Blogs

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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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 23

San Francisco and Baltimore are two proud football towns with rich histories of football. 49ers fans and Ravens fans alike will descend on New Orleans in the coming days as the teams gear up for Super Bowl XLVII.

San Francisco and Baltimore also feature a tradition of football competition that dates back to the 1950s and the days of Kezar Stadium in Golden Gate Park. Bruce Jenkins of the San Francisco Chronicle took a historical look back at past battles between football franchises from the two cities.

“There was a time when ‘San Francisco vs. Baltimore’ meant something entirely different than the matchup we’ll get in this Super Bowl,” Jenkins wrote. “It meant antiquated, neighborhood stadiums in the middle of town. It meant some of the most riveting, free-wheeling NFL games ever played.”

Did you know Jim Harbaugh, Randy Moss and Ray Lewis also played in the same game back in 1998? Today’s Morning Tailgate features that backstory, highlights the contributions of the York family and more.

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NFC Title Game Tailgate: Jan. 21

The 49ers are headed back to the Super Bowl. And they did it in style.

Sunday’s 28-24 road comeback in Atlanta to win the NFC Championship was an instant classic that left 49ers Faithful breathless. In the end, a second half shutout by the defense and an impressive group effort by the offense was enough to overcome an early 17-0 deficit in the hostile Georgia Dome.

San Francisco is undefeated in its previous five Super Bowl appearances, and returns to the World Championship for the first time since defeating the Chargers 49-26 in Super Bowl XXIX following the 1994 season.

Super Bowl XLVII, which will be held in New Orleans on Feb. 3. By now, you may have heard about the two coaches who will be coaching the 49ers and Ravens in two weeks: Jim and John Harbaugh. Peter King of Sports Illustrated took a look ahead to the second edition of the HarBowl after a thrilling Championship Sunday in Atlanta and Foxboro.

“The Niners are back,” King wrote. “Hard to believe it’s been 18 years since Steve Young threw six touchdown passes to shred the Chargers, then mimed having a monkey on his back while begging Harris Barton to rip it off, only to throw up a Gatorade/cookie mix all over agent Leigh Steinberg’s shoes in the postgame. Aaah, those were the days. But San Francisco’s finally in the Big One again, to try to stretch its 5-0 record in Super Bowls.”

The rest of today’s NFC Title Game Tailgate recaps the big win in Atlanta and looks ahead to New Orleans.

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Morning Tailgate: Jan. 16

Looking for an unsung hero on the San Francisco 49ers defense? Look no further than sixth-year cornerback Tarell Brown.

The 5-foot-10, 193-pound cornerback continues to be one of the key contributors on a 49ers defense that stands one win away from reaching the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl.

Brown recorded a career-high 59 tackles in the regular season to go with 14 pass breakups and two interceptions.

Quietly, Brown has come up big all season for the 49ers. The fundamentally-sound defensive back intercepted a pass in San Francisco’s Week 17 win and followed it up two weeks later with an impressive interception in the 45-31 Divisional Playoff win over the Green Bay Packers.

For a second consecutive postseason, Brown turned in a key interception.

Brown’s efforts, however, aren’t going unnoticed. ProFootballFocus.com reviewed the 49ers dominant victory over the Packers and singled out Brown’s performance. According to PFF, Brown was thrown against on four different occasions by Green Bay’s high-powered passing attack. In the end, Brown allowed two receptions for 16 yards. His interception, a quality over-the-shoulder reception of a deep Aaron Rodgers throw, was also returned 39 yards.

With the NFC title game just around the corner, the 49ers defensive back will be counted on once more against Atlanta’s impressive passing arsenal.

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Jed York Speaks with Wall Street Journal

49ers CEO Jed York isn’t stopping to smell the roses just yet.

As his team prepares for its second straight playoff run in the Jim Harbaugh era and the new Santa Clara Stadium rises next to 49ers headquarters, York is staying busy to usher in the next chapter of the franchise’s proud history.  Pui-Wing Tam and Amir Efrat of the Wall Street Journal recently spoke to York about the exciting atmosphere surrounding the organization and the bright future ahead.

The Wall Street Journal focused much of the conversation on the new Santa Clara Stadium, which is on schedule to open in time for Week 1 in 2014.

“What we started with was really making sure that the fan experience was as great as it can possibly be,” York told WSJ. “We started with, first, the design of the building and making sure we have the largest lower bowl in the NFL—two-thirds of our seats are in the lower bowl. It’s designed more like a baseball stadium with open concourses. The concessions are in the back so when you’re in the concession line, you can see and feel the game going on behind you.”

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Jed York Visits The Jim Rome Show

Jed York covered a number of topics in a Tuesday morning interview on The Jim Rome Show, guest hosted by Bay Area radio and 49ers Pregame Show host Damon Bruce.

It’s a must-listen for all Faithful fans looking for insight from the San Francisco 49ers CEO. York first explained his reaction to seeing Tom Brady lead four consecutive touchdown drives to tie last Sunday’s 49ers game at 31.

San Francisco’s CEO explained that he was with family and a couple of friends from the Boston area in the team owner’s suite when things started to get too close for comfort.

“Even at 31-3,” York told Bruce, “I didn’t have a good feeling in my stomach because of Tom Brady… You knew they were going to click – you knew they were going to make a run.”

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Morning Tailgate: Dec. 7

The 49ers are frequent inductees to Hall of Fames. Brent Jones was the latest alumni to be recognized for his stellar career, as he was recently elected to the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame along with Giants pitching coach Dave Righetti, ex-Raiders receiver Tim Brown and the late Oakland A’s owner Walter Haas, Jr.

Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle spoke to Jones and Righetti about their Bay Area upbringings and what it means to be a part of the 2013 BASHOF.

“Jones played on three Super Bowl champions, earned four Pro Bowl berths and caught 417 passes in his career,” Kroichick wrote. “Now he’s going into a Hall of Fame filled with childhood heroes (including Willie Mays, Nate Thurmond and Fred Biletnikoff) and his 49ers teammates (including Montana, Young and Jerry Rice).”

The rest of today’s Morning Tailgate looks at Jim Harbaugh’s value to the 49ers, Colin Kaepernick vs. RGIII and more.

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Morning Tailgate: Dec. 5

Jed York speaks of flexibility when it comes to the technology vision for the new Santa Clara Stadium, the future home of the San Francisco 49ers.

“We want to make sure it’s an open-source stadium that can grow and develop over time,” the 49ers CEO recently told Fortune’s editor-at-large Adam Lashinsky in a video aired on CNN Money.

In the piece, York discussed the team’s vision for the billion-dollar future home for the five-time Super Bowl champion franchise. The 49ers CEO also expressed his excitement in the team’s working partnership with the City of Santa Clara and the Stadium Authority.

“I think the most important thing is we have a public-private partnership,” York told Lashinsky. “If you don’t have a good relationship between your municipality and a sports team, then you’re setting yourself up for failure.”

The 49ers certainly feel good about the recent developments for the stadium. Besides having the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl to be played at the new stadium beginning in 2014, this week will mark the “topping out” ceremony for the stadium project when the highest pieces of steel will be erected.

While construction remains rampant at the stadium site, the same can be said for the team’s technology vision. York and the team’s technology department aim to find ways to compete with the NFL’s high-definition television coverage.

“What I really want to do is build a software-driven stadium as opposed to a hardware-driven stadium,” the 49ers CEO explained.

In York’s mind, scoreboards will be obsolete in five years. Fans will be utilizing smart phones and personal tablets for instant information.

“I would much rather leverage the great companies that we have in the Silicon Valley who are creating smart phones, creating tablets, that our fanbase and the majority of folks in Northern California use  on a daily basis,” York went on to say.

The team has visions of a ticket-less, cash-less building for the future home of the 49ers, all while increasing viewing options on a fan’s preferred personal device.

But as York explains it, the key is to be flexible. With technology rapidly improving fan’s experiences within NFL stadiums, the 49ers CEO wants to be at the forefront of it.

Visit NewSantaClaraStadium.com for ticket information on the future home of the 49ers.

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Morning Tailgate: Dec. 3

It looks like the NFC West will come down to the wire in 2012. The 49ers fell to 8-3-1 after Sunday’s hard-fought 16-13 loss in overtime at NFC West foe St. Louis. The Rams are now 5-6-1 and have played the 49ers tough, but it’s second-place Seattle (7-5) who is hot on the heels of San Francisco going into the final four weeks of play.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com broke down the loss and what it means for the 49ers. “Coach Jeff Fisher and his Rams staff won the chess match against the 49ers on Sunday,” Maiocco wrote. “And the 49ers saw their lead in the NFC West shrink to 1 1/2 games with Seattle’s victory over the Chicago Bears.”

The rest of today’s Morning Tailgate rounds up the best coverage from the Week 13 matchup in St. Louis.

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Morning Tailgate: Nov. 29

The 49ers are no strangers to quality quarterbacks. Dating back to the likes of Y.A. Tittle and John Brodie to Joe Montana and Steve Young, San Francisco has been spoiled with signal-callers throughout the years. The 2012 49ers are lucky to have two players under center that have led the team to big victories: Colin Kaepernick and Alex Smith.

A huge contingent of media gathered at 49ers headquarters on Wednesday, as coach Jim Harbaugh revealed Kaepernick will receive the start this Sunday in St. Louis, his third straight for the team. The decision to name the second-year emerging star as the quarterback was dissected every which way by the media, including Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.

“QB coach Geep Chryst and OC Greg Roman are certainly hands-on and deeply involved in all parts of the QB play,” Kawakami wrote. “But I think we have to give most of the credit for this to Harbaugh–who did some things with Andrew Luck, I seem to recall. Harbaugh has a fine focus on the QB spot, and the guy can flat-out coach the position.”

Today’s Morning Tailgate rounds up all the Kaepernick coverage, Pro Bowl voting leaders, Santa Clara Stadium news and more.

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