Greg Cosell spoke on KNBR Monday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers 16-13 overtime loss to the Rams on Sunday. Q: What do the Rams do defensively that gives the 49ers fits? It was tough for the 49ers to go down the field and to run the ball. COSELL: “I think the running part was probably the biggest issue. They ran well in the first quarter, and after…
When the 49ers drafted A.J. Jenkins in the first round and LaMichael James in the second round, all we heard was how the 49ers didn’t need those guys this season. The 49ers are so deep and talented, those two high draft picks could afford to “red shirt” their rookie seasons, just lift weights and learn the system. Forget all of that. The 49ers need Jenkins and James right now. James…
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers lost to the Rams 16-13. Here are the grades for the 49ers offense. Offensive line: D. They were dominated by the Rams defensive line all game. They gave up constant pressure when Kaepernick dropped back, and they could not open holes in the running game. They also were flagged for numerous penalties. Running backs: D. Frank Gore – 23 rushes for 58 yards, and one…
The 49ers announced this afternoon they’ve moved undrafted rookie Jewel Hampton from the non-football-related injury list to the active roster. With Kyle Williams and Kendall Hunter on the injured reserved list, Hampton becomes the 52nd man on the 49ers roster, which means they can still sign another player at any time. They were spotted working out kickers at their facility this morning.
Kendall Hunter will miss the rest of the season due the left ankle injury he sustained against the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, according to USA Today. Update: Hunter tore his left Achilles according to Matt Barrows. How big of a blow is this for the 49ers. How much does it affect their Super Bowl odds? Brandon Jacobs, Anthony Dixon and LaMichael James will have the opportunity to step up and become…
Monday morning on Twitter, Kyle Williams confirmed he tore his ACL Sunday against the Saints and will miss the rest of the season as he rehabs. Kendall Hunter hurt his ankle on the same play, but the extent of his injury is currently unknown. Due to these injuries, first and second round picks A.J. Jenkins and LaMichael James may be activated next week against the Rams, but I do not…
NEW ORLEANS – The 49ers just beat the Saints 31-21. Here are the grades for the 49ers offense. Offensive line: B-. These guys gave up pressure all game, but did not surrender a single sack because Kaepernick escaped every time. Anthony Davis was flagged for a hold which negated a beautiful throw by Kaepernick and a beautiful catch and run by Michael Crabtree which would have been a 35-yard gain….
The 49ers will beat the Saints 41-27 on Sunday. Colin Kaepernick will play even better than he did against the Bears. The loud Super Dome will not faze him. He will torch the Saints terrible defense with his arm and his legs. The 49ers offense will demoralize the Saints defense early. It will be clear in the first quarter the 49ers offense can do whatever it wants. The Saints are…
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers destroyed the Chicago Bears 32-7 Monday night. Here are the grades for the 49ers offense. Offensive line: A. They opened holes and gave Kaepernick plenty of time to throw in the pocket. They only gave up one sack, and that sack was Kaepernick’s fault – all his receivers were covered and he didn’t throw the ball away. Running backs: A. Frank Gore had 78 yards…
Yesterday I broke down the matchup between the Bears rushing attack and the 49ers run defense. Today, I’ll break down the opposite matchup, the one between the 49ers run game and the Bears run D. The 49ers run game should be favorable against the Bears if the Bears continue to feature their Tampa 2 scheme. The Bears may have to drop a safety down in the box and play the…
SANTA CLARA – St. Louis Rams inside linebacker James Laurinaitis spoke to Bay Area reporters on a conference call Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers offense. Q: You say your defense needs to force more turnovers. Is that more difficult this week, because the 49ers generally don’t turn the ball over? LAURINAITIS: Yeah (chuckles), it’s extremely hard. You have team that’s very good with ball security. You…
Now that we’re halfway through the season, there’s a book on how to beat the 49ers. We know it, the 49ers know it – it’s their job to know it — and the rest of the NFL knows it. Let’s explain that game plan and list the teams that can pull it off. Stop the run with seven defenders. If you can do that, you can beat the 49ers. You…
Here are the grades for the 49ers offense from their 24-3 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Quarterbacks: A. Alex Smith played one of the best games of his life. He only attempted 19 passes, but he completed 18 of them, and Delanie Walker dropped the one incompletion. That’s a 95 percent completion percentage. Smith broke Fran Tarketon’s record for the most completed passes in a game in which he threw…
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…
NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell spoke on KNBR’s The Murph and Mac Show Thursday morning. Here’s what he said about the 49ers’ game plan for their upcoming Monday night match up against the Arizona Cardinals. COSELL: “I think the 49ers will approach this game the exact same way [they approached the Seahawks]. I don’t think they’ll feel that the Cards can score very much. They’ve got a got a quarterback…
There’s been a lot of debate lately about whether the 49ers should pass the ball more to Vernon Davis. Here are some stats to help inform the discussion: Last season, the 49ers targeted Vernon Davis on 21 percent of their passes. They targeted Michael Crabtree 25 percent of the time. This season, Crabtree is still receiving a quarter of 49ers the targets, but Davis’ target percentage has dropped to 17…
Here’s the question of the week: Should Frank Gore play against the Cardinals? He bruised his ribs in the second quarter against the Seahawks last week. He practiced on Monday and he says he can play against the Cardinals, but he probably will not be 100 percent healthy. The 49ers need Gore in December and January for their Super Bowl run. It would be wise to rest him in the…
SANTA CLARA – Second-round pick LaMichael James, who has not played this season, spoke in the 49ers locker room Monday afternoon about his development. Here’s what he said. Q: You haven’t played yet this season. You didn’t play much your first year at the University of Oregon, either. Have the two experiences felt similar? JAMES: It’s the exact same thing. I went to Oregon and I had to work my…
SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Monday afternoon. Here’s what he said about a few of his own players. Q: Frank Gore has 103 carries through seven games. Is that about what you want from him workload-wise? He’s carried the ball considerably less than he had at this point last year. HARBAUGH: No, didn’t have a number in mind. Q: Generally speaking, did you want him…
SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers beat the Seahawks 13-6. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ offense. Quarterbacks: D. Alex Smith did not have a good game, but he did lead one touchdown drive in the third quarter and that was all the 49ers needed to beat the Seahawks. Smith was five-of-five on that drive for 60 yards and a touchdown. On the other drives, he was 9-of-18 for 90…
