San Francisco 49ers

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What it was like covering Alex Smith on the 49ers beat

A photo with me and Alex Smith at a local premiere of “The Taking of Pelham 123” in the Bay Area.

I first started the San Francisco 49ers in 2007. At the time I was just a blogger and gaining access to anything the 49ers did was definitely not on my radar. However, it was exciting for me to cover the team I grew up watching and hoping that the Niners could get back to respectability.

I had a lot of hope in Alex Smith. He as entering his third season with the team and he had a lot of pressure on his shoulders as the top overall pick in 2005. This is where I started focusing a lot of my writing on him and the team. It was some ups and downs in those two years until I finally got credentialed.

Gaining credential access to the 49ers was a big deal for me. The Niners at the time never gave access to online media journalists — the concept was too new and bloggers like myself were an unpredictable unknown. I was just grateful that I worked hard enough and published enough quality content that the team decided that I was worth considering. I was only able to cover a few practices here and there but that was enough for me. That was when I got to interview and meet Alex Smith.

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NFL denying throwbacks for 49ers in Super Bowl was best decision

The uniform matchup from the two teams’ preseason meeting in 2019 is what we will get at the Super Bowl.

The San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs are going to face off in Super Bowl LIV in a couple weeks and one of the first big news stories that came out this was the uniform matchup for the game.

The designated home team rotates every year and this year the AFC team is the home team. The Chiefs are going with the red jersey and white pants for the game. That means the 49ers will be in a white jersey. However, it was reported that the 49ers petitioned to be allowed to wear their throwback uniforms for the game.

The NFL denied that request and the image you see above is what the Super Bowl matchup will be.

It is the best move by the league.

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The Catch II: Remembering it 20 years later

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Can you believe it? Exactly 20 years ago today, The Catch II happened. This remains as one of the greatest playoff moments in San Francisco 49ers history. To me, it is one of the most impossible and unexpected moments in team history.

And for good reason. This 49ers team had been dominating since the 1980s and well into the 90s. But the team’s nemesis since their 1994 Super Bowl win was the Green Bay Packers. They had Brett Favre at the helm winning MVP awards. The Niners just couldn’t beat them. And with a late touchdown to Antonio Freeman, this game seemed to be another loss to the Packers.

I also remember Terrell Owens, the hero of this game. He struggled throughout the game, dropping passes. That stood out to me. But also in the back of my mind I knew that the team was nearing the end of their amazing run. Steve Young and Jerry Rice were getting up there in age. They were still good, but I just had a hard time seeing this team sustain dominance for much longer. And with the Packers being the better team (having gone to consecutive Super Bowls, winning one of them) it just felt that this might have been the last hurrah.

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How Dwight Clark changed the course of my life

The closest I had to ever interacting with Dwight Clark was back in 2008 during a phone interview. I don’t even recall what we talked about. I am pretty sure it was about football. After the interview, he was so gracious for me taking the time to talk with him and that he was really happy to have taken the time to speak with me. (Unfortunately records of this interview no longer exist on the Internet.)

There was this one time I was at an event in San Francisco a couple years later to celebrate the anniversary of “The Catch” and I was in person to jot down some quotes from Dwight. That’s pretty much the only time I have ever been in the same room with him.

January 10, 2012 – An event celebrating the 49ers’ Super Bowl success and the 30th anniversary of “The Catch.” This was the best photo I took of the event.

My life would have been extremely different if weren’t for Dwight Clark.

Let me explain.

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49ers unveil 1994 all-white throwbacks for upcoming season

The wait is over. After successfully avoiding leaks, the San Francisco 49ers have unveiled a new alternate uniform from the upcoming season. It is inspired by their ever popular 1994 uniforms which they wore during their last Super Bowl title season. Those specific uniforms were a throwback to their 1955 set.

These uniforms are not exactly 100 percent accurate to those uniforms as it will feature white socks (to go with the no longer mandated Color Rush initiative). But apparently the players can opt to wear red socks if they please.

Everything else remains the same, although with the way jerseys are cut these days, the sleeve stripes are moved up significantly. There are no TV numbers and the team will wear the same helmets they wore in 1994.

The addition of white pants is a welcomed look that some 49ers fans have clamored for. It’s a look that the team has not worn since the 1997 season. Now they have the all-white look from 1994 back in their rotation.

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If the 49ers are getting alternate uniforms, this is what they should do

 

Thanks to Niners Nation, it looks like the 49ers are making a uniform change for next season. It appears that there will be a new alt.

Now with the black unis not hitting their five-year shelf life that is required, it makes me wonder if that is being eliminated. Perhaps with Color Rush being no longer a requirement, that the black uniforms will go with it. But the black uniforms were created before Color Rush so maybe we don’t get to rid of it at all.

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Richard Sherman: Public Enemy No. 1 joins the 49ers

The infamous turkey incident will forever be embedded in the minds of 49ers fans. 

I remember when I first met Richard Sherman. It was the local pro day and Sherman, a cornerback from Stanford who might get drafted in the mid rounds, was putting on a show. He and Shane Vereen were the two that impressed me the most. Sherman was a wide receiver who converted to cornerback. He wore this really bright red cleats that day, reminding me of Dorothy trying to get back home.

That image made me wonder if Sherman could wear more red in his NFL career. With Jim Harbaugh as the 49ers head coach and having coached Sherman, it seemed like it was inevitable. I wrote down in my recap for the story I was writing that the team that drafts Sherman would get a steal.

He went to Seattle and they benefited tremendously from him.

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49ers helmet design inconsistencies of the 1990s — an investigation

This post was inspired by a thread on SportsLogos.net.

In 1996, the San Francisco 49ers introduced a new uniform set partially inspired by their 1994 throwbacks. These new uniform featured a new logo, drop shadows and white pants.

One of the major changes was the addition of black to the helmet stripe. The 49ers removed the red-white-red helmet stripe and introduced a black-red-black stripe pattern to match the new white pants.

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End of an era: 49ers say farewell to NaVorro Bowman

I remember writing up a recap of the 49ers drafting Penn State linebacker NaVorro Bowman. I was at my friend’s house and I had brought my laptop with me. At the time I was still getting my footing as a beat writer. But I felt that Bowman was a smart pick. Even though he was not a first round selection, he had a strong pedigree and had potential for growth.

Since then, Bowman was a four-time First All-Pro, three-time Pro Bowl selection and at times, was the best defender on the team. And that’s with Patrick Willis next to him.

Bowman was a great professional to work with and he always gave me respect. He was a beast of a linebacker and it’s a shame injuries prevented him from reaching his best potential.

Regardless, he was beloved by many fans and they will always cherish his pick-six at The Stick. That’s an image that will last a lifetime.

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The odd 49ers number font during the 1996 season

I was only 10 when the 1996 season rolled around. The 49ers adopted this completely new uniform design for the season. They changed the facemask from gray to red, introduced a new logo with a darker red, implemented a dropshadow number font, brought in white pants and a moved the TV numbers to the shoulders.

But what I couldn’t really figure out was the number font. Based on photos, I always assumed the 49ers kept this new number font for one season. The following tweet got me wondering. Notice how thick the number is on Steve Young’s jersey.

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