We've got our final injury report of the week and the only major addition is that Isaac Bruce is listed as questionable. Even if Bruce is active on Thursday, it sounds like he's dropped to fourth on the depth chart, at the highest. I actually kind of hope he's active to see whether or not he sees the field at all. Looking through the receiver depth chart, Jason Hill would seem to have moved back in as the #3 receiver. Arnaz Battle has more or less fallen off the map as a receiver. That leaves Brandon Jones competing with Bruce for receiving playing time.
The team usually sticks with no more than three receivers, so I suppose it's not that big of an issue in the end. When they extend out to four or five receivers, the fourth and fifth guy are usually tight ends or running backs. Of course, given Glen Coffee's injury, maybe we see a bit more Brandon Jones in those 4 and 5 receiver sets?
Coach Singletary's press conference transcript is now after the jump.
49ers
Out
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
DE Demetric Evans (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)
RB Glen Coffee (concussion)
Questionable
WR Isaac Bruce (ankle)
Probable
S Michael Lewis (quadricep)
RB Michael Robinson (stinger)
G David Baas (stinger)
CB Tarell Brown (rib)
RB Frank Gore (eye lid)
S Curtis Taylor (shin)
TE Vernon Davis (shoulder)
WR Jason Hill (ankle)
WR Brandon Jones (knee)
TE Delanie Walker (shin, knee)
LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder)
Bears
Out
LB Pisa Tinoisamoa (knee)
S Kevin Payne (back)
RB Garrett Wolfe (back)
Questionable
S Al Afalava (shoulder)
Probable
TE Desmond Clark (neck)
DT Tommie Harris (knee)
CB Charles Tillman (shoulder)
Coach Singletary's press conference transcript is now after the jump...
Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Walk-Thru November 11, 2009
San Francisco 49ers
Opening statements:
"Good afternoon. We had a good week's work for the short amount of time it was. We have some guys a little banged up, but we worked through it okay. I am excited about tomorrow night. We will be ready to go. I am excited about the game, excited about the challenge and excited that the country will have a chance to see the 49ers - the young 49ers - come of age in the second half of the season. I am excited about that."
On whether the short week is more of a mental or physical test for the players:
"For us, it is kind of hard to put into words - probably more mental if anything. You go out there coming off of a loss on Sunday, a disappointing loss there. You are going into a new week and you are kind of bumped, bruised, whatever. At the same time, you have to work through what happened on Sunday, the setback there, and then get ready for a game on national television this upcoming week. At some point in time, you have to make a decision to let that go and grasp what is in front of you. Our guys made that transition and are getting ready for tomorrow night."
On whether there are any advantages to the short week:
"The only advantage to a short week is to win. That is the only advantage and it is a good advantage."
On how he will know if his team comes of age Thursday:
"Guys, you know what, all I can say about tomorrow night is that you just have to watch the game. I am sure you will ask the questions afterward, but you just have to watch the game. That's all I can tell you."
On whether he is feeling any extra emotions about the Bears as the game gets closer:
"It is the next game on the schedule."
On TE Vernon Davis' comments about the Bears:
"I'll put it this way, I talked to him about it, and I know what he meant. I'm a little frustrated, and I think if you really translate or if you read through the lines, read between the lines, I don't think he was being disrespectful at all. I think basically he was saying, ‘You know what, we can do this. Let's not sit back and talk about what the Bears are going to do. Let's go out there and do what we can do.' You have grown to know Vernon as well. He can get a little excited and that is what he did. As a team, we just have to be ready to go tomorrow night, but I know what he meant."
On whether he is at all glad Davis made those comments:
"No. I can't say I am glad, but at the same time, it's not one of those things where you sit back and really think a whole lot about it. I just think he said it, okay it is out there. I'm sure they will read it and have their reaction, but we just have to be ready to play."
On why he said he was frustrated by Davis' comments:
"I'm frustrated in terms of, it is kind of like, ‘Let's go. Let's go.' That's what I mean."
On whether Davis' comments can be damaging to the team:
"I am going to leave that alone. I just think he said it, it's out there. Some things you wish you could say differently, but we will roll with it."
On how WR Isaac Bruce has looked practiced this week considering his ankle injury:
"He was doing fine. He was trying to work his way through it. Yesterday he rolled it and he is going to be questionable or doubtful for the game."
On whether that it was the same ankle from last weekend's game:
"Yes."
On whether WR Jason Hill will be a starter:
"If that is the case, yes."
On whether Isaac Bruce's injury will be noted on the team's injury report:
"Yes, it will be."
On Brandon Jones' status as the teams punt returner:
"Brandon Jones will be the punt returner, yes."
On whether he has received extra attention from the Chicago media for this upcoming game:
"There has been some extra media that I did not respond to. I didn't want that. We're playing another game and another opportunity for us to get better and didn't want to get into all of the other sideshows. We're going to play a game and we're going to try to win a football game and that's it."
On whether it's harder to comeback from behind in a game during a short week:
"No. For us, we can't get into if we get behind or if we do this, do that. We just have to go out there and play the game and think about winning the game. Let the other stuff go. We can think about that afterwards. Going towards the game, we're thinking about playing a football game and winning a football game. The same feelings that we have as a team, they have the same thing now. If they didn't play Sunday, then I'd have a problem with it. We're both going to be dealing with the same issues. Let's go play the game."
On whether RB Michael Robinson would be the backup running back:
"Yes sir, Michael Robinson."
On whether there is a contingency plan at running back:
"[FB] Norris, Moran Norris would be the next guy."
On whether him facing the Bears in the past as an assistant takes away any butterflies now having to face them as a head coach:
"Yes. The first time was - the fact that we were in Soldier Field, it was just different emotions for a while, but you get over that pretty quick as the game gets going. It's just the nature of the game."
On whether there is a little extra adrenaline for prime-time games:
"Prime-time games, I think some teams play up and some teams play down. I think, for us, we'll play up. I don't know anything else about how Chicago responded. I just know that tomorrow night, we'll be ready to play."