Blogs

Mike Iupati Raises Play

As of early Monday morning, 148,154 fan votes had been placed for Mike Iupati to start for the NFC in the 2013 Pro Bowl.

Add another to the tally.

Well, it’s not an official vote, but 49ers veteran guard Leonard Davis believes San Francisco’s starting left guard is worthy of such an honor.

“He reminds me of the things I used to do,” said the 11-year veteran with three Pro Bowl selections to his name. “Even right now, He’s got a chance to be the best guard in the league.”

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Morning Tailgate: Nov. 7

You’ll be hard-pressed to find a mid-season awards list without members of the San Francisco 49ers.

Several 49ers were listed on mid-season awards released earlier in the week and continue to be named on recently released All-Pro teams from various media outlets.

ESPN.com’s respected NFL writer John Clayton took a break from rocking out to heavy metal music in his parents house and listed three 49ers among his mid-season All-Pro team, naming Anthony Davis, Mike Iupati and Patrick Willis on his first-team unit.

Davis and Iupati were also selected by NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah and ESPN.com’s Mike Sando’s All-NFC West team (along with several 49ers teammates). Sando listed four members of the 49ers offensive line on his first-team unit, with Jonathan Goodwin being left out. The 49ers center, however, received praise from Yahoo! Sports.

More on that in today’s Morning Tailgate.

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#Vote49ers to the 2013 Pro Bowl

It’s officially voting season for NFL fans.

As of early Tuesday morning, polls are open for fans to select players to the 2013 Pro Bowl, set to be played on Sunday, January 27, 2013 from Aloha Stadium in Honolulu, Hawaii.

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49ers O-Line Ready to Adjust

Alex Boone got used to having center Jonathan Goodwin on his left side through the first five-plus weeks of the season. After spending his entire football career as a tackle, Boone made the transition to right guard this offseason, helping improve the offensive line into one of the team’s strengths.

But the unit might have to do some shuffling with the short week of preparation, as Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Staley suffered a concussion on Sunday against the Giants, missed Monday’s walkthrough practice and saw a neurologist. Once Staley went down in the third quarter after being hit hard on Antrel Rolle’s second interception return, Boone moved out to left tackle while veteran Leonard Davis filled in as right guard.

For Boone, it took a moment to adjust to the left edge of the offensive line.

“It was a little weird at first,” Boone said. “I looked over (to my left) and was, like, Jon? Jon? Where you at?”

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49ers O-Line Wins Madden MVP Award

The San Francisco 49ers gained a franchise-record 621 yards as they cruised to a 45-3 victory over the Buffalo Bills. The 49ers’ offense became the first team in NFL history to amass over 300 yards passing and 300 yards rushing in a single game. The 49ers had two receivers who eclipsed 100 yards on the day.  Led by superb protection by the offensive line, quarterback Alex Smith (Utah) was not sacked and was hit three times as he threw for a season high 303 yards and three touchdowns.  Sunday’s solid performance establishes the San Francisco 49ers offensive line as a contender for the fourth annual Madden Most Valuable Protectors Award.

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Morning Tailgate: Sept. 14

In case you didn’t get enough of the season-opening 49ers victory at Lambeau Field, team photographer Terrell Lloyd and Kym Fortino collaborated to create this eye-popping photo gallery. But the focus around team headquarters is now on the Detroit Lions, who will visit Candlestick Park on Sunday night for the 49ers home opener.

Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle spoke to 49ers offensive coordinator Greg Roman about his inspiration for using seven offensive linemen for select plays. As it turns out, Roman adopted the formations during a coaching stint at an East Coast high school.

“In a league filled with sophisticated offense and intricate chess matches,” Branch writes, “the 49ers occasional here-comes-a-run message, Alex Boone said, is straight out of high school.”

Today’s Morning Tailgate features Madden 13 headlines and a look ahead to the Detroit matchup. Those stories and more after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: Aug. 27

Fresh off the San Francisco 49ers’ 29-24 come-from-behind win in Denver, the Morning Tailgate has all the top headlines from the team’s second preseason win of 2012.

Sunday’s win was a hard-fought effort that saw the 49ers score 19 unanswered points in the second half to beat the Broncos on the road. All four 49ers quarterbacks led scoring drives, leaving the coaches with plenty to contemplate as they put together the quarterback depth chart. By 1 p.m. PT, the team will trim its roster to the mandatory 75-man limit. Currently, the 49ers have 89 players on the team.

Many of those 89, including running back Anthony Dixon, were singled out by Jim Harbaugh following Sunday’s victory. Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle highlighted Dixon’s hard-running in his game notebook. The 49ers coach mentioned many of his hard-workers, a list that featured 355-pound guard Leonard Davis, who lined up as an extra blocker with the first-team offense.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com noted Dixon and Davis’ efforts in his game notebook.

“(Davis) is eager to please,” Maiocco wrote. “And he likes his new role, which was unveiled on Sunday when he was used throughout game at tight end as an extra blocker.”

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Morning Tailgate: Aug. 10

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is finally here: Gameday. The 49ers will begin the 2012 preseason schedule tonight when the Minnesota Vikings come into town for a 6 p.m. kick-off at Candlestick Park.

It figures to be an important night for many on the 49ers roster. As for the players photographed above, All-Pro defensive tackle Justin Smith will likely take part in a limited number of plays. Second-year quarterback Colin Kaepernick, however, will get an opportunity play a lot more than Smith, last season’s team MVP.

If you’re unable to catch the game on in person, or locally on CBS 5, don’t worry, NFL.com’s Preseason Live subscription service offers complete re-broadcasts of every preseason game with plenty of unique features for the die-hard football fan to enjoy.

If you’re heading into “The ‘Stick” tonight, check out the latest 49ers.com’s Niner Talk podcast, featuring interviews with rookie wide receiver Nathan Palmer and CSN Bay Area’s 49ers Insider Matt Maiocco. Download the 49ers Gameday Live App and listen to the podcast on your way to the game.

More 49ers headlines can be found after the jump.

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Jonathan Goodwin: “Guys Are Working Hard”

For a team that was just one game away from the Super Bowl a season ago, much of the attention thus far at 49ers Training Camp presented by HP has been focused on whether offseason offensive additions can push the team over the top.

Before many of those acquisitions can contribute in a regular season game, things start in the trenches at training camp. Center Jonathan Goodwin can attest. The 10-year veteran won a Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints and sees similarities in 2012 at 49ers camp like the one he experienced in 2009 when the Saints won it all.

Physical practices set the tone. With the 49ers, Goodwin sees Jim Harbaugh and the coaching staff utilizing a physical approach early in camp.

Players like Goodwin expect that physicality to pay off long-term.

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Morning Tailgate: July 31

Players have the day off, but that’s not stopping them from coming into the facility to work out. Donte Whitner just tweeted that he’s headed into 4949 Centennial Blvd. and doesn’t expect to be alone.

Headed to the facility...Bet there's a lot of guys there working on our day off...

—
TWHITNER (@DonteWhitner) July 31, 2012

The 49ers have gone through two padded practices, the second of which on Monday, resulted in several highlights from both the offense and the defense. In some cases, defensive players were making plays for both sides of the ball. So far, the 49ers have built strong camaraderie in camp. Take a look at the image atop this blog, two newcomers Brandon Jacobs and Leonard Davis, are already embracing each other before the start of practice like they’ve been teammates for years. Surely, they enjoyed the physical day at 49ers Training Camp presented by HP.

More on Monday’s camp standouts and the latest 49ers headlines can be found after the jump.

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