Week 17 grades

Here are my Week 17 grades for the 13-3 49ers. Alex Smith: B+. He made one very nice play in this game – the eight yard touchdown scramble on third and goal in the first quarter. He slipped in the pocket and when he bounced back up it seemed like he wanted to throw the ball away, but he didn’t. Instead he plowed his way into the end zone. He’s…

January 1, 2012
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Harbaugh says Ginn is “coming along very well,” and more

Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said today at his Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Have you guys made a decision yet (on who will fill the open roster spot)? “No, we haven’t made an announcement yet. We won’t until tomorrow, most likely.” What’s the purpose of waiting until Saturday for that move? “Until we know exactly how we want to do it. [WR] Ted [Ginn] had a good workout…

December 30, 2011
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Why did Gore only get 10 carries against AZ last Sunday? “It was the game plan,” he says.

SANTA CLARA – Both Greg Roman and Frank Gore answered questions this afternoon regarding the measly ten carries Gore received last Sunday against the Cardinals. Here’s what they said. Q: Last Sunday against the Cardinals, you guys went up 19-7 in the third quarter. A lot of us were thinking you were going to turn to your running game at that point. It didn’t happen that way, and now everyone’s…

December 16, 2011
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What I want to see from the Niners

The Niners are going to have to be creative and efficient to beat the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday night. Here’s what I want to see from them. It’s a given the Steelers are going to blitz, blitz, blitz the Niners offense. They will bring extra rushers up the middle and other times they’ll overload the right side of the Niners’ O-line – the Anthony Davis side – and run four-man…

December 14, 2011
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Kendall Hunter doesn’t know why the Niners run so few halfback screens

SANTA CLARA – Here’s what backup running back Kendall Hunter said at his locker today. Q: Now that you’ve been around Frank Gore for a few months, what have you learned from his game? HUNTER: Frankly, everything. The way he runs, the way he blocks. He helped me with some of the techniques he uses and what he looks for and stuff like that. Q: Can you feel the difference…

November 30, 2011
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Greg Roman describes Alex Smith’s skill set, and more.

SANTA CLARA – Here’s the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “We’re working hard on this Arizona defense. They had a coordinator change this year. Their defense is a Pittsburgh Steelers scheme. They brought in their defensive coordinator who had been with the Steelers for quite awhile. They play extremely hard. They’re getting much better, playing with much more confidence and expertise within…

November 17, 2011
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Frank Gore on his injury status for Sunday: “I’ll play. I’ll play good.”

SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Frank Gore said in the locker room today. Q: You missed practice yesterday. Was that related to the knee or were you getting some midseason rest? GORE: Rest. Q: The knee’s fine? GORE: Yeah, it’s fine. Q: Are you going to practice today? GORE: Yeah, I’m going to practice today. Q: So you’re expecting to play Sunday? GORE: Yeah I’ll play. I’ll play good. Q:…

November 17, 2011
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Tom Rathman on Bruce Miller: “I don’t know if I would consider him a bulldozer as a lead blocker.”

Running backs coach Tom Rathman spoke to a group of Bay Area reporters yesterday at the 49ers practice facility. I was on a plane during this interview, but the Examiner.com’s Sam Lam very generously passed the transcript along to all the writers. Thank you, Sam Lam. Here is Rathman for you reading pleasure. Q: What did you see from the scout film on Bruce Miller and what was it like…

November 8, 2011
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Trent Dilfer’s #filmstudy of the 49ers

Trent Dilfer just wrote a series of tweets on the 49ers which he tagged #filmstudy. Here’s what he wrote. 1. Alex Smith DEALING in Big Moments whole year, Vertical accuracy has been very good. Passing game making strides” 2. “Iupati 77 is going to be a premier OG for years. Huge, great feet, great length, dominant at point and fantastic puller” 3. “O-line continues to gel and improve in their…

October 18, 2011
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For the Love of Boobie Dixon

Here’s the transcript of an interaction that took place yesterday in the locker room between Anthony “Boobie” Dixon, Ted Ginn Jr., Kendall Hunter, Gwen Knapp and me. Knapp first approached Dixon to ask him about Frank Gore, and I came in to ask follow-up questions. KNAPP: How do you relate to Frank Gore on the sideline and on the field? DIXON: I’m like his boxing coach on the sideline. KNAPP:…

October 13, 2011
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Ndamukong Suh: “You either need to guard me or I’m going to hit your quarterback.”

SANTA CLARA —  Here’s the transcript of Ndamukong Suh’s Thursday conference call with Bay Area reporters. What’s the atmosphere like in Detroit with you being 5-0? Solitude. We’re continuing to work for a good team we’re going to see. We enjoyed our Monday night win and a little on Tuesday. But we’re focused on San Francisco, knowing we have a tough road ahead of us. Is it tough to come…

October 13, 2011
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Greg Cosell on the Niners’ comeback: “The player they exploited was Nnamdi Asomugha.”

Here’s what NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell said about the 49ers this morning on the Murph and Mac Show. Q: Did you have any inkling that the 49ers could pull off that comeback? COSELL: The best way to answer that would be I was surprised Alex Smith started the second half. Q: I’d say the same thing, and that’s coming from a fan. COSELL: I’ve got to tell you, I…

October 6, 2011
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Anthony Dixon’s locker

SANTA CLARA – I walked over to Anthony Dixon in the locker room three minutes before he had to go to a team meeting, and I asked him if he would mind showing me what he keeps in his locker. “The fans want to know what’s inside a famous NFL running back’s locker,” I explained. Kendall Hunter, who was standing nearby, overheard and requested clarification. “You said a famous NFL…

September 8, 2011
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Kendall Hunter on his big performance

SAN FRANCISCO – The star of the night was Kendall Hunter, and he spoke to a group of reporters after the game in the locker room. Hunter was the most talkative I’ve ever seen him, and for good reason. Here’s the transcript of that interview. Enjoy. Q: What has been your biggest adjustment from college to the NFL? HUNTER: My biggest adjustment is everything. There’s new terminology and a new…

August 20, 2011
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8/6 Practice notes

SANTA CLARA – After warm-ups and drills, the real practice started with a 9-on-9 goal line scrimmage. It was the first team offense against the first team defense, but backup Anthony Dixon lined up at tailback instead of Frank Gore. Alex Smith hiked the ball and handed it off to Dixon, who chose to bounce his run outside to the left. This was a bad move. Patrick Willis caught him…

August 6, 2011
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Harbaugh the punter

SANTA CLARA – If you thought today’s practice would start with a Harbaugh-Kaepernick quarterback lesson, you were wrong. Harbaugh left Kaepernick alone with quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst for a change. Instead, Coach Harbaugh spent the beginning of practice standing next to punter Andy Lee. As I walked over, I saw Harbaugh pantomiming a punting motion, and for a second I thought he was trying to teach Andy Lee, one of…

August 3, 2011
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Day 3: Practice assessment

SANTA CLARA – Practice is over for the day and I will post two interviews shortly, but first here are the good things and the not-so-good things I saw on the field. THE GOOD Colin Kaepernick. By my count he was 15-23 with one interception and one fumbled snap in 11-on-11 scrimmages. He connected with Vernon Davis and Delanie Walker repeatedly on crossing routes and deep outs. Kaepernick makes throwing…

July 31, 2011
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