Harbaugh, Kaepernick credit the 49ers’ offensive line

Reuters

Jim Harbaugh and Colin Kaepernick are getting most of the attention when the 49ers meet the media this week, but the 49ers’ coach and quarterback both say the attention should go to the offensive line.

Asked about the offensive skill position players today, Harbaugh quickly changed the subject to talk about the offensive line, and he made a point of mentioning all of his offensive linemen by name.

“I’d like to talk a little bit about our offensive line, if that’s OK,” Harbaugh said. “That’s been a phenomenal group for us, and I’d call them offensive weapons as well. Joe Staley, a very talented player. Tremendous leadership within the group. How exciting for Jonathan Goodwin, being back at the Saints facility yesterday. Memories had to be thick for him. I know he visited with Sean Payton and some of the staff there. What he’s meant to our football team when he first arrived here, we were void at the center position. Jonathan Goodwin has stepped in and started every game, been a great player for us. Anthony Davis’ emergence at right tackle from a toughness standpoint, from a strength standpoint, and just the way he continues to grow and grow and grow as a player. Also, Mike Iupati has gone to the board as one of the top guards in the National Football League. Really excited for Alex Boone as an ascending player, as a tough player, as a leader on our football team. Finally, just the way they have all stayed healthy. They’ve all played well together. It’s really been a strength and a center for our football team. Also, Leonard Davis and what he’s brought to us along with Daniel Kilgore as the sixth and seventh linemen. They’ve been instrumental all year in our extra O-Linemen packages, contributions on special teams. The way they have plugged in at guard, tight end and at the extra tight end position has been huge for us.”

Kaepernick also made a point of crediting the offensive line for his own success.

“They have been doing a phenomenal job blocking people,” Kaepernick said. “In pass protection, I’ve barely been touched. In the run game, they’re opening up huge holes for our running backs. They open up the edges for me when I’ve been running. As an offensive line, they’ve been playing lights out.”

Harbaugh said that the 49ers want to be a team known for dominating the line of scrimmage.

“That’s what our football team wants to be about,” Harbaugh said. “Talking about our offensive line, talking about our defensive line, I think on a football team that’s the character of your football team.”

AP

Brandon Weeden knows he can’t look over his shoulder.  Jason Campbell apparently plans to force him to.

Steve Doerschuk of the Canton Repository reports that Campbell displayed “Roethlisberger-like size” during offseason workouts this week.

“He’s clearly bigger than Brandon Weeden,” Doerschuk writes of Campbell.  “He made Thaddeus Lewis look like a shrimp.”

And while Weeden officially is the starting quarterback, Campbell got the first crack in 11-on-11 drills during the first segment of full-squad practices.  Doerschuk praised Campbell’s performance; if the powers-that-be made the same observations, it’s hard not to wonder whether the presumed pecking order will soon become an open competition.

Campbell would have no complaints about that.  His $1.5 million salary for 2013 expands by $150,000 if he take 50 percent of the snaps in 2013, $350,000 if the number goes to 65 percent, and $600,000 if he takes 80 percent of the snaps.

He also will see his 2014 salary increase based on 2013 playing time; if he takes 65 percent of more of the snaps his $2 million salary for next season becomes $4 million.

The former first-round pick of the Redskins has a long way to go before he takes any of the snaps in 2013, but with the new regime in Cleveland inheriting Weeden and adding Campbell early in free agency, Campbell may have more of a shot than anyone realizes.

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Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski will have a fourth arm surgery on Monday.  But that’s three days away.

OK, two days and change.

Still, that’s time for plenty of living.  And Gronk will be living it up one more time in Las Vegas.

Jumpseat.me, a jet-sharing service, circulated an email late Friday afternoon offering four seats on the private plane that will take Gronkowski a teammate to Nevada.

“This Saturday night, share a cabin and fly privately with Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman from Boston to Las Vegas for a last minute get away before Gronk goes for yet another surgery,” the email explains.  “This is a once in a lifetime opportunity to spend time with a living Patriots legend.  Gronk is offering 4 seats in the cabin.”

While there’s no reason to believe that Gronkowski’s penchant for partying caused or contributed to the infection that invaded his arm following his second surgery, he’s contributing to a perception that, if he would back off on the shirtless slam dancing and everything that goes along with it, he’d be healthy by now.

Then there’s the probability that Gronkowski needs back surgery.  While he’s on his own time and he should be allowed to enjoy his life, he’s inviting criticism from folks who think he’s not taking his career seriously — especially when it appears that his career may be at a crossroads.

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Only one team made it to four straight Super Bowls.  But, like every team, the Buffalo Bills are limited to four heads on their version of Mt. Rushmore.

So nominate the best of the Bills below.

And we realize it won’t be easy.  Jim Kelly, Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed, Bruce Smith, Cornelius Bennett, Darryl Talley, Steve Tasker, etc.

Before we can allow you to vote on four finalists, we need to come up with a dozen nominees.  Help us get there.

And, please, Giants fans.  Don’t nominate Scott Norwood.

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When it comes to the lawsuit recently filed by Bills defensive lineman Mario Williams for the recovery of a $785,000 engagement ring from his former fiancée, the wheels of justice are spinning quickly.

According to David Barron of the Houston Chronicle, lawyers for Williams and Erin Marzouki met for three hours on Friday in an effort to resolve the case informally, but were unsuccessful.

Attorney Tony Buzbee, who represents Marzouki, said that Williams, not Marzouki, broke off the engagement.

“Texas law says that if the man breaks off the engagement, the woman keeps the ring,” Buzbee said.  “Mr. Williams experienced dramatic mood swings throughout the engagement.  It was during one of his low points that he broke off the engagement for the last time this past December.  It was only after Ms. Marzouki refused to take him back that he became angry and filed this frivolous case.

“He should have not filed a case out of anger.  Ms. Marzouki will not be bullied.  In the court system, no matter how rich you are, everyone is treated equally.”

Buzbee also released text messages from Williams to Marzouki, apparently to corroborate the contention of mood swings.

“I took 3 hydrocodones this morning and no one knows,” Williams allegedly said.  “I’m going to take 2 more on the plane and fade away.”  Williams also allegedly said:  “No money in the world should leave me with suicidal thoughts.”

Regardless of the letter of the law, it’s odd that Marzouki would want to keep the ring.  Sure, Williams can afford it.  Sure, she can tell herself that she “deserves” it as compensation for putting up with him.

But the ring was purchased to secure a marriage that never happened.  Regardless of who broke it off, why would Marzouki want to keep it?

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The Bears have reached a contract agreement with first-round pick Kyle Long, the club said Friday night.

The No. 20 overall pick, Long (6-6, 311) is expected to compete for a starting role at guard on a new-look offensive line for Chicago.

Long has relatively little experience as offensive lineman — a mere two collegiate seasons — but the Bears are intrigued by his potential. After the team picked Long, Bears G.M. Phil Emery called the former Oregon lineman a “dynamic athlete.”

“There isn’t a movement playing where this guy doesn’t impress you,” said Emery, according to the club.

Long signed a four-year deal with a club option for a fifth year, which is required by the collective bargaining agreement.

Kyle Long is the son of Hall of Fame defensive end Howie Long.

AP

Titans linebacker Moise Fokou faces an October trial date on charges of driving under the influence and operating a vehicle while impaired in connection with an alleged incident earlier this year in Washington D.C., the Washingtonian magazine reported Friday.

According to the Washingtonian, Fokou was cited in January after being pulled over by the United States Park Police.

Fokou, 27, signed with the Titans in March. He is entering his fifth NFL season.

At attorney for Fokou, Mark Schamel, told both the Washingtonian and the Nashville Tennessean that Fokou will be “cleared” of the charges.

“Mr. Fokou is innocent,” Schamel told the Washingtonian.

The Titans told The Tennessean that they were “aware of the report” regarding Fokou.

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Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin issued another public apology Friday after being suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The statement, which was posted on Irvin’s verified Twitter account, followed an apology issued through the team earlier Friday.

Irvin’s newest statement is a reflection of his contrition, and it’s a window into how he is coping with the fall-out from some bad news — news he knew was coming.

“I messed up and I feel so bad and have been depressed for weeks now,” Irvin said.

Irvin’s backstory is well-known; before he became a star at West Virginia, he encountered off-field trouble and even spent a short stint in prison.

In the statement posted to his Twitter account Friday, Irvin indicated he suspected the suspension could hurt the way he was perceived.

“I’ve had sleepless nights because I knew when this came out, I would let so many people down, including myself,” Irvin wrote. “I have worked so hard to rebuild my image and it takes another blow.”

Apologizing twice won’t undo a four-game suspension, but say this for Irvin — he’s at least shown that his actions impact numerous people, and he has been willing to publicly say he made a mistake. Neither action is easy.

AP

One major reason why the competition for undrafted free agents is so fascinating: every team gets the same amount of money to use for bonuses on undrafted rookies, and it is not much. Per the CBA, the bonus pool was $75,00o in 2011, and it has grown at the same rate of the salary cap since.

Thanks to a report from Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette, we have a sense of how one team allocated their undrafted rookie bonus dollars this spring. According to Hodkiewicz, the Packers gave Oklahoma State offensive guard Lane Taylor $7,000 to sign. Five other players, per the Press-Gazette, received $5,000 bonuses. However, at least two players didn’t receive a bonus whatsoever, according to the report.

The job opportunity itself is what matters for undrafted players. The upfront money, if you can get it, is nice, but it’s really not much. Every undrafted player signs a non-guaranteed three-year deal and works to make it into something more.

And something more isn’t that far outside of the realm of possibility. An undrafted free agent can sign a new contact after his second season, per league rules. Even if that doesn’t happen, the player will likely be an unrestricted free agent no later than after his fourth NFL season — right in the player’s prime earning years.

For most rookies, the bonus money is tantamount to a comped meal at a casino. It is nothing to sniff at, but the real shot at riches is out on the floor with all the bright lights.

Though the NFL has not seen a player die from on-field injuries in decades (Korey Stringer died in 2001 from heat exhaustion), tragedy often strikes at the lower levels of this sport.

It happened recently in Farmerville, Louisiana, to 17-year-old Jaleel Gipson (pictured).  A fullback, Gipson died after fracturing a vertebrate during “Oklahoma drills” at Farmerville High School’s spring practices.  He was on life support for several days.

According to KNOE-TV, Bengals offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth has donated to the family the cost of Gipson’s funeral.  It’s a great gesture, and news of Whitworth’s generosity brought the story to our attention.

Now that we’re here, and speaking primarily as the father of a soon-to-be-17-year-old football player, why in the hell are high school kids doing Oklahoma drills in May, or ever?

The NFL stubbornly believes its rules will trickle down to the lower levels of the sport.  If so, the removal of contact from offseason workouts is trickling from Park Avenue to the Bayou at the rate of partially-frozen molasses.

Jaleel’s coach calls the incident an “unlucky event,” which Jaleel’s family surely  would consider to be the biggest understatement of human history.  The health of our children shouldn’t be left to chance, not when the risk is avoidable.  While we realize that many frustrated, over-the-hill athletes regard high-school sports as having the same significance as the pro game, youth sports are played with children, not adults.

While the excessive zeal of some can undermine the good intentions of the many, it seems like every community has more than a few coaches whose obsession with winning clouds their judgment.  Or, in many cases, supplants it.

Try to remember that your players are our children.  They’re not your tickets to the glory days that have long since passed you by.  They’re our children.

Jaleel Gipson should be alive, and now his family has to deal for the rest of their lives with the fact that he isn’t.  While it’s very good and kind that Andrew Whitworth will pay for Jaleel’s funeral, this situation needs to spark a broader discussion in every school district about putting the same limits on offseason practices that the NFL has instituted.

That won’t bring Jaleel back, but it could protect other kids from suffering a similar fate.

AP

We haven’t had a post all week on the recovery of Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III from his knee surgery, so we’ll squeeze this one in under the wire.

Anyone who has been following the story can probably guess ahead of time that the news is positive. There’s been a steady stream of reports about how well Griffin is progressing in his rehab and that he’s either ahead of or right on schedule to be at quarterback for the team when the 2013 season gets underway. Friday’s entry is from Robert Griffin II and it falls right in line with everything we’ve heard before.

“Robert is doing extremely well as far as the timetable,” Robert Griffin II said, via Jim Corbett of USA Today. “He’s been doing a lot over time, he never stops. He was throwing some prior to the draft. Everything seems to be on cue. Everybody in the organization is targeting that season opener.”

Griffin II also said his son is “wiser” this time around, which is a reminder that the owner of the knee in question recently said that “it’s about taking it slow” when talking about his approach to rehab. It’s good advice for everyone when it comes to RGIII’s status over the next few months since every new thing he does adds the possibility of a setback.

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During the 2012 regular season, punter Chris Kluwe showed support for former Raiders punter Ray Guy.  Now, the Raiders are giving Kluwe a chance to join Guy’s line of successors.

The Raiders announced on Friday that Kluwe has joined the team.  According to Paul Gutierrez of CSNBayArea.com, the Raiders waived punter Bobby Cowan to create a roster spot for Kluwe.

An eight-year veteran, Kluwe was cut last week by the Vikings after the team drafted punter Jeff Locke in the fifth round of the 2013 draft.

The move brings Kluwe back to his home state of California, with a team that can’t say it didn’t know that Kluwe has plenty of non-football interests, including strong support for gay rights.  He’ll now be employed in the state that spawned the current Supreme Court case regarding the constitutionality of bans on same-sex marriage.

Kluwe and Marquette King likely will compete for the chance to replace Shane Lechler, a 2000 draft pick who signed earlier this year with the Texans.  The terms of Kluwe’s contract, which currently aren’t disclosed, will go a long way toward indicating whether Kluwe has, yes, a leg up.

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There were reports Thursday that safety Kemal Ishmael had signed his rookie deal with the Falcons and the team confirmed them by announcing Ishmael’s signing on Friday.

They added three more signings to the pot for good measure. The Falcons announced that fourth-round defensive end Malliciah Goodman, fifth-round defensive end Stansly Maponga and seventh-round safety Zeke Motta have all agreed to contracts as well.

Goodman had 12 sacks during his career at Clemson and projects to be a versatile enough player to line up inside on passing downs to help pressure opposing quarterbacks. He’ll compete with Kroy Biermann across from Osi Umenyiora.

Maponga is the latest in a line of late-round attempts to find pass rushing help by the Falcons. He had nine sacks in 2011 at TCU, but a foot injury helped him slump to just four in 2012. Even with Umenyiora around as John Abraham’s replacement up front, the team could use a little more bite in the pass rush so Maponga could work his way into the mix on passing downs with a strong camp.

Like many seventh-rounders, special teams is likely to be Motta’s ticket to the final roster. The same’s true of Ishmael, which may mean the two of them are fighting for one spot.

AP

A mere possibility quickly has become a probability.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski “probably” will need back surgery.  He currently is waiting for a second opinion from Dr. Robert Watkins.

The back surgery, if it occurs, is expected to happen within three-to-four weeks after the upcoming surgery on his forearm, which currently is set for Monday.

The timetable could hinge on whether the infection is indeed gone from Gronkowski’s forearm.  If it is, he’ll need only one more surgery (the fourth) on his arm, and then the back surgery would be able to proceed.

If the infection is still there (doctors currently believe it isn’t), a fifth surgery on the arm may be needed.  Which could delay the back surgery.

Gronkowski was available in the second round of the 2010 draft due to a back problem that caused him to miss all of the 2009 college football season.

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The Seahawks bought pass-rushers in bulk this offseason, and it’s a good thing they did.

The league announced that Seahawks defensive end Bruce Irvin has been suspended four games for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing substances.

He can still take part in offseason workouts, training camp and the preseason, but won’t be eligible to play until after their Sept. 29 game against the Texans.

Irvin had 8.0 sacks as a rookie, but was being counted on for more this year.

“I want to apologize to my teammates, coaches and Seahawks fans for making a mistake when I took a substance that is prohibited in the NFL without a medical exemption,” Irvin said in a statement released by the team. “I am extremely disappointed in the poor judgment I showed and take full responsibility for my actions. I will not appeal the discipline and instead will focus my energy on preparing for the season so I can begin earning your trust and respect again. I look forward to contributing to the team the moment I return.”

Mentioning the lack of a medical exemption makes it sound like this one’s going to be blamed on Adderall.

His absence for the first month justifies their offseason additions of Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett.

AP

The Redskins drafted several defensive backs who should make a quick impact. And they’re signing them quickly as well.

The team just tweeted out a photo of second-round cornerback David Amerson signing his rookie deal.

That leaves just third-round tight end Jordan Reed as their only unsigned pick.

Amerson’s a physically gifted player, whose game tape didn’t always match his talent. He intercepted 13 passes as a junior at N.C. State, but that number dropped to five and the big plays allowed rose dramatically.

If the Redskins can teach him to play consistently, instead of always going for highlight plays, they may have found something.