By:
Barry Wilner
01/27/13 9:49 PM
Jim Harbaugh stepped to the podium, smirked a bit, and greeted his first news conference as a Super Bowl coach.
“We’re super happy to be here,” he said Sunday night as his NFC champion San Francisco 49ers arrived in the Big Easy for the big game.
“I think this team has the best focus on unity and winning I’ve ever been a part of.”
Considering that Harbaugh was an NFL quarterback for 14 seasons and a successful college coach before joining the 49ers, he knows something about winning.
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By:
Janie McCauley
01/27/13 8:42 PM
Alex Smith ran off the field at Candlestick Park two weeks ago to a standing ovation and cheers from the sellout crowd, not much different from the reception last January when he took the 49ers oh so close to a Super Bowl.
Now relegated to a backup role with the NFC champions, Smith’s trip to the Big Easy this week leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl against Baltimore is hardly how he envisioned it.
This used to be his team. Now, he plays Joe Flacco in practice.
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Kyle Williams’ overtime fumble in last year’s NFC Championship Game brought out the worst in Bay Area sports fans.
In the aftermath of the 49ers’ 20-17 loss to the New York Giants, teammates like Patrick Willis and Adam Snyder rallied to support Williams. But many fans on Twitter were less forgiving. For example, one wrote: “I hope you, youre wife, kids and family die, you deserve it.”
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By:
Janie McCauley
01/24/13 11:04 PM
Eddie DeBartolo Jr. rises at 4 a.m. on his 3,000-acre ranch in Montana and takes his three dogs for a walk in the frigid winter air.
No matter it was minus-3 the other morning. Off he went.
The former football owner who guided the 49ers to greatness — and five Super Bowl titles — in the 1980s and ’90s now raises Clydesdale horses while operating his Florida commercial development and management business from thousands of miles away near the mountain resort town of Whitefish, Mont. It’s a long way from the football world that long ruled his life.
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NFL coaching has changed enormously since Bill Walsh started the run of 49ers Super Bowl championships and the ability of the 49ers coaching staff to adapt to the changes has been a big factor in their success.
Walsh was his own offensive coordinator, running an offense that was unique in the NFL when he started. Similarly, George Seifert, who became defensive coordinator in 1983, made all the calls on defense.
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By:
The Sports Xchange
01/24/13 7:50 PM
Colin Kaepernick’s favorite tattoo is on the inside of his arm and reads, “my gift is my curse.”
Relating that to his sudden rise to stardom as a quarterback preparing to play in the Super Bowl, Kaepernick is staying grounded by realizing that with fame comes scrutiny.
Every play is scrutinized, every word is dissected. He’s recognized everywhere he goes in public, and he has more ticket requests for Super Bowl XLVII than he can fulfill.
Even his tattoo artist in Reno is getting hit up for interview requests this week.
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For the first 16 minutes of the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers hardly resembled what had become recognized as one of the best defenses to play on the NFL gridiron.
The favored Niners were down 17-0 to Matt Ryan and his Falcons shortly into the second quarter on Sunday in Atlanta. And though San Francisco began to slow the Falcons’ aerial assault, by the half’s end, they still trailed by 10 points.
It was then when Vic Fangio, San Francisco’s celebrated defensive coordinator, made adjustments — but not many.
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Archie Manning, who fretted over showdowns between his quarterbacking sons, Peyton and Eli, reached out to Jack Harbaugh as his coaching sons prepare to battle on the NFL’s biggest stage.
Sibling rivalry will reach new heights in New Orleans on Feb. 3 when John Harbaugh’s Baltimore Ravens battle younger brother Jim Harbaugh’s 49ers in the Super Bowl.
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By:
Janie McCauley
01/23/13 6:17 PM
Chicago Cubs scout Sam Hughes watches Colin Kaepernick nowadays and still wonders what the strong-armed NFL quarterback might look like on a pitching mound, as a power arm in the pros. It’s hard not to, seeing the zip and accuracy on each throw, the competitive fire and focus.
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By:
Wire Reports
01/23/13 6:12 PM
Niners running back Frank Gore has been fined $10,500 for wearing his socks too low during the NFC Championship Game.
Gore was fined for “failure to conform” due to his socks being too low in Sunday’s NFC Championship Game against the Atlanta Falcons, according to ESPN.
NFL players are required to wear their socks high to meet with the bottom of the uniform pants. Gore wore his socks about a foot too low down his leg.
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URL: http://www.sfexaminer.com/archive/105/105?page=6&type%255Bstory%255D=story&quicktabs_1=0&quicktabs_6=0
