To begin the season, the San Francisco 49ers were a Brett Favre miracle away from being 4-0. At halftime of their Week 7 game against the Houston Texans, the 49ers season seemed to have completely derailed. However, after head coach Mike Singletary swapped quarterback Shaun Hill for Alex Smith, the Niners finally had some life.
Trailing 21-0 at the half, Smith led San Francisco on a furious rally. Although the Texans were able to hold on for a 24-21 victory, the Niners now have a full-blown quarterback controversy after Smith played so well.
In the second half, Smith was 15-for-22 for 206 …read more

The San Francisco 49ers got some bad news on Monday when they learned that running back Frank Gore will need to sidelined for the next three weeks. Gore, the team’s starting running back, was diagnosed with a right ankle strain following an MRI.
This has to be a disappointing setback for Gore, who started the season playing very well. After scoring two touchdowns in Week 1, Gore had 207 yards rushing, 39 yards receiving in Week 2. However, Gore only lasted one carry in Week 3 before injury his right ankle.
Gore will have to miss the next two games and then …read more

Star linebacker Patrick Willis was back on the practice field for the San Francisco 49ers. After injuring his achilles tendon and ankle, Willis had missed nearly two dozen practices.
Willis said that he sat out for precautionary reasons.
Said Willis: “If it was up to me, I would try to go the next day I hurt it. But I didn’t want to let my pride and ego hurt the team.”
In his return to practice, Willis only took part in individual drills. The Niners are taking it slowly because they can’t afford to lose arguably the best player on their team.
The 24-year-old has …read more

Who will start at quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers in the 2009 football season — Shaun Hill or Alex Smith? According to most reports, the two quarterbacks have been equal so far in the first two weeks of training camp. However, heading into the Niners’ first preseason game, Hill will get the start.
Head coach Mike Singletary says that Hill getting the starting nod isn’t an indication of who is ahead. The Niners begin preseason against the Denver Broncos on Friday.
Over the last few years, Hill has plaed decently well when called upon. Last season, he started nine games and …read more

Brandon Jones, a wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers, has suffered a fractured right shoulder and will miss about eight weeks. Jones was acquired by the Niners in the offseason after playing his first eight seasons with the Tennessee Titans.
The loss of Jones especially hurts San Francisco due to the holdout by rookie wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Now their already thin wide receiving corps is even thinner.
Last year with the Titans, Jones had his best season. He finished with 41 receptions and 449 yards. The 26-year-old played his college football at Oklahoma.
The injury to Jones could open the door …read more

At this point in the NFL season, there are always a few public battles between teams and their rookies. This year, it appears as if the most public battle of all is between the San Francisco 49ers and Michael Crabtree. In fact, Crabtree’s reps are already talking about skipping the 2009 NFL season.
Obviously the Niners could really use Crabtree’s help this forthcoming season. Their offense is weak and without Crabtree’s playmaking, they appear to be destined for a difficult season.
At Texas Tech, Crabtree was one of the most explosive players in the nation. In his last season, he had 19 …read more

This past draft, Michael Crabtree of Texas Tech dropped to tenth, and the San Francisco 49ers thought they were getting the deal of a lifetime. Many speculated that he should have gone much higher, at least at number seven. Instead, the Oakland Raiders choose wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey with their seventh pick, surprising everyone. Al Davis is known for his random, weird decisions, though, so I guess none of us were too surprised.
Now, the 49ers kind of wish they would have passed on Crabtree as well. The rookie, who hasn’t even played in an NFL game yet, is demanding a …read more

About three months ago, Dre Bly was released by the Denver Broncos. On Thursday, the cornerback was signed by the San Francisco 49ers.
Bly became a fit in San Francisco after Walt Harris tore his right ACL earlier in the week. Suddenly short at cornerback, Bly has a chance to step in and start right away for the Niners.
The 5-foot-10, 188-pound Bly played his college football at North Carolina. He played in first four seasons for the St. Louis Rams before moving on to the Detroit Lions for four years. His last two seasons were with the Broncos.
In his career, the …read more

Michael Vick is officially out of jail. While the NFL isn’t in his immediate future, it’s time to start figuring out where he may ultimately end up. He’s not returning to the Atlanta Falcons but a number of other teams may be interested.
What are the top destinations for Michael Vick? Here is our top five:
1) San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers need a quarterback and head coach Mike Singletary should be able to handle the Vick distractions.
2) Seattle Seahawks
Matt Hasselbeck isn’t getting any younger and Vick could take his time in getting ready to return to the field.
3) St. Louis Rams
The Rams …read more

Image: Newscom.
Apparently “throwback” means lip hair to the San Francisco 49ers. In their upcoming game against the Redskins this weekend, they will not only wear the old 49er uniforms, but they will also grow mustaches for the game.
A little Ron Burgundy action perhaps?
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Personally I love the idea of growing mustaches for a throwback uniform day. If you can’t get into the playoffs the least you can do is get publicity for your team by growing facial hair.