49ersNews

Gore says he ok with change on offense

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:40 GMT

Frank Gore has had some of his best rushing games against Seattle, including a 207-yard performance earlier this year. The question heading into the teams' second meeting is how much Gore will carry the ball in an offense that's increasingly leaning toward the pass. (Steve Young addressed that issue on KNBR this week.) Mike Singletary today said he sat down with the offensive players last week to discuss the changing approach.

"Whether it's Walter Payton or whether it's Jerry Rice, a great receiver - when they're not getting the ball, they feel like they're not contributing," Singletary said. "They feel like they're not part of it. I talked to all of our guys and had them understand that, we need to understand that going forward everybody will have their part in the success. Everybody will have their part. And it's really important that we're for one another. ... If we really want to win, if we really want to do this right, we need to be happy about the other guy (having the ball.)"

Asked about how he felt about the direction of the offense, Gore was terse, but said he was ok with it. "I know when my number's called, I'm going to try my best to the best I can out there."

Gore's numbers this season are down, but you can hardly blame the spread for that. In 2006, Gore's best season in the NFL, he had 20 or more carries in seven games. This year, he's reached 20 twice - in the opener against Arizona and in the win over Chicago. That's partly due to an ankle injury that forced Gore to miss the better part of three games and because the 49ers fell quickly behind in two other games, Houston and Green Bay, and had to turn to the pass.

Despite using the spread offense heavily against Jacksonville, Gore had 16 carries - his third-highest total of the season - to go along with a season-high seven receptions. Having a 17-3 lead at the half likely boosted his carries.

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Singletary said Brit Miller was boosted to the active roster because he has been a standout in special teams practices all season. The 49ers recognize the effort of their practice squadders by handing out awards at the end of the Friday practice. Miller has won five of the practice-team awards since the season began. The problem? The prize is the same each week - 49ers cheerleaders calendar. "I don't need five of them, so I just pass 'em on down," Miller said.

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When you are in your 30s like I am, you start rooting for players who are close to your age. (It's called "living vicariously"). So kudos to new practice squad addition Rodney Wright, who had been out of work since September when the 49ers came calling yesterday. Wright said he was just coming out of the shower when he got the news. "I was thinking, 'You know what? I might not get another opportunity.'" Wright said. "You try to stay positive, but that doubt starts coming into your mind."

There are no new additions to the injury report.

-- Matt Barrows

With Taylor on IR, it's Miller time

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 16:58 GMT

As expected, rookie safety Curtis Taylor (hip) was placed on injured reserve today. That opened up a roster spot that the 49ers filled by elevating fullback Brit Miller to the active roster. The 49ers needed someone to fill Taylor's spot on special teams. Miller might be a fullback, but he knows how to tackle. Here's a short story I wrote about him this summer.

-- Matt Barrows

Live chat today at 11 a.m.

Tue, 01 Dec 2009 12:01 GMT

Want to know what really went on in the locker room in Green Bay? Feeling guilty about bashing Jimmy Raye? Relieve your guilt during a live 49ers chat today at www.sacbee.com/live.

-- Matt Barrows

Unrest in Green Bay turned into win over Jacksonville

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 15:42 GMT

The seeds of yesterday's win over Jacksonville were planted last week in Green Bay. Those of us who were there that day picked up on a vibe in the visitor's locker room. The 49ers players are never happy about a loss. But in Green Bay, the atmosphere was different. Players were talking amongst each other more. There was a palpable sense of frustration. A couple of the players voiced their frustration at the time - that if the 49ers simply moved to the spread offense at the start of games, they would put defenses on their heels.

"It was basically after the Green Bay game," tight end Delanie Walker said today. "Because we saw what we can do when we were in the spread offense, when we take the ball and spread the defense out. That's really when the light went on and the guys were like, maybe we should say something to the coaches and see if we can make a change. They tried it last week and I think everybody was happy with the solution."

According to Mike Singletary, the ambassadors who relayed these frustrations from the players to the coaching staff were Vernon Davis and Alex Smith. Davis said something to Singletary during the Green Bay, and of course, he said things after the game to reporters that were then read by Singletary. Smith's involvement was more subtle. Singletary said he came to Smith and asked for suggestions about the offense and then told Smith to share those ideas with offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye. The result: The best offensive game plan of the season.

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Singletary seems to be keeping an open mind toward retaining back-up left tackle Barry Sims when Joe Staley (knee) returns to the lineup, perhaps for the Dec. 14 Monday night showdown with Arizona. "I won't go there right now," Singletary said when asked if Sims was among the team's five-best linemen. Singletary did say that when Staley returns, he'll play left tackle. That suggests that either Sims or Adam Snyder could be at right tackle when Staley returns. Snyder certainly has had issues at right tackle, but Singletary went out of his way to praise both him and right guard Chilo Rachal today.

As for Staley, he went through a full workout this morning that included a fair amount of running. When he got hurt, he circled the Cardinals game for his return because it was six weeks after his injury. Doctors gave him a 6-8 week prognosis. Now that game is shaping up as one that will decide the NFC West race once and for all.

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Singletary said that there was no excuse for Davis not making the Pro Bowl this season. But that doesn't mean he's easing off on the tight end. Davis had three drops in Sunday's game, and Singletary reminded him of that today. "The great tight ends catch those balls. It's as simple as that," Singletary said he told Davis.

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Singletary also said he was surprised that Michael Crabtree had a couple of flubs, including one on a beautifully thrown pass by Smith in the end zone. The ball simply went through Crabtree's hands. Said Singletary: "He needs to join Vernon after practice and just work on catching the ball."

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Singletary doesn't want to get ahead of himself. But the reality is that yesterday's win, coupled with Arizona's loss, has opened the door a crack in the NFC West. Should the 49ers win Sunday in Seattle (4-7) and the Cardinals lose at home to Minnesota (10-1), then the following week the 49ers could reclaim the division lead with a win over Arizona. They'd have the same record, but the 49ers would have the tiebreaker by virtue of two head-to-head wins over Arizona. "I told the players last week, it's all in front of us. Everything we have is in front of us," Singletary said.

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As far as injuries:
Josh Morgan has a hip bruise, Kentwan Balmer has a shoulder sprain, Parys Haralson has a thumb bruise and Curtis Taylor has a hip strain. Taylor's is the most serious, and he will have an MRI today. He was seen walking in the 49ers locker room. Singletary said that Nate Clements (shoulder) probably won't be back until the team's Jan. 3 finale in St. Louis.

-- Matt Barrows

Air Raye is the difference in Niners win

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:16 GMT

Jimmy Raye has been public enemy No. 1 for 49ers fans as their team has dropped five out of their last six contests in recent weeks. His game plans had been stodgy and predictable, and he had been reluctant to open them up until the 49ers were trailing by three scores. But today, Raye ceased to be Jimmy Raye, curmudgeonly assistant. He was Air Raye, ambitious innovator.

Raye called 29 passes in the first half - the most Alex Smith ever had attempted in one half of play - and all but eight of them were out of the shotgun position. He mostly ignored the fullback, who to this point has been a harbinger of one-yard losses, for a second tight end. And it worked. The 49ers were aggressive, ambitious and creative, and for all intents and purposes they put the game out of reach by halftime. You have to credit Raye for his best game plan on the season.

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What happens when one of the league's most porous offensive lines face the NFL's most anemic pass rush? On Sunday, the offensive line won handily as the 49ers line didn't allow a sack for the first time this season. In fact, the 49ers didn't go backward often against the Jaguars. They incurred only one penalty - for a five-yard loss - and didn't commit any turnovers.

Meanwhile, the 49ers defense took advantage of a Jacksonville team trying to pass itself back into the game by sacking quarterback David Garrard six times, all of them coming in the second half. Parys Haralson and Justin Smith led them team with 1 ½ sacks apiece. One of the most critical was delivered by outside linebacker Manny Lawson, who stopped what had been a promising Jaguars drive early in the third quarter when he sacked and stripped Garrard of the football. Justin Smith recovered it at the San Francisco 27. Lawson also dropped what would have been an easy interception earlier in the game.

"Manny stepped up," Mike Singletary said. "I hate that he missed the one (interception opportunity). He had it. He was running before he had it, obviously. But we have a few guys on defense that are playing well." One of those players is fellow outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks, who played ahead of Lawson in the team's nickel alignments Sunday. "I think it'll go back and forth," Singletary said. "They'll both play a lot at that position."

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Ten minutes after the 49ers were in the locker room, an explosion of noise could be heard from within. The cause? The Tennessee Titans had just beaten the Arizona Cardinals on a last-second touchdown pass. The 49ers' win coupled with the Cardinals' loss means that San Francisco is two games back in the race for a division title. The teams meet at Candlestick Park on Dec. 14.

"One of the things I don't want our team doing is looking at what Arizona is doing, but you can't help but ..." Singletary said. "If a situation works out like that, that's fantastic. We just have to be sure that we earn the right to look at what they're doing."

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Vernon Davis's three-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter gave him nine for the season, tying a franchise record for most touchdown catches in a season for a tight end. Ted Kwalick (1976) and Brent Jones (1994) also had nine in a season.

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Safety Curtis Taylor suffered the 49ers' most serious injury when he strained his hip on a kickoff return. Meanwhile, defensive end Kentwan Balmer suffered a sprained shoulder while Haralson had a thumb bruise.

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Singletary almost drew a 12-men-on-the-field penalty when he called a timeout early in the fourth quarter. The coach got 15 yards onto the field before officials noticed him. Said Singletary: "I was going to go all the way to the huddle. ... Whatever I have to do to do that, I'll do it every time."

-- Matt Barrows

49ers-Jaguars in game

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 15:02 GMT

1st and 10 at SF 30: Inc. to Sims-Walker in end zone ... 2nd and 10: draw to MJD, taken down after gain of one ... 3rd and 9: Pass to MJD, hit by Lewis after seven-yard gain ... 40-yard field goal is NO GOOD. SF 3, Jacksonville 0.

SF takes over at own 30 ... 1st and 10: (shotgun) screen to Crabtree gains eight ... 2nd and 2: (shotgun) Fake to Gore, handoff to Walker gains 11 ... 1st and 10 at SF 49: Gore gains one ... 2nd and 9: (Shotgun) Pass to Davis gains 14 yards, defensive holding is declined ... 1st and 10 at 36: Over the middle shot to Davis is in his hands but incomplete ... 2nd and 10: Smith rolls right, throws back to Gore, off target nearly int'd ... 3rd and 10: (shotgun) Nice throw and catch from Smith to Crabtree, gain of 27 yards to the 9 ... 1st and goal: Pass to Morgan gains six ... 2nd and goal from the three: (fullback) Smith rolls right but nothing open, throws it away ... 3rd and goal: Great play call -- Smith rolls left and has Davis wide open for his ninth TD of the season; Smith could have run it in himself; Niners brought in an extra lineman, Wragge, and seemed intent on running it; totally fooled the Jaguars ... SF 10, Jacksonville 0

Jaguars take over at own 22: 1st and 10: MJD runs for three ... 2nd and 7: Garrard hit as he throws by Willis; Lawson has an easy INT and perhaps pick six but ... drops pass. ... 3rd and 7: Pass inc. PUNT ...

49ers take over at own 34:

49ers open in two-tight end set ... short pass to Gore for seven yards. 2nd and 3: (shotgun) Smith hit from behind and incomplete ... 3rd and three: Nice crossing pass to Walker, gain of 21 yards. ... 1st and 10 from the SF 48: Gore runs up the middle for four ... 2nd and six: (shotgun) Pass to Gore, out of bounds after a gain of three ... 3rd and three (shotgun): bullet to Morgan on the sideline ... 1st and 10 from J 34: (shotgun) Gore carries, gain of two. ... 2nd and 8: (shotgun) Gore carries for three ... 3rd and 5: (shotgun) Smith inc. to Hill, setting up a 47-yard Nedney field goal that is GOOD. Lots of shotgun, no fullback and the 49ers go up 3-0.

Jaguars start at own 29; Bly and Spikes are starting ... 1st and 10: Pass to Holt on slanty (Spencer) gain of 11 ... 1st and 10: MJD no gain ... 2nd and 10: Screen to MJD snuffed out by Justin Smith, no gain ... 3rd and 10: Pass to Holt, hit immediately by Roman after eight-yard gain ... PUNT

49ers take over at own eight ... 1st and 10: (shotgun) Short pass to Gore ... 2nd and 7: (Fullback) Gore no gain ... 3rd and 7: Smith, Crabtree not on same page ... PUNT

Jaguars take over at own 37 ... 1st and 10: Pass to TE Wilford, gain of nine ... 2nd and 1: MJD gains seven ... 1st and 10: False start ... 1st and 15 from J 47: Quick pass to Thomas gains six ... 2nd and 9: Balmer, Roman pressure Garrard, throws it away, flagged for intentional grounding ... 3rd and 19: Pass to TE Lewis gains 12 ... PUNT

49ers take over at own 9: 1st and 10; Pass to Davis gains eight, tack on another 15 for face mask ... 1st and 10 from SF 33: Screen to Gore goes nowhere ... 2nd and 10: (shotgun) Pass to Davis, gain of five ... 3rd and 5: Pass to Davis inc., hit hard by the safety ... Big 42-yard return on PUNT to the SF 47 ... CURTIS TAYLOR injured on return. TAYLOR is favoring left leg, being carted off... TAYLOR has a hip strain and return is DOUBTFUL

Jaguars take over at SF 47 ... 1st and 10: Garrard being dragged down but still able to dump to MJD for a 17-yard gain ... 1st and 10 at SF 30: Inc. to Sims-Walker in end zone ... 2nd and 10:

Spikes active; Battle, Bruce are not

Sun, 29 Nov 2009 14:17 GMT

Here are the 49ers' inactives:

Nate Clements
Michael Robinson
Cody Wallace
Joe Staley
Arnaz Battle
Isaac Bruce
Ricky Jean-Francois
Nate Davis is the 3rd QB

For the Jaguars:
WR Nate Hughes
CB Rashean Mathis
S Reggie Nelson
DT Derek Landri
OT Tra Thomas
OL Maurice Williams
OL Paul McQuistan
DT Greg Peterson

Jacksonville already has one of the worst pass defenses in the league and will be without Mathis and Nelson, two secondary starters. In other words, Jimmy Raye and Alex Smith need to take advantage ...

Singletary clarifies "meek" comment

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 16:31 GMT

While describing quarterback Alex Smith on Monday, Mike Singletary used a eye-grabbing adjective. "Alex is such a humble guy, a meek guy, don't how long he'll stay that way but it's a great thing to have a quarterback like that says 'what do you think, coach? What do you want?'"

Today Singletary explained the "meek" comment. "When I was talking about meek, I should have used the word, humble. He's a guy that doesn't want to cause any problems. To me, he doesn't have the typical mentality of a quarterback, which is, 'Hey, this is what I want. This is what I .... " He's not like that, and that's the thing I like about him. And I'm sure, going forward, I'm seeing more and more assertiveness. I'm seeing more and more of, 'You know what, coach, I like this. I don't like that' and those kinds of things. So I think it's a tremendous asset for him to be a guy that's still willing to be molded, still willing to listen and is not all of a sudden - he throws a couple of touchdowns - the greatest quarterback in the world. He's still listening. And I think that's great."

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Singletary said he might remind officials before Sunday's game to keep an eye out for Jacksonville offensive linemen helping to propel running back Maurice Jones-Drew. It's a situation that appeared to occur at the end of the Green Bay game when Aaron Rodgers needed a few more inches and got a boost by his fullback. That situation tends to occur with Jones-Drew who often gets stopped, but because he is so low to the ground and has such great balance, doesn't always go down.

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Takeo Spikes remains a game-time decision with a bad hamstring. If he can't play, Matt Wilhelm will make his second straight start. He practiced some Friday but is questionable on the injury report.

Out: CB Nate Clements (shoulder), T Joe Staley (knee)

Doubtful: WR Isaac Bruce (ankle), RB Michael Robinson (shoulder)

Questionable: WR Arnaz Battle (ankle), LB Takeo Spikes (hamstring)

Probable: G David Baas (ankle), CB Tarell Brown (knee), CB Marcus Hudson (back), S Michael Lewis (quadricep), S Reggie Smith (abdomen), T Adam Snyder (shoulder), S Curtis Taylor (knee), LB Patrick Willis (shoulder)

-- Matt Barrows

Niners by the numbers

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 12:27 GMT

With six games to go, Patrick Willis is No. 2 in the league in tackles. (He has 96; Atlanta's Curtis Lofton has 101). Niners fans don't want that number to be too high, however. Willis' tackle total is inversely proportional to how well the 49ers offense is playing. The more three and outs, the more the opposition has the ball and the higher Willis' tackle count becomes. (See: Hostler, Jim and 2007 offense).

1. Curtis Lofton........ATL 101
2. Patrick Willis........SF 96
3. London Fletcher...WAS 90
4. Kirk Morrison.......OAK 89
5. Brian Cushing.......HOU 88

Say what you will about offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye, but he's done something his predecessors have whiffed at: getting Vernon Davis the ball. Davis ranks sixth in the league in receptions by a tight end, but is third in receiving yards (601) behind only Dallas Clark and Antonio Gates. He also is first among tight ends with eight touchdowns. These are both career-highs for Davis, and he needs just two more catches over the last six games to set a career mark in receptions. One downer as far as his Pro Bowl aspirations: His worst game of the season was on national television two weeks ago against Chicago.

Dallas Clark.......IND 771
Antonio Gates....SD 709
Vernon Davis.....SF 601
Jason Witten......DAL 588
Tony Gonzalez...ATL 583

How does Michael Crabtree match up with a surprisingly productive crop of rookie receivers? He ranks 22nd in receptions after missing the first six weeks of the season. But he's second among rookies in yards per game. Only Hakeem Nicks (59.8), who was the lone bright spot for the Giants last night in Denver, is averaging more than Crabtree (58.4). Darrius Heyward-Bey is 23rd in that category and averages 11.3 yards a game. The following is average yards per game for rookies with 20 or more catches:

Hakeem Nicks ....... NYG 59.8
Michael Crabtree... SF 58.4
Percy Harvin .........MIN 51.3
Mike Wallace .........PIT 50
Jeremy Maclin .......PHI 47.7

Frank Gore missed nearly three full games with an ankle injury. But he is still on pace to surpass the 1,000-yard mark for the fourth straight season. Gore currently has 610 yards. If he continues on his current per-game pace, he'll finish with 1,067.

Although Shaun Hill has started one more game this season than Alex Smith, both have attempted 155 passes. Here's how they compare in key categories:

Completions:.... Smith def. Hill 95 to 87
Yards:.............. Smith def. Hill 1,035 to 943
Avg. per att:..... Smith def. Hill 6.7 to 6.1
Touchdowns:... Smith def. Hill 9 to 5
Interceptions:...Hill def. Smith 2 to 7
Sacks: ..............Smith def. Hill 13 to 18
Passer rating:....Smith def. Hill 81.5 to 79.6
Wins: ...............Hill def. Smith 3 to 1

-- Matt Barrows

Raye gives Alex Smith a strong backing

Thu, 26 Nov 2009 15:20 GMT

The 49ers' fan base might be uncertain about Alex Smith, but Jimmy Raye is not. The 49ers' offensive coordinator was effusive in his praise of the quarterback today. Here's only a small sampler of what Raye said:

"You don't find many quarterbacks who throw three touchdown passes in the second half of games," Raye said in reference to Sunday's loss in Green Bay. "Be it behind or be it in the lead. ... It has nothing to do with the score, the team, the opponent or if they're playing bend-don't-break or any of that. You do that, you do it. And he has demonstrated on several occasions that he is capable of scoring points with the ball. And that's the function of the position - throwing the ball. So I would say, yeah, he's well on his way. If his maturity and all of the other things to fit the position. He's tough enough, he has escapability, he can ad lib a play. He kept a play alive in the third quarter. He kept a play alive with his legs running the ball. He has those things. It's his confidence that will continue to expand to let him be the best he can be. Now whether that will be in the upper echelon of the NFL, I don't know. He has a chance to be good enough."

The bottom line: This reinforces the notion that Smithy will be the starter for the rest of the season and that Raye would be more than comfortable with going into 2010 with Smith under center ...

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Isaac Bruce will not be active Sunday against the Jaguars, Singletary said. With so many starters playing on special teams, Singletary said, it was impossible to have a non-starter like Bruce who took part in no special teams. He said he spoke with Bruce about the decision and that Bruce was a "champion" about it.

Singletary said there was a good chance that Josh Morgan would return kicks Sunday and that Brandon Jones would handle punts. With Bruce down, the depth chart at receiver is as follows:

X: Michael Crabtree, Brandon Jones
Z: Morgan, Jason Hill

When the 49ers go with three wide receivers, Morgan would bump inside and Hill would play Z.

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Singletary also confirmed that Dre Bly would start at cornerback ahead of Tarell Brown. Look for the two to switch roles against Jacksonville. That is, Brown will be the nickel cornerback, which had been Bly's role in recent weeks.

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Takeo Spikes continues to be bothered by a hamstring strain and did not play. Curtis Taylor, Mark Roman, Justin Smith and David Baas were a full go in practice today after either being limited or not practicing yesterday.

WR Arnaz Battle (ankle), Bruce (ankle), DT Aubrayo Franklin (not injury related), S Michael Lewis (quadricep), RB Michael Robinson (shoulder) and Spikes (hamstring) did not practice. Marcus Hudson (back) was limited.

For the Jaguars, RB Maurice Jones-Drew (knee), WR Mike Sims-Walker (knee) were back at practice today after sitting out yesterday's session.

-- Matt Barrows