Blogs

49ers Feature Quality QB Quartet

Since the 49ers signed Josh Johnson to a free-agent deal this offseason, Coach Jim Harbaugh has lauded his quartet of talented quarterbacks, saying they all have a chance to enjoy long and successful NFL careers.

Between Alex Smith, Colin Kaepernick, Johnson and Scott Tolzien, the 49ers boast one of the best quarterback quartets in the league. Until recently, it appeared to be a three-horse race to see who would backup Alex Smith as the No. 2 quarterback on the roster. But on Tuesday, Harbaugh told reporters that second-year signal-caller Colin Kaepernick has started to separate himself.

“I would say Colin has emerged there,” Harbaugh said. “It’s been very good. Nothing’s set in stone in that regard, but there’s been some emergence.”

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Vic Fangio Wants More from First D

The San Francisco 49ers first-team defense allowed six points in two series of action Friday night against the Minnesota Vikings.

The 49ers won, 17-6, but defensive coordinator Vic Fangio wasn’t pleased with seeing his starters allow 59- and 68-yard scoring drives that were the only points allowed in the team’s preseason opener.

“We didn’t play as well we’re capable of playing in those first two series,” Fangio said bluntly on Monday.

Christian Ponder’s 52-yard passing play on the opening drive was a result of a “busted coverage” according to Fangio.

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Morning Tailgate: Aug. 13

Fresh off the team’s annual Fan Fest event, the 49ers return to Santa Clara for another day of Training Camp presented by HP.

Sunday, however, was certainly a competitive day for the 49ers and one that saw both sides improve. The highlight of the session was the first-team offense’s 92-yard scoring drive to close out the day.

Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com noted it was a 17-play drive that ended with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Alex Smith to tight end Konrad Reuland. On the drive, Maiocco noted Smith completed 10-of-11 passes for 79 yards. Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee noted that star players Justin Smith, Frank Gore and Mario Manningham all practiced after sitting out Friday night’s preseason opener.

More 49ers headlines can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: June 13

One down, two more to go.

After the remaining two days of 49ers mandatory minicamp passes, the team will be off until training camp. That means the next two days will be crucial for the team to continue developing in a fast-paced offseason tempo. But despite the days of the offseason program starting to dwindle, the 49ers coaching staff remains confident that the players inside the locker room will retain the information they’ve picked up this offseason.

In speaking exclusively with ESPN.com’s NFC West blogger Mike Sando, Jim Harbaugh detailed the intelligence of his team, referencing 14 offensive players by name.

“It’s early in the offseason for identities to take shape,” Sando wrote, “but Harbaugh said his team’s collective smarts would allow for great flexibility.”

More 49ers headlines can be found after jump.

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Minicamp Update: June 12

Carlos Rogers was a full participant at Tuesday’s opening three-day minicamp session for the San Francisco 49ers.

Rogers’ presence has been felt throughout San Francisco’s offseason program; however, the veteran cornerback who signed a new four-year contract with the 49ers did not recently participate in Organized Team Activities.

Rogers told The San Francisco Chronicle a right calf strain, suffered last month, has kept him out of action.

Tuesday, however, Rogers was back on the field wearing a gold 49ers helmet along with the rest of his teammates.

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Morning Tailgate: June 7

It didn’t take long for fans of the New York Giants to express remorse for losing running back Brandon Jacobs to the San Francisco 49ers via free agency.

Kyle Ratke of USA Today shares the story of a 6-year-old Giants fan named Joseph who recently reached out to Jacobs to express his desire to have the power running back return to New York for an eighth season. After Joseph’s mother explained to her son that Jacobs left the Giants because the team didn’t have enough money to pay him, Joseph, with the help of his mother, sent Jacobs $3.36 with the hopes Jacobs would return to The Big Apple.

The gesture was appreciated by the new 49ers running back, who just so happens to be New York’s all-time rushing touchdown leader with 56 scores on the ground.

“Here’s what I am thinking for the kid,” Jacobs tweeted last night. “I have a 5 year old, I will go and pick Joe up at his home in jersey and take him and my son 2 chucky cheese, what y’all think about that?”

More on the 49ers backfield and additional team headlines can be found after the jump.

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Greg Roman Discusses Offensive Outlook

Offensive coordinator Greg Roman joined the KNBR Morning Show on Wednesday to discuss the ever-changing 49ers offense, a unit which has added a number of talented weapons this offseason.

For Roman and the 49ers coaching staff, this offseason signals the first opportunity for the coaches and players to start at “square one” so to speak.

An emphasis on fundamentals has been prevalent in the team’s offseason workouts. Roman said the position coaches put together lists of tiny details each player can improve on prior to the 2012 season.

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Morning Tailgate: April 16

Several high-profile April events are about to come up on the calendar of the San Francisco 49ers. Before the 2012 NFL Draft begins in 10 days, the team’s new stadium groundbreaking ceremony in Santa Clara will take place in just four days.

Several headlines pertaining to the new stadium could be found in the Bay Area newspapers over the weekend, too. CEO Jed York discussed the latest new stadium happenings in an informative interview with a local newspaper, a read that all 49ers fans should check out.

More on York’s interview and the latest team headlines can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: April 9

The search for a missing 15-year-old Morgan Hill girl continued through the weekend with the help of 49ers players Alex Smith, Joe Staley, Delanie Walker and Scott Tolzien according to numerous reports.

The players joined the search efforts which included thousands of volunteers who’ve been combing southern Santa Clara County for signs of Sierra LaMar, who’s been missing since March 16.

Information on how to help the search party and other 49ers-related headlines can be found after the jump.

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Morning Tailgate: Feb. 24

INDIANAPOLIS – The coffee is flowing and the media is entering the workroom at Lucas Oil Stadium. Pretty soon, the coffee will be running low and the line of reporters waiting for lunch sandwiches will be as long as the 40-yard dash itself.

How’s that for an intro. That’s the scene as of 8:45 this morning. In a matter of 30 minutes or so, the nation’s best quarterbacks, running backs and receivers will start filling in for their meet and greets with the national media.

If you missed any of our Thursday coverage at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, don’t fret. You can read all the latest info and check out our videos at 49ers.com/combine.

More 49ers and combine headlines can be found after the jump.

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