Blogs

Greetings from Hawaii

HONOLULU – After a long flight from San Jose and a quick stop at the rental car center, 49ers.com has made it to Hawaii for a week of exclusive coverage of the 2012 Pro Bowl.

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Monday’s Locker Room Talk: Nov. 28

Know when to hold ‘em. Know when to fold ‘em.

There’s no question by now, Jim Harbaugh keeps his cards close to the vest. But this Sunday, the 49ers coach will look to win out big in the form of clinching San Francisco’s first playoff berth since 2002 by defeating (or tying) the visiting St. Louis Rams. In fact, the 49ers could also clinch with a loss to the Rams, just as long as the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks both lose in Week 13.

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Monday’s Locker Room Talk: Nov. 14

Much of Monday’s talk inside the locker room at 4949 Centennial Blvd. centered on Justin Smith’s latest hustle play to remember.

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Monday’s Locker Room Talk: Oct. 17

Leadership within the 49ers locker room won’t let the team get overconfident after starting the season 5-1 heading into the bye week.

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Pro Bowl Update: Final Day to Vote

Today is the last day to vote your San Francisco 49ers into the 2011 Pro Bowl which will be played Jan. 30, 2011, in Hawaii. Here’s a look at five members of the team who have stood out in particular this season and deserve your vote:

CLICK HERE TO VOTE YOUR FAVORITE 49ERS INTO THE PRO BOWL.

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Pro Bowl Update: Week 14

No matter how many times you’ve been to the Pro Bowl, it never gets old. Just ask Patrick Willis, who has gone to the NFL’s annual All-Star game every season in his three-year career.

“It’s a great honor to make the Pro Bowl, to know the players, coaches and fans think you’re the best at what you do,” the 49ers inside linebacker said. “And even though I’ve been a few times now, I’ll never take it for granted.

“Whether you’ve been 10 times or zero times in your career, you have to approach every season the same. You go out and play the best you can, and everything else will take care of itself.”

And while all of the 49ers have that mindset, six in particular have stood out the most in 2010. Now they need you, the 49ers Faithful, to vote for them to make it to the 2011 Pro Bowl in Hawaii.

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49ers Value Offseason Workouts

Competition doesn’t just exist inside of NFL stadiums or on practice fields, it’s long rooted in the offseason workouts held at various team facilities around the league.

It’s at these conditioning programs that players compete against each other in almost everything they do.

And those competitions are reason enough for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Justin Smith to train at 49ers headquarters, even when he could easily get in shape anywhere he chooses.

“I think replicating the running and the amount of stuff we do is hard to do on your own, to be honest with you. You can wake up and be like, ‘I’m going to do all this stuff,’ and not ever do it,” Smith explained. “Being here around the guys brings out the competing and I think competing is the main reason we’re all here.

“We can compete on every lift and every run, so it makes us all work harder.”

Smith was named to his first Pro Bowl after his second year with the 49ers, thanks to the effort he puts into everything he does, offseason workouts included.

But even after experiencing the Pro Bowl atmosphere for the first time in his nine NFL seasons, Smith isn’t letting it change his goals.

“I want to win. I’m not focused on going to another Pro Bowl honestly. For me, it’s let’s win, get to the playoffs and win a Super Bowl. That’s what it’s all about.”

Veterans and young players alike have been adamant about taking part in the offseason program, but it becomes even more important if it’s their first chance to work out in the offseason with their teammates.

“It’s good being here because I can get a head-start with the playbook and focus on 49er football,” running back Glen Coffee said.

Coffee spent the offseason determined to get ready for his second NFL season and will use the 49ers offseason program to further prepare himself for the rigors of pro football’s calendar.

“I’ll be lifting on Fridays too. I don’t have anywhere really to go. For me, it’s all about preparing my body for the season,” he said.

Click here to check out photos from the 49ers first week of offseason conditioning.

NinerCam: Pro Bowl Postgame

The NFC fell 41-34 to the AFC in South Florida in a highly entertaining Pro Bowl.  Houston Texans quarterback Matt Schaub won the game’s MVP award after completing 13 of 17 passes for 189 yards and two touchdowns.  Several of the 49ers players shined as well.

Vernon Davis made an impact early in the game, hauling in a pass from Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers for 36 yards.  He finished with three catches for 67 yards.  Justin Smith also saw some significant playing time, finishing with three tackles and a sack.

I caught up with our players after the game.  Watch below or visit our YouTube page.

For all of our coverage of the Pro Bowl, visit our Pro Bowl Central page.

Smith Joins NFC Squad in South Florida

The NFC and AFC flopped practice times on Thursday with the NFC hitting the field first at 9:00 a.m.

The funniest moment of the morning came when Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb tried to hit Falcons receiver Roddy White on a deep post.  The ball went right through White’s hands and hit Eagles corner Asante Samuel right in the helmet.  Onlooking players behind the line of scrimmage erupted with laughter.  Samuel embraced the moment, grabbing his helmet and wobbling his head.

“I think I got a concussion,” Samuel joked.

The newest face on the practice field was that of Justin Smith, who got word on Tuesday that he would replace the Vikings’ Kevin Williams in the all-star game. (Click here to view a 49ers.com photo gallery of Thursday’s practice).

“It was a a six-hour flight away and they called me up and said, ‘When can you be here?’” recalled Smith.  “Maybe a day and a half.  It’s been a long haul, but it’s cool and I’m glad I’m here.”

It’s definitely an honor that’s long past due for Smith, who has played at a high level throughout his nine-year career.

“I’m glad he’s here,” said Patrick Willis, who’s always given a lot of credit for his success to the defensive linemen in front of him.  “I saw him last night and I was so excited because he works so hard and comes to practice every day.”

Smith though didn’t have much time to relish his selection, instead, the 49ers defensive end is focused simply on learning a new position.

“I learned I was going to be playing defensive tackle so I’ll get a few more double teams.  There’s not that much difference though.”

While Smith plays more on the edges for the 49ers, shifting inside does present an interesting combination with the Vikings Jared Allen outside of Smith.

“I know a lot of people talk about Jared Allen, but I think when you put him and Justin Smith on the same field at the same time, it’s going to be incredible to watch,” Willis said.  “Having them on the field at the same time is definite all-star status.”

As it the case with many of the all-stars though, Smith will be asked to play special teams.  The NFC ran through kickoff drills a Smith lined up on the coverage unit.  Smith said the last time he played special teams was probably in high school.

“I got a little kickoff coverage in,” Smith said.  “That’s a first, I’ve never done that before in my career.”

Both Smith and Willis said though that while they’re happy to look around and see five gold 49ers helmets on the field, they wish there was a sixth, Aubrayo Franklin.

Willis was also asked by the media whether he would prefer the Pro Bowl being played before or after the Super Bowl.  Since none of the players in the Super Bowl can play in the Pro Bowl, Willis confidently said that he would like to have the Pro Bowl after the Super Bowl so he could play in both games.

Here’s my video report with Smith and Willis following the NFC practice.

For all of our coverage of the Pro Bowl, visit our Pro Bowl Central page. And for more videos like the ones above, check out our new YouTube page.

Blog: Pro Bowl Practice Kicks Off

The AFC and NFC squads hit the field at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in South Florida on Wednesday for their first practices of the 2010 Pro Bowl.  The Cowboys and Chargers coaching staffs ran the drills for their respective conferences.

The NFC’s practice was a little longer than what I expected for a Pro Bowl session.  Players don’t go full speed during the drills, focusing more on mental reps and learning the offensive and defensive schemes.  The schemes are usually pretty basic so all of the players can pick things up during the week. (Click here to view a 49ers.com photo gallery of Wednesday’s practice).

Donovan McNabb was easily the most vocal player on the field, laughing and joking with teammates.  Every time McNabb would throw a pass to Cowboys receiver Miles Austin, Austin would bat it down, refusing to catch anything from McNabb.  The two kept laughing at each other for most of the morning.

He also joked with Vernon Davis.  McNabb seemed shocked to see Davis’ short hair.

“He told me he was glad I shaved of my six dreads,” Davis told reporters after practice.

Justin Smith was the only 49ers Pro Bowler not present at practice.  He learned that he would replace the Vikings’ Kevin Williams yesterday so he should be arriving by tomorrow.

It’s an especially meaningful week for running back Frank Gore, who hasn’t played in his hometown of Miami since his days at “The U.”

“It’s a great opportunity to play in front of my family,” Gore said.  “That’s the best part about this.  My family hasn’t been able to see me play since I’ve been in the NFL so that makes this week really special.  I wasn’t able to play last year when we came out to play the Dolphins so this is great!”

One of the family members Gore is most excited to play in front of is his son, Frank Jr., who is becoming quite a good football player himself.

“He’s really excited to see me play,” Gore said.  “He’s taking after his dad so far.  I’m proud of him because he’s continued working really hard.”

Gore grew up in Coral Gables and attended Coral Gables High School so it seemed weird to him to be practicing on the field of his former rival school, St. Thomas Aquinas.

Some of the high school students were allowed to take some time away from class to come out and watch the practice.  It also made the practices more lively the students would cheer after good plays and yell encouragement for their favorite players.

“It’s a good opportunity for them to see a lot of NFL guys, especially players who made the Pro Bowl who are supposed to be the best at their position,” Gore said.

Gore said he’s really looking forward to see how his teammate and good friend Vernon Davis plays with the best players in the business.

“I want to see how Vernon does.  I think he’s going to play fast like he always does and turn some heads.”

Gore admitted he probably wasn’t playing as fast as he normally does during the first session of the practice.  During special teams drills, Gore lined up on kickoff coverage and proceeded to sprint down the field and get into tackling position on the return man.

“That was crazy,” Gore said with a grin.  “I had no idea what I was doing.”

I caught up with some of our guys after the NFC practice.  Watch the video below:

The AFC players had some interesting things to say following their practice as well.  Here’s my report following their practice:

For all of our coverage of the Pro Bowl, visit our Pro Bowl Central page. And for more videos like the ones above, check out our new YouTube page.