49ers carry on despite field issues at UNLV
From Staff and Wire Reports
NFL Players Association officials are strongly backing the 49ers’ concerns about their practice field ahead of Sunday’s Super Bowl.
The 49ers went ahead Wednesday and held their first official practice of Super Bowl week at UNLV, where a soft, grass field was laid atop synthetic turf.
The thoroughly inspected field “really isn’t up to snuff for what our players deserve,” NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell Jr. said. “Yes, we are aware of the issue. Yes, through a combination of our player directors and consulting with the league, hopefully, we’ve gotten to a workable condition.”
On Monday, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed the field’s issues, saying it’s “playable.”
NFLPA president J.C. Tretter took exception to that description.
“We talked last week that we need to raise the level to make both surfaces (grass and turf) high quality, and then a week later you’re saying it’s OK because it’s playable,” Tretter said. “Playable is not the same standard as high quality. It’s about as low as you can go to say it’s OK.”
Coach Kyle Shanahan had previously shied away from any field criticism, saying he is “not worried about it at all. It is what it is. We won’t change anything.”
Bay Area News Group
Kansas City on Wednesday activated receiver Skyy Moore from injured reserve and placed defensive end Charles Omenihu on IR. Aside from Omenihu, who was injured in the AFC Championship victory at Baltimore, the Chiefs could be without three other key players: Receiver Kadarius Toney, running back Jerick Mckinnon, and starting guard Joe Thuney.
Toney appeared to get into a dispute with Chiefs management about a hip injury that sidelined him for six games, going on Instagram to say he
CHIEFS INJURY UPDATE >> didn’t receive the proper injury designation for the AFC championship game at Baltimore on Jan. 28.
But he told NFL Network on Monday that his expletive-filled rant was aimed at a New York Giants fan and not the Chiefs and called his outburst a mistake.
Chiefs coach Andy Reid didn’t commit to playing Toney, opening the way for a potential healthy scratch.
Reid wasn’t optimistic the versatile Mckinnon or Thuney would play. Mckinnon has been on injured reserve since Dec. 24 with a groin injury and hasn’t practiced. Thuney didn’t play against the Ravens because of a pectoral injury.
“We’ll see (whether Thuney practices),” Reid said. “I think it’s a long shot.”
WILKS CALLS OUT 49ERS DEFENSE >>
San Francisco defensive coordinator Steve Wilks called out his unit last week for not playing hard on every play of their 34-31 victory over the Detroit Lions in the NFC championship game.
Safety Tashaun Gipson agreed. “That’s something that never needs to be coached,” Gipson said. “That’s something that never needs to be addressed. This is the National Football League. You’re here on the biggest stage. Those plays are unacceptable. Led to two touchdowns.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan said lack of effort was an issue, but there were other problems the Niners had in trying to stop Detroit’s running attack in the first half when the Lions rushed for 148 yards. But they had only 34 after that.
“When you play an eight-man front, it just takes one guy to (be) out of the gap for there to be only one (defender) left,” Shanahan said. “That’s stuff we’ve got to do a lot better at.”
Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, the reigning women’s college basketball player of the year, continues to sell out arenas at home and on the road as she chases the
PURDY-CLARK CONNECTION >>
NCAA Division I scoring record.
Her brother was the backup quarterback at rival Iowa State to 49ers second-year starter Brock Purdy. Blake Clark will be the best man in Purdy’s upcoming wedding.
“Caitlin, I wasn’t around as much, but obviously just through Blake, we’d always watch her,” Purdy said. “What a baller she was from day one. Obviously, even high school. We knew that she was going to be a game changer. To see her now, just absolutely killing it, couldn’t be happier for her.”
Clark is 66 points from breaking the NCAA record of 3,527 held by former Washington star and current Las Vegas Aces All-star Kelsey Plum.
Jesse Minter is following Jim Harbaugh from the University of Michigan to the Chargers, where he was announced as defensive coordinator on Tuesday night. He is the second member of Harbaugh’s Michigan staff to be confirmed as taking a job with Los Angeles. Ben Herbert was announced as the strength and conditioning coach last week.
Minter directed the Wolverines’ defense the last two seasons. They were the top-ranked unit in the country last season, allowing 247 yards per game as Michigan went 15-0 and won its first national championship since 1997.
This will be Minter’s second stint in the NFL. He spent four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens (2017-20) under Harbaugh’s brother, John, the first three as a defensive assistant and the last as defensive backs coach.
Kellen Moore has joined the Philadelphia Eagles’ staff as offensive coordinator after already filling that role previously with the Chargers and Dallas Cowboys.
Moore was OC for the Chargers this past season on the staff headed by Brandon Staley. Before that, Moore had been on the Cowboys’ staff from 2018-22, working as offensive coordinator from 2019-22.
CHARGERS ADD MINTER AS DC >>
MOORE NOW AN EAGLE >>