Alex Smith was hot. That WR Michael Crabtree was hot. When you see that early on, do you then start to tailor the calls to fit the hot hands, so…
The 49ers play the Giants at Candlestick on Sunday. In the meantime, I’ll break down a couple of key matchups per day. The 49ers running attack vs. the Giants run defense This is a lopsided match up. The 49ers average 6.1 yards per rush – that’s No.1 in the league by almost a full yard per carry. The Giants defense allows 4.5 yards per carry – 25th best in the…
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…
SANTA CLARA — Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “Good afternoon. Really proud of how our guys finished out that road trip and we’re back here working on the Bills. Got a lot of respect for what we’re seeing of the Bills. They had tough second half the other day, but really it’s just as much a credit to the team they were…
SANTA CLARA – Donte Whitner spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. He broke down the Bills quarterback – Ryan Fitzpatrick. Whitner discussed the keys to defending the Bills’ offensive playmakers. And Whitner explained why he knew Colin Kaepernick would play against the Jets. Here’s a transcript. Q: Who’s the guy the defense needs to watch against the Bills? WHITNER: In this game it’s Steve Johnson, No.13. He was there…
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…
SANTA CLARA – Wednesday in the media tent, Jim Harbaugh answered questions about the Buffalo Bills, Colin Kaepernick, Alex Boone, the rookies, Randy Moss and more. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. The Bills obviously had a pretty rugged second half last week against the Patriots. What do you see from them? Obviously, they have challenging players on that side of the ball. What did you see from…
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 –…
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 – Friday in the media tent, Jim Harbaugh compared Frank Gore to Walter Payton, evaluated Kyle Williams’ Week 1 performance and the offense’s third down production. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. I’m not trying to be fresh when I ask this, but how did WR Kyle Williams do? I think he had six punts in Green Bay? “Yeah, he did really well. Got to love it…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “Good afternoon. We had a really good training camp. Thought our guys were dialed in every day. I think we got accomplished what we wanted accomplished in camp and we’re able to turn the page here this week, get into the regular season. So, obviously we’re knee deep in Green Bay. Looking…
SANTA CLARA – Donte Whitner spoke in the media tent Thursday afternoon. He broke down what makes Aaron Rodgers so good and why he doesn’t throw many interceptions. Whitner also predicted Randy Moss would face one-on-one coverage this Sunday. Here’s a transcript. Q: Of all the aspects of the pass game that Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are good at, what jumps out to you? WHITNER: He’s a very confident…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. You’re looking alive. Did you have enough sleep last night? Everything good? “Yes, everything’s scary good. Word’s out. Jack Jr. reported for duty yesterday at 1:27 p.m. He was 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Came 10 days early, which is to be expected. The good ones like to come in early. And also I think…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s a snippet of Packers head coach Mike McCarthy’s Wednesday teleconference, in which he discussed Jim Harbaugh, Alex Smith, and Colin Kaepernick. Q: Is the read-option play with Colin Kaepernick something you have to prepare for? McCARTHY: It’s definitely something you have to prepare for. You have to put the time in, and we feel fortunate to have had the extra time to prepare for the 49ers….
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers 35-3 preseason victory over the San Diego Chargers, who may or may not have shown up to play. Alex Smith: P. Smith gets a “Pass” even though he didn’t pass the ball once. He played five snaps and handed off five times, and he looked good doing it. Smith may be the finest hander-offer this side of the Mississippi. Colin…
Here are my grades for the 49ers preseason game against the Denver Broncos. QUARTERBACKS: B. Alex Smith and the first-team offense was 1-for-4 on third down and 0-for-1 in the red zone (Peyton Manning was 2-3 on third down and 2-2 in the red zone). Smith did complete 5 of 7 passes, including a deep TD to Vernon Davis. Smith also had one fumbled snap, one delay-of-game penalty and two…
SANTA CLARA – The 49ers play the Denver Broncos today in their third preseason game. As you already know, the third preseason game is typically the most serious preseason game, the “dress rehearsal” before the regular season – starters play into the second half and coaches game plan for the opponent. But Jim Harbaugh said this preseason game would be no different than the other Niners preseason games. He doesn’t…
