Blogs

MT: 49ers Reach 90-Man Roster Limit

Following a third week of “Football School,” the San Francisco 49ers will finish the month of May with two sets of Organized Team Activities (May 21-23, May 28-30).

Those voluntary workouts are expected to have a great turnout. The 49ers offseason program has been heavily attended every step of the way from many of the team’s veterans. Now, the rookie class can participate in the offseason schedule. With the signing of fullback Jason Schepler, the 49ers are at a 90-man roster.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee analyzed San Francisco’s personnel and noted the holdovers from the 2012 NFC Champion squad. Wide receiver and inside linebacker are two positions with the most change heading into 2013.

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

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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: Family Ties at Rookie Camp

Last year, Mike Iupati’s younger brother, Andrew, earned a tryout at the 49ers rookie minicamp.

The family feel will continue in 2013 according to a report from Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News.

Anthony Davis’ older brother, Andre Davis, will get a tryout at the 49ers rookie minicamp set to take place on May 10.

The elder Davis, 26, played the past two years at NAIA school Kentucky Christian. At 6-foot-5, 295 pounds, Davis made honorable mention for the All-Mid-South Conference East Division. Davis will join another invite with a well-known last name, West Virginia Wesleyan quarterback Nate Montana, who was invited to tryout according to a report from the Sacramento Bee.

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

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MT: 2013 Draft Week Arrives

In a matter of days the San Francisco 49ers will have 13 opportunities to add to the roster in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Starting Thursday, the three-day draft will see General Manager Trent Baalke and his personnel staff find the best prospects for San Francisco.

There’s plenty of speculation going on as to who the 49ers will take with the No. 31 overall pick and if the team will actually make 13 selections in the draft. Baalke said last week that he’s treating every selection with the utmost importance and that there’s potential to move up and move back in the draft via trades.

For now, it’s a waiting game and an exciting one at that.

Over the weekend we finished our “49 in 49” series. You can check out all 49 profiles on this year’s intriguing prospects. Maybe one of them will be a 49ers draft pick just like LaMichael James was in 2012.

If you’re attending the 49ers Draft Bash , here’s all the information you’ll need for the event.

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

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MT: Schedule Coming on Thursday

The NFL has relieved many die-hard football fans with the announcement of the 2013 NFL schedule’s announcement date.

Yes, an announcement of an announcement is getting everyone riled up. This is professional football at its finest. People care so much about their teams in April. They also want to start making travel arrangements.

We know who and where the 49ers will play in 2013, we just don’t know when. Actually, we know the 49ers will visit the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 27 in London, England as part of the league’s International Series.

The 49ers will host division foes, Arizona, Seattle and St. Louis. San Francisco will also welcome Atlanta, Carolina, Houston, Indianapolis and Green Bay in the final season of Candlestick Park.

On the road, the 49ers will travel to Arizona, Seattle, St. Louis, New Orleans, Tampa Bay, Jacksonville (London), Tennessee and Washington.

San Francisco’s 2013 schedule intrigues NFL.com writer Elliot Harrison. The NFL scribe has three 49ers games listed in his top games on the 2013 slate.

San Francisco’s second matchup with Seattle comes in at No. 3 on the list.

“While we don’t know where — or exactly when — this game will be played yet, we do know it will be physical,” Harrison wrote. “We know it will have some playoff implications.”

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

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MT: Donte Whitner Remains Hungry

In his second season with the San Francisco 49ers, Donte Whitner totaled his second-most tackles in seven years in the NFL.

Whitner, who joined the 49ers as a free agent in 2011, recorded 119 tackles in his first ever Pro Bowl season. The hard-hitting safety was a key member of last year’s NFC Conference championship club and sounded eager to get back to work in 2013. In fact, Whitner only took two weeks off at the end of Super Bowl XLVII.

“We had a taste of it,” Donte said of the team’s Super Bowl appearance in 2012 which followed a loss in the NFC title game in 2011. “The third time’s the charm.”

Whitner shared some of his thoughts on the upcoming season in a Friday morning appearance on NFL Network’s “NFL AM” show.

“We feel like we’re the best defense in the NFL,” Whitner said. “We have pass rushers. We have a tremendous front seven.”

Whitner praised his inside linebacker tandem of Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman as two of the best in the league.

Asked how the 49ers would replace outgoing safety Dashon Goldson, Whitner explained that the 49ers front seven would help whoever steps in as a replacement. In Whitner’s mind, pressure from the defensive front can really help the back end of a defense.

“We have a bunch of possibilities,” Donte said. “When we step out on the field we’ll be ready.”

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

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MT: 49ers Top NFL Team Sales

The San Francisco 49ers sold the most team gear in the National Football League last season.

That’s according to a report from NFL.com’s Gregg Rosenthal, who also shared the top 15 jersey sales from the 2012 season. According to Rosenthal, the NFL’s tracking of team sales showed the 49ers last finished atop the NFL’s rankings in 1979 and also finished No. 2 back in 1994 and 1995.

Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis made the top-selling jersey list at the No. 4 and No. 10 spots, respectively.

ESPN sports business reporter Darren Rovell also weighed in on the team’s booming merchandise sales.

“49ers sell more gear than any other NFL team this year,” Rovell wrote on Twitter. “Congrats @JedYork.”

The 49ers have made an effort to make team merchandise more accessible to fans with the creation of the 49ers Team Store in Palo Alto, Calif., plus an official Facebook account for the store that keeps fans up to date with the latest arrivals.

The team is also offering jerseys of recently acquired wide receiver Anquan Boldin.

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

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Morning Tailgate: Davis Extension

Anthony Davis earned a second contract from the San Francisco 49ers. With the starting right tackle agreeing to a five-year extension that’ll keep him with the 49ers through the 2019 season, the team has continued its recent trend of rewarding hard-working draft picks with long-term financial commitments.

Davis joins NaVorro Bowman, Patrick Willis, Vernon Davis, Andy Lee and Joe Staley as 49ers draft picks to sign extensions to stay in San Francisco.

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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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Morning Tailgate: Feb. 6

Colin Kaepernick faced the media for the final time of the 2012 season on Tuesday in the 49ers locker room. The second-year quarterback spoke about his first Super Bowl experience in just his 10th game as a starter, as he nearly guided the team back from a 22-point deficit in the second half.

Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee examined Kaepernick’s exit day gathering with the media.

“Kaepernick still was simmering and on edge after cleaning out his locker Tuesday,” Barrows wrote. “Wide receiver Kyle Williams said Kaepernick already was maniacal when it came to offseason training, so having a Super Bowl title within his grasp will boost that intensity level a few more degrees. Kaepernick said he will start training next week in Atlanta, where he prepared for the scouting combine and the draft in 2011.”

The rest of today’s Morning Tailgate looks at Harbaugh’s parting words of the 2012 season and more.

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