Neither excuses nor easy answers
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Late in the first quarter Sunday, 49ers inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman ran downfield raising his hands in frustration as Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald caught a short pass and gained 16 yards on 2nd-and-15.
About three hours later, after the Cardinals’ 47-7 romp was over, Bowman’s frustration clearly hadn’t dissipated in the locker room.
What wasn’t working for a defense that allowed 28 first downs, 446 yards and 6.4 yards per play?
“I don’t know,” Bowman said after a long pause.
Are major changes needed to fix what’s broken? “I don’t know,” he said. However, Bowman did offer a more detailed response when asked if the youth on the 49ers’ roster explains why they didn’t appear ready to play. Four of their five cornerbacks were 2014 draft picks, their backup safety is a rookie, and three players are first-year starters.
“I don’t like making excuses,” Bowman said. “You guys know we have a young team here and, if you do the math, maybe that’s the reason. But once we put those helmets on and go out there, there’s no excuses. You have to be ready to play.”
Bowman had a game-high nine tackles, but he also was called for an unsportsmanlikeconduct penalty in the third quarter. Bowman was flagged as he wrestled to recover a fumble by Carson Palmer that the quarterback secured. Bowman, who thought he recovered the loose ball, evidently had some words for the officials.
“I felt like a bad call was made,” Bowman said. “When I have the ball in my hands, I want the ball. I’m fighting hard. And then they tell me to get up off the ball. It was just emotion. … Hopefully, the refs forgive me.”
Wright deletes tweet: Cornerback Shareece Wright, who signed a one-year deal in March, said, via Twitter, “politics as usual,” about 30 minutes before the 49ers’ list of inactive players was announced.
Wright, who spent his first four seasons with the Chargers, has been inactive for the first three games of the season. Head coach Jim Tomsula suggested Wright wasn’t referencing his inactive status, although his explanation was vague.
“That is an incorrect statement,” he said. “It had nothing to do with anything. I made the decision to put the guys up that I thought gave us the best chance to win the football game.” Hyde on turnovers: Running back Carlos Hyde said the offense didn’t need fixing, although he suggested Colin Kaepernick’s four-interception performance was an issue.
“We don’t need anything to change,” Hyde said. “We should be able to throw, and you just can’t commit turnovers. There were guys open, but the ball dropped to the wrong person.” Injury report: Tight end Vernon Davis exited in the first half with a knee injury that he didn’t consider serious. Davis was injured when he got “tangled up” while blocking.
“I’m good,” he said. “I should be straight.”
Safety Eric Reid exited the locker room with a large bandage covering stitches on his swollen right cheek: “Battle wound,” he said.