Matt Maiocco of the Press Democrat is reporting that TE Eric Johnson is set to undergo an MRI due to pain in his knee.
There is concern about the impact the injury will have on the remainder of Johnson’s season. The club believes it is an MCL injury, which is not a significant injury, but something that could take three weeks or so to heal. And with five games remaining in the regular season, the club might have a decision to make.
49ers coach Mike Nolan offered an interesting explanation why wide receiver Antonio Bryant hasn’t had many 100-yard games of late. Bryant opened the season with eight catches for 245 yards. In the last four games, he has only eight catches for 140 yards. Bryant hasn’t had a 70-yard game since Oct. 15. Said Nolan, “The reason that may have dropped off is because some people have started to load the box, because we have dictated that we have the ability to run the ball. When they do that, they have matched up and pressed. That commitment to the line does give you access sometimes to the outside, but it also creates a pocket that is much more disruptive than when there aren’t all those people inside.” Nolan is pleased with how Bryant has played this season.
Source: [John Clayton]
Bring on the Saints. We can all sit and continue talking about woulda, coulda, shoulda with the Rams game, but it is over and time to look forward to the Saints. Another tough road game, to bad it isn’t the Saints of old. If the 49ers can somehow pull off a win and get back to 6-6 they still have an outside shot of playoffs with possible victories against the Packers, Cards. Hell I’ll take an 8-8 season. And who knows what will become of the Broncos with Cutler at the helm.
One last thing before I head on vacation. To newsworthy to pass up.
San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Antonio Bryant was arrested Sunday night on suspicion of drunken driving, resisting arrest and speeding after he was pulled over for driving more than 100 mph on Highway 101 and then became “belligerent,” police said today.
A San Mateo City police officer saw Bryant, 25, in Redwood City just before midnight Sunday driving north on the freeway in a 2005 Lamborghini at speeds “well over 100 mph,” Capt. Kevin Raffaelli said. Bryant got off the freeway at Kehoe Avenue in San Mateo and stopped on a side street, Raffaelli said.
“He was initially contacted for reckless driving and excessive speed … but officers noticed signs that he was under the influence and tried to get him to cooperate,” Raffaelli said. “He was extremely uncooperative and belligerent to officers.”
Based on “objective signs” that he was intoxicated, the officers attempted to arrest Bryant for driving under the influence, he said. But the wide receiver “became combative,” Raffaelli said, and refused to get into the police car.
FYI…I’m away from the site for about a week. Hope you all can make it on your own for a bit. Heading to the slopes. If you want Niner news with the same attitude you find here, (you know hating on One-Eyed Willie Derek Smith and calling for Kwame’s head) stop by Niner Cap Hell...but don’t stay there to long.
Frank Gore ran circles around Shaun Alexander, and then the San Francisco 49ers’ defense finished off another surprising victory for a long-suffering club that’s finally on the rise.
Gore rushed for a franchise-record 212 yards, and San Francisco’s maligned defense stopped the Seattle Seahawks three times in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the 49ers’ third straight victory, 20-14.
Alex Smith passed for 163 yards, threw a TD pass and rushed for another score for the 49ers (5-5), who went scoreless in the second half. But they still hung on to snap a six-game losing streak against their NFC West rivals, the defending conference champs.
Open Letter to Feinstein
by Vini Chopra – 11.16.06
Dear Mrs. Feinstein,
I am writing to you today on behalf of many 49er fans everywhere. It seems that you have taken an active role in deciding the team’s location for the near future. While I am encouraged by your devotion to keep the 49ers in San Francisco, I cannot help but wonder why you would demonstrate this will now when the city that the 49ers represent has stood idley for nearly ten years regarding the fate of a 49er’s stadium. In other words, I am urging you to stop mixing politics with American sports and let the team handle its own affairs as that is the right of a private organization.
Some of your quotes from the past few days have had me scratching my head quite a bit. The first is this:
“I think it is critical that we retain the 49ers, and it may be because I was there in the ‘80s, I was there in the glory days,” Feinstein said after the hearing. “So much of the fabric of the city is the 49ers.”
Seattle Seahawks running back Shaun Alexander and quarterback Matt Hasselbeck returned to practice with mixed results Wednesday, and the team’s medical staff will determine Friday whether they will play Sunday against the 49ers.
Hasselbeck favored his sprained right knee for part of the practice, and Alexander ran 11 plays with Seattle’s first-team offense for the first time in seven weeks since breaking his left foot. The 2005 NFL rushing champion ran at less than full speed but showed no signs of pain in a foot that remains cracked, according to X-rays taken this week.
Doctors are focusing on how Alexander feels to determine when he can return. Wednesday, he sounded as if he was ready to play against the 49ers.
Quick…view it before Youtube removes it.
Head Coach Mike Nolan has been given permission to wear a suit and tie on the sidelines. Reports are there is a strong chance Nolan will don the attire this weekend against the Seattle Seahawks.
Source: Press Democrat
Gore best of ‘Canes
By Adam Schefter
NFL Analyst
(Nov. 13, 2006)—A pipeline has carried great running backs from Miami straight to the NFL.
Edgerrin James turned into a star, as did Clinton Portis, as did Willis McGahee. Yet of all the great backs the ‘Canes have provided, none has been more productive this season than … San Francisco’s Frank Gore.
Already this season, Gore has piled up 831 yards—247 more than James’ 584, 252 more than McGahee’s 579, and 318 more than Portis’ 523.
Gore is now on pace to become the first 49ers running back since 2003 to post a 1,000-yard season. And even though he suffered a concussion during a victory against Detroit, San Francisco says Gore is probable for the Nov. 19 game against Seattle.
What has distinguished Gore is he can run between tackles as easily as he can break a long one to the outside. Gore also is a more-than-capable receiver, and he blocks well. He has an all-around game, and now, he has numbers that exceed other more well-known Miami backs.
The San Francisco 49ers backed up their talk and prevented the Detroit Lions from doing the same.
San Francisco kept Detroit in the game with missed opportunities, then made just enough plays for a rare two-game winning streak and its first road win.
Frank Gore set a franchise record with 148 yards rushing in the first half and scored on a 61-yard run before leaving with a concussion, and Joe Nedney made all four of his field-goal attempts to give the 49ers a 19-13 victory.
Keith Lewis intercepted Jon Kitna ’s pass at the 49ers’ 2 with 2½ minutes left and San Francisco (4-5) picked up the one first down it needed to seal the game, winning consecutive games for the second time since 2003.
Bill Walsh is in the fight of his life. He is battling a form of leukemia, cancer of the blood or bone marrow. “If we continue the ongoing treatment the future could look very bright,” he said on the phone today.
The 74-year old Hall-of-Fame coach, who won three Super Bowls with the 49ers, has known about his condition for several years.
“There were indications as far back as 2004,” he said. “I was anemic. I was being treated. When they tested the bone marrow, they found I was deficient.”
He has been undergoing treatment the past month, which at times rendered him ill and weak.
“I’ve had a series of transfusions,” he said. “I’m no longer receiving them, which is working toward my recovery. The worst phase was three to four weeks ago. I’ve come back dramatically since and I’m better.”
How does he feel about his future?
