SANTA CLARA – Here is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. How did the week go? “Good week. Got a chance to work on our turf field today. And playing on turf this week. But, overall, good week. Thought the focus was good and the practices were good.” Does the rain infringe upon your preparations at all? “Probably a couple different ways…
SANTA CLARA — Here is what Greg Roman said Thursday about Michael Crabtree, courtesy of the 49ers. What makes WR Michael Crabtree so valuable on third downs? “Well, Michael’s a really good football player. Mike’s got great hands. I think Coach [Harbaugh] said he’s got the best hands he’s ever seen. We marvel at his hands every day in practice. He’s a natural catcher; we can’t take credit for…
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 play the Saints Sunday at the Superdome. In the meantime, I’ll break down five key matchups. CB Patrick Robinson vs. WR Mario Manningham Michael Crabtree was Alex Smith’s favorite target, but Colin Kaepernick likes to throw the ball downfield, and Crabtree is a possession receiver. As a result, Kaepernick has shown more chemistry throwing passes to Mario Manningham this season. Manningham is a deep threat, but the 49ers…
SAN FRANCISCO – Here is the complete transcript of Colin Kaepernick’s postgame press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. When were you told that you were going to be a starter? “Last night was when they officially told me.” Did you have an inkling that was the way it was going as the week went on? “I started getting more reps on Friday and Saturday. We really didn’t know…
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…
The 49ers play the Bears Monday night at Candlestick. In the meantime, I’ll break down five key matchups. CB Charles Tillman vs. WR Michael Crabtree Greg Roman likes to move Crabtree around the formations and match him up against the opposing teams’ No.2 or No.3 cornerback. Roman can do this because most cornerbacks play a specific side of the field, so he knows where the No.1 CB is going to…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Carlos Rogers said Friday afternoon in the media tent about the Bears wide receivers and how they compare to Danny Amendola and Victor Cruz – two receivers Rogers has struggled to cover. Q: What makes Brandon Marshall stand out at wide receiver for the Bears? ROGERS: That guy’s big – 230, 240 [pounds], 6-3, 6-4. And he’s got a quarterback who can get him the…
As I explained in my previous post, the Bears defense uses a Tampa 2 scheme which is tough to pass against. The 49ers heavy personnel formations may give the Niners an opportunity to avoid passing into that Tampa 2 shell. From the heavy formations, the quarterback can throw play action passes to a receiver working against a corner man-to-man or in a 3-deep zone, which definitely is better than throwing…
NFL Films analyst Greg Cosell spoke on the Murph and Mac Show Thursday morning. Here’s what he said about the Bears defense and Vernon Davis. Q: What have you seen from the Bears defense? COSELL: “I think the Bears defense is as fundamentally sound as any defense in the National Football League. They would probably be viewed by coaches as not being that complex to play against, although they do…
SAN FRANCISCO — The 49ers tied the Rams 24-24. Here are the grades for the 49ers offense. Offensive line: B. They gave up five sacks, but not all were their fault. In fact, four of the sacks were due to Alex Smith and Colin Kaepernick holding on to the ball for too long. On the fifth sack, Anthony Davis got beat by Chris Long, who sacked Kaepernick as he was…
What do you think Greg Roman’s motivation is for featuring Michael Crabtree over Vernon Davis and Mario Manningham in the 49ers pass game? Is it: Roman believes Crabtree is the best receiver on the team and one of the best receivers in the NFL. People in the organization are invested in Crabtree’s success. They drafted him in the first round in 2009. The people who drafted Vernon Davis in 2006…
The 49ers play the St. Louis Rams Sunday at Candlestick Park. In the meantime, I’ll break down a couple of key matchups every day. CB Cortland Finnegan (5-10, 188 pounds) vs. WR Michael Crabtree (6-1, 214 pounds) Finnegan is the kind of cornerback that gives Crabtree problems. But regardless of matchup, Greg Roman wants to feature Crabtree in the 49ers pass game. Crabtree has received at least five targets in…
SANTA CLARA — Here is what Alex Smith said at his locker Wednesday afternoon, courtesy of the 49ers. You talked to Peter King about WR Randy Moss’ influence on the team. Have you seen his work ethic rub off on the other receivers? Have you seen his influence in action? “All of our guys work hard, I didn’t mean it in a sense like that. Here’s a guy that’s,…
SANTA CLARA — Here’s the complete transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers. Can you give us a progress report on the rookies? We haven’t seen WR A.J. Jenkins or RB LaMichael James since the exhibition season. How are those guys doing behind the scenes? “Good. They’re working hard, doing it with a very good attitude. And just same thing we tell them is work…
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’s what Greg Cosell said on the Murph and Mac Show Thursday Morning about Michael Crabtree’s two-touchdown game against the Arizona Cardinals last week. COSELL: “[Crabtree] was impressive in this game. The three-yard touchdown was just a great throw and catch. It wasn’t as if he beat Peterson in the corner of the end zone. It was a great throw, incredibly accurate, and Crabtree went up and got it and…
Michael Crabtree is the 49ers leading receiver for the second season in a row. He seems slightly faster and quicker than he was a year ago. On the other hand, his yards per catch average are down to 11.3, 85th-best in the NFL and more than a yard lower than his career average. AdvancedNFLstats.com ranks Crabtree as the 42nd-best wide receiver in the NFL this season. They credit adding a…
The 49ers rushing offense ranks No.1 in yards per game and yards per carry. That’s great, but the offense is scoring half-a-point less per game than last season. Why is that? One of the reasons is Greg Roman. He doesn’t get the ball enough to his best skill player and biggest scoring threat – Vernon Davis. Davis scored 4 TDs the first three games. He has scored zero since then…
SANTA CLARA — Here’s what Jim Harbaugh said at his Tuesday press conference about the red zone connection between Alex Smith and Michael Crabtree, courtesy of the 49ers. Michael Crabtree said he’s been working a lot in practice with Alex Smith, as far as getting into the red zone. He had two red zone touchdowns, obviously last night. But, before that he had only had two in the last three…
