SANTA CLARA – Greg Roman spoke in the 49ers media tent Thursday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the Rams defense. Opening Statement: “Good afternoon. Getting ready to play the Rams. It was good in the bye week, got a chance last week to really kind of analyze ourselves and start to get to work on the Rams, a team that’s ranked on defense in the upper half of…
What do you think Greg Roman’s motivation is for featuring Michael Crabtree over Vernon Davis and Mario Manningham in the 49ers pass game? Is it: Roman believes Crabtree is the best receiver on the team and one of the best receivers in the NFL. People in the organization are invested in Crabtree’s success. They drafted him in the first round in 2009. The people who drafted Vernon Davis in 2006…
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. CB Cortland Finnegan (5-10, 188 pounds) vs. WR Michael Crabtree (6-1, 214 pounds) Finnegan is the kind of cornerback that gives Crabtree problems. But regardless of matchup, Greg Roman wants to feature Crabtree in the 49ers pass game. Crabtree has received at least five targets in…
NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell spoke on the Murph and Mac Show Thursday morning. Here’s what Cosell said about the 49ers offense. Q: Jeff Fisher praised the 49ers offense more than the defense yesterday on a conference call. What do you think of that? COSELL: It’s coach-speak, but you have to understand what Jeff’s background is. Jeff’s a defensive coach, and defensive coaches always think in terms of not turning…
SANTA CLARA – Frank Gore spoke at his locker Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: How does your body feel going into the second half of the season? GORE: I feel fresh still. I’m healthy. I’m ready for the second half. It’s a blessing I’m not nicked up. I’m just having fun running through the big holes they’re giving me. Q: How are your ribs? GORE: A lot better….
I just stumbled upon a fascinating interview of current Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator, Dirk Koetter. The interview was conducted a year and a half ago when he was the offensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars. In this interview, Koetter explains his offensive philosophy, how he puts together a game plan and which plays he prefers to call during games. This is essential reading for all you aspiring football coaches out…
The 49ers rushing offense ranks No.1 in yards per game and yards per carry. That’s great, but the offense is scoring half-a-point less per game than last season. Why is that? One of the reasons is Greg Roman. He doesn’t get the ball enough to his best skill player and biggest scoring threat – Vernon Davis. Davis scored 4 TDs the first three games. He has scored zero since then…
SANTA CLARA – Vernon Davis spoke at his locker Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about his disappearance from the 49ers passing offense. Q: Could we talk? VERNON DAVIS: Let’s talk about how we can get me involved (laughs). No, I’m just messing with you. Q: You had just two catches yesterday, but to see other guys in the passing game pick up the slack, does that make it easier…
There’s been a lot of discussion around here the past few weeks about whether Alex Smith has lost confidence as a result of Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman mixing backup quarterback Colin Kaepernick into games. Against the Cardinals Monday night, Kaepernick did not play, and Smith happened to play one of the best games of his career. After the game, Jim Harbaugh was asked if he ever felt Smith’s confidence…
Coaching: B+. Vic Fangio called more blitzes than usual and the 49ers defense got a ton of pressure on John Skelton. Greg Roman called some creative run plays in the first quarter out of Bill Walsh’s old “Blue” and “Brown” formations, lining Gore and Hunter up side-by-side in the backfield. After the first quarter, the run game did very little. In the passing game, Roman mostly called plays for the wide…
As you know, I’ve criticized offensive coordinator Greg Roman for Vernon Davis’ disappearance from the 49ers passing attack three-of-the-last-four games. Many of you have argued on Roman’s behalf, praising the way he’s used Davis to open up other players on the offense. I guess I just come from a different school of thought. In baseball, for example, you can intentionally walk or pitch around a batter, and there is not…
Tuesday is the NFL trading deadline, and according to Peter King, Kansas City Chiefs Pro Bowl wide receiver Dwayne Bowe is available. Evan Silva tweeted last night it would take at least a third round pick to trade for Bowe. The 49ers happen to have two third round picks next year. So, I ask you: Should the 49ers trade for Bowe? He’s big, he’s fast and he’s one of the…
A few of you have suggested recently that Greg Roman might get a head coaching job this offseason, either at a University or an NFL team. For the sake of discussion, let’s say he does leave the 49ers in a few months and becomes a head coach somewhere else. Where would he go? Would he go to the San Diego Chargers? Or a Pac 12 team? Or a Big 10…
SANTA CLARA — On Friday, Greg Roman was asked a few questions about running back Brandon Jacobs, who has yet to play a down for the 49ers. Here’s what Roman said. Q: Before your last series, Brandon Jacobs was in the huddle, but then Kendall Hunter ran out and replaced him. Why did that happen? ROMAN: I changed the play, I believe. I doon’t think it was fair to have…
SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Greg Roman said at his Friday press conference about Frank Gore. Q: The offense is averaging 5.9 yards per carry. How do you account for that stat? ROMAN: “I think it comes from a lot of things. It’s a very good average. I don’t know where it ranks at this point in the season relative to the history of the game. Everybody has bought into…
SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Greg Roman said at his Friday press conference about Mike Iupati. ROMAN: “I’ll tell you who really had the best game since I’ve been here, is Mike Iupati. He had an incredible week of preparation. He was on a short week. He was the first guy answering all the questions in our review meeting the day before the game. He just played lights out. It’s…
SANTA CLARA – Greg Roman spoke at the media tent Friday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Vernon Davis. ME: Many people consider Vernon Davis the best tight end in the NFL, but he doesn’t catch the most passes in this offense. In fact, he’s third in targets this season. Why is that? ROMAN: “He gets my vote for best in the NFL. Physically, you’re not going to find a…
Greg Cosell spoke with Doug Farrar Friday morning on Yahoo’s Shutdown Corner Week 8 preview podcast. Here’s how Cosell said the 49ers will run against the Cardinals’ defensive front Monday night. FARRAR: San Francisco’s offensive line is much, much, much better. They were rocking (Seahawks DT) Brandon Mebane and putting him on his (rear) over and over. COSELL: Yes. That was a great offensive line performance. FARRAR: What the 49ers…
Here’s what NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell said about Alex Smith Thursday morning on The Murph and Mac Show. COSELL: “I don’t know what’s in Jim Harbaugh’s head. I don’t know what’s in Alex Smith’s head. I can tell you my sense watching the tape was that Alex was concerned about throwing interceptions. He checked down fairly quickly – if the primary read was not there, he checked it down….
Here’s how Greg Cosell explained Vernon Davis not catching a pass against the Seahawks Thursday morning on The Murph and Mac Show. COSELL: “First of all, I don’t think their pass game was very dynamic. I don’t think it was very multidimensional this week. Watching the film, I definitely got the impression they felt this would be a low-scoring game. They were going to run the ball. “I don’t think…
