SANTA CLARA – Here’s the best of what I could see at Thursday’s padded practice: NaVarro Bowman picked off Alex Smith on the second play of a red zone seven-on-seven drill. Smith was throwing to Vernon Davis, but Bowman had great coverage and easily snatched the pass away before Davis could get his hands on it. Frank Gore was the best running back on the field once again today. It…
SANTA CLARA – Kyle Williams had his best practice of the offseason, and he was the best wide receiver on the field today. I saw him catch nine passes, including the catch of the day – a diving 20-yard reception over the middle in front of Perrish Cox. Williams also beat Tramaine Brock for a deep touchdown in one-on-one drills. If Williams dropped a pass, I didn’t see it happen….
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what I saw from the running backs at Monday’s practice: It’s interesting to watch Kendall Hunter and LaMichael James. They’re about the same size. They’re both quick, shifty running backs. Some people thought James might duplicate Hunter, but they’re actually quite different right now. They complement each other. Hunter is an outstanding blocker, and James isn’t at this point. James got thrown onto his back by…
How did your thud-ball session go yesterday? “Good. Lively, hard-hitting, aggressive, but I thought we worked well together and got a lot out of that first day in pads.” There was one incident on the field where it appeared as if you sent off WR Brian Tyms. Can you explain what happened out there? “Yeah, it was an incident that, just the way we do things, how we do…
SANTA CLARA – Twenty-nine-year-old running back Frank Gore discussed his two-a-day work load and his feelings about finally having to compete with so many talented running backs for carries. Here’s what he said. Q: Harbaugh said you’re doing what you always do – coming in at 6:15 a.m., getting your sweat on. What do you do in that hour? GORE: I do about 30 minutes on the elliptical and then…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what offensive coordinator Greg Roman said at his Sunday afternoon press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening statement: “We’re deep into camp now, in the swing of things. We get the pads on today, working through a lot of things. This is really the fourth time for guys that have been here through our whole offseason program that we’ve been able to install our offensive…
SANTA CLARA – Second-round pick LaMichael James missed seven weeks of the Niners offseason program because he was still in school. He’s working out at the team’s facility this week, and he spoke to reporters today about how he’s gotten himself up to speed, what he can bring to the team, and what he wants to accomplish in training camp. Here’s a transcript. Q: Were you able to make up…
What exactly do we expect from the 29-year-old Frank Gore next season? Here’s what Football Outsiders projects: “From an advanced stats perspective, it appears that the 29-year-old is entering the third act of his career. In his first two years, he ranked in the top 15 of rushing DVOA. In the next four, he ranked no higher than 20th. Then, last season, he ranked lower than any other running back…
Greg Cosell just wrote a blog on football theory which I find interesting, and you can read here. He asks why NFL teams don’t structure their offenses around great running backs anymore. As we know, the 49ers spent much of the last decade building an offense around a great running back – Frank Gore. Gore rushed 282 times last season for 1,211 yards and eight touchdowns. The Niners offense attempted…
This is the third installment of my series on the Niners best players. To read the first two installments, click here and here. Today I’m ranking the 11th through the 15th best players on the roster. I’m eager to read your lists. 11. Ted Ginn Jr., PR. – Averaged the 2nd most yards per punt return in the NFL last season (12.3) of all players with more than 25 returns….
Let’s rank the Niners best players. Since we’re killing time before training camp, this is the kind of mind doodling we do. I already wrote a blog on the top five Niners. I ranked them like this: 1. Justin Smith 2. Patrick Willis 3. Aldon Smith 4. Vernon Davis 5. NaVorro Bowman. In a way the next five are more interesting than the top five because they’re less obvious. You…
While we’re waiting for next week’s Mini-Camp to arrive, let’s play a game. Who are the top-five running backs in the NFL? I’ll play the game first, and then you go. Arian Foster – Houston Texans: Led the NFL in yards from scrimmage the last two seasons with 4,072. Foster also seemed unstoppable in last season’s playoffs. He rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns in the Wild Card game…
SANTA CLARA – 49ers running backs coach, Tom Rathman, spoke to a group of reporters after practice this afternoon. I transcribed the interview below. Here are Rathman’s main points: Brandon Jacobs “is a very physical runner” who “has the ability to pack it up inside and run over guys…If we want somebody to run outside, we’ll put somebody else in.” The Niners want to keep Frank Gore “fresh so he’s…
Although the 49ers offensive play calling needs to improve next season, Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman called their fair share of good plays last season. Here were their top-five. Frank Gore’s 46-yard run at Detroit in Week 6 thanks to the “wham” block from Delanie Walker on Ndamukong Suh. The Niners used Suh’s aggressiveness against him, allowing him to run free into the backfield on a run play before Delanie…
49ERS DEFENSE VS. PATRIOTS OFENSE: Arguably the best offense against the best defense in the NFL, but San Francisco matches up well and here’s why. The Niners can harass Tom Brady with their four defensive lineman – Aldon Smith, Justin Smith, Ray McDonald and Ahmad Brooks – and cover the skill players with their seven other defenders (linebackers and defensive backs). The Niners can do what the Giants defense did…
We’ve broken down the Niners matchups with the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks. Now let’s break down their matchup with another rival – the Arizona Cardinals. 49ERS DEFENSE VS. CARDINALS OFFENSE: The Niners pass rush is young, excellent and improving, and the Cardinals pass protection is no good. They gave up 52 sacks last season, 2nd worst in the NFL. They gave up four to the Niners –…
Yesterday we broke down how the Niners match up with the Green Bay Packers. Today, let’s check out how they match up with their main NFC West rivals – the Seattle Seahawks. 49ERS DEFENSE VS. SEAHAWKS OFFENSE: Seattle signed Aaron Rodgers’ backup and Mike McCarthy’s newest quarterback protégé, Matt Flynn. Although he’s only started two games in his NFL career, he’s performed marvelously in both of those games and many…
I’m waiting to hear from the Niners about media availability this week, but as a prelude to that here’s something for you to think about. We don’t know if the offense will be better this year, but let’s assume it is indeed better. How will it be better? Here are five ways. 1. The Niners got fast receivers who can beat single coverage – Randy Moss and Mario Manningham. At…
SANTA CLARA – The Niners called today’s practice a Veteran Football School On-field session. Most of the veterans showed up. Frank Gore didn’t, and neither did Mario Manningham or Brandon Jacobs, but that’s OK because VFS is voluntary. But Alex Smith showed up. He stretched with the offensive lineman and chatted with Alex Boone, one of his good friends on the team. Michael Crabtree showed up, too. He stretched next…
Before: Alex Smith, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Delanie Walker, Kyle Williams and Frank Gore. Grade: F Why: Vernon Davis is a monster red zone target, but he got double covered constantly last season. Offensive coordinator Greg Roman wanted to establish his red zone offense with Braylon Edwards at the beginning of last season – force feeding him fade passes in the corner of the end zone. Edwards couldn’t catch a single…
