49ers Stuff...

Boone passes physical; 49ers complete practice squad
Posted on September 1, 2014 at 4:17 pm by Eric Branch

It’s official: Alex Boone is back.

The 49ers right guard passed his physical today and returned to the team, ending his protracted contract holdout.

The 49ers have requested a roster exemption for Boone, who must be added to the 53-man roster before he plays in a game. Boone could eventually take the roster spot of nose guard Glenn Dorsey (biceps), who could be placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return Tuesday.

******************************************

The 49ers completed their 10-man practice squad by signing cornerback Chance Casey and running back Kendall Gaskins.

Casey (5-11, 190) spent last year on the Raiders practice squad. The Raiders released him Saturday. Casey played in 39 games at Baylor, where he had 161 tackles, three interceptions and was named to the All Big 12 Freshman team.

Gaskins (6-1, 238) spent time on the Titans and Giants practice squad last year. He was released by the Giants on Saturday.

At the University of Buffalo, Gaskins rushed for 605 yards and averaged 4.1 yards a carry as a senior. He ranks second in school history in rushing TDs (38).

PRACTICE SQUAD
T Carter Bykowski
CB Chance Casey
TE Asante Cleveland
OL John Fullington
RB Kendall Gaskins
WR Lance Lewis
DT Lawrence Okoye
NT Mike Purcell
LB Shayne Skov
LB Chase Thomas

For 49ers' L.J. McCray, a welcome development

Eric Branch

Published 5:43 pm, Monday, September 1, 2014




On Friday, 49ers outside linebacker Aldon Smith was suspended for nine games.

On Sunday, 49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald was arrested for felony domestic violence.

On Saturday, bookended between that barrage of bad news for the team, the 49ers actually had a feel-good story: safety L.J. McCray.

L.J. Mc-Who? McCray is an undrafted rookie from Division II Catawba College in Salisbury, N.C., who is less than a year removed from playing against the likes of Livingstone and Lenoir-Rhyne.

Given his pedigree, he had to sweat out cut-down day Saturday. He discovered he'd survived only when head coach Jim Harbaugh called a team meeting. And McCray was invited.

McCray said Harbaugh opened by saying, "Whoever is in this meeting, congratulations. You've made the team."

Said McCray: "I tried not to make it too obvious. I was in the room with a bunch of older guys and vets. So they were kind of looking at me like, 'You should expect to be here.' So I didn't try to make it a big deal. I just smiled and kept it to myself."

McCray's primary role will be on special teams; he and first-round pick Jimmie Ward will serve as the gunners on punt coverage. They will assume the roles of special-teams stalwarts C.J. Spillman and Kassim Osgood, who were released Saturday, along with safety Bubba Ventrone, another core special-teams player.

Now, on the 49ers' things-to-worry-about list, the revamped special teams probably don't rank at the top. Their first-team offense produced two field goals in seven preseason drives. Meanwhile, their defense will open the season without Smith, linebacker NaVorro Bowman (knee) and nose tackle Glenn Dorsey (biceps), and McDonald's arrest could put at least part of his season in peril.

Still, their special teams will bear monitoring, given their losses.

Osgood, Ventrone and Spillman, who was signed by the Cowboys on Monday, have combined to play in 324 games over 23 seasons and make 263 special-teams tackles.

McCray and draft picks such as Ward, linebacker Chris Borland and cornerback Dontae Johnson will be expected to fill some of the void.

"I wouldn't say pressure," McCray said. "... Those are big shoes to fill, but I definitely feel like it won't be a problem. I definitely think we can do a great job filling in and replacing those guys."

Briefly: A San Jose Police Department spokeswoman said an arrest record wouldn't be released in McDonald's case, but a "synopsis" of the incident would be provided Tuesday. ... The 49ers signed offensive lineman John Fullington to their practice squad. They signed seven players to the 10-man squad Sunday.

At home, no Bowman or Aldon Smith-- a real team wins this game.

ravidubey said:

At home, no Bowman or Aldon Smith-- a real team wins this game.

Click to expand...

Will they have McDonald? Not that that's pivotal or anything....

Cowboys' run defense faces stiff test

September, 2, 2014




By Jean-Jacques Taylor | ESPNDallas.com


The Dallas Cowboys had the NFL’s worst run defense in the preseason, allowing 158.3 yards per game.

For the Cowboys to have any chance to beat San Francisco, they must slow down the 49ers' running attack. Jim Harbaugh’s offense isn’t fancy; it wants to dominate the point of attack and use the running game to set up everything else.

Frank Gore does most of the work for the 49ers, who ran finished third in rushing attempts last season.

He has three 100-yard games each of the past two seasons and 11 games with the 20 carries of more. He’s not a speed runner, but demonstrates extreme patience as a runner.

He has no problem taking his time to let a play develop before attacking the defense’s soft spot.

The Cowboys ranked 27th in the NFL in run defense last season (128.9 yards per game) and yielded more than 130 yards eight times. The Cowboys were 3-5 in those games.

They were 4-0 when holding opponents to fewer than 100 yards.

To slow down San Francisco, the Cowboys will need good performances from defensive end Tyrone Crawford, especially with starter George Selvie slowed by a shoulder injury that kept him out of practice on Monday.

Bruce Carter and Kyle Wilber, who will each play some strongside linebacker, need to perform at a high level.

“They have a big, strong offensive line,” coach Jason Garrett said. “They have a great runner and they have a dynamic playmaking quarterback. The challenges are certainly there. They’re all over the tape.”

boozeman said:

Cowboys' run defense faces stiff test

Click to expand...

Aptly titled given the signing of Sam.

Gameday: Sizing Up Cowboys-49ers After Preseason

Posted 2 hours ago


David Helman

DallasCowboys.com Staff Writer


Sunday marks just the fifth time in franchise history the Cowboys will open the regular season after a winless preseason. They allowed at least 25 points in all four games – a good portion of that coming against backups. Their first offense scored 23 combined points during that stretch, highlighted by a touchdown strike between Tony Romo and Dez Bryant during the second preseason game.

Health appears to be on the Cowboys’ side as this Week 1 clash against San Francisco approaches – something that hasn’t often been the case in recent seasons. Romo is healthy after working through a limited schedule in training camp, and Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said Tuesday that key defensive starters Morris Claiborne and Henry Melton should be ready for Sunday.

Jones also said that George Selvie’s shoulder injury shouldn’t hold him out against the 49ers, which means the Dallas defensive line should be as healthy as it’s been in the past month – that’s despite longer term injuries to Anthony Spencer and DeMarcus Lawrence.
The expectations for the offense are as high as the expectations for the defense are low, and there are unknowns on both sides of the ball. This will be the Cowboys’ first opportunity to see Rolando McClain – the best hope of a placeholder for the injured Sean Lee – in full game action. It’ll also be the first look at No. 16 overall pick Zack Martin, and how he holds up against a top-notch pass rush. Plenty of eyes are also bound to be on Romo’s back and how he holds up against contact.

One game isn’t a good sample size of a season, but Sunday marks the first chance anyone will have to evaluate a lot of the key pieces to this season.

It’d be hard to find a steeper challenge, on paper at least, than NFC West powerhouse San Francisco.

The big talking point about the 49ers is the obvious fact that this team has played in three NFC Championship Games and a Super Bowl since 2011. That success hasn’t necessarily translated to the offseason, however, as San Francisco has had one of the bumpiest rides in the league.

Pro Bowl pass rusher Aldon Smith finally saw the conclusion to his off-field issues last week, and the result was a nine-game suspension from the league. That loss, combined with the fact that fellow Pro Bowler NaVorro Bowman is still recovering from his ACL tear during the playoffs last January, means the 49ers will be without two of their top defenders. The news isn’t much better from there, as San Francisco also lost starting defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey to a torn biceps in the preseason, and fellow defensive lineman Ray McDonald is in doubt for the opener after he was arrested over the weekend.

The offensive line, which struggled at times in the preseason, received a boost Monday when guard Alex Boone returned to the team. Boone held out for the duration of the team’s training camp over contract issues, which he resolved Sunday. His return should be a big positive for a line which has been among the league’s best for the past few years.

Much like Dallas last year, San Francisco made a statement in the offseason by committing a lengthy contract to quarterback Colin Kaepernick. The fourth-year veteran passed for 3,197 yards and rushed for 524 in 2013, and his dual-threat capabilities figure to be a steep challenge for the Dallas defense.

Kaepernick brought the 49ers within five yards of a Super Bowl championship in his first season as the starter, before ultimately losing to Baltimore. The young quarterback returns most of his weapons from last season – Frank Gore, Vernon Davis, Michael Crabtree and Anquan Boldin – and he adds free agent Stevie Johnson and second-round draft pick Carlos Hyde to his arsenal.

Iamtdg said:

Aptly titled given the signing of Sam.

Click to expand...

Dude.

Practice report: T. McClain, Selvie limited

September, 3, 2014



By Tim MacMahon | ESPNDallas.com



IRVING, Texas -- Defensive tackle Terrell McClain and defensive end George Selvie were listed as limited in the Dallas Cowboys' first official practice report of the year.

McClain practiced Monday for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain during the first week of training camp. This was the first time Selvie practiced since the Aug. 23 preseason loss to the Miami Dolphins, when he strained the right shoulder he had surgically repaired during the offseason.

Quarterback Tony Romo, whose surgically repaired back requires constant maintenance, was listed as a full participant on the practice report. If Romo participates in each practice this week, it will be the first time he has practiced three straight days all summer.

The only other Cowboys listed on the injury report were defensive end Anthony Spencer (knee) and offensive tackle Darrion Weems (shoulder), who were out.

boozeman said:

For 49ers' L.J. McCray, a welcome development

Eric Branch

Published 5:43 pm, Monday, September 1, 2014


Briefly: A San Jose Police Department spokeswoman said an arrest record wouldn't be released in McDonald's case, but a "synopsis" of the incident would be provided Tuesday. ... The 49ers signed offensive lineman John Fullington to their practice squad. They signed seven players to the 10-man squad Sunday.

Click to expand...

Won't really be necessary since according to player's statements, at least half of the team was at the party. He just needs to call in players and ask them.

And in Jim Harbaugh is to be believed, McDonald would "not be a member of the team" if a incident of domestic violence against a spouse or a child. Guess it would be up to if Jim is to be believed.

Iamtdg said:

Click to expand...

Well that's too bad. It was pretty much the only reason I was gonna watch the game.

No Crabtree, Smith, or Bowman.

No matter.

Davis, Hyde, and Gore make statements.

But I can't... resist urge... homering out... unghh

Cowboys win! 26-23

ravidubey said:

No Crabtree, Smith, or Bowman.

No matter.

Davis, Hyde, and Gore make statements.

But I can't... resist urge... homering out... unghh

Cowboys win! 26-23

Click to expand...

Crabtree is out this week??

GForce78NJ said:

Crabtree is out this week??

Click to expand...

It is up in the air.

I was looking at their roster today. Wow, they have a shit ton of injuries and suspensions, more than Dallas does.

Never realized how bad off they were.

I guess I would have if some lazy SOB was still doing Primers.

Crabtree says he is playing.

The Niners...wounded animal.

Tim MacMahon ‏@espn_macmahon 38m
Two new additions to Cowboys injury report: First-round RG Zack Martin (foot) was limited. WR Terrance Williams (back) did not practice.

Arlington Curse