What you saw from the 49ers in the practice games, on offense and defense, was pure vanilla. What you’ll see in Sunday’s opener against the Seattle Seahawks at Candlestick will be quite different. On defense, you can expect defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to unleash numerous blitzes. Aldon Smith was taken in the first round of the draft with the expectation that he could give the Niners a strong pass rusher from outside linebacker, and he’s shown that ability, though I’m sure Fangio will drastically limit Smith’s exposure on pass coverage. Read More

Bruce Bochy said all the right things about continuing to fight after the Arizona Diamondbacks crushed the Giants’ hopes over the weekend. But Bochy has to face the reality, even after Monday’s rare blowout win against the Padres: The Giants are done, and he has to look at what kind of team he’ll have next season. That team should have more young players, instead of veterans who can no longer do the job. Read More

Program vendors should do a brisk business at Cal football games this fall because coach Jeff Tedford estimates that at least five freshmen will get significant playing time, and the number may go as high as 10. “Usually, it’s just two or three, or even just one,” Tedford said as summer practice wound down.One who seems certain to get a lot of playing time is the man-mountain from Sacramento in the middle of the defensive line, Viliami Moala, who is listed at 6-foot-2, 350 pounds. Tedford has been impressed with defensive backs Kameron Jackson and Stefan McClure. Read More

The first two practice games have been meaningless, but 49ers fans should get some idea of how fast players are assimilating Jim Harbaugh’s offense in Saturday night’s game against the Houston Texans. The problem with evaluating a team in the first two exhibitions — and the fourth one, when the starters hardly play — is that coaches are calling plays to see how they work in specific situations, not to win that specific game. For instance, in the game against the Raiders, the 49ers twice had the ball inside the Oakland 10 and didn’t throw a pass. Read More

Centuries ago, Sir Isaac Newton wrote that, in science, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. Turns out that applies to sports, too. Just ask the Giants. Everything went right for the Giants in the closing weeks of last season and the postseason. The San Diego Padres, who had been cruising atop the NL West all season and had a 6½-game lead, collapsed with a 10-game losing streak, giving the Giants a chance to win the division. Read More

Chris Mullin has come a long way, from the consolation prize in the 1985 draft to a richly deserved induction into the basketball Hall of Fame today. The NBA had just started its draft lottery in 1985, and Al Attles was the Warriors representative when the lottery order was decided and televised. Patrick Ewing was the big prize, and the nation could see Attles’ stricken look when the Warriors were slotted at No. 7. Ewing did indeed become a great pro, but so did Mullin, as much because of hard work as natural talent. Read More