Here is my Friday column on how the 49ers are like Muhammad Ali. Of the 49ers’ remaining opponents, which ones have a defense that can cause problems for a 49ers’ offense with a spotty passing game? That is the key question. If a team can’t stop Frank Gore and Anquan Boldin, that team can’t beat the 49ers. But if a team has a good run defense and at least one…
Here is my Friday column about the presence and absence of Anquan Boldin. SANTA CLARA – Anquan Boldin is like a hero from an Elmore Leonard novel, a modern-day cowboy. On Thursday he marched through the locker room from the shower to his locker, head high, eyes forward, and said hello to no one. He’s like a cowboy entering a saloon with the brim of his hat covering his eyes….
SANTA CLARA — Anquan Boldin spoke at his locker Thursday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers. Q: What do you think about how the offense has evolved from week to week? Is this what the 49ers’ identity on offense is, a game-plan-specific type of offense? BOLDIN: I think you have to be. Each defense that we play against poses different challenges. Some weeks we’ll throw more. Some…
SANTA CLARA — Greg Roman spoke in the media tent Thursday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers. Opening comments: “Good afternoon. Big Division game this week. We kind of treat it as a one-game season so-to-speak against a very good defense. They’re one of the top teams in the NFL against the rush. When we turn on the film it’s pretty obvious why. They got a…
Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Bruce Arians spoke on a conference call with Bay Area reporters Wednesday morning. Here is a transcript. Q: Do you feel like your team is getting better each week as we go along here? ARIANS: We are starting to improve each week. Offensively it’s taken a little more time than we had hoped, but special teams and defense so far have been playing pretty solid. Q:…
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…
The biggest advantage for the 49ers is the Cardinals QB, John Skelton. He struggles mightily in most situations and unfortunately for their team, it is a battle to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald. Nothing like having a quality player on offense and not be able to get him the ball. Does that sound familiar? I don’t think the 49ers will blow out the Cardinals. I don’t think the 49ers…
Patrick Peterson spoke to Bay Area reporters on a conference call Wednesday afternoon. Here’s what he said about the 49ers. Q: In terms of this being a rivalry game, what kind of buzz is going on in the locker room, and what sense are you getting from the veteran guys about how important the Niner game is? PETERSON: This is a huge game. One, it’s on Monday night and two,…
Here’s what Cardinals cornerback and punt returner Patrick Peterson said about returning punts Wednesday afternoon to Bay Area reporters on a conference call. Q: The 49ers did a good job limiting your punt returns last year. Do you remember what they did and how much punter Andy Lee had to do with it? PETERSON: Andy Lee, he’s probably the best punter in the National Football League right now, but those…
Here’s what Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said about his team to Bay Area reporters Wednesday morning on a conference call. Q: How is your schedule this week impacted by the Monday night game? WHISENHUNT: We just did a normal week Monday-Tuesday, so we’re going to have the extra day of practice today and then our normal routine Thursday. That’s the schedule that we’re going with since we played…
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…
But what if Peterson is gone, too? And Cam Newton, Blaine Gabbert, Marcell Dareus and A.J. Green are also sporting the NFL-hat-with-blazer look. Anything can happen, of course, but it’s an entirely reasonable scenario.
Due to popular demand (one person on Twitter), we present the inaugural Inside the 49ers mailbag. If your question doesn’t appear below, it could appear in Mailbag No. 2:
The thought has crossed my mind that plenty of NFL players might not be too broken up about missing minicamps if there is an extended lockout. Perhaps. But Niners tight end Vernon Davis, among others, has some serious incentive to get back on the field.
LSU cornerback Patrick Peterson could be one of the first players selected in the NFL Draft. Louisville quarterback Adam Froman could be one of the last. The disparate duo, however, does have this in common: They can already see how the lockout could alter their NFL dream.
It’s safe to assume that Mallett is not a first-round consideration for the 49ers, but he does have the distinct whiff of a quarterback who could slide into the second round due, in part, to the will-he-pass-his-next-drug-test drama.
Aumukamara’s time silenced doubts about his wheels and might have cemented his status as a top-10 pick. On Sunday, even before he ran the 40, the NFL Network’s Mike Mayock said he thought the Cowboys should select Amukamara if he was still available at No. 9.
What does he hope to run in the 40-yard dash Tuesday at the NFL Combine? LSU’s Patrick Peterson said he wanted to clock in at 4.2 seconds, a mark which would break the event record of 4.24 seconds.
John Elway eyed countless cornerbacks during his Hall-of-Fame career. And there is some belief he’s closely examining another – LSU’s Patrick Peterson — in his new role as Denver’s vice president of football operations.
Now, no one is ready to predict Peterson will join Lott, the No. 8 pick in the 1981 draft, in the Hall of Fame. But there are a few noted draft analysts who are predicting Peterson will follow Lott’s path from college to San Francisco: In their latest mock drafts, ESPN’s Mel Kiper and Todd McShay both have the 49ers selecting Peterson with the No. 7 pick.
