Blogs

Three Players Placed on PUP, Carr Released

The San Francisco 49ers announced that the following players have been placed on the active/physically unable to perform list: WR Michael Crabtree, FB Bruce Miller and WR Dominique Zeigler. Players placed on the physically unable to perform list count against the 90-man roster limit and can be activated at any time prior to the final cuts of training camp.

The team also announced it has released QB David Carr.

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49ers Season Ends Prematurely

The 49ers set out to win the NFC West at the start of the season. It was an accomplishment that would have stopped the franchise’s streak of seven consecutive seasons without a playoff appearance. But on Monday, one day after the team finished at 6-10 and out of the postseason, players packed up their lockers and did their best to come to grips with a season that got away from them.

For most, the reality of packing up their belongings so early was a concept they never envisioned.

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Monday’s Locker Room Talk: Nov. 15

“Well, as of right now, Smith will be the starter,” Mike Singletary said with a chuckle at the start of his Monday press conference. “We’re going to go with Troy.”

There’s pretty much all the talk you need to hear to understand the theme of Monday’s locker room availability. Troy Smith will be the 49ers starting quarterback this Sunday when the 49ers host the 6-3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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Monday’s Locker Room Talk: Oct. 18

Alex Smith and the entire 49ers offense has matured over the course of the 2010 season. It just took a win to truly manifest itself.

On Sunday, Smith was patient with the football, often throwing the ball away when pressured instead of trying to force throws that weren’t there. As a result, the 49ers didn’t commit any turnovers for the first time this season in their 17-9 win over the Oakland Raiders.

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Postgame Analysis: 49ers vs. Raiders

Shawntae Spencer summed it up the best following the 49ers 17-9 win over the Oakland Raiders.

“The mentality in practice, the locker room and throughout our building is that we can’t lose any more games,” the seven-year veteran cornerback said. “We have 10 left and we’re behind. We take them one at a time, but it’s a different sense of urgency that we have to continue to have.”

That urgency showed in the second half of Sunday’s win over Oakland as Alex Smith connected with Michael Crabtree and Vernon Davis on touchdown passes that helped the 49ers win their first game of 2010.

Here’s a closer look at some of the highlights from the win.

Highlight Reel: The offensive play of the game was Smith’s 32-yard touchdown to Michael Crabtree. The unit had just been hit with an intentional grounding penalty, but Smith responded with a perfect pass to Crabtree on second-and-20.

“I feel like the sky’s the limit for us,” Crabtree said. “All we have to do is take one step at a time and that game right there is evidence. I’m looking forward to next week.”

Linebacker Manny Lawson deserves the honors for best defensive highlight for his diving interception in front of tight end Zach Miller. Lawson made a great play to turn and defend the deep route and laid out to prevent the long completion and give the ball back to the 49ers offense.

Standout Stat: In two red zone possessions, the 49ers defense was able to hold the Raiders to two field goals. The missed opportunities to score touchdowns proved costly as the Raiders failed to visit the end zone at any point of a game they lost by eight points.

“That’s something that we pride ourselves on,” Spencer said. “If we can continue to do that, we’ll always be in the ballgame.”

Put it in Perspective: Getting the first win under their belts has given the 49ers even more confidence. It is also encouraging to see Frank Gore have his best game of the season with 149 yards rushing on 25 carries after he fumbled twice against Philadelphia.

After last week’s game against the Eagles, Mike Singletary said the toughest opponent for his team was the San Francisco 49ers. The 49ers didn’t beat themselves on Sunday as they were able to protect the football and forced two turnovers on defense.

“If you don’t turn the ball over, you’re going to give yourself a chance to win,” linebacker Takeo Spikes said on a day in which he led the 49ers with six tackles.

“We’re going to have a 24-hour rule with the win as well as we had with the losses. We ain’t looking back. There’s no looking back, none.”

Monday’s Locker Room Talk: Aug. 30

Back in OTAs, Mike Singletary said the final players to make his 53-man roster would be the ones who contribute the most on special teams.

On Monday, the 49ers head coach reiterated those intentions days after his team put its best special teams performance together in a 28-24 win over the Oakland Raiders.

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Key 49ers to Play vs. Oakland

Several prominent members of the 49ers are yet to see any action this preseason, but head coach Mike Singletary said that will change when his team faces the Oakland Raiders on Saturday night.

Running backs Frank Gore and Brian Westbrook and wide receiver Michael Crabtree didn’t take the field during the team’s first two contests, but all three will be out there to showcase their talent in the third preseason game.

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Gore Ranked Fifth-Best Fantasy Player in 2010

According to the fantasy football experts at NFL.com, only four players rank higher on their 2010 rankings than 49ers Pro Bowl running back Frank Gore.

The six-year pro recorded his fourth consecutive 1,000-yard season (1,120 yards) despite missing two games in 2009 , and that impressed the staff enough to put him behind a host of other talented runners in Chris Johnson, Adrian Peterson, Maurice Jones-Drew and Ray Rice.

An improved 49ers offensive attack and the selection of two offensive linemen in the first round were also likely factored into their decision.

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Singletary Offers Reward, Shortens Camp

Once the 49ers hit the practice fields Friday afternoon, it will be the last time the full squad practices together for the next six weeks.

Following the first of two Friday sessions, Mike Singletary announced his decision to reward his players and cancel Saturday’s two minicamp practices. He informed the media shortly after he broke the news to the team.

And while it might be looked at as a reward for the player’s hard work over the last couple of months, quarterback Alex Smith said it wasn’t merely a gesture by Singletary to thank the players for working hard.

It had more to do with how the players went about their business.

“I think it’s a pat on the back for a couple of reasons,” Smith said. “One, we’ve worked really hard this offseason. The effort has been there. But more importantly, the discipline has been there, guys have been coming in ready to work. I really think that’s the reason we’re getting this.”

Left tackle Joe Staley said he wouldn’t have been bothered if Singletary kept the schedule intact, but was pleased to know how much his head coach appreciated their hard work.

“I felt like we deserved it. We’ve definitely been working hard,” Staley said. “As an offensive line, we got a lot of great work and we look forward to closing this camp with a great afternoon practice.”

Morning Notes and Quotes

Singletary proclaimed the return of his famous “Nutcracker” drill to the team’s 2010 training camp schedule. That got us thinking on which players are already salivating for the notorious drill, and which matchups would they desire most. Check TV49 later in the day for some of the answers from various players in the locker room.

Not so much a surprise, but Smith articulated how much this offseason has been a positive for him and how it’s the most comfortable he’s felt in his pro career. “I feel good with where I’m at right now. I feel like we got a lot done this offseason with our offseason program, including all the OTAs and now minicamp. I think we’ve really taken a step and I feel like I’ve done that as well.”

The defense picked off three passes in the morning session, all against second-year quarterback Nate Davis. Outside linebacker Manny Lawson dropped into coverage and intercepted Davis’ quick pass over the middle in the first team period. In the final play of the first 7-on-7 period, safety Taylor Mays came up with his first interception with the 49ers. And later in the final team period, undrafted linebacker Keaton Kristick intercepted a Davis pass that was initially deflected by safety Curtis Taylor.

Kristick was a late addition to the 49ers offseason program as he waited for his alma mater (Oregon State University) to finish graduation before he could join the team. Kristick hasn’t played significant football since the East-West Shrine Game, but said he’s been embracing every opportunity this offseason with the 49ers. His interception on Friday was a result of being at ease with his new surroundings. “It comes with being comfortable. I’m starting to know how to drop, and I haven’t really done that since Pop Warner,” Krisitck admitted. “I’ve been getting the feel for it and I’ve been learning a lot from the veterans so far. I’m anxious for everything that’s coming up, every rep on defense and special teams. I’m trying to make the most of it and not make too many mental errors.”

The best offensive play of the morning session took place on a 40-yard deep ball from Smith to wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who got behind cornerback Shawntae Spencer and safety Dashon Goldson. Crabtree has really emerged this offseason as one of Smith’s comfort blankets. He appears to be back to his old Texas Tech days, in terms of play-making ability and explosiveness after the catch.

Backup quarterback David Carr ended practice leading the offense in a two-minute drill scenario. But Carr’s quest to move the team into field goal range was thwarted when Mays picked off his second pass of the practice. As Carr hit tight end Delanie Walker on a quick out in the right flat, the ball was bobbled initially, allowing Mays to swoop in and get his hands on it. You can check our 49ers Twitter account to see Mays’ celebration following the takeaway.

Afternoon Notes

The 49ers wrapped up their 2010 minicamp with a practice that featured more red zone and two-minute drill work.

With season-ticket holders attending the practice, the players put on a show with several big plays by the offense and defense. Here are some photos from the session.

Fans looked on as quarterback Nate Davis looked for an open receiver.

Fans soak in the sights of a 49ers minicamp practice.

In the first team period, the offense relied on taking what the defense gave them, making check-downs a premium. That all changed though, as Smith hit Vernon Davis on a 20-yard touchdown hookup which got the attention of the fans in attendance.

Linebacker Scott McKillop must have taken offense to seeing Davis and other receivers catch so many passes over the middle of the field this offseason. The second-year inside linebacker intercepted Smith later in the team period, when Smith tried to find Crabtree in the back of the end zone. On the very next play, McKillop was in position to make another interception, but could only get his fingertips on the highly thrown pass from Carr.

Fellow inside linebacker Navorro Bowman came up with his first turnover with the 49ers, when he stepped in front of Smith’s quick pass intended for Walker. Had it been a game situation, Bowman would have easily returned it for a touchdown.

The offense worked on two-minute situations to close out practice. But the offense failed to pick up points when cornerback Karl Paymah broke up Smith’s pass intended for Ted Ginn Jr.

Photo Blog: Ahead of Schedule

In the spirit of March Madness, linebacker Scott McKillop paid tribute to Kentucky’s dynamic freshman point guard during Monday’s first OTA practice session of the 2010 offseason.  While making “reload” calls in reaction to shifts by the offense, the second-year player from Pittsburgh not only called out the change in assignments, he did so with flare.

“I did the John Wall dance a couple of times, he’s the guard from Kentucky,” linebacker Scott McKillop said.  ”I also did a little Spiderman, a little bowling and a few leg kicks.  I just wanted to make it fun so when the offense watches film, we can laugh about it.”

McKillop and the rest of his teammates are much more relaxed at this point of the year than any other season in recent memory.  The offense will be running the same system for two years in a row while McKillop will play in a defense that will be headed up by Greg Manusky for the fourth straight season.

“I’ve got about a month head start compared to last year and I’m familiar with the guys, familiar with the system,” McKillop said.  ”I’m more comfortable so you can have fun.  If you can’t have fun out there, you shouldn’t be playing.”

Like McKillop, the rest of the players went through a very lively practice, especially considering training camp is roughly five months away.  Below is a video and several photos from Monday.

QB Alex Smith

WR Michael Crabtree

TE coach Pete Hoener with the tight end group

LB Takeo Spikes