SANTA CLARA – Vernon Davis spoke with Bay Area reporters in the 49ers’ media tent Sunday morning. Here’s what he said. Q: How is your on-field chemistry with Colin Kaepernick? VERNON DAVIS: We have a great relationship. We’re putting it all out there. We’re working in training camp, and that’s what training camp is all about. It’s about developing that relationship. I think we’ve come a long way since last…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at Saturday’s padded practice. THE GOOD 1. Ahmad Brooks – The 49ers practiced situational football near the end of the afternoon. Jim Harbaugh placed the ball on the offense’s goal line and gave them three downs to make a first down. On third and seven, Brooks beat Anthony Davis around the edge and sacked Kaepernick. 2. Ian Williams – He was…
SANTA CLARA – With 20 minutes remaining in practice, Jim Harbaugh set up a fourth down drill: Fourth and five from the opponent’s 20-yard line, the edge of the red zone. The offense had one chance to make a first down or a touchdown. The first-team offense faced the first-team defense and right away, Ahmad Brooks jumped offside like he did in the Super Bowl. The 49ers replayed the down…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me at the 49ers’ Thursday afternoon pad-less training camp practice. THE GOOD 1. Kyle Williams – He looked as explosive and fast as he did last offseason. In 7-on-7 drills, Williams blew past Marcus Cooper on a deep route and easily caught a 40-yard toss from B.J. Daniels. 2. Anquan Boldin – He snatched a sure interception away from Tarell Brown on…
This is my Monday column on the top-five questions the 49ers face this summer. Even though the 49ers are among the odds-on favorites to win the Super Bowl, like any other team, they confront certain issues. Two of their best players – Justin Smith and Frank Gore – are in their 30s and declining. The 49ers’ offensive MVP last season – Michael Crabtree – tore his Achilles tendon in OTAs….
Which quarterback will have a better 2013 season – Colin Kaepernick or Alex Smith? On the one hand, Kaepernick is the superior physical talent and it isn’t close. On the other hand, Smith had the superior passer rating last season – 104.1 to Kaepernick’s 98.3. This season, Smith will have the younger and better running back (27-year-old Jamaal Charles vs. 30-year-old Frank Gore), and the younger and better No.1 wide…
We know Colin Kaepernick is a rising star at quarterback, and we know the 49ers have one of the best offensive lines in football. Let’s take stock of the 49ers’ offensive skill players – wide receivers, tight ends and running backs – now that they’ve lost Delanie Walker and Randy Moss, and Michael Crabtree and Mario Manningham are injured. I count 18 teams having better offensive skill players than the…
Here is my Monday column on Greg Roman. We’re in a football lull right now, but the 49ers are always in season. So, let’s dissect their most recent move, signing their promising offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, to a two-year extension through 2015. Roman is a good offensive coordinator. From 2011 to 2012, the 49ers’ offense ranked third in rushing yards and ninth in points per game. Jim Harbaugh thinks Roman…
As we learned from Craig Dahl, last season the Rams knew most of the time whether the 49ers’ offense was going to run or pass. This blog from Niners Nation breaks down how the Rams may have keyed on the 49ers’ offense. Were there any other ways Roman was tipping his plays last season? I can think of one way. When Roman started calling the Diamond Formation late in the…
Predict how many snaps each of the 49ers’ offensive skill players will play during the upcoming regular season, and explain your predictions. Keep in mind, the 49ers’ offense played 1,032 snaps last regular season. Here are my predictions. 1. Vernon Davis – 1,000 snaps. He’ll play every single snap he’s physically able to play. 2. Anquan Boldin – 900 snaps. With Crabtree out, the 49ers need both Boldin and Davis…
It’s worth noting that Vernon Davis participated exclusively with the wide receivers, not the tight ends, during the 49ers’ past mini-camp. Do you think that means Davis will play more wide receiver this year? The Niners probably need him to play more wide out because their best receiver, Anquan Boldin, is a much better slot receiver than outside receiver at this stage in his career. During team drills, Boldin lined…
SANTA CLARA – Here is what stood out to me at Day 2 of the 49ers’ mini-camp. If you have questions about anything else that happened at practice, ask me in the comment section. THE GOOD 1. Nnamdi Asomugha – Played left cornerback for the first team defense and did not give up a completion in full-speed team drills. Asomugha broke up two passes from Colt McCoy in a three-play…
SANTA CLARA – Here is what stood out to me at the 49ers’ Tuesday mini-camp. THE GOOD 1. Anquan Boldin – He was every quarterback’s favorite target, as usual. Five-of the-first-nine plays during 7-on-7 drills were passes to Boldin. He finished competitive team drills with seven catches and two touchdowns. He lined up at flanker and split end, but before the snap he usually went in motion and ended up…
SANTA CLARA – Eric Reid spoke to Bay Area reporters Tuesday after practice. Here’s what he said. Q: How complex is the 49ers’ defense? REID: It’s more complex than college, but it’s something I think I can handle. It’s a challenge, but it’s something I like to challenge myself with. I’ve got to study my plays every night. Every day is a new day and I’ve got to come out…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me from Tuesday afternoon’s OTA session. Keep in mind that most of this session took place about 75 yards away from reporters, so I can’t give you the same amount of detail I normally would. THE GOOD 1. Vernon Davis. He made the best catch of the day. During 7-on-7 drills, he played a few snaps with the second-team offense. On one…
SANTA CLARA – Colt McCoy spoke to Bay Area reporters Tuesday afternoon. Here’s what he said. Q: What do you think Eric Mangini can bring to the offense? McCOY: I was with Coach Magnini for a year. He’s brilliant, one of the smartest coaches I’ve been around. I think he can bring a lot. It’s good to see his face. He’s been around the game for a long time and…
Here is my Thursday column on the 49ers’ offense, sans Michael Crabtree. SANTA CLARA –Without Michael Crabtree, the focal point of the San Francisco 49ers’ passing attack last season, the 49ers need all of their receivers to step up – Anquan Boldin, Vernon Davis, A.J. Jenkins and anyone else who can run and catch and breathe. At an afternoon OTA session this week, Boldin stepped up. He was unstoppable. He…
SANTA CLARA – Here’s what stood out to me from the 49ers’ second open OTA. THE GOOD 1. Anquan Boldin. He lined up in the slot about 90 percent of the time in 7-on-7 drills and 11-on-11 drills, and he caught 10 passes on 11 targets. He was the best offensive player on the field today by far. Every time he ran a route it seemed the quarterback threw it…
There’s been a great deal of debate over how big of a loss of Michael Crabtree is to the 49ers. Some people say the loss is no big deal, others say it’s quite a big deal. To inform the debate, let’s look closely at Crabtree’s 2012 stats. Michael Crabtree Catches: 85 (tied for 13th best in the NFL) Yards: 1,105 (14th) Touchdowns: 9 (tied for 11th) Deep catches (passes traveling…
SANTA CLARA – Before I get into the good and not-so-good of the second day of the 49ers’ rookie mini-camp, I want to share that I noticed three players playing two positions today – Eric Reid played free safety and strong safety, Al Netter played right guard and center and Andre Davis, Anthony Davis’ older brother, played right tackle and tight end. All three players seemed comfortable playing two positions….
