Today’s discussion topic is the AFC in general and the Patriots in particular. With the Patriots releasing Aaron Hernandez, and surgeons cutting on Rob Gronkowski more than a stick of salami at the local deli, what are the Pats going to do at tight end this season? That’s question No.1. My best guess: They’re going to sign at least one tight end, maybe two. I wouldn’t be surprised it they…
The 49ers play the Packers Saturday at the Stick. In the meantime, I’ll break down the key matchups. WR Randall Cobb vs. CB Carlos Rogers and CB Perrish Cox The 49ers have struggled to cover the best slot receivers all season. The 49ers faced Randall Cobb, Percy Harvin, Victor Cruz, Danny Amendola, Chris Givens, Wes Welker and Doug Baldwin. Against those receivers, the 49ers gave up 55 catches on 70…
SANTA CLARA — Tarell Brown spoke at his locker Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the Patriots’ offense. Q: What is going to be key for your defense against the Patriots? BROWN: We all have to go out there and win out one-on-one battles. They have a lot of different weapons, a lot of guys that can make plays, but we’re really fighting against Tom Brady. He has the…
The 49ers are going to absolutely handle the Rams in St. Louis on Sunday. The Rams offense is going to come out running, like it did a few weeks ago against the Niners. That strategy worked for the Rams the first time. It will not work on Sunday. The 49ers will shut down Steven Jackson and Daryl Richardson from the beginning of the game. As a result, the Rams offense…
SANTA CLARA – Here is what Vic Fangio said about the Rams at his Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. How much have the Rams changed in three weeks? “They haven’t. They’re playing good football. They came into our game and played very well against us. They had a game against the Jets where the turnovers kind of set them back. And then last week they played very…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Carlos Rogers said Friday afternoon in the media tent about the Bears wide receivers and how they compare to Danny Amendola and Victor Cruz – two receivers Rogers has struggled to cover. Q: What makes Brandon Marshall stand out at wide receiver for the Bears? ROGERS: That guy’s big – 230, 240 [pounds], 6-3, 6-4. And he’s got a quarterback who can get him the…
SAN FRANCISCO — The 49ers tied the Rams 24-24. Here is the grade for the 49ers special teams. Special teams: F. Let me count the ways the 49ers special teams failed against the Rams. They gave up two fake-punt passes for first downs. The first time, the Rams were backed up into their own end zone. Special teams coach Brad Seely called an all-out blitz to block the punt, so…
SANTA CLARA – Vic Fangio spoke in the 49ers media tent Thursday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the Rams offense. Them having WR Danny Amendola back, how does that kind of change what they do? “I don’t think it changes what they’re going to do schematically because they had a good guy to replace him with in [WR] Steve Smith, the guy that was with the Giants and…
The 49ers play the St. Louis Rams Sunday at Candlestick Park. In the meantime, I’ll break down a couple of key matchups every day. WR Danny Amendola vs. CB Carlos Rogers This is the key matchup for the Rams. Amendola has missed the past three games with a shoulder injury, but he’s going to play against the 49ers. He’s the Rams’ best offensive player. He will match up against Carlos…
SANTA CLARA – Carlos Rogers spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the Rams No.1 wide receiver Danny Amendola, who has missed the past three games with a clavicle injury, but will play and face Rogers this Sunday. Q: How does Danny Amendola impact their offense? ROGERS: A lot. A whole lot. He’s a guy they use in the slot – I’ll be facing him…
St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher spoke on a conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday morning. Here’s what he said about the Rams. Q: When you were considering the Rams job, did you look at the NFC West and analyze it, and if you did, what did you see from that division? FISHER: Certainly very, very impressed with what took place out there and the great job that…
