Each quarterback made one great play against the Texans, but overall the QBs did not play well like they did against the Vikings last week. QUARTERBACKS: C-. Alex Smith made one brilliant play: On the first series of the game he faced third and five. He bought time by rolling to his right, he kept his eyes downfield looking for receivers and he threw an accurate pass as he took…
SANTA CLARA – Sorry this post is so late; practice ended at 7:30 tonight. This is the good. The not-so-good will follow. Chris Owusu caught roughly five passes, including the catch of the day against the first-team defense. He beat starting cornerback Tarell Brown deep down the sideline and leaped to catch a Josh Johnson pass over free safety Dashon Goldson. Owusu has been on a tear for the last…
SANTA CLARA – The first-team offense and defense mainly faced scout teams (third stringers) at today’s practice, so most of the starters looked unstoppable. With that in mind, here was the best of the best from Tuesday. At one point in a red-zone seven-on-seven drill, Alex Smith threw four touchdowns over a five-pass span. Randy Moss caught two of those TD passes. He was being covered by undrafted rookie Deante…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh announced Tuesday in the media tent that Colin Kaepernick has tentatively emerged as the 49ers’ No. 2 quarterback. Here’s everything Harbaugh said about Kaepernick and the other QBs. Q: Is it possible that you’ll carry four quarterbacks on your roster during the regular season? HARBAUGH: Anything is possible. We’ll do what’s best for our football team. This is one of those things that was foreseen,…
SANTA CLARA – Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick both made a few beautiful throws against the second- and third-team defenses in Monday’s practice. Smith hit Vernon Davis (covered by reserve linebacker Mike Wilhoite) on a deep route for a 25-yard gain, and then on the very next play Smith hit Randy Moss (covered by reserve cornerback Anthony Mosely) deep down the left sideline for a 30-yard gain. Smith’s best throw…
SAN FRANCISCO – Alex Smith had his best practice of training camp, and the 49ers’ first team-offense beat the first-team defense for a change. Smith completed 9 of 10 passes on a 90-yard drive to end practice. On third and 9 from the defense’s 14-yard line, he connected with a wide open Konrad Reuland for a touchdown Colin Kaepernick threw the best touchdown pass of the day in a red…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers quarterbacks, all four of whom played well against the Minnesota Vikings in the preseason opener on Friday night. Quarterbacks: A. Alex Smith played the first series of the game and was perfect, completing three short passes including a screen to Kendall Hunter and a four-yard fade to Brett Swain for a touchdown. Smith did not convert the one third down…
SANTA CLARA – The Niners practiced in shorts today, and some of the time it seemed like they were going half-speed – especially the linemen. The first team offense never faced the first team defense, either. Both starting units mostly faced scout teams – third string players fighting for roster spots. Jim Harbaugh gave Vernon Davis the day off from drills, so Delanie Walker got the first-team tight end reps…
SANTA CLARA – Greg Roman spoke Tuesday about Colin Kaepernick, Kendall Hunter and the team’s approach to the preseason, among other things. Here’s a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “How’s everybody doing today? Getting ready for our first preseason game. Obviously for a lot of the young guys, it’s a really exciting week for them. They got their first game plan book handed to them today. Kind of…
SANTA CLARA – Colin Kaepernick wants to show this preseason that he is capable of becoming starting-caliber quarterback – that’s what he said at his Tuesday afternoon press conference. He also discussed his performance last preseason and his ongoing transition to Jim Harbaugh’s pro-style offense. Here’s a transcript. Q: Looking back at last preseason, did you feel overwhelmed in those games? KAEPERNICK: I definitely wasn’t as prepared as I would…
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…
We all know Alex Smith is the 49ers’ starting quarterback, but there’s competition for the backup job and Josh Johnson may have pulled into the lead this week. Until the past few practices, Johnson appeared to be in last place, behind Colin Kaepernick and Scott Tolzien. Johnson was holding onto the ball longer than the other quarterbacks and taking more sacks. On the other hand, he’s taken a lot of…
SANTA CLARA — The Niners have been working to improve their 31st –ranked red zone offense the past two practices, and their top two quarterbacks have had a tough time. Alex Smith was sacked four times and he only completed six passes to wide receivers in team drills. His best throw was a 15-yard strike to Mario Manningham, who was knocked out of bounds right in front of the goal…
SANTA CLARA – All four of the Niners quarterbacks struggled in practice today. Alex Smith threw three interceptions – one to Bowman, one to free safety Darcel McBath and one to reserve linebacker Mike Wilhoite. McBath’s interception came after a Mario Manningham tip in the middle of the field, but the other two picks were in the end zone. The entire offense was working on red zone efficiency, so Smith…
SANTA CLARA – The Niners newest quarterback, Josh Johnson, spoke today about his comfort level in the offense, his history with Colin Kaepernick, and why he likes Jim Harbaugh’s coaching style so much. Here’s a transcript. Q: How has it been going for you getting into the playbook? JOSH JOHNSON: It’s been going great. I’ve been fortunate for the last few years to play for a variety of different offensive…
SANTA CLARA – After practice, the 49ers P.R. staff invited the media out to the field to interview a few players. Most Niners were already in the locker room, but sixth round pick Jason Slowey stayed out on the field with Joe Looney and Colin Kaepernick to do some extra work. Slowey lined up at center, Looney lined up at right guard and Kaepernick took about 20 snaps from Slowey,…
This is the time of year when we go through certain scenarios, and this is a lurking scenario: the option option. The Niners have two players on their roster who are two of the greatest college players to ever play in an option offense. I’m talking about their last two second round picks, quarterback Colin Kaepernick and running back LaMichael James. Here’s what Ron Jaworski recently said about the read…
SANTA CLARA – 2011 second round pick Colin Kaepernick briefly spoke outside the Niners locker room this afternoon. He discussed the part of his game he wants to improve the most, his relationship with Josh Johnson – his main rival for the backup quarterback job –and his budding friendship with this year’s second round pick, LaMichael James. Here’s a transcript. Q: What are you accomplishing these first few days of…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke to reporters after Thursday’s practice. He was thrilled with how his team performed in this minicamp, and he detailed what he liked so much. Here’s the transcript of his interview, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “Very excited. That was an A++ practice today, and that goes for the whole Mini-Camp. It was outstanding by our guys. Tremendous effort, and really over the…
SANTA CLARA – Yesterday Alex Smith was the star. Today it was Colin Kaepernick. The Niners backup quarterback threw three touchdowns and only a few incompletions all practice. His best pass was a 20-yard line drive to Kyle Williams in the end zone. Williams was tightly covered by Donte Whitner. Kaepernick threw the ball so hard Whitner didn’t have a chance to bat it away. Earlier in a red zone…
