Football School Begins

The next phase in offseason training has begun for the 49ers. "Football School" has begun and 49ers.com has a great video showing off some of the high points. You can find that right here.

Go 9ers!

Meet the Rookies

49ers.com has an awesome article up with videos detailing the 11 guys picked up in the draft so the Faithful can get to know them better. Check that out right here.

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2013 Draft Results

The 49ers made some serious moves this year in the draft. With 13 picks, we were set up for success and succeeded with 11 new players. Those players are:

1(18). Eric Reid, Safety, LSU
2(40). Cornellius "Tank" Carradine, Defensive End, Florida State
2(55). Vance McDonald, Tight End, Rice
3(88). Corey Lemonier, Outside Linebacker, Auburn
4(128). Quinton Patton, Wide Receiver, Louisiana Tech
4(131). Marcus Lattimore, Running Back, South Carolina
5(157). Quinton Dial, Defensive Lineman, Alabama
6(180). Nick Moody, Linebacker, Florida State
7(237). B.J. Daniels, Quarterback, South Florida
7(246). Carter Bykowski, Offensive Tackle, Iowa State
7(252). Marcus Cooper, Defensive Back, Rutgers

I am most excited for Eric Reid and Marcus Lattimore. There is a lot going on with these draft picks to improve the already outstanding defense of the 9ers, and Reid is a big part of that.  I can't wait to see how he does after working out with the team. Lattimore is recovering from a knee injury but he has no rush to get healthy too soon. The team is stacked at the RB position so he can just sit and learn from Frank Gore and the guys. Gore had similar injuries to his knees back in his day so I think he will be a great mentor and inspiration for Lattimore to come back and be the best he can be. Though he likely will not play for a while, it's nice to know he is there on the depth chart and will be dangerous when he is ready to play again. 

Without getting into too much detail the team gets an A+ for the draft. I cannot wait for more updates to how the new guys are getting along with the team and to see how they progress through the season!

Go 9ers!

Let's Just Take A Moment and Appreciate the Greatness in this Picture.

Hall of Famer and legendary former 49er quarterback Joe Montana tweeted this picture with the caption "Had a fun time talking to @Kaepernick7. Do you #49erfans remember when my arms were that big?"

This is awesome. 

Here we have the future of the franchise and arguably the best quarterback the franchise has ever seen together in one picture. I can only imagine the conversation. As a fan you can't help but look at this and smile. 

Go 9ers!

Joe Staley In Detail

Joe Staley is one of my all-time favorite 49ers. His personality off the field is great: he's hilarious and witty as hell and his performance on the field is straight beast mode. 49ers.com has an awesome story up that details his career from high school onward and it is quite the read. You can find that right here. It is a bit lengthy but it's worth the read into one of the most interesting personalities and hard working team-oriented athletes on the team!

Go 9ers!

Kendall Hunter Update

5 months ago RB Kendall Hunter tore his left Achillis Tendon. He is already sprinting again. With a remarkably fast healing process that seems to be happening with a lot of stars i.e. Adrian Peterson, RG3, etc, Hunter is already back on his feet. He isn't rushing or doing anything the coaches and trainers are against, he is just making quick progress. He expects to be back fully for training camp. I think this is great as long as he doesn't overdo it and heals properly. Meanwhile the rest of the team is still lifting and preparing for OTAs and mandatory minicamp in June.  As far as Hunter goes, he wants to be ready by then but will not push it if he is not ready. We need to use all the weapons we can and Frank Gore needs a break every once in a while. Best wishes to Kendall to a full and speedy recovery!

Go 9ers!

New Niners, New Numbers

 
With a new season full of new players, there will be some new numbers out on the field this year. New wide receiver Anquan Boldin will be wearing 81 as he has his entire career. That number belonged to tight end Garrett Celek who will be switching to 88 this season. Here is a list of the rest of the new numbers.

QB Colt McCoy – 2

K Phil Dawson – 9

WR Marlon Moore – 19

S Craig Dahl – 43

LB Dan Skuta – 51

G Wayne Tribue – 62

G Joe Looney – 78

TE Cameron Morrah – 89

DT Glenn Dorsey – 90

Ready to see those new numbers out on the field and workin!

Go 9ers!

New Santa Clara Stadium Update!

Just a year after the ground breaking, the New Santa Clara Stadium has already made tremendous progress. It really is astounding how fast such a complicated structure can be built. Patrick Willis took a tour of the construction site to check the progress. That video is available here via 49ers.com!

I know we all can't wait to get a seat inside that new stadium once it opens next year and watch our team dominate at home!

Go 9ers!

2013 Schedule. Get Excited!

2013 Schedule
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 8, Green Bay, 4:25 p.m.
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 15, at Seattle, 8:30 p.m.
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 22, Indianapolis, 4:25 p.m.
Week 4: Thursday, Sept. 26, at St. Louis, 8:25 p.m.
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 6, Houston, 8:30 p.m.
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 13, Arizona, 4:25 p.m.
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 20, at Tennessee, 4:05 p.m.
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 27, at Jacksonville, 1 p.m.
Week 9: BYE
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 10, Carolina, 4:05 p.m.
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 17, at New Orleans, 4:25 p.m.
Week 12: Monday, Nov. 25, at Washington, 8:30 p.m.
Week 13: Sunday, Dec. 1, St. Louis, 4:05 p.m.
Week 14: Sunday, Dec. 8, Seattle, 4:25 p.m.
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 15, at Tampa Bay, 1 p.m.
Week 16: Monday, Dec. 23, Atlanta, 8:30 p.m.
Week 17: Sunday, Dec. 29, at Arizona, 4:25 p.m.

5 prime time games this season; 2 Sunday Night Football games, 2 Monday Night Football games and 1 dreaded (if you don't have NFL Network) Thursday Night Football game, ensure that the spotlight will remain on Kaepernick and his crew all season long.

The last season at Candlestick Park is going to be an intense one. Week 1 will be just like last season against Green Bay, except this time, we will be playing at The Stick. I predict an obvious sold out crowd full of The Faithful (I'm going to try and get there too) and a great game that has the 9ers coming out on top yet again. The 9ers have shown time and time again they are not intimidated by the Packers and I see no reason why we should lose the season opener. It may only be 5 months away but it feels like a lifetime.

A few more games that stick out to me are Week 2 at Seattle, Week 4 at St. Louis, Week 12 at Washington, and Week 16 against Atlanta.

Playing Seattle at home is difficult for any team, as the 9ers experienced last season. They are such a solid team and the noise in that stadium makes it hard for the opposing team to even hear each other. No doubt this will be an exciting game.

Week 4 against the Rams will be the first time the teams have met since the loss and tie last season  and I suspect the 9ers will want to close the door and try to even up the score. The games last season should not have been so close and without Steven Jackson, will the Rams even be that big of a threat? I don't think so.

The 9ers will face Washington for the first time pitting similar offenses and athletic quarterbacks against each other. Robert Griffin III will hopefully be fully healed and ready for battle because the 49ers sure as hell will be.

The match-up against the Falcons will certainly be a heated one as it is the first time the teams have met since the awesomely intense NFC Championship game in Atlanta last season where the 9ers came back from a 17-0 deficit and went on to win the game and advance to the Superbowl.

There is no doubting that the Superbowl loss in February will be fueling the 49ers all season long until they reach their goal. The Quest for Six continues on and The Faithful cannot wait.

Go 9ers!

The 49ers Bulk Up

There is no quit in the San Francisco 49ers. The offseason has been filled with healthy eating, weight lifting, and training hard. For a team that came within 5 yards of Superbowl glory, there is only room for improvement and perfection. 49ers.com has an article detailing Alex Boone's offseason training regimen which can be found here.



Patrick Willis is also among the leaders in the locker room and the weight room. The entire team is well known for their hard work and dedication on and off the field. That means that most of the guys on the team did not waste their offseason. They took a small break to recover from the Superbowl, and then got right back to training. I know the faithful cannot wait to see our guys back on the field doing what they do best.

Go 9ers!

The 2013 Gold Rush has Been Announced!

The 49ers cheerleaders, known as the Gold Rush, have been holding auditions and the results are in. A lengthy introduction video of the lovely ladies can be found here. I just want to know how they put up with the crazy cold temperatures that sweep thru the bay in the fall.

Go 9ers!

Offseason Workouts Begin Today!

 

Today marks the first day of offseason workouts for the 49ers! The next two weeks will be voluntary conditioning led by the strength and conditioning staff. If you ask me, it should be mandatory, but I have a good feeling that most if not all of the guys will be there ready to train hard. After the first 2 weeks the coaches can take the field for some drills before the 10 days of offseason team activities. The first OTA sessions will be held on May 21-23, May 28-30 and June 3-6.

Go 9ers!

49ers Sign Former Eagle Cornerback Nnamdi Asomugha

The 49ers have signed former Philadelphia Eagles CB Nnamdi Asomugha to a one-year deal. He is a 4 time All-Pro and 3 time Pro Bowl selection. He played for the Raiders for 8 years and then the Eagles for 2. He struggled in Philadelphia because of the zone defense they run and I think (and hope) he will thrive in the 49ers environment and mesh much better with our squad. The 9ers defense is already top-tier and obviously the Raiders and Eagles haven't been that in a long time. My hope is that he will thrive and have the best year of his career and aid in a Superbowl victory! Only time will tell!

Go 9ers!

Colin Kaepernick at the CMAs

Colin Kaepernick was in Vegas over the weekend at the MGM and presented at the CMAs. The CMA Fan Jam was happening at the same time at the Orleans Arena and I was there. We watched Colin take the stage via big screen as he presented the award. He seemed relaxed, rehearsed and was looking sharp! I thought it was kind of random for him to be there, but it was great to see him out making this kind of appearance and I can't wait to see him back on the field!

Go 9ers!

2013 Season Tickets Sold Out ALREADY!

Season tickets for the 2013 season for the San Francisco 49ers have already sold out! A very limited number of single game tickets will be released for a public on-sale to be held on Saturday, April 27, at 10:00 A.M. PT, exclusively through Ticketmaster.com. This is the last season at Candlestick Park before the team makes the switch to the new Santa Clara stadium for the 2014 season. I will personally be very upset if I do not attend one game at The Stick before it shuts down for good. I know I will be online on the 27th just chomping at the bit to get at least one ticket for this season!

Go 9ers!

2013 Preseason Schedule

The 49ers have released their Preseason schedule for this summer. It looks like this:

Preseason Week                                   Time (PST)          Opponent

Week 1 - August 8th - 11th                    TBD                      vs. Denver

Week 2 - August 15th - 18th                  TBD                      at Kansas City

Week 3 - August 25th                            5:00 PM                vs. Minnesota

Week 4 - August 29th                            TBD                      at San Diego


The Denver game should be interesting as they made some moves in the off-season so far such as picking up wide receiver Wes Welker. I am most excited to see the game against the Chiefs as it will be the first game against former 49ers quarterback Alex Smith who was traded earlier this year. It is a pretty decent schedule, nothing too difficult. It will be a good way to see some starters and to see some second and third string guys get some playing time. I am also excited to see how the new additions to the team are meshing and get even more stoked for the season to start!

Go 9ers!

When Football Meets Smoothies: Vernon Davis Partners With Jamba Juice

49ers tight end Vernon Davis is the proud new owner of 2 Jamba Juice establishments in Santa Clara, California. Davis got the idea after seeing his friend Venus Williams do the same thing in the Washington D.C. area. He has been a fan of the smoothie chain for years and they make a good fit. Their partnership is based on physical fitness and a healthy lifestyle. Jamba Juice President Bruce Schroder said "There’s no better partner to work with us on that than Vernon,” Schroder said. “He’s clearly lived and embodied a healthy lifestyle.”

Davis has many other off-the-field interests including design and art. He owns an art gallery called Gallery 85 and designed the interior of his teammate Aldon Smiths' new house. There is no doubt that Vernon is an awesome dude off the field and a beast on the field! I can't wait to see him get back out there!

Go 9ers!

Colt McCoy Joins the 9ers!

The 49ers have announced that they reached a deal with the Cleveland Browns to acquire quarterback Colt McCoy and an undisclosed 2013 draft choice in return for 2 undisclosed 2013 draft picks. McCoy passed a physical in the bay earlier today to finalize the deal.

McCoy is 6' 1", 220 pounds and was originally selected by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft. In three seasons, he has played in 24 games (21 starts), completing 409 of 702 pass attempts for 4,388 yards, 21 touchdowns.

He played at the University of Texas, where he finished his career completing 1,157 of 1,645 passes for 13,253 yards and 112 touchdowns. He added 447 rushing attempts for 1,571 yards and 20 scores, on the way to finishing his collegiate career with 47 school records. At the time McCoy left Texas, he had the most wins of any starting quarterback in NCAA history (45-8).

I am relieved that the 9ers now have a backup just incase anything should happen to Kaep. I don't think that Cleveland was a good enough team to showcase McCoy and am confident that he will be a solid backup for the 9ers.

Scott Kegley sat down with Colt McCoy to talk about his feelings on being a 49er. You can check that out right here.

Welcome to the team Colt, and as always...

Go 9ers!

MLB Opening Day!

Shout out to fellow Bay Area royalty the San Francisco Giants as they open the season against the Los AngelesDodgers today! #beatLA

Go Giants!

All New The Joe Show!

For those of you who do not know, Offensive Tackle Joe Staley has a hilarious show that goes up on 49ers.com every now and then where he walks around the locker room and asks his teammates dumb questions/sings/whatever else he feels like. This is one of my favorite things about the official 49ers  website and something that really drew me into it. It is an awesome look behind-the-scenes and really shows the personality the team has. Here is the first episode of 2013!

Go 9ers!

Akers Replaced: 9ers Sign Phil Dawson

It was announced earlier today that the 49ers have agreed to a one year deal with former Cleveland Browns kicker Phil Dawson. Dawson is a long time veteren in the lauge and has a career 84% Field Goal completion, which makes him the 9th most accurate kicker in league history.

Now, I don't know much about kickers, but I would have to say this guy is definitely worthy of taking over and filling the void that Akers left. As much as I hated to see Akers leave, he simply did not pull his weight last season and we need somebody who can get the job done. I think that Dawson is the man for the job despite his age (he is 38) and I am excited to see what he does next season! Although, we hopefully will not need to lean on him and Kaepernick will get us in the end zone for 6!

I will have more on the Free Agency madness in coming days!

Go 9ers!

Bye-bye David Akers

The 49ers released kicker David Akers Wednesday, just as many suspected they would. I have mixed emotions about this. In 2011, Akers was the savior of our team. We could move the ball down the field, but struggled in the red zone. Enter Akers who would come out and give us 3 every time. It really is amazing how many games we won with most points coming from the leg of Akers. In 2011, he set the NFL record for field goals made (44), field goals attempted (52), and points with no touchdowns (166). His 166 points also set the franchise single-season record.

But that was 2011. The 2012 season started off looking just as bright for Akers when he nailed a record-tying 63-yard field goal in the season opener at Lambo Field. The rest of the season was not so kind to David. Making only 29 of 42 attempted field goals, Akers failed to live up to his previous years accomplishments, much to the dismay of teammates and fans. Personally, I always felt for the guy and believed in him to turn it around. I wish him the best of luck and hope the team can find someone to step up and fill the void to ensure a solid next season between the uprights. 

Go 9ers!

Top 5 Hits of 2012

49ers.com has a video up of the top 5 hits of last season. It brings me great joy to watch these over and over. Check it out for yourself and vote for your favorite here! 

 Donte Whitner puts a monster hit on Reggie Bush 12-9-12

Go 9ers!

The New Santa Clara Stadium

Candlestick Park has been home to the San Francisco 49ers since 1971, and 10 months ago, ground was broken for the new Santa Clara Stadium. Candlestick also served as the home of the San Francisco Giants from 1960 until the opening of Pacific Bell Park in 2000. Unlike Candlestick, the New Santa Clara Stadium will serve as strictly a football stadium.

I have only been to a single NFL game in my life. It was in the 2011 season in Arizona where I watched the 9ers lose to the Cardinals. It was a great experience, despite the outcome of the game. It has always been a dream of mine to attend a game at Candlestick like my dad did so many times as a young man. The new stadium is set to open for the 2014 season, so I intend on going to at least one game at The Stick before it closes down for good.

I am so excited for the new stadium though. When I was in the bay last summer, we drove by the new stadium to check out the progress, and they had barely gotten a parking structure up. There now stands a 9 story suite tower. Needless to say, that thing is going up FAST. The new stadium is going to be very environmentally friendly and energy efficient as well. I cannot wait to go see it in person!

You can book a tour of the new stadium and view other information here.

A photo gallery of the progress of the new stadium can be found here.

Candlestick

New Santa Clara Stadium

Gold Rush!

Auditions for the 49ers cheerleaders, the Gold Rush will be held Saturday April 6! You can sign up by following the link below!

                                          http://www.49ers.com/gold-rush/auditions.html

Go 9ers!

Alex Smith: The Unfortunate One.

It is an interesting tale, the one of Alex Smith. He was the number 1 overall pick in the 2005 draft, struggled for years and with the help of new head coach Jim Harbaugh improved to the point of no longer being called a bust, only to get benched after a concussion in November to give way for Colin Kaepernick to flourish in his place. He spent the rest of the year as a very professional and supportive backup quarterback and since his replacement took the team to the Superbowl, it hasn't looked like he would be starting any games in San Francisco any time soon.

Rumors have circulated recently about a trade taking place between the 9ers and both the Arizona Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs. Yesterday those rumors seemed to manifest themselves permanently in more reports of a definite agreement with the Chiefs. Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News said that the 9ers will get the Chiefs' 2nd round pick plus a high selection in 2014. 

It is sad in a way to see Smith go, and by all accounts it looks like this deal will go down, but the fact is that Kaepernick is our guy now. I will get into that more at a later time, but I have always been an advocate and huge fan of Kaepernick. Smith would have remained a solid backup and that could always be useful with a starter who runs as much as Kaepernick does and puts himself at greater risk for injury.  However Smith is a competitor and has a need to start and you can't blame him. I wish him all the best in whatever his future holds. 2013 should be a great year for him!

Go 9ers!

Coping

It is hard for any fan when their favorite team comes up short in a game, but especially when that game is the Superbowl. It has been a long month since I watched helplessly as the 9ers fought so hard but were ultimately unable to get into the endzone late in the 4th quarter of Superbowl XLVII. I will never forget the feeling, surrounded by family and friends, a season of excitement and pride all building up to an unfortunate ending. I hung my head in silence for about 7 minutes following the final kick return as Ravens fans the world over rejoiced.

In the weeks since, I have learned to live with this loss. The most helpful way to do this is to think about how much the team will grow in the offseason and how well set up they are to make it back to the Superbowl next season. With the combine just ending, the 9ers will have had some good looks at some key picks in the upcoming draft that will only solidify our already well established team.

One thing is for sure: With our young and extremely talented quarterback, Colin Kaepernick, our always dominant running back Frank Gore, our constantly improving wide outs, stonewall offensive line, and completely dominant defense, the future is very bright for the San Francisco 49ers.

Go 9ers!

Here We Go!

Okay! So it has been a long time coming, but I finally got it together and I am ready to do this! Consider this a little intro blog to briefly go over what I will be posting here on Forever Faithful. I am a life-long 49er fan from Las Vegas, Nevada. Why would a guy from Vegas be a 49er fan? Well my entire family is from the bay area except for my brother and I who were born in Las Vegas. Needless to say we grew up huge San Francisco sports fans (Go Giants!) and visit the bay as frequently as possible. This blog will be a mix of the latest updates regarding the team and many of my own opinions of the matters at hand. I will leave it at that for now and we will see what happens! Lots of exciting news in coming months about the future of the team and offseason progress!

Go 9ers!