Jim Harbaugh is a man of many labels. Genius, egomaniac and master motivator are just a few of the tags he’s picked up in his brief NFL coaching career. Here’s another one if the 49ers do make a Super Bowl run this month: psychic. At the risk of being called Mitt Romney (by Democrats) or John Kerry (by Republicans), I’m conceding that Colin Kaepernick is the right quarterback for the 49ers heading into the 2013 playoffs. But this isn’t a flip-flop. It’s the reality that the 49ers are a different team without Justin Smith. Read More

The Beatles say, “you get by with a little help from your friends,” and the motto was certainly true for the 49ers on Sunday. The 49ers (11-4-1) limped into the 2012 playoffs with an underwhelming 27-13 win over the Arizona Cardinals at Candlestick Park in Week 17. Still, the team is entering the second season in the same position it held one year ago — as the NFC’s No. 2 seed with a first-round bye — because the Minnesota Vikings knocked off the Green Bay Packers with a last-second field goal at Mall of America Field in Minneapolis. Read More

Stepfan Taylor is the walking embodiment of football coach David Shaw’s motto: “Believe in the process.” He earns his touches by perfecting the details and soon he’ll leave Stanford as the most decorated running back in school history. When Taylor steps off the field at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on Tuesday, he’ll wrap up his college career as Stanford’s all-time leading rusher. If he can punch the ball into the end zone against Wisconsin, he’ll also break his tie with Toby Gerhart and become the Cardinal’s career touchdown king. Read More

Terrell “Terray” Rogers devoted himself to helping people in need. After a turbulent childhood, he co-founded Peacekeepers, a nonprofit crisis intervention group, so he could teach young people how to avoid the mistakes that he made while growing up.   The five-year anniversary of Rogers’ murder outside of a high school basketball game at Sacred Heart Cathedral is fast approaching, but the spirit of his mission carries on. It lives within his daughter, Tierra Rogers. Read More

Shayne Skov watched his Stanford teammates prepare for last year’s Fiesta Bowl from the sideline. The notoriously energetic linebacker learned the meaning of patience as his ruptured left knee recovered from ACL surgery. “With guys like that — it’s hard on them,” coach David Shaw said. “They only know one speed. They only know how to go.” Read More

Jorge Villagran is used to the sight of teal jerseys spilling out of his restaurant on December nights. Zapata’s is usually brimming with patrons who throw down beefy burritos, slam back frosty beverages and rock out to live music before heading across the street to HP Pavilion to watch their beloved  Sharks. But on a recent Saturday night, the place was nearly empty. “It’s really depressing,” Villagran said. “You really think that something like this is never going to happen. You feel secure at this location, like there’s always going to be hockey.” Read More

If you like offensive football, you’re probably in Colin Kaepernick’s corner. Prefer to play it safe? Alex Smith is your man. The 49ers’ 41-34 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday is an ink blot test for the Kaepernick-Smith quarterback controversy: you’re going to see what you want to see. While the win reaffirmed the 49ers’ status as a Super Bowl front-runner, this debate won’t be completely resolved until the ball is snapped in January. Read More