San Francisco 49ers: Jim Harbaugh Calls Peyton Manning Rumors "Silly and Untrue"

Jim Harbaugh went out of his way on Wednesday to set the record straight on the San Francisco 49ers and the offseason Peyton Manning rumors.

The 49ers were reportedly "flirting" with the idea of having Manning become a part of their team before the Denver Broncos acquired him this past offseason.


San Francisco then re-signed quarterback Alex Smith who took them to a 13-3 season in 2011 and the NFC Championship game.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area has the video of Harbaugh speaking to the media, calling the Manning offseason rumors with the 49ers an "erroneous perception that we were flirting with Peyton Manning."  He went on to call the rumors "silly and untrue."

It is pretty out of the ordinary for the 49ers coach to speak about a topic like this.  The close-nit head coach of the 2012 NFC West champions holds his comments very close to the vest when he speaks of issues inside 49ers headquarters.  It was especially odd that he spoke on a matter that has been over with for some time.  It has obviously been on his mind, and he felt he needed to address it and set the record straight.

However, it is hard to believe what he was saying.  Harbaugh went on to say that if the 49ers had acquired Manning, they would have carried two quarterbacks -- Alex Smith and Manning -- into 2012.

Smith had already been talking to the Miami Dolphins as per his free agent rights, which extremely contradicts what Harbaugh had said about keeping Smith on the roster with Manning.

Although Harbaugh said that those were the intentions of the team, there is a lot of doubt that Smith would prefer to hang around San Francisco to become a back-up to Manning.

Credit Harbaugh for coming out and addressing the topic once and for all, although he may have just re-lit the fire under this topic once again.

For now, Manning is in Denver, Smith is in San Francisco and Harbaugh still holds the reigns to a Super Bowl contender.

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San Francisco 49ers: Tarell Brown's Bold Interception Prediction Is Not Bold At All

It was a reality check for the San Francisco 49ers and everybody watching the NFC Championship when 49ers cornerback Tarell Brown was hurt in a collision with the ultra-aggressive safety Dashon Goldson.  Brown left the game with head and neck injuries and the 49ers went on to lose the game to the New York Giants.


It was then and there that we found out how much of an underrated role Brown played on the 49ers.  Tramaine Brock came in to replace him in the game, and although he had solid coverage on then Giants receiver Mario Manningham, Manningham hauled a pass in for the touchdown and the fourth quarter lead.

Brown had 40 tackles and four interceptions in 2011.  The NFL leader in interceptions last season was a tie between Packers cornerback Charles Woodson, Chargers safety Eric Weddle and Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington who all had seven interceptions.

Knowing those statistics and where Brown sits in the rank of some of the best defensive backs in the NFL, it still did not stop him from making a very bold prediction last week on Twitter.

"Quick note..I will lead the league in INT's and make pro bowl #fuel to fire."

I am not sure many in the NFL knew who Brown was as of the start of the 2011 season, and now he is predicting that he will lead the league in interceptions in 2012?

The SFGate.com's Kevin Lynch is also reporting that Brown will donate his paycheck to single parent mothers in his hometown of Mesquite, Texas.

“It’s not cockiness or anything like that, it’s just confidence. Any time you play you have to have confidence,” Brown said. 

But why can't Brown leading the league in interceptions in 2012?

The 27-year-old has been one of the most consistent defensive backs for the 49ers in the past four seasons, playing in all but two games for San Francisco since 2008.  He has also averaged right around 40 tackles per season season since 2009.

However, we are talking about interceptions here, and Brown just this past year made a name for himself in that category.  Jumping from four interceptions to seven interceptions or more in a season is easier said than done at this point.

Brown did pick a good team to make that bold prediction on, though.  If he was on any other team in the NFL, his tweet may have been taken as ridiculous, but he is on one of the best defenses in the NFL in the 49ers.  They have a solid pass rush, a defensive line that can stop the run unlike any other team in the NFL and a secondary that is consistently getting better.

A motivated cornerback may be just what this team needs.

We know Brown is going to get his chances for interceptions this season, which is why him leading the NFL in interceptions is not crazy as many think.  On the other side of Brown, the 49ers have Carlos Rogers who quickly made a name for himself last season when he hauled in six interceptions -- just one off the NFL lead.

With Rogers' new reputation for locking down opposing wide receivers, it would appear Brown will get his shot this season, as more balls will surely be thrown his way.

Brown had four interceptions in 2011, but seeing him reach six or seven interceptions in 2012 just like Rogers did in 2011 is very possible and should not be taken as a foolish prediction.

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San Francisco Giants: Re-Signing Melky Cabrera Will Not Be Easy

It is pretty obvious at this point that the San Francisco Giants have put re-signing Melky Cabrera at the top of their priority list.

He has been one of the biggest surprises of the baseball season so far, and easily the best offseason acquisition for the Giants this season.  Cabrera currently owns the National League's highest batting average (.376), and is also the MLB's leader in hits this season (75).


Cabrera will be a free agent after this season and is getting paid $6 million in 2012.

It would be a no-brainer at this point for GM Brian Sabean to offer him a contract.

However, that part is easier said than done.  There are two ways this can go for the Giants and Cabrera:  Sign him during the season or sign him after the season.

Both have their risks.  Signing Cabrera during the season could make him lackluster the rest of it, and attempting to sign him after the season would only allow him possibly explore other options in free agency.

The money part of the whole deal is also where it could get a little problematic.

Comcast SportsNet Bay Area's Andrew Baggarly explored this side of the presumed negotiations late last week, citing the Baltimore Orioles' Adam Jones as an example.

"(Cabrera's) price might have gone up this week, too, with Baltimore's Adam Jones nearing a signature on an extension that reportedly will guarantee him $85 million over six years. Jones trails Cabrera by one year of service time, too. In other words, he won't be a free agent after this season, like Cabrera will be."

Jones will be getting paid around $14 million for the next six seasons with the Orioles.

One would think that Jones' and Cabrera's contracts are linked in one way or another.  These are two of the best hitters in the game with relatively about the same amount of years under their belts and both having great seasons in 2012.

The difference is that the Orioles locked up Jones for six years, and now the Giants will have to match that money when they pursue Cabrera.

Sabean's answer to the possible Cabrera re-signing pretty much sums up what kind of situation they are in right now.

"The stars would have to align," he said when asked if re-signing Cabrera during the season was an option at all.

In other words, there was no help from the Orioles here.

Is Cabrera worth around $14 million?

It may not matter because if the Giants want him on their team for years to come, they will have to pay him somewhere around that number.

Sabean understands they need to re-sign Cabrera, but doing so during the season seems out of the question at this point, especially since Baltimore may have made matters worse with Jones' recent deal.

For now, we can enjoy what Cabrera is bringing to this team and what kind of a season he is having so far, but rest assured his contract will be a topic throughout the season and most likely ongoing into the offseason.

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Jon Beason Responds to 49ers QB Alex Smith's Comment on Panthers' Cam Newton

San Francisco 49ers' quarterback Alex Smith may have barked up the wrong tree when he took his stance on the yards per game category in the NFL.  It was not his stance on the subject that was the problem, but who he cited as the main culprit of the statistic.


Here is what Smith had to say on Wednesday.

"I could absolutely care less on yards per game," Smith said. "I think that is a totally overblown stat because if you’re losing games in the second half, guess what, you’re like the Carolina Panthers and you’re going no-huddle the entire second half. Yeah, Cam Newton threw for a lot of 300-yard games. That’s great. You’re not winning, though."

It was really Smith's only answer to the question, although he could have left out Newton's name from his answer.  Of course Smith would not care about statistics or yards per game because he rarely has any games where we stand in shock of his game totals.  The 49ers were 13-3 and the overall consensus seems to be that the team won so many games despite their quarterback play and not because of it.

That is why it was strange to see Smith have a response to a question like that.  How could he not, though?

Smith is on the top of the world right now.  His team went to the NFC Championship last season, his coach loves him and he was just given three key weapons to throw to in addition to what he already has.

Life is good for Smith and the 49ers these days.

That is until Carolina's Panthers linebacker and Newton's teammate, Jon Beason, took to Twitter on Thursday to repsond to Smith's comment on Newton.

"Alex smith, don't hate on Cam Bc your stats would've gotten u cut if Peyton decided to come 2 San Fran.Truth b told..That's after a 13-3 yr."

A fair point, although many quarterbacks in the NFL would have lost their jobs to Peyton Manning this offseason -- not just Smith.

Beason has every right to stand up and say something in defense of his quarterback, who happened to pass for almost 1,000 yards more than Smith in 2011.  However, Smith starts on a team that happens to be a Super Bowl contender, and Newton will have to rearrange his game to do that anytime soon.

Whether or not Smith responds to Beason is irrelevant at this point, although knowing the way Jim Harbaugh works we can expect the end of this topic.

Both points are well-taken, but it is rather unsatisfying that the 49ers and Panthers do not play each other this season.  That way, we could see which point truly wins -- a game-managing quarterback with a stellar defense or a highlight reel quarterback whose team is stuck at the bottom of the NFL cellar.

The bottom line here is that Smith has a tenacious defense on the field when he is off it.  For now, that is all he needs.

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Golden State Warriors: Check Out the New San Francisco Arena Images

It was quite a scene at Piers 30/32 on Tuesday at the Golden State Warriors press conference.  They did, in fact, announce they have intentions of building a state-of-the-art arena on that land, and they committed to the date of the 2017-18 season for which the project would be hopefully completed.

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Golden State Warriors Moving to San Francisco: Many Promises But Far From Done Deal

It was quite a scene at Piers 30/32 on Tuesday at the Golden State Warriors press conference.  They did, in fact, announce they have intentions of building a state-of-the-art arena on that land, and they committed to the date of the 2017-18 season for which the project would be hopefully completed.


But after many cliches and pats on the back later, what do we have?

Owners Joe Lacob and Peter Guber made it a point that this arena is going to be special.  It is on the water with great views of the Bay Bridge, which will ultimately be the backdrop for the promised masterpiece they hope to build.

"I want everyone to understand that it can be done. And it will be done," Lacob said.

However, nothing is set in stone.  There was no new news to report, and we know the same facts we knew before -- other than the confirmation that the team does plan to move to the city it once called home.  They also confirmed that the arena will be paid for in private funding, which is more of a wait-and-see idea than anything else at this point.

"We're privately financing this arena, and we think that's important," Lacob said.

Many obstacles stand in the way of this arena potentially being built, though.  Parking may be the first thing that comes to many people's minds.  Reports are the arena will be built with room for 1,000 parking spaces, which is hardly enough for the state-of-the-art arena that they are selling to Warriors fans.

A parking garage or another way of transporting people to the arena must be in the works if this project is to fit smoothly into the busy and crowded lifestyle that the Embarcadero is sure to become.

What we did find out was that the team wants this arena to stand out.  They have great minds like Lacob and Guber at the head of this project and a go-getter mayor in Ed Lee to do it with.

Guber made that a point in his speech at the press conference.

"We have to build a digitally-fit arena," Peter Guber said.

This will be an arena that rises above the expectations if it ever gets built -- which is the main discussion at this point.

Lacob acknowledged at the press conference that the arena would need every bit of the coming five years for the arena to built, leaving us with a little doubt as to if this project can be finished in time.  The Warriors' lease with Oracle Arena expires in 2017, but if the San Francisco arena is not ready in time, the team may have no choice but to stick around Oracle Arena past the 2017 date.

However, this was a great day for the Warriors.  It was the first step in the direction of getting this franchise into playoff-form and digging themselves out of the Western Conference cellar.

While today the owners and front office personnel of the team were congratulating themselves on the intent to move to San Francisco, today also begins the work.  Again, the arena will need all five years for it to be built in time, and it will be interesting to see how the progression of the project goes forward from here.

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Golden State Warriors Schedule Tuesday Press Conference To Announce Move To San Francisco

The Golden State Warriors have scheduled a press conference Tuesday morning at 10 a.m. presumably to announce the team's relocation to San Francisco in time for the 2017-18 NBA season.


Adam Lauridsen, who writes Fast Break, a Warriors fan blog, broke the news on Sunday, saying that the team plans on making the announcement sometime this week.

Lacob had this quote about the prospected arena in San Francisco just last year.

"The potential for building an arena near AT&T Park is very exciting," Lacob told the San Francisco Chronicle in December 2011. "The Giants have done some remarkable things over there. It's a great ballpark that revitalized an entire part of the city."

The state-of-the-art arena will reportedly be built on piers 30 and 32, the same piers the X Games was located on in 1999 and 2000.  The location is between the Bay Bridge and AT&T Park.

The arena will be privately funded and include around 1,000 parking spaces.

According to CSN Bay Area's Matt Steinmetz, Lacob and Guber were at San Francisco City Hall, meeting with mayor Ed Lee about the project. Lee also sent a letter signed by all 11 members of the Board of Supervisors expressing a desire for the team to relocate to San Francisco.

The City of Oakland made this statement on Monday.

“We are still in direct dialogue with the Warriors about the opportunity to build a new arena. We have always been aware that they are exploring all their options, including a San Francisco site. We continue to believe that Coliseum City offers the best new home to the Warriors, Oakland A’s and Oakland Raiders.”

Owner Joe Lacob neither confirmed or denied the report, replying to SJ Mercury News writer Tim Kawakami's email on Sunday with this response.

"We are not prepared to make any announcements at this time."

Evidently, they were on Monday, with the announcement of Tuesday's press conference.

We will be sure to find out all the bits and pieces associated with this project.  The presumed main question regarding the new arena would be parking, which is set to include a small parking lot.

A parking garage or underground parking could be created along with the arena in order for parking to be accessible to the multitude of fans that should be making their way to piers 30 and 32 in the near future.

The Warriors, despite losing seasons, managed to consistently sellout their games this season.  The conflict here would be can the Warriors continue to sellout in San Francisco?

It would be a new brand of basketball with a new brand of fans, and odds are the attraction to the team would continue with the extra 30 minute-drive to the San Francisco piers.

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Golden State Warriors' Move To San Francisco Makes Joe Lacob Ownership A Success

The re-location out of the Oakland has begun, and surprisingly the Golden State Warriors are the first Oakland-based team to do it.  According to the San Jose Mercury News, the Warriors have finalized a deal that will relocate them from one of the oldest arenas in the NBA (Oracle Arena) to a state-of-the-art arena in San Francisco by the 2017-18 NBA season.

The arena is reportedly going to be built on piers 30-32 and will be paid for by private funding.  The deal is said to include 1,000 parking spaces for the venue.

Surprised?

I would think a lot of people are.

With all of the hoopla surrounding the Oakland A's possible move out of Oakland and into San Jose, as well as the Oakland Raiders' constant speculation of the team inevitably moving to Los Angeles, it is the Warriors who are the first to announce the move.

The news is not official by any means.  The San Jose Mercury News' Tim Kawakami reached owner Joe Lacob by email and received this response.

"We are not prepared to make any announcements at this time."

However, the report does state that the announcement of the move will come this week, and no one was expecting for Lacob to confirm the report today.

What does this say about the Golden State Warriors' franchise, though?

Within the last couple of months, the team was accused of tanking the season, and the fans booed the team's owner on center court during Chris Mullin's own ceremony.

This is Lacob's way of assuring the Golden State faithful that this team is in the right hands, and the re-location to San Francisco is the first move onto the right path.

Would former owner Chris Cohan have moved this team out of Oakland, where no superstar player wants to play?

Not likely.

Lacob is in this for the love of the game, and the love of turning teams into bonafide contenders.  

Since he has taken over as team owner, Lacob has fired Keith Smart, hired Mark Jackson and a slew of qualified assistant coaches, promoted Bob Myers to general manager and made plays for Tyson Chandler, DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard in hopes of landing a big man.

He also changed the image of this team by trading Monta Ellis to the Bucks for a legitimate big man in Andrew Bogut.

Ultimately, the first step to changing this team from the cellar of the Western Conference to playoff contender was to move out of Oakland.  It was the reason Howard never considered the Warriors and probably the biggest reason behind Jordan and Chandler choosing elsewhere.

No, Lacob has not made the best moves, although that has yet to be determined.  But he is making moves, which is something we have rarely seen in the last 20 years of the Warriors.

Whatever else happens in the coming months and throughout next season, rest assured that Lacob's ownership has officially become a success because he was the one to pull the Warriors out of Oakland and into NBA relevancy.

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Report: Golden State Warriors Moving To San Francisco By 2017

According to @GSWFastBreak, the Warriors have finalized plans to move from Oakland to San Francisco in 2017. The move would provide the Warriors with a brand new, modern, multi-use arena on Pier 30/32 that would be utilized not only for basketball but other various events. The privately funded arena — assuming all goes smoothly — would cut the tape before the 2017-2018 season.

Sources: Warriors have finalized plans to move to San Francisco. Announcement could come as early as Tues. Pier 31/32 arena w/ private $$$.

— Fast Break (@GSWFastBreak) May 20, 2012

Read the rest of this article HERE

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San Francisco Giants: Time to Re-Sign Melky Cabrera?

The topic has been brought up on sports talk radio and has been speculated over the past couple weeks, but when is the time to re-sign team stand-out Melky Cabrera?

The overall consensus would be that the Giants would love Cabrera back with the team next season.  He is getting paid $6 million this season and will be a free agent after 2012, which means the Giants need to act quick if they want to lock up their seemingly only productive hitter for multiple seasons.


Credit GM Brian Sabean with this pick-up, though.  For how many contracts and trades he has botched while with San Francisco, a few tend to sneak through and become excellent acquisitions.  Cabrera has been just that.

The San Francisco Chronicle's Gwen Knapp wrote in her column this past week inquiring about when and if the two sides could possibly come to an agreement.

Would the Giants wait and see if Cabrera is truly for real?  Or does Cabrera wait and see if this is a team he really wants to be a part of for seasons to come?

Sabean told Knapp that the Giants may be leaning towards striking a deal with Cabrera sooner rather than later.

"Not necessarily," he said when asked about waiting until November to make an offer to Cabrera. "I think it's different with a transitional player, depending on who the agent is or the appetite of the player. So I wouldn't say that's an absolute."

November seems a long ways far off in the distance right now, especially to re-sign a player that has had this much effect on a ball club.

Cabrera is batting .336 with 16 RBI and has an OBP of .383 this season.  He is also fifth in the MLB in hits so far this year -- not bad for a near afterthought acquisition in baseball this offseason.

But with Sabean all but guaranteeing that the team would be offering Cabrera a contract in the near future comes the next thought to pop in people's heads -- would Cabrera want to stay in San Francisco?

AT&T Park is not a hitter's ballpark by any means, yet Cabrera is having success there by slapping balls into the gaps and managing to get on base in a variety of different ways.  However, the team's offense has struggled this season and will most likely be competing throughout the year just to make the playoffs.

If he stays in San Francisco, would he want the to be the main attraction in the lineup for opposing pitchers?

Better yet, with his numbers this season, would he want to test the free agent waters and see what he can get from other teams?

"You have to gauge how he feels about being on a club like this, a West Coast club, in the National League, how he's getting along off the field," Sabean said of Cabrera's future. "From all indications, he really likes being here."

Although that is the insight you would expect from a general manager just 36 games into a season, you have to take his word at this point.  After the miserable time Cabrera had in Atlanta, San Francisco is looking pretty good right now.  He may feel like he owes Hensley Meulens and Bruce Bochy a lot by virtually resurrecting his MLB career.

If that is the case, Sabean better act quickly and lock him up for however long he will allow them to.  Cabrera has arguably been the only Giants player holding them to .500 baseball right now, and if San Francisco manages to make a run further down the line and becomes one of the better teams in baseball -- which we all know they have the talent to be -- then Cabrera would be the player leading them.

For just that, the Giants owe it to him to make him an offer he cannot refuse earlier in the season, rather than in November.

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MLB Trade Rumors: San Francisco Giants in Running to Land Kevin Youkilis?

Thirty games into the MLB regular season, and we are already talking about possible trades occurring.  However, the way this season has gone for many teams, it was bound to happen eventually.  The Boston Red Sox and San Francisco Giants are two teams many saw taking this road, and it is only fitting they become rumored together.


ESPN Boston's Gordon Edes is reporting that the Giants are viable contenders to land the Red Sox Kevin Youkilis.

"But there are teams that are looking for a hitter, and Youkilis can play either corner, although I think he might be better back at first. The Giants need a bat, the Phillies are looking for a third baseman, there are a lot of teams that could use more offense," one source said.

It seems possible.

The Giants are just about at that point where desperation is kicking in, what with the hitting being lackluster, among several other problems.  The team is 15-15, while the Dodgers are playing great baseball and have taken a four-game lead in the NL West.

The Red Sox have also had their share of problems, from Bobby Valentine flapping his mouth about his players to the team being last in the AL East and 6.5 games back.

Things need to change for both team going forward if they are to even make dents in their respective leagues.  It was only fitting that Youkilis' name be placed on the rumored trade block and the Giants to be in the market for a bat that can play both third and first base -- two positions San Francisco could use right now.

Pablo Sandoval is out 4-6 weeks, and they have had problems all year will deciding on a stable first baseman.

The package for Youkilis would seem expensive, though.  He will be a free agent after this season and has a $1 million buyout connected to the club option of $13 million in 2013.

Is it worth it to the Giants to take that on, and what would they have to give up in order to acquire him?

It feels like this story is just getting started, but the two teams' situations seem to match-up pretty well with each other.

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San Francisco Giants: Which Pitcher Do They Start If They Had to Win One Game?

Oddly enough, this topic would never come up with a 15-15 record and concerns about defense and hitting, but the fact is that the tide on the mound is turning in San Francisco.  Not at the plate -- the lack of production and runs scored seems to be the only thing manager Bruce Bochy can count on these days.  But the best pitcher on one of the best rotations in the MLB has somewhat of a conflict at the top, and that is the best possible thing the Giants can hope for right now.


So who do the Giants throw on the mound if there was one game they had to win?

The usual suspects are the obvious choices.  Matt Cain and Tim Lincecum have been with San Francisco since the very beginning of their careers and have consistently put up numbers to back up the star status they have drawn over the past couple years.

However, Lincecum has faltered this season.  The contract talks over the offseason may have something to do with that, but GM Brian Sabean and Co. are looking pretty smart right now taking the evaluation route with Lincecum and the coveted lengthy contract he desired.

His old dominant stuff is no longer there, and it has caused him to forcibly make pitches instead of having that come as second-nature to him, which we have grown so accustomed to.  Back-to-back Cy Youngs will do that to a pitcher, though.

With Lincecum off to a rather disappointing start, it has appeared Cain has become the most prominent Giants player on the mound.  He has the name, the accuracy and even the ability to be clutch in the most serious of moments on the mound.

More than that, he has been easy to count on when his name is called every fourth or fifth day.


The same cannot be said of Lincecum, which is why it would be hard for Bochy to go with The Freak over The Horse right now.

Through all this, we seem to wipe Madison Bumgarner right under the rug.

No, he does not have the out-going personality and stuff on the mound that blows hitters away, but he will get the job done, as has been the case this season.

He is 5-1 with a 2.31 E.R.A. so far.

At just 22-years old, he has most assuredly become the future of the franchise on the bump with Cain.  Bumgarner now comes before Lincecum on the list of 'who the Giants should sign to contracts over five years.'

"He gave us what we needed," Bochy said after the win over the Brewers last week. "When you have a losing streak like this, you need someone to go out there and have a game like he did. He has a lot of confidence going right now."

The main asset in a pitcher that you want on the bump for one game that the team must win is reliability.  Can we count on this pitcher to go out and give us seven innings of solid pitching, while allowing less than two or three runs?

As of right now, Cain and Bumgarner are the only two pitchers that should be in that conversation.  The time in San Francisco for Lincecum is quickly coming to a halt, and the Giants know that.

However, if there was one pitcher that fits every need for the Giants for one game, it would have to be Cain.  He simply provides the team with confidence while on the mound.

Bumgarner has received at least four runs of support in every one of his starts this season, and Cain has received that in only three of his six starts, but there is a calmness when Cain is on the mound tat cannot be matched.  The Giants take assurance in that, but his 1-2 record simply does not show that, and that needs to change if this is to be a unanimous selection.

Cain is the wise choice in the given situation right now, but Bumgarner is not far off from quickly overtaking the top pitcher on the Giants' roster.

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