Newsday (N.Y.): San Fran finds its offensive man in Roman

By Art Spander
Special to Newsday

SAN FRANCISCO -- When Greg Roman came to the lectern in the tent-like facility at Santa Clara that the San Francisco 49ers use for media interviews, he noticed a plastic bottle of water next to the microphone.

He reached for it, halted and then, with a smirk, asked, "Vic didn't drink from this, did he?''

Read the full story here.

Copyright © 2012 Newsday. All rights reserved.

RealClearSports: Harbaugh Keeps Everyone Off Balance

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — There is a rhythm to Jim Harbaugh's words, if not exactly a pattern. After all, any football coach wants to keep the opponent guessing, make him feel off balance, and maybe nobody does that better than Harbaugh.

Maybe nobody coaches better either.

In his first season in charge, Harbaugh has the San Francisco 49ers...

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2012

SF Examiner: At long last, the Niners are back on big stage

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

They get one shot. That was the reminder from the man who has helped enable them to gain that shot, Jim Harbaugh.

“It’s special being in the playoffs,” said Harbaugh, the 49ers rookie coach.

Special because they haven’t been there for years. Special because six months ago...

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2011 SF Newspaper Company

SF Examiner: Alex Smith managed the San Francisco 49ers to playoffs

By Art Spander
Special to The Examiner

The 49ers have gone beyond expectations and predictions. Who imagined, after eight consecutive losing seasons, they’d finish the regular season with the second-best record in the NFL? Who dared think they would have the top defense against the rush?

A bye in the first round of the playoffs? That’s for teams like the old Niners or the new Packers, except these Niners reached that pinnacle — and it is a pinnacle as well as an advantage — while the Saints and Steelers, Super Bowl entrants the previous two years, did not.

Read the full story here.

Copyright 2012 SF Newspaper Company

RealClearSports: When Lights Come on, It's 49ers Football

By Art Spander
For RealClearSports.com

SAN FRANCISCO — Let's skip the obvious and refuse to describe the performance as lights out, because literally at Candlestick Park on Monday night, they did go out - twice - in a power outage.

Let's not skip the obvious: The San Francisco 49ers are a very good football team, and they proved it by defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers, another very good football team, 20-3.

Read the full story here.

© RealClearSports 2011