You talked about cleaning up the offense and offensive coordinator Greg Roman talked about it right now. In what ways have you seen out here in practice that becoming more efficient and the efficiency that you guys have been talking about?

“I think everyone just being on the same page. We’ve simplified some things. Made it easier for us to get in and out of plays. And, I think that’s helped us a lot so far.”

In what ways is WR Quinton Patton maybe different than he was last year? I realize health is a big priority, but beyond that, just the way he’s running routes and stuff, how has he changed?

“I think just how comfortable he is in the offense. He’s always been a great route runner. He knows how to get separation and how to win. Last year it was just a matter of him being comfortable and going out and using his skillset to get open. This year he really is comfortable with everything that’s going on. So, he can set things up better. He knows how to run routes to win.”

What have you seen from WR Stevie Johnson and how eager are you to see him on the field?

“Stevie is Stevie. He gets open. He makes plays. Very excited to see what he does in live action for us.”

It seems like you have a lot of depth at that position now don’t you, certainly more so than last year?

“Yes, very much so. A lot of great receivers. A lot of great opportunities in this preseason to see some of our younger guys and what they can do and how they fit into this offense.”

How quickly is he picking up the offense? Is he as comfortable as Quinton Patton is?

“Who?”

Stevie Johnson?

“Stevie’s a pro. He’s picked up the offense quickly. He makes very few mistakes in the little time that he’s been here. As a quarterback, you like to see that.”

Is cleaning up the terminology and kind of simplifying and making it more efficient help with new faces pick up the offense like that?

“Very much so. We had a lot of things that we have changed along the line just because we knew where we started. And, for people coming in it was harder to pick some of those things up and harder for them to figure out how we got to some of those things. Cleaning it up has made it a lot easier for the younger guys and the new guys coming in.”

What specifically will you work on this week in the game and the practices playing against guys that aren’t the 49ers?

“Winning. You go out, every time you run a play, every time you step on the field you do it to win and that’s what we plan to do.”

What do you think of Greg Roman’s ability to roll out to his right and find someone in the back of the end zone?

“He’s much improved. He’s getting better every week. I’m expecting big things from him next week.”

FB Bruce Miller said he spent much of the offseason here by himself, weight room to himself. Greg Roman said he hasn’t lost a step, he’s better than ever. What does that mean to have a healthy Bruce Miller?

“It means a lot. I think everyone knows how much Bruce does for this offense and what he means to this offense, so having him healthy and back is a huge asset for us.”

Your time capsule was featured in the 49ers Museum. What do you remember about the assignment and writing that back, I don’t know, 20 years ago?

“To be honest, not a whole lot. I really remember it was an assignment- it was writing to your future self. When were 18, we were supposed to open it and basically what was important to you now, what you like now and where you think you’ll be. And I remember the assignment, but almost everything of mine was sports related. So, I guess I was on the right track.”

Do you remember winning the trophy for the Vikings? The Pee-Wee trophy.

“Yeah, we had a pretty good Pop Warner tradition for the Vikings. We had a pretty good run for some years there, but that was just another team we just focused on winning.”

Did you play defense too?

“Yes, safety too.”

How old were you when that was? The time capsule.

“Ten. Something like that, ten, 11.”

There seems to be a little bit more tension on the practice field than the first three years that you were here under head coach Jim Harbaugh. To what do you kind of attribute that? Is it more padded practices, just a different assembly of personalities or what?

“You said more tension this year?”

Yeah, there seems to be.

“I think it’s the level of competition is higher. The first year, everyone was just trying to understand and see where they fit in. I think now everyone is confident in what our offense is doing, what our defense is doing and we feel like we have such a high caliber of player here that getting a starting spot, getting a spot on this roster is difficult and people are fighting for  those jobs. I think that’s where a lot of the tension, a lot of the frustration comes in is people fighting and grinding to try and find their place.

What do you expect to get out of this game, a preseason opener, how much do you learn about yourself or the offense realistically?

“It depends on how much we play to be honest. But, as a team you can find out a lot, especially with the younger players because they’ll get a lot of the playing time. You get to see who can step up to the challenge in a live game and who kind of weeds themselves out. And, I think for us, having the competition that we do here is going to be something that we need to see.”

How much do you think you’ll play?

“Your guess is as good as mine.”

“I glanced up at it a few times.”

It’s always nice this time of camp to break the monotony for the players to have fans watch practice, right?

“I think so, yes. No question about it. Adds to the energy, yes.”

How did you find the grass and surface?

“Really good, really good. Players commented. It’s a little bit different than our grass field at the practice field, little bit more Bermuda in it. Thought it was good, really good traction. A lot of people were happy. I don’t know.”

It’s like putting a new golf course with different sight lines, you know, for quarterbacks, receivers seeing the ball travel in a different environment. Does that help practicing today like that?

“Yes. That’s what we’ve got to get used to, the way we’re used to Candlestick [Park] – the grass there, the sightlines there, the wind, sun, angles, all those things. Got to get used to this stadium, this surface, what the flags do, where the wind blows. That’s the main reason for practicing here.”

Have you gotten any further report on DL Glenn Dorsey after surgery to try to figure out what the time table might be?

“I have not.”

On that subject, how big of a blow is it to the team, to the defense to see him sustain something like that?

“That was definitely a big blow. He was playing really good, had himself in great shape ready for the season. It’s tough luck. That’s a bad break.”

You’ve talked about how big the steps are for second-year players entering their second season, their second camp. Have you seen those type of steps from WR Quinton Patton?

“Yes, yes. Seen a lot of good things from Quinton Patton. I’ve always seen a competitive, very competitive individual and talented. Likes to practice, likes to make tough catches, etc. He’s stayed healthy this entire offseason and training camp, and he’s starting to stack good practice after good practice. Consistently good. It’s a great step.”

Do you plan on signing another running back?

“Yes, there’s talk of that, yes. We worked out a youngster today, and I’m not sure if he’s signed yet or not. It’s a good possibility that he is. Will be going after practice here and check that out.”

Is the move in part because you need an extra body?

“Yes. That’s 100 percent the reason. Getting to the point where we’re practicing with about 69 guys, 69 healthy guys, to my count today. Three of those are kickers and one is a long snapper, so, 65 bodies or so. We need guys, and it’s not just the chance to play running back, all that the football game is going to entail – running down on kickoffs, punts, special teams. It’s a great chance for another youngster to compete. I think our team needed that.”

Did RB Carlos Hyde just jam a finger or a fingernail on that kickoff?

“Fingernail.”

Did it come right off?

“No, it didn’t come off. A little bloody around the edges.”

Any updated time table on WR Michael Crabtree and WR Brandon Lloyd?

“No, don’t have an updated time table there.”

Is Crabtree, is he here, rehabilitating?

“Yes.”

We just haven’t seen him.

“He’s here. In meetings, working out.”

Will you take all the guys to Baltimore, like Crabtree and Lloyd, and the injured guys, or will they remain here and rehab?

“They’re going to go with us.”

Have you decided how much the starters will play, like how long QB Colin Kaepernick or RB Frank Gore will play?

“I have a good idea. Colin will be a couple drives at the most. Could have one drive, it goes really well, and say, ‘That’s it right there’. Could have two drives. Won’t be much more than that.”

And you guys aren’t going to be practicing on Friday, right?

“No, were not.”

You’re not doing that Wounded Warriors game either then?

“No.”

And then, the Saturday, Sunday, Monday practices, are they full-on scrimmages or is it just position versus position, have you figured it out?

“A lot like the practices that you saw today. Not full-on scrimmages, no.”

Is there a concern when you practice against another team? It’s nice to face somebody else, but yet you don’t have the control you do as a head coach facing somebody else’s team and their tempo.

“Yeah. It’s something that, everybody’s going to have the same mindset, both teams are going to have the mindset that we’re here to get good work. When it comes to practice, they are drills, they are practice drills. What we’ll say to our ball club is we’re going to treat that ball club like it’s our ball club. Our goal is going to be to take care of them like we would be taking care of each other when our offense is going against their defense. I’m sure that the Ravens will have the same approach that we’re here for good work. That’s the goal. That’s the purpose.”

How much do you work with your brother on designing those practices?

“Yeah, working with him. Input both ways. We got it knocked out. I think we have a good plan and goals for good work.”

So, you’ve already got the practice schedules set?

“(Yes).”

How much did you look at Candlestick as a home field advantage? How much do you look at this early stage as a possible home field advantage? Is it just the crowd itself being the advantage or the facilities and all of the stuff that comes with this?

“Well, you want to mark your territory. We wanted to do that. We don’t want to look at it as just a possibility, we want to make it a home field advantage. I think we have the players to do that. And right now, getting used to the environment, the wind, the grass, sightlines, those are the main things. We’ve always counted on our crowd to be behind us and they always are. Hopefully we’ll play good and they’re behind us and we’ll do just that, make it a great home field advantage like Candlestick was.”

Can you just give us an idea of what kind of message you had with WR Anquan Boldin after Friday’s practice?

“No. I always like to think of those as between me and the player and not for public consumption. I mean, Anquan Boldin, there’s no more special practice player in all of football that I’ve ever seen. Special the way he practices. Special the way he loves making the tough catch and competing at practice. There’s nobody more special than him when it comes to practicing football.”

Was one of the things that the officials talked about though was watching how players are on the field in terms of temper and whether that’s a concern with Anquan?

“No. Anquan’s a great pro.

Is what a player does in a preseason game weighted more than maybe what they do in practice? Is it even? How would you categorize the impact that they can make in a game versus practice?

“I think all fit into the puzzle. I don’t know that there’s one, that a game is such a percentage. How many practices add up to what a game is. But a game is a game. That’s very important. We want to win and we want to see our guys play well and we want to see them go out and execute. Those are the things we look for and who can take it from the practice field to the game environment and be successful. Ultimately that’s what we keep track of.”

Why didn’t CB Chris Culliver practice today?

“He had a little something that was bothering him and I thought it to prudent to not go full-go today. He did participate a little bit in individual. Just cautious, being smart.”

What was bothering him?

“He had a little something. I just never feel like it’s my duty to report every symptom, ache, pain.”

With Glenn Dorsey out, who was looking to step in there today? Who made the biggest impression on you?

“Well, there’s quite a few at the nose tackle position. [NT] Mike Purcell’s been playing very well. [DT] Quinton Dial’s been in the mix at that position. [NT] Ian William’s still a possibility at the time that he comes back. Right now the guys that are in there and are playing are Purcell and Quinton Dial who are getting the shots. And the proven player there is [DT] Tony Jerod-Eddie. So, we’ve got players for that position who will be fighting for that spot.”

Do you still enjoy competing against your brother?

“I enjoy competing. I enjoy competing. I think the thing that we’re going to be doing Thursday night is exactly that. You’re competing. It’s what it is. Friday, Saturday and Sunday we’re joining forces, working together to make both of our ball clubs better.”

Will you be able to get any personal time with him while you’re out there? Will your families get together or anything like that?

“I hope so. I’ve got to see [his niece] Alison [Harbaugh] because her birthday’s August 10th. So, hopefully I’ll get a chance to. I hope I get a chance. I’ll take the try out of it and deliver the birthday present to Alison.”