SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here is a transcript. Both teams talked about how Week 1 there’s been an evolution for both teams. What do you see is the major difference of the Packers now and the way that they played last week and the weeks before that, as oppose to the team you saw Week 1? “We saw a top-notch team…
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the defensive meeting room Monday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. Just, health-wise, how did you come out of yesterday’s game, specifically CB Carlos Rogers? “Carlos is getting an MRI.” Will you have to sign anybody as an insurance policy? “We signed [CB] Perrish Cox.” You did? And, what was the corresponding move? “We had…
Here is my Saturday column on Colin Kaepernick. Watch Colin Kaepernick’s feet this Sunday. The 49ers play the Cardinals in Arizona and the game means very little to the Niners. Win or lose, the 49ers will make the playoffs. They’ll be a wild-card team if the Seahawks beat the Rams, and the Seahawks probably will beat the Rams. And the 49ers probably will beat the Cardinals. You already know the…
Here is a transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. Any trouble keeping guys focused this week on the game rather than looking ahead to the playoffs or looking into all of the playoff scenarios? How do you do that? “No. No, they seem very focused.” Is this a good game in that the Cardinals are a playoff-caliber team and it’s a…
Here is a transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Tuesday press conference courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. So, what was last night like after the game? How long did it take you to kind of come down from that emotional win? “Happy. Happy. Great thrill of winning. Wonderful feeling of victory. I was, and still am, happier than a pig in slop.” How did you guys come out of…
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Thursday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. How do you replace FB Bruce Miller and everything that he brought to the table? “Well, a fantastic football player, does so many things for us. [RB] Anthony Dixon will step up and do a great job, as he has been doing in that backup fullback role….
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the defensive meeting room Monday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. Opening Comments: “We’re glad to see you. We’re glad to be back. It was a great win for the team. We’re very excited about it. The biggest thing is the guys worked hard for it. They worked hard in their preparation. They worked hard in the…
SANTA CLARA — Here is what Jim Harbaugh said about Bruce Miller at his Monday press conference. Q: Is there an injury update for Bruce Miller? HARBAUGH: Yeah, it doesn’t look good. It looks like he has an injury to his scapula. Q: How significant of a loss is that? HARBAUGH: Very significant. He does so many things in the protection, the run game, receiving out of the backfield. He…
Here are my grades for the 49ers’ 33-14 win over the Buccaneers. KAEPERNICK: B+. He was outstanding at improvising and passing on the run. He struggled in the third quarter (3-of-10 passing) when the 49ers asked him to pass almost exclusively from the pocket – his accuracy deteriorated, his passes got tipped and he stared down his first read. But in the fourth quarter, Kaepernick moved outside the pocket and…
Here is my Sunday article on hits to knees in the NFL. This article runs in the Press Democrat’s Sunday sports section. SANTA CLARA — Is it possible the NFL’s efforts to eliminate head-to-head hits have made the game more dangerous? If a defender hits someone in the head or even as low at the shoulder line, that’s a 15-yard penalty, probably a fine and maybe a suspension, too. But…
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Wednesday afternoon. Here is a transcript, courtesy of the 49ers. So, when are you heading off to Austin, Texas? “Trying to be funny?” Yeah, trying. Any comment on rumors that you are going to be up for that University of Texas job? “I don’t ever talk about any jobs other than the one I have.” With this…
Jim Harbaugh spoke about Colin Kaepernick’s press-conference attitude Tuesday morning on KNBR. Here is a transcript. Q: When Colin Kaepernick speaks to the media, boy does he shut down his personality. We know he’s a bright, engaging guy. We’ve had him on the show where he’s been bright and engaging. Are you advising him to shut down his media personality, is it something you’d like to see change, do you…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke to reporters in the defensive meeting room Monday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Frank Gore’s 51-yard run against the Seahawks, and what Harbaugh said about Michael Crabtree. Q: What did you see when you looked at the film of Gore’s long run at the end of the game? HARBAUGH: It was one of the biggest holes we had on the day to run…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are my grades for the 49ers’ 19-17 win over the Seahawks. KAEPERNICK: D+. He was pretty good in the first half and awful for most of the second half until his 8-yard run to seal the win on third-and-7 at the end of the fourth quarter. That’s why I give him the “plus.” He missed wide open receivers all game and completed just 52 percent of…
Here is my Wednesday column explaining why Russell Wilson is better than Colin Kaepernick. SANTA CLARA – You have to admit, Russell Wilson looked like a miniature combination of Joe Montana and Steve Young Monday night against the Saints – Montana’s cool demeanor and precision from the pocket, Young’s explosive ability to make plays on the run. Wilson has been that Montana-Young combo most of this season, his second in…
SANTA CLARA — At his press conference this afternoon, I asked Jim Harbaugh a question about Frank Gore. Here is a transcript. GC: Frank Gore has been on the injury report since after the Titans game with an ankle injury. Is that one of the reasons he’s rushed for just 121 yards the past three weeks? Is the ankle affecting him? HARBAUGH: Could be. What he’s had on the injury…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here are the 49ers’ grades for their 23-13 win over the Rams. KAEPERNICK: A-. This was the most accurate Kaepernick has thrown the ball since Week 1 against the Packers. Kaepernick completed 68 percent of his passes for 9.8 yards per attempt against the Rams. My only knock on him is he did not play well on third down – the 49ers converted just 4 of 12…
SAN FRANCISCO – Jim Harbaugh spoke about Colin Kaepernick at the podium after the 49ers’ 23-13 win over the Rams. Here is a transcript. Q: How was the Rams’ defense playing your offense? HARBAUGH: They did a good job containing the run. We made plays in the passing game – Colin moving. He had a lot of big plays off of scrambles, either him running it or moving to create…
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Friday afternoon. Here’s what he said about Michael Crabtree. Q: What did you see from Crabtree this week in practice? HARBAUGH: Good practices. Q: Is he not on the injury report because he’s totally healthy? HARBAUGH: I did not see the injury report. Is he on the injury report? P.R. Director: Nope. Q: All systems go for Sunday? HARBAUGH:…
Here is my Thursday article on the Thanksgiving football. This article runs in the Thursday sports section of the Santa Rosa Press Democrat. Football on Thanksgiving is a tradition and a burden. Let’s start with the tradition. Thanksgiving football precedes the NFL by more than 40 years. Princeton and Yale played each other on Thanksgiving 1876, and the University of Michigan played every Thanksgiving from 1885 to 1905. The Detriot…
