SANTA CLARA – On third-and-5 with 3:43 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Niners up by seven, Colin Kaepernick ran out of bounds after losing a yard, stopped the clock for the Chargers and set up Philip Rivers’ game-tying touchdown pass. No, Kaepernick hasn’t thrown a touchdown in the fourth quarter this season. But Rivers threw one today, and Kaepernick helped him do it. Give Kaepernick credit. KAEPERNICK: D. That’s…
SEATTLE – Trent Baalke folded his arms and hung his head in shame. The 49ers’ season was over. The Niners and Seahawks were shaking hands at midfield and Baalke was staring at his desk in the press box. Bad look, Trent. Time to face the failure you created. KAEPERNICK: C. Played like Alex Smith. Didn’t turn the ball over – a first for Kaepernick against the Seahawks. Yes, he scored…
This is the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ p.r. department. Opening statement: “Morning. Getting ready for a very good Seattle defense. I think these guys have gotten healthy the past couple weeks and are playing at a very impressive level. Very impressed at their Philly game and they certainly did a good job against us a couple weeks ago. I think we helped them…
OAKLAND – Before we get to the grades, let’s have a moment of silence for the Jim Harbaugh Era. That’s enough. KAEPERNICK: Ω. He gets an omega, the last letter in the Greek alphabet, because English just won’t do. An ‘F’ isn’t low enough. A ‘Z’ isn’t low enough. This was the worst performance of Kaepernick’s career, the kind of performance that gets a quarterback benched and…
This is the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. Opening comments: “Morning. Getting ready for a really good Oakland Raiders defense, a good mix of youth and experience. [Raiders DE] Justin Tuck, still playing at a high level. Very, very smart player. I enjoy watching him on film. They brought [Raiders DL Antonio] Smith over from Houston, [Raiders DT Justin] Ellis from Green…
SANTA CLARA – Jed York can’t blame Vic Fangio for this one — the 49ers’ defense gave up just one touchdown. It was the offense that failed to show up for the third game in a row. Here are the grades. KAEPERNICK: Z. Worst game of his career. His passes were inaccurate, his downfield vision was poor and he forced passes to covered receivers. Is there any doubt which team…
SANTA CLARA – The 49ers defied the odds and beat the first-class Redskins 17-13 Sunday afternoon. Here are the Niners’ grades. KAEPERNICK: B. Unusually efficient. Completed 20-of-29 pass attempts (69 percent) for 256 yards (8.8 yards per attempt). Three of his nine incomplete passes were dropped. He threw a long, beautiful touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin on the first drive of the game, but he never came close to throw…
This is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. Will you guys have enough time with T Anthony Davis to go through the protocol before kickoff? “No.” He’s out? “He’s out.” Can you share anything of just what he’s gone through? Was he still having symptoms? “Yes.” Greater than initially feared after the game or–? “Well, you can’t know what…
This is my Thursday column. SANTA CLARA Let me get this straight. Ten games into the season, the 49ers have thrown one pass to Vernon Davis in the red zone. That was Week 1. He scored a touchdown. Ten games into the season, the 49ers have by far the worst red-zone offense in the NFC. Could those two facts be related? I’m just asking. Before the season, Colin Kaepernick said…
SANTA CLARA — This is the transcript of Vernon Davis’ Wednesday interview. ME: Last season, you had 8 touchdowns in the red zone. V.DAVIS: That sounds good. ME: This season you have one target in the red zone, and it was Week 1. Why is that? V.DAVIS: I don’t know why, either. I’ve been here for nine years now. All I can do is just take care of my assignments…
SANTA CLARA — This is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. You said that you expect LB Ahmad Brooks to play Sunday. Has the team taken any action against him for insubordination? “We’ve addressed it. It’s not insubordination. Let’s just clear that one up.” OK. What is it? What happened then? “Got emotional on the sideline. Emotions played into it when…
They aren’t dead yet. The 49ers beat the Saints 27-24 in overtime Sunday afternoon, handed Sean Payton his first loss in the Superdome since 2010. Now the 49ers are 5-4. Here are their grades. KAEPERNICK: B+. It was fourth-and-10 from the Niners’ 22-yard line, one minute and 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Niners’ down by three. Kaepernick had to save the game. He rolled to his right. Nowhere…
SANTA CLARA — The 49ers just gave away a game to the Rams, a dreadful team that was trying its best to lose. Here are the 49ers’ grades. KAEPERNICK: D+. Was that him? Didn’t look like it. Whoever was wearing the red No.7 jersey looked timid, tentative, not explosive at all. Averaged just 7.18 yards per pass and 2.8 yards per carry, converted 3-of-12 third down and scored no touchdowns…
SANTA CLARA — Here is the transcript of Greg Roman’s Thursday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. Opening comments: “Good afternoon. First of all, congratulations to the Giants. What a game, huh? Some high drama there at the end. What they’ve done is pretty remarkable. I know the city’s just pretty excited, as well they should be. Here we are facing the Rams again, division opponent, very good…
SANTA CLARA — Vernon Davis was interviewed next to his locker Thursday afternoon. Here’s a transcript. Q: Did the Bye week come at the right time for you? VERNON DAVIS: I think the Bye week was a great opportunity for me to work on some things and try to get healthy. Q: How is your health? VERNON DAVIS: I feel good, I feel good. Of course with injuries, they’re always…
SANTA CLARA — Here is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Wednesday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. Do you feel like facing an opponent so shortly after facing them the first time, playing one game and then facing them again, does that cause any kind of complications for the coaching staff? “It’s a salty opponent. We understand that. We’ve played them twice in the same year, now going…
This is my Sunday column. The 49ers just finished dead week. These are their midterm grades. COLIN KAEPERNICK Pocket proficiency: B. Was a C-minus last season. Completed just 57 percent of his passes and posted an 81 passer rating inside the pocket in 2013. Has completed 69 percent of his passes and posted a 90 rating inside the pocket this season. He’s finding the open receiver quickly and throwing the…
SANTA CLARA — Here is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Monday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers’ P.R. department. C Daniel Kilgore, will he require surgery on that leg? “Tomorrow, he’s going to get surgery.” Will he go on IR? “Yes.” We all remember how bad the NT Ian Williams fracture was. Are we talking about the same type of injury to Daniel? “It’s similar.” How’s he…
The Broncos eked out a 42-17 win over the 49ers Sunday night. Here are the Niners’ grades. KAEPERNICK: D. Carried the team in the first half. Posted a 140 passer rating in the second quarter. Would have been a 156 rating if Anquan Boldin hadn’t dropped a touchdown pass on third-and-goal from the 4 yard line. Kaepernick led a 7-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that took 2 minutes and 58 seconds…
The 49ers dismissed the Rams 31-17 in St. Louis Monday night. Here are the 49ers’ grades. KAEPERNICK: A. His best game this season. The Rams stopped the 49ers’ run game and forced Kaepernick to win with his arm. He did. His deep 80-yard touchdown pass before halftime hit Brandon Lloyd in stride. On the opening drive of the second half, Kaepernick converted a third-and-12, anticipated an opening downfield and fired…
