Frank Gore on the pistol read option: “I just felt like that’s not real football at first.”

SANTA CLARA – This is the transcript of Frank Gore’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.   You haven’t worn that in a while? “No.”   Why’d you pull it out today? “It’s a work day. That’s about it. Just want to have a good work day.”   What’s it going to take to have a good work day on Sunday? “We just have to play 49ers football. Do…

January 17, 2013
Read More >>

Roman on the Falcons: “I think they’re a very good situational team on defense.

SANTA CLARA – This is the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.   Opening Statement: “Sorry to keep you waiting. Good afternoon. Obviously we’re very excited to be back in the Championship Game against a great Atlanta team. They’ve won a lot of games this year, won a lot of games really the past several years, and the great thing about our guys is they’ve…

January 17, 2013
Read More >>

Harbaugh on Gore: “Body feels great, his mind feels good, great attitude.”

SANTA CLARA – This is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.   Have you had any interesting guests come in and talk to the team this week? “No.”   Sometimes you do. “Yeah, sometimes.”   But not this time? “[ESPN Sportscaster] Chris Berman was here yesterday, he said a few words to the team.”   How do you feel about preparation to this point,…

January 17, 2013
Read More >>

Comparing Frank Gore, LaMichael James and Kendall Hunter

I found some interesting stats on the 49ers’ running backs I’d like to share with you. According to Pro Football Focus, LaMichael James is averaging 3.37 yards after contact per attempt (14th in the NFL), has forced five missed tackles, and has a 56.2 “elusive rating,” 25th in the NFL. Keep in mind, James has rushed just 27 times (for 125 yards) and caught just 3 passes (for 29 yards),…

January 16, 2013
Read More >>

49ers divisional playoff grades: Offense

SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers massacred the Packers 45-31 on Saturday night. Here is the grade for the 49ers offense. Offensive line: A. Joe Staley gave up the one and only sack. He injured his arm in the game and did not play particularly well. But the other four offensive linemen sure did. Mike Iupati, Alex Boone and Anthony Davis all were terrific run blockers. Jonathan Goodwin only had one…

January 13, 2013
Read More >>

Harbaugh: “I’ve had the same haircut since I was 10 years old.”

SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke in the media tent Thursday afternoon. Here’s what he said, minus the part about the kickers, courtesy of the 49ers.   Can you talk about Packers WR Randall Cobb, the dynamic that he has for that team? And the consideration that you need to have for him? “Randall Cobb and the many playmakers they have on offense makes it very difficult to zero in,…

January 10, 2013
Read More >>

LaMichael James heaps praise on the 49ers offensive line and Chip Kelly

SANTA CLARA – LaMichael James spoke at his locker Friday afternoon about the 49ers offensive line and his college coach, Chip Kelly. Here’s what James said. Q: What’s it like running behind the 49ers’ offensive line. JAMES: A lot of holes. I really feed off of them. I think they believe in me. During the game they keep me motivated. Q: What’s it like running behind Joe Staley in particular?…

January 4, 2013
Read More >>

Can A.J. Jenkins contribute in the playoffs? Harbaugh: “Do I think he can? Yes. Do we need him to? Yes.”

SANTA CLARA – The 49ers’ first round pick, A.J. Jenkins, did not catch a pass in the regular season. He was not a contributor. This afternoon, Jim Harbaugh was asked if Jenkins can contribute in the playoffs. Here’s what Harbaugh said. Q: Where is A.J. Jenkins in his development? Can he contribute in the playoffs? HARBAUGH: Do I think he can? Yes. Do we need him to? Yes. We need…

December 31, 2012
Read More >>

What we learned about the 49ers: The good and the not-so-good

SAN FRANCISCO – We learned a few things about the 49ers today – some good and some not-so-good. Here are those things. The Good The 49ers earned the No.2 seed and a first-round Bye with the win and the Packers’ three-point loss to the Vikings. The Packers and Vikings play again next weekend. If the Packers win, they play the 49ers at Candlestick in two weeks, on Saturday, January 12th…

December 30, 2012
Read More >>

49ers Week 17 grades: Offense

SAN FRANCISCO – The 49ers stomped the Cardinals 27-13. Here are the grades for the 49ers offense. Offensive line: B. They gave up hardly any pressure this week, which was impressive because the Cardinals defense is ranked 10th in the league in sacks. The 49ers’ offensive line did not create much running room, though, and that’s becoming a trend. The Niners gained 129 yards on 37 carries – just 3.5…

December 30, 2012
Read More >>

Why the 49ers-Cardinals game matters

There are two reasons why this game against the Arizona Cardinals matters deeply to the 49ers. First, there are playoff implications. If the 49ers win, they’ll be 11-4-1. They’ll get the No.2 seed and a first-round Bye if the Packers lose to the Vikings. If the Packers beat the Vikings, the 49ers get the No.3 seed and they would not get a Bye. They would play the No.6 seed at…

December 29, 2012
Read More >>

49ers Week 16 grades: Defense and special teams

SEATTLE, Wa. – The Seahawks crushed the 49ers 42-13 Sunday night. Here are the grades for the defense and special teams. Defensive line: F. They couldn’t stop the run or tackle the quarterback. The Seahawks ran right down the 49ers’ throat all game. Ray McDonald and Ricky Jean Francois took turns getting moved aside at the line of scrimmage. On many  of the Seahawks run plays, it looked like there…

December 23, 2012
Read More >>

49ers Week 16 grades: Offense

SEATTLE, Wa. – The Seahawks crushed the 49ers 42-13 Sunday night. Here are the grades for the offense. Offensive line: F. Even though this group only gave up one sack, they gave up pressure the whole game. Kaepernick was running for his life and he took some big hits after throws. In the fourth quarter, Anthony Davis lost his cool and took two cheap shots on 190-pound cornerback Jeremy Lane,…

December 23, 2012
Read More >>

Roman: “I think Crab matches up well against everybody. Crab is a player who’s ascending.”

SANTA CLARA – This is the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.   Opening Statement: “Good afternoon. Everybody is working hard, everybody is focused. We know how good Seattle’s defense is. I think they are statistically the third ranked defense in the league in yards given up. But the reality of it is, they’re good at every position, safeties do a great job of covering…

December 20, 2012
Read More >>

Cosell: “The 49ers play a lot of man coverage. Wilson is more than willing to throw against man coverage.”

This is what Greg Cosell said on KNBR Thursday morning about the 49ers upcoming matchup with the Seahawks. Q: What makes Seattle’s defense so good? COSELL: They play a ton of man, and they play press-man. They’re a challenging defense. They don’t give you things. It’s earned yards. There’s a difference between earned yards and easy yards. The Seahawks defense gives you earned yards. You have to work really hard….

December 20, 2012
Read More >>

49ers Week 15 grades: Offense

FOXBORO, Ma. – The 49ers beat the Patriots 41-34 and clinched a playoff berth. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ offense. Offensive line: B+. They gave up just one sack – Rob Ninkovich beat Joe Staley. Other than that, the offensive line gave Kaepernick a ton of time to throw all game. They also created huge holes in the running game in the first half when the 49ers averaged…

December 16, 2012
Read More >>

49ers Week 15 grades: Defense and special teams

FOXBORO, Ma. – The 49ers beat the Patriots 41-34 and clinched a playoff berth. Here are the grades for the 49ers’ defense and special teams. Defensive line: B. Justin Smith did not play particularly well, and then he left the game with an elbow injury. On the other hand, Ray McDonald played his best game of the season. He had half a sack all season, and he had two Sunday…

December 16, 2012
Read More >>

Roman: “We’re always going to try to play smart.”

Greg Roman spoke on KNBR Tuesday morning. Here’s what he said about Colin Kaepernick, LaMichael James and the philosophy of the 49ers offense. Q: What have you seen from Colin Kaepernick that has improved and needs improvement? ROMAN: Anytime, especially at the quarterback position, you go in there for the first time and you get the teams reps and you’re the starter that week, it’s kind of like a pitcher…

December 11, 2012
Read More >>

49ers use Diamond formation

I wrote a blog yesterday on the 49ers Full-House Pistol formation. It’s actually called the Diamond formation. The Oklahoma Sooners run it, the West Virginia Mountaneers run it, and now the 49ers run it. It’s a run-based shotgun formation. There are four players in the backfield, and therefore nine players in the offensive box. It’s supposed to confuse the defense with misdirections and multiple options. It invites the defense to…

December 11, 2012
Read More >>

Greg Roman and the pistol offense

Now that Alex Smith has been benched and Kendall Hunter is out for the season, Jim Harbaugh and Greg Roman are changing the 49ers offense to complement the skill sets of Colin Kaepernick and LaMichael James. The 49ers used a full house pistol formation 17 times against the Dolphins on Sunday – six times in the first half and 11 times in the second half. The full house pistol formation…

December 10, 2012
Read More >>