Kaepernick on Stevie Johnson: “He creates so much separation. Very quick, very deceptive.”

SANTA CLARA — Colin Kaepernick was interviewed by Bay Area reporters Wednesday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers. Was it a relief to see TE Vernon Davis walk through those doors today? “Always great to have Vernon on the field. Looks good. Excited to have him back out here.” How do you enter training camp? Are you feeling about what you saw in the offseason, where do…

July 23, 2014
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Vernon Davis reports to training camp

SANTA CLARA — According to C.J. Spillman, Vernon Davis reported to the 49ers’ training camp Wednesday morning: http://instagram.com/p/qzI78WkCTs/ According to Pro Football Talk, Davis still wants a new deal. Davis should speak shortly. Now that Davis has returned to the team, do you think the 49ers will renegotiate his deal? Stay tuned for my column on the meaning of all of this.

July 23, 2014
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Five key questions for the 49ers

This is my Sunday article on the 49ers. For the 49ers, training camp is about becoming the best. Second place isn’t good enough anymore. Enough with second place. Win the Super Bowl before the window of opportunity closes. With that in mind, here are five key questions the 49ers will face in training camp. 1. Will Carlos Hyde rejuvenate the 49ers’ running game? Frank Gore is slowing down. In the…

July 20, 2014
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49ers sign Staley to a 2-year extension

The 49ers just announced that Joe Staley, who already was signed through 2017, has signed a two-year extension through 2019. Here’s a written statement from Trent Baalke: “In today’s NFL, it is rare for a player to play his entire career with one team. With this extension, Joe will likely be a 49er for life.  He is a three-time All-Pro and core member of our football team. His commitment and professionalism…

July 17, 2014
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Vernon Davis on new deal: “It’s not the end of the world if I don’t get it.”

Vernon Davis recently spoke to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution about his contract holdout. Davis: “It hasn’t been difficult at all. There are no worries. There is nothing that I can stress about. It’s obvious that we want a new contract. I want a new contract. It’s just like any athlete, we all want a new contract. But I’m not going to stress over it. It’s not the end of the world…

June 27, 2014
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Who has the biggest impact on the 49ers’ offense?

Who has the biggest impact on the 49ers’ offense? Is it Vernon Davis? Is it Colin Kaepernick? It’s neither. Greg Roman has the biggest impact on the 49ers’ offense. He orchestrates it during the games, makes sure everyone is in tune. He determines when and how often to call each offensive player’s number. Yes, Jim Harbaugh helps game plan and has ultimate veto-power over Roman’s play-calling. But Roman has a…

June 26, 2014
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Why the 49ers need Vernon Davis

This is my Friday column. Forget about contracts and holdouts for a moment. Let’s focus on why Vernon Davis is vital to the 49ers’ offense. Before I hit you with a barrage of X’s and O’s, there’s one stat you should know about Davis. He scored a touchdown once every four catches last season — the best rate in the NFL. If he had played in an offense that didn’t…

June 20, 2014
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Davis has leverage in contract showdown

This is my Tuesday column on Vernon Davis holding out. SANTA CLARA – Taped to Vernon Davis’ locker is a white piece of paper that has a message printed on it: “Please come by the EQ Room and try on your helmet. Needs to be fitted by Friday, 5/23.” I guess Davis missed that message. You can tell he hasn’t visited his locker in a while. It looks like a…

June 17, 2014
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Jim Harbaugh on Davis and Boone holding out: “Not the decision I envisioned being the 49er way.”

SANTA CLARA — Jim Harbaugh spoke to Bay Area reporters Tuesday afternoon. Here is a transcript courtesy of the 49ers. How was attendance today at the mandatory minicamp? “Good.”   All but two players? “Correct. Two players and a third. [CB] Eric Wright was not here as well.”   Why isn’t he here? “I believe he’s making a decision to not play football, as I understand. Have not talked to…

June 17, 2014
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Vernon Davis confirms he’s holding out

Last Wednesday, I wrote a column explaining why Vernon Davis has leverage over the 49ers, and that he may choose to not attend this week’s mini-camp unless the 49ers renegotiate his contract first. Today, Vernon Davis wrote a column for SI.com confirming that he is indeed holding out. “I’m playing at a higher level than I was then, which brings me to why I’m holding out,” Davis wrote. “It’s all about…

June 16, 2014
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Vernon Davis puts a real threat in deep threat

This is my Wednesday column on Vernon Davis. SANTA CLARA – Vernon Davis has the 49ers in a helpless position, like a turtle trapped on its back. Davis can stay away and let the turtle squirm – miss mini-camps and training camp, hurt the offense and make the 49ers look bad – or he can flip the turtle over. It’s up to Davis. He’s watching the turtle flail its little…

June 11, 2014
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Kap’s new deal no gamble — 49ers QB is betting on himself

This is my Thursday column on Colin Kaepernick’s contract extension. SANTA CLARA – The six-year, $126 million contract extension the 49ers gave Kaepernick seemed preposterous. Why make Kaepernick the highest-paid player in football after just 29 starts? That’s not enough data to justify paying anyone that much money. Kaepernick may turn out to be a Hall of Famer, or he may turn out to be a talented player who never…

June 5, 2014
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Harbaugh expects Kaepernick “to make great strides” next season

Jim Harbaugh was interviewed Friday morning on KNBR. Here is a transcript. Q: What goes on in a late-May OTA? HARBAUGH: There are nine weeks that we can be with the players in the offseason. It is broken up into three phases. We are now in Phase 3, Week 5. Ending Week 5. There will be three more weeks after this. The phase that we’re in now, we can coach…

May 30, 2014
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49ers grades and projections

This is my Thursday column. Dear player or coach for the San Francisco 49ers, This is your final report card for the 2013 season. Show this to your mother and make sure she signs her name at the bottom. COLIN KAEPERNICK: C+. I assumed you would improve, but you got worse. Somehow you became a less accurate passer, only occasionally hitting a receiver in stride. How did you get less accurate…

February 6, 2014
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Why mute Marshawn is wrong

This is my Thursday column on Marshawn Lynch. Should you care that Marshawn Lynch refuses to talk to the media? Yes, you should. He’s not honoring his contract, the standard player contract which mandates talking to the media. I understand not caring. Fans don’t like the media. If Lynch wants to bail on interviews, that’s his business. He earns $5 million per year. He can afford to pay the fine….

January 29, 2014
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Get ready in the red zone

Here is my Friday column. The 49ers’ biggest need this offseason is not a player. Not a wide receiver. Not a cornerback. Not a safety. Talent isn’t the Niners’ problem – they might have the most talented team in the league. Sure, they could use a speed wide receiver, but they need something else. If they had what they needed, they would be Super Bowl champions already. They would have…

January 24, 2014
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Greg Roman’s third down tendency

I wrote a column this week on the NFL catching up to the Seahawks offensive coordinator’s tendencies. In the interest of balance, I want to share a tendency I’ve noticed about the 49ers’ offense, although I don’t think the NFL has caught up to it. Since Michael Crabtree returned Week 13, he has received 15 targets on third down and Anquan Boldin has received 16 third-down targets. Since Week 13,…

January 17, 2014
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49ers 23, Panthers 10: Grades

CHARLOTTE – Here are the grades for the 49ers’ 23-10 divisional playoff win over the Panthers. KAEPERNICK: A-. He played terribly before the 49ers defense made their second goal line stand but, then again, most of the Niners played terribly before the second stand. After that, Kaepernick and the rest of the Niners were just about unstoppable. Kaepernick accounted for two touchdowns – a pass to Vernon Davis while rolling…

January 12, 2014
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It’s Panthers by a whisker

This is my Friday column on the 49ers upcoming playoff game against the Panthers. Before I write off the 49ers, I want to say I underestimated them this season. When Michael Crabtree tore his Achilles’ tendon during OTAs, I thought the 49ers’ season was dead. And when Aldon Smith drove his truck into a tree and the 49ers started the season 1-2, I thought the season was really most sincerely…

January 10, 2014
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It comes to pass for 49ers, Panthers

This is my Thursday column on the difference between the 49ers and Panthers. SANTA CLARA – The 49ers face a version of themselves this Sunday. If the 49ers are a “Bob,” the Panthers are a “Roberto.” For the most part, the 49ers and Panthers are the same team: Excellent, hard-hitting defenses. Quarterbacks who run and throw. Offenses built around running the ball. And coaches who are the sons of coaches…

January 9, 2014
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