Blogs

MT: Harbaugh Trades Khakis for Denim

Jim Harbaugh and Trent Baalke showed a sign of solidarity on Wednesday at the 49ers, Levi’s Brand pep rally.

Both of the key figures wore Levi’s jeans at the rally, so did their players (Patrick Willis, Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Justin Smith and Colin Kaepernick).

It was especially unique to see the 49ers head coach wearing an all-denim outfit. Harbaugh is known for his everyday attire of khaki pants and a black microfleece top.

This day, however, was a special one for two iconic Bay Area brands.

Having the 49ers coach celebrate the moment with a fashion statement made it even more unique.

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MT: Harbaugh Likes Crabtree/Boldin Combo

Jim Harbaugh had some memorable words about his newest receiver, Quinton Patton, in a Thursday night interview with KNBR.

The 49ers coach shared a unique story on how his fourth-round pick flew out to California eager to work for his professional team, but was told to turn around so he could avoid breaking NFL rules.

The story overshadowed Harbaugh’s comments on his own veteran receiver, Michael Crabtree.

The fifth-year pro totaled career-highs across the board in 2012 with 85 receptions, 1,105 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. The 6-foot-1, 214-pound wideout became the ninth player in team history to record a 1,000-yard receiving season and the first 49ers player to do it since 2003 (Terrell Owens).

When Harbaugh was asked about the addition of Anquan Boldin to San Francisco’s roster, the 49ers coach quickly pointed out that the 11-year veteran will fit in nicely with Cratbree, the emerging play-maker.

“Having two high-level, top-notch productive receivers in this league, I think they’ll help each other immensely in that way,” the 49ers coach said.

“Michael’s a proven, front-line receiver and so is Anquan Boldin.”

The 49ers haven’t had two, 1,000-yard receiving seasons since 1998 when Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice totaled 1,157 yards and Owens added 1,097 yards. The duo also combined to catch 24 touchdowns (Owens 15, Rice 9).

Crabtree’s 2012 production came into greater focus thanks to his inclusion on ProFootballFocus.com’s Top 101 players list.

Crabtree was the 12^th member of San Francisco’s roster to make the list. He was unranked in 2011, but came in at No. 37 this time around.

“Crabtree continued to look like one of the most impressive after-the-catch receivers in the league, forcing 19 missed tackles (including the postseason) while also adding 12 touchdowns,” PFF.com wrote.

Other 49ers to make PFF’s current list (Justin Smith No. 87, Colin Kaepernick No. 81, Anthony Davis No. 80, Tarell Brown No. 75, Frank Gore No. 71, Anquan Boldin No. 63, NaVorro Bowman No. 59, Aldon Smith No. 57, Mike Iupati No. 53, Alex Boone No. 50 and Vernon Davis, No. 39).

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Morning Tailgate: Round 1 Recap

For a second consecutive year, Trent Baalke pegged a first-round draft pick at least 24 hours before the actual draft.

In 2012, it was A.J. Jenkins who was the preferred pick of the San Francisco 49ers general manager. In 2013, the honor went to LSU safety Eric Reid.

Baalke’s 24-hour preference of the SEC safety was shared by Jed York.

The 49ers CEO offered a glimpse into Baalke’s pre-draft mindset in a Thursday night conversation with Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports.

“We weren’t nervous,” York said of the 49ers draft room. “Trent made up his mind yesterday what he wanted to do and he went out and did it. And if it hadn’t worked out, we’d have still had some pretty good options.”

Perhaps the 49ers will have those other options in play for the No. 34 overall pick, a selection they acquired from a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs.

The fast-paced first-round of the NFL Draft is recapped in today’s Morning Tailgate.

On to the links…

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MT: 49ers Host Local Pro Day

CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco reported on Tuesday that a son of a 49ers Hall of Famer will visit team headquarters on Wednesday to take part in the team’s local pro day.

Nate Montana would be the player in the report. And yes, he’s the son of you know who.

Montana played as a backup quarterback at three different schools (Pasadena City College, Notre Dame and the University of Montana), before finding a starting role at West Virginia Wesleyan.

Montana started nine games at the NCAA Division II school, completing 51.6 percent of his passes with 19 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. Montana averaged 275.6 passing yards per game. He’s also been preparing for the NFL Draft with quarterback guru George Whitfield Jr.

It’s important to note that several pro day attendees have made their way on to the 49ers practice squad. For example, former Stanford safety Michael Thomas went undrafted, but made the practice squad in 2012 and has been signed to a reserve/future contract with the club. Wednesday’s pro day also marks the last day draft eligible players can visit the team’s Santa Clara headquarters.

49ers.com will cover the team’s annual pro day later in the afternoon and will have a full report on the workout.

More 49ers headlines can be found in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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49 in 49: Best of the Bay Week

Football in the Bay Area has been on the rise in recent years. High school, college and professional teams have enjoyed the type of success that earns national notoriety.

With Stanford University, Jim Harbaugh’s former school, earning back-to-back BCS Bowl invitations, the Cardinal have become the leaders in Bay Area collegiate football. Coach David Shaw has continued Harbaugh’s work at Stanford by bringing in academically and athletically gifted athletes. The Cardinal finished as the nation’s No. 7 team according to AP Top 25 results.

Another Bay Area school, San Jose State, also enjoyed impressive success in 2012. The Spartans finished the year 11-2 and No. 21 in the AP’s Top 25 poll.

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Morning Tailgate: Madden Cover Vote

It’s voting season.

NFL.com is asking fans to choose the best play in NFL history and two of San Francisco’s Hall of Fame quarterbacks, Joe Montana and Steve Young, are among the great eight remaining plays. Montana delivered “The Catch,” while Young seemingly broke 49 tackles on his way to a 49-yard game-winning touchdown run against the Minnesota Vikings back in 1988. Fifth round voting ends on April 3.

Another important offseason vote involves 49ers past and present.

Montana, along with Hall of Fame teammate Jerry Rice and current 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, still remain in the Madden Cover Vote for the game’s 25 anniversary edition.

Kaepernick, a No. 1 seed, faces Houston Texans running back Arian Foster in the “New School” side of the bracket.

Montana, a No. 1 seed, faces Super Bowl XIX opponent and Kaepernick fan, Dan Marino, a No. 4 seed, in the “Old School” bracket. Meanwhile, Rice, another No. 1 seed, will match up against Michael Strahan (No. 5 seed) as one of the other throwback pairings.

It’s worth noting that no other team has more than one representative in the Madden tournament.

That’s important if you subscribe to the “Madden Curse” theory. Detroit Lions mega-star wideout Calvin Johnson didn’t fall for it in 2013. Johnson, the most recent player to grace the Madden cover, broke Rice’s single-season receiving record with 1,964 yards for the Lions. Rice’s old record was set in 1995.

Meanwhile, Kaepernick’s Twitter feed has recently been filled with retweets of fans supporting his quest to be on the Madden cover.

If you don’t want to vote for the current 49ers quarterback, Montana and Rice are long removed from their playing careers and will surely accept placement on the Madden cover. Both stars have joined Twitter, too. Connect with them here: @JoeMontana & @JerryRice.

Round three of the Madden vote ends on April 3. Vote often for any three of the 49ers representatives.

Check out additional 49ers headlines in the Morning Tailgate, including reports of a new quarterback joining the team in 2013.

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Morning Tailgate: Sizing Up the Defense

As the NFL Draft approaches, many are pegging the 49ers to pursue defensive line depth with their league-high 14 picks. Mike Sando of ESPN.com took stock of the d-line and 2013 prospects for Justin Smith, Ray McDonald and free-agent signee Glenn Dorsey.

“McDonald and Justin Smith had both played at least 85 percent of the defensive snaps through Week 15, which was when an arm injury forced Smith to the sideline until the playoffs,” Sando wrote. “Tampa Bay (three) and New Orleans (two) were the only other teams with more than one defensive lineman logging 85-plus percent of his team’s snaps to that point in the season. The Bucs and Saints had a combined seven other defensive linemen logging at least 30 percent of the snaps to that point. The 49ers had none.”

The rest of today’s Morning Tailgate looks at the 49ers secondary, NFL Draft news and more.

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Morning Tailgate: 49ers Bracketology

Bracektology doesn’t just apply to the NCAA this time of year. NFL.com is also featuring football’s version of March Madness, as you can vote for the top play of all time. We’re down to the round of 32 and the 49ers are represented with three plays, Steve Young’s iconic 49-yard touchdown scramble against the Vikings, “The Catch,” and Garrison Hearst’s 94-yard touchdown run.

Voting for the Sweet 16 of NFL.com Bracketology ends on Tuesday, so be sure to support some of the greatest moments in 49ers history. You can also vote for Colin Kaepernick, Joe Montana and Jerry Rice to be featured on the upcoming cover of the 25th anniversary Madden NFL video game.

The rest of today’s Morning Tailgate spotlights Jim Harbaugh and Pete Carroll as they compete to win the NFC West.

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2013 Winter Fest Photo Blog: Saturday

Following a fun night full of charity auction bidding for the 49ers Foundation, the 13th annual Winter Fest kept the good times going into Saturday. Friday night’s silent and live auctions brought in nearly $400,000, setting a record for a one-night donation total in the event’s history.

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Morning Tailgate: Harbaugh Stays Driven

Five yards. That’s all that separated the 49ers from winning the sixth Super Bowl in franchise history earlier this year. Coach Jim Harbaugh has had a few weeks to reflect on the tough loss on football’s biggest stage and it appears he’s using the defeat to fuel him for 2013. Ashley Fox of ESPN.com shared comments from Harbaugh on his motivation for the new season going forward.

“Harbaugh is a fiercely competitive man now inspired by defeat, and that will be a problem for the other teams in the NFC West, the rest of the conference and ultimately the entire league,” Fox wrote. “It didn’t seem possible, given the intensity with which he worked his first two seasons as head coach, but Harbaugh is more inspired, more hungry, more dedicated than ever, all because of those 5 short but significant yards.”

The rest of today’s Morning Tailgate focuses on the team’s evolving special teams unit and more.

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