Blogs

Morning Tailgate: April 4

In the biggest uniform unveiling in professional sports history, Alex Smith donned the new-look 49ers threads at Wednesday’s NFL uniform launch.

At the event, Smith was all smiles (and not looking as menacing as his Nike photo shoot) when speaking with NFL Network about the changes to the 49ers uniforms. The 49ers quarterback was supportive of the changes and especially pleased with the improvements made to the uniform collar.

Smith also gave an interview with Sirius/XM satellite radio where he discussed his offseason as well as some of San Francisco’s offensive additions in free agency.

Smith’s comments, more fallout from the uniform unveiling and a pair of mock drafts can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: Uniform Edition (April 3)

The wait is over.

The Nike Elite 51 Uniform for all 32 clubs was revealed to the world Tuesday morning.

With the well-known athletic supplier officially debuting team gear over the weekend, all that was left to show was the sleek uniforms to be worn for the 2012 season.

The most visible change to the 49ers uniforms under Nike’s watch is the inclusion of Flywire technology on the uniform collar. According to Nikeinc.com, the technology reduces weight and provides a better fit over shoulder pads.

Other adjustments to the design include slight changes to the sleeve stripes where Nike has created a horizontal orientation to the field of play. It goes with the Nike’s focus on increasing a player’s range of motion. The striping on the uniform pants also utilizes more breathable materials.

Still, even after all the new lightweight fabrics that are being introduced to the sideline in 2012, the team’s traditional look remains.

In fact, 2012 marks the first time in club history that Nike will make the official game uniforms. A pre-sale for the uniforms will take place on shop49ers.com at 12:01 a.m. ET on April 15.

Back to the big reveal, the NFL introduced players from all 32 teams early Tuesday morning at a Brooklyn fashion show. Alex Smith was on hand to represent the 49ers and even conducted a few interviews afterwards while wearing his home uniform.

For a closer look at San Francisco’s new threads, check out this photo posted on the team’s Instagram account and an up close photo gallery highlighting the uniform’s design details.

For more reaction on the uniform changes and other team headlines from a big day in sports fashion, proceed to read more information after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: March 26

Fresh off a weekend in the snow, 49ers.com has scooped up all the top headlines from the weekend.

If you missed our Celebrity Winter Fest updates from the weekend, there was plenty of money being raised for the 49ers Foundation. Players, coaches, general manager Trent Baalke and alumni traveled up to Lake Tahoe for the weekend to help out a great cause which aims to keep underprivileged kids safe, on track and in school.

One of the weekend’s noticeable attendees was recognized in another way by a respected football analysis site. More on that, important league news and other 49ers headlines can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: March 23

Where do we begin.

First, there was the announcement of former New York Giants wide receiver Mario Manningham signing a two-year contract with the 49ers, complete with a reveal of the top of Manningham’s contract.

Then, we attended the 2012 Stanford Pro Day to see potential No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck perform in front of representatives from every NFL team. Luck even went out of his way to showcase the talents of his teammates who caught passes in his workout.

As soon as 49ers.com returned from Palo Alto, news broke out on two key free agency signings: we first reported wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. signing a one-year contract and later shared the news of quarterback Josh Johnson reuniting with his college coach Jim Harbaugh on a two-year contract.

And don’t forget about the team’s annual Celebrity Winter Fest. We sure didn’t. Scott Kegley filed his first report from Lake Tahoe where the team hopes to raise $1 million dollars at the team’s 12^th annual charity event.

All that took place, and we profiled West Virginia linebacker Bruce Irvin in our “49 in 49” series.

Safe to say, it was a busy day.

And yet, there are still more 49ers-related headlines to check out after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: March 21

Shockwaves were felt across the NFL landscape this morning.

Sean Payton, head coach of the New Orleans Saints, has been suspended for a full year for his role in the team’s player performance payment scandal. Subsequently, the team will forfeit second-round draft picks in 2012 and 2013. General Manager Mickey Loomis has also been suspended for eight games and former Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now with the St. Louis Rams, will be suspended indefinitely. ESPN senior analyst Chris Mortensen believes Williams will be out of football in 2012.

This matters especially to 49ers fans as the team moves up one spot in the second round of the 2012 draft and will face the Saints on the road in 2012 and the Rams twice next season.

Oh, and former Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow was reportedly traded to the New York Jets for a fourth-round draft pick. The 49ers will face the Jets on the road in 2012, too.

Quite a busy Wednesday morning to say the least, but there are plenty of 49ers-related headlines to examine after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: March 20

There’s plenty to discuss this morning in our reoccurring week day post.

First, there’s talk regarding the top perimeter players available in this year’s draft and a prominent draft evaluator who has broken up the top wideouts into different tiers.

One of those players mentioned, Rutgers wide receiver Mohamed Sanu, was also the first player profiled in our 49 in 49: Big East Week coverage.

More on the top receivers in the 2012 NFL Draft class and of course, the latest in 49ers free agency headlines can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: March 12

There was plenty of big news taking place this weekend in the NFL, some of which directly affected the San Francisco 49ers.

First, the player photographed above – Baylor’s Robert Griffin III, is likely to be the choice of the Washington Redskins who traded three first round picks (2012, 2013, 2014) and this year’s second-round pick for the No. 2 overall pick held by the St. Louis Rams.

With Washington likely to draft Griffin at No. 2, the 49ers are spared from having to face Griffin twice a season if he’d been taken by the Rams or any other NFC West club presumed to trade up.

The trade also has a domino effect with how free agency will play out in regards to the quarterback sweepstakes.

More on how the trade affects, Peyton Manning, Alex Smith and the 49ers, and plenty of note-worthy headlines from the weekend can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: March 9

This edition of the Morning Tailgate pays tribute to an all-time 49er great who passed away Monday at the age of 73.

Roland Lakes, a defensive lineman (chasing down Packers Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr in the picture above), is proudly represented in the San Francisco 49ers 10-Year Club (a place for players with 10 years or more experience in a 49ers uniform). Lakes will be laid to rest Friday, March 16 at Mills Grove Christian Church in Oakland, Calif.

The memorial service will begin at 1 p.m. PT.

More on Lakes, a high-profile player spotted in public and other team-related headlines can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: March 7

There’s big news happening in the National Football League this morning regarding the all important quarterback position.

Fourteen-year veteran Peyton Manning, he of the four-time MVP and Super Bowl XLI-winning fame, has become a free agent after the Indianapolis Colts released their No. 1 overall pick from the 1998 NFL Draft.

For the record, Manning is 2-2 all-time against the 49ers with five touchdowns and six interceptions.

NFL Executive of the Year Trent Baalke discussed the potential situation in a radio interview with KNBR on Tuesday and said acquiring Manning hasn’t been discussed internally.

There’s conflicting ideas when it comes to the 49ers looking into acquiring Manning. A local beat writer doesn’t think it will happen, while a nationally syndicated sports columnist believes the 49ers would be a great fit.

More on the quarterback position, an upcoming appearance from Delanie Walker and more team-related headlines can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: Feb. 27

Back from our annual trek to the NFL Scouting Combine, 49ers.com has all the best team headlines for you to peruse on this fine morning.

If you missed any of our combine coverage, check out our Combine Central page for blogs, stories, videos and photos from the league’s annual marquee pre-draft event.

And if you’re curious about Monday’s happening in Indy (Memphis defensive line prospect Dontari Poe ran a 4.86, 40-yard dash at 346 pounds) NFL.com/combine has a live telecast of the events airing right now.

With that being said, check out more combine headlines and 49ers headlines after the jump.

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