San Francisco 49ers

By John Crumpacker Offense RATING: (SNOOZING VIEWER) With a terrible time of possession differential, the 49ers were not able to do much after the first quarter. J.T. O'Sullivan looked sharp in throwing three touchdown passes, but he was constantly harried after that. The 49ers...

GAME REVIEW Offense RATING: (SNOOZING VIEWER) The 49ers did some good things against the Saints but not nearly enough of them. They had 312 total yards, converted on fourth down and made a two-point conversion, and Frank Gore averaged 5.1 yards per carry. But...

Upon Further Review: Saints vs 49ers While he had only 2.5 sacks all of last season he almost equaled that total today as he brought down JT O'Sullivan twice, giving him 3 sacks for the season. ... Another Brees to Moore touchdown extends New Orleans Saints lead The Times-Picayune - NOLA.com

By undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) Game balls on offense go to QB J.T. O'Sullivan and RB Frank Gore, of course, as well as C Eric Heitmann. Defensively, where to start? CBs Nate Clements, Walt Harris and Tarell Brown each played exceptionally well, as did Justin Smith. The top player on special teams was easily Jason Hill.

By undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) Coach Mike Nolan is actively involved in the 49ers' defensive plan of attack. He leaves the offensive plan up to offensive coordinator Mike Martz - just as he trusted the judgment of his previous offensive coordinators. All things being equal, the 49ers will elect to receive the opening ki...

By Fooch This is the million dollar question.  More of the season's potential is riding on this question than anything else.  In one of his media sessions Scot McCloughan stated that if Alex Smith is still the backup at season's end, he will not be back with the 49ers in 2009.  His salary escalates too m...

By Fooch Anyways, Johnson and Battle have spent much of training camp dinged up.  From earlier reports, Johnson was performing quite well in camp before going down with a hamstring injury during the combined practice with the Raiders.  Battle on the other hand seems to be nicked up every offseason...

By Adam Gretz Even though San Francisco 49ers' Head Coach Mike Nolan won't yet announce it, the competition for the teams starting quarterback position appears to be all but over. If the fact J.T. O'Sullivan started the third preseason game (considered to be the most meaningful of the meaningless games...

49ers vs. Packers: Q&A with The Frozen Tundra In the Niners’ case, the team also has to be concerned whether Mike Martz will utilize his best weapon (Frank Gore) more than he usually uses the position, ... Preseason Review/Preview: Physical Play Personifies Packers Bleacher Report

By Fooch Keasey factored into several of my problems with the play-calling.  Smith had a nice little drive going at the end of the second quarter and on 3rd and 3 at the Raiders 5, the 49ers ran Keasey from the deep spot right up the middle for one yard.  In that situation why not run a little play-action?...

By Fooch Just for the hell of it, with all these rule changes, here's a point for discussion.  Do you find any particular rule in the NFL particularly stupid?  If you're a college football fan, maybe you'd prefer the NFL adopt 1 foot in bounds for a reception to be allowed.  Or maybe you'd prefer a varia...

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 undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) The biggest audience was for Patrick Willis, whose line stretched the entire width of the field. Vernon Davis and Frank Gore also had long lines, with Alex Smith's line a distant fourth. (When I checked Shaun Hill's line, it was about 10 deep.)

By undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) Johnson said he felt comfortable signing with the 49ers because he is rejoining his former receivers coach, Jerry Sullivan, and also because of the Mike Martz factor. Receivers want to play in this pass-happy offense. Johnson and Battle were teammates at the Senior Bowl.

By undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) INSTANT 49ERS: I remember speaking with Bill Walsh about Jerry's work ethic. Walsh said that a lot of people wanted to work like Jerry but nobody could do it. That's because Rice had such incredible endurance. He could run and run and run . . . and never get tired. I've never seen anyone approaching R...

By Fooch In looking over the numbers, there isn't a whole lot to be discerned at the moment.  The 49ers were 5-11 overall, and 5-10-1 against the spread. If you bet against the 49ers, you did rather well last season.  Of course aside from the usually ridiculous preseason bet on the team to win the Super B...

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 Samuel Lam But look at guys like Pacman Jones and Ray Lewis. Jones may find himself in Dallas, a team that might win the Superbowl after all the fiasco he went through (especially the wrestling gig). What about Ray Lewis? He basically cost someone’s life and he still has his job and is praised.

By undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) So when June rolls around, don't be expecting much help for the 49ers' roster. Joe Staley and Jonas Jennings are currently penciled in as the 49ers' starting tackles. The club plans to take a long look at rookie Chilo Rachal at right tackle during the upcoming organized team activities.

By Fooch Arizona Cardinals Seattle Seahawks St. Louis Rams Looking at those three drafts, my personal opinion is that the Cardinals had the best draft, the Rams are second and closing and the Seahawks bring up the rear, although it's a pretty packed bunch.  Every team certainly added some talent, s...

  USA - 1 draft pick with seven years' experience in the NFL and 43 1/2 sacks on his resume. Comparing Smith to Chris Long, taken second overall by the Rams, ... San Francisco 49ers 2008 NFL Draft Review Sports Network Niners fill out draft class with more size, more depth San Jose Mercury News

By Fooch After 2 days and give picks, the San Francisco 49ers draft is complete and the time for irrational and rational analysis is upon us.  Right off the bat, I'll say this is a very tough draft to grade.  The general consensus was the 49ers had starting needs on the offensive line, the defensive lin...

By Fooch In the meantime, Matt Miller has put together his list of the 50 best players remaining (in the link above).  I think this will kill our chances of getting Jerod Mayo, for those who wanted him.  However, there are still plenty of talented players left.  The second round starts up tomorrow and i...

By undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) INSTANT 49ERS: Thank you for the question. When I first started writing articles about the 49ers, the following daily papers had reporters who regularly covered the team: Press Democrat, Marin Independent Journal, Oakland Tribune, Hayward Daily Review, San Mateo Times, Peninsula Ti...

By undisclosed@pressdemocrat.com (49ers) Then, the 49ers traded their second-round pick (No. 42) to the Colts, who used it to select left tackle Tony Ugoh. The 49ers received the Colts' first-round pick in 2008 (No. 29), along with the Colts' fourth-round pick (No. 126), which the 49ers used to select safety Dashon Goldson.

By Tom Mantzouranis Filed under: 49ers, NFC West, San FranciscoAll the MSM types with, you know, actual sources are still trying to sort this whole 49ers tampering situation (dubbed "NegotiGate" by Matt Maiocco). It appears as if there was actually far more evidence than just two missed phone calls, as the 4...

By Fooch So after the various discussions about wide receivers in the draft and DeSean Jackson in particular, is there a consensus on him?  If you continue the Santana Moss comparison, Moss is slightly shorter, but outweighs Jackson by 20 lbs.  Considering Jackson's speed is his biggest asset, d...

  USA - By Dennis Georgatos On his first day on the job with the 49ers three weeks ago, quarterback Chris Weinke showed up wearing a cap that read "Old Guys Rule. ... 49ers at Browns (10 am, Ch. 2) San Francisco Chronicle SFI's LIVE Game Blog: 49ers vs. Browns SF Illustrated

By Nick This week in Hit List, we look for hope concerning the future of the 2-4 San Francisco 49ers after their loss to the New York Giants. Brandon Lloyd wants to be your new MySpace friend: Trent Dilfer, Joe Staley, Jonas Jenings, Vernon Davis (catch the ball, buddy) and Ray McDonald.

By James Start with Warhop. Why on earth is the line playing so poorly? There's a ton of freaking talent up there. Jonas Jennings is finally staying on the field a little, Larry Allen is Larry Allen, and Eric Heitmann is a serviceable center. The late, great Bobb McKittrick would have had this group cut...

By 11IsDaNew16 Chicago Bears Detroit Lions Dallas Cowboys Philly Eagles NFC West St. Loius Rams Seattle Shehawks Vikings: 4-12 NFC East Eagles: 11-5.......Cowboys 12-4 Redskins: 7-9 Giants: 6-10 NFC West 49ers: 9-7.........Seahawks 11-5 Rams: 8-8...........Niners 7-9 Seahawks: 8-8......Cardinals 7-9 Cardinals: 6-10.........Rams 4-12

By Nick It's quickly becoming old news, but 49ers sixth-string wide receiver and fair-catch guy Brandon Williams was released today. In his place, the 49ers have signed Michael "Beer Man" Lewis (yes, another Michael Lewis), who formerly played with the Saints from 2001 to 2006.

By James The 49ers opened the game moving the ball well.  The 49ers did a nice job hitting short passes, and handing the ball to Frank Gore.  The key play was a 31-yard pass to Tight End Vernon Davis.  Once the 49ers got into the red zone, however, the Steelers D held tight, and the 49ers kicked a field goal....

 PA - By Scott Brown The Steelers could make it another long afternoon for an opposing offense Sunday when the San Francisco 49ers visit Heinz Field. Harrison making Porter a memory Washington Observer Reporter The Tribune-Democrat - Beaver County Times

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.

By Nick Living in L.A., I have to travel to my local sports bar in order to watch the Niners every Sunday with all the rest of the various NFL fans. Now, most would expect L.A. folks to be mostly Raiders, Chargers or Rams fans, but the real truth is that Los Angeles is a huge melting pot when it comes to NFL fand...

By James The main reason the 49ers need to stick with the 3-4? The linebackers. This is a strength of the team. Patrick Willis and Derek Smith inside with Jeff Ulbrich and Brandon Moore backing up is a very deep position. Outside, if Tully Banta-Cain can be the edge rusher the 49ers are hoping for, he and...

San Diego Union Tribune, CA - The teams that distinguished themselves yesterday on the first day of the NFL draft were San Francisco, Cleveland and Miami – clubs that dared to be bold ... At the Top, Not as Easy as 1, 2, 3 Washington Post

 MA - He’s been coaching in the NFL since 2003, spending two years with Baltimore and the past two with the San Francisco 49ers. Another 49ers assistant ... Super Bowl XLI: Singletary's Candidacy A Hit DallasCowboys.com Monday's NFL notes Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

  USA - The 49ers are getting contributions from places they didn't expect in this ... transition from a North Carolina State defensive end to an NFL outside linebacker ...