FAMILIAR FACES: 49ers wideouts Anquan Boldin and Torrey Smith played for the winning Ravens on that Super Bowl team that beat San Francisco 34-31 after the 2012 season.
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“I think it was a lot better, and I think it showed, too”, Smith said of the lines of communication between Kaepernick and the receivers. But both the 49ers and Ravens still have a chance to turn their years around and make a push within their respective divisions. But we blitzed a lot in that game…. He said he respects his new fan base too much to go into it. While the 49ers entered the season with few people picking them to do much after so much roster turnover, the Ravens were widely seen as Super Bowl contenders.
“We had a bunch of times last game where we got in the backfield, we just didn’t get him down”, Mosley said.
“It’s disrespectful to even talk about it, because you have so many guys on this team who weren’t a part of it, and they’re trying to be a part of something great in the moment, and I am too”.
Asked to assess his brother’s successor, Jim Tomsula, Harbaugh responded: “I don’t know”.
“I’m just going to take full advantage of my opportunity going back there and knowing them so well”, Wright said. But we have a job to do here. “But I’m excited about being here”. Smith led the team with 123 tackles in his first season in Baltimore, had 127 last season and leads the club with 46 this season. Other than those two, there are only a handful of remaining players on either side who were in the Super Bowl.
The Harbaugh coming to Levi’s Stadium on Sunday is Ravens coach John Harbaugh. “All the things he does well, he still does well”.
Asking Jimmy Smith though, Wright is a player that taught him what he knows and is going into a good situation, something he might not have had previously. But there are also signs for optimism, like the excellent play of Justin Forsett and an improving Joe Flacco.
The release of Babin means the Ravens will head into San Francisco with three healthy outside linebackers – Courtney Upshaw, rookie Za’Darius Smith and Albert McClellan. His 20.6 average per catch is also second in the NFL.
In losses to the Cardinals and Packers, Kaepernick combined to throw five interceptions with no touchdowns, with a passer rating of 25.7, marking one of the worst two-game stretches of his career.
RB Reggie Bush (calf) probably will miss Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens after reinjuring his calf in the Week 5 loss to the New York Giants.
“It definitely is a major change from what it was just a short time ago”, Harbaugh said. “It sounds like a broken record, but when you do that, you’re able to play well”. “We’re searching for it, and hopefully we find the answer this week”. From 1999 through 2011, the Ravens finished in the top 10 in defense every year but one. It’s always “The next man up” philosophy.
Prediction: A previously ineffective 49ers offense woke up against the Giants, enough to almost pull out a road win. “That’s fine, but at the end of the day we have to believe in ourselves and as a team we’ve got to know what we’re worth”.
The Ravens had to swoop in to sign Shareece Wright to a contract because the ex-49ers cornerback was about to join – and this should come as no surprise – the Seattle Seahawks. The longer the season goes on, the more injuries become frequent: that’s the nature of the sport. Manning and fellow QBs Aaron Rodgers, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer were able to pick apart the 49ers’ suspect secondary.
The chemistry between Kaepernick and the 49ers’ receivers was clearly lacking in losses to Arizona and Green Bay the previous two weeks.
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The on-field back and forth and post-game exchanges will really be the storylines to track.
