There's nothing all that shocking in today's practice report. The 49ers are banged up as expected in certain areas, although they might be getting Reggie Smith back this week. Given the depth issues at cornerback, I'd imagine Smith might get to move around a bit on the field if he's healthy. He's listed as a safety, but he does have plenty of corner experience.
I've also attached the post-practice transcript for Mike Singletary and Alex Smith. Earlier today somebody made a comment in a FanPost about Parys Haralson being a disappointment. I know that there has also been plenty of grumbling about Ahmad Brooks. Coach Singletary commented on that issue directly:
On LB Parys Haralson's lower sack numbers than last year and LB Ahmad Brooks' decreased playing time against the Colts:
"First of all with Parys Haralson, what teams have done since maybe the first four games that we've had is begin to do more max protection. Those are things that we have to work through. It exposes us on the back end a little bit more. Guys have to be more disciplined, stay with their receivers longer and make sure they don't lose track of that. Parys Haralson, I think, will do just fine. I think that's just where we are right now. Teams, they're trying to protect their quarterbacks too. But, the max protection, that's one of the main things that has happened, for all of our guys. But, we're still trying to find a way to get there, and we will. Something just has to get better. Ahmad Brooks has done a great job on special teams and he'll see more time on the third down situation. He has to because he's a talented guy and he's just kind of getting back healthy from the knee and everything else. We'll definitely see more of him."
On whether there was any other reason Brooks played less:
"No. As a matter of fact, he's earned the right to play more. You will see more of him."
49ers
Out (Definitely Will Not Play)
CB Nate Clements (shoulder)
DE Demetric Evans (shoulder)
OT Joe Staley (knee)
Did not Participate in Practice
DE Justin Smith (not injury related)
LB Takeo Spikes (shoulder)
Limited Participation in Practice
SS Reggie Smith (groin)
Titans
Did not Participate in Practice
OT Mike Otto (knee)
RB Javon Ringer (back)
LB David Thornton (hip)
Limited Participation in Practice
CB Nicholas Harper (forearm)
DE Jevon Kearse (knee)
After the jump we've got Coach Singletary and Alex Smith's post-practice transcripts.
Head Coach Mike Singletary
Post-Walk Thru - November 4, 2009
San Francisco 49ers
Opening statements:
"Once again, another tremendous opportunity this weekend. We're very excited about the game that we have coming up, excited to be back home again. The Titans are a good football team, as you well know, but we feel we're a good football team too. We're just out here working, continuing to put the pieces together. As far as who's up this week, in terms of what was different than last week, obviously [CB] Nate Clements is down. [LT] Joe Staley is down. [DT] Demetric Evans is down. [DT] Ricky Jean-Francois will be up. [S] Reggie Smith, we have a chance to get him back, and [T] Chris Patrick is up. Any other questions go right ahead."
On whether he has any concerns about depth on offensive line:
"I think we'll be fine going forward. That's where we are. That's what we have. I'm very thankful that Patrick was able to come in, and that's going to help us with our depth."
On whether Patrick is the backup at both right and left tackle:
"Yes."
On whether T Barry Sims remains at left tackle:
"Yes, for right now."
On whether he has to remind himself that the Titans are the same team that went 13-3 last season:
"I don't ever really look at the record. We can't afford to be letting our guard down. We're trying to get somewhere. I'm not really thinking about their record. I just look at the film. The film is always the thing that is telling you the truth. So, for us, we know we're playing a good football team. They're a very talented team. They're big and physical. They've got their quarterback back, Vince Young, who's excited to be starting again. They've got a tremendous running back. They've got a defense that's very talented - quick, fast. Trust me, we have no problem getting sidetracked here. We know exactly what we're getting in to and we're excited about the opportunity and the challenge to play before our fans and continue to get better and take strides where we need to go."
On how Titans QB Vince Young has looked on film:
"He can make some things happen with his feet. He's a better quarterback than he was before, and I thought he was a good quarterback before. Whenever a quarterback has a chance to sit down and watch another quarterback, it does something to them. It helps them develop. It helps them study. It helps that inner drive and all those things. But, Vince is definitely a good quarterback and poses a lot of different threats. It's going to give us, defensively, all that we can handle. So, we're excited about the challenge."
On whether he's pleased with QB Alex Smith's development:
"Yes, I was. I was very excited about what I saw. I think the entire team was, but not surprised. I just think it's one of those things where he's ready. He's just going to continue to get better - the more things that we can do to surround him with the tools and have the guys in front of him - the o-line continued to protect him. They did a pretty decent job last week. I think the right side of our line took a big step last week, and I think they're on the road to getting better. We're just continuing to fight and continuing to go forward and get where we need to go."
On whether he has more trust in Smith to give him more responsibility:
"That's every week. Week-in and week-out, as the quarterback, there are a lot of other intangibles that go into it. But, absolutely. As I sit down and talk with [offensive coordinator] Jimmy [Raye] and [quarterbacks coach] Mike Johnson, it's just a matter of this guy is ahead of schedule. He's working his tail off. He's making the reads, and that just shows that when he wasn't playing, he was doing some of the things that he had to do to continue to get better instead of sitting back and pouting and doing some of the other things that he could have done. So, I'm excited about him. I'm excited about his growth. I'm excited about where he's at. I'm excited about where he can go."
On whether he will expose Smith to a more wide open offense in practice:
"Well, once again we talk about the trust factor. I think he is going to show us day-in and day-out what he can and can't do and when he's ready. Sitting down and talking is one thing. Going out there and doing it is another. I just think that we have to take it a step at a time and realize that this is his second start of the season. We just have to let him continue to let us know where he is."
On whether he thought Jeff Fisher could be a future coach when they were both rookies for the Bears:
"No, I didn't because Jeff didn't want to coach. As a matter of fact, when Jeff left football, he went back to the computer business, and that's what he wanted to do. He and I talked about it a few times. Jeff wanted to be a business man and raise a family. Buddy Ryan was relentless talking to both Jeff and myself. He wanted one of us to go with him, and Jeff ended up being that guy."
On whether he ever regrets not coaching earlier:
"No, not one bit. I know my kids. I know my wife. I feel very good about who I am, and I had some very good lessons that I learned in the time I was out of football - best thing that ever happened."
On how the toughest period he's experienced as a head coach has been for him:
"Couldn't be any better. If it's going to happen, happen right now. Happen right now. Give me all we can take, and we've had about all we can take. So, I don't wish for any more, but it couldn't be any better. All it's doing is it's developing this team from the inside out. All of the guys that were on board at 3-1, are still on board now. I love times like this because I know we're going to come out of it. I know we're going to go forward. So, I'm very thankful for these times because this game is so much like life, it's amazing. You have to rise up when things are not going the way you want them to go. You have to find a way to work through it, get around it, go over it, go under it - whatever it is. That's where we are. With the character of guys on this team, I'm very excited about that."
On where the punt returner position stands:
"Well, that's going to be a day-to-day thing. Thankfully, we have two. I think [WR] Brandon Jones, obviously, he's a guy that can do it, and [WR] Arnaz [Battle]. I still trust Arnaz to do a great job. We have both of those guys and that's where we are."
On LB Parys Haralson's lower sack numbers than last year and LB Ahmad Brooks' decreased playing time against the Colts:
"First of all with Parys Haralson, what teams have done since maybe the first four games that we've had is begin to do more max protection. Those are things that we have to work through. It exposes us on the back end a little bit more. Guys have to be more disciplined, stay with their receivers longer and make sure they don't lose track of that. Parys Haralson, I think, will do just fine. I think that's just where we are right now. Teams, they're trying to protect their quarterbacks too. But, the max protection, that's one of the main things that has happened, for all of our guys. But, we're still trying to find a way to get there, and we will. Something just has to get better. Ahmad Brooks has done a great job on special teams and he'll see more time on the third down situation. He has to because he's a talented guy and he's just kind of getting back healthy from the knee and everything else. We'll definitely see more of him."
On whether there was any other reason Brooks played less:
"No. As a matter of fact, he's earned the right to play more. You will see more of him."
On how to prepare in practice for a running quarterback like Vince Young:
"I think the biggest thing is you definitely can't emulate Vince Young, but I just think we have to make sure what's really important is on the back end. Our guys, when Vince is running, can't lose track of the guy that they're on. We have to make sure that our guys are very disciplined downfield and stay with their guys. I don't care what happens. If Vince breaks loose, we just have to rally everybody together, the fronts, the linebackers and try to make a play. We have to make sure that we're very disciplined on the back end. That's the biggest thing."
QB Alex Smith
Post-Walk-Thru - November 4, 2009
San Francisco 49ers
On his camaraderie with Titans QB Vince Young:
"I've met Vince a few times a various events around the league and had the chance to meet him and talk to him."
On contrasts and similarities between him and Vince Young:
"Every situation, especially for early draft pick quarterbacks, they are all different. Every circumstance is different from the next and I don't think that you can judge any two alike. Every guy walks into a different locker room with different pieces around him and things in place and you have to adjust to that. Obviously, I think with that you still have ups and downs that you have in common as well."
On the comparison to Vince Young in getting a second chance at a starting QB role:
"If that's what they want to make of it in the end, this isn't cliché but, it is really about what each of us can do to help our team win. In the end that's all that matters, especially from the quarterback position. That's all anyone is going to remember about this. What can we each do to help our team go out there and win on Sunday."
On learning patience when he wasn't starting:
"I think you do, I think you get that. I think that, at least in my case, you try to make too much happen when you watch a lot of the football. You see that good quarterbacking is making good decisions with what the defense gives you, getting the ball in the hands of your playmakers and letting them make plays. I think just not trying to force things and letting those things come to you. A lot of times you might not even know the play that made the difference in the game, but then you look at the film the next day and it was just because you were playing football you look back and say ‘hey, I did this and this really gave us a good chance to win.' You might have not known it at the time, but you were just doing your job. I think that those are the things that I look back on."
On how he would evaluate the balance of both the running and passing game:
"You right now it's hard to say. Maybe at the end of the season, we'll look back and reflect on it, but right now you move on. You play on Sunday, you go over those mistakes, you correct things that need to get corrected and move on. There's not a lot of time in the week to reflect on where you are at in the season. But everything, obviously, is all a work in progress. Over a 16 game season, it's always moving one way and it works together - both of them go hand in hand."
On what are the strengths of both the running and passing game:
"I think that we do good things with both. Consistency is what we're lacking. In the few times we've put ourselves in bad situations, in third-and-longs, especially this last week and that resulted in not moving the chains. I don't care who you play in the NFL, in that many third-and-longs, it's hard to convert. I think that's the thing that we are lacking. We need more consistency in both areas."
On his reaction to offensive coordinator Jimmy Raye's use of the offensive personnel:
"No different, I guess. In a sense you're still going out there and doing your job. I think that, obviously, more is going to get put on your plate as a quarterback if that's the scenario. But, there are games like that, you play quarterback and sometimes you get down and all of a sudden you're throwing the ball 40 or 50 times. You don't like to be in that circumstance when you do it, but it happens. You have to be ready for that. We could face a team where that is what they are going to do. They are going to do everything they can to take away the run and we are going to have to step up outside. So, you are ready for anything."
On whether he would like to be a passing team or running team:
"Winning. Honestly, whatever it is, whether it is [RB] Frank [Gore] running for a bunch of yards, or us throwing for a bunch of yards or both. In the end, that is what is going to change things around here."
On whether he prefers the shotgun or lining up under center:
"If there's no run threat, then I'd probably rather be in the gun. But, it's that balance we have with Frank in the backfield and when you're under center, all of a sudden, you give a defense multiple things to think about. They have to worry about if it is a run or pass. They have to be thinking about both things and that will help us."
On playing at home:
"It will be nice not to deal with crowd noise, that's for sure. No crowd throughout the week has saved my voice. It is nice to come home for a home game. That does allow you do to some things on offense, especially with cadence to mix up some things and give you a little edge."
On whether it is possible to stay in a two-minute offense for most of the game:
"I mean, I guess we could do anything out there. I don't know if that is something you would want to do for an extended period of time. It could be something you may go in and out of to mix things up. It is something we work hard at and we obviously will continue to work hard it because it is such an important part of the game. So many games in the NFL come down to two-minute situations, defense or on offense. When you look at last week, if you are good at that, there are ways to steal points before the half. Those are ways to change a game."
On his comfort level on Sunday:
"It is not something I consciously think about. You are preparing yourself to go out there and play a game and everything you need to go out there and make decisions. In a sense, it is slowing it down. That's what it appears like. The more prepared you are to go out there on game day, the quicker decisions you are going to make, the better you are going to see things, the better the ball is going to come out, the more accurate you are going to look, all those things. The better timing you are going to have, all those things play into it. I think that comes from preparation and you going into game day feeling good about what you are going to do."
On whether he is surprised with the performance of WR Michael Crabtree:
"I'm not surprised. I didn't have any expectation level. It was just kind of wait and see in a sense. I think over the past few weeks getting to know him, it is not surprising. The thing I love about him is his approach to the game. He doesn't let the game get too big. He just goes out there and it seems like he keeps it all on the same level, keeps it in perspective. He just goes out there and does his job. For a guy who has only been here a few weeks, missed all of training camp, to come in and compete the way he has and to go out there and make plays for us has been big."
On Crabtree's strengths:
"He is very natural. He is a very natural receiver. He has great instincts with the ball in the air, coming back to balls, being friendly for a quarterback. His body language is easy to read. Also, he has the ability to go out there and compete on such a short notice, to be learning the playbook as he goes and to go out there and play fast and compete."
On whether Crabtree is the type of receiver he likes throwing jump balls too:
"Yeah, to a guy that you know is going to compete for a ball in the air and come back and protect you. Those are all things that give you a lot of trust."
On whether he could develop a real connection with Crabtree for many years:
"I'm excited about the opportunity this offense has. I'm excited about all the pieces we have in place and our potential to grow together. That's what this is, it is potential. You have to go out there and do it. It is everybody on offense and our ability to go out there and really work together."
On the Titans defense:
"I think they give a lot for a quarterback to think about. They present a lot from the defensive side, especially for the secondary. They give a lot of different looks, play multiple different coverages from multiple formations. They don't play one or two coverages. You may see every coverage there is in the book. You have to be ready for it and have answers for all of it."