Frank Gore fumbled at the Niners’ 16 yard line with 10:39 left to go in the 4^th quarter and it looked the Bengals were going to win.

But 49ers defense stopped the Bengals offense like they had all afternoon, and Cincinnati settled for a 23-yard field goal. 6-3 Bengals.

Ted Ginn Jr. returned the ensuing kickoff to the San Francisco 28 yard line. The Niners needed a big drive, and they got it, thanks largely to a terrific series of play calls by offensive coordinator Greg Roman.

Here’s a breakdown of that drive.

Play 1: First and ten at the SF 28. Delanie Walker, Vernon Davis, and Joshua Morgan line up in a bunch formation close to the Joe Staley on the left side of the formation. Kendall Hunter lines up as the lone tailback, but he motions out wide to the right next to Michael Crabtree who’s in the slot. As this happens, Smith backpedals to shotgun. At the snap, Walker runs a fade up the sideline, Davis runs a quick out, and Joshua Morgan runs a curl route which leaves him wide open in a soft spot of the Bengals’ zone defense. First down and a pickup of 12 yards.

Play 2. First and ten at the SF 40. Wishbone formation in the backfield with Kendall Hunter deep, Bruce Miller offset to the right and Delanie Walker offset to the left. Vernon Davis lines up on the right side of the line and Joshua Morgan is in the right slot. Walker motions next to Davis at tight end. Alex Smith tosses the ball to Hunter, who runs around the right corner, cuts back and picks up 11 yards. Frank Gore, who apparently sprained his ankle in the second quarter, would not have had the quickness today to make this run happen. The Niners ran a power run to the strong side of their formation here, and it set up one of the key plays of the drive later on.

Play 3. First and ten from the CIN 49. The Niners use a two wide receiver, two tight end formation, with Kendall Hunter as the only running back. The Bengals bring an eight-man rush, Alex Smith takes a quick three-step drop and fires to his hot receiver, Vernon Davis, who’s open on a quick out the right. Davis turns upfield and picks up eight yards after the catch.

Play 4. Second and two from the CIN 41. The offense lines up in a power-I formation – both the fullback and the tight end on the right side. But they line up two receivers to the left, and Kendall Hunter bounces the run to that side to pick up two yards and the first down.

Play 5. First and ten from the CIN 39. Gore subs in for Hunter, and takes his place as the lone tailback in the two wide receiver, two tight end formation. Smith fakes the handoff, then tries to throw to Gore in the right flat, a play that every NFL team seems to be trying this season, but it doesn’t work for the Niners here. Smith throws it a little too hard, and Gore lets it bounce off his facemask.

Play 6. Second and ten from the CIN 39. The Niners line up in a classic I formation. The Bengals bring eight defenders in the box because surely the Niners are going to run. Alex Smith turns to hand the ball off to Gore, but he fakes it and passes downfield to an open Vernon Davis for a gain of eight yards. Hard to say the defense would have bitten on the run fake as badly had Hunter been the tailback on the play.

Play 7. Third and two from the CIN 31. Two tight end formation with Bruce Miller in at fullback. The Niners run power left and Gore picks up four yards to get the first down. Huge run for the hobbled Gore.

Play 8. First and ten from then CIN 27. The Niners line up in a strong-side power formation, a set very similar to the one they used on the second play of the drive. On that play, Kendall Hunter took a toss for an 11 yard gain. On this play, Alex Smith fakes a handoff to Frank Gore, rolls right, and passes to a wide open Vernon Davis for a 20 yard gain. The defense completely bit on the run. Before the play, color commentator Jim Mora Jr. explained to the audience that it was time to keep giving the ball to Gore. The Bengals expected the Niners to do just that, and Greg Roman took advantage on that thinking on this brilliant play call.

Play 9. First and goal from the CIN 7. The Niners line up eight players on the line of scrimmage and run Gore up the middle. He picks up no yards.

Play 10. Second and goal from the CIN 7. Harbaugh subs out Gore for Hunter. Gore takes his helmet off, shakes his head, and takes a knee on the sideline. This time the Niners line up in a bunch formation to the left, and Hunter runs off the left tackle. Hunter makes one explosive cut and sprints into the end zone. 13-6 Niners.

The Niners couldn’t move the ball against a poor team for most of the game, and they punted seven times total today. But on this one drive, the Niners looked like geniuses.

Luckily for them, one touchdown drive was all they needed to win.

SANTA CLARA – Here is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.

With all these points, yards, and stuff going around the league, are you ever tempted to get three receivers in shot gun and just chuck it around the yard?

“Yeah, that’s part of our plan. We want to be good at that. And we have done that, gotten in three wide receivers.”

Well typically it’s just on third down though, it doesn’t seem like you do it other than third and five or less.

“Part of the scheme. It’s what we’re working on. We’ve got the ability to do it. Yes.”

Are you expecting to see Bengals WR Ryan Whalen on Sunday?

“Don’t know. He was inactive the first two weeks. There’s a chance he might be playing this week.”

What kind of receiver was he at Stanford?

“Very, very good receiver. Very disciplined, route running, get to the spot. Very good blocker. He would be good on special teams. Very trustworthy receiver. Very good football player.”

What’s impressed you so far from what you’ve seen of Bengals QB Andy Dalton?

“Playing with good poise. Throwing the ball with accuracy. Very good timing. He’s getting it out of his hand very well. He’s managing the game extremely well. Playing with a cool head, making good decisions.”

You had mentioned QB Alex Smith on Wednesday as a tough son of a gun, how much of your opinion was formed after knowing that he did take a shot to the head Sunday and continued to play?

“Well, definitely, I saw the shot to the head on tape and some of the other ones where he stood in there in the face of the rusher. Great courage and stood in there and made the throw. Those were the kind of things that I was referring to off of what I saw on tape.”

Now, was it that first play of the second quarter where he took that blow to the head?

“Yes.”

Just from his standpoint, have you addressed, I think he probably felt something during the game, but didn’t talk about it until after the game when he went to the trainers. Have you talked to him about that process of knowing your body, and knowing when to say something and when not to?

“It’s definitely something that we want our players communicating to the medical staff and to our trainers. And our guys do a great job of that in our opinion. Alex is a pro, knows his body. And like all of our players, still has to do a great job of consulting with the physicians and the trainers.”

Do you, just asking from your own experience, you have to know what it’s like to you want to tell people something, but not tell them too much to have you taken out of the game. Does that play into the process of a quarterback and competitor trying to stay on the field?

“It plays into the process, but when you’re talking about the head, the heart, the spine, the back, the brain, those are things that you encourage your players not to try and gut out.”

So in retrospect, did Alex play it the right way?

“It’s hard to really say. I wasn’t in his body. He felt like he did. So, that’s about as much as I can really intelligently comment on it.”

Jim, with Bengals RB Cedric Benson off to a good start, what kind of test do you expect this to be for your number one rushing defense?

“This will be a big test. He’s extremely good, especially on the edge. Has a great knack of when to put the foot in the ground and take it up field, and set up the blocks and make them right. Runs with a lot of authority and speed. He’s a very good back. Big, big test for us.”

Has QB Colin Kaepernick gotten more reps this week in case Alex won’t be able to play, or if he has any setbacks on Sunday?

“Colin did get more reps this week than last.”

What are your impressions of his work so far?

“It was good. He’s doing a good job. But, I said it many, many times, like a lot of our guys, we’re not where we want to be yet. But, we’re working to get there. And he’s working on a lot of the finer points in the game. But, he’s doing a very good job at it.”

What will you have Michael Crabtree listed as, as far as the availability for the game?

“I would say we’ll probably list him as probable.”

So that means in all likelihood he will be on the field and able to contribute?

“I think that’s what, 25 percent—75 percent chance he’s going to play?

And how, do you just sort of figure out how to use him depending on how he holds up early in the game?

“Well, we’ve got a game plan, and he’s part of it.”

Do you need to look ahead to the Philly game, in respect to Michael Crabtree and say, “Gee if we play him ‘X’ amount of snaps against Cincinnati, we might not be able to have him against Philadelphia?”

“No, I don’t want to get into how much, what the plan is with him or what our thinking is or how he’ll be used in the game. How many plays is he going to be in, what specific routes he’s going to be running, how that affects next week. This week is the game, we’re playing to win this one and Michael’s part of the game plan, and very likely and probable that he’ll play. Not much more information I can give you there.”

Jim, did Colin get more action this week just in response to Alex having a concussion or was it something else?

“It was part in response to the concussion and he got a little bit more work this week.”

Will you have any lineup changes, defensively in the secondary?

”We’ll see. Yeah, we’ll see.”

You’re leaving today for a 10-day, 9-day road trip. Anything different that you do, that you do, before taking off? Next time you come home you will have played two games. Anything different logistically for you personally?

“There’s video that we are taking. A lot more of our video infrastructure that will be traveling with us on this game.”

That’s the main thing?

“That’s the main thing. Yes, that’s the main difference, extra equipment. The biggest is the, make sure we have our video needs covered while we’re on the road.”

Your team hotel will basically turn in into 4949 Centennial?

“Yes. Yes, along with the Youngstown practice facility. We can get into that next week. Everybody’s really just kind of honed in on this game right now. But that’s, to answer your question, we’ll take more video infrastructure.”

You will take your practice squad on the road with you?

“Yes.”

SANTA CLARA – Michael Crabtree made himself available to talk today at his locker, and this is what he said.

Q: What adjustments do you guys makes with Braylon out?

CRABTREE: It’s the same. Each guy out here right now has got pretty much the same type of talent. We’ve got fast guys, strong guys. Everybody can block. I’m sorry that he’s hurt, but we can all get the job done.

Q: Do you expect to see Nate Clements in the slot?

CRABTREE: From the past, in practice he always guarded me in the slot, but going forward I really haven’t seen much of him in the slot. More just playing that one side at cornerback. I’m looking forward to see what they bring to us.

Q: Do you have to approach the turf in Cincinnati different than you would a grass surface?

CRABTREE: No. Why would you say that?

Q: Because your injury happened on artificial turf.

CRABTREE: No. Artificial turf, grass, same thing. It’s a football field. Go out there and just try that little injury behind me and just really go focus on football.

Q: Did expect to get the soreness that you did after the first game?

CRABTREE: Sure, it was expected. The doctor was telling me it was going to happen. But, I’m just trying to be strong and really just go out there and play ball and not worry about this foot. Really focus on the plays and making plays.

Q: How do you deal with the frustration of being on the sideline and not suiting up?

CRABTREE: I really just try to encourage my teammates and really be a coach and be an eye for the receivers. If I see something I’m sure I’m going to tell them as soon as possible. Change this, change that, really just stay in their head. Really just try to be positive about the situation and try to make the team better.

Q: Do you think there’s something you can gain from that, even though you’re not out there on the field?

CRABTREE: You gain something from each game watching film. Even if I’m not on the tape I’m paying attention. There’s something I can get from each player. Even if it’s on the opposite side of the ball, I’m watching their receivers and cornerbacks. It’s just the love for the game.

Q: What do you like best about going on the road?

CRABTREE: Playing on Sunday. Playing against the opposite fans. It’s all good. Football.

Q: Did you push the coaches to play last week or did you have a pretty good idea that you couldn’t go?

CRABTREE:  I was just really going day-to-day and Coach said he didn’t want me out there. Really just trying to be obedient and do what I’m supposed to do.

Q: With Braylon out, how much do you have to go out there and give this receiving corps a lift?

CRABTREE: You said with Braylon out?

Q: Yes.

CRABTREE: I’ve been playing with this same receiving corps for, what, two years? I’m sure we’ll all gel together and do what we’re supposed to do and get the job done.

SANTA CLARA — Vernon Davis spoke at his locker this afternoon, and this is what he said.

Q: Coach Harbaugh said you guys had a talk and that it was a two-way conversation. He didn’t elaborate much. Can you shed some light on that?

VERNON DAVIS: We just talked about some things. I always talk to Coach Harbaugh. He pretty much took over for Coach Singletary. He’s the head guy so I’ve got to talk to him about things, especially when I need someone to talk to. It wasn’t really nothing out of the ordinary. We just talked about football.

Q: Did you tell him you want to be a bigger part of this offense?

VERNON DAVIS: I didn’t really say it to him like…No I didn’t. I had on my mind some things I thought we could have done better in the game, and I pointed them out to him as far as getting everybody involved. I mean everybody – all the playmakers we have, because that’s what we need to win games. That’s what I’m here for – to win games, help my teammates win games. And go to the playoffs and get a chance to appear in the Super Bowl. That’s all I think about – ways that I can help. Whether it’s blocking or catching passes.

Q: Was he receptive?

VERNON DAVIS: He was, he was. It was a good conversation. A great conversation.

Q: Everyone said Harbaugh’s offense is tight-end friendly. Are you surprised after two weeks it’s been so quiet for you?

VERNON DAVIS: It’s still early. That’s why I didn’t have to talk to him about that too much. Because it’s still early. Everybody’s still learning the offense. It’s a tough offense to take in at once. They throw a lot at us, and we have to go out and take care of our assignments, but it’s still early. I’m excited about the upcoming game, my role. I thought we had this last one. We almost pulled it off. We’ll get the next one.

Q: Is that deep route still part of this offense? It was effective in years past.

VERNON DAVIS: The teams, what they’re doing now is they’re doubling me, and they’re taking that middle away. Every chance that I had to run down the middle this past week they were either doubling me or just taking the middle away. They’ll have that backer drop and they’ll have the far safety cheating to the middle to try to take it away from me. So that was out of the question.

Q: Did they not do that last year?

VERNON DAVIS: Last year they just started to do it, but then they backed away from it and we were able to hit a couple of them. This year they’re really trying to keep their eyes on me, so that’s one conversation I had with Harbaugh. I asked him what can we do when teams double me and some of the guys – whether it’s Crabtree, myself, or Delanie. What can we do? And he said he’ll get back to me later on.

Q: Was it kind of a come to Jesus thing?

VERNON DAVIS: No, it wasn’t anything like that, because I looked at the film and I agree with everything Coach Harbaugh has to say. He’s the head coach. I have to agree with everything he says because he’s the guy. It wasn’t anything like that. I didn’t disagree with him with anything. I totally understood everything that he had to say to me, and everything that he had to say was correct.

Q: With Braylon  out for a while does this offense have an option to get you out as a third wide receiver?

VERNON DAVIS: Whatever I have to do. I strongly believe that Coach Harbaugh and the rest of the staff will do everything that they can to put us in a great situation to make plays – everybody. Whether it’s blocking or catching passes or whatever. I put it in their hands. They’ve got it. They know what they’re doing. I trust and believe in that and just continue to play ball.

Q: How much does it play into it that you have familiarity with Manny Lawson and Nate Clements?

VERNON DAVIS: It’ll be a fun game. It’ll be a very interesting game, especially knowing those guys. I’ve been going against Manny since I was in college, so I know him very well. Nate Clements, going against him in practice, so I’m familiar with those guys. It makes my assignment a little easier because I know those guys. I don’t have to go in and really watch them like I have to watch the other guys because I know them. I’ve been here with them for a while.

Q: Even though they’re in a different scheme?

VERNON DAVIS: You have to watch the schemes to see what they’re doing, but as far as how Nate runs and how he gets his hips around, I feel like I know him pretty well.

Q: What does it mean to get your body clock on east coast time and stay in Youngstown ahead of the next game?

VERNON DAVIS: It’ll be good, it’ll be good. I think we’ll adjust. We just have to make sure we get rest and take care of our bodies.

Q: Was that touchdown pass to Delanie an example of what can happen you’re double teamed running up the field?

VERNON DAVIS: Oh yeah. That was an outstanding play. They were trying to focus on me and they were sleeping on Delanie. He’s just as fast as I am and he got open. Either one of us was going to get open on that play. It was either going to be me or it was going to be Delanie, and Delanie got open. I’ll take that.

Q: Frank said he would fake an injury if he had to. That’s a hot topic this week.

VERNON DAVIS: He said that?

Q: He did, he just did.

VERNON DAVIS: He is so funny.

Q: Have you ever done it?

VERNON DAVIS: No, no. I’ve never done that.

Q: He’s all for it.

VERNON DAVIS: Well God bless his soul.

Q: How about Mayweather’s knockout?

VERNON DAVIS: It was clean, it was clean. He didn’t have to apologize so much, Ortiz. Enough is enough. Kissed him, made up. After that, get your guards up, buddy.

SANTA CLARA – Jonathan Goodwin spoke on behalf of the offensive line yesterday at his locker.

Here’s what he said.

Q: Where are the breakdowns happening on the line?

GOODWIN: Each play it’s somebody different, so we’ve just got to find a way to all get on the same page. Just everybody get their job done. Frank’s a great back, so we’ve just got to give him some space and some holes to work with so we can have success in the run game.

Any surprises from Dallas? Alex was sacked six times.

GOODWIN: No. We knew they were a multiple-front team. Hats off to them. We give them credit. We’ve just got to come back strong the next week.

Q: Is it possible to run well when the other team has eight men in the box?

GOODWIN: Yeah, I think so. If you can find a way to get four yards a carry in the run game, you’re having a successful day running. Just because eight guys are in the box doesn’t always mean you can’t get four yards. So, like I said, we’re just going to go out there, keep working and finding a way to improve and it’s going to be key for us to get the run game going.

Q: How did it go yesterday against Jay Ratliff?

GOODWIN: He got me a couple times. He got me late in the game – the play I’ve been thinking about all night, but there’s nothing I can do about it now. Just move on, learn from it, move on from the mistake I made in technique, go from there.

Q: The play in overtime?

GOODWIN: Yeah

Q: Just he just spring right past you?

GOODWIN: No, he just got me. He kind of took my shoulders and got me off balance.

Q: Alex Smith said the Dallas defense “breaks a lot of rules,” so to speak. Would you agree with that?

GOODWIN: They do a lot of things to confuse you, and it’s definitely one of the more challenging teams to identify the type of fronts they’re doing because they do so many different things. Their personnel, with guys that can play D end or linebacker as times can make it confusing. But we’re not making any excuses. We didn’t get the job done, and that’s not good.

SAN FRANCISCO – Here are postgame quotes from Donte Whitner, courtesy of the 49ers.

What was the feel in the locker room and how did the guys take this loss?

“It’s a hard loss. We prepared so hard. We circled it on our calendar, on our schedule. We let it slip through our hands and we gave up too many big plays. We gave up entirely too many big plays and that has to be corrected.”

Can you talk about the pass rush? It seems like you guys gave [QB Tony] Romo a lot of pressure but it felt like at times you guys were just a split-second behind him.

“He’s really good. Once he recognized that there’s five or six guys coming he, [TE Jason] Witten and a lot of those guys are really his hot route. They break their routers off so, he has one of the quickest releases in the National Football League and he did a good job of getting it out of his hands.”

How about the end, the 77-yard reception, what happened on that?

“We were in quarters. We were in quarters to that side and there was a miscommunication with the corner and myself and the guy took off for that deep post. I’ll let coach Harbaugh and the rest of the coaching staff really go in depth into that, but it was just a mistake.”

Do you guys feel like you played good enough to win this game?

“We felt like we played good enough but still, we had an ample amount of opportunities out there to end the game, to win the game. We let it slip through our hands. We’re not going to hold our heads down. It’s one football game out of 15, we have 14 games left to go, but if we want to get to where we want to go we can’t allow big plays.”

Is there something you guys can build on?

“There are some things that we can build but we don’t want to just take the positive out of this game, we wanted to come away with a W. But we have to go back and watch the film. We have to be hard on ourselves, we have to allow the coaching staff to be hard on us. We have to come out and correct the mistakes that we made because we felt like we had an opportunity to win this football game. We expected to win this football game and we didn’t.”

SAN FRANCISCO – Harbaugh doesn’t like to tell the media much, and that attitude has rubbed off on many of the 49ers already.

But Vernon Davis is happy to talk, and when he does he speaks his mind.

In the locker room after the game, Davis disagreed with Harbaugh’s assessment of the game, and he criticized the coaching staff for not keeping the playmakers involved on offense.

Here’s what he said.

Q: Jim Harbaugh said you guys played well enough to win. Do you agree?

VERNON DAVIS: I thought we played well. I think we’ve still got to keep everybody involved. All our playmakers. That has to happen. In order to win games, everything that we have has to be involved. That’s just the way it’s got to be.

Q: Did you primarily block today?

VERNON DAVIS: I did all that I could do to help my team win. I did everything the coaches asked me to do. I played my role. They asked me to pass protect. I did it. They asked me to block. I did it. They sent me out on routes. Didn’t really have much. They were trying to take me away big time. That’s when Delanie came up with that big catch up the sideline. I was up the seam. I was proud that Delanie got that. I felt like I was a big part of that, which I was. I’m going to leave it in the coaches’ hands to keep everybody involved.

Q: Were you surprised when they didn’t take the penalty and they kept the field goal. You guys could have had 1^st and 10 near the 20.

VERNON DAVIS: I was surprised. I was surprised, but I just had the belief that no matter what happened we’d still come out with a victory.

Q: Were you guys limited because of Braylon’s injury?

VERNON DAVIS: I don’t think we were limited because one man goes down, the next man should be able to step up and get the job done. That’s how it should be, and we have enough playmakers to do that.

Q: They lined you up against Ware a lot. Were you expecting that?

VERNON DAVIS: I didn’t think that was going to happen. I thought that I’d be out on the route – that I’d be running a lot of routes, especially because their secondary was banged up. I thought we could take advantage of them in that aspect, but, like I said, it’s up to the coaches each week to decide what they want to do. But no, I did not think that I’d be up against Ware like that.

Q: Was it weird hearing so many Cowboy fans in the stadium?

VERNON DAVIS: It was, it was weird, but everywhere I got it’s been like that all my life. Everybody’s a Cowboy fan. But at this point I’m more focused in everybody being a 49er fan, and that’s going to start with us winning. I’m excited about getting back to practice and getting ready for the next game. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight thinking about it.

SANTA CLARA – Here’s what Alex Smith said at today his Wednesday afternoon press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.

You’ve got two rookies behind you and then you have a lead block in the running game, is there any from concern the coaching staff about you and being safe out there?

“They just told me not to get hurt. Yeah, being smart no question. Don’t want to take dumb hits. I didn’t feel like the block was necessarily dangerous. Then the goal line, you’re on the one [yard-line], time’s running out. I think there are certain situations when you’ve got to take that risk.”

Coach Harbaugh through his coaching career is big on quarterbacks using their athletic instincts, do you feel more freedom to be improvisational?

“Absolutely. Especially when things break down, something’s not there, I use my feet and try to become my own check down, or make something happen. No question.”

Has your mindset changed in those situations now as opposed to the past?

“Yeah, it has. I guess there are different points of emphasis in different situations, but not to say this is new, if you’d have asked me that I’d always say that yeah, I want to use my feet to try to make something happen when something’s not there with my arm. So, I guess I would have always said that.”

With all the static you’ve taken over the years, is a 1-0 start, I know you’re not going to be satisfied, but do you feel a little bit better, is your life more relaxed after a 1-0 start?

“A lot better than 0-1, yeah. You sacrifice, you commit yourself to win. You’re doing all this stuff, you’re putting in all this work to win. Just finding a way to win, however that is. And no question, it’s the opener, it’s a division opponent, so to get the W is huge. You celebrate that for about 24 hours and then you move on. Now it’s the Cowboys and you really focus on getting a win this Sunday.”

Is this the most freedom you’ve had in an offensive system? And in terms of the audibles, did you call a lot on Sunday?

“I guess not sure, as far as freedom. I’ve got a lot of tools at my disposal. A lot of things built into the game plan for me to use. So, in that sense, yeah.”

On a typical play are you given two plays, or how are the mechanics of that?

“I don’t really want to get into specifics or game plans. Things change from week to week. It just depends on the defense we’re playing. I guess I don’t want to get into too much detail.”

When you say you are given a lot of tools, what are you referring to?

“Just things at my disposal, I guess, that are built into the offense that help me as a quarterback. Answers built in, stuff like that.”

What are you looking to improve on in offense this week?

“Quite a few things. Obviously, red zone efficiency. We were down there quite a few times and could only punch it in the one time. So, we got to score touchdowns down there. If we did that last Sunday, it changes the game. Third down efficiency obviously wasn’t good enough. We have to get better in that area and a lot of things. Third down efficiency, we weren’t very good on first and second down. We put ourselves in some holes. In the past game we were only throwing for a 124 yards. Obviously I’d like to build upon that. So we were efficient as far as completion percentage, but I’d really like to get a little more production.”

Get [RB] Frank [Gore] on track a little bit?

“Yeah. All around obviously, yeah. I think they all feed off each other, run and pass. Get the running game going, get the passing game going. I think more production in general.”

When you look around the league, about half the teams had 300 yard passing days. Are the 49ers built to take part in that type of shootout, that you guys could put points on the board like that?

“No question. I think it was kind of one of the things the way the game was going on Sunday that all of a sudden we jumped up on them by halftime, and they hadn’t really done much on offense. So, I think that was kind of potentially the thinking there. But, we’ll take it any way we can. I think for so long there was always the stat that when you throw for 300 yards, your chances of winning actually go down because often times that means you’re behind and you’re throwing the ball late in the game. I think week one set the record, right? Most pass yards in the week ever. So, don’t know if that’ll stay up as far as the trend or not.”

More of those teams won this past week…

“Yeah. No question. Exactly. Yeah, it wasn’t necessarily an instance of being game behind. So, don’t know. But yeah, no question, I think we’ll do just fine.”

It seems to be going to passing the last few years more than the running game. But also, I wonder if that’s part of the lockout that it’s harder to defend against passing than it is against the run.

“Not sure, I guess. I don’t know. I don’t know if it’s a trend of what defenses are doing; potentially of all the pressure in different defenses. Kind of a trend of these high-pressure, give you a lot of different looks, come at you aggressive defenses, and the way to make them pay is throwing the football. And I’m not sure the reason, so.”

Dallas seems to move around a lot and is constantly shifting, what’s the challenge there?

“Yeah, (they) put down a lot of different looks, a lot of different fronts and coverage. Things that are a little unorthodox you don’t necessarily see traditionally. You have to be focused, have to be into it, have to be ready to adjust on the fly. Things happen quickly, shifting, during the kick, at the snap, so all 11 of us have to be seeing the same thing and have to be able to adjust.”

Having said that, how much will this game go into where you guys stand as a team?

“You know, this is Week 2 and I don’t think any of us are reading into it that much. We’re just trying to get a win on Sunday. That’s all the focus is right now, preparing to play and beat the Cowboys.”

To you guys it’s just Week 2, but to fans it’s the Dallas Cowboys against the San Francisco 49ers. I’m sure you’re hearing a lot about this whole rivalry?

“Yeah, no question, such a historic rivalry so that’s exciting. I don’t think we’ve played the Cowboys in the regular season since my rookie year and I can remember what that was like. That’s an added deal, but like you said, I think more for the fans than us. I think we’re focused on preparing to play a team and go out and execute and win.”

Who’s been your biggest rival in the last seven years?

“For me, the division stands out. I mean, all three division teams, those are the big games. You’re trying to win the division, that’s the goal every year.”

What do you remember about the old time rivalry between the Cowboys and the 49ers? Is there any particular game or moment that you remember as a kid?

“No, not necessary. I just remember them playing quite a bit in the playoffs, obviously. I remember them obviously both having their runs, Niners having their runs and the Cowboys had their fare share of success as well. So, nothing in particular.”

I know you had mentioned that it’s just another game, but could this be a big confidence builder to beat an iconic team like Dallas and a team that’s been in the playoffs and is very talented obviously?

“Yeah, it’s another step. It’s a team that’s outside our division and a team that’s had a lot of success in the NFC coming in here. No question, it’s a chance for us to potentially take that next step.”

Some of my readers call Michael Crabtree a diva and I object to that.

I have seen no diva tendencies from him. He’s a pleasure to talk to, actually.

He’s never rude. He smiles when you ask him a question, a smile that suggests he’s listening carefully and he understands what you’re asking.

And when he answers, he answers honestly.

Here’s an example of what I mean. After yesterday’s game he didn’t have to talk to reporters, he didn’t have to give any information about his injured foot, but he did.

Harbaugh probably would have preferred Crabtree to stay silent. Harbaugh is against giving out injury information under all circumstances.

By the time reporters got to Crabtree’s locker, Harbaugh had already declared at his postgame press conference that Crabtree’s foot was a non-issue.

Crabtree set the record straight and he didn’t have to. One reporter asked him if he came out of the game due to general soreness, and Crabtree corrected him: “No, it’s my foot.” He then went on describe when and how he hurt it.

Another reporter asked him about the play when he flapped his arms in the back of the end zone – a real diva move, and he said he wished he hadn’t done it. He seemed sincere. He said he spazzed out, and I diva would never say that.

The Niners have officially cut RB Xavier Omon, and signed former Boise St. RB Ian Johnson.

You may remember Johnson. He proposed to his girlfriend on the field after scoring the winning touchdown of the 2007 Fiesta Bowl.

Johnson (5’11″, 212 lbs.), weighs 15 pounds less than Omon, but what he lacks in mass he makes up for in speed. He ran a 4.46 40-yard dash at the 2009 NFL draft combine – the fastest time for a running back that year.

SAN FRANCISCO – Here’s everything Alex Smith said after the game, courtesy of the 49ers.

Coach Harbaugh was just talking up there about blue collar offense, haven’t heard him use that phrase before, and I don’t know what he means by it. He said you were especially blue collar today, and not you necessarily, though including you, what does he mean by it?

“I don’t want to speak for him, but I think tonight—today, it wasn’t pretty at times. We struggled on first and second down, kind of played the field position game there. Got down in the red zone, what three times in the first half, and couldn’t walk away with touchdowns. Finally punched one in there with the two-minute drill. Same, struggled in the third quarter there to do much, but then in the fourth quarter when they made it a one possession game and we had to answer, we put a drive together and we took it down the field and answered. I guess that’s kind of what I take by that, at least from my perspective, looking at the good and the bad tonight. We made plays when we had to. Obviously, a lot of room for improvement.”

Do you feel like a blue collar quarterback?

“Running in goal line one-yard runs, yeah (laughs). No, you take it how you get it. Some games are like this. Some games you’re spreading out, throwing around, lighting up the score board, and the bottom line is getting the win. Defense played great, especially in the first half, played lights out, and the special teams in the second half made a lot of plays. Offensively, got in the red zone, like I said, multiple times and need to walk away with some touchdowns. Four field goals is…”

One more thing, it seemed to me that offensively it was very conservative game planning until that drive to lead off the fourth quarter and they leaned more on you, you made really nice passes to the right on that drive, did it feel that they opened it up more for you and leaned on you a little more?

“Just as far as the first part, I don’t know if it necessarily was a conservative game plan. I think that’s just how the game went. I think games kind of take direction. I think the way the defense was playing in the first half, we had great field position, we were getting in the red zone, and getting those field goals. It just kind of went that direction. Then you are up, it’s a three possession game, two-three possession game there in the third quarter. And yeah, we are trying to eat some clock and running the ball and kind of getting behind the sticks. We didn’t have very good first and second down production. Then when they made it a one possession game, yeah I think finally we had to answer, we had to move the ball, change field position, get something going. So all of a sudden I think we’re a little more back to balance, and made a couple of plays in the air.”

Coach Harbaugh mentioned that if you don’t get in there, you’re going to get scrambled…

“For sure, 12 seconds it’s going to be tough to spike. Yes, I knew it right away. Obviously at the time, I’m kind of thinking more throw away kind of option, obviously if there’s a walk in. Saw the only two guys came out, they both ran up the receivers, [RB] Frank [Gore] and [TE] Delanie [Walker], and I thought I had it. Then the guy spun on me, the guy defending Frank spun on me on the one, and luckily I was able to get in.”

How about you breaking a tackle or running through a guy, what was that?

“I wasn’t trying to run through him. [Inaudible] trying to make contact, and then find any way possible to get in. When it’s a yard, stretch, spin, do whatever you’ve got to do, just try to get in the end zone.”

Alex, why were you guys having so much trouble running the ball, especially in between the tackle?

“That’s a good defense. You look at, I don’t think many people run the ball between the tackles, especially last year against them. We had a lot in the game plan, run-game wise, to mix it up, get involved in the edge, and unfortunately we weren’t able to get into a rhythm at all. The first down production was not where it needed to be tonight. We just were behind the chains a lot today. Second and long, third and long, you’re trying to play catch up. It’s not where you want to be, so.”

It’s a little bit early, a little bit of vindication for you, do you think?

“I don’t know about vindication. It’s 1-0. That’s great. That’s the biggest thing playing quarterback, bottom line it’s getting the win. Find a way and defense helped a lot tonight. Special teams obviously with [WR] Ted Ginn [Jr.] there in the end. It’s a great win like I said, but offensively a lot of room for improvement.”

Last year was kind of tough for Ted Ginn Jr., he gets hurt the first game, had a decent camp, and then got hurt, so what have you kind of seen from him and learned about him most?

“I don’t watch much of our special teams practice to be honest with you. We are over there doing drills and stuff, so I haven’t seen much of that. But I’ll just speak to his work ethic and how much he’s improved as a receiver. This camp alone, it’s been eye opening. Every person I talk to personally, he’s the guy, the name, that comes out of my mouth. I think that’s shown the most improvement, that has worked the hardest. He’s just really come a long way I think. So I’m happy for him. Those were two—I mean I don’t know how many guys have done that. I guess I don’t know the stat, but I don’t think many.”

How has he improved? Which ways?

“Just an all around. I think route running, catching the football. I think his general awareness at playing receiver, that time clock. Even him having the same kind of time clock I have. So if he’s getting bumped and pressed, well maybe you don’t get your full depth, and you come off a break early, and have a little bit of that awareness. He’s just shown a lot of improvement this camp. I think he’s done a lot for himself.”

Your first game with Coach Harbaugh in your ear, how was that, what’s it like?

“We did it in the preseason.”

Right, first real game I mean. Is he calm? Is he…?

“He’s the voice in my ear. Yeah, I mean sometimes. Sometimes the crowd’s getting loud, we’re down on the goal line, and you’re yelling the play in. It just depends. It was good. Communication was great. Obviously we had a couple snap issues I think early. False starts and things we have to get ironed out.”

Alex, it’s not just another voice in your ear, I mean last year you had a lot of problems getting plays in on time, this has got to be an improvement.

“Yes for sure, but this whole preseason whoever is calling the plays in, coaches have been on the ball with getting the play in with plenty of time. The guys have done a great job as far as tempo in and out of the huddle. So we haven’t really had clock problems all preseason to this point. But I think it’s just great to have the direct line with Coach Harbaugh. Coming in you get the little things here and there depending on big situations. Little reminders, those things help.”

You got a bear hug coming off the field, how was that? That was a nice moment.

“Yes it was nice. It was a big two-minute situation. We get down there on the goal line. Clock’s running down. We call it the boot, and my number got called and found a way to get in. It was nice. He’d have to answer this, but I don’t know if he kind of enjoyed that more than the touchdown pass.”

When’s the last time you got hugged by a coach?

“I couldn’t tell you. I hugged coach—on the field? I don’t know.”

You looked a little surprised when he was hugging you, like he was a little more emotional than you would have expected?

“No, I don’t know. We were all pumped up. I was jacked. You don’t get to make plays like that as a quarterback very often, and to make it, it was special. To be able to be accountable to your teammates, to hold up your end of the deal, I was jacked. I was jacked for the offense, for all the guys on the sideline, and yes, it was fun just to come over and see your head coach just as jacked as you.”

[Inaudible] against Seattle in 2006?

“The keeper? No, a little different. That was fun too, but no this was—openers are always different. They are always special, and to get the W tonight, it was big.”

How much of your plays do you think you’re trying to vindicate Harbaugh’s faith in you? He’s gone way out on a limb talking about you, praising you all the time he’s been here.

“Yes, I’m not thinking about that, just playing good in general. There are a lot of reasons to play good. The biggest thing is for my teammates and coaches. That’s why I play this game. That’s why I think the game of football is so special. So to be able to hold up your end of the deal is a lot, and this is the best time to walk away with a win. No better feeling.”

Coach Harbaugh has always stressed mobility as one of the things he looks for in his quarterbacks, the last couple of years we haven’t really seen that in your game as much. Is that something you could look more to this year where if the pressure is coming and just get whatever yards you can instead of trying to make something happen like with the receiver?

“I think a little more emphasis for sure on. I don’t know about necessarily if there’s pressure, but when things aren’t there, when things break down, yes, the game of football, yes, sometimes it can be ugly, the pocket can be ugly, and it’s not always going to be pretty. You’re not always going to be able to sit back there and throw to guys on time. When things break down, use your feet. I feel like I have that ability. Yes, I think in the last couple of years for sure got away from it a little bit, just different emphasis I guess, and if it helps us, anything I can do to help.”

SANTA CLARA – This is the transcript of Jim Harbaugh’s Friday press conference, courtesy of the 49ers.

There was a special guest of honor today at the press conference. He sat right behind me, and afterwards he answered some questions as well. I won’t reveal reveal his identity to you just yet, but Harbaugh reveals it for you at the end of this interview.

How do you feel about the week’s practice and the preparedness of the team?

“I feel good. I feel like we’re prepared and we’re ready to play, and the biological clock has clicked and ticked and now it’s time to play.”

Will you be the voice in QB Alex Smith’s ear in the game?

“Yes.”

Why you and not the QBs coach?

“That’s just the way we are going to do it.”

Why didn’t you do that for the first three games of the preseason?

“No reason. Just tried it one way and we are doing it this way.”

What do you like about that? Are you able to give him more than just the play call during that 25 seconds?

“Sometimes. Sometimes, yeah.”

Will you sometimes give the play call? Is that part of it that you will share play calling duties with Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman?

“Yeah, there will be times.”

What really attracted you to S Donte Whitner during the free agency period?

“His play. There were other things too. Just the kind of pro he is. All the reports we investigated. Top flight pro. Thought he’d be great in that room, and it would help our football team. Those reasons. And it’s always done with that priority in mind. Is it good for the football team? Does it make us better?”

Did you peg him as a guy who could make your calls right away?

“Did we peg him as a guy?”

Yeah

“We felt like that would be the case. That at least one of the safeties, and we like to have both, and at least one of them has to be making calls, or communicating. In our system both do that, so.”

Are you going to be kind of counting on Donte Whitner back there to kind of hold things together because he has some talent and some experience here in the secondary, but at this point, it’s like you’re not going to have a player that even started one game in the secondary last year that’s going to be starting on Sunday. So, do you need a guy like Donte, one guy to kind of be the glue back there right now while you guys are all coming together?

“Well yeah, you strive to have them all. They are all working together. They’re working in tandem. They’re working in trio. They’re working four, and sometimes five, and sometimes six. They are working together back there, so it’s important that they are all on the same page, and that they are all communicating. That’s important on the backend. Definitely he is exceptional at that, and we have other guys like that. One thing is just that group, along with the offensive line, and other units, need to play well together. And that will be an important unit in this ballgame.

Based on what you saw this week, is WR Michael Crabtree ready to make a contribution on Sunday?

“Yes.”

How do you go about in the course of a game figuring out which of those receivers, how to use them in different roles?

“Well, we just go about it. It’s part of the plan. It’s part of the scheming of where one receiver helps you, where two guys, what combination of two, or three or four is best for that particular play, that particular situation. That’s part of the scheming of it.”

Do you run in to any sort of situations where by playing four guys, does the receiver gets better the more he’s on the field and able to set up cornerbacks, or can you mix and match guys and be effective?

“I think you can be effective both ways.”

In terms of motivational tactics, how much of what you did at Stanford can carry over to here at the NFL level? Like for instance, the blue work shirts for example. It’s something you did at Stanford and are doing here this week. The players seem to like it a lot.

“Yeah, I like it. I love it. And they seem to love it too. You see the guys wearing them. It’s not real complicated, what it stands for. The motivational symbol, if you will, is pretty obvious.”

Do you have like a motivational handbook that you consult for both Stanford and here?

“No.”

Is RB Kendall Hunter your kickoff returner Sunday?

“Yeah, he’s one of them. He’s in the mix, yes.”

After watching the exhibition, what do you think of the 35 yardline stuff? Do you want teams returning against you? How are you going to play? What’s your observation on that?

“No observation for this year. You’re kicking off from the 35 yardline. The kicks are going far. You have to make a decision with a cool head to bring it out or to leave it in. Sure love to, if you can get out of the back in the end zone.”

It’s interesting you’re going to put a rookie back in that situation. You must be confident.

“We are.”

Some people didn’t think we’d see a return for a touchdown, we saw one last night. So, apparently that can happen.

“Still a viable part of the game.”

Jim, you had said that your dad has been the biggest influence in your coaching career, just give me two or three aspects that you learned from him that you bring with you to the practice every day.

“Two or three, that’d be tough because there are literally thousands. That’s been my role model. My best friend, the guy that has been the person I talk to most about football, other than the coaches here on our staff. He’d be next of people that I talk football with the most. He’s always got great advice. I lean on him a lot and ask him a lot of questions. Also, just the example that I’ve been watching for the last 47 years.”

Is he as detailed a coach as you are? Does he use his whistle as much as you do? Did you get the idea that you’re a players’ coach from him mostly?

“He’s one of the all-time greatest coaches in the history of the game in my opinion. If I’m going to compare me to him, I’d say I’m probably half the coach he is, but I’m trying.”

Coach you signed a couple of new guys this week, early in the week in LB Tavares Goodwin and QB Scott Tolzien, do you expect either of them to be up for the game or are  they not immersed with the playbook?

“Yeah they could, they could be. We’ll make that decision today and tomorrow.”

What do you like about Tolzien?

“I liked him in the eleven on eleven from college, a winner. I liked his mind. I liked how smart he was. I liked him when I went to the combine and there was nobody out on the field yet, but he came out early and was out there throwing the ball around. He was there every day throwing to the backs or to the receivers. He was there on the quarterback’s day. He was always the first one out of the locker room just throwing balls, must have been for four to five hours. That’s what I noticed first, what I first noticed, first really liked. Liked his tape, liked the way he gets the ball out quick. Liked the way he played against us the other night. Wanted to sign him, thinking hard about drafting him in the draft and then he was a priority free agent signing for us, but we weren’t able to get it done. We got him now.”

All three of your QB’s have had high Wonderlic scores, do you pay attention to that or are you gauging that intelligence in other ways? You had mentioned that about Mortensen (one of his former quarterbacks at University of San Diego) the other day as well. How do you ascertain their intelligence?

“Book smarts, street smarts, savvy play as a quarterback. Some can be tested, you mentioned the Wonderlic, there’s how they’ve done in school. Talking football with them, give them a little test, a little football test, an IQ test and then watch them play. Talk to their coaches, how they’d play and what they can handle. Test then and try to ascertain that the best you can.”

Jim, in terms of overall progress, how far do you think this team has come since you guys all met in June or July?

“I think they’ve come a long way. Can’t really put a percentage on it or anything like that, but they’ve come a long way. They’re ready to play football and it will be great to find out just how far we’ve come and how far we’re at come Sunday.”

Jim, the stats indicate that from Alex’s first five games from last year and his final six games he played in, he was a much better quarterback. When you look at film of him, do you see that? Do you see a much different quarterback at the end last year? 

“Well, I mean last year, the year before, he’s played a lot of football and he’s been a starter, been a very functional starter in the National Football League. Like all of us, with challenges in front of us, we’re working to get better. He’s good and he wants to be better and best, and we start that journey. We start that journey on Sunday. Plan, prepare and saving, working to get better. Not so much at looking back, as looking forward.”

People seem to be waiting for him to take the next step, but it appears as though he has…

“He’s already taken a lot of steps and we want more. We want him taking more steps.”

What’s difference between the safety combination of S Donte Whitner and S Dashon Goldson and Whitner and S Madieu Williams? Whitner and Goldson, are they more interchangeable than the other two, Whitner and Williams?

“I wouldn’t say that.”

Not a more near distinction between a free and strong safety?

“Yeah, they’re interchangeable.”

All your safeties are going to be interchangeable this year?

“Yeah, I mean some things that some do better than others. I couldn’t even give you a clear distinction right now or really compare or what combination to the other combination or really would want to.”

What time are you waking up Sunday morning? What time is your alarm clock set for Sunday morning?

“I don’t know, haven’t thought about that yet.”

Is your dad staying with you? Will he wake you up?

“No, I’ll stay at the hotel with the team. Dad, you can stay with me if you want (as he pointed to his father, Jack, who was sitting in the back of the press conference). He will probably be staying at the house.”

During the National Anthem, especially on Sunday, what goes through your mind? How do you use that time during the National Anthem?

“By looking at the flag and making sure the team is looking sharp and standing straight. Concentrating on that basically and respecting the flag and National Anthem. That’s pretty much what’s going through my head.”