March

March 25, 2008   

League bears down on Niners for tampering

It appears NFL commissioner Roger Goodell really is serious about implementing anti-tampering measures. Three weeks after suggesting in a memo to the competition committee that he wanted to clamp down on tampering, the league announced yesterday that the Niners would forfeit their fifth-round pick in next month’s draft after illegally tampering with Bears LB Lance Briggs. In addition, the Niners and Bears were ordered to switch picks in third round of the draft, with the Bears ... More>

March 1, 2008   

Busy Niners sign Smith, Bruce among others

For a team that had indicated it wasn’t going to be a serious shopper in this year’s free-agency market, the Niners certainly have been active. Just two days into this year’s free-agent signing period, the Niners have made as many moves as any team in the league, the most notable being their high-profile signing Saturday morning of former Bengals UFA DE Justin Smith, who was widely considered one of the top free-agent defenders available this offseason. ... More>

January

Jan. 8, 2008   

Niners look to invigorate offense with hiring of Martz

The 49ers took a big step toward rejuvenating their 32nd-ranked offense Tuesday, hiring Mike Martz as their offensive coordinator. Martz was fired last week by Detroit as its O-coordinator after the Lions finished a disappointing 7-9 season. He will succeed Jim Hostler, who also was canned last week after experiencing a rocky first year running the Niners’ offense. Starting QB Alex Smith battled injury much of the season, forcing Hostler to rely on Trent Dilfer and ... More>