San Francisco 49ers

By Ninjames Cardinals QB Kurt Warner retired yesterday. I'm pretty happy about that. (NFL.com) The NFC West is... quite awful when it comes to quarterbacks. Think about it: Alex Smith is the best starting QB in the NFC West. Nice. (PressDemocrat.com) TE Vernon Davis was mic'd up on the pro bowl practice field. (M...

Carolina Panthers linebacker Jon Beason was added to the NFC roster for the Pro Bowl on Friday after 49ers linebacker Patrick Willis withdrew because of a knee injury.

By Fooch Lost – WR Bryant Johnson, NT Ronald Fields, QB J.T. O’Sullivan, CB Donald Strickland, TE Billy Bajema (low bubble), TE Sean Ryan (NQ), DT Damane Duckett (cut) Signed – WR Brandon Jones, RB Moran Norris, DE Demetric Evans, T Marvel Smith (retired), LB Marques Harris (NQ, cut 10/28)

Patrick Willis, the 49ers All-Pro linebacker, won't play in Sunday's Pro Bowl in Miami because of swelling in his right knee described as bursitis. It's not believed to be serious. Willis, in Miami practicing with his NFC teammates, felt discomfort in the...

By Fooch The logo I used for the slogan and URL is Lewisham, a real cool old-timey text that has a turn-of-century San Francisco feel.  Our design people all LOVED it for the niners.  Its not really all caps which would look like this:  THE ONLY BLOG, instead the first letter is cap with smaller subsequ...

We haven't even reached the Super Bowl and the "T.O. Delusional Statement Train" is in full throttle. Terrell Owens, who was just named to USA Today's All-Decade Team, stated that "hands down I'd be close to Jerry Rice's records if I had been with quality quarterbacks like he had. He had Joe Mon...

By Fooch Summary: Some people will consider taking a RT at No. 13 a bit of a leap in terms of value, but Williams is an outstanding player that can strengthen you immediately. If the 49ers go with a guard, Iupati is a fantastic one, and the offensive line gets a lot better overnight. Thomas, as I said in the...

By Ninjames NUMBER ONE J.T. O'Sullivan 2008 Now... was there any doubt in your minds? After the 49ers hired offensive coordinator Mike Martz they signed J.T. O'Sullivan to a one year deal. Martz being Martz, O'Sullivan quickly became the front runner in the quarterback "competition." The competition itsel...

By Jason La Canfora The San Francisco 49ers have hired Ray Brown as assistant offensive line coach, according to a leagu The San Francisco 49ers have hired Ray Brown as assistant offensive line coach, according to a leagu

By Fooch 6. Seattle Seahawks -- Eric Berry -- S -- (Drew K for sundaysfinest) 15. New York Giants -- Earl Thomas -- S -- Texas (price14rays) 25. Baltimore Ravens -- Arrelious Benn -- WR -- Illinois (manraj7) 39. Raiders -- Tim Tebow -- QB - Florida (Drew K)

By Fooch The San Francisco Examiner is one of the papers in the stand and I check out the front page as I'm walking by every day.  A couple days ago the cover was about the 49ers decision to raise ticket prices in 2010.  What caught my attention was the front page headline, which mentioned something abou...

By erickson@49ersnews.com Solari has worked with Jimmy Raye in the past, both were on staff when they were with the Chiefs. Also of note Solari was an assistant o-line coach back in the day with the 49ers and learned most of that position from former Niner great Bobb McKittrick.

By Fooch 2009 Draft: 1st Round: Mark Sanchez, QB 3rd Round: Shonn Greene, RB 2009 Draft: 1st Round: Michael Crabtree, WR 3rd Round: Glen Coffee, RB 2007 Draft: 1st Round: Patrick Willis, ILB 1st Round: Joe Staley, OT 2006 Draft: 1st Round: Vernon Davis, TE 1st Round: Manny Lawson, OLB

By erickson@49ersnews.com He is a former defensive coordinator for the Kansas City Chiefs, Washington Redskins, and Detroit Lions. He most recently coached the secondary for the Green Bay Packers before he was let go—along with the majority of the defensive coaching staff—after a disappointing 2008 season.

By voodoovos In 2010 we have Kyle Orton and Alex Smith and two teams that have combined for JUST 2 playoff wins combined in the last 10 full NFL seasons (a 49ers Wild Card win in 2002 and a Broncos Divisional round win in 2005). I do appreciate the history of both teams, having grown up watching Joe Montana, J...

By stlbloomers That’s it Rams Fans.  Another losing year and major disappointment to go with many, many years of losing and mediocrity in the history of the Rams.  That said we still have to admit, at least it’s professional football in St. Louis.  Although maybe the Rams organization should change the ram h...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) SANTA CLARA – Alex Smith currently is the 49ers' starting quarterback and Jimmy Raye is the team's offensive coordinator, Mike Singletary asserted during an after-season news conference Monday. But the head coach also left himself some wiggle room to make changes at both positions.

By Fooch QB Alex Smith, 2005, 1st round: This is one reason I went with "disappointment" over "bust."  When there is as much disagreement over a player as there has been over Smith, one could reasonably argue the player has "disappointed."  When you're the #1 overall pick of the draft, no matter the c...

By Fooch Alex Smith Fooch's Note: We have an "official" FanPost for Alex Smith discussion.  Let's keep the Smith discussion there for more general discussion, and here for specifics related to the last two games if possible).  Even the strongest Alex Smith supporter would have to admit that his pe...

By SportsJourney.com Did I mention that their next opponent, the Denver Broncos, will be coming to town with former Eagles legend safety Brian Dawkins?  Eagles defensive coordinator Sean McDermott said of the challenge of facing Dawkins, “He’s going to bring a lot of energy, and we’ve got to match that energ...

By mbarrows@sacbee.com (Matthew Barrows) Another antidote is rolling the quarterback out of the pocket away from pressure. Norv Turner did that with Smith with good results when he was the offensive coordinator in 2006, but it's something that Raye hasn't done much this season.

By Florida Danny After the jump, more stats showing the 49ers' recipe for an unexpected stay-in-the-playoff-hunt victory against PHI... PLAYER MATCHUP # 1: VERNON DAVIS VS. PHI PASS DEF BOTTOM LINE Based on the statistical matchups, here are the keys to a 49er victory on Sunday:

By Florida Danny After the jump, I'll present a few more matchups that seem to suggest this is a very winnable game for our San Francisco 49ers... PLAYER MATCHUP # 1: FRANK GORE VS. SEA PASS DEF BOTTOM LINE Based on the statistical matchups, here are the keys to a 49er victory on Sunday:

By Florida Danny p.s. In the preview post, I threatened to apply for the 49ers' soon-to-be-vacant offensive coordinator position if they didn't throw the ball at least 40 times against the Jaguars. I'm seriously beginning to believe JR actually did read that post: SF threw it exactly 41 times, just enough t...

By Fooch 1 RB deep, 3 TE, 1 WR - 1 TD pass to Vernon Davis Series 2 Pass to Davis Series 3 Pass to Davis 2nd and 7 - 1 RB deep, 3 WR, 1 TE on line Gore rush 2nd and 6 - Shotgun - 5 WR set (1 TE, 1 RB, 3 WR) TD pass to Davis Series 4 1st and 10 - 1 RB next to QB, 4 WR 2 RB, 1 TE on line, 2 WR - 1 1 RB deep, 3 TE, 1 WR - 1

I've had some hard losses. This is just another one for the list," 49ers cornerback Nate Clements said. "We just have to keep chopping away." I didn't say a whole lot," Favre said. "I knew what I was thinking: We blew our chances." That's exactly why the Vikings wanted to sign Favre so badly.

By Tony Farmer The above scenario may not play out exactly but the 49ers season is looking good so far and when that doesn’t necessarily mean mediocre draft pick in April, life is good in San Francisco. If I told you during the preseason that by Week 3, 49er fans would be prematurely looking ahead to April’s...

By Drew Magary 3. Nothing beats drafting a wideout high, failing to sign him, and failing to provide a decent QB for him to work with. From Montana to Young to Garcia, no team was able to transition to new quarterbacks like the 49ers did. Now they have the delightful Alex Smith-Shaun Hill diarrhea combo plate....

Very interesting KNBR interview yesterday with Jim Trotter, the SI reporter who, along with Adam Schefter, broke the news about the Jimmy Raye hire Wednesday evening. According to Trotter, before Mike Singletary made his final choice for offensive coordinator, he brought the two fina...

By Matt Cordon (kh) There are times I don’t agree with Jean-Jacques Taylor, but I agree with his assessment of Terrell Owens’ role in the Dallas offense. That’s among the reasons Jerry Rice’s career ended in a Denver Broncos training camp, and why Emmitt Smith finished his career as a plodder in Arizona, aver...

By Fooch The 49ers are 2-6 but that doesn't matter.  Mike Singletary's 49ers got beaten down by Seattle two weeks ago but that doesn't matter.  I consider that last loss the final vestige of the Mike Nolan 49ers.  The Mike Singletary 49ers take center stage tonight.  If they come out and just get smoked...

By Adam Gretz Filed under: 49ers, NFC West, NFL RumorsMichael Silver of Yahoo sports penned a rather eye-opening column today in regards to the former (and current) coaching situation in San Francisco. Honestly, it appears the Raiders aren't the only team in the Bay Area currently cornering the mark...

By Florida Danny 49ERS STRENGTHS 6 9 6 3 8 49ERS WEAKNESSES 4 9 3 SEAHAWKS STRENGTHS 3 4 SEAHAWKS WEAKNESSES 26 VS. 11 28 VS. 15 29 VS. 13 30 VS. 9 27 VS. 24 25 VS. 20 27 VS. 17 29 VS. 3 25 VS. 26 26 VS. 28 31 VS. 31 25 VS. 22 25 VS. 32 27 VS. 30 25 VS. 21 29 VS. 30 31 VS. 31 26 VS. 9 30 VS. 20 Seattle Seahawks            17 San Francisco 49ers        27

By podcasts@sfgate.com (Benny Evangelista) The Mike Singletary Era has begun and he's already asking players for tickets at practice. Beat writer John Crumpacker podcasts about what the new San Francisco 49ers head coach was...

By Benny Evangelista The New England Patriots exploited some of the San Francisco 49ers weaknesses, particularly as Randy Moss scorched the defense. Beat writer Tom FitzGerald and sports editor Glenn...

By Eric Williams Seattle Seahawks Scott Johnson of the Everett Herald reports that the desperate Seahawks are happy to see the 49ers this week. gt; Read more! Here’s some reading to get you ready for today’s game against the 49ers. Seattle Seahawks Frank Hughes talks to wide receiver Courtney ...

Steve Young* 11/15/87 5-6-80 1 td - Lost to New Orleans 26-24 Alex Smith 10/09/05 9-2-74 yds - 4 ints Lost to Indianapolis 28-3

By Fooch This is one thing we all have to keep in mind as we roll through training camp.  With the new offense, it will definitely take some time for the offense to come together.  Mike Martz mentioned he had never been in a situation like this with an even split of snaps between the top 2 QBs.  I certainly h...

By Fooch Not surprisingly, Frank Gore and Vernon Davis were pointed too as two extremely important guys for the offense, alongside Alex Smith.  Gore is a dual threat as a rusher and receiver, while Vernon Davis had one of the quieter 52-catch seasons in recent memory.  I think that goes to show just h...

By undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) Ouch. I told Tucker that the 49ers were very impressed with Joe Staley last season. And coach Mike Nolan has been very disappointed in Jennings' inability to remain healthy since coming to the 49ers as a high-priced free agent in 2005.

By Gonzo Photo courtesy of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune).Yesterday, Adrian Peterson carried the ball 14 times and netted exactly 3 rushing yards.  The San Francisco 49ers had a game plan. . .to stop Adrian Peterson.  And, for the most part, they executed their game plan to perfection as #28 had his wor...

By erickson@49ersnews.com Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott was on KNBR today and was talking about the state of our beloved 49ers and he said if he were coach, he’d cut Jonas Jennings, based on things he has heard and seen. Can’t say I disagree. The sad thing is Nolan has already stated that when healthy, Jennings will get his starting spot at LT back. Lott on KNBR Share This Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott was on KNBR today and was talking about the state of our beloved 49ers and he said if he were coach, he’d cut Jonas Jennings, based on things he has heard and seen. Can’t say I disagree. The sad thing is Nolan has already stated that when healthy, Jennings will get his [...]   [read the full post]

By Ryan Divish Here's the AP story out of San Francisco for the game. This week's opponent — The San Francisco 49ers... Here's a story from the SF Chronicle on playing the Seahawks with Holmgren quotes. Here's a new story on newly acquired returner Michael Lewis. Good pass protection for the Cardinals? What?

By Ryan Divish No Vernon Davis this weekend. After a day off, the links is coming back so strong, Mike Gundy won't be able to yell about it. This week's opponent, The San Francisco 49ers.... Niners analyst Gary Plummer offers some thoughts on the match-up. Here's John Clayton's latest piece on the NFC for ESPN.

By erickson@49ersnews.com This week, the Seattle Seahawks are facing the Cincinatti Bengals, the Arizona Cardinals are facing the Baltimore Ravens and the St. Louis Rams are facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All three of those are extremely winnable games against our division rivals. If the Bucs win, that’s basically the death blow to the Rams. I think its more or less a given that the Ravens SHOULD beat the Cardinals, and the Bengals really can and SHOULD beat the Seahawks. This week, the Seattle Seahawks are facing the Cincinatti Bengals, the Arizona Cardinals are facing the Baltimore Ravens and the St. Louis Rams are facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. All three of those are extremely winnable games against our division rivals. If the Bucs win, that’s basically the death...   [read the full post]

By 11IsDaNew16 Did anyone else just see what I just saw? Was that the Niners going 85 yards on a game winning drive? Was that Alex Smith leading that Drive? Did the offense actually win a game without Frank Gore gaining a single yard on the last drive? Wow that last drive was Sexay...

By 11IsDaNew16 Cardinals Grade: D+ Offensive Game Ball: Alex Smith One optimistic note going into St. Louis: Alex Smith looked like a Number 1 pick when the Niners needed him the most One Pessimistic note going into St. Louis: Alex Smith looked like a undrafted free agent the first 3 quarters.

Here's some real football trivia. Doug Williams did it with the 1987 Washington Redskins. So did Jim Plunkett (Raiders), Steve Young (49ers), Brett Favre (Packers), Jeff Hostetler (Giants), Troy Aikman (Cowboys), and Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers). Dan Marino couldn't do it for the Dol...

By sam@mysportsradio.com (MSR - MySportsRadio.com) This episode of Gold Rush touches on one of the greatest 49ers and of all time, Jerry Rice, and where he ranks in history. After his hall-of-fame career, Jon and Trevor discuss whether or not Rice would have been what he was without hall-of-famer’s Joe Montana and Steve Young throwing him th...

By sam@mysportsradio.com (MSR - MySportsRadio.com) comments] After 20 years of glory, the 49ers with a rookie QB at the helm are likely in for a long season. But host Anish Shroff says at least he gives Niner fans hope. There’s finally hope that Terry Donahue is now gone and Dennis Erickson is gone, and perhaps Alex Smith can be San Fran’s [...]