Larry Brown Sports

The San Francisco 49ers hosted their Super Bowl media day on Tuesday morning, and as usual the players and coaches had to answer a number of ridiculous questions. Vernon Davis was prepared to intimidate reporters by going with the rolled-up sleeves look and unleashing his prominent pythons, but that didn’t stop someone from asking him an obnoxious question about a game of Red Rover.

“If you were playing Red Rover, who would you ask to come over?” a reporter (or some other person with media credentials) asked Davis.

The gentleman had to repeat the question several times so that Davis could understand what he was asking. Eventually, Davis said “Beyonce” and everyone was able to move on.

Nothing says “hurry up and get here already, Sunday” quite like media day. When we don’t have players like Antrel Rolle to talk about midgets in Brazil, the week before the big game just seems to crawl by.

Video via Shutdown Corner

Alex Smith watched from the sidelines on Sunday as the San Francisco 49ers defeated the New Orleans Saints on the road in one of the NFL’s toughest environments. It was only Colin Kaepernick’s second career NFL start, and he turned it into his second straight victory over a quality opponent after playing lights out in a win over the Chicago Bears last Monday.

You would think that Kaepernick’s quarterback rating of 111.9 over the past two weeks would be enough to keep his job, but Vernon Davis doesn’t necessarily agree. After praising Kaepernick last week and saying he felt like the “handcuffs” were taken off of him during the win over the Bears, Davis now says he believes Smith will return to the starting lineup once he’s fully healthy.

“It’s difficult, but I think Alex is still the man,” Davis told reporters on Sunday according to Around the League. “In my heart I strongly believe that and you’ll know next week. I’m sure Harbaugh will make a nice decision who he wants to go with but right now we have two outstanding playmakers.

“I’m sure Alex is still our guy.”

Some say it makes no sense to bench Kaepernick given the way he has been playing, but Smith was playing equally well prior to his concussion. The Niners have run the ball effectively all season and have arguably the best defense in the NFL. The system they have in place is designed for a quarterback to succeed, so I’m not sure there is much of a difference between Kaepernick and Smith at the moment.

As for Davis, we have no way of knowing which quarterback he truly wants to see under center. What we do know is he gushed about Kaepernick after his season-high eight catches against Chicago but was held without a catch against the Saints. Perhaps that’s why he already misses his old buddy.

Photo credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis is one player who seemed to really thrive with Colin Kaepernick running the offense in a blowout win over the Chicago Bears on Monday night. Davis had a season-high six receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown, and he raved about Kaepernick after the game.

Jim Harbaugh also praised his second-year quarterback and all but admitted that the Niners have a quarterback controversy on their hands. However, Davis now says San Francisco’s offense still belongs to Alex Smith.

“(Harbaugh) is going to play the hot hand,” Davis told KNBR in San Francisco on Tuesday. “Alex has the hot hand and Kaepernick has the hot hand. Alex, you can’t forget, Alex did break the franchise record.

“They’re both great players. Kaepernick played last night and happened to do a good job but Alex is still the man, no question.”

Smith has frustrated Niners fans in the past, which is likely why they have been so quick to forget that he has completed 70% of his passes this season and had a passer rating of 150.5 in the two games before we went down with a concussion. Kaepernick filled in admirably against an incredibly tough defense on Monday night, but Smith has played well for San Francisco this season and done enough to win them a lot of games over the past two seasons. I wouldn’t necessarily rush him back, but I certainly wouldn’t count him out or crown Kaepernick just yet.

Thanks to Sports Radio Interviews for transcribing the interview
Photo credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

We know of at least one San Francisco 49ers player who would appear to support a switch to Colin Kaepernick at quarterback. Tight end Vernon Davis felt like he experienced an explosion in his play on Monday night thanks to Kaepernick.

“I felt like somebody took the handcuffs off me,” Davis said after the 49ers’ 32-7 win over the Chicago Bears.

Davis had a season-high six catches for 83 yards, and he also scored his first touchdown since Week 3. The strong stat line was a welcomed change for Davis, who had just nine catches for 101 yards in his previous four games.

He raved about Kaepernick’s ability after the game, specifically glowing about a fourth-quarter pass the quarterback completed despite tight coverage.

“The ball that he threw me, it was one of those balls that you see Tom Brady throw . . . second window . . . I didn’t expect the ball to come because we run that play quite a few times and the tight end usually doesn’t get the ball on that play,” Davis said, according to CSN Bay Area. “But he saw it, and he put it there.

“It was a tight window. It was very, very tight. But he took a shot and he was very confident in himself, obviously, and he made it happen.”

Receiver Kyle Williams talked about the talent Kaepernick has, while receiver Michael Crabtree called him a “gamer” and a “baller.”

Head coach Jim Harbaugh said he would ride the “hot hand” at quarterback, indicating there could be a quarterback controversy in San Francisco. If he listens to some of the offensive players, he may be inclined to stick with the youngster. We think he will.

Photo credit: Cary Edmondson-US PRESSWIRE

After his record-breaking 2011 season during which he hauled in 17 touchdown receptions, most people feel as though Rob Gronkowski is the best all-around tight end in the NFL. Rex Ryan disagrees. With a matchup looming against the Niners this weekend, Ryan made it clear during a conference call on Wednesday that he believes Vernon Davis is the best in the NFL at his position.

“If you’re not looking at Vernon Davis, what are you kidding me?” Rex said according to the NY Post. “The guy runs a 4.3, the best tight end, the No. 1 tight end in football, in my opinion. You got that Gronkowski kid, but this guy is a 4.3 speed guy.”

While Ryan is known for making obnoxious guarantees and talking smack a lot of the time, he also makes it a point to praise his team’s next opponent. Many coaches in the NFL do this in order to make sure their players are on their toes, so it’s possible Rex is talking up Davis to make sure his defense doesn’t underestimate his freak athletic ability.

From an athleticism standpoint, you could certainly argue that Davis is the best tight end in the NFL. In terms of production and what he accomplished a season ago, that title has to go to Gronk at the moment.

Photo credits: Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE, Jeff Hanisch-US PRESSWIRE

The Lions are no strangers to being accused of dirty play. In particular, many players around the league have said that Ndamukong Suh plays dirty after the whistle and tries to injure people. When you see plays like this one it’s tough to defend Suh, but according to the Niners Suh isn’t the only problem.

“I think it was key for our front offensive line to handle it tonight because they like to be cheap after the play and they think that makes them physical,” tackle Joe Staley said after the game, via MLive.com.

Vernon Davis had to sit out briefly at one point during the Niners win after being poked in the eye, and he says he’s not sure if the poke was intentional or an accident.

“I got poked in my eyes,” Davis said. “Since I got poked I had to sit down. I do not know if it was intentional by (Cliff) Avril. I am just not sure.”

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Week 1 of the NFL season was all about the celebration fails. First it was Rob Gronkowski botching his touchdown spike, and then it was Vernon Davis getting hung on the rim … err the goal post after scoring against the Packers.

VD finished with 3 catches for 43 yards and a score in the Niners’ 30-22 win. Winning in Green Bay was huge for San Francisco. Who would have ever thought Alex Smith could outplay Aaron Rodgers head-to-head in a game? I don’t care if San Francisco’s defense is superior to Green Bay’s — I never ever saw that happening. They look like a team ready to reach the NFC Championship Game again.

GIF via CJ Zero