The 49ers will blow out the Lions on national television Sunday night, 33-13. Take this prediction with a grain of salt. I was way off last week, predicting the 49ers would lose by 11 to the Packers. Whoops. Here’s why I think the Niners will beat the Lions by 20: Detroit’s offense will be one-dimensional. They’ll pass almost every offensive snap. Detroit’s offensive line is completely overmatched by the Niners’…
SANTA CLARA – Aaron Rodgers spoke to Bay Area reporters this afternoon on a conference call. He spoke about the Justin Smith, NaVorro Bowman, Alex Smith and the term “game manager.” Here’s a transcript. Q: What makes the 49ers’ defense stand out among the NFL’s defenses? RODGERS: They have the best players. Front the front-seven to the back end they’re solid. They don’t have any weaknesses. A lot of Pro-Bowl…
Here are my preseason Week 2 grades for the 49ers’ offense. OFFENSIVE LINE: B+. They opened up big holes in the running game and played pretty well overall, but it’s important to note they didn’t have to face two of the Texans’ starting defensive linemen – Shaun Cody and J.J Watt. Alex Smith got sacked twice and took five big hits in the first quarter, but the offensive line wasn’t…
SANTA CLARA – The first-team offense and defense mainly faced scout teams (third stringers) at today’s practice, so most of the starters looked unstoppable. With that in mind, here was the best of the best from Tuesday. At one point in a red-zone seven-on-seven drill, Alex Smith threw four touchdowns over a five-pass span. Randy Moss caught two of those TD passes. He was being covered by undrafted rookie Deante…
SANTA CLARA – Mario Manningham spoke in the Niners media tent for the first time Saturday morning. He talked about his first impression of the playbook, his relationship with Randy Moss and the depth chart at wide receiver. Here’s a transcript. Q: Have you noticed anything with this playbook that you weren’t anticipating? MANNINGHAM: It’s easier than the offense I came from. Q: How so? MANNINGHAM: It’s a West Coast…
SANTA CLARA – Cornerback Tarell Brown spoke after Mario Manningham in the media tent this morning. He talked about what it was like to finally become a starter, what he expects from opposing offenses this year and what Manningham brings to the Niners. Here’s a transcript. Q: When you came in to training camp last season were you planning on winning a starting cornerback job? BROWN: Yeah, I definitely did….
SANTA CLARA – Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio spoke first in the media tent this morning, and here’s a transcript of what he said courtesy of the 49ers. Your defense, the last couple of days, has obviously looked really solid. Is that what you’re seeing on tape too out of these guys? “We’ve had a couple good days. Obviously, there are some mistakes out there that don’t show up as clear…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what I saw from the wide receivers at Monday’s practice: A.J. Jenkins played better – he caught four of the five passes thrown his way. In one-on-one drills, he lined up twice against undrafted rookie Anthony Mosley (from the University of Kentucky). The first time, Jenkins ran an intermediate route and telegraphed his cut. Mosley jumped the route and batted the pass away. In the second…
SANTA CLARA – Here are my observations from the second padless practice of the Niners training camp. THE GOOD Mario Manningham – Four catches (two against the first team defense), no drops. He could have had five catches, but Alex Smith overthrew him deep when he had beaten Perrish Cox down the left sideline. Manningham beat Culliver short towards the end of practice. Culliver was so frustrated he slapped Manningham…
Greg Cosell just wrote a blog on football theory which I find interesting, and you can read here. He asks why NFL teams don’t structure their offenses around great running backs anymore. As we know, the 49ers spent much of the last decade building an offense around a great running back – Frank Gore. Gore rushed 282 times last season for 1,211 yards and eight touchdowns. The Niners offense attempted…
Some readers have expressed concern regarding my minicamp analysis of Niners rookie wide receiver, A.J. Jenkins. I called him the biggest letdown of minicamp and one of the worst wide receivers on the field for those three days. Some readers said those statements were hyperbolic and lacked evidence. Below are my unofficial stats from last week’s minicamp. Hopefully, they clear up my statements from my minicamp review. Keep in mind…
Here’s my minicamp review. Keep in mind, it was a non-contact minicamp. No pads, no tackling. It was basically two-hand touch. So I’m focusing on the players involved in the passing game – quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, cornerbacks and safeties. BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYERS Vernon Davis: He got open almost every time in one-on-one drills. He caught a few touchdowns every scrimmage. After he scored I often heard defenders say…
SANTA CLARA – Jim Harbaugh spoke to reporters after Thursday’s practice. He was thrilled with how his team performed in this minicamp, and he detailed what he liked so much. Here’s the transcript of his interview, courtesy of the 49ers. Opening Statement: “Very excited. That was an A++ practice today, and that goes for the whole Mini-Camp. It was outstanding by our guys. Tremendous effort, and really over the…
SANTA CLARA – Alex Smith threw two touchdowns and converted one third down in Tuesday’s afternoon practice. He threw his first touchdown to Vernon Davis. The offense lined up in the red zone, Davis ran toward the end zone and Smith threw the ball high over Davis’ back shoulder. Davis leaped in the air, caught the pass and landed on his back. It was the catch Wes Welker couldn’t make…
I’m waiting to hear from the Niners about media availability this week, but as a prelude to that here’s something for you to think about. We don’t know if the offense will be better this year, but let’s assume it is indeed better. How will it be better? Here are five ways. 1. The Niners got fast receivers who can beat single coverage – Randy Moss and Mario Manningham. At…
SANTA CLARA – The Niners called today’s practice a Veteran Football School On-field session. Most of the veterans showed up. Frank Gore didn’t, and neither did Mario Manningham or Brandon Jacobs, but that’s OK because VFS is voluntary. But Alex Smith showed up. He stretched with the offensive lineman and chatted with Alex Boone, one of his good friends on the team. Michael Crabtree showed up, too. He stretched next…
Before: Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Delanie Walker, Kyle Williams and Kendall Hunter. Grade: F Why: Double-cover Davis and the Niners were dead on third down. Crabtree was rarely open enough for Alex Smith’s taste, Kendall Hunter didn’t have reliable hands and Smith rarely even considered throwing to Delanie Walker. Now: Subtract Walker, Williams and Hunter. Add Mario Manningham, Randy Moss, LaMichael James and A.J. Jenkins. Grade: B+ Why: If teams…
Now that the draft is over, I’m going to grade each area of the Niners offense, starting with the pass catchers. Before: Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree, Delanie Walker, Kyle Williams, Ted Ginn Jr., Brett Swain and Joe Hastings. Grade: C- Why: Vernon Davis is a stud, so this group couldn’t have a failing grade. But everyone else is ordinary at best. Swain and Hastings probably won’t be in the league…
SANTA CLARA – The Niners first round pick A.J. Jenkins spoke to the Bay Area media in person for the first time this afternoon. He’s warm, talkative and humble. Also, he has huge hands. After the interview I told Kevin Lynch that Jenkins’ hands looked like E.T.’s hands. In a second interview a few minutes later Jenkins told the media this: “They used to call me E.T back in high…
This afternoon the 49ers officially announced they’ve signed Brandon Jacobs to a one-year deal. Trent Baalke had this to say: “The 49ers are pleased to add a player with Brandon’s wealth of experience and talent. He has been productive throughout his career, and provides our offense a different dimension. We look forward to incorporating Brandon into our system.” Jacobs answered questions just now on a conference call, and here’s what…
