Oct. 14, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA; Buffalo Bills wide receiver (13) Stevie Johnson against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Bills defeated the Cardinals 19-16 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
In the offseason, the San Francisco 49ers added some much-needed depth at the wide receiver position by trading for Stevie Johnson.
Click here to read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.
Dec 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) pumps his fist prior to the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
According to San Francisco 49ers safety C.J. Spillman’s Instagram account, Vernon Davis has ended his holdout and reported to 49ers’ training camp today.
Davis was greeted by several teammates, including nose tackle Glenn Dorsey, wide receiver Kassim Osgood, and defensive lineman Lawrence Okoyoe, today at the 49ers’ practice facility in Santa Clara.
Click here to read the rest of the story at Golden Gate Sports.
Dec 29, 2013; Phoenix, AZ, USA; San Francisco 49ers tight end Vernon Davis (85) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
San Francisco 49ers’ tight end Vernon Davis has been sitting out of the 49ers’ voluntary offseason program because he wants a new contract. Davis is sacrificing a $200,000 workout bonus for missing these voluntary workouts.
According to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, Davis hasn’t said much about why he’s missing these workouts. Branch asked Davis whether or not he plans on attending the 49ers’ mandatory minicamp from June 17-19th.
“I might be there,” Davis said. “I might not. It’s mandatory. I probably should be there. We’ll see.”
Read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.
Dec 15, 2013; Tampa, FL, USA; San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) reacts after scoring a touchdown during the first quarter of the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Foldy-USA TODAY Sports
One of the San Francisco 49ers’ biggest weaknesses in 2013 was their lack of depth at the wide receiver position. With Michael Crabtree sidelined for much of the season and Quinton Patton also missing time due to injury, the 49ers had to rely on Anquan Boldin and Kyle Williams, which proved to be not enough for the 49ers’ offense.
Read the full story at Golden Gate Sports.
Sparks Bay Area – Sparks for iPhone
This article was originally published on Golden Gate Sports.
Bay Area sports fans, we root for some of the best teams in the world, and now there’s a way for us to experience Bay Area sports in a whole new way. I’m excited to share with you Sparks Bay Area Sports, a new, free iPhone app.
This new app gives fans a new way to experience Bay Area Sports. Fans can express and discuss their favorite teams by quickly creating fun, visual “sparks,” text and images, that can be shared on Facebook and Twitter.
Sparks Bay Area Sports can be used in many different ways. Fans can start a discussion about certain trending topics, similar to talk radio, between games and then can share in the emotional experience with other fans during games.
Personally, I’ve loved using the app as a Sparks Insider. I’ve found that when I create a “spark” and then tweet it out, it gets a lot of interaction on Twitter! I’ve interacted with more fans because of the app, and it ceratinly has sparked some great discussion about my favorite Bay Area sports teams: the San Francisco Giants, the Golden State Warriors, and the San Francisco 49ers.
A couple of examples of the new free iPhone app Sparks.
I also have found that creating “sparks” is a great way for me to challenge myself creatively. As a very analytical person, I struggle with creativity at times. I’m always open to new challenges, and using “sparks” has allowed me to push myself and find new creative ways to discuss the sports teams that I love the most.
Especially with the Giants season and the Warriors’ playoff run underway, I’ve loved using the app and engaging in more discussion with fans. I’ve seen the endless amount of benefits that the app can bring to a sports’ fan’s life, and I can’t wait for more Bay Area sports fans to use it and experience the great aspects of the app.
Fans can download the app here.
As an added bonus to downloading the app, Sparks is giving away 2 FREE lower level tickets to Game 4 of the Warriors-Clippers series to the user whose spark gets the most retweets this week. You can become eligible to win these two free tickets if you download the app, create awesome sparks while watching the Warriors, and share them to Twitter!
Let’s go Warriors, and let’s start sparking! Check out Sparks for iPhone!
Here are some examples of Sparks that other fans and Bay Area sports personalities, such as Kate T. Scott from KNBR, Dave Flemming from the Giants, and NBA journalist, Matt Steinmetz, have created:
(Photo: MGN Online)
Super Bowl XLVIII, unlike some other recent Super Bowls, will be a matchup of the two best teams during the regular season. Let’s first examine how the Denver Broncos got to the Super Bowl.
The Broncos finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, and they are coming off of an impressive 26-16 win in the AFC Championship over the New England Patriots. The Broncos boast the best offense in the NFL, as they scored 37.9 points per game in the regular season, which was the best in the NFL.
In addition to their exciting, impressive offense, their defense has been underrated recently. In their last four games (the last two regular season games and their two playoff games), their defense has only allowed 13 points, 14 points, 17 points, and 16 points.
The Seattle Seahawks, on the other hand, also finished the regular season with a 13-3 record, and they beat the San Francisco 49ers 23-17 in the NFC Championship. Seattle’s offense isn’t as high-powered as the Broncos’ offense, but the Seahawks have the best defense in the NFL. They gave up just 14.4 points per game in the regular season, which was the best in the NFL.
This Super Bowl is certainly going to be entertaining because of the matchups but also because of some drama off the field.
Peyton Manning had one of the best regular seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. However, many critics have questioned his ability to be effective in the postseason. He’s also had trouble in the past with playing in rainy, snowy, or windy environments.
Initially, it appeared as if the weather at MetLife Stadium on Sunday would exhibit those types of conditions. However, as of recently, the weather forecast has been updated, and there’s only a 10 percent of some type of precipitation. On Sunday, there’s a high temperature of 46 degrees and a low of 26 degress. Manning has experience playing in cold temperatures though, as he plays his home games in Denver.
On the Seahawks side, the drama centers around Richard Sherman. The cornerback showed some unsportsmanlike and disrespectful behavior after winning the NFC Championship. Despite this, he’s one of the best cornerbacks in the NFL and plays with one of the best secondaries in the NFL. Since the Broncos employ such a pass-heavy offense, Manning will have his hands full this Sunday.
Seattle’s defense might be the worst nightmare for a team like Denver that relies on their passing game so much, but there are a few reasons why Manning might be able to overcome such a powerful defense.
First of all, Manning has one of the highest football IQs out of all NFL quarterbacks. He’s not overly quick or mobile, but he is incredibly accurate with his arm and incredibly sharp with his mind. He’s so smart, and he finds ways to avoid contact from the defense. He rarely gets hit or gets sacked, so this will put more pressure of Seattle’s secondary to make big plays.
Second, Seattle’s secondary is superb, but they might not have enough defensive backs to match up with all of Denver’s weapons on offense. Sherman might find a way to contain Demaryius Thomas, but the Broncos also have potent weapons in Wes Welker, Eric Decker, Julius Thomas, and Knowshon Moreno. Even if the Seahawks use a nickel defense, it will be hard to stop or contain every single one of the Broncos’ offensive weapons.
With that being said, let’s get to the prediction. Manning is having a record-breaking season, and I don’t think he will fold under the pressure of the Super Bowl. I don’t think he can be stopped, even by the NFL’s best defense.
Many people say defense wins championships (a saying which is used in many sports), but that’s a naive statement given the fact that Seahawks are a completely different team on the road.
Manning is also one of the most experienced veterans in the NFL, whereas there isn’t one player on the Seattle Seahawks that has any Super Bowl experience. I think Seattle’s inexperience will ultimately cost them.
Given Denver’s underrated defense, Seattle’s loss of identity and consistency on the road, Seattle’s inexperience, Denver’s electrifying offense, and Manning’s elite talent, I predict the Broncos will win the Supper Bowl.
Super Bowl XLVIII Prediction: Denver Broncos 24, Seattle Seahawks 21
Also, several Golden Gate Sports writers, including myself, submitted Super Bowl predictions, which appeared in an article on Friday. Check out what our predictions were here.
The 3rd Sister 