Blogs

Morning Tailgate: Feb. 14

Happy Valentine’s Day to all the 49ers Faithful. Flowers and chocolate, not football headlines, will dominate everyone’s attention on Thursday, but that’s not such a bad thing.

With the San Francisco 49ers in week two of Jim Harbaugh-ordered rest and relaxation following the 2012 season, things will soon pick up in terms of offseason movement. The new league year begins officially on March 12 which means the 49ers will have 12 unrestricted free agents and two restricted free agents from the team’s most recent Super Bowl roster available for 31 other teams.

Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News shared the complete list of pending NFL free agents with San Francisco’s free agents headlined by Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson and versatile tight end Delanie Walker.

If the team is unable to retain its free agents or find replacements through NFL free agency, the 49ers hold 14 draft picks in the 2013 NFL Draft, including four selections in the top 95.

San Francisco will also get a better sense of the potential of the incoming rookie draft class when the NFL Scouting Combine begins on Feb. 23.

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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 31

Justin Smith’s hard-working ways come into greater focus thanks to a remarkable story from ESPN.com’ Elizabeth Merrill. San Francisco’s four-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle doesn’t seek out attention, but this story certainly explains the roots of Smith’s work ethic.

Smith owns the Railwood Golf Club in Holts Summit, Mo., a course that costs $25 to play 18 holes with a cart.

“Just Smith wanted it this way,” Merrill wrote. “He didn’t want to gouge the working man who couldn’t take a Monday off to hit golf balls. Smith would prefer, though, that you didn’t know he’s the owner of this golf course nestled in the rolling hills of Central Missouri.

“His name is not on the voicemail, or the website, and that seems typical. Smith is 6-foot-4 and 285 pounds, and one of the most important players on the San Francisco 49ers’ vaunted defense, but he prefers to remain in the background. When his teammates are getting sacks, it means Smith is doing his job. Smith has a goal. When he’s finished with football, he’d like to be able to go to the grocery store without anyone recognizing him.”

Check out more of the top Super Bowl XLVII headlines after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 30

The 49ers enjoyed the light mood of media day on Tuesday as they were peppered with football and non-football questions by thousands of credentialed media members on the turf of the Superdome. There was a super hero, free tattoo sleeves for the players, 49ers Kaepernicking and more.

Peter Schrager of FOXSports.com offered his take on the best and worst of media day for Super Bowl XLVII.

“This is the new normal at Super Bowl Media Day, an NFL cultural and journalistic melting pot that puts Miss Alabama and Brent Musberger favorite Katherine Webb, in the same room as 84-year-old Hall of Fame journalist Edwin Pope,” Schrager wrote. “It’s no longer about the players’ answers; it’s about the folks asking the players the questions.”

The 49ers would also like to announce that Vernon Davis is holding a charity raffle to win an all expense paid trip to New Orleans for the Super Bowl. The deadline for the drawing is on Thursday (tomorrow).

The rest of today’s Morning Tailgate features the top quotes and story lines from the hectic media day scene.

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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 29

NEW ORLEANS – Good morning, it’s Media Day at Super Bowl XLVII. If the San Francisco 49ers thought they’d been a part of a media swarm before, Tuesday’s annual media day will crush that in comparison.

Thousands of credentialed reporters will get their chance to speak with the 49ers Tuesday morning in the Superdome. It should be quiet the scene compared to Monday’s media session which can be viewed in this 49ers.com photo gallery.

Only a handful of players have spoken to the press so far, but the entire team, plus coaches, will be available. It should make for quite the day, 49ers.com will have it all covered LIVE. That’s right, LIVE.

Visit 49ers.com/live during Media Day at Super Bowl XLVII for unprecedented access to the 49ers.

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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 24

We’re just getting into the swing of things for Super Bowl XLVII, but after the 49ers held their first workout to prepare for New Orleans, it seems like gameday will be here before we know it.

Spirits were high on an overcast day at 49ers headquarters. The team appeared to be very upbeat about what lies ahead, a Feb. 3 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens.

The matchup is undeniably interesting based on the Harbaugh family dynamic. The passion the football family has is also quite unique. Jack and Jackie Harbaugh, along with daughter Joani Crean, discussed their relationships with Jim and John Harbaugh in a national conference call Thursday morning.

By the end of the call, it was quite evident how special the Harbaugh family is and how much they mean to each other. For Jackie and Joani, Super Bowl XLVII is a truly proud moment for the family.

More Super Bowl headlines can be found after the jump.

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Aldon Smith Voted NFL 101 NFC Def. POY

Aldon Smith’s scintillating 2012 season has been recognized by a nationwide panel of sportswriters and broadcasters, as he was named the NFL 101 NFC Defensive Player of the Year.

Smith’s 19.5 sacks in the regular season helped him earn the honor, which he was awarded in just his second year in the league by a group of 101 media members who cover the NFL. The 43rd annual NFL 101 Awards will be handed out in Kansas City on March 2, a short drive from Smith’s high school in Raytown, Mo. 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh attended the event last year after being named 2011 NFC Coach of the Year.

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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 10

Have no fear 49ers Faithful, it’s almost here. Yes, playoff football is right around the corner. But before the Green Bay Packers come into town for a Saturday night Divisional Playoff clash, there’s still plenty of telling statistics to comb over prior to kick-off.

Good thing Evan Silva of Rotoworld.com uncovers those interesting details as well as anyone around. In his recent matchup column, Silva shared plenty of valuable notes on the 49ers opening playoff matchup.

Here are just a few of the many interesting items from Silva’s writeup:

-Aaron Rodgers has completed 102 of his last 149 passes (68.5 percent) for 1,310 yards (8.79 yards per attempt), with 11 touchdown passes and no interceptions.

-Rodgers hasn’t been intercepted in 177 throws.

-When the teams met in Week 1, Rodgers completed all nine of his passes targeted to Randall Cobb for 77 yards.

-Greg Jennings, not Cobb, has been Green Bay’s most productive receiver as of late. Jennings led the Packers in receptions (19), receiving yards (226), and touchdowns (3), over the past three weeks.

-Colin Kaepernick had possibly his best start in San Francisco’s Week 17 win over Arizona. Kaepernick completed a career-high 276 yards on 28 attempts against Arizona’s top-five pass defense. Kaepernick averaged 9.9 yards per attempt without a turnover.

-Most importantly of all, Silva predicted a 34-30 victory for the 49ers.

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Trio of 49ers honored by USA Football

The awards keep on piling up at 49ers headquarters.

Punter Andy Lee and Pro Bowlers Mike Iupati and Aldon Smith were recently recognized by USA Football and named to the 2012 All-Fundamentals Teams, which honors 26 NFL players – 11 offense, 11 defense and four special teams – who exhibit exemplary football techniques for youth players to emulate.

The fourth annual USA Football All-Fundamentals Team recognizes NFL players who employ proper technique, particularly when blocking and tackling, which fosters better on-field performance and inherent safety benefits.

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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 4

The 49ers will do a lot more scoreboard watching this weekend, just like Pro Bowl safety Donte Whitner was doing after the regular season finale in the photo atop this post.

The game San Francisco is most focused on features the two teams they anxiously watched at the conclusion of a Week 17 win over Arizona. On Saturday night, if the Green Bay Packers are victorious at home over the Minnesota Vikings, the Packers will travel to San Francisco to face the 49ers on Jan. 12 in the Divisional Playoff round.

For what it’s worth, longtime Sports Illustrated writer Peter King is predicting a Packers win.

If the Vikings win, however, the winner of the Seattle Seahawks-Washington Redskins Sunday afternoon tilt will travel to Candlestick Park for a primetime postseason clash.

Tickets for the Jan. 12 Divisional matchup presented by State Farm will be made available on Monday, Jan. 7 at 10 a.m. PT via Ticketmaster.  Quantities will be limited, so fans will be encouraged to visit NFL Ticket Exchange for additional seats.

But before the 49ers can find out who they’ll play next week, the team will hold one last workout this week that figures to impact San Francisco’s decision at kicker for the postseason.

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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 3

The 49ers are back to the grind after a couple of extra days of rest to start the bye week. While San Francisco will be idle this weekend as it awaits to see who it will face the NFC Divisional Round, there will be a few notable young quarterbacks making their playoff debuts.

Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group noted how Colin Kaepernick and other rising stars under center like Andrew Luck, Robert Griffin III and Russell Wilson will be leading their respective teams in the postseason for the first time.

“Come their Jan. 12, divisional-round opener at Candlestick Park, the 49ers will be ready to unleash Kaepernick, who’s coming off seven pressure-packed starts,” Inman wrote.

Today’s Morning Tailgate also takes a look at how the bye week will help the 49ers rest up for their potential playoff run.

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