49ers alternate history: Bill Walsh to the Seahawks?
–WR Quinton Patton (4/128): 4 yrs, terms unknown. –RB Marcus Lattimore (4/131): 4 yrs, terms unknown. –DT Quinton Dial (5/157): $2.34M/4 yrs, $181,000 SB. –LB Nick Moody (6/180): 4 yrs, terms unknown. –QB B.J. Daniels (7/237): $2.207M/4 yrs, $46,512SB. –T Carter Bykowski (7/246): $2.206M/4 yrs, $45,896 SB. –CB Marcus Cooper (7/252): $2/206M/4 yrs, $45,896 SB. PLAYERS RE-SIGNED –CB Tramaine Brock: RFA tendered at $1.323M with no compensation); 1 yr, terms unknown. –S Darcel McBath: Not tendered as RFA; 1 yr, terms unknown.
Deep thoughts about the 49ers spring session
It’s that latter game that we are putting in the spotlight here. Was Dahl right about the 49ers’ tipping their plays? It sure seems like it, based on what the game tape shows … Shotgun formation: 15 occurrences, 14 passes, 1 designed QB draw Whenever Kaepernick dropped into a traditional shotgun look (about six yards deep, with a running back at his side), the 49ers took to the air. This was the case no matter the personnel on the field — San Francisco usually either went with three receivers, one TE and a running back or two receivers, two tight ends and a back when Kaepernick lined up in such a way. On 14 of the 49ers’ 15 shotgun snaps, Kaepernick dropped to throw. He wound up scrambling on a couple of occasions, but the only designed run from this set was a QB draw up the middle, which resulted in a 1-yard gain. This also does not take into account the 49ers’ use of the pistol. They implemented that look a couple of times, once with Gore lined up being Kaepernick; at least twice out of their “diamond” set with three backs. 1-WR, 2-TE set: 19 occurrences, 13 runs 2-WR sets: 26 occurrences, 19 passes, one designed QB run The shot above is of the two-tight end, two-back (“22″ personnel grouping) that San Francisco utilized rather frequently during this game.
Is Craig Dahl right about 49ers tipping their plays?
It’s likely that Jenkins, given his first-round draft status and the oodles of encouragement he’s gotten from coaches, will get the best opportunity to seize that role. Still, it’s no guarantee that he will do so. If no one rises to the top, look for the 49ers to start the season by rotating their receivers opposite Boldin like they did (at the position opposite Crabtree) a year ago. Kyle Williams (knee) promises to be full go by the start of training camp, and he likely will be part of that mix. One more WR note: It was noteworthy that Boldin did not go through team drills during the last two days of the minicamp. It signals that he already has a strong mastery of the offense and a solid rapport with Colin Kaepernick; it underscores that the 49ers’ most important task is evaluating the other receivers; and it shows that the 49ers realize just how disastrous an injury to both Crabtree and Boldin would be. Maybe Jim Harbaugh read my advice about freeze-drying Boldin until the regular season begins. ********************************** 2. Making predictions about the upcoming season six and half months before it ends is foolish. Only an idiot would do so.
Jim Harbaugh deserves a spot on the undercard. I offered initial thoughts during the NFC West chat Thursday in response to a question about whether Browner, the Seattle Seahawks ‘ right cornerback, had “stepped over the line” by suggesting he’d put his hands around the neck of the 49ers’ head coach if the two lined up against one another as players. The video atop this entry features additional thoughts via my conversation with ESPN’s Michele Steele. Dave Mahler of Sports Radio 950 KJR in Seattle has the audio for those interested in taking a listen. Harbaugh had previously commented on multiple Seattle suspensions for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Harbaugh cautioned against accepting at face value reports that the prescription drug Adderall was the reason for suspensions. Browner served a suspension for PEDs late last season. Weeks earlier, Harbaugh had publicly questioned the tactics Browner and Seattle’s other cornerbacks used against the 49ers. That is the context for the comments Browner made.
49ers, Seahawks neck-and-neck in West
He went to Cincinnati to speak with Walsh, and this happened: “Lloyd got on a plane and saw Paul Brown,” John Nordstrom recalled. “He wanted to get clearance to interview Bill Walsh for the head coaching job. But Brown told him, ‘Oh, you don’t want him, he’s a terrible alcoholic, we’re having all kinds of problems with him.’ Lloyd hadn’t been in the league before so he bought what Brown was telling him. It wasn’t true … (Brown) just didn’t want to lose him, and we never got the chance to interview Bill Walsh.” This seems like a surprising response, but for those that were unaware, Coach Walsh had always thought that Brown was basically black-balling him around the league for head coach positions. Lowell Cohn wrote a book on Walsh , and got some interesting comments from Walsh about Brown : “Paul could be downright dishonest or whatever it would take, He’d be a great guy if it was convenient. If it wasn’t, he’d be himself. I had a lot of ambition. I wanted to be a head coach before I died.
49ers running back Frank Gore sees no reason for slowing down now that he’s 30
He’s topped 1,000 yards in six of the past seven years, but he’s also had a tendency to wear down late in the season. Since the end of the 2009 season, Gore has failed to record a 100-yard game in the months of November and December. He rebounded to top that mark twice in the playoffs last season, including in the 49ers’ Super Bowl loss to Baltimore when Gore ran for 110 yards and a touchdown. That wasn’t enough to silence the critics. And when Gore turned 30 on May 14, the doubts seemed to increase. Even his spot on a recently released list of the top 100 players in the NFL didn’t sit well with the ninth-year veteran. Gore was No. 32. “They said he’s turning 30 and he might not have (any) more left,” Gore said.
Mom Gadget 