49ers News

Defense's goal? Get to Rodgers
Comment
November 19
Sacramento Bee
 
"The 49ers aren't expecting Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers to be as generous as Bears counterpart Jay Cutler in the interceptions department. While Cutler threw five of them in last Thursday's loss in San Francisco, Rodgers has thrown only five all season. But while Rodgers has been stingy with picks, he has been charitable with sacks. Green Bay has given up a league-worst 41. Part of the problem has been a banged-up offensive line that has had to be reconfigured throughout the season. But 49ers defensive players also noted that Rodgers tends to hold on to the ball longer than most quarterbacks and is more apt to tuck it away than risk a throw downfield. "It just gives guys on the ..."
49ers offensive coordinator got an eyeful from Packers-Cowboys game
Comment
November 19
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Without a game to play last weekend, 49ers offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye switched on the Packers-Cowboys showdown from the comfort of his living room. "I've got the biggest screen HDTV I could get," Raye said. As it turns out, it wasn't the most relaxing way to spend a Sunday. Raye watched — in high resolution — as Green Bay's defense throttled the potent Dallas offense. "They were borderline dominant in that game," Raye said. Borderline? The Packers had five sacks and three turnovers and held the No. 3-ranked offense scoreless until the final minute of the game. Overall, Green Bay allows just 282.3 yards per game, which ranks behind the Giants (274.4), the Steelers (277.4) and Jets ..."
Smith's, Rodgers' paths provide study in contrasts
Comment
November 19
San Jose Mercury News
 
"For a brief time on April 23, 2005, Alex Smith felt sorry for Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers — after much speculation — took Smith over the Cal quarterback with the No. 1 draft choice. Smith headed to the podium to smile and hold up his 49ers jersey. Rodgers sat and waited "... and waited. Smith sympathized. "No question," Smith said last week. "To be back there in the green room is uncomfortable. Every single pick, there is a camera sitting on you to get your reaction. To have to sit there that long would be really difficult I would imagine." As it turns out, all that waiting might not have been so bad. When the 49ers face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on Sunday, quarterbacks linked by ..."
Certain look in their eyes
Comment
November 19
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
 
"The San Francisco 49ers are a team without a franchise quarterback, go-to receiver, Pro Bowl defensive lineman and probably without hope when they're down by 14 points. But they've got Samurai Mike. Whatever the result Sunday at Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers know they'd better have their chin straps buckled and mouth guards in place when the 49ers come to town. They might not be the most talented team, but their head coach, Mike Singletary, will try to get them to match the passion and fury with which he played middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears. "I think he definitely brings that to them as a head coach; he definitely brings that attitude," guard Josh Sitton said. "And it ..."
49ers' Alex Smith, Packers' Aaron Rodgers forever linked
Comment
November 19
Oakland Tribune
 
"For a brief time on April 23, 2005, Alex Smith felt sorry for Aaron Rodgers. The 49ers - after much speculation - took Smith with the first pick of the NFL draft instead of Rodgers, the Cal quarterback. Smith headed to the podium to smile and hold up his 49ers jersey. Rodgers sat and waited "... and waited. Smith sympathized. "No question," Smith said last week. "To be back there in the green room is uncomfortable. Every single pick, there is a camera sitting on you to get your reaction. To have to sit there that long would be really difficult, I would imagine." As it turns out, all that waiting might not have been so bad. When the 49ers face the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field on ..."
49ers' Vernon Davis eclipses fellow '06 draftee A.J. Hawk
Comment
November 18
Green Bay Press Gazette
 columnist Pete Dougherty
"The verdict is on whether the Green Bay Packers should have drafted A.J. Hawk or Vernon Davis with the fifth pick of the 2006 draft: Davis. After three seasons of poor production and immature behavior, Davis this season has blossomed into a playmaking tight end for the San Francisco 49ers. Hawk, whom the Packers chose at No. 5 overall, hasn't been much more than an average starting linebacker since his rookie season. Davis (6-feet-3 ½ and 250 pounds) finally is performing at a level approaching the stunning talent he showed as star of the '06 NFL scouting combine. He's the 49ers' leading receiver (45 catches), leads all tight ends in the NFL in touchdown receptions (seven) and is a player ..."
Bruce makes way for Morgan
Comment
November 18
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"With little fanfare, the 49ers have moved on from Isaac Bruce to Josh Morgan in a bow to the imperatives of youth and promise over the declining skills of a once-great veteran. As Bruce himself said of the man who will now be starting in his place, "He's an ascending player." After 221 games and 1,023 receptions as a wide receiver over 16 NFL seasons, Bruce no longer is a front-line player. He has not started the last three games for the 49ers and seems likely to finish out the season as the team's third or fourth receiver. "When I talked to Isaac about the change, he was positive about it," coach Mike Singletary said. "He said, 'I feel Josh Morgan is ready.' Isaac has been working with ..."
Wilhelm might start for Spikes
Comment
November 18
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Linebacker Takeo Spikes is listed as day-to-day with a strained hamstring incurred in the Chicago game, coach Mike Singletary said Tuesday. "If Takeo can't go, Matt Wilhelm will start," he said. Wilhelm, a seven-year veteran, was signed as a free agent by the 49ers prior to the Houston game Oct. 25 but it wasn't until the Chicago game Thursday night that he had a chance to play from scrimmage. Wilhelm had five tackles in relief of Spikes as he played most of the second half. "I prepare each and every week, whether I'm playing or not playing," he said. "With the three defensive linemen in front of me and Parys (Haralson) and Manny (Lawson) setting the edge, that ball wasn't going anywhere.""
Morgan supplants Bruce in 49ers' starting lineup
Comment
November 18
Sacramento Bee
 
"San Francisco wide receivers intent on holding on to their jobs might want to keep the tips, advice and tricks of the trade to themselves. Last month, Josh Morgan helped recently arrived Michael Crabtree learn his position, then watched as Crabtree took his starting spot. Now Morgan's a starter again at the expense of Isaac Bruce, the 16-year veteran who has been a father figure to Morgan - "He's been like my personal life coach and my coach on the field," Morgan said - over the past 1 1/2 seasons. The Morgan-Crabtree combination is the wide receiver tandem the 49ers have been eyeing since selecting Crabtree with the No. 10 overall pick in April, and one they hope will lead the offense in ..."
High praise for 49ers' nose tackle
Comment
November 16
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Earlier in the season, defensive end Justin Smith said emphatically that teammate Aubrayo Franklin was the best nose tackle in the NFL. "Tape don't lie," Smith said at the time. Several weeks later, the only thing that has changed is Smith's grammar. "Tape doesn't lie," he said in the aftermath of the 49ers' defense-dominated 10-6 victory over the Chicago Bears. "It's what he's been doing all year. When you watch game tape, he's a special player." The Bears found out how special in the second quarter of Thursday night's game at Candlestick Park. Franklin sensed quarterback Jay Cutler was going to throw over the middle to tight end Kellen Davis on 3rd-and-goal from the 1-yard line, so he ..."
49ers an experiment behind Smith
Comment
November 15
San Francisco Chronicle
 columnist Gwen Knapp
"As unsightly and discouraging as the 49ers' win over the Bears looked Thursday night, it represented a fulfillment of Mike Singletary's vision for this team. A 10-6 win that ended a losing streak, saw Frank Gore rush for 104 yards and produced five interceptions for the defense matches up fairly well with what the head coach sketched as a blueprint for the season. He never guaranteed beauty. He never predicted graceful ease. He wanted a tough defense and a sturdy running game. He also promised brute force, which has been largely absent, and in effect, pledged to make the playoffs - a vow that may be difficult for the 4-5 team to keep. But when Alex Smith took over as the starting ..."
Morgan replacing Bruce as starting receiver
Comment
November 14
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Mike Singletary confirmed Friday what had been hinted at earlier in the week: Isaac Bruce no longer has a prominent role in the 49ers offense. He was inactive for the Chicago game with a sore ankle but even when healthy, Josh Morgan will start in place of Bruce and alongside Michael Crabtree. "He's still going to play," Singletary said. "We think the time has come (where) we want to see what Josh Morgan does as a starter. Let's see what he can do with it. Isaac Bruce is still going to play. He's just not going to start. His time will be limited." The move makes sense. Bruce is in his 16th season and the last year of a two-year contract. Sorry, coach: When cornerback Tarell Brown was hit ..."
Caution hinders 49ers offense
Comment
November 14
Sacramento Bee
 
"Forcing five turnovers in the NFL usually translates into a blowout victory or, at the very least, a gaudy score. The 49ers' reward for their five interceptions of Chicago's Jay Cutler on Thursday night, however, was one touchdown and a field goal. The reason they couldn't muster more than 10 points on a night when the Bears practically were giving the game away: an offensive game plan that began ambitiously enough but grew cautious. Quarterback Alex Smith threw for 118 yards, the lowest total for the 49ers this season and a number reminiscent of Smith's woebegone rookie season. Smith attempted six passes on the 49ers' opening drive. But after that, the 49ers didn't ask him to pass a lot. ..."
NFL taking note of San Francisco 49ers' Franklin
Comment
November 14
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Aubrayo Franklin was in the middle of one of his least favorite activities — talking about himself — when teammate Jeff Ulbrich interrupted. Ulbrich then delivered a one-man infomercial. "Anybody who doesn't recognize that this one of the top three nose tackles in the NFL shouldn't be allowed to write about football. Period," Ulbrich said Friday. "The hands. The technique. The steadiness with which he plays — everything." Act now, and he'll throw in a Pro Bowl vote absolutely free! Even before Ulbrich's plug, Franklin probably hit the national radar screen during a 10-6 victory over the Bears. In a game on the NFL Network, Franklin became the first nose tackle this season to register an ..."
Davis exchanges words with Bears player
Comment
November 13
Sacramento Bee
 
"Vernon Davis' assessment of the Bears' defensive line evidently reached Chicago. During pregame warmups, Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye approached Davis and got in his face. The two exchanged a few heated words before Bears center Olin Kreutz entered the conversation and pulled Ogunleye away. Davis, of course, called out the Chicago defensive line earlier in the week by saying the 49ers would "destroy" the Chicago front. But Ogunleye was the one Bears defensive lineman Davis said he respected. Davis after the game: "They were trying to hit me, bump me and hit me when I wasn't looking. They were trying to bang me around a little bit." Davis on the pregame exchange with Ogunleye: "I ..."
49ers' Vernon Davis got attention of Bears defense
Comment
November 13
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Vernon Davis' boast obviously made it all the way to the Windy City. Bears defensive end Adewale Ogunleye sought out the 49ers' quotable tight end during warm-ups Thursday night. It was a meeting of the mouths. Ogunleye apparently did not agree with Davis' scouting report of the Bears' defense. The tight end had said that the 49ers would "destroy" the Bears up front. So, as NFL Network cameras rolled, Ogunleye and Davis had a not-so-pleasant exchange. What did Davis say? "I told him to get ready because we are coming hard and we are coming to win,'' Davis said. Oddly, Ogunleye was one of the few players that Davis had praised during his critique. Still, he was less than amused. After the ..."
49ers enjoy Jay Cutler's generosity
Comment
November 13
San Jose Mercury News
 columnist Gary Peterson
"Thursday's game between the 49ers and Chicago Bears had more keys than a high school custodian. The San Francisco defensive backfield wasn't one of them. Mike Singletary was. The 49ers coach was meeting the team for which he had become a linebacking icon in the 1980s and '90s. Alex Smith was, coming off a four-turnover epic in a loss to Tennessee. Vernon Davis was. The 49ers tight end enlivened the abbreviated run-up to Thursday's game with candidly disparaging remarks about the Chicago defense. As it turned out, no Bears defenders were destroyed in the making of the 49ers' 10-6 victory. But the San Francisco pass defense had a fine time, intercepting five passes, most by a 49ers team in ..."
San Francisco 49ers stay in 'Survivor Candlestick Point'
Comment
November 13
San Jose Mercury News
 columnist Tim Kawakami
"They wanted it to be their showcase and commanding statement, but this game was about something less gauzy and more tangible for the 49ers. This was a gasping, grappling survival test, no more, no less. Nobody got destroyed in the 49ers' 10-6 victory over the Chicago Bears at Candlestick Park, though that's what tight end Vernon Davis had prophesied days before. "I can live with the win," Davis said with a smile afterward. Nobody came of age, though that was Mike Singletary's vision for the outcome. Nobody looked very good. Some people looked horrible. Nothing came easy. There were mistakes and counter-mistakes and counter-counter mistakes all over the field. Most notably, Bears ..."
49ers enjoy Jay Cutler's generosity
Comment
November 13
San Jose Mercury News
 columnist Gary Peterson
"The game Thursday between the 49ers and Chicago Bears had more keys than a high school custodian. The San Francisco defensive backfield wasn't one of them. Mike Singletary was. The 49ers coach was meeting the team for which he had become a linebacking icon in the 1980s and '90s. Alex Smith was, coming off a four-turnover epic in a loss to Tennessee. Vernon Davis was. The 49ers tight end enlivened the abbreviated run-up to Thursday's game with candidly disparaging remarks about the Chicago defense. As it turned out, no Bears defenders were destroyed in the making of the 49ers' 10-6 victory. But the San Francisco pass defense had a fine time, intercepting five passes, most by a 49ers team in ..."
San Francisco pick off a badly needed win
Comment
November 13
Oakland Tribune
 
"Thanks to the secondary, the 49ers have a second chance. The defense intercepted five passes Thursday night, helping the 49ers hold on for a 10-6 victory over Chicago at Candlestick Park. Michael Lewis provided the fitting ending, picking off a Jay Cutler pass in the end zone on the game's final play. It preserved the victory over Chicago - and probably saved the 49ers' season. In a giddy locker room, players finally admitted it was a must-win game. "Nobody was saying it," Lewis said, "but we knew." The 49ers ended a four-game losing streak and won for the first time since Oct. 4. The offense was lackluster again, but Frank Gore had 104 yards and a 14-yard touchdown, and Joe Nedney added a ..."
49ers defense takes advantage of Bears QB Jay Cutler's generosity
Comment
November 13
Oakland Tribune
 
"Thursday's game between the 49ers and Chicago Bears had more keys than a high school custodian. The San Francisco defensive backfield wasn't one of them. Mike Singletary was. The 49ers coach was meeting the team for which he had become a linebacking icon in the 1980s and '90s. Alex Smith was, coming off a four-turnover epic in a loss to Tennessee. After consulting with the all-knowing tape, Singletary defended Smith's decision-making - plausibly, but it was close. Vernon Davis was. The 49ers tight end enlivened the abbreviated run-up to Thursday's game with candidly disparaging remarks about the Chicago defense. As it turned out, no Bears defenders were destroyed in the making of the ..."
Newest Niner has big impact
Comment
November 13
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"He is the unknown soldier. If you know who Matt Wilhelm is, you're probably spending way too much time studying the 49ers. Linebacker Takeo Spikes went out with a hamstring injury late in the first half Thursday night. Bad news for the 49ers, who must stop the Bears' running game. Rookie Scott McKillop comes in for one series, then gives way to Wilhelm, who contributes two tackles and three assists. Wilhelm wasn't famous even in San Diego, where he spent his first six NFL seasons as a part-time starting linebacker and mostly a special-teams player. The 49ers picked him up four games ago to help fill the void when Jeff Ulbrich retired. Defensive coordinator Greg Manusky coached at San ..."
Singletary says line should get one yard
Comment
November 13
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"In a meager offensive output for the 49ers, the low point came in the third quarter when an athletic quarterback and an offensive line averaging 320 pounds per man could not gain less than a yard. The 49ers were at the Chicago 46-yard line, facing 4th-and-1. It was too far to attempt a field goal, and a punt at that point on the field in a home game could be seen as capitulation. So coach Mike Singletary gave the nod to going for it. The line got no push whatsoever, and Alex Smith was unable to find a crease to squeeze out less than a yard. The play was stuffed and the Bears took over, eventually punching across a subsequent field goal. "I will say this: That was not a very good ..."
Will the real 49ers ever be found?
Comment
November 13
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"The 49ers have officially become an NFL team of mystery. Some teams are slumping, some are surging and clicking, some are rebuilding, some are in clueless disarray. Some are waxing, some are waning, some are obviously bound for glory, others clearly headed to oblivion. Raise your hand if you have any idea where the 49ers belong in that mess, where they're going and how soon they might get there, after Thursday night's 10-6 win over the visiting and bungling Chicago Bears. Are the 49ers the best 4-5 team in the league or just one lucky game against the inept Bears away from being 3-6 and coming to a bad boil? Are they 1-0 after the first game of the rest of their season, or just a few crazy ..."
Niners TE misjudged defense
Comment
November 13
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"Vernon Davis talked the talk, boasting that the 49ers could ''destroy'' the Bears' defensive line, ''handle'' their linebackers and ''make plays'' against their secondary. On Thursday night at Candlestick Park, it was time to see if the tight end could walk the walk, but he wound up stumbling along with most of the 49ers' offense. The Bears weren't exactly who Davis thought they were on defense. He can forget about a post-playing career as an NFL scout. The defense that Davis trashed held the 49ers to one touchdown in a 10-6 San Francisco victory, and it came on a one-play drive after a 49ers interception. Frank Gore scored on a 14-yard burst. And Davis? He caught three passes for 16 ..."
Cutler throws 5 picks, Bears lose ugly in prime time
Comment
November 13
Chicago Tribune
 
"Lovie Smith plugged up the hole that was leaking points, but he didn't have enough fingers to plug the hole that starting leaking interceptions. And the hole that starting leaking penalty yardage. And so the Bears ended up all wet again. This time they lost 10-6 to the 49ers at Candlestick Park. The good news was the defensive effort was pretty solid. Cornerback Zack Bowman came up with an interception and the Bears prevented Frank Gore from breaking off the kind of long runs that have been his signature. The bad news is Jay Cutler went haywire with five interceptions, including two in the red zone. "We saw everything coming," Cutler said. "They didn't have any surprises for us. We just ..."
Five INTs give 49ers win over Bears
Comment
November 13
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Give Greg Manusky a game ball for this one. Five of them, in fact. Working on a short week, the 49ers' defensive coordinator had his players in position to make plays from start to finish and they responded by intercepting Jay Cutler five times, preserving an incalculably sloppy 10-6 victory over the Chicago Bears on Thursday night at Candlestick Park that snapped a four-game losing streak. "In every defensive game plan the thing you want to do is take away what they do best," coach Mike Singletary said. "It's trying to take away what they do very well and make them beat you left-handed." Fittingly, the game ended on an interception with strong safety Michael Lewis cradling the ball in his ..."
Bears feel November heat
Comment
November 12
Daily Southtown
 
"Lovie Smith likes to say November is a month that goes a long way toward defining a football season, and fewer regular-season games in his tenure have more significance than tonight's meeting with the 49ers at Candlestick Park. The Bears had bigger games in November under Smith. In 2006, standing at 7-1, and after being trounced at home by lowly Miami, they went to the Meadowlands and pummeled the New York Giants in what many thought would be a preview of the NFC championship game. The Giants didn't recover that season. The year before, the Bears withstood a huge game by Steve Smith to knock off Carolina in a battle of NFC powers in mid-November. Neither of those games had as much riding ..."
Mike Singletary still deserves the 49ers faithful
Comment
November 12
Oakland Tribune
 columnist Monte Poole
"TWO MONTHS ago he was the head man in charge of charisma, equal parts football coach and religious figure. One month ago, he had submitted preliminary evidence of being a transformative leader. And today, as Mike Singletary enters Candlestick Park - where his 49ers face his old team, the Chicago Bears, on national TV - he will stand among a roster still at his feet even as increasingly skeptical fans position themselves to abandon this season and maybe even their faith in the Church of Mike. Here in 2009, where there is considerable blowback on sports-talk radio and the Internet, a four-game losing streak is hell on a coach's approval ratings. Yet any urge to give up on Singletary as the ..."
49ers do indeed talk the talk
Comment
November 12
Contra Costa Times
 columnist Cam Inman
"COACH MIKE SINGLETARY says the country will see his young 49ers "come of age." Tight end Vernon Davis says the 49ers will destroy the Bears defensive front. And the 49ers next billboards will say: "Showing you squat, telling you a lot." Fellas, leave it to the professional prognosticators to predict who will come of age, who will get destroyed and who will be in the spotlight (see: Singletary) tonight when the 49ers kick off Week 10 by hosting the Chicago Bears."
49ers face choice: Shotgun or smash-mouth?
Comment
November 12
Sacramento Bee
 
"The 49ers enter tonight's game against Chicago searching for both a win and an offensive identity. They spent the offseason molding themselves as a power-running team, but Sunday against Tennessee they ran more than half of their plays with Alex Smith in the shotgun, a decidedly un-smash-mouth formation. The 49ers lost because they committed four turnovers. Still, coach Mike Singletary called Sunday's game "one of the better offensive performances I have seen since I've been here." The 49ers threw for a season-high 286 yards, and their yardage total was the team's second-highest this year. The 49ers also scored touchdowns against Houston and Indianapolis on drives in which Smith operated ..."
Bank on Bears to be run over again
Comment
November 12
Chicago Sun-Times
 columnist Dan Mcneil
"When I go to the window with an NFL investment opportunity, I rarely jump on trends. I mean, what do the Bears' six consecutive humiliating losses in San Francisco have to do with tonight's game? If anything, I favor bucking trends and betting on streaks to end. So do I take the Bears and the 3 against the also-spiraling 49ers? Can't do it. Can't win with 'em. I'm picking Team Singletary for the same reason I played Arizona on Sunday: the Bears' defense isn't good enough to hang with top-tier playmakers. If the Cardinals, the league's 31st-ranked running team, can reel off 182 yards -- Cedric Benson-like numbers -- it stands to reason Frank Gore can, too. Gore is averaging 5.9 yards per ..."
Chicago Bears look thin at safety for San Francisco Giants game
Comment
November 12
Chicago Tribune
 
"The Bears indeed might have some safety issues in Thursday night's game against the 49ers. Starting strong safety Al Afalava is questionable after aggravating a right shoulder bruise, and backup Kevin Payne is out with a back injury. That could mean more playing time for Josh Bullocks or Craig Steltz alongside free safety Danieal Manning if Afalava can't go. Neither Afalava nor Payne practiced Wednesday before the Bears left for San Francisco. Running back Garrett Wolfe also is out with a kidney issue, although the team continues to call it a back injury. Cornerback Charles Tillman (left shoulder), tight end Desmond Clark (neck), linebacker Lance Briggs (shoulder) and defensive tackle ..."
Bears' Briggs almost a Niner
Comment
November 11
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"In a story of what might have been, the 49ers were interested in trading for Chicago linebacker Lance Briggs in 2007 and were willing to give the Bears their No. 1 draft pick in 2008 in exchange. The trade deadline came and went and the deal didn't happen. Before the start of free agency in '08, the Bears accused the 49ers of tampering with Briggs by contacting his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, while Briggs was under contract in Chicago. The NFL agreed with the Bears and Commissioner Roger Goodell docked the 49ers their fifth-round pick in '08. "I thought it was a done deal," Briggs said Tuesday in a conference call. "When the trade was offered, I didn't think I'd be back in a Chicago Bears ..."
49ers midseason report
Comment
November 11
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Starting Thursday night, the 49ers have a chance to bring their teeter-totter of a season closer to dead-level as they begin the second half of their 2009 schedule. Four losses in a row and five overall sit like fat kids on one end of the plank, driving it into the ground while those three early wins are dangling their feet on the high end. It's enough to drive coach Mike Singletary into fits of both fury and philosophy. "It's not where we want to be but it's where we are," he said. "I feel I'm the luckiest man in the world to do what I'm doing. In these moments, this is when I'm at my best. In these situations, you have to rise above. ... You start finding out what you're made of." At ..."
San Francisco 49ers' Vernon Davis calls out Chicago Bears' defense
Comment
November 11
San Jose Mercury News
 
"Despite a four-game losing streak, 49ers tight end Vernon Davis remains confident heading into Thursday's game against the Chicago Bears. Make that extremely confident. Asked for his thoughts on Chicago's defense, Davis said the 49ers should roll. "I think we can destroy their front," he said. "The guys up front, I think we can destroy them. I don't see anything spectacular about their front line." The Bears' defense ranks 15th in the NFL heading into the game at Candlestick. It is 21st against the rush and 12th against the pass. After a couple of days of watching film, Davis said that defensive end Adewale Ogunleye was about the only player to catch his eye. "Their linebackers, I think we ..."
Elk Grove's Briggs thought S.F. trade was 'done deal'
Comment
November 11
Sacramento Bee
 
"Patrick Willis and Lance Briggs side by side in the 49ers' linebacking corps? That combination seemed so likely last year that Briggs and Willis sat down together at the 2008 Pro Bowl to talk about the possibilities. "I thought it was a done deal," Briggs said Tuesday on a conference call. "I thought when the trade was offered, I didn't think I'd be back in a Chicago Bears uniform." The 49ers' pursuit of Briggs, The Bee's 1998 prep football Player of the Year out of Elk Grove High School, ultimately led to tampering charges by the Bears and an investigation by the league. In 2008, Commissioner Roger Goodell ruled that the 49ers illegally made contact with Briggs' agent, Drew Rosenhaus. ..."
Niners could've had 55
Comment
November 11
Chicago Sun-Times
 
"It's hard to imagine where the struggling Bears defense would be this season without Lance Briggs. Two years ago, the weak-side linebacker nearly became a San Francisco 49er. ''Yeah, I thought it was a done deal,'' Briggs said Tuesday on a conference call with Bay Area reporters. ''I thought when the trade was offered [in 2007], I didn't think I'd be back in a Chicago Bears uniform.'' The game Thursday night between the teams at Candlestick Park amounts to the Briggs Bowl -- at least between the front offices, which went to the commissioner's office over a tampering charge by the Bears after the '07 season. The teams had agreed on a trade -- Briggs to the 49ers for a first-round draft pick ..."
Chicago Bears Hall of Famer brings intensity to San Francisco 49ers
Comment
November 11
Chicago Tribune
 columnist Dan Pompei
"There have been times during Mike Singletary's tenure as coach of the 49ers when he appears ready to throw down his headset, blitz onto the field and put someone on his back. And really, what should we have expected from a Hall of Fame middle linebacker? Singletary's 12-year career as a Bear has influenced his coaching style profoundly. Somewhere deep inside, he still is that Bears middle linebacker. He still is calling signals in his unmistakable voice, wild eyes still bulging out of his head, thick fingers still twitching with anticipation. Facing his former team for the first time Thursday night as a head coach might make Singletary feel a bit uncomfortable. "The first time I played ..."
Spread offense is the only solution for Niners
Comment
November 10
San Francisco Examiner
 columnist Glenn Dickey
"To save the season, 49ers coach Mike Singletary and offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye must go to the spread as their primary offensive formation, starting Thursday night at Candlestick against the Chicago Bears. There are two methods of building a team. Occasionally, there has been a coach with a special vision of what he wants to do, like Tom Landry with the Cowboys and Bill Walsh with the 49ers, who first put in a system and then found the players to make it work. Most coaches, though, build their systems around the players they have. Singletary and Raye emphasized the running attack with Frank Gore to start the season and put in a short passing game to fit Shaun Hill's limited skills. ..."
WR Hill makes most of chance
Comment
November 10
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Just as Alex Smith embraced patience as he waited for his turn as the 49ers' starting quarterback once again, so too did wide receiver Jason Hill in his quest to see the field this season. Inactive for five of the first seven games this season and without a reception in the two games he was active, Hill was suited up for Sunday's game against Tennessee and made the most of the opportunity by catching four passes, two for touchdowns. Hill, the only native San Franciscan on the 49ers' roster, figures to get more playing time in the second half of the season, in part because of Isaac Bruce's decline as an integral part of the offense. "I just saw it in practice," coach Mike Singletary said in ..."
Singletary stands by Alex Smith despite the turnovers in Sunday's loss to the Titans
Comment
November 10
Oakland Tribune
 
"As it turns out, the game film was kinder to Alex Smith than the stats sheet. A day after Smith had four crushing turnovers during a 34-27 loss to the Tennessee Titans, 49ers coach Mike Singletary had mostly praise for his starting quarterback. Singletary said Monday that "Alex had only one play that was really on him." He meant a fourth- quarter pass intended for Josh Morgan that Smith telegraphed, allowing Titans safety Chris Hope to swoop in front of Morgan for the take-away. Smith's two other interceptions, Singletary said, had mitigating circumstances. For example, there was a pass intended for Michael Crabtree that tipped off the receiver's hands near the sideline. Rod Hood managed ..."
Singletary optimistic, but 49ers at crossroads
Comment
November 10
Sacramento Bee
 columnist Matthew Barrows
"Mike Singletary was at times philosophical, inspirational and testy during his Monday news conference. Mostly he struck a confident tone that his team's four-game losing streak soon would end. "I think the most fortunate thing we have right now, the blessing that I would call it, is we have a coaching staff that is continuing to work their tails off putting our guys in position to win," he said. "We have eight games left in the season and we have to go out and do the very best we can to win those football games." Singletary still believes - and that message is intended as much for his own players as it is for the 49ers' fans who, at the beginning of the season, had hoped the frank and ..."
Harris fills in well at tackle for Titans
Comment
November 9
Nashville City Paper
 
"As an offensive lineman, Leroy Harris' efforts on Sunday might have gone unnoticed by the casual fan. But they didn't fly under the radar in the Tennessee Titans locker room after a 34-27 victory over the San Francisco 49ers. That's because Harris, a center and guard by trade, stepped into the lineup Sunday, not in one of his normal interior roles, but outside at right tackle for David Stewart, who was inactive because of a hamstring injury. It was the first time Harris had played the position, and the Titans offensive line didn't miss a beat, helping Chris Johnson rush for 135 yards, allowing just one sack of Vince Young and not being assessed any penalties on Sunday. "I've never been ..."
Titans make it two in a row
Comment
November 9
Tennessean
 
"Running back Chris Johnson looked dead in the water, and for a while on Sunday, so did the Titans. Trailing and faced with a fourth down from the San Francisco 2-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, quarterback Vince Young turned around and pitched the football to Johnson on the outside. The problem: linebacker Parys Haralson was there, waiting for him. "I just had to make a play,'' Johnson said with a smile. "Like Kobe Bryant or LeBron, I wanted to make a play.'' The lightning-quick Johnson did that. He sidestepped Haralson and eased his way into the corner of the end zone to give the Titans a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 34-27 win over the 49ers at Candlestick Park. Along ..."
Has two straight come too late for Titans?
Comment
November 9
Tennessean
 
"Johnson looked dead in the water, and for a while on Sunday, so did the Titans. Trailing and faced with a fourth down from the San Francisco 2-yard line midway through the fourth quarter, quarterback Vince Young turned around and pitched the football to Johnson on the outside. The problem: linebacker Parys Haralson was there, waiting for him. "I just had to make a play,'' Johnson said with a smile. "Like Kobe Bryant or LeBron, I wanted to make a play.'' The lightning-quick Johnson did that. He sidestepped the former Vol Haralson and eased his way into the corner of the end zone to give the Titans a lead they wouldn't relinquish in a 34-27 win over the 49ers at Candlestick Park. Along the ..."
Rookie NFL receivers grab for attention
Comment
November 9
Tennessean
 
"Over the years, picking a receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft has required two things from general managers and coaches - guts and patience. The bust factor has been high. The number of receivers who've been impact players has been low. But it seems as if that's changing. "The receiver position always has been the second-worst position to pick as far as percentage of failure is concerned, behind quarterbacks," said Gil Brandt, vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys from 1960-89. "It takes most of them awhile to develop. And some never do. But it definitely appears the trend is changing, especially with how well guys are doing early. Look at some of these guys now. It's ..."
Justin Gage goes deep for Titans
Comment
November 9
Tennessean
 
"During a three-week stretch, wide receiver Justin Gage all but disappeared from the Titans offense. Whether it was Gage's fault for dropping too many passes or quarterback Kerry Collins' fault for not finding him, something was wrong. Gage caught one pass against Jacksonville on Oct. 4, one pass against Indianapolis on Oct. 11 and none in the shutout loss to New England on Oct. 18. But a change in quarterback seems to have produced a new Gage, one who was on display again in Sunday's 34-27 win over San Francisco. Gage led the Titans with four catches for 97 yards and made two critical long catches for a team that's been missing a deep threat for most of the season. "I don't know if I would ..."
Strange reversals of fortune
Comment
November 9
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"This is what 49ers fans expected to hear from their heroes Sunday afternoon after a solid, faith-restoring victory over a faltering opponent. "It's how we believe in each other. The excitement that everybody has, the confidence we have in each other is tremendous right now. It feels real good to come to the sideline and hear your defense chatting you on, and vice versa. I don't want to say it's a rebirth. We believe in each other, the coaches have confidence in calling certain things, and we're going out and executing." Only that wasn't Alex Smith but Vince Young, the reconstituted Tennessee quarterback who helped guide the once-moribund Titans to their second consecutive win, a 34-27 ..."
Davis close to personal best
Comment
November 9
San Francisco Chronicle
 
"Vernon Davis' season of excellence continues apace. Although he did not have a touchdown catch Sunday for the first time in three games, the tight end did achieve career highs in receptions and yards. Davis latched onto 10 of Alex Smith's passes for 102 yards in becoming the team's first tight end to record 10 or more receptions in game since 2004, when Eric Johnson did it twice. With half a season to go, Davis needs 33 receiving yards to surpass his season-best total of 509 yards from 2007. The way he's going, he'll achieve that Thursday night against Chicago. "It all starts in practice," Davis said. "You practice how you play. Just get it corrected and don't look back. We need to keep ..."